Device Launches:
Samsung Galaxy S10+, S10, S10e, Galaxy Buds launched in India
Samsung has officially announced the launch of its new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S10 series, in India. The company has introduced the Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e for the Indian market. The smartphones will be available for purchase from March 08, 2019.
Additionally, Samsung has also launched the Galaxy Buds in India for an asking price of Rs 9,990. All products will be available from Amazon, Flipkart, Tata CliQ, Samsung Shop, PayTM, and select retail stores.
Oppo F11, F11 Pro with 48-megapixel rear camera, pop-up selfie camera launched in India
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Oppo has finally introduced the latest, the F11 Pro and F11 smartphones in India. The phones come with asking price of Rs 24,990 and Rs 19,990 respectively and will be available for purchase starting from March 15.Both the smartphones feature a 6.5-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels along with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. Both of them are powered by MediaTek Helio P70 processor.
Oppo F11 Pro (Pictures,Camera Samples,Specs,First Impression)
Realme 3 launched with Helio P70 SoC, Android Pie, price starts Rs 8,999
Realme 3 was launched this week in India in two variants – 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage for Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively. The phone will be available for sale on Flipkart and Realme website starting from March 12, 2019, at 12 PM. It features a 6.2-inch HD+ display, MediaTek Helio P70 2.1GHz octa-core processor, 4230mAh battery and it runs on Android 9.0 Pie.
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Nokia Pro Wireless earphones launched in India for Rs 5,499
Weeks after launching theTrue Wireless Earbuds in India for Rs 9,999, HMD Global has announced the launch of the Nokia Pro Wireless earphones, a more affordable pair of wireless earphones to stride away from the traditional 3.5mm headphone jack. The Nokia Pro Wireless earphones are neckband-style in-ear headphones where the two earphones are actually connected to a braided cable. The device boasts of smart magnetic earbuds which can be snapped together when not in use and it offers up to 10 hours of music playback on a single charge.
Realme 3 (Pictures, Camera Samples, Specs, First Impression)
Audio-Technica introduces Bluetooth-enabled ATH-M50xBT Over-Ear Headphones for Rs18,490
Audio-Technica announced the Bluetooth version of its popular ATH-M50x over the ear headphones and the new audio accessory is now labelled as the ATH-M50xBT. The Audio-Technica ATH-M50xBT is now available in India for an asking price of Rs 18,490 and will available exclusively through Amazon India. The ATH-M50xBT is a closed-back headphone and delivers wireless listening with clarity, articulate, extended bass and smooth with a wide 15 – 28,000 Hz Frequency response.
Vivo Y91i with waterdrop notch display, 4,030 mAh battery launched in India
Vivo launched Vivo Y91i in India this week. The phone has been launched in two variants – 2GB RAM+16GB storage variant is priced at Rs 7,990 while the 2GB RAM+32GB storage variant will cost you Rs 8,490. It comes in Sunset Red, Fusion Black, and Ocean Blue colour variants. It features a 6.22-inch HD+ Halo FullView display, MediaTek Helio P22 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM. It has dual rear camera 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel Sensors and an 8-megapixel front camera. The Vivo Y91i runs on Funtouch OS 4.0, which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo and it is backed up by a 4030mAh battery.
Lava Z40 Android Go smartphone launched in India
Lava has announced the launch of its entry-level smartphone, the Lava Z40, in India. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 3,499 and it will be available in two colour options including Black and Gold. The smartphone comes loaded with a 4.0-inch TN display with a screen resolution of 400 x 800 pixels. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The phone is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Processor along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The memory can be further expanded up to 64GB via microSD card slot.
Fitbit Ace 2, Versa Lite, Inspire, Inspire HR wearables launched in India, starts at Rs 6,999
Fitbit has released the cheapest bunch of wearable devices by launching the Fitbit Ace 2, Fitbit Versa Lite Edition, Fitbit Inspire and Fitbit Inspire HR. The high-end Fitbit’s Versa Lite comes with PurePulse 24/7 heart rate, Sleep Stages, connected GPS and automatic activity for tracking activity and sleep patterns. The cheapest of the line is the Fitbit Ace 2 and Fitbit Inspire both of which cost Rs 6,999 each. The Fitbit Inspire HR and Fitbit Versa Lite Edition will be available for Rs 8,999 and Rs 15,999 respectively.
Paytm launches its subscription-based ‘First’ program to rival Amazon Prime, Flipkart Plus
Paytm introduced Paytm First subscription-based program for an annual fee of Rs 750. Paytm First users will get exclusive benefits from several services from its partners including annual Gaana, Sony Liv and Eros Now memberships as well as a ViU Premium subscription and benefits for Zomato Gold users. It will also offer users benefits of up to Rs 6,000 on Uber and up to Rs 2,400 on Uber Eats.
HyperX Cloud Earbuds, CloudX Gaming headset launched in India
Kingston sub-brand, HyperX has introduced two new pieces of audio equipment to its catalogue in India with the launch of the HyperX Cloud Earbuds and the HyperX CloudX Gaming headset. The HyperX CloudX gaming headset and HyperX Cloud Earbuds will be available for prices of Rs 9,990 and Rs 5,990 respectively.
Sennheiser IE 40 PRO In-Ear Monitors announced in India for Rs 9,990
Sennheiser has introduced a new pair of in-ear earphones with the launch of the Sennheiser IE 40 PRO In-Ear Monitors in India for an asking price of Rs 9,990. The Sennheiser IE 40 PRO In-Ear Monitors comes with a mechanical design that includes a patent-pending, break-proof cable ducting which reduces the risk of cable breaks. The connector is accommodated inside the ear mould, an approach that’s intended to protect against wear and tear that can occur during heavy use.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 800 launched in India for Rs 9,999
Panasonic announced the launch of the Panasonic Eluga Ray 800 as its latest entrant to the budget smartphone market. The Eluga Ray 800 features a 5.5-inch FHD display with an unknown version of Corning Gorilla Glass. It’s powered by an octa-core processor that clocks in at 1.8Ghz and is paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The device packs in a 4,000mAh battery and runs on Android 7 Nougat.
AQFIT W8 with 24-hour health monitoring, 5-day battery launched for Rs 5,999
Technology startup AQ-Fit has launched a new smartwatch by the name ofAQFITW8 which will be available for an asking price of Rs 5,999 in India through Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal and Shopclues. The AQFIT W8 features a 1.33 Inch IPS colour display with single touch input which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The watch is certified with an IP68 rating which makes it waterproof to up to 5 ATM or 50 metres under water. It’s housed inside a metallic unibody design and Zinc Magnesium – Silicon material with 2.5D curved glass on the edges of the display.
Google Bolo app launched to educate kids, improve reading in Hindi, English
Bolo is powered by Google’s speech recognition and text-to-speech technology and features a built-in fun and helpful reading buddy, “Diya”. The app is designed for children in primary grade and helps kids read all by themselves by explaining and encouraging them to read aloud.
Harman JBL GO+ Bluetooth speaker launched in India
Harman introduces a new Bluetooth speaker in India, dubbed as JBL Go+. The Bluetooth speaker comes with a price tag of Rs 1,799 and it is available for purchase on Flipkart. The new speaker is an upgrade to the JBL Go and the company claims it delivers louder sound output. The speaker can be easily connected to smartphones and tablets via Bluetooth. The company claims that the speaker is powered by a 20 per cent bigger rechargeable battery as compared to its predecessor.
Blackberry wireless charger launched for Rs 2,499
ptiemus Infracom has announced the launch of first BlackBerry branded wireless charger in India. The charger is priced at Rs 2,499 and it is available online on Amazon India exclusively in Black colour. The extremely compact wireless charger is compatible with smartphones with USB type C input on Android, Apple and QI-enabled smartphones that allow wireless charging. The users simply place their phone on top of the non-slip charging surface and experience fast wireless charging. The wireless charger will charge up to 25% in just 60 minutes.
Operators News:
Vodafone Idea partners with ShemarooMe to offer video content to its users
Vodafone Idea has partnered with Shemaroo Entertainment to offer a variety of streaming content to its users. With this strategic partnership, Vodafone and Idea users can access Shemaroo’s latest video streaming service, ShemarooMe.Under this, subscribers of Vodafone Play and Idea Movies & TV apps will have full access to Shemaroo’s content library across Bollywood, Devotion, Kids and other genres.
BSNL extends 25 per cent cashback offer on annual broadband plans till March 31
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has extended the 25% cashback offer on its annual plans till March 31. BSNL announced to offer cashback on all new and existing BSNL landline, broadband, and broadband Wi-Fi subscribers in India in December. The cashback scheme was to end on December 31, but the deadline has now been extended to March 31. BSNL customers will be able to avail up to 25 percent cashback on subscription of company’s annual broadband plans. The offer is applicable in all BSNL circles except Delhi and Mumbai. The cashback amount will be credited to customer’s account once he or she pays the bill mentioned in the invoice.
ACT Fibernet partners with Netflix to offer cashbacks of up to Rs 350
ACT Fibernet has announced that it has tied up with streaming giant Netflix. With this partnership, the internet provider will offer its 6-month or 12-month subscribers with an option to pay for their monthly Netflix membership through their bill. Not just that, if a user pays for Netflix using their ACT Fibernet bill, they’ll also earn an assured cashback of up to Rs 350 per month which will be credited to their ACT bills.
Leaked Information:
Samsung Galaxy A60 key specifications leaked online
The leak suggests that the Galaxy A60 will come loaded with Infinity-U display, which is also present in the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A30 smartphones. It also reveals that the phone will come loaded with an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is also present in Galaxy A50.
is OnePlus exploring theVivo-way with a pop-up camera?
The OnePlus 7 has been leaked through test renders. One main highlight of the render is a full-screen display with no notches and to aid that design, the OnePlus 7 in the picture comes with a pop-up camera. The pop-up selfie camera bears some resemblance to that of the Vivo NEX which was also aligned off-centre.
Samsung Galaxy A40 pricing details leaked
Samsung Galaxy A40 will carry a price tag of Euros 249 (around Rs 20,047) in Europe. The report does not reveal the exact date of its launch, but it’s reported to go on sale in Europe soon. The Samsung Galaxy A40 will be a mid-range smartphone from the company which will sit between the Galaxy A30 and the Galaxy A50.
LG X4 (2019) key specs revealed via Android Enterprise listing
LG X4 (2019) will feature a 5.7-inch display. Under the hood, the device is expected to come with Snapdragon 450. The phone will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It will feature a fingerprint sensor and will support NFC as well. As per the listing, the phone will run on an older Android Oreo out of the box.
Huawei Enjoy 9s to come with waterdrop notch display, triple rear camera
A poster was leaked on Chinese microblogging website, Weibo this week revealing key specs of Huawei Enjoy 9s. As per the image, the phone features a waterdrop notched display. Huawei Enjoy 9s will come with an AI-powered triple rear camera setup. The triple camera setup will have a 24-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. It will sport a 6.21-inch display without any mention of the screen resolution. The phone will have 128GB of storage and run EMUI 9.0 out of the box.
Xiaomi Redmi 7 hands-on video leaked, specs revealed
Xiaomi is working on its Redmi 7 smartphone whose hands-on video leaked this week showing its design and key specifications. The Redmi 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 632 SoC, paired with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The phone is likely to be available in more RAM and storage options, like 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.
Oppo A5s full specs leaked online
Oppo is working on A5s smartphone whose complete specs have now been leaked online. The smartphone will feature a 6.2-inch display, MediaTek’s 12nm Helio P35 octa-core processor, coupled with 2GB/3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage which can be expanded upto 256GB via micro sd card. In the camera department, the phone will have a dual rear camera setup of 13-megapixel + 2-megapixel sensors. For the front camera, the phone will have an 8-megapixel sensor for selfies. Oppo A5s will run on an older Android 8.1 Oreo-based ColorOS 5.2 and it will be backed up by 4230mAh battery.
OnePlus 7 full specifications leaked
Chinese retailer, Giztop has revealed the front side of OnePlus 7 in an image along with its specifications. OnePlus 7 will feature a 6.5 inch AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which supports maximum clocking speeds of upto 2.84 GHz coupled with Adreno 640 GPU. For the camera, OnePlus 7 will be equipped with triple rear camera setup with 48MP+20MP+5MP. On the front, the phone will have a 16MP pop-up camera sensor for selfies and video calling. OnePlus 7 will come in two different variants – 8GB RAM +128 GB storage and 12 GB RAM + 256 GB internal Storage. The phone will have a 4000 mAh battery with 44W super fast Dash charging technology and it will run on Oxygen OS 9 based on Android 9.0 Pie.
Other News
HTC in talks with Micromax, Lava and Karbonn for brand licencing in India
HTC is reported to be in talks with Indian smartphone manufacturers for brand licencing to make a comeback in the industry. The brand is in talks with three Indian-based smartphone manufacturers. HTCThe basically wants to give its brand to other manufacturers and earn royalty in return. The report highlights that discussions with the Indian brands are in advanced stages and it highly likely Lava and Karbonn teaming up to bid for the HTC brand licence.
Qualcomm and Apple have officially started feuding, this time in a court
Qualcomm is facing off with Apple in court after it allegedly claimed that the Cupertino company infringed three of its patents that lead to the iPhone’s market success. This is the first time a US jury gets a say on the two-year feud between these two companies. It will also determine if Apple really violated Qualcomm’s patents. If Qualcomm wins the battle, it’ll help the company undermine Apple’s claims that it charges way too much for their patents and royalties.
Android Slices is rolling out to Google Pixel phones
Slices for Android has now been enabled on Android Pie Pixel phones and is expected to come to approximately 95 percent of all Android users dating back to Android 4.4. The feature lets Android users access various Settings-based toggles and adjustments right from Google Search or the Google app.
Honor Tab 5 launched with 8-inch display, Kirin 710 SoC, 5100mAh battery
Huawei’s Honor has launched a new tablet – Honor Tab 5 in China this week. Honor Tab 5 3GB+32GB WiFi variant is priced at 1099 Yuan which is approx. Rs 11,549 while the 4GB+64GB WIFi variant is priced at 12,99 Yuan which is approx. Rs 13,651. The 3GB+32GB LTE variant costs 1399 Yuan which is approx. Rs 14,707 while the 4GB+64GB LTE variant is priced at 1499 Yuan which is approx. Rs 15,758. The Honor Tab 5 features an 8-inch display, Hisilicon Kirin 710 chipset coupled with ARM Mali G51 MP4 GPU, 8-megapixel rear and front camera and 5,100mAh battery.
Nokia 9 PureView receives its first software update
Nokia 9 PureView has received its first software update after its launch in Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 last month. The new update for Nokia 9 PureView is rolled out over-the-air and it brings the latest March Android Security Patch to the phone. The software update is around 282MB in size and it brings software update to Android Pie 9 V4.19A. Beyond the March Android Security patch, the update also brings a series of camera enhancements, system stability improvements and user interface enhancements to the phone.
Poco F1 receives 4K 60 fps video recording support through beta update
A week after being seeded with Widevine L1 support via a beta package for streaming on Netflix and Prime Video in HD quality, Xiaomi’s Poco F1 smartphone got another feature through beta. The Poco F1 will now be able to shoot 4K videos at 60fps frame rate after installing the update. Prior to this, the Poco F1 only support 4K video recording at a standard frame rate of 30 fps. Users can thus anticipate this feature in the next stable build of MIUI for the Poco F1.
Qualcomm silently introduces 192MP picture support for Snapdragon SoCs
Qualcomm has silently upgraded the specifications of some of its recent Snapdragon chipsets with support for capturing 192MP photos.The list of chipsets to now support 192MP picture captures are Snapdragon 670, Snapdragon 675, Snapdragon 710, Snapdragon 845 and Snapdragon 855. In order to offer photo quality of that high parameters, Qualcomm is incorporating zero shutter lag and eliminating multi-frame noise reduction.
Nokia 2 gets Android 8.1 Oreo but you have to request it manually
The latest update comes after HMD initiated beta testing of Android Oreo on the Nokia 2 which will receive the update directly from Android 7.1.1 Nougat. However, the update can be accessed only in select regions and will be only rolled out when requested manually by heading over to Nokia’s site.
Xiaomireveals a list of upcoming features coming to MIUI 10 and MIUI 11
Xiaomi has revealed a long list of features that are coming to its latest smartphones through MIUI 10 or MIUI 11 software updates. While several of these features are to be added as an update to MIUI 10 itself, there are some little additions to the next version of the interface which will be labelled as MIUI 11 when it releases.One of the notable features that we expect to make big news is a system-wide Dark mode.In addition to that, future updates to MIUI will add new sound effects, Advanced Dolby effects, Screen wake-up using voice, screen activation through voice and the ability to view the lock screen after unlocking the device through Face Unlock without jumping to the home screen.
Meizu Note 9 launched with 48-megapixel rear camera, Snapdragon 675, 6GB RAM
Meizu launched Meizu Note 9 smartphone in China this week. The Meizu 9 is priced at 1398 Yuan (Rs 14,700 approx.) for the 4GB + 64GB storage and 1598 Yuan (Rs 16,800 approx.) for the 6GB + 64GB storage and 1598 Yuan (Rs 16,800 approx.) for the 4GB + 128GB storage variants. The smartphone features 6.2-inch (1080 × 2244 pixels) Full HD+ display, Snapdragon 675 processor, dual rear camera setup of 48-megapixel primary sensor and a secondary 5-megapixel sensor. For the front, it has a 20-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture. It runs Android 9 Pie with Flyme 7.2 OS out of the box and has 4000mAh battery with mCharge fast charging.
Huawei Nova 4e to launch on March 14
Huawei will be launching Huawei Nova 4e in China on March 14. A recent video teaser shared by the company revealed that the Nova 4e will feature a 32 MP front-facing camerawith support for AI beautify feature. The teaser also revealed that the phone will feature a water-drop notch. It will reportedly feature 6.15-inch display, a triple camera setup on its rear, 3,240mAh battery and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The phone is rumoured to be powered by the company’s own Kirin 710 12nm octa-core processor, along with 4GB of RAM.
Vivo X27 to be announced on March 19
Vivo confirmed that it will announce its X27 smartphone in China on March 19. The Vivo X27 phone features a 6.39-inch display that has full HD+ display with 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution. It has triple rear cameras – 48 MP + 13 MP + 5 MP. For the front, it is having a 16-megapixel selfie camera. It is powered by a 2.2 GHz octa-core processor which is coupled with 8GB RAM. It runs on Android 9.0 Pie operating system and is fueled by 3920 mAh battery.
Huawei P Smart+ (2019) launched with triple rear camera setup, Kirin 710 SoC
Huawei this week launched P Smart+ (2019) smartphone. However, the pricing details of the phone have not been revealed yet. It features 6.21-inch display with a dewdrop notch, octa-core Kirin 710 processor, backed up by 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The phone has a triple rear camera setup of a 24-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 16-megapixel sensor with an ultra wide angle lens. It comes with EMUI 9 on top of Android 9 Pie and is powered by a 3,400mAh battery.
Huawei Y7 (2019) goes official with 6.26-inch display, dual camera and 4,000mAh battery
Huawei launched Y7 (2019) smartphone in Europe this week at EUR 220 (approx.Rs. 17,200). It features a 6.26-inch Full HD+ display, 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 450 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage . It runs on Android 8.1 (Oreo) with EMUI 8.2 and is juiced up by 4000mAh battery. It comes with dual rear camera setup of 13-megapixel primary sensor with LED flash, and 2-megapixel secondary sensor with f/1.8 lens. For the front, it has an 8-megapixel camera for selfies and videos.
Black Shark 2 to be announced on March 18
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 will be announced in China on March 18 at a launch event to be held in Beijing. As per leaks, the phonedisplay will support full HD+ resolution of 2340×1080 pixels. It will be powered by Snapdragon 855 coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The phone will run on Android 9 Pie. Black Shark 2 Gaming Smartphone is said to come with Liquid Cooling 3.0 technology.
Huawei Watch GT to launch in India next week
After teasing the launch of Huawei Watch GT in India recently, the company has now confirmed that the smartwatch will be launching in India next week. Huawei is likely to be launching the smartwatch in India on March 12. The Huawei Watch GT features a 1.39-inch OLED touch-screen display with 454×454 pixels and 326 PPI. It comes with an optical heart rate sensor and it features Huawei’s TruSeen 3.0 technology that the company claims to offer better heart rate monitoring. The Watch GT also comes with sleep tracking and there is an inbuilt GPS as well.
Samsung Galaxy Fold coming to India: Confirmed
DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung has confirmed that Samsung’s first foldable smartphone Galaxy Fold is all set to be announced in India soon. Samsung Galaxy Fold has two screens, a 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED (21:9) cover display on the front and a 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED tablet screen with 4.2:3 aspect ratio when the phone is unfolded. It has a 7nm octa-core processor paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. There are two batteries on the inside of the two foldable slabs which amount to a total of 4,380mAh.
Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) starts receiving Android Pie update
Samsung has rolled out Android 9.0 Pie update to the Galaxy A8+ (2018). The phone was launched last year with Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system. Later on, the phone received Android 8.0 Oreo update. The Android Pie update is currently rolling out across Russia.
Honor Magic 2 3D-Face unlock edition launched with 512GB storage, 8GB RAM
The Honor Magic 2 3D Edition is a lot like the Honor Magic 2 but with new 3D bionic sensitisation technology that supports 3D face unlock, even in the dark and also enables payment authentication through facial recognition. In addition to the 3D face unlocking, the Magic 2 3D Edition comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Huawei Watch GT is coming to India soon
Huawei has now started teasing a new device for an India launch. The device appears to be a smartwatch with two weeks of battery life and that’s quite self-explanatory to assume its the Huawei Watch GT. The Huawei Watch GT was launched alongside the Huawei Mate 20 X back in October. The smartwatch from Huawei comes with a 1.39-inch OLED display with a screen resolution of 454 x 454 pixels. The new watch comes with an optical heart rate sensor and Huawei’s TruSeen 3.0 technology for better heart rate monitoring.
MediaTek preparing a high-end 5G-based 7nm chipset to rival Snapdragon 855
MediaTek has confirmed that it’ll be introducing a 7nm 5G-enabled chipset sometime this year to rival that of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 system-on-chip. The chipmaker revealed that the upcoming chip will be more powerful than theHelio P90 chip which was announced back in Decemberlast year.
Samsung Galaxy A90, A40 and Galaxy A20e listed online, launch imminent?
Samsung has listed Galaxy A90, A40 and Galaxy A20e on its official website in the UK. Samsung Galaxy A90 and A40 have already leaked before but this is the first time we hear something about a Galaxy A20e. The Galaxy A20e is expected to be a variant of the Galaxy A20 with downgraded specs. Though these product pages do not include any specifications, the listing hints that Samsung will launch these phones in the near future.