Android News

Moto G5 smartphone features: Refreshing the budget lineup

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:37:00 +0000

Lenovo-owned Motorola is renowned for its value-for-money smartphones. The company has a strong line-up in the sub-Rs 20,000 segment, and the latest Moto G (fifth generation) sits at the top of Motorola's budget offerings.

Motorola announced its Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus smartphones at MWC 2017, and the latter was launched in India (with price starting at Rs 14,999) a few days back. Now, the younger sibling - Moto G5, has made its way to the Indian shores.

Unlike the G5 Plus, Moto G5 comes in two variants based on RAM and internal storage - 3GB RAM/16GB and 4GB RAM/64GB storage versions. However, the company only launched the 3GB RAM/16GB storage version in India at Rs 11,999.

With the Moto G5, the company is directly taking a shot at budget segment leaders such as Xiaomi, Coolpad and ZTE. We have been using the lower-end variant of the Moto G5 series for the past few days. Of course it's not as powerful as the G5 Plus, but still tries to match it in terms of power and performance. Although the G5 is affordable, is it really worth it? Let's check it out.

Design and display

Moto G5 looks almost the same as the G5 Plus, so don't expect anything new in terms of looks. There are however, differences in terms of size, thickness and of course, specifications. Once you get past the similarities, the design looks well-executed and suits the 'G' smartphone line-up well.

The entire front panel of Moto G5 has a familiar appearance as seen with its predecessor, except for the fingerprint sensor. The Moto G4 Plus came with a small squarish home button with an embedded fingerprint sensor, the G5 now has a larger oval-shaped sensor below the display. The fact that the button is still non-clickable might be annoying to some users and take some time getting used to.

While the front almost looks the same as its predecessor, the rear has been changed. But the change is not exactly new. Motorola has simply trickled down the design language of the Moto Z and the Moto Z Play (at least the camera module) to its budget segment.

What's baffling is that Moto G5 (and Moto G5 Plus) have ample bezels below the display, but still come with on-screen navigation buttons. In our opinion, the screen would've been slightly more immersive if there were no on-screen buttons.

At the back, the capsule-shaped camera setup (in Moto G4) has been changed to a circular enclosure, which includes the camera sensor and a LED flash. With a removable metal back, the Moto G5 looks appealing and premium to some extent. What gives the G5 a premium touch is the shining metal rim running across its edges. The rear camera enclosure has chamfered edges, complementing the overall design.

Surprisingly, what's impressive is that the handset has a removable battery. This also makes the G5 one of the first budget Moto G smartphones to have the 'feature'. The smartphone is thicker than most budget smartphones at 9.5mm, and nearly the same as the G5 Plus. But a smaller screen lends it a slightly more compact and sturdy grip. The front-facing speaker gets a thumbs up from us. Including a microUSB port instead of a USB Type-C one is one place where cost-cutting is visible.

Unfortunately, Moto G5's 5-inch Full HD (1080x1920 pixels) display fails to excite. In our daily use, we found it to be subpar. Nonetheless, it does a decent job in daylight and low-light environments, and day-to-day usage is satisfactory. It's comfortably bright when used in daylight and gets low enough to prevent eye strain in dim-light situations.

Basic in-built Android features such as adaptive brightness, Standard/Vivid screen options, display size, screen saver and more are included. The phone also has Motorola's popular 'Ambient Display' feature, which lights up the screen when notifications are received. The feature uses less power.

While in Android Marshmallow, the feature was baked inside the Settings app; in Android Nougat, it can be accessed from the pre-installed 'Moto' app. You can select the apps whose notifications are not supposed to be displayed, and select the level of detail displayed.

One major drawback with the display, as we mentioned above, is the inclusion of on-screen navigation buttons despite big bezels. You might not need to worry much about the scratches on the screen, as the shiny metal rim running on the edge sticks out a little than than the rest of the front panel.

Performance and camera

If you're assuming that the Moto G5, being a budget smartphone, likely has an entry-level chipset and hangs often, you are correct. It's powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC, which came out in 2015. We believe that the company should've chosen a 435/425, that came in February last year; or even the 427 that was launched in October last year.

As with other smartphones, we tested some apps on the handset besides using it on a day-to-day basis. We tried apps ranging from heavy games to video-editing apps and browsers with multiple tabs open. Although the G5 showed a slight hint of lag, it did handle most of them without any glaring performance hiccups.

The smartphone scored a low 42601 score, which as per official Antutu ranking, lies even below than that of the Redmi Note 3.

Although it's a struggle to find a positive point in the performance department, what might bring a relief to you is the near-stock Android interface.

Moto G5	VS	Moto G5 Plus
Octa core	PERFORMANCE	Octa core
5.0" (12.7 cm)	DISPLAY	5.2" (13.21 cm)
16 GB	STORAGE	16 GB
13 MP	CAMERA	12 MP
2800 mAh	BATTERY	3000 mAh
3 GB	RAM	3 GB

MOTO G5 VS MOTO G5 PLUS FULL COMPARISON

Moto G5 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat (with February security patch applied, as of this review). The vanilla Android experience is fluid and clutter-free. The UI is simple and the transitions are smooth. Motorola has been using Google's stock Android UI for years now, and it seems like the company has no intentions to bring its own UI layer. The plan to include stock Android seems to be working just fine. It might also support the recently-introduced Android O.

Understandably, the G5's stock Android UI comes with preloaded Google apps as well. The smartphone has all the basic apps such as Google Calendar, Calculator, Messenger, Photos and more. You will also find some third-party apps such as Amazon Kindle, Amazon Shopping and Amazon Prime Video. These come baked into the device and can be accessed from a dedicated 'Amazon' tab inside the Settings app. Motorola has only two of its apps in the Moto G5 - Moto and Device Help, to tinker with the fingerprint gesture and more. Accessing the app drawer is easy as one needs to swipe up from the home screen dock. Swiping towards right from the home screen fires up Google Now cards.

The network reception was like any other Android smartphone and call quality was clear during our testing. Connecting with Wi-Fi, 3G or 4G services was not an issue either. While we appreciate a single front-facing speaker, what put us off was that it was not so loud. We had to struggle to hear something from the loudspeaker when outside.

Our review unit we received came with 16GB inbuilt storage, of which 6GB is reserved for the Android OS, leaving user with barely 10GB for apps and other content. Fortunately, the device supports microSD cards up to 128GB. Another desirable feature is that the device has three slots - two for SIM cards and one for microSD card, so you won't have to compromise on either of the functionalities.

The G5 comes with a 13MP rear camera along with LED flash. In the front, there's the same 5MP camera as the Moto G5 Plus. The camera performance is satisfactory for the most part, and has the bare minimum features to fulfill your needs. While there are no glaring issues when clicking images in daylight conditions, we noticed images getting unusually soft in low light to hide the noise.

The camera's photo and video settings are accessible with a single tap on a dedicated button. As is the case with every other smartphone these days, here too, you can change the resolution and aspect ratio. Different modes like Panorama, HDR, manual focus and more are there too. The front-facing camera is just about average, but sufficient enough for video calling and shooting selfies. Video shooting fails to break any grounds either, and is limited to Full HD at 30fps, something you can expect from a device with such price tag.

Moto G5 supports several quick gesture features, one of which is for accessing the camera by twisting your wrist while holding the handset. This is one more more nifty way to trigger the camera instead of stretching your thumb to access the apps from the lock screen.

The G5's 2,800mAh battery keeps it going for almost 12 hours before switching off. This is on average use including 4G connectivity usage, Wi-Fi, streaming music online and via Bluetooth, playing couple of games, chatting, attending calls and working on document editing apps. Heavy users might want to carry a charger along with them.

As we mentioned above, this is also the first Moto G smartphones to come with a removable battery, which is a welcome addition but also lends a certain amount of thickness to the device. Another battery feature we liked is the fast charging tech. This, in addition to Google's Doze battery saving feature, stretches the battery life to a great extent. Unfortunately, there are no fancy apps to kills background apps and perform other functions to increase the battery life.

Verdict

Motorola's new Moto G5 is surely an upgrade to the Moto G4, in more than one ways. The phone has a new design language, removable battery, a decent camera, average SoC and display. Given the price tag of Rs 11,999 and the specifications, the Moto G5 looks like another budget smartphone in the already saturated market.

Its closest competitor comes from its own family - the Moto G Turbo Edition. You can even extend your budget a little to get a hold of its elder sibling - the Moto G5 Plus, which is in fact a true 'value-for-money' smartphone. The G5 is for those who are strictly sticking to the Rs budget.

MOTO G5 SPECIFICATIONS

SUMMARY

performance	Octa core
display	5.0" (12.7 cm)
storage	16 GB
camera	13 MP
battery	2800 mAh
ram	3 GB

SPECIAL FEATURES

fingerprint sensor position	Front
other sensors	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope
fingerprint sensor	Yes

GENERAL

quick charging	Yes
operating system	Android v7.0 (Nougat)
sim slots	Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
model	G5
launch date	April 4, 2017 (Official)
brand	Moto
sim size	SIM1: Nano SIM2: Nano
network	4G: Available (supports Indian bands) 3G: Available, 2G: Available
fingerprint sensor	Yes

MULTIMEDIA

loudspeaker	Yes
fm radio	Yes
audio jack	3.5 mm

PERFORMANCE

chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 MSM8937
graphics	Adreno 505
processor	Octa core, 1.4 GHz, Cortex A53
architecture	64 bit
ram	3 GB

DESIGN

build material	Case: MetalBack: Metal
thickness	9.5 mm
width	73 mm
weight	144.5 grams
waterproof	Yes Splash proof
height	144.3 mm
colours	Lunar Grey, Fine Gold

DISPLAY

display type	IPS LCD
screen to body ratio	65.27 %
pixel density	441 ppi
screen protection	Corning Gorilla Glass v3
screen size	5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
screen resolution	Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels)
touch screen	Yes Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch

STORAGE

internal memory	16 GB
expandable memory	Yes Up to 128 GB

CAMERA

settings	Exposure compensation, ISO control
aperture	2.2 F
camera features	8 x Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus
image resolution	4128 x 3096 Pixels
sensor	CMOS image sensor
autofocus	Yes Phase Detection autofocus
shooting modes	Continuos Shooting, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Burst mode
resolution	5 MP Front Camera
optical image stabilisation	No
flash	No
video recording	1920x1080 @ 30 fps

BATTERY

user replaceable	Yes
quick charging	Yes Rapid
type	Li-ion
capacity	2800 mAh

NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

wifi	Yes Wi-Fi 802.11, a/b/g/n/n 5GHz
wifi features	Mobile Hotspot
bluetooth	Yes v4.2
volte	Yes
usb connectivity	microUSB 2.0
nfc	No
network support	4G (supports Indian bands), 3G, 2G
gps	Yes with A-GPS, Glonass
sim 1	4G Bands:TD-LTE 2300(band 40) FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 900(band 8) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz 4G Speed: 50 Mbit/s ? 150 Mbit/s ? (LTE category 4)3G Speed: HSDPA 42.2 Mbit/s ?, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s ?GPRS:Available EDGE:Available
sim size	SIM1: Nano, SIM2: Nano
sim 2	4G Bands: TD-LTE 2300(band 40) FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 900(band 8) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz 2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz 4G Speed: 50 Mbit/s ? 150 Mbit/s ? (LTE category 4) 3G Speed: HSDPA 42.2 Mbit/s ? GPRS:Available EDGE:Available

Xiaomi Redmi 4 features: High on performance, low on price

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:28:00 +0000

Xiaomi is a well-known player in the Indian smartphone market. The company has made quite a name for itself with its affordable yet feature-loaded smartphones. And to woo the budget-conscious Indian consumer, it has launched a new smartphone in the country.

Having a starting price of Rs 6,999, the Redmi 4 is Xiaomi's latest entry into the hugely-competitive Indian smartphone market. The successor to last year's Redmi 3S Prime, the smartphone comes with many improvements and claims to offer better performance over its predecessor. But is it really any good?

We tested the Xiaomi Redmi 4 for some time, and here's the rest of our review.

Design and display

In terms of design, the Redmi 4 looks similar to its predecessor - Redmi 3S (Prime). That said, the company has tweaked the design a little bit here and there.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 sports an all-metal unibody design. Compared to the Redmi 3S, it's more compact and less slippery. The smartphone comes with a matte rear panel and round edges make it easy to hold. The front panel has three soft-touch navigation keys - Home, Options and Back below the display. Above the display is the earpiece, a 5MP selfie camera and the usual array of sensors.

The rear panel has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash at the top left corner. At the center, there's a circular fingerprint sensor and Xiaomi's 'Mi' logo at the lower section. The power button and volume rocker are placed on the right side, while the SIM card tray sits on the left. The top edge has a 3.5mm audio jack and an IR blaster, while the bottom edge houses the speaker grille and microUSB charging port. All said, the Redmi 4 retains majority of the design elements of the Redmi 3S, but is sleeker and easier to hold in the hand.

Talking about the display, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 has a 5-inch HD display of 720x1280 pixel resolution. The 2.5D curved glass design improves the overall appearance of the smartphone and definitely looks better than the flat screen of its predecessor. During our testing, we found the display to be good. Brightness levels are decent and the display isn't that reflective, even when used under direct sunlight. Colour reproduction and viewing angles are on point as well. The display comes with a 'Reading Mode' that further reduces background glare. It's possible to schedule the 'Reading Mode' for automatic activation at a certain time, and users can configure it for all apps or some selective ones.

Performance and camera

Xiaomi Redmi 4 is powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor and comes in three variants based on RAM and internal storage. Our test unit had 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The smartphone also accepts microSD cards of up to 128GB in size.

During the course of our testing, we found the smartphone to perform adequately without any kind of visible lag. We played various heavy games and used some heavy editing apps, and the Redmi 4 handled everything without any issues.

That said, the smartphone's rear panel heated up a little (around the rear camera lens) after extended amount of gaming. Multitasking and switching between apps was a smooth affair.

We ran AnTuTu and GeekBench 4 benchmarking tests on the smartphone as well. While it scored 41,856 in the former, the single-core and multi-core scores on the latter were 664 and 1910 respectively.

As for call quality, it was largely fine on 4G VoLTE networks. Signal reception was also good on the Redmi 4.

Xiaomi Redmi 4 is backed by a 4,100mAh battery, which easily lasted us more than a day with moderate usage. This can be attributed to the low-resolution display and small screen size. Moreover, the battery doesn't take much time to get fully-charged either.

Coming to the software, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with the company's MIUI 8.2 skin baked on top. There's no app drawer and all apps are placed on multiple homescreens. Some essential apps like compass and malware scanner come pre-installed. There's also a 'Lite Mode', which simplifies the UI with bigger icons and fewer features for better accessibility. The Child and Guest modes can be used to restrict access to selected apps.

Just like its predecessor, Xiaomi Redmi 4 comes with an IR blaster, which allows the smartphone to be used as a universal remote control. The pre-installed Mi Remote app lets users add virtual remote controls for a variety of home appliances like TVs and ACs.

Talking about the camera, the Redmi 4 has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front-facing shooter for selfies. The camera app itself is pretty simple to use and comes with various shooting modes such as Panorama, Manual, Tilt-shift and more. There is also a Beautify mode that allows users to take better selfies.

During our testing, we found the image quality of the Redmi 4's camera to be impressive. The captured images offer sharp and vibrant colours, especially with adequate lighting. The camera performed well in both indoor and outdoor conditions, especially considering its price. The front camera also delivered good results in our testing.

Verdict

At a starting price of Rs 6,999, the Xiaomi Redmi 4 is definitely a well-rounded budget smartphone. Features like fingerprint scanner, metallic body and a large 4,100mAh battery all make it a value-for-money device. If you're looking at alternatives, you can go for Moto G which offers all the essential features but is a bit expensive as comapred to the Xiaomi Redmi 4. The Moto G is available at of Rs 11,999.

XIAOMI REDMI 4 32GB SPECIFICATIONS

SUMMARY

performance	Octa core
display	5.0" (12.7 cm)
storage	32 GB
camera	13 MP
battery	4100 mAh
ram	3 GB

SPECIAL FEATURES

fingerprint sensor position	Rear
other sensors	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope
fingerprint sensor	Yes

GENERAL

operating system	Android v6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
sim slots	Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
model	Redmi 4 32GB
launch date	May 23, 2017 (Official)
custom ui	MIUI 8
brand	Xiaomi
sim size	SIM1: Micro SIM2: Nano (Hybrid)
network	4G: Available (supports Indian bands) 3G: Available, 2G: Available
fingerprint sensor	Yes

MULTIMEDIA

loudspeaker	Yes
audio jack	3.5 mm

PERFORMANCE

chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 MSM8940
graphics	Adreno 505
processor	Octa core, 1.4 GHz, Cortex A53
architecture	64 bit
ram	3 GB

DESIGN

build material	Case: MetalBack: Metal
thickness	8.6 mm
width	69.9 mm
weight	150 grams
height	139.2 mm
colours	Gorgeous Black, Elegant Gold

DISPLAY

display type	IPS LCD
screen to body ratio	70.67 %
pixel density	294 ppi
screen size	5.0 inches (12.7 cm)
screen resolution	HD (720 x 1280 pixels)
touch screen	Yes Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch

STORAGE

internal memory	32 GB
expandable memory	Yes Up to 128 GB

CAMERA

settings	Exposure compensation, ISO control
aperture	2.2 F
camera features	Digital Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus
image resolution	4128 x 3096 Pixels
autofocus	No
shooting modes	Continuos Shooting, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
resolution	5 MP Front Camera
optical image stabilisation	No
flash	No
video recording	1920x1080 @ 30 fps, 1280x720 @ 120 fps

BATTERY

user replaceable	No
standby time	Up to 432 Hours(3G)
talktime	Up to 36 Hours(3G)
type	Li-ion
capacity	4100 mAh

NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

wifi	Yes Wi-Fi 802.11, b/g/n
wifi features	Mobile Hotspot
bluetooth	Yes v4.2
volte	Yes
usb connectivity	microUSB 2.0
nfc	No
network support	4G (supports Indian bands), 3G, 2G
gps	Yes with A-GPS, Glonass
sim 1	4G Bands:TD-LTE 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 2100 / 900 MHz2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 900 MHz 4G Speed: 100 Mbit/s ? 300 Mbit/s ? (LTE category 6)3G Speed: HSDPA 42.2 Mbit/s ?, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s ?GPRS:Available EDGE:Available
sim size	SIM1: Micro, SIM2: Nano (Hybrid)
sim 2	4G Bands: TD-LTE 2300(band 40) / 2500(band 41) FD-LTE 2100(band 1) / 1800(band 3) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 2100 / 900 MHz 2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 900 MHz 4G Speed: 100 Mbit/s ? 300 Mbit/s ? (LTE category 6) 3G Speed: HSDPA 42.2 Mbit/s ? GPRS:Available EDGE:Available

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 features & specifications

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 15:11:00 +0000

Xiaomi is off to a solid start this year with the launch of its much-awaited Remi Note 4 smartphone. The company introduced three variants of the device, with price starting at Rs 9,999. The Redmi Note 4 is the first smartphone from Xiaomi to sport a 2.5D curved display. Moreover, the company will be rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat update for the handset pretty soon.

So does the Redmi Note 4 live up to the expectations? We find out in our full review.

Design and display

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a matte-finish metallic design that gives it a premium appearance. The phone has a metallic unibody that makes it look and feel much better than what its price may suggest. The rounded edges make for a comfortable and non-slippery grip in the hand. The volume rocker and power button are placed on the right, while the hybrid dual-SIM card tray is on the left.

The front panel is largely dominated by a 5.5-inch Full HD display and there are three capacitive keys at the bottom. The top edge has a 3.5mm audio jack, along with an IR blaster for controlling TVs and other appliances. A micro USB charging port is placed at the bottom. As for the rear panel, it's home to a 13MP primary camera with dual LED flash, along with a fingerprint sensor.

All in all, we found the overall design of the Redmi Note 4 to be pretty good, especially given the price.

As for the software, Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow topped with the company's MIUI 8 UI layer. The interface itself is pretty clean and user friendly. However, there is no app drawer and all apps are placed on multiple home-screens.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD 2.5D curved display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. This is the first Xiaomi smartphone to sport a 2.5D curved display.

In our testing, we found the display to be pretty decent with appreciable viewing angles. It's fairly visible under direct sunlight and the phone also has a setting to tweak the colours, allowing users to switch between warm and natural colour tones.

Performance and camera

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Prime is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It also supports memory cards of up to 128GB in size. The company has also launched two other variants - 2GB RAM/32GB ROM and 3GB RAM/32GB ROM.

During our time with the device, the Redmi Note 4 delivered an overall smooth performance with no visible lag. The large display makes gaming and media consumption pretty enjoyable. We played games like Asphalt 8, Mini Militia etc. and the phone handled them very well.

That said, the Redmi Note 4 does get a little hot during extended gaming sessions, primarily because of the metal body.

Apart from that, multitasking works as it should. The phone manages to run multiple apps and switch between them without suffering from any performance drain.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 sports a massive 4,100mAh battery, which easily lasted us up to a day with heavy usage. Call quality of the device was also fine during our testing. We used a Reliance Jio SIM with the smartphone and it handled VoLTE calls without any issues.

MIUI is very colourful and offers nicely designed themes, app icons and wallpapers. The device offers some interesting modes such as a Reading Mode, which reduces the display's background glare to help in reading. Along with this, the device offers a second space, which essentially enables users to have different profiles each with separate wallpapers, apps, files and photos. Users can also assign different fingerprint and passcode to access them.

Redmi 4 Note comes equipped with an IR blaster which can be used to control home appliances such as TV and ACs easily. The pre-installed 'Mi remote app enables users to add multiple remote controls for different appliances and use them from the phone itself.

For imaging duties, the Xiaomi Note 4 sports a 13MP rear camera with dual LED flash and a 5MP front camera for selfies. During our testing, we found camera performance of the device to be pretty decent. The smartphone uses a noise-eliminating CMOS sensor with backside illumination (BSI) and larger pixels to provide good shots even in low light conditions.

The camera itself is pretty fast and has a user-friendly interface. Users can apply live filters at the time of clicking photos and can also access various shooting shooting by tapping on the button above the shutter button.

The smartphone's cameras produced some really nice pictures during our testing. Focus is good and colour reproduction is accurate as well. There's a burst mode included as well.

Verdict

Priced at Rs 12,999, the Xiaomi Note 4 is a good option in its price segment. The smartphone offers premium features like metallic body design and good camera at a competitive price. Those looking for alternatives can consider buying Moto G4 or the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime.

XIAOMI REDMI NOTE 4 SPECIFICATIONS

SUMMARY

performance	Octa core
display	5.5" (13.97 cm)
storage	32 GB
camera	13 MP
battery	4100 mAh
ram	3 GB

SPECIAL FEATURES

fingerprint sensor position	Back
other sensors	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope
fingerprint sensor	Yes

GENERAL

operating system	Android v6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
sim slots	Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
model	Redmi Note 4 16GB
launch date	January 23, 2017 (Official)
custom ui	MIUI 8
brand	Xiaomi
sim size	SIM1: Micro SIM2: Nano (Hybrid)
network	4G: Available (supports Indian bands) 3G: Available, 2G: Available
fingerprint sensor	Yes

MULTIMEDIA

loudspeaker	Yes
audio jack	3.5 mm

PERFORMANCE

chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953
graphics	Adreno 506
processor	Octa core, 2 GHz, Cortex A53
architecture	64 bit
ram	3 GB

DESIGN

build material	Case: MetalBack: Metal
thickness	8.4 mm
width	76 mm
weight	165 grams
height	151 mm
colours	Black, Gold, Grey

DISPLAY

display type	IPS LCD
screen to body ratio	72.5 %
pixel density	401 ppi
screen size	5.5 inches (13.97 cm)
screen resolution	Full HD (1080 x 1920 pixels)
touch screen	Yes Capacitive Touchscreen, Multi-touch

STORAGE

internal memory	32 GB
expandable memory	Yes Up to 128 GB
usb otg support	Yes

CAMERA

settings	Exposure compensation, ISO control
aperture	2.0 F
camera features	Fixed Focus
image resolution	4128 x 3096 Pixels
sensor	CMOS
autofocus	Yes Phase Detection autofocus
shooting modes	Continuos Shooting, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)
resolution	5 MP Front Camera
optical image stabilisation	No
flash	No
video recording	1280x720 @ 30 fps

BATTERY

user replaceable	No
type	Li-Polymer
capacity	4100 mAh

NETWORK CONNECTIVITY

wifi	Yes Wi-Fi 802.11, a/b/g/n
wifi features	Mobile Hotspot
bluetooth	Yes v4.1
volte	Yes
usb connectivity	microUSB 2.0
nfc	No
network support	4G (supports Indian bands), 3G, 2G
gps	Yes with A-GPS, Glonass
sim 1	4G Bands:TD-LTE 2300(band 40) FD-LTE 1800(band 3) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz GPRS:Available EDGE:Available
sim size	SIM1: Micro, SIM2: Nano (Hybrid)
sim 2	4G Bands: TD-LTE 2300(band 40) FD-LTE 1800(band 3) / 850(band 5)3G Bands: UMTS 1900 / 2100 / 850 / 900 MHz 2G Bands: GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850 / 900 MHz GPRS:Available EDGE:Available

Micromax Launches New 'Vdeo Range' Smartphones

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:16:00 +0000

Micromax Informatics on Wednesday extended its "Vdeo range" with the launch of two new smartphones Vdeo 3 and Vdeo 4 at 5,749 and 6,249, respectively.

Both the devices come pre-loaded with Google Duo app and Reliance Jio SIM.

The 4G-VoLTE smartphones feature a 5-inch HD display with Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB ROM.

"The Vdeo range of smartphones are designed keeping in mind the basic needs that Indian users demand from their smartphones," said Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax Informatics, in a statement.

Vdeo 3 sports 5 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera with 2,000 mAh battery and Vdeo 4 has 8 MP rear camera and 2 MP front camera with 4000 mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro Launched In India, Priced At Rs.36,900

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 16:12:00 +0000

The customer can pre-book the device through select stores and online platforms from January 27. The company is offering one-time screen replacement for a period of 12 months on pre-booking.

Samsung India on Tuesday announced the launch of its new smartphone powerhouse 'Galaxy C9 Pro' here. Bollywood actress Prachi Desai did the honours for the company.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro will be available in two colours, black and gold. The device will be available across all retail channels in the latter half of February 2017 at a price of 36,900.

The Galaxy C9 Pro is a feature powerhouse with a super screen, super memory and super camera, offering consumers an immersive viewing, the best multimedia and camera experience.

"India is one of the fastest growing smartphone markets. Consumer trends indicate that more users prefer larger screen smartphones. With the introduction of the Galaxy C9 Pro, we continue our commitment to offer our customers the very best of features and technology," said Aditya Babbar, Deputy General Manager, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

"The Galaxy C9 Pro will enhance and give users the best multimedia experience with its 6-inch Full HD sAMOLED display while delivering a powerhouse performance thanks to its advanced processor, 6GB RAM, huge battery power and storage. And to top it all, the superb 16MP front and rear camera with f1.9 lens will help users capture brilliant photos even in low light conditions," he added.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro is the first Samsung with powerful 6GB RAM which offers a seam-less multi-tasking experience. In addition, it also comes with an inbuilt memory of 64GB which is expandable up to 256GB. It also hosts a 64-bit Octa Core Processor.

'Moto M' Smartphone Launched In India

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:22:00 +0000

U.S. technology firm Motorola Mobility on Tuesday launched a new smartphone "Moto M" in two variants for the Indian consumers.

The first variant (32GB with 3GB RAM) is priced at 15,999 while 64GB with 4GB RAM model is priced at 17,999, along with expandable capacity up to 128 GB with microSD card support.

The 5.5-inch full-HD display smartphone is equipped with 2.2 GHz Octa-core processor. It also sports 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera.

Users can also avail discount of 1,000 on Citibank credit cards and 2,000 on exchange of old smartphone, the company said in a statement.

"Moto M" will be available in gold colour on Flipkart from December 14.

Gionee P7 Smartphone Launched, Priced At Rs.9,999

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:19:00 +0000

Extending its successful P series, Chinese smartphonemaker Gionee on Monday launched its P7 smartphone at 9,999 in India.

The budget-friendly smartphone features a 5-inch HD IPS display and supports VoLTE and CDMA technology.

"Our latest smartphone Gionee P7 is a figure of strength and performance," said Deepika Singh, Director, Marketing Communications, Gionee India, in a statement.

The device runs on quad core 1.3GHz processor integrated with 2GB of RAM, sports 5MP secondary camera with "screen flash", 8MP primary camera and has several in-built features like text recognition in pictures, GIF creator and intelligent photo crop.

The smartphone has 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 128GB, runs on Amigo 3.2 user interface on top of Android 6.0 Lollipop operating system and houses 2300 mAh battery.

Micromax Launches New Smartphone Range

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:16:00 +0000

Micromax Informatics on Wednesday launched a new Vdeo range of smartphone that comes pre-bundled with video calling app Google Duo.Priced at Rs. 4,440 and Rs. 4,990, respectively, Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2 come with 4G/VoLTE connectivity and runs on Android Marshmallow operating system.

"At Micromax we thrive on our understanding of the Indian consumer, consistently deriving insights and delivering innovative products to the market," said Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax Informatics, in a statement.While the Vdeo 1 features a 4-inch WVGA display, Vdeo 2 sports 4.5-inch FWVGA display. Both the smartphones are powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and have 8GB of internal storage.

The smartphones sport a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP front camera and come pre-bundled with Reliance Jio SIM. The Vdeo 1 is powered by 1,600mAh battery whereas the Vdeo 2 features 1,800mAh battery.

Nubia Set To Launch Two Unique Smartphones In India

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:12:00 +0000

nubia, earlier part of Chinese multinational telecommunications company ZTE Corporation, is set to unveil two smartphones in India on December 14, coming with features until now unheard of in the Indian smartphone industry.

The first device, nubia Z11, comes with a "bezel-less" curve design, featuring a revolutionary aRC 2.0 bezel-less display technology.

Other than nubia, only Xiaomi has unveiled "bezel-less" devices globally.

The 5.5-inch full-HD screen, nubia Z11, to be made available in the black and gold variants, has "Frame interactive Technology 2.0" (FiT 2.0) with a "Handheld Electronic Aperture".

The smartphone has 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front shooter, with a long lasting 3,000mAH battery and nubia quick charge technology.

nubia Z11 has a new generation "NeoVision 6.0 Camera System" and has features like multi exposure and slow shutter. It uses a Sony IMX298 sensor which has three focus and four shutter modes.

The second device, N1, is equipped with nubia's NeoPower technology and a massive 5,000mAh battery.

Sporting a 5.5-inch full-HD screen, nubia N1 features 13MP rear and front camera, runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based nubia 4.0 UI and supports a hybrid dual-SIM slot

The smartphone will be equipped with system optimisation, low-power consumption and high-performance hardware to achieve a battery life of three-four days with medium-duty usage.

The upcoming handset will have 3GB RAM, 32GB of internal storage and will run on Android Marshmallow operating system.

The handset will be capable of handling heavy-duty 3D games with ease and may come with octa-core processor.

The price of both smartphones are yet to be revealed.

Lenovo Unveils Ultra-Thin, 2-In-1 Yoga Book In India

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 15 Dec 2016 14:09:00 +0000

Keeping in mind the changing computing and mobility habits of young consumers, Chinese technology major Lenovo on Tuesday launched its Yoga Book -- an ultra-thin, 2-in-1 laptop -- in India.

Measuring 9.6mm in thickness, the Yoga Book comes with Windows 10 Pro, 4G SIM connectivity, 4GB RAM and will be exclusively available on Flipkart at Rs. 49,990.

"We are sure that it will redefine the computing space and offer traditional notebook, 2-in-1 and tablet buyers a first-of-its-kind option that matches their lifestyle," Bhaskar Choudhuri, Director, Marketing, Lenovo India, told reporters here.

At 690 grams, Yoga Book is the lightest 2-in-1 in the world and with 13-hour battery life and 360-degree watchband hinge, it gives user the freedom to write and draw anywhere, matching the mobility of a smartphone and the versatility of a laptop.

The Yoga Book features 10.1-inch full-HD IPS display, 2.4GHz Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor, Dolby Audio, 8MP auto-focus rear camera and 2MP front camera.

The device comes with Halo keyboard, a full touch screen backlit keyboard that constantly 'learns about and adapts to' the typing habits of user, with built-in prediction and artificial learning software.

The Yoga Book's dual-use stylus allows users to write and draw with pen and paper while instantly digitising their notes and sketches, the company said.

The laptop also comes with "Book UI" that allows several apps to run at once through multiple windows that can be pinned, maximised or minimised, as well as a taskbar that keeps track of your apps and common Windows keyboard shortcuts and action keys.

Honor 8: Top 5 Features

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sun, 27 Nov 2016 07:32:00 +0000

Huawei Terminal's Honor brand at its New Delhi event on Wednesday launched the Honor 8 smartphone in India at Rs. 29,999. The device is now up for sale onAmazon India, Flipkart, and the Honor Online Store, apart from several major retail outlets in the country. We've reviewed the smartphone, and found that it packs some great features like the dual camera setup, the customised EMUI 4.1 OS, and a premium look and feel.

At this price tag, the Honor 8 is pegged to compete with the OnePlus 3 and the Asus ZenFone 3. While the two will give the Honor 8 a tough fight, there are a few things that make it stand out from the competition. In our review, we also found a few things that didn't impress us much as well. To narrow it down and make life easy, here are the top five things you need to know about the Honor 8 smartphone.

1. Camera

This is possibly the biggest highlight of the smartphone. The Honor 8 sports a dual camera setup, much like the iPhone 7 Plus. However, the two 12-megapixel cameras at the back sits within the frame neatly, and do not protrude out of the shell. Both lenses sport an f/2.2 aperture, while one sensor captures monochrome images with high contrast, and the other captures an RGB photo. The smartphone then processes the image to give the best possible result, retaining maximum sharpness. In the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. In our tests, we were happy with the camera's performance, and the colours were near accurate. The shallow depth of field feature was able to produce some pretty impressive 'bokeh' photos. However, our tests did see some noise and less detail in low-light photos, but overall the camera was able to do a lot to leave us impressed.

(Also see:Honor 8 Price, Specifications, And Other Details)

2. Smart Key

Just below the camera in the centre, sits the fingerprint sensor at the back of the smartphone. Huawei claims that the sensor can read fingerprints in mere 0.4 seconds. Moreover, it also takes into account thumb ridge depth for more accurate fingerprint reading. However, the most interesting bit about the sensor is that it also has a physical press. Calling it the Smart Key, it performs various press-based and gesture-based functions. You can manually set up what functions this Smart Key performs, for example in our video review, we show how one physical press opens up the flash. Swiping left and right on the sensor while viewing the Gallery, will help you scroll through photos, and swiping up and down will open and shut the notification bar.

3. EMUI 4.1

As mentioned in our review, the other big highlight of the Honor 8 is the company's custom ROM based on Android Marshmallow, called Emotion UI or EMUI. The latest version (4.1) retains stock Android features like Now on Tap from Android but also adds a bunch of nifty customisations on top. The interface is simple, and has its own icons. Features like Link+ and Wi-Fi+ allow you to be on the best network at all times. Link+ allows you to be on the best network while travelling, and Wi-Fi+ allows you to automatically switch between Wi-Fi and mobile data to not hinder your browsing experience.

We also tested the gesture-based Knuckle Sense feature which allows you to do several function just by drawing or tapping on the screen using your knuckles. For example, drawing a circle or knocking the screen will let you take a screenshot or start screen recording automatically. We found that these gestures require too much pressure, are quite awkward, and frankly a bit gimmicky. However, EMUI 4.1 also brings along one-handed mode and the Floating Dock for shortcuts to common actions, which are quite useful.

Voice control allows you to call people, and even lets you find your phone if you misplace it. Just by saying "Where are you" loudly, the phone starts ringing, vibrating, and flashing its LEDs to grab some attention. Finally, bloatware is limited, and Honor has introduced a Smart Remote Controller as well to control appliances like television sets at home.

4. Performance and battery life

The Honor 8 houses a home-grown 1.8GHz octa-core Kirin 950 processor paired with Mali-T880 GPU and 4GB of RAM. While reviewing the smartphone, we found that it could handle multitasking pretty well. Games like Mortal Kombat X worked without heating up the smartphone, but our review device did heat up a lot when we used the camera. Honor tells us that it's most likely an isolated incident since ours was a pre-production unit, and that retail devices should work normally.

In our battery tests, we found out that the Honor 8 charged up to 45 percent in just half an hour. In a single charge, we managed to use the smartphone for the whole day without any difficulty. It lasted for 11 hours and 7 minutes in our video loop test. The ROG power saving mode also comes in handy when you're running out of battery, as this mode renders the display at 720p to save power.

5. Design and Build

The Honor 8 sports a beautiful design, with a striking finish to the metal build that's sandwiched between the 2.5D glass protection at the front and back of the smartphone. The edges retain a metal finish, giving the smartphone an overall premium feel. While the phone looks chic, especially the gold variant that we got to play with, we found that the glass back made it slippery to hold in the hand. It was also susceptible to slipping on most surfaces if you weren't too careful, and was also prone to fingerprint smudges.

At 153 grams, the Honor 8 is light to hold, and the volume and power buttons are placed at the top right edge. The navigation buttons are on the display, and you can even change them in the Settings app, according to your preference.

Connectivity may be a deal-breaker

While the Honor 8 supports 4G LTE, and has all the other basic connectivity options, it does not support 4G VoLTE and lacks FM radio support. The basic connectivity that Honor 8 offers include Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, and an infrared scanner. While the FM radio's absence could be a downer for some, VoLTE is now gaining predominance in the country's airwaves in recent times, and its absence could also prove to be a tipping point in purchase decision. The company however does note that VoLTE will be enabled with a software update in the future, but did not provide a timeline for this.

LeEco Among Most Attractive Mobile Phone Brands In India

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 15:01:00 +0000

Chinese technology conglomerate leEco has been named among Indias most attractive mobile phone brands, a report said on Thursday.

“India’s Most Attractive Brand Report 2016” by TRA Research, a brand insights company, analysed consumer ‘desire’ indicator, comparing ‘attractiveness’ and ‘vibrancy’ of brands.

“In the category of ‘Mobile Phones’, leEco being a debutant entrant in India achieved an extremely creditable achievement in this category ahead of several older brands,” the report said.

In the overall most attractive brand category across all product categories, leEco ranked among the top 200 in the study that covered over 10,000 brands across 16 cities.

In the category of ‘Personal Gadgetry’, leEco, which came to India early this year, figured at the 14th spot.

Motorola Teases Moto X Force's India Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:54:00 +0000

Motorola is all set to launch its Moto X Force in India with a shatterproof glass. This latest hearsay was tweeted via a teaser of the Smartphone with the tag—'Moto X Force coming soon', according to indiatimes.com.

Motorola Moto X Force is best suited for people who have shaky hands and fingers. Motorola India has reportedly tweeted, "Moto X Force coming soon" and "Are you one amongst 40 percent of people who are deathly scared of dropping their phones?" This teaser video from Motorola shows various high-end smartphones such as the iPhone 6, Sony Xperia Z5 and Samsung Galaxy S6 dropping and their screens breaking.

Motorola's Moto X Force, which is also known as Droid Turbo 2 in the U.S., has "Moto ShatterShield" display technology and water-repellant nano-coating. It can be an ideal companion for those who often accidentally drop their phones. Moto X Force is made with dual-layered touch screen panels, aluminium chassis and flexible AMOLED screen, making it strong enough to withstand falls.

Moto X Force has been made by using Kevlar, a material known to be five times stronger than steel, underneath ballistic nylon coating. The durability of the Moto X Force is its biggest USP. In terms of specifications, Moto X Force is powered by a Snapdragon 810 octa-core chipset powered by 3GB RAM and has 32GB memory that is expandable up to 2TB which is awesome.

The handset also features a 5.4-inch QHD display with a 21MP primary camera with dual LED flash and 5MP front snapper. It runs on a 3,760mAh battery and Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

Android 7.1.1 Nougat will likely hit Nexus devices on December 6

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:46:00 +0000

Amid the ongoing Nougat update frenzy in the smartphone realm, it appears Nexus owners will, once again, be blessed with bragging rights for running the latest and greatest Android version. This is all thanks to Google and the decision to thankfully continue supporting the Nexus line with bleeding-edge AOSP builds, even after the company threw its glove into the smartphone market with the Pixel and Pixel XL. Frankly, it was the right thing to do and Google is sticking by it, at least for now, that is, with many Nexus devices already running Android 7.0.

Earlier this month, it also became clear that many recent Nexus devices will go on to receive Android 7.1 as well. Today, Vodafone Australia finally spilled the beans and stated the Nexus 6P will be getting said OTA starting December 6.

This does fall in line with previously cited time frames, as well as the Developer Preview 2 Android 7.1.1 release, posted for Nexus hardware earlier this week. If everything goes according to plan, the final version will eventually be seeded to the Huawei Nexus 6P, LG Nexus 5X, Pixel C, as well as the Motorola Nexus 6, HTC Nexus 9 and Asus Nexus Player.

That being said, the only question that remains is timing. We can only assume that the 5X and Pixel C will start getting the update on December 6 as well, alongside the already confirmed 6P. However, that is more or less an educated guess at this point. Hopefully, the other eligible devices will follow soon as well. There are even rumors that supported Android One devices will start getting the OTA soon. However, don't necessarily expect the same features.

Speaking of which, since both Daydream VR and the new seamless updates require compatible hardware, they are really unlikely to appear on older hardware. At least officially, that is. Still, the new OS version is sure to bring some other neat stuff universally, like the new circular icon look for the launcher and long press app shortcut menu. Also, the new Storage Manager and image plus GIF support for the AOSP keyboard, among others.

ANDROID 7.0 NOUGAT: RELEASE DATE, NEWS AND FEATURES

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:42:00 +0000

Android 7.0 Nougat name

Following an online fielding of ideas from the public, Google has revealed the official name of the next version of Android: 7.0 Nougat. The ceremony took place over Snapchat. The name Android Nougat was a firm favorite from the beginning, alongside Nutella, so not too much of a surprise, but it's nice to have a solid sobriquet to attach to the new firmware.

Android 7.0 Nougat release date

Android 7.0 Nougat was released today (August 22) at 1 PM EST. Google confirmed that the new LG V20 will be the first new smartphone running Nougat right out of the box. Nexus devices will begin receiving the update immediately. Take a look at the link to see when your device will receive the update.

At the Google I/O 2016 keynote on May 18, Google announced the release of a beta-quality version of Android 7.0 Nougat. This third developer preview focused on three areas: performance, security and productivity. Native VR support was also confirmed with a new VR platform called Daydream.

Android 7.1 Nougat Developer Preview 2

The second Android 7.1 Nougat Developer preview has been released. The system images are live for manual installation, and the build numbers for this update are NPF26F and NPF26H. For the moment, no updates will be delivered OTA and the current list of supported devices for the preview is relatively small. Only the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9 and Pixel C had been included in this release.It's expected that this will be the last developer preview for Android 7.1. The final build should be released on the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player, Nexus 9, Pixel C, General Mobile 4G (Android One), Pixel, and Pixel XL sometime in December.

Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 5

The fifth and final Android 7.0 Nougat developer preview is out. Android VP of engineering David Burke announced the news on the developer blog and outlined the latest features this version comes with. As with every preview, the features are geared toward developers who want to build or modify apps to work with Nougat when the stable version rolls out. The build number for this update is NPD90G.Dev Preview 5 features include system images for preview devices, an emulator for app testing, final level 24 Nougat APIs (also available in Preview 4), plus bug fixes and optimizations. If you're registered with the Android Beta program, this update will hit your device shortly, otherwise you can flash it manually. We'll keep you updated on this latest preview of Android Nougat, plus details of the final build, as more information rolls in.

Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 4

The final Android 7.0 Nougat SDK has arrived, along with the final APIs. Developers can now compile apps to API Level 24, which for us, means Android 7.0 Nougat apps are finally hitting the Play Store. Known apps with beta programs include WhatsApp,Facebook, Nova Launcher and Spotify: if you're an Android 7.0 Nougat user, be sure to send us early screenshots if you spot any new features.If you're enrolled in the Android Beta Program, you should receive a notification to download the update shortly. If you want to flash the Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 4 on your device manually, head to the Android Developer Preview download page.

Android 7.0 Nougat 'Night Mode' competes with iOS 9's screen-dimming features.

Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 3

The new build promises increased stability, to the extent that Google is encouraging developers, and even casual users, to install it on their primary devices. It now works with Android Pay, making it much more functional. The build number is NPD35K.Google has also added "platform support and optimizations for a new VR mode" intended for developers to begin building apps for the baked in VR support, allowing for access to such things as intelligent head tracking and stereo notifications. You can read over the full changelog at the Google Developers blog. This update should roll out to your device OTA if you're part of the Android Beta Program, otherwise you can download and flash it manually by grabbing the image from Google.

Performance

Google began by talking about the Vulkan graphics API. We already saw this in the Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 2, and you can read more about what it means for Android here. A new JIT compiler means that apps should install up to 75 percent faster, and compiler code should be reduced by 50 percent. The irritating Android is starting... dialogue box will be gone for good, thanks to this new compiler, as well.

App size reduced by 50 percent, making for 75 percent faster installs.

Security

Google stressed improvements in security through file-based encryption, media framework hardening and seamless updates. In particular, these 'Seamless updates' mean that your phone will download new software images in the background and prepare them for the next time you restart your device. Thanks to the file-based encryption, you also won't need to enter your device password upon restarting.

Productivity

Productivity is also now a focus. Google says that most people only use their seven most recent apps from the recent app drawer, so the wheel will be limited to these. There is also going to be a Clear all button, which received a rush of applause for a grateful I/O audience.By double-tapping the recent apps button, you can quickly switch to the previous app, although, on many devices, this feature was already available via a long press on the same button.

The new multi-window mode: picture in picture.

Multi-window mode sees two uses folded in: the standard, split-screen view, and picture-in-picture, designed for Android TV. This latter mode lets you shrink what's on the screen to a small box in the corner of the screen and do something else in the dominant, full-screen window.Elsewhere, replying from within notifications was covered, as well as notification visibility, letting you quickly block or hide similar notifications in the future via a long press, and support for Unicode 9.0 Emoji, all features we've already looked at below.

Android VR

Native support for VR was also formally introduced. Daydream, a platform for mobile VR was announced, which comes with a set of specs phones have to meet in order to be compatible. Many manufacturers are making Daydream-compatible devices, including Samsung, HTC, LG, Xiaomi and Huawei.

Daydream is the new Google VR platform.

For more on Google's VR-related announcements, and other news from Google I/O, check out our dedicated page that gives you all the info you need on the events.

Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview: new features

Available on some Nexus devices (Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6, Pixel C, Nexus 9 and Nexus Player), the Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview is a test version of the new Android software, primarily intended for developers. Like previous Developer Preview versions (such as Android M, which later became Android Marshmallow), the first version of this software does not contain all the new features of the next version of Android, but only parts.

The first update to the Developer Preview was released on March 17. The factory images are available for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9 and Nexus 9 LTE. If you're signed up to the Android Beta Program, you can expect to see the update arrive over the air very soon.

Developer Preview 2

Developer Preview 2 was released on April 13. The latest version adds the ability for apps to define intent shortcuts, meaning users can use launchers to create shortcuts, like adding a memo to the calendar, with just one press. Emoji Unicode 9 support is now incorporated, and a variety of APIs see inclusion, including Vulkan, which is intended primarily to improve gaming performance.

The Android 7.0 Nougat dev preview has a lot of features.

Menu between the system settings

A hamburger menu button (the icon with three lines) has now been embedded into the system settings. When a user is in the Bluetooth menu, for example, they can quickly jump to the other system options using this left side menu. This menu is already a standard in other Google applications.

The Hamburger menu has been integrated into Android 7.0 Nougat.

Reply to messages from the notifications bar

Of the new additions, this is possibly the feature which most resembles Apple iOS. Messages can now be answered from the notification itself. With this, the user will not need to leave an app to answer a message or even unlock their phone.

Multi-window mode

As we saw in the Android M developer preview, Google has been working hard to bring a native and efficient multitasking system to Android. Although the function was eventually omitted from Android 6.0 Marshmallow, with Android 7.0 Nougat, Google now seems ready to make the leap.

The image below shows the multi-window feature, which works on both tablets and phones and mirrors what you can currently get on some Samsung and LG devices.Like most major platform changes, developers will have to opt in for the split screen mode to allow their apps to run smoothly. This can be done by adding a new attribute called: resizable Activity.

Multi-window is now native in Android 7.0 Nougat.

This attribute allows developers to specify the minimum size the app can be resized to and to determine whether resizing will be immediate or the application needs to restart with the required dimensions.

New Notifications panel

The notification panel has been completely redesigned, perfectly aligning with what we had seen in earlier leaks. Icons above the notification shade are now more prominent, and on the far right there is a drop-down toggle to expand the panel.

It is now possible to respond to messages directly from within a notification, a feature that uses the same RemoteInput API that Android Wear makes use of.

This is the new notifications panel Android 7.0 Nougat.

Notifications can now also be 'stacked', optimizing the space in the notification area. Developers can choose to stack notifications from the same application in a single line. These can then be expanded using the expansion button or a two-fingered gesture.

With Developer Preview 2, notifications can be set manually at any one of six levels of importance for each app:

Blocked - never show notifications
Min importance - silently show at the bottom of the notification list
Low importance - silently show notifications in chronological order
Normal importance - allow these notifications to play sounds
High importance - peek onto the screen and play sounds
Urgent importance - show at the top of the notifications list, peek onto the screen and play sounds

To access these, you need to bring down the notification shade and long press on the gear icon to activate the System UI Tuner in the Settings menu. Then enter said menu, go to Other and enable Show full importance settings.

Now, when you go to Settings > apps and select any app and press on Notifications, you will see a slider that allows you to change the importance.

There are now six levels of importance for notifications.

Enhanced Doze mode

The energy saving mode Doze has been improved in Android 7.0 Nougat. Previously, the feature had only worked when the phone had remained completely undisturbed for a long time, i.e. when you're sleeping, but now Google says Doze will also save battery any time the screen is turned off. We will have to test the new system more thoroughly to find out what impact it has on energy consumption.

Power Saving Mode has been enhanced in Android 7.0 Nougat.

A system like this that comes into effect every time the phone's display turns off might not be something everyone is keen on, but we'll have to see how it works in practice. It is possible that a less extreme version of Doze mode, one that monitors the energy consumption of apps without impairing the usability and notifications, might be worked out.

Android Beta Program

Another new addition from Google is a way to receive preview builds and updates over-the-air, avoiding the need for flashing factory images. Anyone with a compatible device is able to sign up for the Android Beta Program and receive these preview builds automatically.

The Android Beta Program.

Svelte design

Google says it has been hard at work on Project Svelte, a set of tweaks that make Android more able to run on aging and less-powerful devices. This project originates from Android KitKat but we don't know much about it yet. More details should follow with the full release of Android 7.0 Nougat.

VR Mode

We saw the first hint of what many suspected early on: native support for VR in Android 7.0 Nougat. The hint to what Google is working on appears in a menu in the new Android system. By going to Settings > Apps > Configure apps > Special access > VR helper, you can find a menu screen waiting to be filled by a list of apps that are making use of an API designed for VR apps.

There's also something called 'Sustained performance mode' referenced, that is almost certainly intended to help devices run this demanding VR mode for longer periods of time. As anyone who has used a Gear VR will know, the phone quickly becomes very hot and boots the user out of the VR software, a problem that Google will need to overcome if VR is to become more widespread.

No apps using VR helper services yet, but expect some soon.

3D Touch support

Apple's iPhone 6s launched with a pressure-sensitive screen that allowed users to make use of shortcuts by pressing either lightly or heavily on the screen. Now, it looks as though Google won't put 3D Touch in its Android OS.

The new feature, called Force Touch or 3D Touch was first mentioned in the Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview documents but is was not included in the launch of Android 7.0 Nougat. Take a look at our full report on 3D Touch in the link below.

Enhancements to Google Now Launcher

In Android 7.0 Nougat Developer Preview 2, Google made two improvements to its Google Now Launcher. You can use a pinch gesture on the home screen to bring up the overview page, where, at the bottom, options for wallpapers, widgets and settings appear. And, at last, app options when dragging apps from the home screen and the app drawer are consistent. The options are now Remove / Cancel, Uninstall and App info. A minor but very welcome change.

A Nougat Easter Egg shows a cat emoji

The Easter Egg is now more colorful and you can see a cat emoji or a 'no' sign (which kind of looks like a no parking sign) underneath the Nougat logo. To get to it, go to the Settings and repeatedly tap on the Android version. From there you should see the 'N'. Pressing and holding this several times should produce either a cat emoji or the 'no' sign.

The cat says no.

Menu shows whether an app was installed from an APK or the Play Store

Information on the origin of an app has been made visible in the menu. So you can find out whether an app was installed via an APK or through the Play Store. This gives could be valuable information if you're looking for an app that is causing trouble.

Play Store or APK? Nougat shows the origin of the apps.

How to download Android 7.0 Nougat

If you are a developer or just want to test the preview for Android 7.0 Nougat, you can download images of the new OS directly from Google. Remember that this version is unstable and contains many bugs. The update can be downloaded via this link.

Note: Only the Nexus line of devices can receive the preview build of Android 7.0 Nougat. Below you can see what the Nexus models support the OS:

Android N is now Android 7.0 Nougat.

Freedom 251 deliveries to begin June 28: Ringing Bells

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 05:21:00 +0000

Ringing Bells, a little-known company that ran into controversy after announcing the Freedom 251 - a Rs. 251 smartphone, now claims it will start deliveries of the handset to customers from June 28.

Deliveries will start to customers who have registered for buying the phone, Noida-based company's Managing Director Mohit Goel said.

"We will start shipment of Freedom 251 from June 28 to customers who paid for it earlier on COD (cash-on-delivery) basis," he told Press Trust of India.

Ringing Bells began selling the handset, Freedom 251, via its website in February. But the launch of the smartphone, touted to be the world's cheapest, swirled into controversy, with some calling it a fraudulent scheme.

The website of the company also crashed during two-day sale due to the huge response from prospective buyers. The company claimed that around 30,000 customers had booked the phone in the first batch despite the glitch.

The company, however, withdrew the product and refunded the payments to customers following a close scrutiny by government agencies. The company had said about 30,000 people paid for booking the phone and over 7 crore people registered for it. Later, the company said that it would deliver the phone on cash-on-delivery mode to those who placed the order. Goel said that Ringing Bells has a foolproof plan to support the price but did not disclose it.

Ringing Bells President Ashok Chaddha had explained earlier that the manufacturing cost of the phone was about Rs. 2,500, which had to be recovered through a series of measures like economies of scale, innovative marketing, reduction in duties and creating an e-commerce marketplace.

He had said that the company would make phones in India that would lead to 13.8 percent savings on duties and further save on cost by selling it online.

The phone was to be manufactured in Noida and Uttaranchal.

"Two plants will be set up for Rs. 250 crores each with a capacity of 5 lakh phones. The money will come in the form of debt and equity (1.5:1)," Chaddha had said.

However, industry players had expressed doubt over the claim. Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad too had asked the Department of Electronics and IT to look into the matter.

The company had also come under the scanner of Excise and Income Tax Departments amid debate over the feasibility of a 3G-enabled handset for Rs. 251.

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Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge Price, Specs Tipped Just Ahead of MWC 2016 Launch

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 16:39:00 +0000

We are just hours away from the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge but the leaks are still hitting the Web. This time, details about the price of the handsets, their specifications and design have been tipped. More information about the Gear VR bundle has been leaked alongside.

As per a leaked German retailer's brochure (via Phonearena), the South Korean tech giant is planning to bundle its Gear VR headset along with the two smartphones for early adopters. The brochure also reveals the German prices of the two smartphones. While the Galaxy S7 is seen priced at EUR 699 (roughly Rs. 53,500), the Galaxy S7 Edge is seen with a price tag of EUR 799 (roughly Rs. 61,000). Notably, these prices were leaked earlier as well.

From the description in the brochure, the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge duo will sport an aluminium alloy frame and a display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. The smartphones will be IP68-certified and will feature a microSD card (up to 200GB) for expandable storage. Also reconfirmed is the 12-megapixel rear camera, which is down from the 16-megapixel rear camera found on the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge. The brochure adds the camera to house a Dual-Pixel sensor along with f/1.7 aperture.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge were leaked in a separate brochure coming from Europe earlier this week. As per the leaked image the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will sport 5.1-inch and 5.5-inch Super Amoled QHD displays respectively. Also mentioned was the inclusion of Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB inbuilt storage. While the Galaxy S7 is said to sport a 3000mAh battery, its curved version will be backed by a 3600mAh battery.

Previous leaked in-store banner for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge hint that pre-orders are likely to kick-off starting Sunday only. The banner says that consumers who pre-order the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge can get the handsets three days earlier than the usual delivery date, most probably March 11. The leaked banner is said to be of telecom operator Three UK.

Freedom 251 Bookings Resume at Freedom251.com - How to Buy the Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 16:34:00 +0000

Freedom 251 smartphone was officially launched in New Delhi on Wednesday by Noida-based Ringing Bells. The Rs. 251 smartphone, arguably the cheapest in the world, went on sale via freedom251.com on Thursday, when the company sold around 30,000 units. After a brief hiatus, the mobile is back in stock on the the official website.

On Thursday evening, Ringing Bells issued a statement saying there has been unprecedented demand for the Freedom 251 and it has temporarily suspended bookings. As of Friday morning, the phone is now back in stock. Earlier on Thursday, many users reported problems while trying to buy the smartphone. When we tried to buy a Freedom 251 unit, we were thrown back to the screen that asks for shipping details, and based on reports on social media we are not alone.

Things to remember before you buy the Freedom 251

A general rule in life - if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
Ringing Bells is an unknown brand with no track record in electronics, so it's difficult to ascertain at this point what the quality of the final product and the after-sales will be like.
We noted other concerns with our Freedom 251 review unit, though the company later told us it does not represent the final unit that will ship to customers.
The company says it may take up to 4 months for your unit to ship - so keep that in mind before you book a Freedom 251. Given the company's lack of any kind of a track record, there's an outside chance that it may never ship at all.
There seems to be no kind of return policy on the website, though it does say your Freedom 251 unit is covered by a one-year warranty.

(Also see: Freedom 251 Is Too Expensive - Soon Someone Could Pay You to Use Their Phone)

Now that you hopefully know what you are getting into, here are the steps to book your Freedom 251 unit:

Head to the official website freedom251.com.
Click on Buy Now button.
Note that the Ringing Bells is charging Rs. 40 for shipping Freedom 251 to your home so the total you will need to pay is Rs. 291.
Enter your shipping address, accept the terms and conditions and click on Pay Now to proceed to the payment page.

Note that the Freedom 251 cannot be shipped to an address outside India.

To refresh, the Freedom 251 is a Rs. 251 smartphone that comes with a 4-inch display, a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage (expandable by up to 32GB), and runs Android 5.1.

Ringing Bells Freedom 251

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Sun, 21 Feb 2016 16:30:00 +0000

Ringing Bells Freedom 251 smartphone was launched in February 2016. The phone comes with a 4.00-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 540 pixels by 960 pixels

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core and it comes with 1GB of RAM. The phone packs 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Ringing Bells Freedom 251 packs a 3.2-megapixel primary camera on the rear and a 0.3-megapixel front shooter for selfies.

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 runs Android 5.1 and is powered by a 1450mAh removable battery.

The Ringing Bells Freedom 251 is a single SIM (GSM) smartphone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM. Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor.

About Ringing Bells

Established in 2015, Ringing Bells Pvt. Ltd. made a name for itself when it announced the Freedom 251, the most affordable smartphone in the world.

Ringing Bells Freedom 251 detailed specifications

GENERAL

Release date	February 2016
Form factor	Touchscreen
Battery capacity (mAh)	1450
Removable battery	Yes
SAR value	NA

DISPLAY

Screen size (inches)	4.00
Touchscreen	Yes
Resolution	540x960 pixels

HARDWARE

Processor	1.3GHz quad-core
RAM	1GB
Internal storage	8GB
Expandable storage	Yes
Expandable storage type	microSD
Expandable storage up to (GB)	32

CAMERA

Rear camera	3.2-megapixel
Flash	No
Front camera	0.3-megapixel

SOFTWARE

Operating System

Android 5.1

CONNECTIVITY

Wi-Fi	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	NA
GPS	No
Bluetooth	Yes
NFC	No
Infrared	No
USB OTG	No
Headphones	3.5mm
FM	Yes
GSM/ CDMA	GSM
3G	Yes
4G/ LTE	No

SENSORS

Compass/ Magnetometer	No
Proximity sensor	Yes
Accelerometer	No
Ambient light sensor	No
Gyroscope	No
Barometer	No
Temperature sensor	No

Google Engineer Builds Android-Powered Smart Bathroom Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Mon, 08 Feb 2016 09:12:00 +0000

NEW YORK: A Google engineer has developed a smart Android-powered bathroom mirror which automatically displays the latest updates on date, time and weather, and lets you do voice searches on Google, a media report said.

Max Braun, a software engineer with the multinational technology company, used a two-way mirror, a controller board, a display panel, components, arts and crafts supplies to create a device, which can be considered an early prototype of a Google Now mirror, techtimes.com reported.

Braun built the device because he wanted his bathroom mirror to be like the "future we were promised in the movies".

"There doesn't seem to be anyone selling the product I was looking for. The individual parts, however, were fairly easy to get. A number of people have done similar custom builds recently, but I had something different in mind," Braun was quoted as saying.

According to Braun, he plans to add more functions and features that work with Google Now, including traffic updates and reminders.

The software still has a long way to go, as the user interface is currently on a couple hundred lines of code. Braun also needs to settle on a platform and tidy up the innards of his creation. But he has managed to develop a fully functional display that is only a few millimetres in thinness.

4G Samsung Phones To Buy In India

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 04:56:00 +0000

India is on the verge of becoming the next tech giant after America. 2G and 3G are things of past now and, Smartphone makers are ready to roll out Smartphones with support for 4G. Samsung is leading the flock by being the first one to offer things like edge screen and now, mass production of 4G Smartphones for Indian consumers.

Internet is the lifeline for all Smartphones and almost 80 percent of the applications depend on Internet. 3G provides us fast connectivity but as the world enters the age of big data, we need faster networks that can handle terabytes of data. From a user’s perspective, 4G answers the problem of fast and seamless connectivity. We look at the top 10 Smartphones coming from Samsung for Indian consumers to support 4G, as compiled by Gizbot.

# Samsung Galaxy Grand MAX

Price – 15999

Galaxy Grand MAX is perhaps the only Smartphone, which offers many features at just the cost of 15999. Grand MAX is offered in white and Grey. Features include 5.25-inches capacitive screen, 720x1280 pixels resolution, 16M colors, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 2500mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime 4G

Price – 13200

Galaxy Grand Prime and Galaxy Grand MAX, both belong to the same price range but Grand Prime costs 13200, which is 2000 cheaper than Galaxy Grand MAX on an average. The display is not similar to that of Galaxy Grand MAX. Grand Prime offers 540x960 pixels resolution, which is slightly less than HD resolution of Grand MAX.

Grand Prime sports 5-inches capacitive screen, 540x960 pixels resolution, 16M colors, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 2600mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy Core Prime

Price – 10450

As the price goes down, the list of features also drop. Galaxy Core Prime has same features as that of Prime 4G and Grand MAX but with less capacity. Galaxy Core Prime comes in white color.

Galaxy Core Prime consists of 4.50-inches capacitive screen, 480x800 pixels resolution, 16M colors, 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 2600mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy J1 4G

Price-9990

Samsung is all set to launch its new S6 at mobile world congress, to be held in March at Barcelona. In the midst of several rumors related to S6, Samsung launched Galaxy J1 4G for the Indian Smartphone market. Galaxy J1 is entirely focused on mid-segment of Indian consumers. Samsung Galaxy J1 4G is offered in black, blue and white.

Samsung Galaxy J1 4G will come with 4.30-inches capacitive screen, 480x800 pixels resolution, 16M colors, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 768MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 128GB, 5-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 1850mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy A7

Price – 30499

Samsung has already released so many Smartphones in 2015. This Smartphone targets the upper segment of the Indian consumer market. Samsung Galaxy A7 is offered in Black, Gold and White color. The processor is an impressive octa-core clocked at 1GHz.

A7 comes bundled with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory. The camera is 13-megapixel rear shooter and 5-megapixel front facing camera. A7 has an impressive battery backup with 2600mAh battery.

# Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Price – 43500

Continuing Apple iPhone 6 Plus’s legacy of making phablets more mainstream, Galaxy Note 4 offers 5.70-inches of screen. While there are issues with a big size phone, Galaxy Note has proved a huge success for Samsung.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4’s specification has 5.60-inches capacitive screen, 1600x2560 pixels resolution, 16M colors, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 16-megapixel rear camera, 3.7-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 3000mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Price – 64999

Note Edge received a different update for Android 5.0 Lollipop as it has a unique design. Besides, from the fact that Edge has a different design, still it has kept a decent share of consumer market for itself. Galaxy Note Edge come for a price of 64999, which is justified as Samsung did a lot of R&D for the design.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge offers a 5.60-inches capacitive screen, 1600x2560 pixels pixels resolution, 16M colors, Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 2.7GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 16-megapixel rear camera, 3.7-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 3000mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Price – 26990

Belonging to the same family of Galaxy series of Samsung, Alpha is the younger brother of Galaxy S5. Weighing slightly less than S5 at 115g, Alpha offers 1860mAh battery, 4.7-inch capacitive screen with 720x1280 pixels resolution, 1.8GHz octa-core processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, 12-megapixel rear camera, and 2.1-megapixel front facing camera.

While Galaxy Alpha has specification of a high-end smart phone, but at the price of 26990, Galaxy Alpha offers a good deal of performance at a good price. Being 4.7-inch in screen size, Alpha offers much more comfort in carrying around rather than big screen size of Galaxy S5.

# Samsung Galaxy A5

Price – 24990

When compared to Apple iPhone 5S, A5 is bigger as well as slimmer. Galaxy A5 is clearly that kind of Smartphone, which is very well thought through. Some features can be said that are copied from other models of Samsung, like round corners.

Samsung Galaxy A5 has a 5.00-inches capacitive screen, 720x1280 pixels resolution, 16M colors, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 13-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 2300 mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy A3

Price – 20500

Samsung Galaxy A3 was the most recent phone, which got a price slash from Samsung. This may be because of the growing completion from its rivals. Although, the news has not been officially announced yet, but due to the competition in the Smartphone market, a price slash is quite evident.

Samsung Galaxy A3 comes bundled with a 4.50-inches capacitive touchscreen screen, 540x960 pixels resolution, 16M colors, 1.2GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, Expandable storage up to 64GB, 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, Android 4.4.4, and battery capacity of 1900mAh.

# Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Price – 43500

# Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

Price – 64999

# Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Price – 26990

# Samsung Galaxy A5

Price – 24990

# Samsung Galaxy A3

Price – 20500

Updated Prices Of Smartphones After The Dice

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 04:47:00 +0000

Are you still craving to buy best Smartphone in the market? Pull your socks up; there are some Smartphones which recently got a price cut making it a pretty sweet deal. Going by that here is a list of Smartphone you could get your hands on for cheaper price than ever with the discount offered by the stores, reports TOI.

#Motorola Moto E

Motorola’s Moto E which is exclusively retailed on online Flipkart, is now available at 5,999. This entry level Smartphone comes with 1,000 of discount than its original price of 6,999. Moto E houses a 4.3-inch display with dual-sim connectivity.

Under the hood, it offers 1.2GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory and also supports microSD card for expansion. This Moto runs on stock Android 4.4 there are news, soon it will be upgraded to Android 5.0. On the camera front, it sports a 5 MP camera on the back without LED flash camera and a VGA front cam to click selfies.The flasgship Smartphone of Motorola is also rolling out with a discounted price tag, the base 16GB variant of the second-generation Moto X now costs 29,999. When it was launched it was priced 31,999, the models with leather and wooden backs also carries a discount of 2,000 and it is now priced at 31,999.

The Moto X runs on latest version of Android along with some Motorola’s own suite of apps, it has full HD AMOLED display to watch movies on phone. The device features a 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2 GB of RAM to support its process and no room for storage expansion. On the camera side, it sports a 13 MP rear camera with flash and a 2 MP of front camera to do the job.

#Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Samsung’s Galaxy Alpha is now available at 26,999 on Snapdeal. The phone had the price of 39,990 at the time of its launch in September. Alpha’s build quality feels premium in hand and to look as well also it is a lightweight Smartphone.

The first metal bodied Samsung comes with 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display and houses an octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM in the hand. A 12 MP of rear shooter and a 2.1 MP of front camera to adds the metal body Alpha.#Samsung Galaxy Grand 2

Samsung’s mid-range Phablet now costs 14,720 for a comparison, it was priced at 24,890 when it was introduced to the market. Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25-inch HD display and quad-core processor clocked at 1.2 GHz. On the memory side, it offers 1.5 GB of RAM, 8 GB of internal memory and storage expansion up to 64 GB through microSD, to save your movies.

The successor of Grand Smartphone flashes with an 8MP camera at back with LED flash and a 1.9 MP camera in front. As we know, big phones come with big battery, thus it holds a 2,600 mAh battery that powers this Phablet.

#Huawei Honor 6

Huawei’s creations always been a great deal, when it comes to money for Smartphone, Honor 6 got a recent price slash of 2,000 and it is now available at 17,999 on Flipkart. The device comes with 5-inch full HD display and it is powered by an octa-core processor with 3 GB of RAM.

Honor 6 sports a 13 MP rear camera and a 5 MP front facing camera. It comes with couple variants of 16 GB and 32 GB of internal memory and it supports a microSD card slot to expand the storage up to 64 GB. The device has a power house of 3,100mAh battery with which you can use it all day long.

#HTC Desire 820

HTC’s Desire 820 is now available at 21,499 which had a price tag of 27,999 when it was launched. This dual sim Smartphone houses a 5.5-inch display and it runs on a 64-bit octa-core processor with 2 GB of RAM in hand.

The Phablet comes with 16 GB of internal memory and it is expandable up to 128 GB with microSD card. It sports 13 MP of rear camera with LED flash and an 8 MP camera in front to capture your moment with perfect pixels. The design it carries are of the iconic HTC One’s footsteps and sports a BoomSound front stereo speakers along with top notches entertainment experience when compared other phones in the list.

Microsoft Launches Lumia 435, Lumia 532 In India; Priced At Rs.5999, Rs.6499

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 04:59:00 +0000

Microsoft launched two smartphones - Lumia 435 and Lumia 532, priced at 5,999 and 6,499, respectively.

The launch is part of Microsoft's plan to strengthen its presence in the smartphone category after rebranding itself in the handset category following the purchase of handset division from telecom major Nokia.
The Lumia 435 smartphone is the first in the 400 series Lumia platform and comes with the latest Windows 8.1 operating system, 2-megapixel camera, 8GB memory, a company statement said.

Microsoft launches Lumia 435, Lumia 532 in India; priced at 5999, 6499

Both the phones come with 30GB free OneDrive cloud storage offered by Microsoft and also with Micro SD slot with a storage capacity of upto 128GB.

Lumia 532 is equipped with 5-megapixel camera, with 1GB RAM. Both the phones come with 30GB free OneDrive cloud storage offered by Microsoft and also with Micro SD slot with a storage capacity of upto 128GB.

"The latest Lumia 532 and Lumia 435 address the need in the market for those looking at an uncompromised experience in their first smartphones and at affordable price points", Nokia India Sales, subsidiary of Microsoft Mobile Oy,Director South, T S Sridhar said.

"The Lumia 532 and Lumia 435 are a perfect blend of premium design, seamless efficiency and high end innovation taken from the premium Lumia devices", he said.

The phones would hit the market from February 20, the statement said.

Airtel Launches Pan-African Affordable Customised Smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 04:57:00 +0000

Bharti Airtel Africa has launched the first pan African high quality, cost effective, customized smartphone in partnership with mobile chip manufacturer Qualcomm, a statement said.

The device will start selling from $53 subject to various government levies and will be available at local retail outlets, it said here.

The smartphone is available in Seychelles, Uganda and Burkina Faso markets with 14 other Airtel operating countries expected to launch the mobile device over the next few weeks.

"Industry research shows that data is playing a vital role in growing the smartphone uptake in sub-Saharan Africa and more so in the 17 countries where we operate. Special attention was given to the device layout and the user interface to provide quick and simple access to services like Airtel mobile money and popular social media applications to our customers," said Christian de Faria, chief executive officer, Airtel Africa during the launch.

The 3G new enabled phone with a memory of 4GB ROM and 512 MB RAM with 32 GB external memory capacity will not only provide an opportunity for feature phone users to upgrade to a smartphone but will also provide an opportunity for high end users to try out an affordable mobile device in the market.

The smartphone is also powered with Androids 4.4 KitKat Operating System. Other features of the phone include 1,300 mAh battery life, front and rear 3 mega pixel camera and a qualcomm dual core Central Processing Unit.

Airtel currently has the widest 3G network in Africa, with a presence across 17 markets.

"At Airtel, we are focused on migrating existing and new customers from the traditional feature phones to android smartphones to take advantage of Airtel's 3G networks and providing data connectivity to everyone," he added.

Solitary Smartphones That Are Alien To Your Knowledge

noreply@blogger.com (Ketan P) — Thu, 19 Feb 2015 04:56:00 +0000

In Smartphone world, there are numerous Smartphone manufacturers who try variety of things to get noticed or reach that top spot. In today’s list, we will be looking at Smartphones which are never heard of or when we say Android Smartphone, these names doesn’t flash in our memory.

The Smartphones in the list are unique in various sections because of its appealing looks, expensive price tag, and exceptionally big battery and so on. With that in mind, let’s head to the list and look at how the not well known brands and its Smartphones do their job, reports Androidauthority.

#Sharp Aquos Crystal X

Sharp Aquos Crystal X is by a Japanese manufacturer, this Smartphone made it out of the Japan for a while. Recently, it was introduced to foreign customers. But what is the unique quality of this Smartphone you wonder?

Well, Crystal X has the looks to keep you busy with this gadget; it comes with ultra thin bezel. Whereas when we observe a normal Android phone, we see the bezel at the top and bottom of the display. But in Crystal X, it has bezel only at the bottom leaving the display to gulp the top bezel.
Specs:
5.5-inch S-CG-Silicon LCD display with 1080 x 1920 resolution
2.3GHz Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU
2GB of RAM
16GB, microSD (SD, SDHC, SDXC) expansion
12.8MP rear cam, 1.2MP front cam
2610 mAh Li-Ion battery
73 x 139 x 11 mm, 157g
Android 4.4.4 KitKat
This trendy Smartphone has a decent specification under the hood when compared to current top end phones available in market. The absence of top bezel leads to relocation of the front camera that is; you can find the front camera at bottom of the display. Even it says when you try to click a selfie, ‘Please turn the device upside down.’

#Lumigon T2 HD

Are you a fan of tough and durable Smartphone? Then, this Danish handset on the list will cheer you up. The unique factor in Lumigon T2 HD is, the whole phone is made in stainless steel and it carries a dark shade with the stainless steel edges. The Lumigon T2 HD is a cool phone when we talk about its looks and the dock for charging, adds up the luster.
Specs
4.3-inch display with 720p resolution
Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro with Andreno 320
2GB of RAM
32GB or 128GB storage
13MP rear shooter with flash and backside illumination sensor, 2.4 MP front cam
6.4 Wh built-in Li-ion battery
Android 4.4.2
Compatible networks: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 3G/UMTS 900 / 2100 MHz, 4G/LTE 800 / 1800 / 2600 MHz, LTE 100Mbps download / 3G / HSDPA+
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Water- and dust-resistant design (IP55)
Dimensions and weight: 127 x 64 x 8.7 mm, 148g
Infrared receiver and transmitter
T2’s specs doesn’t top notch as it has done with its design, yet it can delivers a respectable android experience. There are also several stand-out features like encrypted software “Vault” for file storage, a universal remote app that works with the integrated IR blaster, IP55 certified water and dust resistant design, and a display that works even with gloves.

#Desay Magical Mirror X5

We all wished for Sapphire screens on our Smartphones when we learned, it provides improved levels of protection from scratches and even drops. Similar plans Chinese Smartphone manufacturers had it mind when they launched Magical Mirror X5.
Specs
5-inch display with 720p resolution
MediaTek quad-core CPU
1GB of RAM
16GB storage
13MP rear shooter, 5 MP front cam
2050mAh battery
Android 4.4 KitKat
Support for 4G LTE
Desay is not well known brand, yet its effort in making the sapphire screen is brilliant and we know sapphire is an expensive deal to add in the phones. But in Magical Mirror X5’s case its price tag tells it all with lower price than we thought it would be. On the other hand, with Magical Mirror X5 users have to compromise with the performance for protection. It requires little big numbers when it comes to specifications, certainly we can hope for next edition of Magical Mirror with better specs.

#Pantech Vega Iron 2

Pantech is another not so well known handset marker from Korea. Yet it has made an effort to oust shine its Korean competitors, with similar specification like the top-end mobiles along with the metal strip with chamfered edges around the phone like in Samsung Alpha or Note 4. What makes Pantech’s Vega Iron 2 special?

Well, Iron 2 had the metal strip around it soon after when Samsung released Galaxy S5 and before Alpha or Note 4’s launch and this makes it unique. And it has better specifications under the hood than Samsung’s Galaxy S5.
Specs
5.3-inch display with a 1080p resolution
Snapdragon 801 CPU with Adreno 330
3GB RAM
13MP rear cam with OIS, 2.1MP front cam
Bluetooth 4.0
LTE-A
NFC
3220 mAh battery
The Pantech Vega Iron 2 may not be unique in any perspective but the idea of staying ahead of its local rivals makes it an interesting prospect. When users consider specs and price, it is right on the money, because you don’t feel disheartened, when you get the best deal for lesser price.#THL 5000

We always drool over big battery devices, because we hate waiting for the phone to charge every time. THL has rolled out the right device who hates charging their phone regularly, The THL 5000 has 5000mAh battery which would run for more than day with the screen on.
Specs
5 inch IPS display with a 1080p resolution
2.0GHz MediaTek MTK6592T octa-core
2GB RAM
16GB storage, microSD expansion up to 32GB
13MP rear cam, 5MP front cam
5000 mAh battery
Connectivity : GPS, microUSB 2.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Networks: GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900MHz for 2G / WCDMA 850, 2100MHz for 3G
Android 4.4 KitKat
145 x 73 x 8.9 mm, 170g

The spec of the phone is good but not the top-end, yet it allows users to play games of higher graphic quality. As the price is concerned, it is not very expensive at all, it is an ideal phone for people who likes to keep their phone busy all day.