Alauda Aeronautics has announced the world’s first flying race car – Airspeeder MK3. The flying race car will be out on a test later this year and will feature in a racing series next year. Let’s take a closer look at the Airspeeder MK3.
Airspeeder Mk3
Alauda’s Airspeeder Mk3 looks like a giant cross between a drone and a high-speed boat. Technically, it is a full-sized electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle. The frame and fuselage are made from carbon fiber. The material ensures strength, maneuverability, and efficiency. As of now, the company is planning to control it remotely from the ground. Airspeeder Mk3 can reach a top speed of up to 120km per hour. However, when it passes through the test, the company will organize a “crewed” racing series in 2022.
The developers are looking to produce more than 10 Mk3 racing cars for the preparation of the test. These test vehicles are being produced at Airspeeder and Aluada’s technical headquarter in Adelaide, South Australia. Mk3 has been in development for more than three years and is finally looking to be test-ready.
For safety reasons, pilots will be operating the unmanned aircraft remotely from the ground. This will allow them to assess the safety features of the Airspeeder. The Airspeeder’s collision avoidance system makes use of technologies like LiDAR and Radar. The craft features a 96kW electric powertrain that provides thrust to the Speeder to keep in the air. It can result in a thrust-to-weight ratio of above two for a craft that weighs 100kg. Pilots can carry out different three-dimensional maneuver in the sky. The aircraft also features a new slide-and-lock mechanism that will allow the users to replace batteries rapidly. It will facilitate rapid pit stops.
Key Features:
Category: Racing eVTOL
Layout: October X Formation
Material: Carbon Fiber
Weight: 100kg (unmanned)
Powertrain: 96kW
Top Speeds: 120km per hour
Safety System: LiDAR and Radar
Airspeeder Mk3 Availability
Developers are readying the Airspeeder Mk3 for a manned racing series that will take place in 2022. For now, the aircraft will be tested with the pilots controlling it remotely from the ground.
Apple’s SE models have not enjoyed the same level of continuity as the regular iPhones. The first iPhone SE came out in 2016 and it took the company around 4 years to come up with its successor. However, recent reports suggest that we may not have to wait that long for the next model. Also, the upcoming iPhone SE 3 is said to feature significant changes over its predecessor.
iPhone SE 3 Rumors Roundup:
iPhone SE 2020 (or the iPhone SE 2) was launched in 2020 but discounting the chipset, everything else screamed old-gen. It was practically the iPhone 8 from 2017 with the Apple A13 Bionic chipset inside. It had thick bezels that made it look outdated for a phone in 2020. Similarly, the screen size was too small and it featured Touch ID instead of the Face ID like in newer iPhones.
Design and Display
However, reports suggest that Apple will be fixing many of these issues on the upcoming iPhone SE 3. To start, it won’t be an older iPhone with the latest processor. The next iPhone SE will feature a new design. According to an analysis by JP Morgan Chase, the iPhone SE 3 will have a 6.1-inch LCD display. It is a significant bump from the 4.7-inch panel on its predecessor.
Not only that, but it will also have a notch instead of the big bezel for a more modern design. Similarly, the Touch ID will be moved from the front to the side of the phone. This way, Apple can get rid of the home button for a better screen-to-body ratio.
Here, the iPhone SE 3 won’t be the only iPhone with Touch ID. Apple is reportedly bringing it to the upcoming iPhone 13 (or the iPhone 12s) lineup as people are forced to face masks because of the COVID 19, which directly compromises the performance of Face ID. It will be placed under the screen as the high-end phone will have OLED panels.
Camera and Processor
In terms of camera, Apple will be using the same setup as in the iPhone 11 lineup. That is, the iPhone SE 3 will have a dual-camera setup with a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera. Similarly, the rear camera will have Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
The phone will be powered by the Apple A14 Bionic processor. The processor is based on TSMC’s 5nm chipset but doesn’t have an integrated 5G modem. Thus, instead of opting for the Snapdragon X55 modem as it did for the iPhone 12 series, Apple may ditch the idea all along on this inexpensive iPhone.
iPhone SE 3 Expected Launch Date
There are a lot of predictions when it comes to the launch date of the iPhone SE 3. Last year, Ming-Chi Kuo, who is very reliable when it comes to Apple leaks, suggested that we won’t see it in the first half of 2021. According to JP Morgan Chase, the iPhone SE 3 will launch only in 2021.
In contrast to these sources, MacOtakra, a Japanese blog, has said that the iPhone SE 3 will launch in April 2021. It is said to have gotten the information from Chinese sources within the supply chain.
Also, check out our long-term review of the iPhone SE 2020.
Earlier, a report from TechnikNews suggested Motorola will be changing the naming convention of its G-series. As per the new naming scheme, devices in the G-series will now have a double-digit number in their moniker. The report named four upcoming devices – G10 (Capri), G20 (Java), G30 (Capri Plus), and G100 (Nio). However, Mukul Sharma, an Indian tipster, has suggested another phone with a G40 moniker is on its way to India. Let’s take a look at all the leaks and rumors surrounding the specs, features, and availability of upcoming of the Motorola Moto G40.
Moto G40 Rumors Roundup:
Geekbench 4 Scores
Moto G40 was recently spotted in Geekbench 4 listing with the model name Motorola XT2137-2. The device managed to score 2466 in the single-core score and 6223 in the multi-score score. It also revealed the codename of the phone to be Ibiza. The model that went through the test had 6GB of RAM and ran on Android 11. It was also spotted on the Wi-Fi Alliance database which confirmed support for dual-band WiFi on the phone.
According to Mukul Sharma, the phone will be a budget-oriented 5G devices. Thus, it’s likely that it will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 480. The chipset was announced last month and it features two Cortex-A76 (@2.0GHz) and six Cortex-A53 cores (@1.8GHz). It has the Snapdragon X51 modem for 5G connectivity.
The HD+ IPS panel on the G40 will have support for a 90Hz refresh rate. It will also have a waterdrop notch to house the 13MP selfie camera. At the back, the phone will have a triple camera setup consisting of a 48MP primary lens, a 5MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor. The phone will feature a 5,000mAh battery.
According to Mukul Sharma, Motorola could launch the Moto G40 in February. The phone will initially be available in India. However, there is no information regarding the price of the Moto G40 for now.
5G smartphone
Availability (Expected)
Moto G40
February (India)
Check out our review of the Motorola Moto G9 Play (Nepali).
You may not have heard the name Harman International that often, but it’s unlikely that you have not come across products that the company has worked on. The company owns some of the major brands in the audio industry. AKG, Crown Amplifier, and JBL are some of the brands that come under Harman International. Harman Kardon is another brand under the same umbrella and its Neo Portable speaker is now available in Nepal. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, official price, and availability of the Harman Kardon Neo Bluetooth Speaker in Nepal.
Harman Kardon Neo Bluetooth Speaker Overview
Harman Kardon Neo is a palm-sized Bluetooth speaker from Harman Kardon. It is both portable and cheaper than the company’s flagship lineup like the Aura, Esquire, and Onyx. Harman Kardon Neo has a square-shaped body made up of metal. The speaker also has IPX7 certification.
Its internal speaker is on the top surface and this faces the sky when the Neo is placed on a flat surface. It also has a “Harman/Kardon” branding in the middle.
There are buttons on either side of the speaker. On the right, there is a play/pause button and on the other side, you get the power and Bluetooth button. The speaker also has a strap that you can use in transporting the speaker.
Talking about the features, the speaker comes with Bluetooth 4.2 and supports different profiles like A2DP, ARCP, HFP, and HSP. It features a single 40mm transducer. The speaker is listed with an RMS output of 3W. Frequency response ranges from 130Hz to 20KHz. Harman Kardon Neo also features an echo-canceling speakerphone and thus, you will be able to take calls with it. The speaker is backed by a 1000mAh battery which the company claims can last up to 10 hours.
Specifications:
Dimension: 110 x 110 x 34.1mm; 251g
Transducer: 1 x 40mm
Rated Output Power: 3W RMS
Frequency Response: 130Hz – 20KHz
Signal to noise ratio: >80dB
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP V1.2, AVRCP V1.5, HFP V1.6, HSP V1.2
Water Resistant: IPX7 certification
Battery: 1000mAh Lithium-ion (5V, 0.5A charging)
Harman Kardon Neo Price in Nepal & Availability
Harman Kardon Neo portable Bluetooth speaker is available from purchase in Nepal for the price of NPR 12,500. You can buy Harman Kardon Neo in Nepal from Hukut Store.
With fierce competition from Poco C3 and the newly announced Samsung Galaxy M02s, Oppo Nepal has slashed the price of Oppo A12 in Nepal. Launched back in July, the Oppo A12 is a budget-oriented smartphone that caters to first-time smartphone buyers.
Oppo A12 Overview
Design and Display
From the front, Oppo A12 looks like any other budget smartphone in the market. It comes with a 6.22-inch LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. Oppo has added a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the display. There is a tiny waterdrop notch on the top to use the front camera. The display comes with Blue Light Shield what will protect your eyes by filtering out harmful blue light.
The back panel is what really catches the attention. Though the body is made up of polycarbonate, it doesn’t look that dull thanks to the 3D Diamond Blaze design. There is a pill-shaped camera module that houses the dual camera setup.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the device packs MediaTek’s Helio P35 chipset and we aren’t really surprised. The processor powers most of the budget devices available today. Users can choose between 3 or 4GB of RAM. The two RAM variants come with 32GB and 64GB of internal storage respectively. If the storage doesn’t sound enough, you can expand it up to 256GB via a microSD card.
Camera
The dual-camera setup comes with a 13MPprimary camera. It is accompanied by a 2MP portrait lens for the bokeh effects. An LED flash resides on the side of the pill-shaped camera module. On the front, there is a 5MPselfie camera.
The battery is among the most important feature in any budget phone and the new Oppo A12 comes with a massive battery of 4,230mAh. For security, Oppo has included a capacitive fingerprint sensor and AI face unlock feature. The device is available in two color options – Blue and Black.
OPPO A12 Specifications
Display: 6.22-inch LCD with HD resolution (720 x 1520 pixels); Corning Gorilla Glass 3
The Oppo A12 was launched in Nepal for Rs. 18,590 (3/32GB). However, the new price of A12 is Rs. 14,990. There has been no price cut on the higher 4/64GB variant.
Starlink is an ambitious project from SpaceX to build a constellation of satellites. The motto here is to provide a fast and reliable internet connection to even disconnected places. The Starlink project that began back in 2015 now has over 10,000 users while it is still in the beta phase. The company announced the numbers in a filing with Federal Communications Wednesday.
Starlink: An Overview
In the filing, it is stated that Starlink is the world’s first high-speed low latency satellite internet service in the world. The service uses a large fleet of satellites deployed on the low Earth orbit for the same. It promises to provide low-latency internet access to even the most isolated regions of the world. The Federal Communication gave permission to SpaceX to deploy and operate over 4,400 satellites on the Low Earth Orbit (“LEO”) for the project.
Tintin A and TinTin B were the first prototypes that were sent to space as part of the project in 2018. Now, the company has over 1,000 Starlink satellites orbiting around the low earth orbit. Just yesterday, the company launched 60 Starlink internet satellite.
SpaceX has already shown that Starlink’s performance is not theoretical or experimental and that it can surpass Commission’s “Above Baseline” and “Low Latency” performance tiers. That is, it has already met or exceeded 100/20 Mbps throughput to end-users with network round-trip latency below 31ms 95% of the time.
Starlink Beta Users
Back in April 2020, Elon Musk disclosed that the team was planning to begin beta testing. Back then, the project had just over 400 satellites. Soon, the company announced the “Better than Nothing Beta” for users in October. It came after a month after the company announced that it had around 700,000 individuals interested in the Starlink services.
Initially, the Better than Nothing Beta was first limited to the United States. But it has since expanded to consumers over Canada and the UK. A report from CNBC claims that users have to pay $99 per month per the Starlink service. Users have to pay an additional $499 at the beginning for the user terminal and Wi-Fi router. There are now over 10,000 active users in the US and outside that are using the Starlink Service.
Rumors of Apple working on a car is not new. The first one surfaced in 2015 and it keeps re-emerging on the internet time and again. A few months ago, it was reported that Apple is working on developing new battery technology to power its car. And now, reports have surfaced that suggested that Apple has inked a contract with Kia for the manufacturing of the new car.
Apple Kia Car Deal Overview:
As reported by DongA, Apple and Kia will sign a deal worth 4 Trillion Won (~ 3.6 billion dollars) to allow Apple to access Kia’s car manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia. If the report is true, the production of the Apple Car will start in 2024. The time does match up with previous reports from Reuters and Ming-Chi Kuo. The former published a report last year citing that Apple will be pushing for 2021 manufacturing goals. Ming-Chi Kuo, on the other hand, predicted that the Apple car will be available in 2023 and 2025. However, all of these sources accept that the launch could possibly be pushed further.
The plan is to start low at 100,000 cars per year and increase production eventually to match the 400,000 units per year capacity of the plant.
Latest Progress
The latest reports confirm that the Apple Car will be an autonomous vehicle. In the past, it was speculated that it will rival self-driving cars from Tesla but it may not be the case. The Apple Car is more likely to be targeted at businesses and enterprises. And it may not be available for the general consumers. Instead, we could witness Apple Cars being developed for food delivery or by companies with robotaxis.
According to Kuo, the Apple Car will be built on the Hyundai-Kia E-GMP program. Hyundai will be helping with component design and production but it will be Apple that will decide on the software and hardware that goes into it. For instance, the company is working on new battery technology. Also, the company will be using multiple LiDAR sensors on the car. Apple will manufacture some of them while the others will come from other manufacturers.
Apple has been working on a self-driving vehicle system for a while now as part of Project Titan. Over the years, Project Titan has headed in different directions with changes in the leading personnel at different stages. The most notable was Doug Field’s move from Tesla in 2018. A year later, Apple acquired Drive.ai, a startup focusing on the self-driving kit.
Apple Self-Driving Car Availability
As mentioned by multiple sources, the company is looking to start the production of the Apple Car in 2024. However, some sources claim that it can be pushed back because of the ongoing pandemic and other complexities and one should expect it to drop between 2025 and 2027.
Through the second-ever virtual Unpacked event, Samsung unveiled the new Galaxy S21-lineup on the 14th of Jan. And with that, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is official too. Pre-booking for all the S21 series phones in Nepal started on Jan 21 and ended on Feb 4. The company came up with exciting offers for early birds. However, since the pre-booking period is over, the offer is no longer valid. So, let’s dive straight into the details of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, including its official price in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Overview:
Super Smooth Display
Spec-wise, the S21 Ultra is the best Galaxy phone of this year. And it has a display to go with. Here, you get a big 6.82-inch 1440p AMOLED panel. Furthermore, it has a refresh rate of 120Hz at Quad HD resolution. Moreover, it gets super bright too. It has a peak brightness of 1500 nits, the brightest in the Galaxy series. Also, the contrast has been improved by 50% over the S20 series.
It is a curved display that boasts LTPO technology. This allows the screen to dynamically switch the refresh rate between 10Hz and 120Hz. The screen and the back panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. And finally, you can use an S-pen on this device. But you’re gonna need to buy a separate folio case for this.
Exynos 2100 to the rescue?
Last year’s Galaxy S20 Ultra received a lot of flake due to the use of the Exynos 990 chipset, plus the camera autofocus issue. However, this time around they have gone for the Exynos 2100 chipset. This one has an architecture similar to that of the Snapdragon 888. And promises to deliver much better performance than the Exynos 990 chipset.
The chipset has great Geekbench 5 single-core and multi-core scores and beats the score of Exynos 990 by quite a huge margin. Add to that the optimized One UI 3.1, 12/16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and what you’ve got is a beast of a mobile. However, doubts do remain about the Mali-G78 GPU. Thus, we’ll have to wait and see how it goes head-to-head against the Adreno 660 of Snapdragon 888.
Best phone for telephoto shots
Many leaks had suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will be the best phone for telephoto shots. And the revealed spec-sheet somewhat justifies that claim. At least on paper. The rear camera setup has four sensors. A primary 108MP ISOCELL HM3 sensor, 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP periscope telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom, and another 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.
Now, the reason why it has been labeled as the best smartphone for telephoto shots is that the periscope lens refracts the light only twice to achieve a 10x zoom. However, lenses of other smartphones require at least 5. Fewer refraction leads to an image with greater quality. Furthermore, there’s a new Image Signal Processor too. Thus, overall with the S21 Ultra, you’re likely to snap images with great quality. Not to miss out, there’s also a 40MP selfie sensor upfront.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Specifications:
Body: 6.50 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches, 229 gm, IP68 rated, Gorilla Glass Victus, Aluminum frame, S-pen support (separate case required)
Battery: 5000mAh with 25W fast charging (USB-C to USB-C), 15W wireless charging, 4.5W reverse wireless powershare
Color options (in Nepal): Phantom – Black, Silver
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Price in Nepal [Official]
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is now available for purchase from official retail outlets in Nepal. The official price of S21 Ultra in Nepal for the 12/256GB is set at Rs. 154,999.
Model
Memory Variant
Price in Nepal
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
12/256GB
NPR. 154,999
Check out our review of the new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
In a virtual Unpacked event held on Jan 14, Korean giants Samsung unveiled its next generation of flagship phones as a successor to the Galaxy S20 devices. Nepalese users were able to pre-order these new phones from 21st Jan to Feb 4 with exciting pre-booking offers. However, the pre-booking offer has ended and you can now purchase the Galaxy S21 and S21+ from the nearest Samsung outlets. So, without further ado, let’s learn about the specs, official price, and availability of the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus Overview
Design and Display
Samsung has decided to keep the curved display exclusive to the S21 Ultra to differentiate it from the rest of the lineup this year. Thus, the Galaxy S21 and S21+ come with flat displays of different diagonal.
The Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel used on these phones has a centered punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera placement. Resolution on both the device has been scaled down from QHD+ on their respective predecessor to just FHD+. At least, Samsung is providing the latest Gorilla Glass Victus for the front screen on both the S21 and S21+.
While the S21 sports a 6.2-inch display, the S21+ has a slightly larger display of 6.7-inch. Both screens feature an aspect ratio of 20:9. Samsung has listed the peak brightness of the phones at 1300 nits which are slightly lower than the 1500 nits on the S21 Ultra. Similarly, these devices support a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+ display technology as well.
Improved ultrasonic fingerprint scanner
Samsung has improved the in-display fingerprint on the new devices. The S21 lineup will mark the debut of the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2 that was announced just a few days ago at CES 2021. Compared to its predecessor, the new ultrasonic fingerprint scanner has a 77% larger reader area. The scanner is also 50% faster and can record 1.7x more biometric data.
Like on the Galaxy Note 20, the vanilla S21 comes with a glastic body which is basically a combo of glass and plastic material. Besides Note 20, we’ve seen Samsung use this material in phones like the S20 FE and other mid-range devices. The glastic rear panel on the Galaxy S21 has a glossy finish. On the contrary, S21+ feels more premium here because of its glass build which also uses Gorilla Glass Victus for added protection.
Performance and Memory
As always, Samsung will be shipping its flagship smartphones with either Snapdragon or an Exynos processor based on the region. Select regions including Samsung’s home market of South Korea, the USA, and China will receive phones with Snapdragon 888. On the other hand, the rest of the global audience will receive the Exynos 2100 variant.
This time around, Samsung has created a lot of hype around its flagship Exynos 2100 chipset, even using catchphrases “Exynos is Back”. The company is confident there won’t be a significant performance gap between the two flagship chipsets. After all, both the Exynos 2100 and Snapdragon 888 are based on a similar 5nm process node and a tri-cluster architecture. Some are even claiming superior performance on the Exynos 2100 because of the higher-clocked clock speeds.
GPU and Memory Configurations
The two chipsets come with different GPUs. SD 888 has Adreno 660 while on the other hand, the Exynos 2100 has Mali G78. Though both the processors have integrated 5G modem, the ones used are not the same.
Both S21 and S21+ will sport 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and users can make a choice between 128GB and 256GB of internal storage. However, Samsung has killed SD cards with the Galaxy S21 series so you won’t be able to expand the storage. On the software front, these phones will ship with OneUI 3.1 based on Android 11 out-of-the-box.
Camera
Samsung has redesigned the camera bump for its Galaxy S21 lineup. Here, the bump extends from the metal frames of the devices. The bump on the S20 and S21+ are identical and it is smaller than that of the S21 Ultra. It is because the two devices only have three cameras at the back compared to Ultra’s five. Similarly, the camera bump also doesn’t house the LED flash.
Both phones have an identical camera setup too. Samsung has used a triple camera setup led by a 12MP wide sensor for the primary camera. It will have support for Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Dual Pixel PDAF. There is another 12MP sensor for capturing ultra-wide angle shots. Completing the setup is a 64MP telephoto lens with an optical zoom of up to 3x. The telephoto lens also has the support for OIS and Dual Pixel PDAF. On the front, there is a 10MP selfie camera enclosed inside the circular cut-out.
Rest of the specs
Here, Galaxy S21+ houses a slightly bigger battery of 4800mAh compared to S21’s 4000mAh. Both phones support 25W USB Power Delivery (PD) 3.0 fast charging. Other than that, all the devices in the S21 lineup come with 15W wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging. Also, Samsung has followed Apple’s footsteps on not including charger in its flagship devices. Who didn’t see this coming?
All the devices on the S21 lineup have IP68 certification against dust and water. Other features include the inclusion of Knox security, Ultra-wideband (UWB), Dex, and ANT+. Also, Samsung is not giving up on Bixby as the voice assistant is present on the S21 series.
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+ Color Options
In terms of color options, the Galaxy S21+ is available in four variants – Phantom Violet, Phantom Black, Phantom Silver, and Phantom Pink. On the other hand, the S21 retains the Violet and Pink color options along with White and Grey. Similarly, there is a custom color option including Phantom Red in certain regions.
Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital/Plus
Connectivity
5G, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, UWB (Only S21+)
Battery
4000mAh
USB PD 3.0 (25W)
15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0;
4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging
No charger in the box
4800mAh
USB PD 3.0 (25W)
15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0;
4.5W Reverse Wireless Charging
No charger in the box
Colors
Violet, Gray, White, Pink
Violet, Black, Silver, Pink
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus Price in Nepal & Availability
The Price of Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Plus in Nepal is set at Rs. 109,999 and Rs. 1,29,999 respectively. Both these phones come with a single 8GB RAM and 256GB storage variant.
Galaxy S21 Lineup
Price in Nepal (Official)
Samsung Galaxy S21
NPR. 109,999 (256GB)
Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus
NPR. 129,999 (256GB)
Check out our review of the new Samsung Galaxy S21/S21+ here:
Last month. Samsung unveiled its latest flagship series at the January Unpacked Event. During this, the company unveiled its latest top-of-the-line flagship phone—the Galaxy S21 Ultra. And it isn’t just about the new chipset and design, this phone features a better display than the flagships before it or the standard S21, S21+. A recent comparison between the two devices by AnandTech has shed some light on how the display on Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is better than the S20 Ultra and the Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra Display
120Hz refresh rate at QHD
The most apparent difference between the display of the S21 Ultra and S20 Ultra is the advanced 120Hz capability of the former. Though both the phones have a QHD panel and refresh rate of up to 120Hz, only the latest S21 Ultra supports 120Hz at the native resolution. In the S20 Ultra, enabling the 120Hz refresh rate automatically lowers the resolution to FHD.
For this, Samsung has increased the clock speed of the MIPI (Mobile Industry Processor Interface) clock from 1157MHz to 1426MHz. Other things like the 4-lane interface are the same.
Variable Refresh Rate
S21 Ultra’s display still uses the LTPO-like Hybrid Oxide and Polycrystalline (HOP) backplane technology as the Note 20 Ultra. This enabled the variable refresh rate on these phones. The adaptive refresh rate on the Galaxy S21 Ultra can switch between 10 Hz to 120 Hz. Samsung has not changed the underlying mechanism of the variable refresh rate system. What does not mean is that, like on the Note 20 Ultra, the variable refresh rate on the S21 Ultra doesn’t work when the ambient light is below 40 lux. In situations where the ambient light is greater than 40 lux, it works perfectly fine.
Power Efficiency
In a test conducted in the Exynos 2100-powered variant of the S21 Ultra (there’s also a Snapdragon 888 variant for select markets), the phone was found to be using 469 – 481mW of power on a completely black screen with the display set at 60Hz QHD resolution. At 120Hz FHD, the phone used 558mW which is greater than the Note 20 Ultra’s 428mW. When put against the S20 Ultra, the Exynos 2100-powered S21 Ultra consumed up to 200mW and 45mW less power compared to Snapdragon 865-powered and Exynos 990-powered S20 Ultra, respectively.
As mentioned earlier, the Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) mechanism doesn’t work when ambient light is below the 40 lux mark. As a result, the phone ends up using 300mW in 120Hz mode. The difference between the power consumption is even greater when considering the fact that the displays run on a lower brightness level in such conditions.
New OLED Emitter Generation
Here, the S21 Ultra features a new OLED emitter that is exclusive to the phone, at least for now. Though this was not mentioned by Samsung, the advantage of the new emitters was apparent during the test.
Note 20 Ultra, S20 Ultra, and the S21 Ultra all have nearly the same power consumption on a completely dark screen. However, when the brightness levels of the screens are increased, the S21 Ultra showcases better power efficiency. For instance, at a peak brightness of 942 nits, it uses 20% less power than the Note 20 Ultra at 911 nits.
Device Luminance Power Comparison
1 of 2
Baseline
Baseline (normalized)
The normalized curve of the S21 Ultra and Note 20 Ultra matches to up to 150 nits. Then they diverge from each other. The divergence of S21 Ultra at higher brighter levels shows that the power efficiency increases with the increasing brightness levels.
For more realistic use conditions, the S21 Ultra and S20 Ultra were set at 120Hz FHD with 300 nits brightness. A static webpage was displayed on both panels. It was found that the S21 Ultra consumed 27% less power than the S20 Ultra.
Conclusion
The tests conducted by AnandTech show that the display panel on the S21 Ultra is more energy-efficient than its predecessors. Thus, the display on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra will do better especially if you love using the phone in Adaptive mode and at higher brightness levels.
Also, check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.
![Galaxy S21 Ultra - Display [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Galaxy-S21-Ultra-Display-2.jpg)
