When Jio launched in India, it was nothing sort of a revolution. Free calls, free data, and whatnots. It well and truly was a source of envy for most people. And here in Nepal where data and call prices are among the most expensive in the world, why is there so much government intervention when something similar was about to happen in Nepal? I know there are “packs” be it data or voice calls you can take from the current network providers. However, it still remains expensive. Thus, it’s baffling to see that our government has denied CG Telecom permission to commence their telecom services by not providing a unified license.
Words from the CEO, Mr. Binod Chaudhary
Binod Chaudhary, in an interview, claimed that if his company was given the permission to start their telecom services, people will be able to enjoy free voice calls and data prices at half of the current price. However, despite having already paid the required amount and fulfilled their due diligence, they have not been given the green light for three years now.
Reportedly, CG is ready to invest almost Rs. 25 billion in telecommunications. However, due to an issue of the unified license, they have not been able to do so.
In a recent press release by the Minister of Communication and Information technology of Nepal Mr. Gokul Baskota, he claimed that Chaudhary Group had not begun the process of acquiring the unified license. And it requires a company to pay Rs. 20 billion. Moreover, he also mentioned that he cannot comprehend how a company can provide free voice call to all the users.
CG Telecom – The road to a unified license
I agree that everyone has to play by the rules. However, the issue here is that CG claims that the mentioned amount has to be paid within 10 years of the license commencement. Indeed according to the “Telecommunications Code (Dur Sanchaar Ain)”, any company seeking a unified license has to pay the aforementioned Rs. 20 billion for the license. However, the payment can be made in the following way:
Rs. 50 million in the first year and the second year
Rs. 100 million in the third year
Rs. 200 million in the fourth year and so on
Still, the Minister claims that the complete amount has to be paid in advance. Therefore, Chaudhary Group themselves via a press release sought justification regarding this situation.
Moreover, CG communication has said that they have already paid Rs 4,49,457,723 until now to the government for licensing purposes. So, once again the question remains why so much blockade for private investors? Especially, in the telecommunication industry.
CG has time and again come out and expressed their desire to invest heavily in this sector. Promised to provide services based on new technologies. And help the country achieve its goal of making digital Nepal.
Is it just because of the rules or is it a part of a much more elaborate plot? Should CG Telecom be rewarded with a unified license? Do comment your opinion!
The last time Samsung came up with a “revolutionary” foldable phone, it was a disaster. With buyers mistaking the protective layer for a screen protector, the horrors started as soon as the product reached the public. However, the company recalled all the units and took its time to amend the design errors of the Galaxy Fold before reshipping it again. And now, Samsung has come up with a new foldable phone – this time with a clamshell design. Dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, it shares a similar design language to the recently launched Motorola razr, but with objectively better quality.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Overview
Design & Display
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes in a radically different design than the earlier foldable phone from the company. With its clamshell design which folds in half to a mere 3.4-inches body, the phone is a direct competitor to the Motorola razr that launched a couple of months ago. In its folded state, the phone gains a width of 0.6-inch which is just about the width of two regular phones.
The lid has a 1.1-inches Super AMOLED“Cover Display”, where you can view the notification, messages, or even take selfies. And on its side resides the rear dual-cameras, which I’ll get into in more detail later on. Similarly, Samsung has installed a fingerprint sensor on the side of the phone.
But it’s when unfolding the Z Flip, its beauty shines through. Revealing a tall 6.7-inches FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED display, the Galaxy Z Flip almost guarantees a unique smartphone experience. And you know what’s exciting and simultaneously reassuring, this foldable screen is made of “glass”. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the days of plastic screens on foldables are over. Samsung’s Ultra-Thin-Glass (UTG) paired with a hideaway hinge on the Galaxy Z Flip as the company claims, can survive up to 200,000 unfolds!
And to protect from potential dirt and dust from getting into the phone via the hinge, there’s a small “sweep protect” technology. But only a real-world test will prove its worth.
There’s also a “Flex mode” which allows you to use the Galaxy Z Flip kinda like a laptop. With some apps like the camera supporting it, you get a separate screen space for the main UI while the bottom half of the display consumes the settings and whatnots. Reminded me of the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo, not gonna lie.
Cameras
For such an animated product, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip comes with a good-enough camera setup as well. On the lid of the phone, there are two 12MP cameras; a primary and an ultra-wide sensor. The primary sensor supports OIS, while the ultra-wide lens has a 123º field-of-view (FOV). Features like 8X digital zoom, Tracking AF (Auto Focus), also make their presence on this device.
There’s an additional 10MP selfie camera under a tiny punch-hole cutout, making the Galaxy Z Flip the first foldable phone with one. Samsung’s native camera app makes use of the aforementioned Flex Mode.
In terms of video, the rear cameras can shoot up to 4K videos @ 60fps. Additionally, it also supports 960fps super slow-mo at HD resolution, 240fps slow-mo at 1080p and FHD Hyperlapse videos. Honestly, I’m amazed at Samsung for being able to cram all these into a device with a radically new design approach.
Performance & Memory
The Galaxy Z Flip is a powerhouse in terms of performance as well. It is powered by last year’s most powerful chipset – the Snapdragon 855+. The Motorola razr came with a disappointing Snapdragon 710 SoC, which was one of the most significant disappointments for an otherwise okay-ish device. As a result, you don’t sacrifice the performance level for the sake of a new design.
Moreover, the phone comes with a singular 8GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration. There’s no option for storage upgrade here, but that should be plenty for the majority of the buyers anyway. Complementing the faster chipset is the faster UFS 3.0 storage technology. The Galaxy Z Flip runs on the latest Android 10 with One UI 2.0 on top.
Battery
In terms of battery, the power necessities for the phone is handled by a 3300mAh cell. It’s not very big for a 2020 phone but isn’t downright abysmal either. To put it into perspective, Google Pixel 4 came with a 2800 mAh battery and relied upon software optimizations to give out good endurance.
More importantly, the Galaxy Z Flip isn’t mean to be used as a regular phone. With regular notifications, selfies, etc. handled within the small cover display, I believe the 3300mAh battery shouldn’t do all bad in terms of endurance.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Specifications
Body: Unfolded (6.59 x 2.90 x 0.28); Folded (3.44 x 2.90 x 0.68); 183 gm
Display: Main (6.7-inches Dynamic AMOLED panel); External (1.1-inches Super AMOLED “Cover Display” )
Resolution: Main (FHD+: 2636 x 1080 pixels; 21.9:9 aspect ratio); External (300 x 112 pixels)
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+; 7nm Mobile Platform
Connectivity: Nano-SIM, eSIM, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band (2.4 & 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS, USB Type-C
Battery: 3300 mAh battery with 15W fast charging; wireless & reverse-wireless charging
Colors: Mirror Black, Mirror Gold, Mirror Purple
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip Price in Nepal & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip will be available starting from February 14 for $1,380 on South Korea and the USA, while it will shortly make its way to other regions of the world. But sadly, the phone will not be coming to Nepal officially! However, 3rd party mobile retail shops might bring it here for exorbitant pricing, expected to be around 2 lakhs.
Also, check out our hands-on review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite!
Back in January, we first heard about Vivo’s plan to spin-off iQOO as an independent brand in India. Recent news suggests iQOO is working to launch a new device in India called the iQOO 3 5G. The fact that the device might be premiered in India before anywhere else will make it the company’s first-ever outside its home country of China.
iQOO 3 5G overview
Soon after the rumor of spin-off, another rumor about iQOO India launching the first Snapdragon 865 device in India followed. Gagan Arora, iQOO’s Director of Marketing, has confirmed both of the news. A post on Weibo by official iQOO account has confirmed that iQOO 3 5G is on progress. We believe that the iQOO 3 5G is the same device that will be launched in India.
Geekbench database has listed iQOO 3 5G as Vivo I1927. The device scored 914 points in Geekbench’s single-core test and managed 3,217 points in the multi-core test. The device will come with Snapdragon 865 chipset bundled with an X22 modem for 5G connectivity. Given the reputation of the brand, we were expecting the Snapdragon 865 processor. Geekbench’s database aligns perfectly with our assumptions. The database reveals the chipset to be Kona which, we all know, is the code name for the Snapdragon 865 chipset. It will be backed by 8GB of RAM and it will run Android 10 out of the box.
According to the listing by the Chinese TENAA website, the phone will come with a 6.4-inch tall AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2400. It will support a refresh rate of up to 60Hz. The display will feature punch-hole for the 16MP front shooter. There will be an in-display fingerprint scanner for security. There will be a quad-camera setup at the back with a 64MP primary sensor. It will come with a battery over the capacity of 4,300 mAh and a 55W fast charger. It is also rumored that the phone will come with 128/256GB of the new UFS 3.1 storage.
iQOO 3 5G Specifications (rumored & confirmed)
Display: 6.4-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2440 pixels
Rear Camera: Quad-camera, 64 MP primary lens
Front Camera: 16MP with f/2.0 aperture
Processor: Octa-core 7 nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
GPU: Adreno 650
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256GB (UFS 3.1)
Software: Android 10
Battery: 4300 mAh, 55W Fast Charging
Security: Fingerprint (under display)
iQOO 3 5G official launch
The iQOO 3 5G launch will be launched within the month of February. But it isn’t going to be the only iQOO device in India this year. iQOO is also working on a 4G device. The device will not be 5G enabled and will come at a lower price.
Check out our unboxing video of the glorious ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo!
The Mobile World Congress is almost here. With the event date nearing closer, we can not help but think about the smartphones we are going to witness. Major brands will be bringing their latest flagship phones to the event. Talking about both flagship and launch, we, finally, have a date for the launch event of the anticipated Mi 10 series. According to the latest report, the Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro will initially be launched in China before it will officially available for the international market.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the Mi 10 series
Qualcomm announced its latest flagship processor Snapdragon 865 earlier this month. And even before we had the complete specs of the processor, many of the smartphone brands announced to integrate it into their next flagship phone. One such brand was Xiaomi. Company’s Co-Founder and Vice-Chairman, Bin Lin, announced at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019 that the Mi 10 will be powered by the latest flagship processor.
Let’s start with what we already knew about the device – Snapdragon 865 processor. With this, we can almost be certain that the Mi 10 will be the first of many 5G smartphones that the company promised to launch this year. Qualcomm earlier clarified that the Snapdragon 865 will only come bundled with the X55 modem (for 5G connectivity) though it lacked an integrated modem. The Mi 10 will come with dual-mode 5G support. It will come with three different memory options – 8/128GB, 8/256GB, and 12/256GB.
Talking about the display, the Mi 10 will sport a 6.5-inch AMOLED panel. The display will come with the support of refresh rate up to 90Hz. While its predecessor, Mi 9, came with a notch to hold the selfie camera, we still don’t know if Xiaomi will give it continuity or will go with a punch-hole display instead.
The Mi 10 will house a quad-camera setup at the back. Sony IMX686 will be the primary sensor. In addition to this, there will be a 20MP ultra-wide sensor, a 12MP telephoto lens. We are yet to confirm if the device will come with a depth sensor or a macro sensor.
The phone will feature a 4,500 mAh battery. It will come equipped with a 40W fast charger. As per the rumors, the device will support 30W wireless fast charging and 10W reverse wireless charging. It will feature a linear vibration motor which provides faster acceleration than the widely used ERM motor.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro Specs
At the moment, information about the Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro is limited. We can confirm the Snapdragon 865 and dual-mode 5G. It will come with RAM of up to 16GB which will be based on the latest LPDDR5 technology. It will come with the 5,250 mAh battery. There will support for both 66W fast charging and 40W wireless fast charging. There will also be support for reverse wireless charging, detail of which is still unknown.
The Pro version is said to come with a 6.4-inch 120Hz OLED screen. It will also feature a quad-camera setup. The primary camera will have a 108MP camera. There will be a 48MPultra-wide sensor, a 12MP telephoto lens. It will also feature either a macro lens or a depth sensor. Being a Pro version, it will only ship with 12GB of RAM. For internal storage, we can choose from 128GB, 256GB, or a 512GB variant.
Xiaomi Mi 10 Official Launch
Xiaomi, via its official Weibo account, has confirmed that Mi 10 will be unveiled in China on February 13. Unlike other unveilings by the company, this one will be an online program as pubic gathering in China is quite impossible due to coronavirus outbreak.
As for the international launch, Xiaomi will be bringing the new Mi 10 series to Mobile World Congress 2020. Xiaomi has allegedly sent out invitations for the launch event that is taking place on February 23. Though the specs haven’t been confirmed officially, we believe that the devices won’t vary significantly in terms of specs.
In Nepal, we actually don’t have many options to choose from. I’m not talking about the accessories store – we have a lot of them but the kind of products they offer. All the stores offer almost the same range of products and most of the time you don’t actually get what you are looking for. Even if you do, you will have to doubt about the originality of the products. I mean, there aren’t a lot of brands that are officially available in Nepal. If you feel my pain there’s a piece of good news for us. LinearFlux, a young company based on the USA, has now officially landed in Nepal with its Hypersonic Earbuds. With this, we have one more option to choose from next time we head to the store to buy some accessories.
LinearFlux, formed in 2014, is a brand based on the USA devoted to providing a range of quality accessories to the consumers. They debuted with LithiumCard which came with its own HyperCharging Technology – their take on ultra-fast charging. As of now, it has widened its portfolio of accessories. Some of its notable products include LithiumCard, Graphene series of power banks and charging cables, and Hypersonic earbuds.
The US-based brand has now officially landed in Nepal. IMS Group is the sole authorized distributor of LinearFlux in Nepal. As of now, they have brought LinearFlux Hypersonic True Wireless HD Earphones 2020.
LinearFlux Hypersonic Earbuds Overview
Hypersonic Wireless Earphone is among the latest products from the brand. The earphone is developed by Einstein and David, both of which were part of the team of Monster Products that worked to make Beats By Dr. Dre what it is now. But unlike the offerings from the Monster Products, LinearFlux hypersonic wireless earphones are designed to provide a quality experience at affordable prices.
The earphones come with LinearFlux DL01 Immersive Sound Engine which the company claims to provide better music clarity and bass. It comes with an IPx7 rating which means theoretically it can withstand water up to 1m depth. You can expect a playback time of around 6-8 hours per charge. It comes with Bluetooth 5 technology, beamforming microphone, and one-touch access for Alexa, Siri, and Google.
The price of LinearFlux Hyper-sonic True Wireless Earphone is NRs.12,990. You can buy it form IMS showrooms in City Center and Tamrakaar Complex. It is also available in a few other retail outlets in New Road, Jwalakel, Chabahil, Kalanki, Pokhara, Butwal, and Narayanghat. If you don’t want to go through the hassle of visiting stores, you can buy it online from SmartDoko.com.
Nagmani International, the authorized distributor of Asus products in Nepal, has officially unveiled two dual screens laptops in the Nepali market. The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 and Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 are the latest dual-screen laptop from Asus that is intended for content creators. Both are available in the Nepali market via various laptop retail shops.
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 overview
This laptop can easily be considered one of the best of the lot. It has a 4K OLED touch screen (primary) along with a 4K touch secondary panel. The secondary panel in fact is stretched across the chassis.
Two touchscreen 4K screens will certainly require some fast processing and that is what you get as this laptop runs an overclockable Intel Core i9 (i9-9980HK) or a more common Intel Core i7 processor (i7-9750H).
It is further combined with Nvidia RTX 2060 graphics and a very fast nVME Gen 3 X4 SSD. The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 is a perfect laptop for productivity, content creation, and gaming too.
The laptop, apart from fulfilling the productivity needs of an individual, comes with a stylus, the ASUS-pen, as the company calls it. The pen is mostly targeted for the creators and artists out there who are fond of digital art. Additionally, both the displays support the stylus for use.
Similarly, the utility of a dual-screen extends other possibilities as well. The most impact can be for better implementation of content creating platforms like Premier Pro, After effects, Illustrator and the like. And because the screen has excellent color coverage, namely 100% DCI-P3 and 133% of sRGB, it’s content creation capabilities seem impressive to say at the least.
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581Specifications
Display: 15.6-inch OLED UHD (3840 x 2160), 14-inch UDH (3840 x 2160) touch display
CPU: 2.4GHz Intel Core i9-9980HK or Intel Core i7- 9750H
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060, 6GB GDDR6 VRAM
RAM: 8GB/16GB/32GB DDR4
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD
Ports: 1 x Thunderbolt 3(USB-C), 2 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-A, HDMI 2.0, headphone/microphone jack
Weight: 2.5Kg
Battery: 8-cell, 71Wh
Asus ZenBook Pro Duo UX581 Price in Nepal
The i7 variant of Zenbook Pro Duo UX581 is priced at Rs. 359,000. It comes with 1TB of storage an 32GB of RAM. Similarly, the i9 variant of Zenbook Pro Duo is expected to be priced at Rs. 4,00,000.
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 overview
Another Asus Dual-screen laptop to hit the Nepalese market is the Asus ZenBook Duo UX481. It is a toned-down version of the ZenBook Pro Duo. It features a 14-inch 1080P IPS display instead of 4K OLED on the Pro-model. Similarly, the secondary screen in this one is slightly small at 12.7-inches.
The CPU options for this one is either the Core i5-10210U or the Core i7-10510U. As for the graphics it has the Nvidia GeForce MX250 with the VRAM of 2GB. The RAM option is up to 16GB. So, the performance here doesn’t quite match the Pro-model.
Hence, the non-pro model is intended for users who want to be benefitted by the dual-display but do not need a powerhouse of a laptop. Also since, it has dual displays, like the Pro Duo, this one can be used for some serious multitasking. However, in terms of computing capabilities, it is not as powerful as the pro model and can only handle less demanding tasks, and games with its MX 250 graphics.
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 Specifications
Display: 14.0-inch IPS FHD (1920 x 1080), 12.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) touch display
CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core i7-10510U or 1.6GHz Intel Core i5-10210U
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce MX250, 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
RAM: 8GB/16GB/ LPDDR3
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB PCIe SSD
Ports: 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A, HDMI, headphone/microphone jack, microSD card reader
Weight: 1.5Kg
Battery: 4-cell, 70Wh
Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 Price in Nepal
The Asus ZenBook Duo UX481 is available only in i7 variant with 16GB RAM and 1TB SSD. It is priced at Rs. 1,95,000.
While we were all busy assuming Samsung Galaxy S20 as the first Snapdragon 865 phone, another device slipped right under our noses. As a matter of fact, ZTE has won the race against Samsung here. ZTE has announced the ZTE Axon 10s Pro. And yes it officially is the world’s first phone to have been announced with Snapdragon 865.
ZTE Axon 10s Pro overview
Except the chipset, most of the specs and the design too match that of the Axon 10 pro. It still sports a similar 6.47-inch AMOLED display with 1080p resolution. The screen has a waterdrop notch and as with smartphones with AMOLED screen these days, it too has an in-display fingerprint sensor.
As for the camera, the rear one has a 48MP primary sensor. Moreover, the setup also incorporates a 20MP wide-angle lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. And up front, there’s a 20MP selfie shooter housed in the notch.
It’s under the hood where the actual magic happens. As mentioned above, it has the Snapdragon 865 chipset whereas the Axon 10 Pro used Snapdragon 855. With this chipset, the Axon 10s pro receives a performance upgrade and also integrated 5G connectivity.
Other features include Wi-Fi 6 support and Link-Booster. The Link-booster helps to smoothly switch between network modes to enhance connectivity.
Furthermore, the maximum RAM/storage combo in this one will be of 12GB/256GB. However, there’s a 6GB/128GB variant as well. And both of them will be powered by a 4000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4.
ZTE Axon 10s Pro Specifications:
Design: Glass body front and back, Aluminum frame
Display: 6.47″ AMOLED display with resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels
Rear Camera: Triple, 48 MP primary lens with f/1.7 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture + 20MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture
Even though the phone was officially announced today, no specific date has been given for its release. Similarly, we do not know about the official prices either. However, speculation is that it will probably cost around $469. As for its price in Nepal, it might cost you Rs. 60, 000 if its current Nepal distributor Evolution Enterprises decides to bring it here in Nepal.
There is a lot going on in the smartphone business these days. Smartphone companies are constantly competing against each other to come with the best new thing in the smartphone world. We have already seen bezel-less displays. Further, there are phones with notched display, punch-hole display, pop-up cameras, and even under-display camera. And still, brands aren’t satisfied. At the CES 2020, we saw Oneplus showcase disappearing cameras technology in Concept One. And now, there is another patent for hidden camera technology from Oneplus.
OnePlus Under-Display Camera
The patent of the new hidden camera, which has now gone viral, reveals that it was filed in May of 2019. The WIPO Global Design Database reveals that it was approved on February 4th of 2020.
The camera setup demonstrated in the patent file reveals phones with round camera modules. If it wasn’t for the arrangement of the camera sensor, one could easily mistake it for the OnePlus 7T camera. The sensors on the OnePlus 7T are placed horizontally inside the circular module whereas, in the patent, they are placed vertically. The patent also reveals four different models of the phone that may use the technology.
By the looks of it, the OnePlus hidden camera technology will hide the camera sensors when not in use. It is the same concept that OnePlus used in the Concept One. But this time, it isn’t using the expensive electrochromic glass technology. Instead, they seem to be using a plastic valve this time. The valve will cover the camera sensors when they aren’t in use. We don’t know the actual objective of the patent so far, but we believe the valve will help secure the sensors from environmental factors as well as accidental damage.
The photos included in the patent file reveal phones with a bezel-less display. The front of the devices is completely occupied by the display. Since the screen doesn’t have either of the notch or the punch-hole, we predicted that it would come with a pop-up selfie camera. Interestingly, we didn’t notice any area form where the selfie camera can pop up. That’s not it – we don’t even see any buttons. The USB port is the only thing visible in the photos included in the patent.
Will we see it soon?
We still have so many questions about the patent. If OnePlus is trying to do something futuristic by not including the buttons and selfie camera on the surface of the display, it will not come any time soon. Also, a patent doesn’t guarantee a finished product. Is it for commercial phones or will OnePlus release yet another concept phone? Only time will tell.
Check out our comparison between Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10 Lite!
Samsung’s Note device has always been a unique offering for smartphone enthusiasts. However, it does come with a hefty cost, usually around $1000. One might argue, it’s good only because there was virtually not a single competitor providing a similar device? A device with a stylus to be specific! That’s about to change as a new player, that goes by the name of Moto G Stylus, has just been announced. It costs $299, which is a fraction of what Samsung is asking for their Note devices.
Moto G Stylus Specs Overview
Despite currently having a mid-range lineup that is in total disarray and with only a few handful devices that can be branded as a success, Motorola is planning on going toe-to-toe against Samsung in this front with the Moto G Stylus.
Moto G Stylus is Motorola’s first phone with a Stylus pen. It is not pressure sensitive as the Galaxy Note devices and it lacks the Bluetooth connectivity too, but it gets the job done. There’s a Moto Note app with which you can write down notes, sketch, and doodle. There’s a hole on the right side where the Stylus is kept.
On to the specs, there’s a triple camera setup on the back. The primary lens is a 48MP f/1.7 sensor. The second lens is a 16MP ultra-wide Action Camera that shoots smooth wide-angle videos. You cannot shoot 16MP ultrawide images though, which is strange. The third is a 2MP macro lens.
Display-wise, you get a 6.4-inch FullHD+ 19:9 1080P IPS panel with a tiny punch hole residing on the left top. It houses a 16MP selfie snapper. Battery wise, you get a 4000mAh capacity with 10W charging done via a Type-C port.
In the performance department, the Moto G Stylus is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset aided by 4GB RAM and 128GB eMMC storage. For the asking price of $299, I think Motorola should have gone with atleast 6GB RAM and Snapdragon 7-series chipset. They could have also offered a faster 18W charging. So, looking at the specs, it remains unclear if just a stylus be enough from Motorola’s side to compete with the Midrange phones priced at $300.
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C
Battery: 4000mAh battery with 10W charging
Motorola Moto G Stylus Price
The Moto G Stylus is priced at US$299 and will be first available in the U.S starting this spring. Availability for other markets including Nepal has not been detailed yet.
Will technology help solve the crisis around us or just create more of it? This question or a different phrasing of the same thing arises whenever a group sits down to talk about technological development. And I won’t lie to you, many-a-times I cannot decide which side to choose. However, a new development has really restored my faith in technology. A new report published claim that scientists have created an electricity generator which can generate 140V electricity that can power 100 LED bulbs from one drop of water.
Yup, you read that right. 100 LED bulbs powered by a single raindrop. This development has set a new bar for energy-harvesting technologies.
Basically, this new droplet-based technology has a very high energy-conversion efficiency. And it’ll hopefully help us all tackle the growing energy crisis of the world.
140V electricity from one drop of water
This exciting research was performed by a group of scientists at the City University of Hong Kong. Their report shows that a drop of 100 microlitres of water released from a height of 15cm can generate a voltage of 140V.
Now hydro-power is not a new thing. It is already used in various parts of the world including Nepal. However, its potential has not been fully realized due to the limitations in the current tech. But now, maybe this development will be “the“ big breakthrough in solving the energy crisis.
Currently, droplet energy generators make use of the triboelectric effect to generate electricity. This basically means that electricity is generated when two materials come into contact with each other. However, it has a very low energy conversion efficiency due to the small size of the charge.
This is where the new research jumps in with its solutions for the limitations. Firstly, they have used PTFE, a material with a quasi-permanent electric charge. When droplets hit the surface of PTFE, a charge builds up gradually in its surface, until it reaches a saturation point. This feature helps to negate the bottleneck of the past approaches.
Secondly, this new design somewhat resembles the field-effect transistor. The generator has two electrodes. One made of aluminum and other made up of indium tin oxide with PTFE coating.
As soon as water droplets hit the PTFE coated electrode, the original setup gets converted into a closed-circuit. As a result, the stored charge is released and electricity is generated.
Furthermore, reports suggest that this generator is not affected by lower relative humanities. This concept can be used on any surface where liquid particles come into contact with solid. Basically, places such as boat hulls, coastlines, and even umbrellas. Now, this is something that everyone should look forward to! Do you think such technology where a significant volume of electricity generated from one drop of water is sustainable in the long run? Share your thoughts with us.
