Last year’s Asus Zephyrus G14 became one of the best gaming laptops in its class. In 2021, the company also launched its 15″ variant—called the Zephyrus G15. The laptop has finally made its way to the Nepali market. Here, we will be discussing the key specs, features, official price, and availability of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 in Nepal.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 Overview:
Design and Display
The chassis of the Asus Zephyrus G15 is made using a magnesium-aluminum alloy. The lid is home to the CNC-milled asymmetrical dot-matrix layer with gleaming prismatic film beneath. There are two colors to choose from: Moonlight White and Eclipse Gray. However, only the latter is available in Nepal.
Opening the lid, you are greeted with a 15.6″ anti-glare IPS panel. Here, you can choose between WQHD and FHD panels. The former boasts a 165Hz refresh rate, whereas the latter only has 144Hz. The WQHD variant also has 100% DCI-P3 colors and Pantone Validation.
Performance and Memory
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 packs AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900HS CPU with a boost clock speed of up to 4.5GHz. It is paired with RTX 30-series mobile GPUs. As of now, you can choose between RTX 3060 and RTX 3050 Ti. In terms of memory, you get 16GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD.
The laptop uses a liquid thermal compound for cooling. The cooling system includes dual ARC Flow fans with 84 blades and 6 heat pipes.
Fueling the Zephyrus G15 is a 90Wh battery with support for 180W charging. Asus includes a compatible Type-C adapter in the box that takes the laptop from 0 to 50% in just 30 minutes. The laptop has a wide range of ports as well. It includes three USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports (including one Type-C), one HDMI, one ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Memory: Up to 48GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM (16GB on board)
Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD
Connectivity: WiFi 6, 2×2 with Bluetooth 5.1
Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C (DisplayPort, charging), 1x HDMI 2.0b, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, Kensington Lock, 1x RJ45, 1x microSD card
Battery: 90Wh (180W power adapter)
Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (2021) Price in Nepal
The price of Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 (2021) in Nepal starts at NPR 227,777 for the Ryzen 5900HS + RTX 3050 Ti configuration with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Likewise, the RTX 3060 variant with the same memory options costs NPR 266,666. You can buy Asus ROG Zephyrus G15 in Nepal from Nagmani International and other authorized stores.
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X is a thin-and-light creator laptop with fairly high-end specs. It has now officially launched in Nepal. So, let’s walk through the specs, features, official price, and availability of the Asus VivoBook Pro 14X (M7400QC) in Nepal.
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X OLED Overview:
Design and Display
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X is available in two color variants globally. However, only the 0° Black option is currently available in Nepal. It comes with an aluminum chassis with an anodized texture on top.
The lid also houses a unique CNC-embossed Asus logo complemented by warning stripes. It’s a sleek notebook that is just 17.9mm thick and weighs around 1.45 kg. Thus, you will have no problem carrying it around in your backpack.
Coming to the display, it has a 14-inch 90Hz OLED panel with a 2.8K resolution of 2880 x 1800 pixels. This screen covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and is Pantone Validated as well. Plus, it has support for 10-bit color depth and thus is able to produce over 1 billion colors. Similarly, its peak brightness is listed at 600 nits.
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X is powered by high-performance AMD Ryzen 5000 H-series mobile processors. The one that is available in Nepal comes with Ryzen 7 5800H. It is a hexa-core CPU with a base and turbo clock speed of 3.2GHz and 4.4GHz, respectively.
It is paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM and 50W Dynamic Boost TGP. Moreover, the VivoBook Pro 14X comes with 16GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM and 1TB of PCIe NVMe SSD.
Asus has included two fans and two heat pipes to keep the core temperature in check. Users can switch between three performance modes in total: High performance, Balanced mode, and Silent mode.
The keyboard here is backlit with a color-blocked Esc key and warning Enter key. Similarly, each key has a travel distance of 1.35mm. The power key has an integrated fingerprint scanner as well that supports Windows Hello authentication.
Moving on, the touchpad also has a virtual Dialpad that offers more control in Adobe Creative apps such as Lightroom, Photoshop, and After Effects. To note, the new Asus ProArt Studiobook has a physical dial—but it is yet to launch in Nepal.
Rest of the specs
The VivoBook Pro 14X is Wi-Fi 6 ready and features stereo speakers tuned by Harman Kardon. For I/O, you have one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, two USB 2.0 Type-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, an HDMI port, and a microSD card reader.
Similarly, there are discrete keys to disable the camera and microphone, respectively. Asus has included a 3-cell 63Wh Li-ion battery on this laptop and fuels via a 120W AC adapter that’s provided inside the box.
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X OLED Specifications:
Design and Build: Aluminum cover with CNC-embossed logo
Display: 14″ OLED panel, 100% DCI-P3, 10-bit color depth, 90Hz, 0.2ms response time, 600 nits
Display Certification: Pantone, VESA Display HDR True Black 600
Resolution: 2.8K (2880 x 1800 pixels), 16:10 aspect ratio
Keyboard: Backlit, 1.35mm key travel
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H
Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3050 (4GB GDDR6, 50W with Dynamic Boost)
RAM: 16GB dual-channel DDR4 (3200MHz)
Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe SSD
Audio: Stereo speakers, tuned by Harman Kardon
Security: Fingerprint scanner (power key), Windows Hello
Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x HDMI, 1x microSD card reader
Battery: 3-cell 63Wh Li-ion
Power Supply: 120W AC adapter
Asus VivoBook Pro 14X OLED Price in Nepal
The price of the Asus VivoBook Pro 14X OLED in Nepal is NPR 194,444. It is for the Ryzen 7 5800H variant with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. You can buy it from Nagmani-authorized computer stores across Nepal. Buying from authorized stores will get you 2 years of international warranty and free accessories (bag, mouse) as well.
Tecno is a brand that is popular for its affordable midrange phones, especially in Africa and South Asia. And it has just launched its first 5G phone. The new Pova 5G features MediaTek’s Dimensity 900 chipset, alongside other interesting specs. In this article, we will be looking at the full specifications, features, expected price, and availability of Tecno Pova 5G in Nepal.
Tecno Pova 5G Overview
Design and Display
Tecno Pova 5G sports a 6.95″ IPS LCD panel with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s an FHD+ display with a pixel density of 480 PPI. There is a center-aligned punch-hole cutout for the 12MP selfie camera.
The rear panel of the phone sports a design similar to that of the Pova Neo. It has a reflective stripe going across the rectangular camera module.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the Pova 5G packs Dimensity 900. This mobile chip is built on a 6nm node and features an integrated 5G modem. Likewise, it consists of 2x Cortex-A78 (@2.4GHz) and 6x Cortex-A55 CPU cores (@2GHz).
Tecno has paired the chip with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB UFS 3.1 storage. Users also have the option to add 3GB of virtual RAM.
At the back, there is a 50MP primary camera, accompanied by a 2MP portrait camera, and a gimmicky AI lens. Like I mentioned earlier, there is a 12MP camera over on the front for selfies and video calls.
Rest of the specs
Tecno Pova 5G packs a massive 6,000mAh battery inside. However, it only supports charging speeds of up to 18W. The phone runs on Android 11 with HiOS custom skin on top.
Rear Camera: Triple (50MP main, 2MP portrait, AI lens)
Front Camera: 12MP sensor (punch-hole cutout)
Battery: 6000mAh, 18W fast charging
Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
Tecno Pova 5G Price in Nepal and Availability
As of yet, Tecno has not made the pricing and availability details of the phone official. Still, it’s rumored to cost around USD 289. As such, we expect the price of Tecno Pova 5G in Nepal to be NPR 40,000, if and when it launches here.
Tecno Pova 5G
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8/128GB
NPR 40,000
Meanwhile, check out our full review of the Google Pixel 6.
Fun S40 is a compact 14″ Ultrabook from Acer that falls under its Hummingbird series, which is mostly limited to the Chinese market. The laptop recently made its way to Nepal and is now available for a great price under ITTI’s New Year offer. In this article, we will be discussing the Acer Hummingbird Fun S40 in more detail, including its specs, features, price, and availability in Nepal.
Acer Fun S40 Overview:
Design and Display
Acer Hummingbird Fun S40 is very similar to the Aspire 5. Here, you get an aluminum chassis that measures 17.9mm in thickness and 1.4kg in terms of weight. The hinge on the Fun S40 lifts the keyboard deck at a certain angle to facilitate better typing and improved cooling.
Over on the front, you get a 14″ IPS LCD panel with an FHD resolution and a regular 16:9 aspect ratio.
Performance and Memory
Inside, this laptop packs the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i5-1135G7 CPU. This processor is built on Intel’s 10nm SuperFin node and features 4 cores and 8 threads. Its base and boost clock speeds are listed at 2.4GHz and 4.2GHz, respectively.
As for memory, you get 16GB of dual-channel DDR4 RAM. Similarly, there is a 512GB NVMe SSD onboard. There’s also a 2.5″ SATA drive in case you want to expand the storage further with an HDD or SSD.
The port selection is also quite good here. You get four USB ports, including one Type-C port. Similarly, Acer has included an HDMI, one headphone/microphone jack, and one Ethernet port. Fueling the laptop is a 3-cell 48Wh Lithium-ion battery. It charges via a 65W barrel-pin charger included in the box.
Acer Fun S40 2021 Specifications:
Design &Build: Aluminum lid, plastic chassis
Display: 14-inch IPS LCD panel
Resolution: FHD (1920×1080)
Processor: 11th gen Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics: Intel Iris Xe (Integrated)
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD
Connectivity: WiFi 6 AX201, Bluetooth 5.0
I/O Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1-Type-C, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x combo audio jack, 1x RJ45, 1x HDMI
Battery: 3-cell 48Wh battery, 65W charging
Acer Fun S40 2021 Price in Nepal
Acer Fun S40 usually retails at upwards of NPR 90,000 in the Nepali market. However, it is now available for just NPR 85,000 under the New Year offer. You can get Acer Fun S40 in Nepal at the offer price from ITTI and Hukut Store.
There are plenty of leaks surrounding the upcoming Galaxy S22 Ultra, and they all point to a seemingly unaltered camera setup. Still, there will be plenty to look forward to on the S22 Ultra in terms of camera features, as hinted by a new leak. In this post, we will be looking at all the camera features of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra camera features (Leaked)
Hardware features
As you may know by now, Samsung is getting rid of the extended camera bump here. The new design allows the company to fit in the stylus without increasing the phone’s thickness, while also giving it a new look.
That being said, S22 Ultra is not looking any different than its predecessor in terms of camera resolutions. Samsung already has a 200MP image sensor with Dual Pixel Pro technology in the form of ISOCELL GN5. However, we will have to wait another year to see it in Galaxy smartphones.
Talking about the Galaxy S22 Ultra, it will still feature a 108MP primary camera, accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide sensor and two telephoto lenses. This camera lineup looks identical to that of this year’s Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Samsung could possibly use new sensors or optimize the existing ones for better performance. As per the latest leak by Ahmed Qwaider, S22 Ultra will bring major improvements in camera stability and cinematography.
According to him, Samsung has improved video stability by up to 58% on the S22 Ultra. In addition, it will be including a new AI feature called “Wide Shift OIS” which reduces shakes by four times.
As for cinematography, the Galaxy S22 Ultra will be able to take 12-bit videos, but we don’t know the corresponding frame rate yet. Samsung is also upgrading the HDR to Super HDR. In addition, it is adding a new “Super ISO Pro” mode with improved lighting and superior colors.
This new leak aligns perfectly with the recent Ice Universe tweets about S22 Ultra’s camera. As per Ice Universe, Samsung is focusing more on software this time around with AI backing many of the new features.
The camera UI on the S22 Ultra will have a new “AI Detail Enhancement” button similar to the Scene Optimizer. Enabling it will result in more detailed, vibrant, and brighter photos.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Launch Date (Expected)
Samsung will be hosting a Galaxy Unpacked event in Q1 of 2022, where it will announce the Galaxy S22 Ultra, alongside the vanilla S22 and S22 Plus. According to Jon Prosser, its pre-order will start from February 9 and the sale will start on February 25.
Smartphone
Launch Date (Expected)
Samsung Galaxy S22 series
February 2022
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
Days before unveiling the much-awaited Xiaomi 12 series, the company has announced the “Surge P1” chip via its official Weibo handle. It’s an in-house chip that will allow 120W single-cell rapid charging in smartphones—and Xiaomi 12 Pro will be the first phone to use this silicon. In this post, we will discuss the Xiaomi Surge P1 chip in more detail, including its underlying architecture, benefits, and application.
Xiaomi Surge P1 Fast-Charging Chip Overview
Surge P1 is the second self-developed chip by Xiaomi to launch this year. The first one was Surge C1 Image Signal Processor (ISP) that debuted on the Mix Fold. Here, the Surge P1 is another breakthrough in fast charging technology.
To this date, manufacturers have been using dual-cell batteries to achieve fast charging usually greater than 100W. However, with the Surge P1, such charging speeds can be achieved within a single-cell battery. This new chip will help save battery space and maintain the temperature in future Xiaomi phones.
Problem with traditional fast-charging technologies
The dual-cell architecture that most smartphones rely on has many drawbacks. First is the space. It needs multiple complex circuits to work, including a 2:1 step-down voltage converter. These circuits end up taking a large amount of space that otherwise could be used to fit a larger battery. In addition, the 2:1 step-down chip wastes 3% to 4% of power during charging.
These two problems can easily be solved using a single-cell architecture. However, it’s hard to implement charging speeds like 120W with traditional technology. Brands have been using several charge pumps to convert higher voltage to 5V. Yet, as the number of pumps increases, the circuit runs hotter. As a result, it’s difficult to maintain higher charging speeds for a longer period.
Xiaomi Surge P1: Architecture and Benefits
To tackle this problem, the Surge P1 uses two smart chips; each of which has a traditional 5 charge pump. It supports up to 120W wired fast charging with 96.8% efficiency. Similarly, it supports 50W wireless charging (resonance charging) with 97.5% efficiency. It also results in a reduction of heat by 30%.
While traditional chargers have only two working modes (transformation and pass-through), Surge P1 has 15 of them. It’s because the chips have to support 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1 conversion in both forward and backward directions. The 120W charging is possible only on the 4:1 switching mode, whereas the 2:1 mode is there to expand its compatibility with other chargers.
As Surge P1 chip uses a complex architecture not common among today’s smartphones, it has to pass through 2500 internal tests before leaving the manufacturing plant.
Xiaomi 12 Pro Charging Technology
Like I mentioned in the beginning, the Xiaomi 12 Pro will be the first smartphone to come with the Surge P1 chip. As a result, it will support 120W charging (100% in 15 minutes), 50W wireless charging, and 10W reverse wireless charging.
Xiaomi will unveil the phone via a press conference on December 28. Besides this, the phone will feature other high-end features such as a 120Hz E5 AMOLED panel, Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and Sony IMX707 primary camera.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Poco M4 Pro (Redmi Note 11T).
After the recent announcement of the Neo 5S series, iQOO has now launched a mid-range smartphone called the iQOO U5. It’s the successor to iQOO U3 and packs Snapdragon 695 chipset under the hood. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, and expected price of iQOO U5 in Nepal.
iQOO U5 Overview:
Design and Display
To begin, the iQOO U5 sports a 6.58-inch IPS display with FHD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The interesting detail to point out is that it sports a boxy appearance—similar to the latest vanilla Vivo S12—and even has a waterdrop notch.
At the back, it has a rectangular camera cutout with iQOO branding on the bottom. Likewise, the U5 is available in three colors—Dark Black, Phantom, and Silver White.
Over on the performance side of things, it is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 695 5G chipset fabricated on a 6nm process. The graphics side of things, on the other hand, is handled by a fairly capable Adreno 619 GPU—while the phone also includes a five-layer liquid cooling system.
In terms of memory, the iQOO U5 is available with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and a sole 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. Yet, the latter is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The phone boots on OriginOS Ocean based on Android 12 out-of-the-box.
Camera
Moving on, it houses a dual-camera arrangement on the back led by a 50MP primary camera alongside a 2MP macro sensor. Similarly, the front has an 8MP selfie camera inside a waterdrop-style notch. Both the rear and front cameras support Super Night Scene Mode, but you don’t get that on the 4GB RAM model.
Rest of the specs
Besides this, the U5 has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, Hi-Res Audio, 3.5mm audio jack, and 5G support. Similarly, it’s fueled by a 5000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging via a Type-C port.
iQOO U5 Specifications:
Display: 6.58-inch IPS LCD, 120Hz
Resolution: FHD+ (1080×2408 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
iQOO U5 will be available for pre-order in China from January 1, where its price starts at CNY 1,299 for the 4/128GB model. Similarly, the 6/128GB and 8/128GB variants cost CNY 1,399 and CNY 1,499, respectively. We expect the price of iQOO U5 in Nepal to start at NPR 30,000 if it launches here.
After creating hypes through different teasers, Huawei has finally launched the P50 Pocket. It’s the first clamshell foldable from the company, while Huawei already has three folding phones under the “Mate X” series. In this article, we will be discussing the key specs, features, expected price in Nepal, and availability of the Huawei P50 Pocket.
Huawei P50 Pocket Overview:
Design
As mentioned earlier, Huawei P50 Pocket comes with a clamshell design. This form factor brings comparisons with Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 3. However, P50 Pocket has some distinctive design elements that help differentiate it from the competition.
First, this one has 3D microtextures on its exoskeleton. It is available in two colors: Black and White. There is also a Premium Edition that incorporates more intricated Golden textures, designed by Iris Van Herpen.
Huawei P50 Pocket
1 of 2
Premium Edition
Standard Edition
Similarly, the rear and cover screen camera modules here are circular, imitating the camera islands of the P50 series.
Finally, Huawei has used an advanced hinge that allows for gapless folding. Thus, the phone has a flat uniform thickness when its folded state.
Main Display and Cover Screen
The main display on the inside has a 6.9-inch diagonal length with a 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s a 10-bit OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. The screen resolution of 2790 x 1188 pixels results in a 442 PPI pixel density.
Then there’s the 1.04-inch circular cover display on the outer panel. While it’s a standard 60Hz OLED display, it enjoys a 120Hz touch sampling rate.
The cover screen gives you quick access to notifications, incoming calls, and the camera. In addition, it even supports app widgets. Thus, you can control music playback and even use maps when the phone is folded. There is also a feature called “Sunscreen Detection” that shows users the sunscreen-applied face area with a purple shade.
Performance and Memory
Inside, the P50 Pocket packs last year’s Snapdragon 888 chipset but with no 5G modem onboard. That’s because Qualcomm can’t export 5G chips to Huawei because of the ongoing ban. This has been paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. The Premium Edition, on the other hand, gets a 12GB + 512GB memory configuration.
Moving on, the circular camera module at the back is home to a 40MP triple camera setup. Unlike the standard P50 series, it doesn’t get the Leica treatment though. Instead, it’s backed by Huawei XD Optics and True Chrome Image Engine.
Moreover, you get a 40MP main sensor with a 26mm equivalent lens. Accompanying it is a 13MP ultrawide camera. The third camera is a 32MP Super Spectrum sensor, that the company claims, will bring out richer colors. Over on the inside, you get a 10MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture lens.
Rest of the specs
Fueling the P50 Pocket is a 4,000mAh battery that supports 40W Huawei SuperCharge fast charging. It runs on EMUI 12 based on HarmonyOS 2.0. Huawei has included a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometrics.
Huawei P50 Pocket is available in China where it starts at CNY 8,988, while the Premium Edition costs CNY 10,988. GSMArena says the phone is coming to the global markets too, although there’s no official word on that yet. We expect the price of the Huawei P50 Pocket in Nepal to start at NPR 180,000 if it launches here.
Huawei P50 Pocket
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Standard Edition (8/256GB)
CNY 8,988
NPR 180,000
Premium Edition (12/512GB)
CNY 10,988
NPR 215,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Huawei has unveiled its new smart glasses, as well as a few other products, at an event on December 23rd. These glasses come with HarmonyOS pre-installed and are offered in a selection of colorful frames. So, let’s walk through the specs, features, availability, and expected price of Huawei Smart Glasses in Nepal.
Huawei Smart Glasses Overview:
Body
Starting with the design, it has a detachable front frame and is available in three styles: Classic Frame, Stylish Pilot, and Retro Round. As aforementioned, you can also select from a variety of colored frames.
Moreover, it can provide 16 hours of comprehensive wearing time on a full charge. Likewise, mere 10 minutes of charge can provide 80 minutes of music playback time. The glasses are also IPX4 rated, so water splashes should do no harm.
Features
The Huawei Smart Glasses are equipped with HarmonyOS and support simultaneous connection with up to two devices. It is further compatible with short messages, and scheduling and broadcasting information from the device apps.
Aside from that, it can be used to assess your health parameters. You can track your cervical spine posture and even send early alerts for any cervical spine-related dangers. Interestingly, it can also track how long the user has been lying down.
Rest of the specs
In addition, these glasses feature 128mm speakers and touch controls on the frame. A double-tap will play/pause music, a press and hold will reject a call, whereas a sliding gesture will change the track. Likewise, press and pinch on the left temple support face-to-face translation.
Key Specifications:
Detachable front frame, IPX4 rating
HarmonyOS
Up to 16 hours battery
128mm speakers
Touch controls
Cervical spine posture detection
Huawei Smart Glasses Price in Nepal and Availability
As for the pricing, it starts at CNY 1,699 for the optical lens model while the sunglasses variant is priced at CNY 1,899 in China. We expect the price of Huawei Smart Glasses in Nepal to start at NPR 35,000, if and when it launches here.
Huawei Smart Glasses
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Optical lens model
CNY 1,699
NPR 35,000
Sunglass model
CNY 1,899
NPR 40,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the HiFuture EY+ smart glasses (Nepali)
When you Google “Pixel 6 review”, you are going to see tons of positive reviews of the phone. And after watching almost all of them, I requested one of my friends who lives in the US to order one for me and then send it here in Nepal via DHL.
So, she ordered it from Best Buy. But maybe because of the global chipset crisis or Google’s lack of experience in the hardware distribution business since it’s primarily a software company—my friend only got the Pixel 6 after 3 weeks of placing the order.
Google Pixel 6 Specifications:
Body: 74.8 x 158.6 x 8.9mm, 207 gm, Glass-metal hybrid build, IP68 rated, Gorilla Glass 6 back
Display: 6.4-inches “Smooth Display” OLED panel, 90Hz refresh rate, 1 million:1 contrast ratio, 16 million colors, Gorilla Glass Victus
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio, 411 PPI
Chipset: Google Tensor (5nm Mobile Platform), Titan M2 security coprocessor
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) with 2.4/5/6GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / QZSS, USB Type-C, 4G LTE, 5G
Battery: 4614mAh with 21W fast charging (no adapter provided)
Color Options: Stormy Black, Sorta Seaform, Kinda Coral
Price in Nepal: N/A (not launched yet)
USD 599 (8/128GB) | USD 699 (8/256GB)
Google Pixel 6 Review:
And if you go to Reddit or Twitter, you will see lots and lots of buyers complain about not receiving their unit of the Pixel 6 or 6 Pro yet.
As you can tell, it’s definitely not an easy phone to get your hands on. On top of this, Google has launched this phone in a handful of regions only. Keeping all this in mind, I really don’t understand how Google wants to position itself in the smartphone industry. If I remember correctly, even last year’s Pixel 5 was restricted to a handful of countries.
And they are yet to bring the Pixel 6 series to one of the biggest smartphone markets like India. Also, how they are going to distribute their products globally in the coming future is a big question mark—the aspect where Apple, Samsung, and other Chinese brands are extremely good at.
Therefore, I genuinely feel Google could—or rather, should—do better with its distribution network.
I mean, they’ve got all the resources to become a big player in the smartphone industry. And this phone, the Pixel 6, has convinced me of the same even more. It costs around USD 650 in the US after taxes, which converts to roughly NPR 78,000 in Nepal or INR 50,000 in India. So, with proper distribution channels and launch offers, if Pixel phones are launched at an aggressive price, I can see it being a massive hit globally.
Design & Build
74.8 x 158.6 x 8.9mm, 207 grams
Glass front/back, aluminum frame
IP68 certified against dust/water damage
Anyway, shortly after finishing my review of the iPhone 13 and the Realme GT Neo 2, I started using the Google Pixel 6 as my main phone. And overall, it just feels like an entirely different phone. That’s not to say it’s a perfect phone—at least not perfect enough for me. But the crucial thing here is that Pixel 6 is the most balanced semi-flagship phone you can get right now.
Buttons, Ports
1 of 2
Buttons
USB-C
I think that matters a lot for many out there who can’t afford a flagship phone but want a reliable device with a near-premium experience. And this is where Pixel 6 wins big time! First off, let me talk about its design. Is it great? Not quite.
It has a pretty generic glossy glass back design with metal frames that you come to expect from a phone in this price range in 2021. Thankfully, it does have IP68 dust and water resistance, which is usually present on a phone of this price segment as well.
But on my usage, I found it to be slightly heavy, despite its form factor and a relatively smaller 4600mAh battery. Regardless, its even weight distribution complemented by slight curves on the back means holding Pixel 6 isn’t all bad and you will eventually get used to its weight.
A little short of a perfect design
Still, it would have been better if Google had gone with a matte back—like the frames—alongside more tactile buttons with superior feedback. This one feels a bit shallow to my taste. And the position of these buttons catches me off guard way too often since I constantly mistake the volume rockers for the power button instead. Even its haptic feedback doesn’t compare against the likes of Samsung’s flagship devices.
At the back, this wide camera module that spans across the phone is certainly unique. But I have seen some of them dislike it. It’s totally a personal preference, I know. And I am perfectly fine with it since it’s certainly a breath of fresh air compared to most Chinese phones of 2021.
Display
6.4-inches FHD+ OLED panel
“Smooth Display” 90Hz refresh rate
Gorilla Glass Victus, 16m colors
On the front, however, Google should have provided slimmer bezels all around, since this one gives more of a “mid-range” vibe instead.
I could’ve given it a pass if it had subtle curves on the side, but here we are. And if the leaked renders of the Pixel 6a are anything to go by, it looks like Google has acknowledged this issue on the comparatively inexpensive Pixel phone that’s launching soon.
For the USD 650 price tag, I find this display quality to be just about average. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fine screen with sufficient brightness and good colors. But if you look at the competition, much cheaper Android phones offer better displays these days.
And given how affordable OLED screens have become over the years, I think Google should have definitely offered a smoother 120Hz refresh rate and a faster 360Hz touch response rate here. While I understand 90Hz is completely fine for most users, if you’re coming from a 120Hz display, Pixel 6 will feel a bit outdated—and hopelessly average.
And with Pixel phones, quality control issues are common news. I think the person in charge of Pixel’s quality assurance department is Creed Bratton.
Every time a new Pixel phone hits the market, so do a ton of issues. And this time, some Pixel 6 users have complained about the strange screen flickers, greenish tint, a second punch hole, and whatnot. Luckily, my unit hasn’t faced any of those troubles till now.
Super slow fingerprint reader
Moving on, this OLED display also embeds a fingerprint sensor underneath. It’s an optical sensor, which means it isn’t always-on like an ultrasonic sensor that I’ve come to love about Samsung’s flagship phones. But the bigger issue here is that it’s not as fast as the one on the OnePlus 9 or other Chinese smartphones.
Google says the delay is because of how this sensor “utilizes enhanced security algorithms”.
But with mass public outcry, Google addressed the finicky fingerprint reading issue in the latest security update. It does feel a bit faster than before—although not by much. Now, getting to the speaker quality, it’s a solid B+. Pixel 6 doesn’t sound better than the iPhone 13 Pro Max or the Galaxy S21 Ultra. But, it is still good enough for casually listening to music and videos.
Performance
Octa-core Google Tensor 5G SoC (5nm)
8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
Android 12 (stock)
Likewise, performance is one area where the Pixel 6 doesn’t disappoint. Powered by the proprietary Tensor SoC, thanks to the partnership between Google and Samsung, this first-gen mobile chip looks quite promising.
Google Pixel 6
Androbench
Sequential Read
1357.54 MB/s
Sequential Write
250.47 MB/s
AnTuTu v8.5
Total
574331
CPU
170570
GPU
234408
Memory
77359
UX
91994
Geekbench 5
CPU (Single Core)
1041
CPU (Multi-Core)
2886
Compute (Vulkan)
8130
PCMark (Work 3.0 Performance)
10852
3DMark (Wild Life)
6934
Higher is better
In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it is on par with the likes of last-gen Snapdragon and Exynos chipsets. By last-gen, I mean the Snapdragon 888 and Exynos 2100, of course. And on my real-world usage as well, everything is as smooth and fast as you would expect. During the initial boot, the phone did get slightly warm, but the problem was resolved after I received an OTA update.
Memory management leaves no room for complaint either, and there have been no micro stutters or stability issues under my normal day-to-day tasks either.
Gaming, on the other hand, certainly could have been better. This is supposed to be a flagship chipset that should technically be competing against the big boys. Yet, I noticed the Tensor chip struggling with demanding games like Genshin Impact at the highest of settings.
Not the most capable GPU
With graphics set to highest and turning on the 60fps mode, the gameplay isn’t that good and I noticed frequent stutters and lags. Even dialing down the settings to High doesn’t improve the stability as much since I frequently noticed some slight jitters every now and then. As a result, I had to bring fps down to 30 for relatively better performance.
As for PUBG Mobile, the Pixel 6 isn’t able to hit Ultra HD graphics and Extreme frame rates either, which is something the iPhone 13 and other Snapdragon 888-powered phones pull off rather easily. Regardless, under HDR graphics and Ultra frame rates, I was able to achieve a stable 40fps where the gameplay was quite smooth.
For 60fps gaming, you can set it to Smooth graphics and Extreme frame rates that will yield 100% stability. Likewise, 90fps-optimized games like Mech Arena and Critical Ops can hit the 90fps mark here.
On top of this, I didn’t face any heating issue on this phone either, which is great. It does get a little warm—yes—but not to the extent of Snapdragon 888-powered phones. But at the end of the day, for gaming, the Pixel 6 is simply not on par with the competition. And I really hope Google catches up with the competition in the next iteration of the Tensor chip.
One for the stock Android enthusiasts
Yet, Pixel phones go beyond benchmark results or high-end gaming. The pure Android 12 experience has been an absolute joy to use. At this point, it’s fair to assume that you are well-familiar with most Android 12 features including the theming system, new widgets, redesigned quick settings, camera/mic usage indicators, and such. So I won’t be wasting your time by discussing them here.
But what I will talk about are some incredibly cool Pixel 6-exclusive features like better dictation, Live Translate, and Calling Assist. Unfortunately, some of them don’t work as intended or are straight-up unavailable here in Nepal.
For instance, the Pixel 6 can fend off robocalls, handle call hold times, or send car crash alerts to your emergency contacts—if you’re in the US and a few other regions.
Nevertheless, out of all the features that I can access, I find improved voice typing to be the most useful. Google has baked the language model into the Tensor chip, so dictation is more accurate and much faster here. And because the said model is on-device, it works without an internet connection.
For the most part, it works almost flawlessly. You can say “next paragraph” to change paragraph, clear text, undo edits, add emojis… all with your voice. Apart from this, I couldn’t get Live Translate to work but Live Caption with translation is up and running here. Besides initial setup, Google says this feature works without.
However, even after downloading the required language models, it didn’t work without an internet connection in my case. So I played a few YouTube videos to see just how effective it is. Sadly, unlike voice typing, Live Translate isn’t quite as fast.
And cross-checking the live translation with the video’s closed-caption, I noticed that Google’s captioning is off by a certain degree. Plus, live captioning doesn’t work on Netflix which could be due to its catalog of copyrighted contents.
Cameras
Dual camera setup at the back
(50MP main, 12MP ultrawide)
8MP selfie camera (punch-hole)
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
Okay, let’s move to the cameras now. The Pixel 6 hosts a 50MP f/1.85 primary camera with OIS and a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide shooter. Upfront, there’s an 8MP selfie camera inside the punch-hole cutout.
So for this review, I compared the cameras of the Google Pixel 6 against the iPhone 13 Pro Max. I know it’s not exactly a fair contest given how the iPhone costs almost twice as much as the Pixel 6, but I had to find out just how much the “Pixel” reputation holds up.
Normal Images
And the fact that I’m pitting these two camera systems against each other should already tell you that Pixel 6 is easily the best camera phone for the price.
Daytime, Lowlight
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Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Anyway, I found that Google’s imaging algorithm tends to boost exposure by a bit to deliver overall brighter images in most cases. As a result, its photos don’t look as punchy as those from the iPhone.
Wideangle
1 of 4
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Then again, it all boils down to personal preference. Detail and sharpness levels look similar on both phones though. It’s the same with wideangle images as well.
Portrait Images
Moving on, portraits from the Pixel 6 have a narrower field of view—but retain a more natural skin tone. At times, subjects even tend to look smoothened from the iPhone. Here, the Pixel 6 series introduces something called “Real Tone”, which longs to “accurately highlight the nuances of diverse skin tones”.
Portrait
1 of 6
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
This is a really big deal for people with darker skin complexions because traditional smartphone cameras have always misrepresented the skin tones of people of color. We can see this in action from the selfie camera as well.
Pixel 6
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Take this photo for example. iPhone’s color processing has turned the subject’s skin tone pinkish, whereas the Pixel 6 delivers a much more natural shot. Aside from skin tone itself, other elements of the image look truer-to-life like the black jacket and such.
Further enhancing the camera experience
Then there are all the helpful features to enhance the camera experience even more. Want to quickly remove some elements from the photo? Magic Eraser’s got your back. Sure, it’s not perfect but 60% of the time, it works every time.
Face unblur is pretty self-explanatory, which works best when the subject isn’t moving very aggressively. Action Pan is yet another fun camera feature that adds drama when capturing fast-moving objects. But most of the time, I found that the camera fails to detect the subject properly. Maybe it’ll get better with future updates. Let’s see.
Videography
When it comes to smartphone videography, we know iPhones are the gold standard. But I must say the Pixel 6 holds its ground pretty firmly. At practically every resolution, I find its videos to be brighter—whereas the iPhone goes a bit overboard with contrast. On the other hand, stabilization is similar between these phones—even at 4K/60fps.
Nighttime Videos
Still, under low-light conditions, the iPhone shoots better videos with better exposure and a hint of warm tint. In terms of ultrawide videos, as you can see, the Pixel 6 has a narrower field of view. But I still prefer it over iPhone’s contrast-heavy result.
However, I’m pretty annoyed with how the Pixel 6 is capped to just 1080p/30fps videos from the front camera. Here as well, the Pixel manages to deliver better exposure and a relatively consistent skin tone compared to iPhone.
Battery
4614mAh battery with 21W fast charging
Just like the underwhelming selfie videos, I’m not too thrilled about the battery endurance of this thing. In all fairness, Google promises 24-hour battery life here and I got similar results during my usage. But coming from the iPhone, this just doesn’t compare. Plus, I noticed that the Pixel 6 can’t provide a decent standby endurance as well.
Maybe it’s the power-hungry CPU architecture at play. Yet, since Google’s machine learning (ML) models run more effectively on the device itself thanks to the “Context Hub”, the battery life should get better in the long run. Pair this with the Adaptive Battery tech that’ll learn usage patterns to efficiently prioritize power delivery to apps, the Pixel 6 should—in theory—provide better battery endurance over time.
Still and all, there’s no hope for faster charging speeds here since the Pixel 6 can accept a maximum of 23W of power only—even when using Google’s recommended 30W power adapter that you gotta buy separately. With this, it takes more than 2 hours to juice up the battery.
Google Pixel 6 Review: Conclusion
At this point in the review, you might have already guessed that the Google Pixel 6 is easily on the “Best phone of the year” shortlist. So, it’s definitely a product I would recommend to anyone looking for a sub-flagship phone.
But looking at the bigger picture, Google occupies less than 1% smartphone market share globally.
And as much I wish you’d buy a Pixel phone for yourself, its limited availability is a harsh reality. Unlike phones from other mainstream brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, and OnePlus, you can’t simply buy a Pixel 6, unless you’re in the US or a handful of European countries.
Yes, Google has shown they can make terrific phones with equally good hardware and software this time—especially with the Pixel 6. And the upcoming Pixel 6a is shaping up to be an excellent mid-range phone as well. But where Google wants to see itself in the smartphone business, only time will tell.
Personally, I would like to see Google bring a $200 phone to India and other developing nations. And I desperately hope to see Pixel 6a competing against the likes of the OnePlus Nord series and Poco’s midrange phones. That would be a really healthy competition!
