Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Review: Bigger is better?

GadgetByte

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February 3, 2017

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Review: Bigger is better?

The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is the latest premium smartphone from the Korean giants. It has a 6-inch display, 6 GB of RAM, and Snapdragon 652 processor. It will go on sale in a matter of weeks here in Nepal for an expected price of around 55 to 60K.

We got to use the device for two days. So, here is our quick review to find out if this phone is worth all your money.

Design

The Galaxy C9 Pro is a handsome lad and easily the best looking Samsung device that I have ever held in my hands. It houses a metal back giving a premium feeling. The device is thin and carries a bit of weight. At the front, the Galaxy C9 Pro sports a tall 6-inch display. Even for its huge display size, I had no problem using the device. It sure is ergonomically built.

The display is accompanied by a primary camera and an earpiece along with accelerometer, proximity, light and gyro sensors. I was really surprised with Samsung’s choice here as the company adds all these sensors only in its the high-end flagship devices. The front part edges out with 2.5D curved gorilla glass making the device look seamless. The home button on the bottom chin doesn’t bulge out like previous Samsung smartphones and fits in perfectly into the chin. It also serves as a fingerprint sensor. The volume rockers and power button sit on the left and right side of the device. The Galaxy C9 Pro features a speaker at the bottom. And yes, it does come with a headphone jack.

Display

The Galaxy C9 Pro flaunts a tall 6-inch Super AMOLED 1080p display with 367 for the PPI. The display looks bright, colorful and well saturated – thanks to its super AMOLED panel. Unlike previous Samsung smartphones, the Galaxy C9 Pro comes with an auto brightness adjusting function, that auto-adjusts the brightness level in accordance to the lighting. I had no problem in using the device in a bright environment. And the best part is the inclusion of Always on Display.

Software

Talking about the software, the Galaxy C9 Pro comes with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the box with TouchWiz UI on top of it. It is commendable that the Korean giants have now opted for a toned down version of TouchWiz in their devices. While I am more inclined towards stock Android experience, I had now problem using the interface. The C9 Pro comes with little bloatware which was kind of useful. It also supports multi-window mode which goes well with the huge 6-inch display. And it has already been confirmed that the device will get Android Nougat update. All in all, for me, the software experience was top-notch and snappy.

Performance

The Galaxy C9 Pro comes with an Octa-core Snapdragon 653 processor clocked at 1.9GHz. Considering its price range, the company should have at least went with the Snapdragon 820/821 SoC. Also, the device features Adreno 510 GPU. It would have been better if Samsung had chosen Adreno 530 GPU, as it performs better during gaming. Nonetheless, I got no lags and stutters while during my time of using the device. The C9 Pro could handle everything, from heavy gaming to using tons of apps at the same time, thanks to its 6GB RAM.

Hardware

On the hardware side, the device features 64GB of onboard storage that can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. Samsung seems to have listened to its users as the device comes with a dedicated microSD slot. The mono speaker on the C9 Pro is only decent. For its connectivity, it has a USB Type-C connector that supports fast charging which is really necessary due to the large battery it comes with. The fingerprint scanner of the device is fast and is probably even faster than Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. It works perfectly and I had no hiccups unlocking the device. The C9 Pro supports 4G connectivity with its dual Nano SIM.

Camera

On specs sheet, the Galaxy C9 pro is equipped with a 16-megapixel rear and front camera, both with f/1.9 aperture. The pictures come out bright, sharp and well saturated in a well-lit environment. The rear camera is equipped with dual tone LED flash which helped in balancing the lighting of objects and their background. The device, however, doesn’t do well in a dark environment as the pictures come out over-exposed and quite grainy. I also didn’t like the fact that it doesn’t shoot 4K videos. The front camera is perfect for selfie lovers. It takes sharp and bright images. Like most of its devices, Samsung has included the palm gesture to take pictures. The camera app comes with some inbuilt editing effects.

Battery

Under the hood, the C9 Pro comes with a huge 4000 mAh battery which will last for a couple of days under normal usage. Add this with Samsung’s built-in ‘S power planning’ and you won’t be searching for your charger for a few days. And thanks to its fast battery charging, I could charge up the battery in a short time period.

Early Verdict

So, to conclude the C9 Pro is a quite decent smartphone. It is a tall phablet that even for its size, is easier to use. The design is excellent and the device feels top-notch. And with 6GB of RAM, you sure won’t be facing any lags. This device is meant for those who like using big displays for gaming and multimedia experience. Even though its camera isn’t of a flagship standard, it is a good buy considering its price range.

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 [Leaked Design & Specs]

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GadgetByte

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February 3, 2017

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Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 [Leaked Design & Specs]

Samsung has a lot to prove in 2017. It’ll certainly get a comeback with the release of the next galaxy, the Galaxy S8. But, that won’t be enough. Lately, it’s losing the image of providing considerable midrange phone at cheaper prices. The availability of Specs heavy phones at cheaper price from different Chinese manufacturers made Samsung lose its market share worldwide. The J series family of smartphones did great but Samsung wants them to do even better. Samsung is looking forward to selling 100 million units of smartphone from Galaxy J family worldwide.

It might sound challenging but is possible. Samsung is adding the fourth J7 in its J-series family and it’s the Samsung Galaxy J7 2017. Well, it is only recently that we started to see renders of its new design. Now, the leaked benchmark details made us be more confident about its release more than ever.

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 (design render and leaked specs)

The design render shows a fresh design for the next Samsung Galaxy J7. It looks easy to spot from rest of its predecessors with that gray strip along the camera module which might as well double as antenna lines. Like J7 prime, the loudspeaker is placed on the right top edge of the device. Rumors say the phone might come with some water resistance that’ll be a most welcome feature in a midrange phone.

What is more interesting than its design render is its leaked benchmark details. That detail gives us a glimpse on what the phone will be packing inside.

Looking at the specs in the test benchmark records made us scrub our heads. As it is in conflict with rumored specs. Earlier, Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 was rumored to pack a 3GB RAM but here it shows up as if that’ll be of 2GB only. However, Samsung might be releasing two variants of this phone depending on the region. What we can be sure of is, the phone will come with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. It’ll be powered by an Octa-core processor from Qualcomm that’ll be clocked at 2.2Ghz or the Exynos 7870 SoC. Plus, the rumor says it is Qualcomm SnapDragon 626. It’ll be a 5.5 inch full HD LCD panel just like its predecessors. Nonetheless, it won’t have a fingerprint sensor and many might find it disappointing. Additionally, the camera units will be the same 13MP at back and 5MP on the front.

Honestly speaking, I wanted the next Galaxy J7 to sport a fingerprint sensor. Let’s wish the rumor about no fingerprint sensor will turn out to be just rumor. Design-wise, the phone looks compelling but how well it’ll feel while holding is something we can say only after getting our hands on it, hopefully, this spring.

Samsung Galaxy J7 2017 Expected Price in Nepal: Rs. 30,000

Hamro TV Launched: Nepal’s first 4K resolution DTH provider with Internet

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February 3, 2017

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Hamro TV Launched: Nepal’s first 4K resolution DTH provider with Internet

A few years ago, TV Cable service and Internet were two different services. Recently, many ISPs are giving NetTv as a bundled service. Similarly, DTH providers have included internet service in their packages as well. That is considered a most-welcome service from customer’s point of view. There’s already a healthy competition among the ISPs in Nepal giving better services at cheaper prices. In the current scenario of customers not being satisfied with their latest subscriptions, the establishment of a new service provider is always welcome. Talking about a new DTH in Nepal, HamroTV is struggling to come to the limelight. With a promise to give 4K digital TV service, we can already foresee this company will shortly be the talk of the town.

HamroTV (a new DTH with 4K TV channels and the Internet)

Currently, there isn’t much of the information regarding packages and their pricing from HamroTV. However, their already live website looks promising but lacks the package details. As far as TV channels are concerned, it’ll have over 50 HD channels. There aren’t specific channel names and we don’t know how many of Channels will be in 4K yet. Despite that, their website includes six different channel categories.

We look forward to getting the package details from the HamroTV very soon. We’ll certainly give you details about everything you need to know about this new emerging company and its services. Stay Tuned.

Open Data Day Hackathon Kicking Off this Month

Events in Nepal

GadgetByte

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February 3, 2017

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Open Data Day Hackathon Kicking Off this Month

Open Data is a concept that some data should be free without any bounds that means no copyright, patents, or any restrictions. The concept is similar to what we’ve been hearing about the Open Source Software. Open Data are usually the data collected by governments or from several other projects which ensures transparency and accountability. More importantly, people get benefited after being informed with data available in open formats for re-use. But these data may not be recognized by every other average Joe so this is where the Open Data Day Hackathon comes in, where these open data are used to create a platform either web or mobile to visualize and understand the data and also use these data to tackle the real challenges of the society.

Open Data Day Hackathon will be held on 25th February and the participation is completely free. The event will be taking place on Leapfrog Academy.

To be eligible to participate in the Hackathon, you must be:

Data Analyst
Front End Developer
Project Manager
Data Enthusiast
Designer
Mobile Developer
Student (Having the aforementioned specs)

What will happen on the hackathon day?

Individuals with different skillsets get along to form a team to take up one of the challenges.
The teams will work on creating solutions such as visualization, web app or mobile app.
The judge will visit each team, while they are working, and starts evaluating each team.
Each team will have 5 minutes to present their solution
Once again, judges will evaluate each team.
The teams will have a week to refine their solutions and showcase during Open Data Day.

The winners will be announced on the Open Data Day which will be held on March 4th, 2017.

The event is Scheduled in the following codification:

Registration: 7:30 AM to 8:30 AM
Team Formation: 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Development: 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Lunch: 12:00 AM to 12:45 PM
Development: 12:45 to 2:00 PM
Tech Check: 2:00PM to 3:30 PM
Judges Visit: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Presentation: 4:00PM to 5:00 PM

Judging Criteria

Impact

How much impact (quality and quantity) can this project have? Does it solve a big problem or a little problem?

Creativity

How creative is the approach? Is the project new and something that hasn’t been attempted before? Is it something that isn’t being addressed by the market?

Product

How well does this project fit the needs of the challenge it addresses? How user friendly is the technology? Is it a complete solution or does it have a long way to go?

Presentation

How well did the team communicate their project? Are they effective in telling the story of the project and why it is important?

Lava A3 Review: Should you buy it for Rs. 25,000?

GadgetByte

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February 3, 2017

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Lava A3 Review: Should you buy it for Rs. 25,000?

The Indian smartphone brand Lava has been in the Nepali smartphone market for quite a while. Lava has been providing low-end mobiles and smartphones for the Nepali users. However, now Lava has been expanding its horizon and toiling to provide mid-range phones. It has recently brought a Lava A3 phone, which is packed with greater specs as compared to its previous models. And this smartphone probably is the first mid-range phone in the Lava family. This new device costs Rs. 25,000 in Nepali market. The manufacturers have claimed that the device comes with greater specs and the slogan ‘Never miss a detail’ justifies it. So, in order to dig the truth, let’s explore what is inside the phone and let’s find out if the phone worth the price and worth a buy.

Design

Lava A3 includes sleek metallic back with carefully placed and convincingly colored plastic caps on the top and bottom of the phone. Though provided with an Aluminum body, the phone is light in weight.

The device is thin, which has added elegance to its design. The curved edges have eased the user to hold the device with a single hand. However, the smooth and soft finish has made the device somewhat slippery. This can, however, be avoided with the addition of skins or back cover to the device. The device also lacks capacitive touch buttons on the chin. However, the on-screen buttons will help you do the job anyway.

Display

Lava A3 comes with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The presence of Gorilla Glass has made the device secure from cracks and scratches. However, the presence of IPS LCD when the other devices are furnishing OLED, Optic AMOLED and Super AMOLED displays has made the Lava A3 somewhat obsolete. The device’s display includes 720p (HD) resolution. As most of the devices in this price segment are available with Full HD resolution, this feature might be the reason to pull back Lava A3 in the race.

However, this resolution slows down the battery consumption and hence provides greater battery backup. On the contrast side, the phone has low contrast ratio. The minimum brightness of the device saves you from the eyestrain. However, in the broad daylight, even with the full brightness, your eyes have to struggle to view the display. The phone comes with auto brightness option, which saves your time of frequently changing display brightness while being on indoors and outdoors. The screen drawback also includes the lack of color saturation in which the true color disguises.

Hardware

Moving on, the device includes circular slot fingerprint scanner on the back, placed right below the camera and LED flash. Lava A3 is furnished with speaker grills on the bottom. There is a single speaker installed to the device, however, two grills are provided for the sake of symmetry. The audio quality of the device is good to the speaker and even on the earphone, however; the sound is not loud enough to struggle in a sonorific environment. The hardware also includes the power button, volume buttons and the charging slot, which is placed on the right, left and bottom of the device respectively. The volume keys and power key are well placed with a suitable distance between them providing the ease even to press them simultaneously when desired. The hardware also includes a tiny LED on the top, which physically reminds you about the notifications by blinking.

Software

On the software, Lava A3 is favored by Android Marshmallow 6.0 and flavored by Star OS 3.3 on the top. The UI of the device is not of the top-notch quality. When I was using the phone, the UI failed to impress me. The lack of app drawer became the problem at first; however, after the installation of a launcher, that absence was never felt. Out of the box, the device does come with some bloatware, which is useful and easily removable if unwanted. The device also includes smart gesture and custom gesture option for the users, which in addition to ease, provide the users to turn their scribbles into the meaningful tasks to the device.

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Performance

The device is powered by Mediatek MT6750 chipset, which is an Octa-core processor running at the clock speed of 1.5 GHz. The graphics portion is taken care by the Mali-T860 GPU. The device also comes with the 32 GB of internal memory, which can be expanded with the use of SDcard (upto 64GB). 32 GB is a good amount, however, nearly one-fourth of the internal memory is devoured by the system. This could be the reason to make you fall short while storing your data. The phone also inherits 3 GB DDR3 RAM. The GPU and RAM assembly has done a great job on the device. Even running multiple high-end games, I found no glitches on my play and the performance was lag free. However, there was a heating issue, when the games were played for long.

Battery

Out of the box, the device comes with 3020 mAh non-removable battery. It provides a greater backup on standby and normal use, though, it could betray you being out of charge on the heavy usage. I noticed a quick draining of battery while playing the high-end games. Though the battery served me with an around of five hours of backup even while playing high-end games with my Wi-Fi on. The device also lacks Quick charging technology and indulges itself with the wall-charger for a long time to gain the full charge.

Camera

The camera of the phone is top notch. The 13 MP Sony sensor on the back does a good job with the photos. The camera comes with many options. The camera option includes Gif mode, intelligent selfie, template, sound picture and QR code scanner options, which is a rare feature to be seen in a smartphone camera. In addition, the camera also includes a Bokeh option. The nifty photograph with the option set to Bokeh effect reminded me of some high-quality digital camera. Though the camera is greatly built, we can experience conspicuous grain on the photos shot in the low light. This can be somewhat avoided by shooting photos with the flash on.

On the front, the device includes an 8 MP shooter. Following the footsteps of the rear, the front one too shoots great photos. Even on the low light, the LED flash ensures the clarity and sharpness in the picture. To avoid the blurry and shaky images, the camera is flowered by EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) and phase detection autofocus. While taking videos, the front one is capable of taking VGA videos and the rear one capable of shooting FHD videos. The cameras are also capable of taking customized fast motion videos in the speed interval of 2x to 10x. Both cameras on the phones in the similar price section are capable of shooting Full HD video in the least. So the video resolution of the device failed to dazzle me.

Connectivity

For the cellular connectivity, the phone carries a SIM card tray near the power button. The device is capable of having two SIMs standby. However, this will cut you from the privilege of expanding your storage by the use of SDcard. The phone also encourages 4G compatibility, which is a good news as 4G is now available in Nepal. Other connectivity option includes A-GPS, Bluetooth, Radio and Wi-Fi 802.11 (b/g/n). However, the lack of dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac and OTG cable compatibility is not convincing in this price segment.

Fingerprint

The sensitivity of the fingerprint sensor in this device is the most astounding feature on the Lava A3. The unlocking of the device will take 0.16 seconds. Putting my finger on the rear-mounted circular slot of fingerprint scanner unlocks the device almost instantaneously. This could probably be the most sensitive fingerprint sensor in this price range. This nifty fingerprint sensor might turn out to lure the customers to buy Lava A3.

Conclusion

In the overall, Lava A3 is a great device. The toils done by the Lava to step up itself from low-end budget devices to the mid-range range device of this quality deserves a due respect. The device’s metallic design, snappy fingerprint scanner, stunning camera, astounding hardware, and performance will not fail to impress you. Display, battery, and software have a place for improvement. They may fall short in the specs as compared to other devices in the price range. However, they are not that disappointing to push you to engulf in the regrets. I will not call it great but this device could definitely be a good buy in this price segment.

Facebook Ordered to Pay $500 million in Oculus Rift VR Lawsuit

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February 3, 2017

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Facebook Ordered to Pay $500 million in Oculus Rift VR Lawsuit

A U.S. jury in Texas, on Wednesday, ordered Facebook to pay $500 million to ZeniMax Media Inc., a video game publisher. The lawsuit was filed against Facebook-owned Oculus for allegedly stealing the intellectual property of ZeniMax.

Oculus has been charged for- copyright infringement ($50 million), failure to comply with a non-disclosure agreement ($200 million), and misuse of Oculus trademarks ($50 million). Also, former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe must also pay $150 million, and current CEO Palmer Luckey must pay $50 million — both for false designation.

ZeniMax has claimed that Oculus founder Palmer Luckey had exploited the Zenimax computer code and trade secrets in order to develop its products. It also said that Oculus’ VR device Oculus Rift was very much lacking until John Carmack, Oculus chief technology officer and founder of a company owned by ZeniMax, improved on the device using his knowledge from his previous work as a ZeniMax employee.

Zenimax – the parent company of id Software which has produced iconic video games such as Doom – has claimed that Facebook had purchased Oculus with ‘full awareness’ that Carmack had indeed stolen the technology. However, Facebook CEO -Mark Zuckerberg had testified in court stating that he had no idea whatsoever about the intellectual property claims between Oculus and ZeniMax.

Anthony Sammi, ZeniMax lawyer has stated that they are pleased with the jury’s award in this case as it reflects the damage done to the company as the result of the theft of their intellectual property. They have also hinted at seeking proper steps to ensure that there will no longer be any use of their misappropriated technology.

Facebook has said that they are, indeed, disappointed by a few aspects of the verdict, but they are undeterred. They have stated that their belief and commitment to the long-term success of VR still remains the same, and the entire team will continue the work they’ve done since day one. They are looking forward to filing an appeal and eventually putting litigation behind them while moving forward to develop a VR that is, simply put, beyond ordinary; and will change how people interact and communicate.

Virtual reality has been a subject of vast approach, scheme, and ideas for the past few decades. Oculus Rift has definitely set the notch up a bit. From the latest reviews, one can clearly know that the Oculus’ attempt in VR, will certainly not go unnoticed. The experience provided by this innovation has genuinely surpassed many of the VR experiences, undoubtedly. But what affect will this lawsuit have against Oculus, against Facebook? We will all have to wait and see.

ZTE Blade A610 Plus with 4GB RAM, 5000mAh Battery to Launch in Nepal Soon

ZTE

Yural Maskey

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February 2, 2017

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ZTE Blade A610 Plus with 4GB RAM, 5000mAh Battery to Launch in Nepal Soon

Evolution Enterprises, the exclusive authorized distributor of ZTE mobiles in Nepal, is preparing to launch the successor of Blade A610 in Nepal. Dubbed as the Blade A610 Plus, the handset offers several decent improvements over its predecessor like a bigger battery (4000mAh Vs 5000mAh), better display (5” 720P Vs 5.5” 1080P), and better performance (1.3Ghz Quadcore CPU/2GB RAM Vs 1.5Ghz Octacore CPU/4GB RAM).

Full Specs Breakdown of ZTE Blade A610 Plus

The ZTE Blade A610 Plus boasts a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with 2.5D curved glass and 1080P resolution netting a total pixel density of 403ppi. It is powered by a 1.5Ghz Octacore MT6570T processor alongside 4GB of RAM. Storage wise, it has 32GB of internal storage which can be further expanded via microSD card upto 128GB. Backing up this device is an enormous 5000mAh battery rated to provide 3 days of backup during normal usage, 12 hours of video playback, and 30 days of standby. The battery supports MediaTek’s Pump Express 3.0 — A fast charging technology that can charge 50% charge in just 1 hour. The phone boots on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with Mi Favor UI layered on top.

In the optics department, the ZTE Blade A610 Plus has a 13-megapixel rear camera with Phase detection autofocus for accurately focusing the object in just 0.3 seconds. Up front, the phone has 8MP selfie snapper with wide angle lens and LED flash. Connectivity options include dual-SIM slot with 4G LTE support, GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, BT 4.0, MicroUSB 2.0, and 3.5mm Earphone port. The fingerprint scanner is located on the back and ZTE claims it can unlock the phone in just 0.1 seconds. It also boasts an elegant design with a full metal unibody design. It weighs 183gms and measures 155*76.2*9.8 cubic mm in dimension.

Launch Date & Price of ZTE Blade A610 Plus in Nepal

According to our close source, the Chinese firm is working on launching the A610 Plus in Nepal before the end of March. We can expect the phone to be priced in between Rs.28,000 to Rs. 30,000.

NTC released Call Waiting Service

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February 2, 2017

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Today, Nepal Telecom released Call Waiting service for its GSM Prepaid Users. On the occasion of 13th Anniversary of NT, this services has been implemented.

How to activate Call Waiting in NTC (Prepaid Users only)

To activate this service in your NTC number, dial ” *43# ” and press call.

If you later felt like deactivating the service then you can do so by dialing ” #43# ” and press call.

To check the status of the Call Waiting service, dial ” *#43# ” and press call.

Bear in mind, this is a free service from NTC. That’s why there won’t be any activation charges. Plus, there won’t be any service charges of any type while activating, deactivating or status checking of the service.

Verdict:

Well, this is a must-have service for every mobile user. I wish if they had released the service for all pre-paid and post-paid subscribers of both GSM and CDMA. Plus, this kind of services should rather be auto-activated since who wouldn’t use the service that’s free and really useful. At last, I would like to say “better late than never” to NTC.

Huawei Honor 6X/GR5 2017 fails in Zack’s durability test

GadgetByte

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February 2, 2017

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Huawei Honor 6X/GR5 2017 fails in Zack’s durability test

Zack Nelson, the owner of JerryRig Everything, has been doing durability, teardown, and repair tests on many different phones since 2012. Many of his YouTube subscribers might have mistaken his name to be Jerry which is not. Those who already know him might have an idea of what he does in the durability tests. For those who don’t, I would like to give a quick walkthrough. He starts with testing of the screen for scratch tests followed by heat test on the screen. Then he checks the material used in the build of the phone. Before doing the bend test, the durability of earpiece material and protecting glass used in cameras are also put to the test.

Zack’s Durability Test on Huawei Honor 6X/ GR5 2017 Explained

In his latest YouTube video, Zack performed a durability test on the Honor 6x. If the phone name Honor 6x sounds new to you, it is same as Huawei GR5 2017. In short, the phone failed badly in his durability test and ended up in his “Shelf of Shame”. The screen gets scratched pretty easily as the protecting glass used isn’t a Gorilla Glass. The screen starts getting scratches at the Level 2 of Zack’s hardness tool whereas many other phones’ screens only start having marks at the level 4 in the earliest.

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On the bright side, the metallic grill over the earpiece is a durable one as compared to fabric materials. The plastic panels at the top and bottom of the phone will be a good player for shock absorption in case of occasional drops. Zack peeled off the plastics used in volume rockers and power button. Well, the Honor 6X is a budget phone and its build quality was no exception. Nonetheless, the back is made out of metal as expected.

When a phone is made out of metal, it is expected to be a sturdy one. Despite the metal back, Zack easily bent the honor 6X in his bend test. The bending didn’t crack the protecting glass but the LCD couldn’t survive it. Anyways, It is the same LCD that survived the heat test for up to 12seconds and recovered effortlessly. Zack mentioned the reason behind this bending to be the back metal not being screwed to the phone’s chassis.

As you can see from JerryRigEverything, the honor 6x failed the durability test of Zack Nelson. Hence, the phone has found its place in Zack’s Shelf of Shame along with other phones like Xiaomi Redmi Note 3.

Is Huawei GR5 2017 still a good buy?

Well, this durability test’s result was a disappointing one. The phone gets scratches easily and will bend without much of effort. Yes, they are problems but they have easy fixes as well. Your GR5 2017 will last longer if you handle it with care. All you need to have after you buy this phone is a quality tempered glass and a good phone case. The specs it offers and its performance as a daily driver and the promising cameras it has got easily overshadowed this durability test for me. In my personal preference, Huawei GR5 2017 is still a good buy for a phone under 30k in Nepal.
Here’s our full review of Huawei GR5 2017:

Official: Apple Leads Samsung in Smartphone Sales in Q4 2016

GadgetByte

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February 2, 2017

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Official: Apple Leads Samsung in Smartphone Sales in Q4 2016

Apple is now the top player in the smartphone industry in terms of total devices sales in the Q4. This is the first time in the last five years that Apple has taken the lead over their biggest rivals Samsung according to Strategy Analytics (market research firm).

This was the iPhone’s best performance for over a year, as Apple capitalized on Samsung’s recent missteps

Apple managed to sell 78.3 million iPhones in Q4 2016, which is 17.8% of the total market share. Coming up second was Samsung who managed to sell 77.5 million phones gaining 17.7% of the market share. Let’s not forget that Apple sells only high-end iPhones opposed to a variety of lineups from Samsung ranging from budget to high-end ones.

Samsung’s Note 7 battery fiasco turned out to be very advantageous for Apple’s iPhone sales. China’s Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo filled rest of the top 5 positions ranking respectively.