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Amazon Great India Festival Diwali Special: Top Smartphone Deals

The Amazon Great India Festival is back for Diwali. It is the perfect opportunity for those who missed out last month’s sale. Smartphones from top brands are avaialable at great discounts and here is a list of top smartphone deals:

OnePlus 6T

OnePlus recently launched the latest OnePlus 6T smartphone in India. It has a 6.4 inch AMOLED display with 492 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 chipset and is powered by a 3,700 mAh battery with dash charge support. The phone has 20 MP + 16 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. The device has two variants 6 GB/8 GB of RAM paired with 128 GB/256 GB of ROM.

MRP: Rs. 37,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs 1,000 Additional cashback and NO Cost EMI

iPhone X

Apple’s last year flagship, the iPhone X has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display with 458 ppi pixel density . It runs on the Hexa-Core 2.39 GHz Apple A11 Bionic chipset and is powered by a 2,716 mAh battery. The phone has 12 MP + 12 MP dual rear cameras and a 7 MP front camera.

Regular Price: Rs. 91,900/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs 74,999/-

Galaxy A8+

The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a 6 inch Super AMOLED display with 411 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Exynos 7885 chipset and is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery. The phone has 16 MP rear camera and dual 16 MP + 8 MP front cameras.

Regular Price: Rs. 41,900/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 23,990/-

Huawei Nova 3i

The Huawei Nova 3i has a 6.3 inch FHD+ IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. It has a 3,340 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 71o SoC. The Huawei Nova 3i has 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and 24 MP + 2 MP front-facing AI camera. The Huawei Nova 3i has 4 GB of RAM and 148 GB of inbuilt storage.

Regular price: Rs. 20,990/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 17,990/-

Honor 8X

Honor recently launched the mid-range Honor 8X smartphone in India. It has a 6.5 inch IPS LCD display with 396 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Hisilicon Kirin chipset and is powered by a 3,750 mAh battery. The phone has 20 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. The device has 4 GB of RAM paired with 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

MRP: Rs. 17,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 14,999/-

Honor 7C

The Honor 7C has a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with 269 ppi pixel density. It has a non-removable 3,000 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 450. The device has 13 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The Honor 7c is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular Price: Rs. 9,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 8,499/–

Honor Play

The Honor 7 Play has a 6.3 inch IPS LCD display with 409 ppi pixel density. It has a non removable 3,750 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 970. The Honor Play has 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP front facing camera. The Honor Play has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular price: Rs. 19,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 17,999/–

Redmi 6 Pro

The eldest sibling of Redmi 6 Series, the Redmi 6 has pro has a 5.84 inch notch LCD display with 432 ppi pixel density. It has a huge 4,000 mAh battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 625. The device has 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The Redmi Note 6 is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular Price: Rs. 11,499/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-

Redmi 6A

Xiaomi’s cheapest offering, the Redmi 6A has a 5.45 inch LCD display with a 295 ppi pixel density . It runs on the Quad-Core Mediatek Helio A22 chipset and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP, f/2.2 aperture equipped rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. The device is available two varints: 2/3 GB of RAM paired with 16/32 GB ROM which is expandable upto 256 GB via a microSD card.

Flash Sale today at 12 PM

MRP: Rs. 6,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 5,999/-

Redmi Y2

The Redmi Y2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset has a 5.99-inch HD display with a resolution and 1440 x 720 pixels. The device’s display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and a rear fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the phone. The phone has 12MP+5MP dual-rear cameras and a 16MP selfie camera with AI capability. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It has a 3080 mAh Li-Ion battery.

MRP: Rs. 13,499/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-

Mi A2

The Redmi A2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset has a 5.99-inch HD display with a resolution and 2160 x 1080 pixels. The device has a rear fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the phone. The phone has 20 MP+ 12 MP dual-rear cameras and a 20 MP selfie camera with AI capability. It is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 processor and has a 3,010 mAh Li-Ion battery.

MRP: Rs. 17,499/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 14,999/-

Realme 1

Realme 1 is the first smartphone that is able to compete with Xiaomi’s budget-oriented devices. The Realme 1 has a 6 inch IPS LCD display with 402 ppi pixel density. It has the Octa-Core P60 processor and a 3,410 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front selfie camera. The device has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via microSD card.

Regular price: Rs. 14,990/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 11,990/-

November 2, 2018
Yongnuo Teases Android Mirrorless Camera With 4G Connectivity

Chinese camera and lens manufacturer Yongnuo has teased a mirrorless camera with 4G connectivity and the Android operating system loaded on it. According to a photography rumours website, the new camera will have features such as 4k 30 fps video, GPS module and a headphone jack. The camera has memory card slots and will sport a full HD touchscreen. This is the first time that a camera will have Android 7.1 loaded into it.

Possible Features

The screen will reportedly be a 5 inch 1080p INCEL multi-touch screen. Other similarities to a phone include 4G/3G data network and WiFi support, a 4000 mAh battery, dual LED flash and 3 GB + 32 GB of memory. This camera has been codenamed “YN450,” and Yongnuo is looking for name suggestions on it’s facebook page. The last date for the submissions is January 2019 which leads us to believe the camera may see its launch at CES 2019. The card has support for Canon EF lenses and has an 8 megapixel sensor. They have also not let videography take a hit and have included a dual mic for stereo sound. The images of the camera suggest it will be very slim and handy. It will also feature a dual LED flash and will support RAW shooting.

Being an Android device, the camera will be easy to use. Speculations also suggest that it may be a micro four thirds sensor. In May of 2018, the company had created a buzz around a lens that can turn a smartphone into a micro four thirds camera. The YN450 seems to be the next logical step into merging the two mediums together. Some photographers are also speculating that it will have a selfie cam at the back of the camera and a dedicated SIM slot but it is still unclear if it will or not.

November 2, 2018
OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple Variant Listed Online

The OnePlus 6T is the latest in the line of ‘flagship killers’ from OnePlus. The device sports a company-first, in-display fingerprint sensor, a water drop notch, bigger screen and battery and improved camera and performance. What the phone did lack at its launch, was a bit of colour. While the OnePlus 6T has a lot of colours on its AMOLED display, the device in itself is only available in Midnight Black and Mirror Black variants. This might change as a listing of the device showed an option that is sure to make you excited; the OnePlus 6T Thunder Purple.

Thunder Purple Listing

Rumoured Thunder Purple

With such an exciting name, we just hope that the device looks as great as it sounds. The Thunder Purple variant was listed for a brief while after the Keynote at the New York launch ended on 29 October. It was taken down soon after, but not quick enough to escape the eyes of ever-so vigilant leakers and fans. The new colour variant is sure to add another level of excitement to the OnePlus 6T which is already available on sale in India, starting at a price of Rs 37,999 for its 6 GB + 128 GB base variant.

OnePlus 6T Specifications

The OnePlus 6T sports a 6.41 inch Optic AMOLED display with a water drop notch, which gives it an improved screen-to-body ratio of 86% over the 83% on the OnePlus 6. The display has a 2340 x 1080 px resolution and a 402 ppi pixel density. The phone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. The device has internal storage options of 128 GB and 256 GB, with OnePlus eliminating the 64 GB version due to low demand. The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.

The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor, which the company claims is the fastest and most secure in-dispaly sensor on the market right now. It packs a 3,700 mAh battery with Dash Charge support. The 6T has a 16 MP + 20 MP dual rear camera setup and a 16 MP front facing camera. The camera features some software upgrades such as an improved night mode and studio lighting effects. The OnePlus 6T runs on Oxygen OS based on Android 9 Pie.

Read the detailed specs of the OnePlus 6T here.

Price & Availability

The OnePlus 6T is available on Amazon and the OnePlus official website. The phone will be available via select offline retailers as well, starting November 4th.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T Receives Oxygen OS 9.0.4 Update

The 6T costs Rs 37,999 for its 64 GB + 128 GB variant, Rs 41,999 for its 8 GB + 128 GB variant and Rs 45,999 8 GB + 256 GB variant.

November 2, 2018
OnePlus 6 Starts Receiving OxygenOS 9.0.2 Update With Nightscape And Screen Gestures

Oneplus 6 users were wary of whether the new software updates on the OnePlus 6T will bleed to the older model or not. At the launch the company declared that all the new software features will arrive at the Oneplus 6 as well. Now the new update is here and lets go over the features once more!

New Navigation Gestures

In the last update, there were several issues that users complained about. Using the Gesture Navigations made it difficult for the user to summon the Google assistant. Now with the new update, you can access the Google Assistant using the power button. Many new gestures are also added. The gestures are now much more fluidic and looks better. The overall experience is completely different. Switching between apps is also quite different.

Improved UI

The user interface has been changed quite a bit. Although it is not apparent at first glance, the User Interface has smaller changes that make using the Oneplus 6 on a day to day basis much easier and smoother. According to the company, it has a dedicated team that solely focusses on making the machine Fast, Stable and Efficient and this team is aptly named Team FSE. This includes a Reading mode that makes the screen darker and makes it look like it has a matt finish. The dark mode now also darkens the notification panel, menu and everything else to go dark. For the reading mode, specific applications such as Google Play Books and Kindle can be preset to open in reading mode only.

Night Mode and Studio Lighting

A massive change in terms of the camera include the addition of Night Mode and Studio Lighting. The night mode, through software changes, enables better night mode photography. The improved night time camera capabilities will enable the Oneplus 6 to take better low light images. The nightscape reduces the ISO and the shutter speed and compared to the usual 5 seconds required to take a night shot, the Oneplus will take 2 seconds thus reducing the chance for camera shake. The studio lighting enables normal portraits to get a better lighting that does not make it look unnatural. This mode accentuates the facial features and allows for better portraits.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T Receives Oxygen OS 9.0.4 Update

Other changes include the usual updated Android security patch which OnePlus is quite regular with. The screenshot experience has also received an update. The update also implements a new Google quick search box design. The zooming gesture and magnification in the gallery also improves with this update.

According to OnePlus, the update will roll out in stages. A few users will receive the update today while a broader rollout will begin in the next few days.

November 2, 2018
Lenovo Z5 Pro With 95 % Screen-To-Body Ratio Launched
The highly teased and awaited Lenovo Z5 Pro has been launched. The Lenovo Z5 Pro has a sliding screen with an insane 95% screen-to-body ratio. Lenovo has managed to pack in astounding specifications in a device with such a minimal footprint at an unbelievable price. Though the smartphone has a slightly less powerful processor, it is a direct competitor to the recently launched Mi Mix 3 & Honor Magic 2.

Design

The Lenovo Z5 Pro has an all-glass front and rear with a sliding screen which hides the speakerphone and dual front cams with flash. To drive the sliding mechanism, the handset uses 6 double helix springs which the company claims have a life cycle of up to 3,00,000 slides. The smartphone measures 155.12 x 73.04 x 9.3 mm and weighs in at 210 grams. The handset has an astonishing screen-to-body ratio of 95.06%. The volume rockers are placed on the left while the power button is on the right.

The dual rear cameras along with a single LED flash are placed vertically on the back of the phone while the Lenovo branding is placed horizontally on the lower back of the device. The Lenovo Z5 Pro has facial recognition capabilities and an in-display fingerprint scanner to securely unlock it.

Specifications

The Lenovo Z5 Pro has a 6.39-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 px. It runs on the Octa-Core Qualcomm 710 CPU along with the Adreno 616 GPU. The smartphone has 6 GB of RAM with either 64 GB or 128 GB of ROM. For photography, the device has dual 16 MP + 24 MP rear cameras which can capture 2160p videos @ 30fps. The front of the device also has dual 16 MP + 8 MP camera which can record 1080p videos.

The smartphone runs on the ZUI 10.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo. For connectivity, the device has dual 4G VoLTE support, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The smartphone also has a gravity sensor, a proximity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. The Lenovo z2 Pro has a 3,350 mAh non-removable lithium-ion battery. It also has Dolby Atmos support which provides a better and immersive sound experience. One key feature of the Lenovo Z5 Pro is its hardware-level security chip. The hardware chip stores sensitive user data like fingerprint information and banking details of the user.

Except for the regular manuals, Lenovo ships the smartphone with a data cable, power adapter, USB Type-C to 3.5 mm jack adaptor and a screen protector.

Price & Availability

Also Read: Google Pixel 3 & 3 XL Go On Sale In India

The smartphone will be available via flash sale on 11th November for which the registrations are now open on the company’s Chinese website. The smartphone is available in Ceramic Black color and price for the different variants is as follows:
- 6 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM – 1,998 ¥ (around Rs. 21,200)
- 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM – 2,998 ¥ (around Rs. 24,300)
The Lenovo Z5 Pro is currently available only in China but we expect the company to launch the device in India as well.
November 1, 2018
Honor Waterplay 8 Tablet & FlyPods Wireless Earphones Launched

Shenzhen based Honor recently held a launch event in China where the company announced the Waterplay 8 tablet, FlyPods wireless headphones, and the Honor Magic 2 smartphone. As the name suggests, Waterplay 8 is an eight-inch, water-resistant tablet and the Flypods are eerily similar to Apple’s AirPods.

Waterplay 8

The Waterplay 8 has an eight-inch IPS LCD display with a 283 ppi pixel density and a resolution of 1920 x 1200 px. The tablet has a screen-t0-body ratio of 74.13 %. The microSD tray, power button, and the volume rockers are placed on the left of the device. Additionally, it has a home button which doubles as the fingerprint sensor for securely unlocking it.

The Waterplay 8 runs on the Octa-Core Kirin 659 processor along with the Mali T830 GPU. The device has a 5,100 mAh battery which supports fast charging up to 18 W. In terms of storage and memory, the Waterplay 8 has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card. The tablet also has IPX7 rating which makes it dust and water resistant up to 1 meter for 30 mins.

For photography, the tablet has 13 MP f/2.2 + 2 MP f/2.4 dual rear cameras and an 8 MP f/2.0 front selfie camera. Both, the rear & front cameras can shoot videos up to 1080p. It runs on EMUI 8.0 which is based on Android 8.0. The tablet also has a bunch of sensors which include a gyroscope, proximity sensor, gravity sensor, and an ambient light sensor. For connectivity, it has 2.4 GHz 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 and a Type-C USB port for charging and data transfer.

FlyPods Wireless

FlyPods are wireless earbuds from Honor which draw a lot of inspiration from Apple’s AirPods. Apart form the fact that they are available in a bunch of funky colours. They can be used to listen to music or even answer calls that you receive on your phone. The FlyPods hardware package consists of three different pieces which are the left & right earbud and a charging/resting case. They use Bluetooth 5.0 technology to connect with any Bluetooth compatible device. For prolonged life, the earbuds are dust proof and water resistant.

The FlyPods case has a 410 mAh battery which can charge the earbuds up to 3 times. Once the earbuds are charged, they provide a talk time of up to 2.5 hours. The earbuds have a triple color RGB led light to display charging and connectivity status. They can be either charged wirelessly via a Qi charger or the USB Type-C port which is placed on the bottom of the case. The FlyPods weigh in at 45 grams and measures 50.5 x 45 x 24.5 mm.

Price & Availability

Also read: Google Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL Go On Sale In India

The Waterplay 8 tablet is available in Silver Moon colour at a price of 1,499 ¥ (around Rs 15,900). The FlyPods are available in three different colors Robin Blue, Charm Red and White. The Blue and White options are available at a price of 799 ¥ (around Rs 8,500) whereas the price for Charm Red variant is 999¥ (around Rs 10,600). Both the Waterplay 8 tablet and FlyPods are currently available on the Chinese Vmall website. It is possible that Honor might launch the devices in India and other regions in the future.

November 1, 2018
Google Pixel 3 & 3 XL Go On Sale In India
The Google Pixel 3 & Google Pixel 3 XL which are the latest flagship smartphones from Google, were launched last month in the US. And now, the devices are making their way to India via online and offline channels. The Pixel smartphones represent what an Android device should feel and perform like. They are the successor to the Pixels 2 devices which are known for their robust build quality and fantastic camera performance. Both the devices have similar specifications except for the bigger screen size and a notch on the Pixel XL.

Click here to buy the Google Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL

Design & Features

The Pixel 3 XL has a 6-inch display with a notch and an 82.8% screen-to-body ratio, while the Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch display without a notch and 77.2% screen-to-body ratio. Both the Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL have a glass and aluminium hybrid rear back. For protection, the displays have Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The power button and the volume buttons are placed on the left while the SIM tray is on the bottom on both devices. The rear of the devices houses the 12.2 MP camera with the dual-LED flash and the fingerprint sensor. The rear camera can shoot 2160p videos @ 30fps and 720p videos at super slow 240fps. Talking about the front camera, the phones have dual 8 MP cameras, one being a PDAF sensor and a second, ultra-wide sensor. The front cameras can also record 1080p videos @ 30fps.

The Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL are IP 68 rated which makes them dust and water resistant up to 1.5 meters for 30 mins. They have an always-on screen which displays date/time and unread notifications. The smartphones have a Type-C USB port for charging and data transfer. Sadly, the 3.5 mm audio jack is absent from both phones but Google offers a 3.5mm to Type-C adapter within the box.

The Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL have a distinct active edge feature which allows the user to squeeze the bezels to activate Google assistant or trigger other user set options.

Google Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL Tech Specs
- Display: 5.5 inch, 2160 x 1080 pixels, 18:9 aspect ratio / 6 inch, 2960 x 1440 pixels, 18.5:9 aspect ratio
- Operating System: Android 9 Pie
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
- RAM: 4 GB LPDDR4x
- Storage: 64 GB/128 GB
- Rear Camera: 12.2 MP (f/1.8), Dual-LED Flash
- Selfie Cameras: 8 MP (f/1.8) + 8 MP (f/2.2)
- Security: Rear Mounted Fingerprint Scanner
- Connectivity: 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac 2.4G + 5G, Bluetooth 5 .0, NFC, GPS, USB Type-C
- Battery: 2,915 mAh / 3,430 mAh
- Dimensions: 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm / 158 x 76.7 x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 148g / 204g
Also read: Rouyu Reveals World’s First Foldable Smartphone, Flexipai

Price

The Google Pixel 3 & Google Pixel 3 XL will be available from 1st November, which is today and starts at a price of Rs 71,000. The smartphones are available in two colors (Just Black, Clearly White) and two storage capacities (64 GB, 128 GB). Additionally, the smartphones will be soon available in a third “Not Pink” color. Prices for the various models are as follows:
- Google Pixel 3 (Clearly White, Just Black, Not Pink)
  - 64 GB – Rs. 71,000
  - 128 GB – Rs 80,000
- Google Pixel 3 XL (Clearly White, Just Black, Not Pink)
  - 64 GB – Rs. 83,000
  - 128 GB – Rs 92,000
Click here to buy the Google Pixel 3 & Pixel 3 XL
November 1, 2018
Rouyu Reveals FlexPai : World’s First Foldable Smartphone

The launch of a smartphone with a folding display was imminent, but this isn’t the one we were expecting. While the Samsung Galaxy ‘F’ or even the folding smartphone from LG and Huawei were on the table, Chinese manufacturer Rouyu has beaten them to the finish line. The Rouyu Flexpai has a 7.8 inch HD display and runs on the Snapdragon 8150 SoC. The Snapdragon 8150 (or the Snapdragon 855) is yet to be announced. It will be the next flagship processor from Qualcomm, based on the 7nm manufacturing process.

Specifications

These unique features make it the not only the first smartphone to have a folding display but also the first to run on the next generation processor from Qualcomm. The folding display is just 7.6 mm thick, according to the company. However, they haven’t specified as to whether this is an LCD or an OLED panel. The FlexiPai runs on the Snapdragon 8150, as mentioned before and has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. The smartphone is available in 128 GB, 256 GB and 512 GB storage options.

The smartphone has a dual, 16 MP + 20 MP rear camera setup, which consists of a wide-angle and a telephoto lens, respectively. The company did not mention anything about the battery capacity of the smartphone but did announce that it would support ‘Ro-Charge’, the company’s proprietary fast charging technology.

The company didn’t showcase the phone, just a few images and the key specifications. However, a popular leakster on twitter shared a hands-on demo with the device. This shows the folding mechanism of the smartphone. However, the design looks rough and the UI seems to struggle to keep up while folding the device. The smartphone shown in the video might just be a prototype or an earlier version, as we hope that the retail unit of the Rouyu Felxpai is much smoother.

https://twitter.com/UniverseIce/status/1057568515324952577

Also Read: Honor Watch Magic With Heart Rate Sensor Launched

The FlexPai costs CNY 8,999 for its 6 GB + 128 GB version, CNY 9,998 for its 8 GB + 256 GB variant and CNY 12,999 for its 8GB + 512GB version. When converted, the starting price of the device is approximately Rs 95,380, which is sure to leave a fold in your pocket!

November 1, 2018
Honor Watch Magic With Heart Rate Sensor Launched

Honor recently held a launch event in China. The company launched a variety of products which include the Honor Magic 2 smartphone, Watch Magic, Honor Play 8 Tablet, and FlyPods wireless earphones. The Watch Magic is a digital smartwatch which also has health and fitness tracking capabilities.

Honor Watch Magic

The Honor Watch Magic has a metal & plastic build with a wrist strap that fits wrist sizes between 14-21 cm. It also has the option to easily swap straps due to its quick fit mechanism. The watch measures 42.8 × 42.8 × 9.8mm and weighs 32.5 grams. The Honor Watch Magic has a 1.2-inch circular color AMOLED screen with a resolution of 390 x 390 px and a pixel density of 326 ppi. The smartwatch has a 178 mAh battery which can be charged via the magnetic ejector charging port. Honor claims the watch has a battery backup of up to 7 days which varies as per usage by the user. The Watch supports NFC for wireless payments and GPS for navigation. It runs on an ARM M4 CPU and has 16 MB of RAM. It also has 128 MB of ROM for storing the calculated data.

The Honor Magic watch has an Optical heart rate sensor to accurately measure the user’s heartbeats. It also has a whole host of sensors which include an Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and an Ambient light sensor. The smartwatch can also record fitness statistics like the number of steps taken and the number of calories burnt.

The Honor watch magic runs on Light OS like the Huawei Watch GT. The smartwatch is waterproof up to 50 meters. It uses Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy technology to connect with compatible devices. The smartwatch is compatible with devices running iOS 9.0 and above or Android 4.4 and above.

Price & Variants

Also read: Honor Magic 2 with sliding cameras launched.

The Honor Watch Magic is available in two different variants which are Sports and Fashion. The Fashion version is available in the Moonlight Silver colour and has a price tag of 999 ¥ (around Rs. 10,600) whereas the Sports version is available in the Lava Black colour with a price tag of 899 ¥ (around Rs. 9,500).

The smartwatch is currently available in China but we expect Honor to soon release it in other markets as well.

November 1, 2018
Honor Magic 2 Launched With Sliding Cameras
Honor, a sub-brand of the Chinese tech giant Huawei has launched their highly awaited Honor Magic 2 smartphone in China. The Honor Magic 2 has a sliding camera mechanism that hides the triple front cameras and the sensors, making the display almost bezel-less. The sliding mechanism is similar to the recently launched 5G Mi Mix 3. The phone is feature packed with a triple rear camera setup, in-display fingerprint sensor, 3D Face Unlock and more,

Design

The Honor Magic 2 measures 157.32 x 75.13 x 8.3 mm and weighs in at 206 grams. The device has a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio and the notch-less front with negligible bezels make the smartphone look remarkable. The speakerphone is integrated into the top bezel of the display. The SIM card slot is on the right while the volume rockers and power button are on the left.

The triple cameras along with a single LED flash are placed on the top left of the back. The Honor Magic 2’s rear camera setup is divided into two different modules, one being a tall capsule-shaped section which houses two cameras and an LED flash while another circular module for the third camera. The Company branding is placed vertically on the bottom left side of the rear. The smartphone has 3D facial recognition and an in-display fingerprint sensor for securely unlocking it.

Specifications

The Honor Magic 2 has a 6.39 inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 px resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The rear camera setup has triple 16 MP f/1.8 + 24 MP f/1.8 + 16 MP f/2.2 sensors with LED flash. The Honor Magic 2 also has triple front cameras which use one 16 MP sensor and dual 2 MP sensors. The rear cameras can capture 2160p video @ 30fps while the front cameras shoot 1080p videos @ 30fps along with super slow mo video @ 480fps.

Perfromance

The Honor Magic 2 runs on the 2.6 GHz Octa-Core Kirin 980 CPU along with the Mali-G76 GPU. The Kirin 980 is the first 7 nm Android processor which is also present on the latest Huawei Mate 20 Series. The smartphone also has a dual NPU (Neural Processing Unit) which helps in taking better pictures with the help of AI(Artificial Intelligence). The NPU also helps in AI intensive tasks by computing solutions to complicated algorithms faster. In terms of storage, the smartphone is available in three different variants which are as follows:
- 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM
- 6 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM
- 8 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM
The smartphone runs on the Magic UI 2.0 based on the latest Android 9.0 Pie. For connectivity, the device has dual 4G VoLTE support, 802.11 Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and the USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. The smartphone also has a gravity sensor, a distance sensor, and an ambient light sensor. It also has a Virtual Assistant named Yo-Yo like Apple’s Siri and Google assistant.

The Honor Magic 2 has a 3,500 mAh non-removable lithium-ion battery which supports fast charging. Honor also introduced their latest fast charging technology, Magic charge. It charges the handset at 40 watts, which is twice as fast as OnePlus’s Dash Charge.

The Honor Magic 2 also has an IPX2 rating for water and dust resistance.

Price

The Honor Magic 2 is available in three color options which are Gradient Black, Gradient Red, and Gradient Blue. Prices of the various models are as listed:
- 6 GB RAM, 128 GB ROM – 3,799 ¥(around Rs. 40,300/-)
- 6 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM – 4,299 ¥(around Rs. 45,600/-)
- 8 GB RAM, 256 GB ROM – 4,799 ¥(around Rs. 51,000/-)
Although the smartphone is currently available only in China, Honor might soon release it in other regions.
October 31, 2018
Nubia X Launched With Dual Display And Dual Fingerprint Sensor

Nubia has launched the Nubia X at an event held in China and the phone is every bit unique. The Nubia X has two displays, two fingerprint sensors and does not have a front facing camera. That’s right, the company eliminated the front-facing camera to ensure a bezel-less display. However, they do have a solution for the same. The smartphone has been launched at a price of CNY 3,299.

Dual Display

The Nubia X sports a 6.26 inch 2280 x 1080 px resolution primary display, on the front. The display has a 19:9 aspect ratio and is curved. Despite having a very thin forehead and chin, the device sports a 93.6% screen-to-body ratio. On the back, it has a 5.1 inch 1520 x 720 px secondary display. The company claims that the display can be used for HD selfies, wallpapers, custom signatures, dynamic pictures and advanced controls for high quality gaming.

As far as the lack of a front-facing camera, the Nubia makes up for it by having a display on its back as well. This helps the user to utilise the main, dual camera setup to click ‘high quality’ selfies. The dual camera setup has 16 MP + 24 MP sensors. The device runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM along with internal storage of up to 256 GB.

Under the hood, it packs a 3,800 mAh battery which will power the phone and the two devices comfortably, according to the company. The Nubia X does so by using technologies such as NeoPower 3.0. Additionally, it also has two fingerprint sensors, placed on either sides of the device. The dual side-mounted sensors are to increase convenience for users and allow them to access the device with either hand.

Also Read: 5 Guidelines For Better Pictures With Your Smartphone Camera

The Nubia X is sure as unique as it is unconventional. The questions still lingers as to whether the features are actually good enough to bring in a new level of convenience. As of now, the Nubia X has only been launched in China. It will retail at a price of CNY 3,299 for its base variant.

October 31, 2018
5 Best Instant Messaging Apps Other Than WhatsApp

Instant messaging is a type of technology that offers real-time message and media transmission over the internet. It dates back to the early 90’s and some of the first platforms were AOL instant messenger and Yahoo’s Ytalk. But the launch of modern smartphones has completely revolutionised instant messaging and taken it to another level. WhatsApp and Facebook messenger are the prime examples of new era of Instant messaging. However, there are multiple other IM applications and software that have their own distinctive attributes and USP’s. Here is a list of 5 such applications that are available on both Android and iOS platforms.

1.) Hike

Hike messenger is a free instant messaging app developed in 2012. It offers support for 10 languages and allows support for both text messaging and audio calls. One key highlight of Hike messenger is its offline chat ability that allows sending messages to users even if they don’t have an active internet connection. Some other distinctive features of Hike are a Hidden mode, 20,000 free stickers, better security and many more.

The Hidden mode allows users to hide their chat with specific contacts that stay invisible from the main chat screen. Hike has an option to enable 128-bit encryption so hackers cannot tap into messages even if they are connected to the same Wi-Fi access point.

Highlight- Extensive Features

2.)Skype

Skype was initially released in 2003 and was later taken over by Microsoft in 2011 for $ 2.9 Billion. It was one of the first pieces of software to offer video chat functionality. The mobile version of Skype offers free voice, video, and text messaging support. Talking about video calls, Skype mobile supports simultaneous calls with up to 24 contacts. Like other IM’s, it also allows sharing photos and videos with saved contacts.

Highlight- Best Video Call Support

3.)Discord

Discord is a cross-platform text and voice chat app that is specifically designed for gamers. It allows creating separate channels for different topics and subjects. The user can easily see which of the team members are currently online and what game they are playing. In Discord, a user can easily send invite links to new members to join a particular group.

Discord is a web-based instant messaging application hence, the users can log in from any device and view conversations. Unlike WhatsApp that can only function on one device at a given point of time. Additionally, users can also share their screencast with friends and participants.

Highlight- Made For Gamers

4.)Signal

Signal is an instant messaging application built with security in mind. It was developed in 2013 and supports 31 international languages. It is an open source messaging app hence, it allows anyone to verify its security by auditing the code. Signal is the only private messenger to offer this level of security. It supports Group chat, text messaging, audio/video calling and private media sharing.

Highlight- Security

5.)Slack

Slack is a cloud-based team collaboration instant messaging service which was founded in 2013. It allows groups, communities or teams to join via a specific invitation link or manually by the team admin. It integrates a large number of third-party services like GitHub, Google Drive, Dropbox, IBM Bluemix and many more which come handy in development environments in companies.

Also read: Apple Updates The iPad Pro With Face ID And USB C Ports

Slack is freemium software which means its basic functions are free to use but also offers paid features like unlimited app integration and ability to search more than 10,000 archived messages.

Highlight- Team Collaboration

October 31, 2018
Nubia X Benchmark Confirms Key Specifications

Shenzhen based Nubia Technology is about to launch their latest Nubia X smartphone. An earlier listing on TENAA revealed its specifications which are now confirmed by a Chinese benchmark app, Master Lu. According to the leak, the Nubia X will be the latest flagship phone from the company. The key highlight feature of the smartphone will be its dual display.

Dual Display Smartphone

https://youtu.be/p3mzYRRoV2M

An alleged video of the upcoming Nubia X with front and back dual displays was earlier posted on Youtube. The TENAA listing also states that the device has dual displays hence, there is a possibility that this might be the real device. However, Nubia is yet to confirm the claim. The company is also yet to explain the need of two screens on a smartphone.

Nubia X Specifications

The Nubia X has a front 6.26 inch TFT display with 2280 x 1080 px resolution and an additional rear 5.1 inch, 1520 x 720 px resolution OLED display. The device weighs 178 grams and has 154.1×73.30×8.65 mm dimensions. The device runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 SoC and is powered by a 3,800 mAh battery which supports fast charging. In terms of storage, the Nubia X has 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM with 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage. The TENAA listing also reveals the smartphone has a Gravity sensor, distance sensor, and an ambient sensor. Both the video, and the TENAA listing assert that the smartphone has a side mounted fingerprint sensor.

Master Lu Scores

The latest Master Lu benchmark reaffirms the previously leaked specifications of the Nubia X including the Display, RAM & Processor. It has a CPU score of a 130,313 and a GPU score of 108,705. The internal storage has a read speed of 690 Mbps and a write speed of 180 Mbps.

Also read: Nubia Red Magic Gaming Phone To Launch Soon In India

The Nubia X will launch later today and all the specifications and features will be made official then.

October 31, 2018
LG’s New Patent Hints At A Notch-Less Phone

The race to have notch-less screens is on and everyone is trying different ways to find the right mix of usability and productivity while not compromising on the looks. LG has reportedly filed patents for a new phone that may have three or four cameras on the back and a notch-less design. While there is a very thin forehead to the phone which houses the cameras just like the G6, the chin and forehead are both comparatively thinner.

Phones Without Borders

Mi Mix was one of the first phones to try to eliminate the bezels and Oppo and Vivo soon followed. Oppo Find X employed a sliding camera while Vivo NEX had a pop-up selfie camera. The Mi Mix 3, which saw it’s launch recently, features a sliding back which is mechanical and not electronic. With its sliding camera, the Mi Mix 3 has a 93 % screen-to-body ratio.

Also read: Samsung Working On An In-Display Front Facing Camera

The images show that a fingerprint sensor will still be available in the phone. It seems like LG is not quite ready to embrace the in display fingerprint just yet. Samsung on the other hand always steers clear of the whole notch saga. They have made a different identity for themselves with the curved display which they call the infinity display. It has, on several occasions, mocked Google as well as Apple for their notches and are definitely taking a different route.

Samsung has also said that they are working on an under-display front facing camera to avoid the notch altogether. It is rumoured that the Samsung Galaxy A8s may feature the under- display camera. LG’s design patents suggest three different designs with each one having more rounded corners than the last. It will be interesting to see if LG’s old school design without the notch fares well with the customers or not!

October 31, 2018
OnePlus 6T Receives Oxygen OS 9.0.4 Update

The OnePlus 6T was launched in India on October 30th and the device is already getting updates. We are all familiar with OnePlus’s Oxygen OS which provides an almost stock Android experience, almost mirroring that of the Google Pixel. Additionally, the OnePlus 6 is also the one of the first devices to receive Android 9 Pie, second only to the Google Pixel. Therefore, it is no surprise that the Oneplus 6T has already started receiving updates.

The Oxygen OS 9.0.4 update is rolling out to all the OnePlus 6T devices and brings in changes in the Nightscape feature and some security updates. Since the camera hardware used in the 6T is the same as the OnePlus 6, the company had to look for ways to make sure that the performance improves. The Nightscape feature on the OnePlus 6T claims to improve the lowlight performance of the camera. As of now, Nightscape does offer visible improvements, but not something that is a game-changer. The slight upgrades brought by this update might change that. It also added studio lighting to enhance pictures taken by the phone.

The update also includes power consumption optimisations, bug fixes and improvements to the Screen Unlock feature. The update also mentions brand new navigation gestures, but we are not sure as to what that means as the OnePlus 6T had new navigation gestures out of the box.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T Launched In India Starting At Rs 37,999

OnePlus 6T Price & Availability

OnePlus had also announced that the OnePlus 6 will be receiving the Nightscape and Studio Lighting update starting today. The OnePlus 6T starts at a price of Rs 37,999 in India. The 6T has a 6.41 inch AMOLED display with a water-drop notch and a fingerprint sensor built into the display. The device sports a 3,700 mAh battery. It has a dual 16 MP + 20 MP rear camera setup and runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The device will be available on Amazon and the OnePlus website starting November 1. The device will also be available through offline retailers starting November 4.

October 31, 2018