3rd Feb 2022, Kathmandu
winters are cold, and cold isn’t fun. But thanks to modern technologies, all the information and all the digital entertainment ever created by mankind are just a click away.
Whether you like your entertainment devices bought from an online seller like Daraz (they provide easy IME services BTW), or you prefer the old way of buying into one, go to a dealer, talk to them, get a feel of it, and walk away with your new best friend.
Yep, we are talking smartphones here, and it wasn’t much of suspense, to begin with, but hear me out!
We all know what smartphones are, a small slab of screen and back material sandwiched into a portrait form factors with tech If I were to explain to someone, they would be shocked. You probably are reading this via one.
Use cases of course differ from person to person, and no one phone is the perfect phone for everyone. But it also seems like all the phones out there do the same to similar executions.
So, still wondering which one is the right phone for you. Well, we have got you covered, here is a list of every phone that we recommend in each price bracket.
Let’s start with the budget buyers who are either starting their smartphone journey or just don’t think buying a super expensive device isn’t worth it, no matter how much it offers. And to not bore you with all the phones in each price bracket, we will be segregating this guide into 3 segments.
Narzo 50i – Entry Level
The first smartphone on our list is the Narzo 50i. With decent cameras, good performance, a huge display, and lots of nifty features here and there, the Narzo 50i is a great phone for anyone looking to get the most out of what they paid for.
And pay you will if this is the segment you want to enter, for Rs 12,999 you get 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which can be bumped up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Oww, and did I mention a battery that can get you through the whole day? Just an FYI, all phones in this list have great battery life, so no need to worry about this part. Then again, we are listing out segment-leading phones here.
What the Narzo 50i brings to the table, a standout feature as compared to other phones in its segment is its design. The Diagonal Stripe Design on the back of the 50i looks special, with neutral calming color options like Mint Green or the go-to for all Carbon Black.
Narzo is a smartphone segment that focuses on performance, and no you won’t be a pro playing PUBG on this phone, but what you will get is a fast phone which can run AA titles with ease.
realme 9i – The midrange
If you are a gamer, a photo clicker, or a tik toker this is basically the perfect phone for you. You would be surprised by how much phones are capable these days.
Ever heard someone say “good phones are getting cheaper and cheap phones are getting better”, which is true for a few specific phones, NOT ALL OF THEM!! And the 9i is the best example of it. The realme 9i is set to launch in the Nepali market next week (our insider from realme says it will launch around Valentine’s Day, 2022), and going by the looks of it, you can expect to pay below 26k for this.
While the narzo 50i is a great phone and everything, you cannot compare it with a mid-range. The added costs come with double (or more) the benefits, like a stellar display with a fast refresh rate (this makes the screen go jelly), and the processor is fast too, like really really fast.
It’s a true performer among its competitors, and in case you didn’t know fast is good, and slow is bad. For reference, it shares its synthetic benchmark scores with the likes of 2-year-old flagships.
As we said earlier, battery life is something you do not need to worry about regardless of which phone you choose from this list. But we never said it can’t be exciting!! Gone are the days you needed to wait 2 – 4 hours for a phone to fully charge.
The realme 9i apart from its excellent battery life also features fast charging. As the name suggests this phone charges fast, from nill to 100% in around 1 hour. That’s some convenience, but it’s nowhere near the next phone on this list.
So we have covered battery, screen, and performance. The last thing we will touch on is its cameras. The 50MP AI-powered sensor takes stunning HD photos, be it day or night. There will be 2 other phones that help the main camera do more, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens. Combined the realme 9i has 3 cameras that do a good job and should suffice photo enthusiasts.
realme GT NEO 2
This is the special one. A true flagship killer and the last phone on the list. Featuring top-of-the-line specs like a 120Hz AMOLED display, whooping 65W fast charging, and a processor so fast, it competes with phones double its price. Let us explain.
Starting with the display, this is as good as it gets, an AMOLED display that supports HDR10 contents with a 600Hz touch sampling rate. To summarize, the display is awesome and you just have to experience yourself to fully embrace all its features.
The battery is another strong point for the realme GT NEO 2. Does it last a whole day? Yes. Does it come with 8 layers of charging protection? Yes. Does it charge from 0 to 100% in 33 minutes? YES! The GT NEO 2 will spoil your charging habit.
Give it juice for 5 mins and you get around 20% charge, superfast or as realme likes to call it, SuperDart charging.
So the display is great, the battery is great, does it get any better than this? Yes, yes it does. The realme GT NEO 2 boasts a Snapdragon 870 SoC, which is a true flagship performer.
It’s 5G ready, benchmarks are on par with phones that ask double what this phone costs and it’s just a true value for each rupee you put into it. Plus it runs cool thanks to a huge Stainless Steel Vapour Chamber that dissipates heat like nothing.
There is one last thing that’s great about the realme GT NEO 2. Actually, there are 2 things, one is the design.
The GT NEO 2 sports a unique Neo Green color option, which just looks stunning. If the idea of a flashy colored phone is not your style, they also have a classic Neo Black and a subtle Neo Blue color option.
And the other is its cameras, the main sensor is a 64MP sensor accompanied by a wide-angle lens and a macro lens. It has a lot of features, filters, and modes built into it.
| Smartphone | Configuration | Price |
| realme GT Neo 2 | 8/128GB | Rs 54,199 |
| 12/256GB | Rs 60,999 | |
| realme 9i | 4/64GB | Launching soon |
| Narzo 50i | 2/32GB | Rs 12,999 |
| 4/64GB | Rs 15,499 |