There’s some exciting news in store for OnePlus fans in India. The company has announced the launch of a colour variant for OnePlus X. It’s called the Champagne and is a beautiful white and gold version of the handset.
OnePlus X Champagne goes on sale starting at midnight tonight on Amazon. This new variant joins OnePlus X Onyx. It can be bought by using existing OnePlus X invites which can be redeemed both for the Onyx and the Champagne versions.
Specification
OnePlus X
Display
5-inch full HD AMOLED screen, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
ASUS launched a variant of ZenFone Go called ZC451TG in India today. The phone comes equipped with a 4.5 inch display and 480X854 resolution. It further has a 5 MP primary camera with auto-focus and F2.0 aperture and a front camera marked at 0.3 MP.
The handset is made available in four colours which include Charcoal Black, Pearl White, Rouge Pink and Flash Blue and is priced at Rs. 5,299. It can be purchased on Flipkart, and from ASUS Exclusive Stores and other retailers starting January, 2016.
The new ZenFone Go variant is powered by Android Lollipop 5.1 and has 8 GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 64 GB using microSD card. The phone further has 5 GB of ASUS web storage.
Just yesterday we told you that Samsung’s new Galaxy A9 device passed China’s TENAA certification. This meant that a launch was soon expected. But it turns out that ‘soon’ meant ‘today’. Yes, China has finally unveiled the 6-inch Galaxy A9 smartphone today.
The announcement confirms the rumoured specs that we have come to know about the device. The Galaxy A9 sports a big 6-inch Full HD AMOLED display and a metal frame. Powering the device is a Snapdragon 652 (earlier named 620) chipset with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal storage.
The new handset also features a fingerprint scanner embedded in its home button, and will run on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. The device features a 13 MP primary camera with a wide f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilisation, and an 8 MP front. The Galaxy A9 also packs a massive 4,000mAh battery with QuickCharge support.
Connectivity support includes Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, bluetooth v4.1, GPS/Beidou and NFC. The only thing remains is the price, which is yet to announced.
Letv has launched a 65-inch split TV with curved screen, called the Super 4 Max65 Curved, and claims it to be the first of its kind electronic. This was launched along with Super 4 Max70, the first smart TV in the world with a glass light guide plate (LGP). Both televisions sets were unveiled at a launch event in Beijing on December 22nd.
Letv has already brought 8-core 1.8 GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor (APQ9084) to its TV sets, along with incorporating Samsung’s ultra-thin curve panel. Now Le 4 Max65 comes equipped with Adreno 430 GPU with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB/ 64 GB Flash, Novatek72324 motion processing chip. The TV also includes independent sub-woofer and an audio system by Harmon Kardon which seems to hold potential for a smooth audio experience as a home theatre.
On the other hand, Super 4 Max70 includes 10th generation 70-inch 4K panel by Sharp in its specs. The TV also marks the first time Corning’s Iris LGP glass has been adopted by a major Chinese TV brand.
In terms of sales, Letv reveals having sold 3 million smart TVs this year, and aims to double these sales to 6 million in 2016. The Super 4 Max70 will be available for sale starting 29th December on Lemall.com, While January 19th, 2016 is the date when sales of Super4 Max65 Curved Engineering Commemorative Edition begin.
The pricing is as follows – Super4 Max65 Curved Engineering Commemorative Edition is priced $1000 (about Rs. 66,000), while the Super4 Max70 costs $2000 (about Rs.1,33,200) and $2300 (about Rs.1,50,000) respectively for its 2D and 3D versions. The company aims to offer competitive prices for these smart-TVs by generating profits through advertisements and its content ecosystem, thereby bringing down the price.
Le has revealed it plans to hold an official event in New Delhi early in 2016, followed by other major cities in India. This could all be a follow-up to tentative plans of bringing its Le Superphones followed by Super TVs to the country. Let’s see what 2016 has in store for Le’s tryst with the Indian tech scenario.
Lenovo has officially announced that the K4 Note will arrive in India on the 5th of January. Just last week the company had posted a teaser image on its Twitter handle, hinting at a K3 successor. The launch has now been confirmed. However we are still just as unsure of the specs as before.
The device seems to have metal on the sides, very reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S6. Even the back of the phone suggests a design inspired by Samsung, but we are not judging, not yet. Other than the metal frame, the teaser image further confirms the presence of a USB Type-C port.
Not much is known at this time about the specs other than rumours of a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset and a fingerprint sensor. None of it has been confirmed by the company so far. We’ll update you as soon as we have more dope on the Lenovo K4 Note.
There have been a lot of rumours and a lot of questions regarding when Samsung will launch its upcoming flagship Galaxy S7 devices. Earlier, it was expected that Samsung would unveil the devices at the CES conference to be held in January. Next up was at the MWC scheduled to take place in February. Now, word from China Mobile, China’s leading carrier, is that Samsung will present its flagship devices in March.
The above image was taken at a recent event where China Mobile revealed its roadmap for the coming months. The roadmap also revealed the possible price range in which the Galaxy S7 will fall – above RMB 3,000, which means north of $465 (roughly Rs. 30,000, although the actual Indian pricing is expected to be higher that that). The roadmap also revealed information about the Huawei P9 and Samsung’s new Galaxy A5 and A7 devices, among others.
Not much is known about the flagship device as of yet, but what is almost confirmed is that the Galaxy S7 will arrive in two variants – one powered by the new Snapdragon 820 chipset and the other being Exynos 8890. More will be revealed as we approach the launch date.
The March launch does put more credibility to rumours that Samsung could launch the device at the MWC late February, while the U.S launch is expected in mid-March. Follow this space for more on Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone.
YU Yutopia launches at a price of Rs. 24,999 at an official event in Delhi today. Along with Micromax co-founder and CEO, Rahul Sharma, the event was attended by Kirt McHare, CEO of Cyanogen, Sunil Lalvani, President of Qualcomm India, and Tokuji Hayakawa, Managing Director of Sharp.
Yutopia is company’s first flagship and is manufactured entirely in India. The phone has a super-slim 7.2 mm body, comes with a 5.2 inch Quad HD display and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. Some of the other highlights of the YU Yutopia include:
Camera: Speculations regarding the camera of the device have been proven true as Yutopia is equipped with a whopping 21 MP camera with 4K video recording. The camera is manufactured by Sony.
Fingerprint Sensor: Yutopia also boasts of a fingerprint sensor -which can be used not only for security purposes but also for clicking a selfie. It’s very low on power consumption, claimed Rahul Sharma at the event.
Battery: The phone has a a 3000 mAh battery with Quick Charge. This also means that the phone will be equipped with charging capabilities up to 75% faster than conventional charging mechanisms.
Around YU: YU has become the first mobile brand to integrate a host of services under one name and it’s called Around YU. It ensures that the user no longer requires multiple apps for different things like shopping, ordering food, booking tickets etc.
Around YU would let you book cabs, flight and check PNR status; railway ticket booking will come soon, promises YU. This integrated service will get customised and become user-specific as it is used over time. Like HTC BlinkFeed, it is present on the left-most corner of the screen and is described by Rahul Sharma as, “new way to discover your services, to discover your life”.
Find all other specs of Yu Yutopia below.
Specification
YU Yutopia
Display
5.2 -inch Sharp WQHD IPS display, 2K
Resolution
2560×1440 pixels, 567 PPi
Chipset
64 bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
CPU
2.0 GHz Octa-core
GPU
Adreno 430
RAM
4 GB
Front Camera
8 MP FF
Rear Camera
21MP AF camera, 4K video recording
Storage
32 GB
Expandability
Using Micro SD card
Battery
3,000 mAh battery with 2.0 Quick Charge
Operating System
Android Lollipop 5.1 with Cyanogen OS 12.1
Price
Rs. 24,999
There is a Fast Charger in the box along with House of Marley earphones. Pre-orders for Yutopia begin exclusively on Amazon starting at 2 PM today. It will be ready for shipping 26th December onwards.
Looks like Lenovo will soon reveal the successor to the K3 Note smartphone. The Chinese company posted a teaser image on Twitter with a message that reads “Prepare for the dawn of the new #KillerNote.”
It is likely that the device will be known as the K4 Note, and is expected to launch in India first since the teaser was posted on Lenovo India’s account. Furthermore, the launch is expected to take place some time in January.
Lenovo K3 Note
Not much is known at this time on the specs front other than rumours of a MediaTek Helio X10 chipset and a fingerprint sensor, which have not been confirmed by the company. Two things the teaser does reveal is that the device will come with a USB Type-C port and a metal frame.
Micromax has just launched a new 4G-enabled smartphone in India. The Canvas Pulse 4G is the newest budget device from the company and is priced at Rs. 9,999. The device goes on sale on Flipkart starting today. The Canvas Pulse 4G is the company’s third launch following Canvas Mega and Canvas Sega 4G priced at Rs. 7,999 and Rs. 10,999, respectively.
Commenting on the launch, Mr. Vineet Taneja, CEO, Micromax Informatics Ltd said, “India is currently at the cusp of 4G evolution, and Micromax is fully prepared to lead this march with a range of 4G devices from value to premium segments, which deliver best-in-class performance and design across price points for the diverse Indian consumers. Our latest launch, Canvas Pulse 4G is our premium yet powerful product with Flipkart offering 3GB RAM and Octacore at a never before price reiterating our commitment to democratizing technology for the new age digital natives who want to be connected all the time.
In terms of specs, the Canvas Pulse 4G sports a 5-inch HD IPS screen and is powered by a 1.3 GHz octal-core processor with MediaTek (MT 6753) chipset, with 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB internal storage expandable up to 32 GB via Micro SD card slot.
On the camera front the device features a 13MP rear with f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP front with f/2.4 aperture. The phone is fitted with a 2100mAh battery and comes with the usual set of connectivity features that includes 3G, GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth options. The Canvas Pulse 4G runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop.
We did a quick unboxing and hands-on of the device. The handset feels light in your hand and the size is just right for one-handed tasks. The back plastic panel is smooth and feels great in your hand, though a lack of a firm grip may dissuade some buyers. The metallic sides and rectangular frame adds to the overall aesthetics of device and gives a premium feel to it, which is not a common sight for a device in the price bracket.
Inside the box:
USB wall charger
Earphones
Screen Protector
User Manual
The 5MP front camera also comes with LED flash as well a Gesture Shot which clicks a picture by simply creating a ‘V’ on the screen with your hand.
The UI is pretty fluid and snappy as one would expect from a budget device these days. The app tray leaves the main screen clear, though the device does come with a bunch of bloatware, which you can uninstall. The device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop and there is no word yet on whether it will get a Marshmallow update.
A 2,100mAh battery isn’t much to brag about here but but basic usage with the device will get you through the day.
Check out the spec table of the Canvas Pulse 4G below.
Specification
Canvas Pulse 4G
Display
5-inch HD IPS screen
Resolution
720×1080 pixels
Chipset
MediaTek (MT 6753)
CPU
1.3 GHz octa-core processor
RAM
3 GB
Front Camera
5 MP f/2.4
Rear Camera
13 MP f/2.2
Storage
16 GB
Expandability
Up to 32 GB via MicoSD
Battery
2,100 mAh battery
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n / Bluetooth 4.0 GPS/AGP / 4G LTE
Yu tweeted yesterday that the newest smartphone by the company, Yutopia won’t be the only product to be launched at the official event on the 17th of this month.
The event was initially supposed to take place on 7th December but it was pushed back by ten days. The reason given by the company was that there are two products lined up for release and now both will be launched together.
We were putting our stakes on another smartphone, probably a Yutopia Plus. However, sources have confirmed that it’s not another phone. It could be something as disappointing as another power bank. Surprise, surprise. Or something as simple as a smartwatch or another OS. Let’s hold our breath for a less anticlimactic launch until the product is made official.
Mi India is all set to launch its second ‘Made in India’ smartphone, the Redmi Note Prime, on Amazon.in. The device will go on sale starting 10.00am on the 15th December.
Mi India has been teasing the launch for a few days now, posting on its social media page with the hashtag #PrimeisComing. Xiaomi had announced in August that it would manufacture its devices locally in India as part of PM Narendra Modi’s push for ‘Make in India’. The first device launched by Xiaomi was the Redmi 2 Prime. Commenting on the launch of the Redmi Note Prime, Manu Jain, India Head, Xiaomi said:
“We are really happy to be able to deliver to our promise of continuously innovating and catering to the needs of our Mi Fans. With the launch of Redmi Note Prime, we are glad to provide our Mi Fans an opportunity to upgrade to an even more powerful smartphone with an expanded memory and dual-SIM capabilities. The 3100 mAh high-capacity battery, coupled with MIUI optimisations, has enabled Redmi Note Prime to achieve the most impressive battery performance yet. Local manufacturing shows Xiaomi’s commitment to being a part of fabric of India and we are truly excited to roll out our second ‘Made In India’ offering for our Mi fans.”
The Redmi Note Prime is an enhanced version of the Redmi Note 4G. The Note Prime features a 5.5-inch HD IPS display (1280 X 720 resolution, 267 PPI), a Snapdragon 410 Quad-core 64-bit processor, 16 GB internal storage and 2 GB of RAM.
On the camera front, the Note Prime sports a 13MP rear with f/2.4 aperture and a 5.5MP front. Finally, the device runs on a 3,100mAh battery pack. The device is being manufactured in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, in partnership with Foxconn Technology Group.
As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi has tied up with Amazon.in for the launch of the Note Prime. The device is priced at Rs. 8,499 and will be available on Amazon.in and Mi.com starting tomorrow.
Noor Patel, Director Category Management, Amazon India said, “We are excited to be the partner of choice for Xiaomi and offer our customers exclusive access to the new Redmi Note Prime. Xiaomi has been one of the most popular smartphone brands on Amazon.in, witnessing a continuous growth in demand. We see this as a great opportunity to offer customers across India the ease, convenience & joy of shopping for another great offering from the company.”
Last month HTC unveiled the Desire 828 smartphone along with the One A9. The Desire 828 will now come to India on the 14th of December. This model comes with a 5.5 inch display with 1080 x 1920 pixels resolution and is powered by the Mediatek MT6753. It is run on the Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop) and has a dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) connectivity.
It also comes with a storage of 16GB that is expandable up to 2 TB along with 2GB of RAM. On the camera front, the Desire 828 features a 13 MP rear camera and HTC UltraPixel front. The Desire 828 is the first model in the Desire lineup to feature Optical Image Stabilisation in its main camera. The device is packed with a Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery and supports a micro USB v2.0.
“We are proud to unveil the first HTC Desire phone to feature Optical Image Stabilisation in its main camera and HTC UltraSelfie™ for a remarkable imaging experience and unparalleled selfies. With the HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM, we deliver an exquisite and personalised experience to our customers,” said Mr Faisal Siddiqui, President HTC South Asia.
The HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM comes in Dark Gray and Pearl White colours. And will be available exclusively on Flipkart for the consumers to buy from December 14, 2015 (12am) onwards at a price of Rs.19,990.
Here is a spec table of the HTC Desire 828:
Specifications
Desire 828
Display
5.5 inches
Resolution
1080 x 1920 pixels
Chipset
Mediatek MT6753
CPU
Octa-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU
Mali-T720MP3
RAM
2GB
Storage
16GB expandable up to 200GB
Rear Camera
13 MP
Front Camera
HTC UltraPixel
Battery
Li-Ion 2800 mAh battery
Operating System
Android OS, v5.1 (Lollipop)
Connectivity
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot, GPS, Bluetooth
The Moto G (Gen 3) Turbo goes on sale in the country and is exclusively available on Flipkart for order, at a price of Rs. 14,999. The phone comes in two variants, namely, Black with Deep Sea Blue back and White with Slate.
There are some interesting offers that customers can avail of, through December 13th. These include 100% cashback for 100 lucky customers, along with an offer that allows the exchange of your old smartphone for up to Rs. 6000. Additionally, some buyers will also get a chance to double their Airtel data for free.
On the specs front, the Moto G Turbo comes with a different chipset, Qualcomm MSM8939 Snapdragon 615, with Adreno 405 and a quick charge capability that Motorola calls a turbo charge. Everything else remains identical to the 16GB storage variant of the Moto G 3rd Gen which comes with 2GB RAM.
Oppo recently announced the Oppo R7 and Oppo R7 Plus; and along with it has also announced a high-end version of the R7 Plus. This device will be available in two variants, one for the China Unicom subscribers and the other an international handset. Pre-orders have already begun in China and an official launch is expected to take place sooner or later this month.
This version comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal memory as compared to the regular R7 Plus’ 3GB of RAM space with 32GB of ROM. It also comes with a 6 inch AMOLED display, 2D arc glass and a 1080 x 1920 resolution. It is powered by the Snapdragon 615 chipset is under the hood, carrying an octa-core 1.5GHz CPU, and the Adreno 405 GPU. The China Unicom variant comes with the MediaTek MT6795 SoC, carrying a true octa-core CPU and a fingerprint scanner on board.
The high-end R7 Plus also comes with an impressive 13MP primary camera and an 8MP secondary camera. The device is fueled with a 4,100mAh battery and comes with a VOOC Rapid Charge. On the connectivity side, it comes with a hybrid SIM slot that has an opening to hold a microSD card, 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and USB OTG.
The Oppo R7 Plus high-end variant is 7.75mm thick, and weighs a strapping 192 grams; it has a metal build and comes in a golden colour. The entire device is run on the Android 5.1 operating system with Color OS 2.1 running on top. The China Unicom version is priced at $470 which is approximately Rs.31,415; and the international model will cost you $515 which is approximately Rs.34,422.
Reports suggest that Apple is planning to host a product launch event in March 2016 where it might announce the Apple Watch and the 4-inch iPhone 6C.
Kevin Wang from IHS has stated that Apple is working on a budget-oriented iPhone 6 handset. This handset will be a smaller version with a 4-inch display and will come with a plastic body similar to the 5c. The scaled down version of the iPhone 6 will indeed come with a few missing features. As the device was pegged as a cheaper iPhone 7 variant rather than a 6, what’s for certain is that the 6c will not come with 3D Touch.
Other reports also suggest that the iPhone 6C could come with a smaller screen, and thereby making it much easier for users to navigate through the device. After iPhone screens becoming larger and larger most people seem to have faced a rather annoying inconvenience to always move their hand to the top of the screen for the menu or back button. So, many are hoping for a drop in the screen size.
About the second device mentioned – the Apple Watch – unfortunately there’s not much to know about it. However, some rumours have suggested that the tech wear gadget could arrive with a FaceTime camera and Wi-Fi connectivity along with health sensors and sleep tracking. As of now Apple has not confirmed anything officially, but let us hope to see these gadgets soon in March.
