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Canon 90D DSLR & EOS M6 Mark II Mirrorless camera Launched in Nepal

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Sony and Canon are going quite aggressive these days. Maybe the demand for cameras is increasing or the competition is getting fierce, they are launching cameras one after another. Maybe it has to be the rivalry as both of these camera manufacturers planned to announce their new products on the same date. While Sony announced its new A6600 and A6100, Canon released the EOS 90D DSLR camera and its mirrorless counterpart: the Canon EOS M6 Mark II. And, both these cameras are now available in Nepal via its official distributor — CANON Image Square.

Also Read: Canon Camera Price in Nepal

Canon EOS 90D and Canon EOS M6 Mark II Overview:

At the press event, Canon executives told that these two devices are ‘basically twins’: twins in a sense that both of these cameras come with similar internals despite having different look and feel. That being said, both of these cameras come aboard with the same 32.5MP APS-C sensor. And it’s quite an upgrade over the EOS 80D and M6, which used to have a 24.2MP sensor.

For its size, the sensor has the largest resolution in any professional camera. Both of these cameras are powered with the latest Digic 8 processor to handle the image/video processing. But despite having a similar processor and sensor, the continuous shooting on the 90D can go up to 10 frames per second whereas, in the M6 Mark II, it hits 14 fps.

Even on the video front, these cameras have received quite an upgrade. These new cameras can record crop-less 4K videos at 30fps. That means the device uses the full width of the sensor while capturing the movies without any crop. And even while recording the 4K movies, you can use Dual Pixel AF because of which the autofocusing is expected to be fast and smooth.

Although 4K videos can be recorded at 30fps, there is no option to record them at 24fps. And that can be a bummer for some. The Canon EOS M6 Mark II also doesn’t have a headphone jack, which by the way, is present on the EOS 90D. Nonetheless, you get a mic jack on the camera and you can also get a tilt-up display on the M6 Mark II and an articulating one on the 90D display. And these features make the device quite handy for self-shooting and vlogging. Apart from the ability to record the 4K videos at 30fps, there are also options to record 1080p movies at 30, 60, and 120fps.

As for the connectivity, both of these cameras come with the in-built Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options on the wireless side. For wired connectivity, the Canon EOS 90D comes with the outdated MicroUSB port. But in the case of M6 Mark II, you get a rather modern USB-C port. Talking about the storage, you get single UHS-II SD card slot for both of these devices.

Despite having all these similarities between these two models, there is also a fair bit of differences. The Canon EOS 90D comes with an in-built optical viewfinder. However, the EOS M6 Mark II lacks any sort of viewfinder on its default state. However, the Canon EOS M6 Mark II features a hot-shoe on which an optional EVF-DC2 electronic viewfinder can be attached when needed. Adding to the list of differences, the 90D comes with a weather-sealed body and a joystick for moving the AF points.

Canon EOS M6 Mark II & EOS 90D Price in Nepal:

As for the price, the Canon 90D along with 18-135mm kit lens will cost Rs.2,14,900 in Nepal. In comparison, its international price is $ US1,349. Similarly, EOS M6 Mark II will arrive later next month and is expected to ost to cost around Rs. 1,50,000.

You can purchase these cameras at CANON Image Square. 

Location: Shop No. 106, 1st Floor, Civil Mall, Sundhara, Kathmandu

Contact Number: 01-4257297

Email Address[email protected]

Vianet introduces the “Triple 20 Offer” as it enters its 20th year of service

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Marketing campaigns from local ISPs have been kinda wild in recent times. They were (and still are) offering almost everything from TVs, smartphones, electric heaters, and even life insurance to persuade people to join their service. These crazy campaigns might have worked for them since a lot of people gave in to the idea of such extravagant offers. And with the country soaked in the vibe of the New Year, we have seen some subtle offers from ISPs, like the one Subisu is providing to its customer. Talking about offers, Vianet has also launched the new “Triple 20 Offer” for its internet services.

The task of choosing the perfect ISP isn’t as easy as it may seem. First of all, there are a lot of options to choose from. And the services they offer look all similar to an average Joe. So the ISPs try to attract potential customers through different schemes and campaigns.

Vianet Internet: Triple 20 Offer

We have bid goodbye to 2019. People have a large expectation with 2020 – largely because we will be celebrating the Visit Nepal 2020 as a nation. Talking about celebrations, you might have missed this but Vianet is also celebrating its 20 years in the business. That’s already two 20s and to add to that Vianet has launched a revamped 20Mbps internet plan.

Vianet 2020 Triple 20 Internet Offer

Under the Vianet Triple 20 offer, this entry-level plan is now available at Rs. 11,400 per year. The discounted price of the plan is complemented by free NETTV subscription, under which you can enjoy 250+ channels for free. Vianet has also discounted Rs 1,000 on installation charges. This offer will be available until January 14 only. The aforementioned prices are exclusive of 13% VAT.

Also, read about other offers from Vianet.

Crazy Campaigns? But Why?

Back in the time, the internet was something luxurious in Nepalese society. But today, it has become a basic necessity. Every individual and household is looking for a stable connection. That is where the marketing strategies come into play. So what do you think of the new offer from Vianet?

Find out more about this offer by clicking here.
Also, check out our unboxing video of the OnePlus 7T!

Subisu brings the “Offertunity” scheme to celebrate its 19th anniversary

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If you have noticed, the local ISPs have been crazy of late when it comes to their marketing campaigns. These lucrative campaigns are usually meant to attract new customers. Often users complain about companies neglecting them in their new offers.  While adding a customer is important, it is a more important task for any service provider to retain them. With their recent trends of offers, Subisu looks to be a company that is working on retaining its customers, while luring in new subscribers as well. Talking about Subisu, they are currently celebrating 19 years of establishment and have announced “Offertunity” on the occasion for their internet packages.

Subisu Internet: Offertunity

Subisu is a well-known ISP in Nepal. It is one of the leading Internet, Network and Television service providers. Recently, the company has completed 19 years of its establishment and to celebrate the occasion, it has announced a new offer named the “Subisu’s Offertunity”. Let’s take a look at what the company is offering.

Under the “Internet + Clear TV Offertunity”, existing Subisu subscribers can purchase the 25Mbps Internet with Clear TV’s Premium package (275+ channels, 95+ HD channels) for 15 months’ duration. This plan will cost Rs 15,600. Its Rs 1,040 per month if you do the maths. But if you’re new and are looking to subscribe to this scheme, you’ll have to bear additional cost for the ONU device and Clear TV’s Set-Top-Box (STB).

Similarly, the “Clear TV Offertunity” costs Rs 221 per month (245+ channels, 65+ HD channels). Including the STB, this package will cost Rs. 3536 for 14 months’ duration.

Mind you, all the prices mentioned above aren’t inclusive of VAT. So, an additional 13% VAT is in store.

Daami Music with Subisu's Offertunity

Along with this, users can also enjoy 3 months’ free premium subscription of Daami music. For those who are hearing the name for the first time, it is a music streaming app along with an integrated online radio service. Right now, it boasts of having over 20,000 Nepali songs to cater to.

If you are currently under any of the services provided by Subisu, you will certainly find this offer useful. An internet package with TV and music streaming subscription is unique in the Nepalese market, to say the least. It’s good to see that the company is pushing towards providing quality service for its existing as well as potential customers despite the catastrophe it suffered a couple of months ago.

MediaTek announces Dimensity 800: MediaTek’s Answer to Snapdragon 765?

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Mediatek has recently announced Dimensity 800 under the new Dimesity lineup of smartphone chipsets. The announcement was made at MediaTek’s Product Communication Conference. The chipset is aimed at the mid-range and upper mid-range segment of the market. The MediaTek Dimensity 800 will be officially launched in the first quarter of 2020 and we will probably see the phones powered by it in the third quarter of 2020; if not later.

The Dimensity Series

MediaTek launched the new Dimensity series in November. The first chip from the series –Dimensity 1000 came soon after the company’s partnership with Intel was official. The Dimensity 1000 is built on the 7nm process and comes with 8 cores (4× 2.6 GHz Cortex-A77 + 4× 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55). Upon its release, MediaTek claimed that it was the most power-efficient 5G chip in the smartphone world. The Helio M70 5G modem integrated into the chip resulted in a compact chip with the added advantage of power efficiency.

With the launch of the Oppo Reno3 5G, we also came across Mediatek’s Dimensity 1000L. The 7nm chipset comes with 8 Cores (4 x 2.2 GHz Cortex-A77 + 4 x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 ). Other than the low clocked performance cores, it shares many of its specs with Dimensity 1000. There’s also the Helio M70 modem integrated for 5G connectivity.

Mediatek Deminsity 1000 and Deminsity 800

The Dimensity 800

Though MediaTek hasn’t revealed anything about the Dimensity 800, rumors have already started circulating the internet about its alleged specs.

The model number of the chip is thought to be MT6873. As we can guess from the moniker, the new Dimensity 800 will pack less power than the previous Dimensity 1000 5G. It is said to be an octa-core chip (2 x  A76 cores + 6 x A55 cores).

According to MyDrivers, the Dimensity 800 will be based on the same architecture as the Dimensity 1000L chip but will be smaller with reduced manufacturing cost than the latter. The Dimensity 800 will also come with dual-mode 5G support as in the Dimensity 1000 and the Dimensity 1000L. It might even feature the Helio M70 modem that we saw in the previous chips.

Launch And Competitors

The Dimensity 800 will first be presented at CES 2020. The company is set to start mass production of the new Dimensity 800 in the second quarter of 2020. We might start seeing smartphones powered by this chip in the third quarter of 2020. The chip will compete against Kirin 800 series and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7-series.

Huawei Y9s now available in Nepal: Affordable mid-ranger with Pop-up camera

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Huawei has been pumping out decent lower-mid range smartphones under its ‘Y’ series. The Y9 2019 was an okay-ish device with great potential which just couldn’t excel at anything particular. Similarly, the Y9 Prime was also good-enough mid-ranger that featured a pop-up camera. And now, the latest addition to them is the Huawei Y9s which brings a pop-up camera and Kirin 710F chipset to the mid-range price segment in Nepal.

Huawei Y9s Specifications

  • Body: 6.42 x 3.04 x 0.35 inches; 206 gm
  • Display: 6.59-inches “Huawei Ultra FullView” IPS LCD panel
  • Resolution: Full-HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels); 19.5:9 aspect ratio
  • Chipset: Hisilicon Kirin 710F; 12nm Mobile Platform
  • CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • GPU: Mali-G51 MP4
  • RAM: 6GB
  • Storage: 128GB (expandable up to 512GB)
  • Software & UI: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Huawei’s EMUI 9.1 on top
  • Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
    – 48 MP, f/1.8 primary shooter
    – 8MP, f/2.4 ultra-wide-angle lens
    – 2MP, f/2.2 depth sensor
    – Single LED flash
  • Front Camera: 16MP, f/2.2 aperture; motorized pop-up
  • Security: Side-mounted Fingerprint-Scanner
  • Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Connectivity: Hybrid Dual Sim (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), MicroSD card, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BDS, USB Type-C
  • Battery: 4000 mAh with 10W charging
  • Colors: Midnight Black, Breathing Crystal

Huawei Y9s Overview

Design and Display

Starting with the design, the Y9s features a similar notch-less and bezel-less display like the Y9 Prime. However, there are still minimal bezels on the top and the bottom resulting in an 84.7% screen-to-body ratio. The display here is a tall 6.59-inches LCD panel with Full-HD+ resolution. So, I’m sure you’ll enjoy watching videos or other content on the Huawei Y9s.

Huawei Y9s back design camera array color

Moreover, the phone’s front and back are made of glass with aluminum frame giving it a premium look and feel despite being a lower-midrange phone. And like the recent Nova 5T, you get a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the Y9s.

Also Read: Huawei Mobile Price in Nepal [Updated]

Camera

Moving to the camera, it has a triple rear-camera setup with a 48MP primary unit. There’s an additional 8MP ultrawide lens and a 2MP depth sensor for those bokeh effects, while the 12MP selfie camera rises from underneath the top frame of the phone.

Performance and Memory

Now, the performance isn’t something impressive on the Y9s as it comes with the same Kirin 710F that we saw on the Y9 Prime. It is a good chipset but not good enough for an upper midrange phone. However, Huawei has been gracious enough to embed the base and only variant of the Y9s with 6/128GB memory. Moreover, it runs on Android 9 (Pie) with EMUI 9.1 on top, with all Google’s suite of applications and services. So, no trouble there!

Huawei Y9s Kirin 710F chipset

Battery

On to the battery, there’s the standard 4000 mAh unit. The disappointing news here is that it comes with a significantly slower 10W charging. So, while the competition is providing 18W or higher charging, Huawei couldn’t be bothered to include a faster charging on its less expensive smartphones.

Huawei Y9s Price in Nepal & Availability

The price fo Huawei Y9s in Nepal is Rs 33,900. You can get your hands on the device through official Huawei showrooms, and select online and offline stores in Nepal.

Model Name Price in Nepal Available stores
Huawei Y9s (6/128GB) Rs 33,900

Though the price of the Huawei Y9s in Nepal is similar to that on the foreign market, I feel it’s not that competitive when looking at the competitors. The phone is available for NRs. 33,900, which I think is a little more than it should’ve been. For a similar price or less, you can get Xiaomi’s killer mid-ranger – the Redmi Note 8 Pro or Samsung’s Galaxy A50s which is a great phone as well, since it received a significant price-drop.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Go gets a price cut in Nepal; Enjoy 4G & Android at cheapest price

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Android Go has been released with the aim of providing the cheapest of smartphones with a good, if not a full Android experience. And with a similar goal, Xiaomi launched the Redmi Go in Nepal some 6 months ago. However, Xiaomi is now offering both the 8GB and 16GB variants of the Redmi Go at a discounted price.

Xiaomi Redmi Go Specs Overview:

Going by the specs, the Redmi Go is a 5-inch device with HD resolution and 16:9 aspect ratio. You get the very basic 1GB RAM with 8 or 16 GB expandable storage (the expansion is via a dedicated slot up to 128 GB).

Likewise, the performance is put together by the Quad-core Snapdragon 425 ( clocked at 1.4 GHz, Cortex A53) chipset with Adreno 308 GPU. As mentioned earlier, the Redmi Go is based on the Android Go operating system (Android 8.1 Oreo).

As far as the cameras go, you get a single 8 MP camera with LED flash and HDR feature. The front houses a decent 5 MP shooter for selfies.

xiaomi redmi go price specs

Moving on, the phone has Dual SIM slots and the phone does support 4G. Backing up the Redmi Go is a modest 3,000 mAh battery, which is considerable for the price.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mobiles price in Nepal

Xiaomi Redmi Go specifications:

  • Operating System: Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition)
  • CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 (28nm)
  • GPU: Adreno 308
  • SIM (s): Dual SIM
  • Display: 5.0 inches HD IPS LCD screen with 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Rear cameras: 8 MP with LED flash and HDR
  • Video: 1080p
  • Front camera: 5 MP with HDR
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • ROM: 8 GB (expandable up to 128 GB with a dedicated slot)
  • Battery: Non- removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery, MicroUSB 2.0
  • Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity
  • Colors: Blue and Black
  • Others: Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, WiFi Direct, hotspot

Xiaomi Redmi Go Price in Nepal, Availability:

The Xiaomi Redmi Go is available in 2 variants in Nepal: 8GB and 16GB. The price of the 8GB variant of the Redmi Go is Rs. 7,499 (previously: Rs.8,999). Similarly, the 16GB variant costs Rs. 7,999 (previously Rs. 9,999). You can avail the offer from 900+ Mi stores in Nepal.

Model Name Price in Nepal Availability
Xiaomi Redmi Go (1/8GB) Rs. 7,499
  • Mobile Retail Shops
Xiaomi Redmi Go (1/16GB) Rs. 7,999
  • Mobile Retail Shops

Daraz hopes to continue its success from 2019 in 2020

Daraz has, without a doubt, created a shift in the lifestyle for both businesses and customers alike. Buying anything without the hassle of a salesperson and getting it delivered to your doorsteps, I mean what’s there not to love? From customizing user experience by incorporating AI, creating jobs, launching card pre-payment – Daraz has been covering all the milestones that lead Nepal to a digital era. 

Their statistic really show how much we as a country have become accustomed to the world of e-commerce.

Daraz 2019 – Statistics

This year alone the site had 339,069 visitors and about 1,239,940 total orders. Moreover, 3,062 sellers successfully sold their items. The majority of these figures can be seen owing to the recent 11.11 campaign. The second rendition of this shopping spree took place on November 11 as the previous year. Not only that, the 2nd Daraz 11.11 saw more than 3.5 Lakh users registered in a single day. Now that’s more than double of what it was in 2018’s 11.11.

Daraz’s Managing Director, Lino Alhering said that the campaign broke all records for Sale Day. They received almost 50,000 orders within those 24 hours. The team even went on to organize another campaign named “12.12” after the modest success of the former.

daraz creating change

The Future

The statistics clearly show the meteoric rise of Daraz in the past couple of years. This is mainly due to the fact that the company has always looked forward towards improvement.

In 2019 alone multiple upgrades were introduced in Daraz. These upgrades include pre-payment options through Debit/Credit card; better review and rating system including a feature that allows direct chat with the seller in real time called instant messaging; in-app games and much more.

In addition to all these, Daraz has also invested in improving its infrastructures. By establishing its own logistics unit called Daraz Express (DEX), along with employing more than 300 personnel, the company really hopes for good days in the future too.

Not only that, multiple new brands have also joined Daraz this term. THe new faces include the likes of  Samsung, Casio, Adidas, Titan, Xiaomi, Sonam Gears, TVS, and more.

With such a huge upgrade since 2018, it’s no wonder that the company’s number of sellers and orders have increased by 200% and 270% respectively.

As per their data, Daraz currently hosts 100,00 plus users daily. And along with that, delivers more than 1.6 Lakh packages all over Nepal each month. The upgrades that Daraz made last year will certainly help them achieve their aim of increasing these figures in 2020.

Most of us witnessed the improvement in Daraz app this year, and the company hopes to keep doing so in the future as well. Currently, they are working on introducing new payment methods such as digital wallets and more entertainment features for its consumers in 2020.  Furthermore, the company is also looking to further digitize the logistical ecosystem.

Nevertheless, the company will need to continue working on educating buyers through social media, video ads, and other outreaches. They clearly still have a long way to go to earn the buyers’ trust in Nepal. But with more and more people opting for virtual service these days, as depicted by the Daraz year-end data, I reckon it won’t be long before the company becomes a household name for online shopping.

“The company has had its fair share of success as well as criticism. This is acknowledged by Daraz’s MD himself saying feedback and criticism are what help them improve and be better.” But other than that, their business model and the kind of revolution that they have brought into the Nepalese market is really amazing. Everything is now at your fingertips. I really hope that sites such as Daraz really hit off in the market in the coming days.

Facebook Messenger to ditch sign up using phone numbers

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Everyone has heard of Facebook Messenger. Most of us even use it in our daily life to reach out to our friends, family, local businesses, and whatnot. Those who have at least tried Facebook’s messaging platform must have signed up for the service. Until now, there were two ways to sign up for Facebook Messenger; one through your Facebook account and the other through your phone number. Facebook has quietly ditched the latter, and now everyone will be forced to create a Facebook account to use the Messenger app.

Facebook Messenger: The story so far…

Before Messenger became a thing, there was Facebook Chat. It was developed in 2008 to help people connect to their Facebook friends. Facebook overhauled the service in 2010 and about a year later released Messenger as a standalone app.

In 2014, Facebook acquired WhatsApp. Facebook couldn’t resist bidding for the app as it showed a phenomenal user growth rate at that time. A year later, Facebook introduced the feature to sign up for messenger using phone number; a trick they learned from WhatsApp.

Faceboook Whats app Deal

Facebook Messenger Sign up: The Current Scenario

If you try to sign up for Messenger as a new user you will notice that the feature to sign up using the phone number is no longer available. You will be forced to create a Facebook account to use the messaging platform.

Facebook confirmed the change in an email sent to VentureBeat. The feature was removed to simplify the process of signing up as the majority of the Messenger user had already signed in using their Facebook account. It was also clarified in the email that all the Messenger users who had signed up for the app through their mobile number before the change will not be affected.

Also read: Facebook Pay launched – Will be available across Facebook’s family of apps

The Transition Phase

Unlike the claim by Facebook, the transition hasn’t been smooth for all of its users. Some users, who had used their phone numbers to sign up for Messenger before the change, have reported that they are receiving messages that say that their account has been restricted. Some have even taken to Reddit to share the problem.

Other Changes…

Facebook has also stepped back from using the data provided for two-factor authentication for its “People you may know” feature. The decision was made following the revelation of the fact that Facebook had been using the contact numbers provided for the 2FA for advertisement purposes.

The Bigger Picture

The recent move to remove the sign-up using mobile number aligns with the company’s attempt to unify WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Facebook plans to bring all of its messaging platforms under an integrated infrastructure. The plan for unification was announced by CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the start of 2019.

Vivo is testing an “Earthquake Alert” feature to be integrated into its Funtouch OS

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Chinese manufacturers take pride in their custom skins. For many of the brands, their custom UI is a part of their identity. They even update their custom UI every year. These updates not only refresh the look of the OS but also add many new features. And there have been talks about Vivo adding an “Earthquake Alert” feature in their new FuntouchOS 10.

Jovi OS vs FuntouchOS 10

Back in November, there were talks of Vivo displacing their FuntouchOS with new Jovi OS. But since then, it has been discarded and the FuntouchOS 10 has gone official with the release of Vivo X30 and X30 Pro.

Vivo Earthquake Alert System

Vivo is working on an Earthquake Alert system to add to their FuntouchOS 10’s list of features. It was announced by Xiao Zhuge, who heads the company’s Funtouch projects. He took to Chinese microblogging site-Weibo to announce the new feature. It will notify you of an earthquake a few seconds before the disaster. The feature isn’t live yet as it is still in its infancy period. If everything goes as planned, the new earthquake alert system will be ready for testing in the next few weeks. We don’t have any sort of information about the official release date for the feature, but we expect it to go live soon after it passes the tests successfully. It will be a new addition to FuntouchOS’s weather-related functions.

Vivo FuntouchOS 10's Weather Feature
Vivo FuntouchOS 10’s Weather Feature

Further additions to FuntouchOS

It isn’t the only weather-related feature coming to Vivo’s custom Android skin. The company is set to introduce positioning areasWith this, we can know the forecast for the next 2 hours. The new Distant Love feature can display the weather of two areas at the same time.

Vivo Earthquake Alert System: Our Doubts

We told you about the discarded idea of the Jovi OS, which came to news due to a post by Xiao Zhuge. He later announced the plans for the new edition of Funtouch OS and apologized for all the confusion. And now, we can’t help but be a little skeptical about the new features that he has announced. We are doubtful of the progress status of the features and believe that it will take more time than anticipated for the features to be ready. We can’t fully rely on the claims after the Jovi OS saga. And we will have to wait a little longer for the features to go live. Moreover, the Funtouch OS 10 is scheduled to go live in select devices from February 2020 in China, while the rest of the world will get it a couple of months later.

Earthquake alert system can be a lifesaver in earthquake-prone countries like Nepal. But we still have concerns about its efficiency. So what do you think? Can this feature truly make an impact on the lives of people? Do let us know.

Vivo V17 Pro Review: Has the V-series lost its spark?

So, I have been using the Vivo V17 Pro for quite a while now. I know it’s not just a late review, it’s a “late” late review but I am here with it anyways. To be very honest, I had been having mixed feelings about whether I should make a review out of it or not.

And that’s not only because I don’t see it as a worthy upgrade from the Vivo V15 Pro, but in the last 6 months, Xiaomi has launched the Redmi K20 Pro, Realme recently launched the X2 Pro, so on and so forth. Therefore, the competition has gotten even fiercer! Let’s find out more about the V17 Pro in this review.

Vivo V17 Pro Specifications

  • Display: 6.44-inch (2400 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 20:9 Super AMOLED with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, Schott Xensation UP glass protection
  • Chipset: Snapdragon 675; 11nm
  • CPU: 2×2.0 GHz Kryo 460 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 460 Silver
  • GPU: Adreno 612 GPU
  • RAM: 8GB LPDDR4x RAM
  • ROM: 128GB UFS 2.1 storage
  • OS: Android 9.0 (Pie) with Funtouch OS 9.1
  • SIM: Dual (nano + nano)
  • Back Cameras:
    – 48MP primary camera with f/1.78 aperture, Sony IMX582 sensor, 0.8μm pixel size, 6P lens, dual-LED flash
    – 8MP 120° ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture with 2.5cm Super Macro
    – 13MP Telephoto lens for 2X optical zoom, 10X digital zoom, f/2.5 aperture
    – 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture
  • Front Cameras:
    – 32MP wide-angle front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, LED flash
    – 8MP 105° ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture
  • Security: In-display fingerprint sensor
  • Dimensions: 74.7x159x9.8mm
  • Weight: 201.8gms
  • Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac dual-band, Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS, USB Type-C port, 3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio
  • Battery: 4100mAh with 18W Dual-Engine Fast charging
  • Price in Nepal: Rs. 52,490

Performance

Now, what I have always liked about V-series in the past is how they bring some new stuff with every new phone.

The V11 Pro was the first mid-range phone to have an in-display fingerprint sensor, the V15 Pro was the first to introduce a pop-up camera. And not just that, all of the V-series had a good camera and a good design. The V15 Pro was even India’s highest-selling phone under 30,000 IC.

But I feel the Vivo V17 Pro, on the other hand, could have been much better overall. The first thing to talk about here is the choice of chipset. It’s the same Snapdragon 675 seen on the older V15. And this is one area I think Vivo made a big, big compromise.

Vivo V17 Pro Design 3

In comparison, you get a much faster Snapdragon 855 on the K20 Pro and 730G on the OPPO Reno 2. And if you are buying a phone upwards of $400, the SD675 doesn’t make sense anymore.

The day to day performance like browsing, messaging, and playing light games is good. But its when playing high-end games, the Vivo V17 Pro takes a serious hit. You can only play PUBG smoothly in medium settings and HD graphics. Whereas, in the similarly priced K20 Pro, you can play it in the highest of settings.

Design

Also, I might be nitpicking, but I didn’t quite like the design of the V17 Pro. Although Vivo uses a glass back, it feels way too heavy for a phone of this size. One reason could be its chunkier and wider pop-up camera that makes the phone non-ergonomic.

Vivo V17 Pro Design 2

I also would find a lot of dust to be accumulated in the notch, so I had to constantly clean it before taking a selfie. Interestingly, there’s a dedicated Smart Button to activate Google Assistant or Vivo’s own “Jovi” AI assistant.

Display & Battery

However, the front of the Vivo V17 Pro is really good. It is one of the best things about the phone. It uses Samsung’s E2 AMOLED panel and the quality of it is just so amazing. It’s definitely better than the K20 Pro.

Vivo V17 Pro Display 1

While we are talking about nice things, the battery is also good. This time, there is a 4100 mAh battery on the V17 Pro.

And we know that Snapdragon chipsets are power efficient and the huge battery paired with an AMOLED display is sure to give you good battery life and it certainly does. On normal usage, I got over a day while on medium usage, it gave me around a day’s worth of juice.

Vivo V17 Pro Display 2

Camera

About the cameras, you get a total of 6 of them. The back houses 4 cameras: a primary 48MP lens with Sony IMX 582 sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens, a 13MP telephoto 2X zoom lens, and a 2MP depth sensor.

Vivo V17 Pro Design 1

You can also do macro photography with its ultra-wide-angle lens. And this one is better than what we have been seeing lately on phones like Realme XT or the Redmi Note 8 Pro.

At the front, there’s dual camera setup: A primary 32MP lens and an additional 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens which I would not say is completely unique but certainly better than what we have been seeing.

Vivo V17 Pro Pop-Up Camera motorized selfie dual selfie camera

That being said, the 48MP primary lens performs well. You get good details in the images and the colors look nice and punchy too. The color tone isn’t very accurate as the images shift between warmer and cooler hues, thus giving you inconsistent results at times. However, it’s not a big issue.

I also liked the portrait images from the Vivo V17 Pro. You get good subject focus and background blur. Edge detection, however, isn’t very accurate but is only visible if you zoom in the images.

The third lens for the wide-angle images produces good color and the images are fairly detailed as well.

The images from the 2X telephoto lens didn’t wow me a bit as I found them to be okay at best. The details aren’t that great so I didn’t find myself making use of the telephoto lens.

Selfies are super nice too. It’s Vivo, so we cannot expect the most natural of selfies, but they do look good regardless. The HDR feature in selfies works very well. Even when the background is exposed, the cameras work to balance it out.

Portrait selfies share the same story in terms of quality but the edge detection is not that proper.

You get wide-angle selfies here as well, which comes in really handy while taking group images.

And, comparing the cameras of the Vivo V17 Pro with the Reno 2 and the K20 Pro, I would say there’s a slight advantage in V17 Pro camera in its HDR capability, but the cameras are nothing extraordinary or at least they don’t stand out among the others in several other aspects. Like, say portraits, where I think K20 Pro does a better job overall.

Vivo has also introduced a new camera interface here, which is a bit confusing. There is a dedicated portrait mode but you can also click portrait images from the photo option too.

Similarly, there is a beauty mode, which you can only find inside portrait mode and it just warps your face at random to make it more “beautiful”. You get an ultra-wide-angle option in the portrait mode, but you cannot click wide-angle portraits.

So, the new camera app isn’t refined as I would’ve liked. And, add that to the Funtouch OS which, I think Vivo has to, like seriously, revamp its UI/UX in its upcoming products.

Conclusion

Okay, by now it’s evident that I wouldn’t recommend the Vivo V17 Pro. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad phone, but it’s just that the competition has gone better, a lot better and Vivo isn’t catching up. Also, they made a huge compromise in the form of performance, whereas other smartphones are providing better SoCs at this price range.

On a different note, I feel like there isn’t any WOW factor with the phone too, which Vivo V-series used to have. And this really reflected with the sales V17 Pro has managed to generate in comparison with V15 Pro that launched 6-months ago.

OPPO’s F-series had this same issue earlier, and they have now abandoned the F-series and brought the Reno series in the mid-range segment with a cleaner design and premium features. So, maybe Vivo could do the same with its “Nex” series or maybe improve the next iteration of V-series by providing competitive specs.

Vivo V17 Pro – Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Excellent camera performance (both front & back)
  • A gorgeous, clean, and vibrant display
  • A decent battery life

Cons:

  • A chunkier and heavier design & build
  • The chipset should’ve been better
  • Vivo’s Funtouch OS isn’t consistent overall