Samsung has managed to impress the entire world with the Galaxy S8 and the S8+. Although some reports have talked about how it’s not doing all that well in the marketplace, Samsung has been quick to dismiss those reports. The company is now shifting its focus on the Galaxy Note 8, which is slated to be announced on the 23rd of August. With just over a month left for its arrival, we’re having a look at some of the reasons why it will be worth the wait.

Point to prove

The Galaxy Note 7 came under severe scrutiny for fire related incidents last year, which subsequently led to the company recalling all the sold units. There was even talk that Samsung would ditch the entire Galaxy Note lineup after the entire episode. But the company confirmed shortly that the Galaxy Note lineup is here to stay, and that we would see a new variant in 2017. Given the history, Samsung desperately wants to regain the faith of its loyal customers and get back on the saddle again.

One of a kind

The Galaxy Note series has seen a handful of rivals in the industry, even though no device has come close to matching the company in terms of sales figures. So if we manage to completely erase the memory of the Galaxy Note 7 from our minds, we might be in for a pretty exciting flagship in a month from now.

Hardware

Every Galaxy Note flagship introduces a new hardware feature that would be unique to the device. Although Samsung eventually ends up using the feature on the next Galaxy S flagship, it still remains exclusive to the Galaxy Note lineup for a while. Also, since the handset breaks cover significantly later in the year, it is bound to have the best hardware on board. At this point, it seems very likely that Samsung will use the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor on the handset, although Indian customers will have to make do with a slightly underpowered Exynos CPU.

Dual-cameras?

It’s about time that Samsung finally joined the dual-camera bandwagon. Given that Apple and even LG has a dual-camera flagship, one would think that it’s only a matter of time before Samsung has one of its own. Although we have no confirmation on this front, one feels that Samsung will grab this opportunity and impress the critics and users with its camera yet again.

Better design

I’ve been personally very impressed with the design of the Samsung Galaxy S8. We will no doubt see an evolution of the company’s iconic design language, and perhaps an improved “Infinity Display”. It will be interesting to see if the Galaxy Note 8 will be bigger than the Galaxy S8+ or if the company will retain the same 5.7-inch display that we’ve seen with the past four Galaxy Note flagships.

We heard about Jio’s 4G VoLTE feature phone a couple of days ago. Much to our surprise, it has now been learned that the handset will actually be produced by Indian OEM Intex Technologies. While the company couldn’t share details on the expected pricing, it is said that Jio will gauge the market situation accordingly before coming to a decision. It has been confirmed that the phone will reach the markets by August.

Intex specifies that the handset will only be sold by Jio in the country, so interested customers won’t be able to get it directly from Intex. The handset will apparently be priced according to a subsidy model by Reliance Jio in the country. In terms of perks and features, we expect this feature phone to be pretty much on par with Jio’s LYF handsets, although being a feature phone, the device is bound to have some hardware limitations.

• Jio’s new JioFi data plans include 224GB free data for fresh customers

It has been mentioned that the handset will run a forked version of Firefox OS known as KaiOS, which in turn could receive Jio branding when it officially reaches the markets. The handset is also expected to be packing a 2.4-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of expandable storage, a 2MP rear camera, and a VGA front camera for video calls. Features like VoLTE, GPS, and MIMO are also expected to be present. It seems like the phone will be branded under Jio’s LYF brand in the country.

This could prove to be a smart move by Reliance Jio, potentially disrupting the sales of several mobile manufacturers. There’s no doubt that mobile carriers will also be hit by this new move.  

• Jio's new unlimited plan comes with 3 months validity

A leak yesterday spoke about the Nokia 8 and some of the hardware that it will bring to the table. It was also learned that the smartphone will break cover on the 31st of July. We’re now coming across a detailed press render leaked by Evan Blass a.k.a @evleaks on Twitter. The renderings found here show the dual-camera setup on the back, thus corroborating previous leaks. 

The front, however, is slightly disappointing as it comes with a fairly thick bottom and top bezels. This is partly because Nokia is going with a physical home button on the front accompanied by capacitive keys on either side, which is a throwback to some older Android flagships from the years past.

The dual-camera on the back comes with Carl-Zeiss branding, so one can expect the camera to be a decent performer. However, we can’t ascertain the real performance of a camera until it’s tested, so we’ll reserve judgment until then. It’s relieving to know that Nokia is also offering a 3.5mm headphone jack for audio playback, instead of going with a USB C hybrid. It’s not clear at this point if the Nokia 8 will come with a USB C port for charging and data transfer, although we’ll be very surprised if it doesn’t. 

The Nokia 8 is expected to be packing a 5.3-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) display, 4/6/8GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, 13MP dual-cameras on the back, and Android 7.1 Nougat. The phone is believed to have dimensions of 151.55 x 73.7mm, but there’s no word on the thickness as of yet. Reports have pegged the phone to be available in Blue, Steel, Gold/Blue, and Gold/Copper color variants at launch.

(Main Image: Evan Blass)

• Nokia and Xiaomi set to collaborate on a range of strategic projects

As per a new report coming from a Scandinavian retailer, Nokia’s next flagship will break cover by July 31. The retailer also shed some light on the pricing of the handset, suggesting that the phone will cater to the high-end smartphone segment. The handset will be priced at €589 apparently, which roughly translates to Rs 43,400. Going by this, one can say that the Nokia 8 will be an exciting addition to the high-end smartphone segment and will compete primarily with the Android offerings.

The handset will be produced by HMD Global, much like all the other Nokia products that have been launched over the past year or so. A separate report has debunked claims that the new flagship will be known as the Nokia 9.

The handset will reportedly come with the model number T-1004. Rumors have pegged that the phone will sport a 5.3-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) display, the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor, 13MP dual rear cameras, 4/8GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. The phone will reportedly be available in Blue, Steel, Gold/Blue and Gold/Copper color variants at launch. It’s important to realize that the handset might take some time to make its way to India given that it’s likely to be unveiled in Europe and China first. 

Nokia’s mid-ranged handset, the Nokia 6 is yet to reach Indian markets with Amazon currently taking pre-registrations for the device. The handset is priced at Rs 14,999 in the country with the official sale expected on August 23.

• Benchmark listing reveals three new Moto phones with Snapdragon 835

A new leak uncovered by techpp has prematurely revealed a new feature phone by Jio and LYF which comes with VoLTE and VoWi-Fi on board. It is said that this phone will be capable of running some of Jio’s core entertainment apps like Jio TV and Jio Cinema despite being a feature phone. The phone doesn’t have any distinguishing physical features and it looks like any other feature phone would. However, it’s unwise to go only by the looks of this particular handset given the kind of features it comes with. The official name of this handset hasn’t been revealed as of now. 

• Jio's new unlimited plan comes with 3 months validity

It is said that the phone runs a customized version of Firefox OS known as KAI OS. The device will apparently come with a dedicated app store known as KaiOS Plus, which will probably be renamed as the Jio Store eventually. The phone has a standard numeric keypad with Hindi and English support by default. 

The handset runs a Spreadtrum processor and not the Snapdragon 205 which officially supports VoLTE. It is said that this feature will come with a voice assistant by default with support for Indian languages. Another unique feature for this feature phone is the presence of a front facing camera and video calling support. With features like these, it seems like Jio is all set to make a massive impact on the Indian feature phone market as well.

Other features of the handset include a 2.4-inch LCD panel, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage (expandable up to 128GB), a 2MP rear camera, a VGA front camera, Wi-Fi, VoLTE, GPS, MIMO, and a 2,000mAh battery. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't come with Wi-Fi hotspot support, so the users will not be able to share Jio’s 4G LTE data with other devices. This move makes sense as having the hotspot feature on a low-cost feature phone would basically make the JioFi router obsolete.

The phone is expected to launch over the coming weeks. 

(Image Credits: techpp)

• AR focused ASUS ZenFone AR makes its way to India

We’ve seen Lenovo’s Phab 2 Pro with AR-centric features on board. ASUS joined the Project Tango club earlier this year with the launch of the ZenFone AR. The handset is the thinnest Project Tango device available in the markets, so it’s bound to have a few takers. 

Well, the handset has now been officially announced for the Indian markets, sporting a TriCam setup on the back to help you capture AR content. The phone is also compatible with Google’s Daydream View headset, giving you a comprehensive AR/VR experience from the handset. The ZenFone AR is the only phone in the world to support both Daydream and Project Tango.

The handset features a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) Super AMOLED display along with the quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage with a microSD card slot. To recall, the company unveiled the 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM variant with storage variants ranging from 32GB to 256GB during the global announcement. 

There’s a massive 23MP camera on the back accompanied by two other sensors for depth focusing and motion sensing, some of the key components required for augmented reality. The company calls this the TriCam system. 

The cameras also come with OIS (optical image stabilization) and EIS (electronic image stabilization) on board, so the customers can expect the very best in terms of camera performance with the ZenFone AR. The phone is running Android 7.0 Nougat by default, while a 3,300mAh battery powers the device. 

The phone uses DTS HD and DTS Headphone X sound enhancements to offer impressive audio from the default speakers as well as headphones. There’s a USB C port on board as well. The phone is only 9mm thick, which is pretty spectacular considering the kind of hardware it’s packing under the hood.

Buyers will get the Asus ZenEar S earphones, built out of aerospace grade metal and have a triple diaphragm. 

Asus Zenfone AR price, availability and offers

The handset will be available via Flipkart from today 4PM onwards. It is priced at Rs 49,999 and comes only in Black colour variant for Indian market. 

Buying Zenfone AR on Flipkart can help you get Rs 2,500 off on the recently launched Google Daydream View VR headset. Reliance Jio has collaborated with Asus and Flipkart to offer up to 100GB of additional data with a complimentary Prime subscription.

As we’re heading into the latter part of 2017, reports of new devices pour in almost every day. We’re now coming across a handful of leaks pertaining to Google’s new Pixel XL handset. While Android Police leaked the Black version of the Pixel XL not too long ago, Twitter user @VenyaGeskin1 has managed to come up with the company’s “Very Silver” variant based on the renders already made available by previous leaks. 

The color is exactly as you would expect from a Pixel phone, with the two tone color combination prominent on the back panel. As for the device itself, we can see that the phone has no dual-cameras, suggesting that Google is sticking to what works best rather than go by the current trends. The rear camera sensor appears to be massive, though, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Pixel phones are known for their amazing camera abilities.

The front is where all the action happens with the new Pixel phones, as the company is using an oleophobic surface, which almost looks like a curved display. The company is also using a front facing speaker this time (located underneath the earpiece). Perhaps the Pixel phones will have another set of speakers on the bottom next to the charging port, much like the iPhone 7 lineup. 

Geskin has also uncovered the “Very Blue” version of the Pixel XL with the same dimensions, which is worth a look as well. It must be noted that the Very Blue version of the 2016 Pixel and the Pixel XL are exclusive to some parts of the world, so don’t get your hopes up if you live in India.

It is reported that Google will use a 6-inch AMOLED display with the Pixel XL this year, up from 5.5-inches. This aspect is yet to be confirmed, so let’s take it with a grain of salt for the moment.

• Benchmark listing reveals three new Moto phones with Snapdragon 835

Moto has already announced a bunch of handsets this year, although we’re still waiting for the company’s high-end offerings. Three new AnTuTu benchmark listings have revealed what the company might have in store for us. Interestingly, a device with the model number XT1650 has leaked out. This model number belongs to the Moto Z from last year. So it’s possible that the company is perhaps testing the new chipset with the older model as well. 

The benchmark listings have revealed the Moto Z2 and what appears to be the Moto Z2 Force. The Moto Z2 is shown to be packing a Quad HD display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a 12MP rear camera, a 5MP front camera, Android 7.1.1, and the octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor.

The handset with the model number XT1789-05 is reported to be the Moto Z2 Force. While it shares the same hardware as the standard Moto Z2, the device comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on board. The display size of both devices are unknown at this point, although rumors are hinting at 5.5-inch AMOLED panels for both phones.

The XT1650 appears to have the same hardware as the Moto Z2, suggesting that this might just be a prototype that the company is testing in its labs. 

The announcement of these two flagships shouldn’t be far away with the company scheduling a launch event for the 25th of July. Moto’s lineup this year has been pretty attractive with the company already unveiling the Moto G, Moto E, and the Moto C lineups catering to a wide range of audiences. 

Given that the industry has already seen flagships from Samsung, LG, HTC, and OnePlus, it will be interesting to see if Moto’s offerings will receive any attention from the market.

Dual-camera phones are nothing new to the market. However, since the Apple iPhone 7 Plus was announced last year, manufacturers have been somewhat rushing to launch dual-camera phones of their own. This is not to say that Apple started the trend of dual-camera phones. However, one can’t deny that Apple, no doubt popularized the idea. So what are some of the popular dual-camera phones that we can find in the Indian mobile industry today? Let’s have a look.

The result of Xiaomi's partnership with Google, Mi A1 supported by the search giant's Android One program is aimed at users who want a premium smartphone experience in low price. The Mi A1 reboots Google's Android One program which was at first created for budget OEM's so that they could give a great experience to users with the help of stock Android. With its reboot, Google has tweaked that a bit and will not focus on smartphone manufacturers that can give a good overall experience to consumers, both with hardware and software.

The A1 features a full HD 5.5-inch IPS display and is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor backed by 4GB of RAM and an onboard storage of 64GB which can further be expanded with the help of a microSD card. Mi A1 comes with dual camera setup and houses twin 12-megapixel camera modules, one wide-angle, f/2.2 aperture and the other one being a telephoto f/2.6 aperture lens. On the front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie camera as well. As the smartphone is a product associated with Android One, it runs on stock Android 7.1.2 with promised update to Android 8.0 Oreo. Mi A1 draws power from a 3,080 mAh battery which supports fast charging.

The Mi A1 is up for sale on Flipkart and Mi.com, priced at Rs 14,999.

Buy Xiaomi Mi A1 on Flipkart

Read the full review here: Xiaomi Mi A1 Review 

With the G5s Plus, Moto has improved an already capable smartphone and makes it entry into the league of dual camera phones. The Moto G5s Plus features a 5.5-inch full HD IPS display protected with Gorilla Glass 3. Under the hood lies Qualcomm's Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor supported by Adreno 506 GPU and 4GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage. Users have the option to increase the storage via microSD card for up to 256GB.

As with all the smartphones in the Moto catalogue, the Moto G5s Plus runs on stock Android 7.1 Nougat.

Moto G5s Plus comes with two 13-megapixel camera sensors with an f/2.0 aperture. Moto has chosen to go with RGB and Monochrome sensors while the front houses an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

The phone comes with a 3,000 mAh battery capacity which supports fast charging. 

The Moto G5s Plus is available on Amazon India for Rs 15,999 in Lunar Gray and Blush Gold colour options.

Buy Moto G5s Plus on Amazon

Read: Moto G5s Plus Vs Moto G5 Plus: How good is the new one?

While the market talks a lot about the iPhone 7 Plus and the OnePlus 5, very little has been spoken about the Huawei P9. The dual-cameras onboard the P9 uses a slightly different technology underneath as it consists of a standard sensor and a monochrome sensor to offer optimum detail and contrast to your photographs.

It’s pretty decently packed in other departments too, so the camera is not its only strength. It is currently selling via Flipkart and Amazon for roughly around Rs 39,999, which I feel is a bit too much for a phone of this calibre.

Read the full review: Huawei P9 review

One of the hottest phones to come out this year, the OnePlus 5 is the handset that everyone is talking about right now. The phone’s claim to fame is the dual-cameras on the back and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 running underneath. The phone also comes with a slightly revamped (yet unoriginal) design. 

The handset’s dual-camera performance has received significant praise from users and experts alike, although it is said to be lacking in comparison to the iPhone 7 Plus. But considering the disparity in pricing between the two handsets, we don’t see this as much of a problem.

There’s not a lot that hasn’t been said about the company’s new flagship, and it’s currently selling via OnePlus’ online store as well as Amazon India. The 64 and 128GB variants have been priced at Rs 32,999 and Rs 37,999 respectively.

Read the full review: OnePlus 5 review

The iPhone 7 Plus is the phone to beat in the industry right now. Even though it’s been nearly 10 months since the handset was released, there really is no handset that can come close to it in terms of dual-camera performance. We can’t say the same about single camera performance, however, since devices like the Samsung Galaxy S8, and the HTC U11 are significantly ahead in this area. 

The phone is slightly bulky for the display size offered by the company, which has been a hallmark of the iPhones over the past few years. We cannot forget the fact that it’s incredibly expensive right now, especially in India, which is a massive factor to consider before you make up your mind about getting the device. The three storage variants of the iPhone 7 Plus will set you back by Rs 56,000, Rs 64,000 and Rs 76,000 respectively from online retailers in the country.

Read the full review: iPhone 7 Plus review

Launched at MWC 2017, the LG G6 is the latest G series device succeeding the LG G5. The smartphone comes with dual 13MP cameras at the back. While, the primary camera is packed with optical image stabilization, the same is lacked by the 125 degree wide-angle lens, however it can click some amazing GoPro like pictures. 

Surprisingly, the handset is powered by Snapdragon 821 while the latest version, Snapdragon 835 is already in the market and is used in competing phones like OnePlus 5, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and US version of the Galaxy S8. The phone is available both online and offline retail shops at around Rs 40,000.

Read the full review: LG G6 review

For those who want a smartphone with a big high resolution screen and top-end multimedia features, LG V20 is the perfect choice. It comes with 5.7-inch Quad-HD IPS display along with a secondary display, which is one nifty feature that LG introduced last year. The Quad-DAC integration with free B&O PLAY headsets elevates the sound experience for audiophiles.

The smartphone has a dual-camera setup on the rear, which includes a 16MP primary lens and an 8MP wide-angle lens with 135 degree angle of view. The LG V20 comes with 5MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture that gives a wide-angle effect, thereby cutting off the need of an additional lens.

LG V20 is available at around Rs 35,000 from both online and offline retail stores.

Read the full review: LG V20 review

The newly launched Honor 8 Pro comes with dual 12MP cameras at the back and 8MP camera on the front. Just like Huawei P9, the secondary lens at the back comes with a monochrome sensor which enhances the quality of the image especially in low lighting conditions. 

The handset comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage which makes it compete directly against the OnePlus 5. Priced at Rs 29,999, Honor 8 Pro is exclusively available on Amazon India.

Read the full review: Honor 8 Pro review

Coolpad is a big part of Amazon’s Prime Day sales with two of its handsets currently selling with sizable discounts. The Coolpad Note 5 is currently selling for Rs 8,999, which is a discount of Rs 2,000 on its original price. The Coolpad Cool 1 is also available with a discount of Rs 1,000 with the 32GB + 3GB RAM variant selling for Rs 9,999. The 4GB variant is priced at Rs 12,999, although it doesn’t appear to be a part of the Prime Day sale. 

Amazon specifies that both deals are only applicable to members of Amazon Prime, so it makes sense to get a Prime subscription as soon as you can to avail further benefits on products. In addition to discounts on items, Prime members are entitled to expedited shipping on Prime approved products and unlimited access to Amazon Prime Video, the company’s on-demand video streaming service.

The Coolpad Note 5 and the Cool 1 are pretty exciting smartphones in the Indian budget segment and the price reduction makes them a hot favorite on Amazon right now. 

The Coolpad Note 5 comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) panel, a 13MP rear camera, an 8MP front camera with LED flash, and the octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor. The phone comes with 4GB of RAM by default accompanied by 32GB of internal storage, which is expandable via microSD. Rounding off the specs sheet is a 4,010mAh battery and Android 6.0.1 with the company’s proprietary CoolUI on board.

Coolpad Note 5 at Rs 8,999 @ Amazon (save Rs 3,000)

The Coolpad Cool 1 features the same 5.5-inch Full HD display on board and comes with the octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor. This is also one of the only budget phones to come with dual-cameras on the back (13MP + 13MP). There’s an 8MP front facing camera on board with “Selfie Beautification” to further enhance your self-portraits. The entry level variant comes with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage, which appears to be preferred choice for many. The handset comes with a 4,000mAh battery and Android 6.0 Marshmallow with CoolUI.

Coolpad Cool 1 at Rs 9,999 @ Amazon (save Rs 2,000)

You can also check out the best smartphone deals on Amazon Prime Day here.

• Amazon Prime Day 2017: Best deals on Fire TV Stick and Kindles

Amazon is currently hosting Prime Day which offers attractive discounts on innumerable products across a vast range of categories. The retailer is also offering the OnePlus 3T as part of its Prime Day deal, with the 64GB + 6GB version of the handset selling for just Rs 27,999 on its site. 

While the demand for the OnePlus 3T might have come down significantly post the arrival of the OnePlus 5, it is still a highly capable handset when we look at the hardware it offers. The phone was launched late last year as an upgraded version of the OnePlus 3, which arrived in mid-2016. The fact that the OnePlus 3T was launched just a few months after the OnePlus 3 angered quite a few OnePlus 3 owners, and rightly so. 

The OnePlus 3T comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) Optic AMOLED display, along with the quad-core Snapdragon 821 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of non-expandable UFS 2.0 storage. The phone comes with Android 6.0 by default, although the handset is upgradeable to Android 7.1.1 Nougat. 

The phone also has a 16MP camera on the back, along with a 16MP front facing camera for wide angle selfies. The rear camera comes with the company’s updated Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) tech for improved performance.

The phone is using the new USB Type-C port at the bottom, which allows for faster charging and improved data transfer rates. The device is handled by a 3,400mAh battery with fast charging tech known as Dash Charge, which allows the OnePlus 3T to be charged up in double quick time. The handset is surely an exciting prospect with this new price cut, although customers have to be quick as the discount won’t last long. This lighting deal will end at 11:45 PM today i.e. 10th of July.

• Amazon Prime Day sale kicks off at 6PM today; what’s in store for us?
• Amazon Prime Day 2017: What's new on Prime Video?

OnePlus took the market by storm when it announced the dual-camera toting OnePlus 5 last month. However, the handset isn’t without competition in the mobile industry. A few months prior to its arrival, Huawei unveiled the Honor 8 Pro in the markets, also featuring a dual-camera setup on the back. However, OnePlus and Huawei are using slightly different technologies with their cameras, so the results will not be the same. We will have a brief look at the cameras, and more in this comparison. 

Honor 8 Pro vs OnePlus 5 design

Customers can easily distinguish between the OnePlus 5 and the Honor 8 Pro, despite featuring an identical looking rear camera sensor. Huawei is using a rear-facing fingerprint scanner here, whereas the OnePlus 5 comes with a front-facing fingerprint scanner. Both phones are made using almost the same materials, although the Honor 8 Pro stands out thanks to the company’s unique color choices. The OnePlus 5, on the other hand, can be easily confused for the Apple iPhone 7 Plus or the Oppo R11. 

The Honor 8 Pro weighs 184 grams and comes with dimensions of 157 x 77.5 x 7mm. The OnePlus 5 features dimensions of 154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3mm, while being much lighter at 153 grams. The Honor 8 Pro, despite featuring dual-cameras is significantly thinner than the OnePlus 5. It is also important to note that the Huawei handset features a bigger display and battery compared to the OnePlus 5, so the added bulk is understandable.

Both phones have a near identical screen-to-body ratio, although the Honor 8 Pro has a slight advantage here since it doesn’t have to accommodate the fingerprint scanner below the display.

Honor 8 Pro vs OnePlus 5 display

OnePlus is using its tried and tested 5.5-inch Full HD (1920x1080) Optic AMOLED display on board, with a pixel density of 401ppi. Clearly, the company wasn’t swayed by the competition into using a Quad HD display.

Huawei’s Honor 8 Pro, on the other hand, comes with a larger 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) IPS LCD panel. Owing to the higher display resolution, the handset comes with a pixel density of 515ppi. 

• Xiaomi vs Micromax: A tale of two smartphone brands

Honor 8 Pro vs OnePlus 5 OS and power

The Honor 8 Pro features the HiSilicon Kirin 960 octa-core processor by default with the Mali-G71 MP8 GPU on board. OnePlus is using the Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor with the Adreno 540 GPU.

OnePlus is packing raw power with its handset, as is evident from the RAM capacity offered by the company. The entry level variant comes with 64GB of storage and 6GB of RAM, while the top of the line model packs 128GB of storage and a whopping 8GB of RAM. The Honor 8 Pro is available in 4/6GB of RAM variants with 64GB of storage. Huawei is also offering a microSD card slot with its handset, while OnePlus isn’t. Both phones are using the UFS 2.1 storage for faster data transfer and read/write speeds. 

Since the Huawei Honor 8 Pro was launched slightly earlier, it comes with Android 7.0 on board accompanied by the company’s proprietary Emotion UI 5.1. The OnePlus 5, however, features Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box with OxygenOS.

The Honor 8 Pro also comes with an infrared port, which is lacking on modern day smartphones, including the OnePlus 5.

Honor 8 Pro vs OnePlus 5 camera and battery

One would assume that since both phones use a dual-camera sensor, the results ought to be more or less the same. Well, that’s not true in this case since the tech used by OnePlus and Huawei are completely different. OnePlus is taking cues from companies like Apple by focusing heavily on depth-of-field or bokeh effects on its camera along with some other handy features like optical zooming. This is possible thanks to the telephoto lens used by the company. OnePlus is using a standard 16MP sensor along with the 20MP telephoto lens on the back. This makes for an amazing camera experience for the shutterbugs. 

As for the Honor 8 Pro, the company is using an RGB sensor along with a monochrome sensor for added contrast, color, and texture. It might not sound as fancy as the dual-cameras from the OnePlus 5, but it’s surely one of the better cameras going around right now. The camera is also capable of offering amazing low-light photos, which cannot be said about every mobile camera in existence today.

Since Huawei is using a bigger display with a higher resolution, the company has wisely decided to go with a 4,000mAh unit. The OnePlus 5, however, comes with a paltry 3,300mAh battery, which might not last even a day with heavy usage. However, the stock battery saving features offered by the company should help the customers greatly.

Honor 8 Pro vs OnePlus 5 price

The Huawei Honor 8 Pro was only recently announced for the Indian markets carrying a price tag of Rs 29,999. The handset will arrive on the 10th of July at 6 PM exclusively via Amazon India. The retailer is also hosting Prime Day on the same day, offering discounts on a large variety of products.

The OnePlus 5 is available with a starting price of Rs 32,999, while the top of the line variant is priced at Rs 37,999. The handset can be purchased via Amazon India, the OnePlus online store, and a handful of OnePlus Experience Stores across the country.

Takeaway

While both phones are no doubt the flag bearers of the high-end mobile market, they both cater to a different audience. Given the similarity in hardware, however, the two handsets are always going to be compared, both in terms of hardware and performance. Given what we’ve learnt about the two devices, it’s pretty evident that Huawei has done its homework.

Despite featuring a better display, a bigger battery, and an impressive design, the phone is significantly cheaper than the OnePlus 5 in the country. Going by this factor alone, we feel the Honor 8 Pro is a better offering overall, although you can’t really go wrong with either handset.

• Amazon Prime Day India: All you need to know

Moto is all set to continue its very successful Moto E series with the Moto E4 Plus smartphone. The company has started sending out invites for the launch event on July 12. Following the post-launch buzz, Lenovo has confirmed that the device will be available exclusively on Flipkart.

Flipkart has continued its long and fruitful partnership with Moto to offer the new Moto E4 Plus exclusively to its customers. The retailer will offer the handset officially on the 12th of July, so there’s just under a week left for its release. The unveiling will be done at 12 PM on the same day, although we still don’t have any word on the pricing of the handset.

But from what we know about the phone so far, it’s clear that the Moto E4 Plus will be sold as an attractive budget ranged offering with a gargantuan battery on board. With the company teasing the arrival of the handset in India, the revelation has finally given us an idea of what to expect. 

In terms of hardware, the Moto E4 Plus comes with a 5.5-inch HD (1280x720) display. Since this is supposed to be a budget range smartphone, the low-resolution display shouldn’t matter much. The company makes up for this by using an oleophobic surface on the display along with Corning’s Gorilla Glass 3 for added durability. Moving on, the E4 Plus is also equipped with a 13MP camera on the back, and a 5MP front facing camera with LED flash. 

The phone also comes with 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, and the quad-core 1.3 GHz Mediatek MT6737 processor with the Mali-T720 GPU on board. Rounding off the specs sheet is a front-facing fingerprint scanner and a gargantuan 5,000mAh battery which should ensure usage of more than a day on a single charge. The handset features Android 7.1 Nougat by default with some Moto-specific features on board.

Given the kind of hardware it’s packing, we figure a price tag of around Rs 11,000 - 12,000 would be appropriate. We expect to find out more when the device is revealed next Wednesday.

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Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and S8+ have been selling in India for quite some time now. The company today, announced the launch of a new color variant to go along with the existing models. Known simply as Orchid Gray, this variant offers customers an additional color variant should they choose to get it.

To the naked eye, it looks like a faded version of the Black variant. There are no other distinguishing features here but the color. The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ in Orchid Gray will cost Rs 57,900 and Rs 64,900 respectively. The company claims that the two variants will be up for pre-order via Flipkart and Samsung stores between July 5 to July 11. The phones will be officially available for purchase starting July 12.

“To further fuel the unprecedented response to Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung is pleased to introduce the all new Orchid Gray colour. Through this stunning colour, our consumers would make a style statement that would set them above and apart from everyone else,” said Mr. Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

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The Galaxy S8 is a revolutionary flagship for the company and it comes with a 5.8-inch Quad HD (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED display with dual curved edges which the company calls the “Infinity Display”. Although the North American models come with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor on board, the Indian models of the Galaxy S8 come with the Exynos 8895 octa-core processor. 

The phone is also packing 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a 12MP f/1.7 rear camera, an 8MP f/1.7 front camera, Android 7.0 Nougat, and a 3,000mAh battery. The Galaxy S8 lineup also comes with Samsung Pay, DeX, and the Bixby virtual assistant with image search. 

The larger Galaxy S8+ comes with mostly the same hardware but with a 6.2-inch Quad HD (2960 x 1440) Super AMOLED display, 4/6GB of RAM, 64/128GB of expandable storage, and a 3,500mAh battery. Barring the slightly underpowered Exynos processor on board, the Indian variants of the Galaxy S8 are quite powerful compared to their industry rivals.

• Here are the Xiaomi phones that will get the Android Nougat update

Xiaomi has waited quite some time to send out the Android 7.0 update to its smartphones. So much so that the customers have been very vocal on social media forums about the company’s inability to send the update on time. 

Thankfully, there’s finally some good news for the customers of Xiaomi smartphones as the company has officially revealed the names of the devices that will be eligible for the Android 7.0 update. It must be noted that Xiaomi’s Mi Max has already received the update, although the company has been taking its sweet time with the rollout of the update for other commercially available smartphones, such as the the Redmi 4, Mi 5 etc.

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Strangely enough, Xiaomi will be sending out Android 7.0 to some devices and Android 7.1 to a handful of others. This is probably because the company has been developing the update for a few months now, long before Android 7.1 was made available. It is not known, however, if the company will update Android 7.0 devices to Android 7.1 in the future.

It’s quite baffling that the company has left out the Redmi Note 4 from the update cycle and it won’t receive either update. Considering how the Redmi Note 4 was one of the most popular smartphones in the country last year, this revelation could do a lot of damage to the company’s credibility.

Here are the smartphones that will officially receive the company’s Android 7.1 update:

• Mi 6
• Mi Max 2
• Mi 5c
• Redmi 4X (Redmi 4 in India)

And the ones that are getting Android 7.0:

• Mi Max (already updated)
• Mi 5
• Mi 5s
• Mi 5s Plus
• Mi 4c
• Mi 4s
• Mi Note
• Mi Note 2
• Mi MIX
• Redmi Note 4X

As you can see, not a lot of these handsets are available in India, so it seems like the company is mostly focusing on smartphones that are sold in Xiaomi’s home region. However, a handful of these phones are also available in India, so we can expect the update to follow shortly.

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