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Lenovo-owned Motorola announced the Moto G5S and the G5S Plus on 1st August and has now launched the two phones in India at a price of Rs 13,999 and Rs 15,999 respectively. The smartphones will be available in two colours – Lunar Grey and Blush Gold and is an Amazon exclusive.
Moto G5S
The Moto G5S has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with a fingerprint sensor sitting below it which can also double up as a single navigation button. It has a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. A 3,000mAh battery power the Moto G5S and features Moto turbo charge. Motorola claims that with turbo charge, you get “5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.” The Moto G5S runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset with a 1.4 GHz octa-core CPU along with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of onboard storage. The phone supports storage expansion up to 128GB via a microSD card. The Moto G5S features a 16MP primary camera with an f/2.0 aperture with rapid focus technology, a single LED flash and a 5MP wide angle front camera with an LED flash. The main camera captures 1920 x 1080 px video and there are additional Moto features like Night Display and Quick Reply.
Moto G5S Plus
The Moto G5S Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with included turbo charge capabilities. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with little customisation done by the manufacturer resulting in stock Android OS experience. The smartphone has the Qualcomm 625 chipset, an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which sits below the display.
The Moto G5S Plus features rear-mounted 13MP dual-cameras with an f/2.0 aperture. The dual camera captures Bokeh, and selective focus shots, along with other capabilities of background replacement and exposure management. On the front is a wide-angle 8MP camera with a single LED flash and a panoramic mode. The rear cameras capture videos in 4K at 30 FPS and the front camera records videos in 1080P at 30 FPS. According to Motorola, additional features such as Night Display and Quick Reply enhance the software experience.
The Moto G5S will be available on Amazon India and Moto Hub stores at a price of Rs 13,999 starting 11:59 PM today and the Moto G5S Plus will be available on Amazon India exclusively at a price of Rs 15,999.
The Moto G5s Plus has just been launched in India for a Price of Rs. 15999. The phone which will be exclusively available from Amazon, starting midnight will add dual camera capability to the Moto G5 Plus, and a slightly different design language. In a typical fashion the Moto G5s Plus box features some of the specifications and color options of the Moto G5s Plus, inside the box you get:-
The Moto G5S Plus
Standard earphones
Sim ejector tool
Documentation
Micro USB charging and data syncing cable
Turbo charging capable wall adaptor
The Moto G5s Plus is the bigger brother the Moto G5 Plus deserves and the design is in line with previous Moto G devices with a metal unibody and a round camera bump at the back. The textured power button and the volume rockers are placed on the right edge of the phone while the headphone jack sits on the top edge. The bottom has the main speaker and a micro-USB port ( we wish it was type-c). The front of the device also has a home button which houses the fingerprint sensor which can be used as a one button navigation. The antenna lines are placed at the back of device along with the Moto dimple, which is placed just under the dual-camera setup.
Motorola’s G5s Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with a 401 ppi, the screen is protected by corning Gorilla Glass . The phone is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with turbo power charging capabilities, providing 12V at 1.2Amps. The phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, which has an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz along with the Areno 506 GPU, which is assisted by 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage. The storage can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.
The Moto G5S Plus has a 13MP dual-camera setup at the back with an f/2.0 aperture. The dual camera captures Bokeh, and selective focus shots, along with other capabilities of background replacement and exposure management. A dedicated Depth editor allows for these tweaks, which make the experience more than just a simple dual camera setup. Some of these dual camera tweaks are just amazing and we can’t wait to try them out properly.
On the front is a wide angle 8MP camera with a single LED flash, the front camera captures 1080p video while the main camera captures 4k at 30fps. The Moto G5S Plus is an Amazon exclusive device and is available in two colours – Lunar Grey and Fine Gold. The phone goes on sale at midnight between 29th and 30th August.
Lenovo-owned Motorola will launch the Moto G5S Plus tomorrow as an Amazon exclusive device. Motorola India recently tweeted a teaser for the Moto G5S Plus
The Moto G5S Plushas a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The smartphone comes with a unibody metal design and sports a 2.5D curved glass panel on the front. Similar to its younger sibling – the Moto G5 Plus, the G5S Plus will be powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with turbo charging capabilities. The power adapter can supposedly provide 6 hours of usage time with 15 minutes of charging. The device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, a 2.0 GHz octa-core CPU with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. The smartphone will be available in Lunar Grey and Fine Golf colour variants.
The Moto G5S Plus’ widely popular feature is the rear mounted 13MP dual-camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual tone LED flash, which comes with video stabilisation and 4K recording at 30 FPS. The dual camera has features like Bokeh, selective focus and exposure management. On the front is an 8MP camera with a wide-angle lens and LED flash along with a new panoramic mode.
The Moto G5S Plus will succeed the Moto G5 Plus in India’s budget smartphone market with an upgraded 13MP dual-camera setup. Although the phone was priced at EUR 299 (Rs 22,600 approx.) in the European market, it is expected to be launched within the Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 price bracket in India.
Xiaomi is sending out press invites for its scheduled event on 5 September in New Delhi, India, where the company is expected to launch its ‘flagship dual camera’ smartphone. Xiaomi’s media invite states “Join us for the launch of our first dual camera smartphone in India”. We are still unsure whether the Mi 6 or Mi 5X are to be launched.
The event invite image sported a dual camera, suggesting, that one of the sensors will come with a larger aperture than the other.
Both the dual camera smartphones have already beenlaunched in China. Therefore, in terms of specifications and features, not much is left for speculations.
Xiaomi Mi 6
Xiaomi was launched the Mi 6 in April with a standard 5.15-inch, 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display and a Snapdragon 835 chipset clocked at 2.45 GHz. The Mi 6 runs Android 7.1.1 (Nougat), has 6GB of RAM and 64 GB of onboard storage. The smartphone is powered by a 3350 mah battery and features a fingerprint sensor housed inside the home button.
The Xiaomi Mi 6’s ‘flagship dual camera’ consists of two rear 12 MP cameras – the primary camera has a wide angle lens and the secondary camera has a telephoto lens. The standard lens has an f/1.8 aperture, while the second lens has an f/2.6 aperture. This dual-camera setup is similar to the one on the iPhone 7 Plus. On the front, the smartphone features an 8 MP camera which records 1080P videos at 30 FPS. The dual-cameras are capable of recording 4K videos at 30 FPS and 720P videos 120 FPS.
The smartphone was launched in different colour variants – Black, Blue, White and Ceramic Black with 18-karat gold camera rims. The Xiaomi Mi 6 was priced at RMB 2499 ( Rs. 23445 approx) and the ceramic variant (not available in India) costed RMB 2999 (Rs. 28153 approx.) at the time of its launch in China. The dual camera flagship is expected to be priced at Rs. 26999 in India.
Check out our unboxing of the Mi 6 below.
Xiaomi Mi 5X
Launched in July, the Xiaomi Mi 5X features a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display and a familiar large bezel design, unlike the 2017 flagships. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.1 and is rumoured to be based on MIUI 9, whereas the Chinese edition is based on MiUi 8.5. Unlike the Xiaomi Mi 6, the Mi 5X is powered by a 3,080 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities through the USB Type C port, but the included charger does not support fast charging.
The Mi 5X has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, clocked at 2GHz coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card up to 128GB.
Xiaomi Mi 5X features a dual 12 MP camera setup, one of the cameras has a wide-angle lens with a 1.25-micron pixel size and an f/2.2 aperture, while the other is a telephoto lens with a 1-micron pixel size and an f/2.6 aperture. The camera app has a portrait mode very similar to the one on the iPhone 7 Plus, which allows blurring out of the background. The dual-cameras are also capable of recording 4K videos at 30 FPS and 720P videos 120 FPS. On the front of the smartphone is a 5 MP camera with real-time beautification and the ability to record 1080p video at 30 fps. The fingerprint sensor sits below the display on the front
The Mi 5X, was introduced in three colour variants – Black, Gold and Pink and was priced at CNY 1,499 (roughly Rs. 14,200) at the time of its launch in China.
Check out our Xiaomi Mi 5X unboxing and hands on video.
Leaks surrounding the second generation of Google Pixel devices, the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 continue to surface as the October launch approaches. The latest iterations of the two smartphones are expected to feature different screen sizes. Apart from the size difference, the latest leaks reveal that the Pixel XL 2 is reported to have a bezel-less display, whereas the Pixel 2 will most likely retain the first generation Pixel’s design.
Unlike last year, when HTC was the sole manufacturer of the pixel devices, Google has chosen two manufactures to build the the next generation pixels – while HTC will continue to make the Pixel 2, the Pixel XL 2 will be manufactured by LG.
LG-made Pixel XL 2 is reported to have a 5.99-inch 2960 x 1440 px OLED bezel-less display. The Pixel 2 on the other hand, will most likely sport a 4.97-inch 1920 x 1080 px OLED display withlarger bezels, much like the original Pixel. There also have been reports of Google giving the 3.5mm audio jack a miss in the upcoming Pixel series.
Among the other reports surrounding the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, rumour has it that the next Pixel iterations will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 chipset and 4GB RAM with 64GB onboard storage. The devices will run on 3,ooo mAh battery and 3,500 mAh battery respectively. And with the latest launch of Android 8.0 Oreo, both the Pixel devices are expected to run the latest Android OS. Google is reportedly planning to unveil the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 on 5 October.
LG continues the trend of teasing new features of its upcoming flagship, the LG V30 by releasing another video teaser. In this teaser, LG showcases the ‘premium audio quality’ that the LG V30 will possess. The ‘V’ series has been known to feature top-notch media consumption qualities and LG has admitted that the V30 won’t be any different.
It was earlier reported that the LG V30 will feature a Quad DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) and this video confirms it. LG had paired up with Bang & Olufsen Play, a Danish premium audio brand in the past. The LG V20 retailed with Bang and Olufsen earphones and the G5 had a B&O audio module. The new LG V30 is also expected to feature B&O earphones. The company claims the feature will allow users to optimise their sound simply by touching displays and adjust tone depending on genre. Through the Sound Preset, users can optimise tone into four categories, namely balanced, clear, live and low-pitched. The Digital Filter also allows users to choose echo in three categories: short, slow and sharp.
In a blog post, LG announced that the V30 will have a 6 inch 2880 x 1440 px OLED display. The advantage of an OLED display is the operational response time, which is a lot faster than LCD. This accelerated response time effectively eliminates afterimages, an important consideration for action movies and VR. This, combined with the Quad DAC will make the LG V30 an ideal device for media consumption.
According to LG, the LG V30 will also be the first smartphone to feature a camera unit with an f/1.6 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 glass lens also delivers greater light-collecting ability than a plastic lens as well as better colour reproduction. The camera will feature laser detection AF, optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation.
LG confirmed that the V30 will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with LG UX 6.0+ on top. UX 6.0+ will offer a lot of personalisation options such as the semi-transparent Floating Bar for quick access to frequently used functions. The Floating Bar can be disabled when not needed. The new Always On Display can be customised to display Quick Tools, Music Player or a personal photograph. The LG V30 will also feature new security updates such as facial and voice recognition.
LG will launch the V30 on August 31 at IFA 2017 in Berlin and will go on sale soon after the launch in major European and US markets. The phone is expected to be launched in India in the month of October.
Samsung launched the highly-anticipated Galaxy Note8 in New York on August 23 during its ‘Unpacked 2017’ event. Priced at Rs 74,999 the Galaxy Note8 is the first Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup. Both the cameras are 12 MP and both have OIS, one has a wide lens while the other a telephoto lens. The Galaxy Note8 also has an IRIS scanner on the front, sadly the fingerprint sensor still sits on the back of the phone next to the cameras.
Apple looks all set to launch the new iPhone on September 12. Apple has been hosting its iPhone launch events in September since 2012. September 12 also falls on a Tuesday, which is in line with the previous iPhone announcement events. It is rumoured that the main iPhone 8 will be available in extremely limited numbers at launch. Along with the new iPhone 8, the launch of the iPhone 7S, 7S Plus, Apple TV with 4K video output, LTE enabled Apple Watch is also expected.
The follow-up to last year’s lineup of Pixel devices, the pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 could be launched on October 5th according to a tipster. This tip comes after specifications of the Pixel 2 were leaked through an FCC filing document. In his tweet, Evan Blass claims that both the devices will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 chipset, instead of the much-anticipated Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset.
Google officially launched the next generation of its Android OS, 8.0 Oreo during the first Solar Eclipse in the USA since 1917 on August 21. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are tipped to be the first sdevices to run Android 8.0 Oreo while many other smartphones will soon follow suit.
Features such as the new picture-in-picture mode, auto fill framework, notification dots and much more will be available when the Android 8.0 Oreo starts rolling out to devices later this year.
Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to launch the Moto G5S Plus in India on 29th August. The smartphone will be an Amazon exclusive in the beginning and will be available at offline retailers later.The Moto G5S Plus’ widely speculated feature, the rear mounted 13MP dual-camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual tone LED flash, comes with video stabilization and 4K video recording at 30 FPS.
The successor to the Moto X Style, the Moto X4 has skipped a few “speculated” release dates and is now back in the spotlight after its FCC filing document got leaked.
Just like with the Google Pixel 2’s FCC certification documents, specifications of the Moto X4 have also been leaked. As per the listing, Moto X4 is said to boast NFC for faster file transfer and contact-less payments and most importantly it will support the latest Bluetooth v5.0. The smartphone will have a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The device will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset and a 2.2GHz octa-core processor with 5GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. Graphics will be handled by the Adreno 508 GPU.
On the camera front, the smartphone will feature 12MP dual cameras. The primary camera is an RGB sensor while the secondary camera comes equipped with a monochrome sensor for black-and-white images and more detailed coloured images. On the front is a 16MP camera with a wide-angle lens. The Moto X4 will be IP68 certified water and dust resistant unlike the splash resistance on previous Moto phones. The fingerprint sensor will be placed in front of the device just below the screen.
The Moto X4 is rumoured to be priced at around Rs 26,500 for the Indian market when it arrives. Motorola is scheduled to announce the Moto G5S Plus in India on 29th August, and the Moto X4 could be unveiled at the IFA in Berlin on 31st August. Busy days ahead for Motorola.
The Xiaomi Mi 5x was launched in the China market last month, the phone is a mid ranger with a dual camera setup. While Xiaomi is planning to launch it in other markets, there is no clarity on when and if the phone will ever make it to India. This new phone from Xiaomi has a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. Unlike a lot of smartphones from 2017, the Mi 5X has a considerable amount of bezels around the display. The smartphone is powered by a 3,080 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities through the USB Type C port, although, the included charger does not provide a fast charge. The Mi 5X has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. The Mi 5X runs Android 7.1.1 based on MiUi 8.5, this is a China edition ROM. However one can install Google Apps.
The phone is available in Black, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants You Can Buy it here. Inside the Box we get:
Xiaomi Mi 5X
Sim ejector tool
Documentation
2A wall charger
USB Type C cable
The phone has an all-metal build and features a dual-camera setup at the back along with a fingerprint sensor. The phone has 12MP dual-cameras with the secondary camera equipped with a telephoto lens for 2X lossless optical zoom. The camera app has a portrait mode very similar to the one on iPhone 7 Plus with features that include a portrait mode, blurring out the background. The dual-cameras are also capable of recording 4K videos at 30 FPS and 720P videos 120 FPS. On the front is a 5MP camera that records 1080P videos at 30 FPS.
Watch the unboxing video below, and stay tuned for our full review. Check Best Price
The world could witness new iPhones in less than a month as Apple is expected to hold the all-important launch event on September 12.
Apple has been hosting its iPhone launch events in September since 2012. September 12 also falls on a Tuesday, which is in line with the previous iPhone announcement events. A lot of people were speculating between September 5 and September 12, this should be clarified soon as Apple’s press invites should be appearing in inboxes soon. This news might convince a few iPhone buyers to hold off on their credit cards for a little longer. Apple is going to release the final version of iOS 11 at some point between September 12 and September 22.
Apple is also probably going to announce a new version of the Apple Watch. The main change with this new watch could be that it’s going to haveLTE connectivity. There could be a small update to the Apple TV as well with 4K video output.
If certain reports are to be believed, Apple will, in fact, launch three different iPhone’s this year, iPhone 7S, iPhone 7S Plus and the iPhone 8. The marquee phone, of course, is going to be the iPhone 8 or whatever Apple decides to call it at the end with a reportedly bezel-less display and vertically mounted dual-camera setup. Apple will also finally introduce wireless charging to its iPhone lineup after a component was leaked online. The iPhone 8/X/Pro will also feature better cameras which will reportedly record 4K videos at 60 FPS. Another headlining feature will be 3D facial recognition, dubbed as ‘FaceID.’ The smartphone is expected to break the thousand dollar barrier and cost around $1,100 for the base variant.
Apple may also announce newer AirPods as the previous generation ones leave a lot to be desired from. The event will be followed up by a pre-order phase before the iPhones start to become available in stores. It is rumoured that the main iPhone 8 will be available in extremely limited numbers at launch.
Reliance launched the 4G feature Phone, JioPhone at the company’s 40th AGM in July. During the unveiling, Reliance Jio offered a preview of how the JioPhone might look like along with a list of features. The phone was launched at an “effective price” of Rs 0, with a one time security deposit of INR 1500. The deposit will be refundable after a period of three years at the time of return. The 4G enabled JioPhone, which was in earlier the beta testing phase is up for pre-booking now. As the company stated earlier, the feature phone will be distributed on a ‘first come first serve’ basis to those who pre-booked the handset.
Reliance Jio has revealed the full specifications of the phone on its website. Apart from being effectively free, here are other features of the “India Ka Smartphone” that might interest the buyers.
Apart from the standard phone features, the single Nano-SIM (contrary to the earlier rumors of dual SIM feature) Jio Phone runs on KAI OS (OS version of the Firefox OS) and comes with a a 2.4 inch display. The 4G VOLTE feature phone is powered by 1.2GHz Spreadtrum SPRD dual-core processor with 512 MB of RAM along with 4GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 128 GB via a micro SD card. The handset is powered by a 2000mAh battery and has a 2-megapixel rear camera at the back and VGA front camera.
As announced during the launch, the JioPhone comes with Jio Assistant which allows voice enabled search. A user can open apps, search on Google or even compose a message using the Jio Assistant. Built for the Indian market, the voice enabled research works in two languages, English and Hindi. The handset can be connected to TV via JioMediaCable and is preinstalled with a browser and Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio Music etc. The phone has regional language support and comes in 22 languages including Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, etc.
Catering to the Indian audience, Reliance Jio has kept the phone’s design familiar and is easy to use, unlike the complex smartphones available in market. The handset is available in black and has in-box accessories which include battery, charger, handset, service guide, warranty card and SIM card.
The JioPhone, which is manufactured by Indian engineers, as the company claims, also has an additional security feature. In case of emergency, the user just needs to long press number 5 on the JioPhone and a distress message will be sent to all registered contacts.For a price of Rs 0, the Reliance JioPhone offers a host of features along with 4G VoLTE support, unlimited voice calls . The handset can be booked on this link.
Google Pixel and Pixel XL launched last year on October 4th to great anticipation. A new leak claims that the second generation Pixel phones will debut exactly one year after their older siblings, on October 5th. The tweet sheds light on another component of the device which is heavily rumoured, but, with no real evidence.
Google's second-generation Pixel handsets, powered by Snapdragon 836 SoC's, will be unveiled on October 5th.
In his tweet, Evan Blass claims that both the devices will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 chipset, instead of the much-anticipated Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. More details about the new Pixel devices were leaked through an FCC filing by HTC confirming that the Taiwanese smartphone maker will be handling the smaller of the two variants, the Pixel 2.
Also, back in March, Bharat Nagpal had posted on his official Facebook account sharing information about the same chipset (Snapdragon 836), and that it will first show up in Pixel devices.
An interesting detail revealed by the filing was a feature called “Active Edge”, which is similar to the squeezable frame feature on the HTC U11. The difference here is that the squeeze will be programmed to launch the Google Assistant. In the filing, the “8998” in the baseband revealed that the device would either have a Snapdragon 835 or the updated, as-of-yet unreleased 836. There have been renders of the Google Pixel 2 suggesting that the 2017 flagship will ditch the headphone jack. The device will also sport a design similar to its predecessor’s with big bezels around the screen and a smaller glass window at the back.
The smaller Pixel 2 will reportedly sport a 5 inch 2560 x 1440 px AMOLED display and still have large bezels around the screen, unlike many flagships of 2017. The Pixel XL 2, on the other hand, will feature a more “2017 flagship design” with thin bezels around a 6 inch 2560 x 1440 px AMOLED display. The devices will run on 3,ooo mAh battery and 3,500 mAh battery respectively.
Samsung has just announced the Galaxy Note8 for global markets and the phone is said to go on sale in September some time. However, for the south Korean company getting their Note series back on track will be a bigger game. Markets like India majorly remained unaffected by the Note7 recall, because the Galaxy Note7 was never launched in said markets. Samsung has a huge void to fill in the premium upmarket business phone segment, which was ruled by the iPhone 7 Plus thus far. Considering that officially any revisions to the iPhone will go on Sale in India starting October, Samsung may get the upper hand by launching the Galaxy Note8 in September in India.
The Galaxy Note8 which has a similar Exynos processor for the India market will also launch only in two variants in India, the 64 GB and 128 GB storage options, with fewer colours available at launch. The 256 GB variant and other colour options will be launched later in the year. The new Galaxy Note 8 also features IP68 water and dust resistance which also applies to the new S Pen which is independently IP68 rated. The Note8 will also have a dual sim/hybrid tray in India, allowing for either one sim card + expansion via micro SD for upto 256GB of additional storage or two SIM cards.
Samsung’s new Note is also the first Samsung smartphone to be featured with dual cameras, both are 12 MP and both have OIS, one has a wide lens while the other a telephoto lens. The Note8 also has an IRIS scanner on the front, sadly the fingerprint sensor still sits on the back of the phone next to the cameras.
Samsung will also launch the phone with several offers including a zero percent instalment (or EMI) option that will allow potential owners to buy the phone without worrying about the hefty price tag. Samsung will also bundle up the wireless charger for those who pre order. The updated Samsung Dex docking station will also receive and official launch in India alongside the Galaxy Note8.
After today’s much-anticipatedlaunch of the Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 8, the company hopes to rebuild consumer confidence and reinvigorate the Note series. Until last year, the Galaxy Note series was amongst the top flagship devices but, the recall of the Galaxy Note 7 due to battery issues had a significant impact on sales and consumer perception. So, from the Galaxy Note 7 to the Galaxy Note 8, what has changed?
The new standout feature – Dual-lens Camera
Unlike its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is equipped with a horizontally placed two 12-megapixel cameras at the back with a fingerprint scanner right next to it. Many criticized the odd placement of the fingerprint sensor at the back when the Galaxy S8 was launched, and nothing has changed on this front in the Galaxy Note 8.
The 12MP primary camera has a wide-angle lens with an f/1.7 aperture whereas the secondary 12MP camera has a telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The dual-camera setup is capable of 2X lossless zoom and other features such as Bokeh effect and selective focus for background blurring. The rear camera setup records video in 4K at 30 FPS and features phase detection autofocus, dual optical image stabilization (an industry first, claimed by Samsung) and an LED flash. On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture which captures 4K videos at 30 FPS whereas, the Galaxy Note 7 had a 5MP front camera with 1920×1080 full HD video recording at 30fps.
Another widely anticipated feature is the new and improved S-Pen.
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Similar to the Note 7 stylus, the new S Pen is water resistant and has more levels of pressure sensitivity. The latest S-Pen features include capability of taking notes up to 100 pages in the Screen Off Memo mode, a live messages which are saved as GIFs and the user can also hand-write a message or picture with the S Pen. Also, the translate feature, introduced on the Note 7, is making a come back in this year’s Note 8. To translate a sentence, a user has to simply highlight the text and the S Pen will instantly translate the sentence into 71 languages.
On the design front, both the Galaxy Note 8 and the Note 7 feature Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panels on the front and the back. Samsung is offering an almost all-screen front with a metal and glass body design along with a built-in stylus. The smartphone sports a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with curved edges. With an 83.1% screen-to-body ratio and almost bezel-less design (compared to the Note 7), Samsung is aiming to rival other similar flagship devices.
Coming to what’s under the hood, the newly launched Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat with a promised update to 8.0 Oreo in near future.
Galaxy Note 7
As is with all Samsung flagship devices, the Galaxy Note8 will ship with two different chipsets, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 2.45 GHz octa-core processor with Adreno 540 GPU for USA and China, and the Exynos 8895, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU) + 1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) with Mali-G71 MP20 for the remaining markets. The device will have 6GB RAM and onboard storage options of 64GB/128Gb/256GB which will be expandable via microSD card up to 256GB.
Powered by a 3,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 via USB Type C port and the rear glass panel allows the Galaxy Note 8 to support wireless charging. Thanks to Galaxy Note 7’s 3500mAh faulty batteries, Samsung has opted for a slightly smaller battery for its new flagship.
For added security, Samsung is offering plenty of biometric security options to choose from, such as iris scanner and facial recognition, apart from a fingerprint scanner. The Galaxy Note 7 was amongst the first of Samsung smartphone to feature iris scanner for unlocking the device.
The smartphone will be available in four colour variants (two of which were leaked ahead of its launch)– Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue and Maple Gold.
In term’s of how the Galaxy Note 8 will stack up against it’s recalled sibling, the Galaxy Note 7, here’s a little something to help you figure out.
Specifications
Galaxy Note 8
Galaxy Note 7
Price
£869 (Approximately Rs. 71,100)
Launched at US $ 849.99 (Approximately Rs. 59900)
Dimensions
162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6mm
153.5 x 73.9 x 7.9 mm
Weight
195 grams
169 g
Design
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Front
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Back
Metal Frame
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Front
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 Back
Metal Frame
Colors
Midnight Black
Orchid Gray
Deep Sea Blue
Maple Gold
Blue Coral
Gold Platinum
Silver Titanium
Black Onyx
Display
6.3-inch Super AMOLED
5.7-inch Super AMOLED
Screen Resolution
2960 x 1440 px
2560 x 1440 px
PPI (Pixels Per Inch)
521ppi
518ppi
Display Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Chipset
Option 1: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Option 2: Exynos 8895
Option 1: Qualcomm Snapdragon 829
Option 2: Exynos 8895
CPU
Snapdragon 835 Variant: Octa-core 2.45 GHz
Exynos Variant: 4×2.3 GHz custom CPU and 4×1.7 GHz Cortex-A53
In an event in New York, Samsung has just launched its new iteration of the Note series, the Samsung Galaxy Note8 at a price of GBP 869 (Rs 71,100 approx). After the Samsung Galaxy Note7 was recalledglobally due to a fault in the battery, causing it to catch fire, the South Korean electronics giant made a comeback of sorts with the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has been launched in four colours – the Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue and Maple Gold.
Just like the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the new Galaxy Note 8 features a glass front and back and the AMOLED display has curved corners and a long aspect ratio. The new 2017 Samsung Galaxy Note has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px 18.5:9 aspect ratio Super AMOLED display with an 83.1% screen-to-body ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back of the device.
The Galaxy Note 8 runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat and Samsung has promised an update to 8.0 Oreo in the near future. The phone is powered by a non-removable 3,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 2.0 through the USB Type C port and because of the glass at the back, the phone also supports wireless charging as well. Just like the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, the fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device right next to the dual-cameras. The iris scanner and face unlock features also return to the Galaxy Note 8 for further security.
As is with all Samsung flagship devices, the Galaxy Note8 will ship with two different chipsets, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, 2.45 GHz octa-core processor with Adreno 540 GPU for USA and China, and the Exynos 8895, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU) + 1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) with Mali-G71 MP20 for the remaining markets. The device will have 6GB RAM and onboard storage options of 64GB/128GB/256GB which will be expandable via microSD card up to 256GB.
What makes the Note series stand out from the flagship crowd is the S-Pen. The new Galaxy Note 8 comes with a new S Pen with improved functionalities. The Galaxy Note 8 and the S Pen are both also IP68 certified water and dust resistant. The S-Pen comes with a host of new features such as Smart Select, which allows you to easily select, clip and copy the content that you like. You can also send .gif messages via the S Pen. Another interesting feature is the Screen Off Memo, wherein you can quickly jot down important notes and details without going through the hassle of unlocking the device and opening the Notes app. The S Pen will be available in Midnight Black, Orchid Gray, Deep Sea Blue and Maple Gold colours.
The Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.
Samsung has also launched a host of Galaxy Note 8 compatible accessories today. The Samsung signature flip cover, a wireless charging pad in two colours, a back cover with a felt touch finish in 4 colours and a half-and-half gripper like the one launched for the Galaxy S8 and S8+.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be available starting in mid-September, in major markets including US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and in India.
