Author: Vivek Umashankar

Motorola Could Launch The Moto G6 Series On April 19th

Lenovo has sent out a press invites in Brazil for an upcoming launch. According to the invite, Motorola is holding a launch event on the 19th of April, where the company is expected to unveil the Moto G6 series of smartphones. Like a typical press invite, it says ‘save the date’ and doesn’t specify any products. However, the invite has a green background, which is similar to the wallpapers of the leaked G6 series of smartphones. Considering the success of the G series in India the company might launch the smartphones in India soon as well.

Along with the Moto G6 series, the company might also launch the Moto E5 series as well. The upcoming Moto G6 and E5 series will be very important to the company’s portfolio. In fact, these mid-tier devices will account for the majority of the sale numbers in the company’s portfolio.

The Moto G6 series has three phones, the Moto G6, G6 Plus, and G6 Play. All three phones have a premium full glass unibody design, similar to the Moto X4. Additionally, these are the first set of Moto smartphones to have an 18:9 aspect ratio display.

In the G6 lineup, the Moto G6 Plus will be the priciest of the lot. The smartphone has a 5.93 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px IPS LCD display, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC. Similarly, the Moto G6 has a same 5.93 inch FhD+ display with 2160 x 1080px IPS LCD display, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset. These devices have a dual primary camera setup with a 12MP RGB sensor and a 5MP depth sensor.

The Moto G6 Play will be a budget offering, which has a 5.7 inch HD+ 1440 x 720 px display. Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa-core chipset. However, unlike the G6 and G6 Plus, the play moniker has a single 13MP camera.

April 5, 2018
Xiaomi Launches Kickstarter-Like Mi Crowdfunding In India

Xiaomi has launched a new service on it’s ongoing Mi Fan Festival 2018 called the Mi Crowdfunding. This is a similar platform to Kickstarter, where a set of users has to back a product. After reaching the required number (in this case 1000), the product will be shipped in the next 10 days.

These products are already available in China. For Xiaomi this could be a great platform to test the popularity of accessories, which will assist the company in actual launch of the product. So, some of these products might officially launch in India, after the funding period.

As of now, the company has announced two accessories. A Bluetooth receiver and a Tripod selfie Stick. These devices are available in 1000 numbers and one has to pay the amount upfront to back the product. The prices of these devices will be less than the usual price tag.

Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Audio Receiver retails for Rs 999. It is based on Bluetooth 4.2 technology, which converts wired earphones and headphones into wireless headphones. Additionally, the device has a single button and just weights 10 grams. Xiaomi claims that it can play music up to 4-5 hours on a single charge and it can also convert your analogue Car music system into a wireless music system.

The Xiaomi Tripod Selfie retails at Rs 1,099. It is a nifty accessory for vloggers and selfie enthusiasts. The Tripod has a built-in Bluetooth support, which can control the camera of the connected smartphone. This supports a variety of Android and iOS devices. In fact, the accessory can fit in the Xiaomi Mi 5 or the bigger Xiaomi Mi MAX 2 without breaking a sweat.

Considering this as a new platform, we can expect to see more products in the future. However, the page isn’t clear about some of the facts like, what happens if a product doesn’t get funded 100% and the warranty claims.

April 5, 2018
Samsung Galaxy Note9 With A Possible In-Screen Fingerprint Sensor Leaked In Live Images

Considering the fact that, the Galaxy Note8 was launched in September 2017 the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note9 is not due until the end of 2018. Rumours about the Galaxy Note9 suggest that the smartphone will have new features like truly wireless charging and an In-Screen fingerprint sensor. Now, a leaked image appears to corroborate with the rumours of an In-Screen fingerprint sensor. The photo has been apparently taken in Shenzen (China) and is being compared with the Samsung Galaxy S9.

On the front, the device has a wider display, compared to the Galaxy S9. Additionally, the bottom bezel looks much thinner than the one found on the S9. However, unlike most smartphone makers, the company has decided to retain the top bezel instead of opting for a notch. On the back, the phone has a dual camera setup with a couple of sensors.

If this image turns out to be legitimate, then the smartphone is likely to have a bigger display in a smaller footprint. The Note9 will also have a 3850 mAh battery, which is much larger than previous Samsung flagships. The S-Pen looks similar to the previous one found on the Note8. The phone has a large OLED display, with a probable screen size of 6.5 inch. Like most of the Samsung flagship devices, the device will have a QHD+ resolution display.

The Galaxy Note9 will either be powered by the Snapdragon 845 or the Exynos 9810 chipset similar to the Galaxy S9/S9+. The Geekbench listing confirms some of the key specifications of the device. According to the listing, the smartphone will have 6GB RAM which runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone will have a dual camera setup similar to the Galaxy S9+.

April 4, 2018
Nokia 8 Sirocco Launched In India At Rs. 49,999

Nokia has launched its first flagship smartphone of 2018 in India, the Nokia 8 Sirocco for Rs 49,999. The Nokia 8 Sirocco is a successor to the 2017 Nokia 8. For all its bells and whistles, the Nokia 8 was criticised for its design and camera capabilities. The Nokia 8 Sirocco has taken its design inspiration from the original Sirocco moniker. For context, Sirocco is a reference to the Nokia 8800 Sirocco edition which was launched in 2006, which had a metal unibody design with a scratch-resistant sapphire glass.

The device has a 5.5 inch pOLED display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. The display offers a dual curved design with the vacuum moulding technology with Gorilla Glass 5. In fact, it looks similar to the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. Nokia has started to follow the industry trend by removing 3.5 mm headphone jack on the Nokia 8 Sirocco.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage. However, the devices misses out on memory expansion. The phone has a dual Zeiss camera setup with a 12MP primary sensor with an f/1.75 aperture and a 13MP telephoto sensor with f/2.6 aperture. The smartphone also has a pro camera app, with manual controls. However, unlike most flagship smartphones, the phone misses out on OIS.

The phone has a 3260 mAh Li-ion battery with support for fast charging via USB type C port. Additionally, the smartphone also supports wireless charging and is the first Nokia Android phone to do the same. This is a true design flagship phone from Nokia. The smartphone has a glass back with a stainless steel frame. The device runs on pure Android 8 Oreo with Android One programme. However, it still runs on last year’s chipset with prominent bezels on the top and bottom part of the device.

The smartphone has a one of a kind design, which makes this device looks premium. At this price point, the Nokia 8 Sirocco directly competes with the likes of the Galaxy S9. However, the phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with an old style 16:9 aspect ratio display. The upcoming OnePlus 6 will have a similar glass design with a taller 19:9 aspect ratio screen and a notch could boast a threat to this device. In fact, the OnePlus might retail for a price of Rs 34,000, which is much less the Nokia 8 Sirocco’s Rs 49,999 price tag.

April 4, 2018
Nokia 6 2018 Launched In India At Rs. 16,999

HMD Global has officially launched the Nokia 6 2018 in India for a price of Rs. 16,999. The company had launched this smartphone in China in January 2018. However, unlike the Chinese variant, the Nokia 6 2018 launched in India supports Android One Programme, which offers faster software and security updates. The smartphone will be available from the 6th of April via Nokia Mobile Shops and select mobile outlets.

The Nokia 6 2018 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with 16:9 aspect ratio. However, unlike most smartphones in this segment, the device misses out on an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. Under the hood, the smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-core chipset with 4GB and 32/64GB storage. Like the original Nokia 6, the storage is expandable up to 256GB using a micro SD card.

This smartphone also has a Zeiss certified single 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an 8MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The primary camera can record native 4K videos, whereas the front-facing camera maxes out at 1080p @ 30fps. The has a 3000 mAh sealed battery with support for fast charging via USB type C port. The fingerprint sensor now sits on the back of the device. This is a peculiar decision by the company since it has retained the 16:9 aspect ratio. Smartphone makers usually revert to a rear-facing fingerprint sensor when they shrink the bezels and don’t have enough space to place the sensor on the front.

Though the device has a wide array of features, it is slightly overpriced for the Indian market. In fact, phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Honor 7X have a dual camera setup with a taller display and retail at a lower price. However, the Nokia 6 2018 does have an advantage of stock Android OS and a USB type C port. But, whether these features are enough for an average Indian consumer to shell out the extra cash, is a guess as good as any other.

April 4, 2018
Nokia 6 2018

Nokia 6 2018 has launched in India for a price of Rs 16,999. The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with a 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 3 protection. Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-core chipset with 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB onboard storage. The smartphone supports Android One programme, where the device will receive timely software and security updates.

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April 4, 2018
Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo Will Have A Dual Camera Setup

A leaked manual of the Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo confirms that the smartphone will be the first J series device to have a dual primary camera setup. Up until now, Samsung has used dual camera setup on three smartphones including, the Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy A8+ (front-facing) and Galaxy S9+. However, the company did launch the Galaxy C7 with a dual camera setup in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines. This also means we will see more Samsung mid-tier smartphones in the future with dual camera setup.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo also has a replaceable back panel with a user accessible battery. Additionally, this is also the first mid-range smartphone from the company to support Bixby. However, unlike flagship smartphones, there is no dedicated Bixy button. The Galaxy J7 series is one of the popular Samsung lineups in India, which hints that the smartphone might launch in India. The smartphone is likely to retail at a price of Rs 15,000+ mark.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. Under the hood, the device is powered by the Exynos 7885 Octa-core chipset with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. As with the most of the Samsung phones, the storage will be expandable up to 256GB via micro SD.

The smartphone has a dual camera setup. It has a 13MP RGB sensor with an f/1.9 aperture and a 5MP Depth sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. These cameras produce the depth of field or bokeh effect, which keeps the subject in focus and blurs the background. The device runs on Android 8 Oreo with custom Samsung Experience UI on top.

April 4, 2018
Avengers Themed OnePlus 6 To Launch In April

The CEO of OnePlus Pete Lau has already confirmed that the OnePlus 6 will have a display with a notch and will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. Last year, OnePlus partnered with Lucasfilm to launch a limited edition OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition smartphone. This year, the company might launch the limited edition OnePlus 6 with Avengers: Infinity War Theme.

On the 3rd of April, OnePlus India’s official Facebook page shared a YouTube video, which OnePlus and Avengers Logo. Just like the Star Wars edition, the company might launch the Avengers: Infinity War edition OnePlus 6 on the day of the premiere. The OnePlus 6 Avengers Edition will cost a bit more than the standard edition, which might also include Avengers themed accessories. A recent leak also confirmed that the entry-level OnePlus 6 will launch in India at a price of Rs 34,000. Similarly, the high-end variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage can cost up to Rs 40,000.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition

The smartphone will have a 6.28 inch OLED display with FHD+ 2280 x 1080 px resolution. The phone will have 19:9 aspect ratio with the iPhone X style notch on the top. However, unlike the iPhone X, there is no 3D Facial Recognition. Instead, the Face Unlock will be achieved by a front-facing camera. The OnePlus 6 will have a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Under the hood, the device will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Going by the previous leak, there might be a model with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage as well. Additionally, the smartphone will not support memory expansion.

The device will have a dual camera setup with a 16MP sensor and a 20MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. The device will have a 20MP front-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

The OnePlus 6 will run on Android 8.1 Oreo with custom OxygenOS on top. The device might also support gesture-based navigation similar to the iPhone X. Finally, the smartphone will have a 3450 mAh Li-ion battery with Dash Charging and possibly, wireless charging capabilities as well.

April 4, 2018
8th Gen Intel Core i9 Processor For Laptops Officially Announced

Intel has officially announced the 8th generation Core i3, i5, i7, and Core i9 processor for laptops at a global event in Beijing. Additionally, the company also announced next-generation Intel Optane memory that can deliver high performance even on older PCs. These processors will be available across the globe for notebook manufacturers. The manufacturers are most likely to launch notebooks based on these chipsets by Q2 2018.

These chipsets are based on the latest Coffee Lake platform with 14nm++ process. Compared to the 7th generation chipsets, these processors offer up to 41% more frame rate while gaming. Similarly, 4K video editing will be faster by up to 59%. These processors also come with a discrete graphics card from AMD, which has an edge over the last gen processors.

The 8th Gen Intel Core i9-8950HK is the most powerful mobile processor launched to date. The chipset has a six cores and 12 hyper-threads to offer top of the CPU performance. The processor uses Thermal Velocity Boost (TVB), which will automatically increase the clock speed of the CPU based on temperature. This feature will help this chipset to achieve up to a maximum frequency of 4.8GHz.

The processors can handle native VR and Windows mixed reality content. Additionally, Intel has also launched a new Intel 300 Series chipset, which offers a faster 2x internet speed with 2×2 802.11AC 80 MHz (867 Mbps) standards. The 8th Gen chipsets combined with an Intel Optane memory can increase the performance a device by a large margin. The Intel Optane memory uses SATA-based storage technology without compromising storage capacity. In fact, compared to an HDD drive, the Octane can load a game 4.7 times faster and 1.7 times faster multimedia loading speeds.

April 3, 2018
Samsung Odyssey Z Gaming Laptop Officially Launched

Samsung has unveiled a new gaming laptop called the Samsung Odyssey Z. The availability of the Odyssey will be initially limited to South Korea and China. However, the company is yet to announce the pricing of the laptop. The Samsung Odyssey Z comes with the latest Intel CPU and NVIDIA GPU. Additionally, Samsung has redesigned the notebook with four fan setup for thermal management using Z AeroFlow cooling system. As the Z Blades are located on up top, the company has squeezed the keypad and trackpad in the same frame. Though this sounds like an intellectual design choice, it does look hideous.

Samsung Odyssey Z Specs

The Samsung Odyssey Z has a 15.6 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. Under the hood, the device is powered by the 8th Gen Intel Core i7 chipset with NVIDIA GTX 1060 MAX-P GPU. The graphics card offers up to 10% more processing power than the 1060 MAX-Q. Additionally, the notebook has up to 16GB LPDDR4 RAM and 1TB NVMe based SSD. Additionally, the notebook packs in a 1.5 Watt speaker and a red coloured backlit keypad.

To keep the device cool all the time, Samsung has incorporated a new technology called ‘Dynamic Spread Vapor Chamber’, which helps to reduce the temperature of CPU and GPU. The notebook comes with a massive 54Wh battery and a 180 Watt power adapter in the retail package. The notebook comes with plenty of connectivity options, including 3X USB A, HDMI, LAN port, and a USB type C port.

April 3, 2018
Users Can Now Download Paid Android Games For Free Using Amazon App Store

Amazon has officially launched Amazon App Store in India. It is an alternative application to the Google Play Store found on Android smartphones. However, one has to download the APK and then install it manually to use this service.

Unlike Amazon Music and Prime Video, the App Store is readily available for non-Prime subscribers as well. The app requires one’s Amazon account credentials to log in, which will then display featured games and apps. The App Store was originally introduced in 2011 in the US and other western markets. Though there was no official launch, the Amazon App store was readily available for download even for Indian customers.

As an introductory offer, the Store is offering some of the paid games for free of cost. Games like Goat Simulator and Fruit Ninja Classic are available for free. However, compared to the Google Play Store, the Amazon App store limited selection of games and apps.

How to install Amazon App Store

Go to App Store actually free on your smartphone, download the APK. Go to settings, privacy, and allow installation of unknown applications. Log in to the store using your Amazon credentials to enjoy free games and apps. However, we do not ‘allow the installation of unknown application’ due to security reasons.

April 3, 2018
Xiaomi Black Shark

Xiaomi-backed Black Shark officially launchd in China. The gamma smartphone has an enhanced CPU cooling system and a dedicated Shark key for enabling immersive gaming experience. It is powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 chips and has up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. As is with a lot of Xiaomi smartphones, the Black Shark is expected to be a China-Exclusive smartphone as of now.

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Latest News

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April 3, 2018
HTC U12 Design Leaked In New Renders

The HTC U12 is the upcoming flagship which is expected to launch in July 2018. A new leak from a case render has confirmed the design and aesthetics of the HTC U12. However, the leak is a bit contradictory to the previous leaks, as the company was about to skip the U12 by directly launching the HTC U12+.

The leak confirms that the smartphone has a Quad-camera solution. Two cameras on the front and two on back. However, whether it’ll have a telephoto lens or some other implementation is yet to be known. Additionally, the HTC U12 will have an 18:9 aspect ratio display without a notch. Similar to the HTC U11+, the smartphone does not have a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Keeping in line with its similarities to the U11+, the fingerprint sensor is placed on the back.

HTC U12 Specs

The HTC U12 will have a 6 inch display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution. Under the hood, it will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. Coupled with this chipset will be up to 6GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. However, details about other variants have not been revealed. It will be IP68 rated for water and dust resistance, a staple for modern-day flagship phones.

Now, it is a known fact that Face Unlock is the new trend of the industry. However, it will be interesting to see how HTC implements this feature and how secure it’ll be. On the back of the smartphone will be a dual camera setup of a 12MP sensor coupled with a 16MP Sony IMX3xx sensor. No details about the nature of these sensors have been revealed so far.

April 3, 2018
Apple Will Make It Own Chipsets To Power Mac Devices By 2020

Most of the Notebook manufacturers use either Intel or AMD chipset. However, recently, companies like HP and Asus has started to launch notebook based on the Qualcomm chipsets. According to a report, Apple might replace the Intel processors on Macs to use its custom ARM chipsets. When Apple started making MacBooks and iMacs, the company initially used Motorola and IBM’s PowerPC chipsets. However, in 2005 Apple switched to Intel processor-based Macs.

The report suggests that the company is working on a new project named ‘Kalamata.’ The project is still in a nascent stage and this will help Apple to achieve seamless integration across its lineup including iPhone, iPad, iMac, and MacBook. This would also affect Intel, as 5% of its overall revenue generated comes from Apple. As soon as this news was out, Intel’s shares were down by 9.2%, which is the biggest intraday drop in the last two years.

However, Intel has not spoken a word about this development, and played safe:

We don’t comment on speculation about our customers

Apple Custom Chipset Specs

The processors will be manufactured by TSMC, which is the manufacturer of Apple A series chipsets for iPhones and iPads. These chipsets will use Arm’s technology. These processors are expected to offer better battery life and it will ease out the transition of unifying the iOS and macOS. The unification will be achieved using a new platform called ‘Marzipan’, which will be expected to go live in WWDC 2018 for developers.

Most of the notebook manufacturers like HP, Dell, and Asus wait for Intel or AMD to launch its latest chipset. If Apple develops its own chipset, then the company can be ahead of the competition. This will have a positive impact on Apple, as the company will have an all-around control over the components required for designing a device. This also means that the company will be able to launch newer Mac models with its own time frame. Additionally, this will help the company to integrate iOS and macOS on chipset level.

April 3, 2018
Xiaomi’s Gaming Smartphone Black Shark To Launch On April 13th

According to a latest Weibo post, Black Shark, the subsidiary smartphone brand of Xiaomi is all set to launch its first gaming smartphone on April 13th. In February and March of 2018, there were many leaks and rumours about the Xiaomi Black Shark. The latest teaser image officially confirms the launch date of the new device. However, the company has not used the word Xiaomi anywhere on its teaser image.

Xiaomi BlackShark is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, which also powers the recently launched the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s. However, unlike the Mi MIX 2s, the Black Shark is expected to have a sturdier design with a metal unibody design, which will help the smartphone to dissipate the heat. The smartphone is most likely to be a China exclusive model, which is expected to retail at ~US$ 500.

Xiaomi Black Shark Specs

The Xiaomi BlackShark is expected to have a 6 inch display with 2160 x 1080p resolution. Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 845 chipset with 8 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. However, the company is expected to Xiaomi BlackShark with either 64GB or 128GB storage.

Mi MIX 2s

The BlackShark might offer a full metal unibody design with dual stereo speakers at the bottom. Out of the box, the smartphone will run on Android 8.0 Oreo. However, it might feature either MIUI or stock Android. As this is a gaming smartphone, it comes with one of a kind aviation class cooling system with additional tweaks. The smartphone scores an impressive 270680 points on Antutu, in fact, it is more than that of the Galaxy S9’s 265267 points.

April 3, 2018