Heena Sharma Blog

  It hasn't been long since Vivo launched its X60 series (review) that placed the Chinese smartphone maker at a fine spot in the cluttered smartphone market in India. And Vivo did not take long to launch its X70 series , yet again in collaboration with lens major Zeiss. The X70 series is geared towards content creators as imaging remains a focus here, not just that, the new series also features Vivo’s V1 imaging chip, which the company claims took almost two years to develop. That said, Vivo’s X60 Pro and X60 Pro+ had already set the bar so high for rivals and now with a new iteration in the X series, it remains to be seen if Vivo lives up to the expectation. I took the X70 Pro+ for a spin—from photography to gaming, I put the phone to a stiff test to see what’s on offer. I’ll talk about everything this phone has to offer in this review: Vivo X70 Pro+: Design and build quality Vivo X70 Pro+ The very first thing one notices in the X70 Pro+ is the rear camera module that...

  OnePlus is set to launch today, June 10, the OnePlus Nord CE (Core Edition) smartphone and the OnePlus U1S LED TV at its ‘Summer Launch event’. The CE model is touted to bring the core features, along with some other upgrades, of the original OnePlus Nord (review) at a price point accessible to even more consumers. The OnePlus U1S LED TV, on the other hand, is expected to boast solid audio quality, courtesy Dynaudio-tuned speakers system. Both the OnePlus Nord and OnePlus TV U1S will be available on Amazon India. OnePlus Summer Launch event: How to watch livestream The OnePlus Nord CE and OnePlus TV U1S will launch at the OnePlus Summer Launch event, a virtual event that will livestream on OnePlus website and social media handles at 7pm in India. Besides, the event will livestream on OnePlus official channel on Google’s YouTube. Alternatively, you can watch the event livestream through the video embedded below. Read More

  India’s premium smartphone market has bolstered with offerings from brands that were not there in the competition until last year. Among many other things, imaging yet again taking the centre stage and each of the new offering in the segment has something novel to offer. Of the many new entrants in the segment, Vivo seems to a promising one, thanks to its recent partnership with German lens maker Zeiss. One of the first products to come from this partnership is the Vivo X60 Pro , a camera-first premium smartphone with Zeiss optics. Vivo calls the X60 Pro "camera in a phone". Is the phone all about its cameras, or does it utility goes beyond imaging? Let us find out: Design and display Vivo X60 Pro The Vivo X60 Pro looks premium, and its visual appeal is second to none, considering the bulky and heavy smartphones of the present time. It takes design cue from its predecessor, the Vivo X50 Pro, but sheds some weight and dimensions to look even better and feel right in...

  Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus' gaming triggers for Android and iOS smartphones are now available in India for Rs 1,099. The company hasn't confirmed that these gaming triggers will be releasing globally, reports The Verge. These triggers can be clipped around the edge of most smartphones -- any Android or iOS device, so long as they're less than 11.5mm thick with a case on. If you want to do some mobile gaming but hate touch controls, these could provide a more intuitive, controller-like alternative to tapping on your screen, the report said. Each trigger appears to have just one shoulder button with an Omron switch that OnePlus CEO Pete Lau says is "pleasingly clicky" to tap. According to the product page, these triggers are interchangeable and can be fastened to your phone in whatever way is most comfortable to you. Read More

  Smartphone maker OnePlus is all set to launch the new OnePlus 9 series in India on Tuesday. The latest flagship OnePlus 9 series will have OnePlus 9 Pro , OnePlus 9, and OnePlus 9 Lite or OnePlus 9R. The company has also confirmed that it will launch OnePlus Watch today along with the phones. Even before the official launch, the series has already seen over two million reservations across all the retail channels in China. According to several reports, OnePlus 9R will be an affordable phone to be launched only for India. The OnePlus 9 will have some upgrades over OnePlus 8T, while OnePlus 9 Pro will have the top-of-the-line specifications. The 9 series will offer a two-year warranty and will have a charger in the box. One of the major talking points for the latest series has been its camera. OnePlus recently announced a three-year partnership with Sweden-based camera manufacturer Hasselblad to co-develop the smartphone camera systems. Read More

  OnePlus has confirmed that the OnePlus 9 series in China will run on ColorOS instead of the HydrogenOS. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took to Weibo to announce that the OnePlus 9 series will run on ColorOS 11 out-of-the-box in the country, reports Beebom. The user interface also shipped with Realme-branded phones for a while before they announced their own skin called realme UI. OnePlus 9 series will be launched on Tuesday in India while it will be launched in China a day later. The smartphones are expected to come with a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) panel with adaptive refresh rates from 5Hz to 120Hz. The resolution of the screen is said to be 2K+, which is how the Chinese companies often mislabel QHD+ or 1440p. A low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display is a special kind of backplane technology designed for OLED screens. Read More

  OnePlus to launch its first-gen smartwatch along with new flagship 9 series smartphones on March 23 and the company CEO Pete Lau has revealed that the watch has more than 110 work-out modes. "One watch, more than 110 work-out modes. #OnePlusWatch ," Lau said in a tweet. The tweet also includes a short animated video that shows some of the work-out modes such as walking, swimming, cycling, running, cricket, badminton, weightlifting, ballet, free training, and shooting. The smartwatch is expected to feature a Snapdragon Wear system-on-chip, potentially the recently-launched Snapdragon Wear 4100. It will also be able to answer phone calls, display notifications, control media playback, and work as a remote for OnePlus TVs. OnePlus Watch may also include an OLED display to save battery and a host of fitness and health features like a heart rate sensor, blood oxygen monitor and software-based features such as sleep pattern analysis, goals-oriented exercise tracking an...

  At a time when smartphone vendors are bidding goodbye to charging units, OnePlus will launch its flagship 9 series on March 23 and now, the company has confirmed that the upcoming smartphones will come with a charger inside the box. According to GizmoChina, OnePlus Founder and CEO Pete Lau revealed this information via a comment on the OnePlus community forums. Last week, Pete posted a teaser hinting at the OnePlus 9 series launch and the partnership with camera giant Hasselblad. In that post, a user had commented, "New phones launch WITHOUT CHARGERS". To this, Lau replied, "Don't worry about it. We have the charger inside the box." OnePlus is likely to launch the OnePlus 9 series with 65W fast charging support. The OnePlus 9 and 9 Pro are likely to feature a 4,500 mAh battery. OnePlus 9 Lite will borrow a lot from the recently launched OnePlus 8T. It may feature a 90Hz or 120Hz AMOLED display, and a quad-camera setup similar to the OnePlus 8T. It ...

  OnePlus on Monday announced a three-year partnership with Sweden-based camera manufacturer Hasselblad to co-develop the smartphone camera systems. The first camera system to come out from this partnership will feature on the OnePlus 9 series , which is set to globally launch on March 23. In addition, OnePlus announced its plans to invest more than $150 million over the next three years to further build out its smartphone mobile imaging capabilities. “OnePlus has always prioritised a premium user experience over everything else. Beginning in 2021, we are making a concerted effort to significantly improve the smartphone camera experience for our users, with the expertise of a truly legendary partner in Hasselblad,” said Pete Lau, Founder and CEO of OnePlus. OnePlus said that in partnership with Hasselblad, the Chinese smartphone maker aims to deliver vastly improved camera systems on future OnePlus smartphones, including the upcoming OnePlus 9 Series. According to OnePlus, th...

  OnePlus is planning to launch its new flagship OnePlus 9 series and now, a new report has claimed that the company may also launch Nord 2 in Q2 2021. According to Android Central, Nord 2 will be powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 1200 chipset. Mediatek's flagship Dimensity 1200 SoC is an octa-core chipset based on a 6nm manufacturing process and clocked at 3GHz. Besides this, the chipset is 5G and WiFi 6 capable. It has a prime Cortex A78 core that goes up to 3.0GHz, three additional A78 cores at up to 2.6GHz, and four Cortex A55 cores that can go up to 2.0GHz for energy-efficient tasks. The OnePlus Nord has been quite a success for OnePlus, especially in some markets. That device is powered by the Snapdragon 765G, a respected mid-range processor. The OnePlus Nord 2 could retain a similar price or the Nord when it launches later this year. Earlier, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau teased a "moonshot" announcement, hinting the next big launch on March 8 which is goin...

OnePlus Co-founder Carl Pei on Wednesday launched a new London-based consumer technology company called " Nothing " that will release its first smart devices in the first half of this year. The announcement came shortly after a $7 million round in seed financing in December that included tech leaders and investors such as Tony Fadell, Casey Neistat, Kevin Lin, Steve Huffman and Josh Buckley.   Kunal Shah, Founder, CRED, has also invested in "Nothing" although the amount has not been disclosed yet. "It's been a while since anything interesting happened in tech. It is time for a fresh breeze of change," said Pei, CEO and founder of 'Nothing'. "Nothing's mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a seamless digital future. We believe that the best technology is beautiful, yet natural and intuitive to use. When sufficiently advanced, it should fade into the background and feel like nothing," he said in a st...

  OnePlus on Monday launched a limited edition of its Buds Z in collaboration with Los Angeles-based artist and designer Steven Harrington, for Rs 3,699 in India. "For our users who are looking for the right combination of great sound quality and aesthetic design, the OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition will prove to be a valuable addition,'' said Pete Lau, Founder, and CEO, OnePlus in a statement. According to the company, the new OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition features the artist's signature stylized graffiti along with artistic caricatures and designs. The limited-edition earphones have a two-tone purple and mint colour combo with a matching charging case. Equipped with a dynamic 3D stereo powered by Dolby Atmos, these earphones construct a thoroughly immersive soundstage. On a full charge, these limited-edition earphones provide an impressive 20 hours of playback time, while a quick 10-minute top-up provides three hours of vibrant audio. ...

  Chinese technology company OnePlus on Monday launched in India the OnePlus Band , its first health and fitness wearable. The move follows the company’s revised product strategy, announced last year, to foray in to products categories beside smartphones and smart televisions. The OnePlus Band will be available for purchase via an early access sale for Red Cable Club members, from 9:00 AM (IST) on January 12, exclusively on OnePlus India web portal and the OnePlus Store app. Open sale for the OnePlus Band begins on January 13 OnePlus web portal, OnePlus Store App, Amazon India, Flipkart, OnePlus exclusive offline stores and partner outlets. The OnePlus Band will be available at Rs 2,499. The OnePlus Band is an entry-level health and fitness wearable with blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitor, heart rate sensor, and 13 in-built exercise modes, including Yoga and Cricket. It is touted to offer an array of display faces. Though it comes with standard black strap out-of-the-box, th...

  As Indians look for a seamless experience with their smartphones, a new study claimed on Wednesday that the degree of consumer satisfaction is the highest with OxygenOS from OnePlus (74 per cent) followed by Apple iOS (72 per cent). According to the study titled 'The State of SmartphoneOS Experience' by CyberMedia Research (CMR), 55 per cent of the Indian smartphone users surveyed believe that Smartphone OS is key for the overall experience and delight. Three in every five users are willing to shift to a different smartphone brand, driven by the operating system (OS) considerations. The key issues they face are unwanted ads in the OS, pre-installed apps, apps running in background and other issues, such as lack of storage, overheating and battery drainage issues, among others. Read More

  The OnePlus 8T is here and like the company’s previous ‘T’ series smartphones it is a seasonal refresh packed with big and small upgrades. From an AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate to a 65W charging solution, this smartphone brings several improvement over predecessor OnePlus 8. In this OnePlus 8T review, let’s find out if the upgrades bring any positive change in the overall user experience: Design The OnePlus 8T continues with the premium glass-metal construction we are used to seeing in OnePlus smartphones. As for upgrades, the glass back cover gets a glossy profile with a new rectangular camera module placed at the top-left corner. The new design theme, especially the rear-camera module, looks generic and similar to smartphones that you get at much lower price points, like the Realme 7 Pro (review). So, though made of premium materials, the OnePlus 8T lacks the touch of novelty. Its new colour themes, however, add some zing to its otherwise generic design. Read More

OnePlus Nord is set to launch on July 21 at 7:30 pm through a virtual event, which would broadcast live on OnePlus online portal, social media channels and YouTube. The launch can also be experience in augmented reality through company’s dedicated AR app name Nord AR, which is available for Android and iOS platforms. Along with the OnePlus Nord, the Chinese smartphone maker will launch its first true wireless stereo earphones, the OnePlus Buds. Watch OnePlus Nord launch livestream Livestream on OnePlus website OnePlus has published a microsite for OnePlus Nord virtual event livestream on its global OnePlus domain. To watch the livestream, visit here

The OnePlus 8 Pro is a flagship smartphone that seeks to solidify Chinese electronics maker OnePlus’ position in the premium segment. The smartphone, a successor to the OnePlus 7T, marks several first for the company – wireless charging, ingress protection rating, and a screen with 120Hz refresh rate. The OnePlus 8 Pro has been pitches as the go-to premium smartphone in the Indian market. And, it does look so on paper. But is it worth the publicity it has got? Let’s find out: OnePlus 8 Pro: Design OnePlus always makes a big case for design in its overall product strategy, and the OnePlus 8 Pro’s astounding looks seem to justify the efforts. The phone’s new colour themes, especially the Glacial Green, look mesmerising – easily the best you get in the premium segment. However, much like its predecessors, the OnePlus 8 Pro’s huge, bulky and heavy build seems wanting insofar as ergonomics is concerned. Its rear camera module protrudes too much from the frame, so it wobbles whe...

OnePlus Nord is set to debut on July 21 through a digital event, which can be experienced in artificial reality space through Chinese electronics maker’s dedicated app (OnePlus Nord) for Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS platform. “OnePlus Nord represents a new beginning for OnePlus, giving us an opportunity to share our technology with more people around the world. For this launch, we want everyone to sit back, relax, and experience our new phone for the first time right in the comfort of their living room,” said Paul Yu, Head of OnePlus Nord. What is OnePlus Nord Earlier in June, OnePlus announced its plan to return to making affordable smartphones. Soon the company announced OnePlus Nord as official name for its upcoming affordable smartphone through company’s new Instagram channel dedicated to all-things related to OnePlus Nord. The upcoming smartphone is going to be the first in the company’s OnePlus Nord-series. It will be affordable, compared to company’s recent flag...

OnePlus has launched affordable Y-series and premium U-series smart TVs in India, priced at Rs 12,999 onwards. The OnePlus TV 2020 series includes a 32-inch, 43-inch and 55-inch screen models. The Y-series include the 32-inch (32Y1) and 43-inch (43Y1) models, whereas the 55-inch (55U1) model is part of the U-series. OnePlus TV 2020 price in India The OnePlus TV 55U1, OnePlus TV 43Y1 and OnePlus TV 32Y1 are priced at Rs 49,999, Rs 22,999, and Rs 12,999, respectively. The OnePlus TV 32Y1 will be available on Amazon India from July 5. The OnePlus TV 43Y1 and 55U1 shall go on sale at later dates, which have not been disclosed yet by the company. OnePlus TV Y-series and OnePlus U-series launch offers Up to 12 months no interest equated monthly instalment (no-cost EMI) valid on all major banks’ cards Free Amazon Echo Dot with the OnePlus TV 55U1 and OnePlus TV 43Y1 on Amazon India Amazon Echo Dot at Rs 1,999 with the OnePlus TV 32Y1 on Amazon India. Read More

OnePlus is set to unveil its affordable range of smart televisions in India today. The unveiling shall be done in an online-only event, which will livestream on company’s social media channels and official portal. The OnePlus TV 2020 series would include three models of varied screen sizes. Price of the OnePlus TVs are expected to start from as low as Rs 15,000. OnePlus TV 2020 event livestream The OnePlus TV 2020 series event will livestream on company’s Twitter profile and YouTube channel from 7 pm. OnePlus TV 2020 expected specifications The OnePlus TV 2020 series is expected to cover the entry-level and midrange segments with televisions of at least three different screen sizes – 32-inch, 43-inch and 55-inch. There are chances that all three models would have different set of specifications and features. However, at least one of the smart TVs would have company's burdenless design with bezel-less profile and thin frame. Read More