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.

Apple iPhone X

Apple announced the iPhone X on September 12th at the annual launch event. The iPhone X features minimal bezels around the display and a notch at the top that houses the new cameras which enable FaceID. Due to the lack of bezels, there is no home button and in turn no TouchID on the iPhone X. The new A11 Bionic chipset is present under the hood that promises premium AR performance as well.

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Latest News For Apple iPhone X

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October 13, 2017
Google Pixel 2

Google launched the new iteration of the Pixel 2016, the Pixel 2 during its launch event at Google HQ. The Pixel 2 is priced at Rs 61000 for the 64GB variant. Following the design language of last year’s Pixel phones, the smartphone features a 5 inch 1920 x 1080 px OLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top for protection. A new addition is front-firing dual stereo speakers. The big omission is the much talked about 3.5 headphone jack. The Pixel 2 also has an always on display for better accessibility. Another feature is the Active Edge feature which lets you squeeze the frame of the phone to launch the Google Assistant.

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Latest News For Google Pixel 2

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October 13, 2017
Google Pixel 2 XL

Google has finally unveiled the new Pixel 2 XL during its launch event. The Pixel 2 XL is priced at Rs 73000 for the 64GB variant. The Pixel 2 XL has a design similar to the Pixel 2 with a glass window at the back and the placement of the fingerprint sensor at the back is the same as well. A new addition is front-firing dual stereo speakers. The big omission is the much talked about 3.5 headphone jack.

The Pixel 2 XL also has an always on display for better accessibility. Another feature is the Active Edge feature which lets you squeeze the frame of the phone to launch the Google Assistant.

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Latest News

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October 13, 2017
LG V30+

The LG V30 was officially launched on August 31 at IFA 2017 Berlin and it was launched in India at a price of Rs. 44990. 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. Just like the G6, the V30 also has a dual-camera setup with a secondary wide-angle lens. However, there is no official word on its date of launch in India as of now.

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Latest News

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October 13, 2017
Nokia 9 Renders Show Thin Bezels And No Headphone Jack

Nokia has re-entered the smartphone market with a slew of Android powered phones in different price segments. Its latest entrant was the Nokia 8, the first Nokia branded Android flagship phone. The rumours of Nokia 9 have been doing the rounds for quite some time now and new renders show a 360-degree view of the smartphone.

The Nokia 8, although a flagship, has thick bezels around the display which a lot of 2017 flagships don’t. The Nokia 9 renders show a more modern look with thin bezels. The dual-camera setup retains its place and the fingerprint sensor is moved to the back. As far as rumoured specifications go, the Nokia 9 in all likeliness will feature a 5.5-inch 2880 x 1440 px AMOLED display. The phone will have Qualcomm’s MSM8998 Snapdragon 835, 4GB RAM and either 64GB or 128GB storage. Features like OZO sound, ‘Bothie’ are expected to be featured in the Nokia 9 as well since HMD Global really used these features to market the Nokia 8. One big omission in the renders is that of the 3.5mm headphone jack. After Google ditched it in its new Pixel 2 smartphones, there are rumours that other big Android phone manufacturers will follow suit.

In the photography department, there’s a vertically stacked dual-lens camera. The specifications in the camera department aren’t clear yet.

With the Nokia 8 launching just a couple of months ago, it will make sense for HMD Global to give the phone some breathing space and launch a new flagship in 2018 with the new flagship chipset, presumably Snapdragon 845. Using the Snapdragon 845 for its devices early on in 2018 might be a little tricky after reports of a deal between Samsung and Qualcomm surfaced a few days which would give Samsung exclusive access to an early batch of the new chips. There is no word on the launch of the smartphone and the company hasn’t taken to social media to drop any hints either.

October 13, 2017
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 With Bezel-Less Design Leaked

Xiaomi has been known to launch multiple smartphones across the price range in a year and 2017 seems to be no different. After launching the Mi A1 with stock Android and the Mi Mix 2 with tri-bezel less display, it looks like the Redmi Note 5 is not too far away from an announcement. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 seems to have been leaked and the images reveal a large display and very thin bezels. Large displays aren’t new to the Redmi Note lineup but, considering its entry-level price point, a bezel-less display looks like very interesting.

One thing that might change from the leaked image to the actual device could be the white bezels. As far as specifications are concerned, there isn’t much known about the Redmi Note 5. Xiaomi might go for the Helio P25 or P30 chipset this time around. Prior Redmi Note devices have had the Snapdragon chipset and previous reports hinted towards a Snapdragon 660 chipset. As is with all Redmi Note phones, it will be a powered by a massive battery, probably a 4000 mAh battery.

The images also reveal a dual-camera setup which will be a first for this lineup. After the Mi A1’s launch, it won’t be surprising if the Redmi Note 5 with dual cameras is launched in India. Although, the Indian variant will definitely have a Qualcomm chipset.

The company had launched the Redmi Note 4 last year in August and has completed its update cycle. Xiaomi might launch the new Redmi Note 5 early next year. As far as pricing goes, the phone might be launched in the same price segment as the previous Redmi Note devices but, due to the bezel-less design and dual cameras, the pricing could be similar to the Mi A1 or the Mi 5X.

October 12, 2017
Razer Teases Its First Smartphone Announcement On November 1st

It seems like Razer will be joining the smartphone race and the announcement will be made as soon as 1st November. For the past few months, Razer has been dropping vague hints about its first ever smartphone and the company took to Twitter to share the news.

WATCH for our biggest unveiling…
??https://t.co/gwrwrxbhf9 pic.twitter.com/OyBFVocHOF

— R ? Z ? R (@Razer) October 11, 2017

The teaser shows a person holding what clearly seems like a smartphone.

In January 2017, Razer acquired Nextbit, the company that made the Android device Robin. This was the first major hint that the company, best known for its gaming accessories for PCs and consoles, along with high-end PC gaming laptops, was planning to enter the smartphone market.

A few weeks ago, Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan confirmed that the company was going to launch a mobile device before the end of 2017, and that it would be focused on “gaming and entertainment”. Last week, a Twitter post by Tom Moss, the head of Razer’s mobile division, had him standing next to Tan, who had what appears to be a conveniently covered prototype of Razer’s phone in his pocket.

There is not much known about the smartphone except for the fact that it will concentrate on gaming and content consumption, and that it’ll be powered by Android. Considering the premium price tag of most of the products that have Razer’s name on it, the smartphone could enter the flagship category dominated by the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google.

October 12, 2017
Apple Could Partner With LG For Foldable Smartphones

The smartphone industry has seen a gradual slump in innovation over the past few years. Bezel-less display has been the rage of 2017 but, other than that you barely see anything new nowadays. Samsung stirred things up a little with the news of it launching a foldable Android phone in early 2018. Now, there is news that Apple might be teaming up with LG to work on a foldable smartphone.

Samsung has been at the top of its game in the OLED market but, it hasn’t yet commercialised the flexible OLED displays. LG had also revealed a foldable display at CES and has the opportunity to take over that segment of the market and that might be the reason why Apple would choose to team up with LG. This news also falls in line with another report from July about Apple potentially investing over US$2 billion in LG’s new OLED plant.

According to a report from The Bell (via The Investor), Apple will use flexible screens supplied by LG Display for an upcoming folding smartphone. Meanwhile, LG’s Innotek business is already said to be gearing up to produce the rigid flexible printed circuit boards, or RFPCBs, that would feature inside the phones. Apple would be seeking to release this device in 2020, which could give competitors like Samsung and LG itself a head-start.

Samsung already seems well on its way to launch a foldable smartphone in early 2018 with the Galaxy X getting certified in Samsung’s native country, South Korea.

All these are still speculations and as we say it always, take these rumours with a hint of scepticism.

October 11, 2017
Airtel Rivals JioPhone With A 4G Smartphone At A Price Of Rs 1399

In order to keep up with the growing rise of Jio, Airtel has decided to rival the JioPhone which was recently announced. Airtel has announced a partnership with Indian smartphone manufacturers for its ‘Mera Pehla 4G Smartphone’ initiative. First phone to come our of this initiative is in association with Karbonn, called the Karbonn A40 Indian. The smartphone is said to be available at an ‘effective price of Rs 1399’, clearly taking on the JioPhone with the same terminology.

Talking about the new initiative, Airtel has said that:

This initiative is aimed at enabling every Indian to buy a 4G smartphone and get on to the digital superhighway. This initiative will bring highly affordable bundled 4G smartphone options to the market and fulfill the digital aspirations of millions of Indians.

Raj Pudipeddi, Director – Consumer Business & CMO, Bharti Airtel said:

As the market leader and pioneer of 4G services in India, Airtel’s aspiration is to digitally empower every Indian with high speed data access. We are delighted to partner with Karbonn to remove barriers to smartphone adoption and enable millions of Indians to leapfrog to a full touchscreen smartphone experience. We plan to partner with multiple manufacturers to bring affordable smartphone options to the market and build an ‘open ecosystem’ of low cost devices. This is yet another step in our ongoing journey to deeply understand customers and bring innovation that delights them.

Airtel explained how the Karbonn A40 Indian, a smartphone which was launched in July and has a market price of Rs 3499, will be available at an ‘effective price’ of Rs. 1,399. Customers will have to make a down payment of Rs. 2899 for the device, and then make a minimum amount of recharges over the course of three years to receive cashbacks worth Rs 1500. To put things into perspective, users will need to make recharges worth at least Rs 3000 in the first 18 months to avail a Rs 500 cashback, and then make recharges worth at least Rs 3000 again over the next 18 months to avail a Rs 1000 cashback. Therefore, you are effectively paying Rs 1399 for the smartphone.

In its statement, Airtel mentioned that the phone will be with the customers and the users won’t have to return the phone to Airtel or Karbonn at any point to claim the cash benefit. S The A40 Indian is a smartphone, which means that it will have access to the Google Play Store and apps like Facebook, Instagram and more. These are the apps people use to spend their internet on, something that the JioPhone doesn’t have.

October 11, 2017
Samsung Galaxy J2 (2017) Officially Listed On Samsung India’s Website

Samsung has quietly listed the Samsung Galaxy J2 (2017) on its official India website. The price of the phone however, has not been revealed yet but, indicates that the smartphone will be available in India soon. It will be available in two colours, Metallic Gold and Absolute Black.

The Galaxy J2 2017 has a 4.7 inch 960 x 540 px Super AMOLED display. The device is powered by a 2000 mAh battery while there is no mention of the OS version the device is running but, it is fair to assume that the smartphone will run Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Under the hood, the device has the Exynos chipset, 1.3 GHz quad core processor, 1GB RAM, and 8GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. The Galaxy J2 (2017) comes with Smart Manager for automatic memory management which will help delete duplicate images on the device automatically, and also delete saved APK files to utilise the storage. The smartphone also comes with Ultra Data Saving mode that the company claims can help consumers save up to 50 percent data.

On the optics front, the device has a rear-facing 5MP camera with autofocus and a flash. On the front is a 2MP camera.

Prolific Mumbai-based retailer Mahesh Telecom has a history of accurately predicting the price of Samsung smartphones. The offline retailer has said that the device will be available at a price of Rs 7390. At this price, the smartphone will compete with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 4A, Moto C and the Moto E4 Plus.

October 11, 2017
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Might Have A Screen Embedded Fingerprint Sensor

Ever since Qualcomm showed off the screen embedded fingerprint sensor earlier in 2017, there were rumours of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 and the iPhone X will adopting the technology. However, it was determined that the time was too less for these companies to implement a technology that was in a nascent stage. The Galaxy Note8 was launched with the similar awkwardly placed fingerprint sensor at the back and the iPhone X got rid of the TouchID all together and replaced it with facial recognition system called FaceID.

Now, Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities has stated that Samsung’s next Note device may have such an “under-display optical fingerprint” technology when it launches in the second half of 2018. A fingerprint sensor has slowly become a staple in all smartphones nowadays. With bezels getting thinner and smartphone manufacturers not convinced with a fingerprint sensor at the back, thiis technology seems to be the next big thing in the smartphone industry. It is however, a tricky technology to implement and there aren’t a lot of successful products in the market which use this technology. In May 2016, LG developed a fingerprint sensor that sits under the display and earlier in 2017, at MWC Shanghai, Vivo unveiled the first smartphone with a under-display fingerprint sensor based on the technology developed by Qualcomm.

There are three companies vying to be the supplier to Samsung, of which, BeyondEyes and Samsung LSI have already reported to have shipped samples to Samsung. Egis is the third of the top contenders, who currently supplies fingerprint sensors for Samsung’s phones.

If and when this technology is perfected by the smartphone makers is yet to be seen and the question is more about when rather than if. The Samsung Galaxy Note9 and the 2018 iPhone are far from launch right now and the closer we get to their eventual launch, the more details about the screen embedded fingerprint sensor will be spilled out.

October 10, 2017
The Apple iPhone 7 Was The Best-Selling Smartphone Globally In The First-Half Of 2017

Apple launched the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X on September 12th. The iPhone 8 devices went on sale in September and the iPhone X will be available to buy in November. However, it is the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which are making the headlines for being the best-selling smartphones in the first half of 2017.

The Apple iPhone 7 outsold all other smartphone models globally during the first six months of 2017, followed by the iPhone 7 Plus. The Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime Plus held the number three spot, followed by iPhone 6s and Galaxy S8 in in fourth and fifth places, respectively. Galaxy S8 Plus was the number six best seller, with slightly less volume than the Galaxy S8.

The report notes that the 4.7 inch variant of the iPhone continued to be the best seller in first half of three consecutive years beginning in 2015. However, their market share continues to fall, dropping from 10 percent in 2015 to 7 percent in 2016, and 5 percent in 2017. Although the latest iPhone models secured top positions, shipment volume declined compared to their respective predecessor models, the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, during the same period in 2016.

Five Samsung phones, four Apple phones, and one Oppo smartphone ranked in the top 10 most-shipped smartphones in the first half of 2017.

The number of smartphones with more than a million shipments in the first half of the year also increased to 22 from 17 in 2016.

This is a direct result of smartphone OEM efforts to select and concentrate in order to improve product portfolios and increase profitability. In addition, more Chinese OEMs are selling their smartphone models outside of China, which intensifies competition and generates more globally popular models.

The report further delves into the numbers and states that out of 22 smartphones with over a million shipments a month 8 were from Chinese OEMs. Out of the eight, five were from Oppo, two from Xiaomi and one from Huawei.

The first half of 2018 will be an interesting battle with Apple having three new iPhones in the market with the iPhone X being the clear-cut consumer favourite due to the new design. Samsung’s Galaxy S9 and S9+ will also be launched in early 2018 and will be the only Android phones in the market with the Snapdragon 845 chipset under the hood.

October 10, 2017
OnePlus 5T To Be Launched In November

There have been reports suggesting that OnePlus will drop the 5T and instead release the OnePlus 6 in early 2018. Now, GizmoChina has reported that the OnePlus 5T is indeed in the pipeline and might be released as soon as November 2017. Releasing the OnePlus 5T will keep up the launch tradition that OnePlus is trying to set in the market, as it released the 3T a few months after the OnePlus 3 was launched in mid-2016.

Where the OnePlus 3T was an incremental upgrade with just a newer chipset, the OnePlus 5T will be a considerable upgrade over the OnePlus 5. The new phone is expected to have a 6 inch 2160 x 1080 px display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. When the OnePlus 5 was launched, one of the major criticism it faced was the thick bezels around the display, especially after it was dubbed as the “flagship killer.” The OnePlus 5T will have minimum bezels and feature a tall display, like a lot of flagship devices of 2017.

The report also mentions that the Slate Grey variants of the OnePlus 5 are out of stock in several regions including the UK, which it claims indicates OnePlus is indeed looking at launching the new model.

The renders revealed show what the OnePlus 5T might look like. The edges are curved and the bezels remind us of the Samsung Galaxy S8 which is not a bad thing, because the Galaxy S8 is one of the best looking devices of 2017.

October 10, 2017
Honor 7X Price, Specifications, Design Leaked

Huawei’s sub-brand Honor’s X series of smartphones have been budget offerings with premium features over the years. Honor posted a poster of the upcoming 7X on its official Weibo page, teasing the launch on October 11th. Now, new leaks of the smartphone shed more light on what the phone would look like and what might be under the hood.

A listing for the Honor 7X has appeared on Chinese telecommunication authority TENAA’s website, providing key details about the smartphone’s specifications. The Honor 7X will have a 6-inch 2160 x 1080, 18:9 aspect ratio display. As indicated by the TENAA images, the device is feature a slim, metal unibody, with a design reminiscent of the iPhone 6. The Honor 7X will be available in three colours, black, blue and gold. The smartphone will weight 165 grams, with dimensions coming in at 156.5 x 75.3 x 7.6mm. Under the hood, the Honor 7X will have the Kirin 659 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. Powering the device will be a 3240 mAh battery and it will run Android 7.1 Nougat with EMUI on top out of the box.

On the optics front, the device might have a 12MP + 2MP camera setup, similar to the ones found on other Honor budget-oriented smartphones. On the front will be an 8MP camera.

The price is rumoured to be about US$270 (Rs 17,600 approx.). The global availability of the phone is not yet revealed and we will have to wait for its October 11th launch for more details.

October 9, 2017
Big Bazaar And Xiaomi Partner Up To Sell Redmi Phones Offline

In order to solidify its already growing presence in the offline market in India, Xiaomi has teamed up with Big Bazaar. You will soon be able to buy the Xiaomi Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 at Big Bazaar outlets.

Wait no more! Xiaomi is coming soon to your nearest Big Bazaar, so get ready to have your very own Redmi 4 & Redmi Note 4! @XiaomiIndia pic.twitter.com/DrzXh9eaY3

— Big Bazaar (@BigBazaar) October 7, 2017

Xiaomi, just like a lot of other Chinese OEMs came to India focusing on the online market. Over the course of time, smartphone makers realised that an untapped offline market might yield them better results than focusing more on the online market. OnePlus, a company that has solely operated through its online channels recently announced a partnership with Croma. OnePlus also has its OnePlus experience stores but, there are only two in India. So, a deal with an offline retailer with a widespread operation in India made sense.Apart from Big Bazaar, Xiaomi already sells its phones via multiple offline chains like Sangeetha Mobiles, LOT, Big C, Univercell and more along with its own Mi Home stores across country.

With record-breaking sales figures, the Redmi Note 4 has been Xiaomi’s best-selling smartphone. The company turned a few competitors’ heads when it announced that it has shipped over 10 million smartphones in September globally, and over 25 million phones in India in 3 years since entering the market. Xiaomi has been selling its mid-rangers like hot cakes in the current festive season. During the sales on Amazon and Flipkart over a course of 3 days, Xiaomi sold over a million devices.

It is no surprise that every company wants a presence in the offline market. Google recently conceded that Pixel phones in 2016 didn’t do all that well in India because of a lack of offline presence in India. Smartphone makers which came to India as online exclusive have branched out to the offline market to tap the people who are sceptical about online shopping and like to buy a phone after physically using it.

October 9, 2017