iPhone X debut: Will slow supply dampen Apple's hopes in India?

iPhone X, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, costs Rs 89,000 for a 64 GB model

After facing a lacklustre response to iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus globally, including in India, Apple has now placed its bet on successful delivery of "super premium" iPhone Xthat aims for a scheduled arrival on November 3.

In the past few days, several media reports have claimed that Apple is facing a huge supply gap primarily for two reasons: difficulties in assembling the new facial identification software and 3D camera, and "off the charts" pre-orders for iPhone X after the Apple fraternity didn't make the expected beeline for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus.

The scenario suggests that people will have to wait long before they can grab an iPhone X. Analysts have already warned that the stock on hand is scarce, owing to constrained supply of key iPhone X components. The advanced depth-sensing camera system in iPhone X requires parts that only a few manufacturers can produce.

The iPhone X, which marks the 10th anniversary of the device, costs Rs 89,000 for a 64 GB model and Rs 1.02 lakh for the 256 GB variant.

According to Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Mobile Devices and Ecosystems, Counterpoint Research, supply issues will have three main implications for Apple.

"Either the demand for iPhone X will shift to subsequent quarters or some part of the demand will be absorbed by iPhone 8 series if supply is delayed for long. In both the cases, it won't have much impact on Apple as its user base will remain within the iOS ecosystem," Pathak told IANS.

However, there is another scenario - where an Android premium user who wishes to shift to iPhone X decides instead to upgrade within the Android ecosystem due to unavailability of iPhone X. (more)

Sony Xperia X: Falls short on performance

Sony Xperia X: Falls short on performance

When I first got my hands on the Sony Xperia X, I was filled with a sense of deja vu - the reason being the uncanny similarity the phone shares with the Xperia Z series.

The phone has a metallic back with a 2.5D curved glass front. The corners are more rounded which makes it comfortable to hold. The power button is located in the middle on the right side, just above the volume rocker. The power button doubles up as a fingerprint sensor and setting the sensor up was easy. The sensor is pretty responsive and for people who favour one-handed usage, the sensor placement comes in handy.

specification of sony xperia X

The Xperia X comes with a 5-inch Full HD display. The colours are vivid and sharp and with the correct brightness level, using it in sunlight isn't a problem either.

The phone runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and is devoid of excessive pre-installed apps. The app drawer is akin to that of a stock Android.

Though the Xperia X falls in the premium segment, the hardware doesn't quite match up. Under the hood it houses a hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor with 3GB of RAM. I would have expected such a processor in mid-range smartphones. With a price tag of Rs 48,990, Sony could have easily gone for an upgrade. Read More.

HTC One X9: Looks sturdy, works great

HTC One X9: Looks sturdy, works great

If there is one smartphone brand that has always been in the limelight for its looks, undoubtedly it is HTC. And the company has lived up to the benchmark it has set over the years with the launch of its new One X9. Available for Rs 25,990, the smartphone has the premium look to woo the audience along with the power-packed performance it delivers.

The latest launch from the Taiwan-based smartphone maker will take on the likes of the Xiaomi Mi 5, Google Nexus 5X, Moto X Style and Coolpad Max, which are priced under Rs 28,000. The price is a little on the higher side, but then, good things don't come cheap, do they?

The phone comes with a 5.5-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) along with a screen resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. The screen is coated with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. To top it all, the phone has the ability to customise the display option. This includes the ability to manually adjust the colour tint of the display. Now your eyes wont hurt in the dark.

It weighs only 175 g despite having an all-metal exterior which also adds to the sturdiness of the phone. One very trivial yet important quality that the phone boasts of is the amazing grip quality it has because of its oblique edges and a non-slippery back cover. Read more

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Moto G4 Plus: A mixed bag

Moto G4 Plus: A mixed bag



Motorola's newest offering, the Moto G4 Plus, comes with better specs than its predecessor but is that enough to grab one's attention? I wasn't convinced so I took it out for a spin.

The G4 Plus has a plastic back with metal edges, which for a mid-range smartphone feels rather cheap. The fashion conscious would rather go for a Redmi Note 3 or even the LeEco 1s. The phone, however, is comfortable to hold. It comes with a 5.5-inch full HD display with a resolution of 1,080x1,920 p. The colours are vibrant and sharp but could have been a tad better. It has the stock Motorola user interface and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Under the hood, it houses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 with 4GB of RAM. The G4 Plus can handle multitasking and RAM-heavy games. However, during one of my missions in Order and Chaos, I noticed a bit of lag. If you prefer games such asCandy Crush or Temple Run, you have nothing to worry about. But, if you like playing heavy games such as Order and Chaos, Injustice and Ashphalt, I'd recommend you choose a different phone.

The G4 Plus also comes with an astonishingly fast fingerprint sensor. Located just below the display, you might mistake the square-shaped sensor as the home button. Setting it up was easy and didn't take much time. Read more

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Just like any other Chinese smartphone

The Chinese-manufactured Smartphone segment in India is a heavily crowded space with the likes of Xiaomi, LeEco, Oppo, Vivo and Gionee battling neck to neck to achieve the numero uno spot in terms of market share.

The latest International Data Corporation (IDC) report reveals a change, with Vivo and Oppo making it to the top five smartphone vendors for the first time, based on the number of units they shipped.

But for Gionee, the journey to the top is far from over. Its ambitious Gionee S6, priced at Rs 19,999, is pitted against the Oppo R7 Lite, but does it have what it takes to win the race? Let us find out.

Gionee, like any other Chinese model does not have a stand-out identity of its own like a Moto X Turbo edition or an Asus Zenfone as it has startling similarities to other Chinese models. Keeping that aside, it has done a pretty decent job with the unibody aluminium build and the rose gold colour adds to the phone's looks. It is comfortable to hold and the button placement enables you to use it with one hand easily.

The phone has been designed keeping in mind the aesthetic appeal of the present generation. In terms of hardware, the model weighs just 148 g and can easily slide into your pocket. It boasts of a 13-megapixel (MP) rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera. A 5.5-inch 720p high-definition AMOLED display coupled with a Gorilla Glass 3 for protection is sure to give you a good movie watching experience.

The camera performance is impressive as pictures clicked in daylight show good clarity and colours. However, low-light shots aren't that great as certain amount of noise slithers into the picture, but overall quality is acceptable. A range of shooting features such as the professional mode, ultra-pixel mode and a barcode scanner adds on to the list of your options. The non-removable 3,150 mAh battery lasts for more than a day when put to real world usage.Read More.

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India the only bright spot for Apple as global iPhone sales fall

India has become the last bastion of growth for technology giant Apple which for the first time witnessed a drop in sales of its flagship iPhone for the quarter that ended March 31. While global iPhone sales fell by 16 per cent in the quarter, iPhone sales in India were up by 56 per cent during the period.

On Wednesday, Apple reported its first drop in quarterly sales in over a decade, with revenues dropping by 13 per cent to $50.6 billion while profits slid by 22 per cent to $10.5 billion for the three months that ended March 31. Growth ofiPhone sales in US and China (the company’s two largest markets) has begun to fall as the markets have hit saturation, forcing the company to turn its attention to India.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said that with a global smartphone penetration of 42 per cent, there was still room for growth, especially in emerging markets. “For example, in India our iPhone sales were up 56% from a year ago,” he said in a call with investors to review Apple’s financial results.

India has begun showing consistent high double digit growth for iPhone sales, with the Cupertino company registering a 76 per cent increase during the October to December quarter. This demand from the emerging markets (especially India) drove Apple to release its most affordable smartphone yet, the 4-inch iPhone SE that’s now being aimed at people switching over from Android to the iPhone.

While sales of the SE was not reflected in the Jan-Mar quarter since the device launched only on March 31, “so far this quarter we're seeing terrific customer response,” said Cook. “The addition of the iPhone SE in the iPhone lineup places us in a better strategic position to attract even more customers into our ecosystem.”Read More.

Leaves a mark

Creo, the newest smartphone-maker, claims to deliver a great experience with its Mark 1. With a promised update every month, Creo Mark 1 claims to deliver a better phone with each upgrade. Though, I was not able to test out the monthly update, I decided to see whether the Mark 1 could hold its own.

The phone looks very stylish but the first thing I noticed was how heavy it was. It is a bit uncomfortable to use and it would need some time to get used to it.

The Mark 1 comes with a 5.5-inch screen with a QHD display. The colours are vibrant and the display is crystal clear.

It houses an octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor and 3GB of RAM, which is quite decent. I downloaded the usual RAM-heavy games and tested them out. The phone performed well though it did heat up a bit. But as for lag, there was none. I played Injustice, and the experience was pretty smooth.

It has a 21-megapixel (MP) primary and an 8 MP secondary camera. It also has four different camera modes: Panorama, live photos, 3D and normal mode. Live photo mode is basically a 3-second video. The 3D mode is an interesting one. You can focus on an object and then move the camera around it and the resultant picture will give you a 3D view of the object. I tried clicking a picture of a statue in my house in 3D mode and the output was great.

The Mark 1 runs its custom Fuel OS, which is based on Android Lollipop. The user interface is minimalistic and a delight to use. It has some great features such as Sense, Retriever and Echo. Sense is a search feature which searches keywords across the apps while Echo is a voicemail feature which transfers the call to voicemail if the phone is left unattended for 30 seconds. This can be done manually as well by swiping up to the mic symbol on the call screen. Retriever is a very helpful feature; if your phone is stolen or simply lost, with this feature you can locate it and even remotely erase personal data.Read More.

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LG K7: Offers nothing special

The K7 is designed well. LG calls it a glossy pebble design. The main feature of the design is the lack of buttons on the sides




LG launched the K7, along with the K10, last week. This is the company's first big launch in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment this year.

The K7 is designed well. LG calls it a glossy pebble design. The main feature of the design is the lack of buttons on the sides. The clutter-free design will impress anyone who wants a looker. The power button is on the plastic back, close to the camera and flash. The volume buttons flank the power button. The body is curved and it is easy to carry around.

The LG K7 sports a 5-inch display. Its touch interface is smooth and there is no lag. But, the phone's screen makes it difficult for practical use. In direct sunlight, one can read emails only if the brightness is set to 100 per cent; this might be fine in itself but is not on a par with its competitors.

While the display is slightly curved due to LG's Arc glass and is pleasing to the eyes, its resolution of 854x480 pixels is old technology. It is difficult to grasp why LG went in for such an average display. See more features about LG K7.

LG K10: Camera saves the day

If you are in love with selfies, then LG K10 should save you from all the hassles for a picture perfect one. The company's first ever "Made in India" smartphone, available for Rs 13,750, is an interesting launch by the South Korean giant. LG is vying to gain a foothold in a heavily competitive market dominated by the likes of Lenovo, Samsung, Motorola and Xiaomi.

However, the latest launch does not look very attractive as the specifications it offers are not on a par with the hole it burns in your pocket. The dual-sim phone comes with built-in memory of 16 GB (with an option to expand it to 32 GB) coupled with a not so effective 2GB of RAM. The K10's competitors, namely the

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, LeEco Le 1s, Lenovo Vibe K4 Note, and the Motorola Moto G Turbo Edition are going to make it difficult for LG to capture a pie of the fiercely contested market share.

The Lenovo Vibe K4 Note offers better specifications than the K10. The K4 Note runs on an octa-core Mediatek MT6753 processor, whereas the K10 boasts of a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor. The K4 Note is backed by a bigger 3,300mAh battery as compared to the 2,300mAh one that features in the K10. And to top it all, Lenovo's model is priced at Rs 11,999.

LG has kept the graphical user interface of the phone very basic yet informative. The contemporary pebble look laced with a 2.4D arc glass adds an overall style statement to the phone. The standout feature of the phone, however, is the camera and the features that come along with it. It has an interesting fist recognition ability that helps click selfies when you place your fist in front of the camera. It also comes with a front camera flash that enhances the quality of the pictures clicked. The battery backup is quite decent and does not give any trouble while charging either.

But, can brilliant camera add-ons save the day for LG which is trying to compete with the big boys of the smartphone arena? Can LG's new offering carve out a niche for itself in such a crowded space? The answer is for you to find out; go ahead and lay your hands on it.

Xiaomi Mi 5: A flagship at half the price

When I first heard the price of the Xiaomi Mi 5, I was intrigued. A China-based handset maker, known for offering decent hardware at extremely low prices, moving into the mid-range segment? What were they smoking?

Don't get me wrong. I've owned a Mi 3 and my regular phone is a Redmi 2, but this defied logic. I got the answer a few days later when I got my hands on a review sample of the Mi 5.

The white handset with its chamfered edges and glass back has a premium look, though I daresay, is slippery to hold. Blame it on the very thin edges and the non-existent bezel on the sides of the 5.15-inch screen, which seems to seamlessly merge into the back. In a first, the Mi 5 sports a physical home button below the screen, which does double duty as a fingerprint scanner.

Setting up is fairly simple, especially the fingerprint scanner. Since I already had a Mi account, I could restore the apps from my Redmi 2. The Mi 5 runs Miui 7, which is based on Android Marshmallow, though some unique features of the stock OS seem to be absent. Suffice to say anyone who's used Miui earlier will feel right at home.

Since the phone sports the latest Snapdragon 820 processor paired with 3GB of RAM, I downloaded Riptide GP 2 and Asphalt 8: Airborne. Thankfully, after a five-hour stint of the above two games, along with NFS: Most Wanted, the phone was pretty warm but not scalding hot. But since the speakers are on the bottom edge, I ended up muffling the sound most of my playing time. The battery, too, took a hit

Next, after charging the phone fully in around 90 minutes (when the phone warmed up again), I stepped out. Since it supports Sunlight Display like the Mi4i, I didn't need to squint to read emails. This phone supports voice over LTE (or VoLTE), the next big thing for users.

I then fired up the Chrome browser, opened some six-seven tabs, and played NFS. No sweat at all. Then I watched Master of None on Netflix. The good thing is, theAirtel 4G network stayed true and there was no stuttering or buffering, despite the apps running in the background.

The camera didn't disappoint. I got quite a few shots of trucks rushing by, which otherwise would have been blurred. There are also a lot of options and filters in the camera app. I especially liked the voice trigger and the ability to pick microphones while shooting 4K videos. The four-axis image stabiliser helped immensely. And yes, this is possibly among the best video cameras I've seen on a phone.

But low-light shots were full of noise. I also had some fun with the selfie cam, which tries guessing your age; it was way off the mark while the snaps were okay. Battery life, too, was fairly decent, and I got through a day with heavy email usage calling, messaging a little bit of games and videos and some photography.

At Rs 24,999, the Xiaomi Mi 5 has a lot going as a flagship; the only things missing are expandable storage; water-proofing and a quad HD screen, available on phones double its price. But it will face stiff competition from the Lenovo Vibe X3, OnePlus 2 and Asus Zenfone 2, which might have older hardware, but are very good phones nonetheless.