Flipkart really does know how to keep shoppers happy by offering them deals and discounts. A few days back, the OMG! Days sale was live on the platform, which was followed by the Mobile Bonanza Sale. The latest among these sales is the Flipkart Month-end Mobile Fest. The Month-end Fest started on February 25 and will go on till February 28 and during this period, Flipkart is offering discounts on a huge range of Asus smartphones. The Taiwanese electronics manufacturer has partnered with Flipkart to offer discounts on its existing smartphones range which includes the Asus Zenfone Lite L1, Zenfone Max Pro M2, Zenfone Max Pro M1, Zenfone 5Z etc.
Along with the discounts, the customers can also get the No Cost EMI offered by Flipkart if they purchase the smartphones with select debit and credit cards. There is also an exchange offer where the customer can exchange their old smartphones for a new one. Here is the list of Asus smartphones which are getting the offer in the Month-end Mobile Fest:
Asus Zenfone 5Z, the company’s flagship smartphone of 2018, was released by the Taiwan based company in to take on the OnePlus 6. During the sale, Asus is giving Rs 8,000 off on the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant of the Zenfone 5Z. The smartphone is available for Rs 28,999 for the mentioned variant instead of its original price of Rs 36,999.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 comes in two variant – a 3GB RAM and a 4GB RAM variant. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant of Zenfone Max Pro M2 is priced at Rs 11,999 instead of its original price of Rs 12,999. On the other hand, the 4GB/64GB storage variant of the smartphone is selling for Rs 13,999 instead of Rs 14,999 in the ongoing sale. The 6GB RAM variant of the device is also available at a discounted price of Rs 15,999.
The predecessor of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 is the Zenfone Max Pro M1, and it comes in three variants and all of them are on discount in the ongoing Month-end Mobiles sale. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 is selling for Rs 8,499 instead of its original price of Rs 9,999. Similarly, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant can be picked up for Rs 10,499 instead of Rs 11,999. And the most high-end variant of Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 that comes with 6GB RAM/64GB storage is available for Rs 12,499 instead of Rs 13,999.
Asus Zenfone Max M2 comes in two variants – a 3GB RAM version and a 4GB RAM model. The 3GB RAM/32GB storage model of the Zenfone Max M2 is selling for Rs 8,999 while the 4GB/64GB storage model of the smartphone is selling for Rs 10,999.
The cheapest smartphone of the Zenfone series, Asus Zenfone Lite L1 is selling for Rs 4,999 for the 2GB + 16GB storage variant.
Other prominent brands smartphones are selling as well in the Month-end Mobile Fest. Best selling devices like the Xiaomi Poco F1, Honor 9i, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 10 Lite, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy A7, Samsung Galaxy S9, Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel 2 XL are on sale as well along with LG V30+, LG G7 ThinQ etc.
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At the MWC 2019, a number of companies unveiled their 5G ready smartphones that capable of connecting with the most advanced networks and can run at 5G speeds. 5G is the next generation in wireless connectivity and the race to make 5G capable smartphones has begun. Prominent brands like Samsung and Huawei have already launched their 5G ready devices and other companies are right behind. 5G will have a number of advantages over 4G including better stability, a big bandwidth and a reliable network. Just like 4G, which enveloped the 3G completely after its launch, 5G connectivity is expected to overtake 4G.
However, a very prominent player is not yet in the race: Apple. And now a report has surfaced on Bloomberg, that the Cupertino-based technology giant is not planning to release its 5G smartphone till next year or later. The company will continue with their 4G VoLTE smartphones until the 5G is spread ‘far and wide’. We should mention that Apple did the same thing with 3G and 4G, as it launched a 3G and 4G capable device a year after the market was flooded with such devices from other companies. However, till then company was sure that the connectivity was spread globally and was stable.
While 5G is the next generation in connectivity technology, but the technology is still new and it won’t immediately become mainstream, so maybe waiting is the right move for Apple. We should also mention that even a number of the telecom providers right now don’t have 5G connectivity. And the roll-out of the network is expected to be a little slow.
For instance, in the United States, Verizon will be launching its operational 5G connectivity in Los Angeles, Houston, Sacramento and Indianapolis in the coming weeks. If we talk about 5G connectivity in India, it still seems miles away and we possibly won’t be seeing a working 5G network in India in the coming months or even an entire year.
Even representative of prominent phone brands seem skeptical about putting 5G in their devices this early in 2019. Having 5G modem in phones come with their own fair share of problems. The earlier 5G modem were bulky and relied on phone’s battery to work. And now that thin and elegant smartphones are mainstream, using 5G modems in the smartphones makes them bulkier which in a way just pushes us back in time. And making bulky and heavy devices is against Apple’s vision of smartphones.
But recently, Qualcomm released their newest 5G modem for smartphones named – the Snapdragon X55 which is capable of 5G connectivity and is far better than its predecessors. And most of the 5G smartphones launching in the MWC 2019 are equipped with this very particular modem.
5G connectivity technology still seem miles away from becoming mainstream, and till the time 5G is not available globally, making 5G capable devices seems pointless.
5G smartphones have become the talk of the town since Mobile World Congress 2019 kicked off in Barcelona on February 25. A number of smartphone makers announced their 5G products at the event including the likes of LG, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo and ZTE. Just days before the MWC 2019 started, Samsung launched the 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 at its Unpacked event in San Francisco.
And today, Japanese electronics maker Sony today reportedly displayed its 5G prototype Xperia smartphone on its booth that tech show today. We should point out that its 5G device was also available at Qualcomm’s booth for the users to see.
However, Sony did maintain some level of secrecy around the device as on both the booths, it was kept in a casing so that attendees could not touch the device. The front panel of the Sony Xperia 5G smartphone looks very similar to its flagship Xperia 1. Like Sony Xperia 1, the 5G smartphone also comes with an ultra-tall 21:9 CinemaWide display.
But then, the company has not disclosed any details about the specifications of the smartphone or even the name of the gadget. However, since it was present at Qualcomm’s booth, it is easy to guess that the upcoming smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
According to a report in technology website Pocket-lint that quotes a Sony spokesperson, the device is internally known by the name ‘AG-1’ and it is not a commercial device at all. It is reportedly being used for network and experience testing with some key customers.
The prototype that was showcased at MWC 2019 was a 5mm wave product and also supported the sub-6GHz band. Speaking about the device, Adam Marsh from Sony’s global communications team said, “At the moment, from a rollout point of view, 5G just isn’t there. In 4G, you can still [get] more speed in more places than 5G, at the moment.”
It is worth noticing that this is just a prototype device right now, and just on the basis of this, it cannot be said if Sony will have an actual commercial 5G product. But then, the company doesn’t seem to look like it’s in a hurry, which makes sense as it will take time before 5G becomes mainstream.
South Korean technology giant Samsung is all set to launch its latest flagship smartphones in India on March 6. The company has sent out invites to tech press saying that its Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e smartphones will be launched in the country next month at an event in New Delhi.
We should mention that although the invite only has the image of Samsung Galaxy S10 and the text on the image also just reads that, but we will be safe to assume that Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e handsets will be getting launched too since they are already on pre-orders on Amazon India’s website. You can read our article here to know about the smartphones’ pricing on Amazon.
Samsung Galaxy S10 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s new One UI and it comes with a 6.1-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display. The device is powered by either the 7nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC or the 8nm octa-core Samsung Exynos 9820 processor, Samsung Galaxy S10 has 8GB of RAM onboard.
For imaging duties, the handset has a triple rear camera module that comes with a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP telephoto sensor, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. On the front, there is a 10MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. Other than this, the smartphone houses a 3,400mAh battery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCfgkIyD9g0
The most premium of the lot is Samsung Galaxy S10+, that features a 6.4-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and comes with up to 12GB of RAM. It os worth noticing that the rear cameras of Samsung Galaxy S10+ are the same as Galaxy S10’s. However, for selfies, the device has 10MP+8MP dual selfie cameras. Furthermore, the Galaxy S10+ is available in 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options and all the variants can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ houses a 4,100mAh battery. We should also add that Samsung Galaxy S10 as well as Galaxy S10+ sport an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Coming to Samsung Galaxy S10e, which is the most affordable of the lot, sports a 5.8-inch full-HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and is available with up to 8GB of RAM. For imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 16MP sensors. It is available in 128GB and 512GB storage variants and packs a 3,100mAh battery.
All the three smartphones come with an Infinity-O display to house the selfie camera in the screen itself.
Qualcomm took wraps off its latest processor – Snapdragon 855 SoC – in December last year. It has just been two months and a number of smartphones with the processor have been announced already. We should point out that Qualcomm 8 series processors are the most advanced ones in the market and the devices running on them have an extremely smooth performance. They can handle a lot of heavy duty tasks without any lags, stutters or glitches. Here, we are listing down 13 smartphones that have been announced to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor:
In This Article
Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e
The latest lineup from South Korean technology giant Samsung is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC. The lineup has just been launched recently and comprises of the vanilla variant of Samsung Galaxy S10, the premium Galaxy S10+ model and the affordable Galaxy S10e. The devices also come with other premium features like Infinity-O screens, Dynamic AMOLED displays with HDR10+ certification, Wireless PowerShare and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
Sony Xperia 1
Sony’s flagship smartphone of the year – Xperia 1 – also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. But that’s not all that is impressive about the device. It features a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that comes with HDR support and has an aspect ratio of 21:9. Sony Xperia 1 has support for Dolby Atmos, runs Android 9.0 Pie and is houses a 3,300mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
Samsung also launched a 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone that also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The smartphone has some very high-end features like a Quad-HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display, 8GB RAM, 256GB of internal storage and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
LG V50 ThinQ
Next on our list is LG’s flagship smartphone for the year. The LG V50 ThinQ is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC CPU coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem which supports 5G connectivity. The smartphone comes with Adreno 640 GPU that controls all its graphics processing operations and it sports a triple-rear camera setup. The device has 6GB RAM paired with 128GB of storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 2TB. LG V50 ThinQ sports a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display and it runs Android 9 Pie.
LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ
LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and run Android Pie out-of-the-box. The newly launched smartphones by LG come with IP68 certification that makes it dust and water resistant. Another interesting feature that the smartphones have is Hand ID that scans your palms in order to unlock the device. The smartphones also come with features like Crystal Sound OLED and 3D-based face recognition.
Mi Mix 3 5G
Xiaomi finally unveiled the 5G version of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone that was launched in China last year. Although all the specifications of the handset are the same as the previously launched Mi Mix 3, the newer version comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem that adds 5G connectivity to the device.
Xiaomi Mi 9
Another device by Xiaomi that comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor is Mi 9 smartphone. The handset was launched in China a few days back and its global variant got unveiled at the MWC 2019. Other premium features of the smartphone include wireless charging and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The device comes with a triple rear camera setup, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and an AI camera that has scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture. ZTE has also said that the handset’s AI has a ‘user behaviour learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern to give a better-personalised performance.
Oppo 5G smartphone
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo also showed off its upcoming 5G smartphone recently at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. However, not much is known about the device except for the fact that it comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
OnePlus 5G prototype
As promised, OnePlus also showcased its 5G smartphone at the MWC 2019, however, it also maintained confidentiality around the device at the same time. However, since OnePlus and Qualcomm have been associated with each other since the Chinese smartphone maker’s inception days, the company is using the Snapdragon 855 chipset along with Snapdragon X50 modem in its upcoming device.
iQoo 5G phone
Image courtesy: Weibo
Vivo’s sub-brand iQoo will also be seen launching its 5G smartphone sometime soon. The company recently showed off the upcoming smartphone and confirmed that it will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. Besides this, all that we know so far is that the smartphone will sport a triple camera setup on its back panel.
MicroSD cards have been proving how useful they can be since they were launched in 2005. Ever since they have been introduced, they are being used for storing photos, videos, audio and adding more storage to electronic devices. In general, the microSD card is used to further increase the limit to which the device (smartphones, cameras, recorders) can store data.
And now, microSD cards are about to be upgraded as they will now have a faster speed in data transfer. The SD Association has introduced microSD Express cards, which are the next generation of memory cards. These newly launched cards were unveiled at MWC 2019 and they rely on NVMe and PCIe technologies for SSDs which gives an incredibly fast read and write speed. With these new microSD cards, the Association has promised a data transfer speed of up to 985MBps which gives them more speed than the previous generation cards.
The SD Association first announced the Express standard for SD cards back in 2018. They had also revealed that the new generation of SD Express cards will have up to 128TB in storage. The three new variants of the new microSD cards are named — microSDHC Express, micro SDXC Express and microSDUC Express. These new Express microSD cards will come in varying storage options and they will follow SD 7.1 specifications.
These newly launched microSD Express cards has a second row of pins which are used for the PCIe 3.1 and NVMe 1.3 technology. Earlier there used to be only one row of pins which housed all the data and technology. These SD cards are ideal for high-intensity tasks like recording 4K videos, slow motion video recording, RAW burst mode output, 8K video playback etc. Other than offering huge expansion of storage, these microSD Express cards also consume less energy than their predecessors.
For developers, the microSD Express cards offer Bus mastering, Multi Queue, Host Memory Buffer among many other features like enhanced data processing, advanced memory access mechanism. In terms of security, these microSD Express cards come with password lock security and data write protection.
But the consumers won’t be able to use and utilise these cards as there are certain limitations. First, the manufacturers would have to use the standard and manufacture new cards in the Express line-up. Second, as the new cards have a different hardware than their predecessors so the smartphone, laptops and other device manufacturers would also have to come up with upgraded and new technology so that their devices could support these microSD Express cards.
CENTRiC, an Indian smartphone manufacturer has launched its first pop-up selfie camera smartphone named CENTRiC S1 at the ongoing MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The smartphone also comes with a Pump Express 3.0 fast charging which, according to the company, can charge 50% of the device’s battery in 20 minutes. Besides the CENTRiC S1 the company has also unveiled four of its other smartphones named -L4, A2, G5 and G3.
In This Article
CENTRiC S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 price and availability
The CENTRiC S1 smartphone is available at a price of $310 (approximately Rs 22,030) and it will start selling in the Indian market from June 2019.
The other smartphones launched by the company besides the S1 are the CENTRiC L4 which is the most affordable of the lot and is priced at $90 (approximately Rs 6,397). The CENTRiC A2 has a starting price of $140 (approximately Rs 9,951) and CENTRiC G5 bears a price tag of $160 (approximately Rs 11,380). Another smartphone launched by the company – CENTRiC G3 costs $250 (approximately Rs 17,781) respectively. Out of all of the smartphones launched by the Indian smartphone company, the CENTRiC S1 is the flagship device while the rest are aimed at the entry-level and mid-level smartphone market. Like the CENTRiC S1, the other smartphones too will be available in the Indian market from June 2019.
CENTRiC S1, L4, A2, G5 and G3 features and specifications
The costliest of the smartphones, CENTRiC S1 comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner as well as face unlock feature. It has two variants, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and the other with 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. The smartphone sports a 6.39-inch Full HD AMOLED display with tear-drop notch, it has 92% screen-to-body ratio and has an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. It is powered by MediaTek Helio P70 Octa-core CPU and its display brightness is up to 700 Nits. The device runs on Android Pie out of the box and comes with a dual rear camera setup that has a 16MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. The front camera of the device will be a pop-up selfie camera holding an 8MP sensor. It is backed by a 3,800mAh battery that has support for fast charging and wireless charging.
Manish Agrawal, Managing Director of CENTRiC smartphones said, “With CENTRiC, our focus has always been on expanding our customers’ ability to resonate with our technology. We waited for the right moment to bring the best products that encompass the digital needs of new-age consumers. The new CENTRiC S1 perfectly syncs with the customers and their desire to update themselves with the latest advances in digitization. Fast charging, popup selfie camera, wireless charging are the growing necessities to enhance the consumer experience.”
“The resounding success of CENTRiC’s launch event at MWC 2019 is a promising step in the right direction to foray into the global market with our product offerings.” he added.
CENTRiC G5, which is one of the five smartphones launched by the company features a 6.21-inch HD display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9 and comes with a tear-drop notch on top. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core processor and it houses 4,050mAh battery. The device has a dual rear camera setup of a 13MP primary sensor along with a 2MP secondary sensor with auto focus and it houses an 8MP selfie camera on its front panel. Other features of CENTRiC G5 include fingerprint scanner and face unlock. It too runs Android Pie out of the box and is available in only one variant – 3GB RAM and 32GB storage.
CENTRiC G5
CENTRiC G3 sports a 6.23-inch Full HD notched display that has an aspect ratio of 20:9. The smartphone runs MediaTek P60 octa-core processor and has a 3,800mAh battery. Just like the CENTRiC G5, it too comes in only one variant that has 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. There is a dual rear camera setup on the smartphone that has a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. The front panel houses an 8MP selfie camera. There is a fingerprint scanner on the back for unlocking the phone. The CENTRiC G3 is the upgraded version of the CENTRiC G5.
CENTRiC G3
Speaking of, the CENTRiC A2 smartphone, it features a 5.86-inch HD notched display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. It is powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core Processor and comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. Like all the other smartphones mentioned above the CENTRiC A2 runs Android Pie out of the box. The device has a dual rear camera setup with a 13MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor and an 8MP selfie camera on the front panel. The smartphone is backed by a 3,400mAh battery.
CENTRiC A2
The cheapest and the smallest smartphone of the lot is the CENTRiC L4. The smartphone has a 5.45-inch HD display but unlike the other smartphones, it doesn’t come with a notch. It is powered by MediaTek MTK6739 1.5GHz quad-core processor and runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. But even though it is the cheapest of the lot, it comes with a fingerprint scanner. It is backed by a 2,950mAh battery and has a 13MP AF OptiVu camera at the back with dual LED flash and an 8MP selfie camera.
CENTRiC L4
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The ongoing MWC 2019 saw a number of latest gadgets with the newest technological innovations being unveiled. Among all the trends, foldable smartphones are definitely the most talked-about one. And now, the first ever smartwatch that has a foldable screen has been showcased at MWC 2019, in Barcelona, Spain.
The first of its kind wearable has been launched by ZTE’s Nubia and it comes with an OLED flexible display, a camera, and an eSIM support. Dubbed Nubia Alpha, the smartwatch has a number of features that are usually seen on an Android smartphone. The key specifications of the wearable include Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The device runs on a custom OS and houses a 500mAh battery.
Coming to the detailed specifications of the smartwatch, it features a 4-inch flexible OLED display and according to ZTE, the Nubia Alpha has 230% more real estate than most other standard smartwatches that are available. The straps of the Nubia Alpha smartwatch are like a bracelet, and the device lets users make and receive calls, click pictures, and use various other apps.
The Nubia Alpha smartwatch comes with the usual gamut of smartwatch sensors including a heart rate monitor. Nubia has also announced that the wearable will go on sale starting April this year.
The Nubia Alpha smartwatch runs a custom OS which is claimed to help in motion gestures of the device. So basically, the device can be controlled via gestures in the air, however, you must do them close to the smartwatch. On the right edge of the smartwatch, there are two knobs for navigation and furthermore, the device has support for 4G connectivity via eSIM. The newly launched Nubia Alpha smartwatch is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC clubbed with 1GB of RAM and it has an internal storage of 8GB.
The wearable has a 500mAh battery that is claimed to last up to a day or two on a single charge. It also has an in-built speaker and a T9 keyboard. On the camera front, the smartwatch comes with a 5MP 82-degree wide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.
The Nubia Alpha smartwatch has a stainless steel band in Gold and Black colour variants and according to the company, it is water resistant.
The smartwatch will be available in a Bluetooth version and an eSIM version. The Black Bluetooth variant of the smartwatch will be available in Europe and North America starting April this year at EUR 449, which is approximately Rs 36,200. The eSIM variant will be available in China in April at EUR 549 for the Black coloured variant, on the other hand, the 18K Gold model would cost around EUR 649.
Chinese Telecommunications and equipment company ZTE has launched its first 5G smartphone named ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship processor for 2019 – the Snapdragon 855 SoC clubbed with Snapdragon X50 5G modem in it. It has a triple rear camera setup and comes with a water-drop notch. The company hasn’t revealed much about the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G smartphone besides its processor and modem. The other smartphone launched by the company alongside the 5G smartphone is the ZTE Blade V10 but some of its specifications, price and availability are not known as of now.
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ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G price and specifications
As mentioned above, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC and will have the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. It comes in a triple rear camera setup and has an in-display fingerprint scanner. Like many phones of 2019, ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will also come with AI camera with scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture to name a few. In a press conference, the company said that the device’s AI has a ‘user behavior learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern and optimizes the features to give a better personalised performance. They also said that the smartphone also has ‘stunning audio’ and ‘Axon Vision graphics optimization capabilities’.
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G will be available in the European and Chinese market from first half of 2019. But the price of the smartphone hasn’t been revealed by the company yet. The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G smartphone will launch the device partnering with China Unicorn, Elisa and Hutchison Drei Austria.
ZTE Blade V10 price and specifications
Besides the 5G smartphone, the company also launched its ZTE Blade V10, but just like the Axon 10 Pro 5G, the price and some of the specifications of the phone is not known yet. ZTE Blade V10 will start selling from April 2019 in Europe, China and Latin America. The device is available in Blue, Green and Black colour options and has a ceramic-like built. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MiFavour9.0 UI and sports a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2280 pixel) resolution display that has a water-drop notch and comes with a screen- to-body ratio of 90.3%.
#ZTE today announced its first #5G flagship smartphone, the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G, at #MWC19. ZTE’s premium flagship Axon series is expected to be available in Europe and China in the first half of 2019. More: https://t.co/8Z5mNljAKCpic.twitter.com/yOOLFKB2Bq
ZTE Blade V10 has a hybrid-dual nano SIM card and it runs on an unknown 2.1GHz octa-core SoC CPU and houses a 3,200mAh battery. The smartphone has a dual rear camera setup with a 16MP primary lens and a 5MP secondary lens. At the front, there is a 32MP AI selfie camera. The ZTE Blade V10 comes in two variants – 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and a 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. For connectivity, it has 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, USB Type-C and also has a 3.5mm jack. It has all the necessary sensors along with a fingerprint scanner.
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After the launch of a new series of IdeaPad and ThinkPad laptops, Lenovo has unveiled two new headphones for the ThinkPad and Yoga series. Although the new headphones – Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC and Yoga ANC – have similar features, they are designed differently. The company also launched a portable USB Type-C monitor for laptops/desktop. Here’s a look at the price and specifications of the newly launched headphones and portable monitor:
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Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC and ThinkVision M14 price and availability:
Lenovo ThinkVision M14 – the company’s portable monitor – will start selling at a price of $249 (approximately Rs 17,675) in the European markets starting May 2019. Coming to the headphones, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC is priced at $149 (approximately Rs 10,575) and Lenovo Yoga ANC costs $169 (approximately Rs 11,995). The headphones will be available in the European markets from June onwards. There is no news about their Indian release till now.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC, Yoga ANC and ThinkVision M14 features:
Both the pairs of headphones come with active noise-cancellation but, as we mentioned earlier, they have different design and style. As they are released in the ThinkPad and Yoga lineup of products so they will follow the design and style of their respective product series.
The ThinkPad X1 ANC comes in dark grey colour. To give a better sound output and make a six-mic array without a protruding arm the company has partnered with Dolby and Synaptics, both of which are known companies in their respective fields. The headphones use a combination of active noise cancelation (ANC) and electronic noise cancelation (ENC) to give a clear audio quality. The users can also interact with the voice assistants on their phones using these devices.
On the other hand, the Lenovo Yoga ANC headphone comes in a white finish. However, you will be able to sport some design elements from the ThinkPad headset, like the aluminum caps on the earpieces. Like the other released headset, the Yoga ANC also comes with ANC and ENC to give a better sound output and a better audio quality to the user.
X1
Both the headsets from Lenovo comes with Bluetooth 5 and USB Type-C cable for charging and can also be used in USB Type-C devices. They have a collapsible body so they can be stored and carried from one place to the other easily. Other details and the specifications of these headsets are not known yet as the company hasn’t announced them. So, what will be their audio output and how long will they last is not known.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Powerful ThinkPads, a super-modern AIO, handy external monitor and more glorious new tech. #MWC19#LenovoMWC
The third product of the lot, the ThinkVision M14 portable monitor is meant to give the user more screen space to work so that their productivity can be increased. The device can be connected with any laptop or PC using a USB Type-C cable. It does not require an additional power source and it doesn’t come with its own, instead it just takes its juice from the device it is connected with. Lenovo ThinkVision M14’s display is a 14-inch Full HD resolution and it comes with a height adjustable chin which helps to raise the screen to the level of the laptop/desktop. Its brightness maxes out at 300nits. Since the monitor weighs 595gms and is 4.6mm thick, it can easily be carried with laptop in a laptop bag.
A number of smartphone makers showed off their latest gadgets and innovations at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2019. And among the two most prominent trends have been foldable phones and 5G connectivity. Smartphone manufacturers from across the globe have moved on to the new network, and most of them have done so with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 processor and Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
Among these is Chinese smartphone brand Oppo, which has unveiled its 5G device at the tech show. Oppo held an event in Barcelona over the weekend where it briefly showcased its 5G smartphone, however, it did not give out too many details about it. We don’t know anything about the availability or the specifications of the smartphone, but Oppo has confirmed that the device would be powered by Qualcomm’s latest processor.
Along with this, the Chinese smartphone maker also announced its Oppo 5G Landing Project and said that it has partnered with telecom majors like Optus, Singtel, Swisscom, and Telstra so that it can launch and roll out its 5G products and services.
The company’s vice president Anyi Jiang showed Oppo’s first 5G smartphone to the attendees and said that a number of obstacles had to be overcome in order to make the smartphone as it comes with the design of the antenna and RF modules.
Qualcomm’s president Cristiano Amon also took to stage where he announced that Oppo’s 5G smartphone would house Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset and the Snapdragon X50 modem that provides 5G connectivity. He said in a statement, “Given their leadership in the 4G era, Oppo is well positioned to be a leader in the transition to 5G. We see tremendous opportunities to drive further innovation in the 5G era, and Qualcomm Technologies looks forward to working closely with Oppo to realise the true potential of 5G and support the launch of their first 5G smartphone powered by our flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with the X50 5G modem, integrated RF transceiver and RF Front-End solutions.”
We should mention that Samsung also launched the 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone at an event in San Francisco on February 20 and Xiaomi unveiled the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, Spain.
We have some news for BlackBerry fans! The company’s BlackBerry Key2 smartphone is getting a Red Edition. However, this isn’t like Red Edition smartphones from other companies and has more than just cosmetic changes.
The BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition houses twice the internal storage as compared to the original device. To be more precise, it has 128GB of internal storage, while the original Key2 smartphone had 64GB of onboard storage.
But that’s not all. Another change in the Red Edition of BlackBerry Key2 smartphone is that it comes with a tweaked UI and has some modernised versions of some of the company’s native apps. So if you have been thinking whether or not you should buy the BlackBerry Key2, maybe these changes would help you make up your mind.
Another thing that you should note is that the back panel of the smartphone is still Black, and it’s only the front and the side edges that have been coloured Red now.
We should also mention that the BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition will be getting launched with a revamped version of Hub+ software that comes with a new Action Bar that can be seen at the bottom of the Hub+ applications. BlackBerry has also claimed that these applications will offer enhanced ergonomics by giving users quicker access to features like search, sort and compose.
Furthermore, there is also a UX update on BlackBerry Hub and BlackBerry Calendar that, according to the company, give it a more modern look. And needless to say, the extra internal storage of the device will only enhance its performance.
As of now, the company has not disclosed the release date for the BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition, however, we do know that the smartphone will be available in North America, Europe, Middle East and Asia. BlackBerry Key2 Red Edition will be priced at EUR 779, which is approximately Rs 63,000. The device will come bundled with a special edition set of red BlackBerry-branded earbuds.
We are guessing that the device will be launching soon considering that it has already gone on pre-orders in Europe via the official BlackBerry Mobile online store.
With HyperX CloudX, the company has promised comfort, durability and an amazing sound output. That’s why the CloudX gaming headset has an aluminum frame for durability and the ear cushions of the headsets comes with 100% memory foam along with leatherette-padded headband for comfort of the gamers. For audio it has a 53mm drivers which enhances the bass reproduction and gives out clear high, mids as well as lows. The cups of the headphones are closed-cup in design which makes its noise-cancelling on point. The microphone of the headset also comes with noise-cancellation so that the voice of the user can be heard clearly when playing multiplayer games.
It doesn’t just work with laptops or desktops, but even on mobile devices like smartphones and tablets since it has a 3.5mm jack. The microphone of the headset can be unplugged so that it becomes like a regular headphone. This feature of HyperX CloudX allows it to work as a music headphone rather than a gaming headset. The HyperX CloudX gaming headset is available in Indian retail markets as well as online shopping platforms for Rs 9,990. The company is offering a two-year warranty.
HyperX CloudX specifications
The CloudX comes with a 53mm Dynamic driver with neodymium magnets. Its sound frequency range is 15Hz to 25KHz (25,000Hz) and impedance is 41ohms. The sound pressure level in which the CloudX works is 95dBSPL/mW at 1kHz. The company has said that it has taken into consideration the fact the since it is a gaming headset, the users will wear it for longer duration of time, and that’s why it has made it light and comfortable. It weighs 325gms without the microphone and with the microphone attached it weighs 337gms, which is light considering it has an aluminium frame. Its cable has a length of 1.3m and its microphone is an electret condenser noise cancelling microphone with 50Hz to 18KHz frequency (18,000Hz).
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Till now, American chipmaker Qualcomm’s Quick Charge fast charging technology was only limited to wired charging, and today the company has announced that now, this technology will work with wireless power as well.
Qualcomm made this announcement at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2019 and it further said that the Quick Charge technology for wireless power will add speed in the charging process on charging pads. However, for this, the charging pads would also have to meet certain requirements and standards.
Qualcomm has also added that charging pads will able to deliver speedy electricity with Quick Charge support, and that too in a ‘consistent and safety conscious’ way. Furthermore, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi also said at the event that its upcoming Mi Wireless Charging Pad will use Quick Charge support from Qualcomm.
The American chipmaker has added that some wireless charging products have been launched in the past that claim to come with Quick Charge support, however, none of these have passed through the company’s required Quick Charge compliance process
Qualcomm’s Quick Charge compliance programme has been expanded to include wireless charging pads because of the issues that have been raised by consumers in the past. The programme will also ensure interoperability and that the charging pad manufacturers meet with Quick Charge as well as Qi wireless charging standards.
On its blog, the American chipmaker added about its technology, “Wireless charging pads powered by Quick Charge will work with the same Quick Charge 2.0, 3.0, 4 and 4+ adapters that millions of users already have at home, work, and elsewhere.” Qualcomm also added that Xiaomi will be the first company to launch Quick Charge compliant wireless power pad and that it has plans to do so very soon.
Speaking on this further, Yanteng Wang, lead of wireless charging of Xiaomi said, “We are excited to introduce Quick Charge protocol for wireless power in Mi Wireless Charging Pad, complementing our existing line-up of Quick Charge technology-certified wall and battery chargers, and providing our loyal customers the lowest charge times and maximum power efficiency possible across their charging options.”
We should also add that since wireless charging is slowly becoming mainstream, Qualcomm’s Quick Charge support for Qi-based products has been unveiled at just the right time.
Japanese electronics maker Sony has launched its new smartphones at the MWC 2019 named – Xperia L3, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus. The company has also unveiled its flagship smartphone named Xperia 1 at the same event. Sony Xperia L3, Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus fall under the mid-range segment and come with side-mounted fingerprint scanner, like we have seen in other Sony smartphones. What’s special about Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus is their wide display of 21:9 aspect ratio.
The given aspect ratio of the smartphones is what most films are made in, so with these smartphones the company might be targeting the media lovers who consume the media on their smartphones. The Sony Xperia 10 Plus has a larger display, a bigger battery, better camera and a better processor than its non-plus counterpart. And Sony Xperia L3 is the smallest among the three devices.
In This Article
Sony Xperia 10, Xperia 10 Plus price and availability
Sony Xperia 10 is priced at $349.99 (approximately Rs 24,800) while the Sony Xperia 10 Plus is priced at $429.99 (approximately Rs 30,500). Both the devices will go on sale from March 18 in the US only. The launch dates and prices of the smartphones in India are not known as of now.
We should mention that Sony Xperia L3’s price hasn’t been announced yet but it will go on sale in selected markets only from February 25. The price of the device may vary in different regions but it will launch soon (single-SIM and dual-SIM both).
Sony Xperia 10 specifications
Sony Xperia 10 comes with a 6-inch Full HD+ display with 21:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Snapdragon 636 SoC processor clubbed with 3GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The smartphone can hold a microSD up to 512GB. Sony Xperia 10 runs Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box and also supports dual-SIM card (nano + nano). Like its display, the camera too has 21:9 video capturing along with bokeh mode, HDR, hybrid autofocus, 4K video recording and 5X digital zoom, 120fps slow, motion movie recording. In the front, there is an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and flash.
Xperia 10
The Xperia 10 smartphone comes with a 2,870mAh battery with fast charging support. The device also supports 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast and other features. It also comes supports high-resolution audio with many formats of audio supported like LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD. Xperia 10 also has DSEE HX, LDAC, SmartAmplifier, Virtual Phones Technology, Stereo Recording and Qualcomm aptX HD audio.
Sony Xperia 10 Plus specifications
Sony Xperia 10 Plus comes with a larger 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with 21:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. The smartphone runs on Snapdragon 636 SoC processor and comes with 4GB RAM. Internal storage of the smartphone is 64GB and it comes with microSD card support of up to 512GB. At the back of the Sony Xperia 10 Plus is a dual rear camera setup of a 12MP wide-angle sensor with f/1.75 aperture paired with an 8MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture. It too supports 21:9 video capturing along with bokeh effect, HDR, hybrid autofocus, 5X digital zoom, 2x optical zoom, 4K video recording, 120fps slow-motion recording etc.
https://twitter.com/sonyxperia/status/1099942824043311105
At the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture and flash. It houses a 3,000mAh battery that has supports fast charging. Sony Xperia 10 Plus comes with 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast. It has all the necessary sensors and like the Xperia 10, it too comes with high-resolution audio support. It too has DSEE HX, LDAC, SmartAmplifier, Stereo Recording, Virtual Phones Technology and Qualcomm aptX HD audio.
Sony Xperia L3
Sony Xperia L3 is the smallest of the lot with 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with 18:9 aspect ratio and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Unlike the above-mentioned smartphones it is powered by MediaTek MT6762 Helio P22 octa-core processor and runs on Android Oreo. It comes in a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant and it has support for a microSD card of up to 512GB. It has a dual rear camera setup of a 13MP wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture coupled with a 2MP depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture. Its camera has bokeh effect, hybrid autofocus, and 4x digital zoom.
Xperia L3
The front panel of the Sony Xperia L3 houses an 8MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture with flash. It comes with a 3,300mAh battery and has 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5, NFC, USB Type-C, Google Cast, among other features.
Chinese electronics maker Lenovo has unveiled a new tablet at the ongoing MWC 2019 called the Lenovo Tab V7 which, according to the company, works as a ‘tablet-and-smartphone-in-one’. As its name suggests, it is a tablet sized smartphone or vice-versa. Where other smartphone companies are going ‘big and innovative’ with their futuristic foldable phone designs, Lenovo has decided to take another route.
Lenovo Tab V7 comes with a 6.9-inch IPS Full HD display and runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It comes with all the other features a smartphone has along with a big screen like a tablet. According to the company, the Tab V7 is a ‘smartphone-tablet hybrid’ but considering that it is just over 7-inch it can be said as a ‘Big’ smartphone or a phablet.
Lenovo Tab V7 Price
The Lenovo Tab V7 will start selling from April 2019 in the European markets and it will be priced at EUR 249 (approximately Rs 20,100). But the company hasn’t revealed the Indian price of the smartphone or when will it will be available in the market.
Lenovo Tab V7 Specifications
The Tab V7 has a 6.9-inch IPS display with 1080 x 2160 pixels resolution with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It has a 81 percent screen-to-body ratio with thin bezels. It is powered by a 1.8 GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 450 SoC CPU and comes with Adreno 506 GPU. The Tab V7 comes in two variants – 3GB RAM + 32GB storage and 4GB + 64GB storage variant. For connectivity, the Lenovo Tab V7 comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS and USB Type-C.
The device comes with Dolby Audio-powered front facing speakers. The device holds a rear camera with a 13MP primary sensor with flash and at the front it has a 5MP selfie camera. Under the back camera is the fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device, but it also comes with a face unlock feature. Being labelled as a smartphone hybrid, it supports dual-SIM card and has 4G network support on both the SIMs. Calls, messages and data services can be used on both the SIMs. It packs a huge 5,180mAh battery with fast charging which according to Lenovo can give up to 10 hours of video playback and browsing along with up to 30 hours of talk time.
Chinese smartphone brand Oppo in all probability will be the next handset vendor to come unveil its foldable device. The company’s vice president Brian Shen has revealed this by showcasing a prototype of Oppo’s foldable phone. However, Oppo’s vice president has not thrown light on the specifications or availability information of the upcoming device.
We should mention that Oppo‘s prototype handset looks a lot like the Huawei Mate X that was launched recently at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. But then, its form factor also reminded us of Samsung Galaxy Fold that was unveiled on February 20.
From the images that have been shared by Shen on Weibo, it can be seen that Oppo is working on a device that will fold outwards and will have a flexible display. When unfolded, users will be able to use the device as a tablet.
This is where the device is similar to Huawei Mate X, which provides a real estate of 8-inches on the screen when it is unfolded.
Besides this, Oppo’s foldable phone will also come with a thick bar on one side that will house the camera module of the smartphone. It is being speculated that like Huawei Mate X smartphone, the device would let users capture selfies and landscape shots with this camera module. It is also worth adding that the smartphone does not have a notch or a cut-out when it is unfolded. For those unaware, Samsung Galaxy Fold comes with a notch on its display to house the selfie camera of the device.
Coming back to Oppo’s foldable device, its camera module also has a dual LED flash and the thick bar also has the Oppo branding on it.
It is also being speculated that the prototype will run Android skinned with ColorOS. In addition to sharing the picture, Shen also asked Weibo users if they wanted the company to begin the mass production of the smartphone. This further points towards the device being in the prototype stage.
Although it is too early to comment on the pricing of the upcoming smartphone, it is being said that like Huawei Mate X and Samsung Galaxy Fold, it will be in the premium category too.
Chinese consumer electronics giant Lenovo has unveiled its new series of laptops in the ThinkPad and IdeaPad series. In the ThinkPad series the following models were added – T490s priced at $1,279 (approximately Rs 90,900), T490 priced at $999 (approximately Rs 70,900) and T590 priced at $1,029 (approximately Rs 73,000). Lenovo also added two new products in its X series named X390 priced at $1,099 (approximately Rs 78,000) and X390 Yoga priced at $1,359 (approximately Rs 96,500). All the newly launched laptops will be available in the market from May of 2019.
Lenovo also updated its IdeaPad series with a 2-in-1 laptop named C340. It comes in both Intel and AMD CPU options and will be available in the markets from March at EUR 599 (approximately Rs 48,200) for both CPU variants. Also, in the IdeaPad series, the company introduced S540 which is priced at EUR 799 (approximately Rs 64,400) and S340 priced at $549 (approximately Rs 64,400). Both these laptops come with Intel and AMD CPUs. They will be available in the market from March.
Lenovo ThinkPad T series and X series specifications
The newly launched laptop series from Lenovo comes with many new features and upgrades over the old ones. Both the T series and the X series come with a physical shutter for webcam called PrivacyGuard. Also, among the common features in these laptops is a new BIOS with ‘self-healing’ capability, Intel Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ on the T490s, X390 and the X390 Yoga. Additionally, the T series comes with HDR display and Dolby Vision along with Intel 8th generation CPUs. While the ThinkPad X390 has a 13.3-inch Full HD display and is powered by Intel Core i7 vPro CPU. It can support up to 32GB RAM and 1TB of PCIe SSD storage. According to Lenovo, the X390 comes with 18hours battery backup.
Lenovo IdeaPad S series specifications
Lenovo IdeaPad S540 will have varying sizes, it comes in a 14-inch and a 15-inch size. In the Intel CPU option, it offers an 8th gen Intel Core i7 CPU with optional NVIDIA GeForce MX250 GPU along with an optional Full HD IPS display. The company has promised that the newly launched series will have a better battery life than their predecessors. While in the AMD option it offers a Ryzen 7 3700 CPU with built-in Radeon RX10 Vega GPU. The IdeaPad S540 comes with RapidCharge tech which can give up to 12 hours of battery life. According to Lenovo, the laptops can run for 2 hours with just 15 minutes of charge. The IdeaPad S540 comes with a Dolby speaker and TrueBlock privacy shutter on its webcam.
The other laptop in the IdeaPad series – the IdeaPad S340 also comes in two varying size, a 14-inch and a 15-inch variant. In the Intel variant the IdeaPad S340 offers an 8th gen Intel Core i7-8565U CPU with up to GeForce MX250 GPU. While in the AMD variant the laptop offers a Ryzen 7 3700 CPU with built-in Radeon RX10 Vega GPU. It comes in various colours and offers a slim design.
Lastly, Lenovo’s 2-in-1 convertible laptop, the IdeaPad C340 comes with Amazon Alexa out of the box. The laptop offers up to 8 hours of battery life and it also comes with RapidCharge. Being a convertible laptop, it comes with Active Pen support which will be useful for the artists. It has been launched in a 14-inch and a 15-inch model.
ZAAP Technologies recently launched its Hydra Xtreme Bluetooth speaker in India at a price of Rs 3,299. There are already a number of good affordable speakers available that will be giving the new offering a tough competition. So, is ZAAP’s new waterproof speaker worth considering for music lovers? We spent a few days with the gadget, and here’s our review of the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme speaker:
In This Article
Design
When it comes to design, the look and feel of the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme Bluetooth speaker. To begin with, the speaker is not for you if you are looking for a sleek looking music gadget for yourself. It is a rugged Bluetooth speaker and it looks exactly like that. It has a sturdy built and a compact design, and both these factors add on to ZAAP Hydra Xtreme’s portability. The Bluetooth speaker is only available in one colour – Black.
On the front of the speaker, a blue-coloured light is placed that indicates the connection status and on top left, there is a carabiner that enables you to connect it to your bag.
On the top of the speaker, you will find four square buttons, among which, one is the power, two-volume rocker and a play/pause keys. All the buttons are made of rubber, but were very responsive throughout our time with the speaker. Besides this, there is a microUSB port on ZAAP Hydra Xtreme that can be used for charging the device and a 3.5mm jack, in case you wish to play music via an AUX cable. Both of these ports are hidden under a rubber flap, so they don’t spoil the look of the speaker and at the same time, they stay protected if you are using the device in an area close to water.
In a nutshell, we found the design of ZAAP Hydra Xtreme to be reasonably good, especially considering the price range. Like we said earlier, it is not an elegant or sleek looking gadget, but instead is rugged and sturdy and its design shows that. But then, we would rather pick this than going for a Bluetooth speaker that is very impressive to look at but isn’t waterproof and is easily breakable.
Performance
Let’s talk about the specifications of the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme Bluetooth speaker first. The device has an IP65 rating, which means it is water, shock, dust and snow resistant. It has a 2,000mAh battery and its connectivity options include Bluetooth 3.0, a 3.5mm aux port, a micro USB charging port. The company is also offering a one-year warranty on the speaker.
ZAAP Hydra Xtreme was extremely good when it came to performance. The Bluetooth speaker has 12+ Watt drivers and a subwoofer two 50mm drivers. We should point out, that the sound is unidirectional. Considering the design of the device, the speakers are placed only in the front. We personally have a preference for a round device, because they distribute the sound equally in all directions, making them more suitable for parties. However, considering that ZAAP Hydra Xtreme has some very good aspects, we could ignore it as it anyway wasn’t too big a problem for us.
Coming back to the performance of the speaker, we should mention that it was very easy to connect the speaker with our smartphone via Bluetooth. The moment we switched on Bluetooth on our smartphone, we could see the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme in the device list and ready for pairing. It took few seconds for the two devices to connect with each other. After this, we actually couldn’t stop using the speaker at all as we were completely hooked. We played some music that was heavy on bass, and ZAAP Hydra Xtreme could handle that enormously well.
The treble and mids were good too. However, we should point out one thing. Don’t listen to music at the highest possible volume on the Bluetooth speaker as the quality distorts a bit. A little less than the highest volume is just perfect. We also tried to talk to our contacts while our smartphone was connected to ZAAP Hydra Xtreme, and we encountered no problem with it. We could hear the person we were talking to, and we were also heard well at all times.
Coming to its water-resistance, the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme is said to be splash-proof. So, while you can take it with yourself to a pool party, we recommend keeping it outside the pool to make sure it doesn’t get damaged. Most water-proof speakers can handle heavy moisture in the air and can survive some splashes. So is the case with ZAAP Hydra Xtreme.
Coming to the 2,000mAh battery, it survived 6 hours of playback time in the entire week, which we think is pretty decent.
Verdict and Final Thoughts
At a price of Rs 3,299, ZAAP Hydra Xtreme is a good buy for anyone who likes to carry their Bluetooth speaker with themselves when they are travelling or going to pool and beach parties. It has an extremely good built, is portable, and is splash resistant. It may not be the best speaker to look at, but it has a reasonably good design. Besides, the sound quality of the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme speaker is extremely good and that, we feel, is the most important factor.
Pros
Just a few days before the Mobile World Congress 2019 started, Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus announced that it will be giving some attendees a first look at its 5G smartphone prototype along with Qualcomm. The company did not disappoint fans and did indeed give a first look at its 5G prototype at Qualcomm’s 5G demo booth.
The company has showcased two smartphones at the American chipmaker’s demo booth. While one of them showcases future of mobile gaming or 5G cloud gaming, the other one shows a live feed of messages that OnePlus community members are posting on the company’s ‘Say Hello to 5G’ community page. As announced at Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit in December 2018, OnePlus 5G smartphones are powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC clubbed with the chipmaker’s X50 modem, which enables 5G connectivity on various devices.
OnePlus’ 5G device has a futuristic setting of 5G cloud gaming where players would require a smartphone as well as a gamepad to fully experience gaming on the handset. OnePlus has claimed that players will be able to enjoy games that they otherwise play on PCs on the company’s 5G smartphone. This will be made possible because of enhanced throughput and lower latency of 5G.
The 5G smartphone prototype by the Chinese smartphone company has been covered in a white protective case, which is something that OnePlus has done to maintain confidentiality. It is quite a possibility that the company will unveil its 5G smartphone along with its next flagship OnePlus 7. So, it has done everything it could to make sure to maintain some level of secrecy while showcasing the device.
We should mention that OnePlus’ association with Qualcomm dates back to the launch of OnePlus One. And ever since then, the Chinese smartphone maker has always used Snapdragon 8 series processors in its handsets.
Speaking on the 5G advancements made by the company, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said, “5G is a game changer. It can change everything from gaming to communication, to health and beyond. More than that, it can perform several, or all, of these at the same time. One great example of how 5G will change the world is gaming. 5G’s dramatic improvement in speed, latency, and network capacity can truly fulfil the promise of cloud gaming. Combined with powerful OnePlus devices, people can play advanced games anywhere they are, provided they are on a 5G connection.”
At Mobile World Congress 2019, LG, Sony and Nokia have launched their smartphones, which have been in a lot of rumours ahead of their launch. LG launched the V50 ThinQ, Sony launched the Xperia 1 and HMD Global launched the Nokia 9 PureView. All the phones are fantastic to look at and have top the specs.
And that’s exactly why you might find it hard to choose which one to buy. For your assistance we have enlisted the price and specifications of the smartphones so that you can have a quick look and contemplate on your needs and desires of a smartphone, and consequently, zero in on the one you want to buy. So, here is the comparison of all the three smartphones:
In This Article
Display
LG V50 ThinQ: 6.4-inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1440×3120 pixels and aspect ratio of 19.5:9
Nokia 9 PureView: 5.99-inch P-OLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1440×2880 pixels and aspect ratio of 18:9
Sony Xperia 1: 6.5-inch OLED capacitive touchscreen with a resolution of 1644×3840 pixels and 98.6 cm2 screen to body ratio
LG V50 ThinQ: Triple rear camera setup—two 12MP sensors and one 16MP sensor
Nokia 9 PureView: 5 x 12MP sensors
Sony Xperia 1: Triple rear camera setup—three 12MP sensors
Front Camera
LG V50 ThinQ: Dual rear camera setup with an 8MP and a 5MP sensor meant for taking selfies
Nokia 9 PureView: 20MP camera sensor meant for taking selfies
Sony Xperia 1: 8MP camera sensor meant for selfies
RAM and Storage
LG V50 ThinQ: 6GB RAM coupled with 128GB internal storage
Nokia 9 PureView: 6GB RAM coupled with 128GB internal storage
Sony Xperia 1: 6GB RAM coupled with 64GB and128GB storage
Support for Storage card
LG V50 ThinQ: microSD card up to 512GB
Nokia 9 PureView: None
Sony Xperia 1: microSD card up to 512GB
Battery
LG V50 ThinQ: 4,000mAh non-removable battery
Nokia 9 PureView: 3,320mAh non-removable battery
Sony Xperia 1: 3,300mAh non-removable battery
Operating System (OS)
LG V50 ThinQ: Android 9.0 Pie
Nokia 9 PureView: Android 9.0 Pie with Android One
Sony Xperia 1: Android 9.0 Pie
It’s not just the big names like Samsung and Nokia which are launching their new products at MWC 2019, but lesser known brands such as Alcatel too are releasing new gadgets to keep up with the market. The France based smartphone company has released three of its smartphones ahead of MWC 2019 namely – Alcatel 3 (2019), Alcatel 3L and Alcatel 1S.
All three smartphones have FullView Display panels that come with a notch. The new devices by Alcatel have a screen-to-body ratio of up to 88% and they come with dual rear cameras with AI Scene detection. The three recently launched smartphones will also have Google Lens integration along with AR emojis. Here’s a look at the pricing and complete list of specifications of the three smartphones:
Alcatel 3 (2019), Alcatel 3L, and Alcatel 1S price and availability
The Alcatel 3 (2019) is priced at EUR 159 (approximately Rs 12,800) for the 3GB + 32GB storage variant while its 4GB + 64GB storage is priced at EUR 189 (approximately Rs 15,200). Alcatel 3 (2019) is available in Gradient Black Blue and Gradient Blue Purple colours.
Alcatel 3L, on the other hand, has a starting price of EUR 139 (approximately Rs 12,800) and it comes in Metallic Blue and Anthracite Black colour options.
The third phone launched by the company – Alcatel 1S – is the cheapest of the lot. It has a price tag of EUR 109 (approximately Rs 8,800). The device comes in four colour options – Black, Blue, Rose and Gold.
All three launched phones are not on sale right now as the company will start selling the devices around May-June in the global market.
Alcatel 3 (2019), Alcatel 3L, Alcatel 1S specificationsAlcatel 3 (2019) sports a 5.9-inch HD+ (720 x 1560 pixels) resolution Super FullView Display that has an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. It is powered by Snapdragon 439 SoC CPU and comes in 3GB + 32GB storage and 4GB + 64GB storage variant. In addition to this, a microSD card up to 128GB can be added to the device. It runs Android 8.1 Oreo and has a dual rear camera setup comprising of a 13MP primary camera (interpolated to 16MP) with f/2.0 aperture + a 5MP fixed focus camera (interpolated to 13MP) with f/2.0 aperture.
Alcatel 3 (2019) comes with AI Imaging Scene Detection which can detect up to 21 different scenarios when clicking pictures and adjust the cameras to offer the best possible settings. The front cameras of the phone supports Face Unlock and it can also be used to create AR emojis. It includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, FM radio, GPS/A-GPS, Micro-USB and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes with a 3,500mAh battery which the company guarantees to deliver up to 18 hours of talk-time or 900 hours of standby time on a single charge.
Alcatel 3L is powered by Snapdragon 429 SoC and has 2GB RAM + 16GB storage. The rest of the specifications of Alcatel 3L is same as Alcatel 3 (2019).
Lastly, Alcatel 1S is powered by an octa-core Unisoc Spreadtrum SC9863A SoC CPU and has 3GB of RAM. It sports a 5.5-inch HD+ (720 x 1440 pixels) FullView Display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. Unlike the other two Alcatel smartphones, the Alcatel 1S runs Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. It sports a dual rear camera setup comprising of a 13MP primary sensor (interpolated to 16MP) with f/2.0 aperture and a 2MP secondary sensor with f/2.8 aperture. The front of the phone houses a 5MP sensor (interpolated to 8MP) with f/2.2 aperture.
The internal storage of the Alcatel 1S is 32GB but it supports a microSD card up to 128GB. It has 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, FM radio, Micro-USB along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone houses a 3,060mAh battery which according to the company can give up to 24 hours of talk-time and 600 hours of stand by time on 4G network.
The Alcatel 3T 10 tablet has been launched alongside the three Alcatel smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2019. All the four devices have been made by TCL Communication, a licensee of Alcatel brand. There is an optional audio station coming with it, which is one of its key features and makes it a smart 2-in-1 system. Also, the Audio Station can be clipped onto the tablet which runs on Android Pie and comes with a quad-core processor.
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Alcatel 3T 10 specifications
The Alcatel 3T 10 runs Android 9.0 Pie and sports a 10-inch HD+ 1,280X800 PIXELS display with 10-point capacitive touch tech. The smartphone is powered by a 1.28GHz quad-core MediaTek MT8765B SoC, coupled with 2GB RAM. Internal storage is set at 16GB that is expandable with the help of a microSD card slot. There is a rear camera of 2MP (interpolated to 5MP) and the front camera also has the same sensor. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.2, microUSB 2.0, GPS and 4G LTE.
The battery capacity of the Alcatel 3T 10 is 4,080mAh and sports a screen resolution of 800×1,200 pixels. To talk about the audio station, it will be powered by 2,000mAh battery, and provide a playback time of 7 hours. It measures 185x67mm and features Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, a 3.5mm aux jack, a microUSB port, and a microSD card reader. Also, when you connect it to the tablet, the Audio Station creates an on-screen hub so that it gives users at-a-glance information.
Alcatel 3T 10 price and release date
The availability of the Alcatel 3T 10 will start this year with the price of the product set at EUR 179, that is roughly Rs 14,400. The Audio Station will cost EUR 229, that is approximately Rs 18,400. At the MWC 2019, Alcatel will also be introducing—Alcatel 1S, Alcatel 3 (2019) and Alcatel 3L.
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The era of foldable phones has begun! On February 20, South Korean technology giant Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Fold, which is one of a kind foldable phone that has top-of-the-line specifications. Days later, Chinese smartphone brand Huawei has taken wraps off its foldable smartphone named Huawei Mate X at MWC 2019. It seems like in the next few months, the smartphone market will get to see the launch of a host of these foldable smart devices that look like they are straight out of a sci-fi movie. Both the foldable phones have crazy and ground-breaking specifications along with a hefty price tag. These phones are not for everybody but for serious tech-lovers. People will buy these foldable phones only when they have a love for advanced technology and are ready to pay a hefty price for it. Here, we have compared Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphone with Huawei’s Mate X. Take a look at our spec-to spec comparison and decide which one is the right buy for you:
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Display
Samsung Galaxy Fold: Main Display – 7.3-inch Infinity Flex Dynamic AMOLED panel with 1536×2152 pixels and an aspect ratio of 4.2:3.
Cover Display – 4.6-inch Super AMOLED panel with 840×1960 pixels resolution and 21:9 aspect ratio.
Huawei Mate X:
Main display – 6.6-inches with 1148×2480 pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9
Secondary display – 6.38-inch display with 892×2480 pixels and an aspect ratio of 25:9 (when folded)
An 8-inch OLED FullView Display panel with 2480×2200 pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 8:71 appears when the device is unfolded.
Samsung Galaxy Fold: 16MP ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.2 aperture, a 12MP wide-angle sensor that has a variable aperture of f/1.5 to f/2.4, and a third 12MP telephoto lens with PDAF and an f/2.4 aperture paired with 2X optical zoom.
Huawei Mate X: A 40MP wide-angle sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and an 8MP telephoto sensor.
Samsung Galaxy Fold: A 10MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture + an 8MP RBG depth sensor with an f/1.9 aperture + a 10MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.
Huawei Mate X: A 40MP wide-angle sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and an 8MP telephoto sensor.
RAM and Storage
Samsung Galaxy Fold: 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage
Huawei Mate X: 8GB RAM and 512GB internal storage
Japanese electronics maker Sony has unveiled its Xperia 1 smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2019, in Barcelona, Spain. Sony Xperia 1 smartphone is being touted as the first smartphone in the world to come with a 4K OLED display and has an extra tall aspect ratio of 21:9.
The flagship smartphone also houses a triple camera setup on its back panel. The device also has a Game Enhancer mode and comes with some features like Pair Shortcut Smart Stamina mode. Here’s a look at the complete list of pricing details and specifications of the newly launched flagship smartphone by Sony:
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Sony Xperia 1 price
As of now, there is no word on the pricing of the newly launched Sony Xperia 1 smartphone. The company has only said that the device will hit the shelves in Spring this year, so we can expect to see it within the next couple of months.
Sony Xperia 1 specifications
The newly-launched Sony Xperia 1 smartphone features a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that comes with X1-style image processing has the colour calibration of the company’s professional master monitors. The screen resolution of the display is 3,840 x 1,644 pixels, comes with HDR support and has an aspect ratio of 21:9. Moreover, Amazon and Netflix content on the device will also be played in the 21:9 HDR format, so that users can make the most out of the smartphone’s display. For audio, Sony Xperia 1 smartphone has support for Dolby Atmos.
The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor clubbed with 6GB of RAM and it will be available in 64GB and 128GB storage options. Sony Xperia 1 smartphone can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB, which can come in handy in case users think that they need more storage. The device runs Android 9.0 Pie.
The device houses a 3,300mAh battery that supports Sony-developed Battery Care which enables slower overnight charging and Smart Stamina mode. The device comes with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. Both the sides of the smartphone are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. Like a number of other Sony devices, the smartphone comes with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, however, this time it is not embedded in the power button.
Sony Xperia 1 also comes with a Game Enhancer mode that is said to set a balance between performance and battery life of the device. Furthermore, it also has a Pair shortcut that will let users launch two apps on the screen.
For imaging duties, Sony Xperia 1 smartphone comes with a triple rear camera setup with 12MP sensors. While the main camera comes with f/1.6 aperture, Optical SteadyShot and Dual Pixel autofocus. While the second camera has a 2x telephoto sensor, the third one comes with an ultra-wide lens.
The device comes with CineAlta professional division that enables 24fps recording, colour profiles and project management. It also has an eye autofocus technology that helps users capture sharper portrait shots from the device. Besides this, there is also an 8MP front-facing camera on the smartphone that can be used to take selfies and make video calls.
For imaging duties, the handset has a triple rear camera module that comes with a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP telephoto sensor, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. On the front, there is a 10MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. Other than this, the smartphone houses a 3,400mAh battery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCfgkIyD9g0
The most premium of the lot is Samsung Galaxy S10+, that features a 6.4-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and comes with up to 12GB of RAM. It os worth noticing that the rear cameras of Samsung Galaxy S10+ are the same as Galaxy S10’s. However, for selfies, the device has 10MP+8MP dual selfie cameras. Furthermore, the Galaxy S10+ is available in 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options and all the variants can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ houses a 4,100mAh battery. We should also add that Samsung Galaxy S10 as well as Galaxy S10+ sport an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Coming to Samsung Galaxy S10e, which is the most affordable of the lot, sports a 5.8-inch full-HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and is available with up to 8GB of RAM. For imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 16MP sensors. It is available in 128GB and 512GB storage variants and packs a 3,100mAh battery.
All the three smartphones come with an Infinity-O display to house the selfie camera in the screen itself.
For imaging duties, the handset has a triple rear camera module that comes with a 12MP wide-angle camera, a 12MP telephoto sensor, and a 16MP ultra-wide lens. On the front, there is a 10MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. Other than this, the smartphone houses a 3,400mAh battery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCfgkIyD9g0
The most premium of the lot is Samsung Galaxy S10+, that features a 6.4-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and comes with up to 12GB of RAM. It os worth noticing that the rear cameras of Samsung Galaxy S10+ are the same as Galaxy S10’s. However, for selfies, the device has 10MP+8MP dual selfie cameras. Furthermore, the Galaxy S10+ is available in 128GB, 512GB, and 1TB storage options and all the variants can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ houses a 4,100mAh battery. We should also add that Samsung Galaxy S10 as well as Galaxy S10+ sport an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Coming to Samsung Galaxy S10e, which is the most affordable of the lot, sports a 5.8-inch full-HD+ Flat Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display and is available with up to 8GB of RAM. For imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy S10e comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 16MP sensors. It is available in 128GB and 512GB storage variants and packs a 3,100mAh battery.
All the three smartphones come with an Infinity-O display to house the selfie camera in the screen itself.
The latest lineup from South Korean technology giant Samsung is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC. The lineup has just been launched recently and comprises of the vanilla variant of Samsung Galaxy S10, the premium Galaxy S10+ model and the affordable Galaxy S10e. The devices also come with other premium features like Infinity-O screens, Dynamic AMOLED displays with HDR10+ certification, Wireless PowerShare and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
Sony’s flagship smartphone of the year – Xperia 1 – also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. But that’s not all that is impressive about the device. It features a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that comes with HDR support and has an aspect ratio of 21:9. Sony Xperia 1 has support for Dolby Atmos, runs Android 9.0 Pie and is houses a 3,300mAh battery.
Samsung also launched a 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone that also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The smartphone has some very high-end features like a Quad-HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display, 8GB RAM, 256GB of internal storage and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Next on our list is LG’s flagship smartphone for the year. The LG V50 ThinQ is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC CPU coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem which supports 5G connectivity. The smartphone comes with Adreno 640 GPU that controls all its graphics processing operations and it sports a triple-rear camera setup. The device has 6GB RAM paired with 128GB of storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 2TB. LG V50 ThinQ sports a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display and it runs Android 9 Pie.
LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and run Android Pie out-of-the-box. The newly launched smartphones by LG come with IP68 certification that makes it dust and water resistant. Another interesting feature that the smartphones have is Hand ID that scans your palms in order to unlock the device. The smartphones also come with features like Crystal Sound OLED and 3D-based face recognition.
Xiaomi finally unveiled the 5G version of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone that was launched in China last year. Although all the specifications of the handset are the same as the previously launched Mi Mix 3, the newer version comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem that adds 5G connectivity to the device.
Another device by Xiaomi that comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor is Mi 9 smartphone. The handset was launched in China a few days back and its global variant got unveiled at the MWC 2019. Other premium features of the smartphone include wireless charging and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The device comes with a triple rear camera setup, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and an AI camera that has scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture. ZTE has also said that the handset’s AI has a ‘user behaviour learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern to give a better-personalised performance.
As promised, OnePlus also showcased its 5G smartphone at the MWC 2019, however, it also maintained confidentiality around the device at the same time. However, since OnePlus and Qualcomm have been associated with each other since the Chinese smartphone maker’s inception days, the company is using the Snapdragon 855 chipset along with Snapdragon X50 modem in its upcoming device.
The latest lineup from South Korean technology giant Samsung is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC. The lineup has just been launched recently and comprises of the vanilla variant of Samsung Galaxy S10, the premium Galaxy S10+ model and the affordable Galaxy S10e. The devices also come with other premium features like Infinity-O screens, Dynamic AMOLED displays with HDR10+ certification, Wireless PowerShare and Fast Wireless Charging 2.0.
Sony’s flagship smartphone of the year – Xperia 1 – also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. But that’s not all that is impressive about the device. It features a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K display that comes with HDR support and has an aspect ratio of 21:9. Sony Xperia 1 has support for Dolby Atmos, runs Android 9.0 Pie and is houses a 3,300mAh battery.
Samsung also launched a 5G variant of its Galaxy S10 smartphone that also comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The smartphone has some very high-end features like a Quad-HD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED display, 8GB RAM, 256GB of internal storage and an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor.
Next on our list is LG’s flagship smartphone for the year. The LG V50 ThinQ is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC CPU coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem which supports 5G connectivity. The smartphone comes with Adreno 640 GPU that controls all its graphics processing operations and it sports a triple-rear camera setup. The device has 6GB RAM paired with 128GB of storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 2TB. LG V50 ThinQ sports a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ OLED FullVision Display and it runs Android 9 Pie.
LG G8 ThinQ and G8s ThinQ run Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and run Android Pie out-of-the-box. The newly launched smartphones by LG come with IP68 certification that makes it dust and water resistant. Another interesting feature that the smartphones have is Hand ID that scans your palms in order to unlock the device. The smartphones also come with features like Crystal Sound OLED and 3D-based face recognition.
Xiaomi finally unveiled the 5G version of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone that was launched in China last year. Although all the specifications of the handset are the same as the previously launched Mi Mix 3, the newer version comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 modem that adds 5G connectivity to the device.
Another device by Xiaomi that comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor is Mi 9 smartphone. The handset was launched in China a few days back and its global variant got unveiled at the MWC 2019. Other premium features of the smartphone include wireless charging and an in-display fingerprint scanner.
The ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G is be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC paired with the latest Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The device comes with a triple rear camera setup, an in-display fingerprint scanner, and an AI camera that has scene recognition, portrait recognition, and motion capture. ZTE has also said that the handset’s AI has a ‘user behaviour learning’ keeps a track of the usage pattern to give a better-personalised performance.
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo also showed off its upcoming 5G smartphone recently at the Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. However, not much is known about the device except for the fact that it comes with Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with Snapdragon X50 5G modem.
As promised, OnePlus also showcased its 5G smartphone at the MWC 2019, however, it also maintained confidentiality around the device at the same time. However, since OnePlus and Qualcomm have been associated with each other since the Chinese smartphone maker’s inception days, the company is using the Snapdragon 855 chipset along with Snapdragon X50 modem in its upcoming device.
The wearable has a 500mAh battery that is claimed to last up to a day or two on a single charge. It also has an in-built speaker and a T9 keyboard. On the camera front, the smartwatch comes with a 5MP 82-degree wide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.
The Nubia Alpha smartwatch has a stainless steel band in Gold and Black colour variants and according to the company, it is water resistant.
The smartwatch will be available in a Bluetooth version and an eSIM version. The Black Bluetooth variant of the smartwatch will be available in Europe and North America starting April this year at EUR 449, which is approximately Rs 36,200. The eSIM variant will be available in China in April at EUR 549 for the Black coloured variant, on the other hand, the 18K Gold model would cost around EUR 649.
The wearable has a 500mAh battery that is claimed to last up to a day or two on a single charge. It also has an in-built speaker and a T9 keyboard. On the camera front, the smartwatch comes with a 5MP 82-degree wide-angle sensor with an f/2.2 aperture.
The Nubia Alpha smartwatch has a stainless steel band in Gold and Black colour variants and according to the company, it is water resistant.
The smartwatch will be available in a Bluetooth version and an eSIM version. The Black Bluetooth variant of the smartwatch will be available in Europe and North America starting April this year at EUR 449, which is approximately Rs 36,200. The eSIM variant will be available in China in April at EUR 549 for the Black coloured variant, on the other hand, the 18K Gold model would cost around EUR 649.
On the top of the speaker, you will find four square buttons, among which, one is the power, two-volume rocker and a play/pause keys. All the buttons are made of rubber, but were very responsive throughout our time with the speaker. Besides this, there is a microUSB port on ZAAP Hydra Xtreme that can be used for charging the device and a 3.5mm jack, in case you wish to play music via an AUX cable. Both of these ports are hidden under a rubber flap, so they don’t spoil the look of the speaker and at the same time, they stay protected if you are using the device in an area close to water.
In a nutshell, we found the design of ZAAP Hydra Xtreme to be reasonably good, especially considering the price range. Like we said earlier, it is not an elegant or sleek looking gadget, but instead is rugged and sturdy and its design shows that. But then, we would rather pick this than going for a Bluetooth speaker that is very impressive to look at but isn’t waterproof and is easily breakable.
The treble and mids were good too. However, we should point out one thing. Don’t listen to music at the highest possible volume on the Bluetooth speaker as the quality distorts a bit. A little less than the highest volume is just perfect. We also tried to talk to our contacts while our smartphone was connected to ZAAP Hydra Xtreme, and we encountered no problem with it. We could hear the person we were talking to, and we were also heard well at all times.
Coming to its water-resistance, the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme is said to be splash-proof. So, while you can take it with yourself to a pool party, we recommend keeping it outside the pool to make sure it doesn’t get damaged. Most water-proof speakers can handle heavy moisture in the air and can survive some splashes. So is the case with ZAAP Hydra Xtreme.
Coming to the 2,000mAh battery, it survived 6 hours of playback time in the entire week, which we think is pretty decent.
On the top of the speaker, you will find four square buttons, among which, one is the power, two-volume rocker and a play/pause keys. All the buttons are made of rubber, but were very responsive throughout our time with the speaker. Besides this, there is a microUSB port on ZAAP Hydra Xtreme that can be used for charging the device and a 3.5mm jack, in case you wish to play music via an AUX cable. Both of these ports are hidden under a rubber flap, so they don’t spoil the look of the speaker and at the same time, they stay protected if you are using the device in an area close to water.
In a nutshell, we found the design of ZAAP Hydra Xtreme to be reasonably good, especially considering the price range. Like we said earlier, it is not an elegant or sleek looking gadget, but instead is rugged and sturdy and its design shows that. But then, we would rather pick this than going for a Bluetooth speaker that is very impressive to look at but isn’t waterproof and is easily breakable.
ZAAP Hydra Xtreme was extremely good when it came to performance. The Bluetooth speaker has 12+ Watt drivers and a subwoofer two 50mm drivers. We should point out, that the sound is unidirectional. Considering the design of the device, the speakers are placed only in the front. We personally have a preference for a round device, because they distribute the sound equally in all directions, making them more suitable for parties. However, considering that ZAAP Hydra Xtreme has some very good aspects, we could ignore it as it anyway wasn’t too big a problem for us.
Coming back to the performance of the speaker, we should mention that it was very easy to connect the speaker with our smartphone via Bluetooth. The moment we switched on Bluetooth on our smartphone, we could see the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme in the device list and ready for pairing. It took few seconds for the two devices to connect with each other. After this, we actually couldn’t stop using the speaker at all as we were completely hooked. We played some music that was heavy on bass, and ZAAP Hydra Xtreme could handle that enormously well.
The treble and mids were good too. However, we should point out one thing. Don’t listen to music at the highest possible volume on the Bluetooth speaker as the quality distorts a bit. A little less than the highest volume is just perfect. We also tried to talk to our contacts while our smartphone was connected to ZAAP Hydra Xtreme, and we encountered no problem with it. We could hear the person we were talking to, and we were also heard well at all times.
Coming to its water-resistance, the ZAAP Hydra Xtreme is said to be splash-proof. So, while you can take it with yourself to a pool party, we recommend keeping it outside the pool to make sure it doesn’t get damaged. Most water-proof speakers can handle heavy moisture in the air and can survive some splashes. So is the case with ZAAP Hydra Xtreme.
Coming to the 2,000mAh battery, it survived 6 hours of playback time in the entire week, which we think is pretty decent.
We should mention that OnePlus’ association with Qualcomm dates back to the launch of OnePlus One. And ever since then, the Chinese smartphone maker has always used Snapdragon 8 series processors in its handsets.
Speaking on the 5G advancements made by the company, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said, “5G is a game changer. It can change everything from gaming to communication, to health and beyond. More than that, it can perform several, or all, of these at the same time. One great example of how 5G will change the world is gaming. 5G’s dramatic improvement in speed, latency, and network capacity can truly fulfil the promise of cloud gaming. Combined with powerful OnePlus devices, people can play advanced games anywhere they are, provided they are on a 5G connection.”
We should mention that OnePlus’ association with Qualcomm dates back to the launch of OnePlus One. And ever since then, the Chinese smartphone maker has always used Snapdragon 8 series processors in its handsets.
Speaking on the 5G advancements made by the company, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said, “5G is a game changer. It can change everything from gaming to communication, to health and beyond. More than that, it can perform several, or all, of these at the same time. One great example of how 5G will change the world is gaming. 5G’s dramatic improvement in speed, latency, and network capacity can truly fulfil the promise of cloud gaming. Combined with powerful OnePlus devices, people can play advanced games anywhere they are, provided they are on a 5G connection.”
