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...

  Tech giant Microsoft has launched its second folding smartphone -- the Surface Duo 2 along with the next-generation Surface devices. Available in glacier or a new obsidian, Surface Duo 2 starts at $1499.99 and is available for pre-order in select markets. "Surface Duo 2 brings new and improved design to the Surface Duo line. Still emphasizing the ability to multitask, Surface Duo 2 features larger screens, increased durability, a dynamic triple-lens camera, lightning-fast 5G, and a spine that displays notifications when the device is closed," the company said in a statement. The OLED display, each, measures 5.8-inches in size, screen resolution of 1344 x 1892 pixels, is connected by a hinge and is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass. Both screens have a smooth 90Hz refresh rate and measure 8.3 inches diagonally when unfolded The new device features a triple-lens camera setup at the back with a 16MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP wide angle lens and a 12MP telephot...

  Realme is set to launch in India its performance-centric Realme GT 5G series smartphones on Wednesday at 12:30 pm. Alongside, the Chinese electronics maker will debut the Realme Book Slim series laptops, expanding its product portfolio in India beyond smartphones, wearables, televisions and internet of things devices. Both the Realme GT 5G series smartphones and Realme Book Slim will be launched through a virtual event, which will livestream on company’s social media platforms, including YouTube and Facebook. Alternatively, you can watch the Realme GT 5G series and Realme Book Slim launch at the video feed embedded below. As for the product details, the Realme GT 5G series will include two models – Realme GT 5G and Realme GT Master Edition 5G. The Realme GT Master Edition 5G will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G 5G processor. It will boast features like 65W SuperDart Charge and 120Hz Super AMOLED screen. For thermals, the phone will use ‘Stainless Steel Vapor Cool...

  China’s Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola will launch Motorola Edge S Pro on Thursday. The new Motorola handset will be unveiled as the successor to the Motorola Edge S that was launched in January this year. The company shared a promotional video on the Chinese microblogging website Weibo. According to the teaser, the new device is going to be Motorola’s thinnest and lightest 5G smartphone, so far. As the name suggests, the all-new Edge S Pro is an upgraded version of the original Edge S model. The handset will be launched at 5 pm IST. Motorola Edge S Pro may be available in two different colors; midnight blue and indigo vegan leather. According to the company, the Motorola Edge S Pro will be 6.99 mm thick and will weigh 163 grams. What are the key features that the new Motorola smartphone is expected to have? Let’s take a look Display The phone will sport a 6.70-inch OLED display with at least a refresh rate of 144 Hertz. The smartphone will have a 576Hz touch...

  Chinese smartphone brand POCO is gearing up to launch its POCO X3 GT smartphone globally on July 28, Wednesday. In terms of specifications, the new X series smartphone will have 67W fast-charging capability, a MediaTek Dimensity 1100 chipset, 5,000mAh battery and 64MP triple-rear camera. With a price tag of around Rs 27,000, the POCO X3 GT will be available in three different colours; black, blue and white. Poco X3 GT is likely to arrive in international markets after its official launch in Malaysia. The connectivity features include dual-band Wi-Fi, 5G and 4G LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C port for charging and data sync. The handset will come with 128/256GB UFS 3.1 storage and 6/8GB dual-channel UFS 3.1 RAM. According to media reports, POCO X3 GT features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, JBL-powered dual stereo speakers, 6.6-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. Read More

  Samsung on Tuesday announced that the upcoming Galaxy Z family will include the first-ever S (Stylus) Pen, a USP of its Note series. "Galaxy Z family will share some foldable surprises -- including the first-ever S Pen designed specifically for foldable phones," said Dr TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. The company will hold its next Galaxy Unpacked event on August 11, where the South Korean tech giant is likely to showcase new foldable devices, Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3. "We are also working with Google to enrich our foldable ecosystems with popular apps and services. For our third generation of Galaxy Z phones, we have lined up even more partner apps that make the most of the versatile fold-out format," Koh announced. "From hands-free optimised video calling with Google Duo and watching videos in Flex mode on YouTube to multitasking in Microsoft Teams, our foldable ecosystem will offer a we...

  Chinese smartphone maker OPPO has been consistent in upgrading its Reno line of smartphones, but the changes that successive editions have brought are mostly incremental. Take for example the recently launched Reno6 Pro 5G . A successor to the Reno 5 Pro 5G (review), this smartphone brings a slightly more powerful processor (MediaTek Dimensity 1200) and OPPO’s new camera-centric innovations. Priced at Rs 39,990, the Reno6 Pro 5G is about Rs 13,000 more expensive than the Realme X7 Max (review), the only other MediaTek Dimensity 1200 system-on-chip-powered smartphone currently available in India. So, should you pay for the Reno6 Pro 5G more than you would pay for its peers in the same league just for its camera innovations? Or is there more to it that makes it a worthy package? Let us find out: Design OPPO keeps experimenting with the back cover design in its Reno smartphones. There is some of that here, too. Though the smartphone looks similar to its predecessor, it has a ...

  South Korean tech giant is all set to launch its upcoming smartphone -- Galaxy Z Fold3 and Galaxy Z Flip3 -- on August 11, media report says. The new report claims that at the next Samsung Unpacked event the company will unveil the new smartphones along with a watch. The event will start at 10 a.m. ET and will be streamed on YouTube. Notably, Samsung has not publicly confirmed these details just yet, citing DigitalDailyNews, 9To5Google reported. A recent report said that the Galaxy Z Fold3 will feature an under-display camera and support the S-Pen stylus. Its next clamshell foldable Galaxy Z Flip3 is expected to have a bigger outer display. The Galaxy Z Flip3 is expected to feature a larger external display of 1.83 inches. It has a dual-camera system, which reportedly includes a 12MP main snapper and a 12MP ultrawide snapper. Read More

  South Korean electronics maker Samsung on Tuesday launched in India the Galaxy F22 smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy F22 comes in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB configurations priced at Rs 12,499 and Rs 14,499, respectively. It will be available in Denim Blue and Denim Black colours on Samsung Online Store, Flipkart and select retail stores from July 13. As an introductory offer, Samsung is providing Rs 1,000 off to consumers on prepaid transactions on Flipkart. The introductory offer brings down the effective cost of the Galaxy F22’s 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB variants to Rs 11,499 and Rs 13,499, respectively. As for the specifications, the Galaxy F22 sports a 6.4-inch HD+ super AMOLED Infinity-U screen. The screen is touted to attain brightness level of up to 600 nits in the High Brightness Mode (HBM). The screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The Galaxy F22 packs a 6,000mAh battery supported by 25W fast charger. The phone, however, comes with a 15W USB-C fast charger in the ...

  Samsung Galaxy M32 goes on sale for the first time in India on June 28 at e-commerce platform Amazon, Samsung online store and select retail stores. The budget smartphone boasts super AMOLED fullHD screen of 90Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy M32 comes in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB configurations priced at Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999, respectively. As an introductory offer, consumers can avail an instant cashback of up to Rs 1,250 while paying with ICICI cards. The cashback offer brings the effective ownership price of the 4GB+64GB variant to Rs 13,749 and 6GB+128GB variant to Rs 15,749. As for the specifications, the Galaxy M32 sports a 6.4-inch fullHD+ super AMOLED screen of 90Hz refresh rate. The screen is touted to push the peak brightness in High Brightness Mode (HBM) to about 800 nits for good sunlight legibility. The display is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection against scratches. Read More

  The Realme X7 Max 5G and Realme Smart TV 4K go on sale on Friday at 12 pm on Realme online store, Flipkart and other mainline channels. Launched on May 31 in India, the Realme X7 Max is the first smartphone in the country powered by MediaTek Dimensity 1200 system-on-chip. It is a flagship grade smartphone with super AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate, stereo speakers with Hi-Res audio and Dolby Atmos support, 64-megapixel based triple camera array on the back, and 50W fast-charging capability. The Realme Smart TV 4K, on the other hand, boasts UHD screen with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 content, DTS surround sound and Dolby Audio, and hands-free voice assistant through built-in far-field microphones. The Realme X7 Max will be available in mercury silver, asteroid black and milky way colours. It will be available in 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB configuration, priced at Rs 26,999 and Rs 29,999, respectively. The Realme Smart TV 4K comes in 43-inch and 50-inch screen sizes ...

  Poco is one of the brands that do not shy away from experimenting with radical colour themes in their smartphones. That legacy continues with the Poco X3 Pro . Aimed at young buyers, the phone comes in three jazzy colour options – graphite black (review unit), steel blue and golden bronze. The colour theme is accentuated by an unconventionally shaped rear camera module and an intriguing patterned design on the back cover. Speaking of the back cover, it is made of good quality polycarbonate featuring a thick glossy stripe at the centre sandwiched between stripes in matte finish on the sides. The centre stripe features a Poco logo, which is big enough to come to notice but outlined for minimal distraction. Rounding up the package is the IP53 rating, which is good to handle minor water splashes and dust abuse. It is, however, strongly advised not to expose the phone to either water or dust as both can damage the phone severely. While the overall design is good, the build is uninspi...

  Xiaomi is no newbie in the premium smartphone segment, but in India it is not so well known for its flagship offerings as it wasn’t until recently that this Chinese technology company started bringing such products here. Expanding its premium smartphone portfolio, the company recently launched the Mi 11 Ultra in India. Touted as ‘the Superphone’, this flagship smartphone is brimful with industry-leading features and specifications. That said, the Mi 11 Ultra is capable of beating other premium smartphones on more parameters than one, but the real-life experience shows it wanting in some areas. Beginning with strengths, the Mi 11 Ultra is a spectacular smartphone with regard to display, audio, imaging, performance, and battery efficiency. The display is sharp, bright, vivid and responsive. It is loaded with value-added features like an adaptive refresh rate, motion smoothing, support for high dynamic range content (HDR10+ and Dolby Vision), etc. That said, the display is fu...

  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...

  Samsung Electronics has expanded its presence in the Indian smartphone market in the first quarter of the year on the back of multiple new handsets, a report showed Tuesday, as the South Korean tech giant aims to fend off challenges from Chinese players. Samsung represented 20 per cent of the smartphone shipments in India in the first quarter, up from 16 per cent a year earlier, according to market researcher Counterpoint Research. Among the top five brands, Samsung posted the highest on-year growth in smartphone shipments in the first quarter. "Samsung remains the second-largest brand for India's smartphone shipments with 52 percent on-year growth driven by its focus on the budget segment with the new M02 series and multiple other launches," the market researcher said. "It refreshed its A-series with the A32, A52 and A72, and the M-series with the M12. It also launched its latest flagship Galaxy S21 series earlier than its normal launch period." Read...

  Tecno Spark 7 is a budget-friendly smartphone packed with features that will launch in India on Friday. It will be available on Amazon. Tecno Mobile is a global mobile brand from TRANSSION Holdings, a phone manufacturing company in China. The company has been trying to ramp up its portfolio in India. The company last September launched Tecno Spark 6, which was the previous version of Tecno Spark 7 . Tecno has shared some promotional images and features of the phone on Amazon and its social media account on Twitter. Let’s take a look at what Tecno Spark 7 has on offer: Techno Spark 7 specifications Techno Spark 7 will have a 6.56-inch LCD IPS display with a pixel density of 273 ppi. The phone will have a waterdrop-styled notched display which will accommodate the front camera. The smartphone will come with a triple-camera setup at the back. It is likely to have a 13MP primary camera along with a 5 MP camera. It will be equipped with an 8 MP camera in the front along with...

  Realme C20 , Realme C21, and Realme C25 will make their India debut on Thursday. They are all budget phones. The brand has been trying to expand its portfolio in India, recently launching the Realme 8 series smartphones. A virtual live event has been scheduled for the launch through the company’s social media accounts. The three smartphones are already available in other parts of the world. While Realme C20 made its debut in Vietnam in January, Realme C21 and Realme C25 were unveiled in March in Malaysia and Indonesia. The India launch event for Realme C20, Realme C21, Realme C25 will start at 12:30pm IST and the smartphones will be available on Flipkart. Realme C20 specifications The Realme C20 smartphone comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ (720x1600 pixels) IPS display. It’s a dual sim (nano) smartphone and it runs on Realme UI which is based on Android 10. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC which is supported by 2GB of RAM. It has an internal stor...

  HMD Global new smartphone will be launched in India on Thursday. It is likely to be a new Nokia C20 , according to media reports. The company has not revealed much detail about the smartphone. The Nokia C20 has appeared on many certification websites. The entry-level smartphone will replace the Nokia 1.X series and it is likely to have four variants based on storage capacities. It has bagged Bluetooth SIG certification, meaning the phone will come with a Unison processor under the hood. Nokia C20 specifications HMD Global has not revealed much about the phone yet. However, leaked reports suggest that the phone will have a 5.99-inch LCD IPS display with a pixel density of 269 ppi. It will be a dual sim (nano) smartphone which will support 4G. It will run on Android 10 and will be powered by Unisoc SC9863A processor. It is expected to have 1 GB of RAM and an internal storage of 16GB which can be expanded up to 128 GB. Read More

  Samsung is the only smartphone brand in India with a product line-up covering almost the entire price spectrum. Though the company is competitive in the premium market, it lags behind others in the midrange and budget segments because its smartphones are generally on the expensive side when you look at the price-specifications ratio. The South Korean electronics maker has taken steps to make its affordable offerings as competitive as premium ones, and the efforts are seen in the company’s recently launched Galaxy A52 midrange smartphone. It is loaded with premium features, including a sAMOLED screen of 90Hz refresh rate, stereo speakers, 64-megapixel-based quad-camera array on the back, and a water- and dust-resistant design. Design The Samsung Galaxy A52 looks different, and attracts attention thus, which does not always translate into liking because of a cheap plastic construction. While there are many smartphones with a plastic construction that look good and premium, i...

  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