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Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Review: Heir To The Air

Nikhil Shrestha
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Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Review: Heir To The Air

Before we get on with the review of the Apple MacBook Air M2, let’s take a step back. Apple’s transition from Intel to Arm was revolutionary in every sense of the word. And 2020’s M1 MacBook Air was easily the most remarkable laptop of the last decade. Hands down. Apple had set the bar high; so much so that reports of Windows laptop makers fearing declining sales due to the popularity of MacBooks are pretty common news these days.

So how could Apple catch lightning in a bottle—for the second time?

Remember that simply pumping out a more powerful processor is not the way to go here. Not on a slim, lightweight chassis with a quiet, fanless system like the MacBook Air. Apple has already demonstrated that it can deliver more powerful chips in the form of M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M1 Ultra—all of which are essentially scaled-up versions of the M1 architecture with a bigger die, more transistors, and whatnot, by the way.

But for something like that to work on a MacBook Air, it would have to be actively cooled. And housed inside a beefier form factor; both of which go directly against the Air’s design philosophy. At least by 2022’s standard. So, the new MacBook Air with the M2 chip still sits below the 14″ and 16” MacBook Pros as far as raw performance goes. And also the M2 MacBook Pro with that regurgitated chassis.

Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Specifications:

  • Design & Build: All-aluminum unibody build (100% recycled aluminum), 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44-inches (W x D x H), 1.24 kg
  • Color Options: Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, Midnight
  • Display: 13.6″ Liquid Retina display (LED), 60Hz refresh rate, Wide Color (P3), 500 nits brightness, True Tone
  • Resolution: 2K (2560×1664) resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio, 224 PPI
  • Keyboard: Full-size backlit keyboard, 1mm travel
  • Trackpad: Force Touch trackpad
  • Security: Touch ID (fingerprint sensor)
  • Processor: Apple M2 chip (5nm+), 8-core CPU (4 performance, 4 efficiency), 8/10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 100GB/s memory bandwidth
  • RAM: 8/16/24GB Unified Memory
  • Storage: 256GB to 2TB SSD
  • Audio: Four-speaker sound system (2 tweeters, 2 woofers), Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos support
  • Battery: 52.6 Watt-hours Li-Po battery
  • Power Supply: Up to 67W fast charging support
    • 30W USB-C Adapter (with 8-core GPU)
    • 35W Dual USB-C Adapter (with 10-core GPU, 512GB SSD)
  • Webcam: 1080p FaceTime HD camera, No physical shutter, Three-mic array with directional beamforming
  • Connectivity: WiFi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.0
  • I/O Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 (Up to 40Gb/s), 1x MagSafe 3 charging, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack (high-impedance)
  • Price in Nepal: Rs. 199,000 (8/256GB) | Rs. 248,000 (8/512GB)
  • What’s Inside The Box: Laptop, 30W USB-C / 35W Dual USB-C power adapter, USB-C to MagSafe 3 cable (braided), Apple stickers, User manual and other documents

Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Review:

Therefore, the M2 MacBook Air goes beyond just a performance bump to make a case for itself. Especially with that new design. It ditches the iconic wedge aesthetics in favor of the symmetrical squared-off look like the 14 and 16” Pros.

There’s now a notch for the upgraded camera, a bigger, brighter display, the speaker system has been redesigned, and MagSafe charging is back on Air as well. Sounds great! However… I’m pretty sure you were already expecting a “however” to pop up any time now. However, Apple’s latest MacBook Air costs a full $200 more compared to its predecessor.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Display 1

With the same memory configuration. That’s a lot of money for the next-gen upgrade. On top of this, you can even find the M1 Air for as little as $850 every now and then.

And after using it as my daily driver for about a month alongside its precursor, here’s what I think about it. Spoiler alert for this review of the Apple MacBook Air M2: this isn’t the easy recommendation I thought it would be, unlike the M1 Air.

Design & Build

  • 11.97 x 8.46 x 0.44-inches (W x D x H)
  • 1.24 kg (2.7 pounds)
  • All-aluminum unibody build (100% recycled aluminum)
  • Silver, Starlight, Space Gray, Midnight finishes

Okay, let me start by talking about the biggest upgrade in this year’s MacBook Air—which has to be the design. If you were a fan of the tapered look on previous iterations, too bad.

The wedge is dead, long live the uniformly thin design!

I was already a fan of this look on the 14” and 16″ MacBook Pro. So this wasn’t a big deal to me really. And although it might seem that the old Air is the slimmer of the two because of its narrowing finish, it’s actually the other way around. The M2 Air is both thinner and lighter. Not by a whole lot to make a groundbreaking difference, but still.

Apple MacBook Air M2 vs M1 - Thickness

Slimmer and lighter laptops are always welcome but that shouldn’t compromise the integrity of the device in any way, right? Fortunately, the M2 Air feels as solid as any other MacBook Apple has put out. Its all-metal enclosure feels premium through and through, whereas the lid is immune to any sort of flex as well. Wish I could say the same about this keyboard deck.

Not that it has a horrible keyboard flex or anything—obviously not—but it budges just a little easier compared to something like the 14” MacBook Pro. Or even the M1 Air for that matter.

Midnight madness

The color options sure are nice this time around though. Besides the usual Silver and Space Gray variant, Apple is also offering it in Starlight and Midnight finishes. I was super looking forward to getting the Midnight option with its brooding dark blue/black aesthetics. But I ultimately settled with the timeless Space Gray option because of the whole fingerprint magnet and easy-to-scuff thing.

With the updated design comes improved I/O choices too. As I mentioned earlier, the M2 Air also enjoys MagSafe charging; thus freeing up the two Thunderbolt ports whenever you need to top up the battery or something.

And its color-matched braided cable is just the icing on the cake! I will say that I would’ve loved to see an additional USB-C connection on the right next to the 3.5mm high-impedance headphone jack, but oh well. And I don’t think some of you would be happy to hear that this thing can natively connect to only one external monitor either.

My workflow doesn’t require a multi-monitor setup so this hasn’t bothered me at all. But I know many people were expecting Apple to enable support for more than one external display with the new baseline MacBooks. Since MagSafe takes care of the charging front, you at least have a free Type-C port when using a docking station or a USB-C hub now. This isn’t exactly the sweeter end of the deal, but I guess it’s still something.

Display

  • 13.6″ Liquid Retina display (glossy)
  • 60Hz refresh rate, True Tone, Wide Color (P3)
  • 500 nits peak brightness

Okay, enough of the external displays, what about the one on the MacBook itself? Let me tell you, it. is. gorgeous. The trimmed bezels make way for a larger, more immersive 13.6” screen, compared to the 13.3” on the M1 Air. And alongside the bigger display, there’s also a notch—just like the larger MacBook Pros.

But unlike the 14 and 16″ MacBook Pros with a smooooooth 120Hz refresh rate, this is still a 60Hz screen. Anyway, the menu bar now occupies that extra 0.3” screen space while the rest of the apps get slightly more room to breathe. But it’s sad to see that Apple still hasn’t come up with a solution elegant enough to make the notch any less invasive.

Nope, that “scale to fit below built-in camera” option which you have to individually enable on each app doesn’t count. Not to mention, it doesn’t even work on all apps, to begin with.

Apple MacBook Air M2 vs M1 - Display
Left: M1 MacBook Air | Right: M2 MacBook Air

So if the app you’re running has a ton of menu items or you use a bunch of menu bar apps, chances are that macOS can’t figure out a way to make them visible or accessible all at once. But don’t worry. There are a bunch of free third-party apps like Hidden Bar or paid ones like Bartender to organize the menu bar better.

Finally a 1080p webcam

One good thing to come out of the notch though is the webcam. Apple has finally given a proper 1080p FaceTime camera on the MacBook Air, and the upgrade is quite easy to notice. And appreciate. Other than sharper videos with better image processing, I’m also impressed with the background noise suppression here.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Webcam

I don’t know if Apple made any changes to the triple mic array in any way—except their placement—but this one definitely sounds better.

Let’s move on. The M2 Air’s Liquid Retina display is capable of producing over a billion colors, whereas it is 25% brighter than the M1 Air as well. And yeah, the difference between these two screens is quite palpable.

Colors look richer and with more depth on the M2 Air, which makes your viewing experience just a little more enjoyable. The contrast ratio is also noticeably deeper here, but it’s simply no match for the mini-LED displays on the larger MacBook Pros.

And the similar color coverage on the M1 and M2 Air’s screens was quite surprising. With 100% sRGB, 88% AdobeRGB, and 99% P3 gamut on the M2 Air, compared to 98% on its predecessor. I also measured its peak brightness at 504 nits, versus 398 nits on the M1 Air. That’s quite bright! So it can be the perfect laptop to work with in a cafe, or for someone who does lots of field visits in their line of work.

Audio

  • Four-speaker system
  • Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos audio

Also adding to the visual experience is the redesigned speaker system. Unlike the M1 Air—or any other MacBook that Apple currently sells—it doesn’t have speaker grills on the side. Instead, its four-speaker system with two tweeters and two woofers is located between the keyboard and the display.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Speaker

Even though the M1 Air sounded better to my ears at first, the more I listened to this guy, the more I came to like it. Yes, the M2 Air is missing that “wraparound” effect a bit, but the audio separation, clarity, and crispness of the high frequencies here are undeniably superior. Even when cranking the volume to 100%, it doesn’t distort as much. And unlike the M1 Air, it also supports Spatial Audio on tracks with Dolby Atmos sound.

Keyboard & Trackpad

  • Magic Keyboard (backlit, 1mm travel)
  • Touch ID for biometrics
  • Force Touch Trackpad

As for the keyboard, the M2 Air feels fantastic to type on. The keys are well-spaced, the 1mm travel distance is extremely comfortable for my hands, and I like their fairly quiet sound profile too.

Some people have complained about the short key travel being difficult to adjust to, but I had no problem with it. Oh, and the function rows are also full-height this time. On the other hand, Apple’s spacious Force Touch Trackpad still sets the benchmark for one of the best trackpad experiences you could find on a notebook.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Keyboard

But one thing I noticed is that M2 Air’s trackpad feels relatively soft, almost shallow compared to the sharp, precise feedback on the M1 Air. Even so, it feels significantly better after switching the click speed from “medium” to “firm”.

Performance

  • Apple M2 chip (5nm+)
  • 8-core CPU, 8/10-core GPU
  • Up to 24GB unified memory, 2TB SSD

With that out of the way, let’s now get to the performance side of this review of the Apple MacBook Air M2. And all the controversies surrounding it. According to Apple, the M2 chip inside this laptop offers 18% faster CPU and up to 35% faster GPU performance. That’s pretty impressive for a next-gen upgrade, right?

But more power also means more heat, which isn’t exactly news, but it’s not good news for a passively cooled system like the MacBook Air.

And yeah, it most definitely throttles under heavy load. Like… all fanless notebooks do. Looking at our 30 minutes Cinebench stress test, we can see that the M2 Air loses somewhere around 17% of its performance. To 0% on the actively cooled M2 MacBook Pro and just 4% on the M1 Air.

Apple M2 MacBook Air - Cinebench R23

So if you’re someone who does a lot of 3D rendering or compiling big coding projects, this isn’t the MacBook for you. Also, because the M2 chip generates more heat for that extra pinch of power, the CPU temperature here comfortably (and quickly) climbs to 103 to even 108°C. With the center of the keyboard deck and its adjacent bottom chassis getting notably hot.

Watch out for those thermals

The M1 Air, however, never once hit the triple-digit temperature in all my testing. But the thing is, this quiet, fanless guy isn’t meant to run large rendering projects and such in the first place. There are far beefier MacBooks for those tasks.

Apple M2 MacBook Air - Adobe Premiere Pro

And in our custom 4K Premiere Pro render with heavy animation layers, the M2 Air was not that far behind the fan-equipped 13” MacBook Pro. The surface temperature was a couple of degrees hotter here, but performance throttling wasn’t that noticeable. And under regular, non-rendery use cases, the M2 Air blazes past everything you throw at it.

My everyday usage consists of running at least half-a-dozen Chrome tabs, drafting a few documents, and light editing on Photoshop while I enjoy some tunes on Spotify. A few Chrome tabs would occasionally have to reload here because I’m only rocking the base 8GB variant.

But other than that, the M2 Air never gave up on me. Also, both the CPU and GPU temperature stay nice and cool at around 40-45°C under such a casual usage pattern. The “thermal throttling” debate gets even weaker when running smaller projects or benchmarks.

Apple M2 MacBook Air - Xcode Build Test

Like, I ran the Xcode build test—which measures the system’s ability to compile large codebases—twice in a row. And the M2 Air was able to maintain its burst performance perfectly fine. The CPU temperature once again hits above the 100°C territory, but there’s no performance dip at all.

Any word on gaming?

Apple is also pushing gaming on Mac with the upcoming macOS Ventura. From developers not launching their latest titles on macOS to the lack of proper graphics API, macOS has never been the ideal platform for gaming. At least when it comes to modern AAA titles. But Apple claims Ventura is going to be the next big thing in terms of gaming on Mac.

At this point, I doubt Apple will ever catch up to the decades of head start that Microsoft has, but this is still promising news.

And I would’ve liked to run a few games on the M2 Air as well. But since macOS Ventura is currently in beta, I didn’t want to install it on my daily driver.

I did run some GPU benchmarks though, and Apple’s 35% faster claims turned out to be mostly true. The M2 MacBook Pro scores much higher than the M2 Air, but that’s just because its base model comes with a 10-core GPU compared to the 8-core GPU on the Air. Its active cooling has almost no bearing on these results.

What about the slow SSD?

Okay, let me now address the whole “slower SSD debacle”. Since the base 256 gigs configuration of the M2 MacBooks use a single 256GB NAND chip instead of two 128GB ones like on the M1 Air, their read/write speeds are notably slow. Absolutely.

It’s kinda like running one stick of 16GB RAM in a single channel instead of two 8GB sticks in a dual channel on PCs. And even though I never really noticed any sort of slow-downs on my everyday usage because of the slower SSD, it certainly makes a difference under heavy load. Especially when the system uses heavy swap memory.

To put it simply, swap memory is when the operating system temporarily uses the onboard storage (in this case, SSD) when it’s short on RAM. Windows does it, macOS does it, and even Linux does it—it’s a common technique. But since the entry-level M2 Air has significantly slower read/write speeds, you will notice a performance dip when the system is using large swap memory.

Apple M2 MacBook Air - SSD Copy Speed Test

Just take a look at our copy speed test. With no foreground apps, copying a 15.78GB folder took the same time on the M2 and M1 Air. But with a bunch of active foreground apps, the M1 Air takes a notable lead. And this difference only gets wider as macOS hogs more and more swap memory.

Battery

  • 52.6 Watt-hours Li-Po battery
  • 30W / 35W USB-C power adapter

That’s quite disappointing. But what isn’t, is its battery life. The M2 Air brings a slightly larger battery over the M1 Air, although I didn’t notice any difference in their endurance. At full charge, it comfortably lasts me an entire workday with 10-12 hours of screen on time. Just like the M1 Air did back when it was still kicking with 100% battery health.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Charger

As for juicing it up, the included 30W MagSafe 3 charger takes a little under two and a half hours to fill it to 100%. Quite slow, I know. And Apple knows it too, which is why it lets you upgrade to the faster 67W power brick for $20 more.

Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Review: Conclusion

I guess that’s it, right? Let’s wrap up this review of the Apple MacBook Air M2. This is one heck of a portable machine—I can’t deny that. From its overhauled design, nicer display, better speakers, and webcam, to the all-new M2 silicon, there’s a lot to love about this machine. But as we’ve discovered throughout this review, the $200 cheaper, or occasionally even $350 cheaper Apple MacBook Air M1 from 2020 isn’t that far behind the M2 Air.

In certain cases, it even pulls off a healthy performance leap. So if you don’t really do much on a computer, and if absolute value-for-money is what you’re going for, the incredible M1 MacBook Air is still the way to go.

The M1 and M1 Pro dilemma

Even if you were looking to pull some heavy lifting on the M2 Air, at the very least you would need 16GB memory and 512GB SSD. And that config costs you a cool $1,700, which is just $300 shy of the M1 Pro-powered 14” MacBook Pro. And that machine is on a whole another level. Like, in every aspect you can imagine.

AppleMacBookAirM22022 - Design

Maybe not in terms of portability, but that’s not saying much. The thing is, it’s actually a proper “Pro” laptop for creators. So while the M2 Air isn’t inherently a bad laptop in any way, the problem is that it is sandwiched between two of the most influential MacBooks Apple has to offer.

But if you can justify all its upgrades with the $200 price jump over the M1 Air, and don’t want to go all-in with the M1 Pro, this is still a solid everyday notebook. That SSD issue I discussed earlier is something to worry about, so I’d recommend getting the 512GB model which will age better over time.

Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • M2 chip delivers excellent performance
  • Sturdy build quality
  • Nice display
  • 1080p FaceTime camera
  • Improved speakers
  • Comfortable keyboard, trackpad
  • All-day battery life

Cons:

  • Significantly more expensive than M1 Air
  • Slow read/write speeds on 256GB model
  • Limited I/O choices
  • No 120Hz refresh rate
  • Throttles, heats up under heavy load
  • Only 30W charger provided in the base variant

Moto Tab G62 unveiled with 10.6″ 2K display, Snapdragon 680, quad speakers

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Moto Tab G62 unveiled with 10.6″ 2K display, Snapdragon 680, quad speakers

Motorola has launched a new midrange tablet in India. This Android tablet, known as the Moto Tab G62, has a 2K display and a Snapdragon 6-series processor. In this section, we will go over the specifications, features, expected price, and availability of the Moto Tab G62 in Nepal.

Moto Tab G62 Overview:

Design and Display

The Moto Tab G62 shares a similar design language to previous Motorola tablets such as the Moto G70. On the back, it houses a single camera unit, flash, and a Motorola logo in the middle. it is further accentuated by the dual-tone Frost Blue metal finish.

Moto Tab G62 - Design, Display

Talking about the display, the one on this model has a 2K resolution and measures 10.6-inch. The refresh rate is set at 60Hz and it has a pixel density of 220ppi. Also, the display is TUV certified, keeping your eyes protected from harmful rays.

Performance and Memory

Under the hood, the Moto Tab G62 packs a Snapdragon 680 processor with Kryo 265 CPU up to 2.4 GHz frequency. Likewise, Motorola has paired the chip with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The storage can be extended up to 1TB with a microSD card.

Camera and Audio

The rear camera on Moto Tab G62 is an 8MP sensor with 118-degree FoV. Likewise, the front-facing camera is an 8MP sensor too. The tablet is capable of capturing 1080p videos at 30fps.

Motorola has included a quad-speaker setup as well as Dolby Atmos support. The tablet includes a single microphone as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Rest of the Specs

The Moto Tab G70 is powered by a 7700mAh battery that can provide 12 hours of usage from a single charge. It supports 20W fast charging. In terms of connectivity, it has Bluetooth 5.2, GPS, and dual-band WiFi.

Moto Tab G62 Specifications:

  • Body: 251.2 x 158.8 x 7.45mm, 465 gm
  • Display: 10.6″ IPS LCD panel, 60Hz refresh rate
  • Resolution: 2K (2000 x 1200 pixels)
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 680 (6nm Mobile Platform)
  • Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB storage (expandable)
  • Software & UI: Android 12
  • Rear Camera: Single (8MP, autofocus)
  • Front Camera: Single (8MP, fixed focus)
  • Audio: Quad-speaker setup, Dolby Atmos
  • Connectivity: LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.2, GPS (BDS, GLONASS, Galileo) USB Type-C
  • Battery: 7,700mAh with 20W fast charging

Moto Tab G62 Price in Nepal and Availability

The sole 4/64GB variant of Moto Tab G62 is on sale in India for INR 15,999 on Flipkart. Based on that, we can expect the Moto Tab G62 to be priced at around NPR 32,500 if it launches in Nepal.

Moto Tab G62 Price in India (Official) Price in Nepal (Expected)
4/64GB INR 15,999 NPR 32,500
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Moto Tab G70.

Infinix Hot 12 launched in Nepal with Helio G85, 90Hz LCD screen & Android 12

GadgetByte
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Infinix Hot 12 launched in Nepal with Helio G85, 90Hz LCD screen & Android 12

Infinix has added a new smartphone to its Hot lineup of budget smartphones in Nepal. The new Hot 12 carries some commendable specs for the price. In this article, we will be discussing the complete specs, features, price, and availability of the Infinix Hot 12 in Nepal.

Infinix Hot 12 Overview:

Design and Display

With the new Hot 12, Infinix has gone with a more modern design on the front. The phone now features a center-aligned punch-hole cutout compared to the traditional waterdrop notch on its predecessor. Likewise, the screen is also bigger at 6.82-inch. Furthermore, it now has support for 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate.

That being said, Infinix has compromised on the resolution of the screen. While last year’s Hot 11 came with an FHD+ screen, it has been reduced to HD+ in its successor.

Infinix Hot 12 Color Options

At the back, Infinix Hot 12 has a new rectangular camera bump. Users can choose between four different color options: Origin Blue, Legend White, Lucky Green, and Racing Black. The phone will also feel different in hand as it switches to a flat-edge design. It measures 8.32mm in thickness and weighs around 195 grams.

Performance and Memory

Under the hood. Infinix has gone with the Helio G85 chipset. Compared to the Helio G70 on the Hot 11, G85 brings an overclocked Mali G52 GPU. The clock frequency of the Cortex-A55 is bumped to 1.8GHz from 1.7GHz. Other specs and features are identical across the two SoCs.

Infinix is offering the Hot 12 in a single memory configuration of 6+128GB. Users will also be able to expand the former up to 11GB with virtual RAM technology. Similarly, the storage is also expandable with an external microSD card.

Camera

The cameras on the Infinix Hot 12 are not much different than its predecessor. Infinix has added a 2MP auxiliary sensor, but it is not clear what its purpose is. Other than that, you get the same old 13MP primary and an AI lens.

With the rear camera setup, users can record 1080p videos at 30 fps and slow-mo at 240fps. There is also a dedicated night mode and autofocus. Over on the front, Infinix has included an 8MP selfie camera with AI features.

Infinix Hot 12 Camera Setup

Rest of the specs

Infinix Hot 12 gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. The phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometrics. It even boots on Android 12-based XOS 10.6 on top. You also get a dual speaker setup with DTS audio.

Infinix Hot 12 Specifications:

  • Body: 170.47 x 77.6 x 8.32-mm, 194.9gm
  • Display: 6.8-inches TFT IPS panel, 90Hz refresh rate, 180Hz touch sampling rate
  • Resolution: HD+ (1612 x 720 pixels)
  • Chipset: MediaTek Helio G85 (12nm mobile platform)
  • CPU: Octa-core (2×2.0 GHz Cortex-A75 & 6×1.8 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable)
  • Software & UI: XOS UI on top of Android 12
  • Rear Camera: Triple,
    – 13MP primary lens
    – 2MP auxiliary lens
    – AI sensor
    – Dual-LED flash
  • Front Camera: 8MP with dual-flash
  • Security: Physical fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
  • Audio: Dual speakers with DTS Audio
  • Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth, OTG
  • Battery: 5000mAh with 18W (5V/2A) charging

Infinix Hot 12 Price in Nepal and Availability

The base variant of the Infinix Hot 12 with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM is available in Nepal for Rs. 21,999.

Infinix Hot 12 Price in Nepal (Official)  Availability
6/128GB
Rs. 21,999 Daraz
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Infinix Hot 10.

Realme 9 Pro with Snapdragon 695 5G, 120Hz display launched in Nepal

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Realme 9 Pro with Snapdragon 695 5G, 120Hz display launched in Nepal

Realme 9, 9i, and Pro+ are already available in Nepal. And now, the Realme 9 Pro has made its way in the Nepali market as well. In the article, we will be discussing the specs, features, official price, and availability of the Realme 9 Pro 5G in Nepal.

Realme 9 Pro 5G Overview:

Realme 9 Pro 5G was among the first phone of the latest number series when it launched in India back in February. It is the successor to last year’s Realme 8 Pro and brings 5G to the mix. Specs-wise, it is the middle ground between Realme 9 and Realme 9 Pro+.

Display

Realme 9 Pro has a bigger and faster display than its predecessor but at the expense of the panel quality. It features a 6.6” FHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The display can switch between six levels of refresh rates based on the content on the screen.

Likewise, the touch sampling rate has been bumped to 240Hz as well. That being said, it uses an LCD panel which is a downgrade from 8 Pro’s AMOLED display.

Realme 9 Pro Design

Realme 9 Pro measures 8.5mm in thickness and weighs around 195 grams. It is available in three color options: Aurora Green, Midnight Black, and Sunrise Blue. The latter comes with a Light Shift Design which allows the phone to change color based on its exposure to sunlight.

Performance and Memory

For performance, Realme has turned to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 695 5G. On a quick glance, it may look like a downgrade from Snapdragon 720G on the Realme 8 Pro, but it’s not. Snapdragon 695 actually has newer Cortex-A78 and Cortex-A55 cores, compared to Cortex-A76 on the 720G. Likewise, graphics performance is also better on the 695 with the Adreno 619 GPU.

In addition, the new chipset brings a more power-efficient 6nm process and 5G connectivity as well. The chipset is paired with 6GB and 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Camera

Realme 9 Pro features a triple camera at the back compared to the quad-camera setup on its predecessor. Moreover, the resolution of the primary camera has been reduced to 64MP from 108MP. Accompanying it is an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens. Upfront, you get a 16MP selfie camera within the circular camera cutout.

Realme 9 Pro Camera setup

Battery

Realme 9 Pro gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery compared to a 4,500mAh cell on the 8 Pro. Unfortunately, the charging speed maxes out at 33W. Moving on, the phone ships with Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0 on top.

Realme 9 Pro 5G Specifications:

  • Display: 6.6″ FHD+ IPS LCD panel, 120Hz refresh rate
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm)
  • Memory: 6/8GB RAM, Up to 128GB internal storage
  • Software & UI: Realme UI 3.0 on top of Android 12
  • Rear Camera: Triple (64MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro lens)
  • Front Camera: 16MP lens
  • Security: Fingerprint (side-mounted)
  • Battery: 5,000mAh with 33W Flash Charge
  • Color Options: Midnight Black, Aurora Green, Sunrise Blue

Realme 9 Pro 5G Price in Nepal and Availability

The price of Realme 9 Pro 5G in Nepal is Rs. 38,999 for the sole 8/128GB variant. But it is available with a flat Rs. 2,000 off if you pre-order the phone between August 18 – 21. You can buy Realme 9 Pro 5G in Nepal from authorized stores like Hukut.

Realme 9 Pro 5G Price in Nepal Availability
8/128GB Rs. 38,999 Hukut
  • Meanwhile, check out our full review of the Realme 9 Pro+

Dizo 4-in-1 Trimmer Kit announced with 0.5mm trimming precision, 4 hours of runtime

GadgetByte
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Dizo 4-in-1 Trimmer Kit announced with 0.5mm trimming precision, 4 hours of runtime

Dizo, the brand under Realme’s TechLife initiative, has launched its latest lifestyle product. The company announced the Dizo 4-in-1 Trimmer Kit in India, which will go on sale starting next week. So, let’s look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Dizo Trimmer Kit in Nepal.

Dizo Trimmers Kit Overview:

Dizo Trimmer Kit is a 4-in-1 grooming and styling package designed for the Gen-Z audience. The kit consists of a trimmer, three trimming combs, a cleaning brush, and an oil can. In addition, Dizo includes a Type-C charging cable in the box.

Trimming

The Dizo Trimmer comes in an-all black body topped with a matte finish. On the front are a length adjustment dialer, an on/off button, and the company’s branding at the bottom. It has a total of 40 length settings with a precision of 0.5mm.

Dizo Trimmer Kit Package Components

Dizo has opted for grade 420 stainless steel for the blades, which have round tips for safety. As per the company, the self-sharpening blades are 50% sharper and 15% quieter than regular trimmers. The latter is based on the internal tests where the Dizo Trimmer Kit was recorded at 62dB.

Dizo Trimmer Kit comes with two trimming combs. One has a trimming range of 0.5mm to 10mm, while the other has a 10 – 20mm range. In addition, the package includes a noise/ear trimmer.

Battery

Inside, Dizo Trimmer Kit packs a 1,300mAh battery with a runtime of up to 240 minutes. It even supports fast charging via the Type-C port. Users can get 15 minutes of endurance with just 10 minutes of charging. The LED light notifies the users about the battery percentage. It blinks green, orange, and red depending upon the amount of charge left.

Dizo Trimmer Kit IP Rating

Safety and Durability

Thanks to its Auto-Switch feature, the Dizo Trimmer Kit turns off automatically after 10 minutes of sitting idle. Dizo has even included a Travel Lock that can be accessed by holding the power button for 3 seconds. With this, you can travel with the Trimmer Kit without worrying about accidental triggers.

Dizo says the new Trimmer Kit is fully washable because of the IPX5 rating. It is said to have undergone vigorous tests in the company’s lab.

Dizo Trimmer Kit Specifications:

  • Cutting Element: Grade 420 Stainless steel (self-sharpening)
  • Combs: 3 (0.5-10mm, 10-20mm, Nose/ear trimmer)
  • Length Settings: 40
  • Trimming Precision: 0.5mm
  • Noise Level: 68dB
  • Water Resistance: IPX5
  • Usage: Cordless
  • Battery: 1300mAh, 240 minutes run time
  • Charging: Type-C port, 100% in
  • Accessories: Charging Cable, 3x Trimming Comb, Cleaning Brush, Oil Can

Dizo Trimmer Kit Price in Nepal and Availability

The official price of the Dizo Trimmer Kit in India is INR 1,299. However, Dizo is offering it at just INR 999 for the first sale that will take place on August 23 on Flipkart. We expect the price of the Dizo Trimmer Kit to be NPR 2,200 when it launches in Nepal.

 Lifestyle Product  Price in India (Official)  Price in Nepal (Expected)
 Dizo Trimmer Kit  INR 1,299  NPR 2,200
  • Meanwhile, check out our full review of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro.

Realme 9 (8/128GB) gets a price hike in Nepal

GadgetByte
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Realme 9 (8/128GB) gets a price hike in Nepal

After increasing the price of the base 6.128GB variant of the Realme 9, Realme has done the same with the higher 8/128GB variant. In this article, we will be discussing the key specs, features, official price, and availability of Realme 9 in Nepal.

Realme 9 Overview:

Design and Display

Realme 9 brings a new “Ripple Holographic design”. The phone features plasma atom-coating and UV-Nano imprinting. It measures 7.99mm in thickness and weighs 178 grams. Realme offers the phone in three color options: Sunburst Gold, Stargaze White, and Meteor Black.

Realme 9 4G Design

Upfront, the phone sports a 6.6-inch 90Hz Super AMOLED panel with FHD resolution. It has a total of 10240-level of touch sampling rate, with the highest value being 360Hz. Likewise, Realme 9 4G boasts 1000 nits of peak brightness and Gorilla Glass 5 protection.

Performance and Memory

On the performance front, it brings the new Snapdragon 680 4G chipset that also powers Redmi Note 11, Galaxy A23 4G, and Realme’s own 9i. Being built on top of a 6nm process, this processor shines the brightest in power efficiency but leaves much to be desired in terms of raw performance.

The base variant of the Realme 9 brings 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There is also an 8GB variant with the same internal storage.

Camera

Realme 9 4G Cameras

Realme 9 is the world’s first smartphone with Samsung’s 108MP ISOCELL HM6 sensor. This new camera sensor uses a 9-in-1 pixel binning to crunch out 12MP photos by default. Realme even claims it can take in 123% more light, resulting in brighter pictures with less noise. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro sensor. There is a 13MP camera sensor on the front for selfies.

Rest of the Specs

Fueling the phone is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. The phone has an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometrics.

Realme 9 Specifications:

  • Display: 6.6-inch Super AMOLED, 90Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, 1000 nits peak brightness
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G (6nm Mobile Platform)
  • Memory: 6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM
  • Storage: 128GB UFS 2.2 storage
  • Software & UI: Realme UI 3.0 on top of Android 12
  • Rear Camera: Triple (108MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro)
  • Front Camera: 16MP (punch-hole)
  • Audio: Single speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Security: In-display fingerprint sensor
  • Battery: 5000mAh with 33W charging
  • Read our review of the Realme 9.

Realme 9 Price in Nepal and Availability

Though it was initially announced at Rs. 31,499, the base 6/128GB variant of Realme 9 now retails for Rs. 31,999. Similarly, the price of the 8/128GB variant has now changed from Rs. 33,499 Rs. 33,999. You can purchase it from authorized e-commerce stores like Hukut.

Realme 9 Price in Nepal (Official) 
6/128GB Rs. 31,499 31,999
8/128GB Rs. 33,499 33,999
  • Meanwhile, check out our long-term review of the Realme 9.

Check out these tech deals on the ongoing Daraz Mall Fest

GadgetByte
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Check out these tech deals on the ongoing Daraz Mall Fest

Daraz is back with yet another sales campaign. The online marketplace kicked off the Daraz Mall Fest on August 15 and it will last up to August 21. Users will be able to shop for products from hundreds of national and international brands with flat discounts, discount vouchers and bank discounts. In this article, we will be discussing the best tech deals up for grabs on the latest Daraz Mall Fest.

Best Tech Deals on Daraz Mall Fest

Smartphones

Xiaomi 12X

Xiaomi 12X is among the cheapest phones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip currently on the market. The phone was initially launched at Rs. 76,999 but the price has now dropped to Rs. 71,999. You can also get a flat discount of Rs. 2,500 through the use of vouchers.

Xiaomi 12X - Design

Samsung Galaxy S22 5G

Like the Xiaomi 12X discussed above, Samsung Galaxy S22 5G is also a phone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. However, it’s a more premium offering with flagship camera features. On top of that, you are also getting a year of breakage insurance. The official price of Samsung Galaxy S22 5G is Rs. 118,998 but you can use vouchers to get Rs. 7,000 off instantly. You can even get additional discounts with pre-payment.

iPhone 12

If you are into the Apple ecosystem, you might want to get a new iPhone. iPhone 12 is currently on sale on Daraz with a starting price of Rs. 118,900 against the market price of Rs. 120,990. It gets even more affordable with the Rs. 7000 voucher and pre-payment discount.

iPhone 12 - Design

iPhone 11

Apple launched the iPhone 11 back in 2019. However, it still gives newer premium Android mid-range phones run for their money even today, especially after the recent price drop. However, during the Daraz Mall Fest, you can get it for cheaper than the already-low market price.

iPhone 11 latest price nepal 2020

iPads

IPads are great tools that you can use for both productivity and play. And if you are eyeing one, this might be the time. You can now get the iPad mini (6th Gen) and iPad 10.2 (9th Gen) at starting price of Rs. 54,990 and 81,990, respectively. Plus, Daraz is also offering discount vouchers of Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 4,000, respectively.

iPad mini (6th Gen)

 

iPad 10.2 (9th Gen)

iPadOS 15

 

Smart Wearable

Amazfit GTR 3 Pro

The GTR 3 Pro is Amazfit’s flagship product. It comes with all the features expected on a smartwatch and the ability to bind it to both Android and iOS products. Amazfit GTR 3 pro fluants a 1.45-inch AMOLED panel with 100 nits of peak brightness. It has 5ATM water-resistance, built-in GPS, and runs on the new ZepOS.

 

Amazfit GTS 2 Mini

Then there is the Amazfit GTS 2 Mini, which is targetted at more budget conscious users. It brings AMOLED screen, metal body, 5ATM water resistance, GPS tracking, and GPS tracking, all under Rs. 10,000.

Amazfit GTS 2 mini

 

 

Audio Accessories

Soundcore

Soundcore is the audio brand of Anker and is well known globally. It even has presence in the Nepali market, thanks to its good yet affordable products lineup.

As part of Daraz Fest Mall, the Soundcore Life P2i is now available at a discounted rate of Rs. 4,6999. The wireless earbuds come with 10mm audio drivers and two EQ modes: Bass and Podcast. It boasts battery life of up to 28 hours with the case and supports fast charging. The earbuds are IPX4 rated and features Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity.

Soundcore Life P2i Black

 

 

Soundcore Life U2i

Another Soundcore product to consider is the Life U2i wireless neckband. It is already cheap at Rs. 2,707 and use can make it more affordable with voucher and card discounts.

 

Mivi

Mivi is a new name in the Nepali accessory market. It’s an Indian brand founded in 2015 that focuses on value for money accessories. Mivi products to consider in this Daraz Fest Mall are Duopods F30 and Mivi Play. They are priced at Rs. 2,599 and Rs. 1,899, respectively.

Mivi Duopods F30

 

 

Mivi Play

 

 

Realme Pad X Review: Justifies The Value?

GadgetByte
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Realme Pad X Review: Justifies The Value?

In this review, I will be taking an in-depth look at the Realme Pad X. Realme’s Pad series has been home to some really good value-for-money Android tablets. Both the first-gen Realme Pad and the Pad Mini justified their value proposition perfectly. But after a couple of budget devices, Realme has stepped up its game in the tablet arena with the new Realme Pad X.

This is the first 5G tablet from the company, as well as the first one to introduce a compatible keyboard and stylus accessory. And Realme is targeting this slate towards creatives and productivity-focused users who want a tablet that can do more than just casual web surfing and multimedia consumption.

Realme Pad X Specifications:

  • Body: 7.1mm thickness, 499 gm
  • Display: 11-inches IPS LCD panel, 450 nits brightness
  • Resolution: 2K (1200 x 2000 pixels)
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 695 5G (6nm)
  • CPU: Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A78 & 6×1.7 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • GPU: Adreno 619
  • Memory: 4/6GB RAM, 64/128GB storage
  • Software & UI: Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0 on top
  • Rear Camera: 13MP f/2.2 sensor
  • Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0 sensor
  • Audio: Quad speaker setup, Dolby Atmos
  • Battery: 8340mAh with 33W charging
  • Price in Nepal: N/A (Starts at INR 19,999 in India)
Buy Realme Pad X

Realme Pad X Review:

So to put that to test, I hurriedly shifted from my laptop to the Realme Pad X as soon as I got it. And lucky for me, since I was already used to Alldocube’s 2-in-1 Windows tablet, the smaller screen real estate here didn’t require much readjustment either. However, if you’re accustomed to a 15 or 16” machine, this isn’t a leap you would want to make.

Realme Pad X Accessories

Anyway, talking about the Realme Smart Keyboard, the first thing that hits the mind is that it’s quite expensive at Rs. 5,000. And I can’t say I found this thing to be that productive, to be honest. The keys themselves have nice travel distance and tactile feedback. And this is also a pretty nice keypad and a folio case 2-in-1, which means I can securely fold the tablet into a nice and secure clamshell whenever not in use. Battery life is also solid as it managed to last me a little over 10 days before requiring a fill-up.

And when you eventually need to charge it, the Type-C connector makes things rather simple. I would’ve liked it more if the folio case could position the tablet at more than one angle, but that’s not the biggest issue with this keyboard. What’s more pressing is that the Realme UI for Pad that’s baked into this tablet simply doesn’t give me the flexibility to make the most out of it.

Limited usage

I know that Android lags far behind the versatility of a Windows OS or even the iPadOS. But the very least Realme could do here is to add a desktop-like feature, similar to Samsung’s DeX or Xiaomi’s PC Mode. Android OS in itself can’t match or deliver an experience comparable to that of your regular desktop. I mean, even Realme is advertising it just for typing and a few multifunctional shortcut keys. That’s all!

Not to forget, there’s no built-in trackpad here either which means I have to carry a wireless mouse all the time. At this point, I could just switch back to my laptop and be done with it. Yeah, yeah, I could use the Realme Pencil stylus instead, I know, but… just look at this.

Hit-Or-Miss

For some reason, our unit of the stylus breaks down mid-stroke and everything you draw or sketch ends up with an uneven and unintended pattern of dotted lines. No matter what style of brush you’ve selected. So we also tried a third-party stylus from WiWu and guess what? That one worked perfectly fine!

Realme Pad X Display -2

To be fair, this doesn’t seem to be a widespread issue and I’ve seen only a handful of people mention it so far. But that still doesn’t mean Realme should get away with such poor quality control on such an expensive device. I’m pretty sure that you’d be shocked to find out that this thing costs a staggering Rs. 5,499! So yeah, if you reea….lly want a stylus to go with the Pad X, there are plenty of affordable options to shop from.

So to put my experience in nutshell, Realme’s accessories for the Pad X did not quite strike the mark for me. Besides their usability standpoint—or the lack thereof—and their hefty price tag which totals to more than half the price of the tablet is also pretty insane. And for that price and their practicality, I don’t think these accessories justify their worth.

But things take a different turn when you look at Realme Pad X as a standalone device. Without both the keyboard and the stylus to complement it. It still has that appeal for a slate that bridges the gap between casual work and play. So let’s look at it from that perspective, shall we?

Design

Realme Pad X Design

First off, I am quite fond of its overall heft and slim profile. It measures just 7.1mm thick and at roughly 500 grams, the tablet doesn’t feel unbearably heavy or uncomfortable to hold in hands thanks to the excellent weight distribution. But the Realme Pad X flaunts a polycarbonate build—contrary to the all-metal construction on the first-gen Realme Pad or even the cheaper Pad Mini.

So the only reason I’m guessing Realme has opted for polycarbonate material is to balance the overall weight of the device since a metal-infused build would’ve easily complicated things for an already hefty tablet.

The only letdown about this design is that it has a glossy back that catches fingerprints and smudges rather easily. So I’d recommend wrapping it around a case to avoid the hassle of cleaning the back panel every now and then. Oh, and Realme has also omitted the headphone jack here, which is a bummer.

Display

Over on the display, Realme has delivered the goods with a nearly 11-inch 2K IPS screen. Although the contrast level especially takes a slight hit in comparison to OLED panels, everything from color reproduction to their vibrancy looks real good on this display.

Realme Pad X Display

And this tablet has also secured Widevine L1 certification for HD playback on your favorite OTT platforms. Plus, something that wonderfully complements your streaming experience is the Dolby Atmos tuned quad-speaker setup.

The Realme Pad X has hands-down the best-sounding speakers in the lineup. It gets fairly loud and it can maintain a nice separation between vocals and instruments to let you almost hear every nuance in the tune.

Speakers

Despite all this, I do have a couple of complaints about the display. You see, even though it’s a 2K screen, YouTube maxes out at 1080p streaming only. But since this is something Realme (or maybe YouTube) can fix with an OTA update, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Another point of contention for me is that the Pad X settles for just a 60Hz refresh rate. As a result, cruising through this display feels comparatively slow, especially when I am crowded with phones with no less than a 120Hz refresh rate. If not 120Hz, the company could’ve at least gone with a 90Hz screen on their most powerful tablet to date.

Battery

But this low refresh rate panel does come advantageous from a battery standpoint. Realme says the tablet’s big 8340mAh battery can provide 19 hours of video streaming, and with that benchmark, I was easily expecting a two-day battery life here.

Charger

Now, my fair share of usage daily involves listening to music on Spotify, a few sessions of PUBG Mobile, scrolling through the web, and other routine activities. And with such a regimen, I was able to get about 7-7.5 hours of screen time on this thing. But you should take note that refilling the tab requires almost 3 hours!

Performance 

On the performance side of things, the Realme Pad X is powered by Snapdragon 695. We’ve seen this chip in action in several mid-range phones in 2022, so we’re pretty much familiar with its performance.

To put it briefly, it’s adequate for your casual web surfing or Instagram scrolling action. But one can easily notice slight stutters—especially when navigating through the recent menu—with a couple of lightweight and heavy apps running in the background. More so, despite having 6GB RAM plus 5GB of virtual RAM, I am surprised to see it suffer from memory management issues as well.

Realme UI for Pad

If my memory serves me right, this was not the case with the first-gen Realme Pad. So this might simply be because of the new Realme UI 3.0 for Pad based on Android 12. Hopefully, Realme can do something about it with an update or two.

UI

Anyway, the new version of Realme’s custom skin addresses some of my major concerns about the previous interface. The software experience now feels a bit refined with customized icons, an app drawer, and the settings menu.

On top of that, there are a few neat software tricks here to make things easy on the go. You can now split the tablet’s bigger canvas between two apps with a simple two-finger swipe down the middle. Moreover, one of my favorite features in Realme smartphones—the sidebar—also makes its way to the new UI. It basically lets you use apps in floating windows, and the best part is that almost every app you have can make use of this feature. Great!

Camera

There’s also a cool new software feature for the selfie camera this time around. The Realme Pad X houses a 105° wide camera on the front that supports a feature called “Limelight” to keep you in the center of the frame during video calls and meetings. Simply put, this is Realme’s answer to Apple’s Center Stage found on iPads.

And I must say that it works quite well, and it can also keep track of more than one person in the frame. Sadly, for now, it’s only compatible with Google Duo, Google Meet, and Zoom. And not other video conferencing tools like Microsoft Teams and Messenger, unfortunately. On the other hand, the actual quality of this camera is rather average. The 13MP camera on the back can also deliver some use-able shots when taking notes and such but nothing more.

Realme Pad X Review: Conclusion

We’re now at the end of this review and I think I have shared all my experience with the Realme Pad X by now. Like I said earlier, it doesn’t really make sense as a value-for-money device when coupled with the official accessories.

And if you do decide to get it, I would only recommend the base Wi-Fi-only variant. Because as you go higher up the ladder for the 5G variant, its value proposition begins to go down. For a similar price, you can get the Xiaomi Pad 5 instead which offers a nicer display and far superior performance thanks to the flagship-grade Snapdragon 860 chipset. Likewise, the 9th Gen iPad, which is currently available in India for around Rs. 28,000 and will offer you a far superior experience in every way.

Realme Pad X Review: Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Evenly distributed weight
  • Vibrant IPS display
  • Improved software experience
  • Impressive battery life
  • Amazingly good speakers

Cons:

  • Standard refresh rate screen
  • Memory management issue
  • Limelight feature is limited to certain apps
  • Accessories do not provide good value for money

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Heading To The Right Direction

Pratima Adhikari
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Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Heading To The Right Direction

Oppo Reno 8 Pro is the successor to last year’s Reno 7 Pro. I have been using the phone for a little over a week now. And in this review, I will talk about all the things that Oppo has done right with this Reno 8 Pro and things that could have been done better, so let’s get started!

Before we begin

Honestly, I haven’t reviewed a lot of Oppo devices lately, and it’s not because the company hasn’t launched new phones. Far from it, actually.

They have a wide lineup of phones in the budget A-series, there’s the F-series in the mid-range segment, and then we have the premium-midrange Reno lineup and of course, the flagship Find X phones.

But I think most of the Oppo A and F-series devices are pretty much a rip-off! I mean, just look at the recently launched OPPO A77 and even the OPPO F21 Pro. Those are ridiculous prices for what the phones offer.

However, the Reno series is quite the opposite. I feel with this series, OPPO is going in the right direction. I really liked the Reno 7 Pro and the Reno 8 Pro builds up on that. This phone in my opinion is a very balanced offering that OPPO has put out.

Before we begin this review, let’s take a quick look at what Oppo Reno 8 Pro offers in terms of specifications.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Specifications:

  • Body: 74.2 x 161.2 x 7.34mm, 183 gm, Glass back, Aluminum frame
  • Display: 6.7-inches AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, 125/360/720Hz touch sampling rate, Up to 950 nits brightness, Gorilla Glass 5
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2412 x 1080 pixels), 394 PPI, 20:9 aspect ratio
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX 5G (5nm mobile platform)
  • CPU: Octa-core:
    – 4x Cortex-A78 (2.85 GHz)
    – 4x Cortex-A55 (2.0 GHz)
  • GPU: Arm Mali-G610 MC6
  • Memory: 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
  • Software & UI: Android 12 with OPPO’s ColorOS 12.1 on top
  • Rear Camera: Triple (with LED flash);
    – 50MP Sony IMX766 f/1.8 primary sensor
    – 8MP, f/2.2 ultrawide lens, 118.9º FOV
    – 2MP, f/2.4 macro lens
    – MariSilicon X Imaging NPU
  • Front Camera: 32MP Sony IMX709 f/2.4 sensor (hole-punch cutout)
  • Audio: Dual stereo speaker, No 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Security: In-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Geomagnetic, Gravity, Gyroscope, Light, Optical, Pedometer, Proximity
  • Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax), Bluetooth 5.3, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / QZSS / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE (VoLTE), 5G
  • Battery: 4500mAh with 80W wired SuperVOOC (power adapter provided)
  • Color Options: Glazed Black, Glazed Green
  • Price in Nepal: N/A (INR 45,999 for 12/256GB)

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review

Design & Build

  • 74.2 x 161.2 x 7.34mm, 183 gm
  • Glass back, Aluminum frame

The first thing that OPPO has nailed here is the design. I mean, it’s one hell of a gorgeous-looking device!

I am really digging this “iPhone- like” boxy form factor too. And what I appreciate here is that OPPO has struck a balance between good heft and a fairly lightweight body which in turn makes the phone feel premium and comfortable to hold at the same time.

Also, there are these nifty little things, like this green-accented power button, which adds to the pleasing aesthetics even more.

But the one design thing that I am not particularly awed with is this huge camera module. I think they are just out there and don’t fully compliment the design.

And I wish the buttons here were a bit more tactile. Their feedback is not bad per se, but I didn’t exactly enjoy using them that much.

Display

  • 6.7-inches FHD+ Flexible AMOLED display
  • 120Hz refresh rate, 125/360/720Hz touch sampling
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Other than that, I am quite impressed with how significantly even and thin the bezels on this screen are. I feel like it makes quite a lot of difference when watching videos as the contents look more immersive here.

The overall quality of this display is excellent too. As expected from an AMOLED panel, it has good contrast levels and the colors appear very pleasing, thanks to the 10-bit depth and 100% DCI-P3 coverage.

I also found HDR playback to work flawlessly on all the streaming platforms. Visibility-wise, this is not the brightest screen, but it’s fair enough for indoor as well as casual outdoor usage, so I wouldn’t complain so much about it.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Hands On

Performance

  • Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 8100-MAX 5G SoC (5nm)
  • 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
  • Android 12 with OPPO’s ColorOS 12.1 on top

Performance-wise, you will not find any complaints on the Reno 8 pro actually. It is powered by the Dimensity 8100-Max chipset which is pretty much the same as the regular 8100, but with improved AI capabilities, gaming stability, and low-light video performance.

Just a few weeks back, I reviewed the Realme GT Neo 3 that comes with the Dimensity 8100 chip, and I found it to be one of the finest MediaTek chipsets out there in the premium segment. And with the Reno 8 Pro too, I got very similar results.

It is as fast as a flagship phone would perform. But more importantly, it does not heat up as much, which is something to appreciate because high-end processors like the Snapdragon 888+ or the 8 Gen 1, all suffer from heating/throttling issues.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Design 2

The Dimensity 8100, however, does not have such profound issues when it comes to heating. As a result, the sustained performance levels that the Reno 8 Pro provides are quite commendable.

And thanks to 12GB RAM, even when doing heavy tasks or keeping apps in memory for a long time, the phone does not show signs of distress, while running graphics-intensive games is no trouble for this phone either.

Gaming Experience

I played Genshin Impact here and it was able to provide stable 30 fps at the highest graphics settings with little to no stutters. I will admit that playing it in the highest possible settings with 60 fps mode turned on wasn’t a smooth ride and the phone got quite hot near the camera module. But considering Genshin Impact is a very demanding game, I can cut some slack to the Reno 8 Pro.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Gaming

Comparatively less taxing titles like PUBG Mobile run smoothly with a 40 fps yield in HDR graphics and Ultra Frame rates. OPPO has even optimized this game to run at 90 fps where I was able to get stable 89 fps throughout my gaming sessions.

But you have to know that OPPO is yet to optimize many games to run at 120 fps. I played Mortal Kombat and Rayman Adventures, both of which were stuck at 60 fps. However, with future updates, we can expect more games to be optimized for higher fps gameplay on this phone.

Android 12 out of the box

Anyway, OPPO has worked a lot on its software too. The phone comes with Android 12 out of the box with ColorOS 12.1 on top and the experience is actually very smooth here. I feel like when it comes to software, people are kind of harsh towards ColorOS because once upon a time it was really heavy and unpolished.

But now, it has evolved quite a lot when it comes to user experience. You can practically change the entire look and feel of the UI since you have so many customization options here. And the UI just feels so fast and fluid, so OPPO has done some good optimization as far as UI/UX is concerned.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro UI

By this, I don’t mean that OPPO’s software has become the gold standard or anything though. There still are things that it needs to improve on, such as the commitment to software updates. For the Reno series, OPPO promises just 2 years of major OS and 4 years of security updates, which is less than what other brands pledge.

Stutters

I also found this bug on the Reno 8 Pro where the phone is not able to handle switching between refresh rates that well in many apps. For instance, when turning the 120Hz refresh rate option on, the UI runs smoothly at 120Hz, but when you open apps like Facebook and Twitter, they run at 90Hz for some reason while Instagram constantly switches between 60 and 120Hz. Google Play Store, on the other hand, runs at 90Hz but feels very stuttery somehow.

So it looks like OPPO has some work set out to optimize the refresh rate in different apps. I guess the logic behind this refresh rate switching is to save battery, but OPPO has implemented that in a very random way, which I feel is a little illogical.

Battery

  • 55W batter with 80W SUPERVOOC

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Charger

Now, talking about battery life, I would rate it a solid “B+”. On medium kind of usage, I was able to squeeze out about 6 hours of screen on time during this review which in real life translates to a day’s worth of endurance for me. And I am guessing OPPO’s aggressive battery optimization and the random refresh rate switching have a lot to do with it. So yeah, the battery life is pretty decent here.

And with the 80 Watt charger you get inside the box, the phone goes from 0-100% in half an hour, which is well on par with what other brands offer these days, so there’s nothing much to talk about there.

Cameras

  • Triple rear camera (50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro)
  • 32MP selfie camera (punch-hole cutout)
  • MariSilicon X Imaging NPU

Finally, on my list of good things about the Reno 8 Pro is also its camera performance. Granted it uses the same sensors as Reno 7 Pro, the optimization has certainly improved this year. With this, the Reno 8 Pro is able to click some really impressive shots.

Normal Images

The colors are a little punchy here, but the pictures look very pleasing with good detail levels and decent dynamic range. And I found it to be reliable during all kinds of lighting conditions as well.

Even without OIS, the phone can click some sharp nighttime shots. Again, the colors are a little out there with a hint of warm hues, but the contrast and details are on point.

So, you can really rely on this camera to give you good pictures whether you want to capture scenery, a picture with your friends, or if you feel like getting creative.

Portrait

I like the portraits from this phone too, but they tend to beautify the subjects a lot, which might not be everyone’s cup of tea. I think the portraits come out “good enough” for the general audience to like and share on social media though!

Selfies

Selfies also look quite nice. But again, the subtle smoothening is there even when you turn the beauty mode off. So the pictures come off a bit soft.

I also compared its cameras against the Pixel 6a and my findings comparing these cameras was that the 6a is better in terms of computational photography, like in this image where the natural bokeh behind the subject looks better and the overall color calibration looks more real to life.

Another example is this image of a controller where the Pixel 6a manages better exposure and dynamic range.

But what I can tell you for sure is that even though the overall camera performance on the Reno 8 Pro might not be better than the Pixel 6a, it is certainly better than the likes of other phones in this price segment like the Moto Edge 30 Pro, the Realme GT Neo 3, or even the iQOO 9 for that matter!

Videography

Okay, I have praised so many things about the Oppo Reno 8 Pro in this review so far, but there are certain aspects where it kind of under-delivers, like in terms of videography. The max you can shoot from the back cameras is up to 4K/30fps. The videos in this resolution are not bad—they’re good enough—but I think at this price point, 4K/60fps, as well as optical image stabilization, should be available.

Even for selfie videos, there’s only the 1080/30fps option, which I think is quite a bummer since video calling and TikTok are so immensely popular these days.

Ultrawide

And although the primary camera on the Reno 8 Pro is quite impressive, the ultra-wide images are just below average in terms of color reproduction, details, and overall quality. And it’s especially bad during low light conditions.

Audio & Haptics

  • Dual stereo speaker setup
  • No 3.5mm headphone jack

Likewise, I also didn’t find the speakers on this thing to be the most impressive either. They’re loud, yes, but the highs are very sharp here and the stereo separation is not very balanced either. So if you listen to a lot of music, its sound quality is not the most ideal.

I would have also appreciated it more if the haptics were a bit refined. I feel like it’s very bland, so typing on it is not the most pleasant experience.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Conclusion

Alright, we have now come to the end of this review and with everything I have discussed so far, the Reno 8 Pro certainly comes off as a balanced premium midrange phone. From its performance to design, display, camera, and battery, there is very little to complain about this phone. Yes, there are certainly a few things that OPPO could have done better, but those are not something that will massively ruin your smartphone experience.

Still and all, I think it would have been better if OPPO had launched a lower 8+128GB variant of this phone too. It is currently only available in the 12+256GB option, which is, more than many people might need. Had the company done that, the price of the Reno 8 Pro might have dropped to someting cheaper have been a sweet deal.

At 46,000 Indian Rupees, the Reno 8 Pro feels like a slightly pricey offering though. So I would suggest you wait and look for bank discounts or offline offers before buying this phone.

  • Watch our review of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Pleasing Aesthetics
  • Excelled AMOLED display
  • Flagship Performance
  • Reliable 64MP shooter
  • Decent battery life

Cons: 

  • Lack of a cheaper 8/128GB variant
  • UI is not optimized for 120Hz refresh rate
  • No Optical Image Stabilization
  • Below average ultrawide camera
  • Setereo effect is not balanced
  • Haptics could have been better

Vivo V25 Pro launched with color-changing back, Dimensity 1300

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Vivo V25 Pro launched with color-changing back, Dimensity 1300

Vivo today launched its latest V-series smartphone in India, the Vivo V25 Pro. It succeeds the previously released V23 Pro, and so inherits features like a color-changing back. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, and expected price of the Vivo V25 Pro in Nepal.

Vivo V25 Pro Overview:

Design, Display

The main USP of the Vivo V25 Pro is its color-changing Fluorite AG Glass design. The feature is exclusive to the Sailing Blue colorway in which the back panel changes color from turquoise to blue when exposed to sunlight. Another Black color variant has a matte back.

Vivo V25 Pro Design

Vivo is also keeping the curved screen real estate of its predecessor. Alongside, you get a one-piece slim frame that, according to the company, lets the phone “fit perfectly in hands.” The display measures 6.5-inch and it’s an AMOLED screen with Full HD+ resolution and 120Hz refresh rate.

Vivo has also dropped the bathtub-like notch design of the V23 Pro in favor of a centrally-aligned punch-hole cutout. Furthermore, the screen has a fingerprint sensor for biometrics.

Performance

Performance on the Vivo V25 Pro is handled by the Dimensity 1300 SoC, which slightly improves over the V23 Pro’s Dimensity 1200. The phone will ship with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone also supports 8GB of extended RAM.

Cameras

The camera system on the V25 Pro is centered around a 64MP primary sensor. This is a decrease from its predecessor’s 108MP. But to compensate, the smartphone now offers both OIS and EIS stabilization for smoother video. You can also shoot night portraits and night-time OIS with the device. 

Vivo V25 Pro Cameras

Besides the main camera, the rear camera system comprises an 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP macro lens. Similarly, because there is only a single punch-hole on the front, there is only a 32MP selfie snapper this time. To remember, the V23 Pro makes use of its large notch to house a 50MP main and an 8MP wide-angle selfie camera.

Rest of the specs

Moving on, the smartphone gets its power from a 4830mAh battery which supports 66W fast charging. Last but not the least, it boots on Android 12-based FunTouchOS out of the box.

Vivo V25 Pro Specifications:

  • Body: 158.9 × 73.52 × 8.62 mm, 190 grams, AG glass back
  • Display: 6.5-inches AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2376 x 1080 pixels)
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 1300 5G (6nm)
  • Memory: Up to 12GB RAM, Up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage 
  • Software & UI: Android 12 with Vivo’s Funtouch OS 12 on top
  • Rear Camera: Triple (with LED flash);
    – 64MP primary, OIS
    – 8MP ultrawide lens
    – 2MP macro lens
  • Front Camera: 32MP
  • Audio: Single bottom-firing speaker, No 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Security: In-display fingerprint sensor (optical)
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Gyro, Proximity, E-compass
  • Battery: 4830mAh with 66W FlashCharge (wired)

Vivo V25 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability

The V25 Pro is launched in India exclusively via Flipkart and will retail at INR 35,999 for the base 8/128GB variant. We expect the price of the Vivo V25 Pro to start at NPR 65,000 if and when it launches in Nepal.

Vivo V25 Pro Price in India Price in Nepal  (Expected)
8/128GB INR 35,999 NPR 65,000
12/256GB INR 39,999 NPR 70,000
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Vivo V23 Pro.
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