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iPhone X Phones Worth Rs 10.57 Lacs Seized At Mumbai Airport

The newly launched Apple iPhone X is on the wish list of many people. Thank to a short supply and a huge demand for the new iPhone X, not everybody were able to get their hands on it. One man however, was caught at the Mumbai airport with 11 newly launched iPhone X phones, pointing to a likely racket. He was intercepted at the Mumbai Airport while arriving from Hong Kong.

A case has been registered against Bhavesh Virani, 28, who was found with 11 iPhones X packed pieces valued at Rs10.57 lakh. A senior AIU officer said:

We suspect many people would visit Hong Kong to purchase the phones and bring them to the country. Passengers can bring duty-free goods worth Rs50,000. The demand is high in India for the phones, but the supply is less, which paves the way for smuggling.

The AIU officer noted that it has become a growing trend of importing phones from countries where the price of an iPhone is considerably cheaper than that in India.

Gadget freaks are ready to pay extra to get the latest brand and model. We have kept a watch on certain international routes from where we suspect the phones will be brought to the country. We suspect Virani, who claims to own a shop in Andheri, to be a carrier.

The culprit will not be arrested since the seized products are worth less than Rs 20 Lacs but, a heavy fine will be levied since the phones are not prohibited goods. The AIU sources have said that the authorities will keep a close eye on international routes from where such phones can be smuggled into the country.

November 6, 2017
Samsung Mocks The iPhone X Notch And Other iPhone Things In New Advertisement

Samsung and Apple are the biggest smartphone makers in the world right now, and have been for a long time. While Apple has reached this stature by launching new iPhones at a premium price year after year, Samsung has amore diverse portfolio of Android phones ranging anything from US $150 to US $950. The two companies share a lot of business but, it is no secret that they never leave a stone unturned to mock the other one. Samsung, in a new advertisement has mocked the new iPhone X and how Apple is never a company to do something first.

The 1 minute long advertisement starts off in 2007 and chronicles the going craze for the iPhone. It then shows the things the iPhone has lacked over the years like water resistance (which was first introduced in the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus). The Galaxy phones are known for their big screens and until the iPhone 6 was launched, the screen size of an iPhone was either 3.5 inch or 4-inch which was relatively smaller than the Galaxy Note of that time.

Samsung continues to mock the screen size of the iPhone as well and then, exposing another pain point of an iPhone user, Samsung mocks the lack of storage expandability in the iPhone. A lot of companies has followed suit since Apple got rid of the headphone jack but, Samsung is one of the few companies who continues to keep the headphone jack in its phones. It looks like Samsung has no plans of dropping the headphone jack anytime soon as it mocks the iPhone for not having a headphone jack.

Brands are rather coy about calling out a rival brand in their ads but, Samsung has gone all out this time with this new ad campaign about ‘Upgrading to Galaxy’. A few years ago as well, Samsung mocked Apple iPhone 5’s ad and the two companies have gone back and forth, taking jibes at each other.

It will be interesting to see if Apple will respond to this ad via either social media or with an advertisement in the coming days.

https://youtu.be/R59TevgzN3k

November 6, 2017
OnePlus 5T Leaked In Live Image

OnePlus confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 5T (and the 3.5mm headphone jack) through a blog on OnePlus forums. Now, a new image posted on the internet appears to reveal what the front of the OnePlus 5T will look like.

Leaked promotional image

The image was clicked during the Paris Game Week. The Vainglory eSports team of Palmarini is sponsored by OnePlus which indicates that the image is probably featuring the OnePlus 5T phone. At the ongoing gaming event, various OnePlus 5 tethered units can be found at the OnePlus booth. In the image, it is visible that the mysterious device has a fairly larger and sleeker display than the OnePlus 5 lying next to it. There is also no fingerprint sensor on the front of the phone, thanks to the thin bezels. The display also ever-so-slightly curves at the edges.

When the OnePlus 5 was launched in June 2017, it was observed that it took most of the design elements from the OPPO R11. On the 2nd of November, OPPO R11s was launched with thin bezels and a 6-inch display with the fingerprint sensor placed at the back. OnePlus 5T could take the design inspirations from the OPPO R11s and the image leaked could be the upcoming OnePlus 5T.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/926446544131207168

Just like the OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental update rather than a drastic new upgrade in terms of hardware. The 5T is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as it is the current flagship chipset. The dual cameras at the back are also expected to be the same as found on the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T will have a 6 inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 x resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The smartphone is expected to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with OnePlus’ Oxygen OS on top. The 2017 flagship will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with a combination of either 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage or a whopping 8GB RAM and 128 of storage which can not be expanded. The OnePlus 5T is also expected feature dual cameras on the back, one of the main cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP camera with an aperture of F/1.7 .

The OnePlus 5T is expected to be launched on the 20th of November.

November 4, 2017
Apple iPhone X Vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Feat. Samsung Galaxy Note8

2017 saw the rise of ‘bezel-less” smartphones which was ignited by the 2016 Xiaomi Mi Mix. In March 2017, the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a zero side bezels and thin forehead and chin was launched. The trickle down effect was noticeable as more and more smartphones came out with thin bezels. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was launched in August as the successor to the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 with a design similar to the Galaxy S8 albeit, a more square-ish build which is iconic to the ‘Note’ series. After months of speculations and leaks, Apple launched the highly anticipated iPhone X on the 12th of September.

Display

All the three smartphones have excellent displays with great clarity and viewing angles. All three phones have an OLED panel manufactured by Samsung and while the 5.8 inch inch display on the iPhone X has a resolution of 2436 x 1125 px, the Galaxy S8’s 5.8 inch and Galaxy Note8’s 6.3 inch display have a resolution of 2960 x 1440 px.

Performance

Every flagship smartphone in this day and age has to be fast. You can’t pay over Rs 60,000 for a phone and experience lags and jitteriness just a few days into using it. For a phone launched back in March, the Samsung Galaxy S8 holds up very well. Both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note8 have the Exynos 8895 chipset, and while the Galaxy S8 has 4GB of RAM, the Galaxy Note8 has 6GB of RAM. The Apple iPhone X on the other hand has the A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine and 3GB of RAM. All three phones are fast and day-to-day usage as well as heavy gaming is a breeze.

Camera

The Apple iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy Note8 have dual camera setup at the back while the Samsung Galaxy S8 has a single camera. Despite a single camera, the Galaxy S8 is still one of the best camera smartphones out there. However, the flexibility of a dual camera setup trumps the single one on the Galaxy S8 and with dual OIS, the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note8 perform better than the Galaxy S8. If you are a content creator then look no further than the iPhone X as it records 4K videos at 60 fps, something that no other smartphone does right now.

Watch our full comparison here:

November 4, 2017
Qualcomm Sues Apple Again For Sharing Software With Intel

The legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple has been extended as Qualcomm has now sued Apple for allegedly sharing proprietary Qualcomm technologies with its market rival, Intel. In the lawsuit, filed on the 1st of November, Qualcomm is accusing the Apple of breaching a software license contract. To prove its claim, Qualcomm says it has email in which Apple requested confidential documentation. It has been reported that the email contained an Intel engineer in the distribution list.

Qualcomm goes on to claim that according to the contract between the two companies, Qualcomm has the permission to audit Apple’s handling of its software, however, Apple has refused any such requests. The details of the lawsuit do not clarify the amount of money Qualcomm has sued the tech giant for but, considering the recent legal battles between the two companies, Qualcomm might not settle for a meagre amount.

It was reported that Apple will drop Qualcomm components from its 2018 iOS devices, ending a long-term partnership with the American chip maker. This news came after a series of legal battles were dragged on between Apple and Qualcomm. Apple, along with Samsung is also suing Qualcomm for taking advantage of its monopoly.

Qualcomm has not had an ideal time in terms of its legal battles after it was fined a record US $773 million by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission. The Commission said that Qualcomm misused the monopoly in the smartphone business to squeeze higher licensing fees and better terms out of its customers.

November 3, 2017
Apple iPhone X Goes On Sale In India Today – Price, Launch Offers And Specifications

The Apple iPhone X goes on sale in India on the 3rd of November. Apple launched the iPhone X on the 12th of September along with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Even though the Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale in the subsequent week, iPhone X fans were made to wait for over a month before they could pre-order it. In India, the pre-orders began on the 27th of October and both the 64GB and 256GB variants were sold out within minutes. Airtel announced that the iPhone X will be available to buy on its online store from 6pm, 3rd November.

Price

The Apple iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone ever launched in India. The 64Gb variant is priced at Rs 89000 in India while the 256GB variant is priced at Rs 102,000.

Launch Offers

As an introductory offer, Airtel is offering up to Rs 10000 cashback for people who pay using the Citibank credit card. This offer will be vail between 6pm 3rd November and 7am 4th November. Airtel Prepaid and non-Airtel customers can upgrade to Airtel postpaid to be eligible for the purchase and can choose from a plans that offer large bundles of high speed data and unlimited calling.

Citibank credit and debit card users who buy the iPhone X on the day of the launch will get up to Rs 10,000 cashback for pre-booking. Reliance Jio has a 70% buyback offer for the Apple iPhone X for people who buy the iPhone X from Amazon.

Specifications

The iPhone X has a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 px OLED True Tone Super Retina display. The Apple iPhone X has a tall display thanks to its bezel-less design and has a notch at the top of the display.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the Apple A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine, a hexacore processor, 3GB of RAM and storage options of 64GB, and 256GB. The small bezels mean there is no physical home button, which is now replaced with gestures for navigation. Siri is activated by pressing the now larger lock/unlock button. The iPhone X is also IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, and wireless charging. The iPhone X is powered by a 3000 mAh battery and supports fast-charging however, the wall charger found inside the retail box is not a fast charger.

The iPhone X has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, and it’s equipped with dual optical image stabilization. The sensors are both larger and faster, according to Apple, and the main camera is equipped with a wide angle lens and has an f/1.8 aperture while the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.4 aperture. In between the two cameras is a quad-LED True Tone flash. Both the front and back cameras have the portrait mode. The rear cameras have the portrait lighting feature, just like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

You may also like : I Spent A Day With The iPhone X And I Am Done With The Home Button

Apple has replaced Touch ID with Face ID in the new iPhone X. Thanks to the new cameras, Apple is bidding high on the iPhone X’s AR capabilities with features such as animojis.

Watch Our Unboxing:

iPhone X Tips, Gestures and Hidden Features:

Apple iPhone X Vs Google Pixel 2

November 3, 2017
Google Forgets To Install Android In Some Pixel 2 XL Units

Google appears to have forgotten that an Android phone needs an Android OS to function. Reports from the US claim that a few Google Pixel 2 XL were shipped to customers without an operating system. There are multiple threads on Reddit on the issue, and almost all users complain about the same message welcoming them “Can’t find valid operating system. The device will not start.” After multiple issues were reported, Google responded that it will be replacing all the devices which were shipped with this issue.

One of the Reddit users wrote in a thread:

I came home excited to unbox my new Pixel 2 XL. Upon turning on the device I was greeted with a black screen stating, “Can’t find valid operating system. The device will not start.” Spent an hour on the chat with two different customer service reps and they are wanting to send me a replacement phone. Really frustrating.

There seems to be no end to the woes of Google’s new flagship phone, the Pixel 2 XL. Even though the phone’s software and camera has been appreciated, the dismal display has been panned by critics especially considering the fact that it costs close to Rs 80000 in India. Complaints of a blue tint and screen burnout have been reported and Google did come out and clarify its stand. Google has said that a future software patch will resolve the blue tint issue and the users will be able to tweak the display settings to show more vibrant colours.

Apart from the display, some customers complained that their Pixel 2 XL boxes had a cutout for Pixelbuds but, there were no Pixelbuds to be found inside the box.

Thanks to social media, little issues can be blown out of proportion but, shipping a smartphone without an operating system seems to be a first of its kind issue. To be successful in markets where Google has not even launched the device, it needs to negate these issues and start shipping the best version of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

November 3, 2017
Thousands Line Up Outside Apple Stores To Receive Their iPhone X

The launch of the Apple iPhone X has seen a huge turn out at Apple stores across the world. When the iPhone X was launched along with iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple announced that the iPhone 8 will go on sale first and the iPhone X will be available to buy from the 3rd of November across the globe. It was predicted that a lot of consumers will hold off and upgrade to the iPhone X rather than the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus.

Outside Apple Store in Beijing, China

As the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale, the long queues outside Apple stores, something we’re used to seeing over the years was missing. Predictions came true when the iPhone X went on sale on the 3rd of November and people started lining up outside the Apple stores everywhere from Sydney to Shanghai. Strong initial demand underscores Apple’s upbeat sales forecast for the year-end holiday shopping season, provided just hours before iPhone X sales began.

iPhone 8 turnout

The Apple iPhone X is billed as the true successor to the original iPhone which was launched in 2007. This is the first major design detour that Apple has taken in many years and so far, people appear to like the it. The Apple iPhone X also has wireless charging like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus along with a steel frame. The iPhone X has a 5.8 inch OLED display with minimal bezels around it and a prominent ‘notch’ at the top which houses all the sensor and the true-depth camera.

Apple has replaced Touch ID with Face ID in the iPhone X and although you might take a few days to get used to it, you will soon forget about the home button.

The iPhone X has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, and it’s equipped with dual optical image stabilization. The sensors are both larger and faster, according to Apple, and the main camera is equipped with a wide angle lens and has an f/1.8 aperture while the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.4 aperture. In between the two cameras is a quad-LED True Tone flash. Both the front and back cameras have the portrait mode. The rear cameras have the portrait lighting feature, just like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

The Apple iPhone X is also the most expensive iPhone ever. The 64GB variant in India is priced at Rs 89000 and if you want more storage, you will have to shell out a whopping Rs 102,000 for the 256GB variant.

November 3, 2017
Is This What The OnePlus 5T Will Look Like?

OnePlus confirmed that the OnePlus 5T is a real phone and not the work of someone’s imagination. It is expected that the OnePlus 5T will have a new design and display with same hardware as the OnePlus 5. On the 3rd of November, OPPO, OnePlus’ parent company launched the OPPO R11s and R11s Plus with thin bezels and tall displays and 18:9 aspect ratio. The OnePlus 5, when it was launched in June 2017 looked almost identical to the OPPO R11. This means that it is fair to assume that the OnePlus 5T will take a lot of design cues from the OPPO R11s.

The rumours and the launch of the OPPO R11s falls in line as well. The OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental rather than a drastic upgrade over the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have a 6-inch AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. A tall display means that the phone will be sleeker than the OnePlus 5 and have thinner bezels as well. The fingerprint sensor is expected to be relocated to the back of the phone just above the OnePlus logo. All of these design elements can be found on the OPPO R11s as well.

Apart from a design change, the OnePlus 5T is expected to have the same hardware as the OnePlus 5. When the OnePlus 3T was launched, it had the same design and hardware except for a bigger battery and a new chipset. In this case, since the OnePlus 5 already has the best flagship chipset, the OnePlus 5T will stick to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 6GB/8GB of RAM.

OnePlus has just confirmed that the upcoming OnePlus 5T will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack which is a good news for anyone waiting to upgrade to the OnePlus 5T. The speculated date of launch of the OnePlus 5T is the 20th of November and if that turns out to be true, then OnePlus should be sending out press invites soon.

November 3, 2017
The OnePlus 5T Is Real And Will Have A Headphone Jack

The OnePlus 5T has been leaked in listings and renders for the past few weeks now. Ever since the first render we saw a few weeks ago, the OnePlus 5T’s possible launch seems more imminent with every passing day. In a post on the OnePlus forum, Pete, co-founder of OnePlus wrote about the importance of a headphone jack and titled it, ‘The OnePlus 5T – Let’s talk about the headphone jack’. This post all but confirms that Chinese smartphone maker will be launching the OnePlus 5T soon.

Pete talks about the importance of a 3.5mm headphone jack and why OnePlus, at least for the time being, won’t be getting rid of it even when most of the smartphone makers appear to have moved on from it.

That’s why we prioritize the user and make good technology accessible. Sometimes, industry trends go against our core beliefs. This is one of those times when we respectfully disagree on what it means to be courageous.

Over the course of past few weeks, apart from the usual leaks and renders we see of every phone, the OnePlus co-founders Carl Pei and Pete Lau have taken to Twitter to tease the portrait mode of an upcoming phone. They posted portrait mode photos with cryptic captions and has intrigued consumers and the tech community alike.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/925042536124522496

The OnePlus social media team has also jumped the hype train. In a Twitter post, OnePlus shared an image of 5 cups of tea, which suggests ‘OnePlus 5T’. Till now, all of this seemed like speculation and hoping a OnePlus 5T launch because of such cryptic social media activity was highly optimistic. But, this new post on the OnePlus forum by a OnePlus employee all but confirms that the OnePlus 5T is real.

Oh, look! It's five cups of… pic.twitter.com/vWWWxyiUuf

— OnePlus (@oneplus) November 1, 2017

Just like the OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental update rather than a drastic new upgrade in terms of hardware. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as it is the current flagship chipset. The dual cameras at the back are also expected to be the same as found on the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have a 6 inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 x resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The smartphone is expected to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with OnePlus’ Oxygen OS on top. The 2017 flagship will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with a combination of either 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage or a whopping 8GB RAM and 128 of storage which can not be expanded. The OnePlus 5T is also expected feature dual cameras on the back, one of the main cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP camera with an aperture of F/1.7 . The secondary telephoto lens is used for 2X lossless optical zoom and a ‘portrait mode’ for blurred background images.

The speculated date of launch of the OnePlus 5T is the 20th of November and if that turns out to be true, then OnePlus should be sending out press invites soon.

November 3, 2017
Unboxing The Xiaomi Redmi Y1
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSSr6XhjiXk[/embedyt]

Xiaomi has launched a new lineup of Android powered smartphones in India. The new series, a part of the Redmi lineup will focus on the growing craze of selfies. The Redmi Y1 Lite and Redmi Y1 were launched as the first two smartphones in this lineup. The Redmi Y1 Lite will retail for a price of Rs 6999 and the Redmi Y1 is priced at Rs 8999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant and Rs 10999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant. The Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite will go on sale on the 8th of November on Amazon exclusively. Let’s unbox the Redmi Y1 and see what we get inside the box:
- Xiaomi Redmi Y1
- Documentation
- Micro USB cable for charging and data syncing
- Wall charger
- Sim ejector tool
The Redmi Y1 is built similar to a lot of other Redmi phones. A fingerprint sensor placed at the back with antenna lines on the top and bottom of the device and soft metal finish are reminiscent of a lot of other Redmi phones like the Redmi Note 4 for example.

The Redmi Y1 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection.

The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. The Redmi Y1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, Adreno 505, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 has a front facing 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. 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.
November 2, 2017
HTC U11 Life Launched In Two Variants

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.

Following up the launch of the flagship phone, the HTC U11+, the HTC U11 Life will be a part of the ‘U’ lineup from HTC and pegged as a mid-range device. The HTC U11 Life will offer the consumers a choice between custom skin and pure stock Android OS without compromising on any other aspect. The HTC U11 Life has HTC’s new “liquid surface” design language with two glossy panels that meld into a metal frame.

The HTC U11 Life has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution which translates to a 16:9 aspect ratio. The HTC U11+ also has Corning Gorilla Glass on top of the display.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button that is placed below the 5.2 inch display. The 3.5mm headphone jack is missing on the U11 Life but, the box will include a pair of USB C earphones with active noise canceling. Powering the device is a small 2600 mAh battery.

The HTC U11 Life has a 16MP rear-mounted camera with an f/2.0 aperture and PDAF. Similar to the HTC U11+, the camera records 4K and slo-mo videos as well. On the front of the device is a 16 MP fixed focus sensor with an f/2.0 aperture which records 1080P videos.

The Edge Sense feature from the U11 retains its place with new features and more customisability. With the HTC U11 Life, you can assign a light squeeze to access Google Assistant, and a hard squeeze to access the Amazon Alexa and vice versa. The squeeze feature is now a remappable button and can perform specific tasks depending on which app you’re in. If you have the YouTube app, you can remap the squeeze to take you to the subscriptions window or if you are in Google Maps, you squeeze to zoom in or zoom out. HTC has also added a new radial menu which can be accessed with a squeeze. It is a round shaped menu which customises on the basis of your usage.

November 2, 2017
HTC U11+ Launched At A Price Of EUR 699

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.

HTC U11

HTC seems to have finally caught up with 2017 flagships by offering a phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The HTC U11+ has a new 6-inch IPS LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top of the display and at the back. The tall display means the bezels on the HTC U11+ are thinner than the ones found on the HTC U11.

The smartphone is powered by a 3930 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. Similar to the HTC U11, HTC U11+ has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, an octa-core processor, and Adreno 540 GPU. The HTC u11+ further has 6GB of RAM and 128GB onboard storage which can be further expanded up to 2TB. The HTC U11+ is IP68 rated water and dust resistant and due to the thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is now placed below the rear-mounted camera.

The HTC U11+ has a 12.2MP rear-mounted camera with an f/1.7 aperture with optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. The camera can record 4K videos at 30fps and slo-mo 1080P videos at 120fps. On the front of the phone is an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and fixed focus. The front-facing camera can record 1080P videos at 30fps.via microSD card.

The HTC U11+ runs Android 8.0 Oreo with HTC’s Sense UI on top.

The Edge Sense feature from the HTC U11 retains its place albeit new features and customisability. With AI’s gaining more prominence, HTC has provided both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to give people the flexibility and choose which AI assistant they prefer. You can assign a light squeeze to access Google Assistant, and a hard squeeze to access the Amazon Alexa and vice versa. The squeeze feature is now a remappable button and can perform specific tasks depending on which app you’re in. If you have the YouTube app, you can remap the squeeze to take you to the subscriptions window or if you are in Google Maps, you squeeze to zoom in or zoom out. HTC has also added a new radial menu which can be accessed with a squeeze. It is a round shaped menu which customises on the basis of your usage.

HTC cleared the air of scepticism surrounding its smartphone business after the co operative agreement with Google, which saw its smartphone division’s personnel moving to work with Google. HTC announced in the press release after the agreement that it will continue making smartphones and with the launch of two new smartphones, it appears that HTC still has the desire to compete for smartphone supremacy with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple. How the phones perform in the market is yet to be seen but, on paper at least, the HTC U11+ has all the specifications of a successful 2017 flagship phone.

November 2, 2017
MIUI 9 Update In India To Start Rolling Out In November

At an event in Delhi on the 2nd of November, Xiaomi announced that MIUI 9 update will start rolling out to compatible devices in November. The compatible devices for MIUI 9 are

Mi 2, Mi 3, Mi 4, Redmi Note 4G, Mi Note, Mi 4i, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi Note 4G Prime, Redmi Note 2, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi 5, Mi 5s, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3, Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime, Mi Mix 2, Mi Note 3, Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 4xX, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite.

Faster App Launching Speed

One of the main criticisms of MIUI has been its sluggish nature and the slow speed of general usage even in the flagship devices. Keeping that in mind, Xiaomi has promised much faster app launching speeds and navigation between multiple apps will be snappier as well. Performance enhancements are always welcome and this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Chinese giant.

Under The Hood Updates

Xiaomi has also introduced MIUI 9 with a few features that run in the background for example application prioritisation. This basically means that apps in the foreground will use up more power, but that has been on Android for a while. It also has better cache management, a new file system and a bunch of other tweaks to make the user experience crisper and snappier.

The ‘Smart’ Features

Xiaomi has also launched its Smart Assistant to compete with the likes of Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa and even Bixby. The voice assistant will be available in China only for the time being as localisation of the software may take time. Image search allows you to search your image talliers by image context keywords, so if you a looking for pictures with dogs that you have clicked you will be able to do that. The Smart App Launcher is a feature that makes a lot of sense as well. It basically means that you can open up a relevant app on the basis of the content on your current app. For example, if a friend sends you a restaurant’s name, you can open up Zomato to look up the restaurant.

Split-screen Is here, Finally.

The split-screen feature was one of the major upgrades in Android Nougat and a plethora of phones from mid-rangers to flagships have embraced this handy little feature. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has launched it just now with MIUI 9 and it’s a welcome update.

Here's the update schedule for MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM. For more information, check the thread here – https://t.co/c7Rm5YrZOv pic.twitter.com/81fp96rvpH

— Xiaomi HyperOS India (@XiaomiHyperOSIN) November 2, 2017

The beta version of MIUI 9 will start rolling out to Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2 and Mi Max 2 on the 3rd of November.

November 2, 2017
Xiaomi Launches Redmi Y1 And Redmi Y1 Lite At A Starting Price Of Rs 6999

Xiaomi has launched its first ever selfie focussed Android phone lineup in India. The Redmi Y1 and the Redmi Y1 Lite are the first part of a new lineup of smartphones in India which will focus on selfies. Along with the new phone, Xiaomi also introduced MIUI 9 in India. Launched back in August in China, the MIUI 9 brings new features like split-screen and CPU acceleration and new themes.

Redmi Y1 Lite

The cheaper of the two phones, the Redmi Y1 Lite has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection. The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. Under the hood, the smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 Lite has a 13MP rear-mounted camera with PDAF. On the front is a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and pro beauty mode. The Redmi Y1 Lite is priced at Rs 6999.

Redmi Y1

The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 has a starting price tag of Rs 8999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage is priced at Rs 10999. The Redmi Y1 also has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection. The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. The Redmi Y1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, Adreno 505, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 has a front facing 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. 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.

Both the phones will see their first sale on the 8th of November and will be sold online via Amazon Exclusively. The Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite will also be sold offline in Mi Home, Big Bazaar, Reliance Digital and various offline partners. Idea is offering up to 280GB 4G data to existing Idea customers.

November 2, 2017