Huawei is the world’s largest telecom equipment maker and the second largest when it comes to smartphones. And the company was doing well in its business with its innovative products and remarkable progress in the 5G technology. But as the company got enlisted in the US government’s entity list, Huawei received a massive blow. And as the US companies like Google, Qualcomm, and ARM started cutting ties with Huawei, its vigor seems quite faltered. Because of the lack of Google apps, the latest flagship smartphones from the company wasn’t appreciated much in the markets outside of China. However, this brutal trade ban seems to loosen up a little as the US government is reconsidering to grant licenses to US companies, who are willing to trade with Huawei.
The trade ban took a toll on both sides. As Huawei received a business denial from multiple US companies, it was obvious that it suffered more. And to cope with the situations, there were rumors about Huawei working on the alternatives. Huawei’s home-baked Hongmeng OS was considered one of such alternatives. But the recent progress has cued that Huawei still has better chances to continue with Google’s Android ecosystem.
Huawei was considered a threat to US national security and the government had decided to halt the trade that would help the company in its business endeavors. But in July, the US Commerce Department announced its plans to grant special trade licenses to the local tech companies to continue its business ties with Huawei. But Huawei wasn’t removed from the entity list and still was considered as the threat for US national security. So there was a plan to allow trade licenses for the tech companies and on the products, which wouldn’t pose a threat to US national security. After the announcement, 130 US companies applied for the application.
As time passes by, there has also been an increased interest to continue business with Huawei. Wilbur Ross, the US Commerce secretary has confirmed that the number of applications has doubled to 260. The secretary also assured that the Commerce Department would start issuing the licenses “very shortly”. However, in the interview with Bloomberg Ross explicitly stated that the department has reviewed all the applications submitted but only a few of them are likely to get the certification.
Remember too with entity lists there’s a presumption of denial. So the safe thing for these companies would be to assume denial, even though we will obviously approve quite a few of them. – Wilbur Ross
Among the 260 applicants, there must be companies like Google and Qualcomm. So if these companies get a green signal for the trade partnership with Huawei, we might be able to see new Huawei and Honor phones with Google apps and tech from Qualcomm. Since Huawei’s Mate 30 series lacked the charm in the international market because of the absence of Google apps, the company could even consider releasing the phone for the international market including Google services.
As November 19 is the deadline for Huawei phones to receive updates and security patches from Google, this step could also avoid any new security holes being exploited by third parties.
Although this new lead has given a glimpse of hope to Huawei, the Commerce Department hasn’t revealed any timelines how this licensing program would move forward. There have been no mentions about when the Department would start providing licenses and when the companies could continue their business with Huawei.
Remember the OPPO A7 we reviewed last year, it was well, not on par with the competition, in fact, it was one of the worst value for money smartphone of 2019. Now, they have launched its successor, the A9 2020.
And it’s obvious that OPPO wants their A series to succeed, so they have upped their game with this phone with better cameras and an upgrade in overall performance. But the competition within the midrange segment is crazy, so does the A9 2020 live up to its billing? We have tried to explain that in this OPPO A9 2020 review.
Connectivity: 3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio, Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ GLONASS/ Beidou
Battery: 5000mAh battery with fast charging
Price: Rs. 35,990
Design
Now, I’ve been using the A9 2020 as my everyday device for the past couple of weeks and the one I’ve has a marine green glass back. Dark, glossy and filled with gradient colors. I guess that’s what best describes its look. You’ll be able to see different patterns of reflection on it depending upon your viewing angle. Overall, I’m quite pleased with its design given its glass back as it makes me look like I’m actually holding an expensive premium phone.
One minor complaint that I have though with it is that the glass finish attracts smudges. You’ll feel a continual need to keep wiping the back as you’ll feel that the fingerprint marks on the back of your device are quite common. However, the good thing is that you actually get a clear case along with the device itself. But still, if you plan on using the device case-less, all I can say is Good Luck!
On the backside, you’ll also find the quad-camera setup (48MP + 8MP + 2MP +2MP), with 3 cameras aligned vertically above the fingerprint scanner and another one just beside the camera array along with the LED flash. The button placement in A9 2020 is pretty standard. There’s a power button on the right and the volume buttons on the left. Just above the volume buttons is the tray for dual nano-SIM and dedicated microSD card.
In front, there’s the 6.5-inch IPS LCD screen with a small water-drop notch on top. The notch also houses a 16MP selfie shooter. There’s also a call speaker on top too. However, there’s no LED light for notifications. It would have been great to keep track of battery charge status and notifications.
The loudspeaker, a USB Type-C port, microphone, and a 3.mm headphone jack. All of it is housed in the bottom rim and the top rim is completely devoid of any. Now, I’ve no complaints about others however, the placement of the headphone jack really bugged me. Maybe it’s because I’m used to having one on top. Whatever it is, it is just one minor complaint from my side and others may not feel the same way. Well, to each their own, isn’t it?
Display
Moving on to the display, the OPPO A9 2020 has a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS screen. It receives protection courtesy of the Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Thin bezel surrounds the devices’ screen. Now it does gives the device an aesthetically pleasing look however I did find the thick chin intrusive while watching YouTube videos in landscape mode.
The 720p resolution that the device offers is one of the biggest drawbacks of this device. I mean it costs upwards of 35K and what we are left with is a screen that has a low resolution simply does not do justice to its price. Don’t get me wrong, its display is fine as you’ll get good color and will be able to notice sharp enough details, however, the cost that you’ll be paying for this device is just too much.
I was already complaining about the Mi A3 which had too offered a 720p resolution. But at least it had an AMOLED panel. This phone in comparison does not even have an OLED panel. I think that 720p resolution should stay in the sub 20k smartphones. If you’re planning to go beyond the 35K mark at least include an FHD display or better yet throw in an OLED panel along with it too! An expensive smartphone with an average display is simply a huge bummer.
Software and UI
Now for the UI, the OPPO A9 uses the Android 9 Pie with Color OS 6.0.1 on top. Although I am not a big fan of Color OS, as compared to Realme phones, I found the UI to be better from Icons to transition.
Also, with the Color OS, you’ll probably not feel any lags while using it. Switching between the apps is also no problem as everything is very smooth. I think the smoothness is further complemented by its RAM which is a huge 8GB.
I found the UI to be highly customizable too. you can choose whether you want an app drawer or not the screen layout and even customize the ways you want your navigation buttons to be arranged. Furthermore, you get features such as smart driving and smart assistant which despite being common in smartphones these days might come in handy.
Now, the device does come pre-installed with many apps, however, you can easily uninstall them if you want.
Performance
I was actually present during the launch of this device and in their presentation, they had showcased it as a smartphone in which you can easily play games without any hindrance. Now, the 8 GB RAM does complement that statement and you can easily play games such as mobile legends, PUBG, and Call of duty on this device and that too with the minimum frame rate. However, I do not think you’re getting the very best with this. For god sake, it is powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC. Not that it is not a good chipset, but again it does not quite match the price range of the device. They could’ve easily opted for the Snapdragon 675 SoC which guarantees better performance. But no, here too they have compromised.
Then again there’s the lingering issue of the display too. while playing PUBG you cannot go above the balanced graphics settings with minimum frame rates on this device. But the gameplay is indeed smooth even while playing in the maximum supported setting of games that the device supports. So, if you’re okay playing games in the lowest possible settings then, I’ve got nothing to say.
One plus point, however, is the sound quality. Thanks to the Dolby Atmos support, the device produces clear and loud enough sound which has a good depth to it. But then again, you’ll find that its bass support is not that great. Good thing that they’ve included a headphone jack.
Camera
Another aspect that the company has heavily focused on the device is its camera. Rear quad-cam with 48MP primary sensor. Front camera with improved AI algorithms, new night mode, and whatnot. From the outside, I felt that okay, so the cameras’ got to be pretty awesome on this.
On the rear, the device has a quad-camera setup. It comprises of a 48MP primary lens, an 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP monochrome lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. And honestly speaking, shooting photos from the rear camera is a hit or miss situation.
Now, to capturing perfect photos each time is a tedious task with the A9 2020’s camera. You need to shoot under good lightings and maintain focus to get the best results. Your perfectly captured photos will showcase accurate colors and you’ll see that it is pretty sharp too. However, the rest of the time, you get photos that look good on a surface level but as you zoom in it’s all grainy and lacks enough detail.
Images from Main camera
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Capturing an image in low light is also not so great with its camera. Usually, I could see that my photos came out grainy. However, there is this night mode feature that you can make use of while taking night time photos. And indeed, you’ll be able to see a significant difference in quality between your normal low-light photo and those captured using the Night Mode.
Low light images
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Normal mode
Normal mode
Night mode
So much so that I think that the night mode is a single good thing about its rear camera. You can see for yourself the obvious difference in the quality of the images captured with and without the night mode.
I was not impressed by the portrait images either. OPPO has included multiple filter options for portrait mode too. Seven to be exact! But what’s the use of all this filter if the portrait camera does not do what it’s supposed to.
I mean you’ll face several instances where you’ll find asking more of the blur effect on backgrounds as the bokeh could miss parts of the background. Here too, you’ll need everything to be perfect in order to capture a good portrait image.
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Moving on to the front camera, OPPO A9 2020 has a 16MP selfie shooter housed in the notch upfront.
And I’ve to say rather than the quadruple rear camera. The photos come out great as you can observe good details and pretty good color in your selfie. It does have a lot of AI work going in the background and your selfies might not necessarily give a natural look but the quality is good enough to be uploaded on Facebook or Instagram. Low-light selfies might come out a bit grainy but still, they seem good enough.
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Normal Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Normal Selfie
Portrait Selfie
Normal Selfie
Normal Selfie
In more than one instance, I was actually using the front camera more than its quad-rear camera. It’s much better at producing sharp images and you’ll find that the pictures pack sufficient details. And under perfect lightning, it can, in fact, produce a selfie that is tough to beat.
Normal Vs Wide angle mode
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normal mode
Wide angle mode
normal mode
Wide angle mode
normal mode
Wide angle mode
normal mode
Wide angle mode
normal mode
Wide angle mode
As far as video recording is concerned, the device is capable to capture 4K videos. Now, a good thing while recording the videos is that you can switch from normal to the ultrawide frame in a single video. Furthermore, there’s the added Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). This comes in handy while capturing videos while moving. However, it too has a sort of a drawback as there’s a lack of focus.
Battery and security
The part in which OPPO has not made any compromises with this device is probably its battery. With a huge capacity of 5000mAh, the device in plain terms is power-bank. With a full charge, the device should easily give you a day and a half battery life. Depending upon the usage that is! It is obvious why its battery life is so huge. No, not just the battery size, the low-res HD+ display plays its role too.
In terms of security, the device pretty much has the standard passcode and biometrics. The biometrics, in fact, were quite impressive. The rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and the face unlock are pretty quick. However, I found the fingerprint to be much faster than the face-unlock. A9 2020’s face-unlock, in fact, performs well in low light conditions too.
Another safety feature that’s available on A9 2020 is the Privacy Passcode. it is used for app encryption and can further be bound by a security email or your OPPO ID. The manufacturer’s claim that its encryption happens on the chip level and is secure from brute-force attacks. Your device might not be so personal. I mean a friend, family member or an associate might just have access to your device once in a while. And you might have some files or apps that you want to remain private. this is where this feature comes into play. You can enable app encryption, choose to have an app icon hidden (if required can be accessed from the dialer) or have a private safe within your device. Now that’s neat, isn’t it?
Verdict
So, my verdict about the OPPO A9 is, Considering the price range, OPPO should have offered more. I mean its competitions are Redmi Note 8 Pro, Realme XT, and Vivo S1, which is near about the same price range provides more in terms of display and camera.
What I really add on to it is that this A series from OPPO is seriously underwhelming. And what’s strange is OPPO is launching K-series and Reno-Series phones in China and they are in fact worth the money. Better resolution and a much powerful processor.
For a like to like comparison, I guess it’s better if we take the K series. At a much cheaper price than the A9 2020, they offer AMOLED panel with full HD+ display. Not to forget the much better processor, for instance, the K3 in the K series offers. So, I guess it would have been better if the company focused more on the availability and improvement in the other series than in A series which do not meet the expectations whatsoever. If they at all cost want to push the A series then a serious improvement is needed because they cannot expect customers to go for it with such minimal performance and that too at what I think is a very high price.
So, to sum it up, even though the OPPO A9 2020 boasts some of the best specs out there, the actual performance does not match and its price is just too much as you can get better devices in the same price range. Thus, if it were up to me, I would probably go for a Redmi K20 or Galaxy M30s instead of the A9 2020.
Facebook, YouTube and what not? The ads are everywhere. And why wouldn’t it be? After all, the world’s biggest online sales day is coming soon. Yup! Daraz’s 11.11 sales day, is back with its second iteration here in Nepal. And this time, it promises to be a lot bigger than before.
11.11 last year was the first time that Daraz brought forth the World’s biggest Sales festival in Nepal. It was a big success. Otherwise, why would they even bother to bring in the second rendition of it? So, for those of you who participated last year, you probably have an idea about what 11.11 means. However, those new to it might find it a bit overwhelming. But worry not, that’s what I am here for. So, keep reading to know what it’s all about.
What is 11.11?
The Daraz 11.11 sales day is the world’s biggest 24-hour sales festival that is celebrated in all countries that fall under the Alibaba ecosystem. Though it is only the second time it is being organized in Nepal, it’s history dates a lot back.
First started in China 11 years ago, it was initially known as the “World’s Singles Day“. And over the year it has gotten so big that at one point it took over the Black Friday sales. So, their tagline of “world’s biggest online sales day” is not just a tagline thing. It is the world’s biggest online sales day!
11.11 is a 24-hour shopping thrill ride which I guess even those who shop rarely might find interesting. Basically, for 24 hours, people get to shop unlimited items at a heavily discounted price rate.
Daraz 11.11 this year in Nepal
The Daraz 11.11 this time around falls on November 11. It starts at midnight and continues to the end of the day. So, I guess potential shoppers will have to be prepared at 12:00 am sharp if they want to make the best out of this occasion. Once users log in to the site using their mobile apps they will be able to view exciting offers from their favorite sellers.
With the discount rates rising to 80%, along with multiple vouchers, giveaways, and whatnot, Daraz 11.11 is certainly a day to look out for. Furthermore, users will have multiple opportunities to get exclusive deals and offers.
For instance, there’s this Early Birds offer that allows a selected few early shoppers, a chance to utilize limited offers on the big day. Similarly, there are other programs within the 11.11 sales day such as Follow and Get, Bundle Offers, Hour Madness, Flash Sales and what not. Thus this year’s event certainly promises to be huge.
What’s new at Daraz 11.11 for 2019?
A recurring complaint among last year’s shoppers of the 11.11 was that they did not receive their orders in time. Or even if the did receive, most often they got items that they had not ordered.
So, how is Daraz going to mitigate all these this year? For start, they have planned to maintain a bigger warehouse complemented by a huge number of human resources. They are there to make sure that the right item is delivered to the right customer.
Furthermore, they have also introduced their delivery service. It includes 400 delivery riders, labeled as the Daraz Heroes. It’s their task to ensure that there is no significant delay in delivery and customers will not have a chance for complaints. Truly a heroic task they are responsible for. Hopefully, these changes that they have made will work towards mitigating Darazs’ 11.11 flaws from last year.
Moreover, this time digital pre-payments are introduced for the sales day. People can pay digitally while checkout itself and receive further discounts on their orders. Isn’t that great! It provides users to get cheaper deals from the increased number of Daraz Mall stores and brands.
Additionally, a better review system that includes image reviews and detailed product reviews allows shoppers to be certain about what they are buying. Customers can even chat directly with sellers to know more about the products. No compromises at all, when it comes to customer satisfaction. Now that’s commendable.
Not to forget, there’s a game zone option available in the Daraz app. You can play games and win gift vouchers. You earn vouchers in return for playing games. Online experience in Nepal has truly come a long way.
So with all this said and done, the 11.11 sales this year certainly looks like an exciting event. Hopefully, it will not disappoint.
News about Nepal Telecommunication Authority (NTA) making it mandatory for people to register their mobile SIM card under the user’s own name has been surfacing lately. The directive is being placed into order because the government of Nepal is planning to launch the Nagarik app for citizens so that government services reach the people digitally and in a more efficient manner.
Previously, the government planned don using the Citizenship ID for the very purpose but now the government wants to deliver the app service by linking the customer’s mobile number with the app. This means that our mobile numbers will be used as unique IDs for the Nagarik app.
Some few years back, getting a SIM card was a tedious task, so people thought it easy to buy SIM cards from other people at a much much higher price. Because of such practices, today many people have their SIM cards registered in other people’s names. But now, NTA has requested all the citizens to carry SIM ownership in their own names.
How to change your SIM (both NTC and Ncell) ownership to your own names?
Whether you are an NTC user or a Ncell user, you can now transfer SIM ownership to your own names.
For NTC:
a. Visit NTC office counters with your citizenship ID. It’s better to carry the citizenship ID of the person whose name your SIM card is registered too along with yours (in case you have it).
b. Fill the SIM name transfer form.
For Ncell:
a. Visit the nearest Ncell centers and request the officials to get the name transferred. You will also need to carry proof that you have been using that particular SIM card.
In case, you don’t know who holds the ownership of the SIM card you are using, type *922# (For NTC) and *9966# (For Ncell)
What will happen if one does not transfer their SIM ownership to their own names?
As already mentioned, the government is planning to roll out a mobile application to enable people to use various government facilities. The people who fail to register their own names for their SIM cards will not be able to avail of those services.
Update: Govt has rolled out Nagarik App where it’s mandatory for your phone number to be registered in your name.
After its success with the budget Oppo A3s, Oppo launched Oppo A5s, in Nepal in April 2019. The device is a budget phone like its predecessor and now the company is offering its price has dropped since its launch. So, let’s check out the complete specifications, updated price, and availability of Oppo A5s in Nepal.
Oppo A5s Overview
The A5s only has a couple of subtle changes over the A5. It features a similar 6.2-inch IPS LCD display that comes in HD resolution. This screen has a 19:9 aspect ratio, a waterdrop notch, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Under the hood, the Oppo A5s is powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor. This CPU is coupled with PowerVR GE8320 GPU. The Oppo A5s is available in 2 GB and 3 GB RAM variants for the Nepali users. In terms of software, the device runs on the older Android v8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.2 on top as a skin.
Optics wise, the Oppo A5s comes with a dual-camera setup measuring 13-megapixel (primary) and 2-megapixel (depth). For selfies, Oppo has included an 8-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
The major USP of the Oppo A5s is definitely the 4,230 mAh battery which will go well with the HD resolution of the phone. The device houses a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Accelerometer, Proximity, and Compass
Oppo A5s Price in Nepal and Availability
After the price drop, the latest price of Oppo A5s in Nepal is Rs.16,790 for the 2/32GB variant and Rs.18,590 for the 3/32GB variant.
Model Name
Old Price
New Price in Nepal
Oppo A5s (2/32GB)
NPR. 19,990
NPR. 16,790
Oppo A5s (3/32GB)
NPR. 18,990
NPR. 18,590
The device is still one of the best phones to buy under the price of 20,000 in Nepal, however, you would want to pay more for even better unless you are really tight on budget.
Who would have thought in the past decade that mobile gaming would be where it is now. It has seen an exponential surge in popularity within the last couple of years, with the release of various FPS, MOBA titles with graphics on par to that of their PC/Console counterparts. To capitalize on the ever-growing market, many manufacturers jumped in headfirst and launched their own gaming phones like the Razer Phone, Xiaomi Black Shark and Asus ROG Phone.
And the list keeps on growing! Nubia also recently launched its new gaming phone – the Red Magic 3, which I have with me right now.
But, before going forward with its review, I’d like to say that this can also be taken as the newer Red Magic 3S review since the latter has a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 855+ chipset and comes in some new gradient colors while sharing the same specification as the Magic 3. So, without further ado, let’s get started with Nubia Red Magic 3 review.
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Dual 4G VoLTE), WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C
Battery: 5000mAh battery with 27W fast charging
Nubia Red Magic 3 Price in Nepal: Rs. 59,999
Design and Build
The Red Magic 3 is a gaming phone which is vividly reflected in its design. It has a robust full metal body which is IP55 resistant too. It is not as secure as the IP68, but it should protect the phone with minor dust and water sprays.
There’s a single 48MP camera on the back which we’ll get into later in the review. Under the camera, you’ll find a stylish grill which is the air-vent for the phone’s internal cooling fan.
This makes Red Magic 3 the first phone in the industry to feature an in-built cooling fan. And a fan without a good inflow of air is useless by itself.
For this, Nubia has cleverly implemented a grill on the side of the device just above the volume rockers. I didn’t find my fingers covering up the grill during my gaming sessions but I can’t say the same for people with larger hands.
Other notable gaming features of the phone include two Shoulder Buttons or Touch Capacitors which are very well positioned on the side. However, you might find some difficulty operating these capacitors while playing games with 3.5mm headphones plugged in. Additionally, the fingerprint sensor itself can be configured to function as a game touch button, allowing the Red Magic 3 to have 5 finger control in total.
Not something of a deal-breaker, but we had to mention it nevertheless. However, there’s a clever solution for it with Nubia’s proprietary modules which can be attached on the back of the phone.
Similarly, there’s a dedicated slider on the top-left portion of the phone which triggers Game Space. What it does, is basically shield you from notifications, calls, messages and other annoying alerts while you’re gaming.
The POGO pins down the slider facilitate the use of the aforementioned module, dubbed the Docking Station. Another accessory for the Red Magic 3 is Nubia’s Bluetooth Gamepad, which can be installed after slapping in a case on the phone.
Furthermore, the attractive RGB LED strip on the back completes the gaming aesthetic of the phone, which is customizable too. Also, there’s a handy option on the settings to toggle it on or off.
For me, I usually kept it turned off since you can’t personally see the LED strip on effect and only takes a toll on the phone’s battery.
You get a Type-C charging port on the bottom alongside the single speaker, which when combined with the earpiece on the front makes the Red Magic 3 a stereo speakerphone. For a mid-range phone, the speaker quality is surprisingly good.
Talking about security, there’s a physical fingerprint scanner on the back on a unique hexagonal shape. It is not the best-placed fingerprint sensor, neither is it the fastest. For a faster unlock, you can use the face unlock which doesn’t use 3D mapping, so it may not be the most reliable of the options.
And Unlike the flagships of the present, the Red Magic 3 doesn’t have an in-display fingerprint sensor.
While on the topic of design, it’s important to note that the Red Magic 3 is a tall phone so it may be very difficult for many people including myself to use single-handedly. Also, the design on the back makes the phone wobble when placed on a flat surface.
Display
On the front, you get a tall 6.65-inch AMOLED display with Full-HD resolution and yes, a 90Hz refresh rate. With this, you get a smooth viewing experience unlike the phones with the regular 60Hz refresh rate.
You’ve probably heard this from other reviewers but I’d say it as well. The difference a 90Hz display is astounding and you should experience it personally to know how much.
I liked the display’s colors and contrast as well, though it doesn’t max out on brightness to my liking. While there was no problem using the phone indoors, I did face some inconvenience using it outdoors.
The Red Magic 3 has a notch-less display with slim bezels on top and bottom. The top one holds the selfie camera. A bezel-less display on a gaming phone wouldn’t have been the best design implementation since that would make the phone prone to accidental touches while gaming. So, I have to applaud Nubia’s design choice with the Red Magic 3.
Performance
Now, a gaming phone needs to perform well for which it needs the most powerful processors. And the Red Magic 3 have this part covered with the Snapdragon 855 chipset while the Red Magic 3S has a slightly more powerful Snapdragon 855+ chipset.
So, needless to say, I didn’t experience any hiccups in performance. Everything ran as smooth as smooth can get.
With a top-class processor, smoother 90Hz display, and an internal cooling fan, the Red Magic 3 is the ultimate mobile gaming machine. I played PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Mobile Legends Bang Band in the highest of the settings and faced no stutters of sorts. There was a minimal drop in frame-rates here and there but that’s not something to scratch your head over.
Similarly, the phone performed well in the thermal department as well. I witnessed no heating issue with the Red Magic 3, thanks to the internal fan which can be toggled on/off from the Game Space.
On a related note, Game Space offers control over lots of other gaming features on the phone aside from the internal fan. Its UI is pretty rad than a regular Android UI. Gaming aesthetics is embroidered throughout the UI where we can see all the games installed on our phone.
Meddling with the gaming controls like toggling CPU/GPU performance, fan controller, message, phone call, blocking notifications, configuring touch capacitors, etc. can be initiated by a simple swipe on the right of the phone.
All these features make you wonder if it’ll outperform a full-on gaming PC. But no, just no! That’s just an outlandish thought. Moving on, as I mentioned earlier, I have the 8/128GB model which is the only one available in Nepal.
However, there’s also 6/64 GB and 12/256GB variants available on other parts of the world. The latest in storage technology: UFS 3.0 finds a home in the Red Magic 3 as well. So Installing big apps/games is no sweat for this beast.
Software
It runs on the older Android 9.0 (Pie) with Nubia’s Redmagic 2.0 on top, which is very similar to stock Android with clean UI and a few translation errors here and there. Unlike other manufacturers, there are very few bloatware applications, so that’s great too!
Battery
The big 5000 mAh battery will also easily last you two days on normal usage. It supports 18W Quick Charge 4+ which isn’t that fast compared to Samsung’s 45W or OPPO’s 65W charging. Nevertheless, I got it to charge up to 60% from 0% within 30 minutes, which is commendable.
Camera
Let’s talk about Red Magic 3’s camera now. We’ve seen many gaming phones which excel at being a gaming device exclusively but skimp on camera performance. For now, Nubia has also honored this unfortunate trend.
There’s a single 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor on the back which can be found in other phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro and Redmi K20 Pro.
And I had hoped that Nubia would come up with a better camera configuration on the refreshed Red Magic 3S, but I was let down once again. As opposed to this, the new Asus ROG Phone II boasts a dual-rear camera setup with an additional ultrawide lens.
Red magic 3 Rear Camera (Camera Samples)
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Low light Image
But since it only has a single lens, it falls behind many photography metrics like ultrawide angle, portrait, telephoto, macro shots, to name a few.
Though the photos are decently detailed, the edges of the object focused aren’t that sharp and dynamic range is average. Similarly, I found that the color reproduction is slightly enhanced and unevenly distributed. We could’ve had it all, but Nubia made a trade-off on the camera department and polished the gaming features more.
Like the weak rear-camera, the single 16MP front camera is also average. The details are good and colors seem natural, but it lacks HDR so dynamic range takes a hit. There’s this “Pretty Mode” as the name implies lets you take selfies while making your face free of any acne marks, blemishes, and whatnots.
Selfie Samples
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On the videography end, isn’t something that’ll knock your socks off either. No OIS or EIS means videos from the Red Magic 3 are below average to put it nicely. You can, however, take HDR and 4K @60fps videos.
I was surprised to know that the phone can shoot 8K videos at 15fps, making it next to useless for me at least. Nubia will take the praise for introducing 8K video shooting capability on a phone nonetheless.
Verdict
Now keeping all these factors into consideration, would I recommend the Red Magic 3? Definitely, although only for a specific set of consumers. For most of the average consumers, the Realme X2 Pro or the Oneplus 7T would be a good investment as they have better cameras, provide regular updates, and has a cleaner design.
So, like every gaming phone out there, this too is a super niche product intended to someone who games a lot and photography isn’t their “thing”.
Realme has launched its new mid-range smartphone — the Realm XT in India. It is nearly identical to the Realme X, except for some hardware internals and carrying a cheaper price-tag. But, will the Realme XT launch in Nepal? According to the official statement from Realme Nepal, they will not be bringing the Realme XT in Nepal.
Realme XT Overview:
Just while Xiaomi was hyping about the 64 MP cameras on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Realme too plunged into the megapixel war. The XT comes with a whopping 64MP Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor for the primary camera module. The sensor uses pixel binning technology to deliver 16MP shots. Other cameras include an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP Macro lens.
The specs, however, makes the Realme XT similar to the Realme 5 Pro in many ways! The XT comes with the Snapdragon 712 chipset, 6/8 GB RAM with 64/128 GB storage, 4,000 mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 20-watt Fast charging and a 16 MP selfie camera with a waterdrop notch. Thankfully, the phone also comes with a headphone jack.
But the upgrades the XT has over the Realme 5 pro is in the display aspect with the XT featuring a 6.3-inches Super AMOLED screen and housing an in-display fingerprint sensor. Similarly, the XT comes bearing a glass design, which is the first time the company has provided a glass back!
As mentioned earlier, Realme XT will not launch in Nepal. However, you can get Realme XT from un-authorized sellers from hamrobazar. The unofficial price of Realme XT in Nepal for the 4/64GB variant is Rs. 27,000.
Motorola is still kicking it in the smartphone industry. Primarily known for its mid-range and budget devices, Motorola phones embrace durability and core productivity in them, while also offering some unique features with a cool design. The company unveiled the Moto G7 series a few months ago and now, it’s back with two new devices: Moto G8 Plus and a cheaper Moto E6 Play.
Moto G8 Plus Overview
Worthy competitor for the Oppo A9 2020?
The G8 Plus is a good looking budget device with a decent chipset. It is equipped with Snapdragon 665 chipset (11nm) and Adreno 610 GPU. Thus, the phone is capable of handling daily needs while still sufficing to your average gaming requirements. Motorola has gone with a single memory variant for the G8 Plus. You get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which thankfully is expandable.
Let’s talk about the display now. There’s a 6.3-inch “Max Vision” LCD panel with Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080) resolution and a 19:9 aspect ratio. Motorola has managed to minimize side bezels here, though there’s a noticeable chin. For your selfies, you get a 25MP front camera on top inside a ‘U’ shaped notch.
On the topic of cameras, the G8 Plus boasts three of them in the back. The primary lens is a 48MP Samsung sensor which comes with Pixel Binning. So, night/low-light photography should yield satisfactory results. Similarly, you get a 5MP depth sensor and a 16MP ultrawide Action Camera. The 16MP lens with 117°F FOV is videography focused, letting you take wide-angle shots while holding the phone vertically. Also, the Laser Auto-Focus sensor complements the phone’s videography prowess. With its variety of camera features like Auto-smile capture, Cinemagraph, Night Vision, etc. the Moto G8 Plus is a camera-capable smartphone.
An on-screen fingerprint doesn’t debut in the G8 Plus, as it houses a physical scanner with Motorola branding on the back. It isn’t the fastest but does the job nonetheless. Powering the phone is an adequate 4000 mAh battery which supports 15W fast charging via USB Type-C out of the box. Additionally, the G8 Plus is water repellent so there’s that. Audio-wise, the phone has a stereo-speaker system. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie with a planned upgrade to Android 10 and gives you a clean Android experience. The 3.5mm headphone jack still lives on in the Moto G8 Plus.
Moto G8 Plus Specifications
Body: 6.24 x 2.98 x 0.35 inches; 188 gm (water-repellent)
Display: 6.3-inches “Max Vision” IPS LCD panel
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels); 19:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 665; 11nm Mobile Platform
Motorola’s ‘E’ series has catered to the budget smartphone audience. Some of them have entered the Nepalese market as well. The Moto E6 Play is another budget phone from the company that features a refreshed design than the predecessor: Moto E6.
Unlike the costlier G8 Plus, it doesn’t have a notched display. Rather, you get a big notch on top and bottom, with minuscule bezels on the side. Talking about display, it has a small 5.5-inch LCD panel with HD (1440 x 720) resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The E6 Play is light on the hands too, as it weighs only 140 grams.
Moving on, the phone is powered by MediaTek MT6739 chipset (28nm) and PowerVR GE8100 GPU. Don’t expect blazing fast performance here. Likewise, E6 Play comes on a single memory variant with 2GB RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.
There’s a single 13MP camera on the back that can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps. Similarly, you get a 5MP camera on the front for your selfies. Powering all this is a good-enough 3000 mAh battery that charges via a micro-USB cable. For security purposes, there’s the fingerprint scanner on the back with Motorola branding. As with all the budget devices, the 3.5mm headphone jack is still present here. Moto E6 Play runs on Android 9.0 (Pie).
Moto E6 Play Specifications
Body: 5.77 x 2.79 x 0.33 inches; 140 gm
Display: 5.5-inches IPS LCD panel
Resolution: HD (1440 x 720 pixels); 18:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: MediaTek MT6739; 28nm Mobile Platform
CPU: Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: PowerVR GE8100
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 32GB (expandable up to 256GB via a dedicated microSD slot)
Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie)
Rear Camera: Single; 13MP f/2.2 sensor
Front Camera: 5MP, f/2.0 aperture
Fingerprint sensor: Physical (rear-mounted)
Connectivity: Dual-SIM (Nano), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, AGPS/GPS/GLONASS, MicroUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 3000 mAh battery with 5W Charging
Colors: Turquoise Blue, Anthracite
Price: €109 / £99 (~NRs. 14,490)
Moto G8 Plus & E6 Play Availability
Both devices are available in the UK and other European markets. However, the expensive of two: Moto G8 Plus is official in India too. On the contrary, these phones won’t be coming to the US. As for their entry in the Nepalese market, let’s mark it as “highly unlikely”.
Samsung Tech Day is an event that provides a pretty good insight into Samsung’s innovation. For instance, in last year’s event, we got to witness various innovative products such as the SmartSSD, a 7nm EUV process node, and many more. Similarly, this year too the South Korean tech giants put forth a series of products for the world to see.
Samsung Exynos 990 Chipset Overview
One of the main highlights of this year’s event was the new Exynos 990 processor. Making use of Samsung’s 7nm process and an integrated Mali-G77 GPU, the processor should be a powerful one. In terms of power efficiency and performance, Exynos 990 should be about 20% faster than the previously launched Exynos 980.
Like me, I’m certain that the launch of the Exynos 990 came as a surprise for many. And that’s because, in less than two months, Samsung announced two flagship-level chipsets- the aforementioned Exynos 980 and the new Exynos 990. Now, it’s not that they are completely similar. Obviously, there’s some difference between them that suggests that the new chipset may target a slightly different market.
The Exynos 990 lacks an integrated 5G modem. However, the 980 does have it. So, probably this new chipset may target the 4G devices. Nevertheless, as mentioned above, it is faster than the 980. And if required, it can be paired with the 5G Exynos Modem 5123, which was also announced today.
Other than being a faster chipset, the Exynos 990 also boasts a support of 120Hz displays. Additionally, the support of up to six cameras (maximum resolution 180MP), is also one of its notable features.
For now, it still unclear about the device that will incorporate this new chipset. But as it is a flagship-level processor, the best guess would be that it will probably power the Galaxy S11 devices. And as its feature includes support for a powerful camera, we might get to see the ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor in the Galaxy devices next year. However, these are just speculation for now.
A new mid-range processor in the making?
Well, that was about one of the actual chipsets that launched. However, rumors were persistent about a mid-range processor to be launched too. Supposedly labeled the Exynos 9630, the processor should come as an upgrade to the existing Exynos 9610.
As with Exynos 9610, the new 9630 would also be deployed in the mid-range phones from Samsung such as the Galaxy A series. And we might get to see this integrated into the so-called Galaxy A51 soon. However, much detail about the chipsets is not yet made public. But the rumor is that it is made on a smaller process. This means that the Exynos 9630 should provide higher efficiency.
So, a flagship-level processor and a mid-range processor. They should probably be the main highlights of this year’s Samsung Tech Day. However, the news about the new mid-range processor is nothing more than rumor right now. Thus, my advice would be to take it with a pinch of salt. And stay put for an official announcement.
Ding!
What’s that? Ah, I can save up to 50% on select items on Daraz? But I don’t need anything from the bundle!
Ding!
Hm? Wait, what? I don’t care if my friends posted a Facebook story!
Ding!
What now? Are you kidding me? No, I’m not interested in joining r/funny, Reddit. Lay off me!
Phew!
Technology has made our lives simpler and easier, there’s no argument there. With the simplicity it brings to the table, comes unnecessary interferences too. Though Android has come a long way to managing our phones to prevent it from a flush of annoying notifications, let’s admit it, we’re pretty much hooked on to our phone for hours on a daily basis. Google thinks and rightly so, that such a habit is ruining people’s personal life. To counter this, it introduced the “Digital Wellbeing” feature alongside the launch of Android 9.0 (Pie) back in 2018.
It’s an initiative by Google to help users track their smartphone usage and hopefully achieve personal wellbeing goals. Additionally, the company is also putting its foot down by mandating all Android phone manufacturers to include the Digital Wellbeing app on their devices. Now, Google is doubling down on this initiative as it launched 5 new apps under “Digital Experiments” banner to shield you from unnecessary distractions and keep you reasonably distanced from your phone.
The original Digital Wellbeing was embedded into the Settings menu and it included functionalities like:
A Dashboard that shows your total smartphone usage time (including individual apps)
An option to set “App Timer” which would prompt the app to be non-functional for the day if used up to the set time duration
“Wind Down” for keeping you relaxed and undisturbed at night
Digital Wellbeing
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Introduction UI
Dashboard
Wind Down
I’ve been using Digital Wellbeing from the day it came out and I admit that it has helped me from getting distracted to a certain extent. However, it seems that not many people are making use of the feature as Google would like. Thus, the company has launched 5 dedicated apps with a similar premise of Digital Wellbeing.
Do you frequently unlock your phone, be it to check the time, use a certain app, or to avoid awkward situations like me? Well, Google has an app against that. “Unlock Clock” is a live wallpaper app that updates your phone’s home screen with the number of times you’ve unlocked your phone during the day. Though Digital Wellbeing could already show the same data, this is an in-your-face approach to remind you how often and possibly unreasonably you take your phone out of the pocket.
Credit: Google
You’re greeted with the unlock number on a giant font on a pale gray background. Google could’ve gone with a subtler approach about displaying the count, but this could be much more effective I think. A large number blaring at you, showcasing your dependence on the machine could very well be the formula to get people to stop using their phones at all times.
Post Box
I’ve already discussed how annoying and inconsequential notifications on your phones can get. Well, Post Box looks to face that problem head-on. Basically, it is a notification scheduler app that bundles-up all your phone’s notifications and shows it to you on the set time.
Post Box
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Delivery scheduler
Home UI
Bundled notifications
Viewing the notification
As you can see, it’s a simple app that groups all your notifications. The UI is pretty minimal (which is the point of all these apps) to my liking. It prevents your phone from buzzing time & again and allows you to stay vigilant and active in your life rather than have you check up on your phone periodically.
We Flip
Smartphones have also degraded the quality of group gatherings. People are glued to the screen of their phones rather than engage in conversations with others. Wow, that may be the most boomer sentence ever! We Flip is Google’s attempt to minimize the use of phones when you’re in company. It connects all the phones in the group and turns on the “Do Not Disturb” mode in all of them. When anyone unlocks his/her phone, the session ends for everyone.
We Flip
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We Flip - Intro Screen 1
We Flip - Intro Screen 1
We Flip - Intro Screen 1
We Flip - Connection UI
However, it seems that the app isn’t fully polished since I received a “Connection Error” message when trying to pair with other phones.
Desert Island
Another app on the list is titled “Desert Island”. As the name implies, the app deserts absolute connection to your phone, by limiting your access to a handful of apps from the entire library of them. Here, you get to select 7 of them to use during the day. After selecting the desired apps, your previous launcher is changed to Desert Island, which has a minimal UI with the list of selected apps.
Desert Island
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Selecting apps (1)
Selecting apps (2)
Home UI
This is a tough one, I know. How do you limit yourself to only 7 apps when you’ve spoiled yourself by installing 100s of them on your phone? In case of an emergency, you can use other apps by clicking on the tree icon on the top right. But give it a go and see how long you can last being jailed on your own device.
Morph
By looking at the name, what do you think this one does? Shapeshift like Mystique from X-Men into other apps? Not quite. Rather, it lets you assign various modes/premises your phone will be in and morph your phone accordingly.
Morph
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Welcome screen
Work mode added
Outdoors mode added
Here, I’ve added two modes. I’ve assigned time and day schedule to both of them and selected some apps which I’ll be using during that time. Morph seamlessly transitions your phone from one state to another depending upon the time of the day. Similar to Desert Island, Morph is a launcher app that gives you just the right apps,at just the right time.
