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OnePlus 5T Gets iPhone X Like Gesture Navigation With OxygenOS 5.1.0

With the launch of the OnePlus 6 just around the corner, the focus of OnePlus has not completely shifted from its existing smartphones. The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T recently received an update to Android 8 Oreo and a new version of OxygenOS is now seeding for the two smartphones. One of the most interesting features that is being introduced to the OnePlus 5T with OxygenOS 5.1.0 is gesture navigation.

Back in December 2017, OnePlus introduced iPhone X like gestures to the OnePlus 5T in an Open Beta version of OxygenOS. It now appears that the company has honed these gestures over the past few months and is ready to roll out the feature to all the OnePlus 5 and 5T users. The timing of this update is worth noting because the launch of the OnePlus 6 is imminent. The company has already teased the gestures for navigation feature of the OnePlus 6 in a promo video.

The gesture navigation was made famous by the iPhone X even though it was not the first smartphone to do it. WebOS had gestures for navigation and so did BlackBerryOS. But, the timing of smartphone makers like Xiaomi and OnePlus introducing gestures for navigation to their devices can certainly be attributed to the iPhone X. However, gestures work differently for all the three smartphone makers.

The OnePlus 5T with Open Beta 3 that we tested, had the initial phase of gestures. In order to go back, you had to swipe up from the bottom corner of the screen. Swiping up from the bottom centre of the screen mimics the home button. For multi-tasking, you swipe up from the bottom centre of the screen and hold your finger in the centre of the display until multitasking cards show up.

To get the gestures working on your OnePlus 5/5T simply update to the latest OTA update.

Update: The article has been updated to reflect that only the OnePlus 5T has received gestures for navigation.

April 17, 2018
Apple WatchOS Might Support Third Party Watch Faces In The Future

Apple Watch is one of the most successful smartwatches with a market share of 21%. Apple WatchOS has been appreciated for a lot of features like, easy to navigate UI, battery life and design. However, just like iPhones, Apple has a control over the design elements of the smartwatch. This means, only Apple can develop new Watch Faces. This might change soon, as, according to a new leak, the Apple WatchOS might soon support third-party Watch Faces has been hinted in the source code of the WatchOS 4.3.1.

The line of code leaked from the latest version of watchOS has a statement ‘This is where the 3rd party face config bundle generation would happen’, which means, Apple could finally enable to developers to create Watch Faces using the WatchOS Kit. However, as of now, the feature has not been enabled on the current version of the watchOS and the company might announce this feature at the Apple World Wide Developer’s Conference 2018.

Considering the number of developers that watchOS has, Apple Watch could get a whole array of watch faces.

April 16, 2018
OnePlus 6 Will Be Water Resistant

The OnePlus 6 is turning out to be quite an upgrade over its predecessor, the OnePlus 5T. Ever since the company first teased the OnePlus 6, the company has slowly hinted at a few important features of the upcoming flagship smartphone. In the latest tweet by OnePlus’ official account, the company has seemingly confirmed that the OnePlus 6 will be water resistant.

Don’t you just hate it when you have to stop using your phone when it rains? So do we ? pic.twitter.com/QEnOdm3Xtk

— OnePlus (@oneplus) April 16, 2018

At the time of the launch of the OnePlus 5, the company was heavily panned for significantly increasing the price of the smartphone from its predecessor. Also, OnePlus did that without introducing important features like an IP rating for water resistance. That trend continued with the OnePlus 5T, however, it appears that OnePlus has finally listened to its consumers with the new smartphone. Whether the OnePlus 6 will have an IP67 or IP68 rating for water and dust resistance will only be confirmed at the launch event.

The OnePlus 6 has also been confirmed to be an Amazon exclusive smartphone in India, like its predecessors. In an advertisement being shown at Cinemas in India, the last slide reveals that the 6 will be an Amazon-exclusive smartphone, just like its predecessors. However, like it did with the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 will also, eventually, make its way to offline stores as OnePlus is now trying to capture a market that strays away from shopping online.

There are also rumours the OnePlus 6 will have an all-glass design which means the company could also introduce wireless charging. This is another feature that a lot of consumers have asked for but, so far, OnePlus has maintained that its DashCharge technology is superior to the current wireless charging technology.

So far, there has been no hint by the company regarding the official launch date of the 6. If rumours of a Special Edition Avengers OnePlus 6 are true, then the smartphone will launch before the 27th of April (global release date of Avengers: Infinity War).

April 16, 2018

Three New Sony Bluetooth Speakers Launched In India Starting Rs. 7990

Three new Sony Bluetooth Speakers have been launched in India at a starting price of Rs 7990. All the three Sony Bluetooth Speakers are available across India starting today (16th April 2018). The Sony SRS-XB21 is priced at Rs 7990 and is available in Black, Blue, Red and White colour variants. The Sony SRS-XB31 costs Rs 9990 while the Sony SRS-XB41 will retail for Rs 13990. Both of these Sony Bluetooth Speakers will be available in Black and Blue colour variants while the Sony SRS-XB31 will also retail in a Red colour.

Sony claims that these speakers, with the new DSP (Digital Signal Processor), can produce a three-dimensional sound which makes for a better music listening experience. The Live Sound mode essentially produces a music concert-like sound as the sound is spread across vertically as well as horizontally. As is evident in the name, these Sony Bluetooth Speakers concentrate a lot on the bass and have a very bass-heavy sound.

Another interesting feature of these speakers is the build quality. All the three speakers are IP67 rated for water and dust resistance which goes well with Sony’s whole party-related theme for the speakers. Keeping the party mode in mind, these speakers also multi-colour line lights and
flashing strobe lights with speaker lights.

All the three speakers have the same Bluetooth version 4.2 and NFC. What differs is the size and weight of the three speakers which in turn means the sound reproduction will be better in the more pricier speaker.

Specifications	Sony SRS-XB21	Sony SRS-XB31	Sony SRS-XB41
Price	Rs 7990	Rs 9990	Rs 13990
Bluetooth	4.2	4.2	4.2
NFC	Yes	Yes	Yes
Amplifier Type	S-Master	S-Master	S-Master
Dimensions	193 x 72 x 65 mm	231 x 87 x 81 mm	291 x 104 x 105 mm
Weight	530 grams	890 grams	1.5 kilograms
Frequency Range	2.4GHz/ 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz(44.1 kHz sampling)	2.4GHz/ 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz(44.1 kHz sampling)	2.4GHz/ 20 Hz – 20,000 Hz(44.1 kHz sampling)
Colours	Black, Blue, Red and White	Black, Blue and Red	Black and Blue

April 16, 2018

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium With 4K HDR Display Launched

Sony kicked off 2018 with the launch of two flagship smartphones, the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact, both running on the latest Snapdragon 845 chipset. About two months later, Sony has now unveiled the new Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium with a few significant upgrades. The Xperia XZ2 Premium will be available later in the summer but, its pricing details have not been revealed yet.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium has the new curvy design that Sony showed off with the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. It is a departure from the rectangular boxy design that Sony smartphones have sported for a long time.

One of the biggest upgrades over the Xperia XZ2 is the display. The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium now has a 5.8 inch IPS LCD display with a 4K resolution. The regular Xperia XZ2 has a 5.7 inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium also supports HDR. Sony also introduced a new vibration system with the XZ2 at Mobile World Congress. The feature basically provides a rumble feedback to match whatever is happening on the screen.

Powering the Xperia XZ2 Premium is a 3540 mAh battery with QuickCharge 4.0 and wireless charging. The 3.5mm headphone jack is also missing, which seems to be the new norm.

For the first time ever, Sony has also introduced a dual-camera setup on a smartphone. The primary camera is a 19MP RGB Exmor RS sensor with an f/1.8 aperture while the second lens is a 12MP Monochrome sensor with an f/1.6 aperture. This implementation is different from the likes of Apple and Samsung which have used a telephoto lens for portrait mode shots.

Sony claims that apart from the monochrome lens helping in better black-and-white shots, it will improve low-light photography as well. During still photography, the XZ2 Premium can reach a maximum ISO of 51,200 and for shooting videos, as high as 12,800. To avoid graininess in the pictures with such high ISO, Sony claims its “AUBE fusion image signal processor” can combine the data of both sensors, optimize for low light, and reduce noise. Features like portrait mode and monochrome bokeh shots will be introduced via a software update in Q3 of 2018.

There are no details about a possible launch of the Xperia XZ2 Premium in India. However, we expect the phone to launch in India end May or early June.

April 16, 2018
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

Sony has officially launched the Xperia XZ2 Premium, which the first dual camera smartphone from the company. The smartphone also boasts a 5.8 inch 4K display with HDR support. The smartphone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM. The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is also the first smartphone to offer ISO 51200 sensitivity.

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April 16, 2018
Xiaomi Mi A2

Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to launch in India in the upcoming weeks. This will be a successor to the Xiaomi Mi A1, which was the first smartphone from Xiaomi with stock Android and Android One branding. The smartphone is expected to have a 5.99 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px IPS LCD display, running on the Snapdragon 626/660 Octa-core chipset with 4 and 6GB RAM options.

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April 16, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 6X To Launch On April 25th

Xiaomi is hosting a launch event at the Wuhan University, China on the 25th of April. A new teaser released by the company on its Weibo account has confirmed that it will indeed launch the Xiaomi Mi 6X.

According to the teaser, the Xiaomi Mi 6X will be available in a blue colour variant with a full metal unibody design and an iPhone X style dual camera setup. The back of the smartphone looks very similar to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. While the front of the smartphone is not visible in the teaser, it is fair to assume that it will also look identical to the Redmi Note 5 Pro with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

It has also been reported that the Mi A1 has been discontinued in India. This means that the company has plans of launching a successor, and the Mi 6X could well be that successor. In India, the Mi 6X is expected to launch as the Xiaomi Mi A1 (2018) or the Mi A2 running stock Android OS.

Xiaomi Mi 6X Poster

According to the teaser image, the Xiaomi Mi 6x will have a 20MP primary camera and a 20MP front-facing camera. The smartphone has a rear-facing fingerprint scanner, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. Unlike the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Xiaomi Mi 6X/A2 will have a USB type C port for charging and data syncing. The Phone might also support fast charging.

According to a recent TENAA listing, the Xiaomi Mi 6X has a 5.99 inch IPS LCD 2160 x 1080 px display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the device has a 2.2 GHz Octa-core chipset, which could be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 626/660 chipset. Additionally, the device has either 4/6GB RAM with 64/128GB onboard storage.

The device has a dual 20MP and a 12MP sensor. However, the exact implementation of this dual camera setup is yet to be known. For the front-facing camera, the smartphone uses a 20MP sensor, like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. Additionally, the front-facing camera is likely to support Face Unlock. Lastly, the phone has a 2910 mAh battery.

April 16, 2018
Moto G6 Plus Running On The Snapdragon 660 Chipset Listed On GeekBench

The Motorola G6 series of smartphones are expected to launch in São Paulo, Brazil on the 19th of April. There has been a lot of news and rumours regarding the design, display, and the chipset used on these devices. However, according to a listing found on the latest Geekbench, the Moto G6 Plus is running on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, which contradicts with previous leaks that stated the G6 Plus will be running on the Snapdragon 630 chipset.

This looks like a typo, as the Moto G6 Plus was reported to be running on the Snapdragon 630 Octa-core chipset. The single core and multi-core points scored by the smartphone are nowhere near the scored of the Snapdragon 660 chipset. The Nokia 7 Plus, which runs on the Snapdragon 660 chipset scores 1640 points on a single core and 5827 points on multi-core performance. Whereas the Moto G6 Plus has scored 866 points on a single core and 4123 points on a multicore performance. To bring in more context, the Moto X4 running on the Snapdragon 630 chipset has scored 875 points on a single core and 4177 points on multicore performance. This almost confirms that the Moto G6 Plus will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor.

Left To Right: Nokia 7 Plus and Moto X4 running on the Snapdragon 660 and 630 chipsets, respectively.

According to an earlier report, The Moto G6 Plus will have a 5.93-inch 2160 x 1080p IPS LCD display with 2.5D curved tempered glass protection. Under the hood, the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 Octa-core chipset with 4GB and 6GB RAM options.

The phone will have a 12MP RGB sensor and a 5MP telephoto lens on the back. The setup is expected to be different from what we have seen so far from Moto devices. The front-facing camera is a 16MP sensor with a front-facing LED flash.

April 16, 2018
OnePlus 6 To Be Amazon Exclusive In India

The OnePlus 6 is not too far away from its official launch. In India, the OnePlus 6 is expected to launch along with markets like China and North America. Over the years, OnePlus has been an online-first brand and only recently branched out to offline retailers with its partnership with Croma in India. The company has also opened up its own OnePlus Experience stores in cities like Bengaluru and New Delhi. It looks like the OnePlus 6 will also be an online first smartphone and will be sold exclusively via Amazon.

In an advertisement being shown at Cinemas in India, the last slide reveals that the OnePlus 6 will be an Amazon-exclusive smartphone, just like its predecessors. However, like it did with the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, the OnePlus 6 will also, eventually, make its way to offline stores as OnePlus is now trying to capture a market that strays away from shopping online. OnePlus’ fellow Chinese compatriot, Xiaomi has also taken major steps over the past couple of years in building an offline presence, while making sure it also releases its smartphones to the online audience. However, Xiaomi’s continued flash sales of its popular devices have left a lot of consumers very frustrated.

OnePlus, at a point in time, also had a very frustrating buying method. OnePlus smartphones were sold via an invite system that allowed the company to keep the cost of production down. However, that has changed over the last year and a half as OnePlus flagship devices are now always available online at any given time. The same is expected to continue with the OnePlus 6, making it a readily available affordable flagship smartphone.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Edition

So far, there has been no hint by the company regarding the official launch date of the OnePlus 6. If rumours of a Special Edition Avengers OnePlus 6 are true, then the smartphone will launch before the 27th of April (global release date of Avengers: Infinity War).

April 16, 2018
Moto G6 Leaked In Live Images Before April 19th Launch

Motorola’s G series of smartphones are some of the most anticipated budget smartphones in India. The Moto G5 Plus, launched in early-2017 still has one of the best camera performances for a budget Android device. Now, Lenovo-owned Motorola looks all set to launch the new Moto G6 series on the 19th of April at an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Right before the launch, new images of the Moto G6 have leaked, yet again revealing the possible design of the smartphone.

According to the leaked image, the Moto G6 will have an all-glass design, similar to the Moto X4. With this device, Motorola is moving away from the metal unibody design to offer a more premium build. The smartphone has an 18:9 aspect ratio display with FHD+ 2160 x 1080 px panel and a 5.7 inch screen size.

According to a previous leak, the phone will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa-core chipset with 3 and 4GB RAM options. The phone will have a dual camera setup with a 12MP RGB sensor and a 5MP depth sensor and an 8MP front-facing camera.

The Moto G6 has a forward-facing fingerprint sensor, located below the Motorola branding, which might double as a one key navigation button. As of now, there is no information on pricing of these smartphones. However, considering Motorola’s pricing pattern so far, these smartphones in India will cost between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000.

April 14, 2018
Android Popsicle May Be The Final Name Given To Android 9.0

Ever since Android’s inception in 2007, the mobile operating system has an interesting and fun naming pattern. Google has stuck to naming every iteration of Android after a type of dessert. The most recent version, Android 8 goes by the moniker of Oreo. The next in line is Android P which will be unveiled Google I/O 2018 and get an official release in the third quarter of 2018. While many desserts start with the letter P, Google appears to have dropped a major hint about the possible name of Android P and it may be Android Popsicle.

On its official Instagram account, Google released a set of Spring wallpapers with a certain delicacy making an appearance. Of the five wallpapers released by Google, the last image was of different kinds of popsicles. You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to jump to the conclusion that Google might have just very blatantly hinted that the full name of Android P could be Android Popsicle.

Over the years, Google has been known to have a bit of fun with its followers, especially when it comes to the names of new Android versions. Google always leaves subtle hints to mislead its fans into predicting a wrong name for the upcoming version of Android. With this Android Popsicle wallpaper trick, however, Google was anything but subtle. Now, it is completely possible that Google has just trolled its 6.2 million Instagram followers into believing that the next version will be called Android Popsicle.

The first developer’s preview of “Android Popsicle” was released in March 2018 and had a few interesting features. Acknowledging the growing trend of notches, Google introduced the notch feature in the first preview of Android P. Once enabled, the clock moves to the left-hand side of the notch along with notification icons. Other icons like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth remain on the right side of the notch. Interestingly, different sizes of a notch can be emulated.

Visually, other changes include a slight redesign of the notification panel. The icons in the quick settings pulldown have rounded corners now. If activated, the icons will be blue in colour and when inactive, it will turn grey. To access other quick settings toggle, the user has to pull down on the grey bar just underneath the initial menu.

April 14, 2018
Google Testing Self Destructing Email For Gmail

Google is revamping the web version of its popular email service, Gmail. The company might showcase new Gmail features at the Google I/O 2018, which will commence on the 8th of May. According to a new leak, Google is also working on a new feature that will enable users to send emails which expire after a specified time, a Self Destructing Email.

According to leaked images, the confidential mode will work even with third-party email clients like ‘ProtonMail’. Before sending an email, users will be able to specify a time frame post which, the email will be deleted from the recipient’s inbox. The caveat here is that such email won’t be forwardable. However, the feature is still under development, as the option ‘Learn More’ currently redirects to a blank page.

Self Destructing Email Is Straight Out Of Spy Movies

According to the screenshot, one can set an expiry date for as long as 5 years. The user will also be able to set password requirement, where the recipient has to confirm their identity via a code/OTP sent to the recipient as a text message to access the email. The recipient will not be able to take a print out of this email or cannot copy/paste the content as well. However, the leaker was able to seize a screenshot of the email content.

As of now, there is no information about this feature being available to non-Gmail users. When a user sends an email using the confidential mode, the mail will look like any other email. However, when it expires the email will disappear from the inbox. Google has not mentioned end-to-end encryption anywhere, which means the company is most likely to stick with non-encrypted emails.

April 14, 2018
Apple Could Launch A Lower-Priced HomePod After Disappointing HomePod Sales

At the Worldwide Developer’s Conference 2017, Apple unveiled its first-ever smart speaker, the Apple HomePod. After a lot of delays, it finally went on sale on the 27th of January. So far, the smart speaker from Apple has been very well-received by critics for its sound quality. However, it appears that quality in performance has not translated into sales for Apple. According to Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI Securities, HomePod shipments “could be far below market expectations” this year.

In a research note, Kuo has said that the market expects HomePod shipments to arrive at 5-10 million units in the 2018 fiscal year. But, according to their forecast, 2 to 2.5 million units of HomePod will be shipped this fiscal year. The major factors that could have impacted the sales of the smart speaker are its design and pricing.

The HomePod retails for US$ 349 in the US and Kuo believes this high price could “could undermine demand despite the excellent sound quality.” While the Google Home Max is even pricier at US$ 399, Google also sells the cheaper Google Home Mini and Google Home, which have the same smart qualities albeit a much lower price. This means that Apple might be persuaded into launching an affordable version of its smart speaker, especially since that is what its competitors are doing as well.

Google Home, Home Mini

Ming-Chi Kuo has said the lower-cost HomePod might be a quick fix for sales but, not a long-term option. He believes Apple needs to improve Siri, support more languages, and make other improvements to its smart speaker to stay competitive in the market. Kuo has often been right in predicting Apple’s products and recent rumours certainly support his claim for a more affordable HomePod. However, whether these predictions will indeed be proven right is yet to be seen.

The Worldwide Developer’s Conference 2018 is just around the corner and like in 2017, Apple could unveil this lower-priced HomePod at WWDC.

April 14, 2018
Huawei P20 Pro India Launch Teased By Huawei On Twitter

On the 27th of March, Huawei launched the Huawei P20 Pro and P20 at an event in Paris. The smartphones were subsequently listed on Huawei India’s official website but, there was no confirmation about their launch in India. Now, Huawei India has posted a teaser on Twitter which hints at the launch of the Huawei P20 Pro and P20 in India.

Is it a phone? Is it a DSLR? It is the best of both worlds! #SeeMooore #HuaweiP20 pic.twitter.com/GfrZATMstB

— Huawei India (@HuaweiIndia) April 13, 2018

The Huawei P20 has a starting price of 649 Euros (Rs 52000 approx.) while the P20 Pro costs 899 Euros (Rs 72000). In India, however, the smartphones are expected to be priced much more competitively. For reference, we expect the Huawei P20 Pro to be priced closer to the Samsung Galaxy S9.

Huawei P20 Pro: A Triple-Camera Flagship Like No Other

The Huawei P20 Pro, months before its official launch, started gaining attention for its possible camera implementation. The rumours were confirmed at the launch when the P20 Pro was unveiled with a triple-camera setup on the back. Moreover, the camera implementation is not just a gimmick and every sensor solves its purpose. The Huawei P20 Pro has a 3X optical zoom compared to the 2X zoom found in most smartphones.

The smartphone has a 6.1 inch OLED display with a 2280 x 1080 px resolution. Under the hood, the smartphone has the HiSilicon Kirin 970 Octa-core chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The P20 Pro also has a notch on the top portion of the display. However, Huawei has included an option for either enabling or disabling the notch via software which should please everyone on the “notch spectrum.”

Powering the smartphone is a 4000 mAh battery with SuperCharge technology. The smartphone, however, misses out on wireless charging despite its all-glass build. One more thing that is unique about the Huawei P20 and the P20 Pro is the design. Just like most of the flagship smartphone these devices have an all-glass design with a one of a kind Twilight finish, which makes the smartphone alter colour in different lighting condition.

April 14, 2018