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.
Lava’s latest device, the Iris Win 1 has landed in our hands. Check out the unboxing of the new Lava Iris Win1. It runs on a Windows 8.1 operating system and was launched for a mere Rs. 4,999. It comes packed with a Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 5 MP primary camera, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB ROM.
Here are our first impressions about the handset:
After the dejection that set on Indian smartphone consumers after the ban on Xiaomi, a new development might infuriate them further. Micromax has filed an infringement complaint calling for a ban on sales of OnePlus devices as it now owns exclusive rights to sell Cyanogen devices in India. The fans of the flagship killer have waited for a long time to get their hands on the exclusive device, and this development might backfire on Micromax.
Micromax is going to launch its own brand of CyanogenMod powered devices called ‘YU’. The company states that it incurred massive costs to create an exclusive brand for selling Cyanogen powered devices in India. The devices are up for launch tomorrow, 18th of December.
According to Livemint, the complaint was registered at Delhi High court and Micromax secured a temporary injunction in the case. The court has ordered OnePlus to refrain from marketing, selling and shipping its popular handsets in India. But to give the Chinese company some relief, the judge allowed them to sell all the remaining stocks they have on hand. OnePlus began selling the handsets on 2nd of December.
OnePlus has a non-exclusive right to use CyanogenMod‘s trademark and software all across the world except China. While Micromax has an exclusive license for South Asia, this might become a major hindrance in the growth path of the OnePlus. The company had major plans for India, including bringing the next generation OnePlus Two in India, but it is yet to be seen what this development leads to. OnePlus also informed the court that Cyanogen intimated them about the exclusive agreement with Micromax just a fortnight before its India launch. The court told OnePlus that it could sue Cyanogen but that can only be governed by the laws of California where the agreement was signed.
It might not actually mean the end of the Chinese company’s India journey. OnePlus is already planning a new OS based on the latest Android L update, but this will lead to the demise of its most appreciated feature, the CyanogenMod.
Micromax on the other hand can gather a bad public reputation following this development. Though they are right in the technical and legal aspects of things, but the public opinion might shift against them and that too just a day before their brand launch. The company will have to bring something exceptional to take on the massive popularity of the OnePlus One.
Micromax if you don’t want to face immense public ire, you better bring something that blows our minds or else you’ll be seen as the killer of the flagship killer in India, and you really don’t want to be that company.
In other (OnePlus) news, they’re launching a secret device today, any guesses what it might be?
Redmond giant Microsoft has launched its budget 4G compatible smartphone, called the Nokia Lumia 638. The phone will be available exclusively at the company’s new Microsoft Brand store on Amazon India and is priced at Rs. 8,299. Pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 638 will kick-ff from tomorrow.
Specs on the smartphone include a 4.5 inch FWVGA (480×854 pixels) ClearBlack LCD display with Gorilla Glass 3, a 1.2 Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 400 SOC chipset along with 1 GB of RAM. Optics will just include a 5 MP rear auto focus camera. On the memory front, there’s an 8GB of internal storage with microSD card compatibility (up to 128GB). Powering the smartphone would be a 1830 mAh battery while the OS on board would be Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim update.
Commenting on the launch, Raghuvesh Sarup, Director – Marketing, Nokia India Sales Pvt. Ltd. (a subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy), said, “With the Lumia range we have always focused on delivering new experiences and features to our consumers at affordable price points. Now, we are introducing Lumia 638 which is the most affordable 4G smartphone on Windows Phone 8.1. It builds on the success of the Lumia range in the fast growing affordable smartphone segment and aims to address the consumers’ demand for a device that lets them enjoy uninterrupted video content. We are confident of the success of the Lumia 638 as a comprehensive package and are certain that the device will help us consolidate our position in the affordable smartphones segment further.”
In addition, consumers on Airtel postpaid in Bengaluru can avail upto 5GB of free data on 4G for 2 months. The offer will be valid until 31st March 2015. The Nokia Lumia 638 is being touted as the most affordable 4G compatible smartphone yet.
Microsoft is going for an aggressive push for its Windows phone family. Since the acquisition of the Nokia mobile business, the company has gone ahead to replace the iconic brand name with its own. The new line of devices have garnered some praise for their unique designs and fast performance. In the affordable line of Windows devices stands the Lumia 535 which is a great Windows 8.1 device.
The Microsoft Lumia 535 gets its processing provice from a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 processor. It features 1 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 8 GB that is expandable up to 128 GB; storage is literally no issue on this device. To make life even easier, the device comes with 15 GB of cloud storage. The device is juiced up through a 1905 mAh battery.
The display on the device might be a slight letdown. It has a 5-inch qHD (960 x 540) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. You can find multiple devices offering 720p HD displays in lower price points. On the camera front, the device gets its image capturing abilities from Nokia’s exceptional legacy in phone cameras. The device has a 5 MP camera on the back and a wide angle lens for selfies in the front.
The device also carries Nokia’s Here maps system that is considered one of the best navigation apps out there. The device comes with special offers that might make it inviting. There are multiple color options available for the Lumia, which makes the device appear quite youthful.
The Smartphone in its entirety is a worthy purchase, but it comes for a price of Rs.9,199. Microsoft should consider slicing the prices as much as it can so that people who want to give it a try wouldn’t have to think twice before going for it.
Micromax’s CynogenMod-powered new brand called ‘Yu’ is just a couple of days away. Amazon, which would be exclusively launching the device, is all prepped to host the new brand. A new page for the brand is up and it will get a lot of folks excited.
Using the strengths of CyanogenMod’s amazing features, Micromax hopes to climb up the ladders in the points tally. This may be possible as CyanogenMod is one of the most appreciated custom ROM’s out there which not just gives you amazing customization features, it also adds regular updates. The updates bit would really help Micromax’s image as the company has been constantly berated for its low quality after sales support.
Amazon is presently hosting a page that simply shows an unmarked phone with the words “Are you ready to Play God” written on it. It is followed by a tagline that says “The Zeus of phones is about to arrive,” which rather sounds like an overstatement.
The accompanying video on the page flaunts the customizability features. But weirdly the phone that they are featuring looks pretty close to the OnePlus One – the smartphone that can be credited with bringing CyanogenMod in the mainstream.
Yu comes to town on the 18th of this month, and we hope with this new release, Micromax raises the standards of Indian made devices. The company has also talked about the possibilities of wearables in the future, which would help it compete with the big brands. It has constantly risen up, and Cyanogen can help the company to rise further in the game. All it needs to do now is revamp and strengthen its after sales service because that will add immense credibility to the company’s reputation.
Indian smartphone company, Lava has launched the Iris Fuel 60. The phone’s USP is the massive 4000 mAh battery which extends its usage time and decreases the frequency of charging. The phone also has multiple gesture features which might make it more attractive to the buyers.
The Iris Fuel 60 is only 1000 mAh short of Gionee’s Marathon M3 which comes with 5000 mAh behemoth. But while the Marathon M3 can set you back by Rs. 13,999, Lava’s big battery bombshell comes at a rather affordable price of Rs. 8,888.
But even at a low price, the device isn’t short on accompanying specs. It comes with a quad-core, 1.3 GHz processor along with 1 GB RAM, which is the same as the Marathon M3. The internal storage stands at 8 GB; that is expandable up to 32 GB, a standard at this price point. It also provides USB OTG support which will take its storage capacity further.
The device flaunts a 720p HD IPS display and is protected by scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3o. The main camera on the device is a 10 MP shooter while on the front is a 2 MP shooter. The device presently runs on Android 4.4, but the company claims that it will soon be bringing an Android L update for the device.
If battery woes are your biggest concern for a smartphone, then this phone can be your ideal option. It has pretty much the same specs as the Marathon M3 but comes at Rs. 5000 cheaper at a loss of 1000 mAh worth of battery storage. Lava has put a serious contender in the big battery game.
Xiaomi’s short life in the consumer electronics business is marked by immense growth. The company was founded in 2010 and since then it has not looked back. It even went ahead and kicked Samsung from the top of the points tally in China. It is going through a rough patch at the moment in India but globally, happy news keeps pouring in for the company. American information technology research and advisory firm, Gartner has released some encouraging numbers for the smartphone industry.
Gartner news report shows that the smartphone is growing at a good pace and business is booming. Smartphones sales saw an increase of 20 percent; the industry sold over 301 million units in the third quarter of this year. A fact that is even encouraging for the industry is that smartphones are eating into the shares of feature phones who saw a decrease of 25 percent.
This report also leads to a major reshuffle in the points tally for smartphone makers. Samsung still managed to guard its fortune at the top of the table even with an eight percent drop and it now holds 24.4 percent of the market. But the news that was the cause of a lot of worry for the big name brand is the arrival of Xiaomi in the league of the big boys. With this, the Chinese disrupting force has kicked out LG from the top 5 points tally.
The message is coming loud and clear, people have seen the possibility of high specs at low price, and they are going for it. The companies that will adapt to this will have a comfortable stay in the points, and the rest will go to dust. It’s time the companies stopped cheapening out on providing decent specs at a price point, if small time manufacturers can do it, so can the big brands with their massive capital.
Earlier, we reported that the world’s slimmest smartphone will be making its debut in the Indian market soon and today it was officially unveiled. The Chinese electronic giant announced the Vivo X5 Max, which has beaten the present record holder Oppo R5.
With just 4.75 mm thickness, the phone has given slim a new definition. The device is announced at a price of Rs. 32,980, which is a bit more than expected. The X5 Max comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display and has a screen resolution of 1080x1920p. It runs on 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 and is packed with 2 GB of RAM and Android 4.4 KitKat. On the camera front, it has a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front snapper. The device offers dual-SIM card slots with support for 4G LTE and TD-SCDMA. It holds Hi-Fi 2.0 audio and a Yamaha YSS-205X chip as well.
Oppo confirmed that its upcoming release, the R5, would not be that expensive and will come in a price bracket of Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000. The R5 will launch later this month.
As told previously, BBK Electronics has partnered with Viacom 18 to promote the device. Through this joint venture, the Vivo X5 Max will be advertised on the following platforms: MTV, VH1, Colors and Comedy Central. Also, the company is likely to launch more smartphones in the market within the range of Rs. 7,000 to Rs. 40,000.
OnePlus One is received blissfully by the Indian users and why not, the phone is such a great offering at a marginal price. The Co-Founder of OnePlus and the Director of OnePlus Global, Carl Pei, is immensely delighted with the overwhelming response to ‘One’ and has thanked all the Indian OnPlus fans to make the device a success.
Carl shared his views in an official blog post saying, “As a company that’s not yet even a year old, and has no track record on which to stand upon, your faith in our product and vision is humbling. We know we made you wait a while. We understand the wait could be frustrating, but looking back, we are glad that we waited until all pieces were in place.” He also mentioned that India is an important marketplace and the country wouldn’t be lagging behind in receiving the upcoming smartphones from the company.
Pei seized the attention of the Indians OnePlus One fans with his comment, “We have some big plans in the works, India. And while it took a while for us to get the One to you, we promise that won’t be the case in the future. India will be one of the first countries to see our newest products in the future.” This ascertains the fact that like we will be the first one to see the forthcoming ‘OnePlus Two’.
The Chinese manufacturer feels that there is a need to establish an office in the country and it is working hard in this direction. Pei mentioned that the company is planning to set up a local headquarters in Bangalore, which is said to house a GM, local marketing and logistics team, along with Research and Development team. India will soon be having a local PR to update us with its all important company advancements.
Well, with this post, the OnePlus has kept us longing for the future OnePlus gadget.
OnePlus One was the best phone of this year. It did fall short on specs in comparison to the newly released flagship, but it sure came about as a serious disrupter for the market. It led people to ask an important question, if a small time company can provide high specs at affordable prices, what is stopping the big name brands from doing so? Well, the big brands are scared of the Chinese duo, Xiaomi and OnePlus but they don’t seem serious about cutting them at source by bringing their own devices which can counter the rising Chinese brands. In fact, these are no small time threats for the established brands; Xiaomi has raced up to the top of the podium in China, throwing off Samsung in the country. This proves the fact that the company that offers maximum features at the lowest cost will win the market, and a new entrant is trying its luck with this philosophy.
Meet Xodium, it looks like the brethren of Xiaomi and OnePlus. The phone flaunts top of the class features with sexy looks and a sleek user interface. Xodium’s spec sheet will blow your mind on the first look. The phone has the innards to take on the likes of LG G3, Note 4 and even the Nexus 6.
The processor on the device is the top of the line, quad-core Snapdragon 805 clocking at 2.7 GHz. With 3GB of RAM, you know this baby is going to be fast. It is available in two storage options, 32 GB and 64 GB. The bit that will make it really aspirational is the fact that it has expandable storage up to 128 GB. The device is juiced up by a 3200 mAh battery. It runs on a custom operating system called ‘xOS’ which is based on Android 5 Lollipop.
The display on the device is a delight. The 5.5 inch Super AMOLED display has a resolution of 1440×2560(2K) and has a pixel density of 534 ppi. This will make it by far the best display in its price point. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
The device doesn’t shy up on the camera either. It has a 16 MP main shooter with optical image stabilization. It is capable of 4K recording. On the front, you have a 5MP selfie shooter with LED flash. The device lets you take images simultaneously while recording videos.
Xodium also has a wide range of sensors such as heart rate sensor, gestures, UV, compass, barometer and other usual sensors including NFC.
Now this phone one-ups the OnePlus One in every side. On the website, the price is stated as $329 (Rs. 20,610) for 32GB and $379 (Rs. 23,742) for the 64 GB variant. This sounds like the sweetest music to any device enthusiast. But we can’t shake off the feeling that it sounds too good to be true. On the website, when you click the buy now button, you only get the option to pre-order by Bitcoin, which is regarded as unreliable way of making transactions. The PayPal option is currently inactive. The website claims they can ship the order anywhere for free which also sounds unreasonable. We would love for this device to be real, who wouldn’t, but we are not sending our hard earned money there way till we see a working device.
Google’s latest revelation is making all Nexus 5 lovers rush to retail websites. The multinational corporation has confirmed that it has stopped the production of Google Nexus 5 and only limited stock is left.
When asked about the status of the red and white versions of the Nexus 5, Google’s spokesperson commented:
Once they are gone, they’re gone, so we’d suggest people get them while they can
In a statement to The Verge, the company stated that the Nexus 5 will continue to be available for sale on Google Play and through select retailers in Q1 2015.
As of now, both 16 GB and 32 GB versions of the model are out of stock on Google Play Store. However, you can still buy one from select retailers like eBay and few more. With this move, it seems like the company is pushing people to its latest release, the Nexus 6.
Flipkart, the e-commerce website which was also the official online shopping partner for Xiaomi’s handsets has been directed to stop all imports and sales of the handsets until further notice. Flipkart’s dedicated webpage now mentions that the phones are ‘not available’.
Xiaomi fans would have to wait for a while till the case settles. Till then, Xiaomi sales in India would be hugely affected, leaving the fans disappointed. However, those who have ordered the Redmi Note handset and the Redmi 1S handsets from this week’s sales should be getting their devices as scheduled. The next weeks sales will not be held till further notice.
Xiaomi Vice President, Global, Hugo Barra, also mentioned the same on the official Xiaomi Facebook page which reads as follows-:
The decision had been arrived by the Delhi High court two days ago when Ericsson approached the Court claiming that Xiaomi has infringed its patents and failed to reply to Ericsson’s notice. Along with Xiaomi, Flipkart also was roped in and directed to stop all imports and sales of the handsets till further February.
The silver lining, if any, for the Xiaomi fans is that the ban is only on handsets. Those who wish to purchase power banks and other accessories can still do so through Flipkart.
The wait for India’s first truly CyanogenMod based device is about to draw to a close. It has certainly been a long wait. CyanogenMod used to be just for the nerds who had the expertise in flashing custom ROMs, but OnePlus One brought it into the mainstream. Indians fans of the ROM maker were truly elated when OnePlus disclosed their plans for India. But they were disappointed to know that it won’t get support from Cyanogen because of their exclusive partnership in India with Micromax. The Indian brand is now ready to unveil its first Cyanogen powered device/devices on the 18th of December and has sent out invites for the launch.
There isn’t a lot known about the smartphone except that it will be a separate entity from Micromax’s usual Canvas line of devices. Micromax has stated some facts about this new family of devices that sound enticing. The company has said that it will service Yu devices even if they are rooted. It also hinted at probable future prospects of wearables under the Yu brand.
Following the footsteps of the OnePlus, Micromax has also set up a developers forum. Here folks can register complaints, provide suggestions and cooperate in the open source process of making the devices better.
The best part about the Yu devices would be their updatability. Updates have been a major topic of contention between Micromax and its customers. Luckily CynogenMod’s proactive update schedule will take care of all that headache. But we seriously hope they add some serious muscle in the hardware too. We really want an international standard Indian brand and Micromax needs to work a bit harder if it wants to be India’s shining glory in the international market.
We have been waiting for the launch of Huawei’s new Ascend P7 since its launch and finally the day has arrived. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has released the phone for the Indian market. It is priced at Rs. 24,799. Ascend P7 stepped silently into the country last month through e-commerce website Flipkart.
The head of Consumer Business Group, Huawei Telecommunications India, Allen Wang, commented on the launch that the P7 has received positive response globally.
Huawei’s Premium ‘P’ series is one of the most popular series from Huawei’s next generation smartphone league. Earlier in 2014, we introduced a marquee product named Ascend P6 that received excellent response from Indian consumers. With the launch of Ascend P7 in India, we endeavour to strengthen our connect with the young and tech savvy consumers by redefining excellence in craftsmanship and camera experience. The Ascend P7 has already received very positive response globally and we hope to replicate the global success in India.
Ascend P7 comes with a 5-inch Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) display. It is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 910T quad-core 1.8 GHz processor. It runs on Emotion UI 2.3 which is based on Android 4.4 KitKat . The phone houses 2 GB of RAM and has 16 GB of internal storage capacity.
On the camera front, it is equipped with a 13MP Sony BSI sensor at back and the 8 MP camera at front takes care of your selfie needs. The 2500mAh battery provides enough juice to last for a whole day of normal usage. If you have some queries regarding this model, do check our review:
When the makers of Phonebloks showcased their idea of a lego-type phone, we had a good laugh. It was an audacious idea and didn’t seem like a realizable goal. But when the project got the blessings of Google, a lot of folks started following the developments of the project. The company is just a few weeks away from unveiling the Project Ara devices.
Google will introduce the new generation Project Ara at the developers conference in January. There will be two developers conference; the first will be held on 14th of January and will target the US/European folks, while the second will target the Asian market and will be held on 21st January.
The Project Ara developers conference will also see the unveiling of the Spiral 2 prototype hardware and the release of v0.20 of Module Developers Kit (MDK). On its G+ page, Google ATAP posted the printed circuit board for the new generation modular devices. The founder of Phonebloks, Dave Hakkens, recently showed us a working prototype of a Project Ara device. So, it seems we are pretty close to having the most consumer and eco-friendly smartphone experience.
The company will also be live streaming the conference on the Project Ara website for the nerds of the world. Project Ara is a necessary next step in the evolution of smartphones. Till now, the consumers were restricted by whatever was offered to them by the companies. With initiatives like Project Ara, the consumers will have a bigger say in the technological bits of their devices. This will also help towards a healthy environment as the phones will be regularly updated and wouldn’t be thrown away soon. We have been waiting a long while for it and hope Project Ara is worth it.