by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
Vivo X21
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Chinese smartphone maker Vivo has focussed primarily on selfie-centric smartphones and is among the few players who are credited with starting the selfie-centric smartphone craze in India.
The effort has borne fruit and Vivo has been refreshing its smartphone line-up from time to time in the country.
However, this time around, it has come out of its comfort zone to introduce an innovation in its new Vivo X21 smartphone.
We are talking about the in-display fingerprint scanner embedded in the display — a feature that brands as big as Apple and Samsung have not introduced in their flagship devices.
Priced at Rs 35,990, the smartphone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB on-board storage that can be further expanded up to 256GB via a MicroSD card slot.
Here is what we think of the latest smartphone from Vivo.
The smartphone’s much-talked about USP — the in-display fingerprint sensor — which is similar to a camera sensor, sits comfortably around 0.68-mm below the AMOLED screen.
Unlike what we saw on the Honor 10, which uses Qualcomm’s ultrasonic fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication, the Vivo X21’s sensor is within the display and not under the cover glass.
The fingerprint scanner was accurate and fast and we could unlock the smartphone even with wet fingers.
Vivo X21 sports a glass sandwich design that does not look particularly striking.
However, it is a decent looking device with a design language that does not scream for attention.
The phone would appeal to those who are clearly not looking for a colour-shifting smartphone such as the Honor 10.
The frame of the device is made from metal while the rear is made of glass and fortunately is not a fingerprint magnet.
The smartphone has a 6.28-inch FHD+ display with Super AMOLED panel and 402 pixels per inch (PPI) display density.
The display was vivid with good amount of saturation with deep blacks and sunlight legibility and is protected by third generation Corning Gorilla Glass.
Vivo’s latest iteration comes with a “notch” — wherein the top of the display cuts into the screen to accommodate the earpiece, sensors and a 12MP front camera.
Photos shot with the device’s 12MP+5MP primary camera came out well and it was quick to focus while shooting in “auto mode”.
Selfies, however, seemed to be a little overexposed but that should not be a bummer.
Thanks to 6GB RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, the smartphone was fast and did not show any stutter or lag.
The smartphone is fuelled by a 3,200mAh battery that lasted a day on normal usage including browsing videos and running several social media apps.
The bundled charger was pretty fast and charged the smartphone from 0 to 50 per cent in half an hour.
What does not work?
The smartphone runs Vivo’s custom Funtouch OS 4 based on Android 8.1 Oreo which could put off some buyers.
A Micro-USB port in a smartphone that boasts of being the harbinger of futuristic technology such as an in-display fingerprint scanner is disappointing.
Conclusion: Vivo X21 is a good overall performer with a sturdy design. We would recommend the smartphone to those looking for a minimalistic design and want to flaunt the new in-display fingerprint sensor.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Emerging Businesses, Markets, Technology
Honor 10
By Nishant Arora,
New Delhi : If you have a little over Rs 30,000 and wish for a top-of-the-line smartphone, there aren’t many good options available in India although the price segment is full of Chinese devices and older Apple phones.
The truth is that barring OnePlus 6, no device comes closer — even the much-hyped Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 — to charm the wannabes in the Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 segment.
Sensing the opportunity, Chinese conglomerate Huawei has brought its acclaimed Honor 10 to India which turns out to be a value-for-money device with more storage, all-glass premium look and optimum performance at a lower cost than OnePlus 6.
Honor 10 is the second device from Huawei with the number ’10’ that arrived in India within a time span of less than five months. In January, Honor View 10 was launched for Rs 29,999 — a successor to Honor 8 Pro — which is still available for purchase.
Let us see if the 5.8-inch, full-HD+ Honor 10 will be able to catch ’em young.
OnePlus 6 price starts at Rs 34,999 (6GB RAM+64GB storage) and Rs 39,999 for the 8GB RAM+128GB variant.
At Rs 32,999, Honor 10 packs 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM, hence more storage at less price.
The Aurora glass design stands out in the crowd, made with 15 layers of 3D glass on the back which reveals a colourful radiance from every angle — in natural light and shade.
The “Phantom Blue” colour was created at The Paris Aesthetics Centre where several Honor engineers and designers worked round-the-clock to make it happen.
At 153 gram, Honor 10c sports Full View FHD+ screen with a 19:9 bezel-less display and 86.2 per cent screen-to-body ratio.
The device is the latest to capture “notch” — the smartphone trend for this year wherein the top of the display cuts into the screen to accommodate the selfie camera, earpiece speaker and sensor (and yes, it looks trendy).
Another industry-first feature is an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor (most other devices have capacitive sensors) under the glass at the end of the front that opened the device in a jiffy (although you need to extra hard-press while registering your fingerprints for the first time).
Face Unlock, however, is faster than the fingerprint scanner.
When it comes to camera, the device sports 24MP+16MP rear duel-lens Artificial Intelligence (AI) camera. According to Honor, the AI camera is supported by the AI chipset with built-in neural processing unit (NPU), meaning it may recognise over 500 scenarios in 22 categories in real-time.
This feature is supported by the “Semantic Image Segmentation” technology, which allows the device to identify multiple objects in one single image.
The 24MP front camera supports 3D face recognition, optimises facial details and detects over a hundred facial points to pixel-level accuracy.
We clicked images with accurate “bokeh” effect that captured subtle features of the face, even in a ‘groufie’ shot.
The device runs Huawei’s very own EMUI 8.1 OS which is based on the latest Android Oreo 8.1, which gave a smooth experience while using the entire app ecosystem.
The battery life was great and the 3,400mAh (typical value) battery lasted for more than a day on a single fast charge, while browsing, using apps, emails, messages and watching YouTube most of the time.
The device has kept the quintessential 3.5mm headphone jack for the old timers to listen to music.
What doesn’t work.
The device lacks wireless charging and water resistance.
It is slippery owing to an all-glass design; so an external case is advisable to avoid cracks.
Conclusion: At Rs 32,999, no device packs so much — premium look and feel, more in-built storage and stunning performance. It won’t be wrong to say the OnePlus 6 has got a really tough contender in Honor 10 which comes with “Dus ka Dum”.
(Nishant Arora can be contacted at nishant.a@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, SMEs, Technology
By Vivek Singh Chauhan,
New Delhi : US-based technology company InFocus has recently launched “Vision 3 PRO” to compete with smartphones in the crowded Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 segment in India.
Priced at Rs 10,999, “Vision 3 PRO” with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage is an upgraded version of earlier device “Vision 3” that was priced under sub-Rs 7,000 category.
Let’s find out what “Vision 3 PRO” has to offer.
On the display front, keeping the “Full View” trend in mind, the device comes equipped with a 5.7-inch HD+ IPS display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 for a better and immersive viewing experience.
The 3.5mm headphone socket is positioned on the top, power and volume toggles on the right, a hybrid dual-SIM card slot on the left. The Micro-USB port is placed at the bottom between two grilles — the left one is a loudspeaker.
The display is bright with accurate colours under normal daylight conditions.
The device sports a dual-camera setup with 13MP+8MP at the rear, along with a LED Flash, while the selfie shooter sports a 13MP lens.
The camera app comes pre-loaded with features such as “Multi” which lets users take multiple photos and create a collage, “Bokeh” effect, “beauty” mode, “panorama” and “pro”.
After clicking a few pictures, the rear camera delivered decent output in both day and low-light conditions with enough details.
The device also comes with a camera feature called “dualfie” which allows users to simultaneously use the front and rear camera for photography enthusiasts. The company has named the unique feature “PIP” in the camera app.
On the battery front, the device that comes with 4,000mAh battery is good as it lasted more than a day and half on a single charge with a prolonged usage of the device that included 4G connectivity, gaming, frequent camera usage and video consumption.
Users can unlock the device with a fingerprint sensor at the back, along with the Face Unlock feature.
The device comes with 1.5GHz MediaTek MTK6750T octa-core processor and paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 128GB via a hybrid MicroSD card slot.
The phone runs the company’s custom Smile UX User Interface (UI) based on Android 7.0 Nougat Operating System (OS).
As compared to “Vision 3”, we found no lag while using the device.
What doesn’t work.
The back panel can be a little slippery.
The selfie shooter captures good selfies during day but could not deliver details in the low-light conditions.
The device also overheated a couple of times and the Face Unlock function may lag in low-light conditions.
Conclusion: With good battery backup, large display and more storage capacity, “Vision 3 PRO” is better than its predecessor. But if you are paying Rs 10,999 for a smartphone, keep your options open with brands in the similar price bracket such as “Redmi Note 5”, “Honor 9 Lite” and “Infinix Hot S3”.
(Vivek Singh Chauhan can be contacted at vivek.c@ians.in )
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Since the release of OnePlus 3, Smartphone maker OnePlus has embraced the strategy of launching two smartphones each year sans fancy gimmicks, focusing on building strong hardware backed by top-notch chipsets.
OnePlus 6 is the latest iteration from the company which is a first in the OnePlus’ line-up to feature a refreshing all-glass design — a radical change from its predecessors.
OnePlus 6 price in India starts at Rs 34,999 for the 6GB RAM+64GB storage variant while the 8GB RAM+128GB variant is priced at Rs 39,999.
The smartphone comes with a flagship processor, retains the company’s proprietary “Dash Charge” and up to 8GB RAM.
We reviewed the 8GB RAM+128GB variant. Let’s find out if it’s worth the penny.
The company has done away with aluminium back for good and the glass-finished rear of “mirror black” OnePlus 6 looked dapper. The way it caught light when we held it up in hands was incredible.
However, the matte “midnight black” variant, with a much softer finish, also looked every bit premium.
In fact, it was easy to mistake OnePlus 6 for Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, courtesy the centre-aligned, vertically stacked, dual-primary cameras with a fingerprint scanner right below, placed on a gently curved rear.
The company has retained the 3.5-mm headphone jack which flagships like Google Pixel 2 XL gave a miss.
OnePlus 6, with a 6.28-inch AMOLED display and a long 19:9 aspect ratio, gave a lot of screen space. The enormous screen was crisp, with great viewing angles and sunlight legibility.
The device is the latest to capture what seems to be the smartphone trend for 2018 — the “notch” — wherein the top of the display cuts into the screen to accommodate the earpiece, sensors and 16MP front camera.
The device retains dual 16MP + 20MP primary camera set-up (like the one we saw in 5T) and marks the return of Optical Image stabilisation (OIS).
The company has added a new Sony imaging sensor this time and the secondary camera now is used entirely to add “Bokeh” or background blur effect to portrait shots.
The images came out sharp with a nice amount of saturation and contrast.
OnePlus’s camera app is one of the simplest and easy-to-use. The camera in the new device is a significant improvement over OnePlus 5T especially in low-light conditions.
The 16MP front camera took some decent selfies. OnePlus has promised that the front shooter would get a portrait mode in a future update which should further appeal to most users.
The device has also got an upgrade to slow motion recording, from 120fps to 480fps at 720p.
OnePlus 6 is the first in India to house Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 845 chip that is coupled with either 6GB RAM+64GB storage or 8GB RAM+128GB/256GB internal storage.
The device runs OnePlus’s customised version of Android “OxygenOS” which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo OS. It was refined and handled heavy tasks with ease, matching those with Google Pixel 2.
The company’s propreitary “Dash Charge”, as always, was a delight and fully charged the battery from zero to 100 per cent in around 80 minutes.
OnePlus 6 has the “Alert Slider” return to adjusting between ring, vibrate and silent modes, unlike what we saw in OnePlus 5 and 3 where the silent mode was replaced by the DND mode.
The physical “Alert Slider” has been positioned to the right side and we found it more useful this time.
What does not work?
The device is splash resistant but misses out on an IP rating for better weather-proofing.
The 3,300mAh battery is the same that we saw in OnePlus 5T which, sadly, drains faster in OnePlus 6.
The lack of wireless charging, despite having a glass sandwich design, could also be a put off.
Conclusion: With some much-needed improvements in the design and camera department, it is safe to say that OnePlus 6 is a blazing fast smartphone with a top-notch chipset that gives most features of a capable flagship at a considerably lower price.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Branding, Business, Markets, Medium Enterprise, Technology
By Krishna SinhaChaudhury,
New Delhi : Taiwanese smartphone maker ASUS debuted in India in 2014 with its Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6 devices which were essentially low-cost phones that catapulted the otherwise not-so-popular brand to recognition.
According to International Data Corporation (IDC), the Indian smartphone market is poised to grow in double digits in 2018 on the back of the popularity of budget devices and vendors increasing their focus to make phones, as well as high-value components in the country.
The Taiwan-based handset maker now seems to be following a similar sentiment and has launched ZenFone Max Pro M1 in India at Rs 10,999 for the 3GB RAM+32GB onboard storage variant and Rs 12,999 for the 4GB RAM+64GB internal storage variant to primarily compete with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro.
According to the company, the smartphone has been made specifically for India — which is a key market for it — and its launching price and specifications have intrigued us. Let us find out if the smartphone is worth your time and money.
What works?
Unlike most smartphones in the market today, this smartphone is not a typical glass sandwich design. The device was quite pleasant to look at and has an ergonomic rear.
Despite a taller-than-wider frame and an 18:9 aspect ratio screen for immersive viewing and gaming experience, the smartphone was easy to operate with one hand.
A 5.99-inch FHD+ “Full View” display takes up most of the front along with rounded corners and narrow borders on both the sides.
The power and volume keys sit on the right and are easy to reach.
A fingerprint sensor is placed at the back below which sits the minimalistic ASUS logo. The scanner was quick to unlock the device.
We were impressed to see the almost 6-inch display sans a “notch” which was popularised by Apple iPhone X.
The display is bright with accurate colours under normal daylight conditions with decent sunlight legibility.
The viewing angles of the device were also good and we particularly liked the inclusion of “night mode” and a manual colour temperature adjustment under “settings”.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset, which is essentially designed for premium mid-range devices, powers the smartphone. This is a major high point considering the price of the device.
Notably, Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro is also fuelled by the same processor.
We were impressed by the company ditching its own ZenUI interface in favour of a near-stock interface which offered smooth experience.
We got close to two days of battery life on a single charge with 4G running on one SIM slot.
The device has 13MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor that can take decent photos in normal lighting conditions.
The front camera is an 8MP shooter which took some good self-portraits.
What does not work?
Despite accommodating a hefty 5,000mAh battery inside the phone, the company did not include fast-charging technology alongside which can be a bummer.
Charging the battery was painfully slow and it took us more than two hours to completely charge the device.
Conclusion: ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 is a capable all-rounder in this price segment. We would recommend the device to those looking for great battery life and near-stock Android experience.
(Krishna SinhaChaudhury can be contacted at Krishna.s@ians.in)
—IANS
