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We have long been hearing about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 in leaks and rumours, and we know that the phone is expected to launch on the 29th of March. Samsung is manufacturing the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus around the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and has also placed the largest order for the chips, making them un-available to other manufacturers.
However the Samsung Galaxy S8 phones that come to India may not be running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. Our source working closely with the launch of the the India variant of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus claims that in India the phones will launch with Exynos Chipsets and not the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 which will allow Samsung to present the phone at a relatively more affordable price. Samsung has done this in the past with its S and Note series phones.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to launch with a radical new design with a 21:9 aspect ratio display and an edge to edge design with two edges on either side. Samsung has already confirmed that the Galaxy S8 will have Bixby which is their virtual assistant as an answer to Siri and Google Assistant.
Samsung may also not be able to keep up with the demand of the Galaxy S8, due to a difficult manufacturing process and low supply of the Snapdragon chips and curved AMOLED display required for the phones. The Indian variant of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus will offer dual sim capability and storage expansion via a hybrid slot. The Indian launch will attract offers from telecom partners like Airtel for free data for upto one year.
Samsung also recently launched Samsung Pay in India, which will be a big selling point for the Samsung Galaxy S8 when it goes on sale in April. Samsung is expected to hold the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus early April for the Indian market with the Smartphone going on sale towards the end of the month. While the Galaxy S8 is Europe is expected for 799€ , the phone will sell in India starting Rs. 59,990.
The Moto G5 Plus was launched recently in India, and the Moto G5 is Expected to hit the country in the coming weeks. While both the grey and gold variants of the phone went on sale, the Moto G5 Plus is also expected in a Blue colour. Dubbed the sapphire blue variant, both the Moto G5 Plus and Moto G5 will get this interesting matte blue finish.
The blue colour variant of the Moto G5 Plus is expected to launch with the Moto G5 when it goes on sale in India in the coming weeks. The leaks of the new Moto G5 colour were pushed by Roland Quandt, who later said that the Moto G5 Plus too will have a blue colour variant.
The Moto G5 Plus runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset and has a 5.2 inch Full HD 1920 x 1080px display which is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The Moto G5 Plus has a 12 MP Dual Pixel main camera which captures 4k video. The phone runs on Android 7 Nougat and is presently on sale in India here : Moto G5 Plus .
The Moto G5 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 with a 5 inch 1920 x 1080p display along with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The Phone is expected to go on sale in the coming weeks.
OnePlus has launched the OnePlus 3T in a limited edition Midnight Black color, a matte black finish that looks impressive on the phone.
The OnePlus 3T Midnight Black version will only be available with 128 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM and will retail for USD 479 / EUR 479 / GBP 439 while supplies last. And in India, the limited edition OnePlus 3T Midnight Black will be sold through three channels: Amazon.in, oneplusstore.in and OnePlus Experience Store in Bangalore at a price of INR 34,999.
OnePlus is teaming up with Hypebeast for a unique online pop-up sales event from 4 PM GMT on March 24 where the first 250 units of the limited-edition OnePlus 3T Midnight Black will be available.
OnePlus incorporates user feedback into the product development process like no other company. Our users have been asking for an all-black OnePlus 3T, so our team worked hard to bring them the most stunning OnePlus phone to-date in the OnePlus 3T Midnight Black,” said Pete Lau, founder and CEO of OnePlus. “This new version of our most successful phone so far combines powerful hardware, fast and smooth software and the finest attention to detail.”
The recent tie up with a French brand allowed OnePlus to create hype around the black color which has long been rumored.
The pre-order on Amazon.in will start at 23rd March, Click Here. The OnePlus 3T Midnight Black version will be available starting at 2:00 p.m. on March 31st both on Amazon.in and oneplusstore.in.
Apple has also announced that come April 2017, a new App will hit the App Store from the company. Called clips the app is designed to allow you to combine text, images and videos to make socially sharable posts.
Users will be able to create animated captions called “Live Titles,” and apply effects including comic book filters, speech bubbles, shapes and full-screen animated posters.
Clips gives iPhone and iPad users a new way to express themselves through video, and it’s incredibly easy to use,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Apps Product Marketing. The effects, filters and amazing new Live Titles we’ve designed for Clips let anyone make great-looking, easily sharable videos with just a few taps.
With Live Titles in Clips, users can add animated captions and titles using just their voice. Captions are generated automatically as a user speaks, and appear on screen perfectly synced with the user’s voice. Users can mix and match different styles, and tap any title to adjust text and punctuation, or even add inline emoji. Live Titles supports 36 different languages.
Clips will be available on the App Store for free beginning in April, and is compatible with iPhone 5s and later, the new 9.7-inch iPad, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad mini 2 and later, and iPod touch 6th generation. Devices must be running iOS 10.3 to be able to download Clips.
Samsung’s Galaxy S8 has been through an exciting journey leading up to it’s launch. with the phone just days away from being announced. The leaks just keep pouring in. Leakster Evan Blass has released more press renders of the Galaxy S8 in the two colours, Orchid Gray and Black Sky.
The images also show a dedicated button which wills sit below the volume buttons on the left side, which might be used for the assistant Bixby, or otherwise. Few images also appeared on Slashleaks with the bottom edge of the upcoming Galaxy S8, and if you focus you can easily make out the speaker grille and headphone jack.
Another website has leaked images of what they claim to be in box accessories of the Samsung Galaxy S8 . The earphone clearly show the AKG branding on them with a matte black rubber finish.
It also appears that Samsung will stress focus on the camera capability, considering last year’s Samsung Galaxy S7 won them some awards in the camera department.
Apple has updated the standard iPad with the A9 chip and reduced the ownership price to US $ 329 in the US and Rs. 28900 in India for the base 32 GB Wi-Fi Model.
The Apple iPad has a 9.7 inch retina display and includes features like touchID and Siri. The new iPad comes in silver, gold and space gray and starts at MRP INR 28900 for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and MRP INR 39,900 for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
The new iPad is available to order beginning Friday, March 24, and starts delivering to customers and arriving next week in Apple Stores, through select Apple Authorised Resellers in the US while it will go on sale in India in May. New Polyurethane Smart Covers for iPad are available for a MRP of INR 3700 in charcoal grey, white, midnight blue, pink sand and (RED) .
Apple has also updated the iPad mini 4, available in silver, gold and space grey, and now offers more capacity for the same price starting at MRP INR 34,900 for the 128GB Wi-Fi model and MRP INR 45,900 for the 128GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model.
While Apple also sells the iPad Pro, the company claims that the iPad basic is the most selling model and has retained that position for a while.
Apple has quietly launched a special edition of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus to mark 10 years of Apple’s association with (PRODUCT)RED line. The (PRODUCT)RED series is designed to contribute towards research for a cure for Aids.
Since we began working with (RED) 10 years ago, our customers have made a significant impact in fighting the spread of AIDS through the purchase of our products, from the original iPod nano (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition all the way to today’s lineup of Beats products and accessories for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The introduction of this special edition iPhone in a gorgeous red finish is our biggest (PRODUCT)RED offering to date in celebration of our partnership with (RED), and we can’t wait to get it into customers’ hands. – said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
The red color iPhones don’t add any new feature apart from the spicy new color which is sure to attract some buyers. Apple is the world’s largest corporate donor to the Global Fund, contributing more than $130 million as part of its partnership with (RED)
iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition will be available only in 128GB and 256GB models starting at US $ 749 in the US and in India at MRP INR 82,000 from Apple Authorised Resellers.
Both special edition models are available worldwide beginning Friday, March 24, and start shipping to customers by the end of March.
The Apple iPhone SE also sees a storage upgrade, iPhone SE, will be available beginning Friday, March 24, in 32GB and 128GB models replacing the existing 16GB and 64GB iPhone SE at the same price.
Apple has also launched, new colours of Apple-designed iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus silicone cases in azure, camellia and pebble, and leather cases in taupe, sapphire and berry.
Chinese electronics and digital content major Leeco (Formerly LeTV) is now only a year and few months after its mega launch in India in serious financial problems. The brand which propelled ahead launching product after product and spending large sums of money for marketing and rebranding has a serious cash crunch.
Co-founder Jia Yueting told employees through a letter
We blindly sped ahead, and our cash demand ballooned. We got over-extended in our global strategy. At the same time, our capital and resources were in fact limited.
Reuters claims that LeEco is setup to sell the site which was previously supposed to be the company’s Silicon Valley HQ to Chinese developer Genzon Group for $260 million. LeEco had purchased this specific land for $ 250 Million. The Genzon Group has confirmed that the site’s sale is currently under negotiation.
The HQ was to be named EcoCity and was being designed to house 12000 employees. However, the fate of the chinese brand seems to be the same globally. In India the company seems to have died out as quickly as it launched. In a year and few months post launch, LeEco products are no where to be found. A company that held massive launches and big events to announce the smallest of products has recently launched the 4th gen televisions on Amazon without even an official announcement.
LeEco ventured into too many things too quickly and has simply been hurt because of the lack of a clear direction. Co-founder Jia, who has an estimated net worth of around $6 billion, has reduced his yearly salary to one yuan (15 cents/ About Rs. 10). However, last year the company went on a spending spree Aquiring US TV Company Vizio and allocating a large sum for a new EV factory to produce their Tesla competing electric vehicles Pledging a whopping $ 3.8 billion to the cause.
The company’s product portfolio contains, Smartphones, VR headsets, televisions, Content, Smart Bikes, numerous Accessories, and cars.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been no mystery to the tech world, and while the phone is expected to launch in about a weeks time almost everything is already known about the next big flagship from Samsung.
Tech industry tipster has Evan Glass has leaked what appear to be images of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8’s color options. Expected to launch in three colors, according the Blass, the Samsung Galaxy S8 will be available in black sky, orchid grey and arctic silver.
The leaks also include details about the pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S8 which is expected to start at € 799 while the bigger brother the Samsung Galaxy S8+ is expected at 899€.
Samsung will also launch a DeX station which will allow users to connect the Galaxy S8 to a monitor to get PC like performance. The Samsung Galaxy DeX station is expected for 150€.
While the new GearVR which has been heavily leaked as well is expected for 129€ The new design Gear360 is expected for 229€.
India’s homegrown brand Micromax may not have seen good days in the past few year, but, it appears that the company is planning a comeback to the market. The company which had become popular thanks to their budget alternatives to big brands like Samsung and HTC back at a time where players like Xiaomi and OnePlus were nonexistent, now is challenged by many big smartphone players offering budget smartphones.
The smartphone market has become extremely aggressive and competitive, forcing big players like Samsung, Sony and Moto to launch products that compete with the budget alternatives of Chinese brands. While for India’s brands, especially those who depend on Chinese OEM manufacturers to manufacture their products, the margins continue to shrink.
This made it difficult for Micromax to tackle the current market, and while the company was plagued by bad market reputation, and poor after sales service, there were issues within the organizational structure.
Our sources tell us that Micromax has prepared and is ready to hit the market with mid-rangers phones priced around the Rs. 15,000 price bracket. These phones will offer up not only a few interesting features and specifications but will also include impressive warranties. The first series of smartphones from Micromax should start appearing end of March or early April.
Micromax’s Online brand YU will also see a revamp and major launches in the coming months. Micromax appears to have re-organized the company’s structure and is planning more products for the mobile accessories market as well.
Micromax’s twitter handle also recently became active with some news of an upcoming smartphone.
The new Xiaomi Mi In Ear Headphones Pro HD, add a premium yet affordable option to the already good lineup of budget headphones from the Chinese Manufacturer. The problem is that you will have a hard time getting your hands on one.
HTC has officially rolled out the HTC Sense Companion to HTC U Ultra Devices today. The minor update allows users to access the new virtual assistant on their HTC U Ultra devices. HTC is pushing out the update in a phased manner, so users should start to see the assistant in some hours if not immediately.
The HTC Sense Companion is HTC’s answer to the Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri and Samsung’s upcoming Bixby. HTC claims that the AI on the Sense Companion leads and improves over time, based on your habits and needs . The update is free and is available via the Google Play store. While, not an interactive assistant like Apple’s Siri or Google’s Assistant the Sense Companion trans your updates, reminders, contacts , locations, etc and reminds you of things based on habits using the secondary display.
While still in nascent state, the companion, honestly looks quite like “Google Now” with the cards and location based recommendations for food and lifestyle.
Call us duped, but the “big announcement” OnePlus referred to in their tweets turned out to be a dud after all. No there is no blue edition OnePlus 3T ( But wow a blue would have been awesome OnePlus), however, there is a new All Black edition of the OnePlus 3T to be sold exclusively at the Colette store in Paris for a price of Euro 479. Ready to book your flights ? Not so fast, since there will only be a limited run of the phones, with only 250 units up for grabs with the Colette logo engraved on the back. So, you might want to re-consider the journey.
The black does look like a colour we might be interested in, however we do not dig the additional branding so much. The OnePlus 3T in itself remains the same as before with the same specs, and innards along with the same display and camera so no major change on the hardware front and no major design change.
Together, we’re proud to announce the OnePlus 3T colette edition. The colette edition of the OnePlus 3T is a remarkable and painstakingly designed smartphone that brings the timeless class and unrivalled style of colette to OnePlus.
Call us unimpressed, but then maybe we built up our expectations too high. In case you are interested in checking out the device visit :
colette store 213 Rue Saint Honoré, 75001, Paris, France
Lenovo has launched the Moto G5 plus in India with a starting price of Rs. 14,999, while the company is expected to launch the Moto G5 with a removable back panel at a later date.
The Moto G5 Plus is a big departure from its predecessor, the Moto G4 plus. For starters, the Moto G5 plus has an all metal unibody design, while the Moto G4 Plus only had a polycarbonate construction.
The Moto G5 also is running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, a chipset that was used in the Moto Z Play, the company’s sub-flagship smartphone in 2016. On the front the Moto G5 Plus has a 5.2 inch LCD display along with a 1920 x 1080p resolution. It comes with Gorilla Glass 3 cover which gives it additional scratch and damage protection. The Moto G5 Plus also runs Android 7.0 out of the box that comes along with some simple customisations from Moto. You also get the usual Moto gestures, that include double chop for flashlight, and a twist of the wrist for quick launch of the Camera. What’s interesting is that you can now use the oval fingerprint sensor as a one button navigation tool. You can swipe left and right to go back or launch the multi-tasking window. You can also press it down to lock the screen or press it down longer to launch the Google Assistant.
Perhaps the most exciting feature is the camera now comes with 4k Video recording at 30FPS which is a first for phones in this price bracket. The rear camera comes with a 12MP dual pixel lens and the front has a 5MP camera. You can also capture Slo-Mo video at 720p/120FPS.
Samsung may be hard at work readying their next big smartphone/s but the world can hardly wait. These are possibly the most leaked Samsung smartphones till date, and whether one agrees or not, Samsung has some serious flagships getting ready to face the world. If leaks have told us anything, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+, will both have impressive displays, cameras and internal hardware. Let’s quickly do a roundup of everything we know so far.
Two Phones
It is known that Samsung is launching two phones, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Samsung Galaxy S8+. While the Galaxy S8 will have a 5.8 inch display with a QuadHD+ resolution, the larger Samsung Galaxy S8+ will have a 6.2 inch display with the same resolution. Apart from the difference in sizes and battery the two phones may not offer up any additional differences.
Design
Samsung has taken a new approach towards design this year, while the aesthetic of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ will remain identical to the edge variant of the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, the phones will be dominated by the display. Samsung has had to remove the physical button from the front of the phones, which also means that the fingerprint sensor will be removed from the ideal front location to a rear location next to the camera module. Samsung will most likely retain the IP68 aspect of the Galaxy S7 on the Galaxy S8 and S8 plus, which was one of the biggest reasons for Samsung’s success with the Galaxy S7.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will both have curved edge displays, with a QuadHD+ resolution. However, the screen to body ratio on the new phones will be more than 85%, letting the display rule the front of the phone, eliminating unnecessary bezels and including from the top and bottom of the phone.
We also know from leaks that the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 plus will have curved corners of the display. We have already seen this with the LG G6, where the company claims the rounded edges make the display survive better in cases of drops and prevents it from cracking at the corner.
Samsung is also said to be working on a 3D Touch type of technology that will allow the user to press down on the display to mimic the home button or open contextual menus. The displays of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus are also expected to support S-Pen input, so the Galaxy Note fans don’t have to wait for the company to launch the Galaxy Note 8.
Cameras
Looks like there is no special magic trick this time around. While Samsung had one of the best cameras on smartphones in 2016, the company may not make big changes to the cameras on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus . Both the phones will be fitted with 12 MP sensor equipped main cameras with a Dual Pixel technology and the ability to shoot 4k video.
Hardware
Despite the fact that Samsung has an impressive chipset, the Exynos 9, which is capable of heavy multitasking and shooting 4k video at upto 120 fps while supporting a 4k display. Samsung may just save all that power for the Note 8 and since the South Korean tech giant has placed the largest order of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, it is highly unlikely that Samsung will have an Exynos variant going out to market. There are also no leaks or reports that suggest otherwise.
Samsung will also stick to 4GB of RAM and not jump the gun with 6 GB which at this moment seems like overkill by all standards, despite the fact the OnePlus 3/3t have it, there is not much use for it in real world applications.
Battery Safety and Charging
Samsung has learned a lot from the Galaxy Note 7 battery failures, and even though the company just shrugged off the cause and problem of the batteries in the Note 7 devices. Samsung has designed a new 8-point program to ensure battery safety. What Samsung will also do is a leave space around the batteries themselves allowing for certain expansions, which would print a battery puncture, that may be caused by hitting some other component inside the phones.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Chipsets support the latest Quick Charge 4 which is capable of offering 5 hours of usage in just 5 minutes of charge. Samsung may not leverage this feature for their upcoming Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus as rapid charging degrades the battery, and Samsung cannot afford another battery fiasco. Samsung may stick to adaptive fast charge offered by Galaxy S7 which is more in like with Quick Charge 3.0 standards.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will also support wireless charging with the Qi standard, and wireless fast charge using Samsung proprietary charging pads.
Virtual Home and Bixby
Since Samsung will remove the physical home button from the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, a virtual home button will take palace on the front around the center of the bottom portion of the display. If the phones do support a 3D Touch type interface, the virtual button could simply be a placeholder for the press point to go back to home.
Samsung is also working on a new virtual assistant called Bixby, said to launch with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus. Leaks have also shown off an additional physical button on the sides of the phones, which remains different from the power and volume button. This is possibly a direct launch button for the Bixby assistant. However the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will support the Google Assistant out of the box, which would cause confusion as to which assistant you should use on your phone.
USB C, Headphone Jack and Iris Scans
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ will have a USB C port of charging and syncing and will also retain the 3.5 mm headphone jack. Samsung may not be ready yet to explore removing the audio port as a large audience of it’s buyers may not be ready for the switch. Leaks also suggest that the audio will be tuned by AKG, and there is a high possibility that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ with come bundled with AKG earphones as well.
Samsung will also retain the Iris Scanner seen in the Galaxy Note 7 as a new security standard in the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. meaning users will be able to lock certain files, folders and apps, along with their phones with a simple retinal scan.
Operating System
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will most likely launch with Android 7.1 along with Samsung’s own layer of Touch Wiz type interface which will allow for things like Briefing to sit on the left of the home screen. This will also allow for Samsung Knox security, S-Pay and the whole array of Samsung Apps to work with the phone. Samsung has cleaned up the UI in the past and the Galaxy S8 is expected to launch with a slight redesign to the look making it cleaner and more minimal.
Launch Date
Samsung has confirmed that it is holding a launch event on the 29th of March in New York city, it is traditionally where Samsung launches the Galaxy S series phones. Samsung may also however launch other products at its event, like the improved Gear VR headset designed to work with the new smartphones, which does come with a new controller and a new design.
In markets like India Samsung will hold launches as early as second week of April, to launch and announce the phones.
Networks and SIM cards
Samsung will retail two models of Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, for markets like US and Canada Samsung will sell a single SIM card variant with a second slot for micro SD card expansion of the storage. The second variant will allow for two SIM cards on a hybrid setup, i.e. it will either accept two SIM cards or one SIM card and one microSD card.
Availability and Price
Initially Samsung was supposed to start selling the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 plus mid April, the date has now been shifted to April 29th and may further be shifted to early may. Reports indicate that Samsung wants to run additional tests before launching this phone to prevent any Galaxy Note 7 type failures.
Pricing pundits are pricing the Galaxy S8 starting € 799 ( approx Rs. 56000 ) and Galaxy S8+ at € 899 ( approx Rs. 63000) as a starting price for the 64 GB variant, Samsung may also launch 128 GB variants of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ which will be priced higher by €100.
In India the Galaxy S8 is expected to start at Rs, 59,990 for the Galaxy S8 and both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are expected to go on sale early May.
