Apple unveiled the HomePod during its annual WWDC event in 2017 and is expected to officially launch it in December. A recent Instagram post by, who seems like a supply chain worker, of the HomePod has shed more light on what the smart speaker will look like when it is launched. The user posted a photo of the speaker on Instagram with the hashtag #HomePod and the location is pinned to Shanghai, China. In the image, what seems like the user’s kitchen, you can see the HomePod, a charger, and its box.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYfhudMAzIN/
Later, a Twitter user posted a screenshot showing a HomePod appeared in the control center of his iPhone while driving through Menlo Park in California. The HomePod is labeled ‘Kitchen’ and it seems like an Apple employee is testing the smart speaker in their home. Lately, HomePod has been in the news for more being more than just a smart speaker. After Apple accidentally released the firmware of HomePod, several details about the upcoming iPhone were fished out by experts, ranging from a virtual home button to facial recognition to bezel-less display.
The two images barely reveal anything about the HomePod and a lot of it was already revealed by the firmware. The launch of the HomePod is set for December, but, before December comes, the September 12 launch event is just around the corner where Apple might announce the all new iPhone. Stay tuned for more details.
HTC has reported a consolidated revenue of USD 99.69 million for the month of August, the Taiwanese giants’ lowest monthly figures in 13 years. The revenue for the month of August represents a 51.5% decline from the previous month and 54.4% from a year earlier. Also, HTC’s total sales in the first 8 months of 2017 were NT$39.86 billion, representing a 14.4% decline from last year. According to latest reports by The Commercial Times, Google is in the final stages of taking over HTC’s mobile division. This would either result in a complete takeover for HTC’s Mobile division or a partial investment from Google into HTC’s dimming business. According to the report, the deal could be announced by the end of the year.
The fact that HTC is producing the Pixel 2, launching this year on October 5 has further fueled these rumours that Google will outright buy the mobile division of HTC. The Pixel XL 2 is being made by LG this year, unlike last year when HTC made both the Pixel and Pixel XL.
This acquisition will help Google compete with the likes of Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market. The last year’s Pixel devices were well received but never challenged the dominance of the iPhone or Samsung’s flagship S series phones. Acquiring a smartphone company would make it possible for Google to invest in hardware research and come up with competitive smartphones at a consistent rate.
This is not the first time that Google will be acquiring a smartphone company. In 2012, it took over Motorola Mobility for USD 12.5 billion, only to sell it to Lenovo for USD 2.9 billion a couple of years later. Google then retained all the patents owned bay Motorola, to help defend the company from potential patent disputes from the likes of Apple and Samsung. HTC has a vast library of patents, if Google acquires HTC’s Mobility division, the company will own a large chunk of modern smartphone patents which can then help it design and sell technologies in the future. Google may also end up reselling HTC to a different buyer, like last time, however, the company seems keen on retaining a mobility division. Expertise from HTC will help Google in growing its own Pixel brand.
There were reports in late August that HTC was holding talks with companies like Google to potentially buy its virtual reality division or even the entire company. With the latest revenue reports representing plummeting sales of its devices, the deal looks more than certain to go through.
The tariff war between the dominant telecom providers has been waging ever since Reliance Jio was introduced in September of 2016. Since then Airtel, Vodafone and many other network operators have been pushing out multiple data plans to counter Jio’s offers. Jio’s recent plans, Jio Summer Surprise and Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan provide Jio Prime users with 4G data at reasonable prices till 30th July.
Given the increasing popularity and demand of Reliance Jio, other telecom companies such as Airtel, Vodafone, Idea etc. have been trying to keep up with the competition by launching new data plans every other week. To help you chose the right data plan for you 4G Smartphone, here’s a list of top data plans which won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
Note: These plans may change from time to time, and may not apply to some regions of service.
Under Rs 250
Airtel: offers 1 GB data per day for 70 days for Rs 244 under FUP (fair usage policy). Though the plan claims to provide unlimited free STD and local calls, only 1,200 minutes on calls made to other networks and 300 minutes of Airtel to Airtel are free. After which the users will be charged Rs 0.10 per minute.
Reliance Jio: For a price of Rs 149, users will get 2 GB 4G data for 28 days. To sweeten the deal, reliance threw in an extra 300 SMS bundled with free voice calls.
Vodafone: Joining the 4G band wagon, Vodafone recently released a Rs 250 4G data plan. The plan offers 4GB data for 28 days. The company is offering almost four times more data than the previous plans.
Idea: Offers 1GB data for 28 days. The plan is priced at Rs 249.
Telecom Providers
Data Usage for 28 days
Price
Airtel
1 GB data per day + Free 1500 minutes
Rs 244
Jio
2 GB data + Free Calls + 300 SMSs
Rs 149
Vodafone
4 GB data
Rs 250
Idea
1GB Data
Rs 249
Under Rs 350
Airtel: is now offering 2GB data per day with thea dded incentive of free 3,000 minutes for Rs 345. Waiving off the earlier restriction of data usage of upto 500 megabyte (MB) from 12am-6pm and the other 500 MB available for rest of the day, the plan now offers unlimited internet access to the user.
Reliance Jio: Jio recently introduced a new plan providing the Jio Prime customer with 1 GB 4G data per day for 28 days with a with a recharge of Rs. 309. In addition, the users will also get benefits like free voice calling, sms and Jio apps.
Vodafone: For existing customers, the company has launched a plan costing Rs. 346, which will come with 1GB data per day, free calls to any network (300 free minutes per day) with validity 56 days.
Idea: Idea has launched a Rs. 297 data pack that provides 1GB data per day for 70 days for a 4G smartphone. The offer comes with 300 minutes of free calls per day and 1,200 minutes per week to other Idea customers.
Aircel: The company offers 1.5 GB 4G data with the added incentive of free unlimited calling for 28 days. The 4G plan is priced at Rs 348.
Telecom Providers
Data Usage
Validity
Price
Airtel
2 GB data per day + Free 3000 minutes
28 Days
Rs 345
Jio
1 GB data per day+ Free Calls + 300 SMSs
56 Days
Rs 309
Vodafone
1 GB data per day + 300 free minutes per day
56 Days
Rs 346
Idea
1GB data per day +1,200 minutes per week
70 Days
Rs 297
Aircel
1.5 GB data + free calling
28 Days
Rs 348
Under Rs 500
Airtel : Under the Rs 399 pack, users will get 1 GB data per day on 4G handsets and SIM cards with free calls (upto a 3,000 minutes cap) for a 70-day period. For Airtel-Airtel calls, the limit is 300 minutes per day, but 1,200 minutes is the maximum consumption per week. The plan is quite similar to the Rs 345 data pack except the extended validity of 70 days.
Reliance Jio : Though the plan exceeds the budget by Rs 9, the Rs 509 data plans is worth the mention. The Jio prime members will get 2 GB 4G data per day for 28 days. In addition, the free voice calls, sms and Jio apps are complimentary.
Vodafone : the company has recently launched a ‘Campus Survival Kit’, priced at Rs. 352. The plan offers 1GB data per day for 56 days along with unlimited local and STD calls. However, there’s a catch, to activate the plan, you need to purchase the Rs. 445 recharge for the first 56 days period, and only after that the recharge value will be reduced to Rs. 352.
Idea : For the price of Rs 447, Idea offers 1GB data per day and additional free calling (limited to 3,000 minutes) on any network for 70 days.
Telecom Providers
Data Usage
Validity
Price
Airtel
1 GB data per day + Free 3000 minutes
70 Days
Rs 399
Jio
2 GB data per day+ Free Calls + SMSs + Jio Apps
56 Days
Rs 509
Vodafone
1 GB data per day + Free calls
56 Days
Rs 352
Idea
1GB data per day +3000 minutes
70 Days
Rs 447
Many other telecom providers have resorted to increasing the data usage but are still exploring the 3G networks. For instance, BSNL recently launched a new prepaid recharge pack with a massive 360GB data to compete with Reliance Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan Offer. Named Chaukka 444, the plan costs Rs. 444 and will offer 4GB data per day with a validity of 90 days. However, unlike Reliance, BSNL will only offer 3G network.
OnePlus has started rolling out an 800 MB heavy software update for OnePlus 3 closed beta group which updates the phone to Android 8.0 Oreo.
The update as of now is very unstable with many functions like the NFC, WiFi, Bluetooth, and hotspot fairly unstable. OnePlus is trying to roll out a stable update in mid-September. The OnePlus 3T and OnePlus 5 closed beta groups will also start getting this update soon.
OnePlus had earlier announced that an update to Android 8.0 Oreo will be the last major software update for OnePlys 3 and 3T but, the devices will get regular security patches for a longer period. Only the OnePlus 5 as of now, will be updated to next year’s Android P. This news didn’t go down well OnePlus enthusiasts who had just bought either of the devices.
Android 8.0 Oreo was officially announced last month with a lot of upgrades and a few new features. Highlights of new features in Android 8.0 Oreo
A new picture-in-picture feature allows users to continue operating the device without interruptions for things like watching a video.
Users can now organise notifications into custom channels and modify the alerts for the entire channel.
An auto fill framework in the operating system makes the repeated filling of forms easy for the user.
Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) can specify a look and feel for the UI by choosing between various icon shapes by using Adaptive Icons
A smart sharing feature allows the operating system to guess the context of a photo, and pick the best application to hand the image over to.
There are also background execution limits, which ensures that applications running in the background don’t use up a lot of system resources.
OnePlus is notorious for shutting down support on its 1-year-old phones and has continued to do so with its 3 and 3T variants. This new update means that a full-fledged roll out of Android 8.0 Oreo is not too far and the users might get an update by October, which will be fairly quick considering the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 will launch in early-October running Android 8.0.
Apple and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) are fighting over the user data that iPhone users in India have on their phone. TRAI argues that no smartphone company should be a guardian of the user data of its smartphones and should share it with apps that require that data to function. Apple has indicated that it believed the TRAI app is a potential risk to its user’s privacy.
TRAI has an anti-spamming app which blocks the numbers reported by the users and then launches a strict action against the number. The app is readily available to Android users, albeit poor customer reviews. TRAI Chairman R S Sharma publically slammed Apple a few weeks ago and has now said, “Nobody’s asking Apple to violate its privacy policy. It is a ridiculous situation, no company can be allowed to be the guardian of a user’s data.”
Spam messages and calls are a usual trend in India and most of the users use TrueCaller app to manage spam. TRAI maintains a Do Not Disturb directory and uses its app to catch hold of more spam numbers. Apple has reportedly told TRAI that its app violates privacy policies that the company has for the app store. Sharma has said that this fight is not the government vs Apple but, Apple vs its users as the problem of who controls user data gets more prevalent than before. Recently, TRAI came out with a comprehensive paper on “data ownership” that it wants to be debated. In the paper, TRAI argues that the users should own their own data and should have a say on how their data can or should be used.
The idea of data ownership sounds good but in a nutshell, it is a double edged sword. On one hand, introducing data ownership will become the users the sole owners of their data and take a lot of power away from services such as Google, Facebook and more as they won’t be able to use the data the way want to. On the other hand, it can open to flood gates to weak data privacy as third party apps would just require a click of the ‘Accept’ button to access the desired information as an average user may not understand the jargon written in privacy policy documents.
Over the past few years, there has been a disrupt in the smartphone industry which has always threatened the stronghold of Samsung and Apple in the industry. Huawei, now, has over taken Apple for the first time to become the second largest smartphone company in the world. Samsung however, remains a distant first as of now. The latest report from market analysis firm Counterpoint Research reveals that Huawei has beaten Apple and is now the world’s second largest smartphone company (by the number of units shipped) as of the Q2 of 2017.
Counterpoint has pointed out that Huawei has been able to do so because of its consistent investment in innovation and aggressive marketing, something that Apple has been known to do as well. The sales from Q2 of 2017 may suggest that Huawei has taken over Apple in terms of sales but it’s worth noting that Apple is about to launch its most anticipated smartphone, the iPhone 8 on September 12 and the Q4 of 2017 may tell a different tale. The report also reveals that Huawei has a limited presence in key markets across South Asia, and North America. This is going to pose limitations to the company’s potential in Q3 to sustain its second position.
The report also points out that the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are still the best selling smartphones in the world. Also, since the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have a higher profit margin means that Apple ends up making more profit even if it is selling fewer phones than others. None of Huawei’s devices make the top 10 list of best-selling smartphones in the world. What Huawei has going for itself is the market share, and much like Samsung, has reaped its benefit. While Apple has a specific demographic, Huawei offers smartphones in a lot of price categories, hence, exposing itself to more people than Apple.
The new iterations of Google’s Pixel lineup, the Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 are rumoured to be unveiled on October 5 this year. Several leaks have suggested an omitted headphone jack and Qualcomm Snapdragon 836chipset, and the latest image of the Pixel 2 from 9To5Google hints at more features.
The images, that are heavily blurred to keep the source’s identity intact reveal a ‘Slate Grey’ colour variant that the source confirmed is being tested internally as of now. Previous images of the phone show a variant that has aluminium black color with a black glass on the top third of the back. The image also shows two holes under the camera’s flash which is the “send” and “receive” sensor’s for the Pixel 2’s AutoFocus feature. The same report confirms that Google has indeed removed the headphone jack and is that the company is preparing to push its own Google Assitant powered headphones as a worthy replacement. A USB C to 3.5mm headphone jack dongle will come bundled in the Pixel 2 retail box.
Some light was shed on the storage capacity of the phone as well, suggesting that the 64GB variant will be the base variant this time around with a 128GB storage variant as the second upgrade. The Pixel 2 will retain the 4.7 inch 1920 x 1080 px display and thick bezels of the previous gen Pixel phone as well. The report reveals that the Pixel 2 will also have IP68 water and dust resistance which was dearly missed last time around. With no real information on the camera front, the source did confirm that the new phones will continue with EIS and low-light performance will remain the primary focus. Another noteworthy information is that the Pixel 2 will reportedly come with an Always-On Display option, which has been rumoured in the past. It also claims that the Pixel 2 will ship with Android 8.1 Oreo, and it will be the first device to launch with the previously-announced Google Lens app.
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 will also be slightly more expensive than the previous gen, and the Pixel XL 2 will reportedly have a bezel-less design much like a lot of 2017 flagship and budget devices.
Samsung is trying to get the business buyers excited with the upcoming Note8, since they are going to be a big chunk of the prospective owners with a massive Rs. 74999 price tag (rumored). Samsung will bundle a DeX Dock with the Galaxy Note 8 Early orders, a value of almost Rs. 10,000, plus every Note8 buyer will get 100GB of data with Airtel and/or Jio according to our sources. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 will launch in about a week in India. Which is the Same day as the official announcement of the iPhone 8. Samsung really wants to push its DeX hub to potential Note 8 buyers. The first iteration of the DeX didn’t do well, and with revisions Samsung claims that the DeX is faster and has the potential to replace Desktop computing for most people, although we wouldn’t bet on that.
Much like the Bixby button, which doesn’t have the voice capabilities in India yet, the Dex is something which will never replace a real PC users machine. And while Samsung may be aware of that, Business capabilities of the Note8 are key selling points, especially in a price conscious market like India.
These offers may change just before launch and we will keep you posted on developments. Samsung will launch the Note 8 in two colors in India along with most of the accessories and covers for the device at launch.
While the Note8 is one of Samsung’s best devices, the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is 90% similar to the Note 8 with a price which is Rs. 10000 lower than that of the Note8 ( 128GB S8 Plus is now available for Rs. 65900 after Rs. 9000 discount)
Lenovo has launched the K8 Plus in India at a price of Rs 10,999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The device will be available in Fine Gold and Venom Black.
The Lenovo K8 Plus has a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display with three touch capacitive navigation buttons below. The device an oleophobic coating to resist fingerprint smudges and a Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. Powering the device is a 4,000 mAh battery and it runs stock Android 7.1.1 Nougat after Lenovo decided to drop the Vibe Pure UI and go the stock OS route. Under the hood, the smartphone has the MediaTek Helio P25 chipset, a 2.6 GHz octa-core processor, Mali T880 GPU, 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card. Similar to the K8 Note, the K8 Plus has a dedicated microSD card slot along with two nano SIM card slots. Lenovo claims that the K8 Plus with Helio P25 will be better at heat management than a device running Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. The device has an all metal unibody design and the fingerprint sensor sits at the back.
Lenovo has given a lot of importance to media consumption with a TheaterMax feature for content consumption. The Dolby Atmos app lets you customise the music settings according to your preference when a pair of headphones is plugged in. The device has a dedicated music key on the left, under the SIM card and microSD card slots which can be programmed to launch an app and control music playback.
On the camera front, the Lenovo K8 Plus sports a vertically placed dual-camera setup, much like the recently launched Lenovo K8 Note. It has a primary 13MP Pure cell sensor mated with a 5MP Samsung BSI sensor dual camera with an f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash. The smartphone is capable of depth effect shots, bokeh effect shots, and dual ISP images. On the front is an 8MP wide angle lens with an f/2.0 and an LED flash. Both the front and back camera record 1920 x 1080 px videos at 30 FPS.
The smartphone will go on sale on September 7 at 12 noon and will be a Flipkart exclusive. Lenovo also announced that a 4GB RAM variant will launch in India during the upcoming festive season.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Note8 in New York last month and looks all set to debut its new flagship in India on September 12. Samsung has reportedly sent out press invites for a September 12 event in New Delhi to showcase its next big innovation. The invite doesn’t specify the name of the device but it is almost certain that the Galaxy Note8 will be introduced for the Indian market at a price of Rs 74,999. The pre-registrations of the device have already started in India and the successor to the Galaxy Note7 seems like the best bet right now. The phone will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours in India.
The Samsung Galaxy Note8 has a 6.3 inch 2960 x 1440 px Super AMOLED display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The phone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top and is powered by 3,300 mAh battery with QuckCharge 3.0 capabilities. Under the hood, the Galaxy Note8, for the Indian market has the Exynos 8895 chipset, 2.3GHz Quad-Core (Custom CPU)+1.7GHz Quad-Core (Cortex-A53) processor, Mali-G71 MP20 GPU, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage options. The onboard storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. In a disappointing move, Samsung retained the awkward placement of the fingerprint sensor right next to the dual cameras at the back.
Talking about cameras, the Galaxy Note 8 is the first phone from Samsung to feature dual-cameras with a 12MP dual-camera setup, the primary camera has a wide-angle 12MP lens with an f/1.7 aperture and the secondary camera has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens enables a 2X lossless optical zoom and has features such as the Bokeh effect, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. The dual-cameras are capable of capturing 4K videos at 30 FPS On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and captures 4K videos at 30 FPS.
The S Pen is more than just a marketing gimmick and has become the standout feature of the Galaxy Note series over the past few years. The S Pen and the Galaxy Note8 are both also IP68 certified water and dust resistant. The S-Pen comes with a host of new features such as Smart Select, which allows you to easily select, clip and copy the content that you like. You can also send .gif messages via the S Pen. The S Pen will be available in Midnight Black and Maple Gold colours.
Xiaomi launched the new Mi A1 in India on September 5 at a price of Rs 14,999 with dual cameras and stock Android OS. For the longest time, the Mi 5X was touted to be the first dual-camera phone by Xiaomi to launch in India but, instead, we got an Android One device.
The Mi A1, at Rs 14,999 will compete with the likes of the Moto G5S Plus which also offers stock Android OS and dual-cameras. The Mi 5X and Mi A1 share the same design language, much like any 0ther Xioami Mi phone, and a dual-camera setup. The Mi A1 is the first phone from Xiaomi to feature stock Android OS and it is in association with Google’s Android One program. This means faster OS updates to Android 8.0 Oreo and Android P next year. The Mi5X, on the other hand, runs the MIUI 8 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat and going by Xiaomi’s track record, may not receive an update to Android 8.0 Oreo, atlas not for a few months. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat and the company has confirmed update to Android 8.0 Oreo by the end of the year.
Hardware wise these phones sit on a pretty similar platform, same chipset, RAM, storage, and similar display and battery size.
Xiaomi Mi A1
Xiaomi Mi A1
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is priced at Rs 14,999 for the Indian market and will be available from September 12 on Flipkart, mi.com, Mi Home stores and partner retail outlets. It will be available in Black, Gold, and Rose Gold colour variants. The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and metal unibody build. Powering the device is a 3,080 mAh battery and fast charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The pyrolytic graphite sheet will help in heat management as well, Xiaomi claims. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.
It’s worth noting that despite the stock Android OS, Xiaomi has still introduced a few apps of its own like the Mi Camera app, since Google’s app doesn’t support dual-camera right now. Other apps like the Mi Remote and the Mi Store are also present in the Xiaomi Mi A1.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a 12MP dual-camera setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.
The Xiaomi Mi 5X was launched in China in July as a mid-ranger with dual-cameras, much like the Mi A1 for the Indian market. The smartphone from Xiaomi has a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 px IPS LCD display. Unlike a lot of smartphones from 2017, the Mi 5X has a considerable amount of bezels around the display. The smartphone is powered by a 3,080 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities through the USB Type C port, although, the included charger does not provide a fast charge. The Mi 5X has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0 GHz octa-core processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. The Mi 5X runs Android 7.1.1 based on MiUi 8.5.
The phone has 12MP dual-cameras with the secondary camera equipped with a telephoto lens for 2X lossless optical zoom. The camera app has a portrait mode very similar to the one on iPhone 7 Plus with features that include a portrait mode, blurring out the background. The dual-cameras are also capable of recording 4K videos at 30 FPS and 720P videos 120 FPS. On the front is a 5MP camera that records 1080P videos at 30 FPS.
The Moto G5S Plus has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top for protection. The device is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery with included turbo charge capabilities. The Moto G5S Plus runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat with little customisation done by the manufacturer resulting in stock Android OS experience. The smartphone has the Qualcomm 625 chipset, an octa-core processor clocked at 2.0 GHz with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is housed inside the home button which sits below the display.
The Moto G5S Plus features rear-mounted 13MP dual-cameras with an f/2.0 aperture. The dual camera captures Bokeh, and selective focus shots, along with other capabilities of background replacement and exposure management. On the front is a wide angle 8MP camera with a single LED flash and a panoramic mode. The rear cameras capture videos in 4K at 30 FPS and the front camera records videos in 1080P at 30 FPS. According to Motorola, additional features such as Night Display and Quick Reply enhance the software experience. The implementation of the dual-camera setup on the Moto G5S Plus is different than that on the Mi A1 and the Mi 5X.
Specifications
Mi A1
Mi 5X
Moto G5S Plus
Price
Rs 14,999
Rs 18,000 Approx
Rs 15,999
Display
5.5 inch
5.5 inch
5.5 inch
Display Resolution
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
1920 x 1080 px
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass
–
Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Dimensions
155.40 x 75.80 x 7.30 mm
155.40 x 75.80 x 7.30 mm
153 x 76.2 x 7.8 mm
Weight
165 grams
165 grams
168 grams
Chipset
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Qualcomm Snapdragon 625
Processor
2.0GHz octa-core
2.0GHz octa-core
2.0GHz octa-core
RAM
4GB
4GB
4GB
Storage
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
64GB, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB
Rear Camera
2 x 12 MP
26mm, f/2.2
50mm, f/2.6
2 x 12 MP
26mm, f/2.2
50mm, f/2.6
13MP dual-camera with an f/2.0 aperture
Features
Bokeh effect
Depth of field shots
Wide angle landscape shots
2X lossless optical zoom
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is the Mi 5X with stock Android OS and stacks up well against the Moto G5S Plus, at least on spec sheet. The Mi A1 will be a little cheaper than the Moto G5S Plus but, how the two phones compete in the real life is yet to be seen. Stay tuned on iGyaan for more coverage of the Xiaomi Mi A1 and a possible comparison!
LG announced its new flagship, the LG V30 at IFA 2017 in Berlin a few days ago and early impressions of the phone have been positive. The smartphone does away with a secondary display which became a signature of the V series for the past couple of years.
The LG V series phones have always been designed for enthusiasts of media consumption. In the past, LG has teamed up with B&O in a bid to deliver to premium sound quality through their V series and this year as well, LG and B&O came together to work on the sound of the LG V30 by including an inbuilt QUAD -DAC. The LG G6 launched with different features in different markets and it seems that the V30 will follow the same system. According to a tip received by iGyaan, in order to keep the pricing competitive in India, the LG V30 will launch without the B&O Quad DAC. While aesthetically the phone will only lose the B&O logo at the back, it will affect the sound output from the device hindering the experience when compared o that of the LG V30 with a DAC. If LG does go through with the removal of one of the important USPs of the LG V30, LG’s decision will definitely raise a few eyebrows in India.
While this may be a move to bring down the pricing of the LG V30, it may not be appreciated by many of the prospective buyers of the LG V30. LG has had a poor trend with their recent flagships, with the modular LG G5 not doing well at all, and the LG G6 remaining the underdog, The LG V30 may be the comeback phone LG is looking for, however pricing will be crucial in a market like India.
The LG V30 has a 6 inch 2880 x 1440 px OLED FullVision display, LG’s first, with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. LG’s nearly edge-to-edge OLED display has HDR 10 format for a high level of colour contrast. While being powered by a 3300mAh battery with wireless fast charging the phone also supports quick charge 3.0. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.2 with LG’s UX 6.0+ on top which offers a few customisation options. Like other flagships of 2017 the V30 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, a 2.4GHz octa-core processor, 4 GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage with up to 2TB of expandable storage via a microSD card. The phone also has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and MIL-STD 810G rating for durability.
A big omission from the V30 is the secondary display, which was a signature in the previous V series devices. Instead, LG has introduced a Floating Barwhich displays shortcuts and can be disabled when not required. Apart from the rear mounted fingerprint scanner which also doubles as a home button, LG has introduced few new security features in the LG V30 such as facial and voice recognition. The voice recognition will even work along with music playback. On the camera front, the LG V30 features a dual-camera setup at the back. As LG had announced, this smartphone has the first ever inbuilt camera unit to feature a 16MP crystal clear lens made of glass with an f/1.6 aperture and another 13MP wide angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. Compared to the f/1.8 aperture cameras on the iPhone 7Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8+, the camera on the LG V30 will let 25% more light to pass through. The glass lens also delivers greater light-collecting ability than a plastic lens as well as better colour reproduction. The camera will feature laser detection AF, optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. On the front side, the LG V30 sports a 5MP wide-angle camera with an aperture f/2.2.
There is no word on the pricing of the LG V30 yet but, if the reports of the omission of B&O Quad DAC are true, the smartphone will launch at a very competitive price and beat the likes of Samsung Galaxy Note8 and the upcoming iPhone 8 in terms of price, at least.
Xiaomi has announced the new Mi A1 at an event in New Delhi at a price of Rs 14,999. The phone will be available in Black, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants. The Mi A1 will be the first Xiaomi smartphone to feature stock Android OS in association with Google’s Android One program. The company has also confirmed that the device will receive Android 8.0 Oreo update before the end of 2017 and will be in line to receive to Android P update next year.
The smartphone has a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px LTPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection and aluminum unibody build. Powering the device is a 3080 mAh battery and 2A charging through the Type C port. The Mi A1 runs pure Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS. Even though the phone has stock Android OS, Xiaomi has retained a few apps, such as the Mi camera app since the Google app doesn’t support dual-camera functions right now. The phone has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 8x ARM Cortex A53 2.0GHz 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is expandable via microSD card. Handling the graphics under the hood is the Adreno 505 GPU. The pyrolytic graphite sheet will help in heat management as well, Xiaomi claims. The Xiaomi Mi A1 has an IR blaster to control appliances in your home or office. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device below the camera. Xiaomi has also included a dedicated headphone amplifier for better music listening experience.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features dual sensors – 12MP with an f/2.2 aperture (26mm) and 12MP with an f/2.6 aperture (50mm) setup with 1.25-micron pixel size. Out of the two cameras at the back, the primary one is equipped with a telephoto lens and the secondary camera has a wide-angle lens. The telephoto lens allows the user to take bokeh effect shots with blurred background and a 2X optical lossless zoom. For landscape shots, Xiaomi has introduced a wide angle lens while on the front is a 5MP camera.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is priced at Rs 14,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage variant and will be available on Flipkart, mi.com, Mi Home stores and offline partner stores. The smartphone will go on sale from September 12 at Noon online and offline. Xiaomi has teamed up with Airtel to give up to 300GB of 4G data to new and existing Airtel customers on the purchase of the Xiaomi Mi A1.
Samsung J7+ became the smartphone maker’s second Android device to feature a dual-camera setup when it was launched on September 3. The smartphone is available in Thailand right now and will go on sale on September 18 for a price of TBH 12,000 (Rs 24,900 approx.)
The Galaxy J7+ features a 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 px AMOLED display with an ‘Always On Display’ feature. As compared to the 3,600 mAh battery of the Galaxy J7 (2017), the new Galaxy J7+ is powered by a smaller 3,000 mAh battery. The smaller battery is a major downgrade and with the dimensions of the two virtually identical, it looks like the decision was taken to accommodate the dual cameras. Under the hood, the device has the MediaTek Helio P20 chipset, 4GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.1 with Samsung’s custom UI on top.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a dual-camera setup at the back. The 13MP primary camera with an f/1.7 aperture and a secondary 5MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture work together to create bokeh effect shots with blurred out backgrounds. The second camera captures depth information to provide post-shot focusing capabilities. On the front of the device is a 16MP camera with an f/1.9 aperture and a single LED flash.
The Galaxy J7+ also features Samsung’s AI assistant, Bixby albeit, no dedicated Bixby button. Thanks to the large bezels, the physical home button sits below the display and houses a convenient fingerprint sensor.
There is no official word from Samsung about the Galaxy J7+’s availability in India, yet. The Samsung Galaxy J7+ is an upgrade to the previous gen Galaxy J7 and Galaxy J7 Pro in terms of camera performance, at least on paper, but, the smaller battery and no real slimming down of the phone maybe backward move by Samsung. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
While the internet is flooded with social networks like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Polygram, a new photo-sharing social network comes packed with some unique and innovative features. The photo sharing social network tracks your facial expression to choose an emoji which corresponds to your reaction. So instead of looking at user picked reaction to a particular post, Polygram lets you view the actual emotional reactions people have to the photos you post.
But that is not all, along with face-controlled emojis, the app offers geographical and demographic analytics which let you determine the location and the gender of your viewers. Few other features include filters designed by plastic surgeons to make you look more attractive, for private images, the app provides a “wipe-to-reveal” function which covers the image with fog-like covering. In order to see the image, the viewers will have to wipe away the blur, but that blurriness rapidly reappears so the viewer is unable to see the whole picture. In case a viewer tries to screenshot or take a photo with a second camera, only the currently visible section will be recorded. You will also receive a notification along with a copy of the image they captured or took a screenshot of.
Even with all these new features, Polygram might have a hard time breaking into the scene. Company’s co-founder Faryar Ghazanfari believes that the app can will gain popularity amongst the millennials as no other social media platform offers facial detection and analytics.
Ghazanfari says that “Influencers and content creators are the oxygen in this ecosystem,” and “We have white glove service for influencers, with full-time employees that just create custom features for them.” So if the app can deliver enough usage and views, Ghazanfari thinks people might start purposefully sharing on Polygram too.
Though the company managed to raise $2.1 million in seed funding, Polygram will still have to sign up substantial number of users and ensure that they invest time in this platform to compete with the likes of Instagram and Snapchat. The app is currently available on iOS only.
