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Vivo V19 launched in Nepal with dual punch-hole display and 33W charging

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The outbreak of coronavirus is still having a huge effect on the tech world. Smartphone sales have been hugely impacted. But, work should carry on. Vivo has been planning for the launch of its latest V19 smartphone since the beginning of February. And today, the company has finally unveiled its new Vivo V19 smartphone in Nepal for a premium mid-range price tag.

Vivo V19 Overview

The Vivo V19 that was launched in Indonesia last month was simply the rebranded V17, thus its specs are similar to that of V17. However, the Vivo V19 that’s launched in Nepal is a little different.

It has a 6.44-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a maximum brightness of 1200 nits. And as with the devices with AMOLED panel, it too has an in-display fingerprint sensor. Furthermore, it also follows the trend in terms of placing the front camera as well. There’s a small punch-hole on the right top corner of the display to house a dual 32MP + 8MP selfie camera. The secondary 8MP is an ultra-wide-angle lens for group selfies.

vivo v19 global variant price specs features

Moving on, the quad-rear cam is set up in an L-shape. It has a 48MP primary lens, an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensors. The camera comes with a host of features such as Super Night Selfie, Posture Guidance, and more.

Under the hood, Vivio V19 runs on Snapdragon 712 SoC. Moreover, the only RAM option it has is of 8GB. However, storage wise you get two options – 128GB and 256GB. Only the 128GB version has launched in Nepal. Furthermore, the device comes with Android 10 based Funtouch OS 10 out of the box. Also, the device is powered by a huge 4500mAh battery that supports 33W flash charge 2.0 charging. Vivo claims it can charge the V19 from 0% to 54% in just 30 minutes.

Also Read: Vivo mobiles price in Nepal [Updated 2020] 

Vivo V19 Specifications:

  • Dimensions:  159.64×75.04×8.5mm
  • Weight: 186.5g
  • Design: Glass front, plastic back, and plastic frame
  • Display: 6.44″ Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels)
  • Rear Camera: Quad, 48 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP Ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture + 2MP macro lens with f/2.4 aperture + 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture
  • Front Camera: 32MP with f/2 aperture + 8MP f/2.28 aperture
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 712
  • Processor: Octa-core 10 nm (2×2.3 GHz Kryo 360 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver)
  • GPU: Adreno 616
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Storage: 128 GB, 256GB, expandable
  • Battery: 4500 mAh, 33W Fast Charging
  • Sensors: Fingerprint (under display), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
  • Colors: Gleam Black, Sleek Silver

Vivo V19 Price in Nepal and Availability

Vivo has launched the Vivo V19 in Nepal for a price of Rs. 49,999. This price is for the 8/128GB variant. You can purchase the phone from different retail shops all over Nepal.

Model Name Price in Nepal Availability 
Vivo V19 (8+128GB) Rs. 49,999 July 1, 2020

The Vivo V19 goes head to head against the likes of Galaxy A71, OPPO Reno 3, and the Mi Note 10 Lite. Do you think Vivo can match what other manufacturers are offering at Rs.50,000 price range? Let us know in the comments.

Copy Cat Bezos? Amazon acquires self-driving startup Zoox for over $1 billion

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Driverless cars are the future. Therefore, it is not surprising that tech giants are steering towards investing in them. The latest company to venture into the world of self-driving cars is Amazon. Reports suggest that Amazon has acquired self-driving startup Zoox. And that too at a price of over $1 billion!

Zoox originally was founded in the year 2014. It is basically a vehicle company that focuses on self-driving technology. However, that’s not it. The company develops its own vehicles too. They take a full-stack approach in developing self-driving cars. Their approach includes developing both the AI system and the hardware themselves to make dedicated driverless cars. Eventually, these vehicles will be a part of robo-taxi.

The e-commerce giant, with this investment, will want to exert itself as a strong competitor in this market. However, they have refrained from stating what exactly have they planned for Zoox. Maybe they will support its logistics. But at this point, we cannot confirm anything.

Also Read: Best Ride Hailing Apps in Nepal

Now despite the acquisition of Zoox by Amazon, the company will reportedly remain an independent entity. Amazon’s CEO of global consumer, Jeff Wilke, was full of admiration about this acquisition. Both Amazon and Zoox have the same vision: innovation and quality customer service. Basically, Amazon wants to realize Zoox’s ideas, by helping them build world-class automobiles. 

Zoox vs Waymo

However, Amazon will face competition in this market from Waymo. Waymo, itself is owned by another tech giant, Google. The company has been around for quite some time now. And it has been developing its own self-driving vehicles. Moreover, the company has announced a deal with Volvo in order to power its robo-taxis. Robo-taxis are basically self-driving cars, that will not need a human chauffeur. Eliminating human involvement will eliminate the major operating cost for businesses. And in that process also help spread Transportation-as-a-Service. Thus, it will be interesting to see which of these two companies will come out on top.

Musk vs Bezos

Amazon’s acquisition of Zoox has not gone down well with fellow billionaire Elon Musk. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Musks’ SpaceX are already locked in a battle to bag the NASA contract. And now, as Amazon has acquired Zoox, a company more or less similar to Tesla, Musk was quick to call out Bezos on Twitter.

A copy cat, yup, that’s what Musk has labeled Bezos in response to this acquisition. But the competition between these two billionaires can only mean a quality service to eventual customers. They both are not the ones who like to lose. Thus, both of them will do all that they can to become the leader in this business.

Ecommerce Giants Daraz partners with eSewa for online payments!

Nepal’s leading online marketplace Daraz accepts a variety of payment options, including credit and debit cards. However, to further ease the online purchases, Daraz introduces mobile wallet giants eSewa as a payment option.

Cashless economy is considered to be the future and this is definitely a step forward for Alibaba owned Daraz. This will make shopping more convenient as it will reduce the time spent on the checkout process. Further, this will also alleviate customer concerns regarding digital security by adding another cashless option.

How to make payment using your eSewa in Daraz?

  • At checkout select eSewa as a payment option.
  • You will be redirected to your eSewa account to complete your payment.
  • Login to your eSewa account using your eSewa ID and your Password. Make sure your eSewa account is active and has sufficient balance.
  • Enter OTP (one time password) sent to your registered mobile number

Can I return my Daraz Order paid by eSewa?

Yes. eSewa facilitates fast refund processing for payments completed through eSewa. You have to request a refund if you encounter a problem with items sold and fulfilled by a third-party seller on Daraz.

“We’re very excited to finally integrate eSewa wallet into our Daraz platform and give our customers even more payment options. We see great synergies between both companies and we are confident this will add to a smoother shopping experience to customers going forward,” said Lino Ahlering, MD of Daraz Nepal.

Conclusion

While the world is tackling hurdles created by COVID-19, digital transactions ensure the safety of all parties included. As an outcome, such mediums of payment have gone from being conveniences to necessities. Before, if one had to pay for shopping online in the Daraz platform, they had to pay via banking transactions from Daraz’s partner banks. Now, the e-commerce giant has made it easier for a larger group of people to make easy payments.

On a different note, it is now much safer to make payments underlying the risk of infection of the ongoing pandemic that might spread from contact during delivery. Above all, the customers will benefit from this as it will now be more convenient for them to shop via the e-commerce giant.

Read: Daraz starts selling Gadgets After lockdown; Check out some of our best picks

India Bans 59 Chinese Apps: Everything You Need To Know

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The Government of India has announced that it is planning to ban almost sixty apps from Chinese developers. In its official statement, India has stated the ban was imposed after it was seen that the apps were a major threat to national security.

India Ban on Chinese Apps

The ban is the result of the political tension between India and China over the disputed land Ladakh region.

Political Connection

The clash between the military of the neighboring countries resulted in the death of 20 Indian troops earlier this month. After the incident, Indian youths started a campaign to boycott Chineses products. The online campaign urged people to avoid Chinese products including smartphones and to uninstall Chinese applications.

Indian Government has stated that the ban is a result of the emergent nature of threats that the apps were posing. Though it mentions the national threat repeatedly, there is nothing in the press release that hints what these threats are and how they were discovered. This makes us believe that this step is a means to please the public outcry since the border clash.

Over the last two weeks, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center, Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Home Affairs, and Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN) have received a number of complaints about the malicious nature of these apps. These apps are said to have been involved in stealing and distributing user’s data in an authorized manner.

Modality of Ban on Chinese Apps by India

To implement the ban, the Government of India will request both Google and Apple to remove these Chinese apps from the Play Store and Apple Store. Google and Apple will review the order before removing the apps from their respective stores. However, there is no information about further arrangements for the implementation of the ban.

list of apps banned in India chinese apps ban

Things we can’t ignore

It isn’t the first time that a country has announced to ban Chinese companies or products. Last year, the US Government included Huawei, the world’s second-biggest smartphone brand, in its Entity List. With no ties between Google and other US-based companies, Huawei is still struggling to grow outside of its home market.

Even China doesn’t allow foreign web services to operate inside the country. This includes popular services such as Google, Facebook, and other international news channels. These services don’t get past the nation’s “Great Firewall” that censors the information that is available to the public.

Earlier this month, we saw Weibo remove posts from the Indian Prime Minister’s official account following the clash at the border. Similarly, it was also responsible for removing Modi’s speech from the platform. So, people are also calling this ban a “Tit for Tat” tactics.

Another problem with Chinese apps and companies altogether is the Chinese National Intelligence Law. Under this law, Chinese companies have to cooperate with the government for intelligence gatherings.

TikTok to bear the biggest loss

In this tension between two powerhouses, it will be TikTok that will be paying the biggest price. TikTok identifies India as its biggest market above both China and the USA. It is reported that about one-third of TikTok’s users are based on India. We will have to wait to see how it affects the company’s commercial ambition. ByteDance was reported to be missing out on over $500,000 per day when it faced a similar ban in India last year.

Tiktok India official statement on Indian Ban

And it would get even worse. The senators in the US are also demanding investigations on the app. It is argued that the app is helping the Chinese government in data mining. Imagine a company getting kicked out of two of its biggest market? It will be a major blow to any company, not just TikTok.

What about Chinese smartphone manufacturers?

We will also have to wait to see how the customers will react to the ban imposed on Mi Community and Video Call. Over the years, Xiaomi has established itself as the biggest brand in the country. The company’s online presence as Mi Community is one of several reasons behind the success.

But it isn’t just about the app, it’s about the trustability and reliability of the company. How will the fans react to their community getting facing a ban on the alleged involvement of illegal data transmission and concerns over national security? This might even fuel the ongoing Boycott China movement.

Ban on Chinese apps by India: Alternatives

There are some pretty big names in the list of apps to be banned. These include TikTok, UC Browser, Mobile Legend, Club Factory, Shareit, and Xender. According to TechCrunch, 27 of the top thousand Android apps in India will now face the ban.

Banned Apps  Alternatives
TikTok Mitron
UC Browser Brave
WeChat Viber
Club Factory Amazon
Weibo Twitter
Baidu Map Google Map
Cam Scanner Adobe Scanner
ES File Explorer File Commander
Shein Myntra
Xender and Shareit SuperBeam

The situation in Nepal

This scenario reminds me of our government’s attempts on regulating online content. The government will make it mandatory for social media platforms to be registered inside the country. According to a report by TechPana, the GoN is planning to acquire an integrated system for filtering and blocking URLs.

  • Check out our review of Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite!

Next year’s flagship devices to come with an even heftier price tag

When it comes to smartphones, usually, better means new and expensive. A new smartphone will come equipped with better specs and features than its predecessor. But it will also have a heftier price tag. Over the years, companies like Xiaomi and OnePlus have enjoyed success by offering flagship smartphones at the mid-range price segment. However, this might soon be a thing of the past as the price of upcoming Qualcomm flagship SoC is on the rise.

Recent Price Hike in Smartphones Market

If you have noticed, there has been a significant hike in this year’s flagship price to last year’s devices. The main reason for this has been the price of the latest Snapdragon 865 SoC. It’s the most powerful chipset out there in the market and hence, the first choice for every flagship device. Unlike its predecessor, SD 865 processor came bundled with a discrete 5G modem. It made the chipset more expensive. Just compare the price between Xiaomi’s Redmi K20 Pro and K30 Pro. According to IT Home, the price of Snapdragon 865 ranges between $150 and $160.

snapdragon 865 qualcomm

Qualcomm Flagship SoC SD 875 Price

According to a report by IT Home, the cost of the upcoming Snapdragon 875 is expected to be around $250. That’s almost $100 expensive than already expensive SD 865. This way, we can expect upcoming flagship devices to cost at least $100 more than existing ones.

Arm Cortex-X1 CPU architecture

Apparently, Xiaomi is having trouble negotiating for the processor for its upcoming flagship devices.

Snapdragon 875 Rumored Specs

The Snapdragon 875 isn’t official yet, but there are plenty of rumors flying around that we can work on for now. Snapdragon 875 nake use of the 1+3+4 core arrangement. It will also feature ARM Cortex X1 cores alongside Cortex A78 cores. Cortex X1 and Cortex A78 boast performance boost of up to 30% and 20%, respectively compared to the Cortex A77 cores.

  • Check out the upcoming AMD Ryzen C7 mobile chipset!

YouTube to counter TikTok with its own Short Video Feature

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Remember the YouTube vs TikTok controversy? It was among the most talked-about topics in South Asia a few weeks ago. It showcased the differences between fans of these popular video sharing platform. Who would have thought back then that one of the two platforms would try to bridge the gap between them? YouTube has announced that it is experimenting with a new Short Video feature that will allow users to record videos of up to 15 seconds. Let’s learn more about this new TikTok-inspired feature of YouTube.

TikTok’s Popularity

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny TikTok is all the buzz right now. This short video sharing platform has taken the world by surprise since its initial release in 2016. Over the years, it has been successful in creating a wider global audience. Businesses, marketers, and advertisers can’t ignore the growing fame of the app. Recently, ByteDance released TikTok For Business with the tagline ‘Don’t make Ads, Make TikTok’. And the app’s success has been too big to ignore even for established social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. The two companies are working on their own short video sharing platforms –  Lasso and Reels, respectively. And now, YouTube has jumped in too with its own short video recording feature.

TikTok for business tagline

YouTube’s Short Video Recording Feature

YouTube has not given any name to its latest TikTok-inspired feature. In YouTube’s official statement, it is stated that “it’s a new way for creators to easily record multiple clips and upload it as one video”. YouTube will add a “Create a Video” option in the mobile upload flow. A tap is all you need to start recording. A second tap will pause the recording. Similarly, one can even tap and hold to start recording. Releasing the button would pause the recording. This process can be repeated until a 15 seconds video has been recorded. If you wish to upload a video with a longer duration, you will have to manually upload the video from the gallery.

Needless to say, it’s an attempt by YouTube to lure users from TikTok to its platform. However, TikTok isn’t just about recording and sharing fifteen seconds of videos. YouTube will have to bring in filters, music, effects, and other editing tools if it is serious about engaging TikTok’s audience. We will also see how YouTube manages to include these videos within its feed. It has been clear that these videos won’t be part of YouTube Stories.

YouTube Short Video Feature Launch and Availability

The Short Video Feature is available for a limited group of creators across both iOS and Android platforms. It’s a part of the preliminary test. YouTube is also working on tools to allow users to discover such videos.

  • Check out our comparison between Redmi Note 9 Pro and Galaxy M31!

Apple to ship iPhone 12 lineup without charger & earpods inside the box

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If you follow Jon Prosser or The Front Tech Page, chances are you are already confident about the specs of the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup. We saw Prosser say there is nothing more to learn about the lineup. However, nowhere has he mentioned about the charger and charging technology of the iPhone 12. A new report claims that Apple will not be including any headset and charger inside the box for any of the devices under the iPhone 12 lineup. The news comes right after it was reported that Apple was working on a faster 20W charger of the iPhone 12 series.

20W fast charging in iPhone 12

Earlier this week, an image of an announced charger surfaced on the internet. The charger with the model number A2305 was leaked through a user who identifies himself as Mr-white on Twitter. The image revealed that it was a 20 charger.

Apple iphone 12 A2035 charger USB Type C PD

On the same day, MySmartPrice reported having spotted two certifications for two chargers for the upcoming iPhone 12 series. It confirmed the existence of A2035. NEMKO certification confirms the 20W output capacity of the charger. Furthermore, the charger will sport a USB Type-C port and will support USB Power Delivery.

The other charger has a model number of A2247. The charger features in both NEMKO and Australian Certifications. Like the A2035, the A2247 has an output capacity of 20W. It has a USB Type-C port and supports USB Power Delivery. The certification reveals almost similar specs and we are left to wonder how they differ from each other.

Apple iphone 12 a2257 charger

Apple to sell charger separately

While the news of two 20W charger does sound exciting, a new report from MacRumors claims that these won’t be included in the box. In fact, Apple won’t be including any accessories in the box except the Lightning to USB-C cable. What it means is that there won’t be any wired earbuds accompanying the upcoming 12. Apple will also be discontinuing both 5W and 18W chargers. This means users will have to buy the 20W charger.

Apple is taking this step to bring the cost down. As we have seen with Android flagships, the inclusion of 5G connectivity hikes the price significantly. According to Prosser, Apple is trying to launch the iPhone 12 at the same starting price as the iPhone 11 did last year.

One may even argue that including charger and earbuds in the box encourages wastage. If you have used iPhones in the past and are planning to upgrade to iPhone 12 later this year, this decision won’t matter much to you. Users can use chargers and earbuds from their older phones.

  • Check out our impression of the new iPhone SE 2020!

Infinix to get into accessories and IoT business

Infinix is a smartphone manufacturer based in Hong Kong. The brand was launched back in 2013 with its “Future is Now” tagline. Infinix is known to offer stylish and feature-rich smartphones at affordable rates. The company is now planning to expand its portfolio beyond smartphones. Infinix is teasing SNOKOR. It is an audio product that will launch later this year.

Infinix Diving into IoT Business

As a brand, Infinix has always been targetting the young audience. Infinix smartphones are stylish, include trendy features, and affordable. The brand sells its product only through online channels. Thus, it appeals more to the young generation. Infinix is present in more than 40 countries around the world. We also saw the Infinix Smart 4 launch in Nepal (via Daraz) earlier this year.

Infinix S1 smart TV
Infinix S1 smart TV

Like many of the smartphone brands, Infinix doesn’t want to limit itself as a smartphone manufacturer. It wants to get into the accessories market. The ultimate mission would be to get established into the IoT business. We have seen Xioami succeed in both market segments. Lately, Realme is also doing well with its smartphones and smart IoT products.

Infinix “SNOKOR”

Infinix is now working to launch new products in the Indian market. It includes five new smartphones, audio accessories, and a smartwatch.  Recently, renders have emerged on the company’s forum that showcases a packaging box with SNOKOR labeled on it. Though the “Designed by Infinix” tag confirms that it’s an upcoming device from Infinix, we don’t know what kind of product it will be. Rumor suggests Snokor is an audio device. However, there has been no official confirmation.

Infinix Snokor box

In other news, Infinix has launched S1 in Nigeria. Infinix S1 is the company’s first smart TV. It is available in two screen sizes – 43 inches and 55 inches. However, there is no plan for bringing the device to the South Asian market.

Infinix SNOKOR Launch and Availability

Infinix will launch the SNOKOR audio device later this year in Nepal. However, we will have to wait for the official announcement for the complete specs, price, expected launch, and availability of Infinix Snokor outside India.

Product Expected Launch
Infinix Snokor Late 2020 (India)

Check out our comparison between Redmi Note 9 and Galaxy M31!

Adware Alert: Remove these apps if you have them installed!

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Google has now removed around fifty different apps after a team from Avast found them guilty of degrading the user experience by bombarding devices with ads. These apps were part of the large HiddenAds campaign, that was discovered by Avast. Read along to know more about the adware.

Complete Story about the removal of Adware

Earlier this week, Avast released a list of 47 different apps that they claimed to be part of a massive HiddenAds campaign. The research team reviewed previous HiddenAds campaigns. It led them to a few adware. However, upon further analysis using the apklab.io tool, the team was successful in detecting a total of 47 similar apps. Researchers found that these apps had similar features, activities, and network traffic.

Features of Adwares

These apps were designed to look both safe and useful to lure users into their installation. Upon installation, these apps would bombard the device with ads. It wasn’t just in-app ads that were causing trouble. These apps would even hide their icons and continue to display device-wide ads.

Spread of adware by avast
Source: Avast

Most of these apps were disguised as games. Scammers would take an older version of popular games and put ads in them. Users could only use these apps for a limited time as they would hide often themselves. These apps had built-in timers that triggered the hide icon feature. The adware could even draw over other apps and display non-skippable ads. The most downloaded apps were:

Adware Downloads
Draw Color by Number 1,000,000
Skate Board – New 1,000,000
Find Hidden Differences 1,000,000
Shoot Master 1,000,000
Spot Hidden Differences 500,000

Google has already removed all of these apps from the Play Store.

The Spread

This adware had a combined download of over 15 million. Brazil alone was home to about 21% of the total download, followed by India with 8.1%. Similarly, Turkey, Argentina, and Mexico were among the top five infected countries with 6.3%, 5.6%, and 3.7% of the total download respectively. Though there is no exact figure, these apps have been downloaded in great numbers in Nepal.

Spread of adware by avast
Source: Avast

How to be Safe from such adware?

To be safe from adware, we need to be careful while downloading apps. We need to be even more cautious while downloading games from Playstore. Pay attention to user reviews. Check out the profile of the developers. If the developer has a single app to showcase, you should start getting skeptical. Carefully read all the permission requests before granting them.

Check out our comparison between Redmi Note 9 Pro and Galaxy M31!

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G to feature Snapdragon 765G and dual-band Wi-Fi

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Samsung announced the Galaxy A51 5G alongside the Galaxy A71 5G earlier this year. Though the former is yet to make a commercial debut, Samsung is already working on its ‘s’ iteration. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G has been spotted in multiple benchmark and certification listings. Read along to learn more about the rumors, leaks, specs, expected launch & availability of Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G.

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G: Everything to know

The story of S-variants

In the latter half of last year, we saw Samsung launch ‘s’ iteration of devices under A-series and M-series lineup. Though the s-suffixed devices were meant to upgrade to their non-s siblings, the minor changes weren’t convincing enough. It has been reported that Samsung will be following the same strategy for at least 2021.

Samsung A51s 5G looks to be the first s-suffixed smartphone for 2020. The device with the model name SM-A515V has received approval from Wi-Fi Alliance and has already gone through Geekebench benchmark tests.

Geekebench Listing

Unlike A51 5G, Samsung has turned to Qualcomm for the A51 5G’s processor. The Galaxy A51 5G was announced with Samsung’s in-house Exynos 980 SoC. The Geekbench listing revealed the chips inside the Galaxy A51 to be “lito”. Lito is the codename for Snapdragon 765G. The chipset features an integrated modem for 5G connectivity.

It supports both sub-6Hz and mmWave 5G. The listing also reveals 6GB of RAM in the tested device. But we can expect another variant with 8GB of RAM. Like the A51 5G, both variants are likely to feature 128GB of internal storage with the option to expand it via a microSD card.

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5g geekbench listing

Wi-Fi Alliance Certification

Similarly, Wi-Fi certifications from Wi-Fi Alliance reveals that the device will support Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz, 5GHz). It will run on Android 10 with the One UI on top.

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5g wifi certification

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G Price in Nepal and Availability

Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G will first land in the US. We will have to wait for Samsung’s official announcement for complete specs, pricing, and availability in other regions.

Smartphone Model Expected Launch Date
Samsung Galaxy A51s 5G Late 2020 (US)

Check out our in-depth review of Samsung Galaxy A51!