What makes a good video great? Off the bat, my guess would be the audio quality. And that is what Saramonic strives to achieve.
In this era of rapidly changing technology, new devices pop up every day. One day you were capturing videos with a cam-recorder and boom smartphones came out. These innovations meant that there arose a new challenge for those trying to deliver consistent audio quality to content creators. This is exactly the scenario where Saramonic thrives. And thus, is currently one of the world leaders in terms of providing quality audio equipment.
It has been known for providing everything. From a broad range of microphones to audio adaptors for DSLR, Mirrorless and more, you name it. Not only that, their equipment are designed keeping in mind the level of content creators. They make it possible for creators to produce content with the best possible audio.
And guess what? They have finally brought their product in Nepal. Yes, you read that right. Their products, not all though are available in Nepal. And you can get it from Oliz Store, the official distributor of Saramonic products in Nepal.
Currently, you can purchase three of their products from Oliz Store, namely- Saramonic Blink 500 B2, Saramonic Blink 500 B3 and Saramonic Blink 500 B5. These are affordable and easy-to-use true wireless microphone systems from the company.
Saramonic Blink 500 B2
It is a lightweight wireless microphone system that can deliver broadcast-quality sound. Compatible with any cameras or smartphone with 3.5mm jack, the Blink 500 B2 can handle two wireless transmitters. It comes with two clip-on wireless transmitters with built-in mics, two lavalier microphones and a dual-channel receiver.
Moreover, this device operates on the 2.4 GHz spectrum (interference-free) and can automatically hop over channels to avoid static noise. Its battery life is 5 hours on a full charge. Also, it works perfectly well with DSLR, mirrorless, smartphones and tablets with headphone jack, and more.
Transmitter Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max number of simultaneous systems: 18
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Input: 3.5mm microphone input
Receiver Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Audio Output Level: 5dB
Price: Rs. 31, 500
Saramonic Blink 500 B3
This is another one of their light-weight wireless microphone system designed for iPhone and iPads. It comes with one clip-on transmitter, however, you can buy an additional transmitter to make it work for 2 people. Furthermore, it also includes RXDi Mfi Certified Lightning dual-channel receiver.
The Blink 500 B3 can be easily used with Apple devices mounted in gimbals. And as said earlier, if you add a Blink 500 TX transmitter to the system, the receiver can accept signals from two microphones too.
Transmitter Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max number of simultaneous systems: 18
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Input: 3.5mm microphone input
Receiver Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Price: Rs. 27, 700
Saramonic Blink 500 B5
This wireless microphone system is compatible with devices with USB-C ports. Basically, that includes a huge list of android smartphones, tablets, and more. It comes with a single wireless transmitter with a built-in mic alongside a clip-on lavalier microphone.
And like the B3, there’s a dual-channel receiver with Type C male port. Likewise, if one ever needs 2 mics if you are shooting with 2 talents (person), a second wireless transmitter can be added easily.
Transmitter Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max number of simultaneous systems: 18
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Input: 3.5mm microphone input
Receiver Specifications:
Frequency: 4Ghz
RF Frequency Band: 2400 to 2483.5MHz
Voice Delay: <=6ms
Signal to noise ratio: >=70dB
Distortion: <=0.1%
Max operating Range:4’/30m (with obstacles), 164’/50m (Line of Sight)
Battery: 400mAh
Connector: USB Type-C
Price: Rs. 27, 700
Conclusion:
Buying a decent audio device has always been a problem in Nepal. If you visit Newroad (tech bazar of Nepal), you are often greeted with fake audio devices from Boya. Although you can buy genuine Boya devices from Oliz Store, it’s not quite there against top brands like Rode, Sennheiser, and Saramonic.
Saramonic is a top brand that has a wide range of audio devices. And although Oliz store has only launched a few wireless microphones, the company is planning to launch audio mixers, handy recorders, Shotgun mics, etc in the coming days.
What’s the first thing that comes to your mind about a gaming laptop? Bulky, heavy, rad, and more importantly expensive! But why does that have to be the case though? Just a couple of years back, gaming enthusiasts had to sacrifice a lot If they opted for a gaming laptop on a tight budget. Constraints on aspects like build quality, hardware, and all meant the experience just wasn’t worthwhile. However, that’s gradually changing.
In 2019, we saw so many great budget and midrange gaming laptops, and I was fortunate enough to review some of them as well. Now, 2020 is looking to be a revolutionary year for laptops because of all the exciting announcements that we saw during CES 2020 a couple of weeks ago. Though the folding and dual displays sure sound exciting, the thing I’m hyped for the most is AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 series mobile CPUs.
And while it’s going to take some time for a Ryzen 4000 powered laptop to arrive in Nepal, today I am going to talk about the best budget laptop under 1 lakh in Nepal — the Asus TUF FX505GT laptop. It is powered by a 9th gen Intel Core processor alongside the NVIDIA GTX 1650 graphics. It has been my primary device for a month or so now and I genuinely think this is one of the best in its class. But of course, Asus has made some compromises for cost reduction. Let’s find out all about this device in our review!
Graphic: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650, with 4GB GDDR5 VRAM
RAM: 8GB DDR4 2400MHz
Storage:512GB PCIe Gen3 SSD
WebCam: HD 720p CMOS module
Wi-Fi: Integrated Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 ac)
Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.0
Battery: 3-Cell 48 Wh Battery
Dimensions: 360.4 x 262.0 x 25.8 ~26.8 mm (WxDxH)
Weight: 2.2 kg ~ 2.3 kg
Design & Build:
Starting with the build material, the FX505GT comes in an all-plastic body from front lid to hinge, to the back of the laptop, with an aluminum “Future Tank” lid cover. There’s definitely some flex to it, but it’s not terrible in any way. Having said that, it is definitely not as sturdy as other costlier options, so durability could be an area of concern.
But take some solace on the fact that it has passed a series of military-grade “MIL-STD-810G” tests, which ensures that this laptop can withstand high altitudes, solar radiation exposure, including a couple of accidental knocks or drops as well.
On to the design, the lid has this converging speed lines with the ASUS logo in the middle, which I think gives off a fairly aggressive gaming aesthetics. And for a gaming laptop, its thickness is on-par with others at around 1-inch. Moreover, thanks to the plastic build, the FX505GT is fairly light at 4.9 pounds (or 2.2kg).
The other thing that I liked about its design is the placement of the LED indicators for charging, battery level, and stuff.
It is located right above the power button and is visible even when the lid is closed all the way. That’s a nifty little design choice which I admire nevertheless.
Interfaces & Networking
Moving on to interfaces and ports placement, all of them are located on the left side. You get one COMBO audio jack, two Type-A USB 3.2 (Gen 1), one Type-A USB 2.0, an HDMI port (which supports HDMI 2.0), an RJ45 LAN port, and the charging port.
So, if you’re someone who makes use of most of these ports at the same time, you might fall victim to a few tangled wires. Talking about wires, the wireless options on the other hand on the FX505GT include integrated Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.
Thermals
Now let’s get into the fan placement, which is crucial for any gaming laptop. The ASUS FX505GT has two rear-facing vents for the dual HyperFan. Its anti-dust cooling mechanism releases any dust particles accumulated.
Additionally, you can also tweak the performance of these fans through the function buttons between “Silent”, “Performance” or the “Turbo” option. And as you might’ve guessed it, the Turbo mode gets efficiently loud.
Audio
The audio output from the speakers on this laptop, as expected, is strictly average. You get 2W stereo speakers aligned at 45º. You’d certainly benefit from using headphones especially while gaming in Turbo mode because like I mentioned before, the fan noise is very loud.
But that’s not all the reason for plugging in a stereo headphone. The FX505GT also supports DTS Headphone: X technology for immersive sound quality, with optimized audio profiles for games, movies, and sports.
Keyboard & Trackpad
The keyboard here is really impressive as well, which is a full-sized keyboard with single-zone RGB lighting. Here, you can customize the lighting from the TUF Aura Core panel. And I do have to give a special mention to the “WASD” keys for their transparent and highlighted design. Since I’m a content writer myself, I really enjoyed the keyboard on this thing with its good travel distance, satisfying soft tap sound, and an overall satisfactory typing experience.
But on the contrary, the trackpad on the FX505GT is just about average. It is made of plastic and therefore is not as good as a glass trackpad.
This could’ve been better but I understand that ASUS had to cut costs any way possible without hampering anything critical.
Display
When it comes to the display, the ASUS TUF FX505GT sports a standard 15.6-inches LED-backlit FHD IPS panel but with varying refresh rates. The unit I have with me has a 60Hz display with a 45% NTSC color gamut, though you can also find one with up to 144Hz and 72% NTSC.
The bezels are adequately small as well, though they are a bit more pronounced on the top and especially on the bottom of the display. Here, you’ll find a 720p webcam at the top, whose quality is just sub-par. Despite the inferior refresh rate and color accuracy, I’m fond of this display panel – at least for its price range.
Contrast, colors, and viewing angles were all fine by my standard. And though this is not the most color-accurate panel, it still manages to outperform other similarly priced budget laptops like the HP Pavilion Power 15, or the Acer Nitro 5.
Therefore, this is definitely not for the professional content creators out there, but occasional photo editing requirements are well within its reach. The brightness is decent as well, but not anything extraordinary. Due to this, I definitely had some trouble using this laptop outdoors.
Performance
The performance is undeniably the biggest plus point in this laptop. The ASUS TUF FX505DD that I reviewed a couple of months ago came with 3rd gen AMD Ryzen 5 CPU, which was not quite there against its Intel counterpart. As a significant upgrade, the FX505GT comes with a 9th Gen Intel Core processor. My unit is powered by the Intel Core i5 9300H, while one with i7 9750H is also available on the global market. Complementing this CPU is the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM.
With a decent setup at the helm, I was able to play all of the latest games in 60fps or more in the highest settings. And for the optimum performance, I turned on the “Turbo” mode with the fans maxing out on their capacity.
For instance, I played FIFA 20 in the highest settings with the MSAA option at 4X and it ran flawlessly. Battlefield V with max settings ran at around 55fps with no performance hiccups at all. Similarly, I also played Apex Legends Season 3, and it ran at 60fps under max settings void of any trouble.
On top of that, there were no signs of extreme heating either. Apart from the “Turbo” mode doing its job, that may partially have been a result of the cold weather this time around here in Kathmandu.
And with such a commendable gaming performance, needless to say, that the ASUS TUF FX505GT handles other normal usage or general editing tasks with ease as well. Simultaneously using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator with numerous tabs opened on the memory-hungry Chrome yielded no issues.
Memory
On the subject of memory, my unit came with 8GB of DDR4 RAM running at a frequency of 2666MHz. That could be enough for general usage, but since this machine is targeted towards gaming, I’d advise on adding another 8GB stick on its vacant slot for enhanced performance. Furthermore, this one supports up to 32GB of RAM in dual-channel, so there’s always an option for expansion.
Similarly, the FX505GT that I have with me comes with 512GB of PCIe Gen3 SSD storage. It was refreshing for me to see a budget gaming laptop with such a big SSD storage. It has decent sequential read-and-write speeds as well, so I got no complaints on the storage-front.
Battery
The battery life, however, isn’t that great and falls under the below-average rating. It has a small 3-cell 48Wh battery, which can last for about 4-5 hours in the most basic of usage like web browsing or watching movies under “Silent” mode.
Verdict
ASUS TUF FX505GT is an excellent budget gaming laptop under Rs. 1 lakh in Nepal. It has a powerful processor and graphics card, and a sizeable SSD storage. It does fall behind on aspects like build material, but that is to be expected. Overall, it ticks all the boxes for an inexpensive gaming laptop or just a regular laptop on that matter. Therefore, I highly recommend it to those looking for a decent gaming setup on a budget.
Alcatel is a brand best known for its OneTouch range of Android smartphones. It has been designing and developing a huge range of smartphones and internet devices for well over a decade. And the latest Alcatel device to make its way into our market is the new Alcatel 3T 10 tablet.
Alcatel 3T 10 overview
An older variant of the Alcatel 3T 10 had actually launched last year. However, despite having the same name, this new tablet has received a considerable upgrade. For starter, it offers 3GB of RAM instead of 2GB in the previous iteration. Moreover, this time around the device comes with a bigger battery of 5500mAh.
Significant improvement has been made in the camera department too. You now get a 5MP primary camera and a 5MP camera on the front too. In addition to that, the storage has been upped to 32GB.
The processor on this device is the MediaTek Quad-Core MT8765B. Other than that there’s the same 10-inch screen with HD display. Furthermore, the device supports Voice Call (Single Sim, 4G VoLTE).
Alcatel 3T 10 also features a far-field DSP voice recognition. The maximum distance up to which it can recognize is of 3 meters. That means you can activate Google Assistant hands-free. You can pair it with other smart devices in your home and control them through your voice.
Moreover, the device can connect with up to two Bluetooth devices at once within a ten-meter range. Additionally, there’s also a 3.5mm headphone port ( a must for me at least!).
The other thing that really intrigued me with this tablet is its charging dock. It is sort of a charging dock-stand combo. It charges the tablet while simultaneously keeping its Fast-Access Display within a quick reach.
The specs certainly are not alluring, but this is what you get on an entry-level tablet.
Alcatel 3T 10 Price in Nepal
So, how much does this device cost? Well, this entry-level tablet is available for purchase for Rs. 24, 490. Now, there are very few tablets that are available in this price range thus, I feel that the Alcatel 3T 10 will be a good choice for anyone looking for an entry-level tablet at a reasonable price.
After the failure to capture the upper midrange market share with Vivo V17 Pro due to the fierce competition from Realme X2 Pro and Redmi K20 Pro, the company is now targeting the mid-range segment with the new Vivo S1 Pro. It features a refreshingly new design, which I’m sure many people would admire. I have been using this phone for almost a month now and here’s what I have to say about it.
Vivo S1 Pro Specifications
Display: 6.38-inch (2340 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ Super AMOLED
Chipset: Snapdragon 665
CPU: Octa-core (4 X 2GHz Kryo 260 + 4 X 1.8GHz Kryo 260)
GPU: Adreno 610 GPU
Memory: 8GB RAM with 128GB storage, expandable up to 256GB with MicroSD
OS: Android 9.0 Pie with Funtouch OS 9.2
SIM: Dual SIM
Back Camera: 48MP primary sensor, f/1.78 aperture + 8MP 120° ultrawide sensor with f/2.2 aperture + 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture + 2MP monochrome sensor with f/2.4 aperture
Front Camera: 32MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS, Type C-port, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
Battery: 4500mAh with fast charging
Design
Let’s start with the phone’s design. Vivo has finally given in to a glass back design with the S1 Pro and it looks fantastic. The phone is available in three color variants – Fancy Sky, Jazzy Blue, Mystic Black, and the latter’s what I have with me.
The camera arrangement on the back has been tweaked to something unique, as the Vivo S1 Pro’s rear cameras are placed inside a diamond-shaped module. All this talk about the design upgrade may very well qualify it as a worthy successor to the last-gen Vivo S1. Having said that, the S1 Pro looks eerily similar to the Vivo V17, which didn’t launch here in Nepal.
Moreover, the power button gets a nifty little red accent, which further adds to the beautiful aesthetics of the phone. Vivo S1 Pro isn’t all that heavy either and therefore is easy on the hands too.
Despite all these, I do have some complaints regarding Vivo S1 Pro’s design. The glass back on the phone still fell victim to some scratches during my time with it.
The weird thing is that this wasn’t the case in Redmi Note 8 Pro, which came with a glass back as well. So, maybe Vivo didn’t go with the latest version of Corning’s Gorilla Glass. Overall, the design of the S1 Pro is admirably good.
Ports & Buttons
1 of 3
Power button & Volume Rockers
3.5mm headphone jack
Secondary mic, Type-C port, Speaker grille
Display
Coming to the front of the phone, you get a 6.4-inch Full-HD+ Super AMOLED display with a tiny ‘U’-shaped notch and a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio. And well, the notch feels kind-of outdated for 2020 since more and more OEMs are pushing towards a punch-hole or a pop-up mechanism.
I wish Vivo hadn’t tried to cheap out and rather gone with a punch hole for better aesthetics. Nevertheless, the Super AMOLED display looks good with excellent colors, contrast, and ample brightness too. Therefore, Vivo S1 Pro’s display is far better than most IPS panels out there but still falls short against, say, Samsung’s Galaxy A50s.
Adding to the niceties of the display is the fact the phone comes with a screen protector pre-installed, but weirdly enough there’s no Gorilla Glass protection here.
Aside from this, the Vivo S1 Pro houses an optical in-display fingerprint sensor, and it’s really fast and accurate like the regular S1. Since the fingerprint scanner itself is so fast here (way faster than the ones on Samsung devices), I didn’t even bother using the face unlock.
Performance
Now let’s shift our gear towards its performance, which is the same as Vivo’s every other smartphone; by that, I mean how terrible the company is when it comes to chipset selection.
Here, the Vivo S1 Pro is powered by Snapdragon 665, which frankly doesn’t justify its price at all. We’ve complained dearly about this in almost every Vivo phone we’ve reviewed including the V17 Pro.
You’d think they would have learned their lesson by now, but unfortunately no.
Vivo S1 Pro – Memory
On to the phone’s memory, the Vivo S1 Pro comes with a single configuration with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Thanks to the big playing ground, multitasking is incredibly well handled by the phone.
However, the Snapdragon 665 in a way bottlenecks the overall performance but I believe that wouldn’t have been the case if Vivo had gone a different route on the phone by coupling, say, the Snapdragon 730 or 730G with 6GB of RAM.
The 8GB RAM alone feels like a marketing gimmick from the company to shadow the phone’s weak SoC. An average user will either not care or will have trouble understanding the essence of a proper SoC and it’s clear that companies like Vivo are absolutely milking it to the bone.
Gaming
The gaming performance on the Vivo S1 pro is nothing extraordinary too but that is to be expected I guess. You can play low to mid-tier games without any hiccups but games like PUBG run best only in medium settings in either smooth or balanced frame rates. So, this might not be the best option for the hard-core gamers out there.
UI/UX
What’s slightly improved though, is Vivo’s UI. The new FunTouch OS feels a lot optimized and apps run smoothly. I have installed over 50 apps and all of them run just fine and fast. And like I said before, multitasking is equally impressive.
Despite FunTouch OS feeling significantly optimized, it still was frustratingly difficult getting used to for me.
The command center that’s triggered via a swipe from the bottom of the screen was enough to set me off, but I understand that’s subjective and there are many users who fancy that. The whole thing is sufficient to disorient your Android experience.
Besides this, the settings menu is another giant mess. Even after having used the S1 Pro for almost a month, I still get confused about which option is where. Vivo’s own AI assistant “Jovi” is no good either. On top of all this, there are oh-so-many bloatware – Vivo.com, Feedback, iMusic, iManager, etc. And yeah, I found no use of any of them at all. What’s even frustrating is that you can’t uninstall, disable, or hide them and I had to make a separate folder to stash them away.
I recently received the December security patch but Vivo has a history of being slow when it comes to rolling out such security, firmware or other types of updates.
The S1 Pro still runs on FunTouch OS 9.2 which is based on Android Pie and there’s no word on when the Android 10 update is coming. But I don’t think it even matters on such a heavily customized skin.
Cameras
Now let’s talk cameras.
There are four cameras on the back in the aforementioned diamond-shaped arrangement – a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide-angle lens, a 2MP macro sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor.
And honestly, I had a lot of expectations from S1 Pro’s cameras but it in a way didn’t meet them.
Images from the primary lens look quite good at a quick glance with good colors and saturation, though they’re terrible in terms of dynamic range.
Normal Images - Sample
1 of 4
Just check out this comparison with the much cheaper Redmi Note 8 Pro. It has such a good dynamic range and details, though I favor S1 Pro in terms of colors. Also, sometimes, the phone’s cameras just messed up the colors and lights.
Normal - Vivo S1 Pro v Redmi Note 8 Pro
1 of 8
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Look at our beloved office dog Dodo’s fur color. It’s way too inaccurate, whereas the Redmi Note 8 Pro produces true color. And like I mentioned earlier, Vivo S1 Pro falls behind in terms of details as well against the Note 8 Pro.
The wide-angle lens shares the same story. It is void of details and the dynamic range is equally terrible. This is one of the worst wide-angle lenses I’ve seen put on a mid-range phone.
Wideangle - Vivo S1 Pro v Redmi Note 8 Pro
1 of 6
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Now the remaining 2MP macro and depth sensors are up to no good too, the more incompetent being the macro lens. It lacks any sort of details and the images are washed out and blurry.
Macro Images - Sample
1 of 2
Talking about the depth sensor, it didn’t wow me either. But I’m not saying it’s downright miserable. With good lighting, portraits have good subject focus, with faces looking warm alongside an acceptable level of background blur. Nevertheless, it misses out on hairs and edge detection is mostly done via software.
Portrait Images - Sample
1 of 5
Well, the low-light images aren’t that good as well. Surprisingly, Vivo didn’t think of including a night mode on the S1 Pro, which was absent on the regular S1 as well. Videography is compromised as well since there’s no 4K, while 1080p videos are capped out at 30fps.
Lowlight Images - Samples
1 of 3
In a wild turn of events, the front camera is really excellent.
You get a 32MP sensor that takes 8MP pixel-binned photos. The dynamic range here is great and it has borrowed the same imaging algorithm from the V17 Pro. Even on a bright sunny day, the background doesn’t get overexposed.
Selfie - Vivo S1 Pro v Redmi Note 8 Pro
1 of 6
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Vivo S1 Pro
Redmi Note 8 Pro
Once again comparing the S1 Pro to Redmi Note 8 Pro, the selfies on the former are far better. Just look at these images for comparison, Vivo S1 Pro selfies are definitely a better option.
Apart from the lenses themselves, I found quite many glitches on the native camera app itself. What annoyed me the most was that you couldn’t take portrait selfies although there is a portrait selfie mode in the app. What’s that all about?
Battery
Power-wise, you get a sizeable 4500 mAh battery on the Vivo S1 Pro, which is of the same size as seen on its predecessor.
However, the regular S1 came with MediaTek’s Helio P65 chipset whereas the S1 Pro has the 11nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 665. So Comparatively, I’m getting a better battery life here.
On a normal day, I had around 15% charge left before going to sleep. I’ll go as far as to say that its endurance is comparable to the Galaxy Note 10+.
And finally, FINALLY, Vivo has gone with a USB Type-C port and I just hope micro USB won’t be making any sort of comeback in the future.
You get an 18W fast charger inside the box which gets the phone from 0 to 100% in around 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Others
What’s left? Yeah, the call quality and speakers. I would rate both of them as average, the speaker in particular.
Conclusion
The Vivo S1 Pro has confused me, it’s a weird phone. It’s not bad and it’s not excellent either. Well, Dennis Reynolds said it better “It was pretty good… it was alright… it wasn’t great… but it was fine.” But “fine” doesn’t cut it anymore because of the competition. Vivo is doing really well in India, Nepal, and other Asian markets and the S1 Pro priced at Rs. 36,790, could’ve been one of their signature smartphones. But though I praise it, the phone doesn’t feel worthy of the price.
The company has definitely tried to include some notable features like the Super AMOLED display, fast in-display fingerprint scanner, big battery, good design and more. Despite all this, the performance isn’t quite good and gaming on the S1 Pro isn’t that great.
Vivo could’ve gone with the Snapdragon 730/730G to counter that instead of packing 8GB of RAM. On top of that, I feel like the cameras should’ve been a little more optimized too.
Just when we thought the year 2020 will be all about 5G, Qualcomm has introduced three new 4G Snapdragon chipsets for the mid-range smartphone market segment. Snapdragon 720G, Snapdragon 662 and Snapdragon 460 are all set to come with improved 4G and Bluetooth connectivity.
Why 4G when 5G is already available?
A couple of months ago Qualcomm introduced its latest flagship chipset at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019. The chipsets launched at the event – Snapdragon 865, 765, and 765G all came with support for 5G. Mediatek has joined the race too with its Dimensity series and the company looks to make 5G affordable than its rival. While there will be plenty of 5G smartphones in the market in 2020, the 5G technology is still in its infancy and it still hasn’t touched many places, like ours.
Also, these smartphones come with a hefty price tag. The price can become a problem if you consider the fact that India is the world’s biggest smartphone market. Mid-rangers are the real rulers in India and other price-conscious markets. Let’s admit it- 5G smartphones are novelty items in South Asia. So, the new 4G smartphone chips still make sense.
Like the snapdragon 765G launch earlier, Snapdragon 720G is also a gaming-focused chipset. It is fabricated using the 8nm fabrication process. It comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite gaming features to make the gaming experience even more smooth. Accelerated on-device AI will ensure optimal power efficiency. It comes with integrated 2×2 mobile connectivity and is WiFi 6 ready with a dual antenna for sending and receiving data. The Snapdragon 720 will compete against the likes of the Mediatek G70 series.
With the Snapdragon 662, Qualcomm wishes to bring a better camera and first in the 6-series-AI capabilities. It can support up-to triple camera setup and the switching between the three cameras is said to be smooth. The Qualcomm AI Engine will enable AI-based experiences such as avatars, night photography, and face and voice authentication. It packs the Snapdragon X11 LTE modem and can support peak download and upload speed at 390Mbps and 150Mbps respectively.
Process: 11nm
CPU: Octa-core Kryo 260
GPU: Adreno 610
Modem: Snapdragon X11 LTE
Snapdragon 460
Snapdragon 460 comes with significant improvements over the existing connectivity, AI, and camera in the Snapdragon 4-series. The updated architecture has resulted in an up to 70% boost in CPU and 60% GPU performance concerning existing 4-series. It is the first time that Qualcomm has introduced Hexagon Vector eXtensions(HVX) in the 4-series. It packs the same Snapdragon X11 LTE modem and can support peak download and upload speed at 390Mbps and 150Mbps respectively.
Process: 11nm
CPU: Octa-core Kryo 240
GPU: Adreno 610
Modem: Snapdragon X11 LTE
Who will incorporate the new 4G Snapdragon chipsets?
As of now, Realme and Xiaomi have already announced to launch smartphones powered by Snapdragon 720G, while more OEMs will announce new devices powered by these chipsets in the coming days.
Don’t forget to check out our hands-on review of Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite!
In its first-ever media event in Nepal, Realme officially launched the new Realme 5i. This “new” phone eerily shares a lot of similarities with the earlier Realme 5 and the Realme 5s and we’re quite honestly in a state of confusion on what to make of this phone. But the question is, Is Realme 5i better than the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 under the midrange price? Let’s find out now.
Realme 5i Overview
The phone features a 6.5-inch IPS panel with 720 x 1660 pixels. There’s a Gorilla Glass on the front for protection. There is a notch on the front to house the selfie camera. Realme 5i comes with a polycarbonate body with a wavy texture on the back. The company calls it the “Sunlight design“. That is the only change design-wise between the 5i and 5. The rest is almost the same.
The similarity doesn’t end here. Both the phones run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset. You get to choose between 4GB and 3GB of RAM. The 4GB variant will come with 64GB of internal but if you chose to go with the 3GB you will have to work with 32GB of internal storage. Though, Realme is only bringing the 4/64GB version.
Even before the official launch of Realme 5, it was the camera on the device that made the headlines. Fair enough, it was the first phone in its price range to feature a quad-camera setup. Realme continued with the quad-camera setup with all the Realme 5 series and it has done the same with Realme 5i. In fact, Realme 5i has the same camera setup(12MP primary+ 8MP ultra-wide + 2MP macro+ 2MP depth sensor) that we previously saw in the Realme 5. Realme didn’t even try to change the camera placement.
On the front, Realme has toned down the 13MP front camera of Realme 5 to 8MP in Realme 5i. That is the only major difference between Realme 5 and 5i.
The phone comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometrics. It will be backed by 5,000 mAh battery which comes with support for reverse charging. In the box, Realme has included a 10W charger. it sports a miro-USB port instead of the Type-C port.
Realme launched the Realme 5i(4/64GB) in Nepal for the price of Rs. 20,990. However, the new price is set at Rs. 20,790. It is available from retail shops all over Nepal.
Model Name
Old Price
New Price in Nepal
Realme 5i (4GB/64GB)
Rs. 20,990
Rs. 20,790
That’s definitely not competitive enough. One can save a few thousand and go for the objectively superior Redmi Note 8. Don’t believe me? Take a look at this:
If you were worried about WhatsApp being flooded with ads like that on Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, worry no more as recent reports suggest that the company has ditched the idea. Facebook will not go forward with the idea of ads on WhatsApp, not yet.
WhatsApp Acquisition
Facebook bought WhatsApp way back in 2014. It took the company a staggering $19 billion to acquire the cross-platform mobile messaging app. To this day, it remains the biggest ever acquisition by Facebook, while the $2 billion Oculus VR deal ranks 2nd. As you can notice, the difference between the two deals is very huge. So what made WhatsApp worth so much money?
Source: Statista.com
The things to consider here are the user growth rate and the engagement rate of WhatsApp. Back then, it had managed to attract 419 million users in the first four years of its establishment, with 1 million users joining every day. And to complement that, WhatsApp had and still enjoys high rates of engagement. The ratio of the daily active users to monthly active users back then was 70%. Even Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the fact in a conference call:
“WhatsApp is the only widely used app we’ve ever seen that has more engagement and a higher percentage of people using it daily than Facebook itself.”
Another reason Facebook couldn’t resist bidding for WhatsApp was the company’s messaging app-Messenger, which performed far below the company’s expectations. And the WhatsApp acquisition was intended to change a thing or so. Later, we saw Facebook introduce WhatsApp-inspired features to Messenger, such as the sign-up using phone numbers, which it eventually ditched at the end of 2019.
WhatsApp Marketing Potential and Advertisement Policy
Stories-like Ad on Whatsapp
With an overwhelming number of users complemented by massive user growth rates and engagement rates, WhatsApp possesses an unmatched potential for advertisement. And if you consider the huge sum of money invested by Facebook, it would only be logical to think Facebook would want to explore the marketing potential. After all Facebook and Instagram are doing well in terms of advertising. But why haven’t we seen any ads on WhatsApp? Maybe because it was never meant to have any ads. It might also be one of the reasons WhatsApp saw such unprecedented growth. This quote from Jan Koum (the co-founder of WhatsApp) in 2014 makes it even more clear:
Monetization is not going to be a prioritization for us. We are excited by where we are going to be five to 10 years from now. We are focused on growth.
Remember, when advertising is involved you the user are the product.
Facebook, WhatsApp: the story of ads
Facebook had earlier announced that it would introduce in-app advertisement in WhatsApp starting from 2020. The announcement came during the 2019 edition of Facebook’s annual Marketing Summit. At that time, Facebook had different ad-types to choose from. However, the most likely one was the Instagram Stories like Status feature. But with the start of the new year, Facebook seems to have dropped the idea (as of now).
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, Facebook has “disbanded” the team that was working on the idea. Facebook has deleted all the codes introduced to implement the ads. However, it is unclear if Facebook is resting the idea forever or will start on the project from scratch. Personally, the former doesn’t sound practical enough for an investment worth $19 billion. So, WhatsApp will introduce ads but it won’t happen any time soon.
Not long ago, smartphone manufacturers, especially those based in China, were in a race to announce new sub-brands to focus on new market segments. Xiaomi had Redmi, Pocophone, and still has gaming-focused Black Shark. Oppo came up with Realme, while Vivo announced iQOO about a year ago. The trend had slowed down in recent times but it looks like smartphone companies are now going in the opposite direction. Redmi and Pocophones are now independent brands. Realme has been operating independently since 2018. And now, there is news of Vivo spinning off iQOO as an independent smartphone brand in a bid to launch the brand in new markets.
Vivo announced iQOO (I Quest On and On) back in February last year. With the new iQOO (pronounced eye-Koo) sub-brand, Vivo entered the emerging gaming smartphone segment. iQOO with its monster variant was its initial releases. Since then, there have been a handful of device launches under the “iQOO” brand, which includes the likes of iQOO Neo, iQOO Neo 855, iQOO Pro and iQOO Pro 5G. In China, iQOO is known for its performance-focused premium line up of smartphones. All of its releases so far have come with either Snapdragon 845 or Snapdragon 855 on board. It is yet to explore other markets outside its home country.
Vivo will be the second Chinese OEM to spin-off its sub-brand into an independent company in 2020 if iQOO indeed manages to become one. Just a couple of days ago, Pocophone, which was then a sub-brand of Xiaomi, was announced as an independent brand in India. But the motives behind the two spin-offs are different. Xiaomi made the decision to make room for its Mi lineup of flagship smartphones. Vivo will be spinning off its gaming-focused sub-brand in a bid to expand its market outside China.
Like I said earlier, iQOO is yet to launch in the international market. And the company is gearing up for its first release outside China. According to a report by 91mobiles, it is set to enter the South Asian market through India in March 2020. It is also said that the brand will bring in a new smartphone with it. Further details about the smartphone are not available. However, it will be powered by a chipset under the Snapdragon 8 series.
In 2020, we expect a lot of noise in the gaming smartphone market segment. It looks to be the year for the first gaming smartphone under the Lenovo Legion series. Black Shark will be working to extend its market offering with Black Shark 3. With the launch of gaming chipsets like Snapdragon 765G and MediaTek Helio G70 lineup, we expect smartphone gaming to be way more exciting and affordable.
Bigger screen, better processor, and a bigger battery. Yup, that’s what the new Honor MagicWatch 2 brings for its faithful users. The MagicWatch 2 comes as a successor to last year’s MagicWatch, and trust me this time it’s bigger and better. And now, the Honor MagicWatch 2 is officially available in Nepal for a competitive price.
Honor MagicWatch 2 Overview
For a start, the MagicWatch 2 has a 1.39-inch AMOLED display. It supports a 454 x 454 resolution. It is a major upgrade from its predecessor as it only had a 1.2-inch screen. However, people still have the option to buy a 1.2-inch MagicWatch 2 as it is there in the 42mm variant. For the bigger screen, you’ll have to get the 46mm variant. Both the variants are made of 361L stainless steel.
Other than that, the design seems similar to the previous MagicWatch. Two control buttons are still there on the right side and you get a tachymeter on the dial. However, on the 42mm variant, the tachymeter is absent from the dial. Nonetheless, the bezels do appear to be a bit thinner than the previous model this time.
Color-wise, both size variants come with two color variants each. For the 46mm one, the available options are Carbon Black and Flax Brown. And as for the 42mm variant, you can choose between Agate Black and Sakura Gold.
Another major upgrade in MagicWatch 2 is the processor. It uses the new Kirin A1 processor for its functioning. This is similar to the one used in the Huawei Watch GT 2. As a matter of fact, both MagicWatch 2 and GT 2 have many common features. However, this one is marketed especially for youths.
Anyway, the use of this new chip brings Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity with it. This advanced Bluetooth connection allows the smartwatch to stay connected with your mobile even at a distance of 150m.
The storage option that you get with the MagicWatch 2 is of 4GB. Out of that 2GB can be used to create a playlist of around 500 songs. That might come in handy while exercising and you have no internet connection.
MagicWatch 2 packs in a lot of fitness features as well. There’s the 24-hour heart-rate tracking system, distance tracker, speed & calorie tracker, and lot more. The device will warn you if your heart rate is fluctuating between extremes. Furthermore, it will give its suggestions to you about maintaining calm if it senses. In addition to that, the sleep tracker will also monitor your sleep schedule and give suggestions respectively.
The watch comes with 15 fitness modes. It ranges all the way from hiking to rowing. The swim tracking feature seems especially intriguing. This mode helps measure your SWOLF score. Basically, it tells you the total number of strokes and seconds that you needed to complete one length in the pool. And don’t be afraid to wear it while swimming as the device is 5ATM water-resistant.
As for the battery, you now get a 455mAh battery on the 46mm variant. This battery lasts for a total of 14 days on a full charge. This claimed 2-week battery backup is based on 90min GPS tracking during workouts, 30min calls, and 30min music playback each week. So, Honor has provided the data that supports 14 days battery backup, thus hope that it truly works as claimed. However, the thing to be noted is that 14 days battery backup is only for the 46mm variant. With the 42mm one, you’ll only get a week’s use.
Honor MagicWatch 2 Price in Nepal and Availability
The Honor MagicWatch 2 price in Nepal is Rs.25,999. This price is for the 46mm Charcoal Black variant. It is available from mobile retail shops all over Nepal.
Back in December, when Pocophone’s global head, Alvin Tse, tweeted that “You will hear more from POCO in 2020“, the first thing that struck our mind was the Poco F2– the successor to Poco F1. While Poco F2 may still be on progress, Pocophone has announced something even more exciting. News from India confirms that Poco will now operate as an independent smartphone brand; it will no longer be a sub-brand of Xiaomi.
Pocophone: The story so far
Poco started as a sub-brand of Xiaomi. It first introduced itself to the world in 2018 when it launched the Poco F1. To this day, Poco F1 remains the only release from the company. To recall, Poco F1 came with flagship-grade hardware at an affordable price tag. It sort of reminded us of the OnePlus One. With the Poco F1, Pocophone was able to create a name for itself in rather a short period of time.
After the Poco F1, people expected more from the brand. But those expectations were never fulfilled. In 2019, Poco didn’t release a single phone yet it managed to rejoice popularity amidst people’s anticipation. Even there were rumors of Poco being discontinued. Alvin Tse, the company’s global head, was then deployed to lead Xiaomi Indonesia. It added fuel to the rumors. But at the end of 2019, Alvin Tse, himself, proved the rumors wrong by confirming more activities from Poco in 2020.
Xiaomi has announced on Friday that “it is spinning off POCO as a standalone company“. Poco will now operate as an independent brand with its own team and marketing strategy. The announcement from Manu Kumar Jain, Xiaomi’s Vice President, and Xiaomi India’s Managing, Director reads:
“What started as a sub-brand in POCO has grown into its own identity in a short span of time. POCO F1 is an extremely popular phone across user groups and remains a top contender in its category even in 2020. We feel the time is right to let POCO operate on its own now, which is why we’re excited to announce that POCO will spin-off as an independent brand. Join me in wishing the POCO team the best!”
Following the announcement, Poco India’s official twitter handle changed its bio and display picture. It now has a separate website of its own. The official twitter handle has changed the display picture to a black background. A lot of fans are reporting that the black picture has “Hello World!” hidden within itself.
Alvin Tse has acknowledged the announcement through his twitter handle.
Following this announcement, there is confusion among the fans about the new structure that the Pocophone will adopt. A few months ago, we saw some top Poco officials including some of the founding members leave the brand. Will Alvin Tse continue as Poco’s company’s global head or will leave the company to lead Xiaomi Indonesia? We are yet to hear from Pocophone about their new structure.
Xiaomi to focus on “Mi” lineup
Xiaomi has been a big player in the low-end and mid-range segment of the smartphone market. It looks to change this by focusing on its premium ‘Mi’ series. The spinning off of budget “Redmi” and “Poco” as independent brands is looking like an effort from Xioami to make the flagship Mi lineup the brand image of the company.
It is speculated that Redmi will be focused on entry-level devices. Poco will continue to live up to its fame of flagship killer and Mi with its flagship offerings will be the new brand image of Xiaomi. It is expected that 5G enabled smartphones will be exclusive to “Mi”.
How excited are you about Poco? Will Xiaomi’s plan to focus on the flagship phone pay off? Share your opinion with us.
Also, check out our early impressions of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite:
