Author: Vivek Umashankar

Fitbit Versa Officially Launched in India For Rs 19999

Fitbit launched the Fitbit Versa smartwatch in India on the 14th of March. The Fitbit Versa is a successor to the Fitbit Iconic, which runs on the same Fitbit OS. As Fitbit recently acquired Pebble, the design elements are quite reminiscent of the Pebble Time Steel.

The regular version will retail for Rs 19,999 and the special edition will retail for Rs 21,999. However, there are no details on the availability of the smartwatch. The smartwatch runs on Fitbit OS 2.0. It has a maximum brightness of 1,000nits which should offer great sunlight legibility. The smartwatch has 4 days of battery life, which can be completely charged within 2 hours.

James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit Said:

Fitbit Versa fills a critical need in the market by delivering a beautifully designed, full-featured smartwatch that is easy to use at a very competitive price.

The Fitbit Versa also packs in a heart rate sensor and GPS sensor, which offers personal fitness guidance Fitbit coach. Similarly, the watch can also we worn while swimming, as it is water resistant up to 50 meters.

It is compatible with smartphones running on Android and iOS OS. The built-in storage allows the user to carry up to 300 songs using third-party services. There is an option for Fitbit Pay, which uses NFC based payment system. However, the service is presently inactive in India.

March 19, 2018
Apple iPhone X Advertisement Shows An iOS Bug

Apple launched the iPhone X with a radical design change. This was the first iPhone to skip the infamous home button in favour of a bezel-less design. This also meant that Apple had to drop Touch ID and introduce an able replacement. Face ID uses 3D sensors for such accuracy which are housed in the now iconic notch. While the iPhone X has been well-received, iOS 11 has had a rocky start. But, it has come a long way since its introduction in September, thanks to timely updates.

It looks like Apple had a quality assurance mess up with the new iPhone X advertisement. Towards the end of the video, a very old iOS 11 bug was spotted by 9to5Mac. The text that was supposed to stay inside the bubble appears a tad faster than the bubble animation. Having a minor glitch on any smartphone OS is common. However, the showcasing of this bug in an official advertisement highlights the bugs-ridden story of iOS 11 so far.

https://youtu.be/-pF5bV6bFOU

This is not the only bug that the iOS 11 has. There is an unusual UI bug on Music app and there are even screen rotating issues. In fact, we recently reported about the black screen of death as well. There is even a rumour in the industry that, Apple will refine the user experience of the iOS 11 next year, instead of launching the iOS 12. In fact, the company will unveil the new iteration of iOS at WWDC 2018.

Apple iPhone X Specs

The iPhone X has a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 px OLED True Tone Super Retina display. The phone runs iOS 11.1 and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery which charges through the Apple signature lightning port placed at the bottom of the phone or via wireless charging. Because of the all-glass design, the iPhone 8 also has wireless charging.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the Apple A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine, a hexacore processor, 3GB of RAM and storage options of 64GB, and 256GB. The small bezels mean there is no physical home button, which is now replaced with gestures for navigation. Siri is activated by pressing the now larger lock/unlock button. The iPhone X is also IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, and wireless charging.

March 17, 2018
LG G7 To Have An LCD Display

LG has postponed the launch of the LG G7 (tentatively named) to improvise the design of the smartphone. LG’s smartphone business has been dwindling for quite some time now and its flagship devices have not performed to their expectations. The company will now launch its flagship phones as and when it deems fit, instead of following a launch pattern.

The LG G7 was expected to be launched at MWC 2018. But, it was only showcased behind closed doors at the event. The LG G7 is expected to do what a lot of Android smartphones have done lately. It will follow the iPhone X path and have a notch at the top of the display. Now, a new report has claimed that the company will; revert to an IPS LCD display for the G7 instead of continuing with the p-OLED panel found on the LG V30.

Choosing an LCD display over an OLED might be an important move by the company in the grand scheme of things. But, the presence of a notch would mean that this decision might not get the importance it deserves. OLED panels look much better than LCD and only a 120Hz display will justify this decision. However, from the financial point of view, this choice makes sense as OLED displays cost three times the cost of an LCD display. The LG G6 came with an LCD display and the company switched to P-OLED display for the LV V30+. This means the company might reserve the OLED display for the V series smartphones.

LG G7 Specs

The LG G7 is expected to have a 6 inch LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution. Until Corning comes up with Gorilla Glass 6, we expect most flagship smartphones to have the Gorilla Glass 5 on top.

Under the hood, the G7 will have the Snapdragon 845 chipset. One of the primary issues with the LG G6 was its older chipset. By no means was the Snapdragon 821 a bad chipset but, the Galaxy S8 with the Snapdragon 835 made the G6 look archaic. However, that won’t happen this time around as Samsung no longer has exclusive access to the new chipset.

Features like water resistance, wireless charging and fast charging are expected to be retained. The dual-camera setup on the back will be placed vertically, this time around. The implementation is expected to be the same as the G6 and V30. A regular lens coupled with a wide-angle lens. This is also something that has been appreciated by many LG users.

March 17, 2018
Three Amazon Prime Services Everyone Should Know About

Amazon introduced Amazon Prime in India at the end of 2016. Initially, the subscription was priced at Rs 499 with 12 months validity. However, at the end of 2017, the charges were doubled to Rs 999. The company also offers a free trial of the Prime membership for the first 30 days, where a user gets a clear picture of the services provided under the Prime membership.

Free One-Day Delivery

Amazon offers free delivery for every customer. However, the price of the product should be more than Rs 500. If you are a prime member, then the company offers free delivery within one day. Note that, normal users have to pay Rs 50 to get the delivery in one day. Users living in Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad can avail free same day delivery at a discounted price.

Amazon Prime Video

Though it does not have as many exclusive titles as Netflix, the library is getting better by the day. Be it Indian stand-up comedy shows or original series, it has everything. One can access Amazon Prime Video from a smartphone or a computer. Young Sheldon, Two And A Half Men, and Grey’s Anatomy are some of the favourite shows, that we keep an eye on. The perks don’t end there, as one can download these shows to watch them in the offline mode. The collection also has a dedicated section of children’s shows and movies.

Amazon Music

Amazon recently launched its music streaming service here in India. A member can access millions of songs. The service offers ad-free music experience with curated music playlists. Users can access Amazon Music from a computer or a smartphone running on iOS or Android. The library consists of music from almost all the regional languages including Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil.

We have used Gaana, Hungama, Wynk, and other music services and none of those match the Amazon Music’s choice of songs. However, Amazon is still not clear about the number of songs its library has but, so far, we have been able to find almost any song we asked Alexa for.

March 17, 2018
Samsung Galaxy Note8 Android 8 Oreo Starts Seeding

Samsung launched the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ in India on the 6th of March and the devices went on sale on 16th of March. And now, the company has started updating their existing devices to Android 8 Oreo operating system. As the update was available for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the Galaxy Note8 has started receiving the software update based on Android 8 Oreo.

The update comes with the firmware version N950FXXU3CRC1, which includes security update for the month of March. The Android 8 Oreo update brings in some new features to the device with Samsung Experience UI 9.0. This update includes features like a customisable keyboard, new emojis, new stickers, and support for dual apps.

Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The Galaxy Note8 has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with an all-glass body and a metal frame. Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery with wireless charging capabilities. The device has the Exynos 8895 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB onboard storage. The graphics are handled by the Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. The Galaxy Note8 and the S Pen are both IP68 certified water and dust resistant and will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colour variants.

The Galaxy Note8 is also the first Samsung smartphone to feature a dual-camera setup. The new Note8 has a 12MP dual-camera setup, one of which has a wide lens and the other a telephoto. The use of dual camera allows for the ability to blur out the background for bokeh effect shots. Samsung claims that the first smartphone to feature OIS in both the cameras at the back. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 also records 4K videos at 30 FPS along with high-speed video at a lower resolution. The front camera has an 8MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture and also records 4K UHD videos at 30 FPS.

March 17, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 Might Have Wireless Charging

Apple launched the iPhone X, which showcases the best of Apple’s design and engineering. Though it is a great smartphone, the US$ 1,000 price tag makes it a tough buy. Many features of the iPhone X will trickle down to upcoming iPhones. While major iPhone launch will happen in September, rumours about the iPhone SE 2 don’t seem to fade away.

A new leaked back case of the iPhone SE 2 shows design similarities to the iPhone 8. This picture suggests that the iPhone SE 2 will have a glass panel with support for wireless charging. Similarly, the case has round cutouts for the volume buttons, which is distinctive of the iPhone SE design.

Apple introduced the iPhone SE after the launch of the iPhone 6S. The iPhone SE had hardware similar to the iPhone 6S in a compact shell with aggressive pricing. In fact, the iPhone SE is the cheapest iPhone ever (launch price).

Most of the leaks and rumours about the iPhone SE 2 are very conflicting. A report says that the iPhone SE 2 is expected to follow the iPhone X’s design cues while others have conceded that the device will retain the original iPhone SE design.

iPhone SE 2 Concept

Considering the first scenario, if SE 2 comes with an iPhone X like the design, what will be the future of the iPhone 8, which might retail for a much higher price? In the second scenario, the company has to stick with Touch ID.

The certainty of the launch of an iPhone SE 2 is extremely slim. But, the constant leaks are enough to create an air of hope, especially with WWDC 2018 coming up soon.

March 17, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Vs Xiaomi Redmi Y1

Xiaomi Launched the Redmi 5 in India in on the 14th of March. The price starts at Rs 7,999 for the base variant and goes up to Rs 10,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. This is the cheapest smartphone from the company with an 18:9 display. In late 2017, Xiaomi also launched the selfie-centric Redmi Y1 at a similar pricing.

In late 2017, Xiaomi also launched the selfie-centric Redmi Y1 at a similar pricing. Interestingly, the Redmi Y1 also retails for Rs. 8999 for the 32GB storage variant. So, does the Redmi 5 essentially makes the Redmi Y1 redundant?

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To begin with the display, the 18:9 aspect ratio display on the Redmi 5 is generations apart from the one found on the Redmi Y1 with 16:9 aspect ratio. The Redmi 5 has narrower bezels with a higher resolution display. The Redmi 5 takes the lead even with the build-quality. The Xioami Redmi Y1’s plastic unibody design is no match for the Xiaomi Redmi 5’s metal unibody design. The metal design not only looks premium, but it also helps to dissipate the heat in a faster way.

The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 435. However, the 5 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset. Both the smartphones have an Octa-core processor. However, the Snapdragon 450, which is based on the 14nm FinFET technology is superior to the Snapdragon 435. The chipset on the Redmi 5 is a much more efficient and a faster chipset.

The camera is the one department, where the Redmi Y1 excels. The Redmi Y1 has a 16MP front-facing camera, which puts the 5MP front-facing camera on the Redmi 5 to shame. The primary 12MP camera on the Redmi 5 offers a much better 1.25 micron pixels and the Redmi Y1 packs in a 13MP primary camera with unknown pixel size. The 12 MP camera used on the Redmi 5 is an identical sensor, which has been used on other Xiaomi devices as well. In fact, the Redmi Note 5 Pro has an exact sensor.

Specifications comparision

Specifications	Xiaomi Redmi 5	Xiaomi Redmi Y1
Price	2GB RAM: Rs 7,999 3GB RAM: Rs 8,999 4GB RAM: Rs 10,999	3GB RAM: Rs 8,999 4GB RAM: Rs 10,999
Display	5.7 inch IPS LCD HD+ 1440 x 720px	5.5 inch IPS LCD HD 1280 x 720px
Design	Metal unibody design	polycarbonate shell
RAM	2/3/4GB	3/4GB
Storage	16/32/64GB	32/64GB
Primary camera	12MP with f/2.2	13MP with f/2.0
Front-facing camera	5MP	13 MP
Battery	3300 mAh	3080 mAh
Additonal features	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor

March 17, 2018

Sony Xperia XZ2/ Xperia XZ2 Compact

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact were launched at Mobile World Congress 2018. The devices are the first from Sony to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio and the new Ambient Flow design. Apart from the Galaxy S9 and Asus 5Z, these are the only two smartphones launched at MWC 2018 to be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset.

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March 17, 2018
Nokia 8 Sirocco

HMD Global launched the Nokia 8 Sirocco at MWC 2018. This is the first flagship smartphone from the brand to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The smartphones come with a premium glass finish with a stainless steel mid-frame. In fact, after the iPhone X, this is the only smartphone that has a stainless steel build.

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March 17, 2018
Mickey And Minnie Mouse AR Emojis Now Available For The Galaxy S9 & S9+

Over the years, emojis have become an integral part of one of the most common daily tasks, texting. Smartphone makers have now started incorporating AR with emojis for an even more personalised experience. It all with the Apple iPhone X and its Animojis. Apple used its 3D sensors for some very accurate AR emojis that have become quite famous. Samsung jumped aboard the bandwagon with Galaxy S9 and AR Emojis.

To add more customisation options, the company has introduced Minnie and Mickey Mouse emojis as well. However, unlike Animojis, the AR Emojis doesn’t match the standard set by Apple, in terms of replicating the expression. In fact, we tried the AR emojis on the Galaxy S9+ and it doesn’t look anything similar to reality. This is possibly due to the lack of hardware required for accurate AR experience that the iPhone X possesses.

One can download the Mickey and Minnie Mouse emojis using the camera on the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ for free of cost. Similarly, the company will add other Disney characters like The Incredibles, Zootopia, and Frozen in the coming days.

The company launched the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ in India on the 6th of March 2018. While the overall design remains identical to its predecessors, there are are some major camera upgrades.

What is AR Emojis?

AR Emojis are animated characters, that can replicate a user’s facial expressions. According to Samsung, it works on:

Deep learning and facial recognition technology to map more than 100 facial features to produce a 3D replica, allowing users to create fun, customized messages to send to friends.

Unlike Apple iPhone X, these AR emojis can be shared with other smartphone users, who don’t have a Galaxy S9 or S9+. To make the sharing process simpler, the smartphone creates 18 custom AGIF file format. However, Mickey and Minnie Mouse emojis do not support this feature. This means that these emojis are not very customisable, however, can be shared with everyone. One can also pin the AR emojis to the lock-screen (always on display) as well.

March 17, 2018
Xiaomi Blackshark Specifications Leaked

In one of our previous stories, we reported that Xiaomi could be working on a gaming smartphone under the “Blackshark” moniker. Now, a device codenamed BlackShark has been spotted on Geekbench.

This solidifies the argument that the company is indeed working on a gaming-specific smartphone. However, how viable is a gaming-centric smartphone in today’s day and age? Most flagship devices look and perform almost similarly. But, the one thing that should work in favour of the Blackshark is its pricing.

Xiaomi BlackShark

According to the listing, the Xiaomi Blackshark will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 8GB RAM. The device scored 2452 points on a single core and 8452 points on the multi-core performance. In fact, these scores are on par with other smartphones running on the Snapdragon 845.

The Razer Phone is the best example of a gaming smartphone. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 6GB RAM with a dual front-facing stereo speaker. One thing that differentiates the Razer Phone from the competition is its display. The device has an IPS LCD display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. But, since this is only available on an LCD display, the company had to choose that feature over a better quality which an OLED display provides.

Conclusion

For a gaming smartphone to be a success, it needs to have the ability to tackle overheating. Interestingly, the Xiaomi Blackshark is expected to have a one of a kind aviation class cooling system. Apart from the cooling system, Xiaomi will have to introduce something worthwhile that will make this different from any other flagship smartphone.

If Xiaomi is planning to launch a gaming-centric smartphone, then the company has to make few sacrifices. Will Xiaomi choose the IPS LCD over OLED to offer a better refresh rate? Will the Blackshark come with dedicated stereo speakers with 16:9 aspect ratio?

March 17, 2018
LG Folder Flip Smartphone Officially Launched

We are slowly and steadily moving closer to that truly bezel-less smartphone. A display wrapped around the front of the phone with no bezels for distraction. But, smartphones or phones, in general, did not start out like that. Flip phones, in particular, used to be extremely famous before touchscreen devices came into being. While we have certainly moved on from that design, some companies continue to launch flip phones even today.

Samsung recently launched the W2018 in South Korea which was a flip smartphone running Android OS. Now, LG seems to be catching up on this throwback trend with the LG Folder flip phone.

Samsung W2018

Specifications of LG Folder

The LG Folder comes with a 3.0 inch WQVGA touch-enabled display. Under the hood, the phone is powered by MediaTek chipset 1.1 GHz Quad-core chipset with 1GB RAM and 8GB onboard storage. Similarly, the storage is expandable using micro SD card up to 32GB.

LG Folder

The device supports FM Radio and comes with a dedicated button to help the elderly users. The device has a 1740 mAh battery with a micro USB port for charging and data syncing. Similarly, the battery offers up to 350 minutes of continues voice call with a standby time of 260 hours, which is impressive for a battery of this size.

The device has a single 5MP camera, located on the back of the device which supports autofocus. However, the camera misses out on the flashlight.

The smartphone supports 3G and 4G connectivity. However, it misses out on the 2G capabilities. Additionally, the smartphone also offers Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot an Bluetooth for the wireless connectivity.

March 16, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Is The True Redmi Note 4 Successor India Deserved

Xiaomi India launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 in India on the 14th of February. The smartphone is the successor to Xiaomi’s best selling Redmi Note 4. While many believe the Redmi Note 5 Pro should have been the Redmi Note 5 in India, the true Note 4 successor has launched in China. It is similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro but, with some better features and camera upgrades.

The Xioami Redmi Note 5 AI is available in two storage and three RAM variants. The 3GB/32GB combination and the 4GB/6GB and 64GB combination. The 4GB RAM model retails for CNY 1,399 and the 6GB RAM model retails for CNY 1,699. Interestingly, this pricing is very similar to the Indian pricing of the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The Redmi Note 5 AI runs on Android 8 Oreo with MIUI 9 on top. In India, only the Mi A1 and Mi MIX 2 have been updated to Android 8 Oreo so far. It even supports Project Treble, which means it is bound to receive faster software updates when compared to other Xiaomi devices.

Specifications of the Xioami Redmi Note 5 AI

The smartphone has a 5.99 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with 2.5D finish. Under the hood, the device has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa-core chipset with 3GB or 6GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB storage.

On paper, the Redmi Note 5 AI has a similar dual camera setup compared to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. However, the Chinese version has a much better 12MP primary sensor with 1.4 micron pixel size and an f/1.9 aperture. However, the secondary sensor on the back remains the same for both the devices. The difference does not stop there, as the Redmi Note 5 AI’s camera also supports Dual PD dual-core speed focus for a faster autofocus speed. However, not all is doom and gloom for the Redmi Note 5 Pro as it sports a superior 20MP front camera compared to the 13MP sensor found on the Redmi Note 5 AI.

Finally, both devices come with a 4000 mAh battery. The Redmi Note 5 AI also supports Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 while the Redmi Note 5 Pro is limited to Quick charge 2.0.

March 16, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S10 Could Feature An In-Screen Fingerprint Sensor

Samsung launched the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ in India on the 5th of March. The Galaxy S9 devices are the latest flagship smartphones from the company that features a variable aperture for the first time ever. The smartphones went on sale today (16th March) and rumours about its successor have already started surfacing. According to a report, the Galaxy S10 will have an in-screen fingerprint sensor with 3D facial recognition.

While it is fair to assume that the Galaxy S9 successor will be the Galaxy S10, nothing is certain right now. As the company might take the Apple route and end up calling it something else.

The in-screen fingerprint scanner was expected to debut with the Galaxy Note 9. However, the technical challenges appear to have forced Samsung into pushing forward the technology for the Galaxy S10. This is because the company is seemingly working on the technology to eliminate its drawbacks.

Galaxy S10 Expected Features

The Galaxy S10 will have an in-screen fingerprint scanner with 3D facial recognition. The facial-recognition will be similar to the Apple iPhone X‘s Face ID. However, instead of placing it in a notch, the company will retain the bezels to house the required set of sensors.

Render image of the Galaxy S10

The Samsung Galaxy S10 will be the first smartphone to offer 5G. The Galaxy S10 will be the worlds first chipset based on the 7nm manufacturing process. The company has signed a strategic relationship agreement with Qualcomm, which means Galaxy S10 could be the first smartphone to deploy 5G using Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 855 chipset.

March 16, 2018
Huawei P20 Lite Goes On Sale Before Official Launch
Huawei is all set to launch the Huawei P20 series on the 27th of March in France. However, even before the official launch, the device is already available for sale on the Huawei Poland website. This is a strange move from the brand, which has been creating the hype about the device from last few weeks. In fact, people have started uploading the unboxing videos of the device.

The Huawei P20 Lite is the most affordable smartphone in the lot, which comes with a design similar to the other two models with a cut down in the hardware. The device is available for PLN 1599 (Rs 30,335) in Poland via authorised resellers.

Specifications of the Huawei P20 Lite

The design is similar to the Honor 9 Lite, with a glass back, glass front, and a metallic mid-frame. In fact, the fingerprint scanner is also placed on the backside of the smartphone.

The Huawei P20 Lite comes with 5.84 inch IPS LCD FHD+ 2280×1080 px resolution display. Under the hood, the device has a HiSilicon Kirin 659 Octa-core chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage. Huawei has introduced the notch on the Honor P20 Lite. In fact, this could be the cheapest smartphone to embrace the notch, which houses the main microphone, front-facing camera and an LED flash.

The device has a dual primary camera setup with a 16MP RGB sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. In fact, this dual camera setup is similar to the one found on the Honor 7X. For the front-facing camera, the smartphone has a 16MP RGB sensor with support for facial recognition.

The device runs on Android 8 Oreo with custom EMUI 8.0 on the top. The device also packs in a non-user replaceable 3000 mAh battery with support for 9V2A fast charging via USB type C port. The smartphone also supports wireless payment using NFC chip built on to the smartphone.
- 5.84 inch FHD+ 19:9 display with a notch
- HiSilicon Kirin 659 Octa-core chipset
- 4GB RAM and 64GB Storage
- Dual 16MP+2MP camera setup
March 16, 2018