Vivo recently announced their lower mid-range device Vivo Y28 4G for the Bangladeshi market. The device was on pre-booking from 4th to 9th July with official delivery starting on 10th July 2024. The Y28 brings an exciting new design among a host of other improvements. But is it enough to justify the price? Let’s find out.  Key Specs of Vivo Y28 4G   Design and Build Quality  The design of the Y28 is a complete overhaul of the traditional Y series. The device is made of plastic all around but the frosted composite plastic sheet on the back and the accented chromed frames give it a premium look. The rounded square camera housing and the ring light also add a premium feel to the device.  The dimension of the Y 28 comes in at 165.70 mm by 76.00 mm by 7.99 mm for the Agate Green variant and 165.70 mm by 76.00 mm by 8.09 mm for the Gleaming Orange option. The weight is clocked at 199 g.  Read more: Top Home Electronics in Bangladesh for 2024: Simplify Your Life with These Smart Devices Regarding ports and buttons, the Y28 includes all the essentials including the headphone jack and the micro SDXC slot. However, the lack of a secondary noise cancellation mic at this price point is disappointing.  The power button on the Y28 doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The device also has an IP64 water and dust rating for accidental splashes. The Display  The display on the Y28 is a 6.68-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate and 1000 nits of peak brightness. It’s a surprising choice to go with an LCD panel especially when most alternatives at this price come with an AMOLED panel.  The display has a 1608 by 720 pixels resolution with 264 ppi density. The display has an 83% NTSC color saturation for a vibrant and crisp contrast. It’s also TUV Rheinland certified for Low Blue Light technology. Stepless Dimming and Global DC Dimming features are also for ease of use in low light conditions.  Read more: Tecno Camon 30 Pro Review: Style Meets Substance In terms of performance, the display looks okay. It has good colors, great viewing angles, and a high refresh rate. However, the lower resolution might be a deal breaker for many especially considering the price.  The Camera  There’s a dual camera setup on the Y28. The main camera is a 50 MP f/1.8 shooter and the secondary one is a 2 MP f/2.4 sensor. The front camera is an 8 MP f/2.05 shooter.  The camera system on the Y28 is the same as the Y27 with some lateral developments. The performance of the camera can be best described as a mixed-bag experience.  Pictures taken in daylight had a neutral tone to them. It's different from the usual mid-range cameras where there is a pop of color and social-media-ready processing. Instead, the pictures are more suited for those who like to edit their pictures. Portrait pictures came out well on the Y28. However, the background blue may feel a bit artificial at times. The front and back cameras showed a hint of red tint in the images.  Read more: Motorola Edge 50 Pro Review: A Competent Mid-Range Smartphone Night-time photography performed similarly. There were some exposure issues here and there. Other than that, the cameras produced decent results.  The videography on the Y28 is rated at 1080P at 30 fps. However, without any external stabilization, the videos are barely usable at best.  Processor and Performance  The processor on the Y28 is Helio G85 based on a 12 Nm architecture. The chip design consists of 2 x 2 GHz & 6 x 1.8 GHz processors. The G85 at this point is several years old and is more suited for a sub-15 K budget smartphone.  The RAM capacity ranges from 6 to 8 GB. Starting from 128GB the memory reaches up to 256GB featuring eMMC5.1 technology. The maximum limit of its expandable storage is 1TB. Read more: Oukitel RT8 Review: Rugged Tablet with Long Battery Life In terms of performance, the processor can handle day-to-day tasks pretty well. But the gaming isn’t really on par here. In the test, games like PUBG and Free Fire stuttered in the highest settings. Even with reduced graphics, there were frame drops here and there.  What we liked is the 300% surround sound stereo speakers. It performed pretty well even in near-highest volume settings without any distortions.  Benchmark  Antutu V9: 217448 PCMark: 11655Geekbench 5: 353 (single core); 1311 (multi-core). Software  The software on Y28 is the Funtouch OS 14 based on Android 14. Funtouch hasn’t changed any of its design language from last year with the same animations and bloatware. Some of the bloatware can be uninstalled after the initial setup which might be helpful for a more minimal look.  Read more: Xiaomi Civi 4 Pro Review: A Camera-focused Smartphone with Flagship-level Specs Battery and Charge Time  The battery on the Vivo Y28 is 6000 mAh. The large battery capacity easily makes for a day's usage on a full charge. Vivo has also included 44W of fast charging with the device.  Pros and Cons of Vivo Y28  Pros:  - Stylish design - Comes with a ring light - 90 Hz high refresh rate- LPDDR4X RAM - eMMC 5.1 internal storage option - 50 MP main sensor - Up to 1 TB of expandable storage - 300% volume - 6000 mAh large capacity battery- 44W fast charging. Read more: Top Home Skincare Devices in Bangladesh: Transform Your Beauty Routine Cons:  - No AMOLED display- No gorilla glass protection- HD+ resolution display - Pictures came out with a washed-out neutral tone - Sub-par processor - No wireless and reverse charging Support. Official Price of Vivo Y28 in Bangladesh  The official price of Vivo Y28 is 20,999 BDT for the 6/128 GB variant and 25,999 BDT for the 8/256 GB variant.  Verdict  The Vivo Y28 4G with its features doesn’t justify the price. It has a great design and a good battery life. But that’s about it when it comes to its strengths. The 720P display, entry-level processor, and camera don’t add much value. For instance, OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite 5G is offering an AMOLED screen at a similar price range.  As for the users, the Vivo Y28 4G is best suited for those looking for a daily device for regular use.  Read more: Top 10 Smartphones Coming in July 2024

When it comes to Samsung, there is a remarkable and relentless process through which they put forth their devices, whether it’s a flagship or a budget-friendly device. The same is true for the Galaxy ‘A’ series. A15 is the latest addition to this series. In the Galaxy A15 model, Samsung brings improvements in several aspects over last year's A14. Let’s take a detailed look.  Key Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy A15 4G   Design and Build Quality  One of the key selling points of Samsung smartphones is the design symmetry in each of their lines. Whether you’re going for the A series, M series, or the flagship S series, the main design elements remain more or less the same. The only difference is in the materials.  The Galaxy A15 is also no different here as it looks much like the more expensive A35 and even the flagship S24. Except on the A15, the entire body is made from plastic.  The dimension of the A15 comes in at 160.1 mm by 76.8 mm by 8.4 mm with 200 g of effective weight. In terms of physical footprint, the A15 is much more compact than the A14 which is a great thing for compact phone enthusiasts. Read more: Best TWS Earbuds Under Tk 1500: A Detailed Buyer’s Guide The plastic back has a frosted finish to give it a glass-like look and the frame comes with a matte coat. Ports and buttons are in their usual spot including the coveted 3.5 mm headphone jack. The power button this time also doubles as the fingerprint scanner.  The only drawback with the A15 being a budget-friendly device would be the waterdrop notch, large chin, and the lack of a water protection rating.  The Display  The display on the Galaxy A15 is a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate and 800 nits of peak brightness. The resolution comes in at 1080 by 2340 pixels with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It makes for around 396 ppi density on the panel.  The large chin at the bottom might be out of standard for 2024, but the 84.3% screen-to-body ratio is what users will be getting for an affordable price. Aside from the specs, it's hardly contentious that the A15 has one of the best budget smartphone displays today.  Read more: Symphony Helio 50 Review: A budget smartphone within BDT 15000 The Super AMOLED tech from Samsung combined with the 90 Hz refresh rate brings a crisp and smooth user experience to the table. Needless to say, content consumption and browsing on this panel would bring a mid-range feel for its price.  The Camera  There is a triple camera setup on the Galaxy A15 vertically aligned on the back. Unlike most budget-friendly smartphones Samsung has included two useful sensors out of the three. The main sensor is a 50 MP f/1.8 shooter with AF. The secondary ones are a 5 MP f/2.2 ultrawide and a 2 MP f/2.4 macro shooter.  The front shooter is a 13 MP f/2.0 sensor. In terms of camera performance, the main shooter produced similar results to the A14. Pictures taken in bright light had great details and a characteristic warm tone to them. The dynamic range was pretty good as it showed a good balance overall. However, pictures taken in low light showed lens flare and occasional grains. Thankfully, the night mode did a pretty good job of dissipating them.  Read more: vivo iQoo Z9 Turbo Review: New Contender in Mid-Budget Range Portrait mode on the main sensor worked well with good edge detection and subject focus. The ultrawide sensor produced some decent images in well-lit environments without any fish-eye effect. The front shooter can take decent social media-ready selfies with Samsung post-processed beautification and softening in place.  The videography on the A15 is limited to 1080P at 30 fps. The low capacity is a bit surprising considering the A15 comes with an updated processor.  Processor and Performance  The Galaxy A15 is powered by Mediatek Helio G99 based on the 6 Nm architecture. The octa-core processor has a chip design of 2x2.2 GHz Cortex-A76 & 6x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.  The G99 is a processor that has been seen on devices going up to 30K in the Bangladeshi market. So seeing the same processor on a sub-20K smartphone is a steal of a deal in itself.  Read more: Top Smart TV Picks for 2024: Ultimate Buyer’s Guide in Bangladesh In terms of performance, the G99 doesn’t slack. Games like PUBG can be played at Ultra with smooth fps. We didn’t notice any major hiccups or frame drops during the test. Similar titles like Genshin Impact, Asphalt 9, and COD ran with medium to high settings. The device did heat up after some time but it wasn’t anything unmanageable for the processor.  Benchmark Scores  Benchmark Score Geekbench 6 Multi-score 1890 GFX Aztec Open High  8.9 fps  GFX Manhattan 3.1 23 fps PCMark Battery  15:15 . Software  The software on the A15 is One UI 6 based on Android 14. One UI replaced the Samsung Experience to entirely revamp their UI/UX. It is fast, smooth, and with minimal bloatware making it an ideal experience even in a budget smartphone like the A15.  Read more: 2024 DSLR Camera Buying Guide: Prices and Top Picks in Bangladesh What’s even better? Samsung has committed to four years of software updates and five years of security updates on the A15.  Battery and Charge Time  The battery on the A15 is 5000 mAh. The device supports up to 25W of wired charging. However, the charger isn’t included in the box. Expect to get around 6 to 8 hours of screen time from a full charge.  Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy A15  Pros  - Super AMOLED panel with 90 Hz refresh rate - Side-mounted fingerprint scanner - 3.5 mm headphone jack - Updated Helio G99 processor - 25W wired fast charging - One UI 6 based on Android 14. Read more: Benco V90 Plus Review: A Worthy New Contender in the Budget Smartphone Market Cons  - No charger in the box - No dust/ water resistance IP rating- No 4K video recording option - No wireless charging support - No reverse charging support - Doesn’t have OIS or EIS  Price of Samsung Galaxy A15 4G in Bangladesh  The Samsung Galaxy A15 4G’s 4/128 GB configuration is available in the Bangladeshi market for around 17,000 Taka. However, the price may vary depending on the sellers. Verdict  The Galaxy A15 4G brings a semi-updated design, a new chipset, a better display, and better post-processing compared to the outgoing Galaxy A14. With each year, Samsung is perfecting its ultra-budget line to blur the line between budget and mid-range even further.  Read more: Honor Pad 9 Tablet: Is It Worth Buying? However, some intrinsic issues like no 4K recording, no water resistance rating, and an outdated display design might be disadvantageous for some users.  Regardless, the Samsung Galaxy A15 4G is nearly a perfect option compared to other budget options in the market. 

Ever since officially launching operations in Bangladesh, ZTE has been on a roll with its smartphone releases. Their smartphones ranging from entry-level to mid-range, provide a good value-for-money option. The brand recently launched its Blade V50 Design 4G on 2nd March in the Bangladesh market. Let’s take a detailed look at the device.  Key Specs of ZTE Blade V50 Design   Design and Build Quality  The Blade V50 has the word ‘Design’ in its official name. While it might sound rather odd, the stylish look and hefty build quality would justify the naming choice. Even at an affordable price, the Blade V50 design comes with a glass front, plastic frame, and a glass back design.  The dimension of the device comes in at 165 mm by 76.1 mm by 8.3 mm with 207 g weight. Beyond the dimensions, the ports and button choices are all standard on the V50 Design. There’s a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a micro SDXC slot, and a power button that doubles as the fingerprint scanner. The only downside to an otherwise iPhone-like design is the lack of a secondary noise-cancellation mic. Read more: Tecno Spark 20 Pro Plus Review: Budget-friendly Phone with Premium Camera Other than that, the Blade V50 Design is everything one would expect from a budget-friendly smartphone. It will be available in three colorways - Beach Green, Sunrise Violet, and Diamond Black.  The Display  The display is one of the strong suits of the V50 Design. It’s a 6.6 inch IPS LCD panel with 1080 by 2408 pixels resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. ZTE claims that the screen has a 90.5% screen-to-body ratio with the noticeable chin on a water drop-style display design.  Being an FHD+ panel, the pixel density comes in at around 400 PPI. Users might notice a cooler tone on the color profile out of the box. However, it can be easily tweaked from the settings for a more vivid look. As for the display itself, there’s good contrast with sufficient brightness and details making it perfect for media consumption.  Read more: Itel P55 5G Review: Power Series Phone at Around 10000 BDT The Camera  There’s a triple camera setup on the ZTE Blade V50 Design. The main sensor is a 50 MP f/1.8 wide-angle shooter with PDAF. The additional sensors are a 2 MP f/2.4 macro shooter and a depth sensor with the same configuration.  In effect, the 50 MP does all the work here. Pictures came out great in direct sunlight with good details and dynamic range. ZTE claims to have incorporated some AI features that help with subject profiling and exposure.  There’s also an 8 MP front camera which is good enough for casual selfies.  Read more: Balmuda Phone Review: Is This Compact Smartphone Worth Buying? But like any other typical budget-friendly phone, the photo quality significantly drops at night or in artificial lights. There were visible grains and noises in the image in anything other than ideal lighting. The night mode helped with the exposure issues but the softness remained.  The V50 Design can shoot up to 1080P at 30fps. However, the lack of internal stabilization makes for choppy videos. 

Banglalink and ZTE have launched the next-generation 4G service for superior customer experience in Bangladesh with the new 2.3GHz time division duplex (TDD) spectrum in Khulna. The two parties showed high-speed internet services based on high-performance devices, signalling that the Bangladeshi telecom market is "ready to provide and welcome advanced technologies," said a media statement. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder; Banglalink Chief Executive Officer Erik Aas, Chief Technology and Information Officer Huseyin Turker, ZTE Corporation for VEON Global Managing Director Liao Hui, and ZTE Bangladesh Chief Executive Officer Liu Wencheng were present at the launch event. Shyam Sunder said: "I am delighted to see how Banglalink is prioritising different regions of the country as part of its nationwide expansion strategy. Such initiatives can play an important role in accelerating Bangladesh's technological progress by fostering digital inclusion." Read: Banglalink committed to nationwide 4G rollout, CEO tells VEON event Erik Aas said: "The launch of next-generation 4G with the deployment of new spectrum in Khulna shows our firm commitment to this region, which has always been a special market for us. It also demonstrates our intent to transform into a truly national operator." Liu Wencheng said: "We will continue to facilitate Banglalink in deploying networks through innovative and reliable solutions and products and jointly explore the huge potential of networks in the digital economy era."

Banglalink is committed to building a nationwide 4G network and will continue to develop its digital operator portfolio maintaining double-digit growth in upcoming years, said Erik Aas, chief executive officer (CEO) of the telecom operator. "We are now focusing on expanding our strong 4G network across the country so that all of our customers from every region can benefit from it. With the highest amount of spectrum per customer, we will fulfil this objective soon and reinforce our position in the market," he added. Banglalink established an essential capex commitment for the upcoming 2-3 years and this will ensure its nationwide competitive 4G coverage, the CEO said. Read No data charge for e-transactions on Upay app for Banglalink customers He was addressing VEON's Investor Day event organised by the telecom operator's parent company VEON. Kaan Terzioğlu, group chief executive officer of VEON, and other CEOs of operating companies owned by VEON also joined the event, which was held in the presence of investors and analysts from different regions of the world. Banglalink's revenue market share is expected to converge towards its spectrum market share of 25 per cent. Read Banglalink signs agreement with ZTE for network modernization When it comes to the overall market scenario, the operator has seen a fast growth of 4G-enabled customers. In the last quarter, Banglalink reported that 33 per cent of its customers used 4G, and the customer base grew by 63 per cent year on year.

Cellphone users are largely unable to use the internet through mobile data as mobile internet speeds in the country have been awfully slow since Friday morning. Contacted, mobile operators told the UNB correspondent that the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has directed them through a notice to keep the 3G and 4G mobile data services suspended across the country from Friday 5am until further direction. Also read: Govt shuts off mobile internet As UNB sought his comments, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the 3G and 4G mobile internet services have been suspended due to some technical glitches. “The services will go back to normal as soon as the issues are fixed,” he added. Also read: Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram suffer worldwide outage

Grameenphone (GP) has signed a contract with global technology service company Wipro Limited to acquire advanced network capabilities. Wipro will be part of managing GP's present mobile networks and building an advanced future-fit network.  The new contract expands the relationship between the two companies, as GP has relied on Wipro as a technology partner to manage application development, infrastructure support and IT security. Read 10th Commward: Grameenphone's campaigns win 28 awards Demand for advanced mobile services and high-quality network experience is rapidly increasing in Bangladesh. "To deliver on the ever-growing connectivity needs, boost customer experience, and bring in advanced future technologies, this year we have expanded 4G coverage across the country, acquired the maximum allowable amount of spectrum, partnered with tower companies to roll out new towers and gained access to fibre network in partnership with the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited," Rade Kovacevic Chief Technology Officer Grameenphone said in a statement.  Read 5G: Oppo teams up with Ericson to launch updated communication lab About GP's partnership with Wipro, he said: "We are taking a significant leap forward in our ability to manage our network, and excel further in meeting our customers' expectations. In addition, this partnership will bring in global expertise and future-fit capabilities and create global career opportunities for Bangladeshi talent."  Bhavya Kapoor, managing director of Wipro for Southeast Asia said: "Wipro's primary focus is to accelerate Grameenphone's growth by leveraging our global strength and providing progressive and innovative localised technology solutions." Read 5G to be rolled out through Teletalk by December: Jabbar "With the growing convergence of IT and core telecom networks, and the advent of software-defined lined networks, cloud-first architecture and 5G, we are glad to partner with Grameenphone to provide advanced capabilities to modernise their network; coupled with IT applications and infrastructure." Wipro recently completed its fourth year of operations in Bangladesh, one of the focus countries under its Asia Pacific-Middle East-Africa Strategic Market Unit. Read Vivo tops Asia-Pacific 5G shipments in Q2, says Strategy Analytics

Commemorating Bangladesh’s 50th anniversary, Grameenphone reaffirmed its commitment to unleash the potential in every corner of the country by announcing 100 percent of its 15,500 towers 4G has been enabled.   The declaration was made at an event on Sunday in Dhaka where Posts and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar was the Chief Guest, said a press release. Also read: GP files review petition asking to pay BTRC Tk 575 crore Bangladesh and Telecom Regulatory Commission Vice-Chairman Subrata Roy Maitra, was special guest while Grameenphone CEO Yasir Azman, CFO Jens Becker, and CMO Mohammad Sajjad Hasib were present. Mustafa Jabbar, Hon’ble Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, stated “I have continuously emphasized the necessity of nationwide 4G coverage so that the common person in the remotest area may become a part of the Digital Bangladesh vision. I thank Grameenphone for their continued efforts in assisting the government in realizing that vision.” Read GP customer care worker passed users' info to criminal gang; case filed against telco leader. On behalf of Grameenphone, CEO Yasir Azman said, “I take this opportunity to thank our customers for keeping their trust in us; I also thank MoPT and BTRC for their continued guidance.” Subrata Roy Maitra, Vice-Chairman of BTRC said “We appreciate Grameenphone’s commitment to ensure high-speed internet all across Bangladesh.” Read Huawei hosts ‘online digital summit 2020’ in Bangladesh Speaking on the occasion, Grameenphone CFO Jens Becker said, “In continuation of our efforts to empower Bangladesh, today indeed is a very special day for us.” During the event, Mohammad Sajjad Hasib, CMO Grameenphone, made live calls to community representatives in multiple remote locations and shared the joyous moment, and celebrated 4G connectivity with them.   Also read:Nagad joins forces with GP to drive digital financial inclusion Over the last 24 years, Grameenphone has been working to democratize technology benefits and ensure access to connectivity for all. With the nationwide 4G coverage, new tower roll-out, and preparations to deploy an additional 10.4 MHz spectrum, the company is positioned to meet people’s growing need for high-speed internet and support digital services uptake in rural and urban areas for its 80 Mn customers and beyond.

Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Limited held ‘Huawei Bangladesh Digital Summit 2020’ through video conference on Monday.