Xiaomi Pocophone F1 to soon launch in India: Here are some alternatives

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July 28, 2018

xiaomi, pocophone — Xiaomi Pocophone F1 will compete against the likes of the OnePlus 6

Xiaomi is now working on another smartphone which will belong to a whole new line-up. Since Xiaomi came into the market, it has had only two major line-ups, the Redmi and the Mi. While the Redmi focuses on the budget segment, the Mi-series are for the premium or flagship side of things. The company is now coming up with something called the Pocophone series with the first phone of the family being dubbed as Xiaomi Pocophone F1.

According to a recent report by MySmartPrice, Xiaomi will not restrict the upcoming Pocophone F1 to China only as they are planning to launch the smartphone in India as well as a few other countries. The report also claims that the smartphone will be available at a starting price of EUR 420 (roughly Rs. 33,600) and the top-end variant would cost around EUR 460 (roughly Rs. 37,000).

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Xiaomi Pocophone F1 is expected to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The device will pack in 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. Under the hood, it will carry a massive 4,000mAh battery.

Alternatives

OnePlus 6

OnePlus 6 is currently one of the fastest Android smartphones in the world. With the Pocophone F1, Xiaomi is aiming to compete against the OnePlus 6 which also makes it for a great alternative. The OnePlus 6 features a 6.28-inch FullHD+ AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The dual-SIM handset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM. OnePlus 6 is available at a starting price of Rs. 34,999.

Asus ZenFone 5Z

Asus recently launched the ZenFone 5Z in India. The flagship smartphone comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The device packs in up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The smartphone features a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2246 pixels. The ZenFone 5Z is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 29,999.

BlackBerry Ghost to launch in India on August 2: Here are the specifications

By

Devesh Arora

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July 28, 2018

blackberry, ghost, specifications, price, price in india — BlackBerry Ghost is expected to feature an 18:9 display

BlackBerry is now gearing up to launch the much-awaited BlackBerry Ghost in India. Optiemus Infracom, who handles BlackBerry's Indian mobile division has already rolled out media invites for an upcoming event. The event is scheduled for August 2 and will take place in New Delhi.

The media invites sent by BlackBerry does not claim anything regarding the BlackBerry Ghost. However, as we have been hearing much about the upcoming Ghost smartphone lately, we can be sure that the company will unveil the smartphone in the upcoming event.

BlackBerry is being super secretive about their project and has not revealed much about the BlackBerry Ghost. Even the leaks and rumours do not tell us much about this upcoming smartphone.

As per some of the leaks and rumours, the BlackBerry Ghost will sport and 18:9 display and will be powered by a massive 4,000mAh battery. The rumours also suggest that the upcoming smartphone will sport a dual-camera setup at the back. Looking at the company's record, we can say that the Ghost will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600-series processor. The device is expected to come with 64GB of internal storage and 4GB or 6GB of RAM.

Also Read: Top 5 reasons why not to buy the BlackBerry Key 2

As for the pricing, BlackBerry will surely charge a premium for the upcoming smartphone. However, as the BlackBerry KEY 2 is the company's flagship and it is priced at Rs. 42,990, the BlackBerry Ghost might be priced somewhere around Rs. 35,000.

Google updates its Play Store policies: Crypto-Miners kicked out

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Tech Desk

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July 27, 2018

Play store, google — Google just updated the policies for the Play Store

Google's Play Store for Android has millions of applications on board. This makes it necessary for the company to keep a check on the apps and kick out the apps timely according to its policies. In a recent policy update, they decided to throw out crypto-miners of its Android marketplace.

Google has generated a new set of rules so that the applications and developers that are spoiling the market can be kicked out. These apps also include crypto-miners. Yes, Google is no longer allowing any crypto-miners to enter the operating system via the Play Store. The new changes were first spotted by AndroidPolice and it seems that the applications that can manage crypto-miners can stay while the miners themselves are being kicked out.

The new Play Store policies came with no surprise as Google recently took steps to remove the crypto-mining extensions from the Chrome Web Store. The company justified the move as "malicious software developers who attempt to abuse the platform at the expense of users." The reason for removing such applications from the Play Store could be similar.

Also Read: Google secretly introduced Material Design for Chrome: Here’s how to get it

Apart from banning the crypto-miners, the Play Store is also putting up a ban on any applications that attract children but contains adult content. The Store will also ban any applications that are used for purchasing any kind of firearms and explosives. These new set of rules should help the company to make Android and the Play Store a much better experience for the users.

Honor 9N First Impressions: Just another Budget Phone?

By

Lalit Wadhwa

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July 27, 2018

honor, honor 9n,Honor 9N Price,Honor 9N specifications — Is the Honor 9N just another budget segment phone or a segment killer?

Huawei owned Honor launched their latest budget smartphone in India recently. The Honor 9N is designed to be a perfect all-rounder budget segment smartphone. The smartphone is launched with a starting price tag of Rs 11,999. With that price tag, it comes in direct competition with smartphones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1.

The highlights of the smartphone include the 3,000mAh battery and a 5.84-inch FullHD+ (1080×2280) 19:9 aspect ratio display. The smartphone is powered by the HiSillicon Kirin 659 chipset coupled with Adreno 509. The dual-SIM handset packs 3GB RAM with 32GB storage or 4GB RAM with 64GB or 128GB of onboard storage. The device sports a 13-megapixel rear sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel sensor at the back. The front camera is a 16-megapixel sensor. The handset also packs features like OTG support and a FingerPrint sensor.

Design

The Honor 9N boasts a 5.84-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 19:9. The company claims a near bezel-less display, however, the phone has a quite a considerably big chin. Also, not to mention the smartphone also sports a Notch. The display is not something you can call best of the line but can be accepted for the budget smartphone segment. The display is good enough and vivid. The overall build quality is a little unsatisfactory. The glass on the back feels like plastic. The sides are made of plastic. The phone feels sturdy in handy. However, it looks premium and doesn't feel premium in hand.

Though the device feels nothing but like a cheap budget phone, it does looks a lot more premium when seen from a distance.

Camera

On the optics front, the Honor 9N sports a dual rear camera setup. It consists of a 13-megapixel rear sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel sensor. The photos quite good for the price. The contrast is quite good and the colours are impressive. Also, the AI tuning in the Honor phones is really great. However, the photos we took were under a stage lighting so wait for the full review.

For the selfies, the Honor 9N sports a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The story is same with the front camera.

Overall the camera situation on the Honor 9N is great considering the price point. It is definitely better than the rest of its competition.

Price

The smartphone starts at Rs 11,999 and comes with amazing looks and a 19:9 display. But the smartphone is not all that great in the first look. The glass sandwiched smartphone feels a lot more plastic like. 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 is not an all-rounder but the compromises made are acceptable.

Asus ZenFone 5Z now available with 256GB storage: Price, Alternatives

By

Tech Desk

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July 27, 2018

Asus recently launched their latest flagship ZenFone 5Z in India. At the time of launch, the company announced that there will also be an 8GB+256GB variant of the smartphone available soon. Asus has now finally brought the 256GB variant and it will be available exclusively via Flipkart starting July 30.

Alternatives

Asus ZenFone 5Z is the best option for those looking for the most storage in their device at an affordable price. At Rs. 36,999, the smartphone offers 256GB of onboard storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. However, if you want to look at more options or just save some money, look at these alternatives.

OnePlus 6

OnePlus was one of the first smartphone manufacturers to introduce 8GB of RAM in their smartphone. The latest flagship offering from the company comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The OnePlus 6 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and features a 6.2-inch AMOLED display. The top-end variant of the smartphone is priced at Rs. 43,999.

Honor 10

Honor 10 is the latest flagship offering from the company. The smartphone does not come with 8GB of RAM or 256GB of storage. However, it is still a great alternative to the ZenFone 5Z as it offers 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage at just Rs. 29,999. Also, just like the ZenFone 5Z, the Honor 10 also comes with a bunch of AI features.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is more focused on design rather than the storage, RAM or performance. However, with the Snapdragon 835, it delivers decent performance and 6GB of RAM is quite enough for most multi-tasking needs. The smartphone offers 128GB of internal storage. The nearly bezel-less smartphone with a ceramic back is priced at Rs. 29,999.

Google secretly introduced Material Design for Chrome: Here's how to get it

By

Devesh Arora

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July 27, 2018

google, chrome — Google Chrome now allows users to enable the hidden Material Design UI

Google introduced Material Design a few years ago on their much popular operating system, Android. The design got so popular that users wanted a similar look on third-party apps as well. The company has rolled out an update for Google Chrome which brings an option to enable the Material Design UI.

The Material Design is now available on Chrome but to enable that users have to dig into the settings of the browser. However, we have some really simple steps that you can follow to enable the new UI.

How to enable Material Design on Google Chrome for PC

Open up the Chrome browser and on the URL bar type - chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md
"UI Layout for the browser's top chrome" will be highlighted and will be set to Default
In the drop-down menu select Refresh
Now Chrome will prompt you to Relaunch the browser doing which will enable the new UI

Select Refresh in the drop down menu

The new Material Design UI

Also Read: Android P Beta 4 now available: Here’s how to get it

How to enable Material Design on Google Chrome for iOS

Fire up the Chrome browser and type chrome://flags/#top-chrome-md
Under the “UI Refresh Phase 1” select "Enabled"
Restart the browser in order to see the changes

The new UI can be enabled on Mac, Windows, Linux, Chrome OS as well as iOS devices. Unfortunately, the new Material Design UI is currently not available on Google Chrome for Android.

Coolpad Cool Play 7 launched in China: Here are some alternatives

By

Tech Desk

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July 26, 2018

Coolpad Cool Play 7 sports a notch up front

The Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Coolpad has launched the Cool Play 7 in China. The smartphone is not officially launched yet but it has been silently listed on a local e-commerce website. The official launch of the Cool Play 7 is scheduled for July 30. The smartphone is a successor to last year's Coolpad Cool Play 6. The new smartphone comes with a dual-camera setup and a notch up front.

Specifications

As for the specifications, the Coolpad Cool Play 7 features a 5.85-inch TFT display with a resolution of 720x1440 pixels and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek MT6750 SoC. The dual-SIM handset packs in 4GB of RAM coupled with 64GB of onboard storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. All of this is backed by a 2,800mAh battery.

On the optics front, the Coolpad Cool Play 7 bears a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of two 13-megapixel sensors. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter.

Alternatives

Coolpad Cool Play 6 will launch in China on July 30 and we have no guarantee that the phone will make it to India or not. So here are some alternatives that you can consider.

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

Coolpad Cool Play 7 is expected to be priced at around Rs. 10,000 in India and the ZenFone Max Pro M1 from Asus is already the king in that segment. The ZenFone Max Pro M1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC paired with up to 6GB of RAM. The device runs on stock Android 8.1 Oreo and features a FullHD+ display. The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 is available at a starting price of Rs. 10,999.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is one of the best smartphones when it comes to budget smartphones. The handset sports a 5.99-inch FullHD+ 18:9 display and it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset. The Redmi Note 5 is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 9,999.

Oppo RealMe1

If 64GB of internal storage is not enough for you, look for the Oppo RealMe1. The RealMe1's top-end variant offers 6GB of RAM paired with 128GB of onboard storage. The dual-SIM handset is powered by the MediaTek MT6771 Helio P60 chipset. The device features a 6-inch FulHD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The 6GB+128GB variant of the Oppo RealMe1 comes with a price tag of Rs. 13,990.

Huawei Nova 3, Nova 3i With 4 Cameras and more Launched in India: Price, Specifications and Availibilty

By

Lalit Wadhwa

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July 26, 2018

Huawei, Nova 3, Nova 3i, Huawei smartphones — Are the AI based quad camera setup even necessary?

Chinese Smartphone Manufacturer, Huawei launched two new smartphones in India. The Huawei Nova 3 and Nova 3i are the company latest offering. The Nova 3 and the Nova 3i comes with 6.3-inch full-HD+ displays and up to 6GB of RAM and dual camera setup on both front and back.

The Huawei Nova 3i sports an all-new HiSilicon Kirin 710 SoC while the Nova 3 is powered by a HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC. Both of the smartphones sport 19.5:9 aspect ratio displays with a notch-based design. The smartphones pack loads of AI-based features including AI camera, AI gallery and AI shopping in partnership with Amazon. Also, the smartphones will be Amazon Exclusive

Huawei Nova 3 Specifications

The Huawei Nova 3 features a 6.3-inch 1080x2340 pixels full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC, coupled with Mali-G72 GPU and 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The Nova 3 also features a dual-sim setup along with dual VoLTE. The smartphone runs os EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1. All of this is backed up by a 3750mAh battery.

The Nova 3 and 3i run on EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1 Oreo

The Nova 3i sports a 19.5:9 aspect ratio display

For the optics, there is a dual rear camera setup of the handset which includes 16-megapixel primary sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and PDAF and a 24-megapixel secondary sensor with a f/1.8 aperture. For the selfies, there is also a dual camera set up as well. The front setup sports a 24-megapixel primary sensor with a f/2.0 aperture and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor.

Huawei Nova 3i specifications

The Huawei Nova 3i features a 6.3-inch 1080x2340 pixels full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 710 SoC, coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage. The Nova 3i also features a dual-sim setup along with dual VoLTE. The smartphone runs on EMUI 8.2 based on Android 8.1. All of this is backed up by a 3340mAh battery.

The Nova 3 and 3i sports a notched display

The gradient finish on the iris purple Nova 3 and 3i looks amazing

For the optics, there is a dual rear camera setup of the handset which includes 16-megapixel primary sensor with a f/1.8 aperture and PDAF and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with a f/1.8 aperture. For the selfies, there is also a dual camera set up as well. The front setup sports a 24-megapixel primary sensor with a f/2.0 aperture and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor.

Huawei Nova 3, Nova 3i Price and Launch offers

The Huawei Nova 3 will cost you Rs. 34,999 in India while the Nova 3i will cost your Rs. 20,999 in India. Both the smartphones are Amazon exclusive and the pre-booking has already started. The Nova 3i will go on sale on August 7th while the Nova 3 will go on sale on August 23rd. The smartphones will be available in Iris Purple and Black color variants.

The launch offers include Rs. 2,000 exchange discount, no-cost EMIs, and Rs. 1,200 cashback from Jio, as well as 100GB additional data. Pre-booking offers for both phones include an Rs. 1,000 cashback.

Android P Beta 4 now available: Here's how to get it

By

Brahmjot Singh

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July 26, 2018

Google is currently working on the next major update of its much popular operating system. The Android P will be an upgrade to last year's Android Oreo. The update is still under beta and a recent post by Android VP, Dave Burke suggests that the final beta version of Android P is now available.

The Android P Beta 4 is also known as the Android P Developers Preview 5. This is the last beta update which means that we will soon see a stable version of the Android P for the Pixel devices. We should see the stable update anytime in the third quarter of 2018.

Bruke, in his blog post, encouraged add developers to thoroughly test out their apps on the latest beta as it is their last chance to remove any bugs and stabilise the applications for the new operating system.

Apart from the visual changes, the latest version of Android introduces gesture navigation, notch support, adaptive battery, a new screenshot tool, quick rotation control and much more.

Also Read: Best five camera smartphones with AI capabilities (July 2018)

How to install Android P Beta 4 on compatible devices

For the Google Pixel devices, you can click on the links given below to download the OTA image for your device.

Once the file is downloaded, follow these steps in order to install the Beta 4.

Move the downloaded file to your smartphone's internal storage
Enter the recovery mode on your phone by holding down the Power+Volume Down button
Select the option “Apply update from ADB”
Connect the device to your pc and enter the following command on Command Prompt
adb sideload <OTA_image.zip>
(Replace <OTA_image.zip> with the name of the file you downloaded

Here are the top 5 alternatives to the Huawei Nova 3

By

Devesh Arora

-

July 26, 2018

Huawei is launching their all-new flagship Nova 3 in India today. The smartphone will come with flagship grade specifications at an affordable price point which means it will directly compete aginst the likes of OnePlus 6 and the Asus ZenFone 5Z. As the smartphone has not gone on sale yet, here are some alternatives you can buy right now.

OnePlus 6

OnePlus 6 is currently one of the fastest Android smartphones in the world. If you do not like Huawei's custom UI, EMUI, you might like the OxygenOS on the OnePlus 6 which is quite close to stock Android. The latter smartphone features a 6.28-inch FullHD+ AMOLED display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. The dual-SIM handset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM. OnePlus 6 is available at a starting price of Rs. 34,999.

Asus ZenFone 5Z

Asus recently launched the ZenFone 5Z in India. The flagship smartphone comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and up to 8GB of RAM. The smartphone features a 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2246 pixels. The dual-SIM handset comes with up to 256GB of onboard storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. The ZenFone 5Z is available in India at a starting price of Rs. 29,999.

Honor 10

Just like the Huawei Nova 3, the Honor 10 is also powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset. The smartphone 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.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

In case the design of your phone matters more than the specs and cameras, the Mi Mix 2 is the perfect alternative to the Huawei Nova 3. The Mi Mix 2 is powered by the last year's Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. The handset packs in 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is priced at Rs. 29,999.

Nokia 8

If you are looking for something cheaper, the Nokia 8 is currently available for Rs. 25,999. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The handset features a 5.3-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels. However, the display is a traditional 16:9 panel which might look a bit outdated.

Beetel BiteTech News, Reviews, PC Mobile Phones, Tablets and more

Alternatives

OnePlus 6

Asus ZenFone 5Z

Design

Camera

Price

Alternatives

OnePlus 6

Honor 10

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

How to enable Material Design on Google Chrome for PC

How to enable Material Design on Google Chrome for iOS

Specifications

Alternatives

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Oppo RealMe1

Huawei Nova 3 Specifications

Huawei Nova 3i specifications

Huawei Nova 3, Nova 3i Price and Launch offers

How to install Android P Beta 4 on compatible devices

OnePlus 6

Asus ZenFone 5Z

Honor 10

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

Nokia 8