Redmi has quietly expanded its lineup of ultrabooks. The new RedmiBook Air 13 is the latest addition to the RedmiBook series. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the new RedmiBook Air 13 in Nepal.
RedmiBook Air 13 Overview
Design and Display
As the name implies, the new RedmiBook Air 13 features a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. It has an aspect ratio of 16:10. The display covers 100% of sRGB colors and boasts a brightness of up to 300nits. It supports DC dimming and has a viewing angle of 178-degree.
The body of the ultrabook is made entirely of metal. The device has a thickness of 12.99mm and weighs around 1.05kg. Redmi claims that the lid of the laptop can be opened using a single hand.
Performance and Memory
RedmiBook Air is powered by 10th gen Intel Core i5 – 10210Y. It’s a quad-core processor based on Intel’s 14nm process. It supports Intel Hyper-Threading technology and reaches the clock speed of up to 4.2 GHz. There is no discrete graphics card. It is available in two RAM variants – 8GB and 16GB. Both of them feature 512GB of SSD storage.
The laptop comes with three performance modes – Quiet, Balanced, and Performance. Users can switch between them using the “Fn + K” combination. Its cooling solution consists of a single fan with dual outlets, which the company claims can increase airflow by up to 65%. Similarly, the copper heat dissipation system is said to increase thermal conductivity by up to 87%.
RedmiBook Air relies on a 41Wh battery for its juice. The company is claiming up to 11.5 hours of battery backup. Redmi has included a Type-C mini adapter in the box that can charge the 0 to 50% in 35 minutes. Similarly, this laptop supports WiFi 6 that is claimed to offer 2.7 times faster speed. It offers two USB Type-C port and a 3.5m headphone jack.
RedmiBook Air 13 Key Specifications:
Design and Build: All-metal body with a textured finish
Dimension: 297.5 x 212 x 12.99mm
Weight: 1.05kg
Display: 13.3-inch LCD; 100% sRGB, 89% screen to body ratio; 178-degree viewing angle
Resolution: 2560 x 1600 pixels; 19:10 aspect ratio
CPU: 10th Gen Intel Core i5 – 10210Y
GPU: Integrated Intel Graphics Card
RAM: 8 GB / 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Battery: 4-celled 41 Watt-hour
Webcam: No
Power Adapter: 65W Type-C adapter; 100gm
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0
Ports: 2 x USB Type-C, 1 x 3.5mm jack
RedmiBook Air 13 Price in Nepal and Availability
RedmiBook Air 13 is available for pre-order in China via JD.com, where its price is ¥4,899 for 8/512GB variant and ¥5,199 for 16/512GB variant. We can expect the price of RedmiBook Air 13 to start at NPR 90,000 when it comes to Nepal through unofficial means.
Redmi Ultrabook Variant
Price in Nepal (Converted)
RedmiBook Air 13 (8/512GB)
~ Rs. 84,340
RedmiBook Air 13 (16/512GB)
~ Rs. 89,500
Check out our review of the Asus TUF A15 gaming laptop!
When we talk about drones, DJI is one name we can’t miss. The brand is famous not just for its lineup of drones but other aerial photography systems as well. Recently DJI updated its portfolio of drones with the new DJI Mavic Air 2 and its finally available for purchase in Nepal.
DJI Mavic Air 2 Overview
DJI sells drones and components to almost anyone, including consumers, professionals, and enterprises. However, the Mavic series is all about consumer electronics. The Mavic series of drones are the ones that you will likely stumble upon if you go out in the Nepalese market looking for a drone. The original Mavic Air provides tons of features to people looking for an ultraportable drone that they can take anywhere with them.
DJI Mavic Air 2 is the successor to the original Mavic Air that was launched back in 2018. Though it retains the overall characteristics of the Mavic lineup, DJI has designed and developed the new Mavic Air 2 from the ground up. It isn’t just an upgrade to the Mavic Air, as the company is advertising it as the smartest and safest consumer drone of all time. Compared to its predecessor, it comes with upgrades in terms of camera performance, flight duration, transmission system, and the Fly app.
Design
Though it retains the all-familiar folding design as the Mavic Air, the Mavic Air 2 is both bigger and heavier. It has a dimension of 183 x 253 x 77mm, which reduces to 180 x 97 x 84mm when folded. Design-wise, it shares a lot of elements with the more premium Mavic Pro.
DJI has also re-designed the controller this time around. The phone mount has been shifted from the bottom to the top of the controller. And in doing so, the company has got rid of the visible antennas.
Camera Performance
DJI Mavic Air 2 comes with a Quad Bayer 1/2-inch sensor. Users can choose to shoot in either of 12MP or 48MP camera mode. The lens has a FOV of 84-degree and an aperture of f/2.8. It is the first in its series to offer 4K video recording at 60fps and 180fps. The drone supports HDR for photos, videos, and panorama. For stability, it has a 3-axis gimbal (mechanical). It is also capable of taking 8K Hyperlapse shots.
Though it is heavier than its predecessor, the Mavic Air 2 offers longer flight duration, largely due to the 3500mAh battery. DJI claims a maximum flight duration of about 34 minutes. Mavic Air 2 also features new motors and new Electronic Speed Controllers. The drone uses OcuSync 2.0 technology that can transmit videos from a distance of up to 10km.
Safety features
The drone features obstacle sensors on both front and back to give signals about nearby objects. Users can even set the sensors in a way that they will prevent the drone from moving close to avoid any accident. The Advanced Pilot Assistance System 3.0 can even create a path over, under, or around the object to avoid the collision. The drone also features ADS-B technology that can warn users about nearby aircraft along with their location.
Other features
DJI Mavic Air 2 comes with Focus Track, which consists of three different intelligent features. The Spotlight 2.0 locks the camera on the subject so that no matter the way you fly the drone, the chosen subject will always focus. ActiveTrack 3.0 keeps the subject in the center of the frame while also avoiding any kind of obstacle. POI 3.0 is an upgrade to POQ2.0 that helps keep better track of the subject dynamically.
Safety Features: Obstacle Avoidance System, Advanced Pilot Assistance System 3.0
Video Transmission: OccuSync 2.0 (up to 10km)
DJI Mavic Air 2 Price in Nepal & Availability
DJI Mavic Air 2 is now available for purchase from Hukut Store for a price of Rs.1,16,000 for Standard Package and Rs. 1,45,000 for Fly More Package. The Fly More package includes a Shoulder bag, charging hub, ND filters, and 3 extra batteries.
About a month ago, OPPO launched the new Enco W11 in Nepal, which is a decent wireless earphone under Rs. 4000. And today, Xiaomi Nepal has launched a pair of new budget earbuds in the country dubbed the “Redmi Earbuds S” at a budget-friendly price.
Redmi Earbuds S Overview
The new Redmi Earbuds isn’t a new product in itself. It’s just a rebranded Redmi AirDots S, that was launched about a few months ago in China. Given the price, it will go head to head to with the OPPO Enco W11.
Meanwhile, check out all the latest prices and specs of Xiaomi earbuds here
Design and Display
Redmi EarBuds S looks quite similar to last year’s Redmi AirDots. It is small, compact, and goes right into your ears. You don’t get any stem hanging outside of your ear. There’s one color option – Black. Both Earbuds S and Realme Buds Air Neo are light at 4.1 grams per earbud.
Driver and Connectivity
Redmi Earbuds S features a 7.2 mm sound driver with DS intelligent technology for ambient noise cancellation. It is based on Bluetooth 5.0 technology and can connect to the device within the 10-meter radius. Xiaomi claims that the chip allows up to 2x data transfer compared to its Redmi Airdots.
Features
Redmi has included a mono mode which wasn’t there in the original Airdots. With this, you can connect to a single earbud at a time. The company has also made switching between mono and stereo mode smooth and hassle-free.
It has a low latency mode for gamers, that can be activated with a double click. Upon activation, it will limit the latency to 122ms by reducing transmission and with better sync between audio and video.
Battery and Durability
Each earbud equips a 43mAh battery. On a single charge, the earbud will last up to 4 hours which can be extended to 12 hours using the charging case. The charging case has a capacity of 300mAh and can be charged using a micro-USB port. It also has an IPX4 rating against splash damage.
Redmi Earbuds S Specifications:
Sound Driver: 7.2 mm driver
Weight: 4.1g (each earphone)
Connectivity: Wireless (Bluetooth v5.0)
Music Time: 4 hours (12 hours with charging case)
Bluetooth Profiles: HSP / HFP / A2DP /AVRCP
Wireless Range: 10m
Control: Physical Button
Extra features: Low Latency Mode, Mono / Stereo switching
Redmi Earbuds S is now official in Nepal for a price of NPR 3,199. It will be available soon across the 1800+ Mi offline stores and Xiaomi’s online partners like Daraz and Sastodeal.
Wireless Earbuds
Price in Nepal
Availability
Redmi Earbuds S
NPR 3,199
August 2020
Check out our review of OPPO Enco W11, W31, M31 Bluetooth earphones!
Samsung announced its latest flagship smartwatch in its unpacked event. It is the successor of the Galaxy Watch that was announced back in 2018. While in 2019, we just saw the more affordable Galaxy Watch Active 2, this year Samsung has brought to us the Galaxy Watch 3. Let us take a look at the specs, features, official price, and availability of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 in Nepal here.
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Overview
Design
Keeping the quick history check aside, the Galaxy Watch 3 will be available in 41mm and 45mm options. With it, we witness the return of the rotating bezel which was one of the many reasons that set the company’s Watch series unique. The size of the bezel is reduced as well.
According to Samsung, the Watch 3 is 14% thinner and 15% lighter than its predecessor, weighing 49.2 grams for the 41mm and 53.8 grams for the 45mm version. The watch is made of stainless steel. It is also IP68 Water and Dust resistant and has the MIL-STD-810G certification as well.
Display
As mentioned earlier, the Galaxy Watch 3 is available in 2 sizes, a smaller one with a 1.2-inches screen (360x360 pixels) and a slightly larger one with a 1.4-inches display with the same resolution a Super AMOLED panel. Moreover, the screen is protected by Corning’s Gorilla Glass DX. Compared to other GG standards, it offers better visibility through reduced surface reflection and is tougher against scratches too.
Functionality
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is better at supporting workouts too. Now you can track 40 different types of exercise while it can auto-detect seven of them. Sleep tracking features have been enhanced with better algorithms and more precision. Samsung revealed that later this year, it will gain a blood Oxygen monitoring (SpO2) feature.
And in South Korea, it will be able to monitor Blood pressure and Electrocardiography (ECG/EKG) as they have already acquired a license from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the country. In the unpacked event, Samsung assured that they have been working to provide those features in other countries very soon. The company also took it to the stage to announce that the Watch 3 has been cleared by the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for the Samsung ECG Monitor app. However, the exact date of when the app will be widely available hasn’t been disclosed yet.
Besides, the Galaxy Watch 3 comes bearing features like fall detection that will notify the users if a fall is detected. Likewise, you also get watch functions including notifications from apps, customizable watch faces (with which you can match the style and color of your outfit), hands-free Bixby assistant, Samsung Pay, and a speaker.
And yes, all of this is running on Samsung’s own Tizen OS 5.5.
Battery
In terms of battery, the smaller 41mm variant has a 247mAh battery while the bigger 45mm one has a 340 mAh battery. Samsung claims that the battery life has been extended to two days between charges.
Colors:45mm: Mystic Black (stainless steel or titanium), Mystic Silver (stainless steel); 41mm: Mystic Bronze (stainless steel), Mystic Silver (stainless steel)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Price in Nepal and Availability
Both the 41mm and 45mm variants of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 are now available in Nepal for the price of NPR 53,999 and NPR 55,999 respectively. You can purchase the Galaxy Watch 3 from various Samsung retail outlets throughout Nepal.
Smartwatch Model
Price in Nepal (Official)
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (41mm)
Rs. 53,999
Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm)
Rs. 55,999
Check out our long-term review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2!
With the wearable market blooming in Nepal, more and more OEMs are now bringing a variety of devices in the country. Recently, OPPO launched a bunch of new Bluetooth earbuds in Nepal, one of which is the Enco W11. It is the entry-level TWS earbuds from the company which has a distinctive look compared to other AirPods copycats. Let’s find out more about the OPPO Enco W11 TWS earbuds in this review
Minimal design with a plastic build and a glossy front
In-ear fit with silicone ear tips (extra tips inside the box)
Starting with the design, the OPPO Enco W11, fortunately, doesn’t follow Apple’s AirPods bandwagon. While basically every other inexpensive Bluetooth earbuds look the same, the W11 is a breath of fresh air. It is an in-ear TWS earbuds with silicone ear tips at the end. As expected, the build material is plastic while the outer surface of the earbuds has a glossy finish. For a tighter fit, OPPO also ships a couple of different sizes of ear tips which is great.
Usually, the medium size fits my ears but I had to switch to a large size on the Enco W11. With this, passive noise isolation was quite good. The earbuds are fairly lightweight as well since they weigh just 4.4 grams each. Having said that, I found Enco W11’s fit to be a little less than satisfactory. Even with the lightweight build, I experienced discomfort when using it for a long time. And trying to adjust the buds for a tighter fit would end up hurting the ears. At the end of the day, what I mean is the Enco W11 is a little loose in the ears and feels uncomfortable after wearing it for a while. Furthermore, they’re also IP55 dust and water-resistant so you can take the Enco W11 in jogs or under slight drizzles of rain with no worry.
Charging case
Moving to the charging case, it is heavily inspired by Samsung’s Galaxy Buds and Buds+. It is oval-shaped and has a glossy finish like the earbuds. You can notice the OPPO branding up top while the notification LED lies near the opening window of the case. Likewise, the USB Type-C charging port resides at the back. The buds fit magnetically inside the charging case via the POGO pins. While the strength of their magnetism isn’t that strong compared to other costlier TWS earbuds, I don’t mind that at all. Attaching the buds in the case also charges them – as expected.
Pairing
Bluetooth 5.0 wireless connection
These earbuds support Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. When it comes to pairing the Enco W11 with your phone, it becomes visible to Bluetooth capable smartphones, tablets, or PCs once you open the charging case; and all you gotta do is select the Enco W11 from your device’s Bluetooth settings. And after pairing it for the first time, W11 automatically recognizes the previously-paired devices for a quick connection.
OPPO says the Enco W11 has 10 meters of Bluetooth range but my review unit started losing connection with my phone when moving just 4 meters away. That may be troublesome for those who are planning to use it indoors with the connected device far from you. However, most of us will probably be putting them on our ears alongside our phone/laptop by our side so the small range isn’t a problem at all.
Control
A touch-based capacitive sensor on each earbud
Getting to the controls, Enco W11 has capacitive touch control on each earbud. And they’re quite intuitive as you can control practically every audio settings using those sensors. Yet, you won’t be able to customize them to your liking and will be stuck with what OPPO has shipped by default. Here, a single tap on either earbud lets you play or pause the audio. To skip or going back to a track is done by double-tapping the right & left earbuds respectively. You can also accept or hang up calls by double-tapping the earbuds.
Furthermore, there’s also a volume control option on the Enco W11. Pressing & holding the right earbud increases the volume while lowering the audio level is fortified via the left. Lastly, triple tapping either of them summons the digital assistant like Google Assistant. See what I said about the intuitive controls? Additionally, they work almost flawlessly even with the gentlest touch so you won’t need to hit yourself in the earbuds like how you would on other TWS earphones with the AirPods-like stemmy design.
Even though that’s very impressive, the touch latency was quite distracting and at times annoying. There’s about 400ms of latency on each click/tap. Similarly, the earbuds fail to correctly recognize multiple touch input sometimes. For instance, when double tapping the capacitive sensor with a little speed to skip or go back to the previous audio, the Enco W11 only registers a single click and then proceeds to play/pause the music instead.
Audio
8mm dynamic drivers
20Hz – 20 kHz frequency response
Binaural simultaneous Bluetooth transmission
Now let’s get to the most important of any TWS earbuds – the audio. Here, the Enco W11 has 8mm drivers and features binaural simultaneous Bluetooth transmission. What the latter means is that the audio signals are simultaneously delivered to the left & right earbud, thus resulting in a synchronized listening experience. Its frequency response range covers the entirety of the human hearing range i.e. 20Hz – 20 kHz. In terms of audio codecs, the Enco W11 only supports the most basic SBC and AAC formats only.
And the audio output… yeah, it’s not that great. But keeping the price in mind, I reckon that’s acceptable. In low to mid-volume, the sound quality is fine though the same cannot be said when sliding the volume to max. When listening to music with various instruments playing at a time like those under the orchestral rock genre, the vocals get subdued and is overpowered by the instruments instead. The Enco W11 just couldn’t seem to properly process audio with different ranges of audio frequencies playing simultaneously.
Don’t listen at full volume
I would also advise against going full volume since the audio gets quite shrieky which is harmful to the ears. I listened to some hard rock and classic metal songs like Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” and Tool’s “Fear Inoculum” and they sounded pretty unbearable at max volume.
When it comes to bass, OPPO is advertising the Enco W11 with an “enhanced bass” feature, but I didn’t hear it. I don’t mean to say it’s audio reproduction is entirely flat as there is a hint of bass here and there. However, they feel unnatural and are really muddy. I played “Sunflowers” by saib. and “Tadow” by Masego & FKJ. Even with the tightest fit possible, I couldn’t enjoy a pleasant level of bass on these songs. Despite this, Enco W11 is more than fine for listening to podcasts, different kinds of YouTube videos, or non-orchestral & non-bass-heavy audio.
Call quality on these earbuds isn’t that great either. Albeit there is a dedicated noise reduction feature, people on the receiving end of my call complained about how my voice sounded like something coming out of a large, empty room. Likewise, at times, the sound output would also get really unclear. It has a single microphone, so that may have contributed to the apparent poor call quality.
Battery
40 mAh (each earbud), 400 mAh (charging case)
USB Type-C connection for charging
Finally, let’s talk about battery life. Each earbud has a 40 mAh battery while the charging case holds 400 mAh of charge. Enco W11’s advertised battery life is 5 hours from the earbuds and up to 20 hours with the charging case when listening in 50% volume. And that more-or-less matched with my usage.
I got around 3.5 to 4 hours under 70 – 80% volume. Similarly, you can get 1 hour of playback time with just 15 minutes of charge. Fully charging the earbuds takes about 2 hours via the Type-C connector.
Conclusion
All in all, the OPPO Enco W11 is a decent pair of TWS earbuds in the sub-3K market in Nepal. It has a sleek design and looks very intimate in the ears. You also get a couple of extra silicone tips inside the box itself which is really nice. Its capacitive sensor has really intuitive control letting to tweak around with every possible setting you could ask for. The audio output is decent as well, especially in low and mid-volume.
As expected, its bass reproduction isn’t that great and definitely won’t be the first choice of those who primarily listen to EDM, dubstep, lo-fi, tropical house, and other similar genres of music. Call quality is acceptable but time and again, the audio on the receiver’s end would get unclear. So, if you’re looking for cheap TWS earbuds with a sleek design and a reasonable sound quality, the OPPO Enco W11 could be a good option.
Accurate aims to provide affordable yet quality gadgets in the Nepalese market. They might be a relatively new player, nonetheless, they are making a name for themselves in the market. Last year’s Accurate HX03 was lauded by many as one of the best affordable TWS earphones. And now, they have launched a follow-up to that product. Today the company launched the new Accurate AT-01 TWS earbuds. The Accurate AT-01 brings certain improvements over its predecessor and will be available for almost a similar price in Nepal.
Accurate AT-01 Overview
On first glance, these new earbuds look similar to its predecessor, however, certain improvements have been made in the design. This new design helps to increase comfort and also allows for a better audio experience. Accurate claims that the device offers 4.5 hours of playback time in one go. This is similar to that of the HX03. However, the claimed total hours of playback time is 14 hours.
The device does not have active noise cancellation. However, it does offer ambient noise reduction. That means cancels out background noise during calls so that the receiver hears your voice clearly. As for connectivity, it uses Bluetooth 5.0. Furthermore, the earbuds support voice assistants on both Android and iOS devices. Also, it comes with a single and dual earbud feature. That means you can seamlessly switch to either mono or stereo mode.
Key Features:
Noise reduction
Bluetooth 5.0
400mAh charging box
4.5 hours battery life
colors: White, Pink & Black
Six months warranty
Accurate AT-01 Price and Availability
The Accurate AT-01 is available in Nepal at an introductory price of Rs. 3,499. Customers can purchase the device from Accurate DarazMall, offline stores, or even opt to order it from their Facebook page.
Ola Electronics Pvt. Ltd., the authorized distributor of Infinix mobiles in Nepal, has officially unveiled a new smartphone — the Infinix Note 7. It’s a mid-range smartphone priced at Rs. 21,990 and will go head to head against the Redmi Note 9 and the Galaxy A21s.
Talking at the launch, Senior Management of Ola Electronics said, “With the objective to bring international standards of aftersales and service, Ola wants to continue to delight its customers and channel partners with the launch of the new Infinix Note 7.” The company also promises to bring new Infinix products in Nepal at an aggressive price.
Infinix Note 7 Overview
Design and Display
Infinix Note 7 features a 6.95-inch screen with a tall 20:5:9 aspect ratio. There is a tiny circular cut-out on the top left part of the screen, where resides a selfie camera. The device boasts an impressive screen to body ratio of 91.5%.
It also looks gorgeous with the Gem Cut finish on the rear panel and side frames which reveal subtle patterns and highlight from different angles. On the back, there is a circular camera bump for the quad-camera setup. Other than that, the rear panel looks clean thanks to the side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Performance and Memory
MediaTek’s gaming-focused Helio G70 powers the device. Helio G70 is a decent performer in the budget segment as we saw in Realme C3. Inifnix claims 90% single CPU frequency upgrade, 43% multi-CPU frequency boost, and 100% GPU image rendering frequency boost in this one compared to its predecessor Infinix Note 6. The chipset is backed by 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
Cameras
Infinix Note 7 flaunts a 48MP quad-camera setup on the back. The camera lenses are protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. The primary 48MP camera comes with 1.6-micron Pixel size and f/1.79 aperture. It is accompanied by a 2MP depth sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and a dedicated low light video camera. The camera bump encloses the quad-LED flash arrangement, which looks similar to the Oneplus 7T. There is a 16MP selfie camera on the front.
Battery and others
The device gets its juice from a 5,000mAh battery which comes with support for 18W SuperCharge 3.0. For security, Infinix has included a capacitive fingerprint sensor on the side and face unlock feature. The device ships with XOS 6.0 based on Android 10. Other features include smart gesture, Live Transcribe, and Wi-Fi sharing.
Infinix Note 7 Specifications:
Dimensions: 173.4×79×8.75mm
Design: Gem Cut Finish
Display: 6.95″ IPS LCD panel
Resolution: HD+ (720 x 1640 pixels)
Rear Camera: Quad,
– 48MP primary lens with f/1.79 aperture
– 2MP macro lens with f/2.4 aperture
– 2MP depth sensor with 25mm focal length
– Super low light video camera with f/1.8 aperture
– Quad-LED flash
The official price of Infinix Note 7 in Nepal is Rs. 21,990. This price is for the 4GB RAM and 128GB storage variants. It goes on sale starting the 14th of August through various mobile retail shops all over Nepal.
This one was a long time coming. I’ve been using the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 for well over 6 months now and well, it is as good a time as any to come up with a long-term review, isn’t it? Practically contributing to my good health, the Watch Active 2 hasn’t managed to get off my wrists for this long. This is also my first smartwatch, by the way. I went for the 44mm version since it offers a slightly bigger battery on top of a larger display. With that out of the way, let’s get on with the long-term review of the Galaxy Watch Active 2.
Galaxy Watch Active 2 Specifications:
Body: Two variants;
44mm: 44 x 44 x 10.9mm; 30gm
40mm: 40 x 40 x 10.9mm; 26gm
Display: (44mm – 1.4″ / 40mm – 1.2″); Super AMOLED; Corning Gorilla Glass DX+; 360 x 360 pixels
Compatibility: Android: 5.0 or higher, RAM 1.5GB and above, iPhone: iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above
Colors: Aluminum: Cloud Silver, Aqua Black, Pink Gold with FKM material
Price in Nepal: Rs. 38,999
Galaxy Watch Active 2 Long-Term Review:
Getting even a step backward, the reason I opted for the Watch Active 2 above others is.. well, there are a couple of reasons for that. First, I am using a Samsung smartphone as my daily driver, and that helps with the whole Samsung ecosystem and all. Next, it also looks way better than other smartwatches that we’ve reviewed like the Honor MagicWatch 2. While the latter looks a little too sporty to my liking, the Watch Active 2 has a more unisex aesthetics to it, which I’m a big fan of.
Design
Classic circular watch face with premium straps
Light and comfortable on the hands
Let’s start with the design. It has a really comfortable synthetic rubber strap. Besides ease of usage, this strap is really durable too. In all of my time with it, the Watch Active 2 has survived through some pretty gnarly bumps or so. Even though customization is limited in a market like Nepal, I’m quite happy with this regular aqua black color option that I have with me. Having said that, because it follows the universal 20mm watch band standard, you can always customize the look by slapping in a new pair of bands if you feel like it.
Or hey, if something more premium than silicone straps and aluminum body is what you’re aiming for, Samsung also offers an option with leather straps and a stainless steel frame. Obviously, it’s going to be a little heavier and a little expensive too. But if you don’t want to cash in a few extra bucks for a more personal look and feel, I’m happy to report that the one that you get inside the box itself is of excellent quality, and will last you just fine. It sits by you comfortably even with sweats and all and I’m yet to experience any kind of skin irritation from wearing this watch.
Comfortably Lightweight
At just 30gm, the Watch Active 2 doesn’t feel heavy on the hand either. If you’re coming from a fitness band, like me, it sure takes a day or two in getting used to. But after that, it’s smooth sailing forever. Getting to the back of the watch, you can see the heart-rate monitor, while the right frame houses a “back” and a “home” button. All in all, although Samsung hasn’t bothered to make a whole lot of changes in this sequel product (except for the minimized bezels), maybe that’s for the better and I’m happy with this uniformity.
Display
1.2 or 1.4-inches Super AMOLED panel
Corning Gorilla Glass DX+ protection for better scratch resistance
Digital bezels for easy navigation
Moving to the display side of things, the Watch Active 2 comes in either 1.2 or 1.4-inches options depending on whether it’s the 40 or 44mm variant. And like I said earlier, the company has managed to narrow the bezels to pack in a larger display in a smaller form factor. Anyway, for me, the most important upgrade of them all here was the Gorilla Glass DX+ certification for the display. If you recall, the original Watch Active had the regular Gorilla Glass 3 protection which is not quite as durable.
Durable at the core!
Here, the DX+ from Corning has scratch-resistance and anti-reflective properties. As a result, the Watch Active 2 can survive far worse fumbles, drops, or bumps. And that it did! During my time with the device, it has managed to overcome some nasty collisions without any significant scratch whatsoever. Living in a city like Kathmandu which is full of dust, I was worried if the surrounding would be too harsh on the watch. However, the Gorilla Glass DX+ has firmly proven its worth.
Keeping the durability aside, its circular AMOLED display is equally amazing. The 360 x 360-pixel density has remained the same from the original Watch Active, though the panel itself is still just as vibrant. Brightness has been of no concern as the Watch Active 2 gets plenty bright even when I’m outdoors. It is sufficiently sharp to the eyes and has an excellent contrast ratio too. In a typical AMOLED fashion, the blacks are deep, the whites are bright, and the viewing angle is just great. The native apps and practically every Samsung app have been well optimized to fit & function in the screen, though the same cannot be said for a few selections of third-party applications.
Easy navigation
It also retains the Always-on Display feature if you’re into that. But in my case, I’d had it turned off since it takes a significant toll on the battery, and raising the wrist to wake the screen works just fine. Navigating around the screen is easy and the touch-response is fluid as well. The thin bezels around the edge of the screen are actually touch-sensitive and mimic the more traditional rotary controller, similar to a physical rotating bezel found in Samsung’s own Gear S3 and other smartwatches.
Scrolling through the menus via the touch bezel also gifts you with a subtle haptic feedback every time, which is a nice touch. Apart from using the dial, you can also swipe or scroll through the display to navigate through the watch. To sum up, the Watch Active 2 has an excellent display all-around and Samsung’s pivot towards a digital dial, while definitely not making up for its physical counterpart, is still a welcome addition in my opinion.
Performance & UI
Dual-core Exynos 9110 SoC (10nm)
Up to 1.5GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage
Runs on Tizen Wearable OS 4.0
Now, the performance on the Watch Active 2 is, satisfactory to say the least. It is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 9110 chipset manufactured under 10nm process node. It is a dual-core processor with Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.15GHz. This has been complemented by up to 1.5GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage.
While the base storage remains constant for every configuration, you’ll have to get by with only 768MB of RAM if you have the non-LTE variant. The thing is, unlike its predecessor, the Watch Active 2 is also eSIM compatible and that’s where you’d enjoy 1.5GB of RAM. This would obviously translate to a smoother transition between the apps though my non-LTE watch served me fine as well.
Tizen OS
And running the whole show is once again Samsung’s proprietary Tizen Wearable OS 4.0. The user interface feels very well designed, snappy, and I noticeably felt it got better with consequent updates. With heavy splashes of One UI throughout the UI, the Watch Active 2 is quite easy to get around and the native Samsung apps run without any trouble. However, the confinement into the company’s own ecosystem definitely feels limiting when it comes to app choices.
I mean, while the onboard and downloadable Samsung apps may be enough to some, many would argue for a larger selection of apps which is just not there on Tizen OS. As a result, Google’s Wear OS and Apple’s watchOS are still streets ahead of Samsung’s wearable ecosystem. One more unfortunate thing is that the Spotify app doesn’t work here in Nepal. I wonder why? Thus, I had to manually add songs into the on-board 4GB of internal storage in case I wanted to listen to music through my Bluetooth headphones when I didn’t have my phone around me. This was especially frustrating since Samsung wearables and select Garmin smartwatches support offline play on Spotify, provided you have a premium subscription. Yeah, not even Wear OS or watchOS supports offline play on Spotify.
Notifications
Here, you can directly connect your headphone to the watch and play music or listen to notification alerts. Furthermore, Watch Active 2 also lets you receive calls directly from the watch itself and the call quality is fantastic. Notifications work fine, and every app you’ve installed into the watch like Gmail, Messenger get constantly synced and you can also reply to messages or perform different actions to the received notification. With this, you won’t have to get distracted to your phone itself and can just subtly replace this with swift action on the watch.
Strong Haptic Feedback
The haptic feedback on receiving any notification is quite strong too and you’ll rarely miss out any of them. In terms of watch faces, there are a lot of options to choose from via the Galaxy Store. Yet, I’m happy with this default one which shows all the details I generally lookout for like time, date, battery life, weather, steps taken, calories burnt, etc. Earlier, I’d also mentioned the back and home button. Well, double-tapping the home button also calls up Samsung’s digital assistant Bixby. Disappointingly, it is not quite responsive as I’d like and is equally slow too.
Tracking & Fitness
More than 40 workout modes
Built-in GPS, Heart Rate Sensor, ECG
When it comes to fitness tracking, Watch Active 2 has a massive arsenal of them. You can track over 40 workouts and see each of their detailed breakdown inside the Samsung Health app, or the watch itself. It also has an updated running coach that gives you audio & visual cues under seven different running workouts from light jogging to endurance running.
I have set up a daily goal of 6500 steps and the watch consistently pushes me towards achieving the daily target. Say, I’m already home from the office and have only walked through 80% of the aim, I am motivated towards reaching the full 6500 steps. Also, I’m someone who is basically glued to a desk throughout the day when I’m at the office. Time and again, the Watch Active 2 would prompt a notification saying “How about a walk?” and I’d make time for a quick jog. These are such little things, but end up making a huge impact on the overall user experience.
Built-in GPS
It also has an in-built GPS which would easily lock-in to your position after a few seconds of calibration. Using this, you can go on a hike or something similar without having to go through the hassle of carrying a phone. The watch can also track your sleep and I found it to be quite accurate. You can also review the detailed report of your sleep cycle including factors like asleep time, different stages of sleep like REM, light, deep, burned calories, etc.
Moreover, it is also 5 ATM water-resistant. What this means is that you can take the Watch Active 2 to up to 50 meters deep in water for up to 10 minutes. It can also be your swim partner as it is swim-proof and one of the many workout-tracking modes also includes swimming. There’s also this cool “water lock mode” which prevents any touch input when you’re enjoying a swim. When you’re done, you can simply press and hold the home key to turn it off, and the watch will then play a sound then eject water through vibration.
Other health-oriented features
Likewise, it can also track the menstruation cycle. While this feature was not available early on, Samsung finally provided a menstrual cycle tracking feature in its Health app a while ago. Here, the Watch Active 2 also ships with a dedicated ECG (Electrocardiogram) sensor. Basically, it can record electrical activities of your heart and can check for different heart conditions. We’ve already seen such a sensor inside a smartwatch from other companies like Apple, in its Watch Series 5. Using this, you’ll be able to get a better reading of blood pressure compared to optical sensors found in common smartwatches in the market.
However, the disappointing thing here is the fact that this hardware hasn’t been complemented with software that makes its use. But turns out, Samsung has faced some big hurdles in rolling out this feature. And months after the launch of the watch itself, the company finally pushed an update to its South Korean customers in June 2020. This was only possible after receiving clearance from the country’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. For users elsewhere, Samsung says the feature will be available from Q3 2020. So… fingers crossed!
Battery
Either 247 or 340mAh battery
Wireless charging
Finally, let’s talk about battery life. Watch Active 2’s 40mm option has a smaller 247mAh battery while the 44mm one that I have with me comes with a bigger 340mAh cell. And during my review period, the Galaxy Watch Active 2 lasted me somewhere between 3 and 3 and a half days. With the power-saving feature turned on, that number would easily jump up to a week. My usage mostly revolved around light workouts and jogs now and then, a few minutes of listening to Spotify, frequently working through calls, notifications, and so on. With all this, I’m pretty satisfied with the battery endurance.
For charging, you get a wireless charging dock inside the box. And because smartwatches are a long-term investment, Samsung has been clever enough to implement a rather slow charging speed so as to preserve the battery health for years to come. With this, the comparatively tiny 340mAh battery takes about 2 hours to fully charge.
Conclusion
Time to wrap it all up. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Active 2 is a solid smartwatch with a great design that you can be comfortable with, in almost every occasion. It has an excellent display panel while the UI/UX itself is decent too. Yeah, I agree that the Tizen Wearable OS is nowhere near its nearest competitors but I believe most of us can get by with what’s available inside the Samsung ecosystem itself. This watch is loaded with fitness tracking features as well, though the whole ECG delay feels annoyingly half-baked.
Its battery life isn’t that bad either, considering it’s a full-fledged smartwatch. With all this, the Watch Active 2 is definitely something you should check out if you’re in the market for a premium smartwatch and can’t quite break the bank for Apple’s best. But hey, if the money’s tight and all you want is a good enough fitness tracker, there are a bunch of other options in the market from brands like Xiaomi, Realme, etc.
Watch our video review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2!
Galaxy Watch Active 2 Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
A classic circular design with sleek looks
Navigating around the watch is easy thanks to the digital bezel
Bunch of health tracking features like sleep tracking & heart rate monitoring
Decent battery life compared to other more expensive smartwatches
The watch’s UI is pretty well designed
Cons:
Tizen OS still doesn’t stack up to Google’s Wear OS or Apple’s watchOS
Samsung’s digital assistant Bixby isn’t that responsive
The built-in ECG hasn’t been complemented with a software support
On the occasion of its ten year anniversary, Xiaomi has unveiled the Mi TV LUX. It is a significant launch as it is the world’s first mass-produced transparent TV. Keep reading to know more about the new Mi TV LUX, including its specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Mi TV LUX Overview
Xiaomi took the moment to announce that it is now China’s top OLED Basic Module (OBM) manufacturer. It is also the only company in the world capable of producing transparent OLED TVs on a commercial scale. Xiaomi has even boasted that no other company is capable of producing products like Mi TV LUX.
Display Technology
Talking about the specs, the Mi TV LUX features a 55-inch transparent OLED panel. Users can see through the screen. The TV sports a static contrast ratio of 150,000:1. The TV also covers 93% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and supports 10-bit color depth. Altogether, the TV is capable of producing 1.07 billion colors. The panel comes with support for the 120Hz refresh rate. When turned off, the panel looks like ordinary glass. However, when the device is turned on, images seem to float on the screen.
The 5.7mm thick transparent glass resides on top of a circular base. The base is bulky compared to other TVs as it has to accommodate everything that has to be included in it. As you have might have guessed, the Mi TV LUX cannot be wall-mounted.
Internal Specs
The TV is powered by custom made MediaTek 9650 chipset. It is a quad-core processor with four Cortex-A73 cores. The graphics are handled by Mali G52 GPU. This TV comes with AI Master Engine and offers over 20 different algorithms for optimization. Thus, the TV can intelligently recognize and optimize five major scenarios. The TV can also adjust the audio settings according to the content thanks to the AI Master for Audio. The TV also supports Dolby Atmos.
For a smoother and clearer transition, Xioami has also included MEMC technology. The TV has a response rate of 1ms, which will come handy if you are thinking of using it for gaming. It features a cable interface, audio port, three HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an interface for a set-top box. The TV runs on a customized version of MIUI TV. Xiaomi has included an Always-On display feature that displays images and text. Similarly, the Home page, Settings, and My App have also been customized for a transparent screen.
Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Specifications:
Body: 750H (823.11 w/ base) x 1227.50W x 5.7Dmm; 24.96kg
Connectivity: Dual-band WiFi (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0
I/O: 3x HDMI, 1x AV in, 1x Analog signal DTMB, 2x USB 2.0, 1x Ethernet (RJ45), 1x Digital Audio Out (Optical)
Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Price in Nepal and Availability
Xiaomi Mi TV LUX is available for pre-order in China, where its price is 49,999 Yuan. The first batch of the TV sold out within minutes. Seeing how the Mi TV LUX is a luxury and a freakishly expensive product, we don’t see it launching in Nepal anytime soon for any price.
Xiaomi is now a decade old company. The company is celebrating 10 years of its establishment this month. To make the occasion memorable, Xiaomi launched a couple of new smartphones. One of them is the new Mi 10 Ultra. Let’s check out the specs features, expected price, and availability of Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra in Nepal.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Overview
The device is called Mi 10 Extreme Commemorative Edition in China. Outside of the home country, it will go by the name of Mi 10 Ultra. Before the launch, the expectations were high on this device as it was rumored to debut with an in-display selfie camera. Though it turned out to be nothing but rumors, the Mi 10 Ultra still comes with notable upgrades to the Mi 10 Pro.
Design and Display
Mi 10 Ultra features a 6.67-inch FHD AMOLED Display. The display has a peak brightness level of 1120 nits and supports a 5,000,000:1 contrast ratio. The display also supports the native 10-bit color depth. This combined with JNCD <0.63 and Delta-E <1 accuracy, Xiaomi claims the smartphone will provide TrueColor Experience that is essential for professional designers. Altogether, the display can produce 1.07 billion colors. The smartphone supports HDR10+ content as well.
For gamers, it supports a 120Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. The smartphone features ambient sensors on both the front and back of the device for better brightness level adjustment. The display has TÜV Rheinland Eye Comfort Certification. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The device is available in three colors – Obsidian Black (Ceramic back), Transparent Edition (transparent back), and Bright Silver (Glass back)
Performance and Memory
Powering the phone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset. Though it’s a powerful SoC in itself, Xiaomi could have gone with the latest SD 865+. That would have added to the appeal of the device. Still, the device packs some features that can lure gamers. In addition to Qualcomm’s Elite Gaming Features, Xiaomi has included a bunch of gaming features under the GameTurbo 4.0. It even allows users to customize the GPU settings. Users can toggle with frame rate and resolution.
The device comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. Under the Trial mode, users will be able to directly download their games on to the RAM for better speed. Xiaomi claims that it can boost installation and launch speed by up to 40-60%. After the trial, users can uninstall the games. The internal storage used in the device is based on UFS 3.1. Xiaomi claims that the device has managed to score 660,000 points on the AnTuTu benchmark test.
Camera
The cameras are the biggest talking point of the device. As of now, it is the highest-ranked smartphone by DXOMARK (130 points).
The 120x AI Super Zoom is the first of its kind on a smartphone. The Sony IMX586 sensor stands out among the rest of the cameras. This sensor uses 1.6micron four-in-one Super Pixels, that can capture details without overexposure even in low light. It comes with OIS for clearer images. The camera can record 8K videos and has a viewfinder mode which will add a small preview window once the 15X zoom is exceeded.
The 48MP custom-made primary camera features a 1/1.32-inch sensor. The four in one pixel binning can improve the 1.2micron pixel size to up to 2.4micron. It also supports OIS and can record 8K videos. Xiaomi has also included Dual Native ISO Fusion technology, chip-level HDR, and HDR10 capture. The features are said to improve dynamic range while reducing HDR ghosting.
The device also includes a 20MP ultra-wide sensor (FOV 128-degree) and a 12MP portrait lens. The latter offers a 2X optical zoom. At the front, you’ll find a 20MP selfie camera inside a punch-hole cutout on the top-left corner.
Mi 10 Ultra features a 4,500mAh battery consisting of two cells combined series. It’s the first commercially available device to support 120W fast wired charging. It supports three charging modes – double-pump charging, direct charging, and normal charging. The charger can recharge the device up to 41% in 5 minutes and the whole process can be completed in 23 minutes. The device also supports 50W wireless charging that can charge the device completely in 40 minutes. Connectivity-wise, the device supports dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 and multifunctional NFC
Connectivity: WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Dual-band), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C, NFC
Battery: 4500(2 x 2250)mAh with 120W fast charging; 50W Wireless Charging, 10W reverse charging, TUV Rheinland 3.0 certification
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra Price in Nepal and Availability
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra will go on sale in China starting August 16, where its starting price is ¥5,299. However, GSMArena reports that this phone will be exclusive to China and won’t even be rebranded. We expect the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra to arrive in Nepal through unofficial means with a starting price of Rs. 100,000.
Xiaomi Model Variant
Price in China
Price in Nepal (Converted)
Mi 10 Ultra (8/128GB)
¥5,299
Rs. 91,320
Mi 10 Ultra (8/256GB)
¥5,599
Rs. 96,490
Mi 10 Ultra (12/256GB)
¥5,999
Rs. 103,380
Mi 10 Ultra (16/512GB)
¥6,999
Rs. 120,615
Also, check out our long-term review of Xiaomi Mi 10!
![Enco W11 - Design [1]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Enco-W11-Design-1.jpg)
![Enco W11 - Design [2]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Enco-W11-Design-2.jpg)
