Even today, a significant number of people in South Asian countries use feature phones. This market segment is catered by brands like Nokia, Colors, and Lava. The latter has announced a new feature phone under the moniker of Lava Pulse. The phone makes headlines because of its in-built sensor that can measure heart rate and blood pressure. Let’s check out the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Lava Pulse in Nepal.
Lava Pulse Overview
Design and Display
From the outside, the Lava Pulse looks like any other modern-day feature phone. The navigation keys and the numeric keypad are well differentiated. The keys on the numeric keypad are well spaced for better dialing experience. The device is available in a single color option – Rose Gold.
It sports a 2.4-inch display. Lava has not disclosed the type of panel used but it packs in a total of 240 x 320 pixels. The display is capable of producing 65K colors.
Heart rate and Blood Pressure Monitoring
The sensor is on the back of the device, alongside the camera. Users will have to place their finger on the sensor and wait for the result. Lava has not commented on the nature of the sensor and its underlying mechanism. Needless to say, it won’t be as accurate as medical equipment and should only be used for reference. It will home handy if you are in a remote place where there are no health institutions nearby. You also get to enjoy games such as Snake, Air Strike, and Danger Dash.
Lava Pulse also features a camera on the back but we don’t know the size of the sensor being used. Interestingly, this one does not come with a flash or a torch as many, which is a bummer for the phone of its kind. The camera also does not support video recording. For entertainment, users can turn on built-in music player, video player, and FM radio. The latter is wireless and supports recording as well.
Rest of the features
The phone relies on a 1800mAh battery which the company claims can last up to 6 days. It also has a super battery mode for better efficiency. Lava Pulse supports seven different languages including regional languages – English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Gujarati, and Punjabi. There is support for dual-sim too. The number talker reads out the number key that is pressed. Similarly, there is also an automatic call recording feature.
Lava Pulse Specifications:
Dimension: 124.5 x 52 x 12.45-mm
Display: 2.4-inch QVGA screen
RAM: 32MB
Storage: expandable up to 32GB
Rear Camera: Yes, without Flash
Battery: 1800mAh battery
Other: Dual-sim, Bluetooth 3.0, GSM 900/1800MHz bands, 3.5mm jack, Wireless FM, MP3 Player, Video Player. Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
Lava Pulse Price in Nepal and Availability
Lava Pulse is available in India via Amazon for INR 1,949. We can expect the price of Lava Pulse in Nepal to be around NPR 3,500 when it launches in Nepal.
OnePlus’ history begins with an elegantly executed guerrilla marketing strategy. The company’s first-ever device – the OnePlus One managed to completely disrupt the smartphone market with its top-of-the-line spec-sheet for an asking price less than half the mainstream flagship phones at the time. Fast forward to 2020, its latest OnePlus 8 series had finally given in to the full-fledged flagship scenario – not just by the set of features, but more importantly their price. And that may just have been the final straw to the OG OnePlus fans; who felt the ultimate betrayal from the company that spun off the “flagship killer” turn into a flagship itself. Here, the new OnePlus Nord is such an essential product and I was very eager to review.
As a result, OnePlus had to do something, come up with some products that would help revive the native appeal of the brand; giving birth to the new OnePlus Nord. And boy did they bring their A-game in marketing their first proper mid-range phone. Practically making people beg for the tiniest bit of detail, releasing a series of documentaries like it’s something overtly flamboyant… wow – the hype surrounding the Nord was unreal! For the most part, the phone manages to live up to its established expectation. Let’s find out more about the OnePlus Nord in this review!
Starting this review with the design, the OnePlus Nord has a dual-glass build which is a rarity in a mid-range phone. Even though the Gorilla Glass 5 protection is impressive, in one of the many processes for bringing its cost down, the Nord has an inferior plastic frame. And you know how that fared in JerryRigEverything’s famed durability test. To put a nice ring to the outcome of the test, Mr. Jerry bent it like Beckham.
But obviously, his test takes things to the extreme and don’t reflect how one would normally use a phone. Having said that, it definitely would’ve been nicer of OnePlus to go with a more secure metallic frame instead. The Nord comes in either Blue Marble or Gray Onyx color options which look quite standard and not something reflectively fancy – I dig it. Personally, I’m pretty fond of the Blue variant that I have with me.
Overall, I like the design of the OnePlus Nord and it feels comfortable on the hand. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy A71 that retails for a similar price as the Nord, the latter is a little heftier which I like. Likewise, you also get the signature “slider” that we’ve come to adore about an OnePlus phone. It’s such a small feature that literally no other OEM has chosen to include in their product, but makes such a difference in everyday usage. More on the design, in a typical 2020 fashion, the Nord doesn’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack or the support for external storage.
Display
6.44-inches FHD+ Fluid AMOLED panel
90Hz refresh rate; 180Hz touch sampling rate
Great colors & contrast; HDR10+ certified
Moving to the display side of things, the phone has a 6.44-inch Fluid AMOLED panel with a 90Hz refresh rate. That’s quite the rare combo for a phone at this price point and the Nord having it is a pretty big deal for the future of mid-range devices. Thanks to the smoother 90Hz display, the viewing experience on the OnePlus Nord was absolute bliss as I found out during my review. Besides gaming itself, the UI transitions, scrolling through your Instagram feed, or other websites – everything is buttery smooth.
If you’ve been up to date with Nord’s review from various tech reviewers (especially the ones from India), you may be concerned about a red tint issue under low brightness and a horizontal line near the pill-shaped cutout. However, I’m happy to report that my unit was completely immune to those issues. So it looks like the problem with the display is almost entirely limited on Indian retail units – and if your OnePlus Nord suffers from the said issue, be sure to ask for a replacement ASAP.
Decent AMOLED panel
Okay, let us now talk about the panel quality itself. The AMOLED screen on the Nord produces great colors with deep blacks and therefore has an excellent contrast ratio. Brightness was sufficient enough but paled in comparison to the ones on the Galaxy A71 or Vivo’s V19. And because it’s an AMOLED panel, you can enjoy the sweet-sweet dark mode that has been almost flawlessly executed by OnePlus. You can customize it under the display settings where there is also the option to turn it on automatically based on a pre-determined schedule.
Starting with the upcoming OxygenOS 11, we’ll also getting the long-awaited Always-on Display (AoD) and I’m very excited to see it in action. All in all, the OnePlus Nord has an excellent display thanks to the vibrant AMOLED panel complemented by a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. I can honestly say this is one of the best displays you can get for this price.
Now let’s get to the cameras, shall we? Altogether, the phone has six cameras in total – 4 at the back, and 2 on the front. First, let’s talk about the rear quad-camera setup which is composed of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 5MP depth sensor, and finally a 2MP macro camera.
Macro Images
During my review, I tested them out against the cameras in Samsung’s Galaxy A71. Starting with the underwhelming macro lens, the A71 was able to output better colors and details.
Macro
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OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
On the other hand, the 2MP macro camera on the OnePlus Nord is entirely gimmicky with no practical utility.
Portrait Images
But the 5MP depth sensor spins a different story and its bokeh effects are quite impressive.
Portrait
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OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
Although the edge detection is far from perfect, you get a nice enough subject focus and the background looks nice too. Compared to the A71, it’s an even battle when it comes to portrait images.
Normal Images
Getting to the images from the 48MP primary camera, I must say they have an awesome bit of detail. Despite this, the color reproduction is a little bit on the unnatural side, and the Nord also over-compensates the contrasts while the images are over-saturated as well.
Normal
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But overall, the photos look pleasing. Comparing it with the A71, the images from OnePlus Nord look a little dark because of the extensive contrast I mentioned earlier.
Normal - Comparison
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OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
As a result, Galaxy A71’s photos look more balanced while they look more or less similar in most cases.
Wideangle Images
Ultra-wide images from the OnePlus Nord are good too with decent colors and details. But once again bringing A71 into the mix, its wide-angle images have a wider field of view and better colors.
Wideangle
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OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
Even with all this, the Nord’s 8MP ultra-wide camera is good enough but it’s just that the images turn out looking a little bit darker than you’d like.
Normal Selfie Images
Coming forward, OnePlus Nord is the company’s first phone with dual selfie cameras. Its 32MP primary wide lens and an 8MP ultra-wide sensor have been fitted inside a pill-shaped cutout on the top left corner of the display.
Selfie
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OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
OnePlus Nord
Galaxy A71
Selfies from the primary camera look vibrant and the subject’s skin color, as well as the background, come out pleasant albeit a little smoothened. In contrast, selfies from Galaxy A71 are void of the built-in smoothening and the color tone has a slightly reddish tint to it that I prefer.
Wideangle Selfie Images
Moving on, ultra-wide selfies on the Nord gives out more or less similar images like the primary selfie camera.
Normal v Wideangle Selfie
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Normal Selfie
Wideangle Selfie
Normal Selfie
Wideangle Selfie
Normal Selfie
Wideangle Selfie
However, they lack the detail and sharpness compared to the ones from the 32MP sensor. At the end of the day, your group selfies are going to look acceptably Instagrammable.
Nighttime Images
In terms of low-light photography, I tested out OnePlus Nord’s capability on multiple occasions, and usually, they have good details. There’s also a dedicated “Nightscape” feature that enhances visibility and details in a dark environment.
Normal Nighttime v Nightscape
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Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
While it doesn’t compare to night mode on more expensive flagship phones, it does make the nighttime images look a whole lot better. Similarly, Nord’s ultra-wide lens can take low-light shots as well.
Wideangle Nighttime
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Nighttime - Wideangle
Nightscape - Wideangle
Nighttime - Wideangle
Nightscape - Wideangle
Even though they’re terrible regarding details, but turning on Nightscape tries to save grace and improves the details by a tiny bit – still not in the way you’d like it to be.
Videos
Videography-wise, the OnePlus Nord maxes out at 4K/30fps recordings complemented by OIS – another rare and often overlooked feature on a mid-range device. The stabilization works great and overall, the videos have good colors and dynamic range. Interestingly, the selfie camera can shoot up to 4K videos at 60fps. And even though it doesn’t have a dedicated stabilization system, the recordings look good enough. So, if you’re into vlogging and such, the OnePlus Nord could be a good option for you.
Overall, the cameras on the OnePlus Nord are sufficiently average and nothing groundbreaking. It could’ve been a lot better if OnePlus had gone with the newer 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor instead of its predecessor but here we are.
Performance
Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC (7nm)
Up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.1 storage (non-expandable)
Time to talk about performance. OnePlus phones have always been known for their excellent speed with the flagship silicon for the time. Yet, that’s not the case with the Nord. It is powered by Qualcomm’s excellent mid-range chipset – the Snapdragon 765G. With its integrated X52 5G modem, the 765G supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave of the 5G spectrum. This has been paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 256GB of non-expandable UFS 2.1 storage. Here, the Indian market gets an exclusive 6/64GB variant as well.
OnePlus claims they’ve greatly optimized this SoC for the Nord and it shows. Under normal or even heavy usage, the phone handles them with ease – with a few exceptions. Obviously, the 765G isn’t as fast as last year’s or this year’s flagship chipsets: the Snapdragon 855+ and 865. Because of this, the Nord doesn’t hold up against smartphones like last year’s Redmi K20 Pro or the Realme X3 series that retail around the same price; especially when it comes to graphic-intensive games.
Gaming
Talking about gaming, the combo of SD 765G & the 90Hz display really brings out a smooth playing experience. I extensively played PUBG Mobile on the phone and under HD graphics and High frame rate. In this setting, I got a stable 25 – 30 fps while it bumped to 40 fps under Smooth graphics and Ultra frame rate. Unfortunately, that’s about it, and expecting a smooth 60 fps gameplay on the OnePlus Nord is unachievable; at least for now. In topical news, different OnePlus devices like the 7 Pro, 7T series, and 8 series now exclusively support 90 fps gameplay on PUBG, and seeing the Nord miss out on this feels like a major bummer.
But I didn’t notice any lag in High settings which is largely thanks to its quick 180Hz touch sampling rate. Additionally, I also tried out Asphalt 9 and you can imagine how it performed since it’s a relatively undemanding title.
OxygenOS
Besides gaming, OnePlus Nord is a speed champ in practically every other use case because of the beloved OxygenOS. It has a clean, bloatware-free, customizable, and stock Android-like design. You can change the UI’s theme color too. The icon design isn’t overdone either. With all this and more, OxygenOS still remains one of my favorite Android skins to date.
Nord’s AMOLED display also houses an optical in-display fingerprint sensor which is lightning fast and pretty darn accurate. Also, when registering your fingerprint, you get nice and strong haptic feedback although it doesn’t compare to the flagship series. The audio output is quite average from its single bottom-firing speaker and even in high volume, it manages to deliver a balanced sound quality.
Battery
4115mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T
Moving to the battery, OnePlus Nord comes with a decent 4115mAh cell with support for 30W Warp Charge 30T fast charging (5V/6A). Because of its user-switchable refresh rate between either 60Hz and 90Hz, the net battery endurance isn’t going to be uniform among the users. I tested it out against both and the result varied.
Under 60Hz, I got about a day and a little more of battery life while the stat reduced to just a day when using the Nord under a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. Furthermore, I tried applying a live wallpaper for a couple of charge cycles and that consumed about an additional 10% battery life. When it comes to charging, the 30W fast wired charging is incredible. During my test, it charged up my OnePlus Nord from 0 – 100% in exactly an hour, while 30 minutes of charge takes the phone to 60%. As expected, this phone doesn’t support wireless charging.
Conclusion
Time to wrap it all up. The OnePlus Nord is an exciting smartphone for the price and its launch comes in an interesting time and kills two (or more) birds with one stone as we’ve discovered during this review. First off, it gives in to the demand of those who’re looking for a cheaper OnePlus device since the company has been consistently pumping out more and more expensive smartphones over the years. Secondly, the Nord also promises a certain level performance that’s acceptable to the mainstream smartphone buyers at a price that warrants the question “are expensive flagship phones worth it?”
All in all, OnePlus Nord challenges the mid-range smartphone market status quo like how the original OnePlus One did with the flagship market – redefining just how good an inexpensive phone can be. And if you’re someone who seeks great performance but doesn’t want to or can’t cash-in a ton of money, the Nord could be your best shot.
Watch our video review of the OnePlus Nord!
OnePlus Nord Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Fluid & vibrant AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate
Great cameras (almost all of them)
Excellent performance, plus the fabled OxygenOS
Decent battery life and the fast charger is inside the box
Cons:
Slightly inferior build quality due to plastic frames
Xiaomi’s Redmi series caters to the budget audience. Last year’s Redmi 8 was such an impressive budget device and I personally recommended it to many. Its successor, the Redmi 9, offers a better chipset and quad cameras. And with Samsung launching some overpriced phones of late like the Galaxy M11 and the Galaxy A21s, it only leaves the Realme C3/Narzo 10A as the only viable competitor in the market. And if you compare the specs sheet, it is quite evident that the Redmi 9 is a clear winner. Let’s find out more about the Redmi 9 in this review.
Security: Fingerprint sensor (rear,-mounted), Face unlock
Sensors: Vibration, Distance sensor, Ambient Light, Accelerometer, e-compass, IR blaster
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC (limited availability), GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/Beidou
Battery: 5020mAh with 18W fast charging (10W inside the box)
Price in Nepal: Rs. 16,999 (3/32GB) | Rs. 17,999 (4/64GB)
Redmi 9 Review:
Design
Plastic build material
A little wide form-factor to my liking
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Volume Rockers, Power Button
Speaker, Type-C Port, Headphone Jack
IR Blaster
Okay, let’s talk about the design first. And to be honest, considering the price, it looks and feels really good. It’s not glossy like the Redmi Note 9, rather it has this textured matte finish which really helps prevent smudges. The phone is a little wide though. I don’t know if you have noticed, but mostly all Xiaomi phones are a little wider than others.
Anyways, I love the color and the camera arrangement. It kind of shares an uncanny resemblance to last year’s Redmi Note 8 Pro. Even the fingerprint sensor is at the same spot. I wouldn’t say this is the best placement for the sensor as many times my finger reaches the camera sensor while trying to unlock the device.
But, I guess you will get used to it after some time. Its performance is fast and accurate, except for the times your hands are wet or greasy.
And yes, like many other Xiaomi phones, this one also has an IR blaster. Down below, you have the USB Type-C port along with the headphone jack and a single- firing speaker both of which have an average audio output. Overall, I like the design of this phone, considering its budget price. It’s well built and looks good.
Display
6.5-inches FHD+ IPS LCD panel
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Moving on, this phone also provides a Full HD display at this price. Most of the other brands like Samsung and Realme have skimmed on this aspect by giving an HD display but thankfully that’s not the case here.
It’s a 6.5-inches panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio, vibrant enough colors, and acceptable contrast levels. As opposed to the Realme C3/Narzo 10A, the display here has good sharpness, so that’s nice. The brightness is also plenty enough for indoor usage but outdoors, you will wish for some more luminance.
And comparing its display against a more expensive Redmi Note 9, it’s pretty much the same display, except for the notch and inferior Gorilla Glass 3 protection you get on the Redmi 9. But again, the highlight feature of the display remains the fact that it is a Full HD panel which we usually don’t get in other phones of this price range!
Performance
Octa-core MediaTek Helio G80 SoC (12nm)
Either 3/4GB of RAM and 32/64GB of internal storage (expandable)
MIUI 11 on top of Android 10
Moving on to the performance, here too, I am really satisfied. Not only it has a much better performance compared to last year’s Redmi 8, but I compared its performance a costlier Redmi Note 9 and found it keeping up very well. What do I mean by that? Well, let me explain!
I ran a couple of tests for multitasking, app opening, and video rendering and found that the Redmi 9’s Helio G80 competes with the Helio G85 of Redmi Note 9 very well. Yes, the Redmi Note 9 is slightly faster, but the Redmi 9 is a very close second. For what it’s worth, I found it to be very impressive!
Gaming
Surprisingly, I found the gaming on the Redmi 9 to be better than the Redmi Note 9. Playing PUBG in Smooth graphics + Ultra frame rates resulted in a smooth experience in the Redmi 9 whereas you might know from our review that it’s a bumpy ride on the Redmi Note 9. And it’s not just in that setting, but even if you go higher to HD graphics and High frame rates, the Redmi 9 will serve you better in PUBG.
Similarly, playing COD was also quite good on the Redmi 9. A couple of COD sessions in High frame rates and High graphics was susceptible to a few lags here and there while toning down the graphics to medium gave me gameplay with no issues at all.
With all this, it’s kind of self-explanatory that running normal tasks on this device will not be a problem at all. However, during my Redmi 9 review, I found that while multitasking, sometimes you do feel the apps take some time to load.
By the way, the unit I have has 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. But if you are really opting to buy this phone, I would suggest you go for the 4GB variant to ensure slightly better performance. Also, you get a dedicated microSD card slot for further storage expansion which is always a plus.
Overall, with the Redmi 9, you are getting almost similar performance as that of the more expensive Redmi Note 9 and in the gaming regard, it’s even better.
MIUI 11
Software-wise, the Redmi 9 runs on MIUI 11 on top of Android 10. It’s a pretty heavy UI so sometimes, you might feel that navigating through the UI isn’t buttery smooth. I have also felt some lag while closing PUBG app and getting back to the home screen.
Also, one problem that has always prevailed in budget Xiaomi devices is the ads and here too you get presented with ads in instances such as when you install an app.
Alright, let’s get to the cameras now. Like the Redmi Note 9, there are four cameras at the back, but instead of a 48MP primary lens, you get a 13MP sensor here, followed by an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 5MP macro lens.
Normal Images
The normal daytime pictures from the Redmi 9 have good enough details and colors too. They are fairly sharp and with decent dynamic range.
Normal
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Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
I even compared its cameras to the Redmi Note 9 and surprisingly found very little differences among them. The images almost look similar. However, with the Redmi Note 9, you get slightly better details but overall, these cameras give a very similar output.
Nighttime Images
However, the image quality is strictly limited to daytime as, during the Night-time, the Redmi 9 takes miserable shots. Also, there is no comparison between the night-time capabilities of the Redmi 9 and the Redmi Note 9.
Nighttime
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Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
That’s because Note 9, as evident from these samples, has way better details and exposure maintenance. Also, you don’t have a night mode feature in the Redmi 9.
Portrait Images
Okay, about the portraits, you get decent shots from the Redmi 9 and they are comparable to the Redmi Note 9 as well.
Portrait
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Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
I have even found the Redmi 9 doing better sometimes in terms of the subject. But when you look at the details in subjects, the Redmi Note 9 does better.
Wideangle Images
Ultra-wide-angle images are not sufficiently vibrant and lack details in almost all instances.
Wideangle
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Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
Normal
Wideangle
The dynamic range most of the time does not function that well too. But, in good lighting, you can get a few good shots like this one.
Macro Images
The 4th lens here is a macro sensor that works well enough.
Macro
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They are not wow, but justify the price nonetheless.
Selfie Images
Selfies share the same story as that of the daylight shots. The 8MP selfie camera produces decent details and colors in the selfies.
Selfie
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Redmi 9
Note 9
Redmi 9
Note 9
If you look at these images I took from both the Redmi 9 and Note 9, you will find a lot of similarities in color tone, exposure management, and even the details.
Videos
Video capabilities on the Redmi 9, just like the Redmi Note 9, is limited to 1080p 30 fps only. Both of them lack proper details and stabilization too. So, vlogging as such is not a possibility with this phone. However, it can record good enough videos for general purposes.
So, after all the testing and such, what I have come to realize is that the Redmi 9 and the Redmi Note 9 both have similar camera capabilities and this camera definitely does a better job than the Galaxy M11 or the Realme C3. So, I think the Redmi 9 possibly has the best camera capabilities for the price it comes in.
Battery
5020mAh battery with 18W fast charging support
Only 10W charger inside the box
Apart from the cameras, another best thing about Redmi 9 is its battery life. In normal usage, I have got more than a day’s backup every time. Even if you are a heavy user, you will get a whole day of juice with one single charge which is impressive.
But, what’s not impressive is the fact that the phone comes with a 10-watt charger inside the box that takes something like 3 hours to get filled up. However, with the 18-watt fast charger, it took me around 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Conclusion
So, overall, I think, right now, the Redmi 9 is the best budget phone by quite a margin. It offers the best performance in its price range and comes with a sharper FullHD+ panel. Likewise, its camera is nearly identical to the Redmi Note 9 which is another plus for the phone.
And if you are confused between the Redmi 9 and Note 9, I suggest better go with the Redmi 9 as it’s like Rs. 3000 cheaper for the 4/64GB variant and there aren’t too many noticeable differences between them except for the design. Instead, I would invest the extra cash in getting myself wireless earbuds or a fitness tracker.
As of late, we have seen a lot of wireless earphones from the likes of Oppo, Xiaomi, and even Nokia. The latest smartphone brand to introduce a wireless earphone is Huawei. The Chinese tech giant unveiled the new Huawei FreeLace Pro in an event in China. Keep reading to check out the expected price, and availability of Huawei FreeLace Pro in Nepal.
Huawei FreeLace Pro Overview
In a market where TWS is getting popular, Huawei has introduced a neckband. It is a successor to Huawei FreeLace. If you are looking for a TWS, you can buy Huawei FreeBuds 3 in Nepal.
Design
There is nothing flashy about the design of the Huawei FreeLace Pro. It looks similar to its predecessor. But, the Pro swaps the boring-looking traditional earpieces to something fancier and sportier. The neckband is available in three-color options – Obsidian Black, Spruce Green, and Morning White. The color is uniform throughout the body of the earphone except for the magnetic portion of the head. FreeLace Pro can be switched on and off by magnetically attaching and detaching the earplugs respectively. For better noise isolation, Huawei has used three-point stable structure earplugs.
Active Noise Cancellation
The highlight of the new FreeLace Pro is its noise cancellation. It is the first earphone to receive A-level certification in China. Huawei is offering dual-active noise cancellation in the FreeLace Pro. The earphone can reduce the noise up to 40dB. On average, the earphone offers a noise reduction depth of 25dB. There is also an ambient mode that allows users to listen to surrounding as well.
Talking about the internal specs, the FreeLace Pro sports a 14mm dynamic sound driver. Huawei claims that the large dynamic drivers result in deep bass and soft treble. It improves the overall performance of the FreeLace Pro. Huawei has included three microphones for noise cancellation as well as better call quality.
The headphone also has a low latency mode that optimizes audio codec to reduce latency up to 150 ms. Huawei claims that FreeLace Pro can automatically switch to low latency mode when users open a game.
This neckband packs in a 150mAh battery. With this, the company claims that the FreeLace Pro can last up to 24 hours in a single charge. It can be charged using a USB Type-C charger. Users can also plug it into a smartphone to charge. But the device needs to support USB OTG via Type C port. Huawei claims that a minute of charging can fill the earphone with juice that can last up to 5 hours of continuous music playback. It is also IP55 certified against damage by water and dust.
Sensors: Microphone sensors, Hall sensors, capacitive sensors
Color Options: Obsidian Black, Spruce Green, and Morning White
Huawei FreeLace Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
The Huawei FreeLace Pro will go on sale in China starting from September 1 at the price of 599 Yuan. If Huawei decides to launch the FreeLace Pro in Nepal, we expect its price to be around NPR 11,000.
Wireless Headphones
Price in Nepal (Expected)
Huawei FreeLace Pro
Rs. 11,000
Also, check out our review of Oppo’s budget earphones.
With Qualcomm’s mid-range chipsets constantly increasing in price, it was only a matter of time before MediaTek took over. Well, they have not taken over entirely but the process has certainly started. In China at least. And we will likely see more of the Dimensity chipset outside of China this year. The Dimensity series especially brings a lot to the table. We’ve seen how well the Dimensity 800 and 820 perform. And now MediaTek has added a new chipset to this series with the launch of the Dimensity 800U.
Dimensity 800U overview
The Dimensity 800U is a slightly altered version of the Dimensity 800. And it joins a long list of Dimensity SoCs integrated with a 5G modem. It supports dual 5G SIMs and the CPU clocks at a higher speed. It is fabricated on TSMC’s 7nm process.
The SoC has 4 ARM Cortex-A76 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.6GHz. Furthermore, it has 4 other ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.0GHz. In comparison, Dimensity 800 has 4 ARM Cortex A76 cores clocked at up to 2.0GHz. And 4 ARM Cortex-A55 cores also clocked at 2.0GHz. Thus, from what it seems, the Dimensity 800U will have a better single-core performance.
As for the GPU, it packs in ARM’s Mali-G57 MC3. The company has stated that the 800U will offer 28% faster GPU performance than that of the Dimensity 720, which also has the Mali-G57 MC3. However, decreasing the GPU core by 1 from that of the Dimensity 800’s Mali-G57 MC4 seems like an odd choice.
Anyway, other features of the Dimensity 800U include, support for LPDDR4X RAM (up to 2133MHz) and support for UFS 2.1 storage. Furthermore, it also supports FHD+ resolution, a refresh rate of 120Hz, and HDR10+. Moreover, it comes with a MiraVision PQ engine that will help in the additional HDR optimization for videos.
In terms of camera, it can support sensors up to 64MP and a quad-camera array. Also, it boasts features such as VoW, multiple trigger words, voice assistant services, and dual-mic noise reduction.
Lastly coming back to the integrated 5G modem, it supports 5G+5G DSDS and sub-65Hz 5G on SA & NSA networks. It also comes with dual Voice over New Radio(VoNR), 5G two carrier aggregation, and 5G UltraSave Technology.
Nepal’s e-commerce scene is slowly and gradually growing bigger with every passing day. But comparing the trend with other developing countries, our country’s growth rate doesn’t compete. Though the ongoing pandemic has helped boost the online spending habit of people, there’s still a long way to go. Gyapu emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the Nepalese e-commerce industry and was able to find a silver lining amidst the nationwide lockdown. And now, Sastodeal has joined in on the action to take its success to new heights through its partnership with Indian e-commerce giant – Flipkart.
This announcement certainly is a welcome one and a lot of people are thrilled about it. But at the same time, many didn’t understand exactly what this collaboration meant. So in this article, I’ll be discussing what the partnership between Sastodeal and Flipkart entails and why we should be excited.
Flipkart, Sastodeal partnership: What it is
As we all know, Sastodeal is an online marketplace where different businesses can host their product on the site for sale. And in the most basic explanation, Flipkart is just another vendor at Sastodeal for now. But since it’s an international name, the buzz surrounding it is deserved all the while. It’s also important to note that all the items up at Sastodeal have been curated by both e-commerce platforms to best suit the Nepalese market. Products from Flipkart’s private label brands like MarQ, SmartBuy and its own store will be up for grabs to the Nepalese shoppers. Similarly, clothing items from Myntra (a fashion & lifestyle brand owned & operated by Flipkart) will also be available on Sastodeal.
Private Label Brand: MarQ by Flipkart
Depending upon what category of purchase you’ll be making, there’s going to be a different delivery duration. For the aforementioned private label brands, Sastodeal quotes 1 – 2 days of delivery time. Here, MarQ is a manufacturer of different kinds of home appliances and lifestyle electronics like TV, washing machine, soundbars, headphones, etc. As of now, Sastodeal sells two products of the brand – a 32” HD LED and a 49” 4K LED TV. While we’re at it, let’s have a quick price comparison of these products in India and Nepal.
Price comparison
Here in Nepal, the “MarQ by Flipkart Innoview 32-inch HD LED TV (32VNSHDM)” is listed at NPR 20,499 after a 15% discount (originally NPR 23,999). On the other hand, this same TV with the same make/model retails at INR 8,999 after a 32% discount (originally INR 13,299). After doing some conversions (quick maths), we can see that even though the initial price of the TV in both countries have a fair difference only (from a Nepalese buyer’s perspective), the final retailing cost sees a massive disparity.
MarQ 32-inch HD LED TV (32VNSHDM)
Original Price
Latest Price (Aug19)
Difference (NPR)
India
Nepal
India
Nepal
Original
Net
INR13,299
NPR23,999
INR8,999
NPR20,499
2,720
6,100
Obviously, even with Flipkart’s kinda-sorta official involvement in Nepal, getting its products at a direct conversion price was never possible, to begin with. A little difference was always warranted because of regular tax and other government-imposed costs – but domestic buyers are sure to be let down keen shoppers look up the difference in price.
“Hey, maybe it’s just one item. Let’s move on.”
Private Label Brand: Flipkart SmartBuy
Similarly, Flipkart SmartBuy is the company’s first private label brand that specializes in home décor, kitchen, furnishing, and similar items on top of electronics. On top of aggressive pricing, these products are also quality-tested meaning, a product X’s SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) has to go through Flipkart’s internal testing at various steps from manufacturing to packaging – before it receives the Flipkart SmartBuy tag.
Here in Nepal, Flipkart SmartBuy items like power bricks, sleeping pillow, bike cover, bedsheet, cookware, etc. are up for sale at Sastodeal. With that out of the way, let’s get to compare the price of a randomly selected product.
Flipkart SmartBuy Plastic Fruit Infuser Bottle
Original Price
Latest Price (Aug19)
Difference
(NPR)
India
Nepal
India
Nepal
Original
Net
INR379
NPR686
INR199
NPR486
79
167
Flipkart Store: Cross-Border Buying
Now those were about products from Flipkart’s private-label brands in Nepal. Now, let’s talk about Flipkart Store which is a cross-border e-commerce platform with over 5,000 products to choose from under 15 different categories. Because it facilitates a bilateral market between India and Nepal, it’s going to take more than a couple of days to get your ordered products. As a result, Sastodeal quotes a minimum of 21 days of the delivery period for products in Flipkart Store.
Flipkart Store - Product Categories
1 of 2
Even though you’ll be buying stuff directly from India, all the payment, return, and damage processing will be handled by Sastodeal. And that’s the beauty of it. For instance, you don’t need a separate Indo-Nepal payment mechanism by your side to enjoy purchasing items from Flipkart. However, as of now, the selection of items is quite minuscule considering how there are millions of products listed on Flipkart India’s official website. Once again, let’s compare the price of an item under the Flipkart Store in Nepal and India.
Sunbaby Musical Activity Walker (Red)
Original Price
Latest Price (Aug19)
Difference (NPR)
India
Nepal
India
Nepal
Original
Net
INR1,899
NPR4,501
INR1,519
NPR4,501
1,462
2,070
So as you can see, the vast price difference is persistent in almost every product category when looking up and comparing them between the two countries. And yeah, it doesn’t feel good having to overpay for anything. One can also argue that Flipkart products listed on Sastodeal aren’t some “savior” of any sort and there are plenty of alternatives; differing in quality, of course.
Sastodeal’s confidence
Sastodeal is well aware of this fact as well and is constantly working on it. This is just a beginning and the company has a lot of homework to do; especially in the price department. There are also concerns like handling repairs, after-sales services, etc. We spoke to an official from Sastodeal who spoke in confidence regarding such delivery and after-sales services citing they have a strong and well-qualified team spread across the country to prevent any mishaps.
How to buy Flipkart products on Sastodeal
There’s literally no additional step involved in ordering Flipkart products on Sastodeal. Like every other item on the site, you’ll need to go through the following steps:
Visit Sastodeal’s website
Browse through the products
Add the ones you’d like to purchase to the cart
Click “Buy Now”
Then enter the required credentials including personal info, shipping address, preferred payment method. (apply a voucher code, if any)
Finally, hit “Confirm Order”
Flipkart, Sastodeal partnership: What it’s not
With the seemingly sudden announcement of the collaboration between the two companies, many people were excited about it – some, maybe for the wrong reasons. You see, taking in the information at face value, one may assume that through Sastodeal, you’ll now be able to purchase any item(s) off of India’s Flipkart.
However (and I cannot emphasize this enough), that is just not the case. You can’t simply visit flipkart.com, select products, and have them ship to Nepal through Sastodeal. As I said in the beginning, right now, Flipkart is just another seller on the platform – that is Sastodeal, and therefore has listed out select products on the site. So, I hate to burst your bubble but if you were imagining scrolling through millions of items on Flipkart with an easy delivery on Nepal, that’s not gonna happen.
What the future holds
Despite all the apparent issues with this partnership between Flipkart and Sastodeal, we must look on the bright side and see the positiveness it brings with it. And in the upcoming future, we hope we get to see a much wider arsenal of products and a much more acceptable level of the price difference. The future of shopping is e-commerce and the faster the Nepalese market evolves to it, the better. We’d like to wish both parties the best of luck in their joyous odyssey ahead.
I assume you all have come across the meme of traffic regulator smelling breath to detect drunk and driving cases. Well, they don’t have to do it anymore as they’ll soon be able to use your smartphone to prove you guilty. Scientists from the UK have come up with a smartphone app that can accurately detect if you are drunk or not. Read along to know more about the new breathalyzer-like app.
New Breathalyzer-like App
The breakthrough comes from researchers from the University of Pittsburg. Unlike breathalyzers that analyze breathe, the new tech bases its result on the walking pattern of people. The smartphone app can detect if the person is walking steadily or not. If the person is staggering or swaying, it raises a red flag. The app needs at least ten steps for evaluation.
Working Mechanism
“Actually walking and balancing is pretty complex, so it’s a good sign of impairment. “
Dr. Brian Suffletto admits that the inspiration for the app might have come from movies and cartoons, where they show people wobbling down the street when they are drunk. The app can detect people’s movement in multiple directions.
Initial Test Results
In the initial tests conducted in the UK, the app (which uses your phone’s accelerometer) was able to detect drunk and driving cases with 93 percent accuracy. 17 people between the age of 21 and 41 were given vodka and lime juice water until they recorded 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. During their 7 hours stay at the lab, they were asked to walk 20 steps every two hours for the record.
Other than the traffic regulators, the app can be helpful to families as well. Dr. Suffletto adds that further features can be added in the app in the future enabling smartphones to send alerts to the family if it detects the user is intoxicated. The family can send people to pick the person up. It can be pivotal in controlling accidents due to drunk driving. Similarly, the app could even be used to prompt users to stop when they surpass a certain alcohol level.
In an official press releasee, Oppo has announced the launch of the next-generation of hybrid optical zoom technology. The company claims that it will offer a non-destructive full-focus image experience to the users. As of now, Oppo has not announced it any specific product or anything but the tech will eventually debut in one of Oppo’s upcoming smartphones.
Oppo Hybrid Optical Zoom Technology
The new technology utilizes a step-by-step periscope zoom infrastructure. It is combined with larger sensors and advanced image algorithms. Together, they will contribute to better mid-long focal segment performance. The new technology performs well on the stack and improves spacing for upcoming technologies. Oppo is also ensuring technical reliability and image resolution.
Underlying Details
Oppo is using two groups of lenses for better resolution and performance. The first group consists of three periscope lenses. The other has a seven-piece lens. The lenses rely on the movement of the two groups of lenses to fix the focus. Its focal length can be adjusted between 85mm and 135mm. The aperture corresponds to f/3.3 and f/4.4, respectively.
The new sensor makes use of multiple technologies, including fusion multi-focus image technology, the multi-camera field of view angle alignment, and super scoring algorithms. Here, the larger sensor can cover 85mm to 280mm of focal length. Similarly, the image engineering team at Oppo has developed custom ICs to support the tech. The 16-bit high precision drives ICs to adjust the movement of the two groups of the lens.
85mm equivalent length comparison (New tech on the left)
The new tech can capture 32MP pictures with up to 16:11 wide ratio. It also supports four-in-one pixel technology. It focuses on improving image quality and shooting experience of 85mm and 135mm focal lengths. Oppo is confident that the two focal lengths meet the quality requirement of everyday photography and videos.
135mm equivalent length comparison (New tech on the left)
The improved 85mm segment offers good control over noise, sharp edges of the subject, and can retain accurate color even in poorly lit conditions. Similarly, the 135mm segment adds exquisite details, rich picture space, and layered sense for a better-composed picture.
Oppo Hybrid Zoom Tech Debut
Oppo has not given any information about the devices that’ll use the new hybrid zoom technology. However, a report from GSMArena suggests that the company can use it in the upcoming successor to the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom.
Also, watch our review of Oppo’s budget Bluetooth earphones.
Android devices are way behind their iOS counterpart when it comes to software updates. If not a premium device, they rarely get any software support. However, things are improving. Google has been providing three years of software updates in its Pixel lineup. It is now joined by Samsung, who is promising a minimum of three years of software updates in its upper mid-range and premium lineup of Galaxy devices. Read along to know more about the complete story.
The Present Scenario
Software updates have never been Android’s strength. Unlike Apple that launches a limited number of premium smartphones in a year, a single Android manufacturer launches multiples devices. These devices cover a wide market segment that covers the budget, flagship, and everything in between. The low-end smartphones are not as much updated because of their hardware limitations. Established brands do provide updates to their mid-range and premium smartphones. However, these updates are not often and are rolled out quite late.
Manufacturers have to cater to a large number of smartphone models which makes it difficult to roll out updates to each of them. On top of that, these devices run on a custom UI on top of Android. Brands take time to incorporate the updated Android features into their UI.
As of now, Samsung is providing up to two major OS updates for most of its devices. It also releases monthly and quarterly security updates for its smartphones. Very few companies offer better software updates. This lineup includes Google that promises three years of software updates in its Pixel lineup. Last year, OnePlus also declared it will match Google’s software update commitment. Recently launched Microsoft Surface Duo also promises three years of update.
Samsung announces three years of software updates
The South Korean tech giant first made the initial announcement about the extended software support during the Unpacked event earlier this year. And today, the company provided more details through an official press release.
Samsung is committed to supporting our users to fully enjoy the latest experience while they are using Galaxy devices.
Samsung will be providing three years of software updates for its premium lineup and handful of mid-rangers. As you’ll see, Samsung has left out the M-series completely while including limited A-series devices.
Galaxy S Series: Upcoming devices under Galaxy S20 will receive three major Android version updates. The new Galaxy S20 lineup will be the first devices to receive the Android 11. It will also be applicable to S10 5G, S10+, S10, S10e, and S10 Lite.
Galaxy Note Series: Upcoming Note devices including the Note 20 series are eligible for extended support. It will also be applicable to Note 10+ 5G, Note 10+, Note 10 5G, Note 10, Note 10 Lite.
Galaxy Foldable Devices: All the current foldable devices and upcoming devices under the Galaxy Z series will be eligible.
Galaxy A series: Only select devices under A-series will receive three major updates. It includes A71 5G, A71, A51 5G, A51, A90 5G. Samsung also does not guarantee that all upcoming A-series devices will receive the updates.
Tablets: Upcoming Tab S series tablets including the Tab S7 and Tab S6 series will receive the updates.
Samsung has announced that the decision was made as the company realized that people were hanging to their smartphone for an extended period. Similarly, the company is promising extended support for its proprietary features and Samsung Knox.
After the launch of Honor 8A Pro, Honor Nepal has launched the Honor 9X Lite in Nepal. Its a cheaper alternative to Honor 9X (Rs. 30,999). It goes on sale starting August 19 from select mobile shops all over Nepal.
Honor 9X Lite Overview
Design and Display
Honor 9X Lite features a 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen. It packs in a total of 1080 x 2340 pixels. The aspect ratio here is 19:5:9. The display has a top-centered notch to house the front camera. To recall, the Honor 9X came with a mechanical pop-up selfie camera. However, Honor says the display has a screen-to-body ratio of 91%, which it claims to achieve with the Chip On Film (COF) technology and thin bezels.
The Honor 9X stood out among its competitors because of the stunning holographic X on the back panel. That is not the case with the Lite variant. Honor has used a plastic panel with a glossy finish on top. The cameras are now enclosed inside a rectangular module.
Performance and Memory
Like the global variant of the Honor 9X, the Lite variant also features the Kirin 710F. It’s an octa-core processor from Huawei’s in-house chip manufacturer HiSilicon. It consists of four Cortex A73 cores clocked at 2.2GHz and four Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz. It is paired with Mali G51 GPU. The processor can handle normal usage but ultimately lags behind MediaTek’s Helio G90T when it comes to benchmark testing.
The device will come with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You can expand the storage to up to 512GB but you will have to sacrifice the dual-sim functionality as there is no dedicated microSD card slot.
Camera
Honor 9X Lite flaunts a dual-camera setup on the back. The primary camera uses a 48MP sensor and has an aperture of f/1.8. It is accompanied by a 2MP depth sensor. It’s unfortunate that Honor did not opt for an ultra-wide sensor, which would have made more sense than the depth sensor. The two cameras along with an LED flash are arranged vertically inside a rectangular module. The module protrudes from otherwise plain surface. On the front, there is an 8MP camera for selfies.
The rear camera supports short slow-mo videos. Honor 9X Lite uses AI-based multi-frame stabilization to avoid shakey photos. Similarly, the front camera uses AI for the bokeh effect and for the face unlock feature.
Rest of the specs
The device gets its juice from a moderate 3,750mAh battery. For some reason, it comes with a micro USB port and also lacks fast charging. The device ships with EMUI 9.1 on top of Android Pie, which is a bummer as almost every new releases these days come with Android 10. You do not need to worry about the Huawei ban situation, as this phone comes with GMS preloaded.
Honor 9X Lite Specifications:
Display: 6.5-inches IPS LCD panel; 91% screen to body ratio; 85% NTSC
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 397PPI; 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 710F; 12nm Mobile Platform
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