by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Markets, Technology
By Gokul Bhagabati,
New Delhi : At a time when prices of premium smartphones are soaring sky-high, some smartphone makers are finding ways to pack an ensemble of enviable features including dual camera technology into their mid-range variants as well. But what are most of these mid-range phones missing on?
The style quotient is definitely one. Huawei’s youth-centric sub-brand Honor seems to be keen on filling this gap with the launch of its 7X smartphone – the successor to its quite successful 6X variant.
The 4GB RAM Honor 7X, launched for the Indian market at an event in London this week, won’t cost you a fortune – a maximum of Rs 12,999 or Rs 15,999, depending on the variant you choose from the two on offer — and yet it could well make you want to display the phone in front of friends or foes with a sense of pride.
This is because of the taller-than-wider frame of the device and almost edge-to-edge display that give it a premium look. It looks like the smaller sibling of the premium Honor 8 Pro from the rear.
The metal unibody design and bigger body-to-screen ratio add to the dashing look.
So much for the appearance. Let’s see what works for the phone and what does not.
One big plus is its big screen and a full-HD+ display. The importance of a 5.93-inch screen is not skin deep, as heavy users of smartphones would know.
With 18:9 aspect ratio, which is hardly available on a phone below Rs 15,000, and “Full View” HD+ display, Honor 7X ensures enriching video viewing experience. This is something gamers would also like as they get an edge of a wider view of the plot.
Powered by the 2.36GHz octa-core “Kirin 659” processor, the device runs Android 7.0 Nougat operating system (OS) with the company’s custom EMUI 5.1 running on top.
The pricing differentiator of the two variants is the internal storage. The 32GB variant costs Rs 3,000 less than the 64GB variant. But both variants provide the option of expanding memory up to 256GB via hybrid micro-SD card slots.
A big screen and better display would favour long hours of use. But does the battery of the phone back it up? The 3,340mAh battery does a good job in this regard. With 7X, light to moderate users do not even need to charge the phone every day.
In comparison, Xiaomi’s Mi A1, which is also a 4GB RAM phone with 64GB onboard storage, packs a smaller 3,080mAh battery.
The Honor 7X has also equipped its cameras with fun and useful features. Clicking a selfie with this phone is all the more easier as its 8MP front camera comes with a gesture control which means you simply have to turn your palm to the camera to trigger a countdown to click a selfie.
The dual-lens 16MP + 2MP primary camera captures images in great detail and depth. It allows you to take pictures in wide-aperture mode, portrait mode, and even to click a moving picture, a feature that we first saw in iPhone 6S.
The pictures also snap colours in their vivid glories.
What makes this dual rear camera stand out is its “Phase Detection Auto Focus” (PDAF) technology which offers ultra-fast focus time, making it easier to take pictures in fleeting moments.
The eye-comfort mode filters out blue light to help relieve visual fatigue. This feature makes reading books on the phone a delight.
What does not work for the phone?
Despite the fancy features on its cameras, the photos come out grainy in low-light conditions, especially with the front shooter.
Surprisingly, the device uses the older micro USB 2.0 connector rather than the newer USB Type-C.
And thanks to its size, some may even find it difficult to navigate the phone with one hand.
Conclusion: Overall, we feel that Honor 7X is a hardy phone with dashing disposition and has the potential to give mid-range phones of other Chinese players, such as Xiaomi and Motorola, a stiff competition. It offers a big screen bonanza for affordable smartphone seekers.
(Gokul Bhagabati can be contacted at gokul.b@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Marketing Basics, Markets, Sales, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : China-based Transsion Holdings made its debut in India in August with Infinix Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro smartphones that did not make much of a noise in the competitive domestic smartphone market.
Now, the company has launched Infinix Zero 5 that joins the race of dual-camera devices coming from its Chinese counterparts that have flooded the Indian market.
Infinix Zero 5 sports a dual-camera set-up at the rear and has a single sensor for the selfie camera at the front.
Launched at Rs 17,999, Zero 5 with 64GB onboard storage and 6GB RAM essentially competes with the likes of Honor 9i.
Here is how the smartphone fares in everyday usage.
Infinix Zero 5 sports a metal unibody design that is free of any creek and felt top-notch.
The edges are smooth and offer an ergonomic grip while adding to the premium feel even as the phone sports a big design language.
The 5.98-inch Full HD display with 2.5D glass atop it was rich and bright.
The colour reproduction was great and the viewing angles were good. Sunlight legibility of the display was impressive too.
The rear camera placement in the device reminds us of Huawei P9’s camera design language sans the “Leica” lens branding.
A much-talked-about feature of Zero 5 is its dual-primary camera with 12MP wide-angle lens and 13MP telephoto lens that added good “Bokeh” effect to photos with blurred background.
We found the pictures to be satisfactory in proper lighting conditions. Colour reproduction was good; so was the saturation level.
Two antenna bands run through the top and bottom of the phone that give a rich look.
The fingerprint sensor lies below the camera set-up and was quick to unlock the device.
An octa-core MediaTek Helio P25 processor, coupled with 6GB RAM, does its job well in terms of multi-tasking and running several applications simultaneously.
We did not notice any significant stutter while playing games, browsing YouTube and using social media apps.
A hefty 4350mAh battery powers the device that easily lasted over a day for us on moderate usage, with 4G running on one SIM slot.
We especially liked the battery performance of the smartphone which gave us close to five days of stand-by time on a single charge.
The bottom of the device houses a USB Type-C charger port and a single speaker grille that is loud enough.
The company’s custom XOS 3.0 user interface (UI) based on Android 7.0 Nougat operating system (OS) is smooth but do not expect it to be similar to stock Android OS.
What does not work?
The 16MP selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture and flash is strictly okay. Images taken from the front shooter lacked detail.
Image taken from the primary camera took quite some time to process — there was significant shutter lag. The photos clicked under low-light conditions had noise.
The device’s hefty battery gets support of “XCharge” (which is fast-charging feature) but that is not one of the fastest-charging technologies out there.
Conclusion: The bright, colourful display, premium build, primary camera performance and solid battery life are among the high points of the device and makes for an interesting option in the Rs 15,000-Rs 18,000 segment. It can appeal more to buyers if the company introduces updates (let’s say for camera improvement) to fill in a few caveats.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Marketing Basics, Markets, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : With dual-camera phones fast gaining popularity in the cut-throat Indian smartphone market, ASUS recently introduced three smartphones in its Zenfone 4 selfie series in the country.
The Taiwanese company introduced a total of six smartphones — Zenfone 4, Zenfone 4 Pro, Zenfone 4 Max, Zenfone 4 Max Pro and Zenfone 4 Selfie (two variants) — in Taipei but brought only three selfie-centric devices to India.
We received Rs 14,999 Zenfone 4 Selfie (Dual-Camera) and here is what we think of it.
At 144 grams, the smartphone is impressively light and easy to operate with one hand.
It sports a unibody design with metallic finish with stripes at the top and bottom ends that give it an attractive look.
We especially liked the design language used around the camera lens that reminded us of ASUS’ trademark concentric circle design.
The 5.5-inch HD LCD display topped with 2.5D curved glass blends well with the chassis. The display is bright with decent viewing angles.
Above the display lies the LED flash, dual-camera set-up, earpiece and the proximity sensor.
The fingerprint sensor sits below the display which was pretty quick to unlock the device.
The selfie shooter of the device has a 20MP sensor (aperture of f/2.0) and an 8MP secondary sensor (aperture of f/2.4) that lets the user click decent selfies — a high point of Zenfone 4 Selfie (Dual Camera) smartphone.
The user can also select the portrait mode that adds “Bokeh” effect to the selfies.
In our opinion, the selfies taken in standard mode fared better than the wide-angle selfies.
The front shooter also features “Live Beautification” mode that lets the user add artificial beautification to their image from level 1 to 10.
The 16MP rear camera takes good images and close-up shots in proper lighting had enough detail.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage that ensures smooth everyday performance.
The device runs its custom Zen UI based atop Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system (OS).
ASUS has not bundled unnecessary pre-installed apps in the smartphone, which is a welcome change.
The 3,000mAh battery lasted a little more than 12 hours on moderate usage with 4G running on one SIM slot, on a single charge.
What does not work?
The Snapdragon 430 processor does its job well in keeping the smartphone cool and gets daily tasks done, but considering the price, we would have loved to see a Snapdragon 625 chipset in this one.
Photos taken in low-light conditions had much noise.
The sunlight legibility of the display could have been better.
Conclusion: With decent overall performance, Zenfone 4 Selfie (Dual Camera) smartphone is a competent attempt by ASUS to make a mark in the selfie smartphone race in this price range.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Large Enterprise, Markets, Technology
By Sourabh Kulesh,
New Delhi : As smartwatches slowly gain traction and begin to make an impact globally — including in India — Chinese technology firm Huawei has now launched WATCH 2.
The Huawei WATCH 2 comes in Sports (4G) and classic variants, providing users more connectivity options. The Rs 29,999 device is available in black and has features that will compel you to ditch your smartphone.
Let’s see what works for the device that competes with LG Watch Sport, Samsung Gear 3 and Apple Watch 2.
Introduced earlier this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, the smartwatch inherits the classic design of the original Huawei WATCH, with improvements in each category.
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, the device runs Android Wear 2.0 platform and comes with built-in GPS and a heart rate detection system as well.
The high-quality plastic finish dial is complemented by a sweat-proof silicon strap that can be removed to insert a SIM for connectivity. The wearable has a round dial with two function buttons.
To make the device work efficiently, users need to install the ‘Android Wear’, ‘Huawei Wear’ and ‘Health’ apps.
Once synched with a smartphone, the top right button opens contact list, alarm, settings and torch, among other menus.
A user can use these to set up reminders, track fitness regime and even call and text people in the contact list.
The device sets up a connection via bluetooth and screens your smartphone’s basic functions on the display.
The second button on top right brings up detailed menus under the “Workout” section through which a user can set and track fitness goals.
A user can also check activities via sensors that allow the wearable to gather data including distance, speed and steps, among others.
The device has several in-built watch faces. Swipe right or left and the display will show you watch face options. To go back to previous menu, users can swipe right.
For settings menu, swipe down, and to see updates, pull up the notification bar by swiping up.
The feature-laden smartwatch also lets a user talk through it. When connected via bluetooth, users can pick calls, reject them and even send SMSes from the device. No need to reach out for the phone when you have the WATCH 2 on your wrist!
The device also shows you SMS and WhatsApp messages on the display and you can choose to reply from the watch itself.
If you don’t want to connect your device with your smartphone, you can put a SIM in WATCH 2 and make calls from it. Since you have already signed in with your Google account, you will get all your contacts in the smartwatch itself.
With Huawei WATCH 2, a user can speak to Google Assistant and send a message to his or her contact.
Once you play songs in your smartphone while driving, you won’t need to pick the phone and change the track. You can do it in the watch itself.
Not only that, users can stay connected on social media via WiFi. The device has 4GB in-built storage, enabling users to download several applications in the watch itself.
WATCH 2 gave a day’s battery life when connected to the smartphone and recorded our daily routine.
What doesn’t work?
While several fitness bands and watches have USB 2.0 charging ports, WATCH 2 has a charger that can only work with the device. So you have to carry the charger with you.
Conclusion: Huawei WATCH 2 is a great option for people as well as fitness freaks who want to stay connected when away from phones.
(Sourabh Kulesh can be contacted at sourabh.k@ians.in)
—IANS
