Earlier this month, Oppo launched the A53 in Nepal. The main selling point of the smartphone was the 90Hz display. And now, the company has launched Oppo A33 in select markets. It keeps the main specs of the A53 intact but brings some changes in the camera department. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Oppo A33 in Nepal.
Oppo A33 Overview
Design and Display
Like the A53, the Oppo A33 sports a 6.5-inch LCD display. Oppo is emphasizing on the 90Hz refresh rate. However, the resolution is only HD+. The smartphone sports a trendy look with the punch-hole display. The circular cut-out for the front camera is on the top left corner of the screen.
At the back, there is a rectangular camera module that houses the triple camera setup. The back panel also houses the physical fingerprint scanner. Oppo A53 is available in two color options – Mint Green and Moonlight Black.
Performance
Under the hood, Oppo has included the same chipset that is used in the A53 – Snapdragon 460. This 11nm chip from Qualcomm features eight Kryo 240 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. The graphics are handled by Adreno 610 GPU. On the other hand, the memory configuration has been changed. While the A53 landed in Nepal with 4+64GB memory, the A33 has 3GB of RAM paired with 32GB of internal storage. The latter is expandable up to 256GB.
Camera
While Oppo has gone with a triple-camera setup, it has downgraded the size of the primary camera on the A33. The A53 came with a 16MP camera, but it has been reduced to 13MP in the A33. The rest of the setup has remained the same including the 2MP depth sensor and 2MP macro sensor. These three sensors are arranged vertically in the rectangular camera bump, alongside the flash.
Oppo has also compromised the camera on the front of the device. The A53 came with a 16MP front camera while the A33 now has an 8MP selfie camera enclosed inside the punch-hole cutout.
Rest of the specs
Oppo A33 features the same 5,000mAh as the A53. Both smartphones support 18W fast charging. Here, the Oppo A33 will ship with ColorOS 7.2 based on Android 10. For biometrics, there is a capacitive fingerprint sensor at the back of the device.
Oppo A33 will go on sale in Indonesia from October 1 for the price of IDR 2,200,000. We can expect the price of Oppo A33 in Nepal to be around NPR 18,000 when it launches later on.
Looking for a tablet that you can easily take out on an adventure? Or maybe one that won’t stop functioning even if it falls off from your hands, well Samsung has brought just the right device for you. Today the company launched its rugged version of the Galaxy Tab, especially for those who work on the field a lot. The follow up to 2017’s Galaxy Tab Active 2 has finally arrived. Aptly named the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 3, the device brings in a lot of improvements than its predecessor with enhanced durability on top. Keep on reading to find out more about the Galaxy Tab Active 3, including the information about its price and availability in Nepal.
Galaxy Tab Active 3 Overview
Let’s start with the durability of the device as it is the major attraction factor of the device. The Tab Active 3 has a rubberized shell covering. This gives the device MIL-STD-810H compliance. Meaning, it can easily survive drops from up to 1.2 meters. Furthermore, it also has IP68 water and dust resistance rating. And if that wasn’t enough, the Tab Active 3 can be fitted with a rugged case that increases its durability height to 1.5 meters. Finally, the cherry-on-top is that its S-Pen also comes with an IP68 rating.
The device has an 8.0-inch IPS LCD screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The screen can be operated with gloved hands. However, to do that, you’ll have to turn on the touch sensitivity option in the settings.
Cameras are nothing to flex about on this device. It sports a 5MP selfie camera and a 13MP rear camera with auto-focus.
Under the hood, the Tab Active 3 is equipped with the Exynos 9810 SoC. It is the same chipset that we had seen on the Note 10 Lite. The chipset is complemented by 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage. Other features include NFC, Wi-Fi 6, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, and Galileo. Tab Active 3 will be available in both Wi-Fi and LTE versions.
The power system is pretty sleek too. It has a 5050mAh removable battery that can be charged with a USB-C cable. Or you can also charge it through the side-mounted POGO pins. Furthermore, it has a “No Battery” mode too. That means you can directly power the device from a power source without the battery.
Software-wise, the tablet will come with Android 10 out-of-the-box. However, it will receive Android 11 updates once it becomes available. And similar to the Galaxy Xcover Pro, the Galaxy Tab Active 3 will also receive three major OS updates.
Specifications:
Dimension: 8.42 x 5.03 x 0.39-inches; 426gms(Wi-Fi), 429(LTE)
Display: 8.0-inches PLS TFT LCD;
Resolution: WUXGA(1920x 1200)
OS: Android 10.0
Chipset: Exynos 9810
RAM: 4GB
ROM: 64GB / 128GB expandable up to 1TB via MicroSD card
Durability: IP68 water and dust resistance; 1.5m anti-shock with inbox protective cover; MIL-STD-810H
Security: Knox Suite; Face Recognition, Fingerprint Scanner
Accessories: S Pen (IP68 Certified)
Galaxy Tab Active 3 Price and Availability
The device will be available in a select few countries in Europe and Asia for now. For now, we don’t have any information about the price of the Galaxy Tab Active 3 in Nepal or elsewhere. But we will be sure to update you as soon as the company unveils it.
Oppo Nepal has added a new member to its lineup of Enco wireless earbuds in Nepal. The new Oppo Enco W51 ranks between the Enco Free and Enco W31 and is the first TWS from the company to feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). Let’s learn more about the Oppo Enco W51, including its specs, features, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Oppo Enco W51 Overview
Design
Talking about the design, the Enco W51 is similar to the W31. The earpiece sports an Apple AirPod-like steam design with an elliptical head. The Enco W51 has silicone ear tips, which can be replaced by other tips that offer better fit and comfort. Similarly, the color scheme on the Enco W51 is being called the light lapse design. It is available in two color options – Floral White and Starry Blue, both of which said to be inspired by nature.
The carrying case of the Enco W51 sports a squarish design with curved edges. The rounded corners make it look bulgy. With the two earpieces included in the case, the whole setup weighs around 55.5g.
Connectivity and Controls
Oppo Enco W51 supports Bluetooth 5.0 for connection and audio transmission. Theoretically, it should be effective within the 10m radius. However, it will be affected by nearby objects and other disturbances. The earbuds support binaural low-latency transmission, which should work with compatible Qualcomm and MediaTek-powered devices alike. Quick Pairing is supported in select Oppo Devices running on ColorOS 7.0 and above. The company is also working to bring support to other devices as well.
These earbuds come with touch-enabled control. By default, a double-tap on the right earphone will play the next song while a double-tap on the other side will enable the noise reduction function. A triple tap on either earphone will activate the Voice Assistant. The controls are customizable but you will need an Oppo smartphone with ColorOS 7.0 and above for it.
Oppo Enco W51 features 7nm dynamic driver. The company claims that the dual TPU composite graphene diaphragms improve the audio response and treble sound. The earbuds come with a response rate of 20Hz – 20kHz. Each earbud includes a total of three microphones, which along with Oppo’s deep noise reduction algorithm, will help in maintain clear sound during calls and music playback.
The noise reduction algorithm is backed by a dual-core digital noise reduction chip. Together with the microphones, Oppo is boasting noise reduction depth of up to 35dB. However, it should be noted that the feature works best with low-frequency range and won’t be that effective with high frequency such as human voice.
Rest of the specs
Oppo has included a 25mAh Li-Ion battery on Oppo Enco W51, which it claims can last up to 4 hours (3.5 hours with ANC on). The 480mAh battery of the charging case bumps the number to up to 24 hours (20 hours with ANC on). The charging case has a Type-C port but it also supports Qi Wireless charging. The earphones have an IP54 rating against dust and splash damage.
Oppo Enco W51 TWS earbuds is now officially available in Nepal for a price of Rs. 8,990. You can buy the Enco W51 from different OPPO authorized retail stores across Nepal.
TWS
Official Price
Available
Oppo Enco W51
Rs.8,990
Offline stores
Watch our review of OPPO Enco W11, W31, M31 Bluetooth earphones.
Oppo has finally launched its smartwatch in the Nepali market. It is available in 2 sizes: 41mm and 46mm and offers up to 3 weeks of battery life. Moreover, it is powered by Google Wear OS and has a flexible Dual-Curved Display.
Oppo Watch Overview
Design and Display
The design of the Oppo Watch is heavily inspired by the Apple Watch. It features a squarish display that is available in two sizes – 1.91 and 1.6-inch. The former comes with a flexible dual-curved AMOLED panel. It also has a higher pixel density of 326PPI. Similarly, the 1.6-inch variant has a flat AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 301PPI.
The frame of the watch is made up of 6000-series Aluminium alloy and its bottom consists of plastic and ceramics. The smaller variant has a matte finish, while on the other hand, the larger variant comes with a glossy finish. Both variants come with rubber straps.
Internal Specs
Oppo Watch is powered by Snapdragon Wear 3100, compared to Wear 2500 in the Chinese variant. Ambiq Micro’s Apollo3 co-processor has been retained. The processors will be used in two different scenarios. The global variant of the Oppo Watch replaces the tweaked-ColorOS used in the Chinese variant with Google’s Wear OS. On the other hand, you can use the device in two modes. The watch will use the Qualcomm processor when running on Smart mode. The Apollo 3, on the other hand, will power the energy-efficient Power Saver mode.
Features
With Wear OS, users can download loads of apps from the Play Store. The watch has Google Assistant, Google Fit (for tracking exercise), and Google Pay (contactless payment) built-in. You can even stream and download music in Oppo Watch. Other smart features include message notification, find my phone, and schedule management. You can create a custom watch face to match your outfit by simply taking pictures of your outfit using your phone.
In addition to exercise tracking, it also comes with real-time heart monitoring. The global variant will use four optical sensors for the purpose. The watch will warn users if it detects anything abnormal. Similarly, it can also monitor your sleep and make you calm with breathing exercises. Also, the watch will remind you to remain active if you sit idle for a long period.
Battery and Durability
In smart mode, the 1.91-inch variant can last up to 36 hours. It can be bumped up to 21 days when used in Power Saver mode. Similarly, the 1.6-inch variant can last 24 hours and 14 days in Smart mode Power Saver mode, respectively.
The VOOC charger can charge the watch completely in just 75 minutes. The bigger variant comes with 5ATM certification, whereas the smaller variant comes with 3ATM.
Oppo Watch Specifications:
Dimensions: (41mm: 41.45 x 36.37W x 13-mm); (46mm: 46 x 39W x 12.96-mm))
Weight: (41mm: 30.1gm / 46mm: 39.3gm) w/out strap
Body: Aluminium alloy frame, Ceramic + PC bottom, Fluororubber strap
Oppo Watch price in Nepal for the 41mm WiFi variant is Rs. 24,990, whereas the 46mm WiFi variant costs Rs. 34,990. It is available for purchase from select mobile retail shops all over Nepal starting 1st of October.
Smartwatch Model
Price in Nepal
Oppo Watch (41mm)
NPR 24,990
Oppo Watch (46mm)
NPR 34,990
Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3.
OPPO was supposedly done with its “F” series of smartphones but the company surprised with the launch of F15 earlier this year. And now, there’s a follow-up to that in the form of OPPO F17 & F17 Pro. As expected, the major selling point of these phones is a sleek design & a lightweight build. These devices have now made their way to Nepal as well. Let’s take a closer look at the new OPPO F17, Pro including its specs, features, official price in Nepal & availability.
OPPO F17 Pro Overview
Design & Display
Starting with the design, the F17 Pro is incredibly sleek measuring just 7.48mm in thickness. At 164gm, is incredibly lightweight too. In comparison, OPPO F15’s spec-sheet reads 7.9mm thickness and a weight of 172gm. With this, the phone also manages to be the lightest in the entire “F” series. The rear panel has a shiny matte finish and the phone is available in three color options: Magic Blue, Matte Black, and Metallic White. F17 Pro’s edges are further 220° roundness for a better grip.
Coming to the display, you’re getting a 6.43-inches Super AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution and the regular 60Hz refresh rate. Interestingly, the display has 180Hz of the touch sampling rate. Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3, this display boasts a 90.67% screen-to-body ratio thanks to the dual punch-holes for the front camera & minimal bezels. This display is also certified for HD playback in Netflix & Amazon Prime Video. Since it’s an AMOLED panel, you’re also getting an in-display fingerprint sensor. According to OPPO, the F17 Pro’s sensor can unlock the phone in just 0.3 seconds.
Performance & Memory
Getting to the performance, the F17 Pro is powered by MediaTek’s Helio P95 SoC. It’s nothing exciting but that’s always been the OPPO story. It is available in a single memory configuration with 8GB LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. You can further expand the internal storage using a dedicated micro SD card slot. OPPO has compensated the comparatively incompetent silicon with an “Anti-Lag Algorithm”.
This will apparently detect & clear data causing memory errors in the phone, which results in infrequent lags & stutters. To get specific, the anti-lag algorithm reduces the overall lag by up to 22%. F17 Pro runs on OPPO’s latest ColorOS 7.2 out of the box. The phone also has this new air gesture feature where you can pick up calls without physically having to touch the phone. You’ll be able to activate this feature from as far as 20 – 50 cm (vertically).
Cameras
On the camera side of things, the OPPO F17 Pro has 6 lense in total. Upfront, you get two selfie cameras sandwiched between a small punch-hole cutout on the top left corner of the display. The punch-hole itself has a small diameter of 3.7mm. It houses a 16MP primary Sony IMX471 sensor alongside a 2MP depth camera.
At the back, you’ll find 4 cameras arranged inside a squarish module. All the lenses have been mounted in a circular layout kinda resembling how Apple did its iPhone 11 series. Here, the primary camera is a 48MP Samsung sensor which is followed by an 8MP wide-angle and two 2MP mono cameras. This 48MP sensor takes 12MP binned images by default. There’s an LED strip at the side of the camera module.
An interesting camera feature on the F17 Pro is its multi-person hardware-level bokeh in photo and video which is thanks to the aforementioned dual-mono cameras. Other options include ultra steady video, AI Color Portrait, AI Beautification 2.0, etc.
Battery
OPPO F17 Pro is powered by a moderate 4015mAh battery which supports 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0. The company says it can fully charge the phone in just 53 minutes and just 5 minutes of charge gives you up to 4 hours of talk time, 1.9 hours of Instagram & 1.7 hours of YouTube. There’s also a neat AI Night Charging feature which gradually charges your phone overnight and lands on the 100% mark at an AI determined wakeup time.
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack; LDAC, aptX, aptX HD audio codec
Connectivity: Dual SIM card (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS/QZSS, USB Type-C
Battery: 4015mAh with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
Colors: Magic Blue, Matte Black, Metallic White
OPPO F17 Overview
The regular OPPO F17 on the other hand has a 6.44-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a small teardrop notch for the 16MP selfie camera. It features a quad-camera setup at the back as well consisting of a 16MP primary, an 8MP ultra-wide, a 2MP monochrome, and finally a 2MP depth sensor.
OPPO F17 is available in either 4, 6, or 8GB RAM and has an expandable 128GB of internal storage. Running the whole show is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 SoC which is manufactured under the 11nm process. In terms of battery, it has a 4015mAh cell with 30W VOOC charging from its Pro sibling. And just like F17 Pro, the regular F17 is also incredibly slim & lightweight at just 7.45mm thickness & 163 grams.
OPPO F17 Specifications:
Display: 6.44-inches Super AMOLED panel
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels); 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (11nm mobile platform)
CPU: Octa-core – 4 x performance and 4 x efficiency Kryo 260 CPU cores (Up to 2.0GHz)
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 4/6/8GB LPDDR4x
Storage: 64/128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable)
Software & UI: ColorOS 7.2 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
– 16MP, f/2.2 primary shooter
– 8MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide lens
– 2MP, f/2.4 monochrome camera
– 2MP, f/2.4 depth camera
– LED flash
Connectivity: Dual SIM card (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS/QZSS, USB Type-C
Battery: 4015mAh with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0
Colors: Navy Blue, Classic Silver, Dynamic Orange
OPPO F17, F17 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
The Oppo F17 Pro official price in Nepal is set at Rs. 43,990. It will be available for purchase from the 1st of October. Similarly, the Oppo F17 is priced at Rs. 33,990 and will be available from the 5th of October.
Smartphone Model
Price in Nepal (Official)
Availability
OPPO F17 Pro (8/128GB)
NPR 43,990
Oct 1, 2020
OPPO F17 (6/128GB)
NPR 33,990
Oct 5, 2020
Watch: The Truth about OPPO A-series (ft. OPPO A52/A53)
Amazon has announced that it’s entering the cloud gaming business. The new Luna gaming service will go head to head against Microsoft xCloud and Google Stadia. Let’s learn more about the Amazon Luna, including the gaming and services provided, pricing, and availability.
Amazon Luna Overview
Amazon’s Luna is the newest gaming service that lets you play games on Windows PC, macOS devices, and Fire TV. In addition to that, iPhone and iPad users can enjoy the services using web apps. Weirdly enough, it isn’t available on Android devices at launch. Since Amazon also owns Twitch, users can watch Twitch streams using Luna. According to The Verge, Amazon Luna will be accessing Intel Cascade Lake CPUs and NVIDIA’s T4 over Amazon’s EC2 G4 server instance. The T4 is based on Turing architecture that the company has used in RTX / Ti cards. It supports DirectX raytracing and provides up to 8.1 TFLOPS.
Recommended Internet Speed
For a smooth experience on Amazon’s Luna, all one needs is a high-speed internet connection. To enjoy gaming on Luna, you’ll need an internet connection of at least 10Mbps for 1080p resolution. You’re gonna need at least 35Mbps connection if you want 4K gaming. It supports both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi bands. However, for the best experience, Amazon obviously recommends having the faster 35Mbps option of the two.
Amazon Luna – Subscription
Users can choose between two channels – Luna+ and Ubisoft. As of now, only the former is available. Amazon has not put a cap on gaming hours. With a gaming profile, users can stream games in two devices simultaneously. The Ubisoft channel will include titles from Ubisoft, including some ultimate edition of some titles. It also allows for 4K gaming. Also, under the Ubisoft gaming channel, users can only stream through a single device at a time.
Requirements
For Luna, your PC must have Windows 10 with DirectX 11. Mac devices should run on at least macOS 10.13+. It is supported by 2nd-gen Fire TV Stick / Cube and on Fire TV Stick 4K. Similarly, the supported web browsers are Chrome v83+ (for PC and Mac devices), and Safari for iPhones (iOS 14) and iPad. Luna has its own game controller but the user can also use DualShock 4 controller, mouse, keyboard, and Xbox Controller.
Amazon Luna Pricing and Availability
As of now, Luna is available only in the mainland USA. Users need to request early access. If accepted, they will receive an invitation and they will have to buy the Luna controller on their own. The price of Luna+ subscription starts at $5.99 per month.
Lately, Oppo has been expanding its business beyond smartphones. We saw the Chinese smartphone brand launch its first fitness band and smartwatch. It has also added products in its lineup of wireless earbuds. And now, the company has confirmed that it will be introducing its first smart TV later this month. Let’s learn more about the upcoming Oppo Smart TV, along with its rumors, leaks, expected price, and availability.
Oppo Smart TV: Everything we know so far
Early Rumors
Rumors about the Oppo Smart TV stretches back to last December when a report from GizmoChina claimed that the company was working on a smart TV of its own. The report made sense back then as Oppo had just announced to expand its ecosystem of products during the INNO Day conference. In June, another report by MyDrivers supported the early assumption. Apparently, Oppo’s Vice President Liu Bo himself confirmed that the Smart TV will be available in the second half of 2020.
Official Confirmation
The company first teased the TV after the announcement of the Reno4 series in China. To celebrate the first anniversary of 5G commercialization in China, the company released a photo showcasing its recent success. At the bottom of the picture was a sketch of a TV, along with other products.
Oppo officially confirmed the news of the Smart TV in the recent 2020 Oppo Developers Conference (ODC). In the event, Oppo announced ColorOS 11 (based on Android 11), Energies Action 2.0, and HeyTap features. The main focus was on expanding and improving Oppo’s IoT ecosystem. For the latter, the company is bringing its TV.
While there are no official details about the TV, a report from MyDrivers earlier this month suggested that it will be available in two screen sizes – 65-inch and 55-inch. The TV was spotted in the China 3c certifications. The listing suggested that each size will have ten models each. Similarly, two remote were spotted on Bluetooth SIG listing. The two remotes with model number RC-001D and BRC-004 are believed to belong to the Oppo TV.
Oppo Smart TV Launch Date
Oppo has announced that its Smart TV will be launched in October 2020. It will be joining the likes of OnePlus, Xiaomi, Nokia, and Realme, that have all launched smart TV of their own. However, there is no information about its official specs, price, and availability yet.
Samsung’s TU8000 series has finally made its way into Nepal. The TU8000 series is the company’s 4K UHD offering for 2020. There are four televisions under this series that have been launched in Nepal. They were launched under the “Joddai Khusi Sajaau Jindagi 2020” scheme. And for a limited time, these televisions along with other models and refrigerators will be available at an offer price. Let’s check out the overview of the Samsung TU8000 series along with their actual and offer price in Nepal.
Samsung TU8000 series 4K TV
The TVs in this series use Samsung’s Crystal LCD UHD panel technology. They run on the Crystal 4K processor. And it ensures that you get the optimized color expression on your screen. While these TVs are not top-of-the-line products, they are still an attractive offering at a better price than the 8500-series.
Similarly, these have plastic build although Samsung promises the robustness of the device. With the TU8000-series, the company has gone on to minimize the thickness of the bezels. Thus, users will have more screen to view. Furthermore, TVs include multiple screen sizes to choose from. Samsung has included the Ambient Mode on the TU-8000 line up too. This feature allows one to have a selection of patterns that appear on the screen when the user is not watching the TV.
In terms of I/O, these devices have 3x HDMI ports, 2x USB ports, 1x RF input, 1x composite video in, Cl slot, 1x ethernet port andn1x optical output port.
These are smart TVs, so they are pretty much equipped with almost all on-demand apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Disney Plus. Furthermore, there is an app store where users can download other apps that they might require. These TVs use the Tizen smart TV system and come equipped with Alexa and Bixby.
Sound Features: Dolby Digital Plus, Dialog Enhancement, 2CH (speaker type), Multiroom Link, Bluetooth Audio
OS: Tizen OS
Connectivity: 3 x HDMI, 2 x USB, 1 x AV, 1 x Ethernet,1 x Digital Audio Out, 1 x RF In, eARC, Bluetooth 4.2
Features: Adaptive Sound, Ambient Mode, Color Detection, Voice Guide, Digital Clean View, ConnectShare, Game Mode, IPv6Support, Eco Sensor
Color: Black
Samsung TU8000 4K TV Price in Nepal
Currently, four screen-size variants of the Samsung TU8000 series are available for purchase in Nepal. The price of the 43″ variant is NPR 95,990. Similarly the prices of the 55″, 65″, and 75″ variants are NPR 152,990, NPR 238,990, and NPR 520,990 respectively. However, they are currently available at an offer price, and you can check them out on the table below.
Earlier this year, JBL announced the launch of Boombox 2, which the company claims has JBL’s biggest, loudest, and deepest bass in a portable speaker yet. Finally, this Bluetooth speaker has made its way into the Nepali market. Let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of JBL Boombox 2 in Nepal.
JBL Boombox 2 Overview
Design
Although the company lists it as a portable Bluetooth speaker, the Boombox 2 is not your typical portable Bluetooth speaker. It’s massive in size and weighs around 5.9 kg. Dimension-wise, the speaker measures 48.5 x 20.1 x 25.7cm. Since its too big to fit in most of the bags, it comes with a grip handle that can be used to carry it around.
It also has a unique design that the company says is bold, sleek, and powerful. Nevertheless, walk around the streets with the Boombox 2 and you will certainly turn some heads.
Connectivity and Performance
Like the rest of the portable speakers from JBL, it comes with JBL Signature Pro Sound. The speaker covers frequency ranging from 50Hz to 20kHz (-10dB). Two speakers are rated 40W each, which is reduced to 30W in battery mode. You can even connect it to other PartyBoost compatible speakers for a richer experience.
JBL BoomBox 2 supports Bluetooth transmission. It operates on 2.402 GHz – 2.480 GHz Bluetooth frequency. Similarly, it supports A2DP 1.3 and AVRCP 1.6 Bluetooth profiles. You can even plug in a 3.5mm headphone jack if you want.
Battery and Durability
It features a massive battery of 10,000 mAh which the company claims can provide up to 24 hours of continuous music playback. It can also be used as a power bank to charge your smartphone. The speaker takes around 6.5 hours to get fully charged once it runs out of juice. Boombox 2 comes with an IPX7 rating against water damage so you won’t have to worry about taking it outdoor or to a backyard pool party.
JBL Boombox 2 Specifications:
Body: 48.5 x 20.1 x 25.1cm; 5.9kg
Battery: 10,000 mAh; reverse charging
Battery Life: Up to 24 hours
Charging: Within 6.5 hours
IP Rating: IPX7 (Up to 3 feet for 30 minutes)
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.1 (A2DP V1.3, AVRCP V1.6), USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Output Power: 2 x 40W (RMS)
Frequency Response: 50Hz – 20kHz
JBL Boombox 2 Price in Nepal and Availability
EvoStore has finally launched the JBL Boombox in Nepal with a price tag of Rs. 52,000. It is available via different online and offline stores.
Even with the wild boom in the e-commerce scene, the offline market still remains a major player when it comes to the electronics industry in numerous Asian countries. A vast majority of people still prefer the appeal of a physical store compared to the comfort of online buying. And if you take a closer look at the variation in the quality of products between the two markets, a weird and unsettling fact begins to take shape. Allow me to get a little more specific here. Also, this review of OPPO A52 is going to be a little different as we explore the problem in the company’s offline-centric smartphones.
A little bit of background into the offline market
You see, most smartphones offered exclusively in the offline stores are of objectively worse value when comparing it with some other devices geared towards the online market. Adding further insult to the injury is the fact that certain manufacturers have found immense success exploiting the seemingly less tech-conscious portion of buyers and selling them the said inferior products.
As a tech reviewer, it’s quite honestly infuriating. Now, I’m not rooting against brick and mortar stores altogether – no, no, no. Were the disparity between product offerings between online and offline markets negligible, this review would’ve turned a whole lot different. But since that’s obviously not the case, we’re throwing shade at such practices.
And one of the manufacturers that has a major foothold in the offline stores is OPPO. Prioritizing design & cameras in its product portfolio, we’ve been wowed by the company’s flagship devices for years. It is also pretty consequential in terms of smartphone fast charging technologies. Having said that, most of OPPO’s offline-targeted budget and mid-range phones exude a lack of motivation towards building a solid phone for its customers.
Recently, it launched the OPPO A52 which I’ve been using for some time now. To be completely honest with you guys, seeing how you can just tell it’s not a good phone with a quick glance at the spec sheet and the price-tag, I didn’t want to review this phone.
OPPO A52 Specifications:
Body: 6.38 x 2.97 x 0.35-inches; 192gm; Plastic body
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS with A-GPS / Beidous / Glonass, USB-C, LTE
Battery: 5000mAh with 18W Fast Charge
Sensors: Accelerometer, Proximity, Compass
Colors: Twilight Black, Stream White
Price in Nepal: Rs. 29,990 (4/128GB)
OPPO A52 Review:
So naturally, I’d assumed that the phone must be selling terribly, as it deserves. To my surprise, I came to discover that the phone was doing really well in the offline market and exceeding sales expectations. What?! Because of this, I had to give it another try. For my review, I also had the Realme 6 for a side-by-side comparison since this and the OPPO A52 are priced similarly.
Design & Display
Plastic body with “Alaska Sky”-inspired rear panel
6.5-inches FHD+ TFT IPS LCD panel
Besides the cost itself, these two phones share a kinda-sorta similar look as well. They both have an identical 6.5-inches FHD+ panel and the punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera is on the same side and is of practically the same diameter. OPPO A52 and Realme 6’s similarities extend to the form factor and build materials too.
The rear panel, on the other hand, explores the difference between the phones. As you can see, the cameras are arranged differently and the finishing texture itself looks contrasting between the two devices. I’d slightly lean towards the A52 for its a-bit more modern approach. Being an offline oriented smartphone, this better had a standout look.
Performance
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC (11nm)
Either 4/6/8GB RAM and up to 128GB internal storage (expandable)
Apart from the looks, the difference in the internal hardware is rather significant and makes the case for our disappointment. Here, the OPPO A52 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 which is a poor performer for the price. Pair that with such a heavy Android skin that is the ColorOS 7, the OPPO A52 manages to become one of the worst values in terms of performance. With up to 6GB RAM onboard, its multitasking isn’t something exciting either.
As a result, if you’re doing some kind of heavy multitasking or have some apps running in the background, the phone is just isn’t as smooth as you’d want. But OPPO A52’s weakness shines the best when it comes to gaming. Furthermore, I also noticed a touch latency issue on the phone. The already-incompetent chipset and the wacky touch latency issue means playing games (especially first-person shooters like PUBG) aren’t fun at all.
In comparison, you get a much faster MediaTek Helio G90T on Realme 6 which is further complemented by a smoother 90Hz display as opposed to the regular 60Hz on the OPPO A52. That’s a real shame considering how Realme is just another part of OPPO. To see such a wide variation in comparably priced products in daunting – even more, when you discover that people are actually buying such overpriced smartphones.
16MP front-facing camera inside the punch-hole cutout
Cameras
1 of 2
Back
Front
Other than the display and the performance, I found out that the cameras on the OPPO A52 are also much inferior to Realme 6, which itself isn’t the best for the price, to begin with. And remember, OPPO takes pride in its cameras.
Normal
1 of 5
Granted this is just another mid-range phone, the images were still unsatisfactory to what I’d expected.
OPPO A52 v Realme 6
1 of 10
OPPO A52 - Normal
Realme 6 - Normal
OPPO A52 - Normal
Realme 6 - Normal
OPPO A52 - Nighttime
Realme 6 - Nighttime
OPPO A52 - Portrait
Realme 6 - Portrait
OPPO A52 - Portrait
Realme 6 - Portrait
The photos are lacking in detail and don’t compare to the ones from Realme 6 in almost every department like daylight, portraits, selfies, and even night mode.
Battery
5000mAh battery with 18W Fast Charge
Let’s take a brief pause from this series of complaints. Surprisingly, OPPO A52 has one saving grace in the form of a big 5000mAh battery. And that’s incomplete as well. You’re not getting the company’s signature VOOC charging technology which has been substituted with a common 18W fast charging instead.
As a result, it takes about 2 and a half hours to fully charge the phone. Another cool feature on the phone is the dual stereo speakers which are pretty uncommon on mid-range smartphones.
OPPO A52 Review: The Buyer’s Perspective
Rounding it all up, the OPPO A52 makes little sense from a buyer’s perspective looking at its direct competition. This isn’t the company’s first hurrah at a terribly priced phone either – OPPO’s A-series of smartphones have always resonated with the same trend. Last year, I reviewed the OPPO A7 and A9 which both were way too overpriced and it’s sad seeing how the company doesn’t seem to have learned from its past mistakes.
Things keep getting worse though. As a tech reviewer who’s been doing this for quite some time now, it is really hurtful and unsatisfying to see how well such phones are doing in the market. OPPO A52 isn’t particularly an exciting device from start to finish which I believe I’ve sufficiently covered up to this part of the review. So, it’s not that weird seeing how little reviews of the device is out there on the internet. I’m not going to call any names but even with the simplest of YouTube searches, you can see how most tech channels have resorted to unboxing and first look instead of a detailed review.
Exploiting The Need For Free
Attracting viewers with a giveaway (which most likely is sponsored) to garner hype for a lackluster product is a pretty ingenious marketing scheme that companies like OPPO have come up with. I have to hand it to the company though, investing this little for marketing is exactly what a phone like OPPO A52 deserves. People will always seek out for free stuff and giveaways are an excellent way to circulate the word of mouth. And in the typical fashion, you won’t find A52’s review from the same giveaway organizers.
Left: OPPO A52 | Right: Realme 6
I mean, it’s their choice whether to come up with a separate review or not – there’s nothing wrong with that. But organizing a giveaway just to deprive your audience of your full review speaks volumes don’t you think? It doesn’t end there for OPPO. The OPPO A31 that launched a while ago is yet another fine example of an outrageously priced smartphone. In the hindsight, it is a cheaper yet overpriced version of the A52. In recent times, OPPO came up with A53 which excitingly, brings 90Hz smoothness but unfortunately on an HD+ display.
And The Cycle Continues
It’s single “advantage” (if you’d like to call it that) is horrendously overshadowed by all the other features packed into the device. OPPO A53 has downgraded silicon, an inferior camera setup, and with all these – you can instantly tell that the phone isn’t worth all your hard-earned cash. Once again, the giveaway-induced marketing strategy has been executed for this phone too. Exploiting the innate psychological attraction of people towards freebies, only to promote an objectively flawed product to the masses is just plain immoral if you ask me.
So I guess that’s it for our review, rant of the OPPO A52. The smartphone market is constantly evolving and so are the number of people making an educated purchase. I just wish we reached the point of saturation sooner than later so that brands like OPPO won’t profit off of the apparent illiteracy of the general buyers.
According to 
