Vivo V9 Specifications, Design Revealed on India Site Listing Ahead of Launch

HIGHLIGHTS

• Vivo India's e-commerce portal has listed the smartphone
• The phone is seen to have an iPhone X-like design
• The listed price of the Vivo V9 is Rs. 1 crore

Vivo V9 is set to launch in India on March 23. While we still have a few days to go till the announcement, it seems Vivois quite eager to make the phone official. A listing on Vivo India's website reveals several details about the upcoming smartphone including colour variants, internal specifications, design elements, and a rather interesting pricing of Rs. 1 crore - evidently just a placeholder.

According to the Vivo V9 listing on Vivo India's e-commerce portal, the smartphone will be available in Pearl Black and Gold colour options. Additionally, it will get some AI and AR based features for the front camera. These include AI face beauty, gender detection, and AR Stickers. Interestingly, the press renders show a wallpaper similar to the one seen on the iPhone X.

Vivo V9 specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Vivo V9 runs FunTouch OS 4.0 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. The phone sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) IPS display. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB inbuilt storage (expandable via microSD card).

In terms of optics, the listing reveals that the Vivo V9 will sport a vertical dual rear camera setup with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor with LED flash. The front camera will feature a 24-megapixel image sensor. Both cameras come with f/2.0 aperture. There is a 3260mAh battery under the hood.

Connectivity options on the Vivo V9 are listed as 3G, 4G (with Band 40), Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi with support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands, GPS, USB 2.0 with OTG, and FM Radio. Sensors include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, compass, fingerprint sensor, and gyroscope. Dimensions of the phone are 154.8x75x7.9mm and the weight is 150 grams.

HP Omen X Gaming Portfolio, Mixed Reality Headset, and Accessories Launched in India: Price, Specifications, Features

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Omen X compact desktop starts at Rs. 2,94,988
• HP's Mixed Reality headset will be sold in India for Rs. 51,187
• Omen gaming mouse, keyboard, and mouse pad are also available

HP on Thursday announced the launch of its latest Omen Xportfolio of gaming desktops, notebooks, and accessories in the Indian market. In the Omen X series, the company is launching the Omen X compact desktop with VR backpack, Omen X desktop, Omen X notebook, Omen Mouse 600, Omen Headset 800, Steel Series gaming keyboard, and Steel Series mouse pad. HP is also introducing its Windows Mixed Reality headset in India.

Omen X price in India, availability

The Omen X compact desktop with VR backpack price in India starts at Rs. 2,94,988, and is available now. The Omen X desktop price in India starts at Rs. 4,49,999 and will be made available starting June 2018. The Omen X gaming notebook has been priced starting at Rs. 2,10,990 and will be available from March 20.

HP Windows MR headset price in India is Rs. 51,187, Omen Headset 800 has been priced at Rs. 6,999, Omen Mouse 600 comes in at Rs. 4,999, Steel Series gaming keyboard bears a price tag of Rs. 9,999, and the Steel Series mouse pad is priced at Rs. 2,199. All accessories are available for purchase in India. Additionally, HP has announced a pre-booking offer wherein the Omen X compact desktop will come bundled with the MR headset, Omen headset, keyboard, and mouse. On the other hand, Omen X notebook will come bundled with Omen headset, mouse, mouse pad, and a 1TB hard drive.

Omen X specifications

The Omen X desktop comes with two Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 VR-ready graphics cards and up to two AMD Radeon F9 Fury X video card. The desktop is powered by Intel Core i9 processor with overclocking capabilities. For thermal management, it includes a custom tri-chamber design with dedicated cooling for each chamber. It also has support for up to three 120mm liquid cooling radiators.

The Omen X gaming notebook sports a 17-inch full-HD display with 120Hz and 144Hz refresh rate options. It is powered by a 7th generation Intel Core i7 CPU, up to Nvidia GTX 1080 GPU, and standalone 1TB 7200RPM HDD or SSD+HDD storage. Thermal management has been taken care of with four 3.5mm heat pipes that claim to improve heat transfer from the GPU and CPU to the radiators.

In terms of connectivity, the notebook comes with three USB 3.0 Type-A ports, two Thunderbolt-3 certified USB 3.1 Type-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, a Mini DisplayPort, RJ45, and a multi-format media card reader.

The Omen X compact desktop comes with an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU, 7th generation Intel Core i5/ Core i7, Omen Command Center, and advanced thermal cooling. The optional VR backpack offers the ability to indulge in free movement during VR gaming sessions. The computer has swappable hard drive slots.

The HP Windows Mixed Reality headset sports twin 1440x1440 pixel resolution displays, a double-padded headset, and an easy-adjustment knob. It offers a 100-degree viewing angle when connected to a Windows Mixed Reality Ultra PC and a 90-degree viewing angle when paired with a regular Windows Mixed Reality PC. Bluetooth motion controllers track your arm's movement to perform actions.

Sony A7 III Full-Frame Mirrorless Camera Launched in India: Price, Specifications

HIGHLIGHTS

• Sony A7 III has been launched in India
• The camera comes at a price of Rs. 1,64,990 (body only)
• It features a 24.2-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor

Sony on Thursday launched the A7 III camera in India with a newly-developed 24.2-megapixel back-illuminated Exmor R CMOS image sensor, expanding its entry-level full-frame mirrorless offerings in the country. The new camera, which was announced globally last month, will go on sale starting March 26 with a price tag of Rs. 1,64,990 (body only). The bundle kit (A7 III body and 28-70 lens) will be available at Rs. 1,79,990.

The Sony A7 III is designed to offer a fast-shooting experience at up to 10fps speed under a dedicated high-speed mode that can be accessed with a mechanical shutter or in silent shooting. There is also AF coverage of up to 93 percent. Further, Sony has provided a 693-point focal-plane phase-detection AF system (PDAF) that was introduced on the A9, supporting 425 contrast AF points. The camera has an updated BIONZ X processing engine that is claimed to boost processing speed by nearly 1.8 times compared to the A7 II.

Sony has provided an ISO range of 100-51200 (expandable to ISO 50-204800 for still images) and 15-stop dynamic range at low sensitivity settings. The A7 III packs high-precision stabilisation that uses a built-in stabilisation unit, gyro sensors, and algorithms to achieve a 5.0-step shutter speed advantage in a system that is touted to compensate five types of camera shake with a wide range of lenses.

The upgraded image processing engine on the Sony A7 III supports continuous, accurate AF/auto exposure tracking for up to 177 standard JPEG images, 89 compressed RAW images or 40 uncompressed RAW images. Also, the camera has 4K video recording support across the full width of the full-frame image sensor. There is also 4K HDR support in addition to options such as 120fps high-speed video at 1080p as well as S-Log2 and S-Log3 colour profiles.

For an easy focus experience, the Sony A7 III has a multi-selector and a joystick to let users move the focusing points in a frame quickly. There is also touch focus support as well as AF availability in Focus Magnifier mode, and an 'AF On' button. The camera has a 2.3-million-dot XGA OLED viewfinder and a touch-supported LCD monitor. In terms of connectivity, Sony has included USB Type-C port and Wi-Fi. There are also dual media slots, with one supporting UHS-II type SD memory cards.

The A7 III additionally includes a customisable 'My Menu' feature that allows users to register up to 30 menu items for instant recall. Similarly, there are a total of 81 functions that are assignable to 11 custom buttons. The battery life on the A7 III has been extended as well when compared with its predecessors, with up to 710 shots per charge. Sony India claims that the camera offers world's longest battery life for any mirrorless camera.

Vivo X21 With Snapdragon 660 SoC, Android 8.1 Oreo Spotted on Geekbench

Vivo X20 Plus UD (Representational)

HIGHLIGHTS

• The smartphone has been spotted on Geekbench
• It has a single-core score of 1608, multi-core score of 5852
• The phone will borrow Snapdragon 660 SoC from its predecessor

Vivo recently teased the launch of the upcoming X21 smartphone at an event in China on March 19. While the company teased the presence of an under-display fingerprint sensor on the phone, other details were not specified. But, as is the case with a lot of other popular smartphone brands, a prototype of the phone has been spotted on benchmarking website Geekbench revealing several internal specifications. The listing suggests that the Vivo X21 will be the Chinese phone maker's first phone to run Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box.

According to the Geekbench listing, the Vivo X21 will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, much like predecessor X20, clocked at 1.84GHz. The phone is also expected to sport up to 6GB of RAM. Apart from that, the phone has received a single-core score of 1608 and a multi-core score of 5852, which seems to be decent enough for a mid-range phone. The phone is suggested to be Vivo's second smartphone - after the X20 Plus UD - to feature an under-display fingerprint sensor, giving it a bezel-less design.

And, once again, other specifications are not yet out in the open. More details are expected to get leaked/ reported in the days closer to the launch date.

Separately, the Vivo V9 is slated for launch in India on March 23. With an iPhone X-like notch and vertical dual rear camera setup, the Vivo V9 has already been listed on Vivo's official e-commerce portal in the country. The upcoming phone is suggested to sport a a large 6.3-inch full-HD+ IPS display, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB inbuilt storage. There is also a 3260mAh battery backing the internals.

OnePlus 6 Rumoured to Have Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE Connectivity

                                                                                                                                                                                     

OnePlus 6 is now rumoured to deliver blazingly fast data speeds using Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE connectivity. Some previous reports confirmed that the next OnePlus flagship will arrive in the market with a Snapdragon 845 SoC that has the X20 LTE modem. This new modem supports downlink speeds of up to 1.2Gbps and uplink speeds of 150Mbps, bringing Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE to the mainstream.

With Cat. 16 Gigabit support, the OnePlus 6 will have a maximum data throughput of up to 1Gbps, as reported by folks at XDA Developers. If this would happen, the OnePlus 6 will be the first model in its family to support the latest LTE standard.

Nevertheless, the availability of Cat. 16, if it becomes true, will indeed make the OnePlus 6 the fastest data-supported handset in the OnePlus range. The OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T had Cat. 12 LTE connectivity with downlink speeds of up to 600Mbps, while the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T were launched with Cat. 6 LTE to support 300Mbps.

It is worth pointing out here that the faster data experience is carrier-centric and requires a compatible network to utilise the maximum data throughput. This means you won't get the highest data speeds on the OnePlus 6 if you aren't on a supported network.

That being said, the OnePlus 6 is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2018, likely to take place sometime before June end. The smartphone last week surfaced online with the highest AnTuTu benchmark scores. It is also likely to include an iPhone X-like notch and a display with 19:9 aspect ratio.

Oppo F7 India Launch Date Is March 26, Media Invite Reveals

HIGHLIGHTS

• The phone will be announced at an event in Mumbai
• Three Indian cricketers will be present at the launch event
• The phone will sport an iPhone X-like notch

Oppo Mobiles on eTuesday has sent out invites for a launch event in Mumbai that will witness the unveiling of the company's latest Oppo F7 on March 26. The new handset will be a successor to the Oppo F5 launched last year, as Oppo seems to have skipped the F6 branding. According to the invite, the Oppo F7 will get certain artificial intelligence features, and will be announced in the presence of three Indian cricketers - namely, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Ravichandran Ashwin - which was revealed through the brand's Twitter handle.

Interestingly, the teaser reveals that the Oppo F7 looks similar to the leaked Oppo R15, with a display cutout seen on both. The Oppo R15 is said to sport a similar 6.28-inch (1080x2280 pixels) display with an 19:9 aspect ratio. Reports suggest the OnePlus 6 will be modelled on this handset, based on the company's history of 'borrowing' Oppo designs in the past.

Redmi 5 India Launch Event Set to Start: Live Updates

The  Redmi 5 India launch event is slated to start in less than an hour, marking the official entry of the last member of the new Redmi lineup in the country. The launch will be an online-only event, so users can get all the live updates from the live stream. The live stream will be hosted on the official Xiaomi website, but it is likely that the company will also stream it on YouTube and Facebook too — we’ll know more about that as the event draws closer. You can keep refreshing this page to get all the updates on the Redmi 5 India launch event, scheduled to start at 3pm IST.

Redmi 5 price in India, specifications

The upcoming Xiaomi phone  will plug the gap between the price points of Redmi 5A and Redmi Note 5 models, which also means it will be positioned against its siblings Redmi Y1 and Redmi Y1 Lite. As for the Redmi 5 price in India, it is likely the smartphone will cost less than Rs. 9,999, the starting price for the Redmi Note 5. In China, the price is CNY 799 (roughly Rs. 8,200) for the 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant, CNY 899 (about Rs. 9,250) for the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage model, and CNY 1,099 (approximately Rs. 11,300) for the 4GB RAM/ 32GB storage option.

The dual SIM (nano) Redmi 5 was launched with MIUI 9 on top of Android Nougat out-of-the-box. The phone sports a 5.7-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio and 282ppi pixel density. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC, coupled with 2GB/ 3GB/ 4GB of RAM and 16GB/ 32GB of inbuilt storage. It's possible that the specifications of the models launched in India could be different.

In the camera department, the Redmi 5 comes with a 12-megapixel rear sensor that has features like f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, and LED flash. On the front is a 5-megapixel selfie camera with a "soft-light" flash module. The front camera also has Xiaomi's proprietary Beautify 3.0 capabilities. There is a 3300mAh battery under the hood. Dimensions of the phone are 151.8x72.8x7.7mm and weight is 157 grams.