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Apple iPhone X Vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Feat. Samsung Galaxy Note8

2017 saw the rise of ‘bezel-less” smartphones which was ignited by the 2016 Xiaomi Mi Mix. In March 2017, the Samsung Galaxy S8 with a zero side bezels and thin forehead and chin was launched. The trickle down effect was noticeable as more and more smartphones came out with thin bezels. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was launched in August as the successor to the ill-fated Galaxy Note7 with a design similar to the Galaxy S8 albeit, a more square-ish build which is iconic to the ‘Note’ series. After months of speculations and leaks, Apple launched the highly anticipated iPhone X on the 12th of September.

Display

All the three smartphones have excellent displays with great clarity and viewing angles. All three phones have an OLED panel manufactured by Samsung and while the 5.8 inch inch display on the iPhone X has a resolution of 2436 x 1125 px, the Galaxy S8’s 5.8 inch and Galaxy Note8’s 6.3 inch display have a resolution of 2960 x 1440 px.

Performance

Every flagship smartphone in this day and age has to be fast. You can’t pay over Rs 60,000 for a phone and experience lags and jitteriness just a few days into using it. For a phone launched back in March, the Samsung Galaxy S8 holds up very well. Both the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy Note8 have the Exynos 8895 chipset, and while the Galaxy S8 has 4GB of RAM, the Galaxy Note8 has 6GB of RAM. The Apple iPhone X on the other hand has the A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine and 3GB of RAM. All three phones are fast and day-to-day usage as well as heavy gaming is a breeze.

Camera

The Apple iPhone X and the Samsung Galaxy Note8 have dual camera setup at the back while the Samsung Galaxy S8 has a single camera. Despite a single camera, the Galaxy S8 is still one of the best camera smartphones out there. However, the flexibility of a dual camera setup trumps the single one on the Galaxy S8 and with dual OIS, the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note8 perform better than the Galaxy S8. If you are a content creator then look no further than the iPhone X as it records 4K videos at 60 fps, something that no other smartphone does right now.

Watch our full comparison here:

November 4, 2017
Apple iPhone X Goes On Sale In India Today – Price, Launch Offers And Specifications

The Apple iPhone X goes on sale in India on the 3rd of November. Apple launched the iPhone X on the 12th of September along with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Even though the Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale in the subsequent week, iPhone X fans were made to wait for over a month before they could pre-order it. In India, the pre-orders began on the 27th of October and both the 64GB and 256GB variants were sold out within minutes. Airtel announced that the iPhone X will be available to buy on its online store from 6pm, 3rd November.

Price

The Apple iPhone X is the most expensive iPhone ever launched in India. The 64Gb variant is priced at Rs 89000 in India while the 256GB variant is priced at Rs 102,000.

Launch Offers

As an introductory offer, Airtel is offering up to Rs 10000 cashback for people who pay using the Citibank credit card. This offer will be vail between 6pm 3rd November and 7am 4th November. Airtel Prepaid and non-Airtel customers can upgrade to Airtel postpaid to be eligible for the purchase and can choose from a plans that offer large bundles of high speed data and unlimited calling.

Citibank credit and debit card users who buy the iPhone X on the day of the launch will get up to Rs 10,000 cashback for pre-booking. Reliance Jio has a 70% buyback offer for the Apple iPhone X for people who buy the iPhone X from Amazon.

Specifications

The iPhone X has a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 px OLED True Tone Super Retina display. The Apple iPhone X has a tall display thanks to its bezel-less design and has a notch at the top of the display.

Under the hood, the smartphone has the Apple A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine, a hexacore processor, 3GB of RAM and storage options of 64GB, and 256GB. The small bezels mean there is no physical home button, which is now replaced with gestures for navigation. Siri is activated by pressing the now larger lock/unlock button. The iPhone X is also IP67 certified for water and dust resistance, and wireless charging. The iPhone X is powered by a 3000 mAh battery and supports fast-charging however, the wall charger found inside the retail box is not a fast charger.

The iPhone X has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, and it’s equipped with dual optical image stabilization. The sensors are both larger and faster, according to Apple, and the main camera is equipped with a wide angle lens and has an f/1.8 aperture while the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.4 aperture. In between the two cameras is a quad-LED True Tone flash. Both the front and back cameras have the portrait mode. The rear cameras have the portrait lighting feature, just like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

You may also like : I Spent A Day With The iPhone X And I Am Done With The Home Button

Apple has replaced Touch ID with Face ID in the new iPhone X. Thanks to the new cameras, Apple is bidding high on the iPhone X’s AR capabilities with features such as animojis.

Watch Our Unboxing:

iPhone X Tips, Gestures and Hidden Features:

Apple iPhone X Vs Google Pixel 2

November 3, 2017
Google Forgets To Install Android In Some Pixel 2 XL Units

Google appears to have forgotten that an Android phone needs an Android OS to function. Reports from the US claim that a few Google Pixel 2 XL were shipped to customers without an operating system. There are multiple threads on Reddit on the issue, and almost all users complain about the same message welcoming them “Can’t find valid operating system. The device will not start.” After multiple issues were reported, Google responded that it will be replacing all the devices which were shipped with this issue.

One of the Reddit users wrote in a thread:

I came home excited to unbox my new Pixel 2 XL. Upon turning on the device I was greeted with a black screen stating, “Can’t find valid operating system. The device will not start.” Spent an hour on the chat with two different customer service reps and they are wanting to send me a replacement phone. Really frustrating.

There seems to be no end to the woes of Google’s new flagship phone, the Pixel 2 XL. Even though the phone’s software and camera has been appreciated, the dismal display has been panned by critics especially considering the fact that it costs close to Rs 80000 in India. Complaints of a blue tint and screen burnout have been reported and Google did come out and clarify its stand. Google has said that a future software patch will resolve the blue tint issue and the users will be able to tweak the display settings to show more vibrant colours.

Apart from the display, some customers complained that their Pixel 2 XL boxes had a cutout for Pixelbuds but, there were no Pixelbuds to be found inside the box.

Thanks to social media, little issues can be blown out of proportion but, shipping a smartphone without an operating system seems to be a first of its kind issue. To be successful in markets where Google has not even launched the device, it needs to negate these issues and start shipping the best version of the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL.

November 3, 2017
Thousands Line Up Outside Apple Stores To Receive Their iPhone X

The launch of the Apple iPhone X has seen a huge turn out at Apple stores across the world. When the iPhone X was launched along with iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, Apple announced that the iPhone 8 will go on sale first and the iPhone X will be available to buy from the 3rd of November across the globe. It was predicted that a lot of consumers will hold off and upgrade to the iPhone X rather than the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus.

Outside Apple Store in Beijing, China

As the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus went on sale, the long queues outside Apple stores, something we’re used to seeing over the years was missing. Predictions came true when the iPhone X went on sale on the 3rd of November and people started lining up outside the Apple stores everywhere from Sydney to Shanghai. Strong initial demand underscores Apple’s upbeat sales forecast for the year-end holiday shopping season, provided just hours before iPhone X sales began.

iPhone 8 turnout

The Apple iPhone X is billed as the true successor to the original iPhone which was launched in 2007. This is the first major design detour that Apple has taken in many years and so far, people appear to like the it. The Apple iPhone X also has wireless charging like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus along with a steel frame. The iPhone X has a 5.8 inch OLED display with minimal bezels around it and a prominent ‘notch’ at the top which houses all the sensor and the true-depth camera.

Apple has replaced Touch ID with Face ID in the iPhone X and although you might take a few days to get used to it, you will soon forget about the home button.

The iPhone X has dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, and it’s equipped with dual optical image stabilization. The sensors are both larger and faster, according to Apple, and the main camera is equipped with a wide angle lens and has an f/1.8 aperture while the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.4 aperture. In between the two cameras is a quad-LED True Tone flash. Both the front and back cameras have the portrait mode. The rear cameras have the portrait lighting feature, just like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.

The Apple iPhone X is also the most expensive iPhone ever. The 64GB variant in India is priced at Rs 89000 and if you want more storage, you will have to shell out a whopping Rs 102,000 for the 256GB variant.

November 3, 2017
Paytm Inbox Lets You Send And Receive Money Through Texting

Paytm has rolled out a new update of its app which introduces a new feature called Inbox. The new feature is a full-fledged instant messaging app in itself which lets people communicate through texts, photos, videos or emojis and most importantly, lets you send or receive money as well. The money can only be transferred using the Paytm wallet and this update comes before WhatsApp rolls out its payment feature.

In a blog post, Paytm said:

We are excited to launch Paytm Inbox today, a new offering on our app with a fast and simple messaging service that will let you chat with your friends and family, and send/request money at the same time. You can even chat with your friendly neighborhood shopkeeper and order stuff easily and send them money instantly on delivery.

According to Paytm, Inbox will make payments easier, “as everyone from individuals to local retail stores to home-based entrepreneurs can now interact and initiate payments on-the-go.”

The update – which is already available on Android, will soon be available for iOS as well, adds Inbox to the main Paytm app, in the bottom navigation bar. Tap on the Inbox and you can start chatting with your friends. It uses your Paytm linked phone number and if you press the new message button, it shows you the phone numbers of all your friends who use the app as well.

The Inbox update will compete with WhatsApp’s upcoming payments feature. Paytm also announced that the Inbox messaging features has ‘delete for all’ option which WhatsApp recently rolled out for all the devices.

We understand you may send something by mistake. You can recall a message?—?whether to one person or a group by using the ‘Delete for All’ option. The good news is, there are no deadlines for this to work!

Paytm has certainly timed this launch to perfection. With more online payment apps entering India, Paytm needed something to differentiate from the rest of the products in the market. It will be interesting to see if people will actually shift from WhatsApp to Paytm just for the Inbox feature.

November 3, 2017
Is This What The OnePlus 5T Will Look Like?

OnePlus confirmed that the OnePlus 5T is a real phone and not the work of someone’s imagination. It is expected that the OnePlus 5T will have a new design and display with same hardware as the OnePlus 5. On the 3rd of November, OPPO, OnePlus’ parent company launched the OPPO R11s and R11s Plus with thin bezels and tall displays and 18:9 aspect ratio. The OnePlus 5, when it was launched in June 2017 looked almost identical to the OPPO R11. This means that it is fair to assume that the OnePlus 5T will take a lot of design cues from the OPPO R11s.

The rumours and the launch of the OPPO R11s falls in line as well. The OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental rather than a drastic upgrade over the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have a 6-inch AMOLED display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. A tall display means that the phone will be sleeker than the OnePlus 5 and have thinner bezels as well. The fingerprint sensor is expected to be relocated to the back of the phone just above the OnePlus logo. All of these design elements can be found on the OPPO R11s as well.

Apart from a design change, the OnePlus 5T is expected to have the same hardware as the OnePlus 5. When the OnePlus 3T was launched, it had the same design and hardware except for a bigger battery and a new chipset. In this case, since the OnePlus 5 already has the best flagship chipset, the OnePlus 5T will stick to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 6GB/8GB of RAM.

OnePlus has just confirmed that the upcoming OnePlus 5T will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack which is a good news for anyone waiting to upgrade to the OnePlus 5T. The speculated date of launch of the OnePlus 5T is the 20th of November and if that turns out to be true, then OnePlus should be sending out press invites soon.

November 3, 2017
The OnePlus 5T Is Real And Will Have A Headphone Jack

The OnePlus 5T has been leaked in listings and renders for the past few weeks now. Ever since the first render we saw a few weeks ago, the OnePlus 5T’s possible launch seems more imminent with every passing day. In a post on the OnePlus forum, Pete, co-founder of OnePlus wrote about the importance of a headphone jack and titled it, ‘The OnePlus 5T – Let’s talk about the headphone jack’. This post all but confirms that Chinese smartphone maker will be launching the OnePlus 5T soon.

Pete talks about the importance of a 3.5mm headphone jack and why OnePlus, at least for the time being, won’t be getting rid of it even when most of the smartphone makers appear to have moved on from it.

That’s why we prioritize the user and make good technology accessible. Sometimes, industry trends go against our core beliefs. This is one of those times when we respectfully disagree on what it means to be courageous.

Over the course of past few weeks, apart from the usual leaks and renders we see of every phone, the OnePlus co-founders Carl Pei and Pete Lau have taken to Twitter to tease the portrait mode of an upcoming phone. They posted portrait mode photos with cryptic captions and has intrigued consumers and the tech community alike.

https://twitter.com/getpeid/status/925042536124522496

The OnePlus social media team has also jumped the hype train. In a Twitter post, OnePlus shared an image of 5 cups of tea, which suggests ‘OnePlus 5T’. Till now, all of this seemed like speculation and hoping a OnePlus 5T launch because of such cryptic social media activity was highly optimistic. But, this new post on the OnePlus forum by a OnePlus employee all but confirms that the OnePlus 5T is real.

Oh, look! It's five cups of… pic.twitter.com/vWWWxyiUuf

— OnePlus (@oneplus) November 1, 2017

Just like the OnePlus 3T, the OnePlus 5T is expected to be an incremental update rather than a drastic new upgrade in terms of hardware. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset as it is the current flagship chipset. The dual cameras at the back are also expected to be the same as found on the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5T is expected to have a 6 inch AMOLED display with a 2160 x 1080 x resolution which translates to an 18:9 aspect ratio.

The smartphone is expected to run Android 7.1.1 Nougat with OnePlus’ Oxygen OS on top. The 2017 flagship will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with a combination of either 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage or a whopping 8GB RAM and 128 of storage which can not be expanded. The OnePlus 5T is also expected feature dual cameras on the back, one of the main cameras is a 20 MP sensor with an f/2.6 aperture, while the other is a 16 MP camera with an aperture of F/1.7 . The secondary telephoto lens is used for 2X lossless optical zoom and a ‘portrait mode’ for blurred background images.

The speculated date of launch of the OnePlus 5T is the 20th of November and if that turns out to be true, then OnePlus should be sending out press invites soon.

November 3, 2017
You May Soon Be Able To Legally Fly A Drone In India
Unmanned Aerial Systems, or commonly known as Drones, have been around for a long time now. A lot of countries have tight regulations around the usage of drones but, getting access to drones and permissions to use it are easily available in such countries. In India, selling and purchasing drones is restricted.

Although it is used by the Army, getting permissions if you are a civilian are cumbersome and if you get permissions, it comes with a set of rigid regulations. However, it appears that the Indian government has identified the advantages of drone usage if conducted with fair and safe regulations. The Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju presented the first draft of regulations for drone usage in India and also announced that the final regulations will be presented on the 31st of December. This means that flying drones in India could be legal in 2018.

Civil Aviation SecretaryR N Choubey said, “We are making rules that are very user friendly.” At the press briefing on the regulations, Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju said the drone industry could help India’s development in several sectors such as agriculture and oil and gas. He also added that the government intends to make India the world’s leader in the use of drones. He also expressed hope that the draft norms would encourage genuine and “discourage nefarious activities”.

The draft regulations firstly identifies the type of drones that exist and then categorises it in terms of the weight of the drones. Depending on the size and weight of the drone a person intends to fly, they will have to accordingly get the permissions and the time taken to to get such permissions will also vary. Here are the key points from the draft regulation for usage of drones in India:
- There are five types of drones – nano, micro, mini, small and large.
- The weight of these drones range anything from 250 grams to 150 kilograms.
- Drones that weight under 250 grams do not need any security clearance
- Micro category (250 grams to 2 kilograms) will get approvals in 2 days.
- Most of the commercial drones will come in the ‘Micro’ category
- Whenever someone has to operate a drone, they will need a different approval. Apart from nano drones, all other categories will need an air defence clearance so that aviation as well as security authorities are aware of the flight path.
- Drones can be used for photography, medical uses, ad film making and so on. E-commerce companies should be able to use drones as well.
- Air rickshaws and passenger drones can also be considered in this policy.
- Drones that weigh under 2 kilograms and operating under 200ft above ground, once registered, can be flown without a nod.
- There will be no-drone zones such as above operational aerodromes and within 5 km of Vijay Chowk in Delhi, within 500 metres from strategic locations, from mobile platforms such as car, ship or air craft, over eco-sensitive zones like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (unless approved by Environment Ministry).
As announced, the final regulatory framework can be expected by the 31st of December. The policy-making process will not just include inputs from government officials but, also the stakeholders. Drone makers, companies that will primarily use drones and other stakeholders will be invites for inputs and at the end of it, a final framework for the usage of drones will be announced.
November 2, 2017
Unboxing The Xiaomi Redmi Y1
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSSr6XhjiXk[/embedyt]

Xiaomi has launched a new lineup of Android powered smartphones in India. The new series, a part of the Redmi lineup will focus on the growing craze of selfies. The Redmi Y1 Lite and Redmi Y1 were launched as the first two smartphones in this lineup. The Redmi Y1 Lite will retail for a price of Rs 6999 and the Redmi Y1 is priced at Rs 8999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant and Rs 10999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant. The Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite will go on sale on the 8th of November on Amazon exclusively. Let’s unbox the Redmi Y1 and see what we get inside the box:
- Xiaomi Redmi Y1
- Documentation
- Micro USB cable for charging and data syncing
- Wall charger
- Sim ejector tool
The Redmi Y1 is built similar to a lot of other Redmi phones. A fingerprint sensor placed at the back with antenna lines on the top and bottom of the device and soft metal finish are reminiscent of a lot of other Redmi phones like the Redmi Note 4 for example.

The Redmi Y1 has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection.

The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. The Redmi Y1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, Adreno 505, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 has a front facing 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. Xiaomi claims that the software processing and beautify mode will result “in your best selfie ever.” The rear-mounted 13MP camera with PDAF and LED flash.
November 2, 2017
Bose QC 35 II Launched In India

Bose has launched a new iteration of its highly acclaimed QC 35 noise canceling headphones, the QC 35 II in India. Priced at Rs 29,363 the Bose QC 35 II will be sold at Bose retail stores, Boseindia.com and Amazon.

The Bose Quiet Comfort 35 II have a battery life of up to 20 hours. Just like the QC 35, the same controls remain on the right ear-cup, audio volume, and the multi-function button for incoming calls and accessing Siri. And now, there’s a new Action Button on the left earcup to connect to your Google Assistant without having to grab your phone, unlock it, and find the app.

Like its predecessor, the QC35 II’s noise cancellation is fully activated when the headphone is on, but, the Bose Connect App now lets you choose to keep it on (high), turn it down (low), or disable it completely (off). The Connect App also lets you change the Action Button’s functionality, so you can control the noise settings from the ear-cup when you want, and switchback to your Google Assistant when you want.

November 2, 2017
HTC U11 Life Launched In Two Variants

HTC has launched the HTC U11 Life in two variants, one variant running Android 7.1 Nougat with Sense UI and an Android One variant running Android 8.0 Oreo. The HTC U11 Life is priced at US $349 (Rs 22500 approx.) for the unlocked version in the US. There is no official word on its availability in India as of now.

Following up the launch of the flagship phone, the HTC U11+, the HTC U11 Life will be a part of the ‘U’ lineup from HTC and pegged as a mid-range device. The HTC U11 Life will offer the consumers a choice between custom skin and pure stock Android OS without compromising on any other aspect. The HTC U11 Life has HTC’s new “liquid surface” design language with two glossy panels that meld into a metal frame.

The HTC U11 Life has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution which translates to a 16:9 aspect ratio. The HTC U11+ also has Corning Gorilla Glass on top of the display.

Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button that is placed below the 5.2 inch display. The 3.5mm headphone jack is missing on the U11 Life but, the box will include a pair of USB C earphones with active noise canceling. Powering the device is a small 2600 mAh battery.

The HTC U11 Life has a 16MP rear-mounted camera with an f/2.0 aperture and PDAF. Similar to the HTC U11+, the camera records 4K and slo-mo videos as well. On the front of the device is a 16 MP fixed focus sensor with an f/2.0 aperture which records 1080P videos.

The Edge Sense feature from the U11 retains its place with new features and more customisability. With the HTC U11 Life, you can assign a light squeeze to access Google Assistant, and a hard squeeze to access the Amazon Alexa and vice versa. The squeeze feature is now a remappable button and can perform specific tasks depending on which app you’re in. If you have the YouTube app, you can remap the squeeze to take you to the subscriptions window or if you are in Google Maps, you squeeze to zoom in or zoom out. HTC has also added a new radial menu which can be accessed with a squeeze. It is a round shaped menu which customises on the basis of your usage.

November 2, 2017
HTC U11+ Launched At A Price Of EUR 699

HTC has launched the HTC U11+ at a price of £699 (Rs 59800 approx.) in the UK. There is no official word on the phone’s availability in India as of now. There were multiple leaks leading up to the launch of the phone and most of them have turned out to be accurate. HTC U11+ will succeed the HTC U11 which was launched back in March 2017. Along with the HTC U11+, the HTC U11 Life was also launched, which is a mid-range device with design aesthetics similar to the HTC U11.

HTC U11

HTC seems to have finally caught up with 2017 flagships by offering a phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The HTC U11+ has a new 6-inch IPS LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top of the display and at the back. The tall display means the bezels on the HTC U11+ are thinner than the ones found on the HTC U11.

The smartphone is powered by a 3930 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. Similar to the HTC U11, HTC U11+ has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, an octa-core processor, and Adreno 540 GPU. The HTC u11+ further has 6GB of RAM and 128GB onboard storage which can be further expanded up to 2TB. The HTC U11+ is IP68 rated water and dust resistant and due to the thin bezels, the fingerprint sensor is now placed below the rear-mounted camera.

The HTC U11+ has a 12.2MP rear-mounted camera with an f/1.7 aperture with optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. The camera can record 4K videos at 30fps and slo-mo 1080P videos at 120fps. On the front of the phone is an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and fixed focus. The front-facing camera can record 1080P videos at 30fps.via microSD card.

The HTC U11+ runs Android 8.0 Oreo with HTC’s Sense UI on top.

The Edge Sense feature from the HTC U11 retains its place albeit new features and customisability. With AI’s gaining more prominence, HTC has provided both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to give people the flexibility and choose which AI assistant they prefer. You can assign a light squeeze to access Google Assistant, and a hard squeeze to access the Amazon Alexa and vice versa. The squeeze feature is now a remappable button and can perform specific tasks depending on which app you’re in. If you have the YouTube app, you can remap the squeeze to take you to the subscriptions window or if you are in Google Maps, you squeeze to zoom in or zoom out. HTC has also added a new radial menu which can be accessed with a squeeze. It is a round shaped menu which customises on the basis of your usage.

HTC cleared the air of scepticism surrounding its smartphone business after the co operative agreement with Google, which saw its smartphone division’s personnel moving to work with Google. HTC announced in the press release after the agreement that it will continue making smartphones and with the launch of two new smartphones, it appears that HTC still has the desire to compete for smartphone supremacy with the likes of Samsung, LG and Apple. How the phones perform in the market is yet to be seen but, on paper at least, the HTC U11+ has all the specifications of a successful 2017 flagship phone.

November 2, 2017
MIUI 9 Update In India To Start Rolling Out In November

At an event in Delhi on the 2nd of November, Xiaomi announced that MIUI 9 update will start rolling out to compatible devices in November. The compatible devices for MIUI 9 are

Mi 2, Mi 3, Mi 4, Redmi Note 4G, Mi Note, Mi 4i, Redmi 2, Redmi 2 Prime, Redmi Note 4G Prime, Redmi Note 2, Mi Mix, Mi Note 2, Mi 5, Mi 5s, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3, Redmi 3S, Redmi 3S Prime, Mi Mix 2, Mi Note 3, Mi 6, Mi Max 2, Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 4xX, Redmi Note 5A, Redmi 4, Redmi 4A, Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite.

Faster App Launching Speed

One of the main criticisms of MIUI has been its sluggish nature and the slow speed of general usage even in the flagship devices. Keeping that in mind, Xiaomi has promised much faster app launching speeds and navigation between multiple apps will be snappier as well. Performance enhancements are always welcome and this looks to be a step in the right direction for the Chinese giant.

Under The Hood Updates

Xiaomi has also introduced MIUI 9 with a few features that run in the background for example application prioritisation. This basically means that apps in the foreground will use up more power, but that has been on Android for a while. It also has better cache management, a new file system and a bunch of other tweaks to make the user experience crisper and snappier.

The ‘Smart’ Features

Xiaomi has also launched its Smart Assistant to compete with the likes of Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa and even Bixby. The voice assistant will be available in China only for the time being as localisation of the software may take time. Image search allows you to search your image talliers by image context keywords, so if you a looking for pictures with dogs that you have clicked you will be able to do that. The Smart App Launcher is a feature that makes a lot of sense as well. It basically means that you can open up a relevant app on the basis of the content on your current app. For example, if a friend sends you a restaurant’s name, you can open up Zomato to look up the restaurant.

Split-screen Is here, Finally.

The split-screen feature was one of the major upgrades in Android Nougat and a plethora of phones from mid-rangers to flagships have embraced this handy little feature. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has launched it just now with MIUI 9 and it’s a welcome update.

Here's the update schedule for MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM. For more information, check the thread here – https://t.co/c7Rm5YrZOv pic.twitter.com/81fp96rvpH

— Xiaomi HyperOS India (@XiaomiHyperOSIN) November 2, 2017

The beta version of MIUI 9 will start rolling out to Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Mi Mix 2 and Mi Max 2 on the 3rd of November.

November 2, 2017
Xiaomi Launches Redmi Y1 And Redmi Y1 Lite At A Starting Price Of Rs 6999

Xiaomi has launched its first ever selfie focussed Android phone lineup in India. The Redmi Y1 and the Redmi Y1 Lite are the first part of a new lineup of smartphones in India which will focus on selfies. Along with the new phone, Xiaomi also introduced MIUI 9 in India. Launched back in August in China, the MIUI 9 brings new features like split-screen and CPU acceleration and new themes.

Redmi Y1 Lite

The cheaper of the two phones, the Redmi Y1 Lite has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection. The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. Under the hood, the smartphone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 Lite has a 13MP rear-mounted camera with PDAF. On the front is a 5MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and pro beauty mode. The Redmi Y1 Lite is priced at Rs 6999.

Redmi Y1

The Xiaomi Redmi Y1 has a starting price tag of Rs 8999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage is priced at Rs 10999. The Redmi Y1 also has a 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution. The device also has a 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection. The smartphone is powered by a 3080 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat with MIUI 8.5 on top. Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 9 update will be rolled out for the Redmi Y1 in November. The Redmi Y1 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 chipset, Adreno 505, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded via a dedicated microSD card slot.

The Redmi Y1 has a front facing 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. Xiaomi claims that the software processing and beautify mode will result “in your best selfie ever.” The rear-mounted 13MP camera with PDAF and LED flash.

Both the phones will see their first sale on the 8th of November and will be sold online via Amazon Exclusively. The Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite will also be sold offline in Mi Home, Big Bazaar, Reliance Digital and various offline partners. Idea is offering up to 280GB 4G data to existing Idea customers.

November 2, 2017
Razer Phone Launched With 8GB RAM At A Price Of US $ 699

After weeks of speculation and leaks, Razer has launched the Razer Phone during an event in London. Launched as a gamer’s phone, the Razer Phone has flagship phone specifications. Razer poked fun at the price of its Razer products and announced that the phone will be priced at US $699 and ship it to the US and EU from the 17th of November.

The smartphone has a 5.72-inch IGZO display with 120Hz refresh rate which reinstates that the phone is targeted at gamers. Another interesting aspect here is the front-firing dual speakers. With bezels getting thinner, the trend of front-firing stereo speakers appears to be dying as well. The Pixel 2 XL managed to squeeze in stereo speakers with slightly larger bezels that its competitors. The Razer phone has bezels similar to a Sony smartphone with front-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos sound and amplifiers which are certified by THX. The device is powered by a 4000 mAh battery and runs Android 7.1 Nougat.

Under the hood, the Razer Phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 64GB onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The Razer Phone will come equipped with special games which are specifically reprogrammed with a 2K display and 120Hz refresh rate like Tekken, Legend Of Valor and more. According to Tom Moss, Razer was able to use the technical know-how accumulated over many years in heat dissipation for the Razer Phone. A heat pipe and two-layer heat spreader ensure that the smartphone does not overheat in continuous use and under full load. Bad news for fans of the good old headphone jack, because the Razer phone doesn’t have a 3.5mm jack on the phone itself. To connect analogue headphones, there is a USB type C dongle, which has a THX-certified DAC inside. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the lock/unlock button.

Razer also introduced a “game booster” feature which refers to additional software functions that adjust the clock rate of the processor and the resolution of the display, depending on the app requirements. The user can define whether the four performance cores of the Snapdragon 835 SoC should perform their service at full or lower clock rate.

The Razer phone has a dua l12MP wide-angle lens + 12MP telephoto lens setup at the back. The wide angle lens is the full beam lens with an aperture of f/1.75 and the telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.6. The telephoto lens allows for portrait mode images and also bokeh effect photos. On the front of the device is an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

There is no official word on the availability of the Razer phone in other markets including India.

November 2, 2017