Realme 2 Pro review: Impressive design, capable hardware at midrange price

The Realme 2 Pro is capable to play graphic intensive games, has modern outlook and satisfactory battery life that makes it a value-for-money proposition in midrange segment

 

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme is not even a year old, yet it has built a niche for itself as a value-for-money brand in the price conscious India’s smartphone market. Although the company continues to cater in the budget segment, its recent Realme 2 Pro smartphone is in a different league altogether. Price at Rs 13,990 for the base model, it would not be fair to call it a budget smartphone. However, considering the phone’s specifications and features, it undercuts other value-for-money proposition by a huge margin.

The Realme 2 Pro is what a modern day premium budget device should be. It takes a design cue from premium midrange flagships and clubs it with capable hardware prowess that results in a refreshing offering that does not look or work like any other budget or midrange device. Let’s take a look into the detailed review to know more:

Design and display

The phone is big for one hand operations, but the rounded polycarbonate chassis has a good grip to it that makes it easy to hold and operate. The phone has glass-metal-glass design. The back side of the phone is made of multiple laminated layers that give it glass-like outlook and makes it heat and scratch resistant, according to company’s claim. The back side is prone to smudges and is a fingerprint magnet, therefore requires regular cleaning to keep the glass intact.

The front is dominated by a 6.3-inch fullHD+ screen with a tiny notch on top and a thick bezel on the bottom. Due to the new format screen, the front looks refreshing compared to other notch-based screen smartphones. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 3. It might not be the best display, especially for multimedia content, but has ample brightness to stay legible in sunny outdoors, good contrast levels and satisfactory colour rendition.

Performance

Powering the smartphone is a capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 mobile platform. The phone comes in three RAM and storage configurations – 4GB/64GB, 6GB/64GB and 8GB/128GB – giving multiple options to choose from. The phone boots Android 8.1 Oreo covered under the Colour OS 5.2 user interface, which is similar to the user interface seen in Oppo-branded smartphones.

Specifications aside, the phone is a powerhouse and works seamlessly all across. It shows no lag or any sign of weakness even with graphic intensive game titles like PUBG and Asphalt 9 Legends. The phone also keeps thermals under control. It does warm up a bit after extensive gaming sessions, but not to a point where it becomes uncomfortable to use. While everything works in favour of the device, the user interface is tricky and takes time to get used to. Speaking of downsides, the phone does not support near-field communication (NFC) and lacks FM radio chip too. (more)

Oppo F9 Pro: Capable midrange smartphone with gradient design, fast charge

Business Standard reviewed the Oppo F9 Pro to test its overall performance and the VOOC charging technology. Here are our observations

 

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo was one of the first Android original equipment makers (OEMs) to introduce a smartphone with an iPhone X-like notch-based screen. With the launch of the Oppo F9 Pro, it also became the first brand to introduce a screen with a tiny notch. A phone with a waterdrop design, the F9 Pro has a notch of the size of a water drop, and it accommodates only the front camera. The earpiece and sensors have been moved to the thin bezel area above it. Though the phone has a fresh design with a new screen format on the front and glass with a gradient design on the back, it is the phone’s fast-charging capability that gives it an edge in the midrange smartphone segment. The phone features Oppo’s proprietary VOOC fast-charging technology, which according to the company provides two hours of talk time in five minutes’ charge.

Business Standard reviewed the Oppo F9 Pro to test its overall performance and the VOOC charging technology. Here are our observations:

Design and display

The Oppo F9 Pro looks identical to its predecessor, the Oppo F7. However, with a new screen format on the front and a gradient glass design on the back, the phone looks refreshing and has a premium appeal. The back of the smartphone looks dazzling, especially with its gradient design giving it a 3D look. However, with the fingerprint sensor placed in the middle-centre and horizontally aligned dual-camera module on the top-left-centre, the back lacks a uniform look and is, therefore, cluttered.

The front is dominated by a new 6.3-inch screen format of the fullHD+ resolution, stretching in a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen has a tiny notch screen area accommodating just the front camera. Interestingly, the earpiece now sits under a thin bezel above the display, along with sensors on its right. The new screen format gives the phone a tall look, making it somewhat difficult to operate it using one hand.

Being an LCD unit, the display is bright and has good sunlight legibility. It has a good saturation and contrast ratio. However, the colour rendition is not satisfactory and a fullHD+ resolution on such a big panel looks a bit pixelated, especially while reading text, playing games and watching videos.

Camera

The smartphone has a dual-camera module on the back featuring a 16-megapixel primary sensor, mated with a 2MP depth-sensing lens. The main camera has a large f/1.8 aperture size and the depth-sensing lens sits behind f/2.4 aperture. The camera fixes autofocus quickly and takes detailed shots in all light conditions. However, in low light, the camera softens the output and shows noise across the frame. (more)

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 review: Slate will impress multimedia enthusiasts

With a mammoth 10.5-inch screen, quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and a 7,700 mAh battery, the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 tablet is a multimedia powerhouse

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is among a few companies that continue to focus on tablets to fill the gap between smartphones and notebooks. Tablets provide a convenience of a smartphone in a big form factor with a huge screen estate. These devices, when connected with a keyboard and mouse, also double up as a trimmed-down version of notebooks. However, with Windows-based mobile notebooks and Chromebooks redefining the computing space, the use case for tablets has moved from productivity to entertainment or as a device at the centre of connected space, also known as internet of things (IoT). The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 seems to pack both of these.

The tablet is a fairly big device that puts it close to a notebook. It sports a mammoth 10.5-inch screen with huge bezels around. That is a plus, considering that you need some space to rest your thumbs while holding the device. The screen boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution in a 16:10 aspect ratio which makes it compatible with most content and apps. The screen is bright and has ample contrast. However, it looks dull in comparison with OLED, which offers an impeccable colour rendition and deep blacks and is best suited for multimedia consumption. The screen also shows a shift in colours when looked at from angles, and that makes it less suitable for watching video content with a bunch of friends. The lack of S-Pen support also diminishes the overall utility of the otherwise large display panel.

 

The tablet’s weight – more than 500 g – makes it difficult to operate using one hand. However, the weight is evenly distributed to helps in day-to-day operations. Thanks to a rubberised back, the tablet feels safe to hold and does not slip unnecessarily. However, a tiny bulging camera module on the back makes it uneven on flat surfaces like table.

 

Speaking of innards, the tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 system-on-chip (SoC), mated with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The SoC is not a powerhouse. It is an entry-level octacore processor that barely manages to run power-intensive tasks. Surprisingly, it does not deter the tablet’s multimedia prowess and manages to run 1080p videos smoothly. The tablet runs smoothly and shows no lags in normal circumstances. However, things turn difficult when power-intensive or graphic-intensive apps like Asphalt 9 and PUBG are loaded. These games run on this device at the lowest possible graphics setting, and show stutters, becoming unplayable. This, however, does not come as a surprise, considering that the tablet makes no promise for gaming capabilities. It pitches its multimedia capability and that performs fairly.

 

Speaking of multimedia capabilities, the tablet features quad speakers (two on the bottom and two on the top) powered by Dolby Atmos for an immersive sound experience. The speakers are not loud but offer a good spatial output for a surround sound experience. Interestingly, these speakers automatically adjust left and right channels based on screen orientation, making them quite useful.

Article Source: Business Standard

Vivo V11 Pro review: Feature-rich smartphone with good camera, battery life

Priced at Rs 25,990, the Vivo V11 Pro is has rich features in the midrange smartphone segment. It is also among the first smartphone to have a tiny notch display

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo started its journey with devices tuned to deliver best-in-class audio capabilities. With fast-changing dynamics of the smartphone game, the company soon shifted its focus to imaging by integrating higher megapixel cameras in its devices. Now, at a time when the specification race has saturated and the mobile phone game has moved to features, Vivo is seemingly taking the lead in shaping the future of smartphones — the Vivo Nex, with a three-side all-screen front and motorised pop-up camera is an example.

While the Vivo Nex seems to be a concept phone setting the benchmark for future smartphones, a Business Standard review of the recently launched Vivo V11 Prorevealed that the new device fits just perfectly as a smartphone filling the gap during thr transition. The Vivo V11 Pro features a modern design with glass body, a tall stance due to its 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen with a tiny notch on top (called Halo FullView), and respectable specifications.

Vivo V11 Pro design, display and in-display fingerprint sensor

With almost every phone offering the same specifications in their respective segments, the industry focus has now shifted to design and display; these have become a key differentiating factor for new-age smartphones. In terms of design, the V11 Pro is a step forward, especially with its glass-metal-glass design that looks plush. The back of the smartphone is uniform with almost no obstructions, except for a vertical dual-camera module placed on the top-left corner. The glass on the back has a starry night design of a glittery blue hue at the bottom, and a glossy shade of black on the top. A caveat: The phone’s back looks like an enhanced version of the V9.

The front is dominated by a new format 6.41-inch superAMOLED screen of fullHD+ resolution, stretched in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen boasts a new tiny notch screen area, accommodating just the front camera. Interestingly, the earpiece now sits under a thin bezel above the display, along with an infrared sensor on its right for the face-unlock mechanism. The new screen format gives the phone a tall look — that makes operating it using one hand somewhat difficult.

Being an AMOLED unit, the display is bright and looks vivid. It has a good saturation and contrast ratio. Sunlit legibility is satisfactory, but a fullHD+ resolution for such a big panel looks a bit pixelated, especially while reading text, playing games and watching videos. The lock screen supports the always-on mode to show notifications, time and date. However, unlike Samsung smartphones, there is no way you can interact or check notifications.

Article Source : Business Standard

Sony ‘Master Series’ A9F Bravia OLED TV launched in India for Rs 399,990

Sony ‘Master Series’ A9F Bravia OLED TVs comes with with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems

 

Taking its popular Bravia OLED TV line-up to a new level, Sony India on Monday launched “A9F” under its “Master Series” with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems.

Running Android TV 8.0 Oreo operating system (OS), the new television series — “KD-55A9F” (55-inch) that costs Rs 399,990 while “KD-65A9F” (65-inch) is priced at Rs 559,990 — will be available in India from September 20.

Equipped with “X1 Ultimate” picture processor and “pixel contrast booster” — which is Sony’s original panel controller for OLED — the TVs would deliver 4K HDR picture quality and better contrast, the company said in a statement.

 

Sony has incorporated “single slate design” in its new TV offering with only one stand in the back to hold it up.

 

The TVs also come with “Acoustic Surface Audio+” technology to facilitate multi-dimensional sounds.

 

“The TVs would provide a faster, easier and more intuitive interface for the consumers to use,” the company claimed.

 

Additionally, the TVs also come with multi-lingual support, accommodating 11 Indian languages and over 14 international dialects.

 

The “X1 Ultimate Picture Processor” can intelligently detect and analyse each object in the picture through Sony’s new object-based super-resolution mechanism – pixel contrast booster- for exceptional accuracy and detail.

 

The object-based HDR remaster has been updated and allows each object to be remastered individually for better depth and accurate texture.

 

With this recent launch, Sony will continue to enhance its premium line-up in its Bravia TV range to cater the niche customers and chase more value and strong foothold, Sony India Managing Director Sunil Nayyar told Press Trust of India.

 

Besides, Sony would also continue to have its affordable range to cater the entry-level customers in 32-inch and 40-inch screen size as per its “twin strategy” in the segment.

Sony, which is strengthening its premium image here, would also enhance the domestic manufacturing of the TV units through its local partner.

 

“Our contribution of the premium sales is increasing rapidly.

Xiaomi Mi A2 review: A capable midrange smartphone with a sleek camera

The Mi A2 offers a power-packed performance, clutter-free user interface and top-notch camera. While the Mi A1 was an all-rounder, the Mi A2 seems more of a balancing act

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has refreshed its Android One platform-based Mi A-series with the launch of the Xiaomi Mi A2. Priced at Rs 16,999, this smartphone features a new design when compared with the predecessor, along with a better hardware, upgraded camera modules and stock Google Android Oreo, which would soon be upgraded to Android Pie, according to the company.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 is a midrange smartphone which has a design language identical to the one Xiaomi introduced with the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The new phone boasts an aluminium unibody covering the back and sides, and glass on the front. The back features a vertically aligned iPhone X-inspired dual-camera module that bulges out from the body, making the phone uneven on flat surfaces like table. It also makes the glass covering the camera module more prone to scratches and smudges. Like other Xiaomi devices, the Mi A2 also sports a circular fingerprint sensor at the upper centre on the back that is easy to reach and operate.

The front is dominated by a 5.99-inch LTPS IPS LCD screen that leaves thin bezels on the top and bottom. The phone’s display is a shift away from the predecessor’s conventional 16:9 aspect ratio. It has also let go of the notch-based screen, which is currently the most used screen format, in favour of an 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which makes it look different from other current-generation midrange phones.

ALSO READ: Poco F1 review: Xiaomi redefines flagship with this hard-to-beat smartphone

The Mi A2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Unlike the predecessor, the Mi A2 does not support storage expansion via microSD card slot. However, the phone is expected to get a 128GB internal storage variant soon with 6 GB of RAM. Coming back to the 4GB variant, the phone gets free unlimited storage on Google cloud to store photos and videos as part of Android One benefits.

The phone boots Android Oreo 8.1.0 out of the box with no customised MIUI skin on top, so it offers vanilla Android experience. The user interface is sleek, free from clutter and swift to operate. It does not show any lag and manages most common day-to-day tasks like internet browsing, conversations over instant messaging apps, online music and video streaming and calling without any hiccups.

Boat products review: Inexpensive phone accessories with quirky design

Boat is inexpensive, not cheap. It needs a bit of tweaking before taking on the audio biggies

 

Quirky is a characteristic of Boat, a comparatively new consumer electronics brand founded in 2016. Its designs have a generous use of bright colours — red, pink, blue, fluorescent — and the occasional grey and black, aimed at catching the eye in the cluttered segment of affordable mobile phone accessories. The company makes earphones, headphones and portable speakers, along with accessories such as chargers and cables. We tested out one in each category for its design, quality and ruggedness.

Rockerz 430 (on-ear wireless headphones)

 

The packaging of Boat products is unimpressive across categories. The boxes are flimsy and aesthetically banal — uncharacteristically opposite of how the products look. The Rockerz 430 we reviewed has a charcoal grey exterior and is bright red inside. The plastic headband feels solid and the PU coating makes the headphones comfortable to hang on the neck when not in use. It’s also light.

have never been a fan of small ear-cups that sit on the ears and not cover them completely. Doesn’t matter the cushioning on the cups, even the slightest of pressure makes the headphones hard to keep on for extended use. The Rockerz 430 has a passive noise cancellation, which means they sit on the ears snuggly to block the outside noise by design; and the headphones won’t slip off even if you run with them. But not everyone can get used to the pressure on the outer ear.

 

The Rockerz 430 is paired easily, and is even faster to connect the next time. The over-enthusiastic announcer welcoming you with “you have plugged into Nirvana” is quite unnecessary though.

 

Moving on, the headphones don’t falter on delivering the low frequency sounds right. The sub-bass is deep and surround. Even the mids — that include the vocals — are clear. Listening to Drake and DJ Khaled is a pleasure, but only until the highs kick in. It seems like in order to achieve satisfactory base, the highs have been amped up. And the distortion is quite evident when bass takes a back seat. The snare drums in Highway to Hell by AC/DC were overbearing after a point, and by the time I moved an era to Charlie Puth’s Done for Me for its treble-heavy music and Puth’s high-pitched voice, I could not increase the volume over 70 per cent. While the bass is good, the overall sound quality Rockerz 430 delivers for Rs 1,995 — even though cost-effective — is average, at best.

 

Read more about : BassHeads 225, Stone 200 (Bluetooth speakers), Charging cable (for iOS)

Star’s Rs 2-bn ad revenue target to take a hit over Virat Kohli’s absence

Asia Cup is being held in the United Arab Emirates this year, since India and Pakistan have severed bilateral cricketing ties

 

The absence of Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is expected to put a dent in broadcaster Star India’s advertisement revenue projections from the ongoing Asia Cup 2018. Media buyers in the know say that while it is difficult to put a number on how much the impact on the ad sales tally could be, it is quite possible the broadcaster will not be able to make its Rs 2-billion target.

The broadcaster holds the television (TV) and digital media rights to the tournament and was targeting a total of Rs 2.5 billion in ad sales revenues — Rs 2 billion from TV and Rs 500 million from digital ad sales. It had sold 60-70 per cent of its total advertising inventory before the start of the tournament, amounting to around Rs 1.2 billion in ad revenues. The broadcaster was hoping to cash in on the higher spot (last-minute buys) rates to complete its target of Rs 2 billion in TV ad sales.

However, with Kohli missing in action, the spot rates for the remaining 40 per cent inventory will be affected. “There is evidence that when Kohli comes to bat, viewership moves up and when he gets out, it comes down. The fence sitters may have one more reason to stay out because of the news,” says Vineet Sodhani, chief executive officer, Spatial Access, a media audit agency. He explains that while people will still watch the matches in the tournament, especially the India matches, the incremental reach that Kohli brings when he is on the field, will not be achieved. This may give the fence sitters reason to not pay big bucks for the remaining inventory. Existing advertisers however, have no option but to go ahead with their investment, so no advertiser is pulling out of the tournament as such.

ALSO READ: As Comcast, Disney face possible Fox bidding war, spotlight on Star India

Sponsors on the Asia Cup include Hero, Byju’s, Google, Britannia, Gra-Do, Droom, Coca-Cola, USL, Domino’s, Unimoni, GSK, Dell, Eureka Forbes, MP Birla, UltraTech, Apollo Tyres, Vini Cosmetics, Parle Agro, and Nerolac.

Star India was hoping to make up to Rs 600,000 per 10-second ad spot during the series and anywhere between Rs 1 million and Rs 1.3 million for the India-Pakistan tie.

However, this will need to be revised, and it is more likely to make Rs 400,000 to Rs 450,000 per 10 seconds on an average for the tournament, while the India-Pakistan tie would fetch them Rs 800,000 to Rs 900,000 for 10 seconds. “India is yet to play a single match in the series and its first match is against Hong Kong.

OnePlus: How midrange flagship brand is discreetly inching towards premium

With smartphone prices gradually increasing with every new generation, the midrange flagship brand OnePlus has turned into a premium brand. Here is a look at the company’s journey so far

In 2014, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus debuted in the smartphone space with the launch of the OnePlus One, which was termed a flagship but had the price of a midrange device. Thanks to its top-notch specifications and brilliant build quality, the phone famously became the first midrange flagship, giving birth to a smartphone segment that had never before been explored or experimented with but had a huge potential in India’s price-conscious smartphone market.

Over the years, the company has continued to offer value-for-money products in the midrange segment, redefining the flagship smartphone segment and proving that a flagship need not be costly. However, with every consecutive launch, the company has raised the price substantially and moved closer to the premium smartphone segment. OnePlus still continues to offer value-for-money smartphones when compared with premium flagships. However, with the premium edition of its current-generation flagship priced at nearly Rs 44,000, OnePlus does not look like a midrange flagship brand any more.

ALSO READ : OxygenOS makes OnePlus 5T faster, smarter: An Android Oreo on steroids

OnePlus journey so far

OnePlus One

Launched in 2014, the OnePlus featured a premium design and top of the line innards. However, it was the launch price of Rs 21,999, almost half of other premium smartphones’ cost that changed the notion of flagship smartphones, making this the first midrange flagship. The OnePlus One redefined the flagship smartphone segment and showed that a flagship need not be costly.

OnePlus 2

Riding on the success of the OnePlus One, the company launched the OnePlus 2 in 2015. Priced at Rs 24,999, the second-generation OnePlus smartphone featured top-tier specifications, coupled with a top-notch build quality which made it a value-for-money product that was hard to beat at its price.

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

Launched in 2016, the OnePlus 3 was a game-changer for the company. With the OnePlus 3, the company not only plugged the shortcoming of its predecessor, but also brought a new operating system that made it a robust flagship with an all-round performance. That justified its price tag of Rs 27,999.

Later that year, the company upgraded the model with a new processor, camera and improved user interface. Named the OnePlus 3T, the phone was an all-rounder. Launched at Rs 29,999, the phone had everything you expect from a premium flagship, but it had the price of a midrange. It is this smartphone that set the benchmark for the company’s future smartphones. (more)

Petrol, diesel price hike: No respite for common man yet; check rates here

Petrol prices in Delhi were raised by 28 paise while in other metros such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai the prices of petrol were increased by 28 paise, 27 paise, and 30 paise, respectively

After a halt on Wednesday, petrol and diesel prices continued with the upward run and saw a hike for the second consecutive day across the country as oil marketing companies revised the rates on Friday. Petrol prices in Delhi were raised by 28 paise while in other metros such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai the prices of petrol were increased by 28 paise, 27 paise, and 30 paise, respectively.

Similarly, Diesel prices were hiked by 22 paise in Delhi, 24 paise in Mumbai, 22 paise in Kolkata and 24 paise in Chennai.

Petrol now costs Rs 81.28 per litre in Delhi up from Rs 81 per litre on Thursday and in Mumbai people will have to shell out Rs 88.67 for a litre of petrol.

Diesel will now be available for Rs 73.30 per litre in Delhi instead of Rs 73.08 per litre (price on Thursday), while in Mumbai diesel is priced at Rs 77.82 per litre up from Rs 77.58 per litre on Thursday.

Rising fuel prices in the country have been an issue of friction between the government and the opposition parties for the past couple of days. Opposition parties are demanding a cut in the excise duty on petrol and diesel and bringing fuel under the ambit of GST.

At least 20 Opposition parties led by Congress staged a Bharat Bandh across the country on Monday to protest against the rising fuel prices and falling value of the rupee. Left parties staged a separate shutdown of their own.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan government announced a 4 per cent cut in the state VAT on petrol and diesel on Sunday to reduce their prices by Rs 2.5 per litre in the state, while Andhra Pradesh government on Monday announced a reduction of tax on petrol and diesel by Rs 2 a litre, to reduce the burden on common caused by zooming fuel prices. Similarly, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that her government will reduce the state tax on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre.