Author: Vipul Vij

  • LG V30 To Hit The US Market On October 5th

    LG V30 To Hit The US Market On October 5th

    LG announced the new flagship, the LG V30 at the IFA 2017 in Berlin. The smartphone made headlines for featuring an OLED panel and thin bezels around the display. Now, after releasing the phone in South Korea, LG has announced that the V30 will hit the US market on October 5th. As far as price is concerned, in the US, you can order the phone through AT&T for US$810 or through T-Mobile for US$800.

    The LG V30 has a 6 inch 2880 x 1440 px OLED FullVision display, LG’s first, with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. LG’s nearly edge-to-edge OLED display has HDR 10 format for a high level of colour contrast and as announced, the smartphone will be Daydream compatible.

    The LG V30 is powered by a 3300mAh battery with wireless fast charging which supports 3.0 quick charge. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.2 with LG’s UX 6.0+ on top which offers a few customisation options. A big omission from the V30 is the secondary display, which was a signature in the previous V series devices. Instead, LG has introduced a Floating Bar which displays shortcuts and can be disabled when not required. The LG V30 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 2.4GHz octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage with up to 2TB of expandable storage via a microSD card. The V30 has IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and MIL-STD 810G rating for durability.

    LG has partnered up with Bang & Olufsen this time around to deliver sound quality ideal for media consumption and the B&O logo appears on the rear of the smartphone just below the fingerprint scanner. Thanks, to the partnership, LG V30 incorporates a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC powered by Bang & Olufsen with few sound presets like enhanced, detailed, bass and live. The smartphone also has support for Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology for high-resolution audio streaming. There are reports that the India variant of the LG V30 may not feature the quad DAC.

    Aside from the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which also doubles as a home button, LG has introduced few new security features in the LG V30 such as facial and voice recognition. The voice recognition will even work along with the music playback.

    On the camera front, the LG V30 features a dual-camera setup at the back. As LG had announced, this smartphone has the first ever inbuilt camera unit to feature a 16MP crystal clear lens made of glass with an f/1.6 aperture and another 13MP wide angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. Compared to the f/1.8 aperture cameras on the iPhone 7Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8+, the camera on the LG V30 will let 25% more light to pass through. The glass lens also delivers greater light-collecting ability than a plastic lens as well as better colour reproduction. The camera will feature laser detection AF, optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. On the front, the LG V30 sports a 5MP wide-angle camera with an aperture f/2.2.

    The price of US$800 seems normal considering the Galaxy Note8 retails for over US$900 and the iPhone X will start at a price of US$999. The price and availability of the LG V30 in India has not been confirmed by the company yet.

  • GoPro Hero 6 Black Launched For US$499

    GoPro Hero 6 Black Launched For US$499

    GoPro has launched its latest iteration of the flagship camera, the Hero 6 Black at an event in San Fransisco. The GoPro Hero 6 Black is on sale in North America at a price of US$499. From the outside, the Hero 6 Black retains the design of the Hero 5, but, you’re paying an extra $100 for increased frame rates, better overall image quality and speed, thanks to a new and custom processor.

    The new GoPro Hero 6 Black will shoot 12MP photos, in JPG or RAW, and GoPro’s Wide Dynamic Range mode. But it will supposedly perform better in low light than the Hero 5 Black and offer better image quality in all situations. The GoPro Hero 6 Black will shoot 3840 x 2160 px videos at 60fps. Higher frame rates offer a smoother look and more importantly, they make it possible to create slow-motion footage. There’s also a better Wi-Fi radio inside that triples the transfer speeds of the last generation Hero, so you can get your footage into the GoPro app on your phone three times faster than previous generation GoPro camera. The camera will shoot 2.7K videos at 120fps and super slo-mo 1080P videos at 240fps.

    The Hero 6 Black’s improved performance, imaging tricks and new video taking capabilities are powered by GoPro’s new custom processor, the GP1. This is GoPro’s first custom chip, and it’s an important move for the manufacturer as it prepares to differentiate itself from the growing market of imitators. By building a camera around its own chip, GoPro can add features that are difficult for competitors to copy. The GoPro has GPS, a 2-inch LCD touchscreen on the back, voice controls, and some instant-editing features for when you’re on the move. The new camera is rugged as usual and is waterproof to 33-feet.

    The GoPro Hero 6 Black is priced at Rs 45000 in India and is available to buy here.

  • Battle Of The Flagships Under Rs 40,000: OnePlus 5 Vs Nokia 8 Vs Honor 8 Pro Vs LG G6

    Battle Of The Flagships Under Rs 40,000: OnePlus 5 Vs Nokia 8 Vs Honor 8 Pro Vs LG G6

    Gone are the days when you couldn’t expect premium performance from smartphones that didn’t come with a premium price tag. Nowadays, good phones are getting cheaper, and cheap phones are getting better. Flagship devices from the likes of Samsung and Apple continue to cost over Rs 50,000 in India but, there smartphone makers who bring in high quality at a sort of affordable price. Rs 40,000 is not “affordable” by any means, but if you can get a phone as fast and smooth as a Rs 60,000 phone by almost half of it, you don’t have much to complain.

    OnePlus 5, Nokia 8, Honor 8 Pro and the LG G6 offer flagship performance and features at a price under Rs 40,000. Each phone has its own USP and areas of performance where it excels. So, if you have a budget of around Rs 40,000 and you want a phone with flagship performance, which one would fit the bill? Let’s find out.

    Specifications OnePlus 5 Honor 8 Pro LG G6 Nokia 8
    Price Starting at Rs 32,999

    Click Here To Buy

    Rs 29999

    Click Here To Buy

    Rs 36,900

    Click Here To Buy

    Rs 36,999

    Click Here For Pre-Orders

    Display 5.5 inch 5.7 inch 5.7 inch 5.5 inch
    Resolution 1920 x 1080 px 2560 x 1440 px 2880 x 1440 2560 x 1440 px
    OS Android 7.1 Nougat

    Stock Android

    Android 7.1 Nougat

    EMUI 5.1

    Android 7.1 Nougat

    LG UX

    Android 7.1 Nougat

    Stock Android

    Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Kirin 960 Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
    RAM 6GB/8GB 6GB 4GB 4GB
    Storage 64GB/128GB 128GB 64GB 64GB
    Expandability No Yes Yes Yes
    Water and Dust Resistance  No No IP67 Rating IP54 Rating
    Primary Camera Sony IMX 398
    Megapixels: 16
    Telephoto Sensor: Sony IMX 350
    Megapixels: 20
    12MP RGB sensor + 12MP Monochrome (black and white) sensor Dual 13 MP (f/1.8, OIS, 3-axis) + 13 MP (f/2.4) wide-angle lens 13MP + 13MP with an f/2.0 aperture
    RGB (colour) primary sensor and monochrome (black and white) secondary sensor Carl Zeiss Optics
    Battery  3300 mAh 4000 mAh 3300 mAh 3090 mAh
    Video 3840 × 2160p @ 30fps

    1920 x 1080p @ 30fps

    3840 × 2160p @ 30fps

    1920 x 1080p @ 30fps

    3840 × 2160p @ 30fps

    1920 x 1080p @ 30fps

    3840 × 2160p @ 30fps

    1920 x 1080p @ 30fps

    Front Camera  16MP with an f/2.0 aperture  8MP with an f/2.0 aperture 5MP with an f/2.2 13MP with an f/2.0 aperture
    Extra Features  Smooth stock Android with subtle OxygenOS tweaks  VR Capabilities Due to QHD display Bezel Less Display Bothie

    OZO Audio

    All these phones have their own pros and cons.

    OnePlus 5

    What we like:

    • Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
    • Stock Android OS experience
    • Portrait mode in camera.

    What we don’t like:

    • Battery size
    • No expandable storage
    • No OIS
    • No water resistance.

    Honor 8 Pro

    What we like:

    • Display
    • Battery
    • VR capabilities
    • Storage expansion via microSD card
    • Price.

    What we don’t like:

    • Chipset is more comparable to the older Snapdragon 821
    • No water resistance
    • EMUI might not hold itself for a long time.

    LG G6

    What we like:

    • Display
    • Design
    • Camera
    • Water resistance
    • Storage expansion via microSD card
    • Price
    • Professional video features.

    What we don’t like:

    Older Snapdragon 821

    Front camera is only 5MP with an f/2.2 aperture.

    Nokia 8  

    What we like:

    • Snapdragon 835
    • Display
    • Stock Android OS
    • Nokia’s build quality
    • Carl Zeiss optics
    • Bothie will be practical for people who live stream content
    • Storage expansion via microSD card.

    What we don’t like:

    • The most expensive of the four.
    • Nokia’s software is untested as of now.

    Buying a smartphone is a big decision and all these phones have their advantages. Choose wisely and let us know if you own any of these phones or are planning to get one.

     

  • BMW Will Integrate Alexa Into Its Cars In 2018

    BMW Will Integrate Alexa Into Its Cars In 2018

    The Amazon Hardware Show 2017 showcased a lot of tech that revolved around Alexa. There were new variants of the Echo, Amazon’s smart speakers, and a lot of smart home products that integrated Alexa. Amazon is pushing really hard to make sure that everyone talks to its AI assistant in the coming years. Another huge announcement at the hardware show included BMW. BMW announced that Alexa will be integrated into BMWs and selected Mini vehicles starting in mid-2018. “It’s a complete, comprehensive set of internet capabilities that is available inside your vehicle,” a BMW executive said during the Amazon show.

    The integration uses microphones embedded inside the car. With Alexa inside the vehicle, drivers can use voice commands to use basic Alexa commands like asking for news and weather, in addition to third-party apps like Starbucks. Previously, Amazon and BMW had worked together on an Alexa Skill that allows car owners to talk to their apps or Echo to check things like remaining fuel in the car. This integration of Alexa and BMW will also take the level of involvement of AI in an average consumer’s life a notch higher. Whether you are a supporter or a cynic of voice controlled tech, the future seems to be tilting towards a voice controlled environment.

    However, this is not the first time that Alexa has been integrated into a car, at CES this year, Ford introduced a line of cars that allows users to sync their Alexa devices so they can remotely unlock or start their car with voice commands.

    Tech companies have been working towards adding software in cars and the likes of Apple and Samsung are even testing self-driving cars in the United States. Amazon’s recent push puts them at par with other tech giants looking to hold their own in the space of car technology.

    Alexa will be available in all BMW vehicles for the 2018 model year, and mid-2017 Mini models in the US, Germany, and UK.

  • Facebook Introduces New Feature To Help Increase Blood Donations In India

    Facebook Introduces New Feature To Help Increase Blood Donations In India

    Facebook has introduced a new feature in India in a bid to connect blood donors across India with hospitals and organisations in need of blood. Facebook cites “shortage of safe blood” in India as the reason behind this step. In a blog, Facebook said that users in India already use the wide spread platform to connect donors with donees. Facebook will use its network to help both the parties here by helping donors sign up and work with NGOs, health industry experts to make sure the method useful.

    In the blog, Facebook posted about the process and how the feature will work:

    Starting October 1 — National Blood Donor Day — Facebook users in India will be able to start signing up to be blood donors. To help encourage participation, we’ll show a message in News Feed or people can edit their Profiles to sign up. All information will remain private and set to “only me” by default, but people can choose to share their donor status on their timelines.

    In the next few weeks, in order to easily connect blood banks, hospitals or NGOs with donors, Facebook will introduce custom posts wherein all the necessary details can be given. Facebook will then notify potential donors near to the entered location. Donors can then review the request and, if they wish to respond, contact the requestor directly through WhatsApp, Messenger or a phone call. To maintain anonymity, the person who needs blood won’t be able to see any information about the donor, unless the donor explicitly provides it when he/she reaches out to the person in need of blood.

    The post continued:

    We hope this new feature helps people come together in ways that weren’t possible before. By raising awareness and growing the number of blood donors in India, we want to make it easier for people and organisations to give and receive blood.

    If you want to sign up for the program or learn more about the initiative, log on to facebook.com/donateblood.

  • Google Pixel 2 And Google Pixel 2 XL Specifications Leaked

    Google Pixel 2 And Google Pixel 2 XL Specifications Leaked

    The launch of the new Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is scheduled for October 4th. Android Authority has reported that new leaks reveal the full specifications of the next generation Pixel smartphones and have corroborated the leaks with an internal document.

    Google Pixel 2 will have a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top of the display for protection. The smartphone will be powered by a 2700 mAh battery and run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. One new addition will be IP67 rating for water and dust resistance and the 3.5mm headphone jack will be a miss on the new Pixel. Making use of the chin and forehead, Google will add dual front firing stereo speakers to the Pixel 2. Another new feature which was rumoured for a while is Active Edge. First experienced in the HTC U11, this feature allows you to squeeze the frame of your phone to launch an app or trigger an action. The device will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, and 64GB or 128GB onboard storage options.

    Purchasing either the Google Pixel 2 or the Pixel 2 XL will give the consumer unlimited Google Cloud storage until 2023, which might be what Google meant in the launch teaser video where it talked about phones running out of storage. The information about cameras on both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is a little hazy. Both the phones will have what Google is calling, “Pixel Cameras.” Unlike a lot of 2017 flagships, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will have single camera at the back. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will have  a Wide Colour Gamut and Google Imaging Chip, as well as Optical Image Stabilisation. Whether OIS will be present in both the cameras is yet to be seen.

    The GooglePixel 2 XL on the other hand will see a design shift from the other three Pixel models and feature a curved Quad HD screen with thin bezels. The smartphone will be powered by a 3520 mAh battery which is considerably larger than the 2700 mAh battery on the Pixel 2. Just like the 2016 Pixel and Pixel XL, both the phone will have the same internals and cameras. This means a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, same 64GB or 128GB onboard storage variants and Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. Active Edge will also be present in the Pixel 2 XL and stereo speakers, albeit not front firing ones.

    There is no word on the pricing of both the phones but previous leaks have suggested that the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be priced higher than their predecessors due to a bump in the storage. These are leaks at the end of the day and although the source claims them to be legitimate, you can’t be 100 percent sure until Google lifts the curtain on the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL on October 4th.

  • Amazon Announces New Alexa-Powered Smart Home Devices

    Amazon Announces New Alexa-Powered Smart Home Devices

    Amazon has announced a host of new devices powered by Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa during the Amazon Hardware Event 2017. Amazon’s efforts to push Alexa into every aspect of your home or office was evident during the hardware event. Here are the top products announced at the event:

    Echo Plus

    Priced at US$149, the Echo Plus is about the same size as the original Echo from 2014 but, also acts as a smart home hub with second-generation far-field voice recognition and enhanced sound. The Echo Plus uses Zigbee as a low-power way to extend its wireless range and can control more than 100 smart home devices in the market via voice, without any apps required. The Echo Plus will scan the room for smart devices and set it up automatically. In a demo shown during the event, the Echo Plus scanned a Philips Hue smart bulb and was able to control it within 15 seconds. The Echo Plus will come bundled with a Philips Hue smart bulb and will be available black, white and silver colour variants. The Philips Hue bulb bundle shows that Amazon really want consumers to get into the smart home tech game.

    A new Alexa feature demonstrated during the event was the series of tasks that can be triggered with a simple phrases. The Echo Plus, once set up and connected to all the smart devices in your home can open the blinders, start the coffee machine and tell the weather by just saying “Good Morning Alexa.”

    Echo Spot

    The Echo Spot is a smart alarm clock powered by Alexa which also has a screen for video calling and can be connected to external Bluetooth speakers. The Echo Spot has a 2.5 inch screen and display lyrics of the songs playing or used for video calling as well. The Echo Spot looks like a crossover of Echo Dot and Echo Show with compact size and a display. The new Echo Spot will run you US$130 and will go on sale on December 19th.

    Echo Buttons

    Ever felt like playing a trivia game with your friends but never had a buzzer to get the whole TV feel? The Echo Buttons fill that hole. The Echo Buttons will retail in a pack of two and act as buzzers for game nights with family and friends. Priced at US$20, Echo Buttons are hockey puck-shaped devices and will work alongside an Alexa-enabled device.

    New Cheaper Echo

    Amazon also announced a refreshed verson of the original Echo from 2014. The new Echo is about half the size of the original one and costs US$99. In order to push the new Echo as multi-room audio device and compete with Sonos, Amazon is offering a bundle of three Amazon Echo’s for US$249. The new Echo also has a dedicated bass tweeter. The new Echo will also make 911 calls now and in order to push Amazon Alexa as a phone replacement, the company announced a separate US$35 device called Connect. Connect connects to your landline and makes free calls for you. Your number will still be attached to Connect so that the receiver can identify your number. The Echo will be available in a host of different finishes like wood and cloth.

    Fire TV

    The Amazon Fire TV will now support 4K HDR video playback at 60fps. It has Dolby Atmos integration and an Alexa voice remote, and will cost US$69.99. The price places it far below its direct rival, the Apple TV 4K which costs US$179. The size of the Fire TV is also much smaller and can be attached to the back of a television unlike its predecessor which looked like a set top box. Amazon has opened it for pre order and will start shipping the Fire TV on October 25th.

    All these devices will be available in the United States right now and it’s global availability has not been announced yet. There were reports of Amazon Echo Dot launching in India during the festive season, and with a host of festivals round the corner, it might happen anytime now.

  • LG Just Added A Mosquito Repellent To Their Smartphone

    LG Just Added A Mosquito Repellent To Their Smartphone

    LG has announced a budget oriented smartphone, the K7i in India at a price of Rs 7990. The South Korean tech giant, LG made the announcement during the ongoing Indian Mobile Congress in New Delhi.

    The riding feature of this phone is something quite unique, a mosquito repellent mode. To remove all your doubts, LG has confirmed that this technology is completely safe and harmless for human beings. LG explains that the smartphone uses an ultra-sonic technology, which once activated will keep the mosquitoes away. LG also clarified that its proprietary technology is silent and odourless. “An LG K7i a day, keeps mosquitoes at bay?”

    LG K7i has a 5-inch display and the resolution of the screen has not been disclosed by the company. Judging by the price, it might be a 1280 x 720 px display but, this is just speculation. The device is powered by a 2500 mAh battery which is surprisingly user removable and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. It has an unknown quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, 16GB onboard storage and microSD card support. The smart phone also has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, FM radio and dual-SIM support. The new mosquito repelling smartphone will be available in a brown colour variant.

    On the camera front, the LG K7i features an 8MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera.

    LG launched a lineup of Televisions with similar mosquito repelling proprietary technology and has followed it up with a smartphone. The date of availability of the smartphone in India has not been announced yet.

  • Micromax Ties Up With BSNL To Launch A JioPhone Competitor Feature Phone

    Micromax Ties Up With BSNL To Launch A JioPhone Competitor Feature Phone

    Micromax is readying to launch a 4G feature phone which will compete with the new JioPhone. The feature phone will be called BharatOne and will be launched in the first week of October for a price of Rs 2000. BharatOne will be launched in collaboration with state-run telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam.

    The free voice and data offers will be provoded by BSNL and Micromax will take care of the manufacturing. The BharatOne is said to have a better camera, larger screen and more battery life than any other feature phone available in the market right now, including the JioPhone.

    The date of launch has been intelligently decided to take advantage of the festive season. There is enough proof that Indian consumers like to shop for mobile phones during this season. Recently, Xiaomi announced that it sold over 1 million handsets during the Amazon and Flipkart sales. To believe that people will be eyeing an even more affordable phone during the season is not far fetched.

    Reliance JioPhone took the industry by storm when it received over 6 million pre-orders within two days of being announced. So much so that Reliance had to close the pre-orders only a day and a half after it announced the JioPhone. The first phase of the delivery of pre-orders began on September 25th. The consumers can track their orders via the MyJio app but, as of now, the status shows ‘Created’. The tracking of delivery seems pointless right now but, the status should be clearer in the days to come.

    There were reports of Airtel also launching a Rs 2500 feature phone in collaboration with one of the homegrown smartphone manufacturers like Lava or Karbonn.

    The JioPhone’s popularity has forced other telcos to sit up and take notice of the vast potential in the feature phone market, especially after concentrating on the smartphone market for so long.

     

  • Apple Rolls Out iOS 11.0.1 Update

    Apple Rolls Out iOS 11.0.1 Update

    The official roll out of the much-awaited iOS 11 began on September 19th. Soon after the release, there were reports of iOS 11 battery drain being 50% faster than that on the iOS 10. With iOS 11.0.1, Apple will be hoping to fix the battery issue.

    The update is about 280mb in size and is compatible with all the devices that received the iOS 11 update a few days back. In order to check for the update, users need to go to Settings> General > Software Update to check for the update.

    According to a data collected by analytics company Mixpanel, iOS 11 is installed on 25.28% of iOS devices after its official release on September 19th. According to the same report iOS 10 is installed on 67.83% of devices, while 6.89% continues to run on an earlier version of iOS. Interestingly, the iOS 11 installation rates are much lower when compared to iOS 10. The iOS 10 was installed on 34% devices under a week of launch.

    You may also like – iOS 11: Top 5 Features, Eligible Phones And How To Upgrade

    The battery drain issue on the iOS 11 has overshadowed some of the best features introduced by Apple in the latest iteration of iOS. A redesigned control centre, cleaner look for the UI and an improved Notes app are some of the best new features on iOS 11 and with iOS 11.0.1 hopefully fixing the battery drain problem, more and more people will adopt the iOS 11.

     

  • Siri Will Now Search Google For Answers Instead Of Bing

    Siri Will Now Search Google For Answers Instead Of Bing

    Apple is dropping Microsoft’s Bing as the default search platform for Siri, Search inside iOS, and Spotlight on Macs in favour of Google search.

    According Apple. this move is to create a more “consistent web search experience” for its users, since Google is currently the default search engine on its Safari browser thanks to a reported $3 billion annual deal between the two companies. Bing, however, will continue to search for images for queries through Siri. A statement by Apple about the decision read:

    Switching to Google as the web search provider for Siri, Search within iOS and Spotlight on Mac will allow these services to have a consistent web search experience with the default in Safari. We have strong relationships with Google and Microsoft and remain committed to delivering the best user experience possible.

    Bing has been iOS’ default search engine since iOS 7 in 2013. Microsoft has since held on to this position but, it looks like the $3 billion deal between Apple and Google may have played a part in this decision swaying towards Google. However, this cannot be said for sure without knowing the terms of the deal. The new macOS High Sierra version has now rolled out for download and after the installation, Mac owners will observe that their Spotlight search will be powered by Google, and not Bing like it was before. iOS device owners should have the update, too.

    The fact that image search on Siri will still show Bing results is a little odd but it looks like this feature will also be phased out of iOS in time and Google will become the sole search engine for all iOS and macOS devices.

  • Xiaomi’s Sale Starts On 27th September With Deals On Redmi Note 4 And More

    Xiaomi’s Sale Starts On 27th September With Deals On Redmi Note 4 And More

    Xiaomi announced that during the recent Amazon and Flipkart sales, Xiaomi managed to sell over 1 million handsets. And now, in order to lure customers to the company’s own website mi.com, Xiaomi is hosting a three-day ‘Diwali With Mi’ sale from 27th September. Let’s take a look at the top deals for you to save some bank during the Diwali shopping:

    Xiaomi Mi A1

    The newly launched mid-ranger Mi A1 has dual-cameras and stock Android. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and aluminum unibody build. Powering the device is a 3080 mAh battery and 2A charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. In terms of optics, the smartphone features dual sensors – 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture (26mm) and 12MP with an f/2.6 aperture (50mm) setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

    Redmi Note 4

    The Redmi Note 4 was launched in early 2017 in India. It has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. The smartphone runs 6.0 Marshmallow with Xiaomi’s custom skin MIUI on top. Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3GB RAM/32GB storage or 4GB RAM/64GB onboard storage, which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. Powering the device is a massive 4100 mAh battery and a fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device just below the camera. On the camera front, it has a 13MP rear facing camera and a 5MP front facing camera. The 32GB storage variant costs Rs 10999 but, will be available for Rs 9999 during the sale. The 64GB storage variant costs 12999 and will retail for Rs 10999 during the sale.

    Xiaomi Redmi 4

    The Xiaomi Redmi 4 has a 5-inch 1280 x 720 px LCD display and a 4100 mAh battery. Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, and 2GB RAM/16GB storage or 3GB RAM/32GB storage variants. On the optics front, the device has a rear facing 13-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and LED flash. On the front is a 5MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

    Audio Accessories

    Apart from smartphones, Xiaomi has a few deals in its audio department as well. The Xiaomi over-ear Mi Comfort Headphones will be avilable at a price of Rs 2699, they usually retail for Rs 2999. The Mi In-Ear Headphones will be available at Rs 499 instead of Rs 599. The Mi Bluetooth Speaker Basic 2 will also be available to buy during the sale.

    Xiaomi will be planning to sell more handsets when the sale starts and pile on the million sales it did during the Amazon and Flipkart sale.

     

  • OxygenOS v4.5.0 Update Rolling Out For OnePlus 3 And 3T

    OxygenOS v4.5.0 Update Rolling Out For OnePlus 3 And 3T

    OnePlus is known to drop support for its previous year flagships and concentrate solely on its new and shiny flagship of the year. The company did it with the OnePlus 2 when OnePlus 3 and 3t came to the fore. The support for the OnePlus 3 and 3T hasn’t died out yet, and a new update brings in a lot of features to the OnePlus 3/3T from the OnePlus 5.

    The new update is 1.5GB in size and brings features like “lift up display,” Gaming Do Not Disturb, low priority notifications, and OnePlus’ Slate font. These features were restricted to the OnePlus 5 only but, have finally trickled down to the 2016 flagship devices. The most interesting features that the update brings, like the “lift up display” and gaming do not disturb mode can be activated from the settings app.

    The low priority notifications toggle is exactly what it sounds like. The low priority apps don’t trigger sounds, don’t peek, and don’t set the LED to start blinking. These notifications also won’t appear on the lock screen or the status bar. The ‘lift up display” allows you to glance at your phone’s lock screen by simply lifting it up, without double tapping the screen or pressing the lock/unlock button. Gaming Do Not Disturb mode can be turned on to mute all the notifications when you are gaming on your phone.

    The new Slate font introduced in the OnePlus 3 and 3T was first font is already available in OnePlus 5. The company has also brought the secure box to the File Manager app. There are some other minor UI redesigns like a redesigned calling UI in the Phone app, an improved photo editor in the Gallery, the ability to add a ‘Shot on OnePlus’ watermark, and the addition of ‘Shot on OnePlus’ wallpapers. However, the security patch level still remains at August.

    Post by OnePlus forum

    The new update will definitely keep the owners of OnePlus 3 and 3T happy especially after the social media backlash the company faced when it announced that the devices won’t receive a major software update after Android 8.0 Oreo.

  • HMD Global Launches The Nokia 8 In India At A Price Of Rs 36999

    HMD Global Launches The Nokia 8 In India At A Price Of Rs 36999

    HMD Global has launched the Nokia 8 in India at a price of Rs 36999. HMD global held a launch event in New Delhi on September 26th and unveiled the first-ever Android flagship with Nokia branding in India. The flagship will be up against the likes of LG G6, OnePlus 5 and the Honor 8 Pro as far as the price of the phone is concerned.

    The Nokia 8 has a 5.3 inch 2560 x 1440 px display and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. The smartphone has an aluminum unibody design and an IP54 rating for splash resistance. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside a physical home button which sits between two navigation touch capacitive buttons below the screen. Powering the device is a 3090mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support via USB Type-C port. The Nokia 8 runs stock Android 7.1.1 OS and the company has promised monthly security updates and yearly Android updates. Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 2.45GHz octa-core processor, the Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. The smartphone will be available in Tempered Blue, Polished Blue, Steel colour variants at the time of the launch and the Copper Gold colour variant will be available after a few weeks.

    In terms of optics, the Nokia 8 is the first Nokia Android device to feature Carl Zeiss optics. In a very 2017 move, the Nokia 8 boasts a Zeiss powered dual camera setup at the rear – a primary 13MP RGB (colour) sensor with optical image stabilisation paired with a 13MP secondary monochrome (black and white) sensor and an f/2.0 aperture. The dual-camera setup is capable of recording videos in 4K at 30 FPS and has a portrait mode for bokeh effect. On the front is a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture which can also record 4K videos at 30FPS.

    One feature that HMD Global has concentrated on in the Nokia 8 is Bothie. The company claims that the Nokia 8 is the first smartphone in the world which allows ‘Dual-Sight’ video to be live streamed natively and in real-time to social feeds such as YouTube and Facebook. Dual-Sight allows you to use the front and rear camera at the same time in a split screen view. Another feature that the smartphone boasts is called OZO Audio in which the smartphone’s three microphones and Nokia’s acoustic algorithms allow you to capture 360-degree spatial surround sound. You can also share 4K videos with OZO audio with anyone – binaural codecs ensure high fidelity playback even on devices without OZO Audio.

    The Nokia 8 will go on sale in India on October 14th and will be available online on Amazon exclusively and offline retail stores. Nokia also announced that in top 50 cities in the country, there will be a concierge service, wherein a company representative will come to the consumer’s house and pick up the phone for any repairs.

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