The OnePlus 6 is not too far away from its official launch. In India, the OnePlus 6 is expected to launch along with markets like China and North America. Over the years, OnePlus has been an online-first brand and only recently branched out to offline retailers with its partnership with Croma in India. The company has also opened up its own OnePlus Experience stores in cities like Bengaluru and New Delhi. It looks like the OnePlus 6 will also be an online first smartphone and will be sold exclusively via Amazon.
In an advertisement being shown at Cinemas in India, the last slide reveals that the OnePlus 6 will be an Amazon-exclusive smartphone, just like its predecessors. However, like it did with the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 will also, eventually, make its way to offline stores as OnePlus is now trying to capture a market that strays away from shopping online. OnePlus’ fellow Chinese compatriot, Xiaomi has also taken major steps over the past couple of years in building an offline presence, while making sure it also releases its smartphones to the online audience. However, Xiaomi’s continued flash sales of its popular devices have left a lot of consumers very frustrated.
OnePlus, at a point in time, also had a very frustrating buying method. OnePlus smartphones were sold via an invite system that allowed the company to keep the cost of production down. However, that has changed over the last year and a half as OnePlus flagship devices are now always available online at any given time. The same is expected to continue with the OnePlus 6, making it a readily available affordable flagship smartphone.
OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition
So far, there has been no hint by the company regarding the official launch date of the OnePlus 6. If rumours of a Special Edition Avengers OnePlus 6 are true, then the smartphone will launch before the 27th of April (global release date of Avengers: Infinity War).
Motorola’s G series of smartphones are some of the most anticipated budget smartphones in India. The Moto G5 Plus, launched in early-2017 still has one of the best camera performances for a budget Android device. Now, Lenovo-owned Motorola looks all set to launch the new Moto G6 series on the 19th of April at an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Right before the launch, new images of the Moto G6 have leaked, yet again revealing the possible design of the smartphone.
According to the leaked image, the Moto G6 will have an all-glass design, similar to the Moto X4. With this device, Motorola is moving away from the metal unibody design to offer a more premium build. The smartphone has an 18:9 aspect ratio display with FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px panel and a 5.7 inch screen size.
According to a previous leak, the phone will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa-core chipset with 3 and 4GB RAM options. The phone will have a dual camera setup with a 12MP RGB sensor and a 5MP depth sensor and an 8MP front-facing camera.
The Moto G6 has a forward-facing fingerprint sensor, located below the Motorola branding, which might double as a one key navigation button. As of now, there is no information on pricing of these smartphones. However, considering Motorola’s pricing pattern so far, these smartphones in India will cost between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.
Ever since Android’s inception in 2007, the mobile operating system has an interesting and fun naming pattern. Google has stuck to naming every iteration of Android after a type of dessert. The most recent version, Android 8 goes by the moniker of Oreo. The next in line is Android P which will be unveiled Google I/O 2018 and get an official release in the third quarter of 2018. While many desserts start with the letter P, Google appears to have dropped a major hint about the possible name of Android P and it may be Android Popsicle.
On its official Instagram account, Google released a set of Spring wallpapers with a certain delicacy making an appearance. Of the five wallpapers released by Google, the last image was of different kinds of popsicles. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to jump to the conclusion that Google might have just very blatantly hinted that the full name of Android P could be Android Popsicle.
Over the years, Google has been known to have a bit of fun with its followers, especially when it comes to the names of new Android versions. Google always leaves subtle hints to mislead its fans into predicting a wrong name for the upcoming version of Android. With this Android Popsicle wallpaper trick, however, Google was anything but subtle. Now, it is completely possible that Google has just trolled its 6.2 million Instagram followers into believing that the next version will be called Android Popsicle.
The first developer’s preview of “Android Popsicle” was released in March 2018 and had a few interesting features. Acknowledging the growing trend of notches, Google introduced the notch feature in the first preview of Android P. Once enabled, the clock moves to the left-hand side of the notch along with notification icons. Other icons like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth remain on the right side of the notch. Interestingly, different sizes of a notch can be emulated.
Visually, other changes include a slight redesign of the notification panel. The icons in the quick settings pulldown have rounded corners now. If activated, the icons will be blue in colour and when inactive, it will turn grey. To access other quick settings toggle, the user has to pull down on the grey bar just underneath the initial menu.
At the Worldwide Developer’s Conference 2017, Apple unveiled its first-ever smart speaker, the Apple HomePod. After a lot of delays, it finally went on saleon the 27th of January. So far, the smart speaker from Apple has been very well-received by critics for its sound quality. However, it appears that quality in performance has not translated into sales for Apple. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities, HomePod shipments “could be far below market expectations” this year.
In a research note, Kuo has said that the market expects HomePod shipments to arrive at 5-10 million units in the 2018 fiscal year. But, according to their forecast, 2 to 2.5 million units of HomePod will be shipped this fiscal year. The major factors that could have impacted the sales of the smart speaker are its design and pricing.
The HomePod retails for US$ 349 in the US and Kuo believes this high price could “could undermine demand despite the excellent sound quality.” While the Google Home Max is even pricier at US$ 399, Google also sells the cheaper Google Home Mini and Google Home, which have the same smart qualities albeit a much lower price. This means that Apple might be persuaded into launching an affordable version of its smart speaker, especially since that is what its competitors are doing as well.
Google Home, Home Mini
Ming-Chi Kuo has said the lower-cost HomePod might be a quick fix for sales but, not a long-term option. He believes Apple needs to improve Siri, support more languages, and make other improvements to its smart speaker to stay competitive in the market. Kuo has often been right in predicting Apple’s products and recent rumours certainly support his claim for a more affordable HomePod. However, whether these predictions will indeed be proven right is yet to be seen.
The Worldwide Developer’s Conference 2018 is just around the corner and like in 2017, Apple could unveil this lower-priced HomePod at WWDC.
On the 27th of March, Huawei launched the Huawei P20 Pro and P20 at an event in Paris. The smartphones were subsequently listed on Huawei India’s official website but, there was no confirmation about their launch in India. Now, Huawei India has posted a teaser on Twitter which hints at the launch of the Huawei P20 Pro and P20 in India.
The Huawei P20 has a starting price of 649 Euros (Rs 52000 approx.) while the P20 Pro costs 899 Euros (Rs 72000). In India, however, the smartphones are expected to be priced much more competitively. For reference, we expect the Huawei P20 Pro to be priced closer to the Samsung Galaxy S9.
Huawei P20 Pro: A Triple-Camera Flagship Like No Other
The Huawei P20 Pro, months before its official launch, started gaining attention for its possible camera implementation. The rumours were confirmed at the launch when the P20 Pro was unveiled with a triple-camera setup on the back. Moreover, the camera implementation is not just a gimmick and every sensor solves its purpose. The Huawei P20 Pro has a 3X optical zoom compared to the 2X zoom found in most smartphones.
The smartphone has a 6.1 inch OLED display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. Under the hood, the smartphone has the HiSilicon Kirin 970 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The P20 Pro also has a notch on the top portion of the display. However, Huawei has included an option for either enabling or disabling the notch via software which should please everyone on the “notch spectrum.”
Powering the smartphone is a 4000 mAh battery with SuperCharge technology. The smartphone, however, misses out on wireless charging despite its all-glass build. One more thing that is unique about the Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro is the design. Just like most of the flagship smartphone these devices have an all-glass design with a one of a kind Twilight finish, which makes the smartphone alter colour in different lighting condition.
Apple recently launched the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus (Product) RED for a starting price of US$ 649. Well before the announcement of the new red iPhones, the Apple iPhone X Blush Gold colour variant was leaked by prominent leaker Roland Quandt. Now, it looks like the launch of the iPhone X Blush Gold is imminent as images of the new colour have now surfaced online.
Every smartphone maker has to share details of a new smartphone in the making with the United States Federal Communications Commission. According to the documents obtained, the gold colour of the iPhone X was filed much before the launch of the iPhone X in September. While many of the documents were available soon after submission, external photos and other sensitive details were subject to a six-month confidentiality clause. That period is now over and the photos of the iPhone X Blush Gold have been released.
It appears that Apple had planned to launch the iPhone X in three colours, just like the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. However, the company could have run into some manufacturing issues which led the company into canning the gold colour variant. Prior to the iPhone X launch as well, there were many rumours that claimed Apple would launch its marquee iPhone in three colour variants. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities had said that Apple was experiencing production issues for a iPhone X Blush Gold. He also suggested that the company could launch the iPhone X Blush Gold at a later date to give Apple time to work out the problems.
iPhone X Blush Gold
Interestingly, the stainless steel frame on the iPhone X Blush Gold also has a shade of gold. This could be one of the aspects of this colour variant that was causing trouble. It is worth noting that the Blush Gold iPhone 8, which has an aluminium frame was launched in time along with other colour variants.
Whether Apple will launch the iPhone X in the Blush Gold colour variant is yet to be seen. Roland Quandt had claimed that this colour variant was in production and could be launched soon. However, there has been no news since then about a possible iPhone X being launched in a Blush Gold colour.
Canon has launched the new Canon EOS M50 Mirrorless camera in India for a price of Rs 61,995 including an EF-M15-45mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens. This Canon EOS M50 supports native 4K video recording and HD videos with up to 120fps. The camera has a 24.1 MP sensor powered by a DIGIC 8 image sensor. The camera will be available across the country via online and offline stores.
Kazutada Kobayashi, President & CEO, Canon India said:
India is an evolving market and so are the demands and expectations of the customers. Canon EOS M50 strengthens our commitment to the mirrorless segment. This product is a result of our ‘consumer-first’ approach.
The camera has a built-in electronic viewfinder with 2,360,000 dots. Interestingly, the camera uses a Dual Pixel CMOS AF with up to 143 autofocus points and an ISO sensitivity of 51200. The camera has connectivity features like NFC and Wi-Fi for seamless data transfer with built-in Bluetooth to pair different accessories. The camera uses 5 axial image stabilisation to offer smoother 4K footages.
The Canon EOS M50 has a sRGB and Adobe RGB Colourspace with the highlight tone priority and Auto lighting optimisation. It also comes with different camera models Scene Intelligent Auto, Hybrid Auto, Creative Assist and Landscape. The Canon EOS M50 supports RAW + JPEG simultaneous recording as well. Finally, it has a 9 customisable buttons with 15 steps plus smooth pinch-to-zoom feature.
Motorola is expected to launch the Moto G6 series and the Moto E5 series of smartphones in an upcoming launch event on 19th of April in Brazil. Until now, we have seen a lot of rumours and speculations about the Moto G6, G6 Play, and the G6 Plus. And now, the Moto E5 Plus smartphone has been spotted on Geekbench, which commemorates some of the tech specifications of the device.
Moto E5 Plus Benchmarking Performance
According to the Geekbench benchmark listing, the Moto E5 Plus runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa-core chipset (msm8937) and has 3GB RAM. The smartphone has scored 653 points on the single core performance and 1835 points on the multi-core performance, running on Android 8 Oreo.
According to previous leaks, the Moto E5 Plus has a 5.8 inch display with taller 18:9 aspect ratio. However, unlike Moto G6 the resolution will be HD+ 1440 x 720px resolution screen. The smartphone will have 32GB and 64GB storage options, with a micro SD card slot for memory expansion. The smartphone will have a 16MP primary camera with an f/1.75 aperture and an 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. Finally, the smartphone will have a 5000 mAh sealed battery with Turbo Charging support.
The Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro has been launched in South Korea for a price of 199,100 KWR (US$ 190). Irrespective of the price, brand or OS, most smartphones today have one thing in common, and that is the ability to connect to the internet. However, the new Galaxy J2 Pro has launched without this basic connectivity feature. Yes, this is the first modern smartphone, which cannot connect to the internet through 2G/3G/4G or Wi-Fi.
A Smartphone Without Smart Features
The Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro is designed to restrict its users from accessing the internet. The smartphone is targeted at college students and senior citizens, who usually get distracted by the internet. Not being able to access the internet means one will not be able to install new apps or even update the software on the device. The phone comes with an offline dictionary, which will aid students to learn new definitions without connecting to the internet.
The internet addiction has become common these days, and Samsung appears to have taken it upon itself to fight this. Apparently, the Galaxy J2 Pro will help those who are constantly online to overcome the addiction. Unlike tablets, it does not even have a Wi-Fi connectivity option. As the phone has a micro USB port, one should be able to sideload applications and media files using a computer. Due to unavailability of the internet, this smartphone does not support features like GPS and Maps as well.
The phone has a 5 inch display with a 960×540 px display. The device runs on a 1.4 GHz Quad-core chipset with 1.5GB RAM and 16GB storage. Additionally, the smartphone also has an 8MP primary camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. However, without internet connectivity, the photos taken on this device are likely to remain on the smartphone’s storage itself.
Feeling the heat, are we? iGyaan is back with another edition of its Top Tech series and this time we have some cool products to help you beat the heat! Do note that the prices of all these products fluctuates a lot, and might go out of stock very soon for Summer tech.
USB Fridge
This is a nifty little gadget, which retails for Rs 1950. As the name suggests, this is a mini fridge which is powered by a USB port. One can either use a typical smartphone charger or even a power back to power this gadget. It can cool canned containers in less than one hour, which works well for soda, beer, or any drink in a tin can.
USB Bladeless Fan
If you are looking for a children friendly fan, then check out the USB Bladeless Fan, which retails for Rs 999. This Summer tech comes with a built-in battery, which even works without a power source. It blows a good amount of air without producing any noise. The bladeless fan is available in series of colours, including Pink, Blue, and White.
Boat Bluetooth Speaker
If you are looking for a compact Bluetooth speaker with water resistant certification, then check out the Boat Stone Bluetooth Speaker, which retails for Rs 1,999. The Summer tech speaker is made out of a solid rubber exterior, which makes it waterproof and shockproof. If you are looking for a poolside speaker, then consider this one. It can last up to 6 to 7 hours on a single charge with connectivity options like AUX port, Bluetooth 4, and a micro USB port.
Electronic Drink Dispenser
This is one of the coolest gadgets, which retails for Rs 499. The electronic drink dispenser can dispense drinks without lifting the actual container, which prevents spilling. It is powered by two AA-sized batteries and can fit into any container with a submersible pump. This will help you to preserve the fizz, which is really convenient.
Drink Chillers
This is a drink chiller, which cost Rs 969 for two units. Pop them in the freezer, once they are frozen the inside turns into a cooling mechanism, which will help you to chill your drink without diluting it. If you are looking to chill your bottled drink, then this is a nifty gadget, which will get the work done in less time.
Solar Powered Ventilation Fan
If you are living in Delhi and commute using a car, the Rs 499 priced solar powered ventilation Fan is one of the must-have gadgets. This comes with a rubber seal gasket that will allow you to seal up the additional area around the window. Pop in this gadget to your window and the fan will automatically start up, this way your can does not get extra heated. The gadget is completely made out of plastic and very light in weight.
Portable Shake Blender
This is a mobile shaker blender, powered by a battery, which retails for Rs 1389. This will help you to make those cool drinks and shakes. The product is designed as a fitness bottle, which allows the user to mix up their protein shake, wherever you are. It does have a tiny little container which will allow storing protein power separately. At the bottom, it has a really powerful motor, which is rechargeable with 16,000 rotation per minute.
Spill Proof Mug
If you tend to spill your drinks accidentally, then the Spill Proof Mug priced at Rs 499 will come handy. This is an anti-spill insulated bottle, with sports style design. If you have cold coffee or cold drink on your table with a lot of electronics, then this one will definitely come in handy.
Usha Mist Fan
This is mist fan with a compact form factor. This has a powerful fan with a good amount of air flow and a 320 ml bottle at the bottom. It is powered by two AA batteries and the mist is hand powered. One can use the mist even if the battery runs out. For Rs 499 a mist fan cannot get better than this.
Portable Humidifier
If you stay in a place which gets extremely dry, then the portable humidifier priced at Rs 749 will come in handy. This will allow you to create a cool mist to cool up the immediate areas around you or even in a car. This is a USB powered accessories, which works well even with a power bank as a source. The Summer tech spray is quite instant and starts working as soon as you tap on the power button. Additionally, one can also add essential oils to add some flavour the mist.
The Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus are the current flagship smartphones from Samsung. There have been a lot of rumours and speculations about a smaller Galaxy S9 mini. In fact, a Samsung smartphone with model number SM-G8850 was recently listed on TENAA. And now, the smartphone (model number SM-G8850) with a different set of specifications has been listed on AnTuTu Benchmarking platform.
According to AnTuTu Benchmarking Platform listing, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Mini runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-core chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The smartphone has an FHD+ 2220 x 1080 px resolution display (might be a Super AMOLED panel) with Android 8 Oreo OS. The device has scored a respectable 136383 points on the AnTuTu Benchmarking Platform, which is similar to the Nokia 7 Plus’s 138082 points. Compared to the previous leak this looks more like a mini version of a flagship smartphone. As according to the TENAA listing, the smartphone has a 2960 x 1440 px resolution screen, running on the Exynos 9810 chipset.
The Galaxy S9 Mini has the same 5.8 inch display as the Galaxy S9 with FHD+ display, instead of a QHD+ display. Additionally, the Galaxy S9 Mini might skip on the Iris Scanner, which will reduce the cost of manufacturing. Additionally, the Galaxy S9 mini might also miss out the wireless charging capability. The smartphone has an iPhone X style dual camera setup with a fingerprint scanner placed in the top middle portion of the smartphone.
If launched, the Galaxy S9 mini is expected to compete against the likes of the OnePlus 6, Honor 10and the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s, especially in large growing markets like India.
Xiaomi-backed Black Shark has finally launched its first-ever Black Shark Smartphone in China. The Black Shark smartphone is a gaming based phone with a starting price of RMB 2,999 (Rs 31,160 approximately). The smartphone will be available for orders in China starting today (13th April). There is no word on the smartphone’s global availability as of now. Chances are, the smartphone will remain a China-exclusive like many exciting Xiaomi smartphones.
The Black Shark smartphone has top of the line specifications and a very unusual design. First glance at the smartphone and it would barely look like a flagship device launched in 2018. However, what is visible is that the Black Shark smartphone with its rugged look and iconic black and green colour combination. It is worth noting that this colour scheme is very reminiscent of Razer products, a company known for making gaming accessories and the infamous Razor Phone.
There is a button on the left of the smartphone that is called the “Shark Key,” that enables “immersive gaming experience.” Since the smartphone is aimed at hardcore gamers, it is equipped with an image processing chip that comes with intelligent motion compensation technology and dark scene detail processing. All of this will, in theory, enhance the gaming experience. Interestingly, the company has also implemented a liquid cooling system that can reduce the CPU core temperature by up to eight degrees. This means that even after long hours of gaming session, in theory, the Black Shark should not heat up a lot.
The company has also announced an interesting accessory along with the smartphone. It is a Gamepad that connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and is powered by a 340 mAh battery. The company claims that it can deliver up to 30 hours of gaming on a single charge. First 50,000 Black Shark Smartphone buyers will get the accessory for free. It will also be sold independently for 179 Yuan (Rs 1800 approx.).
In today’s day and age, specifications are barely different between two flagship smartphones. However, the Black Shark Smartphone has a lot of gaming specific features which should enhance the overall experience of mobile gaming. How much of these features will hold up in the real world is yet to be seen.
One of the most successful Apple iPhones in India, the iPhone 6s Plus might be in line to receive a price drop. Not to compete with other smartphones or due to dwindling sales figures but, because Apple will soon manufacture the iPhone 6s Plus in India. Apple has already begun a trial run at the Bengaluru plant of its contract manufacturer, Wistron. The iPhone 6s Plus will be the second iPhone after the iPhone SE to be manufactured in India, if we exclude the upcomingiPhone SE 2.
Wistron has already set up a new assembly line for iPhone 6s Plus production, and commercial production is expected to start in about two weeks. Just like with the iPhone SE, the iPhone 6s Plus will also see a drop in price as the manufacturing cost decreases. However, that might take some time as Apple is already selling the 6s Plus units in India which were imported initially. Locally produced iPhone 6s Plus can bring down the prices by 5-7%.
The iPhone 6s Plus 32GB currently retails for Rs 37999. After a 7% price drop, the price of the iPhone 6s Plus 32GB could come down to around Rs 35000. At such a price point, the 6s Plus will have a price similar to the entry-level model of the upcoming OnePlus 6. An industry executive said:
However, the price correction may not be reflected immediately since Wistron will not be able to fully meet the entire requirement of iPhone 6s Plus in India and imports from China will continue. Eventually, as the local capacity gains scale the prices will get corrected.
This is a great move by Apple considering the recent price hike of its iPhones in India. The Central Government increased import duties from 10% to 15% on products like circuit boards etc. Apple’s biggest competitor Samsung was insulated from the price hike as its premium smartphones are manufactured in India. Apple has also been working on its local sourcing plants in India. In early-2017, Apple had one sourcing plants. However, the company now has five sourcing plants for things like packaging products, adapters, accessories etc.
Samsung has launched a new colour variant of its year old flagship device, the Galaxy S8. Available now the Samsung Galaxy S8 Burgundy Red colour, retails for Rs 49999. Consumers can also avail a Rs 10000 cash back on credit card payments, bringing the effective price of the Galaxy S8 to Rs 39999. The 2017 flagship smartphone received a price cut after the Galaxy S9 and S9+ were launched in India back in March.
The timing of the launch of the Galaxy S8 Burgundy Red in India is an interesting one, as it was launched a few hours before Apple introduced the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus (Product) RED globally. What makes the Galaxy S8 Burgundy Red the best colour variant of any smartphone is the fact that it is not your usual red coloured smartphone. Smartphone makers like OnePlus, Xiaomi and Honor have also launched a red colour variant of their popular smartphone but, nothing quite like the Burgundy Red found on the Galaxy S8.
The all-glass Samsung Galaxy S8 was already one of the best-looking smartphones to have launched lately and the new colour makes it a tad better. Also because of the glass build of the Galaxy S8, the shade of red colour is much deeper and more subtle than the red colour found on the likes of the iPhone 7 or OnePlus 5T.
At a price 0f Rs 49999, the Galaxy S8, especially with the new Burgundy Red colour can be a great buy. Smartphones these days barely differ in specifications and the difference is even more minute when comparing two generations of a smartphone. If a user is not interested in the variable aperture or 960fps video recording, the Samsung Galaxy S8 is a great way to get the design and build quality of a Galaxy S9 at a price that is much lower.
Xiaomi-backed Black Shark is expected to launch its first ever gaming smartphone the Black Shark in China on April 13th, 2018. Until now there were speculations and rumours about the build quality of the smartphone. A video of the alleged Xiaomi Black Shark has now been leaked, which reveals some of the design aspects of the smartphone.
According to video, the smartphone has a prominent bezel on the top and the bottom portion of the smartphone. And also, the bottom bezel has an embedded fingerprint sensor. Considering the icons, the smartphone is most likely to run on Xiaomi’s MIUI 9 based on Android 8 Oreo. However, there are chances that the phone might run on a completely different UI. The video also reveals an accessory box, which might include a Bluetooth powered gaming controller.
An earlier leak confirmed the design aspects of the Xiaomi Black Shark. The device does not look anything like a typical modern smartphone at all. In fact, the smartphone has a Samsung Galaxy S7 Active rugged-style built quality, which is expected to be made out of plastic. Additionally, the leaked image also reveals that the smartphone has a dual rear-camera setup with an LED flash. Up, on the top of the smartphone looks like add-on accessories, which should offer Nintendo Switch like joystick experience.
