The year is definitely going to see some foldable phones getting launched. After Samsung gave the world the first look at its foldable phone at its developer conference in November last year, a number of other companies confirmed that they are working on their foldable devices too.
Till now, we know that Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, LG, Lenovo and Motorola will be launching their foldable or bendable smartphones this year. And now, a piece of similar news has come from Cupertino-based technology giant Apple. The company has updated a patent with drawings of a foldable clamshell phone. We should mention that this is not a new patent. In fact, it was originally filed in 2011 and updated in 2016 with what looked like a drawing of an iPhone that has a flexible display.
We should mention that this has been updated just days before Samsung’s Unpacked event that will be held in San Francisco on February 20. The South Korean smartphone giant is expected to show its foldable phone Galaxy F at the event, besides launching its new flagship Galaxy S10 lineup.
In the drawings, it can be seen that the upcoming smartphone by Apple will fold in half and looks very similar to the design of Motorola’s upcoming Moto Razr phone that surfaced online a few weeks back. To recall, the new Moto Razr in the designs is shown to be a normal sized full-screen smartphone that can be folded into a compact device that would fit in one’s palm. This was particularly in contrast with Samsung and Xiaomi’s designs that show tablet-sized devices being folded into a smartphone.
Image courtesy: Apple, USPTO
Coming back to Apple’s patents, it can be seen that the company will be placing hinges and housing around a flexible OLED display in order to make it bend. In addition to this, drawings of a clamshell design and a trifold design have also surfaced online.
Image courtesy: Apple, USPTO
The drawings show flexible displays folding inwards and outward. This can also mean that the foldable screen may also make its way a MacBook or an iPad, in addition to an upcoming iPhone.
Image courtesy: Apple, USPTO
We should mention that these are just patent drawings and in no way does it mean that Apple will be launching the foldable iPhone this year. We cannot surely say when the foldable phone by Apple will be launched until the company officially comments on the same.
PUBG Mobile happens to be one among the most popular games right now. So much so, that a ban on the game is being considered in some parts of India because apparently, it is ‘too addictive’. If you have been playing the game on a smartphone, you would know that not all devices are excellent at running the game smoothly. This primarily happens because the game has very heavy graphics and not too many budget and mid-range smartphones can handle that too well. Here, we have listed down 10 smartphones that are priced below Rs 20,000 that can run PUBG Mobile smoothly:
In This Article
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 had to be on the top of our list. The smartphone comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor and is available with up to 6GB of RAM. It comes with stock Android experience and has a massive 5,000mAh battery. All these factors put together result in excellent gaming performance. You can totally buy this smartphone is you are hard-core PUBG Mobile fan. The base model of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is priced at Rs 12,999.
Samsung Galaxy M20
The recently launched Samsung Galaxy 20 isn’t far behind either. It is powered by of the latest mid-range chipsets from the company – octa-core Exynos 7904 processor – and comes with up to 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The device’s massive 5,000mAh battery is extremely long lasting and in spite of being in the budget segment, Samsung Galaxy M20 can handle heavy games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends. The base variant of the smartphone is priced at Rs 10,990, making it one among the most affordable devices on which PUBG Mobile runs smoothly.
Motorola One Power
Like Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, Motorola One Power is capable of handling very heavy usage and has a very powerful performance. Motorola One Power has got the update for Android Pie and is a part of Google’s Android One program. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, which could handle come very heavy games during our time with the device. Furthermore, its 5,000mAh battery just acts like icing on the cake as it means that even if you spend long hours playing PUBG Mobile, you don’t have to worry about your smartphone running out of charge. The smartphone is available at Rs 15,999 in India.
Realme 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro is another smartphone that does well in gaming. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 processor and gaming enthusiasts can go for the 6GB or 8GB RAM variant to get the best possible gaming performance from the smartphone. Its 3,410mAh battery is another key highlight of the smartphone. the base model of the device is available on Flipkart at Rs 12,990 after receiving a price cut.
Nokia 7.1
One among the best aspects of HMD Global’s Nokia smartphones is the fact that they are all a part of Google Android One program, which basically means timely updates. Nokia 7.1 is no exception to this rule. To make sure that Nokia 7.1 performs well on the gaming front, HMD Global has used Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 3,060mAh battery. The device can be bought at Rs 19,999 and it can run PUBG Mobile without any lags.
Oppo F9
Oppo F9 is another decent smartphone that you can consider if you love gaming. It is priced at Rs 19,990 and is powered by Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P60 processor clubbed with 4GB of RAM. The Oppo F9 smartphone houses a 3500mAh battery with support for VOOC flash charge. Oppo had collaborated with PUBG Mobile for the launch of the device so you can definitely consider it as one of the options to play the game without any lags.
Vivo V9 Pro
Vivo V9 Pro is another smartphone that you can buy if you want a smooth experience while playing PUBG Mobile. Priced at Rs 19,990, the smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 660 AIE SoC coupled with Adreno 512GPU and 6GB of RAM. Its 3,260mAh battery is also a plus when it comes to gaming because can last long enough for you to play PUBG Mobile for a couple of hours.
Honor Play
Honor Play smartphone comes with Huawei’s high-end HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset and has up to 6GB of RAM. The device can handle most games very well and PUBG Mobile is one of them. Honor Play also has 3,750 mAh battery and is priced at Rs 19,999.
Xiaomi POCO F1
Xiaomi POCO F1 smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor and comes with up to 8GB RAM. The combination of the two makes it a good option for gaming and PUBG Mobile runs very smoothly on the smartphone. It also has a 4,000mAH battery that ensures uninterrupted gaming. The base variant of the smartphone is available at Rs 19,999, so you can definitely pick the smartphone if you play PUBG Mobile a lot.
Micromax Infinity N12
Gaming performance was decent on Micromax Infinity N12. The device has 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 processor and comes with 3GB of RAM and 4,000mah battery. You would be able to PUBG Mobile on it, but with low-graphics mode enabled for the best results. The smartphone is priced at Rs 9,999, so you can go for it if you want an affordable device with reasonable gaming performance
We have some news for those who own Moto G6, Moto G6 Play or Moto Z3 Play smartphones. Lenovo-owned Motorola has started rolling out the latest Android update for the three smartphones. According to media reports, Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto Z3 Play users in Brazil have started receiving the Android 9.0 Pie update.
The update will get a number of new features to the three smartphones including revamped notifications, Adaptive Battery, redesigned UI, improved screenshots and audio controls, enhancements in the handsets’ performance and improvements in optimization.
To recall, Android Pie update started rolling out on Moto Z3 and Moto G6 Play last month and now, more smartphones from Motorola‘s range have been getting the update. The report about Android Pie update coming to Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto Z3 Play first surfaced Brazilian media Techtudo.
Considering that the rollout has begun in Brazil, it is expected to soon start in India too. While Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play were launched in India last year, and Moto Z3 Play was not launched in India at all.
Users in Brazil have been getting the notification for the update. And if some of the users have not got the notification yet, they can go to Settings > System Updates. Here, the device will show a new pending update, and on pressing ‘Download and Install’, the smartphone will get upgraded to Android Pie.
We should mention that the rollout has started on the Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto Z3 Play six months after Google unveiled its latest Android update. The delay goes to show that Motorola is still among the smartphone makers who aren’t offering an effective software update to its customers. OnePlus and Nokia, on the other hand, have truly changed their game as far as software updates go.
The report has not thrown any light on the changelog for Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto Z3 Play smartphones. So, it cannot be said if the update has got an updated security patch to the smartphones or not.
We should also mention that Motorola has only started rolling out the update to Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play after the launch of the devices’ successors – Moto G7 and Moto G7 Play.
If you are active on Twitter, you would know that the microblogging website allows users to delete direct messages of their own side of the conversation. We should mention that this isn’t like deleting messages on WhatsApp, and the recipient still gets the message as it is only deleted from the sender’s inbox.
However, a report from security researcher Karan Saini has emerged in technology website TechCrunch, according to which these messages are not deleted at all. So, while senders would feel that they have deleted the message they sent, Twitter has silently been storing all the DMs dating years back.
Furthermore, you can also access these messages by downloading archived data on their accounts from the microblogging website. Saini also said in his report that even the messages that users have sent to accounts that have now been deleted or suspended can be accessed.
While Twitter is far from doing what Facebook does to our data, as it is only available to those who sent or received the messages, the fact that it silently saves the messages that it says that it is deleting doesn’t look too good either.
It is also worth noticing that Twitter is aware of the issue. In a statement to TechCrunch, the company said that it is “looking into this further to ensure we have considered the entire scope of the issue.” But then, this doesn’t mean that the company will do something to rectify the issue.
In an unrelated piece of news, the company is testing a new feature called ‘Profile Preview‘, with which it intends to make it easier for users to keep a track of conversations in long threads.
There are times when someone you don’t know comments on your tweet. And if you press on their name to know who they are, you are taken to their profile. While you can find out who they are by visiting their profile, this may also mean that you lose track of the Twitter conversation that you were a part of, especially if other unknown people comment on it too and you individually have to visit everyone’s profile.
With the new feature that Twitter is testing, when you press on someone’s name, a preview card will pop out which will give you some basic details about the person like their follower count and when they joined the platform. You can then decide if you wish to know more about them or if that information is enough for you to continue the conversation.
Motorola finally took wraps off its Moto G7 line-up this week. And one among the newly launched devices – Moto G7 Power – is now available for purchase in India. The Moto G7 Power can be picked up for Rs 13,990 via Flipkart or offline channels. At the given price, Moto G7 Power competes directly with the likes of Samsung Galaxy M20 (review) and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (review). Here, we have compared the specifications of the three budget smartphones so that you can pick the right one for yourself:
In This Article
Display
Moto G7 Power: 6.2-inch HD+ LCD display
Samsung Galaxy M20: 6.3-inch full HD+ display
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: 6.3-inch full-HD+ display
Samsung Galaxy M20: The 3GB RAM/32GB storage is priced at Rs 10,990, 4GB RAM/64GB storage costs Rs 12,990.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2: The 3GB RAM/32GB storage model costs Rs 12,999, 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant is priced at Rs 14,999, 6GB RAM/64GB storage version costs Rs 16,999.
A few days back, Lenovo-owned Motorola launched its Moto G7 smartphone lineup at an event in Brazil. Considering that India is a very important market for the company, it has launched one of the devices in the Moto G7 range in the country – Moto G7 Power. We should mention that the Moto G7 Power variant that has been launched in India has more RAM and storage than the one globally available as it comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
The biggest highlights of the Moto G7 Power smartphone are that it houses a 5,000mAh battery and runs the latest version of the Android operating system. Here’s a look at pricing details and specifications of the newly launched smartphone in India:
In This Article
Moto G7 Power price and availability
The Moto G7 Power smartphone is available in only one variant in India that comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The smartphone is priced at Rs 13,990 and is available in only Ceramic Black colour variant. At the given price, the Moto G7 Power competes with the likes of Samsung Galaxy M20 and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2. If you are interested in buying the Moto G7 Power, you can get it via offline retail stores or you can buy it from Flipkart.
Moto G7 Power specifications
The Moto G7 Power smartphone features a 6.2-inch LCD display that has an HD+ resolution and comes with a notch on top. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 processor, the smartphone comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The device has a nearly stock Android interface and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with Moto Experiences out-of-the-box. On the camera front, Moto G7 Power sports a 12MP primary camera and an 8MP selfie camera.
The smartphone houses a 5,000mAh battery that is claimed to deliver up to 60 hours of endurance with a single charge. Moto G7 Power also has support for 15W TurboPower fast charging. According to Motorola, the smartphone‘s battery can last for 9 hours just after being charged for 15 minutes. The back panel of the Moto G7 Power also has a fingerprint sensor that is embedded in the Motorola logo.
If you have been planning to buy an affordable smartphone, we have some news for you. Chinese smartphone brand Realme has slashed the price of its Realme 2 Pro smartphone in India. Realme 2 Pro is now available for Rs 1,000 cheaper and the price cut is applicable on its 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM variants.
The smartphone was unveiled in India in September last year and this is the first time since the launch that a price cut has been announced on Realme 2 Pro. Here’s a look at the new pricing details of the smartphone:
In This Article
Realme 2 Pro price in India
At the time of launch, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant and the 6GB RAM/64GB storage model of Realme 2 Pro were priced at Rs 13,990 and Rs 15,990 respectively. Post the price cut of Rs 1,000, the 4GB RAM model can be bought for Rs 12,990 and the 6GB RAM variant can be picked up at Rs 15,990. The company announced the price cut on the device via Twitter.
Realme 2 Pro smartphone has support for dual SIM cards and runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with ColorOS 5.2. The device features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display that has a screen-body-ratio of 90.8% and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor clubbed with Adreno 512 GPU, Realme 2 Pro is available in 4GB, 6GB and 8GB RAM options.
While the 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM variants are coupled with 64GB onboard storage, the 8GB RAM variant is paired with 128GB internal storage. The device can also hold a microSD card of up to 256GB.
On the camera front, Realme 2 Pro comes with a dual camera setup that comprises of a 16MP Sony IMX398 sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 16MP sensor on the front panel. While the primary camera has support for 4K video recording at 30fps, the front camera comes with AI enhancements that are said to improve the quality of selfies.
The smartphone houses a 3,500mAh battery and comes with USB OTG, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 4G VoLTE, GPS for connectivity.
Tablets started becoming a dying breed after smartphones with displays more than 6-inches in size became popular. There are less newer tablets in the markets than there were four years ago. Many tablets came and went but only two companies are still launching the upgraded versions of their tablets every year. We are talking about Apple’s iPad and Samsung’s Galaxy Tab series.
The Tab series which is Samsung’s reply to Apple’s iPad might be getting a successor. This will be the next iteration of the Galaxy Tab S4 tablet. The S4 tablet was launched last year and it was Samsung’s flagship tablet. But now, a new leak has surfaced online which is not about the Tab S5, instead it talks about Samsung’s underpowered and budget-oriented tablet named Galaxy Tab S5e. The leak was posted on Twitter by Evan Blass.
Just like the Galaxy S10e, Samsung Tab S5e would be an affordable and budget friendly product in the flagship tablet lineup. The image shows that the bezels of the tablet are smaller than the ones on the Galaxy Tab S4. There is a camera at the back of the tablet and also at the front for selfies. The tablet is expected to run the latest Android 9 Pie skinned with One UI. The fingerprint scanner has been moved to the side of the device instead of the back. It is likely that the fingerprint scanner may also work as a power button or a lock/unlock button. The antenna lines of the device are at the top and bottom at the rear of the device. The device also will have magnetic connectors on the side to attach the folio Book Cover keyboard.
Written at the lower back of the device is ‘Sound by AKG’ which could mean that the speakers in the Tab S5e could be built by AKG. Most of the Samsung phones now come bundled with AKG earphones so it is no surprise that the company is developing speakers for Samsung products. But it is still not sure if Galaxy Tab S5e will come with two speakers or four speakers like we saw on Galaxy Tab S4.
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo just launched its sub-brand iQoo in its home-country, and now, the company’s other plans related to iQoo have come to light. It has been reported that Vivo will be launching a new foldable phone under its iQoo sub-brand. The leaked photos of the upcoming smartphone have been spotted on Weibo.
According to the leak, the iQoo phone can be unfolded into a tablet. Once opened, the device will feature two screens and when conjoined together, it will form a tablet. In the image, it can also be seen that when the device is folded into a smartphone, it has four icon columns on the screen.
Furthermore, it can be seen that the smartphone will come with an almost bezel-less front panel and since there are no holes for the front-facing sensor, it is being assumed that the device would come with a pop-up selfie camera.
The iQoo foldable phone is tipped to be priced around CNY 5,000, which becomes approximately Rs 53,000 upon conversion.
However, as of now, there is no word on when exactly Vivo’s sub-brand iQoo will launch the foldable phone. Although the images have surfaced on Weibo, the company has not officially said anything about the launch or availability of the upcoming smartphone.
Speaking of foldable smartphones, Samsung is going to launch its foldable smartphone at the on February 20 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco. The foldable smartphone will reportedly be called Samsung Galaxy F and will work like a tablet as well as a smartphone. Previous reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy F will come with a 7.3-inch display and have a resolution of 1,536×2,152 pixels. Once folded the display of the phone becomes 4.58-inches in size.
Image courtesy: Weibo
Other companies that will be seen launching foldable smartphones this year include Oppo, Xiaomi, Huawei and Motorola. We should mention that Huawei’s foldable phone will come with 5G connectivity and is expected to be showcased at the upcoming Mobile World Congress, that is scheduled to begin on February 25.
We should also mention that Xiaomi’s foldable phone’s screen will not fold once like most other phones, but instead would fold twice. The company said that it will take some time before it launches the smartphone because it is currently working on some issues.
Right after Xiaomi made this announcement, media reports started speculating that the company is all set to launch the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone.
And now, the company has disclosed that it may be working on another device that will come with 5G connectivity. We are talking about the Mi 9 smartphone, that is also scheduled to launch this month.
Xiaomi has posted images of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor on its official Facebook page. Along with the pictures, Xiaomi has written, “It’s nearly time to witness the true power of the Snapdragon 855. Watch as we #MakeItHappen on February 24 in Barcelona.”
This means that Xiaomi is indeed planning to launch a 5G smartphone at the Mobile World Congress. Some may argue that Xiaomi may be talking about its Mi Mix 3 smartphone. However, the smartphone maker has clarified this in its Facebook post by adding, “In August 2017, we established our first R&D Center in the US and quickly began building a close partnership with Qualcomm. We are now set to usher in a new era of mobile technology together by launching #Mi9 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor.”
We should mention that the 1+3+4 CPU core setup in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor guarantees a 45% improvement in performance over the Snapdragon 845 SoC and the GPU of the chipset will get a 20% boost. Furthermore, the AI engine of the processor is promised to be three times faster to boot.
The CPU adds other enhancements like Qi-Fi 6 support and HDR10+ video (4K at 60fps). And most importantly, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor adds support for 5G connectivity.
It's nearly time to witness the true power of the Snapdragon 855. Watch as we #MakeItHappen on Feb. 24 in Barcelona.
We should also mention that Xiaomi’s Lei Jun also posted the same images on Chinese social networking website Weibo. However, what he said was slightly different from the Facebook post by the company. According to Jun’s post, February 20 will mark the world premiere of the Snapdragon 855. However, we should mention that this is not true, as Lenovo already launched its Z5 Pro GT in China with Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor.
Nokia True wireless earbuds, that have been on sale internationally for quite some time, are now being sold in India via offline retailers. The earbuds are listed on Nokia’s official website and are priced at Rs 9,999.
However, they cannot be found on shopping portals like Flipkart and Amazon. It is worth noticing that the Nokia’s True wireless earbuds have received the iFDesign Award 2019. Key highlights of the Nokia True wireless earbuds are claimed to come with up to 4 hours of playback time.
The dimensions of the earbuds are 22.3x14mm and the size of the charging case is 100x22mm. The device has USB Type-C/USB-C Cable and Bluetooth 5.0 as connectivity options. The stand-by time of Nokia True wireless earbuds is 70 hours and their fully-charged case can charge the earbuds up to three times. Also, it is sweat and splash resistant and is IPX4 rated.
Looks like HMD Global is going to gain a lot of visibility in the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019, considering how much the Nokia 9 PureView is being talked about. We have seen a score of leaks that have been tipped about the Nokia 9 PureView and from those, we have a pretty good idea about what the smartphone is going to be like. We reckon, that the smartphone will sport a 5.99-inch QHD resolution 3D OLED display. It is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC clubbed with 6GB RAM. The device will also sport an in-display fingerprint sensor.
A recent leak has tipped about the smartphone’s penta-lens camera that contradicts the previous reports about the same. Previous reports say that the penta-lens camera is going to comprise of two 12MP imaging size sensors, two 16MP sensors, and an 8MP sensor. However, the latest leak says that all cameras are going to have a similar resolution.
Another upcoming smartphone that has been leaked recently is the Nokia 1 Plus. From what we know, the smartphone will have a 480×960 resolution display with 4x ARM Cortex-ARM (1,500 MHz) CPU. Furthermore, it will be incorporated with Imagination Tech PowerVR GE8100 (570 MHz) GPU, 213 DPI and 1GB RAM.
It looks like the Night mode or Dark mode, as its popularly called, will be a key feature that apps and UI developers will be putting in their products in 2019. Joining in on the trend, Samsung has begun pushing out updates for its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ which get the Night mode on the smartphones.
The update also has the February 2019 Android security patch along with some system improvements. When Galaxy S9 and S9+ received the stable Android 9.0 Pie update in January, the Night mode feature was absent in it. So, with this new update the phones will be getting the much-awaited Night mode.
The update also brings system improvements like Wi-Fi stability boost, improvements to NFC & email and improved hand gestures. The update is of 361.35MB and has the build number G960FXXU2CSB3 for the Galaxy S9 and G965FXXU2CSB3 for Galaxy S9+. Currently, the update is only available in Germany and in the coming weeks it will be pushed out globally.
A dark theme (Night mode) has many benefits than their lighter themed counterparts, for instance, they put less strain on the users’ eyes so they can sleep better. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ feature a Super AMOLED-display so the night mode will also improve their battery life. The users can now either choose from the default night mode which is scheduled to turn on after sunset and turn off after the sunrise automatically. But they can also choose the custom setting where they can turn it on/off when they wish, on keep it turned on, forever.
S9
The update also brings improved hand gestures so it can register the gestures more accurately. Post the update, when the user pulls down the notification, they wouldn’t see the blur effect. There is also considerable speed-up in the UI and apps department so that they open and work more smoothly now.
The Android security issue is also fixed in the update which could allow someone to remotely execute arbitrary code by sending especially designed PNG file. It was a vulnerability which could have been exploited by someone if the user decided to open a PNG file in his smartphone. But currently, there hasn’t been such news.
There was a recent update on Samsung’s wearables app that has revealed the entire lineup of its upcoming wearables. Speculatively, these wearables will be unveiled during Samsung’s Unpacked event that is scheduled on February 20.
The Galaxy Wearable app displays many products on its front page including wireless earbuds, a smartwatch and a fitness band. We should mention that the update was first spotted by Twitter account SamCentralTech. Among all gadgets which are a part of the website, the Galaxy Watch Active is the first on the list. The smartwatch is speculated to be the same as the recently leaked Galaxy Sport.
Recently, details about the Galaxy Sport smartwatch surfaced online on 91mobiles. The upcoming smartwatch by Samsung will feature a round dial with two circular buttons to perform primary functions. It will have a brushed metallic finish in chrome colour and a more premium look as compared to the previous oriented smartwatches. According to the app, the upcoming smartwatch will come with a 40mm case and it will be available in two colour options.
Two more devices that were showcased on the website were the Samsung Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e. Both the fitness bands are sport watch-style rubber straps, but that is all that we know about them as of now. To recall, the name ‘Galaxy Fit e’ was spotted on Bluetooth certification last month.
The next product that was showcased on Samsung’s wearables app were the Galaxy Buds. These are Samsung’s new wireless earbuds which had earlier surfaced online when they were spotted being charged from the Galaxy S10’s back panel. Some images of the Samsung Galaxy Buds were also shared by WinFuture.
Samsung is all set to launch these devices along with its Galaxy S10 lineup on February 20 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco. The South Korean technology giant is all set to launch its Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, and Galaxy S10E smartphones at the launch.
A recent leak about the smartphones said that they will come with features such as Full-HD Super Slow Motion, Best Shot, HDR10+ video recording, flaw detection improvements, super steady recording and scene optimiser with Ultra-Wide Angle support.
South Korean technology giant Samsung has started rolling out the latest Android update to its 2017’s flagship phablet, Galaxy Note 8. We should mention that the Android Pie update that is being rolled out to Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is skinned with the company’s latest One UI, which is the successor to the Experience UI that we saw in Samsung devices till now.
It is worth noticing that the Android Pie based One UI update is currently being rolled out to users in certain parts of Europe.
A user on Reddit posted about getting the Android Pie update. The user – /u/Teo_Yanchev – is from Bulgaria, which lies in Eastern Europe. A report in XDA Developers claims that according to Samsung‘s FOTA servers, build numbers N950FXXU5DSB2/N950FOXM5DSB2/N950FXXU5DSB1 have started rolling out to regions named ‘BGL’ and ‘ORX’. For those unaware, BGL stands for Bulgaria and ORX is Slovakia.
However, users in the United States, India and Samsung’s other important markets are yet to receive Android Pie and One UI update. So it can be concluded that the update is being rolled out region-wise
According to the changelog of the update, it brings Android Pie skinned with One UI along with the February 2019 security patch to Samsung Galaxy Note 8. However, the update is 2GB in size, so we only recommend you to download it when your device is connected to the Wi-Fi.
Samsung’s flagships from 2018 – Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ and Galaxy Note 9 – have already received the update and now, the company has started working on rolling it out to its older smartphones.
To recall, the company started beta testing its One UI for its Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones in South Korea, India and the US last month. Earlier this week, Samsung also rolled out the fourth beta build to its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone and now, the news of the update’s first beta build has come in. According to Samsung’s roadmap, the update should come to other regions this month too.
Samsung had first showcased its latest One UI at its developer conference in November last year and the software has more minimal icons, navigation gestures, a system-wise dark them among other features.
Apple’s alleged Netflix-like video streaming service could launch as early as the first half of this year. It is being speculated that the service may be launched in either April or May. The video streaming service is one of many services that Apple will be launching in this year. The Cupertino based tech giant has been in news because it plans to start a number of subscription services this year – a News subscription service, Gaming subscription service, Video subscription service, Music subscription service (an upgrade to Apple Music) among others.
According to a report on CNBC, Apple will not be partnering with segment leaders Netflix and Hulu, for its video streaming service. There are chances that HBO won’t come bundled with Apple’s video subscription service as well. So, we wouldn’t get to see any exclusive shows from these services on Apple’s video streaming service.
According to the company, its video streaming service is in its final stages of development and is nearly complete. Once completed, it will be commercially released to the Apple device owners only. Apple’s service will combine different streaming platforms so that it would become one big hub of streaming services. The users will have to pay the subscription fee only for Apple’s streaming service. The subscribed users can watch the shows on their iOS devices or TVs.
“We will participate in the original content world. We have signed a multi-year partnership with Oprah, but today I’m not really ready to extend that conversation beyond that point. We’ve hired some great people that we have a super amount of confidence in, and we’ll have something to say more on that later,” Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook said.
But Netflix, which is currently the biggest video streaming platform with a global reach has backed out of Apple’s deal. The reason is not clear but it seems Netflix is most likely planning to go solo and has decided not to partner with Apple. Hulu, another video streaming service, has also backed out of the deal.
HBO, which releases and makes its own shows and series, most popular of which is the Game of Thrones, was also being considered for the partnership. However, recent reports suggest that HBO may back out of the deal too.
Not just HBO, but other media companies are also worried about the deal Apple is offering them. However, this is not the only case where companies have pulled their feet back from partnering with Apple. Many other news and magazine platforms too have not joined Apple in its upcoming news subscription service. The reason the companies don’t want to partner with Apple is the technology giant is not offering them profitable revenue and the offer doesn’t seem to work in their favor.
Netflix
Coming back to the video streaming service, reports have suggested that Apple would take 30% of the revenue generated per customer. Currently, the Cupertino based technology firm charges only 15% of the revenue generated (subscription and purchases) made by HBO Now, Netflix and other streaming apps on its App Store.
Till now the known services which are joining Apple’s streaming service are Lions Gate’s Starz, CBS including Showtime and Viacom. There are some big entertainment firm names as well which have joined Apple’s streaming service like Reese Witherspoon, Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey Network. The subscribers will get the contents of these firms free of cost.
Don’t you find it extremely annoying when people add you to random WhatsApp groups that you aren’t interested to be a part of? Leaving some groups may make you come across as rude, and staying there means getting your app flooded with messages. However, you may not have to be in that situation going forward as WhatsApp has started working on a new feature that will enable users to control what groups they are being added to.
The feature is like an invitation control mechanism that will let WhatsApp users decide who can add them to a group. However, as of now, the feature is a part of closed beta testing phase on iPhone called the Test Flight Program and will soon roll out to more users with the app’s next beta update on iPhone.
The WhatsApp group invitation feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo, which is a Twitter account that tracks the app‘s beta updates. Although as of now it has only been spotted on the iOS version, it will soon make its way to WhatsApp for Android too. We should mention that even in the iPhone version of the app, the feature is currently inactive as it is in the early stages of development, according to reports.
But when it becomes active, it will be located in the Privacy section of the app and in order to access it users will have to head to Settings, then select Account, then go to Account. Here, they would have to select Privacy and then finally, Groups.
💣 WhatsApp is developing a Group Invitation System! The new group invitation system will send you a request everytime someone wants to add you in groups. First details available for iOS, but it will be obviously available for Android as well.https://t.co/tVuzBXqpQV
There are three options that users will be able to choose if they wish to control who can add them to groups. The first one among these is ‘Everyone’, which would mean that anyone would be able to add you to groups without sending you an invite for the same. The second option will be ‘My Contacts’, which is kind of self-explanatory. By selecting this, only those in your contact list will be able to add you to groups. Rest everyone will have to send you an invitation.
Image courtesy: WABetaInfo
The last option will be ‘Nobody’, which will block everyone from adding you to WhatsApp groups. So if anyone wishes to add you to a group, they would have to send an invite for the same. In case the invite sent by them expires, users will have to get another invite from the admin in case they wish to be a part of the group in question.
The Vivo Carnival sale just ended yesterday and was started on the pretext of Valentine’s Day. No sooner has this sale ended that we are introduced to another one, which was again launched on the backdrop of Valentine’s Day. Titled as the Honor Days Sale, the offer period started from February 14 and is applicable until February 18. The discount offers can be availed via Amazon.in and has been established for the Honor Play, Honor 8C, Honor 7C and the Honor 8X. The 4GB RAM variant of the Honor Play has received a price cut of Rs 3,000.
Where its original price was Rs 19,999, it is available at a temporary amount of Rs 16,999. The 4GB variant of the Honor 8C is available at Rs 10,999. It is experiencing a temporary price cut of Rs 1,000 and henceforth until February 18 it won’t cost Rs 11,999. The Honor 7C 3GB RAM variant can be purchased for Rs 8,499 instead of Rs 9,999. This makes up for a discount of Rs 1,500. The 4GB RAM of Honor 8X is available at an additional exchange discount of Rs 1,000. Over that, the 6GB RAM variant is available with an additional discount of Rs 2,000.
Furthermore, Honor View 20 customers can avail VIP services including end-to-end customer service, reservation service and a no token system.
Honor View 20: Price and specifications
The smartphone is one of the devices which belong to the premium segment of Honor and costs Rs 37,999. To recall, the Honor View 20 sports a 6.4-inch 1,080×2,310 resolution display and runs on Android Pie skinned with Magic UI 2. It is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 980 SoC and has a 6GB and 8GB RAM variant. While the 8GB variant comes with 128GB and 256GB internal storage options, the 6GB RAM variant only gets 128GB.
There is a single rear camera that comprises of a 48MP sensor and the selfie camera on the front comprising of a 25MP sensor. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, Infrared port and USB 3.1. The Honor View 20 houses a large battery of 4,000mAh that is non-removable.
Japanese consumer electronics maker Sony is all set to launch its Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2019, that will begin on February 25 and will go on till February 28. Just a couple of weeks before the launch of Sony Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus smartphones, their specifications of the two handsets have surfaced online. Here’s a look at the complete list of specifications of the two handsets:
In This Article
Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus specifications (Expected)
A report that has surfaced in WinFuture claims that Sony Xperia 10 will feature a 6-inch full-HD+ display with a screen resolution of 1080×2560 pixels and will have an aspect ratio of 21:9. The device will reportedly be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC clubbed with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
The handset may also have support for a microSD. For imaging duties, Sony Xperia 10 will sport a dual rear camera setup with a 13MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary depth-sensing lens. The device is claimed to have support for 4K video recording and will reportedly house an 8MP selfie camera on its front panel. Sony Xperia 10 will come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, have support for HiRes Audio and pack a 2,870mAh battery.
Coming to Sony Xperia 10 Plus, the smartphone will sport a bigger 6.5-inch full-HD+ display, according to the report and it is expected to be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 SoC. The device will have 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage and is said to come with a microSD card slot. On the camera front, Sony Xperia X10 Plus will reportedly come with a 12MP primary sensor and an 8MP secondary lens that will enable users to click images with the bokeh effect.
Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus prices (Expected)
The report has also revealed the pricing of the two smartphones. While Sony Xperia 10 is said to cost EUR 349 (approximately Rs 27,900), the Xperia 10 Plus will reportedly be priced at EUR 429 (approximately Rs 34,300).
Image courtesy: WinFuture.de
As we mentioned earlier, the two smartphones are expected to launch at the MWC 2019. While earlier it was believed that the devices will be launched as Sony Xperia XA3 models, a recent report said that the company has rebranded the range of devices before their official launch.
Microsoft has started testing an update for Windows 10 that it plans to release in 2020. It wasn’t expected that Microsoft would be testing this update right now as it is known for testing them at a later period. This news has been confirmed by Dona Sarkar, an insider at Microsoft’s Windows who said that additional testing is required for this new 2020 update. The tech giant hasn’t yet started testing its next 2019 update which is codenamed 19H2. The update which is codenamed 20H1 belongs to the 2020 update. Microsoft confirmed that it is being worked on.
Microsoft hasn’t yet revealed the features of this update. However, it has released the first beta build for testers. Windows 10 build 18836 has been released and testers who opt for it can Skip Ahead in the ring and get future version of Microsoft Windows. The testing of the 19H2 will reportedly start later this spring, which is right ahead of us. The testing of another update, codenamed as 19H1 is going to start in the month of April. The Spring 2019 update includes a new light theme, Kaomoji support, a separation of Cortana from Windows search and a new built-in Office app.
Microsoft had also announced the new light theme to the Windows 10 last year during November. Under this feature, there will be a white-theme system-wide, that will allow all of the UI to appear in the colour white. Also, Microsoft would be tweaking the default wallpaper of Windows 10 in order to compliment the new light theme. According to Microsoft, this will better fit the new theme. The new light theme in the 19H1 is also going to include a new snipping tool, updates to the printing app and intelligent hours for Windows Update so it doesn’t randomly reboot your device.
To talk of the Kaomoji support, it is going to include face characters that are accessible through the same existing emoji shortcut (win+period). This feature will help you quickly access the emoji dash and other symbols thus, adding to your convenience while typing.
After the successful launch of the Galaxy M-series the company is set to release new range of smartphones in the first half of 2019 in India. With this new launch the company hopes to generate sales of $4 billion from India in 2019.
According to a report on Reuters, Ranjivjit Singh who is the India’s chief marketing officer of Samsung said, the company plans to launch Galaxy A-series of smartphones each month from March to June. In the interview he didn’t reveal the details or any specifications of the upcoming smartphone series but he did say that the phone will be priced between Rs 10,000 ($141) to Rs 50,000 ($703). The prices reveal that they will be targeted at the mid-range segment to the high-end segment smartphone market and we can see huge variations in their specifications.
The South Korean tech giant plans to invade the Indian smartphone market throughout the year with the release of many smartphones. According to paper.vc, in 2018 itself the smartphone sales of the company in India had hit $5.24 billion (Rs 373.5 billion approx.). But it plans to further add to the sales and capture the Indian smartphone market to regain top spot.
It should be noted that Samsung had done very poor in the Chinese market as it lost most of its market shares to the Chinese smartphone makers. Learning from the lesson learnt in China Samsung is coming up with a new business model and the A-series is one of the many steps it is taking towards reaching the goal. After China, India is the biggest consumer market in the world, that is the reason most companies focus on India and Samsung is no exception.
Currently, more than 350 million users in India use the basic feature phone. With Samsung launching its phones in the mid-range smartphone segment it hopes to get those users in its bag, too. After facing intense competition from the Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus the company hopes to gain a lead on them.
Image courtesy: WinFuture
In 2018 the company opened world’s biggest mobile phone manufacturing plant in NCR. Then it went on to open the biggest mobile phone store globally in Bengaluru.
Currently, Samsung is focusing heavily on the Indian market. Last month it released its budge-centric M-series smartphones to compete with the other budget segment smartphones in the arena. Then it plans to release the flagship – the Galaxy S10 and its variants in February. And with the new A-Series the company hopes to get an upper hand on its competitors.
The South Korean tech giant is taking steps in the right direction as it focuses its attention to the Indian market. But the competition is going to be tough and Indian smartphone market is going to heat up.
Samsung released its Galaxy M-series of smartphones for a specific target group in mind – the budget-oriented millennials. The Galaxy M10 and the Galaxy M20 both have the specifications of a good mid-range smartphone with the brand credibility of Samsung on them. After the successful sale of the previous M-series devices the company is set to release its next smartphone in the M-series lineup, the Galaxy M30. According to inside news, the phone will launch in India in the coming week of February and it will have a starting price of Rs 15,000. Galaxy M30 will go on sale from the first week of March.
With Samsung M-series smartphones the company entered its first online-only selling smartphone model, where the smartphones were sold through online platforms. In all three flash-sales till now, the phone was sold-out within minutes of its release. The fourth flash-sale of Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 is scheduled today. Similarly, Galaxy M30 will also be available through online marketing platforms – Flipkart, Amazon and Samsung Online Shop.
The Galaxy M30 will come with a triple rear-camera setup of a 13MP along with two 5MP sensors. Like the Galaxy M20, the M30 will also pack a huge 5,000mAh battery. It will also have Super-AMOLED Infinity V display and will be powered by Samsung’s latest mid-range processor – Exynos 7904. It will come in 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. According to the company, the M-series smartphones are designed for the young millennials. The sales of M-series phones state that it was quite popular amongst the crowd it was targeted at.
Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 were launched in January at a starting price of Rs 7,990 and Rs 10,990 respectively. It was Samsung’s answer to dethrone the current budget smartphone selling champion, Xiaomi. Most of Xiaomi’s phones are targeted towards the low to mid-range segment and it had made quite a name for itself. With the launch of Galaxy M-series, the company is planning to go head-to-head with Xiaomi’s range of smartphones, which offers similar performance in the same price bracket.
samsung galaxy M10
With the launch of Galaxy M30 the mid segment smartphone market will heat up again. But Xiaomi is also bringing its Note 7, which has been making news since its announcement and it will be launched on 28th February. So, we will get to see just who will become the mid-range champion – Samsung M30 or Xiaomi Note 7 in some time.
A few days back, we had reported that Avenir Telecom, which Energizer Mobile’s licensing partner, will be launching as many as 26 smartphones at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2019. The smartphones by the company are touted to pack high-end features like foldable displays, pop-up selfie cameras, and battery capacities that haven’t been heard of in handsets yet.
Needless to say, when we got to know about the upcoming smartphones, we really started looking forward to them. Now, two weeks after the official announcement, the company has revealed some information about one of its upcoming devices – Power Max P18K Pop. According to the company, the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop will house a massive 18,000mAh battery and will be powered by the MediaTek Helio P70 processor.
Avenir also said that the upcoming smartphone will come with dual-selfie cameras and on its back panel, it will sport a triple rear camera setup. While the front cameras of the smartphone will come with 16MP and 2MP sensors, the triple rear camera setup will comprise of 12MP, 5MP and 2MP sensors. Energizer Power Max P18K Pop will sport a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display and come with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.
The device will be getting unveiled at the upcoming MWC 2019, which is scheduled to begin on February 25 and will go on till February 28. The company said that it will be taking orders for the smartphone at the show, but deliveries would begin in summer this year.
We have to admit, the key highlight of the Energizer Power Max P18K Pop smartphone is its whopping 18,000mAh battery. According to the company, with this battery, the Android device will be able to make up to 90 hours of calls, play music for 100 hours, and play videos for two days on a single charge.
In the standby mode, Energizer Power Max P18K Pop’s battery is said to last for 50 days.
As a part of its Ultimate series, the company is also expected to launch its Energizer Ultimate U620S Pop and the Energizer Ultimate U630S Pop smartphones during the MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. However, there is no official word about the launch of the two devices yet.
Other smartphones that the company has in the pipeline include Energizer Ultimate U650S, Energizer Ultimate U620S, and the Energizer Ultimate U570S.
There has been a lot of hustle bustle about the Samsung Galaxy S10 series, which is about to launch at Samsung’s upcoming unpacked series on February 20. The latest news about the Samsung Galaxy S10 is that users can register themselves for the smartphone by accessing Samsung’s dedicated reservation page. However, in the midst of so much craze around the Samsung Galaxy S10 series, news of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge has broken out. These 4-year-old smartphones have received the January 2019 security patch.
Based on reports by SamMobile, the UAE variants of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge have received this security patch. The software versions pertaining to the smartphones are named G920FXXU6ESA1 and G925FXXU6ESA1 respectively. Both of these software versions are based on Android 7.0 Nougat. Since the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge have received the January 2019 security update, we can expect its successors, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge to receive security update soon too.
For the unknown, the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a super AMOLED 5.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1,440×2,560 pixels and an aspect ratio of 16:9. The smartphone has a single RAM variant of 3GB, which comes with three internal storage options. These include 32GB, 64GB and 128GB. The rear camera has one 16MP sensor, whereas the selfie camera on the front consists of a 5MP sensor. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, NFC, Infrared port and microUSB 2.0. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is powered by a 2,550mAh battery that is non-removable.
The device is home to many sensors such as fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro sensor, proximity sensor, compass barometer sensor, heart rate sensor and SpO2. The handset comes in four colour options—white pearl, black sapphire, gold platinum and blue topaz. The Samsung Galaxy S6 measures 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8mm and weighs 138 grams. To recall, the smartphone was announced in March, 2015 and launched on April, 2015.
Technology giant Google has been in news lately, primarily because of its plans to launch its affordable smartphone this year. According to various reports, the handset will be a part of the upcoming Pixel 3 Lite Series that will come with inferior specifications and pricing as compared to the Pixel 3 smartphones that were launched last year.
However, that is not the only device that the company is working on. According to a report in Nikkei Asia, Google will also introduce a smartwatch that will compete directly with the likes of Apple Watch.
It has also been said that the smartwatch, which will most likely be called as the Pixel Watch, is being discussed about since last July. However, considering the fact the Google acquired tech from watch maker Fossil recently, it is very likely that the technology giant has plans to launch the Pixel Watch this year. What adds to this is that Apple has been leading the segment for quite some time now. Given that Google and Apple have been rivals since the very beginning, Google will definitely try to come up with a gadget that can compete with Apple Watch.
We can expect the Pixel Watch to be launched alongside its Pixel 3 Lite smartphones. While some reports have suggested that the Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 Lite smartphones will be launched in Spring 2019, others say that the company will be taking wraps off the devices on the Google I/O 2019, which is scheduled to begin on May 7 and will go on till May 9.
Coming back to the report we mentioned earlier, it claims that besides its Pixel 3 Lite smartphones and Pixel Watch, the technology giant will be launching a range of new devices this year including smart speakers, wearables, and web cameras. It has also been speculated that the security camera may be a part of the Nest brand. Besides this, the company is reportedly also working on a Google Home upgrade.
Furthermore, the report also says that in order to get its hardware plans into action, Google has hired a number of engineers and supply chain specialists from Apple. To recall, the company had also brought 2,000 engineers from HTC back in 2017.
Micromax Infinity N12 is the first smartphone by the company to come with a display notch. It is also touted to have AI photography and a lasting battery. But is the smartphone as good as the company tries to make it sound? Watch our review video to find out.
![[Video Review] Micromax Infinity N12: Should you buy it?](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/maxresdefault-1-768x432.jpg "[Video Review] Micromax Infinity N12: Should you buy it?")