Realme has recently added two new members to its Narzo series dubbed Narzo 50 5G and Narzo 50 Pro 5G. As suggested by the name, both of these are 5G-ready handset and comes with MediaTek Dimensity silicon. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, and expected price of the Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G and Narzo 50 5G in Nepal.
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Overview:
Performance
As per the company, Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G is the most powerful 5G mid-range phone in the series. The phone is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 920 which is built on TSMC’s 6nm process node.
Likewise, the phone also features a five-layer cooling setup covering all of the heat source components. Realme says it can reduce the phone’s core temperature by 10-degree Celsius.
The phone is available in two RAM variants: 6GB and 8GB. Furthermore, users can add 5GB of virtual RAM using 128GB of internal storage.
Despite being advertised as a mid-range gaming phone, Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G still maintains a sleek design. The phone measures 7.99mm in thickness and weighs around 181 grams.
Over on the front, it has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of up to 360Hz. It also has Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
The screen also houses an in-display fingerprint underneath for biometrics. The sensor can measure your heart rate too.
Camera
At the back, Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G has a familiar rectangular camera bump. It is home to a triple camera setup, consisting of a 48MP primary camera, 8MP ultrawide camera, and a 2MP macro camera. Over on the front, the phone has a 16MP selfie camera.
Rest of the Specs
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. The company even includes a compatible charger in the box. You get stereo speakers with support for Dolby Atmos. It also retains the 3.5mm headphone jack. Similarly, the phone boots on Android 12 with Realme UI 3.0 on top.
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Specifications:
Body: 160.2 x 73.3 x 7.99mm, 181 grams
Display: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED, 90Hz refresh rate, up to 360Hz touch sampling rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G Price in Nepal and Availability
As for the pricing, the base variant (6/128GB) of the Narzo 50 Pro 5G costs INR 21,999. Whereas, the higher 8/128GB model retails at INR 23,999. For Nepal, we expect its price to start at NPR 40,000 when it launches here.
Realme Narzo 50 Pro 5G
Price in India (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
6/128GB
INR 21,999
NPR 39,000
8/128GB
INR 23,999
NPR 41,000
Realme Narzo 50 5G Overview:
Heading the Narzo 50 5G, it boasts a 6.6-inch Full HD+ IPS screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It comes with MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC at its helm which is coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage.
For shooting photos and videos, the rear has a dual camera setup consisting of 48MP primary and a B&W portrait sensor. To attend video calls and such, there is an 8MP camera on the front. Like its expensive sibling, the Narzo 50 5G comes with a combo of dual speakers and a headphone jack.
Realme hasn’t skimped on the software front either, as the phone boots on Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12. The biometric option includes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Realme Narzo 50 5G Specifications:
Body: 163.8 x 75.1 x 8.1mm, 190 grams
Display: 6.6-inch IPS LCD, 90Hz refresh rate, up to 180Hz touch sampling rate, Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Realme Narzo 50 5G Price in Nepal and Availability
The Narzo 50 5G will retail in India at INR 15,999 for the 4/64GB variant and for INR 17,999 for the 6/128GB model. We expect its price to start at NPR 30,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.
Realme Narzo 50 5G
Price in India (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
4/64GB
INR 15,999
NPR 29,000
6/128GB
INR 17,999
NPR 32,000
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and initial impressions of the Realme GT Neo 3.
OnePlus recently launched a new smartphone in the Nord series, called the OnePlus Nord 2T. Interestingly, it went official in Nepal prior to its global launch with the European and Indian launch scheduled on May 19, 2022. So, we wanted to know if you think this product is hot or not from your perspective. Use the poll featured below to tell us your opinion about the newly launched OnePlus Nord 2T.
Poll: OnePlus Nord 2T
Like every other T-series phone from OnePlus, the Nord 2T brings a mediocre upgrade over the existing Nord 2. It introduces a different design and a few upgrades here and there.
The processor has been upgraded from the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 to Dimensity 1300—although the improvement it brings to actual performance is quite minimal. Another improvement is that the Nord 2T now supports 80W fast charging contrary to the 65W charger of the Nord 2.
Rest of the specifications include a 6.43-inch AMOLED display encased in a glass body. In terms of cameras, you get an OIS-powered 50MP primary lens, 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensor on the back, and a 32MP lens on the front.
Check the full specifications of Oneplus Nord 2T here. We’ll also come up with a full review of the phone pretty soon.
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and initial impressions of the OnePlus Nord 2T.
Vivo is set to launch a new phone in China next week. The upcoming Vivo T2 was recently spotted at the company’s online shopping platform. In this article, we will be discussing everything we know so far about the phone including rumored specs, features, and official launch date.
Vivo T2 Overview:
Based on the renders leaked online, we can assume Vivo T2 to be the iQOO Neo 6 SE in disguise. So, we can expect similar features and specs across the two phones.
Vivo T2 is expected to have a 6.62-inch AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. It will have a center-aligned punch-hole cut out for a 16MP selfie shooter. Overall, the design will be similar to that of Neo 6 SE.
Even the rectangular camera module looks exactly the same, except for the lack of branding NEO branding on the Vivo T2. But it is not a new thing for a rebranded phone.
Vivo has highlighted the Optical Image Stabilization instead. Rumors suggest that it will have a triple camera with a 64MP primary, 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro camera.
Under the hood, Vivo T2 will pack the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset. It will be available with up to 12G RAM and 256GB storage. Likewise, fueling it will be a 4,700mAh battery with support for 80W fast charging.
Moving on, T2 will boot on OriginOS Ocean based on Android 12 out of the box. However, we expect Vivo to replace it with FunTouchOS if the phone makes it out of the Chinese market.
Infinix has announced a new member to its Note 12 series, which is aptly named the Note 12 VIP. For a VIP smartphone, it includes features like an AMOLED display, higher refresh rate, 120W charging, and more. So, without any delay, let’s move on to the features, specs, availability, and expected price of the Infinix Note 12 VIP in Nepal.
Infinix Note 12 VIP Overview:
Design and Display
To begin with, the Infinix Note 12 VIP flaunts a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display. It’s a 10-bit panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, 360Hz touch sampling rate, and 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.
The back of the phone has a matte finish with a large camera module. It’s made of an aerospace-grade ultra-thin glass fiber material which itself is quite thin and has great rigidity. As a result, the handset has a thickness of just 7.89mm. Infinix Note 12 VIP is available in two color options, namely Cayenne Grey and Force Black.
Inside, the smartphone gets its sheer power from a MediaTek Helio G96 processor. Infinix could have easily gone with a better chipset for a phone with such premium specifications. Yet, the G96 performs admirably in daily use.
This is paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage. One could expand the latter up to 2TB via a microSD card while the phone also supports virtual RAM expansion up to 13GB. The Note 12 VIP also has 9 layers of graphene and a vapor chamber for better heat dissipation.
Moving on to the battery, the phone holds a 4500mAh cell and has support for 120W fast charging. It can go from 0 to 100% in just 17 minutes. The brand has added 103 different protection features, as well as 18 temperature sensors, which monitor the device’s temperature in real-time to ensure safe charging. Infinix further promises that its battery would keep 85 percent of its capacity after 800 charge cycles.
Camera
In terms of cameras, Note 12 VIP comes with a triple camera setup consisting of a 108MP primary sensor. Accompanying this is a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera, an AI lens, a laser autofocus system, and a quad-LED flash unit. For selfies, there’s a 16MP camera on the centrally-aligned punch hole cameras.
Rest of the Specs
Discussing its OS, the phone boots on the Android 12 with Infinix’s XOS 10.6 interface on top. Similarly, audio is handled by dual speakers which also support DTS. The security option includes a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Battery: Li-Po 4500 mAh(non-removable), 120W charging (0-100% in 17 min)
Infinix Note 12 VIP Price in Nepal and Availability
Infinix Note 12 VIP is launched at an asking price of USD 300 for the sole 8/256GB variant. We expect it to cost NPR 40,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.
Infinix Note 12 VIP (2022)
Price in the US (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8/256GB
USD 300
NPR 40000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Many parents are worried about their children gaming too much. Besides, they also worry about the effects of gaming on their children’s mental growth. Fear not because new research suggests that children who spend an above-average time on games show elevated IQ levels.
Above-average IQ growth in children playing games:
Researchers from Sweden-based Karolinska Institutet conducted a psychological test to analyze the general cognitive abilities of more than 5,000 children aged between 10 and 12 in the United States.
The test deuced how much time these children spent on gaming, watching TV and videos, and social media. The psychological tests were also repeated two years later in a follow-up.
The result showed that gaming for over above-average hours increased intelligence of children by approximately 2.5 IQ points. On the contrary, TV and social media did not show any significant negative or positive changes in children.
Professor Torkel Klingberg from Karolinska Institutet’s neuroscience department said that all the children showed similar IQ levels at 10. Still, the ones who played games showcased the most gains after two years.
He also gave the example of a child in the top 17% in terms of gaming hours. After two years, the child scored around 2.5 points more than the average child.
The researchers created the index for the research from 5 tasks comprised reading comprehension and vocabulary, attention and execution function, visual-spatial processing, and learning ability.
Two years later, the researchers determined the difference in performance in the period and the individual differences in the preliminary test. Moreover, the researchers controlled the genetic differences and the difference in the education and income of the parents.
These tests allowed the researchers to determine the actual effects of media consumption on children.
4 hours of average screen time recorded
Based on the research, they found that a child spent two and half hours watching videos, an hour gaming, and around half an hour on social media on average. That’s 4 hours for an average child and 6 hours for the top 25% of the 5,000 children.
The researchers observed that time spent on social media did not boost their intelligence or slow their growth. Though, when parental education was not considered, watching videos and TV resulted in a positive increase in one of the tests.
The research solidifies the positive effects of gaming on cognitive development in children. It also aligns with recent research that shows intelligence depends on environmental factors and it is not constant.
However, the researchers say that their results are not a recommendation for all parents to allow gaming for extensive hours. Note that the researchers did not consider the type of games. They also overlooked determinants like sleep quality and mental health.
Klingberg also mentioned that they would be studying the effects of environmental factors and cognitive impact on childhood brain development.
Nonetheless, the over-worried parents about their children’s gaming habits can now rest easy knowing that their children will be more intelligent than average.
Meanwhile, check out our gaming comparisons Galaxy S22 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Last month, we witnessed the launch of the OnePlus Ace, a phone exclusive to the Chinese market. And yesterday, OnePlus unveiled a toned-down version of the phone called the Ace Racing Edition. In this article, we will be discussing the key specs, features, expected price, and availability of the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition in Nepal.
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition Overview:
Design and Display
Despite being a part of the Ace family, the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition looks a lot like the higher-end 10 Pro. The back panel of the phone sports a large camera bump similar to that on the OnePlus 10 Pro.
There is no Alert Slider on the OnePlus Ace Racing Editon, but you do get a physical fingerprint scanner on the side. The phone measures 8.7mm in thickness and weighs around 205 grams. OnePlus is offering the phone in two color options. First is the Lightspeed Blue variant, a staple of the Nord lineup, with the other being Athletics Grey.
Over on the front, OnePlus Ace Racing Edition features a 6.59-inches display with a left-aligned punch-hole cutout. Unlike the original Ace, OnePlus is using an LCD panel here. It still has a 120Hz refresh rate, but the touch sampling rate has been reduced to 240Hz. Likewise, the panel maxes out at 600 nits of brightness and covers 100% DCI-P3 color gamut.
Performance and Cooling
As OnePlus is positioning the Ace Racing Edition as a cheaper gaming phone, it has not compromised on the performance. Here, you get the same Dimensity 8100-MAX chip powering the OnePlus Ace. It is a flagship SoC built on top of TSMC’s 5nm process. The phone also has HyperBoost Technology, which aims to maintain a stable frame rate during gameplay.
To keep the core temperature of Ace Racing Edition in check, OnePlus has turned to an 8-layer cooling system consisting of a liquid-cooled Vapor Chamber, graphite, and special conductive material. For immersive gameplay, there is an X-axis linear vibration motor with O-Haptics effects. Likewise, the phone even has a virtual keyboard with the haptics tuned by Razer.
The OnePlus 10 Pro-like camera bump at the back of the Ace Racing Edition is home to a triple camera setup. OnePlus has increased the megapixel count from 50MP on the Ace to 64MP on the Racing Edition. That being said, the new phone lacks Optical Image Stabilization. In addition, it can record 4K videos only at 30 fps.
Accompanying the primary camera is an 8MP ultrawide sensor and a 2MP macro lens. Upfront, there is a 16MP selfie shooter.
Rest of the specs
Another highlight of the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition is the addition of the good-old 3.5mm jack for wired headphones. It also has stereo speakers with Dirac Audio support. Even if you decide to go wireless, the phone supports the aptX HD Bluetooth codec with reduced latency for gaming. Lastly, the phone is fueled by a 5,00mAh with 67W fast charging capability.
Rear Camera: Triple (with LED flash);
– 64MP primary sensor
– 8MP ultra-wide camera
– 2MP macro lens (4cm focus)
Front Camera: 16MP f/2.05 sensor (punch-hole cutout)
Audio: Stereo speaker setup
Battery: 5000mAh with 67W Super Flash Charge
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition Price in Nepal and Availability (Expected)
OnePlus Ace will go on sale in China from May 31, with the price starting at Yuan 1,999. There is no hint of a global launch. Still, if it launches in Nepal, we expect the price of the OnePlus Ace Racing Edition in Nepal to start at NPR 40,000.
OnePlus Ace Racing Edition
Price in China (Official)
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8/128GB
CNY 1,999
NPR 40,000
8/256GB
CNY 2,199
NPR 44,500
12/256GB
CNY 2,499
NPR 49,500
Meanwhile, check out our unboxing and early impressions video of the OnePlus Nord 2T.
Before diving into this Xiaomi 12X review, let’s take a step back to discuss compact phones in general. Now, compact smartphones are nothing new. They might not sell as well as their bigger siblings but some people still prefer such pocket-friendly phones mostly for their handy design. And maybe because of the affordable price tag too).
But as smartphones continue to grow bigger—even the budget and mid-range ones—there aren’t that many compact phones in the market, to begin with. If the industry rumors are anything to go by, Apple is reportedly done with “mini” iPhones as well because of their disappointing sales.
And in the Android world, Samsung is among the few brands that still makes small flagships. But since they cost a pretty penny too, compact phones haven’t really found their strong foothold. So when Xiaomi announced the 12X, I was pretty eager to review the phone since it mixes powerful hardware and a relatively inexpensive price tag in a form factor I haven’t got to play around with, in quite a long time.
Xiaomi 12X Specifications:
Body: 69.9 x 152.7 x 8.16mm, 176 gm, Glass back, Aluminum frames
Goes without saying that the best thing about this phone is its design. I mean, I can’t recall the last time I had this much fun just… holding a phone in my hands! Even when I’m walking down the street, I feel like holding on to it instead of keeping it in my pockets.
Everything from its curved design to weight and dimensions feels as perfect as can be, at least for me. The build material is premium all around and that camera module looks quite attractive as well.
I guess the only thing keeping the Xiaomi 12X from being a complete slam dunk—as far as design is concerned—is the fact that it lacks any form of IP rating. If you recall, this was also our biggest issue with the Xiaomi 12 Pro. And that phone is almost 50% more expensive than this guy! So as the monsoon season enters the Nepali climate, I might have to carry a clear bag with me every time I’m headed out to safeguard this phone just in case.
Display
6.28-inches FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay
120/480Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection
Upfront, the Xiaomi 12X has a record-breaking display. In fact, besides the Xiaomi 12, this is the only other smartphone in the market with 12-bit color depth right now, which means this screen can play true Dolby Vision content since they are mastered at up to 12-bit.
But for some reason, our unit of the 12X struggles with playing HDR videos. A quick comparison with Xiaomi 12 demonstrates exactly what I mean.
Top: Xiaomi 12X | Bottom: Xiaomi 12
As you can see, be it on YouTube or Netflix, HDR videos look way dimmer and with low contrast on the 12X. I tried switching between multiple display profiles but that didn’t do it. At first, I thought this was a chipset limitation but quickly found out that the Snapdragon 870 on the Xiaomi 12X and the 8 Gen 1 on the Xiaomi 12 both support 10-bit color depth only. So yeah, this is something Xiaomi should fix with a future update.
Sorry, no LTPO
Moving on, browsing through this 120Hz AMOLED screen is a buttery smooth experience. I wish it had a second-gen LTPO panel like the Xiaomi 12 Pro to save power though since this display can switch between 60 and 120Hz only.
And while outdoor visibility is absolutely no trouble here, I’ve noticed that its auto-brightness adjustment is a bit slow—which sometimes fails to work entirely.
On the other hand, you won’t have to worry about accidental touches on this curved display, although dark edges when viewing bright content isn’t something a software feature can fix. Then again, its optical fingerprint reader is super responsive and easy to reach.
Oh—it can also measure your heart-rate levels, by the way. And cross-checking it with the Xiaomi Watch S1 Active that I’ve recently started testing, I found that the readings weren’t that far off between the two. But because this feature is hidden so deep inside the settings, I rarely remembered using it.
Audio & Haptics
Dual stereo speaker, Dolby Atmos
No 3.5mm headphone jack
X-axis linear vibration motor
In terms of audio, the stereo speakers on this phone sound amazing. The stereo separation is nice, it gets plenty loud, and the overall audio sounds substantially rich to deliver a great listening experience.
I haven’t faced any issue with call quality on the Xiaomi 12X either and it supports Carrier Aggregation too. Disappointingly enough, the company has gone with Elliptic Labs’ virtual proximity sensor on the entire 12 series.
Left: Xiaomi 12 | Right: Xiaomi 12X
I don’t know if they’re contractually obligated to do this or if it’s just another cost-cutting measure, but this sure doesn’t feel flagship-like, if you ask me. And the haptic feedback from its x-axis linear motor turned out to be weaker than expected as well. As a result, the typing experience here isn’t as enjoyable as I would’ve liked despite the phone’s fluid 480Hz touch sampling rate.
Okay, let’s talk about its performance now. The Snapdragon 870 chip powering this phone is a reliable processor—you know it, I know it. Matter of fact, it is widely regarded as the best flagship mobile chip of last year—even surpassing the Snapdragon 888—thanks to its excellent balance of power and efficiency.
Needless to say, the Xiaomi 12X has handled my everyday performance just fine and it can juggle through multiple apps at a time like nothing.
But I gotta say that it feels like Xiaomi has gone out of its way to undersell the performance of this phone. First off, it runs on Android 11-based MIUI 13 instead of the latest Android 12. While I understand that the core MIUI experience isn’t that different between the two Android versions, it’s still not reasonable for a 2022 phone to ship with a 2-year-old operating system.
No guaranteed future updates (womp, womp…)
And unlike the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro, the company doesn’t guarantee 3 years of OS and 4 years of security updates for this phone either. I guess it could get 2 generations of major OS updates at best, but even that means the 12X won’t see beyond Android 13.
Xiaomi 12X Review: Benchmarks
Benchmarks
1 of 14
AnTuTu 8.5.3
AnTuTu 9.2.9
Geekbench 5.4.4
Browserbench JetStream 2
PCMark Work 3.0 (Performance)
Wild Life
(Stress) Wild Life
(Extreme Stress) Wild Life
GFXBench
(Battery, Manhattan 3.1) GFXBench
(Battery, T-Rex) GFXBench
AndroBench
Cross Platform Disk Test
PCMark Storage 2.0
Moreover, the bloatware situation here is almost embarrassing too. Despite Xiaomi’s claims of minimal bloatware apps on MIUI 13, the 12X ships with a bunch of those weird mini-games—which is not the case with the more expensive entries in this lineup, by the way.
How’s gaming then?
On to the gaming side of things, this phone can deliver a stable 60 fps gameplay on all the popular titles like PUBG, Call of Duty, and Asphalt 9 with little to no frame drops at the highest settings. Its cooling system does a good enough job of keeping the temperature in check to some extent as well.
But Xiaomi is clearly throttling the performance of high fps-ready games like Critical Ops and Mech Arena to prevent overheating by limiting them to just 60 fps. Then again, considering the phone’s petite form factor that houses the Snapdragon 870 processor, it’s a pretty understandable move.
Still and all, the 12X does heat up quite fast when playing Genshin Impact at “Highest” graphics with the 60 fps option enabled.
After just 10 minutes into the game, I recorded its CPU and battery temperature at 49 and 42°C. And as far as gameplay goes, I was getting a fairly steady 43 fps on average but there are noticeable stutters now and then—whereas the game would dip to as low as 27 fps under heavy attack sequences and such.
CPU Throttling Test (20 threads, 30 minutes)
1 of 2
But when you’re not pushing the phone to its limits under resource-heavy games, it doesn’t really heat up that much. We recently shot an entire vlog from the Xiaomi 12X in Lumbini, which is one of the hottest regions in Nepal. And we were pleasantly surprised with how well it handled the heat. Quite literally!
Of course, things like shooting 4K videos non-stop is an exception but that is true for practically every other flagship phone out there.
Cameras
Triple camera setup at the back
(50MP main, 13MP ultrawide, 5MP telemacro)
32MP selfie camera (hole-punch cutout)
Okay, that’s my cue to get into the camera section of this Xiaomi 12X review. The phone brings a triple camera array led by a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor with OIS, alongside a 13MP ultrawide and a 5MP telephoto camera.
Normal Images
Normal
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As expected from a Xiaomi phone, it prefers warm, saturated colors over what’s natural. So if you prefer vibrant, colorful images with nice details, I’m sure you’ll like what the 12X offers.
Ultrawide Images
But its ultrawide shots are a different story altogether.
Ultrawide
1 of 10
Normal
Ultrawide
Normal
Ultrawide
Normal
Ultrawide
Normal
Ultrawide
Normal
Ultrawide
Apart from inferior details, the photos turn out hazy and have worse dynamic range most of the time compared to the primary images.
Ultrawide
1 of 2
And maybe Xiaomi shouldn’t have placed the ultrawide camera this low since I often end up with photos like this—where my index finger accidentally sneaks into the frame.
Portrait Images
I’m not that impressed with its portrait shots either.
Portrait
1 of 5
Maintaining a proper skin tone still remains a challenge for Xiaomi’s image optimization, whereas the images have unnatural background bokeh and dynamic range.
Selfie Images
Selfie
1 of 4
Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Portrait Selfie
And this goes for the selfies too.
Nighttime Images
As for your standard nighttime photos, they are pretty muddy despite the onboard OIS.
Lowlight
1 of 6
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
But with Night Mode turned on, the 12X delivers much sharper results with superior HDR processing.
Videography
When it comes to videos, the phone can even record 8K 24 fps videos, if you’re into that (for some reason). But what’s even more amazing here is how it shoots fairly stable videos across all resolutions.
Even though the 12X relies entirely on EIS and a bit of cropping in magic to achieve the said result, I don’t really mind. However, this is yet another Xiaomi flagship that can’t record 4K selfie videos. And its 1080p selfies are quite horrible at exposure control above everything else.
Battery
4500mAh battery with 67W fast charging
Moving on, while the biggest charm of small phones is their handy design itself, one of the reasons most people are hesitant towards them is because of their flaky battery life. And I wish I could say the Xiaomi 12X is an exception.
Although its 4500mAh battery is significantly larger than what you’ll find on other compact phones like the Galaxy S22 or the Asus 8z, it struggled to last me through the day on multiple occasions. With just 5—maybe 6 hours of screen-on time if I’m being generous—I found myself plugging it in to charge more often than ever.
Plus, its overnight battery drain is a bit excessive as well, with around 5 to 8% charge lost on average. Regardless, using the 67W charger that ships inside the box, it fully charges in under 45 minutes. But unlike the other entries in the Xiaomi 12 series, this one doesn’t do wireless charging.
Xiaomi 12X Review: Conclusion
So let’s wrap up this Xiaomi 12X review. In spite of its mesmerizing design that is to die for, I’m afraid I can’t recommend this phone that easily. I wanted to like this phone so bad but above all, my biggest issue with the 12X is that it somehow doesn’t feel like a confident standalone phone.
Instead, it has hints of the classic marketing technique where a company intentionally makes a product look less appealing to sell something more expensive. Going by Xiaomi’s recommended retail pricing, the 12 and 12X are just 100 dollars apart.
Left: Xiaomi 12 | Right: Xiaomi 12X
For that added cost, you’re getting the latest flagship processor that’ll age a lot better, the newest software with guaranteed updates, wireless charging, and a few other touch-ups. And you know what, all this could easily be worth the extra money to most people.
Yet, if that doesn’t apply to you, and you’re just looking for a compact yet capable Android phone, then the Xiaomi 12X is still a decent buy. No, it’s not a great value-for-money device that we usually expect from Xiaomi. And in fact, it’s missing a few crucial features like IP rating and a telephoto camera for a phone in this price range as well.
But none of the “better” Android options out there like Samsung’s Galaxy A73 or the Pixel 6 in the western market offer the handy design of 12X. And regarding the whole Android 11 and future update situation, maybe installing a custom ROM is what you have in mind. It is powered by a Qualcomm processor after all, which means higher chances of custom ROM development.
Honor has refreshed the MagicBook 14 notebook with the latest 12th Gen Intel processors. The laptop is currently available in Honor’s home market in China. Today, we will be discussing the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) in Nepal.
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) Overview:
Design and Display
Honor is offering the 2022 iteration of the MagicBook 14 in two color options. Users can get the laptop in either Space Gray or Mystic Silver shade. The chassis is made primarily with aircraft-grade aluminum with a sand-blasted texture on top. It measures 15.9mm in thickness and weighs around 1.54 kg.
Opening the lid, you are greeted with a 14-inch LCD display with a 2.1K resolution. The screen adopts a 3:2 aspect ratio and 100% sRGB coverage. Honor lists the typical brightness of the MagicBook 14 (2022) at 300 nits. Likewise, the screen-to-body ratio is 88% resulting in an immersive viewing experience.
Performance
Under the hood, Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) packs the latest 12th Gen Intel processors. Honor has opted for the H45-series processors, which means they draw up to 45W of power and are more powerful than the CPUs you usually find on mainstream laptops.
The base variant of the MagicBook 14 (2022) arrives with the Core i5-12500H processor. There is a Core i7-12650H variant as well. In terms of GPU, you can choose between NVIDIA RTX 2050 or the entry-level MX550.
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) comes with two fans with 100 S-shaped blades each. The company claims that this new cooling setup results in a 56% increase in heat dissipation. In addition, Honor is also debuting the OS Turbo. It is an in-house energy optimization engine that, the company says, can reduce power consumption by up to 28% with effective resource management.
Software
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) runs on Magic OS for Windows 11. It allows seamless file transfer between Honor devices. Likewise, users can also use the Honor Device Clone feature to copy data from an old Honor laptop to the new MagicBook 14.
Rest of the Specs
Fueling the Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) is a 75Wh battery. Honor claims that the laptop can endure 16 hours of offline video playback with a full charger. The company ships a 100W GaN charger in the box, which can completely charge the phone in 80 minutes.
In terms of I/O, you get two USB Type-C, one USB Type-A, an HDMI, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 for wireless connectivity. There is even NFC for Honor Magic Link. Furthermore, Honor has embedded a fingerprint scanner on the power button.
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) Price in Nepal (Expected)
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) is currently up for pre-order in China, where its starts at CNY 5,499 for the Core i5 variant with an integrated variant. Likewise, the Core i7 variant starts at CNY 5,699. We expect the price of Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) to start at NPR 115,000 if and when it launches in Nepal.
Flagships and flagship killers are great since they offer tons of amazing features. But the reality is, that not everyone can afford such high-end devices. So, we are often obliged to get a midrange smartphone for ourselves. While many of us may share a similar feeling, here, I will be trying to make your choice a little easier by compiling all of the best midrange smartphones in Nepal.
All the entries in this list have been compared based on their performance, design, camera, durability, software support, battery endurance, and price. And just to be clear, by midrange phones we mean those smartphones that cost under Rs. 45,000 in Nepal. So buckle up, and let’s dive into our list of the best midrange smartphones currently available in Nepal.
8. OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G
Kicking off our list of best mid-range smartphones in Nepal is the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G. While all of the phones in this review have AMOLED screens, OnePlus has opted for a 120Hz IPS LCD display.
The 6nm Snapdragon 695 processor provides satisfactory performance though. This particular chipset has made rounds on phones like the Realme 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G.
On the back of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite is a triple camera island. The primary camera has a 64MP sensor but no optical image stabilization. It is accompanied by two 2MP cameras for macro and portrait shots. Unfortunately, it does not have an ultrawide sensor.
OnePlus Nepal provides one-year breakage insurance on the Nord CE 2 Lite, despite the fact that it costs more than other phones with comparable specs.
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.2, A-GPS / Glonass / Galileo / BDS / QZSS, USB Type-C, 5G
Battery: 5000mAh with 33W SuperVOOC charging
Price in Nepal: Rs. 39,999 (8/128GB)
7. Samsung Galaxy M33 5G
Moving on, we have the Samsung Galaxy M33 5G that’s sitting in the 7th spot in our list of best midrange smartphones in Nepal. The Galaxy M33’s Exynos 1280 processor is up to the task of handling everyday tasks. It comes with a choice of 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Because of the large 6,000mAh battery, the phone is 9.4mm thick and weighs 215 grams. Unfortunately, Samsung does not include a charger in the box.
However, for a Samsung smartphone, it falls in the display department. Up front is a 6.6-inch TFT screen. The 120Hz refresh rate, on the other hand, makes UI navigation feel smooth.
The M33’s cameras are quite capable. A 50MP sensor is used for the primary camera. A 5MP ultrawide sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro shooter have also been included by Samsung. For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP camera nestled in an infinity-V notch.
Battery: 6000mAh, 25W Fast Charging (No charger in Box)
Price in Nepal:NPR 33,999 (6/128GB) | 35,999 (8/128GB)
6. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11S
Likewise, the next entry in our list of best midrange smartphones in Nepal goes to the Redmi Note 11S. This phone’s main selling point is its 108MP primary camera, which no other brand offers in the NPR 30k price range right now. In addition to the 108MP sensor, there are 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth cameras.
The display is a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz and a touch sampling rate of 120Hz. Furthermore, the screen has a peak brightness of 1000 nits. Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 protects the screen’s front, and it also has IP53 dust and water resistance.
It is powered by the Helio G96 chipset, which is paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The phone is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Xiaomi includes a charger in the box as well.
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / Glonass / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
Battery: 5000mAh with 33W charging (33W charger inside the box)
Price in Nepal:Rs. 29,999 (6/128GB)
5. Samsung Galaxy A52
For the fifth spot on our list, we have the Samsung Galaxy A52. It was the first place holder the previous year. Here, while the Snapdragon 720G is more than fine for general everyday usage and Samsung’s OneUI is quite optimized, the phone falls behind in terms of heavy gaming.
So, this is definitely not a good option for power users including gamers. However, Galaxy A52 delivers on the aforementioned aspects with flying colors. It has an ergonomic build quality and the pastel color options look soothing to the eye. More importantly, it is also IP67 dust/water-resistant, so you need not worry about getting it wet either. Additionally, the 6.5″ 90Hz Super AMOLED screen is punchy and bright, and also comes with SGS Eye Comfort Shield technology.
Excellent cameras
Moving on, its quad-camera setup including a 64MP primary, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro, and a 5MP depth sensor output great photos as well. Compared to the Redmi Note 10 Pro above, it wins out in every single aspect besides low-light photography. Moreover, Galaxy A52 is also the only phone on this list to feature Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Battery endurance from its 4500mAh cell is enough to last you through your day as well. And it’s also important to point out that Samsung will also provide 3 years of OS and 4 years of security updates on this phone.
Taking 4th place in our list of best midrange smartphones goes to the Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G. Before confusion ensues, allow me to clear things up. Xiaomi Nepal has brought the global variant of the Redmi Note 11 Pro which is known as the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G to the Indian market.
The phone features a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that delivers one of the best display experiences. The 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling are welcome features as well. It can get bright enough for comfortable outdoor usage though. The phone’s stereo speakers output decent sound quality, making Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G a great device for content consumption.
With Snapdragon 695 inside, it doesn’t disappoint in the performance side of things either. And despite featuring a headlining 108MP camera, Redmi Note 11 Pro’s photo/video quality pales in comparison to phones like the Samsung Galaxy M33 in most cases. On the other hand, thanks to a big 5000mAh battery, the phone can provide 6 to 8 hours of screen-on time on a heavy usage pattern.
Moving on, winning the bronze medal in our list of best midrange smartphones in Nepal is the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G. It is a slight upgrade over the Xiaomi 11 Lite 4G. The most crucial of them have to be the Snapdragon 778G 5G processor and the larger 20MP selfie camera on the 5G variant.
This is the perfect phone for you if you despise bulky phones. The 11 Lite NE 5G is ultrathin at 6.81mm and weighs only 158 grams. Don’t be fooled by its thin and light design because the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G brings plenty of performance too.
Decent cameras
Midrange Xiaomi phones are known for their mediocre camera performance but this one is different. The 64MP triple camera setup performs comparably to the Galaxy M52 in terms of photography.
The 6.55-inch display is an awe to look at with punchy color reproduction with excellent contrast. It supports HDR10+ and Dolby Vision HDR. The only bummer is the 90Hz refresh rate as most phones in this price range come with a 120Hz screen.
To maintain the thinness of the device, Xiaomi has packed a smaller 4250mAh battery which offers around 5 to 6 hours of screen-on-time. The phone ships with a 33W charger that charges up the phone in slightly over an hour.
Next up, we have the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G. It is one of the lightest Samsung phones on the market due to its 5,000mAh battery. And let’s not ignore its 7.4mm thickness. Although the phone is pretty big, it does not feel bulky in hand.
No Exynos chipset
Samsung has gone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778 5G chipset for the Galaxy M52 5G. Paired with 6/8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the phone is capable of handling almost everything that you throw at it. Not only performance, but the camera setup is also decent.
The photography performance is rather impressive but the phone lacks OIS. Due to this, the videos come off quite shaky. Samsung has fitted the Galaxy M52 5G with a brilliant 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display that refreshes at 120Hz.
Finally, taking the gold medal in our list of best mid-range smartphones in Nepal is the Realme 9 Pro+. From design, display, camera, and battery, to almost every aspect, this phone performs excellently. The main highlight of the phone is its camera though.
Realme has included a triple rear camera setup with a flagship-level 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor with OIS. Supporting it are an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens. The phone took great photos during the day as well as at night in our camera test. Realme has disabled OIS on 4K resolution but 1080p videos at either 30 or 60 fps come out pretty stable from the phone.
Likewise, the design of the Realme 9 Pro+ is pretty solid too—all thanks to the glass sandwich design. Also, the shimmery back is a treat for people who prefer flashy designs.
No 120Hz display
The Realme 9 Pro+ comes with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel. While the touch sampling rate can go up to 360Hz, the refresh rate caps at 90Hz. It produces excellent colors and contrast, and it’s Widevine L1 certified to stream contents at FHD resolution too. Moreover, the 9 Pro+ easily has the best-in-class haptics.
When it comes to performance, the phone is driven by a capable Dimensity 920 chipset. However, the phone gets quite hot while heavy gaming due to its thin and light design. The 4500mAh battery is capable of delivering a day of screen-on time.
We also have an honorable mention in this list which is the Realme 9 4G. The phone is slated to release in Nepal soon for under NPR 30,000. The Realme 8’s successor features a similarly sized Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 360Hz touch-sampling rate. The Realme 9 4G, unlike other phones in its price range, has an in-display optical fingerprint scanner.
For the primary camera, Realme has used Samsung’s 108MP HM6 sensor. It also has a 2MP macro sensor and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. The 5,000mAh battery is capable of 33W fast charging. Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 680 chipset which gives reliable day-to-day performance but struggles with heavy workloads such as gaming.
What do you think of our list for the best midrange smartphones in Nepal, or do you want to add something to the list? Have your say in the comments section.
Budget phones barely focus on aesthetics. This category is more driven towards providing a decent user experience and value for money specs. And in doing so, the design of the phone is often overlooked. However, this is not the case for the Realme C35. By no means the phone looks cheap. But has Realme sacrificed performance to facilitate this refreshed design? Let’s find out in this review of the Realme C35.
Realme C35 Specifications:
Body: 164.4 x 75.6 x 8.1mm, 189gm, Plastic back/frames
Goes without saying that Realme has hit the bullseye in terms of design. It seems like the company is attempting to bring changes to the budget smartphone scene with the design-focused Realme C35. Compared to the previous ‘C’ series phones, the C35 looks well-made and premium.
The flat matte rails and rounded corners give the phone a modern look. However, the back is still plastic and glossy, making it a fingerprint magnet. Then again, the camera bump at the back looks to be inspired by the premium GT series.
All this is to say that one would not be able to tell this is a budget phone from the back. But flip it over to the front and the outdated waterdrop notch combined with the thick bottom chin gives it away rather easily.
On the other hand, the phone is quite light at 189 grams. But its in-hand feel is not as satisfying due to the sharp edges that dig into your palm. Of course, design is subjective, but the Realme C35 might just be the best-looking phone in the budget segment.
Display
6.6-inch FHD+ IPS LCD
60/180Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
600 nits peak brightness
Let us talk about the display now. And it’s nothing fancy here—just a standard 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel with FHD+ resolution. No AMOLED or high refresh rate. Despite this, its colors are decent and so is the viewing experience for the price. In addition, it is WideVine L1 certified, which means you can stream HD content on Netflix and other OTT platforms here.
Then again, Realme could have done a lot better in this department. For only Rs. 2,500 more, the company’s own Narzo 50 comes with a 120Hz display. Heck—even last year’s Samsung Galaxy F22 brings a 90Hz AMOLED display while providing better performance for the same price. More on that later.
Multimedia, Biometrics
Single bottom-firing speaker
Side-mounted fingerprint scanner
While the display kinda-sorta holds its ground, the speaker on the Realme C35 is a major letdown. First off, it’s a mono-speaker setup. And secondly, it sounds very tinny. Bass is obviously non-existent and it sounds metallic with thin mids all the way. While that’s okay for podcasts and all, the speaker sucks all the joy out of the songs that it plays. But hey, at least there is a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the C35 also acts as the power button. However, I often missed the button because it is quite small. It also refused to register the fingerprint occasionally.
Cameras
Triple camera setup at the back
(50MP main, 2MP macro, 0.3MP B&W)
8MP selfie camera (teardrop notch)
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
From the camera specs listed above, you can see that the Realme C35 lacks an ultrawide sensor. Guess which phone costs the same and also has an ultrawide sensor? The Samsung Galaxy F22, of course. And why does the front camera not support portrait selfies? Come on, Realme! Anyway, let’s see how the C35’s cameras are with some sample images.
Normal Images
Its daytime photos are mediocre at best. Because the dynamic range is quite low, blown-out skies are likely more often than not.
Normal
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Furthermore, the images are not as sharp as they should be. It also lacks the distinct color pop we’re used to on most Realme phones.
Portrait Images
Portrait
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The portraits are good for the price, but they have the same flaws. The subjects appear well despite the blown-out skies and lack of details. Similarly, the detection of edges is hit or miss.
Selfie Images
Moving on, the selfies taken by the Realme C35 turn out quite soft and they lack a proper dynamic range too.
Selfie
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And even though the subjects retain a slight reddish tint here, I guess they are adequate for the price. The lack of portrait selfies, on the other hand, is something to bemoan.
Nighttime Images
Nighttime
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Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Moving on, the Realme C35’s Night Mode works quite well in removing grain and brightening the images a bit.
Macro Images
As expected, its macro camera is not that great because it fails to capture good detail even in ideal lighting conditions.
Videography
Don’t expect much in the videography department either. Its 1080p 30 fps recordings lack any form of stabilization, which means the videos turn out to be quite shaky and unusable. And the color reproduction isn’t exactly ideal as well.
Getting to the performance side of things, the Realme C35 has the Unisoc T616 chip under the hood. It is an octa-core processor fabricated under a 12nm node that has two Cortex-A75 and six Cortex-A55 CPU cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and 1.8 GHz, respectively.
While that’s a pretty capable chip in this price range, spending a little extra on the Narzo 50 that I mentioned earlier would be a great idea if pure performance is what you’re shopping for.
Case in point, the Helio G96 chip on the Narzo 50 yields almost 50% better results on AnTuTu 9 than this.
Day-to-day usage
So while the daily usage is fairly snappy for the most part, I did face occasional stutters when scrolling through Instagram. And it lagged while switching between apps too, but rarely. On the other hand, the phone’s haptic feedback is just average for the price. Regardless, phone calls on the C35 are loud and clear—so no trouble there.
Gaming experience
Needless to say, the Realme C35 struggles while gaming. Take Call of Duty: Mobile, for example. The settings max out at Medium graphics quality and High frame rate here. And it fails to maintain playable frame rates at even the lowest graphics settings. The gameplay experience was the same under PUBG Mobile as well.
Then again, Mobile Legends ran smoothly with no stutters at the “High” refresh rate and “High” graphics. However, the “Ultra” graphics option is unavailable here. Moreover, the phone ran a bit warm after half an hour of gaming as well.
Software
Realme UI ‘R’ Edition on top of Android 11
As for software, the phone boots on Realme UI ‘R’ Edition, which is a lighter version of the Realme UI. And it misses out on many useful features and customization options you’ll find on the company’s standard Android skin. The lack of split-screen and three-finger screenshots bothered me a lot, whereas its dark mode is quite lackluster too.
Making matters worse is that the C35 boots on Android 11 instead of Android 12. And Realme doesn’t promise any future updates for this phone either.
Battery and Charging
5000mAh with 18W charging
USB Type-C port
Okay, let’s talk about its battery life now. Its 5000mAh cell managed to last me over a day, which is average at best since most competing phones that we’ve tested this year delivered up to 2 days of battery life. Using the 18W charger included inside the box, the phone fills up in approximately 2 hours.
Realme C35 Review: Conclusion
With that, we’ve reached the end of this Realme C35 review. In its quest to deliver killer looks in the budget segment, the phone makes quite a lot of sacrifices when it comes to performance, display, and more. Its 50MP main camera performs as intended, but the lack of an ultrawide camera sticks out like a sore thumb.
For the same price, the Samsung Galaxy F22 ticks off almost all the gripes I have with the C35. And if you are strictly looking for a Realme phone, spending Rs. 2,500 more lands you the Narzo 50. Moreover, the Redmi Note 11 is yet another terrific alternative if you’re willing to extend your budget a little.
Honor MagicBook 14 (2022) runs on Magic OS for
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