Lately, Finnish smartphone manufacturer, HMD Global has been launching a lot of smartphones. Earlier this month, the company launched the Nokia 7.1. Now they have unveiled the Nokia 8.1 in Dubai. Like other Nokia phones, it also is an Android One device.
Design And Specifications
The Nokia 8.1 has an all-glass front and rear build with a metal chassis. The smartphone measures 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm and weighs in at 180 grams. On the front of the device sits a 6.18-inch Full HD+ notch display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The display panel has a resolution of 2246 x 1080 px and a pixel density of 403 ppi. For protection against scratches, it also gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
The Nokia 8.1 is powered by a 3,500 mAh Li-Ion battery and runs on the latest Android 9.0 Pie operating system. The device features the Octa-Core Snapdragon 710 CPU along with the Adreno 616 GPU. For photography, the smartphone has a 20 MP front-facing selfie camera and dual 12 MP +13 MP rear cameras. The handset can also capture 2160p video at 30fps from the rear camera. While the front sensor can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps.
In terms of connectivity, the Nokia 8.1 supports dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, and has a USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing. It also has a 3.5mm audio jack. For quickly and securely unlocking it, there is a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The Nokia 8.1 is offered in three colour options which are as follows:
Blue/Silver
Steel/Copper
Iron/Steel
In terms of memory and storage, it is available in a single 4 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM variant which supports memory expandability of up to 400 GB via a microSD card. The device will go on sale in Dubai from December 15 and it carries a price tag of 1,499 Dirham (around Rs. 32,000). Although its India launch date is currently unavailable, it is expected to launch soon.
Xiaomi is known to tease its phones ahead of their launch. They have been in the headlines for most of their major releases, be it for the Poco phone or the Mi Mix 3. Their phone teasers create a certain hype regarding the price, specifications and unique features. For the Poco phone it was the Snapdragon 845 at a very low price, for the Mi Mix 3 it was the full screen display and slider design and so on.
Now it seems that the company’s President has teased a phone that has a remarkably high megapixel count. The image shared on a popular Chinese social networking website, only shows a part of the screen. The camera placement area of the screen can be seen of a phone that has “48 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA” written beside the flash. A part of the lens can also be seen in the image.
What The Image Reveals
The camera placement seems to be a vertical one, with the flash underneath it. From the image, we can also see that the phone has a glass back, and what appears to be the volume keys on the top (of the inverted phone image). According to the post, the company will launch the phone in January 2019. The Nokia Lumia 1020, released in 2013 had a whopping 41 MP camera. Even though the camera was much ahead of it’s time, the camera alone unfortunately could not save the Lumia brand at the time.
The phone, according to speculation, suggests that the phone may have the Sony IMX586 48-megapixel sensor. It can also sport the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 48-megapixel sensor. Xiaomi is also supposed to be launching a 5G successor to the Mi Mix 3. There is a slight chance that the new 48 MP camera phone can be the Xiaomi Mi 9. The phone may also feature the new Snapdragon 855 chipset that is also supposedly being launched first by OnePlus.
We get a lot of questions from our readers regarding eSIM cards. Are they physical SIM cards? Do they require changes in hardware or software? If they are just software changes then why aren’t they introduced to phones that have already been released and so on. In this article, we will discuss this relatively new technology and try to clear the air regarding eSIMs. We will also try and answer some of these questions.
What Is An eSIM?
As the name suggests, eSIM is an electronic SIM card. An eSIM replaces the need for a physical SIM card that has been a part of our phones for ages. There are several reasons for the SIM cards to face the axe but we will talk about those later. The eSIM was introduced out of need, more than out of want. Samsung was working on a smartwatch that would allow a person to remotely connect to cellphone carriers without the need for a phone. Samsung’s Gear S2 smartwatch was the first device to use the eSIM. With the launch of Apple XS and XR, eSIM has now become a widely known technology.
Is It Hardware Or Software?
This has been a huge question for the uninitiated as everyone wants to know if the eSIM feature has any hardware complications or does it just happen via software. Well, it involves both. The eSIM is a very small SIM card that is attached to the phone. It is much smaller than a Nano SIM card. The eSIM card is 6mm x 5mm in size. Comparing it to a Nano SIM card which stands at a much larger 12.3mm x 8.8mm, the eSIM provides the manufacturers an opportunity to get rid of the bulky SIM card tray and use that space to include something else.
Since the entire eSIM technology involves hardware, it will not be possible to inculcate this technology into smartphones that do not have this tech. So your Oneplus 6 or 6T or even your Samsung Galaxy S9 won’t be able to make use of this feature. The eSIM is non removable and it is safely tucked inside the phone. The most important thing about the eSIM feature is that one does not need to change SIM cards when changing their network operator. They can simply do so using software.
If you are using an eSIM on your watch, it can have the same number as your phone. This helps you to make and receive call from your watch even if you do not have your phone with you. eSIM cards will also negate the hassle that one has to face when changing phones. Some phones use a Nano SIM, some use a Micro SIM and so on.
Future Of eSIM
GSMA, the organisation that represents the interests of mobile operators, has announced a standard for this new kind of SIM. The use of smartwatches have also increased in the recent times and this means more and more use of eSIM card. This is good news as the future is definitely moving towards eSIM cards. AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Whampoa (owner of Three and soon O2), Orange, Telefónica (the current O2 owner) and Vodafone have all shown their support for this technology and we can definitely expect more and more phones to use this feature in the future.
Yandex is a Russian multinational corporation which specialises in internet related services like eCommerce, search engines and online advertising. In Russia, they are the biggest company to compete against Google’s search engine. Google recently launched their Pixel 3 smartphones in Russia. To compete against Pixel smartphones, Yandex has launched their first Android smartphone for the country.
Design And Features
The Yandex Phone has an all-glass front and rear build with a metal chassis. It measures 72.5 x 150.1 x 8.28 mm and weighs in at 163 grams. The front of the smartphone accommodates a 5.65-inch display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px and a pixel density of 427 ppi. For photography, it has dual 16 MP + 5 MP rear cameras and a single 5 MP front selfie camera. The device can also record 2160p videos at 30 fps from the rear cameras and 1080p videos at 30 fps from the front sensor. Both the front and rear camera setup get a dedicated LED flash.
The Yandex Phone is kitted with the Octa-Core Snapdragon 630 CPU along with Adreno 508 GPU. It is offered with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 128 GB via a microSD card. The handset is powered by a 3050 mAh battery which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.o.
To take on Google’s voice assistant, the Yandex Phone also has Alice, which is the company’s take on a virtual assistant. For connectivity, the smartphone offers dual 4G VoLTE support, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, GPS. 3.5 mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing. It runs on the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system. For added security, the device also has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The Yandex Phone is available in a single colour option, which is Black. The smartphone carries a price tag of 17,990 Russian Ruble (around Rs 19,200) and it is up for pre-order in Russia while the deliveries will start from December 7.
Taiwan based Asus is about to launch their ZenFone Max Pro M2 & ZenFone Max M2 smartphones in India. They are the successors of the sensational ZenFone Max Pro M1 and will launch on 11 December in the country. Prior to their India launch, they have been officially announced in Russia. The Indian variants are expected to have a similar price and features.
ZenFone Max Pro M2
Out of the two, the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is a premium device. It has an all-glass front and rear build. The device measures 157.9 x 75.5 x 8.5 mm and weighs in at 170 grams. It features a FHD+ 6.3-inch LCD display with a notch and a resolution of 2280 x 1080 px. For protection against scratches, it also has Corning Gorilla Glass 6. For quickly and securely unlocking it also has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The ZenFone Max Pro M2 features the Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 SoC and is powered by a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery. In terms of memory and storage, it has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 512 GB via a microSD card. For photography, the smartphone has a 5 MP front-facing camera and dual 13 MP + 12 MP rear cameras with an LED flash. In terms of connectivity, the smartphone supports dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, 3.5 mm audio jack and has a micro-USB port.
The smartphone is available in two colours which are Metal and Blue. In Russia, it is priced at 17,990 Ruble which roughly translates to Rs 19,207.
ZenFone Max M2
The ZenFone Max M2 also has a front glass build, but unlike the Max Pro M2, it has a metal back. It measures 158.41 x 76.28 x 7.7 mm and weighs in at 160 grams. It also features a 6.3-inch HD+ LCD display with a notch and a 1520 x 720 px resolution. For protection against scratches, it also has Corning Gorilla Glass 6. In terms of memory and storage, it has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB ROM which is expandable up to 512 GB via microSD. Like the Max Pro M2, it also has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
The ZenFone Max M2 features the Octa-Core Snapdragon 632 SoC and is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery. For photography, the smartphone has a dual 13 MP + 2 MP rear camera with an LED flash and an 8 MP front camera. The smartphone also supports dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, 3.5 mm audio jack and a micro-USB port.
PUBG Mobile, one of the biggest and most played smartphone games, has released a new beta. The game recently won a bunch of awards at Google’s Play Store Awards in 2018. The game just received the Season 4 update recently. With the new update, Tencent Games is introducing the MK47 Mutant gun, which was already a part of the game’s XBox One and PC version of the game.
Beta Update New Additions
The MK47 Mutant will be now available on Android and iOS too. The assault rifle has multiple fire modes and a 20-bullet clip. A Laser Sight attachment is also added to the game. This allows players to fire more accurately and the MK47 is one of the many weapons that can make use of it. It is yet to be seen how accurate this attachment is compared to other scopes that are already in the game. New control settings are also added, where players can customise the screen layout with new preset and variable options. However, with the new season, all players will have to work extra hard to get back to their previous Tiers as it gets reduced to a level or two below the rank of the previous season.
This was long overdue as many gamers had requested for such a change in forums and Reddit as well. However mobile phones can be a tricky space to design a game on and PUBG seems to have listened to it’s users. We all know how horrible the PUBG chat is. No matter which high end phone you own, opening up chat means that the game is going to crash. Now, however, additional chat options have been added with dozens of scripted text and voice dialogue options in game. These have been added to make communication between teammates easier. These fall under tactics, movement, and discussion categories.
With new seasons, come new in-game items. The introduction of new outfits for your character in the game is also being rolled out in this update. The update also includes the general bug fixes that are usually included in every major update.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Technology Summit 2018 is already underway and a lot of big announcements have been made. On the first day, Qualcomm had announced their new Snapdragon 855 SoC, with 5G connectivity. Now, smartphone manufacturer OnePlus has announced that their next flagship, presumably the OnePlus 7, will be the first smartphone to be running on the Snapdragon 855 SoC. They also announced that they will be the first to bring a 5G smartphone to Europe in partnership with EE.
The Next Flagship
Announcing that they ‘only make flagship smartphones’, they said that the Snapdragon 855 is the ‘best and only choice’ for their upcoming flagship. The company also announced their partnership with UK based carrier EE, to bring the first 5G enabled to Europe. While the announcements are really exciting for OnePlus fans, they also hint at the fact that we will be seeing a 5G OnePlus phone, powered by the 855, pretty soon. This means that the launch of the next OnePlus flagship is not too far away.
With companies like Samsung, Xiaomi and many others lined up to release phones with the new Snapdragon 855 and those with 5G support, OnePlus will have to hurry up production in order to be the first. Samsung is set to launch their 10th anniversary Galaxy S10 in the early parts of 2019. There are reports that this will be a 5G enabled phone, running on the latest 7nm SoC.
Snapdragon 855
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 is the latest flagship from the company and is manufactured using the 7 nm process. This makes it faster and more power efficient. It also features support for the X50 modem by Qualcomm, hence giving it 5G abilities. The 855 also features a fourth-generation multi-core AI engine. This will offer upto 3 times the AI performance, compared to the 845. It also features the world’s first Computer Vision Image Signal Processor for better photo and video capabilities. Along with this, it also has the new Snapdragon Elite gaming platform for advanced gaming abilities. Qualcomm also announced their new 3D Sonic Sensor, which is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for in-display fingerprint scanners.
It is also noteworthy that OnePlus was the only smartphone manufacturer who was invited to talk during the Snapdragon Summit. This, along with the fact that they will be the first to feature this new chipset, point toward the exclusivity that they enjoy from Qualcomm. What this translates for consumers, will be seen in time.
E-commerce giants, Flipkart and Amazon have once again announced their shopping festivals. This might be the perfect opportunity for those who want to upgrade to a new smartphone and save some cash while doing the same. Here is a list of all Xiaomi smartphones that will be offered with huge discounts:
Poco F1
The flagship killer Poco F1 has a 6.18-inch screen with a pixel density of 403 ppi. It packs a large 4,000 mAh battery and features the Octa-core Snapdragon 845 SoC. For photography, it gets a 20 MP front camera and dual 12 MP + 5 MP rear cameras. For added security, it also has a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. It is available in three variants for which the price are as follows:
6 GB + 64 GB – Rs 20,999
6 GB + 128 GB – Rs 23,999
8 GB + 256 GB – Rs 29,999
During the sale, it will be available at a discount of 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 for the respective variants. After discount the respective variants will be available at Rs 19,999, Rs 21,999 and Rs 25,999.
This is one of the most successful smartphones that Xiaomi has ever made, and probably the first device that brought dual cameras to the mid-range phones. It has a 5.99 inch Full HD display and is powered by the Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 SoC. It is available in two storage variants which are 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 64 GB. Talking about the cameras, it has 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 20 MP selfie camera. The two variants of the phone usually sell for Rs 13,999 and Rs 15,999, but during the sale they will be available at a discount of 1,000 and will sell at a special price of Rs. 12,999 and Rs 14,999.
It is the latest addition to the Redmi Note family. The smartphone has 6.26-inch screen with a pixel density of 403 ppi. It packs a large 4,000 mAh battery and features the Octa-core Snapdragon 636 SoC. For photography, it gets dual 20 MP + 2 MP front cameras and dual 12 MP + 5 MP rear cameras. For added security it also has a rear mounted fingerprint scanner. Today the smartphone will go on its third flash sale and the price for its different variants are as follows:
This smartphone has a 5.45 inch IPS LCD display and is powered by the Helio P22 Octa-Core processor. The device has a 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. It has a battery of 3,000 mAh and a fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the device. It has a price tag of Rs. 9,499/- for the 3 GB RAM / 64 GB ROM variant. During the sale, it will receive a temporary discount of Rs 500. It will sell for Rs 8,499 after discount.
The Amazon exclusive Xiaomi Y2 sells for Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 for its two variants. But during the sale it will be available at a discount of Rs 1000. After discount, the two variants will be available at a price of Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999.The smartphone has a 5.99 inch display and runs on a Snapdragon 625 processor. It has 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. It is available in two storage variants which are 3 GB + 32 GB and 4 GB + 64 GB.
Mi A2
The Xiaomi Mi A2 has a 5.99-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and 1080 x 2160 full HD+ resolution. The phone has a pixel density of 403 pixels per inch. The phone sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-Core processor and Adreno 512 GPU. For photography, it has dual 12 MP + 20 MP rear cameras with autofocus, LED flash, HDR, geo-tagging, 2x optical zoom, touch focus, face detection, and panorama. The smartphone offers a host of connectivity options including GPS, USB 2.0 Type C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and Infrared port. The smartphone has a 20 MP front camera for clicking selfies. The phone has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, compass sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor. It is available in two storage variants which are 4 GB + 64 GB and 6 GB + 128 GB.
The two variants of the phone usually sell for Rs 15,999 and Rs 18,999 but during the sale they will be available at a discount of 1,000 and 2,000 respectively. After discount they will sell at a special price of Rs. 14,999 and Rs 16,999.
Redmi 6 Pro
The Redmi 6 Pro runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, a 2.0 GHz processor with 14nm architecture. It has a 4000mAH battery. Sporting a 5.84 inch FHD+ display with a 2280 x 1080 resolution. It runs on stock Android, with Oreo 8.1 out of the box. It has a 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear camera with portrait mode PDAF, HDR and LED flash. Along with a 5 MP front camera with portrait mode. It has a proximity sensor, e-compass, gyroscope, accelerometer and an IR blaster. It is available in two storage variants which are 3 GB + 32 GB and 4 GB + 64 GB.
The two variants of the phone usually sell for Rs 10,999 and Rs 12,999 but during the sale they will be available at a discount of 1,000 and will sell at a special price of Rs. 9,999 and Rs 11,999.
Redmi 6A
Xiaomi’s cheapest offering, the Redmi 6A has a 5.45 inch LCD display with a 295 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Quad-Core Mediatek Helio A22 chipset and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP, f/2.2 aperture equipped rear camera and a 5 MP front camera. The device is available in two variants: 2/3 GB of RAM paired with 16/32 GB ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.
The two variants of the phone usually sell for Rs 6,599 and Rs 7,499 but during the sale they will be available at a discount of 600 and 500 respectively. After discount, they will sell at a special price of Rs. 5,999 and Rs 6,999.
China-based Huawei previously announced that their Nova 4 smartphone will launch on December 17. The key highlight of this device is its lateral camera cutout, within the display. Two other companies, Samsung and Lenovo are also about to launch smartphones with such a feature. Samsung will launch their Galaxy A8s, which will launch on 11 December while Lenovo’s Z5swill launch on 6 December. Prior to its official launch, the Huawei Nova 4 has leaked on several instances. But a recent leak reveals both the front and back design of the forthcoming smartphone.
Front Design
The display of the alleged Nova 4 has a high screen-to-body ratio with minimal bezels on all four sides. The pictures reveal that the power button and the volume rockers are placed on the left of the device. The standout feature, the circular front camera cutout is placed on the top left side of the display. The three Android navigation keys are also placed on the screen. The handset has a modern looking User Interface and runs on Huawei’s EMUI skin which is built on an unspecified version of Android.
Rear Design
The rear of the Huawei Nova 4 has a blue coloured gradient back panel like the previously launched Huawei P20. The back panel also harbors the fingerprint sensor, camera module, and the company branding. The rear camera setup is divided into two separate modules. The top two camera sensors are arranged in a vertical capsule shape while the third camera sensor is placed below it.
The Huawei Nova 4 is expected to feature the 7 nm Kirin 980 SoC which is also present on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. In terms of RAM & ROM, it will likely be available in two variants which are 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM and 8 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM. Other key specs and the price will only be announced after the company officially launches it on 17 December.
The AirPods are the most popular accessory manufactured by tech giant Apple, till date. A pair of wireless earbuds, which connect to your device via Bluetooth, they are one of the most, of not the most popular wireless earbuds. Additionally, they also have Siri connectivity and of course, the excellent design and build quality from Apple. However, the AirPods have been long overdue for an upgrade. This upgrade seems to be near. A recent report stated that we will get to see upgraded AirPods next year. However, a patent by Apple has given us insight as to what the AirPods might look like in 2020 and beyond.
The Patent
The new patent talks about interchangeable AirPods, which will use biometric sensors to make this come true. According to the patent, this will give the AirPods the ability to fit into any ear, regardless of the orientation. This is a step closer to the ‘Golden Bud’ fit Apple had dreamt of, years back. The term refers to a pair of earbuds which will be the perfect fit, for any user. Regardless of the shape and size of their ear.
Apple did go through a lot of steps to ensure the the design of the existing AirPods gives the most universally fitting shape. But there is always room for improvement. The patent describes that the earbuds will be configured with one or more biometric sensors. If at least one of the sensors is pressed up against a portion of the ear, it can then use biometrics to detect which side it is. This will allow to configure and alter the settings for that ear. Hence, the issue of having to see which goes into the left ear and which goes into the right will be eliminated.
New Design
From the images in the patent, we can see that the new AirPods will be totally different in design. They will be more compact, similar to the PixelBuds in terms of size. The patent also included a foam ring which will apparently expand to establish contact with the skin. This is done as some part of the earbuds need to be in contact with the skin to carry out the biometric processes. The company could have chosen plastic, but the foam ring will be more convenient and easier on the user’s ears.
This could also result in a lesser cost of manufacturing and replacement for the AirPods. As now Apple would not have to manufacture Left or Right side specific components. However, whether that will translate to the retail prices of the AirPods is still not known.
As is with every leak and patent, it is best to take this news with a pinch of salt. We might not see this technology for a while and it is also possible that it may never come into production, as is the case with many patents. But with the demand for the AirPods on the rise, we hope that Apple does implement these new features.
Meizu is a Chinese electronics manufacturer that has just launched three smartphones for the Indian market. Out of three, the Meizu M16th is a high-end smartphone while the Meizu M6T and Meizu C9 are budget devices. Like a lot of other smartphone companies, Meizu has also chosen to sell their devices only via online channels. All three smartphones will be exclusively available on Amazon.in.
Meizu M16th
The Meizu M16th is the company’s flagship smartphone and will compete against devices like the OnePlus 6T. The smartphone has a symmetrical design with curved edges and thin bezels on the front. The device weighs 152 grams and measures 150.5 x 73.2 x 7.3 mm. It has a 6-Inch AMOLED display with a pixel density of 402 PPi. The Meizu M16th sports the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 CPU and Adreno 630 GPU. For fast and secure biometric recognition it also has an in-display fingerprint sensor.
In terms of memory and storage, the Meizu M16th is available in two variants which are 6 GB RAM + 64 GB ROM and 8GB RAM + 128 GB ROM. For photography, the smartphone gets a single 20 MP camera and dual 12 MP + 20 MP rear cameras. Connectivity options include dual-SIM 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-FI 802.11 a/b/g/n and GPS. The phone also includes a USB Type-C port and 3.5mm audio jack at the bottom. It is powered by a 3010 mAh battery and runs on Android Oreo.
Meizu M6T
The Meizu M6T is a budget smartphone and will compete against devices like the Redmi 6 and Realme C1. Like its elder sibling, the Meizu M6T also has a symmetrical design. The front of the device makes room for a 5.7-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1140 x 720 px. The top and bottom bezels on the front are quite wide while the left and right bezels are marginal. The top bezel houses the earpiece and a single 8 MP front-facing camera.
The rear shell of the Meizu M6T is made out of polycarbonate that tapers towards the edges. The rear panel houses the dual 13 MP + 2 MP cameras with LED flash and company branding. On the right, sits the volume rockers and power button. The top is occupied by a 3.5 mm audio jack and on the bottom sits the USB Type-C port and speakerphone.
The Meizu M6T is kitted with the Octa-Core MT6750 CPU and Mali-T860 GPU. It is powered by a 3300 mAh battery and runs on Android Oreo. For connectivity, it gets 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and dual 4G VoLTE support. The device is available with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB ROM and has a price tag of Rs 7,999
Meizu C9
Out of the three smartphones, the Meizu C9 is the most affordable device. It has a 5.45-inch HD+ display that has a pixel density of 282 ppi and a resolution of 1440 x 720 px. Like the Meizu M6T, it also has thin left /right bezels and wide top/bottom bezels. The handset features the Quad Core SC9832E processor and Mali-T720 GPU. It has a 3,000 mAh battery and runs on Android 8.0 Oreo. For photography, the handset has a single 8 MP front camera and a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash.
In terms of connectivity, the Meizu C9 gets Dual SIM slots with 4G support, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and GPS. It also has a bunch of sensors which include the gravity sensor, ambient light sensor, and a range sensor. The smartphone is available in two color options which are Black and Blue. The smartphone is available with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. Additionally, the phone supports memory expandability up to 128 GB via a microSD. The smartphone has a price tag of Rs 4,999 and is available for purchase on Amazon.in
Epic Games, the company that brought the famous Fortnite game to our consoles, laptops and even phones, are now all set to launch their own game store. Steam is currently one of the biggest game stores in the world with over 150 million users. If Epic games does start a game store, they will compete with big players like Steam and GOG. The company has also revealed that it won’t just be selling games that have been made using their own Unreal Engine. This indicates that there will be games made using competing game engines such as the popular Unreal Engine. A popular game made in the Unreal Engine is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG), which is a direct competitor to Fortnite. Other famous games include Sea of Thieves, Conan Exiles and Mass Effect 1,2 and 3.
What’s In ‘Store’?
Epic Games’ CEO also told a gaming website that a larger share of the pie would be had by developers compared to other game stores. Epic Games will offer a 88% revenue share for developers. This, compared to the recently revised 70/30 split that’s offered by Valve’s Steam platform is a lion’s share. This move may make developers focus their strategies around the Epic Games’ marketplace. They have also stated that if you’re using Unreal Engine, Epic will cover the 5% engine royalty for sales on the Epic Games store, out of Epic’s 12%. The company has also announced that a developer will have total control of their game page and newsfeed. There will be no store-placed ads or cross-marketing of competing games on their page. There will also be no paid ads in search results.
Furthermore, the Epic Games Support-A-Creator program will help developers reach creators. Creators include YouTube content creators, Twitch streamers and bloggers who can help the developer reach players. These offers may entice newbie developers to join the store. According to the company, the store will launch with a hand-curated set of games on PC and Mac. It will then open up to other games and to Android and other open platforms, throughout 2019. More details regarding the store will be revealed at The Game Awards on Thursday, December 6th.
Google recently released a list of the yearly awards that they give out for the best apps. The list includes some well known apps as well as some little known apps which you may not have heard of! PUBG picked up a few awards. Read to find out more about the winners.
The ‘Google Play Best of 2018’ has several different categories which are as follows:
Best App of 2018
Most Entertaining Apps
Best Self Improvement Apps
Most Competitive Games
Best Daily Helper Apps
Most Innovative Games
Best Hidden Gem Apps
Most Casual Games
Best Game of 2018
Best Indie Games
List of Winners
PUBG, which is one of the most downloaded games of 2018, picked up several of the awards in different categories. PUBG achieved the 100 million downloads milestone in August of 2018. It also won the Mobile Game of the Year at the 36th Golden Joystick Awards. The game currently has more than 100 million downloads and a 4.5 rating, from 8 million reviewers on Play Store. The Tencent Games’ creation took home accolades in the ‘Best game’, ‘Most Competitive Title’ and ‘Fan Favourite’ award categories.
The Best App of 2018 was awarded to ‘Drops’ an app that helps you learn 31 new languages. Meanwhile, the ‘Most Competitive Games’ category had other winners which include Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realm War by Pixel Toys, Dragon Ball Legends by Bandai Namco Ent., Asphalt 9 by Gameloft and Badland Brawl by Frogmind.
The award for the ‘Most Innovative Games’ were shared by Gorogoa by Annapurna, Umiro by DevolverDigital, Hero Hunters by Hothead Games, Battlelands Royale by FuturePlay and Life is Strange by SQUARE ENIX Ltd. The award for the Most Casual Games also had a few contenders which included The Sims Mobile by EA.
In the category of ‘Best Indie Games’ the winners were Alto’s Odyssey by Noodlecake Studios, Reigns: GoT by DevolverDigital, Cube Escape Paradox by Rusty Lake, Returner 77 by Fantastic, yes and Evoland 2 by Playdigious. In the other categories, notable apps such as YouTube TV won the best app in the Fan Favourites category while The Walking Dead, Riverdale and The Big Bang Theory were declared the most popular TV shows.
An upcoming smartphone from Vivo with a revolutionary feature has been making waves over the internet. It is called the Vivo Nex S2 and is the successor to the Vivo Nex which was launched earlier this year. The Vivo Nex was a smartphone that had a lot of incredible features. It was one of the first smartphones to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor and a pop up front camera. Falling into the footsteps of its predecessor the Nex S2 gets dual displays that makes it stand out of the crowd. Earlier, a few shots of the device were spotted on Weibo now videos and pictures have leaked that reveal the device in its full glory.
Design
The front of the Vivo Nex S2 accommodates a large edge-to-edge display with very thin bezels. The volume rockers and the power button is placed on the left side, while a slider button to control sound profiles is on the right. The top of the device harbors a 3.5 mm audio jack while the bottom is housed by the loudspeaker, USB Type-C port, and the SIM slot. Like its predecessor, it also has an in-display fingerprint sensor.
In terms of design, its back is the most intriguing bit. The back panel makes room for the secondary display, triple cameras, company branding, and an RGB ring light. The photos also showcase the smartphone in two different colors which are Blue and Violet.
The Vivo Nex S2 is expected to feature the Snapdragon 845 SoC. A latest leak suggests that the smartphone will have 10 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. Other relevant specs including battery capacity, screen size will only be made official after the company makes it official. The Vivo Nex S2 is set to launch on December 11.
In the Snapdragon Tech Summit 2018 which started yesterday, Qualcomm officially announced its next flagship processor, the Snapdragon 855. The Snapdragon 855 is the successor to the highly popular Snapdragon 845, which is found on almost all the Android flagship devices from 2018. The new 855 is manufactured using the 7nm process, which offers better battery life and improved performance. Along with the chipset, Qualcomm also announced the Snapdragon Elite Gaming platform and the 3D Sonic Sensor.
The 855
Contrary to earlier reports, the chipset bears the 855 title and not the 8150 title. Although, previous reports were not inaccurate as the 8150 was the internal name of the mobile platform. The chipset is manufactured using the 7 nm process which is the new standard for flagship processors now. The Hisilicon Kirin 980 by Huawei and the A12 Bionic by Apple are 7nm chipsets have already entered production and are featured in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and the new lineup of iPhones respectively.
The 855 is also 5G ready and is compatible with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X50 modem, in order to do so. 5G technology is almost here and many countries and companies are actively testing their 5G devices and networks. It is safe to say that 2019 will be the year of 5G devices. However, the rollout will be slow and countries like India might get proper 5G infrastructure only towards the end of 2019.
Additionally, Qualcomm also said that the Snapdragon 855 features their fourth-generation multi-core AI engine. This offers up to 3 times the AI performance when compared to the Snapdragon 845. The 855 also features the world’s first Computer Vision Image Signal Processor (CV-ISP). This will offer new features in terms of photo and video capture. The 855 also features the Snapdragon elite Gaming platform , which will offer a new set of features to enhance the mobile gaming experience.
What’s More
At the event, the company also announced the Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor. This is an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. Until now, all the smartphones featuring an in-display fingerprint sensor, use an optical sensor. The ultrasonic sensor uses ultrasonic waves to authenticate the fingerprint. Compared to optical sensors, this is much more secure and can even work while in contact with oil, dirt and water.
This is not all, Qualcomm will reveal more features of the Snapdragon 855 as the summit progresses. However, we have already gotten a taste of haw the new flagship processor from Qualcomm is about. It offers improved AI, camera and gaming performance and brings improvements to connectivity and security. Performance upgrades are also expected to be announced during the second day of the summit.
The Nokia 8.1 has an all-glass front and rear build with a metal chassis. The smartphone measures 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm and weighs in at 180 grams. On the front of the device sits a 6.18-inch Full HD+ notch display with an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The display panel has a resolution of 2246 x 1080 px and a pixel density of 403 ppi. For protection against scratches, it also gets Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
