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Red Color Variant of Oppo F5 launched in Nepal

GadgetByte

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December 11, 2017

Red Color Variant of Oppo F5 launched in Nepal

Oppo F5 launched in Nepal nearly a monthly ago. Since then the smartphone was available in the retail stores. However, the Oppo F5 accessible at the retail stores was in the 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM format. With a view of increasing the memory to store more of your data and to provide assists for the multitasking, Oppo had later brought another variant in Nepal, which came with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. That variant, however, was available only in the Black color.

Now targeting the choosy customers, who prioritize smartphone’s color while buying a smartphone, Oppo has launched yet another variant of the Oppo F5. Amid the journalists and tech bloggers, Oppo took the wraps off of the Red Oppo F5 at Radisson Hotel Kathmandu. The new variant possesses 6GB of RAM coupled with 64GB of onboard storage and no new features except the color. The new Oppo F5 carries a price tag of Rs. 44,990, which is Rs. 11,000 more than the already existing 4GB/32GB variant.

Also Read: Oppo F5 launched in Nepal: Hands-on with the device gave a surprising result

Bragging about the AI-powered selfie-camera, Oppo F5 had been in the Nepali market. The smartphone was tagged with the price of Rs. 33,990 for the 4GB RAM + 32GB ROM variant. On the launch ceremony, the Oppo F5 officials discussed the possibility of the launch of 6GB/64GB variant. On the ceremony, the price mentioned for the premium variant was Rs. 36,990. However, contrary to what was promised, the pricing has been kept aggressively.

Also Read: OPPO Mobiles Price in Nepal (Updated)

For the price of the base variants, other smartphone brands are already providing 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Xiaomi MI A1, Huawei Nova 2i, HTC Desire 10 Pro, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, etc. can be taken be taken for an instant. If OnePlus 3 is taken into account, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage is readily available for what Oppo F5 is charging for its base variant. So paying the price what Oppo F5 is demanding is evidently stupid.

Also Read: Top 10 Smartphones Under Rs. 40,000 in Nepal

You can get smartphones that provide superseding specs at the similar price tag. And as the matter of fact, the AI-powered selfie camera is just a gimmick here. The smartphone obliterates the facial details in the name of beautification. Furthermore, the smartphone is quite far off being the best camera smartphone at the price it demands since it lacks the Image Stabilization technology and 4K video recording. In addition, the performance of the camera is inconsistent, which is disappointing at times.

We will cover more on the Oppo F5 in our review, which is coming soon on our YouTube channel. So please subscribe to our YouTube channel, like our Facebook Page and follow us on Instagram if you have not done it already.

Oppo F5 Key Specs

Display: 6.0 inches LTPS IPS LCD
Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, 402PPI pixel density
OS: Android Nougat (v7.1.1) with ColorOS 3.2 UI on the top
Chipset: MediaTek MT6763T Helio P23
GPU: Mali-G71 MP2
RAM: 4GB/6GB RAM
Storage: 32GB/64GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB (dedicated slot for microSD card)
Rear Camera: 16MP, f/1.8, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.0, 1/2.8-inch sensor
Connectivity: Dual SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, USB-OTG, 3G, 4G LTE
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear mounted), accelerometer, proximity, compass
Battery: 3200mAh (non-removable)
Colors: Black, Gold, Red (6GB variant only)
Oppo F5 Price in Nepal: Rs. 33,990 (4GB/32GB)
Oppo F5 Price in Nepal: Rs. 44,990 (6GB/64GB/Red color)

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Review: Wallet-Friendly

GadgetByte

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December 11, 2017

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Review: Wallet-Friendly

Vatsal Impex, the sole authorized distributor of Xiaomi mobiles in Nepal, has brought in yet another affordable mid-range smartphone in the Nepali smartphone market – Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A. I used the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A as my daily driver for the past few days and now, I would like to walk you through the highs and lows of my experience with the device.

First, let us take a look at its key specifications:

Display: 5.5-inch HD IPS display @ 267ppi with Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
CPU: Quad-core (4 x 1.4 GHz Cortex A53)
GPU: Adreno 308
RAM: 2GB
Internal storage: 16GB, expandable up to 128GB via microSD (Dedicated slot)
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat with MIUI 8.5
Rear camera: 13MP with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF and LED Flash, 1080p video recording
Front-facing camera: 5MP with f/2.0 aperture
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, proximity, compass
Connectivity: Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS
Battery: 3080mAh Non-removable battery
Latest Price: Rs.14,999 [Last Updated on December 6, 2018]

Build and Design:

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A is completely made up of plastic and comes with a fine finishing with metallic spray paint on top. The design of the phone on the front face is very typical and there isn’t anything particularly special about it. The back of the phone is very smooth and the phone itself is very sleek and has a compact build.

There are top and bottom chrome accents at the back which actually make the design look better somehow. Even though I personally liked the build and the design, it sure does not show any upgrades compared to the past releases from Xiaomi.

Display:

The Redmi Note 5A has a 5.5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) display with the protection offered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone offers a lot of settings in terms of changing the display color temperature and contrast. The auto-brightness feature also works very smoothly. Even if this resolution on a 5.5-inch screen might raise a few eyebrows, the display isn’t that bad. The colors appear vibrant and sharp.

There is also a “reading mode” in the display settings that can be scheduled to fit according to the users’ requirement. This is the feature that I personally liked very much as I could comfortably use the phone after sundown without having to download another app for adjustable viewings.

Performance:

The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor (64 bit Cortex A53 @1.4Ghz) and comes with 2 GB RAM. With an expandable internal storage of 16 GB, the phone delivers a good performance, if not commendable. On running multiple apps and games simultaneously, the phone did not stop me with message pop-ups. Lighter games ran smoothly, offering a great user experience. Apps also ran smoothly without any trouble. Hence, the overall performance was really snappy and smooth.

During my time with the phone, I tried running multiple apps at the same time and tested if the phone could really withstand the load. I must tell you that the phone didn’t disappoint me. Playing heavy games on the phone was never a hassle as they didn’t lag and the phone also didn’t heat up much on use. Smooth performance and lack of heating issue, made my experience with the phone really noteworthy.

Antutu Score: 36290
Geekbench Score: Single Core: 678 | Multi Core: 1855
Basemark OS: 773

Software:

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and comes with MIUI 8.5 on top. The whole UI experience was really smooth and I enjoyed toggling between the apps and testing the many inbuilt software on the phone. The phone was also very responsive to touches and was pretty snappy at all times. So I personally do not have any complaints regarding its software and performance.

Moreover, Xiaomi should also roll out the MIUI 9 in coming days which will improve the software experience.

Hardware:

The power and volume buttons have been placed at the right side of the phone and are also easily accessible.

The Note 5A comes with a Micro-USB charging port at the bottom alongside the speaker which produced decent sound even at the largest volume settings.

There is a 3.5 mm headphone jack placed at the top of the phone and an IR blaster which lets your smartphone act as a remote for your electronic devices. So with this Xiaomi device, your smartphone becomes more than just what it is.

The capacitive buttons are placed at the chin of the phone. But they are not back-lit so I had to struggle a bit during the night time usage. There is microSD card slot along with a dedicated dual nano-SIM tray on the left side of the phone.

Connectivity:

As the phone is 4G enabled, the network capacity that it offered was undoubtedly top-notch. The phone also comes with all the necessary sensors like accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyro sensor and compass.

However, there is no fingerprint scanner here, which might make it a bit tricky for the smartphone to create a mark for itself for the budget.

Camera:

The phone houses a 13MP camera on the back which captured details finely and also had a good shutter speed. The pictures appeared a bit washed out but looked proper on decent lighting. Another thing that I noticed here was that the sensor was pretty quick to focus as well.

The HDR option available here helped to enhance the color vibrancy and structure of the images sharply. There are also in-built filters available here and switching between these picture modes was a fun experience. Low light photography as expected at this price range is below par.

Up front, there is a 5MP camera and the selfies taken were decent at best. Better selfie camera phones (Huawei Y7 and Colors P85+ Selfie Pro) can be found at this price range

Battery:

Speaking of the battery back up, the phone comes with a 3080 mAh nonremovable battery that lasted me for well over a day on normal usage and did not let me down. The in-built battery saver mode allowed me to prolong the battery life for more than a few hours before I finally connected the charger to the device.

Even though the device is said to support Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 technology, the phone comes with a regular charger. Hence, it took me a little over 2 hours to completely charge the phone.

Verdict:

As the final verdict for my experience with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A, I must say that the phone is decent in terms of the design, build, software experience and performance. You also get a bigger 5.5-inch display compared to previous iterations from Xiaomi like Redmi 4X and Redmi 4A which had a 5-inch display.

Pros: What I liked about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A

The sleek build.
The UI experience.
The sharp display and the detailed display settings.

Cons: What could have been better in the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A

The camera performance
A fingerprint scanner

What is your say on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A? Let us know in the comments below!

Dell Inspiron 7567 Review: Best Budget Gaming Laptop?

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December 10, 2017

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Dell Inspiron 7567 Review: Best Budget Gaming Laptop?

The Dell Inspiron 7567 is a well-built performance oriented gaming laptop on a budget. The fact that it has a good battery life is just a bonus. We know that the 7567 is an older model with 7577 already available in other countries. But considering the high initial price tag and especially the availability of the devices itself, now would be a good time to consider this one.

You can either get the i5 1050 variant for under 1k or the i7 1050Ti with an SSD for 130k. And with those price tags, it’s hard not to consider this laptop. So here is how “the best laptop to buy for 130k” stacks up among the others.

Build

This is a well-built laptop. It is all plastic but you can just see the work Dell put into it. It’s really heavy at 2.7Kgs but the thickness is well maintained under 1 inch. There is very less flex in both screen and chassis, and the laptop itself feels well built.

The laptop has a 15″ screen but holds the footprint of a 17″ laptop. So keep that in mind while buying the accessories for it. The laptop has two huge vents at the back that look cool. The bottom of the laptop also has two vents for air intake as well.

At the front, there are what looks like a speaker, and it is, but just the far left and far right sides. There is also a subwoofer at the bottom. This laptop has exceptional speaker quality, to be honest. There isn’t much to complain about the build of the laptop. It could have been a little lighter but for gaming laptops, it’s already a little too thin.

Display

The display is one of the places where Dell did compromise. Releasing the laptop with a mediocre TN panel which just seemed faded with very bad color reproductions, even worst viewing angles and an overwhelming brightness level.

Later on, Dell did release the IPS panel, the one that we reviewed. It has a wider viewing angle and a slightly better color coverage. Both are equally bad for color intensive work like photoshop or premiere pro with the display only capable of covering 60% of SRGB and 40% of Adobe RGB colors. But recommend you get the IPS panel if possible.

The display we reviewed had a resolution of 1920*1080, with a 4K option available as well. Although if you plan to buy this for gaming, and you most probably will, the 4K option might not be the perfect fit. The refresh rate is also capped at 60Hz, not that 120Hz was going to be a big improvement for the graphics power.

Performance

The specs on this laptop are excellent. You can buy it in either an i5 or an i7 quad-core 45W processor. The one that we used has a core i7-7700HQ processor which goes up to 3.8GHz, which is perfect for processor-intensive tasks. It is also one of the best processors you can find on a laptop.

The laptop came with a single channel 16GB of DDR4 RAM at 2400MHz. You do get an empty RAM slot so you can upgrade it to a total of 32GB, which is nice. Although 32GB of RAM will be an overkill for gaming anyway.

Gaming Performance

You can opt for either a GTX 1050 or a GTX 1050Ti, our review unit came with a GTX 1050Ti. Although the GTX 1050 will be enough for most, the extra money you will be paying for the Ti variant is worth it.

Dell 7567 with GTX 1050Ti

The 1050Ti is a really capable card that can handle Triple-A titles. Most games will easily cross the 60fps barrier with ease either at high or medium settings. The only exception that I found was PUBG, where 60fps was by far unreachable even with all the setting turned to “very low”. Although this is definitely the game developers fault who have yet to start optimizing the game.

Thermals

Thermals on a gaming laptop are really important, and this laptop does a good job of keeping itself cool under load. The two fans are really aggressive, kicking in even before the programs have started to load. The laptop does heat up somewhere around the “GHJ” area of the keyboard, but the rests stay surprisingly cool, even after about two hours of continuous gaming.

Storage

This laptop can fit both an M.2 SSD and a 2.5-inch HDD. Mine came with a 128GB SSD and a 1TB hard disk. The SSD is where Dell did compromise a little, with reading and write speed of around 400 and 200mbps, which isn’t bad but in terms of SSD speeds, it’s one of the slowest.

You OS will run without any glitches and if you are coming from a hard disk-based laptop, this SSD will feel immensely fast. Apps like photoshops will load within 6-8 seconds and the boot time is somewhere around 8 seconds. Then there is the regular 2.5-inch 5200RPM hard disk with a 1TB storage.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The keyboard is fine for gaming and typing, but I did hope for more key travel. The keys have a mushy feeling for some reason, but most won’t even notice it. The keyboard does have a red backlit to them. The touchpad uses windows precision drivers which makes up for the cheap build. It is also not very accurate, but it does the job.

Connectivity

Dell did compromise on the connectivity side of the laptop. The dual ban AC WiFi caps out at around 70mbps, so you will be better off with the Gigabit LAN. Especially while gaming, the LAN does a very good job compared to the latency filled wifi experience. Not that the wifi is bad, it’s actually better than most of the laptops out there. It’s just not a perfect fit for downloading and gaming.

At the left, there is a card reader, a USB 3.0 and a charging port. On the right, there is an audio jack, two USB 3.0, HDMI and an Ethernet port. The laptop did miss out on a USB C port, but then again you can’t have everything.

Battery Life

Gaming laptops are known for their bad battery life. But this laptop is one exception to that theory. Thanks to the huge 74Wh battery, Nvidia Optimus and a fairly low power consuming processor, the battery life is pretty good. You can get over 6 hours of regular usage and around 2 hours in gaming.

So for 130k, you get an i7 7700HQ processor with single channel 16GB of RAM, 128GB SSD and 1TB of HDD, GTX 1050Ti, and an IPS 1080p panel. You can also get one for under 1 lakh, but that will pull you down to an i5, GTX 1050 and a 1TB mechanical hard drive without an SSD.

Dell Inspiron 7567 Pros:

Well-built body
Doesn’t heat up much under load
Performance is one of the best at this price point.

Dell Inspiron 7567 Cons:

The trackpad could have been better along with the wifi
They could have drastically improved the display

Alternatives

I can think of very few alternatives to this laptop. The HP Omen and Asus ROG GL553VD fall under the same price category but with GTX 1050 inside, so it’s probably not worth it. If you want to pay a little over 15k you do get the Acer Predator Helios 300 and the MSI GE62 6VR with the GTX 1060. But if your budget is around the 130k price range, you cannot go wrong with this laptop for gaming.

The Most Popular Mobile Games Downloaded Over the Years

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December 10, 2017

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The Most Popular Mobile Games Downloaded Over the Years

Android phones are seriously popular, you are probably using one as well. With a sizable lead over their competitors and one of the biggest app stores (Google Play store)which houses almost 4 million apps, let’s look at ten of the most popular games on this platform.

Temple Run

The Game that started almost all the Temple run copycats. This has been one of the most iconic games, with downloads reaching half a billion (live every other game on this list). This game also paved a hefty way for its younger brother, the Temple Run 2.
AndroidTemple Run AndroidTemple Run 2 IOSTemple Run IOSTemple Run 2

Angry Birds Franchise

Who knew throwing birds at pigs would be a fun game. Paving way for so many action figures and even a movie. With so many to choose from, this has been one of the most iconic games of the era.
AndroidAngry Bird Franchise IOSAngry Birds 2

Clash Royal and Clash of Clans

Clash of Clans was one of the most popular games, in its times. Although the popularity has shrunken with time, nobody can forget the success it achieved at it’s prime. Also following the success of clash of clans and its beloved characters was Clash Royals. Developed by the same developers, Clash Royal also embarked on the same footsteps as Clash Of Clans.
AndroidClash Royal AndroidClash of Clans IOSClash Royal IOSClash Of Clans

The Asphalt franchise

Asphalt 8 was a huge success, thanks to it being a free download. But also thanks to the seven or so asphalt games that led up to it. Asphalt 8 is one of the most downloaded car racing games on the Android platform.
AndroidAsphalt 8 IOSAsphalt 8

Candy Crush Saga

Candy Crush is another game that everyone seems to have been playing. With what the description of the game defines, more than a trillion levels of candy-filled puzzles.
AndroidCandy Crush Saga IOSCandy Crush Saga

Pokemon Go

Put your childhood dreams into a game and you get one of the most popular anime/games in the modern pop culture. I personally was never this excited about a game, and judging by the reception neither was a bunch of other Pokemon fans. This was a one of a kind game that combined something new with something we loved. Also forcing everyone to actually go out of their houses, and follow their childhood dreams.
AndroidPokemon Go IOSPokemon Go

Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja is one of those games that made cutting fruits fun. Letting you become a ninja to cut fruits, which is pretty fun.
AndroidFruit Ninja IOSFruit Ninja

Minecraft

Minecraft is the first paid game on this list. And this is also one of the few games with almost 50 million downloads on the play store. A massively multiplayer smartphone game that also lets you build your own world however you like it.
AndroidMinecraft IOSMinecraft

My Talking Tom

Can you even call this one a game? Either way, this is a really famous and fun app, or it used to be when it was new. I don’t get why this game is so fun, but it just was and for a lot of people. This is the most downloaded game on the Android platform.
AndroidMy Talking Tom IOSMy Talking Tom

Color Switch

The last game on the list, also a great app to pass the time. This game is a no-brainer tap to score, although the game description describes it as an action game.
AndroidColor Switch IOSColor Switch

ChatSim Review: The unlimited text messaging SIM you should skip

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December 10, 2017

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ChatSim Review: The unlimited text messaging SIM you should skip

Imagine this. A SIM card that lets you send unlimited text messages in a bunch of selected messaging applications. Well, that is exactly what ChatSim is trying to offer in the Nepal. ChatSim was launched in Nepal a while back by Future Networks and Technology for Rs. 3,600. I got to use it for few weeks and here is my full review of the SIM.

What is ChatSim?

Well for some of you who are new to the term Chatsim, it is world’s first SIM that lets its users connect to data connection anywhere in the world and use it for sending unlimited texts on selected internet messaging apps. It is currently operating in more than 160 countries through over 250 operators.

How does ChatSim work?

To send unlimited texts via ChatSim, first, you will have to activate your SIM card which carries a phone number of a British Island named Jersey. I personally had to go through a relatively long process just to get it running. The activation must be done via ChatSim’s website.

So how does a SIM card with a number from Britain work in Nepal you ask? Well, ChatSim requires data roaming to be turned on all the time in order to work. It then uses Ncell’s and Nepal Telecom’s network according to its liking, in order to provide the users with a better data connection here.

Verdict

I have to say I was pretty excited to use this new product. Free unlimited text messages sounded pretty exciting then. At first, I had a good time using the SIM too. I could use it to send important texts on the go without having to spend a dime.

It has passed some time now since NTC and Ncell introduced 4G connectivity here in Nepal. Mobile data connection is really good due to the upgrade. But ChatSim only worked on GPRS with the company claiming it supports 3G connectivity. But when I used it, I didn’t really have a problem with a slower connection, since all I did was send texts on Messenger and Whatsapp. The cell reception gets weaker sometimes but there is nothing to worry about. And you might notice the time ChatSim takes for mobile data connection to work, which is a few minutes.

If you are into calling and sending multimedia to your friends, you need to buy extra credits just for this purpose. To buy multimedia credits three recharges worth Rs. 900, Rs. 1,800 and Rs. 4,500 are available.

The quality of the calls while using ChatSim again comes down to the data connection. I for one could only use the ChatSim in GPRS, so, of course, video calls stuttered sometimes. The call connection, however, was pretty good if you ask me.

However, a couple of days ago I had to send an important text to a few people but ChatSim gave up on me that exact moment. I was right beside NTC’s office and even my primary NTC SIM card was working perfectly that time. So, ChatSim has a lot to do if it really wants to impress the Nepali users. I did have a backup SIM card to send those texts then but if someone is completely depending upon ChatSim for their internet usage, they could be completely disappointed at the time of need.

Conclusion

So, should you get ChatSim? Well, it depends on your preference. Are you okay with using a slower connection while texting? Or even an occasional loss of connection? Then you should be okay with investing a whole lot of Rs. 3,600 just for a couple of text messaging applications. As for me, I will be happy with funding the telecommunication companies of Nepal a little bit more just to get a faster mobile data connection for all the applications at my helm.

Vivo launched FIFA World Cup Edition Smartphone for World Cup 2018

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December 9, 2017

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Vivo launched FIFA World Cup Edition Smartphone for World Cup 2018

Vivo has partnered with FIFA for the next six years or so. This makes them one of the official smartphone partner for the World Cup in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. And with that, a Worldcup edition Vivo smartphone was a definite.

Also Read: Vivo Makes an Official Entry in Nepal with Three Smartphones

Vivo X20 was the smartphone the Chinese manufacturer choose to showcase their partnership with the World Cup organizers. This makes the V20 the official smartphone for World Cup 2018. All of the officials of the tournament will also receive one Vivo X20 each.

The smartphone was introduced a while back in Russia. Specs include a Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The onboard storage can be further expanded up to 256GB via SDcard. That, however, occupies the SIM2 slot. Adopting an 18:9 aspect ratio and with the shrunk bezels, Vivo X20 chose to follow the trend and to be one of the smartphones with near bezel-less display. The tall 6.01-inch FullView display on the device features Full HD+ resolution unlike the Vivo V7 and Vivo V7+, which possessed a mere HD+ display. The phone also sports a dual camera setup on the back.

The device comes with Android Nougat out of the box with FunTouch OS 3.2 on the top. For the security, there is a fingerprint sensor on the back. The device also possesses other sensors like accelerometer, Gyro sensor, proximity and compass sensors. Vivo X20, the FIFA World Cup edition smartphone is backed by a 3250mAh battery.

The Worldcup edition smartphone will be no different from the regular one, except for the aesthetic of course. The special edition variant will feature a logo of the tournament on the lower back of the phone.

FIFA world cup will start on Thursday, June 14 and end on Sunday, July 15, 2018, with 32 teams fighting for the cup. Tell us what you think about a smartphone specially designed in the spirit of the FIFA world cup.

Vivo X20 Specifications

Display: 6.01 inches (1080 x 2160), 402ppi
Dimensions: 155.9 x 75.2 x 7.2 mm
Processor: Snapdragon 660 octa-core (4×2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 260)
RAM: 4GB
Rear Camera: Dual 12 MP, f/1.8
Front Camera: 5 MP
Storage: 64GB, Expandable up to 256GB (uses SIM 2)
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, micro USB 2.0
SIM: Dual Hybrid Nano SIM
Operating System: FunTouch OS 3.0, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Sensors: Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Battery: 3250 mAh

Two New Sony Phones with Bezel-less Design Leaked

GadgetByte

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December 9, 2017

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Two New Sony Phones with Bezel-less Design Leaked

The bezel-less trend is creating a lot of buzz with every manufacturer trying to come up with their own unique way to flaunt the display. From every big manufacturer to small Chinese OEM’s, we can find the bezel-less design and the 18:9 aspect ratio, except the Sony of course. But a recent leak suggests that Sony has two new phones in the pipeline ready for 2018. The two phones look quite different but both seem to hold a flagship status looking at their designs.

The first phone has a typical Sony aesthetics with glass back and sharp boxy edges. But it is kind of refashioned with the curved metal exposed on top and on the bottom. It surely looks refreshing compared to other industrial designed phones.

The device also holds dual camera setup on the back. The cameras are separated by a sensor which could have some specific role for photography. Up front, the phone has minimal bezels on the top and the bottom. The top and bottom also hold the speaker grill and the mic. The side bezels seem to be completely eliminated.

Rumors speculate both phones will sport a 5.7-inch display with 4K resolution. However, a fingerprint sensor is nowhere to be found. It may sport a fingerprint under the display which most of the flagships are likely to have next year.

Coming down to the second phone, it looks like every other phone launched this year. It has a unibody metal design with rounded corners and subtle golden color. This device also carries dual camera setup and they are close together unlike the aforementioned phone. The dual LED flash resides horizontally to the camera. Luckily, the fingerprint sensor is plainly visible on the back. Up front, the phone looks pretty decent. The first phone with sharp edges surely looks much better with the display turned off. If we look closely at the right-side, the prominent camera button still resides.

As the phone will be launched next year, it luckily doesn’t carry any notch on top. Also, they will be among the first phone to sport the latest Snapdragon 845 chipset. Both the phones will sport 6GB of RAM. These phones will run on the latest version of Oreo. It is speculated that these phones will be launched at MWC 2018.

Selfie Centric Oppo F5 Youth Launched in Nepal

GadgetByte

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December 8, 2017

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Selfie Centric Oppo F5 Youth Launched in Nepal

Oppo F5 was recently launched in Nepal targeting the audience who are a fan of photography and selfie moreover. Now, Oppo has launched the lower-end variant of the F5, the F5 Youth. But don’t let the name fool you, the phone is moreover like a base variant of the Oppo F5 as they are barely separable in most of the aspects.

The Oppo F5 Youth comes with a 6.0-inch display with Full HD+ resolution. Having a Full HD+ display means as a rule of thumb – it comes with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone has narrow bezels overall and holds a true 2017 aesthetic. Well if you look at the Oppo F5, it doesn’t differ much from that. The front panel is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 while the overall phone is crafted with a unibody metal. The back holds the fingerprint sensor as well.

The Oppo phones are all about the Camera and the F5 Youth has pretty good numbers when it comes to megapixel counts. Up front, it holds a 16MP camera which comes with Oppo’s AI Beauty mode which promises to up your selfie game. And on the back, it holds a 13MP Camera with f/2.2 aperture. If you compare the camera specs of F5 Youth with the F5’s it certainly feels feeble then again the price is also fairly low. The front doesn’t offer a selfie flash.

The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P23 Processor clocked at 2.5GHz. It is aided by 3GB of RAM. The phone offers 32GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 256GB using Micro SD card slot. The Oppo F5 Youth is running on Android 7.1.2 Nougat with no promise of further OS update.

Oppo F5 Youth Specifications

Display:6inch IPS LCD display
Resolution: 2160×1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio
Body to Screen Ratio: 78.1%
SIM: Dual Nano
OS: Android v7.1 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2
Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted
Chipset: Mediatek Helio P23
CPU: Octa-core 2.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-G71 MP2
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB (Dedicated Slot)
Rear Camera: 13 MP, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera: 16 MP (f/2.0, 2.0 μm)
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro USB 2.0, GPS
Battery: 3200mAh
Oppo F5 Youth Price in Nepal: Rs.27,990

Also Read: Oppo Smartphones Price in Nepal

In general, the Oppo F5 Youth falls back with low RAM and Megapixel count on both front and back compared to the F5. But the aesthetics and overall most of the specifications remain the same. If you are okay with a slightly weak camera and less RAM then opting for the Oppo F5 Youth instead of the F5 could save you up to 5 thousand.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Goes Official with 4K video recording at 60fps

GadgetByte

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December 8, 2017

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Goes Official with 4K video recording at 60fps

The Snapdragon 845 is Qualcomm’s next flagship chipset for the year 2018. The SD 845 will replace the current Snapdragon 835 chipset as the latest and greatest in SoC technology for Android smartphones. Let’s look at what the latest and greatest from Qualcomm has to offer.

Also Read: Things to consider while choosing a smartphone SoC

Like always the new SD 845 brings in the usual improvements over its predecessor. Those include a 25% boost in general performance, 30% boost in graphics performance, 30% lower power consumption, and improved image processing.

The new CPU will employ the new A75 and A55 microarchitectures. With four Kryo cores (A75) running at up to 2.8GHz and the other four Kryo(A55) running at 1.8GHz. This new cores will be based on the first-ever DynamoIQ big.LITTLE CPU organization.

Also Read: Understanding Smartphone Processor Cores

The graphics department will be handled by the new Adreno 630 which will deliver up to 30% improvements in graphics as well as 30% reduction in power consumptions over the last generation. The processor architecture remains the same at 10nm but it’s the second generation bringing in around 10% of improvements in performance and 15% improvements in power consumption.

Also Read: Understanding the nanometer technology: Why should you care?

Coming to the exciting parts, the new SoC is capable of capturing videos of up to (with HDR 10 support) 4K resolutions at 60fps, 1080p at 240fps, and 720p at 480fps. It also supports up to one 32MP single or 16MP dual hybrid setup.

There are also improvements in the AI department which is up to 3x better than before, according to Qualcomm. The charging capabilities have also improved with a new “Quick Charge 4+”. The new Quick Charge will keep your device cooler, charge 15% faster and up to 30% more effectively.

The new SoC also has a dedicated piece of silicon that acts as a vault for all the security information like your fingerprint data, face scans, iris scans etc.

The improvements do include the latest X20 LTE modem, which will provide gigabit connectivity. And as Qualcomm says you will be able to download a full 3GB HD movie in just 3 minutes or simply up to 1.2Gbps down and 150Mbps up.

Qualcomm will be working with Samsung to manufacturer the new SoC. Samsung itself will use the processor on their Galaxy S9, no surprises there. But Xiaomi‘s CEO also confirmed their flagship for 2018 will also employ the new chipset, most probably the Xiaomi Mi 7.

But we expect almost all of the flagship phones to launch in 2018 will feature this new SoC. Apart from the high-end smartphones, low-end Windows 10 laptops and Chromebooks might also come with the same chipset. This might open doors for some affordable laptops as well.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Specs:

CPU: Kryo 385 (25% better than on SD 835)
GPU: Adreno 630 (30% better than on SD 835)
ISP: Spectra 280
Improvements in AI (by 3 times)
Better Video Capture (4K HDR at 60fps)
Supports 10-bit color depth
One billion shades of colors
Gigabit LTE (up to 1.2 Gbps)
More power efficient (30% better than on SD 835)
Slow-motion (1080p at 120fps and 480fps at 720p)

Deals: Early Christmas and New Year Bonanza on Coolpad smartphones

GadgetByte

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December 7, 2017

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Deals: Early Christmas and New Year Bonanza on Coolpad smartphones

Needless to mention, winter has come. The chill weather with the frequent drops in the temperate and the heart-shivering breeze might be annoying to the most. But won’t it be exciting if the same hellish cold weather comes with a heart-warming deal on your favorite products? And the same thing has happened recently. To make this gloomy cold weather exciting, Coolpad has slashed the price of some of the fan-loved smartphones in their lineup.

Despite possessing a short history in Nepal, Coolpad succeeded to reside in the heart of Nepali customers since the very beginning. For the awe-inspiring services and with the remarkable features packed in the smartphones, they have been able to gain the trust and garner love from the customers. Now to please their wonderful fan-base, Coolpad dropped the price of some of the smartphones to make the upcoming Christmas and New Year even more sensational. The privileged smartphones to receive the price drop are Coolpad Cool1 Dual, Coolpad Note 3S and Coolpad NX1, one of the affordable 4G smartphones in Nepal. But since the price drop is an offer for the approaching Christmas and the New Year, the offer will end after that. So if you are interested to own any of the device mentioned, you need to hurry up.

Coolpad Cool1 Dual

The smartphone launched in Nepal in early February this year possessing 4GB of RAM coupled with 32GB of internal storage. Over time, the smartphone in such memory format discontinued making space for the 64GB variant, which was available at the same price tag. The spacious storage capacity had pleased the most. But what pleased more was its remarkable dual camera setup on the back and an 8MP selfie shooter up front. The 13MP dual camera setup on the back captures outstanding images. And that includes the wonderful Bokeh shots and astounding selfies. So, it is still one of the best camera smartphones under 30000 in Nepal.

The other aspect, where the Coolpad Cool1 excels is the battery life. With 4060mAh battery, it fuels the device untiringly for two days under normal usage. With this capability, the smartphone gained a remarkable spot on our list of the smartphones with best battery life in Nepal. The smartphone uses USB Type-C cable for the charge injection and also supports fast charging. Powering the device is Snapdragon 652 chipset, which has welcomed Adreno 510 GPU aboard. With 4GB of RAM and the decent chipset, the performance on the device is fluent without any stutters and lags.

The smartphone embraces 5.5-inch display with Full-HD resolution. Protected with Gorilla Glass 3, the device packs 401 pixels in every inch. Also, the device possesses a fast fingerprint sensor, which unlocks the device in less than 0.5 seconds. Furthermore, the device has embraced all the other basic sensors like Accelerometer, Gyro Sensor, Proximity sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Magnetic Field Sensor, etc. However, the device is still running on Android Marshmallow, which could be a deal breaker for some enthusiasts.

The device was priced at Rs. 30,996 before the price drop. Even at that price point, it was one of the best smartphones in Nepal under 30000 in Nepal. Now with the price drop of Rs. 3000, the device is now standing as an even stronger challenger amongst its rivals.

Coolpad Cool1 key specs

5.5-inch full HD display with Gorilla Glass 3 Protection
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with EUI 5.6
64GB ROM (not expandable)
4GB RAM
13 MP Dual Rear-facing Camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual-tone LED flash, 6P Lens, 4K Video Recording
8 MP Front Facing Camera with f/2.2 aperture
Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 64-bit SoC
Octa-core processor (4×1.2 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A72)
Adreno 510 GPU
Fingerprint Sensor (rear mounted, 360 degrees, unlocks in 0.5secs)
Dual SIM with 4G VOLTE
USB Type-C connectivity with fast charging (Quick Charge 2.0)
Non-removable 4060 mAh battery
Color Option: Gold
Price: 30,996 Rs. 27,996

Also Read: Coolpad Cool1 Dual Review: A great value proposition

Coolpad Note 3S

Note 3S is another smartphone, which possesses some noteworthy specs at a budget price point. The device embraces a 5.5-inch HD display with a pixel density of 267PPI. The device is powered by an Octacore Snapdragon 415 chipset coupled with 3GB of RAM. On the memory side, Coolpad Note 3S possesses 32GB of onboard storage to store your data.

In terms of camera, there is a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP camera assists in taking selfies. Alike the Cool1, Note 3S comes with Android Marshmallow out of the box. The device is backed by 2500mAh battery and possesses a fingerprint sensor to evade the data vulnerability. After the price drop of Rs. 2000 the device is now available at Rs. 18,996. At the new price, the device can be a good smartphone to buy under Rs. 20,000.

KEY FEATURES OF THE COOLPAD NOTE 3S:

5.5-inch HD IPS LCD display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels (267 ppi)
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
32 GB ROM
MicroSD card support (up to 32GB)
3GB RAM
13 MP Rear-facing Camera with f/2.2 aperture
5 MP Front Facing Camera with f/2.2 aperture
Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 SoC
Octa-core processor
Adreno 405 GPU
Fingerprint Sensor
Non-removable 2500 mAh battery
Price: 20,996 Rs. 18,996

Coolpad NX1

Coolpad NX1 is one of the affordable 4G smartphones in Nepal. After the price drop of Rs. 1,230, the device is now available at Rs. 8,996. The device comes with 5-inch HD display and possesses MediaTek MT6735P chipset to handle the processes within. On the memory side, Coolpad NX1 possesses 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. For the photography and videography, there is an 8MP rear camera and 2MP selfie shooter. On the software side, the device comes with the outdated Android Lollipop out of the box. And to fuel the device there is a 2000mAh battery.

Coolpad NX1 Full Specs

5-inch, HD display
Android v5.0 Lollipop
Quad-core MediaTek MT6735P processor
Mali-T720MP2 GPU
1 GB RAM
8 GB ROM (Expandable up to 64 GB)
8 MP Rear-facing camera with f/2.6 aperture
2 MP Front-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture
2,000 mAh battery
FM Radio
Price: 10,226 Rs. 8,996