Category: iG Pick

Pick of the Top

Top Smartphones Of 2017 Under Rs. 40000

We are continuing our countdown of listing out the best phones launched in 2017. We have covered two price segments of under Rs. 10000 and Rs. 20000 already. Let’s take a look at the top phones launched in 2017 under Rs. 40000.

Moto X4

Starting off with the most inexpensive phone on the list, the Moto X4 has a lot of features that its closest competitors don’t, like an IP68 rating and a dual-camera setup together. At a starting price of Rs. 20999, the Moto X4 is a great device for people who want a great camera and a water resistance.

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection.

The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The smartphone runs stock Android 8.0 Oreo and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities.

The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

The Moto X4 has a dual-camera setup at the back. The main camera is a 12MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, and the 8MP secondary camera with an f/2.2 aperture is equipped with a wide-angle lens. The dual-cameras allow users to have depth effect shots, bokeh effect shots, ultra-wide angle shots, and selective focus shots. On the front of the device is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. The cameras record 4K videos at 30 FPS.

Honor 8 Pro

Competitively priced, great performance, big battery, and a dual-camera setup, the Honor 8 Pro was launched as a competitor of the OnePlus 5. The Honor 8 Pro has 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 px display which is ideal for media consumption via VR.

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The Honor 8 Pro has 128 GB of storage along with 6GB of RAM. The Honor 8 Pro runs on the Kirin 960 chipset which is an octa-core chip – four high-performance Cortex A73 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four low-power Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.8Ghz.

The phone also has a large 4000 mAh battery and fast charge capabilities, with long battery modes built into Honor’s user interface. The camera setup consists of two cameras, 12+12 MP shooters, where one is a monochrome camera while the other is RGB. The front camera is an 8 MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)

Priced similarly to the Moto X4, the Galaxy A7 (2017) has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance as well.

It has a 5.7-inch Super AMOLED display and a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, the device has an Exynos 7880, Mali-T830MP3 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the physical button which sits below the display.

The device runs Android 6 Marshmallow and is powered by a decent 3000 mAh battery which is charged via a USB C port.

The Galaxy A7 (2017) has a 16MP camera on both the front as well as the rear. These cameras have an f/1.9 aperture which has been teamed up with Light+ technology.

OnePlus 5

OnePlus 5 might have become the forgotten sibling but, at the time of its launch, the device had a lot going for it. A sturdy built, nice display and flagship specifications at almost half the price, the OnePlus 5 was the go-to phone for a lot of consumers. However, five months after its launch, the company launched the OnePlus 5T with a modern design and the same price. The company subsequently announced that it will stop the manufacturing of the OnePlus 5 although, software support will continue until the launch of Android P.

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The OnePlus 5 has a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, Adreno 540 GPU, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage which cannot be expanded. The fingerprint sensor is placed below the display which also acts as a home button.

The smartphone is powered by a 3300 mAh battery with OnePlus’ own Dash Charge technology.

The OnePlus 5 has a 16 MP wide camera with an f/1.7 aperture along with a 20 MP telephoto camera with an f/2.6 aperture. On the front is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

OnePlus 5T

The OnePlus 5T is the better-looking of the two phones by OnePlus. It was launched in November and has reduced bezels around a tall 18:9 display. The OnePlus 5T also has a new Face Unlock feature which will soon be rolled out to the OnePlus 5 as well. The OnePlus 5T has the same specifications as the OnePlus 5 and is also priced exactly the same.

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The other big difference between the two is in the camera department. Unlike the OnePlus 5, the OnePlus 5T no longer has a secondary telephoto lens at the back. Instead, OnePlus has decided to focus on the device’s low-light photography capabilities. The cameras do not have OIS and OnePlus has decided to go for EIS on the dual camera setup at the back. The device has a 16MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture coupled with a 20MP sensor with the same f/1.7 aperture and field of view, ie no optical zoom. On the front is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Nokia 8

The Nokia 8 was a significant smartphone for HMD Global. It was the first ever Nokia branded flagship running Android OS. At the time of its launch, everyone expected it to be priced over Rs. 40000 but, the device launched in India at a price of Rs. 36999.

The Nokia 8 sports a 5.3 inch 2560 x 1440 px display and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection.

Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 2.45GHz octa-core processor, the Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button below the screen.

Powering the device is a 3,090mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support via USB Type-C port. The Nokia 8 runs on stock Android 7.1.1 OS and the company has promised monthly security updates and yearly Android updates.

The Nokia 8 boasts a Zeiss powered dual camera setup at the rear – a primary 13MP RGB (colour) sensor with optical image stabilisation paired with a 13MP secondary monochrome (black and white) sensor and an f/2.0 aperture. The dual-camera setup is capable of recording videos in 4K at 30 FPS and has a portrait mode for bokeh effect. On the front is a 13MP camera which can also record 4K videos at 30FPS.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro

Another Samsung device with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, the Galaxy C9 Pro is priced under Rs. 30000 which makes it a very good phone for users who prefer Samsung’s build and design.

The Galaxy C9 Pro has a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is again housed inside the physical home button which sits below the display.

The Galaxy C9 Pro has a massive 4000 mAh battery which charges via a USB C port.

The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has a 16MP camera on both the front as well as the rear. These cameras have an f/1.9 aperture and record 1080P videos at 30fps.

Honor View10

The latest entrant in the affordable flagship segment, the Honor View10 is expected to be priced under Rs. 40000 and pose competition to the likes of the OnePlus 5T and Nokia8. The only smartphone in this category that concentrates on Artificial Intelligence, this phone has everything an affordable flagship should have, and the bells and whistles of the Kirin 970 are a bonus.

The Honor View10 has a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor View10 has minimal side bezels and thin top and bottom bezels.

Under the hood, the device has the Kirin 970 chipset with a Neural Processing Unit, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack at the bottom of the device along with a USB Type C port. The front of the device also has a home button which houses the fingerprint sensor.

The Honor View10 also has facial recognition which is becoming more prominent since the launch of the iPhone X. The facial recognition works similar to the Face ID on the iPhone X, the accuracy of which, will be extensively tested in the coming weeks.

Because of its facial recognition technology, the Honor View10 also has iPhone X-like animojis, which Honor claims are much more accurate than iPhone X since it tracks the user’s tongue as well.

Powering the device is a 3750 mAh battery and supports 5V / 4.5A fast charging.

The Honor View10 has a dual camera setup at the back and has a single camera at the front. The back of the devices houses a 16MP RGB sensor and a 20MP Monochrome sensor with both having an f/1.8 aperture. The primary camera setup records 4K videos at 30fps. At the front of the phone is a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is the second iteration of Xiaomi’s ‘Mix’ lineup. The original Mi Mix created quite a stir when it was launched back in 2016 thanks to its bezel-less design. It was the first phone at that time to sport such a design and ever since then, every smartphone maker has followed suit and made thinner bezels for their phones.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has a 5.99 inch 2160 x 1080 px LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Mi Mix 2 has a 12% reduced bottom bezel and a screen-to-body ratio of 80.8%. The device features a cantilever piezoelectric ceramic acoustic speaker and ultrasonic proximity sensor.

Under the hood, the flagship smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, Adreno 540 GPU, 6GB RAM and storage options of 64GB, 128GB or 256GB. The onboard storage will not be expandable due to the absence of a microSD card slot. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the device just below the camera.

The device is powered by a 3,400 mAh battery which is considerably smaller than the previous generation Mix’s 4,400 mAh battery.

The Mi Mix has a 12MP Sony IMX386 sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture 4-axis optical image stabilisation, 5-piece lens, and facial recognition. On the front is a 5MP which features facial recognition as well.

Buy it here

LG G6

The LG G6 followed the pattern of every great LG Android smartphone to fly under the radar. At the time of its launch, the LG G6 was already behind the Galaxy S8 and the S8+ because it had the Snapdragon 821 chipset while the Samsung devices were powered by the Snapdragon 835. Even though the chipset is old. there is no denying that the LG G6 has one of the best cameras in this segment along with an edge-to-edge design and features like wireless charging.

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The LG G6 has a 5.7-inch IPS LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution.

Under the hood, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, the Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the phone which doubles up as a home button.

Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which charges via a USB C port.

To the back, the LG G6 has a dual-camera setup. One of them is a 13MP normal lens with an f/1.8 aperture while the 13MP wide-angle lens has an f/.2.4 aperture.

Essential Ph-1

The Essential Ph-One was launched to a lot of fanfare as the company’s founder of Andy Rubin, popularly known as the father of Android. The company promised that it would have all the essential elements of a smartphone, especially a great camera. The phone had a small notch at the top of the display for the camera and a small chin with nearly no bezels on the rest of the three sides of the display.

Post the launch of the phone, it was heavily panned by critics for its poor camera. The lack of the headphone jack didn’t do it any good either. However, ever since it launc, the company has pushed out a lot of updates and at a price of US $499, the Essential Ph-1 is a great device.

It has a 5.71 inch IPS LCD display with a 2560 x 1312 px resolution.

Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and 128GB of onboard storage which cannot be expanded.

Powering the device is a 3040 mAh battery which charges via a USB C port.

It has a dual 13MP camera at the back with an f/1.9 aperture. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. It records 4K videos at 30fps and with the latest software update, clicks portrait photos as well. On the front of the phone is an 8MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

BONUS: HTC U Ultra

At the time of its launch, the HTC U Ultra was priced at Rs. 59900. At that price, the device was aksing a lot from its potential customers but, the price of the phone has now dropped to under Rs. 30000 and if you are a fan of HTC’s hardware, then thid device is a decent option.

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The HTC U Ultra has a 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 px Super LCD5 display.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset, Adreno 530 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the device.

Powering the U Ultra is a 3000 mAh battery.

It has a 12 MP UltraPixel rear camera that facilitates fast focus and less blurred shots at night. The front camera has a 16 MP UltraPixel Sensor.

December 30, 2017
Top Smartphones Under Rs. 20000

As curtains draw in 2017, it is time to look back at the top smartphones launched in 2017 under Rs. 20000. We already checked out the best phones launched in the Rs 10000 price segment. So, does your favourite phone make the cut? Let’s find out.

Moto G5 Plus/Moto G5s Plus

The Moto G5 Plus was launched in early 2017 and received great reviews for its camera performance. Even today, the Moto G5 Plus’ camera is considered one of the best in its price category. The Moto G5s Plus was the updated variant of the Moto G5 Plus with the same hardware and a dual-camera setup.

The device has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

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Under the hood, the bith the devices have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor with a 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which sits below the display.

Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB port.

Just like every other Moto Android phone, the smartphone runs stock Android 7.1 Nougat.

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Xiaomi Mi A1

At the time of its launch, the Xiaomi Mi A1 turned quite a few heads for its stock Android OS and a dual camera setup at the price point.

The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection along with an aluminium unibody build.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The pyrolytic graphite sheet will help in heat management as well, Xiaomi claims. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office.

The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.

Powering the device is a 3080 mAh battery and 2A charging through the Type C port.

Even though the phone has stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat, Xiaomi has retained a few apps, such as the Mi camera app since the Google Camera app doesn’t support dual-camera functions right now.

The smartphone features dual sensors at the back, a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.2 aperture (26mm) and 12MP wide-angle lens with an f/2.6 aperture (50mm) setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

Huawei Honor 7X

The Honor 7X has a lot to offer especially when its price is considered. The device is available at Rs. 12999 and has a dual camera setup along with a nearly bezel-less design. Without a doubt, the Honor 7X is the best-looking smartphone in this price category.

The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

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Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The onboard storage is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card.

The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot. Since the device has thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the below the dual-camera setup.

The Honor 7X runs Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 6.0 on top which gives a user more options for customising their phones.

The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. One of the cameras is equipped with a 16MP sensor while the other one is a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

The Xiaomi Mi Max 2 has a 6.4 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for added protection.

Under the hood, the phablet has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, Cortex-A53 octa-core processor, 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB onboard storage options.

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The smartphone is powered by a massive 5300 mAh with QuickCharge 3.0 and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Xiaomi’s custom skin MIUI 8 on top. The phablet has a one-hand usage mode as well. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the device and sits just below the cameras. The Mi Max 2 switches to dual-audio speakers when in landscape mode.

On the optics front, the Mi Max 2 has a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture, equipped with the Sony IMX386 sensor with PDAF and dual-LED flash. On the front, the phablet has a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)

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The Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is the only phone in the list which has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. So, if you want a rugged phone but, can’t spend more Rs. 20000 then the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) should be the ideal phone for you.

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It has a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, the Galaxy A5 (2017) is powered by the Exynos 7880 chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via a microSD card.

Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery while the fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button.

The device has a 16MP primary camera with an f/1.9 aperture that records 1080P videos at 30fps. To the front of the Galaxy A5 (2017) is another 16MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture.

December 30, 2017
Top Smartphones Of 2017 Under Rs. 10000

Every passing year, the quality of budget smartphones increases and 2017 was no different. The smartphones under the Rs. 10000 price bracket have become better with little compromises in quality. As 2017 draws to an end, let’s take a look at the top phones launched under the Rs. 10000 category:

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

Hands down, one of the most famous smartphones to be launched in 2017, the Redmi Note 4 set the standard for budget phones in India. To Xiaomi’s own admission, the Redmi Note 4 is its most successful phone in India and it still offers a lot in terms of performance in this price category.

The Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, Adreno 506 GPU, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.

Powering the device is a massive 4100 mAh battery which charges via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor, in typical Redmi fashion, sits at the back of the phone just below the camera sensor.

The Redmi Note 4 has a 13MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP front-facing camera.

Moto E4 Plus

The Moto E4 plus has a 5.5 inch 1280 x 720px IPS LCD display along with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and an oleophobic coating.

The Motorola Moto E4 Plus is powered by 1.4GHz quad-core MediaTek MTK6737M processor and has 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage along with microSD card expansion.

The phone also runs Android 7.1.1 out of the box and should be updated to the next generation Android by the company, as the UI is mostly stock with some Moto features including the Moto display, some gestures and One-Key Navigation. The front also has a fingerprint sensor along with notification led light.

The Moto E4 Plus is powered by a massive 5000 mAh battery.

For optics, the front has a 5 MP camera with a front flash while the main camera is a 13 MP, f/2.0 with 720p video capture at 30fps.

Lenovo K8 Plus

The Lenovo K8 Plus has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with three touch capacitive navigation buttons below. The device an oleophobic coating to resist fingerprint smudges and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the MediaTek Helio P25 chipset, a 2.6 GHz octa-core processor, Mali T880 GPU, 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. Similar to the K8 Note, the K8 Plus has a dedicated microSD card slot along with two nano-SIM card slots.

Powering the device is a 4,000 mAh battery and it runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat after Lenovo decided to drop the Vibe Pure UI and go the stock OS route. The device has an all-metal unibody design and the fingerprint sensor sits at the back.

The Lenovo K8 Plus sports a vertically placed dual-camera setup, much like the recently launched Lenovo K8 Note. 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. Both the front and back camera record 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30 FPS.

Moto G5

Arguably the best camera phone in the price segment, the Moto G5 was launched back in March of 2017 and still holds up well in this price segment.

It has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top.

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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 this price is a great option. With stock Android OS and a more than capable Snapdragon 430 chipset, the Moto G5 fits the bill for a lot of consumers. It has 3GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card.

It is powered by a 2800 mAh which charges via a micro USB slot.

The Moto G5 has a 13MP f/2.0 camera with phase detect autofocus with a 5 MP front camera. The rear camera records 1080P videos at 30fps while the front camera also records 1080P videos.

Xioami Redmi 5A

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The Redmi 5A has a 5 inch LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution.

The Redmi 5A is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, quad-core CPU clocked at 1.4GHz, along with 2GB/3GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.

The dual-SIM Redmi 5A is powered by a 3000 mAh battery.

The device runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box with Xiaomi’s custom MIUI 9 skin on top.

The Redmi 5A has a 13MP rear camera with an f/2.2 aperture, burst mode, panorama mode, HDR mode, and more. To the front is a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The smartphone records 1920 x 1080 px videos.

December 29, 2017
Building A Budget Gaming PC

One of the most requested series on iGyaan has been building a budget gaming PC. We finally took the onus upon us and decided to build a budget gaming PC which should suffice most of the needs of a gamer who is just starting out and isn’t ready to shell out a lot of cash in the beginning. If you are a novice and testing the waters of the gaming world, then this build should be ideal for you.

Corsair 100R Cabinet

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A relatively quiet and good-looking chassis with a matte black finish, the Corsair 100R is ideal for people on a budget. It has a glass side so that you can add LED lights inside and give it a transparent look, something which is very popular among gamers.

Corsair VS450 450-Watt Power Supply

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This is again a relatively cheap but an efficient power supply. If you’re looking for a good power supply that won’t break the bank, then the Corsair VS450 is the way to go. There are many power supplies that we could’ve opted for, but this one solved the purpose and didn’t let the price of th overall build go above our budget.

Gigabyte GA-H110M-S2 Motherboard

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Thanks to the updated BIOS, this motherboard will let you use the Intel i3 7100 which is exactly what we will be using in this build. It has the Intel H110 chipset and the 2-channel DDR4 memory type along with 1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 graphic interface.

HyperX Fury 8GB RAM

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This RAM is a DDR4 2400 RAM. HyperX Fury DDR4’s lower power requirements result in less heat and higher reliability and the low 1.2 volts draws less power from the system which results in a cooler and quieter PC.

Seagate Barracuda 1TB Hard Drive

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In our build, we have decided to use the Seagate Barracuda 1TB hard drive which will slow the bootup speed but, we chose this instead of an SSD to keep the price of the PC at a bare minimum.

Intel i3 7th generation 7100 CPU

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Now, since this is a budget PC build, we decided to go for the Intel i3 Kaby lake 7th generation 7100 processor instead of the i3 8th generation as it would’ve skyrocketed the total price of our build. This build had a strict budget and we had to work around it.

Gigabyte GeForce GT 1030

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This graphics card comes with a 2GB DDR5 64-bit memory. It goes to 1506 in overclocking mode and 1468 in gaming mode.

Stay tuned for an in-depth benchmarks and gaming test of this budget PC.

Watch the full video here –

December 25, 2017
Top Smartphones Between Rs 10,000 – Rs 20,000

India recently became the second largest smartphone market in the world, only behind China. For years, the mid-range smartphone market has had a plethora of phones offering top of the line performance at an affordable price. 2017 saw dual-camera phones entering the sub-20K segment while other phones continued to deliver the best in class performance with very little compromises. Let’s take a look at the top smartphones between Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 that you can buy right now.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

Priced the cheapest in this list, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is by no means the cheapest in terms of specifications and performance. The Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. Powering the device is a massive 4100 mAh battery and it runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. Under the hood, the smartphone has a the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. It has a rear mounted 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps. The front of the smartphone has a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture which records 1280 x 720 px videos at 30fps.

Lenovo K8 Note

Another smartphone with a dual camera setup at the back, the Lenovo K8 Note is priced slightly higher than the Redmi Note 4 and offers stock Android OS and a guaranteed update to Android 8.0 Oreo. The Lenovo K8 Note packs the Helio X23 chipset with a 2.3GHz high-performing deca-core processor and the Mali T-880 MP4 GPU. The device has two variants – 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card and features USB OTG support for added storage options. The phone features a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px display with a pixel density of 441ppi and a Corning Gorilla Glass with oleophobic coating for scratch resistance. The smartphone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery with turbo charge.

The Lenovo K8 Note has a 13MP Pure cell sensor mated with a 5MP Samsung BSI sensor dual camera setup and dual LED flash at the back. The phone is capable of depth mode effects along with 1920 x 1080 px Video capture. A 13MP camera with LED flash and an f/2.0 aperture sits on the front of the device above the display.

Xiaomi Mi A1

Stock Android OS with Xiaomi’s hardware and a confirmed upgrade to Android 8.0 Oreo and Android P for Rs 14999. This seemed surreal up until August when Xiaomi launched the Android One Xiaomi Mi A1 in India with a best-in-segment dual-camera setup at the back. The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and aluminium unibody build. Powering the device is a 3080 mAh battery and 2A charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. Even though the phone has stock Android OS, Xiaomi has retained a few apps, such as the Mi camera app since the Google app doesn’t support dual-camera functions right now. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 features dual sensors – 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture (26mm) and 12MP with an f/2.6 aperture (50mm) setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

Moto G5s Plus

Motorola followed up the highly successful Moto G5 Plus with the Moto G5s Plus. With stock Android OS and dual-cameras at the back, it really is a toss-up between the G5s Plus and the Mi A1. The Moto G5S Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with included turbo charge capabilities. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with little customisation done by the manufacturer resulting in stock Android OS experience. The smartphone has the Qualcomm 625 chipset, an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which sits below the display.

The Moto G5S Plus features rear-mounted 13MP dual-cameras with an f/2.0 aperture. The dual camera captures Bokeh, and selective focus shots, along with other capabilities of background replacement and exposure management. On the front is a wide angle 8MP camera with a single LED flash and a panoramic mode. The rear cameras capture videos in 4K at 30 FPS and the front camera records videos in 1080P at 30 FPS. According to Motorola, additional features such as Night Display and Quick Reply enhance the software experience.

Apple iPhone SE

The Apple iPhone SE was launched in India in March 2016, which should automatically make it a no-go. But, the good thing about an iPhone is the support it gets from Apple. The recently launched iOS 11 was made available to a phone as old as the iPhone 5s, which proves that the software of the iPhone SE will be up-to-date for another 2 years at least. If you miss the good old days of smartphones that were truly usable with one hand, then the iPhone SE is the way to go. The iPhone SE has a 4-inch 1136 x 640 px Retina display. Powering the device is Apple’s A9 chipset which can also be found in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhoen SE has a 12MP rear mounted camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a front facing 1.2MP camera with an f/2.4 aperture. The rear mounted 12Mp camera is capable of recording 3840 x 2160 px videos at 30fps while the front facing camera records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps.

October 30, 2017
Top 10 Tech Under Rupees 1000

Got a lot of friends but not a lot of dough? Don’t let your budget dampen your festive spirit. We scoured the web for the best tech deals and curated this very special list for all your gifting needs. And all under a thousand rupees. Who says a budget can’t buy happiness?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0qo_QKsi8o

1. Sandisk Ultra Dual Drive- 32 GB

A USB Thumb drive that doubles up and works with smartphones and tablets. The 64 GB one costs just a tad over the 1k price, however, the 32 GB falls right in the spot.

Weight 9 GM

Memory storage capacity 32 GB

Warranty 5 years

2. Roccat Taito Gaming Mousepad

Gamers need this, but so do mouse fanatics and everyday browsers. The Roccat Taito Gaming Mousepad has a nano fibre weave and is extra smooth for the bottom of your mouse. The which textured rubber bottom prevents slippage from the desk. Available in two options, 5mm for Rs. 950, if you are looking for something more affordable check out the 3mm variant.

3. Deepcool Laptop Coolpad

Designed for gamers and heavy users alike. This laptop cool pad is heavy duty and features an uber silent fan. The laptop stays put and you get a good typing angle. The featured unit also comes with a usb hub.

Weight 531 g

Dimensions 34 x 31 x 5.4 cm

Fan Size 140 mm

4. ANT VR headset

The VR headset for them all. Designed initially for Lenovo Vibe X3, K5 Plus and K3 Note, But, can be used with other phones ranging in display size from 4.5 inches to 6 inches. You will also get download a bundled APP to get some awesome content or view 360 Degree video anywhere online.

Weight 159 g

Warranty 6 months

5. Tenda N301 Wireless N300 Router

WiFi N on a budget, look no further, the N301 has you covered for well under Rs. 1000 the budget router is not cheap in function. 5 db dual omnidirectional antennas provide good range, and upto 50 devices can be connected flawlessly.

Speed 300 mbps

Wireless type 802.11B, 802.11G, 802.11n

6. Ultimate Cleaning Kit

No amount of tech is useful without the proper equipment to clean it. Sure a dirty rag and window cleaner works but only if you want to destroy your gadgets. Your rag has dust particles that will scratch your tech, while your typical window cleaner has harsh chemicals that will rot your plastics on your tech. So this kit is essential if you want to keep your tech going.

7. Donut USB Cup Warmer

Like your coffee hot and want to have it over a period of time? This cup warmer might do you some justice while reminding you that you are always hungry for chocolate. Works on any usb port with any ceramic cup.

Weight 118 g

Material Plastic

8. Philips QT4001/15 Pro Advanced Hair Trimmer

A groomed up man is much better than otherwise, this trimmer will help you keep it clean or if you like a beard, this will keep it in shape.

Warranty 3 years

Cutting system Steel blades

Usage 45 min / 10 hr Charge

9. Cheap0 Bluetooth Mobile Speaker

No Specific brand and a Chinese accented english speaking menu sound. Who cares right? This Rupee 730 speaker is loud, works for around 5 hours on a full charge, has bluetooth, FM Radio and will play music from a Pen Drive or micoSD card and also plug in into your phone via a standard 3.5mm jack. Replaceable Nokia battery guarantees you will get a long battery life and you can buy spare batteries for under Rs. 100 .

Battery 520 mAh

Bluetooth Version 3.0

Connectivity Bluetooth, FM, Tf Card, USB pen drive, 3.5mm Headphone jack

10. VYPR CBL

Last but possibly the best in the list, VYPR CBL is durable and looks fancy, presently on sale, the leather cable for your iPhone is now only Rs. 999 while Micro USB is cheaper. The cable also has 1 year manufacturer’s warranty and the iPhone cable is MFI approved.

Material Leather Braided Copper Cable

Length 1 meter

Compatible devices All Apple devices with Lightning connector

November 4, 2016
Best Phone Deal : LeMax 2 with SD820, 4GB RAM, 32GB Storage and QHD Display for Rs. 17999

This is possibly the best deal for a powerhouse phone for an excellent price. If you head over to lemall.com and buy the LeMax 2, you can buy the 4GB variant which would typically sell for Rs. 22999 is now available for Rs. 17999.

That is a steal price for this phone and definitely a good deal. The Lenovo Z2 plus launched earlier this week also comes at a similar price however the LeMax 2 does include better features. Firstly you get a 5.7inch QHD or 2K resolution display that is vivid and bright. It also includes CDLA audio for a great music listening experience. The LeMax 2 also features a 21 MP main camera with an 8MP front camera.

The price will get you the 4GB variant and make it one hell of a mid range priced powerhouse. Get it while stocks last!

Also on a side not you get an additional 10% cashback on ICICI debit and credit cards making the price a great Rs. 16199.

You can check out our hands on video along with comparison with OnePlus 3 below.

October 2, 2016
6 Pro Tips for International Travel

Travel today has become simple. Well, simpler than what it used to be. With some who travel frequently and the summer upon us, a chance or need to visit a new destination may arise for a lot of people. However, with a lot to consider when traveling to new lands; from modes of transport to lodging and getting around. It has become more a stressful exercise. Having spent the early part of 2014 and 2015 traveling from one part of the world to another, I have come across people who seem fearful of said experience. They find what is supposed to be a fun exercise, a torture or a stressful endeavour.

Here are a few of my tips to overclock your travel experience and hack into making everything work better for you when you travel.

1. Pro Packing

The one thing you must educate yourself with before you travel, is the general atmospheric nature of the region to where you are headed. This will help you determine what all you need to take with you. Take only what you must, and as little as possible, you might end up shopping more than you expected to. If splurging on consumerism is not your thing, traveling light has many benefits. With Airlines trying to extract the profit balance, the Allowed weight of baggage is becoming lesser and lesser. If you do go on a shopping frenzy, always keep a digital luggage scale handy, so that you know when you have reached your limit.

Pack Like A Pro

While everyone is an expert in packing their own things, few tips like rolling up clothes, and lining the bottles to the side of your luggage really works to free up that space. Stuff your shoes with socks and other soft small clothing items, double pack your liquids in sealed plastic bags to avoid those unwanted shampoo stains on your favorite business suit.

An extra set of clothing in your carry on luggage goes a long way, especially when your luggage is delayed or lost in transit. Never put anything of value in checked in baggage and wrap fragile items in layers of newspaper or bubble wrap.

TSA Lock

Lock your checked in bags with a TSA approved locks. This type of lock will allow security agencies to open and check the bag if they so need to, then re lock it safely. Travel size is the way to go, so ensure that, if you carry any liquids in your carry-on bags they are within the carry-on size limits (below 100ml in most cases).

2. Beat The Airline

When you travel, it seems that everything is chargeable. Extra luggage, food and even basic comfort is a paid luxury. When possible, plan in advance; buy tickets early and even pay for the extra luggage online. This will save over 50% of what airlines call “opportunity earnings”. Always check in online, this helps you beat the queue, find a fairly comfortable seat and also mostly get away with slightly heavier baggage. Use the bag drop service, when available, after checking in online, to avoid the luggage being weighed when traveling within countries.

If you can afford to, then always only buy business class tickets, use the same airline as often as you can and always join that airlines frequent flyer program. If booked well in time, business class tickets can be had for only a slight percentage more than the economy tickets. The business class service is fantastic , seats are very spacious, enough to be sleep-worthy on a long haul and food is actually edible and healthy, while alcohol is poured in generous quantities.

Business Class is Awesome!

Tanking up on frequent flyer miles miles can have its privileges, once you progress from silver to gold to platinum, you will see a host of possibilities open up. An additional bag, priority check-in, free lounge access, porter service at most international airports all this for basically being loyal to the airline. You will also get free upgrade vouchers, and freebie gifts as a frequent flyer.

Your miles always come in handy too, pay excess baggage fee, get upgrades, or even buy tickets using up your miles as modes of payment. You can often end up traveling for free if you are smart from the get go.

3. Pick Your Transport

Depending on the kind of person you are pick your transport and plan for it in advance. The best way to get around in a new city is to use what the locals use. For example, New York city is best seen with the use of the underground rail and the bus network.

New York Metro Card

If you are traveling for a week or more, buying a weekly/monthly pass may come in handy. This card allows free unlimited rides on the train and bus network within the city, also a month long pass usually ends up being cheaper than one single taxi ride.

Car Rental Counter

Some cities are easily accessible on foot, and some using cycles available for rent. Barcelona is one such place, where travelers can get around best using rented bicycles. Goa is best seen by renting motorbikes, or even cars and open trucks. You can even rent vehicles when traveling considerable distances, an hour or two hours drive away from your place of stay. Most rental companies will accept foreign Drivers licenses and offer great discounts and upgrades when booked well in time. These rental companies also have loyalty programs which almost work like frequent flyer programs, allowing free upgrades, priority service, etc.

Airport transfers can be tricky too, always plan these in advance. Usually governments arrange bus services from Airports to downtown areas. New York has the “NYC Airporter” service which is run by the city, this service costs US $ 15 one way VS the one way taxi fare which is roughly US $ 70. New Delhi Airport has shuttles that run for free and sometimes for a very nominal fee. If you cannot find such a service, try using the local public transport when available. Berlin for example ( and most European destinations) has a great bus networks that connects to the airport.

Pro-Tip: Pre booking a taxi or finding a govt. authorized taxi service works well.

4. Pro Lodging

Depending on the kind of person you are, there are always lots of options available when booking a place to stay. If you are okay sharing spaces, websites like AirBnB have proven to be pocket friendly.

If you are booking a hotel that you have never stayed at before, always only book for the first night. Your epic vacation could come to a screeching halt if the pictures you saw while booking lied about the exact state or locality of said hotel. If you have paid only for the first night you can always go look for a better place incase your existing spot does not cut it for you.

Smart Booking can be healthy!

If the place of stay is known by you or those around you, then always book well in advance to get the best possible deals. Try booking directly with the hotels from their websites, using coupons or by emailing hotels. This usually turns out much cheaper than using websites that claim to be cheapest, and you often get deals like free breakfast and room upgrades.

5. Eat and Party where the Locals Do

Make friends before you arrive! The best way to know a place is to actually have friends who live there. Lots of travel forums and social networks allow you to get to know people before you arrive to a new city.

Ho Chi Minh Food Market

Avoid going to “touristy” places, they usually end up being a disappointment. As far as food goes, there is no better way to experience the food of new place than to eat where the locals eat. This will have the most authentic flavors and the best prices, you will meet fun people and have a blast.

6. Pro Connectivity

While travel sim cards are available a plenty, staying connected nowadays is more than just phone calls. Data is a very important need of the modern day traveller, and it’s best had by getting a local number. Most countries issue Sim cards to tourist almost instantly, after taking a copy of your passport. Find out the best phone and data plans for pre paid cards and simply get there and get connected. Retain these cards and activate online account for your numbers, so you can simply recharge your number before you travel again, to be connected on arrival.

Coffee shops and Cafes like Starbucks provide free Wi-Fi and power sockets to charge your devices. Never miss an opportunity to grab a hot cuppa, or a mocha frappuchino and get connected while you recharge your portable.

Most airlines now have Apps that not only allow you to check in and get your boarding cards on your phone, but also send instant notifications on delays, gate closing times and last minute gate change. Just so you don’t miss the last call announcement while listening to music on your fancy noise canceling headphones. If you own an iPhone, Passbook will scan your emails and remind you about your flights and add boarding cards to the book.

Bonus : Tech Travel

While most travel to enjoy visiting a new place, there are some with a fixed agenda. If you fly often, a long battery life tablet like an iPad and noise cancellation headphones may as well become your best friends.

A tablet allows you to carry millions of books, games , movies and a lot more to keep you busy. The noise cancellation headphones with active noise cancellation will almost entirely eliminate the loud airline engine hum and also prevent babies from waking you up with their first flight in a pressurised torture tube.

A travel adapter you own, will save you upto US $ 100 that some hotels may charge you, for not owning one. Some hotels don’t even carry these, so you might get stuck at a hotel without being able to charge your phone, your laptop or even your shaver. Different countries and regions have different power sockets and a multi country travel adapter is a must for a frequent flyer to international destinations.

Related Travel Products

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Enjoy you Summer, plan well and if you do end up in some disaster let us know!

June 5, 2015

iGyaan Gift Guide : Top 5 Smartphones Under Rs. 15,000

Festive season is here and every smartphone maker is gearing up to bring their flagship devices to India. With new phones pouring in, old phones have finally started getting some serious price drops. Heading into the holiday season, there are always some excellent smartphone choices to look into and you really can’t go wrong with any of them. So whether you want to gift it to your brother, sister, father or husband, with these top budget-friendly phones, you never can go wrong.

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5. Micromax Canvas Nitro A310

The Canvas Nitro A310 is a well built phone with good specs. It comes with a Mediatek Mt6592 Octa Core Chipset clocked at 1.7 GHz on all eight cores. The phone also has 2 GB of RAM and a Mali 450 MP2 GPU. The Nitro runs on a 2500 mAh battery and has 8 GB of inbuilt storage, out of which roughly 5.2 GB is available to the user. The device has a great screen and battery for its price bracket.

Specs	Canvas Nitro A310
OS	Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor	Octa-core 1.7 GHz Mediatek MT6592
Display	720 x 1280 pixels, 5.0 inches (~294 ppi pixel density)
Storage	8 GB internal, expandable up to 32 GB
RAM	2 GB
Battery	2500 mAh battery
Camera	13MP rear and 5MP front
Buy Now

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4. Xiaomi Redmi 1S

The Redmi 1S just like the Xiaomi phones in the past has built a burning desire in everyones hearts to own the phone, it comes with an impressive price tag and a good spec sheet. The performance on the phone is excellent and everything just seems to be too good to be true. The phone is good looking, well built and supported with respect to the OS and UI, with the added advantage of cheap accessories and quick updates one really can’t complain. For the price you will not find a better device, even if you add another Rs. 4,o00.

Specs	Xiaomi Redmi 1S
OS	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean)
Processor	Quad-core 1.6 GHz Snapdragon 400
Display	720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~312 ppi pixel density)
Storage	8 GB internal, expandable up to 32 GB
RAM	1 GB
Battery	2000 mAh battery
Camera	8MP rear and 1.6MP front
Buy Now

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3. Asus ZenFone 5

Asus has launched some great, and reasonably priced phones recently. Asus’s ZenFone 5 has a lower price tag, better hardware and superior performance all around. The 8GB model is available for under Rs. 10,000. It is a no brainer if you want buy it for your mother or sister because it is a beautiful handset too.

Specs	Asus ZenFone 5
OS	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor	Intel Atom Dual-core 1.6 GHz
Display	720 x 1280 pixels, 5.0 inches (~294 ppi pixel density)
Storage	16 GB internal, expandable up to 64 GB
RAM	2 GB
Battery	2110 mAh battery
Camera	8MP rear and 2MP front
Buy Now

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2. Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)

Motorola recently launched the second generation of its blockbuster Moto G. The device was much awaited and comes with considerable improvement over its trendsetting predecessor. The 2nd Gen Moto G has a 5.0-inch 720p HD IPS display made out of Corning Gorilla Glass. Other improvements to the G include two front stereo speakers and an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing one. One of the best feature to come with the 2nd generation device is the external SDcard slot.

Specs	Motorola Moto G (Gen 2)
OS	Android v4.4.4 (KitKat)
Processor	1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, Quad Core
Display	720 x 1280 pixels, 5.0 inches (~294 ppi pixel density)
Storage	16 GB internal, expandable up to 32 GB
RAM	1GB
Battery	2070 mAh battery
Camera	8MP rear and 2MP front
Buy Now

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1. Xiaomi Mi3

Xaiomi has just announced that they will ship large number of Mi3’s this festive season. The company has chosen the path of flash sales for their smartphones because of short supply and massive demand for their products. The heavy demand for these devices has led to Flipkart’s website crashing down. The Xiaomi Mi3 is encased in a solid brushed aluminium shell and laden with Gorilla Glass 3 in the front. Mi3 carries a Snapdragon 800 chipset with quad cores clocked at 2.3 GHz, a full HD 1920 x 1080p IPS LCD display made by Sharp or LG, 2 GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and a whopping 3050 mAh battery.

Specs	Xiaomi Mi3
OS	Android OS, v4.3 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-core 2.3 GHz
Display	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (~441 ppi pixel density)
Storage	16 GB internal
RAM	2GB
Battery	3050 mAh battery
Camera	13MP rear and 2MP front
Buy Now

September 30, 2014

Five Inspirational Young Self-Made Tech Millionaires

Technology has brought immense advancement to our civilizations as a whole. It also gave a chance to budding entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas a launchpad to take their dreams to the skies. Here is a list of some of these individuals, who in a small period of time have used their intellect to not just make some of the most interesting and innovative tech products but got rich doing it.

These self-made richies are also an inspiration in times when young people constantly fear their upward mobility is being hindered by businesses. So if you have an idea that you are passionate about, just start working on it, maybe the next time we make a list, you might be in listed in.

1. Mark Zuckerberg

Age: 29

Net Worth: $28.5 billion

So let’s start this list with this famous or for some, infamous billionaire. There would hardly be a person who won’t know this guy. With his social network Facebook becoming the indomitable social network which turned 10 this year the Zuckman is on his lifetime high right now. He is also known for ferocious takeovers of start-ups. Just this year itself his company has acquired Whatsapp and Oculus in Billion dollar plus deals. He is also a philanthropist who has signed the Giving Pledge, thereby committing to pay over half of his fortunes in charity.

2. Blake Ross

Age: 29

Net Worth: $150 million

The co-founder of the third most used web browser in the world truly deserves his fortune. The open source browser has grown phenomenally over the 11 years of its existence. The browser currently has over 450 million users. Blake was in high school when he had started working on the Firefox. At age 14 he started working on Netscape. So if you are in high school and need an inspiring figure, this man should be it. He is responsible for giving a true alternative to folks frustrated by Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and turning it into a browser that people used to download Firefox. He also worked with Facebook from 2007 to 2013 as the Director of Product.

3. Matthew Mullenweg

Age : 30

Net Worth: $40 Million

A lot of people need to thank this Texan for giving a phenomenal web tool called WordPress. The idea behind WordPress was to provide a blogging platform, but quickly it became a content management system which most websites, including the popular ones have begun using. Mullenweg attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where he studied jazz saxophone. Mullenweg is also a Dvorak Keyboard user and can type over 120wpm.

4. Drew Houston

Age: 31

Net Worth: $1.2 Billion

Dropbox is one of the most popular and fastest growing cloud services. Its founder Drew Houston is as versatile as his Cloud tool. He holds a degree from MIT and has worked with multiple start-ups like Bit9, Accolade and Hubspot. The service initially took assistance from Y Combinator‘, who might consider it their best investment yet. Drew is also politically active and is one of the founders of a lobbying group called FWD.us (aimed at lobbying for immigration reform and improvements to education).

5. Kevin Systrom

Age: 30

Net Worth: $400 Million

Instagram is responsible for the menace called “amature food photography” which your friends share around social media, which ends up making you crave munchies at 2 AM at night, a time when nothing is open. Its co-founder is Kevin Systrom is a Stanford graduate who began the service with Mike Krieger. Both their bank balances got a serious boost after Facebook acquired Instagram in a Billion dollar takeover.

(Note: A previous version of this story said that the Firefox browser had 450 users. The error has been corrected. )

July 17, 2014
5 Phones You Could Buy Instead of The BlackBerry Z3

Today BlackBerry launched its new Z3 handset in India. Though the company is trying hard to come back to the business of which they were once the front-runners, the company has failed to deliver a recommendable product. The new device is priced at INR 15,990 – a price segment which is already crowded with amazing phones.

Here is the list of 5 phones you should buy instead of the Blackberry Z3:

1. Moto G

This phone is one of the best in its class. The Moto G is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor with Adreno 305 graphics and has 1GB of RAM onboard. The Moto G comes in two storage capacities: 8GB and 16GB. Though it does not support expandable storage. You can buy it for Rs. 13,999, which means you save 2 grand and get a better phone. Check out our detailed review of the the Moto G.

2. Micromax Turbo Mini

With a price tag of Rs 12,990, the Micromax Canvas Turbo Mini is one of the better mid-range Android phones available in the market. It’s worth pointing out that the phone was launched at Rs 14,490, but Micromax decided to give it a price cut shortly after the launch of the Moto G which starts at Rs 12,499. It would be a wise choice.

3. Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro

Many people find it difficult to buy phones from Micromax and other Indian brands because they are concerned about the after sales service. And there is no doubt, Samsung excels in the customer service which has helped in developing a strong trust on the brand. The Grand Quattro is there in the market for a long time now and is selling quite successfully. If you want a very reliable brand with good performance and an overall package, then go for this device. If you’re serious about picking it up, have a look at our review of the phone.

4. LG L70 Dual

Just when we thought LG is getting out of the mid ranges smartphone market, it launched two good devices – the LG L70 and LG L90 – both running on the latest Android 4.4.2 Kitkat. The LG L70 is an extremely attractive device with great design and build. The other specs pretty decent but, you should buy this phone only if your usage is low. On the other hand if your usage is heavy, out of the two, opt for the LG L90. It is powerful and priced only at Rs16,000.

5. Blackberry Z10

Lastly, if you are a true BlackBerry loyalist, then you might as well go for the Blackberry Z10. It has a better camera, performance and display. All this by adding only 1k to the price of the BlackBerry Z3.

June 25, 2014
Top 5 Chrome Extensions Everyone Should Add

Many people use Google Chrome as their major web-browser on their PCs, tablets and phones these days. It’s a great, swift and feature-packed cross-platform browser that’s easy. Google Chrome also provides abundant apps and extensions to make your internet experience even more pleasant. Though picking the ones you need may be tricky. Most people never even hear about the extensions that may work extremely well for them. Well, we’ve listed 5 really useful Google Chrome extensions for you to check out:

1. Clearly

‘Cleary’ by Evernote is a very helpful extension, particularly if you’re a student, writer or just someone who spends a lot of time doing research on the internet. It helps you focus only on the reading the important part of the article, blog or news; blocking out everything that is redundant. You can even save the sources to Evernote for later study. ‘Clearly’ also makes it probable to put in order the saved articles by tags, add footnotes or even let the extension read the material back to you. You can even change the background or font size of the materials. It is a very useful app, but you should know that it might not work on all websites.

2. Faces.im

This handy little tool brings Chat Heads to the desktop, enabling you to keep track of your Facebook messages in the simplest manner. It offers you notifications with small, modest head popups like the mobile app. And when they do show up , this could simply mean a new Facebook message is pending. The pop up circle displays your friend’s photo just like the Messenger app, their name, and recent message they sent when you hover the mouse pointer over their photo.

3. Agora

If you want to get the most out of your money, then use this comparison shopping service. Agora for Chrome aims to provide a clever solution. It gives you your personal workstation where you can append products to your dashboard, put them in order and make comparisons in order to make the best purchasing choice. Although still in early beta, the service works absolutely flawlessly.

4.TL;DR

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is a clever extension, it creates a summary of any web article you don’t have time to read fully. It allows you to choose between four different summary lengths, depending on the amount of time you have. With the summaries found on tl;dr, you can easily select what you really want to read and save precious time. Read only what matters, skim the rest.

5. Ginger

It is an online spelling and grammar checker extension. Ginger proofreads your typing and cleans up your mistakes with a simple click. The extension integrates itself with the browser’s interface and works in text input fields. Whether you type in a misspelled word or use bad grammar, the extension underlines the mistake. Right-click the word, and a small popup will open, listing alternate word suggestions for incorrectly spelled words or the correct word itself, in the event that you’ve used the wrong tense.

June 11, 2014
Top Tech-Toys For a Perfect Father’s Day Gift
Father’s Day is only a couple of days away, so this should act as the perfect reminder. If you aren’t already, then you really should be thinking about what to gift your father this year. If your dad is as tech-savvy as mine, you have come to the right place. Gifting your dad a gadget is a great idea especially when he loves his tech-toys more than anything. So,we have come up with a list of gadgets that cover all budgets and which make for excellent gifts for your dad this Father’s day.

Smartphones

Smartphones are an essentials these day, be it a house wife or student or your dad, everyone depends on their smartphones. Gifting one is a great idea but which one? If you’re willing to empty your pockets, then there is a range of Smartphones. Click on the links and read our full reviews.
- HTC Desire 816: The HTC Desire 816 is a good mix of looks, brain and brawn. It’s powerful processor and beautiful screen will make it your dad’s best gadget. Price- INR 25,000 (approx)
- Gionee Elife S5.5: If your dad goed for looks than performance, then the Slimmest Phone in the world will be a perfect gift for your father. It is a decent phone with exceptionally good look. Price- INR 20,000 (approx)
- HTC One M8: It’s metal and splash proof body is perfect if your dad is little clumsy and seems to destroy every piece of hardware he owns. Price- INR 46,000 (approx)
- Galaxy S5: It has water and dust resistant body and rocking two Quad Core processors, making it one of the best buys. Price- INR 38,000 (approx)
And if your budget doesn’t allow you to spend a lot, you can also gift him smartphones which fall under under Rs15,000
- Moto E It is the one of the best budget phone available in market. It comes with a wide range of colored back panels options. At the price, it is so awesome that you can always have this one as a backup phone. But it is one of the fastest selling phone in India, so hurry up! Price- 7,000 (approx)
- Moto G Another Motorola budget phone with best features in it’s segment. The phone have everything for a professional dad. In fact it is the most bang for buck phone out there. Price- INR 12,500 (approx)
Cameras

If your dad is a photography enthusiast then what is a better gift than a camera. If not then you can encourage him to take up photography by gifting him one, it will be a hobby which will relieve him from his daily stress. Check out our of list best pocket camera that are worth gifting you dad on Father’s day. We’ve picked the best onen available in the market these days. Some of them maybe be a little pricey but the quality is incomparable.

Tablet

Add tablet to your dad’s gadget collection, your dad would love you for it. Gift him the best tablet available in market and that, without any doubt, is Apple’s iPad. Apple provides you with various variants of iPad like Retina display, iPad Air and iPad mini.
June 11, 2014
Our List of Top 5 Video Editor Apps Available

Choosing the right app, for whatever reason, is a headache these days. App Store and Google play is flooded with a range of apps, most of which don’t function as desired or are filled with unnecessary ads. Previously we listed our favorite photo-editing apps and people wanted us to list video-editors too. So, because on popular demand, we picked the best video editors for Android and iOS users.

Video editor apps, when it comes to phone, are most likely limited to basic trimming, filters and editing. But, there are some which could be useful. Keeping this in mind, check out our list of the best 5 user-friendly video editing apps:

VivaVideo

This app tops the list because it is one the most simple and fun phone video editors available in market. The app gives the option of creating photo movie, pro editing, simple video editing and PIP(Video trimming). The design is so simple that even first time user can use it like a Pro. The app provides you with range of themes, filters, transitions and also the option of adding text. You can add music from your personal library or choose from the VivaVideo’s music library. Even better, you can dub your voice in real-time while you’re editing the video.

VIDEOFX Live

VideoFx Live is rammed with awesome real-time effects. It is perfect for a DIY music video or if you’re planning on compiling messages for your friends birthday. You can even sync devices, shoot the same scene from different angles and fade between different videos. Video Fx is a simple app to handle, with minimal options. VideoFX Live records both video and audio. It automatically stores the shot videos within the app, skipping on the phone’s gallery. It offers you a wide range of Instagram-like real-time effects. But the problem is that it can only shoot upto 10 seconds, which makes it similar to Vine (but with better effects). Through VideoFX Live you can save your creations in a camera roll, upload directly it to Facebook or YouTube, or send it via email.

KineMaster Pro

This app is actually for the professorial editors. KineMaster Pro gives you a multi-tracked timeline with full drag-and-drop support. You can import multiple videos, images and audio clips, and then move them around with your finger. The app gradually picks up on your choices and adjusts its functions accordingly. Select the element you want to tweak and then tap the scissor icon above the timeline. You can then drag your finger to trim the clip or tap a “Split” option to divide the clip into two separate pieces for further manipulation. KineMaster has tons of options for improving the quality of the video, ranging from sliders for adjusting a clip’s brightness, contrast and color saturation to a range of filter-like color effects. The app also has one-touch tools for rotating videos or images and an impressive selection of professional-looking transitions to give your project a more refined look.

VidTrim

VidTrim is less of a full-fledged video editor and more of a collection of tools for basic video manipulation. The app doesn’t give you a standard timeline for editing; rather, you just select a video clip from your device and then tap one of a few options available. Tapping the scissor icon opens up the app’s Trimmer tool, which gives you a simple slider for selecting a small portion of your clip and trimming it down to only that section. It also allows you to save your selection as an MP3, should that need ever arise. Tapping a tools icon, meanwhile, gives you the ability to change the video’s size and quality. It also allows you to add a supplementary audio track into the clip. Though there’s no way to fine-tune where exactly the audio will play or how loud it’ll be. Last but not least, an overflow menu icon holds the option to grab a still frame from a video as well as to apply a variety of different filters — standard stuff like black and white, vignette and vintage modes.

Magisto

Don’t take this one seriously, it is just for fun. You actually don’t edit the video here. butt the app does it for you. Though it creates the video with great effect, it takes too much time to generate it. All you have to do is shoot the video or upload it from gallery to the app, select the theme and then select the sound track and you’re done. The app will automatically create your video for you. It selects the best parts of the video and creates a short movie with it. Magisto has its own music library too. Though you can choose your own track for the movie.

June 9, 2014
5 Reasons to buy the Moto E

Motorola broke the Indian mobile market yesterday when they launched a dual sim smartphone that runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat out the box for a competition mind numbing price of Rs 6999. But a lot of people are still struggling with why and if they should but the newly launched Moto E.

While reasons can be many, iGyaan Breaks it down to the top 5.

Reason Number 1 : It’s Cheap

The most logical explanation is the fact that the Moto E is super cheap. Everyone was hoping for a price under the Rs. 10000 mark, but we got something that is way lower. For Rs. 6999, roughly US $ 120 and Euro 89 you get an impressive device that is carrier unlocked and has excellent build quality and display.

Reason Number 2 : Specs and Front Speakers

The Moto E has the best specifications in this price bracket, A dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB Storage and 32 GB expandability, a 4.3 inch display with qhd resolution and a 5 MP camera at back, it has all the makings of a powerful budget device including a 1980 mAh battery. The Moto E also has front facing speakers a first after the HTC Boomsound and Xperia Z2, a first for any budget phone. It makes sense doesn’t it?

Reason Number 3: Build

Possible the best built phone you can get for this price (smartphone at least), the Moto E has super rugged shells and Gorilla Glass 3 in the front, it also has a IP coating that makes it splash proof and sort of water resistant. The front also has a smudge free coating on the gorilla glass, and the back panels just like the Moto X and G are soft to touch, very durable and scratch and fingerprint resistant.

Reason Number 4 : Dual Sim

Sure you get lots of dual sim devices in this price, well in India and other such markets, the Moto E is the best in this price to offer the said feature. Comparing it to similar phones from companies like the Galaxy Trend, the Moto E just stands out on top in various occasions.

Reason Number 5 : Kitkat and More

The Moto E runs Android 4.4.2 out of the box and Motorola is promising updates, heck they are guaranteeing updates to the next version of Android, the next supported version at least.

Bonus reason : Did we mention its cheap?

The Moto E is horrendously cheap, not to touch, not to look at but in price. You should get one even if you don’t need it. Its a great carry along phone and will work wonders as a spare device. Will work as a backup phone incase your battery runs out, and for the outdoorsy people, its just a phone that will withstand the elements incase you are worried about damaging your fancy flagship. The Moto E also offers a replaceable “shell” back so change the colours and match your style. If you are using a feature phone, this might be the easiest phone to switch to, and you should switch if you are on a feature phone. (Some Blackberry phones included)

Buy Now

May 14, 2014