With the launch of Xiaomi latest midrange Redmi Note 5 Pro imminent in Nepal, clearing the remaining stock of Mi A1 has been the topmost priority for Vatsal Impex who is the sole authorized distributor of Mi Products in Nepal. To do so, they have just slashed the price of Mi A1 (32GB) variant. The Mi A1 (32GB) is now available for just Rs. 23,999 (previously priced at Rs. 26,999).
Well, that’s a good news for someone looking for an excellent phone on a budget. The Mi A1 still is one of the best budget phones as it comes with all the latest hardware and is by no means an outdated phone. The Mi A1 being an Android One device gets the latest stock Oreo 8.0 OS out of the box and will also get the recently announced Android 9.0.
The Mi A1, however, has a 5.5-inch 16:9 FHD display, when the latest trend is a bigger display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Yes, that’s by no means a deal breaker, but even Xiaomi’s own Redmi 5 Plus has got one and costs Rs. 22,499.
In terms of performance, the Mi A1 excels the competition by a huge margin. The Snapdragon 625 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM and stock UI ensures smooth performance and edges midrangers like Oppo F5 Youth, J7 Max, and Huawei Nova 2i.
The camera performance is, however, a mixed bag. The dual 12MP rear camera takes excellent portraits and daylight images but fails to effectuate during low light conditions. The 5MP front camera is also subpar for the price.
The 3080mAh battery is good enough to provide you a backup for a day. Overall, with the recent price drop, the Mi A1 is a perfect deal if you are on a tight budget.
Xiaomi MI A1 key specs
5.5 inches FHD IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection @401 PPI
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset
Octa-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 CPU
Adreno 506 GPU
Stock Android Nougat (v7.1.1); planned upgrade for Oreo (v8.0)
Dual-SIM
4 GB RAM
32 GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
Facebook and Warner Music Group have teamed up for what they call “add music to your moments and memories”. Facebook, on the 9th of March, announced a ‘holistic partnership with licensing agreement’ with WMG.
How does this partnership change the way we use Facebook?
Well, it is going to be a bit different than before but in a better way. Warner Music Group currently represents music stars like Madonna and Ed Sheeran and bands like Metallica and Linkin Park. Facebook is a guardian company to other social media apps like Instagram and Whatsapp and there is no doubt that the deal is something that will change our experiences.
Now that the agreement is made, users can use WMG’s music which includes audios from the artists and bands affiliated with the company. The videos that consist of Warner’s licensed music will not be taken down by Facebook.
The agreement not only includes Facebook but also Instagram and Oculus. We have heard well enough of Instagram but what’s Oculus?
Oculus is the Virtual Reality based sister company on Facebook. This means the virtual reality experience will also get some musical merit.
Social media has emerged out as the most prominent one among the forms of media. no other form of media is able to provide the exposure social media is able to provide. The number of daily users is also vast. There is also a chance for the new artists to shine and take one step forward to fame.
Ole Oberman, the chief digital manager for Warner’s said, “Our partnership withFacebook will help expand the universe of music streaming and create supplementary revenue for artists. Fan-created video is one of the most personal, social and often viral ways that music is enjoyed, but its commercial potential is largely untapped. This collaboration will lead to new possibilities for our artists while enhancing the user experience across Facebook, Instagram and Oculus, and enabling people to communicate and express themselves using the music they love.”
This agreement will pay royalties as per the popularity of the musician’s creations. Fair enough right? Facebook and the musicians both will be deriving profits from the agreement. Us users also benefit from the agreement, of course.
As per the information going around, Facebook is shifting its focus from news to entertainment in order to avoid controversies and to engage more users.
This is not the first time that Facebook has made such an agreement but this definitely seems like a win-win situation for all the parties involved.
We will not be surprised if the tech community declares 2018 a ‘notch’ year. After all, it is what comes to our notice these days when a manufacturer releases a new smartphone. But, it seems like that’s all we will get this year, be it a flagship or a budget device.
Now, OPPO also looks geared up to join the ‘notch’ league and continues the legacy. First, it was the leak of the R15 and now the teaser for OPPO F7 selfie camera hints to it.
Oppo India confirmed the F7 by tweeting, “Make way for the all-new #OPPOF7 now with an awesome notch screen. Can you guess who the Indian cricketer is behind the phone?” The notch might have dragged a few people away, but it is here to stay.
Oppo India has also started sending media invites for the launch of Oppo F7 which is scheduled for March 26. The company has stated that the phone will offer the best selfie AI camera. The event will also be launched by 3 crickets rumored to be Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Ravichandran Ashwin.
The Oppo F7 is already being touted as a “selfie expert” with rumors stating it will house a whopping 25-megapixel selfie camera. For all the selfie lovers right there, this is definitely an exciting news. The enhanced beauty mode has always been an integral part of any OPPO smartphone, and the F7 will be no different. Likewise, real-time HDR and AR stickers are some other features the camera could be consisting of.
There is no concrete news regarding the rear camera setup of the device, but we can expect a dual rear camera and a fingerprint sensor right underneath as it is with most of the smartphones this year.
Other than that, we can also expect a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display and a 19:9 aspect ratio screen with a notch. If we are to go by R15 as a reference, the OPPO F7 will be powered by either Snapdragon 670 chipset or a MediaTek Helio P60.
Let us wait till OPPO teases us with some other information of the OPPO F7 ‘selfie-expert’. The 25 MP selfie camera does excite us but the notch? But OPPO is indeed stating it as an ‘awesome notch screen’.
After only a short time of its international launch at MWC 2018, Samsung has introduced the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ at an event here in Nepal. The introduction follows the devices’ India release, which happened only a few days ago.
[Samsung Galaxy S9+ Latest Price: Rs. 87,900 (64GB) | Rs. 92,900 (128GB)] [Last updated on July 24, 2019]
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are the flagship devices of the Korean giant for the first half of 2018. The smartphones share its similarities with their predecessors – the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus but differ in various departments.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Specifications
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are more smooth and sleek as ever with a glass back and a top-notch display sandwiching an aluminum frame. One of the main changes on the devices is the fingerprint scanner which is now placed right below the camera setup.
And the major change is the camera itself as the Samsung Galaxy S9+ has become the first member of the S-series to house dual cameras at the back. On top of that, one of the lenses has an adjustable aperture (f/1.5 or f/2.4), which is why Samsung is cashing so much on the cameras of the device.
While the Galaxy S8 and S8+ didn’t really have much of a difference, the S9 and S9+ differ in a couple of areas, one of them is the camera department and the other in terms of the battery as the S9 comes with a 3,000 mAh battery and the S9+ has a 3,500 mAh battery.
Likewise, there have also been a few changes in the display front as the bezels have shrunken, providing a much better “Infinity experience” to the users. The Galaxy S9 is 5.8-inch tall whereas the plus variant has a 6.2-inch display. Both the displays are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and have a Super AMOLED panel.
The new flagships from Samsung pack the company’s very own new-and-improved Exynos 9810 chipset which is supported by 4 GB of RAM in the normal variant and 6 GB of RAM in the plus variant.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ include the new Intelligent Scan feature which has combined the Iris Scanner and facial recognition to provide a better security option. There are also other features like AR Emoji – Samsung’s answer to Apple’s Animoji, Stereo Speakers that are tuned with AKG, and an improved Bixby Assistant 2.0.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ Price in Nepal and Availability
[Samsung Galaxy S9+ Latest Price: Rs. 87,900 (64GB) | Rs. 92,900 (128GB)] [Last updated on July 24, 2019]
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are priced competitively compared to the international market. The MRP of the devices has been set at Rs. 92,900 and Rs. 104,900, respectively. However, Samsung Nepal is providing an instant cashback offer of Rs. 5,000 on both the devices, which simply means that the smartphones will be available for Rs. 87,900 and Rs. 99,900.
For pre-bookers, there is even a better deal. You get Rs. 5000 discount coupon (to be used on any Samsung devices or accessories purchase) or you can get a Wireless Charger for free.
On each purchase of the devices, buyers will also receive the following benefits:
Breakage insurance for a year from Sikhar Insurance.
12000 MB free data with 1000 MB data for 12 weeks of activating the Ncell SIM card available when buying the smartphone.
According to Samsung Nepal, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+are now available for pre-booking via s9prebooking.com and the smartphones can be bought from the offline channel starting March 23, 2018. One lucky winner among the pre-bookers will get a chance to win a free trip to a country of their choice as long as it is in Turkish Airlines’ domain. Two pre-bookers will win two nights free stay at either Himalayan Front Resort or Water Front Resort while two will receive the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro for free.
Vivo V9 is creating a buzz in the smartphone market these days. The Chinese smartphone brand had scheduled to launch its upcoming handset in India on 27th March. However, ahead of the launch, the anticipated device leaked in images revealing the design language used and some of the features packed inside.
The upcoming Vivo V9 is the successor of the Vivo V7, which was launched last year. And as suggested by the leaked images, the newbie will be following the design of its predecessor. Looking at the images, it can be seen that the smartphone looks seamless with a near bezel-less display. Alike its predecessor, the Vivo V9 will get along with the 18:9 aspect ratio. However, one major change in the V9’s design would be the notch on the top. These days, smartphone makers seem to be quite obsessed with the notch on the top like the iPhone X. And Vivo V9 chose to follow the bandwagon.
Furthermore, the rear camera on the device gives the glimpse of the iPhone X. The vertically aligned dual cameras at the back have a close resemblance. But despite being so impressed with the iPhone X design, the handset has not quite obliterated the 3.5mm headphone jack. There is still a port for the 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom, which lies meticulously on the left of the Micro-USB charging port. For the audio output, the device has placed the mono speaker grill, which also lies on the bottom.
Another leaked image shows that the device has a slot for the two SIM cards. There is also an SDcard slot for the memory expansion but it takes the SIM2 slot. Talking about the OS, Vivo V9 will have Android Oreo on its system with an extra flavor from the company’s home-baked FunTouch OS on the top. And keeping the track of the rumors, there are speculations that the smartphone will come with the Snapdragon 660 chipset paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM.
Vivo being the selfie-centric smartphone, it often comes with the catchy taglines like the Moonlight selfies, Clearer selfies, etc. This time too, with 24MP selfie camera, Vivo V9’s intentions can be predicted. If the rumors and leaked images come true, it might pose a threat to the other selfie-centric smartphones like the Oppo F5.
Update: Vivo has listed the company’s upcoming smartphone on its Indian website which contradicts some of the rumors that were flying around on the internet.
According to the listing on Vivo’s website, the Vivo V9 will sport a 6.3-inch AMOLED display that might will have a 19:9 aspect ratio. This device will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset, which is surprising, as most rumors had hinted towards Snapdragon 660 chipset. In terms of storage, the device will have 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory which can expand up to 256 GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.
The Vivo V9 will feature a vertical camera setup with dual camera lenses (16-megapixel and 5-megapixel). It will run on Android v8.1 Oreo out of the box which the listing confirms. This OS will be the basis for Vivo’s own Funtouch OS 4.0.
Vivo V9 Specifications
Near bezel-less display, 19:9 aspect ratio, notch on the top
Dual camera at the back
24MP selfie camera
16 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras
Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset
4GB of RAM
Fingerprint sensor on the back
Dual SIM cards; SD card uses SIM2 slot
Android Oreo with FunTouch OS on the top
5mm headphone jack and Micro USB 2.0 port on the bottom
On today’s date, the world market is flooded by Chinese smartphones. Countless brands like Huawei, Gionee, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc have established their presence around the globe. Among the others, India has been one of the latest evidence of the Chinese smartphone brand’s upsurge.
Chinese smartphone companies like Oppo and Vivo have strong offline strategies to market and sell their products in India. They aggressively spent marketing through offline channels, mainly retailers to reach and communicate their product offerings to people.
However, these companies have decided to adopt a different strategy from now on. Following what Xiaomi did, Oppo and Vivo have also decided to cut their offline marketing practices to a certain extent and move on to online selling. These companies are now trying to generate revenue rather than reaching more and more places within India.
Both companies are taking hard measures to increase their revenue and in doing so, they have cut margins for the retailers by around 40%, which has cost them a loss of 10,000 sales outlets each. According to reports, both companies had around 70,000 outlets throughout India and slashing the retailers’ margins have led to a steep fall in the number of stores selling their products.
The strategy, according to officials of both the companies is that they want to focus on selling their offerings through fewer effective outlets where they can enjoy good presence and visibility. At the same time, these companies are opting for online sales in Vivo launching its own online store in India, making a way for e-commerce for itself.
“Regarding Vivo’s trade channel strategy, we have redeployed our distribution strategy with a focus on providing varies choices and experience for customers,” said a spokesperson form Vivo regarding the matter.
This looks like a similar move inspired by Xiaomi that has managed to take over the raining Samsung market in India.
Hard actions as such have led Oppo to move out from the top 5 rankings. The market share of the company in India is 4% currently which one year ago was 9%. Similarly, the market share of Vivo has decreased to 7%.
Well, the move may be a hit or a fall for the companies. But if we take the reference of a similar strategy by Xiaomi, it went quite well. We will have to wait to see what happens next!
OnePlus has always been one of the smartphone manufacturers that comes up with a top-notch functioning smartphone. It is not the first time that a Chinese company has surprised us with their smartphones. Right from Oneplus one the company has kept the customers on the hook.
Its recent release OnePlus 5T, which was released at the end of November last year is still holding strong to the market. the OnePlus smartphones have always given us a reason to keep our hopes high on the smooth functioning of the phone. Near-stock Android has always been a magnetic force for the ones who desire smooth functioning.
As per the rumors, we are not very far from yet another release from OnePlus. The smartphone is codenamed ‘A6000’. The A6000 might be officially named OnePlus 6 looking at its trend of naming the smartphones.
This flagship from the Chinese manufacturer OnePlus is rumored to be priced around £500. As to how the new OnePlus 6 might look, we can take a hint from the Oppo R15 as it is the guardian company for OnePlus. The phone will be having a dual rear camera. Horizontal or vertical? Not yet decided as different rumors have it different.
Well, ready for some tragic nostalgia? The OnePlus 6 will probably sport a notch as the iPhone X and Essential PH-1 phone does. Hope, this rumor doesn’t turn into a reality. Apart from that, it is also said that the smartphone would possess near bezel-less display with 19:9 aspect ratio. That might make it one of the smartphones with the biggest screen for 2018.
The fingerprint sensor will be placed at the back as it has recently moved it from the front in its OnePlus 5T.
It is said to feature a Snapdragon 845 chipset. We can expect some fast functioning of the smartphone. Not just going by the version of the chipset but AnTuTu score of 276,510 speaks for itself.
On the screen part, it will probably shift from Full HD to a Quad-HD with its new release. At least that’s what we expect.
That’s all we have of the ‘OnePlus 6’ as of now. The smartphone will probably release in the second quarter of this year. Only then, we’ll be confirmed of the specs. Until then, rumors are the only source which, we know can’t be trusted as much. MOSTLY.
OnePlus 6 Specifications (rumored):
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Display: 5.7-6.0 inch Optic AMOLED panel with near bezel-less display and a notch on the top
Resolution: Quad-HD+ (3040 x 1440 pixels), 19:9 aspect ratio
While we all have been waiting for the Android Oreo update on our smartphones, Google has released the first developer preview of Android P. We don’t know what P stands for but there’s plenty of time to dwell on that with the official launch scheduled on Q3 of 2018.
As this is the first Developer Preview, it is in Alpha stage and few more version updates will be published in the future.
Quick settings and Notification Bar
One of the big changes seen on Android P is the revamped quick settings menu. The icons are big and the blue colored indication of settings turned ON looks playful. The icons are clearly visible and better identifiable. Android seems to have done this to make the UI more user-friendly making it easier for the new users to cope up with Android. The quick setting tiles are now vertically scrollable instead of horizontal pagination. And applying dark wallpaper will convert the quick settings background to dark but it doesn’t affect the settings menu.
Also when you get a new text message, the notification bar will show the image of the sender. When pictures are sent in instant messaging, full picture preview is available on the notification bar if the app is optimized to do so. Not to forget smart replies are now built in. Every time you get a message notification, your notification bar will show options for pre-calculated replies. This feature was first featured in Google Allo messaging app.
Power Button
Long press on the power button will not only give power and restart options but there’s a new addition to the menu, the option for the screenshot. Along with the screenshot button, Android P has introduced the Markup editor which lets the user edit screenshots by letting them draw and add texts to it. If you want to try the new Markup Editor, here’s an apk you can install.
Download Android P Markup Editor
Volume Controls
Image: Droid Life
The big and most welcome change in the preview is the new volume controls. They are now on the right-hand side placed vertically so you can easily control it using a single hand. You can also choose between the volume of different media. There’s a separate icon below the volume control to put your phone to the ringer, vibrate or silent.
Notch Support
As we have seen in MWC 2018 a lot of Android smartphones have adopted the notch like the iPhone X. It’s not the kind of trend that we consumers want to see. But nonetheless, they have been hugely implemented and the new Android P build is ready for the awful notches. There are three options for coping the app with various cutouts namely:
Narrow Display Cutouts
Tall Display Cutout
Wide Display Cutout
Also, the quick settings color we mentioned earlier turns to green when the notch is activated. The clock now resides on the right-hand side because of the notch.
Settings Menu
The Setting Menu has got a facelift. Instead of the dull grey and white colors – now the settings menu is full of playful colors. It certainly provides more material design vibes to it. But once you go a step deeper into the menu the same black and white menu prevails.
Multi-Camera API
With the Multi-Camera API, third-party developers will be able to properly use the dual cameras that have been popularly popping up in Android devices. With this addition, apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and other messaging apps will be able to use the features like seamless zoom, bokeh, and stereo vision. Also, there are under the hood changes for optimization.
Better Neural Network Support
Neural Network API was introduced in Android 8.1 Oreo. With the increasing use of Machine Learning on apps and system itself, the new API will accelerate the Machine Learning and enhance Artificial Intelligence related tasks.
Power efficiency
Doze mode was first introduced with the launch of Marshmallow. It has helped greatly in improving the battery and with the new update has added more improvements on the doze mode. Android P has refined Doze mode, App standby, and background limits.
Indoor positioning with Wi-Fi RTT
Android P has added support for the IEEE 802.11mc WiFi protocol also known as WiFi Round-Trip-Time (RTT). With the new addition, it enables indoor navigation.
Google mentions: “With this accuracy, you can build new experiences like in-building navigation, fine-grained location-based services such as disambiguated voice control (for example, “Turn on this light”), and location-based information (such as “Are there special offers for this product?”).”
There are a lot more improvements under the hood than that meets the eyes. Mostly Developer Previews – as the name suggests- is targeted towards developers to ready their app for the next version of Android so there are no support issues with apps when the new version is launched.
Smartphone manufacturers have been taking the camera aspects seriously in their flagship handsets these days. Every new smartphone comes with the better and much-polished capabilities to dethrone the best camera smartphone existing prior to it. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plussurpassing the DxOmark benchmark set by the Google Pixel 2 is just an example. And Huawei P20 is one of the upcoming smartphones expected to topple those records. The smartphone had been heavily rumored to possess triple cameras at the back. And remarking the rumors as true, Huawei dropped a teaser on its Twitter handle hinting a horizontal configuration of the triple cameras at the back. This step has definitely fueled the excitation but has also astonished the fan base, who were tuning to the rumors and expecting a vertical setup of the cameras.
The thirteen-second video teaser starts with the outline of the DSLR and that converts to a thin and sleek smartphone with three cameras embedded at its back. From the clip, we can guess that smartphone is coming with something remarkably big on the optics side of the smartphone. The smartphone giant has also hinted at the inclusion of Artificial Inclusion (AI) in its camera, which has been a buzzword lately. The teaser is hinting that with the camera setup and the technology use, the Huawei P20 is replacing the DSLR, the mainstream device for the professional and superior photography. But how? It is also a mystery to the many.
The thirteen-second teaser fails to give a clear idea about the camera. However, after watching the short clip, one can confidently acknowledge its horizontal placement. Despite the veiled details, we can guess that the smartphone will make use of the Leica optics. Since the beginning of dual camera smartphones bandwagon, Huawei has been adopting the Leica Optics in its flagship handsets. Previously, Huawei was quite obsessed with the setup including Monochrome and RGB sensors. But with the inclusion of triple cameras at the back, even the tech community is finding it hard to crack the riddle of the types of lenses and sensors used in this smartphone.
Official Launch of the Huawei P20
Huawei has scheduled to unveil the device officially, disclosing all of its features on March 27, 2018. Till then just obliged to wait. Hope the anticipation pays off with a number of innovative and praiseworthy features in the handset.
Samsung unveiled a whole lineup of its QLED TVs for 2018 yesterday. The devices follow the release of The Wall and the Q9S – Samsung’s headline-making TVs at CES 2018. The new lineup of QLED TVs includes the Q6F, Q7F, Q7C (C standing for the curved body), Q8F and Q9F. QLED is derived from Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diode that has quantum dots which can produce different colors depending on the size of the dots that are used. This basically makes the pictures or videos come off with more vibrancy and brightness.
These new QLED TVs from Samsung will now go up against the OLED TVs which have been customers’ pick for some time now. This is partly due to the lack of proper and deep black levels, and the quality of the display while viewing the TVs from the sides in last year’s QLED TVs from Samsung. However, the company has apparently learned from its mistakes and has made the new TVs better, if the voice of other reviewers is considered. Digital Trends writes, “It is starkly apparent Samsung has cracked a code no other TV manufacturer has managed to decipher.”
All TVs have a wide range of sizes as the Q6 comes in a 49-inch to a huge 82-inch of body. Likewise, the Q7F has 55-, 65- and 75-inch screen whereas the Q7C offers 55- and 65-inch displays. Finally, the Q8F has 55-, 65- and 75-inch displays while the flagship TV, the Q9F, comes with 65- and 75-inch display variant.
Here’s the starting price of all the TVs:
Q9F
$3,800
Q8F
$3,000
Q7F
$2,600
Q7C
$2,600
Q6F
$2,200
The best features of these TVs are probably the Ambient Mode that literally makes the TVs “disappears” and the inclusion of Bixby for a voice-controlled device. The Ambient Mode of the TVs can identify the color and texture of the wall it is mounted on and form a picture that looks identical to the background. Likewise, Samsung has included Bixby on the TVs through which you can voice-control what you want the TV to do and also control other devices that are connected inside your house, all-in-all making it the centerpiece of your home. Samsung also confirmed that ‘The Wall’ TV will be available for purchase starting August.
