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Spec Battle: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 vs Lenovo Vibe K4 Note vs LeEco Le1s

The smartphone market in India is heating up like never before. With the Indian mobile phone market turning into the next frontier for most smartphone makers, we’re currently witnessing phone manufacturers launch devices with great under the hood specs for extremely competitive prices.

At the forefront of this battle for supremacy to win over the burgeoning budget smartphone market has been Xiaomi, exchanging punch for punch with the likes of Lenovo and LeEco which have already declared India a priority market for their products.

In the latest blow to its competiton, Xiaomi has unveiled the much anticipated Redmi Note 3 in India today. The phablet which comes with decent specifications will be available in two variants of 2GB RAM with 16GB of inbuilt storage, while the other is 3GB RAM and has 32GB storage. The pricing is set at a very competetive, Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 for the two variants.

The phone with its spec sheet and the price is a direct competitor to phones like LeEco Le 1s and Lenovo Vibe K4 Note which themselves come as brilliant propositions under the sub-Rs 12000 bracket. Let’s find out which of these three is the winner when it comes to the spec table.

Specification	Xiaomi Redmi Note 3	LeEco Le 1s	Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
Display	5.5-inch Full HD Display	5.5-inch Full HD Display	5.5 inches Full HD Display
Resolution	1920×1080(403 ppi)	1920 X 1080 (403 ppi)	1080 x 1920 pixels (~401 ppi pixel density)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC	2.2 GHz MediaTek’s Helio X10	Octa-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU	Adreno 510	VR G6200	Mali-T720MP3
RAM	2GB/3GB	3GB	3 GB
Storage	16 GB, 32 GB	32GB	32 GB/ 64 GB/ 128 GB
Expandability	microSD, up to 128 GB	N/A	microSD, up to 128 GB
Rear Camera	16 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED	13 MP, High-Definition, f2.0 aperture, ISOCELL technology, PDAF, 4K video	13 MP, f/2.2, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED
Front Camera	5 MP, f/2.0, 1080p	5 MP	5 MP
Battery	4050mAh	3000mAh	3300 mAh battery
Connectivity	4G+, Wi-Fi 802.11ad, VoLTE, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, VoLTE	dual SIM slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G	dual SIM slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, 4G
Operating System	Android 5.1.1 Lolipop with MIUI 7	Android 5.1 with custom EUI running on top	Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop)
Price	Rs 9,999/ Rs11,999	Rs 10,999	Rs 11.999

March 3, 2016

Xiaomi Announces Mi 5 Coming to India in April

On the sidelines of the Redmi Note 3 India launch in New Delhi, Xiaomi’s VP, Hugo Barra, took off the lid over the company’s plans to bring their flagship, Mi 5 to India. To a thunderous applause of over 8000 fans at the Talkatora stadium, Barra revealed that Xiaomi had already gotten over 16 million registrations for the Mi 5 in China, and that next it plans to bring the flagship phone to Indian users in a month’s time.

Along with this, Hugo Barra also revealed the company’s plans to sell in the country a beautiful looking Mi Bluetooth Speakers for Rs 1999 and soon to be commercially announced Mi Powerbank which can hold a charge of up to 20,000mAh.

The Xiaomi Mi 5 upon launch in the country will be available in three variants. The Mi 5 (32 GB storage and 3 GB RAM) is priced at RMB 1999 (Approx Rs 21,000), the Mi 5 64 GB variant is priced at RMB 2299 (Approx Rs 24,000) and the Mi 5 Pro with 128 GB storage and 4 GB RAM will be available for a price of Rs 2699 (Approx Rs 28,500).

The three variants will be run by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 64-bit quad-core chipset. The Mi 5 comes equipped with a Sony IMX298 16 megapixel sensor with dual-tone LED flash, PDAF, OIS, and 4K video recording. It sports a 4 megapixel front camera with 2um pixel size. It has a 3000 mAh battery with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology. Panel on all the variants will be 5.15-inch QHD IPS display.

March 3, 2016

Xiaomi Launches Redmi Note 3 in India

Xiaomi has finally unveiled its Redmi Note 3 phablet in India at an event held at the Talkatora Stadium in Delhi on 3rd March 2016 which saw 8000 Mi fans attend the launch event. This device which has already been launched in China has been highly awaited in India for some time now. Xiaomi which didn’t bring the predecessor to the Redmi Note 3, the Redmi Note 2, to India will look to stir up the market with its latest offering.

The Redmi Note 3 is an extension of a growing effort by Xiaomi to focus on design and produce beautiful looking phones. This device comes with a full-metal unibody design, with a 5.5-inch 1080p display with pixel density of 403 ppi adorning the front of the phone. It will be available in silver, gold, and gray color options.

The Redmi Note 3 is powered by a Snapdragon 650 SoC that comes with an Adreno 510 GPU. The phablet will come in two variants of 16GB storage with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB storage with 3GB of RAM. Both variants will come packing a non-removable 4,050mAh battery to keep them going through the day.

Coming to the camera, both the variants are equipped with a 16MP rear unit with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED flash and a 5MP front shooter. The Redmi Note 3 also brings with it a fingerprint scanner that can be used to click pictures with both the front and the back camera.

On the connectivity front, the phone comes with dual sim connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Bluetooth v4.1, A2DP, LE, VoLTE and supports fast battery charging tech. It also runs Android 5.1.1 Lolipop with MIUI 7 skin out of the box. The device with its infrared sensor can also be used as a universal remote for devices in your home.

The pricing of the phone is pretty competitive and for all the impressive under the hood specs the price point of Rs 9,999 for 2GB/16GB variant and the Rs 11,999 for the 3GB/32GB variant is indeed a blockbuster. The phone will go on sale starting 9th march 2 PM in its first flash sale on Amazon, but will later be expanded to offline and other online partners.

Specs	Xiaomi Redmi Note 3
Display	5.5 inches Full HD Display
Resolution	1920 x 1080
Dimensions	150 x 76 x 8.7 mm
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC
GPU	Adreno 510
RAM	2GB / 3GB LPDDR4
Storage	16GB / 32GB flash storage
Rear Camera	16 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, dual-LED
Front Camera	5 MP, f/2.0, 1080p
Expandability	128GB via microSD
Battery	4050mAh
Connectivity	4G+, Wi-Fi 802.11ad, VoLTE, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, Bluetooth v4.1, A-GPS, GLONASS, NFC, VoLTE
OS	Android 5.1.1 Lolipop with MIUI 7
Price	Rs 9,999/ Rs11,999

March 3, 2016

Apple’s iPhone 7 to Skip 16GB for a Possible 256GB Variant

In news that will excite, as well as disappoint apple fans world over, the Cupertino-based tech giant according to latest reports is all set to bring its next flagship, iPhone 7 in an all new 256GB variant. What the company is going to skip on in returm is the 16GB storage variant.

This move will miff users in growing markets such as India who planned on buying the cheaper 16GB variant of the upcoming phone. The phone is expected to come in 32GB, 64GB,128GB and 256GB variants .No pricing details for the variants is avaialble currently.

Coming to the phone itself, the iPhone 7 is expected to come with an all new design scheme, and is expected to not come with a headphone jack. The phone will also be seeing a new full body speaker chamber that is expected to improve sound quality. For the rest of the specs, the phone will come with 2GB RAM,and the same TFT-LCD display. The processor on the phone should be the A9 SoC.

March 3, 2016
iPhones to get OLED Displays in 2017

According to reports from coming out of China, Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple, had reached out to rivals Samsung and LG towards the end of 2015 to strike a deal to produce OLED panels for Apple. Reports further claim that this deal with the South Korean tech companies could well run over $12 billion.

These Oled displays are expected to be for an iPhone 7s that Apple could launch in 2017, or could also be for the upcoming iPhone 7 if Apple plans to push back the date of launch a bit. The iPhone 7 is expected to come groundbreaking tech innovations and is looked as a device that Apple is banking heavily after the sub-par performance of the company in 2015.

OLED displays produce better colors, darker blacks, and offer more energy efficient operations than LCD panels have done in the past. Samsung has used AMOLED panels for many different Galaxy phones in the past several years, and probably it is time Apple also goes for the same displays.

Source

March 3, 2016
Samsung Galaxy J7 and J5 (2016) Photos are Out

Late last month, we got some specifications of the new, updated Galaxy J7 handset. Samsung had launched the Galaxy J7 and J5 in summer last year, which were the first handsets to feature front-facing LED lights. 2016 has been all about updating the Galaxy series. Today, we have some photos of the Galaxy J7 and J5, released by China’s Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center.

The J7 and J5 look very similar to their predecessors, expect the 2016 models will have some bumped up specs and will come with a tad bigger screen size. The Galaxy J7 (2016) will have a 5.5-inch 1080p display while the J5 (2016) will have a smaller 5.2-inch 720p display.

Under the hood, the Galaxy J7 will pack a Snapdragon 650 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM. The 2016 model of the J7 will come with a 13MP camera on the back, with a 5 MP shooter at the front. The kernel code also lists the J7 to come packing a fingerprint sensor and lists a 4300mAh rated battery to power the device.

The Galaxy J5 (2016), on the other hand, will have lower specs, being the smaller and cheaper of the two. While the cameras on both the devices remain the same, the J5 will be powered by a quad-core 1.2 GHz processor, with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage.

Samsung has yet to make the devices official, and what we know so far are only based off of the Chinese certification listings. Since the Galaxy J7 has already been certified, the launch of the devices can be expected within this month.

March 3, 2016
Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro Revealed in Images

With all the leaks and rumors coming thick and fast about Samsung’s Galaxy A9 Pro, it looks like the time for its official announcement is very near. We know that the A9 Pro is a beefed up version of the Galaxy A9. This means the phone will come with specifications that are a notch higher than what you would find on the Galaxy A9. Today, the Chinese certification website TENAA, has revealed what the device looks like, and unsurprisingly, it looks exactly like the Galaxy A9.

The original Galaxy A9 looked beautiful, with a Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and back. Indeed, the A9 looked and felt the part of the most premium model in the A series. Looking at the images from TENAA, the A9 Pro will go with the exact same look as well. The Galaxy A9 also came with a massive 6-inch Full HD AMOLED display and a metal frame, and the A9 Pro is likely to follow suit.

On the specification front, the A9 Pro will bump up some specs from what you find in the A9. The A9 Pro will be powered by Snapdragon 652 chipset and feature 32GB of internal storage. The RAM will get a bump from 3GB to 4GB.

The phone’s camera gets an upgrade and moves up from a 13MP primary camera to 16MP. This will also mean the A9 Pro won’t have the same sensor as the rest of the A (2016) lineup. The A9 Pro comes with an 8-Megapixel camera at the front. Finally, the handset will run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Source

March 3, 2016
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Launch Event : Watch it Here

Xiaomi is all set to launch its much anticipated, Redmi Note 3 phablet tomorrow. The device has been talked about in a great deal for a long time now. We’ve had leaks and specifications about the device, and in less that 24 hours, we’ll know how much of it was true.Xiaomi’s launch event kicks off at 2:00PM IST tomorrow and it will be live streamed online. Here’s how you will be able to follow the launch event online tomorrow.

This device which has already been launched in China has been highly awaited in India for some time now. The Redmi Note 3 comes with a full-metal unibody design, as well as a fingerprint scanner, and sports a 5.5-inch 1080p display which is going to be powered by a Snapdragon 650 SoC.

The phablet is expected in two variants of 16GB storage with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB storage with 3GB of RAM. Both variants come with 4,050mAh battery packs.The camera on the two variants of the phablet will be a 16MP rear unit and a 5MP front shooter. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 will run Android 5.0.2 Lolipop out of the box. Pricing details are still awaited.

March 2, 2016
9.7-Inch Apple iPad Pro to Feature 12MP Camera

When Apple brought out the powerful, ginormous iPad Pro, it was certain that the 12.9-inch tablet would reach only the wealthy few (being priced at $1079). Cut to 2016 and rumours of a 9.7-inch iPad Pro variant began that reignited hope for a powerful yet affordable tablet for Apple fans. It is rumored that the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will feature essentially the same features as its elder sibling.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro is said to be powered by the A9X chipset, include 4GB of RAM, feature quad-speakers, and support both the Apple Pencil and the Smart Keyboard. The one area missing from speculations was regarding the rear camera, which today’s rumour claims will be at 12MP, much like the one found in the iPhone 6s.

Apple iPad Pro

While the original iPad Pro came with an 8MP rear camera, the new 9.7-inch version will get a major bump to 12MP and will also feature 4K video recording as well. Meanwhile, The new, smaller iPad Pro will be available in the same color options as the larger model (Silver, Gold and Space Gray). It also will be available in Wi-Fi (32GB and 128GB) and Wi-Fi+ Cellular (128GB) just like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro.

The 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be unveiled along with the iPhone SE and an updated Apple Watch at a media event on March 22.

March 2, 2016
iPhone SE Concepts: Pick a Favorite

We’ve entered the month of March, which means we’re just three weeks away from the first Apple event of 2016. This event will see the unveiling of a 4-inch iPhone, called iPhone SE, and a 9.7-inch iPad Pro variant. When it comes to the iPhone SE, there have been a lot of rumours regarding the specifications.

Going by the flagship models and seeing as how the iPhone SE is aimed at a mid-range market, it becomes a little easier to make a few guesses at what the specifications can be. However, the design of the iPhone SE is shrouded in mystery and there have been a lot of renders and concepts that have emerged ever since talk about the 4-inch iPhone began. While some feel that the iPhone SE will look like the iPhone 5 lineup (since initially the 4-inch handset was called the iPhone 5se), others feel it’ll quite simply be a miniaturised version of the iPhone 6 and 6s. Whatever may be the case, it is likely that the design of the iPhone SE will look like any one of these most likely contestants below.

These concepts are among the likeliest design language that the upcoming 4-inch iPhone could take after. The 9to5mac version shows a flat edged design, much like the iPhone 5 family while the other two show a curved edge design as the current generation of iPhones. A 4-inch iPhone that brings back the iPhone 5 design language would please Apple fans a lot and would bring back some favour as well. After all, The iPhone 5 series has been one of Apple’s most successful iPhones lineup, and the Cupertino giant could do well in reincarnating it with the iPhone SE.

Popular Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo expects the iPhone SE to feature a 12MP rear camera rather than an 8MP module as earlier expected. Kuo also added that the handset will fall between $400 to $500 and will be available in two variants – one with 16GB of internal storage and the other with 64GB. Lastly, the iPhone SE will pack a 1642mAh battery, and will be equipped with Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The iPhone SE along with the 9.7-inch iPad Pro will be unveiled at an event on March 22.

Source

March 1, 2016
Lenovo Teaser Hints at Possible Vibe K5 and K5 Plus Launch on 15th March

Lenovo which quietly unveiled two new budget handsets for consumers around the world at the Mobile World Congress, 2016, looks set to be bringing them to one of its biggest markets sooner rather than later. The Vibe K5, and K5 Plus whose launch went under the radar amongst the other high profile launches at the biggest mobile phone expo of the world, look set to be coming to India on 15th of March.

Earlier the company in Barcelona had hinted at market availability of the phone by end of March.This teaser circulated by Lenovo today suggests a “Knockout” announcement that the company has in store for the media on the 15th of March, 2016. Our best bet is the company will reveal the pricing and availability details of the upcoming K5 and K5 Plus in India at the event.

Coming to the handsets, both handsets sport 5-inch displays, with the difference in display resolution and on-board SoC setting them apart. The Vibe K5 comes with a 720p display and a Snapdragon 415 SoC while its bigger sibling comes with a 1080p display and Snapdragon 616 SoC.

The Vibe K5 and K5 Plus share specs when it comes to the 2GB LPDDR3 RAM, 16GB inbuilt storage and microSD expansion slot for expandable memory. Both phones also come packing a 2750mAh battery pack to keep them powered on.

Connectivity options on the handsets reveal them to be LTE enabled, and come with 13-MP unit at the back, and an 8-MP unit at the front. Further, both these handsets boast of Dual-Sim connectivity and come with Android 5.1 Lolipop, and house Dolby Atmos-powered stereo speakers in their chassis.

The pricing of the phones as revealed by Lenovo at MWC 2016 peg the Vibe K5 to come for $129 ( Approx Rs 8800), while theVibe K5 Plus will retail for $149( Approx Rs 10200).

March 1, 2016
Xiaomi Mi 5 Scores Close to 17 Million Registrations for First Flash Sale

Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi, recently announced its latest flagship, the Mi 5, after a long wait of two years at the Mobile World Congress, 2016. This much-awaited phone whose registration for the first flash sale ended yesterday received a staggering 16.8 million registration requests in just 5 days.

The numbers might seem big, but considering what the Mi 5 packs at a highly affordable price coupled with Xiaomi’s brand reputation in China, such exaggerated interest in Xiaomi’s latest offering makes sense.

The base model of the Xiaomi MI 5 comes with a top of the line, Snapdragon 820 running the show paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The display on the phone is 5.1.5-inch screen Full HD display and all of this is powered using a non-replaceable 3000mAh battery.The camera setup on the phone is also something special. The rear unit is a 16-Megapixel Sony IMX298, PDAF, 4-axis OIS. Xiaomi is selling this package for a meagre RMB 1,999( Approx Rs 21,000)

The phone is expected to make it to Indian shores in the coming weeks where its fan following is almost as great as it enjoys in China. No exact pricing details for the Indian markets has been revealed but expect the company to make announcements soon.

March 1, 2016
Apple vs FBI : Federal Court Rules in Favour of Privacy

This are heating up in Apple’s fight with the FBI. On the eve of a Congressional hearing about the Department of Justice’s fight with Apple over unlocking San Bernardino terror suspect’s iPhone, a court in Brooklyn in a separate case has rejected an FBI request to order Apple to unlock the phone of a drug dealer.

The Department of Justice of the United States had first sought access to the phone in the Brooklyn case in October, months before a court in California ordered Apple to help authorities gain access to the phone of a terror suspect.

In stark contradiction to the San Bernardino terror case, Judge James Orenstein has ruled that “he did not have the legal authority to order Apple to disable the security of an iPhone that was seized during a drug investigation”

Although the judge in the San Bernardino case, will not be bound by Orenstein’s decision, analysts expect it to be influential. In both cases, the government relies on the All Writs Act.

Orenstein in his ruling indirectly gave support to the key arguments Apple is making in its other, higher-profile fight with the government. He hinted, the All Writs Act (AWA) can’t be used to order a technology company to manipulate its products. He further said. “The implications of the government’s position are so far-reaching – both in terms of what it would allow today and what it implies about Congressional intent in 1789 – as to produce impermissibly absurd results,”

March 1, 2016
Lenovo to bring a 4.7-inch Zuk Smartphone

The rumor mill has churned out some pretty interesting news for us today. Latest rumors out of China suggests that Lenovo, under its sub-brand, ZUK, is currently developing a ‘mini’ smartphone with a display size of 4.7-inch. This phone will appeal primarily to people who consider most of todays handsets too big to handle and will directly counter the upcoming IPhone 5se.

The small4.7 inch display will be offered in two hardware variants, with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in storage, and the other 3GB of RAM and 32GB of space.

The handset comes packing a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset that will have 8 cores of Cortex-A53 CPU running at 2 GHz, and the Mali-T860MP2 GPU.The phone will have a fingerprint scanner, though its placement is unclear for now, and design scheme of the phone could take cues from ZUK’S Z1.

Apart from this not much is known about the phone, apart from rumors that claim for the international version of the phone to come running Cyanogen OS (like is the case with the Z1).

March 1, 2016
Asus Zenfones to Get Android 6.0 Marshmallow Update in March

Asus has announced that it will roll out Android 6.0 update to a host of devices that in March 2016.The Taiwanese smartphone maker which is infamous for rolling out updates slower than most other manufacturers has revealed that it will be rolling out the latest offering from the kitchen of Android to a range of its ZenFone handsets. If your smartphone is not among those announced by Asus, chances are your device is not getting updated, so hard luck.

The following ASUS smartphone models will receive the Android M (6.0) upgrade in March of 2016:

· ZenFone 2 (ZE550ML, ZE551ML)
· ZenFone 2 Deluxe (ZE551ML)
· ZenFone 2 Laser ( ZE500KL, ZE550KL, ZE601KL)
· ZenFone Selfie (ZD551KL)
· ZenFone Max (ZC550KL)
· ZenFone Zoom (ZX551ML)

February 29, 2016