Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a total of four cameras
Xiaomi India has launched the Redmi Note 6 Pro smartphone in India today. The Redmi Note 5 Pro successor brings slight improvements over the past generation. The key highlight of the device is its notched display and a dual-camera setup at the front.
Specifications
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro features a 6.26-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2280x1080 resolution. The dual-sim handset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC coupled with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB of onboard storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. It runs on Android Nougat based MIUI 10 out of the box. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.
On the optics front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary shooter. Up front, there is 20-megapixel + 2-megapixel selfie snapper.
The Redmi Note 6 Pro is launched in Black, Rose Gold, Blue and Red colour variants. While the 4GB RAM variant is priced at Rs. 13,999, the 6GB RAM variant can be grabbed for Rs. 14,999. The smartphone will go on sale via Mi.com, Flipkart and Mi Home starting November 23. Consumers buying the product using an HDFC debit or credit card and EMI only are eligible to get an instant discount of Rs. 500. Additionally, Reliance Jio is offering a cashback of Rs. 2,400 and up to 6TB of 4G data.
Samsung's new One UI makes single-handed use easier
At the recent Samsung Developer's Conference, the South Korean giant revealed their new upcoming UI for the flagship smartphones. The One UI Beta is now available for Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Here's how to download and install the new UI on your Samsung smartphone.
Do note that the whole process will erase any data on your smartphone. So, do make a backup of any important data. Also, we are not responsible for any damage made to your phone during the process.
For Odin files, the users will have to visit Sammobile.com and follow the steps in order to get the files. Make sure you download the BRJ6 version of the files.
Once the files have been downloaded, put your Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ in Odin mode by turning it off and then holding Power+Volume Down+Bixby keys.
Connect your phone to your PC using a USB Type-C cable
Open Odin on your PC and add corresponding files to BL, AP, CP, and HOME_CSC. Make sure the Userdata is left empty.
Click on Start
Once your phone reboots, turn it off
Enter the recovery mode by holding Power + Volume Up + Bixby buttons
Using the volume buttons head over to "Apply update from adb" and then press the power button
On your PC, open the command prompt and type adb sideload (location of update.zip)
Hit enter
Once the phone reboots, you will be welcomed by the new OneUI interface. Do note that as this is a beta update, there might be a few bugs here and there.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a total of four cameras
Xiaomi has finally launched the much-awaited Redmi Note 6 Pro smartphone in India. The successor to the Redmi Note 5 Pro aims to rule the mid-range smartphone category in India once again. However, not much has changed as most noticeable changes here are the notch and the dual-camera setup at the front. So, here are the top 3 reasons why you should buy one and why you shouldn't.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro: Reasons to buy
1.) Build and Design
While the Redmi Note 6 Pro borrows most of the design aesthetics from its predecessor, the notch up front gives it a more refreshed look. Also, the metal body makes the phone more durable. The new colour options make the phone an even better-looking choice over some of the competitors.
2.) Nano Coating
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a nano-coating which means it can handle minor water splashes. This might be a deal-breaking thing for many people out there as now the phone can be even used when it is drizzling out there.
3.) Camera
One of the most noticeable changes in the successor of the Redmi Note 5 Pro is the new dual-camera setup up front. While the primary selfie shooter remains the same 20-megapixel sensor, there is now a 2-megapixel depth sensor which allows for better portrait selfies./ Even the back cameras have been improved.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro: Reasons not to buy
1.) Processor
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, which is a quite good processor. However, when you look towards the competition such as the RealMe 2 Pro and Honor 8X, they offer much better chipsets.
While Google has released Android 9.0 Pie, the newly launched Redmi Note 6 Pro is still running on Android Nougat. Also, the MIUI 10 skin layered on top of Android, is not something that everyone would like.
3.) Not a worthy upgrade
If you are already using a Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Redmi Note 6 Pro won't be a worthy upgrade as it does not bring major changes on board. We would highly recommend waiting for the next successor.
Honor recently launched their latest budget-segment smartphone in India, Honor 8X. It comes sporting a gigantic screen with not too unique a design and a promising camera setup. The Honor 8x looks like most of the other Honor and Huawei smartphones currently available in the market at this price range. The Honor 8X competes with likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, Realme 2 Pro and Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.
Highlights of the smartphone include a 3,750mAh battery, 65-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080×2340 pixels. It is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 710 chipset coupled with a Mali G51 GPU. The dual-SIM handset comes with 4GB/6GB of RAM along with 64GB/128GB of internal storage. The device sports a 20-megapixel primary sensor with a f/1.8 aperture coupled with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor at the back. The front camera is a 16-megapixel sensor for taking selfies. The handset also packs features like OTG support and a FingerPrint sensor.
Design
Honor 8X sports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. The display is one of the biggest in its price range. As with most Android smartphones with a Notch, there is a chin also, but it is not as big as the one we have seen on many other smartphones. The display is not something you can call best of the line, but it is better than most of the competition. The display is good and has vivid colours. The overall build quality is great. Its frame is made out of metal and the back is glass instead of polycarbonate.
The Honor 8X has a metal sides
The Honor 8x still sports a micro-usb
Small things like that improve the feel of smartphones in hand dramatically. With its colour shifting back like in other smartphones by the company and the Glass and metal sandwich design, the design does not look unique, but the smartphone sure does look and feel premium in hand.
Camera
Coming to the optics, Honor 8X sports a dual camera setup on the back. It consists of a 20-megapixel rear sensor having a f/1.8 aperture coupled with a 2-megapixel sensor. The photos come out quite impressive considering the device's price. The contrast is quite good and the colours are impressive. Also, the AI tuning in the Honor phones is really good according to me. However, the AI portrait mode does make the photos look a bit unnatural. This can be fixed in a future software update.
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Indoor
Close Up Indoor
Indoor
For the selfies, the Honor 8X sports a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The front camera performs in a similar fashion to the back camera. The images we were able to click came out quite impressive.
Front
Overall both the cameras on Honor 8X are quite impressive considering the price point. It is definitely better than the most of its competition.
Price
The reflective back of the Honor 8X looks great.
Honor 8X starts at Rs 14,999 for the 4GB + 64GB variant. The 6GB + 64GB variant costs Rs 16,999 while the top of the line 6GB + 128GB variant costs Rs 18,999. The smartphone is quite impressive. The glass sandwich smartphone feels a lot more premium than the price may suggest. The camera is amazing for the price point. Also, the smartphone runs on EMUI skin from Honor, which is not something everyone likes. So from the first look at it, the smartphone seems to be an all-rounder with a few compromises made.
The new update also brings in weather components to the game.
Tencent Games has finally released 0.9.5 content update for its PlayerUnknowns’ Battlegrounds (PUBG) Mobile for iOS and Android. The update adds many new things including and not limited to a new game mode, vehicle, weapon, rare outfits, hairstyles and much more. With this update, the company has also bought the PUBG Mobile’s Season 4 into play. The game update is 138MB in download size and is available as an update from the Google Play Store.
What's new in PUBG 0.9.5 update
The new PUBG update brings in a lot of new features. The first change the game introduces is the commencement of its Season 4. This resets the ranks and all making them achieve their ranks from the start. A new Royale Pass has also been introduced into the game. The new Royale Pass provides additional benefits like new firearm finishes, character faces, hairstyles and rare outfit rewards to the players. A new rifle has also been added to the game. Dubbed M762 is the first in the game to use the latest 7.62mm rounds.
The developers have added a new vehicle also. The scooter is for the users to find and drive around in the Sanhok map only as of now. The maps will now sport dynamic weather. This means the map will have weather components like snowfall, rain, and fog.
The Season 4 update brings a Royale Pass with new clothes and guns and rare skins.
The update also adds a new Hardcore Mode to the game. The new Hardcore mode is added within the Arcade Mode and it will be made available periodically in the form of “Hardcore Week”. The mode also removes all audio cues for footsteps inside the game upping its difficulty, it is currently only available inside Erangel as of now.
Other improvements in the game include a brand new optimized chat system, Matchmaking. Also, the in-game chat will no longer require the players to select a second language.
Samsung Galaxy A9 sports a quad camera setup at the back
Samsung has just launched the Galaxy A9 smartphone in India. The smartphone comes with a quad camera setup at the back. Its pricing has left many people in confusion as the competition is so high right now. Weather to get the Poco F1 and save some money or grab the OnePlus 6T for the latest tech, here's which smartphone you should get.
Samsung Galaxy A9
Samsung Galaxy A9 is available at a starting price of Rs. 36,990. The price gets users a very mid-range processor, the Snapdragon 660. However, Samsung is not trying to beat the affordable flagship competition with the Galaxy A9. Instead, the phone is made for those people who do not want to spend much and still want every camera feature on their smartphone.
Poco F1
Xiaomi Poco F1 comes with flagship grade hardware at a relatively lower price
In case you are looking for a flagship-grade experience under Rs. 21,000, the Poco F1 is the phone to get. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with up to 8GB of RAM. While giving you flagship grade performance on the cheap, Xiaomi had to skimp on to something. Here, the build of the phone is made out of polycarbonate and the cameras are not as good as something like the OnePlus 6T.
OnePlus 6T
OnePlus 6T comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner
For those people looking for a true flagship experience with a premium build quality and an almost stock Android, OnePlus 6T is the phone to go. At a starting price of Rs. 37,990, the OnePlus 6T brings a lot to the table alongside the powerful Snapdragon 845 chipset. It also comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Asus ZenFone 5Z
ZenFone 5Z sports a notch up front
Now Asus ZenFone 5Z is a smartphone for those users who sit somewhere between the Poco F1 and OnePlus 6T. So, if you are looking for a premium build quality but do not want to spend as much as Rs. 37,990, the ZenFone 5Z is the one to get. It offers a glass sandwich design and Snapdragon 845 at a starting price of Rs. 25,999.
Samsung Galaxy A9 features a quad-camera setup at the back
Samsung has just launched the Galaxy A9 smartphone in India. The highlights of the phone include its quad-camera setup and the gradient finish at the back. It is available at a starting price of Rs. 36,990. Here are the top 3 reasons why you should buy it and top 3 reasons to skip it instead.
Samsung Galaxy A9: Reasons to buy
1.) Cameras
The key feature of the smartphone is its quad-camera setup at the back. The setup consists of a 24-megapixel primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, 10-megapixel telephoto lens and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The sensors allow users to take different types of shots. Up front, there is a 24-megapixel selfie shooter.
2.) Design
The Galaxy A9 features a glass sandwich design with a gradient colour pattern at the back of the smartphone. In India, the phone is launched in two colour variants, Bubblegum pink and Lemonade blue.
3.) Display
Samsung Galaxy A9 sports a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x2220 pixels. The AMOLED panel offers deeper blacks and vivid colours, which makes this smartphone one of the best ones to watch media content. Samsung also offers an Always-on-display feature which allows you to get a glance at time and notifications without touching the phone.
Samsung Galaxy A9 is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 36,990. The top-end variant of the phone costs Rs. 39,990. Considering the hardware inside, the phone looks to be quite overpriced.
2.) Performance
The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC coupled with Adreno 512 GPU. While the processor looks to be quite enough, the competition here is way ahead. OnePlus 6T which is quite similarly priced offers a much better Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC.
3.) Software & UI
The Galaxy A9 runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. Google has already rolled out the Android 9.0 Pie, but the newly launched A9 is still running an older version of Android. Also, Samsung's UI is known to get sluggish over time.
Here's why you should opt in for prepaid plans over postpaid ones
We are usually confused on to which carrier to select and which plan to select. While Reliance Jio has brought each and every carrier to almost the same price range, there is still a confusion between postpaid and prepaid plans. Users are still being sceptical, so here's a neat explanation on which plan you should select and why.
In case you are confused between prepaid and postpaid, the short answer here is to get the prepaid one. However, here's an explanation on why you should do so.
Why get prepaid?
For around Rs. 509 in every carrier's prepaid plan, you will get around 1.4GB of data, unlimited calls and 100 SMS messages per day with a validity of 84days or more. Now, if you want the same the benefits from a postpaid plan, you will end up paying around Rs. 250, but that's for one month. The pre-paid plan here is costing you roughly Rs. 150 per month.
However, this does not mean that the postpaid plan is an utter waste. Those people who do not want the hassle of recharges and are ok with paying monthly rentals should opt in for the postpaid plans. Additionally, most telecom operators in India including Vodafone and Airtel are offering data rollover option which means that your data will never be wasted rather it will be carry forwarded to the next billing cycle.
In a nutshell, if you are looking out to save money, we highly recommend going for the pre-paid plans over the postpaid ones.
Asus ZenFone 5Z is set to get the Android Pie update soon
Asus has confirmed that it will be rolling out the latest Android 9.0 Pie update for its ZenFone 5 series smartphones. As of now, the update has been promised only for the Asus ZenFone 5Z. The users can expect the update by the end of January 2019. Asus will be rolling out the update via an OTA.
The update will bring the latest Android security patch alongside the latest version of Google's Android operating system. Android 9.0 Pie will bring features like gesture-based navigation, Digital Wellbeing, app actions, slices and much more. It will also offer a boost in the performance of the device. Asus might as well bring a few UI changes with the update to its ZenUI.
How to install the FOTA update?
Once the update is available, a notification will arrive.
Tap on the notification to download the update.
Once the download is complete, hit Install Now
The device will restart twice during the update. Do note that the phone should have more than 60 percent charge and users will not be able to use the device during the update process.
In case you want to check for the update manually, head over to Settings > System > System Updates and tap on Check for Updates.
After the successful rollout of Android Pie update for the ZenFone 5Z, the company will start working on the update for its mid-range smartphones, which includes the more popular ZenFone Max Pro M1.
iTel A44 Power is one of the cheapest smartphones available in the Indian smartphone market to sport a dual camera setup on the back.
Transsion Holdings sub-brand itel has launched a new smartphone, itel A44 Power in India. It is priced at Rs 5,999. Key features of the device include a Face Unlocking feature, Google's Android 8.1 Oreo operating system, 1 GB RAM and a 5.45-inch screen. The itel A44 Power is an upgraded version of the earlier launched itel A44. The device will be made available in three colour variants - Aqua blue, Champagne gold and Deep grey.
itel A44 Power sports a 5.45-inch HD+ FWVGA+ display. It is powered by a 1.4 GHz Quad Core processor paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. The device runs Google's Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) operating system and is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.
On the optical front, the itel A44 Power sports a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 5-megapixel primary sensor paired with a secondary VGA sensor. On the front, the device features a 2MP camera sensor for taking selfies paired with an LED flash. Both the camera modules support a software-enhanced bokeh effect.
The device is entering a highly competitive budget smartphone market. As of now, it might face tough competition from devices like the Xiaomi Redmi 5A, 10.or D2, 10.or E, Asus Zenfone Lite L1, Honor 7S, Infinix Smart 2, Yu Ace and many more. It currently remains for us to see how the device performs in real life.
