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Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 with Ryzen 5 5500U goes official in Nepal

Lenovo has launched a new budget notebook in the Nepali market – the IdeaPad 3 15 2021. So, let’s walk through the specs, features, availability, and official price of Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 in Nepal.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Overview:

Design and Display 

To begin with, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 flaunts a 14-inch IPS LCD panel with 250 nits of brightness. Thus, you can expect it to get bright enough for indoor usage, rather than outside. In addition, it sports a backlit keyboard and is available in a solitary Abyss Blue color option.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Design and Display

In terms of design, the Ideapad 3 15 has significant bezels on the top and bottom of the screen, while the sides get slender bezels. On top, you get a 720p webcam with a dedicated privacy shutter. Furthermore, the device scales approximately 1.7kg and measures 19.9mm in thickness. 

Performance

Powering the laptop is the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U processor. It’s a hexa-core APU with 8MB cache memory and a max boost clock speed of up to 4.0GHz. The graphics department is handled by the integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 GPU.

Alternatively, you can also go for the Intel Core i5-1165G7 variant, which comes with GeForce MX450 GPU from NVIDIA.

Over on the memory, it is available with 8GB DDR4-3200 RAM and 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD storage. Fueling the device is a 42Whr battery. 

Rest of the specs

Moreover, the Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 boots on Windows 10. On the audio side of things, it gets a stereo speaker setup with Dolby Audio. Likewise, the wireless connectivity option includes Wi-Fi 5 (2×2 802.11ac) and Bluetooth 5.0.

In terms of port selection, you get one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (support data transfer only), one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI 1.4b, an SD card reader, one 3.5mm jack, and a power connector.

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Specifications:

  • Display: 14-inch IPS panel, 250 nits brightness 
  • Resolution: Full-HD (1920 x 1080 pixels)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5500U (6C/12T, 4.0GHz) / Intel Core i7-1165G7 (4C/8T, 4.70GHz)
  • Graphics:
    • Integerated: Radeon RX Vega 7 / Intel Iris Xe 
    • Discrete: NVIDIA GeForce MX450
  • Memory: 8GB DDR4-3200MHz RAM 
  • Storage: 256GB M.2 NVMe SSD
  • Keyboard: Backlit keyboard
  • Connecitivity: Wi-Fi (2×2 802.11ac), Bluetooth 5.0
  • Battery: 42Wh, 65W AC adapter
  • Webcam: 720p with privacy shutter
  • Audio: 2x 2W speaker, Dolby Audio
  • Ports: 1x USB 3.2 Gen 1, 1x USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (support data transfer only), 1x USB 2.0, 1x HDMI 1.4b, 1x card reader, 1x 3.5mm Jack, 1x power connector

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Price in Nepal and Availability

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 is available in Nepal at a starting price of NPR 85,000 for the Ryzen 550U variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD variant. The Intel Core i7-variant with GeForce MX450 with 8GB RAM and 1TB HDD costs NPR 104,990. You can purchase IdeaPad 3 15 2021 from authorized Lenovo stores across Nepal like ITTI. 

Lenovo IdeaPad 3 15 2021 Price in Nepal
Ryzen 5 5500U, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD NPR 85,000
Intel i7-1165G7, MX450, 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD NPR 104,990

  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 2021.

A brief conversation with Realme VP Mr. Madhav Sheth on the future of Realme Nepal

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Nepal’s smartphone market just underwent one of the most exciting developments in recent times. While we’d been consistently let down by Realme Nepal’s launch delay and overpricing market tendencies, the company is effectively burning its bridge and heading for the new dawn under the new management. Now, the Realme India division will be looking after the operations of Realme Nepal—under direct leadership from Madhav Sheth whom we got to interview to clear out a few questions about this development.

In case you’re unaware, Mr. Sheth is the Vice President of Realme Global and the CEO of Realme India and Europe. We, alongside a few other Nepali tech bloggers, got a chance to talk with him about the future of Realme Nepal, and here’s how it went:

Q. Now, how long will be the delay between Realme product launches between Nepal and India?

A. It will be almost consecutive. Maybe not more than 15-20 days or at max a month. But I think it would be almost at the same time.

Q. About the products themselves, what variants will be coming to Nepal: Indian or Global?

A. (I think) whichever is easily able to reach (to) the market faster. So, it may be a global variant if they are available. I’ll make sure the global variant reaches faster. So, whichever is faster in our launches—whichever is faster to the consumers—that’s what we’ll bring.

Q. Can you disclose the upcoming devices in Realme Nepal’s portfolio?

A. (Realme) GT and GT Master is gonna be the upcoming device(s) which we’re also planning to launch in Nepal.

Q. What about the Realme X7 series?

A. (Realme) X7, X7 Max will be there but I’m talking about the new series which we’re going to launch, which is GT and GT ME (Master Edition). We’re even going to launch (them) in India. So I think those are going to be launched in Nepal as well—almost at the same time.

Q. How about the pricing of these products?

A. It will be very competitive, similar to India. (The pricing of) all our products will be almost similar to India—converted to Nepali rupees.

Q. Why didn’t Realme India intervene before, seeing the outlandish product prices set by Realme Nepal?

A. I have a different approach towards (the) market. I don’t handle (the) entire Realme, (but) I handle some of the markets of Realme. My approach is always working backward which is working for the consumers. This means that for me, consumer pricing, or consumer expectation, or consumer experience is the only thing that matters.

When I started this Nepal market, I told my management that if you really want to break through the Nepal market, you need to go through the consumer approach, not just to the distribution approach. So we need to find the right set of distributors, we have to cut off the trade margin that we could’ve very clearly.

We wanted to make sure trade margins are down to half, more than half. We make sure that basically, (the) consumer gets the right price. And that’s something that I came and did first thing. The price waterfall was my first job in Nepal—to have (the) right price waterfall from India pricing. Because we know what are the consumer expectations from India to Nepal.

Because they’re always comparing Indian websites or Indian prices to Nepal. And Nepal(i) consumers will definitely not prefer to feel cheated when they see Indian consumer prices. So that was the first task which I wanted to do. As I said (earlier), I work backward which means the consumer should not feel cheated.

The first thing we worked upon was the pricing. The second thing was the distribution margins, the third thing we worked upon was the penetration of distribution, (the) fourth thing we worked upon was which are the retailers we want to work with, the fifth thing was area distribution/zonal distribution—how we can reach to the right set of consumers.

(The) sixth thing we worked upon was the product strategies, what are the products we would launch. Only a few or all the products we have to launch here. But when I came to Nepal, my perception completely changed.

I was on a flight to Nepal with Nepal Royal Airways. Five people sitting next to me—all of them using an iPhone. (Maybe not specifically an iPhone but) a high-end phone which means the consumers want a good device in Nepal also. It’s just (about) giving more choices to the consumers.

I’m not saying that I’m one of the best but what if I’m able to give another few choices to the consumers. And that’s what we wanted to do. Realme is all about creating choices and giving more options to the consumers. That’s what we want to do.

[] Even in general, what we’ve found out is that if you have a 6/128GB and an 8/128GB variant of a phone, people tend to go for the higher-end option instead of the cheaper 6/128GB option. So, yeah there is a very good market for mid-range to high-end products.

A. Yeah. If the price difference is not too much, people who really understand specs would go for the (higher-end) 8/128GB version. Because they know what 8GB can bring to them—because RAM and ROM both are different things.

RAM, if you have a bigger RAM, you can store a lot of apps and they can run much better. But if you have (a) lower RAM variant with higher ROM, then your apps won’t run (comparatively) better because apps need space to run. RAM is one of the most important things for this particular task. So the internal RAM is extremely important.

Q. With Realme India looking after Realme Nepal as well, can we expect other Realme sub-brands like Dizo and Narzo to launch subsequently?

A. We are planning for Narzo and other AIoT products very soon. Probably what we want is that Realme establishes itself in the next 2-3 months’ time. Entire supply chain, product planning, launches, market strategies, consumer pricing—managing all these things is what I plan to do. If that is executed on the crowd at the right time, then you’ll see a lot of (Realme) products on the Nepal market.

Q. Competitors like Xiaomi have aggressively put on AIoT devices in the Nepalese market. So, can we hope to see something similar from Realme Nepal in the coming days?

A. I’m sure. You’ll see more competition here now. Once Realme comes into the picture, it’s always been known for being disruptive when it enters any market. Specifically, what happens is, when people get more choices, brands become more active, more proactive. What has happened up till now is that somebody is enjoying about 50% market share. And they haven’t bother about the customer pricing.

But when a bunch of competition comes into play, not only do the customers get more choices, but they start understanding the ground reality as well. And the ecosystem needs to have more choices. Not only for the consumers but for the entire ecosystem.

So, even if someday Realme occupies 80% market share, I wouldn’t prefer to be a part of the 80%. Because it’s not the right thing. Ideally, there should be 4-5 options in every single price range. That’s what I believe.

Q. The general consensus about Realme smartphones in Nepal is that they’re not privy to timely software updates. How will Realme Nepal address such issues?

A. When Realme launches an update, it’s always global. As I said, a lot of devices that have been imported unofficially in Nepal may not have been connected to the right network(s). Hence, that may be why we haven’t been able to send them the upgrades.

And this is another problem I’d like to mention. We manufacture stocks for India, we expect them to be latched to the networks in India. When we send the said updates, we have a complete ecosystem that determines which batch will receive them. Until now, we haven’t put Nepal’s telecom operators into consideration because we’ve assumed that those stocks were made for India.

So, we have indeed released batch updates for our products globally. But you can always share with me the phone’s IMEI number and I would also like to understand using that as a test kit, why the updates haven’t gone through.

Q. With respect to product launches and everything, the number of Realme service centers in Nepal is quite low. What can we expect from the reformed Realme Nepal in this regard?

A. There was no proper linkage of service centers before. And I’m going to make sure that spare parts are specifically available according to the volumes. What happens here has a lot to do with the economies of scale. Initially, nobody used to focus over here. There was no official channel to sell the products.

If there is no official channel, then there’s no official service center. That means there are no spare parts available. And that was what affecting the brand reputation too. Because when customers like you go to buy a Realme product, you couldn’t have known if it is from the official channel or not. You’re just gonna buy from them.

But practically we (Realme India) are not present here. Hence, I think that’s one of the key reasons took this step of coming down directly to Nepal—to set up everything from scratch.

Q. Can you also talk about building Realme Community for Nepal?

A. We’ll definitely be having a Realme Community page. But what we’re trying to create is a global community now. Realme Community India, or Europe, or Malaysia, or Nepal—everybody would be a part of one community where we’re creating groups for products now. Rather than countries, we’re creating groups for products.

Maybe some country-specific content as well, but we will emphasize more on the products. Like, say she searches for Realme 6. She can go to the community and find all the content related to Relame 6 globally, not just Nepal. So, she can get more knowledge about the product because people from all the regions will be sharing the updates. It’s gradual progress.

Q. Is launching Smart TVs a priority for Realme Nepal right now?

A. See, setting priority is everything. There’s a customer, there’s demand. The bigger point is if I’m able to bring it the right way. With the right pricing and the right product. And at the same time, you have to ask what are the challenges you’re gonna face, do I have to take the same Jagdamba route or some other distribution route?

Because maybe Jagdamba is good at mobile phones and not particularly TVs or laptops. So we’re still evaluating that particular facet. And then we’ll go further.

Q. So, if Realme Nepal eventually launches laptops and TVs, then it might appoint new distributors? 

A. Yeah, that is possible. As of now, no—but yes, it is possible for sure. Even for Narzo, we can somebody else. Narzo is definitely going to have a different distribution channel in Nepal like in India.

Q. Are previous Realme distributors in Nepal still a part of the organization or is Jagdamba the only one remaining?

A. We are talking with previous distributors as a part of our company culture. We are continuously talking to them and we’re assuring them we should work together for the best results. Because we need all the best people around Nepal to bring better results for the consumer. As I said earlier, for me, distribution is just a layer to reach customers.

It may be Jagdamba, it may be anyone else—that person has to match my vision. That person has to be very customer-focused and should be able to deliver the right products to the right place at the right time. All this, while ensuring that the pricing hasn’t been compromised. The dealer’s confidence should’ve been built by the channel.

Because the most important part in an offline market is about settling the schemes to the dealers. Suppose we’re launching a scheme worth NPR 6 crores for about 100 days. Now, the scheme has to go to the consumers and the dealers. It shouldn’t just be a PR announcement. That is the value which a company should make sure that it’s delivering.

And that is basically what we look into in any partnership. That’s the most important part. What we say, we have to fulfill it. Shanker Group has been known for keeping its promises even on spoken deals, and that’s extremely important. What they speak, they have to stand by it till the last line. Words are extremely important to me than any of the written commitments.

Realme re-enters Nepali market with a new distributor and disrupting strategies

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Realme has re-entered the Nepali market, with a new distributor and a promise to offer uncompromised devices at competitive prices. The company officially made a comeback in Nepal today in the presence of Madhav Seth (CEO of Realme India and Europe), at an event held in Soaltee Crowne plaza today. As Realme re-enters the Nepali market, let’s take a brief look at this change.

Realme re-enters Nepali market:

On its new journey, Realme has joined hands with Shanker Group as its distributor for Nepal. Shanker Group is a well-known Nepali conglomerate that oversees more than 30 companies across 14 business sectors.

Furthermore, Realme is seeking to tie up with a plethora of new partners to boost its product penetration in Nepal. The firm aim is to rank among the top two smartphone brands in Nepal by 2022. Moreover, Madhav Seth will now lead Realme’s Nepal business operations in addition to his duties in India and European markets.

What to expect?

With Mr. Seth now in charge of the country’s operations, Realme is definitely aiming to achieve new heights in the Nepali market. The brand will now focus on launching its products at democratized prices for Nepali consumers. In addition, Realme intends to extend its product portfolio not just in the smartphone market, but also in the AIoT segment in the near future.

Speaking at the event, Madhav Seth said,

“It is yet another feather in the cap of Realme’s remarkable journey and we have received great success in India and will look forward to receiving a similar achievement in Nepal where we are providing our latest and innovative products at democratized prices to Nepali users.

We aim to be among the TOP 2 smartphone brands in Nepal by 2022. As I embark on this newly added role to lead Realme’s Nepal operations, I am really thrilled and looking forward to bringing fantastic Realme products to Nepal users”.

Key takeaways

With the new management on board, Realme Nepal is set to have an entirely new market strategy. Besides aggressive pricing and timely launches, here are some more things to be excited about Realme’s Second Coming:

  • Realme GT and GT Master Edition launching soon in Nepal
  • Narzo-branded products and a bunch of AIoT devices coming soon
  • Realme service centers to be more streamlined across Nepal

Achievements

Under the leadership of Madhav Seth, Realme is currently among the top four smartphone brands in India, Czech Republic, and Greece. Furthermore, Realme is also among the leading 5G smartphone brands in India, with a 23% market share in Q2 2021. Plus, it is the fastest brand to surpass 50 million cumulative smartphone sales in India. Thus, we can anticipate a deluge of affordable products with timely launches from Realme Nepal.

  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme X7 Max.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513 with Ryzen 7 5800H launched in Nepal

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Asus has launched its new gaming machine in Nepal, called the ROG Strix G15 G513QE. It packs some intriguing features for a mid-range gaming laptop, like RTX 3050 Ti and Ryzen 7-series CPU. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, official price of the Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE in Nepal.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE Overview:

Design and Display

Strix G15 G513QE features a 15.6 inch Full HD screen with a 144Hz refresh rate. The panel covers 75.35% and 100% of Adobe and sRGB color space, respectively. Furthermore, it boasts a response time of just 3ms.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE Design and Display

In terms of design, this gaming laptop comes with an aluminum capped lid and a textured base. In addition, the G513QE has slender bezels on three sides of the screen, while the bottom gets an eyesore bezel that houses a ROG Strix branding.

Performance

Over on the performance side of things, the machine is powered by AMD’s latest Ryzen 7 5800H CPU coupled with 16GB of DDR4 RAM. The processor can reach a clock speed of up to 4.4GHz and features 16MB of cache memory.

Storage-wise, it comes with a 512GB NVMe Solid State Drive (SSD). Likewise, the graphics renderings are handled by Nvidia’s RTX 3050 Ti that comes with 4GB of GDDR6 VRAM.

Rest of the specs

Moreover, the device sports an RGB-backlit keyboard and boots on Windows 10. The I/O options include a Type C USB 3.2 (Gen 2) with Power Delivery and Display Port, three USB 3.2 (Gen 1) Type-A, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and an HDMI port. Fueling the G513QE is a 90Wh Li-ion battery.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE Specifications:

  • Display: 15.6 inch anti-glare display, 144Hz refresh rate, 3ms response time, 75.35% Adobe, 100% sRGB
  • Resolution: FHD (1920×1080 pixels)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 5800H (8 cores / 16 threads)
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti GPU
  • Memory: 16GB DDR4 RAM
  • Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
  • Keyboard: Backlit RGB Keyboard
  • Connecitivity: Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.1
  • Battery: 90Wh Li-Ion
  • Audio: 2x 4W speaker, Smart Amp Technology
  • Ports: 3x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C support DisplayPort / Power Delivery, HDMI, 3.5mm Audio Jack
  • Extras: Free backpack, mouse, ROG webcam, 2 years of warranty

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE Price in Nepal and Availability

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE is available in Nepal at an asking price of NPR 210,000 for the 16/512GB variant. You can buy it from Nagmani International (official distributor) and other authorized stores. Buying it from official sellers will get you 2 years of warranty, a gaming backpack, a gaming mouse, and a ROG webcam for free as well.

Asus ROG Strix G15 G513QE Price in Nepal Availability
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H, RTX 3050 Ti, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD NPR 210,000
  • Hukut
  • Authorized Stores
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Asus TUF Dash F15 (2021).

Motorola Edge 20 Lite with 108MP triple cameras, 90Hz OLED display goes official

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Alongside the launch of a Pro model, Motorola has launched a lite variant of the Edge 20 as well. Despite the Lite moniker, the device packs some interesting features like a 108MP triple camera setup, 90Hz OLED panel, and so on. So, let’s get into the specs, features, availability, expected price of Motorola Edge 20 Lite in Nepal.

Motorola Edge 20 Lite Overview:

Design and Display

As you can see, the Motorola Edge 20 Lite has a squarish triple camera setup at the back and a centered punch-hole cutout on the front. 

Moto Edge 20 Lite Design and Display

Furthermore, the device has a 6.7-inch 10-bit OLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. It gets the HDR10 certification as well. Motorola Edge 20 Lite is available in two color configurations – Electric Graphite and Lagoon Green.

Performance

On the performance side of things, the device comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 720 chipset coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. This silicon supports 5G and is built on a 7nm node. Fueling the device is a 5000mAh battery that charges via a 30W Turbo adapter. 

Moreover, Motorola Edge 20 Lite boots on the Android 11-based My UX interface. For extra security, the company is shipping the Edge 20 Lite with its ThinkShield protection for mobile which secures your phone from network attacks, malware, and other security threats. 

Camera

Moto Edge 20 Lite Camera and Design

In terms of optics, it has a triple camera setup on the back, led by a 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 sensor. The primary lens is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Over on the front, the handset houses a 32MP selfie camera in a centered punch-hole setup.  

Rest of the specs

For biometrics, Edge 20 Lite has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner embedded in the power button—despite featuring an OLED panel. In terms of wireless connectivity, it utilizes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. Additionally, Motorola says that it will provide two generations of Android and two years of bi-monthly security patches.

Motorola Edge 20 Lite Specifications:

  • Display: 6.7-inch OLED, 90Hz Refresh Rate, 10-bit color, HDR10
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G (7nm Mobile Platform)
  • Memory: 6GB RAM, 128GB storage
  • Software & UI: Android 11 with My UX
  • Rear Camera: Triple (108MP primary, 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP depth)
  • Front Camera: 32MP (punch-hole)
  • Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
  • Connectivity: 5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C
  • Battery: 5000mAh with 30W Turbo Charge 
  • Color options: Electric Graphite, Lagoon Green

Motorola Edge 20 Lite Price in Nepal and Availability

Motorola Edge 20 Lite retails for EUR 349.99 and its availability starts from late August. It will debut in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. We expect the price of Motorola Edge 20 Lite to be NPR 48,000, if and when it launches in Nepal.

Motorola Edge 20 Lite  Price in Europe Price in Nepal (Expected)
6/128GB EUR 349.99 NPR 48,000
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy M32.

Motorola Edge 20 and 20 Pro launched as the company’s flagship phones for 2021

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Motorola has just launched its flagship phones for 2021. The Motorola Edge 20 series features three phones – Motorola Edge 20 Lite, Edge 20, and Edge 20 Pro. In this post, we will be looking at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Motorola Edge 20 and Edge 20 Pro in Nepal.

Motorola Edge 20 and 20 Pro Overview:

Design and Display

Both Moto Edge 20 and 20 Pro feature a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel with a center-aligned cutout for the selfie camera. This 10-bit panel covers the DCI-P3 color gamut and boasts a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. You can watch HDR content in Amazon Prime Video on Motorola Edge 20 Pro.

At the back, there is a left-aligned rectangular camera module and Moto’s iconic batwing logo. They are IP52 certified for dust and splash resistance as well.

Performance and Memory

The performance is where the Motorola Edge 20 and 20 Pro start to differ from each other. Edge 20 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 870, based on last year’s 865/865+. It is paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

On the other hand, the vanilla model packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G chipset. It arrives with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Software

These phones ship with Android 11 with My UX on top. With the “Ready For” feature, you can connect the Edge 20, 20 Pro to an external display. You can even add a Bluetooth keyboard mouse for a more desktop-like experience. Motorola is promising two years of major Android OS update and bi-monthly security updates on the Edge 20 series.

Camera

Moving on, Edge 20 and 20 Pro share the same 108MP Samsung ISOCELL HM2 primary sensor. This is accompanied by a 16MP ultrawide sensor on both phones.

Motorola Edge 20 Pro Camera modulejpg

Motorola has also included an 8MP periscopic lens (5x optical zoom) in the Pro model. It is replaced with a regular 8MP telephoto lens (3x optical zoom) on the regular Edge 20. Upfront, there is a 32MP snapper for selfies and video calls.

Rest of the specs

Fueling the Edge 20 is a 4000mAh battery, whereas the Edge 20 Pro has a larger 4,500mAh battery. Despite the difference in the battery size, both phones support 30W TurboPower charging.

Motorola Edge 20, 20 Pro Specifications:

Edge 20 Pro Edge 20
Display 6.7-inch AMOLED, 10-bit, DCI-P3, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
Protection Gorilla Glass 3 Gorilla Glass 3
Chipset Snapdragon 870 5G (7nm) Snapdragon 778G 5G (6nm)
Memory 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage 8GB RAM, 128GB internal storage
Software & UI Android 11 with My UX
Rear Camera 108MP ISOCELL HM2, 16MP ultrawide, 8MP periscope lens (5x optical zoom) 108MP ISOCELL HM2, 16MP ultrawide, 8MP telephoto lens (3x optical zoom)
Front Camera 32MP sensor (punch-hole)
Connectivity 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1
Battery 4500mAh 4000mAh
Charging 30W TurboPower

Motorola Edge 20, 20 Pro Price in Nepal and Launch

The price of Motorola Edge 20 and 20 Pro is EUR 499.99 and EUR 699.99, respectively. They will go on sale from August in select markets in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. If Motorola Edge 20 and Edge 20 Pro launch in Nepal, we expect their price to be NPR 71,000 and NPR 100,000, respectively.

Smartphone Model Price in Europe Price in Nepal (Expected)
Motorola Edge 20 (8/128GB) EUR 499.99 NPR 71,000
Motorola Edge 20 Pro (12/256GB) EUR 699.99 NPR 100,000
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy M32.

Huawei P50 series finally sees the light of the day after multiple delays

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After multiple rumors and delays, the Huawei P50 series has finally made it to the smartphone market in China. This time, the flagship series consists of only two phones – P50 and P50 Pro. Here, we will be discussing the key specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Huawei P50 and P50 Pro in Nepal.

Huawei P50, P50 Pro Overview:

Since Huawei P40 Pro was launched in Nepal, we expect at least one of the two entries in the P50 series to make its way to the country as well. With that out of the way, let’s check out what the Huawei P50 and P50 pro are packing.

Design and Display

Huawei P50 Pro features a curved 6.6-inch OLED panel with a center-placed punch-hole cutout. This 10-bit panel supports a 120Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate.

The vanilla P50 has a smaller 6.5-inch OLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate and 300Hz touch sampling rate.

Like Xiaomi and Samsung, Huawei has also redesigned the camera bump for its latest flagship series. The new Dual-Matrix camera module is one of the most striking features of the series.

Performance and Memory

Huawei has found a unique way to bypass the US-imposed ban. Currently, the US has made it difficult for the company to get access to any chipset made by or using American technology. However, few companies like Qualcomm are allowed to supply 4G chips to Huawei.

As a result, the P50 series gets the 4G version of the Snapdragon 888 chipset. It is the same silicon as in other Android flagships of 2021, but with the 5G modem swapped for a 4G one instead. On the other hand, P50 Pro is also available with Huawei’s in-house Kirin 9000. Sadly, it also lacks a 5G modem.

Software

Huawei P50 and P50 Pro are the first smartphones to ship with HarmonyOS 2 out-of-the-box. It is the latest version of the cross-platform operating system that Huawei is working on.

Camera

At the back, both the Huawei P50 and P50 Pro feature the same primary camera. The 50MP sensor has an f/1.8 aperture lens. However, only the one on the Pro model has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).

Similarly, a 40MP monochrome sensor is exclusive to the Pro variant too. P50 Pro also has a 64MP telephoto lens. The regular P50, on the other hand, has a 12MP telephoto lens—while both of them boast OIS. Finally, the P50 and P50 Pro share a 13MP ultrawide camera.

Rest of the specs

Fueling the Huawei P50 is a 4,100mAh battery. The Pro model gets a slightly larger 4,360mAh cell. Still, both phones are capable of 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging. Other features include stereo speakers, Wi-Fi 6 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, in-display fingerprint sensor, to name a few.

Huawei P50, P50 Pro Specifications:

P50 P50 Pro
Body (H x W x D) 156.5 x 73.8 x 7.92-mm, 181g 158.8 x 72.8 x 8.5-mm, 195g
Display 6.5-inch AMOLED, 10-bit, 90Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate 6.6-inch curved AMOLED, 10-bit, 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate
Resolution 2700 x 1224 pixels 2700 x 1228 pixels
Chipset Snapdragon 888 (4G) Snapdragon 888 (4G) / Kirin 9000 (4G)
Memory 8GB RAM, 128/256GB internal storage 8/12GB RAM, 128/256/512GB internal storage
Software & UI HarmonyOS 2.0
Rear Camera 50MP primary, 13MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto with OIS 50MP primary with OIS, 40MP monochrome, 13MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto with OIS
Front Camera 13MP sensor (punch-hole)
Security In-display fingerprint scanner
Audio Stereo speakers
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS (AGPS / GLONASS /BeiDou / GALILEO / QZSS / NavIC), NFC
Battery 4100mAh 4360mAh
Charging 66W wired, 50W wireless charging

Huawei P50 and P50 Pro Price in Nepal

The price of Huawei P50 and P50 Pro starts at CNY 4,488 and CNY 5,988, respectively. P50 Pro will begin shipping from August 12, while its 12/512GB configuration will be available from September—just like Huawei P50. We expect the price of Huawei P50, P50 Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 90,000, NPR 120,000, respectively if they launch here.

Smartphone Model Price in China Price in Nepal (Expected)
P50 8/128GB CNY 4,488 NPR 90,000
8/256GB CNY 4,988 NPR 100,000
P50 Pro 8/128GB CNY 5,988 NPR 120,000
8/256GB CNY 6,488 NPR 135,000
8/512GB CNY 7,488 NPR 150,000
12/512GB CNY 7,988 NPR 160,000
P50 Pro (Collector’s Edition) 12/512GB CNY 8,488 NPR 175,000
  • Watch: How Huawei is preparing for its Google-less future

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Review: Great Value

“Fan Edition” of existing products has been an astounding hit for Samsung. This was limited to smartphones until last year although it’s been expanded to tablets now. While the company’s primary philosophy of FE devices for smartphones consists of delivering a flagship-level experience on a relatively lesser asking price, things seem to have taken a turn in a different direction with the Tab S7 FE. Let’s learn more in this review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Specifications:

  • Body: 185.0 x 284.8 x 6.3mm, 608 gm, All-metal construction
  • Display: 12.4-inches TFT LCD, 60Hz Refresh Rate
  • Resolution: WQXGA (2560 x 1600 pixels), 16:10 aspect ratio, 243 PPI
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G (8nm Mobile Platform)
  • CPU: Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Kryo 570 & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 570)
  • GPU: Adreno 619
  • Memory: 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB storage (expandable)
  • Software & UI: Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI 3.1 on top
  • Rear Camera: Single (8MP sensor, 1080p/30fps videos)
  • Front Camera: 5MP sensor (1080p/30fps videos)
  • Audio: Dual stereo speakers (Tuned by AKG), Dolby Atmos audio
  • Security: Face unlock, No fingerprint reader
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Geomagnetic, Hall, Light
  • Connectivity: Single-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE, 5G
  • Battery: 10,090mAh with 45W fast charging (15W adapter inside the box)
  • Color options: Mystic Black, Mystic Silver, Mystic Green, Mystic Pink
  • Price in Nepal: Rs. 69,999 (4/64GB | LTE)

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Review:

Before heading on to the review, I have to point out Samsung Nepal’s excellent pricing policy for the Galaxy Tab S7 FE. To note, this tablet costs Rs. 5,200 cheaper here in Nepal compared to what it retails for in India. This alone changes the value proposition for the Tab S7 FE.

Performance

  • Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G SoC (8nm)
  • 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB storage (expandable)
  • Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI 3.1 on top

Anyway, as the name suggests, this tablet takes its inspiration from Samsung’s Tab S7 series from 2020. But unlike how the Galaxy S20 FE borrows the premium chip from its non-FE sibling, the Tab S7 FE introduces a different trend altogether. Unlike Snapdragon 865+ on the regular Tab S7 duo, performance sees a big dip here with its Snapdragon 750G chip on board.

Therefore, the Tab S7 FE is definitely not for those who want a powerful do-it-all tablet—or something that could replace your laptop since it also supports DeX and keyboard input. Samsung has paired this 5G-ready mid-range silicon with 4/6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. I have the base 4/64GB variant with me and for the most part, its performance is fairly acceptable for everyday usage.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Display 1

Multitasking between lightweight apps is fine although keeping 4-5 apps open for a while will result in app-reload. Yet, with its big screen real-estate, multitasking on this tablet has been a delightful experience—despite the minor hiccups every now and then.

Samsung ships it with One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 and this time, the UI/UX feels a lot optimized while the minor visual changes are a welcome upgrade too—compared to One UI 2 on last year’s Tab S6 Lite. For instance, the volume slider now pops up on the side instead of making you drag your hand all the way to the top.

Multitasking madness

Still, the default system animations are a little heavy so I had to dial it down to 50% under the developer options for a smoother experience. Samsung also lets you utilize this big screen by allowing up to 3 apps to be opened at once.

As a result, I could be reading an article on the web, watching a YouTube video about it, and taking notes—all at the same time. And if that’s not enough, you can even add floating apps over the three, control their transparency/size, minimize/maximize them for the “productivity beastmode” moments.

But honestly, it just ends up looking like those horrifying multi-toolbar setups on Internet Explorer so I never really got around using it. Say you use a certain combo of apps often, there’s the option to pin them on the Edge Panel for quick launch too.

What about gaming?

Moving on, the gaming performance of this tablet is pretty respectable as well. Relatively less demanding titles like Asphalt 9 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang play at their highest setting pretty smoothly.

Similarly, Call of Duty Mobile is playable at High graphics and Very High frame rate with practically zero frame drops or stutters whereas PUBG Mobile renders smooth gameplay under Balanced graphics and Ultra frame rate. While its large chassis ensures efficient heat dissipation, continuously gaming for about an hour or so gets it warm near the front camera module.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Gaming

Yet, the aforementioned wide chassis makes sure that the heat doesn’t spread to the other edges of the tablet. All in all, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE is definitely not a winner in terms of its performance. For its price, I strongly believe Samsung should’ve gone with something like the Snapdragon 870 or even Snapdragon 860—at least.

The older UFS 2.1 storage protocol also shows its age when it comes to stuff like opening apps and such. Having said that, if your workload revolves around simple note-taking, attending online classes, or sketching, this tablet performs with flying colors.

S Pen

  • Bluetooth-free stylus
  • Less than 30ms latency

Moreover, Tab S7 FE’s S Pen differs from the one you get with its more expensive siblings as well. First off, there’s no magnetic strip at the back of the tablet to charge this stylus. Instead, this standard, Bluetooth-free stylus clips onto the side. It does come bundled inside the box, which is great.

Now, I’m no artist by any means so its <30ms latency wasn’t an issue for me under regular usage like note-taking, scribbling, and the likes. To compare, Samsung ships an active S Pen with an impressive 9ms latency on the flagship Tab S7 series.

Even so, I tried doodling a thing or two here and found that the advertised latency is barely noticeable. But I’m sure professional digital artists will disagree. Regardless, this screen’s palm rejection works wonders and I didn’t notice a single instance of accidental touches.

Comfortably helpful

Because of the tablet’s large form factor, I often found myself reaching for the S Pen to get around it. This stylus is more than lightweight enough to dismiss any notion of discomfort, while its touch response is great as well.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - S Pen

It is pressure-sensitive too, meaning you can switch the intensity of a brush on the sketchpad depending on how hard you press on it. Likewise, the side-button also doubles as an eraser when you’re making edits via Samsung Notes. Or, it can trigger the stylus shortcuts, provided that you have it pointing to the screen pretty closely.

Anyway, there are multiple standout features to talk about here. The one I like the most is called “S Pen to Text” which is similar to Scribble on iPadOS 14. Basically, this transforms every text input field into a writable area and converts your handwriting to text.

Throughout my usage, this feature has worked well despite my fairly rough handwriting. Oh, and for some reason, Samsung disables “S Pen to Text” by default so you’ll have to manually enable it. Other useful things this stylus can do include text translation, smart selection, and more.

Design

  • 185.0 x 284.8 x 6.3mm, 608 gm
  • Metallic construction, glass front
  • Separate Keyboard Folio accessory

Okay, getting to the design—the Galaxy Tab S7 FE cuts no corners. Apart from the missing magnetic strip for a stylus at the back, its all-metal body is indistinguishable from the flagship Tab S7 series. A minimalistic Samsung logo sits parallel to the camera module at the back, while there’s a “Sound by AKG” branding on the bottom center.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Design 1

Besides this, antenna lines run across the top and bottom edges of the back panel. As of now, Tab S7 FE is only available in the LTE/5G variant while the company says a WiFi-only option is dropping later on. Nevertheless, I’m all here for this metal construction as the tablet is extremely well-built and feels premium.

You can choose from four soft hue finishes and this Mystic Silver option that I have with me looks quite classy. Weighing 608 grams, it is most definitely not the comfortable thing to hold though. In fact, it is even heavier than the Tab S7+ which maxes out at 575 grams.

Hold it steady

Holding it for a while on a single hand had me searching for reinforcement—or someplace to mount this tablet steady. So yeah, this muscle exercise will definitely take some time to get used to. For easier handling and added productivity, Samsung also offers a Keyboard Folio that magnetically attaches to the side.

While I haven’t gotten around using it, its trackpad-less design immediately raises doubts about seamless productivity. Regardless, holding the Tab S7 FE with two hands is no problem—thanks to the excellent weight distribution and chamfered edges. Measuring 6.3mm in thickness, this tablet is pretty thin too.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Design 2

Here, the company has installed all the buttons on the top-right frame while the hybrid SIM tray sits below it. Over on the top, you’ll see a primary microphone and a speaker grille whereas the left frame includes the keyboard connector. Finally, the bottom of the tablet completes the dual-speaker setup and hosts a USB-C port.

Some minor misses

Despite all this, I do have a couple of minor complaints on the design front. You see, Samsung has omitted a fingerprint reader on the Galaxy Tab S7 FE—leaving you with 2D face unlock for biometric verification.

On top of its security flaws, face unlock sometimes fails to work here when you have the tablet in portrait orientation since the front camera is on the side. Additionally, the decision to skip a headphone jack baffles me as well.

Display

  • 12.4-inches WQXGA TFT LCD screen
  • 60Hz refresh rate, 16:10 aspect ratio

Over on the display, Samsung has installed a big 12.4” screen here. This size is similar to what you get with the Tab S7+ but the similarity between the two ends there. Unlike the vibrant Super AMOLED panel, this Fan Edition device opts for a TFT panel instead. As a result, things don’t look nearly as vibrant as they would on an OLED display.

Plus, this screen doesn’t incorporate a 120Hz high refresh rate either—unlike the other entries in the Tab S7 series. So, the noticeable jitter/delay when scrolling through the UI is a lot pronounced on this 12.4” display. Tuning down the animation scale under developer options does help a lot though.

Anyway, Tab S7 FE enjoys a 16:10 aspect ratio for a tall viewing experience. Unlike the squarish 4:3 aspect ratio of practically every iPad, this results in a lot less letterbox (black bars) when streaming videos. Packing a 2560×1600 WQXGA resolution and a 243 PPI pixel density, the contents look pretty sharp here.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Display 2

From icons, texts, to other UI elements, I couldn’t notice pixelation on this screen.  However, maybe it’s the GPU’s inefficacy of pushing enough pixels, games being under-optimized for such large screens, or it’s the relatively low pixel density, graphics in games like PUBG, COD looks slightly jaggy—even with anti-aliasing turned on.

Quite vibrant TFT panel

Moving on, Samsung has certainly tried to spice up this TFT panel. I mean, colors look extra punchy here—to the point where it looks oversaturated. But if you prefer vibrant colors, I doubt you’re gonna complain. Still, it obviously can’t match the contrast, colors, energy efficiency of an AMOLED panel.

I would’ve also liked to dial down the red levels here but the option for that is missing in the settings. In terms of brightness, the Tab S7 FE delivers respectable visibility even when you’re outdoors.

Viewing angles are fine as well although I did notice mild IPS glow in the bottom left edge of the screen. This is visible when the dynamic combo of dimly-lit content in a dark room comes together. Yet, I couldn’t tell this apart under most of my regular usage so it’s not that big a deal, I guess.

Cameras

  • Single rear camera setup (8MP sensor)
  • 5MP selfie camera (landscape layout)

Let’s now shift our gears to the cameras. Unfortunately, Samsung’s downgrade drift continues on this department as well—although it’s not one I’d classify as a dealbreaker. While the standard Tab S7 duo features a dual-camera arrangement at the back, the Tab S7 FE skips the ultrawide sensor and brings an inferior 8MP camera instead of the 13MP sensor.

Over on the front, it has a 5MP camera in a landscape layout. And for a tablet, the quality of these cameras is pretty good. I attended multiple Zoom meetings with my friends and family and received no complaints regarding the video quality. Audio pickup from the microphone leaves no room for criticism either.

Once again, this landscape camera layout is a great design choice and therefore makes attending online classes a merry experience.

Now, if you’re one of those “dads with iPads” who takes pictures from a tablet, you’ll be glad to know that Tab S7 FE’s dual cameras shoot half-decent photos.

Yet, images from the primary lens look a bit oversaturated while details turn out soft as well. It even supports the “Single Take” mode for taking multiple artistic shots at once.

On the other hand, the selfie camera dials down saturation by a lot although it can’t capture well-detailed shots either.

Audio

  • Dual stereo speakers
  • Dolby Atmos audio

Similarly, this tablet could be a good multimedia consumption device thanks to its dual-speaker setup. While this is still a rank below the quad-speaker array on the regular Tab S7 series, I found myself enjoying its output.

It can get more than loud enough to fill an average-sized room and the mids and highs sound quite clear—although it does sound a little distorted when cranking up the volume to max. Also, don’t expect too much from the bass department. Tuned by AKG, these speakers also support Dolby Atmos audio for an even more immersive listening experience.

Battery

  • 10,090mAh battery with 45W fast charging
  • 15W power adapter provided inside the box

In terms of battery, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE features a mammoth 10,090mAh cell—just like the Tab S7+. Samsung says this tablet can last up to 13 hours of video streaming and with that benchmark, I was expecting at least a day or two of endurance.

Galaxy Tab S7 FE - Charging

With a couple of sessions of everything, including gaming, web browsing, streaming videos, and attending video calls, I managed to get around 6-6.5 hours of screen-on time here—with the brightness level set to 60 – 70% on average. This is a fairly respectable endurance while it does fall a little short of my expectations. But the bigger disappointment here lies on the charging front.

Even though the Tab S7 FE supports 45W fast charging, Samsung has been greedy enough to ship a mere 15W adapter inside the box. With it, you’ll gonna have to wait around 3 hours and 4 minutes before this tablet fully juices up to 100%. I also tested out its charging speed with a 25W connector and that brought the number down to a little over 2 hours.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Review: Conclusion

To wrap up this review, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE is a great value-for-money tablet—especially in Nepal. Its closest competitor, the iPad 10.2 (2020) is costlier considering how this LTE-ready variant of Tab S7 FE also comes with a free stylus. So, if you’re in the market for a sub-premium Android tablet in Nepal, this is the one to get.

Having said that, the Galaxy Tab S7 FE is far from perfect. One major thing that’s disappointed me here, is the lack of a flagship-grade chipset. Despite its potential to replace a laptop for many, the relatively underpowerful silicon keeps it from achieving its true potential. Still and all, Snapdragon 750G is a more-than-capable mid-range chip that will get you through your everyday lightweight workloads.

  • Watch our video review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Great value for money
  • Premium all-metal design
  • One UI 3 is well-optimized
  • Free stylus inside the box
  • Acceptable camera quality
  • Loud dual stereo speakers

Cons:

  • Relatively inferior chipset
  • Missing AMOLED display
  • No high refresh rate support
  • No 45W charger on board

POCO M3 Pro Review: Too Many Compromises For 5G

POCO’s mid-range lineup strategy for 2021 is pretty straightforward. Here, you get to choose between two devices: X3 Pro and M3 Pro. The X3 Pro, as we know, focuses on the performance side of things, while the POCO M3 Pro 5G, which I will be discussing in this review, is intended towards 5G democratization.

POCO M3 Pro 5G Specifications:

  • Body: 75.34 x 161.81 x 8.92mm, 190 gm
  • Display: 6.5-inches IPS LCD, 90Hz Refresh Rate, 70.8% NTSC, Gorilla Glass 3
  • Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio, 405 PPI
  • Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G (7nm Mobile Platform)
  • CPU: Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55)
  • GPU: Arm Mali-G57 MC2
  • Memory: 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB UFS 2.2 storage (expandable)
  • Software & UI: Android 11 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 on top
  • Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
    – 48MP, f/1.79 primary sensor
    – 2MP, f/2.4 macro camera
    – 2MP, f/2.4 depth sensor
  • Front Camera: 8MP f/2.0 sensor (punch-hole)
  • Audio: Loudspeaker, 3.5mm headphone jack, Hi-Res audio
  • Security: Side-mounted fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Electronic Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity, IR Blaster
  • Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Beidou, USB Type-C, 4G LTE, 5G
  • Battery: 5000mAh with 18W fast charge (22.5W adapter inside the box)
  • Color options: POCO Yellow, Power Black, Cool Blue
  • Price in Nepal: Rs. 23,999 (4/64GB)

POCO M3 Pro 5G Review:

But apart from 5G, is it a good phone for the price? For this, I have been testing POCO M3 Pro 5G alongside the Redmi Note 10S, so let’s get straight into the review.

Design

  • 75.34 x 161.81 x 8.92mm, 190 gm
  • Plastic back/frame, glass front

As always, let’s talk about the design first. Here, POCO has gone with a glossy plastic finish, which kinda looks like glass at a glance. But sadly, it attracts fingerprints and smudges way too easily.

POCO M3 Pro 5G - Design 2

It would have been better had the company stuck with the faux-leather finish we saw on the cheaper POCO M3. Plus, this big black envelope near the camera module has a sizeable Poco branding, which is just too much for me. On the contrary, I prefer the subtle gradient colors and cleaner looks of the Redmi Note 10S.

It is a bit heftier than the Note 10S too—although it’s not uncomfortably bulky or heavy. In fact, POCO M3 Pro’s hands-on feel is like that of any other Xiaomi phone we’ve reviewed recently.

You also get a classic side-mounted fingerprint sensor here that doubles as a home button. This fingerprint sensor is located in just the right position and is a reliable one.

Display

  • 6.5-inches FHD+ IPS LCD screen
  • 90Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3

Upfront, there is a 6.5-inch FullHD screen with a circular camera cutout at the top center. It runs at 60Hz by default, but you can switch to the smoother 90Hz option as well.

POCO M3 Pro 5G - Display 1

All through my usage, I turned on the 90Hz mode and it was a fairly smooth experience when scrolling the web pages or navigating the UI. But, as with most of Xiaomi’s mid-range phones, if you scroll through say, Google Cards or the multitasking tray, at times, you will notice lags or micro stutters.

Besides this, the biggest downside with POCO M3 Pro’s LCD screen is that it simply can’t produce deeper black levels as an AMOLED panel can. Plus, I noticed its color reproduction to be on the cooler side too. As a result, it doesn’t look as saturated when compared to the Redmi Note 10S.

Overall, this is a pretty average screen to look at and for what POCO is asking for the phone, there are readily available alternatives with a superior OLED display.

Performance

  • Octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 5G SoC (7nm)
  • 4/6GB LPDDR4X RAM, 64/128GB UFS 2.2 storage (expandable)
  • Android 11 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 12 for POCO on top

That being said, it’s the chipset where POCO M3 Pro has its best competitive advantage. Here, the phone is powered by Dimensity 700, which happens to be the cheapest 5G-ready chipset from MediaTek.

Talking about 5G, the global variant of the phone supports twelve 5G bands while the Indian variant caps out at just five, which is still more than some of the high-end phones. So, I can’t really complain.

POCO M3 Pro 5G - Design 1

As far as the core performance of the Dimensity 700 goes, it’s a capable device. It is quite similar to the Helio G95 powering the Note 10S. Hence, day-to-day tasks such as using social media, chatting, and the likes are easily handled.

Gaming experience

For gaming, you can play PUBG Mobile smoothly under Balanced graphics and Ultra frame rate and I didn’t notice any frame drops here either. The phone does get warm if you play for over 30 minutes or so but I wouldn’t necessarily call it a heating issue.

Likewise, COD Mobile runs smoothly in its max settings at Medium graphics and High refresh rate whereas a relatively light game like Mobile Legends is playable in 60fps.

Still, comparing it against the Note 10S, you will get slightly lower fps in most of the games here which is primarily because of the comparatively inferior GPU on the Dimensity 700. I noticed this when playing Genshin Impact where I encountered slight stutters even under the lowest settings.

What about the MIUI?

Another drawback of the POCO M3 Pro, which extends to practically every other mid-range Xiaomi phone as well, is the MIUI operating system.

POCO M3 Pro 5G - UI

It gets quarterly security updates a bit late, there’s a lot of pre-installed apps, and you will encounter frequent ads too. Likewise, MIUI’s dark mode is still broken, and even after the recent version 12.5 update on other Xiaomi phones, it’s not fixed yet.

Cameras

  • Triple-camera setup at the back
  • (48MP main, 2MP macro, 2MP depth)
  • 8MP selfie camera in the punch-hole cutout

So far, the POCO M3 Pro, apart from its 5G capability, looks like an inferior product compared to the Redmi Note 10S. So, I was curious to know if its cameras could salvage the reputation somehow. Sadly, the phone disappoints in this regard as well.

Normal Images

As you can see from these samples, photos shot from the Note 10S is better in all the aspects like dynamic range, details, and sharpness while the POCO M3 Pro fails to maintain good contrast.

Plus, the M3 Pro does not have an ultra-wide lens either which is a big miss for the phone in my opinion.

Portrait Images

In terms of portraits, the Redmi Note 10S once again comes off victorious as it preserves better skin tone, details, and highlights.

On the other hand, POCO M3 Pro’s portraits look washed out and soft.

Selfie Images

A similar trend continues with the selfie images too, where the POCO M3 Pro’s 8MP camera produces washed-out and soft-looking subjects. On the other hand, the superior 13MP shooter on the Note 10S retains better details and fuller-looking colors making it a better selfie camera phone.

But sometimes, the Note 10S introduces this red tint in its images which makes the selfies look a little weird.

You can notice similar properties with the selfie portraits as well. Edge detection is similar on both phones though.

Nighttime Images

Getting to the nighttime shots, as with most other mid-range phones, you will notice muddy images with sub-par details on both of them.

When turning on night mode, the photos become bright and colors are boosted too, sometimes even unnaturally so. However, the details don’t improve so much here.

Videography

When it comes to video recording, you are limited to 1080p/30fps recordings on the POCO M3 Pro 5G in comparison to up to 4k/30fps mode on the Note 10S. 1080P/30fps videos look quite similar from these phones in terms of stabilization and overall quality where both devices produce a slightly wobbly output.

Battery

  • 5000mAh battery with 18W fast charging
  • 22.5W power adapter provided inside the box

Unlike the subpar cameras, the 5,000mAh battery of the POCO M3 Pro is pretty good though. It provided me with up to 8 hours of screen-on time under moderate usage, which translates to a full day of usage. And with the included 22.5W charger, the phone goes from 0 to 100% in around 2 hours.

POCO M3 Pro 5G - Charging

As for audio, I was surprised to see POCO omit a dual stereo speaker here since the cheaper POCO M3 comes with one. In terms of the quality, as you would expect, it’s not that good. So, that’s another unnecessary compromise in my opinion.

POCO M3 Pro 5G Review: Conclusion

Overall, I feel like there are just too many sacrifices on the POCO M3 Pro for me to recommend it to anyone. It does have 5G, but besides this, it’s an inferior product when looking at the alternatives like Note 10S. And since the latter supports carrier aggregation in 4G connectivity, 5G isn’t an absolute need even if it’s available in your region.

Also, this problem isn’t exclusive to the POCO M3 Pro. The sad truth is almost every mid-range 5G phones are way inferior to their 4G counterpart. For instance, the Realme 8 5G, Narzo 30 5G, and the recently launched Vivo Y72 5G all bring a significant compromise in one aspect or the other.

  • Watch our video review of the POCO M3 Pro 5G.

POCO M3 Pro 5G Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • 90Hz refresh rate on a budget
  • 5G-ready powerful chipset
  • Decent gaming experience
  • Impressive battery endurance

Cons:

  • Smudge-prone glossy design
  • Micro-stutters in 90Hz mode
  • Under-optimized dark mode
  • Relatively inferior cameras
  • Omits a dual speaker setup

Huawei FreeBuds Pro with dynamic noise cancellation now available in Nepal

Huawei FreeBuds Pro is the most advanced truly wireless earbuds the company has to offer. It looks to compete against Apple’s AirPods Pro that it is the namesake of. Finally, FreeBuds Pro is now available in Nepal as well. So, let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of Huawei FreeBuds Pro in Nepal.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro Overview:

Design

It was clear that the design of the Huawei FreeBuds 3 was inspired by Apple’s AirPods lineup. With the FreeBuds Pro, Huawei has made it even more apparent. Its carrying case sports a design that is almost similar to that of Apple’s AirPods Pro. FreeBuds Pro is available in three color options – Ceramic White, Silver Frost, and Carbon Black.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro design

Its stem looks distinct because of the rectangular form factor. However, the actual earbuds still borrow some aspect of the Apple AirPods Pro, especially the ear unit. It now comes with silicone ear tips that weren’t available with the FreeBuds 3.

Thus, we expect the new dual-ear cavity conduction design on the new FreeBuds Pro to be more comfortable to the ear than its predecessor. Huawei has included three pairs of silicone ear tips in the box for a better fit. It also supports Intelligent Compactness Detection that will recommend the best size that fits your ear.

Drivers and Connectivity

FreeBuds Pro features 11nm ultra-magnetic dynamic drivers. The earbuds are capable of automatically adjusting the sound and timber, based on the signals received by the in-ear earphones. Altogether, the TWS features three mics, out of which two are located on the outside. They are equipped with anti-wind noise cancellation to eliminate wind interference.

Huawei has also included a bone voice sensor that detects and strengthens voices by interpreting the bone vibration. The company has not specified the chipset used in the earbuds but says it is Bluetooth 5.2 certified. Coupled with dual Bluetooth antennas, Huawei claims that the FreeBuds Pro is capable of limiting the latency to just 180ms.

ANC and Voice Modes

Huawei claims that FreeBuds Pro is the world’s first earbuds with dynamic noise reduction technology. It claims that dynamic drivers together with the three mic systems can achieve noise canceling effect up to 40dB. You can toggle between three levels of noise cancellation.

Huaewi FreeBuds Pro Charging Case

It also supports two voice modes – Voice and Awareness mode. The latter tries to replicate’s Apple’s Transparency mode by letting in sound from the surrounding. The added Voice modes make the voices even more prominent by filtering out the noise and as it only lets voices pass through.

Battery

Moving on, FreeBuds Pro’s 55mAh battery can last up to 4 hours of continuous playback. Turn off ANC and it will last up to 7 hours. With the 580mAh battery in the power case, this number can be scaled up to 30 hours. The charging case can fill up the earbuds in 40 minutes. While it takes an hour to fully charge using the 6W charger (without the earbuds), with wireless charging, the charging time of the case doubles.

Huawei FreeBuds Pro Specifications:

  • Dimension: 26 x 29.6 x 21.7mm, 6.1g
  • Case’s Dimension: 70 x 51.3 x 24.6mm, 60g
  • Driver: 11mm, dynamic
  • Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.2)
  • Music Time: 4hr (with Noice cancellation turned on), 20hr (with charging case)
  • Battery capacity: 55mAh (each earbud), 580mAh (power case)
  • Battery Charging time: 40mins (Earbuds), 1hour (Charging case)
  • Power Case Charger: Type-C (5V, 1.2A), Wireless (2W)
  • Controls: Press control (once/twice/thrice/long price), Swipe (up/down)
  • Active Noise Cancellation: Yes (three levels)
  • Extra Features: Wear Detection, Awareness mode, Pop-up & Pair, Voice Mode, Bone Sensor Supported
  • Color: Ceramic White, Carbon Black, Silver Frost

Huawei FreeBuds Pro Price in Nepal and Availability

Huawei FreeBuds Pro is now available in Nepal for the price of NPR 23,990. You can buy FreeBuds Pro from Huawei authorized retail stores across Nepal or contact the company on their official Facebook page for more info.

TWS Earbuds Price in Nepal Availability
Huawei FreeBuds Pro NPR 23,990 Huawei authorized stores
  • Meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme Buds Q2.