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Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
Bangladeshi Brand Walton has been making the country proud with its top-notch phones. Targeting the local market, they produce affordable and quality smartphones. The most recent Walton phones have a variety of features, including an affordable price point and a good camera. Recently, they have launched a new phone Walton Primo S8 Mini. The phone came to the Bangladeshi market on April 16, 2022. With the massive battery Walton named this the Gaming Warrior. Let’s see the specs, features and price of Walton Primo S8 Mini and find what you can expect from this phone.
Key Features of Walton Primo S8 Mini
Design
On the back, top left, you will find four cameras and one flash. The glossy look will help you to hold the phone with more confidence. On the bottom side of the phone, it features a mic, 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type C, and speaker. Walton integrated a fast fingerprint sensor on the back, which will give you a smooth unlocking experience.
Read Vivo X Fold Review: Can it outsmart the other foldable phones?
The right side contains the volume button and the power button. On the left, you will get to see the sim tray, which is also the memory card tray.
Although the Primo S8 Mini is a budget phone, the 9.15 mm depth and 205g will give you an elegant feel. Further, the 163.65 mm height and 77.65 mm width will give you the opportunity to hold the phone in one hand.
It comes in three colors, stone white, ink black, and forest green. Further, the rainbow glass protection on the back reduces the scratches significantly. Besides, blending the rainbow with three different colors makes the phone more beautiful.
Read Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
Display
S8 Mini comes with an incredible 6.53-inch LTPS FHD display and makes it one of a kind that makes everything on display look real. Moreover, the 2340x1080p resolution with 400 Nits brightness and 19.5:9 aspect ratio will certainly make your vision clear. So, you can stream your favorite TV shows, movies, or even games smoothly.
The phone has a captive touch screen, which makes the phone more responsive than those with resistive touch screens. Also, it is easier on the eyes and requires less pressure to be registered. The captive touch screen is more durable and lasts longer than resistive touch screens. The display type is LTPS INCELL Full lamination Technology with 2.5D Curved Glass.
Read Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Review: Does it live up to the hype?
Performance
The Walton Primo S8 Mini features a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 665, 2.0GHz Octa-Core Processor, and Kryo 260 64-bit. The GPU is Qualcomm® Adreno™ 610 - 950MHz. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 Mobile Platform offers highly beneficial mobile experiences with artificial intelligence to enhance the experience of gaming, camera performance, and security performance. Moreover, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 Mobile Platform offers intelligent and immersive user experiences. The Adreno 610 also boosts gaming performance.
The phone runs on Android 11, which is associated with VSmart OS. This will give you a new user experience and make you fall in love with the new S8 Mini.
Read Oppo F21 Pro Review: Camera Phone Made in Bangladesh
Memory
The Primo S8 Mini comes with 4GB and 8GB LPDDR4x RAM versions, while the internal memory is the same 64GB for both versions. However, this internal memory might look poor to you. The phone has an external memory card option, and you can expand the memory up to 256GB. Further, the phone is equipped with a 2.1 memory system that provides awesome data transfer performance while consuming low power. So, you can get the ultimate gaming experience on a budget phone.
Camera
The main camera features a combination of four cameras 16MP+8MP+2MP+2MP AI Quad Cameras. The camera features autofocuses with PDAF and LED flash while the aperture is f/1.8. These 16MP cameras will give you an amazing sensor for everything you click.
Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look?
Further, a dedicated 8MP wide-angle sensor gives you the opportunity to focus widely. You can take a 120-degree wide-angle phone with Walton Primo S8 Mini. A 2MP depth sensor gives you amazing portraits. In addition to that, the phone also features quad lenses for different modes of shooting. The 2MP Macro shooter can take perfect macro shots of anything you want.
The shooting modes you will get are Photo, Macro, Beauty AR Sticker, Slow Motion, Time-Lapse, Manual (Manual Focus, White Balance, ISO, Exposure, Shutter Speed), Fast Motion, Portrait, HDR, Color Filter, and Self-Timer.
Read Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: A Fast Phone with Massive Battery
The amazing camera will provide you with up to 4K 30fps video recording with Video Stabilizer, Video Face Detection, and interruption few recordings.
The selfie camera features 13MP with PDAF and f/2.0 aperture. You can take a selfie in Normal, Portrait, AI Beauty, Watermark, Color Filter, and HDR mode. Also, the large sensor size gives you a sharp & colorful selfie while applying face beauty, selfie indicator, BSI, AI, and face detection. The front camera can record 4K video at 30fps, while video face detection also comes with it. You can even shoot slow-motion videos with the Primo S8 Mini.
Read Xiaomi Mi 12 Ultra: What to Expect from the Next Xiaomi Flagship?
Battery
The Walton Primo S8 Mini comes with a massive 5000mAh battery, which will give you an extended gaming time. You can change this giant battery cell quickly with an 18w fast charger. The USB Type C cable features quick charge 3.0.
Price of Walton Primo S8 Mini
The Primo S8 Mini is priced at Tk. 13,999. But you can get it for Tk. 12,499 with a free t-shirt for a limited time pre-booking period.
Read Xiaomi POCO X4 Pro Review: Know the Pros and Cons
Conclusion
Walton Primo S8 Mini is a gaming phone at a budget price. If you are a gamer and looking for an affordable phone, Primo S8 Mini should be a great option. Further, the excellent camera and video quality will also give your peace of mind. Also, streaming in HD will let you stream your live game too.
Banglalink skill development programme: 'Digirevolution' Season 1 ends
Telecom operator Banglalink has completed the first season of "Digirevolution," a virtual skill development programme for students, through a closing ceremony.
Erik Aas, chief executive officer, and Monzula Morshed, chief human resources and administration officer, of Banglalink, and all the programme participants were present at the event in the capital.
Students from more than 35 universities from all over the country were shortlisted for the virtual programme.
READ: Breaching copyright law by Banglalink: Hearing on charge framing in 2 cases on May 26
They were upskilled on various contemporary telecom, digital, and business topics in business intelligence and analytics, digital marketing, UI and UX, content marketing, design thinking, and agile project management.
Following each session, the participants went through an evaluation process.
Monzula Morshed said: "Digirevolution helped the participants learn professional digital skills much needed in the workplaces of today."
Read Development sector: 'Young job-seekers should learn soft, technical skills to thrive'
"We believe that empowering local talents with contemporary learning experiences will result in a well-equipped workforce in our telecom and IT industries."
Netflix shares drop 25% after service loses 200K subscribers
Netflix suffered its first subscriber loss in more than a decade, causing its shares to plunge 25% in extended trading amid concerns that the pioneering streaming service may have already seen its best days.
The company’s customer base fell by 200,000 subscribers during the January-March period, according to its quarterly earnings report released Tuesday It’s the first time that Netflix’s subscribers have fallen since the streaming service became available throughout most of the world outside of China six years ago. The drop this year stemmed in part from Netflix’s decision to withdraw from Russia to protest the war against Ukraine, resulting in a loss of 700,000 subscribers.
Netflix acknowledged its problems are deep rooted by projecting a loss of another 2 million subscribers during the April-June period.
If the stock drop extends into Wednesday’s regular trading session, Netflix shares will have lost more than half of their value so far this year — wiping out about $150 billion in shareholder wealth in less than four months.
Netflix is hoping to reverse the tide by taking steps it has previously resisted, including blocking the sharing of accounts and introducing a lower-priced — and ad-supported — version of its service.
Aptus Capital Advisors analyst David Wagner said it’s now clear that Netflix is grappling with an imposing challenge. “They are in no-(wo) man’s land,” Wagner wrote in a research note Tuesday.
Read: Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter, make it 'maximally trusted'
Netflix absorbed its biggest blow since losing 800,000 subscribers in 2011 — the result of unveiled plans to begin charging separately for its then-nascent streaming service, which had been bundled for free with its traditional DVD-by-mail service. The customer backlash to that move elicited an apology from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings for botching the execution of the spin-off.
The latest subscriber loss was far worse than a forecast by Netflix management for a conservative gain of 2.5 million subscribers. The news deepens troubles that have been mounting for the streaming since a surge of signups from a captive audience during the pandemic began to slow.
It marks the fourth time in the last five quarters that Netflix’s subscriber growth has fallen below the gains of the previous year, a malaise that has been magnified by stiffening competition from well-funded rivals such as Apple and Walt Disney.
The setback follows the company’s addition of 18.2 million subscribers in 2021, its weakest annual growth since 2016. That contrasted with an increase of 36 million subscribers during 2020 when people were corralled at home and starved for entertainment, which Netflix was able to quickly and easily provide with its stockpile of original programming.
Netflix has previously predicted that it will regain its momentum, but on Tuesday faced up to the issues bogging it down. “COVID created a lot of noise on how to read the situation,” Hastings said in a video conference reviewing the latest numbers.
Among other things, Hastings confirmed Netflix will start crack down on the sharing of subscriber passwords that has enabled multiple households to access its service from a single account, with changes likely to roll out during the next year or so.
The Los Gatos, California, company estimated that about 100 million households worldwide are watching its service for free by using the account of a friend or another family member, including 30 million in the U.S. and Canada. “”Those are over 100 million households already are choosing to view Netflix,” Hastings said. “They love the service. We’ve just got to get paid at some degree for them.”
Read: Netflix, TikTok block services in Russia to avoid crackdown
To stop the practice and prod more people to pay for their own accounts, Netflix indicated it will expand a test introduced last month in Chile, Peru and Costa Rica that allows subscribers to add up to two people living outside their households to their accounts for an additional fee.
Netflix ended March with 221.6 million worldwide subscribers. The subscriber downturn clipped Netflix’s finances in the first quarter when the company’s profit fell 6% from last year to $1.6 billion, or $3.53 per share. Revenue climbed 10% from last year to nearly $7.9 billion.
With the pandemic easing, people have been finding other things to do, and other video streaming services are working hard to lure new viewers with their own award-winning programming. Apple, for instance, held the exclusive streaming rights to “CODA,” which eclipsed Netflix’s “Power of The Dog,” among other movies, to win Best Picture at last month’s Academy Awards.
Escalating inflation over the past year has also squeezed household budgets, leading more consumers to rein in their spending on discretionary items. Despite that pressure, Netflix recently raised its prices in the U.S., where it has its greatest household penetration — and where it’s had the most trouble finding more subscribers. In the most recent quarter, Netflix lost 640,000 subscribers in the U.S. and Canada, prompting management to point out that most of its future growth will come in international markets.
Netflix also is trying to give people another reason to subscribe by adding video games at no extra charge — a feature that began to roll out last year.
Shareholders await Musk's next move in Twitter takeover bid
Twitter has dropped a major roadblock in front of Elon Musk’s effort to take over the company, leaving investors to wonder about the mercurial Tesla CEO’s next move.
The social media company has adopted a “poison pill” defense that makes it difficult for Musk or any other investor to buy Twitter without the board of directors’ approval. Musk, who currently owns about 9% of the company, last week disclosed an offer of about $43 billion, or $54.20 per share.
Twitter’s next likely move is to formally reject Musk’s offer, although it could negotiate. Musk has a number of options which also include talks with the board, sweetening his offer, or even triggering the poison pill, which experts say would be disastrous for the company.
In a regulatory filing on Monday, Twitter’s board said it approved the defensive move to protect the company from “coercive or otherwise unfair” takeover tactics.
The board is leaving open the possibility of negotiating with Musk or another suitor. The filing says the shareholder rights agreement should not interfere with any merger or offer approved by the board.
Although he said his offer was “final,” Musk may have to raise his bid to satisfy other shareholders. A Saudi prince who is among Twitter’s major shareholders scoffed at the offer last week in a tweet. Al Waleed bin Talal said he didn’t believe $43 billion is close to Twitter's value given its growth prospects. Twitter shares hit an all-time high of $77.63 in March 2021.
When he made his offer public, Musk provided no details on financing, but such a disclosure could improve his chances. He could raise money by borrowing billions using his stakes in Tesla and SpaceX as collateral, and he could bring in other investors.
The poison pill would give stockholders as of April 25 the right to buy one one-thousandth of a share of preferred stock for each common share they own, at a price of $210. The rights are triggered if any person or group of investors buys 15% or more of the company’s shares without board approval.
The preferred stock would have the same voting rights as a common share, according to the filing, which does not specifically mention Musk.
Also Read: Elon Musk wants to buy Twitter, make it 'maximally trusted'
The poison pill essentially would spell the end of Twitter if Musk or another investor acquires 15% or more of the company, said James Cox, a professor of corporate and securities law at Duke University.
Shareholders who exercise the rights and buy preferred stock at $210 would get $420 in Twitter stock or assets, he said. That would be more than Twitter can afford to pay, and likely would send the company into receivership, Cox said.
“You want to create an event that Musk would never want to trigger because it would be the death of Twitter,” Cox said. He predicts that Musk and the board will negotiate, at least for a while, adding that no investor has ever crossed the line to activate a poison pill.
Also Read: Elon Musk accused of breaking law while buying Twitter stock
If Musk triggered the poison pill, he risks wiping out much of the money he has invested in Twitter because his stake would be diluted, said Columbia University law professor Eric Talley. “You want to deter someone from deliberately triggering the poison pill,” Talley said.
Twitter's board has information that the average shareholder doesn't, such as earnings or market growth projections, and whether there's reason to believe that the share value is artificially depressed, Talley said. The board, he said, could just hold out.
"They’re sitting right now on top of a poison pill that’s a bit of a showstopper. From a corporate law perspective, they’re on pretty solid footing right now if they just keep that in place and say they’re not comfortable bargaining at this stage.”
Musk said in making his bid that Twitter “needs to be transformed as a private company” in order to build trust with users and do better at serving what he calls the “societal imperative” of free speech. He said shareholders, not the board, should decide whether Twitter goes private.
Shares of Twitter closed Monday up 7.5% at $48.45, still $5.75 shy of Musk’s offer. That’s a sign that investors are skeptical of whether Musk can pull off the deal.
Musk began accumulating Twitter shares in late January, ending up with a stake of about 9%. Only Vanguard Group controls more shares. A lawsuit filed last week in New York federal court alleged Musk illegally delayed disclosing his stake so he could buy more shares at lower prices.
Musk took to Twitter to criticize board members in recent days, saying he’d save about $3 million per year by bringing the board salary to zero if his bid succeeds, and noting that board members collectively owning just a tiny financial stake in Twitter shows that their “economic interests are simply not aligned with shareholders.”
Musk, who has more than 82 million followers, is a prolific tweeter who has criticized other celebrity accounts for not tweeting enough, suggesting that as a sign that Twitter is dying.
The takeover episode will put pressure on Twitter executives to show that the company is not underperforming, said Olaf Groth, a business professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Even the entire social media business model of making money through advertising -- which Musk has questioned -- is now “up for discussion,” Groth said.
“He may decide it’s not worth it, and that he sent a political signal to exert pressure,” Groth said. “Now all eyes are on Twitter and the clock is ticking.”
Symphony to lead the way in building 'innovative, smart Bangladesh': Palak
To meet the country's target of reaching 5 billion export earnings and creating 3 million jobs in the technology industry by 2025, Symphony will lead the way in building an "innovative, smart Bangladesh," said State Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak Sunday.
He said this after visiting the Symphony factory in Ashulia, Savar.
Palak also unveiled Symphony's new Z42 smartphone which is now available in Honey Dew Green and Black colours at Tk9,599.
READ: Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
The phone comes with the Android 11.0 operating system, 5000mAh non-removable Li-polymer battery, and 1.8 GHz 12 nanometre MediaTek Halio A20 chipset with 3GB DDR-4 RAM and 32GB ROM which can be expanded up to 256GB.
Also, Z42 has an AI-enabled triple rear camera on the back. The device's 13MP primary camera has an aperture of 1.75 with a 0.08MP depth sensor and a 0.08MP ultra AI sensor.
Read Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
Oppo F21 Pro now available across Bangladesh
Global smart device brand Oppo recently launched F21 Pro, with the "first Sony IMX709 flagship selfie sensor in Bangladesh."
Launched on April 10, the phone is now available at all outlets across the country at Tk27,990.
The buyers will get gifts including a T-shirt, cap signed by cricketer Shakib Al Hasan and an F21 Pro back cover.
Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look?
F21 Pro supports microlens up to 30x magnification for capturing images and videos, which allows users to take smartphone photography to new heights.
It has unique features on the front camera, thanks to IMX709 (Sony IMX709 selfie sensor co-developed by Oppo and Sony) and red, green, blue, and white (RGBW) sensor technology.
The RGBW pixel design accounts for crisper images and can increase light sensitivity by a few notches.
READ: Oppo F21 Pro Review: Camera Phone Made in Bangladesh
With its eye-catching sunset-orange colour, F21 Pro complements the users' lifestyle by adding extravagance to any style.
The OPPO F21 Pro phone is also equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 6nm Octa-Core processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB ROM with Oppo RAM expansion technology with up to 5GB RAM expansion, 33W Supervooc charging with 4500mAh Battery, 6.4-inch 90Hz AMOLED Display and ColorOS 12 system.
Read Xiaomi brings 11i HyperCharge 5G, Redmi Note 11S
Vivo X Fold Review: Can it outsmart the other foldable phones?
Founded in 2009, Vivo has emerged as one of the top multinational tech companies in China. The company is a subsidiary of the Chinese tech conglomerate BBK Electronics. Over the last decade, Vivo has produced affordable mobile phones which have had huge popularity in mainland China and India.
In its growth endeavor, Vivo has been developing a folding phone akin to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold. Recently, the Company announced the Vivo X Fold on 11th April 2022 with a scheduled release slated for the latter half of this month in China. Here is everything you need to know about the first foldable flagship from the company.
Key Specifications of Vivo X Fold
Design and Build Quality
The world of foldable phones is still in its nascent stage. There was a time when smartphones had a small form factor and any device larger than the palm would get the “Phablet” tag. Over the years, phablets became normal and smaller phones became obsolete.
Read Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
Standing in 2022, the choice of foldable phones is limited like phablets were in the early days of smartphones. The choices are limited between Vivo, Microsoft, Samsung, Huawei and Oppo for the time being. But most importantly, most of these devices share some core features which makes them more or less similar to each other. You can read our blog about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 to get an idea of the similarities.
Moving onto the Vivo X Fold itself, it has a triple display setup with the internal two acting as a uni-screen when unfolded. The standard hinge mechanism similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 3 is present here. The back features a quad camera setup which is a testament that Vivo went all out on the camera department in this device.
The build quality of the device is pretty sturdy. The hinge mechanism works smoothly. A key advantage of the X Fold is that the crease of the inner display is not as prominent as that of Samsung or Huawei. This definitely gives the Vivo X Fold an edge over them.
Read OnePlus Nord 2T: Leaks, Rumours, Probable Release Date
Another unique feature of the device is the dual point in-display fingerprint scanner. There are two separate ones each for the outer and the inner display. The other feature selections are all standard here with a sim slot, secondary noise cancellation mic, and dual stereo speaker. The circular camera housing on a rectangular box definitely brings a touch of creativity to the design.
Display
The display takes the spotlight thanks to its quirks. Vivo used a foldable LTPO AMOLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate and HDR 10+ support. The outer display is a standard LTPO AMOLED panel.
The LTPO technology allows the device to control the variable refresh rate up to 1 Hz to efficiently use the battery. This is a very important element of the device as the inner screen is almost 8 inches long when unfolded.
Read Power Bank Buyer guide with Price Ranges in Bangladesh
The display itself is everything you would expect from an AMOLED panel. It is FHD+ with vibrant colors and deep blacks. The viewing angles are perfect and there aren’t any color shifts whatsoever. The outer display, which is a 6.53 inches panel, also performs similar to the inner one bringing a unified viewing experience to the table.
Camera
Being part of BBK Electronics, Vivo and Oppo have always strived to provide a quality camera system to their users, regardless of the device price bracket. So it was expected that the foldable flagship from Vivo would be absolutely stacked.
The main sensor is a 50 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture. The supporting sensors include an 8 MP periscopic telephoto lens, a 12 MP telephoto, and a whopping 48 MP ultrawide sensor. This camera system easily beats the one found on the Samsung Foldables, at least spec-wise.
Read Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Review: Does it live up to the hype?
The main sensor and the periscopic telephoto are fitted with OIS and laser PDAF. The pictures look perfect in direct sunlight with a good amount of dynamic range. Vivo image processing has always been on the warmer side so expect punchy colors which might look artificial at times.
There is a dedicated night mode for the low-light environment. It does an amazing job of clarifying the image with a variable capture rate and the Zeiss T coating on the lenses. On the videography end, the camera can shoot up to 8K at 30 fps which is the current industry standard for flagships. There is also a 16 MP front camera which performs as usual. Overall, the camera system is definitely one of the strong points of the device.
Processor and Performance
The Vivo X Fold features the latest processor from Snapdragon, the 8 Gen 1. This is an octa-core processor developed on the 4 Nm architecture. There are 1 3.00 GHz Cortex-X2 and 3 2.50 GHz Cortex-A710 and 4 1.80 GHz Cortex-A510 chips with Adreno 730 as the GPU.
Read Oppo F21 Pro Review: Camera Phone Made in Bangladesh
Speaking of the performance, the processor just blazes through everything. The efficient processor helps as the large display accounts for more processing power needs. Whether running apps in the background or using the split-screen for dual usage, the high processing power allows for a smooth experience. Needless to say, the X Fold is the perfect gaming device as all the 3D titles like COD and Asphalt 9 run at the highest graphics without overheating or frame drops.
Overall, the device is a beast when it comes to performance.
Battery and Charge Time
The Vivo X Fold is fitted with a 4600 mAh battery. Now it might seem very less for a dual-display device. But the efficient processor coupled with LTPO technology means users will be easily getting 7 to 8 hours of continued usage with the device. And if that wasn’t enough, there is an included 66 W fast charger in the box which can go from 0 to 100 in about 37 minutes.
Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look?
Price of Vivo X Fold in Bangladesh
The Vivo X Fold is not officially available in Bangladesh yet. The pre-order price of the device in the Indian market is 1,07,190 Rs which roughly amounts to 1,22,326 BDT (1 INR = 1.14 BDT). However, the price may vary due to different factors when it becomes officially available in Bangladesh.
Verdict
The Vivo X Fold is a commendable step towards mainstreaming foldable devices from Vivo. It shows that the R&D is not limited to the likes of Samsung and Microsoft and Chinese brands are also catching up pretty fast, even outdoing them in certain areas. There aren’t any noticeable drawbacks of the X Fold other than the thick chins on the outer display. But that’s just how the foldable tech is evolving at this point. Other factors like camera, processor, and battery are excellent on this device making it a worthy rival of the Z Fold series from Samsung.
Read Samsung Galaxy A53 5G Review: A Fast Phone with Massive Battery
Eid: Realme offers chance to visit Bali
Youth-centric brand realme has launched its Eid campaign with different offers.
Users can get the opportunity to enjoy a trip to Bali with a companion while buying any realme device.
Also read: Realme narzo 50 launched
The campaign started on April 4 and will continue till May 3.
During this campaign, every user who buys a realme device will get something in return.
Besides cashback, there are opportunities to win realme GT, Narzo50, C31 smartphones, realme watch or band, realme t-shirt, and umbrella.
Also read: Realme leads Bangladesh smartphone market in 2021: Counterpoint
realme brings consumers products with trendsetting technologies, features and trendsetting experiences that are first applied in the price segment.
It is developing a diverse portfolio of 5G products to offer 100 million 5G phones in the next three years to young users, says the company.
Top features of vivo Y series
With its camera, design, and battery features, the Y series has set a new standard, Global smartphone brand vivo says.
Vivo launched some phones with innovative camera qualities in its Y series.
Vivo Y33s has a 50MP rear camera, supported by a 2MP bokeh camera and a 2MP super macro camera.
Read Xiaomi Redmi 10c Review: Can this budget phone fulfil users’ needs?
The 50MP rear camera sensor offers high-definition photography with pristine clarity irrespective of zoom in or crop.
Vivo Y21T offers an advanced 50MP main camera supported by a super macro camera that focuses as close as 4cm and a bokeh camera that has been optimised to make the background appear natural and smooth.
Also, it has an 8MP super night selfie on the front panel that yields bright and clear images.
Read Samsung Galaxy A23 4G: Can it uphold the reputation of ancestors?
Vivo Y21T appears elegant and professional. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner allows users to access the device quickly.
Y1s is designed for a strong and comfortable grip along with beautiful 3D curves.
Vivo Y15s, Y21T and Y21 are powered by a long-lasting 5000mAh battery.
Read Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
Symphony is one of the more prominent local smartphone brands in Bangladesh. The company started its journey back in 2008 when it used to sell rebranded Chinese feature phones in the local market. Over the years, the company moved to assemble and produce parts for their smartphones in Bangladesh as well. The Z series from Symphony are their prominent entry-level devices. The series gained popularity because of the performance it offered for the price. The latest from the series, the Symphony Z42 also promises similar capabilities. But does it deliver? Let’s find out.
Key Features of Symphony Z42
Before getting into the details of the device, users should keep in mind that the Z series, including the Z42, offer affordable devices. They undercut their competitors by quite a margin in terms of price alone. As a result, there are a lot of cut corners in almost every aspect of the device. The specs and the details should be considered in ratio to the price, not what is expected by the 2022 standard.
Design and Build Quality
Now moving on to the design, the first thing that strikes is the similarity Z42 shares with the iPhone 13 series. It is almost as if a budget iPhone met with cheap components and an android platform.
Read OnePlus Nord 2T: Leaks, Rumours, Probable Release Date
The same boxy design along with the triangular triple camera is present here. The entire device is made of plastic with the front being a glass panel. The build quality isn’t really a strong forte of the Z42. The device does look more premium than it is thanks to the design but the build quality is definitely a letdown.
The usual port selection is all here. The volume rocker and the power button are on the right here. The left features the sim port along with a dedicated microSD slot. The fingerprint scanner is situated on the back at the fingertip resting position. Physical fingerprints are slowly disappearing as most devices these days come with either the in-display scanner or the power button integrated. But because of the pricing constraints, the choice is understandable.
The 3.5 mm headphone jack is present as usual. The single firing bottom speaker is average at best. The sound distorts with a lot of grains in high volume. The Type-C port is a welcome addition here.
Read Power Bank Buyer guide with Price Ranges in Bangladesh
Overall, the design and build quality is representative of the budget category. So users will be getting what they are paying for, nothing more, nothing less.
Display
The phone does well in the display department. And by well, we mean it's a relatively good panel for the price. The 6.52-inch IPS LCD capacitive display has an HD resolution. That brings the total pixel count to 229 ppi. The panel also supports up to 16.7 million colors.
The colors look sharp and vivid on the panel and the display also gets adequately bright for outdoor legibility. But the low pixel count means that the pixels are visible, only if you are looking hard for them.
Read Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Review: Does it live up to the hype?
The viewing angles are good as there aren't any visible color shifts or blue tints usually seen on capacitive panels. The display won’t rival the likes of AMOLED panels and in reality, it isn’t even trying to. It makes a space for itself given the performance against the budget.
Camera
The iPhone 13-looking camera module has three different sensors here. The main sensor is a 13 MP one with AI and UHD features. This is a usual 13 MP sensor we’ve seen for a few years now on lower-end devices.
The main sensor is the showrunner on the Z42 as the other two included lenses are basically useless. Symphony included two 0.8 MP macro and depth shooters on the Z42. It is often heard that megapixel count doesn’t matter when it comes to quality but 0.8 MP is way too small by 2022 standard. Needless to say, the performance of the lenses isn’t anything mentionable.
Read Oppo F21 Pro Review: Camera Phone Made in Bangladesh
The main sensor however does a decent job of capturing the details in bright sunlight. There isn’t much dynamic range even outdoors but that was sort of expected given the capabilities. Night photography has a lot of grain and the flash helps to ease out the noises to some extent. The front camera is a standard 8 MP one and it gets the job done by and large.
The videography of the main sensor is limited to 1080P at 30 fps. However, the quality isn’t on par with the standard videography of the competitors as there isn’t any stabilization included here.
Processor and Performance
The Symphony Z42 is powered by a UNISOC quad-core processor. The processor itself is built on the 12 Nm architecture with a max output of 1.8 GHz. The processor is coupled with IMG GE8300 GPU.
Read Vivo Y33s 4G Review: Do features accompany premium look?
Any seasoned tech person would understand that this is a very low-powered entry-level chipset. Will this processor be able to handle graphics-intensive games? Theoretically, yes. But given its computational power, there will be a lot of lags and frame drops, not to mention the heating of the device.
This processor is best suited for casual users. People who just browse social media or YouTube with light to moderate usage. The processor falls much short in performance but the only argument here is the price it comes at.
Battery and Charge Time
The Symphony Z42 has a 5000 mAh battery capacity. Given the processor and the display capacity, the battery should be good enough for 9 to 10 hours of continued usage. There isn’t any fast charging with the Z42 so expect long charging hours.
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Symphony Z42 Official Price in Bangladesh
The official price of Symphony Z42 is 9,599 BDT. The phone is available in all official Symphony retail stores across Bangladesh.
Verdict
The Symphony Z42 follows the precedence of functional low-cost phones from the company. While the price is very affordable, the cost-cutting is apparent in the build quality and the camera. But the display and the battery life are more than enough to make up for the overall shortcomings. To sum things up, the Symphony’s latest Z series phone Z42 can be a great pick for people looking for a budget phone or a secondary device.
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