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Moto Z2 Force Launched In India At Rs. 34,999

Lenovo-owned Motorola has launched its 2017 flagship device, the Moto Z2 Force in India. The device is priced at Rs. 34,999 and will go on sale at midnight. It will be available via Flipkart and Moto Hub stores for purchase. To sweeten the deal, Motorola has included its Turbo Mod along with the device.

The Moto Z2 Force is without a doubt, a late entrant in the India market. It was globally launched back in July 2017 and has taken a lot of time to hit the Indian shores. At a price of Rs. 34,999, the Moto Z2 Force falls in the territory dominated by the OnePlus 5T. The 8GB RAM variant of the OnePlus 5T is priced at Rs. 37,999. Moreover, a Snapdragon 845 device is not expected anytime soon in this price category.

The Moto Z2 Force, like all the other Moto Z devices, has modular capabilities. Motorola has introduced quite a few interesting Mods in the recent past, like the GamePad or an instant printer.

Moto Z2 Force With TurboPower Mod

Moto Z2 Force Specifications

The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5 inch P-OLED display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. The Moto Z2 Force does not have Corning Gorilla Glass on top, instead has a plastic shattershield coating on top. This means that the Moto Z2 Force will survive drops more than a regular device with Corning Gorilla Glass. However, thanks to the presence of a plastic coating, it would be more susceptible to smaller scratches.

Moto Z2 Force

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset along with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the smartphone as it retains the size and design of a ‘Moto Z’ device. As a result, the Moto Z2 Force is compatible with Moto Mods.

Probably, a possible let down could be the missing of the 3.5mm headphone jack. However, it will come with a dongle inside the box to still use your beloved wired headphones.

Another modern element, which has now truly become a norm is in the camera department. The Moto Z2 Force, like many flagship phones, has a dual 12MP camera setup on the back with an f/2.0 aperture. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. The smartphone records 4K videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is a 5MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash.

Moto Z2 Force

Conclusion

The Moto Z2 Force is probably a great prospect for people who prefer Moto devices. The addition of a TurboPower mod makes it a very good deal right now hence, we expect the device to do well in India. However, there are a host of budget premium devices like the OnePlus 6 expected to launch in mid-2018. Due to the possible launch of such devices, the Moto Z2 Force might face a steep battle to be a success in India.

Buy the Moto Z2 Force here

February 15, 2018
Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 1 Images Leaked

HMD Global is set for an eventful MWC 2018. The company will be announcing a few new smartphones along with the Penta-lens Nokia 10 concept. Expected to make their debuts are the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus. The Nokia 1 could be the first Android Go device and the Nokia 7 Plus will be a follow up to the recently launched Nokia 7.

Nokia 1

While there has been a few Nokia 7 Plus leaks, images of the Nokia 1 have also been finally revealed. A popular tipster on Twitter shared the renders of the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus. The design of the Nokia 7 Plus looks particularly impressive while the Nokia 1 seems like an ideal entry-level device. The Nokia 7 Plus will have an 18:9 aspect ratio along with thin top and bottom bezels. The Nokia 1, on the other hand, looks quite simple but, it will be an entry-level smartphone.

Nokia 7 Plus will also have colour accents similar to the Nokia 6 (2018). The white colour variant will have orange accents on the back camera and the fingerprint sensor rim. The design is expected to be hugely popular, at least in China after the Nokia 7 was a hit. Another revelation is that the Nokia 7 Plus will be an Android One device, which means stock Android OS and timely software updates. Nokia, to its credit, has been pushing out timely updates so far.

Nokia 7 Plus

Expectations

The Nokia 1, being an Android Go device, will have entry-level specifications. It is expected to have up to 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and a Snapdragon or MediaTek chipset. It will run Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.

The Nokia 7 Plus, however, is expected to have updated specifications over the Nokia 7. It will have a will have a 6 inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio hence, the “Plus” moniker. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back, just like the Nokia 7 although, the device had a 16:9 aspect ratio and thick bezels.

Nokia 7 Plus Live Images

Under the hood, the Nokia 7 Plus is expected to have the Snapdragon 660 chipset. That could be coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

With MWC 2018 just around the corner, the anticipation has increased. HMD Global will also announce the global availability of these devices. Looking at India’s feature phone market, it could be one of the first countries to get the Nokia 1.

February 15, 2018
From Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 To Redmi Note 5 : What Has Changed?

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 5 in India at a starting price of Rs. 9,999. The device will finally go on sale on the 22nd of February in India. The Redmi Note 5 has huge shoes to fill in, considering the Redmi Note 4 is the bestselling smartphone by Xiaomi.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

A few weeks ago, a news from China claimed that Xiaomi won’t launch a Redmi Note 5 in China and instead rename the Redmi 5 Plus as Redmi Note 5 for the Indian market. While many were sceptical about this move, it felt more plausible at that time. Now, it is official that the Redmi 5 Plus is indeed the Redmi Note 5. So, what has changed between the two generations?

The first thing you notice when you hold the new Note 5 is the display and its 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone industry has moved on from the 16:9 aspect ratio and it made sense for Xiaomi to launch a modern looking device in 2018. The Redmi Note 5 provides that with its relatively thinner bezels. The Redmi Note 5 is not a bezel-less device by any means and the Gold colour makes the presence of the bezels more prominent, thanks to the white colour.

Redmi Note 5

Having said that, the Redmi Note 5, in terms of design, is a definite upgrade over the Redmi Note 4. It is still built very sturdily with an aluminium unibody design.

Under the hood, the Redmi Note 5 has the same the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset as the Redmi Note 4. The company claims that the Snapdragon 625 is one of the best budget chipsets and that is one of the reasons the Note 5 has maintained the chipset. When you look at flagship devices, a 2018 flagship phone launching with the Snapdragon 835 would not make sense because the Snapdragon 845 exists. Similarly, the Note 5 should have had a better chipset, like the Redmi Note 5 Pro has the Snapdragon 636 chipset.

This move might stop a lot of Redmi Note 4 owners from upgrading in 2018. Since, the Redmi Note 4 continues to perform great and its succesor won’t really provide anything better. A lot of customers usually look for hardware upgrade rather than design changes, especially in the budget category. Probably, Redmi Note 4 users could get tempted to update to the Note 5 Pro considering it has a newer and better chipset under the hood.

Redmi Note 4

The Redmi Note 4’s biggest issue was its camera performance. Xiaomi claims that the Redmi Note 5 has much better camera performance than the Redmi Note 4. It has a 12MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture. On paper, these aren’t the most flattering numbers but, it performs better than the Redmi Note 4. But again, is that worthy enough for a generational upgrade?

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 had a great battery performance thanks to the Snapdragon 625 chipset and the 4000 mAh battery. In a world where companies are making smartphones slimmer by reducing battery sizes, Xiaomi has done something else. The Redmi Note 5 has the same combination of the Snapdragon 625 chipset and a 4000 mAh battery. But, it also has a bigger display which means that the battery performance might be affected slightly.

At a price of Rs. 9999, this smartphone is a great prospect for some with a Redmi Note 3 or older phone. However, people who own a Redmi Note 4 would be hard pressed not to take out their wallets for the Redmi Note 5. What are your thoughts? let us know in the comments.

Buy The Redmi Note 5 here

February 14, 2018
Nokia 8 Starts Receiving Android 8.1 Oreo Update

HMD Global launched the Nokia 8 in India in September 2017. At the time of the launch, the company promised an update to Android 8 Oreo soon as the device was running Android 7 Nougat out of the box.

The company has now confirmed that the Nokia 8 has started receiving an update to Android 8.1 Oreo via OTA. Chief Product Manager at HMD Global, Hujo Sarvikas took to Twitter to share the news.

We are rolling out #AndroidOreo 8.1 on #Nokia8 ! Get the sweetest Android to date #Nokia8 #Nokiamobile pic.twitter.com/3pRlNuPIpe

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) February 13, 2018

As per the official changelog, the Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Nokia 8 includes battery saving navigation buttons, a revamped power menu, new settings menu, and Bluetooth battery percentage. Also included are various core Android features such as Neural Networks API, Autofill framework updates, and a SharedMemory API. Along with these changes, there will obviously be enhanced performance and necessary bug fixes.

The Nokia 8 recently received a permanent price cut and is now available in India at a price of Rs. 28,999.

Nokia 8 Specifications

The Nokia 8 has a 5.3 inch 2560 x 1440 px display and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection.

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Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 2.45GHz octa-core processor, the Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. The smartphone has an aluminium unibody design and an IP54 rating for splash resistance. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside a physical home button which sits between two navigation touch capacitive buttons below the screen.

Powering the device is a 3090mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support via USB Type-C port. It runs stock Android 7.1.1 OS and the company has promised monthly security updates and yearly Android updates.

The Nokia 8 is the first Nokia Android device to feature Carl Zeiss optics. The Nokia 8 boasts a Zeiss powered dual camera setup at the rear – a primary 13MP RGB (colour) sensor with optical image stabilisation paired with a 13MP secondary monochrome (black and white) sensor and an f/2.0 aperture. The dual-camera setup is capable of recording videos in 4K at 30 FPS and has a portrait mode for bokeh effect. On the front is a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture which can also record 4K videos at 30FPS.

February 14, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

Xiaomi has launched a ‘Pro’ version of the Redmi Note 5 in India at a launch event in Delhi. The Redmi Note 5 Pro will go on sale in India at a starting price of Rs. via Flipkart. The Redmi Note 5 Pro has better hardware and the company claims that the camera performance of the Redmi Note 5 Pro is its highlight. For context, the Redmi Note 5 is priced at Rs 10999.

From the front, the Redmi Note 5 Pro looks very similar to the Redmi Note 5. It has the same display and 18:9 aspect ratio like the Redmi Note 5. Once you flip the device is when you see the difference. In a move that will garner a lot of eyeballs, Xiaomi has gone for a vertically placed dual-camera setup which is positioned uncannily similar to the iPhone X. Even the LED flash is placed between the two sensors, like the iPhone X.

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Latest News

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Videos

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aFnAF63j2o[/embedyt]

February 14, 2018
Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV 4 Launched In India At Rs. 39,999

Along with two smartphones, Xiaomi has launched its first ever smart TV in India. The Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV 4 will go on sale in India at a price of Rs. 39,999 on the 22nd of February.

Overview

The 55 inch Xiaomi Mi TV 4 comes with a 4K UHD display with a 3840 x 2160 resolution and a 178-degree viewing angle. The TV has a refresh rate of 60Hz and it also offers support for HDR10+ HLG. The device has a “frameless design” and also comes with Dolby Atmos audio technology.

Interestingly, the trend of AI and machine learning is bleeding into the television industry as well, it seems. The Xiaomi Mi LED Smart TV comes with AI support and can make recommendations. It has a UI called PatchWall and is based on Android OS which allows for content curation based on recommendations. The TV also has speech recognition and voice control, but, since it is only available in China as of now, it doesn’t work with the English language.

Under the hood, the Mi LED Smart TV is powered by a 64-bit Amlogic L962 chipset with four 1.5GHz Cortex-A53 cores along with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. As for connectivity, the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 has Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, three HDMI ports, two USB ports, AV in, Ethernet port, and S/PDIF audio output. There is also the new Xiaomi remote for controlling the TV which has infrared as well Bluetooth connectivity options.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0q4V3wwPIs[/embedyt]

February 14, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

After months of rumours and leaked, Xiaomi has launched the follow up to the Redmi Note 4. The company has launched the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 in India at a starting price of Rs. 9999. It was speculated that Xiaomi will drop the “Note” moniker altogether and launch the Redmi 5 Plus in India. That speculation has turned out to be true as the Redmi 5 Plus has been renamed Redmi Note 5 for the Indian market.

The device will have a lot of expectations from fans after the success of the Redmi Note 4. By the company’s own admission, the Redmi Note 4 is the most successful Xiaomi phone in India. That is no mean feat considering the popularity of Xiaomi smartphones in India. However, launching the Redmi 5 Plus as the Redmi Note 5 in India might be a surprise for many.

Buy it here

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Latest News

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February 14, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Vs Honor 9 Lite

Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 5 in India at a starting price of Rs. 9,999 with a new design but, the same chipset. At this price, the Redmi Note 5 competes directly with the recently launched Honor 9 Lite. Both the smartphones have an 18:9 aspect ratio and very capable respective chipsets.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is basically the Redmi 5 Plus which was launched in December in China. The design is much more modern than the previous generation and it comes in four different colour variants. The Honor 9 Lite has much thinner bezels but, also a smaller screen size. The Honor 9 Lite has an all-glass build which gives it a much more premium look when compared to the aluminium unibody design of the Redmi Note 5.

With a very similar pricing and more or less similar design language, which device comes out on top? Let’s find out!

Specifications	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5	Honor 9 Lite
Price	Rs. 9999 Rs. 10999	Rs. 10999 Rs. 14999
Display	5.99 inch IPS LCD 18:9 Aspect Ratio	5.65 inch IPS LCD 18:9 Aspect Ratio
Resolution	2160 x 1080 px 403ppi	2160 x 1080 px 428ppi
Battery	4000 mAh	3000 mAh
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 625	HiSilicon Kirin 659
RAM	3GB 4GB	3GB 4GB
Storage	32GB 64GB Expandable up to 256GB	32GB 64GB Expandable up to 256GB
Primary Camera	12MP f/2.2	13MP 2MP (depth sensor)
Primary Camera Video	1920 x 1080 px @ 30fps	1920 x 1080 px @ 30fps
Secondary Camera	5MP LED	13MP 2MP (depth sensor)
Add-ons	Fingerprint Sensor	Fingerprint Sensor Face Unlock (update scheduled)

February 14, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro Launched In India At Rs. 13999

Xiaomi has launched a ‘Pro’ version of the Redmi Note 5 in India at a launch event in Delhi. The Redmi Note 5 Pro will go on sale in India at a starting price of Rs. 13999 via Flipkart, mi.com and offline retail partners. The first sale will take place on the 22nd of February. The company also claims that the Redmi Note 5 Pro has better hardware and camera performance than the Redmi Note 5. For context, the Redmi Note 5 is priced at Rs 9,999.

From the front, the Redmi Note 5 Pro looks very similar to the Redmi Note 5. Hence, it has the same display and 18:9 aspect ratio like the Redmi Note 5. Once you flip the device is when you see the difference. In a move that will garner a lot of eyeballs, Xiaomi has gone for a vertically placed dual-camera setup which is positioned uncannily similar to the iPhone X. Even the LED flash is placed between the two sensors, like the iPhone X.

After weeks of speculations around the possible Mi 6X, the smartphone has indeed turned out to be the Redmi Note 5 Pro. India is also the first country where this device has been launched by Xiaomi.

Redmi Note 5 Pro Specifications

Just like the Redmi Note 5, the Note 5 Pro has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset and an Adreno 509 GPU to handle the graphics. The Redmi Note 5 Pro will be available in two variants, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/64GB storage. The 6GB RAM variant is a great prospect for users who multitask a lot.

The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the phone and it has an aluminium unibody build, similar to the Redmi Note 5. Out of the box, the Redmi Note 5 Pro will also run Android 7 Nougat with MIUI 9 on top.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro will also have the infamous Face Unlock feature. It won’t be available out of the box but, will be introduced via an OTA update in March.

The Redmi Note 5 Pro has focussed a lot on the front camera. It has a 20MP Sony IMX376 camera on the front with an LED light. Unlike the Redmi Note 5, it has Beautify 4.0 software which will result in better portrait mode photos, the company claims. To the back of the smartphone is a vertically place dual-camera setup. It is a 12MP colour sensor f/2.2 and 5MP f/2.0 colour sensor setup. The smartphone will click portrait mode photos from the front and rear cameras.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Redmi Note 5 Pro is for consumers who want to multitask a lot and prefer portrait mode photos. However, there are other smartphones like the Mi A1 and Honor 7X which have a stronghold in the market. Will you buy the Redmi Note 5 or the Redmi Note 5 Pro? Lets us know in the comments!

Buy The Redmi Note 5 Pro 4GB/64GB Version Here

February 14, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Launched In India At Rs. 9,999

After months of rumours and leaked, Xiaomi has launched the follow up to the Redmi Note 4. The company has launched the Redmi Note 5 in India at a starting price of Rs. 9,999. The first sale starts on the 22nd of February via Flipkart, mi.com and offline retail partners. It was speculated that Xiaomi will drop the “Note” moniker altogether and launch the Redmi 5 Plus in India. That speculation has turned out to be true as the Redmi 5 Plus has been renamed Redmi Note 5 for the Indian market.

The Redmi Note 5 will have a lot of expectations from fans after the success of the Redmi Note 4. By the company’s own admission, the Redmi Note 4 is the most successful Xiaomi phone in India. That is no mean feat considering the popularity of Xiaomi smartphones in India. However, launching the Redmi 5 Plus as the Redmi Note 5 in India might be a surprise for many.

Redmi Note 5

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Specifications

It has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio. This is one of the biggest changes in the Redmi Note series. Xiaomi has departed from the archaic 16:9 aspect ratio and moved on to the modern design and kept up with the industry trends.

Under the hood, the Redmi 5 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. Surprisingly, there is not much of an upgrade here, as the Redmi Note 4 also had the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset. That being said, this chipset is extremely popular in the price segment and won’t disappoint a lot of power users.

The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device which has become a Redmi signature irrespective of thin or thick bezels.

The Redmi Note 5 Plus is powered by a massive 4000 mAh battery which, according to Xiaomi, has a standby time of up to 17 days. The device has a micro USB port for charging and data syncing along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. One industry trend that Xiaomi avoided was the removal of the headphone jack despite omitting it in its premium Mi Mix 2.

The device has a 12MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP secondary camera with beautify 3.0 software.

The Redmi Note 5 is a solid offering at the price it is available for, and with a modern design combined with the performance of a Xiaomi phone, the device makes a good case to be a go-to budget smartphone.

Buy The Redmi Note 5 3GB/32GB Here

Buy The Redmi Note 5 4GB/64GB Here

February 14, 2018
Moto G6 Plus To Have 18:9 Aspect Ratio

Lenovo-owned Motorola will be launching a few devices in the coming weeks. The Moto G series will get a refresh and like every year, three smartphones in the ‘G’ series will be launched. The Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus and Moto G6 Play will be announced in the coming weeks and the anticipation around them is slowly increasing.

A few weeks ago, a leak revealed that the whole ‘G’ series in 2018 will move on to an 18:9 aspect ratio. A new listing on the HTML5test has seemingly confirmed that while revealing a bit more information. The Moto G6 Plus and Moto G6 will have a 2160 x 1080 px resolution while the Moto G6 Play will have a 1440 x 20 px resolution. This translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Rumour Roundup

Recently, the Moto G6 Plus was leaked in live images. The images also revealed an 18:9 aspect ratio and sport the new “Motorola” branding on the front.

Moto G6 Plus Leaked Images

The Moto G6 Plus will have a 5.93 inch display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution.

The device will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset as opposed to the Snapdragon 625 found on the Moto G5s Plus. The smartphone will come in three variants this time around, 3GB RAM/32GB storage, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/64GB storage. The 6GB RAM variant will be interesting at this price point as so far, smartphones above Rs. 25000 have featured so much of RAM till now. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the device.

Moto G6 Plus Leaked Images

The Moto G6 Plus will be powered by a 3200 mAh battery. It will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

The Moto G6 Plus will have a dual-camera setup on the back. It will be a 12MP sensor along with a 5MP sensor with a pixel size of 1.4 microns on the back. To the front will be a 16MP camera, similar to the Moto G6.

February 14, 2018
Nokia 7 Plus Leaked In Live Images

MWC is around the corner and HMD Global will be present with a few announcements. Apart from the highly anticipated Penta-lens concept phone, the company is expected to launch the Nokia 1 and Nokia 7 Plus. Recently, the company trademarked Nokia 8 Sirocco Edition moniker, so there are chances of this device to be launched as well.

It looks like we finally have a few live images of what could be the Nokia 7 Plus. New of the Nokia 7 Plus in the real world are an indication that the smartphone will indeed be announced very soon. As expected, the device in the images has an 18:9 aspect ratio and the bezels.

While many speculate that this is the Nokia 9, the probability of the Nokia 7 Plus launching before the 9 are higher. Hence, it could be an HMD Global employee testing the Nokia 7 Plus. We see that the person is clicking some photos from the Nokia 7 Plus which has a dual-camera setup on the back.

Nokia 7 Plus Expectations

The Nokia 7 was launched barely three months ago. The Nokia 7 plus will also feature a dual-tone design thanks to a few gilded bits and pieces. Like the fingerprint scanner ring, the dual-camera casing and the Nokia logo on the back.

The Nokia 7 has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The Nokia 7 Plus will have a 6 inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio hence, the “Plus” moniker. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back, just like the Nokia 7 although, the device had a 16:9 aspect ratio and thick bezels.

Nokia 7

The device will have a 12MP wide-angle lens along with a 13MP telephoto lens. The front of the smartphone is expected to house a 16MP camera with no LED flash. The primary camera setup will also have a Nokia Pro mode along with the Bothie feature.

The smartphone is expected to be launched at MWC 2018. However, HMD Global could launch the smartphone in China first and then announce its global availability at MWC.

February 14, 2018
A Pro Photographer’s Review Of The Honor 9 Lite

Launched at a price of Rs. 10999, the Honor 9 Lite is hands down one of the best smartphones you can buy at this price. It is also the only smartphone in this price range to have four cameras, two on the front and two on the back. While we review plenty of smartphones at iGyaan, we decided to put the Honor 9 Lite through its paces. We really wanted to see how good the cameras are on this phone!

Shot On Honor 9 Lite

So, we decided to let a professional photographer review the camera performance of the device. And here are the results.

Honor 9 Lite Overview

It has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The display of the smartphone is reminiscent of the Honor 7X with thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor branding is housed in the bottom bezel just like the 7X while the fingerprint sensor is comfortably placed on the back of the device. The glass back of the smartphone is extremely reflective and will be a fingerprint magnet.

So, either keep a microfibre cloth handy with you all the time or use a case or a skin to protect it from little smudges and dings. The device is smaller than the Honor 7X thanks to a slightly smaller display as well and it is comfortable to hold and use the device with one hand.

Under the hood, similar to the Honor 7X, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding.

Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.

The Honor 9 Lite has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP + 2MP setup and both the setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.

With the Honor 7X garnering great reviews for price-to-performance ratio, the Honor 9 Lite has taken it up a notch with its competitive pricing in the India market. It has a modern design, a very capable chipset and dual cameras on the front and back.

https://youtu.be/rdZkJz2E6EA

February 13, 2018
Google Pixel 3 Could Have iPhone Style Notch

When the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were unveiled, there was a sense of anticipation for what was coming. The iPhone X was unveiled and it represented a design that was unusual and a departure from the iconic iPhone design. The most eye-catching design element was the notch on the display. It has a purpose, similar to what the notch did on the Essential phone but, more prominent.

Essential Ph-1

Since then, there have been a lot of smartphones that have tried to imitate the iPhone X notch. It looks like the upcoming Google Pixel 3 devices will also embrace the iPhone X notch. Follow up to Android 8 Oreo, Android P is codenamed Pistachio Icecream internally. According to “people familiar with the matter,” Android P is expected to better accommodate handsets with an iPhone X-like notch at the top of the display.

This means that Google is expecting more Android devices to have a notch on top. As we said earlier, the notch on the iPhone X might be unusual but it is on its way to becoming iconic. For Google to take this step, there could be more reasons than just a trend. Google could implement an iPhone X like notch on its own line of Android devices.

Huawei P11/P20 With A Notch

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will have a lot to prove. The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL were marred by controversies. The Google Pixel 3 smartphones are expected to look and perform like premium smartphones and Google could introduce something like Face ID. If Google does implement facial recognition, a notch would make sense in terms of design as well as its functionality.

A lot of Android devices like the Doogee V or Sharp Aquos S3 have a notch as well, but, doesn’t have a lot of functionality.

Along with better optimisation for a display notch, the next version of Android will also have design improvements. Apparently, one of the main goals of Android P is ”improving the look of the software” to better appeal to existing iPhone users. This is to lure iPhone users to switch to Google services and Android devices.

Sharp Aquos s3

Another major change will be better support and optimisation for devices with a foldable display. This could be a huge hint at the possible launch of the foldable Samsung phone, the Galaxy X. Continuing its tryst in making AI better, Google is reportedly considering allowing third-party developers to directly integrate Assistant into their own apps.

While Android Pistachio Icecream sounds like a fun name, Google could easily name it something else since this is an internal codename. One of the most talked-about possible names is Peppermint.

February 13, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S Could Be Faster Than Apple iPhone X

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S is speculated to be launched at MWC 2018. Apart from its out of the ordinary design, the Mi Mix 2S is expected to be one of the first few smartphones to run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. If true, some tests have revealed that it could be much faster than the Apple iPhone X.

Mi Mix 2s Renders

A recent benchmark test of a reference phone running Snapdragon 845 chipset has revealed that it is much faster than the Snapdragon 835. A reference phone is what Qualcomm relies on, to test new chips in as close to a real-world environment as possible. The test scores were compared with Google Pixel 2, Galaxy Note8, and the LG V30. All smartphones running on the Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Results:

Apart from blitzing the Snapdragon 835 chipset, the reference phone has a higher AnTuTu score than the iPhone X. After the launch of the iPhone X, the A11 Bionic chipset was in the news for being much more powerful than the Snapdragon 835. In our Samsung Galaxy Note8 and Apple iPhone X comparison, the A11 chipset fared much better in benchmark results.

The average score of the iPhone X on AnTuTu is over 202,000. In fact, the highest score record of iPhone X reported to Antutu database is 226,000. For context, Snapdragon 845 running reference phone scored a whopping 256,805. Now, if you are a believer in benchmark scores, then this test should be enough for you.

However, benchmark scores hardly ever tell the whole story. Companies like OnePlus, Samsung have been accused of optimising their devices in order to score more on benchmark tests. Also, how a chipset fairs over a period of intensive testing varies. After all said and done, the Snapdragon 845 chipset seems ready to rule most of the “speed tests” on the internet for the next year at least.

February 13, 2018