The latest leak from Samsung is about the Galaxy Note10 Lite. This leak is a collection of renders showing the much-awaited Lite variant in a few colours alongside their S pens. The first feature that the leak reveals is that this new Note will have a flat display. The last note device that had a flat display was the Galaxy Note 5. The new Note10 lite will have a punch-hole camera at the top center of the smartphone device just like the Note10, evident from the latest renders.
With respect to the rear panels design, users may expect to see an off-center rectangular arrangement of the cameras, which is very unlike Samsung but will add to the show. The Note10 Lite will feature a triple camera set up. The key buttons on the Note 10 lite appear to all be on the right-hand side of the device, leaving us to understand that the slot for the S Pen will be along the left side of the smartphone.
This device will see the release of the Note series into a lower affordable price segment. If rumours are true, then Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite might be announced soon and could possibly appear side by side with the Note10 lite into the market.
The S Pen of the Note 10 lite might come with Bluetooth v5.1. A previous rumour about the Note10 lite points towards a probable launch date of 27 December 2019.
Also, from the Korean company, Samsung is planning to launch a device with 144MP primary sensor. This smartphone will most probably be the Galaxy Note 11 or Galaxy Note 11+, which may be launched in the latter part of 2020. This phone will most probably be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chipset, which provides support of up to 200MP camera.
The Samsung Galaxy S11, which is expected to be out in 2020 too might have 108MP primary sensor and will mostly offer 5G connectivity. The Galaxy S11 will most likely have a battery of 4,500 mAh. The Samsung Galaxy S 11 series will probably have at least 3 phones, the Galaxy S11e, the Galaxy S11 and the Galaxy S11 Plus.
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China recently approved a yet to be announced Realme smartphone. The phone has the model number RMX2051. The information revealed that the yet to be announced phone will support 5G networks. For the last few weeks, Realme has been teasing the audience with the soon to arrive Realme X50 which will most probably be their first 5G smartphone. If rumours are to be believed, then the RMX2051 is the Realme X50 5G. The certificate does not reveal any other information, however, industry experts have speculations about the specifications of the RMX2051 5G phone.
According to these speculations, the Realme X50 5G compatible phone will come with an LCD display of 6.6-inch. The smartphone will have dual front-facing cameras and will be powered through the Snapdragon 756G processor supporting dual-mode 5G on the smartphone. The phone might come equipped with 64MP lens on the rear camera panel, this could possibly feature Sony’s IMX686 64MP lens. The specifications of the battery are not clear but it is expected to support 30W VOOC 4.0 Flash charge technology.
Realme product director, Wan Wei Derek recently uploaded a Weibo post, which said that the Realme X50 5G will support frequency bands like n1,n41,n78 and n79 in China. Collectively, these are the frequencies which will available for use in China commercially from 2020. The RMX2051 5G phone will most probably make an appearance very soon globally.
Sources speculate that the launch or at least the announcement of the Realme X50 will go official on the 5th of January 2020.
Also, Realme recently launched Realme X2 in India. The Realme X2 comes with a display of 6.4-inch and have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone runs Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1. The phone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chipset with 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Realme X2 has a quad rear camera setup which has a 64MP primary sensor with 8MP super wide angle lens. The phone also has two 2MP camera sensors. The smartphone has a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calling.
FireChat, an instant messaging app which functions without internet access. FireChat uses technology like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to send messages from one device to another, which is why the number of users is increasing on a daily basis. This app has become a crowd favourite with protestors worldwide.
Created by a company called Open Garden, the app comes in available for iOS and Android devices. FireChat utilises Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to create a network that increases when a lot of people are using it. This app runs on a mesh-like device that links Bluetooth coverage areas into a huge network enabling one individual to talk to another quite far away by getting the message to jump phone to phone till it reaches the receiver. This feature only works this way when the sender and receiver are in proximity or surrounded by many users of FireChat and the sender or the receiver does not have internet access.
On the Google Playstore, the app’s description is as follows, “FireChat works even without an Internet connection or cellular phone coverage. Use it anywhere: planes, public transportation, cruise ships, campuses, and crowded events. All you need is a few people around you using FireChat.”
FireChat lets users send messages, pictures and user encrypted private messages. Users also get a feature of creating private and public chat rooms. The app also functions as a regular chat app when connected to the internet. To sign up on the app as a user, he/she needs to download it on a smartphone and create a FireChat account.
While the app offers a useful mode of communication during periods of no internet, it comes with its own limitations. The app cannot send a message when there are no users between the sender and receiver and both of them are not in proximity with no access to the internet. The application requires users to have it downloaded through the internet, hence becoming of minimal to little use to users in a no-internet zone. The app also requires users to have their Wi-Fi and Bluetooth running which could mean more battery usage of the smartphone, leading it to shut down quicker.
FireChat is not a substitute to regular apps, which provide instant messaging services as it is not secure and it utilises Bluetooth, which is an open technology by design.
In order to combat the spread of misinformation on its platform Instagram has announced that it is expanding its fact checking program globally. So that the fact-checking organisations across the world can assess and rate misinformation on the platform.
Facebook owned Instagram in its blog post said, “We want you to trust what you see on Instagram. Photo and video-based misinformation is increasingly a challenge across our industry, and something our teams have been focused on addressing. In May of this year, we began working with third-party fact-checkers in the US to help identify, review, and label false information. These partners independently assess false information to help us catch it and reduce its distribution. Today, we’re expanding our fact-checking program globally to allow fact-checking organizations around the world to assess and rate misinformation on our platform.”
These days spreading false news and misinformation has become a new way of making money out of it either a weapon of state actors and agitators around the world. The third part fact checkers identifies false information so that the platform can stop them from spreading further. The fact checkers not only reviews the links but they also review photos as well as videos.
When they are rated as false or partly false the company reduces its distribution by removing it from explore and hashtag pages. Also, it will be labelled so that the audience can decide whether they want to read, trust and share. These labels will appear to everyone globally in feed, profile, stories and direct messages.
“We use image matching technology to find further instances of this content and apply the label, helping reduce the spread of misinformation. In addition, if something is rated false or partly false on Facebook, starting today we’ll automatically label identical content if it is posted on Instagram (and vice versa). The label will link out to the rating from the fact-checker and provide links to articles from credible sources that debunk the claim(s) made in the post.” the blog further explained.
When people submit feedback on story or comment or express disbelief on an article this indicates that the platform should review the story. The Independent third-party fact-checkers evaluate the stories, rate their accuracy and also write an article explaining the facts behind their rating. When they are rated as false the company will reduce its distribution in News Feed and can eventually can lead to a ban if they are repeat offenders.
The Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme launched a new financial service platform called PaySa in India. The company first time launched its full stack financial services across lending, payments, savings and protection.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Madhav Sheth, CEO- realme India, said “realme Payसा, as the name suggests, has evolved out of a combination of Indian ethos & our relentless pursuit of making our customer’s life easier. We aim to repeat our success in the mobile business and become one of the top 5 new entrants in financial services in the next 2-3 years. We are evaluating the launch of mobile phone financing and payments in 2020.”
The smartphone brand Realme forayed into the financial services sector in India with the launch of Realme PaySa. With this launch the company will take on Xiaomi’s own financial service platform Mi Credit. The platform will serve in metros and tier 2 as well as 3 cities and will be offering solutions to both individuals and SMEs
The PaySa app is available on both Google Playstore and Realme app store. The financial platform will be offering services such as lending, savings, payment and protection. Initially the company launch the beta service and the full roll put is expected in 6 to 12 months.
The freshly launched Realme PaySa app will be offering digital personal loans up to Rs 1 lac along with digital SME loans up to RS 5 lacs. The company will also be providing an instant free credit report, account level details and free updates for 3 months. The PaySa app will also be providing screen damage insurance for both old and new phones with an option of insuring 1 or 2 damages per year. The company has tied up other platforms such as Early Salary for digital Personal Loans, Lending Kart for digital Business Loans and Credit Mantri for Free Credit Report.
HMD Global recently launched Nokia 7.2 smartphone in the budget segment. The smartphone boasts of three cameras, has a 6.3-inch display and houses 3,500mAh battery. It has also caught the attention of many thanks to its beautiful design. We used it for a little while now and here’s our review of Nokia 7.2 smartphone:
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Nokia 7.2 design and display
Nokia 7.2 is a class apart in terms of design as compared to other smartphones in the same budget range. Its look and feel is at par with that of a number of mid-range handsets and we can easily call its design as ‘premium’. The device has a metallic frame and its body is made up of polymer composite which, according to HMD Global, is lighter than aluminium and stronger than polycarbonate. The back panel of the Nokia 7.2 smartphone, unlike most other recently-launched handsets, is not glossy. Instead, its surface is matte and has a satin-like effect on it. One thing that we really liked about it is that it did not attract too many fingerprint smudges. Nokia 7.2 smartphone has a circular camera module on its back that has three lenses and an LED flash. It protrudes out as compared to the rest of the back panel and beneath it lies the fingerprint scanner and the Nokia branding.
The company has made the frame of the handset curved to ensure that users get a better grip. The metallic frame of the Nokia 7.2 houses the power and the volume-rocker buttons on the right edge and the Google Assistant key and the SIM card slot are sandwiched on the left one. The power key has an LED light on it that alerts the user about various notifications. The top edge has the 3.5mm headphone jack and the secondary microphone, while the speaker grille, the Type-C port and the microphone are at the bottom.
We really liked the design of the Nokia 7.2 smartphone and found its built to be sturdy. The one-handed usage of the smartphone was good, too.
On flipping over, you will see the 6.3-inch full-HD+ HDR 10 display of the smartphone that comes with a waterdrop-shaped notch on its top. It is worth mentioning that the chin of the device’s screen is slightly broader as compared to the rest of the bezels.
The screen of the smartphone is protected with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3 and according to the company, it comes with a contrast ratio of 1:1500 and has 500 nits of peak brightness.
The display of Nokia 7.2, much like its design, is one among its pros. The colours that the screen projected were bright and vibrant and the images it showcased were sharp and had clarity. The colours remained consistent at different viewing angles and the sunlight readability was good too.
Nokia 7.2 comes with Widevine L1 DRM certification, which basically means that the handset can play content that is in HD format (or above). We spent hours watching videos and playing games on the smartphone and thanks to the good quality of images and colours, the experience was a great one.
As we mentioned earlier, the display of the Nokia 7.2 smartphone is definitely one of its key highlights we liked.
Nokia 7.2 performance and cameras
Before we begin speaking about the performance and the cameras of Nokia 7.2, let’s take a minute to talk about its specifications. Nokia 7.2 smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC and is available with up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The handset can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB.
For imaging duties, the device comes with a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP wide-angle sensor that comes with 118-degree field of view and an f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP depth-sensing lens. To click self-portraits, there is a 20MP sensor on the front panel of the smartphone.
Nokia 7.2 houses a 3,500mAh battery and comes with support for 10W charging. The connectivity options of the smartphone include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 and GPS. The smartphone runs the stock version of Android 9.0 Pie and it comes without any bloatware, which is obviously a good thing.
Now, let’s talk about the performance of the device. The handset, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC, is quite adept at handling everyday tasks. We launched multiple apps and switched between them and the smartphone did not lag even once. We often used the device for performing two or three tasks at once and Nokia 7.2 had no trouble in multi-tasking.
We played a number of games on the handset ranging from Alto’s Odyssey to Asphalt 9: Legends. While Nokia 7.2 did a good job at games like Candy Crush and Temple Run 2, the same cannot be said about Asphalt 9: Legends. The phone did stutter a few times when we were playing the game.
Amazingly, the 3,500mAh battery of the smartphone did not disappoint. We used the device for playing games, using social media apps like Instagram and watching videos. With moderate usage, the handset’s battery easily lasted the entire day with some percentage of it remaining. You can effortlessly get through the day with the device. If you use the charger that comes in the box of the smartphone, you will be able to charge the device completely in a little over an hour.
The call quality of the smartphone was good as well. We used the handset a number of times even in areas like basements and elevators, but we never encountered a problem with making or receiving calls.
Finally, let’s talk about the cameras of Nokia 7.2. The smartphone’s 48MP primary camera managed to click some amazing pictures during our time with it. The images turned out to be extremely clear and sharp and they had a lot of details. While the pictures clicked were visually very appealing, the colours at times did seem to be a little saturated. However, we should mention that this wasn’t the case always. Plus, you’ll only notice it if you are very particular about having natural colours in the pictures that you click.
Image taken from primary camera
The portrait camera of the device worked similarly. Although it did a fantastic job, the colours at times did look a little oversaturated. But again, you would not notice it if you aren’t keen on getting very natural colours on the pictures that you click.
Image taken from telephoto camera
The images taken at night from the device’s camera turned out to be good too. They became even better the moment we turned on the Night Mode. They retained the clarity of the shots that we clicked in well-lit conditions.
The macro shots that we took using Nokia 7.2 were also rich with details and showcased good colours. The wide-angle lens clicked decent images and managed to include more area in the image. However, these images did not have the clarity of the ones taken from the primary camera. But then, Nokia 7.2 is not unique when it comes to this. This actually is the case with every other budget smartphone.
Image with Night Mode enabled
Coming to the selfie camera of Nokia 7.2, the 20MP sensor did it an excellent job. The camera managed to capture the tiniest of details on our face and did a good job in well-lit as well as dimly-lit conditions. We got some really good pictures using it. We were really impressed with the selfie camera of the device and it is easily one of the big pros of the handset.
Verdict
The starting price of Nokia 7.2 is Rs 18,599, and we have to say, that it is one of the best devices in this range. It has a beautiful design and a sturdy built, a vibrant display, a great camera and a very simple UI. The gaming experience could be better, but that’s the only real ‘con’ that we can point out. If you don’t enjoy gaming too much, Nokia 7.2 is a smartphone that you can buy without sparing a thought.
Pros
Beautiful design
Great display
Selfie camera
Cons
Gaming experience could be better
The colours of the primary camera become saturated at times
Most smartphones today have 48-Megapixel or 64-Megapixel sensors, the number of devices having 108-Megapixel is growing too. However, if rumours are to be believed, Samsung will soon launch a 144-Megapixel sensor, which will be manufactured through the 14nm FinFET process. Samsung could possibly be working on a 144-Megapixel sensor as they showcased the 14nm FinFET manufacturing process recently. Qualcomm’s most recent Snapdragon 865 processor already offers support for up to 200-Megapixel sensors.
However the device with the 144-Megapixel is unlikely to launch in the near future. Speculations believe that the 144-Megapixel camera will feature on the Galaxy Note 11 or Note 11+ in the later part of 2020. The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S11 series is rumoured to have a 108-Megapixel sensor, which shall hopefully be confirmed soon when the company will officially launch the product.
The upcoming Galaxy S11-series might feature a 108-Megapixel sensor with a telephoto lens and 5x optical zoom capability. The device is most probably powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 processor with 5G connectivity. The standard Galaxy S11 is said to have a 4,500 mAh battery while the low-end version, the Galaxy S11e will have a 3,800 mAh battery. The Galaxy S11 plus might have a 5,000 mAh battery setup.
On the other hand, Samsung is slated to launch a mid-range smartphone with 108MP rear camera sensor as well. It was supposed to be launched in Dec 2019. However, the launch has been shifted to Jan 2020. With that, it will get a Snapdragon CPU and will come in 6 and 8GB RAM options. Nothing is clear on the screen size and the internal memory at the moment. But going by the past launches it should come with at least 128GB of internal storage with the option to expand it further using a microSD card.
Realme today launched Realme X2 in India. Prior to its launch in the country, the smartphone was first introduced in its home market China a few months ago (in September). The company launched the phone at a starting price of Rs 16,999. The smartphone will compete with Redmi Note 8 and the newly launched Vivo V17 in terms of specifications and pricing. Here is a spec by spec comparison of the three.
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Display
Realme X2: 6.4-inch full-HD+ sAMOLED display
Redmi Note 8 Pro: 6.53-inch full-HD+ screen
Vivo V17: 6.44-inch full-HD+ E3 Super AMOLED iView Display
Realme X2 and Redmi Note 8 Pro comes with almost the same RAM sizes but Vivo V17 comes in a single storage option with steeper pricing. All the three phone carries quad camera set up in which Realme and Redmi smartphone have a 64MP primary sensor whereas Vivo has a 48MP primary sensor.
All the phones have all the necessary features. But Realme X2 is more powerful among the three smartphones as it is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor. In the end, if you are looking for a budget smartphone along with all the necessary features and better performance then we would recommend the Realme X2.
Jabra has launched their latest wireless earbuds, the Jabra Elite 75T on December 17 2019 in New Delhi, India. The Jabra Elite 75T is engineered to last longer and fit better according to the company. Looking at the specs available, the Earbuds have a longer battery life while providing a secure and more comfortable fit. The shape of the earbuds and its size ensures that the Elite 75T can be enjoyed by users with smaller ear cavities too.
The Elite 75T offer up to 28 hours of battery life with the charging case and 7.5 hours of continuous usage without it. The company claims that the fast charging feature will ensure that the device charges quickly and without much trouble making sure that users do not run out of battery when they need it.
The company promises that the compact size of the new earbuds fulfil all demands consumers expect, be it in terms of robust connectivity, durability, ease of use and the entire superior experience during calls and music playback. The earbuds come with 4-microphone call technology and are enhanced with Jabra’s latest noise, and wind reducing technology. This gives an optimum experience to users engaged in work at busy environments.
Users have the option to connect to their phone’s assistant interface instantly to access information that they need on their device off the internet. On the connectivity front, these earbuds have Bluetooth v5.0 enabled and can be connected with most devices.
With these users can download the Jabra Sound+ app that allows users to feed information about their preferences and adjust their experience on the earbuds according to their own choice. It also provides a platform for users to adjust their surrounding noise levels affecting the hearing experience and keep track of their battery levels.
The Jabra Elite 75T is compatible with all Bluetooth enabled phones and tablets. The Elite 75T will be out in two colours, Titanium Black and Gold Beige. It will be available from December 27, 2019 at a price of Rs 15,999.
Google has revealed that they have now covered 98 percent of the world’s entire population through 36 square million miles of High Definition images on Google Maps. Users of Google Earth can now browse 36 million square miles of HD images to see the world from an aerial perspective. For the lesser-known, Google Earth allows users to look around a place without having to physically be in a location.
Also, Google has captured more than 10 million miles of images of street view for Google Maps. The Street View idea was started as an attempt to map the entire world. Google collects street images through a fleet of Street View cars that each come with 9 cameras to click HD images.
Each street view car has its own photo processor unit and set of lidar sensors to accurately measure distance. Much of the places covered have been clicked through Street View cars and Street View trekkers, a feature that collects images from places where a car cannot reach. Here, the Street trekkers are carried by boats, sheep, camels and scout troops to obtain high-quality images from multiple angles in some of the hard to map areas of the world.
Google collects these high definition images, align them and stitch together a set of images through a technique called photogrammetry. This helps users know important details about an area, along with the precise distance between two objects, all gathered without setting even a foot on the actual location.
In just the last year, Street View images have helped the company to assign addresses to previously unmapped remote areas in Armenia, Bermuda, Lebanon, Myanmar, Tonga, Zanzibar and Zimbabwe.
Talking about the Street View feature and the images it has clicked, Thomas Escobar, Senior Project Manager, Google maps said, “While these stunning photos show us parts of the world we may never get a chance to visit, they also help Google maps accurately model a world that is changing each day.”
A new recent addition to Maps in some countries is the ability for Electronic Vehicle users being able to search for EV charging stations and filter if the station supports the charging plug of the vehicle which needs charging. The possibilities of Google Earth and Maps is endless as we have seen many food delivery apps also relying on it.
Today, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme launched a new smartphone in India along with Buds Air. The company introduced Realme X2 in the country. Alongside the smartphone, the company introduced Realme Buds Air for the first time and Realme Paysa financial services app on the smartphone. The app provides all transaction options along with the user protection stated by the company’s CEO. The newly launched smartphones come with a Snapdragon 730G SoC processor and 30W fast charging technology.
Realme X2 and Realme Buds Air pricing and availability
The company launched Realme X2 in three variants 4GB RAM with 64GB storage at Rs 16,999. Whereas the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage can be bought for Rs 18,999 and the 8GB RAM with 128GB storage will be sold with a price tag of Rs 19,999. The company introduced the phone in three colour options Pearl Blue, Pearl Green and Pearl White.
Now coming to the Realme Buds Air the company introduced the wireless earphones in India for the first time globally. Realme launched the earphones with a price tag of Rs 3,999. These will be available in three colour variants of Yellow, Black and White.
Both Realme X2 and Realme Buds Air will be available on the e-commerce website Flipkart as well as Realme online store in India. From today 2 PM onwards, the company will be hosting Hate to Wait sale on the e-retail platform. Whereas the smartphone will be available for purchase from December 20 via both the platforms.
Realme Buds Air features
The company introduced its truly wireless stereo earbuds Realme Buds Air for the very first time in the country as well as globally. The wireless earbuds will come with a case, which connects to your device instantly whenever you open the cap of the case. The device further comes with a new low latency gaming mode in which latency drops to 51 percent when the mode activates. There is a dual-mic noise cancellation feature, one will record the user’s voice and the other will record the environmental noise and they will together offset the background noise during a call.
The Realme Buds Air comes integrated with 12mm driver and it has a dynamic bass boost as well that offer punchy bass as the company stated. The Realme buds are touch-enabled for better as well as easy control. It offers 3 hours of playback time on just the buds and 17 hours of total playback with the charging case. The earbuds also support wireless charging.
Realme X2 specifications
Realme X2 comes with a 6.4-inch full-HD+ sAMOLED display with 1,080×2,340 pixels and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The display has Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and DC dimining as well as night mode features. The handset runs Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6.1. Under the hood, there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage that can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD card.
In terms of camera, Realme X2 features a quad rear camera set up that comprises of a 64-megapixel primary sensor along with an 8-megapixel super-wide-angle lens. Further assisted by dual 2-megapixel camera sensors one for portraits and other for macro shots. The phone sports a 32-megapixel front-facing camera for taking selfies and video calling.
In terms of connectivity, the phone includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The sensors on the phone include an accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, magnetometer and a proximity sensor.
Today, Realme is all set to launch another smartphone in India. The company is bringing Realme X2 to the country today. Prior to its launch in India, the company introduced the phone in its home market China a few months ago in September. Today the phone will officially launch in the country at 12.30 noon. Alongside this, the company will be introducing Realme Buds Air for the first time in India. The mobile device will make its Indian debut under the mid-range segment that will be powered by Snapdragon 730G SoC and 30W fast charging technology. Read on to know how to watch the event live.
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Realme X2 and Realme Buds Air how to watch the Livestream and expected pricing
Today Realme will launch Realme X2 as well as Realme Buds Air at the same event in India. The launch event will begin at 12.30 noon onwards. Those who are unable to attend the launch event can watch the event live on the company’s YouTube channel. You can also watch it live here on our website as we have embedded the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_WWBnQ-G8o
As we mentioned earlier the Chinese smartphone brand launched Realme X2 few months ago in China. The price of the smartphone has been set at CYN 1,599 that translates to Rs 16,200 for the 6GB RAM with 64GB storage. The 8GB RAM with 128GB storage price has been set at CYN 1,899 that translates to Rs 19,300 as per the Indian currency.
Realme Buds Air will also make its global debut today so the company has not revealed much about the device especially details related to the pricing. From today 2 PM onwards the company will be hosting an early Hate to Wait sale via e-commerce website Flipkart. As for the pricing details, we must wait till the company officially launches the wireless earbuds today.
Realme X2 specifications
The Indian variant if Realme X2 is likely to come with similar specifications as of the Chinese variant. The phone will run on Android pie based ColorOS 6. The phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The smartphone will be featuring a 6.4-inch full-HD+ sAMOLED display with 1,080×2,340 pixels and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio with an in-display fingerprint sensor with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone includes a 4,000mAh battery supported by 30W VOOC 4.0 Flash Charge technology.
In terms of camera capabilities, Realme X2 will come with a quad rear camera set up that includes a 64-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel wide-angle lens offering 119 degrees of field view along with twin 2-megapixel depth sensor for portraits and macro lens. On the front, there is a 32-megapixel selfie camera.
As for the connectivity, there is 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The sensors on the phone include an accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, magnetometer and a proximity sensor.
Last week the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo launched its new smartphone Vivo V17 in India. The phone comes with an L shaped camera module at the back and a hole-punch display. Today, the newly launched phone will go on its first sale in India via e-commerce websites Flipkart, Amazon and Vivo e-store. The key specifications of the smartphone include the latest E3 Super AMOLED screen, a 32-megapixel front and a 48-megapixel rear primary camera. These come with ultra-stable video mode and also feature a super night mode for both front and rear cameras.
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Vivo V17 specifications
Vivo V17 features a 6.44-inch Full-HD+ E3 Super AMOLED iView Display with 1,080×2,400 pixels of resolution. Under the hood, there is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor with 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. The internal storage is expandable up to 512GB via a microSD card. The device runs on Android 9 Pie-based Funtouch OS 9.2.
In terms of camera, Vivo V17 comes with a quad rear camera set up that includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor, an 8 megapixel, a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel macro lens. On the front, there is a 32-megapixel camera for taking selfies and video chatting. As said, both front, as well as rear cameras, feature a super night mode.
The smartphone houses a 4,500 mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the phone incorporates 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/A-GPS, and a USB Type-C port.
Vivo V17 pricing and availability
The company launched Vivo V17 in the country with a price tag of Rs 22,990 for the single 8GB RAM with a 128GB storage model. The smartphone will be available in two colour options Midnight Ocean and Glacier Ice. Those who are interested to upgrade their old mobile phone can purchase the phone via Amazon, Flipkart, Vivo India e-store and offline stores. The sale will begin at the respective websites at 12 noon today.
As for the offers, there is a 5 percent cashback for the buyers if the payment is made via HDFC Bank, ICICI bank and other select banks till December 31. There will be no-cost EMI options for up to 12 months and Jio benefits worth Rs 12,000. The same launch offers will be available for offline buyers.
Just a while before the actual launch event, the prices of the Realme X2 have been revealed. The launch event is much awaited for, as it would take the curtain off the Realme X2 and the Realme Buds Air. The device, previously known as the Realme XT730G is coming with massive upgrades.
Based on the Chinese version of the Realme X2, the phone has 3 variants based on RAM and storage, whose storage can be increased through a microSD card. The three variants being 6GB+64GB, 6GB+128GB and 8GB with 128GB. The phone runs on Color OS6 based on Android Pie and comes with a quad-camera on the rear panel with a 64MP camera as its primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor, with a 32MP front sensor. The device also comes with a 4,000 mAh battery.
A photo taken at the rehearsal of the launch that will happen on December 17th shows that the Realme X2 shall be priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 20,999 for the 6GB and 8GB variant respectively. This began speculations of the prices the smartphones shall be costing customers. If the rumours are true, then The Realme X2 will be the most affordable phone in the country running on Snapdragon 730G, which is a gaming-oriented processor that powers a few other phones in the country. It will officially confirm that the Realme will only have a 128GB storage option.
This hints that the Indian version of the phone shall come in two variants, with a difference in RAM mainly. The base variant shall have 6GB RAM with 128GB storage, while the other variant will have 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It is expected that the device will come with offers from other service providers.
Compared to the Realme XT, the Realme X2 has the Snapdragon 730G chipset instead of the Snapdragon 712 of the Realme XT, the phone also has a faster-charging capability of 30W VOOC 4.0 instead of the 20W system. Over that, the front camera of the Realme X2 is speculated to be 32MP. The Realme X2 also has a 6.4-inch AMOLED display with an in-display fingerprint sensor.
It is now up to speculations if the Indian version releasing on December 17 shall come with the same specifications and price.
Philips Audio announced the availability of their latest in-ear headphones on 16 December 2019. The new wireless headphones come with the latest Bluetooth 5.0 technology and will hit markets soon. The new models are the Philips SHB2515 and the SHB2505 built for consumers who want a balanced sound experience while on the go. The headphones come offering connectivity and extra-long battery life.
Arun Menon, the Country Business Head of Philips Branded Television and Audio, TPV Technology India called “the device the perfect fit for millennials on the go. He said the headphones help bring content on the go for millennials while complementing their smartphone usage.” The Headphones are already available in leading online and offline channels countrywide.
The devices has a playback time of 5 hours when not connected to the charging case. If connected, the playback time of the SHB2515 gets 95hours additional hours of playback time while the SHB2505 gets 15 hours of additional playback time. As mentioned before the SHB 2515 comes with a charging case that can work as a backup power bank for the user’s smartphone device with a capacity to hold charge of up to 3,350 mAh.
The company claims that the snug fit of the headphones holds on to the ear and prevents unwanted background noise while users enjoy music. The company lists out the features of the truly wireless in-ear headphones, which includes an efficient 6mm driver to deliver precise sound for a better listening experience. The device can turn on automatically when outside the case and in the zone of a Bluetooth device. The company also claims that the tips provide an extra push to the fitting of the headphones to prevent it from falling out while users enjoy an active lifestyle alongside a play session.
The device comes with a multi-function button to control music and calls while a double press of the device would wake the phone’s voice assistant.
The SHB2515 is priced at Rs 8,999 while the SHB2505 comes at a price of Rs 7,999.
In the past, we came across so many incidents where many customers have complained of mistakenly being delivered with wrong products or of cheating related to other purchases or with regard to payment on e-commerce websites in India. Very recently a person ordered an iPhone 11 Pro from Flipkart and received a fake phone.
This incident happened in Bengaluru where a man ordered an iPhone 11 Pro via e-commerce website Flipkart. Instead of receiving the original phone he was delivered a fake phone. The man who orders the smartphone is an engineer named Rajani Kant Kushwah. He ordered a 64GB variant of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro. He also did make a prepayment of Rs 93,900 when he ordered the smartphone via Flipkart.
When the Bengaluru based engineer received the fake order from the e-commerce website and was asked as well as disappointed when he opens the delivered box. He received a fake Apple iPhone 11 Pro model, which had a sticker of the triple rear camera setup stacked on its back panel. The images, as well as videos of the fake phone, have also gone viral on the web. The phone looked like an iPhone but had different internal and it runs on Android instead of iOS.
This is not the first time when any customer reported any such incident where they have not received the product which they ordered. Many customers in the past have received detergent, soap, stones or even a brick when they ordered a phone and especially an iPhone. Many times, customers order an expensive product via e-commerce websites and they are only being cheated.
Recently, an online buyer in Kannur, Kerala ordered a camera valued Rs 27,500 and was delivered a box of tile. Another incident happened last year where a customer in Mumbai ordered an iPhone 8 and was delivered detergent instead of an iPhone.
Such an incident only raises concerns that the company is failing to stop the delivering of wrong and fake products to the customers without any thorough authenticity tests before the delivery.
As a pleasing turn of events to Windows users who possess android smartphones, a new feature turns profitable. Users of Windows 10 who possess Android smartphones can now connect, receive and make phone calls directly from their Windows 10 enabled personal computer.
This feature, which has been under testing since October also allows users to transfer calls between phone and personal computer without a hassle.
This feature is now slowly rolling out on to all Android users with version 7.0 or higher. The company has asked users to wait as the feature is being deployed gradually and not simultaneously for all users in a series of tweets.
To avail this feature, users need to stay on the latest version of Windows 10, ie May 2019 and Android running 7.0 or higher.
Microsoft is constantly working on improving the mobile and personal computer experience for all its users.
Microsoft recently revealed the new Xbox series X during a videogame industry award show in Los Angeles. This gaming console does not resemble its predecessor and is in fact made to resemble a personal computer. The controller for the console comes with a share button and is compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10 PC. Rumoured to be the most advanced console to be ever released, the Xbox series X comes with AMD’s Zen 2 processor and cab support 60fps at 3K and 120fps at 8K visuals. The Xbox series X is said to be the eliminator of game load periods all while being backwards compatible.
Piercing together the bread crumb trail left by Microsoft, it is believed that Halo: Infinite will be the first game compatible with the console. The Xbox Series X is expected to be costing 400-500 USD that is between Rs 28,300 and Rs 35,330 approximately.
Recently Samsung’s President Young Sohn announced that the company has managed to sell 1 million units of Samsung Galaxy Fold. But now the company’s spokesperson disaffirms the media reports on the statement released by the company’s president that it sold a million units globally.
Samsung’s spokesperson has released a fresh statement that denies what its company’s President said at a conference in Berlin with regard to the Samsung Galaxy Fold’s sales. To recall he said that, “And I think that the point is, we’re selling [a] million of these products. There’s a million people that want to use this product at $2,000.”
As per a report by a news agency the spokesperson now says that the Sohn might have confused the figure with the company’s initial sales target for the year. This clearly hinted that the company was not able to sell 1 million units of the foldable phone. The company expected to trade 5,00,000 Galaxy Fold across the world this year. Also, it was being analysed that the company will manage to sell around 4,00,000 to 5,00,000 units of Galaxy Fold this year.
Samsung introduced Galaxy Fold at MCW 2019 and went on sale in September with a price tag of $2000. In India, it arrived in September at Rs 1,64,999.
According to industry insiders, the sale of Samsung Galaxy fold will rise next year with a possible million units to be sold in 2020.
The report says that an analyst at Kyobo Securities, Choi Bo-young said, “Samsung is expected to sell 6 million units of its foldable phone in 2020 and 20 million units in 2021. He further added that “Prices of foldable phones are expected to go down gradually, and this would push up demand for foldable handsets.”
Besides this, the company is also working on another variant of Galaxy fold that would come with a clamshell design just like Motorola Razr. And is slated to have better technical specifications that the Moto Razr.
The wait is over the Lenovo owned company Motorola is all set to launch Motorola Razr in India in an all-new avatar. The company via its tweet teased that the soon the foldable smartphone will arrive in India. The company has already launched the phone in a clamshell design last month and is going to launch in the US first early next year.
Motorola teased the most loved and popular foldable phone Motorola Razr on its official Twitter account intimating to launch in India soon. The company released a small teaser video for the upcoming smartphone. The smartphone will compete with Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X for it its foldable screen. The phone carries a clamshell design which makes it much handier, compact that fits in pocket easily as compared to Samsung Galaxy Fold. On the other hand, after selling 1 million units of Galaxy Fold, Samsung is also working on another foldable phone that will also come with a clamshell design.
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Motorola Razr expected to price in India
As for the global pricing the company announced that Motorola Razr will be available for purchase at $1,499 that translates to Rs 1,06,000 as per the Indian currency. Whereas Galaxy Fold is being sold at Rs 1,64,999. Until now Motorola has not revealed the pricing details for India that will only be released after it gets officially launched in India.
Motorola Razr specifications
As for the specification, however, Motorola comes with a flexible foldable screen just like Galaxy Fold but it carries a completely different design. The smartphone comes with a clamshell design and reminds you old the iconic Moto Razr. When the phone is folded it has a 2.7-inch Quick View display with 00×800 pixels of resolution on the exterior. This display can be used to view notifications, activate Google Assistant, control music and also allows you to take selfies. It opens up into a 6.2-inch flexible OLED HD+ screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio and 876×2,142 pixels of resolution. The comes with a water-repellent body.
There is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC processor paired with 6GB of RAM underneath it. The device runs on Android 9 Pie and houses a 2,510mAh battery supported by a 15W fast charging support. The bottom chin comes with a fingerprint sensor and can be accessed when folded and unfolded state.
In terms of camera capabilities, Motorola Razr has a 16-megapixel primary camera with f/1.7 aperture and can also be used as a selfie camera when it is folded. The camera supports the Night Vision mode for taking bright pictures under low light conditions. While the main display has a 5-megapixel camera to take selfies.
For connectivity, the phone includes eSIM cards and NFC. There is Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, 4G LTE and GPS. The phone measures 72x172x6.9mm in an unfolded state and 72x94x14mm when in a folded and weighs 205 grams.
Google has always had a customer-centric approach about its applications and features. Google Messages now has two important security updates for Android users, one being the verified SMS tag and the other being spam protection.
Authentic businesses which send messages to users will have a verified tag next to their name. This will help users identify texts from original businesses. The senders of these official messages representing brands, businesses, organisations etc will hold a verification badge with their sender id to identify important and genuineness of messages.
This feature will be available in 9 countries before the rest of the world. These countries are India, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, The UK, France, Philippines, Spain and Canada. For now, Verified SMSs will be available to messages from Google Pay and other verification codes. Google is working on including more brands and organisations to be included in this list.
Speaking about the necessity of verification, Roma Slyusarchuk, Software Engineer, Messages writes in a blog post, “SMS messages help businesses share useful information with consumers, things like one-time passwords, account alerts or appointment confirmations. Yet sometimes it can be difficult to trust the identity of these messages, which are often sent from a random number. Some messages may even come from bad actors pretending to be from businesses you trust and ask for private information or link to dangerous websites—this is called phishing.”
She further said, “Verified SMS for Messages, rolling out today in a number of countries, will help you confirm the true identity of the business that’s texting you.”
The other feature Google has announced is Spam protection. This feature will identify Spam messages by alerting users with a suspected spam notification. Users then get the option to either choose to report or not report spam. This helps users report spam messages and block spam message channels over SMS. This feature was first introduced in December 2018 since some time.
Google also released Rich Communication Service to its Android Messages app, which turns age-old SMS into interactive ones. Users now have the ability to send pictures and videos to their contacts with the ability to check if a message has been delivered.
Apple has acquired UK based startup, Spectral Edge limited. Spectral Edge limited has previously developed technology, which blends infrared shots with standard photos to produce crisper images in proper colours. Profile of the startup with details of the technology says that the tech can be embedded into software or in silicon. It can possibly enhance low light images and improving grainy footage. Apple can possibly integrate this technology into its AI for photography, making pictures clicked by its devices look even better than before.
Spectral edge uses machine learning AI to improve pictures clicked via smartphone. Apple has added new features to the iPhone, with the iPhone 11 pro having a triple rear camera setup. It is possible that future iPhones will have improved depth-sensing technology.
Spectral Edge’s new technology improves the quality of low-light environment pictures. A technology which can be applied through chip or software to a mobile device. This could work hand in hand with Apple’s custom processors that help get a clear picture of good quality.
Apple recently tied up with Samsung display to produce OLED screens for their upcoming phones of 5.4-inch and 6.7inch in 2020. This comes at a time when LG too will be supplying film touch method-based OLED panels for Apple’s 6.1-inch displays along with Samsung. The phones slated to be released in 2020 are under a lot of speculation, because of their thinner displays and now because of the technology from spectral edge, which may or may not be integrated into the devices releasing in 2020. Rumour also has it that one of these phones that will be released will have 5G compatibility.
The phones releasing in 2020 by Apple are expected to be of the iPhone 12 series-iPhone 12, iPhone 12+, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Microsoft has finally revealed the successor to the original Xbox One of 2013. This successor will be called the Xbox Series X. Microsoft made this announcement during the videogame industry awards show in Los Angeles. Previously codenamed as “Project Scarlett” the game console will hit shelves during the late Holiday season of 2020.
This Xbox does not look like its predecessor or any traditional console. Built to resemble a personal computer, the Series X can be placed horizontally or vertically. With this console, Microsoft promises a controller that will come with new additions. The Xbox Series X controller looks like the Xbox One controller but with a share button to share gameplay screenshots. The new controller will come bundled with every Xbox Series X console and will be compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10 PC.
If rumours are to be believed, the Xbox Series X will be the most powerful console released by Microsoft. This device will have AMD’s Zen 2 processor, which the company claims is much powerful compared to the processor of the Xbox series. The company is also providing support to rat tracing, which is accelerated by the hardware of the device. The console comes equipped to support 60fps at 4k and deliver 120fps visuals at 8K visuals. Over that, the Xbox series X comes with net-gen Solid State Drive that will eliminate loading time periods. The Xbox Series X will be backward compatible, too.
The hype around the upcoming Xbox console has been around since Microsoft introduced a few details of the console at the E3 conference in June 2019. The first game that will be compatible with the console is said to be the Halo: Infinite according to the release at the conference.
To prove its worth and to continue their share in the console market, Microsoft needs a hit console with successful games. The price of the Xbox Series X is expected to be around 400USD or 500USD, that is between Rs 28,300 to Rs 35,350 approximately.
Apple has finally started rolling out iOS13.3 and iPadOS 13.3 for its iPhone as wells as iPad devices. The new operating system brings new parental controls along with new settings. The OTA also comes with multiple bug fixes with an option to disable the Memoji as well as Animoji stickers. Besides this, the company also released watchOS 6.1.1 for Apple watches.
Apple has released its new iOS13.3 for all the iPhone and iPod touch models. The new update comes with new parental controls for the users. The users can now put on communication limits in Screen Time for their kids to who they can call, message or FaceTime and at what time.
In addition to this, the company has also provided NFC support USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari. The security keys also support other apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, and Dropbox. The update also brings a new design for Apple News+. The users can now like or dislike any specific story on the app with a single tap.
iOS 13.3 also brought new settings with regard to Memoji and Animoji stickers. Now the users are allowed to disable the stickers from appearing is they do not want to use it and can continue with emojis.
The OS has also upgraded the Photos app in which the users are now allowed to trim a long video. Issues related to deleting messages in Gmail accounts have also been fixed.
If you have not received the notification yet you can access the updates by heading to Settings> General> Software update.
Alongside the company also released tvOS 13.3 for Apple TV. In the tvOS 13 updates, the company removed the toggle Up Next to queue Apple TV home screen that has been brought again. You now also get a new option of What to Watch.
Apple has also released watchOS 6.1.1 for all the models of Apple Watch. The new update brings new security updates for the compatible models. To download go to the Watch app then tap on My Watch tab then go to General and then Software update.
The Taiwanese manufacturer Gigabyte announced the launch of its new graphics cards, therefore, expanding its Radeon RX 5500 XT GPU line up. The company today launched Radeon RX 5500 XT GAMING OC and Radeon RX 5500 XT OC. Both the graphics cards are powered by the AMD advanced 7nm RDNA architecture.
According to the company the new graphics cards Radeon RX 5500 XT GAMING OC and Radeon RX 5500 XT OC comes with new Compute Units, delivers incredible performance, is optimised for better visual effects and features multi-level cache hierarchy for reduced latency and highly responsive gaming. Both the cards will be available in 8GB and 4GB GDDR6 memory with the support for PCI Express 4.0 for better gaming performance.
Both models come equipped with a WINDFORCE cooling solution for all key components of the graphics card. The Radeon RX 5500 XT GAMING OC comes integrated with three 80 mm fans whereas Radeon RX 5500 XT OC with two 90 mm fans. The company provides 1 HDMI and 3 display port outputs that can support up to 4 displays all together. GAMING OC has RGB fusion 2.0, with 16.7M customizable colour options along with various lightning effects so that the user can customise the lighting effects or can be synced with other AORUS devices.
The newly launched models of graphics cards come with the latest AMD functions FidelityFX open-source developer toolkit, Radeon Image Sharpening (RIS), Radeon Anti-Lag, Radeon Boost and FreeSync 2 HDR technology.
As per the company, if the buyer purchases the new variants of Radeon RX 5500 XT graphics card before January 27, 2020, they will get Monster Hunter: Iceborne Master Edition game for free along with 3 months of XBOX game pass for PC.
Apple iPhone 12 is still under development; however the phone is still being speculated about by industry experts. iPhones are almost always the most pricey flagship models available in the market. Speculated to be out in 2020, the iPhone 12 is thought to be heavy on a customers pocket.
The additional support to 5G is expected to increase the flagship model’s pricing structure from all of its predecessors. However, according to announcements by famous analysts, the iPhone 12 will not see a great increase in pricing. As Apple will cut down on supply chain expenses instead of letting customers bear the weight of increased pricing.
According to a post on MacRumors.com, Ming-Chi Kuo of TFI securities has said that the price increase on the iPhone 12 will not be more than 50USD which is about Rs 3,500 in INR. The increase in parts of the iPhone 12 will raise the production cost, but this will be balanced by measures taken by the company.
According to a previous note by Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working at releasing a total of four iPhones in 2020. This means the iPhone 12 will be out in two standard and two pro variants expected to be the iPhone 12, iPhone 12+, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Plus could possibly feature 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch OLED displays and come with dual rear cameras. The costlier variants are said to be of 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch long panels respectively, with a triple rear camera setup. All these models might come with the A14 Bionic processor coupled with a RAM of 6GB and storage of 64GB or 128GB.
Rumours suggest that the Apple iPhones coming out in 2020 will have Face ID and full touchscreen ID. Samsung display is supposed to be the main supplier for OLED display panels for the upcoming 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models with Qualcomm supplying fingerprint sensors for these futuristic devices. The upcoming Apple phones are said to have thinner displays than before and are expected to be unveiled sometime in 2020.
