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.

All Three iPhones In 2018 Will Look Like The iPhone X
2017 has seen a surge in bezel-less phones and tall displays. Apple also joined the race with the launch of the iPhone X in September. Apple also launched the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, which were an incremental upgrade over the iPhone 7 an 7 Plus. With the iPhone X, Apple took some bold decisions like ridding the home button and introducing an OLED display for the first time. In 2018, it appears that all iPhones will look like the iPhone X, with thin bezels, a tall display and a notch.

Ming Chi Kuo, an analyst for KGI believes that the iPhones launching in 2018 will be similar to the iPhone X and that there will be no home button in any of the phones. Kuo has had a good track record predicting what Apple might do. He released a research note which was obtained by MacRumours.

You may also like – I Spent A Day With The iPhone X And I Am Done With The Home Button

According to the note, the iPhones could come in three different sizes:
- A 5.8-inch phone with an OLED display (similar to the iPhone X).
- A 6.5-inch phone with an OLED display (like an iPhone X Plus).
- A 6.1-inch phone with an LCD display.
The two iPhones with OLED displays will be priced closer to the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X while the 6.1 inch iPhone with LCD display is expected to be priced similar to the iPhone 8 (US$649).

The OLED phones are also expected to have better specifications than the LCD iPhone but, that is how Apple will keep the price down for the 6.1 inch model and try to offer an iPhone for everyone in 2018.

Home Button On The iPhone 8

This means that Face ID is here to stay, for now at least. Many believed that the iPhone X is a test run for Apple and want to ease its consumers into the new future of no home button. It is also possible that the OLED iPhones in 2018 will have in-display fingerprint sensor while the LCD iPhone will only have Face ID. However, Face ID in the next-gen iPhones is expected to be better as Apple will have ample time to iron out the few glitches and errors in the current form of Face ID.

Kuo has also predicted that Apple’s Face ID will come to the iPad Pro and next year’s iPhones.
November 14, 2017
Motorola Moto X4 Review

The Motorola Moto X4 comes to India for a price of Rs 20999 for the 3GB RAM variant and Rs 22999 for the 4GB RAM variant , after an unexpectedly long wait. Is the new Moto X series phone the right sequel to the popular Moto X Play and Moto X Style?

[section label=”Build Quality and Design”]

Build Quality and Design

The design of the Moto X4 is pretty impressive, with a glass front and 3D curved glass back, the phone has a rigid aluminium frame and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 with Native Damage Resistance. The Moto X4 is also IP68 water resistant, making it a really interesting proposition in the present price bracket.

The matte-finish frame feels excellent in the hand and the curved back fits comfortably in your palm. The cameras are placed in the notorious Moto round camera bump, however is well protected by a metal lip around the glass. The phone is offered up in two colors the Super Black and the Sterling Blue, both are interesting shades of their respective base colors and make the device look premium. Motorola has also placed all markings on the bottom of the phone next to the USB – C connector, making the device look clean.

The displays do have a top and lower bezel, but they are put to use with the large forward fitting speaker and front flash, along with the Fingerprint sensor which sits below the screen.

[section label=”Unboxing Video “]

Watch our unboxing video here-

[section label=”Hardware”]

Hardware

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch screen and while Motorola has used OLED displays in their phones frequently, the Moto X4 continues to use a 1920 x 1080 px LTPS IPS LCD display. Inside the Moto X4 has the Snapdragon 630 chipset with the Adreno 508 GPU. The 2.2 GHz oct core chipset manages to deliver impressive daily performance. Options of 3 / 4 GB of RAM and 32/ 64 GB of Storage (respectively) along with a 3000 mAh battery with Moto TurboPower charging.

The chipset does have FM radio capabilities and DUAL SIM support along with VoLTE for Indian networks.

[section label=”Display and Multimedia”]

Display and Multimedia

The forward firing speaker is loud and clear, we would have liked the dual stereo speakers Moto has used in the past, but this single one works well. The dimply is vibrant and bright with excellent color accuracy and viewing angles. The display is easily readable indoors and out and offers a 10 point multi touch just as most smartphones nowadays.

Consumption of content will be a plenty with the loud speaker and good looking display the responsiveness of the device also enhances the multimedia experience. A few customisations for the display are available, a color mode and adaptive brightness come standard. Also standard is a display size modifier to allow for larger or smaller fits and icons.

The sound output from the 3.5mm jack and the included earphones are impressive, adding a pair of high quality headphones will also offer better results.
[section label=”Performance and Gaming”]

Performance and Gaming

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset ( mid-high range chipset) works well on the Moto X4, paired up with the 4 GB RAM variant that we tested the phone offers impressive perforce for gaming and day to day usage. Multi tasking and peak task management along with RAM management is good with the stock Android and despite using the phone for over 4 weeks we found no slow down from the UI.

Games run well, including graphic intensive games manage to run at full graphics with impressive frame rates and no lag from the gaming experience. The forward firing speaker also helps the gaming experience, and whether you play arcade or intense games, the experience is pretty satisfactory.
[section label=”Android and Moto Experience”]

Android and Moto Experience

The Moto X4 runs a pure Android 7.1 ROM, with minor customisations from MOTO and a custom Camera APP. The user experience is lag free and pretty much as good as a pixel device. The Moto app has some interesting additions including the Moto Key which almost ever user for Moto X4 will learn to love. Much like Touch ID and Face ID the Moto Key on the Moto X4 will allow users to store passwords and sensitive information on the secure part of the Snapdragon 630 chip encrypted with the users fingerprints. This also will allow access into a windows computer, acting as a portable fingerprint reader for your laptop or desktop. The app available to download for Windows allows several more customisations.

The single button navigation also opens up more display real-estate and its gesture based experience is truly something that one can get used to .

The Moto X4 will be updated to Android Oreo soon claims the company, this will also enable Bluetooth 5.0 which is an OS dependant update, and the phone presently offers Bluetooth 4.1. But you do get the muti speaker connectivity because Bluetooth 5.0 hardware exists in the device, You can pair upto 4 different bluetooth speakers sync them up and have your own little party.

[section label=”Cameras”]

Cameras

The Moto X4 is made up of dual cameras at the rear, with one 12 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and Dual Pixel AF while the other an 8 MP wide lens camera with an f/2.2 aperture.A huge improvement in the dual camera experience of the Moto X4 from previous Moto devices. With one Wide sensor the camera is able to do a lot more in the same space.

Wide Angle

Normal Shot

Wide Angle

Normal Shot

The HDR on the camera is really impressive offering up good levels of contrast on both the highs and mids. The dynamic range is pretty flexible and can be left in automatic for some interesting image results from the camera.

HDR On

HDR Off

The depth mode is a lot more accurate and fine tuned as well. Selecting out elements from the depth shot and editing them on the in built app allows for background replacement/blur or monochrome effects which can reproduce a lifelike shot.

Spot Colour (Red)

Normal Shot

Video capture from the phone with a resolution of 4k at 30 fps is good as well, we do miss stabilisation on the video capture which makes video caught by shaky hands, well “shaky!”

Both in video and images you get precise color saturation and sharp images, also assisted with the dual AF offered by the 12 MP primary camera. Additionally the manual mode assists in delivering more precise controls for the Photo Nerds in us.

[section label=”Phone and Battery”]

Phone and Battery

With support for all Indian networks on the 660 chipsets modem, and a robust Antenna on the Moto X4 call performance was top notch, with no call drops in weak network areas. The use of a three mic setup improves noise cancellation on the other end of the call and the earpiece is nice and loud. It is worth noting that the included headset also works with the noise cancellation microphones, and the earphones offer a full and impressive sound stage for music and voice calls.

Battery life will range from 4 hours of screen on time to 11 hours of screen on time depending on what your usage patterns look like. On an average the phone lasts a full day and then some, but in scenarios where you may need extra battery the TurboPower charger can juice you up for a good 5-7 hours of usage in about 15 minutes.

[section label=”Conclusion”]

Conclusion

Despite pretty big top and bottom bezels, the Motorola Moto X4 has a premium design and robust build quality a rigid frame and most importantly is the only phone in this price range with IP68 water proofing. The dual cameras are a lot more refined and offer up some interesting picture and video capabilities. Call quality and battery life on the Moto X4 delivers its due and the phone offers up a full experience. The phone is also kept in an interesting price bracket which leaves a good wiggle room for other brands whose flagship chipset based phones are 5-8 thousand in the north.

For the price and for IP68 alone the Moto X4 may just be the right phone in this price bracket, and with a lack of serious competition in this price range, Motorola may just reap the benefits of their pricing strategy. We would have liked to see a larger battery, an OLED display and stereo speakers. But the current arrangement is good at the price and we don’t really have that much to complain about.

In the market for a phone for Around Rs. 20000? give serious thought to the Moto X4.

Buy it here

Watch Our Full Review

Low Light

November 13, 2017
Unboxing The Moto X4
The Moto X4 has been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 20,999. After a few launch delays, the phone was launched at an event in Delhi and it was announced that the Moto X4 will be sold online via Flipkart exclusively. Let’s unbox the Moto X4 and see what we get inside:
- Moto X4
- Documentation
- Earphones
- Sim ejector tool
- Wall adapter
- USB Type C Cable
First Impressions

The Moto X4 looks and feels different from the Motorola phones launched in recent years. The device has a glass front and back which gives it a very premium look but, it also means that the phone will attract fingerprints. The dual camera at the back protrudes a little but, it is not that prominent and thanks to the presence of Corning Gorilla Glass, the camera glass won’t get scratched up easily.

Thanks to the curved glass at the back, the phone is extremely comfortable to hold in the hand and is also very grippy unlike phones with a matte finish.

The moment you switch on the Moto X4, you will notice why Motorola phones have been so successful over the years. The company’s commitment to stick with stock Android OS shines on the Moto X4, too as the phone is very responsive and day to day tasks are a breeze. The camera on the Moto X4 is also much improved with some tweaks and new features.

Specifications

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection.

The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which also doubles up as a single navigation button. The Moto X4 is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities. The company claims that the 15 mins of charge can give up to 6 hours of talk time.

The Moto X4 is the only smartphone in this price bracket that has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Like every Motorola phone, the Moto X4 runs stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat. Motorola recently announced that the Moto X4 will receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.

The new smartphone will also feature Alexa, the Amazon AI voice assistant, when Alexa officially launches in India. This isn’t the first time that Alexa has made its way onto a smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9 was the first smartphone to feature the voice assistant. Since then, we have also seen Alexa make its way to the HTC U11. The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

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

Watch Our Unboxing Video Here
November 13, 2017
Moto X4 With IP68 Rating Launched In India At Rs 20999

The Moto X4 has been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 20999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The 4GB RAM variant is priced at Rs 22999. After a few launch delays, the phone was launched at an event in Delhi and it was announced that the Moto X4 will be sold online via Flipkart exclusively.

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection.

The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which also doubles up as a single navigation button. The Moto X4 is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities. The company claims that the 15 mins of charge can give up to 6 hours of talk time.

The Moto X4 is the only smartphone ion this price bracket that has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Like every Motorola phone, the Moto X4 runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Motorola recently announced that the Moto X4 will receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.

The new smartphone will also feature Alexa, the Amazon AI voice assistant when Alexa officially launches in India. This isn’t the first time that Alexa has made its way onto a smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9 was the first smartphone to feature the voice assistant. Since then, we have also seen Alexa make its way to the HTC U11. The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

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

November 13, 2017
Apple iPhone X Display And Speaker Issues Reported Online

The Apple iPhone X has been one of the most successful iPhones of the recent past. Ever since its launch, the iPhone hX has received great reviews and the transition from Touch ID to Face ID has been organic for a lot of consumers. However, with every new phone, there are complaints of something weird happening to it in some units. The iPhone X seems to be no different as issues of an inextinguishable green line appearing on some people’s phones have surfaced online.

The images above are from Twitter users mix0mat0sis, Nate Heagy and Christian Roman, and represent a few of the examples of the “green line of death” as one of them called it. No one seems to know what causes it or how prevalent it actually is.

The iPhone X has a new diamond sub-pixel pattern in its display, and all green sub-pixels appear in lines, while red and blue alternate. It appears that an electrical fault in a these phones is causing the voltage to flow to all the green sub-pixels in a line. The fact that it stretches from top to bottom of the display suggests it is something at the edge of the display that’s sending an incorrect voltage down a few lines of pixels.

There appears to issues with the speaker of some of the iPhoneXs as well. Some users on Reddit, MacRumors and Twitter have reported that their new iPhoneX’s top speaker is crackling at higher volume levels. There in no constancy in its severity but, it happens regardless of what you’re playing and appears to persist with replacement units as well.

Both of these issues have been reported in enough iPhone Xs to not be called as ‘isolated incidents’ and Apple should be fixing these issues especially considering the price the consumers have paid for the new iPhone X.

November 13, 2017
Motorola Moto X4 To Be Launched In India Today – Everything You Need To Know

Lenovo-owned Motorola will launch the Moto X4 in India today on the 13th of November at an event in New Delhi. The smartphone was globally launched on the 31st of August at IFA in Berlin. The device is expected to be priced between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 in India for both the variants.

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection.

The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which also doubles up as a single navigation button. The Moto X4 is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities. The company claims that the 15 mins of charge can give up to 6 hours of talk time.

The Moto X4 is the only smartphone in this price bracket that has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Like every Motorola phone, the Moto X4 runs stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat. Motorola recently announced that the Moto X4 will receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.

The new smartphone will also feature Alexa, the Amazon AI voice assistant, when Alexa officially launches in India. This isn’t the first time that Alexa has made its way onto a smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9 was the first smartphone to feature the voice assistant. Since then, we have also seen Alexa make its way to the HTC U11. The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

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

November 13, 2017
Top Phones To Go On Sale In India In The Next Two Months

2017 has been a great year for a smartphone enthusiast. From the increasing craze for dual-cameras to constantly shrinking bezels, the smartphones launched in 2017 so far have seen it all. However, as we reach the end of 2017, there are few exciting phones that have not yet hit the shelves in the Indian market. Let’s take a look at the top phones that will go on sale in India in the nest two months:

Moto X4

The much-awaited smartphone from Motorola will be launched in India on the 13th of November and subsequently go on sale via Flipkart. The phone is expected to be priced between Rs 20000 – Rs 25000.

The Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection.

The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which also doubles up as a single navigation button. The Moto X4 is powered by a 3000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities. The company claims that the 15 mins of charge can give up to 6 hours of talk time.

Like every Motorola phone, the Moto X4 runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Motorola recently announced that the Moto X4 will receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.

The new smartphone will also feature Alexa, the Amazon AI voice assistant. This isn’t the first time that Alexa has made its way onto a smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9 was the first smartphone to feature the voice assistant. Since then, we have also seen Alexa make its way to the HTC U11.The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

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

OnePlus 5T

OnePlus burst on to the scene with the OnePlus One which claimed to be flagship killer with premium specifications at an affordable price. OnePlus continued to do so with its 2, 3 and 3T devices. In June of 2017, OnePlus unveiled the OnePlus 5 with top-notch specifications and dual cameras at the back but, failed to capture the imagination of its loyalists with an “outdated” design.

The phone had thick bezels and didn’t look close to competing with the LG G6 or the Galaxy S8 at that time. With a lot of design elements “inspired” from the iPhone 7 Plus, the OnePlus 5 failed to attract the consumers like its predecessors did. The company recently confirmed that the OnePlus 5T will be launched on the 16th of November and go on sale in India on the 21st of November.

The OnePlus 5T will have a 6 inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 x resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Just like the OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental update rather than a drastic new upgrade in terms of hardware. The 5T is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as it is the current flagship chipset. The dual cameras at the back are also expected to be the same as found on the OnePlus 5. The smartphone will come in two variants, one with 6GB RAM/64GB storage and the other with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

The smartphone will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with OnePlus’ Oxygen OS on top.

The OnePlus 5T is also expected to have dual cameras on the back, one of the main cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP camera with an aperture of F/1.7 . The secondary telephoto lens is used for 2X lossless optical zoom and a ‘portrait mode’ for blurred background images.

Nokia 7

HMD Global launched the Nokia 7 in China in mid-October at a price similar to the Moto X4. Nokia’s resurgence in the smartphone market has been credited mainly to its phones’ stock Android OS and build quality. The Nokia 8, company’s first ever Android powered flagship device has been well-received and competitively priced in a lot of markets like India. The Nokia 7 takes a lot from the Nokia 8 and will enter the market at a more budget oriented price than the Nokia 8.

The Nokia 7 has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset, octa-core 2.2 GHz Cortex-A53 processor, 4GB or 6GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage which can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. Unlike the Nokia 8, and all previous Nokia Android phones, there is no physical home button on the front of the device. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the phone just below the camera.

Powering the smartphone is a 3000 mAh battery and it runs Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box.

Similar to the Nokia 8, the Nokia 7 also comes with all the bells and whistles. One such feature is “Bothie.” It allows you to use the front and rear camera at the same time in a split screen view. Another feature that the smartphone boasts is called OZO Audio in which the smartphone’s three microphones and Nokia’s acoustic algorithms allow you to capture 360-degree spatial surround sound.

The Nokia 7, unlike the Nokia 8 has a single camera at the back. The Nokia 7 has a 16MP camera at the back with an f/1.8 aperture, 1.12-micron pixel size and Carl Zeiss optics. The primary camera records 3840 x 2160 px (4K) videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and autofocus.

HTC U11+

After the infamous deal between Google and HTC which meant that HTC’s whole smartphone personnel will now work for Google, it was exptected that HTC would not launch a new phone. However, in a press release right after the deal was announced, it was confirmed that HTC will continue making smartphones.

The Taiwanese tech giant delivered on that statement when it launchd its new flagship device, the HTC U11+.

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.

The smartphone is powered by a 3930 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. 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. 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 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.

LG V30

LG phones have traditionally been underrated, partly because of the competitors and the rest because of LG itself. LG ventured into making smartphones and the initial response wasn’t great. With time however, LG honed the skills of smartphone making and introduced some great and revolutionary phones over the years.

What it didn’t do, was go all out in marketing their phones. The likes of Apple and Samsung tend to overshadow the LG phones because of their over-the-top marketing and flashy features. LG does the basics right and continues to do so. With the LG V30, LG nails more than just the basics and draws the media consumption junkies towards it. The phone is expected to go on sale in India near the Rs 50000 price bracket.

The LG V30 has a 6 inch 2880 x 1440 px OLED FullVision display, LG’s first, with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. LG’s nearly edge-to-edge OLED display has HDR 10 format for high level of colour contrast and the smartphone will be Daydream compatible. Unlike the previous V series devices from LG, the V30 does not have a secondary display and instead features a floating bar which can be disabled if not needed.

The LG V30 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 2.4GHz octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage with up to 2TB of expandable storage via a microSD card. The V30 has IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and MIL-STD 810G rating for durability. The LG V30 is powered by a 3300mAh battery with wireless fast charging which supports 3.0 quick charge.

The smartphone runs Android 7.1.2 with LG’s UX 6.0+ on top which offers a few customisation options.

The LG V30 features a dual-camera setup at the back. As LG had announced, this smartphone has the first ever inbuilt camera unit to feature a 16MP crystal clear lens made of glass with an f/1.6 aperture and another 13MP wide angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. Compared to the f/1.8 aperture cameras on the iPhone 7Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8+, the camera on the LG V30 will let 25% more light to pass through. The camera will feature laser detection AF, optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. On the front side, the LG V30 has a 5MP wide-angle camera with an aperture f/2.2.

Which phone are you looking forward to? Let us know in the comments below!

November 11, 2017
OnePlus 5T Leaked In Live Images

The launch of the OnePlus 5T is just around the corner but, leaks of the phone appear to have picked up its pace. After a recent listing of the OnePlus 5T was leaked, new images of the upcoming smartphone shed all the light we need on the phone and what it will look like.

The images reveal the new design of the OnePlus 5T with thin bezels and a tall display. As expected the phone in the images is running near stock Android 7.1 Nougat. Dash charging text is also visible at the bottom that reinstates that these images might be the real deal. Apart from the phone, a host of cases for the OnePlus 5T have also been leaked and it appears that OnePlus has added a few new designs to existing portfolio of cases.

It is also worth noting that the OnePlus 5T has the fingerprint sensor placed at the back just above the OnePlus logo.

Under the hood, the OnePlus 5T is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6GB or 8GB of RAM, 64GB 128GB of storage without an option of expanding the storage.

The OnePlus 5T is also expected feature dual cameras on the back, one of the main cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP camera with an aperture of F/1.7 . The secondary telephoto lens is used for 2X lossless optical zoom and a ‘portrait mode’ for blurred background images.

November 11, 2017
OnePlus 5T Benchmark Scores Leaked

The OnePlus 5T is set to be launched on the 16th of October at an event in New York. Before the launch however, the OnePlus 5T has showed up on GeekBench giving us a few details of the internals.

The first thing to notice in this image is the score. It scores 1959 in single-core and 6742 in multi-core test which is the highest for an Android phone running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. It is worth noting that the OnePlus 5 was embroiled in benchmark cheating controversy at the time of its launch.

Other than the best in class benchmark scores, the OnePlus 5T model in the benchmark tests is running Android 7.1 Nougat and not Android 8.0 Oreo.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and 8GB of RAM. The Chinese smartphone maker will launch a 6GB RAM variant as well.

From the benchmark listing, it is evident that the OnePlus 5T is not much of an upgrade over the OnePlus 5 if you go purely on performance basis.

As far as pricing is concerned, co-founder of OnePlus, Pete Lau took to Weibo, the Chinese microblogging website to hint at what the OnePlus 5T might be priced at. It is worth noting that he did not announce the official price but, gave information about what the pricing strategy will be as compared to that of the OnePlus 5.

Pete Lau mentions that the OnePlus 5T may be slightly expensive than the OnePlus 5, and could cost under CNY 4,000 (Rs 39000). He confirms that the OnePlus 5T may cost less than Rs 40,000 for the 6GB RAM variant. Similar to the OnePlus 5, the OnePlus 5T is expected to be launched in two variants, one with 6GB/64GB onboard storage, and the other with 8GB RAM/128GB onboard storage.

The OnePlus 5T is expected to have a 6-inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1920 px resolution. While increasing the screen size of the OnePlus 5T by 0.5 inches over the OnePlus 5, the overall footprint of the phone will remain the same. This will be possible because the OnePlus 5T will have thin bezels and a tall display.

November 11, 2017
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Review

Xiaomi followed up the 2016 Mi Mix with the new Mi Mix 2 with slightly thinner bezels and upgraded hardware. The Mi Mix 2 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6GB of RAM and is priced at Rs 35999 in India. So, at this price, does it give the OnePlus 5 a run for its money?

[section label=”Unboxing Video”]

Watch Our Unboxing

[section label=”Full Review”]

Watch Our Full Review Of The Mi Mix 2

November 11, 2017
Unboxing The Flipkart Billion Capture+
Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce websites has launched the Billion Capture+ smartphone in India. Priced at Rs 10999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage and Rs 12999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage, the Billion Capture+ phone has been made entirely in India. The smartphone will go on sale from the 15th of November and will be available online exclusively via Flipkart, of course. Let’s unbox the device and see what we get inside:
- Billion Capture+
- Documentation
- USB C cable
- Wall adapter
- Sim ejector tool
[section label=”First Impressions”]

First Impressions

The Billion Capture+ has a 5.5 inch screen which has become a standard screen size in 2017 and the size of the phone is similar to a lot of other phones in the segment. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the phone which has a matte finish. The sim tray is on the left side of the phone while the volume rockers and lock/unlock button are placed on the right side of the phone. The 3.5mm headphone jack is at the top and the type C port is placed at the bottom.

[section label=”Specifications”]

Specifications

The Billion Capture+ has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The phone also 2.5D curved Dragontail glass for protection.

Under the hood, the Billion Capture+ has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The storage can be expanded via microSD card. The billion Capture+ also has free unlimited cloud storage thanks to the collaboration with tronX. There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone under the dual-camera setup. The Billion Capture+ is powered by a 3500 mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 support via USB Type C port.

The Billion Capture+ runs almost stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the company has promised an update to Android 8.0 Oreo which is expected to be rolled out by January or February of 2018. Concrete details about the software upgrade have not been given.

At a price of Rs 10999, the Billion Capture+ brings in a dual-camera setup at the back. It has two 13MP cameras with an f/2.0 aperture, one of the cameras has an RGB (colour) sensor while the other one is equipped with a monochrome (black and white) sensor. A lot of phones like the Honor 8 Pro have a similar camera setup. The dual-cameras are capable of depth-effect shots called portrait shots and also record 4K videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is an 8MP camera which records 1280 x 720 px videos at 30fps.

Watch Our Unboxing Video Here:

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMYb8lRgzoQ[/embedyt]
November 10, 2017
Flipkart Billion Capture+

Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce websites has launched the Billion Capture+ smartphone in India. Priced at Rs 10999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage and Rs 12999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage, the Billion Capture+ phone has been made entirely in India. The smartphone will go on sale from the 15th of November and will be available online exclusively via Flipkart, of course.

[section label=”Latest News”]

Latest News

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[section label=”Videos”]

Unboxing Video

November 10, 2017
Flipkart Launches The Billion Capture+ In India At Rs 10999

Flipkart, one of India’s largest e-commerce websites has launched the Billion Capture+ smartphone in India. Priced at Rs 10999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage and Rs 12999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage, the Billion Capture+ phone has been made entirely in India. The smartphone will go on sale from the 15th of November and will be available online exclusively via Flipkart, of course.

The Billion Capture+ has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The phone also 2.5D curved Dragontail glass for protection.

Under the hood, the Billion Capture+ has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The storage can be expanded via microSD card. There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone under the dual-camera setup. The Billion Capture+ is powered by a 3500 mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 support via USB Type C port.

The Billion Capture+ runs almost stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the company has promised an update to Android 8.0 Oreo which is expected to be rolled out by January or February of 2018. Concrete details about the software upgrade have not been given.

At a price of Rs 10999, the Billion Capture+ brings in a dual-camera setup at the back. It has two 13MP cameras with an f/2.0 aperture, one of the cameras has an RGB (colour) sensor while the other one is equipped with a monochrome (black and white) sensor. A lot of phones like the Honor 8 Pro have a similar camera setup. The dual-cameras are capable of depth-effect shots called portrait shots and also record 4K videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is an 8MP camera which records 1280 x 720 px videos at 30fps.

The Billion Capture+ enters the budget segment where it will copmpete with the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi Y1, the Redmi Note 4 and the Lenovo K8 Note.

November 10, 2017
Apple To Fix iPhone X Screen’s Unresponsiveness In Cold Weather

Apple has said that it is working on a fix for the iPhone X screen’s unresponsive behaviour in cold weather. Apple has mentioned it before as well that ideally, a user should use their iPhone in temperatures between 32 degrees and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Some users on Reddit complained about this issue and also clarified that these issues arose when they used their phones within the said temperature barriers. Darus214, a Reddit user said,

It literally takes 2 seconds from going inside to the cold outdoors and my screen stops being very responsive. I try swiping on websites and it doesn’t register my finger.

He later added that the outside temperature was 50 degrees Fahrenheit when his handset became unresponsive. After more than the usual number of complaints surfaced online, Apple was quick to respond:

We are aware of instances where the iPhone X screen will become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid change to a cold environment. After several seconds the screen will become fully responsive again. This will be addressed in an upcoming software update.

This issue has affected a few users and considering the temperature in India, iPhone X users in India can breathe a sigh of relief as this issue might not affect you anytime soon.

November 10, 2017
Samsung Patent Reveals Functionality Of Foldable Smartphone

The Samsung Galaxy X will be the first foldable smartphone from Samsung. A new patent application by Samsung reveals how the company envisions its foldable smartphone to function.

The two screens will function like a physical split screen wherein each will be running its own app with its own app switcher. This will work in both the portrait and landscape modes.

There is another mode in the patent which chronicles a functionality of the foldable phone similar to the Nintendo 3DS. In certain apps and games, both the displays will be showing different aspects of the interface of that particular app.

Samsung has expressed the difficulties of the shifting a foldable phone from a ‘concept’ to a ‘mass products’.

Dongjin Koh, President of mobile business at Samsung told some reporters at a news conference in South Korea that there are still hurdles to overcome and a possible release would be pushed back if the issues are not resolved in time.

When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product. We are digging thoroughly into several issues we must overcome, as we don’t want to just make a few, sell a few and be done. We want to hear that Samsung made a very good product. We have a plan to adopt a foldable display in our roadmap.

The foldable smartphone has long been touted as the Galaxy X, which now sounds like a rip-off of the iPhone X which means Samsung will definitely not go with this name. A number of patents as well as Samsung’s own concept video from CES 2013 tell us what to expect from the Galaxy X. Samsung is most likely to start small, with a smartphone that folds halfway like a wallet. Another design, in line with Samsung’s prototype unveiling, could see the phone unfold into a full-size tablet.

November 10, 2017