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 Every year, Samsung attempts to make the best phone that consumers want. Its Note line of smartphones reflect this philoso­phy and considering just how amaz­ing the Note 9 is, it’ll probably be the biggest phone you’ll be talking about through 2018. In many ways, the Galaxy Note 9 is similar to the S9+. But then the phone’s specifications are more like a laptop than a smartphone. But with all the features it packs in, don’t expect it to be any less expen­sive; rather it will cost more than the iPhone X.

The phone is a beast on the inside. It comes in two variations, 128 GB of internal storage with 6GB of RAM, and 512 GB of internal storage and 8 GB of RAM. Pairing these with the latest Snapdragon 845, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is pretty much the most powerful smartphone out there. Should the massive 512 GB of internal storage not be enough, you can also add an additional 512 GB through a microSD card and flaunt the first 1TB phone in the industry.

Since Samsung is upscaling the Note 9, it has also added a slightly bigger screen, at 6.4-inches, which doesn’t make the phone feel any smaller thanks to its infinity edge display. Samsung didn’t stop at mak­ing the screen bigger though; the screen on the Note 9 is also proba­bly the best smartphone screen out there because of its excellent color reproduction, peak brightness, and wide color gamut and contrast ratio. All of this paired with a massive 4,000 mAh battery—the Note 9 defi­nitely takes the crown when it comes to performance.

On the design front, Sam­sung has opted to go for the dual glass panel design seri­ously compromising its durabil­ity. Well, not really. With the use of Gorilla Glass 6 on both the front and back glass panels, the Note 9 might not be as durable as all-metal phones but it is right up there. The phone rejects scratches up till 7 on the Mohs’ scale and even dropping the phone on concrete yield only hairline fractures on the screen. The body is also all metal, making it feel robust in the hand. The chins have been shaved off a bit and the screen tapers to the side just like the previ­ous S and Note models.

While I’ve applauded the Note 9 throughout this piece, it’s not to say that the Note 9 is flaw­less. Primarily, the Note 9 is extremely expensive, going for $999 for the base version and $1,250 for the fully decked out version. Nepali audiences can expect the prices to be even higher when they arrive in Nepal. The Note 9 supports Quick Charge 2.0 but with a huge battery, it’s not fast enough. The Bigsby button still suffers an existential crisis and the speakers aren’t as good as they look. But regardless, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is going to be the hottest phone to own this year

With the ubiquity of social media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp and Viber, Smartphones have turned into an essential device for everyday use. We see smartphone adver­tisements all around us, and most flaunt a company’s flagship device that costs an arm and a leg. If you’re in the market for a decently priced smartphone that performs well, you might need to do a lot of research before you settle on one that you like. To make things easier, here we look at some devices that gives you the best value for money.  

Xiaomi RedmiNote 5 AI Dual Camera  

Price Rs 29,999  

Following the success of the Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi’s new iteration to the Redmi Note line improves on its predecessor and provides an even better value for money. The phone comes with the mid-ranged Snapdragon 636 SOC with an octa-core processor for better performance. With 4GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage, the main selling point of the device, however, is its spectacular dual camera system with AI augmentations. The phone takes sharp photos with plenty of added features like depth-of-field, beauty mode and others. It also has a great display in front with a 5.99-inch 18:6 aspect ratio which makes it vibrant and bright. For the price, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera is a great phone to invest in.  

Huawei Nova 3i

Price Rs 38,900

 The Huawei Nova 3i is a bit on the expensive side of mid-ranged smartphones but having been released in 2018, it has all the feature to add to the longevity of your phone. It is powered by the company’s octa-core HiSillicon Kirin 710 processor and comes with 4GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, with an additional microSD slot for expansion. In everyday use, the phone was smooth and worked without any hiccups. On the outside, the phone looks like a flagship too with a narrow bezel 6.1-inch screen under a unibody design. Even in the camera department, the phone performs well with dual cameras not only at the back but on the front as well, which will come handy for better selfies. Although a bit pricy, the Huawei Nova 3i offers great value for money.  

OPPO A71 2018

Price Rs 15,900  

If performance is not on the top of your list of concerns but price is, then the Oppo A71 2018 is the device for you. It is not as powerful as the other devices on this list, with a low-end Snapdragon 450 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 16 GB of inter­nal storage. But the phone does perform well in light use. It will hold its ground with social media apps although more power intensive tasks like gaming might cause it to stutter. The phone also has a decent 5.2-inch screen in front that looks crisp and sharp although it’s running at a lower 720p resolution. Capable 13 megapixel and 5 megapixel cameras adorn the rear and the front of the device respectively, both shooters providing decent images. At this price-point, the Oppo A71 2018 is a steal and the device, although not capable of more intensive tasks, performs well on moderate use.  

Poised, polished, sophis­ticated and classy, the Hyundai Creta calmly seated itself on the throne of the compact SUV segment when it entered the scene back in 2015. Although the segment posed some pretty tough competition, the Creta was able to make a big impact. It crunched some serious sales numbers, which is evident from how often you see one of these on Nepali roads. Three years later, the compact SUV segment is still popular, and with new rivals like the Jeep Compass, the Creta has even more competition. Luckily, Hyundai has come out with a facelift for the Creta. They’ve listened to the feed­back of its audience and given the 2018 Creta some valuable changes, with both the exterior and interior now tweaked.

Exterior

The Hyundai Creta has always been a looker. The strong, slightly boxy design screams of masculinity and goes a long way in giving it the appeal of a proper SUV. Hyun­dai rightly decided against the popular notion of making the compact SUV under the four meters in length. Over­all, they’ve stuck to the same urban styling for the Creta but with some improvements in the 2018 avatar.

Up front is where you’ll find the biggest change, where the grille has been slightly tweaked and fitted with a new cascade grille. The hexagonal front grille wears a thick chrome border and silver horizontal slats. The bi-focal projector headlamps (on the top spec models) look splendid and the DRLs wrapping the fog lamps on the vertical bumper inserts is an eccentric design that gives more character to the front fascia of the new Creta.

The side profile remains sleek with the 17-inch diamond cut alloys stylishly carrying the Hyundai Creta. The chrome finish on the door handles, the prominent shoulder line, and side body cladding give it some extra flare. If you look closely, you will also notice that the raised roof rails have been replaced with ones that have a flusher fit. Around the rear, the stylish split tail lamps fit well with the overall design but there isn’t a lot of other changes to talk about here.

Interior

It’s when you step inside that the changes really become evident. The base E trim retains its standard safety fea­tures, like dual-front airbags and ABS; but now the seat gets height adjust and a front sliding armrest. However, things get more exciting in the higher spec models.

The smart electric sun­roof, wireless phone charger, six-way power driver seat adjustment, and cruise control are segment firsts and go a long way to reestab­lish the premium stature of the Hyundai Creta.

It is a spacious affair in the cabin, with plenty of space for all occupants. The dash is beautifully laid out. The 7.0 inch touchscreen info­tainment system comes with Apple Carplay and Android Auto and Navigation.

Then there’s a wearable device on offer too. The SX(O) variant comes with a fitness band, which doubles as a smart key. It is a great looking acces­sory and serves many purposes utility wise too. The car can be opened and started by just wearing this band on your wrist (no need for the key). It also displays the time, has an alarm and functions as a sleep monitor, step counter and calorie counter. It’ll show incoming calls as well. This is a first-in-segment feature.

Performance

Inside the bonnet, there aren’t many changes. We drove the tried and tested 1.6L Dual VTVT Petrol engine that revved smoothly and went forward with vigor. Gear shifts were smooth on the six- speed man­ual transmission we were driv­ing and it made for some good driving fun within the city. It is a calm and composed machine on the road, but you’re not going to find yourself eager to get into any impromptu races with the Creta.

It scores high on safety and features, with things like elec­tronic stability control, vehicle stability management and hill start assist control included in the package.

Verdict

It isn’t easy to dethrone the Creta and Hyundai have made doubly sure of that with the facelift. The list of segment firsts such as the very welcome sunroof, wireless charging and power seat adjusters are the exclamation points that reiterate its position as a luxuri­ous proposition for the Nepali automotive segment. Rest assured, the Hyundai Creta facelift still impresses.

When it comes to laptops, we tend to ogle at the best and shin­iest ones that can process loads of data in seconds. We’re taken away by the glitz and glamor of expensive performance-oriented devices, failing to acknowledge that laptops in today’s informa­tion age have also turned into a necessity. Most of the time lap­tops are used casually for inter­net browsing, word processing, and general content consump­tions. For a laptop to perform any of these tasks well, it doesn’t need to be equipped with the lat­est and greatest the industry has to offer. A decently spec’d laptop at a modest price range should be good enough. If you’re in the market for a general use laptop at a competitive price, here are some options.

Lenovo IdeaPad 110

Price Rs 53,990

If you’re looking for a laptop that you can comfortably work on, the Lenovo IdeaPad 110 is just for you. The specifications on the computer is decent, with a 6th Generation core i5 proces­sor paired with 4 GB of RAM. The screen is also decently sized at 14-inch and it has good color representation, meaning better saturated colors and viewing angles. While the laptop is also built well, its main selling feature would be excellent chiclet keyboard it comes with. The keyboard on this IdeaPad is perfect, as it provides decent feedback and has ample key-travel.

The keys are also adequately spaced, making the typing experience one of the best on a budget laptop. If you do a lot of typing, this keyboard will serve you well. In terms of performance, the computer is equipped with some decent mid-ranged specifications that work wonder under light load but once your push it with a plethora of Google Chrome tabs, the machine will start slow­ing down. But for casual usage, the computer is a stellar performer.

Acer Aspire E5-575g

Price Rs 56,990

Should your tastes deviate from a simple home laptop to a more business-oriented one that looks at home both at office and while you’re working out of a coffee shop, the handsome design of the Acer Aspire E5-575g has you covered. Even though the laptop is made of plastic, it has a scratch-proof design on the lid that repels many unsightly gnashes and scuffs. On the inside, the Acer comes with the same 6th Generation Core i5 as the previous model and the same amount of RAM, as well as a dedicated Nvidia graphics card. The addition of a dedicated graphics card extends the capabilities of the laptop signifi­cantly with higher graphics programs like Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop and InDesign working flawlessly on it. The Acer Aspire E5-575g is a companion laptop that is great to take with you for work or while you travel.