Author: Vivek Umashankar

MediaTek Helio P60 To Launch At MWC 2018

MediaTek is expected to launch a new smartphone chipset the MediaTek Helio P60 at MWC 2018. The MediaTek Helio P60 will be the successor to the MediaTek Helio P30, with improved CPU and GPU processing power.

In fact, the chipset scores on the Geekbench are almost equivalent to the scores of Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Chipset, which is found on the smartphone like the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 and the Vivo X20 Plus UD. However, the Mi Note 3 scores 1775 points on single-core and 6428 points on multi-core performance, which is slightly better than the MediaTek Helio P60.

Credits: Geekbench

According to leaks, the chipset comes with the features like AI Deep learning, Real Time Bokeh, CorePilot, thermal low power demonstration, power efficiency, and with support for dual 4G VoLte/ViLte with support for wireless charging. However, it depends on smartphone OEM to give access to these features.

The chipset was listed on Geekbench in a test smartphone with 4GB RAM. On Geekbench, it scored 1524 points on a single core and 5871 points on the multi-core. The scores are pretty impressive for the Helio P range chipset. In fact, these scores are similar to the one obtained on a smartphone with the Snapdragon 660 chipset.

Specifications:

The chipset has an 8 core CPU design, with big.Little architecture. The base frequency is listed as 1.99 GHz, which is expected to be the clock speed of the four little CPUs. The chipset might also come improved GPU with energy efficient processing.

Conclusion:

This will be the successor of the MediaTek Helio P30, which was not that of a performer. Finally, MediaTek is launching a chipset with can challenge the Snapdragon counterpart.

February 24, 2018
Huawei P20 With Triple Camera Launch Date Confirmed

Huawei has officially confirmed that the Huawei P20 will be its next flagship smartphone. The smartphone maker has also announced that the smartphone will be launched in Paris on 23rd March 2018. This confirms that only the Huawei P20 Lite will launched at MWC 2018.

The company has released a brief 7-second video, which showcases the landscape view of Paris with 3 circles. This might be the Huawei’s way of saying that, the Huawei P20 has a triple camera setup. The teaser also says “SEE MOOORE ON AI”, which hints towards the possible AI capabilities of the Huawei P20. In fact, according to rumours, the Huawei P20 could be the first modern flagship smartphone with triple camera setup.

Design:

On to the front, the Huawei P20 is expected to have a notch similar to the Apple iPhone X. This means that the smartphone might have a Face ID like facial recognition system using two cameras. The company had claimed that the facial recognition system on its smartphone will be ten times better than Face ID.

Specifications:

The smartphone is expected to have a 6 inch 2160 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with a notch on the top. Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 970 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. However, we might also see a plus version with OLED display and 8GB RAM.

The smartphone is likely to house a triple lens primary camera setup with RGB + wide angle + telephoto lens combination. On to the front, the smartphone is likely to have dual camera setup. In fact, the dual front-facing camera can aid the facial recognition system as well.

Conclusion:

The Huawei P20 looks like a right successor to the Huawei P10 with improvements like the modern taller display with a notch, triple primary camera setup, and an AI-based chipset. Considering the aggressive pricing by Huawei and Honor in the recent past, it will be intersting to see the price of the Huawei P20. However, whether the P0 will be launched in India is yet to be confirmed.

February 24, 2018
Energizer Powermax P16K Pro Has A Massive 16,000 mAh Battery

Smartphones are getting better by the day. More and more pixels are pushed inside a frame, processing power equivalent to a computer, cameras that can take a picture as good as a DSLR and much more. However, the only thing that is not getting much of an attention is the battery life. As the smartphones get smarter, they require a lot of battery power. Energizer looks all set to solve this issue by launching the Powermax P16K Pro with a massive 16,000 mAh Battery. In fact, most of the battery packs come with 10,000 mAh capacity, compared to that, this device is an overkill.

This smartphone could last weeks on a single charge. However, how much time does it require to charge from 0 to 100 percent is the real question. The Energizer Powermax’s design is based on the. The smartphone is expected to have similar internals with a similar design. However, the only difference will the size of the battery on the Powermax P16K Pro.

Specifications:

The Energizer Powermax 16K Pro might have a 5.9-inch 2160 x 108p IPS LCD display with the modern 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone is likely to be powered by the MediaTek Helio P25 Octa-core chipset with 3GB/32GB or 6GB/64GB storage options. However, as this is a premium version we might not see the 3GB variant at all.

The smartphone might have a dual camera setup at the back with a 13 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP depth sensing sensor for the portrait mode. In fact, this camera setup is similar to the one found on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. The 8 MP front-facing camera will have a dedicated front-facing flash.

The device might run Android 7 Nougat with nearly stock Android user experience.

Conclusion:

It is almost confirmed that the Energizer Powermax 16K Pro will be showcased at MWC 2018 with more details on features, specifications, and pricing.

February 24, 2018
Huawei Nova 3 Specifications Leaked On TENAA

A new Huawei smartphone has been listed in TENAA with the model number FLA-AL00. Considering the specifications, the smartphone is expected to be the Nova 3, which will succeed the Nova 2. The company might launch this smartphone along with the Huawei P20 Lite at MWC 2018. However, the marquee launch event is scheduled for the 27th of March in Paris.

The same smartphone is listed with three different model numbers. The FLA-AL00 comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, whereas the FLA-AL10 and the FLA-AL20 have different SIM card availability. However, there is no exact information on the other two models.

Huawei P20 Lite Expected MWC 2018

Design:

The possible Huawei Nova 3 has a full metal unibody design with a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. In fact, the design is similar to the Honor 7x, with a taller 18:9 aspect ratio display.

Specifications:

The Huawei Nova 3 has a 5.93-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD display, protected by 2.5D curved glass. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 659 Oct-core processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

The device has a dual primary camera setup with 13 MP + 2 MP sensors and a dual front-facing camera setup with 16 MP + 2 MP sensors. In both setups, the primary sensor is an RGB lens and the secondary 2 MP lens helps to capture depth details for the bokeh effect.

The phone will run on Android 8 Oreo with custom EMUI skin on the top with a 3900 mAh Li-ion battery. Finally, the smartphone will be available in three colours including Gold, Black, and Blue.

Conclusion:

The only difference between the Huawei Nova 2 and the Huawei Nova 3 is the display. The Huawei Nova 2 had a 5-inch display and the Nova 3 comes with 5.93-inch display. In fact, the Huawei Nova 2 and the Nova 3 are powered by the same Kirin 659 chipset.

February 24, 2018
Sony Xperia XZ2 And XZ2 Compact Renders Leaked Ahead Of MWC Event

The year 2017 saw an industry-wide shift to an 18:9 aspect ratio for smartphones. Sony, however, continued to launch the likes of the Xperia XZ1 with the same boxy design. However, Sony will launch smartphones with a modern design in 2018. At MWC 2018, Sony is expected to launch the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact with an 18:9 aspect ratio and thin bezels.

Meet Sony's first full screen smartphones: Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact https://t.co/8nDL6zuUKc pic.twitter.com/8dMPfB7kze
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 23, 2018

Specifications:

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact comes with almost identical design with minor differences. Both devices have a 3D glass unibody design with an aluminium mid-frame. The Sony Xperia XZ2 has a 5.7-inch display, whereas the smaller XZ2 Compact has a 5.0-inch display boasting 1080p resolution.

Xperia XZ Premium

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset will power both the smartphones.

These smartphones have a single 19 MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and 4K HDR video recording capability. The camera can also record super slow-motion video at up to 960 frames per second. The fingerprint scanner is located on the back, which is placed below the primary camera bump. The smartphone also gets a dedicated camera shutter button located on the bottom right side of the smartphone.

The Xperia XZ2 has a dual stereo speaker setup and the Xperia XZ2 Compact has a single stereo speaker. Like the last generation Sony flagship smartphones, the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ2 Compact are IP certified for the water and dust resistance.

The Xperia XZ2 comes with a 3180 mAh battery that supports fast charging and wireless charging. The 2870 mAh battery on the Sony XZ2 Compact does not support wireless charging. The Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ2 Compact will be available in Black, Silver, Green, and Pink Colour.

February 23, 2018
Oppo R15 Is Another iPhone X Lookalike With A Display Notch

The Apple iPhone X was launched in September 2017 to enormous anticipation. For weeks leading up to the launch, there were hints that the iPhone X won’t look like a regular iPhone. The launch confirmed that as the iPhone X was unveiled with nearly bezel-less design and notch on the display. While the notch received mixed reviews at the beginning, it has since then, become very popular.

iPhone X

The Oppo R15 looks like another Android phone trying to go the iPhone route. New leaked images of the device reveal that R15 will have a nearly bezel-less design but, with a notch on the top. The notch on the Oppo R15 does look to house the front-facing camera and the earpiece. However, it doesn’t look like it will have any of the hardware similar to what the notch on the iPhone houses.

The company has stuck to its older design for the back of the smartphone. In fact, it resembles the Oppo R11s.

A recent rumour speculated that Android P might natively support the notch. Therefore, there have been speculations that the upcoming Google Pixel 3 and the Google Pixel 3 XL might come with a notch with the iPhone X-like Face ID setup.

Specifications:

The Oppo R15 is expected to feature a 5.8-inch QHD+ OLED display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone might be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Oct-core chipset with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

The device might come with the dual camera setup with a primary RGB lens and a secondary telephoto lens. For the front-facing camera, the smartphone might offer high-resolution 2o MP camera with features like Animoji and Face Unlock.

While the iPhone X was met with scepticism, it has since then, become a fan-favourite. However, smartphones like the Huawei P20 Lite, P20 and P20 Plus are expected to be launched with an iPhone X-like notch as well. It begs the question, is the display notch, the answer the design problems of future completely bezel-less smartphones?

February 23, 2018
Moto G6 Specifications Leaked

The recent leaks and rumours about the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus are hinting towards the launch of these phones at MWC 2018. However, the company has not made any announcements pertaining to MWC 2018.

The upcoming Moto G devices are expected to have an 18:9 aspect ratio. In fact, these will be the first few smartphones from Motorola to feature a modern design with thin bezels.

Credits: Geekbench

The Moto G6 was spotted on Geekbench, revealing some of its specifications. The Geekbench listing reveals that the smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Octa-core processor with the base frequency of 1.8 GHz. The phone scores 709 points on a single core and 3582 points for the multi-core performance.

The only chipset that matches the above equation is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450. This seems accurate considering the Moto G5 was launched with the Snapdragon 430 chipset. However, these are still leaks and nothing can be said concretely.

Specifications:

The Moto G6 is most likely to have a 5.7-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD display. Under the hood, the smartphone, as mentioned in the listing, will be powered by the Snapdragon 450 chipset with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

The Moto G6, in all probability, will run Android 8 Oreo out of the box. However, considering the recent behaviour of other OEMs, it won’t be surprising to see the Moto G6 running Android 7 Nougat. The device is expected to feature a 3000 mAh battery with Turbocharging capability.

The device will have a dual 12 MP + 5 MP primary cameras with an 8 MP front-facing camera.

Conclusion:

Motorola has been doing well in the Indian market. In fact, its smartphones like the Moto G5s Plus and Moto G5 Plus are some of the best selling smartphones. However, the competition in the budget segment has increased since the launch of the likes of Honor 9 Lite and Redmi Note 5 Pro. Therefore, the Moto G6 and its siblings need to have their pricing spot on to compete in the Indian market.

February 23, 2018
Huawei P20 Lite Listed on TENAA

Huawei is expected to launch the Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 LitePlus at a launch event in Paris in March 2018. However, the P20 Lite will be launched at MWC 2018. A smartphone has been listed on the TENNA website which could possibly be the Huawei P20 Lite.

Two smartphones were listed on TENAA with a slightly different model number EML-AL00 and EML-TL00. These models could be two variants of the same smartphone, the P20 Lite. As is with a lot of TENNA listings, there are not many details mentioned in this listing as well.

Details of the listed smartphone:

Huawei P20 Lite Leaked Image

The listed smartphone comes with a metal unibody design with a Huawei logo at the bottom. The smartphone also has a dual camera setup with Leica branding. The Leica branding is reserved for the Mate and P series smartphones from the company, this might suggest that the leaked smartphone is indeed a Huawei P20 Lite.

The listed smartphone even has an Apple iPhone X like notch, which might house the necessary sensors for Face Unlock. However, it might just have a dual front-facing camera like the Honor 9 Lite.

The smartphone is expected to be powered by Huawei’s in-house HiSilicon Kirin 970 Octa-core chipset with at least 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The device is expected to offer Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with EMUI skin on the top.

Conclusion:

The Huawei P20 Lite will be one of the three smartphones that the company will launch in a space of one month. While the company’s own facial recognition technology seems interesting, the smartphone’s design will be a huge talking month. However, if Huawei does come up with Face Unlock for the P20 Lite, the notch would seem justified.

February 23, 2018
Top 5 Android Launchers For Free
Different smartphones come with different UI. Luckily, in Android, the UI can be changed by just installing a third party app. The possibilities of making your smartphone unique are unlimited. You can make it look like an iPhone, or like the new Pixel 2 with stock Android user interface.

The support for custom themes, icon packs, and font styles are the major ingredients of a good launcher. These launchers will help to customise your smartphone without rooting or installing custom ROMS. Here are the top 5 Free Android Launchers:

Nova Launcher:

Nova Launcher is our first pick, which offers unlimited possibilities of customisation. However, if you want to get most out of this launcher try to purchase the pro version, which will be available for Rs 99. You can choose between stock Android like UI or with a UI with no app drawer.

Pros:
- Ability to choose between Light or Dark theme
- Ability to choose app drawer action to customise the style of app drawer
- Search Bar on the top of app drawer
Cons:
- No gesture support in the free version
- No option for group and hide apps in free version
- Limited scrolling effect
Buzz Launcher:

Buzz launcher is the most different looking launcher of the lot. The UI has different elements with a new way of the organisation of apps and widgets. In the app drawer, the apps automatically arrange themselves into a pre-defined folder, which gives a more clean look.

Pros:
- One of a kind user interface
- Support for social media widgets
- Clean UI design
Cons:
- Might confuse some users on the setup page
- Ads show up as promoted apps
- Ad-free version is not available
Z Launcher:

The implementation of Z launcher is based on gesture support. The launcher looks minimalistic with easy to use user interface. The app drawer has a unique way of stacking up the apps vertically.

Pros:
- Easy to user interface
- Gestures work almost all the time
- Ability to change icon pack or theme pack
Cons:
- No third party theme support
- Still in beta version
- No support for widgets
Microsoft launcher:

Microsoft launcher is one of the lightest launchers that we found. It uses simplistic user interface with an overall black and orange theme. The apps in the app drawer are arranged according to alphabetic order.

Pros:
- Custom window with latest news information depending on the region
- Built-in Cortana voice assistant
- One touch wallpaper change support from Bing
Cons:
- No ad-free version
- Replaces Google search with Bing
- Requires Microsoft account for additional features
Go Launcher Z:

This is a retro looking launcher with 3D style animations. The launcher comes with custom icon pack, which is customisable. The online library offers an unlimited supply of wallpapers.

Pros:
- Retro looking launcher
- Customisable 3D animations
- Support for third-party icon packs
Cons:
- Looks bit dated
- Comes pre-installed with third-party apps
- Ad-free version costs Rs 300
February 23, 2018
Apple AirPods 2 Might Come With Hands-Free Siri Integration

Apple AirPods was launched along with the Apple iPhone 7 and Apple iPhone 7 Plus for US$ 149. These are the first pair of truly wireless earbuds AirPods from Apple, which was powered by a custom W1 chipset.

One needs to simply flip-open the case near an iPhone or iPad and select connect. Once it is synced to a device, it will be available on all devices with the same iCloud account. Apple AirPods offers up to 5 hours of continuos playback on a single charge and AirPods case provides up to additional 24 hours of backup battery. In fact, the company has announced that it will be launching a new AirPods case with wireless charging capability.

A new report suggests that the company is working on a next-generation Apple AirPods with improved features. However, the design is expected to identical to the first generation AirPods.

Speculated features of Apple AirPods 2:

The first major improvement will be the integration of Siri. The 2nd generation Apple AirPods 2 will be able to use Siri wirelessly. With this new device, the user will be able to ask Siri anything by just saying “Hey Siri”. In fact, in the present scenario, a user has to physically touch the AirPod to interact with Siri.

The 2nd Gen AirPods are expected to have water or splash resistance, which can survive a splash of water or rain. However, they will not be “swim-proof” like the 4th edition Apple Watch.

The newer AirPods will be designed by the same team which designed Apple HomePod, so we might also expect improved sound quality with long-lasting battery life.

Conclusion:

Apple AirPods have been the most successful wireless earbuds so far. In fact, according to a report, 85% of the wireless earbuds market is dominated by the AirPods.

Features like wireless charging and tighter Siri integration will surely make for another great pair of wireless earbuds. And probably, this time around, the AirPods will be slightly smaller in size as well.

February 23, 2018
Google Essentially Confirms The Launch Of Nokia 1

Android Oreo Go Edition is an optimised Android 8 Oreo OS for the budget smartphone with 1GB RAM or lesser. The Android Oreo Go Edition enables the smartphone to use highly optimised apps like Google Go. In fact, one can install apps like Google Go and YouTube Go on any smartphone running Android OS. HMD Global announced that the Nokia 2 would receive Android 8.1 Oreo update based on Android Go. However, the Nokia 1 is expected to be the first Android Go smartphone to be launched at MWC 2018.

Google has confirmed that the first Android Oreo Go Edition powered smartphone will be unveiled at MWC 2018, which will be priced under US$ 50. However, Google hasn’t specified any OEM name associated with the device. This announcement from Google hints that the Nokia 1 will indeed be launched at MWC 2018.

HMD Global is expected to launch the Nokia 1, Nokia 4, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 8, and Nokia 9 at MWC 2018.

Specifications:

The Nokia 1 might have a 5-inch low-resolution display, powered by an entry-level processor. The smartphone will have either 1GB or 512MB RAM with 4GB or 8GB storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot. As per the leaked render, the smartphone has a main camera and a front-facing camera, with no details on the exact specifications.

The Nokia 1 is expected to have similar specifications like the Nokia 2. However, there will be a difference in build quality.

Conclusion:

The Android Oreo Go Edition smartphone will have a greater impact in the countries like India. The Nokia 1 with latest Android 8.1 Oreo could be the right smartphone for the first time smartphone buyer.

February 23, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Could Get Faster Software Updates

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India for Rs 13,999. While the smartphone is a great product for its price and was in fact, sold out within minutes. Xiaomi has a missed a few marks on this smartphone. As a smartphone of 2018, it is surprising that it still runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

However, Xiaomi may have a fix for this as well. A new report claims that the smartphone may soon receive Android 8.1 Oreo with support for project Treble, which enables faster Android updates on a smartphone with a custom skin. However, as per the developer, the company is testing the Oreo build internally and no actual time frame is specified. This means that the Redmi Note 5 Pro could be the first Xiaomi smartphone to support Project Treble.

What is Project Treble?

Project Treble is a feature that is included as a part of Android 8 Oreo OS. This enables OEMs to make software updates faster and easier. A few months ago Android gained a “Vendor Interface” (VI), largely due to a new development effort from Google. The VI’s aim is to separate the “Vendor Implementation” (that is, “the device-specific, lower-level software written in large part by the silicon manufacturers”), from the Android OS framework.

The new VI is supposed to sit between the Android OS framework and Vendor Implementation. And the new VI will be validated by a Vendor Test Suite (VTS), which is analogous to the Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) that Google has been using for API testing of apps. The VTS ensures forward-compatibility of the VI.

Credits: Android Authority

What project Treble brings to the table is quite evident from the two images above. Before, the VI needed to be reworked after every single Android OS framework update, while with Project Treble, that won’t be the case anymore.

Specifications:

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD display with Gorilla Glass protection. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa-core chipset with either 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

The smartphone has a dual primary camera setup with a 12 MP primary camera and secondary 5 MP depth sensing sensor. For the first time, the company has used a 20 MP front-facing camera with soft selfie-light.

In terms of operating system, the smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat with custom MIUI skin on the top. Finally, the smartphone features a 4000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick charge 2.0 capability.

February 23, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Gets Face Unlock

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro in India. It is priced at Rs. 13999 and went on sale on the 22nd of February. The company claims that the device was sold within minutes. At the time of the launch, the company claimed that the Redmi Note 5 Pro will soon get the Face Unlock feature via a software update. It looks like the company was waiting for the smartphone to go on sale as the update has already started rolling out.

The company has released a new software update which enables the Face Unlock feature. Not only that, with the latest software update there will be additional software optimisations with significant camera improvement. In fact, this is the first Xiaomi smartphone in India to receive the Face Unlock feature.

The Face Unlock on the Redmi Note 5 Pro uses a face detection algorithm in less than 500ms using high accuracy matching mechanism. The company claims that the face-unlock can unlock your smartphone faster than the fingerprint scanner.

If you bought a Redmi Note 5 Pro today, you'll see an update to v9.2.4 available out of the box – Brings significant camera improvements, stability optimizations, and Face Unlock! ? pic.twitter.com/3ORMHhTFs3

— Clinton Jeff (@clintonjeff) February 22, 2018

So, those who bought the smartphone in the first flash sale on 22nd February can install MIUI 9.2.4 to get face unlock and improved camera capabilities. However, do note that the smartphone still doesn’t support 4K video recording even though the chipset supports native 4K recording.

Specifications:

The Xioami Redmi Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD screen with Corning Gorilla Glass Protection. This is the first global smartphone to use Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 Octa-core processor with 4GB or 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

In terms of camera capability, the smartphone comes with dual primary camera setup with a 12 MP primary camera and secondary 5 MP depth sensing sensor. There is a 20 MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording capability.

In terms of operating system, the smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat with custom MIUI skin on the top. Finally, the smartphone features a 4000 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick charge 2.0 capability.

February 23, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S8 Android 8 Oreo Update Resumes

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ have started receiving Android 8 Oreo update for the second time. The first update was suspended for the fact that, the smartphone after update started rebooting. With the new update, the company has issued that issue.

The software update comes with software version G950FXXU1CRB7 for the Galaxy S8 and G955XXU1CRB7 for the Galaxy S8+. The update weighs at about 530MB for those who are on the first batch of Oreo update. However, originally, the update weighed at around 487MB.

Whats new in Experience 9 UI?

The Oreo update on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ comes with Samsung’s new UI called Experience UI 9.0, with a new style of home page and icons. It also updates the smartphones from Android 7 Nougat to Android 8 Oreo.

The light effect for the notifications is customisable, by taking the advantage of AMOLED screen. More customisations for the lock screen has been added, including support different clock options. However, it still misses out on the third party widget integration.

There are additional system-level modifications enables an overall smoother UI experience. With this update, the Android App shortcuts are also included in the stock launcher.

Specifications:

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ has a 5.8-inch and a 6.2-inch QHD+ with Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Under the hood, the smartphone was powered by either Snapdragon 835 or Exynos 8895 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. However, the company did launch a special version of S8 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage for the Chinese market.

These phones had a 12 MP main camera with OIS and 4K video recording capability up to 30fps. The 8 MP front-facing camera was also capable of recording video footages up to 2k resolution.

February 22, 2018
Jabra Elite Wireless Earbuds Launched In India At Rs 12,999

Jabra has launched a new pair of wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite at a price of Rs 12,999. The earbuds are available to buy via Amazon, Chroma, and Jabra authorised resellers.

Jabra claims that these earbuds have better noise cancellation compared to the Apple AirPods with longer lasting battery life. The Jabra Elite Earbuds comes in three colour options including Titanium Black, Copper Black, and Gold Being. The earbuds have built-in support for Siri, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. In fact, the company claims to be one of the first in the industry to enable the feature where it provides access to Alexa directly from the earbuds.

Design and Features:

Like most wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite earbuds are designed to fit inside the ear properly. In fact, the retail units come with different sizes of silicon buds, which helps to user to find a right fit.The earbuds can deliver up to 15 hours of playback. However, the battery life is with respect to the carrying cradle capacity. As anyone can guess, these earbuds will connect to a smartphone or a tablet via Bluetooth.

In terms of sound output, these earbuds come with a new four microphone solution combined with an acoustic chamber to achieve the active noise cancellation. However, do note that the active noise cancellation will reduce the overall playback time.The Jabra Elite Earbuds are IP65 certified, which means one can wear these using workouts, but will not survive swimming. There is even a dedicated accelerometer, which can count body moments, number of steps, and rep counts etc.

These earbuds also come with a dedicated App called Jabra Sound+, for audio finetuning. Jabra claims that they are the first earbud company that offers native Alexa integration within the earbud.

February 22, 2018