Microsoft to Discontinue Lumia Phones This December

Microsoft expected to discontinue its Lumia brand by end of 2016
The company expected to continue selling Lumia devices till stock lasts
Microsoft announced permanent rate cuts for Lumia phones earlier
There was a time when Microsoft couldn’t stop talking about the innovation it was trying to bring to the smartphone market with its Lumia devices. The company believed that the line-up, tagged with its mobile platform, could compete with the likes of Apple and Google. However, things seem to have not gone according to the company’s plans. Latest reports now suggest that the company might discontinue its “Lumia” brand by the end of this year.

According to a report by WinBeta, which quotes a company insider, Microsoft might bring an end to its Lumia brand of devices in December this year. Anyone who has been keeping the track of the company will not find this piece of news to be very shocking, as Microsoft has been struggling in the smartphone space, and even gave a permanent price cut to its Lumia smartphones Lumia 650 and Lumia 950 last month.

Currently there are four smartphones in Microsoft’s Lumia line-up – Lumia 550, Lumia 650, Lumia 950, and Lumia 950 XL. As per the report, the company might discontinue the brand but will keep selling the devices till the existing stock lasts.
The declining sales and the constant rumours about a Surface phone have indicated in past that the company might be considering ending the Lumia line-up soon. Back in February, when the company unveiled its Lumia 650, the smartphone was being rumoured as the last Lumia device to be launched by the company, and we have not seen a Lumia phone since.

As per the rumours, the Surface Phone is expected to pack Snapdragon 830 and come with 8GB of RAM. The smartphone is expected to be launched in 2017.

Xiaomi Mi 5s With Snapdragon 821, 6GB of RAM Spotted

Mi 5s is said to pack massive 6GB of RAMIt is also rumoured to include 3490mAh batteryThe original Mi 5 features Snapdragon 820 SoC

Xiaomi seems to be gearing to launch a beefed-up version of the Mi 5 flagship smartphone. Dubbed Mi 5s, the handset has been leaked tipping the complete innards. The biggest improvement touted in the new alleged Xiaomi Mi 5s is that it packs a Snapdragon 821 processor clocked at 2.4GHz. To recall, the Mi 5 was powered by the Snapdragon 820 processor.

Other improvements claimed by an alleged image of Xiaomi Mi 5s listing include 6GB of RAM and 3490mAh battery. The handset is also said to pack massive 256GB of inbuilt storage. Other specifications include 144.5×69.2×7.2mm and weighs 147 grams. The alleged Mi 5s is seen packing a USB Type-C. On the camera front, the handset is seen packing a 16-megapixel rear camera and a 4-megapixel front camera. The Xiaomi Mi 5s is also expected to support 4K video recording. Xiaomi Mi 5s to sport a 5.15-inch full-HD display and comes with a 3D Touch feature. The dual-SIM device will support GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, 4G, and VoLTE apart from NFC connectivity option. The handset is said to measure 144.5×69.2×7.2mm and weigh 147 grams which means it will be heavier than the original Mi 5 that weighed just 129 grams.

Of course, as with all rumours and leaks, we advise readers to take the above information about the alleged Xiaomi Mi 5s with a pinch of salt, as Xiaomi has yet to make any announcements about its new flagship smartphone and the credibility of the sources cannot be independently verified.
Earlier on Monday, a third-party online retailer was reported to be selling a new “Extreme” version of the Mi 5 in China. Priced at CNY 1,999 (approximately Rs. 20,000), the new Mi 5 “Extreme” version came with overclocked processor, GPU, and RAM.

Samsung India Launches 44 New TV Models

South Korean electronics giant Samsung on Tuesday launched 44 new TV models in India and introduced the new “Quantum Dot” display technology.

The TV line-up comprises SUHD (super ultra high-definition) TV range in the premium segment, Smart TVrange in the mid segment and Joy Beat range in the affordable segment.

“While we are introducing the best picture quality ever with ‘Quantum Dot’ technology in our new SUHD range, we are also introducing meaningful innovations in our Smart and Joy Beat ranges. With these offerings, we aim to further consolidate our position as the market leader across segments,” Rajeev Bhutani, Vice President, Consumer Electronics, Samsung India, told reporters in New Delhi.

The new SUHD TVs with “Quantum Dot” Display offer Quantum Dot Colour and HDR 1000 features that claims to deliver great colour reproduction, brightness, contrast, and details.

The SUHD TV range will be available in the sizes 49-inch to 88-inch screen sizes in the price range from Rs. 1,79,900 to Rs. 23,99,900.

The new range of Smart and Joy Beat televisions will come with a host of features catering to the needs of Indian consumers. The Smart TV range with Smart Interface, Smart Content, Smart Convergence and Smart Play provides the most advanced Smart TV experience.

Samsung’s Smart TV range will be available in 32-inch to 78-inch screen sizes in the price range of Rs. 34,500 to Rs. 7,03,900.

Also, the new Joy Beat range featuring integrated sound station with built-in tweeters will improve TV viewing experience of consumers.

Joy Beat range will be available in 32-inch to 49-inch sizes. Prices range from Rs. 27,900 to Rs. 69,500.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition Launched

• Limited edition will go on sale in Brazil, China, Germany, Korea, and US
• Samsung has also launched the Rio 2016 Olympic Games app
• No price revealed for the limited edition'

Samsung on Thursday launched the Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The company says that with the new limited edition smartphone, fans and consumers can commemorate the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It will be available starting July 18 in select countries including Brazil, China, Germany, Korea, and the US. The South Korean company is the worldwide Olympic partner in the wireless communications equipment category.

Samsung, in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will also deliver 12,500Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Olympic Games Limited Edition and Gear IconX, which features in-ear heart rate monitor and standalone music player, to all Rio 2016 Olympians.

The new limited edition device carries the custom colourway pattern including the five official colours of the Olympic Rings. Samsung has integrated the colours of the Olympic Rings prominently in the smartphone’s user interface like the home and lock screen as well as the message, dial, contact screens, and notification bar. The smartphone will also come with Rio 2016 Olympic Games themed wallpapers.

Announcing the limited edition, Younghee Lee, Executive Vice President of Global Marketing, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics, said, “Sports are all about an individual’s relentless journey of challenging complacency, and the Olympic Games are the ultimate global celebration of the progress and achievement of athletes, countries and their fans coming together to unite the world’. Samsung admires the spirit of Olympians and fans across the globe who continuously push boundaries for the better.”

Samsung additionally will be setting up Galaxy Studios across Rio. The company confirmed it will have several studios throughout Rio, Sao Paulo, and local cities in Brazil. Samsung in collaboration with the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee also launched the official app of Rio 2016 called “The Rio 2016 App”, which will provide athletes, fans and consumers with updates on all Olympic related news.

Samsung Galaxy J Max VoLTE Tablet Launched in India at Rs. 13,400

• Samsung Galaxy J Max comes with Ultra Data Saving mode feature
• It will be available later this month
• The tablet comes with Android 5.1 Lollipop

Samsung on Friday, apart from launching the new Galaxy J2 (2016) smartphone, also unveiled the Galaxy J Max tablet. Priced at Rs. 13,400, the new tablet will go on sale via online and offline channels in end of July. The South Korean company has pre-loaded popular apps and services from its Galaxy J-series of smartphones in the Galaxy J Max such as the Ultra Data Saving (UDS) Mode which is claimed to save up to 50 percent of 4G data. Additionally, Samsung is bundling one year free subscription to Vuclip, which is a video on demand streaming service, and is also offering a free Samsung Bluetooth headset in-box. Like the Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016), the Galaxy J Max comes with 6 months of double data offer for Airtel prepaid customers.

The Samsung Galaxy J Max features a 7-inch (1280×800 pixels) WXGA TFT display and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor clubbed with 1.5GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB of built-in storage which can be further expanded up to 200GB via microSD card. The Android 5.1 Lollipop-based tablet supports dual-SIM and comes with 4G support. One of the biggest highlights of the tablet is it supports VoLTE (voice over LTE).

It sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front camera. Other connectivity options include GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, and Micro-USB. The Galaxy J Max measures 186.9×108.8×8.7mm and packs a 4000mAh battery.

Samsung on Friday also unveiled it’s new Galaxy J2 (2016) smartphone priced at Rs. 9,750 and will go on sale from July 10. One of the biggest highlights of the new Galaxy J2 (2016) is its next-generation LED notification system which Samsung calls Smart Glow.

Android N Name Is Android Nougat

Google has finally announced the full name of Android N. The next version of Android will be called Android Nougat.

The Android Nougat name continues the tradition of naming major Android releases after desserts. It all started with Android 1.5 Cupcake, followed by Android 1.6 Donut, Android 2.0 Eclair, Android 2.2 Froyo, and Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The pattern continued with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Android 4.4 KitKat, Android 5.0 Lollipop, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Last month at its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company had invited users to help name Android N. It’s not clear if the Android Nougat name was the popular choice among the suggestions, or it’s something Google narrowed down on its own. Interestingly, Nougat was the third most popular choice in a poll of our own.

Android N will bring improvements like multi-window support, enhanced notifications, revamped doze, number blocking, and more.

Google made the Android Nougat announcement via Twitter but there’s no definite word yet on the release date of the new Android version other than the “later this summer” timeline announced earlier.

Before Thursday’s announcement the word nougat represented a family of confections made with sugar or honey, roasted nuts, whipped egg whites, and sometimes chopped candied fruit.

Xiaomi Redmi 3S Set to Launch in India Soon

• 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant is priced at roughly Rs. 9,000
• The Redmi 3S also packs a fingerprint scanner at the back

Chinese handset manufacturer Xiaomi is all set to bring its new Redmi 3 variant, the Redmi 3S, to India. Gadgets 360 has learnt that the Xiaomi Redmi 3S is coming soon to the market though there no clarity on exactly when the handset will be launched.

The Redmi 3S smartphone was launched in China back in June and came in two variants based on memory and inbuilt storage – with the 2GB of RAM with 16GB of inbuilt storage model priced at CNY 699 (approximately Rs. 7,000), and the 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage model priced at CNY 899 (approximately Rs. 9,000).

The Xiaomi Redmi 3S has been so far available in the homeland country and India may be its first overseas market.

For specifications, the Redmi 3S packs an all-new octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor clocked at 1.1GHz clubbed with Adreno 505 GPU. The smartphone supports expandable storage expandable storage via microSD card (up to 128GB). The dual-SIM handset (Micro + Nano) comes with hybrid SIM slot which means the second slot also acts as a microSD slot. One of the biggest improvements over the original Xiaomi Redmi 3 is the Redmi 3S features a fingerprint scanner at the back panel.

The Redmi 3S features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display and runs MIUI 7 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. The smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF (phase detection autofocus), f/2.0 aperture, HDR mode, 1080p video recording, and LED flash. The handset also packs a 5-megapixel front camera with 1080p video recording capability.

Connectivity options on the handset include 4G, Wi-Fi, GPRS/ EDGE, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, Bluetooth, Glonass, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and Micro-USB. The handset is backed by a 4100mAh battery just like the original Redmi 3. It measures 139.3×69.6×8.5mm and weighs 144 grams. The Xiaomi Redmi 3S is expected to be available in Grey, Silver, and Gold colours.

Vivo V3 Gets a Price Cut in India

• Vivo’s V3 was launched in April at Rs. 17,980
• The smartphone is now available in India at Rs. 14,980
• It is powered by a Snapdragon 616 SoC

Chinese handset maker Vivo on Friday announced a price cut for the V3 smartphone. Effective immediately, the Vivo V3 will be available in India at Rs. 14,980, down from the launch price of Rs. 17,980 – a price cut of Rs. 3,000. The V3 smartphone will be available to buy via all retail outlets across India.

Vivo says that the price revision has been announced keeping the festival season that’s around the corner in mind.

The Vivo V3 runs the company’s Funtouch OS 2.5 based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. It features a 5-inch (720×1280 pixels) display, and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 616 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone bears a 13-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It packs 32GB of inbuilt storage that’s expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). It offers the standard connectivity features, including 4G LTE support in India and also supports VoLTE. It runs on a 2550mAh battery.

Vivo V3 was launched in India back in April alongside the Vivo V3Max. The Vivo V3Max is nearly identical to the Vivo V3, with differences in battery, display size, memory, and processor. It was priced at Rs. 23,980.

The Chinese manufacturer earlier this month launched the X7 and X7 Plus smartphones in its home country. Priced at CNY 2,498 (approximately Rs. 25,000), the Vivo X7 went on sale earlier this month while the company will reveal the pricing for the Vivo X7 Plus at the time of local release. The Vivo X7 and X7 Plus came with a lot of identical features such as unibody metal design and 16-megapixel front camera, which is also highlight of both the devices.

Lenovo Vibe K5 Note Launched in India: Price, Specifications, and More

Lenovo is all set to launch the Vibe K5 Note in India on Monday. The Chinese company has already confirmed that the Lenovo Vibe K5 Note will be exclusive to its e-commerce retail partner Flipkart, and is expected to go on sale (or registrations) starting Monday itself.

The company has been teasing several features of the new Vibe K5 Note, such as 4GB of RAM. Now,Lenovo India in its series of social posts has also confirmed that the handset will sport a Secure Zone. The feature is likely to allow users sign-in to apps with two separate accounts and looks similar to Xiaomi’s Second Space feature in the new MIUI 8 ROM.

Over the weekend, Lenovo also announced an offer to preview the Vibe K5 Note. Flipkart in an exclusive partnership with Ola, an app-based taxi hailing service, is offering customers an opportunity to experience Lenovo Vibe K5 Note from the Ola app before interested customers buy it on Flipkart.

With the offer, an interested consumer will be able to preview the handset through an on-demand service at the customer’s doorstep. The service will be available to consumers on requesting an Ola Prime cab. According to the offer, this will be available to Ola users in five cities- Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, and Pune from Monday.

The Lenovo K5 Note packs a lot of improvements over the K4 Note such as an all-metal body. Another highlight feature of the handset is its fingerprint scanner, placed below the camera module on the rear panel – though a similar sensor was on board the Vibe K4 Note as well. The handset also packs Dolby Atmos powered speakers which is the highlight on the K4 Note as well.

Intex Cloud String V2.0 With Fingerprint Scanner Launched at Rs. 6,499

• The smartphone packs a 2200mAh battery
• It comes with a new inbuilt SOS feature
• It is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core

After the Intex Aqua Power HD 4G, Intex has launched a new smartphone in the market. The Intex Cloud String V2.0 will be available exclusively on Flipkart, and is priced at Rs. 6,499.

The Intex Cloud String V2.0 is the successor of the Cloud String HD smartphone launched in May this year. This new variant sports an inbuilt SOS feature for emergencies. As for the specifications, the Intex Cloud String V2.0 features a 5-inch Oncell HD (1280×720 pixels) IPS display with 2.5D curved glass protection. It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor paired alongside Mali 400 GPU and 2GB RAM. The smartphone offers 16GB of inbuilt storage, with an option to expand further via a microSD card.

The Intex Cloud String V2.0 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera that can record video in 1080p at 30fps. It also comes with features like Slow Motion video, Panorama mode, and HDR. For selfies, there is a 5-megapixel snapper on the front.

The Intex Cloud String V2.0 packs a 2200mAh battery that is rated to provide up to 7 hours of talk time, and 190 hours of standby time. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, and offers connectivity options like Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, GPRS/EDGE, WLAN, FM Radio, Micro-USB, and 3G HSPA+ connectivity. This smartphone does not support 4G connectivity.

The dimensions measure at 144.5×72.5×8.7mm, and it will be available in Champagne and Silver colour variants. The Intex Cloud String v2.0 also supports a fingerprint scanner at the back in a mirrored-glass enclosure. The Intex Aqua Secure and Intex Aqua View are the other smartphones from the company to offer a fingerprint sensor on board.

Samsung Galaxy Note7 Launch Set for August

• The Note7 launch will happen simultaneously in New York, Rio, and London
• The Galaxy Note Unpacked 2016 event will kick off at 8:30pm IST
• Galaxy Note7 is expected to sport iris-scanner on front

Samsung has finally revealed the launch date for its next phablet flagship, and at the same time confirmed the successor to the Galaxy Note 5 will be called the Galaxy Note7. The new Note-series smartphone will be unveiled on August 2, as reported previously.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 will be announced at an event in New York on August 2 that kicks off at 8:30pm IST. The South Korea company has confirmed that there will be simultaneous events in Rio de Janeiro and London.

Apart from sharing the official teaser for the ‘Galaxy Note Unpacked 2016’, Samsung also claimed that the new S Pen, which will be part of the Galaxy Note7, will come with “added functionalities.”

The company also gave reasons why it is skipping the Galaxy Note 6 name and jumping to Galaxy Note7. “First and foremost though, you might be curious as to why it’s called Galaxy Note7 instead of Galaxy Note 6. There are a couple reasons why. First, the Galaxy Note7 will complement our Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, and unify our product portfolio. Second, the Galaxy Note7 will minimize confusion about the latest mobile technology from Samsung, and provide full alignment with Galaxy S smartphone,” wrote the company in announcement post, confirming previous speculation as to Samsung’s reasons.

Based on flurry of leaks, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note7 is expected to sport an iris scanner in the front, which will come handy for biometric locks and has been claimed to be more reliable than fingerprint scanners. The handset is said to come in Black Onyx, Silver Titanium, and Blue Coral colours. For specifications, the Galaxy Note7 is said to run a revamped UI from Samsung based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow; sport a USB Type-C port, and also come with a 6-inch QHD Super Amoled dual-edge display. It is likely to feature 4GB of RAM and offer three inbuilt storage options – 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB (with the choice to expand as well). The Galaxy Note7 is rumoured to sport a 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, and a 3600mAh battery.

Possible Moto X (2016) Spotted On GFXBench

Ever since the Moto Z handsets were announced, many had wondered if they would be replacing the Moto X lineup. Motorola has reassured us that they won’t, but given the lack of any Moto X announcements, we have to say that we are a tad skeptical. However it looks like some evidence has surfaced to suggest otherwise.

According to a recent sighting onGFXBench, a certain Motorola XT1650 has made an appearance. It has been largely speculated that this could be the 2016 Moto X, and if it is true, it seems that it could be giving the Moto Z lineup a run for its money, which is odd since why would Motorola/Lenovo creating competing devices?

That being said, the specs according to GFXBench reveal a 5.5-inch QHD display and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset. It also appears to be packing 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and interestingly enough what seems to be a dual camera setup. The benchmark reveals two sensors: a 12MP sensor and a 20MP sensor.

We’re not sure if this was an error or if Lenovo really has a dual camera handset in the works. The front shooter appears to be of the 5MP variety which is nothing to shout about. That being said, benchmarks can be faked so take it with a grain of salt for now, but if it’s true, the 2016 Moto X could prove to be a rather interesting handset.

Filed in Cellphones >Rumors. Read more about Lenovo, Moto X and Motorola.

Key Specs	Motorola Moto X
Status	Released
Display Diagonal	4.7″
Processor/Soc Name	Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2-core, 1.7 GHz
Street Price (Approx)	~ $310 Search low Motorola Moto X price (Amazon)
Max. Total Storage Capacity	64 GB
Megapixels	10 MP
Battery Capacity (mAh)	2200 mAh
Complete product data	Motorola Moto X Full specs and details

ZTE ZMax Pro With 6-Inch Display, Fingerprint Scanner Launched

HIGHLIGHTS

• The new ZTE ZMax Pro will go on sale in the US at roughly Rs. 6,600
• It will be available starting August via MetroPCS
• It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera

Chinese handset manufacturer ZTE has unveiled the ZMax Pro smartphone in the US. Priced at just $99 (approximately Rs. 6,600), the new ZTE ZMax Pro will be available via MetroPCS starting August 1. The company is offering a promotional offer for interested consumers who can pre-register the ZTE ZMax Pro and get a free leather case. The offer is limited for consumers who pre-book the smartphone before July 31.

At this price point, ZTE is offering the ZMax Pro with fingerprint scanner which is located at the rear panel. One of the biggest highlight of the smartphone is its 6-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) display. The handset is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 617 processor clocked at 1.5GHz coupled with 2GB of RAM. It supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB). The handset also packs a USB Type-C port and supports fast charging. It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with an LED flash while also packs a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

The Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based ZMax Pro is backed by a 3400mAh battery. It comes with GPRS/ EDGE, GPS/ A-GPS, 3G, 4G, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity options.

Apart from revealing the new ZMax Pro, ZTE also announced that there are over 30 million active ZTE device users worldwide. Adding further ZTE CEO Lixin Cheng also revealed that the Chinese company sold 15 million handsets last year.

ZTE in China recently unveiled the Small Fresh 4 smartphone priced at CNY 1,090 (approximately Rs. 11,000).

The ZTE Small Fresh 4 features a 5.2-inch full-HD 2.5D curved glass; 1.5GHz octa-core MediaTek (MT6753) processor; 2GB of RAM; 16GB of inbuilt storage; expandable via microSD card; 13-megapixel rear camera; 5-megapixel front camera; 2450mAh battery, and runs the company’s UI based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

iBall Andi 5L Rider With 5-Inch Display Launched at Rs. 4,699

HIGHLIGHTS

• iBall’s new Andi 5L Rider smartphone features a quad-core processor
• It comes with read/ write support for 21 Indian regional languages
• It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera

iBall has launched the Andi 5L Rider smartphone at Rs. 4,699. The iBall Andi 5L Rider will be available via retail stores across India.

The iBall Andi 5L Rider smartphone also comes with system support for 9 Indian regional languages and read and write support for 21 Indian regional languages. The handset also offers an auto-call recording feature.

The iBall Andi 5L Rider smartphone is a dual-SIM smartphone running Android 5.1 Lollipop. It features a 5-inch FWVGA (480×854 pixels) IPS display with a pixel density of 196ppi. Powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.3GHz, the smartphone packs 1GB of RAM and a Mali 400 GPU alongside.

The latest iBall offering also sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It bears 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded via microSD card (up to 32GB).

The iBall Andi 5L Rider comes with connectivity options such as 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Micro-USB, and GPS. A 2300mAh battery backs the handset, which is available in White, Brown and Blue colours.

Earlier this month, iBall launched the Andi 5Q Gold 4G smartphone priced at Rs. 6,799. The iBall Andi 5Q Gold 4G features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display; powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor; 1GB of RAM; 8GB of inbuilt storage; supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB); runs Android 5.1 Lollipop; dual-SIM; 4G, and 3000mAh battery. Notably, both the SIMs support 4G connectivity. The handset supports download speeds of up to 150Mbps and upload speeds of up to 50Mbps on 4G network.

BlackBerry DTEK50 Android Smartphone Launched

• The DTEK50 is BlackBerry’s second Android phone
• The phone is up for pre-order in 8 countries
• It will begin shipping on August 8

BlackBerry Ltd unveiled a second Android-based handset on Tuesday, a device combining Alphabet Inc’s popular software and broad app catalog with the Canadian company’s security and productivity features at a lower price.

The faded smartphone pioneer is hoping the DTEK50 will sell in greater numbers than the Priv, its first phone using the Android operating system, which Chief Executive John Chen has said suffered because of its high price.

The company said the 5.2-inch touchscreen-only DTEK50 is available from Tuesday for pre-order from BlackBerry’s online shop in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands for $299 (roughly Rs. 20,000). It plans to begin shipping the device on August 8.

“This is a good marriage of proposition and price point for enterprises,” said John Jackson, an analyst at International Data Corp.

Shares in the Waterloo, Ontario-based company were up 1.4 percent at $7.18 on the Nasdaq and rose 1.6 percent to CAD 9.50 in Toronto.

At its November launch the Priv, which features a slide out keyboard, cost $699 (roughly Rs. 47,000) without a contract in the United States and CAD 899 without a contract in Canada. The company trimmed the Priv’s price in April.

Calling the DTEK50 “the world’s most secure Android smartphone,” BlackBerry said it will alert users if someone is making remote use of its camera or microphone, or accessing the phone’s location information.

BlackBerry did not announce any distribution deals with major US carriers, with initial US sales instead expected to come mostly via Best Buy Co Inc, Amazon.com Inc and BlackBerry’s own online store.

Canada’s biggest wireless carriers will all sell the device.

“The lack of specific detail on operator channels outside Canada says that there’s still no path to massive volumes,” IDC’s Jackson added.

BlackBerry recognized sales of roughly 500,000 devices in the three months to the end of May, down from some 1.1 million a year earlier as demand for its aging product portfolio sunk.

Once a dominant force in smartphones, BlackBerry now holds just a sliver of the global smartphone market. Earlier this month it said it would cease production of its Classic handset, which uses its own BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Chen last month expressed confidence the company’s trimmed-down handset business can turn a profit by a self-imposed September deadline, even as some analysts urge the company to ditch the unit.

A third Android device is expected from BlackBerry in the coming months.

Xiaomi Mi Max Shipments Top 1.5 Million in 2 Months, CEO Confirms

HIGHLIGHTS

• The figure was shared by an analyst on Weibo
• Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun went on to share the Weibo post
• The Mi Max went on sale in May in China

Xiaomi is said to have shipped 1.5 million units of the Mi Max in the two months since its launch in China in May this year. The company’s largest smartphone yet, the Xiaomi Mi Max (Review) features a 6.44-inch display.

The 1.5 million units shipped figure comes from analyst Kevin Wang on Chinese social network Weibo (viaGizmoChina), and was reposted by Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun – pretty much confirming the credibility of the number.

Wang added that similar large-sized smartphones in 2015 saw a maximum of 300,000 units being shipped – contrasting the wild popularity of the Mi Max.

In China, there are three variants of the smartphone – one bears 3GB of RAM, 32GB of inbuilt storage and a 1.8GHz hexa-core Snapdragon 650 processor; another bears 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon 652 processor, while the last bears 4GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a Snapdragon 652 processor.

Of the three variants, only the first was launched in India late last month at Rs. 14,999, but Xiaomi said the top-end model with 4GB of RAM will be made available in India soon at Rs. 19,999.

As we mentioned, the Xiaomi Mi Max sports a 6.44-inch full-HD (1080×1920) 342ppi display. It bears a 16-megapixel rear camera that offers phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and LED flash. The phablet also bears a 5-megapixel front camera also on board with 85-degree wide-angle view. Both cameras have an f/2.0 aperture.

The dual-SIM handset supports 4G LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/ A-GPS with Glonass, and Wi-Fi 802.11ac with Mimo. There’s no NFC on board. It is backed by a massive 4850mAh battery, measures 173.1×88.3×7.5mm, and weighs in at 203 grams.

The Mi Max sports an infrared emitter to act as a universal remote control, apart from an ambient light sensor, gyroscope, accelerometer, and proximity sensor. It bears a hybrid dual-SIM slot, with up to 128GB microSD cards supported.

Intex Aqua Ring With 5-Megapixel Front Camera Launched at Rs. 4,999

• The smartphone is priced at Rs. 4,999
• It comes with a MediaTek quad-core processor
• There is a 5-megapixel front camera on board.

After the Intex Aqua Pride and Aqua Q7N, the Indian smartphone company has launched another smartphone in the Indian market. The Intex Aqua Ring is priced at Rs. 4,999, and is being exclusively sold on Amazon India.

The Intex Aqua Ring has a Sandstone back cover and a round oval ring on top which houses the camera and flash. It supports dual-SIM dual standby, and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box. It features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display with 294ppi pixel density and 16.7 million colour support. It also sports Asahi Dragon trail Glass protection. The smartphone runs on a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6580A quad-core processor paired with Mali 400 MP2 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It offers only 8GB of inbuilt storage, but comes with support for expandable storage via microSD card (up to 32GB).

Optics include a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash, autofocus, panorama mode, face beauty and gesture features. A 5-megapixel camera is present at the front as well. Additionally, the Intex Aqua Ring packs a 2450mAh battery.

Connectivity options include 3G support (both SIMs), Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, and GPS. There is no support for 4G connectivity on this smartphone. The Intex Aqua Ring’s dimensions are at 72×143.5×9.25mm, and the smartphone weighs 159 grams. The smartphone is currently available on the e-commerce site only in Black colour. Intex is offering a one-year warranty for the Intex Aqua Ring, and a six-month warranty for boxed accessories that come along with the smartphone purchase (including battery). The company has introduced an Emergency Rescue Mode to help users in case of a calamity of any sort. Just by pressing any volume key for more than three seconds will activate the mode, and it will send your pre-registered emergency contact a message along with your location.

Reliance Lyf Water 4, Water 6 smartphone launched, price starts at Rs 7,599

Reliance has expanded its product portfolio with the launch of two smartphones – LyfWater 4 and Lyf Water 6, priced at Rs 7,599 and Rs 8,999 respectively.

Both handsets have similar set of specifications. They runAndroid 5.1.1 Lollipop and offers dual-sim functionality, along withVoLTE support.

The smartphones feature 5-inch HD display with 720×1280 pixel resolution secured with Asahi Dragontrail Glass. Processing power is derived by 1.2GHz quad-coreQualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, clubbed with 2GB of RAM. As for the cameras, they have 13MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front-facing camera for selfies.

Reliance Lyf Earth 2 launched with 13MP front camera at Rs 21,599

Reliance Lyf Water 4 offers 16GB of internal storage which can be expanded further using a microSD card. The device is backed by a 2,920mAh battery and offers 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS as connectivity options.

On the other hand, the Lyf Water 6 comes with 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded through a microSD card. Having 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS as connectivity options, the phone has a 2,920mAh battery.

Last month, Reliance launched its Lyf Earth 2 smartphone. Priced at Rs 21,599, the handset comes in Green, White, Gold and Midnight Black colour options.

Reliance Lyf smartphones gets price cut by 25%

The device has a thick aluminium alloy frame and incorporates a fingerprint sensor. Users can also assign different fingerprints as shortcuts for launching various apps. Like all the other smartphones in the Lyf series, this also offers 4G LTE connectivity with VoLTE support.

Reliance Lyf Earth 2 features a 5-inch Full HD display with 1080×1920 pixel resolution. The display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The smartphone runs Android 5.1.1 Lollipop, and is powered by a 1.5GHz octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor. It offers 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

iPhone 7 to Launch in the Week of September

Apple traditionally holds its iPhone launch event in September every year, but there is no official announcement on the iPhone 7 event date yet. However, a fresh leak now points at a tentative launch time frame. The iPhone 7 may be launched in the third week of September, specifically in the week of September 12.

This time-frame comes from tipster Evan Blass, who is noted for his accuracy when it comes to leaks. Last year, Apple launched the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on September 9, however it came to India a month later. The same pattern is also expected this year.

The iPhone 7 was expected to launch in three variants – iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, and a new iPhone 7 Pro version. However, new leaks hint that Apple may just stick to two variants this year. There is also expected to be a new base storage variant – 32GB. The probable storage offerings are going to be shuffled to 32GB, 128GB, and a possible new 256GB variant.

Apple may also introduce a new dual camera setup in its large iPhone 7 Plus variant. There is also going to be the addition of the Smart Connector at the back, again exclusive to the large variant only. To accommodate all this new hardware, the iPhone 7 Plus may get a bump to 3GB RAM.

The variants are expected to sport slightly bigger batteries, and the new Apple A10 processor for faster performance. The Home Button is expected to perform multiple functions, and be Force Touch enabled. Because of the new chip (and if the rumoured death of 3.5mm audio jack is true), the iPhone 7 is also expected to be at least 1mm slimmer than its predecessor.

There’s also a lot of chatter about the 3.5mm audio jack. Conflicting reports on the removal of the audio output make it difficult to really nail a presumptive conclusion on whether it will be included this year or not. There’s also expected to be a new Space Black colour variant with this year’s launch.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 leaked screenshots reveal iris scanner, new S Pen commands

After wallpapers for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 leaked yesterday, today we get a glimpse of some new features in the latest flagship, particularly the iris scanner.

Yes, the iris scanner is confirmed, according to leaked images Android Authorityreceived. The screenshots are from Samsung’s new Grace UX aka TouchWiz interface, and show an additional phone lock feature called Irises. The Galaxy Note 7 lets you scan your eyes, so you can unlock your phone just by looking at it. However, take note there’s a lengthy disclaimer that lists when the scanner might not work, including if you’re wearing glasses or in low light.

While Samsung is yet to confirm exact specifications, rumours are that the Note 7 will be available in a choice of Black, Silver and Blue and will include Samsung’s Exynos 8893 processor with 4GB, making it the most powerful smartphone to date.

It is also expected to run Android Nougat, the latest version of Android’s operating system alongside Samsung’s TouchWiz interface.

Samsung is planning to release the Note 7 on August 2nd and has already sent out invitations to to an exclusive ‘unpacked event’ where the Korean tech giant is expected to officially unveil the device for the first time.

There have also been rumours that the Galaxy Note 7 will be available to buy in store on August 2nd in Korea, the USA and UK as the device will go on sale just hours after it is officially unveiled.