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Xiaomi followed up the 2016 Mi Mix with the new Mi Mix 2 with slightly thinner bezels and upgraded hardware. The Mi Mix 2 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6GB of RAM and is priced at Rs 35999 in India. So, at this price, does it give the OnePlus 5 a run for its money?
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Samsung has announced its new flagship chipset, the Exynos 9810 SoC (System on Chip) in a press release. The chipset will power the upcoming the flagship smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ and even the Galaxy Note9 which is expected to be launched in the third quarter of 2018.
Unlike the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which is manufactured on the 7nm process, the Exynos 9810 chipset has been manufactured on the 10nm process. This is the same as the Exynos 8895 chipset which powered the 2017 Samsung flagship smartphone lineup.
Samsung says that the Exynos 9810 processor has “3rd-generation custom CPU cores, upgraded GPU, and gigabit LTE modem with industry-first 6CA support.” Earlier this year, Samsung had introduced the 6CA modem and had promised that the 6CA modem would be included into its next generation mobile processing unit. Hence, as it promised the Exynos 9810 features the new and improved 6CA modem.
At the time of unveiling of the 6CA modem, Samsung had said:
Mobile processor adopting the new Cat.18 6CA-supported LTE modem technology is expected to be in mass production by the end of this year.
The announcement of the Exynos 9810 chipset falls perfectly inline with the above statement.
Apple has announced a new update to the iOS app, Clips. Clips is a free app for iOS that makes it easy to create and share fun videos using iPhone or iPad. In the new update, Clips has introduced Selfie Scenes, new artistic transition affects and a redesigned interface.
Clips 2.0 is available as a free update on the App Store and is compatible with the iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini 2 and later models, running iOS 11.1 and later. Selfie Scenes are only available on the iPhone X and style transfer effects are only available on the iPhone 7 and later models and 2017 iPad Pro.
New update for @Apple #Clips on the App Store is now Live with new features for the #iPhoneX ! pic.twitter.com/wHBztuVztf
— iGyaan (@igyaan) November 10, 2017
Selfie Scenes takes full advantage of iPhone X’s true depth cameras to create a 360-degree immersive scene around the user. Users can choose from 10 scenes, featuring locations, characters, colours and visual styles plus two scenes from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” Each scene is a full 360-degree experience, so it surrounds users on all sides as they move the iPhone X around.
To manage storage space in a better way, users can now access and edit their Clips videos across iPhone and iPad via iCloud. Videos are automatically uploaded and backed up to iCloud, so users can start a video on iPhone and finish it later on iPad.
Apple has said that it is working on a fix for the iPhone X screen’s unresponsive behaviour in cold weather. Apple has mentioned it before as well that ideally, a user should use their iPhone in temperatures between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some users on Reddit complained about this issue and also clarified that these issues arose when they used their phones within the said temperature barriers. Darus214, a Reddit user said,
It literally takes 2 seconds from going inside to the cold outdoors and my screen stops being very responsive. I try swiping on websites and it doesn’t register my finger.
He later added that the outside temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit when his handset became unresponsive. After more than the usual number of complaints surfaced online, Apple was quick to respond:
We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again. This will be addressed in an upcoming software update.
This issue has affected a few users and considering the temperature in India, iPhone X users in India can breathe a sigh of relief as this issue might not affect you anytime soon.
The Samsung Galaxy X will be the first foldable smartphone from Samsung. A new patent application by Samsung reveals how the company envisions its foldable smartphone to function.
The two screens will function like a physical split screen wherein each will be running its own app with its own app switcher. This will work in both the portrait and landscape modes.
There is another mode in the patent which chronicles a functionality of the foldable phone similar to the Nintendo 3DS. In certain apps and games, both the displays will be showing different aspects of the interface of that particular app.
Samsung has expressed the difficulties of the shifting a foldable phone from a ‘concept’ to a ‘mass products’.
Dongjin Koh, President of mobile business at Samsung told some reporters at a news conference in South Korea that there are still hurdles to overcome and a possible release would be pushed back if the issues are not resolved in time.
When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product. We are digging thoroughly into several issues we must overcome, as we don’t want to just make a few, sell a few and be done. We want to hear that Samsung made a very good product. We have a plan to adopt a foldable display in our roadmap.
The foldable smartphone has long been touted as the Galaxy X, which now sounds like a rip-off of the iPhone X which means Samsung will definitely not go with this name. A number of patents as well as Samsung’s own concept video from CES 2013 tell us what to expect from the Galaxy X. Samsung is most likely to start small, with a smartphone that folds halfway like a wallet. Another design, in line with Samsung’s prototype unveiling, could see the phone unfold into a full-size tablet.
Samsung’s upcoming mid-range smartphones in 2018 will be inspired by its 2017 flagship phone lineup. According to a listing, the Samsung Galaxy A5 2018 will have a display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, something which was found on the Galaxy S8, S8+ and the Galaxy Note8.
It appears that even though the Galaxy A5 2018 will have an infinity display, the edges of the phone will not be curved. This means that the phone will look similar to the Galaxy S8 Active. The listing reveals that the Galaxy A5 2018 is being tested with Android 7.1.1 Nougat. That’s in line with previous reports that the Galaxy A (2018) series will come with Nougat out of the box and not Oreo. This is particularly starnge since Android 8.0 Oreo is already 3 months old and by the time the smartphone is released, it will be even older.
It is worth noting here that early listings can show wrong specifications and Samsung might introduce Android 8.0 Oreo with Galaxy A5 2018. The resolution of the display in the listing is said to be 846 x 412 px, which is clearly inaccurate. What this does confirm though, is the 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
With 2017 being the year for bezel-less flagship phones, it is expected that 2018 will see more mid-range phones with thin bezels and no home button.
Ever since Apple decided to kill off the 3.5mm headphone jack in 2016, there has been a surge in accessories that let you use your wired headphones and charge the phone at the same time. The new dongle from MoArmouz also lets you do the same, and a bit more. The new MoArmouz dongle also gives you volume control and play/pause buttons for easy access.
After a few rocky months when the iPhone 7 was launched, there is a section of consumers who have moved on from wired headphones and embraced the wireless lifestyle. The purists on the other hand, still want to use their wired headphones since they produce better sound than bluetooth headphones. While there are good Type C headphones in the market now, same cannot be said about lightning headphones. Apart from the earpods that Apple provide in the box, there aren’t many lightning headphones in the market to convince a consumer to switch.
That’s where this accessory comes in handy. The dongle has a sturdy build and doesn’t add much weight to the iPhone making it portable and comfortable. It comes with a small carrying pouch so that you remember to put the dongle back in it and not forget it elsewhere.
It retails for Rs 7999 but, it is available Rs 4999 on Amazon right now.
A report from South Korea claims that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will not have a screen-embedded fingerprint sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be launched by April 2018 and ever since the Galaxy Note8 was launched back in August, it was expected that Samsung will introduce the new fingerprint sensor technology in its ‘S’ smartphone lineup.
Launched in April 2017, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ received rave reviews from critics and consumers alike. iGyaan reviewed the two phones as well and barely found a con in either of the phones. The one blemish to otherwise top notch phones was the placement of the fingerprint sensor. Samsung reduced the bezels around the display considerably, and chose design over practicality when it came to repositioning the fingerprint sensor.
Instead of placing it in the centre of the phone like the LG G6 or the Google Pixel, Samsung placed it right next to the camera making it hard for people to reach the sensor without a little shimmy of the hand. When the screen embedded fingerprint sensor technology was showcased early in 2017, there were rumours that the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note8 will incorporate this technology since both the phones were expected to have minimal bezels.
The report however, does say that even though the fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ will be placed at the back, the position could be changed.
It’s not yet clear whether it will continue to sit awkwardly and inconveniently right next to the camera lens.
It appears that an early report of the Galaxy Note9 being the first Samsung phone with a screen embedded fingerprint sensor will turn out to be true.
The upcoming OnePlus 5T appears to be the 2017 flagship phone that OnePlus 5 should have been. A tall display with thin bezels, dual-cameras, great hardware and rumoured competitive pricing. One thing that would be missing from the OnePlus 5T is wireless charging. OnePlus believes that its ‘Dash Charging’ is better than wireless charging hence, it decided to forego including wireless charging.
Learn how you can be there live when we introduce the #OnePlus5T. https://t.co/JkqCyKkekX pic.twitter.com/iXq0DoU6gA
— OnePlus (@oneplus) November 6, 2017
Pete Lau, co-founder of OnePlus shared two reasons why the company decided to not include a popular feature in the OnePlus 5T:
Reason 1: Wired quick charging solutions like ours clearly outshine wireless on quantitative measures. Just plug your device in, and Dash Charge produces 20 watts of power, reliably giving a day’s power in half an hour.
Reason 2: Dash Charge gives you enough power for the day with just one charging session. All you need is the Dash Charge cable and adaptor to consistently power your device at superior rate. It doesn’t matter whether you’re gaming or streaming video. Dash Charge stays cool and power efficient.
Wireless charging has been around for a long time now but, it became a mainstream topic of discussion after Apple included it in its latest 2017 iPhones. It is true that wireless charging doesn’t produce enough electrical juice to “fast charge” your smartphone and doesn’t even compare to OnePlus’ dash charge technology.
However, OnePlus has not dismissed the idea of wireless charging in their phones. Pete Lau says the company will “consider adopting the wireless charging technology when the time is right.”
If these early images of the alleged Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s are anything to go by, then it looks like the iPhone X ‘notch’ is here to stay. The leaked images of the upcoming Mi Mix 2s show a very iPhone X-like top notch which appears to house the front camera and sensors.
If this does happen, and the Mi Mix 2s is launched with a notch so similar to the iPhone X, this phone will definitely grab the headlines. For design purposes, a notch will help the front camera move to a more natural position than in the bottom bezels, found on the Mi Mix and Mi Mix 2. Further, the notch can also help decrease the size of the bottom bezel which is not visible in the images.
The notch on the Mi Mix 2s however, looks a bit forced, rather than natural as compared to the one found on the iPhone X. Looking at the inages, it is visible that the “horns” around the cutout are wider, leaving more room for icons in the status bar compared to the iPhone.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s if launched, will not be the first Android device with a notch. The Essential Ph-1, which was released in August has a cyborg-like cutout for the front facing camera. Android apps, as found on the Essential Ph-1 do not deal well with a notch and developers need to actively update their apps to make use of the full 18:9 aspect ratio and also deal with a notch on the screen.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix, launched in 2016 was the phone that prompted big smartphone makers to produce bezel-less devices. With the Mi Mix 2, Xiaomi entered a global market with its marquee device and with the Mi Mix 2s, it looks like the Chinese smartphone maker wants to take Apple head-on with another ‘top-notch’ device.
Smartphones in today’s day and age have become accessible to everyone because of their cheap price tag without compromising a lot on features. A few years ago what was only available on a premium smartphone has now made its way into the ‘budget category’. As Xiaomi launched the Redmi Y1 at a starting price of Rs 8999, it entered that segment of the market which is already overflowing with different phones from different companies. Let’s stack up four of the best offerings, Redmi Y1, Moto G5, Lenovo K8 Plus and Micromax Infinity from this price range and see which one comes out on top:
The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 was launched in India as a part of a new lineup that focuses on selfies. The Redmi Y1 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. In a lot of ways, it is an updated variant of the Redmi 4, which is also priced at Rs 8999 with the same chipset and RAM/storage configuration.
Where the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 supposedly excels is the camera department and specifically, the front camera. On the front of the phone is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Xiaomi claims that the software processing and beautify mode will result “in your best selfie ever.” The rear-mounted 13MP camera with PDAF and LED flash.
Lenovo-owned Motorola launched the Moto G5 along with the Moto G5 Plus in India in February 2017. Even though in August, Moto G5s and Moto G5s Plus were launched as an incremental upgrade, the Moto G5 at a price of Rs 10500 is a great option. With stock Android OS, and a more than capable Snapdragon 425 chipset, the Moto G5 fits the bill for a lot of consumers.
For the Moto G5 as well, the camera has been the highlight. The Moto G5 has a 13MP f/2.0 camera with phase detect autofocus with a 5 MP front camera.
A phone made for people who prefer design over everything else, the Micromax Infinity offers a display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Micromax Infinity has a 5.7 inch IPS LCD display with a 1440 x 720 px display. Similar to the Moto G5, the Micromax Infinity also has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card.
It has a 16MP front camera and a 13MP rear camera with auto scene detection, bokeh effect, super pixel and panorama.
The Lenovo K8 Plus is the only phone in this list that has a dual-camera setup at the back. It has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The Lenovo K8 Plus runs stock Android 7.1 Nougat and Lenovo has promised an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by early 2018.
The Lenovo K8 Plus sports a vertically placed dual-camera setup at the back. It has a primary 13MP Pure cell sensor mated with a 5MP Samsung BSI sensor dual camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. The smartphone is capable of depth effect shots, bokeh effect shots, and dual ISP images. On the front is an 8MP wide angle lens with an f/2.0 and an LED flash.
| Specifications | Xiaomi Redmi Y1 | Moto G5 | Micromax Infinity | Lenovo K8 Plus |
| Price | Starting at Rs 8999 | Rs 10500 | Rs 9999 | Rs 10999 (Click here to buy) |
| Display | 5.5 inch IPS LCD | 5.5 inch IPS LCD | 5.7 inch IPS LCD | 5.2 inch IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 1280 x 720 px | 1920 x 1080 px | 1440 x 720 px | 1920 x 1080 px |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 | MediaTek Helio P25 |
| RAM | 3GB/4GB | 3GB | 3GB | 3GB |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB (expandable via microSD card) | 16GB (expandable via microSD card) | 32GB (expandable via microSD card) | 32GB (expandable via microSD card) |
| Battery | 3080 mAh | 2800 mAh | 2900 mAh | 4000 mAh |
| Rear Camera | 13MP with PDAF | 13MP with an f/2.0 aperture | 13MP with bokeh effect, super pixel mode | 13MP Pure cell sensor + a 5MP Samsung BSI sensor |
| Front Camera | 16MP with an f/2.0 aperture Pro Beauty mode |
5MP with an f/2.2 aperture | 16MP | 8MP wide-angle with an f/2.0 aperture |
| Other features | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor | Fingerprint sensor
Remappable ‘Music Key’ |
Xiaomi introduced a new lineup of smartphones in India which will focus on the ever-growing craze of selfies. The Redmi Y1 is the first smartphone launched in the lineup along with the Redmi Y1 Lite. Priced competitively, is the Redmi Y1 the new budget king?
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HTC has launched the HTC U11 Life in two variants, one variant running Android 7.1 Nougat with Sense UI and an Android One variant running Android 8.0 Oreo. The HTC U11 Life is priced at US $349 (Rs 22500 approx.) for the unlocked version in the US. There is no official word on its availability in India as of now.
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HTC has launched the HTC U11+ at a price of £699 (Rs 59800 approx.) in the UK. There is no official word on the phone’s availability in India as of now. There were multiple leaks leading up to the launch of the phone and most of them have turned out to be accurate. HTC U11+ will succeed the HTC U11 which was launched back in March 2017. Along with the HTC U11+, the HTC U11 Life was also launched, which is a mid-range device with design aesthetics similar to the HTC U11.
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The Xiaomi Mi Note 3 was launched in China on the 11th of September at a starting price of CNY 2,899 (Rs. 28,300 approx.). The Mi Note 3 succeeds the Xiaomi Mi Note 2 which was launched in 2016 with a fair amount of upgrades.
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