Science & Technology
The geek in us is always excited to see and feel top-notch smartphones. Power, performance, cool looks are what customers generally look for in smartphones.
But the new buyers will have to make do with relatively "low-end" new arrivals for the foreseeable future due to the Nepali government's ban on import of phones worth more than $300 or Rs. 38,500 as per the day's exchange rates.
The import ban is effective until the end of August.
However, if you want upper mid-range and higher range phones, they are still available in the Nepali market. While the prices of the older models remain the same, vendors say, the "limited stocks" are going off the shelves fast.
Nevertheless, there are good new models from different brands that are worth exploring. We have listed three of them below:
1. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G
Processor and storage:
Launched in February 2022, the phone is popular in the mid-range choices, the phone packs Qualcomm Snapdragon 695, an octa-core chipset based in 6nm process node under its hood.
The phone comes in two variants: the higher-end (128 GB + 8 GB) costs more than $300. The second variant (128 GB + 6 GB) is a good contender in the mid-range phones with a price tag of Rs. 38,499.
Battery and Charging:
The battery capacity is 5000 mAh, enough to last all day, combined with 67W charging. This one will give you peace of mind. Xiaomi also gives you 67W charger in the box and claims 0 to 50 percent in 15 minutes.
Screen:
Gorilla Glass 5 protected 6.67 inches FHD+ Super AMOLED screen supports 120 Hz refresh rate, giving it a crispy look. The higher refresh rate ensures smooth run of videos and animations.
Camera:
The rear camera bump has a triple camera setup, the main camera being 108 MP wide sensor. The other camera sensors are 8 MP ultra-wide sensor and 2 MP macro sensor. Rear camera is capable of recording 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps).
Similarly, the front ‘punch hole’ includes 16MP sensor capable of recording 1080 at 30 fps.
Operating System:
Powering the phone is Android 11 based MIUI 13, without any promise for software upgrades.
2. Samsung Galaxy M33 5G
Processor and storage:
Launched in March 2022 with aggressive pricing, M33 packs punchy performance in its class thanks to the Exynos 1280, a chip based on the latest 5 nm process node with octa-core CPU layout.
Samsung offers two models differentiating on the memory: 128 GB + 6 GB and 128 GB + 8 GB with pricing Rs. 34,000 and Rs. 36,000 respectively. Both the models will be fast enough day-today phone chores. However, the higher the RAM capacity, the better it is (8 GB>6 GB).
Battery and charging:
6000 mAh in the Indian variant is – no doubt – a whole day machine. There is even a feature to reverse charge (not wireless) other devices from its giant battery.
The phone supports 25W ‘fast charging’ but the speed is mediocre compared to Chinese phone makers. If you want to go for this then better manage time to buy a separate charger because you will not be getting one in the box.
The screen on the phone is 6.6 inches 1080p FHD+ LCD display with 120 Hz refresh rate. This means, a nice look – not the best, but capable of running smooth animations and videos. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 5.
Camera:
Most importantly, it has quad-camera square layout on its back with main camera of 50 MP. The layout also includes, an ultra-wide camera of 5 MP, a macro-lens of 2 MP for close-up shooting and a 2 MP depth sensor for better portrait shots.
The camera powered with Exynos chipset and plenty of RAM, the phone is capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 frames per second (fps). On its ‘teardrop’ camera cut-out on the screen, it includes an 8 MP selfie camera capable of capturing 1080p at 30 fps.
Operating System:
On software side, the phone is powered with Android 12 based One UI 4.1 and there is a promise of two years of Android upgrade and four years of security updates.
3. Realme 9
Processor and storage:
Launched in April 2022, the phone can be a good mid-range choice with Qualcomm Snapdragon 680, an octa-core system on a chip (SOC) based on 6 nm process node.Unlike other two, this phone does not support 5G, which Nepal is yet to launch.
The phone has a ‘pro’ counterpart with 5G support but that is beyond the $300 mark.
The phone has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants with 128 GB of storage with prices Rs. 31,500 and Rs. 33,500 respectively.
Battery:
The 5000 mAh battery is enough to power the device whole day and is combined with 33W charging speed. The charger is included in the box and is advertised to charge 0 to 50 percent in 31 minutes.
Screen:
6.4 inches FHD+ Super AMOLED screen with 90 Hz refresh rate is protected with Gorilla Glass 5. The smoothness is not as good as other two devices. Nevertheless, it is a viable option.
Camera:
The sleek looking rear camera module has triple camera setup with main camera being 108 MP wide sensor. The other two include an 8 MP ultra-wide and a 2 MP macro-sensor.
The left-aligned punch hole in front includes a 16 MP camera.
The device is capable of capturing 1080p at 30 fps video from both rear and front facing camera.
Operating System:
The phone is powered by Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12. The company does not promise any software upgrades. There are plenty more choices to meet your personal needs, but these are some of best in town. Now, the choice is yours.
