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Huawei Y9 2019 is now available for purchase in Nepal

GadgetByte

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October 7, 2018

Huawei Y9 2019 is now available for purchase in Nepal

It was last Friday, Huawei Nepal announced to launch the Huawei Y9 2019 along with three other phones in Nepal. Nobody expected it to be so fast but Huawei made it really quick and brought the handset just in two days after the announcement. The phone is supposed to be the successor of the Huawei Y9 2018, which was launched in April. In just six months of time, the Chinese smartphone maker brought a new and upgraded handset, which is really good. But it is quite strange that the phone comes with “2019” in its name. Does this mean that the phone is equipped with capable specs that make it a worthy purchase even in 2019? Let find out!

Huawei Y9 2019 Overview

The big change on the Huawei Y9 2019 is its display size. Y9 2018 had a 5.93-inch IPS display, whereas the newbie boasts a tall 6.5-inch IPS display. With this display size, the Y9 2019 is on par with the iPhone XS Max in terms of size and a notch on the top adds a slight resemblance. The display on the phone features Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) on the resolution side and comes with 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

On the performance front, Y9 2019 comes with the HiSilicon Kirin 710 chipset which is a huge upgrade over the Kirin 659 chipset on its predecessor. The phone also comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, which is another worthy upgrade. With new memory configuration, the newbie shall suffice the needs of most of the users quite easily. But in case of insufficiency, the user can always make use of the Micro SD card slot, which would allow the users to extend the memory up to 400GB.

On the software side, the Huawei Y9 2019 comes with the Android Oreo (v8.1) out of the box. Huawei has also sprinkled EMUI 8.2 on the top to spice the things inside the system in Huawei’s way. After a month Google will release the Android Pie (v9.0), however, Huawei has not mentioned anything about the software updates. So if the phone runs on Oreo even in 2019, that would probably be a huge shame.

The thing, which would excite the customers most in the Y9 2019, is probably its cameras. Just like the Huawei Nova 2i, Nova 3i, and Y9 2018, the newbie comes with a quad camera setup. The phone embraces dual cameras on both the front and on the back end. The rear panel houses a 16MP + 2MP camera duo whereas the 13MP and 2MP reside meticulously in the notch on the front side. A depth sensor has been provided to the secondary camera on both the sides. The depth-sensor basically comes into action while capturing portrait shots in order to blur the backgrounds.

Talking about the sensors, the phone has got all the basic sensors like Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass sensors. It also comes with 4000mAh battery to fuel the processes inside the phone.

Huawei Y9 2019 Specifications:

Dimensions: 162.4 x 77.1 x 8.1 mm; Weight: 173g
Display: 6.5-inch IPS display, 82.8% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution: Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 396 PPI
OS & UI: Android 8.1 (Oreo) with EMUI 8.2 on the top
Chipset: Hisilicon Kirin 710
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU: Mali-G51 MP4
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB; Expandable up to 400GB
Rear Camera: Dual camera

- 16 MP primary sensor with PDAF
  2 MP depth sensor for blurring backgrounds

Front Camera: Dual camera

- 13 MP primary sensor
- 2 MP depth sensor for blurring backgrounds
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS + GLONASS, Micro USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 4000mAh Non-removable battery supports 10W (5V/2A) charging
Colors: Midnight Black, Blue Swarovski, Aurora Purple
Latest Price: Rs. 29,990 [Price Last Updated On: July 25, 2019]

Verdict

The Huawei Y9 2019 looks like a promising device. But given the price and specs, it is not worth the price in my personal view. We reviewed the Huawei Y9 2018, which also had quad-camera setup and the megapixel count was also the same. However, the phone failed to deliver what it promised as the captured images were not at all pleasing when compared to its competitors.

But things might have improved on the Y9 2019. Since the phone has a better processor, one can surely get a good performance while gaming and multitasking. With the good processor on the phone, image processing on this newbie might have been better and users can get better images than what we see from the Y9 2018. But since I don’t have my hands on with the phone, I won’t say more about the Y9 2019. What I want to say is even the phone has promising performance on all the departments (which happens in a rare case), the phone is still overpriced. When there is Xiaomi MI A2 (Rs. 30,999) at a much lesser price, which roughly outperforms the Y9 2019 on almost all the aspects (except the battery), why would anyone still buy the Y9 2019?

If Huawei had brought the phone at a price less than Rs. 30,000, it would still make some sense. But at the price of Rs. 34,900, the handset does not convincing by any means. Do you feel the same or are you impressed with the Huawei Y9 2019? Please let us know in the comment section down below.

You might like: Huawei Nova 3i Full Review!

For the latest tech news and gadget reviews, follow Gadgetbyte Nepal on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Huawei to launch 4 new smartphones very soon in Nepal!!

Pratima Adhikari

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October 5, 2018

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Huawei to launch 4 new smartphones very soon in Nepal!!

If you thought that Huawei Nova 3 and 3i were all that Huawei is bringing on the table, for this year, you are not quite right! Huawei, in its social media post, has given out a news that it will be adding four devices in its lineup very soon. As Huawei has confirmed, these devices are the Huawei Y9 2019, Y5 Lite, Nova 2 Lite, and the Huawei Nova 3i in an all-new white color. These are devices that are hitting the mid-range and budget segment in the Nepali market.

Huawei Y9 2019

The Y9 2019 is an upgraded version of the Y9 2018, with one major upgrade, the chipset. This time, it’s the Kirin 710 that is being featured in this one. Similarly, the display is something that that has been made a bit taller, with the 2019 version having a 6.5 inches display. Also, this time the device is available in two memory variants, 4-64 GB or 6-128 GB. Other things more or less are the same, the same 4000 mAh battery.

Huawei Nova 2 Lite

The Nova 2 Lite is more or less similar to the Y7 Pro 2018 but what this one has more is a fingerprint sensor. It’s got a 13+2 MP rear camera set up at the back and an 8 MP selfie shooter. Storage- wise, you get 3GB RAM in total and a 32 GB internal storage that can be extended up to 256 GB. The internals is handled by Qualcomm’s MSM8937 processor, which is basically another name for Snapdragon 430 chipset.

Check out our review of the Huawei Y7 Pro 2018 here:

Huawei Y5 Lite

Next phone that Huawei is launching is the Y5 Lite, which is Huawei’s first Android Go device. The device is powered by the MediaTek MT6737M processor. The Y5 Lite will hit the budget segment with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of onboard storage. The Android Go Operating System is specially optimized for budget smartphones and induces better performance and has better data management and security benefits.

Huawei Nova 3i

Likewise, Huawei is also bringing to the Nepali market the White version of the Nova 3i. Previously, the company had launched the Black and Iris Purple colors but this time around, they have added Pearl White to their range of offerings.

Well, Huawei seems to be on fire this time around. With the Nova 3 and 3i, they surely had made a buzz some time ago and again, there seems to be a good focus on the budget segment as well. Except for the Nova 3i, there is no word for the pricing of the products to be launched yet.

Sastodeal’s Dashain Offers now live: Huge discounts on various electronics devices

GadgetByte

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October 5, 2018

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Sastodeal’s Dashain Offers now live: Huge discounts on various electronics devices

With the festive season knocking at our doors, we’re all probably looking do some shopping. And why not? This is the time that many dealers give us sweet deals, discounts, and offers. Many companies are providing us with discounts and offers. We’ve already seen Samsung’s offers on their smartphones and on their tablets. Huawei’s Dashain contest and such too. And one of the leading online retailers, Sastodeal.com has made their Dashai offer live!

While there are many big to small deals, here are some of the deals that you can find on Sastodeal:

1) Sony Xperia L1

Sony’s phones don’t get enough recognition as it is. The Sony Xperia L1 is a good budget phone. Sure, it is a bit old school with its regular bezeled screen and such, but it does offer good specs. It has a 5.5″ IPS LCD HD display with scratch-resistant glass. The phone sports a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie shooter, both with f/2.2 aperture. Sony’s phones are known for their cameras, so, your festive pictures might come out great! MediaTek MT6737T powers the phone with 2 GB of RAM. For a budget phone, this is good enough. Also, it has 16 GB of storage but is expandable up to 256 GB with a microSD card.

This phone is available at 40% discount for Dashain. Meaning, that you can get this 20000 phone for just Rs.11999!

2) Sony Xperia XA1 Plus

Another good Sony phone up for grabs at a discount! The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is a mid-range phone. This phone has a similar 5.5″ IPS LCD display with a Full HD+ display. It has an impressive 23 MP rear camera and an 8 MP wide-angle front camera, both with f/2.0 aperture. It is powered by MediaTek Helio P60 processor supported by 4 GB of RAM. Also, it has a 32 GB internal storage which is expandable up to 256 GB with SD card.

For the Dashain offer, this phone, originally costing Rs.38500 is available for just Rs.24999, with a 35% discount! So, you might want to hurry up.

3) Gionee F205

Gionee phones are available for discounts these days. And Sastodeal is offering a greater discount on the Gionee F205 phone. This is a budget phone with similar specs. A 5.45″ HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio on a budget phone seems good, doesn’t it? Plus, it has a decent 8 MP rear camera and a 5 MP selfie camera. It is powered by a 1.3 GHz Quad-core MediaTek MT6739 chip, combined with 2 GB of RAM. The phone offers 16 GB internal storage but is expandable up to 256 GB with a microSD card.

The phone’s original price is Rs. 15000, and as a Dashain discount, you can get a 33% discount, for only Rs.9999!

4) Colors Elite E20

Now you might not be very fond of Colors phones. But, if you want budget phones less than 10000, Colors provides quite a few good options. And so, Colors E20 is a phone that falls under that category. It has a 5.5″ IPS LCD display with HD resolution. For something that costs under 10000, it has a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera. It is powered by a MediaTek MT6735 chip, with 2 GB RAM. It features a 16 GB internal storage and is expandable with microSD, but only up to 32 GB!

But still, this phone, whose price has already dropped to Rs.8700 is now available for Rs.6999 with Dashain discount from Sastodeal.

5) Sony MHC V11 Audio System

Enough about phones. Sastodeal is also offering other various items as a part of their Dashain offer. And in this festive season, the Sony MHC V11 Audio System might be a great addition to your home entertainment system. It is a portable audio system complete with Karaoke and DJ effects! With 470 Watts of Audio Output, it is sure to liven up your parties. Plus, it also has these cool speaker lights, to give you the disco party effects!

This great audio system costs Rs.38000, but as a part of the Dashain offer, you get a large 47% discount! So, you can get this system for only Rs.19,999!

6) Huawei Y9 2018

The Huawei Y9 2018 is one of the good mid-ranger phones out there. It is also similar to the Huawei Nova 2i with its quad cameras. It features a 5.93″ IPS LCD display with Full HD resolution. It’s dual rear cameras consist of a 16 MP lens with 2 MP depth sensor whereas its front dual cameras consist of 13 MP lens with 2 MP depth sensor. Powered by the Kirin 659 processor, it packs 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB internal storage and a large 4000 mAh battery. And although Huawei Y9 2019 has come out, it is still a good buy.

For the Dashain offer, Sastodeal is offering this 27,500 phone at 21% discount for 21,500.

7) Hitachi TV

Now, these could be the sweetest deal of all! Hitachi is one of the leading consumer electronics brands in the world. And their televisions are some of the best as well. And for the Dashain offer, Sastodeal is providing this 50-inch Hitachi TV for on 29% discount! You can get the Hitachi 50-inch LD50SY11A-CA TV, which originally costs some Rs.85000 for a price of only Rs.59,500. Plus, there is a range of offers on almost all Hitachi TVs that are listed on Sastodeal. Discounts range from 22% to 38% depending on the television models.

8) Technos 32″ Android Smart TV E32DM1100

Technos is a relatively new brand of Smart TVs in Nepal, but it is gaining popularity quite fast. The brand offers some really good smart televisions in a very competitive pricing. The Technos 32″ E32DM100 is 32″ Smart TV with Android OS and pretty much all basic Smart features. It has an LED display of 1366 x 768 resolution. It features VGA, HDMI and USB connectivity and also supports Wi-Fi and Ethernet. With very thin bezels, this one is a good addition to your home entertainment system.

There are also discounts available on quite a few other Technos TVs. However, this one is available for 21% discount. So, you can get this TV that costs Rs.28000 for only Rs.21,999.

9) Zed Book II R Laptop with Touch Pen

If you’re looking to buy an entry-level laptop that simply works, then, you should also look out for this one. The Zed Book II R Laptop is a 2-in-1 laptop that also functions as a tablet. This is not a very popular brand, but if you want a flexible laptop for very normal usage, this could prove to be a good one. It runs on a Quad-Core Intel Atom zed8350 processor with 2 GB RAM and has 32 GB of internal storage. It features an 11.6″ Full HD screen with a 7000 mAh battery. Sure, it isn’t a workhorse, but its enough for light usage and such.

As a part of their Dashain offer, Sastodeal is offering a laptop bag worth Rs.2500 with its purchase. Now that may not be a big deal, but the laptop already has an affordable price tag of Rs.29,900.

10) Zed Air GRWC2W Laptop

Another entry-level laptop by Zed. This also has very similar specs to the Zed Book II R, but it doesn’t have the 2-in-1 functionality and is also cheaper. This laptop offers a 14″ Full HD display. It is powered by an Intel Atom Cherry Trial Z8350 chip supported by 2 GB RAM. Also, it has a 32 GB of internal storage and has a battery of 8000 mAh.

Similar to the Zed Book II R, there is no discount available for this laptop, but you do get a similar laptop bag worth Rs.2500 with this laptop. This laptop, right now, costs Rs. 19,900.

Agreed that some of these deals are not the best deals that you can get. There are plenty of other offers on Sastodeal right now if you check it out. Plus, Sastodeal is running its “Dashain ko Bela, Sastodeal ko Mela” offer, providing up to 80% discounts on various products.

Nokia 7.1 launched with HDR 10 display and dual cameras

GadgetByte

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October 5, 2018

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Nokia 7.1 launched with HDR 10 display and dual cameras

Lately, we have been seeing Nokia launching the mid-range handsets aggressively. The smartphone maker has included a fair number of smartphones in its midrange lineup in 2018. Nokia X5 (Nokia 5.1 Plus), Nokia X6 (Nokia 6.1 Plus), Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 6 2018 and Nokia 3.1 can be taken for an instance. And this time, the company launched the new handset at an event in the US. Namely known as the Nokia 7.1, this new handset will go on sale on the US and UK markets as well.

The Chinese smartphone maker has been lately focusing on the Asian market for its sales. But this time, HMD Global stepped up and launched its product at an event in the US. With this step, it can be seen that, with Nokia 7.1, HMD Global also has plans to expand its territory to the US and UK as well. But will it be able to mark its presence in the crowded smartphone market? That depends on the specs and features of the handset. So let’s dive straight into the Nokia 7.1 features.

Nokia 7.1 Overview

In terms of display, the phone comes with the 5.84-inch IPS panel with a notch on the top. The display on the phone is said to come up with the “PureDisplay screen technology” and the Nokia 7.1 is inherently the first smartphone to have this feature. The display on the phone also supports HDR 10 and is capable of converting SDR contents to HDR in the real time. And on the resolution front, Nokia 7.1 is rich with Full-HD+ resolution in a 19:9 aspect ratio and packing 432 pixels in every inch.

The design is another aspect, where the phone looks impressive. The phone comes with glass on the front and on the back with an aluminum frame sandwiched in between. With such design language, the phone looks appealing and premium at the same time.

On the performance front, the smartphone comes with Snapdragon 636 chipset coupled with 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of storage. And in terms of camera, the Nokia 7.1 features a dual camera with Zeiss optics at the back. The dual camera on the rear panel is the combination of 12MP and 5MP sensors. The primary 12MP sensor is the major player while capturing the images whereas the secondary camera or the depth-sensing camera back the primary one while capturing the portrait images. On the front, there is an 8MP camera for the selfies. Nokia 7.1 also possesses “bothie” feature in its camera with which the phone will be capable of capturing images from both the front and back cameras in a single frame.

Like all the new Nokia phones, the 7.1 is also the product of the Android One program. So this handset also comes with the stock version of Android. The phone initially runs on Android Oreo (v8.1) out of the box and it is promised with the Android Pie (v9.0) update in November. The phone will also receive other regular updates for two years and security patches for three years.

Fueling the processes inside the phone is a 3060mAh battery. The battery on the phone also supports fast charging feature with which the phone gets charged from 0 to 50% just in 30 minutes.

The Nokia 7.1 will come in two colors: “gloss midnight blue” and “gloss steel.” The phone will be available in a 32GB variant in the UK for €319 and the 64GB will demand a price of €349. However, the US will only receive the 64GB variant, which will demand a price of $349.

Also Read: Nokia Mobiles Price in Nepal

Nokia 7.1 Specifications:

Dimensions: 149.7 x 71.2 x 8 mm, Weight: 160g
Display: 5.84-inch IPS LCD, HDR10 compliant display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, 79.9% screen to body ratio
Resolution: Full-HD+ (1080 x 2280 pixels) with 19:9 aspect ratio and 432PPI pixel density
Build: Glass on front and back, Aluminum frame in between
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 636
Processor: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Kryo 260
GPU: Adreno 509
RAM: 3/4 GB RAM
Storage: 32/64GB storage, expandable memory up to 400 GB with micro SD card (Uses SIM2 Slot)
OS & UI: Android 8.1 (Oreo), planned upgrade to Android 9.0 (Pie); Android One device
SIM: Dual SIM
Back Camera: Dual cameras, Carl Zeiss lenses, Dual-LED (dual tone flash)
- 12 MP primary sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 1.28µm pixel size, Dual Pixel PDAF
- 5 MP secondary depth sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 1.12µm pixel size
Front Camera: 8 MP sensor, f/2.0 aperture
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, NFC, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 3060 mAh Non-removable battery with fast charging support (18watts, 9V/2A)
Color Options: Gloss midnight blue, gloss steel
Price: $349 (roughly equal to NPR 41,200 and INR 25,750) for4/64GB variant in the US, €349 in the UK
Price: €319 (roughly equal to NPR 43,200 and INR 27,000) in the UK

For the latest tech news and gadget reviews, follow Gadgetbyte Nepal on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Review: Does the Star shine bright enough?

GadgetByte

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October 4, 2018

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Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Review: Does the Star shine bright enough?

The A-series has always been a gateway from mid-range devices to the flagship smartphones in Samsung smartphones. They pack in some of the features from the mid-rangers while some they share with the flagships. This has been the case for a while now with Samsung’s long line-up of smartphones of the A-series, and that is continued with this device here. This is the Galaxy A8 Star which is Samsung’s answer to the growing number of cheaper high-end Chinese phones. So, is this device a star of the smartphone galaxy? Well, let’s find out.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Specifications

Display: 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display
Resolution: 1080 x 2220 pixels @ 392 PPI pixel density & 18.5:9 ratio
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 660
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260)
GPU: Adreno 512
OS: Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Samsung Experience 9.0 UI on the top
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 64 GB (expandable up to 400 GB, Uses SIM 2 slot)
Rear Camera: Dual- (24 MP, f/1.7, CAF) + (16 MP, f/1.7, PDAF), LED flash
Front Camera: 24 MP, f/2.0 aperture
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
SIM: Dual Hybrid SIM with 4G
Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3700 mAh battery, supports fast charging (9V, 1.67A)
Price: 59,990

Display

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star follows the trend of Samsung’s display being top-notch, even though there is no notch here. The front has a tall 6.3-inch full HD+ display with shredded top and bottom bezels just like the Galaxy A8+.

I like everything about this display, it is bright outdoors and with the Super AMOLED panel, it is well saturated, pleasing to the eyes and colorful. It certainly gives other smartphones a run for their money. If you compare it against the OnePlus 6, which is available in a similar price tag in some countries, they look quite similar to the eye. However, the bezels could have been a little shorter to make the phone look even more attractive.

Design

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star has followed the trend of smartphones sporting minimal bezels and a glass back. This device is an addition to the popular A8 series. What we get with it is a boxy design that has sharp edges all around. These sharp edges make the phone a little bit difficult to use. I know some of you might like this, but at a time when most of the smartphones are focused on better looks and on-hands feel, Samsung has gone old school. But still, the device has a heft to it and feels premium. The shiny glass back looks quite good don’t you think? But yes, like every other smartphone of the present time, it attracts fingerprints, so I carried around a microfiber cloth at all times.

Sandwiched between the two glasses is a metallic rail that helps with better gripping. On this rail rest a few buttons. There is a power button on the right with the volume rockers and the infamous Bixby button on the left.

For me, the worst feature of this device is definitely the placement of these buttons. Just look at it. I don’t understand why Samsung has cut corners in the user experience. The buttons are hard to reach and whenever I thought I had pressed the volume button, it turned out to be the Bixby button and trust me it gets quite annoying when it happens quite a lot of time during the day.

Battery

The other area where the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star didn’t live up to my expectation is on the battery front. With the 3700 mAh battery at its helm, I had expected it to last for more than a day. However, that was not the case as it gave me a screen-on-time of around 5 hours – 5 hours and a half. Now running for all that time is good, but for that size and for what its worth, maybe it’s not good enough. Also, this device still has full HD+ resolution, so it should be working for a long time right? There is a fast charging tech embedded inside though with the default charger which is Type-C enabled, so that’s good!

Security

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star, like every other smartphone of 2018, comes with dual security options – a fingerprint sensor and face unlock. The fingerprint sensor gets unlocking right every time and is a little faster than some of the Samsung devices. The face unlock, on the other hand, takes just a second to unlock the device, so you have that.

However, the disappointment here is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. Samsung and fingerprint sensors! Something that never goes together. I had praised Samsung for improving the fingerprint position on this year’s devices the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9, but yet again Samsung has fallen short of making the fingerprint easy to reach. And when you have to constantly use your phone every now and then, well, it definitely gets annoying.

Performance and Software

On to the performance, the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star features the Snapdragon 660 chipset with 6 GB of RAM. I had no issues what so ever with the CPU of the device. It performs all your basic task flawlessly and lags are already the things of the past in Samsung smartphones. It has been able to handle my day-to-day usage efficiently as well. However, you can only play pubg in medium settings, which is kind of a bummer since we can play it in high settings in the similar priced OnePlus 6.

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star vs OnePlus 6 Antutu score
Infogram

Infogram

So, the talking point here is definitely the price. The A8 Star is surely expensive and compared against the OnePlus 6, the latter certainly outperforms the former with its Snapdragon 845 chipset. Yes, you get a flawless processor with the A8 Star with 6 GB of RAM, but if you’re paying a high price for it, you should definitely get the best. It should at least be equipping the Snapdragon 710 since even the cheaper Mi 8 SE has the same chipset. And if you talk about RAM & ROM, it doesn’t feature DDR4X RAM or UFS storage, so, does the pricing justify everything?

One the software front, the device comes with Android 8.0 Oreo with Samsung’s Experience UI 9.0 on top. The software is fluent and everything, and it is free of any sort of stutters if you are wondering. And if you are curious about when Android pie will arrive on the A8 Star, well we don’t know that yet.

Samsung A8 Star | Software UI

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Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star follows the dual camera bandwagon by equipping a dual 16- and 24-megapixel cameras, both with f/1.7 aperture. The pictures come out great, and they are well detailed and sharp.

Samsung A8 Star Back Camera Samples

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They are saturated as well but if you compare it against some of the other devices of its price range, you will see where it shines and where it falls behind.

The best part of the images I shot is certainly the details captured. The OnePlus 6 loses a lot of details when you zoom in.

However, if you see the golden colored plates on the images (below), you will notice how artificial it looks. And even though Samsung’s phones shoot oversaturated images, the OnePlus 6 certainly outperforms it with the saturation and colors front.

Also, the OnePlus 6 retains a high dynamic range whereas the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star falls only a little behind in that aspect.

There is also the Live focus mode on the phone which lets you toggle the intensity of the blur. The fake blur is indeed good, but if you zoom in you can easily notice the areas around the head where it hasn’t been able to blur out properly. Compare it against the OnePlus 6 and you will notice the 6 doing it better right away.

The rear cameras on this device are capable of shooting FHD and 4K videos at 30fps. Now I tried full HD videos on this device, and even without stabilization engraved, it takes stable videos with good colors and zoom capabilities. And yeah, it shoots slow-motion videos as well, but the quality is just about average.

During night time is where things get interesting. Although the pictures are noisy and slightly grainy, they are well saturated and retain the colors quite nicely if you ask me. If you zoom in the pictures, you will notice the loss in quality, but for what it’s worth, it definitely takes some decent pictures.

Samsung A8 Star Low light Samples

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On the front side rests a 24-megapixel selfie camera which is the highest megapixel count on any Samsung’s selfie camera phones. Samsung has definitely taken this step to vie against the phones from Oppo and Vivo among others. Take a look at some of the samples here. All of these images have good details and they have captured a natural skin tone. You also can apply a lot of stickers on your selfies if you want to. There is also a night mode for selfies, but I didn’t see any major difference here. So, all in all, Samsung has finally felt the necessity of focusing on selfies as well.

Samsung A8 Star Front Camera Samples

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To check out all the images in high resolution, click here.

Call Quality, Speakers, and Storage

In terms of call quality, I had no issues with this phone. The callers on the other end never complained about the call and the earpiece gives off a pretty loud sound.

The A8 Star has packed in a bottom firing speaker. This speaker is alright to fill up a small room. It is nowhere close to the dual stereo speakers of the Galaxy Note 9 or the Galaxy S9 though. And if you play pubg or watch a lot of videos, you will have to be extra careful not to block it.

Storage wise, the Galaxy A8 Star has 64 GB of storage with up to 400 GB of expandable storage.

Conclusion

To conclude, the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star is a good device with a crisp display, a well-performing CPU and a good set of cameras both front and back, and it packs in almost everything you want in a smartphone. However, it all comes down to the pricing. A lot of smartphones from the companies like OnePlus, Huawei and Xiaomi are giving a tough competition to Samsung if the price point is considered. While the flagship smartphones may be worth a fortune due to the features they have, the price tag of the Galaxy A8 Star is a little expensive. The mid-range smartphone battle is getting tougher day by day and Samsung should focus on price if it wants to stay up in the game.

Pros	Cons
– Great Display	– Pricey
– Good Cameras	– Battery life could have been better
– Top Quality Build	– Still no signs of Android 9.0 Pie

LG V40 ThinQ launched with whopping five cameras

Featured
LG

GadgetByte

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October 4, 2018

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LG V40 ThinQ launched with whopping five cameras

A set of three cameras on a side of a phone is still a huge thing in the smartphone world. Huawei P20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 are one of the popular handsets that come with three cameras at the back. Before the concept of triple turns a mainstream feature in a smartphone, LG took the concept seriously and brought a new smartphone, namely known as the LG V40 ThinQ. That’s not all, LG also tried to hit hard on the part where Samsung and Huawei missed. Alongside the setup including three cameras at the back, LG has also provided dual selfie camera on the front. This makes a total of five cameras altogether and LG V40 ThinQ is the first smartphone to achieve this head-turning feature. But what more features does the LG V40 ThinQ pack inside? Let’s find out.

Design and Build

LG V40 ThinQ comes in four color options: Aurora Black, Moroccan Blue, Platinum Gray, and Carmine Red and all of them looks equally appealing. The handset looks sleek and is really thin with a mere thickness of 7.6mm. The phone has got a Military-grade build and features IP68 certification to withstand the adverse effects of dust and water on the inside.

Display

On the display front, the smartphone comes with a 6.4-inch P-OLED display. With this size, the smartphone looks comparable to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and the iPhone XS Max. In its already vibrant OLED display, the smartphone features Quad-HD+ resolution in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. This contributes to the pixel density of 537PPI. So the contents on the display will look really sharp.

The phone also has a notch on the top to accommodate the dual selfie camera, earpiece, and various sensors. However, unlike the iPhones, the notch is narrow on the size.

Performance

Since it is a flagship phone, it also features Snapdragon 845 chipset like all the flagship Android smartphones of 2018. There is also a 6GB LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB of UFS 2.1 storage alongside. So with this setup, we can expect a top-tier performance from the phone. The phone has also allocated a dedicated SD card slot if the provided internal storage turns out insufficient.

Camera

As mentioned earlier, the phone has five cameras in total. So the camera is the unique selling point of the phone. LG V40 ThinQ embraces a triple camera setup at the back aligned in a horizontal configuration. Among the three, the normal or the standard one comes with 12MP resolution, f/1.5 aperture, 3-axis OIS, PDAF & Laser autofocus. The second camera with a 16MP resolution features ultrawide lens, which increases the field of view to 107-degrees. The third one or the telephoto camera comes with a 12MP resolution, f/2.4 aperture and features OIS for the stabilization. The telephoto lens on the phone is also capable of capturing images with the lossless zooming up to 2x.

A new Triple Preview feature is also available on the LG V40 ThinQ. With this feature, the users will be able to take three simultaneous shots from the three rear cameras at once. After taking the shots, users can pick the best among them according to their preference. The rear camera setup also comes with Dual Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF), HDR, and an updated AI Cam mode. The third-gen AI Cam mode recognizes up to 19 subjects and recommends 4 optimized filter options.

Similarly, on the front, there are two cameras residing meticulously in the notch. The camera pair on the front is the combination of 8MP and 5MP sensors. Among the two, the 8MP camera is the normal or standard one with an 80-degree field of view. Users can make use of the secondary 5MP camera if want to take ultra-wide selfies. Triggering the ultra-wide selfie mode, users can obtain a 90-degree field of view. That’s not all, the dual camera on the front is also capable of capturing portrait selfies with blurred backgrounds.

Audio

Audio is another aspect, where the LG V40 ThinQ shines. The smartphone comes with an improved Boombox speaker, 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad-DAC audio, and DTS:X 3D surround sound to fill the users’ mood with loud and immersive audio.

Battery

LG V40 ThinQ seems to have nailed it on almost every aspect but it seems lacking in the battery department. The phone is equipped with a non-removable battery, which only has a 3300mAh capacity. However, it supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast replenishment of the battery. With Quick Charge 3.0, the phone gets refilled from 0 to 50% in just 36 minutes. There is also wireless charging feature for those, who think plugging the smartphone to the wall charger too mainstream.

LG V40 ThinQ Price, Release date

The starting price of the LG V40 ThinQ is $899.99 (roughly equal to NPR 104,500 and INR 66,100) in the US. But since it depends on the mobile carrier, it can go as high as $1000. Aurora Black, Moroccan Blue variants of the phone has already been announced in the US and will go on sale starting from October 18.

LG V40 ThinQ Specifications:

Dimensions: 158.8 x 75.7 x 7.6 mm, Weight: 169g
Display: 6.4-inch P-OLED, Dolby vision/HDR10 compliant display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection
Resolution: QHD+ (1440 x 3120 pixels) with 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 537PPI pixel density
Build: IP68 certification for Water and Dust Resistance, Military-grade (MIL-STD-810 certification) build
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Processor: Octa-core (4×2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 630
RAM: 6 GB RAM
Storage: 64GB storage, expandable memory up to 512 GB with micro SD card (Dedicated Slot)
OS & UI: Android 8.1 (Oreo) with LG’s custom UI 7.0+ on the top
SIM: Dual SIM
Back Camera: Triple cameras

- 12 MP, 27mm (standard), f/1.5, 1.4µm, 3-axis OIS, PDAF & laser AF, 78-degree field of view
- 16 MP, 16mm (ultrawide), f/1.9, 1.0µm, no AF, 107-degree field of view
- 12 MP, 52mm (telephoto), f/2.4, 1.0µm, 2x optical zoom, OIS, PDAF, 45-degree field of view

Front Camera: Dual cameras
- 8 MP, 26mm (standard), f/1.9, 1.4µm, 80-degree field of view
- 5 MP, 21mm (wide), f/2.2, 1.4µm, 90-degree field of view
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, color spectrum
Connectivity: Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, NFC, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone jack
Battery: 3300 mAh Non-removable battery with fast charging support (50% in 30 minutes), supports Wireless charging
Color Options: Aurora Black, Moroccan Blue, Platinum Gray, and Carmine Red
Price: $899.99 (roughly equal to NPR 104,500 and INR 66,100)

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Microsoft Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, Surface Studio 2, Surface Headphones Launched

GadgetByte

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October 3, 2018

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At a recent event in New York, Microsoft unveiled its new and refreshed lineup of Surface devices. In the event, the tech giant not only showed off its upgraded laptop lineup but also announced a new product. The new product to be launched in the event was the headphones, which is dubbed as the Surface headphones. The new announcement of such wide varieties of products is really commendable. But are these devices really interesting in terms of features? Let find out.

Microsoft Surface Pro 6

After one and half years, Microsoft finally unveiled its upgraded Microsoft Surface Pro laptop/tablet hybrid in the event. In the new Microsoft Surface Pro 6, the company has included the 8^th generation processor and a new black color variant.

Wrapped in Black, Blue, Red and Platinum Grey colors, the aesthetics of the Surface Pro 6 is really appealing. But despite the refreshment in the internals, the design of the device hasn’t changed much. It comes with the same ubiquitous hinge, keeping the Surface Pen close by and incorporating the same aspect ratio of 3:2. In its 12.3-inch display size, the 2-in-1 convertible features 2736 x 1824 pixels resolution contributing to a pixel density of 267PPI. The display on this new device will also have a higher contrast ratio than its predecessor. So, the content on this newbie will possess deeper blacks and brighter whites.

On the camera front, the Microsoft Surface Pro 6 comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera, which can be used for Windows Hello and video calls. On the performance side of things, this new device comes with the updated 8^th generation Intel core CPUs and with 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB SSD alongside. With this configuration, Microsoft boasted a 67% boost in performance on this newbie when compared side by side with its predecessor.

In terms of ports, the device has accommodated one USB port, a micro SD card slot, a headphone jack, and a port for Microsoft’s proprietary surface connect charging cables. But there is no USB Type-C port.

The best thing of the Microsoft Surface pro convertible is its portability and the ease in getting the work done anywhere. And this portability has remain intact in this new device as well. The device is really light in terms of weight weighing just 1.7 pounds. Despite is miniature stature and light weight, it is capable of providing 13.5 hours of backup.

In terms of RAM, ROM, and processor configuration, the device comes in three variants. The base variant comes with a core i5 processor, 128GB SSD, and 8GB RAM, which is tagged with the price of $899. Similarly, the higher variant (i7/16GB/512GB) has a price tag of $1899 and the highest end variant (i7/16GB/1TB) will cost $2299 on the purchase. The pre-orders for the devices have already started in various countries. These devices will go on sale from 16^th of October.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2

Alike the Surface Pro 6 convertible, the Surface laptop 2 comes with the new Matte color variant, Whiskey Lake processor and an improved performance over its predecessor.

Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 has a slightly bigger display than the Surface Pro 6. The device features 13.5-inch PixelSense display and comes with a resolution of 2,256 x 1,504 pixels. The device covers 100% of the sRGB color spectrum in terms of color accuracy. The surface laptop 2 rocks with 1500:1 in terms of contrast ratio, which is really appreciable. Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is also the first laptop to feature the thinnest LCD panels in any laptop.

On the performance front, the Surface Laptop 2 comes with the 8^th generation Intel Core CPU with which the company claims a performance enhancement of 85% over its predecessor. That’s not all, this device also excels at reducing the noises from the fans and keyboard. For the input-output interface, ports on the device are still limited to a single USB 3.0 and Mini DisplayPort. It means the users have to live without the USB-C.

In terms of price and cost, the laptop 2 demands $799 (£649, AU$1,099) for the variant with the 7th-gen Intel Core m3 processor. The laptops with 8th-generation cost $999 (£979, AU$1,499) for (Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) and $2,699 (£2,529, AU$3,750) for (Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) respectively. And just like the Microsoft Surface Pro 6, this device is available for pre-order as of now and will go on sale from 16^th of October.

Microsoft Surface Studio 2

The new Surface Studio 2 is the fastest Surface Studio Microsoft has ever made. However, the overall aesthetics and the design language has barely changed when compared to its predecessor.

The Surface Studio 2 comes with the 28-inch display with a resolution of 4500 x 3000 pixels. The size and resolution are same as its predecessor. However, Microsoft did an extra job to make the display on this newbie better than the processor. The brightness on its display has been increased by 38% and contrast ratio has been enhanced by 22%. This has been possible because of the improvements in the transistor technology which lies behind the display.

The original or the previous generation of the Surface Studio had a 6^th-gen Intel core processor with 32GB RAM, 2TB HDD, and 128GB of SSD. And this time, there are more modern and improved components on this new device. Although the 8^th-generation CPU, which most of us like to hear is basically absent, the device has incorporated 7^th-gen Intel HQ-series CPU. This is surely disappointing but still, it offers a decent performance boost over its predecessor.

Even on the graphics side, RTX card is absent here. The company opted for Nvidia Pascal GTX 1060 or GTX 1070 graphics. Despite another disappointment here, the bump in graphics performance over its predecessor might console the users a little bit. In terms of storage, Microsoft cut down the HDD completely and provided up to whopping 2TB of SSD onboard. This could be a great advantage for the users as the read/write speed of the SSD happens to be way higher than the mechanical hard drives.

In terms of pricing, the base variant with Intel Core i7-7820HQ processor, 16GB RAM, GTX 1060 graphics card, and a 1TB SSD costs $3,499 (AU$5,499, about £2,680).

Microsoft Surface Headphones

In the event, Microsoft not just launched the computing devices but also brought the noise canceling headphones, which goes by name Microsoft Surface headphones.

The new surface headphone is an over-ear headphone, which features a premium sound and adjustable noise cancellation. With the noise cancellation, users can completely cut off the outside noises and can hear the audio in an immersive way. To change the level of noise cancellation, users will have to turn the dial on the left ear cup. And to adjust the volume, there is a dial on the right side, which needs to be turned in a similar way.

The headphone also supports “Hey Cortana” command, which with the headphone pauses the music when removed from the ears. The headphone charges via USB Type-C port. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack port, which can be used for wired audio output. By the way, the 3.5mm cable is detachable, so users don’t have to cling with it while listening to music through the wireless means.

“They slip comfortably over your ears to surround you with spectacular sound quality and 13 levels of ambient noise control,” Microsoft’s press release says. “Designed with collaboration in mind, there are 2 beam-forming microphones on each ear cup, 8 microphones in total, all helping you focus on the sounds you want to capture allowing for excellent call experiences.”

For the controls, Microsoft has also included touch buttons on the ear cups to play/pause the audio or skipping tracks. Battery life is rated at 15 hours over Bluetooth or 50 hours when plugged in via headphone jack, and the sound can be customized via an app that Microsoft will release alongside the Surface Headphones.

Talking about the price, the Microsoft surface headphones will cost you $349 on the purchase.

Huawei Y9 2019 with Kirin 710 is official

GadgetByte

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October 2, 2018

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Huawei Y9 2019 with Kirin 710 is official

Huawei Y9 2019, which had very recently surfaced with leaked rumors and specs, is now official! The Huawei Y9 2018 was a well received product in the mid-range section. And we can expect the same from the 2019 version of the phone. The new Y9 sports more or less the same specs with some upgrades.

Huawei’s quad-camera setup also makes it way here. The rear camera setup is a combination of 16 MP with PDAF and a 2 MP depth sensor. Also, the front camera features a 13 MP sensor with a 2 MP depth sensor. And both these camera setups feature Huawei’s AI photography technology. By the looks of it, it seems like Huawei is really focusing on getting good portrait images. But, with 2 MP depth sensors, how much of it will be possible? We will see that in time.

Moving along, the Huawei Y9 2019 features a large 6.5″ Full View Display with 3D curved design. The display is a Full HD+ one, with 1080 x 2340 resolution. This phone, too, sports the infamous notch, but knowing Huawei, the notch is a bit smaller than other devices. These models will also come in two-toned color variants.

Under the hood, an Octa-core Kirin 710 SoC powers the phone. The company claims integration of AI Power 7.0 in the chipset to bring better user experience. Again, how will that fare in real life, we’re eagerly waiting to find out. This phone comes in two variants. The base model has a 4 GB RAM, with 64 GB of storage, while another variant has 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. However, both the phones feature a microSD card slot which can expand the memory up to 400 GB.

It also has a large battery of 4000 mAh, and will run on Android 8.2 Oreo, with EMUI 8.2 on top. Another interesting feature about this phone is its Fingerprint 4.0 technology. The company claims that it has fingerprint navigation, which helps users manage all notifications with one key.

Huawei’s Y-series phones are always a value for money. And this can also have good pricing. The phone will hit the market by mid-October. Now, that maybe a bit early for something with 2019 in its name. But with so many smartphone companies pumping out phones, I guess Huawei doesn’t want to be left out. However, there is no word on its pricing yet.

Huawei Y9 2019 Specifications:

Display: 6.5-inch IPS LCD display
Resolution: Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels), 19.5:9 aspect ratio
Processor: Octa-core Kirin HiSilicon 710
RAM: 4 / 6GB
Internal Storage: 64 / 128GB
Operating System: Android Oreo 8.1 with EMUI 8.2 on top
Rear camera: 16 MP + 2MP
Front camera: 13 MP + 2MP
Battery: 4000 mAh

ASUS Zenbook UX430U Review – Good things come in Small Packages

Asus
Reviews

GadgetByte

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October 2, 2018

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ASUS Zenbook UX430U Review – Good things come in Small Packages

In the ultra-portable laptops department, it has always been Apple and its MacBooks that have taken the cake. But, they do cost quite a fortune. However, the ASUS Zenbook UX430U proves that such laptops don’t have to cost you a kidney! Now, this laptop does cost some $1100 or Rs. 1 lakh 30 thousand in Nepal, but it is somewhat equivalent to the Dell XPS 13 or the Macbook Pro 13”, while its price is considerably less than them. But how does this fare in real life? Find out in this ASUS Zenbook UX430U Review.

ASUS Zenbook UX430U Specifications:

Design and Build: All-metal body, 13″ form factor, 1.3 kg
Display: 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080), 100% SRGB & 71% Adobe RGB, 290 nits peak brightness with Anti-Glare
Keyboard: 3-step back-light (white), 1.4 mm Key travel
Processor: Quad-core 8^th gen i7-8550U processor, Base-Clock @ 1.88 GHz, Boost Clock up to 4 GHz
RAM: 16 GB (2 x 8 GB, not upgradeable)
Graphics: 2 GB NVidia GeForce MX150
Battery: 50 Watt-hour (up to 7 hours of backup)
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Connectivity: 2 x 2 dual band 802.11 ac Wi-Fi
Ports: SD-card reader, USB 2.0, USB 3.1, micro HDMI, Audio port, USB-C 3.1 (no thunderbolt)
Price: Rs.130,000 ($1100 international)
Colors: Royal Blue, Rose Gold, Quartz Gray, Shimmer Gold

Design and Build

In terms of design, this is one sleek laptop! It is small and compact, and quite thin. In terms of thickness, it is just as thin as the Dell XPS 13 and the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Also, at just 1.3 kg, it is really light. It is one of the thinnest laptops I’ve used, and personally, I think all notebooks should have a similar build. Given that it is an ultra-portable notebook, you won’t have any problems carrying it around, be it in your backpack, or even a messenger bag for that matter.

The UX430U looks very good from the outside. With an all metal build that makes for that cool shiny appearance, it also has a sturdy build. You do get a bit flex when you press on top of the keyboard, but I find that amount acceptable.Overall, it looks pretty durable, and, I’m confident that even if it falls, nothing serious is going to happen, except for some small dents here and there.

The back of the laptop body seems well constructed too. The back also houses the speakers on either side which are 1.5 W Harmon Kardon certified speakers. These speakers give a rich sound output, but having the speakers at the back does affect the sound a little bit. Maybe they could have positioned the speaker somewhere else, but this is not really a big deal.

The aesthetics of the laptop is quite appealing too. On top of the shiny brushed metal texture, you get some faint rings around the silver ASUS logo in the center. This may not be anything unique, but it does give off a pretty premium look and feel while setting it apart from the likes of Dell XPS 13 or the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard and trackpad on this laptop are fantastic! The keyboard was fun to type on with a good amount of feedback. The 1.4 mm of keyboard travel is decent, as we can’t expect more than that on a laptop this size. The arrow keys, however, are smaller than other keys, in fact, smaller than I’d like and be comfortable with. So, that’s something you’ll have to get used to.

The trackpad is also really nice, with a good feel. Scrolling and other tasks are smooth enough.It’s definitely better than the plastic ones, but this isn’t one of the best trackpads around. Again, the Dell XPS 13 has a slightly superior trackpad, with better accuracy. You cannot compare it to MacBooks, but you will definitely not be disappointed with this.

The fingerprint sensor on the top right of the trackpad is a bonus, and it’s also pretty fast for a scanner on a laptop.

Display

When you open up the notebook, you can see very thin bezels on the sides. The bezels are the only plastic you’ll see on the metal body of this laptop, which is a good thing. You’ll notice that the top bezel is a bit thicker than the sides, but that’s because of the webcam placement. The Dell XPS 13 has a thinner bezel up top. But it also has a weirdly placed web cam that captures your face at a weird angle during video sharing or calls.

The 14” display of the laptop looks quite good and compact for its size. It’s a Full HD resolution, that’s 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is a pretty sharp display as well as a matte display, meaning that you won’t get a lot of reflection on your screen. And that’s actually a handy feature while consuming media, or just doing stuff.

Colors are vibrant, and also pretty accurate. The company does claim a 100% of Standard RGB and about 71% of Adobe RGB color accuracy. And that is also good enough for media creation or editing.

The one thing that disappointed me, is the brightness. With only about 290 nits of peak brightness, the laptop feels a bit dim. Yes, this is actually better than some budget gaming laptops like the Dell G7, for example. But the Dell G7 didn’t win any points for display, anyway. This laptop is less bright than the Dell XPS 13, and I wouldn’t even compare it to the 13-inch MacBook Pro! Low brightness level leads to very illegible outside visibility, and is troubling when the display faces the window, making it unusable at a certain point.

Also read Best Ultra Books to buy in Nepal

Performance

In the performance department, this laptop shines through and through. It comes with the latest Quad-core 8^th gen i7-8550U processor. Now this 15W processor is based on 14nm technology, and its base clock is about 1.8 GHz, but it has been configured at 1.99 GHz in this laptop. It does go all the way up to 4 GHz when boosted, and combines a 16 GB RAM. The RAM isn’t upgradeable by the way, but that much is enough to fly through most tasks. There are no lags or problems in performance whatsoever. Editing applications like Photoshop and Adobe Premier run pretty well. And even with some heavy sized files on them, it ran smooth enough for me.

Gaming Performance

We kind of know that ultra-portable notebooks like this one, aren’t meant for gaming. But it does come with a 2 GB MX150 graphics. Considering the size of the laptop, the MX150 is a nice graphic unit. It also helps with normal stuff like Photoshop and other Adobe suites.

As for gaming, you can play light games on this laptop, like CS: GO or DOTA 2. I also tried FIFA and they ran without any hiccups. Also, I tried PUBG for the sake of it, and it actually surprised me! Of course, I had to turn the settings all the way down to Very Low, FPS limiter at 30, and resolution set at 720, but with that, I was able to play the game through without much hiccups. Granted it’s not the ideal way to play games and this will create some disadvantages in games. But considering how this isn’t meant for gaming, I can’t complain.

However, if you want to play some other heavy set games like Battlefield or such, then, this is not the one for you. Or any kind of notebooks for that matter.

Thermals

Laptops of this size do face problems when it comes to heat management, especially, when they are this powerful. This laptop, too, has a fan and one heat pipe for heat dissipation, but it started to heat up after a few hours of usage. And to the point where I couldn’t keep it on my lap.

It gets very warm while gaming as well. The open hardware monitor temperatures showed thermals of above 90-degrees! They could be inaccurate, too. But nevertheless, this small laptop doesn’t do a good job at heat management.

Battery Life

The battery life on this thing is good, but not as good as the competition, like that of the Dell XPS 13. With a 50 Watt-hour battery, it gives close to 7 hours of backup under normal usage. With some heavy usage like having a few chrome tabs, word documents and Spotify running on the background, it pushes out over 5 hours of battery life. However, with the graphics turned on, you will face severe battery consumption.

Storage

As for the storage, you get a 512 GB SSD, which, is NOT an NVMe. But it’s still fast, providing about 550 MB/s of Read speeds and up to 510 MB/s Write speeds on our tests. If you want something faster, you can swap it out with an NVMe SSD. But, I think you won’t really need to, as this is pretty snappy.

Connectivity and Ports

As far as the connectivity goes, you have your regular 2 x 2 dual band 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. It has a 720p HD webcam, which is about the same as you’d find on other laptops, nothing remarkable.

In terms of ports, it has an SD-card reader, and a USB 2.0 on the right. On the left, you can find a Power connector, a USB 3.1, a micro HDMI, an Audio port and a USB-C 3.1 with NO Thunderbolt. Even though full-sized HDMI’s are a thing of the past, I would’ve liked a full sized HDMI port. It can make quite a difference in terms of office usage. I mean, it’s just another hassle to get a mini HDMI dongle! Also, if the USB-C could’ve supported Thunderbolt, that would’ve been immensely better.

Conclusion and Verdict

To conclude, this is a laptop for those who want lightweight portability along with a sturdy build. It also gives you really good performance, and all that, for the price of Rs.130000 in Nepal isn’t bad. Considering it costs $1100 internationally, this is priced appropriately here too.

Now, I’ve been comparing this laptop with the Dell XPS 13 this whole time. And while that does outshine the ASUS Zenbook UX430U in quite a few aspects, the XPS 13 will cost you above Rs.150000 for similar specs. Also, on top, it doesn’t even offer a dedicated graphics configuration.

For 1 lakh 30 thousand, I think it’s a worthy purchase. Having said that, note that this one not having Thunderbolt support or full-sized HDMI could be a downside for some. You might also miss out on a laptop that runs cool, but can you really expect that from a laptop of this size? I think not.

Pros:

Good Design and Sturdy Build
Good Keyboard and trackpad
Great performance
Adequate battery life

Cons:

Low Brightness
Slower Storage (No NVMe SSD)
Quick Heating

Samsung Dashain Offer: Instant Cash backs and chance to enjoy Singapore’s Star Cruise

GadgetByte

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October 2, 2018

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Samsung Dashain Offer: Instant Cash backs and chance to enjoy Singapore’s Star Cruise

Hindu’s greatest festival, Dashain is approaching. And to let the users enjoy this festival with maximum delights, Samsung has brought a mouth-watering offer. In this Samsung Dashain Offer, the buyers will get instant cash backs on the purchase of a few selected smartphones. There is also a chance to win Singapore’s Star Cruise for two fateful lucky draw winners, who buys any models of Samsung Galaxy Smartphone and Samsung Galaxy Tablets. The offer is valid from 17 September 2018 to 14 October 2018.

In this Samsung Dashain Offer, the buyers will get instant cash backs on the purchase of the following Samsung smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Display: 6.3 inches Super AMOLED Quad HD+ display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection
Resolution: 1440 x 2960 pixels (521 PPI pixel density)
OS: Android Nougat (7.1.1)
Chipset: Exynos 8895
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz & 4×1.7 GHz)
GPU: Mali-G71 MP20
RAM: 6GB LPDDR4 RAM
Storage: 64GB internal storage, Expandable up to 256GB
Rear Camera: Dual 12MP (f/1.7, PDAF, 1/2.55″ sensor size, 1.4 µm pixel size + f/2.4, AF, 1/3.6″ sensor size, 1.0 µm pixel size), autofocus, 2x optical zoom, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Front Camera: 8 MP, f/1.7, 1/3.6″ sensor size, 1.22 µm pixel size
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, NFC, 3G, 4G LTE, USB Type-C
Sensors: Iris scanner, fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2
Other Features: Samsung Desktop Experience support, Bixby, HDR10 Compliant Display, IP68 Certified (Water and Dust resistant), Stylus, Wireless Charging
Battery: 3300mAh (non-removable) with Quick Charge 2.0
Price: Rs. 96,900
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 86,900

Samsung Galaxy A8+

Display: 6.0 inches Super AMOLED
Resolution: Full-HD+ (1080 x 2220 pixels) @411ppi, 18.5:9 aspect ratio
OS: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Chipset: Exynos 7885 Octa
CPU: Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz Cortex-A73 & 6×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU: Mali-G71
RAM: 6GB
ROM:64GB extendable up to 256 GB (Dedicated Slot)
Rear camera: 16 MP, f/1.7, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
Selfie- camera: Dual: 16 MP + 8 MP, f/1.9, 1080p
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), WIFI b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type C
Sensors: Fingerprint sensor (rear- mounted), Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light
Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3500 mAh with fast charging support
Additional Features: IP68 Certified (Water and dust resistant), supports Samsung’s Gear VR
Colors: Black and Gold
Price: Rs. 59,990
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 44,990

Samsung Galaxy A6 & A6+

Samsung Galaxy A6	Samsung Galaxy A6+
5.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display	6-inches FHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display
1.6Ghz Octa-Core Exynos 7870 processor	1.8Ghz Octa Core Snapdragon 450 Processor
4GB RAM, 64GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 256GB via micro SD card (Dedicated Slot)	4GB RAM, 64GB Internal Storage, expandable up to 256GB via micro SD card (Dedicated Slot)
Android Oreo 8.0	Android Oreo 8.0
Rear Camera: 16 MP f/1.7, LED flashFront Camera: 16 MP f/1.9 LED flash	Rear Camera: Dual 16 MP f/1.7 + 5 MP f/1.9, LED flashFront Camera: 24 MP f/1.9 LED flash
Fingerprint Scanner, Face Unlock	Fingerprint Scanner, Face Unlock
Battery: 3,000 mAh Li-Ion non-removable	Battery: 3,500 mAh Li-Ion non-removable
Price: Rs. 3~~9,890~~ 34,890	Price: Rs. ~~44,390~~ 39,390

Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro

Display: 5.7 inches Super AMOLED
Resolution: Full-HD (1080 x 1920 pixels) @386 PPI, 16:9 aspect ratio
OS: Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow), upgradable to 8.0 (Oreo)
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 626
CPU: Octa-core (8×2.2 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU: Adreno 506
RAM: 4GB
ROM: 64GB extendable up to 256 GB (Uses SIM2 Slot)
Rear camera: 16 MP, AF, f/1.9, Dual-LED flash
Selfie: 16 MP, f/1.9
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), WIFI b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type C
Sensors: Fingerprint sensor (rear- mounted), Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light
Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3300 mAh with fast charging support
Price: Rs. 39,990
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 34,490

Also Read: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal

Samsung Galaxy J8

Display: 6.0-inch Super AMOLED display
Resolution: HD+ (720 x 1480 pixels), 18.5:9 ratio, 275 PPI pixel density
Chipset: Snapdragon 450
CPU: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 506
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, expandable storage up to 256GB via SD card (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera: Dual cameras: (16 MP, f/1.9) + (5MP, f/1.9), LED flash
Front Camera: 16MP, f/1.9 with LED flash
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity
SIM: Dual SIM with 4G LTE
Battery: 3,500mAh
Price: Rs. 33,490
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 31,490

Samsung Galaxy J6

Display: 5.6 inch Super AMOLED display, 75.9% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution:HD+ (720 x 1480 pixels), 18.5:9 ratio, 294 PPI pixel density
Chipset: Exynos 7870 Octa
CPU: Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-T831 MP1
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
RAM: 3/4GB
Storage: 32/64GB, expandable storage up to 256GB via SD card (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera:13 MP, f/1.9, LED flash
Front Camera:8MP, f/1.9 with LED flash
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, proximity
SIM: Dual SIM with 4G LTE
Battery: 3,000mAh
Price: Rs. 29,090 for 4GB/64GB variant
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 24,990 for 4GB/64GB variant
Price: Rs. Rs. 24,790 for 3GB/32GB variant
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 22,190 for 3GB/32GB variant

Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo

Display: 5-inch Super AMOLED display
Resolution: HD (720 x 1280 pixels), 16:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Exynos 7885
CPU: Octa-core (4 X 1.56Ghz Cortex A53 + 4 X 1.6Ghz Cortex A73)
GPU: Mali-G71
OS: Android v8.0 Oreo
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 32 GB, expandable up to 256 GB (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera: 13MP + 5MP with f/1.9 aperture, LED flash
Front Camera: 8MP with f/1.9 aperture
Sensors: Front-mounted Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity
SIM: Single/Dual-SIM with 4G
Battery: 3,000mAh
Price: 28,990
Dashain Offer Price: 22,000

Samsung Galaxy J4

Display: 5 inch Super AMOLED display, 71.2% screen-to-body ratio
Resolution:HD (720 x 1280 pixels), 16:9 ratio, 267 PPI pixel density
Chipset: Exynos 7570 Quad
CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-T720 MP2
OS: Android Oreo 8.0
RAM: 2/3GB
Storage: 16/32GB, expandable storage up to 256GB via SD card (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera:13 MP, f/1.9, LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP, f/2.2 with LED flash
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity
SIM: Dual SIM with 4G LTE
Battery: 3,000mAh
Price: Rs. 20,690 for 3GB/32GB variant
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 18,990 for 3GB/32GB variant
Price: Rs. Rs. 17,290 for 2GB/16GB variant
Dashain Offer Price: Rs. 15,490 for 2GB/16GB variant

Samsung Galaxy J2 2018

Display: 5-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution: Quarter HD (540 x 960 pixels), 16:9 aspect ratio
RAM: 2 GB
ROM:16 GB
OS: Android Nougat 7.1
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor
Rear camera: 8 MP with LED flash
Selfie camera: 5 MP with LED flash
Battery: 2,600 mAh with USB 2.0
WLAN: WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth: Bluetooth4.2
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, etc
Price: 14,590
Dashain Offer Price: 14,290

Samsung Galaxy J2 4G

Display: 4.7-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution: Quarter HD (540 x 960 pixels), @ 234PPI, 16:9 aspect ratio
RAM: 1 GB
ROM:8 GB
OS: Android Nougat 7.0
CPU: 1.3GHz Quad-Core Exynos 3475
Rear camera: 5MP, f/2.2 Aperture, LED flash
Selfie camera: 2MP, f/2.2 Aperture
Battery: 2,000 mAh with USB 2.0
SIM: Dual SIM (micro + micro) with 4G LTE
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, etc
Price: 11,490
Dashain Offer Price: 10,690