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Samsung’s new Galaxy A72 is already available for purchase in Nepal

Samsung

Nikhil Shrestha

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March 17, 2021

Samsung’s new Galaxy A72 is already available for purchase in Nepal

Samsung unveiled a couple of new phones at the “Galaxy Unpacked March” event held yesterday (March 17). Among them is the new Galaxy A72 which is already available for purchase in Nepal. Let’s learn more about the specs, features, and the official price of the Samsung Galaxy A72 in Nepal right here.

Samsung Galaxy A72 Overview:

With the rise in popularity of 5G smartphones, OEMs are rushing in to incorporate the tech into their products. Here, Samsung was expected to announce the 5G variant of the Galaxy A72 as well but the company didn’t unveil it during today’s event. Still, we expect Samsung to announce the A72 5G shortly, which will likely be powered by Snapdragon 750G.

Design

Just like the Galaxy A52, this phone sees a design overhaul as well. Gone are the glossy reflective back panel and the L-shaped camera layout. Samsung has replaced them with a matte finish and a Galaxy S21-liked camera module. The color choices get softer options this time around too. Available in either Awesome – Black, Blue, White, Violet, their pastel hue looks quite pleasing to the eyes.

Additionally, Samsung is also throwing in IP67 dust/water resistance on the Galaxy A72. That means this phone can withstand full immersion in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes, while also being immune to dust & dirt. In the process of adding waterproof coatings (and a bigger battery that I’ll talk about in just a bit), the phone is slightly heavier than its predecessor (203 gm > 179 gm).

Also Read:
- Samsung Galaxy A52 with 90Hz SAMOLED display launched

Display

On to the display, you get a big 6.7” FHD+ Super AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Yeah, Samsung is finally catching up to the high refresh rate trend in mid-range and premium mid-range smartphones. Although we expected to see a 120Hz screen, the noticeable bump to 90Hz is a welcome move regardless. But unlike variable refresh rate (VRR) technology found in Samsung’s high-end or even mid-range phones from companies like POCO, this display is stuck at either 60Hz or 90Hz mode.

Besides the size, Galaxy A72’s screen shares every other feature with the A52. It enjoys up to 800 nits of brightness under HBM (High Brightness Mode) and is SGS certified against harmful blue light emission as well. It is also Widevine L1 certified meaning you can watch HD content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and other streaming services.

Performance

While Samsung’s premium mid-range phones have delivered on aspects like design, display, and camera, they have historically lagged in the performance department. And seeing this trend continue with the A72 is a little disheartening. Here, the company has opted for the rather lackluster Snapdragon 720G chipset. Samsung earned might praise for including its the-then flagship-grade chipset Exynos 9825 in the recent Galaxy F62. But the inclusion of 720G on a relatively expensive phone just doesn’t make sense.

Anyway, complementing the chipset is either 6/8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The phone also accepts an external micro SD card of up to 1TB. On the software side of things, Galaxy A72 runs on Samsung’s latest One UI 3.1 based on Android 11. Additionally, it will also receive up to 3 generations of OS and 4 years of security upgrades.

Camera

Moving on, Samsung has brought a decent camera upgrade on this phone. From the OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)-enabled primary sensor to a telephoto zoom lens, it looks like an objectively better camera phone compared to its predecessor—at least on paper.

A72’s quad-camera setup consists of a 64MP f/1.8 primary lens with OIS, a 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide sensor with 123º FOV, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 5MP f/2.4 sensor for macro photography. On the front, the 32MP f/2.2 selfie shooter has remained unchanged. In terms of videos, Galaxy A72 can shoot up to 4K/30fps footage from the rear and front camera, although the latter lacks stabilization.

The 3x optical and 30x digital zoom capable telephoto lens also supports OIS which sounds pretty promising. While it is void of the “Director’s View” mode that Samsung introduced in the Galaxy S21 series, the phone does come with a couple of fun shooting profiles like Single Take, Super Slo-Mo, Panorama Mode, Night Mode, Fun Mode (developed in collaboration with Snapchat and exclusive to Samsung phones), etc.

Rest of the specs

Coming from the Galaxy A71, Samsung has bumped the battery capacity too. It gets its power from a big 5000mAh battery which supports 25W fast charging. While that pales in comparison to the 7000mAh cell found in Samsung’s Galaxy F62, you should get at least a day’s worth of endurance.

The company is claiming it as a “Two-day battery life” phone but we’ll be the judge of that. Other features of the A72 include a Dolby Atmos-compliant stereo speaker setup, Knox security, Music Share, Buds Together, etc.

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
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (8nm)
CPU: Octa-core (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6×1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 618
Memory: 6/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128/256GB storage (expandable)
Software & UI: Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI 3.1 on top
Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
– 64MP f/1.8 primary lens, AF, OIS
– 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens, 123º FOV
– 8MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, OIS, 3x optical zoom
– 5MP f/2.4 macro sensor
Front Camera: 32MP f/2.2 sensor (punch-hole cutout)
Audio: Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos audio, 3.5mm headphone jack
Security: Optical in-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS / AGPS / Glonass / Galileo / Beidou, NFC, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
Battery: 5000mAh with 25W fast charging (25W adapter provided)
Color options: Awesome – Black, Blue, White, Violet

Samsung Galaxy A72 Price in Nepal & Availability

Samsung Galaxy A72 is available in Nepal at a starting price of Rs. 51,999. This price is for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. Likewise, the higher-end 256GB storage variant costs Rs. 56,999.

Samsung Galaxy A72	Price in Nepal (Official)
8/128GB	NPR 51,999
8/256GB	NPR 56,999

Check out our early impressions of the Samsung Galaxy A72.

iQOO Neo 5 announced with Snapdragon 870 and an in-game fps accelerator

GadgetByte

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March 17, 2021

0

iQOO Neo 5 announced with Snapdragon 870 and an in-game fps accelerator

Vivo’s sub-brand iQOO has launched its latest gaming phone in China. The new iQOO Neo 5 is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset and features a promising set of specs. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of iQOO Neo 5 in Nepal.

iQOO Neo 5 Overview:

Here, this phone sports a 6.62-inch AMOLED panel with an FHD+ resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels. It’s a 120Hz screen with a touch sampling rate of 1000Hz. The center-aligned camera cutout on the top contributes to the 91.45% screen-to-body ratio. Other highlights of the display include HDR10+ certification, 105% coverage of NTSC, and 6000000:1 contrast ratio.

Talking about the design, the back of the phone is made of AG matte glass and is available in three color options – Black, Blue, and Orange.

Performance

Powering the device is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 chipset. It’s a slightly overclocked version of the Snapdragon 865+. The cooling setup on the phone features a graphite plate with an area of 6000mm².

It also comes with the Multi-Turbo 5.0 technology. iQOO Neo 5 supports memory fusion in which the device uses the internal storage as RAM for better performance. Similarly, Multi-Turbo 5.0 also focuses on reducing memory footprint and energy consumption.

The Game All-HDR feature does a frame-by-frame color analysis of the game screen to make it look more vivid. iQOO is also promising more stable and durable frame rates. There is also a feature that raises the frame rate of select games to up to 120Hz. It is done using Pixelwork’s frame accelerator. Users can also adjust GPU-settings for different games.

Camera

At the back, the triple camera setup is enclosed inside the rectangular module. iQOO has used a 48MP Sony IMX598 sensor for the primary camera. It comes with OIS for stabilized video recording. It is accompanied by a 43MP ultrawide sensor. Completing the setup is a 2MP Black and White sensor. On the front, there is a 16MP camera for selfies.

Rest of the specs

Fueling the device is a 4,400mAh battery. There is support for 66W flash charge technology that can fill the device completely in 30 minutes. To ensure connectivity is not a problem when gaming, the phone supports Wi-Fi 6 and has a dual-antenna setup. Similarly, the phone ships with OriginOS based on Android 11.

iQOO Neo 5 Specifications:

Display: 6.62-inch AMOLED, 105% NTSC color gamut, 1300 nit, HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate, 91.45% screen ratio
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Snapdragon 870, 7nm
RAM: 8GB/12GB LPDDR4X RAM
ROM: 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage
OS & UI: OriginOS based on Android 11
Back Cameras:
– 48MP Sony IMX598 sensor, OIS
– 13MP ultra-wide sensor
– 2MP Black and White Sensor
Front Cameras: 16MP sensor
Audio: Stereo speaker, Hi-Res Audio
Sensors: Fingerprint (under-display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Connectivity: 5G network, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, and NFC
Battery: 4,400mAh with 66W charging

iQOO 5 Neo Price in Nepal and Availability

iQOO Neo 5 is available for pre-order in China where its price starts at 2,499 Yuan for the 8/128GB variant. The device will go on sale starting March 22. We can expect the price of iQOO Neo 5 in Nepal to start at NPR 50,000 if and when it launches here.

iQOO Neo 5	Price in China	Price in Nepal
8/128GB	2,499 Yuan	NPR 50,000
8/256GB	2,699 Yuan	NPR 55,000
12/256GB	2,999 Yuan	NPR 60,000

Meanwhile, check out our gaming review of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Our video of the Zenbook Flip 13 (UX363) is live

Featured

GadgetByte

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March 17, 2021

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Our video of the Zenbook Flip 13 (UX363) is live

Asus ZenBook Flip 13 (UX363) brings a terrific set of features on such a compact 2-in-1 form factor. From its powerful Intel Evo-certified Tiger Lake processor to the vibrant OLED screen, this laptop is a productivity powerhouse. And thanks to the included stylus, it makes note-taking, doodling, or other workloads all-the-more accessible. Its 13.3” FHD display also covers 100% of DCI-P3 color space and comes with excellent color calibration out-of-the-box.

Powering this convertible laptop is the Core i7-1165G7 CPU alongside 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB of M.2 SSD. Although you don’t get a discrete GPU, the integrated Iris Xe graphics handles everyday tasks including lightweight photo/video editing or even eSports gaming quite well. Even though its compact body doesn’t allow for a dedicated Numpad, Asus brings a terrific substitution in the form of NumberPad 2.0 which is integrated into the trackpad itself.

ZenBook Flip 13 boasts an incredible battery life too. Its 4-cell 67 Watt-hour battery could easily net out around 9 hours of screen-on-time. Plus, the 65W AC adapter can take the device to full charge in under 2 hours. The only major feature that’s missing from this laptop is a 3.5mm headphone jack. However, Asus does provide a Type-C to 3.5mm adapter inside the box, which is fantastic. Watch our full review here:

Oppo Band Style with continuous SpO2 monitoring launched in Nepal

GadgetByte

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March 16, 2021

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Oppo Band Style with continuous SpO2 monitoring launched in Nepal

Alongside the F19 Pro, Oppo Nepal also announced its latest fitness band, the Oppo Band Style for its domestic launch. Despite having a new name, this wearable is the same Oppo Band that was launched last year. Let’s take a look at the Oppo Band Style fitness tracker including its specs, official price, and availability in Nepal.

Oppo Band Style Overview:

Design-wise, this fitness tracker comes in two variants. More specifically, two band styles. One is a traditional TPU wrist band while the metal-buckle strap comes pre-installed. This metal buckle allows the users to make a 360-degree adjustment to the wristband.

As for the screen, the Oppo Band Style sports a 1.1″ full-color AMOLED screen with 126 x 294-pixel resolution. Moreover, it has a 2.5D curved-surface with scratch-resistant glass too. Under the hood, the device is powered by the Apollo 3 chipset and has 16MB storage.

Blood oxygen monitoring

An exciting feature to look out for in this fitness tracker is continuous blood oxygen (SpO2) level monitoring. As per Oppo, the Band Style can monitor the blood oxygen level 28,800 times during an eight-hour sleep cycle. That basically means SpO2 monitoring every second for eight hours.

Also Read: Best budget smartwatches in Nepal [Updated]

Moving on, the band is specifically designed to detect sleep problems. It keeps track of your sleep length and sleep stage for a better understanding. Other than that, there is the real-time heart-rate monitor and Fat Burn mode. These features help you keep track of your heart rate during exercise sessions and also help evaluate fat-burn efficiency. Here, Oppo Band Style currently supports Android devices only. However, a firmware update for iOS will be available in April.

Also Read: Best budget fitness trackers in Nepal [Updated]

Workout modes

Moreover, it also comes with 12 workout modes. This includes outdoor run, indoor run, cycling, among others. It is compatible with the HeyTap companion app and supports 40 watch faces. The band has a 100mAh battery inside that offers a backup of up to 14 days. And it takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge.

Oppo Band Style Specifications:

Display: 1.1-inch AMOLED 2.5D display; 100% DCI P3 color gamut
Display Resolution: 126 x 294 pixels
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Battery Capacity: 100mAh
Battery Backup: Up to 14 days
Charging time: 1.5 hours
Water-resistant: 5 ATM rating
Compatibility: Android 6.0+, iOS 10.0+ (after firmware update)
Companion app: HeyTap (Android | iOS)
Features: Heart rate, continuous blood oxygen (SpO2) level monitoring, weather update, app notification & alert, music control, fat burn mode

Oppo Band Style Price in Nepal & Availability

The price of Oppo Band Style in Nepal is NPR 5,599. Just like the F19 Pro, the Oppo Band Style will be available for purchase from March 23 in Nepal.

Fitness Band	Price in Nepal	Availability
Oppo Band Style	NPR 5,599	March 23

Check out our pick for the best budget smartwatches in 2021.

Apple M1 SSD swapping issue: Should you be worried before buying an M1 Mac?

Apple

GadgetByte

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March 16, 2021

0

Apple M1 SSD swapping issue: Should you be worried before buying an M1 Mac?

The first phase in Apple’s plan to switch from Intel chips to its in-house silicon for its Macs was a massive success. The M1 chip in the latest Macs offered never-before-seen performance in the lineup’s history. However, starting last month, some M1 Mac users started reporting a strange problem – their SSDs were degrading faster than normal. Though Apple did not officially confirm the cause, users were quick to blame the SSD swapping technique. In this post, we will be taking a look at the concept of memory swapping, the supposed issue of SSD swaps in M1 Macs, and see if it’s something you actually need to worry about.

The basics

So, let’s start with the basics. Almost all of the present-day computers come with a separate location (secondary storage) to store users’ data and programs. When a user commands the computer to run a non-system software, the data involved is loaded into the RAM. The reason being that the RAM operates at a very fast speed. On the other hand, the size of the RAM is limited and it can only store a certain amount of data. Thus, at a moment, only the data that the processor needs immediately is stored.

The lifetime of an SSD

SSD or Solid State Drive is the preferred mass-storage media in mainstream computers. However, no SSD can last forever. At their core, SSDs are made up of NAND cells. Data are stored in them with the application of current signals. Every time a signal passes through a cell, it degrades the cell to an extent. SSDs degrade faster if you keep constantly overwriting them.

To prevent SSDs from degrading faster, manufacturers try to level the wearing over all the cells. They even cram in replacement cells in case some cells wear out faster. Still, SSD degradation is inevitable and there will be a time when it needs to be replaced with something new.

Memory (SSD) swapping

As mentioned earlier, the system doesn’t directly interact with the program on the storage. Instead, it reads, writes, and updates a certain instance of the program that is loaded into the RAM. Systems these days can run multiple programs simultaneously. However, the system cannot afford to consume all the RAM space. Thus, when multiple programs are opened, the system stores some of the program instances or the “pages” on the secondary storage.

It is done for background apps or apps with less priority. This process is called “Memory Swapping” as the system swaps data from the main memory to the secondary memory. Actually, memory swapping is not a new phenomenon. Almost all of the leading OS platforms use this process whether it be Windows, Linux, or the focus of this post – macOS.

Also read: Benchmarked: Apple M1 vs AMD Renoir vs Intel Tiger Lake CPU

SSD swapping issue in M1 Macs

SSD swapping is a common technique to improve performance in present-day computers. It becomes a problem only when it is overdone. It looks like the new MacBooks are constantly storing “pages” on the SSD to keep the RAM free for high-performance tasks. That is, the M1-powered MacBooks are relying on SSD swapping more than ever before.

SSD swap issues reported by M1 users

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For instance, some users are reporting 150 TB of data written onto an M1 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM and 2TB SSD. That is just 3% usage. However, if it was a 256GB model, that would have amounted to 30%. At such a rate, the SSD would only run properly over 1.5 years. On top of that, there were users complaining about up to 10% usage in two months.

Unified Memory Architecture in M1

The even bigger problem here is that the SSD on M1 MacBooks is not user-replaceable. The same is the case with the RAM. It is because Apple has integrated them into the chip itself. This unified memory architecture plays a huge role in the performance gain along with other factors such as optimization. By integrating the memory (RAM and SSD storage) into the chip itself, Apple was able to limit the transmission delay resulting in a faster computation.

Is this a legit issue?

It turns out that not everyone’s SSD usage was closer to those reporting the said issue. To put it into context, most of the users only had around 1 to 2% SSD usage. The high usage reports may have been a case of an incorrect reading by the software in use.

Another possibility could be that certain apps were causing the problem. For instance, some users reported that Rosetta 2 was causing higher swaps than other programs. This translator is used to make apps written for Intel processors (x86) work on the M1 chip (ARM) powered machines. Still, the number of writes per day was not that significant to be concerned, to begin with.

Whatever the cause may be, all the evidence suggests that problem is not with the M1 architecture itself. Thus, the SSD swapping issue is not something that should stop you from considering buying the latest M1 Macs. Still, you can minimize the effect of SSD swapping by opting for a system with higher RAM and SSD.

Meanwhile, check out our review of the iPhone 12.

You’ll definitely want to check out these Baseus Brand Day deals!

Nikhil Shrestha

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March 14, 2021

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Baseus has been selling its lineup of consumer electronic products in Nepal for quite some time now. From its budget-oriented earphones to TWS earbuds, the company is primarily known for its audio accessories. But like I mentioned earlier, there’s much more to its portfolio. And right now, Baseus is discounting all of its products under the Brand Day deal at Sastodeal.

Baseus Brand Day @Sastodeal

Here, as the name implies, all the deals that will be mentioned below will be available just for today. So if you want to make the best of it, you’ll have to pick up the pace. Anyway, the major highlight of this deal lies in Baseus’ audio accessories. The company is giving out a 20% minimum discount on all of its products alongside a 1-year replacement warranty. Let’s take a look at some products that we think are worth checking out.

Baseus Encok Wired Earphones H04

Even though wireless earbuds are taking the market by storm, wired ones are still preferred by many, especially for their affordability and excellent gaming performance. So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive wired earphone with great audio and zero-latency gaming, the Baseus Encok H04 should be on the top of your list. Right now, it is discounted from Rs. 1,400 to just Rs. 999. And that’s not even the best part.

Under the Baseus Brand Day, this earphone enjoys a “buy 1 get 1 free” offer. Yep. This affordable wired earphone’s effective price nets out to just Rs. 500. Combine that with the aforementioned 1-year replacement warranty, it simply doesn’t get better than this. Talking about the product itself, it’s an in-ear style earphone with soft rubber tips. But unlike ordinary earphones with a flat horizontal design, Baseus has incorporated a 120-degree oblique design for a comfortable fit. Its 3.5mm TRRS audio jack has undergone a gold plating process to prevent corrosion.

Moreover, it also means that you can make clear phone calls via these earphones. A dedicated button lets you control phone calls or your music playback including going back to the previous track. Baseus hasn’t mentioned the exact sound driver it has used but it says that it covers the entirety of normal human hearing range (20Hz – 20kHz).

Key features:

Aluminum Alloy + TPE material
20Hz – 20kHz frequency response range
17 grams, 120-degree oblique in-ear shape
3.5mm interface, anti-oxidation audio jack
Price: Rs. 1,400 999 (BUY 1 GET 1 FREE)

Baseus Grain Mini USB Car Charger

Moving on, just like the one above, this also falls under the one-for-one deal. It is a minimalistic power adapter for your car which is where it gets its name. This “mono-block” design is pretty sleek and Baseus says that it sits just 0.9 cm above the port for an obstruction-free installation. Furthermore, the Grain Mini USB car charger’s one-piece bayonet also holds the device firmly even when you’re driving on a particularly bumpy road.

Similarly, Baseus also claims that this charger will not fall victim to the car’s high internal temperature thanks to its flame-retardant design. In terms of charging speeds, the two USB Type-A ports are rated to deliver up to 3.1A of total current. The Baseus Grain Mini USB car charger can charge all sorts of electronic gadgets including your smartphones, camera, iPad, etc.

Here, only one of the two USB-A ports supports 5V/2.1A charging while the other one will be restricted to 5V/1A if you plug in two devices at once. Likewise, its intelligent IC automatically adapts to the current requirement of the plugged-in device. With its 12-24V input voltage, this adapter is compatible with almost all mainstream four-wheelers.

Key features:

Mono-block design, PC+ABS material
DC 12V-24V input voltage
2x USB Type-A output (5V/3.1A max)
Blue indicator light of eased nighttime use
Smart voltage, power, heat, circuit control
CE, FCC, RoHS certified
Price: Rs. 900 (BUY 1 GET 1 FREE)

(Combo) Baseus Surge 2.4L Humidifier + W01 TWS earbuds

The next interesting item in the Baseus Brand Day @Sastodeal is this combo of a humidifier and a pair of wireless earbuds. Here, the Surge 2.4L desktop humidifier is a godsend to those who live in a relatively dry region or suffer from skin dryness, cracked lips, nose irritation, and other issues. Its 2.4L large capacity is rated to last a full day with a full charge. The 2.5cm nozzle can spray mist from the 180-degree rotation that you can adjust to your liking.

Because of its transparent design, you can also use it as a piece of décor by adding in petals or leaves. More importantly, it also serves as an aroma diffuser and can be used with Baseus Aroma Oil to remove the existing odor in your room. For comfortable usage during sleep, this humidifier has an operating noise level of just 30dB. In terms of safety, the company has embedded 3 levels of preventive measures. First off, the device automatically turns off once it detects low water volume. Similarly, in case you forget to turn it off, the Surge 2.4L humidifier automatically turns off after 10 hours. Finally, it also embeds electric shock prevention technology.

Key features:

ABS + PP material, 209.5 x 218 x 215mm, 1.09kg
DC 24V, 1A input, 24V/1A power adapter (1.8m cord)
4000±10% fan speed, 2.4L max tank capacity
60mL±24mL (min), 200mL±40mL (max) spray
Up to 12 hours (max), 40 hours (min) working time
Price: Rs. 4,999 3,749

Bundled with the humidifier is a pair of Baseus Encok W01 TWS earbuds. This is an in-ear style wireless earbuds with a 105-degree oblique anti-sweat waterproof design. Weighing just 5 grams, it should be pretty comfortable to put these on for a while. Regarding the audio quality, it has an 8mm moving coil speaker unit inside that the company says provides a great stereo listening experience with “HiFi 6D sound quality”. Likewise, it has a rated frequency range of 20Hz – 20kHz.

Featuring Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, the W01 promises stable lossless data transmission too. It also has a microphone built-in and Baseus has implemented a smart call noise reduction feature as well. Moving on, the touch control on either earbud lets you control playback or summon a digital voice assistant. You can also choose to use either earbud independently if you’d want. Furthermore, each earbud has a 60mAh battery that Baseus says should last up to 6 hours of continuous playback. Similarly, it boasts a humongous 2000mAh charging case that takes around 3 hours for a full charge.

Key features:

Sweat, splash-proof design, 5 grams each
20Hz – 20kHz frequency response range
8mm moving coil speaker unit
60mAh (earbuds), 2000mAh (case) battery
Up to 6 hours of continuous music playback
Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, ~10m range
HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP Bluetooth profile
DSP noise reduction, HD call
Price: Rs. 2,800

Baseus Brand Day @Sastodeal: What’s more?

Besides these, there are other interesting offers as well. Like I said before, almost every Baseus product enjoys a minimum of 20% discount and 1 year of replacement warranty. Additionally, lucky winners will also be getting a jacket, t-shirts for free. On top of this, one fortunate shopper will get a Baseus Encok W04 TWS earbuds worth Rs. 4,150 for FREE. It comes with a bigger 13mm audio driver and an IP54 dust/water resistant certification.

You can explore the entire offers under Baseus Brand Day at Sastodeal by visiting this link. We’ve tabulated other exciting offers under this offer below:

Baseus Basic Series 13” Laptop Backpack	Rs. 2,300 1,200
Baseus Encok W07 TWS Earbuds	Rs. 4,650 3,720
Baseus D05 Gaming Headphone (with mic)	Rs. 4,999 3,920
Baseus GAMO C18 Type-C Gaming Earphone	Rs. 2,755 2,200
Baseus Cafule HW Quick Charging Data Cable (USB-C)	Rs. 1,200 960

Facebook to use “public” videos to train its AI

Facebook

GadgetByte

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March 13, 2021

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Facebook to use “public” videos to train its AI

Facebook has just announced its latest project called Learning from Videos. The project focuses on AI systems that can learn from “publicly available” data. The company says that it will help improve the platform’s content recommendation feature and policy enforcement along with creating a completely new experience. Let’s learn more about the Learning From Videos program in detail in this post.

Facebook “Learning From Videos” AI Project

It is not the first time that Facebook has come with an ambitious AI project. The company has its own facial recognition system that can automatically recognize people in the photos and recommend tags. Back in 2018, the company even started using images from Instagram to improve its AI algorithm. However, it is probably the first time the company is using videos to train its AI system.

Since Facebook is working with a self-supervised AI system, the system is less dependent on human and pre-processed data. In fact, you don’t need labelled data sets here as the system can mimic a human’s behaviour of learning. For the system to give reliable results, it needs to be fed with a large volume of data. As mentioned earlier, it will come from the videos that are uploaded and shared publicly by users/pages on Facebook.

Also Read: Facebook is reportedly looking to enter the smartwatch industry.

Applications

The company has already experimented with such a system. According to the company, it has been successfully using a similar AI system for recommending Reel’s videos on Instagram. Similarly, the company is planning to use AI for detecting foul languages and hate speech across its platform. According to the company, the usage of a self-supervised AI algorithm has resulted in a reduction of speech recognition errors by around 20%. Facebook is also proposing the use of the system in a multimodal video system to extract key moments from videos.

Applications of Facebook Learning From Videos

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Facebook is also looking to use the Learning from Videos to its upcoming AR glasses. The company has released demos of Project Aria and has already confirmed its partnership with Rayban for Smart AI Glasses. In its latest blog, the company has proposed Smart AR glasses that can capture videos automatically and make certain moments accessible when required using the Learning from Videos AI system.

Potential Controversies

While Facebook has proposed a number of application of the Learning From Videos the company has kept the public in the dark on how it is planning to control and oversee the use of public data. For instance, when The Verge questioned the company about asking users for their consent, the company replied that their data policy allows the use of uploaded content for “product research and development”. Hence, it looks like Facebook will be using public videos without notifying the uploader about it. It could also mean that there will be no option to opt-out of it. Similarly, the company has not outlined its strategy regarding the volume of data that it requires and how it is planning to supervise the whole process to reduce misuse.

On the other hand, self-supervised algorithms come with their own downsides. The ones used in the past for content recommendation systems have shown to boost misinformation. A report from MIT Technology Review has shed light on how these kinds of AI systems have boosted misinformation, controversy extremism, and political polarization for the sake of engagement.

Qualcomm is struggling to meet the demand of smartphone chips

Qualcomm

GadgetByte

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March 13, 2021

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Qualcomm is struggling to meet the demand of smartphone chips

Since the start of the pandemic and global lockdown last year, different industries have suffered from the global chip shortage. It was car manufacturers that had to suffer the most. Then we saw the global chip shortage create problems in the making and supply of computers and consoles. And now, the shortage has finally started showing its effects on the smartphone industry. According to the latest reports, Qualcomm is now feeling the heat of the global chip shortage. Let’s learn more about the global chip shortage and how it is affecting brands like Qualcomm and Samsung.

What is a chip and why is it important?

Chip is the heart of any electronic component. While the term is mostly associated with processors, chips are found everywhere including memory, modems, and other components.

It is actually an integrated circuit that consists of different components like transistors, diodes, and resistors built on a layer (wafer) of semiconductor material like silicone. It is where all the important functions are carried out. The chip in the graphics card is called GPU and it’s where all the major functions of the component are carried out including rasterization and coordination with the rest of the computer.

Global chip shortage

As mentioned earlier, the global chip shortage first hit the car industry ever since countries started imposing lockdowns last year because of the pandemic. This resulted in the reduction in the demands for cars and as a result, they stopped ordering chips. Foundries that manufacture the chips then shifted to other consumer products instead.

Because of the pandemic, demands for computers, laptops, and their corresponding components and foundries were more than happy to supply chips for them. Still, that was not enough as apparent by the fact that every major console and computer component including GPUs went out of stock pretty quickly.

Qualcomm is facing chip shortage

The smartphone industry that was unaffected all this time seems to be feeling the heat at the moment. This comes from the latest report from Reuter that states that Qualcomm is struggling to meet the demand for its chips. Qualcomm and MediaTek are the two biggest suppliers of smartphone chips in the world. The former is also the go-to supplier for premium and flagship Android offerings.

One of the reasons for this could be the increased demand for chips this year. With the US-imposed ban on Huawei and in-house HiSilicon, Qualcomm has seen a rise in the demands of its chips.

According to the report, Samsung, which happens to be the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer, is experiencing a shortage of Qualcomm chips. A source in Samsung’s supply chain claims that this has affected the production of entry-level and mid-range devices. Another source has claimed that Qualcomm is not supplying enough Snapdragon 888 chips to other companies at the moment. Similarly, another source in the manufacturing industry told Reuters that the shortage of Qualcomm components could lead to a compromise in the smartphone shipments this year.

Opinions on current chip shortage (Samsung, Qualcomm, Xiaomi)

Earlier this year, Samsung predicted that the global chip shortage would soon affect mobile components. Back then, the company was referring to its memory business. With the resurgence of the automotive industry post lockdown, foundries such as TSMC started rushing to meet the demand of the industry. As foundries were utilizing their full capacity, they could not take future orders for smartphone manufacturers.

Qualcomm’s President, Cristiano Amon, admitted that the demand is higher than the supply during the recently concluded annual meeting of the company. Still, the company is confident that it can meet the fiscal Q2 sales forecast given in February.

Even Xiaomi has addressed the current situation. Lu Weibing, the Vice President of the company stated that it’s not just a shortage but an extreme one on its official Weibo handle.

Also Read:
- The global chip shortage could ease next year, says Qualcomm CEO
- Apple halts iPhone production as it is hit by the ongoing chip shortage

The consequences

There can be a lot of consequences of this global chip shortage. For starters, given the limited amount of chips, suppliers will prioritize the premium market segment. Just like what Huawei is doing right now. This could limit the supply of low-end and mid-range devices. On the other hand, it will result in a reduced shipment altogether.

Whenever a situation like this occurs, there is always a chance of panic buying driving the price of the component and eventually the end product to a higher level. Companies hoard huge volumes of products in advance that adds to the existing shortage. The components become difficult to get in the market, and their price increases significantly.

Meanwhile, check out our gaming review of the Exynos 2100.

Google Chrome will now use less memory with its latest update

GadgetByte

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March 13, 2021

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Google Chrome will now use less memory with its latest update

While Google Chrome is the most popular web browser right now, it is also among the heaviest ones out there. It has a reputation for being a memory hog. The developers are well aware of this and are working continuously to make the browser more efficient in memory management. Their latest effort comes in the form of Chrome 89. The latest release of Chrome makes use of some advanced memory allocation techniques to improve the user experience. Learn about it in detail in this post.

Chrome M89 Memory Efficiency

According to the official Chromium blog, the new version of Chrome saves up to 22% memory during the browsing process on the Windows platform. Similarly, it also results in 8% memory savings in the renderer, and 3% in the GPU.

PartitionAlloc

The reason for these above-mentioned improvements is PartitionAlloc. It is a memory allocator that focuses on low latency, security, and space efficiency. It’s not the first time Google has implemented it in its product. Up until now, it was being used in Blink – the rendering engine for Chromium. The Chromium is an open-source project which forms the foundation of several popular web browsers including Chrome and its rivals such as Edge and Brave.

The way it works

In case if you are wondering how it works, let me explain you in simpler terms. Objects in modern computing devices are stored in different heaps which can be allocated, deallocated, and reallocated as per the need. Different heaps are stored in different memory locations which causes the partition of the memory. At times, these partitions can be outspread. PartitionAlloc improves the performance by aligning objects with partition with similar-sized objects. This results in fewer fragments and an improved memory footprint.

Now, that PartitionAlloc has been integrated into the browser, Google is hopeful that users on Android and Windows (64-bit) platforms will feel the difference. On the other hand, if you are a Linux user you will have to wait a little longer to get the update.

Memory Management

Similarly, Chrome is now even smarter when it comes to using and discarding memory. With the new update, your Chrome can now reclaim up to 100MiB per tab. That’s almost of 20% of some of the popular sites. For this, Chrome loads memory off the foreground tab that is not using at the moment. For instance, Chrome will discard big-size images that you have just scrolled-off screen.

Updates for macOS

For mac users, Chrome is even reporting up to 8% memory savings up to 1GiB. Chrome has pulled this off by limiting memory for background tabs. Such a technique was already being used in other platforms and is finally available in macOS. Similarly, Chrome has announced that it has recorded up to 65% score on Apple Energy Impact using the tab throttling for background tabs that was included in Chrome 87.

Updates For Android

Google has also made changes to the build, packaging, and runtime performance of Chrome. The company says that these changes have resulted in fewer crashes due to resource exhaustion. There are 5%, 7.5%, and 2% improvements in memory usage, startup, and page loading, respectively. The PlayStore can now generate and install optimized APK for each device along with the main base APK. Also, these split codes and resources can be loaded for a faster startup in Android O using the isolatedSplits feature.

Premium devices with Android Q+ and 8GB of RAM can enjoy better stability using 64-bit Chrome. Google says it loads 8.5% faster and 28% smoother.

Lastly, there is the Freeze-Dried tab that allows Chrome to load 13% faster. These are light versions of tabs (size similar to a screenshot) saved by Google to use at startup while the actual tab loads in the background.

Oppo Find X3, X3 Neo, X3 Lite officially announced

OPPO

GadgetByte

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March 12, 2021

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Oppo hosted an online event yesterday to announce the global launch of its latest flagship series of smartphones. The main highlight of the show was the Find X3 Pro, but Oppo did release a number of smartphones to go with it as well. This includes the regular Find X3, Find 3 Lite, and Find X3 Neo. In this post, we will be taking a look at the three phones in the Oppo Find X3 series including their specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.

Oppo Find X3

Starting with the Oppo Find X3, it is very similar to the Pro model. The biggest difference here is the processor. The Pro model comes with the latest Snapdragon 888 chipset while the vanilla model is powered by the Snapdragon 870 chipset. The latter is a higher-clocked version of last year’s Snapdragon 865+. The phone is available in either 8/128GB or 8/256GB memory configuration.

Other than that, the Find X3 sports the same spacecraft-themed design as the Pro. The whole process of crafting the rear panel from a single piece of glass takes around 40 hours. You also get the Gradient Arc Camera bump that houses the quad-camera setup. It includes a 50MP dual primary camera. Accompanying the two is a 13MP telephoto lens with a 5X hybrid optical zoom. The fourth sensor is a 3MP microscopic lens that is capable of 60X magnification.

On the front, there is a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with A+ certification from DisplayMate. It’s a QHD+ screen and is capable of displaying over 1 billion colors. Refresh rate can vary between 5Hz to 120Hz based on the contents being viewed. Other features include HDR10+ certification, SDR to HDR upscaling, SGS Eye Care certification, and Color Vision Enhancement.

The phone is fueled by a 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging, 30W Air VOOC charge, and 10W reverse wireless charging. Other features include Dolby Atmos support, ColorOS 11.2 (Android 11), under-display fingerprint sensor, Wi-Fi 6, and NFC.

Specifications:

Display: 6.7″ QHD+ AMOLED panel, 5Hz – 120Hz, 10-bit depth with 1.07 billion colors, 1300 local peak bright, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+
Rear Camera: Dual 50MP primary lens with Omni-directional PDAF, 13MP telephoto lens with 5X hybrid optical zoom, 3MP microscopic sensor with 60X Magnification
Front Camera: 32MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 (7nm)
Storage: 8/128GB, 8/256GB
UI: ColorOS 11.2 based on Android 11
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W SuperVOOC 2.0, 30W AirVOOC wireless charging
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, 2X2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, AGPS/Beidou/GLONASS, QZSS
Others: Under-display fingerprint scanner, IP68 rating, 10-bit Full-path Colour Engine

Oppo Find X3 Price in Nepal and Availability

Oppo Find X3 is available only in China where its price starts from 4,499 Yuan for the 8/128GB variant. There is also an 8/256GB variant with a price tag of 4,999 Yuan. If it launches here in Nepal, we can expect the price of Oppo Find X3 in Nepal to be around NPR 90,000.

Oppo Find X3	Price in China	Price in Nepal [Expected]
8/256GB	4,499 Yuan	NPR 90,000
8/256GB	4,999 Yuan	NPR 95,000

Oppo Find X3 Neo

Next on the list is the Oppo Find X3 Neo. It features last year’s Snapdragon 865 processor and is available in a single memory configuration of 12/256GB. Like the rest of the device in the series, it also doesn’t have a microSD card slot. On the front, there is an FHD+ AMOLED panel with a left-aligned punch-hole cutout. The screen is curved, HDR10 certified, and has a 90Hz refresh rate.

At the back, there is a quad-camera setup that consists of a 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide camera, a 13MP telephoto lens, and a 2MP macro lens. The phone is fueled by the same 4,500mAh battery with support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charging.

Specifications:

Display: 6.5″ FHD+ AMOLED panel, 60/90Hz, 1100 local peak bright
Rear Camera: 50MP primary lens with OIS, 16MP ultrawide camera, 13MP telephoto lens, 2MP macro sensor
Front Camera: 32MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (7nm)
Memory: 12/256GB
UI: ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W SuperVOOC 2.0
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, 2X2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, AGPS / Beidou / GLONASS / Galileo / QZSS
Others: Under-display fingerprint scanner

Oppo Find X3 Lite

Moving on, Oppo Find X3 Lite is a modest entry in the lineup. It comes with the Snapdragon 765G chipset and features 8GB of RAM that is paired with 128GB of internal storage. Still, the latter is non-expandable.

On the front, there is a 6.4-inch AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution. It features a 90Hz refresh panel with an optical fingerprint scanner underneath. The rear camera setup consists of a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultrawide camera, and two additional 2MP sensors for macro and portrait photos.

Find X3 Lite has a slightly smaller 4,300mAh battery but you still get the support for 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 charge. Another highlight of this device is that it comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Specifications:

Display: 6.4″ FHD+ AMOLED panel, 60/90Hz, 750 local peak brightness
Rear Camera: 64MP primary lens, 8MP ultrawide camera, 2MP mono lens, 2MP macro sensor
Front Camera: 32MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (7nm)
Memory: 8/128GB
UI: ColorOS 11.1 based on Android 11
Battery: 4500mAh, 65W SuperVOOC 2.0
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, AGPS/Beidou/GLONASS/Galileo/QZSS
Others: Under-display fingerprint scanner, 3.5mm headphone jack

Oppo Find X3 Neo, Lite Price in Nepal & Availability

Both the Oppo Find X3 Neo and Find X3 Lite are available in the Global market for GBP 699 GBP and GBP 399. If Oppo decides to launch them in Nepal, we can expect the price of Oppo Find X3 Neo and Find X3 Lite to be around NPR 120,000 and NPR 70,000, respectively.

Oppo Find X3 Series	Memory Configuration	Price in the UK	Price in Nepal [Expected]
Find X3 Neo	12/256GB	GBP 699	NPR 120,000
Find X3 Lite	8/128GB	GBP 399	NPR 70,000

Meanwhile, check out our early impressions of the Oppo F19 Pro.