Advantec Innovation Technology Co. Ltd (AITC) has officially launched its memory products in Nepal with Zozo Hub named as the authorized regional distributor for the country. AITC focuses on memory modules, solid-state drives, and other computer peripherals that are certified from CE, FCC, ROHS, BSMI, and other international certifications. In this article, we’ll look at all the available AITC products (RAM, SSD) along with their official price in Nepal.
AITC Products Overview:
AITC SATA SSD:
You can find AITC’s SATA III SSDs with capacities ranging from 128GB to 1TB. The ST100 SSD has maximum sequential read and write speeds of 560MB/s and 500MB/s, respectively.
These SSDs use 3D NAND Flash Technology that stacks memory chips on top of each other that can hold more data and provides a smoother experience.
Apart from this, you can also purchase AITC tagged M.2 NVMe SSDs ranging from 128GB to 1TB. They are built on 3D NAND Firmware technology with an LDPC debugging mechanism and DEVSLP function.
The latter saves 80% power in normal operations while the LDPC ensures accuracy in data transmission. These SSDs can reach a maximum sequential read/write speeds of 2500MB/s and 1800MB/s, respectively.
AITC M.2 NVMe SSD Price in Nepal
AITC FZ300 M.2 NVMe SSD
Price in Nepal
128GB
NPR 3,500
256GB
NPR 5,500
512GB
NPR 9,000
1TB
NPR 19,000
AITC Desktop RAM:
AITC has also introduced its RAPIDEZ line of gaming RAM in Nepal. The RAPiDEZ meets with international JEDEC standards and provides astounding speed. The RAM’s internal components include a high heat conduction rubber pad, a heatsink, and a light pipe. These are DDR4 RAM modules with memory speeds of up to 3600MHz.
AITC RAPiDEZ RAM Price in Nepal
AITC RAPiDEZ RGB RAM
Price in Nepal
8GB, 3200MHz
NPR 8,000
8GB, 3600MHz
NPR 8,500
16GB, 3200MHz
NPR 15,000
AITC Laptop RAM:
Moreover, AITC’s 8GB DDR4 RAM for laptops under the Values series with a memory speed of 3200MHz is also available in Nepal.
AITC Laptop RAM Price in Nepal
AITC Values DDR4 RAM
Price in Nepal
8GB, 3200MHz
NPR 6,500
Where to buy AITC products in Nepal?
As mentioned in the beginning, Zozo Hub is the authorized regional distributor of AITC products in Nepal. You can find their contact information below:
Budget-conscious consumers are having a hard time deciding between 4G and 5G phones in 2021. While many markets still don’t have access to 5G, smartphone makers have been pushing 5G phones for a couple of years now. One such brand is Realme, which is even aiming to come up with 5G phones under the sub-10,000 price bracket in India by 2022. And today, I have the Realme 8s 5G in for review whose price starts at INR 18,000 in India.
So, is this phone actually worth the money or is its 5G hoopla yet another misleading illusion to drive up the sales? To answer all this, I will be comparing it with the standard Realme 8, so let’s get started.
Let’s start with the design first. The 8s 5G has a familiar gradient design language from most of Realme’s affordable and mid-range smartphones. The one that I have is the Universe Blue option that has a sparkly finish which the company calls the “Infinite Star” design. Aside from the glittery “stars”, this variant also switches between black and blue hues depending on how you’re looking at it.
Moving on, a matte design is something I always look for in a smartphone, and thankfully, the Realme 8s 5G doesn’t disappoint in this regard. It saves me from all hassle of having to wipe off the fingerprints and smudges while giving the phone an equally attractive look as well. However, in case you want to wrap this phone with a protective case, Realme has provided a clear case inside the box itself.
Neat and Clean
Anyway, comparing it side-by-side with 8’s glossy finish that attracts tons of fingerprints and its hideous “Dare to Leap” branding, the 8s 5G was always going to come off victorious in terms of the design. Still and all, I’ll have to admit that Realme 8’s hands-on feel is much better than the 8s 5G. It is relatively more lightweight and slim, which definitely helps with handling the phone every day.
But that’s not to say the Realme 8s 5G has a terrible hands-on feel by any means. Its build quality is solid and the phone feels fairly premium too. The button placement leaves little room for complaint as well. There’s a fingerprint reader on the right that doubles as a power button, while the volume rockers and the SIM slot are located on the left.
Here, the SIM tray can accept two nano SIMs and a micro SD card, although it lacks a rubber gasket to guard against water damage. Similarly, there’s a solo speaker, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB-C port, and a primary microphone on the bottom.
Display
6.5-inches FHD+ IPS LCD screen
90/180Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
600nits brightness, Widevine L1 certified
Moving to the display, the Realme 8s 5G flaunts a 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel with FHD+ resolution and 90.5% screen-to-body ratio. Compared to the Realme 8’s Super AMOLED screen, this is a big downgrade. From deep blacks, perfect contrast ratio, to other perks like Always On Display and an in-display fingerprint reader, the Realme 8 has a far superior screen of the two.
But to make up for this, the company has introduced a 90Hz refresh rate contrary to the 60Hz panel on the Realme 8. It means you’re getting a smoother scrolling experience whether it’s over Twitter feeds or when jumping from one app to another. Still, both phones have a 180Hz touch sampling rate.
And while the display on Realme 8s does not have any HDR 10 certification, you do get WideVine L1 support for HD streaming on OTT platforms like Netflix.
Moreover, this panel has a peak brightness of 600 nits, which is lower than 1000 nits on the Realme 8. In my usage, its indoor visibility has been more than adequate but heading outdoors, there were instances where I struggled to read messages and other contents off of this display.
Cameras
Triple camera setup at the back
(64MP primary, 2MP portrait, 2MP macro)
16MP selfie camera in the punch-hole cutout
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
Getting to the cameras, the Realme 8s 5G sports a triple camera arrangement at the back, which unfortunately doesn’t include an ultrawide lens. Instead, there’s a 64MP primary, a B&W portrait, and a 4cm macro lens.
Normal Images
Here, the daytime images from both phones’ 64MP sensors are extremely similar in terms of detail and dynamic range. Nevertheless, the ones from the Realme 8 have a warmer tone, while the 8s 5G is more on the cooler side.
Normal
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
Also, zooming in a little reveals photos from the Realme 8 to be grainy.
Portraits Images
Likewise, both of them offer comparable edge detection when it comes to portraits. The portraits from Realme 8 have a red/pink tint to them whereas the Realme 8s shoot slightly hazy and soft portraits.
Portraits
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
Besides this, the background separation and details look better on 8s as well.
Selfie Images
Selfies
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
The selfies share a similar story. The details and dynamic range are remarkably similar, but Realme 8 smoothens the subject while adding a faint reddish tinge as well. The 8s, on the other hand, produces a pale subject tone.
Selfie Portraits
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
Nevertheless, both devices struggle with edge detection when it comes to portraits selfies. Also, the 8s have somewhat higher contrast, whereas both of them process the background to look vibrant and something that pleases the eyes.
Nighttime Images
Moving on, the Realme 8s perform admirably better in terms of nighttime shots. As you can see from these samples, it has significantly superior exposure maintenance.
Nighttime
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8s
8
8s
8
Even under night mode, I prefer the pictures from 8s. Its photos retain more details, have a higher level of clarity, and appear more balanced in every way.
Nightmode
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
Furthermore, I found that the cameras on Realme 8s captures more light and have better image processing than the Realme 8 under low-light situations.
Macro Images
Macro
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8s
8
8s
8
8s
8
And then there’s the gimmicky macro camera. Still, the close-up shots from the 8s look a bit vibrant and somewhat appealing.
Videography
When it comes to videos, while the Realme 8 can shoot at up to 4K 30fps, the 8s can only record up to 1080p 30fps videos. Anyway, under this resolution, the videos from the 8s look more stable and retain a good white balance. Also, it has better exposure maintenance and dynamic range.
Upfront, selfie videos are restricted to 1080p 30fps on both phones. Here, the 8s adds some warmth to the subject while its field of view isn’t that wide either.
Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0 on top (upgradeable)
Now, let’s now move our focus on the performance, which is where things get more interesting. Powering the Realme 8s 5G is MediaTek’s 6nm-based Dimensity 810 5G. On the other hand, the standard 8, features MediaTek Helio G95 SoC which is built on a 12nm architecture.
Here, the company has coupled this chip with either 6 or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. I have the 8/128GB version myself, which also enjoys up to 5GB of virtual RAM using Realme’s DRE technology.
DRE surely improves the phone’s capacity to hold a couple of lightweight applications in the memory, but expecting a large performance boost is a pipe dream. As a result, I found that turning it off entirely had no impact on my regular usage.
On to the software side of things, the phone boots on Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. And as we know by now, this UI is not that resource-heavy, so there were barely any instances where I ran into any performance hiccups.
However, what’s annoying here is that Realme UI comes with a ton of junk apps pre-installed. This issue was prevalent on the company’s flagship Realme GT smartphone as well that I reviewed recently. More specifically, my unit of the Realme 8s has 15 bloatware apps pre-installed. Thankfully, you can uninstall them without any hassle. But in the future, I’d really appreciate it if Realme’s custom Android skin were free of such intrusive third-party programs.
Gaming experience
With all that out of the way, allow me to discuss its gaming capabilities now. While I was pumped to test out Dimensity 810’s gaming prowess, I was quite let down to see that it’s only slightly better than the Helio G95 on the Realme 8. Even benchmark scores prove the same.
Here, PUBG Mobile maxes out at HD graphics and a High frame rate. This setting delivers 28-30fps with occasional shutters. So, for better stability, I had to switch the graphics to Smooth and frame rate to Ultra where it manages 37-40fps and minimal jitters.
Similarly, COD Mobile is playable at a High frame rate, with the fps count reaching up to 40fps and zero hiccups unlike in PUBG. Moving on, relative taxing games like Genshin Impact delivers 16fps in the highest graphics settings. Therefore, even though the Dimensity 810 is a fairly capable chipset, don’t expect it to run graphics-intensive games without any hiccups.
On to the thermals, after about an hour of continuous gaming, the CPU temperature on the Realme 8s rose to 47 degrees with about 11% battery drain. So, I’m quite happy with the thermal performance of it.
The need for 5G?
Moving on, this phone supports five 5G bands in total, which is significantly less than 13 5G bands on the Realme GT. Yes, I know the latter is a flagship handset, but to accommodate 5G, 8s also foregoes an ultra-wide lens and AMOLED display. Thus, not going all-in on the one highlight of the phone is something I can’t seem to get my head around.
But like I said in the intro, is buying a future-ready smartphone in the budget and mid-range segment worth your money—especially one that compromises on several aspects to deliver 5G?
To the best of my knowledge, the answer is no! Here, I am talking about South Asian countries such as India, Nepal, Pakistan, and others where 5G deployment still has a long way to go. For instance, proper plans for implementing 5G are still being debated in Nepal whereas 5G spectrum allocation in India is expected to take place in February 2022.
Meaning, there’s still a lot of time left before 5G becomes available to the public. And until then, I believe smartphone brands will have come up with a better value 5G phone that doesn’t skimp on other features.
Audio
Single down-firing speaker
3.5mm headphone jack
Besides that, its audio output isn’t that exciting either. You’re getting a mono-speaker like the Realme 8, whose output is fairly loud. Even though its sound quality is strictly average, high-frequency audio does sound relatively better here. The call quality is pretty decent as well. Throughout my usage, the sound from the earpiece is clear and I have not had any call dropouts issues either.
Battery
5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging
Moving on to the battery, both devices pack a 5000mAh cell. However, the new 8s supports 33W charging contrary to 30W on the Realme 8. In terms of their endurance, under my daily usage which includes hours of gaming, casual web surfing, clicking photos/videos for samples and with the screen refresh rate set to 90Hz, the 8s comfortably made it through the day, finishing with nearly 20% battery leftover by the end.
Thus, one can easily expect 7-8 hours of screen-on-time on this phone. Similarly, it only takes about 1 hour and 12 minutes to fully charge its battery using the 33W fast charger provided inside the box.
Realme 8s 5G Review: Conclusion
To summarize, the 8s 5G has not lived up to my expectations in terms of cameras or display. While 2021 has seen a flurry of budget and mid-range smartphones with an AMOLED screen and a fairly competitive camera setup, Realme’s bow falls short in both areas. But since it’s a pretty reasonably priced 5G phone, it is entirely up to you whether you want a 5G device with mediocre specs or a 4G handset with superior features.
After all the teasers, Xiaomi has finally unveiled its latest smartphone, called “CIVI”. Actually, it’s a new smartphone series of the same name so we expect other phones to join the lineup shortly as well. Here, we will be discussing in detail the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Xiaomi CIVI in Nepal.
Xiaomi CIVI Overview:
The Xiaomi CIVI is a follow-up to the Mi CC series that came out in 2019. That being said, the company has done more than a simple name change. While the CIVI has modest camera specs like the Mi CC9, it places a higher priority on the design as well.
Design and Display
Xiaomi CIVI sports a 6.55-inch curved OLED display. It’s a 10-bit panel with DCI-P3 colors, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. The phone supports a couple of HDR formats including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, and it can reach the peak brightness of up to 950 nits.
The phone has a left-aligned rectangular camera bump that distinguishes it from the Mi 11 lineup. Its frosted AG glass back is available in three color options – Blue, Pink, and Black.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the CIVI packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778 5G chipset. This 6nm chipset features four Cortex-A78 performance and four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores. It is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage.
Over on the back, Xiaomi CIVI flaunts a triple camera setup at the back. It consists of a 64MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro camera. Upfront there is a 32MP selfie shooter with Autofocus.
Rest of the specs
Fueling the phone is a 4,500mAh battery that supports 55W fast charging. With a compatible charger, you can juice it from 0 to 100% in just 45 minutes.
Xiaomi CIVI has a stereo speaker setup with support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res audio. There is an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometrics. Other notable features include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and NFC.
Sensors: Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient Light, Proximity, Linear Motor, IR Blaster
Battery: 4500mAh with 55W fast charging
Xiaomi CIVI Price in Nepal and Availability
Xiaomi CIVI is currently up for pre-sale in China where its price starts at CNY 2,600 for the 8/128GB variant. The actual sale will start on September 30. We expect the price of Xiaomi CIVI in Nepal to start at NPR 52,000 if and when it launches here.
Xiaomi CIVI
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
8/128GB
CNY 2,599
NPR 52,000
8/256GB
CNY 2,899
NPR 58,000
12/256GB
CNY 3,199
NPR 65,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme GT Master Edition.
Honor just concluded its “Smart Life” launch event in China, where it announced a trio of new laptops. Here, we will be taking a look at the Honor MagicBook 16 and 16 Pro that pack AMD’s Ryzen 5000 series CPU in a lightweight build. Let’s get into the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Honor MagicBook 16 and 16 Pro in Nepal.
Honor MagicBook 16, 16 Pro Overview:
Design and Display
As the moniker suggests, the Honor MagicBook 16 series laptops feature a 16.1-inch FHD display with an aspect ratio of 16:9. It uses a matte IPS panel that boasts 100% sRGB coverage. Moving on, we get 300 nits of brightness and a 144Hz refresh rate.
Bezels around the screen are quite minimal. The one on the bottom has an Honor branding, while the top bezel houses a 720p webcam. While both the laptops measure 18.2mm, the Pro variant is slightly heavier (1.87 kg > 1.84 kg).
Performance and Memory
Inside, Honor MagicBook 16 series can be configured with up to AMD Ryzen 7 5800H processor. It’s an 8 cores/16 threads CPU with a base frequency is 3.2 GHz that can go as high as 4.4 GHz for a single core.
When it comes to GPU, the Pro model has an edge over the vanilla MagicBook 16 as it can be configured with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1650 or RTX 3050. There is no option of a dedicated GPU on the vanilla model.
Fueling the MagicBook 16 series is a 56Wh lithium-ion battery. Honor ships the Pro and the vanilla model with USB-C power adapters of 135W and 65W, respectively.
Rest of the specs
Moving on, these laptops come with a full-size backlit keyboard. A fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button for biometrics. Unfortunately, it lacks a dedicated numeric keypad.
The port selection on these laptops is pretty good though. Here, you get two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, a headphone jack, and an HDMI port. For wireless connectivity, Honor has included support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and NFC.
The latter can be used for inter-device linking using the Honor Magic-Link feature. On the software front, the MagicBook 16 series runs on Windows 10 Home Edition, while it’s slated to get the Windows 11 update shortly.
Audio: Stereo speakers with Nahimic sound, Dual-microphones
Battery: 56Wh Lithium polymer battery
PowerSupply:
MagicBook 16: 65W USB-C
MagicBook 16 Pro: 135W USB-C
Webcam: 720p HD camera
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 6 (ax), Bluetooth 5.1, NFC
I/O Ports: 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C, 1x HDMI 1.4, 1x headphone out
Honor MagicBook Pro 16, 16 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Honor MagicBook Pro 16 and 16 Pro starts at CNY 4,999 and CNY 6,499, respectively. There is no hint of any international availability yet. Still, if Honor MagicBook 16 and 16 Pro make their way to Nepal, we expect their price to start at NPR 100,000 and NPR 125,000, respectively.
Honor MagicBook 16 series
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
MagicBook 16
Ryzen 5 5600H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
CNY 4,999
NPR 100,000
Ryzen 7 5800H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
CNY 5,499
NPR 110,000
MagicBook 16 Pro
Ryzen 7 5800H, GTX 1650, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
CNY 6,499
NPR 130,000
Ryzen 7 5800H, RTX 3050, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD
CNY 7,299
NPR 147,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of Asus VivoBook 15 (K513).
Samsung’s Galaxy A52 was a huge success and building upon it, the company just launched the Galaxy A52s 5G. It brings a significant upgrade in the performance department besides a couple of other touch-ups. And this is our initial impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G Specifications:
Body: 75.1 x 159.9 x 8.4mm, 189 gm, IP67 dust/water resistant
Display: 6.5-inches “Infinity-O” Super AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G (6nm Mobile Platform)
Battery: 4500mAh with 25W fast charging (15W adapter provided)
Color Options: Awesome – Black, Green, Violet
Awesome White not available in Nepal
Price in Nepal: Rs. 53,999 (6/128GB) | Rs. 55,999 (8/128GB)
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G Impressions:
Usually, we know that Samsung’s A series of devices compromise on the performance aspect, but not this time. Samsung has offered quite the powerful Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset, which competes directly against MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 1200, and is only ever-so-slightly less powerful than the Snapdragon 870.
And as you can see, the benchmark scores reveal the same.
Even during my brief time with the phone, I have found the performance on this thing to be quite good, which is all thanks to Samsung’s excellent One UI optimization. This, paired with the powerful hardware underneath delivers fluid UI transitions, fast app opening times, and smooth performance—that is further complemented by the 120Hz refresh rate.
How’s gaming on this phone?
With the new processor, gaming is another aspect that has seen a significant improvement. Now, games like PUBG mobile run at HDR graphics and Ultra frame rates at max while it can hit Extreme frame rate when setting the graphics to Smooth as well.
Similarly, COD caps out at Very High graphics and Very High Frame rates, although you can push it to Max frame rates at the expense of visual fidelity under High graphics.
Thus, compared to the standard Galaxy A52, the A52s 5G definitely looks more promising for the gamers out there. Still and all, it would have been better if Samsung had offered a 360Hz or higher touch sampling rate. As things stand, the Galaxy A52s 5G only has a 240Hz touch sampling rate, which is nothing exceptional.
Also, if you are thinking of getting this phone, I would suggest you go for the 8GB variant since I feel like 6GB of RAM isn’t quite enough. Regardless, the company has taken comparatively big strides in terms of 5G bands as the phone supports 12 of them in total.
The only other brand that provides that many 5G bands in a similar price range is Realme. Except for these two, most other companies settle with 1 or 2 5G bands only, so that’s a job well done by Samsung in terms of future-proofing the phone.
Tried and tested design
Okay, moving on, its design remains the same as that of the last-gen Galaxy A52. Wow, labeling A52 as “last-gen” feels quite weird seeing how the phone launched like 5-6 months ago only. Then again, the smartphone industry is so fast-paced these days, what can you do?
Anyway, to be honest, I don’t mind this design consistency at all. I absolutely loved Galaxy A52’s looks and Samsung deciding to continue with that is the right move, in my opinion. The A52s is lightweight, compact, and feels good—if not premium—on the hands.
In terms of color options, you get 4 choices for the Galaxy A52s 5G that includes, Awesome Black, Awesome Violet, Awesome Green, and Awesome White—the latter of which isn’t available in the Nepalese market for now.
Regardless, the phone sports Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and Samsung is also offering IP67 dust-and-water resistance here. It’s important to note that no other brand in this very price segment offers this level of ingress protection. Also, Samsung has been thoughtful enough to keep the headphone jack alive with the A52s 5G.
Fluid 120Hz smoothness
Upfront, you get a 6.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which is a significant upgrade over the 90Hz panel on the standard A52. As expected, this is an excellent display with great colors and balanced contrast.
And just like its predecessor, this display is complemented by a set of stereo speakers too. But unfortunately, there’s no HDR playback support on Netflix as of yet.
When getting into aspects like the cameras, this is where you can expect really good performance from this phone. We’ve seen how similarly priced devices like the OnePlus Nord 2, Poco F3 GT, and Realme X7 Max don’t quite offer a half-decent, reliable camera experience. On the contrary, with my brief time with Samsung’s latest mid-ranger, I can confidently vouch for the cameras on this phone.
Class-leading cameras
A52s comes with a familiar quad-camera setup that consists of a 64MP primary camera with OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a couple of 5MP sensors for macro and portrait shots.
I managed to go around with the phone for a couple of camera samples and as you can see from these photos, they have that classic Samsung touch with vibrant and punchy colors.
Normal
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Additionally, thanks to OIS, the images are able to maintain good sharpness even under low lighting conditions. I also found that the A52s can process human subjects better than say the OnePlus Nord 2.
Low Light
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Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Portrait
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Galaxy A52s 5G
OnePlus Nord 2
Galaxy A52s 5G
OnePlus Nord 2
Even the ultrawide shots from the phone are wider, with better dynamic range and details than the Nord 2.
Ultrawide
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Galaxy A52s 5G
OnePlus Nord 2
Galaxy A52s 5G
OnePlus Nord 2
In the videography department, Samsung is offering up to 4k 30 fps recording, aided by gyro EIS for stabilization here. Even the front camera shoots at up to 4k 30 fps videos on this thing.
Moving to the battery side of things, there’s no upgrade this time around. You get a modest 4,500 battery and since this is an early impressions video, I haven’t gotten around to do a thorough endurance test yet. But I will extensively test it out and let you guys know the final result in my full review which should be out pretty soon.
Furthermore, the phone supports 25W fast charging. And while initial reports suggested that a compatible 25W power adapter would be available in the box itself, turns out Samsung ships the good ol’ 15W charger instead.
Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G Impressions: Conclusion
Okay, so that was all for my hands-on impressions of the all-new Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G. It is definitely an exciting piece of smartphone although it could’ve seen some aggressive pricing. But still, A52s 5G is an exciting device.
First and foremost, it offers a superior camera performance than the likes of the Nord 2 or the Poco F3 GT. Then there are other unparalleled features like an IP67 rating, Samsung’s One UI experience, and 3 years of guaranteed software updates.
Watch our video impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A52s 5G.
Daraz’s annual Dashain festive celebration, the Daraz Dashain Dhamaka, is once again upon us. Like last year, this campaign brings a whole lot of discounts, mega giveaways, free vouchers, deals, and more. So, let’s go through all the offers constituting the Daraz Dashain Dhamaka 2078 sales.
Daraz Dashain Dhamaka 2078 Overview:
Bank, IME Pay Discounts
One of the major highlights of this event (like any other from Daraz) is bank discounts. The company has partnered with eight major banks, namely Nabil, NIC Asia, Sanima, Global IME, NMB, Machhapuchchhre, Bank of Kathmandu, and Citizens Bank to offer discounts on debit/credit card pre-payments.
Here, users can get up to 20% off (max Rs. 2,000) on pre-payment via debit card while one can get up to 20% off (max Rs. 2,500) on pre-payment from a credit card. This is a limited-time offer, so you’re gonna have to pick up the pace to enjoy these discounts.
You can also avail yourself of weekly bank days discounts on pre-payment via debit/credit cards.
Day
Bank
Discount Rate
Max Discount
Credit Card
Debit Card
Monday
Sanima
Up to 15%
Up to 10%
Rs. 500
Wednesday
NIC Asia
Up to 15%
Up to 10%
Thursday
Machhapuchchhre
Up to 15%
Up to 10%
Himalayan
Up to 15%
Up to 50% (pre-payment)
Mega
Up to 15%
Up to 10%
Friday
Nabil
Up to 10% (pre-payment)
Saturday
Standard Chartered
Up to 10% (pre-payment)
Furthermore, if you are an IME Pay user, you can enjoy pre-payment savings of up to 10% (max Rs. 1,000).
Best Deals
Besides pre-payment discounts, Daraz is offering exclusive deals on 1 million products from 100+ categories. Here are the best ones that you should check out:
Panasonic (NA-148MB3L01) Universal Motor Front Load Washing Machine
Use code “DDSLASH3500” for extra Rs. 3,500 off
Rs. 68,590 56,499
Philips Air Fryer (HD9270/90)
Use code “DDSLASH2000” for extra Rs. 2,000 off
Rs. 34,999 25,999
Apple M1 MacBook Air (8/256GB)
Use code “MACMA10HAJAR” for extra Rs. 10,000 off
Rs. 159,000 147,999
Apple iPhone 11
Rs. 86,990 84,999
Motorized Treadmill (5101CA)
Rs. 90,000 83,999
Foldable and Portable Multi-Purpose Laptop Table
Rs. 1,599 849
Lotto T6593 Blue/Black Sports Sneakers
Rs. 7,500 4,050
One Rupee Game
Daraz’s “One Rupee Game” is another appealing offer for shoppers. Under this, they can select one product of their choice and pay just Re. 1 at the checkout. If lucky, you’ll get the product at just Re. 1, otherwise, the amount will be refunded to your account.
This year’s One Rupee Game sees a bunch of exciting products to win from:
Two nights and three Days Couple’s Round Trip to Pokhara
Yasuda 2-in-1 Alkaline Water Purifier + Hot & Cold-Water Dispenser
Mantra Mukti Acoustic Guitar with Free bag, capo, pick, string, and strap
Free Delivery
Customers can also benefit from free delivery on orders. However, this is vendor-specific and won’t be applicable to all products. In addition, to qualify for free delivery, you must meet the seller’s minimum order amount.
Image Review and Win
Moreover, you can also participate in another offer called “Image Review and Win”. Here, customers can win vouchers worth Rs. 100 simply sharing an image review of a product they recently bought on Daraz.
Add to Cart
Daraz’s Add to Cart deal is yet another recurring offer. Under this, one can win Daraz discount vouchers worth Rs. 500 by simply adding products to their cart.
EMI
Furthermore, Daraz has collaborated with the following four banks to provide EMIs with 0% interest and no downpayment either:
NIC Asia Bank
Machhapuchchhre Bank
Sunrise Bank
Citizens Bank
Brand Partners
Daraz is also partnering with different brands to offer up to 70% off on products. These include Xiaomi, Philips, Aamayra, Rohto, Converse, Lotto, Wildhorn, Erke, CG Digital, Panasonic, New Balance, Beardo, Mee Mee, Masala Beads, Mamaearth, Fantech, Samsung, and Realme.
Varieties of vouchers
Now, to further reduce the price of the items you’re adding to your cart, there are tons of vouchers available up for grabs. It includes Mega, Collectable, Seller, Early Bird, and New User vouchers.
Mega Giveaway
Finally, one fortunate customer will win a brand new TVS NTORQ 125 scooter worth Rs. 221,900 if they make any purchase throughout the campaign period.
Other assorted offers
Similarly, users can also win other vouchers from different in-app games, Daraz Gems, and Daraz Live.
Daraz Dashain Dhamaka 2078: Duration
The Daraz Dashain Dhamaka 2078 sales will run from 26th September to October 7th (Ashoj 10 to Ashoj 21).
Campaign
Duration
Daraz Dashain Dhamaka
September 26 – October 7 (Ashoj 10 to Ashoj 21)
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme Book Slim.
Realme C21Y is now official in Nepal. It is a budget smartphone that rivals the likes of the Samsung Galaxy F02s, Redmi 9 Power, Micromax In 2b, and is more or less similar to the company’s own C21 which is also available here. So, let’s walk through the specs, features, availability, and official price of Realme C21Y in Nepal.
Realme C21Y Overview:
Design and Display
The C21Y features a 6.5-inch HD+ screen with an 88.7% screen-to-body ratio and a 20:9 aspect ratio. This panel boasts a peak brightness of 400 nits. It has a teardrop cutout on the top to house the selfie camera.
Additionally, the phone’s back has a glossy finish with triangular patterns. For biometrics, there’s a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Realme C21Y is available in Cross Blue and Cross Black color options.
On the performance side of things, it is powered by an octa-core Unisoc T610 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. This chipset is coupled with 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB internal storage. The latter is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card.
Camera
Moving on, Realme C21Y has a triple camera arrangement at the back. There’s a 13MP primary, a 2MP B&W, and a 2MP macro lens. On the front, you get a 5MP selfie camera inside the aforementioned waterdrop notch. Here, the rear camera is able to record 1080p videos at 30fps.
Rest of the specs
Realme C21Y is powered by a 5,000mAh battery that also supports reverse charging. Moreover, it boots on Android 11-based Realme UI on top. For wireless connectivity, it has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, and GPS with AGPS, Beidou, GLONASS. Likewise, the phone has a 3.5mm audio jack and a micro-USB port.
Along with the Narzo 50 series, Realme has also unveiled the Smart TV Neo 32″ in India. So let’s look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Realme Smart TV Neo 32″ in Nepal.
Realme Smart TV Neo 32″ Overview:
Design and Display
Like the Realme Smart TV Full HD launched earlier this year, the Smart TV Neo also features a 32″ LED-backlit panel. However, its resolution is limited to HD only. The company has also implemented a bezel-less design as it has with all other TVs in this lineup. This panel is TUV Rheinland Low Light Certification for low blue light emission.
Processor and GPU
Powering the TV is a quad-core ARM chip with four Cortex-A35 CPU cores. Similarly, the graphics are handled by Mali 470 GPU, which has support for Realme’s Chroma Boost Technology.
Audio
Getting to audio, Realme has included two speakers on the Smart TV Neo 32″, each capable of 10W output. This TV even supports Dolby Audio for immersive sound effects.
As for software, Realme has not mentioned Android TV in any of its teasers, launch event, and product page. It has led us to speculate that the Smart TV Neo 32″ is not running on Android TV, thereby missing out on Play Store, Google Assistant, and Chromecast. The TV does come with Quick Cast and YouTube built-in.
Moving on, Realme Smart TV Neo 32″ supports Wi-Fi connectivity and is equipped with two HDMI, one USB, one AV, and one LAN port.
Realme Smart TV Neo 32″ Price in Nepal and Availability
Realme Smart TV Neo (32″) is priced at INR 14,999 in India and it will go on sale starting October 3rd. As of now, the company has not launched any TV in Nepal. Still, if it launches Realme Smart TV Neo 32″ in Nepal, we expect its price to be around NPR 30,000.
TV Model
Price in India
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Realme Smart TV Neo 32″
INR 14,999
NPR 30,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Panasonic HX750 55″ 4K TV.
Huawei has just launched the Nova 9 series, which includes two smartphones—the Nova 9 and Nova 9 Pro. These phones are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 4G chipset and feature up to 100W fast charging. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, and expected price of Huawei Nova 9 and Nova 9 Pro in Nepal.
Huawei Nova 9, 9 Pro Overview:
Design and Display
Starting with the display, the Nova 9 has a 6.57-inch OLED screen with 2340 x 1080 pixel resolution. Whereas, the Nova 9 Pro packs a larger 6.72-inch panel with a 2676 x 1236 pixel resolution. Both these displays are curved and boast a 120Hz refresh rate, a 300Hz touch sampling rate, and the P3 wide color gamut.
Huawei Nova 9 Series
1 of 2
Nova 9
Nova 9 Pro
However, the main difference between the two is the centered punch-hole cutout for a single selfie camera on the Nova 9, while the Pro model has a pill-shaped cutout on the top left for two cameras. On the rear, there’s a gigantic camera setup reminiscent of Huawei’s P50 series, with the Nova logo at the bottom.
Under the hood, as aforementioned, both phones pack Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G processor. However, Qualcomm has disabled 5G connectivity on this chip as a workaround to sell its chips to Huawei.
Long story short, the US restricts any American-owned companies from supplying 5G chips to Huawei. Here, the Snapdragon 778G 4G has been paired with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The Nova 9 series boots on Huawei’s HMS-basedHarmonyOS 2.0 out-of-the-box.
The battery is another area where they differ substantially. The Nova 9 and 9 Pro feature a 4300mAh and a 4000mAh cell, respectively. Likewise, the former supports 66W fast charging support contrary to 100W on the 9 Pro.
As per Huawei, the Pro model can fully juice up in just 20 minutes. Plus, it also has a VC (Vapor Chamber) and graphene cooling system to keep the device temperature down.
Camera
On to the cameras, the Nova 9 series has a quad-camera setup at the back led by a 50MP f/1.9 RYYB sensor. This is followed by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle, a 2MP depth-of-field, and a 2MP macro camera.
On the front, the vanilla model has a single 32MP selfie camera. The Pro model, on the other hand, gets an additional 32MP sensor for ultra-wide shots.
Rest of the specs
Moreover, both phones have an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for biometrics. For connectivity, they feature Bluetooth 5.2 with LDAC, NFC, dual-band Wi-Fi, and GPS.
Huawei Nova 9, 9 Pro Specifications:
Display:
Nova 9: 6.57-inch OLED, 2340 x 1080 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate, P3 wide color gamut
Nova 9 Pro: 6.72-inch OLED, 2676 x 1236 pixels, 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate, P3 wide color gamut
Nova 9 Pro: 32MP f/2.0 main + 32MP f/2.4 ultrawide
Battery:
Nova 9: 4300mAh, 66W charging
Nova 9 Pro: 4000mAh, 100W charging
Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2 with LDAC, NFC, GPS
Huawei Nova 9, 9 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Huawei Nova 9 and 9 Pro starts at CNY 2,699 and CNY 3,499 respectively for the base 8/128GB model. We expect the price of the Huawei Nova 9 and 9 Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 55,000 and NPR 70,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.
Huawei Nova 9 series
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Nova 9 (8/128GB)
CNY 2,699
NPR 55,000
Nova 9 (8/256GB)
CNY 2,999
NPR 60,000
Nova 9 Pro (8/128GB)
CNY 3,499
NPR 70,000
Nova 9 Pro (8/256GB)
CNY 3,899
NPR 75,000
Meanwhile, check out our pick for the best mid-range phones of 2021.
After a couple of weeks of teasers, the iQOO Z5 is now official in China. To note, the phone is launching next week in India as well. So, let’s get into the specs, features, rumors, and expected price of the iQOO Z5 in Nepal.
iQOO Z5 Overview:
Design and Display
To begin with, the iQOO Z5 flaunts a 6.67-inch IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution. It’s an HDR10 panel with 650 nits brightness, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 240Hz touch sampling rate.
The phone has a glossy design at the back. On the front, there is a punch-hole cutout for a selfie camera. iQOO Z5 is available in three color options: Dream Space, Twilight Dawn, and Blue Origin.
Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 778G chipset coupled with 8/12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage. It’s a 5G chipset with up to 2.4GHz of clock speed. Fueling the smartphone is a 5,000mAh battery that supports 44W fast charging. As per iQOO, a full charge can offer 96 hours of music playback, 18.3 hours of video playback, and 10.4 hours of gaming.
Camera
Moreover, the device has a triple rear camera arrangement led by a 64MP Samsung GW3 sensor. Accompanying this is an 8MP ultra-wide and a 2MP macro sensor. You’ll find a 16MP selfie shooter in the aforementioned punch-hole cutout.
Rest of the specs
On the software front, iQOO Z5 ships with OriginOS based on Android 11 in the Chinese market. Yet, it’s expected to arrive with Funtouch OS 12 in the international market. In terms of audio, it has stereo speakers and a headphone jack. There’s a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometrics.
iQOO Z5 will go on sale in China from September 28 at a starting price of CNY 1,899 for the 8/128GB model. Similarly, the 8/256GB and 12/256GB models cost CNY 2,099 and CNY 2,299, respectively. We expect the price of iQOO Z5 in Nepal to start at NPR 40,000 if and when it launches here.
On the front, the vanilla model has a single 32MP selfie camera. The Pro model, on the other hand, gets an additional 32MP sensor for ultra-wide shots.
