T3 India

smartphones

Lava debuts the stylish Z series

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Lava launched two new smartphones in the highly competitive mid end segment at an event in the capital today. The Lava Z10 (pictured above) and Z25 have been designed in-house and manufactured under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The rear camera in the Z25 (shown below) makes use of a Sony Exmor 258 sensor with f/2.0 wide aperture and 5P Largan lens which gives better images even in low light conditions. It is further bolstered by the camera software having a Bokeh mode providing depth of field effect and Night Pro mode for taking images under dim lighting. The fingerprint sensor on the rear can unlock the device in just 0.16 seconds with App Encryption allowing users to lock specific apps.

z25

The more affordable Z10 is equipped with a rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and front camera with spotlight flash. Both devices run on Star OS 3.3 based on Android Marshmallow. In-built smart gestures allow easy access to a number of features on the phones. Power saver mode and Super power saver mode help extend battery life considerably. Coming to the physical aspect of the Z series, the display is protected by 2.5D curved glass and a Series 5 metal back cover with chrome edges.

The Z10 is priced at Rs.11,500 and the Z25 at Rs.18,000. For a limited period the devices will be offered at a special discounted price set by offline retailers.

Z25 Specifications:
Display: 5.5″ IPS HD
CPU: MediaTek 1.5GHz Octa Core
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 32GB (expandable upto 128GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Marshmallow
Colour: Champagne Gold, Grey
Size: 151.5×76.4×8.5mm
Weight: 163g
Camera: 13MP rear, 8MP front
Battery: 3020mAh

Z10 Specifications:
Display: 5″ HD IPS
CPU: MediaTek MT6735 1.3GHz Quad core
GPU:Mali-T720 GPU
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 16GB (expandable upto 128GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Marshmallow 6 OS
Colour: Gold
Size: 143.2x71x8.4mm
Weight: 148 g
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Battery: 2620mAh

You’ll definitely want this special edition (RED) iPhone

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Say hello to the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition. The new colourway you’ll DEFINITELY WANT.

The new smartphone is finished in vibrant red aluminium in recognition of more than 10 years of partnership between Apple and the charity (RED).

The special edition (PRODUCT)RED iPhone will be available to order online and in stores beginning Friday, March 24 and will be available in April in India.

Apple has also announced that the wonderful iPhone SE will be available with double the memory, in 32GB and 128GB variants.

Since it was founded in 2006, (RED) has generated more than $465 million for the Global Fund, with more than $130 million from Apple alone.

Alongside the new colourway, Apple has announced a new app called Clips, which is a “fun, new way to create expressive videos on iOS”. You can create multi-clip videos without timelines, tracks or editing tools. Touch and hold a single button to shoot live video and photos, or add them from the Photo Library. Then you can add filters, bubbles, shapes or emoji before sharing them.

The company has also updated its non-Pro iPads, too.

Preorders for Gionee A1 to begin from 31 March

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Gionee A1 was officially unveiled for the Indian market at an event today. The device was first revealed at MWC 2017 last month.

The A1 is the first device in the new #Selfiestan campaign from the company which will focus on front camera and battery life performance. The front camera with selfie flash features f/2.0 aperture, 1/3.06″ sensor and a 5P lens. The selfie flash is said to add a soft lighting effect which can enhance facial complexion by spreading light onto faces more evenly. The rear camera makes use of a Sony IMX258 sensor with f/2.0 aperture and dual-LED flash.

On the software front, Gionee has included a bokeh-selfie mode adding Depth of Field (DoF) effect as well as an independent facial enhancement algorithm said to automatically detect faces. The device is running on Amigo OS based on the latest Android OS. The fingerprint sensor on the front not only unlocks the device in 0.2 seconds but can also activate the Edgebar letting users access their favourite apps quickly.

Surprisingly no price was revealed but pre-booking for the device starts from 31 March onwards offline and online on Amazon. Customers who pre-book will be offered a 2 year warranty along with a JBL headphone or a Swiss Military Bluetooth Speaker. No mention was made of the A1 Plus coming to India.

Specifications:
Display: 5.5″ AMOLED In-cell FHD
CPU: MediaTek Helio P10
GPU: Mali-T860MP2
Memory: 4GB RAM
Storage: 64GB (expandable upto 256GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Nougat
Colour: Gray, Black, Gold
Size: 154.5×76.5×8.5mm
Weight: 182 g
Camera: 13MP rear, 16MP front
Battery: 4010mAh

Redmi 4A is the latest budget offering from Xiaomi

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Xiaomi has finally replaced its ageing budget offering Redmi 1S with the new Redmi 4A revealed at an event today. The company also took the opportunity to announce the opening of its second manufacturing plant in partnership with Foxconn at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.

Coming to the Redmi 4A, it is the lightest Redmi device from the company till date having been built with polycarbonate. The device has received a major bump in specifications with double the amount of storage, RAM and battery life in comparison to Redmi 1S. The 4A runs on MIUI 8 based on Android Marshmallow which comes with 13 indic languages and also boasts of a completely redesigned IRCTC SMS display coming soon. It also packs in an IR blaster pre-programmed to control a large number of home appliances. On the connectivity front, the 4A is fully compatibly with LTE celluar networks supporting LTE Band 5 and VoLTE.

Priced at Rs.5,999, Redmi 4A will be sold from 23 March on Amazon India and Mi India online web stores. However, the Rose Gold variant will go on sale from 6 April next month on Mi India. Xiaomi also teased the successor to the Redmi 3S but did not mention any specific time frame.

Specifications:
Display: 5″ HD
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425
GPU: Adreno 308
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 16GB (expandable upto 128GB via microSD)
Operating System: Android Marshmallow
Colour: Dark Grey, Gold, Rose Gold
Size: 139.5×70.4×8.5mm
Weight: 131.5 g
Camera: 13MP rear, 5MP front
Battery: 3120mAh

Moto G5 Plus goes on sale from midnight with special launch offers

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After unveiling it at the MWC 2017 last month, Moto has launched the G5 Plus in India today. The regular G5 was nowhere to be seen but it is confirmed to be coming at a later date.

The design has undergone a complete change from last year and eschews plastic in favour of a full metal unibody. The highlight of the G5 Plus is the rear snapper equipped with a F/1.7 aperture, large image sensor and dual-pixel autofocus. The front fingerprint sensor also doubles as a touch navigator although it cannot be used as a home button owing to its unclickable nature. Moto Gestures and Moto Display makes a return. The device will support Google Assistant through a separate download shortly after launch.

Available in Lunar Grey and Fine Gold colours, the Moto G5 Plus is priced at Rs.14,999 for the 3+16GB variant and Rs.16,999 for the 4+32GB model. The 64GB storage option has been dropped in favour of pricing the device more competitively. It will be selling exclusively on Flipkart starting from 16/3/2017 midnight with special launch day offers including 10% SBI cashback, exchange price bonus and a special ‘Buyback Guarantee Plan’.

Moto G5 Specifications:
Display: 5.2″ IPS LCD, 1080p
CPU: Snapdragon 625
GPU: Adreno 506
Memory: 3/4 GB RAM
Storage: 16/32GB (expandable upto 256GB)
Operating System: Android Nougat
Colour: Lunar Grey, Fine Gold
Size: 150.2x74x7.7mm
Weight: 155 g
Camera: 12MP rear, 5MP front
Battery: 3000mAh