The ongoing pandemic has put the movie industry throughout the world upside-down. With productions halted and cinema halls shut down, the industry is in dire straits. In the case of Hollywood, the decision of Warner Bros. to release its entire 2021 slate of movies simultaneously on theaters and its own streaming platform—HBO Max, sent ripples of concerns and excitement globally. And in a bid to save Kollywood from this unforeseeable scenario that it’s found itself in, a local streaming platform announced its exulting return. Cinemaghar Gold, a video streaming platform has resurrected itself in an all-new look—hoping to make it big among Nepalese movie enthusiasts.
Cinemaghar Gold: Overview
An inevitable resurrection
Like I mentioned earlier, Cinemaghar isn’t an entirely new product. Founded in 2016, this OTT (Over The Top) video streaming service had already gained traction among a handful of audience. During this time, the company even exclusively launched movies like “Bato Muniko Phool 2” on its platform shortly after its theatrical release. But now, 361º Media is taking the next step in revolutionizing the video streaming habit of the Nepalese audience. Cinemaghar Gold looks to quench the Nepali cinema-watching (and similar contents) thirst of people everywhere.
With its integration of local, international payment gateways, and other options for those without access to either, Cinemaghar Gold is already off to a great start. For the local Nepalese subscribers, there’s the option to pay from eSewa or Khalti (with other options on the way). Likewise, there are card payment alternatives from gateways like MasterCard, VISA, and American Express as well.
On the other hand, Mr. Khagendra Lamichhane (Chairman, Cinemaghar) also announced that the integration of various India-based payment options like PayTM, JioMoney, etc. is in its final stage.
But those without access to any of the digital payment means can lend “Cine Coins” from their friends or families too. Here, anyone that can purchase Cine Coins for a subscription can lend it out to others. With all this, Cinemaghar Gold takes the first step in achieving its universal market.
Modest subscription charge
Besides the global availability, I’d say the company’s next big achievement is its pricing. At launch, one can subscribe to Cinemaghar Gold’s annual package for just NPR 500. The pricing is also uniform to users worldwide—meaning it doesn’t where you are, what matters is your willingness to watch. Similarly, a single subscription will be valid on a maximum of 2 devices at a time.
Unlike other mature international streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, etc. Cinemaghar Gold doesn’t have regional-content variation. What’s available to subscribers in Nepal is also available to those in India, US, or any other country. Moreover, because the platform is in its early stages, we’re expecting all the video qualities to be in Full-HD (1080p) resolution.
That is a reasonable guess considering how its mobile-first approach to content consumption almost perfectly adheres to FHD videos. Also, don’t expect premium technologies like HDR, Dolby Vision, surround sound, etc. to be available on the platform right away. At this point in time, most of those features are overkill for watching Nepali content anyway. For less than Rs. 1.50/day, I’d say the team at Cinemaghar Gold has done an excellent job at enhancing its appeal.
What are the available contents?
At launch, the platform currently boasts 18 hand-picked collections of Nepali feature-length movies, short films, and stand-up comedies. Some of the titles include “Damaru Ko Dandibiyo”, “Kohalpur Express”, “Blind Rocks”, “Sarauto”, “Machha Machha”, “Dui Chaar Din”, etc.
With more content scheduled to be added every month, the company is also currently running “Cinemaghar Gold 365 Days Movie Mela”. This online movie festival is basically what I’ve discussed about the service so far.
18 movies—365 days—NPR 500
Cinemaghar Gold will also be adding its original movies, short films, web series, and stand-up comedies on a regular basis, although no specific target/claim has been announced. To discourage the Nepalese audiences’ mentality of siding with YouTube for watching new Nepali movies, Mr. Lamichhane mentioned that Cinemaghar Gold will be bringing said movies first on its platform before they’re available on YouTube.
For this, the company has collaborated with different Nepali movie distribution houses like Highlights Nepal, OSR Digital, etc. To prevent dreadful issues for a streaming platform like payment security, piracy, etc. Cinemaghar Gold has features like 5 layers of security, screen-record prevention, and more.
How do I subscribe?
Keeping all these details aside, let us now move on to how you can be a paying member of the platform. As expected, things are pretty simple. Instead of using an email address of registration, the team has decided to go with a mobile number citing an added layer of authentication and security. It is available on Android, iOS, and Android TVs for download. However, if you’re an Android user, you will have to download the APK installation file from the website for now.
For the other options, Cinemaghar Gold can be downloaded from their respective app distribution platforms. Plus, if your TV supports Chromecast, you can also stream movies from your account directly into the TV.
Wrapping it all up, the introduction of such a streaming service in the context of Nepal is most definitely a positive step. On top of easing the access of local entertainment content on a global scale, Cinemaghar Gold also marks the dawn of the next step for Kollywood. To fulfill its promise of added content, the company will discover many hidden talents in the industry—no doubt.
Furthermore, it will create job opportunities and boost the country’s economy as well. While I admit going streaming services will never be able to capture the magic of watching a movie in a theater, being able to enjoy it on the go, or at the comfort of your home is a different luxury altogether.
JBL’s GO lineup of portable Bluetooth speakers is some of the best in their respective categories. With a minimal, lightweight build and the classic JBL sound profile, the GO series is beloved by many. And back in September, the company added the GO 3 to this lineup. Featuring a new design choice and a better audio setup, it is another fine portable Bluetooth speaker. Allow me to discuss more in this review of the JBL GO 3.
JBL GO 3 Specifications:
Body: 3.4W x 2.7H x 1.6D-inches; 209 grams
Colors: Blue, Teal, Gray, Red, Black, Pink, Squad
Battery: Li-Ion Polymer 2.775Wh (750mAh)
Music Play Time: Up to 5 hours*
Charging: Around 2.5 hours; 5V/1A
IP Rating: IP67 dust/water resistant (Up to 3.3 feet for 30 minutes)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C
Bluetooth Profiles: A2DP 1.3, AVRCP 1.6
Bluetooth Transmitter Power: ≤ 8dBm (EIRP)
Transducer: 43 x 47mm/1.5-inches
Output Power: 4.2W (RMS)
Frequency Response: 110Hz – 20kHz
Signal-to-noise Ratio: > 85dB
Price in Nepal: Rs. 5,900 5,500
JBL GO 3 Review:
Design & Build
Portable design with wire-mesh fabrics
IP67 dust/water resistant (3.3ft/30min)
As I just said, the GO 3 features JBL’s new design language that we’ve seen in its other portable speakers like the Flip 5. Instead of the rubberized housing like in its predecessor, this one now comes with a full-body wire-mesh fabric—a change I welcome with open arms. But the bigger design upgrade is its IP67 certification. Apart from the usual water protection, GO 3 is also weatherproof against dust.
Here, while JBL GO 2 gave in to minimal aesthetics, this one looks a lot bolder, and consequently more premium as well. The base of the speaker offers a decent grip, while also keeping the device steady when playing thumping music. Likewise, if you choose to place it standing tall instead of laying the GO 3 flat, the cylindrical rubber pads help it stay in place.
Sewed-in lanyard (loop)
Moving on, the left frame of the speaker finally introduces a loop in JBL’s GO lineup—thus adding to its portability. It is incredibly sturdy and using this, you can easily attach the GO 3 onto a clip, or hang it on an upright surface. Anyway, just beside it is the USB-C charging port, which is free of any obtrusive flap. In my opinion, just being able to plug a cable straight in without having to deal with an unnecessary barrier adds to the simplicity of using a portable speaker.
On the opposing end are the power and Bluetooth button alongside the “GO 3” branding. Similarly, all the playback and volume control buttons sit right above the JBL logo. In the midst of achieving all these improvements, JBL GO 3 is slightly heavier than the one before it. Yet, at 209 grams and an almost identical dimension, it is still exceptionally portable and you will have absolutely no problem carrying it around in your pocket. With its weatherproofing, GO 3 is also an ideal companion for your pool parties, hiking trips, or other outdoor activity. Fun fact, it is also buoyant on water.
Pairing
Bluetooth v5.1
Things are pretty boilerplate when it comes to pairing the JBL GO 3 with your smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled devices. For first-time pairing, just power on the speaker and turn on Bluetooth to make it visible to other devices. After a successful connection, the LED indicator steadily glows white and you’re good to go. Likewise, for subsequent pairing with the same device, simply powering on the GO 3 will do the trick.
Thankfully, JBL has finally gone Bluetooth 5.1 with the GO 3. We’d complained dearly about JBL’s infatuation with the older Bluetooth 4.2 protocol on relatively more expensive speakers like the Flip 5 and Pulse 4 and seems like the company has finally learned its lesson. To keep it brief, the newer protocol facilitates transmitting bigger bandwidth of data, and on a wider spatial range.
To test out this claim, we compared this with the JBL GO 2 that comes with Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. While the signal starts breaking down between two attached rooms on the GO 2, its successor manages to maintain a strong connection—even when moving up and down a floor. But don’t push your luck though. With enough obstacles in between, the Bluetooth connection in JBL GO 3 starts deteriorating pretty fast as well.
Controls
Dedicated buttons for volume, playback control
Plus, a power and Bluetooth button
As I’ve discussed the power & pairing controls already, allow me to jump ahead to volume and media playback buttons. Here, the JBL GO 3 comes with a dedicated volume up/down and a playback control button. Compared to the ones on GO 2, these offer much better tactile feedback thanks to the improved etching and are easier to press as well. The volume buttons are pretty self-explanatory. On the other hand, you can play/pause the audio by single pressing the playback button while double-pressing it skips the track.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t support going back to the previous audio, and you can’t customize the controls either since JBL GO 3 is app-incompatible. What I’m here referring to as the playback control button was better known as the multi-function button on its predecessor—for a reason.
Goodbye, speakerphone!
You see, the JBL GO 2 came with a built-in speakerphone which could be used for phone calls or interacting with a digital assistant. However, that’s entirely missing on the newer batch of JBL speakers including the GO 3. But because its implementation was half-baked at best, at this point, I’m glad the company skewed away from this rather primitive feature for a better speaker system instead. But I can’t say the same for the blaring absence of a 3.5mm aux input.
Multi-Point Connection?
Another thing I’d like to mention is that even though the official support page of the JBL GO 3 mentions its multi-point connection capability, it actually doesn’t. To be honest, the claim seemed too good to be true for a budget speaker and our tests proved rightly so. Maybe, that section on the website made its way there because of an error—a rather misleading error.
Audio
4.2W RMS power (loudspeaker, passive radiator)
Surprisingly loud and distortion-free
Finally, let’s talk about the audio performance of this device. Seeing how JBL GO 3 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker, I went into the review with rather low expectations. And boy am I glad that it thrashed my assumptions beyond my imagination. For such a small speaker, the JBL GO 3 can get quite loud—enough to immerse an average-sized room with the audio. But the bigger surprise lies in the fact that the audio doesn’t distort even at the maximum volume. That’s top-notch engineering right there.
Left: JBL GO 2 | Right: JBL GO 3
Here, the GO 3 has a front-firing passive radiator and transducer like the GO 2. Despite this, the air-seal seems to be oh-so tighter on the former. On Aphex Twin’s “Rhubarb”, which is an ambient track with a minimal synth loop and a persistent hum that follows to the end of the song, at full volume, JBL GO 2 distorts from the get-go whereas its successor doesn’t face this issue at all. There’s also this inherent difference in sound quality in these speakers. The best way I can put it is that the audio from GO 2 sounds confined and often times concentrated, whereas GO 3 sounds more spatial and distributed—albeit featuring a mono driver.
Terrific audio!
That’s major thanks to the bigger 1.5” transducer with 4.2W of RMS output too, compared to 3.1W on the GO 2. Furthermore, this new speaker boasts a wider frequency range too. Listening to “In My Secret Life” by Leonard Cohen, the drum loop and bass thumps sound clearer and punchier on the GO 3 as well. Likewise, the vocal comes off raspier as intended on the GO 3, but in this instance, the GO 2 isn’t that far behind either. Even deep bass music has a bit of character to them on the former while such music sounds almost completely flat on the GO 2.
Similarly, I found that instrument separation and vocal clarity is better on the newer model. In Willie Nelson’s “Buddy”, the guitar comes off muddy on the GO 2. On the contrary, I enjoyed listening to the same song with much better details on the GO 3. Still and all, because this has a mono audio setup lacking in any sort of 360° sound, the moment you shift from the speaker’s line-of-sight, the sound quality drops heavily. But in JBL’s defense, that’s to be expected from a portable speaker. So, if you manage your expectations, you’ll thoroughly enjoy JBL GO 3’s sound quality—a lot, lot more than its predecessor.
Battery
2.775Wh (750mAh) battery
5V/1A (5W) charging, USB-C
Getting into the battery side of things, sadly, there’s not much of an upgrade here. JBL promises up to 5 hours of playtime on the GO 3 with its 750mAh battery, just like the GO 2. Similarly, charging up the battery still takes 2 and a half hours. But if it’s any consolation, this one now charges via a USB Type-C cable instead of the dated Micro USB protocol. Given its compact size, 5 hours of battery life seems fair but if you take it outdoors on a hike or other instances where you’d want to continuously play it for hours, then the endurance will turn out disappointing.
In my usage, I mostly played music at around 80% volume—and at 100% every now and then to test out the audio quality. With this, I managed to net out at least 3 and a half hours of juice in multiple charge cycles. At times when I lowered the volume, the playtime would jump to a little over 4 hours.
Conclusion
To conclude this review, the JBL GO 3 is a fine addition to the company’s lineup of portable speakers. It brings great maturity in the audio quality, all the while retaining terrific portability. Add the enhanced weather-proofing into the mix, then you’re looking at a mighty fine budget Bluetooth speaker. So, if you’re in the market for an inexpensive and portable speaker, the JBL GO 3 should definitely be on the top of your list.
After a month of its initial release, Oppo has added another device in the Reno5 series. The Reno5 4G is a cheaper alternative to the Reno5 and Reno5 Pro – both of which are 5G capable. The device is targeted at regions without access to 5G connectivity. In this post, we will be taking a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Oppo Reno5 4G in Nepal.
Oppo Reno5 4G Overview
Design and Display
Oppo Reno5 4G sports the same Reno Glow design on the back that was introduced with the Reno4. The Reno Glow rear panels are made using a special etching process that makes them smooth to touch and fingerprint-resistant at the same time. The device is available in two color options – Multi-colored Silver with PICASUS coating and Mysterious Black. The former is 7.8mm thick while the latter is 7.7 thick. Both color variants weigh around 171 grams.
On the front, there is a 6.4” AMOLED screen with a punch-hole for the selfie camera. Oppo claims the screen-to-body-ratio on Reno5 4G is at 91.7%. The panel is manufactured by Samsung and comes with Eye Care Display technology. Similarly, the display features a 90Hz refresh rate and 180Hz sampling rate. You can even enjoy HD content on popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
Performance and Memory
Oppo Reno5 4G features Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G that has been popular among 4G midrange phones. Even the Reno4 4G had the same chipset. The device comes with 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of internal storage. It is the only memory configuration that is available for now. The phone ships with ColorOS 11 based on Android 11.
Camera
Reno5 4G flaunts a quad-camera setup at the back. The setup is led by a 64MP primary camera, accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. There are additional two 2MP sensors for macro photography and monochrome effects. On the front, there is a 44MP selfie camera.
Feature-wise, the camera setup supports AI Mixed Portraits (Double Exposure video), simultaneous video recording from front and back camera, AI Video lighting effects, Super Night mode, and more.
Rest of the specs
The device comes with a 4220mAh battery and it supports 50W fast charging. The charger included in the box can take the device from 0 to 100% in just 48 minutes. The charger also supports USB Power Delivery (PD) thus you can use it to charge other compatible devices. The phone has 5-lavers of charging protection. Reno5 4G has an in-display fingerprint sensor. Connectivity-wise, it supports dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.1.
Oppo Reno5 4G is now available for pre-order in Vietnam where its price is 8,690,000 Dong. If it were to launch here, we expect the price of Oppo Reno5 4G in Nepal to be around NPR 45,000.
Looking for a one-stop solution for everything? Well, that’s what FataFat Sewa is hoping to be. It is an online shopping platform launched marking the new year 2021. With the ongoing pandemic, e-commerce platforms such as Daraz, Sastodeal, Gyapu have seen a surge in their sales. FataFat Sewa looks to be the next big name in Nepal’s e-commerce game. Let’s look at the various services that FataFat Sewa, an online shopping platform is currently offering.
FataFat Sewa Online Shopping Overview:
This online shopping platform is currently selling goods ranging from mobile phones, accessories to motorbikes. They have not included the vendor name in any of the listed products. So, that means the platform will be selling the products themselves. Or maybe, because the site is still in its infancy, this is not the final form of FataFat Sewa. Still, it is an added pressure for them, but only time will tell whether it works out or not. Some of the major services being provided by the websites are:
Free Mobile Insurance
FataFat Sewa will be providing free insurance on all mobile purchases in accordance with Ajod Insurance’s mobile insurance scheme. The insurance covers you in case of breakage, lost, theft, fire & water damage. And the insurance is of amount NPR 100,000.
Instant VAT refunds
Another interesting offer on FataFat Sewa is the VAT refund. So, of the 13% VAT that you are liable to pay on the purchase of any accessories on the platform, you get a 10% tax refund when making an online payment.
0% EMI service on mobiles, laptops, and other gadgets
This is one of the salient services being offered by the website. For people who are on a tight budget, this is a great option. You will find the “Apply EMI” tab alongside the Description tab. Simply fill-up the form and apply for EMI. If you have a credit card, you can simply choose your respective bank and fill in other necessary details (including accepting the T&C) to get the product on 0% EMI.
At the time of writing this article, FataFat Sewa has partnered up with the following banks for its EMI service.
Century Bank Limited
Citizen Bank International Limited
Global IME Bank Limited
Machhapuchhre Bank Limited
Mega Bank Limited
Nabil Bank Limited
NIC Asia Bank Limited
NMB Bank Limited
Siddhartha Bank Limited
Sunrise Bank Limited
Even if you don’t own a credit card, you can apply for the 0% EMI service on FataFat Sewa. As I mentioned earlier, the site is still not 100% up to the mark. When selecting “No” under the “Do You Have Credit Card?” menu, it still prompts you to select a bank. This method is rather taxing than the one above (expectedly so), and also requires you to submit different documents like citizenship copy.
Mobile Exchange Service
You can also easily exchange your current phone with a brand new one on FataFat Sewa. Simply head to the “Exchange” page and submit the necessary details. This page demonstrates the platform’s infancy as well since the list of to-exchange and to-get phones include other items offered on the platform like gadgets, beverages, and such.
Mobile Repair, Home delivery, Pickup and Drop Service
On FataFat Sewa, you can easily request smartphone repair service as well. There’s a list of possible problems with your current phone and you can choose more than one of them that matches your situation. Other helpful services on the platform include home delivery and pickup & drop service.
Discounts via partner payments
If you pay for a purchase or any other service via eSewa, CellPay, or FonePay, you can get up to 15% discount. Other than that, currently, you’ll also get Rs. 500 bonus by referring others to FataFat Sewa.
FataFat Sewa Online Shopping: Final words
From the looks of it, FataFat Sewa brings a heap of features that makes one’s aspiration to won a smartphone or other gadgets a lot easier. Features like free insurance, home delivery, pickup, 0% EMI, repair, etc. are definitely the highlighting foundations of the platform. It will still take some time to get the site at 100% efficiency and there’s the promised mobile version to look forward to as well.
Meanwhile, check out our review of the Vivo V20 SE.
With fiber internet becoming more accessible in the country, the number of IPTV users in the country has grown for the last few years. Major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) now bundle IPTV with their internet plan. This has also contributed to the popularity of the platform. Now, the state-owned Nepal Telecom has adopted this technology as well. The new NTTV service is now available for fiber internet subscribers of Nepal Telecom.
But first, what is IPTV?
Before moving forward, let’s discuss the technology itself. The term IPTV stands for Internet Protocol Television. An IPTV offers Television service but through the use of TCP/IP protocol. What this means is that your favorite channels or contents are delivered to your device over the internet.
In traditional broadcast video technology, all the channels or contents are transmitted at the same time and users can choose between them. However, there is a limitation on how many channels a TV cable or a satellite signal can contain. As opposed to it, in an IPTV, only the content of the user’s choice is transmitted to the user. When the user changes the content, a new stream is set up to get the content to the user’s device.
One can enjoy services like linear TV (Live TV), non-linear TV (Video on Demand), time-shifting, and so on. In an area with internet access, it is also more convenient.
IPTV has been here for years. The concept was first popularized in Nepal by NetTV before ISPs came up with their own alternatives. Nepal Telecom (NT) tried to compete with the growing NetTV back then with its own WOW Time app. One needed to subscribe to the linear TV OTT service and use movies and live TV through Wi-Fi and data Packs. NT even introduced streaming data packs for the same. However, the idea didn’t go as planned and the platform has been dead already.
Partnership
Nepal Telecom called a global tender to provide IPTV service to its users on 10th June 2019. Later, an agreement was signed between NTC and a joint venture between VNPT Technology and Kalash for the same on 14th October 2019. The agreement will be in effect for five years from the date of signing.
Source: DANTRI
Initial Delays
The new IPTV/OTT platform was successfully setup and tested back in 2019. The service was supposed to launch from 1st Baishak 2077. However, the idea had to be dropped because of the ongoing pandemic and the recent implementation of the clean feed policy in the country. After all the delays, the NTTV service has now commenced from January 1st, 2021.
Nepal Telecom NTTV: Availability
In order to enjoy the NTTV service, you will need to subscribe to either NT fiber or landline service, at least. As of now, it is not available as a standalone service. All of the three services will be provided from a single line.
NT is offering two NTTV packages – Basic and Premium. We expect the latter to come with more channels and services. However, NT has not provided any information on that matter. Similarly, users can choose between the Internet + NTTV or NTTV + Telephone package.
The NTTV service is limited to a handful of regions inside and around the Kathmandu Valley. However, Nepal Telecom plans to expand it to other regions with access to NT FTTH service. The latter is available in 73 regions in 33 different districts.
Nepal Telecom NTTV: Packages and Price
New users will have to pay for an FTTH router and a new setup box. However, existing users will only have to pay for the set-up box. Similarly, the installation charge is also subsidized for existing users. If they decide to switch to an internet package with NTTV, they will receive a discount on the package fee amounting to the fee associated with their existing subscription package.
Price of NTTV Basic Package
Package
1 month (in NPR)
3 months (in NPR)
12 months (in NPR)
15Mbps Unlimited Internet + NTTV + Free Telephone
1,230
3,530
13,220
NTTV + Free Telephone
480
1,450
5,780
Price of NTTV Premium Package
Package
1 month (in NPR)
3 months (in NPR)
12 months (in NPR)
15Mbps Unlimited Internet + NTTV + Free Telephone
1,400
4,100
15,000
30Mbps Unlimited Internet + NTTV + Free Telephone
1,750
5,000
18,100
40Mbps Unlimited Internet + NTTV + Free Telephone
2,050
6,000
19,700
60Mbps Unlimited Internet + NTTV + Free Telephone
2,450
7,200
24,500
NTTV + Free Telephone
800
2,350
8,300
Additional NTTV Connection Charge Per TV
Package Type
1 month (in NPR)
2 months (in NPR)
12 months (in NPR)
Basic
226
678
2,712
Premium
508.50
1,448.66
4,881.60
NTTV Service One-Time Charge
FTTH Router:
NPR 2,825 (including VAT)
Free of cost when subscribing to one-year internet package
Set Top Box:
NPR 3,955 per STB (including VAT)
NPR 2,825 per STB (including VAT) for 12 months premium TV package
Drop Fiber:
Rs. 11.30 per meter
Free of cost for connection up to 100 meter (new connection)
How to subscribe to Nepal Telecom NTTV service?
Before subscribing to Nepal Telecom’s NTTV, first, check if the IPTV service is available in your region. Then, contact the nearest NT office and choose the package of your choice. Fill up the necessary form and submit it. Existing users do not need to fill the form.
So what do you think of Nepal Telecom’s NTTV IPTV service? Will it prevail among all the existing services or will it suffer the fate of WOW Time? Let us know in the comments section.
Check out our comparison of the best cable TV operators in Nepal.
After years of absence, Motorola made a comeback in the Nepalese market in 2020. Between the two devices that were announced in the present launch, the Moto E7 Plus is for budget-conscious users. With the price tag of Rs. 16,590, it goes head-to-head against the Poco C3, which is available for a slightly cheaper price tag. But should you spend extra cash on the Moto E7 Plus when you’ll be spending less money on a similar alternative? Let’s find out in this detailed review of Moto E7 Plus.
Motorola Moto E7 Plus Specifications:
Body: 6.50 x 2.98 x 0.36 inches, 200 gm, Water-repellent design
Display: 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel, 269PPI, 86% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (11nm Mobile Platform)
As expected from a budget phone, Moto E7 Plus is made up of plastic. However, the device doesn’t look or feel cheap. I really like the matte finish on the back of the device. First, it makes the phone easier to hold, and second, it helps conceal any fingerprint marks and smudges. Still, it would have been better if it came with a protective clear case inside the box. The phone is available in two color options and I prefer the Misty Blue variant that I have with me to the Twilight Orange. The former has a pleasant gradient Blue design.
Likewise, the square camera module and the fingerprint scanner are both placed on the top half of the rear panel. The center alignment of the two makes the rear panel look symmetrical.
Buttons, Ports
1 of 2
Power, Volume, Google Assistant button
Headphone Jack
The phone does feel bulky, to be honest. I know the phone packs in a big 5,000mAh battery but so does the Poco C3. And the former is lighter—not by a lot, mind you. The flat sides on the E7 Plus look dull and don’t help when holding the phone. I really wished that Motorola had gone for curved sides like Poco C3.
Google Assistant button
In addition to the power button and volume rocker, the phone also has a dedicated button for Google Assistant. Interestingly, all the buttons are placed on the right side of the phone. The power button has a textured finish that helps it distinguish it from the rest. However, the assistant button is placed higher than what most people would like, or feel comfortable with. If I had to make a decision, I would have easily placed it on the opposite side.
I constantly mistook it for the volume increase button while using the phone in landscape orientation for games and videos. On the right side, there is a hybrid SIM slot that lets you use two sim cards or a single sim card and a microSD card. Finally, on the top, you get the 3.5mm headphone jack. There is a micro USB port, speaker grille, and microphone on the bottom of the phone.
Display
6.5-inches HD+ “Max Vision” IPS TFT LCD screen
269 PPI, 86% screen-to-body ratio
Getting to the display, Moto E7 Plus sports a 6.5-inch IPS TFT LCD screen with a waterdrop notch on the top to house the front-facing camera. The bezels around the screen are quite noticeable, especially the chin which is bigger than what we get in the Poco C3. Talking about the display quality, the phone sports an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels and a pixel density of 269 PPI. This is typical of a phone in this price range. Because of this, the images on the display are not the sharpest.
At their default settings, I found the display on the E7 Plus more pleasing compared to that of Poco C3. The display on the Poco C3 is way too warm to my liking. But again, it does let you adjust the color temperature of the screen which is absent on the Moto E7 Plus. Similarly, E7 Plus’ display is more prone to scratches so getting a decent screen protector would be a smarter choice.
Peek Display
As with other Motorola smartphones, I found the “Peek Display” feature to be quite interesting. With this, you can interact with incoming notifications without going through the hassle of unlocking the phone. Just bump the phone a little to wake up the Peak Display screen. Here, you can open up the notification by dragging up the notification preview. You can then choose to reply, archive, or even ignore the notification.
Performance
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 SoC (11nm)
4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage (expandable)
Moving on to performance, the Moto E7 Plus is powered by Qualcomm’s 11nm Snapdragon 460 chipset, which is the successor to the Snapdragon 450. This SoC is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. With bloat-free UI on top, I didn’t experience any issue with day-to-day performance. The phone does take some time to open apps but that is to be expected from a budget phone. For instance, the app loading time is on par with that of Poco C3, if not faster. You can further improve it by enabling Adaptive AI performance. This feature speeds up the performance by using AI to predict the apps that you are most likely to open next.
Gaming Experience
The phone doesn’t have a gyroscope thus you won’t be able to play games that rely on it. I had a hard time adapting to PUBG Mobile without the gyroscope. Here, you can crank the graphics settings Balanced and frame rate to Medium. Except for some occasional stutters, the game was playable. For the best experience, I recommend playing with a High frame rate in Smooth graphics. By the way, you don’t get to play in that settings in the Poco C3.
At the same settings, I found the gameplay in the two devices to be identical. However, the Snapdragon 460 is better for prolonged gaming as the G35 on the Poco C3 starts to heat pretty quickly.
I also tried playing some less demanding games like Clash Royale. As you’d expect, it was completely playable but I did notice some occasional lags while swiping across the game’s home screen.
Storage
Like I mentioned earlier, Moto E7 Plus comes with 64GB of internal storage which is what other phones are offering at the price segment. The unusual thing here is the inclusion of a hybrid sims-lot. You can’t use two sim cards and microSD card at the same time.
Cameras
Dual-camera setup at the back
(48MP primary, 2MP depth)
8MP selfie shooter inside the notch
Cameras
1 of 2
Front
Back
Coming to the cameras, the 48MP primary setup really stands out on the spec-sheet. There is hardly any phone providing one in the sub 20K range in the Nepalese market. To see if the 48MP camera is any better than other cameras in the price segment, we tested it against the Poco C3 which has a 13MP primary camera.
Normal Images
Though neither of the two phones has an ultra-wide lens, the primary camera on the Moto E7 Plus has a wider Field of View (FOV) compared to that of the Poco C3.
Normal
1 of 16
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
The shots taken by Moto E7 Plus have a better dynamic range. Similarly, the colors are also more natural here as the Poco C3 tends to saturate colors making them look darker.
Portrait Images
In terms of portrait images, Moto E7 Plus takes better portrait shots as well. Though neither phone has perfect edge detection, the E7 Plus does it slightly better than the C3.
Portrait
1 of 4
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Also, you can even take portraits of objects with the E7 Plus. But it doesn’t work that well as it does with human subjects.
Selfie Images
Jumping to the front camera, the Moto E7 Plus has an 8MP sensor whereas the Poco C3 comes with a 5MP lens.
Selfie
1 of 4
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
As you can see from these samples, selfies from the E7 Plus are slightly smoothened. On the other hand, they are darker in the C3. I would still go with the E7 Plus because of the better background exposure.
Nighttime Images
Normal Nighttime
1 of 4
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
Moto E7 Plus
Poco C3
There is also a dedicated Night Mode on the Moto E7 Plus, which is absent on the Poco C3. While it doesn’t improve the image quality drastically, it does add illuminance.
Moto E7 Plus - Night Vision
1 of 4
Thus, the output from the Night Mode turns out brighter than the normal mode.
Software and Security
Near-stock Android 10
Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor
The software has been one of the major highlights of Motorola phones these days. Like other Moto devices, this one comes with a near-stock Android experience. Because of this, it doesn’t have a heavy custom skin, bloatware, and the UI is ad-free as well.
You do get Facebook and other apps from Google preinstalled but most of them can be disabled anyway. Other than these is the Moto Action app. It’s a collection of all the tweaks that Motorola has done to the software. The app explains the basics of each feature in a fun way. Personally, I like the Peek Display, Fast Flashlight, and Personalize with Style features.
During the review period, Motorola published the list of phones that will be getting the Android 11 update, and sadly, there is no mention of the Moto E7 Plus. Maybe the company will publish an updated list sometime in the future but till then, we have to assume that the E7 Plus will not be receiving the Android 11 update.
Fingerprint Sensor
For biometrics, the phone boasts a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which is pretty accurate. However, the buffer between the fingerprint input and actual unlock is quite noticeable. You also have the face unlock feature that works well during the day but drops down in terms of consistency under low-light conditions. At the time of writing this review, our unit of the Moto E7 Plus is on the October security patch.
Call quality and Audio
Single down-firing speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack
In terms of audio quality, the down-firing speakers are average at best. Turn the volume all the way up and you will hear distortions. Bring it down a little and the output is hardly audible. At times, I wished the call were a little louder. Other than that, I had no problem with making and receiving calls.
Battery
5,000mAh battery with 10W charging (Micro USB)
A bigger battery is almost a norm on budget phones these days. You get a massive 5,000mAh battery in the Moto E7 Plus, which adds to the phone’s heft as I mentioned earlier. In a normal usage scenario, you can easily expect a battery life of over a day. The real problem starts when you drain the battery.
The phone comes with a 10W micro USB charger and there is no support for fast charging. During the review, I constantly recorded that the Moto E7 Plus takes around 3 hours and 15 minutes to go from 0 to 100%.
Verdict
Moto E7 Plus is Motorola’s first budget device for the Nepalese audience in years and it is a decent one as well. Unlike the Poco C3, it is powered by an efficient Snapdragon processor and has a near-stock Android experience to complement it. Similarly, the 48MP camera cannot compete with its namesake on more expensive devices but is among the best in this price range. The display and battery life are not better than what other budget contenders are providing but will do just fine on normal usage.
If I had to choose between the Poco C3 and Moto E7 Plus I would definitely go with the latter. The Moto E7 Plus is a better device altogether. The only deal-breakers (or rather, minor complaints) that I have are the hybrid SIM slot and slow charging. But, I could totally see myself living with it.
The Lenovo Legion 5 series was already a good option if you were looking to buy a budget gaming laptop in Nepal. However, the recent drop in price has made these laptops even more appealing. So, if you were thinking of getting Lenovo Legion 5 series laptop hurry up to grab them for a discounted price in Nepal.
Lenovo Legion 5 / 5i Overview:
Lenovo Legion 5 series is the successor to last year’s Legion Y540 lineup of laptops. With the new naming convention, Legion is trying to reflect more details of the device using simpler names. If you ask me, the change in the naming convention does make sense. First, I find the Legion 5 simpler yet more effective than the Y540. Second, with the new naming convention, I can easily find what I’m looking for. For instance, if I need a Ryzen powered device, I will filter out all the devices with the “i” suffix as those are the ones with Intel’s chipset.
Lenovo Legion 5 is the company’s first gaming laptop powered by AMD’s chipset. It is just a reflection of how popular AMD’s latest Ryzen 4000 series has been since its announcement in CES 2020.
Performance and Memory
For the Lenovo Legion 5, you get to choose between the Ryzen 7 4800H and Ryzen 5 4600H processors. Both of them belong to the H-series which is specifically designed to handle resource-demanding tasks. Among the two, Ryzen 7 4800H lies to the higher end of the spectrum as it features 8 cores and 16 threads compared to 6 cores and 12 threads of the Ryzen 5 4600H.
As the “i” suffix indicates, Lenovo Legion 5i is powered by Intel’s latest 10 Gen Comet Lake processor and it tops out at Core i7-10875H processor. This processor comes with 8 cores and 16 threads.
Compared to the Ryzen 7 4800H, it has a slower base clock speed of 2.4GHz but it can reach up to 5.1GHz with the turbo boost. The boosted speed may sound a lot but only select cores can hit that speed and that too, under controlled temperature. It also has a bigger cache. Nevertheless, it will certainly perform better than its Ryzen counterpart when it comes to single-threaded tasks but comes with an added cost.
Users can choose between three graphics cards – GTX 1660, GTX 1660 Ti, and RTX 2070. You can include up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD on the Lenovo Legion 5.
Design and Display
The Legion 5 and 5i are available in two screen sizes – 15.6-inch and 17”. Both 15” and 17” model have FHD IPS panel. You can choose between standard 60Hz and a faster 144Hz panel. The 144Hz options support Dolby Vision as well. There is also additional 120Hz option (250 nits) for the 15” models.
Others
As for the keyboard, the Lenovo Legion 5 laptops come with the new Lenovo Legion TrueStrike keyboard that offers a key travel distance of 1.5mm. The keyboard is backlit and you can also opt for one that with 4-zone RGB backlight. The laptop is powered by a 4-celled 60Wh battery. Some models even have an 80Wh battery. Connectivity-wise, the device supports WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0. The device comes with 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C port, an HDMI port, a Kensington Lock, a DC-in, and an ethernet jack. You also get a 2 x 2W Harman Kardon speaker system and support for Dolby Atmos.
Lenovo Legion 5 / 5i Specifications:
Display:
– 15.6-inches FHD (1920 x 1080); up to 300 nits; up to 144Hz refresh rate
– 17.3-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) ; 300 nits; up to 144Hz refresh rate
Keyboard: TrueStrike Keyboard with White / 4-zone RGB backlight; 1.5mm key travel
Processor: – Up to Ryzen 7 4800H (5)
– Up to Core i7-10875H (5i)
RAM: Up to 16GB 3200MHz DDR4 RAM
Graphics: GTX 1650 / GTX 1650 Ti / RTX 2060
Battery: 60 / 80 Watt-hours battery
Storage: Up to 1TB M.2 PCIe SSD + up to 1TB HDD
Webcam: 720p Webcam with privacy shutter
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 ax (WiFi 6), Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: 4 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C port, an HDMI jack, a Kensington Lock, a DC-in, and an ethernet jack
Lenovo Legion 5 Series Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of Lenovo Legion 5 2020 in Nepal starts at NPR 125,000 for the Ryzen 4600H and GTX 1650 Ti. It can go all the way up to NPR 186,000 depending upon the specs. Similarly, the price of Lenovo Legion 5i 2020 in Nepal starts at Rs. 177,000.
OnePlus has been bringing some minor changes in their existing devices with its T-series offerings. And it’s somewhat the same for the new OnePlus 8T too. It is a redesigned variant of the existing OnePlus 8-series devices. While it shares most of the features with the OnePlus 8, improvements have been made in key areas. And the good news is, it is now officially available for purchase from offline mobile shops as well as Daraz. Let’s check out what the OnePlus 8T is all about including its official price and availability in Nepal.
OnePlus 8T Overview:
On spec-sheet, the OnePlus 8T boasts plenty of improvements from its predecessor i.e. the OnePlus 8. For instance, its 6.55-inch 1080p OLED display now comes with a faster 120Hz refresh rate. In comparison, the OnePlus 8 had a 90Hz refresh rate. This upgrade seems huge. However, users will agree that you can’t really find much of a difference between 90Hz to 120Hz on a smartphone screen.
Moving on, the flat screen has a punch-hole cutout on the top left corner to house the 16MP selfie camera. Around the back, you get a quad-camera setup. The lenses are arranged in a square module. The rear camera setup includes a 48MP primary Sony IMX586 sensor, a 16MP ultrawide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP monochrome sensor. Now seeing OnePlus still use the 2-year old Sony sensor is a little disheartening as many of us were expecting a significant upgrade in the camera department with the 8T.
Under the hood, the device packs in the Snapdragon 865 processor. And it can be paired with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. However, the RAM variant does depend upon where you live. Buyers in the US will only get the 12GB/256GB variant whereas the ones in Europe, Asia can purchase both.
65W Fast Charging
Powering the whole device is a 4500mAh battery. And this device does support the new Wrap Charge 65 technology. The company claims that it can charge the device up to 58 percent in 15 minutes. Similarly, a full charge takes almost 39 minutes. Other features of the device include sub-6GHz 5G support. Sadly no mmWave though. As usual, there’s an in-display fingerprint sensor too.
Time and again, digital entrepreneurs have highlighted the need for a good international payment system in Nepal. After the news of the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank, Mr. Maha Prasad Adhikari hinting at the development of an international payment system made rounds, it had all of us hyped about what’s to come. And now, its progress has been set in stone after a detailed proposal of what an international payment system in the country should look like has been submitted to officials at NRB.
International Payment System in Nepal: Preface
Mr. Adhikari was invited to the first session under the Fonepay Digital Economy Conclave. The event was on the topic “When is Nepal going to be digital?” Towards the end of the session, the Governor was asked about the international payment system. And when we could expect it in Nepal.
In his response, the Governor said that he was well aware of the situation; and what it means for aspiring entrepreneurs and students to have access to the international payment system. But first, he added, it is important to have a robust system void of any kind of loophole. Likewise, NRB also addressed the international payment system in the first-quarter review of Monetary Policy (2020-2021).
What’s it like now
As of now, Nepalese citizens with passports can carry up to USD 1,500. This is to allow them to make payments abroad. Similarly, debit/credit cardholders in the country can purchase goods (that are legal according to the upholding Nepalese law) worth up to USD 2,000 (or its equivalent amount in other currency) from foreign countries.
However, under article 9 of 07/2076 and 12/2076 unified license circular, commercial banks can exchange up to USD 3,000 (or its equivalent amount in other currency) on behalf of their clients to pay for goods and services from abroad. Similarly, for transactions upwards of USD 3,000 up to USD 10,000, the said banks would require the approval; of the regulatory commission.
What’s that resulted in
But because of the existing provisions, most people are unable to pay for foreign goods or services since the said regulations don’t account for online transactions. With the massive boom in the digital economy throughout the world, leaving this stone untouched definitely came with a few big problems.
Read more about existing methods of making an international payment from Nepal in this helpful article from our friends at Delta Digit.
Because such a system is a major driving force of the international market, some people look to make use of different payment gateways; like PayPal, Payoneer, etc. of their friends, families, and relatives. While this does serve the process to one disproportionate half of the population, the other half had to rely on middle-men for the same. As a result, this gives rise to the fall in purchasing power. Besides, this “Digital Hundi” is also a scar to the national economy. The government has no means of keeping track of its citizens’ spending; all the while local currency effortlessly flies abroad.
The proposal for an international payment system in Nepal
And now, a proposal for an international payment system has been drafted and submitted for consultation in Nepal Rastra Bank. The draft proposes a system where Nepalese commercial banks can issue a Prepaid Card worth up to USD 500 (annually) to the public for making transactions on unsanctioned foreign goods/services. We have listed different points of the said proposal below:
Proposal:
To issue a prepaid card for an individual, institution, firm, or organization, the said party should first fill up and submit their KYC and PAN details.
Commercial banks can deposit up to USD 500 (or its equivalent amount in other currency) on the request of their customers; based on the exchange rate of the requested date. Before making the deposit, the bank should adjust the appropriate taxes in advance.
Throughout the year, a user can make transactions worth up to USD 500 only.
Users will be strictly restricted from buying goods/services that are deemed illegal by the upholding Nepalese law.
In case the user has indulged in transactions worth less than USD 500 throughout the past year, the bank can make the next deposit not exceeding the stated amount at any time.
If the user delivers proof that s/he has earned at least twice the deposited amount, then the user can deposit an additional amount on their Prepaid Card.
One user cannot avail of the service from more than one bank. If found doing so, then s/he will be subjected to the action based on the existing Foreign Currency Act. Neither can a user deposit international currency in another person’s name/card.
This system lies on top of the Money Laundering Prevention Act, 2064. So, the user will have to follow all the regulations directed by the act.
The bank should submit the card, transaction details of its users on a monthly basis; with one week’s buffer period.
Final Words
So, as you can see, the proposals for an international payment system in Nepal is definitely a positive step. You can read the official proposal here. What’s left to see is how NRB handles the proposal, modifies it as it sees fit; and finally introduces an international payment system in Nepal. Fingers crossed for positive news anytime soon!
It’s in the name—Fitbit is for the absolute fitness fanatics or just about anyone determined to stay healthy. Because of this, the company’s lineup of fitness bands and smartwatches are beloved worldwide. So much so that Google’s parent company Alphabet Inc. announced its intention to acquire Fitbit. The acquisition, valued at a whopping $2.1 billion dollars, has been met with a major hurdle and as a result, the deal isn’t set in stone yet. But amidst all the acquisitional chaos, Fitbit has been active in launching a new lineup of smartwatches. Fitbit’s fall 2020 lineup also consisted of the Versa 3 that I have with me. The Versa 3 is a pretty sizable upgrade from its predecessor, but it does have a few troubles of its own. So let’s find out more about the Fitbit Versa 3 in this review.
Sensors: Red & infrared sensors for SpO2, 3-axis accelerometer, Altimeter, NFC, Optical heart rate, Device temperature, Ambient light
Features: 24/7 heart rate tracking, sleep stages & sleep score, Active Zone Minutes, all-day activity tracking, 20 goal-based exercise modes, workout intensity map, sleep mode, guided breathing sessions, menstrual health tracking, etc.
Colors: Black / Black Aluminum, Pink Clay / Soft Gold Aluminum, Midnight / Soft Gold Aluminum
Price in Nepal: Rs. 39,999
Fitbit Versa 3 Review:
Design & Build
Classic squircle body with aluminum case
Comfortable, flexible strap | 5ATM certification
To everyone’s delight, the company hasn’t made a drastic change in the design department in this rendition of a Versa smartwatch. Like the ones before it, the Versa 3 comes in a squircle form factor with an aluminum watch case and a flexible band. While the case is available in either Soft Gold or Black Aluminum finish, there’s a bunch of fashion-friendly options when it comes to the band.
The default ones include black, pink, and midnight blue, whereas you can also opt for designer bands to match your style. Of course, the latter options come with an additional cost. Likewise, the Versa 3 also ships with an additional large wristband for optimum support. The pre-installed one fit me perfectly, so I didn’t bother with the large band. However, unlike me, if you need to switch ‘em up, it’s incredibly easy to do so.
Just gently push the little switch on the bottom of the watch and pull the band. It’s that simple. The same goes for the other end of the wristband. Anyway, these “Infinity Bands” (as Fitbit calls them) are very comfortable in the hand. Its soft nature paired with the lightweight quality of the watch itself meant I had absolutely zero issues putting it on for a prolonged duration. Neither did I develop skin irritation or allergies of any kind.
Comfortable fit
Despite the stellar feel and fit, be sure to not wear it every waking moment of your life. As Z puts it, “you gotta take ‘em off every now and then—you gotta take ’em off, son”. This is to absolutely steer clear of the aforementioned skin complications, which Fitbit itself suggests. That in itself is pretty vague advice but despite this, throughout my usage, I never put them off—except when charging. Moving on, Versa 3 is also 5ATM water-resistant. With this, you can also take the smartwatch to the pool and track your swimming stats. Talking about durability, my unit of the watch is in pretty tip-top shape but I wouldn’t be surprised to find that it would give up quite easily upon a significant impact/fall.
Here, the right frame of Versa 3 features a microphone and a speaker. Similarly, on the left is a stupid, stupid inductive button with haptic feedback for navigation. More on that in just a minute. All in all, the Fitbit Versa 3 is a pretty well-built smartwatch with a clever mechanism to swap the wristband.
Display
1.58″ AMOLED panel, AoD
10,000+ watch faces
On the display side of things, the screen real-estate in this year’s Versa has been enlarged by a lot. While the Versa 2 came with a 1.4-inch AMOLED panel, its successor now has a bigger 1.58-inch screen. Consequently, the pixel count has increased too. With a 336×336 resolution, texts, icons, and animations look crisp on this screen. As expected from an AMOLED display, you can also enjoy Always-on Display here.
But since the climate demands sleeved clothing, I turned it off altogether. Plus, the resulting extension to battery endurance is also something I’d rather have. Additionally, Versa 3 can get pretty bright as well—therefore, I didn’t face an issue looking at it even under direct sunlight. You can choose from three levels of illumination: dim, normal, and max.
Also, the screen has a gentle curve for enhanced navigation and swipes. Regardless, I would’ve preferred if Fitbit had gone for thinner bezels. Not only would it enhance the visual aesthetics, that would also result in a lighter body. But to be clear, I don’t mean to say the Versa 3 is uncomfortable to wear in its current state—absolutely not.
10K+ watch faces
Furthermore, the rise to wake up the screen feature works perfectly fine. You can also opt to exclusively turn on the display via the button, but I strayed away from it entirely. When it comes to watch-faces, the Fitbit app boasts over 10,000 of them including paid and free ones. Unfortunately, you can only store a maximum of 5 watch faces in your gallery at a time. Switching between them is fairly easy.
Clock faces
1 of 2
Fitbit App - Settings
Clock Faces
Just use the companion smartphone app, or through the “Clocks” app on the watch. This feels like such a limiting experience for what is otherwise a premium smartwatch. But it doesn’t end there. While Versa 3 supports blood oxygen monitoring, it limits you to view your SpO2 data on a single watch face called “SpO2 Signature”.
HRV, RHR
1 of 2
Heart Rate Variability
Resting Heart Rate
You can view the nightly SpO2, resting heart rate (RHR) data under the “Health Metrics” tap inside the Fitbit app. There are pretty well-designed watch faces inside the Fitbit app, to be honest. Yet, because of this issue, I had to constantly make a trade-off between my desired watch face, and one that’s capable of showcasing my SpO2 stats.
Performance, Fitbit OS
Unnamed processor, Fitbit OS
Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa support
Getting into performance, let’s start with setup, shall we? Versa 3 first requires you to download the Fitbit app. You then need to sign-up or log-in to an existing Fitbit account. After this, select Versa 3 from the list of available options and once the watch connects with your phone, it displays a 4-digit code that you need to type into the app. With successful pairing accomplished, the rest of the setup includes download and installing updates (if any) and setting up the WiFi on the Versa 3. This entire process is rather quite slow and in my case, it took me about 15 minutes to complete.
Fitbit app
1 of 8
Dashboard [1]
Dashboard [2]
Discover
Community
Premium
COVID19
Profile
Voice Assistant
Powering this smartwatch is an unnamed processor. Similarly, it runs on the proprietary Fitbit OS. At the time of writing this review, my unit of the Fitbit Versa 3 runs on firmware version 36.128.4.17. For what it’s worth, it is a fairly well-designed OS. This is my first Fitbit gadget therefore I didn’t exactly have a point of reference about what to expect. While I was expecting things to be fluent and smooth all-around, the Versa 3 let me down marginally.
Faltering UI/UX
Let’s start with the UI. The home screen consists of the selected watch face, while the control panel resides on the left. It’s not customizable and you’re stuck with what Fitbit’s offering. Here, you can toggle do-not-disturb mode, AoD, brightness controls, and more. Likewise, the widgets can be accessed by swiping up from the bottom. Unlike the control center, you do have the option to select which ones to show (their selection is pretty limited though). On the other hand, all the installed apps are designated to the right space, and you can swipe through them.
The transition between the menus is quite stuttery. I’m not sure if this is something that can be fixed with a firmware update, so I blame the incompetent processor or the under-optimized software for this lackluster UI/UX experience. Finally, all the notifications are arranged on the top. Pairing it with an Android smartphone, one can also quickly send a reply to texts. While it doesn’t let you type up your response, the alternatives include voice-to-text, emoji, and quick replies. Interestingly, Versa 3 also latches an “Undo” option to your replies.
One could argue that this is compensation for the inherently slow processing power of the smartwatch, but I for one welcome it with open arms. To be clear, this is not something like the “Unsend” feature on Facebook Messenger. Rather, the “undo” refers to skip the delivery of the message altogether. Using the Fitbit app lets you select which apps deliver notifications on the watch, and even set custom quick replies.
Removing “voice” from Voice Assistant
Moving on, Fitbit Versa 3 is also fortified with voice assistant—two of them. You can choose to get your questions replied to by Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. I went with the former, and I must say, the voice recognition on this thing works pretty darn fine. However, you can’t trigger it willy-nilly using your voice, no sir. I was quite shocked to find the lack of “Ok Google” or “Hey Google” integration. So, you will have to open the Assistant app for your queries.
But hold your horses. An even bigger surprise lies in the fact that the digital assistant doesn’t support audio response. Despite featuring a decent speaker, I just don’t understand this limitation. In addition, the app selection in Fitbit OS isn’t the widest either. For me, the absence of Google Maps was the biggest bummer and I made do with Maps by here. It also supports streaming services like Spotify, Pandora, and Deezer.
App store
1 of 2
App Store [1]
App Store [2]
Weirdly enough, it can’t integrate your Spotify account if you’re a free subscriber. And even if you have a premium Spotify account, there is no offline streaming support. Versa 3’s product page does mention you can locally store your music & podcasts from Deezer and Pandora onto the smartwatch but since I don’t have a subscription to either platform, I couldn’t try it out.
Decent call quality
Like I mentioned earlier, the Fitbit Versa 3 also equips a microphone and a speaker, therefore making voice calls possible. While you can’t make phone calls directly from the watch, you can choose to decline or accept them. The call quality itself is alright when you’re in a relatively silent environment.
Yet, I would strictly advise against phone calls in a rather rowdy ambiance since you’ll have a hard time keeping up with the conversation. Also, there is no VoIP call support of any sort. If you fail to pick up the call, you’ll receive a notification but that’s about it. Additionally, Versa 3 features NFC connectivity using which you can make contactless payments and such.
A button implementation so dense that light bends around it
Okay, now let’s talk about the inductive button on the side. Fitbit has borrowed this haptic-enabled button from the Charge 3 fitness band. I can’t stress enough how frustrating this button is. It requires you to press on the indent with a notable amount of pressure otherwise it just doesn’t work. Moreover, because it’s located on the left frame, accessing it while having the watch on your left hand becomes an unnecessary hassle.
Sacrificing comfort to aesthetics is always a big no in my books. And it doesn’t double as a back button either. For that, you’re gonna have to swipe to the right. It can be used to wake the screen or go to the home screen. Plus, you can also assign shortcuts upon a long or double press.
Health, Fitness, Sleep Tracking
20 goal-based exercises, periodic reminders
Automatic Exercise Recognition (customizable)
Built-in GPS, Nightly SpO2 monitoring
Certain features restricted behind a paywall
Getting to the fitness tracking properties of the Versa 3, suffice to say, it does more than a good job. Fitted with a bunch of different sensors, it can track a wide range of health, fitness, and sports attributes. To start things off, there are altogether 20 goal-based exercises including golf, hike, pilates, walk, yoga, etc.
Steps, Calories, Floors
1 of 6
Steps (Weekly) - 1
Steps (Weekly) - 2
Calories (Weekly) - 1
Calories (Weekly) - 1
Floors (Weekly) - 1
Floors (Weekly) - 2
It automatically tracks your daily steps, heart rate, and a few other activities. Furthermore, the menstrual health tracking ability lets you track ovulation, discover patterns, log periods, and more on this smartwatch.
Here, Fitbit Versa 3 comes with PurePulse 2.0 technology complementing the optical heart rate sensor. What’s more, thanks to SmartTrack, it can also automatically record and track different exercises like walking, running, swimming, outdoor bike, etc.
Exercise
1 of 1
Auto Recognize Exercises
By default, this tracks your activity after you’ve been active for 15 minutes or more. However, using the Fitbit app, you can set a custom value, or disable automatic tracking of a particular exercise altogether.
Active Zone Minutes (AZM)
There’s also something called “Active Zone Minutes”. Introduced in Fitbit Charge 4, it is geared towards keeping your heart healthier. Depending on what heart-pumping exercise you indulge in, you are awarded varying points. For instance, for simple, slow-paced walks where your heart-rate stays within 120-144 BPM (fat burn zone), you earn 1 zone minute. On the other hand, under exercises where your heart rate climbs 145-176, you enter the cardio zone while 177 or higher BPM falls under the peak zone. Under both of these, you earn 2 zone minutes.
Active Zone Minutes (AZM)
1 of 6
AZM - Dashboard
AZM - Daily Record
Heart Rate Zones
Below Zones
Fat Burn Zones
Cardio & Peak Zones
World Health Organization (WHO) recommends you partake in 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity. And I must say, out of everything else, Versa 3’s AZM really motivated me to get daily exercises in order to reach my weekly goal of 150 active zone minutes. And being able to track all the data in the Fitbit app meant I was always informed about my exercises to a degree I wasn’t before.
Hourly Activity (w/ Alerts)
1 of 3
Well-designed companion app
Everything is so well organized and easy to understand in the app—kudos to the development team for this feat. To further motivate to get you moving, it also hourly alerts you to take a walk. I’m also quite fond of the brief stress-relieving sessions.
Mindfulness
1 of 2
Mindfulness - Weekly
2-minute Stress Reliever
Under the “Mindfulness” menu, there are multiple meditational, relaxing sessions—some free, some paid. Each session tracks your heart rate and at the end, you can tag your progress for a better assessment. On top of that, Versa 3’s guided breathing sessions help you stay zen too. There are also a couple of manual tracking options like water and food intake.
Built-in GPS
One of the biggest upgrades compared to its previous iteration is the built-in GPS. Still, the location tracking was a bit of a let-down for me.
Exercise, GPS
1 of 8
Weekly Exercise [1]
Weekly Exercise [2]
Walk, Outdoor Bike
Cardio Fitness
Beats Per Minute
Trail (Walk)
Heart Zones (Walk)
Pace (Walk)
Whenever I started any exercise, the GPS lock isn’t instantaneous. And at times, it disconnects mid exercise or fails to get the signal entirely. As a result, a couple of my exercises have been locked incorrectly.
Remember how I complained about SpO2 stats being exclusive to one watch face, well there’s so much more to say about Fitbit Versa 3’s blood oxygen monitoring. First, installing the watch face itself was a tricky journey. Apparently, it’s not available in every region—with Nepal being one of them.
SpO2
1 of 4
SpO2 Signature Clock Face
SpO2 Signature - Installed
IP banned
Oxygen Saturation
So, I tried using a VPN and connected to a UK server. With this, I was able to download the said watch face. Hurray, I thought to myself! But what I hadn’t realized by this time was that by doing this, Fitbit had now blocked my home IP address.
I hurriedly Googled for a fix and clicked on the first link that popped up—only to face Error 1006: Access denied. Silly me, I tried to access the Fitbit community website from an IP address that I just got blocked from. Here on after, I had to turn on the VPN every time I have to sync the Versa 3 with my smartphone. Feels like I committed some sort of cyber-crime, lol. Thankfully, on the fourth day, things went back to normal.
Sleep Monitoring
Besides this, Versa 3 can only record SpO2 levels at night when you’re sleeping. So, unlike say the Galaxy Watch3 which can measure your SpO2 level anytime you’d want, that’s not possible here. However, I think this restriction shines in terms of sleep monitoring. Based on your blood oxygen saturation throughout the night, it can alert you of possible breathing issues too.
Sleep Monitoring
1 of 10
Sleep Score
Weekly Data
Daily Sleep Score
Nightly Oxygen Variation
Total Sleep Stages
Awake
REM Sleep
Light Sleep
Deep Sleep
Skin Temperature
Talking about core sleep monitoring itself, I found that the watch accurately logged my time to bed and the time I got up. Like most other premium smartwatches, Fitbit Versa 3 also scores your sleep from 0-100.
Paywall restriction
Some users (especially ones who are already knee-deep into the Fitbit ecosystem) may disagree with me here but I find the paywall restriction incredibly annoying. Buying a premium piece of hardware only to find its possibilities limited by a subscription service makes me feel like I don’t own the watch—and rather I’m just renting it. You do get 90-days of free trial but then, it costs $9.99 every month (or $79.99 annually) for Fitbit Premium.
Walking Exercise
1 of 4
Heart Rate
Energy Burned
On-day Impact
Past Walks
Granted you can’t put a price on your health and there are some impressive benefits from this service, I feel like the asking price is way too much and I for one am not willing to pay that much. I was so eager to learn about Versa 3’s skin temperature variation reading, only to find out it’s behind the paywall. Nightly data is free for all, but for real-time skin-temperature reading like on the premium Fitbit Sense, you’re gonna have to subscribe to the premium service. Other restrictions to non… paying (?) users include a 30-day SpO2 trend, various guided meditations, etc.
Battery Life
Exact battery size unspecified
Up to 6 days of endurance (claimed)
Finally, let’s get into the battery life. Fitbit doesn’t specify the exact battery capacity but says you’re good for up to 6 days under normal usage. And that pretty much corroborated with my usage. With brightness set to normal, AoD turned off, and occasionally turning on the GPS (about 3 times), I almost managed to net out 6 days of endurance. This usage also consists of 24-hour heart rate monitoring and nightly SpO2 tracking. As you’d imagine, the number drastically falls when continuously turning on location tracking.
For a full-fledged smartwatch, you really can’t complain about Fitbit Versa 3’s battery life. When it comes to juicing up the battery, it also supports fast charging. According to the company, you can get a day’s power with just 12 minutes of charge. I didn’t particularly test this out since I was more interested in its performance under 100% battery. Throughout my charging cycles, I recorded that it takes somewhere between 1 hour 7 minutes – 1 hour 15 minutes to get the battery from nil to full.
Conclusion
Time to wrap it all up. Fitbit Versa 3 fits the tagline of fitness supreme. From its wide selection of health, fitness, and sports tracking to other enticing smartwatch-first features, it delivers a pretty convincing wearable experience—but not without a few problems of its own though. The UI/UX itself is rather slow and the app library in Fitbit OS is pretty limited as well. I was particularly disappointed with its GPS tracking and the dreaded paywall restriction. Other than these, the Versa 3 is a solid smartwatch that offers a stellar battery life too.
![Moto E7 Plus - Display [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Moto-E7-Plus-Display-1.jpg)
![Moto E7 Plus - Display [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Moto-E7-Plus-Display-2.jpg)
![Fitbit Versa 3 - Design [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fitbit-Versa-3-Design-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Clock Faces [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Clock-Faces-2.jpg)
![Fitbit App - Dashboard [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fitbit-App-Dashboard-1.jpg)
![Fitbit App - Dashboard [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fitbit-App-Dashboard-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - App Store [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-App-Store-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - App Store [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-App-Store-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Steps [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Steps-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Steps [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Steps-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Calories [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Calories-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Calories [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Calories-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Floors [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Floors-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Weekly Floors [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Weekly-Floors-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [4]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-4.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [5]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-5.jpg)
![Versa 3 - AZM [6]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-AZM-6.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Hourly Activity [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Hourly-Activity-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Hourly Activity [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Hourly-Activity-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Hourly Activity [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Hourly-Activity-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Mindfulness [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Mindfulness-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Mindfulness [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Mindfulness-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Exercise [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Exercise-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Exercise [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Exercise-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Exercise [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Exercise-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Exercise [4]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Exercise-4.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Exercise [5]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Exercise-5.jpg)
![Versa 3 - GPS [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-GPS-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - GPS [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-GPS-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - GPS [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-GPS-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Clock Faces [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Clock-Faces-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [4]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-4.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [5]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-5.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [6]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-6.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [7]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-7.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Sleep Monitoring [8]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Sleep-Monitoring-8.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Walk Exercise [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Walk-Exercise-1.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Walk Exercise [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Walk-Exercise-2.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Walk Exercise [3]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Walk-Exercise-3.jpg)
![Versa 3 - Walk Exercise [4]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Versa-3-Walk-Exercise-4.jpg)
![Fitbit Versa 3 - Design [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Fitbit-Versa-3-Design-2.jpg)