Category: Mobile

Smartphone News and Reviews, Latest Cellphones, Accessories, New Launches, Specifications, Details with Image and Video from Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, Moto, HTC, Xiaomi, Oneplus, Meizu, Sony, Lava, Micromax Yu Mobile and More.

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
Samsung ‘Accidentally’ Rolls Out Android 8 Oreo Update To Galaxy S7 Edge

In a bizarre turn of events, someone in Vietnam received a stable build of Android 8 Oreo along with Experience UI on their Galaxy S7 Edge. This looks like an administrative error from someone at the Samsung development team. It is possible that someone pushed out a possible final build of the update.

It is worth noting that Samsung has not even run a Beta program of Android 8 Oreo on the Galaxy S7 Edge as of now. Also, it seems highly improbable that Samsung would update the Galaxy S7 Edge to Android 8 Oreo before the Galaxy S8 and S8+. Also, smartphones from Samsung launched in 2018 still run Android 7 Nougat out of the box.

This means that Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 and S9+ with Android 8 Oreo out of the box and then start updating its previous smartphones to the latest OS version. The beta program of Android 8 Oreo for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ is in its final stages and the final build should be rolled out soon after the launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+.

As far as the accidental update is concerned, the user who received it uploaded some screenshots. The update in question weighed in at about 1.4GB with a build number of G935FXXU2ERB2. It has not been confirmed as to how many people received this update and what is the protocol from here on.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be launched on the 25th of February. Here is everything you need to know about the devices.

February 8, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ Leaked In The Best Colour Variant Yet

Samsung Galaxy S9 and its bigger sibling will be launched on the 25th of February at MWC 2018. There have been enough leaks of the two phones to tell us almost everything relevant to modern day smartphone. After the design of the two phones was leaked multiple times, we are now seeing the colour variants of the smartphones.

After being leaked in a new Lilac Purple colour, the same tipster on Twitter confirmed that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be launched in a Coral Blue colour as well. So far, this looks like the best colour variant of all and will surely be a hit among the consumers.

Rumour Roundup:

The smaller sibling will have a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display while the Galaxy S9+ will have a 6.2 inch display. Both the devices will have a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.

Press Renders

Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9 will have a single 12MP SuperSpeed Dual Pixel camera. This time around, however, the camera will have an f/1.5 aperture and record super slow motion videos at 480fps. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ will become the second phone from Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup on the back after the Galaxy Note8. The Galaxy S9+ will have a 12MP camera with an f/1.4 aperture along with another 12MP camera with an f/2.5 aperture

Owing to the launch of the Samsung flagship phones, a lot of companies have restrained from making significant announcements. It was recently revealed that Xiaomi could skip the Mi 7 launch at MWC as well, similar to what Huawei and HTC will do. The Galaxy S9 will be priced at Rs. 69000 in India.

February 8, 2018
Moto Z2 Force

Lenovo-owned Motorola launched its flagship in 2017, the Moto Z2 Force with a shatterproof display technology. With a lot of high-end specifications, the 2nd-gen Moto Z phone will be the flag-bearer for Moto this year. The Moto Z2 Force has the typical 2017 flagship hardware with 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. It has Android Nougat out-of-the-box with a promised update to Android 8 Oreo.

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Latest News

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Videos

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February 7, 2018
Apple iPhone X, iPhone 8 Won’t Face CPU Throttling Like Older Generations

Ever since the iPhone X was launched, Apple has been in the news for reasons far away from the iPhone X. A few months ago, there were murmurs on the internet that Apple slows down older iPhones after launching new iPhones. These rumours were partially true as Apple later conceded. However, the company said that the only reason it slowed down iPhones was to prolong their battery life.

iPhone 8 Plus

Many people who bought the newly launched iPhones wondered whether their smartphones will be dealt the same fate. Apple has come out and cleared the air around the iPhone X and iPhone 8 saying that it has ‘hardware updates’ to handle ageing batteries. This was mentioned as a response to Senator John Thune, head of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

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Apple has said that the new iPhones “hardware updates that allow a more advanced performance management system.” This should come as good news for iPhone X and iPhone 8 users and future suitors of the new devices. Back in December, Apple had issued the following statement to clear the air around its actions pertaining to older iPhones slowing down with time:

Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions.

We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.

iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus Do Not Have The Hardware Updates

Ever since the announcement, the company has faced a backlash from consumers and has been received multiple lawsuits from consumers. To somehow curb the criticism, Apple apologised to its consumers and said that a number of changes will be made to regain the trust of its consumers.

We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down. We apologize. There’s been a lot of misunderstanding about this issue, so we would like to clarify and let you know about some changes we’re making.

Apple conceded that it would cut the price of an out-of-warranty battery replacement from US $79 (Rs. 5000 approx.) to US$29 (Rs. 1850 approx.) for an iPhone 6 or later. Also, Tim Cook conceded that Apple would soon release a feature wherein users would have the option of choosing. A user can choose whether to slow down their iPhone or let it run normally and risk shutdowns.

February 7, 2018
Valentine’s Day Offer: OnePlus 5T Lava Red Available At A Discounted Price

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5T Lava Red in India in late-January. It was sold via a flash sale on Amazon and went out of stock pretty quick. However, the demand for the Lava Red OnePlus 5T has made the company restock the Indian shores with the device. As a part of Valentine’s Day offer, the Lava Red OnePlus 5T is back in sale via Amazon, OnePlus.com and OnePlus Experience Stores.

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It is priced at Rs. 37999 as it is only available in the 8GB RAM variant. The Valentine’s Day offer will run until the 14th of February and has a few good deals for prospective buyers. People who buy the Lava Red OnePlus 5T from Amazon can get an instant discount of up to Rs. 1,500 by using an SBI credit card. They will also be eligible for 3 months of zero-interest EMIs.

People who buy the OnePlus 5T Lava Red from the OnePlus Experience Stores or OnePlus.com will get a cashback of Rs. 1500. OnePlus has also announced a new referral program for users who bought either the OnePlus 5 or the OnePlus 5T before the 30th of January. All such eligible customers will get two referral codes via email. Using these codes, if anyone purchases the OnePlus 5T, both the referrer and the new buyer will get a warranty extension of up to three months each. The company is also offering the first 500 successful referrers and referees a pair of Bullet V2 earphones each.

OnePlus 5T Lava Red First Impressions

The Lava Red OnePlus 5T 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.

Are you buying a new Lava Red OnePlus 5T this Valentine’s Day?

February 7, 2018
Samsung Galaxy C10 Plus Specifications Leaked

With the Galaxy S9 and S9+ launch around the corner, it is easy to forget that Samsung does make other smartphones as well. The company recently launched the Galaxy A8+ in India at a price of Rs. 32999 and the budget-friendly Galaxy On7 Prime. In early-2017, Samsung launched the Galaxy C7 Pro and its successor is due as well. It appears that the Galaxy C10 Plus could be that successor.

In a recent AnTuTu listing, the Galaxy C10 Plus showed up, revealing a few key specifications. The smartphone in question carries the model number SM-C9150. According to the listing, the alleged Galaxy C10 Plus will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. Along with 660 chipset, it will have 6GB of RAM and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

This hints at a possible early launch, right after the Galaxy S9 launch. Samsung is expected to launch all smartphones running Android 8 Oreo post the Galaxy S9 launch. For the Galaxy C10 Plus to still run Android 7 Nougat means the launch of the device might be on the fore.

Another big takeaway from the listing is the display and possible design of the device. It reveals that the smartphone will have a 1920 x 1080 px resolution which translates into a 16:9 aspect ratio. This aspect ratio might become archaic in the coming months. This means that the Galaxy C10 Plus might be launched as part of the Galaxy J series in India.

February 7, 2018
Top Xiaomi Smartphones In India Right Now

Not so slowly, Xiaomi has gone on to become one of the most successful smartphone brands in India. A market that is so price sensitive, Xiaomi seems to have cracked the code to succeed here. Every few months, the company launches a smartphone that in one way or another, is a great device for its price bracket.

Apart from just launching budget devices, the company has introduced some great high-end smartphones as well. But, with so many Xiaomi smartphones in the India market right now, which ones are the best? Let’s take a look!

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

The priciest Xiaomi smartphone available in India, the Mi Mix 2 was launched in October 2017. At the time of its launch, it had the best “design+specs” combination under Rs. 40,000. The OnePlus 5 looked archaic when put next to the Mi Mix 2 and the LG G6 had an older chipset. However, the launch of the OnePlus 5T changed that a bit. Even though the OnePlus 5T was launched in November, the Mi Mix 2 continues to be a great device at a price of Rs. 35999.

The Mi Mix 2 has a stunning tri-bezel less design with a ceramic back panel. This means that the Mi Mix 2 is a fingerprint magnet but, due to a darker shade, the fingerprints aren’t too prominent. It is also much more compact than the Mi Mix of 2016.

It has a 5.99 inch 2160 x 1080 px LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Xiaomi reverted to an 18:9 aspect ratio since the Mi Mix had a 17:9 aspect ratio. Also, in 2017, the 18:9 aspect ratio became the norm for flagship devices.

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 smartphone sports 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.

Xiaomi Mi A1

The Mi A1 is the only Xiaomi device in India that runs stock Android OS. At a price of Rs. 13999, the Mi A1 continues to be a fan-favourite and there isn’t much wrong with the device. It has a great dual-camera setup, a reliable Snapdragon 625 chipset and is even available in a red colour variant now. The Honor 7X has a more modern design, however, it runs EMUI which might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Mi A1 has a 5.5 inch LTPS display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The smartphone 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.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 12MP equipped with a wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture while the other one is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.6 aperture. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

The most successful Xiaomi smartphone by the company’s own admission, the Redmi Note 4 continues to do well in the Indian market. The Redmi Note 4 was launched in early-2017 and had astonishing specifications for a smartphone priced at around Rs. 10,000. It sold like hotcakes in India and it is evident that consumers are eagerly waiting for the Redmi Note 5 to launch in India.

The Redmi Note 4 has a 5.5 inch LCD display which has good visibility indoor and outdoor, along with wide viewing angles. Under the hood, it has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of storage.

The front houses a 5 MP camera, and the rear a 13 MP shooter with decent colour optimisations.

Xiomi Redmi 5A

At a price of Rs. 4999, the Redmi 5A is as good a smartphone you can get. When HMD Global launched the Nokia 2 at a price of Rs. 6999 running on Snapdragon 212, the Redmi 5A was launched with the Snapdragon 425 chipset.

The Redmi 5A has a 5 inch LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, has a 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 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.

Xiaomi Mi Max 2

As bezels get thinner, the lines between a smartphone and phablet become blurier. However, the Mi Miax 2 continues to be a true blue phablet in the Indian market. With great battery life, the Mi Max 2 is ideal for people whose primary media consumption happens on a smartphone. It is priced at Rs. 13999 for the 32GB storage variant and is worth the price!

The Mi Max 2 has a unibody metal design along with a 6.44-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, has 3GB or 4GB of RAM along with 32GB or 64 of onboard storage.

To the back of the phone is a 12MP camera and the front houses a 5MP camera.

Which is your favourite Xiaomi device right now? Let us know in the comments!

February 7, 2018
Leaked Nokia 7 Plus Renders Reveal Thin Bezels And An Impressive Design

HMD Global launched the Nokia 7 in China on 20th October. While many expected the company to launch the smartphone in India as well, that did not happen. After a successful stint in China, HMD Global is preparing to launch a ‘Plus’ variant of the Nokia 7 at MWC 2018. The Nokia 7 Plus is expected to have a much better design and an upgraded chipset.

New renders of the Nokia 7 Plus have been leaked and reveals an impressive new design. The bezels are significantly thinner than the Nokia 7 and the glossy back panel has a golden hue around the camera and fingerprint sensor rims. This design language is similar to the Nokia 6 (2018) design and it looks like HMD Global will implement this in future Nokia devices as well.

It is also expected to have an all-glass design with an aluminium frame. If so, HMD Global could introduce wireless charging support although, it feels like the company might keep that feature for a marquee phone like the Nokia 8 Sirocco or Nokia 9. Recently, a few promotional images of the Nokia 7 Plus were leaked which revealed a few details about the upcoming smartphone.

It is fair to say that the Nokia 7 Plus could be the first Nokia smartphone with an 18:9 aspect ratio and possibly, wireless charging.

Nokia 7 Plus Rumour Round-Up:

The Nokia 7 Plus will have a 6 inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio hence, the “Plus” moniker. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back, just like the Nokia 7 although, the device had a 16:9 aspect ratio and thick bezels.

Under the hood, the Nokia 7 Plus is expected to have the Snapdragon 660 chipset. According to a benchmark listing, the Nokia 7 Plus will have 4GB of RAM. Expect 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via a microSD card. The Nokia 7 Plus will also run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Nokia 7 Plus Promotional Images

The Nokia 7 Plus will have a 12MP wide-angle lens along with a 13MP telephoto lens. The front of the smartphone is expected to house a 16MP camera with no LED flash. The primary camera setup will also have a Nokia Pro mode along with the Bothie feature.

The Nokia 7 Plus is expected to be launched at MWC 2018. However, HMD Global could launch the smartphone in China first and then announce its global availability at MWC.

February 7, 2018
Moto Z2 Force Owners Complain That The Shattershield Coating Is Peeling Off

The Moto Z2 Force was launched in July as the next iteration in Moto’s ‘Z’ lineup. With a shattershield coating on top, the company claimed that the display won’t crack after a few drops. However, thanks to the plastic coating, the device is prone to minor scratches that can increase a lot in the long run.

It appears that the plastic coating comes with its own set of issues. Moto Z2 Force users have complained that the shattershield plastic coating has started peel off from their devices. People have posted images of their Moto Z2 Force to demonstrate the extent of the problem. In some cases, the issue seems minimal but, there are images where the plastic coating is dangling from the display.

Don't bother with this, the z2 force has SERIOUS PEELING ISSUES with the shattershield, I've had mine for less than 4 months and it looks like a 2 year old phone. The jbl sound boost speaker Moto mod is already blown and battery is atrocious

— gryphon darklighter (@astang99) January 26, 2018

Most of the times, the peeling off starts from around the fingerprint sensor and front camera. Also, unlike the Moto Z Force, Motorola did not intend to have a removable plastic coating. This means that fixing the issue yourself will not help. While some users have been able to get a replacement device from Motorola, others have been told that display issue is not covered.

Moto Z2 Force Overview

The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5 inch shattershield display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution.

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Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB 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. This is done to maintain compatibility with Moto Mods.

The Moto Z2 Force has a dual 12MP f/2.0 camera setup on the back. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. On the front of the smartphone is a 5MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash.

February 7, 2018
Leaked: Benchmarks Of Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Running on Snapdragon 845

At MWC 2018, Xiaomi is expected to make a few announcements. While there are reports that the Mi Mix 2S is expected to be announced before the mobile congress, Xiaomi has not hinted at any launch event as of now. This means that if the Mi Mix 2S is indeed real, MWC 2018 could be the platform where it is launched. The Mi Mix 2S could also be the first or one of the first few devices to run on Snapdragon 845 chipset.

A new leaked image apparently reveals the benchmark scores of a Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S running on Snapdragon 845 chipset. If true, this device blows the competition out of the park with its benchmark scores. For starters, the latest version of Antutu is used for the test. The alleged Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S on the same app gets a whopping score of 270,461. To put things into perspective, a Huawei Mate 10 Pro running on the Kirin 970 chipset scores around 218,000 on the same version of this app.

An interesting bit to notice here is the notification panel. Usually, the clock on top is on the right but, in the screenshot, the clock is placed on the left. This looks very similar to the iPhone X which has a notch on the top. On the iPhone X, the information on top is distributed in the two corners while the middle is filled via software while taking a screenshot.

Mi Mix 2s Render

At the end of the day, there are no guarantees that this is a credible image. It is very easy to doctor benchmark results like this. Hence, we suggest that you take this leak with a grain of scepticism.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S

An earlier render of the Mi Mix 2s showing a notch on the display looked a photoshopped iPhone X photo. Recently though, a new render has emerged which reveals a design worthy of a new variant.

Mi Mix 2s Early Renders

The image shows evenly trimmed bezels all around the display. The Mi Mix 2 had a small chin which housed the front-facing camera. The front facing camera here is placed in the top right corner. It is fitted awkwardly which results in a weird notch on the top right corner. Although this looks like a design prototype that would’ve been buried in the back burner, the design does look like new and different.

February 6, 2018
HTC U11+ Launched In India At Rs. 56,990

The HTC U11+ has finally been launched in India at a price of Rs. 56990 and will go on sale via Flipkart on the 7th of February.

Google recently completed the deal which it saw the smartphone division of HTC being transferred to Google. This also meant a non-exclusive access to various HTC patents. While many thought that this deal would mean the end of HTC’s smartphone business, that is not the case. After the deal was announced in September, the company launched the HTC U11+ and U11 Life.

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.

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.

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.

HTC U11+

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

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. But, in 2018, does it hold up with other flagship phones and especially the upcoming devices like the Galaxy S9? Only time will tell.

You can buy the HTC U11+ here

February 6, 2018
OnePlus Co-Founder Carl Pei Confirms There Is No OnePlus X2

OnePlus has been known to refresh its smartphone lineup rather swiftly. It launched the OnePlus 3T a few months after the launch of the OnePlus 3 and followed the same strategy with the OnePlus 5 and 5T. One smartphone that has not seen a successor yet is the OnePlus. The OnePlus X was OnePlus’ ultra-affordable device that was launched in September 2015. Even though it had a premium build and good enough specifications, the device failed to make an impact in the market.

A new rumour claimed that the company was working on a successor to the OnePlus X, the OnePlus X2. While the information that was leaked appeared plausible, the company has come out and said that there will be OnePlus X2.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/960790393913671680

The Rumour

While this pretty much confirms that the OnePlus X2 was barely a thing of someone’s imagination, it could be a good device if it were true. According to the rumour, the OnePlus X2 would have reverted to the 5.5 inch display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

It goes on to claim that due to the surplus of Snapdragon 835 chipsets, the company will use these chipsets for the OnePlus X2. Although that could have been the case, OnePlus recently announced its best ever year by revenue. This means that the company sold a lot of OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T which were powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.

The price of the smartphone was predicted to be in the region of US$ 250 (Rs. 16,000 approx.). At such a price with the Snapdragon 835 chipset and a build quality similar to the predecessor, this device would have been a mid-range killer.

February 6, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus Receives iPhone X-Like Gesture Navigation Support

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus was launched in December 2017 in China. Over the past few weeks, there have been reports that the device will be launched in India as well. While many expect Xiaomi to launch the Redmi Note 5 in India on the 14th of February, it won’t come as a surprise if the Redmi 5 Plus is launched instead.

The Redmi 5 Plus has a tall display and thin bezels all around. This means that so far, there were on-screen navigation buttons but, Xiaomi appears to be pushing a new update to the device. In the new update, the Redmi 5 Plus gets iPhone X-like navigation gestures which means that the on-screen buttons will no longer take up precious screen space. OnePlus has also introduced gestures for the OnePlus 5T in a new beta build.

Xiaomi had already introduced these gestures in the Mi Mix 2 but, it was a beta version update. It is unclear as of now, whether these gestures arrive via a stable or a beta update. The gestures resemble the iPhone X a lot.

For example, in order to reach the home screen, the user has to swipe up from the bottom of the screen while swiping from the bottom to the top and pausing for a second brings up your recent apps. Other gestures include swiping from the left or right of the screen to the middle to take the user to the previous page.

Over the years, Android’s take on navigation within the OS has been different from that of iOS. While Android phones have had three navigation buttons, iOS has had a physical home button which solved multiple purposes like multitasking, invoking Siri and other gestures like swiping from the left or right of the screen to the middle to take the user to the previous page. So, when Apple introduced these gestures in the iPhone X, the transition was a lot smoother thanks to the presence of gestures in the past iPhones.

Android, on the other hand, has used the three buttons, the home, back and multitasking button for every little navigation within the OS. These have either been software buttons or physical buttons, with nowadays OEMs offering the choice of both the navigation systems. When Android does shift to only gestures, the transition for users might not be as natural and organic as it was for iOS users.

It will be interesting to see when Xiaomi starts rolling out these gestures to more devices in a stable build. So far, this seems like a China-exclusive feature.

February 6, 2018
Apple iPhone X Bug Won’t Let Users Pick Up Incoming Calls

Launched in September 2017, the iPhone X has become the most successful premium smartphone in India. It sold more units than the budget-friendly OnePlus 5T and even the Samsung Galaxy Note8. This happened despite the iPhone X being the priciest iPhone ever. Just like every other new iPhone, the iPhone X runs iOS 11 which had had its issues so far.

Rumoured iPhone X Plus

A new bug is being reported by iPhone X users where they can’t pick up incoming calls. What happens is that the ringtone starts playing but, the screen stays off for several seconds. This means that users are not able to perform the simplest of tasks on a smartphone that costs so much of money. Users tried resetting their devices but, to no avail.

Apple has conceded that it is looking into the matter. Apple is expected to fix this issue and a new iOS update will be rolled out sooner rather than later. Something similar to the controversy-ridden Google Pixel 2 XL as well. After the Android 8.1 Oreo update, many users were not able to pick up incoming calls because the screen would remain off for several seconds.

Every phone, every feature phones light up the display during an incoming call. To face such a trivial issue after paying so much of money for a smartphone is shocking. Although this doesn’t measure to the number of complaints against the Pixel 2 devices, Apple has to take care of this swiftly. In the last couple of months, Apple has come under scrutiny for deliberately slowing down older iPhones.

Google Pixel 2 XL

Tim Cook has since then, come out and said that a future iOS update will let users choose between wearing down their battery or slowing down their iPhone.

February 6, 2018