Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 is among the best smartwatches that you can currently buy in Nepal. Though it has an ECG sensor, the lack of proper software means users can’t use it. Other than that, it is a feature-packed smartwatch and a fitness guide. If you were thinking of buying one, you now have one more reason to do so. Samsung has started rolling out the Blood Pressure Monitoring feature in the Galaxy Watch Active 2. Read along to learn more about the feature.
Blood Pressure Monitoring in Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
There have been talks about Samsung releasing Galaxy Watch 3 later this year. But it is not stopping the company from pushing out updates and support for their existing line up of smartwatches.
Samsung first announced the feature earlier this year. Back then, Samsung aimed to bring the new functionality around the third quarter of 2020 along with the ECG support. It awaited clearance from South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. The process took less time than anticipated and Samsung has already started rolling out the update for Galaxy Watch Active 2 users in the home country.
Samsung Health Monitor App
To enjoy the new feature, one must have the Samsung Health Monitor App installed on both: smartwatch and smartphone. The app is compatible with Galaxy smartphones running on Android 7 and newer devices. In South Korea, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 users have already started receiving software updates that allow them to install the Samsung Health Monitor app.
How does it work?
Are smartwatches going to replace bulky sphygmomanometers? As of now, the answer is an obvious no. Though the new Blood Monitoring feature in the Galaxy Watches sounds cool, you will still need a traditional cuff to get it calibrated. This is because the sensor on the Galaxy Watch cannot read the blood pressure. It uses a pulse wave analysis technique to detect the change in blood pressure. The app uses the initial reading and change to determine the current blood pressure. Users can track the blood pressure when they want and can even opt to share the readings with doctors.
While the app doesn’t entirely remove the need for traditional equipment, it makes it a lot easier to keep track of blood pressure and share the data with health personnel. You can check your blood pressure whenever you want, without having to carry around cuffs.
ECG feature to roll out in Q3
Though Galaxy Watch Active 2 has an ECG sensor, Samsung is struggling with permissions and software support to make it functional. The company has announced that the blood monitoring via the ECG sensor will be available in the third quarter later this year. Compared to optical counterparts, the ECG sensors are more accurate and reliable. The upcoming update will help bridge the gap between Samsung’s Galaxy Watch lineup and Apple Watch. It might even give an upper edge to the former since the latter lacks the blood pressure monitoring feature.
Remember when phones used to be about making calls, sending texts – and that’s about it? Pepperidge farm remembers. These days, it’s all about bigger cameras, smoother displays, faster connectivity, and all the buzzwords with a superlative adjective you can think of attached to them. And Samsung has done exactly that with its new Galaxy S20 series. The S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra all come with those top-of-the-line features. However, as the name implies, the SamsungGalaxy S20 Ultra is the most amazing of the bunch, which has just launched in Nepal at a fairly competitive price.
Overview
Design & Display
As I mentioned before, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is definitely the most promising phone among the bunch. It features a similar build to its regular S20 counterparts but has a taller 6.9-inches QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. That makes it the biggest ‘S’ phone to date and matter of fact, it’s even bigger than last year’s Galaxy Note 10+! And because it’s got such a big sensor and a big battery (which I’ll get into in just a bit), S20 Ultra is a little on the bulkier side as well.
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+, S20 Ultra Display
Besides that, it’s got every premium feature we expect from a flagship phone in 2020. Glass back/front, IP68 dust/water resistance, it’s got’em all! However, there are a couple of elements missing this time around compared to last year’s S10 series. First of all, the 3.5mm headphone jack is gone. F’s in the comment, bois. Next up, Samsung has also gone ahead and gotten rid of the heart rate sensor and the variable aperture lens on the entire S20 series.
Cameras
But a tall display is not what makes the S20 Ultra so interesting. It’s the cameras. It features a quad-camera setup with a monstrous 108MP main sensor alongside a 12MP ultra-wide, a 48MP telephoto, and a ToF 3D DepthVision sensor. The S20 Ultra supports of 10X hybrid optical zoom using the 108MP sensor and a folded-lens technology. With this, a powerful zoom effect is produced when the light is refracted at an angle on the telephoto lens.
This, paired with 10X digital zoom, the S20 Ultra achieves an unheard-of 100X super-res digital zoom. The size of the image sensor on the S20 Ultra (and S20 and S20+) has been drastically increased as well. Here, the S20 Ultra’s 108MP sensor makes use of “nona bidding” technology which combines the details of 9 images at once, giving off a sharp, vibrant, and well-lit 12MP image even in low-light situations.
In our review of the S20/S20+, we found their 30X Space Zoom to hardly be of any use. Most of the time, the 30 times zoomed images were unusable. However, because the S20 Ultra has a bigger sensor, we expect it to be the perfect middle-ground for say 30X or even 50X zoom, though we’re almost certain the 100X zoom will be lackluster.
There’s also 8k/24fps recording, which was a little disappointing in the S20/S20+ since those phones depended on the 64MP telephoto lens for it. But things may change by a little or exponentially in the case of S20 Ultra with its 108MP lens.
Similarly, the selfie camera also sees a superiority on the S20 Ultra. It’s a 40MP lens with 80º field-of-view (FOV).
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra is powered by the same chipsets as the other in the S20 family – which is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (US) or the Samsung Exynos 990 (Global). Though both chipsets come with a separate 5G modem (and Samsung’s also been marketing the S20 series as inherently 5G-capable phones), seeing how many parts of the world still lack a proper 5G infrastructure, the company is also launching LTE variants of the S20 series.
In the case of regular S20 & S20+, the LTE variants also compromised in terms of RAM capacity; i.e: lesser RAM than 5G models. However, both 5G and LTE variants of the S20 Ultra will come with either 12 or 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 3.0 internal storage.
Battery
Likewise, the S20 Ultra has a bigger 5000mAh battery, which supports 45W fast charging that we saw on last years’ Galaxy Note 10+. It is also wireless and reverse-wireless charging compatible.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Specifications
Body: 6.57 x 2.99 x 0.35 inches; 222 gm; IP68 certification
Audio: Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital/Plus
Connectivity: Hybrid SIM (two Nano or one Nano-SIM + one MicroSD card), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, sub-6GHz & mmWave 5G spectrum, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, NFC, USB Type-C
Battery: 5000 mAh; 45W fast charging; 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0; 9W reverse Wireless PowerShare
Colors: Cosmic Grey, Cosmic Black
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra Price in Nepal, Availability
The official price of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra in Nepal is Rs. 1,59,999. It comes in two colors – Cosmic Black and Cosmic Gray. Samsung is also offering Galaxy Buds+ for free and 1-year breakage insurance on the purchase of S20 Ultra in Nepal.
Model
Price in Nepal
Availability in Nepal
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Rs. 1,59,999
June 23 2020 from Offline retail shops
So, what do you think about the Galaxy S20 Ultra – the most expensive Samsung phone yet, if we exclude the foldables? Boasting an insane spec-sheet, and also a big asking price, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is one of the best phones to ever land in Nepal.
Don’t forget to check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy S20/S20+
In recent times, the cost of Qualcomm’s latest 5G chipset has caused smartphones to be more expensive. It is more apparent in the flagship market. MediaTek has taken this opportunity to promote its Dimensity series of SoCs. We have seen a number of smartphone brands turn to MediaTek for affordable 5G devices. One such brand is Huawei, which launched Enjoy Z 5G last month. The device has now been re-branded as Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro in Nepal.
Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro Overview
Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro 5G is the re-brand of Huawei Enjoy 5G, that debuted in China last month. The re-brand could mean that Huawei is planning to launch the device outside of the home market.
Design and Display
Enjoy 20 Pro features a 6.5-inch FHD display. There is a waterdrop style notch on the top of the device, that houses the front camera. While it is not an AMOLED panel, it does support a 90Hz refresh rate.
The rear panel of the smartphone is made up of glass. Like any other Huawei device, the design on the back panel is pleasant to look at. It is available in three color options – Black, Blue, and Silver. Since the fingerprint sensor is on the right side, there isn’t anything distracting on the rear panel other than the camera module and the Huawei lettering.
Performance and Memory
Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro comes with Dimensity 800 SoC. It is an octa-core chipset with two ARM Cortex-A76 and six ARM Cortex-A55 cores. The chipset was first announced at the beginning of the year and it has been featured in some of the cheaper 5G smartphones. It has an integrated 5G modem that supports both SA and NSA networks.
The device is available in two memory configurations. The base variant features 6GB of RAM while it’s 8GB in the top model. Both variants come with 128GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB using Huawei’s proprietary Nano Memory Card.
Camera
Enjoy 20 Pro sports a 48MP triple camera setup. The primary camera has an aperture of f/1.8. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor. Similarly, there is a 2MP sensor for macro photography. For selfies, there is a 16MP camera upfront.
Battery and Others
The smartphone gets its juice from a 4,000mAh battery with support for 22.5W fast charging technology. A capacitive fingerprint sensor is mounted on the side. It runs on EMUI 10.1 based on Android 10. Sadly, it lacks Google Mobile Service. It will greatly affect its appeal outside of China.
Battery: 4000 mAh Li-polymer battery, 22.5W (10V/2.25A) fast charging
Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro is now up for pre-order in China where its price is 1,999 Yuan for 6/128GB and 2,299 Yuan for 8/128GB variant. The brand will start delivering the orders starting from June 24. We expect the price of Huawei Enjoy 20 Pro in Nepal to start at NPR 36,000 for the base variant.
Chinese mobile manufacturer Tecno has launched a new budget smartphone. Labeled as the Tecno Spark Power 2, the mobile is the latest addition to their Spark lineup. It is a budget smartphone that offers decent specs. However, we are not sure whether this device will make its way into the Nepalese market. With that out of the way, let’s dive into what this device has for offer.
Tecno Spark Power 2 Overview
The device comes with a 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1640 x 720 pixels. Furthermore, the display offers a typical brightness of 480 nits. To house the 16MP selfie camera, there’s a waterdrop notch upfront.
On the back, you get a vertically aligned quad-camera setup. It consists of a 16MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP dedicated macro lens. And finally an AI lens. The fourth sensor will help in achieving the bokeh effect. Furthermore, there’s a fingerprint sensor just beside the camera module. It can be used as the camera shutter button, or to dismiss alarms and receiving and recording calls.
Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Helio P22 SoC. It is complemented by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. However, there’s an option to expand the storage by up to 256GB through a dedicated microSD slot. Furthermore, the phone is powered by a huge 6000mAh battery. However, it charges through a micro-USB port. So that’s a bummer.
Other features of the device include a 3.5mm headphone jack, dedicated key for Google Assistant. And Dirac-powered dual speaker.
Specifications:
Design: Glass body front, Plastic back, Plastic frame
Display: 7″ Super AMOLED display with HD resolution (1640 x 720 pixels)
The device will go on sale in India through June 23. And will be available through Flipkart. As for the price, the Tecno Spark Power 2 will cost INR 9,999 ($130).
While the tech enthusiasts are eagerly waiting for AMD’s upcoming fourth generation of Ryzen desktop processors, AMD has announced three new XT CPUs under the current third-generation lineup. The new XT processors rely on the same underlying architecture as their X-counterparts but enjoy a boosted clock speed. Read along to learn more about the new AMD Ryzen 3000 XT desktop processors, including their specs, features, price, and availability.
AMD Ryzen XT Processors Overview
The AMD Ryzen XT Processors aren’t an entirely new set of CPUs that the company has designed from the ground up. Instead, AMD has tweaked the existing X processors to allow them to reach higher boosted clock frequency. The newly announced desktop processors include Ryzen 5 3600XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 9 3900XT.
Ryzen XT vs Ryzen X
Here, Ryzen XT processors are all based on AMD’s Zen 2 architecture. These are the “Matisse Refresh” models of existing Ryzen 5 3600X, Ryzen 7 3800X, and Ryzen 9 3900X. The XT models have the same core/thread counts, cache size, and base frequency as their X counterparts. However, AMD has increased the boosted frequency on the XT processors. The biggest boost is in the Ryzen 3800XT which can now reach up to 4.7GHz compared to 4.5GHz that the Ryzen 3800X could achieve. That’s an additional 200MHz boost in the single-core performance. Similarly, Ryzen 3900XT and 3600XT can reach 4.7GHz, and 4.5GHz respectively. It calculates to 100MHz boost in each of them.
It’s still unclear how AMD has managed to achieve higher clock speeds without making any significant change to the architecture. Even the TDP remains unchanged. We may not know how they did it but their intention is crystal clear – AMD wants to close the gap between the Ryzen processor and their Intel counterparts.
Though Ryzen processors are known for their performance to price ratio, they are yet to match the Intel processor’s single-core performance. Intel’s higher boosted frequency means that they are better for applications that don’t require all the cores. Such is the case with modern PC games; they don’t utilize all of the cores and rely more on single-core performance.
No more bundled cooler
All of the Ryzen X processors mentioned above come with default cooler but this isn’t the case with the XT processors. While the Ryzen 5 3600XT will still come bundled with Wraith Spire cooler, there won’t be any stock cooler accompanying the other two. AMD has recommended user to use a minimum 2800mm radiator. The list of recommended coolers can be found at AMD’s official site.
B550 motherboards and A520 Chipset
Along with the new processors, AMD has also announced the new A520 chipset for socket AM4. It’s a successor to existing entry-level A320 chipsets. The latest chipset will support Ryzen 3000 processors and beyond. Similarly, AMD has launched the B550 motherboards as well.
AMD StoreMI 2.0
AMD has also announced the upgrade to the AMD StoreMI dubbed AMD StoreMI 2.0. To those unaware of the feature, it is a tool by AMD that utilizes resources effectively to improve load times, boot times, and system responsiveness. The new version comes with a new cache-based acceleration algorithm that is said to speed up boot time by up to 31% and game load times by up to 13%.
AMD Ryzen XT Processors Price and Availability
AMD Ryzen XT processors will debut on July 7 at the same price that their X counterparts launched a year ago. The Ryzen 9 3900XT, Ryzen 7 3800XT, and Ryzen 5 3600XT will have a launch price of $499, $399, $249 respectively. The AMD A520 motherboards will be available starting from August 2020.
Battery life is one of the most important aspects of a smartphone. Since it is the powerhouse of a cell-phone, it is a vital part that keeps the phone running. And so, it is also one of the major things to consider while buying a smartphone. Even if a phone is capable of doing a lot of things, what good is it if it can’t last very long? So, if battery life influences your buying decision, just like mine, here are the Smartphones With Best Battery Life in various price segments.
Redmi 8, 8A
The Redmi 8 and Redmi 8A has its own share of differences. But when it comes to battery, both of them feature the same battery capacity of 5000mAh. Both of these devices also come with the same display size and the same processor, power consumption is also more or less the same. As far as the battery life is concerned the phone can normally back you up for two to three days based on your usage. If you are a multimedia fanatic, you are at luck. These devices can continuously play HD videos for over 15 hours.
But when it comes to changes, they take slightly over 3 hours with the stock 10-watt charger. But since both of these devices support 18-watt fast charging, you can get a separate quick charger to accelerate the charging speed. Charging the device with an 18-watt charger takes around 2 hours to get the handset fully charged.
Samsung Galaxy M21
Launched in early 2020, the Galaxy M21 set the benchmark for budget phones, especially on the battery front. Because of its massive 6000mAh battery, the phone always remained on our list throughout the year. And the perk of having a big battery is a prolonged power backup. If you are a normal user, the phone can easily go for 1.5 to 2 days straight, based on your usage.
To recharge the battery, Samsung has also included a 15-watt Adaptive Fast Charger inside the box. And getting a fast charger inside the box really rare at this price point. So Samsung did a commendable job here. With the fast charger, you can refill the battery in slightly over 2 hours.
Vivo Y-series (Y11, Y12, Y15, Y17, Y19)
Vivo Y-series of smartphones honestly didn’t have good records in terms of specs. They used to have mediocre specs but often used to be overpriced. But it changed greatly this year. The company has been a little generous this year. The generosity was bestowed even on the cheapest Y-series smartphones of the year, the Vivo Y11 2019. And the generosity can primarily be seen especially on the battery front.
Most of the Vivo Y-series (Y11, Y12, Y15, Y17, Y19) features a 5000mAh battery. However, these phones also come with a 10-watt charger inside the box, which takes over 3 hours to get the battery fully replenished. However, unlike the Redmi 8, fast charging is not available here.
Realme 5-series
Because of its quad rear cameras, the Realme 5 series created quite a buzz in the smartphone industry. But that’s not the only good on this range of phones. It’s capacious 5000mAh battery also deserves some attention.
As far as the big batteries go, they provide prolonged endurance. And same is the case with the Realme 5/5i/5s. Because of the sizable battery, low-res display, and a power-efficient processor, the battery life is genuinely impressive. And software optimizations from Realme also have a great role to extend the battery life. The phone easily lasts for two days on normal use. Sometime, you will even have a spare charge to go for the third day. And that’s genuinely impressive.
Oppo A5 2020
Fancy design, quad rear cameras, stereo speakers, and a decent processor may be enough to please the mid-range crowd. But on top of all that niceties, Oppo A5 2020 comes with a big battery in its appealing body.
Like most of the aforementioned phones out there, it also comes with a 5000mAh battery. So battery life is more or less the same. But due to software optimizations from Oppo, the battery life is slightly better than the competitors having similar specs.
Samsung Galaxy M31
If we have been listing smartphones with the best battery life acknowledging the size of the battery and its backup. In this case, the Galaxy M31 would undoubtedly on the topmost position. The phone comes with a massive 6000mAh battery, which makes it one of the most enduring smartphones of 2020.
As you can expect from a big battery, the battery life is absolutely fantastic. And as the phone comes with a power-efficient display and processor, it further helps to extend the battery backup. But sometimes Samsung’s UI turns aggressive and devours a significant amount of power. Nonetheless, it can easily back you up for at least two days. Charging the phone uses a 15-watt charger, which takes 158 minutes to go through 0 to 100%.
Samsung Galaxy A71
The Galaxy A71 is one of the most notable devices in the midrange segment. Since it’s targeted at multimedia enthusiasts, it created quite a buzz. In the case of Galaxy A71, 64MP quad rear camera also had a great role to steal the limelight. But apart from that, there is a big 4500mAh battery.
With its humongous mattery, the screen on time extends to around 9.5 hours. On normal use, you can manage it for a day and a half. It also features a 25-Watt Adaptive Fast Charger, and it gets the job done in about an hour.
Redmi K20 Pro
The Redmi K20 Pro is a flagship killer. Not just on the performance front but on the battery side as well. It comes with a 4000mAh battery, which might sound modest as the Smartphone makers are including as high as 5000 and 6000mAh battery. But even with the 4000mAh battery, Redmi K20 Pro does an excellent job. A fully charged K20 Pro offers 13 hours of runtime while browsing the internet.
While playing videos continuously, the phone only dies after running for 20 hours. And if you are into voice calls, you can stay on the line continuously for 33 hours on the 3G network.
As far as charging is concerned, it takes 100 minutes while using the supplied 18-watt charger. The phone also supports 27-watt fast charging, which helps you refill the battery even fast.
Redmi Note 9 Pro
Next on the list, we have the Redmi Note 9 Pro. Launched as a successor to last year’s Note 8 Pro, it brings a few upgrades worth noting. And thankfully, one of them is the battery. You get a bigger 5020mAh cell which supports 30W fast charging. Moreover, you get the 30W fast charger inside the box as well. Even in normal usage, you’d imagine this phone will easily last you an entire day, and you’d be right.
However, because it is powering a comparatively energy-efficient IPS LCD display with the standard 60Hz refresh rate. So, you’re bound to get even better battery compared to other phones with a higher refresh rate and a more vibrant display panel. Furthermore, you can also enhance battery life using MIUI 11’s extreme battery saver option. Having said that, Redmi Note 9 Pro’s display is nothing to just pass over, and it suits the price just fine.
Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Lite
Another Xiaomi phone, and another recent release! The Mi Note 10 Lite was launched alongside the flagship Mi 10 5G in Nepal, just a couple of weeks ago. With an elegantly curved design and a vibrant AMOLED display, Mi Note 10 Lite has quite the demand for power. Though this one’s also a standard 60Hz display, it is powered by an energy-efficient Snapdragon 730G SoC, which is meant for gaming. So, even your longest gaming sessions will fare well with its huge 5260mAh battery.
In terms of charging, the phone supports 30W fast charging. Xiaomi promises up to 23 days of standby time, 14 hours of gaming, 23 hours of video playback, 6.8 hours of FHD video recording, 33 hours of 4G calling, etc. Though that may not and most likely will not translate to real-life performance, it gets pretty close. So, if you’re looking for a well-built device with good design, decent performance, and excellent battery life, Mi Note 10 Lite is one of the best smartphones available in Nepal for that matter.
Xiaomi Mi 10 5G
The launch of Xiaomi’s Mi 10 5G was a welcome one in Nepal, ending the company’s streak of budget and mid-range releases in the country. But it’s a special phone as well since it managed to grab multiple Nepal-first features like 108MP camera, Snapdragon 865, 5G connectivity, etc. Despite all these, Mi 10 has an excellent battery life as well. Featuring a big 4780mAh cell, this is easily an all-dayer device with some nice charging chops too.
Though Mi 10 features a 90Hz refresh rate and a big vibrant AMOLED panel, it will still manage to give out 6 hours or more of screen-on-time with medium to heavy usage. So, even if you play heavy games, or shoot 4K or 8K videos for hours, the Mi 10 will give you enough battery life for hours. In terms of charging, this phone is capable of 30W wired and wireless charging, though you’ll have to buy the wireless charger separately. Yet, the wired charger alone will suffice, taking your phone’s juice from nil to full in just a couple minutes over an hour.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
The Galaxy Note 10+ is jam-packed with features. And with the S-pen on the board, you get an extra bit of features. So to help you do more with the device, Samsung has included a big 4300mAh battery on the phone.
The Note 10+ has the biggest battery in the history of Note series phones. Bag battery usually translates to better battery life and that’s true in the case of Note 10+ as well. The phone provides 32.5 hours of 3G talk time, 12 hours of web browsing, and almost 19 hours of video playback. Given the specs-heavy nature of the phone that’s absolutely commendable.
The phone impressed us even on the charging speed. Although it comes with a 25-watt charger, it charges the handset even faster than the OnePlus 7 Pro with 4000mAh battery and 30-watt fast charging. With a 25-watt charger, you can refill the battery in less than an hour. But Note 10+ also supports 45-watt charger, which you’ll have to buy separately if you are thinking to accelerate the charging speed. Furthermore, the phone has 18-watt wireless charging and reverse wireless charging options, which are the features to cherish.
iPhone 11 Pro Max
Apple has usually been parsimonious on the battery front. Lately, they have started showing some generosity. Last year’s iPhone XS Max had remarkable battery life. This year, Apple not just improved software optimizations to ensure efficient operation but also increased the battery capacity. The iPhone 11 Pro Max comes with a 25% bigger battery (3969mAh battery) than the XS Max promising even better battery life.
The phone can run up to 21 hours if you engage yourself in video calling in a 3G network. Similarly, the phone will last you for 15 hours if you continuously browse the internet. If you are a multimedia enthusiast and spend time watching videos then you can do so continuously for 19 hours. For charging, you have two options: 18-watt wired charging and 10-watt wireless charging. None of them are actually fast when compared to competitors. The 18-watt charger refuels the battery in two hours.
Summary list of best mobile phones with best battery life (2020)
With the lockdown easing up a bit, many restrictions have been lifted. As a result, e-commerce platforms have somewhat returned to their usual business. For instance, Daraz, which was only selling the necessary household products is now back to selling other items too. Moreover, many products are currently available at a discounted price. So, if you are on the lookout for a new smartphone or a laptop, you can order it from Daraz Nepal. To make the task easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of the best deals (smartphones & laptops) in Daraz right now.
Daraz Best Deals: Smartphones
Mi 10
Mi 10 is Xiaomi’s flagship phone of 2020. It is also the first 5G phone to launch in the Nepali market. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, it is the best performing Android smartphone in Nepal. And the performance is further supported by 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage.
Similarly, the phone has a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz. On the back, it has a quad-camera setup with 108MP primary camera. It is accompanied by a depth sensor and macro sensor-both of 2MP. A 13MP ultra-wide sensor is further below the camera module.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Specifications
Display: 6.67″ AMOLED panel with Full-HD+ resolution, 90Hz refresh rate
Battery: 4780 mAh, 30W Wired Fast Charging, 30W Wireless Fast Charging. 10W reverse wireless charging
Price: 89,999
Mi Note 10 Lite
Mi Note 10 Lite is one of the stunning looking midrange phones and comes with a curved display. The screen is a 6.47-inches AMOLED panel with HDR10 support and 430 nits of brightness. Inside the phone is powered by Snapdragon 730G chipset along with 6GB RAM.
It has a great camera on the back with a flagship 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor. The module further includes an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens. Furthermore, Mi Note 10 Lite has a pretty big 5260mAh battery which supports 30W fast charging.
Mi Note 10 Lite Specifications:
Display: 6.47-inches AMOLED with Full-HD+ resolution
The Redmi Note 9 Pro is the successor to the highly successful Redmi Note 8 Pro. It has a 6.67-inches FHD+ IPS LCD panel with a punch-hole cutout to house the front camera. This device is catered towards a gaming audience. And thus it sports the Snapdragon 720G SoC and comes with a big 5020mAh battery.
Furthermore, it has an excellent quad-camera setup on the back with a 48MP Samsung GM2 sensor primary sensor. It is complemented by an 8MP ultrawide lens, 5MP macro, and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front, a 16MP selfie shooter sits inside the punch-hole cutout.
Redmi Note 9 Pro Specifications:
Display:6.67-inch IPS LCD with Full-HD+ resolution
The Samsung Galaxy M31 can be labeled as a cheaper alternative to the Galaxy A51. It has a Super AMOLED display with FHD resolution. However, it does not support an in-display fingerprint sensor. Moreover, it has a good camera setup too. It has a 64MP primary lens that, thanks to pixel binning, gives out 16MP photos.
Under the hood, Galaxy M31 uses the same Exynos 9611 chipset, so performance-wise it falls in the “average” category. However, the USP of the phone is its big 6000mAh battery, making it one of the best battery backup phones in the market right now.
Samsung Galaxy M31 Specifications:
Display:6.4-inches Super AMOLED with FHD+ resolution
If the Galaxy M31 is little out of your budget, you can get the Galaxy M21 as its cheaper alternative. It also has the same Super AMOLED display and is powered by Exynos 9611 chipset.
In the camera department, it has a triple camera setup on the back. It comprises of a 48MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide sensor with 123-degree Field of View, and a 5MP depth sensor. The front camera is a 20MP sensor. Like the M31, the M21 also boasts a big 6000mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy M21 Specifications:
Display:6.4-inches Super AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution
Acer Nitro 5 is one of the best budget laptops for casual gamers. It offers stellar specs such as the 9th gen Intel processor, 8 GB of RAM, Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 graphics, a Full HD panel, and many more. Furthermore, it has customizable fans that will help the laptop stay cool under pressure. And you get plenty of ports. However, its bulky size might be a problem for some.
Acer Nitro 5 Specifications:
Display: 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Panel
CPU: 9th Generation Intel Core i5-9300H
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 (4GB GDDR5)
RAM: 8GB DDR4
Storage: 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD
Battery: 4-cell 48Whr
Weight: 2.48kg
Dimensions: 15.4 x 10.5 x 1.1 inch
Price: Rs. 103,000
HP Omen 15 (Gaming Bundle)
Another gaming laptop on the list. This falls in the midrange category and comes with better features. The HP Omen 15 offers 9th Gen Intel i7 processor and Nvidia GTX 1660Ti GPU. The laptop can run most triple-A titles at 60fps even on max settings. Furthermore, the display has a 144Hz refresh rate, so you can expect a smooth output. A great thing about this deal is that it is a bundled deal. That means you get an HP Omen mouse and a headset while purchasing this laptop.
HP Omen 15 Specifications:
Display: 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Panel, 144Hz refresh rate
CPU: 9th Generation Intel Core i7-9750H
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti (6GB)
RAM: 16GB DDR4
Storage: 256GB SSD
Battery: 4-cell 70Whr
Weight: 2.32kg
Dimensions: 14.17 x 10.35 x 1.0 inch
Price: Rs. 175,990
Asus Zenbook Pro 15 UX580GE
The Asus Zenbook Pro is a great laptop for content creators. It has a great built and comes with a 4K touch-screen display. Moreover, it comes with an 8th gen Intel processor, GTX 1050Ti graphics, and very fast storage. Furthermore, it has a second touch-screen just beneath the trackpad.
Asus Zenbook Pro 15 UX580GE Specifications:
Display: 15.6″ 4K (3840 x 2160) touchscreen, 100% Adobe RGB color gamut
Not everyone wants a pretty-looking smartphone. Some prioritize the durability and reliability of smartphones over the design. That is why there is still a market for rugged phones, though it isn’t that big. The latest rugged phone to come under our radar is the new Doogee S88 Pro. It is making headlines because of its robust design and long-lasting battery life. Read along to know more about the Doogee S88 Pro including its specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Doogee S88 Pro Overview
Design and Display
Doogee S88 Pro features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD screen. The FHD panel comes with the trendy 20:9 aspect ratio. On top of that, it is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. There is a tiny waterdrop notch on the top of the screen.
Unlike mainstream smartphones, the rear panel on this one doesn’t imitate glass design. Instead, it looks like an armor protecting the device. It comes with an Iron Man-style Multi-Function lights. These are just two LEDs shaped to look like eyes that sit below the rear camera module. These LEDs will mostly act as a notification light.
Performance and Memory
Inside the hood, it packs in MediaTek Helio P70 chipset that is paired with Mali-G72 GPU. It is a mid-range chipset that is already two-years-old. But it won’t matter much, as rugged phones aren’t known for their processing prowess. The device is equipped with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The whole setup should be enough to handle day to day usage and light multitasking. There is also a dedicated microSD card slot in case you need additional storage space.
Camera
Doogee S88 Pro flaunts a triple camera setup on the back. The three cameras are enclosed inside a square camera module along with an LED flash. The primary camera uses Sony’s 21MP IMX230 sensor that debuted almost a half a decade ago. Similarly, the camera supports HDR and can shoot 4K videos as well. The 8MP ultra-wide camera expands the Field of View to 130-degree. Also, there is an 8MP depth sensor for bokeh effects. There is a 16MP camera on the front for selfies.
Durability
Since its a rugged phone, let’s talk about how durable it can be. It comes with an IP68 and IP69K rating against water damage, dust, and extreme temperature & pressure. Doogee claims that the phone can survive a day inside the water at a depth of one meter. The duration reduces to 2 hours when the depth is 1.5 meters. It can also withstand sand particles with a diameter over 1mm.
The device can even survive extreme temperatures. It is operational between 70-degree Celcius and -55-degree Celcius. It also has MIL-STD-810G for the military-grade build.
Doogee has included a massive 10,000mAh battery that boasts a standby time of up to 780 hours. Under normal usage, it is said to last about a week. For such a massive battery, you get 24W wired fast charging and 10W wireless charging. The device also supports 5W reverse wireless charging.
There is a capacitive fingerprint sensor mounted on the side. Doogee has also included two custom keys that the user can assign the function of their choice. It runs on Android 10. An Adventure Package comes preinstalled which could come handy if you are mostly outdoors.
Doogee S88 Pro Specifications:
Display: 6.3-inches IPS LCD notched display
Resolution: 1080 x 2340 pixels; 20:9 aspect ratio, 410ppi
Chipset: MediaTek MT6765 Helio P70; 12nm Mobile Platform
GPU: Mali-G72
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB (expandable up to 256 via a microSD card)
Software & UI: Android 10
Rear Camera:
– 21MP Sony IMX230
– 8MP ultra-wide camera
– 8MP depth sensor
Doogee S88 Pro is available for pre-order in China via the Doogee official store, where its price is $199.99. We expect the price of Doogee S88 Pro in Nepal to be around NRP 26,000 if it launches in Nepal.
After almost a year of real-world testing, Boston Dynamics has announced that its four-legged robot, Spot, is now ready for a commercial launch. This dog-like robot is now available for purchase to US companies. Read along to know more about the Spot robot from Boston Dynamics.
Boston Dynamics Spot: The Robot
The creator, Boston Dynamics, is advertising Spot as a multi-purpose mobility platform. It is programmable and has been programmed to suit the need of different tasks. The Spot is specifically targeted for industrial and commercial workplaces.
It also looks like something out of a science fiction movie. You can describe it as a robotic dog. Like its biological counterpart, Boston Dynamics claims that it can follow you anywhere you go. It can even climb stairs and traverse rough terrain. On the back of the robot, there is enough space for you to fit in up to four different modules.
The company calls these modules “Add-ons” and they have to be purchased separately. Industries can buy these for specific tasks that they want Spot to accomplish. It supports the remote operation and is capable of autonomous sensing as well. Spot also has its own camera that can take around 5,000 photos every week.
Controller
There are two different ways to control the robot. The default choice would be to use the Spot Tab Controller that comes with the device. Boston Dynamics claims that the controller is user-friendly and easy to get started. You can use it to control the robot’s capabilities such as body posing, walking traits, obstacle avoidance, local navigation, and calibration. It can also be used to automate basic tasks via the Autowalk feature.
API and SDK
Another way to control the Spot via the API. The company also offers a Software Development Kit to its customers. Developers can use the SDK to create new features and deploy new applications or systems.
Security
As per the creators, Spot is secure for use since third-party security experts audit it. All the data being logged into and communicated between robot and user are encrypted. Boston Dynamics also clarifies that it won’t receive any data from the robot without the user’s consent.
The primary use case of the Spot is on worksites. Spot can go anywhere a human can go and users can control it remotely. So, it can substitute human in areas of work which aren’t entirely safe. But the application doesn’t end here. It is also capable of autonomous data collection and transporting loads.
Last year, the company leased out the robot to a number of industries and business firms for real-world testing and for feedbacks. As of now, the robot has already been deployed for 3D mapping, inspection and fault detection, and data collection. In Singapore, Spot warned people of social-distancing in one of the parks. It has also aided in coronavirus treatment at one of the hospitals in Boston.
Safety Concerns
Boston Dynamics has its roots in the military so people haven’t ruled out the possibility of using the Spot as a weapon. However, the company has assured that users have to ensure that it won’t be used or harming or intimidating people. If users violate the condition, their license will be invalidated.
Spot 2.0
At present, engineers are working from their home on what the company calls Spot 2.0. It’s basically a package of future updates that will add more features to the Spot. One such feature is the teleoperation which the company is using it now. This allows potential users to demo the Spot robot from home during the lockdown period.
Boston Dynamics Spot Robot Price & Availability
Boston Dynamics’ Spot is now exclusively available for industries and business firms in the US where its price is $74,500. An eligible customer can only order a maximum of two Spot robots, with 6 to 8 days for shipment. As of now, the company isn’t entertaining overseas orders.
Boston Dynamics Robot Model
Price
Spot
$74,500 (US exclusive)
Check out the leaks surrounding Ryzen’s upcoming smartphone processor!
Qualcomm announced Snapdragon 865 back in December last year, which paved the way for OEMs to incorporate 5G technology into their upcoming smartphone. But soon, there emerged a problem. This new 5G chipset turned out to be way too expensive even for a flagship chipset. To improve the situation Qualcomm has now announced Snapdragon 690, which is believed to bring the 5G in smartphones under $300. Let’s take a look at what Qualcomm is offering in the Snapdragon 690.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 Overview
Snapdragon 690 is the first chipset in the 6-series to feature an integrated 5G modem. Up until now, 5G connectivity was reserved for more expensive 7-series and the flagship 8-series. But it isn’t the only upgrade that Qualcomm has brought.
Architecture
Talking about the architecture, the new octa-core chipset is based on the 8nm LPP process which is an improvement over Snapdragon 675 that was based on the 11nm process. However, SD 690’s closest competitor, the Dimensity 820, is based on a more efficient 7nm process.
Qualcomm has stuck to a big.LITTLE configuration with two power cores and six efficient cores. For the former, the company has gone with the latest Kryo 560 (which are the stock Arm Cortex-A77 cores) clocked at 2.0GHz. Similarly, six Arm Cortex-A55 cores (@1.7GHz) are being used as efficient cores. Qualcomm is claiming there is a 20% improvement in performance compared to the Snapdragon 675.
The Cortex-A77 cores do have better Instruction Per Cycle (IPC) the Cortex-A76 cores. However, Snapdragon 690 won’t be making best out the specs because of the lower frequency. We don’t expect it to outperform the SD 720G even though the latter has Cortex-A76 cores (@ 2.3GHz). Adding further insult to the injury is the fact that the Dimensity 820 packs not two, but four performance Cortex-A76 cores clocked at even higher 2.6GHz frequency.
GPU
For the GPU, Qualcomm has used the new Adreno 619L which is claimed to come with a 60% performance boost over Adreno 612. If you were expecting the Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology to make an entrance as well, it won’t be available in the 690. It is only for G-series and 8-series chipsets. However, SD 690 does support Vulkan 1.1 API and Physically Based Rendering (PBR).
5G Modem
Like mentioned earlier, it is the first 6-series chipset to support 5G connectivity. It has been made possible because of the X51 modem that’s integrated on to the chip. Unfortunately, it misses out on mmWave 5G support. The Snapdragon 690 supports sub-6Hz for both SA and NSA band. The maximum downstream and upstream speed has been quoted at 2500Mbps and 1200Mbps, respectively.
Camera
The new Spectra 355L ISP (Image Signal Processor) can support up to 192MP cameras or 48MP capture with MFNR (Multi-Frame Noise Reduction) enabled. In a multi-camera setup, it can support up to 32MP + 16MP dual cameras. It is also capable of 4K UHD video capture.
Others
In terms of display, Snapdragon 690 supports 120Hz display in FHD+ resolution or 60Hz in QHD+. It features 10bit color depth and support for HDR10 and HDR10+. The chipset is also Wi-Fi 6 ready and packs in the new 5th-gen AI Engine, which is reportedly 70% faster than its predecessor. It also has support for dual-channel LPDDR4x at up to 1866MHz.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 Availability
We can expect 5G smartphones with Snapdragon 690 processor to be available in the market starting from Q2 2020. As of now, Nokia, LG, Motorola, Sharp, and TCL are all working on phones with the Snapdragon 690. These upcoming smartphone will retail for about $300 or even less.
Check out our comparison between the Snapdragon 765G and MediaTek Dimensity 1000L
![Smartphones with the Best Battery Life in Nepal [Updated]](https://cdn.gadgetbytenepal.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/smartphone-with-best-battery-life.jpg "Smartphones with the Best Battery Life in Nepal [Updated]")
