HTC is a relatively new smartphone brand in the Nepali market. And with just a handful of smartphones launched, one of their recent releases is getting a price drop. The smartphone in question is the HTC Desire 10 Pro. Launched almost a month ago with an MRP of Rs 32,490, the device can be yours now for just Rs 30,000.
The Desire 10 Pro is a decent device for an asking price of Rs.30,000. The SoC decision of MediaTek P10 might not be for everyone, but the rest of the specs are good enough. It has a 5.5 inch Full HD IPS display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection.The choice of 4GB and 64GB storage options is among the same as all other smartphones in this category. It employs a 20MP back and 13MP front cameras and a 3000mAh fast-charging battery for power.
Specifications of HTC Desire 10 Pro:
5.5 inches (1080 x 1920) IPS LCD display @401ppi
Gorilla Glass 4 Protection
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Rear Mounted Fingerprint Sensor
MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 Chipset
Octa-core (4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.0 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU
Mali-T860MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB Storage, Expandable up to 256GB (SIM 2 Tray)
20 MP Rear Camera with f/2.2 aperture, laser autofocus, LED flash
13MP Front Facing Camera with f/2.2 aperture and Auto HDR
3,000mAh battery with Fast Charging
Price: Rs 32,490 Rs 30,000
All in all, the new price will see it compete with devices like Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro and Xiaomi MI A1. So, what do you think of this price drop? Are you going to consider it now after the price drop or do you think some other device is still a better fit than this?
After many speculations and buzz created by the leak of the latest offerings from Xiaomi for the fifth generation of the Redmi lineup, the company has now officially revealed the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus amidst an event today.
Like the prior speculations suggested, the phones come with 18:9 aspect ratio displays with minimum bezels at the top and at the bottom. Both of the releases come with almost similar designs and specifications if you set aside a few differences in terms of the processor in use and screen size.
Now, let’s see what the Xiaomi Redmi 5 has up for offer.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 comes with an almost bezel-less 5.7-inch HD display with a resolution of 720×1440. Powered by octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC, the phone is clocked at 1.8GHz and is coupled with Adreno 506 GPU. The phone operates on Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top. Customers will be able to choose between two different variants of the Redmi 5 – 2GB/16GB and 3GB/32GB. The internal storage is expandable up to 128GB.
In the camera department, the Redmi 5 comes with a 12 MP shooter at the back with 1.25-micron pixels for improved photography. In the front, the phone has a 5 MP camera with features like Beautify 3.0 and Soft-Toned selfie light for better selfies. Both of the sensors are coupled with LED flash. Powering the device is a 3300mAh battery, which the manufacturers have promised will provide up to 12 days of standby time.
Key Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 5:
5.7-inch HD+ display with 720×1440 pixels resolution
1.8GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC
Adreno 506 GPU
Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top
2GB and 3GB RAM variants with expandable internal storage of 16GB and 32GB
12 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera with LED flash
4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS
3.5mm headphone jack
Sensors: accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and proximity sensor
Fingerprint sensor
3300mAh battery
CNY 799 (approx Rs.12500) for the 2GB RAM/16GB storage
CNY 899 (approx Rs.14000) for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage
So, what does the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus have for offer? Let’s find out now.
This higher iteration looks similar to the Redmi 5 in terms of appearance but it does have some extra tweaks in it. The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus comes with a 5.99-inch full HD+ display with 1080×2160 pixels resolution with 403ppi pixel density and 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone comes with an octa-core Snapdragon 625 SoC clocked at up 2GHz. In terms of storage, the device comes in two variants: 3GB and 4GB with expandable 32GB and 64GB of internal storage.
The camera department of the Redmi 5 Plus is the same as that of the Redmi 5 – 12MP back camera and 5MP front camera with exactly same features. Similarly, the Redmi 5 Plus will also run on Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top. There is a 4000mAh battery powering the device.
In terms of connectivity, these devices come with standard connectivity options, such as 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 (b/g/n on Redmi 5 and a/b/g/n on Redmi 5 Plus), Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and Micro-USB. Basic sensors like – accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and proximity sensor are available in both of these new launches by Xiaomi. Moreover, there is a fingerprint sensor at the back of both of them.
Key Specifications of Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus:
5.99-inch full HD+ display with 1080×2160 pixels resolution
2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 625 SoC
Android7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top
3GB and 4GB RAM variants with expandable internal storage of 32GB and 64GB
12 MP rear camera and 5 MP front camera with LED flash
4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS
3.5mm headphone jack
Sensors: accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and proximity sensor
Fingerprint sensor
4000mAh battery
CNY 999 (approx Rs.15600) for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage
CNY 1299 (approx Rs.20200) for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage
The best thing about both of these newbies is that they both come with immersive full view displays and powerful batteries within a budget suitable for more buyers! What do you think of the new releases? Let us know in the comments below!
Huawei has officially launched the midrange Huawei Y7 in Nepal which is the base version of the earlier launched Huawei Y7 Prime. As the name suggests, it comes with inferior specs compared to the Prime making it much cheaper. The phone is priced at Rs.15,900 and is one of few phones that sports 5.5-inch display under the price of Rs.20,000.
The phone is similar to the Y7 Prime and shares all of its aesthetics. It comes with a 720p IPS panel with 267ppi. Powering the device is Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset coupled with Adreno 505 GPU. The same configuration can be found on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Prime, Gionee M7 Power and Redmi 4x. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which is the major differentiating factor from the Prime variant that has 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The phone also lacks fingerprint sensor which is typical in this price range.
Huawei Y7 is fueled with EMUI 5.1 on top of Android 7.0 Nougat. The phone is likely to be deprived of any future updates. On the camera facet, the phone offers a 12MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and phase detection autofocus (PDAF). The front camera houses 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. There’s no presence of LED flash up front. It has dual Hybrid SIM tray where it intakes two nano SIM cards or a combination of nano SIM and a microSD card of up to 256GB using the second SIM tray. Backing up the phone is a massive 4,000mAh battery.
Huawei Y7 Vs Huawei Y7 Prime
Specifications
Huawei Y7
Huawei Y7 Prime
Display
5.5 inches (720 x 1280 ) @267ppi
5.5 inches (720 x 1280 ) @267ppi
Android Version
EMUI 5.1, Android 7.0 Nougat
EMUI 5.1, Android 7.0 Nougat
SIM Card
Hybrid (Nano+Nano/Nano+microSD Card)
Hybrid (Nano+Nano/Nano+microSD Card)
Fingerprint Sensor
NO
Rear Mounted
Chipset
Qualcomm MSM8940 Snapdragon 435
Qualcomm MSM8940 Snapdragon 435
CPU
Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU
Adreno 505
Adreno 505
RAM
2GB
3GB
Storage
16GB, expandable up to 256GB
32GB, expandable up to 256GB
Rear Camera
12 MP with f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 1080p @30fps
12 MP with f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, LED flash, 1080p @30fps
The design is certainly one of the first things we consider while buying a new smartphone. The high-end phones are already great with aesthetics and new technology but the mid-range segment is also not that far behind. The bezel-less craze started by few flagship phones have now jumped to the mid-range and even in the budget section. Here, we have listed the best mid-range phones with near bezel-less displays available in Nepal.
Huawei Nova 2i:
Huawei Nova 2i has made a name for itself in being the first phone in the world with four cameras. But that’s not the only aptitude it holds, the phone also sports the now popular 18:9 aspect ratio display with very minimal side bezels. The phone holds a 5.9-inch full HD+ display with 409 ppi making it the sharpest display on the list. If you are looking for a great display at this price range along with bezel-less design then opting for the Nova 2i will certainly be the best decision. But there are more things the Nova 2i than just a pretty display.
This phone also holds a powerful processor, its own in-house Kirin 659 chipset clocked at 2.3GHz and comes coupled with 4GB of RAM. We can’t definitely forget the quad-camera setup it sports. It housed dual 16+2MP Camera on the back and dual 13+2MP camera on the front. The phone is backed by a 3340mAh battery. For more in-depth insight into the phone, check out our review of the Huawei Nova 2i down below:
Huawei Nova 2i Specifications:
Display: 5.9-inch IPS LCD
Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, 402PPI
Front Camera: 13MP + 2MP Dual Camera, f/2.0 aperture, LED Flash
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro USB 2.0, GPS
Battery: 3340mAh
Huawei Nova 2i Price in Nepal: Rs. 33,900
Oppo F5
The newly launched Oppo F5 is a direct contender for the Huawei Nova 2i. The phone is even priced similarly. And the similarity doesn’t end there, the Oppo F5 also carries the 18:9 aspect ratio display with Full HD+ resolution. It sports a 6-inch display with the high pixel density of 402ppi. The bezels are minimal and the rounded corners of the display definitely look good compared to the sharp edges of Nova. And on the plus side, it’s screen is protected by the Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The phone carries a smaller 32GB storage size but has dedicated micro SD card slot and on the other hand, its counterpart holds a higher 64GB internal storage but offers hybrid SIM tray.
The phone is powered by Helio P23 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. On the optics front, although it has no sign of Dual cameras, nonetheless, the specifications look really promising (*Review Coming Soon*). On the Rear, it houses 16MP camera with f/1.8 aperture and on the front, it houses 20MP camera with AI beautification. The phone is backed by a 3200mAh battery.
Oppo F5 Specification:
Display: 6.0-inch LTPS IPS LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Resolution: 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, 402 PPI
Body to Screen Ratio: 78.1%
SIM: Dual Nano (SIM+SIM)
OS: ColorOS 3.2 UI on top of Android Nougat (v7.1.1)
Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted
Chipset: MediaTek MT6763T Helio P23
GPU: Mali-G71 MP2
RAM: 4GB RAM
Storage: 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera: 16MP, f/1.8, PDAF, LED flash
Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.0
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro USB 2.0, GPS
Battery: 3200mAh
Oppo F5 Price in Nepal: Rs. 33,990
Vivo V7
If you have thought that the Oppo F5 looks great then look no further, the Vivo V7 also sports a similar design. Being subsidiary of the same company, both the phone have identical aesthetics. The Vivo V7 sports a smaller 5.7-inch display with a 720p panel. Opting for the low-resolution panel is a major turn off here. It also carries the 18:9 aspect ratio.
Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 450 chipset clocked at 1.8GHz and comes with 4GB of RAM. On the storage front, it offers 32GB of onboard storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot. In terms of optics, it has 16MP Rear Camera and 24MP front-facing camera. It is backed up by a 3000mAh battery.
Vivo V7 Specifications:
Display: 5.7-inch IPS LCD
Resolution: 720 x 1440 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, 282ppi
Body to Screen Ratio: 77.1%
SIM: Dual Nano (SIM+SIM)
OS: Funtouch OS 3.2 on top of Android Nougat (v7.1.2)
Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted
Chipset: Snapdragon 450
CPU: Octa-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 506
RAM: 4GB
Memory: 32GB internal storage; expandable up to 256GB (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, PDAF, LED flash
Front Camera: 24 MP, f/2.0
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro USB 2.0, GPS
Battery: 3000mAh
Vivo V7 Price in Nepal: 29,990
Umidigi Crystal
Umidigi Crystal is one of the true bezel-less phones if you go with the literal meaning. The phone carries almost no bezels on three sides of the device. The design resembles the Mi Mix with only a bottom chin holding camera and speaker. But sadly, the phone doesn’t carry the 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone, however, comes with a 2.5D glass back which can be considered as a flagship touch.
Powering this device is the MediaTek MT6750T processor clocked at 1.5GHz with 4GB of RAM. For storage, it offers 64GB internal storage with the option for expansion although hybrid. It holds a dual camera setup in a pair of 13MP+5MP and a 5MP Front Facing Camera. Umidigi Crystal is backed by a 3000mAh battery.
Specifications of Umidigi Crystal:
Display: 5.5-inch IPS LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio, 401ppi
Body to Screen Ratio: 88%
SIM: Hybrid Dual Nano (SIM+SIM or SIM +microSD)
OS: Android 7.0 Nougat
Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted
Chipset: MediaTek MT6750T
CPU: 1.5GHz Octa-core
GPU: ARM Mali-T860 MP2 650MHz
RAM: 4GB RAM
Memory: 64GB internal memory, expandable up to 256GB
Rear Camera: 13 MP + 5 MP dual cameras
Front Camera: 5 MP
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type C, GPS
Battery: 3000 mAh
Umidigi Crystal Price in Nepal: Rs.25,900
Micromax Canvas Infinity
The Micromax Canvas Infinity is the cheapest phone on this list with minimal bezels and 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone offers a 5.7-inch display with the resolution of 1440*720 with 279ppi. The front looks similar to the Vivo V7 but the phone is almost 20grams heavier given the same screen real-estate and a slightly smaller battery. Canvas Infinity is the only phone on this list with the promise for an upgrade to Oreo from 7.1.2 Nougat.
The phone is powered by quad-core Snapdragon 425 chipset with 3GB of RAM. For storage, it comes with 32GB memory with a dedicated micro SD card slot. In the camera department, it holds a 13MP camera on the back and 16MP camera on the front both with f/2.0 and LED flash. The phone is backed by 2980mAh battery.
Specifications of Micromax Canvas Infinity:
Display: 5.7-inch IPS LCD
Resolution: 720 x 1440 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio, 279ppi
Body to Screen Ratio: 77.1%
SIM: Dual Micro (SIM+SIM)
OS: Android Nougat v7.1.2
Fingerprint Sensor: Rear Mounted
Chipset: Snapdragon 425
CPU: Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 308
RAM: 3GB
Memory: 32GB internal storage; expandable up to 128GB (dedicated slot)
Rear Camera: 13 MP, f/2.0, LED flash
Front Camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, LED flash
Connectivity: 4G LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, micro USB 2.0, A-GPS
Battery: 2980mAh
Micromax Canvas Infinity Price in Nepal: Rs.18,500
Anker is a well-known brand in the tech industry. Their products range from wireless speakers to wireless chargers. And they are finally coming to Nepal. From their wide range of products, comes a small Bluetooth portable speaker, the SoundCore nano (Rs.1840) which is available exclusively online at daraz.com.np This just might be one of the smallest Bluetooth speakers you have ever seen, but is it any good? Let’s find out in this review.
Build
This speaker is really small, 2.1 × 2.1 × 1.3 inches to be exact. Enclosed in an Aluminum alloy finish this speaker brings the best of two worlds. A really sturdy design aided by a lightweight body (82g), this portable speaker features a unibody-ish design. The speaker’s build won’t disappoint you, most probably. And with the wide range of extremely durable Anker products, one would expect a lot.
Sound Quality
By now, you should already be familiar with the speaker’s size. Why this is important is because the sound quality of the speaker won’t blow your mind much, until you actually see how small the speaker is. The speaker lacks any type of bass, and that’s actually a good thing, seeing how light the speaker is.
There is a 3W speaker that throws out decent sound without much distortion, even at maximum volumes. Also, with the hand strap, you can attach the speaker to your bag or your jacket and just play along as you go for a hike or even bike rides.
Connectivity
Bluetooth 4.0 is on board for wireless music playback. The strength of the signal is fine, and the range goes up to about 20 feets easily. There is even a built-in sound cancellation mic, means you can call right from the speaker itself.
The whole speaker has one port, the MicroUSB. That port is responsible for charging the device and if you want to live the wired live, you can also play music through this port (3.5mm to USB converter included in the box).
Battery Life
Battery life on this thing is fine, powered by a 400mAh, it delivers about 4 hours of music playback. Charging takes about 1.5 hours, which is fine too. Not much to complain about in this department. The speaker will keep on playing for more than 6 hours, at low volumes of course.
Conclusion
This is a really good speaker, totally worth it. The mixture of size and weight and loudness is really good. The portability is its main selling point, and honestly, for a speaker this size, the quality is just awesome. You will need to experience it on your own.
The alternatives of this speaker are very few and we sadly have none of them. If you want a highly portable loudspeaker then no other can beat this one. And for a price of just Rs 1,840, the device isn’t that expensive for what it delivers either.
Micromax, the largest smartphone manufacturer in India, has unveiled a new iteration of the Canvas Infinity yesterday called the Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro. The Canvas Infinity had already created a buzz for itself as it offered an 18:9 aspect ratio within budget. Now let’s see what does the latest release have on offer.
Amidst an event in India yesterday, Micromax revealed the device which comes with a 5.7 inch Full Vision display with HD (720×1440 pixels) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. According to what the manufacturers have said, the Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro offers 450 nits of brightness. Powered by Snapdragon 430 SoC, the phone houses 4GB of RAM and comes with an expandable internal storage of 64GB.
Designed targeting the budget buyers, the phone aims to fulfill their camera needs. The rear camera of the phone is a 16 MP shooter with LED flash. In the front, the things get a bit interesting as there is a dual camera set-up here. The sensors up front are 20 MP and 8 MP in resolution. In the launch event yesterday, the manufacturers had shared that the smartphone comes preloaded with features such as portrait mode, auto scene detection, face beauty mode, face gallery, and tale album. Moreover, there is also a Super Pixel feature that combines multiple images to create a higher resolution image.
The Micromax Canvas Infinity comes with a snappy fingerprint scanner that has been claimed to unlock the screen in 0.2 seconds and also has been designed to offer a 360-degree acceptance angle. Speaking of the Operating System on the device, it runs on Android Nougat with a custom skin on top. Powering the device is a 3000mAh battery which the creators have claimed will deliver 20 hours of talk time on a single charge.
Speaking of why the company came up with the Canvas Infinity Pro, there were a few thoughts shared by Shubhodip Pal, the chief operating officer, Micromax Informatics, in a press statement-
“We understand that in the mid-premium range smartphones, consumers demand a complete package – a smartphone that has best in class cameras, a screen that is large enough for content viewing, a battery that doesn’t drain in a day and of course aesthetics that are a head turner. We truly believe that Infinity Pro is that package and our consumers will be delighted with the pricing as well.”
The few noteworthy upgrades from the Canvas Infinity to the Canvas Infinity Pro are that the new release has a more powerful battery, front dual camera set-up and is powered by Snapdragon 430 SoC.
Key Specifications of Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro:
5.7 inch Full Vision display with HD (720×1440 pixels) resolution with 18:9 aspect ratio
Snapdragon 430 SoC
4 GB of RAM and comes with an expandable internal storage of 64 GB
Huawei has been crushing the mid-range segment. The newly launched Huawei Nova 2i and the Nova 2 Plus has been well received in the market all over. A new phone is set to leverage the Huawei mid-range bunch even further. The Huawei Nova 2s which was set to launch on December 7 has leaked online and it is going to be the most powerful device in the Nova lineup.
The Huawei Nova 2s comes with a 6-inch HD display with the standard 18:9 aspect ratio. If you have used the Nova 2i, Canvas Infinity or the S8 lineup then you already know the immersiveness of this display. Speculating the leaked images, the bezels all around is pretty minimal. It was quite surprising to see Huawei squeeze in a fingerprint sensor on the bottom chin of the phone. It is good to have it up front but it only makes the tall phone even taller. The aesthetics resemble the Huawei Honor V9 with a polished metallic back which is sleek and minimal.
Like the Nova 2i, the trend of four cameras still prevails with this one. The phone incorporates dual 16+20MP Camera on the back and dual 20+20MP Camera on the front. The dual setup is likely to assist in capturing the depth of field or bokeh images. Despite high megapixel count up front, the phone seems to be missing the LED flash which was the same with Nova 2i. The biggest difference in the Nova 2s compared to its sibling is the processor. It houses the higher end Kirin 960 chipset used in Huawei Mate 9 and P10 Plus. The phone will come in two variants, a base model with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage and the higher-end model with 6GB of RAM and 128 of storage. Huawei Nova 2s will be backed by a 3340mAh battery.
Huawei Nova 2s Specifications:
6-inch Full HD display (1080 x 2160), 18:9 aspect ratio
Hisilicon Kirin 960 chipset
Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU
Mali-G71 MP8 GPU
4GB/6GB of RAM
64GB/128GB of RAM
Dual 16+20MP Rear Camera
Dual 20+20MP Front Facing Camera
3340mAh non-removable battery
Colors: Black, White, and Blue
Huawei Nova 2s will likely launch on December 7 with the price of $391 for the base model and $450 for higher end model.
Sony is a well-known brand in Nepal. The electronic devices it offers are of top quality and have been successful in impressing the consumers. Smartphones, however, is not picking up its pace here. So, Nepa Hima Trade Link, the authorized distributor of Sony products in Nepal, drops the price of some smartphones every now and then. This time around, it has dropped the price of Sony Xperia X. The device will now run you Rs. 32,500!
The Sony Xperia X is the company’s smartphone from last year. The device will receive Android 8.0 Oreo, though, which is great. The device packs a hexa-core CPU and Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC. This is aided by 3 GB RAM and Adreno 510 GPU.
Camera performance has always been a stronghold of Sony smartphones, and the Xperia X packs some impressive specs. It has a 23-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. Up front, the device is engraved with a 13-megapixel secondary lens which, like the primary lens, has f/2.0 aperture.
The Sony Xperia X sports a 5.0-inch full HD IPS LCD display (441 PPI). This display is protected with a scratch-resistant glass. Storage wise, the device has 64 GB of internal memory with an option for expanding.
The Xperia X has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, i.e. the sensor rests on the power button. It is 4G LTE enabled and has NFC. It supports dual SIM connection and has Bluetooth 4.2 on the inside.
This device is backed up by a relatively small 2,630 mAh battery. However, this battery has Qnovo’s Adaptive Charging technology.
Sony Xperia X Specifications:
5.0-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Display
Hexa-Core Snapdragon 650 64-bit processor with Adreno 510 GPU
3GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 200GB via microSD card
Android Marshmallow 6.0
Dual SIM (nano+nano)
Rear camera: 23MP with Exmor RS sensor, 1/2.3″ sensor, f/2.0 lens, Predictive Hybrid AF, LED Flash 1080p video recording
Front camera: 13MP with 1/3” Exmor RS sensor, 22mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens, 1080p video recording
Side-mounted Fingerprint sensor
4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC
2630mAh Battery with Qnovo’s Adaptive Charging technology
Sony Xperia X Price in Nepal: Rs. 38,500 Rs. 32,500
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Prime is the higher-end version of Redmi 5A. Both the phones can be considered as an upgrade over the last year’s Redmi 4A or the 4X. The pricing of the phone also targets the same segment where there are already loads of Xiaomi phones. And these phones are yet another addition to the Xiaomi’s pile of mid-range phones. The phone was recently launched in Nepal for the price of Rs.22,499. For the price, is it a good buy? Let’s find out in the review.
Latest Price: Rs. 17,499 [Last updated on: December 6, 2018]
Xiaomi Redmi 5A Prime Specs:
Display
5.5-inch (1280*720) pixels
Processor
Snapdragon 435 64 bit (octa-core)
GPU
Adreno 505
Camera
16 MP f/2.0 front camera with LED, 13 MP f/2.2 rear camera
RAM
3GB
ROM
32GB (expandable up to 128GB)
Battery
3080 mAh
OS
Android 7.0, MIUI 9
SIM Card(s)
Dual (nano+nano)
Memory Card slot
Dedicated memory slot
Connectivity
4G support, Bluetooth 4.2
Design
The Redmi Note 5A Prime in terms of design looks like a blown-up version of the Redmi 4A and that’s about it. It has the same minimal design on the back with the usual antenna lines. The only thing different must be the swapping of the position of camera and flashlight. The plastic back has a metallic finish which looks really great but upon holding it, the plasticky feel and the hollow sound it creates – just kills off the vibe. The back also holds the fingerprint sensor which is pretty quick to unlock the device. The fingerprint sensor is also fast to set up. It can act as the shutter button as well. Also, the navigation buttons are not backlit which can be a turn off for many people considering a phone at this price range. This lack sure makes the phone difficult to use during night time until you get used to it.
Display
The 5A Prime comes with a 5.5 inch 720p panel with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection which keeps the phone safe from minor drops and few things in your pocket. The display has 450 nits of brightness which is half of what the Galaxy S8 has to offer at 1020 units. Even though it’s half of one of the brightest display out there, contents are easily visible under direct sunlight. The display has good color accuracy and the viewing angles are great without any color shifts. But, the one thing I have to complain would be its sharpness. For me, I do a lot of reading on my phone and when it comes to using this display, the sharpness is just not there, the text has soft edges around it which just takes the fun out of reading anything on this display. But the night mode is a neat addition to protect the eyes from the blue light. Viewing images and videos looks good, however.
Performance
The phone is powered by Snapdragon 435 Octa-core chipset which is a decent pick for its price. It comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Performance on this device is smooth when it comes to day to day usage and thanks to the new MUI 9’s optimization, the phone flies even with this mid-range processor. Usual navigation around the UI, scrolling and every other run of the mill is smooth without any lags or jitter. Normal app openings are fast, app switching is fast and multi-tasking between few opened apps is decent as well. If you consider the benchmarks, the Redmi Note 4 costs 3k more than this phone with better benchmarks and better performance overall.
Moving on to gaming, playing titles like Asphalt 8, Drag n Boom and few other titles with medium settings yielded in few frame drops and lags but was playable for most parts. What I noticed was, the game opening time was miserable as I had to wait for almost 3 minutes to open and get to the race screen of Asphalt 8. But, gaming for an hour or so with mid-range games, I couldn’t feel any heating on the back or anywhere else which was unexpected with this device. The loud audio from the mono speakers also complement well while gaming but you can easily cover it up with your hand if you’re not careful enough.
Connectivity
This is a dual sim phone which takes in two Nano sims. The reception was good and I had no issues with the call quality even with its loudspeaker. It is a 4G enabled phone and using mobile data was really good with this one. There is no issue of connectivity on both Ncell and NTC networks. What Xiaomi did excellent with this phone is the inclusion of a dedicated microSD card slot, a feature that was missing on last year Xiaomi devices. So now, you can use both the SIM along with extra storage at hand. The phone also IR blaster and it comes in handy to control your TV, music system, AC and so on.
Camera
Now coming down to the camera, you can find a 13MP Rear camera and with plenty of light, it takes good images with natural colors few times and washed out pictures most of the time. It struggles to pull out details from the scene which can be solved to an extent with HDR mode turned on. It helps to bring out more colors and details in the image. But mind the phone takes at least 3 secs to process the HDR image and if it’s a moving object then it won’t be even worth it.
So, in general, at daytime, you’ll be okay in most of the cases with the photo it takes but as every mid-range phone – it struggles in low light with grains and dark patches all over the image.
The main highlight of the phone is not the rear but its 16MP front facing camera with LED flash. Despite high megapixel count, the image is nothing much from ordinary. You’ll notice this when you compare it with the 5MP front shooter of Redmi Note 4. You can see the details are almost alike, but Redmi 5A preserves natural colors. The shooter of Redmi Note 5A Prime has wide angle lens so you get more real estate on photos. And despite that flashlight up there, it doesn’t help much in low-light conditions as the image contain loads of dark patches and grains. There’s also beauty mode which makes your skin clearer by removing any marks, for the most part, I didn’t like turning this mode on but this can be really useful for those who want to up their selfie game on Instagram.
Software/UI
Talking about preference, I like the playful MIUI offered by Xiaomi and the new MIUI 9 update based on Android 7.1.2 makes it a whole lot better. Despite few visual changes including animations and themes nothing significant can be seen from the outside, however, the biggest change is on the inside, making the MIUI9 faster and efficient than ever.
You have the new Quick Settings toggle which is close to stock android except they are really colorful. The bundled notifications also help to keep the notification area clean and managed. The split screen mode is also finally here which was long missing from the MIUI. The lock screen also has been reworked. Swiping left will give you the flashlight toggle and your connected MI Smarthome devices and swiping on the right side will give you the camera UI. The bottom line is, the MIUI 9 is leaner and faster than ever making it one of the most responsive customizable UI in Android space.
Battery
Battery life on Xiaomi device has always been good. The Note 5A Prime offers 3080mAh battery which offers 4 and a half hours of screen-on time, and it may vary for different people based on their usage. For the most part of this review, it lasted the whole day with 10 to 5% remaining at the end of the day which is not bad for daily use. And its stock 1Amp charger takes 2 and a half hours to charge completely which is quite a lot if you are a heavy user.
Conclusion
So in conclusion, the Redmi Note 5A Prime is like any other Xiaomi mid-range phone out there. It offers great performance for your day to day tasks and a very pleasing usability with the new MIUI 9 adding tons of features, a capable front-facing shooter which is a great choice for selfie lovers and also provides a decent battery life. But to look at its bad side, it has not so great display and an average rear camera performance.
If you want a better and faster chipset, Full HD display and a metal body you can go with the Redmi Note 4,Samsung J7 Max and J7 Prime by adding extra few thousands. However if you are a Xiaomi fan and like taking selfies, it is probably a good decision to opt for the Redmi Note 5A Prime instead.
HDMI 2.1 is finally here, and all of its specifications have been revealed. I don’t think I have ever been this excited about a new HDMI variant. The fact that it supports up to 10k video streaming just adds up to my excitement for the product.
HDMI 2.1 Features
Supports up to 10k resolutions (10240*4320)
10k video streams at 120fps (compressed)
8k video at 60fps (uncompressed)
4k video at 120fps (uncompressed)
Variable Refresh Rate
Dynamic HDR
10,12 and 16-bit color support
Up to 48Gbps of raw bandwidth (4 times faster than HDMI 1.4)
The specs sheet of HDMI 2.1 is really awesome for us geeks, at least. But then again, for 10K or even 8K to go mainstream will take a while. The hardware it will need is also beyond average.
Considering the present condition of Nepal, even 4K seems like a far-fetched dream. But looking at this great feat of achievement, a decade from now should hit our funny bones.
The new Display Stream Compression technology is what lets you achieve that sweet 10K video at 120fps. There is also a Variable Refresh Rate for the gaming community, a feature just like AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync. Another feature, the Quick Frame Transport, helps with reduced latency and improved fast-paced games and VR.
Like I mentioned before,you the new technology isn’t available yet. HDMI 2.1 compliant test specifications will come out before the end of 2018. So, a definite hardware will take a while to reach the customers.
HDMI 2.0 vs 1.4 vs 1.3
HDMI 2.0
HDMI 1.4
HDMI 1.3
Up to 10.2 Gbps transmission capacity
Unchanged bandwidth
Ultra HD 4K resolutions support at 24 Hz, 25 Hz and 30 Hz
The choice of 4GB and 64GB storage options is among the same as all other smartphones in this category. It employs a 20MP back and 13MP front cameras and a 3000mAh fast-charging battery for power.
