Category: Unboxing and Hands On

Unboxing The Moto G6
The sixth generation of Motorola’s highly acclaimed Moto G series has launched in India. The Moto G6, initially launched back on Apilr 19th in Brazil has made its way to India for a starting price of Rs 13999. The Moto G6 is the successor to the Moto G5s which was launched in August 2017 and it will go on sale via Amazon exclusively.

Buy The Moto G6 Here

The Moto G6 is a significant upgrade over the Moto G5s in terms of design and build quality. During the Moto G5s launch, there were premium smartphones with the 18:9 aspect ratio but, not many budget devices had adopted the feature. Since then, however, the 18:9 aspect ratio has become the norm across the board. The Moto G6 follows the norm as well and has thin bezels around the display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

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Inside the box of the Moto G6
- Moto G6
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Wall Charger
- USB-C Cable
[section label=”First Impressions”]

A few years ago, most budget smartphones were flimsy and had a plastic build. That slowly transitioned into a metal unibody which is much more sturdier, if not the best-looking. 2018 appears to be the year of embracing the glass build quality. Honor did it with Honor 9 Lite and now Motorola has also adopted the all-glass design. The Moto G6 features Corning Gorilla Glass3 on the front and back with an aluminium frame. With the new design, the G6 will be a fingerprint magnet which means a skin or a case is highly recommended for people who like to keep their smartphones clean and pretty.

The G6 has a 5.7 inch LCD display with a 2160×1080. This translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio and thankfully for many, it doesn’t have a notch. Even though it has an 18:9 aspect ratio, the bezels are not the thinnest and it has a 74.4% screen-to-body ratio which is not very high.

Under the hood, the smartphone runs on the Snapdragon 450 chipset which has eight 1.8GHz Cortex A53 Cores (14nm) and is basically the rebranded Snapdragon 625. The Adreno 506 GPU adds the graphical prowess with either 3GB or 4GB RAM option bundled with a 32GB or 64GB storage option. The storage is expandable via a microSD card which will use up the second SIM slot.

The Moto G6 does get the USB C charging capabilities along with a 15W charger, which is bundled with a 3000mAh battery. The G6 will run close to stock Android 8 Oreo out of the box in typical Motorola fashion. There were talks of Motorola adopting Lenovo’s custom skin for the G and E series in 2018 but, it turned out to be a hoax.

At the back is a dual camera setup, consisting of a primary 12MP RGB sensor with an f/1.8 aperture along with a 5MP depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. Much like previous smartphones from the company, users can apply a depth-of-field effect to a photo after it is shot, thanks to the saved depth information. Users will also get effects like a selective black-and-white mode, a time-lapse feature, face filters, motion photos and visual search for objects and landmarks. The front houses a 16MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture and an LED flash.

The Moto G6 feels like a worthy upgrade over the Moto G5s. At this price point, however, the consumers also have the options of going for the Redmi Note 5 Pro or the Zenfone Max Pro which are powered by the Snapdragon 636. The G6 does have a better design with its a–glass build but, it’ll be interesting to see how the smartphone is received by the Indian consumers.
June 4, 2018
Unboxing The OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition
On December 14th, almost a month after launching the OnePlus 5T, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition. It was a limited edition smartphone in association with the Star Wars: The Last Jedi film. On May 17th, one day after globally launching the OnePlus 6 in London, the Chinese smartphone maker launched the OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition in India. The limited edition smartphone is in association with the recently released Avengers: Infinity War film.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition

The smartphone will be available in variant only, with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. In India, the device will retail for Rs 44999 via Amazon from May 29th. The special edition smartphone will also come in a different style of box.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

Inside the box of the OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition
- OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition
- Wall Charger
- Type C Cable
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Documentation
- Special Avengers Case
- Medallion
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

OnePlus has gone out of its way to make this smartphone a special buy for Marvel fanatics. Every OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition will retail with a special Avengers case, in our package was an Iron Man case. Every retail box will also have a gold coloured medallion. The company has announced if you collect 6 medallions, there is a special prize in store for you. The company has, however, not announced what the prize will be.

The build quality, specifications are exactly the same as the regular OnePlus 6. However, with the OnePlus 6 Avengers Infinity War Edition, the back of the device has a carbon fibre finish underneath the glass. This look is reminiscent of the Carbon Fibra back panel which was available for the OnePlus One and OnePlus 2. The OnePlus continued to sell a snap-on case for its other devices with the carbon fibre finish. Like what OnePlus did with the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition, we expect the OnePlus 6 Carbon Fibre to be launched in other countries without the Avengers branding.

It has a 6.28 inch Optic AMOLED display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. The aspect ratio is 19:9 which means it is slightly taller than the OnePlus 5T.

It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset which has an octa-core processor clocked at 2.8GHz. Coupled with the flagship chipset is 8GB of RAM and 256GB onboard storage. The storage is still not user-expandable just like every other OnePlus device. The fingerprint sensor is still placed on the rear but, it has a more oval shape this time around.

Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery with DashCharge support. DashCharge continues to be one of the fastest charging technologies and could be the reason why OnePlus did not think that wireless charging was necessary here. Out of the box, the OnePlus 6 will run Android 8.1 Oreo with OxygenOS on top. The smartphone will have gesture support which we tested on the OnePlus 5T during its Beta test. There is a special Avengers theme which is a dark theme with gold accents. There are also exclusive Avengers wallpapers pre-installed. It would have been really cool to have an Avengers font as well but, that is not available yet.

The dual-camera setup on the back includes a 16MP Sony IMX 519 sensor and a 20MP Sony IMX 376K sensor. Both are RGB sensors and have an f/1.7 aperture with OIS, another first for a OnePlus device. The cameras also record 4K videos at 60fps which is a great feature for content creators. To the front of the smartphone is a 16MP Sony IMX 371 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and EIS which records 1080P videos.

The OnePlus Avengers Infinity War Edition is a collector’s dream and looks really good as well. It has the sturdiness of the OnePlus 6 and the carbon fibre underneath the glass gives it a distinguished look among the increasingly similar-looking flagship smartphones.
May 17, 2018
Unboxing The OnePlus 6
OnePlus has finally lifted the curtains off of the OnePlus 6 at an event in London. The OnePlus 6 will launch in India on May 17th where the pricing details will be announced. The OnePlus 6 follows up the successful OnePlus 5T, which was launched in November, about five months after the OnePlus 5 launch. Makes you wonder whether the OnePlus 6T is just around the corner!

The base model of the OnePlus 6 is priced at US$ 529 (Rs 35,800 approx.), the 8GB RAM/128GB model will retail for US$ 579 (Rs 39200 approx.) while the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant will cost you US$ 629 (Rs 42500).

OnePlus has really made the OnePlus 6 a feature-packed smartphone, addressing the main complaints that users had with previous OnePlus smartphones. Even before the launch, OnePlus confirmed that the new flagship device will have an all-glass design and even have some sort of water resistance.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLXzejzQM8Y[/embedyt]

Inside the box of the OnePlus 6
- OnePlus 6
- Documentations
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Wall Charger
- USB C Cable
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

Just like every other OnePlus smartphone, you do not get any earphones inside the box. OnePlus has, however, launched a new pair of Bluetooth earbuds which should be available in India soon. The moment you take the OnePlus 6 out, you realise that this isn’t anything like a previous OnePlus device. The smartphone has a glossy finish thanks to an all-glass design. The aluminium frame gives it a solid build, maintaining a superior build quality we have known OnePlus smartphones to have. The back of the device is a fingerprint magnet and it is strongly suggested that you use a case or a skin.

The 3.5mm headphone jack retains its place on the bottom of the smartphone next to the USB C port. The OnePlus 6 is now water resistant as well but, the exact rating has not been confirmed yet. The alert slider has been shifted on the right-hand side with the power button, while the volume rockers sit on the left-hand side.

The OnePlus 6 has a 6.28 inch Optic AMOLED display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. The aspect ratio is 19:9 which means it is slightly taller than the OnePlus 5T. The notch has also become very common among Android smartphones but, users will have an option to hide the notch via software.

The 6 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset which has an octa-core processor clocked at 2.8GHz. Coupled with the flagship chipset is either 6GB or 8GB of RAM with three storage options of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. The storage is still not user-expandable just like every other OnePlus device. The fingerprint sensor is still placed on the rear but, it has a more oval shape this time around.

Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery with DashCharge support. DashCharge continues to be one of the fastest charging technologies and could be the reason why OnePlus did not think that wireless charging was necessary here. Out of the box, the OnePlus 6 will run Android 8.1 Oreo with OxygenOS on top. The smartphone will have gesture support which we tested on the OnePlus 5T during its Beta test.

The OnePlus 6 has a dual-camera setup on the back similar to the OnePlus 5T. The setup includes a 16MP Sony IMX 519 sensor and a 20MP Sony IMX 376K sensor. Both are RGB sensors and have an f/1.7 aperture with OIS, another first for a OnePlus device. The cameras also record 4K videos at 60fps which is a great feature for content creators. To the front of the smartphone is a 16MP Sony IMX 371 sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and EIS which records 1080P videos.

We will be testing out the OnePlus 6 in details for our full review. The Honor 10, launched on May 15th, also has a glass back and a dual-camera setup. Would like to see a comparison between the two smartphones? Let us know in the comments!
May 16, 2018
Unboxing The Honor 10
Honor has launched the Honor 10 at an event in London. The Honor 10 will be available in two variants. The Honor 10 will be available in only one variant in India. The smartphone will have 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and will be priced at Rs 32999. The Honor 10 will be available via Flipkart exclusively.

Succeeding the popular Honor 9, the Honor 10 has flagship specifications and an all-glass design. The smartphone also features a notch on the display like a lot of other modern-day Android smartphones. The colour variants are also very interesting with the Honor 10. Two of the colour variants have a dual-tone colour of blue and pink and in the images at least, looks pretty fantastic. The fingerprint reader like expected is not embedded inside the display, instead, it is an invisible ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that can also detect a wet finger.

[section label=”Unboxing Video”]

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Inside the box of the Honor 10
- Honor 10
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Wall Charger
- USB C Cable
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

The Honor 10 takes a lot of design cues from the Huawei P20 Pro. The notch on the display is the same size as the P20 Pro and the all-glass design is reminiscent of the Huawei flagship smartphone. Right off the bat, you’ll realise that this a slippery phone thanks to its build quality. The glass finish means that the back of the device is also a fingerprint sensor. It is best adviced to either use a case or a skin for a better grip.

The front of the smartphone is dominated by the 5.84 inch IPS LCD display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. The notch can be hidden using software which will turn the display into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Running everything under the hood is the company’s own flagship SoC, the HiSilicon Kirin 970. That is coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The flagship chipset can handle anything you throw at it and day-to-day usage is a breeze. The Honor 10 runs a highly customised version of Android 8.1 Oreo. For users who crave an app drawer and stock Android, there is always the Pixel Launcher.

Powering the smartphone is a 3400 mAh battery which charges via a USB C port. It is worth noting that despite having a glass back, the smartphone does not support wireless charging. It is SuperCharge compatible which should charge the phone faster than usual.

Honor has also touted AI capabilities of the Honor 10. AI seems to have become a very marketable term for smartphone makers these days. According to Honor, AI 2.0 can detect dynamic pictures more accurately. The phone’s AI 2.0 can also process Prisma-like image effects twice as fast as the iPhone X.

The smartphone has a dual-camera setup on the back, consisting of a 16MP RGB sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and a 24MP Monochrome sensor. The rear cameras record 4K videos at 30fps. The notch on the display, along with the sensors and an earpiece, also houses a 24MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The front-camera only records 1080P videos at 30fps.
May 15, 2018
Unboxing The OPPO Realme 1
Realme is an OPPO sub-brand which will launch its first smartphone in India, the Realme 1 on May 15th. The device will be an Amazon-exclusive and its product page has a few details about the smartphone listed already. The smartphone has a starting price tag of Rs 8990 for the 3GB RAM variant.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

Inside the box of the OPPO Realme 1
- Realme 1
- Wall Charger
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Micro USB Cable
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

The most striking feature of the Realme 1 is its back panel. The smartphone has a “Diamond Black” back which looks quite impressive as it reflects light differently from a different angle. This is thanks to the diamond-like cuts on the metal. It is worth noting that the back has a plain texture and that the cuts are not physical. The smartphone definitely feels hefty and won’t be the most lightweight smartphone you pick up.

To keep up with the competition, the Realme 1 has an 18:9 aspect ratio even though the bezels are quite visible and not the thinnest you’ll ever see. However, the smartphone does not have a fingerprint sensor, which is truly astonishing considering smartphones that cost Rs 7000 also have a fingerprint sensor these days.

The Realme 1 has a 6 inch display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. The smartphone runs on the MediaTek MT6771 Helio P60 chipset coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The onboard storage is expandable via a microSD card in case you run out of the 128Gb storage provided. Powering the smartphone is 3410 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot.

The Realme 1 runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with ColorOS 5.0 on top. The custom skin is very similar to skins by Chinese smartphone makers, there is no app drawer and you’ll barely notice the version of Android because of the heavy customisation. There OPPO Cloud for people to store their data on the internet instead of their devices. Clone Apps will let consumers use two separate accounts of the same app, which can come in handy for a lot of people.

Must Read: Unboxing The Huawei P20 Lite

The smartphone also misses out on a dual-camera setup, again, a feature that has become the norm. It has a 13MP camera on the back along with an 8MP front-facing camera.

The OPPO Realme 1 looks apart from the competition but misses out on a few key features. Stay tuned for a full review of the Realme 1!
May 15, 2018
Unboxing The Huawei P20 Lite
Huawei launched the Huawei P20 Lite along with the P20 Pro in India on the 24th of April. The Huawei P20 Lite is a budget offering from Huawei which yet again, runs on the Kirin 659 chipset. However, there are a lot of new features and design changes that make it an exciting prospect, especially at its price of Rs 19999. Both the smartphones went on sale via Amazon on 7th May and there will be more sales in the coming weeks.

The P20 Lite truly feels like a ‘Lite’ version of the P20 Pro. The Huawei P20 Pro has been grabbing all the spotlight with its Twilight colour variant and the triple-camera setup on the back. However, the P20 Lite appears to be the smartphone to get with its design and price in India.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

Inside the box of the Huawei P20 Lite
- Huawei P20 Lite
- Earphones
- Wall Charger
- USB C Cable
- Clear Case
- Sim Ejector Tool
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

There will be a few documents in the retail unit which we did not have in our box.

The Huawei P20 Lite has a striking design that isn’t matched by many smartphones in this price category. It has an all-glass design with an aluminium frame that has the same colour as the glass so it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. The dual-camera setup on the back is placed vertically which, ever since the iPhone X was launched, has become the norm. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back in the middle at a very comfortable position. Thanks to its different texture, it is also very easy to recognise the fingerprint sensor when it is in your pocket.

The power button is situated on the right-hand side of the device along with the volume rockers. The left-hand side houses the SIM tray and that is it. The headphone jack (yes, it’s there) and the USB C port are situated at the bottom of the smartphone.

The 5.84 inch LTPS IPS LCD display is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with support for SuperCharge. The smartphone has an unusual 19:9 aspect ratio thanks to that notch. This means that even after stretching a YouTube video, it won’t use the entire screen real estate. However, on the brighter side, the notch will be hidden at all times while consuming visual content.

The P20 Lite runs on the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset which is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The storage is expandable via hybrid microSD card slot.

The P20 Lite has a 16MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture coupled with a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 24MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. Both the front and back cameras record 1080P videos while the front camera also has 3D Portrait Lighting, similar iPhone’s Portrait Lighting.

At a price of Rs 19999, the P20 Lite’s competition is dated. The design and build quality is somewhat matched by the Moto X4 which also has a glass build but that is about it. The P20 Lite might be the smartphone to get at this price but, we will leave that judgement for our in-depth review.

[section label=”Unboxing Video”]

Unboxing Video
May 8, 2018
Unboxing The Asus Zenfone Max Pro
Asus has officially launched the Zenfone Max Pro in India at an event in Delhi. The Zenfone Max Pro will go on sale in India via Flipkart. The Asus Zenfone Max Pro will be available in two variants in India for now, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and the other with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage You can buy it by clicking here. At the launch, the company also announced that a 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant with better camera capabilities will be launched at a price of Rs 14999. However, no specific timeline for that launch was mentioned.

The new smartphone has a few interesting features and specifications and at this price, it will compete with the Redmi Note 5 Pro in this highly congested budget smartphone segment in India.

Asus, with the Zenfone Max Pro, is taking a different approach towards to the budget segment of the Indian smartphone market. There are a few aspects of the smartphone that will an “Asus-first,” especially for India. The Zenfone Max Pro launch is also a world first launch, just like the Redmi Note 5 Pro was.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

Inside the box of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro:
- Asus Zenfone Max Pro
- Documentation
- Micro USB Cable
- 10W Wall Charger
- Sim Ejector Tool
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

Right off the bat, the Asus Zenfone Max Pro exuberates a sense of familiarity. The aluminium unibody design is prevalent across the budget category of smartphones and the Zenfone Max Pro is no different. The 18:9 aspect ratio and thinner bezels mean that a 5.99 inch display fits into the body of a regular 16:9 smartphone with a 5.5 inch display. Fair to say that the 18:9 aspect ratio has become the norm even in sub-15K smartphones. It is worth noting that even though the bezels are thin, they are still substantial and not as thin as some of the flagship devices.

Another interesting feature of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro is its OS. So far, we have become accustomed to the heavily customised ZenUI on all Asus Android smartphones. However, with the new Asus Zenfone Max Pro, the company has decided to go for stock Android OS. Now, it is not Android One, which means it is not completely stock OS and there are a few pre-installed apps as well. However, it is much lighter than ZenUI which should bode well with the powerful Snapdragon 636 chipset.

The back of the smartphone also houses a vertically placed dual-camera setup which looks uncannily similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. It appears that this trend of vertically placed dual-camera setup on the side of the smartphone also took off with the iPhone X. The dual-camera setup consists of a depth sensor which will be used for portrait mode shots. It has a 13MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and the depth sensor is a 5MP camera. The front of the device houses an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash.

At a starting price of Rs 10999, the Zenfone Max Pro, despite its specifications matching the Redmi Note 5 Pro, will compete with the Redmi Note 5. Maybe, the launch of the Zenfone Max Pro will push Xiaomi into launching a follow-up to the Mi A1.
April 23, 2018
Unboxing The Nokia 7 Plus
HMD Global has officially launched the Nokia 7 Plus in India at a price of Rs 25999. The smartphone will be up for preorders from the 20th of April via Amazon exclusively. Subsequently, the Nokia 7 Plus will go on sale on the 30th of April. Unlike a lot of other smartphones, the Nokia 7 Plus is only available in 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant. However, it will retail in two colours, Black with Copper and White with Copper, both of these look extremely premium and well built.

Nokia has had a rocky start ever since making its return to the smartphone industry under a new management. In 2017, the company launched quite a few but, pricey budget smartphones in India. The brand Nokia picked up momentum when the Nokia 8 was launched in India at a very competitive price.

With the launch of the Nokia 7 Plus, the once celebrated phone brand has entered untested waters. At a price of Rs 25999, the Nokia 7 Plus will try to fill the gaping hole in a segment where the Moto X4 is a lone warrior. The company has moved on from an older-looking design and refreshed its highly successful (in China) Nokia 7 for the global market.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

Inside the box of the Nokia 7 Plus :
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Clear Case
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Earphones
- Wall Charger (Fast Charging compatible)
- USB Type C Cable
[section label=”Initial Impressions”]

The Nokia 7 Plus is a welcome refresh from HMD Global and that is visible the moment you hold the device. It has a metallic unibody design with a matte finish to the back which does not look cheap at all. On the contrary, it looks extremely premium and should give others in this range a run for their money.

Another significant change in the Nokia 7 Plus is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. Up until now, HMD Global either placed the fingerprint sensor on the front or decided to have a phone sans fingerprint sensor. However, with the bezels considerably shrunken on the 7 Plus, the fingerprint sensor resides on the back. However, it is very centrally positioned which means it is easy to reach and is distinguishable.

While the 7 plus sports a taller display with thin bezels, they aren’t the thinnest by any stretch, in fact, the phone has a significant forehead and chin. The Nokia 7 Plus has a 6 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. The bezels are visible on all the sides of the device but, after a few minutes of usage, your eyes and mind get used to the black space around the display. Thanks to its taller 18:9 aspect ratio the 7 Plus, even with its 6 inch display is easy to use and unless you have tiny hands, the one-handed usage should not be an issue.

The Full HD+ IPS LCD display is bright and vibrant. It has great viewing angles and the 18:9 aspect ratio means the display can fit more content while the overall size of the smartphone has not changed drastically. The single bottom firing speaker is a let down hence, we suggest using external speakers or headphones for any sort of media consumption.

The Nokia 7 Plus runs stock Android 8 Oreo OS and also supports the Android One program. This means the smartphone will receive timely software and security updates for at least a couple of years. Just like the previous Nokia devices, it runs stock OS which means no bloatware. However, there are a few people who prefer a custom skin like MIUI over stock OS. For them, apps like the Nova Launcher is the only way to heavily customise their UI.

Under the hood, the Nokia 7 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. In fact, it is the first ever smartphone launched in India that is powered by the chipset. The 2.2 GHz octa-core processor handles day-to-day tasks extremely well. The stock OS and lack of any sort of bloatware also help its cause. The smartphone feels snappy to use and handles gaming quite well.

The Nokia 7 Plus has a dual-camera setup on the back. The primary wide-angle sensor is a 12MP camera with an f/1.75 aperture coupled with a 13MP telephoto lens with an f/2.6 aperture. In our brief testing, we found the camera app to be a bit laggy and even while recording videos, the app stutters a bit.

With an impressive build and stock Android out of the box, the Nokia 7 plus promises to be an exciting seller in the market. However, India being extremely price sensitive, sales might change that opinion. Stay tuned for our full review!

[section label=”Unboxing Video”]

Unboxing Video
April 6, 2018
Unboxing The Huawei P20 Pro
Huawei’s P20 Pro may be a flagship for the company if you ignore their glossy limited edition Huawei Mate RS, but for a lot of others, it is a direct stab at flagship Android phones. The Huawei P20 Pro also makes a unique proposition with a triple rear camera setup which makes it unique for the flagship market too.

[section label=”Initial Impressions”]While we had leaks aplenty the phone managed to live up to expectations with the design and feature set. The design is extremely close to that of the iPhone X. While the notch is smaller the metal frame sandwiched between the glass front and back looks extremely good.

The company wanted to retain the fingerprint sensor on the front which means that you get a large chin. But, at least a very usable fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor also allows for the navigation to be moved off the screen.

The three cameras on the Huawei P20 Pro are, however, the most naturally noticeable feature of the phone. A massive 40 MP shooter makes for the primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture with an additional 20 MP (f/1.6) camera. The third 8 MP 3x optical zoom, telephoto lens equipped, shooter makes a good mix for excellent portraits and zoomed in shots. The camera gets a natural 3x zoom and a 5x hybrid zoom which allows for lossless zoomed in pictures. The front gets a 24 MP wide selfie camera.

[section label=”Unboxing”]

The unboxing experience is not very special for the Huawei P20 Pro, however, you do get a complete set of accessories
- Huawei P20 Pro
- Documentation
- USB Type C Earphones
- USB C to 3.5mm Adapter
- Sim Ejector Tool
- SuperCharge Wall Charger
- USB Type C Cable
The software experience of the phone is what makes the P20 Pro an interesting product. For starters, you get Android 8.1 out the box, with a promised update to Android 9 soon after release. The notorious notch can be hidden in software by making the status bar black, something which “no notch nazis” would like a lot.

You can customise the OS quite a lot, from removing the navigation keys to duplication of commonly used apps. The camera app is also quite extensive with lots of shooting options. The phone also shoots and records H.265 video at 4k which is good as most phones still use dated codecs.

The Huawei P20 Pro will come to India in April. Pricing is expected to be lower than the Euro 899 price it was launched for globally. The launch of the P20 Pro will also mark the return of the brand Huawei into India which stopped sales mid-2016.

[section label=”Unboxing Video”]

Huawei P20 Pro Unboxing Video

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iODL1MBpCYE[/embedyt]
April 2, 2018
Unboxing The Xiaomi Redmi 5
Xiaomi started 2018 with two great budget smartphones, the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. While the Redmi Note 5 is essentially the Redmi 5 Plus that was launched in China, many expected the Redmi 5 to never hit the Indian shores. That, however, changed on the 14th of March when Xiaomi held a live stream event and launched the Redmi 5 in India.

At a starting price of Rs 7999, the Redmi 5 is a peculiar device for the India market. That doesn’t mean that it won’t sell because Xiaomi appears to have cracked the code for India. With three variants launched, there are a few options to consider. But, the base variant is expected to be the popular choice because the Redmi Note 5’s base variant essentially cancels out the other two models of the Redmi 5. Pricing:
- 2GB RAM/16GB storage: Rs 7999
- 3GB RAM/32GB storage: Rs 8999
- 4GB RAM/64GB storage: Rs 10999
So, does the Redmi 5 have enough firepower to have an impact on the increasingly congested budget smartphone segment of India? Let’s unbox the device and find out:
- Xiaomi Redmi 5
- Documentation
- Wall Charger
- Micro USB Cable
- Clear Case
First Impressions

Usually, the difference between a regular and a plus variant of a device is usually substantial, size wise. However, that is not the case with the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus). At a glance, the difference between the two is barely noticeable. The design and build quality of the Redmi 5 resembles the Redmi Note 5 with the same 18:9 aspect ratio. That being said, it still possesses considerable bezels which are even more prominent if you buy the Gold colour variant.

One of the two main differences between the Redmi 5 and Note 5 is the display. It has a 720P display which measures 5.7 inches.

Specifications

Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. In fact, the Snapdragon 450 is an underclocked Snapdragon 625 chipset, which is used in the Note 5.

There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone just below the camera. However, that is mainly a signature Xiaomi decision and not due to the lack of bezels on the front. Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which, Xioami claims has a standby time of up to 12 days. The battery is charged via a micro USB slot which means no fast charging.

Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 5 AI in China that, surprisingly, runs Android 8 Oreo. However, that is not the case in India as the Redmi 5 still runs Android 7 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top.

The device has a 12MP camera at the back with 1.25-micron pixel size. The camera surprisingly only records 1080P videos at 30fps. To the front of the device is a 5MP camera with Beautify 3.0, which is Xiaomi’s software for enhanced selfies. However, unlike the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, the device misses out on Face Unlock feature.

Buy The Redmi 5 Here
March 17, 2018
Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy S9+
Samsung has launched the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ in India at a starting price of Rs. 57900. Both the smartphones will go on sale via Flipkart and Samsung.com from the 16th of March. However, the preorders began a day after its official global launch. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ and S9 succeed the highly popular S8+ and S8 from early-2017. So, do the new Galaxy S9 flagship smartphones have enough to replicate the success of 2017?

Let’s unbox the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and see what we get:
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- AKG Earphones
- Wall Charger
- USB Type C Cable
Samsung Galaxy S9+ First Impressions

The first noticeable aspect of the S9+ is its familiarity. If you’ve ever held a Galaxy S8+, this device won’t feel all too different. The screen size is the same while the bezels have been ever so slightly trimmed. The infamous Bixby button retains its place on the left side of the Galaxy S9+. The power button can be found on the right while the volume rockers are situated just above the Bixby button.

Bixby Button

One of the most requested changes in the Galaxy S9+ and S9 is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. In our review of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, we mentioned the unusual placement of the sensor which prompted many users to use the iris scanner instead. This time around, the fingerprint sensor is placed below the camera module. While there was barely any difference between the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, things are a bit different this time around.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a single camera on the back while the Galaxy S9+ has a dual-camera setup, similar to the Galaxy Note8. Despite its large 6.2 inch display, it isn’t cumbersome to hold the S9+. One-handed usage will be tough for people with smaller hands and ghost touch is still an issue. Although Samsung has optimised its software to prevent accidental touches, it isn’t foolproof yet.

Samsung Galaxy S9+ Specifications

As is with its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S9+ has the same screen size as the Galaxy S8+. It sports a 6.2 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.

Under the hood, it is powered by the Exynos 9810 chipset.The Galaxy S9+ is available in 6GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/256GB models in India.

Intelligent Scan

Out of the box, the Galaxy S9+ runs Android 8 Oreo with Experience 9.0 on top. Powering the smartphone is a 3500 mAh battery, just like the Galaxy S8+. The smartphone will support wireless charging as well. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9+ also has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The main difference between the two S9 models this year is in the camera department. Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S9+ has a dual-camera setup on the back. The Galaxy S9+ has one wide-angle 12MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture and the other is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens is the same one found on the Galaxy Note8, which means it has OIS. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
March 6, 2018
Unboxing The Moto Z2 Force
Lenovo-owned Motorola has launched the Moto Z2 Force in India. It is priced at Rs. 34,999 in India and will go on sale at midnight via Flipkart and Moto Hub stores. Motorola has launched the device in India, almost six months after its global launch. Although the Moto Z2 Force is competitively priced, it won’t be long before the OnePlus 6 is launched at a similar price and Snapdragon 845 chipset.

Let’s unbox the Moto Z2 Force and see what we get inside:
- Moto Z2 Force
- Documentations
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Earphones
- Type C to 3.5mm dongle
- USB Type C Cable
- TurboCharge Wall Charger
First Impressions

To maintain the device’s compatibility with Moto Mods, the Z2 Force doesn’t look too different from its predecessor. It is thinner for sure and has a very sturdy build. This time around, Moto has implemented s dual-camera setup on the back which has become a norm. At a price of Rs. 34999, along with the TurboPower Mod, the Moto Z2 Force is a great alternative to the OnePlus 5T.

Moto Z2 Force With TurboPower Mod

Moto Z2 Force Specifications

The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5 inch P-OLED display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. The Z2 Force does not have Corning Gorilla Glass on top, instead has a plastic shattershield coating on top. This means that the Z2 Force will survive drops more than a regular device with Corning Gorilla Glass. However, thanks to the presence of a plastic coating, it would be more susceptible to smaller scratches.

Moto Z2 Force

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the smartphone as it retains the size and design of a ‘Moto Z’ device. As a result, the Z2 Force is compatible with Moto Mods.

Probably, a possible let down could be the missing of the 3.5mm headphone jack. However, it will come with a dongle inside the box to still use your beloved wired headphones.

Another modern element, which has now truly become a norm is in the camera department. The Z2 Force, like many flagship phones, has a dual 12MP camera setup on the back with an f/2.0 aperture. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. The smartphone records 4K videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is a 5MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash.

Moto Z2 Force

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdrhrkUMFMg[/embedyt]
February 15, 2018
Unboxing The Bose QC 35 II
Bose recently launched the next iteration of its highly popular noise cancelling headphones, the Bose QC 35 II. Priced at Rs. 29,393 in India, the Bose QC 35 II do not come cheap but, you get what you pay for. Bose is one of the most renowned audio accessories makers in the world and the QC series has garnered great reviews over the years.

Let’s unbox the new Bose QC 35 II and see what we get:
- Carrying Case
- Bose QC 35 II
- Documentations
- 3.5mm Cable
- Charging Cable
First Impressions

The Bose QC 35 II headphones have a really good build. They fit comfortably and the noise cancellation is spot on! For a price of Rs. 29393, these might not be everyone’s cup of tea but, if you travel a lot and prefer to listen to your music instead of all the noise, these are ideal for you.

The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II has a battery life of up to 20 hours. It has Bluetooth 4.1 for connectivity and comes with a cable in case the battery runs out. Just like the QC 35, the same controls remain on the right ear-cup, audio volume, and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri. And now, there’s a new Action Button on the left earcup to connect to your Google Assistant without having to grab your phone, unlock it, and find the app.

Bose Connect App

Like its predecessor, the QC35 II’s noise cancellation is fully activated when the headphone is on, but, the Bose Connect App now lets you choose to keep it on (high), turn it down (low), or disable it completely (off). The Connect App also lets you change the Action Button’s functionality, so you can control the noise settings from the ear-cup when you want, and switch back to your Google Assistant when you want.
February 8, 2018
Unboxing The HTC U11+
The HTC U11+ has finally been launched in India at a price of Rs. 56990 and is available on Flipkart. Let’s unbox the HTC U11+ and see what we get inside the box:
- HTC U11+
- Documentation
- Type C Earphones
- Type C to 3.5mm headphone adapter
- Sim ejector tool
- Wall charger
- USB Type C cable
First Impressions

At the time of its launch, the HTC U11+ represented a much-needed design shift for HTC smartphones. Although the HTC U11 was a breath of fresh air, it still looked like a dated flagship device due to its thick bezels. The HTC U11+ has thin bezels around the display, and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The device also has a similar build quality to the HTC U11, something that was highly appreciated in the earlier flagship.

Thin Bezels

The fingerprint sensor is now placed on the back of the smartphone. A lot of the design cues are similar to the HTC U11 but, we are not complaining. The HTC U11+ is one of the few smartphones that look and feel absolutely premium. The 3.5mm headphone jack is missing and it is time we make peace with this omission.

HTC U11

HTC U11+ Specifications

The HTC U11+ has a new 6-inch IPS LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top of the display and at the back. The tall display means the bezels on the HTC U11+ are thinner than the ones found on the HTC U11.

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

The smartphone is powered by a 3930 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. The HTC U11+ runs Android 8.0 Oreo with HTC’s Sense UI on top.

The Edge Sense feature from the HTC U11 retains its place albeit new features and customisability. With AI gaining more prominence, HTC has provided both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to give people the flexibility and choose which AI assistant they prefer. You can assign a light squeeze to access Google Assistant, and a hard squeeze to access the Amazon Alexa and vice versa.

Edge Sense is now a remappable feature and can perform specific tasks depending on which app you’re in. If you have the YouTube app, you can remap the squeeze to take you to the subscriptions window or if you are in Google Maps, you squeeze to zoom in or zoom out. HTC has also added a new radial menu which can be accessed with a squeeze. It is a round shaped menu which customises on the basis of your usage.

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

The HTC U11+ is certainly one of the best-looking devices right now, especially with the translucent design. However, it will only be available Ceramic Black and Amazing Silver in India. At a price of Rs. 56990, the HTC U11+ competes with the likes of the Galaxy S8 which also has a great design and flagship specs. However, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to make their way to the Indian market in March. The new Samsung flagship devices will have the 2018 flagship chipset Exynos 9810 in India.

You can buy the HTC U11+ here
February 8, 2018
Unboxing The OnePlus 5T Lava Red
OnePlus recently launched the OnePlus 5T Lava Red edition in India. The new colour will only be available in the 8GB RAM variant and is priced at Rs. 37999, just like the regular Midnight Black colour variant. It goes on sale at 12 noon on the 20th of January via Amazon, oneplus.in, Croma stores and OnePlus experience zones in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi NCR.

Buy The OnePlus 5T Lava Red

With smartphones becoming increasingly similar as far as hardware as is concerned, smartphone makers need to find a way to differentiate their product from the rest of offerings in the market. And it appears that a “special edition” Red colour variant is the next big differentiator, that companies have identified. The Lava Red isn’t the only special edition smartphone the company has launched in India, back in December, the OnePlus 5T Star Wars edition was launched at a price of Rs. 38999.

Unboxing The Star Wars Limited Edition OnePlus 5T

Let’s unbox the new OnePlus 5T Lava Red and see what we get:
- OnePlus 5T Lava Red
- Dash Charger
- USB C Cable
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
First impressions

It is a red OnePlus 5T. It looks and feels exactly the same as the Midnight Black variant except it is red in colour. The smartphone has the same matte finish on the back which makes it a bit slippery to hold but, otherwise it’s a very sturdy phone. Depending on which side you’re on, you’ll be happy or sad to know that OnePlus has retained the black colour for the front of the smartphone, something that a lot of people wanted in the Product Red iPhone 7 and 7 Plus.

The power button, volume rockers and the fingerprint sensor are also red in colour with the black OnePlus logo providing a bit of contrast on the back. There is a small camera bump on the back which means that the OnePlus 5T doesn’t lay flat on a surface which may bug a few people while others won’t even notice it. The headphone jack, USB C port and the single bottom firing speaker reside on the bottom of the smartphone.

We also unboxed the Xiaomi Mi A1 red colour variant and similar to the regular Mi A1, it has a metal build with a matte finish. The red colour dominates the back of the device and just like OnePlus, the company has retained the black colour for the front of the smartphone which compliments the red colour really well. The specifications remain the same as well for the red coloured Xiaomi Mi A1.

Buy The Red Xiaomi Mi A1

OnePlus 5T Specifications

Just like it was for the OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition, the specifications remain the same for the OnePlus 5T Lava Red.

The OnePlus 5T has a 6-inch Full Optic AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution, 401ppi and an 80.5% screen to body ratio.

Under the hood, the OnePlus 5T has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, a 2.4GHz octa-core processor, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of onboard storage which cannot be expanded. Due to thin bezels, there is no place for a home button and the fingerprint sensor has now been shifted to the back of the phone and is placed right above OnePlus logo.

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Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which supports OnePlus’ DashCharge technology. The OnePlus 5T also features facial recognition for unlocking the device. The alert slider retains its place at the top left side of the phone which can be used to switch between different modes of notification alerts.

The OnePlus 5T runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat with customisability options thanks to the Oxygen OS on top. The update to Android 8.0 Oreo update is coming soon on the OnePlus 5T as the beta testing has already begun.

One big change in the OnePlus 5T 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.

The OnePlus 5T continues to be a strong offering in the sub-40K category with its flagship-like specifications and a modern design. With a new colour to the fore, it gives consumers an extra option to look at and for some people, a red colour variant is the ultimate deal maker.
January 20, 2018