Huawei P20 Lite Review: Premium Looks for cheap price?

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Huawei, P20, P20 Lite — Huawei P20 Lite looks great for its price, but does it actually performs like a premium phone as well?

Huawei recently launched a new variant to their flagship series, the Huawei P20 Lite. Which is supposed to be an affordable mid-segment device with amazing performance. The Huawei P20 Lite packs some impressive specifications. Whats more interesting is that the smartphone quite well-priced. However, not always the specifications decide how the smartphone will be. So let's see if the Huawei P20 Lite worth your hard earned money or not?

Huawei P20 Lite

The Huawei P20 Lite comes with a 2.36 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 650 coupled with a Mali-T830 GPU and 4GB of RAM. It sports a 5.83-inch (1080 x 2280 pixels) HD IPS LCD display. For the optics, it features a 16-megapixel rear sensor with f/2.2 aperture combined with 2-megapixel PDAF sensor and an LED Flash. For the selfies, it packs a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. All of this is backed up by a 3,000mAh Battery.

The devices comes in a plastic shell which looks like glass at the first glance. So, don't let the looks fool you. That glass looking back is basically a plastic layer painted in a pretty shiny manner. But for its price point, it is acceptable. It runs Google's Android 8.0 Oreo with Huawei's EMUI 8.0 on top. The phone sports a dual-hybrid sim card slot along with a 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing. It also includes a fingerprint sensor at the back.

Design

The Huawei P20 Lite features a pretty back to basics design. The phone with its shiny plastic back and semi-boxy design looks good. Especially with the reflective coating on the on the plastic back. We had the blue colour variant to review and with that reflective coating, it looks gorgeous.

The front consists of a 5.3-inch LCD HD IPS notched display. On this notch, you have an earpiece, the sensor array for the proximity sensor, accelerometer, and the 24-megapixel front-facing camera. The device features a rear fingerprint sensor.

On the back of the device, there is a dual camera setup aligned in a vertical orientation on the top left of the device with a LED flash below it. The fingerprint sensor is in the centre of the device. The phone bears the Huawei branding and camera information on the left side aligned with the vertical camera unit. The back attracts fingerprints very easily.

Huawei, P20, P20 Lite, Top Left Right Bottom — Bottom, Left, Right, Top in that order

The power buttons and the volume rocker is on the right edge. The left edge is pretty basic with just the hybrid-dual sim card tray. On the top edge, there is a secondary microphone for noise cancellation. And on the bottom edge, there is a USB Type-C port for charge and data transfer along with a primary microphone, speakers and 3.5-mm headphone jack.

Huawei, P20, P20 Lite, Case — The included case doesn't look good, however, it does the job.

The smartphone looks great and feels acceptable in hand for the price. However, the notched display might be a big push away for some people and maybe a liking for some others. Overall the design of the smartphone is great. With the reflective back, the smartphone looks gorgeous.

Software

The Huawei P20 Lite runs Google's Android 8.0 Oreo with the EMUI 8.0 skin on the top. EMUI is Huawei's own skin which it adds to its devices and Honor devices to give them a unique look. Huawei's EMUI offers a completely modified Android experience with its custom launcher, icon packs and a lot of bloatware apps like Facebook, Truecaller, Netflix, UC Browser, Dragon Mania, Puzzle Pets, and much more. These might be useful for some but not most. Whats worse is that only the pre-installed games can be removed, this makes it really annoying.

When it comes to performance, all these little changes don't affect the performance much. The company has optimised the software to handle the notch.

Performance

The performance is a major area of concern in any device, the P20 Lite sports a 2.36 GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 650 coupled with a Mali-T830 GPU and 4GB of RAM.

Huawei, P20, P20 Lite, AnTuTu, GeeekBench — AnTuTu(right) and GeekBench(left)

We ran our usual AnTuTu benchmark test and the GeekBench benchmark test to evaluate the performance of the phone. On AnTuTu the device yielded a score of 87735, which is okay considering the price. The GeekBench yield a single core score of 926 and multi-core score of 3658. The performance numbers of the device on paper were sort-of good for the value. The phone exhibits no lag while long heavy usage durations. The phone also runs extremely cool.

In light gaming such as Temple Run and Crossy Chicken, the phone runs smoothly. Heavy games like Asphalt 9 Legends were also able to run without any hiccup.

Display

The smartphone has a 5.83-inch LCD HD IPS display with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels. The display brightness gets quite low and bight depending on the ambient lighting situation. The colours are okay for the display sported on this phone. The sunlight readability is good.

Camera

The Huawei P20 Lite features a 16-megapixel f/2.2 aperture rear sensor along with a 2-megapixel PDAF camera with LED Flash. For the selfies, it packs a 24-megapixel f/2.0 aperture front-facing camera with f/2.4 aperture. The camera sensors are okayish on paper. Although, not everything depends on the camera lens as we have seen in the past.

The colours in the shots by the rear camera are too bright. The contrast is great and the white balance is also great. This makes the shots have colours which are brighter than natural.

Outdoor Rear Camera Sample

The 24-megapixel front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture has a different story. The white balance of the shots is bad. This makes the photos from the front camera look bad until and unless there was perfect lighting.

The rear camera on the P20 Lite is amazing for day to day usage. However, the front camera is quite bad. If selfies are the most important thing you want, then skip this one.

Battery

Packing a 3,000mAh battery the phone lasts not even a day. After heave usage, the full charge phone will die almost at the end of your work hours. If you are into heavy gaming you will definitely need to charge it more regularly than you like. The charging time for the included charger is around one hour.

We ran the PC Mark’s Work 2.0 Battery Life test which subjects the phone to heavy usage and finds out the battery life in that condition. The device yielded a result of 8 hours and 39 minutes. Which is less than the mark with the capacity of a battery in smartphones.

Conclusion

The Huawei P20 Lite is priced at Rs. 19,999, for which the performance and features it offers, its a tough call to make a decision on whether to purchase the device or not. It is one of the best smartphones at that price. However, investing a little more and stretching your budget can get you the Honor Play which according to us is the best smartphone you can get under Rs. 25,000. However, if your budget is maxed out at Rs. 19,999, then the P20 Lite is one of the absolute best smartphones in that price point, that is if you don't mind the notch.

Top 5 alternatives to the Oppo R17 Pro

By

Devesh Arora

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August 20, 2018

Oppo, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer is launching yet another R series smartphone in their home country. The new Oppo R17 Pro comes with a new style of notch which the company likes to call Water-Drop notch. The notch only consists of the front facing camera and takes its inspiration from the Essential phone. Also, the R17 Pro is the first Oppo smartphone to feature a triple camera setup at the back.'

While the Oppo R17 is priced at CNY 3499 (roughly Rs. 35,500), the R17 Pro is expected to be priced slightly higher at around CNY 4,000 (roughly Rs. 40,600). Here are some alternatives at a similar price range.

OnePlus 6

When we talk about smartphones under Rs. 40,000, the OnePlus 6 is the first smartphone that comes into our mind due its immense popularity. The OnePlus 6 features a 6.28-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display and it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The dual-SIM handset packs in 6GB or 8GB of RAM coupled with 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based OxygenOS with Android Pie on the way. OnePlus 6 is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 34,999 while the top of the line variant costs Rs. 43,999.

Asus ZenFone 5Z

The Asus ZenFone 5Z is the latest affordable flagship smartphone by the company. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. The device sports a 6.2-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The dual-SIM handset comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM paired with 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. The ZenFone 5Z comes in three variants and the base variant comes in at a price of Rs. 29,999.

Vivo Nex

In case you want to stand out of the crowd or just don't want any notch on your phone, the Vivo Nex is great option. The Vivo Nex features 6.59-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2316x1080 pixels. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It also features an in-display fingerprint scanner and a pop-up selfie camera. The Vivo Nex is priced at Rs. 45,999.

Huawei Nova 3

If you are impressed by the gradient back design on the Oppo R17 Pro, the Huawei Nova 3 is a worthy competitor. The Nova 3 comes with a 6.3-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display and it is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor which is company's homegrown flagship chipset. The device packs in 6GB of RAM coupled with 128GB of internal storage. Huawei Nova 3 is available in India with a price tag of Rs. 34,999.

Honor 10

Honor 10 features a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixels. The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based EMUI 8.1 out of the box. The phone comes with a 16MP+24MP dual-camera setup at the back and a 24-megapixel selfie shooter. The 6GB+128GB variant of the Honor 10 retails for Rs. 29,999.

How to send confidential emails using Gmail

By

Devesh Arora

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August 20, 2018

Gmail, Google's electronic mailing service, has recently introduced a new feature called "Confidential Mode." The feature allows users to send over confidential information via e-mail and these emails are self-destructive which means they will no longer be available after a given period of time. Also, these emails are peer to peer which means no other person can access these emails without proper authentication. Here's how you can start sending confidential emails using Gmail.

How to send confidential emails (on PC)

Open up your browser of choice (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc.)
Head over to mail.google.com
Log in using your credentials (if prompted)
Tap on Compose on the top left
Now click on the confidential mode icon at the bottom (the icon looks like a lock with timer)

It is as easy as sending a normal email

You can now set the email’s expiry time and even set SMS passcode

Set the expiration time and select SMS Passcode if you want it to be more secure
Type in your message and hit send once done

Also Read: Top 5 features of the new updated Gmail

How to send confidential emails (on a smartphone)

Download and Install the Gmail app from Google Play Store or Apple App Store. If it is already installed, make sure its updated
Open up the Gmail app
Now tap on the Compose icon at the bottom right corner (looks like a pencil)
Tap on the Three-dot menu on the top right
Select Confidential mode and set your preferences
Hit Send once done

Nokia 6.1 Plus to launch in India as Flipkart Exclusive: Here are some alternatives

By

Devesh Arora

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August 20, 2018

Nokia 6.1 Plus, nokia x6, nokia, specifications, price, nokia x6 — Nokia 6.1 Plus is just a re-branded version of the Nokia X6

HMD Global is holding an event in India on August 21 in order to announce the launch of their latest mid-range smartphone, the Nokia 6.1 Plus. The 6.1 Plus will basically be a better version of the recently launched Nokia 6.1 and will come with a bigger display and better specifications. The smartphone will be a Flipkart exclusive in India.

The Nokia 6.1 Plus is nothing but a rebranded version of the Nokia X6 which was recently launched in China. There are speculations that the company might also launch the Nokia 9, a flagship smartphone at the launch event. The company is touting one of these smartphones as "the most awaited phone."

As for the specifications, the Nokia 6.1 Plus will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor. The dual-SIM handset will come with 4GB or 6GB of RAM coupled with 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. As the company likes to keep the prices of its smartphones higher than the likes of Xiaomi and Asus, the Nokia 6.1 Plus is most likely to be priced at around Rs. 20,000.

Alternatives

In case you are not interested in the Nokia 6.1 Plus or the overpricing is something you do not appreciate, here are some alternatives that are the best value for the money.

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1

Zenfone Max Pro M1n nokia 6, nokia x6, nokia 6.1 plus, specifications, price, alternatives — Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 runs on stock Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is one of the best budget smartphones in India. The smartphone comes with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor as found on the Nokia 6.1 Plus. It comes with 3GB, 4GB or even 6GB of RAM coupled with either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. Just like the Nokia smartphone, this one also runs on stock Android 8.1 Oreo. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is available at a starting price of Rs. 10,999.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro

xiaomi, asus, zenfone max pro m1, 6gb ram — Unlike the Nokia 6.1 Plus, the Redmi Note 5 Pro runs on MIUI

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro features a 5.99-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphones is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset. The device packs in 4GB or 6GB of RAM paired with 64GB of internal storage. The Redmi Note 5 Pro is available at a starting price of Rs. 14,999.

Xiaomi Mi A2

If the Android One is what impresses you the most in the Nokia 6.1 Plus, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is a great alternative. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is also a part of Google's Android One program which brings stock Android 8.1 Oreo. The Mi A2 is powered by the much powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor and features a 5.99-inch FullHD+ display. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is available at a starting price of Rs. 16,999.

OnePlus 6T launching in October: Will be priced at Rs. 37,999

By

Brahmjot Singh

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August 20, 2018

oneplus, oneplus 6, camera,specifications, price — OnePlus 6T might also be available in a Limited Edition variant

OnePlus recently launched their flagship smartphone, the OnePlus 6 in India. Now that the hype is over, the company is gearing up to launch another variant of the smartphone. As per the company's record, its high time to start talking about the next OnePlus device, the OnePlus 6T.

OnePlus usually does not bring major design changes with the T variant. So, we can expect the OnePlus 6T to carry a similar design to the OnePlus 6 which was launched back in June. However, the changes might include something like a better display, IP certification or camera improvements.

In the US, OnePlus is planning to collaborate with T-Mobile in order to bring a special variant of the upcoming OnePlus 6T. This special variant will be sold via T-Mobile and will be better optimised to run on T-Mobile's network.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the OnePlus 6T will share a lot in common with the OnePlus 6. Starting with the processor, the 6T is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 coupled with the Adreno 630 GPU. As we don't see any new storage variant with the T version usually, with the OnePlus 6T we can expect up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. However, as the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has a 512GB variant, OnePlus might bring a 512GB variant for the 6T.

On the pricing front, we can expect an increase in the price by up to Rs. 2,000. OnePlus 6 is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 34,999. So, the OnePlus 6T will come with a starting price of Rs. 37,999 which means the top of the line variant will cost around Rs. 45,900.

Reliance Jio is now offering free postpaid connection to ICICI card holders: Here's how to get it

By

Tech Desk

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August 19, 2018

Reliance Jio ICICI Bank postpaid offer can be claimed via the MyJio appICICI Bank and Reliance Jio have partnered up in order to offer free postpaid services for two months. The offer is available for the existing Jio Postpaid users who also have an ICICI credit card. As per the offer details, the users will only be eligible to claim the offer once they have paid 12 postpaid bills consecutively.

The offer can be claimed using the MyJio app. To claim the offer, a user must have paid a total of 12 postpaid bills and within the period the user has to pay the full amount for the first six months and for the seventh month the user will get a discount equal to the bill amount inclusive of all the taxes. The cashback will be credited to the users account only after the 12 month period is over. The postpaid subscribers must enrol for the ICICI Bank Jio postpaid offer and they should also sign up for the "Auto Pay" feature with their ICICI credit card.

Also Read: How to register for Jio GigaFiber broadband connections?

How to avail the offer (Step-by-Step)

Open the MyJio application on your Android/iOS smartphone
Log in using the username/password or the OTP (one-time password) method
Select the JioPay option which is used to pay the bills
Now opt for JioAutoPay and select credit card as the preferred payment option

Reliance Jio offers postpaid plans at a starting price of Rs. 199. The basic plan includes unlimited local and national calls, national roaming, 100 SMS per day and 25GB of 4G data.

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 vs Oppo RealMe 1: Which is the best budget smartphone?

By

Devesh Arora

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August 19, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 and the Oppo RealMe 1 are two of the best selling smartphones on Amazon India. This got us thinking what makes these smartphones to reach at the list of top 10 best selling smartphones are what is the key difference between these two. So here's a quick comparison between two of the most selling smartphones in India.

Display

The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1440x720 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Oppo RealMe 1 on the other hand sports a 6-inch IPS LCD display with a slightly better resolution at 1080x2160 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The FullHD+ display on the RealMe 1 gives it an advantage over the HD+ display found on the Redmi Y2.

Performance

The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 and Oppo RealMe 1 come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and MediaTek Helio P60 chipsets respectively. Both the processors perform equally well and gaming is a breeze on both. However, where the RealMe 1 takes the advantage is multi-tasking as it comes with up to 6GB of RAM. The latter also comes with 128GB of onboard storage which is quite rare at this price point.

Cameras

Oppo RealMe 1 features a single 13-megapixel camera at the back and the front is equipped with an 8-megapixel selfie snapper. Whereas the Redmi Y2 comes with a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary lens. For selfies, the Redmi Y2 sports a 16-megapixel snapper. This straight up makes the Redmi Y2 a better camera smartphone at the price.

Price and Verdict

The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is available at a starting price of Rs. 9,999 while the RealMe 1 comes with at a starting price of Rs. 10,990. Though the RealMe 1 is slightly expensive does not mean that it is the better smartphone. If you are looking for a smartphone with a lot of storage and up to 6GB of RAM, the RealMe smartphone currently offers the most storage at the price. However, if cameras are your concern then the Redmi Y2 deserves a look as it comes with a better selfie snapper and a dual-camera setup at the back.

Xiaomi Mi 8 to launch in India soon: Here are some alternatives

By

Devesh Arora

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August 18, 2018

xiaomi, mi, mi 8 — Xiaomi Mi 8 comes with a notch up front

Xiaomi is now gearing up to launch its latest flagship smartphone in India. The company has set a launch event on August 22 where they will unveil the Xiaomi Poco F1 which is the first smartphone of the latest Poco series. The smartphone will come with flagship grade specifications and it is expected to be priced below Rs. 30,000. However, according to a recent report by 91Mobiles, Xiaomi will also launch the Mi 8 right after the Poco F1.

In terms of specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 8 features a 6.21-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2248×1080 pixels. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with the Adreno 630 GPU. The dual-SIM handset comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of native storage. The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based MIUI 9.5 out of the box. All of this is backed by a 3,400mAh battery.

On the optics front, the Xiaomi Mi 8 sports a 12-megapixel dual-camera setup at the back with a dual-LED flash. Up front, there is a 20-megapixel selfie snapper.

Alternatives

In case you just cannot wait for Xiaomi to bring its flagship to India, here are some alternative flagships from other companies.

Asus ZenFone 5Z

Just like the Xiaomi Mi 8, the Asus ZenFone 5Z also packs in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. The smartphone features a 6.2-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The dual-SIM handset comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM paired with 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. The ZenFone 5Z is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 29,999.

OnePlus 6

OnePlus 6 is currently one of the best smartphones in the affordable flagship segment. The OnePlus 6 is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC as found on the Xiaomi Mi 8. The device comes with 6GB or 8GB of RAM coupled with 64GB, 128GB or 256GB of onboard storage. The smartphone features a 6.28-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display and runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based OxygenOS with Android Pie on the way. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs. 34,999.

Huawei Nova 3

Huawei recently launched their Nova 3 in India, an affordable flagship offering. The smartphone sports a 6.3-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display and it is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor which is company's homegrown flagship chipset. The device packs in 6GB of RAM coupled with 128GB of internal storage. Huawei Nova 3 is available in India with a price tag of Rs. 34,999.

Vivo Y83 Pro launched in India: Price, Specifications and Alternatives

By

Tech Desk

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August 18, 2018

vivo, y83, y83 pro — Vivo Y83 Pro sports a notch up front

Vivo has launched yet another mid-range smartphone in India. The Vivo Y83 Pro is a much better-specced version of the recently launched Vivo Y83. The highlights of the smartphone include the FullView display with a notch and the dual-camera setup at the back. The smartphone comes in with a price tag of Rs. 15,990.

Specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Vivo Y83 Pro features a 6.22-inch FullHD+ IPS LCD display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The device packs in 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. The dual-SIM handset runs on Android 8.1 Oreo-based FunTouch OS 4.0 out of the box. Under the hood, there is a 3,260mAh battery powering everything.

In terms of optics, the Vivo Y83 Pro sports a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 13-megapixel primary and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter.