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.

Sony Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra And Xperia L2 Price Revealed

At the recently concluded CES 2018, Sony took to stage to unveil its three new mid-range and budget smartphones, the Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and Xperia L2. While the specifications and key features of the devices were chared by the company, there was no word on their pricing. Now, all the three smartphones are up for pre-orders in the US and UK which reveals the pricing of all the three smartphones.

The Sony Xperia XA2 is priced at US $350 (Rs. 22,260 approximately), Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is priced at US $450 (Rs. 28,620 approx.) while the Xperia L2 will retail for US $250 (Rs. 15,900 approx). If and when these smartphones make their way to India, the pricing could be similar to their US price if Sony wants to compete with other brands in the overcrowded budget and mid-range segment.

Sony Xperia L2

Xperia L2

The Sony Xperia L2 branches out from the now defunct Xperia E series.

The Xperia L2 has a 5.5-inch display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the MediaTek MT6737T chipset, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor has now been moved to the back of the phone and is placed centrally, right below the camera.

Powering the smartphone is a 3300 mAh battery but there is no word on fast-charging support yet. In a move similar to Samsung’s, the Xperia L2 will run Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

The Sony Xperia L2 has a 13MP camera on the back and an 8MP camera with a wide-angle lens on the front.

Sony Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra

Xperia XA2

The two mid-range offerings from Sony, the Xperia XA2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra will start shipping in February.

The Xperia XA2 has a 5.2-inch display while the XA2 Ultra has a 6-inch display but, both the devices have a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, both the devices are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset and have the Adreno 508 GPU. The Xperia XA2 has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, which is expandable via microSD (hybrid slot on the dual SIM XA2). The larger XA2 Ultra has 4GB of RAM and two storage options of 32GB and 64GB. Thanks to the big bezels and a massive footprint of the device, Sony has provided a dedicated SIM card slot for both the single SIM and dual SIM models.

The XA2 features a 3,300mAh battery as compared to the XA1’s 2,300mAh unit, while the XA2 Ultra is powered by a 3580mAh. Both of the devices will also support QuickCharge 3.0 via a USB Type-C port. Unlike a lot of Sony devices, the fingerprint sensor now sits on the back of the devices just below the camera module.

Xperia XA2 Ultra

Both the smartphones have a 23MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture. To the front of the Xperia XA2 is an 8MP camera with a wide-angle lens. The Xperia XA2 Ultra has a dual-camera setup on the front, as it has a 16MP camera with OIS along with the 8MP wide-angle lens.

Sony still hasn’t announced its plans of launching these devices in Asian markets such as India and again, it will have to price these devices competitively to compete with the likes of Xiaomi Mi A1, Honor 7X and the Moto X4.

January 15, 2018
HTC U11 EYEs Specs Leaked On HTC’s Official Website

Smartphone launches nowadays are hardly met with surprise, since a lot of the main specifications and features are leaked way before the official launch. But, while most of these leaks are courtesy of tipsters and renders, sometimes, the smartphone maker itself leaks some important features. HTC has done exactly in the case of the HTC U11 EYEs. The smartphone is scheduled to be launched later in the day but, all the key details of the phone have been revealed via the official HTC website.

Through a comprehensive leak by a famous tipster on Twitter, we already knew that the smartphone will have a 6-inch Super LCD3 display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, the U11 EYEs will be powered by the Snapdragon 652 chipset, along with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back of the phone and it will be IP67 certified for water and dist resistance.

The smartphone will be powered by a 3930mAh battery with QuickCharge support via a USB C port. Surprisingly, the device will run Android 7 Nougat out of the box even though Android 8 Oreo was launched back in August of 2017.

The HTC U11 EYEs will have a 12MP “UltraPixel 3” primary camera with OIS and “UltraSpeed” autofocus. HTC has revealed a DxOMark score of 90, which is exactly the same as what the HTC U11 received, which probably means that it is the same camera. To the front is a dual 5MP camera setup which will work together to create a bokeh effect.

The HTC U11 EYEs will be launched in China and according to the company’s recent launch tactics, it probably won’t make its way to India. It will be priced at CNY 3299 in China which roughly translates to about Rs. 32000 in India.

January 15, 2018
Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime To Launch In India On 17th January

Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime has been confirmed to be launched in India on the 17th of January. The smartphone will be an Amazon exclusive and the price of the phone is expected to be around Rs. 15000.

According to the Amazon listing, Samsung Galaxy On7 Prime has a 5.5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution.

[amazon_link asins=’B01DDP7D6W’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’33896174-f846-11e7-89d2-45396d1ddb6a’]

Under the hood, the Galaxy On7 Prime will have the Exynos 7870 chipset, a 1.6GHz processor, and Mali-T830 MP1 GPU. The smartphone will be available in two variants, one with 3GB RAM and 32GB of onboard storage and the other with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card.

There is no confirmation on whether the smartphone will have a dedicated microSD card slot or not.

According to Samsung UAE website, the Galaxy On7 Prime will be powered by a 3300 mAh battery. The physical home button on the front will, in most likelihood, house the fingerprint sensor as well.

The Galaxy On7 Prime will have a 13MP with an f/1.9 aperture on the front and back along with rear-facing LED flash.

Interested users can register for the device by clicking here.

January 13, 2018
LG G7 Leaks Reveal Dual Front Cameras And No Bottom Bezels

Early months of a year are usually dedicated to the hype around the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy ‘S’ series. Along with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ this year, the LG G7 is also expected to be launched in early-2018, most probably at MWC. Unlike the Galaxy S9, there haven’t been a lot of leaks or renders revealing the possible design of the upcoming smartphone.

A new leaked image, however, reveals what could be the LG G7. Two striking aspects of this image are the bottom bezel and the front-facing cameras. According to the image, LG will eliminate the bottom bezel from its next flagship smartphone while keeping a relatively thinner upper bezel.

So far, LG has had very good primary camera setup in its flagship smartphones but, it appears that LG will make a few changes in its front-facing camera module as well. The leaked image in question reveals that the LG G7 could have a front-facing dual-camera setup. It will be interesting to see how the company will implement the two cameras or whether it will be similar to the primary camera setup with a wide-angle secondary lens.

Other than the design, there was a hint on LG’s official website that the LG G7 will be powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset rather than the new Snapdragon 845 chipset. This is similar to the LG G6 situation as it was launched during the period when Samsung had exclusive access to the Snapdragon 835 chipset hence, the G6 was powered by the Snapdragon 821 chipset instead.

The launch of the LG G7 seems nigh, with MWC looming around, it will be interesting to see if the device is launched as the LG G7 or the company will rebrand it, as it was reported earlier.

January 13, 2018
OnePlus 3, 3T To Get Face Unlock Feature

OnePlus 5T was launched back in early-November 2017 as a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T has a modern design with thin bezels and a tall display and has a different camera setup at the back as well. However, OnePlus introduced another feature in the OnePlus 5T that was a first for the company, Face Unlock. Subsequently, the company announced that the OnePlus 5 would soon get Face Unlock via an OTA update and the company’s co-founder, Carl Pei asked OnePlus 3 and 3T users to voice their opinion and demand the Face unlock feature for their devices.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/946428911688323072

After a couple of weeks of putting out that tweet, Pei has confirmed that the OnePlus 3 and 3T users will get a beta version of Face Unlock via an OTA update. This is possible because OnePlus’ facial recognition is purely software-based, unlike Face ID.

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The intention behind face Unlock on the OnePlus 5T was the convenience, since the fingerprint sensor was moved to the back. Face Unlock is an easier way to unlock your smartphone, however, it is not as secure as other facial recognition systems such as Apple’s. OnePlus conceded this after Face Unlock received great reviews for incredibly fast and accurate and ideal lighting conditions, that this system can not be used for bank transactions or storing data.

OnePlus 5T

OnePlus is not the only company to come up with its facial recognition system, Huawei unveiled its own technology and even claimed that it is faster and more accurate than Face ID while being secure enough for bank transactions. Samsung has been implemented iris scanning on its smartphone for some time now, and there are reports that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be even more accurate.

January 13, 2018
The Sharp Aquos S3 Has A Design Identical To The iPhone X

At the time of its launch, the iPhone X was met with mixed thoughts in terms of its design. However, one thing was certain, the iPhone X notch was going to be a heavily repeated phenomenon in the smartphone industry and so far, it’s holding its true. Even though the Essential Ph-1 did it before the iPhone X, the Ph-1 having a cyborg eye-like cutout for the front camera. The iPhone X however, has a bigger and more prominent notch to fit all the hardware required for Face ID.

The upcoming Sharp Aquos S3 will be launched on the 16th of January and its leaked images reveal a design very similar to the iPhone X. The smartphone will have a 5.99-inch LCD display with a 2040 x 1080 px resolution. The images also show off the iPhone X-like notch which appears to house just the earpiece and a camera.

Under the hood, the Aquos S3 will either have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 or the 630 chipset along with 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage.

To the back of the device is a vertically placed dual-camera setup again, uncannily similar to the iPhone X. The visible difference here is that the LED flash is placed below the camera module rather than sandwiched between the two cameras like in the iPhone X. The Sharp Aquos S3 has a 12MP+13MP camera setup on the back but, there are no details about the type of lenses used.

One thing that a lot of Apple fans would’ve wanted in the iPhone X, is present in the Aquos S3 and that is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. While Face ID has been great, the convenience of choosing between Face ID and Touch ID would’ve been ideal but, it also looks like Apple has plans to replace Touch ID with Face ID in all of its iOS and macOS devices.

6.2-inch Doogee V with in-display fingerprint scanner pic.twitter.com/mqn9w3UjHc
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 6, 2018

The Sharp Aquos S3 is not the first iPhone X lookalike that has made or will make its way to the Chinese market. Doogee, a Chinese smartphone maker recently launched the Doogee V with an iPhone X-like notch on the display and a dual-camera setup similar to the Samsung Galaxy S9+ leaks.

January 13, 2018
Unboxing The Honor 9 Lite
Honor will officially launch the Honor 9 Lite in India on the 17th of January. While there are no details about the price yet, we speculate that the Honor 9 Lite could be a slightly lower priced Honor 7X alternative in India. In China, where the smartphone was first launched, it starts at a price of CNY 1199 (Rs. 11600 approx.) for the base variant. Considering Honor’s recent pricing strategy, it won’t be surprising if the Honor 9 Lite is priced at Rs. 10999 in the Indian market.

Let’s unbox the Honor 9 Lite and see what we get inside the box:
- Honor 9 Lite
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Micro USB Cable
- Wall Charger
First Impressions

The display of the smartphone is reminiscent of the Honor 7X with thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor branding is housed in the bottom bezel just like the 7X while the fingerprint sensor is comfortably placed on the back of the device. The glass back of the smartphone is extremely reflective and will be a fingerprint magnet.

So, either keep a microfibre cloth handy with you all the time or use a case or a skin to protect it from little smudges and dings. The device is smaller than the Honor 7X thanks to a slightly smaller display as well and it is comfortable to hold and use the device with one hand.

Specifications

It has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, similar to the Honor 7X, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding.

Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.

The Honor 9 Lite has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP + 2MP setup and both the setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.

With the Honor 7X garnering great reviews for price-to-performance ratio, the Honor 9 Lite might take it up a notch with its competitive pricing in the India market. It has a modern design, a very capable chipset and dual cameras on the front and back. Fans of custom UI would love EMUI and at a price of around Rs. 10,000, this smartphone could be a great prospect.
January 12, 2018
You Can Own A Gold Apple iPhone X For Rs. 1,36,000

Apple launched the iPhone X back in September 2017 at a starting price of US $999 while in India, it retails at a starting price of Rs. 89000. While the iPhone X is the priciest iPhone ever launched by Apple, it is certainly not the most expensive iPhone you can buy. If you have about Rs. 1,36,000 burning a hole in your pocket, a Blush Gold iPhone X can be yours.

A Chinese company has launched the iPhone X Blush Gold, Bronze and Champagne Gold Color customised variants for users in China. It starts at a price tag of CNY 13888 (US $2149 or Rs. 1,36,659 approx) and goes up to CNY 16888 (US $2923 or Rs. 1,85,859 approx.).

However, it is not just the colour that is customised according to a user’s need, they can also choose a different middle frame of the iPhone X. Customers can either choose an iPhone X-style curved frame or a flat iPhone 4-style frame. That level of customisation obviously deserves top dollar. The box is not the average run of the mill Apple box, it is a big box designed like a gift for every user.

In 2017, Apple launched the Product RED iPhone 7 and 7 Plus. It is possible that Apple might launch a Product RED iPhone X as well. If you are on the lookout for a special edition iPhone X, then you’d want to wait and see if a red iPhone X will be launched or not. Otherwise, a Blush Gold, Bronze or Champagne Gold colour options are always available.

January 12, 2018
Xiaomi Mi A1 Android 8 Oreo Rollout Suspended

Xiaomi launched the Mi A1 back in August of 2017 with stock Android 7.1 Nougat. This was the first instance of a Xiaomi smartphone running stock OS out of the box and the company promised an update to Android 8 Oreo by the end of the year. Technically, the company delivered on the promise and released the first software update to Android 8.0 Oreo on the 31st of December.

However, Xiaomi has now suspended the rollout of Android 8 Oreo owing to a lot of users complaining about performance-related issues. Users have complained about issues pertaining to an unresponsive camera and dialer app, battery drain when Bluetooth is turned on, unresponsive ambient light sensor and recent app button.

Xiaomi isn’t the first company to suspend the Android 8 Oreo update. OnePlus had to recently halt the Android 8 Oreo update for the OnePlus 5 devices due to performance issues reported by users. However, the issues were fixed soon and the official rollout resumed a few days ago.

The Mi A1 has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection and aluminium unibody build.

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. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera.

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

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.

January 12, 2018
HTC U11 EYEs To Launch On 15th January

HTC has confirmed what was being rumoured for a while now. The company will continue to diversify its HTC U11 moniker with a new mid-range smartphone, the HTC U11 EYEs. The company posted an invite on its Weibo account confirming that the U11 EYEs is real and will be launched soon.

In the image, the date mentioned is 15th January but, doesn’t mention the name of the device. However, in the accompanying post, it does mention ‘Eye,’ effectively confirming that the HTC U11 EYEs will be the centre of attention at the event. It looks like HTC wanted its VR products to be the highlight of its CES 2018 stint and that is why decided to unveil the new smartphone at a separate event.

HTC U11 EYEs (Harmony): 6" FHD+ (1080 x 2160) Super LCD3, SD652 octa core, 4GB/64GB (+microSD), USB-C, 3930mAh, IP67, Android Nougat, Edge Sense. Black, silver, and red. Launches 1/15. pic.twitter.com/Ng0ateH3XR
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 12, 2018

The HTC U11 EYEs was leaked a few weeks ago by a popular leakster on Twitter. According to the leaks, the smartphone will have a 5.99 inch LCD3 display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.

Under the hood, it is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. Due to the thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back of the phone since we are a few months away from using in-display fingerprint sensors on a majority of phones.

The HTC U11 EYEs will also have an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance along with HTC Sense feature which allows users to squeeze the frame of the device to launch a particular app or action. The surprising bit about the smartphone is also the software, as it appears that the HTC U11 EYEs will run Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box, even though the HTC U11+ and U11 Life were launched with Android 8 Oreo out of the box.

The smartphone will be powered by a 3930 mAh battery which will charge via a USB Type C port.

Similar to the recently Samsung Galaxy A8+, the HTC U11 EYEs will have a dual 5MP camera set up along with a 12MP primary camera.

The HTC U11 EYEs may not make its way to the Indian shores as HTC has not launched a smartphone after the HTC U11 in India. The U11+ and U11 Life are yet to be announced in India and the U11 EYEs might be treated the same way by the Taiwanese tech giant.

January 12, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S9 Retail Box Reveals Key Features

With the MWC 2018 just around the corner, Samsung Galaxy S9 leaks are coming thick and fast. While we already have a fair idea about the way both the smartphones will look, there are plenty of specifications that are merely speculations. This new leak might give us a closer look at what some of the features might be present in the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Galaxy S9 Retail box!

Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP OIS F1.5
Super Slow-mo (I think 960fps)
Stereo Speakers tuned by AKG ?

(via https://t.co/ii4f2gG17j) pic.twitter.com/gui5lfCUOp

— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) January 12, 2018

A popular leakster has posted an image of the retail box of the Samsung Galaxy S9 which reveals key features of the camera on the Galaxy S9. According to the specifications listed on the box, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8-inch sAMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution. Similar to its predecessor, the smartphone 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, probably at 960fps.

Other features include an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, an 8MP front-facing camera and stereo speakers tuned by AKG. Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ also retailed with AKG earphones and this year, it is expected the same from the upcoming Galaxy S9 and S9+ as well. The Samsung Galaxy S9 will have 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

While the US and the South Korean variant of the smartphones will be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, the global variants are expected to have the Exynos 9810 chipset under the hood. Recently, the company talked up about its new chipset’s AI capabilities, hence, it will be interesting to see how the non-Exynos 9810 variants will cope up with that.

The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is expected to have a 6.2-inch display with the same resolution and aspect ratio. Under the hood, the Galaxy S9+ might have 6GB of RAM and more storage variants unlike the single variant of the Galaxy S9. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ is also expected to have a dual-camera setup at the back which might be similar to the one found on the Samsung Galaxy Note8.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Renders

The smartphones will be unveiled at MWC as confirmed by Samsung Mobile president, DJ Koh. More details and pricing will also be announced at the launch event.

January 12, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S8 And S8+ Android 8.0 Oreo Is Coming Soon

The latest iteration of Android OS, Android 8 Oreo was officially launched back in August. While the Pixel and Nexus devices have moved on to Android 8.1 Oreo, some smartphones like the Moto X4, Xiaomi Mi A1, OnePlus 5 and others have already received an official update to Android 8.0 Oreo. Two of the most successful flagship smartphones of 2017, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ however, are still running Android 7.1 Nougat.

Not for too long though, as Samsung recently rolled out the last beta version Android 8 Oreo for Galaxy S8 and S8+ users. This means that the official release of the OS is not too far away as most of the bugs, if any, would’ve been ironed out by now. Samsung is not known for fast software updates and recently launched the Samsung Galaxy A8+ in India with Android 7.1 Nougat running out of the box.

Read: Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy A8+

However, Google recently announced the Project Treble and early reports suggest that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will support Google’s Project Treble. With Project Treble, it is expected that the upcoming flagship devices from Samsung will receive the Android P update sooner than its predecessors.

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Project Treble is Google’s effort at reducing the time it takes for OEMs to receive the new OS and optimise it for its devices and then push out the update. A few months ago, Android received a new Vendor Interface, which is largely what Project Treble is about. The VI’s aim is to separate the “Vendor Implementation” (that is, “the device-specific, lower-level software written in large part by the silicon manufacturers”), from the Android OS framework.

What this basically means is that Project Treble compatible smartphones will receive faster software updates since the OEMs won’t have to spend too long customising the latest build of Android OS.

January 12, 2018
LG V30 Raspberry Rose Colour Launched

LG announced the LG V30+ back in August during IFA 2017 in Berlin. While the device was slowly spread out to global markets after its initial launch in South Korea, the smartphone made its way to India in mid-December. In India, the V30+ is available in only two colours, Aurora Black and Cloud Silver while globally there are two more colour variants available, Moroccan Blue, and Lavender Violet.

However, right before CES 2018 went underway, the South Korean company announced a new colour variant of the LG V30, called Raspberry Rose. It is a shade of red which is different from other red coloured smartphones in the market and has a more violet-pink hue to it. Images of the new colour variant show that the colour of the smartphone shifts a bit when you when you move the phone around in your hand, similar to the HTC U11 Solar Red.

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In the ongoing trend of launching limited edition colour variants of popular smartphones a few weeks after its official launch, the LG V30+ in Raspberry Rose might not be a distant dream after all. Other smartphone makers like Xiaomi and OnePlus have already launched a limited edition red colour of their popular smartphones in India. Even Honor is gearing up to launch a red colour variant of the Honor 7X in India close to Valentines Day.

While a flashy new red colour exerts more impetus on consumers to buy a particular smartphone, it barely sways one person from a different device to that particular device. But, the Raspberry Rose appears to be a much better implementation of a “limited edition” colour than some of the other OEMs. In the same way that the Solar Red HTC U11 dazzled the consumers, the LG V30+ in the Raspberry Rose might convince a few consumers to opt for the LG flagship although, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are on the horizon.

January 12, 2018
OnePlus CEO Confirms OnePlus 6 Will Launch In June

The OnePlus 5T was recently launched in November and since then, there have been three variants of the device launched in different part of the world. The OnePlus 6 widely expected to be launched in the second quarter of 2018 and the company’s CEO, Pete Lau has just confirmed that.

In an interview with CNET, Pete conceded that the company has no other option but to use the Snapdragon 835 chipset for its upcoming device in the second quarter of 2018. While he did not confirm the name of the smartphone, logic dictates that the company will name it OnePlus 6.

He also said that there is no confirmation of a second device (OnePlus 6T) that could be launched in late-2018. However, the company’s recent launch activity certainly hints toward a refreshed version of its mid-year flagship. Perhaps, the OnePlus 6T could have an in-display fingerprint sensor as by the time the 6T launches, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 would’ve implemented the technology as it is expected to be launched in August.

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OnePlus smartphones are known to have the latest and greatest specifications at a much more affordable price and that is what the OnePlus 6 is expected to deliver as well. Moreover, there have been a few reports that suggest that the OnePlus 6 will have a few exciting features such as Face ID-like technology and even an under display fingerprint sensor.

While the chances of an in-display fingerprint sensor may seem thin, OnePlus has made its stance clear on facial recognition technology. The OnePlus 5T has one of the fastest facial recognition technology but, it isn’t secure enough for bank transactions, unlike Face ID. The company could implement better hardware and make its Face Unlock much more secure than it already is.

As far as features and specifications are concerned, these are all mere speculations. More leaks and renders will be leaked as we move closer to the launch of the OnePlus 6 in June of 2018.

January 12, 2018
Unboxing The Samsung Galaxy A8+
Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy A8+ in India at a price of Rs. 32990. The device is an Amazon-exclusive and will go on sale in India from the 20th of January. At this price point, the Samsung Galaxy A8+ will compete with the likes of Honor View10 and the OnePlus 5T. The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a display that is reminiscent of Samsung’s 2017 flagship lineup with thin bezels and is also the first smartphone from the company that has a front-facing dual-camera setup.

Let’s unbox the Samsung Galaxy A8+ and see what we get inside the box:
- Samsung Galaxy A8+
- Documentation
- Sim Ejector Tool
- Wall Charger
- USB Type C Cable
- Clear Case
- Earphones
Initial Impressions

Right off the bat, the first thing you notice about the phone is that display and the thin bezels around it. It is nowhere near the screen-to-body ratio of the Galaxy S8 but, it is a refreshing change to Samsung’s mid-range lineup. The next big difference is the position of the fingerprint sensor. Unlike its 2017 flagship smartphones, Samsung has placed the fingerprint sensor below the camera, which is a much more comfortable position, until the in-display sensors become the norm.

The Samsung UX has come a long way since its inception and looks cleaner and feels much more snappy than the previous gen Galaxy A devices. The home button doesn’t have the same haptic feedback like the Galaxy S8 devices or the Note8. There is a single speaker which is oddly placed on the top right edge of the device, this will definitely prevent the muffling of sound which usually happens with rear-facing speakers.

Specifications

The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2220 x 1080 px resolution which translates to an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, it has an Exynos 7885 chipset, an octa-core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa) processor and Mali-G71 GPU. The Galaxy A8+ has been launched in only one variant in India, which has 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. Just like every other smartphone from Samsung, the onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. The smartphone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and supports Samsung Pay for contactless mobile payment.

Powering the Galaxy A8+ is a 3500 mAh battery which is charged via USB Type-C port.

One thing that might come as a surprise, especially for phones launching in 2018 is the OS. The Galaxy A8+ will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box with Samsung’s own custom skin on top.

The Galaxy A8+ is also the first of Samsung phone to have a dual-camera setup on the front. The Galaxy A8+ has a 16MP + 8MP camera setup with an f/1.9 aperture on the front. The Live Focus feature lets users chose whether the background should be in focus or blurred to a soft bokeh. The phone will switch between the two front cameras to get the effect the user needs. To the back of the phone is a 16MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and digital stabilisation.

We will be putting the Galaxy A8+ through its paces and if there is something specific you would like us to cover, let us know in the comments!
January 11, 2018