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Sony Launches Xperia XZ1 In India For Rs. 44990

After unveiling the Sony Xperia XZ1 at IFA 2017 in Berlin, the Japanese tech giant has launched the new phone in India. The highlights of the launch was that the phone will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and the 3D scanning camera. A noticeable omission is that of the Xperia XZ1 Compact which was launched globally along with the XZ1. Sony also recently launched the Xperia XA1 Plus in India at a price of Rs. 24990.

The Sony Xperia XZ1 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top for protection. The design of the phone is reminiscent of a lot of previous Sony flagships, dating back to 2013’s Xperia Z. The device runs Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box and is powered by a 2700 mAh battery, which is considerably smaller than a lot of smartphones in the market. Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, similar to the one found in XZ Premium, 4GB RAM, and 64GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card.

Sony has used its “Motion Eye” camera system in the XZ1. According to Sony, “Motion Eye” system uses a 1GB memory-stacked camera which has five times faster image processing than other smartphones. Ditching the trend of the dual camera setup, Sony went with a single camera at the back with a 19MP 1/2.3? Sony IMX400 camera lens with an f/2.0 aperture. Sony has pointed out that the phone’s 3D scanning capability is one of its highlights. The camera app includes features like Predictive Capture which will click the picture seconds before you actually hit the shutter button. Sony has used SteadyShot electronic stabilization for video instead of optical image stabilization for images. The primary camera can also record super slow motion 720p video at 960fps in addition to recording 4K videos at 30fps. On the front, the XZ1 has a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and 22mm wide-angle lens.

Sony has claimed that the Xperia XZ1 is the first smartphone featuring real time 3D capture:

High quality 3D scans of objects can be rendered in just a minute using four scan modes; head scan, face scan, food scan and freeform scan. Scanned objects can then be shared on messenger apps using 3D stickers or uploaded to 3D communities such as Sketchfab. The 3D Creator app also sports a ‘Find More’ option that provides access to a growing 3D ecosystem via Google Play.

The Xperia XZ1 is priced at Rs. 44990 and will go on sale September 25 through both offline and online channels. The smartphone will be available only in the Black colour variant unlike its global variant which is available in Snow Silver, Horizon Blue, and Twilight Pink as well. For the launch offers, Sony is bundling a Quick Charge 3.0 charger in the box for a limited time while the buyers can purchase the Sony Style Stand Cover for Rs 2,490 which costs Rs 3490 originally along with the device. HDFC credit/debit card holders and ICICI credit card holders can also avail a 5 per cent cash back on purchase.

September 25, 2017
Audio Technica Announces New Headphones Lineup Including The MSR7 For The Indian Market

Audio Technica on 25th September announced 4 new headphones and a new distributor for the consumer segment products in India. The new headphones announced are the ATH-ANC series, the ATH-ADX5000 and the flagship ATH-MSR37. Audio Technica has also appointed KEI Hi-Fi as their consumer category product distributor for India.

ATH-ANC Series

ATH-ANC series

Audio Technica has announced three new headphones in the ATH-ANC series, the in-ear ATH-ANC40BT, and ATH-ANC50iS and ATH-ANC70 over-ear headphones. The ANC in the name stands for Active Noise Cancelation and all the three headphones feature QuietPoint active
noise-cancelation. The ANC40BT are in-ear type headphones, up to 90% noise-cancellation, and 8 hours of battery life. If you do manage to run out of battery, the earphones will work as wired earphones thanks to the 1.2 meter long cable provided by the company. The ATH-ANC50iS provides up to 87% noise cancellation and features an in-line microphone and controller for answering calls and controlling music. The headphones feature a 40mm driver to deliver the sound and just like ANC40BT, will work even if the battery runs out. The ATH-ANC70 provide up to 90% noise-cancelation and have 40mm drivers just like the ANC50iS. The ATH-ANC70 folds flat for storage and comes with a hard-carrying case, a 1/4-inch adapter and airline adapter. The included AAA battery provides up to 40 hours of operation, according to Audio Technica. All the three headphones will be priced in the Rs. 6990 to Rs. 16990 category.

ATH-AR3BT

The new AR3BT over-ear headphones feature NFC for easy pairing and comes in black or white colour finish with gold trim. The headphones have a 40mm driver similar to the ANC series and Audio Technica claims that a top mounted circuit board design allows fluid movement of the diaphragm to minimise distortion. This should result in clear audio output at any volume levels. These headphones are equipped for long listening sessions and feature a 30 hour battery life. Just like the other Bluetooth headphones announced, the AR3BT has a 1.2 meter long cable to listen to music when the battery dies out. The ATH-AR3BT will be available in October 2017, priced at Rs 13,990.

ATH-ADX5000

The ADX5000 has a 58mm driver to deliver the sound. You will need an amplifier or a an amp to experience the full capabilities of these headphones as an average smartphone might not be equipped for a 58mm driver. It has an impedance of 420 ohms and weight around 270 gm. According to Audio Technica, the ATH-ADX5000? s ear pads and headband are wrapped in Alcantara which results in comfortable long-hours of listening sessions.

ATH-MSR7SE

Audio Technica has also announced the blue and gold AT-MSR7 Special Edition headphones. The premium headphones are over-the-ear type and feature the limited edition navy blue finish and gold accent. The technology is inspired by the MSR9 and features the “specially-tuned” 45mm True Motion drivers with a Diamond-like Carbon (DLC) coated diaphragm. Audio-Technica says the limited edition MSR7SE have new pads that are “shaped to boost the lower end Sonics” and will furthermore lead to improved noise isolation.

Audio Technica states that

The ATH-MSR7SE’s high-resolution sonic performance is further enhanced with a new 6N-OFC oxygen-free copper 1.2-metre cable. Offering 99.99997% copper purity, this cable enables a purer audio transmission for increased clarity and accuracy. In addition to the high-grade 6N-OFC cable, those listening on a smartphone can connect a 1.2 metre cable featuring inline controls and a microphone while a 3.0-metre cable with a longer reach for listening at home is also supplied. To keep the headphones pristine in transit a more robust carry case is provided, while all four cables can be stored in a dedicated carry pouch.

Talking about its appointment of KEI Hi-Fi as the consumer category product distributor, Manabu Aoki, Audio Technica Corporation Japan?s General Manger for the International Division said:

India has been a challenging market for our brand in the consumer segment, with it?s vast geography and varied market requirements. This appointment (of KEI Hi-Fi) will aid Audio-Technica in increasing the distribution spread quickly and offer partners and end users the same rich brand experience that Audio-Technica is known for worldwide and enable us to achieve market shares similar to our other export countries

The new line of headphones will be available from October 2017 in India

September 25, 2017
Samsung’s Foldable Android Device Gets Certified In South Korea, May Launch In 2018

Innovation in the smartphone industry has seen a dip in the past few years, with near bezel-less displays being one of the few new “big changes” happening. We have seen smartphone manufacturers tinker with displays so far, with Samsung’s flagship devices sporting a curved display, LG’s V series featuring a secondary display and the likes of Vivo sticking a secondary display at the back of the phone. Keeping up with its tradition of innovating in the display department, Samsung showcased a foldable display smartphone back in 2013 and announced its desire to make the phone a commercial product. Now, the smartphone with a foldable display has been certified in Samsung’s home market, South Korea.

The phone is expected to launch in 2018 as the Galaxy X which now sounds like a rip-off of the iPhone X, which means that Samsung will definitely choose a different name for their marquee device.

According to Let’sGoDigital, the phone has appeared in a filing from the Korean National Radio Research Agency (NRRA), with a model number SM-G888N0. Moreover in the filing, the device is listed out as a “radio equipment for global LTE communication,” while it was spotted as a “smartphone” at the Wi-Fi Alliance. The filing however, does not reveal any other details about the smartphone.

After the big reveal in 2013, the hopes of seeing a foldable Android smartphone on the shelves of mobile stores seemed to have died a slow death. After IFA 2017 in Berlin, Dongjin Koh, President of mobile business at Samsung told some reporters at a news conference in South Korea that a foldable smartphone is in the works and the company is aiming for a 2018 release. The phone will be a part of Samsung’s ‘Note’ lineup, according to Dongjin Koh. He also said that there are still hurdles to overcome and a possible release would be pushed back if the issues are not resolved in time.

When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product. We are digging thoroughly into several issues we must overcome, as we don’t want to just make a few, sell a few and be done. We want to hear that Samsung made a very good product. We have a plan to adopt a foldable display in our roadmap.

A number of patents as well as Samsung’s own concept video from CES 2013 tell us what to expect from the Galaxy X. Samsung is most likely to start small, with a smartphone that folds halfway like a wallet. Another design, in line with Samsung’s prototype unveiling, could see the phone unfold into a full-size tablet.

September 25, 2017
iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Have The Best Cameras Claims DXOmark

The Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were launched on September 12th along with the highly anticipated iPhone X. In India, the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus became available for pre-orders on September 22nd for a starting price of Rs 64000 for the iPhone 8 64GB storage variant. During their launch, Apple claimed that the camera performance of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus is much better than the previous gen iPhones and DXOmark has backed that claim. According to DXOmark, the cameras on the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are the best smartphone cameras in the market right now.

The Apple iPhone 8 Plus is the best-performing mobile device camera we have ever tested. Its overall DxOMark Mobile score of 94 sets a new record, beating out the 90 points for both the Google Pixel and the HTC U11, as well as the 92 that its sibling iPhone 8 just scored.

In terms of build quality and appearance, both the phones do not deviate too much from the design language of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus which were launched back in 2016. The most noticeable difference here is the glass back which enables wireless charging in the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Under the hood, the two new iPhones have the A11 Bionic chipset which, so far has beaten the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset in benchmark results. The next big difference is the cameras.

In terms of optics, the new iPhone 8 has the same 12MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture with a few software upgrades and OIS. On the front is a 7MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture which records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps. The iPhone 8 Plus features a 12MP dual-camera setup. The primary wide-angle lens has an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.8 aperture. The new “Portrait Lighting” feature allows users to adjust the lighting for portrait shots. On the front is a 7MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture which records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps. The dual-cameras at the back record 4K videos at 60fps.

According to DXOmark, the iPhone 8 Plus also has one of the best video-taking capabilities.

For Video, its score of 89 is among our highest, but tied with the HTC U11 and slightly below the Pixel’s 91. Of course, the Pixel is nearly a year old now, so it makes sense that Apple’s new flagship is breaking new ground.

The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have definitely suffered because of the attention that the iPhone X has received. This report from DXOmark should spark some interest in the two iPhones and consumers might consider buying either of the phones instead of waiting for the thousand-dollar iPhone X releasing later this year.

September 23, 2017
Huawei Launches Maimang 6 With Four Cameras

Huawei has launched the Maimang 6 in China which might be sold as Mate 10 Lite globally. A lot of smartphone makers launch a device in its native country under a different name than its global name. Huawei Mate 10 Lite was heavily leaked and it was reported that the Android device will have a dual-camera setup at the back and the front as well.

The Maimang 6 has a 5.9-inch 2160 x 1080px display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The device runs Android 7.0 NOugat out of the box with Huawei’s EMUI 5.1 skin on top and is powered by a 3340 mAh battery. It also has Huawei’s in-house octa-core Kirin 659 chipset, octa-core 2.36 GHz processor, along with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB onboard storage.

On the camera front is where this smartphone will attract a lot of eyeballs. The rear of the phone contains a 16 MP main sensor and a 2 MP secondary sensor, while the front has a 13 MP camera and another 2 MP secondary sensor. A fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the phone since the phone has thin bezels and no physical button at the front of the phone.

The Huawei Maimang 6 will be available in three colour variants, Obsidian Black, Streamer Gold and Aurora Blue colors. Pre-orders began in China 22nd Sep for the phone, which is priced at 2399 yuan (Rs. 23,600 approx.). The phone will officially go on sale in China on September 30. The Mate 10 lineup will be globally unveiled on October 16 in Munich where the Maimang 6 is expected to debut as the Mate 10 Lite. Huawei has hyped up the Mate 10 series after unveiling the Kirin 970 back in August and showed off the chipset’s AI capabilities.

September 23, 2017
Xiaomi Sold Over 1 Million Smartphones During Amazon And Flipkart Sales

Xiaomi had a festive couple of days during the Amazon and Flipkart sales. The Chinese tech giant said that it managed to sell over 1 million smartphones in India. Amazon’s Great Indian Festival Sale and Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sale saw heavy discounts on smartphones and already mid-ranged phones became even more affordable.

Xiaomi managed to sell about 300 smartphones on an average every minute for two days. The company said it saw a significant increase in sales this festive season, compared to last year, where it took them about 18 days to sell one million smartphones.

Xiaomi said that the Redmi 4 was the highest selling smartphone on Flipkart during the sale and Xiaomi was the best-selling brand for both Amazon and Flipkart in the mobile category. Eight of the nine best-selling smartphones in the sale for both Amazon and Flipkart was again, Xiaomi products.

This achievement marks an industry first, and is a key milestone for Xiaomi India. Our careful planning has also ensured that high selling smartphones such as Redmi 4 and Redmi Note 4 are in stock throughout the festive sale. We are extremely thankful to all our Mi Fans for their amazing support, and will continue to work hard to constantly outdo ourselves as we have done on many occasions in the past

Xiaomi has been a dominant force in the budget smartphone category in the Indian market and selling 1 million smartphones albeit, heavy discounts is no mean feat. Xiaomi would want to translate the budget smartphone category success into flagship success as well. The Mi 6 was the last flagship smartphone Xiaomi released in India and the chances of Mi Mix 2 reaching the Indian shores look bleak. Recent reports of the Mi 7 featuring wireless charging have surfaced and its launch in India with Xiaomi’s typical aggressive pricing might make it a success in India.

September 23, 2017
Bixby Voice Now Available In India

It is fair to say that Samsung has had a great 2017 when it comes to its flagship smartphones. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ released earlier in 2017 and the Samsung Galaxy Note8 broke pre-order records in the United States and South Korea. In India, the Galaxy S8, S8+ and the Galaxy Note8 all released with Bixby but, without Bixby Voice. Samsung, however, during the India launch of the Galaxy Note8 announced that Bixby Voice for India will start rolling out from September 22.

For all the software and hardware prowess that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8 devices possess, one thing that still annoys consumers is a physical button on the left hand side of the phone, the Bixby button. When Samsung introduced Bixby along with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, there was a general consensus of it being exactly like Google Assistant and dedicating a hardware button to the AI assistant was Samsung’s push to replace Google Assistant.

Samsung has said that it has optimised Bixby for India in away that it will understand different Indian accents. This means that your Galaxy flagship phone will respond to you regardless of which region of the country you are from.

At Samsung, we listen to our consumers and bring in meaningful innovations that help make their lives better. With Bixby, the phone adapts to you and not the other way around. It’s a smarter way to use your phone and get more done. Keeping in mind the diversity in Indian accents and our commitment to ‘Make for India’, Bixby has been optimised to understand Indian accents.

Similar to other AI voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa, Bixby allows you to verbally communicate with your phone and perform tasks such as googling something, open apps or even make calls or send text messages. You can even point your phone to a certain object and Bixby will be pull up links to buy that product.

September 22, 2017
Xiaomi Mi 7 Might Feature Wireless Charging

It seems like Xiaomi has finally jumped the wireless charging bandwagon and the Mi 7 might be the first Xiaomi phone to feature wireless charging. Xiaomi seems to have joined the Wireless Power Consortium according to their official website.

Wireless Power Consortium was formed back in 2008 and its sole purpose is to promote wide market adoption of the Qi wireless charging technology. In 2012, Google and Nokia released phones that supported inductive charging using the Qi standard. From then on, the consortium started receiving mainstream coverage as more and more companies joined it. Over the years, wireless charging has become a standard parameter for flagship smartphones as the trend and need for wireless charging has increased.

In February 2017, Apple Inc. officially joined the Consortium and rumours of the new iPhone featuring wireless charging started doing the rounds on the internet. Those rumours were confirmed On September 12 when Apple unveiled the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the highly anticipated iPhone X with Qi wireless charging capabilities. The fact that even Apple has opted for the Qi wireless charging technology means that this feature will be adopted universally very soon.

And now, Wireless Power Consortium’s official website has listed Xiaomi as a member:

It’s extremely likely that Xiaomi is preparing to launch devices that support the Qi standard although it remains to be seen whether the first Xiaomi-made phone with wireless charging will be the Mi 7.

There is no official word from Xiaomi being listed as a member suggests that it is extremely likely that Xiaomi is preparing to launch devices that support the Qi standard. Whether the Mi 7 will have wireless charging or not is yet to be seen, and chances of next year’s Mi Mix 3 having wireless charging is a possibility as well, since the Mi Mix 3 will be a more globally targeted device, just like the Mi Mix 2.

September 22, 2017
Apple iPhone 8 And iPhone 8 Plus Pre-Orders Begin In India

The newly launched iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have finally reached the Indian shores. Pre-bookings for both the phones have commenced in India via online and offline outlets. Just like the launch of any premium smartphone, the pre-orders for the iPhone 8 and iPone 8 Plus are accompanied by a slew of data and cashback offers through both online and offline retailers. The phone can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Flipkart, authorised Apple Resellers, Redington stores, and Jio Stores.

Jio, in order to lure customers to buy the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus through its channels, has announced a special tariff plan just for the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus consumers. If you pre-order any of the phones between September 22 and Seotmber 29 and make the payment through CitiBank credit card, you get cashback of Rs 10000. If you pre-order the phone from Reliance Digital, Jio.com, Jio Store, or MyJio app, you get 70% cashback if you return the handset after a year. This essentially means that if you buy the 256GB variant of iPhone 8 Plus for Rs 86000, and return the phone a year later, you get Rs 60200 cashback. The condition here is that the consumer must use a Jio sim for the period, and while returning it to claim the cashback.

The specifications of both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus are top-notch.

iPhone 8

The Apple iPhone 8 has a 4.7 inch 1334 x 750 px True Tone display and thick bezels around it. The smartphone now has a glass back and a metal frame around it for wireless charging. In terms of the display and overall footprint of the phone, not much has changed from the iPhone 7. The display size, resolution and bezels are the same except for the wireless charging capabilities. The new iPhone 8 will run iOS 11 and has the same battery size as the iPhone 7. Under the hood, the Phone 8 has the new A11 Bionic chipset with a neural transmitter. It’s a six-core chip with two high-performance cores that are 25 percent faster than the A10, and four low-performance cores that the company says are 70 percent faster than the old model. There’s also a new Apple-designed GPU that’s 30 percent faster, with the same performance as the A10 at half the power. The phone will be available in Space Gray, Gold and Silver, and have two storage variants, 64GB and 256GB

In terms of optics, the new iPhone 8 has the same 12MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture with a few software upgrades and OIS. Apple claims the new camera is larger and faster than the previous generation. On the front is a 7MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture which records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps.

iPhone 8 Plus

The Apple iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px True Tone display. The display size, resolution and the thick bezels are reminiscent of the iPhone 7 Plus with the exception of the glass back panel, same as the iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 Plus will also run iOS 11 out of the box and shares the same battery size as the iPhone 7 Plus. Under the hood, the iPhone 8 Plus the Apple A11 Bionic chipset with a neural transmitter and the new Apple GPU, same as the iPhone 8. The iPhone 8 Plus will also be available in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold, and have two storage variants, 64GB and 256GB.

On the camera front, the iPhone 8 Plus features a 12MP dual-camera setup. The primary wide angle lens has an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary telephoto lens has an f/2.8 aperture. The new “Portrait Lighting” feature allows users to adjust the lighting for portrait shots. On the front is a 7MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture which records 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30fps. The dual-cameras at the back record 4K videos at 60fps.

September 22, 2017
HTC Is Working On U11 Plus, May Launch In November

Google and HTC announced a cooperative agreement on 21st September worth US$1.1 billion. According to the deal, HTC smartphone division personnel will start working for Google, giving it control over the hardware as well for upcoming Pixel devices. The statement released by both the companies revealed that the HTC U11 won;t be the last Android flagship by HTC, and iGyaan reported that a new flagship will be released in 2018. Now, a new report by GSM Arena from France reveals that HTC is working on HTC U11 Plus and may launch it in China on November 11.

There isn’t much known about the phone yet. The upcoming HTC U11 Plus will have a codename, Ocean Master. The device is expected have a 5.99-inch 2880 x 1440 px display translating to an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone will have minimal bezels and look more like a new-age flagship device. Like the HTC U11, the Plus variant of the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. The HTC U11 Plus is expected to come in two variants – one with 4GBR RAM/64GB storage and second variant which will be a top end version will come with 6GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The smartphone is expected to have a 12MP rear-mounted camera. On the front, the U11 Plus is expected to have an 8MP sensor. HTC will not jump the dual-camera bandwagon just yet and continue with a single camera at the back just like the U11. The U11 Plus is also expected to be IP68 certified water and dust resistant. It is also said to support Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 and also include the HTC U11 Active Edge feature.

The new phone, whenever it does get launched, might one of the last few smartphones HTC makes as a complete smartphone division takeover by Google seems inevitable.

September 22, 2017
Despite The Billion-Dollar Deal With Google, There Will Be Another HTC Flagship Device

Google and HTC announced a Cooperative Agreement worth US$1.1 billion wherein HTC’s smartphone engineers will work for Google once the transaction is completed. While more details about the deal will be disclosed in the days to come, the press release promptly answered one question everybody had on their minds – Will there be more HTC Android phones? The answer is, yes there will be.

This agreement also supports HTC’s continued branded smartphone strategy, enabling a more streamlined product portfolio, greater operational efficiency and financial flexibility. HTC will continue to have best-in-class engineering talent, which is currently working on the next flagship phone, following the successful launch of the HTC U11 earlier this year.

What the statement means is that HTC will now focus on its most profitable product, which is the flagship smartphones. The HTC U11, though, not the most successful flagship of 2017, still received great reviews and HTC will benefit a lot if it manages to improve on the U11 and come up with a better flagship in 2018. Greater financial operational efficiency and financial flexibility refer to the deal. HTC has been incurring losses for a long time now and with most of its smartphone department personnel now moving to Google’s payroll and the US$1.1 billion from the deal, the company will definitely have more financial resources now to work with.

Considering HTC’s flailing sales numbers and decreasing popularity in the smartphone market, a full-fledged takeover of its smartphone division by Google might be on the periphery. And giving up on the smartphone market and concentrating all its energies on making the Vive VR platform a global success might be the best way forward for the Taiwan-based tech company, HTC. With Google now taking control over the hardware for its upcoming smartphones and companies like Samsung and Apple miles ahead in the smartphone game, the 2018 flagship device by HTC might as well be their last one.

September 22, 2017
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Launched In India For Rs 24990

Sony unveiled the Xperia XA1 Plus at the IFA 2017 in Berlin and has now launched the smartphone in India. The Xperia XA1 Plus will be available in all Sony Center outlets and major electronic stores across India in Black, Blue, and Gold colour variants for a price of Rs 24990.

In terms of design, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus inherits the traditional all metal, thick bezel design as seen in its earlier variants. The smartphone’s power button on the right-hand side also houses the fingerprint sensor. The XA1 Plus features a 5.5-inch 1920×1080 px display, whereas the earlier models, the Xperia XA1 and the XA1 Ultra featured a 5-inch display and a 6-inch display, respectively.

The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus has the same MediaTek Helio P20 chipset with Mali T-880 GPU used in the XA1 and the XA1 Ultra, 4GB RAM, and 32 GB of onboard storage which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card. The smartphone runs Android 7.1 Nougat, unlike the newly launched Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 compact, which run the latest Android 8.0 Oreo. The Xperia XA1 Plus is powered by a 3430 mAh battery and comes with Qnovo adaptive charging and Pump Express+ 2.0 quick charging support.

On the camera front, the XA1 Plus features Sony’s 23MP camera with an f/2.4 aperture, same as the one found on its XA1 siblings. On the front, the smartphone has an 8 MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

The Xperia XA1 Plus enters the Indian market were the sub-25K category is dominated by Xiaomi and Motorola. There is no word on it online availability yet, but, the smartphone’s widespread offline presence may play role in its success

September 21, 2017
Nokia 8 To Launch In India On September 26th

HMD Global has sent out press invites for an event on 26th September, stating “there are two sides to every story” in the invite. This might be a reference to the ‘Bothie’ feature on the Nokia 8 and after reports of the flagship launching in India soon, this invite makes it official. The Nokia 8 is the first ever Android OS running flagship smartphone with Nokia’s brand and has a lot of top of the line features to compete with 2017’s other flagship devices.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Nokia 8 has a 5.3 inch 2560 x 1440 px display and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. A flagship device of 2017, the Nokia 8 does have a very unlike 2017 design with thick bezels around the display. The smartphone has an aluminum unibody design. The Nokia 8, however, has an IP54 rating for splash resistance. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside a physical home button which sits between two navigation touch capacitive buttons below the screen. Powering the device is a 3,090mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support via USB Type-C port. The Nokia 8 runs stock Android 7.1.1 OS and the company has promised monthly security updates and yearly Android updates. Under the hood is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 2.45GHz octa-core processor, the Adreno 540 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card.

In terms of optics, the Nokia 8 is the first Nokia Android device to feature Carl Zeiss optics. In a very 2017 move, the Nokia 8 boasts a Zeiss powered dual camera setup at the rear – a primary 13MP RGB (colour) sensor with optical image stabilisation paired with a 13MP secondary monochrome (black and white) sensor and an f/2.0 aperture. The dual-camera setup is capable of recording videos in 4K at 30 FPS and has a portrait mode for bokeh effect. On the front is a 13MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture which can also record 4K videos at 30FPS.

In order to be different from all the premium smartphones in the market, Nokia has introduced a few new features in the Nokia 8 that the company thinks will be enough to persuade potential buyers. The device has a feature called Bothie. It is the first smartphone in the world which allows ‘Dual-Sight’ video to be live streamed natively and in real-time to social feeds such as YouTube and Facebook. Dual-Sight allows you to use the front and rear camera at the same time in a split screen view. Another feature that the smartphone boasts is called OZO Audio in which the smartphone’s three microphones and Nokia’s acoustic algorithms allow you to capture 360-degree spatial surround sound. You can also share 4K videos with OZO audio with anyone – binaural codecs ensure high fidelity playback even on devices without OZO Audio.

The Nokia 8 is expected to be priced at around Rs 45000, considering the fact that it was launched in Malaysia for a price of RM 2,299 (Rs. 35,000 approx.). At this price, it will compete with the likes of LG G6 and the OnePlus5, although the 45K price tag will be much higher than the price of the LG and OnePlus devices. The price will be revealed come September 26th and iGyaan will bring you all the latest information from the launch event.

September 21, 2017
Best Computing Deals At The Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale

The Amazon sale is on and there are a lot of computing devices up for grabs at an extremely good price. We take a look at the top deals you can avail on Amazon right now.

2017 Apple MacBook Air

The Apple MacBook Air for people who want to be a part of the Apple ecosystem but, do not need the power of a MacBook Pro. The MacBook Air has a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB LPDDR3 RAM, 128GB Solid State hard drive and, Intel HD Graphics 6000. The MacBook Air is light, portable and efficient. It usually retails for a price of Rs 77,200 but, during is available at a price of just Rs 44990!

Dell Vostro 3468 14-inch Laptop

The Dell Vostro has a 2.4GHz 7th generation Intel i5 processor, 8GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive and Intel HD integrated graphics. It has a 14-inch screen which is ideal for multi-tasking and media consumption. The laptop runs Windows 10 Home out of the box.

Apple 9.7 inch iPad

The Apple iPad has a 9.7 inch 2048 x 1536 px display and will run iOS 11 after the update. With a big screen and iOS 11 features, the iPad becomes a great deal. This variant does not have cellular capabilities though. Under the hood, the iPAd has the Apple A9 chip and 32GB onboard storage. It usually retails for around Rs 28990 but, is right now available for Rs 19900!

Lenovo Ideapad 14-inch Laptop

The Lenovo Ideapad 14-inch laptop has the 2.4GHz Intel Core i3-7100U 7th Gen processor, 4GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB 5400rpm hard drive and integrated graphics. The laptop runs Windows 10 out of the box and has a battery life of about 7 hours. The Lenovo Ideapad is available for Rs 34990 where it usually retails for Rs 45090.

Mi Router

The Xiaomi Mi Router has a speed up to 300 Mbps and 4 antennas to provide range up to 80 meters. It has 64MB of RAM that let’s you connect up to 64 devices, with 24 stable connections. Its available at a price of Rs 899, if you are in the market for a router, then look no further!

HP 15-BU004TU 2017 15.6-inch Laptop

The HP 15-Bu004TU laptop has the 2GHz Intel Core i3-6006U 6th gen processor, 4GB DDR4 RAM, 1TB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive and integrated graphics. It has 15.6-inch screen and free DOS operating system. In terms of battery life, it has a battery that lasts about 4 hours on one charge and the laptop weighs about 2.1kg.

September 21, 2017
Google Announces Moto X4 Android One Edition

Earlier in September there as a leak of an Android One branded Moto X4, and now, Google has officially announced the new smartphone. The Moto X4 Android One for Project Fi is available only in the United States as of now and is priced at US$399 (Rs. 25800 approx.). The device can be pre-ordered from the Project Fi website right now and is available in Super Black and Sterling Blue colours.

Android One is Google’s project to provide pure Android OS experience and timely software updates to smartphones. In a blog post, Google said:

Like all Android One phones, Android One Moto X4 runs a pure Android experience, with a clean software design and a carefully curated set of preinstalled apps to give you just what you need. For example, it comes optimized for the Google Assistant to help you get more done, and offers high-quality video calling with Google Duo. You’ll also get access to the latest updates from Android, such as Android Oreo before the end of the year. Android One moto x⁴ will be among the first to receive an upgrade to Android P.

Project Fi is a Google-run network service is a customizable package that switches between Wi-Fi and cellular networks. It eradicates boundaries and gives customers the freedom to use the network in their hometown and during international travels at the same rate.

As far as specifications are concerned, the Moto X4 has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection. The smartphone runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat and is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with TurboCharge capabilities. Motorola recently announced that the Moto X4 will receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year. The company claims that the 15 mins of charge can give up to 6 hours of talk time. The Moto X4 has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, 2.2 GHz octa-core processor and Adreno 508 GPU, along with 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via microSD card. The phone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

The new smartphone will also feature Alexa, the Amazon AI voice assistant. This isn’t the first time that Alexa has made its way onto a smartphone, the Huawei Mate 9 was the first smartphone to feature the voice assistant. Since then, we have also seen Alexa make its way to the HTC U11.The 4 in Moto X4 signifies that the new smartphone will be able to share the sound with up to 4 devices, thanks to the presence of Bluetooth 5.0.

The Moto X4 has a dual-camera setup at the back. The main camera is a 12MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, and the 8MP secondary camera with an f/2.2 aperture is equipped with a wide-angle lens. The dual-cameras allow users to have depth effect shots, bokeh effect shots, ultra-wide angle shots, and selective focus shots. On the front of the device is a 16MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. The cameras record 4K videos at 30 FPS.

The regular variant of the Moto X4 will launch in India on 3rd October and the price is expected to be around Rs 25,000.

September 21, 2017