When it comes to drones, DJI is as good as it can get. This China-based company ranks among the world the top of the world when it comes to aerial photography system. DJI makes drones for general consumers, professionals, and even enterprises. A recent leak suggests that the company is steeping its foot on drone racing with its upcoming drone. In this post, we will take a look at all the rumors and leaks about the upcoming DJI FPV drone.
DJI FPV Drone Rumor Roundup
Initial rumors
Talks of DJI launching a First Person View (FPV) racing drone is not new with initial rumors dating back to last year. The company did release an FPV kit last year too. However, there was no progress in the story until August, when a blurred picture of the alleged racing drone surfaced on the internet. And now, a Twitter handle by the name of OstilaLV has leaked the real-life image of the device along with its features.
Leaked design and packaging
The picture shows the packaging of the racing drone with “DJI FPV Combo” written over it. The combo includes the FPV Drone, its controller, and FPV Goggles.
The drone looks different than anything from DJI, ever. It has a two-tone design with red patches on two of the four motors. The picture of the googles on the box shows four antennas placed at different angles. Likewise, the controller features two joysticks and two trigger buttons. Between the two triggers, there is an antenna that allows it to communicate with the drone.
According to the leak, the FPV drone will support up to three flight modes. It will be able to attain a maximum speed of up to 150kph. There will be an FPV camera built-in the drone. The user will be able to control the tilt angle using a remote. It will also be equipped with a GPS system for Return to Home (RTH) function. This feature in drones allows them to return to its home location safely if the users lose sight of their device. Talking about the video capability, the DJI FPV will be able to record up to 4K 60fps videos. The drone will have 5-inch props and a 6S battery.
DJI FPV Drone Expected Launch Date
According to the source, the evaluation model of the DJI FPV Drone has been sent to select resellers. OstiaLV suggests that we might see the drone as early as next month.
With the introduction of AMD’s Ryzen “Renoir” CPU, thin-and-light notebooks no longer need to sacrifice relative performance to achieve maximum portability. Today, I might just have the best value notebook you can buy right now. I’ve been carrying around the Asus ZenBook 14 2020 (UM425IA) with Ryzen 4500U as my primary laptop for almost 2 months now. So just how good is the Asus ZenBook 14 2020, let’s discover in this review.
Asus ZenBook 14 UM425 Specifications:
Design & Build: All-metal body with spun-metal cover, 12.56W x 8.27D x 0.56H-inches, 1.22 kg (2.69 lbs) / 1.13 kg (2.49 lbs), MIL-STD-810G compliant
Its Ryzen 4000 series CPU convinced me even further to basically ditch the idea of getting the Dell XPS 13 or MacBook Air for now—both of which cost almost double as the ZenBook 14 here in Nepal. My unit is equipped with the hexa-core Ryzen 4500U CPU, integrated Radeon graphics, 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM, 512GB of NVMe PCIe SSD, and a 250-nits display. All this for around NPR 110K (~$930) is a pretty sweet deal in this part of the world.
But in the US, you can get the one with a dedicated NVIDIA MX350 GPU at around $650. Also, I was really shocked to see this laptop listed for INR 86K in India which roughly converts to a whopping $1160.
Design and Build Quality
Thin, lightweight, and premium build quality
ErgoLift hinge for better typing, airflow
No 3.5mm headphone jack, ethernet port
Anyway, after having used the device for 2 months, what I can tell you without a doubt is that the ZenBook 14 is the best value notebook currently available in the market. With its surprisingly premium build quality, what Asus has managed to achieve with the device is quite remarkable. Unlike the Acer Swift 3 2020 (Intel) that we reviewed a while back, the ZenBook 14 looks and feels a heck of a lot more compelling.
It has an all-metal build and weighs just 1.22 kilograms (or 2.7 pounds). So, carrying it on my backpack is a great relief for my back—and is appreciable to anyone who is constantly on the run. The lid has the classic spun-metal finish, with an off-center Asus branding. And yeah, you can open it up with just one hand too. I didn’t notice any flex on the lid but unfortunately, it does pick up fingerprints and smudges rather easily.
Pretty durable
It can’t tilt to a flat 180º degree, but that’s fine by me. Asus ships the ZenBook 14 in Pine Grey color in most of the markets, but a Lilac Mist option is also available in some. Additionally, it is also MIL-STD-810G certified, thus ensuring durability in the long-run.
Like we’ve seen in other ZenBook laptops in the past, this one comes with an ErgoLift hinge design as well. By inclining the base of the device by 3º, it allows for a better typing experience, and a more efficient cooling mechanism by providing the air vents at the bottom more room to breathe. Similarly, the four rubber feet provide a fairly solid grip and don’t let the laptop slide off that easily. The two speaker grills can be found at either corner and because of the way they’re positioned, the ZenBook 14’s speakers don’t get blocked or muffled when laid on a flat surface or a lap.
A questionable port selection
Getting to the ports, Asus has boldly ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack on this laptop—and there’s no ethernet connection either. Now, the former may be a big bummer to creative professionals or even casual users. But as a consolation, the company ships USB-C adapters for both inside the box. Regardless, you’ll find a standard HDMI 2.0 and 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports on the left. While the Intel variant (UX425) of the ZenBook 14 also supports Thunderbolt 3, this one doesn’t.
Ports
1 of 2
1x USB-A, 1x Micro SD card reader
1x HDMI, 2x USB-C
You can charge the laptop using either of the USB-C connection. Furthermore, it also supports PD (Power Delivery) certified Type-C chargers on top of the AC adapter, for 65W fast charging. On the right, there’s a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A and a Micro SD card reader. The USB-A port feels like a blessing considering how manufacturers are going all out with just the USB-C port in thin-and-light machines these days. Still, I find it weird that Asus went for a Micro SD card slot instead of a regular one. That would’ve been my ideal choice.
All in all, the ZenBook 14 is an incredibly well-built notebook which raises the bar for how good a budget laptop should be. It is sturdy, thin, lightweight—and therefore gets a top point for portability. The omission of the headphone jack is a weird decision though.
Display
14″ Anti-glare FHD IPS LCD panel (LED-backlit)
250 / 400 nits of brightness, 100% sRGB color gamut
Coming to the display, the ZenBook 14 has a 14” anti-glare FHD IPS panel. Thanks to the 4-sided NanoEdge display’s slim bezels, Asus has managed to pack in a 14-inch screen on such a small footprint, making this laptop one of the world’s thinnest device of its kind. As a result, the ZenBook 14 achieves an impressive 90% screen-to-body ratio. Likewise, there are two configurations of the display—one with 250 nits of brightness, and the other with 400 nits.
The one I have with me has a 250 nits screen, but I highly recommend you get the 400 nits option if available. The thing is, besides higher brightness itself, this config also uses a power-efficient 1W display, contrary to the 2.5W display on the 250 nits one. Other than this, both options have the same 100% sRGB color gamut.
Talking about brightness, I’m someone who mostly uses the laptop indoors so 250 nits fared just fine for me. But when taking it outdoors on a bright sunny day, visibility does take a big hit. The viewing angles are quite good and its anti-reflective properties make it easier to use in a well-lit room—distraction-free. I did notice a dismissible level of backlight bleed on the bottom right corner of the display, but that’s visible only when viewing an entirely pitch-black content.
What about color accuracy?
Now, the color accuracy portion of this Asus ZenBook 14 review is where it gets interesting. In its factory setting, the color levels were absolutely horrendous. Everything looked abnormal, and with a high-contrast pastel effect to them. Human subjects especially came off way too smooth and almost cartoonish. But, I’m happy to say that after a bunch of driver updates, and playing around with the default color calibration settings for some time, the color quality of the panel now looks pretty good.
Still, I would hesitate to recommend this laptop for professional photo editing purposes, although the silicon itself is pretty competent. Having said that, it is more than fine for regular usages like content consumption, web browsing, or even light editing tasks. It is sharp enough for you to notice any sort of pixelation and the colors are adequately punchy as well. In addition, you can also choose from different color presets, or adjust the color temperature using the MyASUS app. The “Eye Care” feature is especially useful as according to the company, it reduces blue light emission by up to 30% for a stress-free viewing experience.
Automatic brightness adjustment
By default, ZenBook 14 has automatic brightness is turned on. This was particularly annoying to me as I’m someone who has to frequently switch between a bright (MS Office) and a dark screen (Chrome). And as you can imagine, having the display swing about the brightness that often is incredibly distracting. It had been a while since I last used an all-AMD laptop and couldn’t figure out the way to turn it off. Thankfully, after a bit of looking it up, I found that this setting is called “Vari-Bright” inside the AMD Radeon Software and duly disabled it.
Keyboard and Trackpad
Backlit chiclet-style keyboard (single color)
Glass trackpad with NumberPad 2.0
Moving on, ZenBook 14 has an edge-to-edge keyboard. The chiclet-style keys are well spaced and as far as I can tell, don’t rattle either—except for the Backspace key, which rattles worse than the spacebar. Weird. With a 1.4mm key travel, they aren’t that noisy or mushy. Therefore, I had an enjoyable typing experience on this machine. The arrow keys are well positioned too. The keyboard deck does flex a bit, but only with an abnormal amount of pressure, so that’s nothing to worry about.
I’m someone who tends to use Function keys a lot for renaming files, jumping to the address bar, or opening an app in full-screen. So, having to press the function keys alongside the Fn key isn’t something I’d want. Luckily, you can toggle between function and hotkey priority mode from the MyASUS app, or through the Fn + Escape shortcut. Similarly, there are a bunch of useful features that you can toggle from the function keys like dialing the brightness up/down, disabling touchpad, etc. The one I found particularly useful was the camera control since I can easily turn it on/off with the shortcut.
Backlit keyboard
Given that the webcam doesn’t have a privacy shutter, this is an intuitive alternative. Anyway, the keyboard is backlit, and you can choose from 3 levels of brightness. They light up quite nice and I had no problem operating the keyboard in a dark room. Since the ZenBook 14 is targeted towards conventional users like students, enterprise customers, etc. Asus has skipped RGB lighting on this laptop.
On the other hand, the ZenBook 14 has a wide glass trackpad. While most other manufacturers tend to stick with a plastic trackpad on a device of this price range, Asus is one-upping them all. It has integrated left and right keys, both of which click well enough. Overall, the trackpad is smooth and feels really nice to use. It supports Windows Precision drivers as well and thus can trigger Windows gestures with no hiccup. Additionally, the trackpad also makes up for the expected lack of a Numpad.
NumberPad 2.0
Here, even though it’s not a secondary screen like in other premium ZenBook laptops from the company, the NumberPad 2.0 lets you use the trackpad as a number pad. There’s a neat shortcut at the top-right corner to turn it on, while you can also adjust the illumination by long-pressing the top-left icon. It even supports cursor control, but for interacting on an input field it’s better to turn it off. Sliding down from the top-left edge of the trackpad also opens the calculator app.
Now, even though everything sounds good up until now, I did face a few problems with this trackpad. First off, because of its width and the relative height of the keyboard chassis, my right hand would accidentally press the right key every now and then. Also, shifting from the typing posture to using the trackpad, my scrolling gesture would sometimes be mistaken for the Windows Timeline shortcut instead.
Performance
AMD Ryzen 5 4500U or Ryzen 7 4700U processor (15W)
Integrated AMD Radeon graphics (No dedicated GPU)
8/16GB LPDDR4X soldered RAM, up to 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD
Time to talk about performance. Powering the Asus ZenBook 14 UM425IA is the AMD Ryzen 4500U CPU and Radeon integrated graphics. Manufactured under the 7nm process, the 4500U is a hexa-core processor with 6 cores and 6 threads. As one would imagine, it is not high-performance silicon and therefore has a 15W TDP. It has a base clock of 2.3GHz and a maximum boost clock of up to 4.0GHz. Similarly, the Radeon graphics is clocked at 1500MHz. Depending upon the region, ZenBook 14 is also available in the Ryzen 7 4700U configuration, which is an octa-core processor with a boost clock of 4.1GHz.
In terms of memory, you can choose between 8/16GB of LPDDR4X RAM. But be careful before making the choice since the RAM stick is soldered into the motherboard and you can’t upgrade it later on. On the contrary, you can upgrade the SSD if you want. Here, my unit comes with 8GB of dual-channel memory @3733MHz and 512GB of M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 SSD.
Compromised SSD quality
Unfortunately, the read/write speed of the onboard SSD isn’t that great for an NVMe SSD. It is clear from this CrystalDiskMark reading that one of the areas that Asus has compromised to bring minimize the cost of ZenBook 14 is storage. Still, app installation, opening time is fast enough, and usually, the laptop boots up in 10 seconds or less.
For light to medium usage, this laptop can handle everything you throw at it. Simultaneously browsing the web with a couple of tabs, editing word documents, using Photoshop is a breeze for this Renoir-powered laptop. Under this, the ZenBook 14 doesn’t heat up either, averaging at around 34º CPU temperature (monitored using Core Temp). You can select between two fan profiles and the “Whisper mode” lives up to its name. The fan rarely turns on under this mode, which is ideal for office settings.
Benchmark and Thermals
But playing eSports titles or running heavy benchmark does raise the temperature quite significantly. I ran the Cinebench R23 test and the laptop quickly rose to around 74º. This is not unbearably hot and you can bring down the temperature by switching to the “Standard” fan profile. Here, I ran the same benchmark under the said fan settings; and the result was significant enough to suggest thermal throttling.
ZenBook 14 UM425IA – Cinebench R23
Standard Mode: CPU (Multi-Core) – 5185, CPU (Single-Core) – 1155
Whisper Mode: CPU (Multi-Core) – 4440, CPU (Single-Core) – 1074
Cinebench R23
1 of 2
Standard Mode
Whisper Mode
Before you get any wrong idea, I must mention that I spaced out the two tests so that the laptop remained at a standard temperature at the start.
Because of its compact size, the ZenBook 14 only has a single heatpipe and a single fan setup—not the most effective cooling system. Yet, to reiterate, this silicon isn’t meant for heavy users anyway. The integrated Radeon Graphics is really impressive in itself, easily outperforming the competing GPU on Intel processors. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to run AAA titles on this laptop; although eSports titles and light games can run well enough. Let’s take a look at the Geekbench 5 OpenCL score for reference, and also the single, multi-core score white we’re at it.
ZenBook 14 UM425IA – Geekbench 5
CPU: Single-Core – 1085, Multi-Core – 4388
OpenCL (Compute): 10812
Geekbench 5
1 of 2
CPU
OpenCL (Compute)
Gaming
I tried CS: GO and Fifa 21 on it and got fairly respectable FPS. Under high settings, I got 28-30fps in CS: GO, while the number jumped to 55-60fps under medium settings. Similarly, Fifa 21 is absolutely unplayable in Ultra rendering quality and 4x MSAA with mere 12fps on average. But, toning down the respective settings to Medium and 2x, I could easily get 30-35fps.
Gameplay
1 of 2
CS: GO
FIFA 21
To note, continuous gaming on the ZenBook 14 could be an issue though—especially with the laptop placed on your lap as things can get really hot, really fast. After about 30 minutes of CS: GO, the CPU temp soared to 88º and I had to get it off my lap as the heat was almost unbearable. The top portion of the keyboard also gets quite hot, although I had no problem typing on it. The fan noise itself isn’t that loud and it is almost unnoticeable in an ambient setting with plenty of white noise.
Moving on, the MyASUS app is pretty useful as well. You can change different settings, perform diagnostic, download the latest drivers, etc. Interestingly, I faced an issue with WiFi auto-connection, even though the laptop has a stellar Intel WiFi-6 AX200 card. But to solve my issue, I had to download the appropriate driver from the web. Furthermore, you can also link your phone with the ZenBook 14 and make calls, view notifications, etc. on the laptop itself. Using this, you can also transfer files to-and-from the phone.
Battery, Speakers, and Webcam
4-cell 67 Wh Li-Ion battery (65W USB-C charging)
Harman/Kardon certified stereo speaker system
IR webcam (720p) with Windows Hello support
Here, the ZenBook 14 has a 67Whr 4-cell Li-ion battery. Asus claims up to 22 hours of endurance on the 1W/400 nits display option. On my 250 nits unit, I managed to consistently get around 8-9 hours of battery life. I would normally keep the brightness at about 40-50%, battery set to the best performance, and whisper mode turned on. My usage mostly consisted of editing word documents, browsing the web with multiple tabs open, light Photoshop editing every-now-and-then, and a couple of minutes of gaming here and there as well.
Besides the impressive battery mileage, charging the laptop is quite fast too. It can go from 0 to 100% in about 1 hour and 50 minutes. The 65W charger is lightweight and comfortable to carry around too. Its fast-charging feature can also top-up the charge up to 60% in just 50 minutes. And like I mentioned earlier, you can also use a PD-certified 65W fast charger for the ZenBook 14.
Harman/Kardon audio
On to the speakers, you get a stereo speaker system certified by Harman/Kardon. Simply put, I really like this audio setup. The speaker can get plenty loud and there’s even a hint of bass. The treble isn’t that enjoyable and the audio gets slightly muffled under full volume. Still and all, this speaker will fare you well on your movie binging sessions.
Like most other laptops in the market, the Asus ZenBook 14 has a 720p webcam. It’s not mind-blowingly good, but better than the one on other laptops in this price range. The overall image does look a bit soft, although it is passable for your regular video-call needs. The audio pickup from the built-in array microphone is quite good too. Although this laptop doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor, the IR sensor-enabled Windows Hello unlocks the device incredibly fast.
Conclusion
Wrapping it all up, as you can tell by now, the ZenBook 14 UM425IA is a beast of a notebook—zero doubt about that. The Ryzen variant easily outperforms the Intel configuration, even though the latter costs slightly more in almost every market. For casual users who seek portability and sufficient power, this is an excellent choice. The exclusion of a headphone jack may be a deal-breaker for many. But if you’re someone who can look past that, the sheer performance, premium design, decent display, and other quirks should be more than enough to sway you.
Watch our video review of the Asus ZenBook 14 UM425.
Asus ZenBook 14 UM425 Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Excellent value for money—an easy recommendation
Thin, lightweight, and a premium metallic build
Decent display quality with 100% sRGB color gamut
Comfortable typing experience, glass trackpad
Best-in-class performance thanks to AMD Renoir CPU
Terrific battery life (easily lasts throughout the day)
Great stereo speaker system, a decent webcam quality
Portable USB Type-C charging (supports PD too)
Cons:
The absence of a 3.5mm jack may be a turnoff to many
Color accuracy may require a manual calibration
The base can get uncomfortably hot under heavy load
SSD sequential read/write speed is not up to the mark
There is a new entry in the Amazfit lineup of smartwatches. Dubbed as the Amazfit Pop Pro, this smartwatch is one of the cheapest from the company. So, let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Amazfit Pop Pro in Nepal.
Amazfit Pop Pro Overview:
As the name suggests, Amazfit Pop Pro is based on the Amazfit Pop that was launched earlier this year. The Pro feature here is the inclusion of an integrated GPU sensor. Thus, the Amazfit Pop Pro won’t solely rely on your smartphone’s GPS for location tracking. The Pro version also supports voice assistant. Other than that, there is no difference between the two models.
It comes with a 1.43-inch HD color display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. The watch has a square display with a physical knob on the right side. It weighs around 31 grams and is water-resistant up to 50m. The watch comes with 50 watch faces but users can also install third-party watch faces.
Amazfit Pop Pro comes with 24 hours of heart monitoring, blood oxygen saturation detection, sleep monitoring, PAI system, stress monitoring, and menstrual cycle tracking. It also supports 60+ sports mode.
Amazfit Pop Pro Specifications:
Body: 40.9 x 35.5 x 11.4mm; 31 grams; Polycarbonate
Amazfit Pop Pro is now available in China where its price is 399 Yuan. We expect the price of Amazfit Pop Pro in Nepal to be around NPR 9,500 when they launch here.
Hey guys, today I will be sharing my long-term impressions of the OnePlus 8T. Like clockwork, the company launched a mid-year upgrade over its existing lineup of flagship smartphones in 2020 as well. Although the 8T is quite similar to the existing OnePlus 8, it does bring some prominent upgrades. So, I was a bit lost on exactly what to expect from the OnePlus 8T going into the review.
OnePlus 8T Specifications:
Body: 6.33 x 2.92 x 0.33 inches, 188 gm, Gorilla Glass 5
Battery: 4500mAh (2S1P) with Warp Charge 65 (10V/6.5A)
Colors: Aquamarine Green, Lunar Silver
Price in Nepal: N/A (not launched yet)
OnePlus 8T Long-Term Review:
Talking about the upgrades, I can’t help but wonder if those were the ones most of us were actually looking for. From the get-go, we can see that the company has struggled to adequately differentiate the three devices under the 8 series. And on the 8T, it is clear that OnePlus is playing the number game—65W fast charging, 120Hz refresh rate, quad cameras setup (that doesn’t include a telephoto lens), and more.
While I’m not complaining about the upgrades themselves, the point I’m trying to make is that it seems almost lazy of OnePlus to throw in big numbers while continually failing to bring significant upgrades in one aspect that it has always lagged behind in—the cameras. And to my dismay, 8T’s design feels like a downgrade as well.
Design & Build
Glass front/ back, aluminum frame
No official IP certification
Design, Ports, Buttons
1 of 3
Alert slider, Volume rockers
Back Panel
Speaker, USB-C, SIM slot
If you remember, the OnePlus 8 has this subtle curve in its screen, which is just about ideal, and nothing drastic as the one on 8 Pro. Because of this, the OnePlus 8 was perfectly immune to accidental touches—at least throughout my usage. But, love it or hate it, the OnePlus 8T fully dismisses the curve. Hence, the phone feels a bit larger than the OnePlus 8.
Also, because of the thicker side curves, one will notice how it seems so much thicker in the hand; even though the 8T is less than a millimeter thicker, and weighs just 8 grams more than its predecessor. So, yeah, in terms of the tactile feel, the OnePlus 8 is definitely nicer than the 8T and I believe the flat display choice could’ve been implemented much better.
But overall, it’s still a premium-looking device and well-built phone. And I even like the camera placement better than its predecessor. If only OnePlus 8T had the same form factor as that of the 8!
Moving on, OnePlus also never misses to include the signature alert slider in its smartphones. If you ask me, this feature doesn’t get as much credit as it should. I can’t speak for you, but I find it incredibly useful. Also, after seeing Samsung Galaxy S20 FE with multiple color options, I desperately hope that future OnePlus devices come up with a few refreshing color options.
Display
6.55-inches FHD+ flat Fluid AMOLED panel
120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate
Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the refresh rate has gotten a bump from 90 to 120Hz, while this Fluid AMOLED panel remains the same at 6.55-inches. During my initial impression, I thought this was not that big of a deal. But after using the phone for some time now, I have kind of changed my opinion about that.
Not only does it offer a smoother visual experience, the 240Hz touch response rate is quite up to the mark. Again, it’s not the most stunning display you will ever lay your eyes on, but for what it’s worth, it’s remarkable.
During the review, the only problem I have with the display of the OnePlus 8T is that its minimum brightness is not low enough; especially compared to the ones on an iPhone or a Samsung device. Although the company had proudly highlighted the phone’s 8192-level automatic brightness adjustment, the 8T doesn’t ship with a DC dimming feature. Maybe OnePlus can push an update in the future. But for now, I’m going to have to minimize my habit of using the phone at night under the blanket.
Okay, personal issues aside, in terms of outdoor brightness, this phone is a champ. Even in the sunniest of environments, I’ve had no issues reading blogs or using Twitter, so that’s nice. Watching videos has also been a delight on the 8T.
Stereo speakers
Not just that there is the support for Widevine L1 and HDR 10+ content playback, but the speakers are decent too. These are not the best set of speakers on a smartphone but do a good job nonetheless. The audio is loud and crisp with balanced mids and highs. And the bass is acceptable too.
Performance
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC (7nm+)
8/12GB LPDDR4x RAM with up to 256GB UFS 3.1 storage (fixed)
OnePlus has historically delivered great performing phones and the 8T isn’t an exception either. While we were all expecting the Snapdragon 865+ to make a debut on an OnePlus phone, it was quite strange of the company to go with the regular 865. Even though we know that these two chips are only marginally different, OnePlus could’ve had a greater advantage over its closest competitor—the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
Since the S20 FE ships with the much-despised Exynos 990 in OnePlus’ prime markets like India, the 8T could’ve made matters much easier, although it is easily the best performing Android phone in its price range right now.
A redesigned OxygenOS
That, topped with OnePlus’ amazing software experience, is like getting the best of both worlds. But I do have to warn you that this new version of OxygenOS is quite a deviation from the previous near-stock Android experience that many of us love. It still retains a lot of customization options and in fact, this one’s more like Samsung’s OneUI—thanks to the headings in stock OnePlus apps being written in big bold letters, while everything else is moved down so that one can reach stuff easily.
Now, this one’s a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is a healthy upgrade considering how difficult it is these days to use a phone single-handed since they’re getting bigger and bigger. And hey, it’s not bad to be inspired by a rival’s useful features either. On the other hand, OG OnePlus fans can most certainly translate this transition as an utter betrayal, and might even argue that the company is slowly losing its originality.
Having said that, one of the most appreciable changes in this version of OxygenOS has to be the option to toggle Dark Mode from the system shortcuts. And you can even schedule it as per your preference now, which is much easier than before.
Gaming
In terms of gaming, as you could imagine, the OnePlus 8T is a beast. By the way, the company recently rolled out an update providing a 90fps gaming option for PUBG Mobile; which was initially missing on the phone. Because of this, the 8T offers some of the best PUBGm gameplay experiences. Likewise, other demanding or lightweight games run in smoothly as well, without a hint of lag.
Now, let’s get to the cameras and disclaimer, they are not the best thing about this phone. First off, OnePlus has decided to go with the same-old Sony IMX586 sensor that they used on the OnePlus 8 and the 7T before that. And although its camera optimization has improved over the years, Samsung, with its flagship-level optimization on the S20 FE takes the spotlight from the 8T. We have also conducted a thorough review of the cameras of the OnePlus 8T and S20 FE that you can check out here.
Normal Images
Talking about the 8T alone, you will notice in both its primary and ultra-wide images that the pictures tend to have an unnecessary level of contrast.
Normal
1 of 14
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
The primary images do look pretty good. But again, the ones from S20 FE have better shadow details and color reproduction.
Wideangle Images
Wideangle
1 of 12
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
And in terms of the ultra-wide-images, S20 FE’s evidently stand out as well with better dynamic range, colors, and field of view.
Telephoto Images
Not to mention that the S20 FE has a more versatile camera setup including a telephoto lens while disregarding the inferior depth and macro sensor.
Telephoto
1 of 6
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
With this, the S20 FE can zoom upto 3x optically while the 8T is only capable of zooming digitally. And you can figure out how this one’s gonna go.
Portrait Images
Having said that, it’s not all bad with the OnePlus 8T cameras.
Portrait
1 of 6
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
For instance, I think it has better portrait capabilities than the S20 FE in terms of edge detection and subject focus.
Nighttime Images
Moving on to the night time images, well, the OnePlus 8T has a tendency to over-process.
Normal Nighttime
1 of 8
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
And in many instances, it over-saturates the pictures for some reason; especially in Night Mode images.
Night Mode
1 of 8
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
So, even though the details and everything are good, the unnatural colors might seem excessive, especially when compared to the S20 FE.
Macro Images
Likewise, the 8T also has a macro sensor. Here are some of the samples I took and as you can see, they are not that bad.
Macro
1 of 4
It’s only that the macro sensor here has fixed focus, so getting a perfectly sharp image is kind of tricky.
Videography
Also, the videos from the selfie camera on the OnePlus 8T is limited to 1080p/30fps. And even at that very resolution, the camera finds it hard to manage exposure properly. So, it’s not the best vlogging choices out there.
The rear cameras can shoot good enough videos even at 4k/60fps. But, the videos tend to lose some details and it cannot handle abrupt movements like running either, as it messes with the exposure.
Selfie Images
Selfies from the OnePlus 8T aren’t that great too.
Selfie
1 of 10
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
You can notice the red tint in the photos, turning them weird-looking. The S20 FE, on the other hand, is able to maintain a subtle and almost natural undertone; making it a better selfie camera phone.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 10
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
8T
S20 FE
Portrait selfie images look slightly better on the S20 FE as well.
Battery
4500mAh (2S1P) battery
Warp Charge 65, No wireless charging
Okay, let’s talk about battery life now. I was quite excited to test out the new 65W charging of the OnePlus 8T during my review as well. There’s a 4500mAh cell and overall, I’m satisfied with its endurance. It has given me a full day’s battery life with some juice to spare at the end of the day on my normal day of use. That’s particularly impressive because I used this phone with the 120Hz refresh rate turned on all the time.
However, I do have to tell you that the phone automatically switches to 60 Hz while using select apps such as YouTube when the brightness is more than 50%. But, if you wish to use the phone under 120Hz all the time, it lets you do that if you turn on dark mode, or set the brightness to less than 50% in normal mode.
Charging this device is really fast as well with OnePlus’s proprietary Warp Charge 65. It takes the device from 0-100% in about 40 minutes. And yeah, you guessed it. This 65W fast charging technology is based on OPPO’s 65W SuperVOOC 2.0.
Conclusion
All in all, the OnePlus 8T is an incredible smartphone—and quite possibly the best in its price range as we’ve discovered throughout this review. As always, the phone is extremely powerful and with the addition of 120Hz refresh rate, 65W charging technology, OnePlus’ emphasis on speed is only taken a step further. But, with the value-flagship market getting so competitive these days, the question has to be asked: is it enough, or should OnePlus be doing more?
With the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, Xiaomi Mi 10T series, and others, it’s getting more and more difficult for the company to solely survive on its mantra of speed. People expect incredible camera performance on devices in this market segment and if OnePlus can’t deliver on such a crucial aspect, a buyer’s purchasing decision becomes so much easier. And that’s something OnePlus should be actively working against but unfortunately hasn’t managed to do so.
Watch our video long-term review of the OnePlus 8T.
Qualcomm announced its latest flagship smartphone processor on the first day of Snapdragon Tech Summit Digital. The new Snapdragon 888 5G is the successor to the SD 865. This new SoC will be the first choice SoC for flagship Android smartphones in the coming year. In this post, we will be taking a look at the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and how it is different than the Snapdragon 865.
Snapdragon 888 SoC: How is it better than the 865?
To begin with, the new Snapdragon 888 SoC is based on a new 5nm process node. This makes it more efficient than the SD 865 which is built on a 7nm process. However, the company has not revealed the details surrounding the architecture of the new chipset as of yet.
5G Connectivity
The major update comes in the form of the Snapdragon X60 5G modem, which is integrated into the SoC itself. Like the processor, the X60 5G is based on a 5nm process and it is the first of its kind for that matter. This makes it more power-efficient than the X55 5G modem. It is the first 5G modem to allow aggregation of mmWave-sub6 5G spectrum. One couldn’t enjoy this combined band in the X55 modem.
Similarly, the X60 also allows sub-6 carrier aggregation across FDD, TDD. The antennas for the X60 are also said to be smaller than the previous generation. Thus, it will be less challenging of a task for smartphone manufacture to fit them in their products. Other notable features include global multi-sim, Voice over NR, and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing.
The sixth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine gives Snapdragon 888 a big advantage in AI-related tasks. The company claims that the new AI engine has been built from the ground up. Qualcomm is claiming up to 26 Tera Operations per Second (TOPS). It’s a significant improvement over SD 865’s 16 TOPS. It’s even faster than Apple’s A14 Bionic which managed up to 11 TOPS.
The new AI engine is also said to be more power-efficient. It is aided by the second-generation Qualcomm Sensing Hub. It comes with a lower-power always-on AI processing.
Snapdragon Elite Gaming
Qualcomm claims that the third generation Snapdragon Elite Gaming feature offers the biggest leap in the GPU performance in the Adreno GPU history. As of now, the company has not any details of the GPU. However, the Elite Gaming Features bring updatable GPU drivers, a frame rate of up to 144fps, and Desktop Forward Rendering.
Image Signal Processing
The Spectra ISP on the Snapdragon 888 is now 35% faster than the previous generation. That is, it can capture videos and photos at 2.7 gigapixels per second. Qualcomm also says that the new SoC triples down on computational photography. However, it did not give any detail about what it means and how it manages to do so.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC Availability
Snapdragon 888 will power flagship Android smartphones of 2021. Xiaomi has confirmed that the upcoming Mi 11 will be the first phone to include the Snapdragon 888 SoC. Realme has also announced a device codenamed “Race” will equip Snapdragon 888, while OPPO will be bringing this chip in its upcoming Find X3 series as well.
There are very few companies making Android tablets these days, and the number is a lot less when we look at the budget tablet section. Samsung remains one of the few smartphone manufacturers that’s still coming up with Android tablets. But then those from the company too cost upward of 50K. For instance, there’s the super expensive Tab S7 or the mid-ranger Tab S6 Lite. We’ve already covered the Tab S6 Lite, and today we’re going to review the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020).
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020) Specifications:
Dimension:9.8 x 6.2 x 0.3 -inches
Display: 10.4-inch TFT display, 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution
Storage: 32GB (expandable via a microSD card slot)
Audio: Quad stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos
OS: Android 10, One UI 2.5
Security: Face recognition
Battery: 7040mAh, 15W fast charging
Color options: Dark Gray, Silver, Gold
Price in Nepal: NPR 34,999 (3/32GB)
Available at Samsung authorized retail stores
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020) Review:
For those looking to shop for a tablet in the budget segment, there’s not much of an option. Of course, you can buy the Amazon Kindle Fire, but that would be breaking away from the Android ecosystem. So, given the fact that there’s a limited set of choices for customers in the budget tablet segment, it made sense for Samsung to come up with one.
And that’s exactly what they have done with the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020). But should you buy it or skip it altogether and go for a high-end tablet? Well, that’s what we are here to discuss. Let’s dive into our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020), and find out whether it is worth your money or not.
Design and Build
Premium metallic build
Slightly heavyweight design
Galaxy Tab A7’s metallic build gives it a very premium feel. It’s not every day that you see a budget tablet with a metallic build, so that’s a good thing. However, considering some of the compromises that Samsung has made in some areas, it could have been better if they had considered a cheaper alternative here rather than in other departments. Anyway, what’s done is done. You still get a premium-looking device with a solid aluminum build. I’ve with me the silver-colored one. Other color variants include gold and dark grey.
The design isn’t particularly striking. It’s pretty minimalistic if you ask me. At the back, there’s an 8MP camera module on the left-top-hand corner and the Samsung logo along with the IMEI number is stamped right in the middle. The front is no different. Thick bezels surround the display and the front camera is on the right-hand side bezel.
There are 2 speaker grills on each end, with a USB-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack the extra additions on one end. On the left, you’ll find the volume and the lock button. Similarly, on the right side, towards the bottom, you’ll find a SIM + microSD tray.
Measuring 9.8 x 6.2 x 0.3 -inches and weighing about 1 pound, the device is relatively thick and heavier. However, I didn’t find it troubling to carry around or to use.
Display
10.4″ TFT LCD panel with 5:3 aspect ratio
An abysmal 329 nits of peak brightness
This device sports a 10.4-inch screen. It is a TFT display with 2000 x 1200 pixel resolution. The huge screen is surrounded by bezels of substantial size. Though, it does come in handy as it decreases the chances for accidental touches. However, considering how the Galaxy Tab S7 is famed for its AMOLED panel, it was rather surprising to see such a downgrade on this one. But then again, this is a budget tablet. Having said that, the display might not be mind-blowing, but it is not a pushover either.
The pictures come out big and sharp, the color definition is decent enough, however, the less we talk about its brightness, the best it is. On its big screen, you’ll be able to properly consume Netflix and Amazon Prime series. You’ll find the videos to be fairly vibrant with popping colors. Furthermore, the screen covers 102% of the sRGB color gamut. Thus, the colors are fairly accurate. Overall, you won’t be missing any details in whatever you watch on its screen.
However, as I mentioned previously, the screen brightness is the weak-link here. At 329 peak brightness, it is not the brightest display out there. Even with full brightness, you’ll have a hard time while viewing darker scenes or while viewing something on a bright sunny day.
I did not face any problem while using the device. The screen responded perfectly to all my gestures and felt smooth, except for the occasional lag in animations. Overall, barring the issue with the brightness, this display, to me, feels perfect for everyday web surfing and media consumption.
Software and Performance
Snapdragon 662 (11nm) SoC paired with 3GB of RAM
Either 32 or 64GB of internal storage (expandable)
OneUI 2.5 on top of Android 10 out-of-the-box
Out of the box, this device comes with One UI 2.5 and Android 10. The combination of these two provides you with enough features that you’d expect on a tablet. You’ll find some useful features such as Quick Share, media control among your other Samsung devices, SmartThing/Bluetooth device control, and call & text right in the notification bar. However, to use the call and text feature you’ll require another galaxy smartphone logged in with the same Samsung Account.
One expects brilliant multitasking features on a tablet because that’s probably why you get one, right? And this device offers you some of the most essential features such as a split-screen and pop-up view. They all work smoothly and you won’t experience a lag in performance.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC and comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. However, if you want more storage, you can opt for the 64GB variant. Our review unit of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020) comes with 3GB RAM and 32 GB storage.
I was keen to test out how the 3GB RAM complements the Snapdragon 662 processor. It does hold back the processor a bit, but for the most part, you’ll have no complaints about the performance.
Slight lags
There was some delay while launching the apps and in general, I felt that there was a hint of lag in the animation, however, that’s about it. Once the app launches, everything works smoothly. It can keep up with your day to day tasks such as surfing the web, watching videos on YouTube, attending online classes/meetings, or catching up on the latest stories on Instagram quite easily.
I had opened several tabs on Google Chrome, Facebook, Instagram, and a few other apps, and the tab was able to handle the pressure pretty well. But as mentioned earlier, I did face some delay while switching from one app to another.
Gaming
If you are a fan of mobile gaming, then you will be relieved to hear that the Galaxy Tab A7 can handle heavy-duty games such as PUBG, Asphalt 9, COD, and Mobile Legends pretty well. On max settings in PUBG Mobile, i.e Balanced graphics, and medium frame rate, the gameplay is not smooth, you’ll have to deal with a lot of stuttering.
For the best result, you should opt for smooth graphics with high frame rates. As for COD and Mobile Legends, you can play to your heart’s content without any frame drops. On Asphalt 9, which is a relatively less demanding game among the ones mentioned, I experienced lags while performing rolls and overall not the smoothest of experience, but still playable.
All in all, you will not get high-end tablet smoothness while using the Tab A7, but then again it is not a high-end tablet. For performing everyday tasks and playing games, this device should be more than sufficient.
Battery
7040mAh battery with 15W fast charging
I would gladly take the trade-off between a rather dim display and a better battery life. And that’s exactly what this device provides. Modern Android devices are plagued by a lackluster battery backup, but you won’t have to worry about that issue on the Galaxy Tab A7.
Similar to the Tab S6 Lite, this device too is equipped with a 7040mAh battery. I managed to get around 13 hours while browsing through the web, and watching videos on Netflix and YouTube at 40% brightness. Throwing in some game time in between regular tasks does decrease the battery life by an hour or so, but it still great. So, no complaints on that department.
The battery lasts for a long time on this device, unfortunately, a similar time period is required to charge this device. Okay, that might be a little exaggerated statement, but honestly, charging this device to 100% took ages to complete. You surely would want to get hold of a 15W fast charger for this device because it does not ship with the device. Either that or be prepared to wait for 3 and a half hours to get the device fully charged.
Audio
Quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support
3.5mm headphone jack
The quad-speaker setup on the A7 delivers punchy, loud, and clear sound. Of course, they are not flagship-level, but in a small to medium-sized room, you’ll find that the sound reproduction is good. Even at the highest volume, the sound does not distort.
There are two speakers on either side of the tablet and they have Dolby Atmos support for high-quality stereo, surround sound. Furthermore, there are 4 audio presets Auto, Movie, Music, and Voice. As the device is more suited for media consumption, I had it on Movie mode most of the time. However, I would recommend you to switch it to voice mode while attending online classes and meetings. Lastly, there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack, a rarity nowadays, on this device for those who’d prefer to use this tab with a wired earphone.
Camera
An 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera
Cameras
1 of 2
Back Camera
Front Camera
Cameras are not the strongest feature of this tab. Let’s put it this way – you won’t get Insta-worthy photographs, but the images are still passable.
Rear Camera
The 8MP rear camera takes decent photographs in a well-lit condition, however, that’s about it.
Normal
1 of 4
You probably won’t be taking this tablet around on your vacations to click photographs.
Front Camera
Talking about the front camera, it is a 5MP shooter, placed on the center of the right-hand side bezel. This forces you to place the tablet in landscape mode while you are on a video-call. That’s probably a good thing as it increases your display angle.
Selfie
1 of 2
This is not suited for taking high-quality selfies because the images lack sharpness and details, however, for online classes and meetings, it works just fine.
The front camera is also used for the facial recognition system. And it works perfectly. In dark rooms, the system will have a problem recognizing your face. Thus, it’s better if you turn on the option to temporarily brighten the screen while unlocking.
Verdict
So, what’s our final stand about the Galaxy Tab A7? This budget Android tablet provides goods in just the right areas. Sure, it could have been a lot better if only they had provided a brighter display, but considering its battery life and fit for media consumption configuration, I’d rate this one as a go-to budget tablet. You just have to keep in mind the money you are paying for it, and you will be more than satisfied with the Galaxy Tab A7.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 (2020) Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Great battery life which can easily last for two days
Although Oppo boasts some of the most impressive flagship smartphones the industry has to offer, the company has managed to historically establish itself as a brand that values the trend, the glamour, and more importantly, the cameras above everything else. The new F17 Pro that I have with me right now follows the same trend. Dubbed as the slimmest and the lightest entry in Oppo’s fashion-first “F” series of smartphones, the F17 Pro is definitely something to drool over. But how is everything else on it—let’s find out in this review of the Oppo F17 Pro.
OPPO F17 Pro Specifications:
Body: 6.30 x 2.91 x 0.30 inches, 164 gm, Gorilla Glass 3
Display: 6.43-inches Super AMOLED panel, 408PPI, Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: MediaTek Helio P95 (12nm Mobile Platform)
Like its predecessor, the Oppo F17 Pro stands out among the competition because of its design. As I mentioned earlier, Oppo is advertising it as the sleekest phone of the year. Measuring just 7.48mm in thickness while weighing 165 grams, the phone almost feels non-existent when keeping it in the pocket. There were a couple of instances where I gasped about the whereabouts of my phone—only to discover it was in my pocket the entire time.
Design, Buttons, Ports
1 of 3
Volume rockers
Back panel
Headphone Jack, USB-C, Speaker
Oppo has achieved this impressive lightweight build partly with the use of a polycarbonate body, alongside plastic frames. That may sound like a bummer but it’s really not, considering the work Oppo has put into designing the back panel. With a (subtle) reflective matte finish, holding the phone at different angles makes it seem as if the camera module is pouring rays of light throughout the panel. There is also a vertical strip running down the length of the phone—therefore resulting in a hip dual-tone design. Similarly, the F17 Pro has reflective materials on the edges for an added visual treat.
Catches fingerprints quite easy
Unfortunately, the phone isn’t as fingerprint resistant as Oppo would want you to believe. Although the matte finish does a decent job of concealing the smudges, I found myself having to wipe off the fingerprints quite often. Speaking strictly in terms of the back panel, the one on the F17 Pro feels significantly better than the Oppo F15 that I had reviewed earlier this year. The camera module itself has a dual-layer finish with the actual sensors protruding even further.
Overall, I gotta admit that the F17 Pro is a great phone to look at. Yet, keeping it that way could be a headache as within a week or so, I noticed dust accumulation around the camera module—therefore masking off the glossy surface beneath it.
Display
6.43-inches FHD+ AMOLED panel
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Standard 60Hz refresh rate
Moving on to the display, the Oppo F17 Pro sports a 6.43” FHD+ AMOLED panel refreshing at the regular 60Hz, with a dual-punch-hole cutout for the selfie cameras. And like every other typical AMOLED panel, you get to enjoy rich colors with excellent contrasts on this display. Furthermore, it is also Widevine L1 certified meaning that the F17 Pro can play HD content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It can get plenty bright too. Throughout the review period, I didn’t face a visibility issue with the Oppo F17 Pro, even when I was under direct sunlight. Oppo also claims that the phone can reach up to 800 nits of brightness.
Likewise, the company has also added Dark Mode and Always-on Display features on the F17 Pro. Both these features were absent on the F15 (despite featuring an AMOLED panel as well). Dark Mode is still in Beta mode and therefore doesn’t work well with all apps. Whereas, you get to play around with up to 18 different clock styles, and the information to show under the AoD settings.
Performance & Software
Octa-core MediaTek Helio P95 (12nm)
8GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB UFS 2.1 storage (expandable)
Powering the F17 Pro is Helio P95 SoC. While it’s relatively new silicon from MediaTek, it surely isn’t an ideal one for the price of the phone. Even more so considering the fact how Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 700-series chipset is all the rage right now. Still, I faced no problem with the phone as it was fairly capable of handling my everyday tasks. With 8GB of RAM onboard, multi-tasking was a breeze as well.
Gaming
Getting to gaming, I was able to get around 25-30fps in PUBG Mobile under HD graphics and Extreme frame rate. The fps data comes directly from the built-in Game Assistant feature. There were hardly any instances of stutter or noticeable lag. But, the phone does start to heat up pretty quickly. Therefore, naturally, if you want a stable and comfortable gaming experience on the Oppo F17 Pro, you’ll need to tone down the refresh rate to Ultra or High.
Similarly, I tried playing COD Mobile with both: Graphics and Refresh Rate set to high. Here, the gameplay was fairly decent with minor stutters every now and then, but nothing that concerning. As you’d expect, running less demanding games like Clash Royale, Among Us was an absolute cakewalk for the phone.
Software
Since the F17 Pro ships with ColorOS 7.2 (based on Android 10) out-of-the-box, I was eager to check out the “Quick Return Bubble” feature. Basically, once activated, it keeps track of the waiting time of your game, while you temporarily get busy with other apps. To my disappointment, the phone doesn’t support it as of yet—maybe it will after the upcoming ColorOS 11 update.
Additionally, I also had some problems accessing the Game Assistant panel during games. While I didn’t face such an issue on the Realme 7 Pro, swiping the smart sidebar on the F17 Pro kept bringing the notification panel down.
Still and all, the Game Assistant isn’t completely useless. It gives you info about frame rate, CPU/GPU usage, and more. And when you receive a text message in the middle of the game, it is displayed horizontally across the screen, without disturbing the gameplay. It worked well with text messages and Telegram, although I do wish it supported Messenger too.
Google apps
In addition, I like the way Oppo ships with Google Phone and Messages apps as the default instead of their Oppo alternatives. Even swiping right on the home screen takes you to the Google Discover feed. If memory serves me right, this space was sheltered by some kind of assistant-like feature from the company itself. The F17 Pro does ship with a handful of third-party apps like Facebook, WPS Office, Music Party, Netflix. But, you can’t uninstall the last two.
Other interesting features on ColorOS 7.2 include Oppo Lab and Oppo Relax. As the name implies, the former is home to a set of new experimental features. At the time of writing this review, there were 9 assorted features inside it. And I’m personally fond of how it lets you change icon shapes and such. Similarly, the icon pull-gesture makes it easy to use the phone single-handed.
In terms of cameras, the Oppo F17 Pro has a total of 6 sensors: 4 at the back, and 2 on the front. The rear setup includes a 48MP primary sensor followed by an 8MP wide-angle and two 2MP monochrome sensors. The dual-punch-hole cutout on the display houses a 16MP Sony IMX471 sensor and an additional 2MP depth sensor. During the review, we compared the cameras of Oppo F17 Pro against the Realme 7 Pro since both phones retail at a similar price (in the international market).
Normal Images
Here, in normal images, the shots from F17 Pro tend to feature this noticeable pinkish tint to them. On the other hand, the ones from the Realme 7 Pro look more natural to the eyes.
Normal
1 of 8
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
The dynamic range is also comparatively worse on the F17 Pro and as you can see from these samples, the one from Realme has better details (thanks to the 64MP sensor) and highlights. But, in a couple of instances, Realme 7 Pro does overcompensate shadow details and exposure.
Wideangle Images
Moving on to the wide-angle images, the photos from Realme 7 Pro are much more detailed and have better exposure, white balance maintenance.
Wideangle
1 of 10
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
While the results are fairly comparable in a dimly lit situation, the wide-angle sensor on the F17 Pro’s inferiority is highlighted in a sunny environment.
Portrait Images
Likewise, portrait images look slightly better on the F17 Pro as the ones on the Realme 7 Pro have overblown shadows and exposure.
Portrait
1 of 8
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
The edge-detection itself is very similar between the two phones. Although the subjects do look a-bit smoothened on Oppo, the yellowish hue on Realme 7 Pro looks almost cartoonish.
Selfie Images
Regular selfies on the F17 Pro look pale while the ones on the competition come off reddish—and maybe even over-sharpened.
Selfie
1 of 8
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
Here as well, the subject looks smoothened on the F17 Pro.
Portrait Selfie Images
Moving on, the portrait selfies share a similar story as regular selfies.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 4
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
But, the background exposure is much worse on the Realme 7 Pro.
Nighttime Images
When it comes to nighttime shots, both phones struggle quite a bit under an extremely poorly-lit environment. Thankfully, they come with a dedicated Night Mode feature that works with the wide-angle sensor as well.
Regular Nighttime
1 of 6
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
The regular nighttime images on the F17 Pro are a little grainy whereas Realme 7 Pro has slightly punchy colors. It also has better exposure and shadow details compared to the F17 Pro and therefore looks better with a good amount of details.
Night Mode
1 of 4
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
OPPO F17 Pro
Realme 7 Pro
Turning on Night Mode, images from both phones have similar results. But, I’d prefer the one on the Realme 7 Pro for its marginally better details.
Wideangle Nighttime
1 of 8
OPPO F17 Pro - Wideangle Normal Nighttime
Realme 7 Pro - Wideangle Normal Nighttime
OPPO F17 Pro - Wideangle Normal Nighttime
Realme 7 Pro - Wideangle Normal Nighttime
OPPO F17 Pro - Wideangle Night Mode
Realme 7 Pro - Wideangle Night Mode
OPPO F17 Pro - Wideangle Night Mode
Realme 7 Pro - Wideangle Night Mode
Regular wide-angle nighttime shots from both phones are almost dismissable, although Night Mode does help a bit to bring out more details.
Videography
In terms of videos, the F17 Pro is locked at 30fps under every resolution—except for slow-mo recordings. While testing them during the review, we found that 1080p/30fps footages from the Oppo F17 Pro look a bit muddy and it can’t lock exposure as often. But otherwise, they are similar on both phones in regards to details and stabilization. Bumping the resolution to 4k, the Realme 7 Pro gives off stabilized shots while Oppo lacks it entirely.
Similarly, 1080p/30fps wide-angle videos are slightly wobbly on the F17 Pro, although the Realme 7 Pro’s field-of-view (FOV) is comparatively smaller. Selfie videos aren’t that great on the Realme 7 Pro with worse background exposure and a shorter FOV.
Battery
4015mAh battery with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
AI Night Charging for intelligently juicing up the phone
Here, the Oppo F17 Pro gets its juice from a decent 4015mAh battery; which I think is a little small considering what competing devices are offering. Almost every day I had to charge the phone in the middle of the day—after two hours or so of FPS gaming, and couple more hours of social media browsing, video streaming, and such. My usage also consisted of turning on the GPS and Bluetooth the entire time—with the Huawei Health app running in the background.
The considerably inadequate battery endurance is somewhat compensated by a fast-charging mechanism. The phone ships with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0. Oppo claims that it can juice up the phone in just 53 minutes. During my test, the claim kinda-sorta proved to be true. The phone got from 0-70% in just 30 minutes, while it got to 100% in the 55th minute. We all know by now that fast charging technologies have an adverse effect on battery health in the long-run.
So, to prevent this, Oppo has come up with a feature called “AI Night Charging”. With this, the device intelligently identifies the time of the day when you are most unlikely to use the phone; and slows down the charging process for that period. In the early days of the review, this feature slowed down the charging process overnight, only to fully charge the phone at 6 AM. After a while, the adjusted settings now completes the charging cycle at 7:30 in the morning.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the F17 Pro is like every other mid-range Oppo phones. If you’re a fan of style and aesthetics, this will definitely catch your eye. It has an excellent AMOLED panel, so the viewing experience is great too. Unfortunately, the camera performance is somewhat inconsistent as we discovered from our intensive testing against a directly competing device—the Realme 7 Pro. And about that, Realme’s superiority is a bit confusing considering how it’s a spin-off of Oppo itself.
Just by looking at the spec-sheet, you can tell the 7 Pro is a much better value overall. From relatively better cameras to a bigger battery, better performance, and a flagship-grade 65W charging, almost everything looks better compared to the F17 Pro. And hey, if you’re looking for even better cameras, we can’t recommend the Vivo V20 enough, although it does come at a slightly higher asking price.
The Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) launched in Nepal back in September 2020. However, back then, only a single variant (with RTX 2060) was available. But now, more SKUs of the laptop have made it to the Nepali market have expanded its selection. In this post, we will be taking a look at the specs, features, price in Nepal, and availability of Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020).
Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) Overview
Design and Display
The body of the Acer Predator Helios 300 2020 is made up of both plastic and metal alloy. Acer has used Aluminum alloy on the display top and the keyboard base area. The frames and the bottom of the laptop are made up of ABS plastic. The blue highlights on an otherwise black body try to give that gaming vibe. Predator Helio 300 maintains an angular design on the edges and corners.
The variants that are available in Nepal comes features a 15.6-inch IPS display with an FHD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is listed with a brightness of 300 nits. The display supports a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and boasts an overdrive response rate of up to 3ms (Gtg response). Similarly, the panel covers 72% of the NTSC color gamut.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the new Acer Predator Helio 300 packs the Intel Core i7-10750H processor. This 10th-gen processor from Intel features six cores and double the number of threads. It can attain a clock speed of up to 5.0GHz. There is also a variant with Intel Core i5-10300H that you can get for lower price.
For graphics, there are options for up to graphics are handled by NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070. It comes with 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM. However, most of the variants that are available in Nepal come with GTX 1660 Ti. There is also a variant with RTX 2060. Based on NVIDIA’s Turing GPU architecture, these GPUs support real-time ray tracing, artificial intelligence, and programmable shading.
Keeping the setup cool is Acer’s 4th-gen Aeroblade 3D technology. This cooling system is shared between all of the latest Predator laptops. The fourth-gen cooling solution features fans with a serrated edge that allows more air to pass through. There are altogether 59 fan blades and each of them is just 0.1mm thick. When the laptops start heating, the Predator CoolBoost gets activated. It then increases the speed of the fans based on the heat generated.
The laptop relies on a 4-cell Li-ion battery of 3720mAh capacity. To limit the network latency, Acer has included Killer’s E2600 Ethernet Controller, Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i, and Control Center 2.0. The Killer E2600 can detect and accelerate the highest priority network traffic. The Killer Ax1650i offers up to 2.4Gbps of throughput (theoretical) using 160Mz channels.
Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) Specifications:
Design & Build: Aluminum alloy shell, plastic frame, and bottom
Processor: up to 10th-gen Intel Core i7-10750H (Up to 5.0GHz)
RAM: up to 16 DDR4 RAM @2933MHz
Graphics: up to 8GB GDDR6 NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
Battery: 4-cell 3720mAh battery
Max Power Supply Voltage: 180 Watts
Storage: 1TB HDD + 256GB SSD
Webcam: 720p HD webcam
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac , Bluetooth 4.0
Acer Predator Helios 300 2020 Price in Nepal and Availability
The starting price of Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) in Nepal is NPR 190,000 for the Core i5 model. The price can go up to NPR 224,000 depending upon the specs you choose to go with. You can buy Acer Predator Helios 300 (2020) in Nepal at ITTI and other authorized stores.
Nokia 5.3 saw a delayed-release in Nepal compared to the phone’s international launch. However, it had been reported that the brand is already working on its successor. And the successor is finally here. Let’s learn more about the specs, features and expected price and availability in Nepal of the new Nokia 5.4.
Nokia 5.4 Overview
Nokia 5.4 comes as another addition to the Nokia 5 series which is basically a mid-range segment. This device runs on the Snapdragon 662 and has a Nordic design, similar to that of the Nokia 3.4.
Design
This time around, Nokia has made some changes on the front of the device. The Nokia 5.3 came with a 6.55-inch IPS LCD panel with a waterdrop notch on the top. However, the screen size of the Nokia 5.4 is comparable to that of Nokia 3.4. Thus, the upcoming Nokia 5.4 has screen that is closer to 6.4-inch in diagonal length. And it has a resolution of 1560 x 720 pixels. This time around, Nokia has included a punch-hole instead of a notch to house the front camera.
A capacitive touch-sensor is there on the back just below the camera module. And talking about the colors, there are two options – Polar Night and Dusk.
Camera
On the back, there’s a quad-camera setup in a circular cutout. The primary sensor is of 48MP. A 5MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens complete the setup. Up front, there’s a 16MP sensor inside the punch-hole.
Internal specs
Nokia 5.4 runs on the Snapdragon 662 SoC. It is the same chipset that the Poco M3 and the Moto G9 series devices are equipped with. The chipset can be paired with either 4GB or 6GB RAM and either 64GB or 128GB storage.
The device packs in a 4000mAh battery that charges at 10W via the USB-C port.
As expected, the phone ships with Android 10. However, an update for Android 11 is already on the work. The major selling point of the device will still be its software experience. It will offer a near-stock Android experience. The Android One Program will guarantee 2 years of the software update and 3 years of security updates.
Nokia 5.4 Specifications:
Body: 6.34 x 2.99 x 0.34-inches; 181gm
Display: 6.39-inches IPS LCD panel
Resolution: 1560 x 720-pixels; 19.5:9 aspect ration
Nokia 5.4 Price in Nepal & Availability (expected)
Nokia 5.4 will be available for purchase in Europe later this month. The base configuration i.e 4/64GB variant is priced at €189. There are other two variants, 4/128GB and 6/64GB. However, they are yet to receive official pricing.
HMD Global will probably launch this device in other regions including Nepal. However, a specific date has not been revealed. And the price of the base variant of Nokia 5.4 in Nepal will be around NPR. 28,000.
Apple started its transition into Arm-powered MacBooks a few weeks ago. For a start, Apple introduced a MacBook Air, a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and a Mac mini. The Apple Silicon M1 that powers the new Macs have put its predecessor far behind. And now, rumors have already started circulating about the Apple Silicon M1X which will supposedly power the upcoming 16-inch MacBook Pro. In this post, we will be taking a look at all the rumors of the Apple Silicon M1X and the 16-inch MacBook Pro that it will power.
But some… uninspiring news first
As I mentioned earlier, Apple’s transition from Intel processors to its Apple Silicon will take almost two years. Yes, that’s right – Intel-powered Macs will still be around. Apple will still launch new Macs with Intel processors. According to recent rumors, Apple will launch a 16-inch MacBook Pro in the first three months of 2021.
Apple M1X:
-12 Cores.
– 8 performance cores.
– 4 high efficiency cores.
– Coming first on a MacBook Pro 16” unveiling as a press release.
– According to a source who used a prototype, “if you think M1 is fast, you haven’t seen M1X”.
The original leak by Apple News stated that the launch will take place on March 16. However, if LeaksApplePro is to be believed, the launch will take place in the first two months. He has also added that the 16-inch Intel MacBook Pro will be for developers and that regular users should avoid it altogether. This Intel-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro will be a mere refresh and come with AMD GPU. Similarly, there won’t be any significant changes in the design.
M1X – The next Apple Silicon for Macs
Let’s talk about Apple’s second Arm-based chip for its Macs. Though we are calling it the Apple Silicone M1X for this post, it might not be the case when it’s official. LeaksApplePro, who initially talked about this chip has stated that the name has not been finalized. But what’s in the name, anyway?
The new chip is expected to feature a total of 12 cores. Eight of them will be performance cores while the rest will be efficiency cores. To compare, the M1 features an octa-core architecture with four high-performance cores and an equal number of efficiency cores. Even with eight cores, it has outperformed Intel processors in the last-generation 16-inch MacBook Pro. Thus, people have high expectations with the M1X chip. And it is not just about performance. In addition to the added performance, the M1 in the 13-inch MacBook Pro resulted in two times the battery endurance. Can Apple pull this off with the 16-inch MacBook Pro? We just have to wait.
Arm-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro
According to the LeaksApplePro, the launch of the Arm-based 16-inch MacBook Pro will take place after that of the Intel refresh. While the information on this upcoming MacBook is scarce, the leak suggests that it will have smaller bezels. Just last week, Ming-Chi Kuo, a reliable Apple analyst, had suggested that the new Arm-based MacBook Pro will have to feature a new design.
16-inch MacBook Pro (Apple Silicon M1X) Availability
If we were to believe Ming-Chi Kuo, the new Apple Silicon M1X-powered 16-inch MacBook Pro will be available in the second half of 2021. However, LeaksApple Pro has given a more particular date: June 1st. However, it’s all rumors for now so take the info with a grain of salt.
Apple MacBook Model
Availability (Expected)
16-inch MacBook Pro with M1X
2021
Watch our review of the Acer Swift 3 2020 (Intel).
![ZenBook 14 - Ports [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZenBook-14-Ports-2.jpg)
![ZenBook 14 - Ports [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ZenBook-14-Ports-1.jpg)
![OPPO F17 Pro - Design [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/OPPO-F17-Pro-Design-2.jpg)
![OPPO F17 Pro - Design [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/OPPO-F17-Pro-Design-1.jpg)
