SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are a success! Self-proclaimed “meme necromancer” and the company’s CEO Elon Musk posted a tweet yesterday, essentially confirming that the satellites are functional. Minutes later, he followed up to the tweet saying “Whoa, it worked!!”
In case you didn’t know, Starlink is the name for SpaceX’s constellation of low-orbit satellites designed for high-speed and low-cost space-based internet. The company launched a batch with 60 of these satellites in May of 2019 on its own Falcon rocket.
For now, SpaceX says the project’s main aim is to provide a fast broadband internet connection with low latency to every nook and cranny of Earth. Elon Musk had announced the Starlink project back in 2015 with a plan to launch two orbital satellites by 2016. However, the first prototype satellites named “Tintin A” & “Tintin B” were launched by the end of 2018 only after receiving approval from FCC (Federal Communications Commission) for deploying additional 7,518 satellites on top of already existing 4,425.
Furthermore, SpaceX has filed an application for the launch of an additional 30,000 satellites with the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). These satellites will have the final orbital height of 550km.
How is it faster?
Unlike fiber optical cables here on Earth, each Starlink satellite is equipped with 5 individual lasers which will use light pulse to communicate with other satellites. Through this, each of them will have a laser-link with 5 of the nearest satellites.
Credit: Real Engineering (YouTube)
What’s interesting about this, is the varying speed of light between mediums. Using lasers, the Starlink satellites will be able to transfer data faster. This is because light travels 47% faster in the vacuum of space than on the glass used in optical fiber connection.
Why so many satellites?
Starlink was originally supposed to have a final orbital height of 1,150km and a coverage radius of 1,060km. This would mean that the project would be completed with far fewer satellites. However, the higher orbital height would also result in increased latency which consequently defeats the purpose of space-based internet.
Credit: Mark Handley (YouTube)
Thus, SpaceX is deploying a large number of non-geostationary satellites, each with an 81º field-of-view and a circular coverage radius of 500km for low-latency communication.
On its first phase with 1,584 satellites, 66 of them will orbit in one of 24 orbital planes inclined at 53º. As the satellites are constantly traveling in their dedicated orbital plane, it could result in an unsteady connection between neighboring satellites. To counter this, SpaceX has equipped each Starlink satellite with 5 optical communication systems, which will maintain a steady connection with 4 satellites at all times.
Any competition?
Unsurprisingly yes. The CEO of Virgin Airlines – Richard Branson announced an investment in OneWeb which is a similar venture, with approximately 700 satellites already having acquired license for operation. This announcement was eerily contiguous with Musk’s announcement in 2015.
Similarly, Samsung had also announced a 4,600 satellite constellation orbiting at 1,400km but as of now, that’s all we know about it. Amazon also put its hat in the ring and announced to launch “Project Kuiper“, with a constellation of 3,236 satellites in the next 10 years.
Prepare to surf the web faster and hopefully at a low cost in the coming years with the space-internet. However, experts have voiced their concerns saying that it will result in space and light pollution. Also, the signals transmitted by thousands of these satellites could also interfere with scientific researches. Whether this technology will cause more harm than good, only time will only tell.
Smartphone manufacturers have been using DxOMark scores lately to flaunt their phones’ photography prowess. It is an independent benchmark score for a camera-equipped product, which tests image and video quality of lenses and camera on the phone.
While last year’s Pixel 3 outperformed many flagship phones of the time with its single-camera setup, Google has tried to out-do itself by introducing a dual-camera setup on the latest Pixel 4. However, the latest figure on DxOMark’s website shows the device ranked 8th with a score of 112. It is right below OnePlus 7 Pro, Honor 20 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S10+. Huawei’s latest Mate 30 Pro tops the chart with 121 points.
The Pixel 4 comes with a 12.2MP f/1.7 main lens and a 16MP f/2.4 telephoto lens on the back. Both of these boast OIS and EIS. For selfies, there’s a single 8MP f/2.0 camera on the front.
Google Pixel 4: Photo performance
As with all the Pixel phones, Pixel 4 has a great camera performance. It has an accurate level of exposure in good lighting conditions and gives good details as well, especially indoors. Google emphasized its new telephoto lens on the phone’s launch event claiming the Pixel 4 was capable of preserving fine level of detail in long-range zoom too. DxOMark’s test is a testimonial to this claim.
Similarly, color reproduction on Pixel 4 is commendable as well. Its photos aren’t over-saturated and rather have pleasant colors and accurate white balance. Night Sight is another flaunted feature of the Pixel phones. Pixel 4 shoots excellent photos at night with its dedicated night mode. The images are well lit and details are preserved. Additionally, Pixel 4’s PDAF sensor allows for accurate in-focus shots in almost all lighting conditions.
As expected, Pixel 4 shoots the best selfie portraits. The portrait shots from rear-camera give excellent photos as well, though edge-detection is still not perfect. Talking about drawbacks, testers at DxOMark found images from Pixel 4 less detailed in short-range zoom. Also, some artifacts like Moiré effect (odd stripes & patterns in the image) and some ringing along the edges were found in some of the photos.
Google Pixel 4: Video performance
Moving on to video, Pixel 4 is capable of 4K videos at 30fps. However, the test was conducted on 1080p/60fps videos. The phone ranked top in DxOMark’s list of 1080p HD video performance.
Pixel 4’s videos are smooth with great stabilization, vibrant color, and accurate white balancing. The automatic adaptive frame rate allows switching between 30 and 60fps, which helps result in a smoother and stabilized video. Similarly, the phone’s video autofocus is fast and accurate too. Pixel 4’s dynamic range in videos is fairly appreciable alongside noise control.
Due to its excellent stabilization, videos from the Pixel 4 have less Judder effect (uneven or jerky video playback from the movement of camera or objects between frames) when panning.
Why such a low score?
With all the praise for its excellent photo and video performance, you might be wondering why Pixel 4 ranks 8th on the list. Well, the thing is, Pixel 4 only has two cameras on the back compared to competitors’ triple or quad-rear camera setup. Due to this, the phone is bound to suffer a low score since it doesn’t get any score on wide-angle and bokeh testing from DxOMark’s tests, unlike the competition. Thus, Pixel 4 falls short on its overall score.
You can read DxOMark’s full review of the Pixel 4 here.
It’s been well over 5 months since the US governmentenforced the ban on the Chinese telecommunication manufacturer Huawei. Making its entry in the dreaded “Entity List“, the company was effectively unable to make use of any US-based products and services. The die had been cast and as a result, companies like Google and ARM cut-off their ties with Huawei. Its latest flagship phone – the Mate 30 Pro shipped using an open-source version of Android (AOSP), unaccompanied by Google’s suite of applications.
Light at the end of the tunnel?
Flash forward to now, several companies that disassociated themselves with Huawei have reverted back on their decision. The Trump Administration reportedly went easy on the Huawei embargo, limiting it only to widely available products. Alas, the devil is in the details. Despite the US government ready to re-allow the sales of US goods to the Chinese conglomerate, the vagueness embedded within is still hurting the company’s business.
Alongside Huawei, several US-based companies have expressed their confusion regarding the ban as well. Clarity about the US’ argument remains absent. The Commerce Department said that it had received an upwards of 200 licensing requests regarding Huawei & its associates, which would require detailed analysis to identify if they are approvable or not. But, when and if they’ll be duly processed remains a mystery.
Huawei’s stance on the ambiguity
According to the company’s Chief Technical Officer Mr. Paul Scanlan, the company expects the US government to be more transparent and openforward with its actions. This is so that Huawei can respond fittingly. He emphasized that Huawei very much looks forward to uncovering what exactly the US wants; a personal review of the company’s resources perhaps.
He said, “If this is necessary, then (the US government) give us an example of what the rules are so that we will follow the rules. But the question is, what are the rules? … You (the US government) are afraid of what you don’t know. We will be more open and transparent – whatever you want to know, our executives will tell you. If you are willing to come to our factory to see what we do, and how we do it, you are welcome.”
Many US-based firms had already continued their operations with Huawei implementing workarounds about the export law. However, companies like Micron came short on their revenue. Arguments have been made that this will suffocate the distribution of US-based technology to the world, rather than effectively resolve the issue of national security from the Chinese government.
Talking about workarounds, we know that the latest Mate 30 & Mate 30 Pro shipped without Google Mobile Services (GMS). Folks at XDA Forum and Android Authority were quick to discover a way to sideload Google apps on the phone which somewhat made the device useable to the non-Chinese audiences. However, this no longer works since both devices don’t pass the “Compatability Test Suite (CTS)” anymore; a change possible only through Google.
Moving forward…
As mentioned above, the major problem with the issue at hand is that the US government hasn’t been transparent enough with Huawei or the public. We’re yet to see definitive proof as to why the company was blacklisted. Citing the vulnerability of Huawei and basically every China-based company for having to hand-over their data (as is the law) to the Chinese government with no say in the matter, the Trump Administration sees Huawei as a major threat. Add this to the company’s founder Mr. Ren Zhengfei’s past ties with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, US has sufficient reasons to speculate that Huawei is merely a pawn for the communist Chinese government.
However, Huawei has repeatedly denied the accusations of its coalition with the Chinese government. Following this, the company has also open-heartedly invited the US authorities for inspecting its facilities.
The mid-range segment is getting fiercely competitive. Under the price of Rs. 30,000, there is a cut-throat competition between a number of value for money devices. Most of the mid-range devices come up with the cliché selling points like processor and camera. But in that race, Samsung came up with something unconventional on the M30s. With 6000mAh battery, Galaxy M30s promises an enduring battery life. But what more has it to offer? We are going to explain that in this Samsung Galaxy M30s review.
Samsung Galaxy M30s Specifications:
Display: 6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ Infinity-U Super AMOLED display
ROM: 64/128GB (UFS 2.1), expandable up to 512GB via micro SD card
OS: Android Pie 9.0 with One UI 1.5
SIM: Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
Back Camera: 48MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, Samsung GW2 sensor, 8MP 123° ultra-wide-angle camera with f/2.2 aperture, 5MP depth sensor with f/2.2 aperture
Front Camera: 16MP with f/2.0 aperture, Samsung SK3P8SP sensor
Security: Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted), Face unlock
Audio: Dolby Atmos Support
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Battery: 6000mA with 15W fast charging (via Type C)
Color options: Opal Black, Sapphire Blue, and Pearl White
So, before I got this phone, I expected it to be very bulky and uninspiring as phones with big batteries go, but that was absolutely not the case. It’s actually not very heavy and has good grip thanks to the curved sides. And although it’s made of plastic, it doesn’t feel that cheap.
Maybe the things to complain about here are, the choice of colors which is absolutely rubbish in my opinion and the way these triple cameras are aligned in this fashion, this could definitely have been a little minimalistic.
It just feels like Samsung is trying to copy iPhone or Google Pixel 4. Also, since it has plastic all over on the back and the frames are not metal either, so durability, in the long run, could be a concern. So, I would advise you to case it up.
Continuing with the design, you get a single firing speaker on the bottom, which, by the way, sounds quite average. But Samsung has brought back the 3.5mm headphone jack after its omission on the Galaxy M40. So the audiophiles have something big to cheer here.
The M30s also offers a fast fingerprint sensor. And since I was used to slow sensors on Samsung J-series in the past, the faster fingerprint sensor on the M30s is a welcome addition. There’s also a not-so-reliable software-based face unlock, which is fairly accurate and fast as well.
Display
On the front, you get what other midrange phones are offering in 2019. A 6.4-inch FullHD display with thin bezels, a small U-shaped notch on the top and yes, a thick bezel on the bottom.
However, unlike other mid-rangers out there, Samsung utilizes a Super AMOLED display instead of an IPS panel. This means you get superior quality than the IPS ones. The colors, contrast, and brightness levels are great for the price.
Performance & Software
Now, talking about inside of the phone, you get Exynos 9611 chipset running the show. It is available in 2 memory variants, One with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, and the other with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage.
The 4GB, 64GB is obviously better value for money if you ask me, so I would advise you to go with that.
Now, talking about the Exynos 9611 chipset, it’s based on 10nm fabrication and strangely doesn’t offer any improvements over its predecessor 9610, except this one supports higher megapixel cameras.
The Exynos 9611 is more of a mid-range chipset and fairly a good one. The performance is good, but I wouldn’t say excellent. Having used the Note 8 Pro and the Realme 5 Pro, I can certainly say it’s not as smooth as them.
One possible explanation could be because of how heavy the OneUI (based on Android Pie) is. On the more expensive Note 10, the One UI performs like a champ. The transition and even opening of default apps like phone dialer is smooth, but with M30s, there is a hint of slightest of lag.
You might not even notice this, but as a reviewer and having to test all the phones, I can definitely tell this is not the smoothest midrange phone.
But what’s surprising is the Exynos 9611 should be able to handle such transitions, so maybe Samsung could work on optimizing One UI more on their budget and mid-range phones too.
Despite all that, One UI is still my favorite skin. From multitasking tray to notifications panel to the settings dashboard, everything feels minimalistic and modern. I also turn on the night mode, because not only this save the battery, but because I like it as well.
Talking about the gaming performance, the Mali G72 MP3 GPU is average, PUBG runs at HD graphics and High frame rates by default, but I had to either lower down the Graphics or frame rates for the stutter-free experience.
Even the recently launched Call of Duty has stutters and lags in medium settings and is playable only in low settings. Also, after like 30 mins of PUBG and COD, I noticed some heating issues at the back of the device.
So, the M30s is not the best performing phone at this price, especially when it comes to gaming. For gaming, I would recommend a more capable phone like Samsung Galaxy M40, Redmi Note 7 Pro or the last year’s flagship killer, the Poco F1. If you can wait, Redmi Note 8 Pro can be another good choice as it comes with a much superior MediaTek G90T gaming chipset. The phone is slated to launch in November.
Cameras
The Galaxy M30s is Samsung’s first mid-range smartphone to feature 48MP triple cameras. The 48MP primary camera is its in-house ISOCELL Bright GM2 sensor, joined by an accustomed 8MP ultrawide 12mm lens, and a 5MP depth sensor.
Honestly, I was really skeptical at first regarding the cameras, because the Galaxy M10 and M20 I reviewed had very average cameras, but M30s has “very good” cameras, I would rate them like B+.
The camera by default shoots in 12MP, however, you can go in the camera settings here to change it to 48MP mode. The 48MP takes like 2 seconds to capture the images and has more details when compared with the 12MP mode but consumes like 5 times more storage, other than that, there isn’t any noticeable difference.
Now, the default 12MP shots, when you view them from the AMOLED display, seem over-saturated, but it’s actually very natural when you view it on a color-accurate screen. The images have good colors, details are also fine, and the dynamic range is not bad either.
Normal Vs Wide-angle Mode
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The wide-angle images also share the same story. It has good colors and most importantly is natural like the primary images. It does miss out on detail if you zoom in, but that’s expected of an 8MP wide-angle shots.
The 5MP depth sensor also does a decent job in terms of portraits. I have seen more expensive phones doing a way worse job in portraits than this one, so I am content with its portrait images.
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Moving on to low-light performance, the level of detail is poor and images are not worth showing off, but that’s expected on a midrange phone. Samsung has also included a night mode, but it doesn’t work well.
Normal Vs Night Mode
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It messes on the exposure and the images come out overexposed. And if your hands have slightest of shakiness taking night mode shots, your images look blurry. So, I think Samsung needs to re-work on making the night mode better via a software update.
The selfies from the 16MP front camera, on the other hand, are also very good. If you are at the right distance with ample lights, you will get some detailed shots with good colors and dynamic range. The selfie portraits also work well and overall, I am happy with the software-based blurring.
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As for video recording, the M30s records 1080P and 4K videos at 30fps, and surprisingly there is no 60fps on both of them. The 1080P videos are stable with an accurate color presentation, excellent contrast, and dynamic range. If you want more details, you can shoot in 4K but there is no stabilization.
You can also use the ultra-wide-angle lens at 1080P for videos. There is also a super steady mode, which is a cropped version of the ultra-wide videos but is stable. There’s also usual 240fps slow-mo and 960fps super slow-Mo options, which do an okay job.
So, just to see how good the cameras on the M30s is, I also compared it against the Redmi Note 8 pro. And to be honest, in many aspects, both phones do a similar job. The main difference in normal images forms the two is that the M30s has a cooler tone whereas the Note 8 pro has somewhat a warmer tone. And color tones are usually up to people’s preference, so I would give points to both.
Galaxy M30s Vs Redmi Note 8 Pro
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But one thing I noticed is that the M30s has better colors when it comes to the sky. For portraits, in some scenarios, the M30s does good while at other times the Note 8 pro steals the show. Selfies, on the other hand, look better on the Note 8 Pro. Nighttime pictures are well, bad on both like I said previously for the M30s.
Battery
Now, before I talk about the battery. Let’s summarize our review: Design and Build is like 7/10, The Display is a solid 9, Performance is well average at 7, and I would give cameras 8/10. This looks like a perfectly fine score to me, but it’s the battery that steals the show.
The 6000mAh battery is a solid 10 for me. It will last you for 2 days on moderate usage and if you are a heavy user who likes to game a lot, and watch videos, it would still give you a day of usage.
The 15W fast charger, supplied inside the box, charges the battery from 0 to 100% in 2 hours 20 minutes.
Conclusion:
Like I said throughout the article, the Galaxy M30s is a good smartphone. It’s only in the performance aspect where it could have done better, otherwise, you get surprisingly good cameras and powerhouse of a battery. This one is a competitive mid-range offering from Samsung. So if you are looking to buy a good mid-range Samsung phone, you won’t go wrong with the Galaxy M30s.
Festivals and shopping. I bet you’ll have a hard time finding a better relationship than that. Each year as the festive season starts hoard of people storm into various stores and try to strike the best deal for the desired products. However, changing times has brought forth a change in our shopping habits too. People today do prefer buying stuff online rather than going to traditional bricks and mortar shops.
Indeed it’s easy to understand why this trend of shopping online is increasing day by day. I mean you don’t even have to get up from that cozy couch of yours and yet place orders easily. That’s life, isn’t it?
But wait a minute, why all of a sudden there’s an article that is somewhat trying to highlight the importance of online shopping. Well, I was just setting the tone out here. This article is much more than just an informatory piece on online shopping. It’s about what online retailers are offering this festive season.
Earlier in the post, I’d placed a question of sorts about what might be a better relationship than festivals and shopping. Forgive for being that annoying student in the class who asks a question and tries answering it himself. And allow me to suggest an answer. And that would be festivals and shopping at a discounted price. Throw in the comfort of shopping from your home and wollah you have the perfect relationship.
Well, this festive season many online retailers are offering heavy discounts on various products. One of the many offers that have intrigued me is the one from G-store. Basically, G-store Nepal supplies electronic gadgets, especially that of MI officially from Daraz Nepal. And currently, they are offering various degrees of discounts on multiple products. The discounts go as high as 37%. Furthermore, they are offering free shipping on al MI products if the customers make a minimum purchase of at least NRs. 2000. Now that’s some crazy offer, isn’t it? And if you want to make a purchase from G-store while the offer lasts then you can follow the link:
Sticking to the subject of crazy offers, Daraz has once again brought forth one of its crazy flash sales. This time it’s labeled as the 24-hour madness. With the tagline “beat the clock”. What it essentially means is that along with the allocated discount percentage on the products you’ll receive extra perks depending upon what time of the day you’re making your purchase. For instance, the early birds i.e. those who place their order from 12:00 am to 1:00 am will get free delivery on anything that they order. Similarly, for someone who places an order between 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm will get NRs. 250 off if they buy three items. And there’s a lot more that you can check out here:
And as the name suggests, this 24-hour madness is valid only for a single day and that for the entirety of the 22nd of October 2019. If I’m not mistaken, there’s only a couple of hours left for it. So, be sure that you check that out for exciting deals.
When Vivo launched the Vivo S1 in Nepal, it was well-taken by the Nepali customers. Because of the features, it packed, the phone is one of the best smartphones under the price of 30,000 in Nepal. Currently, it is available in two memory configurations. Let’s check out what Vivo S1 offers different than other devices in the price segment.
VIVO S1 Overview
First off with the specs, the Vivo S1 is off to a strong start, with an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P65 processor. Couple that with 4/6GB RAM, and it means ample power. Its 6.38-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display comes as a pretty good package here. Complementing the processor is 128GB of onboard expandable storage. And you also get a beefy 4500 mAh battery with 18W dual engine fast charging support.
Impressive, right? Good things continue for the Vivo S1 with its triple camera setup at the rear. The triple camera setup comprises of a 16 MP primary lens, an 8MP wide-angle lens, and a 5MP depth sensor. Also, its selfie game looks pretty good with a 32 MP camera up front.
Vivo didn’t skimp out on sensors either, you get everything from the gyro to its in-display fingerprint sensor. It’s fast and not as bad as the ones on the Samsung Galaxy A50. The phone runs on Android 9 with FunTouch OS on top which is pretty standard for all Vivo phones. The only thing I can complain about is the use of a MicroUSB port!
Moving on, the phone is available in Sea Wind Blue or Wave Blue colors. The back is made of plastic. Furthermore, if you do choose to opt for the Vivo S1, you will get a one-time free screen damage replacement for 30 days.
Sensors: UD Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
VIVO S1 Price in Nepal & Availability [2020]
The official price of Vivo S1 in Nepal is Rs. 31,490 for a 6/128GB variant and Rs. 28,390 for a 4/128GB variant. It is available through both online and offline retailers in Nepal and you might get some discounts depending upon the retailers.
Despite the trade dispute with the US, Huawei isn’t backing down from the market. The company launched its latest flagship – Huawei Mate 30 Pro using AOSP and without any Google apps, which unsurprisingly saw great success in Huawei’s homeland China. Additionally, the company reported a 24.4% rise in revenue in Q3 2019 compared to last year. So it’s fair to say the Trump Administration’s actions haven’t made an alarming impact on Huawei’s business. And now, the company is adding another product to its mid-range line, labeled “Huawei Nova 5z“.
As suggested by the title, the Nova 5z looks almost exactly like the Nova 5i Pro launched in July of 2019, making it the 6th entry to the Nova 5 lineup. I was a little intrigued as to why Huawei would release so many phones under one banner which is very unlike its other series. So, I Googled to see if the number ‘5’ is associated with any positive stuff in Chinese tradition. However, that wasn’t the case. Maybe the company just felt like it, who knows?
Huawei Nova 5z Overview
Tailored for Generation Z (as Huawei says), the Nova 5z has a fashionable design and great specs.
Display & Design
As mentioned in the title, the Nova 5z features an identical design to that of the Nova 5i Pro. It has a 6.26-inch rounded LCD panel with a Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080) resolution. The phone has minimal side & top bezels and applies a punch-hole technology for the front camera. Similarly, there’s a quad-camera setup on the back and a fingerprint scanner underneath. Nova 5z falls under the lightweight category, weighing around 178 grams.
The back of the phone is made of 3D Hyperboloid Glass, with finishes of different shades. Talking about the color, the phone comes in three: Emerald Green, Aurora Blue, and Black.
Camera
The quad-camera on the back is placed in a 2×2 matrix layout, exactly like in the aforementioned Nova 5i Pro. There’s a 48MP f/1.8 main camera, followed by an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro, and finally a 2MP depth sensor lens. Coming to the front, there’s the 32MP f/2.0 selfie camera housed inside the punch-hole cutout on the top-left corner of the display.
Nova 5z comes with Night View for night photography, as well as Portrait Mode, and AI Beauty Mode. Embedded with Huawei’s DaVinci Architecture NPU (Neural-Network Processing Unit), the phone is capable of giving you excellent camera performance through the help of AI.
On the performance end, the phone is powered by Huawei’s Kirin 810 chipset (7nm) and the equally powerful Mali G76 GPU clocked in at 820MHz. The 810 is a great SoC especially for mid-range devices and easily outperforms the Snapdragon 730 (8nm) found in the regular Redmi K20. The fabrication process is where it’s at! Recently, Huawei has been coming up with some great mid-range devices. If only those were priced accordingly in the Nepalese market!
Additionally, the company’s Ark Compiler (which can also be used to port Android apps to Huawei’s Harmony OS) yields efficient resource handling for smooth app experience. On figures, there can be up to 29% app execution efficiency and 32.68% system response boost. Furthermore, the GPU Turbo feature enhances gaming performance even more. This is supported by 6GB of RAM and either 64 or 128GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 256GB using a Huawei NM memory card. Nova 5z runs Android 9.0 (Pie) with Huawei’s EMUI 9.1 on top.
Battery
Fuelled by a decent 4000 mAh battery, the phone supports 20W fast charging. It can tank up to 50% within 30 minutes of charge. On normal usage, the Nova 5z should easily last a day.
Miscellaneous
What else would a Gen Z want? Hmm? Yes, video editing of course. The phone is equipped with an AI video editing feature. It doesn’t support NFC and neither is it waterproof.
Huawei Nova 5z Specifications
Body: 6.15 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches; 178 gm
Display: 6.26-inches LCD display
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels)
Chipset: HiSilicon Kirin 810; 7nm Mobile Platform
CPU: Octa-core (2 x Cortex-A76 2.27GHz, 6 x Cortex-A55 1.88GHz)
GPU: Mali G76 (820MHz)
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 64 / 128GB (expandable up to 256GB via a Huawei NM memory card)
Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Huawei’s EMUI 9.1
As of now, the Nova 5z is a China-exclusive phone. It retails for ¥1,599 (approx NRs 25,600) for the 6/64GB variant and ¥1,799 (Approx. Rs. 28,800) for the 6/128GB variant.
Samsung is known for providing price drops from time to time. This time, Samsung is offering a cash discount on its latest budget phone, the Galaxy A10s. With the new price cut, Samsung Galaxy A10s is one of the best budget smartphones to buy in Nepal.
Overview
The Galaxy A10s has a lot of improvements over its predecessor A10. And they’re noticeable right away! First off, the Galaxy A10s features dual cameras at the back. The A10 had only a single primary camera, but the A10s adds a new depth sensor for better portraits. This may not be much, but it at least, means that you can take portrait shots from the phone on the hardware level. Also, the selfie camera has improved. It’s now an 8 MP shooter.
Another change that’s visible right away is the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The A10 didn’t have any, nor did the Galaxy M10. But this one does, making a pretty good case for a budget smartphone.
Other external features stay pretty much the same. The display is still a 6.2″ IPS LCD with that Infinity-U display and HD+ resolution. Also, the design language isn’t much different. But there are other changes inside. The Samsung Galaxy A10s runs on the Helio P22 chipset, which is slightly inferior to the Exynos 7884 on the A10 – at least on paper. In addition, there is an increase in battery size. The Samsung Galaxy A10s features a large 4000 mAh battery, compared to 3400mAh on the A10.
That is pretty much it for the Galaxy A10s. I can’t say how much of a difference will it make in terms of processing power, but other things considered, it is a good improvement over the Galaxy A10.
Samsung Galaxy A10s Specifications:
Display: 6.2″ IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution (720 x 1520 pixels), Infinity-V notch, 19:9 aspect ratio
Storage: 32 GB internal, expandable via microSD card up to 512 GB
OS: Android 9.0 (Pie) with One UI
Features: Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor,
Battery: 4000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy A10s price in Nepal:Rs. 16,790 Rs. 13,999
Samsung Galaxy A10s Price in Nepal, Availability
Samsung Mobiles Nepal was launched the Galaxy A10s for the price of Rs. 16,790. However, it is now available for Rs. 14,999. It goes head to head against the Redmi 7, which is still one of the best budget phones to buy at the price range of Rs. 17,000.
Oppo A5 2020 is the toned-down version of the previously launched Oppo A9 2020. The device is finally available in Nepal in two different memory configurations – 4/128GB and 3/64GB variant. The Oppo A5 2020 packs in some capable hardware but in a price-sensitive mid-range market like that of Nepal it hardware alone isn’t enough. Read along to find out more.
Oppo A5 2020 Overview:
The Oppo A5 2020 has the same 6.5-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) display as the Oppo A9 2020. And just like the A9 2020, it is powered by Snapdragon 665 processor. There are two variants of OPPO A5: One with 4GB of RAM and 128GB storage, and the other with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
The A5 2020 features a Quad-camera setup on the rear with a 12MP primary camera. An 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor are added to its rear camera setup. There’s an 8MP front camera residing inside the notch of the display.
The Oppo A5 2020 is certainly a power-house; boasting a 5000mAh battery with reverse charging. Talking about the body, the phone has a plastic body with gradient colors. The phone packs a stereo speaker setup with Dolby Atmos sound.
There is no in-display fingerprint sensor, instead, you will be getting a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. Thanks to the big battery, the phone weighs around 195g and is relatively thick at 9.1mm. The phone runs on Android 9.0 with ColorOS 6.0 on top.
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 reverse charging
Oppo A5 2020 Price in Nepal
The updated price of OPPO A5 in Nepal is Rs. 22,990 for a 3/64GB variant and Rs. 25,490 for 4/128GB. The device is available through both online and offline retailers in Nepal.
Model Name
Old Price
New Price in Nepal
Oppo A5 2020 (3/64GB)
NPR. 22,990
NPR. 22,990
Oppo A5 2020 (4/128GB)
NPR. 27,990
NPR. 25,490
The hardware is appealing but not that the price that the Oppo A5 2020 bears. With a similar set of specs, Redmi Note 8 brings greater value for money.
Man is the smartphone industry competitive! With manufacturers bringing out new phones way too often nowadays, we as a consumer get lots of options to choose from. People are getting great performing phones even on a budget. And that’s a good thing. Vivo just launched the all-new Vivo U3 in China at a ridiculously impressive price, which may just make it the new king in the budget smartphone arena.
Vivo U3 Overview
A tall, thin, and heavy phone on a budget.
The Vivo U3 is a fine upgrade to last month’s Vivo U3x (also known as Vivo U10), with a powerful chipset, more RAM, and more.
Display & Design
“An incremental update” would describe the Vivo U3 the best. Despite a taller 6.53-inchFull-HD+ (1080 x 2340) display and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, it is thinner than its predecessor. While Vivo has managed to minimize the size bezels, there’s still a formidable chin on the bottom. Similarly, the 90.3% screen-to-body ratio assures a more pleasant viewing experience.
With a 3D curved design, the Vivo U3 has a pleasant grip and hand-feel. The back of the phone is made of polycarbonate material and houses the fingerprint sensor and the Vivo logo on the bottom left corner. The phone comes in 3 colors: Porcelain Black, Blue, & Green.
Camera
There’s a triple camera setup on the back next to the fingerprint sensor. Arranged vertically are the 8MP super wide-angle camera, a 16MP primary lens, and a 2MP macro lens for close-up shots of objects as near as 4cm. The Vivo U3 also features Super Night View 2.0 for night-time images and HDR shots with Super Backlighting.
Vivo U3 Camera setup
1 of 2
Triple-rear camera
Selfie camera
Coming to the front of the device, there’s a 16MP AI selfie camera that supports “Face Wake”, which is Vivo’s name for its face-unlock technology. And of course, there are multiple beautifying features as well.
Performance & Memory
While you’ll find a MediaTek chipset in most of the budget phones, the Vivo U3 boasts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset based on the 11nm process, which is about 20% more powerful than the older Snapdragon 665 in the U3x. Similarly, there are two memory variants of the U3 – 4GB and 6GB, both with 64GB of internal storage. You get a dedicated microSD card slot which can be used to expand the storage up to 256GB.
Vivo has been nailing its starter phones by shipping them with huge batteries. The U3 follows suit with a big 5000 mAh battery which supports 18W dual-engine fast charging out-of-the-box. However, Vivo is still manufacturing its phones with Micro-USB in 2019 which we’ve complained about a lot! If you’re already knee-deep in the Type-C ecosystem, the Vivo U3 will take you back in time to the days of using multiple cords and plugs.
Miscellaneous
You also get a decent gaming experience with the Vivo U3. The company’s “Vivo Multi-Turbo” technology accelerates the performance of the device with app response time increased by up to 20%. Background processes are optimized for better resource management while gaming.
Vivo U3 Specifications
Body: 6.38 x 3.01 x 0.35 inches; 193 gm
Display: 6.53-inches TFT LCD panel
Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675; 11nm Mobile Platform
CPU: Octa-core (Up to 2.0 GHz)
GPU: Adreno 612
RAM: 4 / 6GB
Storage: 64GB (expandable up to 256GB via a dedicated microSD card)
Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Vivo’s Funtouch OS 9.1
Pre-orders for the Vivo U3 is already up in the Chinese e-commerce site JingDong, while it’ll be available on Vivo China’s official site from October 21.
Vivo U3 (4/64GB): ¥999 ~ (NRs. 16,065)
Vivo U3 (6/64GB): ¥1,199 ~ (NRs. 19,280)
As for the phone’s official availability in Nepal, we haven’t received any words from the company’s official distributors in the country. Stay with us for further updates.
