Vivo V23e became the first phone in the V23 lineup when it went official back in November last year. The company has now added a Pro variant to the lineup, whose highlighting feature is a color-changing back. In this post, we will go through the official specs, features, expected price in Nepal, and availability of the Vivo V23 Pro.
Vivo V23 Pro Overview:
To note, V23 Pro is a simple rebrand of the Vivo S12 Pro for the global market. The S12 Pro was launched a few weeks back in China, and it runs on OriginOS Ocean based on Android 11. On the contrary, the V23 Pro boots on Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12.
Design & Display
Anyway, the biggest talking point of this phone is definitely its photochromic color-changing back. For this, Vivo has employed a fluorite AG (Anti Glare) glass back with a layer of crystals on top. And the Sunshine Gold variant of the phone will change color between gold and blue/coral green gradient depending on how light strikes the surface.
Sunshine Gold
1 of 2
Gold
Gradient
But if all this is a little too flamboyant for you, V23 Pro’s Stardust Black finish brings a much more subtle design instead. Moving on, unlike the standard V23, this one has a curved display and side railings. The phone measures 7.36mm thick and weighs just 171 grams.
Upfront, you’re getting a 6.56″ Full HD AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and 1300 nits of peak brightness. This screen embeds an in-display fingerprint sensor underneath as well. Like last year’s V20 Pro, there’s an iPhone-inspired “bathtub” notch to house the dual-selfie cameras on top.
Moreover, this display has HDR10+ and TÜV Rheinland certified against low blue light emission. V23 Pro’s standard touch sampling rate is just 120Hz—or 240Hz when turning on the Game Mode.
Performance
Getting to the performance side of things, the V23 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200. This 5G-ready chipset has been joined by either 8 or 12GB RAM LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. There’s even a 17,416 mm2 ultra-thin VC (Vapor Chamber) cooling system for better heat dissipation.
The phone also enjoys Vivo’s Extended RAM 2.0, which borrows up to 4GB of internal storage as RAM whenever necessary. Like I mentioned earlier, it runs on Android 12 with Funtouch OS 12 on top that brings new widgets called “Stickers”, a cleaner UI, and a more privacy-focused UX.
Cameras
Besides design, cameras are another highlight of Vivo’s V series of smartphones. Here, the V23 Pro features a triple camera setup at the back with a 108MP f/1.88 main sensor. This has been paired alongside an 8MP ultrawide lens with a 120º Field of View (FoV) and a 2MP macro shooter. The aforementioned notch gets a 50MP f/2.0 primary and an 8MP wide-angle selfie camera (105º FoV).
V23 Pro’s 50MP main selfie camera also has Eye AF and “Sports Mode” for delivering stable selfies. Then there’s the “AI Extreme Night” mode that Vivo says churns out clear and brighter selfies even during low-light conditions. The selfie camera can shoot 4K selfie videos as well. However, there’s no OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) on any of the cameras onboard.
Rest of the specs
Other specs of the V23 Pro include a 4300mAh battery with 44W FlashCharge (wired). Thankfully, Vivo is providing a compatible charger inside the box as well—on top of a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter, an earphone, and a case. For connectivity, it supports WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and SA/NSA 5G. While the phone skips on a 3.5mm headphone jack, it does support aptX, aptX HD, and LDAC Bluetooth audio codecs.
Vivo V23 Pro Specifications:
Body: 73.27 x 159.46 x 7.36mm, 171 gm, AG glass back
Display: 6.54-inches AMOLED panel, 90Hz refresh rate, Up to 240Hz touch sampling rate, HDR10+, Up to 1300 nits brightness
Vivo V23 Pro starts at INR 38,990 in India for the 8/128GB model, while the 12/256GB configuration costs INR 43,990. Its pre-booking starts from January 5 and will be available from January 13. We expect the price of the Vivo V23 Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 71,500 if and when it launches here.
AMD has officially unveiled the Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors based on the upgraded Zen 3+ architecture during its CES 2022 keynote yesterday. The company claims that these chips can deliver up to 1.3x faster processing power than last year’s Ryzen 5000 series and up to 24 hours of battery life.
AMD Ryzen 6000 Series Overview:
Just like its predecessor, the Ryzen 6000 lineup—codenamed “Rembrandt”—will have both the ‘H’ and ‘U’ suffixed CPUs. As you might’ve guessed, the latter is aimed at portable notebooks while the former will power gaming, creator-centric laptops of 2022.
Architecture
These new APUs (Accelerated Processing Unit) are based on TSMC’s 6nm process node with the upgraded Zen 3+ architecture and AMD’s RDNA 2 graphics. Compared to Zen 3, the new architecture improves power management between cores. AMD is claiming 15-40% less power consumption during web browsing and video streaming.
Note: An APU is a mobile chip that combines CPU and GPU on a single die. It’s often interchangeably used with CPU. So, when we’re referring to CPU or APU in this article, they’re the same thing.
Here, the ‘H’, ‘HS’, and ‘HX’-series of Ryzen chips have either 35W or 45W TDP. The Ryzen 5 6600U and Ryzen 7 6800U CPUs, on the other hand, can draw 15W to 28W power—which can be tweaked by laptop manufacturers as per their design.
Graphics leap
Moving on, the Ryzen 9 and Ryzen 7 processors incorporate RDNA 2-based Radeon 680M GPU with 12 Compute Units (CU), while the Ryzen 5 models feature Radeon 660M GPU with 6 CU. It provides a significant performance boost over the aging Vega graphics found on the Ryzen 5000 series.
Thanks to RDNA 2, these APUs also support hardware-accelerated ray tracing and DirectX 12 (DX12) Ultimate API. AMD claims they perform up to 2.1 times faster than the Vega GPUs and allow the majority of games to run at 1080p. Similarly, the chip-integrated AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution supersampling provides a 20-60% boost in frame rates.
AMD’s internal benchmark results of the U-series 6000 series CPUs say you can get 73fps on Deathloop and up to 114fps on Call of Duty: Vanguard with the super-sampling technique.
Rest of the specs
Aside from that, the new Rembrandt CPUs support DDR5@5200 and LPDDR5@6400 RAM—but don’t seem to support DDR4 RAM. In addition, they also bring PCIe 4.0, USB 4, Thunderbolt 3, HDMI 2.1, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth LE 5.2 support.
AMD Ryzen 6000 Series Mobile CPUs: Availability
AMD expects to have over 200 premium Ryzen 6000-powered laptops on the market by 2022. Laptop manufacturers will announce their devices with these new CPUs during the ongoing CES 2022.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the MacBook Pro 16 (2021).
Samsung has officially announced its 2022 lineup of TV on the ongoing CES 2022. The company has updated its lineup of Neo QLED, Micro LED, and Smart Lifestyle TVs. In this article, we will be taking a look at all the key features of Samsung’s 2022 TV lineup.
Samsung TV Lineup 2022 Overview:
Samsung QD-Display TV
While Samsung did not include it in its official release, the new 65″ QD-Display TV (OLED) has won a place in CES 2022’s “Best of Innovation” under the “Video Displays” category. It is based on Samsung’s RGB self-emitting Quantum Dot (QD) OLED technology. The TV sports Samsung’s One Design, Object Tracking Sound Technology (OTS), four HDMI 2.1 ports, and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz.
Samsung Micro LED TVs
Starting last year, Micro LED TVs have been at the top of Samsung’s consumer TV hierarchy. The 2022 model will be available in three screen sizes: 110″, 101″, and 89″.
These TVs have over 1 million color and brightness levels, thanks to their 20-bit greyscale depth. In addition, they also boast 100% DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB coverage. Similarly, the 99.99% screen-to-body ratio offers an immersive experience.
However, Micro LED TVs are quite expensive and thus, not for everyone. We also don’t expect it to be available everywhere.
Samsung Neo QLED TVs
Just like last year, Samsung’s focus is still on Neo QLED TVs. These are basically LCD TVs with mini-LED backlighting. This technology was first announced last year and has gotten some updates. Samsung has announced six new Neo QLED TVs for 2022, including three 8K and three 4K offerings.
The new Neo QLED TVs come with 14-bit contrast mapping up from last year’s 12-bit. This allows the TV to have more control over the brightness of individual mini LEDs. There are now a total of 16,384 brightness levels, which is four times of 4,096 levels of the previous year.
In addition, there is a new Shape Adaptive Light technology that produces more realistic shapes using the AI capabilities of Neo Quantum processor. The technology analyzes lines, shapes, and surfaces and controls the shape of light accordingly.
Another new feature in 2022’s Neo QLED TVs is the Real Depth Enhancement. This creates a 3D effect of objects in the frame by processing them against their backgrounds.
Samsung has also improved the EyeComfort mode here. The new Neo QLED TVs can now adjust the panel’s brightness and tone based on the ambient light. Another feature that has undergone an improvement is the Object Tracing Sound (OTS). These TVs now have OTS Pro which incorporates new top-channel speakers and Dolby Atmos.
Smart Lifestyle TVs
The new smart lifestyle lineup consists of The Frame, The Sero, and The Serif. They are getting a new matte panel with anti-glare, anti-reflection, and anti-fingerprint properties. Similarly, these TVs have also received official certifications from Underwriter Laboratories for the same.
Features of Samsung 2022 TV lineup
Samsung has announced a bunch of new features and accessories for its latest TVs. Do note that these features may not be available in all models.
New Smart Hub: On the software side, these new TVs will still be running on Samsung’s proprietary Tizen OS. They will feature a new Smart Hub with an improved content recommendation system.
Eco Remote: There is a new Eco Remote that generates power from radio frequencies in addition to sunlight.
Gaming Hub: Samsung is bringing support for cloud gaming with the new Gaming Hub. As of now, it has already partnered with NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia, and Utomik. In addition to these cloud services, Gaming Hub also supports PC and Consoles.
The Game Bar reveals more information. Users will be able to follow streamers, zoom mini-maps, and play games while watching a YouTube video side-by-side.
144Hz refresh rate: Some select models will support a variable refresh rate of up to 144Hz. However, you will have to use a PC to make full advantage of it as gaming consoles such as Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 are capped at 120Hz.
NFT Platform: Samsung TVs will have a dedicated NFT platform, where users can browse and buy nonfungible tokens.
Watch Together: Using this feature, you can watch shows and movies together with your friend and families via video calls.
Smart Calibration: This feature will allow you to calibrate your Samsung TV using an app on your Galaxy phone and iPhones.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung AU8000 4K TV.
After multiple setbacks, Samsung has finally launched the Fan Edition of the Galaxy S21. And the good news is that the phone is already up for pre-booking in Nepal. So, let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Overview:
Galaxy S21 FE is the latest premium mid-range offering from the South Korean company. It inherits flagship features from the flagship Galaxy S21 but is much more affordable. Currently, it stands as a bridge between the mid-range A series and the premium S series.
Design and Display
Anyway, the Galaxy S21 FE features a 6.4-inch Infinity-O screen which is marginally bigger than that of the S21. Other than that, Samsung has used the same FHD AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate here.
The phone also inherits the extended camera bump design from the S21 series—although it doesn’t extend to the side frames as much. S21 FE is available in four color options: Olive, Lavender, White, and Graphite.
Performance and Memory
Moreover, this Fan Edition device is equally powerful as the vanilla S21 or even the S21 Ultra. It is powered by Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100 depending upon the region. To clarify, the global market including Nepal will get the Exynos 2100 variant. The Snapdragon 888 configuration will be limited to South Korea and the US.
As for memory, the base model of this phone packs 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. However, only the top-tier 8/256GB variant will be available in Nepal.
The camera setup also remains unchanged for the most part. S21 FE users will get the same 12MP primary camera as the S21. It even has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), just like the 12MP ultrawide lens. The third camera is a telephoto lens that uses an 8MP sensor compared to S21’s 64MP. However, it still supports 3x optical and 30x Space Zoom (digital).
Over on the front, the punch-hole cutout is home to a 32MP selfie camera. This is an upgrade compared to S21’s 10MP selfie shooter.
Rest of the specs
On the other hand, the S21 FE packs a bigger 4,500mAh battery compared to a 4,000mAh unit on the S21. It also supports 25W fast charging, although Samsung won’t be including a compatible power adapter in the box.
Other notable features of the phone include IP68 dust & water resistance, in-display fingerprint scanner (optical), 15W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, and 5G connectivity. It will ship with Android 12-based Samsung’s One UI 4.0 on top.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Specifications:
Body: 74.5 x 155.7 x 7.9 mm, 177 gm, IP68 rated
Display: 6.4″ FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O, 120Hz refresh rate, Up to 240 touch-sampling rate
Battery: 4,500mAh with 25W fast charging, 15W wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
Color Options: Olive, Graphite, Lavender (White currently not available in Nepal)
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE Price in Nepal
The price for the 8/256GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is Rs. 89,999. You can already pre-order Galaxy S21 FE in Nepal from Samsung-authorized retailer like Hukut Store and Sherisha Mobile Hub.
Samsung’s TV remotes have made significant eco-friendly gains in 2021. Now, the company is taking it a step further by allowing the remote to be charged via a router’s radio waves. So, let’s take a closer look at the Samsung Eco Remote 2022.
Samsung Eco Remote 2022 Overview:
Samsung first introduced the Eco Remote with its 2021 series of 4K and 8K QLED TVs. It is constructed of 28% recycled plastic, which is undoubtedly a positive step toward reducing global plastic waste.
Despite the recycled material, the remote looks identical to any other clickers from prior years. And it also features a solar panel at the back. The batteries are also sensitive enough to recharge using basic indoor lighting.
But Samsung is pushing it a step further this year. The 2022 version of the Eco Remote can draw power from radio waves emitted by Wi-Fi routers to keep itself charged. This technique is only applicable to low-power devices like remotes, by the way. Aside from that, it can be charged using solar energy (outdoor or indoor light) or via the USB-C connector.
Moving on, Samsung will also release a white remote this year that’ll supposedly match the “lifestyle” category of its The Frame, Serif, and Sero lineup of TVs.
Samsung Eco Remote 2022: What’s Next
Samsung’s eco-friendly approach will not only recycle plastic waste, but will also minimize the volume of AAA batteries that wind up in landfills. Similarly, the company has switched to “eco-packaging” for its TV sets as well, which minimizes the quantity of ink needed in the production process.
The cardboard, on the other hand, can transform into a single shelf or even a cat house. All these efforts are really admirable, and we hope that other TV makers will be inspired to take similar steps toward sustainability in the near future.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung AU8000 4K TV.
Despite the restrictions placed by the ongoing pandemic, the Nepalese smartphone market grew by a significant margin last year. A lot of new phones were announced in 2021, ranging from entry-level to top-tier flagships. We even saw the launch of a couple of foldable phones and we are hopeful to see this streak continue in 2022 as well. So, here are the top upcoming smartphones that we expect to go official in Nepal in early 2022.
Top Upcoming Smartphones in Nepal in 2022:
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE
Let’s start with the first major launch of 2022. Samsung will be starting the year with the Galaxy S21 FE. This upcoming premium midrange phone was initially set to go official in 2021, but its launch kept being pushed due to numerous reasons—but mostly because of the ongoing chip shortage.
All the major leaks point to theGalaxy S21 FE having a 6.41″ AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It has been spotted in numerous benchmark listings with Snapdragon 888 chipset. But like its predecessor, it’ll have an Exynos variant as well—which is the variant coming to Nepal.
Similarly, the phone will flaunt a 12MP triple camera setup at the back. It will pack a 4,500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging.
Expected Price in Nepal: Rs. 95,000 (8/256GB)
Samsung Galaxy A03 Core
Next up is the Galaxy A03 Core, which is the latest budget offering from the company. It features a 6.5″ HD+ LCD screen with an Infinity-V notch. It is powered by an unspecified octa-core chip, which we believe is the Unisoc SC9863A.
Given its underpowered specs, it runs the Android 11 Go edition with Samsung’s One UI Core on top. It features an 8MP camera at the back and a 5MP selfie shooter on the front. The phone gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery, which supports 7.75W charging.
Expected Price in Nepal: Rs. 13,500 (2/32GB)
Xiaomi 11T
Xiaomi 11T was alongside other “T” suffixed smartphones in September 2021. And it will be the first major launch for Xiaomi Nepal in 2022. Here, the Xiaomi 11T sports a 6.67″ AMOLED display with a 120Hz Adaptive Sync refresh rate.
The phone is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 1200 Ultra chip, which brings some Xiaomi-specific customizations. It is configurable with up to 8GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.
Moving on, the rear camera setup consists of a 108MP primary camera accompanied by an 8MP ultrawide and a 5MP telemacro lens. Xiaomi 11T gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W charging.
Motorola made a comeback to the Nepali market in 2020, but the company has been limiting itself to the budget segment of the sub-20K price range. But that could all change in 2022. Motorola is all set to launch Moto G51 5G in Nepal. It’s a midrange 5G-ready phone powered by Snapdragon 480+.
It sports a 6.8-inch FHD+ panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. The triple camera setup at the back consists of a 50MP primary sensor, joined by an 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro lens. Fueling the phone is a 5,000mAh battery which only supports 10W of charging.
Expected Price in Nepal: Rs. 30,000 (4/64GB)
Moto G31
Besides, Motorola is also looking to launch the Moto G31 in Nepal. It’s quite similar to the G51 mentioned above in terms of design and camera.
However, the G31 has a 6.4″ AMOLED screen and brings MediaTek’s Helio G85 chipset. Similarly, it is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 20W fast charging support.
Next up is Vivo, whose first launch in Nepal this year will be the V23 series. This lineup is home to four smartphones: V23e, V23, V23 5G, and V23 Pro. However, only the V23e has been officially announced so far. It is available in both 4G and 5G variants, and we are most probably going to get the former.
Vivo V23e 4G comes powered by MediaTek G96 chipset. The main highlight of the phone is its sleek design and 50MP selfie camera with Eye AF (AutoFocus). Other key features include a 6.44″ AMOLED display, 64MP triple rear camera array, 4050mAh battery, and 44W fast charging.
Expected Price in Nepal: Rs. 45,000 (8/128GB)
Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
Redmi’s Note series is among the most beloved smartphone lineups in the Nepali market. In fact, Redmi Note 10 Pro was the best value-for-money midrange phone last year. The company will look to repeat a similar feat with its successor.
Redmi Note 11 Pro is currently exclusive to the Chinese market. However, we expect it to go global this year. The phone has a flat edge design with an IP53 rating. It sports a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling rate.
Under the hood, it packs Dimensity 920 chipset, which is built on TSMC’s 6nm node. Xiaomi has even included vapor chamber cooling to cool off the phone. On the other hand, it flaunts a triple camera setup at the back led by a 108MP primary camera. Other features include 67W fast charging, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, stereo speakers, and NFC support.
Poco M3 Pro 5G was the company’s first 5G phone in Nepal. But it could not win the heart of the Nepali audience as it compromised too much on specs for 5G connectivity. Thus, the company was quick to follow it up with M4 Pro 5G, which is a better device overall.
Poco will bring the M4 Pro 5G to the Nepali market in 2022. It features a 6.6″ IPS panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate. Powering the phone is MediaTek’s Dimensity 810 chipset.
Interestingly, the M4 Pro 5G only has two cameras at the back. But it’s important to note that Poco has included an ultrawide camera to go with the 50MP primary camera—instead of the gimmicky 2MP depth/macro sensors. Anyway, the phone features a 5000mAh battery complemented by 33W fast charging.
If you are looking to buy a midrange gaming laptop right now, Asus TUF Gaming A15 can be a decent choice. The 2021 iteration of the laptop launched back in August in Nepal, whose price has dropped considerably since then. So, let’s take a look at the specs, features, latest official price, and availability of the Asus TUF Gaming A15 2021 in Nepal.
Asus TUF Gaming A15 (2021) Overview:
Design and Display
In terms of design, you can choose between the “Eclipse Gray” and the “Graphite Black” finish of the A15, each of which has a distinct personality of its own. Likewise, you get a honeycomb grip at the base and a brushed metal finish across the body.
Inside, there’s a 15.6-inch IPS panel with FHD resolution. The variant that is available in Nepal features a 144Hz refresh rate and covers just 62.50% of the sRGB gamut. To note, more expensive models with a 240Hz refresh rate and 100% sRGB color gamut are also available on the international market.
CPU and GPU
As for CPU, you can choose between AMD’s Ryzen 4000 and 5000 series processors. You can configure the laptop with up to Ryzen 7 5800H. This octa-core CPU offers a maximum clock speed of up to 4.4GHz.
This has been paired with RTX 3060 mobile GPU. Thanks to the Dynamic Boost feature, this RTX 3060 can run draw up to 95W power in certain scenarios. On the other hand, the Ryzen 7 4800H variant features RTX 3050 Ti. However, the top-end RTX 3070 model is not available in Nepal yet.
As for memory, Asus has included two SO-DIMM slots here, which you can configure with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. Likewise, storage options range between 1TB and 512GB of NVMe SSD.
Rest of the specs
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2021 gets its juice from a 90Wh battery. A 200W AC adapter is included in the box. On the other hand, there are two speakers capable of 2W output each onboard. They also support DTS audio.
As for I/O, you get one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, three USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one headphone jack, and an HDMI port. This gaming laptop supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless connectivity.
Asus TUF Gaming A15 2021 Specifications:
Design & Build: Metal cover, Plastic, 35.9 x 25.6 x 2.28cm, 2.3kg
Processor: Up to AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8C/16T, 4.4GHz)
Graphics: Up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 90W (6GB GDDR6 VRAM, Up to 95W)
RAM: 16GB DDR4, dual SO-DIMM slot (Max: 32GB)
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD (up to 1TB)
Audio: 2x 2W speaker with DTS:X Ultra
Battery: 4-cell 90 Watt-hours Li-ion
Connectivity: WiFi 6 802.11 ax, Bluetooth 5.1
I/O Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C , 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack, 1x HDMI 2.0b
Extras: Free TUF Gaming Backpack + TUF Gaming mouse, 2 years international warranty
Asus TUF Gaming A15 (2021) Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of Asus TUF Gaming A15 2021 in Nepal starts at NPR 153,000 for the Ryzen 4800H variant with RTX 3050. It was previously available for NPR 164,000. Similarly, the Ryzen 5800H configuration with RTX 3060 has dropped to NPR 195,000 from NPR 211,000. You can get it from authorized stores such as ITTI and Hukut.
Samsung has just announced the world’s first 4K 240Hz gaming monitor. The new Odyssey Neo G8 will be launched alongside two other monitors in the upcoming CES 2022. In this article, we will be looking at the individual specs, features, price, and availability of the Samsung monitor lineup 2022.
Samsung Monitor Lineup 2022
Samsung Odyssey Neo G8
As mentioned earlier, Samsung Odyssey Neo 9 sports the world’s first 4K 240Hz panel. This 32″ monitor has a curvature of 1000R.
Samsung has deployed Quantum Mini LED for the backlight here. These mini LEDs are 1/40th the size of traditional LEDs. Moreover, this monitor offers a peak brightness of up to 2000 nits (HDR) and 4096 brightness levels.
As for connectivity, it has two HDMI 2.1 and one DisplayPort 1.4 port. The Neo G8 can automatically switch input sources thanks to Auto Source Switch+ feature. In addition, this monitor has RGB lighting at the back that can be adjusted using the CoreSync.
Moving on, the Samsung Smart Monitor M8 is both slimmer and thinner than its predecessor. It measures just 11.4mm thick, which is 1/3rd of the Smart Monitor M7. The M8 features a 32″ UHD screen and its height is adjustable as well, thanks to the HAS (Height Adjustable Stand).
Like its predecessor, Samsung Smart Monitor M8 can stream content from multiple OTT platforms. In addition, it comes with SmartThings Hub that allows users to control their smart home devices too.
One can even install a dedicated webcam on the top to use it with the Google Duo which comes pre-installed.
Samsung S8
Next up is the Samsung S8, which is a monitor for content creation. There are two screen sizes to choose from: 32″ and 27″. Both variants have UHD panels with 98% DCI-P3 color coverage and are glare-free certified by Underwriters Laboratories. In addition, the 32″ model also has VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification.
As for connectivity, the Samsung S8 comes with one ethernet and one USB-C port. The latter has a 90W charging support in addition to data transmission.
Samsung Monitor Lineup 2022 Price and Availability
Samsung Odyssey Neo G8, Smart Monitor M8, and S8 will be available in Korea in the first half of 2022. Further details regarding the price and global availability will be announced in CES 2022, where Samsung will also unveil the rest of its 2022 monitor lineup.
Samsung Monitor Lineup
Availability
Odyssey Neo G8
H1 2022 (South Korea)
Smart Monitor M8
UHD Monitor S8
Meanwhile, check out our review of Huawei’s latest high-end monitors (Nepali).
Realme Nepal has just added another device in the C-series. The new C25Y is Realme’s first launch of 2022 in Nepal. In this post, we’ll look into the specs, features, official price, and availability of Realme C25Y in Nepal.
Realme C25Y Overview:
Design and Display
The C25Y features a 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel with 420 nits of brightness and HD+ resolution. It has a textured pattern at the back and an all-plastic build. Likewise, the back of the phone has a fingerprint sensor and a square camera island. Realme C25Y is available in Glacier Blue and Metal Grey color options.
Performance
Under the hood, the C25Y packs an octa-core Unisoc T610 chipset. It’s fabricated under a 12nm process and features two Cortex-A75 and six Cortex-A55 cores, all clocked at 1.8GHz. This is accompanied by 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of eMMC 5.1 storage.
Over on to the software, the phone runs on Realme UI R Edition on top of Android 11. We’ve used the Realme UI R and our experience was not pleasant. It makes a slew of concessions to the phone, making it more difficult to use.
As for the optics, the C25Y has a 50MP primary sensor and two 2MP lenses for portrait and macro shots. Similarly, the waterdrop notch on the front houses an 8MP selfie camera.
Rest of the specs
Besides this, it has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging, a mono speaker, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Realme C25Y Price in Nepal and Availability (Official)
Realme C25Y is now available in Nepal at the price tag of NPR 20,449 for the 4/128GB variant, whereas the 4/64GB variant costs Rs. 18,749. You can buy it from Realme Nepal’s authorized stores across the country.
Realme C25Y
Price in Nepal
Availability
4/64GB
NPR 18,749
Authorized stores
4/128GB
NPR 20,449
Authorized stores
Meanwhile, check out our pick for the best premium mid-range phones of 2021.
Before getting into the best streaming devices to buy in 2022, let me make a proper introduction first. Cable TV is dead as disco—we’ve known it for some time now. It’s all about streaming these days. I mean, I can’t remember the last time I intentionally turned on a TV to watch something.
But obviously, this doesn’t apply to everyone and I totally get that. Regardless, if you want to binge the new season of “The Witcher” on Netflix, “The Book of Boba Fett” on Disney+ Hotstar, “The Boys” on Prime Video, and so on and so forth on your TV, then you’ve got two options.
Either buy a relatively expensive smart TV that supports all those OTT platforms or get a streaming device that can even turn a basic television smart by connecting to an HDMI source. And that’s exactly what I’ll be talking about today. Not smart TVs but some of the best streaming devices you can buy in 2022.
Best Streaming Devices In 2022
For this list of the best streaming devices in 2022, I’ve been testing out a few popular TV sticks you can buy right now—all under USD 50 or roughly NPR 10,000 here in Nepal. So you won’t find high-end streaming devices like the Apple TV 4K, NVIDIA Shield TV, or Amazon Fire TV Cube here. On top of this, I would’ve liked to get my hands on the Roku Streaming Stick 4K as well—but couldn’t find it.
1. Chromecast with Google TV
So, the first one on my list is the Chromecast with Google TV—which is also my favorite one of the bunch. It’s not perfect—no—but for someone like me who uses an Android phone and doesn’t own any Alexa device, Chromecast does it all.
Powered by Arm’s quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU alongside 2GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage, it runs pretty damn smooth. For an even snappier UI response, you can also enable developer options and reduce animation scale.
Anyway, as the name implies, this thing runs on Google TV, which is an upgraded version of the Android TV interface that’s popular on most smart TVs. Its enhanced UI/UX with the material design that’s complemented with big icons, makes browsing through the TV a thoroughly refreshing experience.
But maybe it’s geoblocked or something—the Chromecast didn’t share the same visual layout as depicted in the official product page in my case.
How’s the UI?
The “For You” tab, for instance, is called “Home” here. And there’s no separate tab for “Movies” and “Shows” either. Things are a lot more simplified with the “App” and “Library” sections instead. Regardless, the aforementioned “Home” section is where you’d be spending most of the time with the Chromecast. It hosts a rearrangeable list of your installed apps, followed by the “Continue Watching” section.
Weirdly enough, the continue watching tab only displays my Netflix history—and not from other apps like Prime Video, YouTube, and Crunchyroll. Following this are the separate tabs (or “Channels” as Google calls them) for all your installed apps. But like on the older Android TV interface, I wish I could change the hierarchy of how they appear.
In my case, Chromecast failed to show Prime Video recommendations and was instead limited to Netflix, YouTube, and Google Play Movies & TV. About the playback quality itself, it doesn’t disappoint. While there’s no support for adaptive resolution here, you can set HDR to “Always HDR” or one that matches the content type.
I watched a couple of 4K HDR-compatible videos on multiple platforms and they played like a charm—“Marvel’s Daredevil” on Netflix and “The Wheel of Time” on Prime Video, to name a few. It can play compatible Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos contents without breaking a sweat as well.
Up to 12-bit colors
For even superior colors, Chromecast also supports up to 12-bit colors. Then again, your TV should be 12-bit compatible as well. Besides streaming content, you can also search web results, download your favorite apps from the Play Store, add shows/movies on your watchlist, or cast content from your phone, laptop, and other devices to the TV.
At times, however, Google Assistant couldn’t process my voice commands properly—especially the final words of the sentence. Weird.
Furthermore, Chromecast lets you add a separate user profile for your kids too. Under this, you can set the TV viewing schedule, restrict app access, and even set content rating limits for your children. Yet, storage could be big trouble in the long run since after just installing a couple of apps and setting up a Kids profile, I’m left with roughly 750MB of free space out of the 4.4GB available.
Let’s briefly go over its design now. Because the Chromecast doesn’t have a traditional stick-shaped design, it slots in non-intrusively on most TVs.
That’s why Google doesn’t ship an HDMI extender inside the box. And its remote is something to admire as well. From its ergonomic design to the soft-feedback buttons, this is one of the best TV remotes out there. Plus, it even has a dedicated button to switch between input devices connected to the TV.
Chromecast with Google TV Specifications:
Body: 162 x 61 x 12.5mm, 55 gm
Power: USB Type-C
Processor: Amlogic S905D3
CPU: 4x Cortex-A55 (1.9GHz)
GPU: Arm Mali-G31 MP2
Memory: 2GB RAM, 8GB storage
Display: Up to 4K Ultra HD @60fps
HDR: Yes (HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision)
Audio: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos
Connectivity: WiFi 5 (802.11 ac, dual-band), Bluetooth 4.2
Ports: HDMI (to plug directly into the TV)
OS: Android TV OS (with Google TV on top)
Remote: 122 x 38 x 18mm, 63 gm
Mic: Integrated microphone for Google Assistant
Color Options: Snow, Sunrise, Sky
What’s In the Box: Chromecast, Power cable, Power adapter, Voice remote, 2x AAA batteries
Price in Nepal: Rs. 10,500
2. Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
Next up in our list of best streaming devices in 2022, we have the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. Before getting to the nitty-gritty details, you need to know that there’s a newer version of this streaming stick called the Fire TV Stick 4K Max. It’s USD 5 more expensive, but for the added cost, brings a whole lot of value.
From faster performance, WiFi 6 support, to all the more buttons on the remote, the “Max” edition is well worth the extra money.
That’s not to say the regular Fire TV Stick 4K is any slouch. In fact, among all the streaming devices I’ve tested so far—it’s the fastest. Running on a custom Fire OS platform (which is still based on Android, by the way), I haven’t faced any major performance hiccup here. Sure, there are minor lags every now and then—especially during first-boot—but that’s about it.
Oh-so-Prime
However, the way Amazon so aggressively pushes Prime Video content here is overwhelmingly frustrating. The homescreen is littered with recommendations from Prime Video across several genres, and neither can they be customized.
So, if you’re like me who’s mostly in the “Netflix wall”, then none of this is going to be of any use. On top of this, the Fire TV Stick 4K makes more sense if you also own Amazon Echo devices like Echo Show, Echo Dot, and such.
Besides recommendations, it even refuses to show Netflix contents inside the “Recently Watched” tab, whereas I couldn’t get Alexa to find content on Netflix either. Interestingly, logging in with a US-based Amazon account, the Fire TV Stick 4K could discover Netflix contents.
Some features are geoblocked
Looking at the official product page, it seems that the Fire TV Stick 4K can indeed search content on Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and other streaming services—so I’m guessing this feature is just geoblocked here in Nepal. Apart from Prime Video recommendations, the homescreen also shows the list of recently used apps for quick access.
Swiping to the right, you have the “Find” page that hosts a categorical list of discoverable shows/movies, while the “Live” section is missing in this part of the world. All in all, I found Fire OS incredibly easy to get used to—and the aforementioned responsiveness makes using Fire TV Stick 4K all the more delightful.
Although Amazon Appstore’s library isn’t as vast as that of the Google Play Store, you’ll find all the streaming platforms, games, and other utility apps here. Amazon lets you install apps directly from its website as well.
Anyway, like the Chromecast with Google TV, it comes with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support too. Weirdly enough, some of the Netflix shows with these two standards that played perfectly fine on Chromecast didn’t support Atmos playback on the Fire TV Stick 4K—while Prime Video didn’t face such an issue. This feels more like a Netflix issue, so I’m hoping a fix is on the way.
Dialog Enhancer
Similarly, you can set its resolution up to 4K/60Hz or keep it at auto. With a compatible TV, it can even render content in up to 12-bit colors. There’s also a “Dialog Enhancer” feature built-in, but I didn’t really notice any difference when turning it on/off. Watching Daredevil on Netflix, the Fire TV Stick 4K comfortably jumped to 4K HDR settings in a matter of seconds on our 60Mbps home internet.
I personally didn’t encounter any issue with wireless connectivity, but if you have an Ethernet adapter lying around, hooking it up isn’t gonna do any harm. Its stick-like design could be difficult to install on some TVs, so Amazon does provide an HDMI extender inside the box. On the other hand, this plastic-made remote is equally impressive.
It’s taller than the Chromecast remote but you can easily operate it with one hand. The button feedback is pretty great and it can even control your TV volume, on top of turning it on/off. So, that’s one less reason to have the TV remote by your side at all times!
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Specifications:
Body: 108 x 30 x 14mm, 53.6 gm
Power: Micro USB
Processor: MediaTek MT8695 + MT7668
CPU: 4x Cortex-A53 (1.7GHz)
GPU: PowerVR IMG GE8300
Memory: 1.5GB RAM, 8GB storage
Display: Up to 4K Ultra HD @60fps
HDR: Yes (HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision)
Audio: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos
Connectivity: WiFi 5 (802.11 ac, dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: HDMI (to plug directly into the TV)
OS: Fire OS 6 (Android 7.0 Nougat)
Remote: Integrated microphone for Amazon Alexa
Color Options: Black
What’s In the Box: Fire TV Stick, HDMI extender, Power cable, Power adapter, Voice remote, 2x AAA batteries
Price in Nepal: Rs. 9,500 (unofficial)
3. Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick
Moving on, Realme recently entered the streaming arena with its own 4K Smart Google TV Stick. And it’s already managed to find a spot in our list of best streaming devices to buy in 2022. But if you have a fairly high-end TV with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos compatibility, you should skip this altogether since it supports neither of them.
Plus, considering the deals you can get on Chromecast and Fire TV Stick 4K, Realme’s streaming stick is a tad bit too expensive as well. And compared to the other two streaming devices I’ve discussed so far, its performance leaves something to be desired as well.
With a relatively slower quad-core processor with Cortex-A35 cores, you can notice the sluggishness every now and then on this thing. And although 2GB RAM may sound like a lot for a streaming device, this isn’t the most powerful streaming device you could find. I noticed that it even struggled to keep the homescreen in memory after playing videos on Netflix or other OTT platforms for a while.
Google TV experience
That’s not to say it’s unbearably slow—absolutely not. I know it sounds like I’m nitpicking things here, but pitting it against two of the best streaming devices available, you start to observe such things.
Running on Android TV OS 11 unlike the older Android TV 10 in our unit of the Chromecast, there’s no “Continue Watching” section here either, which is a little disappointing. Plus, it also skips a separate channel for Netflix—while every other app gets an entry in the homescreen.
Apart from this, its Google TV UI is pretty much the same as that of the Chromecast so I won’t be brushing on that topic again. This means, all the searches and recommendations are prioritized to Google’s services like YouTube—and that stuff.
Weird issues that have since been resolved
Instead, I’ll talk about the more pressing issues I’d found with this TV stick. And the biggest of them all was definitely the lacking HDR playback. I’d set all the display settings in favor of HDR playback but still nada.
Also, the volume toggles on the remote didn’t work on Netflix and Prime Video for some reason. It worked on YouTube, Spotify, and Crunchyroll as intended, but those streaming platforms were a couple of weird exceptions. Fortunately, I recently received a 729MB update that fixed both of these issues.
While the Realme 4K Stick initially had a single 8-bit color format option, the update brought support for up to 12-bit color depth—which eventually enabled HDR playback.
Getting to the remote, it’s pretty nice. I have no trouble with the button feedback and these dedicated buttons for different services is a great thing to have. The horizontal placement of the volume buttons is a bit strange—yes—but I got used to it pretty quickly.
Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick Specifications:
Body: 90 x 29.8 x 14.5mm, 30 gm
Power: Micro USB
Processor: 4x Cortex-A35 CPU, dual-core GPU
Memory: 2GB RAM, 8GB storage
Display: Up to 4K Ultra HD @60fps
HDR: Yes (HDR10, HDR10+)
Audio: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: HDMI (to plug directly into the TV)
OS: Android TV OS 11 (with Google TV on top)
Remote: Integrated microphone for Google Assistant
Color Options: Black
What’s In the Box: Realme TV TV Stick, HDMI extender, Power cable, Power adapter, Voice remote, 2x AAA batteries
Price in Nepal: N/A
4. Xiaomi Mi Box 4K
The final entry in our list of best streaming devices to buy in 2022 is the Mi Box 4K, which also goes by “Mi Box S” or “Mi Box 4” depending on the market. Launched in 2020, it has a bulkier, squarish build quality which isn’t the most elegant design. Then again, its bigger form factor means Xiaomi has managed to fit in a USB-A and a 3.5mm audio jack as well.
So, if you want to stream something off of your thumbdrive and your TV’s USB-A port is occupied for some reason, then there’s no need to connect a dongle here.
Aside from the design, the Mi Box 4K is powered by a quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU with 2GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. However, I found its UI/UX response is the slowest of the bunch. Be it scrolling through the menus or launching apps, the minor delay here is palpable. Even voice commands take a while to process on this streaming box—which flat-out fails to deliver the desired result sometimes.
Google Assistant is a bit sluggish here
What I mean is, I’d say something like “Launch YouTube”. Then, even after I get the audio/visual prompt acknowledging my request, it doesn’t launch the said app. Another uncanny thing I noticed here was how the Netflix app failed to load completely, giving off the “ui-800-3” error code instead.
I tried every solution I could find on the web, from clearing cache to re-installing the app and such—but none of them worked.
Thankfully, the Mi Box 4K recently received an update that finally solved this issue, while also bringing July’s security patch and a smoother UI/UX experience. Likewise, searching content on Netflix also works better now, but Google Assistant still can’t discover shows/movies on Prime Video.
Even though this Android TV interface looks dated compared to Google TV, I like how I can re-arrange the app channels on the homescreen. Like Realme’s TV stick, it can’t play Dolby Vision or Dolby Atmos content either. But unlike the competition, I had no trouble playing HDR videos on the Mi Box 4K.
No “SDR to HDR” option
You can also select from different color space settings, whereas the “SDR to HDR” option is absent on my unit. Unlike Xiaomi TVs, the Mi Box 4K doesn’t have Patchwall built-in although you can find its option inside the settings menu.
Thus, the Patchwall button on the Mi Remote is replaced by a menu button instead, that triggers your TV’s app list—alongside a few recommendations. And about this remote… I… don’t like it. The form factor is just fine but the buttons are a little too stiff, especially the circular D-pad. And Xiaomi has been greedy enough to skip the AAA batteries inside the box as well.
In related news, Xiaomi recently announced TV Stick 4K, which is the direct successor to the aging Mi TV Stick. With newer hardware and support for Dolby Vision HDR, Dolby Atmos audio, it looks like a direct competition to other popular streaming devices. As a result, even if you just own a Full HD TV or don’t care about the premium HDR standards, I wouldn’t suggest getting the older Mi TV Stick.
It is way too stuttery and lacks even the most basic HDR playback. And maybe because of this, I noticed that videos have worse black levels here. Heck, even Chromecast crashes on this sometimes.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K Specifications:
Body: 167 x 95.2 x 95.2mm, 148 gm
Power: Micro USB
Processor: Amlogic S905X
CPU: 4x Cortex-A53 (1.5GHz)
GPU: Arm Mali-450 (750MHz)
Memory: 2GB RAM, 8GB storage
Display: Up to 4K Ultra HD @60fps
HDR: Yes (HDR10)
Audio: Dolby Audio, DTS 2.0
Connectivity: WiFi 5 (802.11 ac, dual-band), Bluetooth 4.2
Ports: HDMI (to plug directly into the TV)
OS: Android TV 9.0
Remote: Integrated microphone for Google Assistant
Color Options: Black
What’s In the Box: Mi Box 4K, Power cable, Power adapter, Voice remote
Price in Nepal: Rs. 7,500 (unofficial)
Best Streaming Devices In 2022: Conclusion
So that was it for my top picks of the best streaming devices in 2022. As evident from everything I’ve discussed so far, Google’s Chromecast and the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K are among the best options available. Brands like Xiaomi and Realme are doing pretty good in this space as well, but they’ve got a lot more refining to do.
The C25Y features a 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel with 420 nits of brightness and HD+ resolution. It has a textured pattern at the back and an all-plastic build. Likewise, the back of the phone has a fingerprint sensor and a square camera island. Realme C25Y is available in Glacier Blue and Metal Grey color options.
