National Innovation Centre (NIC) has been manufacturing necessary medical equipment during the pandemic. It is trying to strengthen the medical infrastructure of the country. The latest innovation to come out of the place is the Isolation Chamber. It is both safe and cheaper than the ones available at the moment. Let’s learn more about the Isolation Chamber developed by the National Innovation Centre.
National Innovation Centre: An Introduction
Here, National Innovation Centre is a non-profit organization founded on 9th November 2012 by Mahabir Pun. It is currently operating from inside the Tribhuvan University. It is a platform where ideas are transformed into reality through the efforts of investors and investors. If you have a project that can have a positive impact on the economy or society, you can submit a proposal to the organization. If the project meets the requirements, the organization will help you make it a reality.
NIC runs entirely on donations that come mostly from non-resident Nepalese. But it is also planning to create a steady flow of funds through different in-progress projects. Throughout the on-going COVID19 pandemic, the organization has provided tools to front-line workers. NIC provided PPE and Face Shield to doctors and nurses when they were out of stock in the nation. Similarly, it also produced a special booth for swab collection to make the process safe.
National Innovation Centre: Isolation Chamber
Isolation Box vs Isolation Chamber
The National Innovation Centre has been providing Isolation boxes to hospitals that are treating COVID 19. These boxes have been transporting infected patients in ambulances. These boxes allow patients isolated from the rest of the people in the ambulance.
However, the infection has reached far nooks of Nepal where there is no medical facility. In such cases, patients are transported to the nearest medical facility via helicopter. As helicopters are not as equipped as an ambulance for medical emergencies, the rescue flights require a special isolation chamber. It also needs to ensure the patient is able to breathe properly.
Development and Testing
The Isolation Chamber is a result of hard work by a team consisting of biomedical, electrical, and mechanical engineers. Dipendra Basnet, a mechanical engineer, said in an interview with Techpana that the team has not compromised in the quality of the product. Everything on the isolation chamber uses local resources except for some parts of the section limit which came from abroad.
राष्ट्रिय आविष्कार केन्द्रमा बनेको हेलिकप्टरमा कोरोनाको बिरामी बोक्ने Manang Air ले लगेको Isolation Chamber. दुई ओटा कम्पनीले मात्र त्यसको स्वीकृति पाएछन. अनुमति पाउने अर्को कम्पनी Kailash Air ले China बाट ल्याएको सो च्याम्बर ३ लाख रुपैंया जति परेछ. हाम्रो ८० हजार मात्र पर्यो. pic.twitter.com/S6gcVKLKSq
National Innovation Centre provided a prototype to the Manang Air, which provided necessary feedback for its improvement. The Ministry of Health and Population has also approved the use of the isolation chamber.
Cost-Effective
As of now, there are only a handful of companies that have permission to transport COVID patients via helicopters. These include Simrik Air, Manang Air, and Kailash Air. Here, Kailash Air uses China-made chambers that cost around NPR 3,00,000. However, the Isolation Chamber developed by the National Innovation Centre costs around NPR 80,000 only.
Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy M51 back in August. And smartphone enthusiasts here in Nepal have been waiting for the domestic launch ever since. Well, good news. The phone has now landed in Nepal. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, availability, and official price in Nepal of the Samsung Galaxy M51.
Samsung Galaxy M51 Overview:
Design and Display
Starting with the design, Galaxy M51 features a “glasstic” body, which is similar to that of M31s. The frames are plastic too, which houses a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. Upfront, you are greeted with a big 6.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio and Full HD resolution. It is available in 2 color options: Black and Blue.
Performance and Memory
Under the hood, the Galaxy M51 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G making it the fastest M-series smartphone yet. It is the same chipset found on popular midrange phones like Galaxy A71 and POCO X2, so expect similar performance with the M51 too. And it’s quite the deviation from Samsung’s over usage of its in-house Exynos 9611 silicon.
In terms of memory, the phone has 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You can further expand the storage with a dedicated microSD card slot.
Camera
Moving to the cameras, Samsung Galaxy M51 has a quad-camera setup comprising of a 64MP primary sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, a 5MP macro lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. There’s a tiny punch-hole cutout in the top center of the display which houses a 32MP selfie unit.
Battery
Now, the battery capacity is one of the highlighting features of the Galaxy M51. The phone makes use of a monstrous 7,000mAh battery, which also happens to be the biggest battery that we have ever witnessed in a Samsung smartphone. Similarly, it supports 25W fast charging, which is a welcome addition given the humongous battery size. Furthermore, the fast charger is included in the box itself.
Samsung Galaxy M51 Specifications:
Body: 6.45 x 3.00 x 0.37 inches, 213 gm
Display: 6.7-inches Super AMOLED Plus, 393PPI, Gorilla Glass 3
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G (8nm Mobile Platform)
Battery: 7000mAh with 25W fast charging (USB-C to USB-C)
Color options: Celestial Black, Electric Blue
Samsung Galaxy M51 Price in Nepal and Availability
The price of the Samsung Galaxy M51 in Nepal is NPR 39,999 for the 6/128GB and NPR 43,999 for the 8/128GB variant. It is already available in some regions from today whereas Samsung Galaxy M51 will be available throughout Nepal starting tomorrow.
JBL Go 2 is the company’s cheapest Bluetooth speaker available in Nepal. It boasts JBL’s superior sound quality in a portable form factor and affordable price tag. And now, EvoStore has brought its successor in the Nepali market as well. In this post, we will be taking a look at the specs, features, official price, and availability of JBL Go 3 in Nepal.
JBL Go 3 Overview:
Design
Compared to its predecessor, JBL has made some changes to the design of the Go 3. The JBL Go 2 came with a rectangular design with flat sides, rounded corners, and rubberized housing. On the other hand, Go 3 is mostly covered with fabrics. The sides have been curved giving it the eye-catching edgy look. The speaker is IP67 certified against dust and water splash too.
Internal specs
Here, JBL Go 3 includes a 1.5” transducer. It contributes to an RMS output of 4.2 Watts. The frequency response ranges from 110Hz to 20kHz. For connectivity, the speaker comes with Bluetooth v5.1 with A2DP 1.3 and AVRCP 1.6 profile. There is also support for multi-point connection that allows the speaker to connect to two devices at the same time.
You will also notice that it comes with a loop that wasn’t there on its predecessor. Thus, users will care less about accidentally dropping it when carrying it around. Just below it lies the USB Type-C charging port. Similarly, the power button and the Bluetooth button lie on the opposite side of it, whereas the playback control buttons are on the top of the speaker. Likewise, there are separate buttons for volume up, volume down and play/pause.
Battery
JBL has included a 2.7Whr Li-ion polymer battery in the Go 3. The company claims that it can provide up to 5 hours of music playback on a single charge. Similarly, it takes 2.5 hours to fully charge the speaker using a 5W charger.
Controls: Bluetooth pairing, Power Button, Volume up/down
Transducer: 1.5”
Output Power: 4.2W (RMS)
Frequency Response: 110Hz – 20kHz
Signal to Noise ratio: ≥85dB
Protection: IP67 certified
Battery: 2.7Whr Lithium-ion polymer
Battery Backup: Up to 5 hours
Charging interface: USB Type-C (5V,1A)
Recharge Time: 2.5 hours
JBL Go 3 Price in Nepal and Availability
JBL Go 3 is now available in Nepal for the price of NPR 6,900. But right now, you can buy the JBL Go 3 portable Bluetooth speaker in Nepal at just Rs. 6,500 from Hukut.
Earlier this year, Samsung Display announced that it will cease the manufacturing of LCD panels by the end of 2020. It was widely speculated that the company is working on new QNED display technology. Having said that, Samsung hasn’t stopped working on other display technologies. Recently, the South Korean company has now announced a MicroLED TV in its domestic market. The giant 110″ MicroLED TV from Samsung looks to be the ultimate entertainment system in your home.
But, what is MicroLED technology?
Before you jump into the details of the new Samsung TV, let’s start with what MicroLED technology is all about. Just like OLED panels, MicroLED is also an emissive display. That is, these panels can produce their own light and don’t require external backlight apparatus as in the normal LCD/LED TVs. The major difference between the two is the nature of diodes. OLED uses organic diodes thus is expensive and prone to screen burns. It also cannot be scaled to larger screen sizes.
On the other hand, MicroLED technology uses inorganic diodes, avoiding screen burns altogether. It offers all the advantages of an OLED panel while also being brighter and more durable. MicroLED panels also don’t require color filters. It is also said to be less expensive in the longer run.
Samsung and MicroLED TV
Samsung has been avoiding OLED panels on its TV because of the above-mentioned issues. Thus, it makes sense for the company to invest in the MicroLED technology. Samsung and Sony lead the development of MicroLED TV.
The Wall was Samsung’s first MicroLED TV. It was first introduced in CES 2018. It came with a modular design that lets the user choose the size of the panel according to the space and aesthetic of the room. This TV is now on sale but it is not anything a normal consumer can afford.
Samsung 110” MicroLED TV
The upcoming 110” MIcroLED TV will be Samsung’s first commercial TV based on the display technology. It will arrive in a traditional form factor. Thus, it will also be the company’s first non-modular MicroLED TV. It will be a pre-fabricated unit without the need for special installation. The TV will have a 4K resolution and 8 million pixels. It will also cover 100% of DCI and Adobe RGB color gamut. It will be powered by a new Micro AI Processor that can support 4K HDR content.
With a screen-to-body ratio of 99.99%, the TV will be practically bezel-less. It will even ditch the back matrix for an immersive experience. There is a Multi View Feature that will split the 110” screen into four parts with each part displaying contents from a unique source. As for the audio, Samsung has included Majestic Sound System with 5.1 channel sound. It also features Object Tracking Sound Pro that identifies motion on the screen and outputs sound accordingly.
Samsung 110” MicroLED TV Price and Availability
Samsung 110” MicroLED TV is now available for pre-order in South Korea. However, the company has been tight-lipped about the price and availability of the device. But, it is expected that the TV will go on sale in 2021 with an obviously extravagant price tag.
Earlier this year, Qualcomm introduced an upgradable smartphone GPU in select Snapdragon 855-powered smartphones. The new feature under the Android GPU Inspector was a result of the collaboration between Qualcomm and Google. Galaxy S10 and Note 10 were the only two Samsung devices to have this feature at the launch. Samsung has now brought the feature to Galaxy S20 and Note 20. The company launched a separate Game Driver App for Exynos and Snapdragon SoCs. Let’s learn more about the Samsung Game Driver App.
Samsung Game Driver App Overview:
Galaxy GameDev Program
The new Samsung Gamer Driver App is the product of the Galaxy GameDev Program. The program was announced at the Samsung Developer Conference 2016. It is intended to provide support to small game developers. However, it has also been working to improve the existing technologies in Galaxy devices.
Game Driver App
As of now, the Samsung Game Driver App is only available for the smartphones under the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 lineup. One can download the app on compatible devices via the Google Play Store. While the Android GPU Inspector was limited to Adreno GPU that Qualcomm uses in its SoC, there is a separate version of the app for Mali GPU that Samsung uses in its Exynos SoC.
The major highlight of the app is that flagship phones from Samsung will now be able to receive a GPU update through this app. Earlier, such a thing would only be possible via a software OTA update. And smartphones manufacturer don’t roll out system updates that often. With the new Samsung Game Driver App, the company can optimize and improve the GPU faster and more efficiently.
Supported Games
At the launch, the Game Driver App improves the gaming experience in select gaming titles like Black Desert, Fortnite, and Call of Duty: Mobile. However, there is no information about what these improvements are and how they enhance the gaming experience. Samsung promises to expand the support to other games as well. Similarly, the company is also trying to make the app compatible with more Galaxy smartphones.
Samsung also promises to keep improving the gaming experience in its smartphones. The brand is promoting the inclusion of technologies like multi-thread rendering and Vulkan API in smartphones. Samsung is currently working with 50 different partners for the same. The list includes game studios, tool developers, game engine companies, and GPU vendors. Popular names in the list include Qualcomm, Google, ARM, Epic Games, Square Enix, Nexon, and Microsoft.
Samsung Game Driver App Availability
Users of the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 lineup can now download Game Driver App from the Google Play Store.
Motorola launched the Moto E7 Plus in the global market back in September. And now, the device has officially made its way to Nepal as well, while going head-to-head against the likes of POCO C3 and Nokia 3.4. In this post, I’ll be discussing the Motorola Moto E7 Plus and its features, specs, official price, and availability in Nepal.
Motorola Moto E7 Plus Overview
Design and Display
Moto E7 Plus features an LCD panel with a diagonal length of 6.5-inch. The display features a waterdrop style notch to house the front-facing camera. The phone has a rather heavy chin at the bottom. Sadly, Motorola is still using an HD+ panel and it has a 20:9 aspect ratio. Thus, the company is calling this a Max Vision screen.
At the back, one can notice the square camera bump with rounded corners and edges. It houses the dual camera setup along with an LED flash. Just below the bump, is the iconic Motorola branding with a physical fingerprint scanner integrated onto it.
Performance and Memory
Moto E7 Plus packs Snapdragon 460 under its hood. It is an entry-level octa-core chipset from Qualcomm with a clock speed of up to 1.8GHz. So, there is nothing exciting about the performance of the device. However, Motorola has paired it with 4GB of RAM so we can expect it to perform decently in day to day usage. The 64GB internal storage can further be expanded by slotting in an external microSD card. It also has a dedicated Google Assistant button.
Moto E7 Plus flaunts a dual-camera setup on the back. Here, the primary camera makes use of a 48MP f/1.7 sensor, which is actually great given the rest of the specs. Motorola claims that it can capture sharp and bright capture in different lighting conditions. Users can also add the bokeh effect to their portraits using the 2MP depth sensor. The two sensors are arranged horizontally inside the bump. Above them is a flash that completes the triangular shape.
Rest of the specs
Motorola has fitted in a huge 5,000mAh battery which supports 10W charging via the micro USB port. There is a capacitive fingerprint sensor on the rear panel of the device. It is available in two color options – Misty Blue, Twilight Orange.
Motorola Moto E7 Plus Specifications:
Body: 6.50 x 2.98 x 0.36 inches, 200 gm, Water-repellent design
Display: 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel, 269PPI, 86% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 (11nm Mobile Platform)
After weeks of teasers, Motorola officially bounced back in the Nepalese market and launched two phones during the Daraz 12.12 campaign. One of them is the Moto G9 Play, which looks to be a decent contender in the best phone under 20K market in Nepal. So, let’s take a look at the specs, features, official price, and availability of Motorola Moto G9 Play in Nepal.
Motorola Moto G9 Play Overview:
Design and Display
Moto G9 Play features a 6.5-inch Max Vision display. The display is based on IPS LCD technology and sports an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. There is a waterdrop style notch on the top that houses the front camera. The aspect ratio on this is 20:9.
The body of the Moto G9 Play is entirely made up of plastic. One can notice the square camera bump on the rear panel. The rear panel also houses a physical fingerprint sensor. Motorola has opted for a water repellent design to keep the device safe from minor spills and splashes.
Performance and Memory
Likewise, Moto G9 Play is one of the first devices to sport the Snapdragon 662 SoC. This chipset is based on the 11nm node and features eight Kryo 260 cores clocked at 2GHz. The graphics are handled by Adreno 610 GPU clocked at 950MHz. Similarly, the phone comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. With this, Moto G9 Play goes head-to-head against the likes of POCO M2 and Redmi 9/Prime. Users can expand the latter by up to 512GB using a microSD card. The device ships with near-stock Android 10 with default Google apps.
The G9 Play flaunts a triple camera setup on the back. Its 48MP primary sensor has a pixel size of 1.6micron and supports Quad Pixel technology. It is joined by a portrait and a macro lens; both featuring 2MP sensors. For videos, it can capture 1080P footage at 60fps. Similarly, slow mode, timelapse, and hyper-lapse videos are also supported. The waterdrop style notch houses the 8MP front-facing camera.
Rest of the specs
Motorola is claiming a battery life of up to 2 days with the 5,000mAh battery. A 20W USB Type-C fast charger is also included in the box. However, the phone only supports 15W charging. The device features a hybrid dual SIM slot. For connectivity, G9 supports dual-band Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth v5.0, and NFC.
Motorola Moto G9 Play Specifications:
Body: 6.50 x 2.98 x 0.36 inches, 200 gm, Water-repellent design
Display: 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel, 269PPI, 87% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels), 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 (11nm Mobile Platform)
With the year coming to an end most of the shops are beginning their year-end sales. And it is no different for e-commerce platforms either. One such sale event that’s been making rounds on the internet is the Daraz 12.12 year-end sales. As with other sales events, 12.12 year-end sales offer customers a chance to get discounted items and win exciting gifts too. As the name suggests, Daraz’s 12.12 starts on 12th December and will end on 18th December. Let’s take a look at some of the exclusive launches and offers that are on the table during the Daraz 12.12 sales this year.
Daraz 12.12 Sale: Exclusive Phone Launches
This year’s 12.12 sales include some exclusive online launches of smartphones. In total, there are six smartphones to look out for. Customers can purchase them at a discounted price using collectible vouchers. Furthermore, bank discounts of up to 12% (Rs. 1,212) are also available if purchased through one of the partner banks. Smartphones that are receiving online launch during Daraz 12.12 include iPhone 12, Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, and many more.
1. iPhone 12
iPhone 12 is the latest flagship from Apple. It comes with a 6.1-inch (2532×1170 pixels) OLED Super Retina XDR display. There are two 12MP sensors on the back, one of them is the ultra-wide lens. Moreover, the front camera is also a 12MP sensor. It runs on A14 Bionic SoC which delivers a beast of a performance. You can check out our review of the iPhone 12 to get a better rundown about the device. Pre-booking of the device is available on Daraz and its shipping will start from 13 December. The 64GB variant of the iPhone 12 is priced at NPR 133,900.
2. OnePlus Nord N10 5G
OnePlus Nord N10 5G is a slightly cheaper version of the original OnePlus Nord. It features a 6.49-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It runs on Snapdragon 690, which is a 5G-capable chipset from Qualcomm. Similarly, the phone features a quad camera setup on the back with a 64MP primary sensor. The device with a 6/128GB configuration is available for NPR 39,499. Currently, it’s only available for pre-booking. However, its delivery will start on December 14.
3. OnePlus Nord 5G
The OnePlus Nord is a low-cost premium midrange alternative to the high-end OnePlus 8 series. The screen size of the device is of 6.44-inches. It is a Fluid AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, it is the first phone from the company to sport a dual selfie camera. It has an excellent quad-camera setup on the back with a 48MP primary sensor. You can check out our review of the OnePlus Nord 5G for more detailed information about the device. Its 12/256GB variant will be available during Daraz 12.12 sales for NPR 63,999.
4. Motorola Moto G9 Play
Moto G9 Play features a 6.5-inch Max Vision display. It is based on IPS TFT LCD technology and sports an HD+ resolution of 1600 x 720 pixels. It runs on Snapdragon 662 SoC. Its 5000mAh battery with support for 15W fast charging is clearly the selling point. The device is priced at NPR 19,990 on Daraz.
5. Motorola Moto E7 Plus
The Motorola Moto E7 Plus is more of a budget offering from the company. It has a 6.5-inch LCD panel with HD+ resolution. It runs on the entry-level Snapdragon 460 SoC and flaunts a dual-camera setup on the back. However, it does have a big 5000mAh battery that supports 10W fast charging. The 4/64GB variant of the phone is priced at NPR 16,590 on Daraz.
6. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
Galaxy S20 FE is an affordable take at the flagship from Samsung with most of the essential specs intact. It has a flat 6.5-inch AMOLED display, FHD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is the 4G variant that’s available in Nepal. Thus, it runs on the Exynos 990 chipset.
Now, the device was already available on Daraz previously, so it’s not much of an exclusive launch. However, during 12.12 sales, you do get free shipping on a purchase of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. Furthermore, you also get a chance to win the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE for free as a part of the Mega Giveaway. All you got to do is make a purchase of any item during Daraz 12.12 Sale and you get registered as a participant for the giveaway. The checkout price of the 8/128GB variant during Daraz 12.12 is NPR 69,999, and that of the 8/256GB variant is NPR 74,999.
Tech Deals During Daraz 12.12 Sale
Tech deals, other than that of the aforementioned smartphones during Daraz 12.12 sales mostly include earphones, speakers, and power banks. Most of them are available at a discounted price. However, you can also make use of the Daraz collectible vouchers to slash down the price by a fair amount. Furthermore, a 12% card discount (max NPR 1,212) is also available. Some of the best tech deals of the Daraz 12.12 sales include:
Digicom Flex 3 Bluetooth Neck Band In-Ear Earphone: NPR 1,575
X-AGE ConvE Flash 10000 Fast Charging Power Bank – (XPB01): NPR 1,400
Digicom K8 Bluetooth Stereo Over-Ear Headphone: NPR 2,327
X-AGE ConvE Twins Bluetooth Wireless Earbuds (XTW01): NPR 2,400
Anker 10000Mah PowerBank: NPR 1,999
Digicom Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard DG-IK8500: NPR 4,950
Anker Soundcore Spirit X2: NPR 9,999
Anker Soundcore Flare+ Speaker: NPR 13,990
Daraz Mission 12.12
As always, the Daraz app (Android | iOS) tends to include various games through which buyers can win exciting gift hampers. For the 12.12 sales, Daraz has introduced mission 12.12 alongside the One Rupee game. So, what is this mission 12.12?
Basically, buyers will have to complete 12 different missions before the Daraz 12.12 ends i.e before 18th December. After the completion of the missions, users become eligible for a lucky draw that includes gift vouchers from some top brands. However, you also become eligible for a guaranteed reward once you complete 11 of the 12 missions.
To play Mission 12.12, all you got to do is log in to your Daraz app and click on the Mission 12.12 banner. Then you’ll be able to start your missions. The missions include:
Open Daraz App for 7 days till the 18th of December
Search for 12 products in your shopping list
Add 5 products to your cart
Follow 5 Daraz Mall stores
Share a product review on Daraz
Click on any 5 Daraz app notification
Place an order for any dMart/dFresh product
Play any 5 different games on Daraz First Games
Participate in the One Rupee Game
Collect 5 Vouchers
Place an order of NPR 1212 or more
Share 3 mega-deals with your friends
Bank Discounts
As mentioned earlier, you can get up to 12% (max NPR 1212) off when you make payments from one of the partner banks. The partner banks include:
Sanima Bank
NIC Asia – Credit card only
Machhapuchhre Bank
Citizens Bank
HBL Bank – Credit and prepaid cards only
So, are you excited about the Daraz 12.12 end of year sale 2020? And will you be purchasing anything? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Earlier this month, Qualcomm introduced its latest flagship processor – the Snapdragon 888 SoC. And it looks like it’s Samsung’s turn to unveil its premium SoC. Yesterday, Samsung Exynos thanked its fans via a tweet. The message was paired with a YouTube video titled Thank You (Trailer). This could be a hint for the launch of the much-anticipated Exynos 2100 SoC. Keep reading to learn more about Samsung Exynos 2100 SoC including its launch date.
Samsung Exynos Thank You Message
As mentioned earlier, the official Twitter handle of Samsung Exynos uploaded a video to thank its fans. It has been mentioned in the video that Samsung has created something small for its fans who have been supporting it through this tough year. This year has been tough for everyone because of the outbreak of COVID-19.
But there is more to it. Throughout this year, Samsung’s Exynos chipset has faced harsh criticism from fans and enthusiasts alike. Numerous tests conducted between Exynos 990 and Snapdragon 865 showed the former was behind its rival in almost every aspect. Thus, through this video, Samsung Exynos team are apologizing for all the shortcoming of the company’s recent chips.
The animated video shows a rather depressed-looking cartoon character going through stuff at his house until he finds something of interest. It is only at the end that the character is shown smiling, after making the discovery. Samsung Exynos may be hinting that the upcoming SoC will re-ignite interest in our products.
Throughout this year, several sources have claimed that Exynos 2100 will be as capable as its Snapdragon counterpart. We also saw different leaked benchmark tests showing close competition. Still, all these tests were conducted on prototype models. And as Ice Universe puts it – Geekbench results are not usually accurate before the official release. He rather encourages comparison based on the architecture.
The Exynos 2100 is expected to be based on Samsung’s 5nm process on which its rival SD 888 is also based on. Like the SD 888, it will have a three-tier core architecture with Cortex X1 as a prime core, three Cortex A78 cores for performance, and three Cortex A55 cores for efficiency. However, the cores on the Exynos 2100 will have a higher clock speed. The comparison graph below was published before the announcement of SD 888.
Samsung Exynos 2100 Launch Date
If the date in the description is any clue, Samsung will unveil the Exynos 2100 on 15th December. Samsung Galaxy S21 series powered by Exynos 2100 is most likely to launch in January 2021.
Samsung Mobile SoC
Launch Date
Exynos 2021
December 15
Watch our review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 10.4 (2020).
If you’ve been following us on Instagram, you would know that I’ve had the new iPhone 12 with me for almost a month now. With this, everyone’s been asking me for my review of the phone. To be completely honest with you, because it’s my first iPhone in ages, I wanted to use it for at least a month or so—instead of rushing to come up with a review. And finally, here I am with my full review of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro.
iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Specifications:
Dimension: 146.7 x 7.4 x 71.5mm | iPhone 12: 164gm | 12 Pro: 189gm
Display: 6.1-inch (2532×1170 pixels) OLED Super Retina XDR display, 460ppi
Back Camera:
– 12MP wide-angle f/1.7 primary camera, 7-elements lens, OIS, True Tone flash with Slow Sync, 4K Dolby Vision video recording at 60 fps,
– 12MP 120° Ultra Wide f/2.4 camera, 7-elements lens|
– (only 12 Pro) 12MP f/2.0 telephoto lens, 2x optical zoom, 52mm focal length, 6-elements lens, OIS
– (only 12 Pro) LiDAR scanner for AR workloads, night portraits, etc.
Front Camera: 12MP front camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1080p video recording, Retina Flash, Dolby Vision HDR recording up to 30 fps, 4K video recording at 60 fps, Slo‑mo 1080p at 120 fps
Security: TrueDepth camera for FaceID facial recognition
Connectivity: 5G (sub-6GHz and mmWave), Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA, 802.11ax Wi‑Fi 6 with 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS with GLONASS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou
Other features: Water and dust resistance (IP68), Stereo speakers
iPhone 12 Pro: Graphite, Silver, Gold, Pacific Blue
Battery: 2815mAh; 20W fast charging, 7.5W Qi Wireless Charging; 15W MagSafe Wireless Charger (No charger included in the box)
iPhone 12, 12 Pro Review:
Before moving ahead, I must tell you the reason why I skipped the 12 Pro and got the standard iPhone 12 instead. The thing is, here in Nepal (and even in India for that matter) the iPhone 12 Pro is ridiculously overpriced.
iPhone 12 Price
Storage
US
Nepal
India
64GB
$829
NPR 134,000
INR 79,900
128GB
$879
NPR 142,000
INR 84,900
256GB
$979
NPR 158,000
INR 94,900
iPhone 12 Pro Price
Storage
US
Nepal
India
128GB
$999
NPR 170,000
INR 119,900
256GB
$1099
NPR 187,000
INR 129,900
512GB
$1299
NPR 220,000
INR 149,900
As you can see from the table here, in the US, the 128GB variant of the iPhone 12 Pro is only $120 more than that of the iPhone 12. However, the difference in this part of the world is a staggering 28K (~$238). And surprisingly in India, the deviation is an outrageous INR 35K (~$475), which I simply don’t understand. The launch of Apple’s official website was supposed to be a step in a positive direction, but here we are.
Anyway, because of that, I got myself the iPhone 12 (128GB) variant. I also tested it against the iPhone 12 Pro that my friend bought to come with this review. And to be honest, there aren’t too many differences between them, at least for me. Another reason I didn’t go with the Pro. Both of them come in this new boxy flat design that reminds me of my first iPhone. This “new” aesthetics makes it different and visibly unique from practically every other smartphone you see in 2020.
Design & Build
Glass front/back, aluminum/stainless steel frame
Flat edge on the sides, IP68 dust/water resistance
Having said that, the 12 Pro has a slightly premium design than that of the iPhone 12, with a matte finish at the back and a stainless steel frame. This frame also makes for an overall heavier device. While many of you might like your phone to have that heft, for me, the iPhone 12 feels just right, despite both phones sharing the same dimension
Regardless, in my usage, the iPhone 12 successfully managed to survive a couple of accidental drops from about 2 feet—major thanks to the Ceramic Shield on the front of the glass. But, you need to be aware of the fact that the ceramic protection is exclusive to the front of the phone, and not the back.
Scratch resistance?
Unfortunately, I got this nasty scratch on the front despite being really careful with it. So, while the ceramic shield most definitely offers a better drop resistance, it’s still not big on scratch immunity. In the end, I felt obligated to put on tempered glass. The only thing I dislike about the updated design is how the camera module attracts so much dirt… all the time. Every time I open up the camera to take a picture, I would first have to wipe off the dirt. And as you could figure, things got really annoying, really fast.
Overall, in terms of design, yes, the iPhone 12 Pro is more premium of the two. But for the majority of us, it isn’t going to even matter because let’s face it, at the end of the day, we are going to a back cover for added protection and grip anyway. And that’s especially true in the case of the iPhone 12 Pro since the stainless steel is really slippery.
Display
6.1-inches OLED Super Retina XDR panel
Dolby Vision compliant, 1200 nits peak brightness
Standard 60Hz refresh rate, Ceramic Shield protection
The similarities between the two phones extend to their displays as well. Here, both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro have the same OLED panel. Now this one’s a really positive development because historically speaking, the non-Pro iPhone would have an LCD panel while the superior OLED display would be reserved for the expensive variants only. In fact, even the cheapest iPhone of this year—the 12 Mini features an OLED screen.
Despite all this, the OLED panel is not minded blogging in any way; considering just how far the industry has come when it comes to smartphone displays. Apple is still sticking to the good-old’ 60Hz refresh rate. If you have used a flagship Android device of the past year, like the OnePlus 8 Pro or the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro feel ordinary, at least that’s my finding from this review. But again, this display is more than good enough with excellent sharpness and color accuracy. Although the vibrancy is not as punchy as premium Samsung phones, I am not complaining.
The touch response has been great too—no accidental touches or unresponsive inputs throughout my usage. Furthermore, I also had no problems regarding its brightness even when using it outdoor, especially during winter when I often tend to sun bask outside my office. The iPhone 12 Pro does have a slight edge here as it can go up to 800 nits of brightness as compared to 625 on the regular iPhone 12. But trust me when I say that 625 nits on the iPhone 12 is plenty enough.
Cameras
12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide cameras (iPhone 12)
Plus 12MP telephoto lens, LiDAR scanner (only 12 Pro)
12MP TrueDepth camera with FaceID
Cameras
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Back (Left: iPhone 12 | Right: iPhone 12 Pro)
Front (Left: iPhone 12 | Right: iPhone 12 Pro)
Okay, while things between the two phones sound incredibly similar up until now—almost to the point that you’d question the validity of the expensive 12 Pro entirely, the reason you might want to spend a little extra cash is the cameras. While the iPhone 12 comes with a measly dual-camera setup, you get an extra telephoto lens and a LiDAR scanner.
Normal Images
Before going on about the additional sensors, let’s talk about the common lenses first. Both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro have exactly the same wide and ultra-wide-angle lens.
Normal
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iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
On my camera tests too, I found the quality to be identical—as expected.
Wideangle Images
Wideangle
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iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
From regular day time to wide-angle to low-light to portrait shots, it’s like clicking photos from the same phone.
Nighttime Images
Nighttime
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iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
And as you’d expect from an iPhone, the image quality is stellar. The images have great details, exposure, dynamic range, and aren’t oversaturated either.
Selfie Images
The selfies from the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are incredibly similar as well.
Selfie
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iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
It can capture plenty of detail with great background exposure, while fairly maintaining the color tone of the subject as well.
Telephoto Images
The only uptick with the 12 Pro is when taking photos of faraway objects since it has a dedicated 2x telephoto zoom lens. But for me, the digital zoom on the iPhone 12 works perfectly fine.
Zoom
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iPhone 12 - Digital Zoom
12 Pro - Telephoto
iPhone 12 - Digital Zoom
12 Pro - Telephoto
Yes, the quality on the iPhone 12 Pro is obviously a tad bit better; especially while taking 2x zoom videos as well as in 2x portraits, but that’s about it. Plus, we’ve already seen far superior telephoto lenses from the likes of Huawei and Samsung. So it’s not too surprising to come to the conclusion that the telephoto lens on the iPhone 12 Pro isn’t revolutionary by any means.
LiDAR scanner
As I mentioned earlier, iPhone 12 Pro also has a LiDAR sensor and throughout my review, I didn’t find it to be a game-changer as Apple would want you to believe. Of course, it has its benefits, but that, unfortunately, didn’t resonate with my use case. Let me briefly explain what LiDAR actually is.
Short for Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR is more like the TOF (Time Of Flight) sensor we saw on Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra. While TOF works by shooting a single beam of laser/infrared light and measuring the time it takes to return, LiDAR takes things to next level with multiple beams of laser all around for depth-sensing. Apple claims that the LiDAR scanner on the iPhone 12 Pro series can effectively measure object depth up to 5 meters away.
D = (speed of light X time taken by LASER to hit the subject and come back) / 2
Because of this, the LiDAR scanner brings two improvements in terms of photography:
Good portraits in low-light conditions
Better, faster focusing
Nighttime Portrait Images
Having said that, I did try comparing the nighttime portrait images from the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro for this review.
Nighttime Portrait
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iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
iPhone 12
12 Pro
To my dismay, I found little to none difference between the actual quality of the two photos. Same with focusing.
Despite photography, the LiDAR scanner comes useful in other areas like augmented reality (AR), 3D scanning, and such. You might’ve seen some videos floating around the internet on how people are measuring someone’s height with the iPhone 12 Pro. Yep, thank LiDAR for that. It also lets you measure the dimensions of other objects. While these do sound fun and kinda-sorta useful, I wasn’t particularly excited with the sensor during my time with the phone.
Dolby Vision HDR recording
Moving on, the new iPhone 12 series are also the first devices to support shooting and editing 10-bit Dolby Vision HDR videos. Even though we’ve seen HDR recording capability from other smartphones in the past, all of them use open source metadata platform like HDR10. The reason Dolby Vision is superior to the other standards is because of its use of dynamic metadata. What this means is that all the enriched colors, contrast info is dynamically adjusted on a frame-by-frame basis—instead of how HDR10 sends static metadata. A one-for-all kind of deal.
This achievement has been made entirely possible because of the new A14 Bionic chip and its ISP. While all phones in the iPhone 12 series share the same silicon, the iPhone 12 can only shoot Dolby Vision videos at 30fps, whereas the 12 Pro can go up to 60fps.
Memory configuration
That’s because of the difference in their RAM capacity since the iPhone 12 only has 4GB of RAM whereas the Pro has 2GB more. Like I mentioned before, if you wish to edit the footage in post, you can enable it in the settings too. But not everyone needs or can make use of Dolby Vision recording. And for them, regular videos from the 12 or 12 Pro will do just fine.
Anyhow, just being able to shoot in Dolby Vision is just half the battle since watching it requires a Dolby Vision-capable display itself. And unless you’re fine with the relatively small display of an iPhone, I’m willing to bet that many of us might not have a compatible TV/monitor. Likewise, even YouTube doesn’t support it for now—just the standard HDR. But, this could change in the future with more people making videos in Dolby Vision format.
ProRAW for pros
Similarly, the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max now support the ProRAW image format since the iOS 14.3 beta update. Allowing you to manually adjust settings like white balance, exposure, contrast, etc. in the post without introducing a drop in picture quality is something especially alluring to professional photographers.
But what bugs me is Apple’s decision to not include this “software feature” on the non-Pro iPhone 12 models. So typical. Obviously, the iPhone 12 is more than capable to capture RAW images as it has the same A14 Bionic chipset and a similar camera setup as the 12 Pro. So hopefully, Apple will have a change of heart in the future, but if it doesn’t—I won’t be surprised.
Performance
Hexa-core Apple A14 Bionic SoC (5nm)
4/6GB RAM with up to 512GB storage (fixed)
Speaking of the A14 Bionic, Apple has once again proved that they are the best when it comes to performance. I’ve been using Samsung flagships for the past couple of years and switching to the iPhone 12, I could almost instantly notice the jump in performance. The A14 is so powerful that even in like 3-4 years, it will still be able to power through your everyday needs without a hiccup. The same, I cannot say about the Android flagships like the OnePlus 8T or the Galaxy S20 FE. That has always been one of the strongest feats of an iPhone and with the 12 series, the legacy continues.
Still and all, it does leave a few things to be desired. Like, I miss a smooth refresh rate experience transitioning from my Android phone. Just imagine, the A14 + 120Hz would’ve been a killer combo. But, Apple is still holding on to the smooth tech for now.
Besides the cameras, everything else on the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are the same. You get the same stereo speaker which produces balanced sound. It’s not the best speakers you can find on a smartphone as I think the ASUS ROG Phone 3 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are better for that matter. Still, the audio from the iPhone 12’s speaker setup is acceptable as well.
Swift iOS
Moreover, the vibration motor and its haptic feedback have been really good and I like how iOS complements the hardware to provide a better overall experience. The Face ID is still here, although the rumors of Apple resurrecting the Touch ID on iPhones had me excited. It is really fast, secure, and accurate. But during these trying times when everyone is wearing a mask, I would’ve had to use the passcode almost all the time.
Finally, let’s get into the battery life. Both iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are powered by the same 2815mAh cell. That’s not a big battery compared to Android flagships, or is it? During my usage, I was able to get a decent, if not great battery life out of it. Playing games for like an hour or two every day resulted in like 5 hours of SOT, whereas on a day when I didn’t play games, I got around 6 to 7 hours screen-on-time. I just wished that Apple would’ve gone with a slightly bigger battery. For now, I give iPhone 12, 12 Pro’s battery life a B+.
And yeah, as you might’ve heard by now, Apple is revolutionizing the way phones are sold by excluding a charging brick, or wired earbuds inside the box. This move hasn’t been immune to controversies though. On the one hand, yes, it does help with reducing carbon emissions. But on the other hand, people now have to pay extra for something so elementary to a smartphone experience.
Overruled
Interestingly, the company has been forced to ship iPhone 12 series with earpods in France citing radiation laws; while buyers in Brazil will still enjoy a power adapter inside the box—thanks to a government mandate.
So, I got myself an 18W charger from last year instead of the new 20W charger since they’re not that different, to begin with. The 20W adapter can push up to 15W of power to a MagSafe charger but as things stand, MagSafe is just too slow for me as it takes like 3 hours to charge the iPhone 12. Maybe next year it will be faster—we will have to wait and see.
Conclusion
Overall, after using the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro for almost a month now for review, I think I will keep using it as my primary phone for a while. Apple has been clever enough to properly differentiate the iPhone 12 from its Pro siblings. Therefore, in the end, it isn’t too difficult for people to choose between the two.
Still, if you are someone from in the US or other countries where the difference between the 12 and 12 Pro isn’t significant, you might want to get the 12 Pro instead without giving too much thought. But if you are someone from Nepal or especially India, you should definitely get the iPhone 12 over 12 Pro unless the 12 Pro’s price drops in the next few days. That’s because even though the 12 Pro is objectively superior between the two, the regional price difference makes it unappealing compared to the standard iPhone 12.
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