Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus is expected to launch its OnePlus 7 smartphone soon. Reports and rumours about the upcoming device have been circulating online for a couple of months now and because of them, we know that OnePlus 7 is expected to come with a pop-up selfie camera and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor.
Recently, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau confirmed that OnePlus 7 will not come with support for wireless charging. And today, he has confirmed another feature about the device. According to Lau, OnePlus 7 would not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack as the company wants to elaborate its wireless audio capabilities with the upcoming flagship smartphone.
He further added that the company wishes to polish its wireless headset experience, which basically means that we may get to see true wireless earbuds from OnePlus this year. However, we must add that till the time the company makes a formal announcement about the launch, this is just a speculation.
Lau took to Chinese social networking platform Weibo to confirm these plans and said that the removal of 3.5mm headphone jack from the flagship smartphones is a conscious decision. However, OnePlus CEO also believes that the wireless headset product line can be improved a lot before it is launched for the company’s fans. According to Lau, although the current product is “very good, it can be even more extreme.”
It will be safe to assume that this basically means that the company is planning to launch a rival of Apple AirPods and the Samsung Galaxy Buds.
As we mentioned earlier, a few days back, OnePlus CEO had also disclosed that the upcoming smartphone will not come with wireless charging. Instead, OnePlus 7 will come with the company’s own Warp Charging technology that was seen on OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition smartphone.
Lau also had a good reason for this. He said that till the time wireless charging will be able to charge devices without causing them to heat up, it would not be seen in smartphones by OnePlus. Taking pride in the company’s Warp charging, he said, “OnePlus charging is one of the best. Wireless charging is far inferior.”
Bluetooth speakers have always been loved by music lovers. While using headphones and earphones to listen to your favourite music can be fun, it is a much better experience when you can listen to it aloud at a high volume. Another factor that makes them better is the fact that they are very compact and easy to carry. So, you can also take them with you when you are going on a vacation.
While there are a number of options available as far as Bluetooth speakers go, there aren’t many regional options that are there. However, Saregama has launched a new Bluetooth speaker for its Telugu audience. Dubbed Carvaan Mini Legends – Telugu, the newly launched Bluetooth speaker comes with a curated collection of 351 popular songs from a number of regional artists like Akkineni Nageswara Rao, NT Rama Rao, SP Balasubrahmanyam and Ghantasala.
We should mention that even the original Carvaan Mini Legends Bluetooth speaker gets comes with regional retro and classical music and the company claims that it is used by millions of people.
Coming to the features of the new speaker, it comes with Bluetooth, USB and AUX and an entire collection of pre-loaded songs. Users can also tune into AM/FM using the device. The portable speaker comes with a four-hour battery back-up and the company is offering a warranty of six months on the device.
Speaking on the launch of the newly launched speaker, Vikram Mehra, Managing Director, Saregama India said, “We are excited to launch yet another variant specific for the regional audience – Carvaan Mini Legends – Telugu. With handpicked collection of music, we are sure that the new variant too will win hearts of people.”
If you are someone who speaks Telugu, or is just interested in Telugu music, Saregama’s Carvaan Mini Legends Telugu is a good way to listen to pre-loaded music of your choice and at the same time, you can listen to other music that you like by connecting the speaker to your smartphone via Bluetooth or AUX. You can also take it with yourself at a getaway where you intend to enjoy Telugu songs with others who have the same taste as you in music.
The newly launched Carvaan Mini Legends – Telugu is priced at Rs 2,490 on the company’s website and at retail stores.
Just days after Vivo V15 Pro was launched in India, details of the company’s S1 smartphone have surfaced online. The leaked smartphone – Vivo S1 – is reported to be the cheaper version of the company’s X27 handset, which is set to launch on March 19. Some of the details of the Vivo S1 includes a full-HD+ display with an octa-core processor. The leaked phone too will have a triple-rear camera setup with pop-up selfie camera like we saw on the Vivo V15 Pro.
The upcoming Vivo S1 is said to carry a price tag of CNY 2,000 (approximately Rs 20,800).
The news surfaced on Chinese social networking platform Weibo where the specifications and price of the phone was mentioned. Along with the specs, the image of the smartphone was also leaked showing its front and back sides. The images of Vivo S1 resembles the Vivo V15 Pro in terms of design. Talking about the specifications of the device, the Vivo S1 is reported to sport a 6.53-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) IPS display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. It is said to have 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The unannounced smartphone will be powered by octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 SoC.
As mentioned above, the Vivo S1 will reportedly come with a triple-rear camera setup with a 12MP primary sensor coupled with an 8MP secondary sensor and a 5MP sensor. The front-facing sensor is expected to be housed in the pop-up camera of 24.8MP sensor.
Till now, Vivo didn’t launch any smartphones in S-series but if the leaked news is true then the upcoming Vivo S1 will be the first phone of the series. The Vivo S1 will most likely be released in China and then it might make its way to the Indian markets. Last week Vivo V15 was launched in Thailand and it carried a price-tag of THB 10,999 (approximately Rs 24,200) for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant.
There is no official news from the company about the Vivo S1. The company is going to release the Vivo X27 in the Chinese market on March 19. The Vivo X27 also comes with the triple rear camera setup and a pop-up selfie camera. So, we might see the unveiling of Vivo S1 at the same event.
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Chinese smartphone brand Honor is bringing back the Honor Days sale by collaborating with Amazon India. The sale will run from March 11 to March 15, and during these five-days, the company will be offering discounts on five of its smartphones — Honor 8X, Honor 8C, Honor Play,Honor 7C and the latest flagship smartphone Honor View20.
Also, Honor is rolling out Android Pie update with EMUI 9.0 for Honor 8X. The update will be rolled out in batches and it will go live from March 18. The update includes Android Pie along with performance improvements and the new EMUI 9.0. The update also brings AR scanning capability with image recognition for shopping. It is also bringing the reverse search of the device so that now the users can search for anything using a picture.
Coming back to the Honor Days sale, here are the offers you should know about:
Honor Days sale: Offers and discounts
The company’s flagship smartphone, Honor View 20 with 6GB RAM/128GB storage is available for Rs 37,999 while the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant is available for Rs 45,999. Their original prices were Rs 42,999 and Rs 50,999 respectively. The customers will also get Rs 4,000 discount off on exchange of any smartphone on both the variants. Other offers include a 9 months no cost EMI and a 5% instant discount on Axis bank credit and debit cards.
The Honor 8X is getting discount of Rs 4,000 in both its variants. Honor 8X with 4GB RAM/64GB storage is available for Rs 13,999 and the 6GB RAM/64GB storage can be picked up for Rs 15,999 during the sale. Originally, the two storage variants of the device were sold for Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999 respectively.
Coming to Honor 8C, it is getting Rs 3,000 off on its original price of Rs 12,999. So, now the 4GB RAM/32GB storage variant of Honor 8C is selling for Rs 9,999.
Similarly, the Honor Play is getting Rs 7,000 off on its original price of Rs 21,999. During the sale, Honor Play is available for Rs 14,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant.
Lastly, the Honor 7C smartphone is getting Rs 5,000 off of its original price of Rs 12,999. Now, the smartphone is available for Rs 7,999 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant.
All the smartphones mentioned above is additionally getting 5% instant discount on the use of Axis bank credit and debit card EMI from March 12 to March 15.
India is one of the most expensive countries where one can buy the latest iPhones. The primary reason behind this is obviously the fact that exorbitant import duty is levied on the smartphones and gadgets that are not manufactured in the country. Apple has not started manufacturing high-end iPhones in India yet, its smartphones also have the import duty levied on them. Last week, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that iPhone manufacturer Wistron’s new plan for manufacturing in India has been approved by the government. This means that Apple will soon start manufacturing its high-end smartphones like iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR in India, and hence, will be able to sell them at a cheaper price.
Till this happens, you can buy the latest iPhones from other countries if you don’t want to spend as much as their Indian price. Recently, we shared a list of countries where you can buy the iPhone XR cheaper than India. Today, we are here with a list of countries where you can buy iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max cheaper than India. Note that the 6GB, 256GB and 512GB storage models of iPhone XS are priced at Rs 99,900, Rs 1,14,900 and Rs 1,34,900 respectively while the same models of iPhone XS Max are priced at Rs 1,09,900, Rs 1,24,900 and Rs 1,44,900. Here, we have listed the price of only the base variant in other countries. Take a look:
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The United States
iPhone XS: $999 – approximately Rs 69,795
iPhone XS Max: $1099 – approximately Rs 76,781
In 2019, Samsung is focusing heavily on the budget to mid-range smartphone market. Last month it released two smartphones in the new M-series named Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20. Following the same line-up, the South Korean tech company launched a new smartphone – Samsung Galaxy M30. The price of Galaxy M30 is similar to what most Xiaomi, Asus, Realme mid-rangers fall in. With other smartphones from the rest of the companies giving similar features in the same price, could Samsung Galaxy M30 prove itself? What makes the Samsung Galaxy M30 stand apart from all the other company’s smartphones, let’s find out in our review:
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Design and Display
The front of the Galaxy M30 is dominated by its near bezel-less display. The display comes with a huge 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2,340 x 1,080 pixels) resolution Super AMOLED touchscreen. There is a waterdrop style notch at the top of it, which houses the front camera of the device. There is a little bit of bezel at the bottom of the device, but it is not a deal breaker since most of the front is taken up by the beautiful touchscreen. The display of Galaxy M30 is the same as the Galaxy S10+, but it is not as wide as the Samsung’s flagship. Unlike the other two smartphones in the Galaxy M-series, which held the IPS LCD display, the successor, Galaxy M30 sports a Super-AMOLED display which is vibrant and bright. Thanks to its big display, watching media and playing games on it feels wonderful. The sunlight visibility is decent as well.
Although the back panel of the device feels like glass and shines like a glass, it’s actually polished plastic (polycarbonate). But even though it’s made from plastic it doesn’t feel cheap. The use of plastic has one advantage, it shaves off some weight from the smartphone. Also, there is a triple-rear camera setup with LED flash at the top left corner of the back. Although the device is tall, the fingerprint scanner on it is easy to reach.
The Galaxy M30 comes in two colour options, Gradation Blue and Gradation Black, we had the latter which gives the dual tone colour of black at the bottom to bluish-tint at the top. Being a tall device, the Galaxy M30 is quite easy to hold with its rounded edges, but at times we felt the device is not great for one-handed use.
The bottom of the device has the speaker grille, a USB Type-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack with the volume rockers and the power button placed on the right of the device. The left side of the device holds the dual-SIM card with a dedicated microSD card slot on the tray.
Performance and Camera
The Samsung Galaxy M30 sports an octa-core Exynos 7904 SoC clocking at 1.8GHz and a Mali-G71 MP2 GPU for graphics processing. It comes in a 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and a 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant, we reviewed the 4 gigs version of the M30. Even though it has just 4GB of RAM, it held its ground well when it comes to multi-tasking. The app transitions were smooth, the opening of apps was fast and overall performance was great. So, if you are planning to get the Galaxy M30, the 4GB version does give you good bang for the buck. It also supports microSD card up to 512GB so if you ever run out of storage just put in a memory card and you will be good to go.
Ultra-wide sample
Talking about the cameras of the Galaxy M30, it comes with triple-rear camera setup. The primary camera comprises of a 13MP sensor with f/1.9 aperture, it is paired with a 5MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and live focus. The third camera of the setup is also a 5MP, but an ultra-wide sensor. The front camera has a 16MP sensor and it comes with many features. Being a triple camera setup there are only two modes to choose from – an ultra-wide shot and a regular shot.
The pictures clicked from the cameras offer good details with great colour accuracy. The low-light photography with the Galaxy M30 is decent seeing the price point of the smartphone. Like many smartphones in this segment, low-light photography suffers from little noise. But that is overshadowed by the photos clicked in the light. Also, you might want to enable that rear flash in low light and at night to get more sharpness from the clicked shot.
The biggest advantage of the smartphone is its battery which is of 5,000mAh. With heavy usage (which involves a lot of gaming), the phone is able to last a day but with normal usage, it lasts around 2 days. It also comes with 15W fast charger and the smartphone supports 3X fast charging. Even though the battery is of a 5,000mAh it charges from 0% to 100% in 2 hours. And with this battery, the company claims the Galaxy M30 offers 25 hours of videos along or 105 hours on a single charge.
Being a mid-budget device, the Galaxy M30 offers decent gaming performance. PUBG and Asphalt 9 run smoothly on medium settings. Playing more than half hours of PUBG didn’t heat up the device which adds to its positive points. Even charging the device doesn’t heat it up much, so there is no heating issue on the device.
For security, the Galaxy M30 comes with fingerprint scanner and face unlock. The fingerprint scanner on the device worked fast, but we had to do double tap when unlocking with moist fingers. The face scanner also works well enough to unlock with just a glimpse of your face. There are also the old ways of unlocking the device with pin, patterns and passwords.
The Galaxy M30 comes with all the necessary sensors along with Virtual Light Sensing, which senses the light of the environment and adjusts the brightness of the device automatically. As for the networks, it supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G LTE. It also has USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5GHz along with Bluetooth v5.0.
The Galaxy M30 comes with a bottom firing speaker which is loud and the sound clarity is decent too. Music and media playback sound is clear and loud. Being a bottom firing speaker, it at times gets covered by the hand, when watching media or playing games in landscape mode, but that is the problem of all the bottom-firing speakers.
gaming on M30
The Samsung Galaxy M30 comes with Dolby Atmos support, however it only works with a pair of headphones only. Luckily, Samsung does give a pair within the box unlike most of its competitors who cut corners in this department. Nevertheless, the single loudspeaker works well and gaming does come to life with it.
As for the operating system, It runs on Android Oreo and doesn’t come with Samsung’s latest One UI. So, the Galaxy M30 comes with the old Samsung software and the old Android version. There was not much Bloatware besides Samsung’s apps, which we loved. As most in the category, like Xiaomi have a ton of bloatware and also show you unwanted adds when using the device.
Verdict
Samsung has mostly been absent in the past years from the mid-range budget segment, but now in 2019, it has made a comeback with the Galaxy M and A-series. Through Galaxy M30, Samsung is proving that it is serious and will bring to the market what its consumers want. At Rs 14,990 the 4GB version of the Galaxy M30 is a great device to go for if you want good premium looks, a great display and a very long battery life.
Pros:
South Korean electronics maker LG launched its G8 ThinQ smartphone at the Mobile World Congress 2019, that was held in Spain last month. And now, the company has announced that LG G8 smartphone would be going on pre-orders in South Korea starting March 15. However, the sale of the device will only begin on March 22. Here’s everything you should know about the price, availability and specifications of LG G8 ThinQ smartphone:
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LG G8 ThinQ price and launch offers
In South Korea, the LG G8 ThinQ will sell for KRW 897,000 (approximately Rs 55,300). As mentioned above, the actual sale of the device will start from March 22, but the customers are free to pre-order between March 15 and March 20.
Customers who purchase the LG G8 ThinQ will also get a one-time screen replacement for one-year and the smartphone will come with a free case.
Although LG G8 ThinQ will start selling from this month itself in South Korea, there is no news about the global price and availability of the device. To recall, the LG G8 ThinQ was announced alongside the LG G8S ThinQ at the MWC 2019, held in Barcelona, Spain last month.
LG G8 ThinQ specifications
LG G8 ThinQ sports a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ (1440 x 3120 pixels) OLED FullVision display that comes with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The device has a pixel density of 564ppi. LG G8 ThinQ is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM and runs Android 9.0 Pie. It has support for dual-SIM (Nano) cards.
LG G8 ThinQ comes in two variants – one with a dual-rear camera setup and the other with a triple-rear camera setup. The South Korean variant of the LG G8 ThinQ comes with a triple-rear camera setup of a 12MP primary sensor with f/1.5 aperture,85-degree lens paired with a 16MP secondary sensor with 107-degree super wide-angle lens with f/1.9 aperture and a 12MP tertiary sensor with a 45-degree telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture.
At the front, there is an 8MP autofocus camera with f/1.7 aperture. There is also a ToF Z Camera on the device which is designed to enable Hand ID palm vein authentication. It means that the smartphone will unlock by holding the user’s palm at the front of the device. The device with the help of the ToF Z camera will read the user’s veins inside the palms and unlock the device. Alternatively, the smartphone also has a fingerprint sensor at the back.
LG G8 ThinQ comes with 128GB onboard storage with microSD card support up to 2TB. For connectivity options, the LG G8 ThinQ includes the 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, Bluetooth v5.0 along with a USB Type-C port (v3.1). The smartphone packs a 3,500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology support. Other features include an inbuilt 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC that enables DTS:X 3D Surround Sound.
Xiaomi Mi A2 has received a price cut of Rs 2,000 in India. While its earlier price was Rs 13,999, after the price cut, the smartphone is available for Rs 11,999. The news of the discount on Xiaomi Mi A2 smartphone was announced by the company’s Global Vice President, Manu Kumar Jain. This is the second time that the cost of the device has been reduced by the company.
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Xiaomi Mi A2 price
After the price cut of Rs 2,000, Xiaomi Mi A2 will be selling for Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant. However, the 6GB RAM/128GB storage model of Xiaomi Mi A2 hasn’t been changed and it is selling for Rs 15,999.
The new price of the smartphone is available on Amazon.in, Mi.com, Mi Home, Mi Store and Mi preferred partners.
In January 2019, Xiaomi Mi A2 had received price cuts for both its variants – the 4GB RAM/64GB storage model and the 6GB RAM/128GB storage version. But this time, the company has only reduced the price of the 4GB RAM variant of Xiaomi Mi A2.
Xiaomi Mi A2 was launched in India in August 2018 and at that time it came with a price tag f Rs 16,999 for the 4GB RAM /64GB storage variant and Rs 19,999 for the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant.
Xiaomi Mi A2 specifications
Xiaomi Mi A2 is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 660 SoC coupled with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. The smartphone sports a 5.99-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2160 pixels) display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. When launched, it ran Android 8.1 Oreo but in November it received Android 9.0 Pie update.
Xiaomi Mi A2 sports a dual-rear camera setup with a 12MP Sony IMX486 primary sensor with an f/1.75 aperture along with a 20MP Sony IMX376 secondary sensor with 4-in-1 Super Pixel tech with f/1.75 aperture. At the front Xiaomi Mi A2 holds a 20MP sensor with LED flash. For storage, it comes with 64GB and 128GB of internal storage variants, both of which come with support for a microSD card.
For connectivity, Xiaomi Mi A2 comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and a USB Type-C (v2.0) port. The device also comes with a fingerprint sensor at the back and packs a 3,000mAh battery with Quick Charge 4+ support. Some of its other sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, and proximity sensor.
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Taiwanese electronics maker Asus has unveiled its latest range of gaming laptops along with a desktop in India. The new laptops that have been launched include Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Zephyrus S GX701, and ROG Strix SCAR II and the desktop that has been unveiled is GL12CX. The new gaming laptops by the company are touted to come with NVIDIA GeForce RTX engines, which is known to enhance the graphics performance in the devices. Asus has also said that ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Zephyrus S GX701, and ROG Strix SCAR II laptops come with advanced cooling.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX is priced at Rs 3,49,990, and the ROG Zephyrus S GX531 costs Rs 2,39,990. Coming to ROG Strix SCAR II, it is available in three variants – GL504GW-ES007T, GL504GV-ES019T and GL504GV-ES034T – that are priced at Rs 2,09,990, Rs 1,64,990 and Rs 1,64,990 respectively. Asus ROG Strix SCAR and Hero will be available starting today.
Speaking of Asus GL12 CX, it is available in three variants – GL12CX-IN002T, GL12CS-IN009T and G21CN-IN006T – that are priced at Rs 3,29,990, Rs 2,19,990 and Rs 2,13,990 respectively.
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Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 specifications
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 laptop sports a 15.6-inch display and packs NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max. It is powered by the latest Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and its display comes with a 144Hz refresh rate and 3ms response time. The device also comes with a patented AAS cooling system, 12V anti-dust cooling fans, 5 heat pipes and 4 heat sinks.
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX specifications
Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX laptop has a 17-inch display and is powered by 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors coupled with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 GPU. It is touted to come with a 15-inch ultra slim chassis and the company claims that it has a great gaming experience with 144Hz 3ms response time display. The laptop comes with Pantone Validated colours with factory calibration and ProArt TruColor Technology. It also comes with a GPU Switch that easily transitions between better gaming and longer battery life. The device is said to come with a patented AAS cooling system, per-key RGB Lighting and Aura Sync.
Asus ROG Strix SCAR II specifications
Coming to Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX701GX, it comes with a 15.6-inch display and comes with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 graphics coupled with 8GB of VRAM. The company claims that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX “expands to horizons in true to life graphics with advanced Ray-Tracing Technology”. Powered by the latest 8th Generation Intel Core i7-8750H six-core CPU, that is supposed to provide 23% better performance than the predecessor. The gaming laptop comes with HyperCool Pro that keeps it cool when the device is being used extensively for gaming. Asus ROG Strix SCAR II comes with the best Wi-Fi connectivity and comes with the HyperStrike Pro Keyboard, prominent WASD keys and 1.8mm key travel distance. The Armoury Crate with Aura Sync has the ability to connect all supported RGB peripherals for a unified lighting effect.
Asus ROG Strix GL12 CX specifications
Asus ROG Strix GL12CX comes with Intel Coffee Lake processors up to i9-9900K which are overclocked to provide an enhanced gaming performance. It comes with up to RTX 2080 which is capable of delivering smooth performance for immersive 4K HDR gaming. Asus ROG Strix GL12CX has a hot-swap 2.5-inch SSD tray along with a customized Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 120 closed-loop liquid cooler.
Commenting on the launch, Arnold Su, ROG & PC Head of ASUS India said, “ROG is more than just a gaming brand; it’s a commitment to enhancing your gaming and enthusiast experience through innovative engineering and thoughtful design. Staying true to our promise today we launch the new ROG line up powered by the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX lineup, including the GeForce RTX 2080 on the GL12CX desktop, and the GeForce RTX 2060, RTX 2070 powering the ROG GL504 laptop pairing real-time ray tracing and artificial intelligence with cutting edge gaming and VR performance. Each one offers innovative cooling to ensure that the products deliver unprecedented sustained gaming performance. We are confident with the new RTX line up the ROG segment has become an even more exciting segment to look forward.”
Google has rolled out augmented reality (AR) effect tools to YouTube which can be now added to Stories on the platform. So, going forward, you will be able to add animated masks, glasses, hats and more such stickers and filters to your pictures before adding them to YouTube Stories. According to Google, ‘proper anchoring of virtual content to the real world is a difficult challenge’. The difficulty, according to the technology giant, lies in the precise tracking of dynamic surface geometries across the face, smiles, frowns and smirks.
Speaking about the update, Artsiom Ablavatski and Ivan Grishchenko, Research Engineers, Google Artificial Intelligence (AI) wrote in a blog post, “To make all this possible, we employ machine learning (ML) to infer approximate 3D surface geometry to enable visual effects and ML Pipeline for Selfie AR.”
Google also stated that it is working on improving the accuracy and robustness of the new AR support by refining the processes. It should be noted that Facebook and Instagram already come with AR filter support for their Stories, so it makes YouTube the last to receive the support for AR filters.
Google’s blog post further states, “That way we can grow our dataset to increasingly challenging cases, such as grimaces, oblique angle and occlusions. Dataset augmentation techniques also expanded the available ground truth data, developing model resilience to artefacts like camera imperfections or extreme lighting conditions.”
Google is not only bringing the AR only to YouTube, as it is also adding an AR-backed feature to Google Maps, which will allow the user to see the real world through the camera. Last month, Google stated that it is testing the use of AR with Google Maps. The Maps using Google StreetView would use the cameras to see and add AR signs like, arrows, pointers and street names to the live image. In short, Google Maps will make it easier for the user to find their ways by identifying the right street and place and also by guiding the user in the right direction. The AR for Google Maps is still in its beta phase but it will roll out for the users in the coming months. While the AR filter on YouTube stories will be live in the coming days.
“We are excited to share this new technology with creators, users and developers alike. In the future we plan to broaden this technology to more Google products,” Ablavatski and Grishchenko noted.
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We will get the first look at Android Q at Google I/O 2019 that is scheduled to begin on May 7 and go on till May 9. However, we have been reading reports and rumours about the upcoming android version for a few months now. A number of features of Android Q have been spoken about. While some are claimed to be much-awaited ones like System-wide Dark Mode, others are said to enhance security.
Once the timeline for Android Pie Developer Preview is out, it will last for a few months before being taken over by Android Q Beta program, which will most likely happen at the Google I/O 2019. We should mention here that with Android P Beta Program, search giant Google started running early previews of the next version of its operating system on smartphones that are not a part of its Nexus or Pixel range.
Seven new smartphones received the Android P Beta as a result of the collaboration between Google with these OEMs. The seven new devices that got the update were Essential PH-1, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. However, we should add that not all of these were available in India.
Coming back to Android Q, Google is planning to collaborate with even more OEMs this time. So, more number of smartphones will be a part of the roster that will be getting the Android Q Beta. This information has been revealed by Android Developer Illiyan Malchev in the Android Developers Backstage podcast. According to reports that have spoken about the podcast, Malchev was asked, “I noticed that when we announced the Android Pie preview at last year’s I/O, there were several devices that were announced at that time, which I thought was new to have that many different devices coming out. I assumed that was in part due to Treble, making it easier for those devices to be….”
And to this, he replied saying, “Yeah, in fact it was fully due to Treble. We had, I believe, eight OEMs including Pixels, so seven OEMs other than Pixel. And I think it was for the first time we had all of these companies line up to do developer previews and betas for Android Pie well ahead of the AOSP publication date. For reference, we tend to release the new version of Android some time in August. So at Google I/O [2018], when we did the first beta, we had all these companies lined up and that was really that amazing. The number is bigger for the upcoming Android release, which I am very happy about. I cannot share the exact numbers yet. But the trend is positive and strong, and I am very happy about this.”
However, we should point out that the exact number of OEMs that will be a part of the Android Q Beta Program has not been revealed yet. Neither do we know which mobile phones would be getting it. However, we are excited to see what the search giant has planned for its next Android version.
Last month saw the launch of Samsung Galaxy A50, Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A10 in India. At the launch event, the South Korean technology giant promised that it will release a Galaxy A-series smartphone every month till June 2019. Keeping its promise, Samsung is working on the next smartphone in the Galaxy A-series – Galaxy A40. And now, a report suggests that Samsung Galaxy A40 has already received the US FCC certification, so it will most likely be the smartphone to be released next in the Galaxy A-series line-up.
Recently, Samsung Galaxy A40 was spotted on the company’s official UK website. The smartphone was also spotted on Geekbench listings in the past, and with the FCC certificate granted to it, Samsung Galaxy A40 might launch sooner than expected. The Galaxy A40 from Samsung holds the model number ‘SMA405FN’ on the official FCC database.
According to the listing, Samsung Galaxy A40 will sport a 5.7-inch display and come with support for dual-band WI-FI 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac along with Bluetooth 5.0 LE. The processor, camera, RAM and other hardware details of the smartphone is not revealed by the listing which was first spotted by MySmartPrice.
Earlier, Samsung’s UK website created a dedicated product page for Samsung Galaxy A40 which further confirms the news. The support page of the upcoming Galaxy A40 smartphone also went live on Samsung’s official Germany website recently. According to a recent news online, Samsung Galaxy A40 will be priced at EUR 249 (approximately Rs 20,000) and it will be launched in India along with other European countries.
Other than the display and connectivity, no other specifications have been confirmed by the company. But it is rumoured that Samsung Galaxy A40 will be powered by the company’s Exynos 7885 SoC and will be coupled with 4GB of RAM. Along with that, the smartphone is rumoured to have a ToF 3D sensor along with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The upcoming Galaxy A40 will fall between the Galaxy A30 and the Galaxy A50. Currently, Samsung Galaxy A50 is the top end variant in the A-series smartphone and it comes with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display. Samsung Galaxy A50 is powered by an Exynos 9610 SoC and comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM variants. It rocks a triple-rear camera setup comprising of 25MP, 8MP and 5MP sensors while the front of the Galaxy A50 holds a 25MP selfie camera. The device houses a 4,000mAh battery and a USB Type-C port. Samsung Galaxy A50 price starts at Rs 19,990.
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There is no argument about the fact that Facebook-owned WhatsApp is the most popular instant messaging app in the world. While WhatsApp was initially launched as an instant messenger, the app has now been stuffed with a number of useful features. Users can make voice and video calls, send and receive money, and do so much more via WhatsApp now.
Everyone knows that WhatsApp can be downloaded via Google’s Play Store and Apple‘s App Store, and one can have absolutely no trouble in locating the official version of the app on either of the two platforms. In spite of this, some users have installed the modded versions of the app that have been developed by third-parties.
The primary reason why people download these apps are that they have some useful features that are not a part of the official app. GB WhatsApp and WhatsApp Plus are good examples of such apps.
We should mention that although these apps have ‘WhatsApp’ in their names, they are not actually made by the company. A number of users download such apps to get access to additional features. What most people don’t know is that these apps pose security risks are they make their personal details, chats and contacts more vulnerable to being hacked.
However, WhatsApp will be banning such users from its platform. The banned users will get the message, “Your phone number is banned from using WhatsApp. Contact support for help.”
If you receive this message, you will have to uninstall the third-party app you are using and then download the official WhatsApp Messenger. However, currently, there is no word on whether doing this will restore the chat history of users.
We should also mention that there are apps available that have to be downloaded in addition to WhatsApp to get some features. For instance, there are several apps on the Google Play Store that enable users to save other people’s WhatsApp Status images. However, the app itself doesn’t allow this. We recommend you to avoid these apps too.
On an unrelated note, WhatsApp has been trying a number of new features on its app. The app will soon be getting a Dark Mode and an Advanced Search feature. With Advanced Search, users will be able to look for various media that have been sent on chat. As of now, one only has the ability to search for text messages.
Huawei has started rolling out new updates for its flagship smartphone – Mate 20 Pro. In the new update, Huawei Mate 20 Pro is receiving the ViLTE support for a conversational video service. ViLTE stand for Video over LTE, and currently this service is being rolled out for Huawei Mate 20 Pro users. However, the company has promised that it will soon be available for all Huawei smartphones.
The new service enables users to make video calls without using a third-party video calling app like Skype. Along with the new feature, the update also brings the latest Android security patch for Huawei Mate 20 Pro.
The update is available in India, and besides the ViLTE and February Security Patch, it comes with system stability improvements along with an Indian theme. The update has a build number 9.0.0.199 and is 158MB in size. It is being rolled as an OTA (over-the-air) update and will start reaching Huawei Mate 20 Pro users in a few days.
ViLTE is the main feature that Huawei is bringing with the new update. The ViLTE is an extension of the VoLTE (Voice over LTE) which brings enhanced voice call quality. Similarly, the ViLTE enhances the quality of video chats via a high-quality video channel. It is based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core network. But besides providing video calls without a third-party app, ViLTE also adds another layer of security assurance by bringing SIM-based authentication similar to VoLTE.
Currently, the update will be live for the Huawei Mate 20 Pro followed by other smartphones of the company. In February, Huawei India revealed on their Twitter account that the Huawei Nova 3 will be getting the ViLTE support in March 2019. They also said that the update will roll out in batches for Huawei P20 Lite in mid-April. Currently, the ViLTE update will be received by the Huawei Mate 20 Pro followed by Nova 3 and Mate P20 Lite. Huawei hasn’t revealed the dates about when will the other smartphones of the company will receive the updates but it had promised that they will receive the ViLTE support update.
In the last few years, Slack has garnered a lot of popularity as a workplace collaboration app. A number of organisations prefer to keep their work-related chats restricted to Slack and avoid using other apps like WhatsApp or Google Hangouts for most professional conversations.
In order to maintain its popularity with users, Slack has today started testing the Dark Mode on the beta version of its iOS and Android apps. As of now, the mode will be tested with a select number of users and once the company ensures that it is bug-free, it will get rolled out to the masses.
The update on Android and iOS was first spotted by 9to5Mac and 9to5Google. Although the Dark Mode is currently being tested, there is a way in which you can activate it yourself. So, in case you want to be one among the people who get to try it first, you don’t have to wait for it.
To get the Dark Mode without waiting, you would have to be a part of Slack’s beta testing program. To join the workplace collaboration app’s beta program, you can head to the app’s Settings and scroll down to the ‘Jon Beta’ section. Here, you would be asked to give your name and e-mail address. You will then be approved to be a part of Slack’s beta program. However, you will have to press the toggle that enabled the mode in Settings.
According to 9to5Google, if you use Slack for Android, you will be asked to restart the app and if you use Slack for iOS, the version will be changed automatically.
We should mention that once you join the beta program of any app, you get far more updates than you do on the normal version. This is because before any company rolls out a stable update on its app, the changes are first tested with the beta users. We should also add here that not all beta updates are bug-free.
Dark Mode has gained a lot of popularity with users in the last few months and a number of apps have either rolled it out already or are currently testing it with select. The apps that already have the Dark Mode include Twitter, YouTube, Android Messages, Pocket and more. The feature would soon roll out on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Not only does Dark Mode strain the eyes less, Google has confessed that it also consumes less battery on Android smartphones.
Lenovo-owned Motorola has been reported to be working on a revamped version of its iconic Razr smartphone. The foldable smartphone by Motorola will be launched later this year. As of now, we have only seen some concept renders of the upcoming Moto Razr and some speculations surrounding have surfaced online.
And now, a report about the Motorola‘s Foldable Razr smartphone suggests that users will be able to scroll content on the secondary screen of the device when the handset is unfolded. In addition to this, Motorola’s revamped Moto Razr will allow some of the apps to run properly on the secondary display.
The report, which first surfaced online on XDA Developers, said that Motorola’s upcoming Moto Razr will not have the kind of Android experience that can be found on other foldable devices like Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. The report further added that the secondary display of the smartphone will only showcase the content from a few pre-installed apps on the device.
However, Motorola will be restricting the functionality of the secondary display for apps like Moto Display, Moto Actions and Moto Camera. The report also suggests that the secondary display of the smartphone will also act as a trackpad, so users will be able to scroll through web pages on Chrome, and browse through ‘Recents’ using it. The display will also show six quick settings that will reportedly appear in the form of tiles. But as of now, it has not been made clear if users will be able to scroll down and look at more quick settings on the secondary display.
When the camera app of the smartphone will be accessed, users will be able to tap on the main display of Moto Razr in order to click photos and they can use the swipe up gesture to zoom in.
The Google Assistant animation will also be visible to users on the secondary display of the new Moto Razr smartphone when the digital assistant will be activated. However, they will have to enable this feature themselves. So if you end up buying the device, you can choose to have this option if only you think it is useful.
But then, if you choose to not have the Google Assistant animation enabled, you will have to enter the password on flipping open the smartphone.
The company may also add a feature that will enable users to set different wallpapers for the main display and the secondary display. Furthermore, Motorola is also testing features that would show users notifications, a clock and a tool to control media from the secondary display.
Microsoft, the company behind the some of the most impressive inventions and devices like Hololens, Windows etc says in the coming days Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become the next big thing. Like all the big tech companies including Google and Facebook, Microsoft too is working on making an AI to leap further into the future. But according to the company, working and developing an AI without the inclusion of women in them is most likely to make the AI biased.
According to the World Economic Report 2018, only 22% of AI professionals globally are female. And almost 32% believe that gender bias is still major problem in the recruitment process of the AI industry.
To make the AI non-biased and logical the data sets used to train the Artificial Intelligence need to be assembled by a diverse group of data engineers comprising of both males and females. Else, the AI would result in biased results.
Like most of the industries around the world, the tech industry as well is dominated by males. So, to balance the gender gap in the tech sector, Microsoft along with other technology companies are promoting study of computer science and Information Technology by females in colleges and universities. The report further adds that there are a huge number of people who think that the tech industry is a ‘male’ only or a male dominant industry.
According to the World Economic Forum 2018, India places at 108th globally in the gender gap index. Also, at 27%, it has one of the lowest participation rates of women in the labour market.
The Microsoft executive says, “We believe that attracting, developing and helping women in STEM fields is vital to ensuring a well-rounded, inclusive society without which we risk having hundreds of thousands of jobs left unfilled and decades of innovation absent of female perspectives.”
Its not just the IT and tech world that has a larger male percent than the female percent working in it, corporate sectors, banking and other major business platforms have male domination. Corporate and academic AI teams also have made systems biased against women.
In 2018 Amazon’s ML experts removed a ‘sexist’ AI recruiting tool after they discovered that the recruiting engine ‘did not like women’.
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After TikTok, another popular application has run into trouble in India. PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is the popular battle royale game, which is extremely popular among the Indian youth and teenagers. Seeing its popularity, many people, parents and politicians demanded a ban on the mobile game saying that the game is too addictive. They wanted the game to be banned because teenagers and children were spending more time on the game than studying. And following the incident, Rajkot Police has called a ban on PUBG due to its highly addictive nature.
Many government officials have often times said that the game is a ‘demon’ and is a source of addiction and is rotting the youngster’s minds. According to Rajkot Police officials, PUBG is harmful for children and in that regards the Police issued a notification on Monday according to which the ban will be implemented from March 9 to April 30. The issue was ordered by Rajkot Police Commissioner Manoj Agrawal. After its implementation, if anyone is reported playing PUBG during the ban then they would face prosecution under the Central Government Act under Section 188.
The ban comes after a month of PUBG’s one-year release anniversary. It was last month when the much-awaited zombie-mode was brought to the game where it had partnered with Resident Evil 2 remake. After that, the game went viral even more. PUBG keeps its players engaged with the PUBG world/country championships which keeps the players hooked to the game.
Furthermore, in the last six months, the game has faced massive criticism from Indian people even though it has millions of players from India. Even the Narendra Modi, PM of India had commented about the game in one of his speeches. Earlier, there were many incidents about the game where it led to people going crazy, violent and even going as far as killing someone.
But even though many states and ministers had called for its ban, Rajkot became the first Indian city to put an official ban on PUBG. Similarly, on January 23, the Gujarat government had asked the Central government to put a complete ban of the app.
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Earlier, because of the rising concern of parents for their children addiction on PUBG, the South Korean game company had promised that it will make the game more friendly and take care of the situation. But this time, PUBG responded in a statement by saying that the company will take measures to make the game more responsible. It also said that it is ‘working with parents, educators, and government bodies to improve the game.’
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Chinese media app, TikTok launched a new safety feature for its platform, which allows the users to filter self-defined words in Hindi and English from the comment section. The feature is named ‘Filter Comments’ and as its name suggests, it will automatically remove up to 30 user-defined words from the comments section of the post. TikTok also said that the users can also change the listed words when they want to what they want.
Following the Safer Internet Day (SID), on February 4, TikTok India brought the safety feature as a part of #SafeHumSafeInternet and #BetterMeBetterInternet campaigns. These campaigns were launched with TikTok’s partnership with the Cyber Peace Foundation to mark the Safer Internet Day (SID).
Earlier, the users were able to decide who can comment and react on their videos or send them any messages. The app also had given users the option to see and choose who can download their content from the app. The users will get full control over their profile and who will be able to view it. All these setting came in the app’s existing privacy and safety setting. Seeing its huge Indian user base, TikTok said that it was ‘committed to maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment for its users in India’.
Recently, the app faced massive backlash and criticism from the political party Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) economic wing Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) demanding a ban on TikTok. Following suit, many people too demanded bans on China related apps and games like the ever-popular PUBG and TikTok to name a few. The plea of the ban heightened after the Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama attack where 40 CRPF soldiers were killed in a deadly suicide bomb attack.
Tapping into the TikTok app and when searching for the #RSS tag, the results were around 64.5 million while #Ayodhya tag showed around 14.1 million views. Many such other searches had millions of results which shows just how popular the app is among Indian teenagers and youngsters.
To sum it all, TikTok has more than 54 million monthly Indian users with the numbers increasing constantly. It was launched back in 2016 with another name ‘Douyin’ by ByteDance, at first it was launched in China and in 2017 it was pushed out for the international markets.
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In the first sale of the much-awaited Redmi Note 7 on Wednesday, it went out-of-stock in an instant. Xiaomi has announced that the second sale of the Redmi Note 7 in India will be on March 13. According to Xiaomi, it sold more than 2,00,000 units of the Redmi Note 7 in the first flash sale. The sale took place on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home stores all across the country. In India, the phone was launched last month along with other devices including the Mi TV 4A 32 and Redmi Note 7 Pro.
In This Article
Redmi Note 7 specifications
The Redmi Note 7 sports a 6.3-inch Full HD+ (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) resolution display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. It is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 660 SoC coupled with 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The Note 7 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MIUI 10 on top. It features a dual rear camera setup at the back with 12MP primary sensor with f/2.2 aperture along with a 2MP secondary sensor. On the front there is a 13MP selfie camera with AI Portrait Mode, AI Beautify, face recognition, HDR support and AI scene detection. Over that, there is also a fingerprint scanner at the back of the device.
For storage, the Redmi Note 7 comes with 32GB and 64GB options with microSD card support up to 256GB. For connectivity, the device comes equipped with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, Infrared (IR) blaster, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Redmi Note 7 also has a 4,000mAh battery and it supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4, too.
If the customers want to get their hands on the Redmi Note 7 in the next sale, they would need to press the ‘Notify me’ button on Flipkart to get updates about the sale. They can also visit the website – Mi.com to get regular updates about the upcoming sale of the device and the offers it will be getting.
Redmi Note 7 price and offers
The starting price of Redmi Note 7 in India is Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant. Its 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant sells for Rs 11,999. Both the variants of the phone come in Onyx Black, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue colour options.
#RedmiNote7: we had produced 200K+ units till this week, all of which went out of stock in just a few mins yesterday! 👊
Additionally, Reliance Jio is offering the customers of Redmi Note 7 benefits of double data offer, which they can avail through a recharge of Rs 198 or more.
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At the recently concluded MWC 2019, Japanese electronics maker Sony launched its flagship smartphone Xperia 1 that comes with an ultra-tall, 21:9 CinemaWide display that has support for HDR. Sony Xperia 1 smartphone also sports a triple rear camera setup that is backed by an Eye AF technology and supports up to 10 fps burst shooting.
However, Sony did not share the pricing or the availability details of the smartphone at the time of its launch. But now, the smartphone has been listed by UK retailer Clove for pre-order, and this has also revealed the pricing of the smartphone.
According to the listing on CLove Technology, Sony Xperia 1 is priced at GBP 707.50, which is approximately Rs 64,800. But we should mention that this will be the cost of the smartphone without VAT charges. With VAT charges applied, the price of the device will go up to GBP 849, which is approximately Rs 77,800.
The listing, which was first spotted by XperiaBlog, also states that the device will start shipping by the end of May. Interested customers can pre-order the Sony Xperia 1 smartphone already. However, since the price has been revealed by a third-party retailer, we should take it with a grain of salt.
Sony Xperia 1 specifications
Sony Xperia 1 sports a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that is backed by the colour calibration that is used in the company’s professional master monitors. The screen resolution of Sony Xperia 1’s display is 3,840 x 1,644 pixels and it has support for HDR.
Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor, Sony Xperia 1 comes with 6GB of RAM clubbed with 64GB and 128GB storage options. The smartphone can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB and runs Android 9.0 Pie.
Sony Xperia 1 houses a 3,300mAh battery that supports Sony-developed Battery Care and comes with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Like a number of other smartphones by the company, Sony Xperia 1 comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. But we should add that it is not embedded in the power button.
Sony Xperia 1 also comes with a Game Enhancer mode that is claimed to set a balance between performance and battery life of the smartphone. It also has a triple rear camera setup with 12MP sensors and an 8MP selfie camera.
Leica, the German camera and lens manufacturer has come up with a new camera in their Q series – Leica Q2. The new camera features a 28mm Summilux ASPH prime lens with an aperture of f/1.7. Being a newer model in the Q-series it does come with its fair share of upgrades over its predecessors. Its new features include 4K video recording support along with a 47.3MP full-frame sensor.
Leica Q2 price, features and specifications
The Leica Q2 holds a price tag of $4,995 (approximately Rs 3,50,000) and is currently selling in the US. Leica has announced that the Q2 will come to the Indian markets around mid-April.
In the design department, the Leica Q2 does remind of its older predecessor, the Leica Q which was launched in June 2015. The Q2 comes with protective sealing on its body protecting it from dust and water spray, but it is not water-proof, only splash resistant. There are also new changes over its body, the Leica Q2 comes with a new thumb rest and a diamond pattern on its leather trim.
While in the specification department, the Leica Q2 sports a 47.3MP sensor capable of clicking high-quality pictures along with full-HD (1080p) video recording with frame rates of 120fps, 60fps, 30fps and 24fps. But the camera also does 4K video recording with 30 or 24 fps frame rates. There are microphones present on the body of the Leica Q2 which supports stereo audio recording.
The lens provided in the Leica Q2 is a 28mm Summilux f.1.7 ASPH and the image processor in it is from the Maestro II family. It has a 3.68MP OLED viewfinder and comes with a 3-inch TFT monitor with touch support. The Leica Q2 packs a battery of 1,860mAh and measures 130 x 80 x 91.9mm with a weight of 734 grams (with battery).
With its newly developed 47.3 MP full-frame sensor, fast Summilux 28 mm f/1.7 ASPH. prime lens, quick auto-focus, innovative OLED technology, and timelessly elegant design, the Leica Q2 elevates the tradition established by its predecessor, the Leica Q: https://t.co/RtVH6u3hDZpic.twitter.com/0wbcAPyMTt
For connectivity, the Leica Q2 comes with Wi-Fi and supports Bluetooth LE (Low Energy). The camera can also be used with the Leica Fotos mobile app, which allows the user to share their clicked pictures and videos on social media. The app even lets the user remotely control the shutter of the camera.
For photography, the Q2 is capable of capturing 10 photos per second, its autofocus is capable of locking the focus on a subject in 0.15 seconds. By default, the focal length of the Leica Q2 is set to 28mm, but it also can stimulate focal length such as 35mm, 50mm and 70mm. Leica has given the option to save the cropped images but its resolution is reduced to 47.3MP, 30MP, 14.7MP, or 6.6MP.
Any of us can spend hours watching videos on the internet and those hours often tend to run longer when we are watching these videos with friends. Facebook tapped on this tendency of users when it rolled out its Watch Party feature. But let’s face it, don’t we all use Instagram and not Facebook to enjoy photos and videos?
Seems like Facebook knows that too. And maybe that is the reason why the social media platform will soon be rolling out a feature similar to Watch Party on Instagram too. For those unaware, Facebook owns the photo-sharing app.
A feature called ‘Co-Watch’ could let you watch Instagram Stories, videos and IGTV content along with your friends, much like Watch Party. The feature was first spotted by reverse-engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong in Instagram Direct Messaging code. We should add here that Manchun was also the person who discovered that Facebook is testing its Dating feature before it got rolled out to a number of countries.
Coming back to Instagram, the code that has been discovered indicates that you would be able to co-watch content from suggested videos on the app or even from a playlist. However, as of now, it is not known whether features like picture-in-picture with friends would make their way to Instagram too.
It is also worth noticing that a similar feature is also being tested by Facebook on its Messenger app.
With all these moves put together, we think that Facebook is trying to create more private interactions on its platform. And needless to say, this will also help the platform boost its ad revenue.
And Watch Party has been a successful feature and Facebook has claimed that 12 million videos were viewed with Groups from July till November. Considering that Instagram’s engagement is far more than Facebook’s native platform as of now, it makes perfect sense for the company to get the feature to its photo-sharing app. And as far as Messenger is concerned, it would make the experience far more personalised, so it will be interesting to see the results.
Chinese consumer electronics brand Huawei launched its flagship Mate 20 series along with the Watch GT last year. And although the Mate 20 Pro smartphone has been available in India for a few days now, there was no word about other handsets from the range or the Huawei Watch GT smartwatch. The Chinese electronics brand has been teasing the launch of the Huawei Watch GT in India for a few days and now, the company has confirmed that the device will be launched on March 12.
Huawei has sent out media invites that state that Huawei Watch GT will be unveiled at an event in New Delhi on March 12 at 11 pm IST. As you can see in the picture, the invite on shows an image of a smartwatch with the Huawei logo and says #OneChargeTwoWeeks. A dedicate page for the smartwatch has reportedly been set up on Amazon India, which basically means that Huawei Watch GT will be available exclusively on the e-commerce website. However, we should mention that we couldn’t find this page when we tried looking for it.
We should mention that among the key features of the Huawei Watch GT are its claimed 14 days of battery life, water-resistance of up to 50 metres and real-time heart rate monitoring feature.
Huawei Watch GT specifications
To recall the specifications of Huawei Watch GT, the smartwatch runs the company’s Light OS platform and is powered by Cortex-M4 processor. The company has claimed that Huawei Watch GT’s battery will last 30 days with heart rate tracking and GPS turned off. Otherwise, the battery of the smartwatch will last two weeks which usage that includes heart rate monitoring. And if your usage is extremely heavy and you also use GPS, heart rate sensor and always on screen, the smartwatch’s battery is claimed to last till 22 hours.
Huawei Watch GT sports a 1.39-inch AMOLED display comes with a dual crown and is made of 316L stainless steel coupled with ceramic bezels. The smartwatch was launched in two variants — Sport and Classic.
Both the variant of Huawei Watch GT come with 5ATM water resistance, which means you can easily take it with you when you go swimming.
Huawei Watch GT comes with an optical heart rate sensor that uses 6LEDs and comes with the company’s TruSeen 3.0 technology which is supposed to get better by learning over time.
The smartwatch has GPS functionality which can be used to track users’ daily activities while being connected to the Health Assistant app. The smartwatch also comes with a built-in altimeter has the ability to track users’ steps and sleep. The price of Huawei Watch GT starts at €199.
Microsoft’s newest device in its Surface Book series, the Surface Book 2 convertible might get a processor upgrade. The base variant of the Surface Book 2 will reportedly come with a 13-inch screen and might be powered by a new quad-core processor, which will replace the earlier dual-core 7th gen Intel processor. The dual-core processor is what powered the earlier version of the Surface Book 2, released back in 2017. But, Microsoft has not revealed anything officially and is yet to announce the upgraded version of the Surface Book 2 and its launch date as well.
The base variant of the Surface Book 2 was launched way back in 2017 with 7th gen Intel Core i5-7300U CPU with the highest clock speed up to 3.5GHz and smart cache of 3MB. The news about the upgraded version of Surface Book 2 comes after many sellers of the laptop had listed an upgraded and refreshed version of the laptop. As some sellers in the German and US markets have listed a new variant of the 13-inch Surface Book 2 with Intel i5-8300U with 6MB smart cache. The upcoming model will have peak clock speed of 3.60GHz and will have double the cores of its original variant.
The listing about the Microsoft Surface Book 2 was spotted by WinFuture. Besides the CPU upgrade, the rest of the specifications of the upcoming model of Surface Book 2 is the same. The Surface Book 2 sports a 13.5-inch PixelSense (3,000 x 2,000 pixels) resolution display with an aspect ratio of 3:2. It has another higher end variant with 8th gen Intel Core i7 CPU with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. The Surface Book 2 comes with 128GB base storage variant along with 256GB storage, 512GB storage and 1TB storage versions. So, aside from the processor upgrade in the base model the rest of the specifications should be same in the upcoming Microsoft Surface Book 2. And the coming model might be placed between the top variant and the base variant of the Surface Book 2.
The upcoming Surface Book 2 is currently listed as ‘Coming Soon’ in the US markets. Even though it hasn’t been announced or launched yet, but it is still available for pre-orders in the said markets. US’s MacConnection is offering a pre-order price of $1,499 (approximately Rs 1,05,000) while Germany’s Metacomp is offering the same for EUR 1,569.86 (approximately Rs 1,23,000).
iPhone XS: $999 – approximately Rs 69,795
iPhone XS Max: $1099 – approximately Rs 76,781
iPhone XS: ¥ 112,800 (excluding tax) – approximately Rs 70,882
iPhone XS Max: ¥ 124,800 (excluding tax) – approximately Rs 78,422
iPhone XS: $1379 – approximately Rs 71,775
iPhone XS Max: $1519 – approximately Rs 79,062
iPhone XS: HK$8,599 – approximately Rs 76,525
iPhone XS Max: HK$9,499 – approximately Rs 84,534
iPhone XS: AED 4,229 – approximately Rs 80,430
iPhone XS Max: AED 4,649 – approximately Rs 88,418
iPhone XS: A$1,629 – approximately Rs 80,127
iPhone XS Max: A$1,799 – approximately Rs 88,489
iPhone XS: S$1,649 – approximately Rs 84,756
iPhone XS Max: S$1,799 – approximately Rs 92,465
iPhone XS: ฿ 39,900 – approximately Rs 87,442
iPhone XS Max: ฿ 43,900 – approximately Rs 96,208
iPhone XS: RM 4,999 – approximately Rs 85,393
iPhone XS Max: RM 5,399 – approximately Rs 92,226
iPhone XS: NZ$1,899 – approximately Rs 90,238
iPhone XS Max: NZ$2,099 – approximately Rs 99,742
iPhone XS: £999 – approximately Rs 90,793
iPhone XS Max: £1,099 – approximately Rs 99,881
iPhone XS: RMB 8699 – approximately Rs 90,406
iPhone XS Max: RMB 9599 – approximately Rs 99,759
iPhone XS: $999 – approximately Rs 69,795
iPhone XS Max: $1099 – approximately Rs 76,781
iPhone XS: ¥ 112,800 (excluding tax) – approximately Rs 70,882
iPhone XS Max: ¥ 124,800 (excluding tax) – approximately Rs 78,422
iPhone XS: $1379 – approximately Rs 71,775
iPhone XS Max: $1519 – approximately Rs 79,062
iPhone XS: HK$8,599 – approximately Rs 76,525
iPhone XS Max: HK$9,499 – approximately Rs 84,534
iPhone XS: AED 4,229 – approximately Rs 80,430
iPhone XS Max: AED 4,649 – approximately Rs 88,418
iPhone XS: A$1,629 – approximately Rs 80,127
iPhone XS Max: A$1,799 – approximately Rs 88,489
iPhone XS: S$1,649 – approximately Rs 84,756
iPhone XS Max: S$1,799 – approximately Rs 92,465
iPhone XS: ฿ 39,900 – approximately Rs 87,442
iPhone XS Max: ฿ 43,900 – approximately Rs 96,208
iPhone XS: RM 4,999 – approximately Rs 85,393
iPhone XS Max: RM 5,399 – approximately Rs 92,226
iPhone XS: NZ$1,899 – approximately Rs 90,238
iPhone XS Max: NZ$2,099 – approximately Rs 99,742
iPhone XS: £999 – approximately Rs 90,793
iPhone XS Max: £1,099 – approximately Rs 99,881
iPhone XS: RMB 8699 – approximately Rs 90,406
iPhone XS Max: RMB 9599 – approximately Rs 99,759
The bottom of the device has the speaker grille, a USB Type-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack with the volume rockers and the power button placed on the right of the device. The left side of the device holds the dual-SIM card with a dedicated microSD card slot on the tray.
Being a mid-budget device, the Galaxy M30 offers decent gaming performance. PUBG and Asphalt 9 run smoothly on medium settings. Playing more than half hours of PUBG didn’t heat up the device which adds to its positive points. Even charging the device doesn’t heat it up much, so there is no heating issue on the device.
For security, the Galaxy M30 comes with fingerprint scanner and face unlock. The fingerprint scanner on the device worked fast, but we had to do double tap when unlocking with moist fingers. The face scanner also works well enough to unlock with just a glimpse of your face. There are also the old ways of unlocking the device with pin, patterns and passwords.
The bottom of the device has the speaker grille, a USB Type-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack with the volume rockers and the power button placed on the right of the device. The left side of the device holds the dual-SIM card with a dedicated microSD card slot on the tray.
The biggest advantage of the smartphone is its battery which is of 5,000mAh. With heavy usage (which involves a lot of gaming), the phone is able to last a day but with normal usage, it lasts around 2 days. It also comes with 15W fast charger and the smartphone supports 3X fast charging. Even though the battery is of a 5,000mAh it charges from 0% to 100% in 2 hours. And with this battery, the company claims the Galaxy M30 offers 25 hours of videos along or 105 hours on a single charge.
Being a mid-budget device, the Galaxy M30 offers decent gaming performance. PUBG and Asphalt 9 run smoothly on medium settings. Playing more than half hours of PUBG didn’t heat up the device which adds to its positive points. Even charging the device doesn’t heat it up much, so there is no heating issue on the device.
For security, the Galaxy M30 comes with fingerprint scanner and face unlock. The fingerprint scanner on the device worked fast, but we had to do double tap when unlocking with moist fingers. The face scanner also works well enough to unlock with just a glimpse of your face. There are also the old ways of unlocking the device with pin, patterns and passwords.
The Galaxy M30 comes with all the necessary sensors along with Virtual Light Sensing, which senses the light of the environment and adjusts the brightness of the device automatically. As for the networks, it supports 2G, 3G, 4G and 4G LTE. It also has USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4+5GHz along with Bluetooth v5.0.
The Galaxy M30 comes with a bottom firing speaker which is loud and the sound clarity is decent too. Music and media playback sound is clear and loud. Being a bottom firing speaker, it at times gets covered by the hand, when watching media or playing games in landscape mode, but that is the problem of all the bottom-firing speakers.
