Acer’s premium lineup of gaming laptops – the Predator Triton series is now available in Nepal. Known for its sleek chassis and powerful gaming performance, the 2020 edition of the Triton 300 and 500 launched here are powered by 10th-gen Intel Core i7 processors and RTX 20-series GPU. Let’s learn more about the Acer Predator Triton 300 and 500 (2020) including its specs, features, official price in Nepal, and availability.
Acer Predator Triton 300 (2020) Overview
Design & Display
Starting with the design, the Triton 300 features a dual-material design. Here, the inner chassis is made from plastic whereas the exterior body is built using aluminum. The lid has the classic Predator logo. It glows light blue and can’t be turned off either. Similarly, it isn’t perfectly square as the top edges have been sliced for a slightly aggressive look. Its hinge doesn’t go completely flat and settles to a maximum of 160-degrees.
Predator Triton 300 has two 4th-gen Aeroblade 3D fans, each with 59 blades measuring just 0.1mm in order to complement the laptop’s thin-and-light build. For even more effective cooling, there are three heat pipes in total. Talking more about the build quality, the Triton 300 weighs just 2kg with a thickness of 19.9mm.
Moving to the display, you have the 15.6-inches Full HD LED-backlit matte IPS panel. While the short 3ms response time remains consistent with all variants, you can choose between different refresh rates ranging between 120Hz, 144Hz, and 240Hz. It has a peak brightness of 300 nits while the color space is rated at 72% NTSC and 100% sRGB. The bezels aren’t the most minimum like it’s with other Predator laptops. While the ones on the side are pretty low-profile, the top and bottom bezel house the 720p webcam and a Predator branding – therefore the big bezels.
Performance & Memory
Getting to performance, the Triton 300 runs on Intel’s Core i7-10750H processor. It is high-performance silicon manufactured under the 14nm process with 6 cores/12 threads. This 45W TDP CPU has a base frequency of 2.60 GHz with a max turbo frequency of up to 5.0 GHz. Running the graphics side of things is NVIDIA’s Turing-based RTX 2060 or 2070. However, only the former is available here in Nepal with 6GB of GDDR6 VRAM.
There are two memory slots, so you can enjoy dual-channel RAM as well. The base variant of Triton 300 comes with 16GB of DDR4 SDRAM clocked at 2933 MHz. You can upgrade the laptop’s RAM up to 32GB. In terms of storage, it has two M.2 slots although the company has ditched a 2.5-inch optical drive altogether.
Battery & rest of the specs
Moving on to the battery, Predator Triton 300 has a fairly small 4-cell 58.75Wh Li-Ion battery. You can’t charge it with a Type-C cable and uses a traditional 230W power-brick instead. Interestingly, the DC-in connection is on the back instead, so you can get a clean set up at the sides. The keyboard on this laptop is a full-sized one with 4-zone RGB backlighting. The WASD keys have see-through concave-shaped keycaps. It also has a dedicated “Turbo” key for overclocking the laptop and the “PredatorSense” key for launching the utility app.
Other specs of the device include the Killer WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, and DTS:X Ultra audio for a 360-degree surround sound effect. Port collection on the Triton 300 includes 3x USB-A 3.2 gen2, 1x USB Type-C, 1x RJ45 (Ethernet), and 1x HDMI connection.
Acer Predator Triton 300 (2020) Specifications:
Design & Build: Plastic inner chassis, aluminum exterior; 14.3W x 10D x 0.78H-inches; 2kg (4.41 pounds)
Moving on, the Triton 500 comes with a little more powerful hardware and a more premium build quality. Unlike the mix of plastic and aluminum on the Triton 300, it’s all-metal here. Being the premium model that it is, Acer has included a better cooling system comprising of three 4th-gen Aeroblade 3D fans. While it is slightly thinner than Triton 300, it is a little heavier at 2.10kg.
In terms of display, Triton 500 has a 15.6-inches IPS LCD panel. This can be configured with up to 300Hz refresh rate now and also features NVIDIA’s G-Sync technology for a smoother gaming experience. It has the same 3ms response time so, with that combo, the gaming performance on this machine would probably be a hoot.
Getting to performance, the Triton 500 comes with Intel’s 10th-gen octa-core i7 processor and up to RTX 2080 GPU (in Super design). Memory-wise it supports a maximum of 32GB DDR4 RAM and 2TB of NVMe PCIe storage. There’s a significant upgrade in terms of keyboards as well. Acer has replaced 4-zone RGB backlighting with per-key keyboard lighting on the Triton 500.
Acer Predator Triton 500 (2020) Specifications:
Design & Build: All-metal build; 14.1W x 10D x 0.70H-inches; 2.1kg (4.63 pounds)
Acer Predator Triton 300, 500 2020 Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of Acer Predator Triton 300 2020 with Core i7 and RTX 2070 in Nepal is NPR 214,000. Similarly, the price of Acer Predator Triton 500 2020 in Nepal is NPR 265,000.
After a long hiatus, Tecno finally made a comeback in the Nepali market through the launch of the Camon 15 Pro. However, the company has already announced the first phone under the Camon 16 series. Let’s check out the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Tecno Camon 16 Premier in Nepal.
Tecno Camon 16 Premier Overview
Design and Display
Camon 16 Premier sports a 6.9-inch FHD screen. Techno is calling it the dual dot-in display because of the pill-shaped camera cutout on the top left corner of the screen. It houses the dual selfie cameras. It has a tall aspect ratio of 20.5:9. Like many other mid-range smartphones these days, the Camon 16 Premier comes with support for the 90Hz refresh rate. The other notable feature is that users can also enjoy HDR10+ content on it.
Design-wise, the device is now more ergonomic than the Camon 15 series. The rear panel features a square camera module like the one we saw in the Redmi Note 9 Pro. However, the arrangement of the sensors is distinct. There is only one color option – Glacial Silver.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the device packs in Helio G90T chipset. The gaming-focused chipset from MediaTek has been previously used in devices like Redmi Note 8 Pro and Realme 6. It has been well received by the audience. Talking about memory, the device features 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
Camera
The device flaunts a quad-camera setup on the back. Sony’s IMX686 sensor leads the setup. The primary camera supports 4K video recording at 30fps. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide technology with a 119-degree of Field of View. The rest of the camera setup includes a 2MP ultra night sensor and a depth sensor. As with other Techno devices, it comes with the proprietary TAiVOS image processing technology. The company has also made some changes to its native camera app.
On the front, there is a 48MP primary selfie camera. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor. The camera will automatically switch to the ultra-wide mode when it detects four or more people in the selfie. This will let you cover 105-degree FOV, which is better than the primary camera by 1.6 times. Similarly, the selfie camera setup comes with an updated bokeh effect, HDR portrait, and Eye focus.
Another highlight of the device is its battery. Tecno has included a 4,500mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging. It can go from 0 to 70% in 30 minutes. To keep the device from heating, the phone features a heat-tube dissipation system. It is said to reduce the temperature by up to 2-degree when charging.
Tecno Camon 16 Premier Price in Nepal & Availability
Tecno Camon 16 Premier is available in Kenya, where its price is KES 28,999. We can expect the price of Tecno Camon 16 Premier in Nepal to be around NPR 32,000.
Smartphone model
Price in Kenya
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Tecno Camon 16 Premier
KES 28,999
NPR 32,000
Watch: The truth about OPPO A-series (ft. OPPO A52, A53)
Realme Nepal has been extending the company’s portfolio of AIoT devices. Last month, they launched the Realme band, Realme watch, and a couple of TWS earphones. And today, the company has unveiled its cheapest TWS earbuds, the BudsQ in the Nepali market.
Realme Buds Q Overview
Design and Build
Unlike Realme Buds Air and Air Neo which debuted last month, the Buds Q doesn’t come with a stem-body design. The new design is a result of the collaboration between Realme and Frech Designer Jose Levy. It isn’t the first time Realme has worked with a professional designer; the Master Design on Realme Narzo 10 was the idea of Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa.
From a distance, you might confuse the design with Samsung Galaxy Buds. But the head on the Buds Q is more circular than rectangular. Realme is calling it the “Pebble design.” The round shape is said to fit the ear contour better, making it more comfortable to wear. Each earbud weighs around 3.6 grams and the weight of the charging case is around is 31.7 grams.
Audio Drivers and Connectivity
Realme Buds Q features a 10mm dynamic driver with bass enhancement technology. It uses the same custom R1 chip as in the Realme Buds Air and Air Neo. The chip allows dual-channel real-time data transmission. The data is transmitted using Bluetooth v5.0 technology.
There is a low-latency gaming mode for gamers that can reduce the latency up to 119ms. You can turn on the mode by pressing and holding both earbuds for two seconds. The mode syncs audio and video better and can be used while watching movies. It supports AAC HD codec, though it may mean you need to enable the decoding manually from the Bluetooth setting.
Control
A double-tap on one of the earbuds will cause the music to play or pause. Similarly, you can also use it to answer any incoming calls. To end a call, simply press and hold on one side. Triple tap will let you skip the current song and move to the next one.
Battery
Each bud has a 40mAh battery, which can last about 4.5 hours of continuous music. Similarly, Realme promises 3 hours of call time, 5 hours of gaming, and 6 hours of movie time. The charging case is equipped with a 400mAh battery that can extend battery life up to about 20 hours. The case supports 30W wired charging via micro-USB port.
Gionee is among the smartphone brands that have almost been forgotten over the course of time. The company had its presence in the Nepalese and was quite successful with its ‘F’ and ‘M’ series of smartphones. It went bankrupt at the end of 2018, but has made a comeback in the Nepali market with Gionee M100.
Gionee M100 Overview
Gionee M100 is the third smartphone announced by the company after coming out of bankruptcy. It was first launched in China last year and is now coming to Nepal. Gionee M100 is also available as Gionee K3 in different markets.
Design and Display
Gionee M100 sports a 6.2-inch In-Cell panel with an HD+ resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. The display features a waterdrop style notch on the top of the screen, that houses the selfie camera. Gionee has included a 2.5D curved glass to protect the screen from scratches and accidental damage.
On the back, there is a pill-shaped camera module that encloses the cameras and LED flash. The rear panel also has a fingerprint sensor mounted on it.
Performance and Memory
The device is powered by MediaTek Helio P23 chipset. It is an octa-core processor based on TSMC’s 16nm FinFET process. The SoC features eight ARM Cortex A53 cores. Half of them are clocked at 2.0 GHz while the rest are clocked at 1.5 GHz. Gionee is coupling this three-year-old chipset with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
Camera
Gionee M100 flaunts a dual-camera setup on its back. The 13MP primary camera is accompanied by a 0.3MP sensor. These two cameras are aligned vertically on the top left corner of the rear panel. On the front, there is a 5MP camera to quench your selfie thirst.
Battery and Others
The smartphone comes equipped with a 5,000mAh battery, that should last long given the under-power specs. It supports 10W fast charging. There is a capacitive fingerprint sensor on the back for biometrics.
Gionee M100 Specifications:
Display: 6.2-inches In-Cell Panel
Resolution: HD+ (1520 x 720 pixels); 19:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: MediaTek Helio P23; 16nm FinFET process
CPU: Octa-core (4 × 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex A53 & 4 × 1.5 GHz ARM Cortex A53 )
Gionee M100 is now available in Nepal for a price of Rs. 13,999. It can be a good choice if you are looking for a long-lasting battery and aren’t concerned about gaming performance.
Smartphone Model
Price in Nepal
Gionee M100 (4/64GB)
Rs. 13,999
Check out our comparison between Redmi Note 9 Pro and Galaxy M31!
August is the month when Samsung launches its flagship “Note” lineup of smartphones. With the ongoing pandemic and the overall trend in the smartphone industry, most of us had thought (or even hoped) that the company didn’t unveil its top-of-the-line product. However, the company still went on with the launch of the new Galaxy Note 20 series. And since its arrival, I have been using the Samsung GalaxyNote 20 Ultra as my primary phone alongside the S20 Ultra for review to see how much Samsung has improved over 6 months.
Also, if you’re planning to get yourself a Note this year, I’d strictly advise avoiding the regular Note 20 because of its ridiculous pricing. Note 20 Ultra is the complete package of the two and Samsung is clearly luring you to buy it instead. Let’s discover more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in this review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Specifications:
Body: 6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32-inches; 208gm; IP68 certification
Battery: 4500mAh with 25W fast charging; 15W wireless charging
Colors: Mystic White, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray
Price in Nepal: Rs. 139,999 (8/256GB)
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review:
Design
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus back & front, metallic frame
Slight curves but an overall classic boxy design
Massive camera bump at the back & the relocated S Pen
Anyways, let’s begin this review of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra with its design. My first impression when having the phone in my hand was like – wow, that’s a big phone. Putting it side-by-side with the S20 Ultra, we can notice the trademark boxy design with sharp edges on the Note. I also found the Note 20 Ultra to be a little more comfortable and lightweight to hold which is mainly because of its smaller battery.
Left: Note 20 Ultra | Right: S20 Ultra
The color options see a much-needed overhaul as well because frankly, the grey or black options of the S20 Ultra look quite drab and boring. Here, I have the Mystic Black variant of the Note 20 Ultra which unfortunately attracts a lot of fingerprints & smudges.
So if this is the one you’re going after, make sure to slap in a skin or a protective case – or better yet, get the “Mystic Bronze” variant instead which is the talk of the town. Besides the gorgeous color tone, it also has a matte finish thus getting rid of our aforementioned issue.
A new home for the S Pen
Samsung also decided to relocate the S Pen to the left on the Note 20 series, which is mainly to cope with the internal circuitry for these massive-massive cameras that are housed inside this giant camera bump – thicker than the one in S20 Ultra. This is going to throw away a lot of Note fanatics or even newcomers who favor their right hand. Even after a while of using the phone, I am yet to get used to the new position.
Samsung says it’s for the better since most people hold the phone in their right hand and it’s easier for them to pull the S Pen when it’s placed on the opposite side. So, I’m willing to give it a shot.
Moving on, the Galaxy Note 20 comes with the IP68 dust/water resistance as expected but what’s exciting is that it is the first phone to feature Corning’s latest Gorilla Glass Victus – both at the front and at the back. Compared to the last-gen GG6, this promises twice more scratch resistance and it can also survive up to a 2-meter (6.5 foot) drop. But, Samsung has left out the Victus on the camera module.
Therefore, make sure you attach a nice tempered glass on the rear camera module or toughen up the phone with a durable case since repairing the phone in case it breaks is going to a whole lot of money. For instance, the AMOLED panel alone will set you back an upwards of $400!
Up to 120Hz refresh rate; 240Hz touch sampling rate
Uses LTPO for variable refresh rate technology
Speaking of the display, the Note 20 Ultra boasts a gigantic 6.9-inches Quad-HD Dynamic AMOLED panel with up to 120Hz of refresh rate. And according to DisplayMate, this phone has the best AMOLED display ever. Samsung has always been a pioneer of the smartphone display industry and this announcement really doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. However, in real-life usage, I didn’t find it that different from the one on the S20 series. Note 20 Ultra has a peak brightness of 1500 nits so visibility was never going to be of any issue.
Like the S20 series, the company is still maxing out the 120Hz refresh rate to Full-HD+ resolution instead of QHD+. But interestingly, this panel has a Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide (LTPO) backplane technology because of which the display can adjust the refresh rate in itself depending upon the content on the screen – potentially saving battery in the process.
For example: if you’re watching a movie or similar content, its Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) technology will set the display to 24Hz, or if you’re scrolling through the phone or playing a handful of supported games, it will get buttery smooth at the full 120Hz. Note 20 Ultra’s display can go all the way down to 10Hz refresh rate for certain static contents.
Ultra-sonic fingerprint sensor
The display is also home to an ultra-sonic in-display fingerprint scanner and it’s almost similar in performance to the S20 Ultra. By that I mean, it’s not as fast as… say the ones from OnePlus or OPPO but gets the job done.
But since this is an ultra-sonic sensor unlike the more common optical fingerprint scanners, it works even when your fingers are wet. Additionally, it is more secure as well. Even in a dark environment, the sensor doesn’t rely on shining bright light either. So, if you ask me, I prefer Samsung’s implementation compared to other companies.
Performance… and the controversy
Octa-core Samsung Exynos 990 SoC (7nm) – Global
8/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage (expandable)
Time to get salty… and rightfully so. There has always been a controversy among the Samsung community since the company chooses to ship the premium “S” and “Note” lineup of smartphones with different chipsets depending upon the region. Certain markets like the US, China, and South Korea enjoy the ones with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon silicon while the rest of the world gets the one with Samsung’s own Exynos brand of chipsets.
had they been some sort of equals, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. but that’s simply not the case.
Many people (us included) had already bashed the company regarding the use of Exynos 990 in its S20 series while the Snapdragon 865 variant was much more powerful. If you recall like 4 months, many Samsung fans were already at the peak of their frustration regarding the use of Exynos 990 in the S20 series; to the point where there was an online petition titled “Stop selling us inferior Exynos phones”.
And to see the company take that mistake a step further by shipping select markets with even more powerful Snapdragon 865+ while the rest of the world is stuck with the same Exynos 990 is honestly very infuriating. The 865+ pretty much thrashes its Exynos counterpart with a much better CPU and GPU performance. Looking at the benchmark scores, you can see how it has about 15-20% better results and you know how much that translates to real-life usage.
Compromised performance on a premium phone
So it’s pretty disappointing to find out that while you’re paying a premium price for the phone, you’re not getting the best performance you’d expect. Samsung’s Exynos brand of silicons needs to do a whole lot better if it ever seeks to compete against the ones from Qualcomm. The company has been in talks with AMD to embed its RDNA-based GPU into flagship Exynos SoC which has us excited in the long run but surely, Samsung must’ve done something about the disparity that currently exists.
Both Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865+ are 5G capable chipsets that support both sub-6GHz and mmWave spectrum. But depending upon the region, Samsung also ships 4G LTE variants of the Note 20 Ultra, which is the case here in Nepal. That is understandable seeing how many countries still don’t a viable 5G infrastructure. Similarly, the 5G and 4G configs also come with different memory options.
Here, Note 20 Ultra (4G) comes with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and either 256 or 512GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. Similarly, the 5G model has 12GB of RAM and an additional 128GB model besides the ones above.
Keeping that aside for a moment, you guys might know that I use the Galaxy S20+ as my daily driver, and shifting to the Note 20 Ultra was not that big of a deal – at least to me. Its performance is as solid as I’d expected and everything runs flawlessly including multitasking between apps or just scrolling around the phone’s UI. Yet, just like the S20 series, the Note 20 Ultra also heats up quite easy when you gaming for a while or are doing some quite heavy tasks like multitasking alongside navigation with full brightness, recording high-res videos for a while, etc.
Gaming
Gaming on the phone is decent as well but like I said earlier, the Exynos 990 is inferior to the 865+. As a result, its Mali-G77 MP11 GPU can’t push certain games like PUBG Mobile to their max settings (Extreme frame rate and HDR graphics) whereas it’s a piece of cake for the other variant.
Likewise, games like PUBGm, COD Mobile, etc. don’t support high refresh rate as of now to make use of phones with smoother display panels. As of now, PUBGm has introduced a 90Hz support which is exclusive to certain OnePlus phones for now and I hope it gets a wider launch ASAP.
Furthermore, the Note 20 Ultra also has Ultra-Wideband (UWB) connectivity that we first saw in Apple’s iPhone 11 series. Unlike Bluetooth, WiFi, or NFC, UWB operates at a very high frequency and allows for a much faster data transfer between devices. With this, Note 20 Ultra could also be used as a digital key. Google’s latest “Nearby Share” data transfer feature (just like Apple’s AirDrop) will also be much faster between UWB-enabled Galaxy devices.
S Pen
Reduced latency from 45ms to just 9ms
New AI Laser Point Prediction feature on top of air gestures
Now let’s talk about the belle of the ball of any Galaxy Note device – the S Pen. Besides shifting it to the left, Samsung has made quite a few improvements to this year’s S Pen but the most important of them all is the input latency. If you don’t know what latency is, allow me to briefly explain it. Latency is the time it takes for your touch input to be registered by the display, processed by the phone, and then reflected back on to the display. Typically measured in milliseconds (ms), the lesser latency, the better.
While the Galaxy Note 10 series had 45ms input latency, Samsung has managed to bring it down to just 9ms on the Note 20 Ultra and 26ms on the standard Note 20.
The minimal latency paired with a 120Hz display and Samsung’s new AI Laser Point Prediction feature which predicts your next move depending on our current writing behavior means this S Pen gives off an almost paper-like writing experience. I’m not an artist or anything so the one on the Note 10 series fared well with me too. But if you are one, this makes all the difference in the world.
Besides latency
Samsung has expectedly borrowed many other S Pen features from its predecessor onto the Note 20 series with some handy improvements. Now, you can annotate PDF files, make e-signatures, etc. which is very handy. Similarly, you can also write notes in a PowerPoint and record an audio comment on it as well making it easy for others to drop their feedback.
And since the S Pen has a gyro sensor, it has some useful or rather gimmicky air gestures that unfortunately don’t work 100% of the time. For instance, the new gestures on the Note 20 lineup include a series of hand movements to navigate around the phone, take screenshots, etc.
DeX
Now fully wireless in Smart TVs with Miracast
Let’s quickly talk about the DeX. This is Samsung’s attempt at transforming your phone into a PC. While the feature required a bunch of peripherals like an HDMI adapter, etc. the feature is fully wireless now. You can turn your Smart TV that supports MediaTek’s Miracast feature into a DeX monitor – provided that both TV and the phone are connected to the same network.
Because Samsung promises a desktop-like experience with DeX (that in itself is an ambiguous claim), it’s not wrong of us to expect something fast & responsive. However, that hasn’t been the case with my usage. The UI is a little too sluggish to my liking and therefore I rarely use this feature. And about wireless DeX, Samsung says it works best on its own Smart TVs released in 2019 or later but I didn’t have one lying around. So, I tried it out on my non-Samsung TV and the experience was pretty much unusable.
10MP front-facing camera inside the Infinity-O cutout
Camera
1 of 3
Rear Cameras
Front Camera
Rear Camera Bump
Finally, let’s talk about the cameras. It has a triple-lens system at the back which comprises the massive 108MP ISOCELL Bright HM1 sensor from the S20 Ultra, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 12MP telephoto camera capable of 5x lossless optical zoom and up to 50x digital Space Zoom. There’s also an additional Laser AutoFocus (AF) sensor.
We saw how the S20 Ultra failed to lock focus on close-range objects because of its physically massive sensor, especially in a dimly-lit environment. Thankfully, the Laser AF system fixes that on the Note 20 Ultra.
Improved AutoFocus
And yeah, during my review, I noticed improved autofocus on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra compared to the S20 Ultra.
AutoFocus
1 of 3
Note 20 Ultra
Note 20 Ultra
S20 Ultra
Even when taking pictures of subjects like dogs, they retain good focus and sharpness.
Nighttime Images
The nighttime images on the Note 20 Ultra (from both primary and wide-angle lens) has also been slightly improved over the S20 Ultra – which was already incredible, to begin with.
Nighttime
1 of 8
Note 20 Ultra - Normal Nighttime
S20 Ultra - Normal Nighttime
Note 20 Ultra - Night Mode
S20 Ultra - Night Mode
Note 20 Ultra - Wideangle Night Mode
S20 Ultra - Wideangle Night Mode
Note 20 Ultra - Normal Nighttime
S20 Ultra - Normal Nighttime
The colors are slightly better and it may be because of the improved autofocus but it takes images in night mode a little faster. Remember, both phones that I have with me have the same Exynos 990 SoC with the same Image Signal Processor (ISP).
Normal & Wideangle Images
Getting to the normal daytime images, they are excellent, have good contrast/colors, exposure, and that classic Samsung vibrancy.
Normal
1 of 2
Images from the ultrawide camera share the same story.
Wideangle
1 of 4
Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
But, Samsung has worked to improved portrait images and it shows.
Portrait Images
Here, you can see how the portrait images on the Note 20 Ultra have a more balanced skin tone compared to the ones from S20 Ultra.
Portrait
1 of 6
Note 20 Ultra
S20 Ultra
Note 20 Ultra
S20 Ultra
Note 20 Ultra
S20 Ultra
As you can see, the S20 Ultra tends to darken certain portions while creating the bokeh effect.
Selfie Images
Moving on, selfies and portrait selfies are excellent as well with great colors and sharpness.
1 of 6
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Note 20 Ultra - Lowlight Selfie
S20 Ultra - Lowlight Selfie
And once again, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra yields noticeably better images compared to the S20 Ultra when it comes to selfies in low-light conditions.
Telephoto Images
Now let us talk about the telephoto lens. Samsung has stepped away from the 100x zoom and the Note 20 Ultra, therefore, caps out at 50x Space Zoom.
Telephoto
1 of 6
1x
5x
10x
1x
5x
10x
It can shoot loss-less images up to 5x zoom and their quality is quite solid – which goes on up to 10x digital zoom.
50x - Note 20 Ultra vs S20 Ultra
1 of 4
Note 20 Ultra - 1x
Note 20 Ultra - 50x
S20 Ultra - 1x
S20 Ultra - 50x
Yet, the images from 50x Space Zoom still aren’t that useful although they’re a little better than the one from S20 Ultra.
Videos
Getting to the videos, there are a lot of options to play around with just like the S20 Ultra. You can still click 8K/24fps videos but its outcome isn’t that great. However, 4K/60fps are really good with great stabilization and color reproduction. For the best stabilization, you can select the “Super Steady Mode”. I do have a little complaint which is how Note 20 Ultra’s ultrawide camera cannot shoot videos in 4K/60fps.
The front camera is a 10MP sensor residing inside a small punch-hole cutout in the center. It can shoot 4K/60fps videos as well with an excellent stabilization. Other features like Slowmo, Super Slowmo, etc. work great too. Overall, Note 20 Ultra is one of the best options for mobile videography alongside the iPhone 11 series. Besides videos, this phone is also one of the best camera phones currently out there in the market.
Battery
4500mAh battery with 25W fast wired charging
15W wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare
When it comes to the battery, I was a little disappointed during the review because I was hoping for the 5000mAh cell on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra just like the S20 Ultra. However, the company has gone with a smaller 4500mAh battery which is mainly because of the extra space for the S Pen, while maintaining a pocketable form factor. The smaller battery paired with a giant display that has a 120Hz refresh rate didn’t result in an impressive endurance that I’d hoped for.
Its endurance is B+ which could last you a day but when pushing it to the extreme, you may be left with no charge at the end of the day. There’s even marginal battery drainage under standby mode. I’m someone who goes to sleep after charging the phone to 100% and after 6 – 7 hours of sleep, I wake up to about 92 – 93% charge only. This issue was also persistent with S20 Ultra though I’m yet to see someone with their Snapdragon variant complain about this overnight battery drain issue.
Surprisingly, Samsung has abandoned the 45W fast charging for the Note 20 Ultra and rather sticks to a slower 25W charging protocol instead. With this, it took me about 1 hour and 15 minutes to fully charge the phone. Wireless charging, on the other hand, is painfully slow as well and the 15W power takes around 2 hours to juice up the phone.
Conclusion
To wrap it all up, Note 20 Ultra is a solid phone which could very well be the best phone right now. It’s built well, has an excellent display, cameras, and the S Pen has been improved a lot on this iteration. However, getting the objectively inferior Exynos chipset on a phone for which you’d have to fork out over $1000 simply doesn’t feel acceptable – and we’re right to complain Samsung about it.
Because of this variation, many people are skipping Samsung flagships and the market trend definitely reflects on that. My friend who is a Civil Engineer was also skeptical about buying the Note 20 Ultra because of the very same reason. Having said that, most people can easily get by with the Exynos 990. And if you’re someone who doesn’t make use of the S Pen, you can even go for the Galaxy S20 series instead and save a few bucks.
Watch our video review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Excellent design & surprisingly lightweight for such a big phone
Samsung’s most durable phone thanks to Gorilla Glass Victus
Terrific Super AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate
Improved S Pen functionalities with an almost paper-like latency
Improved zoom, low-light, & portrait camera performance compared to S20 Ultra
Cons:
*the usual Exynos complaint*
Battery endurance isn’t that great, struggling to last a full day
An underwhelming 25W wired & 15W wireless charging
The Insta360 One R is not your standard camera. It comes with a modular design and lets you shoot anything from 4K videos to 360-degree videos. It is now available in Nepal. Let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of Insta360 One R In Nepal.
Insta360 One R Overview
Design
As mentioned earlier, the Insta360 One R is a modular camera. The dimension of the size varies based on the mods on use. Insta360 One R consists of three main parts of which the lens is interchangeable. The lens is connected to the central core while the core is equipped with a touchscreen, control buttons, and necessary ports. Finally, the third component is the base that holds everything together. It also houses the battery that powers the camera.
The camera sports a rugged design and is IPX8 rated against water damage up to 5m of depth. Connectivity-wise, it supports 5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. There is a six-axis gyroscope for Flow Stabilization. The base packs a 1190mAh battery which can be charged using a Type-C charger. The battery backup varies according to the mod being used. Once drained, it can be re-filled in around 65 minutes.
As you may have guessed, the 1-inch Edition features a 1-inch sensor. It is the biggest sensor ever in an Insta360 camera and has been co-designed along with Leica. Thus, expect improved low-light performance and better depth of field. The wide-angle camera is capable of taking 19MP pictures. Users can also shoot 5K videos at 30fps or 45K videos at 60fps.
The Twin Edition comes with two camera modes. The first is the 4K wide-angle lens which has an aperture of f/2.0. It can capture still photos in two different resolutions – 4000 x 3000 (4:3) and 4000 x 2250 (16:9). It can record 4K videos at 60fps.
The second mode comes is the dual-lens 360 mode. It can cover a 360-degree Field of View. It can also capture 18MP still pictures (6080 x 3040). Similarly, it is also capable of capturing up to 5.7K videos at 30fps.
Insta360 One R Specifications:
4K Wide Angle
Dual-lens 360
1-inch
Dimension
72mm x 48mm x 32.4mm
72mm x 48mm x 43mm
78.7 x 53.8 x 47.2mm
Weight
121g
130.5g
158.2g
Photo Resolution
4000 x 3000 (4:3)
4000 x 2250 (16:9)
6080 x 3040 (2:1)
5312 x 3552 (3:2)
5312 x 2998 (16:9)
Video Resolution
4000 x 3000 @ 30fps (Max)
5760 x 2880 @ 30fps (Max)
5312 x 2988 @ 30fps (Max)
Video Bitrate
100Mbps
Gyroscope
6-axis
Connectivity
5GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Battery
1190mAh
Charging
Type-C (100% in 65 minutes)
Insta360 One R Price in Nepal & Availability
The price of Insta360 One R in Nepal is NPR 74,500 for 1-inch Edition and NPR 64,500 for the Twin Edition. You can buy the Insta360 One R in Nepal from Hukut store.
Action Camera
Price in Nepal
Insta360 One R (1-inch Edition)
NPR 74,500
Insta360 One R (Twin Edition)
NPR 64,500
Check out our review of Huawei EnVizon 360 Camera.
Realme’s 6 series, that was launched earlier this year, already has a successor. Like its predecessor, the Realme 7 series was launched in India via an online event. The series consists of two smartphones – Realme 7 and 7 Pro. In this post, we will be talking about the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Realme 7 Pro in Nepal.
Realme 7 Pro Overview
Realme 7 Pro is not an upgrade over the Realme 6 Pro. It looks like an alternative instead. In the Realme 6 series, the focus was on the display and the camera. However, the biggest difference in the 7 Pro is in the charging technology.
Design and Display
This time around, the company has brought a new design which they are calling AG Split Design. It is said to be inspired by symmetries found in human society and nature. It has a dual-done color separated by a straight line that passes through the camera module. The back panel of the Realme 7 Pro has an anti-glare layer. Realme has actually made the 7 Pro lighter than its predecessor (182g < 195g). However, it also means the device is thicker at 8.7mm.
Realme 7 Pro features a 6.4-inch display with a punch-hole that measures 3.69mm. It boasts a screen to body ratio of 90.8%. Realme has finally made a switch to the AMOLED display panel. However, it comes with the standard 60Hz refresh rate. The panel on the Realme 7 Pro covers 98% of the NTSC color gamut.
Performance and Memory
Realme 7 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G. It is the same chipset that we saw in the Realme 6 Pro. However, it’s a capable chipset in the mid-range and it won’t disappoint in the performance segment. It is available in two memory-configurations – 6/128GB and 8/128GB.
Cameras
The camera is another specialty of Realme phones. Realme is the company that popularized the quad-camera setup in the mid-range price segment with the Realme 5 series. The new device also features a 64MP quad-camera setup. Realme is referring to it as the second-gen 64MP quad-gen camera as Realme 6 Pro also had a 64MP quad-camera setup.
The Samsung GW1 sensor is now replaced by Sony IMX682. The 6P lens has an aperture of f/1.8 can supports up to 10X zoom. To aid the sensor, Realme has also introduced a multi-frame algorithm with improved detail reproduction.
The company claims that the zoom performance of the Realme 7 Pro is on par with the 2X telephoto lens. Thus, the telephoto lens has been ditched for a monochrome portrait sensor. The rest of the setup is similar to the Realme 6 Pro, including the 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a macro lens.
On the front, Realme has used a 32MP selfie camera. It has an aperture of f/2.5 and comes with features like Nightscape selfies and UIS Stabilization.
65W Dart Charging
In the online launch event, Realme expressed its desire to revolutionalize the way smartphones are charged by bringing faster-charging technologies in the mid-range segment. The 4,500mAh battery in the Realme 7 Pro consists of two 2250mAH 3C batteries connected in a series. Realme 6 Pro came with a 30W fast charger. Its successor now supports 65W SuperDart Charge. It can charge the 4,500mAh from 0 to 100% in 34 minutes. Similarly, 3 minutes of charging can last for up to 2.5 hours of Youtube or 2 hours of Instagram or 1.2 hours of gaming.
To control the temperature while charging, Realme has included an intelligent five-core chip along with 10 temperature (2 on the mainboard). The company claims the temperature of the device is maintained under 40-degree Celcius when charging in standby mode.
Rest of the Specs
Realme 7 Pro comes with a dual-speaker. The device supports Dolby Atmos and is Hi-Res Audio certified. We have seen smartphone brands get TUV Rheinland certification for certain components of the phone. However, the Realme 7 series is the first phone to pass TUV Rheinland Smartphone Reliability Verification test.
Realme 7 Pro Specifications:
Display: 6.4-inch AMOLED Display; 90.8% screen to body ratio; Corning Gorilla Glass
Connectivity: Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/AGPS/Beidou/Glonass/NavIC Type-C
Battery: 4500mAh with 65W SuperDart Charge
Sensors: Magnetic induction, light, proximity, gyro
Color Options: Mirror Silver, Mirror Blue
Realme 7 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Realme 7 Pro will be available in India starting from 14th September with a price tag of INR 19,999 for the 6/128GB and INR 21,999 for the 8/128GB variant. We can expect the starting price of Realme 7 Pro in Nepal to be around NPR 32,000 for the 6.128GB variant
Samsung has extended its lineup of Android tablet with the 2020 iteration of the Galaxy Tab A. It does not pack the same specs as the recently unveiled Galaxy Tab S7 series. Hence, is more affordable. Read along to know more about the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 Overview
Design and Display
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 sports an 8.4-inch TFT display with a WUXGA resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels. Talking about the dimensions, the body of the tab measures 201.9 x 125.2 x 70mm and weighs around 310 grams. There is nothing flashy about the design of the device. The screen is surrounded by traditional bezels, which are more prominent on the forehead and the chin. At the back, there is a square bump for the camera module.
Performance and Memory
Samsung has not explicitly listed the model of the chipset used but says that it is a processor with eight cores. The efficiency cores are clocked at 1.6 GHz whereas the performance cores are clocked at 1.8 GHz. The tablet comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On top of that, only 20.5GB of internal storage will be accessible to the users. Fortunately, the storage can be expanded up to 512GB using an external microSD card. The memory looks insufficient for a Tab in 2020 and the lack of additional configurations makes the matter even worst.
Camera
Talking about the camera, Tab A 2020 features only two of them; one on the back and the other at the front. The 8MP rear camera comes with autofocus and supports FHD (1920 x 1080) recording at 30fps. It is not even accompanied by an LED flash. The 5MP camera on the front could turn out useful for online classes and meetings.
Rest of the specs
The tablet comes with a battery of 5,000mAh. Samsung claims that it can last up to 11 hours of internet surfing (LTE/Wi-Fi), or 12 hours of video playback or up to 99 hours of music playback. Galaxy Tab A supports 4G LTE, Wi-Fi ac (2.4GHz/5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0. Samsung has put a USB 2.0 port on this one.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 Specifications:
Body: 201.9 x 125.2 x 7.0 inches; 310 gm
Display: 8.4-inches panel; 16M colors
Resolution: WUXGA (1920 x 1200 pixels);
CPU: Octa-core (1.8GHz, 1.6GHz)
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 512GB using a micro SD card)
Rear Camera: 8MP lens
Front Camera: 5MP lens
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, dual speakers
Connectivity: 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS, USB 2.0
Battery: 5,000mAh
Colors: Mocha
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 Price in Nepal and Availability
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 (8.4-inch) is available in select markets like the US and Canada for a price of $319.99. We can expect the price of Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020 in Nepal to be NPR 40,000.
Tablet Model
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 2020
NPR 40,000
Check out our review of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite.
Smartphone manufacturers are now shifting towards making 5G available in their cheaper handsets. Recently, we saw Realme launch the V3, the cheapest 5G smartphone yet. And now, Samsung has followed the suit by announcing its own cheapest 5G smartphone. In a somewhat unusual announcement, Samsung unveiled some images and a few specs of the new Galaxy A42 5G.
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Overview
The Galaxy A42 5G deviates from the small form factors that the previous Galaxy A40-series had. This device comes with a huge 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen. For comparison, its predecessor, the Galaxy A41 had a 6.1-inch display. Now, we do not have much info about the resolution. However, considering the fact that the A41 had a 1080p display, the same is expected on this one too. The display also comes with a water-drop notch, which according to the rumors, will house a 20MP selfie camera.
Around the back, there’s been a slight design change. The panel is now divided into equal-sized segments, which frankly looks woeful. Anyway, the rear cameras are arranged in a square panel. And it is a quad-camera array. Currently, we don’t have any details about the camera modules. However, recent leaks suggest that it includes a 48MP primary sensor and a 5MP depth sensor.
Under the hood, the device will run on the Snapdragon 690 processor. And it will be complemented by 4GB of RAM. The storage offered will be 128GB. However, the rumor is that a 64GB variant will be available too. As for the battery, it supposedly has a 5000mAh unit.
Expected Specifications:
Display
6.6-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution
Full HD+
Chipset
Snapdragon 690 5G
GPU
Adreno 691L
RAM
4GB
Internal Storage
64GB, 128GB
Software and UI
One UI 2.1 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera
48MP primary camera
8MP Ultrawide sensor
5MP Depth sensor
5MP Telephoto sensor
Front camera
20MP selfie camera
Security
Fingerprint(in-display)
Battery
5000mAh
Samsung Galaxy A42 5G Price and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G will be the cheapest Samsung device with 5G support. Now, their previous “cheapest” 5G device i.e the A41 5G was launched at a price of $499. However, considering the fact that, Samsung has called A45 5G the cheapest one yet, it will probably launch at a lower price. The details about the availability and the prices will be revealed in the near future. So, stay tuned!
ZTE has everyone talking with the announcement of the world’s first commercially available under-display camera smartphone. However, it was not the only device that was unveiled in the event. The company also unveiled a new TWS – ZTE LiveBuds with a total battery backup of up to 20 hours. Read along to learn more about the specs, features, expected price, and availability of ZTE LiveBuds in Nepal.
ZTE LiveBuds Overview
ZTE is not the name that appears in your mind when someone talks about audio accessories. The Chinese company mainly focuses on network technology and equipment. ZTE’s network business is even bigger than its smartphone business. The company currently offers services related to 5G and cloud computing. So, the introduction of the new TWS is a sign that the company is ready to step into the accessories business as well.
Design
ZTE LiveBuds comes with a cylindrical power case. The case features a curvy design. From a distance, it may look like the case of Sony WF-1000XM3. But it has ZTE branding on the front. The actual earpiece, on the other hand, has a very distinctive look because of the short stem and bulky head. It comes with replaceable ear tips for a better fit. When worn, most of the earpiece’s head is covered and only a small portion sticks out.
The part of the head that sticks out has a hollow surface. It is where the controls of the TWS is located. ZTE has inscribed “omthing” along the length of the stem.
Internal Specs
ZTE LiveBuds comes with touch-based controls. Users can tap on the hollow surface of each bud to control the music or receive/end call. It also comes with dual microphones that can be used for calls and interacting with the smart assistant. It uses Bluetooth 5.0 connection to receive and transmit data. Users can use the earbuds collectively or use them separately by connecting them to different devices at the same. ZTE claims that the Electronic Noise Cancellation on the TWS can reduce outside noise by up to 90%.
On a single charge, LiveBuds can offer up to 4 hours of continuous music playback. With the charging case, the number is bumped to up to 20 hours. The earbuds come with IPX5 certification against damage by water splashes. Thus, you can put it on during workouts without having to worry about sweats damaging the earbuds.
ZTE LiveBuds Specifications:
Weight: 4 grams (each earbud)
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.0)
Wireless Range: 10m
Codec: AAC
Battery Backup: 4 hours (earbuds); up to 20 hours (with charging case)
Control: Touch-based
ENC: Yes
Microphones: Yes, Dual-setup
IP rating: Yes, IPX5
ZTE LiveBuds Price in Nepal and Availability
ZTE LiveBuds is now available in China, where its price is 199 Yuan. We can expect the price of ZTE LiveBuds in Nepal to be around NPR 3,500 if it launches here.
TWS
Expected Price in Nepal
ZTE LiveBuds
NPR 3,500
Check out our review of the recent budget wireless earphones from OPPO!
