While it is always a good idea to keep yourself and your surrounding sanitized, it is now more important than ever because of the recent outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. We believe you are taking all possible measures to keep yourself safe, like wearing masks, gloves, and using sanitizers. However, it is equally important to sanitize your everyday stuff. To help you with that, Samsung has launched a new UV Sterilizer that doubles up as a wireless charger. Read along to know more about the Samsung UV Sterilizer, along with its features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Samsung UV Sanitizer Overview
The UV Sterilizer is manufactured by Samsung C&T, as a part of the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Program (SMAPP). It’s actually a box with a hollow interior, where you can put your phones. It is not just smartphones that you can use the sterilizer for. You can use the box to sterilize earbuds, glasses, and other accessories. Just make sure is that the accessory, that you are trying to sterilize, fits in the 196 x 96 x 33mm space.
Samsung has included UV lights inside the sterilizer that will sanitize the areas of the accessory that is exposed to these lights. All you need to do is place the smartphone (or other accessories) inside of it, close the lid and press the button on the front of the box. You can leave the UV lights turned on for up to 10 minutes. Upon pressing the button, the tiny green light beside the button light turns on, indicating the working of the UV feature.
Samsung doesn’t recommend using the UV lights for a period of over 10 minutes to ensure performance isn’t compromised. So, the sterilizer will automatically turn off the lights after 10 minutes. The company claims that the sterilizer is effective against 99% of bacteria and germs. It includes some common microbes such as E.coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. However, there is no scientific evidence that UV rays can kill the COVID-19 virus. And there is no mention of any virus anywhere in the official press release either.
As mentioned earlier, this UV sterilizer can double up as a wireless charger (10W). However, it’s limited to smartphones that support Qi Wireless Charging. It will continue to charge your phone even with the UV turned off.
Samsung UV Sterilizer Price in Nepal and Availability
Samsung UV Sterilizer initially launched in Thailand on June 1 with a price of 1,590 baht. Now, it is available in Germany, Romania, Singapore, and Hong Kong with a price of around $65. If Samsung Nepal decides to launch it here, we expect the price of Samsung UV Sterilizer to be around NPR 8,500.
Accessory
Expected Price in Nepal
Samsung UV Sterilizer
~ Rs. 8,500
Check out our review of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
Most 5G phones tend to be expensive. However, that is all set to change now. Because Motorola has launched the new Moto G 5G Plus smartphone. And it is being dubbed as the cheapest 5G smartphone to be available in the European market. Being a new addition to the mid-range G-series, the G 5G Plus offers decent specs. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the price factor is what this differentiates this device from other 5G phones. So, let’s find out what this device offers in terms of specifications.
Moto G 5G Plus Overview
Display and Design
The Moto G 5G Plus boasts a huge 6.7-inch FHD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10. Its screen also has two punch holes for the dual selfie cameras. It does not have either an in-display fingerprint sensor or a rear-mounted on. Rather, the power button on the right-hand side itself works as a fingerprint sensor. We had seen the same technology in the handful of phones like Redmi Note 9 Pro and Realme 6.
Surprisingly, there’s a dedicated Google Assistant button on the left-hand side. We really don’t see this on many phones now. But maybe it can come handy in some situations. The quad-camera on the back is arranged in a square box on the back.
Camera
There are a total of six cameras in the Moto G 5G Plus. The two selfie cameras are of 16MP and 8MP respectively. And they are housed inside the punch-hole upfront. The 8MP sensor is an ultra-wide sensor and can be used for group selfies.
On the back, there’s a quad-camera setup. The primary sensor is of 48MP. And it is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. The back camera has some great features such as 8X digital zoom and Smart Composition.
Internals
Under the hood, this device uses the Snapdragon 765 SoC. Considering the price range, this is a very good chipset. The processor is integrated with the X52 5G modem. And it provides the device its 5G capabilities. As for the RAM options, buyers can choose between either 4GB or 6GB variants. The Moto G 5G Plus runs on Android 10 out of the box. And the battery on this one is a huge 5000mAh one, which is complemented by a 20W fast charging.
Moto G 5G Plus Specifications (in a nutshell)
Dimensions: 168 x 74 x 9mmmm
Weight: 207g
Display: 6.7-inch Full HD+ LCD 21:9 aspect ratio HDR10 display with 90Hz refresh rate, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
Front Camera: 16MP primary lens, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens
Security: fingerprint sensor (Side-mounted)
Connectivity: 5G SA/NSA Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 6 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.1, GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, Galileo, NFC, USB Type-C
Battery: 5000mAh; 20W TurboPower fast charging
Moto G 5G Plus Price & Availability
The 4GB/64GB variant of the Moto G 5G Plus will be available for €349 and the 6GB/128GB variant will cost €399. It will go on sale in Europe from the 8th of July. And it will eventually be available in Saudi Arabia and UAE too. However, nothing much has been said about its availability elsewhere, including Nepal.
With the launch of Samsung’s newest and expensive Galaxy S20 variants, it’s a great time to find deals on the older flagships. And that’s exactly what Samsung is offering at the moment with the Galaxy Note 9. Retailing at Rs. 95,599, the brand new Note 9 is available for Rs. 69,999. That’s Rs. 25,600 off and one of the best deals we’ve seen in a while.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Overview
Although it’s almost 2 years old, the Galaxy Note 9 is nowhere near being an obsolete phone. It features a 6.4-inch QHD+ Infinity SAMOLED display, which is still one of the best displays in the market. You get a boxy design with a premium glass back and metal frames.
It is powered by the Exynos 9810, which is still fast and can compete against today’s premium mid-range phones with Snapdragon 730G. Furthermore, it also features a liquid cooling on the device that boosts the gaming performance with less throttling going on while playing high-end games like Fortnite or PuBG for long sessions.
In terms of camera, the 12MP primary snapper has a variable aperture of f/1.5 and f/2.4. The secondary lens is a telephoto 2X zoom lens. Both the lens has optical image stabilization and dual-pixel phase-detect autofocus for faster focus and stabilized sake free photos and videos. However, it doesn’t feature an ultra-wide-angle lens, which is common even on midrange phones of 2020.
Now the focus of the Note series: the Spen here is Bluetooth enabled and acts as a remote controller. You can take a selfie, click photos, control presentation with the Spen — all thanks to always-connected low energy Bluetooth.
There’s also this DeX software which I find very interesting. You also no longer need DeX paddock and can use a Note 9 as a PC by simply plugging an external display into the phone with an HDMI adapter.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Specs highlights:
SIM Type: Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
Dimensions: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm; Weight: 201g
Display: 6.4-inch Quad HD+ (2960 × 1440 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity display with 516ppi, HDR10 compliant, Corning Gorilla Glass protection
Chipset: Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with Adreno 630 GPU / Octa-Core Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 processor with Mali G72MP18 GPU
Memory: 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 128GB storage, expandable memory up to 512GB with microSD
OS: Android 10 with One UI 2.0
Back Camera: 12MP primary rear camera with f/2.4-f/1.5 variable aperture, LED Flash, 960fps super slo-mo, 12MP secondary rear camera with f/2.4 aperture
Front Camera: 8MP autofocus front-facing camera with wide-angle lens, f/1.7 aperture
As of today, video contents make up about 80% of global internet traffic, and the figure is still on the rise. Similarly, over the years there has been a significant increase in 4K and higher resolution contents. With such, we need an efficient video codec, that can effectively transmit visual data without putting pressure on the underlying network structure. A potential solution could be the VVC codec that was released today. Read along to know more about the VVC codec.
VVC Codec Overview
VVC stands for Versatile Video Coding. Otherwise known as H.266, it is the successor to the popular High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) or H.265. The Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute announced that the VVC standard has been finalized. The new codec is the product of the institute’s collaboration with its partners such as Apple, Sony, Intel, Huawei, Ericsson, Qualcomm, and Microsoft.
VVC is expected to be 50% more efficient than its immediate predecessor. This codec implements an advanced compression technology that reduces data requirements by 50% of the bit rate of H.265. For example, the HEVC required 10GB of data to stream a 90min UHD video. With VVC, it will only take 5GB of data. It even supports HDR contents and omnidirectional 360-degree videos. While it can be pivotal in making 4K and 8K contents more mainstream, it could also be used in transmitting even SD videos.
Fraunhofer will launch the first software-based encoder and decoder later this year. The institute is also working on the hardware system to support the VCC. However, we still have to wait to see how well the industry adapts to it. The main problem for its wide implementation is the patents and licenses associated with it. So, it isn’t completely free.
Apple adopted the H.265 codec in its devices starting from 2017. However, Google who owns Youtube is still using the royalty-free AV1 codec. Back in February, Netflix announced that it will be streaming contents to Android in AV1 format. Similarly, popular browsers such as Chrome and Firefox too support AV1.
Earlier this year, we saw Xiaomi add Mi Band 5 to its lineup of fitness trackers. And now, the company has released a cheaper fitness band, dubbed Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C. Let’s take a look at the specs, features, expected price, and availability of the Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C in Nepal.
Mi Smart Band 4C Overview
Design and Display
Talking about the design, the Mi Smart Band 4C features a rectangular display that distinguishes it from the Mi Band lineup. In fact, it looks more like the Redmi Band, which was launched earlier this year. It even has the same screen size as 1.08-inch. On the back, we can clearly see the Redmi branding, hinting that it is indeed the repurposed Redmi Band.
Mi Smart Band 4C sports a resolution of 128 x 220 pixels. The brightness level peaks at 200 nits. Xiaomi has included a 2D tempered glass on top of the screen for protection. The strap is made up of TPU material.
Fitness Tracker
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C supports five different sports mode – outdoor running, exercise, fast walking, treadmill, and cycling. It can also keep count of the steps taken and distance covered. Similarly, the band will also record the number of calories burnt.
Mi Smart Band 4C comes with 24/7 heart rate monitoring. It will alert you of your heart rate. Similarly, the band app will notify you if you sit idle for a prolonged period. It will also monitor your sleeping habit.
Battery and Others
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C features a 130mAh LiPo battery. The company claims that the band can last up to 14 days on a single full charge. Similarly, the band can be charged from 0 to 100% in 2 hours.
Users can receive apps and call notifications from the band. Similarly, they will also be able to control music playback. The band comes with 5ATM certification against water damage. It is compatible with devices with Android 4.1 and iOS 10 or above.
Mi Smart Band 4C Specifications:
Weight: 13g
Display: 1.08″ TFT+TP touchscreen, 122 x 220 RGB resolution, 200 nit, 16 bit color depth
Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 4C is available in Malaysia, where its price is RM 99. If it launches in Nepal, we expect the price of Xiaomi Mi Band 4C to be around Rs. 3,000.
Ever since its spin-off as an independent company, Poco has been disappointing its fans by releasing rebranded phones. This time the company has launched a new mid-range device, dubbed Poco M2 Pro. While it’s still largely based on the existing Redmi Note 9 Pro, the company has managed to bring tiny changes to some of its features for the better. So, let’s take a look new Poco M2 Pro, along with the specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.
Poco M2 Pro Overview
Design and Display
From the front, you can mistake the Poco M2 Pro for Redmi Note 9 Pro. Both feature a 6.67-inch FHD+ LCD display. There is a centrally placed circular cutout on the top of the screen. It houses the front-facing camera. The screen has a 20:9 aspect ratio. M2 Pro has curved edges, which the company claims make the device more resistant to accidental drops and physical damage.
On the back, the device features a symmetrical design. The four cameras are enclosed inside the square camera module. It’s similar to what we saw in the Redmi Note 9 Pro. The back panel sports a two-tone design and is available in three different colors – “Two Shades of Black”, “Green and Greener”, and “Out of The Blue”. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protects the front, back, and even the camera module.
Performance
Poco M2 Pro features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 720G. Talking about its performance, it lags behind MediaTek’s Helio G90T by a slight margin. However, it is based on more advanced 8nm architecture. It makes it more thermal and battery efficient. Since it’s a gaming-focused chipset, it comes with Qualcomm’s Elite Gaming Features.
SD 720G comes with Adreno 618 GPU, which supports features like Game Jank Reducer and Game Fast Loader. Poco M2 Pro comes with up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. You can expand the storage to up to 512GB by slotting a microSD card in the dedicated card slot.
Camera
Poco M2 Pro flaunts a 48MP quad-camera array at the back. The brand claims that the 48MP primary camera can outperform the 64MP sensor that is on the Realme 6 Pro. It is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, 5MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. This native camera app comes with Pro Color mode, which is essentially Poco’s answer to Dazzle mode on Realme phones.
Users can even shoot in RAW format. In terms of video, you can record them in the cinematic 21:9 video frame. It also supports Focus Peaking, Exposure verification, AE/AF Lock, and, Smooth Video Zoom. On the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera, that comes with its own Night Mode.
Battery and Others
Poco M2 Pro is fueled by a massive 5,000mAh battery. It comes with a 33W fast charger inside the box. It can charge the device from 0 to 50% inside 30 minutes and a full charge in around 90 minutes. On a single charge, the device boasts a standby time of up to 24 days. It has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. Similarly, M2 Pro comes equipped with Z-Shocker Haptics, with support for up to 120 different haptic effects.
Connectivity: Wifi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, Type-C, 2×2 WiFi MIMO
Battery: 5000mAh with 33W charging
Poco M2 Pro Price in Nepal and Availability
Poco M2 Pro will go on sale in India starting from 14th July. Its price is INR 13,999 for 4/64GB, INR 14,999 for 6/64GB, and INR 16,999 for the 6/128GB variant. Even though there is no official distributor of Poco products in Nepal, we expect the M2 Pro to be available in Nepal via unofficial channels with a starting price of NPR 23,000.
The 2020 model of the 13-inch MacBook Pro is already available for pre-booking in Nepal. Thus, it was only a matter of time before the 2019 MacBook Pro 13 models received a price drop. And it has finally happened.
MacBook Pro 13-inch 2019 Overview
The 2019 MacBook Pro 13 is still a powerful machine. It comes with a quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 Coffee Lake processors. Also, it has the OLED Touch-bar, a much-revered feature once. Still, it’s a good thing to have.
With the Macbook Pro 2020 edition price starting at over 2 lakhs, the Macbook Pro 2019 is an excellent option if you are looking for a premium design, excellent display, great battery endurance, and reliable performance.
However, this MacBook Pro still has its flawed Butterfly keyboard. It took one whole year for Apple to realize that the Butterfly keyboard has annoyed many. However, it did come with new material, to minimize the flaws. That being said, the new magic keyboard in the 2020 edition is much better.
In terms of ports, it has 2 USB-C ports, hence you will need to invest in a dongle to plug a bunch of different peripherals. In terms of display, it has a 13-inch IPS panel with True Tone Retina, allowing it to automatically adapt its color temperature for your eyes.
Specifications:
Display: 13-inch Retina Display (2560 x 1600 pixels); 227 PPI
CPU: 1.4GHz quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core i5 (configurable), or 2.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Core i5 (configurable)
The base model of the Macbook Pro 2019 13-inch now costs Rs. 1,65,000 with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. Similarly, the one with 256 GB of storage costs Rs. 1,78,000. The mid-2019 models of the MacBook Pro 13 have also received a price drop in Nepal. The 256 GB variant costs Rs. 2,25,000 whereas the 512 GB one costs Rs. 2,38,000. You redeem these offers from evostore.
13-inch Macbook Pro Model
Old Price
Price in Nepal
1.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz, 8GB LPDDR3 RAM @2133MHz, 128GB SSD, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, Touch Bar
Rs. 188,500
Rs. 1,65,000
1.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz, 8GB LPDDR3 RAM @2133MHz, 256GB SSD, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 645, Touch Bar
Rs. 217,500
Rs. 1,78,000
2.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz, 8GB LPDDR3 RAM @2133MHz, 256GB SSD, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Touch Bar
Rs. 255,000
Rs. 2,25,000
2.4GHz quad-core 8th gen Intel Core i5 processor, Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz, 8GB LPDDR3 RAM @2133MHz, 512GB SSD, Intel Iris Plus Graphics 655, Touch Bar
As a tech enthusiast or just a regular consumer, it is utterly crushing to discover how Android tablets have become a niche product. Like… how did we get to this point? A big form-factor with so many possibilities should’ve been a slam dunk. Yet, the industry is almost completely saturated by Apple’s iPad while a handful of manufacturers like Samsung, Huawei, and Lenovo are still breathing life into the Android tablet business. However, the latest Tab S6 Lite may just be what it takes to, at the very least, make a dent against Apple’s iPad in the entry-level market. So, let’s find out if the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite can actually prove a better worth than Apple’s iPad in this review.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Specifications:
Body: 9.63 x 6.07 x 0.28 inches; 465 gm
Display: 10.4-inches TFT LCD panel; 224PPI
Resolution: WUXGA+ (2000 x 1200 pixels); 5:3 aspect ratio
Storage: 64/128GB (expandable using a micro SD card)
Software & UI: Android 10 with Samsung’s OneUI 2 on top
Rear Camera: 8MP f/1.9 lens
Front Camera: 5MP f/2.0 lens
Security: Face-unlock
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, dual speakers by AKG, Dolby Atmos
Connectivity: Nano-SIM (LTE variant only), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
Battery: 7,040mAh with 15W fast charging
Colors: Angora Blue, Chiffon Pink, Oxford Gray
Price in Nepal: Rs. 53,000 (4/64GB)
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Review:
Overview
Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, as the name suggests, is a stripped-down version of the standard Tab S6 which costs almost twice as much. Starting at $349 in the international market, it is only a couple of bucks costlier than the iPad 10.2 (2019). Thankfully, Samsung has thrown in an S-Pen free of cost inside the box, thus changing the value proposition altogether. That’s a pretty clever move I’d say.
Accentuating the appeal by delivering where it matters? Genius!
Whereas retailing for $329, you’ll have to throw in an additional $99 for the Apple Pencil in case of the iPad 10.2. Anyway, it comes in two variants: WiFi-only, and LTE. And our unit is of the 64GB WiFi-only configuration.
Design
Premium build with glass front & metal back
The back is resistant to scratches as well
Fairly lightweight, thin, and therefore easily carryable
Starting with the design, there’s nothing “lite” about the device. Unlike many other tablets in this price segment, the Tab S6 Lite has a strikingly premium build. With a glass front and metal back & frames, it is a surprisingly lavish gadget to hold for the price. More importantly, the back doesn’t scratch which is another point in the bank.
And it’s fairly lightweight too with an excellently balanced weight-distribution. At just 465 grams, you won’t have a problem holding it in your hand for long either. In terms of thickness, the Tab S6 Lite is quite thin as well, measuring 7mm. Yet, the more premium Tab S6 has it beat despite featuring a larger display and a battery of the same size. The chamfered edges further add to the tablet’s portability.
Though its no-button front may have you fooled as a traditional design, the bezels are sufficiently minimal to cram in a big display, while also leaving adequate space to place your fingers when holding the device. Moving on, all the button resides on the top right which includes the power button and volume rockers – when holding the tab in portrait orientation.
Similarly, you’ll find the memory card slot down below using which you can expand its memory up to 1TB. Calling attention to the top of the tablet, there is the treasured 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker grille, while another one resides on its bottom alongside a USB Type-C port. Tab S6 Lite has a dual-camera setup, one at the front and one at the back.
No camera bump!
The back camera on the top left corner is practically flat, which means there will be no wobble when placing it on a table or other surfaces. Likewise, the S-Pen stylus magnetically attaches on the right (but more on that later). You can also buy a separate Book Cover accessory that magnetically folds around the tablet and also provides a separate compartment for the S-Pen.
Unfortunately, that’s about it when it comes to additional accessories. No official keyboard support, though you can always go down the Bluetooth route for pairing external keyboard and mouse. Finally, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is available in 3 color variants: “Oxford Gray”, “Angora Blue” and the one I have with me is called “Chiffon Pink”.
Display
10.4″ TFT LCD panel with 5:3 aspect ratio
A noticeably less sharpness of 224 pixels per inch (PPI)
Getting to the display, it has a 10.4” TFT LCD panel with 81.6% screen-to-body ratio and an abysmal 224PPI. Its 1200 x 2000 WUXGA+ resolution has a 5:3 aspect ratio and that is close to the common 16:9. What this means, is that you won’t encounter those distracting black bars when streaming videos on YouTube, Netflix, or other platforms; provided that the content itself is of the same aspect ratio.
But when looking closely, you can most definitely see the app’s icons and text lose sharpness. I mean, I repeatedly rubbed my eyes doubting something’s gotten inside, just to realize it’s the fault in the display itself. On the contrary, Tab S6 Lite’s closest competitor – the iPad 10.2 (2019) has a higher 1620 x 2160 resolution and a sharper 264PPI display.
Yeah, the TFT panel certainly is nowhere near as colorful and vibrant as Samsung’s AMOLED displays either. Notorious for their slow response time and a poor viewing angle, this becomes apparent here too. Samsung is famous for its display technologies but sadly, the Tab S6 Lite feels like an underachievement from the company’s end.
Samsung should’ve gone with an AMOLED panel instead!
I watched the newest teaser for Zack Snyder’s Justice League and as expected, the dark areas on the video where Diana discovers Darkseid’s mural doesn’t get dark enough. Later on, you can notice the lava on the ground turn sufficiently red which is nice. But what further let me down is that you can’t edit the color tone of the screen like we can and have in so many Samsung smartphones.
Testing out colors & contrast
1 of 2
Maybe that’s the limitation of the panel itself – its 98% sRGB color spectrum probably isn’t wide enough to allow any meddling around. Brightness wasn’t an issue for me on the Tab S6 Lite albeit this statement comes mostly from an indoor usage experience. However, you’ll observe some difficulty in visibility when heading out, even with brightness cranked to the max.
Also, although the display would register swipes and clicks fast enough, I could feel some friction build up on my fingers. Yet, that’s not a problem when using the stylus. Mind you, I haven’t applied any screen protector on this review unit. And because it’s not an AMOLED panel, there is no Always-on-Display (AoD) available either. All in all, the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite’s display is just about average and the AMOLED panel is dearly missed.
Performance & Memory
Exynos 9611 (10nm) SoC paired with 4GB of RAM
Is fine for lightweight tasks but visibly struggles in heavy apps
Either 64 or 128GB of internal storage with expandability
In the performance side of things, the Tab S6 Lite is powered by the same 10nm Exynos 9611 SoC that we’ve seen in multiple mid-range smartphones from Samsung like the Galaxy A51, M31, M30s, etc. While it’s a decent chipset in itself, the A10 Fusion on the iPad 10.2 is streets ahead. Pair this with the fact that Android for tablets is just not as optimized and well designed as Apple’s iPadOS, then you’re in for a disappointing ride.
Though Google’s apparent abandonment of Android tablets in favor of its own Chrome OS sounds downright hopeless, Samsung’s take on the “OneUI for tablet” gig definitely deserves some praise for keeping the platform alive.
I mean, there are still a lot of quality-of-life improvements that can be made. For instance: in portrait orientation, when navigating the recent apps section, all the apps are arranged in small rectangular tabs and you can see the lack of motivation in making use of the large screen real-estate. When you have just one or two apps running in the background, the unutilized space screams unmotivated design.
Android for tablets isn’t that great, tbh
Maybe Samsung could’ve gone with an accordion-esque approach for a much better visual experience. Also, some menus on the tablet have you tiresomely move around the screen to perform the task. Similarly, even though the minimalistic volume panel is a great implementation for smartphones, it is damningly annoying on a large screen device. And of course, it is summoned on the upper portion of the screen making you unnecessarily work for such a feeble task. Samsung is a major player in the Android tablet market and I hope the company keeps working on the software aspect as well in its future venture.
Anyway, the octa-core Exynos 9611 CPU has been paired with 4GB of RAM and either 64 or 128GB of base storage. For what it’s worth, I was surprised to see how well it performed in areas expected from a tablet. Web browsing, watching videos on YouTube, taking notes, making video calls, doodling, etc. don’t break a sweat – but not simultaneously. The 4GB of RAM can’t seem to handle switching between the apps, especially when you throw some heavy apps or games in the mix.
Gaming
Though navigating around the tablet itself is met with slight sluggishness here and there, it is when using the split-screen functionality that the inability of Exynos 9611 becomes vivid. The floating screen itself is great, but having two apps share the screen and resizing them is thoroughly laggy and not instant. I also tried playing a couple of games like Asphalt 9, Call of Duty: Mobile, and MLBB on the Tab S6 Lite.
While the latter ran flawlessly, I was quite shocked to observe some stutters on Asphalt 9. I mean, there’s a noticeable drop in framerate when performing drifts, or knocking out your opponent. Likewise, CoD runs pretty well under medium graphics but it will lag when pushing the graphics settings to “High”.
And it’s not just about the inferiority of the Exynos 9611 alone either. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, like every other Android tablet, is also a victim of unoptimized apps as I discovered during my review. Even leaving rookie and less popular apps aside, some of the most prominent ones like Twitter, Instagram, etc. don’t fully utilize the screen space, especially when using the tablet in landscape mode.
S-Pen
A lightweight, battery-free stylus comes inside the box
Has a 0.7mm rubber tip and 4096 pressure levels
I’ve already praised Samsung’s ingenuity of bundling an S-Pen inside the box. Admittedly, it does come short of a lot of things we’ve come to expect from a traditional stylus in the company’s premium “Note” series of smartphones. This S-Pen is battery-free and doesn’t support those fancy air gestures either since it doesn’t have a gyroscope underneath. And I couldn’t be happier. I can honestly say I’ve rarely used those features and Samsung once again deserves the credit for nailing its basic use-case, while simultaneously bringing down the cost of production.
The S-Pen has a flat side for a better grip and this is also how it magnetically attaches to the side of the tablet – with an oh-so-satisfying click. There’s also a button on the side of the stylus to trigger S-Pen shortcuts which double as an eraser when doodling as well. However, depending on how you hold the pen in your hand, it may or may not be easily reachable. For me, I would have to slightly adjust my index finger to the top to access the button.
But like I said earlier, it is the basics where this S-Pen shines bright. Weighing just a little over 7 grams, this lightweight stylus is great for writing or creating art projects. Thankfully, its 0.7mm pen tip is made of rubber and as a result, doesn’t slide off of the screen when writing. It is also pressure sensitive with 4096 pressure levels which means the line you’re drawing will vary in thickness and darkness depending on how hard you press it against the screen.
Noticeable input latency
Here, the input latency is admirably low, though you can notice it when quickly writing or drawing stuff. Let me show you in slow-motion.
Yet, my biggest issue with it was how terrible the palm-rejection feature is.
Full disclaimer, I’m no professional artist but I tried my hands with sketching the Samurai Champloo trio on Infinite Painter (the latest beta-release of Krita was a little overwhelming for this amateur). Thanks to the lackluster palm-rejection, I would have to constantly erase-out abrupt lines throughout the canvas.
You already know how the Android ecosystem lacks pro-level sketching software like “Procreate”, so allow me to skip that chapter altogether. Besides drawing, you can take notes, create live messages, annotate a screen capture, etc. using the stylus. I was also quite impressed with its “Handwriting to Text” feature which works accurately even on my wildly cursive font. Additionally, the Tab S6 Lite also comes really handy in case you have to demonstrate something in writing during a live video meet with the call recipients.
Cameras
An 8MP sensor at the back, & a 5MP one on the front
Jumping to the cameras, the Tab S6 Lite has an 8MP sensor at the back and a 5MP lens on the front. Right off the bat, it’s okay to not expect a stellar camera setup on a tablet. Both lenses are comparable to a good webcam instead. The images from the 8MP sensor are sharp, at times overexposed, and a little undersaturated. Nevertheless, you can get good looking shots provided that the ambient lighting is sufficient.
Back Camera - Sample
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Similarly, the front camera brings in that weird “ultra-detail” trait we’ve seen in Samsung’s smartphones where you can see the pores on your skin. And since the Tab S6 Lite is void of a physical fingerprint scanner, I opted for the face unlock as my go-to biometric option for getting into the device.
Front Camera - Sample
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This only works like 80% of the time and takes a second or more to unlock. Having said that, the cameras on this tablet are perfectly fine for making video calls on Google Duo, Zoom, Messenger, etc. So in the end, it serves its purpose I guess.
Audio
Stereo speakers tuned by AKG with Dolby Atmos Surround Sound
A 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio output
Okay, the audio quality on the Tab S6 Lite blew me away. There are two speakers on the top and bottom, tuned by Samsung’s own AKG which also delivers Dolby Atmos Surround Sound. And you know what, they work like a charm. You do get a nice depth effect with clear and bass-rich audio, and the volume can get pretty loud as well.
I’d even go as far as to say that these speakers can render your low-tier speaker system redundant. Also, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the tablet whose audio output is equally awesome.
Battery
7040mAh battery with 15W fast charging
The battery life on the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite is incredible too. With its 7040mAh cell, it lasted me nearly two days, which consisted of watching YouTube videos, taking notes, creating doodles, and mild gaming now and then. In terms of charging, the 15W charger can fill up the tablet’s battery in under 3 hours.
Final Words
Let’s wrap up this review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. It is undoubtedly an excellent starter tablet for artists, students, and even for enterprise customers. With the free S-Pen, it makes a strong case against the entry-level iPad and for inexpensive Android tablets. It does sacrifice a quality display and the performance certainly could’ve been better. However, it is an excellent product for the price. But if you’re someone who has little to no use of the S-Pen, you should opt for the Tab S5e instead which has an AMOLED display and even better audio system.
Watch our video review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite!
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite Review: Pros & Cons
Pros:
Excellent design and fairly lightweight build
The stylus is included for free inside the box itself
Great battery life which can easily last for two days
Amazing audio quality from both speakers & 3.5mm audio jack
Decent camera performance
Cons:
A mediocre TFT LCD panel with abysmal sharpness
Palm-rejection feature of the stylus needs some work
There is a perceptible input latency from the S-Pen as well
Exynos 9611 isn’t the best of chipsets for a tablet of this price
Budget phones these days are a bit tricky these days. Spend a little more and you can go home with a much better performing device, but you can always go down the money-saving route for at least a decent starter smartphone. And one such phone in today’s market is the Nokia C2. Launched as the successor to the Nokia C1, it does bring some sizeable upgrades. Still, is it worth the price or should you invest some more for a better phone? Let’s find out in this review of the Nokia C2.
Nokia C2 Specifications:
Body: 6.09 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches; 161 gm
Display: 5.7-inches IPS LCD panel; 282PPI
Resolution: HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels); 18:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Unisoc SoC (28nm)
CPU: Quad-core @1.4GHz
GPU: N/A
RAM: 1GB
Storage: 16GB eMMC 5.1 (expandable using a micro SD card)
Software & UI: Android 9.0 Pie (Go edition)
Rear Camera: 5MP f/2.2 lens; LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP lens
Security: Face-unlock
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, mono speaker
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS, Micro USB 2.0
Battery: 2800mAh with 5W charging
Colors: Cyan, Black
Price in Nepal: Rs. 9,299 (1/16GB)
Nokia C2 Review:
Design
Polycarbonate body (kinda looks premium)
Immune to smudges and fingerprints
Starting with the design, the Nokia C2 may fool one’s eyes as the phone looks like it has a matte finish at the back; which couldn’t be farther from the truth. Made of polycarbonate material, the phone has a uni-tone design with two color options: Cyan & Black and as you can see, I have the Black variant. The phone is easy on the hands and also has curved edges for that “soft” undertone.
Yet, what’s really exciting is how repellent the back panel is, to fingerprints or smudges. And it’s not slippery either. You do get a plastic cover inside the box, but as things stand, you most likely won’t be needing them.
Moreover, there’s the power button and volume rockers at the right, and a dedicated Google Assistant trigger on the left. These are made of plastic, but are clicky enough and get their job done. And if you’re someone who can make do without the dedicated Assistant button, you can remap it using a third-party app like “Button Mapper.”
Similarly, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, and the micro USB data/charging port at the bottom. The single-camera setup alongside an LED flash is placed in a vertical module on the top-center position with a minimal bump. You can also see the “Nokia” naming etched sideways in the center, while the speaker grill resides on the bottom left corner.
Display
5.7-inches IPS LCD panel
A little weird 18:9 aspect ratio
Getting to the display, Nokia C2 has a traditional bezel-esque design all around. While the ones on the side are pretty nominal, the same cannot be said for the ones on the top and bottom. Measuring 5.7-inches, this IPS LCD panel comes with an HD+ resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. Its sharpness doesn’t bring any complaints either, so that’s great.
At the top, there’s an LED flash (yup, a front-facing flashlight), microphone, and the selfie camera followed by yet another Nokia branding. Now, talking about the core display itself, its color reproduction is fine and so is the viewing angle.
Nokia C2 can get pretty bright as well, though not enough to maintain visibility under direct sunlight. The display panel is great for the price. However, I did encounter some trouble with its aspect ratio. Admittedly, many apps and games have been optimized to play nice with it, but not all of them.
The one I noticed during my review of the Nokia C2 was on “Clash Royale”, where the bottom menu inside the game has this janky layout. Furthermore, playing YouTube videos was also a drab since the most common 16:9 videos would adjust to the screen with massive black bars on the side.
Pair this with those big bezels at the top and bottom, then the viewing experience becomes a little unsettling. Had the screen been an OLED or AMOLED panel, this wouldn’t necessarily have been a problem. But since it’s not the case, you’ll just have to get used to it.
Cameras
Two 5MP lenses (one at the front, one at the back)
Cameras
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Front
Rear
In terms of cameras, the Nokia C2 has a combo of 5MP sensors; one at the front, and one at the back. Unlike some costlier phones from the company, these aren’t Zeiss optics, which is to be expected. Featuring a bare minimum set of features, the cameras on the Nokia C2 are nothing to write home about. Both cameras have abysmal color accuracy, with images looking lifeless and desaturated at most time.
Back Camera
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Here, the rear camera has a faintly better color reproduction of the two, provided that the subject’s color spectrum isn’t dynamic. Images aren’t that sharp either and get grainy at the slightest degrade in lighting conditions. But with enough patience and well-lit surrounding, it can deliver workable photos for taking notes and such. You can also turn on HDR, though all it does is amp up the brightness a little with an unnoticeable bump in color grading.
Front Camera
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Moving on, the front-facing camera performs similarly as well. The images are desaturated and grainy. More annoyingly, the camera suffers from lens flare when shifting from an underlit environment to one with more ambient light. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, it works just fine for video-calling purposes.
Performance & Memory
28nm Unisoc chipset with quad-core CPUs @1.4GHz
1GB of RAM with 16GB of internal storage
Runs on Android 9.0 Pie (Go edition)
On to the performance end of things, the Nokia C2 is powered by a quad-core Unisoc SoC, clocked at 1.4GHz. This is paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. In terms of software, the phone runs on Android 9.0 Pie (Go edition). Yeah, this one’s a bummer since we’re well on our way into Android 11 and it’s not even on its closest predecessor.
At the time of writing this review, the phone has received May’s security patch. More importantly, because C2 isn’t under the Android One program like many other Nokia phones, I doubt it’s going to get to Android 11.
All things considered, the performance of this phone is quite admirable, I must say. Yes, you gotta work with the lite-est app possible but if that isn’t an issue for you, the Nokia C2 will serve you well. With just a gigabyte of RAM (that too with about 500MB available for actual usage), multitasking was a far-fetched idea, to begin with.
So, I toggled on the “Don’t keep activities” settings inside developer options and also turned off system animations while I was at it.
And yeah, these tweaks definitely helped improved the phone’s performance by a noticeable margin. Browsing through social media apps like Facebook Lite, YouTube Go, Instagram, etc. are well within reach.
Gaming
You can even play some undemanding games like Candy Crush, Redungeon, etc. I also tried out Subway Surfer and Clash Royale but they were a bit jittery, albeit playable. Surprisingly, the face-unlock is quite fast, taking about a second or to get you to the home screen. I remember how slow it was on the much expensive Nokia 2.3. And seeing how the company has improved upon it is a nice thing to see.
Battery & Audio
A 2800mAh battery with 5W charging
Has a 3.5mm headphone jack & a speaker at the back
I’ve been consistently impressed with battery endurance from Nokia smartphones in the past like the Nokia 2.3. And was glad to discover that the C2 keeps the tradition alive. Even though a 2800mAh cell sounds small on paper, it really is an all-day phone as the company advertises. With hours of binging YouTube videos and with a few web browsing and gaming here and there in low-medium brightness, the Nokia C2 can net out 5-6 hours of screen on time.
Oh, and did I mention the battery is user-removable? However, charging the phone is a pain as the 5W charger that you get inside the box took me about 2 hours and 52 minutes to charge the phone from 0 to 100%.
Audio-wise, there’s the aforementioned speaker at the back of the phone and it’s alright at low volume (especially in the vocal, lo-fi, and acoustic genre) but gets all kinds of muffled when raising it to the max.
You also get an earphone inside the box, which unlike the speaker, sounds great. Comfort can be an issue though, since the all-plastic earpiece can be difficult to put on for a long time to some, including me.
Conclusion
Wrapping it all up, in all fairness, I believe the Nokia C2 is a reasonably well-performing smartphone for the price. It is well-built, has an excellent battery life, runs on stock Android, and the core performance is satisfactory too. Ideal for first-time smartphone users like school-level students or the elderly, this phone can assist in your regular everyday tasks. Sure, you can spend a little more on a better device; but I believe the Nokia C2 will retain a better price-to-productivity ratio.
Last week, Vivo launched its latest premium midrange phone — Vivo V19 in Nepal. And today, Vivo had released a new smartphone called “Vivo Y30” in the Nepali market. It is a midrange phone carrying an affordable price tag and will compete against the likes of Galaxy M21 and Redmi Note 9.
Vivo Y30 Overview
Design and Display
Vivo Y30 comes with a 6.47-inch LCD screen. The capacitive multi-touch panel has a resolution of 1560 x 720 pixels (HD+) and an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. The Ultra O screen has a tiny circular cutout on the top left corner of the screen that houses the front camera. Similarly, the screen to body ratio on this one is 90.7%. Vivo has included an Eye Protection feature to help protect users from the effects of harmful blue rays.
On the back, we can see the rectangular camera module and a capacitive fingerprint sensor. Interestingly, the 3D design rear panel comes in three color options – Emerald Black, Dazzle Blue, and Moonstone White. While the former two differ only in color, the latter has a different pattern altogether.
Performance and Memory
The smartphone isn’t as pretty on the inside as it is from outside. Vivo has included MediaTek Helio P35which is a weak chipset for a phone that costs over Rs.20,000. PowerVR GE8320 GPU will take care of the graphics. Users can choose between 4GB of RAM, and either 64GB and 128GB of storage respectively.
For better performance, Vivo has integrated Vivo Process Guardian technology into its Multi-Turbo 3.0. It uses Center turbo to schedule core system resources for maximum speed and AI turbo for decisions. The Process Guardian will be able to predict abnormalities caused by third-party apps in advance, therefore preventing them from happening in the first place.
For gamers, Vivo also has an Ultra Game Mode that allows screen recording while playing games, and disable auto-brightness with Brightness Lock feature.
Camera
Vivo Y30 has a quad-camera setup at the back with a 13MP primary camera. There is an 8MP camera (120-degree FOV) that lets you take wide-angle shots and a 2MP camera (2cm) for macro photography. It also has a 2MP depth sensor for the bokeh (background blur) in portrait shots.
Battery and Others
Vivo Y30 features a massive 5,000mAh battery which the company claims can last up to 9 hours of gaming (brightness at 150cd/m2) and 137 hours of music via earphones (w/ airplane mode). Sadly, there is no fast charging capability but does support 5W reverse charging. Frankly, I would swap the latter with fast charging any day of the week, but for some reason, Vivo has decided to ditch one for another.
Other features include the iManager that will keep your phone optimized through a series of automated processes such as scanning, cleaning up storage, and so on. Similarly, you can reflect upon your usage pattern using Screen Time that records the time you spent on each app. Jovi Events will keep you updated with any upcoming sports events.
ROM: 64GB/128GB; expandable via microSD slot (dedicated slot)
Back Cameras:
– 13MP primary camera with f/2.2 aperture
– 8MP 120° ultra-wide sensor with 2.05cm
– 2MP macro camera with 2.4 aperture
– 2MP Portrait sensor with 2.4 aperture
Connectivity: Wi-Fi(2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C, OTG, GPS
Battery: 5,000mAh with 5W reverse charging (5V / 1A)
Colors: Emerald Black, Dazzle Blue, Moonstone White
Vivo Y30 Price in Nepal and Availability
The official price of Vivo Y30 in Nepal for the 4/128GB model is Rs. 25,999. Similarly, the 4/64GB variant costs Rs. 23,499. It is available for purchase from the nearest mobile stores all over Nepal.
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