T3 India

Tablets

Acer Introduces Iconia Tablet in 8.7-inch and 10.36-inch screen size

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Acer unveiled the new range of tablets under the Iconia brand. Designed with sleek 8.7” and 10.36” displays, these tablets offer the perfect balance of performance, mobility, and versatility, catering to users looking for devices that can handle everything from binge-watching and gaming to productivity. With an impressive battery life of up to 10 hours of video playback, powered by a 5100 mAh battery for the 8.7-inch model and a 7400 mAh battery for the 10.36-inch model, users can enjoy hours of uninterrupted entertainment and multitasking, making these tablets the ideal choice for an active digital lifestyle.

The 8.7-inch Iconia Tab iM9-12M features a strong metal body, packed with features that guarantee fast, seamless performance. The MediaTek Helio P- 22 T octa-core processor offers speeds up to 2.3 GHz (optimized for Acer Iconia), ensuring smooth multitasking and an immersive entertainment experience. Equipped with 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage, and expandable storage support of up to 1TB, the Iconia Tabs offer plenty of space for apps, files, and media. On the latest Android 14 OS, users will experience a smooth, intuitive interface with access to advanced apps and services. Connectivity stands out with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and Dual SIM 4G LTE support.

The 10.36-inch Iconia Tab iM10-22 tablet features a brilliant 2K screen resolution and built-in PureVoice QUAD speakers, delivering an exceptional visual and audio experience—perfect for watching videos, gaming, or any activity you enjoy. Its sleek, stylish design with a metal body is packed with features for fast, seamless performance. Powered by the MediaTek Helio G99 octa-core processor, offering speeds up to 2.2 GHz, it ensures smooth multitasking and an immersive entertainment experience. Additional features include built-in face recognition, fingerprint login, and top-tier security, along with an industry-leading 16 MP rear camera and 8 MP front camera for a seamless video conferencing experience.

Both the Iconia iM9-12M and iM10-22, equipped with the latest Android 14 OS, deliver a smooth, intuitive interface with access to cutting-edge apps and services. Connectivity is a major highlight, with dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, and Dual SIM 4G LTE support.

For photography lovers, the iM9-12M features an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. Meanwhile, the iM10-22 steps it up with a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera, perfect for capturing crisp, clear images and video. The devices also have a sleek flip cover for added protection and style. With a focus on power, performance, and design, the Acer Iconia Tab iM9-12M and iM10-22 set a new benchmark for tablet experiences.

Sudhir Goel, Chief Business Officer, at Acer India said, “At Acer, we continuously strive to offer products that enrich the digital experience, and the launch of our Iconia tablets, reflect our commitment to delivering innovative technology that meets the evolving needs of today’s consumers. These tablets are designed to provide a perfect blend of power, performance, portability, and versatility, offering users the style to stay connected, entertained, and productive. These tablets are designed to fit seamlessly into today’s fast-paced lifestyle, providing long battery life, smooth multitasking, and an immersive entertainment experience—making it a perfect companion for productivity and leisure.

Anuj Sidharth, Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications MediaTek added, “We are excited to collaborate with Acer on the new Iconia Tab series, which is powered by MediaTek’s advanced processors. The Helio P22 and G99 deliver exceptional performance and energy efficiency, offering users the ability to multitask, enjoy high-quality entertainment, and stay productive for longer hours. With our cutting-edge technology, Acer’s iM9-12M and iM10-22 provide the power and features required to meet the demands of today’s consumers, making them ideal for both personal and professional use”.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Acer Iconia Tablet 8.7 is available at a starting price of Rs. 11990* and 10.36 at a starting price of Rs. 14990*(limited period offer).  The Iconia Tabs will be available in Acer exclusive stores, Acer online store, and Amazon.

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.

Huawei unveils MediaPad T5 tablet

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Huawei recently announced the MediaPad T5 tablet for the Indian market. It comes at a time when there are only a handful of tablet launches happening.

MediaPad T5 is equipped with a 10.1″ FHD display having a 76.4% screen-to-body ratio. As it has a 1920x1200p resolution, it provides an aspect ratio of 16:10. Under the hood, T5 runs on a proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor paired with 2GB or 3GB RAM depending upon the model selected. Further, it offers storage options between 16GB and 32GB that can be expanded upto 256GB via microSD card. A 5,100mAh battery powers the device for approximately 10 hours. Speaking of software, EMUI 8.0 based on Android 8.0 Oreo comes installed out of the box.

The 2GB/16GB variant will be sold for Rs.14,999 while the 3GB/32GB model will retail for Rs.16,999. For early bird buyers, the company is offering a complimentary bundle worth Rs.2,999 that includes a flip cover and Huawei-branded earphones. It is currently up for preorder on Amazon India but will be available for sale starting 10 July.

Apple iPad 9.7-inch 2018 is ₹28,000 and adds iPad Pro-level features

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Announced at a March 2018 Apple event so heavily focused on education it was held in an actual school, the iPad is nonetheless, iPad 9.7-inch 2018. Far from being scaled down to make it cheaper for schools, it actually adds some features previously found only in its ‘Pro’ big brothers.

Yes, it’s being pushed at launch as an inexpensive platform for school kids, students and teachers to access the “200,000” education-focussed iOS apps available. But it is actually this year’s new iPad for grown-ups, too.

The new iPad has a 9.7-inch Retina Screen that is compatible with Apple Pencil thanks to a higher-resolution touch sensor. Apple’s own productivity apps – Pages, Numbers, and Keynote – have been updated accordingly. Annotations made with Pencil are stored specifically as an addition to the paragraph they’re annotating. So that’s nice.

Another former iPad Pro-only feature carried over is its advanced tilt and pressure sensing.

More standard spec details: 10 hours battery, 9.7-inch, 2048×1536-pixel, 264 ppi screen. 8-megapixel/1080p front camera, 1.2-meg/720p front ‘FaceTime’ camera.

The new iPad runs on Apple’s 64-bit, quadcore, A10 Fusion chip. This is a slightly more powerful version of the A10 that powered the last iPad. You can have either 32GB or 128GB and either Wi-Fi connectivity only, or 4G and Wi-Fi.

Unlocking is via Touch ID fingerprint reading, rather than facial recognition. Weight is about 450g, so young arms may lift it.

A lot of the focus at launch, education and creativity aside, was on augmented reality, which the A10 Fusion chip is supposedly engineered to be especially adept with.

iPad 2018 is the 6th generation of the iPad fam, and comes in silver, space grey or a ‘new’ gold finish that looks rather like the old gold finish.

The base model with Wi-Fi is priced at ₹28,000 whereas the Wi-Fi+Cellular model is priced at ₹38,600. The Apple Pencil can be purchased separately for ₹7,600.

New iPad Pro 2018 expected to feature iPhone X style screen

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Apple has had its plans leaked once again, this time for the new iPad Pro 2018, which is expected to receive the same screen overhaul that the iPhone X brought us.

That should mean the new iPad Pro will have a bezel-free edge-to-edge display, most likely OLED, which gives you more screen space for your device size.

This should also mean the new iPad Pro will come packing in Apple Face ID and – of course – that infamous notch at the top of the display.

This rumour first came from reliable leakster, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which was followed by more rumours. Now some code released in the iOS 11.3 beta makes reference to the “modern iPad”.

Apple has begun to internally talk about the “modern” generation of devices, referring to the those that follow the iPhone 8, aka the iPhone X. This suggests the new iPad Pro 2018 will fall into that category, one that appears to be defined by the new type of screen the iPhone X pioneered for Apple.

While rumours also suggest Apple is working on ways to minimise that top notch on the iPhone X, it likely won’t appear until the next iPhone, as opposed to popping up in a new iPad Pro, so don’t hold your breath for that.

Apple is expected to launch the new iPad Pro 2018 around June time at the next WWDC. Failing that it may not appear until September at the next iPhone launch – which could be a worthwhile wait for those hoping the top notch gets ditched.