Vivo’s Y-series usually falls behind its competitors in the south Asian market. Vivo’s latest smartphone, the Vivo Y19 builds on its predecessor Y17 by offering a big battery and FullHD display. Let’s check out the complete specs, price, and availability of Vivo Y19 in Nepal.
Vivo Y19 Overview
Design & Display
Talking about the design, it is nothing to go bonkers over. The Vivo Y19 comes on a “3D Micro Arc Curvature Design” which is just verbose for a curved build. You get Vivo’s signature gradient reflective design on the back. The phone comes in two color schemes: Magnetic Black, and Spring White. Similarly, there’s a traditional fingerprint scanner next to the cameras.
The predecessor Y17 came with an underwhelming HD+ resolution for a decently big display and we complained about it dearly. Well, Vivo has upped the display game here, as the Y19 packs a taller 6.53-inch “Halo FullView” LCD panel with Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and 395ppi. Similarly, the company has managed to minimize the bezels. As a result, the phone achieves an impressive 90.3% screen-to-body ratio.
Camera
The cameras on the Vivo Y19 are nothing to write home about either. It features an almost identical triple rear-camera setup like the older Y17. The only upgrade is the bigger 16MP main shooter, while you get the same old 8MP super wide-angle camera. However, Vivo has swapped the depth sensor with a 2MP macro sensor on the Y19. You’d think a traditional Vivo customer would care more about portrait shots than close-ups, but hey, the company must have had its reasons.
Making our way to the front, we can find the 16MP selfie camera under a tiny waterdrop notch on top. Now, Vivo phones have always packed tons of features regarding photography and the Y19 is no exception. “AI Face Beauty” enhances and smoothens your selfies, while “AI Makeup” in the photo album lets you change the makeup post taking the shot. “Pose Master” is another interesting feature where the camera app will guide you through setting the pose for your pictures.
Performance & Memory
Now, Vivo phones have never been equipped with decent chipsets making them an undesirable choice for people looking for a fast phone. The Y19 houses the new octa-core MediaTek Helio P65 chipset (12nm). It features dual-core 2.0GHz Cortex-A75 and hexa-core 1.7GHz Cortex-A55 CPU, which is not a massive boost compared to the Helio P35 in the Y17. GPU sees a commendable improvement with the Mali-G52 MC2 clocked at 820 MHz.
Vivo Y19 comes in a single memory configuration with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. You’re pretty much stuck on the memory front since the storage isn’t expandable via a microSD card.
Battery
We’ve seen a lot of budget and mid-range phones from Vivo with a sizeable battery. Thankfully, the Vivo Y19 packs a large 5000 mAh cell as well. It supports 18W “Dual Engine Fast Charge” via MicroUSB 2.0 out of the box. Yep, still with the MicroUSB crap! Man, I would cuss so hard if I cared but I don’t so I won’t. Moving on, you can transfer the juice of the Y19 to other phones as well as it supports 5W reverse charging via an OTG cable.
Miscellaneous
Vivo has incorporated “Ultra Game Mode“, which prevents any disturbances from popping-up in your gaming sessions. Additionally, you can change your voice when chatting with your teammates when playing games with the “Voice Changer” feature. You get the option to change your voice to an Artificial Intelligence, a Commander, a War Correspondent, a Cowboy, or a Child. Which is just… why? Talking about UI, the Y19 runs on Vivo’s homegrown Funtouch OS 9.2 on top of Android 9 (Pie).
The Vivo Y19 has been launched in Nepal for a price of Rs. 27,990. However, you can get it for a price of Rs. 26,990. It is available through both offline and online shops.
Model Name
Price in MRP
Price in MOP
Vivo Y19 (6/128GB)
NPR 27,990
NPR 26,990
Vivo Y19 brings nothing new to the table. At this price, it goes head to head against Redmi Note 8 Pro and Galaxy M30s.
We live in an intelligent world. From smartphones to smart-houses, everything these days is smart. Moreover, the rapid development in 5G has further expanded the horizon for the development of a smarter world. Thus, it is no brainer that major tech companies are all geared up and ready to lead us into this smarter world.
This very topic was the main theme for this year’s OPPO INNO DAY. The Chinese tech giant revealed its latest developments as well as plans for the era of intelligent connectivity. Various new products that included the likes of smartwatches, smart headphones, 5G CPE, AR glasses and many more were the highlights of the event.
During the event, Tony Chen, the CEO of OPPO, further focused on how the world is shaping up and the major advances happening in the field of connectivity and AI. He focused on how things are likely to shape up in the future with major smartphone makers shifting their focus from smartphones to something much more. And that is the reflection of how things are shaping up. One can see how other major tech companies are focusing on other smart devices rather than just smartphones.
Moving on, the question may arise regarding how OPPO plans on seizing this opportunity. For starter, they have planned on investing $7 billion on R&D. Now that’s huge. Through this investment, the company plans on committing itself to develop core technologies in hardware and software. Furthermore, they plan on building an intelligent ecosystem of OPPO products with their smartphones taking the center stage. This hopefully will allow them to optimize their content and service offerings.
With 5G and AI serving as the core competency of the company, OPPO plans on building an integrated technology model. The company has a clear technological roadmap planned for its future development. As a part of its plan of becoming the leader in the era of intelligent connectivity, the company plans on launching smartwatches, smart headphones, and 5G CPE. And all of them in the first quarter of 2020!
The Redmi Note 7 Pro was an excellent mid-range device and now, Xiaomi has recently launched the much-anticipated successor, the Redmi Note 8 Pro in the Nepali market. The Note 8 Pro offers a newer design, a much powerful chipset, and a 64MP quad-camera setup at the back. The base 6+64GB variant price starts at Rs. 27,000 in Nepal, which is very close to the Indian pricing. So, is the Redmi Note 8 Pro value champion like its predecessor? Find out in our Redmi Note 8 Pro review.
The Note 8 Pro is the best design Xiaomi has ever made in its Redmi Note series. This is truly a break from Xiaomi’s boxy designs on smartphones and its utterly gorgeous. You get curvier back this time and it feels comfortable on the hands too.
It is a big phone though and it’s thicker than the Note 7 pro as well. It’s a glass design with the frames made out of metal. The back and front are both protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Although I admit that it’s slippery, I used it with the clear case on which helps a lot.
All the buttons are on the right with the SIM tray on the left and below a type C port, a headphone jack and the speakers. The SIM tray has been sealed with rubber stuff that may protect against some accidental spills. That is a good feature to have and something, I think all phones should implement.
1 of 3
As much as I love the design, I would point out that the fingerprint sensor is in a very awkward position. But, with time, you get used to, at least I did.
Display
The Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display is one of the best looking IPS displays, it’s lively, it’s colorful and fairly bright. So, I have to say that this one definitely has a better display than the Note 7 pro.
The bezels are pretty minimal and you get a U-shaped notch up top, which I don’t mind at all. Additionally, you get a gesture feature in case you want a full-screen experience. I like to go traditional with the buttons, but that’s totally your choice.
The display is bright even outdoors, so you are not going to face any problem on that part. However, we hope Xiaomi uses AMOLED panels in their future iterations as AMOLED display has a better contrast ratio and punchier colors than the IPS ones.
Performance
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro sports the latest MediaTek Helio G90T chipset. It’s a gaming-centric midtier chipset and a big upgrade from the Snapdragon 675 found in the Note 7 Pro. I have been playing demanding games like PuBG, Fortnight, and Asphalt. All of these games run smoothly in the highest settings without any lags and stutters.
I did a heating test of the phone and played games for around two hours and continuously measured the temperature while doing so. And I had expected the phone to heat to alarming levels, but it did not. Actually the temperature did not go beyond 40 degrees even after 5 sessions of PUBG back to back followed by 3 sessions of Asphalt 9. Needless to say, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is, as of now, the best gaming performer at this price.
Also, the day to day usage has been great. I never felt any stuttering while doing my daily activities. It feels smooth as I expected it to be. Whether it be heavy multitasking or opening big apps, the phone handles it all nicely.
Software
For the software experience, it’s currently running on the MIUI 10 (in the unit we have). However, Xiaomi should roll out the MIUI 11 update before the end of 2019. From transitions to app loading, everything is fast and buttery. And although MIUI is repetitively heavy as compared to others, you won’t feel any sluggishness when navigating through it, all thanks to 6GB RAM and Helio G90T chipset. And we haven’t had the problems of advertisement flowing through certain parts of the UI too, so it seems like Xiaomi has taken care of it.
Cameras
The Redmi Note 8 Pro has a quad-camera setup at the back. There’s a primary 64MP f/1.8 Samsung GW1 lens, an 8MP Ultra-wide angle lens, a 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens.
And first of all, what I did was checked what are the improvements on the Note 8 pro’s cameras compared to the Note 7 pro. And to my surprise, I got most of the images to be better on the Note 7 pro. Note 7 Pro has a better dynamic range and balance of exposure and sometimes even better colors.
Note 7 Pro Vs Note 8 Pro
1 of 4
Note 7 Pro
Note 8 Pro
Note 7 Pro
Note 8 Pro
I even compared the Note 8 pro against the Realme 5 pro and got no clear winner. Sometimes the Realme 5 Pro does well with colors and details and sometimes the Note 8 Pro does well. But the dynamic range is certainly better in the 5 Pro. Detail-wise, there is no clear difference for me to pick a side.
Then I moved on to 64 MP images. At first, I thought there was going to be a huge notable difference between normal and 64 MP images, but well, the 64 MP images are a little bit, just a little bit sharper than the 16 MP ones when zoomed in, but other than that, nothing.
16MP Vs 64MP
1 of 4
16MP sample
64MP sample
16MP sample
64MP sample
The normal 16MP images from the Note 8 pro look good. Although they struggle in terms of dynamic range in certain scenarios. The colors look good, but flower images tend to lose details. However, human subjects have a good skin tone to them so that’s nice to see. So overall I would categorize the images as not bad to say at the least. You also get 2X digital zoom with this one and the images are okay.
Back Camera Daylight Sample
1 of 6
The 2MP depth sensor does a decent job when it comes to Portraits. They have better edge detection than the Note 7 pro actually. The subject looks good and so does the background. You can even change the blur amount in portraits which is a nice feature to have.
Back Camera Portrait Sample
1 of 3
Wide-angle images have a slight color shift from the normal ones. Normal images come out a little darker than wide-angle ones but the difference is not so overwhelming so it’s fine.
Normal Image Vs Wide-Angle Image
1 of 4
Normal
Wide-angle
Normal
Wide-angle
Now macro images from the 2MP sensor are a pure gimmick like what I said with recent Realme devices. It lets you go a little closer to the subject than the normal camera but the quality is just bad. However, they seem a little bit, just a little bit better than what we got on the Realme 5 Pro.
Redmi Note 8 Pro Macro images
1 of 4
Selfies from the 20MP front camera are great. You will surely get a note of natural skin tone and good details. There is a reddish tint going on in the images which some might not like, but it’s purely a matter of personal choice.
Redmi Note 8 Pro Selfie Camera Samples
1 of 4
Portrait selfies look good too. You cannot change the blur in portraits like the rear cameras here. But the blur looks good. Since it’s software doing things here there’s very little to complain.
Redmi Note 8 Pro Selfie Portraits
1 of 3
Night time shots, however, are miserable. When put in comparison with the Note 7 Pro, the normal night time images look darker and void of details.
Night Time - Note 8 Pro Vs Note 7 Pro
1 of 4
Note 8 Pro
Note 7 Pro
Note 8 Pro
Note 7 Pro
With the Night mode on, things improved a little bit but again, it works better on the Note 7 pro.
Night Mode - Note 7 Pro Vs Note 8 Pro
1 of 4
Note 7 Pro
Note 8 Pro
Note 7 Pro
Note 8 Pro
Video- wise, it’s the standard you get here. The best stabilization you get in 1080p 30 fps and in 4K, the videos are very shaky. And interestingly, videos can also be recorded via the macro lens which may be good news to some people but the quality is so bad, you would not want to record with it.
Battery:
Now this time, Xiaomi has upscaled a little bit in the battery department. There is a 4,500mAh on the Redmi Note 8 Pro, which I think makes up for the chipset is a bit less energy efficient (Helio G90T is based on 12nm Vs Snapdragon 675 is based on 11nm). Once fully charged, the battery lasted me for a day on my usage.
The day I gamed a lot, the battery endurance was a little less, I had to put it on charge in the evenings. But that’s only when you game a lot. Otherwise on normal usage, the battery pretty gives you a day. You get the 18-watt fast charger inside the box which takes the juice from 0- 100% in slightly over two hours.
Extras:
Now, you have the fingerprint sensor at the back as I already mentioned. And though I feel like it’s in an awkward position, it unlocks the device pretty fast. You have face unlock option too, which is fast enough but I preferred to keep it off and use the fingerprint sensor.
There’s an IR blaster as well, so if you happen to lose your TV remote, the Note 8 Pro can serve the purpose for you. And this is something almost all the companies are getting rid of which is kind of sad because it does come in handy.
Xiaomi also did not get rid of the LED notification light. Well, it only glows in one color, like it always has with other Xiaomi phones but just the inclusion makes me happy for some reason.
In terms of call quality and network reception, I have had no issues whatsoever. There’s also 5GHZ WiFi support, an aspect many phones still neglect, so that’s nice. Moving to the speakers, the single firing bottom speaker is pretty good. It is moderately loud and does not distort in high volumes.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Redmi Note 8 Pro is a well-balanced midrange phone with excellent performance, great design, and good cameras. It lacks AMOLED display and in-display fingerprint sensor, which phones from VIVO and Samsung is offering at this price point. However, I think they are not an absolute need as its IPS panel and the rear-mounted capacitive fingerprint sensor are good enough.
Admittedly, Daraz’s 11.11 event has been a raving hit year-after-year. The company is enjoying bigger traffic in each rendition of the extravaganza. But of course, an e-commerce site cannot live off on the performance of a single day. Every day’s a new challenge and Daraz knows it fairly well too. And now, no month is sacred anymore as it is hammering down the 12.12 sales day upon us which includes discounts, vouchers, card discounts, and many other attractions across its enormous library of products. In this article, we’ve compiled some of the most exciting deals on tech products on today’s Daraz 12.12 Sales Day, which will last until 18th December 2019.
SMARTPHONES
Of course, you’re gonna get some sweet deals on various smartphones. Here are our top Daraz 12.12 deals on mobile phones.
OnePlus 7
Featuring a powerful Snapdragon 855 processor that complements OnePlus’ commitment to fast-performance, the OnePlus 7 is one hell of a smartphone. While it lacks the 90Hz display and a couple of camera lenses, it still holds its ground as a top-notch device. Daraz had also offered mega-dealson the regular OnePlus 7 (8/256GB) back in 11.11. This time around, it’d have been nice to get a decent deal on the OnePlus 7 Pro but what we’re getting isn’t any bad either.
MRP: Rs. 66,999 57,475 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 55,975
Huawei Nova 3 & 4
Like the OnePlus 7, Daraz is also offering deals on the Huawei Nova 3 & 4 on 12.12 like it did a month before. Though you may turn away on this since they’re a couple of dated smartphones, the price-drop makes them compelling, to say the least.
The older Nova 3 features a dual-camera setup and a 6.3-inch LCD display. You get plenty of memory on the Nova 3 since it comes with a 6/128GB configuration.
MRP: Rs. 59,900 37,450 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 35,950
However, the newer Nova 4 packs a bigger 6.41-inch LCD panel with a punch-hole cutout and a powerful Kirin 970 chipset. Moreover, it boasts a triple-rear camera and a bigger 8GB of RAM coupled with 128GB of storage.
MRP: Rs. 64,900 45,100 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 43,600
Redmi K20 Pro
The supposed “flagship-killer” of 2019 still enjoys an offer on the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day. It has a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display with no bezel and rather adopts a pop-up selfie camera mechanism. The most significant feature of the Redmi K20 Pro is still its Snapdragon 855 chipset and the 8/256GB memory configuration. While there is no flat discount on this phone, you can enjoy up to Rs. 1500 off through card payment from select partner banks’ cards.
MRP: Rs. 49,999 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 46,999
OPPO A5s
Daraz 12.12 Sales Day has something for the budget smartphone enthusiasts as well. The OPPO A5s has a 6.2-inch HD+ LCD display with either 2 or 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Moreover, there’s a dual-camera setup and a big 4,230 mAh battery on a stylish design.
MRP: Rs. 15,990 15,390 | 2/32GB Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 13,890*
TELEVISIONS
Daraz 12.12 Sales Day brings some great discounts and offers on TVs from top brands like Samsung, LG, Sony, and Videocon.
Samsung UA43N5300 43″ FHD LED TV
Samsung is offering great discounts across its TV lineup. The UA43N5300 is a 43-inchFull-HD (1920 x 1080) TV from Samsung. It features minimal bezels, HDR support, Dolby Digital Plus, and a powerful 4CH (40W) speaker. With the price-drop, the N5300 is a great choice for the Nepalese buyers.
MRP: Rs. 86,990 55,250 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 53,750
Sony Bravia KLV-40W652D 40″ LED Smart TV
Sony is another famous household name in Nepal when it comes to home electronics. Known for its superior quality, Sony’s Bravia series of TV is beloved worldwide. Upon Daraz 12.12 Sales Day, the company is offering discounts on all TVs under the Bravia series with free shipping as well.
Bravia KLV-40W652D is one of them. Launched in 2016, this is a 40″ Full-HD Smart LED TV. It produces vivid colors but lacks HDR support. Despite the price drop, it is still a little expensive compared to what you can get for the same price from Samsung.
MRP: Rs. 77,000 55,440 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 53,840.
LG 43UK6320 43″ 4K UHD Smart LED TV
LG isn’t laying low on the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day either. It is providing discounts on almost every LG TV. The 43UK6320 is a 43″ 4K LED TV with a wide viewing angle. It boasts SDR to HDR conversion as well as 4K Active HDR and has a moderate 2CH (20W) speaker. This is a Smart TV that runs on “webOS” and not Android, which is a major advantage.
MRP: Rs. 96,290 77,032 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 75,532
Videocon 43DN5-S 43″ Android Smart FHD LED TV
Videocon is another brand that is successful in the TV market in Nepal. The company brings quality TVs at a very low cost. The 43DN5-S is Videocon’s 43″ Android Smart Full-HD LED TV. It runs on Android 8 (Oreo) and has 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.
MRP: Rs. 50,500 33,950 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 32,450
LAPTOPS
There are not a whole lot of schemes or offers on laptops during the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day. However, HP is offering exclusive pricing on its 14-series of laptops.
HP 14 DF0020NR i3 8th Gen 14″ Laptop
The HP 14DF0020NR has a 14″ FHD WLED-backlit display and an Intel Core i3 8th-gen processor with 2.2GHz base frequency. It comes with a single 4GB DDR4 RAM with 128GB of M.2 SSD storage. On the graphics end, you get the Intel UHD Graphics 620. The battery is a 3-cell unit with 41 watt-hour capacity.
MRP: Rs. 54,990 41,990 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 40,490
LARGE APPLIANCES
Large appliances include machines like refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, microwave ovens, etc. There are some exciting deals with benefits on the event.
Samsung WW80J5410GX/TL Front Loading Washing Machine (8kg)
Samsung is also providing a discount on its select home appliances. The WW80J5410GX/TL has an 8kg washing capacity with a spin speed of 1400RPM. It features an LED display panel and includes features like child lock, eco-bubble, etc.
MRP: Rs. 88,990 72,970 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 71,470
Hisense WFKV9014 Front Loading Washing Machine (9kg)
The Hisense WFKV9014 is another washing machine enjoying discount during the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day. Apart from the Rs. 1500 off on card payment, you also get a 3% flat discount. It has a 9kg washing capacity at 1400RPM and also comes with a digital LED display.
MRP: Rs. 64,000 55,990 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 52,810
Whirlpool 25L Convection Microwave Oven (Black)
Joining in on the action, Whirlpool is offering discounts, vouchers, and free delivery on its select microwave ovens, and other home appliances. The 25L Convection Microwave has a 25-liter gross capacity with 5 power levels and features an LED display.
MRP: Rs. 23,000 19,550 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 17,650
Skyworth SMFH12B-2A2A1NA Air Conditioner (1.0 ton)
Here, Skyworth is providing exclusive prices and slapping in free installation on its air conditioners during the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day. Upon its purchase, you could also win gift hampers worth up to Rs. 4,500. This air conditioner has long-distance airflow with 12,000 BTU capacity. The company also provides 24 months’ comprehensive warranty.
MRP: Rs. 59,500 46,000 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 44,500
Hilltake FAST-6N-18 Gas Geyser (6Ltr)
It’s getting cold out there. So if you’re in the market for a gas geyser, Hilltake is offering discounts on its products. The FAST-6N-18 has a compact design with flameout protection, flame failure device, and overheating safety system. However, the company charges extra for installation.
MRP: Rs. 7,000 5,999 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 4,499*
SMALL APPLIANCES
These include appliances like heaters, fans, humidifiers, etc. The Daraz 12.12 Sales Day offers discounts on such products from multiple brands as well. Here, you can also find cordless kettles starting at Rs. 500 and halogen heaters starting at Rs. 900.
Homeglory HG-007 Fusion Room Gas + Electric Heater
Homeglory is offering a minimum of 20% discount in most of its products ranging from the water dispenser to bottle flasks. The HG-007 is compatible with both gas and electricity which provides better flexibility. Also, the company offers one year warranty on its purchase.
MRP: Rs. 11,000 8,150 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 6,650*
Black & Decker HX340 Vertical Fan Heater (Black)
Black & Decker is also offering discounts of up to 15% throughout its products. The HX340 vertical fan heater has 2 heat settings and cooling functions as well. Moreover, it has an 80º rotating function for better cool/warm air circulation.
MRP: Rs. 10,390 8,832 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 7,332*
PRINTERS
If you’re looking for a printer, the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day has a great offer on the Brother DCP-T310 printer.
Brother DCP-T310 Colour Multifunction Ink Tank Printer
This is a wired printer with Hi-speed USB 2.0 connectivity. It has 150 sheets of paper input and 50 sheets of paper output capacity. You can print a document, make a copy, or scan documents from this printer. It supports both monochrome and color printing and the company is also offering 1 year of warranty upon purchase.
MRP: Rs. 30,000 18,500 Final Price after card discount and voucher: Rs. 17,000
ACCESSORIES
Accessories include gadgets like headphones, keyboards, power banks, speakers, etc. Daraz 12.12 Sales offers discounts on accessories from many famous brands.
Remax is offering up to a 50% discount on its products like speakers, headphones, and cables during the 12.12 event. The company is known for its high-quality and durable gadgets.
WK Design is providing a flat 50% off on its BD700 Twins Bluetooth headset. Apart from this, the company is also offering discounts on its earphones and power banks.
Fantechis a popular gaming brand, which has officially entered the Nepalese market as well. And right now, you can get its gaming mouse, headsets, keyboards, and other accessories at a discounted price.
Accurate is a new player in the Nepalese electronics accessories market. Right now, the company is providing heavy discounts on all of its products. Additionally, it is also exempting the shipping cost.
Conclusion
All in all, there are some pretty good deals on the Daraz 12.12 Sales Day, but I’ll take them with a grain of salt. I strongly advise that if you’re planning to buy something off of Daraz or any other website, please confirm if the pricing is fair or not. DO NOT be persuaded by the margin of discount offered. Rather, compare the price with other e-commerce sites or maybe even visit some offline stores if possible to get the best deals.
“Necessity is the mother of invention”, they say. To stay relevant and successful in the smartphone industry, the manufacturers have got to be innovative. Or else, they’ll just fade away from the market like tears in rain (successful Blade Runner reference! Woo!). And who else to drive the industry forward than the Chinese OEMs. Lately, it feels like they’ve been doing all innovation when it comes to modern-day smartphones. OPPO is adding to the testimonial as it finally unveiled an Under Screen Camera phone sans any port, to the public. Xiaomi, the ball’s on your court now.
OPPO Under Screen Camera
In its first-ever publicized “INNO Day” event, OPPO showcased a couple of its new innovations like the 5G CPE and AR Glasses. Amidst all this, the company also revealed its “Under Screen Camera (USC)” to the public, which has been in the wind for a while now. OPPO had teased the USC back in June 2019 in MWC Shanghai. This time around, the company actually let a bunch of reviewers and testers get hands-on experience with the technology. What we can make of this is that OPPO’s made some improvements to the camera within this time period.
Before jumping to any conclusion, the USC phone is still in the prototype stage. So, it may be a while before OPPO takes the design into mass production.
OPPO USC prototype phone hands-on. [Credit: Pocketnow]On a quick glance, you won’t be able to notice the front-facing camera’s “cutout”. But upon closer inspection, a square-shaped pixelated distinction on the top center of the display can be noticed, especially when the display serves a bright content. Despite the challenge, OPPO says that it will not compromise on camera or display quality to achieve this feat. The selfie camera incorporates a bigger sensor, as well as a tweaked OLED panel to make the technology practically possible.
Going Portless
Though the sample unit provided to the audience was just a prototype unit, the button-less and port-less design is still worth the discussion. The phone features a glass back and rounded corners like any other OPPO smartphone. Despite not having the company’s “Waterfall Screen” with wide display curvature, the prototype unit came with absolutely zero buttons or ports, not even for charging.
Yeah, the concept of a single slab of hardware looks good on paper but is it practical enough? I mean, taking the getting-used-to part aside, what about other aspects like charging, or repairability? Now OPPO has fortified the charging by embedding a fast 30W wireless VOOC charging. But come on, you’d need to carry around a giant charging dock every time you travel.
Credit: GSMArena
1 of 3
This type of design also facilitates the culture of unnecessary frequent smartphone purchases, which takes a toll on the global carbon footprint. Moreover, while many of you may be excited about an under-screen camera, I for one am not particularly hyped. It’s just a front-facing camera; how often do you go on about using them, such that anything besides a completely bezel-less display simply won’t suffice? A pop-up mechanism works just fine!
Anyways, this is where the industry is headed it seems. We’ve already seen teasers from Xiaomi working on a similar technology while there have been rumors that Samsung is coming up with one too. Is the Under Screen Camera from OPPO the next “big thing” in the smartphone market? What do you think?
Super thin and light-weight, that’s what best defines the new RedmiBook 13. Alongside the highly anticipated Redmi K30, Xiaomi also announced this new affordable XPS 13 or Macbook Pro 13 alternative. It has sleek narrow bezels, a compact footprint, and weighs a mere 1.23kg. The RedmiBook 13 also comes as a direct competitor to the Huawei MateBook 13. Feature-wise, the RedmiBook 13 is already one up against the MateBook 13 as it offers an 89 percent screen space as compared to the 88 percent of the MateBook 13. Lets learn more about the Redmibook along with its price and expected availability in Nepal here.
Redmibook 13 Overview
Sticking to the display, the screen is a 13.3-inch IPS panel. It comes with FHD resolution and as mentioned above, has an 89 percent screen-to-body ratio. Its all thanks to the narrow bezels on the top as well as the sides. However, the chin is slightly large.
The RedmiBook comes with the new 10th gen Cometlake Intel processor under the hood. Buyers will have the option to choose from either Intel i5-10210U or i7-10510U. The standard RAM and the storage on both the models are 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD respectively. Similarly, both the versions will get Nvidia GeForce MX250 GPU with 2GB GDDR5 VRAM. However, there’s a base model of the i5 model that comes with integrated graphics.
The device has Xioami’s proprietary thermal management system. In addition to that, it also includes a dual heat pipe which measures 6mm in diameter. Furthermore, this model comes with a built-in fan. The claim is that it increases air volume by 25 percent and reduces the noise level by almost 2 decibels compared to the earlier RedmiBook models.
Similarly, as it was with the previous RedmiBooks, the RedmiBook 13 also has a metal body. There’s a chiclet-style keyboard inside and DTS surround sound is also supported by this ultra-book.
RedmiBook 13 comes with a 40Whr battery. It supports 1C fast charging and is rated to give 11hrs of battery backup. Additionally, Xiaomi also claims that the device will charge up to 50 percent in just 35 minutes.
Xiaomi Redmibook 13 Price and Availability in Nepal
The RedmiBook is available in China from December 12. The base model of the Redmibook 13 with Core i5 CPU price is set at CNY 4,199 ($597). The one with a dedicated GeForce MX250 graphics card will cost CNY 4499 ($640). Similarly, the Core i7 is priced at CNY 5,199 ($739). We can expect the base variant of the Redmibook 13 to launch in Nepal for an expected price of Rs. 72,000.
One mistake Xiaomi did last time with the K20 and K20 Pro is launching them together! The flagship killer K20 pro overshadowed the K20 in many different ways, especially here in Nepal. But this time, we witness a different story. The Redmi K30, the successor to the K20 has been launched in China. There are actually 2 variants of it, a basic 4G variant and the other 5G one! These are the new premium mid-range phones from Xiaomi with flagship killer price.
Redmi K30 Overview
Like it’s predecessor, what you can be assured with the K30 is the fact that it packs performance at a budget. The K30 5G has the Snapdragon 765G which comes bearing 1 Cortex A76 prime core @2.4 GHz, another Cortex A76 performance core @ 2.2GHz and 6 efficiency Cortex A55 based cores @1.8 GHz. The 4G version, on the other hand, has the Snapdragon 730G processor, as seen later on many smartphones.
Both the variants have LPDDR4X RAM with the most basic RAM starting at 6GB and both come with UFS2.1 storage support. Battery size is the same for both, a 4,500 mAh unit but you get different fast charging tech associated with 4G and 5G models. The 5G variant of the K30 comes with 30W fast charging support whereas the 4G variant supports 27 Watt charging.
Camera-wise too it’s basically the same, except for the 5G model supporting a 5MP macro lens whereas the 4G version has a 2MP macro lens. Other specs such as 64 MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide-angle-lens, and a tertiary 2MP depth sensors remain the same. Unlike last time, you can new the new iteration of Sony IMX sensor here on the K30, the Sony IMX686!
On the front, the display houses dual cameras, in the punch hole, a 20MP primary sensor, and a 2MP depth sensor! The display here is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and one of the many things to hoot for is the 120Hz screen with HDR10 compliance.
In addition, the 5G variant supports Dual-frequency GPS and SA+NSA 5G network support. And showing off the classic Xiaomi style, the manufacturer has put in the 3.5mm headphone jack and an IR Blaster too!
Redmi K30 Specifications:
Display: 6.67- inches with FHD+ resolution IPS LCD with punch hole and 120Hz refresh rate
Dimensions: 165.3 x 76.6 x 8.79 mm
Weight: 208g
SoC: 4G (Snapdragon 730G) and 5G (Snapdragon 765G)
RAM:6/8GB
Storage: 64/128/256GB
Operating System: MIUI 11 based on Android 10
Battery: 4,500 mAh with 27W fast charging (4G) and 30W fast charging (5G)
Rear Camera: 64MP Sony IMX686 primary camera, 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, 2MP depth sensor, and a 2MP macro lens (4G), 5MP macro lens (5G)
Front Camera: 20 MP AI-powered primary lens and a 2MP depth sensor
Redmi K30, Redmi K30 5G Price in Nepal and Availability:
The Redmi K30 (4G and 5G) has been launched in China and some parts of Europe. Since the Redmi K30 will not launch in Nepal, we cannot talk about the price of Redmi K30 in Nepal. Find the price of Redmi K30 (4G and 5G version) in China below:
The Vivo V17 was announced last month in Russia. Spec-wise it was quite similar to the Vivo S1 Pro. However, today a phone with the same name made its way into the Indian market and that too with a revamped design and upgraded specifications. This model has an L-shaped camera, a punch-hole display and a hoard of other upgrades. Furthermore, it also comes with features such as Multi-turbo mode, AR stickers and Voice Changer.
Vivo V17 Overview
The device has a 6.44-inch E3 Super AMOLED iView display (Vivo’s fancy name for punch-hole display). The supported resolution on the device is 1080 x 2400 pixels. A major focus has been given to the display as the panel also has a 100 percent DCI-P3 color gamut. Moreover, the panel filters out 42 percent blue light and there’s a low brightness anti-flicker technology. This tech offers added protection in dark.
Vivo V17 has a quad-camera setup on the back. As mentioned above, the cameras are arranged in an L-shape. The primary lens in the rear cam is a 48MP sensor. The setup is completed by an 8MP secondary sensor, a 2MP sensor for bokeh and another 2MP macro lens. On the front, the device has a 32MP selfie shooter housed inside the punch-hole.
There are some preloaded features on the camera too. The inclusion of Super Night Mode, Ultra Stable Video, portrait bokeh, portrait light effects and many more will certainly help users capture magnificent photos.
Under the hood, Vivo V17 runs on the Snapdragon 675 SoC. The RAM option that you get is of 8GB and the onboard storage is of 128GB. Besides that, the smartphone runs on a 4,500mAh battery with 18W fast charging done via Type-C port.
Vivo V17 will go on sale from the 17th of December. The device is priced at $324 and will be available in two colors- Midnight Ocean and Glacier Black.
V17 might not launch in Nepal though, as Vivo will be launching similarly priced Vivo S1 Pro in markets like Nepal, Srilanka, and Bangladesh. Vivo V17 might be exclusive to India, as seen with U and Z-series.
E-commerce has taken the world by storm. Buying stuff at the comfort of your house from a great selection of products has substantially made our lives easier. And in the context of Nepal, Daraz has been the frontrunner for the biggest e-commerce platform in the country. Owned by the Chinese behemoth Alibaba, Daraz has been successful in garnering the local’s attention through its discounts/offers, interactive app & website, exclusive sales day, aggressive promotion, and many more. The company’s annual 11.11 Sales Day successfully concluded its second venture last month. And now, Daraz is gearing up for its end-of-the-year 12.12 sales event. Let’s take a closer look.
Daraz 12.12 Sales Highlights
As with most of Daraz’s events, the 12.12 Sales will bring special offers on a variety of electronic products from smartphones to TVs. Though we haven’t got the word on exactly which products will get special deals, we know that smartphones from OnePlus, Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo will be the one to look out for on this event.
Moving on to the household electronics, you’ll also find attractive deals on Samsung’s TVs, washing machines, etc. Of course, there’ll be attractive price drops and schemes on other assorted products as well, but these are the ones we’re psyched about.
Emphasis on Daraz app
After its acquisition by Alibaba, the Daraz app is now far more feature-rich and interactive. You can do a lot of things on the app like play games, that you can’t on the website. Therefore, Daraz is pushing towards app-based users to site-based users. Since it is quite easier to use as well, we too recommend you browse Daraz via the app rather than the website.
Digital Payment
Here, Daraz is also trying to lure its customers to use digital payment instead of the traditional cash-on-delivery approach. This time, the company has collaborated with 5 banks (Siddhartha, Sunrise, Machhapuchchhre, Global IME, and NMB) as its payment partners. Using these banks’ debit/credit card, provided that your card is activated before 12.12, you are eligible to receive an additional discount of up to 15% (max Rs. 1500).
Daraz 12.12 Promotional Activities
As an effort to promote the 12.12 Sales, Daraz is introducing two new fun events inside the Daraz app (what did I tell you about the emphasis on the app). Let’s see what they are:
1 Rupee Game
The first of the lot is conveniently named the “1 Rupee Game”. Under this, Daraz assigns a different prize each day until December 12. Using the voucher code “1RUPEE”, the prize item’s price will drop to Re. 1 and you can make the order to be the potential winner. However, Daraz is further encouraging you to trust you with its PCI-compliant secure payment platform, as you must use the card payment option on your checkout to be eligible to enter the contest.
Mission 12.12
The next promotional activity for the 12.12 Sales is called “Mission 12.12”. Your mission, should you accept it, will include a total of 12 distinct challenges updated every day. After completing these tasks like opening the app, following brands, etc., you can win rewards from multiple brands like Sony, Timberland, Titan, etc. To follow the track of your mission, you’ll be required to enter the email address associated with the Daraz account.
The Extras
Furthermore, Daraz is offering free shipping on select products during the 12.12 Sales day. It’s not much, but still. There is still the “Daraz Saathi” offer where you can earn vouchers for referring other users.
We’ll keep you updated with all the best deals you can get on the Daraz 12.12 Sales day as they unfold. So stay tuned for more details and news regarding the Daraz 12.12 sales day!
It’s been over 6-months OnePlus launched the OnePlus 7 Pro. And with the Oneplus 8 on the horizon, Oneplus is offering a huge price discount on the Oneplus 7 Pro in Nepal. On top of that, Oneplus is also providing 1-year mobile insurance.
Oneplus 7Overview
The OnePlus 7 Pro was released in May of 2019. The device has a tall 6.67-inch screen with a 90 Hz AMOLED panel, QHD resolution, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection, and HDR 10+ certification. The 7 Pro is going for smoothness, as the 90 Hz display will load up images and videos a lot smoother, and the same will apply for scrolling.
The OnePlus 7 Pro has curved displays on the sides and a bezel-less design. The phone has a glass back, and there is an under-display optic fingerprint scanner inside the device.
The phone has achieved a bezel-less display due to the pop-up selfie camera. The 16-megapixel selfie snapper is motorized, and rises from the top of the phone, leaving room for an unobstructed display.
On the rear lie triple lenses – a 48-megapixel primary lens (Sony IMX586), a 16-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto lens. OnePlus has recently come under scrutiny as reviewers have found out that this device doesn’t have a 3x optical zoom like the company had boasted. Instead, there is a 2.2x optical zoom.
Under the hood, the OnePlus 7 Pro is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor aided by Adreno 640 GPU. The device is available in three RAM variants – 6 GB, 8 GB, and 12 GB. For storage purposes, the 6 GB and 8 GB versions have 128 GB of internal memory while the 12 GB comes with 256 GB of ROM.
The phone comes pre-loaded with Android v9.0 Pie with OxygenOS out of the box which provides a near-stock experience. The OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a 4,000 mAh battery which is supported by the company’s 30W Warp Charge fast charging technology.
OnePlus 7 Pro Price in Nepal and it’s Availability
The OnePlus 7 Pro base variant (6 + 128 GB) is now available at Rs. 75,000 in Nepal. Similarly, the 8/256GB version is priced at Rs. 90,000 and the highest-end with 12GB RAM is at Rs. 99,000.
