Huawei Mate X successor will come with an improved design, sporting a better hinge and a more resistant display.
Huawei will launch the successor to its foldable smartphone, the Mate X in the second half of 2020 according to a report by Digitimes. The company has apparently started working on the said smartphone, with a small volume trial production of components already underway.
This report contrasts a recent report in which it was stated that the company will soon launch an upgraded version of the Mate X at MWC 2020, which will be powered by the company's own Kirin 990 processor.
According to the report, the Mate X successor will come with an improved design, sporting a better hinge and a more resistant display. However, keep in mind the company is yet to make any announcements and we urge you to take this report as speculation until and unless Huawei decides to make some sort of an announcement regarding this.
Digitimes claims to have received the information from Taiwan supply chain makers and suppliers.
The report does not get into the details of the design changes that will entail the upcoming smartphone or the features it will come with. It notes, that the suppliers see promising potential in this unique segment of devices in 2020. And that they have already begun to expand projects for this purpose.
To prove this the media outlet gave an example of an earlier report stating that Jarllytec, a hinge maker has already started producing more metal injection moulding (MIM parts for foldable phones) and is looking to install extra batch furnaces in 2020. The company has also partnered with two Chinese smartphone brands to produce hinges.
Both the 2020 Happy New Year Offer and 2020 Jio Phone Happy New Year Offer, have been made available for a limited time.
Reliance Jio has launched a new "2020 Happy New Year Offer" and "2020 Jio Phone Happy New Year Offer" for customers. Under the 2020 Happy New Year Offer, the company is offering customers unlimited voice calling benefits, bundled data and complimentary SMSes for 365 days at Rs. 2,020. The plan is only valid for a limited time.
Under the 2020 Happy New Year Offer, customers get unlimited voice calls, 1.5GB high-speed data and 100 daily SMSes. The plan comes with a validity of 365 days and with access to the company's own apps such as JioTV, JioCinema, JioNews and more.
Whereas, under the 2020 Jio Phone Happy New Year Offer, the company provides customers with a Jio Phone worth Rs. 1,500, with unlimited voice calling benefits, 500MB of daily high-speed data, 100 SMSes per day and access to Jio apps for 365 days.
Both the 2020 Happy New Year Offer and 2020 Jio Phone Happy New Year Offer, have been made available for a limited time. Also, the unlimited calling benefits are only for Jio-to-Jio and landline calls, whereas, off-net calls (calls made to people on other networks) come with a fair usage policy (FUP).
Vivo Y11 (2019) is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor paired with an Adreno 505 GPU.
Vivo has launched a new entry-level smartphone in India, dubbed Vivo Y11 (2019). It is priced at Rs. 8,990 for the sole 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage variant. The device will be made available Vivo India e-store, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, Tata Cliq, Bajaj EMI E-Store and offline partner stores.
The device will be made available starting December 25 on all platforms except for Flipkart. The Flipkart sale for the device will start on December 28. It will be offered in two colour options: Mineral Blue and Agate Red.
Key features of the device include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor, dual rear cameras and a 5,000mAh battery.
Vivo Y11 (2019) sports a 6.35-inch HD+ LCD display with a resolution of 1544x720 pixels. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 processor paired with an Adreno 505 GPU. The device comes with 3GB of RAM along with 32GB of internal storage. It runs Google's Android 9 Pie operating system with the company's own Funtouch OS 9 skin on top. All of this is backed by a 5,000mAh battery.
The device features a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 13-megapixel primary sensor paired with a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front, the device sports an 8-megapixel sensor for taking selfies.
Connectivity options include 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, GPS and A-GPS. The sensor list includes an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, magnetometer, proximity sensor and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Madhav Sheth revealed that the company has a target of becoming the largest tech lifestyle brand in the country, instead of just being a smartphone brand.
Realme has released another AskMadhav episode, in which the company's CEO, Madhav Sheth reveals that the company is working on a fitness wearable, which will launch in the first half of 2020. He does not reveal if the company will launch a fitness band or a smartwatch.
The device is expected to be a smart band, which will go head-on against the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 and the Honor Band 5 in India and is expected to be priced similarly.
In the episode, Sheth also states that the company has a target of becoming the largest tech lifestyle brand in the country, instead of just being a smartphone brand. To bolster this point, he said that the company apart from smartphones also offers customers Buds Wireless, Buds Air, power banks and PaySa financial app. The company also plans to launch products in other categories soon.
Apart from this Sheth also confirmed that the Realme C1, Realme U1, Realme 1 and Realme 2 will not be getting the Android 10 system update. However, they will get new features like Dark Mode.
Realme XT will soon be getting Dolby Atmos support for Bluetooth earphones, whenever the Android 10 update rolls out. Sheth also stated that the company will make a lot of Internet of Things (IoT) product announcements in 2020.
The first offer that the company has in line for its users is the extension of its Rs. 1,999 prepaid plan, in which it now offers 60 extra days of validity.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has launched a number of new offers to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
The first offer that the company has in line for its users is the extension of its Rs. 1,999 prepaid plan, in which it now offers 60 extra days of validity. This means instead of 365 days of validity users will get 425 days of validity. Under the Rs. 1,999 long-term plan users are provided with 3GB of daily high-speed data, unlimited calling benefits and 100 SMSes per day. Apart from all of this the company also offers users additional features like BSNL Tunes and BSNL TV subscription free for 365 days. Users will be able to benefit from the offer starting today until January 31.
The company has also announced that it will offer additional talk time on its Rs. 450 plan and its Rs. 250 plan. The Rs. 450 plan will offer users a talk time of Rs. 500 and the Rs. 250 plan will offer users talk time of Rs. 275. The offer is valid until January 2.
To recall, BSNL also launched two new prepaid plans in India priced at Rs. 365 and Rs. 97. Under the Rs. 365 plan, the company offers users 2GB of daily high-speed data, unlimited calling benefits, 100 daily SMSes and complimentary access to Personalised Ring Back Tone (PRBT).
Under the Rs. 97 prepaid plan the company offers users 2GB high-speed data along with 100 daily SMSes for 18 days.
Lenovo launched its Smart Clock alongside its Lenovo Smart Display, both of which came with support for Google Assistant.
Lenovo during Flipkart's Year End Sale is offering its Lenovo Smart Clock powered by Google Assistant at Rs 3,499 down from its usual selling price of Rs 5,999. The sale is currently live and will go on till December 23.
To get the Lenovo Smart Clock right now, you can head over to Flipkart and find the banner on the home page of the website or on the mobile app. Clicking the banner will take you to a page which explains how Google Assistant can be used, scroll down and you will see a banner for the device, click that and it will take you to the product page. Or you can simply search Lenovo Smart Clock on Flipkart and find the device.
Lenovo launched its Smart Clock alongside its Lenovo Smart Display, both of which came with support for Google Assistant. The Lenovo Smart Clock relies on voice and touch inputs. It can perform a number of tasks like setting up an alarm, checking the calendar, playing podcasts and even enjoying TV shows with the help of the inbuilt Chromecast.
The Lenovo Smart Clock sports a 4-inch display and has a width of 11.39cm, height of 7.5cm and weighs 328 grams. The device has a power requirement of 20V and can control smart home devices via voice and touch.
It comes with a 6W speaker, which can be used to hear music, audiobooks, podcasts and radio. The device comes coated with a soft-touch fabric cover, similar to the Google Home Mini.
According to the company, it can help users develop healthy sleep habits and set sleep routines via the Google Assistant.
Xiaomi Mi 3i is a younger sibling of the Mi Band 3.
Xiaomi has yet again outdone itself by launching another cheap fitness tracker, the Mi Band 3i. Due to its honest pricing and great features, the earlier versions of Mi Bands have gained immense popularity. However, is the Mi Band 3i just another victory, or is it a legacy broken? Let's find out.
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i: Specifications
Mi Band 3i looks are almost similar to its predecessor.
The device sports a 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen panel. The company claims that it is water-resistant up to 50 meters. It can be used to track your steps along with calories burned during walking, running, cycling and various other activities. You can also, check the weather and get calls and other notifications after pairing the band to your smartphone. What's it is missing is a heart rate sensor, which I think is a really crucial feature.
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i Review: Design & Display
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i features a 0.78-inch OLED touchscreen display along with a button at the bottom that can be used as an action button to help navigate that small touchscreen. Just like the Mi Band 3, the display is grayscale and can be used to check your steps, notifications, calls and more.
The device lacks a heart rate sensor.
The only major difference in the 3i when compared to the 3 is the heart rate sensor. The charging unit, the dimensions, and the display are all the same. It looks sleek and utilitarian.
The band that comes with that base unit the same one as seen on the older generation with a slight change to make it look a little sleeker. Overall, the design of the Mi Band 3i is somewhat understated. This is good as it does all the things you need it to without interfering with the overall look of your clothes, which is a big issue with certain wearables.
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i Review: Features and Performance
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i is packed with quite a few features. It comes with all the basics that we expect from a fitness tracker: a screen, notifications, step count, sleep tracking, alarms and more.
Front panel of the 3i looks the same as the 3.
The notification interface is quite bad as it only shows a call icon for calls with an option to snooze the band and not reject the calls. Unlike some other fitness trackers, it shows the app which has sent the notification and we can also read the text in it. If needed, we can also go into the notifications tab and check our recent notifications on the band, which is a pain considering the screen size but a handy feature none the less.
Talking about battery life, the company claims around 20 days of battery life. With the device connected to my phone all the time, and it receiving tons of notifications, the battery life lasted about 2 weeks or 14 days give or take. Which is still a good time but less than what the company claims. If we keep the device disconnected from the smartphone, one might be able to get the claimed 20 days of battery life.
Mi fit app has detailed data for analysis.
Now coming to the real test here. How accurate it the step tracking. In the past, we have seen many great fitness trackers fail in this department. Well, while the Mi Band 3i offers a pretty accurate step count while walking, many times it read steps on activities like driving.
I was driving and I got distracted by the band saying I completed my step count. apparently, I had covered around 500 steps only while driving. While taking a run, the distance tracked was pretty accurate.
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i Review: Verdict
Overall, the Mi Band 3i is a good deal.
Xiaomi Mi Band 3i looks average and has a lot of features, which leaves people looking for a cheap fitness tracker, quite interested. However, I think the ability to track your heart rate is pretty crucial especially while taking a run.
If you are looking for a smart fitness tracker and you don't mind the exclusion of the heart rate sensor, then the Mi Band 3i is a pretty good deal. However, if you are a little more serious about tracking your runs, I would suggest considering its elder brother the Mi Band 3 or the newer Mi Band 4.
Xiaomi is offering crazy discounts to celebrate the ending of 2019.
Xiaomi has announced their No. 1 Mi Fan Sale to mark the successful year they had in 2019. The Chinese company is offering discounts on a wide range of products in their lineup including smartphones, wearables, and other smart home accessories. The sale has kicked off today, December 19, and will go on through December 25 via the official Mi.com website, Mi Home stores, Flipkart, Amazon, and other authorized retail outlets across the country. During its period Xiaomis will also be conduction flash sales to offer even bigger discounts than the No. 1 Mi Fan sale already has been.
The No. 1 Mi Fan sale has already started today and the special flash sales will also start today. However, the flash sales will only be conducted three times a day. At 10 am, 4 pm and 6 pm, there will be flash sales to offer even more crazy discounts. The sales will go on till December 23rd while the normal No.1 Fan Sale will go on till 25th December. Aside from all these crazy discounts, there are also other things to look out for like the banking discounts, cashback offers, and no-cost EMI plans.
Talking about price cuts, their flagship smartphone, the Redmi K20 Pro will be available starting at Rs. 24,999 during the sale period, For the users looking to give up their old phone, there will be an extra Rs. 2,000 exchange discount. Xiaomi has also brought the price of their Redmi Note 7 Pro to an all-time low of Rs. 9,999 for the base variant, there are also exchange discounts up to Rs. 1,000 on the phone. The Redmi 7A, Redmi K20, Poco F1, and Xiaomi Mi A3 are among the other phones that will also be up for grabs at a discounted price for a limited time period.
In addition to the smartphones we talked about earlier, the company is also offering their accessories such as the Mi Smart Bulb, Mi Sports Bluetooth Earphones Basic, and the Mi Band 3 at a lower price prices during the No. 1 Mi Fan sale.
Nokia 2.3 sports a dual-rear camera setup where the primary lens is a 13MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture clubbed with a 2MP depth sensor.
HMD Global today launched the Nokia 2.3 in India, which is an entry-level phone that comes with 4,000mAh battery, dual rear cameras, and MediaTek A22 processor. The phone has been priced at Rs 8,199 for the sole variant of 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
The Nokia 2.3 will be available for sale in the country starting December 27, 2019, via official Nokia India e-shop, and authorised retail stores like Croma, Reliance, and Big C. As part of the launch offers, customers buying the Nokia 2.3 will be eligible for Jio benefits worth Rs 7,200 on prepaid plans of Rs 249 and Rs 349. Users will also get Rs 2,200 as cashback vouchers from Jio, Rs 2,000 worth discount from Zoomcar, and vouchers worth Rs 3,000 from Cleartrip.
Nokia 2.3 specifications
The Nokia 2.3 features a 6.2-inch HD+ display with 1520x720 pixels resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, and a water drop notch on top. The device is powered by the quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB storage. It also offers expandable storage up to 400GB via microSD card.
It sports a dual-rear camera setup where the primary lens is a 13MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture clubbed with a 2MP depth sensor. The front camera on the phone is a 5MP selfie shooter with an f/2.4 aperture.
The new Nokia phone is backed by a 4,000mAh battery with support for 5W charger via micro-USB port. The device sports a dedicated Google Assistant button and retains the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The Nokia 2.3 comes with one-year replacement guarantee where customers who purchase the device on or before March 31, 2020, can get a new unit from the Nokia Mobile Care outlets if they notice any hardware failure or a manufacturing defect in the phone. Additionally, buyers also get 6-month coverage for defective accessories, as well as, software issues.
Vivo U10 is the company's latest budget offering in India. It is also one of the first smartphones from the company to launch in its online exclusive U series. This means the U10 and other U series phones won't be available in the offline market. With this, the company aims to provide consumers with great performance at an affordable price like its Z series smartphones.
However, there is a lot of fierce competition in this market space, making a decent smartphone is not enough. The smartphone should be better than other smartphones in the same price bracket also, not only in terms of performance but in looks and various other factors. So let's find out how Good the Vivo U10 really is:
Vivo U10 Review
Vivo U10 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor paired with 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB/64GB of storage. There is a dual SIM card slot along with a separate microSD card slot.
The back panel of the Vivo U10 looks good.
The device sports a 6.35-inch (1544x720 pixels) 19:9 aspect ratio IPS LCD display with a waterdrop notch and a noticeably large chin. For optics, it features a 13-megapixel, f/2.2 PDAF aperture sensor on the back along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For taking selfies, it has an 8-megapixel f/1.8 aperture sensor on the front. All of this is backed by a 5,000mAh non-removable battery. It runs Google’s Android 9.0 Pie operating system with the company's own Funtouch OS 9 skin on the top. The Android 10 update status is unclear as of now.
The phone sports a 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro-USB port. There is a fingerprint sensor at the back.
Vivo U10 Review: Design
As far as the design goes, Vivo U10 has managed to keep it together quite well. The front is a bit bland and looks like any other smartphone sporting a waterdrop notch. The back is where the company has shown its creativity. We had the Electric Blue variant for review and I have to say that it looks amazing. It has blackish sides along with a blueish purple gradient in the centre along with a weaving pattern, which glistens when any form of light hits the device. It looks quite eye-catching indeed.
Overall, the design is not that different from the front in comparison to other smartphones in this price bracket.
The speaker grille is located just above the dot notch, which also houses the camera. It also has a fat chin at the bottom.
The pattern on the back looks quite good.
Vivo U10 sports a triple camera unit on the back paired with an LED flash aligned vertically on the top left. There is a fingerprint sensor in the usual position and Vivo branding at the bottom. The back is made out of plastic, which feels quite cheap.
Left, right, top, bottom in that order.
The right edge consists of volume rockers and the power button. The left edge sports the SIM card tray, while the bottom edge has a micro-USB port along with the loudspeaker and the headphone jack.
The smartphone is a bit on the bulky side. However, I have to commend the company on getting the weight distribution right. But the device still feels quite bulky. The back is a fingerprint magnet, due to which the included clear case is appreciated, but it makes the smartphone even bulkier.
Vivo U10 Review: Software
Vivo U10 runs Google’s Android 9.0 Pie operating system with the company’s own Funtouch OS 9.1 skin on top. Funtouch OS is Vivo's own skin used in all of its smartphones. The UI looks iOS inspired along with colourful elements aimed at attracting the younger generation.
Vivo's Funtouch UI is a colourful UI.
Things like a colourful smiley face for face unlock, extremely bright, multicolour icons and UI elements make the device seem as if it is screaming for attention. The iOS styled shortcut bar and notification bar is something I have never gotten used to.
Overall, Funtouch OS is not for the purists, but for people who don't mind a lot of colours mixed to capture attention. It doesn't offer a clean look like that in OxygenOS or Stock Android, due to which I don't like it that much.
Vivo U10 Review: Performance
Performance is a major area of concern on any device, the same goes for the Vivo U10. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor coupled with an Adreno 610 GPU. Our review unit came with 4GB RAM/64GB storage.
AnTuTu 8 (Left), Geekbench 5(Right).
We ran our usual benchmark tests to evaluate how the device performs. On AnTuTu the device was able to score 172265, which is good enough considering the price and competition. In Geekbench 5, the device scored 316 in the single-core score and 1343 in the multicore score.
While playing light games such as Temple Run and Crossy Chicken, the phone runs flawlessly with the CPU usage hitting its highs. Heavy games like Asphalt 9: Legends, PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile become unplayable within 30 minutes of gameplay. The device also heats up quite a bit. Considering the price, this was expected.
Vivo U10 Review: Display
Vivo U10 sports a 6.35-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1544x720 pixels and comes with an aspect ratio of 19:9.
The waterdrop notch is the best kind of notch.
An LCD display is what you except when you consider the price of the smartphone. The brightness levels are able to get super low and bright enough to be used properly in outside with sunlight. The colour reproduction of the display is a little dull.
Vivo U10 Review: Camera
Vivo U10 features a 13-megapixel, f/2.2 PDAF aperture sensor on the back along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For the selfies, it has an 8-megapixel f/1.8 aperture sensor. As we all know numbers tell only half of the story, so let's find out how the Vivo U10's camera performs in real life.
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The images taken from the rear camera of the Vivo U10 look as if they consist of a white layer over them. The colours also look boosted and not natural.
Left (Normal), Right (Beauty Mode).
The front camera has a different story. With the beauty mode on, the image just look brightened up. Without it, the photos turn out to be pretty good for the price.
Overall, the back camera of the Vivo U10 is a bit of a disappointment, whereas, the front camera is able to bring the phone back a bit.
Vivo U10 Review: Battery
Vivo U10 is backed by a 5,000mAh Li-Po battery, which easily lasted me around a day on a single charge, which is less than what I have come to expect. Charging time with the included charger is around 150-180 minutes, which is not fast, but acceptable considering the price.
It is backed by a 5,000 mAh battery.
Overall, with heavy usage, the average battery life is around nine hours. With mixed usage, the battery lasts around 16 hours, which is a good time.
Vivo U10 Review: Verdict
Is the Vivo U10 an all-rounder?
Vivo U10 starts at Rs. 8,490 and goes all the way up to Rs 10,990. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage we got for our review cost Rs. 10,990. For that price, the Vivo U10 offers great looks, a good display, a big battery life and nothing more to be honest. Nowadays, all the devices look almost the same in this price segment, with the exception of a different pattern at the back.
However, in all the phones in this price range, we have seen a compromise on some aspects of the phone or another. Some have a bad camera, some cannot perform at all, However, the Vivo U10 is able to decently perform in a lot of areas. It is a decent phone for the price and you might like to take a look at it before you make a decision to purchase some other smartphone.
