by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Markets, Sales, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Homegrown handset manufacturer Micromax has become the first company to launch a bezel-less smartphone at Rs 9,999 with a display aspect ratio of 18:9, instead of the usual 16:9.
Bezel-less smartphones have begun gaining popularity but the ones that are offered belong to the premium segment such as Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, LG G6 and the recently-launched Galaxy Note 8.
Is the Canvas Infinity worth your time and money? Let us find out.
Micromax has used minimal bezels to accommodate a 5.7-inch HD IPS display topped with 2.5D curved glass in a frame that is slightly taller than wider.
The screen has been stretched from all sides to give more screen space to the user. This is a good over 80 per cent screen-to-body ratio, similar to what Galaxy S8 offers.
That being said, a first glance at the front of the Canvas Infinity is sure to remind you of the Samsung Galaxy S8.
The metal frame around the phone makes it quite sturdy.
Users with small hands would feel comfortable using the device. In fact, the phone is ergonomic enough for single-handed use.
The rear side houses a single-lens primary camera with 13MP sensor, 81.5-degree field of view, 5P lens and LED flash and an aperture of f/2.0.
Another highlight of Canvas Infinity is 16-MP front camera that comes with soft “selfie” flash and an aperture of f/2.0.
The company says that the device sports “Super Pixel” that can shoot multiple images at the same time and combine them to give you a higher-resolution image with more details.
The camera interface is pretty simple and offers options such as time-lapse, panorama, video, beauty, and portrait mode.
The imaging capability of the primary camera is decent with good colour reproduction. We think the front camera does a better job at clicking images with sharp details.
At a time when unibody smartphones are a rage, the company has opted for a removable plastic back with metal finish for Canvas Infinity.
Similar to the Moto G5, Canvas Infinity’s back can be removed to reveal two SIM card slots and a dedicated microSD card slot to expand memory up to 128GB.
“Smart Action” is a handy feature that lets the user call a contact by placing the phone close to the ear, wake and lock screen by double tap, flip the phone to mute or snooze alarm and more.
The phone supports smart gestures such as draw O to open the camera, M to launch music app and C for the phone.
Users can also also choose from handy options such as Android Nougat’s split-screen feature.
“Canvas Infinity” is powered by a Snapdragon 425 chipset which is capable of handling day-to-day tasks.
There was no noticeable lag while browsing videos or running multiple applications during our review.
Canvas Infinity runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat OS that would update to the just-launched Android 8 Oreo OS, the company said during the launch.
The customised UI looks like it has been “borrowed” from iOS. The phone’s recent apps have a card-based view which is quite like what we see on the iPhone.
What does not work?
The primary camera struggled while taking images in low light conditions. The photographs taken at night had noticeable noise.
The battery lasted less than a day when we used it rigorously to play videos, play games and browse the internet.
The 5.7-inch display loses some of its sharpness due to 720p HD only resolution.
Conclusion.
It would be unfair to compare Canvas Infinity to Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ phones because the former falls in the Rs 10,000 segment and the company’s strength has been catering to the masses.
In fact, LG Q6 with 18:9 aspect ratio is the real competitor albeit, it costs almost Rs 5,000 more.
The company has taken a step towards innovating and it is not something that we have seen the Chinese handset makers do.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Technology
By Sourabh Kulesh,
New Delhi : After receiving good response for ‘A1 Plus’ (at Rs 26,999), Gionee India has launched ‘A1 Lite’ for Rs 14,999, pinning its hopes on the 20MP selfie camera and a massive 4,000mAh battery.
With a nearly six per cent share in the domestic smartphone market, Gionee launched this device to compete in the mid-segment range where Motorola (Moto G5 Plus) and Xiaomi (Redmi Note 4) already have a strong hold.
Can Gionee A1 Lite dethrone the leaders? Let’s find out.
The phone comes in two colours — gold and black. It has 5.3-inch HD display with 2.5D Gorilla Glass protection and sports a back cover that gleams metallic along with a sleek unibody design.
The 4G VoLTE-enabled A1 Lite runs on an octa-core 64-bit processor with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB.
We tested it with a few games, opened multiple apps and did not experience any lag.
The device houses a 20MP selfie camera that is powered by four-cell technology. The result is better selfies than its predecessor.
The 13MP rear camera, however, is not that good when it comes to image quality as compared with its competitors.
On the software front, the device runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with Amigo OS 4.0 skin which offers smooth transition.
The toggles pop up from the bottom — just as in Apple devices — but too much bloatware is a bit of a turn-off.
As far as the battery is concerned, the 4,000mAh pack will keep you connected all day long. The device returned a massive 23-hour running time when we used it to surf on social media, light gaming and almost 70 minutes of content consumption.
What doesn’t work?
The photos taken in low-light conditions are too grainy. Heating issues also need to be taken care of.
The company claims A1 Lite unlocks in just 0.3 second with the fingerprint sensor located under the rear camera. However, it took a bit longer.
Conclusion: With competitors like Xiaomi and Motorola (and now Coolpad has joined the fray with its 6GB Cool Play 6) in this price segment, it would be a daunting task for Gionee to stay ahead in the race.
If you need better selfies to charm your girlfriend and a longer battery life to stay connected, place your bet on the A1 Lite.
(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Business, Markets, News, SMEs, Technology
By Gokul Bhagabati,
Dubai : Even as Coolpad rolled out a power-packed mid-budget ‘Cool Play 6’ smartphone targeting gamers over the last weekend, the Chinese smartphone maker would not stop catering to the needs of those transitioning from feature phones to smartphones in India, Coolpad Global CEO James Du has said.
With a base of 150 million 4G feature phone users, India is currently placed behind China and the US. With an estimated installed base of 340 million 4G devices, India will displace the US as the second-largest market by next year, predicts Counterpoint Research. India currently has over 300 million smartphone users.
“The Indian smartphone market has now become larger than the feature phone market. It will grow even bigger as a large section of feature phone users is still transitioning to smartphones. We are calling them changing users,” Du told IANS on the sidelines of an event here.
“These users want value-for-money products. So for Coolpad, our strategy is to continue satisfying the demands coming from those looking for economy products,” Du added.
‘Cool Play 6’ comes in a metal body and sports a bezel display. It has a 5.5-inch full-HD display with 1080 x 1980 pixels screen resolution. Powered by 1.95GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor, ‘Cool Play 6’ would be the most affordable 6GB smartphone in India
“Since Coolpad has strong R&D capability and has the capacity to manufacture high-end products, we have also started launching high-end products. ‘Cool Play 6’ has already been launched and we will roll out more high-end products for the Indian market soon,” the top company executive said.
The phone, which runs on Android 7.1.1, offers 64GB of internal storage and packs 13 MP + 13 MP dual primary camera and a 8 MP front shooter for selfies.
Launched for the Indian market at Rs 14,999, ‘Cool Play 6’ will be available exclusively on Amazon from September 4.
The company, which claims to produce 34 million smartphones every year, is set to go offline in a big way, Du revealed.
“In the Indian market, we are looking to stably ranked among the top three smartphone brands on Amazon in terms of market share. As far as the offline target is concerned, we are planning to expand our stores to more than 5,000 by end of this year,” Du told IANS.
“We already have offline presence in eight states with a reach in 3,000 multi-brand outlets and have plans to expand it to a total number of 18 states in next one year,” added Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India.
Going ahead, Coolpad is even open to rolling out ‘Cool Play 6’ in the offline market.
“We are here to disrupt the market, or rather, correct the market,” Tajuddin told IANS, adding that the lean period that Coolpad have had for the past three months was now over.
“Coolpad smartphones have a 25 per cent market share on Amazon in the sub Rs-8,000 category. With this launch, we not only plan to lead the online space but also to make a bigger impact in the offline market in India,” Tajuddin said, while revealing plans to launch ‘Cool S1 Changer’ and probably one more device before Diwali.
“We are ready to take on the big boys,” he said.
Coolpad is also set to open exclusive services centres in India.
“We plan to have these in at least five cities in next six months,” Du said, noting that India and the US have now become two of the largest markets for Coolpad overseas.
The company has carved out a niche for itself by drastically pulling down the price bar for phones with sophisticated features, offering other Chinese competitors like Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo a tough competition.
(Gokul Bhagabati attended the event at the invitation of Coolpad. He can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Corporate, Corporate Buzz, Markets, SMEs, Technology
Dubai : The 6GB RAM Coolpad Cool Play 6 smartphone launched for the Indian market at Rs 14,999 will be available exclusively on Amazon from September 4, the company has said.
The phone unveiled here on Sunday at an event comes in a metal body and sports a bezel display. It has a 5.5-inch Full HD display with 1080 x 1980 pixels screen resolution.
Powered by 1.95GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 processor Cool Play 6 would be the most affordable 6GB RAM smartphone in India. It also has a fingerprint sensor.
India and the US have now become two of the largest markets for Coolpad overseas.
“We have always believed in launching products that start a trend in the market and Cool Play 6 is yet another winner from Coolpad,” James Du, Global CEO, Coolpad Group, told reporters.
“We are also coming with exclusive Coolpad services centres in India with plan to have these in at least five cities in the next six months,” Du said.
The phone will be available exclusively on Amazon.in from September 4, in two colour variants — gold and black, Coolpad announced.
The phone offers 64GB of internal storage and packs 13 MP + 13 MP dual primary camera and a 8 MP front shooter for selfies.
It has 4000 mAh, non-removable Li-Po battery with a standby time up to 300 hours, with support for USB Type-C reversible connector and Dual SIM (Nano), the company said.
The phone runs on Android 7.1.1. The Android 8.0 OTA update will be provided by December, Coolpad said.
“In the last couple of years Coolpad has done well and we have beaten even our own estimates. Year 2017 has been a game changer for Coolpad in India and we continue to put our resources in the country with a plan to achieve 50 per cent growth to extend our market share to six per cent of the total market in India,” Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India, said.
“We already have offline presence in eight states with a reach in 3,000 multi-brand outlets and have plans to expand it to a total number of 18 states in the next one year,” Tajuddin said.
“Coolpad smartphones have a 25 per cent market share on Amazon in the Rs 8,000 category,” he added.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Markets, Technology
By Anuj Sharma:New Delhi, (IANS) At a time when Make in India smartphones have come of age and are pushing sales in the country, Bengaluru-based consumer technology company CREO has joined the fray with its first device — “Mark 1” – that has a remarkable indigenously-built operating system (OS).
Called “Fuel,” the OS is based on Android Lollipop 5.1.1 and is user-friendly. The best part is that CREO, after taking in suggestions from its community of users, will give monthly software updates for free (it rolled out its first software update for “Fuel OS” last week).
Priced at Rs.19,999, the 4G-enabled device competes with the likes of Gionee S6 and One Plus One. Powered by 1.95 GHz octa-core HelioX10 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM, it offers Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/2G, GPS, Bluetooth, USB On the Go (OTG) and dual SIM.
What works for the device?
The 5.5-inch Quad HD display makes the “Mark 1” only smartphone at present to feature a bigger Quad HD screen in this price range.
The device offers good brightness in both indoor and outdoor environments. We found viewing angles better too.
The grey aluminium frame design with matte-finish running along the sides is what brings a premium touch to its body. Another plus point is Gorrlla Glass 3 layer on both sides to prevent the screen from accidental falls and unwanted scratches.
The three round-shaped buttons for power and volume are ergonomically placed and offer good tactile feedback.
For security, there is Retriever — an app that never lets you lose your device. It’s foolproof in detecting theft and automatically triggers alerts to the users’ registered email ID any time a new SIM is inserted into the device. It works without an active internet connection and even after a factory reset, making it “un-stealable”.
The ReFuel app allows you to check for updates and also gives you a tour of new features.
Another app — Echo — answers your calls when you are busy, sends a greeting to the caller and records messages for you.
Of the 32GB in-built internal storage, you will get approximately 25GB which gives you a decent amount of space to store multimedia content. You can also expand the storage up to 128GB via a micro-SD card.
The 21MP rear camera is suited for daylight photography. The camera app also includes a “3D photo” feature to capture a 3D image of an object. The 8MP front camera is, again, suitable when there is a good amount of light.
What doesn’t work?
Even though it packs a bigger Quad HD display, the smartphone is not capable of running “Full High-Definition (1080p)” videos smoothly and lag surfaced while viewing. In this price range, its rivals Gionee S6 and One Plus One perform better as they have have Full HD display.
With specs like octa-core processor and 3GB RAM, the device did not multitask well and there were performance issues even while playing games like Asphalt Nitro.
In terms of design, it has a minimalistic design. At 190 grams, the “Mark 1” felt heavy when in hand.
The sound quality delivered by two speakers positioned at the bottom is decent but gets reduced whenever a finger is put near the speakers, which disappoints when using the device in the landscape mode.
The 3100 mAH battery lasted for two hours and 35 minutes wherein we looped a video at full brightness until the battery drained out, which seems average given the battery size.
During everyday usage like listening to songs and chatting on social media, the battery could not go for over nine hours. Keep a power bank in case you want to watch more multimedia content on the go.
Conclusion: As a mid-range device, the CREO Mark 1 smartphone does offer some good specifications, but if you have really high expectations in this price segment, try other options.
But if you want to give an Indian brand a chance in the crowded smartphone space, it won’t be a bad idea to go for “Mark 1”.
(Anuj Sharma can be contacted at anuj.s@ians.in)
