OnePlus launched the OnePlus 6T early this week. Alongside the new smartphone the company also launched a new colour variant of the OnePlus Bullets Wireless earphones. According to the company, a red colour was demanded by the community and the company has decided to deliver.
The OnePlus Bullets wireless were originally launched with the OnePlus 6 early this year, and were really popular with the OnePlus fans. The earphones have a unique feature, which allows users to play or pause music by simply connecting the magnetic back sides of the earphones. The new red colour has now been listed on the OnePlus website.
While the earphones are built well, and have loud sound, they have been under constant criticism. They have been found to be poor on the lower end side, something Oneplus claims to have addressed with improvements in the signal processing of the wireless sound. OnePlus users can also adjust the EQ settings as per their requirement by going to Settings > Sound & Vibration > Audio Tuner
The Bullets wireless continue to the have fast charging with 10 mins of charge delivering 5 hours of usage. While the earphones themselves are made of aluminium, they have rubber ear tips in various sizes and wing tips to secure the earphones. With an inbuilt microphone they are also great for phone calls.
When you think about software, Microsoft is probably one of the first companies that come to your mind. Bill Gates founded the company in 1975 and it has a major contribution to the evolution of personal computing. The company is the developer of the world’s most popular desktop and laptop Windows operating system. Microsoft recently performed a survey in nine Asian countries, including India. The survey was conducted to check the penetration of pirated software in personal computers.
Test Results
Between May & July, Microsoft purchased and tested personal computers from multiple local sources in nine nations. The tests reveal about 83% of all the computers had pirated software on them. 91% of India bought computers had pirated software which was followed by Indonesia at 90 %, Taiwan at 73%, Singapore at 55 %, and the Philippines at 43%. While 100% of the computers bought in Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea have pirated software.
Additionally, a key Microsoft Singapore representative, Mary Jo Schrade reports 85 % of Indian computers with pirated software also had some type of malware. These shocking results raise major security concerns which one can associate with software piracy. Some of the common issues include bugs, crashes, and no updates & support. While other potentially harmful risks could be as follows:
Identity theft- Cyber fraudsters plant malware into pirated software that is capable of sneaking into the personal files of the users. The files may contain sensitive data like banking information and healthcare documents which the hacker can use for ill intentions.
Criminal Liability- Software piracy is not only a civil issue but, it is a serious crime and it is the duty of an organisation to ensure they comply with the legalities of using a software. Otherwise the people in charge can land up for some jail time.
To conclude, consumers should keep the use pirated software at bay. Instead, they can opt for free and open-source software. Some examples of which are VLC media player, Chromium browser and GIMP photo editor.
The Amazon Great India Festival is back for Diwali. It is the perfect opportunity for those who missed out last month’s sale. Smartphones from top brands are avaialable at great discounts and here is a list of top smartphone deals:
OnePlus 6T
OnePlus recently launched the latest OnePlus 6T smartphone in India. It has a 6.4 inch AMOLED display with 492 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 chipset and is powered by a 3,700 mAh battery with dash charge support. The phone has 20 MP + 16 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. The device has two variants 6 GB/8 GB of RAM paired with 128 GB/256 GB of ROM.
MRP: Rs. 37,999/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs 1,000 Additional cashback and NO Cost EMI
iPhone X
Apple’s last year flagship, the iPhone X has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display with 458 ppi pixel density . It runs on the Hexa-Core 2.39 GHz Apple A11 Bionic chipset and is powered by a 2,716 mAh battery. The phone has 12 MP + 12 MP dual rear cameras and a 7 MP front camera.
Regular Price: Rs. 91,900/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs 74,999/-
Galaxy A8+
The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a 6 inch Super AMOLED display with 411 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Exynos 7885 chipset and is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery. The phone has 16 MP rear camera and dual 16 MP + 8 MP front cameras.
Regular Price: Rs. 41,900/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 23,990/-
Huawei Nova 3i
The Huawei Nova 3i has a 6.3 inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. It has a 3,340 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 71o SoC. The Huawei Nova 3i has 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and 24 MP + 2 MP front-facing AI camera. The Huawei Nova 3i has 4 GB of RAM and 148 GB of inbuilt storage.
Regular price: Rs. 20,990/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 17,990/-
Honor 8X
Honor recently launched the mid-range Honor 8X smartphone in India. It has a 6.5 inch IPS LCD display with 396 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Hisilicon Kirin chipset and is powered by a 3,750 mAh battery. The phone has 20 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. The device has 4 GB of RAM paired with 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.
MRP: Rs. 17,999/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 14,999/-
Honor 7C
The Honor 7C has a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with 269 ppi pixel density. It has a non-removable 3,000 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 450. The device has 13 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The Honor 7c is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.
Regular Price: Rs. 9,999/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 8,499/–
Honor Play
The Honor 7 Play has a 6.3 inch IPS LCD display with 409 ppi pixel density. It has a non removable 3,750 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 970. The Honor Play has 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP front facing camera. The Honor Play has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.
Regular price: Rs. 19,999/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 17,999/–
Redmi 6 Pro
The eldest sibling of Redmi 6 Series, the Redmi 6 has pro has a 5.84 inch notch LCD display with 432 ppi pixel density. It has a huge 4,000 mAh battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 625. The device has 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The Redmi Note 6 is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.
Regular Price: Rs. 11,499/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-
Redmi 6A
Xiaomi’s cheapest offering, the Redmi 6A has a 5.45 inch LCD display with a 295 ppi pixel density . It runs on the Quad-Core Mediatek Helio A22 chipset and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP, f/2.2 aperture equipped rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. The device is available two varints: 2/3 GB of RAM paired with 16/32 GB ROM which is expandable upto 256 GB via a microSD card.
Flash Sale today at 12 PM
MRP: Rs. 6,999/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 5,999/-
Redmi Y2
The Redmi Y2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset has a 5.99-inch HD display with a resolution and 1440 x 720 pixels. The device’s display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and a rear fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the phone. The phone has 12MP+5MP dual-rear cameras and a 16MP selfie camera with AI capability. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It has a 3080 mAh Li-Ion battery.
MRP: Rs. 13,499/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-
Mi A2
The Redmi A2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset has a 5.99-inch HD display with a resolution and 2160 x 1080 pixels. The device has a rear fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the phone. The phone has 20 MP+ 12 MP dual-rear cameras and a 20 MP selfie camera with AI capability. It is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 processor and has a 3,010 mAh Li-Ion battery.
MRP: Rs. 17,499/-
Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 14,999/-
Realme 1
Realme 1 is the first smartphone that is able to compete with Xiaomi’s budget-oriented devices. The Realme 1 has a 6 inch IPS LCD display with 402 ppi pixel density. It has the Octa-Core P60 processor and a 3,410 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front selfie camera. The device has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via microSD card.
With Diwali right around the corner, everyone is decking up their houses to welcome guests to celebrate this auspicious occasion. But with Diwali comes a natural hazard that can cause a lot of harm to the human body and sometimes can even be fatal. Air pollution is a massive problem in India with metropolitan cities such as Delhi and Mumbai being hit hard. So, we are listing five air purifiers that are great in their own ways and we will explain how each one has features that can be useful for your home. These air purifiers range from as low as Rs 8000 to as high as Rs 38000 and can make for a considerate Diwali gift as well!
Sharp Air Purifier
This air purifier is available for Rs 16,690 on Amazon and is in the mid-range price bracket. The Sharp air purifier promises to eliminate smell, toxic gases, VOC, pathogens (mould, virus, dust mites, fungi etc. particles up to 0.01microns) from both air and surface. It features a passive HEPA system that traps PM 2.5 particles, smoke, house dust and pollen. PM 2.5 is the most hazardous particle and that is what is measured when testing for pollution. The Sharp filter has a pre-filter that traps heavy dust particles. It also promises to combine active and passive purification systems much better than only filtration systems. Measuring a mere 73.2 x 35 x 27.1 cm and weighing at 6.66 Kg the purifier is easy to tuck-in, in a corner of your house.
Mi Air Purifier 2S
The Mi Air Purifier is one of the cheapest purifiers available in the market and is sold quite a lot. It features a PET primary filter, Ultra dense EPA filter and Activated Carbon. It has a range of 400 sq. ft. / 37 sq. metres. The 3- layer filtration is meant to remove harmful PM 2.5 and clean the air 400 square feet around, in 10 minutes. The air purifier also features smart control through the Mi Home App and Alexa which is a blessing as you can turn it on and off with just your voice. The OLED display allows you to check PM 2.5 levels in the room and keeps track of how clean your air is.
It also shows the temperature and humidity levels which is great for someone who is health conscious and wishes to monitor the air quality constantly. The filter for this air purifier costs Rs 2,199 on their website and requires to be changed once every 6 months at least, depending on the use. It has a CADR (Clean air delivery rate) of 310 m³/hr.
Philips 1000 Series Air Purifier
The Philips 1000 series air purifier has a range of 677 sq. ft. / 63 sq. mtrs. The air purifier works on 11 to 50 watts depending on the fan speed. It filters out PM 2.5, viruses, harmful gases such as formaldehyde and TVOC. It also has a very useful night sensing mode that prepares your room with clean air for your sleep. The air purifier has a CADR (cigarette smoke) of 270 m³/h and filters out bacteria as well. At a price of Rs 8,799 on Amazon this air filter is definitely a great deal!
Philips Series 3000 Air Purifier with Humidifier
If you are looking for a much more powerful air filter or you have a bigger room then you will need to shell out a little more. Priced at Rs 30,500 currently on Amazon, this air filter has a larger range and is more powerful. This filter claims to remove 99.97 percent of common pollutants and traps particles as small as 0.003 microns. It has a range of upto 861 sq. ft./80m2 which is useful for common living rooms and halls or office spaces. It features three auto modes: General, Allergen and Sleep. The CADR is the same as that of the Mi air purifier at 310 m³/hr.
Dyson is known for its quality home products and is infamous for it’s prices but the Pure Cool air purifier is worth every penny. It automatically senses and reports air quality levels (PM 2.5, PM 10, VOC, NO2 & overall AQI) on an LCD screen and Dyson Link App in real-time. The company also claims that it is the only purifier to report all of these separately. According to the company, the 350 degrees oscillation ensures proper circulation throughout the room. It is a 40W air purifier with Air Multiplier technology. This technology projects over 360 litres of purified air per second across the whole room.
It also boasts of a 360 degree Glass HEPA Filter and a Tris Impregnated Activated Carbon Filter capture of 99.95% of harmful ultra-fine pollutants & allergens as small as PM 0.1. It has nine different sensors that collect air quality data throughout the room. Another useful feature is the night-time mode that monitors and purifies using the purifier’s quietest settings, with a dimmed display. It also has a remote. The purifier is priced at Rs 37,900.
The OnePlus 6T is the latest in the line of ‘flagship killers’ from OnePlus. The device sports a company-first, in-display fingerprint sensor, a water drop notch, bigger screen and battery and improved camera and performance. What the phone did lack at its launch, was a bit of colour. While the OnePlus 6T has a lot of colours on its AMOLED display, the device in itself is only available in Midnight Black and Mirror Black variants. This might change as a listing of the device showed an option that is sure to make you excited; the OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple.
Thunder Purple Listing
Rumoured Thunder Purple
With such an exciting name, we just hope that the device looks as great as it sounds. The Thunder Purple variant was listed for a brief while after the Keynote at the New York launch ended on 29 October. It was taken down soon after, but not quick enough to escape the eyes of ever-so vigilant leakers and fans. The new colour variant is sure to add another level of excitement to the OnePlus 6T which is already available on sale in India, starting at a price of Rs 37,999 for its 6 GB + 128 GB base variant.
OnePlus 6T Specifications
The OnePlus 6T sports a 6.41 inch Optic AMOLED display with a water drop notch, which gives it an improved screen-to-body ratio of 86% over the 83% on the OnePlus 6. The display has a 2340 x 1080 px resolution and a 402 ppi pixel density. The phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. The device has internal storage options of 128 GB and 256 GB, with OnePlus eliminating the 64 GB version due to low demand. The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor, which the company claims is the fastest and most secure in-dispaly sensor on the market right now. It packs a 3,700 mAh battery with Dash Charge support. The 6T has a 16 MP + 20 MP dual rear camera setup and a 16 MP front facing camera. The camera features some software upgrades such as an improved night mode and studio lighting effects. The OnePlus 6T runs on Oxygen OS based on Android 9 Pie.
The OnePlus 6T is available on Amazon and the OnePlus official website. The phone will be available via select offline retailers as well, starting November 4th.
Oneplus 6 users were wary of whether the new software updates on the OnePlus 6T will bleed to the older model or not. At the launch the company declared that all the new software features will arrive at the Oneplus 6 as well. Now the new update is here and lets go over the features once more!
New Navigation Gestures
In the last update, there were several issues that users complained about. Using the Gesture Navigations made it difficult for the user to summon the Google assistant. Now with the new update, you can access the Google Assistant using the power button. Many new gestures are also added. The gestures are now much more fluidic and looks better. The overall experience is completely different. Switching between apps is also quite different.
Improved UI
The user interface has been changed quite a bit. Although it is not apparent at first glance, the User Interface has smaller changes that make using the Oneplus 6 on a day to day basis much easier and smoother. According to the company, it has a dedicated team that solely focusses on making the machine Fast, Stable and Efficient and this team is aptly named Team FSE. This includes a Reading mode that makes the screen darker and makes it look like it has a matt finish. The dark mode now also darkens the notification panel, menu and everything else to go dark. For the reading mode, specific applications such as Google Play Books and Kindle can be preset to open in reading mode only.
Night Mode and Studio Lighting
A massive change in terms of the camera include the addition of Night Mode and Studio Lighting. The night mode, through software changes, enables better night mode photography. The improved night time camera capabilities will enable the Oneplus 6 to take better low light images. The nightscape reduces the ISO and the shutter speed and compared to the usual 5 seconds required to take a night shot, the Oneplus will take 2 seconds thus reducing the chance for camera shake. The studio lighting enables normal portraits to get a better lighting that does not make it look unnatural. This mode accentuates the facial features and allows for better portraits.
Other changes include the usual updated Android security patch which OnePlus is quite regular with. The screenshot experience has also received an update. The update also implements a new Google quick search box design. The zooming gesture and magnification in the gallery also improves with this update.
According to OnePlus, the update will roll out in stages. A few users will receive the update today while a broader rollout will begin in the next few days.
The highly teased and awaited Lenovo Z5 Pro has been launched. The Lenovo Z5 Pro has a sliding screen with an insane 95% screen-to-body ratio. Lenovo has managed to pack in astounding specifications in a device with such a minimal footprint at an unbelievable price. Though the smartphone has a slightly less powerful processor, it is a direct competitor to the recently launched Mi Mix 3 & Honor Magic 2.
Design
The Lenovo Z5 Pro has an all-glass front and rear with a sliding screen which hides the speakerphone and dual front cams with flash. To drive the sliding mechanism, the handset uses 6 double helix springs which the company claims have a life cycle of up to 3,00,000 slides. The smartphone measures 155.12 x 73.04 x 9.3 mm and weighs in at 210 grams. The handset has an astonishing screen-to-body ratio of 95.06%. The volume rockers are placed on the left while the power button is on the right.
The dual rear cameras along with a single LED flash are placed vertically on the back of the phone while the Lenovo branding is placed horizontally on the lower back of the device. The Lenovo Z5 Pro has facial recognition capabilities and an in-display fingerprint scanner to securely unlock it.
Specifications
The Lenovo Z5 Pro has a 6.39-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. It runs on the Octa-Core Qualcomm 710 CPU along with the Adreno 616 GPU. The smartphone has 6 GB of RAM with either 64 GB or 128 GB of ROM. For photography, the device has dual 16 MP + 24 MP rear cameras which can capture 2160p videos @ 30fps. The front of the device also has dual 16 MP + 8 MP camera which can record 1080p videos.
The smartphone runs on the ZUI 10.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. For connectivity, the device has dual 4G VoLTE support, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The smartphone also has a gravity sensor, a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. The Lenovo z2 Pro has a 3,350 mAh non-removable lithium-ion battery. It also has Dolby Atmos support which provides a better and immersive sound experience. One key feature of the Lenovo Z5 Pro is its hardware-level security chip. The hardware chip stores sensitive user data like fingerprint information and banking details of the user.
Except for the regular manuals, Lenovo ships the smartphone with a data cable, power adapter, USB Type-C to 3.5 mm jack adaptor and a screen protector.
The smartphone will be available via flash sale on 11th November for which the registrations are now open on the company’s Chinese website. The smartphone is available in Ceramic Black color and price for the different variants is as follows:
Xiaomi tops the list in India in terms of smartphone and now, smart TV sales. The company had humble beginnings as a smartphone brand and has now branched out to various other aspects. In its conquest to establish itself as a full-fledged home brand, Xiaomi has made sure to slowly increase the presence of offline stores in India. The latest Mi Home experience centre in Bangalore, is the largest store that the company has in India. The move speaks volumes about the roadmap Xiaomi has planned for the country.
The Mi Experience
The store covers an area of over 6000 sq.ft, spread over two floors. It hosts a variety of Xiaomi products, some which are exclusive to the Indian market. Another highlight is the fact that the store is made using eco-friendly materials. It is also equipped with special solar-powered charging stations. This is in sync with the company’s ideology to implement and promote pro-environmental measures.
Apart from the products which are sold in India, the Mi Home store has more than 200 products which are sold globally. This includes the Mi Robot Vacuum, Mi Smart Laser Projector and the Mi Smart Washing machine to name a few. The store also has an engagement zone. It also features a Mi Home cafe where fans can host meet ups and also discuss and give feedback to the company. The store also has an engraving machine with which customers can engrave personalised logos onto their Xiaomi smartphones or power banks.
Last month, Xiaomi had opened its TV manufacturing plant in Andhra Pradesh. At the launch, they had announced the intention of opening more than 50 physical Mi stores in India. The company has now moved to products such as Air Purifiers and even Luggage to ensure that they are an integral part of your life. Xiaomi also manufactures products such as toothbrushes. Experience zones and physical stores are crucial to building relations with customers. More and more companies are adopting this strategy. Samsung recently opened itslargest experience centre in the world, in India. OnePlus also stressed on its plans to open more experience stores at the launch of the OnePlus 6T.
Shenzhen based Honor recently held a launch event in China where the company announced the Waterplay 8 tablet, FlyPods wireless headphones, and the Honor Magic 2 smartphone. As the name suggests, Waterplay 8 is an eight-inch, water-resistant tablet and the Flypods are eerily similar to Apple’s AirPods.
Waterplay 8
The Waterplay 8 has an eight-inch IPS LCD display with a 283 ppi pixel density and a resolution of 1920 x 1200 px. The tablet has a screen-t0-body ratio of 74.13 %. The microSD tray, power button, and the volume rockers are placed on the left of the device. Additionally, it has a home button which doubles as the fingerprint sensor for securely unlocking it.
The Waterplay 8 runs on the Octa-Core Kirin 659 processor along with the Mali T830 GPU. The device has a 5,100 mAh battery which supports fast charging up to 18 W. In terms of storage and memory, the Waterplay 8 has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card. The tablet also has IPX7 rating which makes it dust and water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 mins.
For photography, the tablet has 13 MP f/2.2 + 2 MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras and an 8 MP f/2.0 front selfie camera. Both, the rear & front cameras can shoot videos up to 1080p. It runs on EMUI 8.0 which is based on Android 8.0. The tablet also has a bunch of sensors which include a gyroscope, proximity sensor, gravity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. For connectivity, it has 2.4 GHz 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and a Type-C USB port for charging and data transfer.
FlyPods Wireless
FlyPods are wireless earbuds from Honor which draw a lot of inspiration from Apple’s AirPods. Apart form the fact that they are available in a bunch of funky colours. They can be used to listen to music or even answer calls that you receive on your phone. The FlyPods hardware package consists of three different pieces which are the left & right earbud and a charging/resting case. They use Bluetooth 5.0 technology to connect with any Bluetooth compatible device. For prolonged life, the earbuds are dust proof and water resistant.
The FlyPods case has a 410 mAh battery which can charge the earbuds up to 3 times. Once the earbuds are charged, they provide a talk time of up to 2.5 hours. The earbuds have a triple color RGB led light to display charging and connectivity status. They can be either charged wirelessly via a Qi charger or the USB Type-C port which is placed on the bottom of the case. The FlyPods weigh in at 45 grams and measures 50.5 x 45 x 24.5 mm.
The Waterplay 8 tablet is available in Silver Moon colour at a price of 1,499 ¥ (around Rs 15,900). The FlyPods are available in three different colors Robin Blue, Charm Red and White. The Blue and White options are available at a price of 799 ¥ (around Rs 8,500) whereas the price for Charm Red variant is 999¥ (around Rs 10,600). Both the Waterplay 8 tablet and FlyPods are currently available on the Chinese Vmallwebsite. It is possible that Honor might launch the devices in India and other regions in the future.
The Google Pixel 3 & Google Pixel 3 XL which are the latest flagship smartphones from Google, were launched last month in the US. And now, the devices are making their way to India via online and offline channels. The Pixel smartphones represent what an Android device should feel and perform like. They are the successor to the Pixels 2 devices which are known for their robust build quality and fantastic camera performance. Both the devices have similar specifications except for the bigger screen size and a notch on the Pixel XL.
The Pixel 3 XL has a 6-inch display with a notch and an 82.8% screen-to-body ratio, while the Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch display without a notch and 77.2% screen-to-body ratio. Both the Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL have a glass and aluminium hybrid rear back. For protection, the displays have Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The power button and the volume buttons are placed on the left while the SIM tray is on the bottom on both devices. The rear of the devices houses the 12.2 MP camera with the dual-LED flash and the fingerprint sensor. The rear camera can shoot 2160p videos @ 30fps and 720p videos at super slow 240fps. Talking about the front camera, the phones have dual 8 MP cameras, one being a PDAF sensor and a second, ultra-wide sensor. The front cameras can also record 1080p videos @ 30fps.
The Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL are IP 68 rated which makes them dust and water resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30 mins. They have an always-on screen which displays date/time and unread notifications. The smartphones have a Type-C USB port for charging and data transfer. Sadly, the 3.5 mm audio jack is absent from both phones but Google offers a 3.5mm to Type-C adapter within the box.
The Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL have a distinct active edge feature which allows the user to squeeze the bezels to activate Google assistant or trigger other user set options.
Google Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL Tech Specs
Display: 5.5 inch, 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio / 6 inch, 2960 x 1440 pixels, 18.5:9 aspect ratio
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4x
Storage: 64 GB/128 GB
Rear Camera: 12.2 MP (f/1.8), Dual-LED Flash
Selfie Cameras: 8 MP (f/1.8) + 8 MP (f/2.2)
Security: Rear Mounted Fingerprint Scanner
Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac 2.4G + 5G, Bluetooth 5 .0, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C
Battery: 2,915 mAh / 3,430 mAh
Dimensions: 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm / 158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
The Google Pixel 3 & Google Pixel 3 XL will be available from 1st November, which is today and starts at a price of Rs 71,000. The smartphones are available in two colors (Just Black, Clearly White) and two storage capacities (64 GB, 128 GB). Additionally, the smartphones will be soon available in a third “Not Pink” color. Prices for the various models are as follows:
Google Pixel 3 (Clearly White, Just Black, Not Pink)
64 GB – Rs. 71,000
128 GB – Rs 80,000
Google Pixel 3 XL (Clearly White, Just Black, Not Pink)
Honor recently held a launch event in China. The company launched a variety of products which include the Honor Magic 2smartphone, Watch Magic, Honor Play 8 Tablet, and FlyPods wireless earphones. The Watch Magic is a digital smartwatch which also has health and fitness tracking capabilities.
Honor Watch Magic
The Honor Watch Magic has a metal & plastic build with a wrist strap that fits wrist sizes between 14-21 cm. It also has the option to easily swap straps due to its quick fit mechanism. The watch measures 42.8 × 42.8 × 9.8mm and weighs 32.5 grams. The Honor Watch Magic has a 1.2-inch circular color AMOLED screen with a resolution of 390 x 390 px and a pixel density of 326 ppi. The smartwatch has a 178 mAh battery which can be charged via the magnetic ejector charging port. Honor claims the watch has a battery backup of up to 7 days which varies as per usage by the user. The Watch supports NFC for wireless payments and GPS for navigation. It runs on an ARM M4 CPU and has 16 MB of RAM. It also has 128 MB of ROM for storing the calculated data.
The Honor Magic watch has an Optical heart rate sensor to accurately measure the user’s heartbeats. It also has a whole host of sensors which include an Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and an Ambient light sensor. The smartwatch can also record fitness statistics like the number of steps taken and the number of calories burnt.
The Honor watch magic runs on Light OS like theHuawei Watch GT. The smartwatch is waterproof up to 50 meters. It uses Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy technology to connect with compatible devices. The smartwatch is compatible with devices running iOS 9.0 and above or Android 4.4 and above.
The Honor Watch Magic is available in two different variants which are Sports and Fashion. The Fashion version is available in the Moonlight Silver colour and has a price tag of 999¥ (around Rs. 10,600) whereas the Sports version is available in the Lava Black colour with a price tag of 899¥ (around Rs. 9,500).
The smartwatch is currently available in China but we expect Honor to soon release it in other markets as well.
Honor, a sub-brand of the Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched their highly awaited Honor Magic 2 smartphone in China. The Honor Magic 2 has a sliding camera mechanism that hides the triple front cameras and the sensors, making the display almost bezel-less. The sliding mechanism is similar to the recently launched 5G Mi Mix 3. The phone is feature packed with a triple rear camera setup, in-display fingerprint sensor, 3D Face Unlock and more,
Design
The Honor Magic 2 measures 157.32 x 75.13 x 8.3 mm and weighs in at 206 grams. The device has a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio and the notch-less front with negligible bezels make the smartphone look remarkable. The speakerphone is integrated into the top bezel of the display. The SIM card slot is on the right while the volume rockers and power button are on the left.
The triple cameras along with a single LED flash are placed on the top left of the back. The Honor Magic 2’s rear camera setup is divided into two different modules, one being a tall capsule-shaped section which houses two cameras and an LED flash while another circular module for the third camera. The Company branding is placed vertically on the bottom left side of the rear. The smartphone has 3D facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint sensor for securely unlocking it.
Specifications
The Honor Magic 2 has a 6.39 inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 px resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The rear camera setup has triple 16 MP f/1.8 + 24 MP f/1.8 + 16 MP f/2.2 sensors with LED flash. The Honor Magic 2 also has triple front cameras which use one 16 MP sensor and dual 2 MP sensors. The rear cameras can capture 2160p video @ 30fps while the front cameras shoot 1080p videos @ 30fps along with super slow mo video @ 480fps.
Perfromance
The Honor Magic 2 runs on the 2.6 GHz Octa-Core Kirin 980 CPU along with the Mali-G76 GPU. The Kirin 980 is the first 7 nm Android processor which is also present on the latest Huawei Mate 20 Series. The smartphone also has a dual NPU (Neural Processing Unit) which helps in taking better pictures with the help of AI(Artificial Intelligence). The NPU also helps in AI intensive tasks by computing solutions to complicated algorithms faster. In terms of storage, the smartphone is available in three different variants which are as follows:
6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM
6 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM
8 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM
The smartphone runs on the Magic UI 2.0 based on the latest Android 9.0 Pie. For connectivity, the device has dual 4G VoLTE support, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and the USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The smartphone also has a gravity sensor, a distance sensor, and an ambient light sensor. It also has a Virtual Assistant named Yo-Yo like Apple’s Siri and Google assistant.
The Honor Magic 2 has a 3,500 mAh non-removable lithium-ion battery which supports fast charging. Honor also introduced their latest fast charging technology, Magic charge. It charges the handset at 40 watts, which is twice as fast as OnePlus’s Dash Charge.
The Honor Magic 2 also has an IPX2 rating for water and dust resistance.
Price
The Honor Magic 2 is available in three color options which are Gradient Black, Gradient Red, and Gradient Blue. Prices of the various models are as listed:
Samsung announced two new 0.8-micrometer pixel image sensors. These include the 48 megapixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and the 32 megapixel ISOCELL Bright GD1. According to a senior Samsung executive, the demand for ultra-small, high-resolution image sensors are growing. As smartphones evolve to deliver new and more exciting camera experiences for users, Samsung wishes to stay in this race. This indicates that these sensors are aimed for future smartphones from the company’s table. Cameras have become an integral part of the smartphone experience. Manufacturers are aiming to innovate and research newer ways to fit as many sensors as they can into a small body. Reducing sensor size without compromising on image quality or overall camera performance seems to be on every manufacturer’s agenda.
Features Of The Sensors
According to Samsung, the GM1 and the GD1 sensors are based on their latest pixel isolation technology. The ISOCELL Plus supposedly optimises performance especially for smaller-dimension pixels, making them the ideal solution for today’s super-resolution cameras. This technology allows the sensor to combine four pixels and merge them to one to improve the camera output in lower lighting conditions. The company claims that the GM1 and GD1 can deliver light sensitivity equivalent to that of a 1.6 micron pixel image sensor at 12 MP and 8 MP resolution, respectively.
The GD1 also gets realtime HDR support. This reportedly allows for balanced exposure, richer colour and detail when filming selfie-videos or streaming live video content even in low-light or high-contrast environments. This might be a great thing for people who use their front cameras a lot. Both these sensors will go into mass production in the fourth quarter of this year. Samsung has already showed an under display camera they have been working on for their future phones. Although it seems unlikely that they will use these sensors for their new technology which is still at a very early stage. But it will be interesting to see how the sensors are used by the company.
The race to have notch-less screens is on and everyone is trying different ways to find the right mix of usability and productivity while not compromising on the looks. LG has reportedly filed patents for a new phone that may have three or four cameras on the back and a notch-less design. While there is a very thin forehead to the phone which houses the cameras just like the G6, the chin and forehead are both comparatively thinner.
Phones Without Borders
Mi Mix was one of the first phones to try to eliminate the bezels and Oppo and Vivo soon followed. Oppo Find X employed a sliding camera while Vivo NEX had a pop-up selfie camera. The Mi Mix 3, which saw it’s launch recently, features a sliding back which is mechanical and not electronic. With its sliding camera, the Mi Mix 3 has a 93 % screen-to-body ratio.
The images show that a fingerprint sensor will still be available in the phone. It seems like LG is not quite ready to embrace the in display fingerprint just yet. Samsung on the other hand always steers clear of the whole notch saga. They have made a different identity for themselves with the curved display which they call the infinity display. It has, on several occasions, mocked Google as well as Apple for their notches and are definitely taking a different route.
Samsung has also said that they are working on an under-display front facing camera to avoid the notch altogether. It is rumoured that the Samsung Galaxy A8s may feature the under- display camera. LG’s design patents suggest three different designs with each one having more rounded corners than the last. It will be interesting to see if LG’s old school design without the notch fares well with the customers or not!
The OnePlus 6T was launched in India on October 30th and the device is already getting updates. We are all familiar with OnePlus’s Oxygen OS which provides an almost stock Android experience, almost mirroring that of the Google Pixel. Additionally, the OnePlus 6 is also the one of the first devices to receive Android 9 Pie, second only to the Google Pixel. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Oneplus 6T has already started receiving updates.
The Oxygen OS 9.0.4 update is rolling out to all the OnePlus 6T devices and brings in changes in the Nightscape feature and some security updates. Since the camera hardware used in the 6T is the same as the OnePlus 6, the company had to look for ways to make sure that the performance improves. The Nightscape feature on the OnePlus 6T claims to improve the lowlight performance of the camera. As of now, Nightscape does offer visible improvements, but not something that is a game-changer. The slight upgrades brought by this update might change that. It also added studio lighting to enhance pictures taken by the phone.
The update also includes power consumption optimisations, bug fixes and improvements to the Screen Unlock feature. The update also mentions brand new navigation gestures, but we are not sure as to what that means as the OnePlus 6T had new navigation gestures out of the box.
OnePlus had also announced that the OnePlus 6 will be receiving the Nightscape and Studio Lighting update starting today. The OnePlus 6T starts at a price of Rs 37,999 in India. The 6T has a 6.41 inch AMOLED display with a water-drop notch and a fingerprint sensor built into the display. The device sports a 3,700 mAh battery. It has a dual 16 MP + 20 MP rear camera setup and runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The device will be available on Amazon and the OnePlus website starting November 1. The device will also be available through offline retailers starting November 4.
