T3 India

MWC 2018

MWC 2018: Vivo Apex pop-up camera means true bezel-free display that makes iPhone X look ugly

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The Vivo Apex could be the most exciting thing at the Mobile World Congress show this year, including the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Sony Xperia XZ2. The stunning Vivo Apex features the world’s first truly edge-to-edge bezel-free display – thanks to a pop up camera.

The Vivo Apex display is all screen, meaning a meagre 1.8mm bezel at the top and 4.3mm at the bottom. That means there is no space for a front-facing camera, speaker or fingerprint sensor. But rather than plonking in an ugly notch like on Apple’s iPhone X, Vivo has managed to keep everything hidden.

Under the Vivo Apex display is a fingerprint sensor that works through the glass, meaning you can pace a finger on the screen and it will read your unique signature to unlock the device. One of the best parts is here is that this works for about half of the display so you don’t even need to be accurate in finger placement.

Also hidden in the screen is speaker technology that uses the screen’s glass to resonate as a speaker when your ear is to the phone. Finally, the front-facing camera – this has been put in a pop-up unit that appears when the phone is put into selfie mode. Genius. This is an 8-megapixel snapper which pops up in just 0.8 seconds.

The catch to all this? The Vivo Apex is currently a concept phone shown off at MWC 2018, so we’ll have to hope it gets mass produced for all to own in the near future.

MWC 2018: The Samsung Galaxy S9 is here, and it’s exactly what we expected

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Samsung has just launched a new smartphone. You may have read something about it already due to various leaks. Meet the Samsung Galaxy S9.

The Samsung S9 is more of an evolution of the Galaxy S8, rather than a revolution, with a “reimagined” camera, updated chipset, and new software. The Samsung S9 is designed to reimagine the way we communicate, share and experience the world, with an emphasis on images, videos and emojis. It makes sense, then, that Samsung has spent the most effort on upgrading the camera, with improved low-light capability, super slow-motion video camera, AR Emoji, and Bixby built into the camera app.

The improved low light performance is achieved by a new ‘dual aperture’ system, which chooses an aperture between F1.5 and F2.4, depending on the light available. The other headline feature is Samsung’s new slow-motion camera, which is capable of capturing 960 frames per second. This is similar to the feature on the Sony XZ1 Premium. Samsung makes the experience easier with automatic motion detection, which detects movement in the frame and automatically begins to record.

Following Apple’s move, Samsung will also allow you to create your own emoji that follows your facial expressions. The AR Emoji uses a data-based machine learning algorithm, which analyses a 2D image of your face and maps out more than 100 facial features to create a 3D model that reflects and imitates expressions, like winks and nods. These can be saved as standard GIF files, and shared on any third-party messaging apps. A point Samsung is keen to stress, considering Apple’s rivalling system is only compatible with other iPhone Xs.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 also has a big focus on entertainment. The handset features stereo speakers tuned by AKG. These will also support Dolby Atmos, giving the effect of 360-degree sound. The AMOLED Infinity Display from the S8 remains largely unchanged, which is no bad thing.

Samsung DeX is back again, but it’s been redesigned and improved. Now, the design is more portable, allowing the display to double as a touch mouse and keyboard, while a full-screen desktop experience is projected onto a television.

So, clearly, it’s not a massive update over the S8 release last year. But the Samsung S9 is still shaping up to be a very impressive phone. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Indian price is TBA. The Galaxy S9 pre-orders are open today for a token amount of Rs.2,000 before going on sale on at an upcoming date. It will be available in Midnight Black, Coral Blue and a new hue, Lilac Purple.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Specs
OS: Android 8.0 (Oreo)
Display: 5.8-inch Quad HD, AMOLED, 570ppi
Size: 147.7mm x 68.7mm x 8.5mm
Weight: 163g
Waterproof: IP68
Rear camera: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP with OIS (F1.5/F2.4)
Front camera: 8MP (F1.7)
Chipset: 10nm, 64-bit, Octa-core processor (2.8 GHz Quad + 1.7 GHz Quad)
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB + Micro SD Slot (upto 400 GB)
Battery: 3,000mAh
Charging: Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0, Fast Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA

MWC 2018: Nokia is bringing back the 8110, you know, the one from The Matrix

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Today at MWC 2018, Nokia has brought back the legendary 8110. Hidden underneath that iconic curved design, the 8110 is packing modern necessities, like 4G. The Nokia 8110 gives you the perfect chance to switch off and relax with the knowledge that all your smartphone essentials, like Google apps, are there when you need them.

Nokia 8110 comes with the build quality you’d expect from a Nokia phone, delivering durability and reliability as standard. The handset delivers VoLTE calling, and a familiar and easy to use interface, such as slide to answer and end calls, as well as an addictive helicopter style spin on its axis.

The 8110 also has an app store, which gives access to favourites like Google Assistant, Google Search, Google Maps, Facebook and Twitter. You’ll also be able to send and receive emails or import your contacts and sync your calendar with Outlook and Gmail.

To keep it running flawlessly, the Nokia 8110 features the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform. And yes, before you ask, it comes with a revamped version of Snake. The handset is available in Traditional Black and Banana Yellow. It will be available from May and will retail for a global average retail price of €79, excluding taxes and subsidies.

MWC 2018: LG jumps on the AI bandwagon with V30s ThinQ

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LG has revealed the V30s ThinQ ahead of Mobile World Congress 2018 held every year in Barcelona. It is the successor to V30 that was announced at IFA 2017 last year.

Rather than an overhaul, the V30s ThinQ brings with it an improved voice recognition system and camera refinements. There is also a + model that offers double the storage space but is virtually the same. Voice AI has been designed to run apps and change settings with just voice commands. At launch, it works with Google Assistant. Vision AI includes AI CAM, QLens and Bright Mode which are 3 new camera features.

AI Cam analyses subjects present in the frame and recommends the best suited shooting mode from eight categories which include city, flower, food, landscape, pet, portrait, sunrise and sunset. QLens enables users to scan QR codes and will also give information on where to buy products online as well as give recommendations. It will also give information on prominent landmarks like historic buildings and statues. Bright Mode helps brighten shots taken in low light environments without increasing noise levels.

The major addition is AI based while the hardware is completely identical to the V30. As of now, price and availability haven’t been announced by the company.

Specifications:
Display: 6-inch QHD+ (1440x2880p)
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPU: Adreno 540
Memory: 6GB RAM
Storage: 128GB (expandable upto 2TB via microSD)
Operating System:
Colour: New Maroccan Blue , New Platinum Gray
Size: 151.7×75.4×7.3mm
Weight: 158 g
Camera: Dual 16MP+13MP, 5MP front
Battery: 3300mAh