LG V40 ThinQ with triple rear and dual front cameras launched in India for Rs. 49,990

As expected, LG has officially announced the launch of the LG V40 ThinQ smartphone in the Indian market. Available exclusively from Amazon India, the smartphone is already on sale in two different colors — New Moroccan Blue and New Platinum Gray, both with Matte back finish. The V40 ThinQ is LG's latest flagship smartphone announced in October 2018.

Part of an introductory offer, every V40 ThinQ customer is eligible for a 10% instant discount on HDFC debit and credit cards, free screen replacement worth Rs. 16,750, no cost EMI up to 12 months and Rs. 5,000 extra on any smartphone exchange.

Buy LG V40 ThinQ from Amazon India

LG V40 ThinQ with 6.4-inch QHD+ display, Snapdragon 845 SoC, 5 cameras launching in India on January 20th

LG is one of the most underrated smartphone manufacturers out there. The company flagship series which include the LG G and the LG V series bring top-end specifications, great camera, high durability and amazing sound to a smartphone.

The LG V40 ThinQ, announced back in October 2018, is LG's latest premium flagship with the above-mentioned features, succeeding the highly popular LG V30. The V40 ThinQ comes with five cameras and the same is about to get launched in India soon.

Read More: LG V40 ThinQ with triple rear and dual front cameras launched in India, now available from Amazon India

Amazon India has started teasing the launch of the V40 ThinQ on its website and it reveals that the handset will be available starting January 20th as a part of its Great Indian sale. All Amazon Prime members could buy the V40 ThinQ a day early at 12 noon. As per the listing, the LG V40 ThinQ will be available in New Moroccan Blue (Matte) and New Platinum Gray (Matte) colors in India.

Exciting launch offers include 10% instant discount on HDFC debit and credit cards, free screen replacement, no cost EMI up to 12 months and exchange offer with extra Rs. 5,000.

Buy LG V40 ThinQ from Amazon

Honor launches Honor 10 Lite with 24MP selfie camera, Android 9.0 Pie starting at Rs. 13,999

Honor will be launching the Honor View 20 mid-range smartphone in India on January 29th, and prior to that, the company today has launched its new budget smartphone in the country.

Called the Honor 10 Lite, the smartphone was originally announced back in November 2018 and is focused on selfie lovers. Like other Honor smartphones, the Honor 10 Lite also comes in two configurations including 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage and another with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage.

Available in Blue, Sky Blue (Gradient finish) and Black colors, the Honor 10 Lite will be sold exclusively on Flipkart starting January 20th. Customers can also buy the same from Honor official website. Honor has priced the base variant (4GB + 64GB) of 10 Lite at Rs. 13,999, whereas the 6GB RAM variant costs whooping Rs. 17,999. No idea why Honor is charging Rs. 4,000 extra for additional just 2GB RAM.

Buy Honor 10 Lite from Flipkart

Huawei Y9 2019 with 6.5-inch display, four cameras, 4000mAh battery launched in India for Rs. 15,990

Huawei, as expected, has launched the Huawei Y9 2019 in India earlier today. It was originally announced back in October 2018 and now it has made its way to the Indian market. The Y9 2019 is a budget smartphone from Huawei and competes directly with the Redmi Note 6 Pro, Motorola One Power, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, and others.

Huawei Y9 2019 will be available exclusively from Amazon.in starting 15th January 2019 from 12 midnight onwards. It comes in just one configuration of 4GB RAM + 64GB ROM and in two hues - Sapphire Blue and Midnight Black.

Huawei has priced the Y9 2019 at Rs. 15,990. As a perk, the device is bundled with limited period offers which includes ‘Boat ROCKERZ 255 SPORTS Bluetooth hands-free’ worth Rs. 2,990 for free. Additionally, Jio customers can avail benefits worth Rs 4,450, in addition to 100GB 4G data with purchase of the smartphone.

Buy Huawei Y9 2019 from Amazon.in

XOLO Era 4X launched in India starting at Rs. 4444, Era 5X with 13MP rear and front cameras announced

After teasing the launch of the Era 4X smartphone in India, XOLO today in an event in Delhi has officially taken the wraps off the XOLO Era 4X smartphone revealing all its specifications and other details. Alongside, XOLO also announced the XOLO Era 5X smartphone in the county, which will be available starting February 2019.

The XOLO Era 4X is the company's latest ultra-budget smartphone and comes in two RAM configurations, 1GB and 2GB. Available in Gold and Black colors, the Era 4X is priced at Rs. 4444 for the 1GB RAM variant, and the 2GB RAM variant costs Rs. 5555. The smartphone is exclusively available from Amazon.in.

As an introductory offer, XOLO is selling the Era 4X smartphone with a 30-day money back promise. The CRP (Customer Return Price) for XOLO Era 4X is Rs. 4000 and for the XOLO Era 4X_2GB is Rs. 5000. You can read the complete T&Cs here.

Talking about the XOLO Era 5X, the smartphone will be marketed as a budget selfie smartphone as it comes with 13MP rear and front cameras with AI studio mode. More about it below. The pricing and availability details of the Era 5X will be revealed in the coming weeks.

XOLO Era 4X

Honor to launch Honor View 20 with 48MP rear camera, 25MP in-screen front camera in India on January 29th

Honor, like Huawei (its parent company), has been launching amazing smartphones lately. From Honor 10 to the Honor Magic 2, the devices have amazed almost everyone. With the right pricing and great specs, Honor smartphones are a run for its money.

The latest Honor smartphone announced is the Honor View20, which is the world’s first phone with high-definition 48MP rear 3D ToF camera and a front-facing 25MP camera integrated into the display. The View 20 is already on sale in China and will be introduced globally on January 22 in Paris.

Honor India has started teasing the launch of the Honor View 20 smartphone in India already. The "Save the Date" invites are out for the tech media which reveals that Honor will be launching the View 20 in the country on January 29th, just a week after the global launch.

Honor View 20, also called as Honor V20 comes in three color options including Blue, Red and Back, and in two different RAM configurations of 6GB and 8GB, both with 128GB internal storage. Honor has priced the 6GB variant of the View 20 in China at 2,999 Chinese Yuan (~ Rs. 30,700 / US$438), whereas the 8GB variant costs 3499 Chinese Yuan (~ Rs. 35,810 / US$510).

Considering the China pricing, the smartphone will compete head to head with the likes of OnePlus 6T and Asus Zenfone 5Z. The teasers out by Honor confirms that the Honor View 20 will be launched in India exclusively on Amazon India. You can read more about the smartphone design and specs below.

Honor View 20 Design

Honor View 20 is the first smartphone to use advanced nanolithography technology to develop an invisible nano-texture on its body. The fourth generation of nano-vacuum coating and invisible aurora texture process create a vivid and dynamic V-shape color gradient with a gleaming effect on the back of the View 20.

To eliminate the notch and increase the screen-to-body ratio of the V20, Honor developed a new All-View display with an in-screen front camera, which basically is a super small hole with a diameter of only 4.5mm created at the top left corner of the display to house the front-facing camera, thereby increasing the display area. With this notch-less design, the Honor View 20 achieves a stunning 91.8% body-to-screen ratio.

On the rear, the View 20 has dual-rear cameras aligned horizontally at the top left corner with dual-LED flash. The fingerprint scanner is placed on the back top-center and the Honor branding to the bottom. Speaker grills, USB Type-C port and primary microphone are located on the bottom frame, and Honor keeps the 3.5mm headphone jack alive, embedded on the top.

Huawei to launch Huawei Y9 2019 with dual front and rear cameras in India on January 10th

Update (7/1/19 - 08:00 PM) - Huawei has postponed the India launch of the Huawei Y9 2019. The device is now scheduled to launch in the country on January 10th.

Read More: Huawei Y9 2019 with 6.5-inch display, four cameras, 4000mAh battery launched in India for Rs. 15,990

Update (2/1/19 - 09:55 PM) - Huawei has started sending out press invites to the Indian tech media for the launch of Huawei Y9 2019. The company will be launching the Y9 2019 in the country on January 7th, 2019.

Original (2/1/19 - 12:23 PM) - Dual-cameras are now a necessity in a smartphone for providing extra value-added features like the bokeh effect, portrait selfies, or wide-area coverage. Huawei is one of the many manufacturers who's including dual-cameras in every smartphone they launch and Huawei Y9 2019 is the latest one.

Launched back in October 2018, the Huawei Y9 2019 is a new budget Android smartphone from Huawei which comes with dual-cameras on both the front and the rear of the smartphone.

Amazon India, today, has started teasing the launch of the Huawei Y9 2019 in India. The teaser page does not mention the launch date or any additional details besides users can register to get an email on when the Y9 2019 will be launched and made available.

Xiaomi Mi A2 gets upto Rs. 3,000 price drop in India, now starts at Rs. 13,999

Introduced in August 2018, the Xiaomi Mi A2 succeeded the highly popular Mi A1 smartphone, the first Xiaomi phone under the Android One scheme. Xiaomi launched the Mi A2 in India starting at Rs. 16,999, and a few months later dropped the price of the same by Rs. 1,000.

Today, Xiaomi has again dropped the price of the Mi A2 smartphone in the country. The price cut, according to Xiaomi is a permanent one and is now effective across all authorized online and offline distributors.

The Mi A2 with 4GB + 64GB configuration is now available at Rs. 13,999, which is Rs. 2,000 cheaper than the earlier price. On the other hand, the 6GB + 128GB configured Mi A2 is now retailing for Rs. 15,999, a Rs. 3,000 price drop. Considering the new price tag, the Mi A2 will be giving tough competition to many budget smartphones in the similar price segment.

Talking of the USPs, the Xiaomi Mi A2 is the company's second Android One smartphone, which not only brings stock Android but also gives Unlimited Google Photos storage for up to 2 years. The Mi A2 comes in five color variants including Black, Red, Blue, Rose Gold and Gold, and has a metal unibody design which makes it premium and sturdy.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Specifications

• 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 1500:1 Contrast ratio and 2160x1080 pixels resolution
• 2.2GHz Octa-Core 14nm Snapdragon 660 processor with Adreno 512 GPU
• 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage / 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage
• Stock Android 9.0 Pie
• 12MP primary rear camera with Sony IMX486 sensor, LED flash, f/1.75 aperture, 1.25μm pixel size, EIS
• 20MP secondary rear camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, f/1.75 aperture, 4 in 1 – 2.0μm pixels
• 20MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX376 sensor, soft LED flash, 4 in 1 – 2.0μm pixels 
• 3010 mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0
• Fingerprint scanner on the back, Infrared sensor for controlling electronic devices
• Dimensions: 158.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm; Weight: 168g
• Dual SIM Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE, USB Type-C

(Update: XOLO Era 4X) XOLO teases a new smartphone launch in India soon

Update: XOLO has shared a new teaser on its social media profile which reveals that they will be launching the XOLO Era 4X smartphone. The Era 4X will be the successor to the Era 3X smartphone launched in October 2017. Judging the teaser the Era 4X will feature an 18:9 ratio display with minimal bezels and no notch. No word on the launch date yet.

Read More: XOLO Era 4X launched in India starting at Rs. 4444, Era 5X with 13MP rear and front cameras announced

Original: Remember XOLO, India based smartphone manufacturer? A sub-brand of LAVA smartphones launched back in 2012. The last time they launched phones in India was in October 2017 the XOLO Era series of smartphones including the XOLO Era 3X, Era 2V and the Era 3, all under Rs. 8,000.

The brand since then never launched any another device and was also inactive on all its social media accounts from March 2018, until today.

With New Year, comes new possibilities and here we have XOLO back in action. XOLO on its Facebook page and also on Twitter has teased the launch of a new upcoming smartphone in the country along with an image.

Vivo slashes the price of Vivo NEX in India weeks ahead of Vivo NEX Dual Display launch

Vivo has reduced the price of the Vivo NEX smartphone in India. Launched back in July 2018 in India, the Vivo NEX is the first smartphone to come with an elevated front facing camera. Vivo launched the NEX in the country for Rs. 47,990, but was actually retailing for Rs. 44,990.


Now, the company has further reduced the price of the NEX by Rs. 5,000. Available for Rs. 39,990 from both the online and offline retailers, the Vivo NEX is a good option for those who don't want to buy the OnePlus 6T.

This sudden decrease in price is because of the launch of the Vivo NEX Dual Display smartphone, the successor of the Vivo NEX. The NEX Dual Display is already on sale in China so we might expect the launch of the same in India by the end of January or mid-February.

Vivo X21, the first smartphone in India with in-display fingerprint scanner launched for Rs. 35,990

Smartphone tech has evolved a lot in the past couple of years. Not only in terms of design, but there's a huge upgrade in terms of security too. Back in 2016, phones were launched with big bezels on the top and below the display and today, the trend is all about including a notch.

Similarly, no one expected phones with a fingerprint scanner until Apple launched the iPhone 5s in 2013 with Touch ID. Since then smartphone companies started focusing more on the security aspect of the device and now we see phones with a dedicated fingerprint scanner, a Face ID, an Iris Scanner, and even software based face unlock.

So, what's next when it comes to security in a smartphone? Phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner? Sounds cool right?

Vivo is the first vendor in the world who has taken an initiative towards launching a phone with an in-display fingerprint scanner, and the first commercially available Vivo smartphone with this tech is the Vivo X21. The Vivo X21 was announced back in March 2018, as a successor to the Vivo X20, in the Vivo's X series of smartphones.

Vivo X21

Today, Vivo has officially announced the launch of the Vivo X21 in India. Priced at Rs. 35,990, the Vivo X21 will be available for purchase online exclusively from Flipkart starting today in Black color. The X21 will also be available from brick-and-mortar stores and Vivo's own e-store.

If you purchase the Vivo X21 from Flipkart you get an extra Rs 3,000 off on exchange price, 5% cashback on SBI credit and debit cards, and No cost EMI on most credit cards as an introductory and exclusive offer. Now, let's talk about the device in detail.

Starting up with the design and build, the Vivo X21 looks exactly similar to the Vivo V9 but has a high-quality build material with 3D glass back cover. On the front is the AMOLED display with a notch on top, and minimal bezel on the bottom. Flipping over we see the dual-camera setup on the left top corner with Vivo branding in the center. Volume and power button sits to the right side of the X21, with a 3.5mm headphone jack on the top edge, and a micro USB port with speaker grills on the bottom.

Talking about the fingerprint scanner, the star of the show, Vivo has included it beneath the display. As you can see in the images, the fingerprint sensor is located on the lower-center of the display, exactly where our thumb rests. The sensors work only in the limited area, which lights up to give you an indication where to rest your finger/thumb for unlocking.

   

Vivo X21 Fingerprint Location

In terms of performance, the fingerprint scanner is pretty good. Setting up a fingerprint is easy by just tapping the limited area of the sensor on the display lightly at first followed by some slightly deeper press. The unlocking takes around a second, which is good in my opinion for the technology. Vivo has announced that it will constantly improve the speed of unlocking with regular updates.

Vivo has also included a face unlock feature for convenience, which according to them 3D maps the face using IR fill light included inside the front-facing camera sensor. Vivo is calling this feature Face Wake 2.0.

You can find the detailed specifications sheet below:

Vivo X21 Specifications

• 6.28-inch 19:9 Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with 2280x1080 pixels resolution and 402 PPI density, P3Color Gamut Display
• 2.2GHz 14nm Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AI Engine SDM660 processor
• Adreno 512 GPU | 6 GB RAM
• Android 8.1 Oreo with Funtouch OS 4.0
• 12MP primary rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture, 1/2.5" sensor, 1.4µm size, Dual Pixel PDAF, AI Face Beauty, HDR Mode, Shot Re-Focus, 4K UHD Recording, AR Stickers
• 5MP secondary rear camera with f/2.4 aperture, phase detection autofocus
• 12MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
• 128GB internal memory with up to 256 GB expandable using a microSD card
• Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
• 3200 mAh battery with fast charging (microUSB 2.0)
• Dimensions: 154.45 x 74.78 x 7.37 mm | Weight: 156.2g
• 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) dual-band, WiFi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0 A2DP LE, A-GPS, GLONASS
• In-display Fingerprint Scanner, Face Unlock, AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip, Vivo XE710 Hi-Fi Earphone

It's good to see Vivo launch the Vivo X21 in the Indian market. Competing head-to-head with the newly launched OnePlus 6, the Vivo X21 has an upper edge because of the real innovation of an in-display fingerprint scanner when compared to the OnePlus 6 which is more or less the same like its predecessor.

But, in India, the brand value does matter, and OnePlus definitely wins over Vivo. Time will tell whether Vivo was able to beat the OnePlus 6 in terms of sale of the Vivo X21. I will be reviewing the Vivo X21 soon. If you have any questions regarding the device, do let me know in the comment section below.

   

   

Picostone Basic Review: Home Automation Made Easy

Imagine you are on a vacation with family miles away from home and suddenly a day after your neighbor informs you that you have left your hall lights and AC switched on. What will you do now? Rush back home abandoning your trip or let it be and pay the heavy bill the next month.

Now, consider the second situation, you are traveling back home beating the heat and realize that your AC takes around 10-15 minutes to cool the house. That moment you will regret not having an automated smartphone controlled house.

The demand for home automation has increased drastically since past couple of years. But it is still a dream for middle-class users because of the high cost of setup. Though we have many big players in the market, the cost is a way too much to handle.

About Picostone

While searching for some home automation devices in the country, I came across an Indian startup called Picostone with low-cost home automation devices. Started in 2016, Picostone aims at resolving many problems with the current home automation devices in the budget. The company is based in Mumbai and has two major products, the Basic and the Polar.

Picostone Basic is a small wifi based device that fits right behind your switchboard and lets you operate your lights and fans through your phone. Whereas, the Picostone Polar is a small wifi-enabled plug-like device that talks to the IR Stone using Picostone's proprietary RF communication protocol for operating AirCon.

I got hold of the Picostone Basic for a month and here's my in-depth review of the same.

Picostone Basic

Picostone Basic

Picostone Basic is a small rectangular box-like hardware device with Wi-Fi support. It comes with a connector which can accommodate up to 4 switches. The Picostone Basic is sturdy and made of good quality material. The major features of the Picostone Basic are: 

Picostone Basic Features

• 15 Minutes Installation
• No Rewiring Required
• Control From Anywhere
• Dim Your Devices Using Phone
• Schedule Appliances On or Off
• Add Scene To Control Multiple Appliance at a Single Tap
• Voice Controls using Alexa
• IFTTT Support
• Physical Switch Act as Two-way Switch
• Highly Secured Inter-device Communication
• Offline Customer Support
• 2-year Replacement Warranty

Picostone has priced the Basic for Rs. 11,800, which might sound costly, but for the features and support Picostone provides, the pricing is justified. Picostone also has something called as MadSale which happens once every quarter, where the price of Picostone Basic is dropped up to Rs. 3,000 or even less at times, which makes it a steal deal.

The company also offers Effortless Starter Kit for Rs. 10,999 during the sale which includes 1 Polar, 1 Basic and 3 IRIS products. Other kits are... (Note: Kit prices are subject to change on every sale)

Picostone MadSale Kit Offers

Picostone Basic Technical Specifications

• Input/Output Voltage: 230v/50Hz
• Power Consumption: 1W
• Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• Input Voltage For Switches: 230v/50Hz
• Power Per Channel: 220W (Max) 5W (Min) Resistive Load
• Communication Security: 256-bit AES Encrypted
• Dimension: 87.75mm x 57 mm x 22.8mm

Installation & Setup

One Picostone Basic device will allow only 4 switches to be automated. The device packaging is very basic and it includes the Basic itself with a connector/socket, fuse, and a 1ft long wire which needs to be cut into 4 pcs for the switches. As the device is very compact, it easily fits inside existing switchboard. The space required is very minimal. No extra wiring or construction work is required to install the Basic.

Picostone Basic: How It Works

After getting the Picostone Basic, you can install it either by calling your own electrician or the one from the company. I selected the latter one. Picostone has partnered with the HouseJoy team for the installation of Picostone Basic across the country. They have well-trained and experienced electricians, and the service cost anywhere between Rs. 250 to Rs. 300. HouseJoy follows up with you twice a week to check if everything is working perfectly.

If you know the basics of electrical engineering, then you can manually install the Basic easily using the installation guide provided by the company inside the packaging. Installing Basic is not a rocket-science, rather a few minutes work. It would be better if you decide the four switches to automate prior the electrician comes.

Picostone Basic Socket

Picostone App

After you are done installing the Basic inside the switchboard, the next job is to set the Picostone Basic using the Picostone app. Picostone has included a step by step guide for configuring the Basic inside the box. It took me less than 2 minutes to configure the Picostone Basic with my phone. In case you face any issue with the setup, you can contact the Picostone customer support, as they are very responsive and well-knowledged about the product.

The primary step of setting the Basic is to first enter personal details of home WiFi network inside the Picostone app. Then connect to Picostone WiFi created by the Basic. After that, traverse back to the Picostone app and under Device Configuration click on Configure. This will configure the Picostone Basic with the home WiFi network and now it can be easily used from anywhere, as it is synced with the server and has a dedicated network connection.

Do note that you need not connect to Picostone wifi after the configuration is done, though it will be always shown in your nearby WiFi networks.

                

After the Picostone app is configured with the Picostone Basic, the device is now ready to use. Inside the app, you get the list of all rooms/Picostone devices. Selecting one will show 4 set of switches. You can rename the room name and type by going to individual listing settings. Also, if you want multiple users to get control of that particular room then you can also add users to that room listing.

Long press on any switch will help configure that switch where you can rename the switch and select the switch type as Light, Fan or Motion Sensor. Also, you can select if the switch is dimmable or not to enable the dim setting. Last but not the least is that you can add an auto switch on or off schedules on particular days and at a varying time. There's one more feature called Scene which allows to switch on or off multiple appliances with just a single tap.

                

After using the Picostone Basic for a month I found it very convenient for daily use. The app has become very responsive after the latest update. They have revamped the UI and made is more clean and simple to understand. The device at times face an issue of syncing the speed of the fan if changed manually via a regulator, but it isn't a deal breaker.

Controlling the app using mobile data is not at all a problem, but you need to wait for like 10-20 seconds for the app to get synced with the device at home. All multiple Picostone products can be controlled using one single app. The device comes with voice control feature using Alexa, but I haven't tried it, so I'm not well-aware of the working using voice.

           

Verdict

With Picostone Basic installed in your house, you can easily control any appliance at your fingertips with ease. The best time to buy the Picostone Basic is during the MadSale where you can get it for over 75%  discount, or buy a kit package of your choice.

If you are looking for a cheap and best solution to automate your house, then Picostone has you covered with its offers and support and the product is very well designed for anyone to understand and use. It would be great to see Picostone bring voice support using Google Assistant and Siri for more convenience.

I cannot comment on the long-term performance of the Picostone Basic, but as far as my one-month usage is considered, the Basic definitely gets a 👍👌.

How to Buy?

Picostone products are only available from official Picostone website. Any Picostone product sold on Amazon or Flipkart or any other e-commerce site (at the time of writing this review) is not officially authorized by Picostone. You can click here to buy Picostone Basic.

OnePlus 5T with 6-inch 18:9 display, bezel-less design officially launched starting at Rs. 32,999

OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5 earlier this year in June with a design similar to the iPhone 7 Plus and flagship like specifications. The OnePlus 5 is an awesome smartphone and is indeed the best Android smartphone anyone can buy today under Rs. 40,000. But, the area where OnePlus lost its points this year was in the design and the display.

2017 had brought a whole to a new experience on smartphones with the introduction of 18:9 display providing bezel-less look the device. We now have an 18:9 display ratio smartphone from many vendors already like LG, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei and more.

OnePlus launched OnePlus 3T last year with minor spec update. Following the legacy, OnePlus today has officially announced the OnePlus 5T smartphone, which follows the recent trend of 18:9 display, providing a whole new front design compared to its predecessor. Other than the display, design, and secondary rear camera, rest everything inside the OnePlus 5T remains similar to the original 5.

According to OnePlus, the OnePlus 5T will be available in midnight black color variant initially. Like the OnePlus 5, the 5T will also come in two variants, one with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage and the other with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. The prior has been priced at the US $499 / Rs. 32,999 in India and the latter will cost US $559 / Rs. 37,999. The Indian pricing is exactly similar to the Indian launch price of the OnePlus 5. Poor OnePlus 5 owners :(

OnePlus has also revealed that there will be a flash sale of OnePlus 5T on Amazon India on November 21st with official sales starting November 28th.

Infinix Note 4 Detailed Review - New Smartphone Brand Worth Considering

India is a big market for every smartphone manufacturer, be it the domestic vendors or the international players. A lot of Chinese smartphone vendors have already made its way in India and recently a new Hong-Kong based smartphone manufacturer called Infinix has stepped in the Indian market.

Infinix was founded in 2012 and is owned by Transsion Holdings. Infinix has begun its journey in India by introducing two global range of smartphones – Infinix Note 4 and Infinix Hot 4 Pro. Both the Note and Hot series are marketed as under budget-segment devices.

Infinix has priced the Note 4 at Rs. 8,999 and the same comes with mid-range specifications, giving tough competition to many other smartphones within the same price bracket.

So, is Infinix Note 4 worth investing in and does it stand-up well against the likes of the Xiaomi devices? Let’s find out in this detailed review.

Infinix Note 4 Specifications

• 5.7-inch Full HD IPS LCD display
• 1.3GHz 64-bit Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 processor
• Mali-T720 GPU | 3GB RAM
• Android 7.0 Nougat
• 13MP rear camera with dual-LED flash
• 8MP front facing camera with LED flash
• 32GB internal storage with microSD card support
• 4300mAh with fast charging
• 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
• Dual-SIM, 3.5mm Audio Jack, Fingerprint Scanner
• Dimensions: 159×78.8×8.4mm | Weight: 198g

Box Contents

The box packaging of the Infinix Note 4 is simple with the brand and device name on the front and casual device details on the back. Infinix is shipping the Note 4 with following contents – Note 4 itself, a USB cable, a travel adapter, user manuals, a TPU plastic case and a screen protector. (Buyers get the Blue box and following contents)

Design & Build Quality

There’s nothing great in terms of the design uniqueness of the Infinix Note 4. It’s like every other smartphone you see in the market. Though, Infinix has spent some time in making the Note 4 design a differentiating factor by using a metal paint on the rear of the smartphone.

The back-panel design of the Note 4 is quite impressive at a first glance as it seems to be made of glass. It is curved from both sides and also has slimmer tapered edges. The chassis is made of sturdy metal and rest everything is plastic.

Infinix has covered the back panel of the Note 4 with some protective film, which the company claim is added to heal minor scratches. I’m not sure about the real-life functionality of that film, but it’s good to have that film as it provides grip and alters fingerprints.

On the front of the Note 4, you get a huge 5.7-inch display with a sensor, LED flash, earpiece and a front facing camera above it and a fingerprint scanner embedded inside the home button below. It’s a physical home button and needs a press to unlock the device when the screen is off. When the device is active, the fingerprint scanner acts on a single touch. The fingerprint scanner is fast and accurate.

The recent apps menu and the back button are placed on the either side of the button. The bezels on the front are big. Volume rockers and power/lock button are both placed on the right side of the Note 4. The buttons are very soft and easily clickable, because of which the device at times automatically triggers “Emergency Number”. Unfortunately, there’s no way to disable this feature.

There’s nothing on the left side of the Note 4. Speaker grills are at the bottom accompanied by a microUSB port and a primary microphone. The 3.5mm headphone jack is placed on top. Talking of the back, it’s removable and houses a camera module on top center with dual-LED flash just below it. The Infinix branding is in the middle followed by the Note branding.

Underneath the back cover, the first thing you will notice is the 4300mAh battery sealed tightly with dual-SIM slots (nano-type) and a dedicated microSD card slot.

Overall the build quality of the Infinix Note 4 is quite premium. The Note 4 is 8.4mm thick, the reason being the battery size and weights 198 grams, which is one of the biggest drawbacks of the device. I personally like the build quality of the Infinix Note 4.

Pros	Cons
Premium Build	Heavy

Display

The Infinix Note 4 comes with a 5.7-inch Full HD display with a pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080p. The display is of IPS LCD type and is the best I have ever seen on a budget smartphone. According to Infinix, the display included inside the Note 4 is from SHARP and has 85% NTSC Color Gamut.

Talking of the display performance, the color reproduction is very good producing natural and vibrant colors. Viewing angles are good with a very minimal color shift from a certain angle. Also, the brightness level of the Note 4’s display is very nice with text viewable under direct sunlight.

On top of the display is a 2.5D curved glass of unknown manufacturer, which attracts fingerprints. The display might be prone to scratches, so Infinix is shipping the device with a screen protector, which works out well, though it’s better to invest in a tempered glass.

Watching videos is good as text and images appear sharp. The darks are produced well too. The display is reflective at times but manageable.

Pros	Cons
Full HD Resolution	-
Color Reproduction

Software

One of the biggest drawback when it comes to budget smartphones is the Android version it is running on. Surprisingly, Infinix has stepped up the game by launching the Note 4 with Android 7.0 Nougat onboard.

Though Android 7.1.1 is the latest version of Android, it’s still good to see Nougat running on the Note 4. Like every other Chinese vendor, Infinix also has its own customized skin on top of Android, which it calls the XOS.

The Infinix Note 4 runs on Chameleon 2.3 version of the XOS which brings a lot of features. Infinix has tried to keep the interface of the XOS as simple as possible. Unlike other manufacturers, the XOS comes with an app drawer, which can be accessed easily by swiping up from the homescreen.

      

      

Besides having an app drawer, all the apps are placed on the homescreen like iOS and there’s no way to remove those shortcuts from there. It would have been great if Infinix added the functionality to remove apps shortcuts from the homescreen.

Moving ahead, the XOS comes with a theme engine which allows users to customize the overall look and feel of the UI. There are a couple of XOS dedicated apps like XAccount, XCloud, XClub, XHide, XManager, XSecurity, XShare, and XTheme, all of which can’t be uninstalled but can be disabled.

Other proprietary apps which can’t be uninstalled include MagicMovie, Notes, Power, User Guide, and Weather. The Infinix Note 4 is no exception, as it also comes with dozens of bloatware apps, but with the facility of uninstalling them. One app which irritated me the most was TouchPal 2017 keyboard. I will recommend uninstalling that app first when you get the device.

Swiping down from the top brings notification panel with quick settings, which is customizable. Settings are similar to stock with no extra added functionality other than Gesture & Smart Motion which brings Tap to Wake, Quick Start, One-hand mode, 3-finger screenshot and wake to unlock features. Multi-window is also present.

      

      

You can set the icon size on the homescreen along with desktop grid size by going to Menu settings after long-pressing any empty space on the homescreen. XOS also provides an auto-app arrangement and Smart Arrange setting.

Besides having so many features and functionalities, the Infinix Note 4 was running smoothly most of the time. RAM management is very nice as I was able to keep more than 9 apps running in the background without killing any activity. You might notice a slight delay while opening heavy apps, but it's ignorable.

Overall, I like the user interface of the XOS as its simple and not complex like what I see on other Chinese branded smartphones. One key feature of XOS is that it moves unused apps automatically into Freezer, which when used will never keep the app in memory until and unless you unfreeze it.

Pros	Cons
Simple and Smooth UI	Bloatware (which can be uninstalled)
Freezer feature
RAM Management

Camera

The Infinix Note 4 comes with a 13MP rear camera with dual-LED flash and PDAF. The front facing camera house an 8MP sensor with LED flash. Both the rear and the front cameras are capable of shooting videos in 1080p@30fps.

The rear camera is capable of producing very good images under natural lighting conditions. But at times whites are over exposed and so are the clouds. The HDR feature is available which brings sharp and clear images with clouds captured perfectly. HDR is not suitable in all conditions, as some images turn out good with HDR and some without it. You can check out the camera samples in below album.

      

      

The UI of the camera app is simple with the shutter button on the front. Swiping left brings camera quick settings like HDR, Guidelines, Level, Timer, Gesture Shot, Smile Shot and Touch Capture. Swiping right brings enhanced camera modes like Professional, Face Beauty, Night, Panorama, PIP, and WideSelfie.

Talking of selfie, the images are decent and not that great. Under good lighting conditions, the selfies turn out good with sharpness. Color reproduction in both front and rear cameras are not up to the mark, as the viewfinder shows accurate colors but after the image is processed the colors are a bit exposed, but it does not hamper the overall image.

If you are looking for low-light performance, then both the cameras perform well. The images clicked using the rear camera in low-light aren’t that sharp and contains noise but is better than its competitor smartphones. For selfies, the front camera performs similarly to the rear camera. The front LED flash does help in enhancing up the selfies.

Infinix Note 4 Review Camera Samples

Considering the price tag, overall the camera of the Infinix Note 4 is good.

Pros	Cons
Images under Natural light	Lowlight Videos
PIP and HDR mode

Performance

If you are expecting something great in gaming performance, then the Infinix Note 4 is not for you.

Infinix Note 4 house an octa-core 64-bit processor from MediaTek modeled MT6753 clocked at 1.3GHz. Paired with the processor is Mali-T720 GPU for all graphic activities. The Note 4 has 3GB of RAM and includes 32GB of internal storage with dedicated microSD card slot for expansion.

The performance of the Note 4 is quite good, but it lags when it comes to high-end apps especially gaming apps. Daily-driver apps are smooth with minimal delay in opening, but games like Asphalt 8 can’t be played in extreme high settings. Lowering the performance of the game to mid helped a bit.

Frame drops are noticeable. Mid-graphic games were running smoothly including Dead Trigger 2. Opening games need patience. Lag is not common and happens once a while, that too during heavy usage.

      

The Note 4 has an old school MediaTek MT6753 processor, but that does not hamper performance. RAM management as mentioned above is good with around 1GB RAM always available.

Pros	Cons
Smooth & lag-free day-to-day performance	Gaming

Battery

One of the best parts of the Infinix Note 4 is its battery. The battery of Note 4 is extraordinary. On paper, the Note 4 comes with a huge 4300mAh battery and it keeps the device running easily for two days on normal usage.

Even if you are a heavy user, the Infinix Note 4 will last for more than a day. With 4300mAh battery, charging is a big issue, but Infinix has included fast charging support inside the Note 4 and it is truly fast.

If you use the proprietary wall adapter and USB cable, the Infinix Note 4 will charge completely from 0 to 100% in around 2 hours, using third party charger will increase the time by 150%.

Pros	Cons
Battery Backup	-
Fast Charging

Verdict

Infinix is a new brand in India and with the Note 4 it does stand up head-to-head against the already established brands in the budget segment like Xiaomi and Motorola.

The Infinix Note 4 has many improvements over its competitors like huge Full HD display, amazing battery performance, build quality, software, and camera. Some areas where the device lacks a bit is the old school processor and gaming performance.

As an introductory offer, the company is providing one-time free screen replacement within the first 100 days of purchasing the Note 4 along with 84GB data with no daily limit for 84 days on IDEA network. Infinix already has over 850+ service touch points across the country.

I will personally recommend the Infinix Note 4 if you are looking for a budget smartphone, with no main focus on gaming. Also, an old school processor can never decide the fate of a smartphone, as day-to-day and user-to-user performance varies.

You can buy the Infinix Note 4 exclusively from Flipkart in Milan Black, Champagne Gold and Ice Blue colors for Rs. 8,999.

Infinix Note 4 from Flipkart