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vivo iQOO Z9 Review: A Budget-friendly Phone with Decent Features
vivo’s sub-brand iQOO has hit the market with its latest model iQOO Z9. It was released on 12th March 2014 in India. For its reputation as a value-for-money smartphone provider, iQOO has made a lot of traction in the market. Is the newest model up to that par? Let’s find out the features, pros, cons and price of vivo iQOO Z9.
Key Specs of vivo iQOO Z9
Design
The iQOO Z9 boasts a 163.17 mm by 75.81 mm by 7.83 mm solid build, featuring IP54 dust, and water resistance. It weighs 188g. Its matte back panel and frame resist fingerprints, providing a comfortable, non-slippery grip. However, the flat sides may occasionally feel sharp against your palms.
The device comes in Brushed Green and Graphene Blue colours, with a distinctive feather-like pattern on the back. The rear camera module, housing two cameras and dual flash, sits on the top left, while the power button and volume rocker are on the right. At the bottom, you'll find the USB-C charging port, speaker, and SIM/SD card tray.
The front display offers slim bezels, except for a thicker chin. It features an in-display fingerprint sensor, though not the fastest in its price range. While the plastic build feels sturdy, competitors with vegan leather backs provide a more premium alternative.
Display
The iQOO Z9 swaps the compact design of its predecessor for a more traditional 6.67-inch AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution featuring 2400 by 1080 pixels and 120 Hz refresh rate support. However, it disappointingly lacks 120 Hz scrolling in most apps, limiting the smooth experience of the UI.
Despite this hiccup, the display impresses with sharpness at 394 PPI, HDR support, and vibrant colours. HDR content on platforms like YouTube and Netflix looks crisp and vibrant, thanks to the deep blacks and enhanced contrast of the AMOLED panel. The display also shines bright, reaching up to 1,800 nits of peak local brightness. Plus, the addition of dual stereo speakers elevates the audio experience, offering full sound with good bass and vocals, a significant improvement over its predecessor's single-speaker setup.
Cameras
The iQOO Z9 impresses with its camera performance, featuring a 50-megapixel (f/1.79) Sony IMX882 primary sensor with OIS. It has a 2 MP (f/2.4) Bokeh camera too.
While lacking an ultrawide shooter, the primary camera excels in capturing stunning photos in both daylight and low-light conditions. Daytime shots exhibit crisp details, natural colours, and a solid dynamic range comparable to higher-priced phones. The 2x zoom images maintain quality, and close-up shots boast a natural bokeh effect.
Portrait shots deliver close-to-natural skin tones, though edge detection could be improved. The option to capture full 50-megapixel shots retains dynamic range and enhances details. Low-light photography shines with minimal noise and polished results, despite some shadow detail loss.
The 16-megapixel (f/2.0) selfie camera performs decently in daylight but struggles in low light.
Additionally, the phone supports 4K video recording with stabilisation, adding versatility to its camera capabilities.
vivo iQOO 12 Review: Flagship Killer or a Flagship Itself?
iQOO smartphones are known for their reliable performance at a marginal price. Their lineup is often dubbed as gaming on a budget. But the marginal price and the flagship killer tag come with certain corner cuts. But that all changed with their new release. iQOO launched the iQOO 12 on 14th November 2023. The device brings improvements in almost every sector compared to its predecessor. Now the question arises, is the vivo iQOO 12 a flagship killer or a proper flagship itself? Let’s find out.
Key Specs of the vivo iQOO 12
Design and Build Quality
It seems like iQOO has been inspired by OnePlus’s Never Settle philosophy when it comes to design. Gone are the rectangular camera housing which has been replaced with a rather square-ish round look. iQOO calls it the porthole design.
The build quality feels more sturdy thanks to the aluminum frame and glass back composition. The dimension of the iQOO 12 comes in at 163.22 mm by 75.88 mm by 8.10 mm (Alpha and Legend) or 8.35 mm (Desert Red). The weight of the device also differs as Alpha and Legend comes in at 203.7 g and the Desert Red comes in at 198.5 g. iQOO has partnered with BMW for the Legend variant. It adds a distinct dash of the M series colorways in a white AG Fluorite back.
Read more: Infinix Note 40 Pro Review: A Mid-Range Phone with 108P sensor, MagSafe Charging
Ports and buttons are in their usual space as before. The 12 with its updated looks and build quality seems to be on par with most flagships today. The Chinese variant even has IP64 water and dust resistance. However, it couldn’t be confirmed whether it’s the same for the global variant as well.
The Display
The display on the iQOO 12 is a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED 8T panel with 1B colors, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, 1400 nits of HBM, and 3000 nits of peak brightness. The resolution of the panel comes in at 1260 by 2800 pixels at a 20:9 aspect ratio. It brings the pixel count to about 452 ppi.
One of the impressive things about the iQOO 12 is the ultra-slim symmetric bezel on all sides. It takes the screen real estate to 89.6% screen-to-body ratio.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Here’s What It Offers
The display also has a 2160 Hz PWM dimming mode for ease of usage in ultra-low light conditions. iQOO also incorporated an intelligent anti-fatigue brightness strategy and low blue light emission to relieve the stress on the eyes.
The overall experience with the host of features has been excellent. The display is fast, accurate, has great colors, and is simply a pleasure for content consumption.
The Camera
The camera on the iQOO 12 got a massive improvement over last year’s 11. There’s a new triple camera setup with the main sensor being a 50 MP f/1.7 23 mm wide angle lens with PDAF and OIS. There’s also a 64 MP f/2.6 70 mm periscope telephoto lens and a 50 MP f/2.0 119 degrees ultrawide lens. There’s also a 16 MP f/2.5 selfie shooter on the front.
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The flagship-grade sensors also provide impressive results. Pictures taken during the day had great contrast and sharpness to them with decent dynamic range. You might notice a slightly warm tone in a typical vivo fashion. Pictures taken at night were on par with daylight images thanks to the night mode. The front camera also took decent selfies. However it lacked details and sharpness compared to the main sensor.
The videography on the iQOO 12 is rated to be 8K at 30fps, 4K at 24/30/60fps, and 1080p at 30/60/120/240fps. Both the EIS and OIS do a great job of stabilizing and providing good-quality videos. The selfie shooter can capture only 1080p videos at 30fps.
MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK Review: Is It Worth Buying?
MSI has taken the wraps off the Cyborg 15 AI at CES 2024. MSI has already engraved its name among the greats for manufacturing powerful gaming laptops. The Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK is an effort from MSI to provide a gaming laptop with a standard GPU and chipsets within budget. Does it make it any better to integrate Ai in the features? Let’s find out.
Key Specs and Features of MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK
Design
The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK excels in performance and offers a sleek and functional design. Its translucent black color gives it a modern and professional appearance. With dimensions of 359.36 mm by 250.34 mm by 21.95-22.9mm and weighing just 1.98 kg, it perfectly balances portability and usability. The package includes an MSI Essential Backpack, enhancing its travel-friendliness.
The laptop features a 4-zone RGB gaming keyboard with backlighting, providing both style and functionality. This device has a numeric keypad for convenient data entry. The touchpad is the primary pointing device, but it lacks a dedicated navigation key. Overall, the physical attributes of the Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK contribute to its appeal as a versatile and visually appealing laptop option.
Read more: Laptop Buyer’s Guide: How to choose the right one
Display
The Cyborg 15 AI offers a good-grade display. With its 16.5-inch FHD LED panel utilising IPS technology, users can enjoy crisp and vibrant visuals with satisfactory color accuracy. The 1920 by 1080 resolution ensures sharp details for work and entertainment purposes. Notably, the display's 144Hz refresh rate provides smooth and fluid motion, which is particularly beneficial for gaming and multimedia tasks. While it covers 45% of the NTSC color gamut, it still delivers satisfying color reproduction for everyday uses.
Performance and Hardware
The MSI Cyborg 15 AI A1VEK boasts an impressive performance thanks to its cutting-edge hardware configuration. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 7 processor, featuring 16 cores and 22 threads, this laptop delivers exceptional speed and multitasking capabilities. With a base frequency of 1.40GHz and a turbo boost reaching up to 4.80GHz, it handles demanding tasks effortlessly. Its 16GB of DDR5 RAM, clocked at 5600 MHz, ensures smooth operation even during intensive workloads.
Read more: Best MacBooks in Bangladesh: Which Apple Laptop Should You Buy?
Nokia C32: Reliable Budget Smartphone for Everyday Use Under BDT 14,000
Over the last decade, Nokia has struggled to get a grip on the smartphone market. After the failure of its first few attempts, the world-renowned smartphone brand is now advancing with caution. So, its recent releases appear more balanced and thoughtful than before. The Nokia C32 was officially released in Bangladesh on 6th April 2024. Through and through a budget-friendly phone, the Nokia C32 aims to reinstall people’s trust in the brand.
Key Specs and Features of the Nokia C32
Being an entry-level phone, the Nokia C32 hardly promises to offer high-end features. However, due to its well-earned recognition for manufacturing sturdy and durable phones, Nokia is once more demonstrating its quality with its latest release. In that context, let’s find out the depth of its endeavor.
Design
The Nokia C32 confines itself within a 164.6 mm by 75.9 mm by 8.6 mm frame, having a total weight of 199.4 g.
Read more: Infinix Hot 40 Review: Is It A Good Deal Under BDT 18000?
Plastic-built, the main body frame has glass covers on the rear and front. Against awry light, the back covering glass reflects an intangible texture, gleaming a premium look. The glass is hardy and protective against small accidental falls from hands. It can magnet dust. The back of the phone has a camera module in the upper left corner with a double lens holding capacity.
On the front, the phone lays scratch-protective glass, shielding the display and secondary lens, which sits in a water drop hole on the middle top of the display. The bezel and chin have been kept slim, without compromising the overall look.
A side-mounted power button combined with a fingerprint sensor protrudes on the right frame. Over it are the volume rockers, keeping perfect alignment with the power button. A 3.5mm headphone jack, a Type-C charging port, and a speaker are placed around the frame. The only lack users will have to accept is a noise-cancellation system.
Read more: Symphony Z70 Review: 52MP Camera under BDT 10000
Display
A 6.52-inch IPS LCD screen that maintains a 20:9 aspect ratio comes as the display of the Nokia C32. With a resolution of 720 by 1600, the display fails to surface crisp videos. From some angles, the graphics revealed on the display seem a tad washed out, perhaps due to its capacity of low pixel density.
The display struggles to project explicit images on the display outdoors. Even maximizing brightness does little help in glaring daylight. The touch response of the screen often degrades, however, that doesn’t cut any hole in the overall experience. A bit higher refresh rate would be more practical and welcoming.
Cameras
Two rear cameras, one with a 50MP wide lens and another with a 2MP macro lens, don’t fall short in quality, in contrast with the other phones around a similar price range. For features, Nokia has included HDR, Portrait, and Night Mode which demand not to be expected high performance. The night mode can’t save images, captured in low light, from having a little sprinkled noise.
Read more: realme C67 Review: Budget-friendly Phone with A Premium Camera
Its 8 MP lens on the front snaps good-quality selfies. Like the main shooter, it also stumbles while capturing low-light images.
The primary camera can record videos at 30fps in 1080p resolution. Conversely, the front camera records at a lower frame-per-second rate in 720p resolution.
Performance
The Nokia C32 boasts a Unisoc SC9863A1 processor based on 22nm architecture. An IMG8322 GPU is incorporated to tackle graphical stress.
The phone can be divided into several variants depending on the storage and RAM capacity - 64GB storage by 3GB RAM, 64GB storage by 4GB RAM, 128GB storage by 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage by 6GB RAM. It is supported by eMMC 5.1. However, the eMMC data transfer technology is outdated.
Read more: Tecno Spark 20 Review: Budget-friendly phone with a smart look
The processor and GPU used in the Nokia C32 are common in entry-level phones. However, a 22nm chipset is somewhat archaic compared to the competitors. High-end gaming will hardly be possible with the Nokia C32. Games that require low spec will run smoothly. The phone is designed only to support regular multitasking, scrolling over the internet, and basic app maneuvering smoothly.
The phone runs on stock Android 13 OS, keeping the user interface bloatware-free. It will provide a 2-year updating support for Android, which is praise-worthy for a low-budget phone.
Battery and Charger
The battery of the Nokia C32 is quite strong with a capacity of 5000 mAh. It will provide day-long support even for heavy use. Keeping the average usage rate, the phone will run for 3 days, as claimed by Nokia. The battery will support up to 10W menacingly low charging. At this rate, the battery will take a few hours to go from empty to fully charged.
Read more: ZTE Blade A54 Review: An Entry-level Smartphone Below Tk10000
Pros and Cons of the Nokia C32
Pros
- Sturdy and durable build - Premium look with glass covers on both front and rear- Side-mounted fingerprint sensor- Slim bezels and chin- HDR, Portrait, and Night Mode features- Good-quality selfies - Long-lasting battery life- Multiple storage and RAM variants to choose from- Smooth performance for regular multitasking.
Read more: ZTE Blade V50 Design 4G Review: Surprising Features on a Budget-friendly Phone
Cons
- The display lacks crispness and struggles outdoors- The touch response of the screen may degrade at times- Low pixel density affects graphics quality- Limited video recording capabilities, especially for the front camera- Outdated processor, GPU architecture, and data transfer technology- Inadequate for high-end gaming- Slow charging speed at 10W.
Read more: Symphony Innova 30 Review: Budget-friendly, Powerful Camera Phone
Price of Nokia 32 in Bangladesh
The Nokia C32 phone is officially available at BDT 13,499.
Conclusion
As a budget-friendly phone, the Nokia C32 offers good features like a 50 MP primary camera, 5000 mAh battery, glass cover on the rear, etc. It also has weaknesses in terms of performance and charging. The itel P55+ offers a better processor with UFS 2.2 data transfer technology at similar price ranges.
Considering overall features, heavy users and gamers shouldn’t opt for this device. But considering its price range the limitations are acceptable. Nokia C32 will best suit people seeking a device with browsing and essential tasking capacity.
Read more: Walton NEXG N9 Review: Budget-friendly Phone with Decent Features
Nothing Phone 2a Review: What’s New?
The London-based smartphone manufacturing company Nothing launched the Nothing Phone 2a on 5 March 2024. Unlike its successors, the Nothing Phone 2a appears as a mid-budget device. Let’s dive into the features and functionalities the company purports to bring to its latest device.
Specifications and Features of Nothing Phone 2a
In quality and capacities, the new Nothing Phone 2a is quite different from its ancestors. Several negative traits and claims of bad experience pressed against the prior Nothing phones. Some of these limitations have been improved in the Nothing Phone 2a.
Design
For a mid-budget smartphone, the Nothing Phone 2a’s 161.74 mm by 76.32 mm by 8.55 mm dimension seems average. Using a semi-transparent plastic body material, the phone weighs 190g, which measures lighter than most market peers of the same budget range.
Read more: realme 12 Pro Plus Full Review: Is It Worth Buying?
The back of the phone fosters its ancestors' glossy finish. However, the cameras have found a new position on Nothing Phone 2a. An elliptical stage protrudes on the middle-top portion of the phone’s back. The stage rooms two circular lenses and a flashlight just above its top-right corner. Maintaining the angle, a microphone is seated just above the flashlight.
Nothing phone’s signature Gluph notification lights surround the camera stage. The phone’s back is covered with a black border. Volume rocker, power button, sim tray, etc., are placed just right on every other phone.
Display
Nothing uses a 6.7” flexible AMOLED display with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front. The display features an adaptive refresh rate from 30 Hz to up to 120 Hz. The touch sample hits high with a 240Hz capacity. With all these features, the display of the Nothing Phone 2a surfaces near-perfect pictures and videos on it.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy M55 Review: Here’s What It Offers
The Nothing Phone 2a has a default 700 nit brightness, with an adaptive capacity of up to 1300 nits in the outdoor light.
Nothing Phone 2a’s display integrates 1084 by 2412 pixel resolutions with 394ppi pixel density. Its display maintains a 5M:1 contrast ratio while supporting 1.07 billion colors. The overall features of the display promise a stand-out visual experience.
Camera
The Nothing Phone 2a offers double 50MP cameras on its rear- one wide and one ultra-wide. Together, they produce pictures with balanced colors and qualities. The only issue that might bother a user is a slight distortion in the low-light scenario. Pictures snapped around artificial lighting appear a tad overexposed.
Read more: Motorola Edge 40 Neo 5G Review: What’s New?
The front lens is of 32MP resolution, which suffices the requirement to capture good photos for selfies. The rear camera can record up to 4K videos at 30 fps while the front camera can capture 1080p footage at 60 fps.
With Nothing Phone 2a, the manufacturing company has thought of minute details. The phone lets users pick between H.264 and H.265 video encoding. The former is compatible with most apps, while the latter is efficient at saving storage.
Performance
“Nothing” has customized the MediaTek Dimensity 7200 original chipset to employ it in the Nothing Phone 2a. There will be several phone variants based on RAM and internal storage capacity.
Read more: Xiaomi Redmi K70 Review: Mid-range phone with flagship features
The most powerful variants will have 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. The other two variants are 128GB storage with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage with 8GB RAM. Usual functionalities like app-installing or maneuvering, internet or screen scrolling, and multitasking can’t hinder the smoothness or responsiveness of the phones. The 4nm architecture hints at the processor's sufficient strength.
Gaming, not requiring users to be worried about stutters or limps, is comfortable on the Nothing Phone 2a. For high-resolution games, the usual smoothness can feel low a trifle. However, integrating the RAM booster can be handy in cases like an 8GB boost, which should bring significant performance improvements.
Software and Other Features
The Nothing Phone 2a offers, plainly out-of-the-box, two choices for their operating system. Users can stick to the originality using the base Android 14 OS and comfort themselves in Google’s default Android look and feel. Otherwise, they can explore Nothing’s variant of Android 14, NothingOS 2.5, stripped of disturbing distractions and bloatware that comes with a mottled shadowy-themed skin.
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One key feature of the NothingOS 2.5 is a gaming dashboard through which games can be streamed to different platforms.
Battery and Charger
The biggest battery introduced by Nothing, a 5000mAh cell can claimingly endure for two days straight without going fully empty. An average mixed-use scenario may last a day. A continuous run, dealing with heavy gaming, average browsing, meager snapping with the camera, and enough video consuming can hold up to 18 to 20 hours.
Nothing has deprived the users of a charger, even after lauding the battery’s capacity to support 45W. Users have to purchase a charger separately.
Read more: iQOO Neo7 SE Review: Competent Mid-range Gaming Phone
Pros and Cons of the Nothing Phone 2a
Pros
- Crisp display with a higher refresh rate- Good brightness level- Double OS user interface.- Decent photography- 4K video recording supported by gyro-EIS- 5G and NFC enabled- Sufficient battery life with fast charging- Decent gaming and multitasking performance- Stereo speakers- Corning Gorilla Glass protection- IP54 water/dust resistance.
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Cons
- Durability concerns- No wireless charging- Lack of micro SD card slot- No zoom camera- No audio jack- 1080 video recording capacity for the selfie camera
Price of Nothing Phone 2a
The Nothing Phone 2a costs about € 335, or BDT 39,608 (EUR 1 = BDT 118.23). The phone is not officially available in Bangladesh at this moment.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Does It Offer Value for Money?
Conclusion
The Nothing Phone 2a is a mid-budget smartphone that aims to deliver satisfactory performance and quality. Its design features a semi-transparent plastic body with a unique camera setup. The flexible AMOLED display promises vibrant visuals, while the dual 50MP rear cameras and 32MP front camera capture decent photos and videos. Performance-wise, the customized MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset ensures smooth multitasking and gaming experiences.
The device has slight issues in low light. The provision of an audio jack, zoom camera, wireless charging, etc could make it a better package.
On the whole, the Nothing Phone 2a has several unique and explorable features. Anyone with mid-budget affordability and a knack for unique design can buy the phone.
Read more: Infinix Note 40 Pro Review: A Mid-Range Phone with 108P sensor, MagSafe Charging
Anonymous users are dominating right-wing discussions online. They also spread false information
The reposts and expressions of shock from public figures followed quickly after a user on the social platform X who uses a pseudonym claimed that a government website had revealed “skyrocketing” rates of voters registering without a photo ID in three states this year — two of them crucial to the presidential contest.
“Extremely concerning,” X owner Elon Musk replied twice to the post this past week.
“Are migrants registering to vote using SSN?” Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of former President Donald Trump, asked on Instagram, using the acronym for Social Security number.
Trump himself posted to his own social platform within hours to ask, “Who are all those voters registering without a Photo ID in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Arizona??? What is going on???"
State election officials soon found themselves forced to respond. They said the user, who pledges to fight, expose and mock “wokeness,” was wrong and had distorted Social Security Administration data. Actual voter registrations during the time period cited were much lower than the numbers being shared online.
Stephen Richer, the recorder in Maricopa County, Arizona, which includes Phoenix, refuted the claim in multipleX posts while Janet Nelson, the secretary of state in Texas, issued a statement calling it “totally inaccurate."
Yet by the time they tried to correct the record, the false claim had spread widely. In three days, the pseudonymous user’s claim amassed more than 63 million views on X, according to the platform’s metrics. A thorough explanation from Richer attracted a fraction of that, reaching 2.4 million users.
The incident sheds light on how social media accounts that shield the identities of the people or groups behind them through clever slogans and cartoon avatars have come to dominate right-wing political discussion online even as they spread false information.
The accounts enjoy a massive reach that is boosted by engagement algorithms, by social media companies greatly reducing or eliminating efforts to remove phony or harmful material, and by endorsements from high-profile figures such as Musk. They also can generate substantial financial rewards from X and other platforms by ginning up outrage against Democrats.
Many such internet personalities identify as patriotic citizen journalists uncovering real corruption. Yet their demonstrated ability to spread misinformation unchecked while disguising their true motives worries experts with the United States in a presidential election year.
They are exploiting a long history of trust in American whistleblowers and anonymous sources, said Samuel Woolley, director of the Propaganda Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.
“With these types of accounts, there’s an allure of covertness, there’s this idea that they somehow might know something that other people don’t,” he said. “They’re co-opting the language of genuine whistleblowing or democratically inclined leaking. In fact what they’re doing is antithetical to democracy.”
The claim that spread online this past week misused Social Security Administration data tracking routine requests made by states to verify the identity of individuals who registered to vote using the last four digits of their Social Security number. These requests are often made multiple times for the same individual, meaning they do not necessarily correspond one-to-one with people registering to vote.
The larger implication is that the cited data represents people who entered the U.S. illegally and are supposedly registering to vote with Social Security numbers they received for work authorization documents. But only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections and illegal voting by those who are not is exceedingly rare because states have processes to prevent it.
Accounts that do not disclose the identities of those behind them have thrived online for years, gaining followers for their content on politics, humor, human rights and more. People have used anonymity on social media to avoid persecution by repressive authorities or to speak freely about sensitive experiences. Many left-wing protesters adopted anonymous online identities during the Occupy Wall Street movement of the early 2010s.
The meteoric rise of a group of right-wing pseudonymous influencers who act as alternative information sources has been more recent. It's coincided with a decline in public trust in government and media through the 2020 presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic.
These influencers frequently spread misinformation and otherwise misleading content, often in service of the same recurring narratives such as alleged voter fraud, the “woke agenda” or Democrats supposedly encouraging a surge of people through illegal immigration to steal elections or replace whites. They often use similar content and reshare each other's posts.
The account that posted the recent misinformation also has spread bogus information about the Israel-Hamas war, sharing a post last fall that falsely claimed to show a Palestinian “crisis actor" pretending to be seriously injured.
Since his takeover of Twitter in 2022, Musk has nurtured the rise of these accounts, frequently commenting on their posts and sharing their content. He also has protected their anonymity. In March, X updated its privacy policy to ban people from exposing the identity of an anonymous user.
Musk also rewards high engagement with financial payouts. The X user who spread the false information about new voter registrants has racked up more than 2.4 million followers since joining the platform in 2022. The user, in a post last July, reported earning more than $10,000 from X's new creator ad revenue program. X did not respond to a request for comment, which was met with an automated reply.
Tech watchdogs said that while it’s critical to maintain spaces for anonymous voices online, they shouldn’t be allowed to spread lies without accountability.
“Companies must vigorously enforce terms of service and content policies that promote election integrity and information integrity generally,” said Kate Ruane, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology.
The success of these accounts shows how financially savvy users have deployed the online trolling playbook to their advantage, said Dale Beran, a lecturer at Morgan State University and the author of “It Came from Something Awful: How a Toxic Troll Army Accidentally Memed Donald Trump into Office.”
“The art of trolling is to get the other person enraged," he said. "And we now know getting someone enraged really fuels engagement and gives you followers and so will get you paid. So now it’s sort of a business.”
Some pseudonymous accounts on X have used their brands to build loyal audiences on other platforms, from Instagram to the video-sharing platform Rumble and the encrypted messaging platform Telegram. The accounts themselves — and many of their followers — publicly promote their pride in America and its founding documents.
It's concerning that many Americans place their trust in these shadowy online sources without thinking critically about who is behind them or how they may want to harm the country, said Kara Alaimo, a communications professor at Farleigh Dickinson University who has written about toxicity on social media.
“We know that foreign governments including China and Russia are actively creating social media accounts designed to sow domestic discord because they think weakening our social fabric gives their countries a competitive advantage," she said. "And they’re right.”
vivo iQOO Neo9 Pro Review: The Gaming-focused Flagship Phone of 2024
iQOO is here with its highly anticipated Neo series for 2024. The Neo lineup has stirred up quite the hype over the years for its unbeatable price-to-performance deals. The Neo9 Pro was launched globally on 22nd February. The global Neo9 Pro’s features are quite similar to the iQOO Neo9 released in China, while the Neo9 Pro’s Chinese version differs from its global version in the processor and camera section. Let’s find out more on this flagship phone.
Key Specs of the vivo iQOO Neo9 Pro
Design and Build Quality: A Mix of Sophistication and Refinement
The actual Neo9 Pro has been exclusively released for China for the time being. iQOO may not opt to release this model globally as it shares almost the same DNA with the parent company’s Vivo X100.
From the outside, you’re looking at the same dimension as that of the Neo9. There’s a vegan leather version which iQOO calls their Fiery Red model. There are also options for either blue or black glass back finishes.
Read more: realme GT5 Review: A gaming phone with high capability
Dimension-wise, the iQOO Neo9 Pro comes in at 163.53 mm by 75.68 mm by 7.99 mm or 8.34 mm (Fiery Red). The aggregate weight of the device comes in at 190 g (Fiery Red) of 190 g as standard.
iQOO has incorporated several innovative design choices with the Neo9 Pro. The plastic frame has a four-sided micro-arc design for a seamless transition with the body. The front bezel on the side has been reduced to just 1.54 mm for a near-borderless view. There is also the Fluorite AG glass on the back of the blue and black model to deter fingerprints and smudges.
Ports, buttons, microphones, and dual SIM slots are in their usual spot like the Neo9. There’s no water resistance rating on the Neo9 Pro which might be its only gripe design-wise.
Read more: DOOGEE V31GT 5G Rugged Phone Review: Sturdy mid-range gaming device
The Display: Feature-Packed AMOLED Display
The display on the iQOO Neo9 Pro is stacked with features. On paper, users will get a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 1B colors, 144 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 1400 nits of HBM. The near-symmetrical panel comes in a 20:9 aspect ratio good enough for a 93.43% screen-to-body ratio.
The resolution has been cranked up to 1260 by 2800 pixels featuring of 452 ppi density. Additional display techs like XDR 2.0 and ZREAL have also been incorporated into the panel. The result is a whopping 8000000:1 contrast ratio in normal usage.
iQOO claims that the touch latency has been reduced by 36% compared to the previous models. The 2160 Hz PWM dimming mode increases the brightness perception by 14.3% making it easier on eyes in ultra-low light environments.
Read more: Walton Xanon X20 Review: Is it a value-for-money gaming phone?
The Camera
The camera is where the difference between the global 9 Pro and Chinese 9 Pro becomes apparent.
The main rear camera is a 50 MP shooter sporting a Sony VCS IMX 920 sensor. Spec includes f/1.88 aperture, 1/1.49 inch sensor size with PDAF and OIS.
The Chinese Neo9 Pro’s secondary rear sensor is another 50 MP f/2.0 shooter, 119-degree ultrawide sensor. On the other hand, the global version comes with an 8 MP (f/2.2) 119-degree ultrawide sensor.
Read more: Infinix GT 10 Pro 5G Review: Is it a capable gaming phone?
For both the Chinese and Global Neo9 pro, the front camera features a single 16 MP f/2.5 lens. It can shoot 1080 pixels of footage at 30 fps.
The custom Sony sensor can nicely capture natural and warm-looking images. The usual photorealism of the IMX 920 was missing here as pictures had a distinct color pop in them. The dynamic range was a bit sub-par. The ultrawide sensor was able to match the performance of the main sensor during daylight.
Pictures taken at night or in low light fared much better thanks to the large sensor size. The night mode was an added plus in low-light photography.
Read more: ZTE Nubia Z60 Ultra Review: A Heavy-Duty Flagship Gaming Device
Videography on the Chinese Neo9 Pro supports up to 8K, 4K, and 1080P. While the global version can capture a maximum of 4K videos. Video quality has been impressive thanks to the gyro-EIS and OIS.
Processor and Performance: Sheer Gaming Capabilities
Beyond the camera, the Chinese 9 Pro is using the latest MediaTek Dimensity 9300 based on the 4 Nm architecture unlike yesteryear’s 8 Gen 2 found on the global 9 Pro. The octa-core processor is coupled with Immortalis-G720 MC12 GPU. iQOO is claiming 40% increased performance with 33% less power consumption compared to the last generation.
The storage combination goes up to 16 GB RAM and 1TB internal storage. iQOO has upgraded to LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0 for the RAM and ROM respectively.
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In addition to the Dimensity 9300 chip, iQOO has also included the Q1 gaming chip developed in-house. iQOO claims that the Q1 can replicate PC-level super-resolution for open world and other graphics-intensive games. In the test, PUBG, COD, Genshin Impact, and Asphalt 9 were running smoothly at 60 Hz. What’s even more impressive is the lack of heating even after hours of gaming. The usual day-to-day browsing and surfing is fast and smooth thanks to the blazing 144 Hz display.
iQOO introduced their 6K Skylight vapor chamber liquid cooling technology which takes up around half of the internal footprint of the device. It accounts for precise heat dissipation resulting in a 26% increase in overall heat transfer.
Software: OriginOS 4 over Android 14
While the global variant comes with Funtouch OS, the Chinese Neo9 Pro sticks with the OriginOS. And given that it is released in China only. It’s a pretty heavy skin over Android 14. Needless to say, it would take some time to get used to its interface and navigation.
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Battery and Charge Time
The Neo9 Pro comes with 5160 mAh battery capacity. The 120W ultra-fast flash charge can take the device from 0 to 40% in 9 minutes. The full charge takes about 1 hour and 24 minutes. iQOO claims that the Neo9 Pro has been tested for up to 1600 full charge cycles after which the battery can retain up to 80% of its original capacity.
itel P55 Plus Review: Budget-friendly Phone with Interesting Design Elements, Fast Charging
itel was a reliable feature phone brand in the early days of mobile communication. Over the years, the brand has produced a mix of budget-friendly and mid-range smartphones which are equally popular as its predecessors. itel launched the P55+ globally on 13th February 2024. As a successor to the P40+, the P55+ brings some interesting design elements and key features. Let’s take a look at the features, pros, cons, and price of the itel P55 Plus in Bangladesh.
Key Specs and Features of itel P55+
Design and Build Quality: A Touch of Faux Leather
The thing about ultra-budget smartphones is that the room for doing something out of the ordinary is quite small. Yet itel has taken up that challenge with its Power series. The Royal Green version of the P55+ comes with faux leather on the back which gives it a premium look. There are also Galaxy Blue and Meteor Purple colorways to choose from.
The P55+ is an all-around plastic smartphone. The frame has a bright chrome finish which might look a bit cheap. A brushed finish would’ve greatly complemented the faux leather back.
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The smartphone has an 8 mm thickness. The overall form factor along with an 187 g weight greatly aids in single-hand usability. It's great to see a budget smartphone that feels well-squared and compact in hand.
The power button and volume rocker are placed in their usual spot. The former doubles as the fingerprint scanner which was fast and accurate during the test. The P55+ supports dual sim with dual standby mode. There’s also a 3.5 mm headphone jack along with expandable storage. However, users will be missing out on a secondary noise cancellation mic.
The Display: IPS LCD Panel With a 90 Hz Refresh Rate
Budget smartphones nowadays come with IPS LCD panels. The P55+ is also no different. Its 6.6-inch panel has a 90 Hz refresh rate. It sports a 720 by 1612 pixels resolution in a 20:9 aspect ratio ratio. The pixel density comes in at around 267 ppi.
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itel has done a decent job at reducing the chin. For a budget smartphone, the punch-hole camera and the overall layout don’t leave any room to complain. The display was sufficiently bright for indoor use. However, outdoor visibility might be an issue owing to the glare.
The viewing angles were also decent. Overall, it’s an okay display for the price.
The Camera: A Single Shooter Showdown
Even though there are two large camera housings on the back, the P55+ only has a single usable camera. The main sensor here is a 50 MP shooter with the secondary one being a 0.08 MP auxiliary lens. The front features an 8 MP selfie shooter.
itel didn’t elaborate much on the main shooter other than its resolution. From the looks of it, it's just another run-of-the-mill 50 MP sensor seen on most budget phones these days. What’s interesting though however is how it performs.
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Pictures taken with the P55+ came out on the saturated side. The colour popping in the images may look a bit artificial at times. On the plus side, pictures in good lighting condition came out better than most ultra-budget smartphones. The dynamic range was also pretty good in moderate daylight. The selfie camera performed well with good subject detection and focus.
However, the same didn’t hold in low light or indoors. Images came out to be noticeably softer with exposure issues. Even the night mode couldn’t make things any better.
Beyond that, itel has specific features like AI Clear Portrait, Pro Mode, and Time-lapse Mode integrated into the main camera.
Read more: Infinix Hot 40 Review: Is It A Good Deal Under BDT 18000?
Infinix Note 40 Pro Review: A Mid-Range Phone with 108P sensor, MagSafe Charging
Infinix has consistently pushed its innovation in the budget and mid-range segment for quite some time now. Recently, the brand received the innovation award for its new battery tech at CES 2024. After considerable hype, Infinix officially launched the Infinix Note 40 Pro in the Bangladeshi market on 19th March 2024. Here’s our detailed take on the device.
Key Specifications of Infinix Note 40 Pro
Design and Build Quality: A Premium Look and Feel
Infinix has been consistent with the design language of the Note series. It is sleek, and innovative and has a premium look and feel. The premium feel is alleviated by the Magsafe-like case on the box.
The smartphone features a chamfered edge on the frame complemented by a vegan leather back. The curved front display also smoothly blends into the frame to create a unified slim footprint. The traditional flashlight has been replaced with AI-powered Active Halo. It’s like a small recreation of the glyph interface seen on the Nothing Phone.
Dimension-wise the Note 40 Pro comes in at 164.3 mm by 74.5 mm by 8.1 mm with either 190 g (leather back) or 196 g of weight. The front panel is symmetrical with a slight bezel at the bottom and top. The power button and volume rockers are placed on the right side.
The Note 40 Pro is also IP54 rated meaning it can easily withstand a light splash.
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The Display: Sheer Perfection from Infinix
Infinix Note 40 Pro’s display features a 6.78-inch 3D curved LTPS AMOLED panel with 1B colors and a 120 Hz refresh rate. Its display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
The typical brightness of the panel is around 550 nits and the HBM clocks out at 1300 nits. In addition to the usual features, the display also incorporates PWM dimming for enhanced view in the low light.
The symmetrical outlay allows for a sizeable 93.8% screen-to-body ratio. The display sports an FHD+ resolution of 1080 by 2436 pixels with 393 ppi density. Additionally, users will be getting DCI-P3 wide color gamut support. The panel feels crisp and sharp with great contrast and viewing angles making it perfect for media consumption.
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The Camera: Leaves More to be Desired
Note 40 Pro’s primary sensor is a 108 MP one (SK5HM2SP03-FGX9). The bizarre name suggests that it is sourced from Samsung with 1/1.67 inch sensor length and f/1.75 aperture. There’s also OIS to complement stability. The other two sensors are 2 MP ones.
The front features a 32 MP selfie shooter that can shoot 1080-pixel videos at 30 fps.
Fortunately, the main camera does a decent job. Pictures came out detailed with good dynamic range. Images were slightly on the warmer side while shooting in auto mode. Pictures taken in low light weren’t all that great. The night mode is the saving grace considering the noise and grains.
Users can shoot up to 1440P footage at 30 fps from the back camera. The videos came out fairly decent thanks to the OIS onboard.
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Processor and Performance: Benchmarks Fall Short of the Price
The processor on the Note 40 Pro is Helio G99 Ultimate. There’s another global version that comes with a Mediatek Dimensity 7020 processor. But Bangladeshi users will be getting the G99 Ultimate one. It’s an octa-core processor with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU.
Helio G99 Ultimate seems a letdown in a mid-range phone. Especially, when competitors like Redmi 14C and Tecno Spark 20 Pro are providing the slightly old G99 at a much lower price point. The miniscule upgrade brought forth by the Ultimate simply doesn’t justify the price.
But beyond the benchmarks and prices, the Note 40 Pro would suffice for most users. 3D titles like Asphalt 9 and PUBG ran smoothly on medium settings. The device did get heated a bit but that’s expected from a mid-range processor.
Overall the processor won’t blow you away with its numbers. But for casual use and moderate gaming, it will be enough.
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Software: A Refreshing Take From XOS
The Note 40 Pro comes with XOS 14 based on Android 14. It seems like Infinix has finally listened to its users as the number of bloatware has significantly decreased. The center punch-hole camera now acts as a dynamic island which is quite useful for glance notifications and charging indicators. Infinix has also announced that the Note 40 Pro will receive two years of software updates.
Battery and Charge Time
Now onto the exciting bit. Infinix has decided to introduce its own MagSafe charging with the Note 40 Pro which they call MagCharge. It is a power bank that comes with the retail box. It can be magnetically attached to the included cover (MagKit) and recharge the device to around 50% on a single charge. It also doubles as a wireless charger when hooked with the included power brick.
The 5000 mAh battery can be wire-charged by the 70W included charging brick. The Magcharge when connected to the brick can charge at 20W and up to 7.5W while working as a power bank. Infinix also included their new X1 chip for superior charging optimization to safeguard the battery.
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Samsung Galaxy A35 Review: Does It Offer Value for Money?
As 2024 gradually advances, Samsung keeps on delivering remarkable devices one after another. On March 11, Samsung released this year’s first addition to its mid-budget segment, the Galaxy A35. The Galaxy A series has always reflected Samsung’s integrity and endeavor to offer the highest quality phones within budget. The latest addition isn’t an exception. But will the Galaxy A35 be able to meet customer’s expectations? Let’s find out.
Key Specs and Features of Samsung Galaxy A35
The Galaxy A35 has almost everything a user can expect from a mid-range Samsung phone. Nothing feels like a heartbreak so far.
Design
Last year’s Samsung Galaxy A34 received massive success for its stand-out features and design. Being the direct successor of the phone, the Galaxy A35 has been carrying great expectations ever since the rumors about its release spread out. So, how is it doing against all these expectations?
The most significant change the latest A series addition brought to its design is a glass back cover. It is the first time Samsung has introduced a glass panel on the back of an A-series phone. However, the main body frame is still made of plastic. The phone's overall look highly resembles the Galaxy S24’s and the concurrent release, the Galaxy M55’s. Among the three resembling phones, the Galaxy A35 comes at the minimum price.
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The 161.7 mm by 78 mm by 8.2 mm plastic body frame touches are polished, maintaining a smooth brushed feel. The 209g weight can feel heavy sometimes. On the right side of the frame, the portion holding the volume rockers and the power button has been nudged up. So that users can comfortably reach the button with their fingers. Like the Galaxy S24, the A35 has three distinct circular camera modules horizontally placed on the top left area of the back.
On the front, the phone keeps it flat and introduces the second satisfactory change to the usual design of the A-series phone. Ditching the ancient water drop design, Samsung has seated a punch-hole camera module.
Apart from that, Users will get a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ protection on the screen. For the sensor, an in-display fingerprint with a fast response has been installed. Finally, the front of the phone reveals a noticeable bezel around the display, which is probably the only crack in the phone's design.
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Display
Like the Galaxy M55, the Galaxy A35 has installed a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED display. Sustaining the well-established prestige of Samsung’s display, the Galaxy A35 surfaces crisp and vivid pictures. The touch response is adaptive and can reach up to 120Hz, the industry standard for a mid-budget phone. The only exception may be the Motorola Edge 40, which has used a 144Hz refresh rate without tripping beyond the mid-budget range.
The display supports HDR10, 1080 by 2340 pixels resolution, and 390 ppi pixel density. Assembled, these features demonstrate a high-quality display. It employs a 1000 nits brightness level, sufficient for a comfortable indoor and outdoor phone maneuver.
Among the market peers, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro offers a higher spec in a few cases, mentioning a peak 1800 nit brightness level, 1220 by 2712 pixels resolution, and 446 ppi density.
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Cameras
Camera specs are where The Galaxy A35 has deviated from the Galaxy M55. Both phones house a triple back camera setup and a single front lens. But the difference lies in the capacity of the lenses of the two phones. The Galaxy A35 has a 50MP primary wide-angle camera with OIS support. The other two lenses are an 8MP ultrawide and a 5MP Macro lens.
The front punch-hole houses a 13MP selfie camera, which is a far degradation compared to the M55’s 50MP front lens. At least a 16MP would do better if using a 32MP was impossible. Direct competitors like Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro and vivo iQOO Z7 Pro both have 16MP lenses for their selfie cameras.
Pictures snapped with the Galaxy A35 are of good quality and don’t fall short in terms of detail compared to its other market peers. Both primary and secondary cameras can record videos at 4K resolution. Indeed, it will end a sigh of sadness that Samsung budget phone users have been suppressing for a long time.
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Performance and Hardware
For the chipset, the Galaxy A35 uses the Exynos 1380 octa-core processor, which is explicitly powerful and uses 5nm technology. A Mali-G68 MP5 GPU supports the phone's visual processing tasks. Heavy gaming and video-consuming are possible without experiencing any lagging or heating. The phone offers three variants combining a 6GB or 8GB ROM with a 128GB or 256 GB internal storage. An Antutu 603441 and a GeekBench 2931 score demonstrate the robust performance capacity of the phone.
Users will get Samsung’s dedicated One UI 6.1 OS, a customized Android 14 variant designed to provide smooth and stylish phone maneuvers.
Battery and Charger
Samsung’s signature 5000mAh battery with 25W charging capacity once again takes care of the power supply unit of their latest A-series phone A35. A minimal-consuming session can run around 10 to 12 hours with battery support.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy A55 5G Review: A Budget-friendly Version of Galaxy S24?
Pros and Cons of the Samsung Galaxy A35
Pros
- Sleek glass back design- Punch-hole display for a modern look- Reliable performance for gaming and multitasking- Samsung One UI 6.1 for smooth user experience- Long-lasting 5000mAh battery.
Cons
- Plastic body frame- Lower resolution front camera compared to competitors- Limited camera features compared to other models- Not the highest refresh rate in its price range- Display bezels could be thinner.
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Price of Samsung Galaxy A35 in Bangladesh
The Samsung Galaxy A35 has been revealed in the USA market, and its price starts from $367.86 or BDT 40,356. (USD 1 = BDT 109.70). However, the official price of Galaxy A35 in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy A35 impresses by introducing a glass back design and punch-hole display on a Galaxy A series phone. It delivers reliable performance for gaming and multitasking, thanks to the powerful Exynos 1380 octa-core processor. With Samsung's One UI 6.1 ensuring a smooth user experience and a long-lasting 5000mAh battery, it's a solid mid-budget option.
However, the plastic body frame, lower resolution front camera, and limited camera features are notable drawbacks. Despite these, the Galaxy A35 stands out for its overall performance and design. Even with rough competition from phones like Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro, vivo iQOO Z7 Pro, and Motorola Edge 40, the Samsung Galaxy A35 keeps the possibility of being able to shine in the market.
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