by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Economy, Markets, Medium Enterprise, News, SMEs
New Delhi : Samsung dominated the premium smartphone segment in India in the first half of 2018 with almost half the market share, a new report from CyberMedia Research (CMR) said on Friday.
According to CMR India’s “Mobile Handset Review” report, Samsung (48 per cent) was followed by Chinese smartphone player OnePlus, which grabbed the second spot with 25 per cent share, and Apple with 22 per cent share.
“The premium smartphone segment, though small, is driven by aspirational, tech-savvy millennials and in the coming years, will continue to grow significantly. Samsung’s flagship S9 helped it garner a lion’s share of the premium smartphone segment,” Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, said in a statement.
One in two premium smartphones shipped in the first half of 2018 was a Samsung device.
“The success of OnePlus 6 can be traced to the intelligent brand strategy of packing the best specs at competitive price points, contributing to the emergence of a new ‘budget premium’ smartphone segment under sub-Rs 30,000,” added Ram.
During the first half of 2018, OnePlus introduced its “OnePlus Experience Stores” and is planning to embrace offline in a big way, to complement its strong online presence.
The iPhone-maker suffered a decline in demand for its iPhones due to pricing challenges on account of post-duty increase.
“Apple is reworking its India strategy for the all-important second half of 2018, with new retail partnerships, first-party stores and service overhauling with India-focused apps and services, including refreshed Apple Maps,” said Narinder Kumar, Lead Analyst-Industry Intelligence Group, CMR.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Pop-up cameras in a smartphone? Well, marriages may be made in heaven but on Earth, smartphones are definitely leaning towards cameras, introducing sliding structure that nearly mirrors the way a semi-DSLR camera works.
Chinese smartphone player OPPO did it first with “Find X” earlier this month and now its arch rival Vivo (when it comes to camera technology) has brought “NEX” into the country with a retractable selfie camera.
Vivo has equipped NEX with high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage for Rs 44,990.
Here is what we think of the bezel-less device.
Talking about the major USP — the 8MP pop-up selfie snapper — it did take some good selfies.
Once we switched to the selfie mode, the retractable camera popped out beautifully with a robotic sound (that can be turned off too) and yes, it is not fragile or flimsy but sturdy and can withstand accidental scratches and dents. It will retract if not in use.
We were also able to click some wonderful shots with NEX’s 12+5MP rear camera outdoors. Images shot in low-light conditions were not bad either.
Ditching the trend of “notched” devices — that shot to popularity after Apple introduced the iPhone X — the Vivo NEX sports a 6.59-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED screen, making it a true all-screen flagship device.
Like most top-of-the-line of flagship smartphones of 2018, the NEX sports a gorgeous glass sandwich design. The rear is glossy and has a cool mesh pattern with a slight curve.
What makes it truly innovative and futuristic is the 6.59-inch Super AMOLED display with a full HD+ resolution. Vivo has also done away with front speaker grill, thus, giving NEX a neat, all-screen look.
The screen here doubles as an earpiece, using Vivo’s “Screen SoundCasting” technology wherein the speaker system is inbuilt, as part of the screen display with no visible apertures or speaker mesh.
This feature is similar to what we have seen in high-end OLED TVs.
The fingerprint sensor, like the Vivo X21, is integrated into the display and it is better and faster this time.
The re-engineered ambient light and proximity sensors also work beautifully through the display.
The display is bright, vivid and big enough to render 91.24 per cent screen-to-body ratio to the smartphone. Viewing angles under direct sunlight was a pleasure too.
The smartphone packs in 4,000mAh battery which was good enough to last a day and a half on a single charge.
What does not work?
While the “Screen SoundCasting” feature in the phone sure is futuristic and lets users have a completely bezel-less experience, we had to place the smartphone carefully against the ear to be able to hear the other person properly in noisy environments.
The device is not water resistant which means it would be a bit difficult to freely carry it to the pool or when it is drizzling.
The AI-powered dual-rear shooter misses out on optical zoom.
Conclusion: Vivo sure deserves appreciation for turning a concept phone into a mass production device and manage to deliver an almost bezel-less experience. We would recommend the phone to those looking for an innovative flagship smartphone which also packs a hefty battery — and a unique pop-up front camera.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, Sales, Technology
By Vivek Singh Chauhan,
New Delhi : With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brand in India in the second quarter of 2018 — registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot.
Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch “Honor 9N” with “Full View” display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country.
The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.
Let’s see if “Honor 9N” (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position.
The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There’s a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish.
At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect.
The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle.
Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support.
We did not find any major lag. However, it stammered a few times while using heavy-duty apps and playing games.
On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor’s custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction.
The device that houses 3,000mAh battery performed reasonably. On a single charge, it lasted for around 12 hours with moderate use, including surfing and video data consumption.
“Honor 9N” is powered by 3MP+2MP dual lens cameras with LED flash and phase detection auto-focus (PDAF) technology that increases the focusing speed using planar image phase detection.
The camera department did a decent job, delivering sharp images with a nice amount of saturation and contrast along with ample details in the bright light conditions.
The device also comes with “AR Lens” along with quirky background to add fun element to the pictures.
A 16MP selfie shooter that is equipped with the “Portrait” mode captured sharp images with enough detailing.
The fingerprint sensor worked well. Also, a single speaker on the bottom gave nice output.
What does not work.
Both the cameras gave us good output in the bright-light conditions. However, they failed to deliver the same in low-light conditions as we found images to be grainy at times.
The company’s so called “Smart Face Unlock” feature at times did not work properly.
A fast-charging technology could have made the device more impactful.
Conclusion: “Honor 9N” offers decent look and feel with satisfactory battery and performance. At this price point, the device looks set to give some competition to the segment leader Xiaomi.
(Vivek Singh Chauhan can be contacted at vivek.c@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, SMEs, Technology
By Vivek Singh Chauhan,
New Delhi : As if Chinese players were not enough to eat into Indian smartphone players’ share, leading Vietnam-based smartphone maker Mobiistar has entered the highly-competitive market.
Mobiistar has brought two budget smartphones — “XQ Dual” and “CQ” — to the country.
Priced at Rs 7,999, the “XQ Dual” device comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that is expandable up to 128GB.
Can “XQ Dual” make a space in the crowded under-Rs 10,000 market? Let’s find out.
On the display front, the 5.5-inch IPS full HD device with an aspect ratio of 16:9 is equipped with 2.5D screen. It comes with a screen resolution of 1920X1080.
The display was bright and readability under direct sunlight was good.
The device has a fingerprint sensor at the back, power button and dual-SIM card slot on the right, volume rocker on the left, a 3.5mm headphone jack on top and USB port at the bottom.
The fingerprint sensor was impressive and unlocked the device quickly. However, the metal finish at the back made the device slippery to use.
In terms of look and design, the device appears outdated with thick bezels.
When it comes to cameras, the “XQ Dual” has a dual camera set-up in the front — 13MP and 8MP selfie camera with flash — and a 13MP rear camera.
The secondary camera on the front has a 120-degree wide-angle lens, and both the sensors feature an aperture of f/2.0.
The users can open the camera app by clicking the power button twice, although you need to set that in the setting options.
The front camera set-up appeared to be a good with satisfactory results in daylight conditions and the rear camera was found to be moderate as it failed to capture detail in the low-light conditions.
We found seven levels of “FaceBeauty” mode that help remove blemishes from the face.
“XQ Dual” runs the Octa-core Snapdragon 430 processor. The device comes with a custom user interface (UI) based on the older Android 7.1.
On the software front, the device surprised us with smooth performance as we found little lag while shuffling from one app to another. The 3,000mAh battery also performed reasonably.
What doesn’t work.
Design and display are pretty old at a time when most smartphones come with the new 18:9 aspect ratio for more viewing space and a better immersive experience.
As mentioned earlier, the device is quite slippery to use. There is also room for improvement in the camera.
Conclusion: At a price point of 7,999, “XQ Dual” competes with Honor 7A (3GB+32GB) priced at Rs 8,999 and Xiaomi devices. Take a look at other options too before making a choice.
(Vivek Singh Chauhan can be contacted at vivek.c@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, SMEs, Technology
By Gokul Bhagabati,
New Delhi : Among the Chinese players that have carved out a niche for themselves in the smartphone market in India, Xiaomi is among the top. What has worked in its favour so far is its focus on providing Indian users with reliable devices at relatively lower cost.
The launch of Redmi Y2, successor to the Redmi Y1, at Rs 9,999, is very much in line with this strategy.
In fact, the Redmi Y2 has two variants. The 4GB Ram and 64GB internal storage variant is priced slightly higher, at Rs 12,999, compared to the 3GB RAM + 32GB onboard storage variant which is priced at Rs 9,999 (that we reviewed).
With a 16MP front shooter, dual rear camera and fingerprint and face unlock features, the Redmi Y2 targets the young and the stylish and its USP is the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered camera technology that promises to automate the beautification process in images based on the user’s age and gender.
But how good is it in delivering on the promises that the specifications of the phone make? Let’s have a look.
In terms of look and feel, there could always be scope for improvement and this could well be said of phones of most of the brands. But there is actually not much reason to dislike the design of the Redmi Y2.
It is a big phone, but it fits well in the hands and hardly poses any hurdle in navigation, made easier by the MIUI “intuitive” gesture controls.
This feature is useful for single-hand navigation as it enables you to go back to a previous menu with a swipe of your finger — up, left, or right. You can easily do away with the need of pressing the “back” or “home” buttons.
While the tiny bezels make it even more appealing, the 5.99-inch “Full Screen” display featuring an 18:9 aspect ratio is designed to make media streaming on the device a delightful experience.
The camera technology is definitely a plus for the device, especially when it comes to low-light photography. And this is not only true for the front-shooter.
The 12MP+5MP dual camera system at the back clicks fairly good quality pictures, even in semi-dark conditions.
In terms of performance too, the phone strikes the right chords. Powered by the Octa-core Snapdragon 625 processor, the device houses a 3,080 mAh battery which is good enough to run a whole day on a single charge if the usage level is moderate.
The SIM tray has dual-SIM card slots and supports a Micro-SD card. Storage capacity of both the variants is expandable up to 128GB.
In comparison, the Honor 7C, which is similarly priced, features 13MP+2MP primary dual camera and 8MP front facing camera. In terms of looks and features and with its powerful front-shooter edge, the Redmi Y2 can also give the Honor 7X which comes with 4GB RAM a tough competition as the later is priced on a slightly higher side.
But in terms of visual appeal, the Honor 7X, with its compact metal unibody design, does stand out.
What does not work?
While its AI-powered selfie shooter intends to enhance the picture, it still has scope for improvement. To make the face unlock feature work, you sometimes need to adjust the angle of your screen, or your face.
Moreover, heavy users — those who are into gaming and extensive media streaming — may find the battery life per charge less than adequate.
Conclusion: Bracketing the Redmi Y2 as a selfie phone will be wrong. It is much more than that. Besides the camera technology, which is the highlight of the phone, it scored highly in terms of design, performance and ease of use too, making it a desirable phone in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment.
(Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in)
—IANS
