Scientists have developed a new ultra-thin film for ordinary glasses that lets people see in the dark. The film uses tens of nanometre-scale crystals that convert infrared light into visible pictures.
Ultra-thin film lets glasses see in the dark :
Researchers believe that the film can be fitted into an ordinary glass and can aid in eliminating the problem with compromised visibility at night. The idea is still in its early stages, but experts believe that it has the potential to transform the lens industry.
This allows for the purchase of low-cost, lightweight night vision goggles. For instance, the night vision goggles used by the military and police are far bulkier than standard goggles.
Development
Scientists from Australian National University (ANU) and Nottingham Trent University have been jointly working on the project. As per the research team, the ultra-compact technology doesn’t require any power source to operate.
“We have made the invisible visible,” said Dr. Rocio Camacho Morales, ANU’s lead postdoctoral researcher.
Image: Nanometre-scale crystals that are hundreds of times thinner than human hair.
The thin film can convert infrared light, which is typically invisible to the human eye, into a crisp image. Even from a distance, you can see clear images in front of your eyes.
Likewise, the film comprises hundreds of nanometer-scale crystals composed of gallium arsenide semiconductors. These minuscule crystals can change the color or frequency of the light that travels through the film, converting infrared photons into images visible to the eye.
Tests
During the test of film, it produced green visuals similar to those observed when wearing night-vision goggles. According to an ANU physics professor, the prototype device uses the film to control light in a unique way that is distinct from night vision goggles.
Furthermore, the goggles convert the infrared lights by creating electrons whose signals change to a usable image that humans can see.
Image: Samples with the film on the lens
Dragomir Neshev, ANU professor in physics says that “This is the first time anywhere in the world that infrared light has been successfully transformed into visible images in an ultra-thin screen.”
Dr. Mohsen Rahmani, Associate Professor at Nottingham Trent University who led the study, believes that it will now be simpler to see in the dark.
Meanwhile, check out our comparison of Mi 11X vs iQOO 7.
Here, I am going to be sharing our long-term review of the OnePlus 9. While I’ve been busy testing so many midrange phones that have launched in 2021 so far, one of our team members who is also a OnePlus enthusiast was tasked with using the OnePlus 9 as his daily driver for 2 months. Okay, let’s get into it.
OnePlus 9 Specifications:
Body: 74.2 x 160 x 8.7mm, 192 gm, Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Okay, let’s start with the performance side of things. As expected, the company has not made any compromises here compared to the more expensive OnePlus 9 Pro.
Hence, it delivers as good a smartphone experience as relatively more expensive devices. Yet it feels like OnePlus has cheaped out a little bit in terms of the vibration motor as its haptics is not as good as the 9 Pro. Regardless, we are yet to encounter even the slightest hint of stutter in this Snapdragon 888-powered beast—no matter the intensity of the workload.
Plus, it does not heat up as much as the 9 Pro either. I don’t mean to say the OnePlus 9 stays cool under every condition but I have experienced its cooling solution to be slightly more effective than the 9 Pro while playing games or shooting 4K videos and such.
Gaming experience
Moving on. As with all the other phones with this flagship chipset, the OnePlus 9 is able to handle even the most graphics-intensive titles like Genshin Impact smoothly in the default settings. But, cranking up the settings to 60 fps, the gameplay is still fairly smooth although it introduces few jitters every now and then.
However, the bigger caveat here is that the phone heats up beyond 42-43ºC surface temperature under this. So, we recommend you stick with the default setting in Genshin Impact for a stable and comfortable gaming experience.
During this review, we also played our fair share of PUBG Mobile on the OnePlus 9. Here, the phone maintained a stable 40 fps in the highest of settings. And thanks to the incredibly low touch latency of 240Hz, the gameplay on this phone is further elevated.
However, to differentiate it from the Pro model, the company has skipped the “Hyper Touch” feature here that can bump the screen’s touch response all the way to 360Hz. Such petty compromises from OnePlus have become so common in the past couple of years that I can’t say I’m surprised.
On top of the discounted touch sampling rate, OnePlus has failed to bring 90fps gameplay in PUBG Mobile on this year’s flagship phones like on the OnePlus 8 series. As a result, the newer models can only hit a maximum of 60fps in extreme frame rates and HDR graphics.
Heating issue?
Plus, as I mentioned earlier, the OnePlus 9 does heat up while gaming. A couple of recent updates have minimized the issue to some extent, but it looks like Snapdragon 888 is the bigger culprit here.
Gaming aside, normal day-to-day task on this 120Hz refresh rate screen has been a great experience. The company’s OxygenOS is really well implemented and we’ve had no issues concerning sluggishness or stutters while scrolling, multitasking, and the likes here.
Left: OnePlus 9 | Right: OnePlus 9 Pro
The only thing I am slightly disappointed by is that OnePlus has been pretty slow with monthly updates on its phones since both the OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are still running on May’s security patch while we’re already halfway past June.
In comparison, Samsung has been doing incredibly well in this regard and I desperately hope OnePlus raises its software update game. Besides this, the company has also made other compromises here.
More compromises
For instance, the Indian variant of the OnePlus 9 only supports two 5G bands at a time when cheaper phones like the Realme X7 Max bring seven 5G bands. To note, the global variant that we have with us supports well over ten 5G bands. I think this regional variation is most likely to keep the prices lower in India since the global variant is 20-25% pricier than what OnePlus 9 costs in India.
Design & Build
74.2 x 160 x 8.7mm, 192 grams
Gorilla Glass 5 (front/back), plastic frames
No IP certification for dust/water protection
And not to forget that it does not have any IP rating either—well, that’s not entirely accurate. The frustratingly exclusive truth here is that the OnePlus 9 buyers in the US who purchase it from T-Mobile are indeed privy to IP68 certification. And no market else.
On top of this, it comes with plastic frames which I think is yet another letdown considering comparatively affordable phones like iQOO 7 Legend and the Mi 11X Pro brag metal frames.
Now, don’t get me wrong, the OnePlus 9 has a really impressive ergonomic design. It’s handy and with the flat display, we’ve had no issues regarding accidental or ghost touches here either. Also, it’s quite lightweight too. So unlike other bulkier phones, it’s not a struggle using the OnePlus 9 for a longer duration.
Buttons, Ports
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Buttons
Ports
Despite all this, if we had to rate its looks, well I would only give it a B+. That’s because the phone does not look and feel like a premium device. Instead, it looks like any other mid-range phone out there, especially this glossy Arctic Black variant that we have. OnePlus seriously could have done so much better in this regard!
Older-gen Gorilla Glass 5
Also, like the 9 Pro, the company has gone with the older-generation Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back instead of the Gorilla Glass Victus, which is Corning’s latest and greatest offering. Our unit hasn’t suffered from scratches yet, but I think they could have at least settled for the Gorilla Glass 6 if not the Victus.
Display
6.55-inches FHD+ Fluid AMOLED display
120/240Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
1100 nits peak brightness, HDR10+
Anyway, we have little to complain about the display though. While it doesn’t get as bright as that on the 9 Pro, it is bright enough under any kind of harsh lighting situation.
Do note that this 6.55” AMOLED screen is not QHD. Yet, its FHD resolution is still top quality. Plus, with the ever-so-optimized software, we have never faced laggy UI transition or jerky interface, which we’ve frequently encountered on Xiaomi or Realme phones. This is one of the few things great about OnePlus phones!
Left: OnePlus 9 | Right: OnePlus 9 Pro
However, it misses out on the DC dimming feature which was present on the OnePlus 8 series. Regardless, watching videos on this phone has been an enjoyable ride. Plus, its stereo speakers are as good as those on the 9 Pro which further adds to the content-consumption experience. They’re loud with really balanced mids and highs.
This AMOLED screen is also house to an optical in-display fingerprint sensor which is expectedly fast and accurate. Still, OnePlus could have placed the sensor a little higher, but over time you will get used to it.
Cameras
Triple-camera setup at the back
(48MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 2MP mono)
16MP selfie camera (punch-hole cutout)
Cameras
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Back
Front
Alright, now let’s talk about the cameras. I have already emphasized at length on how OnePlus created unnecessary hype around its partnership with popular camera maker Hasselblad in my review of the OnePlus 9 Pro, so I don’t want to beat a dead horse here.
Anyhow, this phone borrows the 48MP Sony IMX689 primary sensor from the 8 Pro. But the good news is that it gets the same 50MP ultra-wide free form lens like the 9 Pro and completing the setup is an underwhelming 2MP monochrome sensor. For this review, we compared the cameras of the OnePlus 9 against those on the 9 Pro.
Normal Images
Now, because the OnePlus 9 introduces the same Hasselblad color calibration, compared to its Pro sibling, normal daytime images look almost similar.
Normal
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OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
In some instances, the OnePlus 9 has a slightly saturated output but most of the time, you’ll have a difficult time pointing out the differences. The level of detail and dynamic range is pretty similar too.
Moving objects
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OnePlus 9
9 Pro
However, since the phone does not have OIS, there are certain instances when it does not behave well as a point-to-shoot camera should. So, if you are shooting a moving subject, the OnePlus 9 fails to lock focus quickly, thereby resulting in blurred artifacts which is not the case with the OnePlus 9 Pro.
Nighttime Images
Likewise, during nighttime, thanks to the lack of OIS and a slightly inferior sensor, low-light images look muddy and grainy when zoomed in. As evident from these photos, the OnePlus 9 Pro’s normal nighttime shots retain better details and less noise.
Nighttime
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OnePlus 9 - Nighttime
9 Pro - Nighttime
OnePlus 9 - Nighttime
9 Pro - Nighttime
OnePlus 9 - Nighttime
9 Pro - Nighttime
OnePlus 9 - Nightscape
9 Pro - Nightscape
OnePlus 9 - Nightscape
9 Pro - Nightscape
With the Nightscape mode turned on, details improve significantly though. Still, most of the time, the OnePlus 9 Pro does a better job.
Wideangle Images
Ultra-wide nighttime images from both phones have similar performance, be it under normal or Nightscape mode.
Ultrawide Nighttime
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OnePlus 9 - Ultrawide Nighttime
9 Pro - Ultrawide Nighttime
OnePlus 9 - Ultrawide Nightscape
9 Pro - Ultrawide Nightscape
The daytime ultra-wide photos are also pretty close.
Wideangle
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OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
Plus, its free-form lens helps reduce distortion around the edges here. But just like the images from the primary camera, sometimes, it leans a bit more on the saturated side.
Portrait Images
Moving to the portraits, well we’ve liked what OnePlus has done here. The subject focus is nice and edge detection is good as well.
Portrait
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OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
The only difference lies in the skin tone which is a little yellowish on the 9 Pro and pinkish on the OnePlus 9. Regardless of the color tone, both look pretty good in my eyes.
Selfie Images
Selfies from both phones turn out similar too, courtesy of the same 16MP sensor. This is us nitpicking but the OnePlus 9 Pro does maintain highlights slightly better.
Selfie
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OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
OnePlus 9
9 Pro
Still, there’s nothing much distinguishable in most instances. However, there have been a few occasions when the OnePlus 9 wasn’t able to manage exposure like in this picture here.
Selfie Videos
In terms of selfie videos, well, just like the 9 Pro, this phone can only shoot 30 or 60 fps videos in 1080p resolution. The footages are stable and their quality is decent as well.
But again, with a premium phone like this one, I think OnePlus should have offered higher resolution options as well. Nevertheless, the audio pick-up from the microphone sounds good enough for vlogging and such.
Videography
At the back, its video capabilities are almost identical to the 9 Pro, except for a 4k 120 fps option which is absent here. It still features 8k 30 fps mode though and the quality is almost similar on both phones.
Surprisingly, the 4k 60 fps videos also result in a similar performance, so that’s great. But sometimes, the lack of OIS is dearly missed in dimly lit or low lighting situations where it falls victim to slight jerks while its Pro sibling manages to deliver relatively stable output.
Overall, I must say that the OnePlus 9 is a good camera phone. It is more or less similar to the expensive OnePlus 9 Pro and is far ahead compared to other Snapdragon 888-powered phones like the Mi 11X Pro and the iQOO 7 Legend when it comes to the cameras.
Still, the problem here is that despite the Hasselblad partnership, aspects like inferior color, shadow processing, and inconsistency across lenses are still prevalent. Even after more than 2 months of the release of these phones, OnePlus has failed to fix these issues.
Battery
4500mAh battery with 65W fast charging
So, what did we miss? Hmm, oh yeah, the battery. Under a typical usage with the refresh rate set to 120Hz at all times and the Ambient display turned on, we managed to squeeze out just 5 hours of screen-on time throughout the review period from the 4500mAh battery of the OnePlus 9. This translates to less than a day’s endurance for me. And that’s strictly average battery life in my books.
One of the reasons for this could also be from the lack of LTPO backplane technology. You see, unlike the Pro variant, the OnePlus 9 can’t dynamically toggle between the screen’s refresh rate between 1 to 120Hz.
What this ultimately means is that the screen is unnecessarily taking up more power even when you’re interacting with static content—compared to how the 9 Pro can dial it down up to just 1Hz for optimum power consumption.
Also, you will notice quite a significant battery drain with the Ambient display turned on. During our usage, we noticed around 7-10% battery drain overnight. So, if you prioritize battery life more, you should consider turning it off.
Charging speed
But since it supports 65 Watt fast charging like the 9 Pro, the OnePlus 9’s dual 2250mAh cell jumps from 0 to 100% in around 30 minutes only. However, I was quite annoyed to see the phone’s Indian variant losing the wireless charging capability entirely while the global model features a mediocre 15W charging speed. I think they could have at least offered a 30W wireless charging.
Conclusion
Okay, time to wrap up this review of the OnePlus 9. As you might’ve guessed, our verdict on the device is that it’s a pretty good phone for the price and I would probably pick it over the 9 Pro because it’s more value-oriented and that’s what OnePlus is all about.
Having said that, I feel like OnePlus has priced it 10-15% more than what feels justifiable. For instance, the phone lacks OIS, a telephoto lens, LTPO technology, an IP rating, and it has plastic frames. So, because of all this, buyers might be tempted to go with the cheaper alternatives like Mi 11X Pro or the iQOO 7 Legend, which practically offer similar specs as the OnePlus 9.
Alongside the launch of the Honor 50 series of smartphones, the company also unveiled its new TWS earbuds – the Honor Earbuds 2 SE. These in-ear earbuds feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and impressive battery life. So, let’s dig into the specs, features, availability, and expected price in Nepal of Honor Earbuds 2 SE.
Honor Earbuds 2 SE Overview:
Design
To note, this is Honor’s first set of earbuds after its separation from Huawei. The Earbuds 2 SE comes in a stem design and silicone tips to secure it into your ears. It has a glossy finish and fits in a rectangular charging case.
Each bud weighs about 5.5 grams and is IPX4 certified for water resistance. Honor Earbuds 2 SE comes in two color options: Magic Night Black and Iceland White
In terms of specs, the Earbuds 2 SE brings Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). It is driven by a moving coil unit with a 10mm polymer composite diaphragm. Similarly, like with many Honor earbuds, it features a transparency mode that allows you to listen to ambient sound without removing the earbud.
Furthermore, there is a low-latency gaming option that is only available on devices running Magic UI 4.0 or higher. When making calls, it brings a dual microphone AI call noise reduction feature that employs beamforming technology to decrease background sound like wind noise.
Battery and Controls
The earbuds pack a 55mAh cell each and Honor is promising up to 10 hours of listening time with ANC turned off or 7.5 hours with ANC enabled. The charging case, on the other hand, contains a 410mAh battery and can provide up to 32 hours of playback. Its USB-C connector also supports fast charging. According to Honor, a 10-minute charge will provide 4 hours of listening time.
You can operate it via capacitive touch controls built into the stem of both earbuds. A double-tap on either the left or right earpiece will play/pause music or accept/end a call. Similarly, long-tapping on either earbud activates or deactivates ANC and transparency mode.
Honor Earbuds 2 SE Specifications:
Weight: 47g (with case)
Sound Driver: 10mm
Battery: 55mAh (earbuds), 410mAh (case)
Water Resistance: IPX4 certification
Music Time:
Earbuds: Up to 10 hours (ANC off) / Up to 7.5 hours (ANC on)
With case: Up to 32 hours (ANC off) / Up to 24 hours (ANC on)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2
Control: Touch
Noise Cancellation: ANC
Color options: Magic Night Black, Iceland White
Honor Earbuds 2 SE Price in Nepal and Availability
Honor Earbuds 2 SE is up for pre-order in China where its price is CNY 469 (~ USD 73). We expect the price of Honor Earbuds 2 SE earbuds in Nepal to be around NPR 10,000 if and when it launches here.
TWS Earbuds
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Honor Earbuds 2 SE
CNY 469
NPR 10,000
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds.
For years, Apple has been ahead of Google when it comes to privacy features. But, Google is finally trying to catch up. Earlier this year, the company announced an iOS-like feature for Android, allowing users to opt out of app tracking. Now, it has rolled out end-to-end encryption globally for Google Messages.
End-to-end encryption on Google Messages
It sure sounds shocking, but Google Messages, the default messaging app for Android, did not have end-to-end encryption before this. It even managed to avoid the spotlight when there was a public outcry against WhatsApp’s latest privacy policy.
What is end-to-end encryption, anyway?
Before we go any further, let us understand what end-to-end encryption is. End-to-end encryption (or E2EE) is a security feature that protects your messages by turning them into meaningless code, which conceals the original content.
Reversing the process requires decrypting the message using a key, which is only available to the sender and receiver. Thus, even if the message is stolen during the transmission, the content will be protected from the unwanted actor.
It is not just about hackers trying to steal your messages. E2EE protects you from the SMS app itself (though it depends upon implementation). Technically, SMS apps can read your messages if they do not have E2EE enabled. Some apps backup your chats using third-party cloud services. These services can technically read those backup files in absence of E2EE.
Late to the party
Google first announced end-to-end encryption last year. Users had to opt for Google Messages beta to be able to test it. The feature is now getting a global rollout. In this regard, Google is late to the party as almost all major messaging services have had E2EE for some time now. This includes Apple’s iMessage and third-party apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal.
Google’s E2EE Implementation
According to Google’s White Paper, Google Messages uses Transport Layer Security (TLS) across RCS (Rich Communication Services) servers for encryption. Thus, E2EE is only possible when both users are using Google’s RCS client and have E2EE enabled for the particular conversation. Enabling E2EE will add a lock in the send icon.
In addition, both the sender and recipient must be on active Wi-Fi or mobile network. If the recipient is offline, the message will be stored in a server until the user gets online. In the case of the sender, s/he needs to go online or fall back to traditional SMS/MMS (without E2EE) to send a message.
Google End-to-End Encryption: Limitations
Still, there are limitations to the end-to-end encryption on Google Messages. To start, it is not yet available in group messages. Also, you will have to pay special attention if you use a Wear OS smartwatch. Message synchronization between Google Messages and Wear OS happens over Bluetooth and Google Cloud. E2EE is not available on the latter. Thus, you will have to disable Cloud Sync manually to prevent breaches during synchronization.
Meanwhile, check out our comparison between Mi 11X and iQOO 7.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has proposed a variety of initiatives to provide smart meter connections to consumers. NEA will now deploy about one lakh smart meters through two distribution centers in Kathmandu. This will eventually be extended throughout the country.
NEA smart meter connection:
The government started the project to provide smart meters to the residents of Kathmandu back in 2019. NEA‘s officials then began visiting individual homes to gather information for the devices. Now, it has begun replacing the old meter connections in the Maharajgunj and Ratnapark distribution centers’ vicinity with smart ones.
The implementation took place as part of the project called “Kathmandu Valley Smart Metering Project (KVSM)”. With the help of 94 crores in loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the authority has already distributed 52,000 smart meters in the valley. There are altogether 97,000 consumers in the region.
According to project chief Rabindra Shrestha, the project was disrupted for some time due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is now running smoothly. China’s Pingo and Wisdom company got the contract for smart meters.
Furthermore, the government intends to expand the project throughout the Kathmandu Valley using a concessional loan from the ADB. NEA plans to connect 3 lakh 75 thousand households to smart meters in the first phase.
Smart meters allow for real-time data monitoring of a household’s energy consumption. This will allow NEA to take meter readings remotely, eliminating the need for an NEA staff to visit consumers’ homes. The authority requires a radio-frequency channel to send all of this information.
Moreover, NEA can even remotely connect and disconnect the power supply. Consumers, on the other hand, may track their consumption in real-time and even sell excess energy generated by the house’s solar panels.
RF battle with NTA
NEA has submitted an application to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology for a dedicated radio-frequency. However, NTA has sought a fee of Rs. 2 billion for a frequency range between 393 and 398.5MHz. On the contrary, NEA claims that it should be given free of charge in accordance with international practices.
Instead of paying such a hefty fee, the authority prefers to stick with their present strategy of employing meter readers.
NEA smart meters for all
Nepal Electricity Authority will now issue smart meters to all consumers. Previously, such connections were only available to three-phase and TOD (Time Of Day) consumers, but smart meters will soon be available to single-phase consumers as well. For this, NEA has invited tenders for the purchase of 500,000 units of smart meters.
Meanwhile, check out our review of Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 5 (2021).
So, here I am finally with the review of Vivo iQOO 7. It recently launched in India at a starting price of INR 32,000 and goes head to head against the likes of Xiaomi Mi 11X aka the POCO F3, which we know is a fantastic premium midrange phone that you can buy right now. And this is our review of the iQOO 7.
iQOO 7 Specifications:
Body: 76.4 x 163.3 x 8.4mm, 196 gm, Schott Xensation Glass
Battery: 4400mAh with 66W FlashCharge (66W adapter provided)
Color options: Storm Black, Solid Ice Blue
Price in Nepal: N/A (Not launched yet)
iQOO 7 Review:
The love for POCO F3 has grown even more among tech enthusiasts in recent days because my favorite tech YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss ranked it as his best value phone of 2021.
Anyway, soon after publishing my review of Mi 11X, I have been using the iQOO 7 as my primary phone for more than two weeks now. And I think this one has what it takes to be the POCO F3 killer. It seems like iQOO took all the inspiration from Xiaomi and tried to make it even better.
The Mi 11X here is a great phone but it does compromise on one crucial aspect which is the cameras. But with the iQOO 7, you are getting an overall balanced phone, and trust me, I genuinely couldn’t find any major compromises or issues here.
Let me talk about its design first. iQOO has kept things very simple here. The Storm Black variant that’s with me doesn’t have those “in-your-face” gradient patterns we usually associate with Vivo phones.
Yet, to make sure the device doesn’t look like a boring slab, it does have a subtle bluish gradient finish mostly around the center of the back panel. Additionally, the matte back finish doesn’t attract too much fingerprint while the camera module doesn’t protrude either.
Despite featuring a big 6.6-inch display, it weighs less than 200gms and more importantly feels ergonomically pleasing to hold. iQOO says they have used a Schott Xensation protection on both the front and the back, which isn’t as good as the Gorilla Glass but gets the job done regardless.
Buttons, Ports
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Buttons
Ports
All the buttons are on the right side, and to differentiate the volume rockers with the power button, iQOO has implemented a brushed finish on the latter. I have also liked their position and tactile feedback. Small things that really matter. The frames are still plastic-made so not everything’s top-notch here.
Some serious sacrifices
Plus, like the Mi 11X, you don’t get a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microSD card slot on the iQOO 7 either. Likewise, the power button here doesn’t double up as the fingerprint sensor, since the company is offering an in-display sensor.
And this definitely adds to the premium experience. It’s an optical fingerprint sensor, so it doesn’t work quite as well if your finger is wet. But in most instances, I have no complaint about its response or accuracy.
Display
6.62-inches FHD+ AMOLED display
120/300Hz refresh/touch sampling rate
1300 nits peak brightness, SGS Eye Care
The display here is a 6.62-inch 1080p AMOLED panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate. Specs aside, this is an excellent quality screen although I have to mention that it’s not as good as flagship phones that are rated A+.
In the default settings, I found the colors to be on a slightly cooler side, with a mild blueish and reddish tint. However, you can always play with the color temperature in the display settings. Likewise, the touch sampling rate here is of 300Hz, which is a bit lower compared to 360Hz on the Mi 11X.
And soon after switching to iQOO 7 from Mi 11X, I could instantly notice how its touch response isn’t as great as Mi 11X. Plus, I also wished the punch-hole cutout’s diameter was slightly smaller. The brightness of this panel is excellent though, and it is easily visible even on a bright sunny day.
It can also achieve extremely low brightness for you to use while in bed and the auto-brightness sensor is swift too. Moreover, the phone also comes with a DC dimming feature. Hence, you can turn on low brightness anti-flicker mode which reduces visual fatigue when the screen brightness is low.
Dedicated display chip
iQOO 7 brings a dedicated intelligent display chip too that converts regular SDR videos to HDR, but I didn’t find that very useful. Similarly, the company claims its dedicated intelligent chip offers an enhanced gaming performance by making use of MEMC tech that boosts fps while playing games. But right now, it is only supported in a handful of games such as COD and Genshin Impact.
Android 11 with Vivo’s Funtouch OS 11.1 on top (upgradeable)
Regardless, the actual hardware on the iQOO 7 is pretty darn good. With Snapdragon 870, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, the gaming performance is excellent.
Gaming experience
Here, even the most demanding games like Genshin Impact don’t stutter when playing at the highest graphics settings with 60fps. iQOO says the phone has a 6000mm square graphite layer cooling system, but playing GPU-intensive games like the one above surely takes a toll on the thermals.
After like 10 mins of gameplay, the phone starts getting warm. But what I like about this phone is that its gaming performance never throttles. Similarly, you can enjoy stable 60fps gameplay in PUBG mobile in HDR graphics and extreme frame rates.
If you want better graphics quality, you can dial up the setting to Ultra HDR graphics and Ultra frame rates too, but this is achieved at the expense of frame rates. Sadly, 120fps-optimized games like Shadowgun Wars and Critical Ops don’t run in 120fps and I think iQOO should fix this soon. Overall the gaming performance is quite good on the iQOO 7.
What about everyday usage?
Needless to say, the day-to-day life performance is stellar too. Apps install faster thanks to UFS 3.1 storage, and multitasking is swift as well. Complemented by a 120Hz refresh rate, everything is buttery smooth here. And unlike cheaper phones with a 120Hz refresh rate, I didn’t encounter micro-lags or stutters in the UI either. Snapdragon 870 handles them all perfectly.
Moreover, Funtouch OS, for the most part, is clean but with some room for improvement. For instance, it comes with a lot of bloatware apps and you cannot even uninstall them.
I’m not fond of Vivo’s own voice assistant Jovi either. Fortunately, you can swap it with Google Feed instead. And I’m quite surprised with how well features like always-on display and dark mode this Android skin implements. If you remember, Xiaomi’s MIUI struggles in this very aspect.
Cameras
Triple-camera setup at the back
(48MP main with OIS, 13MP ultrawide, 2MP portrait)
16MP selfie camera inside the punch-hole cutout
Cameras
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Back
Front
On top of this, the biggest benefit with the iQOO 7 over the Mi 11X has to be in the photography and videography aspects. Here, you are getting much more capable hardware. It bears a 48MP Sony IMX598 primary lens with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS), a higher-res 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a modest 2MP portrait camera.
Normal Images
Comparing it with the Mi 11X, the iQOO 7 portraits better colors with superior dynamic range and exposure in shadows.
Normal
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
More importantly, its photos have an eye-pleasing color tone, whereas Mi 11X has this unnatural sharpening going on, while also boosting the contrast.
Wideangle Images
And the same goes with the ultra-wide images.
Wideangle
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
Images from iQOO 7 are sharper as well, thanks to a higher-res 13MP sensor.
Portrait Images
On the other hand, portrait shots from both these phones aren’t that great though.
Portrait
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
Mi 11X brings a pinkish tone to the subject’s face whereas portraits from iQOO 7 look unnaturally orangish. But, it does a slightly better job with sharpness and dynamic range contrary to Mi 11X’s portraits that look like a painting when zoomed in.
iQOO 7 - Artistic Portraits
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Plus, you get lots of cool light effects on the iQOO 7, which you might enjoy playing with too.
Nighttime Images
As the sun goes down, the superiority of iQOO 7’s camera setup ranks higher, thanks to the aforementioned better camera sensor and OIS.
Nighttime
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
Contrary to Mi 11X, its images are brighter, sharper, and have a better dynamic range.
Night Mode
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
The night mode on the iQOO 7 also does an excellent job in maintaining exposure and details, while also bringing in more lights, especially in extremely low light conditions.
Selfie Images
Moving on, I have always like Vivo’s optimization when it comes to selfies and the iQOO 7 delivers in this aspect too.
Selfie
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iQOO 7
Mi 11X
iQOO 7
Mi 11X
Although the photos are slightly smoothened, they look good and retain a good skin tone.
iQOO 7: Selfie v Portrait Selfie
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Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
That being said, Portrait selfie could use some rework with an update, because at times, the edge detection is a mess.
Videography
In the videography aspect, you can capture up to 4K/60fps videos from its primary camera. Although this resolution lacks both EIS and OIS, it’s commendable that iQOO is offering 4K recording capability on a midrange phone regardless.
The EIS and OIS kick-in in other resolutions for stable recordings. Sadly, ultra-wide videos are capped at 1080 60fps and this mode is void of stabilization too.
Upfront, the selfie videos have good details, dynamic range, and the skin tone looks fairly nice as well. Additionally, these videos have ample Field of View too. While the audio pickup is decent, it’s nothing exceptional.
Battery
4400mAh battery with 66W FlashCharge
As for the battery, you get a smaller 4400mAh cell on the iQOO 7 whose endurance is quite identical to that of the Mi 11X. On my usage, I got about 5 to 6 hours of screen-on time, which translates to like a day’s worth of endurance. So, yeah, nothing extraordinary but not that bad either.
However, what is excellent here is the charging speed. The 66W charger provided inside the box juices up the battery from 0 to 50% in mere 10 mins while fully charging the phone in less than 35 minutes.
Audio
Stereo speakers with Hi-Res Audio
Moreover, iQOO 7’s stereo speaker setup is excellent as well. Once again, it’s not as good as those in flagship phones, but I would rate them as very good. Still, I think the vibration motor could have been better as the phone’s haptics isn’t flagship-level. I prefer the haptics on Mi 11X more.
Conclusion
So, I think that covers pretty much everything about the iQOO 7. Like I mentioned at the start of the review, I think the company has managed to deliver an overall balanced phone with the iQOO 7 which even surpasses the Mi 11X in crucial aspects like the camera.
Yet, the problem with iQOO is brand recognition and that’s a major hurdle for a company that is only selling premium and flagship phones in the country. I did a small survey on my own where I asked 10 of my friends if they have heard of iQOO and the result is as follows.
9 of them have never heard of the brand before, out of which 7 of them won’t even consider buying its products despite carrying feature-rich specs at relatively affordable prices. As a result, how can iQOO gain customer trust?
I’m not really sure, I am no expert in that matter. But the one place they can start is by providing review samples for YouTubers like us on time so that we can make review videos as early as possible. Just kidding.
Clubhouse is the talk of the town right now. This audio drop-in app has been a hot topic ever since its iOS-exclusive introduction last year. And its popularity shows no sign of going down, so much so that other social media platforms are rushing in to integrate similar features. Yesterday, Spotify launched Greenroom – its version of Clubhouse.
Spotify Greenroom Overview:
Greenroom is a separate app from Spotify, where you can participate in live discussions about music, artists, and topic of your choice. It is available for both Android and iOS users.
The concept of Greenroom is not far off from that of Clubhouse. There are virtual rooms with people that share your topics of interest. You can browse through the rooms, join one, and participate in live conversations. You can even add upcoming sessions in the calendar, just like in Clubhouse.
However, the app inherits the green and black color scheme from Spotify. It has been promoted as a platform for fans to connect with their favorite artists and athletes. The topics are also centered on the two domains.
Why athletes, though?
That’s because the app was originally developed by Betty Labs, a company that Spotify acquired in June. Betty Labs is the company behind “Locker Room”, which is an audio-focused platform for sports fans. Spotify has taken the app, changed its appearance by a bit, and extended the capabilities to include music-related content.
Exclusive features
In Spotify’s defense, they have introduced some features yet not available in Clubhouse. To start with, Greenroom will be recording each live session for content moderation. The company will be removing content that promotes hate speech, violence, harassment, among others. You can even report rooms and block users.
Upon request, Spotify will also provide a copy of the session to speakers, which they can then edit and turn into a podcast. Not to forget Spotify’s recommendation system, which is among the best of any streaming platform. It should add to the user’s experience of Greenroom.
In the future, Spotify has promised that Greenroom will have programmed content related to music, culture, and other fields of entertainment.
While there is no option for monetization at the moment, there will be in the future. Spotify has already announced Creator Fund, which will generate revenue for creators down the line. It will open later in the summer.
It’s not just Spotify
Spotify is not the only company taking inspiration from Clubhouse. Remember how Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube all jumped to the short-video bandwagon because of TikTok’s growing popularity? It’s the same story all over again.
Twitter has already rolled out “Spaces” for live audio conversations while Facebook is currently testing Live Audio Rooms. Other companies like LinkedIn, Slack, Discord and even Reddit are working to integrate live audio features into their platform.
According to Appmagic, Greenroom has already been downloaded over 18 million times. Even in Nepal, it currently tops the Free Social App category in the Google Play Store charts.
Meanwhile, check out our comparison between Mi 11x and iQOO 7.
China has successfully launched the crewed Shenzhou-12 spacecraft mission into its new space station. It is the country’s longest crewed space trip in history, as well as the first in over five years. The craft was launched into orbit on Thursday, accompanied by a Long March-2F carrier rocket.
Shenzhou-12 spacecraft launched by China:
Fly high in the sky
The Shenzhou-12 (which means “Divine Vessel” in Mandarin) capsule took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gobi desert, Northwest China at around 01:22 GMT on Thursday. Three male astronauts — Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming, and Tang Hongbo were on board the spaceship and will spend three months in orbit.
After crossing the Earth’s atmosphere and the critical separation of four boosters, two of the three astronauts gave “OK” gestures. “The flight was perfectly smooth,” says Chen Shanguang, deputy director of China’s manned space program.
China has already brought samples from Moon’s surface and recently landed a six-wheel rover named “Zhurong” on Mars as well.
The big priority of these astronauts is to bring the 22.5-tonne Tianhe module into operation.
Prior to the launch, the mission’s commander, Nie Haisheng, stated, “I have a lot of expectations and we need to set up our new home in space and test a series of new technologies. So, the mission is tough and challenging. I believe with the three of us working closely together, doing thorough and accurate operations, we can overcome our challenges. We have the confidence to complete the mission”.
China's new space station
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The Tianhe module was launched in April, and the astronauts will conduct experiments, test equipment, and prepare the station for expansion before the arrival of two laboratory modules next year.
A brief look into the past
Since its first crewed flight in 2003, China has flown a total of 14 astronauts into space with this mission. It is just the third country, after the former Soviet Union and the United States, to accomplish it on its own. Two of the previous flights’ astronauts were female, while the first station crew is entirely male populated.
For your reference, China is not a member of the International Space Station (ISS), owing to US concerns. On the other hand, it has strengthened cooperation with Russia and a number of other countries. And their space station may continue to operate longer than ISS, which is nearing the end of its operational life. However, China says it is open to international co-operation on its station.
Meanwhile, check out our comparison of Mi 11X Vs iQOO7.
Honor has finally unveiled the Honor 50 series in China. It is the company’s first flagship offering after cutting ties with Huawei last year. Here, we will be discussing the key specifications and features of the Honor 50 Series (Honor 50, 50 SE, and 50 Pro), including their expected price in Nepal.
Honor 50, Honor 50 Pro Overview:
Display and Design
Honor 50 5G features a 6.57-inch AMOLED FHD+ display with a center-aligned camera cutout. The 50 Pro 5G, on the other hand, has a slightly larger 6.72-inch AMOLED screen. Apart from the bigger display, the Pro model has a pill-shaped camera cutout that differentiates it from the standard Honor 50.
The rest of the display properties are uniform over the two phones. With the 10-bit color depth, the Honor 50 and 50 Pro can produce over a billion colors. Likewise, the duo supports a 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate and is HDR certified.
At the back, the two phones feature a two-tier camera module. Two circular rings protrude on top of a pill-shaped base. The upper ring encloses the primary sensor, whereas the rest of the camera setup is inside the lower ring.
Performance and Software
Running the show underneath is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G chipset. To note, Honor 50 and 50 Pro are the first devices to launch with the chipset. About 778G, it is a toned-down version of the Snapdragon 780G. It is built on top of TSMC’s 6nm node instead of Samsung’s 5nm.
In other news, Honor’s decision to cut ties off with Huawei has finally paid off. The company has confirmed that its phones and tablets will ship with Google Mobile Services (GMS) for the global market. However, it is not clear if it will be pushing GMS to older smartphones. Honor also confirmed that the 50 series is arriving to 40 different markets although their exact availability hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Camera
The quad-camera setup at the back has 108MP ISOCELL HM2 as the primary camera. This 1/1.52-inch sensor captures 12MP photos using the non-binning technique by default. The rest of the setup is underwhelming for an upper mid-range phone. Here, Honor has included an 8MP ultrawide camera and two auxiliary sensors of 2MP each.
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Honor 50
Honor 50 Pro
For selfies, there is a 32MP camera upfront. In the Pro model, it is accompanied by a 12MP ultrawide camera as well.
Rest of the specs
Moving on, the 4,300mAh battery on the standard model is bigger than the 4,000mAh cell on the Pro model. However, the Pro variant has faster 100W charging to compensate for the smaller battery. On the other hand, the standard model charges at 66W.
Moving on, the Honor 50 SE has a 6.78-inch FHD display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. But unlike its more expensive siblings, it makes use of an LCD panel. In addition, the touch sampling rate is capped at 240Hz.
Inside, the device is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 900 5G processor. Thus, the phone supports dual-5G standby. The phone can switch between two SIMs for uninterrupted 5G experience.
If not for the absence of the depth sensor, it would have the same camera setup as the Honor 50 and 50 Pro. Under the hood, it packs a decent 4000mAh battery that juices up via a 66W fast charger. It can fill the device up to 72% in just 20 minutes.
The starting price of Honor 50, 50 Pro, and 50 SE is CNY 2,699 Yuan, CNY 3,699 Yuan, and CNY 2,399, respectively. Honor 50, 50 Pro will sell starting June 25 whereas the SE will be available from July 2.
We expect the price of Honor 50, 50 SE, and 50 Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 55,000, NPR 50,000, and NPR 73,000, respectively, if and when they launch here.
Consumers wanting to purchase electronic items for their homes might soon have to dig deeper into their pockets, particularly for televisions. Industry experts predict that television prices will rise in 2021 due to exorbitant increases in component and raw material costs.
Television prices rise in 2021:
Prices for televisions eventually fall as they age and newer models enter the market. But no, not this year. In 2021, the price of the television is expected to rise significantly and may eventually exceed the price at which they were introduced.
Panels
Panels account for a large portion of the overall cost of a TV. In recent months, the prices of open-cell panels have more than doubled in worldwide markets. According to OMDIA, prices for TFT panels had already seen a 50% increase in 2020, and are expected to go up in 2021 as well.
Similarly, DSCC forecasts a 12% increase in LCD panel prices in Q2 2022 following a 14.5% increase in Q1 2021.
Additionally, the cost of televisions has risen due to an increase in the pricing of raw materials. Materials like copper, aluminum, plastic, and steel have seen a tremendous price change from last year. Plus, the costs of the ocean and air freight have also shot up this year.
Moreover, COVID-19 is one of the main reasons for the low import and export of required components. The ongoing pandemic has had an impact on mining operations and is increasing the overall input cost for appliances.
Global chip shortage
Moving on, crypto miners have a big role in increasing GPU scarcity, to the point that Nvidia had to introduce a mining restriction on their graphics cards. The TV sector, on the other hand, is also experiencing a chip scarcity, though not of GPUs, but of display driver chips.
This scarcity has harmed anything with OLED or LCD panels. This includes computers, tablets, cellphones, wearables, TVs, automobiles, and other electronic appliances.
The simple microeconomic law of demand and supply states that when demand exceeds supply, the price of commodities increase. Samsung already warned that component shortage will have an impact on TV manufacturing, and the repercussions may be seen in increased sticker prices.
TCL, too, has hiked the prices of its 6-series of televisions due to rising component and raw material costs. According to Wired.com, larger TV models are now 30% costlier than they were last summer.
Television prices rise in 2021: Conclusion
To conclude, there are several reasons that have led to the high sticker price of televisions. Meanwhile, because countries like China, Taiwan, and Japan dominate chip and display panel production, if such items are not supplied in the other regions, it will create a shortage scenario. And if the numbers above are anything to go by, we cannot hope to see television prices go down any sooner.
Meanwhile, check out our comparison between Mi 11X and iQOO 7.
