The Chinese tech giant, Xiaomi is all set to bring its next smartphone to the market. The much-awaited Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is about to arrive. The smartphone is all around the news filled with its leaks and rumours. As the launch date is coming soon, we are getting more and more confirmations on those leaks. A recent render confirms that the Redmi Note 5 will sport an 18:9 aspect ratio display.
The 18:9 display will be 5.99-inch and will sport a FullHD resolution panel. Apart from the 18:9 display, the renders also point towards the cameras. The Redmi Note 5 will come with a dual-camera setup at the back. The cameras at the back will consist of a 16-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel sensor. The dual cameras on the Redmi Note 5 will be used to take images with bokeh effect.
Source: TargetYoutube.com
Specifications
As per the renders, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 will be available in Grey, Black and Blue colour variants at the time of launch. Moving to the hardware powering the device, there will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC. The device will be available in three storage and RAM variants. Starting off with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage and will go all the way up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. At the middle, there will be a 3GB RAM and 32GB storage option. All the variants will support storage expansion using a microSD card.
Under the hood, there will be a 4,100mAh battery with fast charge support. The smartphone will run on MIUI 9 based on Android Nougat out of the box.
Xiaomi has something planned for the upcoming MWC 2017. Speculations are that the company might unveil the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 at the event in Barcelona. However, there are no official confirmations from the company.
HTC launched their flagship U11 in 2017. The smartphone is now available at a discount of Rs. 5,991. The discount has dropped the price of the smartphone to Rs. 45,999. The HTC U11 is available at the discounted price via the e-commerce website Flipkart. Notably, the smartphone was initially launched only on Amazon but the discounted price is only offered by Flipkart. Additionally, users can get up to Rs. 18,000 off in exchange for their old smartphones. Axis Bank credit card holders can get additional 5 percent discount.
The discount is available for all the four colours of HTC U11. The smartphone comes in Brilliant Black, Amazing Silver, Sapphire Blue and Solar Red. However, at the time of writing the post, we found out that Brilliant Black and Amazing Silver are currently out of stock.
As far as the specifications are concerned, the HTC U11 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The smartphone features a 5.5-inch Super LCD5 display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels. The device packs in 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The storage is further expandable up to 2TB using a microSD card. The smartphone runs on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. The company has already started rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the HTC U11. Under the hood, there is a 3,000mAh battery powering up the internals.
On the optics front, the HTC U11 sports a 12-megapixel camera at the back. The rear camera comes with an aperture of f/1.7 and a dual-LED flash. Up front, there is a 16-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
A headphone to a person is one of the most important accessory ever. To protect them from chatty people in a busy place, or to just relax when they get home. Bose QC 35 is undeniably one of the best noise-cancelling headphones available on the market currently. Although it is largely unchanged from its previous model, the new Bose QC 35 II adds a lot of new features. One of the main features is that Bose has added in-built Google Assistant integration into the headphones. This makes the new headphones much more easy to use. Additionally, it also adds to the purpose of the headphone, as an accessory and not an electronic device. An accessory should be easy and fun to use. Fiddling with apps and buttons is far less comfortable than just telling the headphone what should be done.
I remember, when I and my friends were younger we wished for things like this. Just speaking of the things we want instead of trying to figure complex buttons. Want the volume to be a bit higher? Just ask the Google Assistant to do so for you. Why weren't things such simple when we were younger. I remember that we were left fiddling with buttons on the headphone or the computer just to get the things we wanted to do. If you ever owned the iPod, you will also remember, that we were left rotating that glorious click-wheel just to perform a few simple tasks. Now, with the new Bose QC 35 II, you can just ask the Google Assistant to do all the tasks for you.
The future is not about being cool, flying cars, not even about being able to travel to another planet, though these things might also be there. The future is all about making life convenient. All these company's with products like Google Assistant is helping to make this happen. The Bose QC 35 II is one of the most comfortable headphones available in the market for $350, which makes these way costlier than a few other headphones available in the market. However, you need to know that sometimes paying more is a better option than regretting your buy for your whole life. Also, one of the best features I like about these headphones is its active noise cancellation, which is undeniably the best in the market. They are also wireless. And having the best noise cancellation headphones means that you will be isolated from the background noise of your shouting neighbours. It also means that you can leave your phone in your bedroom and walk to the kitchen without stopping the music. You can walk in public areas without fiddling with cables.
The feature I liked the most after the active noise cancellation is the Google Assistant Integration. There is a long flat button on the left earcup. What this button does is enables the Google Assistant when you press it. Your headphones will also enable an audio passthrough when it happens. It will let you hear your own voice when you are speaking to the Assistant. So that you don't shout "Find me a coffee house" in a middle of a busy street. Bose is the first company which has partnered with Google to optimize headphones for the Google Assistant.
The Bose QC 350 II is one of the best travel headphones out there. You can simply toss them in a bag and use them in a flight or a public metro. If you are looking to buy headphones, please wait for the QC 350 II. You can also start saving money for it now. And if they have invented the time travel till now, please buy a pair before going back to your time.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus launch are just around the corner. As the launch date gets closer, we get to have more leaks giving us more clues on the smartphones. Earlier speculations suggested that the smartphones are expected to carry the same battery capacity as their predecessors. Now, a renowned tipster has come forward to confirm this.
Roland Quandt via his official twitter handle leaked the battery details of the upcoming smartphones. As per Quandt, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will come with a 3,000mAh battery which is same as the Galaxy S8. Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ will come with a 3,500mAh battery just like the S8+. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ batteries will come with the model number EB-BG960 and EB-BG965 respectively.
Many people would think that same battery capacity will lead to similar battery life. In this case, the battery life can differ from the Galaxy S8 and S8+. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to come with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 which is more power efficient. Similarly, the new Exynos 9810 chipset will also have some optimisations over the last generation. Additionally, the smartphone will come with Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box which also has some battery optimisations. However, we will have to wait for the devices to officially launch in order to know their battery life.
Samsung is deciding to go with the same battery capacities. This decision might be because Samsung is not willing to take any risk, especially after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.
Asus, the Taiwanese tech giant, is gearing up to bring its next series of smartphones. The Asus ZenFone 5 series which are the successor to the last year's ZenFone 4 series is about to be unveiled. Asus has confirmed that the smartphones will be launched at the MWC (Mobile World Congress) 2018. The company confirmed this via its official Twitter handle with a hashtag #Backto5.
In the tweet, Asus also added an image which gives us a clue on few things. As soon as we look at the image, our attention is caught by the date. The tweet states that the event will be held on February 27. The event will be held at MWC in Barcelona. At the bottom right corner, there is also a tag “We Love Photo." The tag gives us a clue that the smartphones are going to be camera-centric. Asus will also be live streaming the event on February 27 at 7:30 PM CET (12:00 AM IST).
Usually, the company announces the new series of smartphones in September. However, this time around the company has planned to unveil the new smartphone in February. As per the speculations, the smartphone to be introduced at MWC include Asus ZenFone 5, ZenFone 5 Lite and ZenFone 5 Max. The smartphones are expected follow the trend and feature an 18:9 display and a dual camera setup at the back or the front. The devices are also expected to run on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.
As Asus's history says, the Asus ZenFone 5 might be the flagship smartphone while the ZenFone 5 Lite will be a much affordable version of the flagship. Asus ZenFone 5 Max, on the other hand, is likely to feature a massive battery.
HMD Global owned Nokia, is gearing up for new smartphone launches at the MWC. In the preparations for the new smartphones, the company has cut prices on few of their old ones. Nokia 5 and Nokia 8 prices in India have received a price drop.
While the 3GB RAM variant of the Nokia 5 received a price cut of Rs 1000. It is now available to buy at Rs 14,499 instead of its launch price of Rs 13,499. The Nokia 8 received a whopping price drop of Rs 8,000. It is available at Rs 28,999 compared to its launch price of Rs 36,999. We could already anticipate the price cut as the company prepares to launch new models to replace the older ones.
Nokia 5 specifications
The Nokia 5 sports a 5.2-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS LCD panel coupled with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Although it is only powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC, it performs up to the mark. The processor is coupled with 3GB of RAM. In the optics department, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF lens, and dual-tone flash. For the selfies, it features an 8-megapixel autofocus camera sensor with a f/2.0 aperture and 84-degree field-of-view lens.
The smartphone also has 16GB internal storage, expandable via microSD card up to 128GB. The smartphone runs on Android 7.1.1 and is upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo. All of this is powered by a 3000mAh battery.
Nokia 8 specifications
The Nokia 8 is the company's present flagship offering. It sports a 5.3-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) IPS display coupled with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The smartphone is powered by a flagship-grade processor too. It sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The processor is coupled with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM.
In terms of optics, the Nokia 8 really shines. It comes with a dual rear camera setup with two 13-megapixel image sensors. While one of it is an RGB sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), the other one is a monochrome sensor. Both of the rear sensors have a f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 76.9-degree wide-angle lens. These sensors are also accompanied with a dual-tone LED flash and an IR rangefinder. For the selfies, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel camera sensor with a f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, 78.4-degree wide-angle lens. All the camera sensors on the device come from Carl Zeiss optics.
Also adding to that, the smartphone comes with a 'bothie' feature. It allows users to capture images and videos from the front and the rear camera at the same time. Adding to that, there is an OZO Audio tech on board. The use of it is to record spatial 360-degree audio that uses the three built-in microphones. Topping it all of, the smartphone also has an IP54-rated build. This means that the smartphone is splash-resistant
The Nokia 8 comes with 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable via microSD card up to 256GB. The smartphone runs on Android 7.1.1 and is receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update. All of this is powered by a 3090mAh battery.
Messaging giant, WhatsApp is the biggest messaging application ever. A new report proves, that the messaging giant has now more than 1.5 billion monthly active users. These are users which have been active in the last month, sending and receiving messages. These 1.5 billion users combined are exchanging more than 60 billion messages on an average day. This was revealed in a report presented by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
This news is brought to light in an earnings call by Facebook. They also announced the fourth quarter results in the same event. Facebook group's CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook-owned Instagram is now the most popular story sharing platform. WhatsApp follows it in its league. According to the report, both Instagram "Stories" and WhatsApp "Status" now have more than 300 million daily active. Compared to Snapchat, which invented the photo stories feature has only 178 million daily active users.
Other ventures by WhatsApp
Facebook acquired WhatsApp on February 19, 2014. The biggest social media deal was done for $19 billion. It is still the largest acquisition in the social media field till this date. From the 1.5 Billion users worldwide, the company currently has over 200 million monthly active users in India. Also, the company is taking an initiative to help small enterprise businesses communicate better. This will help the business to communicate with their customers in India. The company last month officially rolled out WhatsApp Business. It is a free to download Android app. It is designed especially for small businesses in the country.
The new app by the company is available on Google Play Store. It will make it easier for small business and companies to connect with their customers. It also makes it more convenient for its users to chat with businesses that matter to them.
In the country, more than 84 percent of SMBs think that WhatsApp helps them communicate with their clients and customers. Also, more than 80 percent of SMBs think that WhatsApp is one of the best tools to grow their business.
OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone giant really believes in keeping up with its promises. A few weeks ago, the company announced that the Face Unlock feature will make its way to the OnePlus 5. The feature was introduced with the OnePlus 5T and now has finally made its way to the 5. The Face Unlock was initially introduced for OnePlus 5 under the open beta program. Now, with the OxygenOS 5.0.2, the feature is now available in the stable build as well.
OnePlus has started rolling out the OxygenOS 5.0.2 for the OnePlus 5. If you own the device, you might get a notification anytime soon. In case you want to check for the updates manually, head over to Settings and tap on About Phone. In the about phone section, go to System Updates and Check for Updates.
Changelog
As far as the changelog is concerned, the OxygenOS 5.0.2 brings much-awaited Face Unlock feature. Alongside Face Unlock, the update also brings CPU security patch (CVE-2017-13218). The update also brings general bug fixes and improvements to the table. The OxygenOS 5.0.2 updates stock applications like Launcher and Gallery to version 2.2 and 2.0 respectively. Weather app and File manager app also get updated to version 1.9 and 1.7.6. The OnePlus 5 also gets Enhanced EIS for video recording.
Meanwhile, the company recently started rolling out the OxygenOS 5.0.2 update for the OnePlus 5T. OnePlus 5T gets much-anticipated Android 8.0 Oreo with the new OTA update. The smartphone also gets CPU security patch (CVE-2017-13218) and the application updates.
Oppo, the Chinese smartphone giant has launched another mid-range smartphone. The Oppo A71 (2018) comes with AI Beautification Technology for selfies. Surprisingly, Oppo has launched the smartphone only in Pakistan and not even the company's home country. The Oppo A71 (2018) is an upgrade to the last year's A71. Notably, Oppo A71 recently got a price drop in India. This could mean that the A71 (2018) will make its way to India soon.
Specifications
As far as the specifications are concerned, the Oppo A71 (2018) 5.2-inch display. The TFT display panel comes with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and 16:9 aspect ratio. At the heart of the A71 (2018) sits a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. The device packs in 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card. The handset runs on ColorOS 3.2 based on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. Under the hood, there is a 3,000mAh battery powering up the internals.
On the optics front, the Oppo A71(2018) sports a 13-megapixel camera at the back. The rear camera comes with a LED flash and a f/2.2 aperture. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.4 aperture. Interestingly, the Oppo A71 (2018) comes with an AI Beauty Recognition Technology. The technology can be used to beautify the key areas on anyone's face. The smartphone also supports a bokeh effect for the selfie camera. This bokeh effect is achieved using software algorithms.
Price and Availability
The Oppo A71 (2018) is currently available only in Pakistan. The smartphone is priced at PKR 19,899 (roughly Rs 11,500). However, there is no information as to when the smartphone will make its way to the other markets including India.
Kult, a 3 device old smartphone company with the latest being Kult Ambition. Kult has in the past really impressed the users and the press with their budget smartphones launched in India. The Kult Ambition falls under ultra-budget smartphone category. We have been using the device for over a month and put it through our test. The Kult Ambition sports a metal body with the fingerprint sensor encased on the back side of the device, which is a removable back panel with the 2 SIM Slots and a Micro SD slot behind it.
Specifications
The Kult Ambition features a 5-inch IPS HD screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. No 18:9 full view display here, only the old 16:9 display. The smartphone is powered by the MTK 6737 64-bit Quad-core processor clocked at 1.25 GHz. The device is available in 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal memory which is expandable up to 32GB.
The Kult Ambition is powered by a 2600mAh battery and runs on Android 7.0 out of the box. The primary camera is single lens setup with autofocus and flash. You also get separate slots for Dual-SIM and a Micro SD card. The fingerprint sensor is also available on the back of the device.
Design
You get a pretty basic design with the Kult Ambition. The speakers are at the bottom grill whereas the micro-USB is on the above grill alongside the 3.5-mm jack. Volume buttons and the power button are both situated on the right side grill of the device. But the buttons can be really confusing, as you have 3 buttons of similar size and similar design, so you can lock your smartphone while just wanting to lower the volume. The 2.5D screen is not the best we have tested in the similar range to the Ambition. The display can feel a little glitchy sometimes.
Software
The Kult Ambition runs on Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. There is a little lag on using the smartphone on normal use since the first boot. The software is stock with some added features from Kult. Transitions are a little slow and we haven't received any update on our device in a month or so we have been using the device.
Home Screen
Notification Panel
Android Nougat
Performance
To be very honest, any device in the ultra-budget smartphone is not the device you will use for its performance and Ambition is no different. The MediaTek processor does a decent job running normal features of the smartphone and can handle minor multitasking. But the device really takes a beating if you try to run heavy applications on it. But light games can run on the device seamlessly.
AnTuTu
Geekbench
The fingerprint recognition, on the other hand, is quite slow to react and doesn't respond sometimes. There also some apps that won't install on the device because of various reasons.
Camera
You get a single lens 13-megapixel shooter on the back of the device and a 5-megapixel front selfie shooter. Back camera does a decent job but really is nothing too impressive. The Camera app is also a stock app with little additions of beauty mode similar to many other smartphones. We hope that future updates might make the app better and add some features. Back camera does not perform really well in low light. But the front camera does the decent job in good lighting.
Front Camera
Auto Focus
Low Light
Battery
The battery on the device is a decent 2600 mAh which should be enough to last you a day on normal usage, but the battery drains when you listen to music or run a single app for a long time. You can get up to 8 hrs of usage on controlled usage.
Verdict
Kult Ambition is available at INR 6,990 in India at a pricing where you get a ton of competition. The smartphone doesn't really have any distinct features to put it above the competition. Also, the company had really put peoples hope high for the users as well as journalists, since the launch of Kult Beyond. But the Kult ambition really felt short of the Ambitions set by the users for the company. There are some issues, the company can fix with their future software updates. But right now I cannot recommend the Kult Ambition, as it is nowhere near good enough compared to it's older brothers or the competition it has rolled itself into.
