Apple will be unveiling the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup later this week (October 13 to be exact). However, the major specs of all the four devices under the new lineup have been leaked courtesy of Kang. Let’s learn more about the upcoming iPhone 12 series, including all the rumors, leaks, specs, price, launch date, and availability.
Apple iPhone 12 Series Overview
Display
The upcoming iPhone 12 series will feature four different devices, the smallest and cheapest being the Mini variant. All the devices will feature a Super Retina XDR display of different screen sizes, with Ceramic Shield Front Cover. It is a ceramic substrate glass that increases the hardness of the screen and makes the device more resistant to drop.
5G Connectivity
iPhone 12 series will be the first time we will be seeing 5G connectivity in an iPhone. All four phones are said to support the sub-6Hz 5G band. However, the faster mmWave band will be limited to the US market. The devices under the iPhone 12 lineup will have a new feature called Smart Data Mode for power efficiency. It will switch between 4G and 5G according to the bandwidth allocated for each app. Likewise, all variants of the iPhone 12 will be powered by the new A14 Bionic processor.
Camera
The vanilla iPhone 12 and the Mini version will both feature a dual-camera setup. It will consist of a primary camera and an ultra-wide-angle camera, both with f/1.6 aperture. In addition to that, the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max will have a telephoto lens and a LiDAR sensor as well. The telephoto lens on the 12 Pro support an optical zoom of up to 4x.
Similarly, the primary camera on the Pro Max variant is said to have a 1.7μm pixel size. The sensor is said to be 47% larger than that on its predecessor. The telephoto lens will support 5x optical zoom.
Irrespective of the hardware specs, all the iPhones will support features such as Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3, Night mode, and Dolby Video HDR video recording.
As for charging, Apple is reportedly bringing back the MagSafe chargers. However, this time around these will be wireless chargers that will attach to the back of the devices via a magnetic connection. There will actually be two chargers – MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger.
Apple iPhone 12 Series Specifications (Rumored):
iPhone 12 Mini
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max
Screen
5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display (BOE)
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (BOE)
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display (Samsung)
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR display (Samsung)
Storage
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Camera
Dual back cameras:
— wide-angle primary lens
— ultra-wide-angle lens
Here, the iPhone 12 Mini and the vanilla variant are said to have a starting price of $699 and $799, respectively for the 64GB variant. Similarly, Pro and Pro Max variants will have a starting price of $999 and $1099, respectively for the 128GB variants. The pricing & availability of the iPhone 12 series are summarized in the table below:
Model
Starting Price (Expected)
Pre-order Date (Expected)
Availability Date (Expected)
iPhone 12 Mini
$699
November 6/7
November 13/14
iPhone 12
$799
October 16/17
October 23/24
iPhone 12 Pro
$999
iPhone 12 Pro Max
$1099
November 13/14
November 20/21
Check out our long-term review of the iPhone SE 2020.
We have been hearing a lot about Samsung’s upcoming Exynos 2100 (also referred to as Exynos 1000) chipset a lot. However, it won’t be the first Exynos chipset to be based on the new 5nm process. Samsung has officially announced that the Exynos 1080 will be the first SoC under its 5nm process. The mid-range 5G chipset has topped the AnTutu benchmark listing beating Snapdragon 865+.
Exynos 1080 5G Overview
Exynos 1080 is the successor to the Exynos 980 which happened to be Samsung’s first chipset with a 5G integrated modem. Like its predecessor, it will cater to the mid-range smartphone market. The new chipset will be the first chipset for Android to be based on a 5nm chipset. Presumably, it will be based on the same 5nm LPE node, on which the Snapdragon 875 chipset will be based on. Samsung will also be discontinuing the use of its custom Mongoose cores.
Cores and GPU
The Cortex A78 core on the Exynos 1080 will be much more efficient than the Cortex A77 on the 980. However, we will have to wait to see how Samsung is going to clock the cores. According to ARM, Cortex A78 at 2.1 GHz can offer up to 20% better performance than the A77 at 2.3 GHz, while using the same power. Similarly, Samsung is taking a two-step leap in the GPU generation by replacing the Mali-G76 with Mali-G78. The G78 performs 25% better than the G77.
The flagship 2100 will have a 1+3+4 core configuration with a single Cortex X1 core. It will also have the Mali G78 GPU.
Benchmark Performance
According to Dr. Pan Xuebao of the Samsung R&D department (China), 1080 has scored 650,000 points in the AnTutu test. If we look at the list of global best-performing flagship phones based on AnTutu scores, Snapdragon 865+ powered Asus ROG Phone 3 tops the list with an average score of 615,289. Thus, Exynos 1080, being a premium mid-range 5G chipset will outperform Qualcomm’s flagship chipset. However, we have to consider the fact that 865+ is based on a less efficient process node of 7nm.
Samsung Exynos 1080 Availability
As far the availability is concerned, the Samsung Exynos 1080 will be restricted to the Chinese market. Some leaks suggest that the first phone to be powered by the Exynos 1080 will be the Vivo X60. Samsung is also expected to launch Exynos 2100 in 2021 for its flagship models.
Smartphone Chipset
Availability
Exynos 1080
Q4, 2020 (Vivo X60)
Exynos 2100
2021
Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
To cater customers during the festive period of Dashain, companies are coming out with various offers. Oppo is offering the “Dashain Tihar Ko Offer” for its new customers. Similarly, Vivo has come up with its own “Dashain Tihar Offer”. This festive season offer from Vivo includes lucky draw, finance offers, and many more.
Vivo Dashain Tihar Offer
This offer will be valid across the festive period. That is from October 9 to November 30. And you’ll be able to take the benefit of this offer while purchasing Vivo smartphones from Vivo exclusive shops and authorized retailers.
Participation in the lucky draw under this offer is pretty simple. While purchasing a new Vivo smartphone, simply scan the QR code present in the flyers at the shop. After that, you’ll be redirected to a page that asks you to enter some personal details. You’ll have to enter information such as name, IMEI number of the purchased phone, name of the shop, etc. Upon submission of the information, you’ll be able to spin the wheel on the virtual luck draw app. And that’s that. You win whichever thing the pointer ends up pointing at.
The prizes that are available under this lucky draw offer are TVS Ntorq, Smart TV, Powerbanks, Earbuds, Earphones, and screen replacement for 1 month. Out of these prizes the bumper prize, i.e TVS Ntorq will be given to 2 lucky winners and the 43″ Smart TV to 7 winners. Similarly, earbuds will be given to 45 people, power bank to 120, earphones to 2500, and screen replacement for 10,000 peoples. So, rest assured on every purchase you are certain to go home with at least one prize.
However, there is plenty more that Vivo is offering besides the lucky draw prizes. For every purchase of over Rs. 15,000, attractive financial will be offered to customers too. These financial offers include no-cost EMI and zero down-payment schemes.
To celebrate the upcoming festive season, Oppo Nepal has announced the “Dashain Ra Tihar Ko Offer” SMS campaign. The campaign will be conducted in three different stages and lucky customers will be able to win Oppo mobile accessories as well as smartphones as prizes. Let’s learn more about the Oppo “Dashain Ra Tihar Ko Offer” SMS campaign, including the steps for participation, prizes, and details about winner selection.
Oppo “Dashain Ra Tihar Ko Offer” SMS Campaign
Oppo Nepal will be conducting the SMS campaign in three different stages. The first stage has already been started since 8th October and the third stage will end on 14th November. Anyone who has bought a brand new Oppo smartphone or other IoT devices during the validity period will be eligible for the lucky draw. For participation,
Users will have to text the IMEI of their latest Oppo smartphone purchase to 37001 using the specified format:
OPPO <space> IMEI number
On the other hand, people who have bought an Oppo IoT product (like a smartwatch, audio accessory) will have to fill in the CMEI/DC number in the place of IMEI:
OPPO <space> CMEI/DC number
Winner Selection
The first stage of the contest will run until 16th October. Similarly, the second stage will start the next day and will run until 22nd October. Finally, the third and final stage will run from 7th November up until 14th November. The lucky draw will be conducted on Oppo Nepal’s official social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram) on 17th October, 23rd November, and 15th November, respectively.
In each lucky draw, five lucky winners will be selected among the participants. The winner of the first prize will receive a brand new Oppo F17 Pro. The second prize winner will get a 41mm Oppo Watch. Oppo is offering Oppo A1k as the third prize. Similarly, the fourth and fifth prizes are Oppo Enco W51 and Oppo Enco W11 TWS earbuds. Single participation will be valid for all three stages.
Oppo “Dashain Ra Tihar ko Offer” SMS Campaign Validity
Oppo “Dashain Ra Tihar ko Offer” will end on 14th November after its commencement on 8th October 2020. The summary of the three stages is in the table below:
Stages
Valid From
Valid Till
Winner Announcement
First
8th October
16th October
17th October
Second
17th October
22nd October
7th November
Third
7th November
14th November
15th November
Watch The truth about Oppo A-series smartphones (ft. Oppo A52/A53).
The mid-range market in Nepal is dominated by Xiaomi. And even though Samsung is trying to make a space for itself, it is still a longshot that Samsung will disrupt Xiaomi’s stronghold. So, in the midst of these two smartphone giants, where does the Nokia 5.3 stand – well, we’ll discover exactly that throughout this review.
As is the case with most Nokia phones, the Nokia 5.3 brings in the Android One experience as well. However, will customers gravitate towards this device just because of the clean and secure Android experience? Or does it bring to the table something more than what meets the eye? Well, let’s find out in our review of the Nokia 5.3.
So, I’ve got the “Cyan” color variant with me, which is actually the only color option of the Nokia 5.3 available in Nepal. It has a clean matte finish on a polycarbonate back. And despite being plastic, it does not look or feel cheap. Moreover, it is pretty sturdy and won’t attract smudges easily.
Now, the arrangement of the rear cameras on a circular module is up for debate. Should they have gone for a vertical or a horizontal array? Well, I for one have no complaints about this design choice as it adds to the aesthetics. But hey, aesthetics is subjective as well, right?
Just below the camera module is the fingerprint sensor, which for the most part does the job pretty well. It is receptive but you will notice that it could have been more snappy. Upfront, there’s a notch that houses an 8MP front camera for selfies and face-unlock. We’ll talk more about the image quality later on but about the latter, I have to say, it works pretty well in bright to medium light. In low-light conditions, however, it’s a hit or a miss.
What about the audio?
Up top, you get a 3.5mm headphone jack. Personally, I have always felt that this is where a headphone jack should be placed in devices. I don’t really fancy the ones that sport it on the bottom. But once again it is a personal preference and nothing much.
Down at the bottom, there’s the USB-C port and the speaker grills. The speakers are loud, but they will certainly not blow you away. You’ll start to feel some distortion in the sound as soon as the volume hits the high-mids. You’ll be better off using a headphone while watching videos or while playing games. But it will suffice while making calls as it is loud enough.
You’ll find a dual-sim/microSDX tray and a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left-hand side. It is a handy feature to have. However, if you find the button intrusive, you can always disable it. As in the past, there’s no default option to remap this button for some other function. But you will be able to do it via third-party apps.
Glowing power button
On the right-hand side, you get an unsegmented volume rocker and a power button that doubles down as the LED notification. It will light up when you have a notification or while charging. It is a nifty feature that I’ve liked and do hope to see on other smartphones too. If you recall, this was present in last year’s Nokia 7.2 as well.
Overall, the Nokia 5.3 has a few curves and a simplistic look that will appeal to people who are not looking for something fancy but don’t want to over-compromise on the looks either. The weight of the device is evenly distributed and feels light on hand. The device does seem durable, but you can’t really say much about the durability of budget phones. Furthermore, it does not have any IP rating, so be careful and protect it from splashes.
Display
6.55-inches HD+ IPS LCD panel
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Getting to the display, you’re getting a 6.55-inch IPS LCD screen with a tear-drop notch. The side bezels are certainly thinner than the previous iterations. However, I felt that they could have reduced it a tad bit more. There is a significant chin out here, but it’s akin to most devices in this price range.
Moreover, Nokia has only included an HD+ panel, which initially I was a little bit worried about. But, this IPS LCD panel is actually not that bad as it sounds. Obviously, it’s not the sharpest panel out there, though you’ll not notice any pixelation while browsing through the web or even watching YouTube videos at an arm’s length. The brightness was just enough for me to use the device under direct sunlight.
The colors also look quite natural, but it is nothing mind-blowing and lacks the contrast that you might get on an OLED panel of the similarly priced Galaxy M21.
Performance & Software
Octa-core Snapdragon 665 SoC (11nm)
4/6GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage
Android 10 and a part of Google’s Android One program
Performance-wise, the Nokia 5.3 is powered by Snapdragon 665 SoC coupled with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB storage. The Snapdragon 665 chipset falls way behind the likes of Exynos 9611 found on Samsung’s Galaxy M21 and the MediaTek Helio G85 on the Redmi Note 9.
But, with the stock Android UI, it works considerably well for your everyday tasks, like social media and browsing. Though, at times I did notice stutters while navigating and apps taking a tad bit sec to load. Similarly, gaming is not going to be a breeze on this one. I noticed significant load-time and loads of stutters on high-speed games.
Gaming
PUBG Mobile maxes out on balanced settings with a medium frame rate. And trust me, you do not want to play in the max settings as you will notice jittery & choppy gameplay. You’ll fare much better at a lower graphic setting and medium frame rate. On the other hand, COD Mobile is better optimized and you will notice no lags even while playing in “very high” frame rates and graphics.
Software
Anyways, the selling point of Nokia 5.3 is clearly its clean and pure near-stock Android experience. It is free from any bloatware and offers an experience similar to the Google Pixel phones. While Xiaomi’s and Samsung’s custom skin is getting pretty good, the former is still marred with bloatware and ads.
Thus, I feel that the stock android experience is still a huge selling point these days. Furthermore, as a part of the Android One program, this phone is guaranteed to get 2 years of the software update and 3 years of security updates, which adds up to the value of the device.
For cameras, you get a gimmicky quad-camera setup at the back with a 13MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP macro lens, another 2MP depth sensor. And to be absolutely honest, the images are just about average.
Normal, Wideangle Images
With ample light, you’ll be able to capture decent normal, and ultra-wide-angle shots.
Normal, Wideangle
1 of 3
Normal
Ultrawide
Normal
But, when you start to compare against the Galaxy M21, things don’t look good for the Nokia 5.3.
vs Galaxy M21
1 of 4
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
As you can see, the Galaxy M21 has a better dynamic range, contrast, and a wider field of view.
Portrait Images
The portrait images on the Nokia 5.3 is slightly better than that of the M21.
Portrait
1 of 4
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
The subject looks more vibrant, edge detection is better and the bokeh effect is pretty good too.
Low-light Images
In low light conditions, you’ll see a lot of noise and a lack of details in the images. There is a dedicated night mode which will extend the exposure time.
Nighttime
1 of 4
Normal Nighttime
Night Mode
Normal Nighttime
Night Mode
However, it takes too long to take and process an image in this mode and frankly, it’s not that great either.
Macro Images
Macro
1 of 2
As expected, the 2MP macro lens is useless and you will hardly make use of it.
Selfie Images
Moving to the selfies, you get an 8MP shooter.
Selfie
1 of 4
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
It does the basics correct, however, if you compare its selfies with that of the M21, you’ll certainly see that photos lack a certain amount of vibrancy in them.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 4
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
Nokia 5.3
Galaxy M21
As far as portrait selfies go, the contrast does not feel good and the M21 captures an image closer to reality with better edge detection and details.
Videography
Video-wise, you can shoot upto 4K 30fps from the back and 1080P 30fps from the front. In any resolution, there’s no stabilization from both the rear and the front camera, and videos come out wobbly with limited dynamic range.
All things considered, the cameras on the Nokia 5.3 is pretty average. So, if cameras are your main concern, you’ll be better off with the Galaxy M21 instead.
Battery
4000mAh battery with 10W charging
In terms of battery, the Nokia 5.3 is equipped with a 4000mAh cell. The battery backup is pretty great, as even while doing the most intensive tasks all day long, you might still be left with some juice on the device.
During my review, I watched videos at full brightness and after about an hour or so, the battery on Nokia 5.3 drained by only 10%. So, it is pretty great. Sadly though, the device only charges at 10W, which takes about three hours to get fully charged from 0 to 100%. This is all the more disappointing considering how Snapdragon 665 supports Quick Charge 3.0 protocol with 18W fast charging.
Conclusion
Nokia devices have mostly been about the android experience and Nokia 5.3 delivers that. Hence, if you are on a tight budget, and want a non-Chinese “Stock android” phone that can do most of the tasks decently and also offer a great battery life, then you can go for it.
However, you only get an HD+ panel and the camera is pretty average too. So, I feel like Nokia could, but rather should be doing more with its budget and mid-range phones. If this had, like say a better chipset and a fast charging, it would have made this phone very compelling.
Realme Buds Wireless Pro was among the products that were launched during the recent “Leap To Next Gen” online event. It’s supposed to be the Pro variant of the original Realme Buds Wireless that was launched last year. Let’s check out the specifications, features, expected price, and availability of Realme Buds Wireless Pro in Nepal.
Realme Buds Wireless Pro Overview
Design
Unlike the Buds Air Pro that was launched in the same event, the Realme Buds Wireless Pro is not a truly wireless earphone. It continues the neckband style design of the original Realme Buds Wireless. However, if you look closer, Realme has ditched the ear wing (hook). It has used silica gel and memory metal made from titanium alloy for the earphone.
The Realme Buds Wireless Pro weighs 33g and is available in two color schemes – Disco Green and Party Yellow. The earbuds come with a magnetic back that clips them together when not in use. The earphones also support Magnetic Fast Pair. Thus, clipping them disconnects the earphones. You can resume listening to music just by separating the two earbuds.
Internal specs
Like the Buds Air Pro, the Buds Wireless Pro is also powered by the custom S1 chipset. The new chipset brings better noise-canceling capability, power efficiency, and a more stable connection over Bluetooth. The earphones support Bluetooth 5.0 with a theoretical range of 10m. Realme has included a bigger driver this time as the Buds Wireless Pro features a bigger 13.6mm Bass Boost driver compared to the 11.2mm driver in the vanilla Wireless Buds.
It features the same Hybrid Active Noise Cancellation that is on the Buds Air Pro. Realme claims that it can cancel out the noise of up to dB using the FeedBack and FeedForward microphones. Another similarity between the two is the Transparency Mode, that when activated allows ambient noise in so the user can be aware of his/her surroundings. There is a gaming mode that can be activated by long-pressing the Noise cancellation button. However, it can only limit the latency up to 119ms. While it’s a neat addition to the Wireless Buds lineup, it is second to Buds Air Pro’s Game Mode that can limit the latency to up to 94ms.
Here, the Wireless Buds Pro is Hi-Res Audio certified because of the inclusion of support for LDAC codec. The codec offers a transmission speed of up to 990kbps which is thrice the transmission rate compared to the ordinary Bluetooth connection. Thus, users can enjoy lossless audio, given they also have a compatible player and Hi-Res audio content.
Rest of the specs
Realme Buds Wireless Pro features a battery of 160mAh. With ANC turned on, users can get up to 16 hours of playback time. Turning the ANC off, the number bumps to up to 22 hours. The earphones feature a USB Type-C port compared to Micro USB port on the original Wireless Buds. Similarly, it also comes with fast charging support that can charge the device to full in 1.5 hours, while 5 minutes of fast charging can offer up to 100 minutes of playback time.
Additionally, Realme Buds Wireless Pro is IPX4 rated as well and thus should withstand normal sweating and minor splashes.
Realme Buds Wireless Pro Specifications:
Weight: 33 grams
Driver: 13.6mm Bass Boost Driver
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.0, Magnetic Fast Pair); 10 meters range
Chipset: Custom S1 chip
Music time: 16 hours (ANC on, AAC, 50% volume), 22 hours (ANC off, AAC, 50% volume)
Realme Buds Wireless Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Starting October 16, Realme Buds Air Pro will go on sale in India, where its price is INR 3,999 which is lowered down to INR 2,999 under the Diwali Sale. We can expect the Realme Buds Wireless Pro to launch in Nepal sometimes with a price tag of around NPR 6,500.
Samsung in its attempt to usurp the likes of Xiaomi and Realme has introduced a brand new mid-range series. The Galaxy F41 is the first device in the Samsung Galaxy F series and it was launched today in India. This device shares some of the features with Galaxy M31. Let’s check out what the Samsung Galaxy F41 brings to the table along with its expected price in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy F41 Overview
We already knew from the several leaks that the device will sport a Super AMOLED panel. And so it is. The Galaxy F41 has a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with an Infinity-U display. The notch houses a 32MP selfie shooter. Also, the panel has a peak brightness of 420nits.
Moving on, we have a triple-camera array on the back along with a fingerprint scanner. The cameras are placed in a square module. And it consists of a 64MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 5MP live focus camera. Furthermore, the rear camera supports 4K video recording and has the single-take feature. Additionally, the rear panel also houses a physical fingerprint sensor.
Under the hood, the device sports a very familiar chipset. It is the one that we have seen in multiple A-series and M-series devices. And if your guess is the Exynos 9611, then my friend, you are absolutely right. With the likes of Xiaomi constantly churning out products with high-performing chipsets, it’s really surprising that Samsung has sticked with the Exynos 9611. Anyway, the chipset can be paired with either 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM. The storage options are 64GB and 128GB. However, there is a MicroSD slot available if you feel the need to expand its memory.
The device packs a 6000mAh battery, which till now has been exclusive to the M-series. Furthermore, it supports 15W fast charging. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS and Type-C port. There’s also a 3.2mm headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy F41 Specifications:
Display: 6.4-inches Super AMOLED panel
Resolution: FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Storage: 64GB, 128GB UFS 2.1 (expandable using SD card)
Software & UI: Samsung’s One UI 2.1 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
– 64MP, f/1.8 primary shooter
– 8MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide lens with 123º FOV
– 5MP, f/2.2 tertiary sensor with live focus
Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.0 lens
Security: Physical fingerprint scanner
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
Battery: 6000mAh with 15W fast charging
Colors: Fusion Black, Fusion Blue, Fusion Green
Galaxy F41 Price in Nepal and Availability [Expected]
The Galaxy F41 will go on sale from October 16, in India. It will be available through Flipkart, Samsung’s official site, and some selected offline retailers. As for the pricing, the base variant, 6/64GB, costs INR. 16,999. And the 6/128GB variant costs INR. 17,999.
The device should be available in our market towards the tail-end of October. The price of the base variant of the Galaxy F41 in Nepal should be around Rs. 27,000. Similarly, the top-end should cost around Rs. 29,000.
Realme has extended its Buds Air lineup of wireless earbuds with the latest Buds Air Pro. The new TWS was announced alongside other AIoT devices during Realme “Leap To Next Gen” online event. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Realme Buds Air Pro in Nepal.
Realme Buds Air Pro Overview
The design of the Realme Buds Air Pro has been heavily inspired by Apple’s Air Pods Pro. For the first time in the lineup, Realme has opted for soft ear tips. Realme says that the silicone ear tips are skin-friendly and its ergonomic cavity makes it comfortable to wear for a prolonged period. The earbuds are lightweight and weigh 5g each. Realme Buds Air Pro is available in two color options – Rock Black and Soul White.
The charging case of the Realme Buds Air Pro sports a cobble-inspired design. There is an LED indicator, and the Realme logo just below the lid.
Internal specs
While the original Realme Buds Air featured a custom R1 chipset, it has been replaced with the S1 chipset in the Buds Air Pro. The biggest improvement is the intelligent noise cancellation technology. In addition to that, the new chipset is also power-efficient and stable in terms of connection. S1 supports data transmission via Bluetooth 5.0 connection. The 10mm audio driver in the Buds Air Pro is actually smaller than the 12mm driver in the Realme Buds Air. But, it comes with Dynamic Bass Boost composite bass enhancement algorithm.
Buds Air Pro is also the first TWS from Realme to feature Active Noise cancellation (ANC). The hybrid ANC consists of FeedForward and FeedBack microphones that detect noise from both inside and outside of the ear. The earbuds then emit anti-noise waves to cancel them out. Realme says the Buds Air Pro can cancel out the noise of up to 35dB. There is a Transparency mode that allows the ambient sound to go through. For gamers out there, it features a different “Game Mode” that when activated can restrict the audio latency to up to 94ms. It is a massive improvement from 119.3ms in the gaming mode of the original Buds Air or Buds Air Neo, Buds Q.
Similarly, the Buds Air Pro supports Smart Wear Detection. It stops the music automatically when the earbuds are taken out of the ear and resumes playback when put back in. Other notable features include touch-enabled controls, dual-mic ENC for calls, auto-connection, and Google Fast Pair.
Rest of the specs
At 50% volume, the earbuds can last up to 5 hours on a single charge with the Noise cancellation on. Turning it off will give an extra hour of playback time. With the charging case, the numbers can be extended up to 20 hours and 25 hours, respectively. The earphone can be charged from 0 to 100% in an hour’s time. The whole setup (including the earbuds and charging case) takes two hours to fully charge. Realme Buds Air Pro supports fast charging that provides up to 3 hours of playback (charging case + earbuds) with 10 minutes of charging. However, it doesn’t support wireless charging.
Another neat addition to the Buds Air Pro is the IPX4 certification. Now, you can use the Realme Buds Air Pro during minor workouts without having to worry about anything.
Realme Buds Air Pro Specifications:
Weight: 5 grams (each earbud)
Driver: 10mm Bass Boost Driver
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.0, Google Fast Pair); 10 meters range
Chipset: Custom S1 chip
Music time: 5 hours (ANC on, AAC, 50% volume), 20 hours (with charging case)
Audio codec: AAC, SBC
Control: Touch (customizable via the Realme Link app)
Realme Buds Air Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Starting October 16, Realme Buds Air Pro will go on sale in India, where its price is INR 4,999 which is lowered down to INR 4,499 under the Diwali Sale. We can expect the Realme Buds Air Pro to launch in Nepal sometimes with a price tag of around NPR 9,000.
Earlier this year, Realme jumped into the smart TV business with the Realme Smart TV. The company has now launched its second smart TV during the “Leap To Next Gen” event. Realme Smart TV SLED is the world’s first SLED TV, a technology that Realme developed to overcome the limitation of LCD technology. Let’s learn more about the new Realme TV SLED Smart TV, along with its specifications, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
SLED Technology
The highlight of the new Realme Smart TV is the debut of SLED technology. It is the result of a collaboration between Realme and John Rooymans of SPD technology. Realme says that the new SLED technology offers a better natural viewing experience compared to traditional LCD because of its backlight technology. Most of the LCD uses a white backlight which is then transferred to RGB filters for the desired color. QLED uses blue backlight which the quantum dots turns into white.
In contrast, a SLED panel uses individual Red, Green, and Blue LEDs which is later turned into white. Realme says this new setup causes less harm to our eyes and is able to represent colors better.
Realme Smart TV SLED 4K Overview
Design and Display
Realme Smart TV SLED 4K sports a 55-inch panel. It is enclosed by metal frames. Thanks to the 9.5mm slim bezels, Realme is boasting the screen-to-body ratio of Realme Smart TV SLED 4K to be around 94.6%. The SLED panel covers 108% of the NTSC color gamut, which is the highest ever in a Realme product. The TV has TUV Rheinland certification for low blue light.
Internal Specs
This TV is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor with four Cortex A55 cores clocked up to 1.2GHz. It is backed by Mali 470 MP3 GPU. Realme SLED TV 4K comes with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and is a certified Android TV as well. Thus, it supports both Google Assistant and Chromecast.
Realme has also included the Chroma Boost Picture Engine along with Cinematic Tuning. It supports seven different display modes – Sport, Standard, Game, Vivid, Energy Saving, User, and Movie.
Audio and Connectivity
The audio system on the Realme Smart TV SLED 4K features a quad stereo speaker with two dynamic full-range speakers, each paired with a tweeter. Collectively, they produce an output of 24W. The TV is among the four smart hubs listed in Realme’s 1+4+N product strategy. Thus, users can control and manage Realme AIoT devices.
As far as the connectivity goes, the Realme Smart TV SLED 4K supports dual-band Wi-Fi connection and Bluetooth 5.0 transmission. Realme has included a wide range of ports as well.
Realme Smart TV SLED 4K will go on sale starting from October 16 with a price tag of INR 39,999 in India. We can expect the price of Realme Smart SLED TV 4K in Nepal to be around NPR 70,000 if the company decides to launch it here.
Nokia launched the C2 back in March of this year. However, the company quickly succeeded with the Nokia C3. The new device comes with more RAM, a bigger display, and the full-fetched version of Android compared to the Go Edition in its predecessor. However, is it worth upgrading to? Let’s find out in our detailed review of the Nokia C3.
Nokia C3 Specifications:
Body: 159.6 x 77 x 8.7 mm; 184.5 gm
Display: 5.99-inches IPS LCD panel; 400 nits
Resolution: HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels); 18:9 aspect ratio
Battery: 3040mAh (user-replaceable) with 5W charging
Colors: Blue, Sand Gold
Price in Nepal: Rs. 12,499 (2/16GB)
Nokia C3 Review:
Design
Polycarbonate body
Feels durable on the hand
With the traditional bezels on the forehead and bottom chin, Nokia C3 does not quite look like a device from 2020. However, it does not look that old as the original Nokia C3 from 2010. We all remember the original Nokia C3, right? The device with its physical QWERTY keypad was quite big at some time in Nepal. Let’s get back to the 2020 iteration. The side bezels might add to that the annoyance if you are looking for the full-immersive view.
Other than that, the device is well built. It is sturdy and does not feel cheap at all. The device is available in two color options – Blue and Sand Gold. HMD Global has also improved some of the visual aspects of the front by shifting the position of some of the sensors and logo branding. The front-facing flash has also been removed.
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Volume, Power Button
Google Assistant button
Micro USB
The volume rocker and the power button is placed on the right side of the phone. On the back, Nokia has included a more elongated camera module. There is a fingerprint scanner just below the camera bump. The speaker grill has also been moved from the rear panel to the front of the device.
Display
5.99-inches IPS LCD panel with HD+ resolution
18:9 aspect ratio and traditional bezels
Nokia C3 sports a 5.99-inch IPS LCD screen, which is slightly bigger than its predecessor. However, the resolution has remained unchanged at 1400 x 720 pixels. There is not much to talk about the quality of the screen. However, you take a closer look at the smaller icons and logos, you will notice that they lack a certain level of sharpness.
Even said that I used the device for my online classes and faced no problem with the display. However, if you are thinking of enjoying your favorite music videos on YouTube, you will be bummed to find out that most of them don’t even offer the quality option. Also, you will struggle with the visibility if you use it outdoors. Similarly, the janky layout that we reported on our Nokia C2 review has not been fixed yet.
Performance
Octa-core Unisoc Spreadtrum SC9863A (28nm)
2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable internal storage
In terms of performance, the Nokia C3 packs in Unisoc SC9863A. It is an octa-core chipset based on a 28nm process and features cores with a clock speed up to 1.6GHz. In real life usage, the processor is comparable to the entry-level Snapdragon 439 from Qualcomm. It is paired with 2GB of memory and 16GB of internal storage. On the software front, it runs on Android 10. With such a bare minimum of specs, and the full-fledged Android software on board, the phone was not going to be the best performer.
There is a noticeable delay when loading up any apps and, the heavier the app, the longer the loading period. Similarly, the device freezes for a few seconds after each restart. Toggling with the animation setting under the Developer Options doesn’t help either as the system animations are off by default. I installed and used apps like Facebook, Messenger, Microsoft Teams and they all ran well.
Gaming
To test how the phone handled games, I installed and played a handful of games on it. During this review of the Nokia C3, I faced some issues with the touch response and the loading time but other than that games like Clash Royale and Among Us were playable. I even tried PUBG Mobile Lite on this device. You can bump the graphics and frame rate settings to up to HD and Extreme, respectively. While the gameplays gets choppy at times, it is still playable. However, it takes a toll on the battery and the device starts heating right away.
Camera
8MP rear camera, 5MP front-facing camera
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Front Camera
Back Camera
Similarly, the 8MP rear camera of the Nokia C3 is capable of taking decent pictures under proper lighting conditions. But, the camera overexposes the sky most of the time when it is included in the frame. Similarly, the camera performance is miserable under poor lighting conditions as one would expect.
Normal
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The photos look blurred and washed out. They also don’t retain much of the details. There is no dedicated night mode and the LED flash does not help much either. The photos taken in dark conditions are full of grains.
Lowlight
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Here, the 5MP front-facing camera suffers a similar fate. If you keep the overexposed sky aside, the selfies are decent looking.
Selfie
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However, it starts getting grainy under poorly-lit conditions. On top of that, Nokia has removed the LED flash that was there on the Nokia C2.
Battery & Audio
3040mAh battery with 5W charging
3.5mm headphone jack, front-firing speaker
Nokia C3 packs a 3040mAh battery which is an upgrade from the 2,800mAh battery on its predecessor. However, the company did not bother to upgrade the charging technology. That is why the 5W charger included in the box takes 3 hours and 50 minutes to charge the device from 0 to 100%.
On a full charge, the device lasted me a full day. With a few hours of online classes of Microsoft Teams, limited gaming, and web-browsing, I had to plug the device into the charger only at the end of the day.
No matter how you hold your device, your hand won’t block the audio output as the speakers are placed up front. However, the front-firing speaker in itself is not that loud. And turning up the volume muffles the sound. Nokia C3 also features a capacitive fingerprint sensor that is mounted on the back. There is a noticeable delay between the scanning and unlocking of the device. It can be used to bring down the notification panel too. The device also comes with an earphone inside the box which is becoming rare in a budget device these days.
Conclusion
Nokia C3 is a device meant for people who are switching from bar phones to Android smartphones. The device looks and feels premium than its price tag and thus can be great for gifting it to non-tech savvy family members and friends. It brings a decent battery life and a fingerprint sensor in the budget segment. However, I would have liked the device even more if it had improved cameras and at least a 10W charger. Also, the traditional bezels on the phone may not be everyone’s preference.
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