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Vivo V11 received a price drop in Nepal

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It is not a Black Friday offer or any sort of other deals. But Vivo recently slashed the price of the Vivo V11. So this is going to be a permanent price drop. And at the new price, the handset has become the most affordable smartphone in Nepal to come up with a whopping 128GB of storage. Other specs of the smartphone is pretty good as well. So this Vivo V11 price drop seems to bring a strong competition among the mid-range smartphones in Nepal.

Vivo V11 Overview

When it comes to looks, Vivo V11 is really appealing. It comes in three color variants: Starry Night, Dazzling Gold, and Nebula. All these colors complement the design of the phone pretty well. So the handset looks absolutely stunning. This gorgeous smartphone is equipped with a 6.3-inch IPS display, which features Full-HD+ resolution. The display on the device comes in 19:9 aspect ratio with a notch on the top. The notch on the Vivo V11 is really tiny. And with this little notch, the display on it looks more or less similar to the waterdrop display on the Oppo F9. Vivo likes to call the display on the device as a Halo display. With the pixel density of 400PPI, this so-called Halo display looks sufficiently sharp.

On the performance front, the phone comes with MediaTek Helio P60 chipset accompanied by 4GB of RAM. And as mentioned earlier, the phone flaunts a massive 128GB of storage, which is absolutely respectable at its price. In addition, there is an SD card slot to expand the storage further.

Like all the Vivo phones, Vivo V11 is also a camera-centric smartphone. The phone enjoys a dual camera setup at the back, which comprises of a 16MP and 5MP sensors. Upfront, there is a 25MP camera dedicated for the selfies.

On the software front, the phone comes with Android Oreo with FunTouch OS on the top. Vivo V11 also features a 3400mAh non-removable battery to supply the power juice to the phone.

Also Read: Vivo Mobiles Price in Nepal

Vivo V11 (Vivo V11i globally) 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)
  • Weight: 163g
  • Chipset: MediaTek Helio P60
  • CPU: Octa-core (4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • GPU: Mali-G72 MP3
  • OS: Android 8.1 Oreo with Funtouch OS 4.5
  • RAM: 4GB
  • Internal Memory: 128GB; expandable up to 256GB
  • Primary Camera: Dual 16 MP + 5 MP, 1080p@30fps
  • Secondary Camera: 25 MP, f/2.0, 1080p@30fps
  • Sensors: Fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
  • Battery: Non-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAh battery
  • Available Colors: Starry Night, Dazzling Gold, Nebula
  • Price: Rs 37,790

Honor 10 Lite announced: All about the AI cameras

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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 design build

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)
  • Rear Camera: Dual cameras, 13 MP primary with f/1.8 aperture + 2 MP depth sensor
  • Front Camera: Single 24 MP with f/2.0 aperture with AI capabilities
  • CPU: Octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 710
  • GPU: ARM Mali-G51 MP4
  • RAM: 4 GB / 6 GB
  • Storage: 64 GB / 128 GB (expandable with microSD up to 512 GB using SIM 2 slot)
  • Battery: 3400 mAh with Fast Charging
  • OS: Android 9.0 Pie with EMUI 9.0.1 on top
  • Features: Rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, Turbo Boost 2.0
  • 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.

Solid State Batteries: Finally here?

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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!

Samsung planning a new smartphone with 6 cameras, 5G connectivity and a 6.7-inch display

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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.

samsung galaxy s10 alleged designs

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 received a price drop in Nepal

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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.

oppo a3s notch display

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.

Also Read: Top Smartphones in Nepal under 20000

Others

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-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
  • 8MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size
  • face unlock
  • Dimensions: 156.2×75.6×8.2mm; Weight: 168g
  • 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

Model Name Old Price   New Price in Nepal
Oppo A3s (2/16GB) Rs. 19,490 Rs. 15,990
Oppo A3s (3/32GB) Rs. 24,590 Rs. 24,590


Also Read: Oppo Mobiles Price in Nepal

Deal Alert: Colors Pride 5E receives a sizable price drop

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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. colors pride 5e price specs

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.

Also read: Colors Mobile price in Nepal

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.

LAVA R3 Prime with Helio A22 chipset launched in Nepal

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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 recognition feature, 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.

LAVA R3 Prime Specifications

  • Design: Plastic body, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor
  • Display: 5.7″ IPS LCD HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio
  • Rear Camera: 13 MP lens with PDAF
  • Front Camera: 13 MP with front flash
  • CPU: Quad-core 2.0 GHz MediaTek MT6761 (Helio A22)
  • GPU: IMG GE8300
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Storage: 32 GB (internal)
  • Battery: 3300 mAh
  • OS: StarOS 5.1 on top of Oreo 8.1
  • Price in Nepal: Rs.18,999

Also Read: Lava Mobiles Price in Nepal

What do you think of LAVA’s latest addition to the R-series? Is it a “Yay” or “Nay”? Do let us know.

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MPOW Flame Bluetooth Headphones Review – Simply a good pair

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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.

Also Read: Things to consider while choosing headphones

Design and Build

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.

mpow flame bluetooth headphone design

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

mpow flame bluetooth headphone case

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.

OPPO A7 Review: A Mid-Range phone with Budget specs

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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
  • Front Camera: 16 MP camera with f/2.0 aperture
  • CPU: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
  • GPU: Adreno 506
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Storage: 64 GB internal storage + dedicated microSD card slot (up to 256 GB)
  • Battery: 4230 mAh
  • Software: Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorsOS 5.2 on top
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
  • Price in Nepal: Rs.35,790

Design

oppo a7 design

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.

oppo a7 design buttons

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.

oppo a7 design ports

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.

oppo a7 display

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.

oppo a7 rear camera

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.

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.

oppo a7 front camera

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.

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 3.1 Plus with dual cameras and Helio P22 launched in Nepal

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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.

nokia 3.1 plus display design

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.

Nokia 3.1 Plus Specifications

  • Display: 6.0-inch IPS LCD HD+
  • CPU: Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 12nm
  • Chipset: Mediatek Helio P22
  • GPU: PowerVR GE8320
  • Operating System: Android Oreo 8.1 (Android One)
  • RAM: 3 GB
  • Storage: 32 GB with expandable memory
  • Rear Camera: Dual 13MP, f/2.0 aperture + 5MP, f/2.4 aperture
  • Front Camera: 8 MP with f/2.2 aperture
  • SIM (s): Dual Nano SIM
  • Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1
  • Sensors: Fingerprint, gyro, accelerometer, proximity, compass
  • Colors: Blue, White, Gray
  • Battery: Non-removable 3,500 mAh battery

Nokia 3.1 Plus Price in Nepal

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.

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