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Leica M10- D: A Digital Camera Without A Screen

Leica recently announced their latest version of the M10 and the camera does not have a screen! It is a digital camera with no screen to view your photos. For someone who has shot in film cameras, it will feel like a homecoming as the rangefinder has no clutter – just two dials on top, a shutter button and a dial at the back. The design shouts of the typical Leica trademark. The camera is controlled using the Leica Fotos app. The app works on both Android and iOS devices. It uses Wi-Fi to connect to the app.

The 24-megapixel full-frame sensor camera is matte black in colour and looks like a film rangefinder to a tee. The M10- D also features the lever that film cameras use, to cock the film. Even though this lever does not do anything functional, it is a good place to rest your finger while shooting. The camera has dials to adjust Shutter speed and ISO and also features a few customisable buttons but has very little otherwise. The lens has aperture and focus rings and the camera also features an optical viewfinder.

Purpose Of The Camera

Leica has said, the camera was built to provide the convenience of shooting digital without the distractions of the same. One can easily avoid a common phenomenon in photography known as ‘chimping’ with this camera. Chimping is the practice of immediately looking at the photograph on the screen after shooting on a digital camera. Moments play a big role when shooting street photography. Chimping can cause a photographer to miss out on images from the action that is taking place in front of him or her. The company has previously released cameras without screens, like the Leica M- D. But this is the first camera that features Wi-Fi connectivity.

While one needs to get used to using the M10- D , it seems like a great idea to remove unnecessary distractions! The app is quite clean, easy to use and can help you look at your images on the go instead of during a shoot. The Leica M10-D costs $7,995 and is available on the Leica USA website.

October 25, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 With 10 GB RAM & 5G Support Launched
The trend of bezel-less smartphones is on the rise and Xiaomi is definitely one of the early adopters of this design language. Recently Xiaomi held a launch event in Palace Museum which is one of China’s most important historical landmark and launched the world’s first commercial 5G phone, the Mi Mix 3 with extremely thin bezels. It is the successor to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2s which was launched in 2017.

Design

The new Mi Mix 3 has a sliding panel which hides the dual front cameras and essential sensors. Xiaomi has lab tested the sliding screen and claims it has a life expectancy of 300,000 slides. It has a four-sided curved ceramic back and a screen to body ratio of 93.4 %. It has dual front cameras and dual rear cameras with AI beautification. The smartphone also has a fingerprint sensor which is mounted on the back of the device.

Specifications

The Mi Mix 3 has a 6.39 inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2340 x 1080 px resolution and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The AMOLED panel has a 60000:1 contrast ratio and 600 nit brightness level. The rear camera setup has dual 12 MP + 12 MP sensors with f/1.8 & f/2.4 apertures. The front camera uses a Sony IMX576 24 MP sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor. The rear cameras can capture 2160p 4K video & slow motion videos at 960 fps. The device has a Night Mode camera option which the company claims can take excellent low light photographs. At the launch event, Xiaomi also said that the device has the highest DXOMARK camera score on any smartphone which is 108.

The Mi Mix 3 runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 processor and is available in 3 stoage capacities which are as follows:
- 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM
- 8 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM
- 10 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM
It also supports wireless charging at up to 10 Watts and the company will ship one with the device.

Price

The Mi Mix 3 is available in 3 color options which are Blue, Green & Black. Prices for various models are as listed:
- Mi Mix 3 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM – 3,299 ¥ (around Rs. 34,800/-)
- Mi Mix 3 8 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM – 3,599 ¥ (around Rs. 38,000/-)
- Mi Mix 3 10 GB RAM + 256 GB ROM – 3,999 ¥ (around Rs. 42,200/-)
The smartphone is currently available only in China but we expect the company to launch the smartphone in India soon.
October 25, 2018
OnePlus 6T Gets Verizon Certification, Geekbench Scores Also Surface

The upcoming flagship from OnePlus, has crossed another milestone. The OnePlus 6T has passed Verizon’s certification labs, according to reports. This means that the smartphone will be the first OnePlus device to be compatible with the US based carrier. If the reports are true, it will boost the expansion of OnePlus in the US market. Other reports also show the Geekbench listing of the device.

OnePlus & Verizon

Along with the deal with Verizon, the company is also working on a partnership with T-Mobile in the US. The partnership with various mobile carriers will make sure that the device is known to more Americans, most of whom are not familiar with the company. The deal with these major mobile carriers will pave the way for OnePlus’s entry into the US market as well. Reports also suggest that the deal with Verizon can also carry on for future devices. This future device might be the 5G enabled phone that OnePlus is planning to release next year, most probably the OnePlus 7.

Geekbench Scores

The Geekbench listing of the device shows that it runs on Android 9 Pie and the Snapdragon 845 SoC. The device has 8 GB of RAM. The listing shows a single core score of 2,387 and a multi core score of 8,925. This is pretty similar to the performance of the OnePlus 6 and the scores on the retail device might be even higher considering that this is a pre-production unit.

The most exciting feature on the OnePlus 6T is its in-display fingerprint scanner. According to reports, the OnePlus 6T has a water-drop notch on its 6.41 inch Super AMOLED display. The device is running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. It packs a 3,700 mAh battery and runs on a brand new version of the Oxygen OS. The device does however, lack a headphone jack. The OnePlus 6T is also rumoured to have microSD card support, which will be a first for OnePlus devices. The device also has a new and improved night mode to enhance its low-light performance.

Also Read: Apple & Samsung Penalised For Intentionally Slowing Down Phones

The alleged pricing and variants of the OnePlus 6T are also available. The device will launch on October 29.

October 25, 2018
Apple & Samsung Penalised For Intentionally Slowing Down Phones

Consumer Groups in Italy filed cases against Apple & Samsung for purposely slowing down older generation smartphones. The cases were filed in the Italian Competition Authority for which the verdict is now out. Both the companies have been found guilty. Samsung faces a fine of 5 million Euros while Apple faces a total fine of 10 million Euros for two different cases. The investigation found out that Apple & Samsung pushed firmware updates for older devices which downgrades their performance.

Performance Gate

In 2016, Samsung urged the Note 4 consumers to upgrade to the latest Marshmallow update. The Note 4 was released back in 2014. The Marshmallow update was made available after the launch of the Note 7 in 2016. Consumers complained that the new update was not optimised for the Note 4. It caused serious malfunctions, including unwanted automatic restarts, as it put too much stress on the ageing Note 4. The excessive stress caused a lot of hardware failure which had high repair costs to fix as the devices were out of warranty by then. Additionally, the report emphasised that Samsung did not provide for a viable option to downgrade the device which would bring back the phone to their original state.

Similarly Apple also persuaded their customers to upgrade their old devices to iOS 10. Various models including iPhone 6/6 Plus & 6s Plus which were launched in 2014 & 2015 were provided with the iOS 10 update. The iOS 10 update lead to shortened battery backup due to greater energy demands of the software. To limit this issue Apple released yet another update in the form of iOS 10.2.1. This reduced the device’s speed to prolong battery performance.

Moreover, Apple was found guilty in violation of Article 20 of the Italian Consumer Code. Until December 2017, Apple did not provide consumers with sufficient information regarding batteries. Such as stating their average life cycle and deterioration pattern. Along with information about their rectification measures to maintain and replace batteries in order to retain full functionality of the device.

Also Read: Samsung Teases Galaxy A8s With A Camera Cut-Out And No Notch

Both companies also need to publish an amending declaration on their Italian websites about the issues and its counter measures.

October 25, 2018
Samsung Teases Galaxy A8s With A Camera Cut-Out And No Notch

Samsung has just taken the next step towards a truly edge-to-edge display, or so it seems. In its recent event, Samsung teased the Galaxy A8s. This device is as close as it gets to an all-screen display. The teaser by Samsung shows a clear display, free of any obstructions. But a well known Samsung leakster on Twitter said that the device will have a tiny camera cut-out on the screen.

Galaxy A8s

Samsung is probably the only smartphone manufacturer to not jump on to the notch bandwagon. But this hasn’t stopped the company from ensuring that they work towards an all-screen display. Talking about the Galaxy A8s, which is the cause for all this excitement, some reports also suggest that it will for sure have a camera cut-out. The camera cut-out might even be disabled while viewing videos or playing games, ensuring that it does not obstruct the display. The placement for the cut-out is still not known. Some sources are saying that it will be on the sides and not the centre to avoid direct obstruction. A recent tweet, which is no longer available, showcased the possible placement options that Samsung has for the device.

Whether the company has cracked the code to making an all-screen display or whether we’ll see a camera cut-out is not clear at this point of time. They have not revealed anything more about the device which might see its launch in the early parts of 2019. A truly bezel-less and notch-less display is also possible as Samsung has recently patented a technology to have an in-display front camera. With this, the front camera will be present within the display, eliminating the need for a notch or a cut-out to house it. This technology is probably the only way to achieve a 100% screen-to-body ratio.

Samsung’s Innovation Spree

It is not surprising that Samsung is stepping up its innovation game. The company can no longer hold on to new technology or save it just for its flagship smartphones. With increasing competition threatening it in almost every smartphone market, the company needs to go out with all guns blazing. Other reports about the company developing a technology which will turn the entire screen into a fingerprint sensor has also appeared, showing that there is no slowing down for Samsung as of now.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T To Have MicroSD Card Support

Could the camera cut-out be the new trend for smartphone manufacturers or is it just as inconvenient as the notch? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

October 25, 2018
MediaTek Launches Helio P70 With Enhanced AI & Camera Capabilities

MediaTek is a Taiwanese micro chip manufacturer that provides chips for smartphones, HD-TV’s and wireless communication devices. Recently, they launched the Helio P70 SoC which is the successor to the popular Helio P60. The Helio P60 was seen on devices like Oppo F9 Pro and the budget champion Realme 1.

Supported Configuration

The Helio P70 is a 64-bit Octa-Core processor with a max frequency of 2.1 GHz which is up to 13% faster than the Helio P60. It is based on the ARM Cortex-A53 & Cortex-A73 microarchitecture and uses the 12nm production process which makes it faster and power efficient. In terms of camera support, the Helio P70 offers support for 32 MP and 24 MP + 16 MP camera sensors. It means, any smartphone featuring the processor can use this camera configuration either on the front or back of the device. It can also process a max video resolution of 2160p.

Oppo Realme 1 With Mediatek Helio P60

The Helio P7 supports both LPDDR3 and LPDDR4x high frequency RAM. It can be paired with up to 4 GB of DDR3 RAM or up to 8 GB of DDR4x RAM. It also supports eMMC 5.1 and high speed UFS 2.1(Universal Flash Storage). In terms of Graphics, it has a Mali-G72 GPU with a max frequency of 900 MHz and max display resolution of 2160 x 1080 px. The processor can carry Dual 4G Volte SIMs and supports Bluetooth 4.2 low-energy, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac and GPS.

Key Changes

The Helio P70 has a a multi-core APU (Accelerated Processing Unit) with a maximum frequency of 525 MHz. When combined with the Mediatek’s NeuroPilot, it delivers 10-30% more AI processing than the Helio P60. An APU is simply a combination of CPU & GPU which allows for faster data communication resulting in greater processing power and performance. Mediatek’s Neuropilot makes use of “Edge AI”, which means the processing is done on the device rather than relying on a fast internet connection or cloud service. It makes the AI faster and keeps user data private as the data always remains on the device. The new Helio P70 is more power efficient and is up to 35% less power hungry than the Helio P60.

Also read: Amazon Great India Festival: Top Smartphone Deals

To sum up, the Helio P70 looks like a promising SoC for mid range smartphones. But, we are yet to see smartphone manufacturers to incorporate the latest chipset in upcoming handsets to see it’s real life performance.

October 24, 2018
Amazon & Qualcomm Partner To Bring Alexa To More Headphones

Alexa is Amazon’s virtual assistant which was first seen in 2016 on the Amazon Echo & Amazon Echo Dot smart speakers. Alexa can interact with humans via voice commands making searches easy and natural.

Widespread Alexa

Amazon is partnering with Qualcomm to bring Alexa voice assistant to more wireless earphones. Qualcomm will develop and manufacture new embeddable chips for other manufacturers who can incorporate them into their earphones. The chip will provide these earphones with Amazon’s voice assistant.

One similar concept is Apple’s AirPods with voice assistant capabilities. Apple AirPods allow users to interact with their virtual assistant Siri by a simple tap. Even Google allows other companies to integrate their Google Now virtual assistant into their wireless earphones. The latest example of it is the Nokia True wireless Earbuds & Pro Wireless Earphones.

Earlier this year, Sony announced that a lot of their earphone models will support Alexa assistant after a software update. Companies like Bose and Jabra also have a few Alexa supporting earphone models in their portfolio. Qualcomm has already showcased a chip that can be integrated by 3rd party manufacturers to attain Alexa support. Qualcomm also said that the partnership with other manufacturers will help them drive down the costs and adoption of their chips. These chips will open up a whole new market for Qualcomm. Hence, they can diverge into other markets and decrease their revenue dependence on mobile phone processors.

This is a bankable future option for Qualcomm. Although, it requires patent licensing and regulatory fees from companies like Apple. At a recent conference held in Hong-Kong, Qualcomm announced they are also working with action camera makers like GoPro to incorporate Qualcomm chips in their devices. Qualcomm expects to achieve $ 5 billion in revenue from non-mobile sources in 2018. This expected revenue will make up for 20% of their sales revenue which according to analysts will be $ 22 billion.

October 24, 2018
Xiaomi Black Shark Helo Launched With 10 GB RAM
Black Shark is a sub-brand of Xiaomi and they make gaming focused smartphones. Recently, the company has launched their second smartphone, the Black Shark Helo. The Black Shark Helo has a front & rear glass build with RGB lights and green color accents. The power button and the volume rockers are placed on the right side of the device.

The Black Shark Helo has three virtual navigation keys on the screen and dual front firing stereo speakers. The device has a single front facing camera and dual rear cameras. For securely unlocking the smartphone, it has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Specifications

The Black Shark Helo has 160mm x 72.25mm x 8.7 mm dimensions and weighs 190 grams. It has a 6.01 inch AMOLED screen with 2160 x 1080 px resolution and a pixel density of 402 ppi. The display is a 430 nit brightness panel with the contrast ratio of 60000 : 1 and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Black Shark Helo runs on the 2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 CPU along with the Adreno 630 GPU. It is available in multiple variants with different RAM & ROM combinations
which are:
- 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM
- 8GB RAM + 128GB ROM
- 10GB RAM + 256GB ROM
The Black Shark Helo uses high speed UFS 2.1 Storage and dual channel LPDDR4X RAM. It has a 4,000 mAh non user removable lithium-ion battery with 18 W Qualcomm Fast charge 3.0 support. Talking about the camera sensors, the dual rear cameras have a 12 MP, 6-piece lens, f/1.75 aperture equipped sensor and a 20 MP, 6-piece lens, f/1.75 aperture equipped sensor with dual-LED flash. The front camera uses a 20 MP, 5-piece lens, f/2.2 aperture equipped sensor. The rear cameras can capture 2160p videos @ 30 fps, 1080p videos @30fps, and slow motion 720p videos @120fps whereas the front camera records 1080p videos @ 30fps. The smartphone also supports camera features like portrait mode, countdown selfie and Smart Beauty modes.

In terms of connectivity, the Black Shark Helo supports dual NANO-SIM 4G VoLTE, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. For charging and data transfer, the smartphone makes use of the built-in Type-C USB port.

Gaming Features

The Black Shark Helo has two liquid cooling pipes to keep the temperatures under check even while playing resource exhausting games. Moreover, it has a dedicated SHARK button on the left side which when slid up closes all the background apps and puts the smartphone in to SHARKSPACE mode for gaming. The Black Shark 2 has a green and black color scheming, both in terms of physical looks or the custom-UI. Pressing the power and volume up button simultaneously starts screen recording which can be uploaded or streamed on websites like YouTube or Twitch.

For aesthetics, the Black Shark Helo makes use of RGB lights which are present in the rear Shark logo and LED strips that are integrated in to the side bezels. The RGB lights are a in high demand within the gaming community and users will surely appreciate the cool look on the smartphone. The company has also showcased a lot of gaming accesories for the Black Shark Helo like the Bluetooth Gaming Earphones and removable Bluetooth Gaming Controller.

As the name suggests, the Gaming controllers use Bluetooth technology to connect with the smartphone and they have an inbuilt battery which is a plus point for gamers as it wont quickly drain the Black Shark Helo’s built in battery.

Box Contents

Beside the Black Shark Helo itself, the box comes bundled with a glass screen protector, hard plastic case, USB Type-C to 3.5 mm adapter, Type-C charging cable and the 18 W fast charger along with some quick start guides.

Black Shark Helo Price & Availability

Also read: Amazon Great India Festival: Top Smartphone Deals

The Black Shark Helo in Extreme Night Black color is available for pre-order in China right now but the reservations are only open till 10 AM on October 30 for the first batch of devices. Notably, the top of the line 10 GB RAM/256 ROM variant is not yet listed for sale. The price of available variants is as follows:
- 6 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM – ¥3199 (around Rs. 33,800/- )
- 8 GB RAM + 128 GB ROM – ¥3499 (around Rs. 37,000/- )
The device is currently available in China and we wish Xiaomi will launch the Black Shark Helo in India soon.
October 24, 2018
OnePlus 6T To Have MicroSD Card Support

The upcoming OnePlus 6T is one of the most awaited smartphones set to launch this month. The device has a lot of improvements over its predecessor, and some brand new features such as the in-display fingerprint sensor and water drop notch. Leaks had told us all about these features and even the alleged pricing of the device. Just when we thought there was nothing more to know, a German retailer listed the OnePlus 6T on their website with its details and price. But the surprising detail in the listing is the microSD card support.

More Storage?

While you may think that this is not such a big deal, keep in mind that OnePlus has not provided SD card support prior to this. If this listing is true, it means that OnePlus users will finally be able to utilise their devices further by storing more data on them. Expandable storage is a boon for devices with limited storage. The base model on the OnePlus 6 has 64 GB of inbuilt storage which is quite restrictive for users. However, the OnePlus 6T might have a base model with 128 GB of internal storage which should be more than enough for average users. The addition of microSD card support to the device will take this a step further and users will now be able to carry all their data and apps with them without the fear of running out of space.

Also Read: OnePlus 6T First Camera Sample Appears

The OnePlus 6T has a 6.41 inch Super AMOLED display with a water drop notch. The device will run on the Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants, according to reports. It packs a bigger 3,700 mAh battery, compared to its predecessor. The device will run Android 9 Pie and the ‘best version of Oxygen OS’, according to the company. The OnePlus 6T will launch on 29 October.

October 24, 2018
Amazon Great India Festival: Top Smartphone Deals

The Amazon Great India Festival Sale is back. It goes live today and is the perfect opportunity for those who missed out on the amazing deals during the first sale. A lot of products including smartphones will be available at great discounts & offers and here is a list of the same.

iPhone X

Apple’s last year flagship, the iPhone X has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display with 458 ppi pixel density . It runs on the Hexa-Core 2.39 GHz Apple A11 Bionic chipset and is powered by a 2,716 mAh battery. The phone has 12 MP + 12 MP dual rear cameras and a 7 MP front camera.

Regular Price: Rs. 91,900/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs 74,999/-

OnePlus 6T

The OnePlus 6T is set to launch on the 29 October and will have a lot of revolutionary features. The smartphone will have an in-display fingerprint sensor and a water drop notch display. The OnePlus 6T will run on the Snapdragon 845 and will have a 6.41 inch Super AMOLED Display.

Offer: Prebook on Amazon and get free Bullet Headphones worth 1,490 and an additional Rs 500 cashback.

Click here to get the OnePlus 6T offer

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 two varints: 2/3 GB of RAM paired with 16/32 GB ROM which is expandable upto 256 GB via a microSD card.

Flash Sale today at 12 PM

MRP: Rs. 6,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 5,999/-

Click here to buy the Xiaomi Redmi 6A

Honor 8X

Honor recently launched the mid-range Honor 8X smartphone in India. It has a 6.5 inch IPS LCD display with 396 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Hisilicon Kirin chipset and is powered by a 3,750 mAh battery. The phone has 20 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP selfie camera. The device has 4 GB of RAM paired with 64 GB of ROM which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

MRP: Rs. 17,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 14,999/-

Click here to buy the Honor 8x

Redmi Y2

The Redmi Y2 has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset has a 5.99-inch HD display with a resolution and 1440 x 720 pixels. The device’s display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and a rear fingerprint scanner for securely unlocking the phone. The phone has 12MP+5MP dual-rear cameras and a 16MP selfie camera with AI capability. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. It has a 3080 mAh Li-Ion battery.

MRP: Rs. 13,499/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-

Realme 1

Realme 1 is the first smartphone that is able to compete with Xiaomi’s budget-oriented devices. The Realme 1 has a 6 inch IPS LCD display with 402 ppi pixel density. It has the Octa-Core P60 processor and a 3,410 mAh battery. The phone has a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front selfie camera. The device has 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via microSD card.

Regular price: Rs. 14,990/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 11,990/-

Galaxy A8+

The Samsung Galaxy A8+ has a 6 inch Super AMOLED display with 411 ppi pixel density. It runs on the Octa-Core Exynos 7885 chipset and is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery. The phone has 16 MP rear camera and dual 16 MP + 8 MP front cameras.

Regular Price: Rs. 41,900/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 23,990/-

Redmi 6 Pro

The eldest sibling of Redmi 6 Series, the Redmi 6 has pro has a 5.84 inch notch LCD display with 432 ppi pixel density. It has a huge 4,000 mAh battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 625. The device has 12 MP + 5 MP dual rear cameras and a 5 MP front-facing camera. The Redmi Note 6 is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular Price: Rs. 11,499/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 10,999/-

Honor 7C

The Honor 7C has a 5.99 inch IPS LCD display with 269 ppi pixel density. It has a non-removable 3,000 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 450. The device has 13 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and an 8 MP front-facing camera. The Honor 7c is available in two storage variants: 3/4 GB of RAM paired with 32/64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular Price: Rs. 9,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 8,499/–

Honor Play

The Honor 7 Play has a 6.3 inch IPS LCD display with 409 ppi pixel density. It has a non removable 3,750 mAh lithium battery and runs on the Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 970. The Honor Play has 16 MP + 2 MP dual rear cameras and a 16 MP front facing camera. The Honor Play has 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

Regular price: Rs. 19,999/-

Amazon Great India Sale deal price: Rs. 17,999/–

October 24, 2018
HTC Exodus 1; Crypto Mining Smartphone Launched

Though HTC’s sales have been plummeting, they are known for making smartphones with revolutionary features. Some examples include: Beats audio integrated smartphones , ultra-pixel camera in their HTC One and the Active edge technology.

Active edge is a feature with which the user can squeeze the smartphone bezels to toggle certain actions like activating Google Assistant and more. It was first seen on the HTC U11 and now can be seen on the likes of Google Pixel 2 & Google Pixel 3. Recently, HTC has released yet another revolutionary smartphone that can mine cryptocurrency like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The smartphone is called the HTC EXODUS 1.

The HTC EXODUS 1 uses blockchain technology to improve security on the smartphone and is also responsible for mining cryptocurrency. Blockchain is a digital ledger which records transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency which are publicly available.

HTC EXODUS 1 Specifications

The HTC EXODUS 1 has a 6 inch Quad HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone has 12 MP + 16 MP dual rear cameras and 8 MP + 8 MP front cameras that support natural Bokeh effect. The rear cameras can record 2160p videos @ 60 fps with HTC’s 3D audio recording. The HTC EXODUS 1 runs on the Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 SoC and now has Active Edge 2.

In terms of storage, the device has 128 GB of UFS 2.1 ROM and 6 GB of DDR4x RAM. The device is IP 68 dust & water resistant and supports Single Sim 4G LTE. It has an inbuilt Zion wallet that securely stores the cryptocurrency. The HTC EXODUS 1 runs on Android Oreo and has a 3,500 mAh battery with fast charging support.

HTC EXODUS 1 Price & Availability

Also Read: Samsung’s New Patent To Make The Entire Screen A Fingerprint Reader

The HTC EXODUS 1 has a price of 0.15 Bitcoin or 4.78 Ethereum (around Rs. 70,000). It is available for pre-order now and the deliveries will commence in December 2018.

October 23, 2018
Samsung’s New Patent To Make The Entire Screen A Fingerprint Reader

With great leaps in smartphone technology, users are getting safer and more convenient ways to unlock their smartphones with each passing year. The first major breakthrough after basic security features such as pins and patterns was the inclusion of biometric security in smartphones. Slowly, that evolved, became faster and more secure. It is now present under the display, eliminating the need for a physical sensor. However, the latest patent by Samsung is now taking this a step further. Samsung is planning to turn the entire screen into a fingerprint reader.

The Future Of Displays

Currently, in-display fingerprint readers only cover a certain area of the screen and are not very accessible. The positioning of the fingerprint sensor is of the utmost importance. Just having it limited to a certain area on the screen is not ideal for any user. The latest patent from Samsung might solve this issue. The patent describes a way to make the entire display into a fingerprint scanner. This means that no matter where the user will place their hand, the device will be able to read the fingerprint and unlock.

The patent also describes that the device having this feature will have two processors. This consists of a main processor and a second, low power processor. The low power processor functions even when the display is not on. At the same time, the main processor is in sleep mode to save power. This secondary processor will then detect any touch and thus activate the biometric sensor. The smartphone will then conduct three scans for which it needs between 60 to 90 milliseconds. The processor needs 200 to 300 milliseconds to compute all this.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Might Launch With Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

It is reported that the technology is being made for use on a folding display and might be seen on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy F device. However, some sources also say that the technology in the patent will not be seen anytime soon and that we will have to wait a few more years for it to be available. But, immense competition from Chinese manufacturers might just drive Samsung to crack the whip and bring out this innovation faster.

October 23, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro Launched

Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro saw it’s launch in China a couple of weeks back. It was recently launched in Taiwan which is it’s first release outside China. In China, the phone is called the Mi 8 Screen Fingerprint Edition. The Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro is an upgraded version of the Mi 8 with an in-display fingerprint sensor and looks eerily similar to the iPhone X.

Specifications

According to the company, the Mi 8 Pro has increased the unlocking speed by 29 percent and the unlocking success rate by 8.8 percent compared to the Mi 8 Explorer Edition. This has reportedly been done through tweaks in the algorithm. The phone is available in 8 GB RAM and 128 GB variant as well as a 6 GB RAM and 128 GB variant. It features a 6.21-inch Super AMOLED 2248 x 1080 px display with an aspect ratio of 18.7:9 and a notch. The phone draws its power from a Snapdragon 845 SoC and has dual rear cameras. The two lenses include 2 MP wide angle lens and a 12 MP telephoto lens. The front camera is a 20 MP sensor. The phone also features an infrared based face unlock system and a 3,000 mAh battery. It runs on MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone also has the usual sensors which include Gyroscope, Multi touch, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, G (Gravity) Sensor, Finger print sensor, Accelerometer and Compass.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi A1 To Get Android 9 Pie Soon

The phone is available in two different black colours – transparent black and meteorite black. It is also available in pink and yellow variants. The company may launch the phone in several other countries and India might be one of them. However, with lower end specs like a 12 MP camera and a 3,000 mAh battery it might be a hard sell in such a price sensitive market. The phone will be available online via Xiaomi Mall and on Mi Store for a price of NT$15,999 ($516).

October 23, 2018
Samsung To Launch Snapdragon 710 Mid-Range Smartphone

Qualcomm recently unveiled the Snapdragon 675 as manufacturers start to focus on mid range smartphones. Samsung, according to a tweet by an industry insider, will reportedly unveil a mid-range phone which will feature a Snapdragon 710 chipset. The company has used the 660 chipset before but never a 710. If they do end up using it, this phone will be Samsung’s most expensive mid-range smartphone yet. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 675 features an Adreno 612 GPU while the 710 has an Adreno 616 GPU. There are a lot of similarities in the two chipsets. This includes support for Quick Charge 4+, Bluetooth 5.0 and a Hexagon 685 Digital Signal Processor.

Samsung has been trying to focus on the mid-range segment in India and recently launched the A9. The upcoming smartphone might be a great competitor to Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Honor brands that are doing well in the market. Rivals including the Oppo R17 Pro, Vivo Z3, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE and many others use this chipset in their phones already. The phone may see it’s launch in India first. It might then see it’s introduction to other markets. Speculations also suggest that the phone might bear the name A10 following the Galaxy A9 which saw it’s launch in October this year.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Might Launch With Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

The phone will probably cost more than Samsung’s A9 but cheaper than it’s flagship phones. There is no information regarding the features of the phone in terms of RAM or display. The phone will run on Android 9 Pie straight out of the box and might have a 3,000 mAh battery. It is also speculated that the new phone will have a 19.5:9 aspect ratio display. Samsung currently uses a 18.5:9 aspect ratio. If the launch date is set for January, there might be an announcement for the phone in December.

October 23, 2018
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Might Launch With Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

Xiaomi has been boasting a lot of ground breaking features that their upcoming Mi Mix 3 smartphone will have. Xiaomi has already confirmed that the Mi Mix 3 will be the first commercial phone to support 5G connectivity. A teaser posted by Xiaomi suggests that the Mi Mix 3 might have 10 GB of RAM as well.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855

A recent leak from China claims that the smartphone will run on the Snapdragon 855 processor. It will be the successor to the Snapdragon 845 which is present on most Android flagships in 2018. Additionally, rumors propose that Qualcomm has changed the naming scheme for their processors and the new Snapdragon 855 will have the 8150 moniker.

The leak could be real as in the past, Qualcomm has partnered with Xiaomi to debut new processors. During the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE launch, Qualcomm debuted their Snapdragon 710 SoC. The leaked notice board also reveals some other key details about the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. The smartphone has a 6.4 inch display though information about the type of panel is not available. It is powered by a 3,850 mAh battery and in terms of memory & storage it has 8 GB of RAM & 256 GB of storage. However, this might not be the top end variant which will have a higher, 10 GB of RAM .

The leaked notice board does seem real as a Xiaomi Ninebot Mini scooter and a poster of a Xiaomi smartphone can be seen in the background.

The notice board also acknowledges the release date of 25th October which is already confirmed by Xiaomi. According to previous teasers, the Mi Mix 3 will have a sliding display which conceals the speakerphone and front cameras. Moreover, the Mi Mix 3 might have an in-display fingerprint scanner and will record super slow motion videos at 960 FPS.

Also read: Honor Magic 2 Official Images Surface

At the moment we can only wait for the tomorrow’s launch event & let Xiaomi officially announce the Mi Mix 3.

October 23, 2018