Google Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite are likely to launch in spring of 2019
The Google Pixel 3 Lite and Pixel 3 XL Lite will launch sooner than you think. As reports suggest, they would probably launch in spring of 2019. The rumour was sparked when Google signed a deal with Verizon. The pricing and launch date are not yet known and we will come to light in the coming months. Previously the Pixel 3 Lite and 3 XL Lite have been reportedly spotted in renders, too.
Industry insiders recon that these smartphones will be cheaper than the regular versions of the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Hence these could come with a price tag of USD400 or USD500 (Rs 28,000 to Rs35,000 approx). According to some past reports the Google Pixel 3 Lite and Lite XL are said to have 4GB RAM and 32GB on-board storage. Unfortunately, the Pixel 3 Lite would not have a microSD card slot. Also, there is no word that the Pixel 3 XL Lite would come with a microSD card, too.
Over that, there is a single 12-megapixel rear camera on both phones combined with a front camera of 8MP. The Pixel 3 Lite would have a 5.5-inch display and the Pixel 3 XL Lite would feature a 6-inch display. Screen resolution of the mobile device is 1,080×2,160 pixels and comes with an aspect ratio of 18:9.
A recent ARCore APK teardown had also revealed the codenames of the upcoming Google Pixel smartphones as ‘Bonito’ and ‘Sargo’. Though these handsets come in the mid-range category of mobiles, they are expected to offer enhanced photography experience just like some of the more expensive ones do. Also, both of them are expected to have a polycarbonate construction. The smartphones are said to carry a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 or Snapdragon 710 SoC. And they would reportedly have a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connectivity options of the Google Pixel 3 Lite and 3 Lite XL include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC and USB 3.1 Type-C. The handset will house a 2,915mAh non-removable battery. This seems a to be a bit less, but with USB Type-C port, the smartphones are likely to have the fast charging feature.
It would run the latest Android Pie operating system. Like its kin, we are expecting Google Pixel 3 Lite and 3 Lite XL to come in various colour options. Since Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL have not created a large fanbase for themselves, will these two new models be able to turn the fortunes around of the smartphone business by the search giant.
Image courtesy: 91mobiles and Onleaks
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Android 9 Pie smartphones list: Will your mobile get the Android 9 update?
Google has been rolling out the Android Pie update since August. While some smartphones were quick to get it, others are still waiting for it. Is your smartphone one of them? Find out in our list if it will be receiving the latest Android update or not:
Google
Smartphones from Google had to be the first ones on our list. While Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were launched with the Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box, the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL and Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have got the latest Android update too.
One thing we really love about Nokia smartphones is the fact that they are all a part of Google’s Android One programme – which means that they will get timely Android updates and security patches. Nokia 7.1 was launched in India with Android 9.0 Pie. The latest Android update has started rolling out to Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 8 (Beta). The company’s flagship smartphone, Nokia 8 Sirocco is also scheduled to get the update. Since Nokia 3, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 5.1, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 are also a part of Android One, they will be getting the update too.
OnePlus is another company that has started sending timely Android updates and security patches to its devices. The company’s latest offering – OnePlus 6T – was launched with Android Pie and the smartphone maker’s other flagship of the year – OnePlus 6 – also got the update before its successor was launched. OnePlus has been rolling the update out to OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T users in a phased manner and the company’s OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones will also be getting the latest Android update.
The next one on our list is Xiaomi. While Xiaomi’s Mi A2 Lite smartphone has already got the Android 9.0 Pie update, the POCO F1 has got the beta update and the Mi Max 3 is promised to get it.
Now let’s talk about smartphones from Samsung. A lot of smartphones from Samsung will be getting the latest Android Pie update. The update has already started rolling out to Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy S9 smartphones. It will also be coming to Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018), Galaxy A7 (2018), Galaxy A9 (2018), Galaxy J4, Galaxy J4+, Galaxy J6, Galaxy J6+, Galaxy A8 Star, Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Duo and Galaxy J3 (2017).
A number of smartphones from Huawei will be getting the latest Android update. The latest Huawei Mate 20 line-up that comprises of Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 and Mate 20 X smartphones was launched with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. However, till now, only Huawei Mate 20 Pro has been launched in India. The update has also started rolling out to Huawei P20, P20 Pro, Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Porsche Design and Mate RS Porsche Design.
The next company on our list is Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. Honor 10, Honor View 10 and Honor Play smartphones are currently getting the Android Pie update in a phased manner. The latest Android update will also come to Honor Mate 9 smartphone.
Speaking of Sony’s smartphone line-up, Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are running the Android 9.0 Pie, and Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact are receiving the update in a phased manner. Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is also promised to get the update.
The only LG smartphone that has received the Android Pie update is LG G7 One. Besides this, there is no information from the company about which smartphones will be getting the update.
The next one on our list is HTC. The smartphone maker hasn’t started rolling out the Android Pie update to any of its smartphones yet, but HTC U12+, HTC U11, HTC U11+ and HTC U11 Life are promised to get the update.
Motorola smartphones continue to be loved devices. While the Android Pie update has already been rolled out to Motorola One Power, it is currently reaching Motorola One and Moto X4 users in a phased manner. Moto Z2 Force, Moto Z2 Play, Moto G6 Plus, Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play are also scheduled to get the update.
None of the Vivo smartphones has received the Android Pie update yet. However, the smartphones that are eligible to get the update include Vivo X21, Vivo Nex and Vivo V9.
As far as Oppo goes, only its Find X smartphone is expected to get the Android Pie update yet. There is no word about the others.
Realme recently tweeted that all its smartphones that have been launched in India so far will be getting the Android Pie update. These include Realme 1, Realme 2, Realme 2 Pro, Realme C1, and Realme U1 smartphones.
Just a few days back, Asus Zenfone 5Z smartphone started receiving the Android 9.0 Pie update. Besides this, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Zenfone Max M2 will also be getting the update.
Last but not the least, the latest Android update will also be available for some Android Go smartphones including Nokia 1, Nokia 2.1, Moto E5 Play, Huawei Y3 2018, ASUS ZenFone Live L1, LAVA Z50 and Micromax Bharat Go.
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In This Article
Smartphones from Google had to be the first ones on our list. While Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were launched with the Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box, the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL and Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones have got the latest Android update too.
Nokia
One thing we really love about Nokia smartphones is the fact that they are all a part of Google’s Android One programme – which means that they will get timely Android updates and security patches. Nokia 7.1 was launched in India with Android 9.0 Pie. The latest Android update has started rolling out to Nokia 6.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus and Nokia 8 (Beta). The company’s flagship smartphone, Nokia 8 Sirocco is also scheduled to get the update. Since Nokia 3, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 5.1, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 are also a part of Android One, they will be getting the update too.
OnePlus
OnePlus is another company that has started sending timely Android updates and security patches to its devices. The company’s latest offering – OnePlus 6T – was launched with Android Pie and the smartphone maker’s other flagship of the year – OnePlus 6 – also got the update before its successor was launched. OnePlus has been rolling the update out to OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T users in a phased manner and the company’s OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphones will also be getting the latest Android update.
Xiaomi
The next one on our list is Xiaomi. While Xiaomi’s Mi A2 Lite smartphone has already got the Android 9.0 Pie update, the POCO F1 has got the beta update and the Mi Max 3 is promised to get it.
Samsung
Now let’s talk about smartphones from Samsung. A lot of smartphones from Samsung will be getting the latest Android Pie update. The update has already started rolling out to Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy S9 smartphones. It will also be coming to Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, Galaxy S8, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018), Galaxy A7 (2018), Galaxy A9 (2018), Galaxy J4, Galaxy J4+, Galaxy J6, Galaxy J6+, Galaxy A8 Star, Galaxy J7 (2017), Galaxy J7 Duo and Galaxy J3 (2017).
Huawei
A number of smartphones from Huawei will be getting the latest Android update. The latest Huawei Mate 20 line-up that comprises of Mate 20 Pro, Mate 20 and Mate 20 X smartphones was launched with Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. However, till now, only Huawei Mate 20 Pro has been launched in India. The update has also started rolling out to Huawei P20, P20 Pro, Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, Mate 10 Porsche Design and Mate RS Porsche Design.
Honor
The next company on our list is Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. Honor 10, Honor View 10 and Honor Play smartphones are currently getting the Android Pie update in a phased manner. The latest Android update will also come to Honor Mate 9 smartphone.
Sony
Speaking of Sony’s smartphone line-up, Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are running the Android 9.0 Pie, and Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact are receiving the update in a phased manner. Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is also promised to get the update.
LG
The only LG smartphone that has received the Android Pie update is LG G7 One. Besides this, there is no information from the company about which smartphones will be getting the update.
HTC
The next one on our list is HTC. The smartphone maker hasn’t started rolling out the Android Pie update to any of its smartphones yet, but HTC U12+, HTC U11, HTC U11+ and HTC U11 Life are promised to get the update.
Motorola
Motorola smartphones continue to be loved devices. While the Android Pie update has already been rolled out to Motorola One Power, it is currently reaching Motorola One and Moto X4 users in a phased manner. Moto Z2 Force, Moto Z2 Play, Moto G6 Plus, Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play are also scheduled to get the update.
Vivo
None of the Vivo smartphones has received the Android Pie update yet. However, the smartphones that are eligible to get the update include Vivo X21, Vivo Nex and Vivo V9.
Oppo
As far as Oppo goes, only its Find X smartphone is expected to get the Android Pie update yet. There is no word about the others.
Realme
Realme recently tweeted that all its smartphones that have been launched in India so far will be getting the Android Pie update. These include Realme 1, Realme 2, Realme 2 Pro, Realme C1, and Realme U1 smartphones.
Asus
Just a few days back, Asus Zenfone 5Z smartphone started receiving the Android 9.0 Pie update. Besides this, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Zenfone Max M2 will also be getting the update.
Android Go smartphones
Last but not the least, the latest Android update will also be available for some Android Go smartphones including Nokia 1, Nokia 2.1, Moto E5 Play, Huawei Y3 2018, ASUS ZenFone Live L1, LAVA Z50 and Micromax Bharat Go.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. A new version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro accidentally listed on Flipkart, error rectified later
A new version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro was accidentally listed on Flipkart’s page. This came to light after a tipster posted about this error on twitter yesterday. This reportedly happened due to a susceptible mistake by someone in designing templates for Flipkart. No sooner did the tipster tweeted about this mistake that Flipkart removed this post from its website.
The new Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro was also spotted on many benchmark platforms. What we know from them is that the phone is supposed to have a Snapdragon 660 processor. On basis of which, the new Redmi Note 6 Pro is going to compete with Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 and the Realme 2 Pro. These phones too are powered by a Snapdragon 660 processor with their price starting at Rs 12,999.
Whereas the earlier version of the Redmi Note 6 Pro is powered by a Snapdragon 636 processor and is priced at Rs 13,999. With the leaks and now a sudden template showing up on an Indian commerce website it seems like there indeed is a Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 version and will come to light soon.
Coming to the specifications of the current Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro, it has a 6.26-inch notch display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. Also, the screen resolution is 2,280×1,080 pixels. The two RAM variants include 4GB and 6GB, an internal storage which can store up 64GB of data. The 4GB version costs Rs 13,999 and the latter can be picked up for Rs 15,999.
The Chinese smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with Xiaomi’s MIUI 9. Dual rear cameras comprise of 12MP and 5MP sensors. The dual front cameras are on this mobile phone which consists of a 20MP and 2MP sensors. The mobile device is powered by a 4,000mAh non-removable battery. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, FM Radio, GPS, Infrared port and microUSB 2.0. The mobile comes in four colour options i.e. black, blue, rose gold and red. Last but not the least, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has a fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass.
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Motorola P40 renders and 360-degree video leaked
In the last few weeks, we have seen a number of renders and leaks of the upcoming Moto G7 series. The smartphone maker is back in news again, but this time it’s because of a different device. Motorola is also working on ‘P’ series smartphone that it will be launching in 2019. The upcoming device is the successor of Motorola P30 smartphone and will reportedly be called Motorola P40.
Technology website 91mobiles collaborated with @Onleaks has published some render images and a 360-degree video of the Motorola P40 smartphones. Although Motorola P30 never hit the international markets, it has been reported that the company will launch its P40 smartphone with Motorola One branding.
The renders show Motorola P40 with a hole in the display for the selfie camera. It is worth noticing that this will be the first smartphone from Motorola to do so. Much like Samsung Galaxy A8s, Huawei Nova 4 and Honor V20 smartphones, Motorola P40’s display cut-out will be placed on the top left of the device. The smartphone will sport a 6.2-inch display, and since there is a display hole present onboard, the device has ditched the notch to give users a full-screen experience. The renders show the bezels on the sides of the display to be thin, however, the chin at the bottom is slightly thick as it comes with Motorola branding.
According to the renders, the left edge houses the SIM tray, while the right edge has the power and volume rocker buttons sandwiched on it. The bottom edge of the device is shown to have a USB Type-C port, a speaker grille and the mic. The report by 91mobile confirms that Motorola P40 will come with a 3.5mm headphone jack and that it will be placed on the top edge of the smartphone.
The back panel of the upcoming smartphone appears to have 3D curved edges and is shown to be made of glass, as it looks highly reflective. The rear panel houses the vertically stacked dual rear cameras along with two LED flash units. One among the dual rear cameras of the smartphone is reported to be a 48MP primary sensor. The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is embedded in the Moto dimple at the back and the Android One logo lies beneath it. The report also points out that Motorola P40 will measure 160.1×71.2×8.7mm and will be around 10mm thick.
Image and video courtesy: 91mobiles, @Onleaks
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Technology website 91mobiles collaborated with @Onleaks has published some render images and a 360-degree video of the Motorola P40 smartphones. Although Motorola P30 never hit the international markets, it has been reported that the company will launch its P40 smartphone with Motorola One branding.
The renders show Motorola P40 with a hole in the display for the selfie camera. It is worth noticing that this will be the first smartphone from Motorola to do so. Much like Samsung Galaxy A8s, Huawei Nova 4 and Honor V20 smartphones, Motorola P40’s display cut-out will be placed on the top left of the device. The smartphone will sport a 6.2-inch display, and since there is a display hole present onboard, the device has ditched the notch to give users a full-screen experience. The renders show the bezels on the sides of the display to be thin, however, the chin at the bottom is slightly thick as it comes with Motorola branding.
According to the renders, the left edge houses the SIM tray, while the right edge has the power and volume rocker buttons sandwiched on it. The bottom edge of the device is shown to have a USB Type-C port, a speaker grille and the mic. The report by 91mobile confirms that Motorola P40 will come with a 3.5mm headphone jack and that it will be placed on the top edge of the smartphone.
The back panel of the upcoming smartphone appears to have 3D curved edges and is shown to be made of glass, as it looks highly reflective. The rear panel houses the vertically stacked dual rear cameras along with two LED flash units. One among the dual rear cameras of the smartphone is reported to be a 48MP primary sensor. The fingerprint scanner of the smartphone is embedded in the Moto dimple at the back and the Android One logo lies beneath it. The report also points out that Motorola P40 will measure 160.1×71.2×8.7mm and will be around 10mm thick.
Image and video courtesy: 91mobiles, @Onleaks
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Chinese sub-brand of Huawei, Honor is reportedly going to launch its new model, View 20 on 22nd January. The tip off about its launch has been known through a teaser via Amazon. On the basis of the leak, it has been known that the smartphone would be available exclusively on Amazon India once it is out. This is reminiscent of the Honor 10 launch as it was also exclusively available on Amazon.
The teaser has revealed quite a few things about the smartphone. We know that ahead of its launch, it will come in three colour options. Those are black, red and blue. The pricing is not known yet. But our guess is that it should be in the mid-budget segment of smartphones. Reports also suggest that the Honor View 20 is supposed to sell in Paris initially before the global sale begins.
Recently, the Chinese sub-brand has launched the Honor V20, View 20’s variant, in China itself. And we know that the handset is 6.4-inches wide diagonally, has an IPS LCD screen and supports 2,310×1,080 pixels Full HD+ screen resolution. To talk about the specifications in detail, the Honor V20 offers a screen to body ratio of 91.82 percent and a pixel density of 382ppi.
The smartphone runs on Android 9.0 Pie and is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 980 Octa-core processor. The smartphone will come with 8GB RAM coupled with 256GB of internal storage. At the same time, there is a microSD card slot with a memory expansion limit of 400GB. The handset is powered by a 4,000mAh non-removable battery.
There is a dual rear camera setup of 48MP Sony IMX568 sensor and the Honor V20 comes with a selfie camera of 25MP upfront. MP3 and WAV ringtones are supported on this smartphone. The mobile also comes with a loudspeaker and 3.5mm jack. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, NFC, Infrared port, and USB type C. Also, there is a fingerprint, accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass sensors available on this device.
In all probability, the Honor V20 and View 20 would be the same devices with different names according to the countries they are being sold in. However, there might be slight change in each according to the area of sales.
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Why Instagram tried the horizontal feed only for a few hours
Popular photo-sharing app Instagram completely changed its user interface for a few hours, only to change it back again. With the new user interface, users had to horizontally swipe through posts on Instagram, rather than scrolling down the way they normally do. This change was first being tested out with a small number of users, the way it is always done. However, it sparked outrage among users, who absolutely did not like the new design. A number of them even spoke about the change in the Facebook-owned app on various social media platforms.
To be more specific about the update, the redesigned app required users to tap right in order to see pictures from friends, replacing the vertical feed. It was very similar to how Stories are viewed on Instagram.
A very pressing problem with the update that users faced was that if users inadvertently tapped on a picture in the middle instead of the right to go on to the next, it automatically got liked. Considering one was expected to tap left to go to a previous picture, in the middle to like it and on right to move on to the next photo, was a bit too confusing for some users. A progress bar was also added to the revamped app which showed users how far they had gone in their feed.
To put it in a nutshell, users did not like the new user interface and were very expressive about it on social media. Some even complained about it on Instagram head Mosseri’s Instagram account. Probably this was the reason that the photo-sharing app decided to roll back the previous design of the app.
Mosseri then took to Twitter to talk about the new design of the app. He explained how this was actually supposed to be a very small test, but it went ‘broader’ than what the company had intended to. He also said that the horizontal design of Instagram has been rolled back and users can restart their apps to see the old vertical feed again.
https://twitter.com/mosseri/status/1078322176070021121
The official Instagram account on Twitter also apologised for the change in design. In the tweet, the company said that the design change was a bug, and said that they have fixed the ‘issue’.
Although it is unclear whether we’ll get to see this design change in future as a permanent change, the chances of it seem quite unlikely considering that Instagram listened to user complaints and decided to go back to its previous design. Earlier this year, Snapchat new design also garnered a lot of negative reviews from users, but CEO Evan Spiegal decided to stick to it anyway. The company, as a result, lost a number of users post the redesign. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.Due to a bug, some users saw a change to the way their feed appears today. We quickly fixed the issue and feed is back to normal. We apologize for any confusion.
— Instagram (@instagram) December 27, 2018
A lot of Samsung smartphones will soon be upgraded to Android Pie: Is your device one of them?
Recently, through the Samsung Members app, the company has released a roadmap to show which device will receive the coveted Android Pie update and when. The update has started rolling out for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ which are major flagship phones of Samsung. The schedule for these phones to receive Android Pie is January next year. And in February the Samsung phone which will be upgraded to Android Pie is Galaxy Note 9.
Subsequently, the Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 will receive software update during March. In April the devices which will receive software updates are Galaxy A8+, Galaxy A7, Galaxy A9 and Galaxy Tab S4 10.5. The Android Pie roll out for Galaxy J4, J4+, J6 and Galaxy A8 Star is scheduled for May, 2019. Then in August, the Galaxy J7 Duo is planned to get the update.
September will see the Android Pie rollout for Samsung Galaxy J3, which was launched in 2017, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7. The latest version of Android will come out on three tablets during September. These tablets include Galaxy Tab A(2017), Galaxy Tab Active 2 and Galaxy Tab A 10.4. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge which underwent major Android upgrades won’t be receiving Android Pie. To be precise, they are not part of the roadmap revealed in Samsung Members app.
The Galaxy S7 was launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and until now has received upgradation to Android 8.0 Oreo. As mentioned, it is one of Samsung phones, which underwent major software updates and is not slated to get the new OS upgrade. The smartphone comes with a 4GB RAM with storage variants of 32GB and 64GB of data. It has a 5.1-inch touchscreen and comes with a resolution of 1,440×2,560 pixels.
The phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and smartphones physical dimensions are 142.4×69.6×7.9mm with an overall weight of 152 grams. There is a single rear camera on it consisting of a 12MP sensor and the contraption also houses a 5MP selfie camera. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, NFC, and microUSB 2.0. Coming back to the Samsung roadmap, though the dates have been specified, it cannot be said with surety that the above-mentioned dates are going to be the right on the buzzer. But, going by Samsung’s last efforts to upgrade their mobiles OS they will more or less release on time, if not before.
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Nokia 5.1 Plus starts receiving Android 9.0 Pie update
As confirmed by HMD Global, the Nokia 5.1 Plus has started receiving Android Pie update. The smartphone was launched with Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box this September in India. It came with an MRP of Rs 10,999 and then eventually experienced a permanent price cut of Rs 1,000. This brought down the price of the phone to Rs 9,999.
The rollout of the Android Pie update is said to be similar to that of the rollout in case of Nokia X5. The update in the Nokia 5.1 Plus is supposed to be available globally in a phased manner. Also it is an OTA (Over The Air) update so one doesn’t need to update their phones manually. It will automatically come to your phone with time. The new update is going to bring about features such as Adaptive battery, Adaptive Brightness and more. Its size is supposed to be 1,214.4MB and is coming with a version number v2.09B.
The rollout is a part of Android One Programme, which brings about timely updates and stock Android Interface. The smartphone is also going to be introduced to a December 2018 Android Security Patch.
Talking about the specifications of the Nokia 5.1 Plus, it has dimensions of 149.5x72x8.1mm. The smartphone weighs 160 grams and is powered by an octa-core Mediatek Helio P60 processor. The CPU has dual 4 cores running at 1.8GHz each. As mentioned, the Nokia 5.1 Plus was launched with Android 8.1 Oreo and now is finally upgradable to Android Pie. The smartphone has a 5.86-inch touchscreen with 79.6 percent screen to body ration. The touchscreen supports HD+ graphics.
The handset comes with a dual rear camera setup which comprises of 13MP and 5MP. The selfie camera on the other hand is of 8MP. There are two RAM variants—3GB and 4GB which come with internal storage of 32GB and 64GB respectively. A microSD card slot is also available on the Nokia 5.1 Plus, which has the capacity to store up to 400GB of files. Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, FM Radio and USB 2.0. Also, it is noteworthy that the handset has a fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity and a compass.
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iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR may become more affordable in 2019, here’s why
Cupertino based technology giant Apple took the definition of pricey smartphones to a different level last year when it launched the iPhone X. While a number of loyalists were left baffled with the exorbitant pricing and decided to go for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, some opted for the tenth-anniversary edition inspire of the high cost. And this year, the prices went even higher with iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. Even the base model of the two smartphones bear a price tag of over Rs 1 lakh. And the supposedly ‘affordable’ iPhone XR is also priced at over Rs 70,000.
Soon after the latest lineup of iPhones went on sale in India, reports started surfacing online that iPhone sales have seen a decline. Some media reports said that Apple is set to see the first full-year fall in revenue in the country and others claimed that the company has cancelled production of iPhone XR, which it thought would have better sales than iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max when it was launched. While the sales of iPhone XR never escalated, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus did start selling well after the launch of the latest iPhones. So maybe for consumers, they were the real affordable iPhones.
However, Apple may be coming up with a strategy to change the fate of its latest iPhones in India. According to a report in the Economic Times, Apple plans to start the production of its latest iPhones in India. The report quotes sources who have stated that Apple will be partnering will Foxconn to manufacture the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR in the country. The smartphone giant may also start manufacturing the iPhone X in the country in order to lower the price of the device.
The report further reveals that Foxconn will be manufacturing these iPhones at Sriperumbudur plant located in Tamil Nadu. According to Reuters, Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister M C Sampath has said that the iPhone manufacturer will be investing Rs 25 billion in the Sriperumbudur plant in order to accommodate the manufacturing of the new iPhones. It is worth noticing that Foxconn also manufactures devices for Xiaomi in India.
Till now, a contributory factor in the high pricing iPhones was the import duty that Apple had to pay. However, with iPhone manufacturing coming to India, we can expect the pricing of the smartphones to fall.
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iPhone XR contributed to 32% of iPhone sales during its first month
Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (or CIRP) has released a report that sheds light on how well iPhones were sold as compared to one another. It is worth noticing that since Apple doesn’t disclose the number of units sold anymore, it has become tough to estimate how well an iPhone is selling. But then, this year some reports have claimed that the new iPhone lineup did not sell as much as it was expected to, so naturally, there is more eagerness to find out how well did they really do.
According to the CIRP report, iPhone XR (review), which is touted to be the ‘affordable’ iPhone of the year, made up for about 32% of the iPhones that were sold during the first month of its launch. Speaking of the other two iPhones that were launched this year – iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max – they collectively contributed to around 35% of Apple market share.
This year, Apple tweaked its approach when it launched the iPhones. The more expensive iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max were released first and the ‘affordable’ iPhone XR followed a month later. This may have been done to attract iOS loyalists to upgrade to the most high-end phones that were available.
If you compare this to last year, iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus – which were relatively more affordable than Apple’s tenth-anniversary edition – were made available exactly after the launch, while iPhone X hit the shelves a month later. And iPhone X contributed to 30% of the iPhone market share during its first month of launch and did better than in sales as compared to iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus.
The report also said that 82% of the customers upgraded from older iPhones while 16% switched from Android smartphones. In 2017 86% upgraded from iOS and 11% switched from Android mobiles.
However, the 2017 iPhones managed a 69% total iPhone market share, while the latest lineup yielded a 65%. We should mention that these numbers have been estimated based on a survey that involved 165 participants and was conducted after the release of iPhone XR, within a month of its launch.
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Vivo V12 Pro expected to launch early next year, will launch a 5G smartphone too
The successor of Vivo V11 Pro is rumoured to be launching soon. Since it is the successor of the V11 Pro, it is likely to be called Vivo V12 Pro. If we go by reports the pricing is expected to be under Rs 30,000. The smartphone would probably have an improved in-display fingerprint sensor that would be faster than the V11 Pro. It can also be said that the device might house a selfie camera on the basis of the latest display piercing tech on the display. So, we might see the pin hole front camera on this smartphone.
The company had launched the V9 in the first half of this year and the V11 Pro in the second half. So, if the V12 Pro comes in the first half of next year, the Vivo V10 which is the successor of V9 can be expected to launch in the second half. Nipun Marya, Director-Brand strategy, Vivo India said in an interview with India Today, “we will be launching something in the first half of 2019 and it will be the successor of the V11 Pro. One in the first half and the other in the second half.” This is likely to be the Vivo V12 Pro.
Also, the company has revealed that it is going to launch another smartphone with 5G connectivity. It says that the same would be launched in the coming year. The company did not specify the date, and plans to launch them only when “the market is ready”. However, the Chinese smartphone brand is confident that it will be one of the first companies to launch the trend of 5G smartphones.
Marya is sure about Vivo’s authenticity that it would be one of the leading brands when it comes to 5G network. This is what he said, “We have done a very deep collaboration with Qualcomm, and we will be among the first few brands to launch a 5G device. In fact, we are already in advanced stages on the development of a 5G phone, so all the testing is already happening”.
Other than Vivo, OnePlus had also announced that they will be the first ones to bring a 5G smartphone. However, with 4G not working properly in India, a 5G phone does not make sense here. Yes, in developed markets a 5G smartphone can reap great benefits.
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Xiaomi Notebook Air unveiled with Intel Core i5 CPU: Price, specifications and more
Well, the Chinese maker Xiaomi is great at copying everything and this time they have copied the name of a famous laptop by Apple. The new laptop by the Chinese company is called Xiaomi Notebook Air that comes with an Intel Core i5 processor inside. In terms of design, the laptop is similar to the Mi Notebook Air powered by Intel Core M3 processor. Both have a 12.5-inch display.
Xiaomi Notebook Air Technical specifications
The laptop has a resolution of 1,920×1,080 pixels. It provides 170 degrees wide viewing angle and brightness of 300nits. The Xiaomi Notebook Air has a contrast ratio of 600:1 and a widescreen ratio of 16:9. The Notebook runs on Windows 10 Home Edition. It is paired with Intel HD integrated graphics 615, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD.
4G connectivity is available on the Xiaomi Notebook Air. Rest of the connectivity options include WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.1, USB 3.0 port, HDMI and 3.5mm earphone jack. The dimensions of the device are 292x202x12.9mm and it weighs 1.07kg. It features a 1MP web camera with 720p video calling support. The Notebook allows fast charging and in terms of online video playback it can last up to 8 hours. Also, it supports 7.5 hours of local video playback and 7.5 hours of web browsing.
Xiaomi Notebook Air Price
The Xiaomi Notebook Air has been launched in China for CNY 3,999 and is yet to be launched in India. If it launches in India it would probably cost Rs 40,500 approximately as that is the Indian currency equivalent of this Chinese product. It is up for pre-sale in Mi.com and JD.com. Only one colour option is available and that is silver. Customers can pre-order the gadget by paying CNY 100.
Now what is left for us to see is when would it be launched in India. If they do, will they be able to capture the market in the laptop segment just like they were able to in the mobile world, is something only time will tell. As of now there is no news on its official launch in India.
Image courtesy: Mi.com
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Smartphone with MediaTek Helio P90 SoC gets listed on Antutu
Taiwan based chipmaker MediaTek had launched its Helio P90 chipset at the beginning of this month. MediaTek Helio P90 is said to be the most powerful processor by the chipmaker yet and is aimed towards high-end flagship level smartphones. MediaTek has touted the newly launched chipset to be power efficient and the company said that the SoC has an extremely good performance in terms of artificial intelligence. However, we will have to wait to see the chipset’s performance in a smartphone before we can say whether these claims are correct or not. But then, for now, we the AnTuTu benchmark leak that gives us an idea about the performance of MediaTek’s Helio P90 chipset.
The AnTuTu benchmark results of the newly launched MediaTek Helio P90 processor were shared by an Indonesian tipster, Bang Gogo. He is reportedly a renowned tipster as most of the leaks provided by him earlier have turned out to be true. Gogo has shared a screenshot of which reveals the becnchmark results as well as the hardware details of the handset on which it was captured. The smartphone that was used for the listing was powered by an Octa-Core Helio P90 processor clubbed with IMG PowerVR GM 9446 GPU.
The display of the smartphone that featured in the listing had a resolution of 2160px x 1080 px. The test smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie operating system and packs a 6GB RAM along with 128GB of internal storage. As we mentioned earlier, the device is powered by MediaTek Helio P90, and on Antutu benchmark test, it scored 1,62,861. If we compare this with smartphones that are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, their scores usually range from 2,50,000 to 2,90,000. But we’ll take this listing with a pinch of salt as there is a possibility that the test device is not optimised, which contributed to the rather low score. So, till a smartphone is actually launched with the chipset in question, we can’t determine the performance of MediaTek Helio P90 processor. MediaTek Helio P90 processor is an Octa-Core chipset that has been made by the chipmaker using 12nm TSMC technology and it has been touted by the company for its advanced AI capabilities. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.#antutu #mediatek #heliop90 pic.twitter.com/AthCbbmwm8
— 📱📶💻📸👻🔮☪️ (@bang_gogo_) December 27, 2018
PUBG Mobile bans 30,000 players: Here’s why
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG Mobile recently rolled out an all-new snow map called Vikendi. The game is now covered in snow, has got new locations, and there is a Christmas theme that has been added to it too. However, besides these cosmetic changes and the addition of new weapons, the game has also introduced an Anti-Cheat and Reporting feature with the latest update, according to a report in PCGamesN.
PUBG also banned over 30,000 players from playing the game because they used cheat codes during the game. Some of these accounts belonged to PUBG Pro players like TEXQS, Papaya, Cageman, PlayerJones, Hoffmann88, Sezk0, Houlow and Kragen. To be more specific, these 30,000 players have been banned by PUBG for using the Radar Hack Cheat code while playing the game.
For those unaware, Radar Hack Cheat gives users detailed information about his rival player’s position. The information from the servers is sent to a third-party VPN and the user getting the information naturally has higher chances of winning the game.
To put it more simply, with Radar Hack, users are able to see the position of other players using a smartphone app or a second monitor and this gives them an advantage over that player in the game.
According to several media reports, a player Justlikethegypsysaid said about this hack, “I cannot count on both hands the amount of times I have ran into people obviously using some form of radar cheat today. I will be sitting in a room, or behind a rock. Then I hear footsteps heading towards me, and the second even their head is visible I’m prefired into the next dimension. I understand that these cheats are undetectable as they run on entirely separate devices to Pubg, however, there has to be some way that Pubgcorp can close the loop of information being fed to these devices and apps. I cannot see why people should be able to leech match information while it is still in progress.”
The latest update of PUBG Mobile, that also has the Vikendi map, comes with anti-cheating features. An anti-cheating tool is also available in the patch notes available on Steam Community that states that the information about the ban will now be written on those players ‘feed in real time who have been banned for cheating, teaming or teamkilling.
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20 smartphones launched in 2018 with the highest level of radiation
Most of us want to get rid of our smartphone addiction because we think it wastes our time, or because we think we spend too much time glued to a screen. However, it poses a far more serious threat because a lot of smartphones come with radiation levels that are dangerously high. Different regions in the world have different values of SAR that they consider to be acceptable. While in the US, SAR level at or below 1.6 watts per kilogram is permitted, the European Union allows 2 watts per kilogram of SAR level. India follows the US model when its SAR value. However, Der Blaue Engel, a German certification for products and services on the basis of environmental friendliness, considers a far lesser level of SAR acceptable. It only certifies the smartphones that have lesser than 0.60 watts per kilogram of absorption rate. Here, we have curated a list of 20 smartphones that were launched in 2018 that have the maximum level of SAR values:
SAR value (at the ear): 1.58 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.42 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.55 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.27 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.39 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.4 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.33 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.38 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.33 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.49 W/kg
SAR value: 1.188 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.19 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.59 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 1.07 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.43 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.96 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.6 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.96 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.64 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.79 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.15 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.77 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.05 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.76 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.48 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.73 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.22 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.67 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.07 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.64 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.36 W/kg
SAR value (at the ear): 0.66 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.42 W/kg
Data sources: German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz), Devicespecifications.com.
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[td_smart_list_end]
In This Article
Xiaomi Mi Max 3
SAR value (at the ear): 1.58 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.42 W/kg
OnePlus 6T
SAR value (at the ear): 1.55 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.27 W/kg
Google Pixel 3 XL
SAR value (at the ear): 1.39 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.4 W/kg
OnePlus 6
SAR value (at the ear): 1.33 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.38 W/kg
Google Pixel 3
SAR value (at the ear): 1.33 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.49 W/kg
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro
SAR value: 1.188 W/kg
Asus ZenFone 5Z (ZS620KL)
SAR value (at the ear): 1.19 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.59 W/kg
Sony Xperia XA2 (H3113; H3133)
SAR value (at the ear): 1.07 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.43 W/kg
Apple iPhone XR
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
Apple iPhone XS
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
Apple iPhone XS Max
SAR value (at the ear): 0.99 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.99 W/kg
Asus ROG Phone
SAR value (at the ear): 0.96 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.6 W/kg
Xiaomi Mi A2
SAR value (at the ear): 0.96 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 0.64 W/kg
Honor 10
SAR value (at the ear): 0.79 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.15 W/kg
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact (H8314; H8324)
SAR value (at the ear): 0.77 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.05 W/kg
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro
SAR value (at the ear): 0.76 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.48 W/kg
Huawei P20 Pro
SAR value (at the ear): 0.73 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.22 W/kg
Sony Xperia XZ2 (H8266; H8296)
SAR value (at the ear): 0.67 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.07 W/kg
Moto G6
SAR value (at the ear): 0.64 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.36 W/kg
Moto G6 Play
SAR value (at the ear): 0.66 W/kg
SAR value (on the body): 1.42 W/kg
Data sources: German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz), Devicespecifications.com.
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[td_smart_list_end] OnePlus 6T to be available at a discounted price for a limited period starting December 29
If you have been planning to buy the OnePlus 6T, we have some good news for you. The Chinese smartphone brand has rolled out some year-end offers on its latest flagship smartphone. These offers will go live starting December 29, 2018, and customers will be able to avail them till January 6, 2019.
As a part of the offers, customers will be able to avail an instant discount of Rs 1,500 when they buy the OnePlus 6T from Amazon.in, provided they opt for EMI transactions and pay for their purchase using HDFC Bank credit and debit cards. A no-cost EMI option for six months can also be availed on buying OnePlus 6T via Amazon.in, OnePlus.in, Croma outlets and OnePlus exclusive offline stores. Apart from this, if you exchange your old OnePlus device for the OnePlus 6T (review), you would be able to avail a discount of up to Rs 2,000. If you don’t have a OnePlus smartphone, you can change any other phone to get a discount of up to Rs 1,500.
Recently, OnePlus partnered with racing giant McLaren for its special edition smartphone, OnePlus 6T McLaren. While most of the features of the smartphone remain the same as OnePlus 6T, it does some key changes in design as well as specifications. For starters, the special edition smartphone comes with signature McLaren Papaya Orange coloured side edges, and has a pattern underneath its glass back panel that is based on McLaren’s carbon fiber. OnePlus 6T McLaren comes with 10GB of RAM and supports the company’s Warp Charge 30 technology.
Coming to the specifications of OnePlus 6T, the smartphone features a 6.41-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor clubbed with either 6GB or 8GB RAM, or in McLaren edition’s case – 10GB RAM. The flagship smartphone is available in 128GB or 256GB storage options. OnePlus 6T sports a waterdrop-style notch and an in-display fingerprint scanner. The smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s own OxygenOS.
On the camera front, the smartphone comes with a 16MP Sony IMX519 sensor aperture and a secondary 20MP Sony IMX376K sensor. OnePlus 6T comes with support for OIS and EIS and has a dual-LED flash module. For selfies and video calls, there is a 16MP Sony IMX371 sensor on the front panel of the smartphone. The base variant of OnePlus 6T is priced at Rs 37,999, while the most high-end McLaren Edition costs Rs 50,999.
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Moto G7 Power leaked on Geekbench: Here is all you need to know about the phone
Geekbench is a platform which categorises phones on the basis of the performance of their processors and computing power. It marks them on the basis of single-core and multi-core performance. And based on this a phone gets points that tells us how powerful the mobile really is. In a recent leak, the Moto G7 Power has scored 1,286 points on Geekbench test marking.
Coming to the phone’s built and specifications, the Moto G7 Power will have a traditional notch as we have observed in other leaks as well. Compared to the previous Motorola series which was Moto G6, the Moto G7 Power will provide a larger screen space. Also, as its name suggests ‘Power’ the mobile will probably have a larger battery than other phones belonging to the same series.
Connectivity options of the Moto G7 in all probability will include a headphone jack and USB Type-C charging port. Considering that the Moto G7 will be the flagship phone in the series it can indicate what other next generation of Moto devices would also feature in the same series.
The Moto G7 Power is expected to come with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset. The smartphone would have a single RAM variant of 4GB and would be running on the latest Android Pie OS. Furthermore, it will be powered by a massive battery of 5,000mAh.
Three phones—the Moto G7, G7 Plus and G7 Power were leaked in the Federal Communications Commission(FCC) previously. The other one, the Moto G7 Play was rendered in the Eurasian Economic Commission(EEC).
Now that we have introduced the other smartphones as well, it won’t do any harm in weighing them against each other. The Moto G7 and G7 Plus are expected to have a waterdrop notch whereas the Moto G7 Play and G7 Power will have a traditional notch. Though the former two indeed have a waterdrop notch, they are not as slim as seen in the competing devices from makers like OnePlus or Vivo.
The Moto G7 Power and G7 Play in all probability will have a single rear camera setup. In both handsets, users will have fingerprint sensors at the back where the Motorola logo is housed. In case of G7 and G7 Plus, both would come with dual rear camera setup.
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Xiaomi Mi A1 to receive Android Pie stable OTA update soon
Xiaomi would soon be the latest Android Pie update on the Xiaomi Mi A1. This update would be skinned with Xiaomi’s latest MIUI 10. The phone would be configured to this network via OTA update. So, the update transfer is going to be wireless and one does need to root or download anything from any website to upgrade to this OS version. Rumours have it that the update would be gradually available to users globally and the process has already started with Hong Kong.
To recall, the smartphone was launched in the beginning months of this year with Android 7.0 Nougat. No sooner was the phone launched with this operating system that it got updated to Android 8.0 Oreo. Now, as users still recall on the basis of the information, they got this month, that the Chinese smartphone would receive a stable beta update of the new OS. However, Xiaomi did not confirm anything on that regard.
The new update would be around 1069.1MB in size. Instead of the earlier beta stable version V10.0.2.0 the Xiaomi Mi A1 would receive the latest Pie with build number PKQ1.180917.001.V10.0.3.0.PDHMIFK.
To talk about the specifications in detail, the smartphone has dual rear cameras of 12MP each and a 5MP selfie camera. There is one RAM variant of 4GB with an internal storage of 64GB. A microSD card slot can expand the storage by up to 128GB.
Connectivity options include WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.2, FM Radio, USB 2.0 Infrared port and GPS. The phone houses a 3,080mAh non-removable battery. It comes in three colour options—black, gold, rose gold and red. The Xiaomi Mi A1 Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and is powered by Qualcomm MSM8953 Snapdragon 625 processor.
It was launched with an MRP of Rs 14,999, but eventually the company did a permanent price cut of Rs 1,000 which ultimately made its cost Rs 13,999. The successor of the Xiaomi Mi A1 is the Xiaomi Mi A2 and it seemed like that the Mi A1 would be discontinued. However, with the fresh news of the update coming out soon, this smartphone will continue to stay alive for a tad bit longer. Currently, upon checking, the Xiaomi Mi A1 is still in stocks at offline as well as online stores.
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LG Electronics joins Korean Fair Trade Commission lawsuit against Qualcomm
LG Electronics has become the latest smartphone company to join the KFTC (Korean Fair Trade Commission) and other companies in a lawsuit against American chipmaker Qualcomm. Prior to this, South Korean technology giant Samsung had withdrawn from the lawsuit. However, with LG’s entry, KFTC’s case has been strengthened again, especially because LG Electronics is a Korea-based company.
It is worth noticing that according to Business Korea, industry sources have said that the smartphone maker has chosen to be a part of the legal efforts against Qualcomm because the negotiations between the two companies in the US have been rather ‘shaky’.
We should point out that in the last few weeks, Qualcomm has seen two legal victories in its ongoing cases against Apple. The first ruling came from China with an immediate ban on the iPhones that were a part of the case, and the second one was from Germany, where Qualcomm was asked by the court to pay a certain amount to get the ban on iPhones even after it won the case. But the American chipmaker did pay up the said amount to get iPhones banned in Germany too. Qualcomm has alleged that Cupertino based technology company Apple incorrectly used two key Qualcomm patents and did not pay it for royalties. As of now, the ban has been imposed on affected smartphones from Apple that include all iPhones ranging from iPhone 6S to iPhone X. However, Qualcomm has said that it will get the ban extended to the current iPhone lineup too.
Speaking of the case against Qualcomm, KFTC has slapped the company with a 1.03 trillion won fine because the chipmaker allegedly abused its patents in 2016. Qualcomm disagreed with this, and that led to KFTC filing a lawsuit and other companies like Apple, MediaTek, Intel, Huawei, and Samsung joined in. But Samsung withdrew later after announcing a cross-license partnership with Qualcomm. LG Electronics is the latest company to join the on-going lawsuit.
The legal battle between Qualcomm and Korean Fair Trade Commission has been going on for some time now and it may be years before the final verdict is out.
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Samsung Galaxy S10’s selfie camera will support Galaxy A8s’ swipe gesture: Report
South Korean technology giant Samsung’s Galaxy S10 smartphones have been in news for weeks now, even though we are still a couple of months away from their launch. And now, a new report has surfaced online which talks about the selfie camera of the smartphone.
Before we get to that, we should do a small recap. At its developer conference last month, Samsung introduced some new screen types – Infinity U, Infinity V, Infinity O, and New Infinity display – that it said will be seen in its smartphones. And this month, the company launched its Galaxy A8s smartphone with an Infinity O display in China. The concept is expected to go global with its Galaxy S10 smartphone, which will also be seen with an Infinity O display.
Coming back to the new report in Sammobile, it quotes sources that say that users are able to start the selfie camera of the Samsung Galaxy A8s when it is locked just by swiping down from the front camera towards the centre of the handset. The report has further said that a Twitter-based leakster Ice Universe has confirmed that Samsung Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus will come with some features from Galaxy A8s.
The Twitter tipster also said that there a circular glow will appear around the display hole when the camera switched on and is recognizing a face. It has also been said that more scenes are expected to be added to the camera app of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy A8s comes with an IPS LCD display that has a hole on top left to house the 24MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The company’s upcoming flaship smartphone, Samsung Galaxy S10, will reportedly come with an AMOLED screen, so there may be a difference in the way it spunch-hole camera is designed and placed. However, we are yet to learn more about it. If Samsung has something else in mind regarding the selfie camera that it wants to implement in its flagship smartphones, we are yet to learn about it because there haven’t been any reports that indicate any major differences. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.The Galaxy S10 and S10+ have some special effects around the hole. This has been adopted on the Galaxy A8s. It will glow when the camera is turned on and will also glow when the face is recognized. Maybe more scenes are available.
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 25, 2018
source：xda、weibo pic.twitter.com/laVxTEPIOo
Oppo F19 and F19 Pro to feature 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom Technology
Rumours are rife that Oppo would be launching a new feature for its F19 and F19 Pro models. If you have heard about it and are anticipating the same, which we are about to tell you then you are correct. Yes, it is the 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom Technology. This technology would help users to capture pictures with 10x zoom without losing much of the quality.
There are also rumours that the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei is also launching a similar feature for a smartphone that is supposed to be called P30 Pro. This phone is slated to launch in 2019. Coming back to Oppo F19 and F19 Pro, there is a major tipster who claims that Oppo is going to launch the 10x Hybrid Optical Zoom Technology for the two Oppo models early next year. It is expected to launch in February to be specific. Probably around Mobile World Congress (MWC).
Though this might be quite a big news for camera geeks and Oppo fans, the company is not the first one to come up with this technology. The early bird of this feature’s launch is Samsung, which released the 10x optical zoom in its Galaxy K Zoom. However the Samsung phone had a big zoom lens at the back, while the new smartphones by Oppo would have a smaller lens array.
SlashLeaks has revealed the feature and that has given us some more information about the Oppo F19 and F19 Pro smartphones. We are one step closer in knowing about the camera enhancement. It seems that the upcoming technology would be similar to 5x lossless zoom which was launched back in 2017 by Oppo.
Oppo had given an official statement on the same, too. “The dual camera utilises wide-angle and telephoto lenses, and the housing for the telephoto lens uses an innovative periscope-style structure. By shifting the angle of the telephoto lens by 90 degrees, the lens will have the space it needs for a deep zoom. A periscope-style prism then directs the path of the light entering the camera by 90 degrees, and sends the image through the telephoto lens when the user zooms in on a subject or object” Oppo said.
Right now, the feature with Oppo’s announcement about it and a hint of what it would be like on the basis of SlashLeaks has put us in an anticipatory phase. The phase—where you feel what something would be like but cannot ascertain it—is the most exciting one. We might be able to see a glimpse of this technology at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Jan or MWC in Feb.
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Realme to launch its ‘most affordable’ smartphone in India soon
Chinese smartphone maker Oppo‘s sub-brand Realme has seen a lot of success since it was first launched earlier this year. It launched a number of smartphones within its first year in the country and gained appreciation for offering powerful specifications at affordable prices. And now, a report has emerged that says the Realme is planning to launch another device in the Indian smartphone market.
According to a tweet by tipster Ishan Agarwal, Realme will be launching another budget smartphone in India. Agarwal’s tweet further says that Realme A1 will be ‘put below’ Realme U1 in India and will be available in Yellow and Black colours. It is worth noticing that this has come up exactly after the launch of Realme U1, which was unveiled in India last month. Realme U1 was aimed at those who love clicking selfies.
Coming back to the upcoming device by Realme, a report in droidshout claims that the company could be planning to launch an entry-level smartphone in the country and the upcoming handset will be named Realme A1. Speaking of the company’s current lineup, Realme C1 is currently the most affordable smartphone by the Chinese brand in the Indian market. And some media reports have suggested that Realme’e upcoming A1 smartphone may be priced lesser than C1. If this is true, then Realme A1 will be cheaper than Rs 7,499, which is the price of Realme C1 in India. However, we still should not expect that the company will comprise the specifications of the device, considering that it has time and again offered powerful internals at affordable prices. For instance, Realme C1, which is the company’s current entry-level smartphone in India, features a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD display that comes with a notch on top and has an aspect ratio of 19:9. It is powered by a 14nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor and comes with 2GB RAM and an Adreno 506 GPU. The Android smartphone houses 16GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of 256GB. For imaging duties, there are 13MP+2MP dual rear cameras and a 5MP selfie camera. The smartphone packs a 4,230mAh battery. Coming to the expected specifications of Realme A1, the smartphone will be available in 1GB and 2GB RAM variants that will be clubbed with 16GB and 32GB storage. It will reportedly come with one primary camera and will be powered by either a MediaTek Helio A22 or a Snapdragon 430 processor. However, the specifications of the smartphone are just speculated right now, and there is no word from the company regarding it. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.EXCLUSIVE! Realme will launch Realme A1 Budget Smartphone soon in India. Based on some exclusive info, it seems like the smartphone will be put below the Realme U1 in the lineup. The phone will be launched in Yellow & Black colours.#RealmeA1#Realme
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) December 26, 2018
LINK: https://t.co/wOvaRbFHkK pic.twitter.com/pIrLy2AVny
Ban on PUBG by Maharashtra high court turns out to be fake news
There was a hoax news running that the Maharashtra high court has banned PUBG. This had created a lot of ruckus amongst fans of the game. The incident had worried gamers to a great extent and the concern was ubiquitous considering the enormity of PUBG players worldwide.
However, the fact that this was fake news became apparent because according to it some judge named K. Srinivasulu had signed the order as a ‘prejudge’ which does not exist in the Indian Judicial System. Plus, there are no judges by that name in any court either.
Another strong reason to treat this as a fake news is that Esports organisers have not received any notice from Tencent Games (developers of PUBG) regarding the ban of the game. In fact, they are planning new events around the game in the coming months.
PUBG has already seen its highest increase of concurrent player count which became 3 million. The game in recent times however, experienced a decrease in its concurrent player count due its cut throat competition with Fortnite and Call of Duty: Blackops. Therefore, it tried to recuperate by introducing new features in the game such as Sanhok earlier this year and Vikendi map which was released this month only.
PUBG is a widely played game which was earlier available in PS4, Xbox One and the PC but its fame and players escalated hugely for none other than its mobile users. Once the game was introduced on the mobile platform, it became a sensation and it still continues to be so. There is also a multi-player element, which allows users to battle with their friends and this makes it all the more attractive.
Therefore, it is not surprising that players would make fuss once they believed the news about the ban to be true. Lately there have been a lot of rumours and fake news doing the rounds through Whatsapp messages. The government has strongly urged people to be cautious and think twice before sharing any news on social media, especially Whatsapp. No sooner has there been an intention to counter the spread of fake news that we suffer another one. Whatsapp has also sent out advisory’s in social media and news papers to be careful of fake news.
We are sure PUBG Players must have hardly been hit by it, since the rumours about the game’s ban turned out to be a hoax very early.
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This is when Samsung Galaxy M-series smartphones will launch in India
South Korean technology giant Samsung’s upcoming smartphones have been in news for months now. And one thing that is certain from this rumour mill is that 2019 is going to be a very important year for Samsung as the company has a number of key launches lined up including its Galaxy S10 lineup and its Galaxy M series.
And now, another report has surfaced about Samsung’s Galaxy M series, which is said to replace the company’s current Galaxy J and Galaxy On series. According to a report in IANS that quotes industry insiders, Samsung will be launching its new Galaxy M series in India in January 2019. The consumer electronics giant will be unveiling three smartphones under its Galaxy M series next month, and this will mark the global launch of the much-talked-about range by Samsung. Considering that Samsung’s Galaxy J and Galaxy On series were very successful in India before Xiaomi started dominating the budget segment, we are not surprised by the company’s decision to keep the global launch of the range here. It only goes to show that Samsung is planning to recapture the market that it was leading till a few years back.
Coming back to the report in IANS, it went on to say that Samsung Galaxy M series will be launched with industry-first features.
We should mention that smartphones under Galaxy M series – Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M50 – have been spotted on Geekbench. However, some reports have suggested that instead of Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30 and Galaxy M50, these smartphones would be called Galaxy M1, Galaxy M2, Galaxy M3 and Galaxy M5 when they will be launched.
According to the listing on Geekbench, Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphone will be powered by the company’s own Exynos 7885 processor and will pack 4GB of RAM.
Besides launching the new Galaxy M series, Samsung is also working to revamp its Galaxy A series. In fact, this year we have seen two devices from the company’s Galaxy A series – Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) and Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018). Both are photography-centric devices and while the former comes with a triple rear camera setup, the latter houses quad cameras on its back panel.
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Huawei shipped over 200 million smartphones in 2018
Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s has disclosed that its annual smartphone shipments have crossed 200 million units in 2018. This is an all-time high, the company claims. The number includes the shipments for the entire year of 2018. However, there is no clarity on whether Honor’s sales have been included in this value or not.
The Chinese handset brand beat Apple to become the second largest smartphone vendor in July 2018 and the company has claimed that it has seen 66X growth from 2010. It is worth noticing that back in 2010, the company has sold 3 million units of its smartphones Huawei’s global market share is nearly 14.6% and according to IDC, the company has shipped around 52 million devices in Q3 2018, retaining its number two position.
Huawei also said that the shipment of its P20 series exceeded 16 million units and interestingly, almost half of the customers of the series were females. The 16 million value includes shipments of Huawei P20 Pro, P20 and P20 Lite.
Furthermore, the smartphone maker claimed that its Mate 20 series has seen 5 million shipments within two months of getting launched. Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro is powered by the company’s in-house own Kirin 980 processor that was launched by the smartphone maker at IFA 2018 in Berlin.
Speaking of its Nova 3 series, the smartphone maker said that it was popular with young users and played a key role in driving the volume. Its 65 million units were sold in 2018, and hence the smartphone contributed to a majority of the sales for the brand. Huawei recently also announced the successor of Nova 3 in China. Huawei Nova 4 comes with a display cutout that houses the selfie camera in order to offer a full-screen display.
The Chinese smartphone company’s sub-brand has also launched the Honor V20 smartphone in China, which comes with a 48MP rear camera and a cut-out display that houses a 25MP selfie camera. The smartphone’s global launch is scheduled for January 22 in Paris. The global variant of Honor V20 smartphone will be called as Honor View 20.
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