Page 732 – GadgetByte Nepal

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star with dual cameras and 6 GB RAM launched

GadgetByte

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August 27, 2018

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star with dual cameras and 6 GB RAM launched

Samsung has launched another premium mid-range smartphone. The phone, known as the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star, is only exclusive to Amazon India for now. The Galaxy A8 Star is the global variant of the A9 Star, which was launched in China a few months back. With Samsung having so many mid-rangers out now, it’s getting quite difficult to keep track of their phones.

Read More: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Star will directly go up against the OnePlus 6. For the price of Rs. 34990 (INR), which converts to $500, you get a tall 6.3″ Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone sports a 2.5D and 3D curved glass design on the back and front, respectively. A dual camera setup of 24 MP and 16 MP, both with f/1.7 aperture rest on the back, whereas, a 24 MP selfie shooter resides on the front.

Under the hood, the mid-range Snapdragon 660 chipset powers the phone, supported by 6 GB of RAM. There’s 64 GB of onboard storage that is expandable up to 400 GB via a microSD card. There’s a good 3,700 mAh battery on it with USB-C and Fast Charging support.

The phone does look good on paper. But like always, I think Samsung fails to deliver the X-factor in it. I mean, it costs as much as the OnePlus 6 in India, but it falls short from it with a good margin. For instance, the OnePlus 6 features the Snapdragon 845 while the A8 Star only has the SD 660!

Even the Huawei Nova 3 has a similar price tag with a much better processor. I don’t mean to demean the Galaxy A8 Star when it has just come out, but it’s already there for everyone to see. Maybe there are some aspects where this phone can outshine the competition. We’ll have to see later on.

Even though it’s a global variant, it’s exclusive to India for now. But it should soon make its way to other markets, and hopefully, to Nepal. And it might be priced close to Rs. 60,000 here. What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star? Is it a hit or a miss?

Nokia 3.1 Launched in Nepal – still old school

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August 26, 2018

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Nokia 3.1 Launched in Nepal – still old school

Nokia did make quite the comeback in the recent years with its affordable smartphone ranges and some nostalgia. And it also has a good presence in the Nepali market. With that said, the Nokia 3.1 is now here, in Nepal – for Rs. 22,350. But the Nokia 3.1 is still old school, packing the same old stuff. There really is nothing exciting about this phone – except that it’s Nokia.

Latest Price: Rs. 22,350 [Last Updated on December 6, 2018]

The phone comes with a plastic build in an aluminum frame. Since it is Nokia, we can be assured that it has a good and sturdy build. It features a 5.2″ IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass protection, and an HD+ resolution with 18:9 aspect ratio. However, when almost all phones are going for slimmer bezels, the Nokia 3.1 flaunts big bezels on the top and bottom.

Also, many phones in the 20k price range are now opting for dual cameras. Take for example the Oppo A3s, but the Nokia 3.1 still only packs a 13 MP rear camera with f/2.0 aperture. This is, however, an improvement over its predecessor, Nokia 3’s 8 MP sensor. The front camera stays the same 8 MP.

Also Read: Nokia Mobiles Price in Nepal

Under the hood, the phone is powered by a MediaTek MT6750 processor, comparable to the Snapdragon 430, which is an old processor. It comes in two memory options: a 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage option, and a 3 GB RAM with 32 GB option. In Nepal, only the 3 GB RAM variant is available but there’s a microSD card slot on it. It packs a 2990 mAh battery, which is somewhat small, but since it doesn’t have to power high-end specs, it might last you a day.

The Nokia 3.1 is an improvement over the Nokia 3, but that’s all it is. For a price of Rs.22,350, I feel like you should be able to get a bit more. It has big bezels, only a single rear camera and an old processor. You can get some better options for Rs.20000, like the Oppo A3s – which is (2 GB RAM with 16 GB storage), but has a bigger bezel-less screen, dual cameras and a Snapdragon 450!

Nokia 3.1 Specifications Overview:

5.2-inch (720 x 1440 pixels) HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 (4 x 1.5GHz A53 + 4 x 1.0GHz A53) processor with Mali T860 GPU
3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD
Android 8.0 (Oreo) OS, upgradable to Android P
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture
8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, 84.6-degree wide-angle lens
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Dimensions: 146.25 x 68.65 x 8.7mm; Weight: 138.3 g
4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, GPS
2990mAh battery
Latest Price: Rs. 22,350 [Last Updated on December 6, 2018]

Nokia should try to update it with the trends. I mean, that’s what got them in trouble in the first place! What are your thoughts on the Nokia 3.1? Would you buy it for the price? Or are you going to look for better alternatives?

Samsung launches its first Android Go powered smartphone – the Galaxy J2 Core

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August 26, 2018

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Samsung launches its first Android Go powered smartphone – the Galaxy J2 Core

It has been some time now since Google introduced Android Go, the ‘lite’ version of Android that is meant for low-end smartphones. A lot of manufacturers have started to equip the software in their devices, and Samsung is the latest to follow that trend. The Korean giant has launched the Galaxy J2 Core in Nepal with Android Go for a pocket-friendly price.

Don’t Miss: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal

Samsung Galaxy J2 Core Overview

The Samsung Galaxy J2 Core is a low-end affordable handset meant for entry-level users. The device sports a 5-inch qHD display with an unspecified version of Corning Gorilla Glass clocking the front. Underneath is the 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos 7570 processor running the show.

The major talking point of the Galaxy J2 Core is definitely its software as it runs on the Go edition of Android 8.1 Oreo. This will certainly help with the performance as the processor will not take much of a hit while running apps as compared to the standard version.

On the optics front, the Samsung Galaxy J2 Core features an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture. This camera is capable of taking full HD videos at 30fps. Likewise, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, also with f/2.2 aperture rests on the top.

In terms of storage, the Galaxy J2 Core only has 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory. It would certainly have been much better if Samsung had upped the storage by a bit.

This device supports 4G connectivity and has WiFi support. It has a 2,600 mAh battery backing up the display which Samsung claims will get you through your day.

Specifications:

Display: 5-inch qHD display
Processor:1.4 GHz Quad Core Exynos 7570 processor
RAM: 1GB RAM
ROM: 8GB Internal Storage, expandable (up to 256GB) via micro SD slot
Software: Android v8.1 Oreo (Android Go Edition)
SIM: Dual SIM (nano + nano) with 4G LTE
Rear Camera: 8MP rear camera, f/2.2 Aperture, LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP front camera, f/2.2 Aperture
Battery: 2,600mAh battery

Samsung Galaxy J2 Core 2018 Price in Nepal

The official price of Galaxy J2 Core 2018 in Nepal is Rs. 10,490. This price is for the 1GB RAM and 8GB storage variant. It is available in Blue, Gold, and Black color variants in Nepal.

HTC hints a new “U” device – HTC U12 Life maybe?

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HTC

GadgetByte

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August 25, 2018

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HTC hints a new “U” device – HTC U12 Life maybe?

HTC made quite an impact in the smartphone industry with its flagships – the HTC U11 and the U12 Plus. And few months after the U12, the Taiwanese company is hinting at another U-device by the end of this month. What else can it be other than HTC U12 Life? The Life series are the cheaper alternatives to the U-series flagships. And the U12 Life should be an alternative to last year’s U11 Life.

HTC U11 Life was released on December last year. And even if it might be too early to launch U12 Life, I cannot think of any other U-device. HTC said they were going to reveal a new U device through their twitter page very recently.

And so, it leads me to believe that this new “U” device is definitely the HTC U12 Life, as we also caught some leaks of HTC’s new project code-named “Imagine Life”, back in July. So, if it is indeed the HTC U12 Life, we also have some idea about what specs it will have.

The phone will have 6.0″ of Super LCD Full-HD+ display on a plastic build, which will also sport an IP-67 Dust and Water Resistance. Under the hood, it should sport a Snapdragon 636 with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of storage. It’s sure to feature a dual camera on the rear and will most likely ship with Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone might be priced between $300 to $400! But we will have to wait until August 30 to confirm everything.

However, whatever device HTC lands, it will very well be “all for naught” in Nepal. Since HTC U12 Plus didn’t even show up in Nepal, it’s very unlikely that the HTC U12 Life will. Also, the company’s profits have been declining, and since it has shut down its operations in the neighboring country, India, no HTC device might make its way here!

HTC was one of the good smartphones in Nepal, too, and liked by many. But now, with all that’s going on with HTC, we probably won’t get any new HTC phones.

Oppo R17 Pro is Here with 3 cameras and 2 batteries

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August 24, 2018

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With the reveals of the Oppo R17, there were already talks about its sibling – the R17 Pro. And now, it is official. The Oppo R17 Pro, is here with the familiar design of the R17 – with an additional camera at the back. But also, something more peculiar – two batteries!

oppo-r17-pro-unveiled

And along with the Oppo R17 Pro unveiled, the price and availability of the R17 is also made official. It costs about 3500 Chinese Yuan, which converts to some US $510. But by the looks of it, it probably won’t be available directly in retail stores internationally. However, you can order it online, and it will begin Shipping from August 30.

Anyways, the Oppo R17 Pro features the same design as the Oppo R17 – only with bumped up specs. For instance, it features the same 6.4″ HD+ AMOLED panel, but with a slightly higher resolution of 2340 x 1080. And there’s something else that’s familiar about it. A triple lens camera setup at the back, just like the Huawei P20 Pro. However, the setup consists of a 20 MP main sensor, a 12 MP secondary sensor and a 3D Stereo Camera lens, which supposedly supports AR features.

oppo-r17-pro-unvieled

Under the hood, the phone features 8 GB of RAM with 128 GB storage. It is powered by the Snapdragon 710 processor. The display integrates the fingerprint sensor into integrated in the display itself, just like the R17. But the peculiar thing about the R17 Pro is it’s two batteries of 1850 mAh each, making it a total of 3700 mAh. Oppo claims that these two work together in tandem to give you 40% of charge in 10 minutes! But other than that, I don’t understand the point of having two different units – if they’re going to work together anyway.

Also Read: OPPO Mobiles Price in Nepal

It’s now clear how much this Pro model will cost. But I guess the availability is no different – you have to ship it through online orders. And so, it is not likely to make its way to Nepal. But even so, it is something that provides great value, and does look tempting enough to order it online.

Jisoncase Luxury Cases for your phones: Worth the price?

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GadgetByte

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August 24, 2018

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Jisoncase Luxury Cases for your phones: Worth the price?

If you have a phone, you have a case on it. Almost all of us do. Given that cases reduce the original look and feel of your phone. But you wouldn’t want to drop it and lose it all at once, would you? And so, we’re always looking for cases to cover our phones – one that will look, feel and work good. For that very purpose, we have here the Jisoncase, which is pretty close to what you want in a case.

We received a review unit from Jisoncase for the Samsung Galaxy S9, and in two weeks of slapping it on my phone, I think its simple, yet luxurious. The best thing about it is that it’s pretty slim! It appears to be made out of PC material wrapped in some suede-like material. It’s somewhat flexible, so, pretty easy to snap on and off. All of it is wrapped in the soft material, so, it won’t scratch your phone from the inside. The buttons on it are solid and give tactile feedback. Its soft lining gives you a premium feel on your hands as well – making it appear quite luxurious! This material is also washable, but rightfully, so, because it can get dirty!

However, it offers solid protection as I’ve dropped my Galaxy S9 quite a few times from table heights, and it has survived with this case so far! But I am a bit skeptical about it surviving drops from greater heights.

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Jisoncase makes luxury and premium cases with genuine materials for those high-end phones and tablets. Say, if you want something classy for your iPhone, or iPad or your Samsung flagships. Usually, they make high-quality leather cases and similar soft materials. Its all about some luxury and a bit of protection. And they also ship their products to Nepal, provided that you have an international payment method like Paypal. So, if you want a luxury case that will add to the premium-ness of your phones, Jisoncase can give you what you want – it’s slim, feels luxurious, and looks very sleek. Suits your phone just right!

Check out Jason Cases here

Google Pixel 3 XL Leaked with Single back camera Again!

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August 24, 2018

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Google Pixel 3 XL Leaked with Single back camera Again!

While there is quite the tendency for smartphone leaks and rumors, you may never have seen a full leak such as this! The Google Pixel 3 XL got leaked in all its glory. There are pictures, specs, camera-samples, and everything. This means that you can see everything you want to see about the Google Pixel 3 XL – from it’s design to its packaging. Whether these leaks are authentic or not, we don’t know… but here’s a peak as well.

Let’s start with the most noticeable feature – the infamous notch! It is not a surprise for the Pixel to jump into the hype-train either. Well, that…and we had already seen Android 9.0 Pie optimized to support notches in its review. So, yeah. And since everything was leaked by a Russian personality, all the images you see has Russian language in it.

Here’s a full view of what the Pixel 3 XL looks like. The design doesn’t seem to have changed that much. Only, this one has smaller bezels, yet there still seems to be a chin at the bottom. Why, Google? If it serves no purpose, just get rid of it! On the back, we can again see the same familiar design. While Google jumped on the notch-hype train, it still didn’t set up dual cameras. Looking at the design, it makes me feel like Google’s not even trying anymore. I mean, come on!

And there’s also an image showing what you get inside the retail box of the Google Pixel 3 XL. The package includes a USB-C to USB-C cable, charging adapter, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter. However, this time around, Google seems to have included a pair of headphones, which, surprisingly looks like a wired version of Google’s Pixel buds. But don’t get too excited…we don’t really know if it is even authentic!

Here are also the specs of the Google Pixel 3 XL, if you can read it. However, we can make out that the Pixel 3 XL has a 6.71″ QHD+ resolution (1440 x 2960) and a 3430 mAh battery. Again, we can’t be very sure of the leaks, but this is what it suggests.

I, personally, feel as if these are somehow fake! Google knows how to keep secrets, doesn’t it? I mean they could have themselves leaked these on purpose, for some reason. But whatever it is, I hope it isn’t real. The design isn’t appealing at all, and call it a gut feeling…but this does not feel like the Google Pixel 3 XL to me! I have very high hopes for the device!

Google will announce the phone sometime in October, and I seriously hope that it takes a turn from all that we can see here. What do you think of these leaks? If this was the real Google Pixel 3 XL, would you even buy it?

Oppo F9 launched as Oppo F9 “Pro” in India, arriving very soon in Nepal

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August 23, 2018

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Oppo F9 launched as Oppo F9 “Pro” in India, arriving very soon in Nepal

The Oppo F9 came out very recently, and the company was also hinting at an F9 Pro. Well, the Oppo F9 Pro did come out in India. But here’s a kicker. The Oppo F9 we knew about is also the F9 Pro! And the Pro model has only very slight changes to show for its name. Anyways, they’re out in India, so, it might come out in similar fashion in Nepal as well. And it is launching on August 29 in Nepal!

Both the Oppo F9 and Oppo F9 Pro have similar specs – from the design to the battery. The only difference is in the RAM. While we knew Oppo F9 had two RAM options – a 4 GB and a 6 GB variant, the company decided that they could launch those two phones under different names in the region. And so, now we have the 4 GB RAM variant as the Oppo F9 and the 6 GB variant as the F9 Pro. Also, the Pro model sports Oppo’s VOOC fast charging whereas the regular Oppo model doesn’t.

Besides that, there isn’t a single difference between the two. Both the phones feature a 6.3″ LTPS IPS LCD HD+ display in 19.5:9 aspect ratio, which, Oppo calls the Waterdrop display. The display has a tiny notch shaped like a water drop for the front camera. While that design is considered unique, I will remind you that the Essential Phone did it first!

The cameras are also the same in both models. A dual camera setup of 16 MP sensor with PDAF and a 2 MP depth sensor at the back with a 25 MP selfie shooter at the front. Both feature the headphone jack as well. Also, there’s a 3500 mAh battery in them. But with VOOC charging on the F9 Pro, it is able to offer you 2 hours of talk time in 5 minutes of charge, while the regular F9 won’t be able to do that. The Oppo F9 and F9 Pro are powered by MediaTek Helio P60 processor. There’s 64 GB storage on board and is expandable up to 256 GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The difference between those two is very subtle, but the pricing is not. The regular F9 costs Rs.19,990 (INR) in India, which converts to around Rs.31,990 in Nepal. And the F9 Pro costs Rs.23,990 (INR), which converts to Rs.38,385 in here. No doubt that they will be a bit more expensive than that when they launch here though, with the taxes and all. In addition, since, these phones have already launched in India, they will launch in a few days, here.

But, we still cannot be sure how this will launch in Nepal, though. The international smartphone market scenario is different. What we now call the Oppo F9 Pro, is the regular F9 for them, so, they might see an upgraded version as the F9 Pro. Will Nepal get the international version of the Oppo F9 or follow our neighbor? I think it will the same as in India, but let’s wait until it launches, here, on August 29!

Anyway, which do you think is the better option, the F9 or the F9 Pro? If these phones launch under 40,000 price, that would be great news! But let us see.

Xiaomi’s Poco F1 launched as the most affordable phone with Snapdragon 845

Pratima Adhikari

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August 22, 2018

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Xiaomi’s Poco F1 launched as the most affordable phone with Snapdragon 845

We have always dreamt of a phone that gives power packed performance along with being super easy on our wallets. Well, it seems there is one now! Xiaomi, today has launched the most affordable phone that features the all-powerful Snapdragon 845 chipset. It’s called the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 and today, it has been officially unveiled in India.

With all the oh so high-end specifications, surely it looks like it is here to kill flagships like OnePlus 6. The device greets you with a total of 8/6 GB RAM that too it’s DDR4X RAM. Most companies don’t share what RAM they put on their devices. Likewise, you have options for 64/128/256 GB storage so you can go as per your need and liking.

At the same time, it has amazingly insane benchmark scores. Battery- wise you have 4,000 mAh capacity and it is also equipped with Quick charge 3.0. Display wise, it’s not as huge as others in trend. It has a 6.18-inch IPS LCD screen FHD screen. Software-wise, you get the latest Android Oreo with MIUI 9.0 on top. Xiaomi has claimed that the Poco F1 runs on a modified version of Android and you get your own Poco launcher. Likewise, Xiaomi also promises to provide faster updates on its Poko phones. Surprises don’t end yet as the device carries 4G+ support along with Bluetooth 5.0 support. Well, unlike the other flagships, it does not compromise on the headphone jack.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mobiles Price in Nepal

Xiaomi Pocophone F1 Specifications:

Operating System: Android Oreo 8.0
Display: 6.18-inches IPS LCD, 16M colors
Resolution: 1080 x 2246 pixels
CPU: Octa-core 4×2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 385 Silver
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
GPU: Adreno 630
RAM: 6 or 8 GB
Storage: 64 or 128 or 256 GB
Rear Camera: 12 MP f/1.8 + 5 MP depth sensor, Dual LED flash, Panorama, HDR, etc.
Front Camera: 20 MP f/2.0
Video: 2160p@30fps
SIM (s): Dual SIM (nano-SIM, Dual standby)
Battery: 4,000 mAh Li-Po non-removable with Quick charge 3.0
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/c/b/g/n, WiFi Direct, Hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear- mounted), Accelerometer, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Compass, Infrared Face Recognition.
Price (6/64GB): INR 20,999 (Rs. 33,600 or $300)
Price (6/128GB): INR 23,999 (Rs. 38,400 or $343)
Price (8/256GB): INR 28,999 (Rs. 46,400 or $415)
Price (Armoured Edition, 8/256GB): INR 29,999 (Rs. 48,000 or $429)

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New MacBook Air coming out?

GadgetByte

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August 21, 2018

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So there have been rumors flying that Apple is launching a new MacBook this year, sometime around September. And with that, speculations are high: Will it be a new MacBook again, or for the love of God, a new MacBook Air? While Apple did refresh its 12-inch MacBook in June of last year, it also regularly updates its MacBook Pro. But, as for the MacBook Air…it’s the definition of “consistency”. It still features the same outdated 5th-gen processor, low-res screen, wide bezels, and still costs a $1000! But as 2018 is the 10th anniversary of MacBook Air, we gotta ask. Is a new MacBook Air coming out?

Well, Apple is definitely set to launch a new laptop around September, as per reports. Previously, rumors were that the launch was going to happen in the 2nd half of 2018, and now, it’s most probably going to happen in September. And what’s more? This one is meant to be an inexpensive laptop – designed for people on a budget, mostly students and the likes. The low cost model will sport the same design as the current MacBook Air. It will still have the same 13-inch screen but with higher resolution and Apple’s Retina display! In addition, it will also have slimmer bezels. But more importantly, will they put in new-gen chips in them?

We’re eager to see what Apple means by low-cost, though. Current MacBook Air models cost $999 now, and the 12-inch MacBook costs $1300! If they could refresh the new model and cut off the price by a couple hundred dollars, wouldn’t that be great? But it’s Apple…so, fingers crossed! Let’s hope that the new inexpensive models of MacBooks will be the refreshed MacBook Air.

And while a new MacBook Air might really come out, Apple is also working on the new Mac Mini! Either one should release in September, along with the new iPhone, maybe. And the reports say that if there are delays, it won’t push later than October. Either way, we’re looking at an inexpensive laptop from Apple. And there are high chances that it will be a new MacBook Air.