Amazfit T-Rex review: This affordable rugged smartwatch is a real looker

The Amazfit T-Rex has its own set of limitations, but with its utilitarian design, military-grade durability, and a long battery life, T-Rex is a great value for money at this price.

Amazfit T-Rex is Huami's first offering in the rugged smartwatch segment. Priced in the sub-10,000 range (Rs 9,999 to be exact), the T-Rex's price is clearly a talking point, but the smartwatch has also been touted for, as the name suggests, its robustness. It is available in four colours -- Rock Black, Army Green, Camo Green, and Khaki. We reviewed a rock black unit, and this is our impression of the T-Rex:

Design

The Amazfit T-Rex is a beautifully crafted smartwatch with an old-school round dial. It is a bit bulky (13.5 mm thickness), and has pronounced bezel, but it is deceptively light at 58 g since most of the material is polymer. Moreover, the makers have also used the raised bezel for a few metal screws and some fine detailing work which, combined with the distinct angles and strong texture, give the T-Rex a solid look. The four etched metallic buttons (two on either side) are fairly responsive.

Like most of the smartwatches nowadays, T-Rex features a 5ATM waterproofing system. But, the T-Rex, being a rugged smartwatch, is more robust and comes with 12 military certifications for resistance to harsh environments. The company claims that the smartwatch can withstand heat, cold, humidity and salt spray resistance, although it does put out a warning saying that prolonged exposure to such circumstances is not recommended.

Display

The Amazfit T-Rex sports a 1.3-inch AMOLED touch screen with 360 x 360-pixel colour display that offers vibrant colours, although the brightness can get a bit iffy outdoors. The screen is protected by the Gorilla Glass 3 and anti-fingerprint coating. The wrist raise function works with an ever-so-slight lag. There aren't many watch face choices by default but one can always access more choices from the accompanying app. The watch comes with an always-on display option, but at the risk of a reduced battery life.

Xiaomi to foray into India's PCs market with Mi-series laptop on June 11

In China, Xiaomi sells laptops under Mi and Redmi brands. The company recently upgraded its Redmibook with AMD Ryzen 4000-series processors in its home country.

Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi is set to debut its Mi-branded laptop in India. The launch event will livestream across company’s social media platforms and Mi.com at 12 noon (IST) on June 11.

The company has laptops in its products catering to consumers in its home country, and the upcoming Mi laptop in India is expected to be one of the notebooks that has already been launched in China. However, there are reports that Xiaomi will debut a new laptop series in India that is crafted for Indian consumers.

In China, Xiaomi sells laptops under Mi and Redmi brands. The company recently upgraded its Redmibook with AMD Ryzen 4000-series processors.

Last week, Xiaomi announced that it will enter the Indian laptop market in June.

"We are ready to introduce the next big category in India with the Mi Notebook series. We will broadly have two series under Mi Notebook that we are going to launch. It will be a minimalistic design, a power-packed device with latest technology to fulfil the requirements of our Indian users," Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, Xiaomi India, told IANS.

He also said the company intends to introduce more products under the Mi brand, like Internet of Things (IoT) products and Smart TVs.

"Our target with the Mi Notebook series is power users; people who need a certain level of performance like students to office goers. With this new product, we are targeting those who are looking for a perfect device for gaming, entertainment, education as well as productivity," said Reddy.

The notebook market in India currently is around six-seven million unit sales per year -- 50 per cent consumer notebooks and 50 per cent commercial notebooks.

Relaxations in lockdown norms, new business models boost smartphones sale

Smartphone industry seems to be limping back to normalcy as sales are picking up at both online and offline market segments.

Smartphone industry seems to be limping back to normalcy as sales are picking up at both online and offline market segments owing to relaxations provided to e-commerce platforms and mobile phone manufacturers in the fourth phase of country-wide lockdown.

With norms eased for the manufacturing sector, smartphone makers such as Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. restarted operations at their factories with limited workforce. As the norms eased down further, the mobile phone makers started selling their products in offline and online stores. Some companies also established offline to online mechanism to help customer use digital means to make purchase from neighbourhood stores from the comfort of their homes.

Chinese smartphone brand Vivo on Wednesday said that close to 50,000 of company’s retail partner outlets are operations. Moreover, around 50 per cent of the company’s service centres are also operational pan India. In a statement, the company said that its retail stores and after-sale service centres are adhering to guidelines prescribed by the Government and local authorities.

South Korean electronics maker Samsung was among the first smartphone manufacturers to explore offline to online mechanism for the sale of its Galaxy smartphone. The company partnered with digital marketing firm Benow to ensure seamless integration of digital and online platforms with physical outlets. The company is now selling most of its products, including smartphones and consumer durables on the Benow platform. It is simultaneously training more retailers to expand the network in coming months.

About 99% of phones Xiaomi sold in India were made in the country, says COO

Xiaomi phones in India are manufactured mainly by Taiwanese giant Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.

Business Standard : Almost all of the phones that Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi sells in India are made in the country, a top company executive said here on Monday, stressing that 'make in India' Xiaomi smartphones are now being exported to other countries too, though at a small scale.

'About 99 per cent of the phones sold in India are made in the country. We make three phones per second,' Muralikrishnan B, Chief Operating Officer, Xiaomi India, told reporters. Xiaomi phones in India are manufactured mainly by Taiwanese giant Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.

The manufacturing is being done at Xiaomi's two facilities -- one at the Sri City special economic zone in Andhra Pradesh and the other at Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu.

Xiaomi said it has also started exporting phones made in India to Bangladesh and Nepal.

'We have started exporting to these two countries at a small scale. With more government incentives, we plan to scale up the export of 'make in India' phones,' Muralikrishnan noted.

'We will have to see if we can manage the entire logistics. Ultimately, we will have to realise that cost efficiency also matters,' he added.

The COO of India's biggest smartphone seller said that there are various issues hindering export of its 'make in India' products to other countries including certification issues and low rate of duty drawbacks.

'BIS certification is not accepted in many parts of the world. If the government can make BIS certification accepted in countries in Europe, it would help us scale,' he said, adding that India has a lot to learn from Vietnam in terms of incentivising domestic manufacturing.

About 65 per cent of Xiaomi phone components are also sourced from within the country.

'In terms of manufacturing, the progress that India has made in the past 5 years is phenomenal,' said Foxconn India Country Manager Josh Foulger.

Besides initiatives under 'Make in India', the corporate tax relief and improvement in ease of doing business have helped a lot, he added.Significantly, all the operators at Foxconn's Sri City facility for Xiaomi are women. The facility employs over 15,000 people.

Xiaomi plans to launch more than 10 5G phones in 2020: CEO Lei Jun

According to Lei, demand for the phone exceeded the company's expectations and led to supply chain issues.

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp plans to launch more than 10 5G phones in 2020, Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun (pictured) said on Sunday, speaking at the World Internet conference in the eastern Chinese town of Wuzhen.

Lei’s remarks come as the company faces intense competition in its home market from rival Huawei Technologies.

Last month Xiaomi launched the Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro, the company’s first 5G-enabled phone for the domestic market.

According to Lei, demand for the phone exceeded the company’s expectations and led to supply chain issues. The device’s reception has prompted Xiaomi to launch 5G models for the high, middle, and low-end price tiers next year.

“People in the industry fear that next year 4G models won't sell, this is a step you have no choice but to take” Lei said. “So we hope that operators can speed up their expansion of 5G base stations.”

Xiaomi’s share price has fallen steadily this past year as China’s smartphone market grows more competitive. In September the company announced it would plan a $1.5 billion share buyback.

In the second quarter of 2019, Xiaomi occupied 11.8 per cent of China’s smartphone market, down from 13.9 per cent one year prior according to research firm Canalys.

All other top Chinese brands suffered declining sales volumes as consumers flocked to Huawei, driven in part by patriotism. The Shenzhen-based handset maker became the centre of US-China tensions in May when Washington effectively called for U.S. companies to cease supplying parts to it.

However, Xiaomi has enjoyed success in Europe, where it remains a relatively new player in the continent. The company’s market share in the region during the second quarter of 2019 hit 9.6 per cent, up from 6.5 per cent the year prior, making it one of the fastest growing phone brands in the region.

Business Standard

Realme to launch three phones with quad rear cameras; one with 64MP sensor

Realme announced that the company is planning to upgrade its mobile phones in Realme, Realme Pro and Realme X series with quad camera modules before Diwali.

Chinese electronics manufacturer BKK Electronics’ smartphone brand Realme on August 8 announced that the company is planning to upgrade its mobile phones in Realme, Realme Pro and Realme X series with quad camera modules before Diwali. Interestingly, one of the phones with a new quad camera module will sport a 64-megapixel primary sensor (GW1) sourced from Samsung. This is the same sensor that another Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi is touting to bring in one of its Redmi-branded smartphone by the end of this year.

While the company did not provide any specifics related to the upcoming quad camera modules, it presented several photographs apparently captured through a new camera set-up that hint at what to expect from the upcoming smartphones. The photographs showcased had a variety of shots; some taken in diverse lighting conditions hinting at possible enhancements with regard to low-light photography. Other samples include ultra-wide shots and macro shots, which were apparently taken through dedicated lenses. A telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom would also be a part of the package.

Besides, the company also provided insights on the 64MP camera. This camera will use Samsung ISOCELL Bright GW1 sensor (S5KGW1), which has a pixel size of 1/1.72-inch and tetracell technology for clearer pictures in all light conditions. Explaining the technology behind sensor, Dr Manish Goel, principal engineer, SSIR, System LSI business, Samsung said, the tetracell technology uses re-mosaic algorithms capturing details even in bright light conditions. In low-light, the sensor merges four adjacent pixels together to create one big pixel resulting in brighter photos. The sensor also has hardware optimised smart-ISO that auto controls resulting in low noise and higher detailing.

While the future of smartphone imaging seems promising, especially for affordable and midrange phones, it is still debatable to judge camera performance based on its sensor’s megapixel count. In past, search engine and technology giant Google has shown that a lot can be done and achieved through software optimising. In about time we will know if a camera with higher megapixel count delivers improved performance or if it is just a marketing gimmick.

Business Standard

Alibaba or Tencent - Who will win race for 650 mn virtual bank accounts?

Technology giants like Alibaba, Tencent are entering the banking sector which offers at least 650 million digital savvy smartphone owners who use online payment methods regularly.

China’s tech giants have upended the country's payments system and promise to shake up its consumer-banking sector. The rest of the region won't be so easy.

Asia is quickly becoming the next battlefront for Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.'s Ant Financial and Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s WeChat Pay, after both secured licenses to set up online-only banks in Hong Kong earlier this month. Singapore’s welcoming regulatory environment makes the city-state an obvious entry point to Southeast Asia.

The region’s huge market could offer some easy wins. Much of its population of over 650 million are digitally savvy smartphone owners, already comfortable with ride-hailing apps like Go-Jek and Grab.

Meanwhile, inefficient bank branches, low interest rates and poor professional investment advice is trumping privacy concerns: 62% of people in developing Asian countries don’t mind sharing personal data to get customized products, compared with just 23% in wealthier Asian nations, according to a 2017 survey by McKinsey & Co.

Yet traditional lenders remain formidable competitors. Take Hong Kong: While the city has awarded licenses to eight virtual banks, three have gone to incumbent lenders Standard Chartered Plc, BOC Hong Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.

HSBC Holdings Plc, which has a lock on nearly 30% of the city’s deposits, hasn’t even applied.

HSBC may have good reason to be unmoved. Together, the city’s virtual-bank contenders will have a balance sheet of just HK$150 billion ($19 billion), which would put them on par with Hong Kong’s third-smallest bank, Dah Sing Banking Group Ltd., according to Citigroup Inc.

While picking up retail customers is one thing, getting them to put large amounts of money into a virtual bank account is another. Without a big-name lender behind them, newcomers grapple with a trust deficit.

Virtual banks also aren’t exempt from frustrating know-your-customer routines, which can hinder efforts to sign up cash-heavy small and medium enterprises.

A hair salon that finally convinced HSBC it’s not laundering money will be reluctant to repeat that process. While an individual can open a virtual account in a matter of hours, the same can’t be said for SMEs, which face more onerous regulatory hurdles.

Business Standard

Xiaomi Redmi Go review: Feature phone's alternative for first time buyers?

Priced at Rs 4,499, the Redmi Go is aimed at first-time smartphone users; moving from feature phone to an internet-enabled device capable of offering more than calling and messaging features.

Redmi Go is a Chinese company Xiaomi’s first Android Oreo Go operating system-based smartphone. Priced at Rs 4,499, the budget phone is aimed at first time smartphone users; moving from feature phone to internet-enabled device capable of offering more than calling and messaging features.

Redmi Go specifications:

Display: 5-inch HD, 16:9 aspect ratio

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 425

Storage: 8GB, expandable up to 128GB via dedicated microSD card slot

RAM: 1GB

Rear camera: 8MP of f/2.0

Front camera: 5MP of f/2.2

SIM: DualSIM, VoLTE, 4G

Battery: 3,000 mAh

Colours: Black and Blue

Design

From a HD resolution screen to camera on the front and back, the Redmi Go covers all the basics right. Design wise, the phone might look from a previous generation of smartphones due to its plastic built, thick bezels around screen, capacitive navigation keys with no backlit, etc. However, considering the phone’s ultra-affordable price tag, it does not look cheap. It rather looks better than most smartphones in its segment.

Camera

The Redmi Go has a capable camera module on the front and back. The rear m odule has an 8-megapixel sensor, paired with a LED flash that also doubles up as a torch. Though the camera interface is basic, it is loaded with features such as 13 filters, 11 scenes for manual selections, auto HDR mode, etc. The rear camera is also capable of recording fullHD resolution videos. The 5MP camera on the front is a decent one too. It supports face recognition, beauty mode, filters, and auto HDR.

Output from both the cameras are at best satisfactory. However, it is way better than the output captured by VGA or 2MP cameras that most feature phones offer.

Business Standard

Xiaomi launches Redmi Go, announces UPI-based digital payment app Mi Pay

Aimed at first time smartphone users, the Redmi Go comes bundled with a cashback offer worth Rs 2,200 from Reliance Jio.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi on March 19 launched its first Android Oreo Go edition-based Redmi Go smartphone. Priced at Rs 4,499, the entry-level budget smartphone will go on sale from March 22 through Flipkart, Mi stores and Mi online store. Aimed at first time smartphone users, the phone comes bundled with a cashback offer worth Rs 2,200 from Reliance Jio. Along with the Redmi Go, the company introduced its Unified Payment Interface-based digital payment app, Mi Pay.

Xiaomi Redmi Go features and specification

The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage -- expandable up to 128GB through microSD card. The phone boots Android Oreo Go, an operating system designed for entry-level smartphones with limited hardware resources. The OS comes preloaded with Google Android Go app suite, which includes a YouTube, Chrome, Google, Google Assistant, Files, Google Maps, and Gmail. It also supports lite apps from Facebook, Tik Tok, Twitter, Linked In, etc.

The phone has a 5-inch HD screen of HD resolution, stretched in traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. Imaging is covered by an 8-megapixel camera on the back and 5MP lens on the front. The rear camera supports autoHDR, along with several modes for manual frame selection and scene customisation. The phone support VoLTE and has a battery of 3,000 mAh.

Mi Pay features

Based on UPI platform, the Mi Pay is an app available for company’s MIUI operating system users only. It is integrated within the MIUI interface across SMS, contacts, scanner, app vault and settings. Backed by ICICI Bank the app supports bank account and QR code transfers using UPI, debit cards, credit cards and internet banking across around 120 banks and over 120 billers.

The service also supports utility payments, including phone bills, phone recharges and water or electricity bill payments. The Mi Pay UPI services has been approved by NPCI under the multi bank API model and it has been audited by CERT-IN empanelled auditors E&Y and Lucideus.

Business Standard

Samsung Galaxy M30 with tri-camera set-up to launch day before Redmi Note 7

The Amazon-exclusive Samsung Galaxy M30 smartphone will launch in India on February 27 at 6 PM.

South Korean electronics major Samsung recently introduced the Galaxy M-series with the launch of the Galaxy M20 (review) and Galaxy M10. The company is now gearing up to launch the Galaxy M30 on February 27, a day before the launch of Xiaomi Redmi Note 7.

Though the phone’s specifications and features are not known, the company’s recent tweet shows the phone’s profile from the front and rear.

As shown in a picture in tweet, the phone would sport company’s Infinity-U notch screen on the front and a tri-camera set-up on the back. The phone is expected to feature a 6.4-inch screen of fullHD+ resolution. Unlike the TFT screen of the M20 and M10, the M30’s is expected to go for a super AMOLED panel.

On the imaging front, the tri-camera set-up on the back is expected to feature a regular lens, ultra-wide angle lens and a depth sensor. The camera configurations are unknown.

They are expected to be similar to the dual camera module seen in the M20, but with an addition of depth sensor for improved portrait shots.

The phone is expected to be powered by either recently announced Exynos 7904, which is the same processor that ticks inside the Galaxy M20, or the Exynos 7885, which is similar to the Exynos 7904 but has a more powerful dual Cortex A73 cores. The phone would also sport a rear mounted fingerprint scanner.

The phone is expected to come in two RAM and storage variants – 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB. It is also expected to pack a 5,000 mAh battery.

The Amazon-exclusive smartphone will launch in India on February 27 at 6 PM.

Business Standard

Xiaomi leads India smartphone market, OnePlus tops premium segment in 2018

Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and OPPO emerged as the top five smartphone vendors in terms of market share in Q4 2018 in India.

Chinese brand Xiaomi with 28.9 per cent market share led the Indian smartphone market in 2018, followed by South Korean brand Samsung at 22.4 per cent and Vivo at 10 per cent, an International Data Corporation (IDC) report said on Tuesday.

"The premium end of the market outgrew all other price segments in 2018 with 43.9 per cent Year-on-Year (YoY) growth -- OnePlus emerged as the leader in the price segment range $500-$700 and in the super premium segment and Samsung surpassed Apple for the top position with its Galaxy S9 series," said Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

According to the report, the online-focused brands drove the online channel share to an all-time high of 38.4 per cent in 2018 and a whopping 42.2 per cent in 2018 Q4 whereas offline channels had a rather muted year with a modest 6.7 per cent annual growth and a 5 per cent sequential growth in Q4.

"Shipments form Xiaomi, Asus, OnePlus and more grew online channels resulted by 47.3 per cent YoY in Q4, but the offline channel was unable to keep pace with the deep discounts and go-to-market initiatives from the e-tailers almost throughout the year," Joshi added.

The overall smartphone average selling price remained flat in 2018 at $158, with high shipments in the mass segment of $100-$200 -- which accounted for more than half of the smartphone market in India.

Xiaomi, Samsung, Vivo, Realme and OPPO emerged as the top five smartphone vendors in terms of market share in Q4 2018 in India.

On the other hand, the feature phone market, primarily driven by Jio Phones -- which makes up 56 per cent of the total mobile phone market clocked 181.3 million-unit shipments in 2018, with 10.6 per cent YoY growth, the report said.

Article Source BS

Reliance Jio working with partners to bring affordable big screen smartphone: Report

This device would cater to large section of the mobile phone customers, who aspire to move from feature phones to smartphones.

After cannibalising the feature phone segment with ultra-affordable 4G VoLTE-enabled devices, Reliance Jio Infocomm is now working to bring an affordable smartphone with large screen size. This device would cater to a large section of mobile phone customers, who aspire to move from feature phones to smartphones, according to a news report in the Economic Times.

Speaking to the Economic Times, Sunil Dutt, head sales, channel development at Reliance Jio said that the company is trying to work with partners who can bring in large-screen phones at an affordable price for customers who are yet to make a shift to 4G smartphones. This step would enable a large section of mobile phone users to experience the right kind of connectivity and right kind of content on their devices. Although there is no timeline decided for the launch, Dutt said that the company will keep on rolling out something new in every few months.

ALSO READ: Reliance Jio to hive off fibre, tower businesses into separate companies

Since its inception, Jio has partnered with several smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, Intex, Xiaomi, etc. to provide additional data offers bundled with smartphones that helped the company scale its user base in the country. This year, in partnership with smartphone makers, the company also announced an instant cashback offer, providing instant cashback in the form of recharge vouchers to Jio customers, making phones affordable by bringing down the effective cost.

In retrospect, Jio launched the first 4G-VoLTE enabled feature phone in the country in 2016. Named JioPhone, the feature phone was touted as a feature-rich phone loaded with smartphone-like features such as music and video playback capabilities, fast internet support, access to Jio apps, etc. Through software upgrade, the phone was also enabled to support commonly used apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, YouTube, etc. Though the JioPhone and JioPhone 2 offer more features than conventional 2G feature phones, their functionality remain limited and could not be compared to smartphones.

People started to experience content services with high speed mobile data connection, thanks to JioPhone. With a smartphone in the pipeline, the company aims to provide good content experience on big screen device with good connection speeds, said Dutt to the ET.

Business Standard

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro India launch today: Watch livestream, know specifications, features and expected price

Successor to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, the Redmi Note 6 Pro boasts dual camera modules on the front and back, making it the first midrange offering from the stable of Xiaomi with quad cameras.

Xiaomi, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, is launching the Redmi Note 6 Pro in India today (November 22). Successor to the Redmi Note 5 Pro (review), the Redmi Note 6 Pro boasts dual camera modules on the front and back, making it the first midrange offering from the stable of Xiaomi with quad cameras.

Unlike its predecessor, the phone has a dual-camera module on the back and front. The rear camera module has a 12-megapixel primary sensor of an f/1.9 aperture, mated with a 5MP depth-sensor of an f/2.2 aperture. The selfie camera module, on the other hand, has a 20MP primary sensor of an f/2.0 aperture, mated with a 2MP depth-sensing lens of f/2.2 aperture.

The selfie camera module supports artificial intelligence-based portrait mode and beauty mode 4.0. The front camera also doubles up as a biometric unit for the face-unlock mechanism.

Apart from the new camera modules, the Redmi Note 6 Pro also gets a new format screen. The phone sports a 6.26-inch fullHD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) screen, stretched in a 19:9 aspect ratio.

The screen has a notch on top, accommodating selfie cameras, earpiece and sensors. The screen is covered with a 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass for protection against accidental scratches. The phone boots Android Oreo-based MIUI 10 operating system with a support for gesture navigation.

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 system-on-chip (SoC), the phone would get two RAM and RAM variants -- 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB. The phone has a 4,000 mAh battery. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will go on sale from November 23.

Business Standard

Xiaomi opens 500 stores in one day in rural India, creates Guinness record

Xiaomi plans to open 5,000 Mi Stores by the end of 2019 that will create nearly 15,000 jobs.

Chinese electronics major Xiaomi on Tuesday announced it has opened a record 500 retail stores in rural parts of India.

Called Mi Stores and opened on October 29, these are similar to the bigger "Mi Home" stores currently operational in metro cities.

"The company created a Guinness record for opening the maximum number of stores in one single day. Xiaomi plans to open 5,000 Mi Stores by the end of 2019 that will create nearly 15,000 jobs," Manu Kumar Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi Global and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, told reporters here.

"This new business will forever change rural retail in India," he added.

Started with the online-only strategy, Xiaomi is fast expanding its presence in offline retail as well.

In September, the company launched its fourth flagship "Mi Home" experience store in the country, in Bengaluru, along with a new office.

With the purpose of strengthening its offline network further, Xiaomi said in September it wanted to open 100 "Mi Home" stores in 2018 itself.

The company grew to a new high on the back of its successful Redmi 5A and Redmi Note 5 Pro series and refreshed Redmi 6/A/Pro portfolio, said the report.

But the eight-year-old company wants to be recognised not as just another smartphone company and it began working towards this mission in 2014.

Along with its products in the smart home portfolio, it is also venturing into non-technology related segments like luggage, shoes, apparel and more.

Riding on its robust sales in India and Europe, China-based Xiaomi on Monday reported a 49.1 per cent increase in revenue for its third quarter of 2018 as net profit reached 2.48 billion yuan ($357.23 million).

Business Standard

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro to launch in India on November 22; goes on sale from Nov 23

The Redmi Note 6 Pro is the first Xiaomi midrange offering to boast dual cameras on both front and back.

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is gearing up to launch the Redmi Note 6 Pro in India on November 22. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will go on sale from November 23. A successor to the Redmi Note 5 Pro (review), which was launched earlier this year alongside the Redmi Note 5, the Redmi Note 6 Pro is the first midrange offering from the stable of Xiaomi to boast a quad-camera module – two cameras on the front and two on the back. Compared to its predecessor, the phone also has a bigger screen with a notch on top, accommodating dual front cameras, earpiece and sensors.

What’s new in the Redmi Note 6 Pro

Compared to the predecessor, the Redmi Note 6 Pro gets two major changes. It has a new screen format with a notch and a different selfie camera module. The Note 6 Pro has a 6.26-inch fullHD+ (2280 x 1080 pixels) screen, stretched in a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen is covered with a 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass for protection against accidental scratches. The phone boots Android Oreo-based MIUI 10 operating system with a support for gesture navigation.

Coming to the selfie camera module, the Redmi Note 6 Pro has a dual-camera module on the front. It boasts a 20-megapixel primary sensor of an f/2.0 aperture, mated with a 2MP depth-sensing lens of f/2.2 aperture.

The selfie camera module supports artificial intelligence-based portrait mode and beauty mode 4.0. The front camera also doubles up as a biometric unit for the face-unlock mechanism.

Apart from the above-mentioned upgrades and changes in dimension due to a bigger screen, the phone is identical to the Redmi Note 5. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB and 64GB of storage, respectively. The phone has a dual-camera module on the back, featuring a 12MP primary sensor of an f/1.9 aperture and a 5MP depth-sensor of an f/2.2 aperture. The phone has a 4,000 mAh battery.

Business Standard

Flipkart Mobile Bonanza sale 2018: Poco F1 for Rs 18,999 & other deals on phones

In the Mobile Bonanza sale, Flipkart is offering discounts, cashback, exchange offers and no cost equated monthly instalments on Xiaomi, Realme, Asus, LG and other mobile phones.

Flipkart, a home-grown e-commerce marketplace, is currently hosting a four-day sale in which the online shopping portal is offering discounts, cashback, exchange offers and no cost equated monthly instalments on mobile phones. Named Flipkart Mobile Bonanza, the sale started on November 19 and will continue until November 22.

Launched earlier this year, the LG G7 ThinQ (review) is a flagship smartphone with top-notch specifications and features. In its price segment, it is the only phone that comes with IP68 water and dust resistance protection, artificial intelligence-based imaging and wireless charging support. In the sale, the phone is available at a discounted price of Rs 29,999. Flipkart is also offering up to Rs 17,900 off on exchange and an additional Rs 3,000 off over regular exchange value. The phone is also eligible for no cost EMI.

Coming from the stable of Xiaomi, the Poco F1 (review) is one of the cheapest smartphones with the flagship processor and features. The phone comes in three RAM and storage configurations – 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB. All three variants are currently available on Flipkart at a discounted price of Rs 20,999, Rs 23,999 and Rs 29,999, respectively. The phone is also eligible for additional Rs 2,000 off over regular exchange value. The phone is also eligible for no cost EMI.

Launched earlier this year, the Redmi Note 5 Pro (review) is a value for money smartphone with dual rear cameras, 6-inch fullHD+ screen and a mammoth 4,000 mAh battery. The phone comes in two RAM and storage configurations – 4GB/64GB and 6GB/64GB. The phone recently received official price reduction, bringing down the cost of both variants by Rs 1,000. The phone is now available on Flipkart at revised rates. It is also eligible exchange offer in which the online platform is offering up to Rs 13,000 off on exchange.

The Honor 9N (review) has a premium design, notch-based screen and capable dual rear cameras. It comes in 3GB/32GB and 4GB/64GB RAM and storage configurations. In the current sale, the base model is available at a discounted price of Rs 9,999 and the premium edition is available at Rs 11,999.

This phone is the most affordable in the current range of Realme smartphones. In the sale, the phone gets a flat discount of Rs 991, along with an additional Rs 1,000 off on exchange value on select mobile phones. The Realme C1 (review) is eligible for Jio Realme bonanza offer in which the telecom operator provides benefits worth Rs 4,450 and up to 1.1TB of 4G data on a minimum recharge of Rs 198 or Rs 299.

Business Standard