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.

TECHNOLOGY NEWS : 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.

Also Read → Honor 7C Review

 

Motorola launches Moto G5 Plus in India, priced at Rs 14,999

Motorola today launched the fifth generation of its best-selling Moto G series - Moto G5 Plus

Motorola today launched the fifth generation of its best-selling Moto G series -- Moto G5 Plus -- in the Indian market at a price of Rs 14,999 onwards.

Motorola will make available two versions -- 3GB RAM/16GB memory and 4GB RAM/32GB memory -- for Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999 respectively. These will go on sale from tonight on Flipkart.

Equipped with a full metal design, faster processor and better camera functionality, the Moto G5 will compete with handsets from Xiaomi, Micromax as well as those from the stable of its parent -- Lenovo.

"This is our biggest franchise and the fastest selling as well. India is one of the first markets globally where we are launching the Moto G5 Plus," Motorola Mobility India Managing Director, Sudhin Mathur, told reporters here.

The Moto G series cumulatively has so far sold 6 million units in India, he added.

He said that the company will introduce Moto G5 -- the base model -- in India in the coming weeks.

The device was unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last month. The Moto G5 Plus features a 5.2-inch display, 2Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon octa-core processor, up to 4GB RAM, removable storage of up to 128GB, 12MP rear and 5MP front cameras and 3,000 mAh battery.

At the end 2016, Lenovo and Motorola had 8.9 per cent share of the Indian smartphone market, as per research firm IDC. Read More

Asus India eyes 1 crore smartphone sales in 2 years

Asus India eyes 1 crore smartphone sales in 2 years

Asus India is eyeing to secure seven per cent market share with sales of around one crore smartphones in the next two years, a top company executive said on Tuesday.

"The company has seen good performance in Indian market and hopes to secure seven per cent market share with sales of around one crore smartphones in next two years," the company's Regional Head (South Asia and Country Manager) Peter Chang told reporters here.

Chang was in the city to unveil and showcase Asus' largest range of premium products in Bengaluru market.

In the next one year, the company hopes to secure five per cent of India's smartphone market, Chang said but declined to divulge the five-year long-term goal.

The company has had a good start and been growing at a good pace by securing 2.5 per cent since its inception in 2014, inspite of facing tough competition, with around 20 to 30 brands operating to get customers' attention, Chang said. Read More

Samsung Electronics set for best quarter in over 2 years on second quarter smartphone boost

Samsung Electronics set for best quarter in over 2 years on second quarter smartphone boost

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd <005930.KS> is poised to issue guidance for its best quarterly profit in more than two years, propelled by a surge in mobile earnings on the back of robust sales of its flagship Galaxy S7 smartphones.

The South Korean giant will disclose its estimates for second-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts predicting a strong mobile division contributed to a 13% jump in operating profit from the same period a year earlier.

The average forecast from a Thomson Reuters survey of 16 analysts tips Samsung to report April-June operating profit of 7.8 trillion won ($6.8 billion), the highest since an 8.5 trillion won profit in January-March of 2014.

The mobile division of the world's top maker of smartphones and memory chips was likely its top earner for the second straight quarter with a 4.3 trillion won profit, according to the survey. Samsung surprised many with better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, and issued guidance for a further pickup in April-June.

"Galaxy S7 sales are better than expected in the first half, and the semiconductor business is also outperforming rivals," said KTB Asset Management's Lee Jin-woo. The fund manager estimated the firm's quarterly operating profit would also stay strong in both the third and fourth quarters at between 7 trillion won and 8 trillion won in each.

Samsung's smartphone business had been squeezed before the start of this year betweenApple Inc , at the high end of the market, and Chinese rivals like Huawei Technologies [HWT.UL] in the budget segment. But the Galaxy S7 has provided a catalyst for the earnings rebound, likely putting the mobile business on track to record its first annual profit growth in three years. Read More

Moto G4: Dynamite for your budget

Moto G4: Dynamite for your budget

Ever since Motorola came back into the fray of the smartphone segment, it has made a strong user base in India. Most of its launches have been a success. And, the latest one to enter the market is the Moto G4. Having a simple body design with smooth edges, the phone might give good competition to players in the budget smartphone segment.

The phone has a big 5.5-inch screen, a great move for those who like watching movies and streaming videos; you can even watch the ongoing Euro competition in France. It doesn't try to look premium though it is designed in a neat and compact manner. However, it does not have an IPX7 water-resistant screen unlike the Moto G (third generation).

The Moto G4 is a mere 9.8-mm thick, weighs 155g (seriously light for a 5.5-inch phone), and to top it all, it feels sturdy with a curved metal frame surrounding the screen adding to the high-quality feel. Read More

Samsung may release phones with bendable screens by 2017

Samsung may release phones with bendable screens by 2017

Samsung Electronics Co is considering introducing two new smartphone models that will feature bendable screens, including a version that folds in half like a cosmetic compact, people familiar with the matter said.

The devices using organic light-emitting diodes could be unveiled as soon as early 2017, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. That would likely give it a head start on new Apple Inc iPhones. The second Samsung model will have a 5-inch screen when used as a handset, that unfurls into a display that's as large as 8 inches, similar to a tablet, the people said.

Samsung, the biggest supplier of OLED panels for mobile products, has pioneered the development of new screen formats with its multi-sided Edge smartphones. Using advanced display technology may help the company recapture customers from Apple and boost earnings that have slumped for the past two years.

"This product could be a game-changer if Samsung successfully comes up with a user interface suitable for bendable screens," said Lee Seung Woo, an analyst at IBK Securities Co in Seoul. Click Here

IoT to overtake mobiles by 2018: Report

IoT to overtake mobiles by 2018: Report

The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to overtake mobile phones as the largest category of connected device by 2018, according to the latest edition of the Ericsson Mobility Report.

Between 2015 and 2021, the number of IoT connected devices is expected to grow 23 per cent annually, of which cellular IoT is forecast to have the highest growth rate. Of the 28 billion total devices that will be connected by 2021, nearly 16 bn will be IoT devices.

Western Europe will lead the way in adding IoT connections. The number of IoT devices in this market is projected to grow 400 per cent by 2021. This will principally be driven by regulatory requirements. The report said mobile data traffic in India would grow 15 times by 2021. India expanded the most in terms of net addition during the first quarter of 2016 (calendar year), adding 21 million, followed by Myanmar (5 mn) and Indonesia (5 mn).

For example, for intelligent utility meters, and a growing demand for connected cars including the European Union’s e-call directive to be implemented in 2018. E-call is an automatic emergency call system for motor vehicles.

Rima Qureshi, senior vice-president and chief strategy officer, Ericsson, says: “IoT is now accelerating as device costs fall and innovative applications emerge. From 2020, commercial deployment of 5G networks will provide additional capabilities that are critical for IoT, such as network slicing and the capacity to connect exponentially more devices than is possible today.”Read more.

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AIADMK vows free mobiles, laptops with internet, free electricity in manifesto

AIADMK vows free mobiles, laptops with internet, free electricity in manifesto

The ruling All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has announced several freebies to voters in Tamil Nadu if re-elected. These include free mobile phones, free laptops, along with internet and free electricty.

This time, other political parties including the main opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, have refrained from offering major free schemes in their election manifesto.

The AIADMK’s, issued on Thursday by its head and state chief minister, J Jayalalithaa (pictured), promises all ration card holders will get mobile phones free of cost. A free set-top box will be provided to all Arasu Cable TV subscribers. Free internet and up to 100 units of electricity free of cost, in effect exempting close to eight million consumers from paying power bills. Also, a Rs 500 gift coupon to all ration card holders during the Pongal festival. And, continuation of the earlier free laptop and free internet scheme for students. Read More

User installs 32 apps usually.

Indian mobile users on an average store upto 32 apps on their mobiles, lower than world average of 42 apps as most of the new smartphone users in the country use low-end handsets that carry lesser in-built memory, according to a user trend study report .


Also, most of the users still prefer 2G network to access mobile internet and therefore, they tend to download less apps due to slow internet speed, said the study conducted by 9Apps, an android app distributor.

Most downloaded apps included Whatsapp and Facebook. Majority of apps downloaded were in English language with Hindi language app contributing to 26 per cent of total downloads, the study said.