It was no secret that Huawei was launching a new flagship range in March this year and yes the rumors have turned out true and today, the 27th March 2018 marks the release of the Huawei P20.
With not much hype generated by Huawei’s previous flagships, namely the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus, the company has today launch yet another smartphone called Huawei P20. What the Huawei P20 promises is, to be master photography powered by AI.
Being yet other smartphones focusing on cameras, the Huawei P20 boasts a dual 12 +20 MP rear cameras and the Huawei P20 Pro a triple 40+20+8 MP cameras branded with Leica optics. Huawei has previously talked about the P20 series’ camera abilities saying, “See mooore with AI”, which suggested a great focus on the cameras.
The 24MP AI enabled front camera can do 3D Portrait Lighting, bokeh selfies, and face unlock. The rear camera, also AI-powered, can take handheld shots in low-light with AI image stabilization and 960 fps Super Slow Motion videos.
Like all the other flagships, the Huawei P20 and P20 pro come with Android Oreo out of the box, which is not something very new but it is good to hear. The device, like most of Huawei’s smartphones, features a Kirin processor, in this case, Hisilicon Kirin 970 chipset with octa-core processor (4 X 2.4GHz Cortex-A73 + 4X 1.8GHz Cortex-A53 ) and Mali-G72 MP12 GPU. It’s the same chipset used on the Mate 10 Pro, so it’s not quite there when compared with the Galaxy S9’s Exynos 9810 or the iPhone’s A11 Bionic.
Huawei P20 and P20 Plus boast a dual-glass design with a metal frame.
Following the trend, these devices are also a full-screen display phones flaunting an 18:5:9 screen to body ratio measuring 5.8 inches and 6.1 inches respectively and also come with a notch. Sadly, there is no headphone jack on the devices. But it features a super-wired charge technology that can make the devices go from a zero to 58% in just 30 minutes.
The Huawei P20 is IP53 rated for dust and splash resistance, whereas the P20, despite having a similar design, gets a much better dust and water resistance in the form of IP67 rating.
Dual Back Camera: 12MP f/1.6 (Color) + 12MP f/1.6 (Monochrome) Rear Camera with 4K video capture, 720p@960fps slow-mo, Leica lens, dual-tone LED flash
Triple Back Camera: 40MP f/1.8 (Color) + 8MP f/2.4 (Color Telephoto) + 20MP f/1.6 (Monochrome), 4K video capture, 720@960fps slow-mo, Leica lens, dual-tone LED flash
Front Camera: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens
Front Camera: 24MP, f/2.0 Leica lens
3,400mAh with Supercharge
4,000mAh with Supercharge
Fingerprint reader, Face unlock
Fingerprint reader, Face unlock
Price: €649 (Rs. 83,500)
Price: €899 (Rs. 115,500)
Huawei was previously known for dual front and back camera setup but this time, the company has surprised us all with three camera setup at the back. Cameras in smartphones are taking a great leap forward. We are yet to see what other manufacturers have in line for us after this three camera setup innovation!
Mi Mix lineup from Xiaomi is one of the influential smartphones when it comes to design. One of the true bezel-less display was portrayed in the very first version of the Mi Mix back in 2016 and the same philosophy follows till this date. With two generations in, Xiaomi has launched the third iteration of the Mi Mix lineup, the Mi Mix 2s.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s is not an entirely new version on the Mix series but it’s a slight upgrade over the Mi Mix 2 as you might have already guessed from the ‘S’ on the name. There has been visual overhaul which seems to be prominent in the future Xiaomi smartphones as well. The dual rear camera placed vertically is the new signature look on Mi devices which we also saw on the Redmi Note 5 Pro.
The phone offers 5.99-inch 18:9 LCD display with Full HD+ resolution. I always expect a QHD resolution with AMOLED panel on a flagship device these days but then again it’s not priced like a flagship. So for some, it might be a letdown to see an IPS panel here. Up front, the design remains the same with nothing but display and now a downsized chin on the bottom. With nowhere to place the camera, it still lies on the chin. This means you still have to flip your phone upside down everytime you take a selfie. But this also means that you don’t have to deal with a notch that holds the camera.
Since it’s a flagship phone and also happens to be an upgrade to Mi Mix 2, it has got some new hardware inside it. The device is now powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, the most powerful mobile chipset for Android as of now. You have the option to opt for either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. For storage, you get 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB memory option and you cannot expand it. The Mi Mix 2s is definitely not a slouch when it comes to performance.
The only reason to opt for the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s rather than Mi Mix 2 is, first – for the performance and second – the new and improved camera. The Mi Mix 2S has now opted for iconic vertical dual camera setup as seen on the iPhone X. The 12MP dual camera setup enables 2x Optical Zoom. The primary sensor comes with dual pixel autofocus for faster focus speed and improved low light performance. There’s also Portrait Mode assisted by AI to intelligently separate the subject and background. This will result in better blur and sharper edges around the subject. The front facing camera still remains the same with a 5MP sensor. Most importantly, this bezel-less Chinese has scored 97 points in the DxOMark test, which tied it with the all hailed iPhone X and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
Giving life to this device is MIUI 9 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. The device is backed by the same 3400mAh battery. Even with the use of powerful Snapdragon 845 chipset, Xiaomi claims the battery life should remain the same if not better. The phone supports Quick Charge 3.0. Even with the use of the ceramic back, Xiaomi has put forward the option for wireless charging.
Smartphones are capable of doing astounding things these days. The camera embedded in such 7mm thick devices is capable of shooting mind-boggling images mimicking the bulky DSLRs. With the advancements in smartphone cameras still in progress, we can see the smartphone makers are striving to bestow the DSLR capabilities into the smartphone cameras. And the presence of a dual camera on smartphones is one of the examples.
What are Dual camera smartphones?
In case of smartphones with dual camera setup, dual camera resides vertically or horizontally either on the front side or on the back panel or on both sides. Such setup essentially requires two lenses with a separate image sensor or film frame for each lens. Among the two cameras, the primary camera works like a normal or ordinary camera: it takes regular images. The secondary camera, however, gathers further information and the software blends the information from both cameras to produce images of fine quality and plenty of details.
What is the purpose of Dual Camera on smartphones?
Dual lens camera, which is also known as a stereo camera is provided on the smartphones to produce vivid and well-detailed images. The presence of a dual camera on smartphones is analogous to the two eyes on human anatomy. The presence of two eyes on human body offers advantages like wide FOV (field of view), enhanced depth perception, ability to detect small objects, symmetry and more. And same goes true in the case of smartphones.
A DSLR can produce vibrant shots with plenty of details with a mere presence of single lens then why does a smartphone need a dual camera for the same purpose? This could be the bewilderment amongst the most. To explain in simple terms, DSLRs are equipped with a large aperture, big lens and large sensor, which make them of capable of incarcerating adequate light and plenty of details during the shots. But in the smartphones, providing such components only make it massive and probably impossible to fit in the pockets. And the battery power devoured by such setup is beyond imaginable. So the concept of the dual camera came as an alternative, where the details collected from two cameras blend to form one image resembling more or less like a DSLR output.
Some Applications of Dual-camera Setup on Smartphones
1. 3-Dimension
Back in 2011, when 3D was growing as a thing, LG Optimus 3D and HTC Evo 3D came with dual-camera setup capable of bringing 3D sensation on the videos and photos captured. Both the smartphones were the same technique used by the regular 3D cameras. The basic principle underlying the technique is to use the different perspective of dual-camera and create a sense of depth on images. When the subject information (primary camera) and depth information (secondary camera) blends into a single image/video, the 3D output can be obtained.
2. Depth Sensing
The technique involved here is alike to the 3D dual-camera setup. The primary camera captures details of the subject in focus. And the secondary camera garners the depth information of the components in the frame: segregating foreground and background according to distance. This feature allows capturing nifty portraits with Bokeh Effects (foreground focused and background blurred). This setup was employed on HTC One M8, where 4-Megapixel UltraPixel acted as primary sensor and the 2-megapixel sensor was employed to summon depth information onto the images.
3. Monochrome and RGB
Huawei entered the dual-camera game with the launch of Huawei P9 and P9 Plus partnering with Leica. The technology used on the device was quite unique. Among the two cameras, one was employed to capture monochrome (B/W) image. However, another one was used to fill in Colors (RGB) to complete the image. Huawei continued to provide similar setup on Huawei GR5 2017, Huawei P10 and P10 Plus. CoolPad Cool1 and Nokia 8 also followed the same bandwagon.
In this technology, both cameras are quite identical in specs. In this technology, monochrome sensors summons plenty of details. Since the pixels in the monochrome sensor get triggered in little or low lights, the incarcerating of details is quite impressive. The other sensor (RGB) has the sole purpose to bring in colors. So the colors are unadulterated and natural. And the information collected so far from both the sensors combines into one with the software manipulation. As the Monochrome sensor garners plenty of details with the RGB sensor filling in colors, the end results are quite imposing.
4. Wide angle
This approach of dual-camera setup entered the tech world with the launch of LG G5 last year. And LG continued to provide similar setup on the LG G6 this year. This technology is quite straightforward. The two cameras work together to increase the field of view and to bring in wide prospects. With the single lens system, the field of view limits lower values. But with LG G5’s dual-camera setup, the field of view increased to an astounding 135-degrees. So with a similar setup on your smartphone, you won’t have to worry to be missed out on images even if you are being shot among a large group of people.
5. Telephoto
This setup is prevailing amongst a large number of smartphones these days. In this system, the secondary camera has a larger focal length as compared to the primary. This setup is unique to that of wide angle as this setup focuses on the lossless optical zooming. Distant objects can be brought to the frame without losing the image quality. This type of setup also has great insights on the depth sensing and brings out exquisite Bokeh effects. However, in this setup, the primary camera acts as a depth sensor. This type of setup can be found on iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, OnePlus 5, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Xiaomi MI A1, etc.
6. Augmented Reality
With the smartphones focusing on Bokeh and zooming with the dual-camera, Lenovo Phab 2 Pro and Asus ZenFone AR come with an entirely new concept. The aforementioned smartphones serve as a foundation to Google Tango Project driving the tech world towards the Augmented Reality (AR). With this setup, the smartphone will be capable of knowing where everything sits in a 3D environment around it: the basic principle behind a lot of AR and VR content. These smartphones serve its use on the 3D mapping of rooms, scanning rooms and inserting objects to evaluate the real-life scenario, etc.
DSLRs vs Dual-camera smartphones
Although the dual-camera smartphones are in the race to rival the DSLRs, one thing is to be kept in mind is that DSLRs are employed with a large sensor, wide aperture, large pixel, and large sensor size, etc. So with such setup, zooming and effects are natural. Portraits shots and Bokeh effects are natural with increasing blurs with the increase in distance. However, with dual-camera setup, because of the depth-sensing, the foreground and the background can be segregated but the blurring of the background is entirely through the software. And seems to possess quite unnatural intensity.
Also in some cases, the subject lacks sharp edges with blurry borders, which is an utter disappointment. And in the case of zooming and wide-angle shots, dual-camera smartphones are way behind the DSLRs. Though the dual-camera smartphones are striving to mimic DSLR shots, they are nowhere close to DSLRs to rival them. However, in the matter of size, weight, and portability, dual-camera smartphones are the easy winner here.
Is two camera better than one?
If you are more of a kind to apply effects with switching modes while taking the shots, then dual-camera smartphones can be ideal for you. If you love traveling or visiting places then having a wide-angle camera as a companion turns out to be fruitful. For those, who are indulged into taking portraits and showcase into social media, the Telephoto camera would be the better choice. But if you love natural shots without artsy effects, the single-camera works perfectly fine.
In the answer to the question, burrowing the results from the popular camera benchmark test, DXoMark, two years back HTC U11 (single camera) surpassed the dual camera smartphones like iPhone 7 Plus, LG G5 and Huawei P9. Similarly, last year’s Google Pixel 2/2XL (single camera) has surpassed dual camera smartphones like iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 8. So we can conclude that with the use of good sensor and lens, the single-camera lens can capture superior quality shots. And as the dual-camera technology is in developing phase, we can expect better results in the coming years.
Chinese smartphone brand OPPO has officially unveiled its latest midrange phone, the OPPO F7 in an event in India. It is the successor of the OPPO F5 and offers improvement in front camera, performance, and display.
The OPPO F7, like any OPPO devices, is a selfie-centric smartphone. It houses a whopping 25MP front camera with Sony 576 sensor HDR. The hardware adjusts exposure to produce well-exposed selfies in different lighting condition. Moreover, with AI beauty 2.0, it recognizes 296 facial spots and fine-tunes the beautification based on gender, age, skin tone, and skin type.
The AI beauty also extends to the 16MP dual back camera that can recognize up to 16 scenes such as food, pets, sky, beach to name a few.
The OPPO F7 boasts a 6.23-inch FullHD+ display (2280X1080 pixels) with 19:9 aspect ratio. There’s a notch on the top, but does it make a top-notch phone? We will have to wait and find out in our review. So, stay tuned.
During the launch event, OPPO didn’t mention which CPU the OPPO F7 comes equipped with. They just said an “Octa-core Processor” which is a shame because this time around it actually features a really powerful Mediatek Helio P60 CPU. It’s the latest from the Taiwanese chipset manufacturer with a 12nm process and a combination of Cortex A73 and Cortex A53 cores. The result is a 70% performance improvement compared to the previous generation Helio P23 chipset used on the OPPO F5.
In terms of storage, there’s either 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of storage. You can expand the storage via a dedicated microSD card slot up to 256GB. In terms of connectivity, you get a dual SIM slot with 4G VOLTE support, WiFi b/g/n (no ac), Bluetooth 4.2, and GPS.
All these are being powered by a 3400mAh battery which promises 33.5 hours of music, 13.4 hours of video playback, and 8.3 hours of gaming.
On the software front, the OPPO F7 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with Color OS 5.0 layered on top. For security, you get software simulated face unlock and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner.
OPPO F7 Price, Color Option, Availability in Nepal
OPPO F7 is available in 3 color option: Solar Red, Moonlight Silver, and a special edition Diamond Black. The 4GB/64GB version costs INR 21,990 (NRs. 35,184) and the 6GB/128GB version costs INR 26,990 (NRs. 43,184). It will be available in India starting April 9 from Flipkart (online) and Oppo’s retail stores.
The OPPO F7 price in Nepal is Rs. 36,590 for 4GB/64GB version, while the 6GB/128GB version costs Rs. 46,590.
Most of Apple fans will agree that they buy iPhone not for impressive features but for the experience. The latest iPhone X does not fail to deliver this experience which was essentially missing from previous models. The display, Face ID, camera, and design, holistically contributes to this new feel. I’ve been using the iPhone X for 3 months and here’s how the iPhone X has treated me so far.
iPhone X Specifications
Display: 5.8 inches Super AMOLED with Scratch-resistant glass
Resolution: 1125 x 2436 pixels, 458PPI pixel density
OS: iOS 11
Chipset: Apple A11 Bionic
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 64/256GB internal storage, No microSD card slot
Connectivity: Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, A-GPS, NFC (Apple Pay only), 3G, 4G LTE, USB 3.0 reversible connector
Sensors: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Other Features: No 3.5mm headphone Jack, IP67 Certified (Water and Dust resistant), Fast Charging, Wireless charging, Dolby Vision/HDR10 compliant, 4K video recording up to 60fps & 1080P video recording up to 240fps
Having used the iPhone 6 Plus in the past, switching to the iPhone X so far was a satisfying experience. The display is the biggest standout feature for iPhone X with its new edge-to-edge screen up front. The nearly bezel-less 5.8-inch OLED display offers better colors and improved contrast ratio, but if you are coming from the punchy saturated display of Samsung flagships this might not seem that asto unding. The corner is rounded which looked awkward at first but now I prefer it more than the sharp-edged one.
Google might have run into some issues with the OLED panels with its flagship Pixel 2XL, but the ones in the iPhone X don’t have any issues apart from the blue shift that OLED tends to create when you see it from a slanted angle. Nonetheless, it’s a great display.
There will be no new iPhone release without some controversy, and this time it’s related to the display itself. Well, technically not the entire display but just the top portion where that awful notch is located. And it is going to stand out as a constant irritant when you are watching videos on this phone – well that for a couple of weeks at least. The notch gets in the way of the video you are watching but since most of the action is happening in the middle, you kind of think it’s ok to have that notch.
But over the period of three months, I have grown to get used to it and it doesn’t bother much like it used to – and not having it would have been miles better overall. Unoptimized apps that do not have notch support just add a black border on top and bottom portion filching the full display view. That has now been solved as most of the apps are following the new guidelines to build apps that have support for the notch.
The iPhone X also has a new camera placement on the left placed vertically. I thought it was downright ugly when I saw the phone in the pictures. Seeing the phone in flesh, my thoughts have pretty much changed. The iPhone X looks great from the back. And the Camera placement? Well, it’s just there and it works great. I don’t mind it anymore.
The dual 12MP Camera both have OIS making it ideal for lowlight conditions and shooting great stabilized videos. It is one of the first phones to support 4k at 60fps and shoots full HD at 240fps.
iPhone always has been a great choice for content creators on a budget. With the array of professional apps and the hardware capacity of this phone, you can very much start getting creative the minute you get your hands on this device.
At first glance, the images looked outstanding to my eyes, but upon comparing it with the Samsung S9 what I found out was the whites have a yellow tone to it. And when shooting a yellow object it will boost up the color and turn it into orange. The dynamic range is commendable along with good contrast. I was very much satisfied with the image I took with this phone during the daytime as it would always look close to natural without any boost in saturation. When it comes to lowlight, the details are good but highlights are a bit off. But still, you won’t be disappointed with the results.
The 7MP front-facing true depth camera takes fine selfies with good lighting. Images from the front are also natural looking but at times it tends to saturate the brown skin tone to make it more orange.
The bokeh selfies were not accurate at first but over time it has gotten better at edge detection to get a proper depth of field effect.
Also, the animojis are fun to play with but it’s something I found myself using less over time. When comparing the animojis with the Samsung’s AR emojis, the Apple has done an excellent job tracking the facial expressions while the Samsung one just feels half-baked.
The Face ID is near to flawless. It has lower failure rate than Touch ID. It works great in bright sunlight, dark no light, with/without style accessories. I haven’t had any major issues in all these months and feel that the pros of Face ID outweigh the pros of Touch ID, although I would have preferred a Touch ID at the side or the back.
One cool Face ID feature that I liked was the ability to read lock screen notification only by the owner. So no one can peek into my notifications. Another important contributor to this new experience is the reliance on gesture to navigate. Even if it took me few hours to get used to it, it now feels like second nature to me. I do not miss the iconic home button. However, I believe that much more can be done with gestures to improve accessibility.
Performance wise the A11 Bionic is still the fastest chip on any smartphone. It is a hexacore chipset and all of them can run simultaneously. Among six cores, two high performance 2.39GHz Monsoon cores deliver 22% more power than the A10 fusion and the four low-powered Mistral cores are 75% faster compared to the earlier generation.
The chipset also houses the Apple’s first in-house GPU with 3 cores ditching the Power VR. It is 30% more powerful than its predecessor. It’s not just extra numbers that Apple is throwing at us, in the real-life performance one can feel the miles of difference in performance when using the iPhone X.
I do not feel any lag or issues when using performance heavy apps and games. Navigating the UI is as smooth as you can think on an iPhone. Also, with 3GB of RAM multitasking between loads of apps wasn’t an issue. Games load up in a jiffy and you can easily play the game in highest settings possible without breaking a sweat.
I consider myself a moderate user, and a full charge on its 2716 mAh battery gives me enough to last for the day and this includes apps, GPS, social media, music, camera and more. The iPhone X finally supports fast charging, that will charge the device up to 50% within 30 minutes. But you must buy a separate charging brick which is too expensive, especially in Nepal.
It is also worth mentioning that I had some moderate heating issues with the phone. Lack of optimization of different apps could be at play, but the good news is its fixed now.
CONCLUSION
When it comes to the most premium flagships in Nepal, you have the choice of either the Samsung S9 or the iPhone X. The iPhone X is the way to go if you are tied up with the ecosystem.
But if you are looking for the value of the price you pay then consider this – the S9 and the S9+ comes with 1-year breakage insurance which will give you a sound sleep making sure you are covered if you run into some mishaps with your phone. Also, I shouldn’t forget to mention that the iPhone X 64GB costs Rs. 40,000 more than the Galaxy S9+.
Turning to the iPhone X if you happen to break the screen then hear this! You have to pay Rs. 80,0000 to the Apple service center in return to get your phone replaced with a new one!
For me most of the core assets of S9 and iPhone X like the display, camera and feel are very similar and I’d definitely think twice before pouring in a huge chunk of cash just for the experience per se.
Huawei is one of the popular names in the smartphone industry. Huawei’s offerings, like the Nova 2i, Mate 10 pro, P 10 plus, have gathered much hype in recent days. In 2018, Huawei is back with another smartphone in the Y series, notable as the Huawei Y9 2018.
Huawei Y9 2018 Launch Date and Price in Nepal
Huawei Nova 2i was the first smartphone in Nepal with the Quad camera setup. The smartphone received a lot of love especially because of its photography potential. So with the success of the Nova 2i, Huawei Nepal officials are quite optimistic to get the similar success with the Huawei Y9 2018.
And they have finally launched the phone for Rs. 25,900. You can prebook the device from this link (link expired) and get Huawei Fitness Band A1 for free. The device is scheduled to be available from next week.
Huawei Y9 2018 Specifications & Features
In recent time, devices there are fewer devices that don’t flaunt 18:9 aspect ratio. This one is yet another smartphone doing the same. The Huawei Y9 seems inspired a lot by the Mate 10 Lite, for example, the cameras! The phone houses a 16+2 MP primary camera and 13+2 MP selfie shooter.
In the display department, you will see a 5.93 inch IPS LCD panel with 18:9 aspect ratio. The resolution it flaunts is Full-HD+, 1080×2160pixels. The device is backed by a 4,000 mAh non-removable battery which should provide excellent battery life. Interestingly, this one runs on Android Oreo out of the box which is definitely an upgrade over others.
Commanding the phone is the HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core processor paired with ARM Mali- T830 M2 GPU. Sadly, the memory department seems to be a little compromised with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.
Meanwhile, Huawei is also preparing for the launch of other smartphones in its P20 series, which may be Huawei P20, P20 Lite, and P20 Pro. These phones are scheduled to hit the market in April this year. With such devices in their lineup, Huawei is certainly going to entertain the likes of tech enthusiasts.
It hasn’t even been a week since OPPO F7 got released in China and now it is Meizu. Meizu E3 is officially launched now. The time where rumors have become a publicity tactic. Meizu E3 is no exception. There was much hype about the smartphone because of the leaks.
The Meizu E3 like most conventional smartphones of 2018, has 18:9 aspect ratio. It has 5.99-inch tall IPS LCD screen with a full HD+ resolution. On the rear side, it has antenna bands as of that in older iPhones. The dual cameras at back are vertically placed. The fingerprint sensor is side mounted. The phone has a unibody metal design.
The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 636 processor which the Redmi note 5 Pro sports as well. Redmi turns out to be a top performer on the mid-range segment. So, we can expect smooth processing from this phone as well. 6GB of RAM with 64GB of internal memory and 128GB of expandable memory make an appeal as well.
The Android Nougat 7.1.2 comes across as a bit outdated choice but then, an Oreo update would still make it steal the deal. The OS is heavily customized via with Flyme 7 launcher.
The primary rear camera has a 12MP resolution (Sony IMX362, f/1.9 aperture, 1.4micron pixel size) whereas the secondary one has a 20MP resolution (Sony IMX350, f/2.6). The selfie camera is of 8MP. The dual back cameras are also capable of taking portrait mode pictures, PDAF and DPAF. These also consist of dual-tone flash which makes the pictures with the flash appear better. 2.5X ‘loss-less’ zoom is also claimed.
It has 3,360mAh big battery, which is impressive. It apparently also has cold mCharge technology which offers 20W fast charging without letting the device heat up.
Price, Color Variant, Availability | Meizu E3
The color variants available for this smartphone are gold, black and blue. The 64GB variant costs approximately $284 whereas the 128GB variant costs $315 approximately.
They also have the limited edition Meizu E3 J-20 edition (6GB RAM + 128GB ROM) with zinc alloy chassis which is available for the price of $395 approximately.
All these models have been released only in China, not any international markets. CG Mobiles, the authorized distributor of Meizu smartphones in Nepal, is tight-lipped about launching the Meizu E3 in Nepal as of now.
The specifications have got us on this smartphone and for the price the phone is being offered, I feel the phone would definitely be worth a try. So, we hope CG Mobiles will soon launch it in Nepal. What do you think about the Meizu E3? What do you think should be the pricing of Meizu M3 in Nepal to compete against current midrange phones? Let us know in the comments down below.
Vivo has launched its latest midrange smartphone – the Vivo V9 in an event in India. The Vivo V9 is a successor of the Vivo V7 which was announced in Nepal when Vivo officially arrived in Nepal some 4 months ago.
[Update: Vivo Mobiles Nepal has launched Vivo V9 in Nepal for Rs. 37,790]
The Vivo V9 offers a good upgrade over its predecessor V7. It houses a taller 19:9 aspect ratio with 6.3-inch FullHD+ IPS display. The front looks like an iPhone X with a notch on the top side. The back houses an aluminum body.
In terms of performance, the Vivo V9 is powered by a 14nm Snapdragon 626 SoC (8 Cortex A53 cores running at 2.2Ghz). There’s 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. You can expand the storage via dedicated microSD card slot expandable up to 256GB.
The feature highlight of the Vivo V9 has to be its whopping 24MP front camera with AI beauty enhanced mode. On the back, there’s a dual camera setup of 16MP and 5MP, the latter lens for depth sensing.
All this is powered by a 3260mAh battery and Android 8.1 with fun touch OS 4.0 on top. In the connectivity front, the Vivo V9 has a dual SIM with 4G, Dual-band WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, micro-USB 2.0, and GPS.
Vivo V9 Full Specifications:
Display: 6.3-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display
Software: Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo)
CPU: 2.2GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626
GPU: Adreno 506
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD
SIM: Dual Dedicated SIM (nano + nano)
Rear Camera: Dual (16MP + 5MP) with LED flash
Front Camera: 24MP with soft LED flash
Security: Fingerprint sensor, Face Unlock
Dimensions: 154.81 x 75.03 x 7.89mm
Weight: 150g
Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
Battery: 3260mAh
Color Options: Pearl Black, Champagne Gold, Sapphire Blue
Vivo V9 Expected Launch Date and Price in Nepal
Vivo V9 is expected to launch in Nepal on 1st of April, 2018. The price is going to be very close to Indian pricing of INR 22,999 (approx. NRs. 36,999).
Xiaomi MI6, the flagship handset from Xiaomi for 2017 has recently received a huge price cut in Nepal. The smartphone is kept on the shelf of Daraz at the price 16% less than its previous price. And there is an additional discount of Rs. 2,000 on the use of Voucher code. With this price drop, the smartphone has become the most affordable flagship handset (of 2017) in the Nepali smartphone market.
Design wise, MI6 looks stunning with the curved glass panels both on the front and on the back. And all thanks to all glass body, the smartphone is splash resistant. The smartphone also has a stainless steel frame, which not only looks premium but also increases durability. Even with the metallic frame and glass panels on both sides, the smartphone weighs just 168 grams. So it does not feel hefty even when carried around.
The device comes with 5.15-inch IPS LCD panel, which favors the Full HD resolution. With the brightness of 600 nits, 94.4% NTSC color gamut, and 1500:1 contrast ratio, users could barely find an issue with the display. In addition, the smartphone has Gorilla Glass 4 on the top to shield the display from minor cracks and scratches.
Powering the device is the Snapdragon 835 chipset. This was the flagship chipset from the Qualcomm last year, which has incorporated 10nm manufacturing architecture. This powerful yet power efficient chipset is backed by 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
Talking about the camera, the smartphone is pretty dexterous with its dual camera setup on the back. The 12MP twin camera on the back is capable of taking some impressive shots. With the setup provided, Xiaomi MI6 also excels on capturing the images with 2x lossless zooming and some nifty portraits. On the front end, there is an 8MP selfie shooter, which comes with f/2.0 aperture.
On the software side, the smartphone comes with Android Nougat out of the box with Xiaomi’s home-baked MIUI 9 on the top. However, the smartphone is not getting the Oreo update. And in order to fuel the device, there is a 3,350 mAh battery underneath the back panel. The battery is fast charging compliant and supports Quick Charge 3.0.
Xiaomi MI6 Specifications:
Display: 5.15-inch Full HD IPS LCD display @428ppi with Gorilla Glass 4
CPU: Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
OS: Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top
RAM: 6 GB
GPU: Adreno 540
Storage: 64 GB
Rear Camera: Dual (12+12MP) lens with f/1.8 aperture and f/2.6 aperture, PDAF, dual-LED (dual tone) flash
Front Camera: 8 MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture
Additional Features: Splash resistant, stereo speakers, no 3.5mm headphone jack
Price: 54,999 Rs. 46,000 (Available for Rs. 44,000 using the Voucher code VOUMI6) on Daraz.com.np
Verdict
Vatsal Impex Pvt. Ltd. (authorized distributor of Xiaomi Products in Nepal) has always been notorious for keeping the price tag of the device. So the smartphone enthusiast and even the Xiaomi fans used to be disheartened to purchase their beloved products. However, with this price drop, the smartphone has been affordable more than ever. At the new price, the Xiaomi MI 6 has been even cheaper than the fan loved Oneplus 5, which has almost similar specifications. Since this offer continues only till the stock lasts, one should hurry if there are planning to own one.
Mid-range smartphones are quite popular in the Nepali market. And it was not much longer the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime tussled the crowd of mid-range smartphones and had been selling like hot cakes. Giving attention to the success achieved from the handset, Samsung has brought an upgraded version of the device. Dubbed as Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2 (also known as the Samsung Galaxy On 7 Prime in other countries), the newbie inherits the aesthetics and ergonomics of its predecessor with few upgrades in the internals.
Wrapped in a metallic body, Galaxy J7 Prime 2 looks sturdy and feels premium on the hold. Though the device looks sleek and seamless with this design, the design language is not unique in nature and there is nothing different as compared with the J7 Prime. The smartphone also comes with the 5.5-inch Full-HD display with 2.5D curved glass on the top. Despite doing great with the near bezel-less display in Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 plus and the mid-range Galaxy A8+ 2018, the Galaxy J7 Prime 2 still has generous bezels on the top and the bottom. Also, the device comes with the traditional 16:9 aspect ratio.
The Galaxy J7 Prime in its early days was quite popular because of the presence of the fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is intact in the Galaxy J7 Prime 2 and has been placed on the home button. Powering the J7 Prime 2 is the Exynos 7870 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM.
In terms of internal storage, the handset seems pretty rich with 64GB of onboard memory. In addition, the smartphone has a dedicated slot for the micro SD card if the user finds the need of an additional memory to store the data and information. Talking about the OS, J7 Prime 2 comes with Android Nougat (v7.1.1) out of the box with Experience UI on the top. On the software side, the smartphone is also enriched with some of the Bixby features.
Talking about the camera, we can see few noticeable upgrades in the Galaxy J7 Prime 2. The handset comes with the 13MP camera both on the front and on the back. Both the cameras have a wide aperture of f/1.9 and also inherit LED flashes for taking clear and sharp images even on low lights.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 2 (Samsung Galaxy On 7 Prime) Specifications
5.5-inch FHD PLS TFT display
1.6GHz Octa-Core Exynos 7870 processor
4GB RAM, 64GB Internal Storage, expandable (up to 256GB) via micro SD slot
Android 7.1.1 (Nougat)
Dual SIM (nano + nano) with 4G LTE
13MP rear camera, f/1.9 Aperture, LED flash
13MP front camera, f/1.9 Aperture, LED flash
Fingerprint Scanner (Front mounted)
3,300mAh non-removable battery
Latest Price: Rs. 26,400 [Last updated on: December 6, 2018]
Performance wise the A11 Bionic is still the fastest chip on any smartphone. It is a hexacore chipset and all of them can run simultaneously. Among six cores, two high performance 2.39GHz Monsoon cores deliver 22% more power than the A10 fusion and the four low-powered Mistral cores are 75% faster compared to the earlier generation.
