The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc worldwide and it’s high time that we start acting responsibly to fight it. The pandemic has not only taken lives but also the jobs of many people. With cities locked down and public places forced to shut down, people are missing out on their livelihood. In such a circumstance, Amazon has announced 100,000 new job vacancies for those who have lost their job to the pandemic.
Amazon New Job Vacancies
With the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon has seen increased traffic to its site. Since people can’t go out, they have now been exclusively relying on the online shopping site to have their products delivered to home. According to Amazon, demands for household and medical supplies are in increase and they have prioritized them over other supplies.
The increase in demand has resulted in a shortage of manpower in the company. So to overcome the labor shortage, Amazon has announced 100,000 new job openings in the US. People have options to work both part-time and full-time. It is a perfect opportunity for those who have recently lost their jobs due to coronavirus as they can work until their former employer welcomes them back.
Not only that, but Amazon has also announced to increase the pay salary of those working on an hourly basis. The company will invest over $35 million to compensate hourly workers in the US, Europe, and Canada. The company has also promised to prioritize the health of their workers and partners. Amazon workers can get up to 2 weeks of their pay in case they have to be isolated or quarantined.
Amazon is actively helping the communities in their fight against the pandemic. It recently donated $1 million to a COVID-19 response fund in Washington D.C and is working together with five food services in the region to help the community. Additionally, the company has created a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund and has contributed $1 million for communities affected by the outbreak. The company has also launched the AWS Diagnostic Initiative for speed up diagnostic research, innovation, on a topic related to COVID-19. It has allocated an initial investment of $20 million for the same.
So, the world is in a state of a lock-down. With the uncertainty of how things are going to play out, one important question remains – will the COVID-19 continue to grow exponentially throughout the world, or will mankind tackle this issue as it has been throughout history? It really is a time of turmoil that has instilled a great fear among us. However, if there is one thing that each and every individual can do right now in the battle against coronavirus is to stay at our homes and maintain social distance. And that is basically what people are doing right now. They stay at home and use the internet all day long. But what if there is an issue with the internet itself during this pandemic?
Apologies, allow me to correct myself. It is not a question of what if, rather, there’s already a problem with the internet right now. With so many of us maintaining social distance, what else can we do right? Using the internet is great to pass-time. Choose a video on YouTube and get sucked into its loop of infinitely similar videos. Or, you can binge-watch your favorite show that you had been putting off until now due to your busy schedule. But wait, are you facing the problem of slow internet? Well, you’re not alone. And one does not need to be a rocket scientist to know why this is happening.
A sudden surge in traffic
With so many of us sitting at home using the internet all day, it is obvious that its speed decreases. In fact, as per ISPAN (Internet Service Provider Association of Nepal), internet usage has increased by 30% in Nepal right now, since people are stuck at their home due to the coronavirus outbreak. Not only that, but even the voice and data usage has also increased. And it is not just Nepal where the usage has surged dramatically. This past week, popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon had decided to limit their streaming quality to SD (480p) for at least 30 days in Europe.
This lock-down has hugely affected our lives. Schools and offices have shut-down and employees are being instructed to work from their home. Moreover, the internet is the major source of our information (and misinformation!) right now, so don’t you think that one has to act responsibly right now. I mean our ISPs are not equipped to face this sort of internet usage prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Obviously, with the right equipment, they can improve their service, but it will take time.
In the meantime though, I request you to act and use the internet responsibly. There are people out there who are actually doing researches and more to fight the pandemic and their work requires the use of the internet. Now, I am no position to tell you to stop using the internet altogether. After all, you have paid for the service. However, there are certain things that we can do to help service providers maintain traffic.
ISPAN’s guidelines on using the internet amid the Coronavirus outbreak
These are some basic requests that ISPAN has made public through their press release and few tips from our side too that might be helpful:
Do not stream videos at the highest available quality during peak internet usage hours.
Do not change the internet settings right now, as ISPs may not be able to send their support staff for help.
No torrenting and try to possibly limit the live streams.
Please do not download huge files until absolutely necessary.
And be wary of fake rumors and news that’s floating around the internet. Wait for an official notice or news before forwarding anything to your WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber or other social platforms.
Try to limit your internet usage during peak hours (read books or watch TV maybe)
We don’t know how long this lock-down is going to last. And it is up to us to act as responsible citizens of the country and the world. Stay safe people!
During these troubled times, I’m sure most of us are just lying on the bed surfing the net. It might be great unless you have a shitty internet connection. A bad internet connection is simply frustrating. I mean one has to wait for a good three to four minutes just for a meme to load. And the solution that service providers give, ‘please try restarting the router’. The funny part is, I actually go and restart my router hoping it will magically make my internet connection fast. Fortunately, Worldlink has brought in a solution for it because starting from today they have launched the Worldlink 5G offer.
What is 5G Wi-Fi?
Let me clear out at the beginning itself, this 5G offer from Worldlink has nothing to do with the 5G cellular standard. Apart from the fact that both of them are used for wireless connectivity, they have nothing else in common. When people talk about 5G in terms of Wi-Fi, they are actually referring to the 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
Basically, there are two Wi-Fi frequency bands – 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. 2.4 is the one that’s abundantly used in most places and 5 GHz is the newer of the two. It is better than 2.4 GHz because it has more non-overlapping channels. As a result, it is less congested. So, using a 5 GHz internet would be highly beneficial in places where there are a lot of Wi-Fi congestions. And it is faster than 2.4 GHz too.
However, it does have its own drawbacks too. For a starter, it cannot cover a large area. Thus, to enjoy the benefits of 5 GHz Wi-Fi, one has to be nearby the router. If you’re looking to place your router on the ground floor, and plan to use Wi-Fi all the way up on the third floor, then you’ll probably have to opt for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
Now the question remains, what exactly does this 5G offer from Worldlink mean? Well, the gist of the thing out here is that, one of the most popular ISPs in Nepal, is providing dual-band routers as a part of this offer. However, it is only limited to those with gold plans.
A dual-band router comes with 2 SSIDs (WiFi signals). One will be for 2.4 GHz and the other for 5 GHz. Basically, this offer is their take on providing a solution for slow internet. I mean there are times when I am inches away from my router and the connection is no better. Using a dual-band router would mean a solution for it.
When you are near to the router, you can switch to 5 GHz, which as mentioned above is much faster due to less congestion than the 2.4 GHz WiFi. And as your distance from the router increases, you can seamlessly switch to 2.4 GHz, which is available for a much larger range. However, the switching of the network needs to be done manually.
Obviously, there is going to be a pricing difference for first-time customers and those who want to renew their current status and take advantage of the offer. And naturally, we’ve compiled the price list for you, so do check them out!
For New Users:
40 Mbps (2 TVs)
Price
3 months
Rs. 5,800
12 months
Rs. 18,900
40 Mbps (3 TVs)
Price
3 months
Rs. 6,200
12 months
Rs. 19,900
60 Mbps (3 TVs)
Price
3 months
Rs. 8,100
12 months
Rs. 27,000
Set-up Charges
3 months
12 months
Drop Wire
Rs. 500
Free
Fiber Router Rental
Rs. 1,000
Rs. 1,000
Refundable deposit
Rs. 500
Rs. 500
NetTV
Activation charge
Deposit
Primary TV
Rs. 500 + VAT
Rs. 500
Secondary TV
Rs. 500 +VAT
Rs. 500
For Existing Customers:
An existing customer who uses 40Mbps or above internet package can upgrade to the Dual-band router by paying an additional Rs. 1000. And since the router itself costs above Rs.5000, it’s a wise decision to upgrade.
Is World link 5G offer with its dual-band routers the solution for bad internet connection?
Using a dual-band router would be one of the solutions to get the most out of your internet connection. After all, the speed of the internet depends upon a lot more things than just the router. One has to be wary of the router positioning, number of users connected, signal range and a host of other things. So, don’t just depend upon the dual-band router for a better internet.
Moreover, not all devices support 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Before, ordering the router be sure that your devices are compatible with it. On your laptops and desktops, first, confirm whether your adapter supports 802.11a or 802.11ac. Or simply Google your Network adapter name and you’ll find out about the compatibility. The same goes for your smartphones too. Check for 802.11ac or WiFi 5/WiFi 5G compatibility for your device by visiting their official website. Alternatively, it’s probably written somewhere behind the box that your device came with.
As you might have already heard, HMD Global yesterday launched a few of its new smartphones. A total of three smartphones were announced yesterday – Nokia 8.3, Nokia 5.3 and Nokia 1.3. Obviously, the highlight of the event was the company’s first-ever 5G smartphone, the Nokia 8.3 5G. However, the other two devices were intriguing too. Nokia 5.3 is the company’s latest mid-ranger whereas Nokia 1.3 will be an addition to its entry-level smartphone segment. And I expect the Nokia 1.3 to launch in Nepal soon at a very competitive price.
Nokia 1.3 Overview
The company has tried to provide the bare minimum with this smartphone. It has a meager 5.71-inch IPS LCD screen with an HD+ display. And I am really glad that it has an HD+ display despite being an entry-level smartphone. Anyway, the screen does have a water-drop notch that houses a 5MP selfie camera.
On the back, you get a modest single-camera setup with an 8 MP primary lens. However, the camera does focus on low-light and portrait images. All thanks to the Camera GO app by Google.
Under the hood, Nokia 1.3 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 SoC and the only RAM option you get is of 1GB. Now, in most cases I would have waited to express my personal opinion, however, I could not stop myself here. I mean, they have given just a single gigs of RAM that will run on Android 10 Go. If they really wanted to cut costs then they should have simply gone for a MediaTek processor than SD. I know this is an entry-level smartphone, but still, at least 2 GB of RAM would have been better.
Moving on, the device comes with 16GB of internal storage. However, it can be expanded up to 400GB as there is a microSD slot available. As for the battery, the new Nokia 1.3 has a 3000mAh battery that supports 5W charging over a micro USB cable.
Nokia 1.3 will be available globally from April 2020 at €95. As per the rumors, the price of the Nokia 1.3 in Nepal should be around Rs. 12,000. It is expected to arrive in Nepal around May unless any complications are caused by the coronavirus.
Samsung Galaxy M30s received good reviews when it was launched in Nepal. It had a humongous 6000mAh battery, a Super AMOLED display, and good cameras. Hence Samsung managed to generate good sales during the festive season of Dashain & Tihar in Nepal. Now, approaching its EOL (End of Life), Samsung has slashed the price of Galaxy M30s in Nepal, making it a great option for buyers.
Overview:
The Samsung Galaxy M30s has a large 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and Infinity-U notch. It is one of the cheapest Android smartphones to feature a Super AMOLED display with full HD resolution. The camera setup is still a triple camera module, with the primary camera is a 48 MP one! The other two lenses are the ultra-wide-angle and the depth sensor. The Notch houses a 16MP selfie camera.
The Galaxy M30s is powered by the Exynos 9611, which is a huge improvement over the Exynos 7904 of the regular M30. It is available in two variants: One with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage and the other with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Both the variants have DDR4X RAM and UFS 2.1 storage. Furthermore, this one has a humongous 6000 mAh battery in it! It supports 15W quick charging but will still take around 2.5 hours to charge it.
The build is entirely made of plastic and feels bulky because of its bigger battery. The back houses a fingerprint sensor, so no in-display sensor on M-series yet.
Samsung Galaxy M30s Full Specifications:
Display: 6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ Infinity-U Super AMOLED display
ROM: 64/128GB (UFS 2.1), expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card
OS: Android Pie 9.0 with One UI 1.5
SIM: Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
Back Camera: 48MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, Samsung GW2 sensor, 8MP 123° ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, 5MP depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera: 16MP with f/2.0 aperture, Samsung SK3P8SP sensor
Security: Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted), Face unlock
Audio: Dolby Atmos Support
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Battery: 6000mA with 15W fast charging (via Type C)
You can buy the Galaxy M30s in two variants: 4GB RAM/64GB Storage and 6GB RAM/128GB Storage. The price of Galaxy M30s (4GB/64GB) in Nepal is Rs. 24,899 and the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage will cost Rs. 28,699. It is available in 3 color options: Opal Black, Sapphire Blue, and Pearl White.
These days, Samsung is pretty busy announcing successors to devices under last year’s ‘M’ and ‘A’-series of smartphones. Just days ago, it announced the Samsung Galaxy M21. And now, it has announced Samsung Galaxy A41 in Japan which is set to launch later this year. Let’s take a look at the specs, expected price in Nepal and the official launch date of Samsung Galaxy A41.
Samsung Galaxy A41 Overview
Design and Display
Samsung Galaxy A41 is a successor to last year’s Samsung Galaxy A40. The device comes with a 6.1-inch Super AMOLED display, with an FHD+ resolution. Design-wise, there is nothing to write home about the device. It looks different from the earlier leaked renders and comes with a notched display as its predecessor. At the back, however, there are four camera sensors arranged linearly on the top left edge of the device. That’s two more sensors to last year’s A40. Also, the fingerprint sensor is now under the display.
Chipset and Software
The device comes with MediaTek’s Helio P65 under its hood. It is not the best chipset out there but is gaining popularity with devices like Vivo S1 using it. Galaxy A41 comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage onboard and will launch with Samsung’s One UI 2.0 on top of Android 10.
The camera arrangement on the back doesn’t align with the recent Samsung trend. Samsung has been including a rectangular camera array for most of its mid-range and high-end phones. Even the M21 with a similar camera setup has it. But the A41 comes with liner arrangement which reminds us of last year’s Samsung devices.
It comes with a 48MP primary camera which is accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, a 5MP depth sensor. This particular setup looks similar to that of M21. For, selfies there is a 25MP camera setup. To recall, A40 also had a 25MP camera on the front.
Others
The device comes with a 3,500 battery which supports 15W fast charging. Other than that, the device is IP68 rated against damage by water and dust. This might give the phone an edge against other mid-rangers as the rest of the specs don’t sound that great.
Samsung Galaxy A41 Specifications:
Display
6.1-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution
Full HD+
Chipset
MediaTek Helio P65
CPU
Octacore (4 x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 + 4x 1.8GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU
PowerVR GE8320
RAM
4
Internal Storage
64GB
Software and UI
One UI 2.0 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera
48MP primary camera
an 8MP Ultrawide sensor
a 5MP Depth sensor
Front camera
25MP selfie camera
Security
Fingerprint(display)
Battery
3,500mAh with 15W fast charging
Samsung Galaxy A41 Launch Date
The price of Samsung Galaxy A41 in Nepal will depend upon the specs it lands with. The device might launch outside of Japan with different specs. Samsung Galaxy A41 will be launched in Japan in June through Docomo Networks. There is still enough time left for Samsung to make changes even in the Japenese variant.
Last September, Motorola had unveiled its Moto E6s in India. It was a somewhat decent smartphone in the entry-level segment. However, the smartphone makers have once again unveiled a new Moto E6s. So why is that? Basically, the device that was launched in India was nothing more than a rebranded Moto E6 Plus. However, this new one does have some changes.
Moto E6s Overview
This “new” Moto E6s has a 6.1-inch HD IPS LCD display panel with a resolution of 720 x 1520 pixels. The phone has a plastic built and it is water-repellent too.
On the back, it has a dual-camera setup that includes a 13MP primary lens and a 2MP depth sensor. Moreover, just beside the camera array, there is a fingerprint sensor disguised as the Motorola logo. While the rear camera setup remains the same, a notable change is there in terms of the selfie camera. Upfront, it now has a 5MP selfie shooter only whereas the Indian E6s had an 8MP lens.
Under the hood, this “new” device still runs on the same Helio P22 chipset. The standard RAM available for the device is 2GB. And unlike the one Indian one, it won’t come with a 4GB RAM variant. The device’s storage capacity is not high either. It has only got 32GB of built-in storage. At least they have included a dedicated microSD slot for memory expansion.
In terms of battery too, there is a slight change as the 3000mAh one on the Moto E6s now charges at only 5W down from 10W. Moreover, connectivity-wise, it does not have NFC support either.
It has been said that the device will be available in Asia, Latin America and Europe in the upcoming week, though they are yet to announce any pricing details. However, a calculated guess tells me that the device will cost somewhere around $50-$60. As for its price in Nepal, I think the Moto E6s should cost around Rs. 10,000 if it hits the market.
Model Name
Expected Price
Availability in Nepal
Motorola Moto E6s
~Rs. 10,000
N/A
Also, do check out our long-term review of the Realme X2
So, with the recent launch of the “new” Realme 6 and 6 Pro, I wondered if the Realme X2 is still relevant to this day. This question is kind of weird because this phone is not that old, it’s just been like 3 months. Anyways, I have been using the Realme X2 for like a couple of months now and this is my long-term review.
Realme X2 Specifications:
Body: 6.25 x 2.96 x 0.34 inches; 182 gm
Display: 6.40-inches Super AMOLED panel; 403 PPI; 91.9% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: FHD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G; 8nm Mobile Platform
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), microSD card, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
Battery: 4000 mAh with 30W VOOC Fast Charge 4.0
Colors: Pearl Green, Pearl White, Pearl Blue
Realme X2 Price in Nepal: Rs. 35,990
Realme X2 Review!
Design
Starting with the build, I don’t have any problem with it, to be honest. It still looks like a new phone. Despite having this white variant with me, there’s no sign of the phone looking outworn. I haven’t had any scratches on the back, so the Gorilla Glass 5 has done a good job so far.
It feels good on the hand too, although it’s a little heavier as compared to say, Galaxy A51. The only thing that I wish was better is the side frames, which are made of plastic. It’s not that of a big concern if you are using it with a good phone case, but as I’d been using my Realme X2 without one during the review period, the plastic frame has worn out a little.
A different design choice would’ve been better
By the way, the clear case that came along inside the box should do a good job for like a month, until it starts looking pale. And unlike the POCO X2, this phone comes with an in-built screen protector which has helped me a great deal because I carry my phone with my keys and other stuff. So, along with the Gorilla Glass 5, the screen protector has been my savior.
Ports & Buttons
1 of 2
Speaker, Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
SIM Slot, Volume Keys
However, In the future, I would certainly like to see a different design language from the company because this quad-camera layout and an ever so slightly boxy design is what we have been seeing in a lot of Realme phones to date.
Display
At the front, there’s a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED panel with a Full-HD+resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. And yes, it’s just a regular 60Hz panel instead of a smoother 90Hz or 120Hz.
But should it make that big of a difference in your purchase decision? Well, it totally depends upon your usage. Sure, a higher refresh rate display makes everything smooth and if you are someone who games a lot, the 120Hz screen might be of some significance to you. Otherwise, I believe a 60Hz panel will do just fine.
As I have been saying in many of my reviews, one should not fall for the buzz created by the manufacturers, especially in things that you might not even need.
Regardless of that, the panel is a nice one. Not the Samsung level nice, but nice. One little thing that has bothered me, however, is that this display inordinately exaggerates the red hues which I don’t quite understand why. In comparison, the yellows and the greens are a little subdued.
The brightness of the X2’s display is good in indoor situations, though you want it to be just…just a little bit more when heading out. There’s a U-shaped notch on the top that houses the single front-facing camera. As traditional as it might look, I surely do prefer it over the dual punch holes of the POCO X2. Don’t judge me, but that’s what I’d choose.
Cameras
Which brings me to the quad-cameras. I am going to repeat the same thing that I said in the POCO X2 review about the macro and the depth-sensing lens in this review of the Realme X2 as well. I think the addition of these lenses is just for marketing purposes and nothing else, considering how impractical & gimmicky at best they are.
And maybe Realme understood this and thus have given a telephoto zoom lens in the Realme 6 Pro.
I just hope, more and more brands in 2020 will follow Realme’s step.
Cameras
1 of 2
Rear
Front
Now, onto the core camera performance, the 64 MP primary Samsung GW1 sensor has been doing a good job. I like how Realme works on image processing to bring the best out in images. However, I must admit some of the images are not very color accurate and oversaturated at times. And this has still remained the same despite Realme sending OTA updates.
1 of 6
This means, we know it and Realme knows it as well, yet feels like they don’t want to. Maybe it’s because their study tells that the Realme users, in fact, prefer over-saturated images to color accuracy. I don’t know, just my assumption.
Normal Images
With the 64MP sensor, details are on point in most of the images although I did notice some softness in shadowed corners. Also, I found the dynamic range and details to be better on its closest competitor, the POCO X2.
1 of 4
Realme X2
POCO X2
Realme X2
POCO X2
Regardless, I think the Realme X2 is a great point-to-shoot camera phone if you are someone who does not like to meddle so much into editing affairs.
Wide-angle Images
Ultra-wide images have a slightly inferior dynamic range and details as compared to the primary one, but look good nonetheless.
1 of 4
Portrait Images
I have liked the portraits from the Realme X2. The dynamic range and subject look pleasing and the depth in the background looks good too.
1 of 3
Selfie & Portrait Selfie Images
Selfie portraits share the same story although it’s done via software. However, the dynamic range that works so well for the back cameras is not the same on the front camera. Selfies from the X2 yield good outcome in terms of skin tone, details, and colors.
Selfie v Portrait Selfie
1 of 6
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Nighttime Images
Normal night time images are not as bright as you would expect it to be, but they’re not downright miserable too. There’s the nightscape feature that lets you rectify the imbalance of exposure to a good extent.
Normal Nighttime v Nightscape
1 of 6
Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
Normal Nighttime
Nightscape
Video-wise, it is on par with what the competition is offering, you can go up to 4k@30fps which result in fairly stabilized videos. But I think the best stabilization is definitely at 1080p/30fps if you are not using a gimbal or any other physical video stabilizer.
So, overall, this is a good enough camera for an average person. And if you are a geek, you can install the latest GCam and get the best out of this camera.
Performance & Software
Performance-wise, you get the same chipset as the POCO X2, the Snapdragon 730G. And as I said in that phone’s review, it’s an excellent mid-range chipset.
You can crank up the game to high settings in graphic-intensive games and play in an almost stutter-free manner. Everyday tasks are a piece of cake for the phone. Similarly, the smooth performance is also aided by the 8GB of RAM version that I have with me.
But I think RAM management is something Realme could work a little more on. For the 8GB config, it’s not a big issue. However, if you opt for the 4GB RAM variant, multitasking is most definitely going to take a hit.
Also, I have the 128GB storage with faster UFS 2.1 read & write memory. You get a dedicated microSD card slot here as well, which is always great to see.
The in-display fingerprint sensor has been consistently performing well. And this is an advantage over the POCO X2 or the Realme 6 Pro because they have a capacitive fingerprint sensor. So, Realme X2 does feel a bit modern.
Not so good software experience
Now about the software, the Realme X2 is still running on the older ColorOS 6.1, although I’ve got February’s security patch already. And I haven’t received the new Realme UI based on Android 10 yet, but it won’t change the fact that this is not one of my favorite skins.
I feel like it’s too cluttered with bloatware, which if not uninstalled, keeps sending you notifications and that’s annoying.
This skin is lighter than MIUI though and it’s got a lot of things to play around with, so that’s a good thing. And if dark mode is your thing, the X2 has got it covered, even for the apps that don’t natively come with it. It has also got the side navigation thing that I have come to be a fan of.
Battery
Getting to the battery life, it has been above average on my use. The phone’s got a standard 4,000 mAh cell which lasts you for a single day. And since the screen is a 60Hz panel, you won’t have to worry about excessive battery drainage.
1 of 2
30W VOOC 4.0 Fast Charge
Charging
Furthermore, what’s excellent is how fast it charges! The 30Watt VOOC Fast Charge 4.0 fills up the battery in just around 75 minutes.
While we are talking about the good things, the speakers on the phone are impressive too. Though it falls just slightly behind the POCO X2 in terms of loudness, the Realme X2’s audio sounds better with good depth and an overall balanced sound than the POCO X2.
Realme X2 Review – Conclusion
Overall, I’ve had a very good time with the Realme X2. And although you get new phones like POCO X2 and Realme 6 Pro with a higher refresh rate and slightly better cameras, the Realme X2 does have an advantage with its Super AMOLED display and an in-display fingerprint sensor, as I’ve discovered during my review.
Apart from that, there isn’t any big difference between these phones. If you look at the pricing structure, it makes it even more confusing about which one to pick. To add to the confusion, Realme is still selling Realme X and Realme XT. But newer is always better in most cases and is future-proof when it comes to software updates too. So, at this time, until and unless Realme drops the price of X2, I strongly think you should get a newer phone instead.
For the first time, in a long time (and I mean in a very long time), Samsung’s flagship phones are finally a breath of fresh air. I guess they had it with everyone calling new iterations of their high-end smartphones “just an incremental upgrade”, or worse. From their naming convention to design and practically every other aspect, the new Galaxy S20 series ooze a confident testimonial for their existence. Though the S20 Ultra with its monstrous camera setup among other differences is hogging all the spotlight, this review is going to be about the vanilla Galaxy S20 and S20+. Admittedly, they’re not as flashy as the Ultra, but they do spin a little magic of their own!
Before going forward with the review, there’s one crucial thing to note. That is, Samsung just… went ahead and changed the entire foundation of the S series. If I recall correctly, the top-end S10 Plus of last year retailed for thousand bucks at launch, while that’s what the company is charging for the entry-level phone in this year’s S20 series; namely, the regular S20. Spare another $200 for the S20+ and if you want to go all-in on the S20 Ultra, you’ll further be short of a couple of hundred bucks. All this makes for a really interesting equation as to how Samsung will move forward with its upcoming Note device. Anyways, let’s get back to the review of the Galaxy S20 and S20+.
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ Specifications:
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S20
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Body
5.97 x 2.72 x 0.31 inches; 163 gm; IP68 certification
6.37 x 2.90 x 0.31 inches; 186 gm; IP68 certification
128GB UFS 3.0 (expandable up to 1TB via a microSD card)
Software & UI
Android 10 with One UI 2.1 on top
Front Camera
10MP, f/2.2 aperture; Dual Pixel AF
Camera features
Tracking AF, 8K video@24fps, 960fps slow-mo, Super Steady stabilization, etc.
Security
Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
Audio
Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital/Plus
Connectivity
Hybrid SIM (two Nano or one Nano-SIM + one MicroSD card), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, sub-6GHz 5G spectrum (also mmWave in S20+), GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, NFC, USB Type-C
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ Review!
Design
Starting with the design, the S20 and S20+ look identical, if not for the size. S20+ is the bigger of the two (as implied by the title), which means it also has a larger display & battery. And speaking strictly in terms of accessibility, I would lean a bit heavier on the S20 since I have fairly small hands. Anyways, throwing everything premium is the route Samsung takes with its flagship phones and this time’s no different either. Glass body, IP68 rating – you name it, the phone has it. But what is contrasting, is how the S20 & S20+ are such a hyperbolic successor to the S10 series.
Now, Samsung has gone with a familiar color scheme on both phones which are classy in a subtle way like the ones they succeed, and therefore are not cartoonishly flamboyant. So many smartphones these days come with repulsively radical color schemes – yeah, you know who you are!
Besides that, the company’s made a lot of changes for better or worse, mostly for the better. The back cameras are arranged in a “modern” way, there’s a new (yet old) cutout for the front-facing lens, and to my pleasure, the curves on the screen are minimized to a great extent either.
I’m against excessively curved displays & I’m not ashamed to admit it.
I’ve never been a fan of those excessively curved displays; not only because it’s less practical, but it also makes the device more vulnerable to damage in the process. Not saying the new screen is flat-out immune to accidental touches, but it is undoubtedly better than what we were used to seeing. It is just right for launching the edge-screen or using the new gesture system in Android 10. So, good job, Samsung.
Buttons on the S20 & S20+ have gone through an overhaul too. They’re still made of metal but are placed far too ergonomically this time around, all on the right. A separate Bixby button’s gone and I’m in a quandary on what to feel about it; a separate remappable button is always a plus and now the option’s no more. That doesn’t mean Samsung’s digital assistant has kicked the bucket – the power button (or side key) also functions as Bixby trigger though you can reprogram that to launch the default power menu.
Ports & Buttons
1 of 3
SIM slot
Speaker grille, Type-C
Volume rockers, Power button
Moreover, you’ll find the hybrid SIM slot on the top, a charging port and a speaker grille on the bottom, while the left side of the phone stays clean. Yes, there’s no headphone jack so let’s rip that band-aid right off!
And the phones are as premium on the hands as you’d expect. The curved glass back makes for a tighter grip, although it’s a cesspool for fingerprints and smudges. Not to mention, the S20 and S20+ are relatively slippery phones as well. So I’d highly advise casing it up and not have total faith in the Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
Display
What Samsung has pioneered by this time is unquestionably the display. Every time the company launches a high-end smartphone, headlines fly around about how it’s got the best display in the market during the time. Well, they’ve outdone themselves with the S20 series. Featuring the signature QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED panel with HDR10+ support, the S20 with its 6.2-inches and the S20+ with its larger 6.7-inches screen also boasts a superior 120Hz refresh rate – a first for Samsung.
It is smooth, oh-so-smooth, and snappy as well. So much so, that I can’t help but utter the cliché-d mantra –
“you can’t tell the difference until you see it for yourself.”
Now, I’ve been using a phone with the standard 60Hz display and couldn’t tell it apart from OnePlus 7T’s 90Hz panel. But boy did these phones sweep me off my feet! The 120Hz panel on the S20 & S20+ just… wooshes past the 90 and 60Hz panels. Who’d have thought that we would be dissing the 90Hz this early on!
From scrolling the web to playing games that support it, the smoother display will spoil you. And amid all the praise & glorification, I now come bearing some slightly disappointing facts.
Although the display is a QHD+ panel, 120Hz is only supported in FHD+ resolution.
Looking at it through Samsung’s perspective, I can see why the company would want to make that confinement – to save battery, of course. But from a buyer’s point of view, it feels like a silly restriction. It most certainly is not a chipset limitation, as the new OPPO Find X2 Pro powered by the same Snapdragon 865 supports 120Hz @ QHD+ out-of-the-box.
Here again, I had to really look for the difference between setting the phone to FHD+ & QHD+. And most of the time, I simply couldn’t tell. Add that to the battery-saving prospect by toning down the resolution, I personally don’t mind what Samsung has done. However, for the price-tag the phones come with, I feel like the company should’ve at least included the option. Let’s hope it does with a software update in the coming days.
Other than that, the display on the S20 and S20+ deserve all the praise. They’re bright (even for sunny outdoors), have excellent colors & contrast ratio. The minimal bezels paired with a curved display absolutely takes the viewing experience to new heights. Furthermore, there’s also a dedicated “Video enhancer” feature that elevates the video quality in terms of colors & brightness in select applications like YouTube and Netflix. That reminds me, the S20 series recently received Netflix’s HDR playback support as well.
There’s the same-old ultrasonic fingerprint scanner too. And even though they feel comparatively faster, the fingerprint area is still uncomfortably small. Sure, the muscle memory kicks in after a couple of days of use, but I don’t think we’re asking something impossible here – implement a larger fingerprint sensing area! If that’s not your jam, then I’m happy to report that the face-unlock on these phones is quite fast & accurate.
Performance
Getting to the performance, Samsung has also been marketing the S20 series as inherently 5G-capable phones, though that depends on the region you’re from. Seeing how most countries at this point don’t have a proper 5G infrastructure at this point, there’s also an LTE variant of the devices. And that’s what we have here in Nepal. Also, even if your area does get a 5G model, it’s important to note that the standard S20 only supports the sub-6GHz, while the S20+ & S20 Ultra also supports the faster mmWave spectrum of 5G.
Couple this with the fact that mmWave 5G isn’t as widely available as sub-6GHz, you get a bucketload of reasons to not buy the new Galaxy S20 series just for their 5G capability. So much for “future-proofing”, I guess!
Additionally, there’s one other difference between the 5G & LTE config of the phones – RAM capacity. In the case of S20 5G & S20+ 5G, you get 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, whereas 8GB LPDDR5 is what you’ll be getting in their LTE variants.
It’s almost unfair that we don’t get the Snapdragon-powered S20 devices.
Now, it’s the tale as old as times that Samsung’s Exynos always lag behind Qualcomm’s Snapdragon lineup of chipsets, especially in terms of graphics performance and battery endurance. And never has the difference between them been more pronounced than in the latest Exynos 990 & Snapdragon 865. Despite being fabricated using the same Samsung 7nm EUV process, the Snapdragon 865 wins out against the Exynos 990 in almost every facet, be it by a hair or a bigger margin.
That is partly because the 865 makes use of the latest ARM Cortex-A77 cores, while the Exynos 990 employs a custom Exynos M5 cores for heavy loads of processing. If the benchmark scores are any indication, the Exynos 990 is comparable with last year’s Snapdragon 855+ instead.
The news about Samsung expanding the use of Snapdragon chipsets in its flagship phones had flown on the web as well, but sadly, that doesn’t seem to be the case. As a result, I believe it is high time that the company either significantly step-up its chip-making game or give-in to the supremacy of Qualcomm. After all, why should the consumers have to compromise on such expensive products?
But that doesn’t mean the Exynos 990 is downright terrible!
Having said that, everything runs like a breeze on the S20 & S20+. The One UI 2.1 is phenomenal & easy to use, multitasking is great and you can now have an app keep running in the background, even when you clear the memory. I said “an app” – singular, because it turns out that’s the limitation of the 8GB RAM on the phones. That number bumps up to 2 or 3, depending upon the available RAM.
Installing and running heavy apps doesn’t break a sweat either, thanks to the 128GB of faster UFS 3.0 storage. Gaming’s not a problem too, as you can play the most demanding games in their highest settings without so much as a stutter. During my review, I played games like Call of Duty, PUBG, Vainglory, Injustice 2 on both Galaxy S20 & S20+, and there was absolutely no problem. But I did find that the S20 heats up a little quicker than the S20+ when used for an extensive period.
Cameras
Time to talk about the cameras. Both S20 & S20+ come with a 12MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 64MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, while the S20+ also has an additional ToF DepthVision camera. Notice something different about how they’re arranged? Yeah, the camera sensors alongside the LED flash and the microphone are now placed inside a rectangular module.
Now, see anything missing? No? Actually, like the 3.5mm headphone jack, the heart rate sensor is gone, and so is the variable aperture lenswe first saw in theGalaxy S9 series.
With so much hype surrounding the cameras of the S20 series, we compared it against the current frontrunner – the iPhone 11 Pro, to see just how well it performs. Not gonna lie, the cameras were the one thing I was most excited about to review on the Galaxy S20 & S20+.
Normal Images
When it comes to normal images, the ones from iPhone 11 Pro offer a little smoothened shots with better dynamic range, and even better sharpness at times. On the contrary, images from the S20+ are a little saturated, but in a way that’s pleasing to the eyes.
1 of 6
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Wide-angle Images
Now, moving to the wide-angle images, the iPhone 11 Pro offers better brightness and color tone, though they’re visibly glared, thus giving off a bluish tint. Contrarily, wide-angle images from S20+ are very sharp & detailed.
1 of 4
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Selfies & Portrait selfies
Coming to the selfies, though it is color accurate, the subject is smoothened a bit on the S20+ while they are a little softened in a likable fashion in the iPhone 11 Pro. The portrait selfies, on the other hand, have the roles reversed. Here, images from the 11 Pro are hazy, smoothened, and susceptible to glare while S20+ has better edge detection.
1 of 6
iPhone 11 Pro - Selfie
Samsung Galaxy S20+ - Selfie
iPhone 11 Pro - Selfie
Samsung Galaxy S20+ - Selfie
iPhone 11 Pro - Portrait Selfie
Samsung Galaxy S20+ - Portrait Selfie
Portrait Images
The regular bokeh shots on the iPhone 11 Pro produce way too orangish images while subjects are highly smoothened on the S20+.
1 of 4
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Low-light Images
Samsung’s trademark sharpness & punchy colors get to shine on the night-time images as well, whereas low-light images on the iPhone 11 Pro are a bit color accurate with better details as well.
1 of 6
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
iPhone 11 Pro
Samsung Galaxy S20+
Those were the comparable features between the two phones. But the S20 & S20+ boast a bigger armada of features altogether. First, let’s talk about the 30X Space Zoom. Now, though it sounds great on paper, the reality is far too bleak. Samsung makes you work, really really hard just to get an “okay”-ish image from the 30X zoom.
30X Space Zoom
1 of 4
1x
3x
10x
30x
And also, the zoom maxes out to 10X when you’re shooting in night mode, so there’s that.
Do we really need such a compromised 8K recording on a phone right now?
8K is another buzzword Samsung’s been throwing with the S20 series. Once again, that feels like a marketing gimmick at this point. Not only is it limited to mere 24fps, but it also:
lacks any sort of stabilization
takes up a big chunk of storage (about 10 megabytes for each second of recording)
and you lose a lot of the subject on the frame too.
You can click 33MP still images from the video and that’s about it. Therefore at this stage, I’m at peace with the traditional 4K/60fps recording.
Another camera-centric feature that’s been introduced is “Single Take”. What it does, is capture a short moment (like cutting a birthday cake), then give you a variety of results including a best shot, hyper-lapse, a monochrome shot; the whole package.
Besides these, there’s also “Super Steady” video stabilization and 960fps super slow-motion video shooting ability, which I’ve come to be a fan of!
Battery
Moving on, I was not expecting such great battery life on the Galaxy S20 & S20+ during my review, to be honest. Sure, there are a lot of variables to play around with like: brightness, resolution, and refresh rate, but I tweaked the settings according to the type of content I’d indulge in, and still got an exceptional endurance. By default, I kept the phones at about 50% brightness in FHD+ resolution and 60Hz refresh rate.
And when I wanted to binge YouTube videos, I’d crank up the resolution to QHD+ or boost the refresh rate to 120Hz when I was in the mood for gaming. With this, the 4000mAh battery on the regular S20 gave me about 5 – 6 hours of screen-on time, with some juice to spare. Similarly, the S20+ yielded an even better endurance, thanks to its bigger 4500mAh cell. Thus, it easily makes both Galaxy S20 & S20+ “all-day battery” phones.
Galaxy S20+ Battery Usage
And during my binge sessions, I also came to admire the speakers on these phones. The audio from the stereo speakers on the S20 & S20+ is loud, crisp, clear, with a fair amount of bass too.
However, what didn’t sit well with me is the fact that the S20 & S20+ only support 25W charging, while Samsung only offers its faster 45W charging prowess on the S20 Ultra. What’s the point of that besides pissing off your buyers?
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ Review – Verdict
So… that’s it. That’s our review of the Samsung Galaxy S20 and S20+. These are the most “upgraded” launches between any two-consecutive iterations of the company’s flagship ‘S’ series of phones. With so many taglines like 5G, smooth display, space zoom embedded into the phones’ DNA, the S20 & S20+ have some big promises to keep up to. In most cases, the phones prove their worth, whereas it’s evident that Samsung is just throwing some impractical or rather less-practical stuff at the audience just for the sake of amusement. After all is said and done, the S20 and S20+ are still some of the most stellar phones out there and I’ve enjoyed my every second with them.
Samsung Galaxy S20, S20+ – Pros & Cons
Pros:
Sleek design & so comfortable to use
Bright, vivid, & smooth 120Hz display with minimal bezels
Some of the most innovative camera set up in modern times
Great battery life despite such a power-hungry display
Cons:
No flagship-grade 45W fast charging
Performance is a little compromised on the Exynos variants
30X Space Zoom & 8K recording is far from ideal at this point
Omission of features like a headphone jack, heart rate sensor, & variable aperture lens
The POCO X2 has been out for a little over a month now & I thought I should use it for some extended time and share the overall experience in detail with you guys. But first of all, I am a bit confused as to whose successor the POCO X2 actually is. It’s not a POCO F1 successor for obvious reasons, nor does it look like the successor to the Redmi K20 entirely. If you ask me, I think it’s a random POCO smartphone. Anyways, keeping that aside, the phone does have some things to get excited about. So, let’s get into it in detail one by one in our review of the POCO X2.
POCO X2 Specifications
Body: 6.51 x 3.02 x 0.35 inches; 208 gm; P2i coating
Display: 6.67-inches “RealityFlow” IPS LCD panel with HDR10 support; 386 PPI and up to 500 nits of brightness
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1800 pixels); 20:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G; 8nm Mobile Platform
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, Qualcomm Hi-Fi DAC support
Connectivity: Hybrid dual-SIM (Nano), microSD card, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C
Battery: 4500 mAh with 27W fast charging
Colors: Atlantis Blue, Matrix Purple, Phoenix Red
POCO X2 Review!
Display
First of all, the 120Hz display is something unique about the POCO X2. That’s because as of now, it is the only phone at this price to have a 120Hz refresh rate. Yes, I know, it’s an IPS panel and an AMOLED screen would have been better, but looking at how smooth the display feels, it’s hard to not like it, and that’s how I feel about the POCO X2 after getting to review it.
Scrolling and swiping on the screen feels buttery smooth and I love how POCO has optimized it well with the MIUI. And although there aren’t many games that support higher refresh rate displays, the ones that do, feel even smoother. However, all this smoothness does come at a cost of battery drain, so most of the time, I scaled it down to the usual 60Hz.
A dual punch-hole cutout!
Coming back to the display, there’s this twin notch that houses a dual camera. To be honest, it does not look very good. In fact, I think there is no need for the depth-sensing camera on the front. I think they should have gone with the wide-angle lens just like its competition, which is the new Realme 6 Pro.
Despite all that, I like the quality of the display here. It’s vibrant, colorful, and is bright enough. And for those content-enthusiasts, it’s Widevine L1 certified as well. There’s also HDR10 support which strangely works on YouTube only.
The only minor issue you might face with this display is the screen bleeding. Yes, like the POCO F1, the POCO X2 also suffers from the same issue.
Cameras
Now, let’s move on to the second most hyped thing about the POCO X2, which definitely is the cameras, and I was really eager to review it. The phone uses the latest iteration of the Sony sensor – IMX 686. Other than that, the POCO X2 is a “64MP AI quad-camera” phone as the company claims.
Along with the primary 64MP Sony sensor, there’s an 8MP wide-angle sensor, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens.
But before moving on to everything, I would like to give a special mention to the macro lens which I feel is absolutely unnecessary considering you are not going to get good pictures with it at all. In my time with the phone, I have totally ignored its existence.
Macro lens
Macro
1 of 2
The 2MP depth sensor does not necessarily perform well too. The depth in the background and the focus on the subject, in most cases, is not done properly. In comparison, the Realme X2 does a better job.
Portraits
And there is this serious HDR problem in the portraits as well. Look at these images, here the HDR isn’t working properly as the background looks dull and overexposed.
Portrait
1 of 3
So, I hope POCO provides an update to fix this issue. And for the record, I have received January’s security patch on the phone recently, which I think is a little late from the company because even the POCO F1 has received the Feb security patch.
Now, coming back to smartphone brand marketing its camera as quad cameras, I have come to realize is how they are brainwashing the non-techie audience. What I mean is, the macro lens and the depth sensor are hardly anything to boast about, because they don’t work well.
Primary images
Anyway, let’s get to the images from the primary Sony IMX 686 sensor. The photos are rich in detail, as you can see here. When compared side by side with Realme X2, the POCO X2 has better details, but seem to have a slight lack in punch though. Colors are a matter of personal preference, so I am not going to go on about it.
Primary (POCO X2 v Realme X2)
1 of 6
POCO X2
Realme X2
POCO X2
Realme X2
POCO X2
Realme X2
Other aspects like dynamic range are better on the POCO X2. The HDR is not true to form but does the job in most scenarios and most importantly it is better than the Realme X2 ‘s images. So, yes, the IMX 686 sensor does a better job here as compared to the Samsung GW1 sensor of the Realme X2.
64 vs 12MP!
Also, there is slight to no difference at all in the images captured from the 64MP and 12MP modes on the POCO X2, so it’s better you go with the 12MP ones, to save storage.
64MP v 12MP
1 of 4
12MP
64MP
12MP
64MP
Wideangle
About the wide-angle images, well, I found the HDR capability to be far off as compared to the primary lens. The colors are similar though, which is a good thing. And as compared to Realme X2’s wide-angle images, the POCO X2 consistently produces better details and dynamic range.
Wideangle
1 of 4
POCO X2
Realme X2
POCO X2
Realme X2
Low-light
Nighttime images are nothing extraordinary from the phone, though. It’s just as you would expect from a phone of this price range. Normally, it lacks better exposure control. However, in the night mode, it is rectified by a good margin.
Nighttime
1 of 4
What I don’t like is the selfies from the 20MP sensor of the Poco X2.
This one suffers from the same problem as the Note 8 Pro, the selfies have an unnatural red tint in them.
Selfie
1 of 3
Portrait selfies
And don’t get me started about the portrait selfies. I have been emphasizing how the depth sensor does not prove to be of much importance and its performance justifies it.
Despite having a separate depth sensor, it does not have proper edge-detection and subject focus and even HDR does not quite do the job here.
Portrait Selfie
1 of 3
Videos are impressive though. They are detailed, they are stabilized even at 4k 30fps, their colors are good, so I have no complaints in that regard.
And for the enthusiasts out there, you can shoot normal, ultra-wide-angle and macro images from the pro mode as well, which lets you play around with a lot of things to get better images.
Design & Build
So, the aspect where Poco could have done better is the design. And by design, I don’t mean the build quality, I mean the looks.
Even though the phone feels good on the hands, it’s not an eye-candy. The circular pattern around the cameras looks “ugly” in my opinion and somewhat seems inspired by others. So, it would be better if the company came with its own design changes rather than identifying with some other brand.
Because, sincerely, I don’t mind the K20’s design as I thought it was different, so the company could have gone with something like that. Other than that, all aspects of the design seem good, especially considering the POCO F1’s boring plastic design.
Still a 3.5mm headphone jack & an IR blaster!
And it’s impressive that POCO has retained an IR blaster and the headphone jack. Also, I don’t know how many of us are comfortable with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, but I love it on the POCO X2.
Design
1 of 4
IR Blaster
3.5mm headphone jack, Type-C port, Speaker
SIM Slot
Volume keys, Power button/fingerprint scanner
It’s fast, reliable, and does not take up space at the rear of the phone. Considering the IPS screen on the phone which cannot house an in-display fingerprint sensor yet, the one on the side is the next best implementation, I think.
And considering the budget, there is no IP rating of course. But there is a P2i coating to help prevent the phone from minor splashes. In my one month with the phone, I haven’t developed any scratches at all, which is thanks to the gorilla glass 5 protection on both the front and back.
Overall, I think the design implementation could have been better than it is because to me it seems randomly put together without giving much thought. I am particularly not a fan of the fact that it is so ordinary.
Performance & Gaming
Alright, after whining for a minute about the design, let’s move to another important aspect, the performance. I am a little put-off in this aspect too because the POCO F1 we all loved was popular because it gave a flagship-level performance at a mid-range price, but now it’s no longer the same.
That being said, the Snapdragon 730G chipset in here is still one of the best mid-range chipsets around. And for an average user, the performance it delivers should be sufficient. I have installed a lot of apps in this unit and till now it has handled all my normal tasks with a breeze. I have never felt even the slightest of stutters in my everyday work. In fact, the 120Hz screen makes it even smoother.
Gaming
For the games, yes, I have missed being able to play in the highest of settings on the POCO X2. And it hurts, even more, to see my friend’s POCO F1, which is now almost 18 months old, can still play all the games in the highest settings.
Here, playing PUBG in high frame rates and HD graphics will lead to few stutters here and there but nothing so alarming. COD too runs pretty well in high settings. But, with games that support high frame rates, you will definitely have a better experience than the POCO F1 or any other 60/90Hz refresh rate phones.
But one thing to notice on the Poco X2 display is the touch sampling rate is still 120Hz, so the gaming experience especially while playing those graphic-intensive games is not as good as say, the Galaxy S20+ which has 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate.
MIUI
Now talking about the MIUI, you know it’s not my favorite skins as its relatively heavier, but it is better than many out there. However, I would very much like to see some visual changes to the UI like the icons and even the notifications panel maybe. But I like how the POCO launcher arranges applications according to their type to make the experience simpler.
However, what I do not like is the bloatware that comes along. If you don’t uninstall them, those apps keep sending notifications which is very annoying.
But this time, Xiaomi has promised to keep the POCO X2 free of ads which the company has delivered so far, so I am very happy about that. It is available in 3 variants, and I got myself the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant.
Battery
Now, the battery life on the POCO X2 has been excellent with the 60Hz option on. It usually gave me about one and a half day’s usage on a normal day and one full day when I used it intensively.
However, when set to 120Hz, the battery life reduced significantly to about a day only. And when I gamed a lot especially with 120Hz turned on, I noticed a faster decrease in battery levels. But, the 27-watt fast charger you get inside the box fills up the battery pretty quickly, like around 70 minutes.
Audio
Talking about the audio coming from the single firing bottom speaker of the POCO X2, it gets fairly loud, but like other midrange phones I’ve gotten to review, it lacks depth in music.
I also didn’t face any issues with the call quality, nor the receivers have complained about anything, so things are good on that part too.
POCO X2 Review – Final words
Well, looking from the perspective of a mid-range device, the POCO X2 rocks all the grounds it hits as demonstrated by the review. It’s got solid if not the best cameras, the display with the 120Hz refresh rate delivers on the expectations and performance seems fulfilled too.
But, I feel like the “POCO” brand should have followed the POCO F1’s footsteps rather than the K20’s. And because it’s not so, I feel like the phone is boring. I mean the company could have done better than just rebrand the Redmi K30 as the POCO X2, especially considering that POCO is now a separate entity.
