Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Good bang for your buck

The Samsung Galaxy M34 gets a lot of the basics of a smartphone right. You get speedy performance, astoundingly good battery life, and a decent primary camera that should cover all your basic needs. Priced below ₹20,000, the Samsung Galaxy M34 offers great bang for your buck and stands strong in the face of competition. Its battery life is near unparalleled, and if that is your primary concern when buying a smartphone, don’t hesitate to buy it. There are a few misses though – the dynamic range of the primary and ultrawide lens could be better, there’s no HDR support on the display, there’s plenty of preinstalled bloatware, and the teardrop notch looks extremely dated at this price in 2023.

Samsung’s 2023 portfolio of smartphones has been fascinating to review. The company is consciously attempting stylistically homogenize its various smartphone series – be it their budget offerings or their premium launches. The newly-launched Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a prime example of that. The design language – of the rear panel, at least – is extremely reminiscent of the flagship S series. The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is impressive. It features the tried and tested Exynos 1280 SoC, it houses a ludicrously large 6,000 mAh battery, and its primary camera produces some impressive results in daylight. But the overbearing question remains – how does the phone perform and is it worth your hard-earned money? I answer that and more in my detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Build and design

As I mentioned before, the Samsung Galaxy M34 fits right into the 2023 portfolio of Samsung phones – you’ve got that recognisable, distinct look with the vertically-placed circular camera modules that sets it apart from most others in the market. However, while I appreciate the consistency, I still do not believe that this is the best design on a smartphone in its price range.

The rear panel of the Samsung Galaxy M34 is made of polycarbonate that looks very similar to glass but the surface is an absolute fingerprint and smudge magnet. We found it extremely tricky to keep the rear panel clean enough to take good product shots. The fingerprints accumulate within seconds of cleaning the device, which is aggravating. The camera modules look classy, just as they do on other Samsung devices we’ve reviewed this year. The Samsung branding on the bottom is also nice and subtle.

The sides of the phone are made of plastic as well. The bottom houses the USB C port, 3.5 mm jack (yay!), and the sole Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker. The speaker is loud but doesn’t compare to the experience you get with stereo speakers. The right side houses the volume rockers and power button. The power button also doubles as a capacitive fingerprint sensor, which proved to be speedy and accurate. The left side has the SIM tray which can hold 2 nano SIMs, or 1 nano SIM and an SD card. We’ll talk about the front of the device in the next section.\

At 208 g, the phone is pretty hefty by 2023 standards. It is also 8.8 mm thick. Samsung has done a good job distributing the weight though and the phone is quite comfortable to hold. It is awfully slippery though, so we advise buying a protective case since Samsung doesn’t provide one in the packaging.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Display

The Samsung Galaxy M34’s aesthetic appeal takes a major fall when you look at the screen. The outdated waterdrop notch and chunky chin bezel make it look like a phone from the yesteryears – or at least ₹5-10K cheaper than it is. This is a shame because this shell houses a gorgeous 6.5-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ display with 120 Hz refresh rate support. There’s no HDR support though, which is disappointing, but you do get Widevine L1 support to view HD content on streaming platforms. The display is topped with Gorilla Glass 5 for protection against scratches and accidental drops.

The M34’s screen packs a punch with vibrant colours and good viewing angles. The screen is quite bright as well, rated at 1000 nits of peak brightness. In my testing, the phone maxed out at 802 nits of brightness under sunlight with Auto Brightness turned on. So, screen legibility in sunlight is a non-issue. Content consumption on this device is good and the screen is capable of producing stunning and immersive visuals. But the immersion is marred by the massive teardrop notch.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Performance

Housing the Exynos 1280 SoC, the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a speedy performer. This is a 5 nm chipset that comes with two Cortex-A78 cores clocked at 2.4 GHz and six Cortex-A55 cores clocked at 2 GHz. I found this chipset to provide a good mix of power and efficiency. My review unit came with 6 GB LPDDR4X RAM (+ 6 GB Virtual RAM) and 128 GB of onboard UFS 2.2 storage with the option to expand it via a microSD card.

The phone performed admirably well in benchmarks against competitors such as the iQOO Z7 and the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite. In AnTuTu, the Samsung Galaxy M34 flew past the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite’s score and it even did slightly better than the iQOO Z7. The Galaxy M34 proved its mettle in the Geekbench as well – scoring considerably higher than both the iQOO Z7 (review) and OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite (review) but these phones beat it out in the Multi Core test, as you can see below. But it regained its lead in PCMark Work, meaning it will do a great job at productivity tasks such as Excel sheets, photo editing, and more.

In GPU Benchmarks, once again, the Samsung Galaxy M34 showed off its dominance scoring higher than the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite in both 3D Mark Wild Life and GFXBench tests. The Galaxy M34 beat the iQOO Z7 in 3D Mark Wild Life but the iQOO Z7 slipped slightly ahead in GFXBench tests. Overall though, this proved to be a beast of a phone in the sub ₹20K price segment; excelling at both CPU and GPU benchmarks. However, in storage benchmarks, the Galaxy M34 falls behind since it is using the older UFS 2.2 memory standard, so transfer speeds won’t be as fast as the iQOO Z7 or OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite.

In real life, the phone is smooth and fluid in day-to-day tasks with no lag whatsoever. 120 Hz refresh rate makes actions such as scrolling between screens feel even more fluid and seamless. Gaming is also stutter-free on the Galaxy M34 on Medium Graphics at High Frame Rate. We played COD: Mobile for over half an hour and didn’t face any major frame drops, however, the phone did heat up slightly. In the CPU Throttling Test, the phone got a great result – it throttled to merely 85 per cent of its peak performance, so it can sustain heavy workloads without throttling too much.

Moving on to software, the Samsung Galaxy M34 comes with Android 13 out of the box with Samsung’s OneUI 5.1 skin on top. OneUI has plenty of features and customisations, and the overall aesthetic is pretty decent as well but it is rife with bloatware in the form of Samsung or third-party preinstalled apps. There’s also the annoying Glance feature that shows up on the lock screen. You can disable it, but it’s hidden deep in Settings under Wallpaper Services.

The best thing about the latest Samsung phones is the updates cycle where the company even has Google beat! The phone promises a whopping 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates, which is fantastic.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Camera

The Samsung Galaxy M34 5G packs a triple rear camera stack consisting of a 50 MP primary camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) support, an 8 MP ultrawide shooter, and a 2 MP macro camera. The primary camera usually snaps detailed photos in daylight or bright indoor light with vibrant colours and decent dynamic range. The camera tends to prioritise highlights and sometimes crushes shadows in the process though. In fact, we even saw some instances where the highlights were overblown. Here are a few image samples; do note that they've been compressed for the web.

Close-up shots look great with a natural-looking bokeh effect. There are some instances when these shots can get a bit soft, usually when the light levels are not adequate. Portrait photos look good but if you look closely, the phone doesn’t do a great job cutting out subjects’ hair. There’s also a strand or two that it misses out on entirely. 

The 8 MP ultrawide shooter clicks good images with similar colour science to the main lens, but there’s some loss of detail in the corners. Dynamic range is still decent, with instances of shadows being crushed. There’s a token 2 MP macro lens that clicks acceptable shots – there’s not a whole lot of detail but the results are usable, at least.

For selfies, the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G brings a 13 MP lens that clicks natural-looking selfies (IF you turn off Beauty Mode) with good colour and detail retention. Portrait mode selfies look the same, but the edge detection could be improved. 

Samsung has also introduced the Nightography feature in the budget segment with the Galaxy M34; a feature that is usually only available on Samsung’s higher-end models. It allows you to take slightly brighter pictures in low light but I still feel like the low-light photography could be improved on this phone. The dynamic range is not the best and some images appear very soft.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Battery Life

Equipped with a monstrous 6,000 mAh battery, the Samsung Galaxy M34 5G is a phone that can last most users two days without having to reach for the charger. To reach for the charger, you would first need to purchase one since the retail box skimps out on a charging adapter. The phone supports 25 W wired charging, with no support for reverse wired charging or wireless charging.

In our 4K video loop test, the Samsung Galaxy M34 lasted an astounding 21.5 hours! That’s almost twice as much as the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite! Fifteen minutes of playing Call of Duty: Mobile only drained the battery levels by 3 per cent, and that should show you just about how power-efficient this device is. If battery life is your primary concern, and your budget is below ₹20,000, then this phone is a no-brainer. However, do note that 25 W charging in 2023 is quite slow. The device charged from empty to full in a little over 2 hours.

Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy M34 gets a lot of the basics of a smartphone right. You get speedy performance, astoundingly good battery life, and a decent primary camera that should cover all your basic needs. Priced below ₹20,000, the Samsung Galaxy M34 offers great bang for your buck and stands strong in the face of competition. Its battery life is near unparalleled, and if that is your primary concern when buying a smartphone, don’t hesitate to buy it. There are a few misses though – the dynamic range of the primary and ultrawide lens could be better, there’s no HDR support on the display, there’s plenty of preinstalled bloatware, and the teardrop notch looks extremely dated at this price in 2023. But if you’re willing to overlook these nitpicks, the Samsung Galaxy M34 is a steal deal. An easy to recommend product for most individuals!

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Razer Blade 14 Review: Small body big power

The Razer Blade 14 is a solid step-up from last year's variant, with better internals, a larger 16:10 display, removable RAM modules, and better cooling as well. The accompanying display is excellent, and the new 7000 series AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS performs exceptionally with the RTX 4070. The 14-inch form factor makes this an extremely portable laptop offering, and the port options are also decent. It's quite a bummer that the laptop isn't officially available in India.

In this review, we're going to be taking a look at the 2023 variant of the Razer Blade 14. While there was no significant upgrade between the 2021 and 2022 variants of the Razer Blade 14, the 2023 variant sees some major changes, both with the hardware and the externals of the laptop. The unit we received came with the new 7000 series AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor, paired with the NVIDIA RTX 4070. Other than that, it came with 16GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, 1 TB of SSD storage, and a 14-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution, 240 Hz IPS panel. We should point out that this laptop is not officially available in India, but if you are planning to pick the laptop up abroad, it will set you back by USD 2,699. Definitely not cheap, but as you can see from the specs, it certainly packs a punch, at least on paper. Let's dive into the full review to see just how well the new 7000 series Ryzen 9 and the RTX 4070 perform.

Razer Blade 14 2023 specs breakdown

Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS

TDP: 35W

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4070

TGP: 140W

RAM: 16GB DDR5-5600

Display: 14-inch, 2560 x 1600, 240 Hz IPS panel

Storage: 1 TB SSD

Ports: 2 USB-A, 2-USB-C, 1 HDMI 2.1

Razer Blade 14 2023: Build and Design

I personally have not tested the previous model of the Razer Blade 14, however, a cursory glance will tell you that they look pretty similar, at least on the outside. The new Razer Blade 14 uses the same aluminium body as last year's model with similar branding. The overall look and feel of the laptop remain the same; you know that this is a Razer Blade laptop without a doubt. The laptop features excellent build quality, it felt very sturdy and reliable in our hands. The base is strong with little to no flex upon application of pressure, and even the laptop lid and hinge feel extremely reliable with barely any flex or wobble.

With the display now being 16:10 instead of 16:9 from the previous Razer Blade 14, the laptop is slightly larger to accommodate the extra screen space. As such, we see that even the touchpad on the new Razer Blade 14 is slightly larger than last year's model. Another new thing Razer has incorporated in the Razer Blade 14 starting this year is a webcam shutter slide and removable RAM modules. This is fantastic from a consumer's point of view, and while the Razer Blade 14 ends up being around 1mm thicker than last year's variant, it's a minor sacrifice.

Razer Blade 14 I/O

With this being a 14-inch laptop, ports are understandably limited. There are no ports on the front or back of the machine. On both the left and right side you have a single USB-A and USB-C 3.2 Gen. 2 port for a total of two each. On the right side, you have an HDMI 2.1 port and a Kensington lock and on the left side, you have the AC adapter port, and the combo audio.

Razer Blade 14 2023 - Display

The display on the Razer Blade 14 is great. The 16:10 240 Hz IPS panel offers high peak brightness. We tested 552 NITS average peak brightness during our display test. It's also very colour accurate making it excellent for your content creation needs on the go. We tested an sRGB coverage of 99.6 percent and a DCI-P3 coverage of 98.3 percent. The only drawback we would say is that it's not an OLED panel, which honestly isn't all that much of a drawback.

Also read: MSI Cyborg 15 A12VE Review: RTX 4050 for under Rs 1 lac (digit.in)

Razer Blade 14 2023 - Performance

With that, we come to the performance on the Razer Blade 14 2023. Quickly going through the specs once again, the new Razer Blade 14 comes with the new 7000 series AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS processor with a base TDP of 35W, which is paired with the NVIDIA RTX 4070 with a TGP of 140W. For this review, we'll be comparing it with the HP OMEN Transcend 16, which also features an RTX 4070 (with a TGP of 130W), and an Intel Core i7-13700HX, which features a base TDP of 55W.

Starting things off with processor performance, looking at general productivity with the PCMark 10 benchmark, we can see that the new Ryzen 9 actually performs better than the 13th gen i7 almost across the board, save one field.

We use the Cinebench R23 benchmark to test single-thread and multi-thread performance. Here, while the 13th gen Core i7-13700HX performs better in single-thread performance, the Ryzen 9 ends up scoring higher in multi-thread performance.

When it comes to encryption and decryption, for which we use WinRAR and 7-Zip's benchmark tools, the 13th gen Core i7 slightly inches ahead of the Ryzen 9 in the WinRAR benchmark, but with 7-Zip, the Ryzen 9 takes the win by a landslide.

Overall, the Ryzen 9 7940HS comes out as the better-performing processor of the two.

Razer Blade 14 2023 - Gaming performance

Next, we come to gaming performance. Both laptops feature NVIDIA RTX 4070s, however, the TGP on the HP OMEN Transcend 16 is slightly lower at 130W compared to the 140W on the Razer Blade 14.

That said, the difference in scores isn't all that big. As you can see, the 3DMark scores for both laptops are very close, but the higher TGP on the Razer Blade 14 does seem to have made a difference.

The same translated to real-world gaming as well. We tested both laptops across a range of games, both CPU and GPU intensive. The FPS numbers for the most part are very close, but the Razer Blade 14 inches ahead in most games. Except for Valorant. Valorant is weird.

Either way, the NVIDIA RTX 4070 is an excellent laptop GPU, and you should have no trouble running the latest AAA games with ease, even at the higher resolution display offered by the Razer Blade 14.

Also read: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Review: The premium gaming laptop experience (digit.in)

Razer Blade 14 2023 - Thermals and Battery

Usually, laptops with small form factors, like the Razer Blade 14, tend to heat up a lot more than their larger gaming laptop counterparts. Surprisingly, the Razer Blade 14 handles heat exceptionally well, especially when compared to last year's model. This is thanks to both the slightly larger size, and the presence of the new Max Fan mode profile in Razer Synapse, which keeps the laptop surprisingly cool under stress. Of course, the Max Fan mode also makes the laptop pretty loud.

During our CPU stress test, we recorded a peak CPU temp of 76 degrees Celsius, which is great. Similarly, surface temps across the laptop never went across the 40-degree Celsius mark. Do keep in mind that all of our thermal testing is done in an air-conditioned environment, so the laptop would run hotter sans the AC.

At approximately 90 minutes, the 68Wh battery on the Razer Blade 14 has the best battery life we’ve tested in a gaming laptop this year. That’s 90 minutes of just gaming. This is of course with the refresh rate set to 60 Hz. At 240 Hz, the battery drains a LOT quicker. General productivity tasks, web browsing, etc will net you a lot more time on the Razer Blade 14 while unplugged.

Razer Blade 14 2023 - Verdict

The Razer Blade 14 is a solid step up from last year's variant, with better internals, a larger 16:10 display, removable RAM modules, and better cooling as well. The accompanying display is excellent, and the new 7000 series AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS performs exceptionally with the RTX 4070. The 14-inch form factor makes this an extremely portable laptop offering, and the port options are also decent. It's quite a bummer that the laptop isn't officially available in India.

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Exclusive: HPs new AI-Powered Macbook Killer leaks - to cost under Rs 1 lakh

In an exclusive scoop, I have the information that HP is preparing to shake up the tech sector with a "Macbook killer." Leveraging their 33.8% market share (as per Q1 '23 IDC report), HP is reportedly readying a 15-inch Envy laptop aimed squarely at the content creators' community—an audacious bid to unseat the Apple MacBook Pro from its lofty perch.

My sources indicate that this device will not merely challenge but outdo Apple's offering, packing in features specifically tailored for the dynamic, hybrid lifestyle of modern creators. And the bombshell? It's expected to be priced under 1 lakh, substantially undercutting the MacBook Pro—a bold gambit that could send ripples through the market.

The new HP Envy is planning to score where the MacBook Pro couldn't. It will incorporate a touch screen, a glaring omission in Apple's premium laptop. Designed to support the ever-evolving demands of content creation, HP's move is a clear nod to the changing preferences of the creator community.

It is also clear from the leaked image that the laptop will have upward-firing speakers, a big trackpad, a full-size SD card slot, and a 360-degree hinge. There is also a good chance that the stylus will come included with the laptop itself. The laptop's keyboard will also feature a 60% layout, which a lot of creators and productivity enthusiasts prefer. 

But that's not all. The new Envy laptop is rumored to be loaded with AI features aiming to enhance security, audio, video, and overall user experience. The standout is HP's Presence 2.0 technology, designed to enhance video calls by adjusting lighting conditions and reducing background noise—a handy feature for all the remote workers and freelancers out there. 

Furthermore, the laptop is engineered to support heavy content creation and multitasking. But will it unthrone the much coveted Macbook Pro? I'll let you know soon once I get my hands on the device. 

Also Read: HP Pavilion x360 14 (2023) Review: Portable, efficient, and versatile

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OnePlus Nord 3 5G Review: A complete mid-ranger

To conclude, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is a complete mid-ranger. The performance is very good, the display is stunning, and the camera is right up there with the competition. While the smartphone has a very nice in-hand feel, the way it looks is pretty much similar to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G and I am not a big fan of the two flash.

The OnePlus Nord 3 5G is the latest mid-ranger from OnePlus, making it the third-gen hero device in OnePlus' more affordable range of Nord smartphones. With a design similar to its younger sibling, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G, the OnePlus Nord comes with a flagship-level chipset and goes directly in competition with some critically-acclaimed devices in this range like the iQOO Neo 7 and the Poco F5. 

So, is the OnePlus Nord 3 good enough to take on its competitors from rival brands? I used the smartphone for about a week and put it through rigorous testing to see what the smartphone is all about. In this review, we will take a look at the smartphone's design, display, performance, battery, and camera performance to give you a verdict on if the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is worth your ₹33,999. Let's take a look:

DESIGN

Design wise, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G looks pretty much the same as its younger brother, the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G with the two camera cutouts, the rather tall design orientation, and flat-edges. Now, while from the looks of it, the smartphone is very similar to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G apart from the weirdly-placed dual flash, the OnePlus Nord 3 is much more premium. We get a glass back panel, an edge-to-edge display and OnePlus' signature alert slider, first time on a flat frame. 

As far as the design is concerned, there isn't anything special going on with the OnePlus Nord 3 5G. There is little to distinguish the more premium device with the more budget friendly OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite 5G. Further, the flash placement doesn't really look good and the smartphone is a bit too tall, which is not good for single-handed usage. Yes, we get a glass back panel with Gorilla Glass 5 protection that enhances the in-hand feel and from the front, the difference is evident between the Nord 3 and Nord CE 3 Lite, which is also good. 

DISPLAY

Coming to the display, we get a nice 6.74-inch 10-bit AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. On paper, this display is almost flagship-level. In real life, things are similar. The display looks stunning from the moment you set eyes on it. The colours are vibrant yet accurate, the display is bright enough to be used in all kinds of environments, and it is perfectly responsive and slick.

OnePlus claims a peak brightness of 1,450 nits on the Nord 3. We put this to test using a Lux Meter, and the smartphone gave a maximum brightness of 868 nits and a minimum brightness of 3 nits on a plain white background. This is pretty good for any smartphone, and it basically means that there will be no visibility issues with this display, no matter how bright the sun is out there. Further, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G also supports HDR video playback on apps that support it (Netflix, YouTube and more), which means that watching movies and TV shows is a pleasing experience on this smartphone. You will see things in very good detail and the image is super sharp while watching content. I watched a bunch of HDR videos on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G and the experience was quite immersive and vibrant.

In terms of responsiveness as well, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G’s display is very smooth and slick. The smartphone comes with 120Hz refresh rate, which most users already know results in a super responsive scrolling and switching experience, but the issue with OnePlus devices is that some very basic apps like YouTube don’t support high refresh rate and the smartphone switches back to 60Hz, which is not the case with any other manufacturer. 

Overall, this is a very good display. I found this to be one of the best displays on any smartphone in this range, and was instantly impressed with the picture quality, since the moment I set my eyes on this panel.

PERFORMANCE

Since this is a OnePlus smartphone, performance obviously takes a step forward. The OnePlus Nord 3 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset, paired with up to 16GB of RAM, which is good enough for a laptop as well, let alone a smartphone. Given the premium chipset from MediaTek and RAM overkill, there is no doubt that the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is a superb performer. 

Of course, we ran a bunch of benchmarks on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G and the smartphone aced most of them. On AnTuTu, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G was able to put out a score of 905,530 points, which is one of the highest on this year's mid-range smartphones. On Geekbench also, the smartphone outperforms many mid-rangers from 2023, but has been outperformed by a few devices like the Vivo V27 Pro, Poco F5, Moto Edge 40, and the likes. 

We also ran PCMark Work 3.0 benchmark on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G and here, the smartphone didn't put out as impressive numbers as compared to the other CPU-based benchmark tests. In GPU-based tests also, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G didn't impress me as much as I expected the smartphone to, but the numbers are still very good for a smartphone at this level. What the numbers show and how the OnePlus Nord 3 performs in real life are pretty much similar. During my daily usage, I never felt any kind of a lack of performance while using the smartphone, or even doing certain demanding tasks like playing games or photography, or even tasks like editing photos and videos on the smartphone. 

The OnePlus Nord 3 5G uses the UFS 3.1 storage standard, which is not the latest, but a pretty fast storage standard. In storage-based testing, the smartphone showed similar read and write speeds as compared to its rivals, with a few minor differences here and there. 

Overall, this is a pretty good performer. Yes, it's not the fastest or the highest-specced device in this range, but the OnePlus Nord 3 5G never leaves its users asking for more. Playing games on this smartphone is a beautiful experience, and the smartphone handles multitasking as well as pretty much any other smartphone out there, not just a mid-ranger. 

BATTERY

Here, we get a 5,000mAh battery on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G, which has sort of become the standard in most smartphones these days. The backup on this battery is quite good. I put the OnePlus Nord 3 5G on a video loop test, where I played a 4K video on the smartphone with high brightness until the battery drained out, and the smartphone lasted for a very impressive 733 minutes or 12.2 hours! 

Now, while on video playback, the OnePlus Nord 3 puts out an impressive time of over 12 hours, that is not the case with all tasks. In my tests, I found the smartphone to be draining the battery a bit too fast while using GPS. I used the GPS navigation for one hour straight and the smartphone lost 9 percent of the battery. While playing a Call of Duty Mobile online session for 15 minutes, the smartphone lost 5 percent battery. 

With a good battery backup, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G also offers super fast charging. The smartphone comes with 80W SuperVOOC fast charging, which I tested during my review. The smartphone only took 34 minutes to charge from 0 to 100 percent, which is super fast for any segment, not just the sub-₹35,000 price bracket.

CAMERA

The camera here is a triple camera setup. This includes a primary 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 shooter with OIS, an 8-megapixel wide angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. The camera performance here is pretty deent. In well-lit environments, this camera is capable of putting out some brilliant images with pixel binning on. However, with the full 50-megapixel resolution or in high resolution mode, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G at times overexposes details. 

 

In other conditions such as low light, the smartphone sometimes struggles, but mostly the results are very much usable. The portraits on the smartphone, on the other hand, are brilliant. The OnePlus Nord 3 5G takes very nice portraits. The image is sharp and detailed, and the edge detection is almost spot-on. The dynamic range in portraits is also pretty good, even in average lighting conditions.

Like the portrait mode, the front camera of the OnePlus Nord 3 5G also impressed me quite a bit. Selfies on the OnePlus Nord 3 5G are sharp, vibrant and detailed. The smartphone has a 16-megapixel front shooter, which will keep all the selfie lovers out there pretty satisfied.

VERDICT

To conclude, the OnePlus Nord 3 5G is a complete mid-ranger. The performance is very good, the display is stunning, and surprisingly the camera is right up there with the competition. While the smartphone has a very nice in-hand feel, the way it looks is pretty much similar to the OnePlus Nord CE 3 5G and I am not a big fan of the two flash.

Yes, the performance is not the best in this segment, but it will never leave you asking for more with its 16GB RAM. I’m not a fan of the design, especially the two LED flash modules (or whatever the second circle is for), but there are plenty of people who have liked this design. Further, you get glass back and IP rating, so that’s great. The battery sometimes drains while doing specific tasks like GPS or using the camera, but the super fast 80W charging makes up for it.

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Instagram Threads memes are so funny it will make Elon Musk cry

Instagram Threads has arrived. Users are posting funny memes and reactions to the new Twitter alternative. Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg has posted his first tweet in over a decade and also announced the astounding growth of the app in a matter of hours since its launch. Even his tweet is a meme throwing shade at Twitter. And one person not enjoying these memes must be the memelord himself — Elon Musk, Twitter owner, CTO and ex-CEO. 

  Post by @zuck View on Threads

Take a look at these memes and see why wouldn’t he be annoyed:

Twitter vs Threads memes

Before we begin, note that not all memes are a diss on Twitter. Some are mocking Mark Zuckerberg and his new app too. However, Mark doesn't seem to be bothered by such remarks as he reveals in the above video.

pic.twitter.com/UUxr894u0p

— Bearly (@early_2) July 6, 2023   Post by @pubity View on Threads   Post by @naughty.nations View on Threads   Post by @yourbongguy View on Threads   Post by @khumailthakur View on Threads   Post by @backlon View on Threads

bye twitter, hi threads pic.twitter.com/XU0Wd0C8kT

— Mikki (@mikki_lr) July 6, 2023

seeing the people you know from twitter on threads pic.twitter.com/JvnbNvCcWc

— Jeffery Perkins (@JefferyxBball) July 6, 2023

No one :@elonmusk when people sharing their threads account on twitter : pic.twitter.com/t3ZEomhNfd

— Vikas jhajharia (@vikasjhajharia_) July 6, 2023

Mark Zuckerberg :- •Copied Reels Feature From Tik Tok . •Copied Story Feature From Snapchat •Copied Paid Blue Tick Idea From Elon Musk. •Copied Entire Twitter App And Made Threads . pic.twitter.com/oJzUfrPUJR

— Sir BoiesX  (@BoiesX45) July 6, 2023

Threads: Day 1 #Threads #meme pic.twitter.com/cIOKXacHFF

— Taylor Valley (@taylorvboston) July 6, 2023

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MSI Cyborg 15 Review: RTX 4050 for under Rs 1 lac

We've tested enough RTX 4050s this year to say that it's a solid step up over the RTX 3050 or even the 3050 Ti. If you're in the market for an RTX 4050 gaming laptop, the MSI Cyborg 15 is probably one of the cheapest ones you can pick up right now at Rs 99,990. It's got a great design going for it, decent I/O options, a decent 144 Hz display, and solid hardware under the hood. The only flaw we would say is that it runs a bit on the hotter side. Definitely worth considering if you're looking to pick up an RTX 4050 laptop under Rs 1 lac.

The MSI Cyborg was first revealed during CES 2023, and it's cool cyberpunk design and the specs on board were certainly pretty appealing, however what was even more appealing was the fact that you could get all of that for just Rs 99,990, at least as of writing this review. We're talking a 12th gen Intel Core i7 paired with the new 40 series NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU. There's also a 13th gen variant that isn't available in India yet. Let's do a quick breakdown of the specs on board before we get to the in-depth review.

MSI Cyborg 15 specs

Processor: 12th gen Intel Core i7-12650H

GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU

Display: 15.6-inch 144Hz FHD

RAM: 16GB

Storage: 512GB

Ports: 2 USB-A, 1 USB-C, HDMI 2.1, RJ45 Ethernet, 3.5mm audio

MSI Cyborg 15 - Build and Design

Let's start things off with the build and design. The MSI Cyborg 15 immediately distinguishes itself from other gaming laptops with its rather unique looks. The sides, the lip and the base of the laptop are all translucent. This gives the laptop that cyberpunk look we were talking about earlier, but at the same time, it's not so flashy that it might draw attention in public. The same translucent design is present on the WASD keys as well.

Unsurprisingly, the laptop features a plastic chassis. This is fairly common with budget laptops, but you do still get an aluminium metal lid. The laptop feels pretty sturdy overall, and even the hinge didn't give us too much flex. Most of the laptop features a matte black finish.

The laptop features a backlit keyboard, with no RGB. Which we didn’t really mind at all. We found the keys to be well-spaced and the overall typing and gaming experience was pleasant. The touchpad doesn't get in the way of typing.

Also Read: Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 Review: The premium gaming laptop experience (digit.in)

MSI Cyborg 15 - Display

The MSI Cyborg 15 comes with a 15.6-inch 144Hz FHD IPS display. As far as displays are concerned, it's pretty decent. During our testing, we got a peak average brightness of 307 nits, an sRGB coverage of 65.9 per cent, and we tested 48.7 per cent DCI-P3 coverage. All in all, we'd say the display on the MSI Cyborg 15 is slightly above average, we would not however recommend this for professional editing work, but you should have great visuals while gaming.

MSI Cyborg 15 - Thermals and battery

Gaming laptops don't usually come with long battery lives, and the same applies to the MSI Cyborg 15. DUring our PC Mark 10 gaming battery benchmark, the Cyborg 15 lasted 65 minutes, so a little over an hour. 

Coming to the thermals; the MSI Cyborg can run pretty hot. During our stress test, we recorded CPU temps of 94 degrees Celsius. Surface temps can also get pretty high, especially the centre of the laptop, which hit around 43 degrees during our gaming stress test. WASD was on the slightly warmer side at 35 degrees, while the palm and touchpad stayed cool at around 26 degrees. Regardless, you'll want to keep this laptop on a desk when you're gaming, and not on your lap. Note that we do all of our thermal testing in an air conditioned environment, so the laptop could run even hotter in non-AC environments.

MSI Cyborg 15 Gaming Performance

Finally, we come to the performance. We'll start things off with the gaming performance.

The MSI Cyborg 15 features an NVIDIA RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, which in our tests so far has managed to outperform the RTX 3060 Laptop GPU in most real world gaming benchmarks. However, compared to the RTX 4050 in the Acer Predator Helios Neo 16 we recently tested, the 4050 in the Cyborg falls short by a pretty large margin.

In synthetic GPU benchmarks, for which we use 3DMark, the MSI Cyborg 15 has surprisingly low scores. 

However, it's a different story in real-world gaming benchmarks where the MSI Cyborg more than makes up for the low synthetic GPU scores. Ultimately, real-world gaming performance is what matters, so in this case, the RTX 4050 onboard the MSI Cyborg 15 delivers.

MSI Cyborg 15 general performance

Next we come to the processor performance. The 12th gen Intel Core i7-12650H performs pretty well in most processor benchmarks, namely R23 for single and multi-thread performance, and in our encryption and decryption tests. However, general productivity scores were a bit on the lower side as can be seen in the PCMark 10 benchmark.

The 16GB of DDR5 RAM on the Cyborg 15 is clocked to 4800 MT/s, and tested pretty well in the AIDA64 benchmark, especially in this price category.

Coming to the storage, we saw decent read and write speeds of 3600 MB/s and 2500 MB/s respectively during our CrystalDiskMark benchmark; it's not the fastest or the slowest storage we've tested, but should more than suffice for your gaming needs.

Also Read: MSI Titan GT77 HX 13VI 13th Gen Core i9-13950HX Review (digit.in)

MSI Cyborg 15 - Verdict

We've tested enough RTX 4050s this year to say that it's a solid step up over the RTX 3050 or even the 3050 Ti. If you're in the market for an RTX 4050 gaming laptop, the MSI Cyborg 15 is probably one of the cheapest ones you can pick up right now. It's got a great design going for it, decent I/O options, a decent 144 Hz display, and solid hardware under the hood. The only flaw we would say is that it runs a bit on the hotter side. Definitely worth considering if you're looking to pick up an RTX 4050 laptop under Rs 1 lac.

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Instagram Threads: Heres how it works and how it is better than popular social media platforms

Instagram Threads is available for download on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store. So both Android and iOS users can download the app and sign up using their Instagram account. Now, on one of the initial walkthrough screens, you will see the mention of Fediverse. Here’s what it says:

“Future versions of Threads will work with the fediverse”. But, what is Fediverse? While we learn about that here, let’s also try to understand what ActivityPub is. You may see these two words pop up more on your social and web feeds going forward. After all, social media as we knew is getting a major upheaval. The key reason is the centralization and monopolistic behaviour of current social media companies.

To wit:

- Meta and its products like Facebook and Instagram try to lock you into their platforms. Their evasive algorithms, ad practices, and monetization tools gorge on user data. The users who have invested their time, effort, and sometimes money in these apps and sites feel entrapped and difficult to leave to alternate platforms. 

- These centralized platforms could be swooped up by someone like Elon Musk. Or their functioning could be as per the whims and fancies of someone like Elon Musk.

To solve these issues, we now have Fediverse. 

What is Fediverse?

Fediverse is a portamenteu of Federation (union) and Universe. It is a universe of multiple platforms/apps/sites with different servers in them. All of these servers as well as platforms/app/sites can connect with each other, letting its users connect to users of other servers and platforms. Instagram Threads users would be able to follow and interact with users and content of Mastadon. 

These platforms would not be just related to microblogging. They could be about social networking, video hosting, image hosting, regular blogging or anything that has to do with web publishing.

Also Read: Instagram Threads download link goes live: Could this threaten Twitter?

Users can apply for and join any server they like. If they don’t get entry or want something different from the prevailing servers, they get to create and host their own servers (also called instances) with rules and policies they like. You could restrict others’ entry too based on your discretion. As you may be wondering, yes the cost associated to the setup and maintenance of servers has to be borne by the creator. 

Now, all of this interconnected servers and whatnot is possible because of a protocol called ActivityPub. 

What is ActivityPub?

ActivityPub

— Mastodon (@Mastodon@mastodon.social) (@joinmastodon) April 5, 2022

ActivityPub is a unified content protocol that acts as the underlying architecture for all these Fediverse apps/sites/platforms. Think of it as a common language for all posts on the Fediverse (regardless of the platform). So, this open standard allows for this decentralized functioning of Fediverse. 

Unfortunately, at launch, Threads won't be supporting ActivityPub either. Instagram chief says, “We’re committed to building support for ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon, into this app. We weren’t able to finish it for launch given a number of complications that come along with a decentralized network, but it’s coming”.

Also Read: Instagram clones Elon's app with Meta's social media might: Is Twitter in danger?

So soon someday, Threads too will be part of this Fediverse thanks to ActivityPub social networking protocol.

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