Walmart, the US-based multinational retail chain, has started carrying shipments using fully driverless delivery trucks. These autonomous vehicles are designed by Gatik, which has been working with Walmart for around 2 years. In this post, we will be discussing the Walmart-Gartik driverless trucks in more detail.
Walmart starts delivery via driverless trucks
For starters, Walmart has been using self-driving trucks for its shipments since 2019. The trucks designed by Gatik were used to deliver shipments from a warehouse to a neighboring retail outlet in Bentonville (Arkansas). But previously, these trucks used to have a human safety driver at their disposal.
After studying the route for almost 2 years, the two companies started deploying completely autonomous driverless trucks without any safety driver back in August. This makes Gatik the first company to operate a fully driverless truck on a commercial route. Currently, there are two trucks delivering goods over a 7-mile route 12 times a day.
Here, the company has designed the trucks to prioritize conservative routes over the direct ones to reduce the risk of accidents. As a result, these trucks do not take unprotected turns and make lane changes.
Gatik was founded in 2017 by autonomous technology experts. It specializes in middle mile delivery, which means the delivery of goods between warehouse/distribution centers to fulfillment facilities. The company doesn’t plan to develop ride-hailing autonomous vehicles until 2027. It believes that lifting goods is both easier and economical than lifting people.
The future
It’s not clear if Walmart and Gatik are planning to expand the service to other routes. Both companies have remained silent on this matter.
In other news, Gatik already has competition in the form of Cruise LLC. Cruise has been into research and development of self-driving cars since 2013. The company has already obtained permission to operate driverless cargo in some parts of California as well. It even plans to operate driverless taxis from next year.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G.
OnePlus Nord 2 has been among the most exciting premium mid-range phones of 2021. That being said, it has also been a subject of several controversies as there have been several reports of the phone exploding. Another such case has emerged in India in which a Nord 2 has exploded and even caused physical harm to the user. In this article, we will deep dive into this story, while also discussing other cases of the OnePlus Nord 2 explosion.
Latest OnePlus Nord 2 Explosion in India
The latest incident of a Nord 2 explosion has taken place in India. It was first reported on November 3 by Suhit Sharma via his Twitter handle. The tweet even contains pictures to back up the claim.
As evident by the photos, the phone seems to have caught fire from the rear bottom left, thoroughly damaging the corresponding frame. The explosion has even damaged the transparent case that was on the phone.
What makes it worse is that the phone was in the owner’s pocket when it exploded. This has caused severe burns to the owner’s thigh with the skin being peeled off. It has left dark burnt marks as well.
@OnePlus_IN Never expected this from you #OnePlusNord2Blast see what your product have done. Please be prepared for the consequences. Stop playing with peoples life. Because of you that boy is suffering contact asap. pic.twitter.com/5Wi9YCbnj8
The tweet has caught the attention of a lot of people, including some popular Indian tech YouTubers. This has even caused fear among other Nord 2 users, many of whom are complaining about the heating issue of the phone. Some have even demanded OnePlus discontinue the phone and recall all the sold models.
OnePlus is yet to make an official public statement acknowledging the incident. But the company is already in touch with Suhit Sharma for further investigation. The following statement was provided to 91mobiles when they reached out to OnePlus over the matter.
“We take such incidents seriously. Our team has already reached out to the user and we are in the process of collecting the details to investigate this further.”
Past incidents of OnePlus Nord 2 explosion
It’s important to note that this is not the first time the Nord 2 has been reported to explode. There have been at least two other similar claims, one of which was flagged fake when the user deleted his tweet once it got mainstream attention. In the other incident, OnePlus eventually sent a cease-and-desist letter to the victim, claiming that the victim refused to co-operate in the investigation.
There was also a case of Nord 2’s 65W Warp Charger exploding in which OnePlus readily offered a replacement charger to the user. The cause of the explosion was “fluctuating external voltage” according to the company.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the OnePlus Nord 2.
After disrupting the Nepali ISP market with its introductory 120Mbps internet, CG Net has now introduced a cost-effective 50Mbps plan. In this article, we will be discussing the new 50Mbps “Super Sasto Package” internet plan from CG Net along with its price, duration, availability, and fair usage policy.
CG Net 50Mbps “Super Sasto Package”
Ever since CG Net initiated its services with its 120Mbps internet, other ISPs have announced even higher bandwidth plans. This includes Subisu’s 150Mbps and Worldlink’s 300Mbps packages. However, not everyone needs such high bandwidth internet, and many users expressed their preference for affordable low bandwidth internet plans instead.
And it certainly seems like CG Net is catering to such users with this. Here, you have the flexibility to subscribe to monthly, tri-monthly, half-yearly, or yearly plans of its 50Mbps internet. The price is set to Rs. 649 per month, irrespective of the duration you sign up for.
Currently, only a few major ISPs like Classic Tech are providing 50Mbps internet for home users. Still, CG Net’s 50Mbps plan undercuts most of the competition’s 40 and even 60Mbps packages. We have prepared the following table for a more detailed comparison.
Furthermore, you won’t have to pay installation and drop wire charges if you subscribe to CG Net. However, the company does levy charges on the router and refundable deposits. You will also have to pay extra if you want a dual-band router.
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
12 Months
Installation Charge
Free
Drop Wire Charge
Free
Single Band Router
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 2,000
Rs. 1,500
Free
Dual Band Router
Rs. 3,500
Rs. 3,000
Rs. 2,500
Rs. 2,000
Refundable Deposit
Rs. 500
Fair Usage Policy (FUP)
Compared to the standard 120Mbps plan, CG Net’s 50Mbps Super Sasto Package has a lower data usage quota for Fair Usage Policy (FUP). You can enjoy the original bandwidth of 50Mbps as long as you are within the 1300 GB quota. If you pass the 1300 GB mark, the internet speed will be reduced based on the additional bandwidth volume you consume. Here’s a brief look at it:
FUP Level
Data Usage Quota
FUP Speed Policy
Original data bandwidth
Up to 1300 GB
50Mbps (original speed)
Level 1
1300 – 1400 GB
50% of original speed
Level 2
1400 – 1500 GB
30% of original speed
Level 3
Upwards of 1500 GB
10% of original speed
CG Net 50Mbps: Coverage, Limitations
CG Net certainly has super cheap internet plans, but the problem is that the company hasn’t been able to offer its service throughout the country. It has expanded to several new locations since its establishment around the Kathmandu valley, but that’s still incomparable to the coverage of other major ISPs in Nepal.
You can inquire about CG Net installation by visiting this link. In addition, most ISPs also bundle IPTV services with their internet plans, while CG Net doesn’t. But the company has already laid the groundwork to introduce IPTV and video OTT services with its partnership with Indian telco giant Airtel.
Meanwhile, check out our hands-on review of CG Net.
Generation Next or Genxt, the sole authorized distributor of Apple products in Nepal, has opened its official service center at Kumaripati, Lalitpur. Established on 4th November 2021, the service center is offering discounts, macOS/iOS health checkups, and other services for free during the first month of its inauguration.
Genxt Nepal Service Center Overview:
Discounts, Free services
First, let’s talk about the free offers and discounts. Like I mentioned earlier, customers can enjoy a free macOS/iOS health checkup and upgrade/installation of macOS/iOS of their respective Apple devices. You can also enjoy a flat 10% discount on any out-of-warranty product repair.
Moreover, B2B (Business-to-Business) and SMB (Small and Medium-sized Businesses) clients may save 30% by signing on to an annual maintenance contract. The company is also giving a 10% discount on Apple accessories purchased through the store.
Moving on, Genxt Nepal will be providing its customers a “loaner device” while their unit is being repaired. Essentially, a loaner device is a temporary replacement for the product that is currently being serviced or repaired. That means you’ll have to return the lent device after the damaged product has been fixed. Furthermore, you can also enjoy same-day screen replacements on all iPhones.
Here’s a quick summary of all the benefits Genxt Nepal is offering during the first month of its launch:
Free macOS/iOS health checkup
Free macOS/iOS installation/upgrade
Same-day screen replacement for all eligible iPhones
Loaner devices to customers with eligible product repair
10% off on every out-of-warranty repair
10% off on the purchase of accessories
30% off on annual maintenance contracts (B2B/SMB clients only)
Genxt Nepal Service Center: Location
Genxt Nepal’s official service center is located at the company’s Kumaripati, Lalitpur branch. It is Genxt’s second and Nepal’s third authorized Apple service center overall—following EvoStore’s service facility at Durbar Marg.
Location
Contact
Kumaripati, Lalitpur
015420462
Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Xiaomi has recently announced “Loop LiquidCool Technology” for high-end smartphones. It is inspired by cooling solutions from the aerospace industry and is reportedly twice as capable as a conventional vapor chamber-based cooling system. So, let’s learn more about it here.
Xiaomi Loop LiquidCool Technology Overview:
Over the years, mobile chipsets are getting a substantial performance boost.
But with great power, comes great heat dissipation.
We’ve seen smartphones like OnePlus 9 Pro overheat to a harsh degree. As a result, the demand for improved cooling technologies is more than just a necessity.
Working mechanism
Xiaomi’s new Loop LiquidCool technology includes a heat pipe made of an evaporator, a condenser, a refill chamber, and gas and liquid pipes. The heating solution when placed at the heat source evaporates the liquid (refrigerant) inside the evaporator. The hot gas then flows down the pipe to the condenser, where it condenses back into liquid.
Moving on, the condensed liquid is absorbed and collected by the tiny fibers in the refill chambers and the evaporator is replenished—making it an independent system.
What makes it distinct from the conventional cooling methods is that it does not allow the mixing of hot gas and cool liquid. Similarly, its ring-shaped pump has a specific gas pipe design that minimizes airway resistance by 30%; whereas the heat transfer capacity increases by up to 100%.
Despite the new architecture, the Loop LiquidCool system employs the Tesla Valve structure within the refill chamber. The valve allows the gas to flow to its intended direction and also improves gas/liquid circulation throughout the system.
Xiaomi also claims that this technology can be modified to any sort of interior design in order to accommodate more components. A square-shaped loop, for example, provides extra space for the battery, camera module, and other components.
Test
Furthermore, the company has put the Loop LiquidCool technology to the test in a customized Xiaomi Mix 4. With this, a 30-minute session of Genshin Impact at 60fps (highest video settings) resulted in a maximum temperature reading of 47.4ºC. To compare, the Snapdragon 888 powering this phone was 8.6ºC cooler than on the standard Mix 4.
Xiaomi Loop LiquidCool Technology: Availability
According to Xiaomi, Loop LiquidCool Technology will make its debut in Xiaomi devices in the second half of 2022.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G.
WhatsApp has released an update that allows users to access the service on multiple devices without requiring your phone to be connected to the internet. Let’s find out more about the WhatsApp multi-device access feature without a smartphone in this article.
WhatsApp Multi-device Access Overview:
Previously, WhatsApp required your primary smartphone to be online even if you wanted to continue the conversation on your web browser or desktop application. However, you can now send and receive messages no matter if your primary device is online or not.
The feature is officially rolling out to all users on both Android and iOS platforms with the new update. With this, users can now use WhatsApp on up to 4 devices at the same time.
Before moving forward, do note that this feature is still in the “beta” phase and may contain some issues for the time being. Nonetheless, linking a new device to your account is pretty easy.
First, click on the three dots on the top-right.
Then, head to the “Linked devices” option and select “Multi-device beta”.
Finally, click on “Join beta” which will enable multi-device access to your WhatsApp account.
WhatsApp Multi-device Access
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Link a device
Join Beta
After completing all these steps, you can link the desktop or web version of WhatsApp by clicking on the link a device button and scanning the QR code. Still, you can’t link it to a secondary smartphone or tablet for now.
Furthermore, paired devices will be able to send and receive messages for up to 14 days even after the primary smartphone goes offline. Likewise, the messages and phone calls still remain end-to-end encrypted. But a constraint in iOS devices prevents you from deleting messages from a linked device.
WhatsApp Multi-device Access: Availability
As aforementioned, the feature is now available to WhatsApp users all over the world with the latest update. So, make sure you have the latest version of the app to enjoy this feature.
After the launch of Moto E20 and E40, Motorola has launched yet another budget smartphone in this lineup. The new Moto E40 sits right between the two phones and resembles the E40 in multiple ways. In this article, we will be discussing the specs, key features, expected price, and availability of Moto E30 in Nepal.
Moto E30 Overview:
Design and Display
As expected from a budget phone, the body of the E30 is completely made out of plastic. It has a water repellent design with IP52 certification. The phone weighs around 198g and is 9.1mm thick. Its back has a curvy ridged design and there are two colors to choose from: Digital Blue and Mineral Gray.
Over on the front, the Moto E30 sports a 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel with a center-aligned punch-hole cutout. It’s an HD+ display alongside a 90Hz refresh rate.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, Moto E30 packs Unisoc T700. It’s the same chipset you’ll find in the Moto E40. Fabricated under TSMC’s 12nm node, the T700 packs two Cortex A75 and six Cortex A55 cores.
As for memory, the phone is available in the sole 2+32GB variant. Because of the limited RAM space, it boots on the Go Edition of Android 11. It’s the main differentiating factor between E30 and E40 since the latter comes with the full-fledged version of Android 11.
At the back, the Moto E30 flaunts a triple camera setup. Leading the line is a 48MP primary sensor that shoots 4-in-1 pixel-binned images. Accompanying it are two 2MP sensors for macros and portrait photos.
Upfront, the punch-hole cutout encloses an 8MP selfie camera, capable of shooting FHD videos at 30fps.
Rest of the specs
Fueling the Moto E30 is a 5,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging over the Type-C port. As for connectivity, you get a triple card slot, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth 5.0. Moto E30 has a dedicated Google Assistant button too.
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g (2.4GHz), Bluetooth 5.0
Moto E30 Price in Nepal and Availability
Moto E30 is currently listed on Aldi Belgium for EUR 100. You can also find the phone in Lenovo UK and Moto Slovakia, but they do not mention the price. We expect the price of the Motorola Moto E30 in Nepal to be NPR 13,000 when it launches here.
Back in August, Xiaomi re-entered the tablet market after over 3 years of hiatus. And among the two new tablets, the Xiaomi Pad 5 is here in Nepal. Here, we will be discussing the new Xiaomi Pad 5, along with its key specs, features, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Xiaomi Pad 5 series feature an 11-inch IPS LCD panel with support for a 120Hz refresh rate and 10-bit TrueTone technology. You can even enjoy Dolby Vision and HDR10 content on the Xiaomi Pad 5 and Pad 5 Pro.
At the back, we get to see the Mi 11 series-like camera module. Despite having the same dimension of 254.69 x 166.25 x 6.86mm, the Pro variant is heavier (515gm) than the vanilla Pad 5. Additionally, the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro 5G is even heavier at 518gm.
Stylus and Keyboard
The Xiaomi Pad 5 series supports a magnetic keyboard and stylus. The latter boasts a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It weighs around 12.2 grams and features two buttons.
The keyboard also doubles as a protective cover. It has a dedicated button for exiting full-screen mode. However, neither of the two come included inside the box and you’re gonna have to buy them separately.
Meanwhile, check out all the prices and specs of Xiaomi tablets here
Performance and Memory
The main differentiating factor between the two models is the processor. The Pro model is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 5G, whereas the Xiaomi Pad 5 is powered by a relatively less powerful Snapdragon 860.
These tablets come with 6GB of LPDDR4X RAM and users can choose between 128 and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. On the other hand, Xiaomi Pad Pro 5G comes in a single variant of 8/256GB memory configuration.
Software and UI
Xiaomi Pad 5 series runs on a special version of MIUI designed for tablets. The company claims to have optimized 300 different mainstream apps to run on the platform with plans to add even more in the future.
The UI supports input from an external keyboard and stylus, split-screen mode, multiple windows, and other features for a desktop-like experience.
Rest of the specs
Fueling the vanilla Pad 5 is an 8,720mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. The battery on the Pro Model has a smaller capacity of 8,600mAh but supports faster 67W charging.
In terms of cameras, the vanilla Xiaomi Pad 5 features a single camera setup of 13MP at the back. There is an additional 5MP depth sensor on the Pro model. On the other hand, the Xiaomi Pad 5 Pro 5G features a 50MP primary camera accompanied by a 5MP depth sensor.
All the models across the lineup feature an 8MP front-facing camera. In terms of audio, while the standard Xiaomi Pad 5 has a quad-speaker system, the Pro models boast eight speakers in total. There’s Dolby Atmos audio support in all three of them.
Xiaomi Pad 5 Series Specifications:
Dimension: 254.69 x 166.25 x 6.85mm, 511g (Pad 5) / 515g (5 Pro) / 518g (5 Pro 5G)
The price of the Xiaomi Pad 5 in Nepal is NPR 44,999 for the 6/128GB and NPR 49,999 for the 6/256GB variant. You can buy the Xiaomi Pad 5 from Hukut Store and get Rs. 1000 discount.
Xiaomi Pad 5
Price in Nepal (Official)
6/128GB
NPR 44,999
6/256GB
NPR 49,999
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Xiaomi Pad 5.
While Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world, Android tablets haven’t quite hit the home run for a lot of users—one of the primary reasons being the lack of proper software optimization for the larger form-factor. On that note, I’ve got the new Vastking Kingpad M10 tablet in for review which I have been using for about a month now.
Manufacturers such as Samsung, Lenovo, Xiaomi, and others have been trying to keep the Android tablet market at a good pace. So, does Vastking’s new tablet provide this space a strong push? Let’s find out in this review.
Vastking Kingpad M10 Specifications:
Dimensions: 246.38 x 154.94 x 7.62mm, 450 grams
Display: 10.36″ IPS, 2K resolution (2000 x 1200), 60Hz
Memory: 4GB RAM, 128GB internal storage (expandable up to 2TB)
Rear Camera: 13MP
Front Camera: 8MP
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, Dual-band WiFi, 4G LTE, USB-C, SIM/microSD (Hybrid)
Audio: Quad-speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack
Security: Face unlock
Battery: 6000 mAh, 10W charging
Extras: Compatible keyboard
Price in Nepal: N/A (USD 229)
Vastking Kingpad M10 Review:
Performance
Octa-core Unisoc T618 4G (12nm)
4GB RAM, 128GB storage (expandable)
Android 11
The M10 is available in a sole configuration with 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Thankfully, if 128 gigs of storage aren’t sufficient, you can upgrade it to 2TB with a microSD card. That reminds me, this tablet has a hybrid SIM slot, meaning you get to use either two nano-SIMs or configure it with a SIM and a microSD card.
Despite this, the Kingpad M10 is certainly not looking to be a laptop replacement. It is powered by the entry-level Unisoc T618 octa-core chipset—which is pretty much the same as MediaTek’s Helio G88. And it delivers respectable performance for everyday use.
Now, getting into its real-time performance, as I mentioned earlier, it can handle everyday lightweight tasks with ease and is well-optimized for multitasking as well—despite the minor hiccups every now and then.
Moreover, Vastking ships the M10 with stock Android 11 out of the box, which means no custom skin or bloatware apps on top. And the entire UI/UX seems quite streamlined as well. Also, I am delighted to report that the app load time on this thing is never unbearably slow like other budget tablets while its RAM management is excellent too. So, good job Vastking!
Gaming
With decent typical usage, I also tried playing a few games such as PUBG, Call of Duty Mobile, and Pokémon Unite here to test its gaming capability. Here, Pokémon Unite managed to provide consistent performance in Medium graphics, whereas PUBG Mobile yielded better results at Smooth graphics and High frame rates.
Likewise, the Call of Duty Mobile renders stable gameplay under Medium graphics and Low frame rate settings. To note, continuous gaming for about an hour or so gets it warm around the camera module at the back.
Overall, this tablet is a safe bet for folks whose primary requirements consist of watching videos, browsing the web, attending Zoom meetings, taking notes, and performing other basic everyday tasks. Still, I feel like its performance could’ve been noticeably better—especially in multitasking scenarios—if Vastking also had a 6GB RAM variant to offer. Unfortunately, you’ll have to make do with just 4GB.
Design
246.38 x 154.94 x 7.62mm, 450 grams
Metal-plastic hybrid build material
Compatible with keyboard, case accessory
Anyway, let’s now focus on the design. The Kingpad M10 is a sleek device with squared-off edges and 7.62mm of thickness that weighs 450 grams. While the company claims to have a full metal body design, the back panel does have a plastic-made portion that catches fingerprints rather easily.
That might be to conceal the antenna line since you can’t spot them at any other place in the tablet. Moreover, you can change this thing into a portable workstation by adding a keyboard deck which is obviously going to cost you extra pennies.
For further durability, you may also buy a screen protector, case, and other stuff directly from their site. In my case—pun intended—I have the case and keyboard, which really adds up to the overall experience.
The M10, when closed with a case and a keyboard resembles a small clamshell laptop. The outer top and bottom lids have a grey matte texture to them, while the interior holds and connects the tablet and the keyboard via a 5-pin magnetic connector.
Easy-to-do
Despite its compact body, this keyboard pretty much fits all the essential keys, including a row of specialized Function keys at the very top. As a result, I can alter the brightness and volume levels here the same way I would on a Windows PC.
The buttons on this keyboard are obviously smaller than those on a laptop or a standalone keyboard, but they aren’t necessarily that difficult to get used to. Personally, it took me a few hours of office work to adjust to this layout. The keys aren’t backlit either, although they have excellent feedback and a good keystroke.
The touchpad, on the other hand, is rather small and is tough to get accustomed to—especially for someone like me who rarely uses one even on a laptop. Nevertheless, you can use it to scroll through web pages or over your social media feeds.
Display
10.36-inches IPS, 60Hz refresh rate
2K resolution (2000 x 1200 pixels)
Over on the display, you get a big 10.36-inch IPS panel with 2K resolution here. This touchscreen delivers clear and easy-to-read text and graphics although it isn’t as vibrant as an OLED panel.
Plus, it does not support a higher refresh rate either, so if you’re coming from a 90Hz or a 120Hz panel, you’ll feel the difference right away. There’s also a noticeable delay in the app load time or when scrolling through the UI. Similarly, the screen’s brightness is adequate for indoor usage or on an overcast day, although the colors appear somewhat subdued under direct sunlight.
Moreover, like with other Android tablets, there are minimal options for customizing the home screen. But things are bound to change with the launch of Android 12L—a new operating system designed exclusively for tablets, foldable, and ChromeOS devices.
Anyway, this display has good viewing angles, so there’s no drop in image quality when looking at it from the sides. Unfortunately, because it is just Widevine L3 certified, you can only stream videos at SD resolution on OTT platforms like Netflix.
Audio
Quad-speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack
On the audio front, the Kingpad M10 has a quad-speaker configuration. While the specification seems appealing enough, the audio doesn’t get particularly loud, and neither can you enjoy deep bass here.
Despite this, the mids and vocals sound pretty clear—although it gets slightly murky when turning up the volume to the max. Similarly, it has a 3.5mm headphone socket on the rounded corner whose audio output is adequate too.
Camera
Single 13MP rear camera
8MP selfie camera (landscape layout)
Cameras
1 of 2
Front
Back
Now, let’s talk about the cameras, which certainly aren’t the best aspect of this tablet—or any other budget tablet for that matter. To be clear, you won’t be getting Insta-worthy photos but the M10 is capable enough to capture a few moments here and there.
Daytime Images
1 of 5
Here, the images from the 13MP camera at the back have a reddish tint. And when zoomed in, their lack of detail doesn’t come as a surprise either. Similarly, it also struggles with exposure control, whereas its dynamic range is also among the worst on a budget tablet.
Selfie
1 of 2
It’s the same with the selfie camera as well. The images from this 8MP sensor come off quite hazy along with an uneven contrast level. However, for indoor usages like online classes and meetings, it works just fine and the videos have boosted black levels.
This front-facing camera also supports face unlocks. For the most part, it works wonderfully during the day. Nevertheless, in a dimly lit environment, the camera expectedly has difficulty identifying your face.
Battery
6000mAh battery with 10W charging
Moving on to the battery, the Kingpad M10 is fueled by a 6,000mAh cell, which is just about modest considering you can find Android tablets with a massive 10,000mAh unit as well.
With a full charge, I got about 6-7 hours of screen-on time here—where my usage consisted of attending 2-3 hours of online meetings, a few gaming sessions, browsing through social media, and other regular tasks.
On the contrary, its 10W charging is quite a disappointment as it takes almost three and a half hours to fully juice up the battery to 100%. Given the tablet’s big size, Vastking should have managed to fit in a 7,000mAh or bigger battery—or at the very least offered 15/25W fast charging capability. However, it falls short in both these areas.
Vastking Kingpad M10 Review: Conclusion
So wrapping up this review, the Vastking Kingpad M10 ticks most of the boxes for a decent budget Android tablet. True, it would have been even better if the company had included a larger battery and better cameras.
But for the most part, it’s a good go-to tablet—while the detachable keyboard accessory is sure to assist students or business owners to turn it into a portable workstation as well.
MSI sells all kinds of gaming laptops; from the lightweight ones under the “GF” lineup to the might powerful devices in the high-end “GP” and “GE” series. I have been using the new GP66 Leopard for almost a month now. And in this review, I’ll be sharing all my experiences with the MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG).
MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG) Specifications:
Design&Build: Plastic-aluminum hybrid build, 14.13W x 10.51D x 0.92H-inches, 2.38 kg
Color Options: Core Black (Matte cover lid with MSI Dragon logo)
What’s inside the box: Laptop, power adapter, quick start guide
MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG Review:
Design
14.13W x 10.51D x 0.92H-inches, 2.38 kg
Plastic-aluminum hybrid build quality
Starting with the design, as you can see, it’s quite a chonky unit. But thankfully, MSI has used a plastic-aluminum hybrid material to keep the weight to a minimum. At 2.38 kg—despite its aggressive look—the GP66 is actually lighter than the Omen 15 that I reviewed recently.
Still, coming from the M1 MacBook Pro, this is a far cry from an easily portable laptop for me. Regardless of its bold design, the GP66 doesn’t get the RGB encasement as the more expensive MSI GE76 Raider, but that’s fine by me. I’m a bigger fan of the subtlety anyway.
Its hinge is fairly sturdy for the most part but I did notice a considerable flex near the middle of the chassis. Also, while the company embraced a modern-looking 16:10 aspect ratio in its 2021 lineup of Creator laptops, this one still hosts a traditional 16:9 display. The side bezels don’t bother me as much but this chin is certainly distracting.
Ports
1 of 3
Left
Back
Right
Oh, and before I forget—this hinge can’t lay 180º flat either. Thankfully, its beveled edges all around—complemented by a fairly blunt edge at the bottom of the keyboard deck means I’ve had zero discomforts when typing on this laptop for hours. Moving on to ports, MSI certainly could’ve done better though.
Not the best port selection
First off, there’s no USB-C connection at all—and all three Type-A connections are of the USB 3.2 Gen 1 protocol. And considering the content creation possibility of this machine, I would’ve liked to see a full-sized SD card reader as well.
Nevertheless, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Kensington lock slot over on the left while the back of the GP66 houses a Mini-DisplayPort 1.4, HDMI 2.1, an RJ45, and a power-in port.
Display
15.6″ anti-glare non-touch FHD IPS panel
240Hz refresh rate, close to 100% sRGB gamut
Getting to the display, MSI sells this laptop in three configurations: a 165Hz QHD panel, a 144Hz FHD panel, or a 240Hz FHD option, which is the one I have. And let me just tell you, I don’t know how I’m going to adjust to the MacBook Pro’s 60Hz refresh rate when I eventually get back to it.
Everything is just so smooth on this thing that you’ll feel spoiled in a matter of hours. But if you’d rather have a sharper screen, I doubt the 165Hz refresh rate is going to feel significantly sluggish.
As expected, the sharper variant also boasts a better color coverage with 100% DCI-P3 gamut—while MSI promises 72% DCI-P3 and “close-to 100% sRGB” color space on the FHD models. And throughout my usage, this screen has fared me just fine. The colors look fairly saturated whereas thanks to its 291 nits of peak brightness, the laptop doesn’t struggle with maintaining visibility either.
However, the GP66 does suffer from a mild dip in color saturation levels when looking at it from extreme angles. I also noticed minimal screen bleeding on the bottom left edge of the display but it’s absolutely nothing to worry about.
Display Properties
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Color Gamut
Gamma
Brightness
More importantly, MSI has used an anti-glare coating to make sure the ambient light reflections don’t get too distracting. And because this is a gaming laptop, it boasts a minimal response time of 3.5ms only—which is something eSports players will certainly appreciate.
Keyboard
Full-size keys (by SteelSeries)
Per-key RGB lighting
Moving on, MSI has partnered up with SteelSeries to bring a per-key RGB keyboard on the GP66 Leopard. Customizing the lighting is also super easy—you can select from a bunch of pre-loaded RGB presets or tweak the individual keys the way you want.
Yet, the backlighting isn’t as well-implemented as I’d hoped for. You can clearly see that the secondary shortcut engravings aren’t as illuminating.
Ineffective backlighting
Plus, when setting its lighting to steady “White”, the keys look noticeably pinkish instead. But I feel like this could be solved with an update to the SteelSeries GG app. Anyway, I have nothing to complain about the keyboard feedback.
The keys are full-sized, well spaced-out, offer a decent travel distance, and there’s minimal flex on the keyboard deck. I also like the soft and silent sound profile upon their press which is a crucial thing to consider when using the laptop in a professional setting.
But as you can see, despite being housed inside a 15.6” chassis, there’s a dedicated Numpad missing here. On the contrary, MSI’s design language involves a wide flank on either side—on top of a subtle trough to prevent key-presses onto the display.
The Function and Control keys fused together has been a bit of a challenge to get used to—although I am thankful for these large arrow keys. All in all, I’m pretty fond of this keyboard in spite of a couple of dismissable flaws.
Trackpad
Glass trackpad with integrated left/right keys
The trackpad, on the other hand, could’ve been better. Feels like MSI should’ve pushed the keyboard deck a little higher to make space for a larger trackpad, but here we are. Also, while I’ve faced no trouble with palm rejection, I wished it was centrally aligned.
As a result, this glass-made trackpad has further strengthened my habit of sticking to a dedicated mouse. In addition, I find its feedback quite noisy. And it’s especially audible when I’m using multi-finger gestures. But that’s not to say there’s any issue with the gestures’ responses themselves.
Audio
2x 2W side-firing speakers
Hi-Res Audio, Nahimic app
For audio, the GP66 Leopard brings dual stereo speakers with the driver units located on the lowermost portion on the sides. Therefore, the audio output doesn’t get as muffled here. But disregarding the supposed clarity, these stereo speakers still disappoint. Bass reproduction is completely absent while I find its instrument separation lackluster too.
After playing around with equalizers inside the Nahimic app, I did manage to get a slightly better sound quality from these speakers. But at the end of the day, it’s pretty clear that MSI has installed a mediocre sound setup here. Even its loudness doesn’t get up to the mark.
Webcam
720p HD camera
No privacy shutter
And of course—this gaming laptop’s webcam isn’t that great. To note, the onboard 720p camera isn’t complemented by an IR sensor for Windows Hello login. But more importantly, the video quality from this webcam is below average. Subjects look way too grainy and it doesn’t handle exposure or dynamic range very well.
I guess it’s fine for casual video calls. But I would suggest getting a decent external camera if you frequently attend Zoom meetings or online classes. Additionally, the audio pickup from its array microphones didn’t wow me as well.
Performance
Intel Core i7-11800H CPU (45W TDP)
NVIDIA RTX 3070 140W (discrete GPU)
16GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Okay, allow me to talk about the performance side of things now. I’ve been reviewing a bunch of gaming laptops recently—most of which were powered by an AMD processor. So the MSI GP66 Leopard with Intel’s 11th gen CPU has been a nice change of pace.
Here, my review unit has the Core i7-11800H CPU and RTX 3070 GPU with 140W TGP and 8GB GDDR6 VRAM. In terms of memory, it features 16GB DDR4 RAM in dual channel and 512GB M.2 SSD. This particular configuration goes for NPR 299,000 here in Nepal, some INR 180,000 in India, or some USD 1,700 in the US.
Different GPU configurations
While i7-11800H is the most powerful processor you can find for this laptop, MSI also sells it with RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 GPU. Luckily, both RAM and storage are easily upgradeable here. It hosts two SO-DIMM slots that can take up to 64GB DDR4 RAM, alongside two M.2 NVMe slots—one PCIe Gen 3 and one Gen 4. As for wireless connectivity, there’s Killer ax Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.
Before moving forward, I’d like to discuss the new “MSI Center”—which is a redesigned MSI Dragon Center that we’ve been familiar with over the years. From the looks of it, its UI/UX is inspired by the company’s own “MSI Center for Business & Productivity” app found in the Prestige and Summit lineup. And to be honest, I fail to understand this whole redesign shenanigan.
I mean, why would MSI want to strip away the gaming aesthetics of the app for a gaming laptop? Adding insult to injury is its ineffective and sometimes redundant layout as well. So I can only hope MSI pushes an update fixing all the issues at once.
Smooth sailing
Anyway, thanks to such powerful hardware underneath, it’s fair to say that the GP66 has simply sailed through my everyday chores. Even when using it under Silent profile that dials down CPU performance in favor of quiet fan profile, this beast has managed to keep up with all my office workloads.
This includes running a bunch of tabs on Chrome, attending a couple of Zoom meetings every now and then, typing up documents on LibreOffice, and light photo editing on Adobe Photoshop.
CrystalDiskMark
Read (MB/s)
Write (MB/s)
SEQ1M Q8T1
1964.69
704.06
SEQ1M Q1T1
1275.59
166.46
RND4K Q32T1
299.73
184.16
RNK4K Q1T1
52.23
179.70
Cinebench R23
MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG)
HP Omen 15 (2021)
CPU: Multi-Core
10811
11255
CPU: Single Core
1457
1343
MP Ratio
7.42x
8.38x
Geekbench 5
MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG)
HP Omen 15 (2021)
CPU: Single Core
1515
1257
CPU: Multi-Core
8901
6971
Compute (OpenCL)
125139
108059
Unigine Heaven
(FPS: 169.1, Score: 4259, Min FPS: 9.8, Max FPS: 350.6)
API: OpenGL
Multi-monitor: Disabled
Quality: High
Anti-aliasing: x2
Tessellation: Extreme
Fullscreen: Yes
Stereo 3D: Disabled
Resolution: System
3DMark
Overall
Graphics
Physics
Combined
Fire Strike Extreme v1.1
13156
13804
24816
6398
Fire Strike Ultra v1.1
6916
6798
24638
3549
Total
Graphics
CPU
Time Spy v1.2
10585
10724
9864
Blender (CPU)
MSI GP66 Leopard (11UG)
HP Omen 15 (2021)
bmw27
3m38s
3m42s
classroom
10m4s
9m39s
fishy_cat
4m56s
4m50s
koro
7m12s
7m22s
pavillon_barcelona
10m20s
10m1s
victor
17m25s
16m14s
Intel processors have always been known for their superior single-core performance and the 11th gen H-series CPUs seem to have kept up this legacy. For this review of the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG, I tried comparing its benchmark results with the closest AMD counterpart—the Ryzen 7 5800H. Here, we can see the i7-11800H posting better single-core numbers.
However, the AMD CPU boasts better multi-core performance in most instances including Cinebench R23 and synthetic benchmarks like Blender.
Gaming experience
The MSI GP66 also keeps up its reputation when it comes to gaming—and it’s quite a capable 1080p gaming machine. Playing Cyberpunk 2077 at the highest settings with ray tracing set to Ultra, I graphed about 38-42 fps on average here.
Dialing ray tracing down to Medium gets you 46-51 fps instead. Likewise, Control is playable at its max graphics settings at around 60 fps on average while you can expect a stable 90 fps on GTA V.
1080p Gaming Benchmarks
Extreme Performance mode, Cooler Boost thermal control
Game
Settings
Average FPS
Cyberpunk 2077
Texture quality: High
38-42fps
Ray Tracing: Ultra
Texture quality: High
46-51fps
Ray Tracing: Medium
Control
Texture resolution: Ultra
60fps
Ray Tracing: High
GTA V
Texture Quality: Very High
90fps
Reflection Quality: Ultra
CS: GO
Texture Detail: High
257-270fps
Anti-Aliasing: 8X MSAA
Valorant
Texture Quality: High
180fps
Anti-Aliasing: 4X MSAA
Comparatively less taxing games like CS: GO fully utilize this 240Hz display since I got somewhere between 257 to 270 fps on average even at the highest settings. But it’s important to note that the frame rate would drop to as low as 203 sometimes. Similarly, Valorant manages roughly 180 fps on average at the highest graphics settings.
Impressive thermals
Apart from the stellar gaming performance, I’m thoroughly impressed with its cooling mechanism as well. Granted this laptop gets quite loud when tweaking its power drive to “Extreme Performance” and fan speed to “Cooler Boost”, that’s more than worth it considering the GP66’s comfortable gaming experience.
I mean, you’re likely to put on a pair of headsets when gaming anyway—that’ll ultimately drown out the fan noise. Throughout my experience, I noticed that the area above the keyboard deck gets the hottest while the keyboard itself doesn’t get that hot. To be fair, the middle portion is relatively warmer than the rest but I’d still label it under the “comfortable” category.
To achieve this, the GP66 Leopard has large air intake vents on the bottom. Complementing this are the exhausts are located on the sides and the back of the laptop. There are also 6 heatpipes in total drawing heat away from the CPU and GPU to make sure you have the most comfortable gaming experience.
Battery
65 Watt-hour 4-cell battery
280W AC power adapter
On the battery front, the GP66 delivers a pretty average result. Fueled by a modest 65Wh battery, I managed to get about 4-4.5 hours of screen-on time during my regular office chores, when using this laptop under Silent performance profile with brightness set to about 50-60%.
For running all the benchmarks and games, I had to set it to Extreme Performance mode which dramatically reduces the battery endurance. Besides, the GP66 Leopard fuels up via a massive 280W power adapter that takes about 2 hours to fill up the battery from 0 to 100%.
MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG Review: Conclusion
Summing up this review, the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG pretty much nails all the primary aspects of an incredible 1080p gaming laptop. It quite literally has the most powerful mobile RTX 3070 GPU with 140W graphics power. Plus, the 11th gen Intel H-series CPU still slaps in terms of its gaming results.
Moreover, I’m quite amazed by the thermal solution on this thing as well since even prolonged gaming sessions aren’t thermally uncomfortable here. Having said that, there’s a definite bit of compromise on the tier-two features like audio, trackpad, and webcam quality on this laptop.
Watch our review video of the MSI GP66 Leopard 11UG.
