Elon Musk’s Starlink has not rolled out commercially yet but it already has a rival in the form of OneWeb. The latter is working on its own constellation of internet satellites to provide a fast and reliable internet connection to average consumers. The company recently deployed 36 new satellites into space for the same. In this post, we will be taking a look at OneWeb’s approach to space internet and how it differs from that of Starlink.
OneWeb Overview:
Back from the bankruptcy
OneWeb is being developed as a European alternative to Starlink which is based in the USA. While the latter is backed by Elon Musk, the former was revived by the British government last year. The joint investment of the UK government and the Bharti Global Group saved the company from bankruptcy. Since then, it has managed to secure additional investment from companies like SoftBank Group and Hughes Network System. In January, the company reported its total funding to be at $1.4 billion.
OneWeb Internet Satellite Constellation
OneWeb plans to deploy a total of 648 satellites into the lower orbit of the Earth for its internet service. However, only 146 of them are currently in space.
The number is significantly less than the 1,200 active Starlink satellites and there’s a reason for that. The OneWeb satellites operate at a higher altitude (1,200km > 550km) and thus can cover a larger area.
On the other hand, it also means that the signal will take longer to travel between the satellite and the user terminal. As a result, the 50 – 100 ms theoretical latency of OneWeb falls short compared to Starlink’s 25 – 35ms latency.
Still, the company believes that its gradualist approach is a more responsible way forward than what Starlink is doing.
We’re beginning to think less is more.
Market coverage
Also, the lower number of satellites means OneWeb’s services will not be readily available as Starlink. While Starlink has already expanded its service to six countries, the company is currently targeting a smaller market that includes Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia, and northern Europe. It will be available in rest of the Europe by mid-2022. Still, OneWeb plans to make it available to select African regions around the same time although nothing has been said about the Asian market.
Another difference between the two companies is their target customers. OneWeb is targeting governments, marine, and airforces while Starlink focuses more on the consumer market. Also, Starlink has already encompassed 10,000 users in the beta-phase from six countries while OneWeb is expected to start its service in UK and Alaska later this year.
Satellites and Equipment
The satellites for the project are developed by OneWeb Satellites which is a joint venture between OneWeb and Airbus. The washing machine-sized satellites are manufactured in a factory at Exploration Park. OneWeb has struck a deal with Arianespace for the launch of its satellites. Along with the antennas to connect to terminals at the ground station, these satellites feature Xenon-fed ion thrusters which take them to their ultimate destination once they are in space.
According to the company, the user terminal on the consumer’s end will be a lot less complicated to install and use.
We are not going down the “send you a box and tell you to install it’”route.
Business-to-Business model
Unlike Starlink, OneWeb won’t directly deal with the customers. It is going for the business-to-business model where it will provide services to existing telecom companies which will then deliver it to the end customers. The telecom companies will also have the privilege to fix the pricing of their respective consumers. As a result, the pricing may not be uniform in all the markets. To put it into context, Starlink users are currently paying $99 monthly on top of the $499 one-time initial payment.
Watch: Free Wi-Fi all over Nepal with Worldlink Mobility (Nepali)
As you might’ve heard by now, LG has closed its loss-making smartphone business worldwide. The company is exiting the phone manufacturing market to concentrate on expansion in other areas such as EVs, IoT, and B2B solutions.
Why LG closed its smartphone business?
For those who are unaware, LG has been losing money in its smartphone business for quite some time. As previously reported, the company lost KRW 841.20 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. To summarize the company’s overall performance in the smartphone industry, LG has been losing money in its smartphone business for the past 23 quarters.
LG, which had long held third place in the US smartphone industry, has eventually closed its smartphone business. It has launched a number of smartphones aimed at various customers over the years. In reality, the LG V60 ThinQ 5G is a decent piece of hardware that should have clashed with Samsung’s flagship S20 or S20 Plus.
So, let us dive deeper to discover why LG decide to close its smartphone business and what are the reasons that it was unable to create a trademark in the smartphone industry.
Why LG as a smartphone brand is failure?
LG is better known as a “content creator” brand. This is due to the phones’ high-quality microphone audio recorder and advanced manual control video recorder. The company was among the first to include an ultra-wide-angle camera in smartphones, which was a resounding hit and is now a popular feature in modern smartphones. Furthermore, its Quad DAC has one of the greatest audio listening experiences ever.
Aside from that, there are lots of stuff that LG undervalued.
Identity Crisis
The first and most important reason is an identity crisis. Yes, you read that correctly. LG as a brand has a strong presence in the TV, IoT, and B2B markets around the world. However, they have not put in the same amount of commitment in the mobile industry.
We can’t argue that LG has evolved into a brand with some truly revolutionary concepts. However, they lag behind in terms of selling their own products. Apart from the fact that LG manufactures good smartphones, most people are unaware of the company’s most recent launches.
Service
LG’s customer service is also among the worst in the mobile industry. The device has a slew of software problems, and even after the upgrade, your handset remains unchanged. And if your mobile is damaged or needs maintenance, you might not be able to locate an official LG support center.
Pricing
Prices fluctuate over time with the release of a new LG handset. It may feel as if the brand has made a cut off in the price after a year of launch. However, this is not the case here. As an example, consider the LG Velvet. The phone is now available for $350, down from $600 when it was first launched less than a year ago. This has been the case for almost all LG smartphones launched in recent years.
Many of these aspects contribute to generating the lowest degree of customer satisfaction. According to a CIRP, Apple (on iOS) and Samsung (on Android) dominate the list by a wide margin in terms of brand loyalty. In addition, LG has a low level of loyalty (45%) and has seen a drop in loyalty from quarter to quarter.
What about the existing devices?
The South Korean firm, in a statement, said that LG will continue to provide service support and software updates for existing mobile products for a period of time which will vary by region. And, the existing inventory will remain on sale.
As per LG, we can expect the closure of the smartphone business by July 31, although the inventory of some phones may be available after that.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Redmi Note 10.
After the announcement of the Hot 10 last year, Infinix has now launched its Play edition. The new Hot 10 Play features a less powerful Helio G35 chipset and makes use of Android Go. The phone is now exclusively available via Daraz in Nepal. Let’s learn more about the Infinix Hot Play 10 along with its specifications, features, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Infinix Hot 10 Play Overview:
Design and Display
Interestingly, Infinix Hot 10 Play features a 6.82-inch LCD screen which is slightly bigger than that on the Hot 10. However, the resolution has remained unchanged at 720 x 1640 pixels. It results in a 20.5:9 aspect ratio which the company claims is better for single-hand operation. It has a waterdrop notch upfront that houses the front-facing camera. Infinix is claiming a screen-to-body ratio of 90.66%.
At the back, you get a stylish reflective panel that has been part of Infinix’s design language. The rear panel also houses the rectangular camera bump and the physical fingerprint scanner.
Performance and Memory
Unlike the regular Hot 10, the Infinix Hot 10 Play is powered by the Helio G35 chipset. It is still a budget gaming-focused chipset from MediaTek but is nowhere near the Helio G70 on the Hot 10. But again, it is definitely an upgrade from the Helio A22 / A25 on the Hot 9 Play. The phone comes with only 2 or 4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage. The latter can be expanded up to 512GB with an external microSD card.
Camera
Talking about cameras, there are two at the back and one on the front. The rear camera setup consists of a 13MP primary camera accompanied by an AI lens. This setup is similar to what Infinix Hot 9 Play has. Like the Hot 9 Play, Infinix has tried to make it look like a triple camera setup while in reality there are only two. The 8MP sensor on the front has remained unchanged too. Infinix has added flash both at the back and the front of the device.
Rest of the specs
The phone is powered by a massive 6,000mAh battery which should offer pretty good battery backup. There is Infinix Power Marathon mode that makes the most out of the battery whenever required. Sadly, there is no fast charging tech and it charges via a 10W micro USB port.
Infinix Hot 10 Play Specifications:
Display: 6.82-inches TFT IPS LCD panel; 90% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: HD+ (1640 x 720 pixels); 20.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: MediaTek Helio G35 (12nm)
Memory: 2/4GB RAM, 32/64GB storage (expandable)
Software& UI: XOS 7.0 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera: 13MP primary lens, AI sensor; Quad-LED flash
Infinix Hot 10 Play Price in Nepal and Availability
Infinix Hot 10 Play is now available in Nepal where its price is NPR 17,140 for the 4/64GB variant. You can buy Infinix Hot 10 Play in Nepal from mobile retail shops.
Despite the underwhelming performance, LG gave its Mobile Communication (MC) division one more shot in 2020. It first released LG Velvet that came with a unique design and dual-screen accessories. Then, the company dared to experiment with LG Wing that came with a unique T-shaped form factor. And 2021 was supposed to be the year the company launched a rollable phone. However, we may never see it as LG has finally shut down its Mobile Communication division.
LG shuts down its Mobile Communication Division
LG had been trying to revive its smartphone business for some while now. However, nothing worked in its favor. Once a prominent player in the market, LG’s smartphone division has been operating in losses for some time now. The company reported a loss of KRW 841.20 billion in just the fourth quarter of last quarter. To put it into context, the company has been suffering losses in the smartphone market for 23 consecutive quarters.
Earlier this year, South Korean media outlet The Elec reported that LG will be exiting the smartphone market which the head of Global Corporate Communications, Kenneth Hong claimed to be false. But, The Elec was right all along.
It didn’t need to end like this
As per the financial report of Q4 2020, the company was looking for some new direction for its smartphone division. Selling the division altogether was an option but LG could not come to an agreement with any of the potential buyers. According to the reports, Bean Group, Google, Facebook, and Volkswagen were all in line but none of them made a compelling offer to LG.
The company even reportedly declined to license its name for ODMs (Original Design Manufacturer) to roll out products under the “LG” branding. Nokia is a prime example of this method. HDM Global, Flipkart, and RichGo use the Nokia brand name for smartphones, TV, and the Asian TWS market, respectively.
Existing phones will still receive support
LG has now shut down its Mobile Communication business and the company made the announcement via an official press release.
As per the press release, LG will now shift its focus to electronics and batteries. Similarly, it also says that the company will be shifting over 4,000 employees from the MC to its home appliance. However, these future plans are yet to be confirmed by the company.
While the company won’t release any phones in the future, it has promised to provide after-sales services and repair parts for the existing phones. Availability of these services will depend on the life span of the individual product.
The company is also continuing software support for the existing phones. It will eventually roll out Android 11 OS updates for selected models. These phones may also receive Android 12 updates in the future.
Realme found great success by capitalizing on the needs of the young audience. Its “Narzo” lineup of smartphones caters to the very same demographics. Complemented by a plethora of hip marketing campaigns while the products themselves share a significant bit of similarity with the company’s number series, Narzo-branded smartphones are quite the standout. Adding to the lineup, Realme recently unveiled the Narzo 30 series which includes a budget and a 5G-ready mid-range phone. And today, I bring you our full review of the Realme Narzo 30A.
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
Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Light, Magnetic Induction
Battery: 6000mAh with 18W charging (reverse charging)
Color options: Laser Black, Laser Blue
Price in Nepal: N/A (not launched yet)
Realme Narzo 30A Review:
Here, the Narzo 30A that I have with me is the affordable one of the two. Retailing at just INR 9,000, it packs a pretty capable gaming chipset and an exciting design. But with Xiaomi’s latest Redmi Note 10 series into the mix, one might be wondering if it makes sense to invest a little more for a far superior smartphone. Well, let’s discover more in this review of the Realme Narzo 30A.
Design & Build
Glass front, plastic back/frame
A striking diagonal stripe design
To set itself apart from the competition, Realme has historically leaned on offering a distinct design, and that tradition follows suit with the Narzo 30A. Looking at the phone’s promotional materials, its striped layout at the back almost had me fooled for a grippy cover. That would’ve been pretty dope, actually. However, it’s nothing more than a painted texture that still looks quite unique.
Buttons, Ports
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Buttons
Ports
Additionally, while the phone is fairly immune to fingerprints and smudges, this design choice is prone to moisture from your hand. As a result, I often found myself having to wipe the sweat off the back of Narzo 30A. Although the phone sits quite well in the hand, it is a considerably heavy phone. Weighing 207 grams, it is definitely not for those who prefer something lightweight.
For biometrics, there’s a traditional fingerprint scanner at the back. It is pretty fast and therefore never had me going for the face unlock alternative. Unfortunately, Realme doesn’t let you access the notification tray by swiping down the scanner. All things considered, the Narzo 30A gets a point in terms of its design. The buttons click nice and even though it’s by no means a compact phone, I find it sitting snuggly in my hand.
Display
6.5-inches HD+ IPS LCD screen
570 nits brightness (Sunlight mode)
While I am at peace with the phone’s design, the display is where it has let me down. At a time when its arch-enemy Xiaomi is stepping up the game by providing a Full HD screen at a similar price-point, Realme’s dumbfounded ignorance is only hurting itself. Consequently, watching videos on the Narzo 30A is an underwhelming experience.
Now, Realme would’ve easily gotten a pass on this regard about a year ago but things have changed. And I simply can’t recommend this phone to those with content consumption in mind. That’s further backed up by the fact that Narzo 30A is just Widevine L3 certified, restricting you to sub-HD (540p) content streaming only.
Furthermore, even though YouTube force-enables 1080p resolution on this 720p screen, there’s little improvement in the picture quality itself—with the content looking slightly over-sharpened.
I also noticed its color science leaning on the cool side of things. Thankfully, you can adjust the screen color temperature, yet Realme’s implementation isn’t as extensive as Xiaomi. Moving on, the phone has a minimal teardrop notch and rounded edges on all four sides, with no visible discoloration. Barring Narzo 30A’s significant chin, the bezels on the remaining edges are fairly minimal. Similarly, this 6.5” IPS screen can get plenty bright although it will struggle outdoors.
Likewise, I find its viewing angles to be a tad bit sub-par as well. Looking at this display from the side, you’ll likely notice a drop in saturation level. Apart from this, for casual web browsing and similar use cases, Narzo 30A’s screen won’t disappoint.
Performance
Octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 SoC (12nm)
3/4GB LPDDR4X RAM, 32/64GB storage (expandable)
Now, jumping into the performance, Realme has paired this phone with MediaTek’s Helio G85. This is a pretty competent gaming-first chipset that was used in the company’s Narzo 20 from last year as well. We’re naturally led to believe that G85 brings some significant upgrades over the Helio G80, but the reality couldn’t be farther from the truth. Apart from a mere 50MHz boost in GPU frequency, both silicons are one and the same.
What I’m trying to say here is that we, as consumers, shouldn’t be playing into the manufacturer’s number game. And this is not exclusive to Realme, by the way. Companies use this (sadly) effective technique to gain bragging rights to highlight their product’s superiority.
But I digress. Here, Narzo 30A gets either 3/4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage. Our review unit is of 3/32GB configuration and with this, I got to relive something I’d moved away from a long time ago. Because it’s a budget gaming phone, I wanted to test out a couple of titles to reach a verdict. However, the puny 32GB memory couldn’t hold as many games as I’d want to—thereby making me uninstall a game or two every now and then.
Insufficient internal storage
And the cherry on top is the fact that the system itself occupies an unacceptable 13.7GB, resulting in the effective available storage to just 18.3GB. Like I mentioned earlier, there is a 64GB variant as well but I guess we can all agree that 32GB shouldn’t be the default storage space in a 2021 smartphone. Let’s now take a look at some benchmark scores.
Realme Narzo 30A
Redmi 9 Power
Androbench
Seq. Read
307.58 MB/s
513.27 MB/s
Seq. Write
84.57 MB/s
202.95 MB/s
AnTuTu V8
Total
186914
183351
CPU
72238
70713
GPU
33912
34880
Memory
36628
41178
UX
44136
36580
Geekbench 5
CPU (Single Core)
312
315
CPU (Multi-Core)
1263
1362
Compute (OpenCL)
1174
373
PCMark (Work 2.0 Performance)
8599
6097
3DMark (Wild Life)
700
371
Moving on to gaming, I played a few games and got a respectable performance.
Gaming experience
You can crank the settings to HD graphics and High frame rate in PUBG Mobile, and this results in fairly smooth gameplay. The rare instances of slight stutters under these settings are absolutely excusable.
But if you want the best PUBG Mobile experience, you’d want to set the graphics to Smooth and frame rate to Ultra. After about 20 minutes of gaming, the phone got to 42C (CPU) and 38C (battery) which feels warm to touch, but not scorchingly hot.
Additionally, COD Mobile maxes out at Medium graphics and High frame rate and it’s smooth sailing here. Zero stutters or lags. Similarly, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is equally playable at High graphics with shadow, damage text, and other visual enhancements turned on. After around 30 minutes of gameplay, Narzo 30A delivered a comparable thermal performance too.
Lackluster state of software update
While the gaming side of things is commendable, Realme has “dared to leap” in the exact opposite direction by shipping this phone with the now-outdated Android 10-based Realme UI 1.0.
What’s worse is that the company’s recent blog post revealed that Narzo 30A will get Realme UI 2.0 (Android 11) only in Q3, 2021. By that time, we may already see Google unveil Android 12. Once again, this is simply not an admissible offense and Realme deserves harsh criticism for this behavior.
Anyway, Realme UI 1.0 isn’t half bad, to be honest. It is quite well optimized and is pretty responsive too. By default, swiping down on the home screen triggers the search menu but you can customize it to launch the notification drawer instead. I also like the “Game Space” that optimizes the system resources, blocks notifications, and such automatically on compatible games.
Cameras
Dual-camera setup at the back
(13MP primary, 2MP portrait sensor)
8MP selfie camera inside the notch
Cameras
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Back
Front
Let’s get into the cameras now. Realme has gone with a classic camera layout on the Narzo 30A. While you may mistake it for a triple-camera arrangement, the phone only has two lenses at the back—a 13MP primary, and a 2MP portrait sensor. I tried comparing it with the Redmi 9 Power and here are the results.
Normal Images
Compared to the 48MP primary camera on the competition, the normal daytime images from the Narzo 30A lag behind in terms of details.
Normal
1 of 12
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
While I personally don’t prefer the high saturation on Redmi 9 Power’s photos, it does generate more popping colors. You can turn on “Chroma Boost” for the same on Narzo 30A though. In some instances, the phone also over-sharpens the images.
Portrait Images
Portrait images share a similar story in terms of color reproduction as well. But, the ones from Redmi 9 Power underexposes the subjects by a bit, making them look a little dark.
Portrait
1 of 8
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
On the other hand, Narzo 30A has a relatively cool color temperature and a more digestible result. In terms of edge detection, both phones are on par with each other.
Nighttime Images
Here, the Redmi 9 Power wins out in terms of regular nighttime and night mode shots.
Nighttime
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Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Its photos retain better details, dynamic range while Narzo 30A’s pictures tend to look soft and hazy.
Night Mode
1 of 12
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
More importantly, if you’re shooting in an environment with direct light sources, the images from the 30A will fall victim to rabid lens flare.
Selfie, Portrait Selfie Images
Likewise, the selfie images share a similar story.
Selfie
1 of 8
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Redmi 9 Power’s 8MP selfie shooter manages to deliver better dynamic range and details compared to the 8MP sensor on the Narzo 30A. While the former has a yellowish hue, Realme’s alternative has this soft pinkish tint.
Selfie
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Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Narzo 30A
9 Power
Redmi 9 Power overpowers the portrait selfie shots with high contrast as well.
Videography
In terms of videos, both phones max out at 1080p/30fps recordings from front/back cameras. I found that Narzo 30A can capture relatively superior footage. In both instances, the Redmi 9 Power has worse dynamic range and exposure control.
Battery
6000mAh battery with 18W fast charging
When it comes to battery life, Narzo 30A is a champ. Thanks to a big 6000mAh cell, I was consistently able to get 7-7.5 hours of screen-on-time on this phone. And that’s including multiple sessions of continuous gaming as well. Realme even says you can achieve up to 10 hours of gaming but that claim seems questionable. And if you’re someone who doesn’t game a lot, it will easily last you a couple of days.
Charging the phone is quite slow though. The 18W fast charger included inside the box takes almost 3 hours and 10 minutes to take Narzo 30A from 2% to 100%. It also supports reverse charging, so you can transfer power from the phone to other devices including smartphones, wearables, etc.
Audio
Single bottom-firing speaker
Likewise, its audio quality isn’t that bad either. Now, you don’t get a stereo speaker setup like on the Redmi 9 Power but the sound output is pretty good. It gets loud enough and is most suitable for listening to podcasts or similar acoustic content. Just don’t expect it to fare well under dynamic audio/video files.
Conclusion
To finish up this review, I feel like the Realme Narzo 30A is an underachieving phone on many fronts. It has a compromised 720p screen, a dual-camera setup, and an under-powerful 3/32GB starting model. At a time when most other manufacturers are starting to standardize the 4/64GB base variant, it’s a direct step backward.
Plus, the phone still runs on last-gen Android 10, with the Android 11 update scheduled so late. Yet, it does have a few redeeming qualities like its gaming capabilities and battery life. But at the end of the day, you get so much more by cashing in a couple of thousand rupees more for the Redmi Note 10.
Last year, Samsung found immense success with the Galaxy A51. Featuring a new design choice and a compelling set of cameras, the phone managed to rank among the best-selling Android phones for all of 2020. Now that’s a tough act to follow through. And here with me is its successor, the Galaxy A52. Just like the Galaxy A32 that Samsung launched recently, this phone gets a separate 4G/5G treatment as well. Allow me to discuss my early impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A52.
Samsung Galaxy A52 Specifications:
Body: 75.1 x 159.9 x 8.4mm, 189 gm, IP67 dust/water resistant
Display: 6.5-inches “Infinity-O” Super AMOLED panel, 90Hz refresh rate, 407 PPI
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Here, its 5G model powered by Snapdragon 750G is reserved for the western market whereas our unit is the standard Galaxy A52 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G inside. Apart from their network capability, these phones are basically the same. I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy A52 for the past day and here are my early impressions of the device.
Coming from A51, the biggest change that the company’s made can be seen in the design language itself. Instead of a prismatic back with an L-shaped camera layout, Samsung has gone with a smooth matte finish and a reworked camera module. In its bid to offer a premium look, A52’s camera layout screams inspiration from the Galaxy S21 series. So it’s fair to say that the phone makes a unique statement for itself in terms of visual flair.
Loving the pastel color choices so far
Add the gorgeous pastel color options into the mix, then you’re looking at one attractive phone. I’m also digging the lightweight build quality of this device. But, the bigger design win of the Galaxy A52 has to be its IP67 dust/water resistance, which is something of a rarity on similarly priced smartphones. Overall, Samsung has really nailed the design side of things here—especially considering the phone’s target demographics.
The display sees a healthy upgrade as well. A52’s 6.47” FHD Super AMOLED panel now hosts a 90Hz refresh rate. As a result, browsing the web or scrolling through the UI has been a treat so far. Still and all, while Samsung has been hoarding the praise for its AMOLED screen even on mid-range phones for some time now, the competition has caught up.
Xiaomi’s latest Redmi Note 10 series boasts a similar setup including options for an even higher 120Hz refresh rate which shrouds Samsung’s jump to the smooth display technology. All of this at a fraction of what the South Korean company is asking for A52. Also, unlike the variable refresh rate found in its flagship phones, this phone can’t dynamically adjust the screen refresh rate based on the content.
Great display, as always
Anyway, from what I can tell, this is an excellent display to look at. With up to 800 nits of brightness, outdoor visibility is no issue for the Galaxy A52. On the contrary, its SGS-certified eye comfort feature makes looking at the phone at night a non-fatiguing experience.
Additionally, it’s a content consumption juggernaut too. Thanks to the Widevine L1 certification, I can enjoy HD content from different streaming sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. On top of this, A52’s stereo speaker setup makes watching shows and movies all the more enjoyable. Moreover, because of the phone’s AMOLED heritage, you also get features like Always On Display and an optical in-display fingerprint sensor.
Like always, Samsung’s implementation of the latter leaves things to be desired. It’s quite slow and requires a rather firm pressure to work. Instead of this historically mediocre biometric option, I would’ve preferred a side-mounted fingerprint scanner instead, like on the Galaxy M12. On a related note, the face-unlock alternative is equally unimpressive too.
How does A52 hold up in terms of performance?
Moving on. As I mentioned earlier, the Galaxy A52 4G comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G SoC. Compared to the notorious Exynos 9611 in its predecessor, this chipset offers a major jump in performance. Having said that, Samsung isn’t really known for including best-in-class silicons in its non-flagship phones, and this one’s no exception. The same silicon can be found in much cheaper phones like the new Redmi Note 10 Pro series. But I digress.
Benchmarks:
AnTuTu v8: 261198
Geekbench 5:
(CPU) Single Core: 532, Multi-Core: 1544
(Compute) OpenCL: 1196
In terms of memory, you can choose from either 4, 6, or 8 GB of RAM while all of them share 128GB of internal storage. The phone runs on One UI 3.1 based on Android 11 out-of-the-box and you might already know how much I adore this Android skin.
From its dark mode implementation, customization options, to the Google-feed embedded home screen, it’s good to see Samsung do so well in the software department. Besides, the company’s commitment to providing 3 generations of OS and up to 4 years of security upgrades is an incredibly welcome move.
Like I said in the beginning, it’s only been a day since I’ve started using the Galaxy A52. So, keeping in mind that I’ll be reserving my final thought regarding its performance for the full review, what I can say for now is that things look pretty promising here. Juggling through a couple of apps like Facebook, Chrome, Spotify, and camera, the multitasking experience hasn’t let me down.
What about gaming?
I also tried playing a couple of demanding games and the results were pretty satisfactory. Keep in mind, a price-deserving chipset would’ve made the gameplay even better. Regardless, Call of Duty Mobile plays smoothly at High graphics and Max frame rate.
With my limited time with the phone, I haven’t gotten to extensively test out its gaming capabilities, so there’s that. On the other hand, PUBG Mobile is also playable at Smooth graphics and Ultra frame rate.
Do the cameras see any improvement?
With that out of the way, let’s talk cameras. Galaxy A52 features a similar quad-camera setup but with an upgraded 64MP sensor. Apart from this, Samsung has been generous enough to include OIS on the rear camera this time around. You can shoot up to 4K/30fps videos from both front and back camera but as aforementioned, the former lacks any sort of stabilization.
Normal
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Images from the primary camera are classic Samsung stuff. They are punchy with plenty of details. The photos from 12MP ultrawide cameras share the same story.
Wideangle
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Here, the portrait shots from its 5MP depth sensor are similar to the ones from Galaxy A72 that doesn’t have a dedicated portrait lens.
Selfie
1 of 4
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Completing the setup is a 5MP macro lens. On the front, the 32MP selfie shooter remains unchanged.
And what about the battery life?
Getting to the battery, Galaxy A52 comes with a bigger 4500mAh cell with support for 25W fast charging. Now, I haven’t been able to complete a full charge cycle so stay tuned for our full review to know about the battery endurance and basically everything else about this phone at length. But with a day’s worth of heavy usage, the phone has kept up fine.
Conclusion
So that was it for my early impressions of the new Samsung Galaxy A52. With its revamped design and upgraded internals, the phone is a healthy upgrade over the A51 and definitely a phone to consider if you are thinking of getting a premium midrange phone this summer.
Watch our video impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A52.
Hey what’s up guys, hope you’re doing well. So, Samsung recently announced its latest Galaxy A-series phones – the Galaxy A52 and A72. And here, I am going to talk about my early impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A72, which is a premium mid-range phone. The phone price starts at Rs. 51,999 in Nepal and is currently available for sale.
Samsung Galaxy A72 Specifications:
Body: 77.4 x 165.0 x 8.4mm, 203 gm, IP67 dust/water resistant
Display: 6.7-inches “Infinity-O” Super AMOLED panel, 90Hz refresh rate, 394 PPI
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
The first thing I like about this device is the design and color choices. I have this Blue variant with me that looks quite refreshing. While the Galaxy A32 had a glossy back, the A72 gets a matte finish. The camera module here merges with the rear panel and has this seamless finish that looks unique and I quite like it honestly!
Traditionally, Samsung’s A-series smartphones have never disappointed in terms of design, and the legacy continues with the Galaxy A72. The phone, despite carrying a big 5000mAh battery inside, looks and feels pretty sleek. And even though it occupies a large area in your hand, Samsung has managed to make the phone lightweight too.
IP67 dust/water resistance
Not to forget, it also comes with premium features like IP67 dust-and-water resistance. I even tried submerging it in water for about half an hour and the phone returned unharmed. and dual speakers. From my preliminary test, I like the audio quality from its stereo speakers too. Sounds really good.
Moving on, the display size remains the same as last time. However, its 6.67-inches Super AMOLED Plus screen now comes with a higher 90Hz refresh rate, replacing the 60Hz panel in its predecessor. Although this is definitely a significant upgrade, I was hoping Samsung would use a 120Hz screen here.
About the native display quality, well, as expected, it is an excellent panel with great colors and contrast levels. The screen responds to touch very well as well. Likewise, you get an optical in-display fingerprint sensor here which is not the fastest but gets the job done. Apart from that, you get the usual stuff like dark mode and Always on Display on the A72.
Performance could’ve been better
While the design and display are pretty impressive, one upgrade I was really looking forward to was in the performance department. For some reason, Samsung has decided to go with the Snapdragon 700 series chipset. More specifically, the Snapdragon 720G, which is not much of an upgrade to the 730 used on the Galaxy A71.
I admit that the 720G is a somewhat acceptable choice for the A52. But considering A72’s premium mid-range stature and how competing phones like the Realme X7 Pro has a superior Dimensity 1000+ chipset, and the Poco F3 equip Snapdragon 870, the 720G is definitely underpowered.
Still, it’s a decent chipset for handling everyday hustle and Samsung is well known for optimizing its hardware. Having said that, this chipset is particularly not an ideal choice from a gaming perspective. So, I think this is the one aspect where Samsung should have done better. Even going with a last-gen flagship silicon strategy like on the Galaxy F62 would’ve been more preferable. The Snapdragon 720G has been complemented by 8GB of RAM and either 128/256GB of storage.
Other than that, the A72 ships with Android 11 out of the box with the latest One UI 3.1 on top. As usual, Samsung’s UI is well optimized and feels great to use.
How are the cameras so far?
Finally, let’s talk about the cameras. Galaxy A72 has a quad-camera setup at the back with a 64MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, an 8MP telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom, and finally a 5MP macro lens. Furthermore, the A72 can also zoom up to 30x digitally.
I haven’t been able to click a lot of pictures from the phone yet, but looking at the few shots I managed to capture, I can say that its cameras look promising.
Normal
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The primary images have really good colors and ample details. The ultra-wide images are equally pleasing with a wide field of view and even macro photos are not half bad either.
Wideangle
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Although it doesn’t have a dedicated depth sensor, the portrait images look pretty good. Moving on, A72 features a 32MP selfie camera inside the tiny punch-hole cutout upfront. As far as the images are concerned, they look pleasing too.
Selfie
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In terms of videos, we have options for 4k and 1080p but only in 30 fps. So yeah, no 60-fps option still. Yet, Samsung has included OIS here and the videos come out quite stable. On top of the primary camera, even the telephoto lens can shoot Super Steady videos. You can also click nice stable videos from the selfie camera up to 4k 30 fps.
Is battery life going to be an issue?
Lastly, as I mentioned earlier, the phone has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 25-watt fast charging. Unlike Samsung’s eco-friendly choice to exclude a power adapter inside the box of its flagship phones, you do get one for the Galaxy A72.
Having used the phone for less than a day, I haven’t been able to judge its battery life yet. Therefore, stay tuned for the full review where I’ll be discussing it in detail.
So, those were my initial impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A72. I will come up with its full review after using it for some more time, so watch out for this space when that drops.
Watch our video impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A72.
Google’s “Pixel” lineup is popular among smartphone enthusiasts, especially with those who prefer a clean Android experience and enjoy taking photos with their phone’s cameras. Since the first-gen Pixel debuted in 2016, this series has been entirely based on Qualcomm chipsets. The use of Qualcomm silicon could be coming to an end with the upcoming Google Pixel 6. According to reports, the company is designing an in-house custom chipset, codenamed “Whitechapel.”
Google Pixel 6 with custom “Whitechapel” chipset
Google’s own SoCs, which first made headlines in early 2020, can likely make their debut in new Pixel phones and Chromebooks. In addition, the company recently recruited Intel’s CPU designer as VP of engineering for server chip design. According to them, they would concentrate more on system design to minimize power and cost.
According to 9to5Google, Google’s new phone for this fall (most likely the Pixel 6) will be among the first to use the Google custom “GS101” Whitechapel chipset. Whitechapel is used in conjunction with the codename “Slider” in the document viewed by 9to5Google; a reference that has also been used in the Google Camera app.
“Slider” appears to be the shared platform for Google’s first custom SoC. The company has internally referred to the chip as “GS101”, where the initial characters stand for Google Silicon.
Interestingly, 9to5Google claims that “Whitechapel” is in connection with Samsung. It is very likely that Google-made silicon is a refined version of Samsung’s Exynos branded SoC. It implies that the Google chip can share certain functionalities with Exynos, such as software components.
Following the report, the chipset will likely use Samsung 5nm process technology. It will feature an octa-core ARM CPU with two Cortex-A78, two Cortex-A76, and four Cortex-A55 cores. The upcoming Google Pixel 6 and 6XL, codename “Raven and “Oriole” can be the first smartphone to use the “Slider” platform.
Google’s custom silicon can be a great advantage
Since Google has been depending on Qualcomm’s platform, an in-house chip would give it greater control over its hardware. A separate part of the SoC can be dedicated to Google Assistant. The patented chip would assist in the optimization of the operating system and give its smartphones a performance edge over competitors’ devices.
Because the Pixel devices are not yet officially available in Nepal, their prices are exorbitant when available from unofficial sources. However, the use of self-designed SoCs can minimize costs altogether. But this doesn’t mean we’ll be seeing Google officially enter the Nepalese market anytime soon.
Moreover, the company may extend its software support for the Pixel series of smartphones once it starts making its own chip. The major reason Android devices only receive updates for about two or three years is that the chipsets age out. It becomes difficult to roll out an Android update without Qualcomm’s assistance. It can be resolved on the new Made by Google device if it uses a chip built in-house by Google.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Redmi Note 10.
Facebook has always struggled to keep track of its users’ data, as well as to protect these sensitive assets. Time and again, the events of the Facebook data leak are in the major headlines in worldwide media. Recently, the personal details of over 500 million Facebook users have leaked, which are freely available online.
Facebook Data Leak Scenario
A user on a low-level hacker forum posted personal information of over half a billion Facebook users. These data include names, account creation date, relationship status, location, and even emails for some of them. This leak consists of personal data of users from at least 100 countries (106 to be precise), including 32 million users in the United States and 11 million users in the United Kingdom.
In total, 533 million users’ data is available online, with India ranking third with over six million data leaks.
Alon Gal (Chief Technology Officer of cybercrime intelligence firm Hudson Rock) first shed some light on the data breach on Saturday. Thankfully, Nepal isn’t on the list of affected countries. Still, to see whether your email address has suffered any data leak, you can refer to sites like Have I Been Pwned.
— Alon Gal (Under the Breach) (@UnderTheBreach) January 14, 2021
A Facebook spokesperson reported that “This is old data that was previously reported in 2019 and the issue was already fixed in August 2019”. However, if such information has leaked from Facebook’s network, the company seems to have no ability to prevent it from circulating online.
Not the first rodeo
As I previously said, this isn’t the first time Facebook’s user data has been exposed online. Facebook was caught in a contentious privacy situation in 2020 after it announced that thousands of developers had access to data from inactive actions. Back in 2016, Cambridge Analytica scraped the data of 80 million Facebook users to target voters with campaign advertising.
The data can be accessed for free, and there are chances that hackers can use it to perform illegal activities. He also said that a user-developed Telegram bot allows users to query the database for a small charge; allowing them to locate phone numbers associated with a vast number of Facebook accounts.
Conclusion
All of this points to the fact that any information you share on Facebook will inevitably become public; even though you want to keep it confidential. These significant data leaks aim to disrupt Facebook’s corporate model of collecting a vast volume of personal information and selling targeted advertising.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Redmi Note 10.
Xiaomi Nepal has a bunch of amazing budget phones in its portfolio. But a couple of the entries are quite similar to each other, and that’s discounting the POCO phones. And now, the company has launched the Redmi 9T, which is the exact same phone as the existing Redmi 9 Power. Let’s learn more about the “new” Redmi 9T including its features, specs, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Redmi 9T Overview:
Like I said earlier, Redmi 9T is a rebranded device. It is the European variant of the Redmi 9 Power that was launched a couple of months earlier. The phone has a 6.53-inch FHD+ IPS LCD panel with FHD+ resolution. Since it’s a budget phone, you’ll have to settle with a 60Hz refresh rate screen.
Plus, the display is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3. Redmi 9T incorporates Xiaomi’s “Aura Power” design at the back, which has an anti-fingerprint texture. The phone is splash-proof as well although there’s not an official IP certification. You can choose from 4 colorful options: Sunset Orange, Twilight Blue, Carbon Gray, and Ocean Green.
Under the hood, powering the Redmi 9T is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 (11nm). This is complemented by 4/6GB of LPDDR4X RAM up to 128GB internal storage. Interestingly, the 64GB storage option uses UFS 2.1 protocol while the more lavish 128GB variant boasts a relatively faster UFS 2.2 storage.
Redmi 9T gets its juice from a beefy 6000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging via the Type-C connection. Thankfully, you get a 22.5W fast charger inside the box itself. Getting to the cameras, it has a quad-lens setup at the back. It’s led by a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor.
Upfront, you get an 8MP front camera inside the teardrop notch. In terms of security, Redmi 9T has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The software side of things is handled by MIUI 12 based on Android 10. Other amenities of the phone include Hi-Res certified stereo speakers, IR blaster, etc.
Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Proximity, Vibration Motor, IR Blaster, Proximity
Battery: 6000mAh with 18W charging (22.5W brick inside the box)
Color options: Carbon Gray, Sunset Orange, Twilight Blue, Ocean Green
Redmi 9T Price in Nepal & Availability
Redmi 9T is now official in Nepal where its price is NPR 18,999 for the 4/64GB variant. Likewise, the 4/128GB configuration costs NPR 20,999. By the way, these prices are similar to that of Redmi 9 Power. You can buy Redmi 9T in Nepal from Daraz, Sastodeal, or Mi authorized retail stores across Nepal.
