There was a hoax news running that the Maharashtra high court has banned PUBG. This had created a lot of ruckus amongst fans of the game. The incident had worried gamers to a great extent and the concern was ubiquitous considering the enormity of PUBG players worldwide.
However, the fact that this was fake news became apparent because according to it some judge named K. Srinivasulu had signed the order as a ‘prejudge’ which does not exist in the Indian Judicial System. Plus, there are no judges by that name in any court either.
Another strong reason to treat this as a fake news is that Esports organisers have not received any notice from Tencent Games (developers of PUBG) regarding the ban of the game. In fact, they are planning new events around the game in the coming months.
PUBG has already seen its highest increase of concurrent player count which became 3 million. The game in recent times however, experienced a decrease in its concurrent player count due its cut throat competition with Fortnite and Call of Duty: Blackops. Therefore, it tried to recuperate by introducing new features in the game such as Sanhok earlier this year and Vikendi map which was released this month only.
PUBG is a widely played game which was earlier available in PS4, Xbox One and the PC but its fame and players escalated hugely for none other than its mobile users. Once the game was introduced on the mobile platform, it became a sensation and it still continues to be so. There is also a multi-player element, which allows users to battle with their friends and this makes it all the more attractive.
Therefore, it is not surprising that players would make fuss once they believed the news about the ban to be true. Lately there have been a lot of rumours and fake news doing the rounds through Whatsapp messages. The government has strongly urged people to be cautious and think twice before sharing any news on social media, especially Whatsapp. No sooner has there been an intention to counter the spread of fake news that we suffer another one. Whatsapp has also sent out advisory’s in social media and news papers to be careful of fake news.
We are sure PUBG Players must have hardly been hit by it, since the rumours about the game’s ban turned out to be a hoax very early.
South Korean technology giant Samsung’s upcoming smartphones have been in news for months now. And one thing that is certain from this rumour mill is that 2019 is going to be a very important year for Samsung as the company has a number of key launches lined up including its Galaxy S10 lineup and its Galaxy M series.
And now, another report has surfaced about Samsung’s Galaxy M series, which is said to replace the company’s current Galaxy J and Galaxy On series. According to a report in IANS that quotes industry insiders, Samsung will be launching its new Galaxy M series in India in January 2019. The consumer electronics giant will be unveiling three smartphones under its Galaxy M series next month, and this will mark the global launch of the much-talked-about range by Samsung. Considering that Samsung’s Galaxy J and Galaxy On series were very successful in India before Xiaomi started dominating the budget segment, we are not surprised by the company’s decision to keep the global launch of the range here. It only goes to show that Samsung is planning to recapture the market that it was leading till a few years back.
Coming back to the report in IANS, it went on to say that Samsung Galaxy M series will be launched with industry-first features.
We should mention that smartphones under Galaxy M series – Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M50 – have been spotted on Geekbench. However, some reports have suggested that instead of Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M50, these smartphones would be called Galaxy M1, Galaxy M2, Galaxy M3 and Galaxy M5 when they will be launched.
Besides launching the new Galaxy M series, Samsung is also working to revamp its Galaxy A series. In fact, this year we have seen two devices from the company’s Galaxy A series – Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) and Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018). Both are photography-centric devices and while the former comes with a triple rear camera setup, the latter houses quad cameras on its back panel.
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s has disclosed that its annual smartphone shipments have crossed 200 million units in 2018. This is an all-time high, the company claims. The number includes the shipments for the entire year of 2018. However, there is no clarity on whether Honor’s sales have been included in this value or not.
The Chinese handset brand beat Apple to become the second largest smartphone vendor in July 2018 and the company has claimed that it has seen 66X growth from 2010. It is worth noticing that back in 2010, the company has sold 3 million units of its smartphones Huawei’s global market share is nearly 14.6% and according to IDC, the company has shipped around 52 million devices in Q3 2018, retaining its number two position.
Huawei also said that the shipment of its P20 series exceeded 16 million units and interestingly, almost half of the customers of the series were females. The 16 million value includes shipments of Huawei P20 Pro, P20 and P20 Lite.
Furthermore, the smartphone maker claimed that its Mate 20 series has seen 5 million shipments within two months of getting launched. Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro is powered by the company’s in-house own Kirin 980 processor that was launched by the smartphone maker at IFA 2018 in Berlin.
Speaking of its Nova 3 series, the smartphone maker said that it was popular with young users and played a key role in driving the volume. Its 65 million units were sold in 2018, and hence the smartphone contributed to a majority of the sales for the brand. Huawei recently also announced the successor of Nova 3 in China. Huawei Nova 4 comes with a display cutout that houses the selfie camera in order to offer a full-screen display.
The Chinese smartphone company’s sub-brand has also launched the Honor V20 smartphone in China, which comes with a 48MP rear camera and a cut-out display that houses a 25MP selfie camera. The smartphone’s global launch is scheduled for January 22 in Paris. The global variant of Honor V20 smartphone will be called as Honor View 20.
Out of the blue there are some new Nokia smartphone images emerged on the web. At first one might think it could be the Nokia 9 PureView, but looking at the images it is not, since it has just 3 rear cameras. The Nokia 9 PureView in all probability is slated to come with a penta-camera setup. So this implies Nokia is working on another smartphone other than the 9 Pureview. The leak first appeared on Weibo.
The leaked images show that there is no rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, which probably implies that the phone will have an in-display fingerprint reader. Nokia has launched many phones with dual camera but this one turns out to be an exception. This will have a triple rear camera that could take a wider shot from the rear camera array. However, the authenticity of these tip offs cannot be ascertained.
It is not even clear which Nokia phone it is. However, since the leaks reveal the Nokia branding on the smartphone, it is surely a model the company is working on and could be launched in the near future. Further information about the leak tells us that the handset does not have a notch on the top. Also, there is no hint of a front facing camera so that’s kind of interesting.
What kind of phone this new Nokia smartphone really is, only time will tell as we find out more. It just might be possible that the front camera is located in the chin bezel but even that hasn’t been indicated in the leak. If there is no front camera, it is possible that the smartphone might have a pop-up selfie camera. That would make it similar to the Vivo Nex, Oppo Find X or the slider mechanism in the Mi Mix 3.
Everything is a speculation so far. However, there are some tip offs about this Nokia phone to run the 2018 flagship Snapdragon 845 chipset. Going by the looks it is safe to say that the curved rear panel has a mirror black finish and will also sport a dual tone LED flash. Overall, the phone does look good in the pictures. We will bring you more tips around this phone as we are expecting more to release in the coming days.
Honor V20 smartphone with a display hole selfie camera has officially been launched in China. The smartphone was a few days back on the same day as Samsung Galaxy A8s was launched. The key highlights of Honor V20 smartphone include a 48MP Sony IMX586 rear sensor, a HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor, a 25MP selfie camera and a 4,000mAh battery. The global launch of the smartphone is scheduled for January 22 in Paris. The global variant of Honor V20 will be called as Honor View 20. Here are the pricing details and specifications of the newly launched smartphone:
In This Article
Honor V20 price and availability
Honor V20 is available in two storage variants – one with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and the other with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. While the former is priced at CNY 2,999. the latter bears a price tag of CNY 3,499. The smartphone is available in Charm Blue, Red, and Midnight Black colour options. Pre-orders of Honor V20 have begun in China via Tmall, Vmall, Jingdong, Sunning.com and more. The shipping will start on December 28. A Moschcino Edition of the device has been launched at CNY 3,999. The special edition smartphone is only available in 8GB RAM + 256GB storage configuration and can be bought in Red and Blue colour variants.
Honor V20 specifications
Honor V20 comes with dual-SIM functionality and sports a 6.4-inch full-HD+ TFT LCD display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, 91.82% screen-to-body ratio and a pixel density of 398ppi. The display of the Honor V20 has a cutout to house the selfie camera that is 4.5mm in size. The company claims that it is very non-invasive. The smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MagicUI 2.0.1 and is powered by 7nm octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor paired with either 6GB or 8GB RAM. As we mentioned earlier, the Honor V20 comes in 128GB and 256GB storage options.
On the camera front, there is a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with an f/1.8 aperture which has support for autofocus, AI HDR, and LED flash. The lens can also be used to record slow-motion videos at 960fps. Besides this, the smartphone also has a 3D Time of Flight (ToF) sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 25MP front-facing snapper with f/2.0 aperture and fixed focus support.
The Honor V20 smartphone packs a 4,000mAh battery that supports (4.5V/5A) fast charging. The smartphone comes with Link Turbo technology that lets the device switch between data and Wi-Fi on its own. Connectivity options of the smartphone include Bluetooth v5.0, Wi-Fi, GPS, and USB Type-C.
Sony has launched a new set of headphones called the WH-CH700N. They are specifically meant to run for long hours. There is an in-built microphone which is meant to enable voice commands and hands-free voice calls.
Sony WH-CH700N would be available with a price tag of Rs 12,990 to begin with. The company has incorporated Artificial Intelligence Noise Cancellation (AINC) technology in them, which adjusts the sound depending on the kind of environment one is in. So, if somebody is in a noisy environment the headphones would adjust the sound accordingly. It will be available in Sony Centres and other electronic stores across the country.
To talk about the specifications of the headphones. It has 40mm drivers that come with a sensitivity of 97Db/mW and enable a frequency response between 7Hz to 20,000Hz. The impedance rating is 20 Ohms. Like we said, there is an in-built microphone that helps in hands-free voice calls and voice assistant commands. On the basis of a software update, the headphones are going to be optimised for Google Assistant, too.
Connectivity options of this device includes Bluetooth v4.1, NFC and a 1.2m single-sided detachable cable. This wire provides music playback via a traditional 3.5mm jack. The headphones have fast charging ability too as they can provide 60 minutes of playback in just 10 minutes of charge. Once it is fully charged it can work up to an incredible 35 hours.
The supplied cable can be used to listen to their favourite tracks for long hours on various devices which do not have Bluetooth capabilities. Talking about the Bluetooth, Sony WH-CH700N has a Bluetooth range of 30 feet. Last but not the least, the headphones also work with the Headphones Connect app which runs on Android and iOS. Overall, the design does seem premium and on the lines of the recent Sony WH-1000X M3.
Most of us seem to have issues with our smartphone’s battery. If you too own a smartphone that does not have a long lasting battery, you should know some tips that can help you extend the battery life of your mobile by a few hours. Watch our video to learn seven useful and easy-to-do tips that will help you save lots of battery on your Android smartphone.
Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has started rolling out the Android 9.0 Pie based OyxgenOS software update for its OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T smartphones. Just a few days back, the company had launched the open beta of OxygenOS 9.0.0 update based on Android Pie for the two smartphones. And now, the smartphone brand has released the final version of the update for OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. The final update started rolling out on December 25 and it is expected to reach all the users in the next few days.
Both the smartphones were launched globally in 2017 and they received the beta of the Android Pie-based HydrogenOS update in November. For those who don’t know, HydrogenOS is the software that runs on OnePlus smartphones in China. Following the beta that was released, the stable update has not been rolled out till now.
According to the post that the company has shared on OnePlus‘ official forum, the Android 9.0 Pie-based OxygenOS 9.0.0 update for the two smartphones is available over-the-air (OTA) and, like most other updates by the company, will be made available phased manner. This means that a small percentage of people will at first be getting an update and then gradually other users will automatically get an OTA update notification. However, you can also manually search for the update by heading to Settings of the smartphone and then going to the option of System Update.
The Android Pie-Based OxygenOS 9.0.0 update for OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T are said to be 1742MB and 1748MB respectively. So, we recommend you to download it only when you are connected to Wi-Fi.
The latest update is different from the beta version that users received a few days back. Although it does include changes that were covered in beta, it also comes with support for Google Lens. Some upgrades like Parallel Apps, Weather and Communication are missing, but they are expected to be added to the smartphones as a part of future software updates.
Certain Android Pie-specific updates have also been added to the smartphones like Adaptive Battery, Adaptive Brightness, App Actions and more. They have also got new Gaming Mode 3.0 and includes the latest December Google security patch. While OnePlus 5T users will be getting some new navigation gestures, OnePlus 5 owners would not.
Motorola continues to be a loved technology company in India. And this is evident by the excitement created each time the smartphone maker launches a new device in the country. The case was no different when the company launched its Motorola One Power smartphone sometime back. Priced at Rs 15,999, the smartphone packs powerful specifications and comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery. But is it only good on paper or is it actually as powerful as one says it to be? We spent a few days with Motorola One Power and here’s our review.
In This Article
Motorola One Power Design and Display
We’ll start off with the design of Motorola One Power smartphone. The handset is the first by the company in India to come with a notch on its screen. You are more likely to appreciate the handset’s design if you like smartphones that fit well in the palm. Motorola One Power is 9mm thick, feels solid to hold in the hand, but may look a little bulky to you if you prefer slimmer phones. We personally liked its solid built. The back panel of Motorola One Power is made of metal and the sides are made of plastic. The rear panel of the device houses the dual rear cameras in one single module and a fingerprint scanner embedded in the Moto dimple. The power and volume rocker buttons of Motorola One Power are sandwiched on the right edge of device, while the SIM tray is placed on the left. The power and volume buttons as well as the fingerprint sensor are very aptly placed and were easy to reach. The top edge of the smartphone has the headphone jack and the secondary microphone while the bottom edge has the speaker grilles and the USB Type-C port. It was great to see Motorola ditching the nearly dead microUSB port on this smartphone.
The front panel is dominated by the 6.2-inch display that has a notch on the top and Motorola branding at the bottom. The notch of the device houses the earpiece as well as the selfie camera. To put the design of the smartphone in a nutshell, we would say that it has a sturdy and solid built and has got the placements of its buttons and sensors right. It shows that attention was given to such details when the smartphone was being designed.
Now let’s talk about the display of the Motorola One Power smartphone. The device has a 6.2-inch full-HD+ LTPS IPS display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9. Simply put, Motorola One Power’s display is superb. The quality of the images projected was extremely crisp and the content was very clear on the device’s screen. The colour reproduction is excellent and it did not lose its consistency at different viewing angles. The sunlight readability of Motorola One Power is good too and the handset gives users an option to adjust the colour temperature of the display. We spent hours watching our favourite shows on the smartphone because it was such a delight to do so. The display of Motorola One Power completely makes up for what the smartphone lacks in the design department.
Motorola One Power Performance and Cameras
Let’s talk about the specifications of the smartphone before we go on to Motorola One Power’s performance. The handset is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The smartphone can hold microSD cards of up to 256GB, too. Motorola One Power houses a massive 5,000mAh battery and comes with support for quick charging. That may be the key highlight of the smartphone, but what makes Motorola One Power even better is the fact that it is a part of Google’s Android One programme.
This promises timely Android updates and security patches for the handset. When it was launched, Motorola One Power was powered by Android 8.1 Oreo, but it recently got updated to Android 9.0 Pie. We loved the clutter-free stock Android experience on the Motorola One Power smartphone. Which means there are no bloatware apps on the smartphone. The entire suite of Google apps is present and so are some Motorola apps. But besides these, you’ll have to download all other apps – even the popular ones like Facebook and Whatsapp in case you want to use them.
Moto Actions make home in this smartphone too. The feature enables users to switch on flashlight with a double-chop gesture and go to the camera app by a double-twist gesture. A Smart SIM feature is also present on the device that enables users to designate their two SIMs, so that one can be used for work and the other for personal use.
Coming to the performance of Motorola One Power smartphone, we found it to be very powerful. During our time with the smartphone, we did not face any sort of lag. We could switch between multiple apps and multitask with ease. We often used the device for navigation and watching YouTube videos at the same time and the smartphone always took it well. Even when we left a number of apps running in the background, the smartphone continued to work well.
Gaming was another good experience on Motorola One Power smartphone. Games like Temple Run 2 and Alto’s Odyssey ran very smoothly, and even the heavier ones like Asphalt 9: Legends could be played without any lags. However, we did miss playing these games in full-screen mode. The area on either side of the notch was blackened out while playing games. Thankfully, the case was not the same when we tried watching YouTube videos.
Another feature we missed on this mobile was Face Unlock. However, the fingerprint reader of Motorola One Power was fairly responsive, which makes up for it.
Now let’s talk about the key highlight of the device, Its battery. The massive 5,000mAh battery of Motorola One Power is long lasting. Even if you step out with 50% charge on the smartphone at the beginning of the say, you would be able to last the entire day with average usage involving phone calls, watching YouTube videos, using the smartphone for navigation and playing some games. When completely charged the smartphone’s battery, it lasted a day and a half for us, which is very impressive. Furthermore, Motorola One Power only takes about two hours to be completely charged as it supports fast charging.
Motorola One Power smartphone sports a dual rear camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor with PDAF and a 5MP secondary depth sensor.
For selfies and video calls, there is a 12MP front-facing snapper. The camera app of the smartphone has Photo, Video, Portrait, and Expert modes and it also supports Google Lens.
The shots taken in daylight were reasonably good and came with a fair amount of details. The quality of the images was also sharp throughout. However, the camera performance wasn’t as good in dimly-lit areas.
The selfie camera of the device works well in areas that have decent to bright lighting conditions and the results do get better with beautification mode switched on. In dimly lit areas, the selfie flash of the smartphone comes to the rescue.
We ran some benchmark tests on the device. While it managed to score a 1,328 and 4,893 in single and multi-core scores of Geekbench, it scored a 1,15,716 in Antutu.
Verdict and Final Words
There are more reasons to buy Motorola One Power than not to. The smartphone comes with a clutter-free stock Android experience and it’s powered by the latest Android OS. It has powerful performance and its battery just goes on and on. Additionally, the smartphone also has a solid built and a vibrant display. It’s really a value for money device.
As part of the Bonanza sale offer which Flipkart has started today, many smartphone brands are providing discounts. This also includes Asus, which is one of the leading brands in the Indian smartphone market which is also giving good discounts on some of its smartphones. The two phones that have got price reduction on this sale is the ZenFone 5Z and the ZenFone Max Pro M1.
Firstly, we would talk about the ZenFone 5Z. The ZenFone 5Z that comes in two RAM variants has experienced a price cut of Rs 8,000. The RAM variants are 6GB and 8GB and they come with an internal storage of 128GB and 256GB respectively. While the former can be purchased at a discounted price of Rs 24,999 the latter will cost Rs 28,999 now. You might be familiar with the mobile protection plan meant to cover the phone cost in case it gets stolen. It was available for Rs 2,499 until now. Well, the good news is that the discount event has made it come down to Rs 399 only.
The discount is available at a no cost EMI for up to 6 months. To recall, the Asus ZenFone 5Z comes with a dual rear camera setup of 8MP and 12MP. Three RAM variants are 8GB/6GB/4GB out of which the discount is available on the first two only. There is a microSD card slot available on this smartphone too, which can store up to 512GB data. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, Bluetooth, FM Radio, GPS, NFC and USB 2.0. The smartphone houses a 3,300mAh non-removable battery.
Now we come to the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1. There is a Rs 2,000 discount which encompasses all RAM variants. This takes down the price of the 3GB RAM variant to Rs 8,999, the 4GB variant to Rs 10,999. The high-end variant which is the costliest amongst all of them is priced at Rs 12,999 now. The complete protection plan for the Max Pro M1 Pro will be available for purchase at Rs 99 only during this offer period.
Another Asus phone for which the Bonanza discount is applicable is the ZenFone Lite L1. You’d be able to save Rs 1,000 in your wallet as the price has come down from Rs 5,999 to Rs 4,999. The Complete Mobile Protection Plan in this case is purchasable at Rs 9 only and for the ZenFone Max M1 is Rs 99. However, no discount is available for the ZenFone Max M1 in this end of the year sale.
South Korean smartphone maker Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy M30 smartphone has been spotted on Geekbench and the online listing has given us an insight into the specifications of the upcoming device. Samsung Galaxy M30 is reportedly a new model in the company’s new Galaxy M range that will reportedly replace its current Galaxy J and Galaxy On series.
This is not the only Galaxy M series model that has surfaced online, as reports about the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, and Galaxy M50 smartphones have also emerged. Some reports have also suggested that these smartphones will be known as Samsung Galaxy M2, Galaxy M3 and Galaxy M5 instead of Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M50. And there is no official word from Samsung that confirms any of the names.
However, the listing on Geekbench does reveal some key information. For starters, the Samsung smartphone comes with the model number SM-M305F. And it was this name that led to the speculation about it being Samsung Galaxy M30 or Galaxy M3.
The listing reveals that the smartphone is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 7885 processor and comes with 4GB of RAM and runs Android 8.1 Oreo. A previous report had claimed that Samsung Galaxy M30 with model number SM-M305F will be available in 64GB and 128GB storage options and Galaxy M20 with model number SM-M205F will be available in 32GB and 64GB storage variants. The same report also said that both the smartphones will come in dual-SIM and single-SIM variants.
The presence of Exynos 7885 processor on Samsung Galaxy M30 on Geekbench does point towards the new model being in-line with Galaxy A8 (2018). Recently, it was also reported that the Galaxy M20 or the Galaxy M2 will be powered by Exynos 7885 processor coupled with Mali-G71 MP2 GPU and 3GB RAM.
However, it is also worth mentioning that the Geekbench listing shows Android Oreo on the upcoming Samsung device instead of the latest Android version – Pie.
As per previous reports, Samsung Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M20 will come with LCD displays and the Galaxy M50 will feature an AMOLED display. This further suggests that Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M20 could be the next-generation affordable smartphones by the South Korean technology giant. The Geekbench listing was first spotted by Nashville Chatter.
Reliance Jio is working on an affordable smartphone which will sport a large screen, according to a report in Economic Times that quotes a company executive. People who are being targeted with the upcoming offering from the company are feature phone users who aspire to avail 4G devices. Currently, there are 500 million feature phone users, so if Reliance will be able to provide attractive 4G services at an affordable cost, it will be able to expand its customer base.
Speaking to Economic Times, Sunil Dutt, head sales, channel development at Jio said that the company is trying to work with partners who can bring in affordable large screen smartphones for a large mass of customers who are yet to make a shift to a 4G smartphone. He added that by doing this, the company will be able to provide its users the right kind of connectivity as well as the right kind of content on its affordable devices.
A recent report also suggested that Jio is in talks with US contract manufacturer Flex for manufacturing 100 million smartphones which can provide 4G service.
Dutt further said that whenever the company feels that there are gaps in the market which people are not able to address or are unable to take a risk about, they pick these areas and address them by develop products and services targeted at them.
It is worth noticing that the company has been making rapid subscriber market share gains in contrast to its rivals, who have faced losses. The credit for this can be given to its expansion in rural areas with its 4G VoLTE feature phone — JioPhone and JioPhone 2.
“There are billions of people who are on devices which do not support good data experience or rich content experience, for them we introduced JioPhone to start experiencing more content services of Jio like television, cinema, music, even YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp” said Dutt told Economic Times. It was earlier this year the KaiOS, the operating system Jio’s feature phones run on, got support for WhatsApp and YouTube.
Flipkart’s four-day Mobile Bonanza sale has started today and it comes with a slew of offers and discounts. Among these offers, there is a discount on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro. For your convenience we are going to tell you all about the discount so that you can decide for yourself whether to avail it or not.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, which is originally priced at Rs 12,999 (base model) on Flipkart, can now be bought at Rs 999 with an exchange offer of up to Rs 12,000. So, you can exchange your old smartphone for Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and get a discount of up to Rs 12,000. It is worth noticing the recently launched smartphones are getting a good value on exchange and there are good deals available on models from OnePlus, Motorola, and Xiaomi.
Another offer that is available on the smartphone is a debit card EMI offer, which brings down the cost of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro to Rs 1,168 per month. Apart from this, as a part of the Flipkart Mobile Bonanza sale, SBI card holders will get a 10% instant discount on purchases made with the bank’s credit or debit cards.
To recall the specifications, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro is available in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants. A microSD card slot is also available which expands its memory up to 128GB. The smartphone houses a 4,000mAh battery and is powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor. The smartphone has a 5.99-inch Full-HD+ display and comes with a dual rear camera setup with a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. It also has a 20MP selfie camera.
Other offers available on Flipkart include a discount of Rs 8,000 on Asus ZenFone 5Z, and a price cut of Rs 9,000 on Vivo X21. The popular Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is has also got a price slash of Rs 2,000. Furthermore, deals can also be availed on smartphones like Google Pixel 2 XL, Honor 9N, Nokia 5.1 Plus and Xiaomi’s POCO F1. We should mention that today is the first day of Flipkart’s sale and it will go on for the next four days.
Technology giant Google has some exciting news for its users. The company is offering free credit to some select users that they can use on Google’s Play Store. Google has said that it will be selecting these users on the basis of their purchase history and if you are one among the selected users, you will see a yellow banner on the Play Store app on your Android smartphone. Once you click the banner, you will be able to use the free credit that you have been awarded by Google.
However, this free credit comes with a number of terms and conditions. As we mentioned earlier, Google Play’s Home tab has a yellow banner that is available only for a few users. On opening this banner, different users will see different deals. For instance, some users will see an offer that reads “$5 to spend on any app or game.” Once you click on it, the offer will be added to your account automatically. For some users, the free credit is available only on purchases above $20, and for other in-app purchases are not included. So, Google will see what you purchase the most and then make an offer accordingly. We personally got a discount on our next movie purchase, since we use the Play Store to save and watch films via Google Play Movies and TV. However, we didn’t see a yellow banner like the ones mentioned in most reports, instead, we saw a red one.
If you want to read the entire disclaimer on your deal, the yellow banner can be used to open a page that has all the conditions and full terms of the deals written in detail. We recommend you to go through this so that you know everything that applies to the offer that you are availing. You’ll also get suggestions for apps or movies where you can use your credit, which Google curates for you on the basis of your interests and activities.
You will be able to find the credit in the Accounts section of your Google Play Store. The Accounts section on your Google Play Store can be accessed by pressing on the three-line icon on the Home Page and then scrolling down. Once you go to Accounts, click on the Rewards tab, you’ll see your credit there.
Various users on social media are talking about this deal, and we personally got some credit that we can use for buying movies. Do let us know in the comments section if Google offered a deal to you too.
The Chinese sub-brand of Huawei, Honor is going to launch its V20 model today in China. The phone’s specifications have been reportedly leaked on the basis of a poster, ahead of its launch. And there are numerous things, which have been known about it already. For your knowledge, we have enlisted the features that the Chinese smartphone is expected to have.
The handset is supposed to come in three colour options—black, red and blue. There is a display camera sensor, which is said to be the part of a punch-hole display on the top-left corner. The poster revealed that the Honor V20 will be powered by a Kirin 980 octa-core processor and will be equipped with a Link Turbo feature in order to provide faster and better downloading experience. This has been made possible by the simultaneous functioning of LTE and WiFi networks.
Three RAM plus sotrage variants are also on the cards. These include 6GB, another 6GB and 8GB which come with in-built storage of 64GB, 128GB and 256GB respectively. A triple rear camera setup is there that has a primary sensor of 48MP Sony IMX586. The mobile device houses a 4,000mAh battery supporting 22.5W fast charging. It is also expected that the Honor V20 will come with a ToF (Time of Flight) 3D camera sensor, setting it apart from other phone brands. This will be the first a mobile phone brand will feature such a functionality.
With this, we think that Huawei is trying its best to stand out remarkably in the mobile industry and set a platform of cut throat competition for other brands. According to previous rumours, the Honor V20 was to be launched on 27th December running on an Android Pie skinned with Honor’s latest smartphone skin—EMUI 9. The rumours also tipped about the Honor V20’s price to be 2,799 Yuan which is 406$ (roughly Rs 29,000). The resolution of the mobile phone is supposed to be 2,310×1,080 pixels.
Another first-time feature to be introduced on the basis of earlier leaks is that this phone will support 960fps slow-motion recording. The Honor V20 is expected to feature a 25MP snapper for selfies and video calling, too. The device is also expected to come with AI dual-frequency GPS for accuracy.
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi has launched a new variant of its POCO F1 smartphone in India. The new edition of the smartphone is a variant of the Armoured Edition. Earlier whenever the company has launched this colour option, it has always been available with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage. However, this time, Xiaomi has rolled out the new variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage too.
While the 8GB RAM/256GB storage model of the Armoured Edition smartphone is priced at Rs 28,999, the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant bears a price tag of Rs 23,999.
Xiaomi’s POCO F1 also comes in another variant that has 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, which can be bought in the Black, Red and Blue colour options.
Coming back to the Armoured Edition of POCO F1 smartphone, it uses DuPont Kevlar material instead of the standard polycarbonate on its back panel. The company claims that this DuPont Kevlar material is more durable than the standard polycarbonate which is usually used.
Although is it supposed to be more durable, the finish on the smartphone’s body also reportedly attracts smudges very easily. So there will be people who will prefer the standard models of the smartphone.
To recall, Xiaomi’s POCO F1, which is also known as Pocofone F1, is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and comes in the aforementioned RAM and storage configurations. It sports a 6.18-inch Full HD+ display that has a notch on top of it and runs MIUI 10 based on Android. while it was launched with Android Oreo, it recently started getting an update for Android Pie.
On the camera front, POCO F1 features a dual rear camera setup with a 12MP sensor and a 5MP sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 20MP selfie camera onboard. The smartphone houses a 4,000mAh battery and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge enabled fast charging. Besides this, Xiaomi POCO F1 comes with all standard connectivity options.
The Chinese smartphone brand has claimed that POCO F1 comes with a LiquidCool technology which is supposed to make the device’s thermal performance better than most of its rivals.
PUBG Mobile has garnered tremendous popularity this year. Every day, scores of people compete with each other to win the Chicken dinner in the popular game. If you have been trying to win the game for some time, but haven’t been able to do it as yet, it may be because you are making some mistakes that can get you eliminated. Here, we are listing down 12 deadly mistakes that can get you killed in PUBG Mobile:
In This Article
Not being prepared for an early fight
While some players prefer to drop in crowded areas to get some easy kills, others like to drop in distant areas away from others so that they can collect their weapons safely. If you are among the latter, do keep in mind that even though you prefer to land in secluded areas, it doesn’t mean that you are the only one over there. so always be ready for an early attack in the game or you may get killed.
Not paying attention to sound
We have said it earlier and we’ll say it again: Always play PUBG with headphones on. And make sure you pay attention to the sounds in the game as before your enemy approaches you, you will hear his footsteps. However, if you are not closely listening to sounds, you miss your enemy’s move and get killed.
Ignoring obvious baits
If you hear any shooting around you, try and notice the pattern to determine if the first is real or fake. Your enemy may be luring you to kill you as this is a simple way to get easy kills. Falling for such baits is definitely a deadly mistake.
Shooting at enemies out of your range
This is one among the most common mistakes that people make. In order to attack first, if you engage with an enemy who’s actually out of your range, you will firstly not be able to kill him, and secondly, you’ll be giving away your position. So doing this is actually very dangerous and can prove to be deadly.
Staying at the same position after being spotted
If you have been spotted by your enemy, he would know exactly where you are and exactly where to aim in order to kill you. So, it’s incredibly important to change your position once you get spotted and you should do so without delay. Staying at the same position after their enemy knows where they are, is surely a big mistake that PUBG players make.
Running in a straight line
When you run in a straight line, you actually let your enemies align a perfect shot. So even when you are in a rush, try running in a zig-zag pattern to avoid being killed.
Peeking from a predictable angle
If you are hidden and are peeking to spot your enemies, don’t do it from a predictable angle. Your enemy may be expecting you to peek from there and it may become an easy kill for them.
Standing still without any cover
This is probably the easiest way of getting yourself killed in PUBG. Don’t do it unless you are bored with the game and want to exit.
Fighting without cover
Fighting with cover helps you avoid getting killed and lets you heal up. Needless to say, fighting without it multiplies your chances of being killed. This may be one among the biggest mistakes that you can make while playing PUBG.
Running to catch the supply drop as soon as it falls
If you see a crate falling from a plane close to where you are standing, you would mostly just rush to get it. However, remember that a lot of others would do the same, so you would be exposing yourself to getting killed. Instead, hide near it and kill all those who come to get the crate of supply drop and then get it for yourself.
Not looting smart
Loot only when required to and not whenever you can. By looting whenever there is a chance, you may actually be putting yourself in a deadly situation. For instance, if you just killed a player and you rush to loot them, you’re actually just putting yourself out in the open for your enemies to kill you.
Not keeping a track of remaining players
This may not be very useful in the beginning, but once there are only 10 players remaining, you must keep a track of how many are alive. Doing this can prove to be a literal life-saver. For instance, if there are six people alive including you, and you can hear to enemies fighting amongst themselves on your right and two on your left. In such a case, being aware of one more player being alive will make you more cautious as he may be standing somewhere behind you to kill you.
Cupertino-based technology giant Apple recently rolled out its iOS 12.1.2 software update to its users. However, reports have emerged that claim that the update has led to cellular connectivity issues for multiple iPhone owners across the globe. A report in Forbes has suggested that microblogging website Twitter is filled with tweets from multiple users who have taken to the platform to complain about the latest iOS update.
As per the tweets, it seems like once users installed the latest iOS update, they couldn’t use their iPhones to make phone calls. Some even said that they were unable to send or receive text messages to their contacts. In other words, iOS 12.1.2 update is ‘bricking’ the iPhones once it’s installed.
Furthermore, it is not like users of one particular area are complaining about these issues. From what it looks like, the issue is spread across North America, South America, Europe, Asia and India.
Multiple users from these regions have complained about how they are facing trouble with their iPhones after updating to iOS 12.1.2. As of now, there has been no solution from Apple for this. The company’s support team has suggested that users restart their iPhones and then update the carrier settings on their devices. Some users tried this but there has been no sure word on whether this worked or not. A few iPhone users who updated to iOS 12.1.2 also claimed that in order to make their smartphones work, they tried to reset their device and then re-insert the SIM card. However, even this did not seem to work.
If you are an iPhone user who has not as yet upgraded to iOS 12.1.2, it is not advisable to do that till the company rolls out a fix for these issues. It would make perfect sense for you to wait for that to happen.
To recall, Apple rolled out the iOS 12.1.2 last week and it said that the update was supposed to fix connectivity issues in its latest iPhone line up comprising of iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR in Turkey. However, the contrary seems to have happened as now, there are more iPhone users complaining about connectivity issues and data loss.
Here’s our video of the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, a newly launched budget smartphone which packs powerful specifications like a 5,000mAh battery, dual rear cameras and a clutter-free stock Android smartphone. Watch our review to know more about the device. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Huawei recently launched its photographic centric flagship smartphones, Mate 20 Pro and Mate 20. Prior to that, the company launched its Huawei P20 Pro smartphone earlier this year, which came with a triple rear camera setup and is aimed at photographers. And now, reports have emerged that claim that Huawei is working on its P30 series.
Huawei P30 series will reportedly come with P30 and P30 Pro models and is expected to be launched either at Mobile World Congress in February 2019 or at a special event in March next year. It has also been said that Huawei will continue to focus on smartphones with powerful cameras with its P30 smartphones. According to renowned tipster Evan Blass, Huawei P30 will be another camera-centric device.
The smartphone will reportedly sport a triple rear camera setup that will come with a 40MP sensor and 5x lossless zoom. Huawei P30 series’ predecessor smartphones — P20 and P20 Pro — came with a dual rear camera setup and a triple rear camera setup respectively. However, in the P30 series, Huawei will be adding an additional camera to both smartphones.
What adds more credibility to these reports is that Olixar has already started taking orders for Huawei P30 Pro cases which also hint towards at vertically stacked quad camera being present on the device. The new reports claim that P30 smartphone feature triple rear cameras and P30 Pro will sport quad cameras. Blass has also said that Huawei P30, on the other hand, will come with a 24MP selfie camera, much like Mate 20 Pro.
In another tweet, Mishaal Rahman of XDA Developers tweeted quoting his sources that Huawei P30 Pro will come with 10x lossless zoom. It is worth noticing that Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro smartphone supports lossless zoom. While the smartphone has a focal length ranging from 16mm to 270mm, it supports lossless zoom only up to a focal length of 135mm.
The Chinese smartphone is expected to add a lossless zoom at a focal length of 270mm to Huawei P30 Pro. By doing this, Huawei’s P30 Pro may leave DSLR photography behind.
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi launched its Mi Play smartphone in India today. The smartphone is the first in Xiaomi’s Play series and comes with a waterdrop-shaped notch. Although there is no word on its India price or availability as of now, we expect it to be launched here soon, considering that India is a very important market for Xiaomi. The company is expected to launch the device in the budget segment of the Indian smartphone market – where it has most of its success since it forayed into the market.
So, we decided to compare it a recently launched smartphone – Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 – which has garnered a lot of appreciation for its powerful specifications and brilliant overall performance. Although it is being called a ‘big battery’ smartphone, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a beautiful design, comes with clutter-free stock Android experience and offers good cameras too.
Here, we compare Xiaomi Mi Play smartphone to Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (review) so that you can decide whether to wait for Xiaomi’s new offering or to waste no time and buy the Asus smartphone. Check out our comparison here:
In This Article
Display
Xiaomi Mi Play: 5.84-inch full-HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 6.3-inch full-HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio.
Processor
Xiaomi Mi Play: Octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor.
Primary camera
Xiaomi Mi Play: Dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 2MP sensors.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 13MP+12MP dual rear cameras.
Selfie camera
Xiaomi Mi Play: 8MP front-facing snapper.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 13MP sensor selfie camera.
RAM and storage
Xiaomi Mi Play: 4GB RAM and 64GB onboard storage.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 3GB/4GB/6GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of inbuilt storage.
Support for microSD card
Xiaomi Mi Play: Up to 256GB.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: Up to 2TB.
Battery
Xiaomi Mi Play: 3,000mAh battery.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 5,000mAh battery.
Operating system
Xiaomi Mi Play: MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo.
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi has launched its Mi Play smartphone in its home country. The newly launched device is the company’s first smartphone in its Play series and it sports a waterdrop-style notch on top of its display. Xiaomi Mi Play has a gradient finish on its back panel that is made of a glass-like material. The smartphone comes with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 SoC and sports a dual rear camera setup. As a part of its launch offers, the smartphone brand is offering bundled 10GB of free data per month for a year to all Xiaomi Mi Play users. Here are the pricing details and specifications of the newly launched smartphone:
In This Article
Xiaomi Mi Play price
Xiaomi Mi Play is only available in 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage variant that is priced at CNY 1,099. The smartphone is available in Black, Dream Blue, and Twilight Gold colour options and is available via Xiaomi’s offline stores in China. Xiaomi Mi Play will go on sale starting December 25 at 10 am. As we mentioned earlier, the smartphone will come with 10GB data per month for 12 months.
Xiaomi Mi Play specifications
Xiaomi Mi Play smartphone comes with dual-SIM functionality and runs MIUI 10 based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone sports a 5.84-inch full-HD+ display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9. Powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 processor, Xiaomi Mi Play comes with IMG GE8320 GPU and 4GB of RAM. The smartphone has a dual rear camera setup that comes with a 12MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 2MP secondary sensor. There is also an LED flash with the dual rear camera module. For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP front-facing snapper on the device.
Xiaomi Mi Play has 64GB of internal storage and it can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB. Xiaomi Mi Play houses a 3,000mAh battery and has a fingerprint scanner on its back panel. On the connectivity front, Xiaomi Mi Play comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, and USB Type-C and it also has an accelerometer, an ambient light, a geomagnetic, and a gyroscope.
The first half of 2019 will see Cupertino-based technology giant Apple launching its iPad Mini 5 and the second half of the year will see the launch of new 10-inch iPad, according to a report in China Times. The iPad Mini 5 is the successor of the current iPad Mini 4 and the upcoming 10-inch iPad will be replacing the current-generation 9.7-inch iPad. As of now, it is being said in reports that the two new iPads will lead to an increase in sales of tablets.
According to the report, the iPad Mini 5 will be launched in the first half of 2019 and its mass production is set to begin by the end of this month. Not many details about the iPad Mini 5 are available at the moment, but we know from reports that it will be a low-end device. It is worth noticing that iPad Mini has not received a major update since 2015. So Apple fans are really waiting for an upgraded version. iPad Mini 4 is the model that is currently available to buy, and in India, the 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 34,900.
Speaking of the upcoming 10-inch iPad that Apple is working on, it succeeds the 9.7-inch screen model. Reports about the device that have surfaced online suggest that it will sport a 10-inch display and come with a thinner frame. This model is expected to launch in the second half of 2019. It has also been suggested that the 2019 iPad will come with support for an Apple Pencil 2 and Apple will be making some upgrades to its performance. It is expected to cost the same as the current-generation 9.7-inch iPad, which bears a price tag of Rs 26,320 for the base variant.
The same report has also said the technology company will be reducing the cost of the 2019 iPad. In order to do this, the company will be changing manufacturers and move to more affordable South Korean LED displays. However, this is just a speculation so far and there is no official word from the company about it so far. Till we get a statement, we would rather take it with a pinch of salt.
A few days back, Samsung launched the first-ever smartphone with an on-screen selfie camera – Galaxy A8s. While Samsung Galaxy A8s did incorporate the front-facing snapper on its display, it didn’t come with an on-screen fingerprint scanner although it has become a popular technology.
A number of reports have surfaced online that claim that Samsung Galaxy S10 will be the first smartphone from the South Korean technology giant to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
However, now a new report has emerged that says that Samsung’s first smartphone to sport an in-display fingerprint sensor will be the Galaxy A10 smartphone and not Galaxy S10 mobile. The leak originated in China and claims that Samsung is currently working on a Galaxy A-series smartphone, called Samsung Galaxy A10, which will feature an in-display fingerprint scanner and will be available in the upper mid-range price segment.
This information was given away in a tweet by a China-based tipster. However, he didn’t mention anything extra about the smartphone. But then, reports of Samsung Galaxy A10 being a higher end Galaxy A-series smartphone have also surfaced online previously. It was previously revealed by the same leakster that Samsung is working on a high-end Galaxy A smartphone that will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor.
It is worth noticing that the two pieces of information are very much in-line with each other. So, we can expect Samsung Galaxy A10 smartphone may come with an in-display fingerprint scanner as well as be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor. Considering that Samsung Galaxy A8s is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset, Snapdragon 845 SoC is a big upgrade.
To recall, Samsung mobile’s chief DJ Koh had earlier said this year that the smartphone giant will be getting some premium features to its budget and mid-range mobile phones. So, like its rivals Huawei and OnePlus, Samsung may have finally decided to get features like an in-display fingerprint sensor and a powerful processor to its mid-range smartphones.
Samsung’s A series have seen some remarkable additions this year including Galaxy A7 and Galaxy A9. While the former houses a triple rear camera setup, the latter is the world’s first smartphone to come with four rear cameras.
This year saw the launches of a number of headphones in India. If you are a music lover and you want to gift yourself a pair on New Year’s, we have curated a list of the best five headphones that have been launched this year. Read on our list to take the right decision for yourself…
In This Article
Sony WH-1000X M3 headphones
These had to be on the top of our list. Sony WH-1000X M3 headphones are simply the best option to opt for if you are looking for a pair of noise-cancelling headphones The headphones come with HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1, that has four times greater performance as compared to the one delivered by the previous processor. The headphones by Sony can also be used to cancel out daily background sounds. Sony WH-1000X M3 headphones also come with 32-bit Audio Signal Processing and DAC with Amplifier functionality. The dual noise sensor technology of the headphones captures all the ambient noise with dual microphones and sends the data to the processor so that the noise can be cancelled. The headphones are priced at Rs 29,990 in India.
OnePlus Type C Bullets
OnePlus Type C Bullets were launched this year right before the launch of OnePlus 6T in India and they are the perfect choice for you if you have a smartphone that lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. This is because the headphones come with a USB Type-C interface instead of a 3.5mm headphone jack. The company says that it made this move to ensure “minimal loss of quality for a superior audio outcome.” Priced at Rs 1,490, OnePlus Type C Bullets headphones come with a high-end, professional DAC by Ciruss Logic and as compared to its predecessor, it has a higher dynamic range, higher signal-to-noise ratio, and low noise floor. The headphones also include OnePlus’ Dash Charge technology and to deliver five hours of playback within 10 minutes of charge.
Skullcandy Venue headphones
If you like a powerful sound performance, you can go for the Venue headphones by Skullcandy. Skullcandy Venue headphones come with ANC or active noise cancelling technology and also have a Monitor Mode using which the users can shut down the noise cancellation to hear what’s happening in their surroundings. It’s actually as easy as pressing a button. The headphones can also be tracked via the Tile app, so you don’t have to be worried about losing them. Furthermore, Skullcandy Venue headphones will offer you a battery life of up to 24 hours and comes with Bluetooth capability. The headphones have the Active Assistant present on them, so you can actually instruct it to perform various tasks. You can buy them at a price of Rs 18,999 in India.
Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones
The Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones are the best ear-bud style headphones available. So can really go for them if you love listening to music while working out. Priced at Rs 18,990, Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones weigh 10 grams and can be connected via Bluetooth in a range of 9 meters. They stay exactly where you fix them and you won’t have to adjust them again and again. Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones manage an overall good sound performance and can be located via the ‘Find My Buds’ feature on the Bose Connect App.
HyperX Cloud Revolver Gunmetal headset
You can opt for these if you are a gamer. HyperX’s Cloud Revolver Gunmetal gaming headset has a precise audio positioning and a clean, crisp sound with enhanced bass and treble. They come with a detachable noise-cancelling microphone and their frequency response ranges from 12Hz to 28,000 Hz. The gaming headset has a memory foam with leatherette, a steel frame and supports multi-platform compatibility. You can connect them to PCs, PS4, PS4 Pro, Xbox One, Xbox One S1, Mac, smartphones, Nintendo Switch and any other system that has a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can buy the HyperX Cloud Revolver Gunmetal gaming headset at Rs 14,990 and they come with a warranty of two years.
![[Video] Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 review](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/maxresdefault-7-768x432.jpg "[Video] Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 review")
