The August 23 launch of Samsung Galaxy Note8 was one of the most anticipated events of the year and Samsung unveiled a worthy successor to the Galaxy Note7. The South Korean smartphone maker announced that customers have pre-ordered the Galaxy Note8 more than any other Note device ever sold by the company.
The steep price of USD 930 had cast a shadow of doubt over the success of the phone, but, Samsung tried to justify that price by bundling a DeX dock and Samsung Gear products for the first few pre-orders. Samsung also announced heavy discounts for previous owners of Galaxy Note7 who traded in their current devices. There were reports that the Galaxy Note8 in South Korea has received 395,000 pre-orders, which is already much more than the number for the Galaxy Note7 last year.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top and is powered by 3,300 mAh battery with QuckCharge 3.0 capabilities. Under the hood, the Galaxy Note8, for the Indian market has the Exynos 8895 chipset, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU)+1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) processor, Mali-G71 MP20 GPU, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. In a disappointing move, Samsung retained the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor right next to the dual cameras at the back.
Talking about cameras, the Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.
Samsung will launch the Galaxy Note8 in India on September 12 for a reported price of Rs 74,999 and the pre-orders have already started on its official website.
Apple unveiled the HomePod during its annual WWDC event in 2017 and is expected to officially launch it in December. A recent Instagram post by, who seems like a supply chain worker, of the HomePod has shed more light on what the smart speaker will look like when it is launched. The user posted a photo of the speaker on Instagram with the hashtag #HomePod and the location is pinned to Shanghai, China. In the image, what seems like the user’s kitchen, you can see the HomePod, a charger, and its box.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYfhudMAzIN/
Later, a Twitter user posted a screenshot showing a HomePod appeared in the control center of his iPhone while driving through Menlo Park in California. The HomePod is labeled ‘Kitchen’ and it seems like an Apple employee is testing the smart speaker in their home. Lately, HomePod has been in the news for more being more than just a smart speaker. After Apple accidentally released the firmware of HomePod, several details about the upcoming iPhone were fished out by experts, ranging from a virtual home button to facial recognition to bezel-less display.
The two images barely reveal anything about the HomePod and a lot of it was already revealed by the firmware. The launch of the HomePod is set for December, but, before December comes, the September 12 launch event is just around the corner where Apple might announce the all new iPhone. Stay tuned for more details.
The new iterations of Google’s Pixel lineup, the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are rumoured to be unveiled on October 5 this year. Several leaks have suggested an omitted headphone jack and Qualcomm Snapdragon 836chipset, and the latest image of the Pixel 2 from 9To5Google hints at more features.
The images, that are heavily blurred to keep the source’s identity intact reveal a ‘Slate Grey’ colour variant that the source confirmed is being tested internally as of now. Previous images of the phone show a variant that has aluminium black color with a black glass on the top third of the back. The image also shows two holes under the camera’s flash which is the “send” and “receive” sensor’s for the Pixel 2’s AutoFocus feature. The same report confirms that Google has indeed removed the headphone jack and is that the company is preparing to push its own Google Assitant powered headphones as a worthy replacement. A USB C to 3.5mm headphone jack dongle will come bundled in the Pixel 2 retail box.
Some light was shed on the storage capacity of the phone as well, suggesting that the 64GB variant will be the base variant this time around with a 128GB storage variant as the second upgrade. The Pixel 2 will retain the 4.7 inch 1920 x 1080 px display and thick bezels of the previous gen Pixel phone as well. The report reveals that the Pixel 2 will also have IP68 water and dust resistance which was dearly missed last time around. With no real information on the camera front, the source did confirm that the new phones will continue with EIS and low-light performance will remain the primary focus. Another noteworthy information is that the Pixel 2 will reportedly come with an Always-On Display option, which has been rumoured in the past. It also claims that the Pixel 2 will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo, and it will be the first device to launch with the previously-announced Google Lens app.
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 will also be slightly more expensive than the previous gen, and the Pixel XL 2 will reportedly have a bezel-less design much like a lot of 2017 flagship and budget devices.
Samsung is trying to get the business buyers excited with the upcoming Note8, since they are going to be a big chunk of the prospective owners with a massive Rs. 74999 price tag (rumored). Samsung will bundle a DeX Dock with the Galaxy Note 8 Early orders, a value of almost Rs. 10,000, plus every Note8 buyer will get 100GB of data with Airtel and/or Jio according to our sources. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will launch in about a week in India. Which is the Same day as the official announcement of the iPhone 8. Samsung really wants to push its DeX hub to potential Note 8 buyers. The first iteration of the DeX didn’t do well, and with revisions Samsung claims that the DeX is faster and has the potential to replace Desktop computing for most people, although we wouldn’t bet on that.
Much like the Bixby button, which doesn’t have the voice capabilities in India yet, the Dex is something which will never replace a real PC users machine. And while Samsung may be aware of that, Business capabilities of the Note8 are key selling points, especially in a price conscious market like India.
These offers may change just before launch and we will keep you posted on developments. Samsung will launch the Note 8 in two colors in India along with most of the accessories and covers for the device at launch.
While the Note8 is one of Samsung’s best devices, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is 90% similar to the Note 8 with a price which is Rs. 10000 lower than that of the Note8 ( 128GB S8 Plus is now available for Rs. 65900 after Rs. 9000 discount)
Lenovo has launched the K8 Plus in India at a price of Rs 10,999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The device will be available in Fine Gold and Venom Black.
The Lenovo K8 Plus has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with three touch capacitive navigation buttons below. The device an oleophobic coating to resist fingerprint smudges and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. Powering the device is a 4,000 mAh battery and it runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat after Lenovo decided to drop the Vibe Pure UI and go the stock OS route. Under the hood, the smartphone has the MediaTek Helio P25 chipset, a 2.6 GHz octa-core processor, Mali T880 GPU, 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. Similar to the K8 Note, the K8 Plus has a dedicated microSD card slot along with two nano SIM card slots. Lenovo claims that the K8 Plus with Helio P25 will be better at heat management than a device running Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. The device has an all metal unibody design and the fingerprint sensor sits at the back.
Lenovo has given a lot of importance to media consumption with a TheaterMax feature for content consumption. The Dolby Atmos app lets you customise the music settings according to your preference when a pair of headphones is plugged in. The device has a dedicated music key on the left, under the SIM card and microSD card slots which can be programmed to launch an app and control music playback.
On the camera front, the Lenovo K8 Plus sports a vertically placed dual-camera setup, much like the recently launched Lenovo K8 Note. It has a primary 13MP Pure cell sensor mated with a 5MP Samsung BSI sensor dual camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. The smartphone is capable of depth effect shots, bokeh effect shots, and dual ISP images. On the front is an 8MP wide angle lens with an f/2.0 and an LED flash. Both the front and back camera record 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30 FPS.
The smartphone will go on sale on September 7 at 12 noon and will be a Flipkart exclusive. Lenovo also announced that a 4GB RAM variant will launch in India during the upcoming festive season.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Note8 in New York last month and looks all set to debut its new flagship in India on September 12. Samsung has reportedly sent out press invites for a September 12 event in New Delhi to showcase its next big innovation. The invite doesn’t specify the name of the device but it is almost certain that the Galaxy Note8 will be introduced for the Indian market at a price of Rs 74,999. The pre-registrations of the device have already started in India and the successor to the Galaxy Note7 seems like the best bet right now. The phone will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours in India.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top and is powered by 3,300 mAh battery with QuckCharge 3.0 capabilities. Under the hood, the Galaxy Note8, for the Indian market has the Exynos 8895 chipset, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU)+1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) processor, Mali-G71 MP20 GPU, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. In a disappointing move, Samsung retained the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor right next to the dual cameras at the back.
Talking about cameras, the Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.
The S Pen is more than just a marketing gimmick and has become the standout feature of the Galaxy Note series over the past few years. The S Pen and the Galaxy Note8 are both also IP68 certified water and dust resistant. The S-Pen comes with a host of new features such as Smart Select, which allows you to easily select, clip and copy the content that you like. You can also send .gif messages via the S Pen. The S Pen will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours.
Xiaomi launched the new Mi A1 in India on September 5 at a price of Rs 14,999 with dual cameras and stock Android OS. For the longest time, the Mi 5X was touted to be the first dual-camera phone by Xiaomi to launch in India but, instead, we got an Android One device.
The Mi A1, at Rs 14,999 will compete with the likes of the Moto G5S Plus which also offers stock Android OS and dual-cameras. The Mi 5X and Mi A1 share the same design language, much like any 0ther Xioami Mi phone, and a dual-camera setup. The Mi A1 is the first phone from Xiaomi to feature stock Android OS and it is in association with Google’s Android One program. This means faster OS updates to Android 8.0 Oreo and Android P next year. The Mi5X, on the other hand, runs the MIUI 8 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat and going by Xiaomi’s track record, may not receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo, atlas not for a few months. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the company has confirmed update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.
Hardware wise these phones sit on a pretty similar platform, same chipset, RAM, storage, and similar display and battery size.
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi Mi A1
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is priced at Rs 14,999 for the Indian market and will be available from September 12 on Flipkart, mi.com, Mi Home stores and partner retail outlets. It will be available in Black, Gold, and Rose Gold colour variants. The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and metal unibody build. Powering the device is a 3,080 mAh battery and fast charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The pyrolytic graphite sheet will help in heat management as well, Xiaomi claims. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.
It’s worth noting that despite the stock Android OS, Xiaomi has still introduced a few apps of its own like the Mi Camera app, since Google’s app doesn’t support dual-camera right now. Other apps like the Mi Remote and the Mi Store are also present in the Xiaomi Mi A1.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a 12MP dual-camera setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.
The Xiaomi Mi 5X was launched in China in July as a mid-ranger with dual-cameras, much like the Mi A1 for the Indian market. The smartphone from Xiaomi has a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. Unlike a lot of smartphones from 2017, the Mi 5X has a considerable amount of bezels around the display. The smartphone is powered by a 3,080 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities through the USB Type C port, although, the included charger does not provide a fast charge. The Mi 5X has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. The Mi 5X runs Android 7.1.1 based on MiUi 8.5.
The phone has 12MP dual-cameras with the secondary camera equipped with a telephoto lens for 2X lossless optical zoom. The camera app has a portrait mode very similar to the one on iPhone 7 Plus with features that include a portrait mode, blurring out the background. The dual-cameras are also capable of recording 4K videos at 30 FPS and 720P videos 120 FPS. On the front is a 5MP camera that records 1080P videos at 30 FPS.
The Moto G5S Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with included turbo charge capabilities. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with little customisation done by the manufacturer resulting in stock Android OS experience. The smartphone has the Qualcomm 625 chipset, an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which sits below the display.
The Moto G5S Plus features rear-mounted 13MP dual-cameras with an f/2.0 aperture. The dual camera captures Bokeh, and selective focus shots, along with other capabilities of background replacement and exposure management. On the front is a wide angle 8MP camera with a single LED flash and a panoramic mode. The rear cameras capture videos in 4K at 30 FPS and the front camera records videos in 1080P at 30 FPS. According to Motorola, additional features such as Night Display and Quick Reply enhance the software experience. The implementation of the dual-camera setup on the Moto G5S Plus is different than that on the Mi A1 and the Mi 5X.
Specifications
Mi A1
Mi 5X
Moto G5S Plus
Price
Rs 14,999
Rs 18,000 Approx
Rs 15,999
Display
5.5 inch
5.5 inch
5.5 inch
Display Resolution
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass
–
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Dimensions
155.40 x 75.80 x 7.30 mm
155.40 x 75.80 x 7.30 mm
153 x 76.2 x 7.8 mm
Weight
165 grams
165 grams
168 grams
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Processor
2.0GHz octa-core
2.0GHz octa-core
2.0GHz octa-core
RAM
4GB
4GB
4GB
Storage
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
Rear Camera
2 x 12 MP
26mm, f/2.2
50mm, f/2.6
2 x 12 MP
26mm, f/2.2
50mm, f/2.6
13MP dual-camera with an f/2.0 aperture
Features
Bokeh effect
Depth of field shots
Wide angle landscape shots
2X lossless optical zoom
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is the Mi 5X with stock Android OS and stacks up well against the Moto G5S Plus, at least on spec sheet. The Mi A1 will be a little cheaper than the Moto G5S Plus but, how the two phones compete in the real life is yet to be seen. Stay tuned on iGyaan for more coverage of the Xiaomi Mi A1 and a possible comparison!
Xiaomi has announced the new Mi A1 at an event in New Delhi at a price of Rs 14,999. The phone will be available in Black, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants. The Mi A1 will be the first Xiaomi smartphone to feature stock Android OS in association with Google’s Android One program. The company has also confirmed that the device will receive Android 8.0 Oreo update before the end of 2017 and will be in line to receive to Android P update next year.
The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and aluminum unibody build. Powering the device is a 3080 mAh battery and 2A charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. Even though the phone has stock Android OS, Xiaomi has retained a few apps, such as the Mi camera app since the Google app doesn’t support dual-camera functions right now. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The pyrolytic graphite sheet will help in heat management as well, Xiaomi claims. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features dual sensors – 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture (26mm) and 12MP with an f/2.6 aperture (50mm) setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is priced at Rs 14,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage variant and will be available on Flipkart, mi.com, Mi Home stores and offline partner stores. The smartphone will go on sale from September 12 at Noon online and offline. Xiaomi has teamed up with Airtel to give up to 300GB of 4G data to new and existing Airtel customers on the purchase of the Xiaomi Mi A1.
Samsung J7+ became the smartphone maker’s second Android device to feature a dual-camera setup when it was launched on September 3. The smartphone is available in Thailand right now and will go on sale on September 18 for a price of TBH 12,000 (Rs 24,900 approx.)
The Galaxy J7+ features a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px AMOLED display with an ‘Always On Display’ feature. As compared to the 3,600 mAh battery of the Galaxy J7 (2017), the new Galaxy J7+ is powered by a smaller 3,000 mAh battery. The smaller battery is a major downgrade and with the dimensions of the two virtually identical, it looks like the decision was taken to accommodate the dual cameras. Under the hood, the device has the MediaTek Helio P20 chipset, 4GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a dual-camera setup at the back. The 13MP primary camera with an f/1.7 aperture and a secondary 5MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture work together to create bokeh effect shots with blurred out backgrounds. The second camera captures depth information to provide post-shot focusing capabilities. On the front of the device is a 16MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture and a single LED flash.
The Galaxy J7+ also features Samsung’s AI assistant, Bixby albeit, no dedicated Bixby button. Thanks to the large bezels, the physical home button sits below the display and houses a convenient fingerprint sensor.
There is no official word from Samsung about the Galaxy J7+’s availability in India, yet. The Samsung Galaxy J7+ is an upgrade to the previous gen Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J7 Pro in terms of camera performance, at least on paper, but, the smaller battery and no real slimming down of the phone maybe backward move by Samsung. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
While the internet is flooded with social networks like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Polygram, a new photo-sharing social network comes packed with some unique and innovative features. The photo sharing social network tracks your facial expression to choose an emoji which corresponds to your reaction. So instead of looking at user picked reaction to a particular post, Polygram lets you view the actual emotional reactions people have to the photos you post.
But that is not all, along with face-controlled emojis, the app offers geographical and demographic analytics which let you determine the location and the gender of your viewers. Few other features include filters designed by plastic surgeons to make you look more attractive, for private images, the app provides a “wipe-to-reveal” function which covers the image with fog-like covering. In order to see the image, the viewers will have to wipe away the blur, but that blurriness rapidly reappears so the viewer is unable to see the whole picture. In case a viewer tries to screenshot or take a photo with a second camera, only the currently visible section will be recorded. You will also receive a notification along with a copy of the image they captured or took a screenshot of.
Even with all these new features, Polygram might have a hard time breaking into the scene. Company’s co-founder Faryar Ghazanfari believes that the app can will gain popularity amongst the millennials as no other social media platform offers facial detection and analytics.
Ghazanfari says that “Influencers and content creators are the oxygen in this ecosystem,” and “We have white glove service for influencers, with full-time employees that just create custom features for them.” So if the app can deliver enough usage and views, Ghazanfari thinks people might start purposefully sharing on Polygram too.
Though the company managed to raise $2.1 million in seed funding, Polygram will still have to sign up substantial number of users and ensure that they invest time in this platform to compete with the likes of Instagram and Snapchat. The app is currently available on iOS only.
Apple made the launch of the new iPhone official with a press invite saying, “Let’s meet at our place.” The much awaited September 12 event will be held at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino. Apple is expected to launch the three new iPhones.
Until now, rumours hinted that Apple will go with the traditional naming strategy and name its new iPhones the iPhone 8, iPhone 7S and the iPhone 7S Plus. But as the launch approaches, a new report surfaced stating the latest iPhone line up might be called the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone Edition.
The iPhone maker typically upgrades its iPhones with an “s” model, but Apple seems to be making a lot of big moves and changes this year, with a redesigned iPhone and a new name for its smartphone lineup.
The ‘10th Anniversary Edition’ iPhone will reportedly have Qi wireless charging at a reduced rate which will be compatible with current Qi chargers and will be available in limited numbers. While the earlier reports had suggested that it might not be compatible with existing Qi charging mats despite being based on Qi tech.
It is also speculated that the flagship iPhone Edition willfeature a stainless steel chassiswith rear glass casing and a near bezel-free display with a top notch housing the front facing camera and facial recognition sensors. The smartphone is also reported to replace the Touch ID with facial recognition and feature AR capabilities.
Apple is also expected to launch a new Apple TV, an LTE enabled Apple Watch and new features of the iOS 11.
One of the biggest tech event of the year, the IFA 2017 tech show in Berlin has been a platform for various tech firms to debut everything ranging from Wi-Fi fridges to smartphones. Aside from the newly launched flagships like the LG V30 and the Xperia XZ1, smart assistants, luxury headphones, Bluetooth speakers and smart audio gear were some of the devices showcased at the IFA 2017.
Sinc the demand for smart speakers has surged in the recent past with the entry of Amazon Echo and Google Home, Harman is hedging its bets on smart speakers with the launch of two Google assistant and Alexa powered smart speakers.
Harman Kardon Allure
The Alexa powered, Harman Kardon Allure can be controlled via voice commands. The smart speaker lets you order pizza, play music, read the news, control your smart home appliances, make purchases from Amazon, and much more. Harman Kardon Allure features far-field voice technology which allows the speaker to hear commands even from a far distance. The speaker’s 360-degreeambient lighting that glows in time with the music. The Harman Kardon Allure is priced at $249.95 (approximately Rs 16000) and is available at Amazon.
KEY FEATURES
Amazon Alexa Voice Control
Dual-band Wi-Fi
Far-field Voice Recognition
Built-in four-microphone array with advanced noise cancellation
360-degree sound
Ambient lighting
Wireless Bluetooth streaming
JBL Link Series
The company’s other smart speaker offering includes Google Assistant powered JBL Link series, the LINK 10, LINK 20, and LINK 300. The Google Assistant built-in smart speakers let you stream music, ask questions, manage everyday tasks, etc, by waking the device by saying “Ok, Google”. The LINK 10 and LINK 20 speakers have the IPX7 waterproof design. Both the smart speakers have 5 and 10 hours of battery life, respectively. The smart speakers can be easily linked together using any home Wi-Fi network. The LINK 10, LINK 20 and LINK 300 are priced at $149, $199 and $249, respectively.
KEY FEATURES
LINK 10 | LINK 20 | LINK 300
Built-In Google Assistant
Yes
Chromecast built-in with multi-room music playback
Yes
Speaker output power
2x8W | 2x10W | 50W
Bluetooth
Yes
Battery Life
5 Hours | 10 Hours | NA
Dimensions (mm x mm x mm)
86 x 169 | 93 x 210 | 236 x 134 x 154
Waterproof
IPX7 Rating
Voice controlled smart speakers are one of the most upcoming trends of 2017. And with Amazon’s Echo, Google Home and Apple’s upcoming HomePod, it will be interesting to see how Harman’s smart speakers will stack against its rivals.
Samsung announced the Gear Sport smartwatch, the Gear Fit 2 Pro fitness band and the Icon X 2018 wireless earbuds at the IFA 2017 in Berlin. All three wearables emphasize upon fitness features like the ability to swim in salt water with the Gear Sport and Fit 2 Pro. Though the Icon X 2018 earbuds launched with the ability to interact with Bixby, Samsung skipped the voice assistant’s support in the smartwatch and the fitness band .
Samsung Gear Sport
The new Samsung Gear Sport pushes further into fitness by adding few new features like 5 ATM water resistance for swimming, capacity to store 500 Spotify songs along with the already present heart rate tracker, GPS, and a rotating control bezel. Though the pricing details are still unavailable, the Samsung Gear Sport is expected to cost between $200 and $300.
Following are the specifications of the smartwatch –
1.2-inch circular AMOLED
Tizen OS
20mm watch straps
4GB storage
Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, NFC
GPS/GLONASS/Beidou
300 mAh battery
5 ATM water resistance, MIL-STD-810G dust, and shock resistance
Works with Android 4.4, iOS 9.0 or later
Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro
The Gear Fit 2 pro, unlike its earlier variant, comes with a 5 ATM swim-ready water resistance. The fitness band appears to be competing with Garmin and Fitbit with features like onboard GPS, offline music storage for Spotify and improved heart rate and fitness tracking.
The tracker is priced at $200 in the US. As far as features are concerned, here’s a list of few of them –
1.5-inch curved Super AMOLED touch display with Gorilla Glass 3
Tizen OS
4GB of onboard storage
Support for Spotify music downloads
50 meter (5 ATM) water resistance, MIL STD 810G dust resistance
Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi
GPS/GLONASS/Beidou
Heart rate tracking
Barometer
200mAh battery
Works with Android 4.4 or iOS 9.0 and later
Samsung Icon X 2018
Samsung unveiled an updated version of the Icon X headphones at the IFA 2017. The Icon X 2018, much like the original wireless headphones include heart rate monitoring along with the increased battery life. Instead of a 90 min battery life( in the Icon X), The new Icon X 2018 now has 5 hours of battery life when streaming audio from a phone. In addition, Samsung has made a chargeable battery case with the included USB-C cable. Other features include tapping the headphone which activates the Running Coach feature – provides aural feedback on your progress.
The new Icon X headphones also support Samsung’s voice assistant which can be accessed by tapping and holding the earbud to access voice control on your paired Galaxy phone. The Icon X 2018 headphones are designed to work only with Samsung phones running Android 4.4 and above. The headphones have internal storage of 4GB per bud. As for specifications,
Colours available – Black, Gray, Pink
4GB of Onboard Storage (per earbud)
Bluetooth v 4.2 connectivity
Accelerometer, IR, Capacitive Touch
OS compatibility Android 4.4 or later
Battery – Earbud: 82mAh / Charging Case: 340mAh
Samsung usually hosts two separate events at IFA every year, one for its electronics and one for mobile. This year, the company decided to host one event combining the announcement for both smartphones and electronics. Samsung also hosted another major event in New York, where it revealed the Galaxy Note 8.
The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note8 in India isn’t too far as pre-registrations begin for the device on Samsung’s official website. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will be priced at Rs 74,999 in India.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was globally unveiled in New York on August 23 and it seems like the phone will be in India in the coming day, less than a month after its global announcement. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 succeeds last year’s Galaxy Note7 which was globally recalled due to a battery fault. The Galaxy Note8 hence packs a smaller battery as Samsung chose a safer route this time around. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 will be available in only two colours in India – Midnight Black and Maple Gold.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top and is powered by 3,300 mAh with QuckCharge 3.0 capabilities. Under the hood, the Galaxy Note8 has the Exynos 8895, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU)+1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) processor, Mali-G71 MP20, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options for the Indian market. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. In a disappointing move, Samsung retained the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor right next to the dual cameras at the back.
Talking about cameras, the Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.
What makes the Note series stand out from the flagship crowd is the S-Pen. The new Galaxy Note 8 comes with a new S Pen with improved functionalities. The Galaxy Note8 and the S Pen are both also IP68 certified water and dust resistant. The S-Pen comes with a host of new features such as Smart Select, which allows you to easily select, clip and copy the content that you like. You can also send .gif messages via the S Pen. The S Pen will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours.
The JioPhone with 4G-enabled features was introduced on 21 July 2017 at Reliance Industries 40th AGM. The JioPhone was launched at an “effective price” of Rs 0 and was made available for pre-booking from August 24, but due to huge demand, pre-booking process for JioPhone has been halted for few days.
Meanwhile, Jio has confirmed that millions have booked the JioPhone. Even though, no specific number has been stated yet, few reports claim that Reliance Jio received about six million pre-bookings for its 4G feature phone in a short window of just over a day.
The pre-order window which opened on August 24 evening had to be closed early on August 26 due to increasing customer demand and traffic on Jio’s official website. Apart from the one’s who were able to book their JioPhones online, reports confirm that about 10 million users have registered with retail outlets for offline bookings.
Reliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani, had announced during the annual general meeting that the company plans on selling five million JioPhones every week. And in another report, a source mentioned that the company has the capacity to deliver about 150 million phones in the next six months at five million devices a week.
As the demand for the Jio feature phone exceeded the initial target of five million phones per week, the telecom company decided to suspend the booking window from Saturday till further notice.
“Earlier JioPhone was supposed to reach our store around the first week of September. But now there will be some delay and JioPhone will arrive a little late,” says a Reliance Digital store retailer.
The JioPhone, as Mukesh Ambani announced, will be effectively for free with one time refundable deposit of Rs 1500 on return of the handset. To rival with the “India ka smart phone”, other telecom companies like, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are also reported to be in talks with phone makers to introduce their own 4G smartphones in the Indian market.
