Page 567 – GadgetByte Nepal

Realme Buds Air Neo Review: Things (Should) Have Changed

Nikhil Shrestha

-

October 12, 2020

Realme Buds Air Neo Review: Things (Should) Have Changed

Realme followed up the launch of its first TWS earbuds – the Buds Air with Buds Air Neo back in May of 2020. While one won’t be able to tell these two apart from a quick glance, the Buds Air Neo comes with a bunch of downgrades and therefore is a cheaper offering from the company. But, does the feature sacrifice and its lower price make sense? Let’s find out more in this review of the Realme Buds Air Neo.

Realme Buds Air Neo Specifications:

Dimensions:
- 51.3H x 45.25W x 25.3D-mm (case)
- 40.5H x 16.59W x 17.7D-mm (earbuds)
Weight: 4.1 grams (each earbud); 30.5 grams (charging case)
Driver: 13mm Large Audio Driver; PU & Titanium Composite Diaphragm
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.0, Google Fast Pair); 10 meters range
Bluetooth profiles: HSP/HFP/A2DP/AVRCP
Chipset: Custom R1 chip
Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz
Sensitivity: -88dB (-80 to -92)
Speaker Impedance: 30Ω± 15 %
Music time: 3 hours playback, 17 hours (with charging case)
Audio codec: AAC, SBC
Control: Touch (customizable via the app)
Battery capacity: N/A (each earbud); 400mAh (power case)
Charging time: 120 minutes (with charging case)
Noise-canceling: No, Single microphone
IP rating: IPX4 protection against water splashes
Power case charger: Micro USB
Color: Pop White, Punk Green, Rock Red
Companion app: Realme Link
Price in Nepal: Rs. 5,599

Realme Buds Air Neo Review:

Design

AirPods like design, build quality
Half in-ear buds that won’t fit all ears
Squarish charging case with a glossy finish

Like I said earlier, the Buds Air Neo is almost indistinguishable from the Buds Air in terms of a visual perspective. Heavily inspired (that’s putting it lightly, to be honest) by the first two generations of Apple’s AirPods. Compared to its predecessor, Realme has managed to make the Air Neo considerably more compact and lightweight. Doesn’t sound like much but it actually makes a lot of difference when storing it in your pocket.

well toTo compare, the charging case of the Buds Air weighed 42.3 grams whereas this one is about 30% lighter at just 30.5 grams. Similarly, the earbuds themselves see a slight weight-loss but I doubt that’s practically unnoticeable. While sharing the same dimension, each Buds Air Neo weighs just 4.1 grams to Buds Air’s 4.2 grams. I’d already praised their lightweight build and that opinion is borrowed here on the Buds Air Neo as well.

Personally not fond of this design

Here, it has a plastic build material with a glossy finish. As a result, it’s going to attract a lot of smudges and fingerprints when you’re taking it on/off or using its control mechanism. Also, it comes with a flat stem and a half in-ear design that’s meant to fit all ear sizes – quite like its inspiration. I’ve time and again mentioned how I’m not fond of this design choice and just wish the TWS industry collectively retires it.

In my case, these earbuds fit fine inside the ears which resulted in a fair bit of passive noise isolation too. But I must say, when you’re jogging, walking, or even chewing your food, the Realme Buds Air Neo readjusts itself. Because of this, I often had to reposition the earbuds in my ears. Moving on, it is indeed IPX4 rated against sweats, water splashes which is actually a one-up from the first-gen Buds Air as that didn’t have any sort of IP certification.

Charging Case

Likewise, even though Realme has managed to bring down the weight of the charging case, it still has a rather shiny design; and thus attracts a ton of smudges. Its hinge is quite solid while the magnets hold the earbuds pretty firmly as well. There’s an LED indicator up front which has a slightly muted glow. Similarly, there’s also a pairing button up front and a Micro USB port at the bottom for charging. I would’ve preferred a USB-C connection instead but I guess Realme had to go down this path for cost-saving purposes.

Pairing

Bluetooth v5.0 wireless connection
10 meters / 30 feet effective range
Google Fast Pair Service (GFPS) enabled

When it comes to pairing, things are fairly standard on the Buds Air Neo. Equipped with Bluetooth 5.0, you’ll need to press the aforementioned button for a while, for first-time pairing. It’ll then make the earbuds visible to other Bluetooth-enabled devices and you’re good to go. It has a rated wireless range of 10 meters (30 feet), but that sadly doesn’t translate to actual usage. Moving from one room to another would result in signal loss and would eventually disconnect altogether.

Impressively, just like the Buds Air, it comes with Google Fast Pair Service (GFPS) for quick pairing too. With this, every consecutive pairing will occur in an instant; turn on your phone’s Bluetooth, open Buds Air Neo’s lid, and bam – they’re connected just like that!

Control

A touch-based capacitive sensor on each earbud
Double/triple-tap for playback control/trigger voice assistant
Customizable via the Realme Link app

The similarities between Buds Air and Air Neo extend to the controls as well. There’s a capacitive sensor on both earbuds that you can tap to trigger different actions. You can customize them under the Realme Link app (available only for Android devices) but there’s not a whole lot of options to play around with. I have set the audio to play/pause with a double-tap on either side, whereas a triple tap on the left earbud returns to the previous track.

Additionally, a triple tap on the right earbud skips the currently playing track. Realme Buds Air Neo also has a built-in microphone that you can use to make calls or interact with Google Assistant. Here, you can long-press either earbud to trigger the voice assistant. Still, it doesn’t have an optical sensor for wear detection like Buds Air. The touch sensor recognizes user inputs nicely, but there is a latency of about 300 – 400ms between the request and its execution.

Audio Quality

13mm Large Audio Driver with Dynamic Bass Boost (DBB)
Polyurethane (PU) & Titanium composite diaphragm
20 Hz – 20 kHz frequency response
119ms super low-latency gaming mode

Let’s get into the audio now. Realme Buds Air Neo has a 13mm large driver with high-quality Polyurethane (PU) and Titanium diaphragm. The company has also complemented this setup with a Dynamic Bass Boost (DBB) algorithm which, as the name implies, increases the bass output. Furthermore, Air Neo can reproduce audio frequencies between 20Hz and 20kHz (20,000Hz). In terms of audio codecs, it doesn’t support Qualcomm or Sony’s high-end protocols and only features the basic AAC, SBC codecs.

I gotta say, the overall sound quality of Realme Buds Air Neo is not that bad. It doesn’t get loud enough and therefore I could comfortably put the volume to the max at all times. Moreover, there isn’t much loss in quality even when you’re listening at 100% volume so that’s absolutely great. Relative to Buds Air’s smaller 12mm driver, the larger 13mm audio unit on Air Neo, unfortunately, doesn’t compare as much.

Insufficient bass

First off, bass enthusiasts won’t find it particularly enjoyable under the default setting. Yet, I did manage to squeeze out slightly more bass using Viper4Android FX equalizer. Likewise, the mids and highs are relatively not that great in comparison either. The vocals themselves sound pretty nice, but treble and high frequencies sound rather inadequate. Therefore, you don’t get to enjoy the cohesive details in certain genres of music.

For instance, I listened to the “Black Hole Sun (Westworld)” soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi. In this, the music sounds very clear but in a couple of instances, the piano keys sound slightly shrieky. Similarly, I thoroughly enjoyed Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer”. Here, the vocal is clear, and the Buds Air Neo managed to efficiently reproduce low-frequency drum beats too. In “Redbone” by Childish Gambino, there was a hint of bass every now and then, but nothing to the extent that would have me grooving to the tune.

The trinity of my “Hans Zimmer sound test” for the review concludes with Realme Buds Air Neo. And just like the Buds Q and Air, the audio from Air Neo too flails during the first ten seconds of “Beautiful Lie”. Finally, “ミスターWICKED” by ECD sounds a little muffled, and lacking in detail, despite the rap portion alone sounds clear enough.

119ms Super Low Latency Gaming Mode

In addition, Buds Air Neo boasts the 119ms super low-latency gaming mode as well. Promising “perfect sync in audio & visuals”, you can turn on the 119ms mode by long-pressing both earbuds at the same for about two seconds. There’s an audio of a car revving up to indicate you’ve entered the low-latency mode. When watching videos, I didn’t notice any sort of audio delay from Realme Buds Air Neo during my review – in both regular and 119ms mode.

But in competitive gaming, especially RPG, FPS games where there’s a lot going on at once, having the lowest possible audio delay could very well determine whether you win the game or not. To test it out, I played Call of Duty: Mobile and Mobile Legends Bang Bang and switched between the Realme Buds Air Neo and my Philips SHE3000BL/10 wired earphone.

Earbuds Delay Test

1 of 2

Just like the Buds Q and Buds Air that feature the same 119ms mode, it doesn’t make much sense here either (in terms of gaming that is). Although this mode noticeably reduces the audio delay compared to regular mode, the latency still feels way too uncanny in the aforementioned games. Every in-game interaction and their respective SFX is heard just a little late; which then has you lose your edge in the gameplay.

I also tested out how much of Realme’s claims of 119.2ms latency under the “Earbuds Delay Test” app. On average, I managed to record +284ms delay in normal mode, whereas the number came to around +156ms in low-latency mode.

Call Quality

Now, the call quality on Buds Air Neo isn’t that great compared to the Buds Air. That’s mainly because of its single microphone setup while Buds Air had two mics in total – with Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC). Overall, calls sound pretty decent but audio pickup from the microphone isn’t that great at all times. So oftentimes, I would get complaints about how my voice lacked loudness.

Battery

400mAh (charging case)
Micro USB charging connection

Getting to the battery, once again, Realme hasn’t disclosed the exact capacity of each earbud. We do know that the charging case is equipped with a 400mAh battery. And unlike Buds Air, Realme hasn’t been deliberately deceptive enough to claim double-digit hours of continuous playback. Instead, the advertised level of battery life is 3 hours (single music listening time), 1.5 hours of single calling time, and up to 17 hours with the power from the charging case.

For me, battery endurance was especially disappointing since I’m used to listening to music for hours at a time; usually longer than 3 hours. So, when putting on the Buds Air Neo at about 100% volume at all times and with 119ms mode turned on, I only managed to get 2 hours of playtime. So, allow me to point out the obvious and say that it is ideal for casual listeners only. Charging them was a pain as well since it takes nearly 2 hours to juice it up to 100% via the Micro USB connection.

Conclusion

To wrap it all up, the Realme Buds Air Neo is a confusing pair of TWS earbuds considering its spec-sheet and the meager price difference with the standard Buds Air. The overall audio and low-latency performance between the two is quite neck-to-neck and thankfully, it also introduces IPX4 water resistance. However, it’s battery life and call quality isn’t that great and the Buds Air Neo also skips on some premium features like wireless charging – or something simple like USB-C connection.

Songs referenced in the Realme Buds Air Neo review:

Realme Buds Air Neo Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

Decent audio quality with clear vocals, mids
Google Fast Pair Service (GFPS) enabled
Customizable, responsive controls
Not ideal for heavy listeners
IPX4 water-resistant against splashes

Cons:

Bass reproduction could’ve been a little better
119ms low-latency mode isn’t ideal for gaming
Battery life isn’t that great
Call quality is inconsistent (no noise reduction)

OnePlus Buds with up to 30 hours of battery life launched in Nepal

OnePlus
TWS

GadgetByte

-

October 12, 2020

0

OnePlus Buds with up to 30 hours of battery life launched in Nepal

This year, we witnessed OnePlus’s transition from a flagship killer to a flagship itself. However, with the launch of OnePlus Nord, maybe the company is finally returning back to its roots. But, it wasn’t the only product that was launched in July’s AR event. The company also launched its first wireless earbuds, which is now available here in Nepal as well. Read along to check out the specifications, official price, and the availability of OnePlus Buds in Nepal.

OnePlus Buds Overview

These buds were initially expected to release alongside the OnePlus 8 series. However, back then we got the Bullet Wireless Z instead. But hey, it’s finally here. And its design very much resembles Apple’s AirPods. However, there’s a slight difference here. These buds have a flat back that is touch-capacitive whereas the AirPods have a rounded back.

There are sensors inside the buds that automatically detect if the buds are in your ears or not. That means once you pull it out of your ear, your music will pause automatically. The buds come with a sleek case that is similar to that of the Google Pixel Buds case. And there as status light on the outside that helps to know whether the buds are fully charged or not.

Features

Sadly, the OnePlus Buds do not come with active noise cancellation. However, it does have environmental noise cancellation. Basically, while on a call, this helps to reduce the background noise that the other person hears.

Similarly, the device currently does not support Google Assistant services on devices other than an OnePlus phone. Also, it does not have features such as aptX HD and LDAC codecs. It supports only SBC and AAC. Now, it does deliver a decent sound, however, it will obviously not sound as good as say the Sony WF-1000XM3.

One of the best things about these buds is its batteries. It comes with Wrap Charging. The first earbuds to have these features. It helps the device to achieve 10 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes. In total, the device lasts for 30 hours. That’s 7 hours in the Buds and 23 in the case.

Another redeeming feature of this device is its find my bud feature and the IPX4 rating. The IP rating makes these buds the perfect gym companion.

OnePlus Buds Price in Nepal and Availability

OnePlus Buds retails at $79 in the US. Here in Nepal, Oliz Store has brought the OnePlus Buds in two color options: Gray, White for the price of NPR 12,500.

TWS Model	Price in Nepal	Availability
OnePlus Buds	NPR 12,500	Hukut

Check out our list of best wireless earbuds by smartphone brands

Acer Swift 3 2020 (Intel) Review: Best budget ultrabook of 2020?

Yural Maskey

-

October 12, 2020

0

Acer Swift 3 2020 (Intel) Review: Best budget ultrabook of 2020?

Hello everyone, today I have the Acer Swift 3 with me and it’s one of the cheapest thin and light ultra-book you can buy in the market right now. Actually, there are 2 variants of the Swift 3, one with AMD’s Ryzen 4000-series and the other with Intel’s 10th-gen Ice Lake processors. I’ve got the Intel variant with me that I’ve been using for quite a while now. So, let’s get on with the Acer Swift 3 review.

Acer Swift 3 Full Specifications:

OS: Windows 10 Home
CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-1035G4 processor Quad-core 1.10 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA MX350 2GB GDDR5 (dedicated) | Intel® Iris Plus Graphics (integrated)
Display: 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9 IPS
RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Connectivity: IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, WiFi 5.0
Webcam: HD
Battery: 48Wh; 65W charger
Buy here (ITTI Nepal)

Design

The first thing I immediately liked about this laptop is how thin and light it is. Here you don’t get the ultra-premium materials like on the MacBook Air or Dell’s XPS series, and it feels a little plasticky too. Although it’s indeed made using magnesium alloy material which helps to bring down the net weight to just 1.18kgs.

Similarly, in my months of use, I’m yet to notice any scratches, dents, or dis-coloration so far, which is great. The lid also doesn’t flex as much and this wide hinge helps keep the whole device sturdier. You can also rotate the hinge to 180-degree, though its use case is pretty limited – at least for me.

Right inside the hinge, there are 2 exhaust vents, but only the one on the left actually works. Sadly, the one of the right is just there to make the device look more symmetric and therefore aesthetically pleasing.

Getting to the back of the device, you will see air intake vents and 2 speakers right below it. These speakers’ audio output is quite low and it might not be sufficient while watching movies and such with friends.

Memory & Connectivity

Moving on, there are 12 screws holding the chassis in place, and getting inside the Swift 3 is pretty swift. You can upgrade the SSD and WiFi card, but the RAM has been soldered in.

And I have also seen some configurations of Swift 3 with a mere 4GB of RAM, so try avoiding that variant altogether. BTW, the one I have with me has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The WiFi card is the latest Intel AX201 WiFi 6 module, and I had no issue with the WiFi connectivity.

As for ports, you get a charging power connector, an HDMI port, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type C port with Thunderbolt 3 support.

You can also use this Type C port for charging, provided you have a 65W or higher USB Power Delivery charger. You might be wondering if you can charge with the 65W charger you find these days in Realme and Oppo phones but sadly, you can’t.

Anyways, looking at the right side, you will find a headphone jack, another USB 2.0 Type-A port, and LED indicators.

Display

As for the display, you get a 14-inch FullHD 16:9 IPS panel. As you can see, the bezels are thin on the sides and top but at the bottom, it’s pretty thick. You can also get a 13.5-inch variant with a trendier 3:2 aspect ratio, but it’s not available yet in south Asia.

Getting into the display quality of this variant, it’s quite good. Obviously, the color coverage isn’t wide enough for professional creators, but for general usage like web browsing and watching movies, it is completely fine. This an IPS panel, so the viewing angles are great too. Brightness wise, it might not be enough for a fairly well-lit room, or outdoors, but is adequate enough for indoor use.

The top bezel houses an HD webcam and it’s not total garbage. It gets the job done for Zoom meetings and such. However, the audio from the microphone isn’t great. As a result, you gotta invest in a decent headset to get a better audio output.

Keyboard & Trackpad

Now, let’s talk about the keyboard. It has good key travel and I really enjoyed typing on it.

It gives soft feedback and therefore is not very loud while typing. This chiclet-style keyboard has a single-color LED backlighting, which is pretty basic. You can configure between 2 levels of brightness, but only the topmost level is only any good.

The only thing I don’t like about the keyboard is the fact that the Page Up and Page Down keys are right beside the arrow keys. And there have been so many instances where I would accidentally click them. Down below the arrow keys, you will find a fingerprint sensor, which is pretty reliable. On the other hand, its plastic trackpad is pretty average too. It is not as responsive as glass trackpads you get on other premium Ultrabooks.

Performance

In terms of performance, my review unit is powered by the quad-core Intel i5 1035G1 CPU and the entry-level NVIDIA MX350 dedicated GPU with 2GB of GDDR6 VRAM. You can also configure the Intel variant with up the i7-1065G7.

Similarly, as I told earlier, you can also go with the AMD Ryzen 5 4700U variant, which has a much better performance & efficiency than its Intel counterpart. But, with the Ryzen chipset, you get an integrated Radeon RX Vega GPU, which isn’t as good as having a dedicated GPU that you get here.

With the MX 350, don’t expect anything spectacular gaming performance though – after all, the Acer Swift 3 is an Ultrabook.

Casual gaming is possible as I got a respectable 100 fps in medium settings in CS: GO. Similarly, I was able to play FIFA 20 in medium settings at HD resolution smoothly.

However, with prolonged gaming sessions, its single fan couldn’t keep up, although Acer has optimized this laptop to not produce too much fan noise. So, you will start to notice CPU/GPU throttling, resulting in degraded gaming performance.

To solve this, you can get yourself a decent laptop cooler pad, which will help for smoother gameplay. But again, if you want to play games, even the light ones like FIFA, it’s better you get something like the Acer Nitro 5 or the Dell G3 which retails at a similar price as the Swift 3.

As for my daily regimes like simultaneously using Google Chrome with 10-12 tabs open and Adobe Photoshop for light editing/cropping photos for Instagram feeds, it served me well without any hint of lags or stutter. So, if you fall in this or similar category of users, the Acer Swift 3 should serve you well.

Battery

Lastly, let’s talk about battery life. It has a 3-cell 48Wh Li-Ion battery, which I think is a little bit low for an Ultrabook. The endurance is good, but not that great.

Usually, I would not bring the charger with me at the office and all I do is watch YouTube videos and write scripts and it lasted me like 5 hours of SOT under the “Better Performance” setting. So, had Acer provided a slightly bigger battery, the Swift 3 2020 would have been absolutely stellar.

Acer Swift 3 Review Conclusion

All in all, the Intel variant of the Acer Swift 3 is a respectable Ultrabook for the price. It has got a decent display, the typing experience is also great which matters a lot if you’re someone who types a lot, and the performance is sufficient enough for anyone who’s not into playing demanding games or has an extensive workload like designing, video editing, etc. Having said all this, I still wish Acer had worked on improving in 2 aspects: the speakers and the trackpad – and maybe even the battery as well.

Pros:

Good keyboard typing experience
Good Performance
Thin & Light

Cons:

Battery Life could have been better
Plastic Trackpad is average

GoPro Hero 9 Black with 5K video capability is now available in Nepal

GadgetByte

-

October 12, 2020

0

GoPro Hero 9 Black with 5K video capability is now available in Nepal

Go Pro Hero 9 Black, the latest action camera from GoPro Inc has now launched in Nepal. This new flagship brings in some much-needed updates in the device that include a bigger battery, 5K resolution for videos, front-mounted LCD, and more. The GoPro Hero 9 Black challenges the likes of DJI Osmo Action and Akaso Brave 7 LE for the title of the best action camera. Let’s find out more about the new GoPro Hero 9 Black including its price and availability in Nepal.

GoPro Hero 9 Black Overview

Weighing at around 158g, the Hero 9 Black is heavier than its predecessor, the Hero 8. As a matter of fact, it even outweighs the heavier GoPro Max. However, the weight and the size is totally justified as the device is equipped with a front-facing display and a bigger battery.

Front and Rear Screens

The addition of the front screen is one of the things that GoPro users had been longing for. Competing devices such as the Osmo Action and Brave 7 LE have a front display. Thus, it makes sense that GoPro has decided to include this in the new setup.

It is a 1.4-inch display that will help users to properly align what’s behind them and obviously take better shots. The new display isn’t touch-enabled though. However, you do get the option to choose what to display. The options include; center close up, Actual Screen, Status only, and off.

Moving on, the size of the rear screen has changed too. It now measures 2.27-inches. The increase in size means that you now get bigger on-screen buttons and better in-camera viewing experience.

Also Read: Price of Insta360 One R in Nepal

Battery Life

Another major update includes a bigger 1720mAh battery. It is a significant upgrade from the 1220mAh battery that Hero 8 offered. The company claims that this unit will offer 30% more usage than the previous iteration. Furthermore, the battery is also optimized for cooler conditions.

5K videos

Most of us thought that this new device will probably just improve the frame rates for 4K videos. However, GoPro has proven us wrong and incorporated a new 23.6MP sensor that can shoot 5K videos at 30 or 24 fps. Furthermore, you’ll also be able to capture stills at 20MP. However, 4K videos still max out at 60fps, 2.4K at 120fps and 1080p at 240fps.

Mods

Similar to Hero 8, there are plenty of mods for the Hero 9 Black. Media mod, display mod, and light mod are all compatible with this new device. However, one significant upgrade is that the Hero 9 Black has a removable lens cover. That means you can add other lenses on top of Hero 9.

For instance, the Max Mod will help Hero 9 to reproduce the capabilities of the GoPro Max’s lens. By using this mod, you’ll be able to get better HyperSmooth, wider FOV, and 360-degree horizon lock.

Features and Power tools

The new features include HyperSmooth 3.0 and TimeWarp 3.0. The HyperSmooth brings in an improved in-camera stabilization and with the TimeWarp 3.0, you now get a half-speed option. Both of them are compatible with the in-camera horizon leveling. However, it is only available in Linear mode for videos.

Similarly, the new power tools include; Scheduled Capture, Duration, and HindSight. You can schedule the date and time for a recording to start with the help of Scheduled Capture. Similarly, Duration Capture allows you to specify when to switch off the recording. And finally, with HindSight, you’ll be able to catch something that happened just before you started recording. It is basically a combination of the loop recording option and LiveBurst.

GoPro Hero 9 Black Price in Nepal and Availability

The GoPro Hero 9 Black is now available in Nepal with a price tag of Rs.65,500. You can buy it from Hukut Store.

Action camera model	Price in Nepal	Availability
GoPro Hero 9 Black	NPR 38,000	Hukut Store

Watch: iPhone SE 2020 vs OnePlus Nord

DJI OM 4 with a new Magnetic Clamp is now available in Nepal

DJI
Gimbals

GadgetByte

-

October 12, 2020

0

DJI OM 4 with a new Magnetic Clamp is now available in Nepal

DJI is a name that is generally associated with professional and consumer-level drones. However, the brand’s portfolio covers a wide range of photographic equipment including smartphone gimbals. The company’s latest smartphone gimbal – the DJI OM 4 is now available for purchase in the Nepali market. Let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of DJI OM 4 in Nepal.

DJI OM 4 Overview

Magnetic Clamp

Probably the biggest change between OM 4 and Osmo Mobile 3 is the new magnetic mount. Users can now attach their phones to the gimbal without having to deal with the mechanical clamp. There are two ways of doing it. You can either use the ultrathin magnetic clamp to secure your phone or snap the back of your phone to the magnetic ring holder. The magnetic ring holder can also be used as a stand-alone kickstand.

Design

For the most part, DJI has kept the design of the OM 4 unchanged. Still, OM 4 is slightly more compact, thus, more portable than its predecessor. It also weighs less (390 grams) than the OM 3 (405 grams). The OM 4 comes with an improved motor that offers a better range of motions. DJI claims that the new OM 4 can be used with smartphones as heavy as 230 grams.

Upgraded Software

DJI has introduced some new features while also updating the existing ones. Some of the highlighted features are:

Dynamic Zoom: This feature allows zooming in and out as the users move towards and away from the subject, respectively.
Active Track 3.0: Active Track 3.0 can recognize adults, pets, and children more accurately. It makes following a subject even more convenient.
CloneMe Pano: It’s a new feature that allows users to appear at multiple places in a panorama shot by capturing several photos.
Spin Shot Gimbal Movement: It is available in the DJI Mimo app. When activated, it rotates the smartphone for an impressive shooting effect.

Other notable features include Story Mode, Gesture Control, Flashlight mode, Quick Roll, Slow Motion, 240-degree pano, and 3×3 pano.

Check out our comparison between the DJI Osmo Mobile 3 and Zhiyun Smooth-Q2.

Rest of the specs

DJI OM 4 retains the 3-axis stabilization from the Osmo Mobile 3. Similarly, these two feature the same layout of control buttons. The 2450mAh battery is said to provide up to 15 hours of usage. Once it drains, it can be refueled in around 2.5 hours using a 10W USB Type-C charger. The new DJI Mimo app in OM 4 comes with a video editor and a built-in tutorial for beginners.

DJI OM 4 Specifications:

Dimensions:
- Unfolded: 276 x 119.6 x 103.6mm
- Folded: 163 x 99.5 x 46.5mm
Weight:
- Gimbal: 390gm
- Magnetic Phone Clamp: 32.6gm
- Magnetic Ring Holder: 11.4g
Compatible Phones:
- Weight: 230+/-60gm
- Width: 67 – 10mm
- Thickness: 6.9-10mm
Battery: 2450 mAh Li-Ion; 17.64Wh; 7.2V; Up to 15 hours*
Charging: Under 2.5 hours (via a 10W charger)
Gimbal Range:
- Pan: -161.2º to 171.95º
- Roll: -136.7º to 198º
- Tilt: -106.54º to 235.5º
Max Controllable Speed: 120º/s
Tracking: ActiveTrack 3.0
Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 5.0, USB Type-C
Companion App: DJI Mimo

DJI OM 4 Price in Nepal and Availability

The price of DJI OM 4 in Nepal is Rs. 20,500. You can buy it from the Oliz Store through store pick up or via its online store.

Osmo Mobile Gimbal	Price in Nepal	Availability
DJI OM 4	Rs. 20,500	Hukut Store

Check out our list of best mobile gimbals:

Apple iPhone 12 lineup : Everything you need to know [Updated]

GadgetByte

-

October 11, 2020

0

Apple iPhone 12 lineup : Everything you need to know [Updated]

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.

Also Read: iPhone 11 Series Price in Nepal [Updated]

Charging

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		Triple back cameras: — wide-angle primary lens — ultra-wide-angle lens — telephoto lens (+ LiDAR sensor)
Color	Black, Blue, Green, Red, White		Gold, Silver, Graphite, Blue
Processor	Apple A14 Bionic (5nm)

Apple iPhone 12 Series Price & Launch (Expected)

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	October 16/17	October 23/24
iPhone 12 Pro Max	$1099	November 13/14	November 20/21

Check out our long-term review of the iPhone SE 2020.

Samsung’s new Exynos 1080 beats Snapdragon 865+ in AnTutu benchmark

Samsung

GadgetByte

-

October 11, 2020

0

Samsung’s new Exynos 1080 beats Snapdragon 865+ in AnTutu benchmark

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.

Vivo Announces Dashain Offer For New Customers

GadgetByte

-

October 11, 2020

0

Vivo Announces Dashain Offer For New Customers

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.

Also Read: Vivo V20 SE launching Soon in Nepal

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.

Also Read: Vivo Mobiles Price in Nepal [Latest]

Oppo announces “Dashain Ra Tihar Ko Offer” for new customers

OPPO

GadgetByte

-

October 9, 2020

0

Oppo announces “Dashain Ra Tihar Ko Offer” for new customers

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.

Also Read: Oppo Mobile Price in Nepal [Updated]

Prizes

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).

Nokia 5.3 Review: Your Average Joe

GadgetByte

-

October 9, 2020

0

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.

Nokia 5.3 Specifications:

Body: 6.47 x 3.02 x 0.33-inches; 180gm
Display: 6.55-inches IPS LCD panel; Corning Gorilla Glass 3; 450 nits brightness; 82.3% screen-to-body ratio; 268 PPI
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels); 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 (11nm mobile platform)
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Kryo 260 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 610
RAM: 3/4/6GB RAM
Storage: 64GB eMMC 5.1 internal storage (expandable)
Software & UI: Android 10 (under Android One program)
Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
– 13MP, f/1.8 primary shooter
– 5MP ultra-wide lens; 118° FOV
– 2MP depth sensor
– 2MP macro sensor
– LED flash
Front Camera: 8MP, f/2.0 lens
Security: Physical Fingerprint Scanner (rear-mounted)
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio, 2 microphones
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, NFC, USB Type-C, 4G LTE
Sensors: Ambient light, Proximity, Accelerometer
Battery: 4000mAh with 10W charging (USB-C)
Colors: Cyan, Sand, Charcoal
Price in Nepal: Rs. 23,499 (4/64GB)
Buy Here

Nokia 5.3 Review:

Design and Build

Polycarbonate body with a sturdy build quality
A power button that doubles as an LED indicator

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.

Camera

Quad camera setup at the back
(13MP primary, 5MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, 2MP depth)
8MP front-facing camera (teardrop notch)

1 of 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Watch our video review of the Nokia 5.3.

Nokia 5.3 Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

Attractive, sturdy design
Fairly bright display
Stock Android experience
Great battery life

Cons:

Strictly average display quality
Average camera performance
Snapdragon 665 isn’t that competitive
Slow 10W battery charging