Xiaomi recently launched a red colour variant of the Mi A1 in India while OnePlus will also be launching a Lava Red colour option for the OnePlus 5T. In order to keep up with other OEMs, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor will soon launch a red colour variant of the Honor 7X in India, probably close to Valentines Day in February.
Since the device will be limited edition, only 20,000 units will be manufactured and it will be available in markets like India, USA, Western Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) and Russia. In a press release, the company said:
Honor is partnering with Monster, one of the world’s largest headphone manufacturers, to give the first 100 purchasers of Honor 7X Red in each country/region the red co-branded Honor-Monster AM15 headphones as a special gift.
In the times of smartphones becoming better with every new release, specifications and performance of a lot of smartphones are almost always on par. The differentiating factors like an exciting new colour variant can sometimes tip a buyer towards one device over the other.
In the sub-15K category, the Honor 7X and Xiaomi Mi A1 appear to be competing head-on with each other. After the Honor 7X was launched in India, Xiaomi Mi A1 received a price cut to make it more comparable with the Honor 7X. Similarly, Honor could be competing with the red colour variant of the Xioami Mi A1 with its Red Honor 7X in India.
The Honor 7X has a 5.9 inch LTPS IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px display which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the Honor 7X has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The device is powered by a 3340 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB slot. Since the device has thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the phone, just below the dual-camera setup.
The Honor 7X runs Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 6.0 on top which gives a user more options for customising their phones.
The smartphone has a dual camera setup at the back. One of the cameras is equipped with a 16MP sensor while the other one is a 2MP depth sensor. The camera setup at the back has PDAF and records 1080P videos at 30fps. On the front is an 8MP camera which also records 1080P videos.
It will be interesting to see if Honor retains the price of the Honor 7X for the red colour variant as well just like Xiaomi did. Also, with the 64GB variant priced at Rs. 15999, Honor might introduce the red colour in only the higher end model of the Honor 7X.
The Honor 7X was launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 12999 which makes it one of the best bang for the buck Android phones in the market right now. Unlike a lot of its competitors, the Honor 7X has a nearly bezel-less display, and a tall 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor 7X runs Android 7 Nougat with EMUI on top which gives a lot of customisation options to the user.
The launch of theSamsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ is inching closer with every passing day. The leaks and new rumours are galore as well and the latest one has seemingly confirmed the storage variants in which the two smartphones will be launched in.
A Chinese tipster, citing a company insider, has posted on the Chinese social media, Weibo that the Galaxy S9 will be offered in two options, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 4GB RAM/128GB storage. The bigger sibling of the two, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ will be available in 6GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 6GB RAM/256GB models in major markets across the world.
According to the same tipster, the South Korean tech giant will also launch a special edition Samsung Galaxy S9+ with 512GB of onboard storage. Onboard storage of 512Gb will be unprecedented on a smartphone if Samsung does go ahead and launch this variant of the Samsung Galaxy S9+. The leaks certainly do hint towards such a variant but, it will be interesting to see if Samsung launches such a variant.
Samsung Galaxy S9+ Renders
Both the devices are expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845chipset for the American and South Korean markets while the rest of the world will have the Exynos 9810 chipset-powered Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Exynos 9810 chipset has a lot of emphasis on AI, which means that the company is counting big on its facial recognition technology to challenge Apple’s Face ID.The display size will remain the same as that of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ with slightly thinner bezels.
While the Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to be priced similar to the Galaxy S8 (at the time of its launch), the Galaxy S9+, thanks to the dual-camera setup, could be priced close to, or higher than the Galaxy Note 8. This means that a higher-end variant of the Galaxy S9+ could be priced higher than the Apple iPhone X which was launched at a price of US $999 for the base (64GB) storage variant at the time of its launch.
The Honor View10, launched in early-December at an event in London will go on sale in India on 8th of January at a price of Rs. 29,999. The price of Rs. 29,999 makes this the most affordable budget flagship available in the market right now. The OnePlus 5T and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 are priced at Rs. 32999. Registrations for the device started on the 28th of December and it will be available in two colour variant, Midnight Black and Navy Blue.
Samsung’s latest mid-range offering, the Galaxy A8+ will be launched in India on the 10th of January at an event in New Delhi. The device will be an Amazon exclusive since the e-commerce website already has a dedicated page live. The price of the smartphone has not been revealed yet but, considering the price of the phone in Vietnam, it is expected to be launched under the Rs. 35000 price bracket for it to be competitive in the Indian market.
In India, the “under Rs. 40000” category is getting increasingly competitive. Ever since the OnePlus 5 and then the OnePlus 5T was launched in the price bracket, devices like the Nokia 8 and Mi Mix 2 have also been launched in this price category. Recently, the Honor View10 was launched at a price of Rs. 29,999 which is much more affordable than any other budget flagship.
The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 2220 x 1080 px resolution which translates to an 18.5:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, it has an octa-core (2.2GHz Dual + 1.6GHz Hexa) processor while the chipset is still unspecified, it could be the Exynos 7885 SoC as found in the leaked video. The Galaxy A8+ has two variants, one with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage and the other with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. Just like every other smartphone from Samsung, the onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. The smartphone is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance and supports Samsung Pay for contactless mobile payment.
Powering the Galaxy A8+ is a 3500 mAh battery which is charged via USB Type-C port.
One thing that might come as a surprise, especially for phones launching in 2018 is the OS. The Galaxy A8+ will run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box with Samsung’s own custom skin on top.
The Galaxy A8+ is also the first of Samsung phones to have a dual-camera setup on the front. The Galaxy A8+ has a 16MP + 8MP camera setup with an f/1.9 aperture on the front. The Live Focus feature lets users chose whether the background should be in focus or blurred to a soft bokeh. The phone will switch between the two front cameras to get the effect the user needs. To the back of the phone is a 16MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and digital stabilisation.
Even at a price of under Rs. 35000, the Galaxy A8+ will have competitors like the OnePlus 5T and Honor View 10. One of the few things going for the Galaxy A8+ is its IP68 rating and a front-facing dual-camera setup whose importance again, will depend on a consumer’s priorities.
Intel has launched its 8th generation of Core processors integrated with Radeon Vega graphics. After months of speculations, Intel announced its partnership with AMD in late-December. Dell and HP will be the first in line to launch new laptops using these processors, but, specifics of such laptops will be available once the companies unveil their own laptops. Other OEMs are expected to announce new products using these processors in early-2018.
Aimed at the ever-growing target audience of “gamers,” Intel has also launched a new line of its own compact NUC PCs featuring the new processors. Of the five new CPUs unveiled, two have 100W thermal ratings and are designed for desktop systems, while three have 65W ratings and are made for high-end laptops. Interestingly, all the five CPUs will have Radeon Vega graphics built on the same physical package, while the Intel HD 630 graphics will take over the reins when a less graphics intensive task will be in hands.
The most advanced and powerful processor of the lot is the i7-8809G which was leaked before its official unveiling. It is worth noting that the i7-8809G is fully overclockable. It has a base and boost clocks of 3.1GHz and 4.2GHz respectively. Similar to this is the non-overclockable Core i7-8709G with the same base clock but a marginally lower 4.1GHz boost clock. Both have four CPU cores with Hyper-Threading, and 8MB of cache. Both also feature the Radeon RX Vega M GH GPU which has 24 compute units comprised of 1536 stream processors, running at between 1063MHz and 1190MHz.
Next up are the Intel i7-8705 and i7-8305G processors designed for laptops. While the 8705G has a base and boost clocks of 3.1GH and 4.1GHz with 8MB of cache, the 8305G has a base and boost clocks of 2.8GHz and 3.8GHz with 6MB of cache. Both feature the Radeon RX Vega M GL GPU on package, which has 1280 stream processors clubbed into 20 compute units, running at between 931MHz and 1011MHz.
The last of the lot is the i7-8706G, which is identical to the 8705G but, is the only one out of the fice which supports Intel’s vPro technology for business-class remote management and security features.
As far as the Radeon Vega graphics are concerned, both the variants have up to 4GB of high-speed HBM2 of memory connected via a 1024-bit bus. Both GPUs will be able to support six independent 4K displays through the Radeon GPU and three additional displays through the Intel GPU.
Ever since the OnePlus One was launched back in 2014, the Chinese smartphone maker’s devices have been considered to be the flagship killers. Year after year, the company has launched Android phones with high-end specifications at nearly half the price of devices by other tier brands. While 2017 saw a lot of flagship devices being launched under Rs. 40000 bracket, the OnePlus 5 and then the OnePlus 5T priced at Rs. 32999 for the 64GB variant remained a fan favourite.
However, Honor has recently announced the price of its Honor View10, the Kirin 970-powered affordable flagship phone. At a price of Rs. 29,999 the Honor View10 has a high-end chipset, dual cameras, nearly bezel-less display and an emphasis on AI. All of that, and it is still cheaper than the OnePlus 5T. So, does the Honor View10 take the crown of the best affordable flagship? Let’s find out:
Design
Both the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 share a similar design language. Both the devices sport a tall display, thin bezels and dual-cameras at the back. The dual-cameras on both the devices protrude a little which means that a case might be necessary to protect the camera glass. The OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 have matte finishes to the back which means the devices can be a bit slippery but, both the companies provide a clear case inside the box.
OnePlus 5T
Display
The OnePlus 5T is a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 5 with a modern 18:9 aspect ratio and thin bezels. The Honor View10 also has thin bezels and a tall display and even manages to retain the front-facing fingerprint sensor, something that the OnePlus 5T had to give up for smaller bezels. Both the devices have a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px, however, while the Honor View10 has an IPS LCD panel, the OnePlus 5T has an Optic AMOLED panel.
Software
After photos and sound, software is the most subjective aspect of a smartphone. Just like some people prefer bass-heavy sound over a flat soundstage, some people prefer the bells and whistles of a custom skin over stock Android OS. There is no denying that the OnePlus 5T will always be ahead when it comes to software updates but, EMUI on the Honor View10 has come a long way since its inception as well. The Honor View10 has a slight advantage thanks to the NPU present in the Kirin 970 chipset. Honor has been able to add some nifty features that take full advantage of AI. For example, thanks to Honor View10’s facial recognition software, the phone only displays a preview of notifications on the lock screen only when it recognises the face, otherwise, the notifications remain hidden.
This is just a small example of what implementation of AI does to the overall user experience. However, if you are a stock Android enthusiast then the OnePlus 5T is ideal for you.
Performance
Honor View10
Both the devices are powered by two flagship chipsets. The OnePlus 5T has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6 or 8GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of storage. The Honor View10 has the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The storage on the Honor View10 can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card while the OnePlus 5T doesn’t provide an option for expanding the onboard storage.
Both the devices run day-to-day tasks with ease and even high-end gaming is buttery smooth on either device. If you want a device for heaving gaming, then neither of the phones will disappoint your gaming needs. Thanks to the tall displays on both the devices, multitasking is a joy and the snappy processors made sure both the devices held up well in extreme multitasking situations.
Camera
Photographs are extremely subjective, and both the devices have a dual camera setup at the back albeit, different implementations. The OnePlus 5T, unlike its predecessor, has a 16MP and 20MP setup with an f/1.7 aperture which OnePlus claims, will result in better low-light photographs. The Honor View10 has a 16MP RGB sensor and a 20MP Monochrome sensor with both having an f/1.8 aperture. Here are a few camera samples of both the devices:
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Specifications
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Price
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At the end of the day, the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 are two great phones with best in class specifications and an affordable price tag. Honor seems to have struck gold with its pricing and the real question here is whether stock Android is worth the extra money or not. If yes, then the OnePlus 5T should be your choice. But, if you are on a tight budget, the Honor View10 has a lot more to offer in terms of user experience and will cost less than the OnePlus 5T.
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XLwere launched back in October to really high expectations from Android enthusiasts. While the 2016 Pixel devices had their shortcomings, the software experience and camera performance was unparalleled. Hence, a lot was expected from the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, especially after Google talked up the software and AI integration during the launch event.
While stock Android OS on the devices has been excellent, the phones have been marred by prolonged hardware issues that the company can’t seem to contain. Over the course of the past two months, the negative press around the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has been immense and another issue regarding the Pixel 2 XL has come up, which has further infuriated Pixel 2 users.
Affected users have reported the latest voice messaging issue on the Pixel User Community of the Google Product Forums. Multiple users have stated that when they send a voice clip recorded on a Pixel 2 XL suffering from this particular bug, the recipient receives the same clip with a minimal volume.
I experienced the unusually low volume for outgoing voice messages in WhatsApp on two Pixel 2 XLs. The same behaviour was observed with Google Allo voice messages.
Google is apparently aware of the issue and will soon release a fix. Community Manager Orrin Hancock responded to the reports saying:
Want to let you all know that we are aware of this [issue], and looking into it. I might be reaching out for bug reports and other info privately.
Thi issue is a part of a larger problem which Google faces right now because of its hardware frailties. While the company’s smart speakers have been doing really well in the market, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL have failed to capture the imagination of its audience because of its price tag and the numerous software and hardware bugs that are constantly reported online.
While the Pixel 2 has had a relatively smoother sailing, the Pixel 2 XL has faced a lot of the consumer wrath because of its below-par OLED display and other issues that hinder a user’s experience. Recently, after the Android 8.1 Oreo update rolled out, some users were reportingthat they had to physically switch on the display during an incoming call. A thousand rupee feature phone lights up during an incoming call and such severe issues should not be faced by people who pay thousands for their smartphone.
The OnePlus 5 was launched back in June of 2017 and within five months of being launched, was replaced by a better-looking variant, the OnePlus 5T. The company subsequently announced that manufacturing of the OnePlus 5 will be stopped but, the device will continue to get software support up to Android P, at least. A few days ago, after testing the beta version of Android 8 Oreo on the OnePlus 5, the company was about to seeding the stable build with OxygenOS 5.0.
However, on the 3rd of January, the company cancelled the rollout due to some bugs found in the stable build of Android 8.0 Oreo. Here’s what exactly a OnePlus staff member said on the company’s official forums:
Because of a bug on Oxygen 5.0, we have cancelled its global release. And we’re preparing for Oxygen 5.0.1, the partial release will go alive soon.
The company has seemingly fixed the update and is now rolling out a new update with OxygenOS 5.0.1 and contains new fixes, presumably for those issues that caused the cancellation of the first build. The new fixes in question are for bugs related to the third-party camera application. It is also worth noting that this update is not compatible with devices with an unlocked bootloader.
The OnePlus 5, at the time of its launch, received a lot of flak for being identical to the iPhone 7 Plus. The company emphasised a lot on the device’s camera performance and upon its release, many people found it lacking. Another factor that hindered the popularity of the OnePlus 5 was its rise in price. The company launched the device at a price of Rs. 32999 for the 6GB RAM variant which was higher than the price of the OnePlus 3T and the OnePlus 5 did not have features like an IP rating or wireless charging.
The OnePlus 5 still has the best in class specifications and with stock Android OS, the phone’s performance is up there with top flagship devices of 2017. With OnePlus 5T taking over the reins, it must be satisfying for OnePlus 5 owners to start receiving an update to the latest Android software available in the market. OnePlus recently announcedthat the OnePlus 5 will soon receive an update with Face Unlock feature which was a OnePlus 5T exclusive till now.
HMD Global’s pricing strategy for its mid-range and budget smartphones in India has baffled everyone. The Nokia 6 was launched in India in early-2017 and was heavily panned for its excessive pricing. However, it appears that HMD Global has learned its lesson and will be willing to rectify such costly errors with its new budget smartphone, the Nokia 6 (2018).
In China, the device starts at a price of CNY 1499 (Rs. 14600 approx.) and if HMD Global goes the Nokia 8 route and launches the device at Rs. 14000 or less, the Nokia 6 (2018) could be a great contender in the budget category of Android phones. In this category, the Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto G5s Plus also offer a stock Android experience and feature metal build although, both the devices also have a dual-camera setup at the back unlike the new Nokia 6.
Early images of the Nokia 6 (2018) reveal a nice design with good colour options, however, a few choices made by Nokia are questionable. Many other OEMs have resorted for a rear-facing fingerprint sensor due to the tall display and thin bezels but, the Nokia 6 (2018) maintains the 16:9 aspect ratio and the thick bezels while moving the fingerprint sensor to the back. This decision would’ve been justified had the smartphone moved to an 18:9 aspect ratio and cut down the bezels significantly.
Moto G5s Plus
A few design tweaks aside, the Nokia 6 (2018) is a significant update over the Nokia 6 of 2017. But, will it be the new fan favourite if and when it is released in India? Let’s find out:
Specifications
Nokia 6 (2018)
Xiaomi Mi A1
Moto G5s Plus
Price
Starting at CNY 1499 (Rs. 14600 approx.)
Rs. 13999
Rs. 14999
Display
5.5 inch
IPS LCD
5.5 inch
LTPS IPS LCD
5.5-inch
IPS LCD
Resolution
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
Battery
3000 mAh
3080 mAh
3000 mAh
Chipset
Snapdragon 630
Snapdragon 625
Snapdragon 625
Processor
2.2GHz
Octa-core processor
2.0Ghz
Octa-core processor
2.0 GHz
Octa-core
RAM
4GB
4GB
4GB
Storage
32GB/64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)
64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)
64GB (Expandable up to 128GB)
Primary Camera
16MP
f/2.0
12MP wide-angle f/2.2 + 12MP telephoto lens f/2.6
13MP + 13MP with f/2.0
Secondary Camera
8MP
f/2.2
84-degree wide-angle lens
5MP
8MP
f/2.0
Wide-angle lens
The Nokia 6 (2018) has a slightly better chipset than the other two smartphones but, it also launched more than four months later. With the Xiaomi Mi A1, you get Android One which means that the Mi A1 will get future software upgrades to Android P as well.
While companies claim that all their smartphones will get software updates for at least two years, you’ll be hard-pressed to bet on Android P update coming to the Moto G5s Plus. The Nokia 6 (2018) already runs Android 8 Oreo and hopefully, will get an update to Android P as well in early 2019.
Let’s not forget that the Honor 7X is cheaper than both the Mi A1 and G5s Plus with equally good performing chip and cameras. A lot will depend on the price of the Nokia 6 (2018) when it launches in India.
With so many viable options in this price category, the question that arises is whether the new Nokia 6 has enough to offer that will persuade potential buyers towards it or not. Also, will the absence of a dual-camera setup on the Nokia 6 (2018) be a deal-breaker for many suitors?
The last couple of days have been frantic for the tech community. Ever since Google released two documents detailing the security flaws in almost every CPU in the world right now, the consumers have patiently waited for a fix for their devices. Some, however, have decided to take matters into their own hands. Owners of Intel-based CPUs in Oregon, California and Indiana have sued Intel over the security flaws that have been highlighted in its chipset.
They claim that the vulnerability in the chipset, which Intel learned about several months ago, make its chips inherently faulty. Intel has provided security patches ever since, but, the complaints raise concerns that these patches will hinder the performance of their computers and is not an adequate response to the serious issues raised against the company’s products.
A couple of days ago, Google along with other security researchers released a couple of documents which chronicled the major security flaws in Intel, AMD, and ARM processors. The reason this flaw is much more complex than the usual software or hardware bugs is that it’s more than just a bug that can be fixed with an update. The flaw lies in the middle, at the level of the processors’ “architectures,” in the way all the millions of transistors and logic units work together to carry out tasks.
Meltdown and Spectre exploit critical vulnerabilities in modern processors. These hardware bugs allow programs to steal data which is currently processed on the computer. While programs are typically not permitted to read data from other programs, a malicious program can exploit Meltdown and Spectre to get hold of secrets stored in the memory of other running programs. This might include passwords stored in a password manager or browser, personal photos, emails, instant messages and even business-critical documents.
Google announced a fix for one Meltdown and Spectre vulnerability each and claimed that these fixes won’t result in system slowdowns which was feared by many.
On the 4th of October, Google took to stage to launch the Pixel 2 devices along with the highly anticipated cheaper version of the Google Home, called the Google Home Mini. As much exciting the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL devices were, the Home Mini and the Home Max really caught people’s attention. Even though Amazon really opened up the smart speaker market with its line of Echo speakers, Google appears to be the company that has benefited from the surge in demand for more smart home tech.
Google Home Mini
In a blog post, Google announced the success of its ‘Home’ lineup:
So it’s no wonder we’ve sold tens of millions of all our Google devices for the home over this last year. And in fact, we sold more than one Google Home device every second since Google Home Mini started shipping in October.
2017 was an important year of Google’s hardware, and where the Pixel 2 devices failed to meet the soaring expectations, the Google Home devices have been extremely well received. Before October od 2017, Google had one speaker, the Google Home which was sounded okay, but, wasn’t really affordable and the Amazon Echo Dot was available for less than half its price. Before the October launch event, there were rumours that Google will launch an Echo Dot competitive and so it did. The Home Mini was launched at a price of US $49 (Rs. 3,100 approx.) and came down to as low as US $20 during the holiday season.
Amazon Echo Dot Is Now Available In India
While the Home Mini was for people who were just starting out with the whole smart home setup, the Google Home Max was for people who didn’t mind spending a lot of extra cash for a special sounding smart speaker. While the Home Mini, shaped like a doughnut can easily gel with your furniture and not attract a lot of attention, the Home Max is massive and will grab a lot of attention because of how it looks. It is also priced at US $399 (Rs. 25,000 approx.) which is definitely pricey for a smart speaker. Google Home Max has two 4.5-inch woofers with tweeters covered by a fabric speaker grill. It features touch controls, supports Bluetooth as well as Google Cast and has a 3.5mm audio jack.
Google Home Max
It also appears that more Google Assistant-powered devices are on the cards as CES rolls around:
And next week, we have even more things in store for the Assistant at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. If you’re at CES, stop by the Google Assistant Playground (Central Plaza-21) to check out some of our new integrations, devices, and the newest ways you can use your Assistant.
While the Pixel 2 devices had their stumbling blocks due to both hardware and software shortcoming, the Google Home devices, especially after that initial hiccup have been rather successful for the company. There is still no word from the company about the Google Home devices being launched in Asian markets such as India. But, with Amazon introducing its three Echo speakers in India, Google Home devices might not be too far away either.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to be either launched at MWC or at a special event later in March. While there have been a few reports that predicted an early launch, possibly at CES 2018, the company conceded that an early launch is not on cards. That leaves us with just over a couple of months for all the leaks that will seemingly “confirm” what the devices will look like.
Plenty of leaks and rumours have only been reported and this new leak of a screen protector has revealed something that has been speculated for a while now. The image shows that the bezels on the Galaxy S9+ (and presumably Galaxy S9) will be only slightly smaller than that found on their predecessors. While many believed that the new Galaxy ‘S’ devices will have a radical new design, multiple leaks have since, quashed those claims and it appears clearer than ever that the Galaxy S9 devices will look very similar to the Galaxy S8 devices.
One great news for Galaxy S9 and S9+ aspirants is that the fingerprint sensor will be repositioned. As much as we had liked an in-display fingerprint sensor, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will not adopt that technology yet and instead, place the fingerprint sensor below the camera, which is a much more ergonomic placement for the sensor.
While the Galaxy S8 and S8+ barely had any differences barring the screen and battery size, this year’s devices will have much more noticeable differences. The Galaxy S9 will continue to have a single camera at the back while the Galaxy S9+ will have a dual camera setup which could be vertically placed, unlike the Galaxy Note8.
Horizontally placed dual cameras on the Galaxy Note8
Both the devices are expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset for the American and South Korean markets while the rest of the world will have the Exynos 9810 chipset-powered Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Exynos 9810 chipset has a lot of emphasis on AI, which means that the company is counting big on its facial recognition technology to challenge Apple’s Face ID.The display size will remain the same as that of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ with slightly thinner bezels.
With 2017 witnessing thousand dollar flagship phones, the Galaxy S9+ could be priced similarly to the iPhone X while the Galaxy S9 will remain a bit more affordable than its bigger sibling.
Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus in China. The two budget smartphones sport a modern 18:9 aspect ratio and are expected to launch in India soon. Ever since the Redmi 5 Plus was launched, there were rumours that Xiaomi will launch the Redmi 5 Plus in India as the Redmi Note 5 and drop the ‘Note’ series in China altogether.
Let’s unbox the Redmi 5 Plus and see what we get inside the box:
Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
Documentation
Sim ejector tool
Micro USB cable
Wall charger
Clear Case
First impressions
The first thing you notice about the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is the tall display and relatively thinner bezels around. By no means is it a bezel-less display but, the curved corners make the display look better. The form factor of the device is surprisingly comfortable especially considering that it houses an almost 6-inch display. The phone, although a bit slippery, is comfortable and if you’d like to protect from the get-go, the company provides a clear case inside the box.
Specifications
It has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which again, translated to an 18:9 aspect ratio.
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. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device which has become a Redmi signature irrespective of thin or thick bezels.
The Redmi 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.
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 5 Plus 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.
Companies usually wait for CES to launch new and exciting pieces of technology. LG, however, appears to be in no mood to wait for this year’s CES, as it has launched its first ever 4K projector, the HU80KA. LG claims the new UHD projector is almost half the size of its competition in the market and unlike other projectors which are “heavy, expensive, and difficult to install,” this one from LG is better.
LG is calling the HU80KA an “affordable, yet premium” 4K projector which can output a 150-inch picture on any wall in a house. The picture from this machine can get really bright as well, and the company claims that the HU80KA maxes out at 2500 lumens, which makes it the company’s brightest projector yet and puts it on par with what’s on the market today.
As far as positioning of the projector is concerned, it can be placed on the floor, mounted on the wall, or hung from the ceiling. Along with 4K resolution, there is also support for HDR video with HDR10. Just like a lot of other LG TVs, the projector runs WebOS, so most of the big streaming apps will come integrated out of the box. For sound, the projector has two 7-watt speakers built-in which might be enough depending on the room the projector is placed in.
LG has not revealed the price of the HU80KA yet which means that the rest of the details like price and availability will be revealed at CES 2018 which will take place from the 8th of January in Las Vegas.
