Mi Band 3 Officially Launched, even NFC is now on-board.

Source: Xiaomi

Xiaomi has been in talks due to the success they have achieved in the fitness wearable space, as a result of which more of their fitness products from the globe are now seen in their Mi-Home spaces present across India. It's been weeks that the officials have been teasing about the launch of their newest devices getting the fans hyped. Well, the hype is real, a total of 6 new products have been announced today. Some of which consists the announcement of Mi 8 SE, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi VR Standalone, Mi Band 3 & Mi TV 4 75-inch. So let's focus on the Mi Band 3 for the moment, a successor to it's already popular Mi Band 2. It keeps all the bells and whistles of the original band and brings in more delicacies to the table. Now let's find out all the details about the Mi Band 3.

Mi Band 3 Officially Launched, even NFC is now on-board.

Specifications:

• Features a 0.78 Inch OLED touch panel having 128 x 80 resolution.
• Comes on-board Bluetooth 4.2 support.
• There are two variants available - With/Without NFC support. The NFC variant will enable wireless payments, and this is going to be a significant hit.   
• Has 110 mAh Battery, which is almost double than the Mi Band 2. Battery life is expected to last around 20 days as quoted by Xiaomi. 
• 50 meters waterproof which includes swimming. 
• Comes with Heart rate sensor, Step count support & Sleep monitoring. 
• Offer support for answering incoming calls.  
• WeChat messenger and other supported apps would show their notifications along with the content on display.
• It would support interchangeable straps which would be available in different colors, and you can even expect some third party straps to join the league soon.

Source: Xiaomi

The Mi Band 3 overall looks promising and looking at the fact that it gets the most requested feature(NFC) is just icing on the top of the cake. The company even claims that they have improved the band straps to provide a secure fit on the wrist. For those who're fond of wireless payments may very well go for the NFC variant, which will cost for CNY 199 or 31.04$. While those who want an update to their existing smart bands, & want the essential features for the fitness tracking can go with the Non-NFC variant. That variant would be available for CNY 169 or 26.36$. It'll be available starting June 5, 2018, in China. There's no word yet on its availability worldwide.
Source: Xiaomi Chinese

Also See: 1More iBFree Earphones Review - Supports Qualcomm's AptX Sound Codec.

Vivo X21 - First Phone with In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Phone launched in India For Rs.35,990.

Source: Editorial Team

        So Vivo is a smartphone brand that quickly managed to grab media's attention worldwide at MWC 2018 by giving a quick glimpse of the future by showing their Vivo Apex Concept phone. The Apex Phone had no notch, the camera was hidden under a retracting mechanism, whereas the fingerprint scanner was present inside the display. Even though this concept was mind-blowing, the company stated that production of such devices wouldn't be possible on a large scale due to cost cutting problems & in general it won't be affordable. However bringing in some caveats the company launched Vivo V9 earlier this year, which gave them an entry into the so-called "Notch" ecosystem. It still wasn't groundbreaking up until now, today Vivo launched their new Vivo X21. It is the first commercial phone to be launched by the company in its entirety when it comes to the smartphone ecosystem. To be honest, I was surprised that it wasn't Apple, it wasn't Samsung, but it indeed was Vivo. Now instead of creating much more fuss, let's find out more about the specifications, availability, and pricing about the new Vivo X21.

Vivo X21 - First Phone with In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Phone launched in India For Rs.35,990/-

Specifications: 

• It comes with a 2.2GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660(4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260) chipset coupled with Adreno 512 GPU & 6GB RAM. 
• Internal storage available on-board is 128GB. Whereas expansion is available up to 256GB via MicroSD memory card slot(Hybrid layout).
• It has 6.28-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel which gives about 402PPI pixel density. The display provides up to 85% of the screen to body ratio. 
• The rear side has a dual lens setup with first a 12MP sensor having F/1.8 aperture with Dual Pixel PDAF. While the second lens is a 5MP shooter with F/2.4 aperture. The configuration also has a Dual LED Flash. The video quality maxes out to 4K@30fps. There's introduction of Shot Refocus & AI face beauty mode.
• The front camera setup is a single lens setup which houses a 12MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture. It shoots maximum at 1080p@30fps. 
• It supports Dual Nano SIMs having a hybrid slot setup. 
• It runs on FunTouch OS 4.0 which is built on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. 
• In terms of connectivity, it has 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Radio FM support, 3.5mm audio jack & A-GPS. 
• In terms of sensors there's the Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Compass and even an In-Display fingerprint sensor which we'll talk in a bit. 
• It has a non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery with support for fast charging however via a MicroUSB 2.0 connection port. 
• OTG is supported.
• Comes in a single color variant - Black.
• It weighs at 156.2 gms.

Design & Build: 

Source: Editorial Team

          The Vivo X21 features an aluminium built on the back, while on the front you've got an all-glass display. Then depending on the unit you have you can witness the glossy finish of the back, which is both attractive but at the same time messy with fingerprints. But nonetheless, if you keep the fingerprint smudges aside, it just looks gorgeous. The 19:9 aspect ratio speaks for itself, while equally providing the phone an almost bezel-less look. Now regarding one-handed usability, it's not a fair choice but then again all the phones that launch these days don't fit well in that criteria. The device screams quality, and I liked the way it looked. Though I wish that the phone had a USB Type-C port, I mean come-on Vivo it's 2018 already. Also if you observe the rear side of the Vivo X21 model, it looks like a beautiful, clean slate prop; courtesy to the In-Display fingerprint scanner.


In Display Fingerprint Scanner - What's the fuss about? 

Source: Editorial Team

               So Vivo X21 is currently the first phone to be commercially launched with a fingerprint sensor that resides beneath the front display. Now don't get your thoughts wrong, the scanner won't bother you at all as it's almost entirely invisible. I said almost because you can spot a glimpse of it under direct sunlight, according to various reports online. Though no matter what the pixels are residing-in, the fingerprint scanning area will always light up. That's readily applicable when the phone is being held after keeping it stationary for a while. This is primarily made so that the user gets a bright idea about the sensor's location. Upon using it for the first time, I was both surprised and intrigued by the fact of its accuracy and speed. It takes a split second to unlock, but trust me it won't bother anyone that much. It seems like Vivo together with Synaptics has finally opened a whole new dimension of possibilities. Even though the technology that gets implemented on this phone is first generation tech, there have been years of research that has taken place to achieve something incredible at this level. While the most surprising part is Vivo, a Chinese manufacturer is leading on this spot rather than the Tech giants. This excites the inner geek in me with the number of possibilities of how a future smartphone might look like and the fact that we're reaching that almost "bezel-less" look on the front.

Source: Editorial Team

Quick Note: There's no need of pressing harder on the screen for fingerprint detection, simply tap gently as we usually do while selecting any specific portion of the screen. 



AR Stickers & IR Based Facial Scanning:

Source: Editorial Team

             
                 A whole range of AR Stickers has been introduced with the new Vivo X21, which is necessarily a rival ecosystem ripoff. I was expecting these all to work with the front camera, which I hoped might not be a pleasant experience, but to my surprise, these AR Stickers provided me with mixed feedback. Speaking about more wonders, I expected the face unlock to be based upon the front camera. However, I was shocked that a dedicated infrared scanner has been implemented here, which helped in unlocking the phone in a jiffy. So just in case if you might have untidy hands, the IR based face unlock is here to your rescue. I'll let you know more on that in my upcoming review.



Pricing & Availability:

Vivo X21 (In-Display FP):
6GB/128GB ROM:  Rs. 35,990 (Flipkart)

Source: Editorial Team

              Speaking about the availability, it'll be available in the offline market throughout the chain of Vivo's official & partner retail stores. While it'll be exclusively available on Flipkart starting from 29th May 2018 itself. There are several offers as well beginning with Extra Rs.3000/- off-exchange value over your regular device, Instant 5% cashback, while No Cost EMI for 12 months, etc.

Source: Editorial Team.

          So overall it's a good start for the company launching something new going all in with a new concept. Would these specs be comparable when it comes down to the pricing, when compared to the OnePlus 6 or even the Honor 10? Would you instead comprise specifications for Novelty? Given the fact that the In-Display fingerprint variant of the Vivo X21 comes at Rs.35,990/- only? Let us know on our social channels, while stay tuned for our full coverage on this device coming shortly.

Also see: Fujifilm brings GFX50s and Fujinon GF Lenses to the Indian market

Fujifilm brings GFX50s and Fujinon GF Lenses to the Indian market

Fujifilm India announced the launch of its medium format mirrorless camera, the GFX50s at an event in Mumbai. It adopts a 43.8ｘ32.9mm medium format (FUJIFILM G Format) sensor, which is larger than full frame found on other cameras. Fujifilm is also unveiled FUJINON GF Lens series, which  includes seven interchangeable lenses- GF23mmF4 RLM WR, GF45mmF 2.8R WR, GF63mmF2.8 R WR, GF110mmF2 R LM WR, GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR macro, GF250mmF4 R LM OIS WR and GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd. said, “We are excited to launch the much awaited GFX50s and G-mount lenses for our esteemed customers in India. Fujifilm’s X Series system has been appreciated by professional photographers and photo enthusiasts around the world, due to its excellent image quality and mobility across a wide range of genres including landscape, commercial and fashion photography. Taking forward our promise for developing innovative technology, and to strengthen our commitment towards mirrorless segment, we have introduced this range to offer even higher image quality. As we complete 10 years in India, we continue to bring the best of technology and innovation to our consumers at the best possible price point.’’

The newly announced device is equipped with a 43.8mm x 32.9mm, 51.4 MP CMOS sensor, boasting approx. 1.7x the area of full frame sensors. This helps in achieving better quality images compared to full frame DSLRs with similar megapixel count. The camera comes with the latest X-Processor Pro which enables user to experience the highly acclaimed Film Simulation. It supports movie recording up to FHD resolution at 30fps.

It features a 3.69 million dot detachable electronic viewfinder and 2.36 million dot touchscreen panel with support for three directional tilt. All these features come in a package weighing just around 1230 grams with a GF63mm F2.8 lens, which is just 60% of a medium format DSLR camera.

Price

Fujifilm GFX 50S (Body Only) - INR 511,999/-
GF23mmF4 RLM WR - INR 204,999/-
GF45mmF 2.8R WR - INR 133,999/-
GF63mmF2.8 R WR - INR 119,999/-
GF110mmF2 R LM WR - INR 219,999/-
GF120mmF4 R LM OIS WR macro - INR 209,999/-
GF250mmF4 R LM OIS WR - INR 353,999/-
GF32-64mmF4 R LM WR - INR 179,999/-


Also See: Vivo X21 - First Phone with In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Phone launched in India For Rs.35,990.

1More iBFree Earphones Review - Supports Qualcomm's AptX Sound Codec.

Source: Press Kit

      Recently we received the 1More's iBFree Bluetooth earphones for review in our labs. Generally, we have been testing quite a lot of headsets lately and looking at the fact that these are 1More's first entry into the wireless ecosystem of earphones, it excites us. The company has been on a string of producing quality earphones, and this is a result that they have managed to build a brand in the saturated and robust ecosystem of significant earphone makers. To make it clear we have done a couple of headphone reviews here on our blog, and we're always looking forward to reviewing more, especially the Bluetooth ones. Surprisingly the 1More iBFree come with Apt X codec support, which enhances the overall lossless coverage. As a bonus, it's even water resistant. We have used these earphones for well over three months and here is the dedicated review of the 1More iBFree Bluetooth earphones.

1More iBFree Earphones Review - Supports Qualcomm's AptX Sound Codec. 

Design and Built: 

Source: Press Kit

           Speaking about the visual aesthetics, the 1More iBFree usually check all the check marks for any typical user. The comfy neckband style, plastic, and rubber built are some of the appealing points resembling its design which is a lot suitable for users, the day of whose strongly relies on intense workouts. The provided ear tips and ear-fins snug in tightly within the ears, provided you use the correct pairs fitting your ear size. However, as we move down through the cable, we can find the In-Line mic remote, the design of which seems useful but somewhat clumsy in my opinion. The flap that reveals the Micro USB 2.0 port is hard to access almost every time, and i usually found myself using a pin or a sharp object to untuck the flap. But I guess this also stands as a significant point when it comes to Water Resistance, though I'll give them credit for that. Although i wish accessing the charging port was a tad bit easier. The buttons provided on the remote are also a tad bit mushy, however once you get used to it the functioning will be a breeze. On the contrary, swapping the ear tips and ear-fins is easy, and there's no need for hassle here. The cable which is about m long is quite rigid, and it would easily survive rough and tough usage. 


Audio Output and Ergonomics: 

Source: Press Kit

   

           Superior sound quality is typically the most astounding expectations of any user buying an earphone, most cases in which it doesn't matter how the device feels or looks. But it matters how well does it sound?. So to validate that statement, I did use these earphones as my daily drivers for about 2-3 months, and in that usage, I did run out on exciting conclusions as I had tested them in the different environments. The vocals sounded crisp, so does the highs and lows. I enjoyed its low-frequency response as it was amazing to listen to the minute details of the chords that were played on several soundtracks. However when it comes to hearing bass-heavy soundtracks, I was disappointed, but I was able to achieve somewhat suitable environment after playing within the EQ settings. During my busy day, these earphones were staying up to the mark. However, these were not quite capable of holding or providing an accurate level of active noise cancellation support while traveling through the local trains. I used them during my workouts, but it wasn't producing the bass-heavy output due to which it soon got ditched from my day to day usage.  I preferred using the Brainwavz BLU 200 or Infinix Quiet 2 Earphones in its place, which I hadn't planned on using until I would complete my review. Speaking about the battery life, I was able to get about one day of juice on casual usage, while about 6-7 hours of backup on non-stop music playback which is relatively an intense usage. The three buttons present in the In-Line mic remote are quite helpful as they can be used to trigger several functions for music playback. So overall I've mixed feelings about it audio performance.


Added Accessories & Warranty Info:

• There are three extra set of Silicon ear tips, & Ear fins.
• You will also find a Micro USB cable present inside the box. 
• It comes with one year of warranty, make sure to keep the warranty card safe. 

Source: Press Kit

Links To Buy(Rs.3500):
- Amazon,
- Flipkart.


1More iBFree Specifications: 

• In-Ear type earphones. 
• Standby time is 240hrs, Talking time: 10hrs, Music Playback: 8hrs, Charging time: 2hrs(5V/1A).
• Bluetooth 4.1 & AptX Audio codec support.
• Wireless connectivity up to 10m. 

1More iBFree Earphones Review - Supports Qualcomm's AptX Sound Codec. 

Final Verdict: 

Source: Press Kit

           So it boils down to this, is the new 1More iBFree earphones worth your money? Well, it falls short for the ones those who prefer to stay in the bass-heavy environment. But it stands out in the vocals department, an audience that prefers solid highs and lows. However the price segment it's currently sold at as several competitors offering better value for money such as Brainwavz BLU 200, Infinix Quiet 2 Wired and if you ask me, I'll skip this product because I prefer the bass-heavy side. I'm eagerly waiting for the second generation of these earphones, are you too?. Let me know in the comments section below or on Twitter.


Also See: Brainwavz BLU 200 review. 

OnePlus 6 launched in India | Price, Availability and Launch offers

OnePlus has launched their latest smartphone, the OnePlus 6, in India at an event in Mumbai. The Chinese manufacturer had launched the device globally yesterday in London.

Design, Specifications and Features

The OnePlus features a glass sandwich design, which replaced the metal design used by the manufacturer since a long time. To the front, the device sports a 6.28 inch Optic AMOLED display with a small notch at the top, protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The notch houses the necessary hardware, taking up the least amount of space possible. Face Unlock via the front camera is supported, with a claimed unlocking speed of 0.4 s.

It features the latest Qualcomm chipset, the Spandragon 845 and Adreno 630. Memory options available are 6+64 GB, 8+128 GB with no expansion options. The limited Avengers edition OnePlus 6 will come with 8+256 GB memory. The cameras used are similar to OnePlus 5T, with a dual rear camera setup of 16+20 MP combo and a 16 MP front camera. Video recording up to 480 fps at 720p, 240 fps at 1080p and 60 fps at 4K are supported.

It will be running on Oxygen OS based on Android Oreo 8.1. Powering all these is a 3300 mAh battery with support for fast charging (Dash Charge) via the Type-C USB port.

Price, Availability and Launch Offers

The OnePlus 6 will be available for purchase on OnePlus.in, Amazon.in, OnePlus Experience store as well as all other OnePlus offline sales channels. For Amazon Prime members, sales begin on May 21, while the open sale will begin on May 22.

• Customers can avail a discount of INR 2,000 on SBI Credit and Debit card transactions during the first week. They will also be eligible to avail No Cost EMI for upto 3 months on all popular banks.
• Complimentary 12-month Accidental Damage Insurance by Servify
• INR 2,000 cash back and Device Insurance for Idea subscribers
• Gift card worth INR 250 for all Amazon Prime Video consumers and discounts up to INR 500 on Amazon Kindle
• Benefits up to INR 25,000 on flight and hotel bookings from ClearTrip

The detailed pricing of the latest 'flagship killer' is -

6+64 GB : ₹ 34,999
8+128 GB: ₹ 39,999

8+256 GB : ₹ 44,999 (Avengers Edition)

Also see: Mi Band 3 Officially Launched, even NFC is now on-board. 

OnePlus 6 launched | Specs, Color, Price and Availability

Chinese manufacturer OnePlus has launched their latest flagship, the OnePlus 6, at a launch event held in London. After weeks and months of rumors and leaks, there was nothing much left to know about the device. Let's take a closer look at what the company has to offer this time.

Build and Design

The OnePlus 6 is a big departure from the company's usual material choices. The metal casing of previous generations pave way to the glass sandwich design, which gives it a premium feel. The smartphone is also water resistant, but Oneplus didn't mention the IP rating. Measuring 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8 mm and weighing 177 g, the latest offering from OnePlus is a sleek phone with gorgeous design.

Display

The Optic AMOLED display measures 6.28 inches diagonally with a FullHD+ resolution of 2280x1080 pixels (19:9 aspect ratio). The display stretches to all sides save for a little notch on top, which houses the necessary hardware and it's protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Camera

The optics are identical to the ones used in 5T, with a rear setup comprising of a 16MP+20MP combo. The primary 16 MP sensor has a 27mm lens with an aperture of f/1.7. The secondary 20 MP sensor has an aperture of f/1.7 as well. the vertically stacked dual camera setup will also feature OIS+EIS, dual LED flash and PDAF. The front camera has a 16 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. Video recording up tp 4K resolution is supported on the rear camera while it is capped at 1080p for the selfie shooter. It can record in 4K at 60 fps, 1080p at 240 fps and 720p at 480 fps. The slow motion video at 720p can be captured for up to a minute.

Other Specifications

The OnePlus 6 will be running on the latest octa-core Snapdragon 845 and Adreno 630. It will be on Android Oreo 8.1 with the company's custom skin, Oxygen OS. The storage options are 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB, with no expansion options while the RAM options are 6 GB(64GB) and 8GB (128 and 256 GB).

Support for dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, NFC, 4x4 MIMO giving theoretical speeds of 1 Gbps are also included. Face unlock, made popular by Apple, is also supported with a claimed unlocking speed of 0.4s. All this is powered by a 3300 mAh battery with support for the incredibly fast Dash charge via the USB Type-C port. Talking about ports, the OnePlus 6 is one of the few flagships to sport a 3.5 mm audio jack. Other sensors included are a rear mounted fingerprint sensor, GPS, accelerometer, gyro, compass and proximity sensor.

Price, Availability and Colors

OnePlus 6 will be available in three color - Mirror Black, Midnight Black and Silk White. Both the black variants will be available starting May 22 and the limited edition Silk White from June 5. The detailed pricing for each variant -
6+64 GB: £469, €519, $529
8+128 GB: £519, €569, $579
8+256 GB: £569, € 619, $629

RealMe 1 Launched In India, disruptive pricing starts at Rs.8,990.

        Today marks the day, RealMe a sub-brand of Amazon and Oppo marks its entry in the Indian Smartphone market league. Equipped with Gimmicks such as AI Camera, the company says that their first offering is focused towards the younger audience. There are also some excellent caviar's like everyone will be offered Prime Deliveries and some exotic deals with partners. The company is currently targeting the sub 15000 price segment which might, later on, flourish depending on their success in their first quarter. Some of the most appealing facts about this device the crystal cut design at the back which comes with the diamond color variant. There are three variants in total, let's discuss more the same in details.

RealMe 1 Launched In India, disruptive pricing starts at Rs.8,990. 

RealMe 1 Specs, Price & Availability:

• It comes with 2GHz Helio P60 Octacore processor which is also termed as world's first 12nm chipset equipped with AI compute power.
• It sports a 6.0 inch 18:9 FHD+(1080p) panel which outputs about 403PPI. 
• Comes in three different storage variants: 3GB RAM/32GB ROM, 4GB RAM/64GB ROM, 6GB RAM/128GB ROM. All of them will support expansion up to 256GB with a dedicated slot. 
• Comes with a 13MP Camera on the rear, while an 8MP Camera on the front, both of which will have support for bokeh modes. The front will also function as a strong point for facial recognition. 
• It has a 3410 mAh non-removable battery.
• Comes with ColorOS 5.0 which is built on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. 
• Regarding connectivity, both SIM Slots support 4G.
• Color Variants: Diamond Black, Solar Red & Moonlight silver. 

    The processor on-boarded on the phone is touted to have AI Shot capabilities which would yield better shots with the new "12 nm" chipset. The chipset is also focused on providing better performance regarding photography, real-time video preview, beautification modes, better battery life, etc.  The RealMe 1 will be exclusively available on Amazon which seems obvious; the sale will commence on 25th May, 2018. Also, make a note that the company supports the "Make In & Made In India" initiative.


Pricing: 

• 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM(Diamond Black & Solar Red):  Rs. 8,990.
• 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM(Moonlight Silver & Diamond Black): Rs.10,990.
• 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM(Diamond Black & Solar Red):  Rs.13,990.

Launch Offers: 

• No Cost EMI on Amazon. In, SBI cardholders will get % cashback, while Jio customers will get a cashback of Rs.4850/-. 
• Amazon Prime deliveries for everyone. 

As of now RealMe 1 pricing seems seemingly disruptive starting Rs.8,990.

             Regarding design the phone has a 12-layer nanotech composite material which gives the device a shiny and diamond hampered look at the back which produces different reflections when the device is held in different angles, this also gives us a tangy taste of how the phone might fingerprint prone and slippery. Regarding software features, the AI shot can even recognize the gender, age depending upon the skin tone and skin type. AR stickers are also available built-in, so the users don't need to install any additional apps. AR stickers functions are supported both on the front and back. The facial unlock takes about less than 0.1 seconds to unlock the phone. Regarding support for offline service centers, there are about 500 service centers spread across India, and this will be handled by Oppo on behalf of Amazon.

Xiaomi launches their new Mi Music and Mi Video app services at Mi Pop Play Event.

Credits: Editorial Team

            So up until now, we've seen the Xiaomi focusing on the mobile segment in the Indian Market, that being said the company has also started on expanding their portfolio with the recent launch of the Mi TVs. While as a contradiction to the first statement 2nd May 2018 marks the day, Xiaomi enters the market of providing content aggregation services hoping to offer a complete ecosystem to their users. Yesterday at their iconic Mi Pop Play event, they made two announcements, Mi Music and Mi Video - where the company showcased how they've got some tricks up their sleeves to compete with the leading content providers and on-boarding several content aggregators. Getting on to the technicalities, both of these newest services would come preloaded on their handsets, while if you're interested about these offerings, you can go ahead and download them right now to get a broader view. Though the apps available on the MI App Store are currently available only for Xiaomi Devices, Users can also opt-in to beta programs. So let's get into the details of both these apps bit by bit, as we've used both these apps and we do have our initial thoughts on them.

Xiaomi launches their new Mi Music and Mi Video app services at Mi Pop Play Event. 

Mi Music: Streaming updates. 

Credits: Editorial Team

             Mi Music is an app-based service where the users can enjoy online music streaming for free. The app is relatively simple and easy to use consisting of gesture components. This minimal design felt well thought off according to us. The Mi Music service will provide you an unlimited lifetime streaming for free across all genres and languages. They quoted that Mi Music has about 10 Million freemium songs for users to stream from the first day itself. This app even allows users to sync their local music files stored on their phone. The company has tied up with Hungama Music which helps them to offer even more content from it aggregators which consists of more than 400 partners. Speaking about the key highlights, Xiaomi pointed out that the new Mi Music app offers Dynamic Lyrics letting users have the taste of Karaoke like experience. We tried this feature in particular at the event, and it's one of the key highlights. Here the user gets to scroll through the lyrics and stop precisely at the line he wants and then gets the option to tap play at the end of the line. Although the implementation is proper, we would've liked if the user had the opportunity to directly scroll through the lyrics and then select the entire line for it to play/pause, instead of the particular part.

Credits: Editorial Team

              Even though the Xiaomi users have got the unlimited streaming, they would eventually have to pay an amount for enjoying that music offline. The company offers a package called as Hungama Pro Package which will cost for Rs.899/year providing unlimited offline downloads as long as you've got storage left on your device. The company even hopes to increase its user base of about 7 Million Daily Active - Mi Music users with the new announcements. The users also have the option to ignore tracks which are under five mins or less, while you can even overlook the ones having less than 2MB size. It is beneficial to ignore those WhatsApp audios or your recorded call conversations.

Credits: Editorial Team

Mi Video: Updated Services.

Credits: Editorial Team

                Mi Video is a service as the name suggests, provides a stage for content consumption(videos). Now the company has introduced video streaming services as an extension to it's already announced local video services available offline which serves just like any other media player. The company has partnered with Hungama Play, Voot, SonyLiv, Sun NXT, TVF and even more to provide online streaming directly within the app. They currently offer about 5,00,000 hours of content which contains nearly 80% of the free content. The app now also supports MKA, MPEG and M2TS formats than the existing ones. It also supports subtitles available in multiple languages and private folders. Casting functionality is not only possible for Smart TV, but for the ones with DLNA and Miracast as well.


         On the launch, Manu Jain - Managing Director of Xiaomi India and VP of Xiaomi shared his thoughts,“Xiaomi’s core belief lies in providing high-quality products with the best specs, at an honest pricing. We are able to do this because of our business model — we provide our smartphones and other hardware at affordable pricing, aiming to monetize our MIUI Internet services in the long run. With the launch of these two apps Mi Music and Mi Video, we hope to serve millions of Xiaomi smartphone users with a better user experience through enhanced Internet services.” 

Credits: Editorial Team.

               Xiaomi even hints that they might bring more services as Mi Music and Mi Video are their first internet services that have been launched in India. In the coming few months, gamification will also be introduced in Mi Music. Mi Pop Play is an event hosted by Xiaomi to essentially bring out their fans across the country to enjoy with the executive personnel. So far this has been the 2nd Pop-up event held in India, and it accommodated about 200 Mi Fans along with the Media and VIPs.

     
 Source: Editorial Team

Asus launches Zenfone Max Pro M1; pricing starts from Rs 10,999

Asus has launched its latest smartphone the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 in India. The device will be exclusively sold via Flipkart.

The smartphone sports a 6-inch display with a resolution of 2160x1080. The tall display is flanked by sizeable bezels to the top and bottom. The M1 will be powered by Snapdragon 636 SoC built on 14nm process, which is also used on Zenfone 5. Graphic suties are handled by Adreno 509. The memory options available are 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB which can expanded by up to 2 TB via dedicated microSD card slot. There's an additional variant, with 6GB+64GB combination which will be available soon.

There's a dual camera setup to the back, with a combination of 13 MP and 5 MP sensors with softlight LED and PDAF. The dual sensor gives out realistic blur and also works in low light. It supports 4K video recording at 30 fps and 1080p at 60 fps. The selfie shooter has an 8 MP sensor with softlight LED and supports 1080p recording. The 6GB RAM version will have a 16MP+5MP combination to the rear and 16 MP sensor to the front. The Zenfone Pro has a 5 magnet speaker and NXP Amplifier, which ensures high quality amplification and has control over current drawn to the speaker, helping to maintain the quality of speakers for a longer time. A passive amplifier, MaxBox was also announced which will come in the box.

The highlight of this new smartphone is the use of stock Android UI instead of the company's own Zen UI. The smartphone will run on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box, and the stock interface promises relatively quicker updates. Asus has promised 2 version updates, i.e Android P and Q, Powering all these is a massive 5,000 mAh battery with support for fast charging, which the company claims will charge the smartphone from 0-100% in 2 hours 42 minutes. Coupled with the power efficient 636 processor, this smartphone would last quite a bit on a single charge.

The Zenfone Max Pro M1 will be available via Flipkart at the price of Rs 10,999 for 3GB RAM variant, 4 GB RAM variant at Rs 12,999 from 3rd of May 2018. The 6GB RAM variant will be available at Rs 14,999, but the release date was not announced. The color options available are Gray (3/32GB) and Deepsea Black (4/64GB). Additional offers include 10GB extra data per month for a year on recharges worth Rs 199 and above. For postpaid consumers, the same offer is available with plans costing Rs 399 and for plans priced Rs 499 and above, 2 years RED Shield protection is available for free. Flipkart Mobile Protection which covers all damages will be available with the Zenfone Pro M1 at just Rs 49.

Image Sources:
Asus India Twitter
Asus

Infinix Might Announce A New Blue Color Variant of Hot S3 Pro on 16th April

Smartphone brand Infinix is reportedly planning to launch a new color variant of their recent smartphone, the Hot S3. Invites have been sent with a tagline 'Hot gets Cool' with blue background and side profile of a blue colored smartphone.

The Hot S3 was launched recently by the company with an eye on the lower end segment which is dominated by Xiaomi now. The Hot S3 has a 5.65 inch HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. There's a 13 MP rear camera and a 20 MP front facing one.

The smartphone is running on octa core Snapdragon 430 with memory options of 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB available along with dedicated slot for microSD. It comes with XOS 3.0 based on Android Oreo out of the box and powering this all is a big 4000 mAh battery.

The 3GB+32GB Hot S3 is currently available on Flipkart at Rs 8,999 and 4GB+64GB is available at Rs 10,999. Color options available are Bordeaux Red, Sandstone Black and Topaz Blue. Though the pricing might not change, Infinix may be launching the new color with only one memory option.

Launching a different variant a while after the smartphone gets launched is becoming a trend. Flagship models from Samsung and Apple had either limited edition ones or a different colored variant. Such launches help the companies to keep the hype up and remain in the news for longer period. Even the budget oriented Mi A1 from Xiaomi launched in red color, so the trend is catching on and customers are always fond of options.