These days, Daraz is not just known as the leading e-commerce platform in Nepal but also for its lucrative deals, which it brings on time and often. And this time, the e-commerce giant is organizing a grand online shopping event known as the Daraz Mobile Week 2019. This mega online shopping event is said to bring amazing deals and crazy vouchers on most of its products. Not to be confused by its name, this mobile week will not only bring deals on mobiles but also on other electronic devices like laptops, accessories, televisions, and more.
Amazing Deals, Massive Discounts, and Mega Vouchers
The major highlight of this grand online shopping event is the deals they will bring on various tech-related electronics devices. On the smartphone segment, Daraz has already collaborated with major players like Samsung, Huawei, Xiaomi, Realme, and Sony. Officials say that there will be massive discounts and many smartphones would be put on the shelf at the unbeatable prices.
There will be also some amazing deals on laptops. But we are yet to confirm the brands that would be available in this Mobile week. When it comes to accessories, Daraz has collaborated with brands like Remax and WK designs to bring some exclusive deals. So expect some lucrative deals there too.
But apart from such exclusive deals with sizable discounts, Daraz is also offering vouchers (Collectible, Crazy and Mega Vouchers). You can earn these mega vouchers by spreading information about Mobile Week 2019 using your Social Media accounts. ‘Shake Shake campaign’ is another major way to win some exclusive vouchers and giveaways. Under this campaign, Daraz grants discount vouchers to the users who shake their smartphones (opening Daraz app) at the some designated time frame.
Exclusive Launches
At this point of time, the names of the products are kept under the veil. However, Daraz is boasting that there will exclusive product launches of some exciting devices. Daraz officials had vaguely implied that there will be launches of some much-awaited smartphones and wearables. So be prepared for that as well.
How not miss these deals?
The mobile week 2019 is slated to take place from 24th of June and will last till the 30th. Since Daraz is offering so much of exciting deals, there is surely going be a stampede on their website. So if you don’t want to miss offers on the products you want, make sure to add it to our wishlist. It will notify you whenever the offer on the product comes live. So you won’t miss out on anything.
Further discounts (Payments through Debit/Credit Cards)
In order to alleviate the inconveniences related to online payments, Daraz also collaborated with a number of banks. And now, while making a purchase, you can directly pay for the product using your bank’s debit or credit cards. Till the date, Daraz has partnered with six different banks (Sanima, Nabil, Siddhartha, Bank of Kathmandu, NIC Asia, and Standard Charted). Using the debit/credit cards from these banks, you can grab further discounts of up to 25%. But make you sure, you have activated your Debit and Credit cards from the bank to be eligible for the online payments.
Online payment through the Debit/Credit cards is usually considered unsure. But Daraz says that their platform is PCI Compliant, which means that every transaction that occurs through the platform would be entirely safe and secure.
While we’re not quite done with Android Pie updates on many phones, others are already riled up about Android Q. And recently, Xiaomi, too, released a list of smartphones in line to get the Android Q update. The list also presents the timeline as to when they’ll receive the updates. And according to that, ten smartphones will be getting the update before the end of 2019. And two of them will have to wait until the Q1 of 2020.
That list includes the flagships of Xiaomi. Namely, phones like Xiaomi Mi 9, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE, Xiaomi Mi 8, Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition, etc. The list also contains premium phones like Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G, and the new “flagship killers” like Redmi K20, and Redmi K20 Pro. These are the ones to get the update in the Q4 of 2019. Xiaomi, however, has scheduled the update for the mid-rangers, Redmi Note 7 and Note 7 Pro for Q1 of 2020. So, if you have a Redmi Note 7, you will get it, which is, good news.
And yes, Android Q update is a major attraction here. But that’s not the only “treat” for Xiaomi users. They will also get the MIUI 11 update, Xiaomi’s new custom skin on top of Android OS. In addition, the new UI is said to come with a ton of improved features. Primarily, there will be updated icons and animations and a new power saving mode. Furthermore, there will be changes to the status bar to accommodate phones with notches as well.
Now, after this list, Pocophone F1 users are also probably looking forward with great anticipation. And even though the phone is not in this list, Pocophone Global Head, Alvin Tse himself confirmed that Poco device would also be getting Android Q! In a post on Twitter enlisting all the Xiaomi smartphones eligible for the update, Tse commented, “We will get to Q”. However, Tse didn’t reveal when the update would actually arrive. But still, better late than never, right?
? Xiaomi Android Q update roadmap revealed
?? Q4 2019:
Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi Mi 9 SE
Xiaomi Mi 8
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition
Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S
Xiaomi Mi MIX 3
Xiaomi Mi MIX 3 5G
Redmi K20 Pro
Redmi K20
?? Q1 2020:
Redmi Note 7
Redmi Note 7 Pro
— Dhananjay Ghodeswar (@DhananjayGhode2) June 14, 2019
Good Lord, six years have passed by and it seems like it was just yesterday. We started very small, in a room with only a table, a chair and a laptop we could call “assets”. And here we are, celebrating six years of hard work and a silver play button.
Six years ago, a tech news portal in Nepal was not really a good idea. But these young entrepreneurs would just not give up, they went on with a website and a Youtube channel that was probably subscribed by no one but them. And looking back to that is emotional and funny at the same time.
A big cheers to all the people who are and were a part of this journey, especially our followers and teammates. We’ve surely grown by numbers but what has also grown is our audacity to dream bigger and achieve better. And that is what we are going to take forward, a positive never give up attitude!
Thank you, a big thank you all for being there with us through thick and thins after all we are where we are just because of you.
Google will launch the next version of Android OS (Android Q) in October of 2019. And it promises to bring a ton of impressing features. And of course, solve what the current Android Pie lacks. Also, as usual, some smartphone companies are already providing their users Android Q Beta to their users. Google, OnePlus, and Huawei (yes, some P30 series devices received Android Q Beta) are on the top spots in that list.
But Samsung is still busy on releasing Android Pie updates on its current Galaxy devices. A time will come when Samsung will step ahead and announce the names of all the Galaxy devices to get the Android Q update. However, that day might be far away. Because we are not quite sure when the South Korean tech giant will do that. Nonetheless, if you are anxious to know if your Galaxy device is qualified for the update, here’s a list to find out.
When it comes to rolling out updates, Samsung offers two major software updates on all of its devices (smartphones and tablets). This means that, if you’ve bought a phone/tablet with Android Oreo or Android Pie OS out of the box, you will get the Android Q update. Of course, those who received the Pie update first will get Android Q first, too. But if your device featured Android Nougat or anything below that at the time of purchase, we’re afraid, there’s no Android Q for you.
List of Samsung devices to get the Android Q Update
So, here is the preliminary list of Samsung Galaxy devices that are qualified for the Android Q update:
This list has been prepared after acknowledging Samsung’s traditional update policy. So when the South Korean giant releases the official list, expect a few changes. But sooner or later, the aforementioned devices will certainly get the Android Q. And the recent news about the Galaxy J7 Nxt and J7 Pro getting the Pie update is assuring.
Even if your smartphone or tablet is past its eligibility to receive software updates, Samsung will still continue to provide regular security updates as long as it’s not more than three years old. The Samsung devices, which were launched more than three years, will get the security updates but only if Samsung finds it necessary. However, some of the devices like Galaxy S7 and Galaxy A5 (2016) will also receive quarterly updates even in the fourth year.
Last year, before the official release of the Android Pie, Samsung had also allowed its users to test the Beta version of the OS. And we can expect the same this year. However, at this point in time, we are unable to predict, which Galaxy devices would probably be allowed for the Beta testing. Nonetheless, the probable guess would the flagship Galaxy S10 devices.
Like a few smartphone OEMs, Vivo is set to unveil an entirely new series of smartphone this year. With the tagline “Fully Loaded”, the Z-series is meant for people who want a feature-packed smartphone that doesn’t compromise on anything. For its opening, Vivo will be releasing the Vivo Z1 Pro in a number of countries.
Vivo Z1 Pro Overview
Vivo has been teasing the features of the Z1 Pro for several days now. The design of the device has already been unveiled, and the phone features the under-display selfie camera or a punch hole camera. The Z1 Pro is expected to sport a 6.5-inch display. The fingerprint scanner will be a rear-mounted one, as the design on some of the pictures suggests.
One of the major USPs of the Z1 Pro is the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 chipset. This SoC supports Adreno 616 GPU, and while Vivo hasn’t yet mentioned anything about the RAM count, we can expect it to be 6 or 8 GB. As for the software, the Z1 Pro will run on Android v9.0 Pie with Vivo’s own FunTouch OS on top.
The official images of the Z1 Pro suggest towards a vertical triple camera setup. The phone might have a wide-angle camera and a depth sensor accompanying the primary lens. What we do know is that the device, like a few Vivo phones, has a 32-megapixel selfie snapper.
The Z1 Pro has a 5,000 mAh battery that is accompanied by an 18W fast charging.
Vivo Z1 Pro Specifications (Expected and Confirmed)
Display: 6.5-inch display with Full HD+ resolution
Vivo has already confirmed that the Vivo Z1 Pro will be available on Flipkart in India. However, the company hasn’t yet mentioned anything about its pricing.
Huawei garnered the biggest growth in the wearable market in Q1 2019. The company achieved 282.2% growth in year-over-year sales. It also managed to secure the third position with a 10% global market in the wearable business. And all the credit for this success goes to their noteworthy devices. The Huawei TalkBand B5 and Band 3 have also played a good part in that success. And making their mark in the international market, the Huawei Band 3 and TalkBand B5 have recently made their way to Nepal. These smartwatches are now available for purchase in Nepal via Huawei’s retail outlets and some online stores.
Huawei TalkBand B5
The TalkBand B5 comes with a 1.13-inch AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass on the top to offer a seamless feel. The display on this device also happens to be touch-sensitive. So users can easily access the features by simply tapping and swiping the screen. But the unique part of this smartwatch has to be its design. Unlike most of the smart wearables out there, the display on the TalkBand B5 can be popped out. And the popped out unit can be used as a Bluetooth headset to have a conversation on a phone call or to listen to the music. To offer premium listening experience on such occasions, Huawei has also included a trip-core audio chip for a high-definition voice and two microphones for better noise reduction.
The wearable also supports some handy features like Caller ID, call muting, and speed dial option to quickly access a contact in order to call them. And this feature-packed is also quite safe from water, dust, and moisture. It has received IP67 certification for that.
On the storage side, there is 0.5MB (512KB) of RAM and 16MB of flash storage. Yes, it sounds trivial and it’s understandable because the smartwatch is not intended to store your files and photos. The in-built memory is merely for storing pre-installed apps. Sideloading of other apps is also not possible in this one. Nonetheless, you can unleash more of its features by connecting it to a smartphone. The TalkBand is compatible with Android 4.4 or newer version of Android. Similarly, in the Apple devices, the smart device should have iOS 9 or newer version of iOS.
Being the fitness-tracking device the B5 is also dexterous when it comes to analyzing various physical activities and health-related conditions. The B5 is furnished with TrueRelax Technology, which not only analyzes the heart rate variability but also evaluates the stress level. There is also a 24-hour continuous heart rate monitoring feature. And the company has integrated Huawei’s TruSeen 2.0 heart rate tech for the accurate measurement of the palpitation of the heart. Similarly, for sleep tracking, Huawei’s sleep tracking technology Huawei TruSleep 2.0 comes into action. This feature uses cardiopulmonary-coupled dynamics spectrum (CPC) in order to monitor complete sleep structure including REM (deep sleep). With the data from this tech, the smartwatch performs an in-depth analysis of the various stages of sleep and determines the quality of sleep. The wearable also presents recommendations to improve the sleep cycle if the user isn’t getting proper sleep.
As far as the power is concerned, the device flaunts a 108mAh battery, which promises 3.5-days of back on standby and 6-hours of talk time. Talking about the price, the smart wearable is now available for purchase at Rs. 22,500.
Huawei Band 3
The Huawei Band 3 falls on to the affordable side when it comes to the price. The Band 3 comes with a slightly smaller 0.95-inch display, which also happens to comes with AMOLED panel. The touchscreen display on this device is capped with 2.5D curved glass.
Diving into the fitness-tracking prowess, it’s great to see the device powered by Huawei TruSeen 3.0 technology. This tech when combined with all sort of intelligent sensors and smart AI algorithm, the Band 3 can precisely monitor the heart rate of the users. For the sleep monitoring, you get the Huawei TruSleep 2.0 tech inside the device. This tech analyzes the sleep cycle and identifies the six most common sleep-related issues. And to help the users overcome such issues, the device also presents 200 potential recommendations to its users.
Like most smartwatches, the Huawei Band 3 also smartly identifies the various exercise or sports activities. Walking, running, riding, cycling, and swimming are a few of them. Talking of the swimming, you can go up to 50 meters down without damaging the Band.
Talking about the price, Band 3 is available for purchase at Rs. 6,500.
After all the issues between Google and Huawei, which should be common knowledge by now, Huawei is looking right and left for alternatives. And it should, too. After all, the company has less than 2 months left until Google bans the company completely! While Huawei did shed light into its own OS, Hongmeng (or ArkOS outside China), we’re still unclear about its features. But, it seems that Huawei is also looking for other alternatives, and has found one in the form of Sailfish OS!
This is a rather strange development, yes. Because for a company working on their own OS for a long time ago, looking for another alternative seems curious. There were even reports about Huawei’s new OS being 60% faster than Android! However, that was according to some preliminary tests, and since the new OS might not have all the functionalities that the Android OS has. This can, of course, make the new OS appear faster, too.
In addition, some reports claim that Huawei’s own OS is not fully ready. By now, their OS is suitable only in entry-level to low-tier devices. Hence, this new move…the alternative comes in the form of Sailfish OS.
Huawei’s Alternative Sailfish OS Overview
If you haven’t heard of this before, we don’t blame you. It almost never comes up anywhere near Android or iOS. This is a Linux based operating system for mobiles. And it was created by former Nokia employees in Finland. Right now, Sailfish OS is owned by the Finnish company, called Jolla.
One of the main advantages of Sailfish OS is that all of it is open source. Meaning? Well, for Android, only its platform, AOSP (Android Open Source Platform) is free, the actual operating system is not. But for Sailfish, you can do with it as you please.
Another important feature Sailfish offers is its privacy settings. Jolla, the owning company, only collects information from users necessary to run its services and doesn’t sell your information to third party vendors without your consent. It won’t even collect your data without your consent! And this would be a smart move on Huawei’s part as it, currently, faces accusations of violating privacy and stealing information.
In addition, Sailfish offers pretty similar features to Android and iOS. It has a better gesture-based navigation system as well. Plus, there’s Android app compatibility, but they have to be manually sideloaded. Of course, the solution is a new dedicated app store, which, of course, requires a considerable amount of effort.
Huawei’s Implementation
Huawei, while it will use Sailfish, will use a version of it. Technically, a forked version of the Sailfish OS named Aurora OS. What that means, is that it uses the same source code, but slightly modified. But Aurora OS is owned by the Russian telco, Rostelecom, which is also an investor in Jolla. Also, that is currently in use, by Russian government agencies and state-owned corporations. And if you’re wondering about the strange Russia-China partnership, Huawei, actually, recently signed an agreement with Russia to develop their 5G infrastructure as well.
Of course, Huawei is not going to use the very same version. There will probably be a Chinese version first, followed by an international one later. Some reports already claim Huawei running some devices with the OS for first-round testing.
Will Sailfish OS Sail for Huawei?
Now, this is the million-dollar question! Of course, using this OS seems like a smarter move for Huawei than develop its own. This way, it will save a lot of money and effort to advertise the new OS and build all the other aspects from scratch. Also, with the credibility of Sailfish OS and privacy, the accusations surrounding Huawei might fade away too.
But if you look at it from another perspective, then, we can’t really say. Huawei is, right now, a victim of the US-China Trade War. And for it to partner with a Russian company (US and Russia aren’t really tight, either), doesn’t look all bright for the company.
As for the technical feasibility, apart from the effort required to developing an alternative for sideloading of Android apps, there isn’t much difficulty. So, for now, Huawei’s future OS is still in question.
And, by the time of this article, there have been no announcements or news from the company regarding this.
Netflix is a well-known video streaming site. Its database includes tons of popular video contents, some of which are developed by the company itself.
After all of its accolades and success, Netflix is set to take a step into the gaming industry soon. The Californian Giants will launch two new video games this year with others following.
However, rather than developing the games itself, Netflix will collaborate with Next Games, a Finnish game developer. They will launch their first game dubbed ‘Stranger Things 3: The Game’, a game based on one of the most popular series – Stranger Things. The game will launch on July 4 next month which is coincidentally the same day the series’ 3rd season is releasing. The Game will be available for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PS4 on the same day. Likewise, a new location-based puzzle game will be released in 2020.
The announcement for the games was made at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), one of the biggest gaming conferences.
Netflix also announced that another game will be coming out later this year which will be based on ‘The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance’, a series that is a prequel to The Dark Crystal. This game will also be made in collaboration with the same developer. Netflix hasn’t yet confirmed the date for this game’s launch, though.
During the event, Chris Lee, Director of interactive games at Netflix, said, “We’re looking for opportunities to extend the universe of these shows and films into other mediums. To me, it was really obvious to try to do that into video games.”
Netflix has already developed videos that interact with the users and develop the storyline according to their preferences. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch was definitely a game changer and it seems like that was the first step into Netflix’s interest in the gaming industry.
Do you think Netflix will do well with games just like its video streaming service? Do let us know!
A truly bezel-less display, no notches, no punch holes, just a big clean screen. Yes, it’s the Samsung Galaxy A80 we’re talking about. And complementing the bezel-less characteristic is not your regular pop-up camera, it’s a camera that flips around, so basically, we’re looking at a rear camera, that’s also your front camera. Interesting, isn’t it? But, what else does this upper mid-ranger has to offer? Find out in this review!
Samsung Galaxy A80 Specifications:
Design: Glass body front and back, Aluminum frame
Display: 6.7″ Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2400 pixels)
Rear Camera: Triple, 48 MP primary lens with f/2.0 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP Ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture + 3D TOF sensor
Front Camera: Rotating rear camera (48 MP primary lens with f/2.0 aperture & PDAF + 8 MP Ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture + 3D TOF sensor)
Let’s start with the best thing about this phone, the display. It is this huge 6.7-inch screen with such minimum bezels that you sort of want to watch videos in it, all the time. And needless to say, you will have a great experience playing games as well.
It’s Samsung’s Super AMOLED panel so, no doubts, it’s nothing less than excellent. You get two color modes to choose from, natural and vivid. The natural option makes the display have a natural color tone while the Vivid mode makes it look punchier. And you can choose various temperature modes to suit your needs in the Vivid mode too.
The dark theme going around looks really cool and you can even custom schedule it like you can turn it on during the night and shut it off at daytime or you can keep it on all the time.
As for brightness, you get a pretty good amount, both indoors and outdoors. And it can go up to very low, so using it under your blanket is not going to strain your eyes a lot. Plus, you have a Blue light filter option for better protection, which is not something very new, but a helpful feature to have.
But, those default wallpapers that are given are too less. The ones that are given are not too many to choose from and the others you got to purchase. If you are someone who likes the default Samsung experience and when you get a near flagship device, you would want some more choices at least.
Enough complaining though. As a whole, the A80’s display is to die for. Although not QHD like you get on the S10 or Note 9, but a good FHD panel that won’t fail to impress.
Design:
Okay now, the Galaxy A80 is a huge phone and pretty heavy to that. And as soon as you hold it, you will know what I am talking about. However, it is not ergonomic because the upper portion is way heavier than the lower, which should not be a surprise considering the rotating camera module sits on the top position.
The unit we received is in sort of an off-white color which looks very unconventional and appealing at the same time. There are metal frames surrounding it that add to the durability. The glass back looks and feels good on the hands. But as mentioned earlier, the phone is considerably heavier than the others and it’s large, so it might not be the most comfortable for people with small hands.
At the back, the cameras are placed horizontally at the top with a slight partition distinguishing it from the rest of the body. The cameras protrude out ever so slightly but nothing that creates imbalance.
Talking of buttons, the power button resides on the right while the volume buttons are placed at the left side and thankfully there is no Bixby button this time, so you won’t have to worry about those accidental pressings.
The phone is also considerably resistant to scratches, as even on such long usage there has not appeared any scratches on the back or on the front. So, that’s pretty impressive!
Talking about the front, the phone is protected by the older generation in Gorilla Glass 3 which is disappointing because Samsung seems to be cutting corners in the wrong areas. And since this is a premium device, it’s legit to expect more.
Down below, there lies the SIM slot, a USB Type C port, and single firing speaker grill. Does anything seem missing? The headphone jack and MicroSD card slot maybe? Those, evidently are gone.
About the SD card slot, since the A80 comes with 128 GB storage inside and that would pretty much be enough. So, judging the design, it would be an 8 out of 10, 2 fewer points for being slightly heavy and bulky.
Cameras:
Cameras on this thing are the same both on the front and back, after all, it’s the back camera flipping to become the front as well. As for now, let’s run down the camera specs first. The primary is a 48 MP Quad Bayer sensor that captures 12MP images via pixel binning, there’s an 8 MP ultra- wide angle lens and third is a 3D ToF sensor.
Let’s start with the images from the primary sensor. At first glance, you will love the images. The colors are nice and punchy and the overall image quality seems very good. Only what seems missing is the details.
Samsung Galaxy A80 normal images
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You do have an option to capture images in 48MP mode, but there is very less difference in details among the two. Maybe slightest color shifts sometimes and a little bit more sharpness, but other than that, there is nothing remarkably different among the images of the 48 and 12 MP.
Samsung Galaxy A80 12 MP VS 48 MP camera samples
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12MP - A80 Shot
48MP - A80 Shot
12MP - A80 Shot
48MP - A80 Shot
12MP - A80 Shot
48MP - A80 Shot
12MP - A80 Shot
48MP - A80 Shot
Comparing the A80 against the S10+ to check details, you will find both to have fewer details in their pictures. But the colors are ever so slightly punchier in the S10+ while the A80 produces near to natural colors. So, in terms of color reproduction, we found the A80 doing a better job.
Samsung Galaxy A80 vs S10 comparison shots
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A80
S10
A80
S10
There is a 3D ToF sensor, first of its kind in a Samsung phone, which is one of the best things about the phone. As a result, the Live focus portrait images are too good. The background blur looks so natural and pleasant. There are quite a few options for blurs which you can change even after taking images, so that can be really fun.
Samsung Galaxy A80 portrait samples
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As for the wide-angle images, colors and details are better on the normal shots. The wide-angle images are not bad though. They pack in good colors although not as good as the primary but if you are looking for some good wide-angle shots, you can definitely get some from this camera.
Samsung Galaxy A80 normal vs wide angle shots
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Normal
Wide-angle
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Wide-angle
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Wide-angle
Likewise, the wide-angle images are slightly wider in the S10+ and the colors too are better in it. So, for wide- angle images, the S10 is a better choice.
Samsung Galaxy A80 vs S10 wide angle shots
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A80 Wide angle
S10 Wide angle
A80 Wide angle
S10 Wide angle
There are two features the Galaxy A80 lacks when compared to S10, there’s no telephoto zoom lens and you can’t shoot 4K @60fps.
You can take 4k videos at 30 fps, but its void of any kind of stabilization while the 1080p at 60 fps gives the best outcome with good enough stabilization though slight wobbles can be noticed at times. But, all of the videos look slightly washed out a bit. So, all in all, the video capabilities on the Galaxy A80 is not as good as S10.
Also, Night time images are not comparable with the S10. Just look at these images for comparison.
Samsung Galaxy A80 vs S10 night time photos
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A80 Night Shot
S10 Night Shot
A80 Night Shot
S10 Night Shot
Samsung Galaxy A80 normal Vs night mode samples
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Night Mode
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Night Mode
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Night Mode
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Night Mode
There’s a dedicated night mode feature on the Galaxy A80, which the S10 recently received. And like the S10’s night mode, it does a good job in improving details and saturation and brightness levels.
About the selfies, the first thing you notice is how the skin tone is remarkably color accurate. The details are fine and the selfies look great overall.
Samsung Galaxy A80 selfie samples
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However, it’s a bit disappointed here as the selfie cameras do not get the same privileges as the rear camera. First thing is, there is no autofocus in the selfie camera, the focus is fixed at an arm’s length. Secondly, no 4k videos in the selfie part, the max it can do is 1080p.
However, what you can do is take wide angle selfies, a feature not even available in the S10. The wide-angle selfies look slightly on the darker side but nothing to fuss about.
Samsung Galaxy A80 normal vs wide angle selfies
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Normal Selfie
Wide-angle Selfie
Normal Selfie
Wide-angle Selfie
The selfie portrait also does a commendable job on the other hand. The edge detection is good with true to life background blurring. There’s also a live focus video mode that misses out on edge detection yet is not bad to whine about.
So, all in all, the Galaxy A80 has good cameras. It’s on par with S10 during the daytime, however, when it comes to video and nighttime photography, the S10 is a much better performer.
Performance:
The A80 comes packing the SD 730 chipset and 8GB RAM which is indeed powerful. The SD 730 is an upper-midrange chipset made on an 8 nm fabrication technique. It is better than the chipsets in the SD 600 series of course and slightly lesser than the flagship 800 series.
And as far as real-life performance is concerned, it does a good job, if not the best out there. However, with that price tag, they could have gone for the best indeed but they chose otherwise.
As for the benchmarks, the 730 is slightly better than the SD 675 and SD 710 but lies far behind the 855. On the GPU side, it has the Adreno 618 GPU making it slightly better than other midranges. You can enjoy playing PUBG at the high settings, stutter-free most of the times. Other games run very well too. And the large display adds to the good gaming experience.
Normally the phone works fine. There won’t experience any sort of lagginess or such ever while using this phone. It functions smooth and won’t let you down.
A slight reality check though, the performance is stellar no doubts but if performance is your priority, you can get better flagship grade performance if you add a little more money. You have options of the OnePlus 7 or even the S10e for that matter.
Software and UI:
The Galaxy A80 comes with Android 9 Pie coupled with Samsung’s One UI out of the box. The One UI, as you might have seen on all the latest Samsung phones, is quite refined to say at the least.
The interface is clean and flows quite nicely. And the A80, on the software side, will feel like the S10. Everything is just so clean and brought down for the ease of one-handed use. Although one-handed usage is not recommended as the phone is large and slippery.
Back to the software, you get improved gesture navigation, a dark theme which is super cool, some additional battery settings, and a good friendly interface. There are also not many unnecessary things present to call it bloatware. Although the icons on the One UI look cartoonish, it’s not that bad to fuss about.
The fingerprint sensor is an in display ones like the Galaxy A50 and A70. This means it’s not an ultrasonic one like the S10. It’s an optical one that is not very fast I would say but will get the job done. When have we seems super-fast fingerprint sensors on Samsung’s midrange devices anyways?
There’s no Face unlock feature that is justifiable because then we would have to wait for the camera to pop out and rotate, which would make it slower and subject to criticism. So it’s better that we don’t have it at all.
Battery:
As for the battery, you get a 3,700 mAh unit inside, which is undersized for such a huge phone. On my tests, normally the battery lasts for an entire day and you will have to put it on charge at the end of the day. Normal tasks won’t drain the battery so much and if you keep features like Always on display off, you will get prolonged battery life.
The phone comes with a 25-watt fast charger which takes 30 minutes to get 50% juice, so around an hour and some minutes or so to get the phone fully charged.
Extras:
And one more thing. While the A80’s cameras look fun and everything, there is no explanation regarding the durability of the cameras meaning it holds great chances of damage. Similarly, the phone does not come with any sort of waterproofing, so you will have to be extra careful with near sources of water.
As for the audio, the single firing speaker has good loudness and less distortion in high volumes. Likewise, it packs a good amount of bass to go with your needs. Also, Using Type-c headphones, the audio from them was good enough.
Even the call quality is good. Samsung uses a piezoelectric speaker integrated into the screen, which works really well.
Conclusion:
So, in the end, it all comes down to whether you should buy the A80 or not. But that’s a tricky question because this one does cost a good amount of money, although little less than the flagship, and other than the rotating camera mechanism, it does fall back against S10 in a majority of the aspects like performance, cameras, waterproofing, and the like.
So, the choice is yours, are you willing to pay an extra premium and get the no non-sense S10 or pay less and get a unique phone with a rotating camera.
So, if you are a tech junkie who loves experiencing new tech and has the money, the Galaxy A80 is not a bad choice to go with.
Even with the trade war going on with US officials, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor still managed to launch their latest Honor 20 series. After a week after the Honor 20 series came out, and the smallest of the siblings, the Honor 20 Lite, made its way to Nepal through Kratos Technologies Pvt. Ltd. which is the authorized distributor of Honor phones in Nepal. Is Honor 20 Lite is still relevant in Nepal with its price and specs after almost a year of its release?
Honor 20 Lite Overview:
Design & Display
The Honor 20 Lite, appears to be the same Honor 10i that was launched back in March. And by the price, this is a mid-range phone. This phone sports a 6.21-inch ISP display with Full HD+ resolution. The display features a waterdrop notch on the top to accommodate the front-facing camera. Unfortunately, there is no Notification LED light on the device. Visual contents on the Honor 20 Lite looks sharp and pleasant.
Performance and Memory
Underneath its body, is a HiSilicon Kirin 710 processor that runs the show. Also, it’s aided by the Mali-G51 MP4 GPU and 4 GB of RAM. The processor is comparable to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660. It can handle most of the tasks almost all the tasks you throw at it. Multitasking is good but you would want to look for something else if you are looking for a device to play high-end games such as PUBG. The phone also runs on Android 9.0 Pie like the other two Honor 20 devices, with EMUI on top, of course.
Camera
As for the cameras, The Honor 20 Lite comes with a triple-rear-camera setup. The setup comprises of 24 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture, an 8 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2 MP depth sensor. The shots pack quite a lot of details in them. Images are sharp but at times over-processing makes the color unnatural.
The ultra-wide camera is able to capture 120-degrees FOV but the shots lack details. The depth sensor doesn’t quite do the work it is supposed to do as it suffers from edge-detection issues. Also, the notch up front houses a 32-megapixel selfie shooter embedded on the notch.
Battery
In addition, this phone packs a 3400 mAh battery and has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. However, it lacks Type C port and fast charging support.
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), Accelerometer, Proximity, and Compass
Price: Rs. 32,500
Honor 20 Lite Price in Nepal and Availability
The official price of Honor 20 Lite in Nepal is Rs. 32,500 for the 4/128GB variant. It is yet to receive a price cut in Nepal. The phone is available through official Honor stores, and select offline stores in Nepal.
At a similar price, many would prefer Redmi Note 8 Pro with Helio G90T and more RAM and it is difficult to recommend Honor 20 Lite as it doesn’t carry the legacy of Honor 20.
