After successfully venturing into the growing gaming smartphone segment, Lenovo is reportedly eyeing the console market. Here, we will be discussing the company’s upcoming gaming console dubbed Lenovo Legion Play, including its leaked features and specs.
Lenovo Legion Play Rumors Roundup:
The biggest leak about Lenovo’s gaming console comes from Liliputing, which not only named the device but also revealed its design and some key specs. From the looks of it, Legion Play will be a handheld gaming machine that will take on Nintendo Switch and the recently launched Valve’s Steam Deck.
Runs on Android
Unlike the two, Lenovo Legion Play will boot on Android, making it the first Android cloud gaming console. It is built around a 7″ display with FHD resolution and HDR10 support on board. Controls are built into either side of the screen. There are two additional trigger buttons on the shoulders.
Other features of Legion Play include dual-speakers, dual vibration motors, and a massive 7,000mAh battery. The latter will charge via the USB-C port that’s at the bottom of the console. It also houses an audio jack and a built-in microphone for in-game voice chat. Though there is support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, cellular connectivity looks to be missing here.
The leaked images show support for YouTube, Google Drive, and Chrome, which is not that surprising given it’s running a special fork of Android. That being said, it also shows support for GeForce Now, which is NVIDIA’s cloud gaming platform.
Lenovo Legion Play Launch Date
The launch of Lenovo Legion Play—or at least its showcasing—was originally planned for Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021. However, the company has not unveiled it yet for some undisclosed reason. Lenovo has even removed information related to Legion Play from its Japanese and German websites. Thus, we are not sure if Legion Play will see the light of the day.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme 8s 5G.
Google officially unveiled Android 12 on May 2021 at the Google I/O developer conference. Now, after series of beta releases, Google has finally rolled out the stable version of Android 12. The tech giant is pushing its latest-gen Android to its Pixel devices starting today.
Google has launched the first public beta version of Android 12 for its own Pixel lineup and other OEM smartphones. The twelfth major release of Android has the most significant interface update in the history of the platform, with bigger, rounder buttons, smoother animations, and battery-saving performance.
Android 12 Overview:
Sameer Samat (Vice President of Android, Google Play) defines Android 12 as “the biggest design change in Android’s history,” and we feel the same.
Android 12 beta brings proper customization
The personalization features introduced in Android 12 can give your smartphone the best look they deserve. The latest update includes a feature called “color extraction”. It allows you to fully personalize your phone with a custom color palette and redesigned widgets. However, for the time being, the feature is only available on Pixel smartphones.
Here, the system analyzes the color pattern of your phone’s wallpaper and evaluates the primary and complementary ones. It then updates the color of the entire UI, including the notification shade, lock screen, volume controls, widgets, and many more.
Furthermore, the new design language is called “Material You” where all the refinement is possible due to the parallel work of software, hardware, and Material Design teams.
Besides fancy colors, the design element is the next most visible change in Android 12. The buttons are big, squarish, and bubbly, which has a significant impact on the overall look and feel of the device. However, the app and widgets will take up more room; and you will end up with only a few menus on the screen.
Moving on, the animations are now more fluid and efficient. Every tap, swipe, and scroll will respond to your touch in a smooth motion. Google says it was achieved with several under-the-hood improvements. These modifications aim to speed up the handset and save battery life by reducing the CPU time required for core system resources by up to 22% and the use of big cores by the system server by up to 15%.
Privacy
Android 12 is expected to deliver better transparency over the data as well. For this, Google has triggered three main sensors – location, camera, and microphone. Users can now see a green indicator on the top right of the status bar that contains the sensor (microphone and camera) information that applications use.
In addition, there are two new toggles in quick settings which let you turn off their access to the entire system.
Similarly, Android 12 introduces a feature called “Approximate Location,” which allows you to set your coordinates with less precision. With this, apps have limited data about your exact location. Google says it could be useful for software like the weather app.
Other features
Additionally, Google is developing an AI-focused privacy feature called “Android Private Compute Core“. As per the company, it will allow the development of new technologies that are private by default, limiting your sensitive information to the phone.
Aside from that, Private Compute Core will contribute to features such as Live Caption, Now Playing, and Smart Reply. It keeps both audio and language encoding on your device, offering you more privacy.
Eligible devices
Here, we’ve compiled a list of confirmed devices that will receive the Android 12 update.
To note, apart from the aforementioned devices, OEMs will be adding other phones to their Android 12 update schedule as well. We’ll update it once the respective brands confirm it on their end.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the OnePlus 9 Pro.
If you remember, we recently came up with a list of the best budget tablets you can buy this year. Still, to be completely honest with you guys, our choices fall short in one way or another. However, the new Realme Pad that I have with me looks like an all-around bundle in the budget category. The company has also recently entered the laptop market with the Realme Book Slim, which we felt to be an excellent bargain given its features. So, does the Realme Pad genuinely fill the need left by other manufacturers? Let’s find out in this review.
Currently, the Realme Pad retails for Rs. 13,999 for the 3+32GB configuration, whereas the 4/64GB model that I have with me costs Rs. 17,999 in India.
Realme Pad Specifications:
Body: 246.1 x 155.9 x 6.9mm, 440 grams, All-aluminium build
Connectivity: WiFi only, LTE + WiFi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS/GLONASS/BDS
Price in Nepal: N/A (starts at INR 13,999 in India)
Realme Pad Review:
Design
246.1 x 155.9 x 6.9mm, 440 grams
Metallic construction, glass front
Now, let’s get started with what I loved most about this tablet. At first glance, it’s unquestionably the build quality and design. This is not only the first tablet under the Realme branding but also the first under the BBK umbrella. Thus, Realme has to deliver it perfectly and hit the sweet spot with its design.
So, despite being a budget offering, Realme Pad flaunts an aluminum unibody with squared-off edges which feel sturdy and strong. Also, the brushed design on the back doesn’t attract fingerprints or smudges—while its weight distribution is equally balanced as well.
Slim and elegant
Ok, that reminds me how thin and lightweight this tablet is. It measures just 6.9mm and weighs only 450 grams. As a result, holding it with one hand while reading through my Facebook feeds or during my online meetings has been no problem.
Moreover, it is available in two color options, namely Real Gold and Real Grey. Yet, my favorite is the Real Gold which I feel is tuned to match my taste. There’s also a camera housed on the rear and a narrow line that runs from edge to edge. Also, if you look closely, the line separates the two tones on the rear. I’m not sure why there’s a separate tone on such a little section, but it doesn’t detract from its premiumness.
In terms of the buttons, they are all located on the edge of the device and have a decent tectile feedback. On the right, there’s a volume rocker and a hybrid SIM card tray, whereas you’ll find the power button on the top. The headphone jack is interestingly placed on the rounded corners on the left.
Display
10.4-inch WUXGA+ IPS LCD screen
60Hz refresh rate, 360nits
Now, hitting that power button will greet you with a 10.4-inch IPS LCD screen. It’s a WUXGA+ (2000 x 1200) resolution panel with a 15:9 aspect ratio. Although Realme’s officials teased its first tablet with an AMOLED display, the firm has narrowed it down for the IPS. Nonetheless, the display has a good color balance and I didn’t have to sacrifice the viewing angle either.
However, what I really want to emphasize here is that it would have been much better if Realme had included a screen protector in the box. With the device of this tall and wide aspect, there are chances of inadvertent dropping.
On a more positive note, the screen is plenty bright at 360 nits and Realme also claims that it can go as low as 2 nits when used in Night mode. In my experience, the panel can actually get dimmer than what I am used to seeing on my smartphones.
While we are short of measuring the actual nits, GSMArena’s test results showed that it can reach a minimum brightness of 1.7 nits. Furthermore, the maximum brightness was recorded up to 455 nits, which is undoubtedly a bonus. Yet, the peak brightness is only suitable for indoor use.
One thing I’ve noticed here is the display is relatively on a cooler side and the new Realme Pad OS doesn’t let you calibrate it according to your taste. So, I hope Realme brings a feature to play with the color settings with the next OTA update! Furthermore, as expected from a budget tablet, it misses HDR and DCI-P3 certification; but, it does have Widevine L1 certification, which means you can enjoy Full HD content on OTT platforms.
Moving on, another aspect where Realme Tab stood out from its competitors is its performance. Hmm…you could ask how? But the best budget tablet on our lists hasn’t impressed us in terms of performance. We ranked the Lenovo Tab M10 HD (costs similar to Realme Pad) the best on the budget, but stutters greet you every then and now.
It’s because the Lenovo tab sports a quad-core Snapdragon 429 chipset, while the Realme Pad has a much better octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. But, that doesn’t even mean you are getting a buttery smooth experience.
You will undoubtedly notice the hint of jelly scrolling effect, but for this price, I can’t complain either. The RAM management is good too, as it can easily store up to 5 apps in its memory. However, there’s a tad bit of app load time while opening the app or switching from one app to another. By the way, if you’re wondering, the variant I have with me is the 4GB RAM with 64GB of storage.
Gaming
I even tried gaming on the tablet, and it’s safe to say that this tablet is suitable for light amusements. Here, PUBG Mobile is playable at HD graphics and a High frame rate, although Smooth and Ultra are better options to go with. Similarly, Call of Duty: Mobile can be played with the graphics set to Medium.
Realme UI for Pad
Let’s also talk about the new Realme Pad UI. The tablet boots on Android 11 based Realme UI for Pad. The sigh of relief is that it doesn’t come with any bloatware out-of-the-box. It has only a few Google apps pre-installed in it and offers a near-stock experience. However, it does have limitations of its own—like there aren’t many customizations options or additional features you can play with.
Some prominent features missing from the Realme smartphones are a dedicated Game Center, Sidebar, and advanced dark mode. Thankfully, split-screen is possible here and it works smoothly with most apps I use regularly.
Moreover, the Android tablets did not make the same strides as the iPad. To Android, tablets are big chunky phones. It just scales the app to fit the large screen real estate, but Apple’s iPad OS offers a tablet-optimized experience. So, there are tons of possibilities where Realme UI for Pad can get better in its forthcoming iteration.
Battery
7100mAh, 18W
Getting to the battery, the Realme Pad is backed by a large 7100mAh cell that easily lasted nearly two days on my rigorous testing. That’s enough energy to go you through a full cross-country flight without needing to grab a charging cord or battery pack. Similarly, if you use it less often, you can easily expect 5-6 days of use.
Battery
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Charger
On charging
The major caveat here, though, is its 18W charger, which takes around 2 hours and 45 minutes to completely charge the cell. While it’s not the slowest we’ve seen on a tablet, fast charging up to 30W would’ve been ideal.
Audio
Quad-speaker with Dolby Atmos
Furthermore, the new Realme Pad makes no concessions when it comes to audio. It includes a quad-speaker setup that supports Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio. And, believe me, the audio can grow loud enough to fill a medium-sized room. It offers a nice stereo effect, and the lows can get enough boomy to satisfy your bassheads. But, at the volume bar set to maximum, I did notice sound distortions.
Camera
Single 8MP rear camera
8MP selfie camera (landscape layout)
Realme Pad Cameras
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Back
Front
While all of the aforementioned specs attempt to fill the void left by budget tablet manufacturers, the camera is where it falls short.
Rear Camera
In well-lit circumstances, the rear 8MP camera takes decent photos. The pictures are free of noise and have good contrast. However, it has difficulty maintaining sun or sky exposure.
Rear
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What’s nice about this tablet is that it doesn’t oversaturate the greens, as other Realme phones do.
Selfie Camera
The front 8MP lens, as with most tablets, is located at the center of the right bezel. Thus, you should place the tablet in landscape mode for taking selfies.
Selfies
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The image from the front camera appears natural; nevertheless, suffers majorly from exposure maintenance. Still, the image has a decent contrast to it.
Furthermore, it is adequate for casual meetings or group chats with pals. Also, the device utilizes the front camera for face unlock, which I found to be pretty accurate and fast.
Realme Pad Review: Conclusion
Wrapping up this review, the Realme Pad can differentiate itself from other white boxes available in the market—either in terms of better software, cameras, or performance. But, then again, there is no doubt that Realme has hit the nail on the head with its first tablet, especially considering its affordability.
Also, I’m hopeful that the company would debut with a competitive tablet to beat the likes of the Xiaomi Mi Pad 5 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE. As of now, for Realme Pad, I would go so far as to rank it as one of the best go-to budget tablets in 2021.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G is the company’s latest product under its flagship lineup. Thankfully, just days after its debut in India, the phone has made its way into the Nepali market as well. Here, we will be discussing the specs, features, official price, and availability of Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G in Nepal.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G Overview:
Design and Display
Right off the bat, the company is claiming Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G to be the slimmest and lightweight 5G smartphone of 2021. The phone is 6.81mm thick and weighs just 158 grams.
Upfront, there is a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen with a left-aligned punch-hole cutout. It can switch between 60Hz and 90Hz refresh rates. It even boasts a 240Hz touch sampling rate and up to 800 nits of brightness. This 10-bit panel support HDR10+ and Dolby Vision as well.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G. This chipset is based on TSMC’s 6nm process. Other than that, it is quite identical to the Snapdragon 780G (5nm) that powered the Mi 11 Lite 5G. One can choose between 6GB or 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, both with 128 or 256GB UFS 2.2 storage.
Software
The phone boots on MIUI 12.5 based on Android 11. Xiaomi is even promising software updates of up to 3 years and an additional year of a security update.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite NE 5G flaunts a triple camera setup at the back. Leading the line is a 64MP primary camera that utilizes an f/1.79 aperture and a 6P lens. Then there is an 8MP ultrawide camera with a 119-degree Field of View and a 5MP telemacro camera.
Rest of the specs
Fueling the phone is a 4,250mAh battery that supports charging speeds of up to 33W. Xiaomi even includes a compatible charger in the box.
For biometrics, there’s a side-mounted physical fingerprint scanner. Other notable features include stereo speakers, dual-band Wi-Fi, and NFC.
Security: Fingerprint scanner (side-mounted), Face Unlock
Audio: Dual stereo speakers
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 802.1 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, USB Type-C, NFC, Bluetooth 5.1
Battery: 4,250mAh with 33W fast charging
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G in Nepal is NPR 45,999 for the 8/128GB and NPR 48,999 for the 8/256GB variant. You can buy Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G in Nepal from authorized stores like Sherisha Mobile Hub right now.
Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G
Price in Nepal
8/128GB
NPR 45,999
8/256GB
NPR 48,999
Meanwhile, check out our initial impression of the Samsung Galaxy F42 5G.
After the moderate success of Hot 10 and Hot 10 Play, Infinix has launched the third member of the Hot 10 family in Nepal. Here we will be discussing the specs, key features, official price, and availability of Infinix Hot 10S in Nepal.
Infinix Hot 10S Overview:
Design and Display
Infinix Hot 10S sports a polycarbonate body, which is available in four colors – Morandi Green, Heart of Ocean, Purple, and Black. The company says the pattern on the rear panel is designed to resemble the salt flat at Salar de Uyuni.
Over on the front, you get a large 6.82-inch IPS TFT panel. It’s an HD+ panel with support for a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate. It features a waterdrop notch to house the front-facing camera.
Performance and Memory
Inside, the phone packs gaming-centric MediaTek’s Helio G85 chipset. The same chipset has previously been used on the Infinix Note 10. It gives it a slight performance boost over the Helio G80 on the vanilla Hot 10.
As for memory, the sole variant available in Nepal comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
The phone flaunts a triple camera setup at the back. It consists of a 48MP primary camera that uses 4-in-1 pixel binning. It is accompanied by a 2MP depth sensor and the gimmicky AI Lens.
You can record 2K videos and 240FPS slo-mo videos using the setup. Other camera features include eye-tracking, auto-blur videos, and more. Upfront, there is an 8MP selfie camera with a dual-LED flash.
Rest of the Specs
Fueling the phone is a 6,000mAh battery that supports 10W charging. Infinix even includes a Power Marathon feature that lets you manage power effectively. The phone runs on Android 11 with XOS 7.6 on top. There is a physical fingerprint scanner at the back for biometrics.
The market for tablets (especially budget) has grown considerably since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Many companies have tried to capitalize on this ever-expanding segment, with the latest one being Motorola which has just launched the Moto Tab G20 in India. Here, we will be looking at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Moto Tab G20 in Nepal.
Moto Tab G20 Overview:
Design and Display
Moto Tab G20 features an 8″ IPS panel with sizeable bezels all around. The one on the top even houses a selfie camera. More about the display, it’s an HD+ screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio.
Another thing to note here is that Motorola has gone with a TDDI (Touch/Display Driver Integration) solution, which combines the display and touch sensor into a single chip, resulting in a thinner and simplified design.
Moving on, the Moto Tab G20 is 8.15mm thick and weighs around 305 grams. There is confusion regarding its built material as the official product page hints at both plastic and metal finishes.
Performance and Memory
In terms of performance, Motorola has included MediaTek Helio P22T in its latest tablet. It’s an octa-core chipset with a maximum clock speed of up to 2.3GHz. The chip was also used in Samsung’s Tab A7 Lite.
This is paired with 3GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The latter can be expanded up to 2TB using an external microSD card. To note, the Moto Tab G20 is available in a single memory configuration only.
As for optics, there’s a 5MP camera at the back with AutoFocus capability which can record up to 1080p videos at 30fps. On the other hand, the 2MP front-facing camera has no AutoFocus and can only shoot 720p videos at 30fps.
Rest of the specs
Fueling this tablet is a 5,100mAh battery, which Motorola claims can last up to 2 days. It supports 10W charging over the Type-C port. While the Tab G20 comes with a headphone jack, it misses out on stereo speakers.
As for connectivity, you get dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a SIM card slot.
Moto Tab G20 Specifications:
Dimension: 199.1 x 121.8 x 8.15mm, 305 gm
Display: 8-inch TDDI IPS display, 1280 x 800 pixels, 85% screen-to-body ratio
Cameras: 5MP rear, 2MP front
Processor: MediaTek Helio P22T (12nm)
Memory: 3GB LPDDR4x RAM, 32GB storage (expandable up to 2TB)
Audio: Single speaker with Dolby Atmos
Operating System: Android 11
Battery: 5100mAh (10W USB-C charging)
Moto Tab G20 Price in Nepal and Availability
Moto Tab G20 will go on sale in India from October 2 for the price of INR 10,999. We expect the price of the Motorola Moto Tab G20 in Nepal to be NPR 20,000, if and when it launches here.
Moto Tab G20
Price in India
Price in Nepal (Expected)
3/32GB
INR 10,999
NPR 20,000
Meanwhile, check out our picks for the best budget tablets in 2021.
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
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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).
