T3 India

Mobile

Apple Unmasks Range of Devices

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iPhone SE

The iPhone SE comes in a compact and durable design that incorporates a 4.7-inch display, aerospace-grade aluminium and glass along with IP67 rated water and dust resistance.

It features iOS 15 and has upgrades including the A15 Bionic chip packed with a 6-core CPU, which powers advanced camera capabilities such as photo editing, gaming and augmented reality. It also features a 12-megapixel ƒ/1.8 aperture Wide camera that offers features such as Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion and Portrait mode. Along with 5G, the device comes in three colours i.e. Midnight, Starlight and (PRODUCT)RED.

The iPhone SE will be available from March 18 onwards, in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB variants starting at INR 43,900.

ipad Air

The iPad Air features the M1 chip that comes combined with an 8-core CPU and an 8-core GPU for faster and more power-efficient performance, along with a 16-core Neural Engine that powers machine learning functions. It comes with an ultra-wide 12MP front camera with Center Stage function that automatically pans to keep users in view as they move. It also has a 12MP wide camera on the back for 4K video, scanning documents and AR functions. It comes with 5G and connectivity features include eSIM and Wi-Fi 6 support, along with a USB-C port, with data transfers up to 10Gbps. It has a thin and light design and comes in Space Grey, Starlight, Pink, Purple and Blue colours in 64GB and 256GB configurations. The device has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and landscape stereo speakers. Accessories include the Apple pencil which comes with wireless charging and pairing.

The iPad Air will be in stores from March 18, at a starting price of INR 54,900 (Wi-Fi) and INR 68,900 (Wi-Fi + Cellular).

Mac Studio

The Mac Studio is powered by M1 Max and the new M1 Ultra chips.

The device is built from a single aluminium extrusionwith a square footprint of 7.7 inches and a height of 3.7 inches. Its thermal design includes a system of double-sided blowers, precisely placed airflow channels to help cool the M1 Max and the M1 Ultra chips.

M1 Ultra builds on M1 Max and features the UltraFusion architecture that interconnects the die of two M1 Max chips, creating a system on a chip (SoC) and consisting of 114 billion transistors. It features up to 64GB of unified memory on systems with M1 Max and up to 128GB of unified memory on systems with M1 Ultra. The SSD in Mac Studio delivers up to 7.4GB/s of performance and a capacity of up to 8TB. Connectivity options include four Thunderbolt 4 ports, a 10Gb Ethernet port, two USB-A ports, an HDMI port and a pro audio jack for high-impedance headphones or external amplified speakers. Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 are built in as well.

Studio Display

The Studio Display features a 27-inch 5K Retina screen with over 14.7 million pixels, 600 nits of brightness, P3 wide colour, and support for over one billion colours. Its design includes narrow borders and an all-aluminium enclosure with height-adjustable and tilt display (up to 30 degrees). A VESA mount adapter option is also available. It features True Tone technology that automatically adjusts the display’s colour temperature as the environment changes.

It also comes with the A13 Bionic chip, along with the 12MP Ultra Wide camera with Center Stage feature. The device includes a three-microphone array with a low noise floor and features a six-speaker sound system and four force-cancelling woofers that support spatial audio for music and video with Dolby Atmos. Connectivity options include three USB-C ports (up to 10Gb/s) and a Thunderbolt port (connected using a single cable that can also deliver 96W of power to a Mac notebook). The Mac Studio and Studio Display are available for on apple.com/in/store and in the Apple Store app. They will be in available select Apple Store locations and Apple Authorised Resellers, beginning Friday, March 18. The price for Mac Studio starts at INR 1,89,900 while the Studio Display starts at INR 1,59,900.

Realme Unveils Budget-friendly Smartphone

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Realme has introduced a new addition to its entry-level C series family with the realme C35, an entry-level smartphone.

Commenting on the launch, Madhav Sheth, CEO Realme India, VP, Realme, and President, Realme International Business Group said, “We are thrilled to unveil the newest member of our C series smartphones as we continue our quest to become the world’s most popular smartphone brand. Realme’s entry-level C series has received a staggering response from our users and expanded to a family of 32 million users globally. Our newest member in the series is a new all-rounder in this segment, offering a remarkable combination of performance, camera and design in the entry-level segment, and we are confident that the Realme C35 will help us take this segment much further.”

The device is equipped with a 50MP AI Triple Camera and includes a primary camera with a 50MP image sensor with a wide area and an f/1.8 large aperture, a Macro Lens, a B&W lens and an 8MP Selfie camera with Sony Sensor. It features a new right-angle bezel design that is 8.1 mm thick and weighs 189 g. The smartphone is equipped with Unisoc T616 powerful processor, scoring 230,726 on AnTuTu benchmarks. It is an octa-core 12nm processor that clocks up to 2.0 GHz and adopts Cortex A75 structure. It also comes with a First FHD 6.6-inches screen in the Realme C series, 5000 mAh battery which can be charged with an 18W Type-C Quick Charge that comes in the box. It also comes with an instant fingerprint sensor and TÜV Rheinland High-Reliability Certification. According to the company, this is the first smartphone in the C series to include Dynamic RAM Expansion(DRE) technology.

The smartphone will be available in two storage variants, 4GB+64GB priced at INR 11,999 and 4GB+128GB priced at INR 12,999 and will be available in two colours, i.e. Glowing Black and Glowing Green. It is expected to go on sale starting March 12, on realme.com, Flipkart.com and mainline channels.

Poco Expands M-series Lineup with M4 Pro 5G

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Poco has launched its mid-range powerhouse, the Poco M4 Pro 5G, powered by the 5G-ready MediaTek Dimensity 810 processor. The device features up to 8GB of RAM along with Turbo RAM capability extending the device RAM up to 11GB, providing an enhanced and superfast multitasking experience. Packing higher performance with 33W MMT fast charging and a large 2-day 5000mAh battery, Poco M4 Pro 5G is a go-to device for users seeking the best of everything.

Commenting on the launch, Anuj Sharma, Country Director, Poco India said, “A future-ready device, Poco M4 Pro 5G is backed by an efficient performance combination of MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset, aggressive gaming capabilities, and improved camera performance. Catering to today’s smartphone users, Poco M4 Pro 5G manages to pack a media consumption focused DCI-P3 90Hz Smart Display along with Dual Stereo speakers. We are happy to take this leap with the Poco M4 Pro 5G as it is a perfect combination of exciting future-ready features and affordable pricing.”

Poco M4 Pro 5G promises to deliver serious power with the MediaTek Dimensity 810 chipset. Built on a 6nm node architecture, this chipset makes Poco M4 Pro 5G a true power-efficient device. Adding on to a lag-free performance and enhanced visuals, this chipset comes equipped with two Cortex-A76 cores that run at 2.4GHz and six ARM Cortex-A55 efficiency cores that run at 2.0GHz along with a contemporary ARM Mali-G57 graphics card at 1068MHz.

Featuring a Game Turbo mode, Poco M4 Pro marks an immersive gaming experience with improved graphics and network optimisation. Gaming performance is further enhanced with the immersive and clear dual speaker setup. Taking the gaming level a notch higher, Poco’s X-liner motor offers a haptic touch-like response that vibrates in reaction to in-game actions. Also, now, consumers can trick their opponents with various voices during gaming with the Voice Changer feature in the Game Turbo mode.

For the ones who are always on the go, Poco M4 Pro 5G takes multitasking with much ease. Its UFS 2.2 technology offers 139% faster write speeds than UFS 2.1, and the integrated 5G modem supports dual 5G calls for future-proofed connectivity.

Featuring a 90Hz 6.6” FHD+ display coupled with a 240Hz touch sampling rate, Poco M4 Pro 5G visuals are a treat to the eyes. Catering to battery efficiency, the display featuring Smart Refresh Rate automatically adapts to 90Hz, 60Hz, and 50Hz to suit the streaming content. The display is further equipped with a wide colour gamut that supports DCI-P3 that brings a true-to-life detailed and clear visual experience. Readability under bright sunlight is also no issue, thanks to the Sunlight Display 2.0 feature.

Debuting Poco’s 2022 design philosophy, its Power Black, Cool Blue, and Poco Yellow colours make the device look premium, fresh, and unique in its skin. It comes with a blazing fast side-mounted fingerprint sensor power button, 3.5mm Hi-res Audio jack and IR Blaster, making it a complete package.

Another first in the Poco M-series, Poco M4 Pro 5G flaunts a 50MP Primary camera sensor designed to offer an aesthetic photography experience. Offering a clear and detailed picture quality, it delivers the best colours and vibrancy in all lighting conditions. Supporting the 50MP sensor is an 8MP Ultra-wide camera that captures breathtaking detailed shots in all possibilities. Adding to the frenzy is the 16MP front camera for all the selfie lovers for clear and vivid pictures.

The camera features advanced modes such as Night Mode, Kaleidoscope, Slow motion, Time-lapse video, among others. Fueled by a 33W fast in-box charger, Poco M4 Pro 5G packs a massive 5000mAh battery to ensure the functioning of all tasks with much ease and no stress. It is powered with Middle Middle Tab (MMT) technology amping up the device’s charging speeds for a quick use case. Not only this, the Poco M4 Pro 5G gets 50% charged in just 23 minutes.

Poco M4 Pro 5G will be available on Flipkart in three storage variants: 4GB + 64GB for ₹14,999, 6GB + 128GB for ₹16,999 and 8GB + 128GB for ₹18,999.

Asus Launches ROG Phone 5s Series

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Republic of Gamers (ROG), a premium sub-brand of Asus, has announced the launch of its ROG 5s series in India. The company has introduced ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro as the latest upgrade to its ROG Phone series.

The ROG Phone 5s series is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G Mobile Platform, featuring advanced 5G capabilities and premium Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. The processing power is complemented by up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM. The optimised and upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system with AeroActive Cooler 5 (fan accessory bundled with ROG Phone 5s Pro only and optional for ROG Phone 5s), and the performance manager in Armory Crate ensures maximum performance is available for any gaming scenario.

Commenting at the launch, Dinesh Sharma, Business Head, Commercial PC and Smartphone, System Business Group, ASUS in India said, “We are constantly innovating and aiming to provide only the best and premium features in our Ultimate Weapons for Smartphone Gaming i.e. ROG Phone, to our ROG community. We are thrilled to launch two new additions to the ROG family – ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5 Pro to upgrade the cutting-edge capabilities we offer for the mobile gaming ecosystem.”

The 144 Hz / 1 ms AMOLED display used in the ROG Phone 5s series now boasts an upgraded 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and upgraded ultra-low 24ms touch latency for a super-smooth, seamless, and ultrafast gaming experience. Additionally, the ROG Phone 5s Pro features a colour version of the innovative ROG Vision rear matrix display, which shows customisable animations in response to a variety of system events. The AirTrigger 5 control system now supports the two rear capacitive touch sensors on ROG Phone 5s Pro, giving mobile gamers more control capabilities in their games. The ultrasonic shoulder side sensors on both models also support dual gestures, such as tap-and-slide or tap-and-swipe, for total control.

With the clock speed now up to a blistering 3 GHz, the CPU performance is designed to deliver matchless mobile processing power. ROG Phone 5s Pro also feature up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of fastest UFS3.1 storage to dramatically increase the overall gaming performance. The upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system in the ROG Phone 5s series has an optimum thermal structure featuring a centred CPU with the battery split into two parts, one located on each side of the CPU. The re-shaped 3D vapour chamber and extensive graphite sheets also help to spread the heat evenly across the device to reduce heat build-up in the middle.

Now boasting an uprated 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and uprated ultra-low 24ms touch latency, the 144 Hz / 1 ms Samsung E4 AMOLED display delivers a super-smooth gaming experience, with an ultra-low touch latency. Tuned in collaboration with leading visual-processing company Pixelworks, the supreme visuals are enhanced even further with world-beating colour accuracy, always-on HDR technology to improve non-HDR visuals, and a screen that’s protected by the toughest ever Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

The ROG Phone 5s Pro additionally features a colour version of ROG Vision, the unique rear display that highlights the ROG creative spirit. ROG Vision can display a variety of cool animations that show you whether ROG Phone 5s Pro is charging, if there’s an incoming call, whether X Mode is enabled and more. Gamers can even create custom animations to make their phone even more personal.

The GameFX audio system on ROG Phone 5s series features symmetrical 7-magnet dual speakers for truly balanced stereo sound effects and a 3.5 mm headphone jack in conjunction with a Hi-Fi grade ESS DAC. Both have been optimised via a collaboration with audio specialist Dirac, giving the ROG Phone 5s series truly impressive audio quality and a wider soundscape. In addition to the premium sounds, GameFX also delivers crystal-clear in-game sound effects and powerful aural soundscapes.

The ROG phone 5s series features multiple antennas to ensure you are always connected to the internet with maximum speed and fidelity no matter how you hold the device to game, vertically or horizontally. To also ensure you’re connected to the fastest mode of internet, the ROG Phone 5s series features the amazing HyperFusion. HyperFusion allows the ROG Phone 5s to automatically choose the fastest internet connection and for apps that allow multiple connections, Hyperfusion can also connect to both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Wi-Fi channels at the same time, or it can combine both the Mobile data and Wi-Fi together increasing your internet connectivity speed.

The ROG Phone 5s series comes with a 64MP Flagship Sony IMX686 sensor main camera, offering you up to 8K Pro video recording, Pro mode for Photos and videos, and Superb Night mode performance. It also has a secondary 13MP camera to capture ultra-wide angles and offers a HyperSteady video-recording feature. And lastly, there’s the 5MP Macro camera for when you want incredibly close-up detail. For superior selfies, the front camera is a 24MP camera that can shoot 4K as well.

ASUS ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro will be available from 18th February 2022 in India on Flipkart. The ROG Phone 5s 8GB / 128GB will be available at ₹49,999, ROG Phone 5s 12GB/256 GB will retail at ₹57,999 and the ROG Phone 5s Pro 18GB / 512GB will carry a price tag of ₹79,999.

Easyfone Shield Review: Phone for Seniors and Juniors

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How many times have you felt helpless because you could not provide a phone to your children because you are worried about them accessing inappropriate information on the web? Or for that matter, your aged parents who are unable to use today’s smartphones and need a simple phone just for calling and occasional SMS? There are a few phones in the market that offer just the right solution for this. The Easyfone Shield is one such basic bar phone that comes IP 68 certified and is dust, and shockproof.

The Easyfone Shield has a lightweight and sturdy plastic body with rubber linings to absorb shock. The phone accepts a dual SIM and a MicroSD memory card of up to 32GB capacity. The company does not share any detailed specifications including the internal memory. However, we found it to be insignificantly small, allowing only phone contacts to be stored. The phone accepts a full-size SIM and hence if you have a nano or micro SIM without the original full-sized casing that comes with new SIM cards, you need to buy an adapter to use it in this phone. To install the removable battery, SIM or Memory card, you need to remove the back panel, held together by four screws. This means that if the end-user is a senior citizen who doesn’t have the fine motor skills to use a small screwdriver, do not expect them to set this up by themselves. The package includes a small screwdriver along with the battery, charger and OTG micro USB male to USB-A female cable.

Once set up, the phone is quite easy to use. You can configure Whitelist and Blacklist so that the user is not bothered by unnecessary calls. Call quality is quite good. The keypad has a nice tactile feel. There is a dedicated SOS button and you can store up to four SOS numbers. Once the SOS button is pressed and held, the registered phone will receive an SMS and a link to the coordinates, Google Map location etc, in addition to a call. Unfortunately, the Google Map never loaded on the Easyfone website link during our review.

The OTG cable allows you to use the phone as a power bank. Battery life is predictably good with the 2500 mAh battery since the phone has only basic features and uses a basic 2.8-inch IPS screen. The device is sealed against water ingress at all entry points by means of flaps, while the battery chamber is protected by a rubber gasket. However, we found the gasket slipping out of place while installing the panel. We checked the water ingress by immersing the device in a bucket of water for about 10 minutes and found the interiors to be dry. Overall, we would consider this device a good choice if you are looking for a basic feature phone for calling, SMS and emergency use.

RATING

★★★★

WE’RE IMPRESSED Sturdy build quality, good call quality, SOS button, Whitelist and Blacklist

WE’D IMPROVE Nano SIM instead of full-size module, better fitting gasket for back panel, working location map in SOS link

THE LAST WORD A good phone for children and elderly parents who need a basic device for calling and SMS.