HONOR 20i Hands On and First Impressions

HUAWEI's HONOR brand introduced the HONOR 20i smartphone in China back in April, and the phone will launch in India soon, within months of the launch of Honor 10 Lite in the country . Here we have the first impressions. Box Contents HONOR 20i smartphone in Gradient Blue color Micro USB Cable 2-pin charger (5V-2A) SIM Ejector tool Clear protective case User manual and warranty information The phone packs a  6.21-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:5:9 aspect ratio dewdrop notch display, which looks bright and sharp.  Running on Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0 on top, the phone is powered by the company’s own Octa-Core Kirin 710 12nm SoC with support for GPU Turbo and 4GB RAM. The notch houses a 32-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture is housed inside the notch. The camera uses 4-in-1 light fusion technology and exposure compensation technology for a better selfie experience and has AI feature that recognizes eight selfie scenarios. The earpiece is present on the top edge. It has a small chin below the display. On the back there is a 24-megapixel primary camera with f/1.8 aperture along with a secondary 2-megapixel camera for AI portraits and AI scene detection for detecting different scenes. There is also a 8-megapixel 120° ultra wide-angle ...

Instagram launches data-saving feature for Android

Facebook-owned Instagram got new changes and features through recent updates. The company recently rolled out a redesigned camera UI, new stickers, shopping in stories and more. In similar lines, Instagram has started rolling out a new data-saving feature to its platform and will be initially available for Android users. The new data-saving feature on Instagram will neither pre-load the photos and videos nor download them at high resolution unless the users choose to tap on select ones. This gives users greater control over the media they would like to view on the app and also saves the data, which is the primary focus of this feature. Apart from this, with the feature turned on, the chosen photos and images will load faster since all the media is not being downloaded. To use the data saving feature on Instagram, users have to navigate to Settings->Account->Mobile data use. Under 'Mobile data use' there will three options ‘Never’, ‘Wi-Fi Only’, and ‘Cellular + Wi-Fi’ and users can choose any one of the options according to their preference. This feature is targeted at countries where the network speeds and penetration is low compared to other countries. Instagram is rolling out this feature to users globally in the coming days and ...

Realme releases kernel source for Realme 3 Pro

Realme has gained popularity since its inception because of VFM offerings in the mid-range smartphone segment. The company launched its latest offering Realme 3 Pro in the country on 22nd April. The smartphone packs a 6.3-inch Full HD+ Dewdrop notch display with 90.8% screen-to-body ratio and is powered by Snapdragon 710 10nm SoC with up to 6GB RAM. Now, the company has released kernel sources for the Realme 3 Pro, so there are good chances that we see custom ROMs for the smartphone in coming months. The company has also updated its Bootloader unlock tool, and Realme 3 users can now unlock the bootloader of their devices but unlocking bootloader will downgrade the Widevine certification level to L3 from L1 and users will no longer be able to enjoy HD content on apps like Hotstar, Amazon Prime Videos, and Netflix. Unlocking the bootloader will affect OTA updates and users will also not get official OTA updates as bootloader unlocking makes the secure data partition inaccessible. The company also says that bootloader unlocking and flashing a custom ROM will not affect the warranty of the device. Even though the source code is not useful for normal users, it would be helpful for Android developers and ...

Skype screen sharing now available for Android and iOS

Microsoft rolled out Skype version 8.0 for desktop last year that brought features like screen sharing calls, chat media gallery, share photos, videos, and other files, and more. Expanding the screen sharing feature, today, Skype has launched the screen sharing feature on Android and iOS along with multiple improvements to their mobile calling experience. Skype screen sharing comes to Android and iOS and with this feature, users can share their screen on Skype and get things done from anywhere. The company has redesigned the  “…” menu and now it includes screen sharing feature during a Skype call. To start using this feature, users have to start a Skype call, tap the new  “…” menu and click on 'Share screen' option to start sharing their screen with their friends. Alongside the launch of the screen sharing feature, Skype is introducing an improved and redesigned mobile calling experience. The speaker and audio device button now is in the upper right, next to the user's video and the company says that this makes it easy for one handed audio device switching while on the go. A single tap will dismiss the call controls and to make it clutter-free, double tapping will remove it all.  The redesigned “…” menu allows users to access features ...

Amazfit Verge 2 smartwatch with Qualcomm SoC, e-SIM support to be announced on June 11

Huami's Amazfit has been launching new products in China recently like Amazfit Verge Lite and Amazfit Bip Lite. Expanding the lineup, today, the company has released a teaser of a new smartwatch launch on June 11 in China. Confirming the launch, Qualcomm China also posted some features of the smartwatch including Wear 3100 chipset, e-SIM support and more. Huami Technology posted a new teaser recently where the poster says "I LOVE YOU THREE THOUSAND"  along with the launch date i.e., 11th June 2019. Also, another post from Qualcomm China revealed more details of the upcoming Amazfit smartwatch including some of its core specifications and features. According to the post from Qualcomm China, it is assisting Huami with the latest Snapdragon mobile platform on its next-gen Amazfit products. It also confirmed that the smartwatch will come with full network e-SIM support that will allow the smartwatch to be used to make calls independently. The upcoming Amazfit smartwatch will most likely be powered by Qualcomm Wear 3100 chipset. In other news, Huami’s vice-president, Wei Fandi also reportedly released a picture of the box of an unreleased product. The box had the text "for internal testing of Unicom" and also confirmed the name Amazfit Verge 2. We should know ...

HUAWEI Maimang 8 with 6.21-inch FHD+ display, triple rear cameras, Android Pie announced

HUAWEI just announced Maimang 8, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone in China, which is also the successor of last year's Maimang 7 . It was introduced as P smart+ 2019 and Enjoy 9S recently, packs a 6.21-inch Full HD+ waterdrop notch display with 19:5:9 aspect ratio, 89% screen-to-body ratio, Kirin 710 SoC, support for GPU Turbo 2.0, Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0 on top, 24-megapixel rear camera along with a secondary 2-megapixel camera for AI portraits and AI scene detection and a 16-megapixel ultra wide-angle lens. HUAWEI Maimang 8 specifications 6.21-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:5:9 2.5D curved glass display Octa-Core Kirin 710 12nm (4 x 2.2GHz  Cortex-A73 +4 x 1.7GHz Cortex-A53) with ARM Mali-G51 MP4 GPU 6GB RAM,  128GB storage, expandable memory up to 512GB with microSD Android 9.0 (Pie) with EMUI 9.0 Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) 24MP rear camera with LED flash, 480 fps slow motion, secondary 2MP rear camera, 16MP ultra-wide camera 8MP front-facing camera Dimensions: 155.2×73.4×7.95mm; Weight: 160g Fingerprint sensor Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS + GLONASS, Micro USB 3400mAh (typical) / 3320mAh (minimum) battery The HUAWEI Maimang 8 comes in Midnight Black and Sapphire Blue colors, is priced at 1899 yuan ...

OPPO K1 gets a price cut in India, now available at Rs. 14990

OPPO launched the midrange K1 smartphone in India earlier this year at Rs. 16990. The smartphone sports an AMOLED display, is powered by Snapdragon 660, in-display fingerprint scanner and more. After nearly four months of launch, now, OPPO K1 has got a price cut in India and it is available at revised price starting today. OPPO K1 was launched at Rs. 16990 and now it has received a Rs. 2000 price cut. After the price cut, the smartphone is now selling for Rs. 14990. It comes in only a single variant i.e., 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage and this is the first time the smartphone is receiving a price cut. OPPO K1 is sold on Flipkart and the revised price is already live on Flipkart's website. Smartphone Launch Price New Price Price cut OPPO K1 Rs. 16,990 Rs. 14,990 Rs. 2000 To recall, OPPO K1 flaunts a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED Waterdrop notch display, is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 AIE with 4GB RAM, ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo), 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 2MP camera, and a 25MP front-facing camera. It comes in Astral Blue and Piano Black colors.

Samsung to integrate custom AMD Radeon GPU IP into its future smartphone SoCs

AMD and Samsung Electronics have announced a multi-year strategic partnership in ultra low power, high performance mobile graphics IP based on AMD Radeon graphics technologies. As part of the partnership, Samsung will license AMD graphics IP to use it in its future SoCs. The company is currently using ARM's Mali GPU in its Exynos SoCs, so this could change soon. Samsung said that it will get custom graphics IP from AMD based on the recently announced, highly-scalable RDNA graphics architecture to use it in mobile devices, including smartphones, and other products. Samsung added that it will pay AMD technology license fees and royalties. AMD's RDNA gaming architecture was introduced at the Computex in Taipei last week as the next foundational gaming architecture designed to drive the future of PC gaming, console, and cloud for the future. Regarding RDNA ARM said: With a new compute unit10 design, RDNA is expected to deliver incredible performance, power and memory efficiency in a smaller package compared to the previous generation Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture. It is projected to provide up to 1.25X higher performance-per-clock and up to 1.5X higher performance-per-watt over GCN, enabling better gaming performance at lower power and reduced latency. Inyup Kang, president of Samsung Electronics’ S.LSI ...

Daiwa D32SBAR 32-inch Smart LED TV with built-in soundbar launched in India for Rs. 12990

Daiwa, the company known for its wide range of televisions in India, today has launched a new 32-inch Smart LED TV with built-in soundbar. It comes with Quantum Luminit technology and a dedicated 'Cricket Picture' mode to provide an enhanced cricket viewing experience for users. Daiwa's latest television carries the model number D32SBAR and sports a 32-inch HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and 300 Nits brightness. Daiwa is using Quantum Luminit Technology with a Wide Color Gamut on this television. The TV is powered by a 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 Quad-core processor along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It runs on Android 8 Oreo with access to Play Store and other Android apps. The physical ports include 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, Optical Output, Wi-Fi and LAN. It comes with a dedicated 'Cricket Picture' mode for an enhanced cricket viewing experience with surround sound and enhanced picture quality. This television also features a built-in soundbar for enhanced sound. Pricing and Availability Daiwa D32SBAR TV is priced at Rs. 12,990 and is available at Daiwa's official website and in offline stores. It also comes with 2 years warranty and users can get a 1-year warranty out of the 2 years warranty for free ...

Infinix Xband 3 water-resistant fitness tracker with heart rate and blood pressure monitoring launched in India for Rs. 1599

Infinix has launched Xband 3 (XB03), the company's latest fitness tracker in India. It has 0.96-inch color screen that displays icons for different functions. It lets you monitor your heart rate, blood oxygen and blood pressure levels, says the company. The fitness band is IP67 rated for water resistance against accidental splashes and dust. The strap is made of soft TPU material that is comfortable to wear and it can hold up to 7 Days of workout data, says  the company. Infinix Xband 3 (XB03) highlights and features 0.96-inch (160 x 80 pixels) TFT-LCD screen Bluetooth 4.1 to connect to devices running Android 4.4 or later and iOS 9.0 or later Step count, sleep tracking and calorie consumption data Display Time/Date, Alarm Clock, Weather, Smartphone Notifications (Call, Calendar, Text Notifications, App Alerts), Sedentary Reminder, Music Control Shutter function can capture images by remotely controlling your phone’s camera. PPG Heart Rate Sensor for Heart rate and blood pressure tracking 3-axis accelerometer for activity, exercise and sleep tracking Water resistant (IP67) 90mAh battery promises up to 10 days of battery life, 20 days of standby The Infinix Xband 3 comes in Black color, is priced at Rs. 1599 and is available from Flipkart.