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Leaked: Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ To Feature ‘Intelligent Scan’

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are poised to be the most high profile unveiling of MWC 2018. A lot is expected from the two new flagship phones in terms of new features and improved camera performance. It is fair to assume that the design of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ won’t be turning any heads. Samsung might still spring a few surprises at the launch event especially pertaining to the biometric system.

In an APK teardown of the Settings app in the latest unreleased Android Oreo beta for the Galaxy Note8, an XDA member ‘mweinbach’ has found a few strings relating to ‘Intelligent Scan’. These strings could hint at a possible Galaxy S9 feature since neither the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy Note8 offer such a feature.

Iris Scanner on Galaxy S8

What Is Intelligent Scan?

There isn’t much known about the feature as of now. The same XDA member has also uploaded a Samsung help graphic. It basically explains to the users how this feature works. The seven-second graphic barely gets into any details of this new feature. No mechanism or hardware enhancement has been explained in the graphic. It only showcases that with ‘Intelligent Scan’ the biometric system will work in all lighting conditions, in theory at least.

Galaxy S9, S9+ Expected Design

Apparently, the new feature is a combination of face and iris scanning. This extra layer will improve accuracy and security of the system in extremely dark or lit up environments. These are the situations where iris scanning and facial recognition systems fail. There have been reports that suggest the Samsung Galaxy S9 devices might have a 3D sensor equipped front-camera for improved biometrics.

While a feature like this will be convenient, especially for people who still don’t like rear-facing fingerprint sensors. A major issue with this authentication system is third-party support. Unlike a fingerprint sensor which uses the standard Android API, Samsung-specific authentication systems have their own APIs and implementations. This means that Intelligent Scanning will only be used for unlocking a device but, in-app support for things like banking might not be available. Something that Face ID on the iPhone X does well.

January 29, 2018
Leaked: Sketch Revealing Nokia 10 With A Rotating Five-Camera Setup

HMD Global is preparing for a huge MWC 2018 event. It is expected to launch the Nokia 9, Nokia 1 and also unveil a concept phone that might be consumer-ready by the end of 2018. This concept device is expected to have a five-camera setup on the back of the device. If so, Nokia could seriously turn some heads with this announcement.

While such rumours sound astonishing and almost unreal, a new sketch of the Nokia 10 has been unearthed. The sketch, leaked by an industry insider on Baidu, shows the Nokia 10 with a rotating Penta-lens camera setup on the back.

How Does It Work?

The sketch reveals that the Nokia 10 will have a large circular module similar to the Nokia Lumia 1020. The setup employs a multiple-lens camera setup with different lenses of varying focal lengths that are mounted on a rotating lens base.

Nokia Lumia 1020

Based on the sketch, it appears that the main setup will be that of a dual-camera while the other lenses could be hidden inside the module. The lenses will rotate and position themselves on top of the main camera in the middle of the module. Thanks to this mechanism, the lenses will be able to change their focal lengths in combination with the main camera to offer a much larger zooming range.

L16 Camera

The German lens maker Zeiss has already patented miniature zoom camera that uses a similar technique. It comprises of a number of lenses arranged in a circular pattern that can rotate. This is a telling sign since Zeiss has had a long-running association with Nokia. As recently as the Nokia 8 had the Zeiss lenses.

The Nokia 10 won’t be the first device to offer such a multi-lens camera solution. The L16 has 16 lenses although, it is just camera and not a smartphone. Huawei is rumoured to launch the Huawei P11 with a triple-lens camera as well.

With such a large camera module on the back, it will be interesting to see how the smartphone maker will introduce a decent sized battery and position the fingerprint sensor as well.

January 29, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 7 Will Not Be Launched At MWC 2018

There have been a few reports that claim that Xiaomi was planning to launch the Mi 7 at MWC 2018. It now appears that might not be the case. It is for certain that the Chinese smartphone maker will be present at the event being held in Barcelona.

However, a high-ranking company employee has stated in anonymity that there will be no major announcements involved. This means that the prospect of announcing the 2018 flagship, Mi 7 looks uncertain now. While a major announcement might include a flagship device, there have been rumours of Xiaomi announcing its Surge S2 chipset as well. With Xiaomi present at MWC 2018, it will eventually unveil something and if the Mi 7 is not on the cards, the Surge S2 and the Mi 6X powered by the chipset could be announced.

There have been a few leaks pertaining to the Xiaomi Mi 6X which reveal a new design of the smartphone. It is rumoured to sport an iPhone X-like vertically placed dual-camera setup. Xiaomi’s own Surge S2 chipset is expected to power the potential Mi A2 smartphone.

Xiaomi Mi 7 Leaks

But, not announcing the Mi 7 does make sense for Xiaomi. Even LG, Huawei and HTC will skip a major announcement due to the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. If Xiaomi were to launch its new flagship smartphone running the latest flagship chipset, it would want the device to gain some traction. With the Galaxy S9 and S9+ being two of the most anticipated flagship devices of 2018, that could be tough.

Xiaomi Mi 7: Rumour Roundup

The Mi 7 is expected to have a 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and a bezel-less design. It will be interesting to see if Xiaomi takes the Mi Mix route. Which means house everything in a bottom bezel or have even bezels around the display.

The build of the smartphone appears to be made of glass which means that Xiaomi could finally introduce wireless charging in its smartphone lineup. Previous renders revealed almost zero bezels around the display and a small cutout on top for the front-facing camera and sensors.

Previous Mi 7 Renders

The company has confirmed that the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845chipset, and is expected to have either 6 or 8GB of RAM along with 128GB of storage which won’t be expandable. Thanks to the Snapdragon 845 chipset, the smartphone is expected to have some enhanced AI features. It might also have facial recognition software as one of the marquee features.

The Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to have a 19MP + 19MP dual camera setup with an f/1.7 aperture and 4X optical zoom. To the front, it is rumoured to have a 16MP camera.

If the launch of the Xiaomi Mi 7 is not on the table, then the company will have to make a very interesting announcement to gain any sort of attention amidst the fanfare around the Galaxy S9 phones scheduled to launch on 25th February.

January 29, 2018

Honor 9 Lite Vs Honor 7X Vs Xiaomi Mi A1 Vs Moto G5s Plus

2017 saw the launch of a lot of great mid-range smartphones. Right from the Moto G5 Plus in early 2017 to the Honor 7X, the mid-range segment had some excellent additions. It is fair to rate the Honor 7X, Xiaomi Mi A1 and the Moto G5s Plus as the three top phones in their price segment. And in January 2018, Honor launched the Honor 9 Lite with four cameras and a price of Rs. 10999.

At a price of Rs. 10999, the Honor 9 Lite is a great prospect with its bezel-less design and a very capable Kirin 659 chipset. The Xiaomi Mi A1, Honor 7X and the Moto G5s Plus possess good cameras and have been great performers over the past few months of testing.

In terms of design, the Honor 9 Lite is the clear winner. At such a price, to offer a glass build is commendable. The other three phones have a great aluminium unibody design as well but, the Honor 9 Lite wins by a mile here.

In our recent comparison of the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Honor 7X, both the smartphones were at par when it came to day-to-day performance. The Honor 9 Lite has the same chipset and RAM configuration as the Honor 7X while the Mi A1 shares the specifications with the Mi A1. Software on all the phones is extremely smooth. At the end of the day, it will boil down to personal preference, whether you like stock Android OS or the customisable EMUI.

Specifications

Specifications	Honor 9 Lite	Honor 7X	Xiaomi Mi A1	Moto G5s Plus
Price	Starting Rs. 10999	Starting Rs. 12999	Rs. 13999	Rs. 14999
Display	5.65 inch IPS LCD	5.93-inch LTPS IPS LCD	5.5 inch LTPS IPS LCD	5.5-inch IPS LCD
Resolution	2160 X 1080 px	2160 X 1080 px	1920 x 1080 px	1920 x 1080 px
Battery	3000 mAh	3340 mAh	3080 mAh	3000 mAh
OS	Android 7.1 Nougat EMUI	Android 7.1 Nougat EMUI	Android 8 Oreo	Android 7.1 Nougat
Chipset	HiSilicon Kirin 659	HiSilicon Kirin 659	Snapdragon 625	Snapdragon 625
RAM	3GB/4GB	3GB/4GB	4GB	4GB
Storage	32GB/64GB (Expandable up to 256GB)	32GB/64GB (Expandable up to 256GB)	64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)	64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)
Primary Camera	13MP + 2MP (depth sensor)	16MP + 2MP depth sensor	12MP wide-angle f/2.2 + 12MP telephoto lens f/2.6	13MP + 13MP with f/2.0
Primary Camera Video	1080P @ 30fps	1080P @ 30fps	4K @ 30fps	4K @ 30fps
Secondary Camera	13MP + 2MP (depth sensor)	8MP	5MP	8MP f/2.0
Add-ons	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor	Fingerprint sensor

January 27, 2018

Leaked: Nokia 7 Plus Running On Snapdragon 660 Spotted

HMD Global launched the Nokia 7 in China in October 2017. Many speculated that the smartphone will be launched in India especially after launching the Nokia 8 at a competitive price. That did not happen and it looks like a new version of the Nokia 7, the Nokia 7 Plus is on the cards. HMD Global seems to have a lot of launches on its plate right now. From the Nokia 9 to Nokia 1 to a mysterious Penta-lens smartphone, MWC 2018 could be huge for the company.

Spotted on GeekBench, the Nokia 7 Plus could run on the Snapdragon 660 chipset. This would be an upgrade over the Nokia 7 which has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset. According to the listing, the Nokia 7 Plus will have 4GB of RAM. The Nokia 7 has two variants, one with 4GB and the other one with 6GB of RAM. It is possible that the Nokia 7 Plus will have a 6GB RAM variant as well.

The Nokia 7 Plus scores a decent 1636 in single-core and 5902 in multi-core test. That is all the information available in the listing.

Nokia 7 Plus: Just A Nokia 7 With Snapdragon 660?

The Nokia 7 was launched barely three months ago. To expect a completely overhauled 7 Plus might be a bit foolish. Also, “Plus” variants launched after the regular variants usually just feature minor upgrades.

The Nokia 7 has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. The Nokia 7 Plus could feature a bigger display hence, the “Plus” moniker.

Nokia 7

The Nokia 7, unlike the Nokia 8 has a single camera at the back. The Nokia 7 has a 16MP camera at the back with an f/1.8 aperture, 1.12-micron pixel size and Carl Zeiss optics. The primary camera records 3840 x 2160 px (4K) videos at 30fps. On the front of the device is a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and autofocus.

Expect the same camera setup on the Nokia 7 Plus.

There is no front-facing home button/fingerprint sensor on the Nokia 7. However, that doesn’t mean it has thin bezels. The bezels are more or less the same while the fingerprint sensor is now found on the back of the phone. HMD Global is expected to maintain that for the Nokia 7 Plus as well.

HMD Global could spring a surprise and announce the Nokia 7 Plus at MWC. After all, the company has been teasing a great showcasing at the MWC 2018.

January 27, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s Running On Snapdragon 845 To Be Launched In February

Xiaomi is going to be a part of the upcoming MWC 2018. While many expect the company to launch the Xiaomi Mi 7 at the event, there are rumours that another phone could be launched before MWC. The Xiaomi Mi 2s, a refresh of the Mi Mix 2 could be launched as early as February right before MWC commences.

This leak comes a tipster on Weibo. On the Chinese social media website, he claims that the Mi Mix 2s could be launched before the Mi 7. While we would have liked more information about the upcoming phone, he stops at the possible date. He does ask readers to guess which of the upcoming phones would be Xiaomi’s first Snapdragon 845-powered device.

No prizes for guessing this but, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is more likely to feature the Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Mi Mix 2s, if real, is a refresh over the Mi Mix 2 while the Mi 7 is the next flagship device that will succeed the Mi 6. Xiaomi would rather use the Snapdragon 845 for the Mi Mix 3 that will launch later in the year.

Mi Mix 2s Early Renders

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s rumours so far:

So far, there has barely been any chatter about a possible Mi Mix 2 refresh. The Mi Mix 2 was launched back in September and Xiaomi doesn’t really launch new variants of flagship devices like OnePlus does. So, a possible Mi Mix 2s launch seems improbable. However, that hasn’t stopped people to post renders of the phone.

An earlier render of the Mi Mix 2s showing a notch on the display looked a photoshopped iPhone X photo. Recently though, a new render has emerged which reveals a design worthy of a new variant.

Mi Mix 2s Render

The image shows evenly trimmed bezels all around the display. The Mi Mix 2 had a small chin which housed the front-facing camera. The front facing camera here is placed in the top right corner. It is fitted awkwardly which results in a weird notch on the top right corner. Although this looks like a design prototype that would’ve been buried in the back burner, the design does look like new and different.

There is a high chance that Xiaomi will never launch the Mi Mix 2s. However, it will be an interesting strategy especially if this render turns out to be the actual design of the phone.

January 27, 2018
Apple iPhone SE 2 With Wireless Charging To Launch in May Or June

The Apple iPhone SE was launched in March 2016 as a smaller variant of the iPhone 6s. While a revision was expected in 2017, Apple skipped a launch last year. However, new reports suggest that the iPhone SE 2 will be launched this year in Q2.

iPhone SE 2 Concept

Rumour Roundup

This report is a bit contradicting to previous reports about the upcoming iPhone SE successor. The report also claims that the rumoured iPhone SE successor will have a glass back and support wireless charging. This does make sense as all the three iPhones released in 2017 had wireless charging. Apple would want to keep a uniformity among its new iPhones especially with the launch of the AirPower.

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AirPower is a wireless charging pad that can charge an iPhone, Apple Watch and the AirPods all at the same time. Bringing in the iPhone SE 2 with the same feature will mean it will be compatible with Apple’s latest product.

Also read: Apple iPhone SE 2: What To Expect?

The iPhone SE was launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 39000. However, it has received a lot of price cuts lately and is available at a price of Rs. 18,996 for the 32GB storage variant. A lot will depend on the pricing of the iPhone SE 2 in India. Now that the phone will be manufactured by Wistron in its Bengaluru manufacturing plant, the price could be much more competitive.

iPhone SE 2 Leaked Back Panel

The Wistron plant in Bengaluru, which was established early this year, has been producing iPhone SEs for India. But production for the new iPhone SE is expected to be ramped up as Apple may supply other regions with India made units.

The Apple iPhone SE 2 is expected to be priced at around Rs. 30000 to target the mid-range or the affordable flagship category. At this price, the iPhone SE 2 will compete with the likes of Honor View10 and the OnePlus 5T. Although, the OnePlus 6 is expected to be launched in June as well.

January 27, 2018
Leaked: Moto G6 Play Renders Reveal Moto X4-Like Build

Lenovo-owned Motorola will soon launch a new Moto X4 variant in India. The Moto X4 had a different build when compared to other Moto phones of 2017. The glass sandwich build was appreciated by many, and it looks like Motorola will implement that design on other devices as well. The Moto G6 Play is expected to be launched in a couple of months similar to when G5 and G5 Plus were launched in 2017.

New renders of the Moto G6 Play have surfaced online and the trickle-down effect of the Moto X4 seems to be in full swing. The renders reveal that the Moto G6 Play will have glass on the front and back with an aluminium frame. The ring-shaped LED flash will also return, last seen on the Moto X. Another interesting bit here is the fingerprint sensor.

Usually, the fingerprint sensor on the ‘G’ series is placed on the front in the home button. But, the Moto G6 Play is touted to have thin bezels. This means the fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back. However, according to the renders, Motorola will house the fingerprint sensor inside the ‘M’ logo which is an interesting move.

It also looks like the ‘Moto’ branding on the front of the device will be replaced with ‘Motorola’.

Rumoured Specifications

The Moto G6 Play will have a 5.7 inch display with a 1440 x 720 px resolution.

The G6 Play will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset, have 2GB or 3GB of RAM along with 16GB and 32GB storage options. As visible in the renders, the fingerprint sensor could be housed inside the ‘M’ logo on the back of the phone.

The Moto G6 Play will retain the single camera setup on the back and front. The LED flash, similar to the Moto X, will be ring-shaped around the camera lens.

So far, there has been no hint by the company about the launch of a smartphone. These are, after all, just renders and renders are supposed to be taken with a grain of scepticism.

January 27, 2018
Leaked: Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ Press Renders

This seems to have become a daily occurrence. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have been leaked again, this time in their press renders. The new flagship phones from Samsung will be launched on the 25th of February, as confirmed by the company.

The image doesn’t reveal anything we did not know till now. No prizes for guessing here that the design of the phones is identical to their predecessors. The bottom bezel appears to be thinner ever so slightly. The rest remains the same, at least on the front. To the back, the components of the phone will be placed a bit differently. Again, something that we have known through weeks of renders and leaks.

Image via: @evleaks Galaxy S9+, S9 rear components layout

The fingerprint sensor will be placed below the camera module on both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. While the Samsung Galaxy S9 will have a single camera, the Galaxy S9+ will have a vertically-placed dual-camera setup. Interestingly, the Galaxy Note8 was the first ever Samsung phone with a dual-camera setup and the cameras were placed horizontally.

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This change in the Galaxy S9+ could purely be for design purposes as the fingerprint placement has also changed. Or, it could’ve been done to have another design difference between the ‘S’ and the ‘Note’ series. The glass back remains the same and so does the button placements. It looks like Bixby button is going nowhere, hopefully, Samsung will let us remap it.

One thing that is a bit bothering are the bezels on the left and right side of the screen. This looks like an error more than anything else as the Galaxy S8 and S8+ had a much better design with the edge display. It seems highly improbable that Samsung will go ahead with such bezels on the side.

Rumour Roundup:

The Galaxy S9 will have a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display while the Galaxy S9+ will have a 6.2 inch display. Both the devices will have a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.

Leaked Galaxy S9 Dummy Video

Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9 will have a single 12MP SuperSpeed Dual Pixel camera. This time around, however, the camera will have an f/1.5 aperture and record super slow motion videos, probably at 960fps. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ will become the second phone from Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup on the back after the Galaxy Note8. Similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note8, the Galaxy S9+ will have a wide-angle and a telephoto lens setup.

Case Leaks Of Galaxy S9+

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be the most sought after flagship phones at least in the early part of 2018. Let’s hope the side bezels remain constrained to the images and the real deal look more like their predecessors.

January 27, 2018
Apple HomePod Smart Speaker Up For Pre-Orders For US$ 349

Apple announced its Siri-powered smart speaker HomePod at its developer conference in June 2017. At the time, the company said it would go on sale in December 2017. However, due to some reasons, Apple pushed the release and it is now finally available in the US, UK and Australia at a price of US$ 349. The HomePod will hit the stores on February 9th and that is the shipping date of the pre-ordered units as well. It will be available in two colour variants, white and space grey.

While the fanfare around an Apple product launch is enough for it to be sold out within minutes, the HomePod is still available for pre-orders. Even though it is a new kind of product from Apple, the company still makes about two-thirds of its sales from its smartphones.

The HomePod is powered by Apple’s A8 chip, which also powered the iPhone 6. It has built-in Siri, six microphones and HomeKit support to control compatible smart home devices. An interesting feature is the ability to automatically optimise sound for a given room. The Google Home Max also has a similar feature where it automatically optimises the sound based on where it is kept in a room. It also has seven tweeters and a high excursion woofer.

Despite the late launch, the HomePod will ship without features like AirPlay 2, which allows pairing and multiroom audio. Apple has said that those features will be added via a software update.

The Competition

Amazon and Google are its two biggest competitors in this industry. For its size, the Apple HomePod is the priciest offering in the market. The Google Home Max is much larger and is priced at US$ 399. The Google Home is priced at US$129 while the Amazon Echo costs US$ 99. Both Google and Amazon offer an ultra-affordable variant of their smart speakers, the Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot. Both are priced at US$ 49.

A lot of smart speakers in the market also support Spotify playback, the most successful music streaming service now. The HomePod, however, will only support Apple Music.

There is no word on the HomePod’s availability in the Indian market as of now. With Google also not bringing its smart speakers in the Indian market, it’ll be interesting to see both the company’s strategy for India.

You can pre-order it here

January 27, 2018
Nokia 9 With Dual Cameras And 18:9 Display Leaked

Nokia appears to have big plans for MWC 2018. The Mobile World Congress is scheduled to take place in Barcelona from the 26th February to 1st March. Nokia is rumoured to be launching two smartphones and a concept phone with five camera lenses. One of the two consumer-ready phones will be the 2018 flagship, Nokia 9.

The Nokia 9 will succeed 2018’s Nokia 8 and is expected to have a modern design with thin bezels and a tall display. New renders of the smartphone have been leaked by case makers and the design looks promising. The renders reveal that the Nokia 9 will have a tine forehead and chion with almost no bezels on the sides. To the back will be a dual-camera setup, possibly by Zeiss Optics.

These leaks are in line with a previous render that surfaced a while ago. One of the standout aspects of that render was the dual-camera setup on the front. It looks like more and more smartphones in 2018 will sport dual cameras on the front as well.

Rumour Roundup:

According to a recent FCC filing,

he Nokia 9 will have a 5.5-inch OLED display.

Under the hood, the Nokia 9 will have the Snapdragon 835 chipset and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage.

Previous Nokia 9 Renders

Powering the device will be a 3250 mAh battery with 18W fast charging. The device will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box with very little customisations.

The listing reveals a 12 MP + 13 MP dual-camera setup at the back and a 5MP front-facing camera which could be the resolution of one of the front-facing cameras.

However, FCC filing does not always reveal accurate specifications. So, the Nokia 9 is expected to debut with the Snapdragon 845 chipset since the Nokia 8 is already powered by the Snapdragon 835. Apart from that, the Nokia 9 could have a bigger screen size especially since it is expected to launch with trimmed down bezels.

The Nokia 9, along with the Nokia 1 are expected to be launched at the MWC 2018 event in a few weeks. Till then, expect more leaks and renders of the upcoming smartphones. Stay tuned for all the top news!

January 26, 2018
Mega Republic Day Giveaway!
Happy Republic Day to all our readers! On this day, iGyaan is feeling very generous and we have decided to give a lot back to our Team iGyaan. A mega giveaway awaits everyone where ten lucky winners can win a backpack, smartphone, earphones and much more!

Here is a comprehensive list of who will win what:

1st Winner
- Novex Backpack
- Maze Alpha
- Samsung Bluetooth headset MG920
- DMG Waterproof Mini speaker
- Moto pulse headphones
Second Winner
- Flipkart Billion Backpack
- 2 Flipkart shirts
- Billion Capture+ smartphone
- 1More Piston Fit in-ear headphones
Third Winner
- Gods Ghost Backpack
- Xiaomi Redmi Y1
- Tizum Car Vent Smartphone Mount
- Asus ZenPower 10000mAh Power Bank
Fourth Winner
- Creo Mark 1
- OnePlus VR Headset
- Xiaomi USB Fan
- Amkette EVO Wired Gamepad
Fifth Winner
- Bluboo S1
- Xiaomi Selfie Stick
- Soundflow Bluetooth speaker
- Zakk Firefly Earbuds
- Deepcool N280 Laptop Cooler
Sixth Winner
- Bluboo S8
- Philips SHE1405BK earphones
- Portronics Retro Handset Phoni 3
- VR Shinecon Gamepad
Seventh Winner
- Bluboo S1
- Aquaguard On The Go Bottle
- Zakk VR headset
- Tizum HT100 earphones
Eight Winner
- Doogee Mix
- Netgear Wifi extender
- Geekgoodies LED Light
- Sony MDR-AS200 Earphones
Ninth Winner
- Bluboo S8
- ANTVR PhoneGlass
- Photron Travel adapter
- LeTV earphones
- EVO Wired Gamepad
Tenth Winner
- Xiaomi Redmi 5A
- JBL Go speaker
- PowerSafe Multi USB Charger
Mega Republic Day Giveaway
January 26, 2018
Moto E5, E5 Plus Specifications Leaked

Lenovo-owned Motorola launched a few exciting smartphones in India in 2017. In 2018, Motorola is expected to launch the Moto E5 and E5 Plus as the successors to the Moto E4 and E4 Plus.

While there isn’t much known about the devices, two Motorola phones have shown up on FCC. The devices in question carry the model numbers XT1922-4 and XT1922-5. FCC listing never really reveals a whole lot about any smartphone. But, there are some details which might shed some light on this upcoming Motorola device.

Moto E5 Render

For starters, a 4000 mAh battery it looks like the device will be powered by a 4000 mAh battery. While these are not the final specifications of the device in question, this proves that a couple of Motorola phones are on the way.

Moto E5 Rumour Roundup:

Recently, an image was leaked which revealed the possible design of the Moto E5. The interesting bit about in the image is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor on the upcoming Moto E5 will be housed inside the Moto logo on the back.

No other details were mentioned. It is expected to have the same 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution.

Last year, Motorola went with a MediaTek chipset last year but, it could revert to a Snapdragon chipset. According to the leaked image, the smartphone will retain the single camera setup on the front and back along with an LED flash.

The Moto E4 Plus was announced in June 2017. While there doesn’t seem to be an apparent reason for the company to disrput the launch cycle, it could spring a surprise and launch the E series phones early this year.

January 26, 2018
Xiaomi Redmi 5 With 4GB RAM Launched

In November 2017, Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in China. Two budget-oriented devices with thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. At the time of its launch, the Redmi 5 was priced at CNY 799 (Rs 7,800 approx) for the 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant and CNY 899 (Rs 8,800 approx.) for the 3GBRAM/ 32GB storage variant. It is available in Black, Blue, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants.

In order to keep up with the market demands, Xiaomi has launched a 4GB RAM variant of the Redmi 5in China at a price of CNY 1099 (Rs. 11,000 approx.). The 4GB RAM variant, however, is only available in Blue, Black and Gold colour variants.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Specifications

The Xiaomi Redmi 5 has a 5.7-inch 1440 x 720 px display with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

Under the hood, the Redmi 5 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset, a 1.8GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 2GB, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. There is a fingerprint sensor placed at the back of the phone just below the camera.

Redmi 5 Plus

Powering the device is a 3300 mAh battery which, Xioami claims has a standby time of up to 12 days. The battery is charged via a micro USB slot which means no fast charging. There is a 3.5mm headphone jack placed next to the charging port as well.

The Redmi 5 has a 12MP camera at the back with 1.25-micron pixel size. The camera surprisingly only records 1080P videos at 30fps. To the front of the device is a 5MP camera with Beautify 3.0, which is Xiaomi’s software for enhanced selfies.

It doesn’t look like the Redmi 5 will make its way to the Indian market. For starters, Xiaomi has strong contenders in the price segment and the Redmi Note 5 is expected to grab all the headlines if and when it is launched.

Buy it here

January 26, 2018
HTC U12 Will Not Launch AT MWC 2018

HTC will not launch its much-anticipated flagship smartphone, the HTC u12 at MWC 2018. The Mobile World Congress is scheduled to take place from the 26th of February to March 1st in Barcelona. The company will apparently hold an event right after MWC in Barcelona and announce the HTC U12 there.

HTC U12 Render

A lot of smartphone makers are expected to take the stage and announce their upcoming phones. Along with concepts, companies like Samsung, Sony, and Xiaomi will announce their smartphones. It was reported that LG and Huawei would skip MWC launches to avoid clashing with the Galaxy S9 and S9+ launch. HTC, too, seems to take the same approach. The Taiwanese company is having a booth at the Gran Via Exhibition Center where it is expected to demonstrate its new standalone VR headset Vive Focus, and the HTC U11 EYEs, announced earlier this month.

HTC U12 Specifications

While not a lot is known about the upcoming smartphone, it is expected to have an 18:9 aspect ratio. Some rumours have gone ahead and claimed that it will have 4K resolution.

The Snapdragon 845 will power the new flagship. Like a lot of flagship devices in 2018, the HTC U12 will have 6GB of RAM and expandable onboard storage. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back of the phone as Clear ID seems unlikely to feature this soon in an HTC device.

HTC U11 EYEs

The HTC U12 will also have Edge Sense, a feature that allows users to launch an app or action by squeezing the frame of the device. The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL had the feature as well which could only launch the Goog Assistant. HTC, however, allows for a lot of customisations pertaining to the use of Edge Sense.

The HTC U11 EYEs had a dual-camera setup on the front as well as Face Unlock. The HTC U12 is expected to have a better implementation of that along with a dual-camera setup on the back.

After the deal with Google, a lot of people speculated that the HTC U11 would be the last smartphone from the HTC brand. However, in its subsequent statement, Google hinted that HTC would continue launching smartphones. Since then, HTC has launched more than a couple of smartphones, the latest being the HTC U11 EYEs.

January 26, 2018