Moto E5 Plus India launch today: Watch livestream, know price, specs & more

The Moto E5 Plus would be the third Motorola device in India to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. The Amazon-exclusive smartphone would also boast a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery.

Motorola, a Lenovo-owned smartphone manufacturer, will launch the Moto E5 Plus in India today i.e. July 10. The Moto E5 Plus would be the third Motorola device in India to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio screen. The Amazon-exclusive smartphone would also boast a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery.

Last month, the company launched the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Play in India that were the first Motorola phones with modern screens. While the Moto G-series offers value for money proposition in affordable segment, the Moto E-series is battery-centric and comes with bigger capacity batteries.

The Moto E4 Plus, which was the last Moto E-series smartphone launched in India, also had a 5,000 mAh battery.

Moto E5 Plus specifications

In terms of design, the Moto E5 Plus would look similar to the recently launched Moto G6. However, instead of glass, the E5 Plus would sport a glossy plastic rear with reflective outlook. In terms of features and specifications, the E5 Plus would sport a 6-inch IPS LCD screen of HD+ resolution. The phone would be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip (SoC), a quad core processor that runs at a maximum frequency of 1.4Ghz, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Moto E5 Plus camera

Imaging would be taken care by a 13-megapixel primary sensor on the back and an 8MP camera on the front for selfies. The rear camera would also get phase detection autofocus, and there would be LED flash on both the rear and front for low-light photography.

Moto E5 Plus price

The phone will be available in two colours – gold and black. As for the price, the phone is expected to get a price tag between Rs 10,000 – Rs 12,000.

Story By BS

Honor 7C review: Another budget smartphone with decent camera, performance

For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 OS, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

Honor 7C Review : Honor, an online subsidiary of Huawei, is on a roll in India. After launching the budget Honor 9 Lite, followed by a mid-range Honor 10, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer recently launched the Honor 7C. For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with several premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

In terms of design, the Honor 7C looks like another modern day smartphone with 5.99-inch fullHD+ IPS 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which is bright and colourful, covered under curved glass. The phone belongs to Honor 7x lineage, therefore it has an aluminium back that feels sturdy. The phone’s tall stance, coupled with a mammoth screen on front, looks good for a budget proposition.


The Honor 7C is one of the very few Honor devices to boast the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Honor has been using the in-house developed Huawei Kirin system-on-chip (SoC) in almost all the models. However, the Honor 7C trades in the Kirin 659 SoC for the entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC to power the device.


As for the performance, the Honor 7C sails through most daily tasks without any hiccups. However, it does feel underpowered, especially while handling processor-intensive tasks like multitasking and online video streaming. The performance, though, is at-par with other budget smartphones in the segment, except for the recently launched Xiaomi and Asus smartphones, which boast a much powerful Snapdragon 660 SoC.



Though the performance is nothing exemplary, the phone handles graphic intensive apps better than Kirin 659 SoC-based counterparts do. The browser-based gameplay is consistent and smooth, app-based video streaming services work satisfactory and games work fine at moderate settings.
In terms of imaging, the Honor 7C sports a 13-megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 2MP depth-sensing lens. There is an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies and face unlock feature. The camera in Honor 7C takes satisfactory shots, however, it is a mixed bag of hits and misses. The auto focus is instant but the touch to focus seems a bit out of calibration. The shots look detailed and the colour reproduction is natural. In low light conditions, the camera is not great, but still better than what other budget smartphones’ cameras turn out to be. It takes decent shots, but the noise is prominent.

Samsung Galaxy A6+ seems to be a flagship-inspired midrange phone: Hands-on

Priced at Rs 25,990, the Galaxy A6+ appears to be trimmed-down version of Samsung flagship smartphones. In terms of usability, the phone feels solid in hands and the super AMOLED screen looks dazzling.

To stay competitive in budget and midrange segments and stave off threat from Chinese smartphone majors like Xiaomi, South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung launched the Galaxy J6, Galaxy J8, Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+ on May 21.

The Galaxy A6+ boasts premium features like super AMOLED 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Samsung Pay Mini, Bixby, dual rear cameras and metallic build. However, being a midrange phone, the Galaxy A6+ cuts down on some features like Bixby personal assistant capabilities, curved screen, powerful processor and complete Samsung Pay capabilities – these features are still limited to Galaxy Note and Galaxy S-series.

Based on our early hands-on, the Samsung Galaxy A6+  seems to have taken inspiration from the Galaxy A8+, launched last year at Rs 32,990. Here are the observations based on the Galaxy A6+ first impressions:

The Galaxy A6+ has a tall instance and metallic unibody that look plush. The front is dominated by a 6-inch super AMOLED 18.5:9 aspect ratio screen that boasts always-on feature for ease of use. Though the phone sports ‘Infinity Display’, there are thick bezels around it that diminish the design language.

Samsung Galaxy A6+ On the back, the antenna lines are not linear and look odd, but the matte metallic build seems sturdy and offers a good grip. Thankfully, the fingerprint scanner is aligned vertically with the rear dual-camera set-up which makes it easier to use.

Samsung Galaxy A6+ Coming to the features, the Samsung Galaxy A6+ boots a customised Android Oreo-based operating system. The user interface looks smooth, yet it has bloatware installed that might not be appreciated by everyone. Important a specific feature that we find lacking is the pressure-sensitive on-screen home button with tactical feedback that is there in premium Galaxy Note and Galaxy S-series. There is an on-screen home button but that does not unlock the screen. Instead, a double tap on it unlocks the screen, which seems to mock the very purpose of the button. However, the A6+ features face unlock, which is not as swift as the one found in other smartphones, yet manages to work appropriately at least in well-lit environment.

Samsung Galaxy A6+  Overall, the Galaxy A6+ seems to be a trimmed down version of Samsung flagship smartphones. It does not have a premium appeal to it due to lack of premium features such as curved screen on the front or glass build. However, in terms of usability, the phone feels solid in hands, thanks to metallic unibody, and the super AMOLED screen looks dazzling – especially while viewing multimedia content. Priced at Rs 25,990, the phone competes with the Nokia 7 Plus, Vivo V9 and Oppo F7 in midrange segment.

Micromax Bharat Go with Android Oreo (Go Edition) announced at Rs 4,399

The Bharat Go comes bundled with a cashback offer of Rs 2,000 from Airtel that brings down the effective cost to Rs 2,399.

Home-grown electronics brand Micromax Informatics on May 22 announced the Bharat Go, an Android Oreo Go edition-based smartphone, in collaboration with India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel. Priced at Rs 4,399, the smartphone comes bundled with a cashback offer of Rs 2,000 from Airtel that brings down the effective cost to Rs 2,399.

The key highlight of the  Bharat Go is the operating system it boots -- Android Oreo Go edition -- which was announced by Google last year. The operating system is a trim-down version of the Android Oreo, optimised to run efficiently on devices utilising much of phone’s hardware resources. As a result, the operating system works efficiently even on devices with 1 GB of RAM or less. The Android Oreo (Go edition) comes with a dedicated suite of apps designed to run faster while using less data.

As for the other features and specifications, the Bharat Go features dual-SIM functionality, both of which support voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) calling. The phone comes pre-loaded with Google apps optimised for Go edition, such as Gmail Go, Maps Go, Files Go, Chrome, YouTube Go, Assistant Go, Play Store and GBoard.

The Bharat Go sports a 4.5-inch screen and boasts a smart key that allows users to take screenshots, click pictures and switch the phone into silent mode. On the camera front, it uses a 5-megapixel camera on the back and front. Powering the device is a MediaTek quad-core processor, paired with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage. It is powered by 2,000 mAh battery and the phone supports USB on the go (OTG) functionality, which allows users to connect the phone with mass storage devices, serial communications, keyboards/mice, game controllers, Ethernet and camera controller.

Honor 7C hands-on: Budget proposition with impressive camera, build quality

Priced at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 for 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB RAM and storage configurations, the Honor 7C seems to be a great proposition in sub-Rs 12,000 budget smartphone segment.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei on May 22 launched the Honor 7C in India. Priced at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 for 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB RAM and storage configurations, the smartphone seems to be a great proposition in sub-Rs 12,000 budget segment. At these price tags, the phone would compete with the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 (Review), Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Review), Xiaomi Redmi 5 (Review) and Oppo Realme 1 (First Impressions).

The  Honor 7C features metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system, Qualcomm 450 processor and face unlocking capabilities. Honor has been using the company’s in-house developed Huawei Kirin system-on-chip (SoC) in almost all the current models. However, the Honor 7C is one of a few Honor-branded smartphones that take power from Qualcomm processors. While the Kirin 659 SoC, which powers most budget Honor devices, seems to have an advantage to have more powerful cores than Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC that powers the Honor 7C, the Qualcomm SoC has better graphic handling capabilities over Kirin 659.


The Honor 7C manages to pull out basic tasks at ease. However, it does feel underpowered, especially while handling processor-intensive tasks such as multitasking and online video streaming. The phone also does warm up; however, the thermals remain under control throughout. Interestingly, the phone handles graphic intensive apps and utilities better than Kirin 659 SoC. The browser-based gameplay is consistent and smooth, app-based video streaming services work satisfactory and games work fine at moderate settings.


Other than processing prowess, the Honor 7C does not bring much of a difference to the table when compared to other Honor smartphones. It sports a 5.99-inch fullHD+ IPS 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which looks bright and colourful, covered under curved glass. The aluminium back feels sturdy and premium. There is a micro-USB charging port on the bottom, coupled with speaker and microphone. Overall, the design looks impressive and has a good feel to it.


In terms of imaging, the Honor 7C sports a 13-megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 2MP depth-sensing lens. There is an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies and face unlock feature. The camera in Honor 7C seems to be among the top performer in the sub-Rs 12,000 segment. It works optimally in all lighting conditions. However, the same cannot be said for videography features and we would keep our verdict reserved for review.

Vivo V9 Review: A value-for-money device with good camera, notch screen

The Vivo V9 smartphone, with 6.3-inch full HD+ notch display, lets you have a big screen experience, though slow charging might dampen your enthusiasm.

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo recently launched the Vivo V9 in India. Priced at Rs 22,990, the phone has a 24-megapixel front camera with enhanced face beauty features that can brighten up and take sharp selfies.

The V9 is powered by Snapdragon 626 octa core processor, along with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory, expandable up to 256 GB through microSD card. The phone runs smoothly with minor lags even after opening 10-15 different applications ranging from social media to gaming.

Even though there is decent internal memory, users can still choose to expand with the help of a microSD card, a designated slot for which has been provided in the SIM tray.

Vivo V9 The handset comes with the Android 8.1 Oreo operating system out-of-the-box, based on Vivo’s Funtouch OS 4.0 user interface.

The interface is smooth and there are no lags when switching windows. It also has a 3260 mAh battery which can last a day smoothly on regular usage comprising around 2 hours of gaming, 1 hour of social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram) and 1.5-2 hours of video streaming (Youtube/Amazon Prime videos/ Airtel TV). However, the phone lacks rapid charging and in this era of high-end rapid charging devices, a normal charging system is surely a drawback.

The device supports a dual-SIM set-up along with dual standby, and the SIM tray has the provision to accommodate both SIMs and a memory card. The smartphone also features a 3.5mm headphone jack, and you get in-ear headphones in the box, too.

Vivo V9 The device sports a notch screen. The display is a 6.3-inch full HD+ capacitive touchscreen with a 2280 x 1080 pixel resolution, and 19:9 aspect ratio which is pretty impressive. The screen-to-body ratio is around 90 per cent.

The Vivo V9 comes pre-installed with bloatware, such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Flipkart, Amazon Shopping, Prime Video, UC Browser, NewsPoint, and WPS Office. However, these apps can also be uninstalled easily if the user so wishes.

Vivo V9 In terms of imaging, the V9 boasts a vertically stacked dual-camera setup at the back with a 16MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor which can click some really good photographs, both in normal day light and low-light conditions. The Bokeh mode is not bad, either. The Live feature is up to the mark as well.

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Huawei P20 Lite review: Posh midrange smartphone with great battery, camera

Priced at Rs 19,999, the Huawei P20 Lite is an all-rounder with exceptional battery life and great camera. It is among the finest modern-day devices with notch-based screen and sturdy build quality.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer  Huawei  has been absent from the Indian smartphone market for quite some time now. The company, though, has been shipping smartphones of its online subsidiary Honor. But recently, the world’s second-largest smartphone brand officially launched its latest P20-series smartphones in India soon after their international unveiling.

The Huawei P20-series features a flagship P20 Pro, midrange P20 and the price-effective P20 Lite. However, the company launched only the flagship and the Lite variants in India, leaving the P20 space vacant only to be filled by the upcoming Honor 10. While the P20 Pro is an imaging powerhouse, the P20 Lite is a trimmed-down version designed to compete in the midrange segment.
The Huawei P20 Lite takes design cues from the company’s flagship offering, so it looks modern and has a premium feel to it. However, in terms of specifications and features, the phone seems to have taken inspiration from Honor devices.

Business Standard reviewed the Huawei P20 Lite on several parameters to test its overall performance. Here is the review:
DesignThe Huawei P20 Lite boasts a glass-metal-glass sandwich design, similar to the P20 Pro, which looks plush. The front side of the phone is dominated by a notch-based screen, which adds to the overall design theme. On the back, the phone’s reflective glass is reminiscent of the Honor 6. However, unlike the P20 Pro glass back that throws up different colour shades when looked from angles, the P20 Lite doesn’t have the same charm.
The rear camera module bulge is the only thing that doesn’t go well in terms of design language. Other than that, the phone feels solid and has a premium touch.

Display
The Huawei P20 Lite sports a 5.84-inch fullHD+ IPS LCD notch-based screen. The screen renders good colours and the contrast, brightness and saturation levels are satisfactory. However, the reflective glass on top of the screen limits its utility under direct sunlight.
Speaking of the notch, it can be set to enable or disable from the settings. However, the notch is disabled by default while playing video content and there is no way you can enable it. In online video streaming apps such as Amazon Prime Videos and Netflix that render content in 16:9 aspect ratio, the content shows glaring thick black borders on both sides which seems out of place and ruins the experience.

Camera
The Huawei P20 Lite boasts a dual camera module on the back sporting a 16-megapixel sensor, paired with a depth sensing 2MP sensor. For selfies, the phone sports a 24MP front facing camera. For a midrange smartphone, both the rear and front cameras take satisfactory shots.
On the software side, the camera interface features several modes, including the portrait and beauty mode. However, it lacks on the artificial intelligence mode that is there in the P20 Pro and other midrange smartphones such as Vivo V9 and Oppo F7.

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OnePlus 6 to have glass design, nanotech coating, says CEO: Details here

The OnePlus 6 will depart from the present trend of an aluminium build in favour of a glass body but retain the horizontal lines and curved design, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed in a blog post.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus is gearing up to unveil the fifth iteration of its flagship smartphone, called the OnePlus 6. The smartphone will make a departure from the current trend of an aluminium build in favour of a glass body, but it would retain horizontal lines and curved design,OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed in a blog post.
Little has so far been officially said about the notch screen-based OnePlus 6, except that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip (SoC) and have a 256GB storage variant paired with 8GB of RAM. But OnePlus has been teasing the features of the smartphone in the form of tweets and as part of other social media promotion activities –ingress protection (IP) rating for water and dust resistance, for example.
Now, talking about the design of the OnePlus 6, Pete Lau wrote a long blog explaining OnePlus’ approach to adopting new industrial designs. In the post, the CEO explained the rationale for the company’s move from a sandstone design in the OnePlus1 to an aluminium design in the OnePlus 3, and now the glass design for the upcoming OnePlus 6. Lau also shared that the new glass build would contain five printed layers of Nanotech coating, which would give the device a stronger impression of depth.

Here is the complete blog post shared by Pete Lau on OnePlus forums:

Before I start to talk about the industrial design of the OnePlus 6, I would like to share with you some facets of our overall design philosophy.

In my last deep-dive, I mentioned that good user experience should be burdenless. Products are deeply tied to the people who use them. Excellent industrial design should give people a sense of ease, which is best embodied by a burdenless feeling.

But to truly achieve such a feeling requires a serious approach and thought-out rationale, and the pursuit of this achievement can sometimes be painful. A company needs to be honest about the design of the product. It also needs to work on a daily basis to refine the subtle details, even if those details may seem minor.