Mobile World Congress 2019: 11 key highlights from the tech show

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Mobile World Congress 2019: 11 key highlights from the tech show

Mobile World Congress 2019 started on February 25 and till now, we have mostly seen all the major announcements from the tech show. Here, we bring to you 11 key announcements that you must know about:

Nokia finally took wraps off its flagship with five rear cameras

Nokia 9 PureViewHMD Global finally launched its flagship smartphone Nokia 9 PureView that has five cameras on its back panel. As of now, this is the maximum number of cameras that can be found on a smartphone’s rear panel. Prior to this, it was Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) that came with four camera sensors placed on its back. Other than this, the company was also seen launching Nokia 3.2, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 1 Plus and Nokia 210 at the tech show.

Huawei unveiled its foldable phone

Huawei Mate X

Chinese electronics brand Huawei took wraps off its 5G foldable phone at the MWC 2019. Dubbed Huawei Mate X foldable phone, the device comes with two displays and is powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 processor. Other than the foldable smartphone, the company was also seen launching the Huawei MateBook X Pro, MateBook 14 and MateBook 13 laptops.

Oppo introduced its 10x lossless zoom smartphone camera technology

oppo 10x zoom 2

MWC 2019 saw the 10x lossless zoom smartphone camera technology by Oppo getting introduced, which would only work in triple rear camera setups and would be seen in the company’s next smartphone. Furthermore, the Chinese smartphone brand also showed off its first 5G smartphone and said that it will be launched later and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC.

Microsoft launched the HoloLens 2

Microsoft Hololens 2

Software giant Microsoft took wraps off its new Hololens 2 at the Mobile World Congress 2019. Hololens 2 is Microsoft’s second-generation mixed reality headset and it is touted to come with improved gesture controls, enhanced performance and higher power efficiency. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 850 Compute Platform and has a custom-built Holographic Processing Unit.

Sony launched a number of powerful smartphones

Sony xperia 1

Sony launched its Xperia 1, Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus and Xperia L3 smartphones at the MWC 2019. Among these, Sony Xperia 1 is the flagship smartphone of the company and it is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor and comes with a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K screen that comes with X1-style image processing. The device runs Android 9 Pie.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3’s 5G variant finally got unveiled

Mi Mix 3 5G

Xiaomi finally launched the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone at the tech show in Barcelona, Spain. Although the rest of the specifications of the smartphone are the same as the previously launched model, the 5G variant comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The company also made its Mi 9 smartphone globally available at the event.

OnePlus showcased its 5G smartphone

OnePlus 5G

As promised, we got a first look at the 5G smartphone by OnePlus at MWC 2019. However, the company did manage to maintain its secrecy around the device and kept it a casing. The smartphone was present at Qualcomm’s booth and attendees could try out some gaming capabilities on the device.

LG took wraps off a very powerful flagship

LG V50 ThinQ with support for 5G connectivity launched at MWC 2019: Price and specifications

LG V50 ThinQ is among the most powerful flagship smartphones that we saw this year at MWC 2019. The device comes with a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display and is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with Snapdragon X50 modem. The LG V50 ThinQ has support for 5G connectivity and comes with a triple rear camera setup. The newly launched smartphone runs Android Pie. Besides this, LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ were also launched at the event.

Nubia launched the first ever smartwatch to come with a foldable display

nubia-alpha-black1

MWC 2019 also saw the launch of the first ever smartwatch that has a foldable display – Nubia Alpha. The smartwatch is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and it houses a 500mAh battery. Nubia Alpha features a 4-inch flexible OLED display that gives 230% more real estate to users than most other standard smartwatches that are available.

Qualcomm introduced Quick Charge for wireless charging

Qualcomm

American chipmaker Qualcomm announced at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2019 that going forward, its Quick Charge technology will work wireless power as well. It also said that this will add speed in the charging process, however, the charging pads would have to meet certain requirements and standards for it.

ZTE launched a 5G flagship phone

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G with Snapdragon 855 SoC launched at MWC 2019, Blade V10 also unveiled

ZTE launched its flagship smartphone Axon 10 Pro 5G at MWC 2019. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC clubbed with Snapdragon X50 5G modem and it sports a triple rear camera setup and an in-display fingerprint scanner. In addition to this, the company also launched the ZTE Blade V10 at the event.

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Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera unveiled in India: Price and specifications

Avani Bagga
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Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera unveiled in India: Price and specifications

After launching the EOS R a few months back, Canon has today launched its EOS RP mirrorless camera in India. The newly launched Canon EOS RP is a part of the R series and is a mirrorless camera that comes equipped with a full-frame image sensor.

We should mention that Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera is relatively more affordable than the company’s more expensive R camera and at the same time, it comes with an array of features that will make photography-fans love it. Here’s a look at price and specifications of the newly launched Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera:

Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera price

The price of Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera in India is Rs 1,10,495. However, this price is for body-only and if you buy the 24-105mm kit lens along with the camera, it would cost you Rs 1,99,490. The camera will be competing with the likes of A7 Mark 3, Nikon Z7 mirrorless cameras and Nikon Z6.

Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera specifications

Coming to the specifications of the newly launched gadget, it has a 26.2-megapixel full-frame image sensor and is capable of recording 4K videos and has features like eye autofocus and dual-pixel autofocus. The camera uses an RF mount for lenses, however, the number of lenses available for the mount is not too many as of now. But then, Canon is offering an adapter that can be used to put EF and EF-S lenses on EOS RP mirrorless camera.

Canon EOS RP full-frame mirrorless camera 2

One of the main highlights of the device is its weight and dimensions. Canon EOS RP mirrorless camera weighs 440 grams and hence, is lighter than any other full-frame DSLR by Canon. This adds on to the portability of Canon EOS RP and makes it easier for the user to carry it around.

We should mention that while Canon and Nikon led the high-end digital cameras’ market for two decades, they were rather slow to join the mirrorless camera race. Sony, on the other hand, started launching mirrorless cameras a little early. It was actually Sony’s success with its A series that led Nikon and Canon to get away from DSLRs and foray into mirrorless camera category.

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OnePlus 7 would not come with wireless charging

Avani Bagga
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OnePlus 7 would not come with wireless charging

OnePlus has avoided putting some features in its flagship smartphones since the very beginning. And the most awaited ones among these are IP certifications that promise water and dust resistance and wireless charging. If you have been counting on OnePlus 7 to come with these features, then you may have to face some disappointment.

The Chinese smartphone maker’s CEO Pete Lau has said that wireless charging will not be present in the company’s upcoming flagship smartphone OnePlus 7 and as it is still a nascent technology. He further said that Warp Charge, which is OnePlus’ proprietary charging technology is one among the best in the industry. Lau also said that till the time wireless charging will be able to charge devices without causing them to heat up, it would not be seen in OnePlus smartphones.

OnePlus CEO gave this information to technology website CNET during MWC 2019, saying, “OnePlus charging is one of the best. Wireless charging is far inferior.” We should mention that a reason for OnePlus not getting wireless charging in its smartphones may be to keep their costs more affordable than flagship devices of other companies. Wireless charging technology gained a lot of prominence since the time Apple used it in its iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X. We should also point out that at MWC 2019, American chipmaker Qualcomm introduced Quick Charge for wireless power.

When Lau was asked about whether OnePlus will be integrating this newly-launched technology in its upcoming devices, OnePlus CEO did not comment on it. As of now, it doesn’t seem likely that the Chinese smartphone brand will adopt the technology anytime soon. The reasons may be cost related, but OnePlus also happens to take pride in its own Warp Charging technology.

oneplus 5G phone

Although not much is known about OnePlus’ upcoming smartphone right now, it has been confirmed that it will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor. While it is too early to speculate about its features, the device will most likely run Android Pie-based OxygenOS. A report that surfaced online recently also suggested that OnePlus 7 mobile would come with a pop-up selfie camera and hence, would give users a full-screen experience.

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Samsung Galaxy A50 price leaked ahead of its launch in India

Avani Bagga
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Samsung Galaxy A50 price leaked ahead of its launch in India

South Korean technology giant Samsung may have officially announced the Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A50 smartphones, but the company has not given away information about its pricing and availability. However, now the same information has been revealed by Samsung’s regional arm. A press release that was shared by Samsung’s Netherlands arm stated that the Galaxy A50 will bear a price tag of EUR 349, which is approximately Rs 28,100.

But that’s not all. If the Netherlands gave us an insight into the pricing of the device, the South Korea arm of Samsung has shed light on the global rollout of Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A30. According to Samsung South Korea, the two smartphones would be launched globally in the middle of next month. We should add that Samsung Netherlands also confirmed the mid-March availability of the Galaxy A50 handset. However, currently, there is no word on the Samsung Galaxy A30 smartphone.

It was on Monday this week that the South Korean technology company unveiled its updated Galaxy A series. While initially, the smartphone maker would launch only Samsung Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A50 handsets, eventually Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A20 will also be launched, according to reports. We should mention that in India, Galaxy A series would be launched on February 28 at an event in Mumbai, and Samsung has already sent out invites for the same. Here, we have listed down the expected price and specifications of Samsung Galaxy A50 smartphone:

Samsung Galaxy A50 expected price in India

Samsung Netherlands has revealed that Galaxy A50 will cost EUR 349, which is approximately Rs 28,100. We should mention that the handset’s price in India will not be exactly the same, however, with the Netherlands pricing out, we know what price bracket to expect. According to Samsung South Korea, Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A50 smartphones will be made available in global markets starting mid-March.

Samsung Galaxy A50 specifications

Samsung Galaxy A50 features a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-U display that has a full-HD+ resolution and comes with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The smartphone is available with 4GB/6GB of RAM and 64GB/128GB of internal storage. Furthermore, it can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB. The device houses a 4,000mAh battery and is powered by an unnamed octa-core processor.

It comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner and sports a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 25MP sensor with an f/1.7 lens, a 5MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens and an 8MP sensor with an f/2.2 lens. On the front panel, Samsung Galaxy A50 comes with a 25MP sensor with an f/2.0 lens to click selfies and make video calls.

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Spotify officially makes its way to India, priced at Rs 119 per month

Avani Bagga
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Spotify officially makes its way to India, priced at Rs 119 per month

We have some news that is going to make music lovers really happy. Popular music streaming service Spotify has officially been launched in India today. The cost of subscribing to Spotify India is Rs 119 per month and Rs 1,189 per year. Furthermore, if you don’t wish to pay for a recurring subscription, the company has also launched some top-up packs, so you can avail those. These top-up packs start at Rs 13 for a day and go up to Rs 719 for six months. However, we should mention that you only need to pay in order to have access to Spotify Premium, which lets you download music, listen to it offline and gives an ad-free experience. Otherwise, the app can be downloaded for free.

Spotify is originally a Sweden-based music streaming service and it currently has the highest number of paid subscribers in the world. India happens to be the 79th country where Spotify has forayed and the 11th Asian nation to get the music service. In India, Spotify is available on both Android and iOS and will be seen competing with the likes of Apple Music, JioSaavn, Amazon Prime, Google Play music service, Wynk and Gaana.

Although Spotify is primarily known for music-streaming, it also comes with podcasts. Another factor that adds on to Spotify’s popularity is its algorithm-based music recommendations engine which can curate music according to the user’s taste. While Spotify is mostly used on the Web, Android and iOS, we should point out that it also has apps for gaming consoles like Xbox One and PlayStation 4 or smart speakers like Amazon Echo, various smart TV, and even Windows 10.

In India, Spotify will be seen offering some localisations on its service to make it more user-friendly for the local audience. So, on tapping on the search button, you would be able to select from categories like Bollywood, Punjabi, Tamil, Telegu and more. Although it may vary according to people’s preferences, it will definitely help them find music that they actually like and would want to listen to.

It is also worth pointing out that Spotify’s pricing makes it one among the most expensive music services in India. Also, the company has not yet said anything about launching a family plan in the country yet. Currently, the music service has 200 million active users and 96 million paid subscribers across the globe. The first acknowledgement of Spotify’s plan to come to India surfaced in March 2018.

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Samsung Galaxy M30 to launch in India today: Expected price and specifications

Avani Bagga
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Samsung Galaxy M30 to launch in India today: Expected price and specifications

South Korean technology giant Samsung is all set to launch its Galaxy M30 smartphone in India today. Samsung Galaxy M30 is the third smartphone in the company’s Galaxy M series and it will be launched at 6 pm in the country today. Prior to this, the company has launched the Samsung Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M10 in the same range, both of which garnered appreciation for offering good performance at an affordable price.

With the Galaxy M series, Samsung plans to take on the likes of Xiaomi that are currently dominating the budget segment and it will be seen launching a number of smartphones from the range this year. Here’s a look at the expected price and specifications of the Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphone:

Samsung Galaxy M30 price (expected)

According to a report in IANS that quotes industry sources, Samsung Galaxy M30 will be priced at Rs 15,000 in India. To recall, the base model of Samsung Galaxy M20 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage costs Rs 10,990 in India and the high-end variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage comes with a price tag of Rs 12,990. The younger sibling that was launched on the same day, Samsung Galaxy M10, is available in 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant and 3GB RAM/32GB storage model that is priced at Rs 7,990 and Rs 8,990 respectively.

Samsung Galaxy M30 specifications (expected)

Coming to the specifications, Samsung Galaxy M30 will reportedly come with a 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1080×2220 pixels) display and will be powered by an Exynos 7904 processor. The device will come with 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM and is said to sport a triple rear camera setup on its back panel that will comprise of a 13MP primary sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, a 5MP secondary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP third sensor with an f/2.2 lens.

For selfies and video calls, there is said to be a 16MP front-facing snapper that comes with an f/2.0 sensor. Reports have suggested that the upcoming smartphone will be available in Black and Blue colours and Samsung has already confirmed the Blue-coloured variant of the device.

The dimensions of Samsung Galaxy M30 are tipped to be 159×75.1×8.4mm, while its weight is said to be 175 grams.

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Spotify is coming to India, here’s a look at how much it will cost

Aman Singh
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Spotify is coming to India, here’s a look at how much it will cost

Spotify, one among the most popular audio streaming platforms in the world, is finally on its way to India. According to the company, the price to use this platform in India will be Rs 119 per month, or Rs 1,189 annually. We should mention that Spotify’s monthly pricing is Re 1 cheaper than Apple Music’s subscription while the yearly plan is Rs 11 lesser.

It is worth noticing that Apple Music charges Rs 120 for its monthly plan and Rs 2,000 for a yearly plan. But till now, Spotify was not officially available in India and its services weren’t available in the country.  Currently, in order to to avail the 30-days free trail of Spotify, users in India have to sign up for the service from another region/country using a VPN.

Other than the monthly and yearly subscription prices of Spotify, the platform also gives daily, weekly and quarterly plans. The daily plan of Spotify costs Rs 13 per day while the weekly plan costs Rs 39. For one month the service costs Rs 119 and Rs 389 is the cost three months. For a six months subscription, users would have to pay Rs 719.

If we compare Spotify with other music streaming platforms, then we see that the pricing of Spotify puts it in the premium tier league of music streaming platforms. Apple Music costs Rs 120 monthly compared to Rs 119 of Spotify. However, other music streaming platforms like Google Play Music, Gaana and JioSaavn charge Rs 99 for their monthly subscription. But topping the costliest music streaming platform is the Amazon Music which charges Rs 129 per month for its subscription.

Gaana, which is an Indian music streaming platform is the cheapest of the lot. It charges Rs 499 for a yearly subscription. Google’s Play Music doesn’t have a yearly plan. Spotify also offers a student membership with 50% discount on the subscription charges. To avail the student membership, students need to upload their ‘school-issued documents’ to prove that they are an actual student enrolled in a school or college. If the documents are verified, they would get the membership where they would get 50% off on any Spotify subscription.

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Gmail for iOS begins getting the new Material Theme after Android

Avani Bagga
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Gmail for iOS begins getting the new Material Theme after Android

Google’s email service Gmail recently received a major Material Redesign. A few days back, the new design was rolled out to all Android users. Prior to that, the Material theme was made available on the Web app. The new Material theme completely changes the look of the popular email service.

And now, the search giant is rolling out a similar change in theme for its iOS app, so that its users on iPhone and iPad will be able to experience the new cleaned up service. Furthermore, users would not have to install an update manually to get Gmail’s new look. Instead, it will be a part of the server-side update.

So, even if some users are not updated to Gmail’s latest version, they will receive the Material Theme automatically. The new theme will be rolling out to all iOS users this week itself.

The Material theme rolled out to all Android smartphones and tablets last year, and will now be making its way to iOS. However, it will take a few days for the change to be visible for everyone who uses Gmail on iOS.

With the new Material theme, the red band and the colourful appearance of the app have gone. Instead, now Gmail’s app has a whiter and cleaner appearance. There is also a new font, a redesigned compose button and a different method for switching accounts with Gmail’s app. According to Gmail, the white colour will make it easier to find emails. Furthermore, a key feature to search for specific emails or attachments has also been added to the new Material theme.

As we mentioned earlier, Google has already been moving its apps and services to the Material theme and the Web-based apps were the first on to get this new design. However, we should all here that not everyone liked Gmail’s new design as come users reportedly said that the app now looks ‘too white’.

It is also worth pointing out that a number of other Google apps across Android and iOS apart from Gmail, like Keep and Maps, have seen a redesigned theme being implemented recently.

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Nokia 3.1 Plus begins receiving Android 9.0 Pie update

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Nokia 3.1 Plus begins receiving Android 9.0 Pie update

HMD Global is known for rolling out timely updates to its Nokia devices. So much so, that now we know that if a Nokia smartphone is being launched, it will fall under Google’s Android One programme. And now, the company has rolled out the Android 9.0 Pie update for its Nokia 3.1 Plus handset.

However, it is an over-the-air update that is being rolled out in a phased manner and it will reach all Nokia 3.1 Plus users in the next few days’ time. It is worth noticing that the update for Nokia 3.1 Plus comes just days after the company released the update for its Nokia 2.1 and Nokia 8 devices.

With this, the entire lineup of Nokia smartphones from HMD Global is close to being updated to Android Pie which, we think is very impressive.

The announcement of Android Pie update coming to Nokia 3.1 Plus was made by HMD Global’s chief product officer Juho Sarvikas on microblogging website Twitter today. All the updates by HMD Global are released in phases and patches. So, don’t be surprised if your friend receives it and you don’t.

But then, if you don’ want to wait for the official update, you can go to ‘Settings’ of your smartphone and then go to ‘About Phone’. After this, go to ‘Software updates’ and manually check for the update.

The exact size of the Android Pie update for Nokia 3.1 Plus (review) is not known yet. However, we do know that it will get new system navigation, upgraded settings menu, and some enhancements to notifications to the device. In addition to this, with Android Pie, Nokia 3.1 Plus will also get Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness, and Predictive App Actions. The latest update also gets the February security patch to the Nokia 3.1 Plus handset.

HMD Global launched the Nokia 3.1 Plus smartphone in October 2018. The device comes with a 6.1-inch HD+ (720×1440 pixels) IPS display and is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 (MT6762) processor. It houses up to 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of internal storage. The smartphone can also hold a microSD card of up to 400GB.

The device comes with a dual rear camera setup with a 13MP and a 5MP sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP front-facing snapper as well.

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Flipkart Month-end Mobiles Fest: Discounts on Asus Zenfone Lite L1, Zenfone Max Pro M2, Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Zenfone 5Z

Aman Singh
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Flipkart Month-end Mobiles Fest: Discounts on Asus Zenfone Lite L1, Zenfone Max Pro M2, Zenfone Max Pro M1 and Zenfone 5Z

Flipkart really does know how to keep shoppers happy by offering them deals and discounts. A few days back, the OMG! Days sale was live on the platform, which was followed by the Mobile Bonanza Sale. The latest among these sales is the Flipkart Month-end Mobile Fest. The Month-end Fest started on February 25 and will go on till February 28 and during this period, Flipkart is offering discounts on a huge range of Asus smartphones. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has partnered with Flipkart to offer discounts on its existing smartphones range which includes the Asus Zenfone Lite L1, Zenfone Max Pro M2, Zenfone Max Pro M1, Zenfone 5Z etc.

Along with the discounts, the customers can also get the No Cost EMI offered by Flipkart if they purchase the smartphones with select debit and credit cards. There is also an exchange offer where the customer can exchange their old smartphones for a new one. Here is the list of Asus smartphones which are getting the offer in the Month-end Mobile Fest:

Asus Zenfone 5Z, the company’s flagship smartphone of 2018, was released by the Taiwan based company in to take on the OnePlus 6. During the sale, Asus is giving Rs 8,000 off on the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant of the Zenfone 5Z. The smartphone is available for Rs 28,999 for the mentioned variant instead of its original price of Rs 36,999.

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes in two variant – a 3GB RAM and a 4GB RAM variant. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant of Zenfone Max Pro M2 is priced at Rs 11,999 instead of its original price of Rs 12,999. On the other hand, the 4GB/64GB storage variant of the smartphone is selling for Rs 13,999 instead of Rs 14,999 in the ongoing sale. The 6GB RAM variant of the device is also available at a discounted price of Rs 15,999.

The predecessor of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is the Zenfone Max Pro M1, and it comes in three variants and all of them are on discount in the ongoing Month-end Mobiles sale. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is selling for Rs 8,499 instead of its original price of Rs 9,999. Similarly, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant can be picked up for Rs 10,499 instead of Rs 11,999. And the most high-end variant of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 that comes with 6GB RAM/64GB storage is available for Rs 12,499 instead of Rs 13,999.

Asus Zenfone Max M2 comes in two variants – a 3GB RAM version and a 4GB RAM model. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage model of the Zenfone Max M2 is selling for Rs 8,999 while the 4GB/64GB storage model of the smartphone is selling for Rs 10,999.

The cheapest smartphone of the Zenfone series, Asus Zenfone Lite L1 is selling for Rs 4,999 for the 2GB + 16GB storage variant.

Other prominent brands smartphones are selling as well in the Month-end Mobile Fest. Best selling devices like the Xiaomi Poco F1, Honor 9i, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 10 Lite, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy A7, Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL are on sale as well along with LG V30+, LG G7 ThinQ etc.

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Apple won’t be releasing a 5G capable smartphone till 2020: Report

Aman Singh
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Apple won’t be releasing a 5G capable smartphone till 2020: Report

At the MWC 2019, a number of companies unveiled their 5G ready smartphones that capable of connecting with the most advanced networks and can run at 5G speeds. 5G is the next generation in wireless connectivity and the race  to make 5G capable smartphones has begun. Prominent brands like Samsung and Huawei have already launched their 5G ready devices and other companies are right behind. 5G will have a number of advantages over 4G including better stability, a big bandwidth and a reliable network. Just like 4G, which enveloped the 3G completely after its launch, 5G connectivity is expected to overtake 4G.

However, a very prominent player is not yet in the race: Apple. And now a report has surfaced on Bloomberg,  that the Cupertino-based technology giant is not planning to release its 5G smartphone till next year or later. The company will continue with their 4G VoLTE smartphones until the 5G is spread ‘far and wide’. We should mention that Apple did the same thing with 3G and 4G, as it launched a 3G and 4G capable device a year after the market was flooded with such devices from other companies. However, till then company was sure that the connectivity was spread globally and was stable.

While 5G is the next generation in connectivity technology, but the technology is still new and it won’t immediately become mainstream, so maybe waiting is the right move for Apple. We should also mention that  even a number of the telecom providers right now don’t have 5G connectivity. And the roll-out of the network is expected to be a little slow.

For instance, in the United States, Verizon will be launching its operational 5G connectivity in Los Angeles, Houston, Sacramento and Indianapolis in the coming weeks. If we talk about 5G connectivity in India, it still seems miles away and we possibly won’t be seeing a working 5G network in India in the coming months or even an entire  year.

Even representative of prominent phone brands seem skeptical about putting 5G in their devices this early in 2019. Having 5G modem in phones come with their own fair share of problems. The earlier 5G modem were bulky and relied on phone’s battery to work. And now that thin and elegant smartphones are mainstream, using 5G modems in the smartphones makes them bulkier which in a way just pushes us back in time. And making bulky and heavy devices is against Apple’s vision of smartphones.

But recently, Qualcomm released their newest 5G modem for smartphones named – the Snapdragon X55 which is capable of 5G connectivity and is far better than its predecessors. And most of the 5G smartphones launching in the MWC 2019 are equipped with this very particular modem.

5G connectivity technology still seem miles away from becoming mainstream, and till the time 5G is not available globally, making 5G capable devices seems pointless.

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Sony Xperia 5G prototype smartphone makes an appearance at MWC 2019

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Sony Xperia 5G prototype smartphone makes an appearance at MWC 2019

5G smartphones have become the talk of the town since Mobile World Congress 2019 kicked off in Barcelona on February 25. A number of smartphone makers announced their 5G products at the event including the likes of LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo and ZTE. Just days before the MWC 2019 started, Samsung launched the 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco.

And today, Japanese electronics maker Sony today reportedly displayed its 5G prototype Xperia smartphone on its booth that tech show today. We should point out that its 5G device was also available at Qualcomm’s booth for the users to see.

However, Sony did maintain some level of secrecy around the device as on both the booths, it was kept in a casing so that attendees could not touch the device. The front panel of the Sony Xperia 5G smartphone looks very similar to its flagship Xperia 1. Like Sony Xperia 1, the 5G smartphone also comes with an ultra-tall 21:9 CinemaWide display.

But then, the company has not disclosed any details about the specifications of the smartphone or even the name of the gadget. However, since it was present at Qualcomm’s booth, it is easy to guess that the upcoming smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

According to a report in technology website Pocket-lint that quotes a Sony spokesperson, the device is internally known by the name ‘AG-1’ and it is not a commercial device at all. It is reportedly being used for network and experience testing with some key customers.

The prototype that was showcased at MWC 2019 was a 5mm wave product and also supported the sub-6GHz band. Speaking about the device, Adam Marsh from Sony’s global communications team said, “At the moment, from a rollout point of view, 5G just isn’t there. In 4G, you can still [get] more speed in more places than 5G, at the moment.”

It is worth noticing that this is just a prototype device right now, and just on the basis of this, it cannot be said if Sony will have an actual commercial 5G product. But then, the company doesn’t seem to look like it’s in a hurry, which makes sense as it will take time before 5G becomes mainstream.

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Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e set to launch in India on March 6

Avani Bagga
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Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e set to launch in India on March 6

South Korean technology giant Samsung is all set to launch its latest flagship smartphones in India on March 6. The company has sent out invites to tech press saying that its Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e smartphones will be launched in the country next month at an event in New Delhi.

We should mention that although the invite only has the image of Samsung Galaxy S10 and the text on the image also just reads that, but we will be safe to assume that Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e handsets will be getting launched too since they are already on pre-orders on Amazon India’s website. You can read our article here to know about the smartphones’ pricing on Amazon.

Samsung Galaxy S10 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s new One UI and it comes with a 6.1-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display. The device is powered by either the 7nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC or the 8nm octa-core Samsung Exynos 9820 processor, Samsung Galaxy S10 has 8GB of RAM onboard.

Samsung Galaxy S10 India launch

For imaging duties, the handset has a triple rear camera module that comes with a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP telephoto sensor, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. On the front, there is a 10MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. Other than this, the smartphone houses a 3,400mAh battery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCfgkIyD9g0

The most premium of the lot is Samsung Galaxy S10+, that features a 6.4-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and comes with up to 12GB of RAM. It os worth noticing that the rear cameras of Samsung Galaxy S10+ are the same as Galaxy S10’s. However, for selfies, the device has 10MP+8MP dual selfie cameras. Furthermore, the Galaxy S10+ is available in 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options and all the variants can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ houses a 4,100mAh battery. We should also add that Samsung Galaxy S10 as well as Galaxy S10+ sport an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.

Coming to Samsung Galaxy S10e, which is the most affordable of the lot, sports a 5.8-inch full-HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and is available with up to 8GB of RAM. For imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 16MP sensors. It is available in 128GB and 512GB storage variants and packs a 3,100mAh battery.

All the three smartphones come with an Infinity-O display to house the selfie camera in the screen itself.

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13 smartphones that are powered by the most powerful processor in the world

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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13 smartphones that are powered by the most powerful processor in the world

Qualcomm took wraps off its latest processor – Snapdragon 855 SoC – in December last year. It has just been two months and a number of smartphones with the processor have been announced already. We should point out that Qualcomm 8 series processors are the most advanced ones in the market and the devices running on them have an extremely smooth performance. They can handle a lot of heavy duty tasks without any lags, stutters or glitches. Here, we are listing down 13 smartphones that have been announced to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor:

Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e

samsung galaxy s10

 

The latest lineup from South Korean technology giant Samsung is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC. The lineup has just been launched recently and comprises of the vanilla variant of Samsung Galaxy S10, the premium Galaxy S10+ model and the affordable Galaxy S10e. The devices also come with other premium features like Infinity-O screens, Dynamic AMOLED displays with HDR10+ certification, Wireless PowerShare and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.

Sony Xperia 1

Sony xperia 1

Sony’s flagship smartphone of the year – Xperia 1 – also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. But that’s not all that is impressive about the device. It features a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that comes with HDR support and has an aspect ratio of 21:9. Sony Xperia 1 has support for Dolby Atmos, runs Android 9.0 Pie and is houses a 3,300mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G

samsung galaxy s10 5g

Samsung also launched a 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone that also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The smartphone has some very high-end features like a Quad-HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display, 8GB RAM, 256GB of internal storage and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.

LG V50 ThinQ

LG V50 ThinQ with support for 5G connectivity launched at MWC 2019: Price and specifications

Next on our list is LG’s flagship smartphone for the year. The LG V50 ThinQ is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC CPU coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem which supports 5G connectivity. The smartphone comes with Adreno 640 GPU that controls all its graphics processing operations and it sports a triple-rear camera setup. The device has 6GB RAM paired with 128GB of storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 2TB. LG V50 ThinQ sports a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display and it runs Android 9 Pie.

LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ

LG G8 ThinQ

LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and run Android Pie out-of-the-box. The newly launched smartphones by LG come with IP68 certification that makes it dust and water resistant. Another interesting feature that the smartphones have is Hand ID that scans your palms in order to unlock the device. The smartphones also come with features like Crystal Sound OLED and 3D-based face recognition.

Mi Mix 3 5G

Mi Mix 3 5G

Xiaomi finally unveiled the 5G version of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone that was launched in China last year. Although all the specifications of the handset are the same as the previously launched Mi Mix 3, the newer version comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem that adds 5G connectivity to the device.

Xiaomi Mi 9

Mi 9

Another device by Xiaomi that comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor is Mi 9 smartphone. The handset was launched in China a few days back and its global variant got unveiled at the MWC 2019. Other premium features of the smartphone include wireless charging and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G with Snapdragon 855 SoC launched at MWC 2019, Blade V10 also unveiled

The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The device comes with a triple rear camera setup, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and an AI camera that has scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture. ZTE has also said that the handset’s AI has a ‘user behaviour learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern to give a better-personalised performance.

Oppo 5G smartphone

Oppo 5G phone

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo also showed off its upcoming 5G smartphone recently at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. However, not much is known about the device except for the fact that it comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

OnePlus 5G prototype

OnePlus 5G 3

As promised, OnePlus also showcased its 5G smartphone at the MWC 2019, however, it also maintained confidentiality around the device at the same time. However, since OnePlus and Qualcomm have been associated with each other since the Chinese smartphone maker’s inception days, the company is using the Snapdragon 855 chipset along with Snapdragon X50 modem in its upcoming device.

iQoo 5G phone

Vivo iQoo phone
Image courtesy: Weibo

Vivo’s sub-brand iQoo will also be seen launching its 5G smartphone sometime soon. The company recently showed off the upcoming smartphone and confirmed that it will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. Besides this, all that we know so far is that the smartphone will sport a triple camera setup on its back panel.

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MicroSD Express standard with improved speed announced at MWC 2019

Aman Singh
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MicroSD Express standard with improved speed announced at MWC 2019

MicroSD cards have been proving how useful they can be since they were launched in 2005. Ever since they have been introduced,  they are being used for storing photos, videos, audio and adding more storage to electronic devices. In general, the microSD card is used to further increase the limit to which the device (smartphones, cameras, recorders) can store data.

And now, microSD cards are about to be upgraded as they will now have a faster speed in data transfer. The SD Association has introduced microSD Express cards, which are the next generation of memory cards. These newly launched cards were unveiled at MWC 2019 and they rely on NVMe and PCIe technologies for SSDs which gives an incredibly fast read and write speed. With these new microSD cards, the Association has promised a data transfer speed of up to 985MBps which gives them more speed than the previous generation cards.

The SD Association first announced the Express standard for SD cards back in 2018. They had also revealed that the new generation of SD Express cards will have up to 128TB in storage. The three new variants of the new microSD cards are named — microSDHC Express, micro SDXC Express and microSDUC Express. These new Express microSD cards will come in varying storage options and they will follow SD 7.1 specifications.

These newly launched microSD Express cards has a second row of pins which are used for the PCIe 3.1 and NVMe 1.3 technology. Earlier there used to be only one row of pins which housed all the data and technology. These SD cards are ideal for high-intensity tasks like recording 4K videos, slow motion video recording, RAW burst mode output, 8K video playback etc. Other than offering huge expansion of storage, these microSD Express cards also consume less energy than their predecessors.

For developers, the microSD Express cards offer Bus mastering, Multi Queue, Host Memory Buffer among many other features like enhanced data processing, advanced memory access mechanism. In terms of security, these microSD Express cards come with password lock security and data write protection.

But the consumers won’t be able to use and utilise these cards as there are certain limitations. First, the manufacturers would have to use the standard and manufacture new cards in the Express line-up. Second, as the new cards have a different hardware than their predecessors so the smartphone, laptops and other device manufacturers would also have to come up with upgraded and new technology so that their devices could support these microSD Express cards.

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Indian smartphone brand CENTRiC launches S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 smartphones at the MWC 2019

Aman Singh
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Indian smartphone brand CENTRiC launches S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 smartphones at the MWC 2019

CENTRiC, an Indian smartphone manufacturer has launched its first pop-up selfie camera smartphone named CENTRiC S1 at the ongoing MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The smartphone also comes with a Pump Express 3.0 fast charging which, according to the company, can charge 50% of the device’s battery in 20 minutes. Besides the CENTRiC S1 the company has also unveiled four of its other smartphones named -L4, A2, G5 and G3.

CENTRiC S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 price and availability

The CENTRiC S1 smartphone is available at a price of $310 (approximately Rs 22,030) and it will start selling in the Indian market from June 2019.

The other smartphones launched by the company besides the S1 are the CENTRiC L4 which is the most affordable of the lot and is priced at $90 (approximately Rs 6,397). The CENTRiC A2 has a starting price of $140 (approximately Rs 9,951) and CENTRiC G5 bears a price tag of  $160 (approximately Rs 11,380). Another smartphone launched by the company – CENTRiC G3 costs $250 (approximately Rs 17,781) respectively. Out of all of the smartphones launched by the Indian smartphone company, the CENTRiC S1 is the flagship device while the rest are aimed at the entry-level and mid-level smartphone market. Like the CENTRiC S1, the other smartphones too will be available in the Indian market from June 2019.

CENTRiC S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 features and specifications

The costliest of the smartphones, CENTRiC S1 comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner as well as face unlock feature. It has two variants, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and the other with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. The smartphone sports a 6.39-inch Full HD AMOLED display with tear-drop notch, it has 92% screen-to-body ratio and has an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. It is powered by MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-core CPU and its display brightness is up to 700 Nits. The device runs on Android Pie out of the box and comes with a dual rear camera setup that has a 16MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. The front camera of the device will be a pop-up selfie camera holding an 8MP sensor. It is backed by a 3,800mAh battery that has support for fast charging and wireless charging.

Manish Agrawal, Managing Director of CENTRiC smartphones said, “With CENTRiC, our focus has always been on expanding our customers’ ability to resonate with our technology. We waited for the right moment to bring the best products that encompass the digital needs of new-age consumers. The new CENTRiC S1 perfectly syncs with the customers and their desire to update themselves with the latest advances in digitization. Fast charging, popup selfie camera, wireless charging are the growing necessities to enhance the consumer experience.”

“The resounding success of CENTRiC’s launch event at MWC 2019 is a promising step in the right direction to foray into the global market with our product offerings.” he added.

CENTRiC G5, which is one of the five smartphones launched by the company features a 6.21-inch HD display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9 and comes with a tear-drop notch on top. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core processor and it houses 4,050mAh battery. The device has a dual rear camera setup of a 13MP primary sensor along with a 2MP secondary sensor with auto focus and it houses an 8MP selfie camera on its front panel. Other features of CENTRiC G5 include fingerprint scanner and face unlock. It too runs Android Pie out of the box and is available in only one variant – 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.

CENTRiC G5
CENTRiC G5

CENTRiC G3 sports a 6.23-inch Full HD notched display that has an aspect ratio of 20:9. The smartphone runs MediaTek P60 octa-core processor and has a 3,800mAh battery. Just like the CENTRiC G5, it too comes in only one variant that has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. There is a dual rear camera setup on the smartphone that has a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. The front panel houses an 8MP selfie camera. There is a fingerprint scanner on the back for unlocking the phone. The CENTRiC G3 is the upgraded version of the CENTRiC G5.

CENTRiC G3
CENTRiC G3

Speaking of, the CENTRiC A2 smartphone, it features a 5.86-inch HD notched display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core Processor and comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Like all the other smartphones mentioned above the CENTRiC A2 runs Android Pie out of the box. The device has a dual rear camera setup with a 13MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor and an 8MP selfie camera on the front panel. The smartphone is backed by a 3,400mAh battery.

CENTRiC A2
CENTRiC A2

The cheapest and the smallest smartphone of the lot is the CENTRiC L4. The smartphone has a 5.45-inch HD display but unlike the other smartphones, it doesn’t come with a notch. It is powered by MediaTek MTK6739 1.5GHz quad-core processor and runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. But even though it is the cheapest of the lot, it comes with a fingerprint scanner. It is backed by a 2,950mAh battery and has a 13MP AF OptiVu camera at the back with dual LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera.

CENTRiC L4
CENTRiC L4

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Nubia Alpha smartwatch with a foldable display unveiled at MWC 2019

Avani Bagga
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Nubia Alpha smartwatch with a foldable display unveiled at MWC 2019

The ongoing MWC 2019 saw a number of latest gadgets with the newest technological innovations being unveiled. Among all the trends, foldable smartphones are definitely the most talked-about one. And now, the first ever smartwatch that has a foldable screen has been showcased at MWC 2019, in Barcelona, Spain.

The first of its kind wearable has been launched by ZTE’s Nubia and it comes with an OLED flexible display, a camera, and an eSIM support. Dubbed Nubia Alpha, the smartwatch has a number of features that are usually seen on an Android smartphone. The key specifications of the wearable include Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The device runs on a custom OS and houses a 500mAh battery.

Coming to the detailed specifications of the smartwatch, it features a 4-inch flexible OLED display and according to ZTE, the Nubia Alpha has 230% more real estate than most other standard smartwatches that are available. The straps of the Nubia Alpha smartwatch are like a bracelet, and the device lets users make and receive calls, click pictures, and use various other apps.

The Nubia Alpha smartwatch comes with the usual gamut of smartwatch sensors including a heart rate monitor. Nubia has also announced that the wearable will go on sale starting April this year.

The Nubia Alpha smartwatch runs a custom OS which is claimed to help in motion gestures of the device. So basically, the device can be controlled via gestures in the air, however, you must do them close to the smartwatch. On the right edge of the smartwatch, there are two knobs for navigation and furthermore, the device has support for 4G connectivity via eSIM. The newly launched Nubia Alpha smartwatch is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC clubbed with 1GB of RAM and it has an internal storage of 8GB.

nubia-alpha-black-2

 

The wearable has a 500mAh battery that is claimed to last up to a day or two on a single charge. It also has an in-built speaker and a T9 keyboard. On the camera front, the smartwatch comes with a 5MP 82-degree wide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.

The Nubia Alpha smartwatch has a stainless steel band in Gold and Black colour variants and according to the company, it is water resistant.

nubia-alpha-gold-2

The smartwatch will be available in a Bluetooth version and an eSIM version. The Black Bluetooth variant of the smartwatch will be available in Europe and North America starting April this year at EUR 449, which is approximately Rs 36,200. The eSIM variant will be available in China in April at EUR 549 for the Black coloured variant, on the other hand, the 18K Gold model would cost around EUR 649.

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ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G with Snapdragon 855 SoC launched at MWC 2019, Blade V10 also unveiled

Aman Singh
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ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G with Snapdragon 855 SoC launched at MWC 2019, Blade V10 also unveiled

Chinese Telecommunications and equipment company ZTE has launched its first 5G smartphone named ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship processor for 2019 – the Snapdragon 855 SoC clubbed with Snapdragon X50 5G modem in it. It has a triple rear camera setup and comes with a water-drop notch. The company hasn’t revealed much about the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G smartphone besides its processor and modem. The other smartphone launched by the company alongside the 5G smartphone is the ZTE Blade V10 but some of its specifications, price and availability are not known as of now.

ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G price and specifications

As mentioned above, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC and will have the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. It comes in a triple rear camera setup and has an in-display fingerprint scanner. Like many phones of 2019, ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will also come with AI camera with scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture to name a few. In a press conference, the company said that the device’s AI has a ‘user behavior learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern and optimizes the features to give a better personalised performance. They also said that the smartphone also has ‘stunning audio’ and ‘Axon Vision graphics optimization capabilities’.

The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will be available in the European and Chinese market from first half of 2019. But the price of the smartphone hasn’t been revealed by the company yet. The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G smartphone will launch the device partnering with China Unicorn, Elisa and Hutchison Drei Austria.

ZTE Blade V10 price and specifications

Besides the 5G smartphone, the company also launched its ZTE Blade V10, but just like the Axon 10 Pro 5G, the price and some of the specifications of the phone is not known yet. ZTE Blade V10 will start selling from April 2019 in Europe, China and Latin America. The device is available in Blue, Green and Black colour options and has a ceramic-like built. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MiFavour9.0 UI and sports a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2280 pixel) resolution display that has a water-drop notch and comes with a screen- to-body ratio of 90.3%.

ZTE Blade V10 has a hybrid-dual nano SIM card and it runs on an unknown 2.1GHz octa-core SoC CPU and houses a 3,200mAh battery. The smartphone has a dual rear camera setup with a 16MP primary lens and a 5MP secondary lens. At the front, there is a 32MP AI selfie camera. The ZTE Blade V10 comes in two variants – 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and a 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. For connectivity, it has 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, USB Type-C and also has a 3.5mm jack. It has all the necessary sensors along with a fingerprint scanner.

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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC headphones along with ThinkVision M14 portable monitor launched at MWC 2019

Aman Singh
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC headphones along with ThinkVision M14 portable monitor launched at MWC 2019

After the launch of a new series of IdeaPad and ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo has unveiled two new headphones for the ThinkPad and Yoga series. Although the new headphones – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC and Yoga ANC – have similar features, they are designed differently. The company also launched a portable USB Type-C monitor for laptops/desktop. Here’s a look at the price and specifications of the newly launched headphones and portable monitor:

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC and ThinkVision M14 price and availability:

Lenovo ThinkVision M14 – the company’s portable monitor – will start selling at a price of $249 (approximately Rs 17,675) in the European markets starting May 2019. Coming to the headphones, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC is priced at $149 (approximately Rs 10,575) and Lenovo Yoga ANC costs $169 (approximately Rs 11,995). The headphones will be available in the European markets from June onwards. There is no news about their Indian release till now.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC and ThinkVision M14 features:

Both the pairs of headphones come with active noise-cancellation but, as we mentioned earlier, they have different design and style. As they are released in the ThinkPad and Yoga lineup of products so they will follow the design and style of their respective product series.

The ThinkPad X1 ANC comes in dark grey colour. To give a better sound output and make a six-mic array without a protruding arm the company has partnered with Dolby and Synaptics, both of which are known companies in their respective fields. The headphones use a combination of active noise cancelation (ANC) and electronic noise cancelation (ENC) to give a clear audio quality. The users can also interact with the voice assistants on their phones using these devices.

On the other hand, the Lenovo Yoga ANC headphone comes in a white finish. However, you will be able to sport some design elements from the ThinkPad headset, like the aluminum caps on the earpieces. Like the other released headset, the Yoga ANC also comes with ANC and ENC to give a better sound output and a better audio quality to the user.

X
X1

Both the headsets from Lenovo comes with Bluetooth 5 and USB Type-C cable for charging and can also be used in USB Type-C devices. They have a collapsible body so they can be stored and carried from one place to the other easily. Other details and the specifications of these headsets are not known yet as the company hasn’t announced them. So, what will be their audio output and how long will they last is not known.

The third product of the lot, the ThinkVision M14 portable monitor is meant to give the user more screen space to work so that their productivity can be increased. The device can be connected with any laptop or PC using a USB Type-C cable. It does not require an additional power source and it doesn’t come with its own, instead it just takes its juice from the device it is connected with. Lenovo ThinkVision M14’s display is a 14-inch Full HD resolution and it comes with a height adjustable chin which helps to raise the screen to the level of the laptop/desktop. Its brightness maxes out at 300nits. Since the monitor weighs 595gms and is 4.6mm thick, it can easily be carried with laptop in a laptop bag.

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Oppo 5G smartphone with Snapdragon 855 processor announced at MWC 2019

Avani Bagga
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Oppo 5G smartphone with Snapdragon 855 processor announced at MWC 2019

A number of smartphone makers showed off their latest gadgets and innovations at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2019. And among the two most prominent trends have been foldable phones and 5G connectivity. Smartphone manufacturers from across the globe have moved on to the new network, and most of them have done so with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 processor and Snapdragon X50 5G modem.

Among these is Chinese smartphone brand Oppo, which has unveiled its 5G device at the tech show. Oppo held an event in Barcelona over the weekend where it briefly showcased its 5G smartphone, however, it did not give out too many details about it. We don’t know anything about the availability or the specifications of the smartphone, but Oppo has confirmed that the device would be powered by Qualcomm’s latest processor.

Along with this, the Chinese smartphone maker also announced its Oppo 5G Landing Project and said that it has partnered with telecom majors like Optus, Singtel, Swisscom, and Telstra so that it can launch and roll out its 5G products and services.

The company’s vice president Anyi Jiang showed Oppo’s first 5G smartphone to the attendees and said that a number of obstacles had to be overcome in order to make the smartphone as it comes with the design of the antenna and RF modules.

Qualcomm’s president Cristiano Amon also took to stage where he announced that Oppo’s 5G smartphone would house Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and the Snapdragon X50 modem that provides 5G connectivity. He said in a statement, “Given their leadership in the 4G era, Oppo is well positioned to be a leader in the transition to 5G. We see tremendous opportunities to drive further innovation in the 5G era, and Qualcomm Technologies looks forward to working closely with Oppo to realise the true potential of 5G and support the launch of their first 5G smartphone powered by our flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with the X50 5G modem, integrated RF transceiver and RF Front-End solutions.”

We should mention that Samsung also launched the 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone at an event in San Francisco on February 20 and Xiaomi unveiled the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.

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BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition with 128GB storage unveiled at MWC 2019: Price and specifications

Avani Bagga
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BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition with 128GB storage unveiled at MWC 2019: Price and specifications

We have some news for BlackBerry fans! The company’s BlackBerry Key2 smartphone is getting a Red Edition. However, this isn’t like Red Edition smartphones from other companies and has more than just cosmetic changes.

The BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition houses twice the internal storage as compared to the original device. To be more precise, it has 128GB of internal storage, while the original Key2 smartphone had 64GB of onboard storage.

But that’s not all. Another change in the Red Edition of BlackBerry Key2 smartphone is that it comes with a tweaked UI and has some modernised versions of some of the company’s native apps. So if you have been thinking whether or not you should buy the BlackBerry Key2, maybe these changes would help you make up your mind.

Another thing that you should note is that the back panel of the smartphone is still Black, and it’s only the front and the side edges that have been coloured Red now.

We should also mention that the BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition will be getting launched with a revamped version of Hub+ software that comes with a new Action Bar that can be seen at the bottom of the Hub+ applications. BlackBerry has also claimed that these applications will offer enhanced ergonomics by giving users quicker access to features like search, sort and compose.

Furthermore, there is also a UX update on BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar that, according to the company, give it a more modern look. And needless to say, the extra internal storage of the device will only enhance its performance.

As of now, the company has not disclosed the release date for the BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition, however, we do know that the smartphone will be available in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition will be priced at EUR 779, which is approximately Rs 63,000. The device will come bundled with a special edition set of red BlackBerry-branded earbuds.

We are guessing that the device will be launching soon considering that it has already gone on pre-orders in Europe via the official BlackBerry Mobile online store.

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HyperX launches its Xbox licensed gaming headset named CloudX in India: Price and specifcations

Aman Singh
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HyperX launches its Xbox licensed gaming headset named CloudX in India: Price and specifcations

Kingston owned HyperX has launched its official Xbox licensed gaming headsets in India named – HyperX CloudX. The gaming headsets has been tested and approved by Microsoft and it is aimed at the ever-growing India’s gaming community. We have already seen many companies releasing their gaming equipment and peripherals in the past weeks. And with the release of CloudX, HyperX also marks its launch of new gaming accessories.

HyperX CloudX features and price

With HyperX CloudX, the company has promised comfort, durability and an amazing sound output. That’s why the CloudX gaming headset has an aluminum frame for durability and the ear cushions of the headsets comes with 100% memory foam along with leatherette-padded headband for comfort of the gamers. For audio it has a 53mm drivers which enhances the bass reproduction and gives out clear high, mids as well as lows. The cups of the headphones are closed-cup in design which makes its noise-cancelling on point. The microphone of the headset also comes with noise-cancellation so that the voice of the user can be heard clearly when playing multiplayer games.

It doesn’t just work with laptops or desktops, but even on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets since it has a 3.5mm jack. The microphone of the headset can be unplugged so that it becomes like a regular headphone. This feature of HyperX CloudX allows it to work as a music headphone rather than a gaming headset.  The HyperX CloudX gaming headset is available in Indian retail markets as well as online shopping platforms for Rs 9,990. The company is offering a two-year warranty.

HyperX CloudX specifications

The CloudX comes with a 53mm Dynamic driver with neodymium magnets. Its sound frequency range is 15Hz to 25KHz (25,000Hz) and impedance is 41ohms. The sound pressure level in which the CloudX works is 95dBSPL/mW at 1kHz. The company has said that it has taken into consideration the fact the since it is a gaming headset, the users will wear it for longer duration of time, and that’s why it has made it light and comfortable. It weighs 325gms without the microphone and with the microphone attached it weighs 337gms, which is light considering it has an aluminium frame. Its cable has a length of 1.3m and its microphone is an electret condenser noise cancelling microphone with 50Hz to 18KHz frequency (18,000Hz).

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Qualcomm announces Quick Charge Power along with Qi interoperability

Avani Bagga
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Qualcomm announces Quick Charge Power along with Qi interoperability

Till now, American chipmaker Qualcomm’s Quick Charge fast charging technology was only limited to wired charging, and today the company has announced that now, this technology will work with wireless power as well.

Qualcomm made this announcement at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2019 and it further said that the Quick Charge technology for wireless power will add speed in the charging process on charging pads. However, for this, the charging pads would also have to meet certain requirements and standards.

Qualcomm has also added that charging pads will able to deliver speedy electricity with Quick Charge support, and that too in a ‘consistent and safety conscious’ way. Furthermore, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi also said at the event that its upcoming Mi Wireless Charging Pad will use Quick Charge support from Qualcomm.

The American chipmaker has added that some wireless charging products have been launched in the past that claim to come with Quick Charge support, however, none of these have passed through the company’s required Quick Charge compliance process

Qualcomm’s Quick Charge compliance programme has been expanded to include wireless charging pads because of the issues that have been raised by consumers in the past. The programme will also ensure interoperability and that the charging pad manufacturers meet with Quick Charge as well as Qi wireless charging standards.

On its blog, the American chipmaker added about its technology, “Wireless charging pads powered by Quick Charge will work with the same Quick Charge 2.0, 3.0, 4 and 4+ adapters that millions of users already have at home, work, and elsewhere.” Qualcomm also added that Xiaomi will be the first company to launch Quick Charge compliant wireless power pad and that it has plans to do so very soon.

Speaking on this further, Yanteng Wang, lead of wireless charging of Xiaomi said, “We are excited to introduce Quick Charge protocol for wireless power in Mi Wireless Charging Pad, complementing our existing line-up of Quick Charge technology-certified wall and battery chargers, and providing our loyal customers the lowest charge times and maximum power efficiency possible across their charging options.”

We should also add that since wireless charging is slowly becoming mainstream, Qualcomm’s Quick Charge support for Qi-based products has been unveiled at just the right time.

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Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus and Xperia L3 launched: Price and Specifications

Aman Singh
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Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus and Xperia L3 launched: Price and Specifications

Japanese electronics maker Sony has launched its new smartphones at the MWC 2019 named – Xperia L3, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus. The company has also unveiled its flagship smartphone named Xperia 1 at the same event. Sony Xperia L3, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus fall under the mid-range segment and come with side-mounted fingerprint scanner, like we have seen in other Sony smartphones. What’s special about Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus is their wide display of 21:9 aspect ratio.

The given aspect ratio of the smartphones is what most films are made in, so with these smartphones the company might be targeting the media lovers who consume the media on their smartphones. The Sony Xperia 10 Plus has a larger display, a bigger battery, better camera and a better processor than its non-plus counterpart. And Sony Xperia L3 is the smallest among the three devices.

Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus price and availability

 Sony Xperia 10 is priced at $349.99 (approximately Rs 24,800) while the Sony Xperia 10 Plus is priced at $429.99 (approximately Rs 30,500). Both the devices will go on sale from March 18 in the US only. The launch dates and prices of the smartphones in India are not known as of now.

We should mention that Sony Xperia L3’s price hasn’t been announced yet but it will go on sale in selected markets only from February 25. The price of the device may vary in different regions but it will launch soon (single-SIM and dual-SIM both).

Sony Xperia 10 specifications

Sony Xperia 10 comes with a 6-inch Full HD+ display with 21:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Snapdragon 636 SoC processor clubbed with 3GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The smartphone can hold a microSD up to 512GB. Sony Xperia 10 runs Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box and also supports dual-SIM card (nano + nano). Like its display, the camera too has 21:9 video capturing along with bokeh mode, HDR, hybrid autofocus, 4K video recording and 5X digital zoom, 120fps slow, motion movie recording. In the front, there is an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and flash.

Xperia 10
Xperia 10

The Xperia 10 smartphone comes with a 2,870mAh battery with fast charging support. The device also supports 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast and other features. It also comes supports high-resolution audio with many formats of audio supported like LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD. Xperia 10 also has DSEE HX, LDAC, SmartAmplifier, Virtual Phones Technology, Stereo Recording and Qualcomm aptX HD audio.

Sony Xperia 10 Plus specifications

Sony Xperia 10 Plus comes with a larger 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with 21:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. The smartphone runs on Snapdragon 636 SoC processor and comes with 4GB RAM. Internal storage of the smartphone is 64GB and it comes with microSD card support of up to 512GB. At the back of the Sony Xperia 10 Plus is a dual rear camera setup of a 12MP wide-angle sensor with f/1.75 aperture paired with an 8MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture. It too supports 21:9 video capturing along with bokeh effect, HDR, hybrid autofocus, 5X digital zoom, 2x optical zoom, 4K video recording, 120fps slow-motion recording etc.

https://twitter.com/sonyxperia/status/1099942824043311105

At the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and flash. It houses a 3,000mAh battery that has supports fast charging. Sony Xperia 10 Plus comes with 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast. It has all the necessary sensors and like the Xperia 10, it too comes with high-resolution audio support. It too has DSEE HX, LDAC, SmartAmplifier, Stereo Recording, Virtual Phones Technology and Qualcomm aptX HD audio.

Sony Xperia L3

Sony Xperia L3 is the smallest of the lot with 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Unlike the above-mentioned smartphones it is powered by MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22 octa-core processor and runs on Android Oreo. It comes in a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant and it has support for a microSD card of up to 512GB. It has a dual rear camera setup of a 13MP wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture coupled with a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Its camera has bokeh effect, hybrid autofocus, and 4x digital zoom.

Xperia L3
Xperia L3

The front panel of the Sony Xperia L3 houses an 8MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture with flash. It comes with a 3,300mAh battery and has 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast, among other features.

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Lenovo launches a ‘Smartphone-Tablet Hybrid’ named Tab V7 at the MWC 2019

Aman Singh
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Lenovo launches a ‘Smartphone-Tablet Hybrid’ named Tab V7 at the MWC 2019

Chinese electronics maker Lenovo has unveiled a new tablet at the ongoing MWC 2019 called the Lenovo Tab V7 which, according to the company, works as a ‘tablet-and-smartphone-in-one’. As its name suggests, it is a tablet sized smartphone or vice-versa. Where other smartphone companies are going ‘big and innovative’ with their futuristic foldable phone designs, Lenovo has decided to take another route.

Lenovo Tab V7 comes with a 6.9-inch IPS Full HD display and runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It comes with all the other features a smartphone has along with a big screen like a tablet. According to the company, the Tab V7 is a ‘smartphone-tablet hybrid’ but considering that it is just over 7-inch it can be said as a ‘Big’ smartphone or a phablet.

Lenovo Tab V7 Price

The Lenovo Tab V7 will start selling from April 2019 in the European markets and it will be priced at EUR 249 (approximately Rs 20,100). But the company hasn’t revealed the Indian price of the smartphone or when will it will be available in the market.

Lenovo Tab V7 Specifications

The Tab V7 has a 6.9-inch IPS display with 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It has a 81 percent screen-to-body ratio with thin bezels. It is powered by a 1.8 GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC CPU and comes with Adreno 506 GPU. The Tab V7 comes in two variants – 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB + 64GB storage variant. For connectivity, the Lenovo Tab V7 comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS and USB Type-C.

The device comes with Dolby Audio-powered front facing speakers. The device holds a rear camera with a 13MP primary sensor with flash and at the front it has a 5MP selfie camera. Under the back camera is the fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device, but it also comes with a face unlock feature. Being labelled as a smartphone hybrid, it supports dual-SIM card and has 4G network support on both the SIMs. Calls, messages and data services can be used on both the SIMs. It packs a huge 5,180mAh battery with fast charging which according to Lenovo can give up to 10 hours of video playback and browsing along with up to 30 hours of talk time.

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