There’s a new Honor phone in town. Six months after the launch of the Honor 10, we now have the Honor 10 Lite – a phone that is targeted towards the younger audience, or so they claim. The Honor 10 Lite is slightly different than the Honor 10 in terms of design, and in internals, it matches the Honor 8X. But the major difference is the new fancy gradient colors they’re flaunting.
Honor 10 Lite Overview
The new Honor 10 Lite has a large 6.21″ LCD screen up front with Full HD+ resolution. Pixels wise, we might not be able to expect flagship level display, but it might be impressive, nevertheless. The screen is packed in a body that flaunts gradient colors in an eye-candy design.
In the camera department, the rear setup packs dual cameras – a 13 MP primary lens with f/1.8 aperture, and a 2 MP depth sensor. The front camera is a 24 MP lens with f/2.0 aperture. But with its new AI capabilities, they claim that this camera will be a game changer. It supposedly features pixel-binning to emulate 1.8 micrometers of pixel size and learns from your selfie preferences over time. Also, it enables you to change the shape of a face, color, eye-colors, surrounding light, and even whiten your teeth! Talk about a misleading Tinder profile, right? But well, seems AI in the camera is going places.
Inside the shiny body, a HiSilicon Kirin 710 powers the phone, which can deliver good mid-tier performance. There are also 4 GB / 6 GB RAM variants, with 64 GB / 128 GB internal storage. There is also an option for expandable storage of up to 512 GB that uses the secondary SIM slot. This phone packs a 3400 mAh battery with Fast Charging features and USB-C. And this phone, thankfully, features the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The phone will be running on the latest EMUI 9.0.1 based on Android 9.0 Pie, with features like Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness and Android Dashboard out of the box. Also, it features the Turbo Boost 2.0 as well.
Honor 10 Lite Specifications:
Design: Dual Gradient colors on shiny finish
Display: 6.21″ IPS LCD Full HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels)
Colors: Gradient Blue, Gradient Red, Night Black, Lily White
Prices: CNY 1399 (US $200) for 4/64 GB, CNY 1699 (US $245) for 6/64GB, CNY 1899 (US $275) for 6/128GB
All of that specs packed into a phone that costs less than $300 seems pretty great. But it is quite unfortunate that the Honor brand doesn’t come to Nepal. But what do you think about the new Honor 10 Lite? Do let us know.
The batteries that are in wide-spread use today, Lithium-Ion is said to have reached its peak potential. i.e., it’s in a state, where now, no further development on it is possible to optimize it make it better. These Lithium-ion batteries were popular for their high energy density, and low self-discharge. But that is never enough. And so, companies were looking further to develop batteries that would have higher-energy density, higher resistance to heat, making them more durable. And so, Solid State Batteries were supposed to be the answer.
What are Solid State Batteries?
Solid State Batteries are those that use both solid electrodes and solid electrolytes, instead of the liquid electrolytes used in today’s Lithium-ion batteries. The problem with this is that liquid electrolytes batteries are more flammable, and so, packing large-sized batteries always raises concern. They can lead to accidents, as seen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, although we aren’t sure if that is exactly what caused them.
With Solid State Batteries, however, using solid electrolytes in the battery would be immensely safer. Also, they are more resistant to heat, so, they’re able to withstand higher temperatures. And that in turn can help charge batteries faster with more watts. In addition, these solid electrolytes have higher energy densities. A single unit can have 30% more energy density, i.e 400 Wh/kg. This makes them retain energy for longer periods of time, preventing self-discharge. A kind of battery, that charges fast, holds more power and is safer. All the requirements of a good kind of battery.
Development
The only problem was to figure out what to use as a solid electrolyte. And also, that they’re expensive to mass produce. But now, finally, it seems a Chinese startup company has figured out a solution. Qing Tao Energy Development Co, a startup company claims to have deployed a production line of such batteries in East China. And it is already capable of producing 100 MWh worth cells per year. Although, there are no reports on how the company managed to do so. Maybe a trade secret?
But they plan to increase production to 700 MWh by 2020. And that may very well be the answer to our problems caused by conventional present batteries. These batteries are primarily for usage in cars and such. But we can only hope they will be integrated into mobile phones too!
When other smartphone manufacturers started providing multiple camera setup at a single side, Samsung had been hesitant to provide such kind of setups at first. But the tech titan changed its mind and later brought the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 with a dual camera setup at the back. Since then the phone company released a number of smartphones with multiple camera setup on a single side. And the recent examples are Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 and Samsung Galaxy A9 2018, which come with three and four cameras at the back and a total of four of five cameras respectively. But even with that many cameras, Samsung has not yet been satisfied. This time, Samsung is planning a smartphone, which will be boasting a total of six cameras. This alleged Samsung six camera smartphone will feature two cameras on the front and four at the back.
With so many cameras, it seems like Samsung seems strictly following the routes of Huawei. But unlike Huawei’s smartphones, Samsung handsets were not quite impressive on the camera front. While we tested the smartphones like the A9 2018 and A7 2018, the camera setups were more or less like a gimmick. But this time, the sources claim that these new cameras “promise richer photos and better spatial perception”. And according to the report, this alleged six-camera smartphone is referred to as “Beyond X”, which is also said to feature 5G connectivity. And the display on the handset is rumored to be a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel, which would make it bigger than the mighty Note 9.
The report also gave a few insights about Samsung’s upcoming flagships, the Galaxy S10. According to the sources, there will be two or three new smartphones in the Galaxy S10 family except for the “Beyond X”. These smartphones will go with different display sizes and will be available at different prices. The Galaxy S10 family is also supposed to feature some big upgrades over the predecessors. There will be an under-display fingerprint sensor, a total of four or five cameras, big battery, infinity O, U, V or all infinity display and reverse wireless charging to name a few. The Galaxy S10 smartphones are also rumored to be launched in MWC 2019, which will start from February 25, 2019.
Samsung also has also been working on the foldable smartphone, which might go by the name “Samsung Flex” or “Galaxy Flex”. So in a few months’ time, we are going to witness, some awesome pieces of technology. So are you guys excited? Let us know in the comment section down below.
Oppo A3s was launched in mid-September of this 2018. Considering its price and specs, the smartphone was highly overpriced. However, Oppo has dropped the price of OPPO A3s in Nepal. So, let’s check out the complete specs, updated price, and availability of Oppo A3s in Nepal here.
Oppo A3s Overview
Performance and Memory
The OPPO A3s spec-sheet looks quite compelling at the price point. For less than Rs. 20,000 (for the base variant), you can get the Octa-core Snapdragon 450 chipset for performance. That’s the same chip available in the Samsung Galaxy A6+ and Samsung Galaxy J8. Oppo A3s combines 2/3 GB RAM to the processor for a good performance. Also, it has a whopping 4230 mAh battery that can easily last you for more than a day. It comes with 16/32 GB internal storage option in Nepal but has an expandable storage option via microSD for up to 256 GB. All that rests under a smooth glossy design that looks premium.
Design and Display
The phone sports a large 6.2″ IPS LCD screen with an HD+ resolution of 720 x 1520 with 271 PPI. Also, the bezels are only 2.05 mm thin, making it a super full screen! For the price, a super full screen with that resolution seems good enough. However, as it’s with Oppo, the highlight of the phone is the camera.
Camera
Oppo A3s packs a dual-camera setup at the back, a 13 MP + 2 MP sensor for vivid and crisp pictures. The 2 MP lens helps you use shallow depth effect for sharper photos and wide-angle pictures. The selfie camera is an 8 MP sensor integrated with AI Smart Beauty technology, that allows you to take stunning selfies! The phone runs on Android Oreo 8.1 with Color OS 5.1 on top.
Another interesting feature, the phone packs is it’s “Music Party” function. With this, you can open up a hotspot and connect multiple smartphones with the Color OS, to play the same track on all phones. Now that’s a fun solution if you want to ramp up your music, isn’t it? And talking about the color options, the Oppo A3s debuts in two different colors – Red and Dark Purple.
Oppo A3s Specifications:
6.2-inch (1520 x 720 pixels) 18:9 FullView 2.5D curved glass display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU
2/3GB RAM
16/32GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD
ColorOS 5.1 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo)
Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD)
13MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 aperture, secondary 2MP camera with f/2.4 aperture
Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS, USB OTG
4230mAh battery
Oppo A3s Price in Nepal & Availability
The new price of A3s in Nepal is NPR. 15,990 for the 2/16GB variant and NPR. 24,590 for the 3/32GB variant. It is available through both online and offline retail shops in Nepal
The Colors Pride 5E, one of the first smartphones from Colors with an 18:9 display just received a 12% drop in its price. At the new price of Rs 7,925, the smartphone just got even more compelling.
The highlight of the smartphone is the 5-inch 18:9 display, which you rarely get on a price this low. Add 1GB of RAM, dual-SIM support, 8GB internal memory, and a 2,300mAh battery (which should be ample for the config), it just becomes a more complete package.
Judging from its price tag, most buyers won’t really care about the Android Go implementation. Still, it will make a huge difference in the end user experience, something most of the good children will keep a look out for while choosing a smartphone for their parents.
The smartphone comes with 5MP cameras with LED flash on both sides. Not saying it’s a good camera but what can you expect at this price anyway.
Judging by the price alone, one can look away from the fact that it’s an FWVGA display, or the slow processor or the underwhelming cameras. If you want a smartphone, more specifically an Android at a price this low, there aren’t many options.
Colors are offering 3000MB of free mobile data from Ncell for free with every purchase. In conclusion, if you want a smartphone for your dad or your mom or a secondary backup smartphone, it should do just fine.
Colors Pride 5E Specifications:
Display: 5-inch FWVGA Full View display; 18:9 aspect ratio
Processor: 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor
RAM: 1 GB
ROM: 8 GB
Software: Android v8.1 Oreo (Android Go Edition)
SIM: Dual SIM (3G + 4G)
Rear Camera: 5MP rear camera, LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP front camera, LED Flash
Battery: 2,300mAh battery
Original Price: Rs. 8,995
New Price: Rs. 7,925
What do you think of the price drop for the Colors Pride 5E? Were you considering the smartphone and are now rejoiced by the fact that you will now be saving Rs. 1,070. Let us know in the comments below.
We don’t really see LAVA phones these days in the market. But they were once one of the popular brands in Nepal. But it seems after a long time, we are getting a new LAVA phone in Nepal – the Lava R3 Prime. The LAVA R3 Prime is an addition to the R-series lineup and is a budget phone that costs below Rs. 20000 here. And what does it have to offer in the almost saturated smartphone market of ours?
LAVA R3 Prime Overview
The LAVA R3 Prime seems to be focusing on the selfie camera aspect of things. This phone features a 13 MP selfie camera up front with a front flash module as well. It also features a software-based bokeh mode for those enhanced portrait images we tend to go after. The company claims that the front camera is fine-tuned for capturing good details in selfies even at night time. Will it live to its promises or not, that remains to be seen.
Other than the selfie camera, the rear camera is also a 13 MP setup with Phase Detection AutoFocus. The inclusion of a single camera only at the back may seem strange to us these days, but this is what the phone packs. It also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner just below the camera. All these are packed into a plastic body.
Under the hood, the LAVA R3 Prime is powered by a 2.0 GHz Quad-core MT6761 chipset. Also known as the Helio A22, this is a low-end chipset. It also packs about 3 GB of RAM, making it very similar to the Xiaomi Redmi 6A. Besides that, there is a 32 GB of internal storage, and a 3300 mAh battery.
Also, it features a 5.7″ IPS LCD display with HD+ resolution with a Full-view 18:9 aspect ratio. There are no notches on this device, so, for those who absolutely hate notches, this might be another option for them. The phone also has the Facial recognitionfeature, which is software based. It runs on StarOS 5.1 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. For all of this, the phone is priced at Rs.18,999.
This is still a budget phone, but if you ask me, I think that is a bit too much. Especially, when you get the Xiaomi Redmi 6 with a slightly more powerful chipset for a lesser price. And there’s also the OPPO A3s and Lenovo K5 Play as well. What other features it has to compel us to get the phone, that remains to be seen.
Headphones – a must-have accessory for everyone. But the problem is, choosing one is great pain-in-the-neck, because well, there are too many to choose from. A lot of things to consider – from price to the quality, and durability, and everything. But the MPOW Flame Bluetooth Headphones is there in Amazon’s top picks. And we thought why not check out why everyone is buying them? Now the one in this review is the MPOW MPBH088AB model from the MPOW Flame series, and these ones cost some $22. While this may put them in the budget headphones category, they do pretty well. Let’s find out more about the device in this MPOW Flame Bluetooth headphones review.
First, these pair of headphones come in a pretty sweet packaging. They come in a case, which you can carry around to put these in, when not in use. Inside, there’s a micro USB cable to charge it, and you also get some extra ear-buds, in various sizes, for comfort. All this leads to a good first impression.
In terms of design and build, the headphones themselves look stylish, but it resembles the Beats headphones – the Wireless Powerbeats – which actually cost over $100. These, however, cost less than quarter that price, and look equally good. Since these go in your ears, it is an in-ear headphone.
As for the build, the wire is of a good length, just enough to go around your neck, and not look too long. All the buttons are on the right. The power button also doubles as the Play/Pause button and to pick up calls as well. The volume buttons are on top with which you can also switch to previous or next songs with a long press.
It also has rubber-silicone ear hooks that help keep these snuggly fit in your ears. The memory foam earbuds are quite comfortable. The earbud is soft and there’s no any kind of irritation or annoyance, allowing you to put them in your ears for quite a stretch of time too. These headphones are designed for working out, so there’s very less doubt about comfort.
Plus, these are IPX7 water resistant, which means you can drop it u1-meter deep water and they’ll still work. This feature actually is best while working out, as it also makes them sweat-proof. But it is also usable when it’s raining lightly. When you do pour water over them, however, they might not work if there’s still water lodged in the ear buds. But a simple removal and cleaning out the water will make it up and running.
Overall, the wire and the rubber-plastic mold construction appears pretty durable. The ear hooks are flexible enough to bend without breaking, and the rest of it doesn’t feel cheap at all. Even though they cost only slightly over $20, there’s no budget headphone vibe from this.
Connectivity & Latency
The connectivity here is standard with Bluetooth 4.1. It works up to a range of close to 10 meters. And as it with such headphones, the distance matters less than the obstacles between the two devices.
What I mean is, in an open area, the Bluetooth signal works good until the acclaimed 10 meters, but when in between rooms, the signal tends to fluctuate even within range.
There is basically, no latency in terms of sound. Even while playing videos on YouTube or any such streaming sites, there is no noticeable lags between the video and sound. Even during calls, there is no noticeable sluggishness. The only noticeable lag appears while playing or pausing the media with the button on the headphone. And that takes like a second to respond to the commands.
Sound Quality
The sound quality is really impressive. Of course, these are not the best sounding headphones out there, but the audio output is really pleasing. This claims to feature True High Definition sound and Deep Bass. And while the true HD sound seems true, I found the bass just okay.
Whatever you listen on these, they sound rich, crisp and have great audio clarity. The audio output seems very balanced – neither too much bass, nor too much treble. While listening to songs, you can easily make out the words and such. I mean, I began understanding lyrics of certain songs that I’d been singing wrong to this day!
But, if you are into heavy bass music or such, this might not be for you. The bass isn’t bad…it’s just doesn’t offer as much bass as some other headphones. This is because it concentrates on providing an overall balanced audio experience. These headphones are great for the regular users, but might not work for bass lovers.
It features noise cancellation in the mic, which makes for good call quality. The earbuds also block external noise effectively. Of course, with heavy disturbance, that is not the case, but for your regular daily noise or such, it is highly effective.
Overall, the headphone focuses on sound clarity and balanced audio output rather than bass, and so, it makes for a great audio experience for regular users.
Battery
In terms of battery, these headphones claim some 7 – 9 hour battery life, and that is a pretty close estimate. I got close to 7 hours each time on a full charge while connected to my phone. However, it doesn’t last as long when connected to a laptop.
The 100 mAh battery charges up fairly quickly, in just some 1 and half hours, give or take 5 minutes. And for something that’s wireless, that’s a pretty good amount. However, you need to be careful to only use a 5V charger as it is mentioned. Now, I don’t know what happens if you use any other chargers, but better be on the safe side.
Conclusion
All in all, these headphones do pretty well in all aspects – Comfort, Durability, Functionality and Sound Quality. These headphones cost $22, and we all know there are so many other headphones that cost a lot more and don’t perform well in all of these aspects. But these ones do, except for a few shortcomings.
These are easily available in Amazon, being one of the top picks in headphones. There aren’t many areas where one can criticize these pair of headphones. Maybe that’s why it’s so popular.
From the makers of the OPPO F9, one of the best mid-range phones, comes the OPPO A7. The Oppo A7 is Oppo’s latest addition to the mid-range section, or is it? With a not so impressive spec-sheet and features, the phone seems to be far away from OPPO’s usual offerings. Recent OPPO phones like the OPPO F9 were a great hit, but with the OPPO A7, it’s kinda difficult to tell.
During my first hands-on with the phone, my initial impressions of it were that of a budget phone. And internationally, it seems like its priced just right, with the 4/64 GB variant priced at $230. But in Nepal, it costs a whopping Rs. 35,790 which converts to around $310. And that is just absurd! And that is just a bad first impression. But let’s see what does this phone have.
OPPO A7 Specifications:
Design: Glossy plastic construction
Display: 6.2″ IPS LCD HD+ resolution (720 x 1520 pixels)
Rear Camera: Dual Camera setup, 13 MP primary lens with f/2.2 aperture + 2 MP depth sensor
As for the phone, the phone has a plastic construction, with a glossy finish. The design looks almost like glass at first glance and has the same smooth feeling in your hands. It’s very easy to mistake it for glass but it’s lightweight will give it away. Even though the phone has a considerable thickness, there is no heft to it, which is why, even though it has a premium appearance, it doesn’t feel that way in your hands. So, this phone doesn’t feel very premium.
Personally, I think there’s nothing striking about the phone. The back has a 2.5D curved design, and it is, admittedly, a somewhat different approach for OPPO. The volume rockers are on the left, while the power button resides on the right. It still has a micro USB port, at the end of 2018, which is a disappointment. The fingerprint sensor is positioned nicely beneath the dual camera setup at the rear, and it is easy to reach too.
Display
Up front, there is water-drop display with the tiny notch, very similar to the OPPO F9. It is a is a 6.2” IPS LCD panel with an HD+ resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. Yes, this is only HD+, not the full HD we normally see on a phone at this price bracket. With a 19:9 aspect ratio, the display size is good, but a 271 PPI pixel density is not enough.
If you observe closely, you can see some pixelation on the screen. However, color representation, accuracy, and overall display seem good enough. Still, the lack of a Full HD display in a phone of this price category bothers me.
Camera
As for the cameras, the rear camera is a dual camera setup which combines a 13 MP primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a 2 MP depth sensor. Camera quality is just about average, as it depends heavily on the light. And with a narrow aperture, it is easy to see why. In good lighting condition, the details in the pictures are good enough, but in low light, the images come out grainy and gather a lot of noise.
Portrait mode, as usual, is a hit or miss. Some samples, like that of close-up portraits look good and that happens when you have just the right lighting conditions. Edge detection is also good for those conditions. However, for full-body shots, the bokeh effect doesn’t look as good. Edge detection suffers, and the camera cannot recognize differences between the subject and the background very well.
Oppo A7 Camera samples
1 of 14
Color accuracy
Food
Daylight 1
Daylight 2
Low light
Low light 2
Portrait
Portrait 2
Portrait 3
Outdoor selfie
Indoor Selfie
Group selfie
Portrait selfie
Portrait selfie 2
In low light, portrait mode is a straight up miss. The edge detection takes worse hits and suffers and the images gather noise. I would like to blame the small 2 MP depth sensor for that, but the OPPO F9 has the same sized depth sensor and that takes great pictures. So, I don’t know what is with the cameras of the A7. Now, this is not straight up criticism, it’s just that the image quality is not at par with other smartphones of the similar price range.
The front camera is a 16 MP shooter with f/2.0 and seems to perform better than the rear camera. The details in selfies are just better than pictures taken with the rear ones. It gathers better light, and image quality comes out good. The software-based portrait also gives a better sense of depth.
Oppo A7 Beauty Modes
1 of 4
Normal selfie
AI Beauty Mode
Beauty Mode level 3
Beauty Mode level 6
There’s the presence of OPPO’s Beauty Mode, which enhances your facial features for beautiful selfies. The AI Face Beauty has a lot to improve while using it on manual mode can give you good results only up to level 2. The rest makes your face appear very cartoonish and weird.
For high-res camera samples of these photos,click here>>
Overall, the cameras are nothing very special, but aggressively average.
Battery and Memory
In terms of battery, OPPO is always generous. There’s a large 4230 mAh unit packed inside, and that’s not new for Oppo. They’re used to pushing huge batteries on their phones, and with just an HD+ screen, the battery does last a good amount of time. However, there is no any kind of fast charging standard. So, the large battery takes quite a while to charge. It takes over 2 and a half hours for the battery to go from 0 to 100%.
Memory wise, the phone comes in two variants. A 3 GB RAM with 32 GB storage and another one with a 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. However, in Nepal, we only have the 4/64 GB variant. There is an option to expand the storage up to 256 GB with a mircoSD card, and you get a dedicated slot.
Battery and Memory wise, the phone tends to be generous and that’s a good thing.
Performance
The performance aspect is the one that suffers the most. It is quite ridiculous that for such a price, you only get a Snapdragon 450 chip inside! Yes, a Snapdragon 450! The same processor that you find on the Oppo A3s, which costs almost half of what this costs!
The 4 GB RAM inside tries very hard it seems, but the low-end chipset just doesn’t cut it. And even if there were any excuses for other features of the phone, such a chipset for a phone of this price range is stupid.
The Snapdragon 450 performs just as expected. Multi-tasking is okay up to an extent, but it cannot keep apps open in the background for long. The sluggishness is also noticeable while switching between apps. Initial app loading time is also slow. And if you have multiple tabs open on the web browser, the overall speed of the phone becomes quite slow.
Gaming on this phone is also strictly average. While light games can run pretty well, heavy games like PUBG suffers. You can play PUBG in Balanced graphics and Medium frame rates, but you will face some stutters and navigating is not as smooth. The Game Space feature on this phone, which is somewhat similar to Huawei’s Turbo Boost helps. But it can’t give you the full smooth experience. Asphalt 9 is playable on low settings and even then, it takes a while to load, and there are some minor stutters sometimes.
Software wise, the Colors OS 5.2 on top of Android 8.1 has been updated which is now a bit more user friendly. Overall experience is the same as the ColorsOS seems very heavy. But one thing is that you no longer have to swipe left and cross out notifications to get rid of them, which is a relief. Other than that, there are some bloatware you can’t get rid of, but they are not as many as on some other phones.
Conclusion
Now it might appear as if this review is focusing only on the negative aspects of the phone. But for a phone with similar specs to that of a budget phone that costs close to Rs.36000, this is to be expected. First, a phone with Snapdragon 450 should not cost that much.
Now there is the Samsung Galaxy A6+ with the same chipset, and costs more than this, but that phone has a good design, a Full HD AMOLED display and great cameras to show for it. The OPPO A7, however, cannot be compared to that at all.
This phone is basically the Oppo A3s with extra steps, that extra step being the 16 MP front camera over Realme 2’s 8 MP. And even that extra step is not worth this exorbitant price. I would probably pay up to Rs.25000 for this phone, not a bit more, And to think this phone is priced almost Rs.36000!
There you have it. The Oppo A7! With a large difference in price here, that is Rs.35,790. You get a lot of phones in this price range. There’s also the Huawei Y9 2019 and Xiaomi Mi A2, both of which cost less than this. And we cannot forget the Pocophone F1!
So, with all that competition out there, this phone simply appears to be a waste of money. If the price had been somewhere along the lines of less than 25000, maybe this review would have turned out differently. But it’s not, so for now, I’d like to advise you to let this phone go.
Nokia has been adding a lot of new mid-range smartphones to its arsenal these days. The Nokia 3.1 Plus is one of them, and this device has just entered the Nepali market.
Nokia 3.1 Plus Overview:
The Nokia 3.1 Plus is a tall device sporting a 6-inch screen that has a 77.5% screen-to-body ratio. This display is an IPS LCD panel with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio.
The Nokia 3.1 Plus is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22 processor that is coupled with 3 GB and PowerVR GR8320 GPU. The CPU has a clock speed of 2.0 GHz.
On the software side, the 3.1 Plus runs on Android v8.1 Oreo. It comes under Google’s Android One project like every Nokia smartphone. So, you can definitely expect it to receive the Android v9.0 Pie update sometime in the near future.
The Nokia 3.1 Plus features dual camera setup on the back equipping two 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras with the secondary lens acting as a depth sensor. Likewise, there is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter on the device.
There is a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner on the smartphone. The Nokia 3.1 Plus comes with a 3,500 mAh Li-Ion battery.
Latest Price: Rs. 23,999 [Last Updated on December 6, 2018]
The Nokia 3.1 Plus is already available in Nepal. It has been priced at Rs. 23,999. For that price, it will go head-to-head against smartphones such as the Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite and the Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo among others.
The Vivo V11 or the V11i, whatever you call it, is Vivo’s new not-so-new smartphone of the V-series. The device has gathered a lot of attention right now, and I feel like it’s the right time to do its full review, after all, I have used it for 3 months already. I kind of like the device for its price, but there are a few shortcomings. So, let’s get started.
Vivo V11 Specifications:
Display: 6.3 inches, IPS LCD
Resolution: 1080 x 2280 pixels, 19:9 ratio (400 PPI density)
Dimensions: 155.9 x 75.6 x 8.1 mm (6.14 x 2.98 x 0.32 in)
Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAh battery, Fast Charging
Available Colors: Starry Night, Dazzling Gold, Nebula
Price: Rs 39,990
Design
2018 has been the year of glass back phones. Even the mid-range devices are providing glass back smartphones. And the ones that have stuck with metal, come with quite a premium feel to it. However, the Vivo V11 has taken a different route here. It features a glass-like plastic back. And this is where I have an issue. The back is cheap and over time it has developed a lot of scratches. Yes, plastic backs are more secure than glass, but I think a phone like the V11 should have at least a metallic back. This back is probably the reason why it is light, and I kind of don’t like that. But this is totally my personal preference. The same goes with the buttons that are all on the right side. They feel cheap, and I just don’t like the feel of it.
Another thing that I don’t like here is the lack of LED notification light. Yeah-yeah, I get that there’s little space up front for the LED light, and there is the wakeup screen remainder feature, but I don’t like to see my phone wake up every time I get a notification. You do get to see the notification by waving your hand above the sensors, but this is an IPS panel here, and I don’t like to lose battery life for even the slightest bit.
Even though the build quality of this device is not that good, I have liked its design and the thinness, and there might be someone who might even like its lightweight. Also, the Vivo V11 comes in a variety of unique colors, but I have liked this Nebula color variant which is featuring in a lot of Chinese smartphones these now. And despite the thinness, there is still the beloved headphone jack on the bottom here.
Display
The Vivo V11 features the Halo Full View display up front and it is everything you can ask for. This 6.3-inch IPS panel is vibrant, it is colorful, it is bright, it does justice while watching videos, and it has ample sharpness as well. The bezels are quite minimalistic and even the notch has shrunk down to give users more screen space. I have to give the Essential phone credits for doing this before anyone else. This notch here doesn’t come in between the user experience.
Vivo has added an option to let the users themselves decide on whether they want their content to fill up the whole display or not according to individual applications, which is cool!
Performance
On to the performance side, the MediaTek Helio P60 processor along with 4 GB of RAM is a good combination for the price on the Vivo V11. It has been able to do everything I have wanted it to do without any issue whatsoever like multitasking, apps opening time, and using heavy apps – all run flawlessly.
Even the benchmark scores show how close the Snapdragon 660 and the MediaTek P60 is as you can see them for yourself.
However, when you game on the V11, it falls just a tad bit behind the competition like the Xiaomi Mi A2. I did play a lot of games on this phone, and you get a few stutters around 4-5 times on, say, 20 minutes of game time. I felt this mostly while playing PUBG on medium settings.
Now you have to note that this issue will be faced by someone who plays a lot of high-end games on their mobile phone, but if you are someone who does a light gaming at the end of the day, you might not be bothered with this issue.
Software
Now I don’t think you can review a Vivo phone without talking about the software. I have to give credit to Vivo for providing me with software updates as in my 3 months of use I have already received 2 updates.
But that doesn’t cover how much I dislike iOS running on top of Android. Oh, did I say iOS? Well, I am not wrong then, see it for yourself. Funtouch OS is a blatant copy of iOS. It also has a ton of bloatware that you cannot delete. It’s about time, Vivo, it’s about time you change the User Interface on your devices.
Now I criticized the software, but there are some features that I have liked. You get gesture control and other gesture shortcuts that have made the user experience easier. The three-finger swipe for capturing screenshots has been useful for me as well.
Security
Like almost all smartphones of the present time, the Vivo V11 offers two major security options for the users. Now the bigger brother of this phone, the V11 Pro, features an in-display fingerprint scanner, but I still fill that the technology has a long way to go, and I am happy that Vivo has included the traditional fingerprint scanner here.
It is fast, blazing fast, and it gets it right all the time. The front camera seconds as the face unlock option which, like the fingerprint sensor, works 100% of the time and fast. It also works during night time, so I definitely give full marks to Vivo here.
Camera
The overall camera performance of the Vivo V11 is good as it is one of the best camera smartphones of the mid-range price segment as of now.
The pictures from the device have a slight pinkish tint to it, but the saturation and details are top-notch. It has a good dynamic range as it preserves the highlight details and shadow details of the images quite nicely. However, the V11 doesn’t do that well if the contrast and exposure are concerned.
Portrait images are good as well. But, even with the secondary camera featuring a higher megapixel count of 5MP, the Oppo F9 with its 2MP depth sensor does a better job than the V11 here. However, the Vivo V11 portrait shots are not that bad either.
During night time, the images from the V11 come out slightly warmer to my taste. However, on the details and saturation front, it did better than the Nova 3i. The Oppo F9 outperformed the V11 in this aspect though.
Talking about the videos, well, this is a mid-range smartphone and for what its worth, it did an “okay” job. With the lack of stabilization, the videos come out a little shaky although it does a respectable job in terms of the color reproduction.
Now, Vivo has been boasting about its selfie standards on almost every phone they launch. And they have been great. There have been times where even the front-facing camera has done a better job than the rear one. And this time with the V11, Vivo has a lot to offer with the 25-megapixel selfie shooter.
The camera smoothens the face even without the beauty mode enabled, but overall, I really like how bright and colorful the selfies have come out. Just look at these selfies. If you really want to beautify your face, Vivo has even included AI-enabled beauty mode than applies the necessary setting according to your skin.
Also, Check out this comparison shot between the V11 and the other two phones I talked about before. Now I will let you, the viewers are the judge of the selfies, but I think the Oppo and Huawei phones capture in more details than the V11.
During night time, the selfies are great too, and that’s definitely good to see. The V11 has ample lighting and details even on the pictures from night time. The 3i isn’t that good, and even the F9 falls behind in this aspect.
For more high-resolution image samples from the Vivo V11, click here.
Call Quality, Speaker, and Storage
In terms of call quality, well I have had no issues with this device. Yes, the call volume could have been slightly better, but you have nothing to worry about.
Now, this might sound as nitpicking as even the flagship phones aren’t dealing well with this issue, but the speakers on this phone is a little low for my taste. I know I can’t expect much for this price, but I think Vivo could have made the speakers a little louder as, at times, this device could even fill up a room.
The Vivo V11 has also set a standard even for the flagship phones, and that’s in the storage front. This mid-range device is available in 128 GB variant for its mid-range price, and that’s just great considering how its competitors 64 GB variant are being sold for a similar price tag.
Now the storage chip may not be as fast as the ones on the flagship phones, but it’s good to see mid-range smartphones offer higher storage variants for the user to use. There is also a support for expandable storage, so you can forget about running out of memory with the V11.
Battery
On the battery front, with the 3,400 mAh capacity on the V11, you get around 4hrs 30min to 5 hours of screen on time which normally translates to me charging the phone before the day ends. But what I like about it is the fast charging technology that’s here.
It’s not as fast as the Oppo F9’s VOOC charge or even the V11 Pro’s Dual Engine technology for that matter, but this battery charges up in around 1 hour and 50 minutes, that’s considering how the speed decreases after 80% of charge. It’s definitely good to see OEMs include quick charge on their mid-range phones this year.
CONCLUSION
So, in the end, what do I make of the Vivo V11? Well, there are the issues I have with this device which I discussed earlier. It has that software, obviously, the poor build quality, and the only average Gaming performance.
But if you take a good look at all the negatives I have pointed out, except for the build, you can overlook the issues this phone has. I mean it has a good camera, a good display, a well-performing CPU, one of the fast fingerprint scanner, and fast charge technology. During my time with the phone, I have thoroughly enjoyed using it. So, if you are out in the market for a mid-range smartphone, I think you should take a look at the Vivo V11 too.
