Realme Watch S is the latest addition to the company’s ecosystem of AIoT products that debuted in Pakistan about a month ago. It is the company’s second smartwatch after the original Realme Watch, which is now available in Nepal. Let’s learn more about the new Realme Watch S including its specs, features, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Realme Watch S Overview
Design and Build
The first-gen Realme Watch looked like an Apple Watch because of its square display. But, the new Realme Watch S looks nothing like it as it features a circular display instead. It is a 1.3-inch display with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. This equates to a pixel density of around 278PPI. Unfortunately, the company is still sticking with an LCD panel instead of AMOLED. But then again, very few smartwatches in this price range offer an AMOLED panel.
The watch now has a photosensitive sensor that automatically adjusts the brightness level. Also, it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, although the exact version hasn’t been specified. But our guess is Gorilla Glass 3 since that’s the most common standard in budget smartwatches. Moreover, the display is housed inside an Aluminium alloy case. There are two physical buttons on the right side of the case. The strap is made up of liquid silicone and it is available in four different colors – Orange, Blue, Green, and Black.
Sensors and Connectivity
Inside the Watch S, Realme has included a 3-axis accelerometer, an optical heart rate sensor, and a wearing monitoring sensor. There is also the photosensitive sensor that I mentioned earlier.
In terms of connectivity, Realme Watch S supports Bluetooth 5.0. One can connect it to any smartphones running Android 5.0 or later using the Realme Link app. Like the Realme Watch, it is not compatible with Apple’s iOS devices.
Moreover, the watch supports real-time heart monitoring too. It can alert users about resting and exercise heart rate. Similarly, it can also calculate your Blood Oxygen (SpO2) level. Watch S supports a total of 16 Sports modes including football, outdoor/indoor cycle, and strength training. Still, there is no swim tracking. Other health features include sleep tracking, meditation, steps counter, idle alert, and activity tracker.
Realme Watch S can remind you of incoming calls, messages, and alarms. Similarly, users can control the music playback in their connected device using the watch. There is also a remote shutter feature to take pictures. Other features include Find My Phone, Weather Forecast, Shake Adjustment, and No Disturb Mode.
Battery and rest of the specs
The 390mAh battery in the Realme Watch S is rated to last 15 days of normal usage. Users can charge the device using the magnetic charging base of the watch. The watch is IP68 rated against damage against dust and water.
Battery Endurance: 15 days (hear rate function enabled)
Charging Type: Magnetic Charging Base
Realme Watch S Price in Nepal and Availability
Realme Watch S is now available in Nepal for the price of NPR 9,999. At this price range, it goes head-to-head against the Mobvoi TicWatch GTX. Currently, you can buy Realme Watch S in Nepal from different Realme authorized retail stores throughout the country.
eSewa has collaborated with Viber to allow users to make instant topup and send money from within the popular messaging platform. In this post, we will talk in detail about the new eSewa Viber services. We will also show you how to link your eSewa account to Viber and use this service to send money or topup your mobile phone.
eSewa and Viber Partnership
Both apps are really popular among Nepalese users. eSewa has been leading the digital payment sector in Nepal since its introduction in 2008. Viber, on the other hand, is a popular platform to connect with friends, families, and even colleagues. The collaboration allows users to make instant eSewa transactions from within the Viber app. As of now, users can use this feature to topup mobile balance and send money to family and friends. With the integration of eSewa transactions in Viber, users won’t have to switch between the two apps for any transaction. Similarly, users will be able to enjoy eSewa services while keeping the conversation alive in Viber.
Linking eSewa Account to Viber
LInking eSewa Account to Viber
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But first, you need to link your eSewa account to Viber. You can do this by following these simple steps:
Head over to the GIF option in the Viber chat window and select eSewa.
Select Register for eSewa Viber service. You will be prompted to share your number. Click on Share number and then on the Link Account option.
It will open the eSewa login window. Input your ID and MPIN correctly and hit Login.
Check the Terms and Conditions box. You will then receive an OTP on your eSewa account registered mobile number. Verify the OTP and click on Confirm.
After you have successfully linked your eSewa account to Viber, you can now enjoy topup and money transfer services from within Viber. You can topup your mobile balance or send money from Viber by following the given steps.
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Head over to the GIF option in the Viber chat window and select eSewa.
If you have successfully linked your eSewa account to Viber, you will be provided with three options – Topup, Send Money, and Unlink. Select the transaction that you want to carry out.
You will be asked to insert the mobile number that you want to topup. In the case of Send Money, you will have to insert the eSewa ID of the recipient.
Insert the amount to be recharged or transferred. In the case of Send Money, you will have to disclose the purpose of the transaction.
Upon clicking on the Proceed option you will be shown the details of the transaction with the total paying amount. Click Proceed after verification.
You will receive an OTP on your number. Insert it into the blank field and click on Confirm.
But wait…
As you can see, upon completion of the transaction, a message will be sent to the conversation that you accessed the eSewa menu from. It’s no problem if you are sending money to the same person. But it becomes troublesome when you have to topup your own phone or send money to someone else. Since this system relies on opening up a conversation to carry on a transaction, a third user gets unnecessarily notified in the aforementioned scenario. Maybe they could’ve integrated this feature in some other section than the chat window.
The last word
This integration of eSewa within the Viber app does help in carrying out eSewa transaction is actually helpful, especially if you use the app extensively for topups and transfers. However, we still think that integration can get better. You only need to have one app installed and that’s about it. You are still using the eSewa app. It’s just that it’s a tone version with limited features. It resides within the messaging platform but doesn’t utilize any of its features. For instance, if I’m using Viber I would the fund transfer to be as easy as selecting the recipient from the contact list and hitting the send button. Instead, I have to open a chat, open an extension, input recipient, and then hit send.
To sum it up, it’s exciting to see eSewa collaborate with a platform as big as Viber. Many will find the new feature useful in its present state. However, if eSewa and Viber still need to work to make the integration seamless. As of now, it feels like Viber has allocated has a small portion of its real state for eSewa to carry out its business. If the two companies improved the current platform to allow one to leverage the capability of the other it could change the game altogether.
This is what we think of the story. You may have a different opinion about this new feature. Let us know what you think of this feature in the comments section below.
Most of us know Xiaomi for its aggressively priced smartphones. However, a major chunk of the company’s profit comes with its IoT products. Last year, it announced the Mi Reader for e-book readers. And now the company has succeeded it with a Pro model. In this post, we will be taking a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Xiaomi Mi Reader Pro in Nepal.
Mi Reader Pro Overview
Design and Display
The Mi Reader Pro features a massive screen with a diagonal length of 7.8-inch. Similarly, it packs a resolution of 1872 x 1404 pixels with a 300ppi pixel density. Instead of regular color panels, it has an e-paper panel developed by E Ink. Such displays are great for e-book readers since they reduce the strain that one may experience from prolonged exposure to normal displays. Users can also adjust the color tone of the display. Likewise, the Mi Reader Pro comes with 24 user-adjustable brightness levels.
Thus e-book reader looks massive because of the thick bezels surrounding the screen. The chin is even thicker as it accommodates a button. Mi Reader Pro weighs around 245 grams and has a thickness of 7mm.
Internal specs
Moving on, this e-reader is powered by an unspecified quad-core CPU. It comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The device ships with a custom UI based on Android 8.1. It is backed by a 3,200mAh battery which supports 10W charging. Xiaomi claims a standby time of up to 70 days on the Mi Reader Pro. Connectivity-wise, it comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0.
Xiaomi has packed some cool features in the new Mi Reader Pro. For instance, the company has integrated its Xiao Ai voice assistant into the device. Thus, the Reader Pro supports voice reading. Also, users can use the smart assistant to locate automatic keyboards and to make searching faster and easier.
Other features include support for Baidu Cloud and WeChat Reading. It supports multiple file formats such as pdf, epub, txt, excel, ppt, and doc. The e-book reader has an EPDC controller for smooth page-turning.
Users can also transfer books from an external device to the Mi Reader Pro if they both connected to the same WLAN network. There are four more ways to transfer e-book that includes transfer via Bluetooth and USB connection to PC.
Mi Reader Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Mi Reader Pro is available for pre-order in China for 1,099 Yuan. It will compete against Amazon Kindle Oasis provided that it launches globally. If it launches here, we can expect the price of the Mi Reader Pro in Nepal to be around NPR 22,000.
E-book Reader
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Mi Reader Pro
1,099 Yuan
NPR 22,000
Check out our long term review of the Asus ZenBook 14 UM425.
Earlier this month, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 888 chipset which will power the Android flagships in 2021. And now, the company has announced another smartphone processor. The new Snapdragon 678 is the latest mid-range chipset from Qualcomm.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 SoC Overview
Architecture
Snapdragon 678 SoC is the successor to the Snapdragon 675 which was launched back in 2018. However, it’s more of a refresh than a successor. For starters, both the chipset are based on the 11nm process technology. They also feature the same Kyro 460 CPU architecture but the one on the SD 678 is clocked higher at 2.2GHz. That is 200MHz faster than that on the Snapdragon 675. Similarly, Qualcomm is promising a performance increase in the GPU as well. However, it didn’t mention how it was achieved since both the SoC have Adreno 612 GPU.
ISP
Other than the higher clock speed, there is hardly anything that distinguishes the SD 678 from its predecessor. It features the same Spectra 205L ISP that supports a single-camera setup of up to 48MP. The inclusion of Qualcomm 3rd gen AI engine allows Bokeh effect, Low-light capture, and laser autofocus. One can also record 4K videos and slow-mo videos.
Connectivity
Here, the 678 comes with a Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem which is a 4G modem. Theoretically, it can attain download and upload speed up to 600Mbps and 150Mbps, respectively. It also supports aggregation and Licensed Assisted Access.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 Specifications:
Process: 11nm
Core Architecture: Octa-core Kryo 460 CPU (up to 2.2GHz)
GPU: Adreno 612
Memory Support: 2 x 16-bit LPDDR4/4x (up to 8GB)
ISP: Spectra 250L
Modem: Snapdragon X12 LTE
Display Support: FHD+, 90Hz
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.1
Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 SoC Availability
We could see some lower midrange smartphones make use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 SoC in 2021. However, Qualcomm has not announced if any smartphone brand is working on it. Given the recent trend of 5G, we expect smartphone manufacturers to incline more towards the Snapdragon 690.
In the meanwhile, watch our review of Asus ZenBook 14 UM425.
Nokia has released quite a few smartphones this year, especially under the budget category. The company has now added another device in the budget C-series. The new Nokia C1 Plus is the company’s cheapest 4G Android smartphone and is now officially available in Nepal for a reasonable price.
Nokia C1 Plus Overview
Design and Display
From the design perspective, there is hardly anything that differentiates the Nokia C1 Plus from other C-series devices. Both the C1 and C2 featured a similar design and the same is the case with the Nokia C1 Plus. It sports a 5.45-inch HD+ screen. The forehead is home to the front camera, earpiece, and LED flash. Unlike the previous two devices in the series, Nokia has included the company logo on the chin.
At the back, we get to see the same pill-shaped camera module. However, this time around, it has been placed further away from the top.
C1 Plus is powered by an unspecified chipset with a maximum clock speed of 1.4GHz. This could be the same Unisoc chipset that was used in the C2 but we can’t confirm it right now. The phone comes with just 1GB of DDR3 RAM. Thus, the company has gone with the Go Edition of Android 10. The on-board storage of 16GB can be expanded using an external microSD card.
Rest of the specs
The pill-shaped module on the back encloses the 5MP camera together with an LED flash. On the front, there is another 5MP camera with a flash. The device is backed by a 2500mAh removable battery. The main selling point of the device is the 4G capability. It also has Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, and an FM receiver.
Nokia C1 Plus Specifications:
Body: 149.1 x 71.2 x 8.75 mm; 146 gm
Display: 5.45-inches in-cell panel; 282PPI
Resolution: HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels); 18:9 aspect ratio
CPU: Quad-core @1.4GHz
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 16GB (expandable using a micro SD card)
Software & UI: Android 10 (Go edition)
Rear Camera: 5MP lens; LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP lens; LED flash
Security: Face-unlock
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Dual-SIM, 4G, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, Micro USB 2.0
Battery: 2500mAh with 5W charging
Nokia C1 Plus Price in Nepal and Availability
The 1GB+16GB storage variant of the Nokia C1 Plus has been launched in Nepal for the price of Rs. 8,399. It will be available in Blue & Red colors variants.
After the Oppo X 2021, the Chinese smartphone maker has showcased another concept phone. This time around it’s a tri-folding phone that the company calls “slide-phone”. Along with the Oppo slide phone, it also unveiled “music-link” which is a bunch of devices centered at a TWS earphone.
Oppo x nendo Design Concepts
The two concept devices were showcased at the 4th China International Design Expo (CIIDE). These two new concepts of smart devices were created in partnership with nendo which is an industrial designing studio based in China.
Oppo Slide Phone
The whole point of the “slide-phone” is to offer a feature-rich smartphone experience with a phone that is more comfortable to hold and use. In an attempt to pack more features smartphone these days are getting bigger than ever. Oppo notes that this has become a growing concern for users.
Oppo Slide Phone
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Folded
Unfolded
The slide phone has three foldable screens that fold over in the same direction. There is a separate hinge for each screen. When it’s completely folded, the Oppo slide phone becomes the size of a credit card. Thanks to the three hinges, users will have the flexibility of changing the form factor as per their convenience. Similarly, the phone can also accommodate a stylus pen which will boost the productivity of the phone.
Oppo Music Link
Music Link includes a smartwatch, AI speaker, portable charger, and a wireless charger that have been designed to work around a TWS. For instance, when the TWS together with its charging case placed on the AI speaker, the music will transit from TWS to the speaker. Similarly, all the devices under the music link will have a symbiotic relationship with each other. Similarly, they are also designed with portability and convenience in mind.
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Music Link
TWS
Smartwatch
Oppo Slide Phone, Music Link Availability
As of now, the Oppo Slide Phone and Music Link are both nothing but a design concept. There is not even a working prototype as of yet. Thus, even if Oppo plans to turn them into real products, don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.
In the meanwhile, check out our review of the Oppo F17 Pro.
The Vivo X60 series has been a subject for discussion for a while ever since it was rumored to be powered by Samsung’s Exynos 1080 SoC. However, an official poster of the X60 series has revealed that the smartphone company is also partnering with Zeiss for the cameras. In this post, we will take a look at all the rumors, leaks, specifications, and official launch date of the Vivo X60 series.
Vivo X60 Series Rumor Roundup
Like the Vivo X50 series, the X60 series will feature three devices – X60, X60 Pro, and X60 Pro Plus. The poster released by Vivo’s official Weibo account reveals a design similar to its predecessor. The devices on the poster look to have an AG Matte glass panel at the back.
Cameras
The left-aligned camera module is also similar to what we saw in the X50 series. Now, the X60 series will feature an ultra-stable micro-head camera sensor. Two additional camera sensors are just below it. The Pro and the Pro Plus model will have a periscope telephoto sensor which the vanilla model will miss out on.
In addition to the Zeiss lenses, the X60 series will also make use of micro-panel technology. This new technology is said to improve the night-time performance of the camera. The X50 series made headlines because of the gimbal-like camera feature, while the X60 series will improve the existing 5-axis stabilization system.
Partnership with Zeiss
The camera setup on the X60 series has been developed in collaboration with Zeiss. It is a German company that specializes in optical systems. It has been developing a camera system and even software for Nokia smartphones for a while. The first Nokia phone to come with a Zeiss camera system was the Nokia N90. There was a short break in between but Zeiss is still working with HMD Global. The company has also worked with Sony for the triple camera setup on the Xperia 1 II. Vivo will disclose more about the Zeiss partnership on 17th December.
Rest of the specs
The series will mark the debut of Samsung’s Exynos 1080 chipset. It is the latest premium mid-range chipset from Samsung. According to Digital Chat Station, the Pro Plus model will feature the more premium Snapdragon 888 SoC. He also claimed that the vanilla Vivo X60 will be the new thinnest 5G smartphone in the world. Right now, this title goes to Apple’s iPhone 12 mini.
Similarly, the Pro Plus model will feature a curved AMOLED panel while the other two will have flat displays. The circular punch-hole cutout is positioned in the middle of the screen. At the very least, the Vivo X60 Pro is set to support a 120Hz refresh rate. It is most likely to be a panel from Samsung. All three devices will ship with Vivo’s latest OriginOS. The X60 series will come with a 4,300mAh battery and 33W fast charging support.
Vivo X60 Series Official Launch Date
Vivo will launch the X60 series in China on 29th December. As with the X50 series, it will take some time for the X60 series to launch globally.
The 15.6-inch gaming laptop segment is ultra-competitive. It includes the likes of MSI GE66, Acer Predator Series, and the Dell Alienware series. So, where does the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 2020 lie among all these competitors? Well, we will find out just that in our review of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15.
Strix Scar 15 G532 is the update to last year’s G531, and there are expected upgrades in terms of the CPU, GPU, and aesthetics. Our review unit is the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532LV. It is the base configuration that comes with Intel’s Core i7-10875H CPU, RTX 2060 graphics, and a 240Hz 1080p screen and costs NPR 244,000.
If you want more power and can afford to fork up a significant amount, you can even get one with a 10th-gen i9 processor, RTX 2070 Super graphics, and a 300Hz refresh rate screen. However, this variant is not available in Nepal at the time of the writing. Hopefully, it will be in the future. So, with all that out of the way, let’s start our review of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 G532.
Design & Build
Premium build quality with a matte finish
Mesmerizing lightbar mechanism
This is a bulky laptop. The extended rear panel to accommodate exhaust vents, and another extension on the bottom panel for the LED bar makes this laptop look large. Furthermore, weighing around 2.5 kg, Scar 15 is much heavier than its competitors. So, if you plan on carrying this laptop around every day, then be prepared to do some heavy lifting.
RGB lighting has become a major part of gaming laptops. We had seen how the Aurora lightbar in the MSI GE66 raider added an extra element in its aesthetics. A similar lightbar exists on the Scar 15 too. However, the LED bar on this one stretches throughout the bottom panel. Its light syncs with that of the keyboard and can be controlled from the Armoury Crate. In my opinion, the bottom panel is just the perfect area to place such a lightbar. The lighting is not thrown directly into your eyes, yet the illumination it provides to your work desk is mesmerizing.
Lightbar
The lightbar may seem too extravagant for offices. However, worry not as you have the option to completely switch them off. Take the lighting away, and what you get is a very premium looking and powerful laptop with a matte finish. A straight line runs almost diagonally across the lid which has an RGB ROG logo towards the side. The matte finish does look good, but it attracts fingerprint smudges, so be prepared for that.
On the inside, just above the keyboard deck, you’ll find the LED status lights. And they are visible with the lids closed, which I’ve always found to be quite a nifty addition. On the right side of the keyboard, you’ll find some ribbed lines, which honestly I did see the need for. A Republic of Gamers (ROG) design is printed on top of those lines and it extends into the keyboard deck too.
The palm rest has a slightly rubbery feel to it and overall, inside out, this laptop reeks class. Everything is solidly built, it has a strong base and even the hinges feel sturdy. However, the screen does have a bit of flex, but it is not something that will bother you.
Ports and Networking
A healthy selection of ports
Unique Keystone II fob
Barring a Thunderbolt 3 port, the ROG Strix Scar has an extensive selection of I/O. The ports go all the way from the left to right. On the left, there are 3 x USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. And on the right, you’ll find the AC adapter, RJ-45, HDMI 2.0, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with DisplayPort support. Finally, on the right, there’s the Keystone II port as well. More on that later.
Ports
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Left
Rear
For communications, it has the Intel 802.11ax with WiFi 6 and Rangeboost technology, and Bluetooth 5.0. They do not give any reason for complaints as I found no connectivity issues.
Keyboard, Touchpad, and Accessories
RGB backlit keyboard (customizable)
Glass trackpad with NumberPad
The appropriately sized and well-spaced keys on the chiclet-style keyboard is pretty good. They have got a nice spring to them and offer medium travel. Typing on the keyboard feels great and you’ll get used to it in no time.
Some of the keys such as the home, PgUp/PgDown button are slightly separated from the main deck, and it is a design that I prefer. Furthermore, dedicated keys for volume control, fan control, and armoury crate are also a bit separated from the main deck, but they are positioned towards the upper part.
Two keys for fan control – a dedicated one and one integrated into the F5 key was something that surprised me. I really don’t know what went through the creator’s mind while placing those. But hey, what can you do, right?
As mentioned before, the keys have RGB lighting to them. You can switch between the various effects using the FN key coupled with either the left or the right arrow key. Or you can make changes from the armoury crate, wherein you can create your own aura effects too.
Touchpad with NumPad integration
The touchpad is decently sized and well responsive. Furthermore, it acts as a Numpad too. You just have to press on the NumLK tag on the upper right corner of the touchpad for an instance and bam you get a digital touchpad.
However, it lacks any sort of haptic feedback. And that proved to be troublesome for me. Oftentimes when I was engrossed in tasks, I inadvertently activated the Numpad. This results in disabling the touchpad’s mouse functionality. That was quite frustrating. So, digital Numpad is a cool feature to have, but one that I am not a fan of when implemented sans perfection.
Thankfully, you do get a mouse with this laptop. So, maybe you can keep the Numpad activated all the time and make use of the mouse instead.
Other than that, there’s the Keystone II. It is a shareable NFC-enabled fob on which you can bind your settings such as lighting effects, quick-launch apps, shadow drive, and other customized settings. Once again, a nifty feature to have, but won’t come in handy because not many ROG laptops have the keystone port. So, it might not be much of use unless your friends too have a ROG laptop with keystone support. And lastly, you get a rubber carabiner keystone holder on which you can carry it around.
Audio
2x 4.2W speakers
Getting to audio, there are two 4.2W speakers placed sideways towards the front of the laptop. They are a decent pair of speakers. Even when the fans are blasting at full speed, you will be able to hear them clearly.
The sound is crisp and does not deteriorate at higher volumes, but it does lack bass. While gaming too, I found the speakers to be good enough. Overall, they are good for media consumption and gaming but for an immersive experience, you’d want to get your hands on a good pair of headphones.
Display
15.6-inch FHD IPS display
Up to 300Hz refresh rate
100% sRGB color coverage
The ROG Strix Scar 15 has a gorgeous 15.6-inch 1080p display. The screen is surrounded by thin bezels on the side and the top. However, the chin is considerably thick. The thin top bezel has led to the omission of a webcam on this laptop.
Anyway, the panel covers 100% of the sRGB color gamut, so color reproductions are fairly accurate. The colors felt vivid and punchy while playing games. Gaming is certainly enjoyable on this laptop as you will be able to immerse yourself in the detailed world of any game that you play. You should definitely try playing games in ultra settings to take in all the details of the virtual world, though you might have to trade off a fair bit of fps while doing so.
Furthermore, the 240Hz refresh rate is an added bonus for gamers. And one that’s essential as well. 240Hz should be fine for most gamers as the panel seems perfectly capable enough to keep up with my rapid movements while I played at higher fps. So, unless you are in ultra-competitive esports, the 300Hz, panel variant might be an overkill. This, 240Hz one, is more than sufficient for most gamers.
Media consumption
Moreover, since Scar 15’s display is good enough for gaming, you don’t have to worry about media consumption at all. Netflix or Amazon Prime contents all look great. One minor complaint that I have though is regarding the brightness. It is not the brightest of the screens out there. So, most often I ended up using the laptop at full brightness which led to lower battery life. Maybe Asus will consider improving the brightness next time around.
Performance and Upgradability
Up to Intel 10th-gen Core i9 CPU
With RTX 2060 graphics or higher
16GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB NVMe SSD
Let’s jump into the performance now. You get what you pay for on the ROG Strix Scar 15. The setup that I have has the Intel i7-10875H processor, RTX 2060 graphics, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and 1TB NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD. And they deliver the goods.
Normal tasks such as web browsing, MS Office, and video playback are handled perfectly by this laptop. Not once did I feel that the laptop slowed down or was struggling to perform these sorts of tasks. Furthermore, on this setup, you can do some content creations too.
Now, as it is a gaming laptop, the review would be incomplete without talking about this laptop’s gaming capabilities. You will be able to run most of the triple-A titles on the ROG Strix Scar 15 without any hiccups.
As you can tell, my setup does not have the most powerful mobile GPU available in the market. If you want a better one, you should opt for the RTX 2070 Super variant. With RTX 2060, I felt that for most triple-A titles, the medium setting is perfect. I got great fps on Battlefield V with DXR off in Ultra settings, so no problem there. However, there was a lot of stuttering when I played Witcher 3 in the highest settings.
ROG Strix Scar 15: FPS stat in various games
Ultra
High
Medium
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
67
83
91
Battlefield 5 (DXR off)
92
108
120
Battlefield 5 (DXR on)
63
70
82
Valorant
172
184
204
Far Cry 5
103
113
121
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider
93
106
112
CS: GO
160
165
172
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
60 (in all settings)
Other games such as Far Cry 5 and Shadow Of The Tomb Raider worked out perfectly in all the video presets. Playing first-person shooter on this laptop is also great as you can see the fps count on Valorant and CS: GO are pretty high. So, the gaming capabilities of the ROG Strix Scar 15 is unquestionable. Yes, things don’t run well on the highest settings on all the titles, but medium to low will run smoothly.
You can upgrade this laptop yourself pretty easily. The bottom panel won’t require much of an effort to open. However, be sure that you don’t damage the two connectors connected to the motherboard to power the light bar.
Once you get it open, it’s easy sailing from thereon. There are 2 RAM slots that support up to 32GB DDR4 RAM and two additional M.2 SSD slots. Furthermore, they can also be configured to run at RAID 0.
Thermals
To manage heat, there’s an air-exhaust vent on the right-side and two others at the back. Furthermore, there are air intake vents on the bottom. However, they are pretty small. Thus, once you go for long hours of gaming sessions, the internals is bound to get heated quite a bit.
As I mentioned earlier, I played most of the games in Turbo mode. That means that the fans were blasting at full speed which is 5000 rpm. So, while doing that, the palm rests and the WASD keys started to get heated after about 2 hours and 40 minutes of gaming. But that didn’t make it difficult to use the laptop though. The middle part of the keyboards do get heated but that too after a very long gaming session. Only the sides and the part above the keyboard will feel warm after an hour or so. Thus, I feel that thermals are managed in a great way in this laptop.
Battery
66 Whr battery
Here, the ROG Strix Scar 15 has a 66 Whr battery inside. On a full charge with brightness at 100%, performance mode, I was using the laptop to watch Netflix and to browse through various webpages time and again. And while doing that I got around 2 hours and 40 mins of battery life. This is a decent battery backup, especially considering the fact that I had set the brightness at 100%. You might be able to squeeze in around 4 hours with the brightness set at a lower percentage.
Verdict
So, we’ve come towards the end of our review of the Asus ROG Strix Scar 15. Despite being the base variant, I found that this laptop is quite powerful. It can run your everyday task like a breeze and playing triple-A titles on this one is quite enjoyable due to the fast screen and obviously due to the chipsets inside. Moreover, despite being somewhat of an extravagance, I like the lightbar surrounding the bottom panel of the ROG Strix Scar 15 and the overall build quality feels sturdy and premium.
The drawback here is the somewhat dim-lit panel that forces you to work at 100% brightness most of the time, and that ultimately takes a toll on the battery life. Furthermore, I could have probably done with a Thunderbolt 3 port as well. Also, weight is an issue. Having said that, I have come to terms with the fact that powerful gaming laptops are not going to get thin any time soon. So, the 2.5-kilo weight is manageable for me.
Other than these minor issues, I really did not find any room for complaints. You can get a more powerful variant of the ROG Strix Scar 15 if you don’t want to compromise on fps even in the highest settings. However, for most gamers, this setup is more than enough for any task.
Watch our video review of Asus ROG Strix Scar 15 (G532).
A teaser on Flipkart that was shared earlier this month had garnered a lot of attention. And why wouldn’t it, after all, the teaser hinted at a launch of an Ultrabook from Nokia. That’s right, Nokia is foraying into the laptop market now. Well, yesterday, we found out what all the hype was about. Nokia has finally entered the laptop segment with the launch of the PureBook X14. From what it seems, portability is the biggest asset of this device as other specs are fairly standard ones. Let’s find out more about the Nokia PureBook X14 including its expected price in Nepal.
Nokia PureBook X14 Overview:
The laptop has a magnesium-aluminum alloy body and weighs around 1.1 kg. Furthermore, it is just 16.8mm thick. That makes the Nokia PureBook X14 a very travel-friendly laptop in the 14-inch segment.
Inside, you’ll find a 14-inch IPS LCD screen with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution. The side and the upper bezels are thin. However, the bottom one is pretty thick. The keyboard has an adjustable backlight and 1.4mm key travel.
Under the hood, PureBook X14 runs on Intel Core i5-10210U. This is a quad-core CPU with a max boost clock of up to 4.2GHz. 8GB DDR4 @2666MHz RAM and 512GB NVMe SSD complement the processor. Gaming is not its forte as it comes with just the Intel UHD 620 graphics.
Ports include 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ45, 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack. Its 3-cell battery is rated at 46.7 Whr. Moreover, Nokia claims that it will last up to 8 hours on a single charge.
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2666MHz RAM (upgradeable up to 16GB)
Storage: 512GB NVMe SSD
OS: Windows 10 Home Plus
Ports: 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x RJ45, 1 x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x Power-in
Connectivity: WiFi ac, Bluetooth 5.1
Battery: 3-cell 46.7 Whr (65W AC adapter)
Nokia PureBook X14 Price in Nepal & Availability
For now, the Nokia PureBook X14 is a Flipkart exclusive laptop and is priced at INR 59,990. However, it will be available for pre-order only from December 18. There is very little chance but, if the Nokia PureBook X14 makes its way into Nepal, we expect its price to be around NPR 100,000.
Ultrabook Model
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Nokia PureBook X14 (8GB RAM)
NPR 100,000
In the meanwhile, watch our review of Asus ZenBook 14 UM425.
Nokia added the 3.4 to its lineup of budget smartphones back in September. It does look like a decent upgrade over its predecessor – the Nokia 3.2. Yet, the bigger, and the more important question is whether the new Nokia 3.4 is competent enough against the grueling competition from companies like Xiaomi, Realme, POCO, and such. So, let’s find out all about the Nokia 3.4 in this review.
Nokia 3.4 Specifications:
Body: 6.34 x 2.99 x 0.34 inches, 180 gm
Display: 6.39-inches IPS LCD panel, 269PPI
Resolution: HD+ (1560 x 720 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (11nm Mobile Platform)
Battery: 4000mAh with 10W charging (5W adapter in the box)
Colors: Fjord, Dusk, Charcoal
Price in Nepal: Rs. 18,699 (3/64GB)
Available at Nokia authorized retail stores
Nokia 3.4 Review:
Design & Build
Polycarbonate build material
Textured finish at the back
Starting with the design, as expected, Nokia has gone with a polycarbonate material on the 3.4. The back of the phone has this 3D nano-textured finish which makes for an easy grip. It doesn’t attract fingerprints or smudges that easily which is a relief. Even though the device offers a nice tactile feel, throughout the review period, I did find it a bit odd how the Nokia 3.4 almost comes off sticky. Like, the phone seems as if it is loosely glued to my hands. So, while it seemed unnecessary at first, I ended up slapping in the clear case anyway.
Enticing color options
Still, the phone is extremely well built and I didn’t notice any creaks or other manufacturing defects. This “Dusk” color variant that I have with me looks quite beautiful, although you can go for either Fjord or Charcoal options as well. Nokia 3.4’s button placement should feel immensely familiar if you’ve used any recent Nokia devices.
Port, Button
1 of 2
Volume, Power Button
USB-C, Speaker
Here, you get the power and the volume rockers on the right frame, whereas the left contains the 3-card SIM tray and the dedicated Google Assistant button. To my disappointment, the GA button is still not customizable through the system settings itself, although you can use other third-party apps to do so.
In some regions, Nokia ships the single SIM variant of the phone—so be sure to check it out if you’re planning on getting one. Likewise, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack and a primary microphone at the top, and a USB Type-C port, speaker grille, and a secondary microphone at the bottom frame of the device. If you recall, the Nokia 3.2 came with a micro USB connection. So, it is nice that the company finally shifted to the Type-C standard.
Display
6.39-inches HD+ IPS LCD panel
No Gorilla Glass protection
Coming to the display, Nokia has finally joined the cool kids on the block, and gone with the trendier punch-hole cutout instead of a notch. The phone has a 6.39-inches IPS LCD panel with an HD+ resolution. While the company could’ve gotten a pass in the past for the inferior pixel count, seeing how other manufacturers have leveled up by giving FHD display in this price range, Nokia is going to take some heat. As it should.
Nokia 3.4 doesn’t come with any kind of Gorilla Glass protection, so putting on a quality tempered glass is highly advised. Still, throughout my usage, my unit of the phone doesn’t seem to have suffered from any scratches of sorts. Anyway, for what it’s worth, the display is fairly vibrant and the color tone of the panel is acceptable as well. Even for an HD screen, things look sharp enough, so you definitely won’t have any problem reading texts on this display.
However, my unit of the Nokia 3.4 seems to have slight backlight bleeding on the bottom of the display. I didn’t notice it under well-lit conditions, but when moving to a rather dim environment, this was vividly noticeable. Besides this, there is no such issue on other edges of the display. And yeah, the punch-hole cutout does add to the modernity, but the unfathomable chin with the Nokia branding just… washes away the lavishness.
Performance
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 SoC (11nm)
3/4GB RAM and up to 64GB eMMC 5.1 storage (expandable)
Stock Android 10 (a part of Android One program)
Getting down to performance, powering the Nokia 3.4 is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 460 chipset. This 11nm silicon is not at all capable to compete against what the aforementioned competitors boast in their devices at this price point. Paired with either 3 or 4GB of RAM and up to 64GB of internal storage, I encountered frequent lags on the phone—especially when multitasking. To note, my review unit of the Nokia 3.4 comes with a 3/64GB memory configuration.
I’m getting this feeling of déjà vu when talking about the performance of this phone because if you’ve watched any Nokia review we’ve done lately, we’ve complained similarly. The thing is, although Nokia still has a big following after years of hiatus in the market, HMD Global can’t and shouldn’t hope to continue selling phones solely based off of the imbued nostalgia. With such a cut-throat market competition, this scheme simply isn’t going to last very long.
But I digress. Running lightweight apps is perfectly fine on the phone. Yet, when throwing a few games into the mix, the performance takes a big hit. Out of 3GB of available RAM, you only get about 1.2GB to work with which is simply not enough for our evolved smartphone use case. Maybe if Nokia 3.4 ran on the less-demanding “Go” edition of Android things would’ve been somewhat better. Moreover, while I’m all for the stock Android experience, it feels like Nokia puts absolutely zero effort to complement its hardware with optimized software.
Security update bricked the phone
That sentiment is further resonated with how the October security patch completely bricked my device. Don’t know what happened here but right after installing the said update, the phone failed to boot up and went into recovery mode instead. With no other option in hand, I had to factory reset it—wiping off all data, files in the process. And the very next day, I was playing a couple of games of PUBG Mobile when suddenly, the Nokia 3.4 just froze all of a sudden, only to boot into the recovery mode—thus forcing me to factory reset the phone once more.
I searched the web to see if anyone else is facing the same issue but couldn’t find anything. So, while the phone is already so late on updates (which is uncharacteristic of Nokia, to begin with), this unstable update thing is yet just another way the company is axing its own foot. Since the phone is a part of the Android One program as well (meaning guaranteed 2 years of OS update and 3 years of monthly security updates), I seriously hope this blunder is strictly avoided in forthcoming updates.
Gaming
Okay, let’s talk gaming now. As you’d imagine, non-demanding titles like Clash Royale, Injustice 2, and such worked perfectly fine on the phone. On the other hand, Call of Duty Mobile can be pushed to very high graphics and high frame rate on Nokia 3.4. However, under these settings, you will face slight stutters every now and then. While not entirely unplayable, you will want to turn down the settings to medium graphics and high frame rate for smoother gameplay. Furthermore, PUBG Mobile plays best under medium frame rate and smooth graphics—although you can bump the frame rate to high as well.
Camera
Triple cameras at the back
(13MP primary, 5MP ultra-wide-angle, 2MP depth)
8MP selfie camera inside the teardrop notch
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
Let’s talk about the cameras now. While last year’s Nokia 3.2 came with a single rear camera, the company has added two more lenses this time around. Enclosed inside a circular module that slightly rises above the back panel, the camera placement looks quite nice. Talking about the lenses themselves, you get a 13MP primary camera alongside a 2MP depth sensor and a 5MP ultra-wide lens. To review the cameras of the Nokia 3.4, we compared them against the ones from POCO M2.
Normal Images
Starting with the normal daytime images, as you can see from these samples, the images from M2 have better details and dynamic range, whereas the ones from Nokia 3.4 looks grittier.
Normal
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Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
The color tone of the images varies wildly though. While the photos from Nokia looks slightly pale and yellowish, the M2 leans on the orangish/reddish side of things.
Wideangle Images
On to the wide-angle shots, images from Nokia 3.4 tend to look dark compared to the M2. Reds are also slightly undersaturated here.
Wideangle
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Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
And just like normal images, the POCO M2 produces comparatively punchier photos. However, you can see how the sky looks blue and natural on Nokia 3.4 on contrary to the POCO M2.
Portrait Images
Edge detection on portrait images is quite similar on both phones.
Portrait
1 of 4
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
But, subjects look a-bit dark on the Nokia 3.4, while the ones on POCO M2 turn out overly reddish. It’s a matter of personal preference but in this instance, I’d go for the Nokia 3.4.
Selfie Images
Selfie
1 of 4
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Getting to selfie images, subjects look very soft and smooth on the 3.4, while you’ll enjoy much more details and better exposure on the M2.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 4
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Nokia 3.4
POCO M2
Portrait selfies share a similar story too and images from POCO M2 even have slightly better edge detection.
Nighttime Images
Nighttime images on Nokia 3.4 are nothing to write home about. Photos look soft, hazy, and lacking in any sort of detail.
Nighttime
1 of 8
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
Nighttime
Night Mode
It does have a dedicated night mode as well, which is not a complete gimmick like on the Nokia 2.4. It does boost the luminance by a bit but does nothing in terms of details and sharpness.
Videos
When it comes to videos, you are locked in at 1080p/30fps on the Nokia 3.4—on both front and back camera. In this setting, as you’d expect, there is no stabilization of any sort.
Battery & Others
4000mAh battery with 10W charging (USB-C)
Only a 5W power adapter provided inside the box
Nokia 3.4 gets its juice from a decent 4000mAh battery. But given its unadulterated OS heritage, this should give a fairly amount of endurance on everyday usage. And that it did. I consistently got about 6-7 hours of screen-on-time with the phone. This stat comes from a fairly heavy usage consisting of switching between social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, playing heavy games like COD, PUBG, and binging YouTube contents—all at around 60% brightness. So, the Nokia 3.4 will easily last through your day, with some charge to spare.
Charging the phone, on the other hand, was a pain. To get from 0 to 100%, during the review, I recorded that Nokia 3.4 took a ridiculous amount of time: 3 hours and 52 minutes and 53 seconds to be precise. That’s abnormally outrageous seeing how the battery size isn’t that large, to begin with. And 10W of power shouldn’t take that long. Turns out, you’re only getting a 5W power adapter inside the box. What?! That is like the lowest of the lows. How could Nokia purportedly advertise 10W charging on a phone and only ship a 5W brick?
Speaker
Moving on, the single bottom-firing speaker on the Nokia 3.4 doesn’t spark much joy either. The audio is tinny, and heavily lacking in detail. Plus, it can’t get sufficiently loud too. You also get an earphone inside the box but that just adds to the pile of disappointment with this phone. It sounds shallow and just like the speaker, doesn’t offer any detail either.
Fingerprint Sensor
Let me talk about the fingerprint sensor now. Like every other budget phones, this one’s particularly not that fast and readily takes at least a second to unlock the device. On the plus side, you can summon the notification panel by swiping up/down the scanner. Similarly, Nokia 3.4 also supports face-unlock, which is just as slow too.
Conclusion
Overall, the Nokia 3.4 has failed to impress at any level significant. I’ll admit, the design might be enticing to many, including me. But, from its underwhelming performance to average cameras, there’s nothing really exciting about the phone. And with the security update I mentioned earlier, Nokia killed off the one thing I would’ve loved to love about it—the software experience.
The left-aligned camera module is also similar to what we saw in the X50 series. Now, the X60 series will feature an ultra-stable micro-head camera sensor. Two additional camera sensors are just below it. The Pro and the Pro Plus model will have a periscope telephoto sensor which the vanilla model will miss out on.
![Nokia 3.4 - Display [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Nokia-3.4-Display-1.jpg)
