Heena Sharma Blog

  Vivo’s spin-off brand iQOO continues to make strides in the gaming smartphone segment with the launch of the iQOO 3 5G. Priced Rs 19,990, the smartphone is packed with features and specifications not common in the midrange segment. For starters, it is the first smartphone in India powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G 5G mobile processor. Moreover, it packs a fullHD resolution screen of 120Hz refresh rate and 180Hz touch sampling rate, a 64-megapixel based triple rear camera array, and a big capacity battery supported by 55W fast charger. The iQOO 3 5G seems to be a solid midrange smartphone. Is it? Let’s find out iQOO Z3 5G : Design It is easy to find a smartphone in the midrange segment packed with top-of-the-line specifications, but the search gets difficult if you throw in the thin and lightweight design requirement. Thankfully, the iQOO 3 5G does not compromise on the design front. It has a thin profile (8.5mm) and lightweight (185.5g) build. The phone comes in ‘Cyber Blu...

  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 Vivo on Thursday launched its flagship Vivo X60 series of smartphones, co-engineered with optics and opto-electronics major Zeiss. The X60 series consists of the X60, X60 Pro and X60 Pro+ and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series 5G Mobile Platform. A successor to the Vivo X50 Pro, the X60 Pro has brought several upgrades to the cameras, processor, and Vivo's gimbal stabilisation. We used the X60 Pro for about two weeks; here are our initial impressions: Design and display Vivo X60 Pro The X60 Pro has a 6.56-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and full HD+ resolution. The display and the rear panel have Gorilla glass 6 protection. The rear panel has AG glass with a frosted finish and anti-fingerprint coating to prevent fingerprints and smudges. The camera module on the back has a dual-step design, similar to what the Vivo X50 Pro also had. The first layer has a flash while the second has all three cameras. Read More

  Realme is one of the smartphone brands that regularly upgrade their product lines. But the changes in new devices are often incremental in nature. One such Realme smartphone upgrade is the recently launched Realme Narzo 30 Pro . Among the smartphone’s noticeable upgrades are the 5G network support, a screen of 120Hz refresh rate and Dimensity 800U mobile processor. Other than these upgrades, there is barely anything new worth mentioning. Moreover, you will be surprised to notice that industry-leading 65W fast-charge technology, which was part of the Narzo 20 Pro, has been replaced by a 30W fast-charge technology. So how do these changes affect the Realme Narzo 30 Pro experience? Let’s find out: Design The Realme Narzo 30 Pro looks similar to its predecessor, except that its rear-camera module has a smaller footprint. Starting with the back profile, the smartphone has a minimal design with a smooth frosted glass-like finish on the back cover. Though the build quality is top-...

Samsung brought its second foldable phone Galaxy Z Flip in India. The pre-orders started today and the deliveries will begin from February 26, 2020. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is priced at Rs 109,999. The phone features a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a 22:9:9 aspect ratio, 425 ppi, and 1080 x 2636 pixels resolution. It also has a secondary 1.1-inch Super AMOLED screen positioned on the back cover that displays notifications. The phone is covered with Gorilla Glass 6 on the outside as well as the inside. The Galaxy Z Flip is also the first foldable smartphone to use ultra-thin glass to cover the display rather than the plastic. The smartphone has a Flex Mode that lets you use two apps in split-screen mode. It is powered by a Snapdragon 855+ SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. The phone runs on Android 10 with the One UI 2.0 skin out of the box. It packs a 3,300mAh battery with 15W wired charging support. The phone is not too heavy, it weighs 183 grams. T...

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Transsion Holdings’ subsidiary Tecno Mobile recently announced taking its smartphone business online in India with the launch of the Tecno Phantom 9 . This Flipkart-exclusive device has a triple-rear-camera set-up, an AMOLED screen with in-display fingerprint sensor, gradient design and a dot notch-shaped display accommodating the front camera. At Rs 14,999, the phone seems to be value for money in a midrange segment. But is it? Let’s find out: Design and display The Tecno Phantom 9 cuts no corners on the design front. It boasts a curved glass-like panel with aurora reflective gradient design on the back that looks premium and is quite sturdy to endure day-to-day use and abuse. The phone’s thin chassis (7.75mm) feels comfortable to hold and its blue colour paintjob accentuates the phone’s overall design language. On the front, the phone has a 6.4-inch dot notch-based display, which leaves negligible bezels on the top and sides but a thick one at...

Smartphone brand Vivo , a subsidiary of Chinese electronics manufacturer BKK Electronics, recently launched the Vivo S1 in India. The first product in the company’s style-centric S-series smartphones, the phone boasts an AMOLED screen with a waterdrop-shaped notch on the front, reflective glass-like design and triple camera set-up on the back, a big-capacity battery with fast-charge support, and in-display fingerprint sensor. Based on specifications and features, the phone seems to be a balanced mix of style and substance in its segment. But how does it fare in terms of user experience? Let’s find out: Design The reflective gradient design has become a norm among smartphones these days, and the Vivo S1 seems to be following in the footsteps of peers in this respect. It has a curved glass-like cover on the back with a gradient finish, reflecting different colour hues when looked at from an angle. The Blue colour variant that we have reviewed looks dazzling with its bluish-white...

Chinese technology company Xiaomi has so far had an eventful journey in India. In the five years since it launched its first product (smartphone) in the country, it has built for itself the reputation of being a brand for the price-conscious consumer. However, Xiaomi has now shown an intent to expand in other price categories while remaining strong in the budget and affordable smartphone segments. The company launched in India its premium offering, the Redmi K20 Pro , soon after the product was unveiled in China. Business Standard takes a look at the ambitious product and assesses how it fares on key metrics: Design The Redmi K20 Pro does look quite different from other Redmi-branded phones. It has a premium glass-metal sandwich design with a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on front and back. The phone has a glacier-inspired (blue-colour edition that we reviewed) arc-shaped gradient reflective design on the back which looks mesmerising and distinctly different from any ...

From entry-level budget smartphones to power-packed flagships, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi now has a product in every price band at the lower end of the spectrum — up to Rs 20,000 that is. However, the company’s India story has a lot riding on its affordable smartphones. Therefore, before announcing its premium K20-series in India, the company has refreshed its entry-level Redmi A-series with the launch of the Redmi 7A . Design and display The phone has a plastic unibody that covers the entire back and sides. The back side has a minimal design with vertically aligned single camera and LED flash on the top-left corner, followed by “AI Camera” text below it, and the Redmi branding on the lower left side. The front looks identical to the predecessor with a 5.45-inch screen of an HD+ resolution, stretched in an 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen is responsive and has a good contrast, but abysmal brightness hampers sunlight legibility. Xiaomi Redmi 7A The screen has limited...

The Nex's performance is top-notch, but the native user interface and cameras to an extent subdue its overall flagship appeal Technology News : Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo seems to have taken a lead in the smartphone industry by coming up with innovations to address the legacy issues faced by devices of the current generation, including the premium phones. After launching in India the first in-display fingerprint sensor-based smartphone, the Vivo X21, the company has now brought another technologically farsighted device, the Vivo Nex. With screen becoming the centre for innovation in smartphones, it is about time most of the hardware traditionally kept on phones’ front – ambient light sensor, earpiece, front camera and notification LED, for instance – were moved elsewhere. Xiaomi, another Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has been striving to beat the puzzle: Its latest iteration of bezel-less smartphone, the Mi Mix 2S, relocates most of the front components ...