USB 4 isn’t just a myth but should soon be a reality. It will merge current speeds of a ThunderBolt 3 standard with all the flexibility of a USB. Just to put that bump in speed into context, you now stand to enjoy over 8 times more transfer speed compared to your USB 3.2 Gen 1. You can read our article here for all the USB generations that are currently in use, along with their features.
So, starting off with the fastest USB available in the market right now, the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2, which caps out at 20Gbps. If the USB 4 ceases to exist, it will easily reach up to 40Gbps of max transfer speeds. Not just that, you also get the ability to push out digital signals for external monitors and deliver power to charge your smartphone or a laptop. Doesn’t this sound like an all in one solution for all our connectivity needs?
Why not just use ThunderBolt 3?
Now, you might have a question in mind right now. Why not just use ThunderBolt 3 on all PCs, they already use a USB-C port to connect, don’t they? Well, let me answer my own question, TB3 was a closed standard, the specifications weren’t exactly public and it was expensive to manufacturer. That’s also one of the reasons why the adoption was pretty slow, but Intel plans to change that soon.
The company promised something in 2017, to make the standard available to other chip makes. Basically, it will allow any manufacturer to implement the technology royalty-free and encourage adoption. The USB 4 was announced by the USB-IF on March 4, with the said specs, so seems like Intel is finally making good on its promise. Although, the drafted specifications will only become official when it’s published later this year.
What will USB 4 be capable of?
Ending this piece off with the specs, in case you didn’t know. You will need to use cables capable of 40Gbps speeds to enjoy all the benefits. The same is also the maximum data transfer speeds, the same as Thunderbolt 3. It will also be capable of a 100W of power output while being able to power up to two 4k displays or one 5k display. And the most hyped application of all, support for an external GPU.
There are still a few aspects to iron out, and that should all be sorted out by the time the tech is ready for us consumers. Ohh, and it’s USB Type C exclusive, so, USB Type-A should soon become history. The specifications are expected to arrive sometime in the second half of this year. After that, USB IF expects a year plus half for the manufacturing process to begin. Maybe we will see a glimpse of USB 4 at the CES 2020?
When 2019 was around the corner and while I was setting the New Year resolution to work on my fitness, I got these $56 headphones from Amazon by the courtesy of Dyplay. Since working out with the fitness on is a fun way to maintain fitness, I was really delighted when I got this review unit. Although I wasn’t quite able to give continuity on my daily fitness, I used these headphones for more than a month now. But did I like it? Well, I am gonna answer that in this Dyplay ANC 30 headphones Review.
Design and Build
The Dyplay ANC 30 headphones feature a sturdy neckband with the wires projecting outside the neckband. The wires are long enough so it reaches the ears pretty easily. In terms of aesthetics, the headphones look nothing extraordinary. It looks similar to most of the headphones out there. But if you ask me, I was quite impressed with the earphones’ housing. It looks shiny and is appealing at the same time.
Since it is a budget headphone, the materials used on the device is mostly polycarbonate. So, it doesn’t look particularly premium. But it surely is robust. I tried to bend and twist the neckband but the device handled such abuses without any issues. During the review period, I slept with these headphones on in a couple of occasions. And you can easily see the headphone is still intact. So I am quite positive about the durability of the device even in a long run.
Also talking about the durability, this headphone also comes with an IPX4 certification, which means that it is splash resistant. So the sweat drops during jogging and the water droplets in the drizzles will not do any harm to the headphones.
Pairing and Control
The device comes with five dedicated buttons: a power button, an active noise cancellation button, play/pause button, and two volume rockers. With these buttons at its disposal, the headphone is fairly easy to use. Pressing the power button turns the device on with a vibration. When the headphone is on, you can see the Dyplay ANC 30 headphone on your laptop or smartphone in the list of available Bluetooth devices. After that, you can easily pair the headphones with your laptop or smartphone. Once it’s paired, you are good to listen to any kind of music from your audio device.
While wearing the headphones on the neck, all the buttons lie on the left. Since all the buttons are at the convenient spot, I didn’t have any problem to reach my finger to the buttons. Even while wearing this neckband, I was able to play/pause the music, adjust the audio volume and even accept or reject an incoming call easily.
Continuing with the buttons, the longest one on the button panel is the play and pause button. This button can also be used to answer or reject an incoming call. When you get a call, you can simply press the button once to receive the call. If you wish to reject, pressing and holding the button for a while will do the job. The buttons on the top and button of this button are the volume rockers. The upper one raises the volume and the lower one reduces the volume. Pressing and holding these buttons will also switch to next and previous tracks respectively.
Below the play/pause button lays a power button and a dedicated noise cancellation button. The noise cancellation button here is a slider type, which can be turned on even while listening to music. So even if there is any sort of noises in the surroundings while listening to the music, you can easily switch it on and suppress those noises. A green LED rests on the top of the NC button, which indicates whether the noise cancellation button is turned on.
Sound Performance
Talking about the sound quality, I was fairly impressed with what the headphones have to offer on the audio front. It outputs a good amount of bass. Mids and highs also sound really clean here. But some music lacks quite a depth though. But considering the price, it was understandable.
And what bugged me till the very end was the lack of aptX certification. With the absence of the aptX, I experienced degradation in audio quality at times. I also noticed a slight change in the sound quality when the distance between the audio earphones and the audio device increased. Also, the version of the Bluetooth here is 4.2 and not the latest 5.0. So I quite missed the wider range, faster transfer speed, and power efficiency of the Bluetooth 5.0. But since this is nothing big of an issue, let’s move forward with the performance.
When I listened to the songs in these headphones, I fairly liked its touch and its capability to output soothing and smooth audio. I also didn’t notice any sort of latency and distortions in high volumes. And since it is capable of noise cancellation, it is capable of silencing the surrounding noises as well. I turned the NC button quite often while walking on the busy streets. I also used it in the office to avoid background sounds and to concentrate on my works. And on both the scenarios, it did a pretty good job. Surrounding sounds were not that audible and I could enjoy the clean taste of music. But since this headphone is the in-ear type, you will not get a sophisticated noise cancellation like that of the over-ear headphones, where noise cancellation takes place through both active and passive medium.
Battery
I found the best part of the device to be its battery. This headphone comes with a sizeable 190mAh battery, which promises 12 hours of backup with the ANC turned off. As promised, the device always delivered over 11 hours of backup on my use. With the ANC turned on, the backup reduces to 8 hours though. So even with the ANC turned on or off, I was able to use it for one working day, which is really remarkable. Charging uses a Micro USB port and takes around 2 hours to get the device fully charged. 2 hours is a pretty long time to charge the headphones. But considering the size of the battery, it looks plausible. When it comes to the battery backup, it even outperformed the MPOW Flame Bluetooth Headphones.
Verdict
Since it’s a budget headphone, I didn’t have much expectations from the device. But the device gave me a pleasant surprise with its awesome battery life, sturdy build, easy controllability, and decent noise cancellation. Although it lacks quite a punch when compared with the premium headphone, these pair does a remarkable job, especially at its price. So if you are a budget-conscious audiophile, this is one of the best headphones you can get under $60 price bracket.
OPPO’s sub-brand Realme has made quite an impact in less than a year of its official debut. They have sold more than 4 million units and is the No.1 Emerging brand in India. Adding to its portfolio of budget phones, Realme today announced Realme 3 that offers improved AI camera and new design.
Realme 3 Overview
Realme 3 has a 6.2-inch 720P display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass 3 protection. There’s a dual back AI camera of 13MP and 2MP. There’s a tiny dewdrop notch where sits a 13MP selfie camera. The back camera features Nightscape that allows you to take blur-free, handheld shots in low-light.
It is powered by Helio P70 SoC for the Indian market and Helio P60 for the Nepali market. The performance is comparable with that of Snapdragon 660. Memory wise, there are 3 variants – 3GB RAM/32GB ROM and 4GB RAM/64GB ROM. Both these variant sports a dedicated microSD card slot with which you can expand the storage by upto 256GB.
Powering the Realme 3 is the big 4230mAh battery. Considering the phone has to power an energy efficient SoC and an HD display, the battery should be nothing short of excellent.
It runs on ColorOS 6.0 skin based on Android 9.0 Pie. During the launch event, the company’s CEO, Madhav Seth, was quick to point out that the ColorOS 6.0 will not run Advertisement as they are a phone selling company, mocking annoying Advertisement that appears on Xiaomi Redmi phones.
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Other specs include Dual SIM slot (4G+4G), 10W charging with micro USB, and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.
The Realme 3 base variant (3GB,32GB) starts at INR 8,999 (Rs.14,400) and the 4,64GB version is priced at INR 10,999 (Rs. 17,200).
Realme 3 is priced at Rs. 18,890 for the 3GB RAM, 32GB storage variant in Nepal. The 4GB RAM, 128GB storage variant of the Realme 3 is priced at Rs. 19,990.
LaLiga has few of the best football clubs in the world, which includes giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both these teams collectively took home the last five Champions League trophies. The national team itself won the 2010 world cup tournament, so it would be an over exaggeration that Span is serious about the game. The fans are pretty heart whelming, passionate, loyal, and it’s only fair that the technology that goes into it is top notch too. And top notch it is, with so many technologies features in their games.
A well maintained constant flow of information for both the referees and viewers. The relation between technology and football has mostly received mixed reactions from fans. But most would agree that technology has made the game better, more enjoyable even, and definitely a lot fair. With so many cameras pointed at you, how do you expect to get away with anything dirty? Take a look at a few of the technology that goes into a LaLiga game, and how the premier league was “inspired” by them.
VAR (Video Assistant Referee)
This one is as simple as it gets, but it does come with its fair share of rules. For instance, it can be used in case of a goal, mistaken identity, offside and red card offense. It has been used to alter almost 59 decision till now, from a total of 2,280 incidents. The referees are given a minimum of 6 to 20 camera angles to assess the situation. These camera angles can be selected, replayed, enlarged and played frame by frame to ensure an accurate decision is made.
This technology has been in use since the 2018-19 season in LaLiga. This technology will come to the premier league later this year.
MediaCoach
LaLiga has been using this tech since 2010 and is said to be one of the major reason for Spanish football’s dominance. With the help of numerous cameras in every stadium that tracks and monitors all the players. The data is then processed into a range of statistics. It may include stuff like heat maps, distance traveled and the player’s positioning, which is then submitted to the coaching staff. This, in turn, helps them make better decisions and as a result, the player’s performance in the field improves.
LaLiga claims that no other football league has this type of tech available at their disposal. But sooner or later, we expect this to enter Premier League as well.
360-degree replay
Powered by a total of 38 4k cameras, Intel, and a “spider cam” you can access 360-degree replays. Much like the ones in FIFA’s video game, this adds up to a unique experience for the fans. As for now, a total of six stadiums in the LaLiga. They will be adding this feature to more stadiums in the coming seasons. ‘The challenge for us today is to get as close to FIFA as possible. As we have to deliver this great video-game style views that people have come to expect,’ Mr. Evers (CCO of LaLiga) added.
This technology is set to come to three premier league stadiums starting next season.
Calendar Selector/Sunlight Broadcasting Planning
Its sunlight broadcasting planner uses VR and AI to create a 3D map of every stadium. This helps them analyze sunlight, shades and glare effect on the cameras during broadcasts. On the contrary, their Calender Selector helps automatically generate schedules to optimize broadcast viewership and maximize attendance. This as a whole, helps them maximize profit and fan enjoyment. The Calendar Selector takes European cup games, domestic games, protests, and travel issues into account.
Plus unlike Premier league, LaLiga has complete control over its gaming schedules. That aided by Machine Learning and AI helps LaLiga pull an edge over its English rival.
iMars is a brand, that may not be as popular or mainstream as others in Nepal, but they do provide some affordable phones. Opal International is the authorized distributor of iMars brand in Nepal. And now, five of their phones are receiving price drops, making the phones even more affordable. Here they are:
Vega X7
The Vega X7 is the best looking and the best performing of the iMars bunch! This phone, which used to cost Rs.26000 has received a huge price cut of Rs.5000, making the current price only Rs.21000! For that price, what you get is a 5.9″ Full-HD IPS display, a dual camera setup of two 13 MP cameras, and a 13 MP selfie camera as well. It is powered by a MediaTek 6757 processor and has 4 GB RAM. There’s 64 GB internal storage onboard, and a large 4500 mAh battery. The shiny looking body also features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Vega X7 Specifications:
Display: 5.99″ IPS LCD, Full-HD+ resolution (1080 x 2160 pixels)
Rear Camera: Dual, 13 MP + 13 MP
Front Camera: 13 MP
CPU: 2.5 GHz MediaTek 6757
GPU: Mali T880
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 64 GB
Software: Android 8.0 Oreo
Battery: 4500 mAh
Price: Rs.20,999
iMars ViVi 8
Quite an unusual name for a smartphone, the ViVi 8 is the second-best smartphone in iMars’ arsenal. The ViVi 8 used to cost Rs.18000, and now, the price has dropped to Rs.15,500. The ViVi 8’s design looks kinda out-dated, but it is actually okay for the most part. For a current price of Rs.15,500, it packs okay-ish specs inside it. And even for a budget phone, it does have a fingerprint scanner at the back.
iMars ViVi 8 Specifications:
Display: 5.5″ IPS LCD display with HD resolution, (720 x 1280 pixels)
Rear Camera: 13 MP
Front Camera: 8 MP
CPU: 1.8 GHz Spreadtrum 9853A
GPU: Mali T820
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 32 GB
Software: Android 7.0 Nougat
Battery: 3200 mAh
Price: Rs. 15,500
iMars Milky Way M2
Judging by the name, you might not be wrong for thinking that the phones have strange names. But, what’s in the name anyway? This is another budget phone from iMars, that got a price drop. The Milky Way M2, which used to cost Rs.14,000 is now priced at Rs.12,500, making it very similar to the Lenovo A5s. But for the most part, it feels like the A5s outshines this phone in most ways. Except that it has a fingerprint sensor at the back!
iMars Milky Way M2 Specifications:
Display: 5.45″ IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution (720 x 1440 pixels)
Rear Camera: Dual, 8 MP + depth sensor
Front Camera: 5 MP
CPU: 1.3 GHz Spreadtrum SC9850K
RAM: 2 GB
Storage: 16 GB
Battery: 3200 mAh
Price: Rs. 12,500
iMars Rose
iMars Rose actually packs a slightly bigger screen at 5.5 than the Milky Way M2. And even though this is a phone at entry-level pricing, it does have a fingerprint sensor at the back. And that is actually quite a handy feature, which is rarely found in entry-level smartphones. This one used to cost Rs. 12000, and is now priced at Rs.10,500.
iMars Rose Specifications:
Display: 5.5″ IPS LCD with HD resolution, (1280 x 720 pixels)
Rear Camera: 8 MP
Front Camera: 5 MP
CPU: 1.3 GHz Spreadtrum 9832A
GPU: Mali 400 MP2
RAM: 1 GB
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
Storage: 16GB, microSD expandable (up to 128GB)
Battery: 2800 mAh
Price: Rs.10,500
iMars VSUN 6
The VSUN 6 is modest of the bunch with modest specs, features and design footprint. This is for those looking for just something that works and not much. It looks and feels like an entry-level cheap phone, there’s no way around that. And this phone used to cost Rs.10000, which is now, available for Rs.8500. So, similar to the Colors phones we get.
iMars VSUN 6 Specifications:
Display: 5.0″ IPS LCD with HD resolution, (1280 x 720 pixels)
Rear Camera: 8 MP
Front Camera: 5 MP
Chipset: 1.3 GHz Spreadtrum SC9832A
GPU: Mali 400 MP2
RAM: 1 GB
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
Storage: 16 GB with microSD expandable (up to 128GB)
Battery: 2200 mAh
Price: Rs. 8500
Even after the price drops, these phones don’t seem worth it to me at all. The iMars Vega 7 comes at almost the same price as the Galaxy M20. The only advantage it has is the 4 GB RAM which the M20 doesn’t have. So, it can be a bit worth it, but for other phones, they don’t seem like value for money. What do you think of these?
With the rise of the internet and the development of social media platform like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc., the smartphone obsession has reached a new height. With these advancements, people quite tend to adhere to their smartphones connected to the internet. Although these sorts of habits have increased the scope of digital media marketing and e-commerce platforms, it has quite hindered social interaction. So to resolve this very issue, Swiss brand Punkt has designed an MPO2 mobile phone.
The Punkt MPO2 mobile phone is a dumb phone meaning it neither features the apps like Facebook and Instagram nor connects you to the internet. It is merely an electronic device, which aids its users to communicate with friends, family, and acquaintances through SMS and phone calls. Do you remember those good old days, when there used to be keypad-style mobile with features of calling and texting? Just like those retro Nokia phones, this Punkt MPO2 mobile comes with a small screen, no apps and no ways to connect to the internet. But unlike those retro Nokia phones, this phone costs a whopping £300 ($400) on the purchase.
That looks too much for a ‘dump’ phone. But in their defense, Punkt claims that the sleek and lightweight design and some modern features of the device costs that premium amount. “Modern features” means that the phone is capable of producing high-quality audio with in-built noise cancellation, features micro-USB charging, anti-reflection screen, and an anti-fingerprint coating.
Being a modern device, the handset works with the modern sized SIM cards. And as mentioned earlier, it is extremely light when compared with the modern-day smartphones. It weighs merely 88 grams, which is way lower than the 201grammed Samsung Galaxy Note 9.
Furthermore, this device also let its users switch on 4G mobile broadband access. This feature allows the handset to act as a hotspot for the devices like laptops and tablets to tether to.
Now, the company is known for its innovative products, such as the Nubia X – a bezel-less phone with dual screens! And besides that, they pack good specs for the price as well. Here, we review three of their phones as they belong to the 25000 – 30000 category.
Design and Build
Nubia V18
The Nubia V18 is the cheapest of the bunch, costing Rs.25000. For that, you do get a metal build, but with a smooth plastic finish, that makes it appear not-metal! Due to this, it doesn’t look and feel as premium as the other two. And since this phone has a bigger screen, it stands out as the largest phone of the bunch, but at the same time, has the worst built among the three. It flexes quite a bit when bent. So, there are some build issues.
Nubia V18 Design
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Design
Buttons right
Dedicated camera button
Headphone Jack
MicroUSB
It has a single camera at the back and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The volume rockers and power button are on the right while there is also a dedicated camera button on the left.
Nubia Z17 Lite
This one stays true to metal. With a metal unibody design, perfect edges and curves, this looks really good. The smooth metal finish also makes it feel good on the hands. A seamless body combined with its subtle gold accents makes it look almost perfect!
Nubia Z17 Lite Design
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Design
USB-C
Buttons
Its build quality is also quite good. There are no flexes or creaks of any kind when bent or so. All buttons are on the right, and there is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor at the back. But it does not have a headphone jack!
Nubia Z17 MiniS
This one is in a league of its own. It has a glass back with metal frame, and the fine finish makes it feel very premium on the hands. The gold accent on the frame makes it look all the better, but the glass attracts some finger smudges and such, and at the same time might not be able to withstand drops or impacts.
Nubia Z17 MiniS Design
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Design
Buttons
USB-C
Its buttons are on the right as well, and the back only houses the dual camera setup. The fingerprint sensor is on the front embedded on the home button itself. Also, this one shows a bit of flex and creaks when bent, but I guess, that’s normal for a glass phone. This, too, misses out on the headphone jack.
Overall, the Z17 MiniS looks the best, while the Z17 Lite wins in build quality. But the V18 has the advantage of having a 3.5 mm headphone jack over these two.
Display
In terms of display, all of these features IPS LCD panels, but they differ in size and in quality.
Nubia V18
The V18 gets a large 6.0″ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It features a Full HD+ resolution but with its larger display, it fails to compete with the other two in terms of quality, maybe due to it’s lesser pixel density. It’s not that bad, because it still is a Full HD, which some phones still don’t give you for the price.
Nubia Z17 Lite
The Z17 Lite features a 5.5″ display with Full HD resolution in a smaller 16:9 aspect ratio. But besides the smaller aspect ratio, everything else about the display is pretty good. It has decent color accuracy, a fair amount of brightness, and non-existent bezels at the side. Looking at the display on this one, it feels like this kind of display is more than okay, we don’t really need bezel-less displays with a notch or what not.
Nubia Z17 MiniS
The Z17 MiniS has the smallest screen at 5.0″. But since it does pack the same Full HD resolution, it gets better pixel density, and so, has the best display quality among the three. The colors on it are punchy, without being oversaturated, and the brightness is ample to use outdoors as well. This is simply a great display, and so, I don’t mind even if it is small.
The Z17 Lite and the Z17 MiniS are from 2017, so, these phones still feature a 16:9 aspect ratio. But even so, they look pretty good to me.
Cameras
Nubia V18
V18 Camera
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Rear Camera
Front Camera
The Nubia V18 packs a single 13 MP camera at the back and an 8 MP camera at the front. And to say the most, the rear camera is better than your average camera, I mean, more than you’d expect from a phone like this. It has good color reproduction and okay dynamic range.
Nubia V18 Camera Sample
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Indoors Low light
Indoors
Normal Camera Sample
Selfie 1
Selfie 2
Selfie 3
For high-resolution samples of these photos, click here>>
The selfie camera, though, is not good. The images don’t come out sharp enough. There are less details, are muddy, and the white balance seems to be off. The dynamic range on it is also not great, photos can come out soft, and it has some focus issues as well. Also, sometimes, it appears that the photos have been beautified.
Nubia Z17 Lite
Z17 Lite Camera
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Rear Camera
Front Camera
The Z17 Lite packs a 13 MP primary camera accompanied by a 2 MP depth sensor at the back. And the photos on this one are pretty good! Pictures come out sharp and detailed. There’s a lot of clarity in the images, the color reproduction is nice, and the dynamic range is also fantastic! Overall, the photos look very rich, both in colors and details. The portrait images are also good enough but seem to lack a bit of “something” than the normal images.
Nubia Z17 Lite Camera Sample
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Indoor lighting
Indoors
Portrait 1
Portrait 2
Selfie portrait 1
selfie portrait 2
For high-resolution samples of these images, click here>>
In terms of the selfie, it features a 16 MP camera. And that makes for quite the details in your selfies. The colors are there, but the white balance seems slightly off. Portrait images are great…the edge detection and background blurring are pretty balanced.
Nubia Z17 MiniS
Rear Camera
1 of 2
Rear Camera
Front Camera
The MiniS packs a 13 MP primary camera with a 2 MP depth sensor. And the camera is the best among the three. Color tones are rich, the white balance is on point, images are vibrant. Actually, the images are more or less, similar to the Z17 Lite, but I don’t know, it looks very slightly better.
Nubia Z17 MiniS Camera Sample
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Daylight
Night time
Indoors
Portrait
Selfie 1
Selfie 2
Portrait selfie
Portrait selfie 2
For high-res camera samples of these, click here>>
For selfies, there is a dual camera model compromising of a 16 MP primary camera and a 5 MP depth sensor. The details are good, sharpness is also okay and the color reproduction is excellent. And since it has a depth sensor in the front too, it can capture some really great bokeh images!
Performance
The performance across all the three phones are decent, to say the least.
Nubia V18
The V18 features a Snapdragon 625 processor, which seems a bit underpowered for a phone that costs Rs.25000. It has 4 GB of RAM, which can handle normal day-to-day tasks easily. You can also play PUBG at low settings without many noticeable stutters. But it does not have any kind of heating issue even after long hours of gaming sessions.
Nubia Z17 Lite and Z17 MiniS
Both these phones feature the Snapdragon 653 processor and a 6 GB of RAM. They perform as expected, with smooth transitions between screens, and multi-tasking. For daily usage, the phones run smooth, without the slightest bit of stutters. As for gaming, you can play PUBG on both at medium settings. But these have a bit of heating issue during long gaming sessions. Nothing alarming, but just something to mention.
Software and UI
The Nubia V18 comes with Android 7.1.2 stock Android One UI, so, everything is pretty basic on that front. It does have its fair share of bloatware even though it’s stock Android, but, they are of a minimal amount, so, it’s okay. The UI is as smooth too, so, no problems on that front, either.
The Lite and MiniS run on Android 7.1.1 with Nubia UI 5.0. They don’t feel that bad, though. The only thing I can complain about here is the shape or layout of the icons which look too flashy!
Battery
In terms of battery, the Nubia V18 is the best. It has a big 4000 mAh battery and with Android One UI, battery optimization seems good. It can give you 6 hours of screen on time with mixed usage. The only problem is that it still comes with a micro USB portwithout any fast charging. So, it takes about 3 hours to fully charge.
The Lite and MiniS both come with 3200 mAh battery, and they give out about 4.5 hours of screen on time. These, too, however, have 18-Watt Fast Charging and USB-C, so, charge fully in under 2 hours!
Conclusion and Verdict
To sum up, Nubia V18 is a bit difficult to recommend. Because for a price of Rs.25000, it’s got quite uninspiring materials. There’s only a single camera, with the selfie camera not being that good. Plus, the performance is also not something you can talk about. The battery life on it is good, but, if you add some cash, you can get one of the other two, which are a lot better!
The Z17 Lite has the best build quality among the three – no creaks, no flexes! It also looks premium, but not to the level of the Z17 MiniS. But, the non-existent side bezels look really really appealing! So, for a price of Rs.26,500, this seems like a good buy.
The Z17 MiniS has a proper glass build, making it the most premium of the three devices. It gets 4 cameras too, which take some great pictures. Of course, the display is only 5.2″, but I don’t really mind that…for the look and the feel of the phone. At Rs.28000, this can be the one to go for if you’re looking for a premium phone under Rs.30000.
Overall, there are quite a few options available in the price range of Rs.25000 – Rs.30000. But the premium look and feel offered by these devices, especially the Z17 Lite and Z17 MiniS seem unmatched. And so, even though these are older phones, they’re still quite relevant today.
Huawei Y6 2019 is the company’s newest offering in its huge lineup of budget segment smartphones. Following the footsteps of it’s Pro version, this one doesn’t just exclude features but adds some too. As for pricing and availability, they are yet to be announced. But a sensible guess would place the smartphone below $135 (the cost of a Huawei Y6 Pro 2019).
The added feature list includes a fingerprint scanner at the back which gets an optional leather finish. It’s mostly personal preference, some like it, I don’t. Either way, the device is available in three color options which include the Midnight Black, Sapphire Blue, and Amber Brown. If you want the faux leather, Amber Brown is the only way to go.
The next and last difference between the Pro and non-pro model is the RAM size. The Y6 2019 gets just 2GB of RAM, while it’s superior holds a gig more. Other than that, everything remains the same, including the storage size at 32GB. You also get the option to expand the storage by up to 512GB via a microSD card.
Powering it is the Helios A22 SoC, a Quad-Core Cortex A53 based chip clocked at 2.0GHz. PowerVR GE8320 is the GPU on board pushing out ample frames for the 6.09-inch FHD+ display at the front. It’s a 19.5:9 ratio IPS LCD display with a screen to body ratio of just 79.2%, even with that teardrop notch which holds an 8MP f/2.0 selfie camera.
The back gets a 13MP f/1.8 snapper and an LED flash in a typical iPhone X alignment. Yes, it gets a headphone jack, and a micro USB port to charge up the 3020mAh battery. Other specs include dual SIM support (dedicated slot for expandable storage), WIFi 3, Bluetooth 4.2 and a basic set of sensors. Finally, the Huawei Y6 2019 boots on Android 9.0 Pie with EMUI 9 on top.
When it comes to the bar and feature phones, Colors has made a significant mark in the Nepali market. But this time, Colors has shifted their focus to lure the budget-conscious audience into the featured-packed smartphones rather than on the feature-deficient bar and feature phones. And the Colors Pride 1A is the latest addition in their popular Pride-series smartphones. The Pride 1A, despite being an entry-level smartphone, comes with a dual camera setup at the back.
Colors Pride 1A Overview:
As mentioned earlier, the features a pair of cameras on the back. And it surely is the major highlight of the device. The camera duo on this device is a combination of a 5MP primary shooter aided by a VGA depth sensor. On the front, a 2MP selfie shooter resides on the top. The front camera is accompanied by an LED flash, which can brighten up the faces while taking selfies in the low light scenario.
In terms of display, the phone houses a 4.95-inch TN panel with a 2.5D glass topping to make it seamless. The display also comes with Dragontrail glass on the top, which is entitled to protect the display from cracks and scratches during the falls. Following the latest trends, the display on the Pride 1A also comes in an 18:9 aspect ratio.
The phone is powered by a Quad-core processor and has been provided with 0.5GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard memory. On the software side, the phone has got Android Go version of the Android Oreo (v8.1). With Android Go version of software on the board, the device doesn’t need much RAM to perform the day to day tasks. So, even with a mere 0.5GB of RAM, it can handle minor tasks like using Facebook, Instagram, watching videos on YouTube, surfing the internet through Chrome, etc.
The phone comes with dual-SIM support and boots with a 2200mAh battery on the board.
A couple of weeks ago, Vivo launched the V15 Pro in India without any announcement regarding its ‘normal’ variant. Fast forward to yesterday, the company unveiled the Vivo V15 at an event in Thailand. The V15 has cut down on a few features of the V15 Pro which was an expected move.
Vivo V15 Overview
The Vivo V15 is a 6.53-inch device that comes with a Full HD+ FullView display. Due to the lack of a front-facing cut-out, the phone has a 91.64% screen-to-body ratio. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Underneath the hood, the Vivo V15 is powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 processor aided by 6 GB of RAM and Mali-G72 GPU. It runs on Android v9.0 Pie out of the box with Vivo’s own Fun TouchOS 9 on top.
In the camera department, the major talking point is the pop-up selfie camera that measures 32-megapixel. On the rear side, there are three cameras – 12 MP primary lens, 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. For storage purpose, Vivo has included 128 GB of internal memory on the device.
What the Vivo V15 doesn’t have is the in-display fingerprint scanner. It features the traditional fingerprint sensor on the back of the device. The Vivo V15 has a large 4,000 mAh battery inside with support for dual-engine fast charging.
Vivo V15 Specifications
Display: 6.53-inch Full HD+; 91.64% screen to body ratio; Corning Gorilla Glass 5
CPU: Octa-core MediaTek Helio P70
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB; Dedicated SD card slot for memory expansion up to 256GB
OS: Android 9 (Pie) with FunTouch OS 9 on the top
Rear Camera: Triple camera – 12MP primary with f/1.78 + 8MP Ultra-wide-angle with f/2.2 aperture + 5MP depth sensor with f/2.4; LED flash
Battery: 4,000 mAh with dual engine fast charging technology
Colors: Topaz Blue, Ruby Red
Vivo V15 Pricing and Availability
The Vivo V15 has launched in Malaysia and Thailand. It carries a price tag of THB 10,999 which converts to NPR 39,220. The device will make its way into the Indian market as well. So, Nepal launch might be imminent as well. The Vivo V15 Pro is launching on March 7 here in Nepal.
iMars Milky Way M2 Specifications:
