Vivo has confirmed the launch date of its Y95 smartphone to be November 25. The smartphone debuted in the Philippines last week.

The Y95 will be the first smartphone in India to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 octa-core SoC; it is paired with Adreno 505. 

Features and specifications

The phone sports a 6.22-inch IPS HD+ (720x1520 pixels) screen, and 4GB RAM. Internal storage is 64GB, expandable via microSD. The device packs a 4030mAh battery, and runs on Android 8.1 Oreo based on FunTouch OS 4.5. 

The Vivo Y95 features a waterdrop-shaped notch and a dual camera setup at the back, with one 13MP sensor and another 2MP sensor, with support for LED flash and PDEF. The phone also sports a rear fingerprint scanner. The selfie camera has a 20MP sensor with AI face beauty and selfie flash.

Connectivity options include WiFi, 4G LTE, Bluetooth, OTG, GM Radio, GLONASS, GPS, and more. Sensors on board range from accelerometer, light sensors, orientation, proximity sensor, and face unlock.

According to IANS, the Y95 will be priced at Rs 20,000, not a huge difference from the launch price in the Philippines, which was PHP 13,999 (about Rs 19,100). There is no word yet on launch offers, or payment gateway options.

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Asus' gaming brand, Republic of Gamers (ROG) is set to launch its first gaming smartphone in India on November 29. The upcoming phone is said to be the first in the world with a 3D vapour-chamber cooling system. 

The Taiwanese company first unveiled the Asus ROG Phone at Computex in June 2018, and now, almost five months later, it's finally set to arrive in India. Neither price nor availability details of the phone are currently known.

Gaming features

The highlights of the Asus ROG Phone are the gamer-centric design with side-mounted ports optimised for landscape mode, a 90Hz refresh rate, ultrasonic AirTrigger touch sensors, and a 1ms response time. The device is powered by a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, clocked to an upper limit of 2.96GHz, alongside a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU optimised for gaming.

In addition to the GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system, there is also a detachable Aero-Active Cooler for extra cooling. The ROG Phone comes with the optional TwinView DOck for dual-screen handheld mode, a Mobile Desktop Dock for desktop-style gaming, and a Gamevice controller with WiGig Dock for big-screen gaming. 

Phone specs

The device is powered by a custom 2.96Ghz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, alongside a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU optimised for gaming. It runs the ROG Gaming UI, and has a 6-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display (1080x2160). The display also boasts a 108.6 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut, and 10000:1 contrast ratio.  

Connectivity options run the gamut: WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, AGPS, Glonass, USB Type-C, NFC, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Internal storage on the device is up to 512GB, and 8GB of RAM. Sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor and the aforementioned ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors. The ROG phone also features a dual rear camera with 12MP and 8MP sensors each, as well as an 8MP selfie camera at the front of the device. 

The phone packs a 4000mAh battery that promises 7 straight hours of WiFi gameplay. With Asus HyperCharge direct-charge technology, the company claims that the battery can be charged to 60 per cent in a mere 33 minutes. 

Due to the absence of pricing information, it's hard to say whether the Asus ROG Phone will be a value-for-money option. But it's definitely a fresh offering in the Indian market; its only two competitors, Xiaomi's Black Shark gaming smartphone and the Razor Phone, are unavailable in India. The ROG Phone will definitely be one to keep an eye out for.

• Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro launched in India starting at Rs 13,999; sale from November 23

The Galaxy A9 (2018), which Samsung claims features the world's first rear quad camera setup, was launched yesterday in India.  Customers can pre-book their devices now, and sale of both the 6GB RAM and 8GB RAM variants begins on November 28.  You have three colour options to choose from- Bubblegum Pink, Caviar Black, and Lemonade Blue. 

Features and specifications

The Galaxy A9 is a dual (Nano) SIM device, and runs Android 8.0 Oreo-based Samsung Experience UI. It has a 6.3-inch full-HD + Infinity display, with a Super AMOLED panel and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC (where four cores are clocked at 2.2 GHz and the other four at 1.8GHz), and comes with either 6GB or 8GB RAM options. 

The device has 128GB of internal storage, which is expandable via micro-SD card up to 512GB. It has 4G VoltE, WiFi, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, and a 3.5mm headphone jack as connectivity and accompaniment options. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer, proximity sensor, and an RGB light sensor, as well as a fingerprint sensor on the rear of the phone. The device comes with a 3800mAh battery which supports fast charging. 

The USP- world's first rear quad camera

At the back of the phone are four separate cameras, with a setup that boasts a 24MP telephoto sensor, a 10MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP depth sensor.There is also a 24 MP front sensor which comes with a pre-loaded Face Unlock feature. The front sensor supports a number of beauty and flaw-detecting features, and notifies you to rectify them; it also has features like selfie focus and pro-lighting. The Galaxy A9 is said to recognise 19 distinct scenes, and optimise colour settings to make sure that shots match the content. The AR Emoji feature allows you to create up to 36 animated emojis. 

Pricing and offers

The price starts at Rs 36,990 for the 6GB RAM variant, while the 8GB RAM model is priced at Rs 39,990. The Galaxy A9 will be available on multiple platforms online- Airtel Store, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall, and Samsung Shop- as well as offline stores. 

Customers can avail cashback worth Rs 3000 if they use an HDFC credit or debit card. Samsung has also partnered with Bharti Airtel to offer the 6GB RAM variant through the Airtel Online Store at a down payment of Rs 3690, and EMI of 2349, and the 8GB RAM variant at a down payment of Rs 4890 and EMI of Rs 2449. Customers availing this offer will get Airtel postpaid plan bundles, along with benefits such as unlimited voice calls, national roaming, and a free subscriptions to Airtel TV.

If you're looking for a cutting-edge camera, the Galaxy A9 seems like the way to go. Even the high asking price doesn't seem as daunting with the EMI options, especially considering the longevity of the Samsung Galaxy line. 

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Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro in February this year, and it was a smartphone to beat. So how will the Redmi Note 6 Pro, set to launch in India on November 22, better that?

The Note 6 Pro reportedly boasts of some major updates to the camera and display, but the company has remained tight-lipped about improvements to the processor and battery.

Features and specs

The new Redmi Note 6 Pro includes a dual front camera setup, a bigger display with a notch, and AI-based features. It is a 6.26-inch full-HD + IPS LCD fullscreen display, with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixel, and a maximum brightness of 500 units. It features a 19:9 aspect ratio, 86 percent screen to body ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The display on the Note 6 Pro is incrementally larger than the Note 5 Pro- the latter had a 5.99-inch full-HD + display panel with 1080x2160 pixels resolution, and 18:9 aspect ratio, and a brightness of only 450 units.

The Note 5 Pro had no mention of certification upon launch, but the Note 6 Pro is certified by P2i, which is known for its liquid repellent nanotechnology. In simple terms, the certification is assurance that the Redmi Note 6 Pro can withstand run-of-the-mill splashes and splatters pretty well. Don’t go dropping it in the pool, though, since it doesn’t have any IP-rating for water/dust resistance.

The Redmi Note 6 Pro runs MIUI 10 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. This version of the company’s OS brings to the table a full-screen gesture-based experience, a new user interface, a natural sound system, and several revamped system apps. Like previous MIUI-based smartphones, the MIUI 10 also has a number of customizations, proprietary apps, and supplementary features.

There is a Security app which has functions like RAM cleaner, security scanner, data usage overview, battery manager, and more. Other pre-loaded apps include Amazon Shopping, Netflix, BHIM ABPB, Daily hunt and Sharechat, among others.

Camera in focus

The one major update in the Note 6 Pro is the dual front camera for portrait selfies- uncommon in most budget smartphones. It features four cameras, two in front and two at the back. At the front are a 20MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor, coupled with a 4-in-1 super pixel and AI face unlock capabilities. Much like the Note 5 Pro, the back of the phone has a 12Mp primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor with Dual Pixel autofocus, 1.4-micron pixels, and AI portrait 2.0.

Two of a kind

The Note 6 Pro launched in Thailand with only a single 4GB/64 GB variant. However, Xiaomi has revealed that two variants will be launched in India. The second model will be a 6GB/64GB storage variant, which makes both identical to the models available to the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The processor and battery are both the same as the Note 5 Pro as well- the 14nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, paired with an Adreno 509 GPU. It is powered by a 4000 mAh battery, that claims to last for up to 2 days on a single charge.

Right now, there is no word on when the phone will receive the Android 9.0 Pie update. The phone’s launch price has not been revealed either, but it will be available on Flipkart and Mi.com from November 23, 12 noon IST, the day after the India launch event.

• Xiaomi announces Rs. 1000 price cut on Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2

Realme U1 is all set to launch in India on November 28th, exclusively on Amazon. The company claims that the upcoming smartphone has the "most powerful selfie camera ever".

There are as yet no details about the much-awaited selfie camera of this ‘selfie pro’ phone, and Amazon listings don’t have any price or product specifications. But it does confirm that the U1 features the Dewdrop notch that was first seen in the Realme 2 Pro. Also, it will be the world’s first MediaTek Helio P70-powered smartphone. 

First phone with the MediaTek Helio P70

The MediaTek Helio P70, which was unveiled last month, comes with multi-core APU operating at up to 525MHz, which gives fast and efficient edge-AI processing. The AI engine is said to give a 10 to 30 percent AI processing boost as compared to the Helio P60. It also includes 4 ARM cortex-A73 cores clocked up to 2.1GHz. These cores are featured in a big.LITTLE architecture beside an ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU. The P70 has also been optimised to minimise frame-rate jitters and improve latency for touch controls and display visuals.

The chip supports camera enhancements such as real-time beautification, scene detection, and AR applications. It also boasts of improved deep-learning facial detection, claiming up to 90 percent accuracy. The Helio P70 SoC can support either a 32-MP single primary camera or a dual camera setup with 24MP and 16MP sensors. 

It also has three independent image signal processors (ISPs) to reduce power consumption- if claims are to be believed, up to 18 percent less as compared to previous Helio dual camera setups.

Although it's too early to have an opinion about the Realme U1, the MT Helio P70 does give an idea of what can we expect from the phone on November 28th. Until then, let's wait for some more details to come in.

• Xiaomi announces Rs. 1000 price cut on Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi A2, and Redmi Y2

Xiaomi announced via tweet on November 10 that it would be re-evaluating its prices due to the rise in the gap between the Rupee and the US Dollar. The tweet in question came from  Xiaomi India MD, Manu Jain.

The list of newly-pricier products consists of the Redmi 6, Redmi 6A, Mi TV 4A Pro, Mi TV 4C Pro, and Mi Power Bank 2i 10000mAh. This is the second price hike for Xiaomi this year, after the increase in the prices of the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Mi TV 4 back in May.

• Redmi 6 (3GB/32GB) now @ Rs 8499, a price hike of Rs 500 from its launch price of Rs 7999.
• Redmi 6A (2GB/16GB), the base model, is now Rs 6599, an increase of Rs 600 from its original price of Rs 5999
• Redmi 6A (2GB/32GB) has seen an increase of Rs 500 from its launch price of Rs 6999. Now @ Rs 7499.
• Mi TV 4A Pro (49-inch) @ Rs 31,999. This newer, mid-range version of the Mi TVs has been increased by Rs 2000 from its initial launch price of Rs 29,999.
• Mi TV 4C Pro (32-inch) now @ Rs 15,999- a hike of Rs 1000 from its initial pricing of Rs 14,999.
• Mi Power Bank 2i 10000mAh now @ Rs 899. It was only Rs 799 upon its launch in India

The new price scheme came into effect from November 11, 2018. This announcement by Xiaomi came shortly after Realme CEO Madhav Sheth confirmed plans to hike smartphone prices post-Diwali. 

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