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Zero 2 Infinity will take you to space for $132K on its Bloon pod

Featured

GadgetByte

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February 18, 2021

Zero 2 Infinity will take you to space for $132K on its Bloon pod

You may all have heard about Elon Musk’s plan to put mankind on Mars. His company SpaceX is also working on a project to make the concept of space tourism a reality. It is not the only company working on this concept. There are plenty of other companies working with the same intention. Blue Origin, a company backed by Jeff Bezos, is also focused on space tourism. In this post, we will be talking about Zero 2 Infinity which intends to charge passengers $132,000 for the orbital trip.

Zero 2 Infinity: Company Overview

Zero 2 Infinity is a startup based in Spain that intends to close the gap between human civilization and space. It was found back in 2009 by CEO Jose Mariano Lopez Urdiales. It focuses on getting user’s projects into space at affordable fees. For this, the company has been using its advanced balloon technologies. As of now, it has three distinct lines of services – Bloostar, Elevate, and Bloon.

Bloostar is an orbital launcher that places small satellites into space. Elevate is a service mainly used by researchers to elevate different payloads up to 40km into space. Bloon, on the other hand, will be used for space tourism.

Bloon: A Journey to the Stratosphere

Zero 2 Infinity is using a pressurized pod that is capable of sustaining human life. The technology used here is the same as that of Elevate. The pod or the capsule is propelled by Helium gas will be able to take passengers up to 36km above the ground. The distance may not look like much compared to its competitors that are offering to elevated users up to 100km up the ground. On the other hand, Bloon will be able to complete a journey quicker and the journey will easier on the passenger’s wallet.

According to Zero 2 Infinity, Bloon can complete one journey into the stratosphere in around 4.5 hours. It will take around 1.5 hours for Bloon to elevate and then it will lay flat on the space for around 2 hours. The remaining one hours will be utilized to return to the earth.

According to the company, the Bloon experience is completely customizable. Passengers can choose their own launching spot, their favorite menu, and so on. They can even experience microgravity during the descent without any risk if they want to.

Two pilots in the balloon will be experienced pilots trained to face any kind of emergency. In addition to this, every passenger will be given two-day safety training before the flight.

First Planned Flight and Pricing

Zero 2 Infinity is on the verge of opening tickets of Bloon for the general public. Each ticket will cost around $132,483. To put it into perspective, SpaceX and Blue Origin are asking $55 million and $200,000, respectively. Another company called Space Perspective is planning to sell its ticket at just $125,000. However, it will begin unmanned test flights in 2021, by which all the other companies listed companies wish to have been operating flights in one way or other.

The Bloon pod can accommodate four passengers in addition to two pilots at a time. The first person to use go through the journey will be professional mountaineer Raha Moharrak.

Check out our review of the HP Envy x360 13 (2020).

Oppo A15s launched in Nepal with slight improvements over A15

OPPO

GadgetByte

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February 18, 2021

0

Oppo A15s launched in Nepal with slight improvements over A15

Oppo has just unveiled its latest budget device in the Nepali Market. The new Oppo A15s is a slight improvement over the A15 that was launched last month in Nepal. To be more precise, it features more storage and has an improved selfie camera. Let’s learn more about the Oppo A15s including its specs, features, official price, and availability in Nepal.

Oppo A15s Overview:

Budget offerings from Oppo are not known for their internal specs and such is the case with this one. The main selling point of the A15s is its look and design. It lags behind competitors like Redmi 9 Power when it comes to specs and raw performance.

Design and Display

Here, Oppo A15s features a 6.52-inch LCD Panel with a waterdrop notch. The screen-to-body ratio is listed at 88.7%. The phone has an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. The typical brightness of the screen is 480 nits and the phone has an AI Brightness feature that can automatically adjust brightness by learning your preferences.

At the back, there is a left-aligned camera bump for the triple camera setup. You also get a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The 3D back panel is available in two color options – Fancy White and Dynamic Black.

Performance and Memory

Under the hood, the phone packs in MediaTek Helio P35 with eight Arm Cortex-A53 cores clocking to up to 2.3 GHz. The Hyper Boost 2.1 technology tries to improve the gaming experience and touch responsiveness. Still, the Helio G series with HyperEngine tech would have been much appreciated at this price point.

Putting that aside, the phone features 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. To recall, the standard Oppo A15 comes in a 3/32GB configuration. There is also a dedicated MicroSD card that users can use to expand external storage up to 256GB.

Camera

Oppo A15s has three cameras at the back and one on the front. The rear camera setup consists of a 13MP main camera. It’s a 5P lens and has an aperture of f/2.2. It’s accompanied by a 2MP macro lens and a depth sensor. Both the sensor have an f/2.4 aperture.

On the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. It’s an improvement over the 5MP selfie shooter in the Oppo A15.

Rest of the specs

The phone packs in a 4,230mAh battery and there is support for 10W charging. Unfortunately, Oppo has still opted for a MicroUSB port instead of a Type-C port. The phone supports dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and OTG. A15s hips with Android 10 out-of-the-box.

OPPO A15s Specifications:

Display: 6.52-inch LCD with HD+ resolution (720 x 1600 pixels)
Rear Camera: Triple (13MP primary, 2MP depth, 2MP macro)
Front Camera: 8MP sensor
Chipset: MediaTek Helio P35 (12nm mobile platform)
GPU: PowerVR GE8320
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 256GB)
Software: Android 10 with ColorOS 7.2 on top
Battery: 4,230mAh, 10W charging (Micro USB)
Security: Fingerprint (rear-mounted)

Oppo A15s Price in Nepal and Availability

Oppo A15s is now available in Nepal with a price tag of NPR 21,990 for the 4/64GB variant. You can buy Oppo A15s in Nepal from different Oppo authorized retail stores across the country.

Oppo A15s	Price in Nepal
4/64GB	NPR 21,990

Check out our review of the Oppo F17 Pro.

Benchmarked: Exynos 2100 Sustained Performance, Gaming Tests

Samsung

Nikhil Shrestha

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February 17, 2021

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Benchmarked: Exynos 2100 Sustained Performance, Gaming Tests

Samsung is one of the handful of OEMs that manufactures its own mobile chipsets. From budget, mid-range to its flagship lineup of Exynos-branded silicons, the company even sells them to other OEMs. Despite the pseudo chip self-sufficiency, it’s not been smooth sailing for Samsung though. For the past couple of years, it has been met with harsh criticisms backed by damning evidence about how the flagship Exynos chips lag behind their respective Qualcomm counterpart. So here, we’re putting the new Exynos 2100 through a bunch of benchmarks and gaming tests.

Well, I guess it’s safe to say that Samsung brought it upon itself considering how the company chooses to ship its premium S and Note lineup of smartphones with different chipsets on different regions. While select markets like the US, China, and South Korea enjoy Snapdragon variants of Samsung’s best, the rest of the world gets Exynos-powered devices. And the prime reason for this backlash is obviously the performance difference.

The Curse of Custom CPU Design

Up until now, Samsung had been using its own CPU core design named “Mongoose”. In terms of performance, thermal management, and other aspects, it significantly fell behind compared to what Qualcomm had to offer. And last year’s Exynos 990 was the last straw as the number 1 smartphone brand in the world finally parted ways with its in-house CPU cores.

To mark the start of a new era, the company held its second-ever dedicated event to unveil a chipset—Exynos 2100 (the first one being for Exynos 1080). The new Exynos 2100 goes all-in on Arm’s CPU and GPU architecture to remedy the damage as much as possible.

Based on the 5nm EUV process, Samsung has created an inescapable cloud of hype for its latest mobile SoC. For what it’s worth, it is undoubtedly miles better than Exynos 990 on every front possible. It has the same core architecture as its direct rival—Snapdragon 888 (with a slightly overclocked Cortex-X1 core). However, these chips do differ in the GPU department. As I mentioned earlier, the Exynos 2100 employs an Arm design here as well. More specifically, the Mali-G78 GPU. On the contrary, Snapdragon 888 boasts Qualcomm’s own Adreno 660 GPU.

Historically speaking, Arm’s GPU design has never quite matched what Qualcomm’s been able to achieve. As a result, they are comparatively under-powered while being slightly energy-efficient. So, to test out the possibilities of Exynos 2100, we put it through a bunch of different games to benchmark its performance.

Exynos 2100 Benchmarks:

Talking about benchmarks, pitting the Exynos 2100 and Snapdragon 888 variant of the latest Galaxy S21 series of smartphones has generated buzz in the tech community. But that was to be expected I guess. But the weird thing is, the result has varied by a significant margin from tests conducted by multiple YouTubers.

In our everyday usage, we haven’t encountered any problem with our Exynos-powered Galaxy S21 Ultra—be it performance or energy-efficiency. So, we put it through a bunch of CPU and GPU benchmarking applications as well. Before getting to the results, I have to mention that our unit of the S21 Ultra has 12 gigs of RAM and 256GB of storage. Additionally, we recorded the CPU and battery temperature via the “CPU Monitor” app.

AnTuTu v8

Let’s kick things off with AnTuTu (v8). Here, we put it through 10 consecutive cycles of tests to determine how does Exynos 2100 fare in terms of sustained performance. In the beginning, the phone was at 100% charge, while the CPU and battery temperature hovered at 24-25ºC and 24ºC respectively.

	Total	CPU	GPU	Memory	UX
Test 1	617602	171545	246979	117710	81368
Test 2	601227	161756	239434	119489	80548
Test 3	586098	158553	230391	119150	78004
Test 4	527463	126913	223351	116126	61073
Test 5	559287	154177	210063	117527	77520
Test 6	562303	151714	217402	116041	77146
Test 7	562399	149839	218078	116421	78061
Test 8	547773	152165	216570	101740	77298
Test 9	560279	151052	215866	116641	76420
Test 10	561469	152258	214664	117521	77026

Time taken for 1st test: 8 minutes 41 seconds
Time taken for 5 tests: 43 minutes 42 seconds
- CPU temperature: 38-39ºC
- Battery temperature: 38ºC
Total time taken for 10 tests: 1 hour 27 minutes 23 seconds
- CPU temperature: 40ºC
- Battery temperature: 38ºC
- Charge left: 58%

As you can see, Exynos 2100 delivers a great sustained performance while also maintaining excellent temperature. Contrary to how we’ve seen other YouTubers get continuously degrading results under consecutive loads, we were rather surprised to see how our unit of S21 Ultra held up.

3DMark Wild Life Stress Test

Next up, we ran the 3DMark Wild Life Stress test. It requires a GPU with Vulkan 1.1 API support which the Exynos 2100 does.

As the name implies, it tests a device under a heavy load. While AnTuTu mimics the overall aspects of your phone, this test is more geared towards GPU performance. Here as well, the phone had 100% charge at the beginning of the test with CPU and battery temperature at 22ºC and 21ºC respectively.

	Best Loop Score	Lowest Loop Score	Stability
Test 1	5509	3720	67.5%
Test 2	3286	3233	98.9%
Test 3	5106	3727	73%

Time taken for Test 1: 20 minutes 10 seconds
- CPU temperature: 42ºC
- Battery temperature: 40ºC
- Charge left: 88%
Time taken for Test 2: 20 minutes 30 seconds
- - CPU temperature: 38ºC
  - Battery temperature: 35ºC
  - Charge left: 79%
Time taken for Test 3: 20 minutes 14 seconds
- CPU temperature: 45ºC
- Battery temperature: 43ºC
- Charge left: 69%

Here as well, the Exynos 2100 shows an admirable performance under heavy load. The temperature does reach the 45ºC mark but even here, this silicon manages to bounce back from the dip noticed under the second test.

GFXBench

Moving on, the final test that we ran was GFXBench. Like the one above, it is also a GPU-centric benchmarking tool. Under this, we took the Galaxy S21 Ultra through 9 loops of Aztec Ruins OpenGL (High Tier), Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier), and Manhattan tests. The stats of the initial state read 100% battery life, 23ºC CPU, and 21ºC battery temperature.

	AR (O) HT	AR (V) HT	Manhattan	CPU	Battery
Test 1	40fps	35fps	117fps	32ºC	30ºC
Test 2	39fps	33fps	113fps	36ºC	32ºC
Test 3	37fps	32fps	107fps	40ºC	37ºC
Test 4	35fps	31fps	98fps	41ºC	39ºC
Test 5	35fps	31fps	94fps	43ºC	41ºC
Test 6	33fps	30fps	99fps	44ºC	42ºC
Test 7	27fps	25fps	101fps	43ºC	41ºC
Test 8	27fps	25fps	100fps	44ºC	42ºC
Test 9	27fps	25fps	100fps	44ºC	41ºC

This silicon once again proves its worth under heavy workload. With these out of the way, let’s get into the gaming benchmarks of Exynos 2100. We played a bunch of demanding titles, some high refresh rate optimized, some not, and even a couple of emulator-based games. For an in-depth analysis, we used the GameBench Pro tool. Unfortunately, it didn’t support the Mali-G78 GPU and for this, we had to refer to Samsung’s GPUWatch.

Exynos 2100 Benchmarks: Gaming

In Call of Duty: Mobile (highest setting), we were able to get a stable 60fps with 87% stability. Here, the CPU usage hovered under 15%, and thankfully, the phone didn’t heat up much either. Next up is Genshin Impact which is a fairly resource-demanding game. With the graphics settings set at 30fps, we got a median of 30fps. The fps would get as high as 51fps while dipping as low as 23fps.

Now cranking the game settings to 60fps, we got a varying result in different sessions. On our first gameplay, it netted out to 35fps median with a 73% stability. While it did reach 60fps on multiple instances, the frame rate would go as low as just 14fps. This extreme plummet was mostly under cutscenes, which is kinda weird. Giving it another shot, we were able to achieve a median of 51fps with 95% stability. Here, the lowest frame rate recorded was 24fps while reaching up to 61fps. In both instances, the CPU usage was around 18-19%.

PUBG Mobile

Moving on, PES 2021 gave smooth gameplay with a median of 57fps and 100% fps stability. This game is relatively easy on the GPU so this result isn’t at all surprising. Kicking things up a notch, let’s take a look at PUBG Mobile. Under HDR graphics and Ultra frame rate, I was able to get a 40fps median with 98% stability. Here, the CPU usage averaged at 12.73% while GPU usage would reach up to 90% while staying at 60-70% most of the time. Mind you, the Snapdragon variant of the S21 Ultra can hit higher settings than this.

As you could tell, the gameplay here was fairly smooth. The surface temperature stayed at a respectable level too, with it reaching about 41ºC after around 32 minutes of gaming. Switching the settings to Smooth graphics and Extreme frame rate, things took a wonderfully positive turn. Averaging at 60fps with 97% stability, this is the objectively optimal setting you’d want to play PUBG Mobile at if you want smooth, stutter-free gameplay.

Still, seeing how a game as popular as PUBG Mobile isn’t optimized to utilize the 120Hz smoothness of these days’ smartphones is a travesty. We have seen Tencent partner with vendors like OnePlus exclusivize 90fps experience on its phones, so Samsung needs to get on with this trend ASAP. Well, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra did receive an update for 90fps PUBG gaming but in our test, the gameplay was stuck at a stable 60fps the whole time.

High-FPS Gaming

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t any games that utilize high-fps gaming. One of such titles we tried was Shadowgun War Games. At 120fps mode under Ultra High settings, the S21 Ultra managed to achieve a median of 73fps with 61% stability. Before you get any wrong idea, the dip in fps number from what we expected is mainly because of LTPO-backplane in the phone’s display that dynamically refreshes from 10 to 120Hz.

From this framerate chart, we can see that the game reaches up to 107fps at peak while dropping to up to 56fps under active gameplay. However, because the display dials down the refresh rate as low as possible, Shadowgun War Games plummets to up to 24fps at loading screens—therefore resulting in such an unstable stat.

Injustice 2 was another supposedly 120fps optimized title but we couldn’t hit beyond 30fps in the actual gameplay in S21 Ultra. Looks like this feature of the game is device-specific as phones like Asus ROG Phone II indeed support Injustice 2 in 120fps. Here, the GPU usage lingered around 43-50% while using CPU at about just 8.16%. Yet, the refresh rate would bump up to 57fps when you’re browsing the in-game menus.

Finally, we played Critical Ops as well, which is another 120fps game. And this one ran the best as we got a median of 120fps with 99% stability. Kudos to the devs. Now, to test out the absolute limits of Mali-G78 on the Exynos 2100, we also tried out a couple of emulator-based games. Particularly, we played PlayStation Portable games like “God of War – Ghost of Sparta” using the PPSSPP emulator.

Pushing To The Limit: Emulator Games

To push it to the limit, we had to set the PSP rendering resolution to 6x. Playing God of War under this setting, we got a peak of 39fps with the median fps settling at 29. Here, the GPU usage didn’t fall below 95% while reaching as high as 99%. So, mission accomplished I guess.

Mind you, this is just not the ideal setting you’d want to play the game at and you’ll get a much playable 50-60fps by toning down the render resolution.

Exynos 2100 Benchmarks: Conclusion

So, from all these benchmarks and gaming tests, what we can most certainly tell is that the Exynos 2100 is a gigantic leap from last year’s Exynos 990. Both in terms of performance and thermals, it introduces a significant upgrade. More importantly, it is a proven champ when it comes to sustained long-term performance too—all the while maintaining excellent temperatures.

Microsoft announces Xbox Wireless Headset for an immersive gaming experience

GadgetByte

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February 17, 2021

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Microsoft announces Xbox Wireless Headset for an immersive gaming experience

Microsoft has just unveiled the latest accessory to go with your Xbox Series X and Series S. The product on focus is the new Xbox Wireless Headset. As the name suggests, it’s a wireless headset that you connect wirelessly to your Xbox or PC for a more immersive gaming experience. In this post, we will be taking a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Xbox Wireless Headset in Nepal.

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset Overview:

Design

Let’s start with the design of the headset. Microsoft has designed it to look like its gaming machine. The headset has an all-black color scheme with green highlights around the two ear cups. Microsoft has also included an Xbox branding on the ear cups. The headband has foam cushioning that covers the inner metal band. The ear cushions on the other hand are made up of polyurethane leather and foam.

The mic is fully adjustable and you can tuck it up and down depending on what you are doing with it.

Controls

The control mechanisms are spread between the left and the right ear cup, while the power button is on the left ear cup. It also serves as a pairing button. Similarly, you have a mute button and an audio balance dial on the left ear cup. On the other hand, the right ear cup features a dial for adjusting the volume level.

Features

The wireless protocol on the Xbox Wireless Headset has been configured for low latency and lossless audio. It supports some of the most advanced spatial sound technologies including Windows Sonic, Dolby Atmos, and DTS Headphone: X. Attempts have also been made to improve the chat audio quality. Xbox Wireless Headset comes with a dual beamforming microphone that can distinguish between a user’s speech and background noise. The headset has been specifically tuned to only pick the voice instead of the background noise.

You can use the mute button when you are not speaking to clear the communication channel. Alternately, you can even turn on the auto-mute feature. When enabled, this will automatically mute the microphone. You can even check whether your mic is active or not thanks to the indicator light.

Also Read:
- Microsoft Surface Headphones 2 launched: Better, yet cheaper than the original!

Furthermore, you can even customize the sound experience using the Xbox Accessories app. The app is compatible with Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Series S, and Windows 10 systems. It lets you play with the equalizer, bass boost, auto-mic sensitivity, mic monitoring, and brightness of the indicator light.

Battery

As per the company, the battery can last up to 15 hours on a single charge. It takes around 3 hours to charge the headset from 0 to 100%. However, if you are in hurry 30 minutes of charge can add up to 4 hours of battery life. The headset has a USB-C port for charging. Microsoft will ship the Xbox Wireless Headset with a 14-inches long charging cable.

Xbox Wireless Headset Specifications:

Weight: 312g
Driver: 40mm, 32 Ohm
Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth 4.2)
Bluetooth Profile: A2DP, HFP, HSP
Codec: SBC
Controls: Power/Pair button, Mute Button, Game/Chat Dial (left ear), Volume dial (left ear)
Battery life: Up to 20 hours (over Bluetooth with ANC on)
Charging time: 3 hours (4 hours of playback with 30 minutes of charging)
Compatibility: Windows 10, Xbox One , Xbox Series X|S

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset Price in Nepal

Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset is available for pre-order for $99.99 from the official sites of Microsoft and Xbox. The shipping will start on March 16. If it launches here, we can expect the price of the Microsoft Xbox Wireless Headset to be around NPR 15,000.

Wireless Headset	Price in the US	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Xbox Wireless Headset	$99.99	NPR 15,000

Also, watch our review of the Sony WH-1000XM4 Wireless Headphone.

Garmin Enduro with solar charging and up to 65 days battery life announced

GadgetByte

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February 17, 2021

0

Garmin Enduro with solar charging and up to 65 days battery life announced

US-based watch manufacturer Garmin has just launched its latest smartwatch. The new Garmin Enduro is specifically designed for endurance athletes and comes with lots of exciting features. For instance, it features a solar charging lens, battery life of up to 65 days, and multiple training and tools. Let’s take a look at the features of Garmin Enduro together with its expected price and availability in Nepal.

Garmin Enduro Overview:

Display and Design

The Garmin Enduro sports a circular display with a diameter of 1.4” (35.56mm) and 280 x 280 pixels resolution. Garmin has used a transflective Memory-in-Pixel panel here. Users have the option to choose between bezels made from stainless steel and diamond-like carbon-coated titanium. The case is built using fiber-reinforced polymer and features a metal cover at the back. Similarly, Garmin has used nylon for the UltraFit strap. It features a dual hook-and-loop design.

The stainless steel variant weighs around 72g while the DLC coated Titanium is lighter at 58g. The watch has a 10 ATM rating against water damage.

Also Read: Garmin Forerunner 745 smartwatch for pro-athletes launched

Sports Tracking

Moving on, Garmin Enduro comes with improved Trail Run VO2 Max, ClimbPro Trial, and Ultrarun Activity. Here, the Trail Run VO2 Max estimates cardiovascular fitness levels for trail runners. You can use ClimbPro to plan your climbs better. It provides you with information like descents, flats, gradient, distance, and elevation gain. The MTB Dynamics can show your mountain bike metrics as well.

The watch keeps track of all your trails thanks to the ABC sensor system. It consists of an altimeter, a barometer, and a tri-axis electronic compass. The watch also has support for Multi-GNSS.

Fitness Tracking

With its optical sensor, Garmin Enduro can not only monitor your heartbeat but can also detect heart rate variability (HRV). It can even calculate your stress level with HRV. Similarly, there is a Pulse Ox sensor for oxygen saturation level. It can also monitor your altitude acclimation and sleep. The watch provides you useful insights like your sleep score, respiration data, and information about the three stages of sleep. Other useful features include body energy monitoring, hydration tracking, and respiration tracking.

Also Read: Best Budget Smartwatches Under NPR 10,000 in Nepal [Updated]

Smart Features

You can receive emails, texts, and other notifications from your phone to the Garmin Enduro. You can even respond to texts if you are on an Android device. Sadly, it can’t take calls. It also supports contactless payment in the form of Garmin Pay. The integrated safety features can automatically send your location to an emergency contact when it detects an accident. Moreover, unlike the Fenix 5X, it doesn’t support topographic maps.

Battery

Moving on, it has a built-in solar charging lens that Garmin calls Power Glass. It can keep charging the device when it exposed to sunlight. The watch can survive up to 65 days with the solar in the smartwatch mode (55 days without it). Similarly, it can extend GPS sessions from 70 to 80 hours. Similarly, you can get even more battery endurance by turning on the battery saver mode.

Garmin Enduro Specifications:

Weight: (Steel: 72g) / (Titanium: 58g)
Display: 1.4-inches transflective Memory-In-Pixel (MIP) panel
Resolution: 240 x 240 pixels
Strap: Nylon UltraFit strap
Storage: 64MB
Water Rating: 10 ATM
GPS: Yes, Multi-GNSS support
Companion App: Garmin Connect (Android | iOS)
Battery Life: Up to 55/65 days (Smartwatch mode), 21 hours (UltraTrac mode), 70/80 hours (GPS), 65/95 days (Expedition GPS Activity)

Garmin Enduro Price in Nepal & Availability

Garmin Enduro is now available in the US where its price is $799.99 for the stainless steel and $899.99 for the Titanium model. In Nepal, Garmin products aren’t officially available but the Enduro smartwatch might unofficially arrive here at a starting price of NPR 95,000.

Garmin Enduro	Price in the US	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Stainless Steel	$799.99	NPR 95,000
DLC coated Titanium	$899.99	NPR 110,000

Also, check out our review of the Fitbit Versa 3.

HP Envy x360 13 (2020) Review: Private & Versatile

Pratima Adhikari

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February 17, 2021

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HP Envy x360 13 (2020) Review: Private & Versatile

Hey everyone, today we will be talking about the HP Envy x360 2020. It is a relatively new entry in the company’s lineup of 2-in-1 Ultrabooks and features Intel’s Tiger Lake-U series processors or AMD’s Renoir CPUs—depending upon make and model. I have been getting a lot of queries regarding Ultrabooks. Thus, I got this HP Envy x360 in for review and here, I’ll be discussing all about it including the things I like and dislike about this device.

HP Envy x360 13 (2020) Specifications:

Design & Build: Aluminum build, 12.07W x 7.66D x 0.65H-inches, 1.32 kg
Display: 13.3-inches glossy IPS panel, WLED-backlit, Multi-touch, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT, 72% NTSC color gamut, 1000 nits, HP Sure View, BrightView
Resolution: FHD (1920×1080) resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio
Keyboard: Backlit Chiclet (single color – white)
Processor: Intel Tiger Lake CPU (Core i7-1165G7), 4C/8T, 4.7GHz Max Turbo Frequency, 12MB Intel Smart Cache, 10nm SuperFin
RAM: 8GB DDR4 RAM @3200MHz
Storage: 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
Graphics: Intel Irix Xe (integrated)
Audio: 2x2W speakers, Audio by Bang & Olufsen, HP Audio Boost
Battery: 3-cell 51 Watt-hours Li-Ion battery, Fast Charge
Power Supply: 65W AC adapter
Webcam: HP Wide Vision 720p HD camera
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 AX201 (2×2), Bluetooth 5.0
I/O ports: 1x USB Type-C (Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 / Power Delivery / DisplayPort 1.4 / HP Sleep and Charge), 2x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, 1x 3.5mm mic/headphone jack, 1x Micro SD card reader, 1x AC smart pin
Price in Nepal: Rs. 145,000

HP Envy x360 13 (2020) Review:

But let’s discuss the pricing first. Our review unit of HP Envy x360 13 is powered by the Intel Core i7-1165G7 CPU and has 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. Similarly, the HP Envy x360 is also available in two screen sizes: 13.3” and 15.6” and the one that I have with me is the smaller 13” variant. For all of this, HP is asking $850 in the US while the same variant costs Rs. 145,000 in Nepal.

Design

Lightweight, portable design
2-in-1 convertible touchscreen laptop
Decent selection of I/O ports

Kicking things off with the design, well, this one’s a pretty well-built laptop. The entire thing is made of aluminum, except for the trackpad which is plastic. The 360-hinge seems pretty durable too. You can lift open the lid with one hand but the keyboard chassis will flail about in doing so.

About the looks, well, it is sharp and minimalistic and features the exclusive HP logo (which if you didn’t know, is reserved for the company’s Envy and Spectre lineup of laptops only). The Envy x360’s entire body has a matte finish and therefore ends up looking quite classy. So, taking it to meetings or presentations is going to be a charm.

More on the build quality, I love how lightweight it is. At just 1.3 kgs, this laptop feels almost non-existent when you’re carrying it in your bag. Even the power adapter that comes along, is rather small, so carrying both for daily commute is not a problem at all. Still, things could’ve been even better on this front but I’ll discuss that in just a bit.

Audio quality

Down below, you have two speakers tuned by Bang and Olufsen. The audio quality is quite balanced although it doesn’t get as loud. You can also play around with different presets and equalizers under the B&O Audio Control app.

Right below the screen, you can see the two exhaust vents among which the left one is sealed and does not work. I guess it’s only there so that the design does not look asymmetrical. At the back, there’s the air intake vent and two horizontal rubber feet to keep the device firm on a flat surface.

Port selection

On the connectivity front, the Envy x360’s port selection is pretty impressive for an Ultrabook. The left frame houses one mic/headphone jack combo, one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A (with HP Sleep & Charge support), and one USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port. Similarly, the right side enjoys an AC smart pin, an additional USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A, and a microSD card reader. Interestingly, the USB-C port also supports USB Power Delivery among other standards like Thunderbolt 4, DP 1.4, and HP Sleep and Charge.

Ports

1 of 2

So, if you’ve got a 65/90W power adapter, you can charge up this laptop—thereby rendering the AC connection obsolete. And I strongly believe that this solution should’ve been the default, especially considering this is a portability-focused machine.

Maybe HP should’ve given an additional USB PD-compatible Type-C port instead to deliver a much more sophisticated experience. Additionally, the Sleep & Charge is also another handy feature. This basically allows you to charge up your smartphone via the laptop even when it’s in Sleep mode. Usually, power delivery to the USB port is cut-off when the PC enters Sleep mode but with this feature, it’s still possible.

Display

13.3″ glossy touchscreen FHD panel (WLED-backlit)
72% NTSC color gamut, Corning Gorilla Glass NBT
HP Sure View privacy filter, 1000 nits brightness

Let’s move on to the display now. Like I mentioned earlier, our review unit of HP Envy x360 has a considerably portable 13.3” WLED backlit screen. Allow me to briefly go through the specs. It is a multi-touch enabled screen that is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass NBT for added durability. Similarly, this display boasts 1000 nits brightness and covers 72% NTSC, 100% sRGB color space.

Likewise, this is a glossy HP BrightView panel. What this means is that it will deliver relatively great colors and sharpness but is also extremely reflective. So, using it in a room with one or more light sources directly shining light will be an irritating experience. But hold on. Before you think about applying an anti-glare screen protector, there’s one more thing to know.

Privacy filter

The thing is, the Envy x360 also implements HP’s Sure View privacy screen filter panel. This dramatically minimizes the viewing angles to keep your sensitive information from prying eyes. You can turn it on with the F1 key which dials down the screen backlight and then… does its thing.

Even with Sure View turned off, the viewing angles take a hit. Sure, privacy is great and all but this design compromise forces you to sit in a specific position to see the content on the display perfectly. Unless you’re sitting straight up, the screen brightness and saturation see a considerable dip.

Moving on, I noticed backlight bleeding on our unit of the HP Envy x360 too. Specifically, the left half and the top-right side of the display. It is especially noticeable when you’re switching from a bright to a dark screen at high brightness. I seriously hope this is a manufacturing defect in our particular unit only.

Talking about brightness, this Ultrabook gets plenty bright and is easily visible even when you’re outdoors. However, when I’d try using it in a pitch dark room at night, I wished the minimum brightness would go even lower. But once again, this is not a problem seeing how turning on HP Sure View easily solves the problem. Anyway, Envy x360’s color reproduction is equally amazing. Our unit came with excellent color calibration and we even used it in a couple of video editing projects.

It’s a convertible laptop, alright!

Moreover, you can also turn the hinge to share the display with others, or all the way down to 360-degree for a full-on tablet-like experience. The touch response is excellent and I had a great time using the touch screen, especially when playing a few games like Asphalt 9.

Still, the aforementioned viewing angle issue somewhat ruined my gaming experience. Another kinda minor issue with this screen is that the bezels are a little big considering it’s a 2020 laptop. Although HP calls it a “Micro-Edge” design, as you can see, it’s a bit of an exaggeration.

Keyboard

Backlit chiclet-style keyboard (single color)

Now let’s shift our gear to the keyboard. Envy x360 has a chiclet-style full-size keyboard with a pale gold accent. And from my experience, it gives a good typing experience and doesn’t rattle much. The key-travel is decent and it’s really easing getting used to them. As expected, they’re also backlit (single color) and you can switch from 2 levels of illumination levels. Even the lowest level of the backlight is enough to have the keys’ visibility enhanced.

Regardless, I’m not a fan of keyboard etching either. HP should’ve gone with something more contrasting than gray to make sure you can easily differentiate the keys—which is clearly not possible with this color scheme.

As a result, it gets incredibly difficult to recognize them (especially the function keys) unless you’ve turned on the backlight. HP says this is a privacy-focused design but once again, that sentiment is lost in implementation. So, having to turn on the backlight even in instances when you’d usually not, just ends up taking a toll on the battery life.

Function keys

The function keys include a bunch of useful shortcut gateways too. From everything I’ve talked about so far, we can tell that the HP Envy x360 is a privacy-focused device. To further elevate that cause, there’s a dedicated LED indicator for volume, microphone, and camera keys. Most of us would’ve preferred a privacy shutter for the cameras but this is the next best thing. Unfortunately, you can’t lock the Function keys.

So if you’re like me who is used to using the Fn shortcut keys to rename files, jump to the address bar, refresh the current tab frequently, it’s going to be a hassle. For security purposes, the keyboard also has a biometric fingerprint reader embedded which is Windows Hello certified. It reads your fingerprint quite fast and with great accuracy as well.

Trackpad

Plastic trackpad with integrated left/right keys

Moving on, its plastic trackpad is fine but certainly doesn’t compare against the likes of Dell XPS 13 and the MacBook Pro. It supports Synaptic Precision Touchpad driver and the multi-finger gesture works perfectly fine.

However, on certain occasions, it would recognize my two-finger swipe gesture for three-finger swipes instead. I know it’s because of the way I favor my fingers near the trackpad but it does get annoying pretty fast. Additionally, the integrated left/right keys are decent as well but do feel a bit plasticky.

Webcam

HP Wide Vision 720p webcam

Here, its webcam is nothing extra either. It is a standard 720p HD camera and doesn’t feature IR sensors for Windows Hello login. Although it suffices your regular meetings and stuff, the quality, I would say is just about average.

Performance

Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 (28W TDP)
Iris Xe integrated graphics, No discrete GPU
8GB DDR4 RAM, 512GB PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD

Let’s now talk about the performance. As I mentioned earlier, our review unit of the HP Envy x360 is powered by the Intel Tiger Lake Core i7-1165G7 CPU. This is complemented by 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 512GB of PCIe SSD. Here, this processor is also a part of the Intel Evo platform. It’s a comparatively new Intel standard that guarantees a specific level of performance like faster connection, 9+ hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 4, and so on.

With a 2.8GHz of the base frequency, getting by everyday tasks is a breeze on this machine. I am someone who needs to do a lot of writing, making presentations, and stuff, so for that this laptop works like a champ.

During normal usage, Envy x360 shows no sign of stress or heating even with 10-12 tabs running on Google Chrome, with light photo editing and Word documents running in the background. But I did notice that the memory management gets a little inefficient then-and-again. I’d be researching a topic on the web, then writing about it, and after leaving a particular tab unopened for a while, it prompts you to refresh the tab instead. Let’s take a look at some benchmark scores:

CrystalDiskMark

	Read (MB/s)	Write (MB/s)
SEQ1M Q8T1	2442.18	1598.96
SEQ128K Q32T1	2427.45	1787.66
RNK4K Q32T16	536.10	338.11
RND4K Q1T1	35.93	128.58

Cinebench R23

CPU: Multi-Core	4517
CPU: Single Core	1401
MP Ratio	3.22x

Geekbench 5

Single Core	1143
Multi-Core	3832
Compute (OpenCL)	12512

Unigine Heaven

(FPS: 18.6, Score: 469, Min FPS: 6.2, Max FPS: 38.7)

API: OpenGL	Multi-monitor: Disabled
Quality: High	Anti-aliasing: x2
Tessellation: Extreme	Fullscreen: Yes
Stereo 3D: Disabled	Resolution: System

GFXBench

1440p Aztec Ruins OpenGL (High Tier) Offscreen	15.9053 fps
1080p Car Chase (Offscreen)	41.0528 fps
1080p Manhattan 3.1 (Offscreen)	53.8629 fps
1080p ALU 2 (Offscreen)	200.189 fps
1080p Driver Overhead 2 (Offscreen)	59.5123 fps
1080p Texturing (Offscreen)	48.7519 fps

On the graphics front, the HP Envy x360 doesn’t have a discrete GPU. However, the integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics—that we know by now—is pretty impressive. So, I also did some video editing on this laptop. And it performed surprisingly well. I was expecting it to heat up quite badly or show some distress while doing so, but that wasn’t the case at all. The laptop would heat up near the keyboard area with some fan noise after an hour or so—especially on the right side of the keyboard.

Gaming experience

Even though it’s an Ultrabook, for this review, I tried a little bit of gaming on the HP Envy x360 with titles like CS: GO and Valorant. Under high settings with VSync turned on, I was able to get a stable 40-50fps while turning off VSync and other settings like sharpening, distortion gets you 65-85 fps.

However, you will suffer from fps fluctuation when you’re gaming every now and then. I also timed the launch-time of a couple of apps like LibreOffice Writer, Adobe Photoshop, and Premier Pro and they went as follows: 1.5 sec, 14s, and 16.5s respectively (on average).

To further optimize the performance, you can switch between different performance profiles under the HP Command Center. There’s even a dedicated button among the Function keys to trigger this setting. Here, there’s a stiff choice of multiple performance presets like Balanced, Performance, Cool, and Quiet. These are pretty self-explanatory and you can therefore switch between them as you’d like. Besides this, there are no other settings you’d expect like fan speed control. Plus, I would’ve also liked HP to integrate features like driver updates and such as well.

Focus Mode

There’s also this nifty little setting called “Focus Mode”. And if you’re someone who partitions the screen into multiple spaces, this feature comes in incredibly handy. What it does is dim the backlight of the screen space that’s not on focus, therefore letting you stay focused on your main task.

Furthermore, the Envy x360 also has Amazon Alexa built-in. You will need to have the app opened in the foreground/background for it to work though. Similarly, it can also listen to your requests even when you’re considerably far away from the laptop. Another useful feature that you’ll find on this device is the HP QuickDrop.

It lets you send/receive files and photos to/from your phone over the air. There’s a 50MB file limit so it’s no good when you’re trying to send large files. Also, the mobile app is slightly unstable and it quit on me a couple of times. I also found that the two devices need not be connected to the same network for QuickDrop to work.

Battery

3-cell 51 Watt-hour Li-Ion battery
Supports fast charge (50% in 30 minutes)

Moving on, the HP Envy x360 has a 3-cell 51 Whr battery. On paper, that doesn’t sound like a lot. But I am quite impressed with its endurance. If you recall, the i7 CPU inside falls under the Intel Evo platform, therefore ensure 9+ hours of battery life on an FHD display. Thankfully, it corroborated with my usage.

My usage mostly consisted of editing word documents, browsing Chrome, light photo editing every now-and-then and I’m quite happy with its battery life. However, using demanding apps like Adobe Premiere Pro or Photoshop diminished the battery much faster.

Conclusion

To conclude this review, the HP Envy x360 is a great 2-in-1 laptop and will get you through your everyday work quite easily. It is light, portable, and powerful therefore making it an ideal companion to carry it around. Plus, it is competent enough to even handle some content creation or light gaming requirements although it is not made for that purpose. As a result, it’s an optimal choice for office-going professionals, digital artists, or students who don’t have the most demanding workloads and prioritize versatility and portability above everything else. Having said that, the Envy x360 does have a few shortcomings of its own.

For instance, the privacy screen filter-laden display compromises the viewing angle. Plus, I kinda wished the trackpad was a little better as well. Furthermore, since this laptop is also targeting business professionals, HP could’ve included a better webcam too.

HP Envy x360 13 (2020) Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

Privacy-focused portable design
Can be used as a tablet too
Colorful, bright touchscreen
Decent performance level
Terrific battery life, fast charging

Cons:

Not-so-good viewing angles
Keycap etching should’ve been contrasting
Subpar memory management
Average webcam quality

Moto G10 with Snapdragon 460 launched as a toned-down version of the G30

Motorola

GadgetByte

-

February 17, 2021

0

Moto G10 with Snapdragon 460 launched as a toned-down version of the G30

Alongside the Moto G30, Motorola also launched another mid-range phone yesterday. Both of them are mid-range devices in the revamped Moto G-series. The G10, however, feels like a toned-down version of the G30. Barring a few aspects, these phones share most of the specs. Let’s check out in detail what the Moto G10 has to offer including its specs, features, and expected price in Nepal.

Motorola Moto G10 Overview:

Similar to the Moto G30, the G10 has a plastic body that is IP52 rated too. And it comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ display. However, it has a refresh rate of 60Hz only. In comparison, the Moto G30 has a refresh rate of 90Hz. The selfie camera too is limited to just 8MP.

Also Read:
- Motorola Moto E6i with entry-level specs now available in Brazil
- Motorola Edge S becomes the first Snapdragon 870-powered phone

Around the back, the design of the quad-camera module and the placement of the fingerprint sensor is the same. However, here the primary camera is 48MP instead of 64MP. The rest of the sensors are similar. You get an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.

On the performance end, Moto G10 houses the Snapdragon 460 SoC. It is a clocked-down version of the Snapdragon 662 used in the Moto G30. There are two storage variants of the device available: 4/64GB and 4/128GB.

Also Read:

Cutbacks have been made in the battery department too. While it is the same 5000mAh unit, the charging maxes out at 10W only.

Moto G10 Specifications:

Dimension: 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.1mm, 200g
Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel
Resolution: HD+ (700 x 1600 pixels); 20:9
Rear Camera: Quad, 48MP primary lens with f/1.7 aperture+ 8MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture + 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture + 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Front Camera: 8MP camera with f/2.2 aperture
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (11nm)
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, 128GB (expandable)
Battery: 5000mAh with 10W fast charging (USB-C)
Security: Fingerprint (rear-mounted)
Color options: Aurora Grey, Iridescent Pearl

Motorola Moto G10 Price in Nepal & Availability

Motorola Moto G10 will hit the stores in selected European countries by the end of this month where its price starts at €150. There’s no news about its global availability but if Moto G10 arrives in Nepal, we expect its price to be around NPR 19,000.

Model Name	Price in Europe	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Moto G10 (4/64GB)	€150	NPR 19,000

In the meantime, check out our review of the Moto G9 Play. (Nepali)

Moto G30 debuts with a 64MP quad-camera and a 90Hz HD+ display

Motorola

GadgetByte

-

February 17, 2021

0

Moto G30 debuts with a 64MP quad-camera and a 90Hz HD+ display

Motorola has launched its budget-friendly yet capable mid-ranger the Moto G30. The main focus of this device is to provide a great camera and near-stock Android experience. Moreover, it promises longer battery life too. So, let’s dive into the details about the Moto G30 along with its specs, features, and expected price in Nepal.

Motorola Moto G30 Overview:

The device has a plastic body and measures around 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.1mm in dimensions. Its water-repellent design means that Moto G30 is IP52 rated as well. Upfront, the screen is a 6.5-inches IPS panel and offers HD+ resolution. Furthermore, the display also features a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. It has a water-drop notch to house the front-facing 13MP selfie camera.

Also Read:

Around the back, you’ll find the quad-camera array. The primary sensor is a 64MP one with Quad-Pixel technology. An 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor complete the camera module. There’s also a fingerprint sensor on the back.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the Snapdragon 662 SoC which comes with the integrated Adreno 610 GPU. The battery unit on this one is a 5000mAh one. And it supports 20W fast charging via the USB-C port.

Also Read:

There are two RAM configurations of Moto G30. One is the 4/128GB variant, while there is also a 6/128GB option. Furthermore, there are single and dual-SIM models of the device too. Both of them have the MicroSD slot for memory expansion. However, the dual-SIM variant comes with a hybrid design. Therefore, if you use a microSD card with it, you’ll be limited to using it with just one SIM card.

Moto G30 Specifications:

Dimension: 165.2 x 75.7 x 9.1mm, 200g
Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD panel, 90Hz refresh rate
Resolution: HD+ (700 x 1600 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Rear Camera: Quad, 64MP primary lens with f/1.7 aperture+ 8MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture + 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture + 2MP macro sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Front Camera: 13MP camera with f/2.2 aperture
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (11nm)
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 4GB, 6GB
Storage: 128GB (expandable)
Battery: 5000mAh with 20W fast charging (USB-C)
Security: Fingerprint (rear-mounted)
Color options: Pastel Sky, Phantom Black

Motorola Moto G30 Price in Nepal & Availability

Moto G30 will go on sale by the end of this month in select European countries where its starting price is €180. There has been no word about the global availability of the device yet. However, if Moto G30 were to be available in Nepal, we expect its price to start at around NPR 22,000.

Motorola Moto G30	Price in Europe	Price in Nepal (Expected)
4/128GB	€180	NPR 22,000

Check out our review of Motorola Moto E7 Plus.

Facebook Portal TV for smart video calls is now available in Nepal

Facebook

GadgetByte

-

February 16, 2021

0

Facebook Portal TV for smart video calls is now available in Nepal

Because of the series of lockdowns and other social restrictions brought by the ongoing pandemic, we have been compelled to study or work from home. This has caused a spike in the use of video calling platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. The problem here is that laptops are not really known to equip the best webcam. Smartphones on the other hand have limited screen area. To overcome these problems, Genese Solutions has launched Facebook Portal TV in Nepal that users can connect to their TV to give it smart capabilities like video calling. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, price, and availability of the Facebook Portal TV in Nepal.

Facebook Portal TV Overview:

Facebook Portal TV is a small webcam-like device that users can connect to their TV to make video calls with compatible apps. There is a physical camera shutter for added privacy. There is also an additional disable button for the mic and camera. Talking about the camera, it uses a 12.5MP sensor and has a 120-degree Field of View. The camera is also capable of panning and zooming automatically based on the number of people in the frame.

It comes with its own stand which users can use to set it up separately from the TV. You can also clip at the top of the TV. To connect the device to your TV, you will need an HDMI cable which unfortunately is not included in the box. Thus, you will have to buy it separately. Once connected, the Portal TV will use your TV’s display and sound system.

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

Moreover, Portal TV can connect to both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks. You will need a Facebook account to login into the Portal TV. Once done, you can make video calls via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. You can even start or join Messenger Rooms with up to 50 participants. Also, it lets you use different AI effects to make the calls more interesting. Facebook promises that the calls are encrypted.

It also lets you stream content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Videos, and even Facebook Watch. Moreover, the Portal TV has a built-in Alexa with which you can control your smart home. There is another feature called Story Time which adds elements like music, animation, and AR to children’s stories. You can view photos from Facebook, Instagram, and your phone when you are not using it for calls.

Specifications:

Dimension: 1.25” (H) x 7.5” (W) x 2.25” (D)
Camera: 12.5MP AI Camera with 120-degree FOV
Microphone: Yes, 8-mic Array
Supported Video Calls: Messenger, WhatsApp
Smart Assistant: Yes, Alexa
Security: Camera Shutter, Mic, and Camera disable button, Encrypted calls
Input: Remote
Connectivity: Wi-Fi (2.4GHz & 5GHz)

Facebook Portal TV Price in Nepal and Availability

The price of Facebook Portal TV in Nepal is NPR 44,000. You can buy the Facebook Portal TV video calling solution in Nepal from Genese Solution.

Smart Device	Price in Nepal	Availability
Facebook Portal TV	NPR 44,000	Out of Stock

Check out our review of the Infinix Hot 10.

Here’s how you can replace your iPhone for the price of the battery in Nepal

GadgetByte

-

February 16, 2021

0

Here’s how you can replace your iPhone for the price of the battery in Nepal

No battery is made to last forever. No matter how careful you are with your device, the battery will degrade over time losing its ability to store power. Ultimately, you will have to replace it if you want to keep using the phone. But there’s a piece of good news for iPhone users in Nepal. Genxt, the official distributor for Apple products in Nepal, is offering iPhone replacement in case of battery damage for the price of just the battery.

Replace iPhone for the price of battery

Generation Next Communication, otherwise known as Genxt, is the only authorized distributor for Apple products in Nepal. As the sole distributor, it also looks after the after-sales services like repairs and parts replacement. We were quite unsure about how one could get a new iPhone for the price of a battery and contacted them for further details. Turns out, it’s actually true. If you show up to an authorized service provider for Apple in Nepal with an iPhone with a degraded battery, you can get a new iPhone of the exact same model.

Also Read:

Almost all the mainstream consumer electronics these days come with a year of warranty. Some may even offer additional years for parts replacement. Apple, on the other hand, promises services and parts long after the product is no longer in distribution. However, the support varies according to the region. In Nepal, Genxt will replace your iPhone in the name of battery replacement if it is an iPhone 6 or newer.

Criteria

So, to take advantage of this battery replacement offer, the battery health of your iPhone needs to be under 80% per cycle over 1000 complete charge cycles. You can check the battery health of your iPhone under Settings> Battery > Battery health. You are eligible for the replacement offer if your iPhones prompts you to “Service Battery Now”. If your battery health is 80% or over, then it is considered normal you won’t require battery replacement. However, for special conditions, Genxt will also consider iPhones with up to 85% battery health.

Also, the phone should not have been opened outside of authorized service centers. Similarly, it should not have major cracks at the screen and the camera either. Minor scratches and buffs can be considered. Also, the phone needn’t necessarily be bought from Genxt.

Price and Service Appointment

Let’s talk about pricing. If you want to have your iPhone replaced because of the battery issue, you will have to pay the price of battery replacement which varies according to the iPhone model. Generally, you will have to pay more for the more recent model. For instance, the cost is Rs. 26,500 for iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max while it’s just Rs. 13,500 for the older iPhone 6 series.

iPhone Model	Battery Replacement Price
6/6s/6+/6s+	Rs. 13,500
7/7+/8+8+	Rs. 15,500
X/Xs/Xs Max	Rs. 25,000
XR/11	Rs. 25,000
11 Pro/ Pro Max	Rs. 26,500

If you want to make use of the offer, you need to book your service appointment. You can do that by heading into the Genxt official website.

How is it possible?

But how is Genxt replacing the whole iPhone for the price of battery replacement? As it turns out, the company is unable to ship only batteries to Nepal because of shipping constraints. And it is replacing the whole unit as a workaround method. However, we have not been told how long the phone will be out because of the shipments involved. But again, if you are getting a new phone for a degraded battery that should be worth the wait.

Also, check out our review of the iPhone 12.