Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2 to get support for WhatsApp and YouTube: Everything you need to know
When Jio Phone was launched by Reliance Jio last year, it promised to revolutionize the feature phone market just like the telecom industry. But, one of the key downsides of the phone was the fact that it didn’t let user access some widely used apps including WhatsApp and YouTube. Jio Phone was also late in getting support for Facebook, which only came to the platform six months after the phone was launched.
However, now things are set to change. The company has announced that JioPhone is set to set support for WhatsApp and YouTube starting August 15. Yes, it’s the same day when Jio Phone 2 will hit the shelves.
Directors of Reliance Jio, Akash and Isha Ambani demonstrated how WhatsApp and YouTube will work on Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2 with text or voice command. The versions of the apps are specifically made for made for Jio Phone. But, it is being claimed by the company that WhatsApp and YouTube will work just as they do for Android and iOS.
Users will be able to launch these apps via voice command on Jio Phone. Once the apps are launched, voice commands for typing and sending messages or playing videos have to be given just like Android and iOS devices. It is notable, that according to Akash Ambani, WhatsApp messages can be sent to both Android and iOS devices by Jio Phone and Jio Phone 2. However, there is no clarity if the WhatsApp or YouTube apps for JioPhone will have all the features as their Android and iOS versions.
Speaking about the launch, Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani said, “The three most popular apps YouTube, WhatsApp and Facebook will be available to all the Jio Phone users from 15th August. With the added functionalities, our wider network reach across India and strong retail presence across India, the goal that I have now set for our Jio team is to enable 100 million users on this Jio Phone platform in the shortest possible time.”
Reliance JIO Phone 2 with QWERTY keypad support launched: Price, specs and more
The whole country and many from around the world are glued on to the screens when Mukesh Ambani is talking to partners, family, friends and media during the Reliance Annual General Meeting (AGM) every year. Last year he unveiled the JIO Phone that has already sold 25 million units and today he has gone ahead and launched the JIO Phone 2. The handset still lies in the feature phone category, but is larger than the previous edition and comes with a full QWERTY keyboard.
Reliance JIO Phone 2 Specifications
The JIO Phone 2 comes with a 2.4-inch QVGA display and supports dual nano SIMs. Inside it has 512MB RAM and 4 GB storage. The storage is expandable with the help of a memory card by up to 128 GB. The mobile phone runs on KAI OS and has VoLTE and VoWIFI functionality (LTE band 2, 5, 40, 2G band 900/1800 are braced). The full function QWERTY keyboard is coupled with 4-way navigation keys and does seem to be a tad bit inspired by yesterday’s BlackBerry phones.
A 2,000 mAh battery powers the smartphone and for cameras the JIO Phone 2 come with 2 MP rear camera along with a VGA front camera. The JIO Phone 2 also comes with a single Mono loudspeaker. Other features include, FM, Wi-Fi, GPS, NFC, Bluetooth and 4GLTE support.
Reliance JIO Phone 2 Price
The JIO Phone 2 will start shipping in India on August 15 and the introductory price is set at Rs 2,999. However, users can exchange their old mobile for the JIO Phone 2 at a special Monsoon Hungama price of Rs 501. The offer will start from 21 July and is not bad at all if you ask us. People who are using a feature phone can make full use of this exchange offer.
Comparison: Asus Zenfone 5Z vs OnePlus 6 vs Honor 10
If you want to buy a flagship smartphone that is affordable, then you have three recently launched options to choose from — Asus Zenfone 5Z, Honor 10 and the much talked about OnePlus 6. All the three smartphones have some features that are similar to each other while some are different. Here’s a comparison between the specifications of all three that will help you decide which one is the perfect buy for you:
Display
Asus Zenfone 5Z: 6.2-inch FHD+ LCD touch display with 19:9 aspect ratio
OnePlus 6: 6.28-inch FHD+ Full Optic AMOLED display with 19:9 aspect ratio
Honor 10: 5.84-inch full-HD+ FullView display with 19:9 aspect ratio
Processor
Asus Zenfone 5Z: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
OnePlus 6: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Honor 10: HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor
Primary camera
Asus Zenfone 5Z: Dual rear cameras with 12MP and 8MP sensors
OnePlus 6: 16MP+20MP dual rear cameras
Honor 10: 24MP+16MP dual rear cameras with AI photography mode
Selfie camera
Asus Zenfone 5Z: 8MP selfie camera
OnePlus 6: 16MP front facing snapper
Honor 10: 24MP AI camera
RAM and storage
Asus Zenfone 5Z: 6GB RAM/64GB internal storage, 6GB RAM/128GB onboard storage and 8GB RAM/256 GB inbuilt storage
OnePlus 6: 6GB RAM/64GB inbuilt storage, 8GB RAM/128GB onboard storage and 8GB RAM/256GB of internal storage
Honor 10: 6GB RAM/128GB internal storage
Support for microSD card
Asus Zenfone 5Z: Up to 1TB
OnePlus 6: No microSD card slot
Honor 10: No microSD card slot
Battery
Asus Zenfone 5Z: 3,300 mAh
OnePlus 6: 3,300 mAh
Honor 10: 3,400mAh
Operating system
Asus Zenfone 5Z: Android Oreo skinned with ZenUI
OnePlus 6: Android 8.1 Oreo topped with OxygenOS 5.1
Honor 10: Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 on top
Price
Asus Zenfone 5Z: The 6GB RAM/64GB onboard storage variant costs Rs 29,999, the 6GB RAM/128 GB storage model is priced at Rs 32,999 and the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant can be picked up at Rs 36,999.
OnePlus 6: The starting price of the phone is Rs 34,999, the 8GB RAM and 128GB model costs Rs 39,999 and the 8GB RAM and 256GB inbuilt storage variant bears a price tag of Rs 43,999.
Honor 10: Rs 32,999
Go Noise Play 2 review: Good to start with
There are a bunch of action cameras now available in the Indian market and the most popular of them is the Go Pro. However, the Go Pro budget action cam also has a rather high price to begin with. Enter Go Noise Play 2, which is not so exorbitantly priced and has some of the latest features like Wi-Fi and app support one wants from an action cam. We put the Go Noise Play 2 on our test bench and used it over the last couple of weeks to know more about it. This is our review of the pocket friendly action camera.
Go Noise Play 2 Design and Blueprint
Out of the box the Go Noise Play 2 looks very similar to the Go Pro, but has its own distinct features. The front is dominated by a large lens (16 MP) that also has the power button along with the branding at the bottom. The left side has the microSD card slot along with the micro HDMI and proprietary TV and charging port. The speaker grille is also placed on this side. Top has the shutter release button, while the bottom slots the replaceable 1,200 mAh rechargeable battery and tripod port.
The rear has the fairly bright 2-inch TFT touchscreen. There is an unusually large black band around the touchscreen, which could have been reduced and one could have got a larger display. There are a total of three LED’s on the Go Noise Play 2. One over the screen, the other next to the shutter release button and the last one on the front of the camera. All three can be customised and turned on or off.
Go Noise Play 2 Performance
Setting up the camera does not take much time. In the box you just get the camera and charging cable. Rest of the accessories are sold separately, so you might want to pick those too. These include a Go Pro like waterproof enclosure, mounting accessories etc one would need when going out in the wild. the Go Noise Play 2 supports memory cards of up to 128 GB and you would need to purchase that additionally as well, since this action camera has no on board memory.
We took it out for a spin and found it quite nice during day light. It can record videos at 4K 24 FPS and the results were sharp and close to life. It’s in low light or at night that this action camera loses its touch. Noise and blurred edges are evident and not much can be done to help that. The Go Noise Play 2 is certainly not a picture taker. It struggles in that department.
We quite enjoyed the underwater video shooting with this camera. The videos were not bad at all and can put many others in the same price bracket to shame. There are lot of shooting modes available on the Go Noise Play 2 including our favourite time lapse. Slow motion mode is also there, which works fine but the to get better frame rates one needs to comprise on the resolution.
Users can also download the Noise Play 2 app from the Play store and manage the camera with it. Apple users you might want to skip this if you want app compatibility, since it is available only for Android users. The battery takes 1.5 hours to charge fully and gave us around 3 hours of video shooting time.
Verdict and Final Thoughts
Overall, the Go Noise Play 2 impressed us at some levels and at some we wanted more from it. If you want an inexpensive option to start with then this seems to be a fit. The performance is not bad and the wide lens does manage to capture most of what you are seeing.
The rear has the fairly bright 2-inch TFT touchscreen. There is an unusually large black band around the touchscreen, which could have been reduced and one could have got a larger display. There are a total of three LED’s on the Go Noise Play 2. One over the screen, the other next to the shutter release button and the last one on the front of the camera. All three can be customised and turned on or off.
Go Noise Play 2 Performance
Setting up the camera does not take much time. In the box you just get the camera and charging cable. Rest of the accessories are sold separately, so you might want to pick those too. These include a Go Pro like waterproof enclosure, mounting accessories etc one would need when going out in the wild. the Go Noise Play 2 supports memory cards of up to 128 GB and you would need to purchase that additionally as well, since this action camera has no on board memory.
We took it out for a spin and found it quite nice during day light. It can record videos at 4K 24 FPS and the results were sharp and close to life. It’s in low light or at night that this action camera loses its touch. Noise and blurred edges are evident and not much can be done to help that. The Go Noise Play 2 is certainly not a picture taker. It struggles in that department.
We quite enjoyed the underwater video shooting with this camera. The videos were not bad at all and can put many others in the same price bracket to shame. There are lot of shooting modes available on the Go Noise Play 2 including our favourite time lapse. Slow motion mode is also there, which works fine but the to get better frame rates one needs to comprise on the resolution.
Users can also download the Noise Play 2 app from the Play store and manage the camera with it. Apple users you might want to skip this if you want app compatibility, since it is available only for Android users. The battery takes 1.5 hours to charge fully and gave us around 3 hours of video shooting time.
Verdict and Final Thoughts
Overall, the Go Noise Play 2 impressed us at some levels and at some we wanted more from it. If you want an inexpensive option to start with then this seems to be a fit. The performance is not bad and the wide lens does manage to capture most of what you are seeing.
Samsung Galaxy S9 at Rs 7,990: How to buy? And everything you need to know
Samsung Galaxy S9 is the leading smartphone by the company and is the latest offering when it comes to a flagship by Samsung. Yes, the Note 8 is still good, but the Samsung Galaxy S9 is the leading smartphone right now by the brand that has up-to-date technology inside. In a move to boost sales, Samsung is giving extreme discounts and offers on the smartphone. This could be because they have lost the lead of being the number 1 smartphone maker in India to Xiaomi.
Samsung Galaxy S9 specifications:
The Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with 64 GB of storage and sports a 5.8-inch Quad HD+ sAMOLED touch screen. It is just 8.5mm thick and sports a 3.5mm audio jack. As far as the cameras are concerned the Samsung Galaxy S9 has a dual pixel 12MP camera at the rear and an 8MP front snapper with auto focus and f/1.7 aperture. Under the hood this smartphone features an octa-core Exynos CPU, 3,000 mAh battery and 4 GB RAM. The storage can be expanded using a microSD card by up to 400GB. Other features include Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyro Sensor, Compass, Hall Sensor, HR Sensor, Proximity Sensor, RGB Light Sensor, fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi, NFC and Pressure sensor.
How to avail the discount on Samsung Galaxy S9
You need to go to Samsung India’s online shopping website here to get the discount of Rs 50,000 in total. The company is giving an exchange offer value of up to Rs 33,000 on select smartphones. Over that, you can avail additional Rs 6,000 discount on select models. If you use HDFC bank credit card, then you are eligible to get additional Rs 6,000 as cashback. A scheme of Rs 5,000 instant cash back is also running. Overall, giving a discount of Rs 50,000 to the customer who wants to purchase the Samsung Galaxy S9 64GB with official selling price of Rs 57,900. So, effectively you would just need to pay Rs 7,900 and you can get the latest flagship smartphone from the company.
The eligible models for extra Rs 6,000 exchange value are as under:
- Samsung Note 8 64 Gb
- Samsung Galaxy S8 64GB
- Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus 64GB
- Samsung Galaxy S7 32GB
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge 32 Gb
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ (32GB)
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge 32GB
- Samsung Galaxy On Max
- Samsung galaxy A5 (2016)
- Samsung Galaxy A8+
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro 32GB
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Max
- Samsung Galaxy S6 32GB
- Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
- Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 5 32GB
- Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro
Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot camera with 20.1-megapixel sensor launched in India: Price, Specs and other details
Sony has been producing great set of cameras since decades now and no wonder so many smartphone makers including (todays launch) Asus Zenphone 5Z sources the sensors for their smartphones from Sony. Now, the company has gone ahead and launched Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot camera in India which features a 20.1MP sensor inside. The camera lies in its compact series of shooters and is somewhat of marksman when it comes to clicking the perfect picture
Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot Specifications
The Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot camera comes with a 1-inch EXMOR RS CMOS sensor with 20.1 MP stacked on it and structure DRAM. The camera also sports a 24-200MM kit lens that should be able to zoom approximately 11X optically. The max aperture size is F2.8-4.5 and mechanical shutter speed has been recorded at 1/2000sec. Whoa! Now that is super quick. It’s like you don’t even blink and you still miss it.
Moving on, users can shoot pictures at 24 frames per second with auto focus and AE tracking. ISO sensitivity range starts from 125 and goes all the way to 12,800. Auto Focus system is available as hybrid and AF speed is 0.03 seconds. Phase detection has also been thrown in the mix. The Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot comes with a tilt-able 3-inch touch screen at the back with 4:3 aspect ratio. This supports 921 dots per inch.
Videos can be recorded in 4K at 30 FPS. Super slow motion video recording is available at 960 FPS, too. The cameras body is built out of aluminium and comes with a rechargeable battery that can take up to 240 shots after full charge. The Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot weighs 274 grams. Other features of the camera include Wi-Fi, NFC, silent shooting mode, electronic viewfinder and optical image stabilisation.
Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot Price:
This camera is priced at Rs 99,990 which does seem to be a little steep at first, but once you look at the kind of features it provides, it is somewhat justified. The Sony RX100 VI Cyber-Shot will start selling on 6 July via all Sony exclusive showrooms.
Newly launched 6.2-inch Asus ZenFone 5Z is ready to give OnePlus 6 tough competition: Price, specs, availability and other details
Asus recently announced it ROG smartphone for gaming enthusiasts and today they have launched the Asus ZenFone 5Z in India to take on OnePlus 6. This is after some time that the company is launching a smartphone in India and on paper seems to be quite a wrecking ball ready to blaster the competition. The last phone to be launched in India by Asus was the ZenFone Max Pro M1, which had superb battery performance. Now is the turn of the 5Z, which was showcased earlier at Mobile World Congress 2018.
Asus ZenFone 5Z Technical Specifications
The maker has left no stone unturned when building the Asus ZenFone 5Z. Everything from the design to hardware has been built with great precision and the latest is assured. The Asus ZenFone 5Z sports a 6.2-inch FHD+ (1,080 x 2,246 pixels) LCD touch display featuring 19:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone does come with a notch design on it with 90% screen to body ratio.
Inside, the Asus ZenFone 5Z trays the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 CPU. This is coupled with few RAM and Memory variations. Three models are available – 6GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128 GB storage and 8GB RAM/256GB storage. Also, the Asus ZenFone 5Z can accommodate a memory card (microSD) of up to 1 TB to expand the storage further.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the rear sports dual vertical style (with flash) camera setup, the first one has a 12 megapixel Sony IMX363 sensor with f/1.8 aperture, auto focus and phase detection. The other one at the back has an 8 MP sensor that is wide angle ready, which enables Bokeh effect and adds depth to the images. The rear cameras come with a lot of shooting modes including a fully functional manual mode. The front camera in the Asus ZenFone 5Z is powered by an 8 MP sensor too with f/2.0 aperture and can record video in full HD (1080p) settings.
The Asus ZenFone 5Z runs Android Oreo with ZenUI skin on top of it. The battery has 3,300 mAh support and can be quick charged using the 18W charger supplied in the box. Also in the package, Asus has thrown in a clear case and a pair of headphones. Other features include Stereo speakers, 3.5 mm audio port, USB type C charging and FM radio along with proximity sensors and a finger print reader.
Asus ZenFone 5Z Price and availability
Asus ZenFone 5Z is the cheapest smartphone in the country to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant has a price tag of Rs 29,999, the 6GB RAM/128 GB storage model can be picked up for Rs 32,999 and the top of the line 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant bares a price tag of Rs 36,999. The phones are Flipkart exclusive and will start selling in India on 9 July. Over that, there is a flat Rs 3,000 discount on ICICI bank cards and JIO users will get Rs 2,200 off and additional internet data of 100 GB.
Asus ZenFone 5Z Price and availability
Asus ZenFone 5Z is the cheapest smartphone in the country to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant has a price tag of Rs 29,999, the 6GB RAM/128 GB storage model can be picked up for Rs 32,999 and the top of the line 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant bares a price tag of Rs 36,999. The phones are Flipkart exclusive and will start selling in India on 9 July. Over that, there is a flat Rs 3,000 discount on ICICI bank cards and JIO users will get Rs 2,200 off and additional internet data of 100 GB.
Samsung Galaxy On6 launched in India: Price, specs and more
The global technology giant has launched it Samsung Galaxy On6 smartphone in India. The latest model in Samsung Galaxy On series features an Infinity Display and is said to come with 15% more display area with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.
Price and availability
Samsung Galaxy On6 smartphone is priced at Rs 14,490. At the given price, Samsung’s latest smartphone competes with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro and the recently launched Moto G6. It can be bought from Flipkart and Samsung’s Online Shop starting July 5.
There are some launch offers that the company has announced for those who will buy the Samsung Galaxy On 6. Jio customers buying the phone will get a cashback of Rs 2,750 in their MyJio account. However, they must get recharges done of Rs 198 and Rs 299 packs.
Furthermore, Reliance Jio customers can get a Double Data benefit on their first four recharges of Rs 198 or more. Other offers include getting a complete mobile protection plan at Rs 49, exchange offers and no cost EMI starting at Rs 1,610.
Specifications
Before we talk about the specifications of the smartphone, we’ll speak about the features that are being touted by Samsung. The smartphone comes with a ‘Chat Over Video’ feature that offers a translucent chat screen so that users can watch videos and chat with their contacts at the same time. Samsung Galaxy On6 also comes with My Galaxy Video app which has curated videos from content creators. Also, it has the Samsung Pay Mini.
Samsung Galaxy On6 sports a 5.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED display and like we mentioned earlier, it comes with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The smartphone runs Android 8.0 Oreo skinned with Samsung Experience UX and is powered by 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 7870 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM. The smartphone has 32GB of internal storage and can hold microSD cards of up to 256GB.
For imaging duties, the smartphone by Samsung comes with a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front facing camera. The rear camera has support for features like Animated GIF, Beauty Face, Face Detection, HDR, Panorama and more. The selfie camera supports Face Unlock.
Samsung Galaxy On6 houses a 3,000mAH battery and comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back. Connectivity options of the smartphone include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
OnePlus 6 Red Edition launched in India: Price, specs and more
If you were planning to buy the OnePlus 6 smartphone, you now have more colour options to choose from. Till now, the smartphone was available in Midnight Black, Mirror Black and Silk White colours. And now, the company has launched OnePlus 6 Red Edition smartphone in India. The OnePlus 6 comes with an amber-like effect that is said to be created by expert craftsmanship and material design. The smartphone has a metallic red shimmer and sports a red-coloured mirror-like fingerprint sensor on its back panel. It is not the first time that OnePlus has launched a Red Edition of its flagship smartphone, as the company had launched a red coloured OnePlus 5T too.
OnePlus 6 Red Edition Price
The newly launched OnePlus 6 Red Edition is priced at Rs 39,999. The smartphone is available in 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage and will go on sale starting July 16 on OnePlus’ official website in India.
OnePlus 6 Red Edition Specifications
According to the company, OnePlus 6 Red Edition is claimed to be designed with a “never-done-before” technique comprising of optical coating, an evaporative film and six panels of glass. The glass panel has an anti-reflective layer, which is said to allow more light to reach the bottom layers of the glass before it is reflected. This, according to the company, creates a sense of depth.
A translucent orange layer clubbed with the red base of the smartphone result in its radiant glossy red colour.
The hardware specifications of OnePlus 6 Red Edition are identical to that of OnePlus 6. It sports a 6.28-inch FHD+ Full Optic AMOLED display and comes in 19:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with the company’s own OxygenOS 5.1.
While OnePlus 6 is available in three storage variants, the OnePlus 6 Red Edition is available only in the aforementioned 8GB RAM/128GB onboard storage version.
For imaging duties, the smartphone sports a dual rear camera setup with a 16MP Sony IMX519 sensor clubbed with a 20MP Sony IM376K sensor. A dual LED flash comes with the dual rear camera setup of OnePlus 6 Red Edition.
The connectivity options of OnePlus 6 Red Edition include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The new edition of OnePlus 6 comes with a fingerprint sensor on its back panel, and houses a 3,300mAh battery with the company’s Dash Charge fast charging technology.
July 10 is the official launch date for Moto E5 Plus in India: Specs and other details
Hello Moto E5 Plus! is probably what the company is going to say in India on July 10. Yes, that is the date set by Motorola for the launch of Moto E5 Plus in India. The smartphone lies in the budget category of smartphones and should be around the Rs 12,000 mark in the country. The E series was first showcased in Brazil in April, along with the Moto G Series. The G series is already available in India, launched last month. Company has released a video in which they do say that the phone will have a large battery and a big display.
Moto E5 Plus specifications
Showcased over two months ago the Moto E5 Plus sports a 6-inch HD+ touchscreen (1,440 by 720 pixels). This will be a Vision IPS LCD display featuring 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, this smartphone will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 CPU. As far as the RAM and storage combo it concerned the Moto E5 Plus will have 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The memory can be expanded further with the help of the microSD card by up to 256 GB.
Moto E5 Plus comes with a super large 5,000 mAh battery, which supports 15W turbo charge. With 15 minutes of charge, users will get 6 hours of battery life. Moving on, the smartphone sports a 12MP rear camera (f/2.0 aperture). The camera also has auto focus capabilities and comes with an LED flash. The front snapper is powered by an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and a selfie light. Looking at the specs, it is not bad on paper but definitely has stiff competition at the price point.
Moto E5 Plus Price and availability.
As said before, the Moto E5 Plus would be prices around Rs 12,000 in India. The device will be and Amazon exclusive smartphone and should start shipping on the same day or mid of this month. With Moto E5 Plus the company had also showcased the play and regular model of the smartphone, which is said to come to India in a month’s time. Though, some reports do suggest the Moto E5 Play version will not come to India.