Taiwanese tech major ASUS on Monday launched in India its ZenFone Go -
ZC451TG -- a 3G-enabled duel sim smartphone with 4.5 inch display.
The
Rs.5,299 smartphone comes with a 5 MP primary camera with auto-focus,
F2.0 aperture and a 0.3 MP front camera to deliver stunning images.
The phone sports a 480 x 854 (FWVGA) resolution display for clear, bright and vivid colours.
The
device will be available in four colours - Charcoal Black, Pearl White,
Rouge Pink and Flash Blue to suit every user's personality, the company
said in a statement.
Spice Mobiles, one of India's leading mobile companies, on Friday
launched its first device tagged with the international smartphone brand
"Nexian" in India.
With a price of Rs.3,799, the phone will be exclusively available on Flipkart from December 18.
The Nexian smartphone, designed with high-utility technology, has a
majestic 4.5-inch display with DragonTrail glass offering six times
superior protection than normal glass.
The dual-SIM smartphone features Andorid 4.4 (Kitkat) that runs on 1.2 GHz Quad Core processor accompanied by 1GB DDR3 RAM.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has announced the launch of yet another 'Made in India'
smartphone, the Redmi Note Prime. Priced at Rs 8,499, the Redmi Note
Prime will be available exclusively on Amazon India starting December
15, 10 am onwards.
Manufactured at the Foxconn facility in Sri
City, Andhra Pradesh, the Redmi Note Prime is the second device to be
manufactured at this facility. Earlier this year, in August, the company
started its manufacturing with the Redmi 2 Prime.
Micromax launched two phablets in India on Thursday. Canvas Mega E353
and Canvas Mega 4G Q417 will be sold at Rs 7,999 and Rs 10,999,
respectively.
The Micromax Canvas Mega E353 sports a 5.5-inch HD
IPS display and will house the Mediatek MT6592M chipset which has an
octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz.
The
smartphone has 1GB of RAM and the will come with 8GB of internal
storage, expandable via a microSD card slot. The Mega E353 has a 2,820
mAh battery.
The Micromax Canvas Mega 4G Q417 sports a 5.5-inch
HD IPS display and houses the Mediatek MT6735 SoC which has an octa-core
processor clocked at 1.3GHz.
The phone has 3GB RAM and comes with 16GB onboard storage. The phone powered by a 2,500 mAh battery is priced at Rs 10,999.
Both the phones have a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. They both run Android 5.1 Lollipop.
If you are looking for a highly-secured smartphone that does not let
your sensitive data gets stolen, try a new security-oriented smartphone
from Panasonic India.
Launched for the Indian consumers in the
capital on Thursday, the Rs.11,990 Eluga Mark smartphone is enabled with
enhanced privacy features such as fingerprint sensor and
Android-For-Work for enhanced IT security and Bring your own device
(BYOD) support.
"With the growing use of smartphones for a wider
range of high-risk activities such as access to cloud data and private
information, mobile security is a top priority for users," said Pankaj
Rana, business head (mobility division) at Panasonic India.
The
control-sensitive device, which achieves complex tasks with the press of
a finger or a swipe of the thumb, is personalised for the user.
Japanese technology giant Toshiba
has announced the launch of its new multi-function printers (MFP) in
India. Of the five printers launched, the e-STUDIO2802AM series claims
to bring the convenience and cost-efficiency to smaller businesses and
workgroups as the two MFPs in this range are A4 size compact MFPs that
can produce A3 size output prints.
Currently sitting at 6 per cent
market share in India, Toshiba is eyeing to more than double the market
share in next couple of years. The company aims to have 15 per cent
market share in MFP in India. With the launch of the printers today,
Toshiba has a total of 27 models in its portfolio including 11 colour
and 26 monochrome MFPs.
This new MFPs that enables A3 output print will be priced at Rs 35,000
onwards. It enables A3 output print by using built-in stack feed bypass
and also enables A3 size paper scanning with its built-in Reversing
Automatic Document Feeder (RADF).
Microsoft has announced the launch of two new flagship smartphones in India - the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950XL.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during his visit in India last month had hinted the launch.
Priced at Rs 43,699 for Lumia 950 and Rs 49,399 for the Lumia 950 XL, the two smartphones will go on sale starting December 11.
Unveiled at Microsoft
's Windows 10 hardware event in New York last month, these are the
first Windows smartphones to run on Windows 10 operating system. The
Lumia 950 features a 5.2-inch WQHD (2560×1440 pixels) AMOLED ClearBlack
display and has got Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.
It is
powered by a 1.8GHz Snapdragon 808 hexa-core processor and is paired
with 3GB of RAM. It has got 32GB internal storage and can be expanded up
to 2TB using a memory card.
It is equipped with a 20-megapixel
PureView rear camera with triple-LED flash and optical image
stabilization. It can capture 4k videos and has also got a 5MP wide
angle front facing camera. This is a dual SIM smartphone with LTE
support and has got 3000mAh battery onboard.
The Lumia 950XL is
the bigger version of the smartphone with a few changes. It features a
5.7inch display and is powered by a 2GHz Snapdragon 810 octa-core
chipset paired with 3GB of RAM.
This smartphone comes with
Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. It has got a 20MP rear camera, a 5MP
front facing camera and a 3340mAh battery. Microsoft is also offering
Continuum, a free Display dock worth Rs 5,999 to the users who will
pre-order either of the two smartphones.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Lenovo , has announced the launch of its new smartphone in India, the Vibe
S1. Announced at IFA Berlin in September this year, the Vibe S1 is
equipped with two front facing cameras for capturing selfies.
The
Vibe S1 houses an 8MP camera along with a 2MP camera module. The former
is for capturing images whereas the 2MP helps in capturing depth of
field. The smartphone also features a 13MP primary camera with dual tone
flash at the rear.
The Vibe S1 is a sleek device with 7.8mm thickness and packs in a 5-inch
full HD Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display. It is powered by 1.7Ghz
MediaTek octa-core processor and is paired with 3GB of RAM. Lenovo has
added 32GB of internal storage and it can be further expanded up to
128GB.
It runs on Android Lollipop operating system with custom UI
and has got a 2420 mAh battery onboard. Priced at Rs 15,999, it will be
available on Amazon India starting mid-night.
The Vibe S1 will be competing against the Xiaomi Mi 4i, OnePlus X and Asus Zenfone Selfie.
Domestic handset-maker Intex Technologies on Tuesday launched another smartphone Aqua Super at a price of Rs 10,390 in a further expansion of its series of 3GB RAM phones.
The 4G-enabled phone comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by a 1GHz Mediatek quad-core processor.
"Intex has always ensured superior quality products for its
consumers. Keeping our customers in mind and the cluttered market of
feature rich phone, the 3GB RAM Aqua Super will surely be a front-runner
for performance and multi-tasking," Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, mobile
business head, Intex Technologies, said.
"The sleek and classy
look, light weight and a breathtaking performance clearly makes it one
of the best offering in sub 10K price-point," he added.
The phone,
which runs Android Lollipop and draw power from a 2,150 mAH battery,
comes with a eight-megapixel rear and two-megapixel front camera.
It supports an internal memory of 16GB expandable up to 128GB.
The wait for the Microsoft hardware for Indian fans comes to an end as at the ongoing Future Unleashed event in Mumbai, Microsoft's Satya Nadella made an announcement that the Surface Pro 4
tablet will be launched in India. This is for the first time that
Microsoft will be launching its Surface tablet in India. Nadella
revealed that the tablet will be made available in India in January,
2016.
This is Microsoft's fourth-generation tablet, which was announced last
month. The Surface Pro 4 features a 12.3-inch (2736x1824 pixel)
PixelTouch display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. It is powered
by Intel's sixth-generation Core processors (ranging from Core M3 to
Core i7) and is paired with Intel HD Graphics 515, Intel HD Graphics
520, or Intel Iris Graphics.
Different variants feature 4 GB to 16 GB of RAM, and 128 GB to 1 TB storage options.
There
is an 8-MP rear camera and a 5-MP front facing camera. Connectivity
ports include four USB 3.0 ports, a finger print scanner and two 4k mini
display ports.
Microsoft has also launched the next gen Surface
Pen, which comes with an eraser and detects 1024 points of pressure. We
don't have any update on the India pricing yet but at the time of the
international launch, it was priced starting $899.
Nadella also stated that Microsoft's new Lumia flagship smartphones, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, will launch in the country by December this year.
Chinese mobile manufacturer Gionee has launched the S Plus smartphone at Rs 16,999.
The
smartphone has a 5.5 inch display with 720 by 1280 pixels resolution.
The phone is powered by a 1.3 GHz octa core processor.
It sports a 5MP front camera and a 13 MP rear camera.
It has a 3GB RAM and Android 5.1 OS.
The dual-sim phone has sensors such as proximity sensor, accelerometer, ambient light sensor and gyroscope.
The phone will be available in dark blue, white and golden colours.
Korean giant Samsung has announced the launch of two new smartphones that will be sold exclusively through the online retail channel.
Samsung
on Tuesday launched the Galaxy On5 and the Galaxy On7 in India which
have been priced at Rs 8,990 and Rs 10,990 and will be available
exclusively on Flipkart.
The Galaxy On7 features a 5.5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) display. It
is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor and
is paired with 1.5GB of RAM.
It features a 13MP rear camera with
5MP front facing camera and 8GB of internal storage. The battery onboard
is 3,000mAh battery and connectivity options onboard include dual-SIM
card slots, 4G LTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1. It runs
on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system.
The Samsung Galaxy On5
is the smaller device with a 5.0-inch display. It is powered by
Samsung's Exynos 3475 quad-core processor paired with 1.5GB of RAM.
Even
this smartphone has got 8GB of internal storage, which can be further
expanded using a memory card. Priced at Rs 8,990, it comes with 8MP rear
camera with LED Flash and 5MP front facing camera.
The battery onboard is 2600mAh battery. This is a dual SIM smartphone with 4G support.
The home growth smartphone brand, Micromax
, has announced the launch of its next flagship smartphone in India.
The company has launched the Canvas 5 for Rs 11,999 featuring a 5.2 inch
full HD IPS display.
Dual SIM, the Canvas 5 is powered by a
1.3Ghz MT6753 octa-core processor and is paired with 3GB of RAM. It
comes with 16GB of onboard storage space and runs on Android Lollipop
operating system. There is a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing
one. This is a 4G LTE enabled smartphone and comes with 2900 mAh
battery. This phone has got thin bezels and a leather like back cover.
The Canvas 5 will compete against the recently launched Motorola Moto G 3rd generation.
InFocus has launched its latest smartphone M535 at Rs 9,999 in India. The phone is available on Snapdeal.
The
smartphone is powered by a 1.5 GHz quad core processor. The Phone has a
5.5-inch display with 2 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM. The phone with Android
5.1 lollipop OS has a 13 MP rear and 8MP front camera. The phone has a
2600 mAh battery and comes in gold and silver colours.
Other camera features are 4X Digital Zoom, exposure compensation,
continuous shooting, scene setting, white balance, face recognition and
beauty shot.
Chinese firm Xiaomi
starts its Re 1 sale for three consecutive days from Tuesday. The
Diwali sale will comprise total six sales, with two sales every day (2
pm and 6 pm). The announcement has been made on the firm's official
twitter page.
To participate, one will have to sign in to Mi.com.
Then the user will have to share a post on Twitter or Facebook to book
the seat. Channels will close 2 hours before each flash sale.
Other than the Re 1 flash sale, the firm the firm will also offer smartphones on discounted prices.
While the Redmi 2 Prime will be available at Rs 6499, Mi 4 16 GB will be offered at Rs 12999 under the festive sale.
Social media giant Facebook has come forward to facilitate state-run BSNL
in setting up 100 Wi-Fi sites in rural areas of western and southern
India, boosting the government's ambitious 'Digital India' drive.
Facebook will spend Rs 5 crore per annum for sponsoring these 100 Wi-Fi hotspots in the country.
"Facebook
has partnered with us to sponsor 100 Wi-Fi hotspots in villages across
west and southern India. They will pay Rs 5 lakh for BSNL bandwidth for
each hotspot per annum," BSNL Chairman & MD Anupam Shrivastava told
PTI.
Cyber security firm Avast has alleged that Google, WhatsApp and Facebook spy on their users to find out their interest for serving targeted advertisements but their users are well aware about this.
"Google
is an advertising company. Google revenue is basically from AdWords.
Spying on users, getting what they are interested in and serving them
advertisement is what their business model is. There is nothing inherent
wrong with it. Users know what's going on, I think," Avast CEO Vincent
Steckler told reporters on Wednesday.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer has launched yet another smartphone
in India, the OnePlus X. Priced at Rs 16,999, this is the most
affordable smartphone from the company and will be available through the
invite only model initially.
"The OnePlus X will be manufactured in India at the Foxconn facility
in Andra Pradesh. However, the units available starting next week will
be imported. The units manufactured in India will come to market by the
end of this year", says Vikas Agarwal, General Manager - India, OnePlus.
Polaroid, one of the oldest names in digital imaging, has entered
into the Indian market with its compact action camera. The company has
launched the Cube in India in an exclusive partnership with Flipkart.
The
Polaroid Cube is a compact action camera capable of capturing videos at
1080p and 720p resolution. It also features a 6MP still camera. It has
got a 124-degree wide angle lens and a battery life of 1.5 hours. It is
priced at Rs 9,999
Videocon, in partnership with Microsoft, on Wednesday launched Windows 10 powered LED TV, starting at Rs 39,990.
The TV, which can also work as a personal computer, will be available in the market next month.
"In these changing times, we realised the needs of our consumers of
having easy access to technology at their convenience and therefore
designed the world's first hybrid TV cum PC," Videocon Head of
Technology and Innovation Akshay Dhoot said in New Delhi.
Chinese electronics manufacturer Oppo has launched its Neo 7
smartphone at Rs 9,990. The 4G phone runs Android 5.1 Lollipop and
sports a five inch TFT display.
The phone has a 5MP front camera
and 8-megapixel rear camera with flash. The dual sim phone has a 2420
mAh non-removable battery. The phone weighs 141 grams.
The phone comes in white and black colours. It has a qualcomm MSM8916 Quad-core 1.2GHz processor.
The phone has 1 GB RAM and 16 GB storage supported by a microSD card.
It has sensors such as distance sensor, light sensor, G-sensor and E-compass.
Asus India has started selling its Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 on Flipkart at
Rs 13,999. The smartphone has 3 GB RAM and is powered by Octa-core
snapdragon 615 processor.
The phone sports a 13 MP camera primary camera and 5 MP secondary camera.
After launching the OnePlus 2, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer has geared up to launch its next smartphone, the OnePlus X. Expected to be priced lower than the other OnePlus smartphones, the latest leaked ad on the Chinese social networking site Weibo suggests the cost to be 1,699 yuan in China, which will be close to Rs 17,500 in India.
According
to the leaks, the OnePlus X will have a 5-inch full HD IPS display with
401 pixel density. It will have Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and
will have Synaptics' ClearForce Technology, which functions similar to
iPhone 6s model's Force Touch display.
Fxkart.com, the online aggregator of foreign exchange dealers, on
Monday launched India's first forex booking mobile app for exchange of
foreign currency.
"The UAE-based Free Zone company, Fxkart.com,
aims to change the way consumers buy/sell forex in India through the use
of technology. The app is available on iOS and Play store platforms,"
Fxkart.com said.
In a first, scientists have developed an insect-sized robot capable of both flying and swimming - a major advancement towards a 'flying submarine ' - a vehicle that can seamlessly transition from air to water and back again.
Developing the bot called 'RoboBees' required a combination of two contradictory designs - of aerial and aquatic vehicles.
Oracle on Sunday launched a slew of innovative moves to take on its main cloud computing rivals Amazon and Microsoft , in a major aggressive push for its diversified software solutions and integrated cloud platforms.
In a yet another remarkable speech delivered at the Oracle
's OpenWorld 2015 conference, its executive chairman and chief
technology officer Larry Ellison announced two cloud platforms with a
great emphasis on maintaining security at a time when private data is at
the risk of being stolen via cyber attacks.
Social networking giant Facebook has released an update to its iOS
app that will stop the excessive drain on iPhone batteries that users
were reporting.
Complaints that Facebook's app for iOS causes excessive iPhone
battery drain date back a couple of years. But with renewed outcry from
users and iOS 9's ability to monitor battery usage, Facebook has
admitted its app is a resource hog and issued an update to correct the
problem.
Tech firm Apple will finally launch its smartwatch 'Apple Watch' in India on November 6.
The
smartwatch was launched in few countries including the US, France,
Japan, and the UK in April this year and has been rolled out to other
geographies in a phased manner.
Without disclosing the price, Apple on its website said the smartwatch will be available in India starting November 6.
Samsung has been launching its flagship Galaxy series smartphones in
the first half of the year and the successor to its flagship Note
phablet in the second half. This year, after introducing the Samsung
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, the Korean giant has launched the Galaxy
S6 Edge+. What's so special about this smartphone that will compete
against the recently launched Apple iPhone 6S ? Design: The
Galaxy S6 Edge+ is a beautiful piece of hardware. Designed on the lines
of the Galaxy S6 Edge, it has an aluminium frame and Gorilla Glass 4,
both at the front and the back. It is equipped with 5.7-inch display
with dual curves at the edges. The home button bundles a fingerprint
scanner and there is a camera module with LED flash - heart rate sensor
at the rear. My review unit in dull golden looked like a piece of
jewellery. It was slightly slippery and I was worried about dropping the
phone and damaging the display. Display: The 5.7-inch display on the Galaxy S6 Edge+ is top
class. The colour brightness is superb, beating most of the flagship
smartphones with wide viewing angles. With the curved edges, the display
blends beautifully on the sides. Samsung
has added a special functionality to the edge display as you can add
your most important contacts to the edge for quick dialling. It also
gives access to quick notifications when the phone's screen is off. In
addition, it shows a dim clock at night when the phone is kept face
down.
Just ahead of the festive season, Lenovo has launched two new
smartphones in India - Vibe P1 and Vibe P1m. These mid-range Android
smartphones will be available exclusively on Flipkart. Unveiled
at IFA in September, these smartphones boast big batteries. Vibe P1
features a 5.5-inch full HD IPS Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It
is powered by a 1.5-GHz Snapdragon 615 64-bit octa-core processor, and
is paired with 2 GB of RAM.
It also has 32 GB of internal storage and it supports expandable
memory of up to 128 GB. There is a 13-MP rear camera with dual colour
flash and face detection, a 5-MP front facing camera and a 5,000-mAh
battery that will last close to two days as per the company claims.
It
also has a fingerprint sensor and supports 4G LTE. The Vibe P1 is
priced at Rs 15,999 and will be available through open sale from October
27.
The Vibe P1m is the smaller sibling priced at Rs 7,999 and
will be available through a flash sale starting October 28. It is
equipped with a 5-inch HD (1280×720 pixels) IPS display, and is powered
by a 64-bit quad-core processor paired with 2 GB of RAM. It comes with
16 GB internal storage, support for expandable memory, an 8-MP rear
camera, 5-MP front facing camera and a 3,900-mAh battery.
Both
these smartphones run on Android 5.1. Lenovo claims to be the fifth
largest smartphone brand in India with 3 million 4G phones sold.
The
company also stated that during Flipkart's Big Billion Days sale, it
witnessed over 600,000 Lenovo and Motorola phones getting sold in three
days, of which 90 per cent of the orders were on the app.
Announced earlier at IFA Berlin, Sony has launched its new flagship smartphone, Xperia Z5 and Xperia Z5 Premium in India.The
Xperia Z5 features a 5.2-inch full HD (1080p) Triluminos display with
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and is powered by Qualcomm's 64-bit
Snapdragon 810 octa-core processor paired with Adreno 430 GPU and 3GB of
RAM. It has got 32GB of internal storage and support for expandable
memory card slot.
It comes with 32GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot for
further expansion. For imaging, Xperia Z5 features Sony's brand new
large 1/2.3 Exmor RS for mobile 23MP sensor and F2.0 G Lens. It also
supports 4k video capture and there is a 5MP front facing camera.
It
has got a frosted glass finish at the back and Sony has also added a
fingerprint scanner to the power button, that sits on the right edge of
the smartphone.
Other features onboard include, NFC, 4G LTE, Quick
charge, Android Lollipop operating system and a 2930mAh non-removable
battery. To be available starting October 23, it is priced at Rs 52,990
and will have app offers and cash back offers. It will also come with
the Quick charger UCH10 and a smart cover.
Sony also plans to
introduce its Z5 Premium on November 7 for Rs 62,990. Claimed to be the
world's first 4k smartphone by Sony, it packs in a UHD display and 4k
content upscaling feature.
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo
is aggressive with its latest launches in India. After introducing its
flagship smartphone X5 Max, the company has introduced the V1 Max for Rs
21,980. Does it justify the price tag? Design: Designed
on the lines of the flagship smartphone X5 Max, Vivo V1 Max has got a
neat finish. It has got a 5.5 inch display sitting at the front and the
hardware touch keys at the bottom. It has got curved edges with the top
and bottom panel done in white. Barring the top and the bottom part,
there is a metallic rear which is extended towards the left and right
panel. This awards it a premium feel. The power key and volume control
is placed on the left edge, 3.5mm jack on top and charging port at the
bottom. The camera dominates the left top while speakers are placed at
the top as well as the bottom on the rear. Display: The Vivo V1 Max has got a 5.5 inch display with
1280x720p resolution. The competition is offering smartphones with full
HD display. However, at full brightness, the colours looked bright and
the text appeared sharp. It felt better than an HD display and the touch
response too was good. Performance: It has got FunTouch
OS 2.1 based on Android Lollipop operating system. The UI is somewhat
inspired by iOS as all the apps are placed on the home screen itself.
Sliding up from the home button gives access to shortcuts including
brightness, running apps, Wi-Fi, data, flashlight, S-Capture, vibration,
portrait, super saver and offline mode. It has got Snapdragon 615
octa-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz processor and is paired with 2GB
of RAM. It handles all the tasks without any lag, including gaming and
video playback. There is also a multitask window comprising shortcuts
for video, notes, music and inbox that can be accessed anytime. While
the smartphone can be comfortably operated using a single hand, it also
has one hand keyboard access setting. This is a dual SIM smartphone and
the battery lasted slightly over a day. However, the sound output of the
dual speakers wasn't loud. Camera: While the V1 Max is
equipped with a 13MP rear camera, the camera app packs in a normal
capture mode and a pro mode. Just by sliding the capture button, one can
enter into the pro mode where one get to adjust settings such as ISP,
white balance, etc. The images captured were impressive and it managed
to produce decent images under low light conditions too. There are nodes
such as night, panorama, PPT, HDR, children, face beauty and fun mode.
The 5MP selfie camera was just about average though. Bag it or Junk it: A decent piece of hardware facing competition from MotorolaMoto Play and OnePlus One.
Performance: Priced at Rs 5,999, this one comes with a 1.3 Ghz
MediaTek (MT6582) quad core processor and is paired with 2GB of RAM. It
has got Android Lollipop operating system onboard. The overall
performance for the smartphone was smooth and lag free. But the device
did heat up after few minutes of gaming. However, it didn't show any
signs of sluggishness which switching between the apps or streaming
video or even while playing games. The device comes with 16GB of onboard
storage and supports expandable memory. IR Blaster: The
highlight of the Karbonn Titanium MachFive is the IR blaster, which is
capable of converting your smartphone into a remote. The Peel Smart
Remote app comes pre-installed on the phone, using which, you can
configure this smartphone to operate your TV, DVD player, set-top box
and other devices. The best part was it wasn't just a false claim as it
worked smoothly. Camera: The Mach Five is equipped with a
8MP rear camera with a lot of modes including HDR, face detection, live
inclinometer. While it takes time to capture an image, the image quality
is pretty decent. It can even capture full HD videos. There is a 5MP
front facing camera. Battery: The 2200mAh battery lasted a day with ease. Bag it or Junk it: A value for money smartphone with stock Android. Price: Rs 5,999 Rating: 4/5 Plus: Stock Android, Price Minus: Design
Meizu is another Chinese vendor which has announced its presence in India. Its MX5 phone, competing against OnePlus One, Xiaomi Mi 4 and Asus Zenfone 2, outperforms them. Design:
Meizu MX5 has a premium design. It has a metallic unibody and is sleek
at 7.6mm. The design language seems to be inspired by Apple iPhone but
only when you look at it from a distance.
It has got a 5.5-inch full HD display at the front and curved edges. Meizu has added a fingerprint scanner. Performance: Meizu
MX5 has just one home key. Physical/virtual back key are missing. So,
one has to figure out how to go back - which you can do by swiping the
home button. It has got a Flyme 4.5UI based on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It
doesn't look like the stock Android OS as there isn't any app launcher
tray and everything has been placed on the home screens itself. The
multiple windows are named as A, B, C, D, etc. The UI offers great
customisation and comes pre-loaded with apps such as Instagram, Snapdeal
and Facebook. It is powered by an Octa-core 2.2 GHz Mediatek MT6795
Helio X10 processor and is paired with 3GB of RAM. The phone only offers
16GB onboard storage, which is slightly less as only 10GB is
accessible; it doesn't support expandable memory. Overall, the phone
felt fast to use but it took me some time to get used to the UI. Gaming
and steaming of videos was smooth. The phone could handle multiple apps
at the same time without showing any signs of slowing down. Camera:
The optics are impressive. It has got a 20.7MP camera with laser focus
and dual tone flash. The laser focus works well and the camera captures
images quickly. Bag it or junk it: A value for money smartphone Price: Rs 19,990 Plus: Design, camera Minus: Storage
Vivo, a Chinese smartphone vendor, has launched its new flagship
smartphone, Vivo X5 Pro in India. It is a good-looking phone and packs
in many features for music lovers. But is the price tag of Rs 24,990 a
bit too high? Design: Vivo has done a great job when it
comes to the design. The phone has a premium built and finish and seems
to be inspired by the iPhone. It has got a stainless steel and aluminium
alloy frame and yet looks sleek (thickness is 6.44 mm). The front has
got a 5.2-inch super AMOLED display with 1,080 x 1,920 pixel resolution.
The display is bright and offers vivid colours. It has got a
wide-viewing angle. Sunlight legibility is also good. Performance:Vivo X5Pro
has got a 1.5GHz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor and
is paired with 2GB of RAM. This seems to be relatively less as OnePlus
2, with Snapdragon 810 chipset, is available for Rs 24,999. It comes
with 16GBB internal storage and supports microSD card too. The overall
performance of the phone is impressive. The touch response is good and
there wasn't any lag while switching between apps. I played games such
as Asphalt 8 racing. The phone started to heat up after 10 minutes
gaming. It did freeze out a couple of times while playing games. The web
browsing experience was smooth. The sound output, however, is
impressive. Camera: A 13MP rear camera is now standard in smartphone
these days and even this one packs a 13MP rear camera with a f2.0
aperture. The camera app is simple and offers many modes such as night
and HDR. The images captured were just about average. The images
captured in daylight were decent, but the camera struggled to capture
noise-free images in low light. It also has an 8MP front-facing camera
for selfies. Battery: Batteries on these monsters do not
last even a day. Vivo X5 Pro packs in a 2,450mAh battery that lasted
just a day with average use, meaning the display was on auto brightness
and vibration was off. With heavy usage, one will have to carry a
charger or a battery pack. Bag it or Junk it: A decent performer faces completion from OnePlus Two and Motorola Moto Play. Price: 24,440 Plus: Design, sound Minus: Performance
Samsung is feeling the heat from Chinese smartphone vendors launching feature-rich smartphones
at competitive prices. The Korean giant, after introducing J and E
series, has now launched another smartphone in its A series, the Galaxy A8 .
Galaxy
A series smartphones are focused towards offering flagship-like
performance at a not-so-expensive price. And Galaxy A8 is the sleekest
smartphone (it is 5.9mm thin) from the Samsung
stable. The phone has a metal frame that gives it a premium feel. It
has an excellent 5.7-inch full-HD AMOLED display that offers bright
colour reproduction. Overall, the Samsung A8 looks good even with the
typical Samsung design language. Samsung has added a fingerprint scanner
to the home button below the display. It weights 151 grams, which means
it is not too heavy to hold. Performance: It is powered by the company's Exynos 5430 processor
and is paired with 2GB of RAM. The performance of this smartphone is
smooth but there was some lag while launching apps. It runs on the
Android Lollipop operating system and has got the Samsung TouchWiz UI
onboard. The UI looks neat but you can get rid of it using a third-party
launcher. Web browsing and video playing went smoothly but it heated up
after a few minutes of continuous use. The sound output was loud and
watching videos a great experience. It has got 32GB internal storage and
supports expandable memory of up to 128GB. Camera: Samsung has added a 16MP camera but it isn't on a par
with what Galaxy S6 or even Galaxy Note 4 offered. The camera app has
four key modes, including HDR, Pro, Auto and night. The images were
sharp, offering great colour reproduction. The Pro mode is a good mode
for those who like to play around with camera settings. It isn't as good
in low-light conditions but still offers much better results in
comparison to other smartphones. There is a 5MP front facing camera too
that can be used for capturing selfies. Battery: The
3050mAh battery is a plus. It lasted over a day on an average while we
used all main features such as push email client, Facebeook, Twitter,
calling, browsing and camera. Bag it or Junk it: A good mid-high range smartphone from Samsung worth Rs 30,948. Price: Rs 30,948 Plus: Design, Performance Minus: TouchWiz
After entry-level Android One smartphones, Lava Pixel V1 is the
mid-range offering. First Google tied up with a few names, including Micromax , Spice and Karbonn
, to launch entry-level Android smartphones for making the stock
Android experience popular. And now, with Lava Pixel V1, the Android One
experience comes to the mid-range smartphone. Design:Lava Pixel V1
is a decent-looking phablet in white and silver. It features a 5.5-inch
HD IPS display at the front with on-screen navigation touch buttons. It
has curved edges and a metallic ring running around the plastic
corners. The power and volume buttons are on the right, and the
Micro-USB port and the 3.5mm audio socket are on top. The removable
silver panel at the rear hides the battery, a SIM slot, a micro-SIM slot
and a memory card slot.
Performance: Today, the sub-Rs 10,000 market is competitive.
And this one comes with a 1.3GHz MediaTek quad-core processor paired
with 2GB of RAM. Out of 32GB onboard storage, 25.47 is user-accessible.
This phone isn't meant for heavy usage and can handle basic tasks with
ease -browsing the web, switching between apps, basic gaming and
watching videos on YouTube. The sound output was loud but not clear at
high volume. The phone comes with the Android Lollipop (v5.1) operating
system and doesn't have any custom user interface. At times, the
notification bar froze, forcing us to either leave it aside for a minute
or restart the phone. Camera: Having a 13MP camera need
not give you the best images. While this one packs in a 13MP rear camera
(a software-enhanced 8MP camera), the images are grainy and look washed
out. It took time to lock the focus. Image capturing and processing was
also slow. By default, the images are captured at the 4:3 format, which
can be changed by compromising the resolution. There are basic settings
such as flash control, HDR mode and timer. Even images captured during
low-light conditions were not impressive and had a lot of visible noise.
It failed to perform under street light or averagely-lit room. The
front camera is 8MP on paper but is a software-enhanced 5MP camera. Battery: This one packs in a big 2,560mAh battery, which is a strong point for this smartphone. It lasted a day with heavy usage. Bag it or junk it: Faces competition from Micromax, Yureka and Lenovo smartphones Price: Rs 9,990 Plus: Android OS, Battery Minus: Camera, Performance
Apple's much awaited two new iPhone models, iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus
hit Indian shores last night. This is by far the fastest rollout of an
iPhone to Indian customers, post its US launch less than a month ago.
The phones were launched in the US market on September 10, 2015 and the tech giant claimed that it sold more than 13 million iPhone 6s and 6s Pluses during their first weekend of availability in 12 markets.
The iPhone 6s - 16 GB is priced at Rs 62,000, the 64GB for Rs 72,000
and 128GB for Rs 82,000. The iPhone 6s Plus 16GB will be available for
Rs 72,000, 64GB for 82,000 and 128GB for Rs 92,000.
The new iPhones will be available in silver, gold, space grey and a new rose gold colour.
The
phones can be bought from authorised Apple resellers and at chain
stores like Croma and Reliance Digital, as well as on e-commerce
websites Flipkart , Amazon India, and Snapdeal.
Trying to rake in the moolah, many retailers already started taking pre-orders for the devices.
Major telecom company Bharti Airtel said it is offering free 4G data over 12 months, saving customers Rs 15,000 on their monthly bill for the iPhones.
Earlier Vodafone
had said it will offer the latest iPhone 6S and 6S plus from October 16
wherein customers can avail free data and voice benefits worth Rs 8,885
for six months.
The phones sport a 64-bit A9 processor which is
faster and saves more power. It is 70 per cent faster than the A8 chip.
The company claimed the graphics would be 90 per cent faster on the
device. Also, the 3D Force Touch has been deeply integrated with the iOS
9 on these two iPhones, offering different actions on a tap, press and
deep press.
Sharp, Japanese multinational corporation, has announced the world's
first "robot phone" that fits in your pocket. Called "RoboHon", it can
take calls, dance, project photos, display maps and much more.
The touchscreen is small and pretty basic. There is only space for four icons on each home screen.
The device, developed by the famous Tokyo professor and roboticist Tomotaka Takahashi, will be launched next year.
"The
primary method of using RoboHon is by talking to it. The touchscreen is
a secondary interface, engadget.com reported, quoting a Sharp official.
The "robot phone" has a two-inch screen on its back and features a built-in camera and projector on its face.
The arms and legs are articulated to walk and even offer up a dance if you request the robot politely.
The
robot phone can take photos, call people, take memos, respond to text
messages and even project photos and video from the tiny projector.
It can stand anywhere and take pictures. It has both voice and face recognition so it can distinguish between users.
The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus face challenges from old models despite Chinese customers' insatiable hunger for Apple's new smartphone models.
A research note shows the previous models, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, enjoyed stellar sales before the new handsets were released in September, which may encroach the market expansion of new models, Xinhua news agency reported.
The two previous recent models were the best-selling smartphones in
China from June till August, according to a report of the UK-based
market research company Kantar Worldpanel.
"Buyers mentioned
clarity and resolution, camera quality and screen size as the three most
important purchase drivers," said Tamsin Timpson, strategic insight
director of the company's Asia branch.
In the three-month circle, smartphone sales represented 84 per cent of overall phone sales in China.
The
report did not reveal what is behind the favour for the last models,
but it is a common phenomenon that some Chinese consumers, especially
iPhone buyers, are inclined to choose the older version with favourable
prices ahead of new product release.
So far, the new models have performed well in the Chinese market, the world's second largest after the US.
Apple sold around three million iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in the week after the launch, according to media reports.
In
the US, however, market share for Apple iOS between June and August was
at its lowest point since August 2014, as customers waited for the new
products to become available in September, the report showed.
Gionee, the Chinese mobile phone manufacturer, is expected to announce its first 'Made in India' smartphone on Monday.
The
firm will announce its product in the presence of Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister N Chandrababu Naidu. William Lu, President, Gionee and Arvind
Vohra, India chief of Gionee will also be present at the event.
Gionee partnered global manufacturers
Foxconn and Dixon in September to begin production in India. The
company had also announced that it will invest $50 million in next three
years on manufacturing in the country.
"Make in India as an
initiative (announced by the Modi government) gives an opportunity to
not only take Gionee as brand ahead but also to be actively able to
participate in the growth of our economy through various touch points",
Gionee India Country CEO and MD Arvind R Vohra had said.
Established
in 2002, Gionee sells over 23 million handsets a year worldwide and
ranks number 10 globally by smartphone market share.
Google has shared media invite for a launch event on October 13, where the company will be launching its new Nexus devices for the Indian market. The invite put rests the rumours that have been circulation since the last week.
The two Nexus smartphones were earlier unveiled in the US ten days ago and now Google is bringing its hardware to India, just before the iPhone launch on October 16. Earlier, the pricing of these two smartphones were revealed on the Google Play Store. The LG Nexus 5X
was listed for Rs 31,900, for 16GB whereas the Huawei Nexus 6P is
slightly more expensive and is listed for Rs 39,999 for 32GB capacity.
Google had taken off the pricing from the Play Store for the Nexus
smartphones but has already listed a variety of USB Type C cables and
cases on the store.
The Nexus 5X features a 5.2inch full HD Corning Gorilla Glass 3 display.
Running on Android Marshmallow, it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon
808 processor and is paired with 2GB of RAM. Weighing 136 grams, it
packs in a 12.3MP rear camera with laser assisted auto focus, 5MP front
facing camera and a 2700mAh battery.
On the other hand, the Nexus P6 is equipped with a 5.7inch WQHD Corning
Gorilla Glass 4 display, Qualcomm 810 processor, 3GB of RAM, Android
Marshmallow, 12.3 MP rear camera with laser assisted auto focus, 8MP
front facing camera, LTE support and a 3450 mAh battery.
Motorola has been aggressive in the Indian smartphone market and after launching the Motorola Moto X Play
a couple of weeks ago, the company has now launched the Moto X Style in
India. The Moto X Style 16 GB will be available for Rs 29,999 while
the 32GB variant will come for Rs 31,999, exclusively on Flipkart.
The
Motorola Moto X Style is a bigger and a more powerful smartphone over
the Moto Play. It has a 5.7inch WQHD LCD display. It is powered by a
Qualcomm 808 processor with 3GB of RAM and runs on Android Lollopop
5.1.1 operating system and always receives the latest Android updates.
As always, this Motorola phone is also not loaded with any custom
user interface and offers stock Android interface. It is equipped with a
21MP Sony image sensor with phase detection autofocus and dual-LED
flash. There is a front-facing 5MP camera.
Motorola had earlier launched the Moto G followed by Moto X Play. Today, Gionee has also launched its Elife E8 for Rs. 34,999 and next week, Google too will be launching the new Nexus smartphones starting for Rs 31,999.
Gionee launched its smartphones in India much before the Chinese players such as Xiaomi, OnePlus and Meizu
entered the country's growing handset market. The company on Thursday
announced the launch of its next flagship smartphone Gionee Elife E8
priced at Rs 34,999.
Until now, Gionee has been focusing only on the offline retail channel but with the Gionee Elife E8, the company is exploring the e-commerce channel to sell this smartphone, which will be available exclusively on Snapdeal starting October 12.
The Gionee Elife E8 features a 6-inch WQHD Super AMOLED display with a
2560 x 1440 pixel resolution with 491ppi. It will be powered by a 2GHz
MediaTek octa-core processor and is paired with 3GB of RAM. It will
have 64GB of internal memory and will support up to 128GB of expandable
memory.
The highlight of this smartphone is its 24MP camera,
which is capable of producing images up to 120MP resolution. It has got
Optical Image stabilization, up to 3x lossless zoom and sapphire glass
lens protection. The Elife E8 runs Android 5.1 Lollipop-based Amigo 3.1,
supports nine local languages and is a dual-SIM smartphone with LTE
support. It has a fingerprint scanner, Hi-Fi audio and a 3520mAh
battery along with a fast-charging feature.
The Goinee Elife
E8, priced at Rs 34,999, will face stiff competition from the OnePlus 2
(Rs 24,999) and the upcoming Nexus smartphones starting Rs 31,999.
Unveiled in China in June this year, Honor
has now announced the launch of its Honor 7 for the Indian market. This
smartphone has been priced at Rs 22,999 and will be available
exclusively on Flipkart starting October 15.
The Honor 7 sports a 5.2-inch full HD display (1920x1080pixel resolution) and comes with a 423 ppi pixel density.
It is powered by Huwaei 64-bit octa-core Kirin 935 processor and is paired with 3GB of RAM.
Based
on Android operating system, it has got EMUI 3.1 skin on the top and
will receive Android Lollipop update by the end of the year.
It is equipped with a 20MP rear camera with autofocus speed of up to 0.1 seconds as per the company claims.
It
uses a Sony IMX230 sensor, has got f/2.0 aperture and 6 lens module
lens. It has also got an 8MP front facing camera. It also features
fingerprint sensor below the rear camera to unlock the smartphone by
tapping once. It also supports voice wake up that allows you to wake the
phone using voice recognition.
Wireless connectivity includes NFC, dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1 and 4G LTE. It weights 157 grams and a 3100 mAh battery.
At
this price, the Honor 7 will face competition from the recently
launched Motorola Moto Play, Asus ZenFone 2 with 4GB RAM and the OnePlus
2.
Technology giant Microsoft on Tuesday launched a tablet and a
convertible laptop PC - the Surface 4 Pro and Surface Book - priced at
$899 and $1,499 respectively.
Microsoft
Surface division's vice president Panos Panay took to the stage to
introduce the new devices. "This challenge of the tablet and the
laptop... which do you buy? Remember that problem? It's gone," he said.
The Surface 4 will come with a fingerprint sensor on the keyboard and
Cortana integration inside the new tablet, which fits a 12.3-inch
display in the same physical footprint as the older 12-inch device.
Panos,
who also introduced a new Pen, said: "And yes, there's an all-new
Surface Pen as well, which also has an eraser on the end of it. The new
pen has 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and attaches magnetically
to the side of the Surface Pro 4 when not in use."
"It comes in a
variety of colors and even has Cortana integration: you can activate
Microsoft's voice assistant by holding the button on the stylus," he
added.
Intel's Skylake processors and Microsoft's own Windows 10
will power the Surface Pro 4 which Panos claimed is 50 percent faster
than the Macbook Air. The Surface Pro 4, which will be available for
pre-order starting tuesday, will be available on October 26.
The
company also launched the new Surface Book laptop with 13.5-inch display
which can be seen as competition to the new Apple tablet.
It has
the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, from the Skylake family.
There's also an Nvidia GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory but that is located
in the base and will need the display kept docked to tap into its
power. The dock also includes two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot.
The
company claims that the Surface Book is twice as fast as the MacBook
Pro. "It will be available for pre-order from October 7," it said.
Yu Televentures has announced Rs 500 cut for its Yu Yuphoriasmartphone. The handset is now available for Rs 6,499 at Amazon. Moreover, the smartphone is now available in Android 5.0 Lollipop instead of Android Lollipop-based Cyanogen OS 12 custom ROM.
The smartphone was launched at a price of Rs 6,999 in May. Its Cyanogen OS variant is still showing available at Rs 6,999.
The display screen is a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) TFT IPS with third-generation Corning Gorilla Glass. 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) processor coupled with Adreno 306 GPU. The dual-SIM smartphone has 2GB RAM and an in-built storage of 16GB. Supports 4G LTE connectivity. 8-megapixel rear camera with an f/2.2 lens and LED flash and 5-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. 2230mAh battery.
