Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8+ (2018) launched: Specifications and Availability

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December 19, 2017

It seems that the year 2018 has already started for Samsung, as the company has launched the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and A8 Plus (2018). These are the new mid-range smartphone offerings from the company and are the first phones to be introduced into the 2018 lineup. The highlights of the smartphone are the dual-camera setup at the front and the Infinity Display we saw on the Galaxy S8 and Note 8.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) features a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 2220x1080 pixels and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The Galaxy A8+ (2018), on the other hand, sports a 6-inch Super AMOLED display with the same Full HD+ resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. These smartphones are powered by an octa-core chipset. Both the smartphones come equipped with 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage. The Galaxy A8 (2018) is backed by a 3,000mAh battery while the Galaxy A8+ (2018) has a 3,500mAh battery under the hood. The devices run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

On the optics front, both the Galaxy A8 (2018) and the A8+ (2018) feature a 16-megapixel camera at the back with f/1.7 aperture and a LED flash. Up front, there is a dual-camera setup consisting of a 16-megapixel and an 8-megapixel sensor. The front camera also supports Live Focus feature we saw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Also Read: Xiaomi to launch the Redmi Note 5 with 18:9 display in January 2018

As for the connectivity, both the smartphones support Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5GHz), Bluetooth v 5.0 (LE up to 2Mbps), ANT+, NFC, MST for payments and USB Type-C which also supports Fast Charging. Both the smartphones are also IP68 rated making them dust and water resistant. These devices also come with the popular Always-On Display feature.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) have currently been announced only in the South Korean markets. However, there is no word on India's release date and pricing details.

Apple increases prices of every iPhones in India except for the iPhone SE, Here's why

By

Devesh Arora

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December 18, 2017

Apple has surprised people by increasing the prices of the iPhones in India. The prices have been increased by around 3.5 percent and the changes will affect starting today, December 18. The hike in the pricing is due to the rise in customs duty on phones brought from outside India. The duty is increased by the Indian Government which was earlier set to 10 percent and is now 15 percent. Apple further said the prices of the iPhone SE will remain the same as it is being assembled in India by Wistron since June 2017.

The new pricing for Apple's iPhones in India is as follows

iPhone 6 32 GB: Rs 30780
iPhone 6s 32 GB: Rs 41,550
iPhone 6s 128 GB: Rs 50,660
iPhone 6s Plus 32 GB: Rs 50,740
iPhone 6s Plus 128 GB: Rs 59,860
iPhone 7 32 GB: Rs 50,810
iPhone 7 128 GB: Rs 59,910
iPhone 7 Plus 32 GB: Rs 61,060
iPhone 7 Plus 128 GB: Rs 70,180
iPhone 8 64 GB: Rs 66,120
iPhone 8 256 GB: Rs 79,420
iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB: Rs 75,450
iPhone 8 Plus 256 GB: Rs 88,750
iPhone X 64 GB: Rs 92,430
iPhone X 256 GB: Rs 1,05,720

Also Read: Here’s a few Tips and Tricks that will help speed up your iPhone

However, the hike in the pricing is applicable to the MRP (Maximum Retail Price) of the iPhones. The MRP is the one which is printed on the box of the iPhones. Notably, sellers usually sell these at a slightly lower price than written on the box. So, this might mean that you will not see a change in prices of the iPhones in the market except for the latest ones which inculde the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and the iPhone X.

Xiaomi Mi A1 now available in Red colour as a Special Edition smartphone

By

Devesh Arora

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December 18, 2017

As the holidays are just around the corner due to upcoming Christmas and New Year, Xiaomi likes to celebrate it by launching a new colour variant of its popular mid-range smartphone. The Xiaomi Mi A1 gets a new Special Edition Red colour which actually looks attractive. The smartphone will be available starting December 20 via Mi.com and official e-commerce partner Flipkart. The Mi A1 Special Edition will be there in limited stocks and will also be available in all Mi Home stores, Mi Preferred Partner stores, and retail partner stores. The Mi A1 Special Edition is priced at Rs. 13,999.

As far as the specifications are concerned, nothing has changed when compared to the regular Xiaomi Mi A1. To recall, the Mi A1 is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset. The smartphone sports a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The device packs in 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which is further expandable up to 128GB using a microSD card. The Mi A1 runs on stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat and will soon be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo. The device is backed by a 3,080mAh battery.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi A1 starts receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update under the Beta program

On the optics front, the Xiaomi Mi A1 features a 12-megapixel dual-camera setup at the back. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture for selfies and video calling.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi recently added a Rose Gold colour variant to the Xiaomi Mi A1. Other colour options available for the Xiaomi Mi A1 include Black and Gold colour variants.

Xiaomi to launch the Redmi Note 5 with 18:9 display in January 2018

By

Devesh Arora

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December 18, 2017

Xiaomi, the Chinese tech giant, has been in the news lately due to the leaks and rumours of the upcoming Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. As the leaks and rumours are coming to an end now, it is being speculated that the company will launch the Redmi Note 5 sometime in January 2018. Notably, the Redmi Note 4, predecessor to the much-awaited Redmi Note 5 was also unveiled in the month of January of 2017.

There have been a lot of leaks and rumours regarding the smartphone lately out of which the recent one suggests that the upcoming smartphone from Xiaomi will sport an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The 18:9 display will result in minimal bezels and the company might make rounded corners for the smartphone.

Apart from the design and specifications, the price was also leaked when the phone was spotted on Oppomart. The price spotted on Oppomart was 199 USD which roughly converts to Rs. 12,900. If this will be the price in India, the Redmi Note 5 will be slightly expensive than its predecessors.

Also Read: Xiaomi Mi A1 starts receiving Android 8.0 Oreo update under the Beta program

In terms of specifications, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 will sport a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2160x1080 pixels and 18:9 aspect ratio, as per Oppomart. The listing on Oppomart further suggests that the upcoming smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 SoC. The device will be launched in two variants, one with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and the other with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone will run on MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. The Redmi Note 5 will be backed by a massive 4,000mAh battery.

Here's a few Tips and Tricks that will help speed up your iPhone

By

Lalit Wadhwa

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December 18, 2017

Getting a new Apple iPhone is a joyous event for everyone, it is one of the best things that could have happened to you. However, just after a couple of years, it seems to feel slower. While many will blame it on the age of the device, it actually might not be the case. It is possible that your smartphone is running slow due to various reasons other than how many years has the device been used. Below is a list of things which might be slowing down your iPhone, and removing them might just make your device run smoothly.

Just a side note, If your iPhone is under warranty and is still slow it is not a problem you can fix on your own, just take it back and get a replacement before it's too late.

The first reason can be that you haven't got enough storage space. This could be because you cheaped out and got the lowest storage iPhone or just because you didn't maintain your storage properly and never deleted a thing. It has a very simple fix, copy everything from the device you think you might need in the future to a computer and just simply delete them or format the smartphone and start using it as a new device.
Your iOS version is out of date - There are people who don't often update their smartphones to the latest software version. This might just be slowing your smartphone as new software versions have many fixes and optimizations which make your smartphone run better. However, if you have a really old iPhone which can’t handle a more demanding operating system, you shouldn't update it.
Your device hasn't got to clear of old running task caches for a long time due to which it is getting a bit slow, this can be easily rectified by restarting your smartphone.
There are a lot of applications taking up space on your smartphone. If you push your smartphone's internal memory to its limits, it will inevitably slow down. This can be corrected by deleting the apps and the app data which you don't need.
There might be many apps running simultaneously: You can correct this by double tapping on the Home button and swiping up, which would, in turn, free up some RAM on your device thus speeding it up a bit.

Also Read: Here's how you can easily downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 11 to iOS 10

The automatic downloads are turned on, which is driving down your smartphones speed. You can fix this by turning them off which can be done by going to the settings menu, then the General Tab, and then you just need to turn off Background App Refresh, it would also help if you turn off Updates under Settings, iTunes, and then Updates.
There are a lot of Cookies taking up space on your device due to you being lazy and not deleting them timely. Clear them out and you are good to go.
Your smartphone might not be able to handle the high-end graphics, this might just be because of your smartphone being a bit old and newly updated apps with higher graphics needs coming up. To correct this you can simply Reduce Motion by opening settings, then going to General in it going to the Accessibility and switching Reduce Motion to off. If the device still doesn't speed up you can try switching Increase Contrast and Reduce Transparency on.
There might be many apps utilising location services all at once. Turning these apps location permissions off will free up some of your RAM and thus speeding up the phone a bit. To do this you simply need to go to Settings, then Privacy and then to Location Services there you will find all the apps utilising the location services.

Here's how you can easily downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 11 to iOS 10

By

Devesh Arora

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December 17, 2017

Apple, a few month ago officially rolled out the iOS 11 update for selected iPhones and iPads. In an excitement, many updated their devices to the latest software. However, devices that are more than 3 years old are suffering from a slow operating system or a few bugs here and there. This is an issue faced by iPhone 6 or iPhone 5S users. So, here are a few simple steps to downgrade your iPhone or iPad from iOS 11 to the iOS 10.

Before beginning with the steps, make sure your device is fully charged or has at least more than 60 percent of battery. Also, this procedure can wipe your phone or take some time which is why you will have to be patient. It is recommended to take a full backup of your device before heading over the downgrade process.

You will now need to download the following files before beginning the process

iTunes (Latest version)
iOS 10.3.3 IPSW file (Make sure you download the correct firmware for your device)

Also Read: How to transfer your contacts from your Android smartphone to an iPhone

Step 1: To begin, in your Apple device, head over to Settings > (Your Name) > iCloud > Find My iPhone and here you need to turn off Find my iPhone.

Step 2: Connect your Apple iPhone or iPad to the computer

Step 3: Now you will need to put your device in DFU mode. To do this power off your phone and then hold down the power and home button until you see a message on your computer screen indicating that your phone is in recovery mode. In case you have an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you will need to hold down the Power button and Volume Down button to go into DFU mode.

Step 4: Now head over to your PC and in iTunes click on "Restore iPhone" button while holding down the Shift key on your Windows PC or Option key on Mac.

Step 5: Here select the IPSW file you downloaded. Now wait for the process to complete and your Apple device will greet you with iOS 10.3.3.

Honor 9 Lite with four cameras to launch on December 21, Pricing leaked

By

Devesh Arora

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December 17, 2017

Honor, a sub-brand of the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, is planning to launch another budget-oriented smartphone. The Honor 9 Lite will help the company in expanding its portfolio in China as well as in India. The company is gearing up to launch the Honor 9 Lite on December 21 in China. The smartphone might later make its way to the other markets. Surprisingly, the pricing information for the upcoming smartphone has been leaked.

Source: Tenaa

According to The Tech Bulletin, the Honor 9 Lite will be introduced in two variants and will be priced at CNY 2,000 which roughly converts to Rs. 19,400 for the base 32GB variant while the 64GB variant will retail for CNY 2,400 roughly converting to Rs. 23,300. Notably, the CNY 2,400 price tag is similar to the recently launched Huawei Mate 10 Lite.

Also Read: HMD Global to soon introduce a 2018 edition of the mid-range Nokia 6

In terms of specifications, the Honor 9 Lite is said to feature a 5.65-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The smartphone is expected to be powered by the company's homegrown Kirin 659 SoC which is an octa-core chipset clocked at 2.3GHz. The device will come in two storage variants, one with 32GB and the other with 64GB of internal storage. The storage on the device will be expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card. The Honor 9 Lite will run on EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo and will be backed by a 2,900mAh battery.

On the optics front, the Honor 9 Lite will sport a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 13-megapixel primary sensor coupled with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. Interestingly, the smartphone will sport the same set of dual cameras on the front as well.

Here are the Top 5 most popular mobile applications of 2017 as per Google

By

Devesh Arora

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December 16, 2017

Mobile applications are becoming popular over the years as they provide users a great experience on their smartphones. Smartphones come with a bunch of applications pre-loaded but third-party applications add more functionality to a user's smartphone. These applications serve various purposes depending on what purpose they were created for. It keeps most of us wondering which applications were used the most in the current year. So here we bring you a list of top 5 most popular applications.

1.) MakeMyTrip

MakeMyTrip has become very popular in the country as it serves various purposes related to travel. The application allows users to book flights, hotels, manage trip routes, check flight schedules, compare fares and so much more. It is an all in one application when it comes to travel. MakeMyTrip also offers great discounts and cashback on every booking.

2.) SHAREit

ShareIt is a cross-platform content sharing application which has become immensely popular among the youth. Earlier it was a disaster when it came to transferring files from Android to iOS (the two common mobile operating systems). ShareIt made it much easier for users to transfer files from one platform to the other as well as under the same platform.

3.) PayTM

PayTM has gotten immensely popular in India due to its adaptation around the country. After the demonetisation, payments in India started to become popular on the virtual platform. The term "PayTM karo" got so popular and many common people and shopkeepers were encouraged to download the application. Payments were made simple and a quick and easy process using just a QR code.

Also Read: HMD Global to soon introduce a 2018 edition of the mid-range Nokia 6

4.) InShorts

InShorts is a trendy application when it comes to News and Magazines. The application allows users to have a glance at whats happening around the globe. Interestingly, the application gives users the important news in a short paragraph. As the current generation is busy working and do not have enough time to read a whole lot of news, this app keeps them up to date with news in short.

5.) Zomato

Ordering food online has become a trend in this era of increasing traffic. People now prefer to order food online instead of going to the restaurants. However, it is not easy to keep track of every restaurant nearby. Zomato has made it easier by giving people an option to order food from any nearby restaurant. The app gives a list of restaurants along with their ratings and the full menu.

Here is how you can grab a Google Pixel 2 for as low as Rs. 21,999 via Flipkart

By

Devesh Arora

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December 15, 2017

As Christmas and New Year are just around the corner. e-commerce websites are bringing great holiday discounts for their customers. Flipkart has brought "New Pinch Days" sale where they are offering unbelievable discounts. Currently, Flipkart is offering a great deal on the popular flagship smartphone Google Pixel 2 bringing its effective price all the way down to Rs. 39,999. At this price, the Google Pixel 2 is an instant grab without even a blink of an eye.

Flipkart is offering a straight-up discount of Rs. 11,001 on the Google Pixel 2, bringing the price of the smartphone down to Rs. 49,999 for the 64GB variant from its original price which was set at Rs. 61,000. Further, customers can claim an extra Rs. 10,000 instant discounts if they pay via any credit or debit card. Apart from the discounts on the Pixel 2, customers can also grab one of Chromecast 2 at a discounted price of Rs 1,999. At this price point, Pixel 2 directly competes against the OnePlus 5, Nokia 8 as well as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.

Also Read: Here is why you need to skip all the flagship smartphones and get the Google Pixel 2

If the Rs. 39,999 price tag still does not sound good enough, Flipkart has more to offer. The e-commerce website is offering up to Rs 18,000 off on exchange of select smartphones bringing the price to as low as Rs. 21,999. Moreover, users who trade in their OnePlus 3 or 3T will get an additional Rs 3,000 off on exchange.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Google Pixel 2 features a 5-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC coupled with Adreno 540 GPU. The device packs in 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and is backed by a 2,700mAh battery.

Here are the 5 missing features on the Samsung's version of Android Oreo

By

Devesh Arora

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December 15, 2017

Samsung has improved its software game over the years by switching from TouchWiz to Samsung Experience UI. The new UI is so much better than TouchWiz as it brings a smooth experience to the users. As Google has recently released the latest version of Android, the South-Korean giant is now working on bringing the update to its devices. The company has already rolled out a beta version of the upcoming update for the Galaxy Note 8 and S8. As Samsung always likes to spice up the things by tweaking the Android operating system, there are a few changes everyone expected but did not make their way at least in the Beta version of the update.

1.) Custom Icon Packs

Samsung already has its own theme engine which works via their own Theme Store. The store surely has a variety of things to customize your smartphone. However, Google Play Store arguably has more options which are much better than that of the the company's own Store. It would have been so great to see a custom icon pack option right into Samsung's provided launcher. As of now, third-party launchers do support custom icon packs but it would have been better if it came to the stock launcher of the smartphone. Some companies like OnePlus, BlackBerry and Razer already have an option to change the icon pack in their stock launcher.

2.) A Remappable Button

Most of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 owners agree on the point that the Bixby button is a disappointment. Bixby is not as good as the Google Assistant and many would have preferred to remap the Bixby button to either the Google Assistant or an application of their choice. If the company wants to reserve the button to their own system, they could have given choice to users where they can at least open system apps instead of third-party ones or could have used it for some actions like capturing photos in the camera app.

3.) Home Screen colours as per the Wallpaper

With the new Android Oreo beta update, Samsung has given an option where users can switch the colour accent of the Lock Screen to match the wallpaper. However, the company forgot about the home screen where the things remain the same.

4.) Live Focus on Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 8 a few months after the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus which gave them an ample amount of time to work on new and better camera hardware. The Galaxy Note 8 comes with a dual-camera setup at the back which gives the phone a feature called Live Focus.

Also Read: How to speed up your Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S8 or S8 Plus

Samsung could have brought a similar feature to the Galaxy S8 via a software update. The live focus feature wouldn't have worked as good as the Note 8 but this is a most welcome feature by the S8 owners. Not to forget, Google Pixel 2 managed to pull off a similar feature without adding an extra lens.

5.) Improvements to S-Pen

We expected Samsung to make some improvements to the S-Pen on the Note 8 at least on the software front. The company could have provided a set of extra features with the first major software update on the Galaxy Note 8.

However, we can still cross our fingers as the stable update of Android Oreo is still under development. The Samsung devices will start getting the Android Oreo update with the Experience UI 9 update from early 2018.

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The new pricing for Apple's iPhones in India is as follows

1.) MakeMyTrip

2.) SHAREit

3.) PayTM

4.) InShorts

5.) Zomato

1.) Custom Icon Packs

2.) A Remappable Button

3.) Home Screen colours as per the Wallpaper

4.) Live Focus on Samsung Galaxy S8

5.) Improvements to S-Pen