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Editorpage

firstcall

he game has just begun! A game that will dawn into a new era of smartphone and its evolution over the years to reach at a stage when we can literally see the

EDITORIA L

innovations happening and taking shapes

Pankaj Mohindroo |

and sizes. Right now, it evolves to come into

Haider Ali Khan | Deputy Editor

a foldable format with multiple displays. Yes, Foldable Smartphones! They are no more just a concept but, has

Editor-in-Chief

Ramesh Kumar Raja | Assistant Editor Nijhum Rudra | Correspondent

actually made way into our lives and to begin the journey of a completely new era the technology giants such as Samsung and Huawei have announced their foldable smartphones. The South Korean Electronics major, Samsung, will be credited the first smartphone

DE S I G N Ajit Kumar Parashar | Sr. Graphic Designer

maker to announce its foldable smartphone just couple

M AR K ETIN G

of weeks ago in San Francisco, United States. Samsung

Puja Mohindroo | Manager - Business

has launched the first foldable smartphone called the

Sandeep Kumar | Sr. Manager – Marketing

Samsung Galaxy Fold priced anywhere between one and half lakh Indian rupees or nearly USD 2,000. Similarly, the Chinese giant, Huawei, too has announced its foldable smartphone at Mobile World Congress 2019 or MWC, Barcelona, Spain called Huawei Mate X which may sell around USD 2,600.

O P ERATION S K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Administration Deepak Kohli | Sr. Manager – Accounts

The Apple aspirants will have to wait for their turn as the Cupertino-based trillion dollar company has also applied for the patent of a foldable device at the US Patent and Trademark office but, will have to wait till 2020 before anything comes out of its stable. Reports

CIRC U L ATION B. G. Mathur | Manager- Production & Circulation

also suggest that Oppo is also working to bring its own

AD V I S OR Y B OARD

foldable smartphone but it’s not official yet. Currently, the

Bejon Misra

Foldable Smartphones are at initial stages and will take

Rajan Mathews

time to get accepted as a concept and a choice.

S.D. Saxena

The Foldable Smartphones have overcome barriers of

Subhash Chandra

hardware and conventional smartphones but, still has a

Sunil Dutt

long way to go in India. We hope that this technological

Sonu Bhasin

advancement will usher a new era of smartphones in

Uvaraj Natarajan

India.

G ET IN TO U CH

Happy Reading! n

Editorial : haider@mymobile.co.in Marketing : sandeep@mymobile.co.in Circulation : bgmathur@mymobile.co.in Phone : 011—46206161 Fax : 011—41520637

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Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

04 | march 2019

The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and the views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.

Volume XIV, Issue II, march 2019

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contents

36 86 38 Style Notes

Country CEO and MD,

Create $28 Billion Revenue

10 letters

Yuho Mobile

Opportunity

12 Cell Speak 13 Rumor Mill

Capt. Chanpreet Singh –

Pankaj Kedia – Managing

Dolby Laboratories

18 big NEWS

Mandeep Arora – Co-Founder,

UBON Rakesh Yadav – Director, HGD

India

25 Just In Ga close look at new mobile

devices now in the market

Monish Salhotra – Co-Founder,

EBTL Tushar Vashisht – Founder and

CEO, HealthyfyMe

34 Lead Story Foldable Smartphones –

40 Snapshot

Sensible or Senseless?

10 Years of Samsung Galaxy

Company Limited

06 | march 2019

Global Smartphone Market

Declines for First Time in 2018

14 Newsbits

General Manager, Nexstgo

Smart Feature Phones to

Director, Emerging Markets,

Face to Face 11 Seema Bhatnagar – Country

Market Insight 42 India Smartphone Market Exits

Four China Firms among Top

10 Chip Buyers

India PC Market Sees Downfall

in 2018

The Burntest 52 Vivo V15 Pro 54 Oppo K1 56 Skullcandy Crusher Wireless 58 Mi Soundbar

By Invitation 62 Tips Towards a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace – Pradipto

2018 with Highest Ever

Chakrabarty, Regional Director,

Shipments

CompTIA India

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What's Inside

contents 68

The Rise of Subscription

truly a rewarding experience

over 25,000 visitors

74 Boredom Buster

112 Add Ons

Mobile Gaming: The Current

The latest and the best of

Dominating Trendsetters

gadgets and accessories, from

Based Economy – Gagan Maini, Co-Founder and Director, OneAssist Consumer Solutions Pvt. Ltd

earphones and Bluetooth

63 Industry Insight Mobile-centric Biometric

In Focus 79 250 Million More Women

speakers to power banks

Became Mobile Owners in

122 Vantage Point

Low and Middle-Income

Smartphone Hijacking - A

Countries Since 2014

Malicious Revenue Source –

Feature 66 Digital Guru for Smart

Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and

Generation Students

Authentication May Be an Organisational Norm Soon

Is mHealth going to be a

trendsetter in the app domain?

companies in Estonia using

Chief Analyst, techARC

e-Residency program

89 My Guide The most comprehensive feature and price list of

Apptastic 72 SkillBox – A platform for deeper artist discovery

Indians set up 205

StepSetGo – Walking is now

mobile devices

111 In Focus Convergence India 2019 registers a record footfall of

63 Total number of pages = 124

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me at a time when I am at my busiest and most stressed and your magazine touches my heart with new mobile devices and tips. This time your thoughtprovoking article on “Cyber crime on the rise” made for nostalgic reading. It reveals the fact that the Cyber crimes today are on rise and the latest and perhaps the

10 | march 2019

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e ave th

dh nes an

ream in a d ellpho c y e t k u o o st zy ab ew lines? an als n the late e a r c c d u n f o u hav o a Are y al to pen a for news our hands u think yo o y ti se poten have a no rave to lay t them? If y CV to ile, r u c u Do yo e? Do you world abo . Rush you in My Mob e e in ou headl and tell th king for y your nam o e s o e o l gizm u, we are n to s e.co.i ine. o l i y b n i o it az ym e mag r@m edito best mobil India’s

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“We Do What Giants Can’t” Nexstgo, a premium laptop brand, has launched its two new laptops in the Indian market; Nexstgo Primus and Avita Liber. Established in 2016, Nexstgo is committed to bringing new revolutionary experiences in technology by introducing a wide product range, which includes PC, smart home, IoT, Artificial Intelligence and corporate solutions, says Seema Bhatnagar, Country General Manager, Nexstgo Company Limited. She had a word with Haider Ali Khan. Nexstgo entered the Indian laptop market with

and Smart Weighing Scale in the market

two products; Primus and Avita. What are the

and the product line will increase with

aspirations of the brand from these two series?

time.

Primus NX101 and NX201 are crafted The growth of smartphone has

with an ultra-light premium magnesium aluminium alloy, and both models are

impacted the overall sales

highly portable yet also tough. These

of laptop worldwide because computing is now at the palm of a

highly secured laptops (as it comes

smartphone user. Is that challenges you to

with Face Recognition and Finger printer) commercial laptops are targeted

take the next bus and bring a mobile phone?

towards Entrepreneurs and Corporates.

As of now, our focus remains on laptops and

Avita Liber is our life style brand comes in 14 colours and 5 patterns. Targeting youth we are here to change the IT world from Grey and Black to Colour, your true colour.Liber is a new journey of self-discovery through art and humanity in technology. Avita Liber was quite an attractant laptop range with bright, punchy colours. Was it to break the stereotype about laptops? We do what giants can’t. Not just electronics/IT

“Our Avita core brand values Liberty, Diversity, Individualism and focus audience are Youth and Young Executives. For Nexstgo Primus the audience is start-ups, SME’s/SMB’s BFSI and Corporates”

IoT products. Who will be your target audience for Avita Liber and Primus? Our Avita core brand values Liberty, Diversity, Individualism and focus audience are Youth and Young Executives. For Nexstgo Primus the audience is startups, SME’s/SMB’s BFSI and Corporates. Primus gives you confidence and assurance for your IT investment. What would you do to create more brand

brand, its contemporary way of living. We believe in Lifestyle empowerment through

strength to manufacture with a backup of

awareness in India? We are using digital

tech innovation, design innovative and well-

very strong R&D gives us the confidence to

media as a prime source to create brand

designed I.T. products that liberate you at

remain as it or even better in future.

awareness in India.

home, at work and on the go. What would be the aim of Nexstgo? Is it to

Wouldn’t it is more feasible and viable to

The price remains competitive as compared

sell laptop only or there more products in the

make your products available offline too? Our

to market offerings. Is it to gain some strong

fray for the Indian buyers? Not only Laptops

products are very much available off the line

market foothold and then think about it later

we have a range of accessories like Laptop

at the places like Nehru Place in Delhi and

or would it remain as it is in the future? Our

Bags, Laptop Sleeves and Mouse. We are

price is quite competitive in the market. Our

also selling IoT products like Smart Mirror

Lamington road in Mumbai. n haider@mymobile.co.in

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march 2019 | 11

Budget Bytes

Cell Speak

Budget 2019

Here’s how the Industry reacted Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, while presenting the Union Budget 2019, said that the mobile and mobile part manufacturing companies have increased from 2 to 268. He said that the monthly consumption of mobile data has increased by over 50 times in last five years. Goyal said that the cost of data and voice calls in India is possibly lowest in the world. He said that the government has a vision of making 1 lakh digital villages in the next five years. The minister further said that futuristic technology Artificial Intelligence would be a national program with the national portal to be developed soon. Here’s how the Industry reacted… “This year’s Budget has brought significant changes, focusing on various key aspects which are largely stressed upon our overall economic growth – rural, agriculture, job creation, healthcare, housing, structural reforms and infrastructure development, which will help stimulate and strengthen the Indian economy. The emphasis on establishing a programme to bring in direct efforts towards building a holistic ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence is an impressive development. The government’s proposal of giving a full tax rebate to individual taxpayers with an income of up to Rs 5 lakh will empower the Indian consumer. Moreover, the government’s announcement around expanding Common Service Centres and creating digital infrastructure in the villages will be a significant step in the Digital India mission and growth of the Make in India initiative. With India leading the consumption of voice calls and mobile data usage, it is fascinating to note our constant progression towards becoming a global hub for manufacturing.” —Rajesh Agarwal, Co-Founder, Micromax

12 | march 2018

“The interim budget 2019 carries strong markers of the success of the digital revolution in India, further paving the way for India to emerge as the digital economy in times to come. As announced by interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, India presently leads the world in the consumption of mobile data, which has grown 50X in the last 5 years. Owing to Make in India, the number of mobile and parts manufacturing companies have also grown from a mere 2 to 268, creating enough jobs in the economy. The government further aims to support leading technologies like AI by developing a National Artificial Intelligence portal and has set its eyes on achieving one lakh digital villages in the next 5 years. This serves as a strong growth impetus, with the next wave of digitalization belonging to the hinterlands of India. Driven to transform mobile communication, we at Unisoc look forward to supporting manufacturing products that will enable this next wave of digital revolution in India.” —Neeraj Sharma, Country Head, Unisoc (Spreadtrum)

“The interim budget has put the efforts of homegrown budget mobile phone brands of deeper penetration in rural areas in the right direction. Tambo supports the government’s goal of increasing job opportunities in rural areas and with an enabling environment, the company looks forward to driving deeper mobility. For the same, we are also looking forward to setting up our own facilities for production. In 2019, as we strengthen our distribution network further, we aim to play our part in helping the country move forward economically and technologically.” —Sudhir Kumar, Founder and CEO, Tambo Mobiles

“The Budget 2019 is certainly pro-growth and will increase the purchasing power of the Indian middle class. It is heartening to see that the government recognizes the poignant role of digital technology in India’s evolution to a fivetrillion dollar economy over the next five years. Announcement around national scheme on Artificial intelligence is a welcome move and will give an impetus to the technology ecosystem in India. With focus on development, it is a progressive budget and will be a next big leap in India’s growth story. The delivery, however, will be contingent on effective implementation of these policies.” —Carl Ngo, Co-Founder and CEO, Mobiistar

“The interim Budget 2019-20 is truly pragmatic and we laud the government’s vision and commitment towards Digital India and the digital economy. Amongst many welcome steps, Interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal expressed the Government’s intent to create 1 lakh digital villages over the next 5 years, under the ambitious Digital India initiative. The Government also stated its commitment to deploy three lakh common service centres which will be delivering digital services, especially to the rural areas.

Budget Bytes

cell Speak

Additionally, to take the benefits of Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies to the people, a comprehensive National Programme on ‘Artificial Intelligence’ has been envisaged by the Government. A National Centre on Artificial Intelligence is to be established, along with other Centres of Excellence. A total of nine priority areas have also been identified and plans for building a National Artificial Intelligence portal has also been put forth. Though several significant reforms were articulated, touching multiple industries, considering the given financial position the telecom sector is reeling under and the economic backbone that the sector provides to the economy and almost all industries, we expected concrete targeted initiatives to revitalise this sector. While the Interim Finance Minister spoke extensively about investing in infrastructure such as road, railway, highways, electricity amongst others, geared to target a 10 trillion dollar economy; the telecom sector, which is the backbone of the country’s economy, did not receive significant support.” —Rajan S Mathews, DG, COAI

“Focus on Digital India in the budget, vision of creating 1 lakh Digital Villages will empower the real India and fuel overall growth of the economy and will bring comprehensive growth for the industries. Declaration on schemes for incentives to SMEs and startups is a welcome move, to enable small businesses that in turn will support services to different businesses, this should promote smaller manufacturers too to build the ecosystem. Boost in the direct tax collections, enabling bigger capital expenditures (declared in Budget), incentives to farmer, basic tax slab raised to 5 lakh - are noticeable moves towards economic growth that will fuel the industrial growth in midterm.” —Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 13

What’s Up

newsbits Qualcomm launches new chip to power 5G smartphones

Ericsson based on a substantial part of their annual sales. In addition to a cross license, the agreement between Oppo and Ericsson includes business cooperation on a number of projects related to 5G, like device testing and customer engagements. Ericsson has signed more than 100 patent license agreements to date. OnePlus partners Elisa to launch 5Genabled device this year

Chipset maker Qualcomm has come up with its second-generation of so-called modem chips to connect phones to 5G networks, speeding up the race around faster wireless data connections expected to begin rolling out later this year. Qualcomm, the world’s largest mobile chip supplier, is hoping the device will fuel the spread of 5G phones later this year and next year. While Chinese phone makers such as Xiaomi Corp last year used Qualcomm’s first-generation chip for small batches of 5G phones, the secondgeneration chip announced recently is aimed at mass production. The move came a day before Samsung announced its new flagship Galaxy series phones. Samsung and Qualcomm in December publicly committed to working together to release a 5G phone this year. Ericsson seals global patent license deal with Oppo

Premium smartphone brand OnePlus recently announced its 5G plans with Finnish telecom network carrier Elisa. It will launch a 5G-enabled device in the second quarter of 2019. The announcement comes close on the heels of Samsung announcing a 5G variant of its flagship Galaxy S10 smartphone. “5G is a revolution which can bring change far beyond (for) the technology industry, for people everywhere, for everything from gaming through to mixed reality apps, healthcare, and much more. We’ve worked hard to lead 5G innovation as this new era starts, working closely with partners like Elisa to create something special. 5G is the catalyst which allows us to re-imagine the future,” Pete Lau, CEO and founder of OnePlus, said in a statement. Samsung to launch US retail stores in smartphone push

Swedish tech major Ericsson has signed a global patent license agreement with Chinese handset maker Oppo. The initial agreement includes a cross license covering the 2G, 3G and 4G patent portfolios from both companies. Oppo, which is the fifth largest smartphone vendor in the world with business operations in more than 40 markets globally, will make on-going royalty payments to

14 | march 2019

South Korean giant Samsung announced

recently that it will open three US retail stores to promote its Galaxy line of smartphones. The move ramps up Samsung’s efforts to compete on the home turf of Apple, which has hundreds of retail outlets in the US and around the world. Samsung said in a statement it made the move after feedback from customers. “They told us that they love having the ability to walk into a store and experience how the latest technology from Samsung works together to create a unique, immersive experience,” the company said in a statement. The new stores will be at the Americana at Brand mall in Los Angeles; Roosevelt Field in Garden City, New York; and The Galleria in Houston, Texas. Samsung has previously opened pop-up stores in the US and has a center showcasing its technology in New York City. Apple buys AI startup behind Alexa, Google Assistant-based apps

Pulling up its socks in the Artificial Intelligence race and as part of its latest endeavours, iPhone maker Apple has acquired a San Francisco-based AI startup called Pullstring. The startup helps companies design and publish voice-based apps which leverage existing voice assistants such as Alexa and Google Assistant. According to Axios, Pullstring may help Apple’s Siri better compete with Alexa. Pullstring was founded in 2011 by a group of ex Pixar executives and was used originally to power interactive voice apps for toys, including Hello Barbie in 2015. The startup later broadened its service with the introduction of IoT-enabled gadgets such as Amazon Echo and Google Assistant. However, the value of the deal between Apple and Pullstring is unknown.

MYMOBILE

WhatsApp rolls out update for Face ID, Touch ID bug on iPhones

app also allows Tatkal booking for any last minute travel plans. If a user does not have an IRCTC account, the app also allows them to create an account and then proceed for the required ticket booking. With JioRail, users can also check the PNR status for tickets booked through the app. The app also plans to offer enhanced services like PNR status change alerts, locate train and food ordering in future.

Messaging platform WhatsApp has rolled out an update for iOS which fixes the biometric authentication bug. This bug could let anyone access WhatsApp even with Face ID or Touch ID. WhatsApp had rolled out biometric authentication for iPhone users earlier last month. This allowed users to enable either Touch ID or Face ID on WhatsApp for further security. The bug which was discovered by a Redditor rendered the authentication useless. WhatsApp gave users four kicktime options for Touch ID or Face ID – immediately, 1 minute, 15 minutes or 1 hour. Users who had set the kick-in time to “immediately” were not affected by the bug. The bug was triggered when users would select WhatsApp from iOS share sheet to share files. Users could do this without any authentication required.

Truecaller crosses 100 million daily active users in India

Jio Rail app launched for Jio Phone

In its continued effort towards building a digitally-empowered India, Jio is redefining convenience for its users yet again. For the first time, IRCTC reserved ticket booking service is available for users on any JioPhone through the brand new JioRail app. The app will allow customers to book and cancel tickets by using debit cards, credit cards and e-wallets, check PNR status, train information, timings, routes, seat availability and several other services at a click of a button on their JioPhones. Available on the Jio App Store, the JioRail

www.mymobileindia.com

Caller identification app Truecaller has reached the 100 million daily active users (DAUs) milestone in India. Moving beyond just a ‘Caller ID and Spam blocking app’, Truecaller has emerged as one of the most preferred applications and a one-stop communication app for its users offering a variety of services including messaging and payments. With this achievement, Truecaller now has130 million daily active users globally, and over 500,000 premium subscribers. In addition to this, Truecaller also announced that every tenth active user in India has linked their bank account to Truecaller Pay, and 60% of all the people who are coming onboard on Truecaller Pay happen to be experiencing UPI for the first time. Apple plans 3D camera for new iPhone Apple reportedly plans to launch iPhones with a more-powerful 3D camera as soon as next year, stepping up the company’s push into augmented reality. According to people familiar with the plans, the rear-

facing, longer range 3D camera is designed to scan the environment to create threedimensional reconstructions of the real world. It will work up to about 15 feet from the device. That’s in contrast with the current iPhone 3D camera system, which points toward users and operates at distances of 25 to 50 centimeters to only power Apple’s Face ID facial-recognition feature. Apple’s new system uses a laser scanner, rather than the existing dotprojection technology which doesn’t work as well over longer distances, according to reports. The laser-powered 3D camera would enhance augmented reality on the iPhone, allowing for more accurate depth perception and placement of virtual objects. It could also help the handset take photos that can better capture depth. Apple has been in talks with Sony about testing sensors for the new system, reports said.

What’s Up

newsbits

Facebook pulls the plug on its data snooping Onavo VPN service Social media platform Facebook has decided to pull out its controversial Onavo VPN app off the Google Play Store after it

was revealed that the app’s code was used in a Facebook Research app that accessed data about teens. The Onavo app will eventually shut down and will immediately stop pulling out data from its users for market research. However, as per Tech Crunch, the app will continue operating as a VPN in short-term until users migrate to a replacement. Onavo was claimed to use a secure VPN network for users’ personal information, but mentioned that it would collect the time one spends on using apps, mobile, and Wi-Fi data, websites accessed, country, device, and network type. Facebook has now decided that instead of providing VPN for data access, it will focus on reward-based market research.

march 2019 | 15

What’s Up

newsbits Amazon to acquire Wi-Fi device maker Eero Amazon is buying Wi-Fi device maker Eero, helping the online retailer expand its line of smart home gadgets. Founded in 2014, San Francisco-based Eero sells $200

devices that can spread Wi-Fi throughout a home. Rival Google already sells similar devices. Seattle-based Amazon did not say how much it is paying for Eero. The deal is expected to be completed sometime in the first half of this year. Amazon has been growing its smart home gadgets in recent years: Its voice-activated Echo devices have been a hit for the company, and last year it paid about $839 million to buy Ring, the maker of Wi-Fi-connected video doorbells. Vodafone Idea coming up with a new music streaming app Telecom operator Vodafone Idea is said to be planning to launch its own music streaming app, in a bid to counter Reliance

Jio’s JioSaavn and Airtel’s Wynk Music. With the launch of new app, the existing Idea Music app will be shut down. “We are sunsetting the Idea Music app and we will come up very soon with an offering that will provide the best-in-class music streaming services, through a partnership that we are in the final stages of closing,” the report quoted Balesh Sharma, CEO of Vodafone Idea. “We will keep you posted on this but music is a big priority for us and we will work on that as well through partnerships,”

16 | march 2019

Sharma said. Airtel’s Wynk Music has 100 million users where JioSaavn is supposedly South Asia’s largest streaming, entertainment, and artist platform. The upcoming new music streaming platform would be a direct competitor to both Wynk and JioSaavn.

billion and for the refurbished segment is USD 4 billion (expected to reach USD 10 billion by FY2022),” it added. Its business has seen a year-on-year growth of over 250 per cent in five years and expects to close the ongoing fiscal at around Rs 200 crore in revenue, Yaantra said.

Airtel launches its 100th Next-Gen store in Kolkata Bharti Airtel recently launched its 100th Next-Gen Airtel store in India with the opening of the new format store at Park

Google Maps AR navigation feature testing begins for select users Google is letting some of its select users test the augmented reality (AR) navigation feature for Google Maps -- a feature that would provide people with directions from the phone’s camera in real time. As per a report by The Verge, David Pierce from The Wall Street Journal got hands-on experience of the AR navigation feature. “While it isn’t likely to be your primary turn-by-turn option, it’s a huge step in the right direction for Google Maps,” Pierce said. He described

Street in Kolkata. The company has plans of rolling out 10 Next-Gen stores across Kolkata and other major cities across West Bengal over the coming months. Airtel said that with the opening of the flagship NextGen Airtel store at Park Street, three new format stores are now open in Kolkata. “We are delighted to launch our Next-Gen store format in Kolkata and bring the next level of retail experience to our customers. This launch is in line with our obsession to continuously improve the experience for our customers and win them for life with our innovative digital experience,” said Vir Inder Nath, CEO – Retail, Bharti Airtel. The Next-Gen Airtel Stores have been conceptualized by the UK based 8 Inc. Recommerce startup Yaantra to expand presence to 800 cities in 3 years Delhi-based Yaantra, which provides repair services and refurbished smartphones, plans to expand its operations to over 800 cities and towns in the country, engaging over 40,000 retailers over the next three years. Yaantra will also set up a network of company-owned and franchisee-run repair centres in 220-250 towns and cities during the same time period, Yaantra said in a statement. “India has seen the highest year-on-year growth at 41 per cent in the refurbished category of the smartphones. The refurbished smartphones market is set to grow by 27 per cent in the coming years, where the market size for repair is USD 2

how the feature worked -- the app picks up a person’s location via Global Positioning System (GPS), and then uses Street View data to narrow it down to the exact location. Once his location was pinned down, it displayed big arrows and directions in his screen, the report said recently. The company showed this upcoming AR feature at its annual developer conference Google I/O in 2018. India’s first multiplayer Virtual Reality cricket game is here

JetSynthesys, a leading digital entertainment and gaming company, recently launched India’s first multiplayer Virtual Reality Cricket Game - Sachin Saga.

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Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar unveiled the Sachin Saga VR Limited Edition Headset and the Sachin Saga VR Game along with Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JetSynthesys. Launched at the CII India Gaming Show (IGS) - a three-day international gaming, animation and infotainment event in New Delhi, the event saw thousands of gamers line up to experience Sachin Saga VR, engaging in exciting head to head matches to win VR headsets signed by the master blaster himself. Equipped with best in class technology, Sachin Saga VR multiplayer game is all set to give cricket lovers an on-ground stadium immersion right from the middle of the pitch. Swiggy acqui-hires Bengaluru-based AI startup Kint.io

Food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy has acqui-hired Kint.io, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup that applies deep learning and computer vision for object recognition in video, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2014, the Bengalurubased startup would assist Swiggy in boosting its computer-vision technology and consumer experience. The founding members of Kint.io, Pavithra Solai Jawahar, and Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, will join the Swiggy team. “The team at Kint.io comes with an exceptional understanding and expertise in AI, machine learning and data sciences. This acqui-hire is part of our strategy to scale our tech prowess by bringing in entrepreneurial teams that can solve unique customer problems, while leveraging the network and resources at Swiggy,” said Dale Vaz, Head of Engineering and Data Sciences, Swiggy. Uber launches speed boat services in Mumbai Ridesharing company Uber has launched

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UberBOAT service on a pilot basis in Mumbai, in partnership with Maharashtra Maritime Board. The on-demand service

will provide transportation from three of the city’s popular coastal routes namely Gateway of India, Elephanta Islands and Mandwa Jetty, via speed boats. Starting February 1, riders can access two variants of UberBOAT based on seating capacity 6-8 seater for UberBOAT and 10+ seater for UberBOAT XL. Uber’s vision is to transform into a multi-modal transportation platform in India. In line with this, UberBOAT will enable riders in Mumbai to request a speedboat at the tap of a button through the Uber app, thus making waterway commute in the city efficient and convenient. Datanet brings economic updates at your fingertips via mobile app Datanet India, an ITeS company, has launched a first-of-its-kind mobile application, named ‘Key Economic Indicators of India’. The app is supported by 19 languages, of which 12 are Indian, viz. Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and the remaining seven are foreign languages, viz. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Nepali, Russian and Spanish. The app is functional on both iOS and Android platforms. With a name suggestive of its game, the ‘Key Economic Indicators of India’ collects latest updates and information on various elements of the economy such as Wholesale Price Index (WPI), Consumer Price index (CPI) Inflation, National Income, Foreign Trade and Investment, Exchange Rates, Bullion Rates, Capital Market, Insurance, Index of Industrial Production, Index of eight core Industries, Infrastructure, Energy Generation, Railways, Petroleum prices, Retail price of selected food commodities and Wage Rates etc. that forms the entire economic ecosphere.

Flock appoints Sam Mallikarjunan as Chief Revenue Officer Team messaging and collaboration platform Flock has roped in Sam Mallikarjunan as its Chief Revenue Officer. Sam will be responsible for driving the global market engagement, expansion and for channelizing revenue operations for Flock both globally and in India. His appointment will provide a major boost to Flock’s foothold in the already existing markets around the world. Prior to joining Flock, Sam was Head of Growth for HubSpot Labs, based in Boston, and a HubSpot Marketing fellow. Sam also taught Advanced Digital Marketing, Innovation Management, and SaaS strategy to senior executives at Harvard University’s Division of Continuing Education and the University of South Florida’s Muma College of Business. Reliance Entertainment acquires webseries’ rights of Harappa trilogy

Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Entertainment has acquired rights for motion picture, web-series, gaming and merchandising of author Vineet Bajpai’s Harappa trilogy. It will soon be adapted into major motionpictures or a multi-season original webseries. The company has recently won wide acclaim with the success of their original web-series Sacred Games, another bookadaptation. The Harappa trilogy comprises three fiction novels namely: Harappa – Curse of the Blood River (released June 2017); Pralay – The Great Deluge (released January 2018) and Kashi – Secret of the Black Temple (released September 2018). All three books of the trilogy are national bestsellers and, as per the publisher TreeShade Books, have sold close to 2,00,000 copies within 18 months of first release. n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 17

What’s Up

bignews Govt okays new national electronics policy eyeing 1 crore jobs

he Union Cabinet has approved a new electronics policy which aims to create a USD 400 billion electronic manufacturing ecosystem by 2025 and generate 1 crore jobs in the country. “We are targeting USD 400 billion (ecosystem) by 2025. It will give jobs to 1 crore people,” Law and IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said after the Cabinet meeting recently. The National Electronics Policy 2019 proposes to boost mobile manufacturing in the country to 1 billion units worth USD 190 billion (about Rs 13 lakh crore) of which 600 million units worth USD 110 billion (about Rs 7 lakh crore) will be exported from the country. Under the policy, the government aims to push manufacturing of strategic electronics required by defence and other strategic sector in the country. The first electronics policy came in 2012. n

Oppo invests in Electronic Manufacturing Cluster in Greater Noida

uilding upon its commitment to India, Oppo is setting up a Greenfield Electronic Manufacturing Cluster (EMC) in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh to manufacture electronics and support accessories locally in the country as well as generate huge employment opportunities in the state. The project is being set up by TEGNA Electronics Private Limited (TEGNA), an SPV of Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA), along with Oppo and a few Indian companies, under the support of the Department of IT & Electronics, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, and approved by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India under its Electronics Manufacturing Cluster Scheme.

The EMC will facilitate a common platform for existing electronic manufacturers and exporters to come together and establish an integrated hub for manufacturing electronics and hardware - primarily focused towards smartphones. The EMC will not only bring together strength in volumes of production and offer an attractive scale of operation to buyers, but also incorporate state-of-the-art infrastructural facilities for the stakeholders. The Cluster houses facilities like tool room, R&D lab etc. for manufacturing electronic products along with other manufacturing and support services. It will house some of the global leaders in manufacturing of electronics and support accessories. The EMC will also generate huge employment opportunities in the state, generating direct employment for around 25,000 - 30,000 persons. Tasleem Arif, Vice President and R&D Head, Oppo India, said, “As a brand that is consistently committed to bringing new and innovative products for our consumers, this opportunity will help us develop and manufacture hardware and electronics for new technologies right here in India. The EMC in Greater Noida will help us implement innovative and exciting technologies in future products that we introduce in India as well as help us build a local ecosystem for smartphone devices.” n

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What’s Up

bignews Realme to set up exclusive retail stores in India

ppo spinoff brand Realme, which started its operations just nine months ago, is set to expand into India’s offline market by setting up exclusive retail stores in the second half of 2019, according to reports quoting a top executive. The handset maker, which is now an independent brand targeting the global youth, indicated that it would also expand its accessories line-up. “In the second half of the year, we would open exclusive stores in India where the prospective buyers can get a hands-on experience of the entire portfolio of Realme devices that would include accessories as well as smartphones,” Madhav Sheth, CEO, Realme India, told a news agency. As per Counterpoint Research, the online-focused device maker was among the top smartphone players in the fourth quarter of 2018 with 8 per cent market share. The Chinese handset maker currently has one of its research and development (R&D) base in Hyderabad and another in China, while its manufacturing factory is located in Greater Noida. The company’s manufacturing plant in Greater Noida has a production capacity of almost 60-80 million handsets a year. Realme is also working to collaborate with 20,000 multi-brand retail outlets across 150 cities in the country. “With the new offline stores, we would extend our sales channels

reaching out to our offline customers in every region. This is the extension of our sales strategy and ultimate target of ‘ Realme for Every Indian’,” he added. Previously, Realme had an exclusive partnership with Reliance stores for offline sales of the products. As part of that partnership, Realme smartphones were being sold at more than 130 cities at over 1,300 Reliance Digital and My Jio stores. The company said it would refresh all its smartphone series in India with new additions this year. n

Karbonn commences operation at Tirupati mobile factory

omestic handset brand Karbonn Mobiles recently started operation at its Tirupati manufacturing unit, set up with an investment of Rs 200 crore. “The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) is glad to declare the set up of 269th manufacturing factory by Karbonn Mobiles at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh,” a company statement said. The facility is

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set up at Sri Venkateshwara Mobile and Electronics Manufacturing Hub under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh government,” ICEA Chairman Pankaj Mohindroo said. The total investment is Rs 200 crore, while the production capacity of the facility stands at 1 million cell phones per month. “The facility will be set up phase wise and will be spread in a zone of 1 lakh square ft. The facility will be rewarding work to more than 1,000 employees,” Karbonn Mobiles Chairman and ICEA Southern Zone Chairman Sudhir Hasija said. The facility was inaugurated by Mohindroo. The government policies and specific interventions along with the hard work of global and indigenous entrepreneurs have helped India attain the No 2 mobile handset manufacturing destination tag, Mohindroo said. n

march 2019 | 19

What’s Up

bignews Apple ropes in Deirdre O’Brien as new retail head to ramp up iPhone sales

pple has appointed Deirdre O’Brien as new head of global retail and online stores, in an endeavour to ramp up slow iPhone sales amid sluggish smartphone market. O’Brien will take over as Senior Vice President of Retail and People, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. “For more than three decades, she has helped keep Apple focused on serving customers and enriching lives,” said Cook. “I am thrilled to work alongside Deirdre in her new role, and I know our 70,000 retail employees will be, too,” he added. After five years, current retail head Angela Ahrendts plans to depart Apple in April for “personal and professional pursuits”. O’Brien will continue to lead the People team, overseeing all People-related functions, including talent development and Apple University, recruiting, employee relations and experience, business partnership, benefits, compensation, and inclusion and diversity. “I am looking forward to this journey, and to continuing the important work of the People team in supporting all of Apple’s amazing employees,” said O’Brien. Despite slow iPhone sales, Apple posted $84.3 billion in revenue for the first quarter of its fiscal 2019 -- a decline of 5 per cent from the year-ago quarter -- while revenue from its other products and services grew 19 per

cent. Apple operates 35 online stores and 506 retail stores in five continents. In the first quarter of its fiscal 2019, revenue from iPhone declined 15 per cent from the prior year. Cook said that there are several factors why iPhone sales are not picking up in the emerging markets. The customers are holding on to their older iPhones a bit longer than in the past. The Apple CEO said foreign exchange is another key factor behind the slow iPhone sales. n

Wistron, Foxconn plan to invest Rs 7,500 crore to expand business in India

aiwan-based contract manufacturers Wistron and Foxconn reportedly plan to invest a combined Rs 7,500 crore over five years to expand their production facilities in India. “Wistron is expected to begin manufacturing of iPhone 8 in the country, while Foxconn’s plans are to support higher levels of manufacturing of existing clients such as Xiaomi and Nokia phones,” reports quoted a person aware of the proposed investments. Between the both global companies, Wistron has applied to the government to invest Rs 5,000 crore and Foxconn Rs 2,500 crore under an incentive package that will likely give these companies benefits of Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 500 crore, respectively. The government has so far approved as many as 193 of the 421 applications received under the modified incentive package scheme (M-SIPS), of which 144 have started incurring investments totalling Rs 9,252 crore. “In December alone, the government received 146 applications with a proposed investment of Rs 43,140 crore under the scheme,” an official was quoted as saying in reports. “Barring two mega projects, we have received applications of over Rs 1 lakh crore for 421 applications till December 31, the last date.”

20 | march 2019

Wistron is looking to move some of its PC, Internet of Things, medical and cloud service businesses to India. The company has two plants near Bengaluru that assemble Apple’s iPhone SE and iPhone 6S devices for sale in India. The company estimated in its proposal that the investment would provide employment to over 10,000 people. Foxconn’s application to invest Rs 2,500 crore came in December. The world’s largest contract manufacturer recently flagged its concerns to the government over delays in refunds of about Rs 1,000 crore under the goods and services tax regime, saying one of its key India units has been left cash-starved and this could hurt plans to deepen local production of electronics. n

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What’s Up

bignews Duties on key mobile handset components removed from Feb. 1

he Centre has withdrawn a notification levying duties on key mobile handset parts such as LCD displays, touch panels and vibrator motors from February 1. According to people familiar with the development, this could be the first step towards deferring the levy by a year — to April 1, 2020 — giving relief to handset makers. It will give them more time to get in place an ecosystem for locally manufacturing such components. Handset manufacturers had said a February 1 deadline would increase the cost of locally made mobile phones, making it cheaper to import them, putting about 100 plants already set up for assembly out of work. The likes of Apple will also be relieved as the levies would have made devices dearer at a time the Cupertino-based company struggles to push sales in the pricesensitive Indian market. Government officials earlier said that the Centre was inclined to put this notification on hold, following representations by several industry associations and major handset makers. “It is prudent not to impose duty at this moment. This is specifically so because there is serious stress in the industry and it won’t be able to absorb any additional cost,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman of the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA). The notice had said LCD display assemblies, vibrator motors and touch panels were scheduled to attract 12.5% countervailing duty (CVD) and 1% excise duty without input tax credit from February 1. Apart from ICEA, various industry associations had sought a year’s

deferment of duty under the phased manufacturing programme (PMP) that was notified on January 8. They included the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India and MAIT.n

he Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has opened a channel allowing people to complain against offensive and vulgar messages received on WhatsApp. The victim just needs

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to furnish a screenshot of the message along with the mobile number and e-mail it to ccaddn-dot@nic.in. “If anyone is receiving abusive/offensive/death threats/ vulgar whatsapp messages ,please send screen shots of the message along with the mobile numbers at ccaddn-dot@nic.in. “We will take it up with the telecom operators and police heads for necessary action,” DoT Controller Communications Ashish Joshi tweeted. The move comes in wake of many public figures, including journalists, complaining of receiving abusive and threatening messages. The DoT, in an order on February 19, had said that licence conditions bar carriage of objectionable, obscene or unauthorised content in any form on the network. The order directed all telecom service providers to take immediate action against their customers for sending such messages as it is also a violation of customer declaration in the customer application form.n

march 2019 | 21

What’s Up

bignews Unisoc collaborates with Google to carry out GMS certification

abless semiconductor company Unisoc (formerly Spreadtrum) has been authorized by Google to become a third-party certification laboratory, certifying GMS Express Plus devices with Unisoc chipsets. This is another major milestone of Unisoc’s continuing cooperation with Google since joining the Google GMS Express program on December 2017. Unisoc is committed to providing customers with quality products and turn-key solutions that are highly cost-effective and time-saving, including pre-tested, pre- certified and fully compatible Android software, Google Mobile Service (GMS) and various Android test suites (CTS, GTS, VTS, CTS/GSI, BTS, STS, ITS, etc.). As a GMS 3PL certifier, Unisoc will be able to significantly simplify compatibility certification process, shorten its duration time for OEM and ODM customers, accelerate products launching and thus enhance overall market competitiveness. At the same time, customers will also receive frequent security patches to reduce risks of device hacking. Unisoc combines its unique chip design strength with the

Google GMS Express program to expedite the launching process smart terminal products for global device makers and deliver safe and smart Android experience to end users. n

India topping fake news menace globally, more pains likely ahead of polls

nternet users in India are more likely to encounter fake news online than the global average and social circles are increasingly spreading risks, says a recent global survey by Microsoft. Covering 22 countries and coming a few months ahead of the general elections, the Microsoft study shows that as many as 64 per cent of the Indians surveyed have encountered fake news as against the global average of 57 per cent. The country is ahead of the global average on Internet hoaxes with 54 per cent of those surveyed reporting so and also instances of phishing or spoofing

at 42 per cent. Interestingly, the survey finds that there has been a sharp 9 percentage points increase in family and friends spreading online risks to 29 per cent. “Social circles became riskier in India,” the survey said, adding the jump to 29 per cent has taken the country a little over the global average. Indians are also higher than global average when it comes to reporting of severe pain from online risks, with 52 per cent saying so as against the global average of 28 per cent. In what only complicates the matter, the country saw increased consequences from risks and little positive action taken following online risk exposure, the survey said. “Indians match the worldwide trend for consequences and were more likely to say that they were stressed and lost sleep in the latest year versus the previous year’s study. The country also showed drop in positive actions taken following online risk exposure and are less likely to pause before replying to someone whom they disagreed with online. Millennials and teenagers are the hardest hit by online risks and also sought help online. n

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What’s Up

bignews India all set to get its first indigenous LTE chip

acked by maverick entrepreneur Sridhar Vembu, founder of SaaS major Zoho, India is likely to get its first home-made LTE chipset, driven by research activities of a team of 50 engineers working in stealth mode in the country’s tech hub Bengaluru. Vembu calls the semiconductor creation a “one-of-a kind in India”. Vembu is credited with building Zoho’s mail and chat services, which the US National Security Agency (NSA) has found difficult to crack as part of its mass surveillance. Privately held Zoho is among the top software product companies in India and is known to have valuations higher than most unicorns here. However, Vembu is allergic to external private funding, which he says cripples creativity. “An investor will not allow me to spend time on R&D. He will look for returns,” he said. “The LTE modems and all components of a phone are all made outside India, and these are all tech-critical to our national security,” Vembu told a daily. With smartphones dominating our lives, Vembu believes it is essential for India to go beyond being mere consumers of this tech. “It is important for the economy, sovereignty, and security of the

country that we build this here,” he adds, explaining his personal motivation behind the project, which he considers akin to his own “private jet”. Without disclosing further details on production of the chipsets or OEM tie-ups, Vembu said India has all the talent required to build such a technology right here, and we just need patient capital to “put it all together”. A team of 50 engineers in Bengaluru have been working on the project, entirely funded by Zoho, for over eight years now. n

Local telecom manufacturing must for data security

elecom Minister Manoj Sinha has emphasised on the need to nourish local telecom manufacturing, dubbing it as a ‘must’ for attaining the cherished goal of sensitive data security in the country. Addressing TEPC India Telecom 2019, the annual conference of Telecom Export Promotion Council (TEPC) and attended by delegates from over 40 developing nations, Sinha said that “protecting security data is high on our agenda”, this can be achieved by focussing on local manufacturing and the domestic players should show their resolve of coming out with the best technology and products. Reeling out data about the development in the domestic telecom technology and

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product base, he told delegates, including 140 overseas, that the national digital communication policy of 2018 was helping and focussing on developing India’s digital telecom base with the purpose of bridging the digital divide between urban and rural India. Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan said that India was poised to become the next export hub in the telecom segment and urged the visiting delegates to partner the process for meeting the specific requirement of developing and underdeveloped economies. She also stressed that India and its partners should not always look to the west for the upcoming tech but rather innovate themselves and must be self dependent. Union Commerce and Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu, who inaugurated the conference, said, India, with its stellar track record in building affordable and innovative technologies will be keen to partner with nations looking at scalable and low cost communication solutions. Describing as ‘all pervasive’, the communication technology, he said that this has brought people on the same platform on a real time basis. TEPC Chairman and former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh assured the government of the robust positioning of domestic players like Tejas and Vihaan saying that the local players were capable of providing low cost and innovative communication solutions both for India and requirements of developed and developing economies. n

march 2019 | 23

What’s Up

bignews Google’s Adiantum lets even low-priced Android smartphones get encryption

ech major Google has created a special encryption method for cheaper entry-level smartphones called Adiantum which would be an optional part of Android distributions going forward. To ensure that all devices are encrypted, Adiantum is an innovation in cryptography, designed to make storage encryption more efficient for devices without cryptographic acceleration, Google wrote in a security blog recently. According to the post, low budget Android smartphones do not come with the processing power that is needed to run - Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) - which is the standard storage encryption Android uses. “Android runs on a wide range of devices including smart watches and TVs and in order to offer low cost options, device manufacturers sometimes use low-end processors which do not have hardware support for AES. We’ve been working to change this because we believe that encryption is for everyone,” the post said. On cheaper Android devices, AES runs very slow, resulting in longer app-launch time, slowing of device and poor user experience. “Even though Adiantum is very new, we are in a position to have high confidence in its security. In our paper, we prove that it has good security properties,” the post added. Google added the requirement and facilitation for encryption on most Android

devices since 2015, with the roll-out of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. “Android device manufacturers can enable Adiantum for either full-disk or file-based encryption on devices with AES performance less than or equal to 50 megabit per second (MiB/sec) and launching with Android Pie,” Google mentioned. n

Battery-less phones closer to reality

cientists have made a huge breakthrough that allows them to convert radio signals into power. The discovery could allow for phones and other devices that don’t use batteries — as well as entirely new ways of using smart technologies. Scientists in the US developed the device, known as a “rectenna”, from a semiconductor just a few atoms thick. Wi-fi signals captured by an integrated antenna are transformed into a DC current suitable for

electronic circuits. The device could be used to provide battery-less power for smartphones, laptops, medical devices and wearable technology, according to the US-led team. Because of its flexibility, it could also be fabricated to cover large areas. This has major implications for the future of “electronic intelligence”, say the scientists. Professor Tomas Palacios, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: “What if we could develop electronic systems that we wrap around a bridge or cover an entire highway, or the walls of our office and bring electronic intelligence to everything around us? “We have come up with a new way to power electronics of the future — by harvesting wi-fi energy in a way that’s easily integrated in large areas — to bring intelligence to every object around us.” In experiments, the rectenna generated about 40 microwatts of power when exposed to typical wi-fi signals of 150 microwatts. That is more than enough to light up a simple mobile display or activate silicon chips. The research is published in ‘Nature’. n team@mymobile.co.in

24 | march 2019

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Samsung Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M10

n order to take on China’s Xiaomi that is known for offering feature-loaded phones at affordable prices, South Korean

handset major Samsung has come up with the Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M10 smartphones – under the all-new Galaxy M series. Talking about specs, the Galaxy M20 comes with a true

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justin

FHD+ 6.3” FHD+ infinity-V display, while the Galaxy M10 has a HD 6.2” HD+ infinity-V display. Both the Galaxy M20 and M10 come with Widevine L1 certification for seamless streaming of HD content through popular apps. Samsung has packed a powerful 5,000mAh battery in Galaxy M20. The power management feature in the M20 boasts of a multilayered technology system that ensures low power consumption. The type C fast charging feature ensures 3X speed as compared to the normal charging, thanks to the 15W in-box charger. While the Galaxy M20 is powered by Samsung’s latest Exynos 7904 octa-core processor, the Galaxy M10 is powered by Exynos 7870 octa-core processor. The M20 comes with both the fingerprint and Face Unlock features, whereas the M10 comes with Face Unlock only. Both the Galaxy M20 and M10 come with a dedicated storage slot expandable up to 512GB and have dual SIM support. In terms of optics, both the Galaxy M20 and M10 sport dual rear camera, with ultra-wide feature. Both the phones come with a 13MP primary rear camera that has F1.9 aperture. The secondary rear camera has a 5MP ultra-wide feature. They are said to come with best-in-class low-aperture lenses. Additionally, the Galaxy M series comes with a new Samsung Experience version 9.5 UX which is optimized for a fast and smooth user experience. They are available in Ocean Blue and Charcoal Black colours on Amazon and Samsung.com. The Galaxy M20 is priced at Rs 12,990 for the 4GB+64GB variant, while the 3GB+32GB variant costs Rs 10,990. On the other hand, the Galaxy M10 is priced at Rs 8,990 for the 3GB+32GB variant and Rs 7,990 for 2GB+16GB. n

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february 2019 | 25

First Look

justin

Coolpad Cool 3

oolpad recently launched Cool 3 smartphone in India at an

camera setup with 8-megapixel primary camera and a 0.3-

affordable price of Rs 5,999, which makes it to compete

megapixel secondary camera. At the front, the budget-segment

against budget-segment smartphones like Xiaomi Redmi 6A,

handset sports a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.

Nokia 1, to name a few. Its main features include a 5.71-inch

The dual-sim smartphone packs a 3,000mAh battery. It

HD+ Dewdrop notch display, fingerprint scanner and dual rear

features a fingerprint scanner. Connectivity options include

camera setup. It’s available both online and offline.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Coming to the spec-sheet, the Coolpad Cool 3 sports a 5.71-

The all-new handset is available in four different shades -

inch HD+ Dewdrop notch display with a resolution of 720 by

Midnight Blue, Ruby Black, Ocean Indigo and Teal Green.

1520 pixels. It is powered by 1.3GHz octa-core processor

Talking about the newest offering by the company, Fisher Yuan,

coupled with 2GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, expandable

President, Coolpad Group and South Asia, said, “We are looking

up to 128GB via microSD card. The device runs on Android 9

forward to offering our consumers a decent experience and we

Pie.

will launch a range of affordable smartphones this year to build

In terms of optics, the smartphone features a dual rear

26 | march 2019

our presence in India.” n

MYMOBILE

Moto G7 Power

enovo-owned Motorola has come up with Moto G7 Power

632 14nm processor with Adreno 506 GPU, backed by 4GB

in India. The smartphone was recently unveiled in Brazil

RAM and 64GB internal storage that can be expanded up to

along with Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 and Moto G7 Play. The Moto

512GB using a microSD card. The phone has a Water-repellent

G7 Power comes with a 6.2-inch HD+ display with a notch and

P2i coating for protection and comes with Android 9.0 (Pie)

runs on Android 9.0 (Pie). It comes with a polymer glass back

along with Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD).

with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a dual SIM as well as a microSD card slot. In terms of technical specifications, the Moto G7 Power sports a 6.2-inch HD+ 19:9 2.5D curved glass display

In the photography department, the Moto G7 Power boasts of a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1.25um pixel size and on the front is an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel size.

with1570Ă&#x2014;720 pixels resolution that comes protected by

The smartphone measures 160.83 x 76 x 9.4 mm in

Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It has a 1.8GHz octa-core Snapdragon

dimensions and has a fingerprint sensor at the back. It houses

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a 5,000mAh battery with 15W Turbocharging and gets other features like Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz / 5GHz), GPS + GLONASS and USB Type-C. The Moto G7 Power is priced at Rs 13,999 and comes in Ceramic Black colour in India. It is available on Flipkart and offline stores. n

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march 2019 | 27

First Look

justin

Gionee F205 Pro

fter reports that it has filed for bankruptcy a couple of months ago, Gionee has quietly launched a new budget smartphone,

dubbed the Gionee F205 Pro in India. The all-new Gionee offering is an incremental upgrade to the F205 smartphone,

which was launched back in April last year. Speaking of specifications, the Gionee F205 Pro sports a 5.45-inch display that bears HD+ (720 x 1,440p) resolution and an aspect ratio of 18:9. The phone is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6739WW chipset paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage which is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. The phone boots a dated Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. On the camera front, the Gionee handset houses a 13megapixel primary camera with LED flash and f/2.0 aperture lens. Its front camera rocks a 5-megapixel shooter with f/2.2

3.5mm headphone jack, and a micro-USB port.

aperture for selfies and video calling. The cameras are also said

The Gionee F205 Pro is priced at Rs 5,890 and is available

to be backed by features like Portrait Mode, beautification, HDR,

via Flipkart across the country. It comes in Black, Blue

scene detection, and more.

and Champagne colour options. Launch offers include flat Rs

The phone is powered by a 3,000mAh battery and has a rear-

1,100 discount, 10 per cent instant discount of Axis Bank credit

mounted fingerprint sensor. Connectivity options include 4G

and debit cards, and 5 per cent off with Axis Bank Buzz credit

VoLTE, dual SIMs, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, a

card. n

28 | february march 2019 2019

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 Titanium

sus has come up with the Titanium edition of its recently

a dual camera setup at the back with a 12MP (f/1.8) Sony

launched Zenfone Max Pro M2 smartphone. As the name

IMX486 lens coupled with a 5MP secondary lens. At the front,

suggest, the smartphone sports a Titanium colour. Talking about its technical specifications, the Zenfone Max

the device uses a 13MP (f/2.0) selfie shooter along with an LED flash.

Pro M2 Titanium edition comes with a 6.26-inch FHD+ notch

The smartphone comes with a fingerprint security sensor at

display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and a 2.5D Corning Gorilla

the back in addition to Face Unlock. It also offers expandable

Glass 6 on top for protection. The smartphone is powered by a

storage through a triple-slot tray, capable of holding two 4G

Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC with options of 3GB and 6GB

SIMs as well as a microSD card of up to 2TB of storage.

RAM and 32GB and 64GB storage correspondingly. It runs

The phone retails at Rs 12,999 for 3GB RAM/32GB storage

Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box and all of this is backed up by

variant, Rs 14,999 for 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant and Rs

a colossal 5,000mAh battery. Coming to the optics, the new Zenfone Max Pro M2 houses

www.mymobileindia.com

16,999 for the higher 6GB RAM/64GB variant, exclusively on Flipkart. n

march 2019 | 29

First Look

justin

Lava Z92

omegrown handset brand Lava has come with a new smartphone, known

as the Z92 in its brand new Z-series. The budget flagship offering from the brand comes with a notch-toting display, a rearmounted fingerprint sensor and dual-tone finish as its highlights. In terms of specs, the Lava Z92 comes with a 6.22-inch display with HD+ (720 x 1,440p) resolution and a notch atop the panel. The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 SoC that the company claims will give a lag-free performance. The chipset is mated with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 256GB by adding a microSD card. On the camera front, the handset sports a 13-megapixel sensor with dual LED flash on the rear and an 8-megapixel shooter on the front for selfies and video calling. The cameras are backed by bokeh mode that is touted to make images more alluring and makes the object stand out from the background. The entire setup is backed by 3,260mAh battery. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 9,999. It comes in just Ocean Blue-Black colour with gradient finish. As for the launch offers, the smartphone comes with Jio offer of Rs 2,200 cashback + 50GB of data. The cashback will be credited in the form of 44 cashback vouchers of Rs 50 each in MyJio app on purchase of Rs 198 and Rs 299 Jio recharges, while the 50GB 4G additional data will be in the form of add-on data of 5GB per recharge. n

30 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Tecno Camon iACE2, Camon iACE2X

xpanding its smartphone lineup, Transsion Holdingsbacked Tecno Mobile has launched Camon iACE2 and

Camon iACE2X. Both the smartphones come with a gradient

colour finish and sport an HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Specs-wise, both the Tecno Camon iACE2 and Camon iACE2X come with similar specifications except for 2GB RAM

For connectivity, both the phones come with dual 4G

on iACE2 and 3GB RAM on iACE2X. Both the phones feature

VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS

a 5.5-inch (1440 Ă&#x2014; 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass

and house on a 3,050mAh battery. The phones come with a

display and are powered by a 2GHz quad-core MediaTek Helio

3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio and dual microphones.

A22 12nm processor, backed by IMG PowerVR GE-class

The Tecno Camon iACE2 price in India is Rs 6,699, while

GPU. Both get 32GB internal storage that can be expanded

the Camon iACE2X price in India is Rs 7,599. Both the

up to 256GB via microSD card and run on HIOS 4.1 on top

phones come in Midnight Black and Champagne Gold colours

of Android 8.1 (Oreo). The phones are dual SIM (nano + nano

wherein the Camon iACE2 comes with an additional City Blue

+ microSD) compatible and come with a 13-megapixel rear

colour while the Camon iACE2X comes in Nebula Black

camera with LED Flash, f/1.8 aperture along with a VGA

Gradient colour.

secondary camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera

The phones are available over 35,000+ retail stores across

with f/2.0 aperture, LED flash. The iACE2X comes with a

India and come with 100 days free replacement, time screen

fingerprint sensor, while both get the face-unlock feature.

replacement and 1-month extended warranty. n

www.mymobileindia.com

february 2019 | 31

International

justin Xiaomi Mi 9

fter much speculation, Xiaomi recently launched a new

Game Turbo feature, which is said to boost the phone’s

flagship, the Mi 9, at an event in China. The major

performance for an improved gaming experience. This

highlights of the smartphone include a triple camera set up at the back with a 48-megapixel sensor and the powerful Snapdragon 855 processor.

feature helps in maintaining a higher frame rate. The triple camera setup at the back includes a 48megapixel primary sensor with an f/1.75 aperture and laser

The all-new Mi 9 comes in an interesting curved glass

autofocus, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens and a 16-

design with gradient finish at the back. There’s a 6.39-inch

megapixel ultra-wide angle lens with a 117-degree view as

Samsung-made AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution.

well as 4cm macro photography capability. There are also

There is a tiny water-drop notch at the top and a slight chin

some AI features, distortion correction, a bunch of face

at the bottom. It is claimed to have a 90.7-per cent screen-

filters and more.

to-body ratio. The handset runs on a Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB and 8GB RAM options. During the event, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun announced a

Other features include an in-display fingerprint sensor, NFC, infrared remote to control TVs and air conditioners and improved audio, courtesy a large driver and a 0.9cc sounding chamber. There’s a 3,300mAh battery which can fully charge within 60 minutes as the phone supports 27W fast charging. Moreover, the Mi 9 also gets a transparent limited edition just like last year’s Mi 8. The limited edition of the Mi 9 was announced in association with newly-released sci-fi movie Alita: Battle Angel. It comes with a whopping 12GB of RAM. The Mi 9 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced at 2,999 yuan (Rs 32,000 approx) while, the 8GB version will cost 3,299 yuan (Rs 35,000 approx). The special transparent edition with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage will cost 3,999 yuan (Rs 43,000 approx). n

International

justin

Samsung Galaxy Fold and S10 Series

fter several rumours and speculations,

Samsung

finally

launched the muchawaited Galaxy S10 series along with the first of its kind foldable smartphone at an event in Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, USA, recently. Galaxy Fold: The ambitious Galaxy Fold features a folding display, which is 4.6 inches when folded and 7.3 inches

Android 9 Pie with Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s One UI on top. Galaxy S10+: The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has 8GB RAM and

when unfolded. Most interestingly, this phone supports

128GB ROM, the other storage variants are 512GB and 1TB

triple app multitasking. And according to Samsung, social

coupled with expandable storage support. This phone is powered

networking giants like Facebook, WhatsApp and even Microsoft

by a 4,100mAh battery with reverse wireless charging and is

office are optimized for the folding screen. This phone features

fueled by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor in some regions

12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage coupled with a 7nm

or the Exynos 9820 in other countries.

chipset. It runs on Android 9.0 (Pie) and has a massive 4,380mAh battery.

Galaxy S10e: The Galaxy S10e sports a 5.8-inch Infinity-O display that appears in two RAM variants- 6GB and 8GB. Coming

Galaxy S10: The flagship device sports a 6.1-inch QHD+

to the optical department, this phone sports dual rear sensor, a

Infinity-O display coupled with 19:9 aspect ratio with a support

12MP wide-angle sensor and a 16MP fixed focus sensor, while

of HDR10+. Unlike other phones, it also reduces the blue light.

the front camera is backed by a 10MP sensor. The phone is

Coming to the optics, this phone features a triple rear sensor-

12MP wide-angle lens, a 12MP telephoto lens, and a 16MP

855 or Exynos 9820 SoC.

ultra-wide lens camera. It has a 10MP selfie sensor for clicking

As for prices and availability, the Galaxy Fold carries a price

impeccable selfies and video calling. The phone is powered by

tag of $1,980 (approx. Rs 1.41 lakhs) in the US and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going

a 3,400mAh battery and backed by Snapdragon 855 chipset in

to be available from April 26, while the Galaxy S10 will be priced

some regions or the Exynos 9820 processor in other regions. For

at $899.99 (approx. Rs 64,190), Galaxy S10+ price starts at

security, this phone has an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint

$999.99 (approx. Rs 71,320), and Galaxy S10e price starts at

sensor and unlike other phones, it features a 3.5 mm jack. With

$749.99 (approx. Rs 53,490). n

a support for reverse wireless charging, the phone operates on

www.mymobileindia.com

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 33

Limelight

lead story

Foldable Smartphones!

Sensible or Senseless?

The game has just begun! A game that will dawn into a new era of smartphone and its evolution over the years to reach at a stage when we can literally see the innovations happening and taking shapes and sizes. Right now, it evolves to come into a foldable format with multiple displays. Yes, Foldable Smartphones! By Haider Ali Khan

34 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

hey are no more just a concept

comes out of its stable. Reports also

It will neither expand the market nor

but, has actually made way

suggest that Oppo is also working to bring

increase the growth of the smartphone

into our lives and to begin

its own foldable smartphone but it’s not

sales substantially,” believes Faisal

the journey of a completely

official yet.

Kawoosa, Founder and Chief Analyst of

new era as the technology giants such as

techARC.

Samsung and Huawei have announced

Game Changer?

their foldable smartphones. The South

“At a time when global smartphone market

expand the market nor increase the growth

Korean Electronics major, Samsung, will

is in a distress, companies have come out

of the smartphone sales substantially.

be credited the first smartphone maker

with concept devices like foldable phones

When we see it in the perspective of

to announce its foldable smartphone just

to excite consumers which are aimed less

Indian buyers there’s a very niche market

couple of weeks ago in San Francisco,

at driving overall sales but are meant for

or buyers of these innovations to make it

United States. Samsung has launched

showcasing technologies and a roadmap

a success here and the same goes for the

the first foldable smartphone called the

to futuristic devices,” says Upasana Joshi,

world too. When we already have such

Samsung Galaxy Fold priced anywhere

Associate Research Manager, Channel

brilliant screens available in single format

between one and half lakh Indian rupees or

Research, IDC India.

why would anyone be interested in buying

He has a valid point that this will neither

nearly USD 2,000. Similarly, the Chinese

However, the use cases of these

a foldable smartphone with multiple

giant, Huawei, too has announced its

foldable smartphones are hugely debated

displays. What purpose does it solve? It will

foldable smartphone at Mobile World

and should have been especially when the

only add to the glam quotient per say. On

Congress 2019 or MWC, Barcelona,

tablet market across boundaries are going

the contrary, this is indeed a technological

Spain called Huawei Mate X which may

downhill and is in shambles. A normal

advancement that needs to be cherished.

sell around USD 2,600.

human being can also look into one screen

It has solved major hardware limitations of

at a time so what’s the use of multi-screen

a screen and makes us to realize as how

and foldable display?

elaborate it can go. It has certainly helped

The Apple aspirants will have to wait for their turn as the Cupertino-based trillion dollar company has also applied

“Well indeed this solves one of the

in breaking the odds and challenging the

for the patent of a foldable device at the

major hardware limitations of screen,

monotony of screen. Didn’t we were happy

US Patent and Trademark office but, will

which will open up new use cases. I

and excited when we first see convertible,

have to wait till 2020 before anything

wouldn’t however, call it a game changer.

rotating laptops?Similarly, the foldable

www.mymobileindia.com

Limelight

lead story

march 2019 | 35

Limelight

lead story smartphones will open gates for the

foldable smartphones. The urban India

thinkers and challengers to invest more

earns handsomely and knows where

into R&D.

and how to spend lavishly on high-end premium smartphones that makes them an

Convenience

attractant in crowd. The millennial largely

The Foldable smartphones will come with

depends on their smartphone for majority

challenges too. Size being one of them.

of tasks; be it content consumption,

When we conceptualize it in the real world

sending mails, preparing spreadsheet, listening music, texts, etc. The usages of laptop and desktop have gone down drastically over the years and the kind of specifications and functionalities a smartphone has to offer is no different from a PC or a laptop. Therefore, foldable smartphones are future for them. They do not have to switch between a smartphone, tablet or a laptop. They can use as much space on the display as per the need of it. So, it makes

around us it won’t make any sense because most of them will be on heavier side

36 | march 2019

sense.

Challenges

which makes it uneasy to carry around

There’s no denying that these foldable

during our routine work.

smartphones will remain niche concept

“At a time when global smartphone market is in a distress, companies have come out with concept devices like foldable phones to excite consumers which are aimed less at driving overall sales but are meant for showcasing technologies and a roadmap to futuristic devices,” – Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Channel Research, IDC India.

“It is again a converged/convertible

and could be afforded by a very few.Not

category of innovation. Unfortunately, in

only this, the foldable smartphones will

adding to the number of displays.Buyers

case of laptops-tablets we did not see

also eat into the tablet market as well as

will stick to their respective brand in this

much of traction. However, in this case,

the laptop which are already down.

genre as this concept is still evolving and

foldable overlaps between the tablet

“It will further hit the already declining

and a smartphone so, it brings a lot of

Tablet market, rather than increasing sales

convenience and people won’t have to

of smartphones. I would see it hitting

Upasana further elaborates that, “With

carry two devices one for portability another

Surface and iPad especially as the price

consumers holding their premium phones

for content consumption, especially for

points would match the user profile there,”

for 2+ years now, due to their superior

bigger screen usage,” says Faisal.

said Faisal.

build coupled with lack of differentiating

will take some time to bring down the prices and the acceptability.

The surge in the online consumption

The premium smartphone range

innovations in the newer range, it is still

and subscription based content watching

would not get affected by the foldable

doubtful that whether these hardware

such as Netflix, Amazon, etc. could also

smartphones. They do not have any

innovations (like foldable phones) be

prove to be a vital set of audience for

differentiating factor other than just

enough to create a disruption especially

MYMOBILE

in a price conscious India market (More

We have only seen Corning Gorilla for the

than 80% market in below $200).”

protection, IPS LCD, OLED, AMOLED

The larger worry lies in the clear use

and Super AMOLED, etc. but, nothing

cases of these devices to the consumers

concrete has happened over the years.

along with the steep pricing which lets

The engineers have done a remarkable job

the consumer hold previous generation

in creating foldable smartphones having

devices for a longer time, she adds.

multiple displays. They have made the

In a country like India, foldable smartphones will have a daunting task

impossible possible by overcoming this design and hardware barrier.

ahead. With the advent of 5G and more

Foldable smartphones makers must

income at hand people might opt for these

have thought hard that’s why they have

futuristic ideas but the challenges remain.

invested so much on these futuristic

The buyers of the premium smartphones

devices. Samsung and Huawei have

might remain contended with what they

begun the race and there are quite a

have at their disposal.

few wanting to join the league such as

Conclusion

Limelight

lead story

Apple and Oppo. Each one of them has premium and luxury smartphonesas well

The foldable smartphones may not be that

as mid-range and budget but the foldable

viable and financially successful for their

smartphones may prove to be a milestone

makers but, has stirred the Hornets’ nest

in their journey.

which was much needed indeed.Foldable

This is very early stage of foldable

smartphone can replace tablets and that’s

smartphones. Today, they are bulkier,

good for the business as the companies

heavier, consume battery and are too unfit

may not think more on making tablets

for today’s generation of narrow jeans in

when the sales are down and out. The large

which these smartphones will seldom fit.

screen smartphones have almost replaced

If 2019 is the year of advent of foldable

tablets from the scene. There might not be

smartphones then who knows we might

many takers but it has created disruption

soon get to see flexible smartphones.

in the display market opening new gates

There are companies working on some

for the developers, suppliers and think

futuristic ideas such as Motorola and

tank at R&D level.

Nokia apart from the earlier trendsetters

The display market hasn’t evolved that

like Samsung, Huawei, Apple and Oppo.

much with the pace of smartphone growth.

Having said that, these foldable

“Well indeed this solves one of the major hardware limitations of screen, which will open up new use cases. I wouldn’t however, call it a game changer. It will neither expand the market nor increase the growth of the smartphone sales substantially,” – Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and Chief Analyst at techARC. smartphones are yet to make its entry into Indian shores but they have got the bell ringing. The price and portability could be the deciding factors for people opting for foldable smartphones. It will certainly take the market to a completely different level of competition. A lot needs to be done before they can actually make it to the masses. Premium smartphones such as Galaxy S10 and Huawei P30 are brilliant crafted ones and no less than these foldable smartphones. It will take time for the buyers to get out of their comfort zone and experience something which they had never done before.n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 37

In Conversation

face to face

“Our own manufacturing in China, Indonesia and India will always be an advantage” Indian mobile market has a new player working hard to create an impact among the buyers and the competitors called theYuho Mobile,which is from the house of one of the largest mobile phone manufacturing OEM from China, UCT. It is going to bring features like Notch Display, 4G Dual VoLTE, Front and Back Bokeh mode camera and many more at an unbelievable price offering for Indian buyers. Capt. Chanpreet Singh, Country CEO and Managing Director of Yuho Mobile shared his thoughts on the company’s strategies, expansion and aim with Haider Ali Khan as how it wants to explore the untouched areas. Excerpts: Why Yuho Mobile when India is already a

With Yuho Smartphones we want to

crowded market for smartphones? Where do

democratize the technology in its true

you see the potential for you that have been

sense. We are bringing high-end features

left untouched? The entire smartphone

like Notch Display, First-In-Class 4G

ecosystem can we be divided into 3

Dual VoLTE, Front and Back Bokeh mode

parts:

camera and many more at an unbelievable

a. The high-end which is expensive –

price offering. We are here to make our

people desire best of the experience

mark in entry-level price bracket but with

b. The middle-zone which offers a mix

the finest smartphone experience in the

of an exciting product feature and

class. We want to truly make the latest

affordable to a larger set

technology to all in the shortest possible

c. The Entry level segment – where

time.

smartphone specific knowledge is not democratic and price sensitivity

Being a startup mobile company in India

is too high. Hence, it is

needs a lot of attention both online and

often the case that any

offline. What would be the strategy of

new high-end feature

Yuho Mobile to reach the untouched

reaches them too

and unexplored corners of India? Yuho

late.

Smartphones is relatively a young brand. However, the team comprises of extremely experienced personnel who have their majority of experience working with Tier 3 and Tier 4 markets. As part of our distribution strategy, we are building the brand with Tier 4 to Tier 1 approach. True to our vision, we are operational in some of the remotest areas of the country where large brands are missing. It’s quite clear that those are not priority areas for the big brand. Our

76 | february 2019

MYMOBILE

us to provide the required spare parts on time and troubleshoot problems quickly. The service arm also helps develop data in order to improve products. Yuho Mobile has been operational in India for last two years but hasn’t been able to make a mark among the audience. inclusive working is committed to taking

How do you wish to change the perception

smartphones to all those areas. Both our

and make it an admired mobile brand? We

distribution and marketing approaches

are in this game for the long run. This

are aligned to the same purpose. Hence,

is not a race. It is very important to

you would find our advertisements more

first develop the infrastructure, skill

on regional channels.

set and acumen to handle all things

In Conversation

face to face

related to local manufacturing. We are “We are bringing also giving enough time to the channel high-end features like Yuho Mobile planning to cater? Our to develop trust on our working Notch Display, First-In-Class 4G focused price bracket is 6K to 10K processes and products. Once these per SKU are done, it will be easier to scale Dual VoLTE, Front and Back Bokeh up quickly. mode camera and many more at an You must be prepared for the fierce unbelievable price offering. We are competition and price versus Do you have plans to enter the specification war in India? How here to make our mark in entry-level feature phone segment, accessories will you combat this challenge? or TV market? Our core expertise price bracket but with the finest What differentiates us from many as an OEM is exclusively in smartphone experience others in our category is that Yuho smartphone manufacturing. We are is from the house of one of the largest structured to make smartphones of any in the class” What would be the price segment in which

mobile phone manufacturing OEM

specifications. Hence, we are focused

from China, called UCT. Our own

only on smartphones and want to achieve

manufacturing in China, Indonesia and

Customer service can be a make or break

about a 1.5 % share in the smartphone market in India.

India will always be an advantage. Being

deal for any mobile company. How will you

an original OEM also enables us to design

address the concerns going forward, if any

and develop products in the shortest

and have you done any partnership to fulfill

DoesYuho Mobile need a brand ambassador

possible time.

it? Keeping customers in mind we have

to endorse it? Driven by our local-first

been exclusively able to develop a unique

approach, we are working on a regional

You’ve set the revenue target of Rs 1,000

hybrid model for effective after sales.

level multi-brand ambassador plan.

crore by 2020 but, you haven’t specified

The model ensures that the customer

For Yuho Smartphones to become

about the investments for it? Additionally,

gets attended at the earliest. The L1/L2/

a community name, we shall lead-in

we are in the process of increasing our

collection service points are outsourced

with a local community first approach

capacity and also preparing to start PCBA

whereas L3/L4 are COCO (company

and hence, the plan for regional

production. Total outlay has been set at

owned company operated). The in-house

Rs 500 crore till 2020.

manufacturing and sourcing also helps

ambassadors. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 39

In Focus

snapshot

10 Years of Samsung Galaxy Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone company, and one of the India’s most trusted brands. Right from the beginning, Samsung’s meaningful innovations have been centred on empowering its consumers to “do what you can’t”. Time and again, Samsung has pushed the limits of mobile technology and set the standard for what the smartphone can – and should – be. Samsung is a global leader and has been a pioneer in smartphone innovations over the years. Here is a list of some global firsts from Samsung

1 2 3 4 5 40 | march 2019

Way back in 1999 Samsung brought entertainment to the palm of our hands with the first TV phone

Staying ahead of the curve, Samsung introduced high-quality photography and the mobile phone together with a built-in 10megapixel camera on the Samsung B600, at a time when phone cameras were not even a norm in the industry

Developed the watch phone in 1999 to enhance productivity on-the-go, years before “smartwatch” became a household term

In 2002, Samsung launched the True Color Phone, introducing the world to the active matrix LCD display

In 2011, Samsung created a large screen smartphone category with Galaxy Note and debuted the revolutionary S Pen

MYMOBILE

snapshot

Samsung introduced the Edge Display curved smartphone screen that didn’t just offer consumers a gorgeous design but a brand new way to interact with their device with edge functionality.

6 7 8 9

In Focus

In March 2010, Samsung launched the first Galaxy S series device. Packed with best-in-class technology – including a powerful GPU and a 4-inch Super AMOLED display

Samsung pioneered meaningful innovation that brought convenience and security to consumers everywhere: Samsung Knox, Samsung Pay, and countless other services and capabilities opened up a Galaxy of possibilities

When the industry was rife with all similar looking phones, Samsung broke the monotony and raised the bar of smartphone design by introducing stunning Infinity Display with Galaxy S8

With the super powerful Galaxy Note9, consumers could power a PC-like experience right from their smartphones, on any TV or monitor with just a single HDMI cable, thanks to in-built Samsung Dex. A feature never before seen on any smartphone, perfect for consumers who want to carry their work wherever they go.

The highest variant of the Galaxy Note9 also had 1TB ready memory, as much as laptop so consumers could store more and delete less

Samsung isn’t just changing how smartphones will

10 11

innovation opened up a world of possibilities for consumers

look. It’s also changing how they’ll connect by working hard

everywhere and signalled the start of industry-firsts

to usher in the next generation of connectivity with 5G.

and trailblazing technologies that continue to empower

Samsung introduced Galaxy to the world. This landmark

consumers to do what they thought could not be done. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 41

Trendz

Market insight

India Smartphone Market Exits 2018 with Highest Ever Shipments 142.3 million units were shipped in the domestic market, with 14.5% year-on-year growth as compared to 2017, says IDC

ndia smartphone market shipped

sequential decline of 15.1% in 2018Q4

were the online-focused brands that

142.3 million units in 2018,

owing to high channel inventory, but saw

drove the share of the online channel to

registering a healthy 14.5% year-

a healthy annual growth of 19.5%, driven

an all-time high of 38.4% in 2018 and

on-year (YoY) growth as compared to

primarily by multiple rounds of sales by

a whopping 42.2% in 2018Q4. This

2017, as per IDCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Asia/Pacific Quarterly

e-tailers beyond the festive Diwali period

was primarily driven by several rounds

Mobile Phone Tracker. After a strong quarter

lasting into December, the report added.

of discounts by e-tailers driving

of 2018Q3, the smartphone market saw a

42 | march 2019

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amongst the big highlights of 2018

MYMOBILE

Trendz

Market insight Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India. However, the offline channel had a rather muted year with a modest 6.7% annual growth in 2018 and growing 5.0% sequentially in 2018Q4. The offline channel was unable to keep pace with the deep discounts and goto-market initiatives from the e-tailers almost throughout the year. Having said that, offline remains the largest channel

“The online-focused brands drove the share of the online channel to an all-time high of 38.4% in 2018 and a whopping 42.2% in 2018Q4. This was primarily driven by several rounds of discounts by e-tailers driving affordability through various financing options, cashback offers and buyback schemes” – Upasana Joshi, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India

for mobile phone distribution in India and is crucial for the long-term success for any brand in India. With the government initiative to push local manufacturing in India, 2018 witnessed further duty hikes on mobile phone components, coupled with weakened rupee further added to the challenges of the long tail of brands outside the Top 5. The overall smartphone average selling price remained flat in 2018 at US$158, with high shipments in the mass segment of US$100US$200 which accounted for

India Smartphone Market, Top 5 Company, Shipments in million, Market Share, Year-on-year Growth, CY 2018

Source: IDC Asia Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, February 2019

more than half of the smartphone

in the super premium segment of

market in India. Commenting on the

US$700+, Samsung surpassed Apple for

price segment trends, Joshi further

the top position with its Galaxy S9 series,”

adds, “The premium end of the market

adds Joshi.

affordability through various financing

(above US$500) outgrew all other

The feature phone market,

options, cashback offers and buyback

price segments in 2018 with 43.9%

which makes up 56.0% of the total

schemes. Shipments of the online-

YoY growth, although it still constitutes

mobile phone market clocked 181.3

exclusive portfolios of Xiaomi, Honor,

a meager 3% share of the overall

million-unit shipments in 2018, with

Realme, Asus, OnePlus etc., further fueled

smartphone market. OnePlus emerged

10.6% YoY growth. This was primarily

this growth, resulting in a year-on-year

as the leader in US$500-US$700

driven by Jio Phone shipments

growth of 47.3% in 4Q18 for the online

segment on the back of the OnePlus 6 and

through the year, contributing to 36.1%

channel,” says Upasana Joshi, Associate

the newly-launched OnePlus 6T. However,

of overall feature phone shipments.

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 43

Trendz

Market insight The 2G/2.5G market declined by

heavily in marketing and promotional

23.0% YoY in 2018 owing to high

activities and offering lucrative channel

demand for 4G enabled feature phones

margins. Realme entered the top 5 vendor

in the market.

Top 5 smartphone vendor highlights

list at fourth position on the back of its affordable and aggressively priced Realme 2 and Realme 2 Pro series.

Xiaomi continued to dominate, growing

The brand also moved from the fourth

YoY by 28.6% in 2018Q4 on back of its

position in 2018Q3 to the second

affordable Redmi series devices aided

position in the online space with a share

by high decibel marketing campaigns

of 17.3% in 4Q18. The brand plans to

and offline expansion with its Mi

extend its footprint into offline channel

preferred partner program and opening

initially through Large Format Retail

India Smartphone Market, Top 5 Company, Shipments in million, Market Share, Year-on-year Growth, Q4 2018

Source: IDC Asia Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, February 2019

of rural stores. Xiaomi’s Redmi 5A and

Stores like Reliance Digital and gradually

Redmi Note 5/Pro series emerged as the

scale up to traditional brick and mortar

fastest selling devices of 2018 across

stores.

brands driving 10 million shipments each

Oppo continued at fifth position,

in the entire year. The brand continued to

with high YoY growth of 71.7% in

lead in the online channel with a share

2018Q4. The brand’s “A series” with

of 47.2%, climbing to the second slot in

models like the A3s and A83 generated

the offline channel by surpassing Vivo in

middling demand. However, it continues

2018Q4.

to face stiff competition from Vivo in

Samsung remained in the second

the offline channel owing to lower

position, however with a YoY decline of

channel incentives and consumer

7.9% in 2018Q4. The newly-launched

schemes.

Galaxy A7 (2018) with triple cameras

“Almost all the brands which were able to find traction in 2018 via e-tailers partnerships have already started their offline foray to establish themselves for the long-term. This has become more crucial as the new e-commerce guidelines come into force from 1st February 2019” – Navkendar Singh, Associate Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India

picked up demand in 2018Q4 followed

Forecast

by its Android Go model, the Galaxy J2

Commenting on the outlook for 2019,

“In 2019, we will see improvements

Core. The brand is expected to make a

Navkendar Singh, Associate Research

in design like thinner bezels, eliminated

comeback with its new online exclusive

Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC

notches, hole-punch screens, and

“M series”.

India, mentions, “Almost all the brands

increased promotions around three or four

Vivo continued at third position

which were able to find traction in 2018

rear cameras, of which the utilitarian factor

with high YoY growth of 79.6% in

via e-tailers partnerships have already

remains for – bokeh, wide angle, portraits,

2018Q4. Its affordable models -

started their offline foray to establish

etc. We might also see innovations like

namely Y81 and Y71 - continued to

themselves for the long-term. This

on-device AI for superior video and

generate maximum demand along with

has become more crucial as the new

photography experiences enabled going

the flagship range of V11 and V11 Pro

e-commerce guidelines come into force

forward,” Singh concludes.n

series. The brand continued to invest

from 1st February 2019.”

44 | march 2019

team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

In Conversation

face to face

“There are more than 55 OEMs, 35 streaming pay services, 515 home releases and over 25 content partners with Dolby” Dolby Laboratories has wide array of services which makes sound and viewing a wonderful, impactful and everlasting experience thanks to technologies such as Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision available with them. The sound master is well accepted among the smartphone OEMs to make their products sound mesmerizing and to enhance the content consumption overall. Pankaj Kedia, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories shared his experience with Haider Ali Khan on the Dolby’s strategies for the newer avenues and much more. Edited Excerpts: How important is sound is for conveying

speakers — for a more immersive, cinema-

over headphones using Dolby Atmos. With

a message efficiently, and should we

inspired mobile experience. With Dolby

technology evolving and consumer tastes

as the end consumer really care sound

Atmos on your phone or tablet, you get a

getting more sophisticated, the audience

quality at all? Sound and visuals always

lifelike audio experience that matches the

is slowly but surely looking for a superior

go hand-in-hand. Good quality sound

higher picture quality of today’s mobile

quality of sound. Dolby believes that once

has unimaginable impact on the overall

devices, so you can enjoy a truly stunning

viewers experiences great quality sound,

viewing experience. Dolby Atmos on

entertainment experience wherever you

there is no going back for them. They

mobile for example, delivers powerful,

are. For example, imagine the sound of rain

will never be able to settle for an average

moving audio over headphones that seem

falling from the sky or a helicopter flying

audio experience. That is exactly the kind

to flow above and around you — while

overhead. It feels more visceral than ever

of unforgettable sound experience Dolby

also enhancing sound for built-in device

in the cinema, the living room, and even

is trying to create for consumers.

48 | february 2019

MYMOBILE

face to face Smartphones have become the epicenter of content consumption. How is Dolby exploring this new technology shift? Smartphones are the heart of communication and entertainment. With the demand for entertainment-on-the-go rising, brands and content creators together are exploring the best ways to create new offerings. For Dolby that means delivering unforgettable

OEMs that ship products with Dolby Atmos

now are well aware of key attributes to look

entertainment experiences for smartphones

(for home and mobile entertainment)

for while buying a device or a service. And

with vivid sound and visuals. Dolby Audio is a

globally, over 35+ streaming pay services

Dolby Atmos is a well-accepted format.

set of complementary software technologies

globally, over 515+ home releases to

that use advanced audio formatting and

date mixed in Dolby Atmos and over

Can we expect Dolby Vision in 2019 in

signal processing to deliver higher-quality

25+ content partners including major

smartphones playing in India? How does it

sound for any piece of content, and for

differ from 4K HDR content? Dolby Vision on

“We have enabled. Dolby Vision HDR transforms your collaborated successfully entertainment experience with ultrawith several OEMs, services vivid imaging that brings entertainment to life. With Dolby Atmos, over and content creators to deliver headphones, you’ll hear the sounds the ultimate entertainment of people; places, things, and music experience to our audience, come alive with richness and depth as and we look forward to they seem to move in three-dimensional space. Over device speakers, you’ll hear continuing to build strong enhancements like crisper dialogue, a collaborations” more enveloping sound field, deeper sound

mobile is already available in India with the

any playback setup, that is Dolby Audio

iPhone 8, 8+,10,10S, 10S Max and XR. Dolby has worked with several OEMs such as Lenovo, Huawei, and Samsung among others. Has it impacted your growth in India and overall? We at Dolby thrive to create an experience that brings entertainment to life and we work across the value chain, including the OEMs, content creators and services; both in India and globally. With the Indian smartphone industry expected

without distortion, and consistent playback volume for a wide variety of content. You’ll

Hollywood studios, original programming

to grow further in 2019, Dolby expect the

even get improved sound for music, games,

partners, and leading regional content

interplay between device, content and

and television shows for content not created

partners who create content in Dolby

services to become a major driver in this

in Dolby Atmos, and for content in other

Atmos globally. In the Indian context, there

segment. How would Dolby leverage it?

audio formats.

are over 500+ Dolby Atmos titles. Among

In a mobile-first market like India, the

Indian streaming services, Voot offers all its

mobile device is increasingly becoming an

Isn’t the time ripe for Dolby to bring its

originals in Dolby Surround Sound, while

entertainment hub. We expect to see even

own audio and sound devices such as

YuppTV offer select movie titles in Dolby

more interplay of the device, content and

headphones, soundbar, etc., rather than

Surround Sound.

services. Our mobile audio technologies

lending your technology to other vendors?

like Dolby Audio and Dolby Atmos and

Are you happy being “behind the scenes”?

How much does an immersive sound impact

visual technology like Dolby Vision is used

Dolby brings innovations to people

people’s buying decisions? What percentage

by all three.

through collaborations with artists, the film

of devicesis Dolby powered in India? The

industry, A/V companies, businesses and

mobile device is now an entertainment

What would be the aim of Dolby in 2019

others worldwide. We have collaborated

hub. The need for a great sound playback

through Dolby Audio, Dolby Atmos, Dolby

successfully with several OEMs, services

experience is increasingly becoming a

Vision? At Dolby, this year as well as every

and content creators to deliver the ultimate

purchase prerequisite. Streaming services

year, our goal will always be to create an

entertainment experience to our audience,

have fundamentally changed the way

experience that brings entertainment to

and we look forward to continuing to

consumers watch and listen to their

life. n

build strong collaborations. There are 55+

entertainment on this device. Consumers

www.mymobileindia.com

haider@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 47

In Conversation

face to face

“UBON follows a no-compromise policy and uses latest technologies” Homegrown lifestyle brand UBON is creating its own league of smart products in India and has some big plans to cater to today’s generation for whom smartphones matter a lot. The company also plans to reach international markets after 2020. Ramesh Kumar Raja caught up with Mandeep Arora, Co-Founder, UBON, to discuss more about the company and its strategies to be a prominent player in the smartphone accessories and peripherals segment. Excerpts: How has the brand UBON positioned itself in

headphones, these 2 categories are our

a hyper-competitive market like India which

most dominant verticals in terms of sales.

is already dominated by products from other

We are riding high on wireless technology

countries apart from the Indian ones? UBON

and aim to manufacture products that no

was launched with an aim to provide high

other company is offering. We deploy best-

quality gadgets and mobile accessories

in-class Research & Development team

to consumers of every sector, vertical,

who are thoroughly engaged in extensive

and society. With proper R&D and right

research and surveys to help us identify the

use of technology, we offer products such

right product required.

as Bluetooth speakers and headphones, chargers, cables, car accessories, care

Which are the areas from where maximum

products, surge protectors and more than

demand is coming for the UBON products in

125 accessories. With rapid growth in

India? With UBON, we aim to reach every

marketing and design prospects, there is no

household in the nation. We are one of the

serious intervention of good branded players

few brands in the country that are available

in the mobile phone accessory world, we are

pan India through both offline and online

creating distinctive and well built products

channels. We have a huge demand in both

that match Indian and international

Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities of the country.

standards. We aim to deliver the same by offering latest technology equipped stylish

Since your products are available both

yet long lasting accessories at an affordable

online and offline, which among them yields

price.

maximum revenue for UBON? UBON has a robust supply chain network which enables

Since UBON offers a wide range of products,

it to distribute its products all over India

from earphones and Bluetooth speakers to

basis the distribution network level available

power banks and handset accessories, which

in every state. To make UBON available

among them have gained maximum traction

everywhere, we are putting our faith in

in the market? All products have their own

offline channels more than online channels.

fair share in the market. Considering the

Interestingly, in our research, we found that

current scenario, consumers always tend

people prefer to try and physically feel the

to expect new products in the market.

product prior to making a buying decision.

People are always looking for something

This consumer behaviour pattern led us to

new and innovative in terms of design

develop products that are eye catchy and

and technology. Statistically speaking,

premium as well. We have also collaborated

UBON is thriving on mobile earphones and

with leading online marketplaces such as

MYMOBILE

Amazon, Snapdeal and Flipkart to reach

youth connects with his songs instantly.

the masses. UBON has mastered the

are required to go through severe and extensive checking on various measures.

retail chain network across India and can

What are your expansion and outreach plans?

We at UBON believe only, Quality Check

be found at majority of the shops and

Do you want to foray into the international

& Quality Assurance together can make a

showrooms in the country.

market? In my opinion, Indian market

perfect product for the consumer. UBON

is so huge that we still haven’t tapped

is the first company in India to launch solar

After sales service remains an issue for

1% of it. There is a lot to be done and

power banks, wireless power banks and

majority of electronic companies. What is

we strive to do that. We are presently

wireless charging pads.

your approach to it? We aim to be the best consumer electronics and accessories

There is a parallel grey market in India “To make UBON thriving on the counterfeit accessories and available everywhere, we are every aspect. ‘After Sales Service’ devices. How do you deal with them and putting our faith in offline channels is the most important factor what is your advice to the people to when it comes to consumer do away with those fake products? more than online channels. Interestingly, in satisfaction & customer That’s a big challenge every our research, we found that people prefer retention and we cannot consumer oriented business is to try and physically feel the product prior afford to compromise on facing in Indian market, though to making a buying decision. This consumer the same. Speaking on the in the present scenario a lot behaviour pattern led us to develop products same, I should mention, of good measures have been all UBON products are taken by the Government of that are eye catchy and premium as well. We covered under 1-year India, hence we are also hoping have also collaborated with leading online UBON Black Warranty. We for a cleaner market scenario marketplaces such as Amazon, Snapdeal have more than 650+ service in near future. Considering the and Flipkart to reach centers all over India to cater to current scenario, people are more every need of the consumer. educated and alert, consumers are the masses” company in India, that too in terms of

In Conversation

face to face

well informed and they too prefer highest You have Tiger Shroff as the brand ambassador

quality branded products. To tackle the

and you also collaborated with rapper Honey

expanding our Indian consumer base

issue, we are associated with the same

Singh recently. How are they helpful to the

and enhancing our consumer experience.

trusted distributors since a long time and

brand and its recall value? Tiger Shroff was

We are more focused on increasing our

allow only a few to sell our products online.

the first choice when we considered the

Indian factory production to match the

We suggest, consumers should always buy

idea of having a brand ambassador. Tiger

Indian customers demand, speaking of

either from sellers who provide GST bills or

is known for his rebel feel which resonates

reaching to international market, that

directly from UBON’s website.

with today’s youth, plus he is an amazing

too is in the pipeline but it would be too

The emergence of Internet of Things

dancer making him the most appropriate

early to comment on the same. Although,

(IoT) has opened a new avenue of growth

choice for a musical brand like UBON.

after 2020 we plan to reach international

for many tech companies. Does UBON

The youth today really looks up to him for

markets as well.

have any plan to leverage this trend?

his passion towards music & fitness and

No company can afford to lose the

speaking about rebel, youth & music our

Please tell us something about R&D and

next big thing in the tech industry.

punchline does justice to all: ‘Born to be

innovation at UBON. UBON follows a no-

We at UBON are very optimistic about

free’. We aim to provide complete freedom

compromise policy and uses the best and

the Internet of Things, we too are

to our customers from cables through our

latest Japanese technology along with

aiming big with Artificial Intelligence

wireless headphones, earphones, wireless

technologies from different countries

and Machine learning. We are planning

chargers and wireless power banks.

to serve better with the highest quality

to enhance our portfolio in the speaker

Keeping up with UBON’s tagline ‘Born

products. Apart from this, we are working on

& headphone category by developing

to be free,’ YoYo Honey Singh came as

minimum profit plan as we are constantly

voice & internet enabled speakers and

a natural choice for the collaboration

working for the consumer satisfaction rather

headphones. Our team is working towards

initiative considering his party-enthusiast

than focusing on revenue generation. We

the same, soon we will be announcing the

fan base and his comeback in the music

have rigorous checking measures at our

industry in itself was a big news. Indian

factory and corporate office. All products

official launch. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 49

In Conversation

face to face

“We are planning to expand our business in accessories market, setup box and CCTV adaptor” HGD India is an emerging mobile charger manufacturing unit in India, which was established in 2015 in a joint venture with HGD China. The company is specialized in developing and manufacturing low energy consumption and high efficiency phone chargers, power adapters, LED power, LED Monitor/TV. HGD has advanced production equipment, superior test equipment,complete experiment equipment, and strong production ability.It also produces lower energy consumption and high efficiency mobile charger. To understand the business model and other aspects of HGD India, My Mobile spoke with RakeshYadav – Director of HGD India about current scenario of mobile phone charger manufacturing in India and what are its goals in the coming years.

50 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

What do you think is the current scenario

less to import against duty of 11 percent

of mobile is one of the reasons of increasing

of mobile phone charger manufacturing

duty on PCBA. So, we propose duty of at

electronic waste.

in India and what are your missions for the

least 25 percent for finished chargers for

Indian market? The mobile charger market

may be small period to give boost for local

Kindly highlight your strength in the market

has been growing significantly day by

manufacturing in Make in India.

and also elaborate your business model in

day. Increasing mobile phone sales with

India? Our strength is we are having our

development of new technologies are

Do you have any plans to set up another

own SMT lines in factory to manufacture

considered to be major factor that are

factory in India and to meet the same are

mobile phone chargers which all other

driving the market growth. Our mission

you looking at any kind of investment

manufactures are not having and they are

is to manufacture mobile chargers as per

opportunity? Yes, we are looking for more

importing from China. Due to our own SMT

the latest technologies available to become

opportunities in charger industry and

lines, our charges are also cost effective

a leading player of charger manufacture

we are planning to expand our business

and we can also manage to do prompt

in India. We are destined to make Quick

in accessories market, setup box adaptor,

deliveries to customers. Our above said

Chargers that are best in industry.

CCTV adaptor etc.

facilities can create new models within short time as per requirement of our

A year back, industry body India Cellular

esteemed customers.

entire ecosystem -- mobile phone brands,

which vertical you think is in a perilous

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our and Electronics Association forecasted that India would be blessed with 356 mobile What are your current market strategies strength is we charger factories by 2025. What are your to stay ahead of the curve? We are are having our own SMT thoughts and are you taking any Make expanding our product portfolio day in India initiative? We have no doubt lines in factory to manufacture by day, apart from mobile phone that seemingly impossible target of charges we are know into setup mobile phone chargers. Due to producing 1.46 billion chargers by box, trimmer, and cctv market 2025 will become a reality, more our own SMT lines, our charges as well. We are promoting our than 356 mobile phone charger products Online, India Mart, are also cost effective and we companies. Phased manufacture magazines, and we also take part program of the government has in various events of this industry. can also manage to do boosted the confidence of companies prompt deliveries to in the mobile sector. It is heartening to What are the various verticals you are see the deep confidence with which the offering your products and services and customersâ&#x20AC;? EMS companies, charger manufacturers

situation among the rest? What are your plans

and manufacturers of components of

Apart from being emerging mobile charger

to meet their needs? Right now we are totally

chargers; responded to the clarion call

manufacturing units in India are you

based out in mobile phone charger OEM

for building a world-scale mobile charger

looking start another vertical in mobile

vertical only and recently we have started

industry in India.

manufacturing? Does HGD plans to introduce

in accessories market, Setup box, cctv and

smartphone and feature phone to the Indian

we are getting positive response from these

What are the various kinds of support you are

users? As of now we are increasing our

industries.

looking from the government to toughen your

client base in mobile phone charger OEM

business in the country? Are your looking for

and accessories market but definitely yes

Do you want to give any message to your

any kind of particular law to be amended?

in the future we can think of smartphone

customers on any of your upcoming projects

We are looking for simpler clause and

and feature phone.

or ventures? Yes, apart from mobile phone

implementation of multiple government

charger OEM,we are into the segment of

departments NOC from single window like

What are your thoughts on introducing

setup box adaptor, trimmer adaptor, CCTV

Fire NOC, license factory, EPF, ESIC etc.

common mobile phone chargers to cut down

adaptor, router adaptor. We are having the

MSIP facility for small factories to be fast

on electronic waste? Are you implementing

cost effective solutions at a very broad

tracked so that it is converted into business

any action on this part? Yes definitely

range. Customers are invited to visit our

confidence and bigger investment &

introducing common mobile phone

factory anytime in Noida,sector 64 and

growth. Also, duty on finished chargers

chargers will cut down electronic waste

need to be upgraded as 15 percent is too

that is separate charger for each category

can see our manufacturing process. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

face to face

march 2019 | 51

Tried & Tested

burntest

Vivo V15 Pro

Intriguing Design comes with 32MP Pop-up Selfie Camera

ope you

from Vivo is believed to be

rear cameras are also placed

due to the horizon which has

remember

evolution of smartphones in

in a beautiful manner under

been expanded to recognize

how Vivo

terms of beauty, power and

a frame in alignment with the

the patterns of finger. Another

revolutionized

performance. Let’s check out

pop up selfie camera. The

highlighting feature of Vivo

the concept of camera with

what all surprises can V15 Pro

three rear camera sensors add

V15 Pro is that its face

Vivo Nex and now in its recent

pulls out in this review.

more beauty to the rear panel.

recognition is lighting quick as

At front there is full view

well and the camera pops up

display with no notch. The

and goes down in matters if

launch is also bringing the same concept of pop-up

Design

camera and who’s better

Vivo V15 Pro is hard to resist

body of the phone is molded

seconds unlocking the phone.

than Mr. Perfectionist could

because it holds beautiful

in such a manner that is very

The lack of Type-C port is one

fit the brand face to promote

rear panel with micro patterns

easy to hold and operate plus

of the drawbacks of the new

this revolutionary step of

doped in topaz blue color

the weight of the phone is

Vivo V15 Pro.

Vivo. The latest Vivo V15 Pro

which looks so attractive. The

light as well because of the plastic body composition.

Display

The new Vivo V15 Pro holds

The display of the new Vivo

3.5mm headphone jack

V15 Pro is very impressive as

at the top of the phone. At

you get true full view display.

the bottom lies dual SIM

The colors are bright and

tray, micro USB port, and a

punchy thanks to the Super

speaker grille. To the left lies

AMOLED capacitive touch

a microSD card holding tray

screen of the phone. The

whereas at the right side lies

screen size is of 6.39 inches

the power button and the

and every millimeter of the

volume rockers. Vivo V15 Pro

screen has been used to give

has an upgraded fingerprint

a full view display and viewing

sensor on display which Vivo

angles are wide thanks to the

calls it fingerprint sensor 5

19:5:9 aspect ratio of the

and it surely is very fast like in

phone. The screen has density

micro seconds it unlocks the

of 400 ppi and resolution

phone and it is mainly

of 1080x2316 pixels. The screen visibility is very good as well as it could be easily seen under direct sunlight.

Platform The new Vivo V15 Pro has latest android version 9.0 Pie as its operating system on top of Vivo’s Funtouch 9.The touch of the screen is very smooth and fast and it is because

52 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

of the powerful processor and the RAM size of the phone. Vivo V15 Pro is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC processor with eight octa-cores where two cores clocked at 2.0 GHz Kyro 460 Gold whereas other six cores are clocked at 1.7GHz Kyro 460 Silver. The distribution of cores in this fashion had been seen earlier as well in Nokia 8.1 and the sole purpose of this is to enhance

the selfie camera, the selfie

face reshaping, whitening etc.

The battery is very capable of

the performing ability of the

camera is a motorized pop up

before capturing selfie. The

delivering long hours of fun

phone. The processor ran very

first ever 32MP camera. The

selfies captured both at night

and entertainment with slow

smoothly and it stood up all

pop up camera of V15 Pro

and day are impressive and if

leaking out of power meaning

to the task thrown at it. The

is surely something amazing

you are selfie lover then Vivo

it discharges very slowly. The

phone did not heat up while

as its speed of coming out

V15 Pro could be your real

phone has microUSB port

performing any task; be it

and going back is impressive

deal. Vivo V15 Pro has triple

which supports fast charging

playing games or using any

faster than what we have

rear camera sensors with the

but it lacks the Type-C port. So

other applications. Gaming

seen in Vivo Nex. The selfie

first and main sensor being of

it could be said that despite

experience was good as well

camera will make you drool

48MP with an auto adjustable

having fast charging the phone

and the phone did not lose its

over it in terms of detailing

aperture between f/1.8 and

seems to lag behind in terms

graphic quality while playing

as it delivers brilliant images.

1/2, the second sensor is of

of having a rapid charging

big games. The smooth

The selfie camera has AI

8MP with 13mm (ultrawide),

speed which might be major

performing of the processor

features as well and there are

whereas the third sensor is of

drawback of Vivo V15 Pro.

is backed by powerful 6GB

lots of changes in terms of

5MP with an aperture of f/2.4

RAM which is something

verdict

which is very rare to find under such price range. The phone has internal storage of 128GB which could be further expanded with the help of microSD card. To

Looks

10 /10

Cameras

10 /10

Unique and Attractive Amazing Results

which is basically the depth

Conclusion

sensor. You get options to click

Overall, the new Vivo V15

images even in full 48MP

Pro is a package backed by

which is just totally awesome

efficient processor, impressive

and the quality of images are

rear cameras, full view display

so well detailed even during

and pop-up front lens. The smartphone scores on crisp

Performance

accommodate the SD card

Smooth

09 /10

night shots. The ultra-wide options further add to the

AMOLED display, huge aspect

V15 Pro has separate slot

Battery

09 /10

excitement when you capture

ratio is a treat for watching.

Value For Money

09 /10

images. There are of course

The combination of triple

various modes to opt got like

cameras at the back produces

Panorama, Night mode etc.

some stunning shots. The

To be true about the cameras

motorized pop-up selfie lens

Vivo V15 Pro surely is very

is a dapper too that makes you

impressive and it is something

stand out among the crowd.

to bet your money upon.

Pricing it at Rs 28,990 makes

giving an upper hand to the phone.

Cameras

Goes a Day Interesting Buy

OVERALL

94%

The main highlight of the new Vivo V15 Pro like other Vivo phones is the camera ability and V15 Pro has one of the most brilliant and powerful camera under the segment in which it falls. Starting with

PROS Cameras, Design

Cons Misses on Type-C

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

www.mymobileindia.com

Battery The battery capacity of the Vivo V15 Pro is of 3,700mAh.

Tried & Tested

burntest

it to compete with Poco F1 with QS845 at much lesser price. n haider@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 53

Tried & Tested

burntest

Oppo K1

In-display Fingerprint Scanner and AMOLED Screen to Indulge

ppo has increased

of people intact with Oppo

well and requires constant

lies a speaker grille, microUSB

its focus on

smartphones. So letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s check it

cleaning. At the front, there is

port, and a 3.5mm headphone

budget range

out how is the new Oppo K1 in

complete domination of the

jack. The lack of Type-C port

and mid-range

this review of ours.

screen and on top of screen

is one of the most noticeable

a water drop notch could be

drawbacks of the new Oppo

smartphones which surely gained benefit for the company

Design

sported which the space is

K1. Oppo K1 has placed

as Indian smartphone market

The new Oppo K1 is keeping

allotted for the selfie camera.

fingerprint sensor on screen

at present is completely

up with the style craze as it

At the back side of the phone

which is very fast and accurate.

dominated by these two

has sleek body design with

lies dual camera sensor within

Further to tighten the security

segments. It has introduced

beautiful gradient colors at

a metallic rim and following

system K1 has installed very

a new series smartphone

the rear side. The rear side has

them is dual tone LED flash.

quick face recognizing sensor

which brings twist in the story,

purple and blue color gradient

The power button is at the right

which works fluently in any

completely ignoring itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all

finish which makes the phone

side of the phone whereas at

conditions.

previous series smartphones

to catch the attention very

the left side lies the volume

to provide a unique identity to

quickly. The body weight is

rockers and slightly upwards at

Display

its latest launch which goes

light as well and it is mainly

the left side lies the SIM tray

The new Oppo K1 has

by the name of Oppo K1. The

due to the plastic body of the

capable of holding dual SIM

Super AMOLED Capacitive

new series has been introduced

phone. The curvy edges allow

cards and a microSD card at

touchscreen with 16M colors.

to make new stand for the

easy grip and comfortable

the same time. The top side

The screen of the phone is very

company and at the same time

usage of the phone. The rear

of the phone is completely

impressive as it gives almost

to keep the inquisitiveness

side is prone to smudges as

blank whereas at the bottom

full view display thanks to its

54 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

amazing aspect ratio which

at the same time.Oppo K1

the selfie camera is very quick

the Type-C port. The charging

is of 19:5:9 making the 6.4

has android 8.1 Oreo on top of

to adjust it focus, it literally

speed is normal and it takes

inch screen to look like a full

Oppoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sColorOS 5.2. There are

follows your face wherever

some hours to fill up the

view display. The spaceoffered

various shortcuts and features

you turn. The selfies of Oppo

charging tank fully.

by the screen of K1 makes

which you will find interesting

K1 could be termed as one of

you enjoy any game or movie

with the OS of the new Oppo

the best selfies which you can

Conclusion

to its fullest by offering wide

K1.

get under such price range

The Oppo K1 tries on few

clearly showing the power of

things and is quite successful

Oppo. The rear camera has

in AMOLED display and in-

viewing angles. The screen is visible under direct sunlight as

Cameras

well and the colors reproduced

Oppo the name in itself

dual sensor with the primary

display fingerprint sensor but

are vivid and punchy. The

signifies certain qualities

sensor being of 16 MP and

the rest are just numbers.

display has screen resolution

which it possess and one

has an adjustable aperture

The low light rear camera

of 1080x2340 pixels. Oppo

of the most signified image

between f/1.8 and 1/2.8 and

performance is quite average

has entrusted Corning Gorilla

which comes into mind is that

the secondary is basically

when we compared it to

Glass 5 to safeguard the

the phone will have impressive

depth sensor of 2MP with an

previous Oppo smartphones.

screen.

camera power and standing

aperture of f/2.4. The rear

The processor issmooth but

true to this perception Oppo

camera has similar

K1 has undoubtedly surprising

capability like the

The new Oppo K1 derives

camera power. The new Oppo

front camera when

its power from the

K1 has more powerful selfie

it comes about

Qualcomm Snapdragon

camera as compared to its

delivering images

660 SoC processor which

main camera which is one of

of top quality.

is mainly seen in mid-range

the main highlighting feature

The rear camera

smartphones. The processor

of the phone. Oppo K1 has

stood up to the

performs very efficiently

25MP selfie camera with

expectations in

and it was able to run all

a self-adjustable aperture

terms of delivering

the applications without

between f/2.0 and 1/2.8.

brilliant images

any glitch. Some big apps

What is striking besides it

when we tested

like Asphalt, NFS, PUBG,

clear and crisp quality is that

it and even the

Platform

Snapchat were able to put the

night shots are

processor to its limit resulting

verdict

in some heating of the device. The processor has eight octacores where four cores are clocked at 2.0 GHzkyro260 whereas other four cores are clocked at 1.8GHz kyro 260. The processor finds its support from the 4GB RAM which works in synchrony with the processor to take on any task.

equivalently clear.

Battery

Looks

09 /10

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

08 /10

powerful non

Battery

07 /10

battery power

Value For Money

08 /10

Impressive Good Nice

Moderate Nice Option

OVERALL

80%

The new Oppo K1 comes with removable of 3,600mAh. The battery has capability

the ColorOS brings bloatware.

of sustaining power for

The smartphone still uses

long period of time if used

Android Oreo 8.1 which was

is of 64 GB which could be

moderately. The battery lasted

a surprise for me.The battery

further expanded with the help

almost a day with reasonable

can be good for moderate

distribution of usage time

usage. At Rs 16,990, Oppo

like playing games, watching

K1 can be a nice experience

movies etc. The most

for those who want a bright

dissatisfactory point of Oppo

vivid screen and in-display

K1 is that it does not support

fingerprint sensor. n

The ROM available on device

of microSd card. The plus point of Oppo K1 is that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to sacrifice your one SIM slot for the SIM card because it can encompass two SIM cards and a microSD card

Tried & Tested

burntest

PROS AMOLED Display

Cons No Type-C

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

www.mymobileindia.com

fast charging and also lacks

haider@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 55

Tried & Tested

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Skullcandy Crusher Wireless

Feel the Bass with Clear Audio

ith the high

on both the sides and can

adoption rate

be folded easily and carried

of smart-

in the pouch provided or in

phones, the

backpacks for easy portability.

trend of wireless headphones is also on the rise in India.

on the right side which can be

US-based audio accessories

used to play/pause, increase/

brand Skullcandy’s Crusher

decrease volume, skip songs,

Wireless has a lot to offer

answering and ending calls.

in this regard. Designed to

These are fairly good to use.

fit naturally within the

The bass controller, which

everyday life of wireless

is on the left side, controls

headphone users looking

the amount of bass you

for a stylish way to experience

are playing with the songs.

music, the Crusher Wireless

The headphone also comes

headphone is priced at

equipped with an in-built

Rs 12,999 and is available in

microphone and a USB port

Black Hero and Black

for charging and a 3.5mm

Gray colour options at

audio jack. However, there

Skullcandy.in and select

is no feature such as an

retailers. We got a chance to

indicator, so one will just have

review this device, and here’s

to decode the amount of bass

how it performed in different

which s/he will need.

departments.

Design The Crusher Wireless wears an aesthetic design, having

Over all, it’s a no-nonsense headphone and we found the design of the device as no-frills and quite pleasing to the eyes.

gloss finish for the three

Performance

buttons on the right side, and

The sound quality of Crusher is

the bass controller on the left.

very good and quite clear. The

There is faux leather on the

memory foam in the earpads

ear pads and somewhat

56 | march 2019

There are control buttons

does not break your ears. It

thick. Its build quality is

blocked most of the outside

pretty strong and comes

noise, kept only to what we

along with a nice carry

listened to. Sporting haptic

bag too. The headphone

bass, the headphone sounded

comes with a slider and

booming with EDM (electronic

a bendable headband

dance music) tracks, thereby

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

burntest

giving an immersive audio

headphone is easy to pair

is excellent through this

Conclusion

experience. The headphone

to your device and once

cable and it has a good length

The Skullcandy Crusher

is comfortable to wear for

connected the Bluetooth

too.

Wireless is decently

a few hours continuously,

connection remains

padded nicely and never

strong. The sound quality

Battery

pinching your head. The

via Bluetooth is good and

What sets this headphone

battery life. The headphone

halfway mark on the bass

consistent and you can move

apart from others is its

sat nicely on my head

slider is a perfect point for

a reasonable distance from

exceptionally long battery life

while tasting and trying it

even a punchy music.

your device in an open space.

of 40 hours. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot more

for a great music experience.

Walls and doors will cause

than you should expect on

The addition of the haptic

that Crusher Wireless has the

connection problems as they

most pairs of headphones.

bass feedback adds enjoyable

bass that you can feel and we

do with any pair of Bluetooth

Although your results will

punch to low frequency

did feel it when we donned it

headphones. The headphone

vary depending on use and

sound. Although itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not

on the first time. Apart from

offers good call quality and

you may not actually get

the most expensive looking

listening to music on a daily

has an amazingly great

40 hours, even 30 hours of

headphone, it is sturdy

basis, the headphone is a

microphone. While reviewing

battery life is enough for a

enough for daily use. Sound

perfect fit for playing games

the device, we discovered that

music aficionado. In addition

quality is not the

and also while watching

we could be clearly heard and

to this, the Crusher Wireless

best, but is definitely not

movies. Refined acoustics

hear the caller even in outdoor

boasts of a rapid charge

the worst. If you are looking

provide a noise isolating fit

environments. If battery runs

feature which ensures three

to purchase a Bluetooth

that seals out distraction.

low, there is a cable that

hours of battery life in just

headphone in the given

will allow you to plug into a

10 minutes, which is another

price range, go for

3.5 mm headphone jack.

advantage for people on the

Crushers! n

Interestingly, sound quality

go.

As claimed by Skullcandy

Functionalities In practicality, the Crusher

www.mymobileindia.com

comfortable, sounds good and has an extraordinary

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 57

Tried & Tested

burntest

Mi Soundbar Your Affordable TV Companion

fter taking India

enough features in it to catch

place. It can be comfortably

the back. Buttons for each of

by storm with its

your fancy if you are looking to

placed on a desk with its

the input sources along with

affordable range

buy a companion speaker for

rubber feet holding it firmly in

equal number of tiny white

of feature-loaded

a television.

place and preventing it from

LEDs are placed at the top of

skidding. As it goes with other

the speaker. Volume up and

soundbars in the market, this

down push buttons can be

phones followed by smart televisions having never-

Design

seen-before prices, Xiaomi

Looking quite pleasing to

new product can also be wall

found on either side of the

recently came up with a very

the eye in an all-white body,

mounted for which Xiaomi

source buttons. Except for the

interesting product, the Mi

the Mi Soundbar sports a

has bundled the necessary

connectivity options, Xiaomi

Soundbar. It is supposed

grey fabric mesh at the front

screws in the package.

has chosen to go minimalistic

to be a companion product

and rounded edges. It is a

On the back of the

for not only Xiaomi Mi TVs

couple of inches short of 3

soundbar are input ports

but other televisions as well.

feet in length and weighs

and has enough space left to

Performance

Priced at Rs 4,999, the Mi

nearly 2kgs. It is quite easy to

connect the cables in case

The Mi Soundbar is a

Soundbar happens to be a

carry around from one room

you prefer to wall mount it.

mixed bag, if we look at its

fairly slick gadget having

to another or to any other

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a power switch at

performance. The vocals

with this device.

sound clear at low and mid frequencies but clarity suffers at upper mids and highs. It comes with eight drivers in total, including a pair of 2.5inch woofer drivers, a pair of 20mm tweeters and 4 passive radiators that take care of the bass. Despite having multiple drivers, the sound output is not that good. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a value for money product. You cannot compare it with a soundbar worth Rs 25,000 or so. The Mi Soundbar works great

58 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Tried & Tested

burntest

supplement, go for a proper speaker instead of a soundbar, if you are

when you watch a movie,

S/PDIF, Optical, Aux-In and

Conclusion

delivering a decent cinematic

Line-in ports. You can use

Although it is not the best

to enjoy music in pastime.

experience. But, definitely

any of the port that does the

or the perfect soundbar that

What I like best about

not good when you are playing

job for you. To connect with a

you can buy, the Xiaomi Mi

this device is that it looks

music, as the clarity suffers at

phone, you can use Bluetooth

Soundbar is definitely the

premium and stylish. Being

higher volumes, although it’s

as the Mi Soundbar supports

best you can buy under Rs

a companion to a television,

a bit good at the low volume.

Bluetooth 4.2 with A2DP

5,000 or even Rs 10,000.

the Mi Soundbar suits well

music playback. Although a

As it’s the case with many

with the decor in a room

couple of options, such as

Xiaomi products across

and it make movies sound

The Mi Soundbar is easy to

HDMI and USB are missing

verticals, the Mi Soundbar

more fun. It’s without doubt

connect to a TV as well as to

here, they are not the kind of

is an incredible value for

an affordable upgrade that

your phone via Bluetooth,

a must have features and are

money product, when paired

your TV might really be

unlike some other soundbars

usually found only in more

with television to augment

in the need of. It’s quite

which can have a bit complex

expensive soundbars. The

the sound and experience. It

simply the slickest piece of

setup process. The company

HDMI, if you have a TV that

works great as a standalone

implementation we have seen

gives two options as far as

supports audio through HDMI

speaker, especially because

on a soundbar in a while.

placement of this soundbar is

port, allows a somewhat

of the support for Bluetooth

The only big issue with this

concerned: you can either wall

cleaner setup and the USB

which facilitates you to pair it

device is the missing remote

mount it or place it on a table.

port can be used to connect a

with a phone.

control. n

The Mi Soundbar comes with

pen drive or hard disk.

Since it’s more of a TV

Functionalities

www.mymobileindia.com

considering to purchase one

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 59

In Conversation

face to face

“Mobile will very soon become a gateway to our homes” The trend of installing wireless home automation system is going to be a next big thing in today’s smart world where Internet of Things (IoT) is making rapid inroads into our lives. And here again, your smartphone holds the key to your home. EBTL, a Delhi-based company, is leveraging the trend in home automation with Amour, a mobile-assisted smart switching solution for modern homes. Monish Salhotra, the Co-founder of EBTL shares his insights about the emerging technology, its features and market scenario, in a conversation with Ramesh Kumar Raja. Salhotra also talked about the challenges being faced by the industry in a country like India. Excerpts: Home automation systems have undergone

their offerings. I strongly believe that with

to our homes. In fact, today majority of

a massive change. How do you look at its

the demand and supply forces working

the home automation products are mobile

current scenario? The current scenario is

together, home automation is set to be

app based. The hardware used for making

like a fertile land for home automation

the next unicorn industry globally.

a home automated is hardly visible. The

systems to grow strong into a new market

major user interface is the mobile app. Just

segment. The current penetration of home

How has a mobile phone emerged as a

to make it simple to understand, I can say

automation systems is approximately 2%

key to the home automation? What are the

that it is equivalent to sending a message

households in India and this is set to

technicalities involved? Mobile is the key!

from your mobile phone to any other phone.

increase to 15% by 2023. This is a massive

Mobile has become our music player,

Here, the other mobile phone is your

jump for any industry to grow – home

gateway to virtual world, camera etc.

automation placed at home. Technically,

automation is going to be a 30,000 crore

and very soon it will become a gateway

a mobile app will send a packet to the

market in 2020. In the current scenario,

server or to some middleware; post that

lots of independent automation protocols

it will be routed to the automation panel

are there in place. Industry is bound to

over the internet. The basic requirement

mature in coming years and this will also

for communication between the mobile

lead to standardisation of technology and

app and the automation system will be a

communications protocols. Currently,

communication protocol which could be

India is going through a very interesting

over the internet or through GSM. However,

stage where the population is young and

going forward technologies like mesh in

is very open to accept new technology

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are going automated,

to upgrade their living standards. From

even simpler for the end-users.

the demand side, this phenomenon will definitely act as a catalyst for the

The home automation industry in India is

penetration of automation products

expected to reach Rs 30,000 crore by 2020.

at grass root level. From the supply

What’s your comment? Yes, it is going to be.

side, the current retail network

All I can say is that end users are going

is also getting open to

to experience flurry of products at very

accommodate smart

affordable prices in 2019 and 2020. The

products as a

automation will become so affordable

part of

and approachable that it is going to give

60 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

modular switch industry in coming years. The home automation industry will see a convergence of other products getting merged into it. For example- we will see security products, thermostats, music players and video products getting merged into the home automation products.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Amour is a single touch mobile solution to virtually enter into your automated area. The Amour app UI has simplified the entire user experience of home automation products. To ensure a seamless user experience, we have kept the UI of Amour exactly similar to the UI of the panels. We have eliminated the requirements of an additional hardware to be installed for automation of a homeâ&#x20AC;?

What services EBTL provide and what is its

to be installed for automation of a home.

installation & operations - these are the

business/revenue model? EBTL provides

For example- an automation hub, CAT

two major challenges for the automation

automation services to homes, commercial

6 wires, transponders etc. It has now

industry right now. The price factor is

spaces and hospitality sectors. Since its

become a plug and play solution for the

very easy to understand. The automation

inception, we have been trying to simplify

end users. Besides being a plug and play

industry is very well aware that we have our

automation in terms of installation and

solution, Amour has got enough options of

competition with normal switch which is

usage. Today we are among the simplest

customisation within the app and panel

available at as low as Rs 10 in the market.

automation solution (to install and operate)

to suit the requirements of the end users.

Although there are many more luxury

provider in the market. We have undergone

Amour panels and Amour app can be

features which automation offers with it,

various life cycles of product development.

customised to the requirements of clients

essentially it does the same thing. The

Currently, the third generation of Amour

just with a few clicks on the app itself.

pricing and overall solution has to become

automation series is available in the

Moreover, the programming capability in

lucrative and affordable so that an end

market and the fourth generation is all set

the app has been created in such a way

user will not be confused whether to go

to be launched by the mid of 2019. As

that anyone in the home of any age group

for automation or for a normal modular

an automation solution provider, we place

could operate Amour with any user manual

switch.

a touch screen panel on walls which is

or assistance. Still if there is any need for

The second major hurdle is the

connected to our servers through internet.

support, we have uploaded enough video

ease of installation and operations. The

The Amour automation panels can be

tutorials online to support our users.

installation of some of the products is so

accessed through a manual touch, mobile

complex that you need to do the re-wiring,

app and voice controls. We have embedded

How do you look at India as a market for home

install a smart hub, install a backend of

the programming capability in the panels

automation and related IoT solutions? India

relays at home, create a server room, get

which can be used to schedule, lock,

is an apt market for any technical product

the static IP and a lot more jazz to be

monitor power consumption and setting

to flourish and not just for IoT products

done before even a single switch is put on

up favourites among the Amour panels. We

only. Trends have shown that the rate of

automation. However, there are companies

also offer the web-based services for the

acceptance of technical products is higher

which have eliminated most of hardware

commercial and hospitality segments. The

in India than the global average. In recent

requirements for setting up automation

revenue model includes the direct sales of

years, we have seen a very deep penetration

at homes. In fact, in Amour none of the

automation panels and subscription for the

of technologies like smartphones, laptops,

above mentioned additional hardware is

web-services.

desktops, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speakers

required for automation purposes. Even

etc. IoT products are expected to follow

if a customer is ready to fight a battle to

Can you please elaborate about the Amour

a similar trend of penetration into the

get the automation installed at his/her

app and how it is simplifying lives? Amour is

Indian market. I strongly believe that a

home, using it seamlessly is not less than

a single touch mobile solution to virtually

robust product with ease of installation

another battle to be won. We will see a lot of

enter into your automated area. The Amour

and operations and affordable pricing will

improvements in coming time on the ease

app UI has simplified the entire user

be two major factors of market penetration

of operations as well. It has to become as

experience of home automation products.

in India.

easy as sending a WhatsApp message and

To ensure a seamless user experience, we

this is exactly the philosophy upon which

have kept the UI of Amour exactly similar

What are the challenges in adopting home

Amour automation systems have been

to the UI of the panels. We have eliminated

automation system on a large scale in a

built. n

the requirements of an additional hardware

country like India? Pricing and ease of

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

a very strong push and competition to the

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 61

Guest Column

by Invitation

Tips Towards a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace By Pradipto Chakrabarty

he way India has moved

fatigue”. It is recommended the use

towards the digital world, it is

of secured and trustworthy password

facing not only the personal

vault applications.

financial details. 9. Make it a practice to always log out from banking sites or social media accounts

but also National Security

4. Avoid phishing emails – never share

challenges at every door. The increasing

your personal details on emails. This

10. It is of utmost importance to review the

penetration of cyber-attacks and digital

is in fact the largest volume of security

security and privacy setting on social

breaches across the world.

media platforms. Most of the times, we

transactions has revolutionized the world;

after usage.

it has also spawned a series of cryptic

5. It is not only about installing an anti-

really do not bother about these setting.

threats -- the menaces of digital piracy,

virus, but it all depends on whether we

For example, Facebook has features

cyber-crime; stalking and online infidelity.

are updating the anti-virus regularly

that ask the user can be searched

In today’s time, hackers have been

whenever there is an update available.

through email ID or phone number

penetrating the computer networks of

This goes same with operating system –

that he or she has provided. Another

companies that operate banks, Government,

it is necessary to keep a tab on updating

such feature is if the user allows search

personal and other professional data.

the OS as well as install patches. In

engines outside Facebook to link his

When now it has reached the personal

many cases, people postpone the patch

or her profile. Users should be aware

space as well, I would like to highlight

management and software update

of the security and privacy and switch

schedules.

them on or off depending on the usage

the below points to have the safe internet experience:

6. Two Factor Authentication: This is

and amount of personal information

1. Avoid secured work such as accessing

extremely important. We need to

banking applications or online shopping

always use devices, social media sites

Presently wrongful loss to yourself and

on unsecured network connections

or applications, which enable two

gain to the other party must be established

such as public Wi-Fi or third party wired

factor authentications. This enables

for action to be taken in cases of cyber

network. For example, one should not

immediate information to the user

hacking under the Information Technology

use these applications on an airport or

if there is any unnatural log ins from

Act, 2000. Section 43A of the IT Act

a hotel Wi-Fi.

other devices or browsers that the user

provides for compensation in the event

normally does not use.

that a company fails to use reasonable

2. Set strong password for your home

that they feel could be non-risky.

Wi-Fi router. In most cases, people use

7. When using online shopping or

security practices and procedures in

the default password that comes along

visiting sites, which require personal

order to protect sensitive personal data

with the devices.

information always, make sure that

and such negligence results in a wrongful

3. Recycle your password regularly and

they are secured sites. The browser

gain or loss. The Information Technology

follow basic password hygiene such as

bar shows a padlock and the site name

Ministry has appointed a panel of experts

starts with https:// rather than http://

to study India’s data protection framework

use of special characters. Practically it is difficult to remember many

8. Make it a practice to never save your

and suggest a draft data protection law

passwords for different applications

credit card or banking details for faster

leading to something called “password

check out even though the site may

that will be taken up for consideration by Parliament. n

state that they do not save your CVV. It takes just a couple of seconds to fill the card data rather than exposing your

84 | february 2019

The author is Regional Director, CompTIA India.

MYMOBILE

industry insight

Trendz

Mobile-centric Biometric Authentication May Be an Organisational Norm Soon Lower costs and improved user experience/customer experience are fueling this trend, says Gartner

y 2022, 70 per cent of

added.

organizations using biometric

Midsize and large organizations looking

authentication for workforce

to implement biometric authentication

access will implement it

via smartphone apps must be aware that

via smartphone apps, regardless of the

biometric approaches that can be readily

endpoint device being used, predicts

supported on any smartphone are vulnerable

Gartner, a leading research and advisory

to presentation attacks or “spoofing” using

firm. In 2018, this figure was fewer than

photos, videos, voice recordings, and so on.

5 per cent. Lower costs and improved

Therefore, presentation attack detection or

user experience/customer experience (UX/

“liveness testing” is essential.

CX) are fueling this increasing interest in biometric authentication. “Security and risk management

SaaS-Delivered IAM Will Fulfill Most Needs

leaders responsible for identity and

Gartner predicts that, by 2022, 40 per cent

“Based on our client interactions,

access management (IAM) and fraud

of global midsize and larger organizations

most SaaS-delivered IAM purchases are

prevention continue to seek approaches

will use IAM capabilities delivered as

for access management and lightweight

for identity corroboration that balance

software as a service (SaaS) to fulfill most

identity governance and administration

trust and accountability against total

of their needs — up from 5 per cent in

functionality, such as single sign-on. These

cost of ownership and UX/CX,” said Ant

2018.

offerings provide excellent connectivity

Allan, Research Vice President at Gartner.

SaaS-delivered IAM is often deployed

and include solid access management

“Biometric authentication uses biological or

to enhance access management

and password management features,”

behavioral traits unique to each person and

software implementations. The ease of

said Abhyuday Data, Associate Research

offers better UX/CX and accountability than

implementation and rapid time to value of

Principal Analyst at Gartner. “B2B and

other common methods. Implementing

SaaS-delivered IAM offerings have proved

B2C are the most established use cases

this via smartphone apps provides more

valuable to organizations that favour SaaS

with matured access management

consistency in UX/CX and is technically

adoption and do not consider the operational

capabilities,” he added.

simpler than supporting it directly on a

management of IAM functionality core to

variety of different endpoint devices,” he

their business.

The steady movement of applications to cloud and mobile architectures is also influencing adoption. The combination of

“Biometric authentication uses biological or behavioral traits unique to each person and offers better UX/CX and accountability than other common methods. Implementing this via smartphone apps provides more consistency in UX/CX and is technically simpler than supporting it directly on a variety of different endpoint devices” – Ant Allan, Research Vice President, Gartner

functional offerings that are configured, rather than customized, and modern application architectures is causing a substantial portion of the market to adopt SaaS-delivered IAM. “Organizations looking to use SaaSdelivered IAM should first ensure they have established satisfactory and wellsupported traditional IAM software stacks. They then need to consider SaaS-delivered IAM once functional needs are met and the organizational benefits are realized,” concluded Data. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 63

In Conversation

face to face

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to make HealthifyMe a global platform for quality health and fitness servicesâ&#x20AC;? HealthifyMe is an Indian digital weight loss platform that provides fitness services, which is available on both iOS and Android devices. This application provides calorie tracking, water tracking and on-the-cloud fitness coaching. In addition to these, the app takes the gamified approach to keep users motivated. Couple of weeks back, it showcased its modernized virtual assistant Ria, which will not only listen and read, but also see and identify healthy and unhealthy foods from menu cards, phone screens and entire plates of food. Nijhum Rudra spoke to Tushar Vashisht, Founder and CEO of HealthyfyMe about its upcoming mission and health app is going to be a game changer in the coming times.

64 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Can you please elaborate the sole reason

the accurate diet? We can proudly say that

years? Ria is multilingual and can currently

behind HealthifyMe and what is your

Ria is the most advanced and cutting-

answer queries in English and Spanish. In

upcoming mission and vision? HealthifyMe

edge VA in the entire health-tech segment

the near future, Ria will be able to answer

is a comprehensive health platform that

today, globally. In fact, Ria has recently

in Tamil and Hindi too.

helps its users become and stay healthy.

graduated from her role as an assistant and

The app enables its users to track calories,

has become a full-fledged nutritionist on

Can you talk about your business model and

set and track fitness goals, access top of

the HealthifyMe platform. We have even

current marketing strategies? HealthifyMe

the line trainers and nutritionists and

started offering smart plans to our users

works on a freemium model. The app can

order healthy food. With over 10 million

where Ria on her own design personalized

be downloaded for free and enables users

users, today HealthifyMe is India’s largest

diet and fitness plans for users without the

to keep track of their calories, set personal

and most loved health and fitness mobile app. What sets us apart is our in-depth databasethat offers accurate calorie counts and PFC breakdowns for more than 55,000+ Indian foods. We have a team of over 450 elite nutritionists and fitness trainers who design personalized diet and fitness plans for our users. We have also designed the world’s first AI nutritionist chatbot – Ria; who offers users personalized recommendations on their diet and workout.

“The core services that we offer include the largest database of Indian foods with accurate PFC mapping. Our app allows users to track their daily fitness activities helping them monitor the amount of calories they burn every day”

fitness goals, and measure progress. This allows our users to stay mindful of their nutrition and fitness habits. The premium subscription service involves the nutritionist/ fitness coach/ yoga coach/Ria, designing a personalized plan based on the user’s needs. We also recently launched our health food marketplace on the app where we sell

In Conversation

face to face

wholesome, natural foods from staples to beverages to snacks. Highlight some of the important services and

You seem to have various competitors in

need for a human coach’s involvement.

products you are offering and also explain

the market and therefore, what is your

Today more than 50% of our paid users,

the advantages of becoming a premium

uniqueness that sets you apart from the

when given a chance to get their query

HealthifyMe user? The core services that

competition curve? What makes us unique

answered by Ria or a human nutritionist,

we offer include the largest database of

is our ability to bring together the power

choose to interact with Ria. This is a huge

Indian foods with accurate PFC mapping.

of AI and human empathy to deliver

endorsement of her capabilities.

Our app allows users to track their daily

measurable impact to our customers’

Recently, we launched the new avatar

fitness activities helping them monitor the

health. We have designed the world’s first

of Ria that not only listens and reads,

amount of calories they burn every day.

AI nutritionist chatbot, Ria;who offers users

but also views and identifies healthy

Our premium services include guidance

personalized recommendations on their

and unhealthy foods from menu cards,

and advice from nutritionist/ fitness / yoga

diet and workout. She uses key learning

phone screens and entire plates of food.

coaches from our pool of over 450 coaches

obtained from HealthifyMe’s 250 million

The 2.0 version has a new feature called,

who design a personalized plan for the user.

tracked food logs, workouts and 10 million

“SNAP”, which utilizes Ria’s capability

This is offered as a paid service along with

message exchanges between coaches and

to track calories from food plates. Our

access to our AI powered nutritionist, Ria.

clients. Today, Ria is the first choice of over

premium users can easily log nutritional

51% of customers on the platform, making

information of the food on their plate by

it one of the rare AI successes in the Indian

clicking a picture and uploading it on the

We want to make HealthifyMe a global

consumer internet domain.Besides this,

app. The SNAP feature will automatically

platform for quality health and fitness

we have established a leadership position

identity the type of food, the quantity and

services. We recently launched the app in

in the corporate wellness verticalwith 50

calories and makes a log. Currently, Ria

Malaysia and will expand across Southeast

top clients including Cognizant, Infosys,

can identify around 10,000 most tracked

Asia to Singapore, and enter the Gulf region

P&G, Coca Cola, ITC and Nestle.

dishes using SNAP. She can also be

over the next few quarters. We have hired

accessed through Alexa devices.

a team of specialised nutritionists and

Your virtual assistant Ria plays a vital role

What are your roadmaps in the coming years?

fitness coaches to develop personalised

in your app. In this instance, could you shed

How many languages can Ria understand

diet and fitness plans for our South-East

some light on the importance of your VA and

currently and what are the other languages

Asian users. n

how modernized it is in guiding people on

Ria will be able to understand in the coming

www.mymobileindia.com

nijhum@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 65

Applause

Feature

Digital Guru for Smart Generation Students W

ith the development of

education was mostly restricted to

to these platforms any time rather than

science and technology,

studying at schools accompanied by self-

waiting for your teacher to arrive the next

one’s life has become a

study at homes or referring to a teacher

day. You can learn a subject at your own

lot easier – everything has become

outside the school or a home tutor, but

pace, thus making learning personalized

more accessible and convenient, thus

now it’s the turn of apps and websites

and interesting. Some of the mobile

making things more effective. Same has

which have made digital learning or

applications that are acting as a ‘Digital

been the story with education. Initially,

digital teacher a trend. One can refer

Guru’ in the 21st century are:

Meritnation The Meritnation app is one of the apps that help a student in his school-related doubts, questions etc. The app gives lessons to students of classes 6-12 of CBSE or ICSE boards. The app helps the student to ace in their exams. Meritnation provides with study material, complete homework help and exam preparations with sample papers, revision

MindZu MindZu is a gamified maths learning app to help 9th grade students become brilliant at the subject. An innovative product crafted to deliver a personalised maths learning experience for the smartphone generation

notes, previous year papers and more. The app aims to address every academic need of CBSE and ICSE school students.

by edtech startup Angaza Ltd, MindZu has been designed for self-study as a supplement to teachers and textbooks. Raising the bar for STEAM e-learning, the mobile app provides a high-quality education experience via animated lessons, each with layers of interactive exercises and motivating game missions which bring learning to life. The app aims to address 9th grade academic need of CBSE school students.

66 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Applause

Feature My CBSE Guide With the My CBSE guide mobile app, you get free access to NCERT solutions, CBSE syllabus, CBSE sample papers, quick revision notes, NCERT exemplar solutions and chapter-wise important questions. It enables you watch best videos, play and practice online tests and provides e-learning solutions for K-12 students. It is one of the most trusted websites among CBSE students and teachers. My CBSE guide provides a complete learning solution

Toppr

for the board students. It provides study materials of all popular subjects.

Toppr is one of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best personalized learning apps for students studying for boards, Olympiads and various engineering, commerce and medical competitive exams. The platform leverages four methods of learning, each delivering a tailor-made experience for the student. It provides students with accurate, personalized feedback to pinpoint areas of improvement. With every question students attempt on Toppr, their speed, accuracy and goal completion is measured and taken into account to give them the next best question to attempt. With close to 4 million doubts solved, 3 million tests taken and over 300 million questions practised, Toppr has been able to personalise learning for millions of students.

Top Rankers Top Rankers is an app that aims to provide short and crisp notes that will help students to revise their subjects quickly. In this app, students get mock test papers, details and patterns about examinations. Students who are preparing for bank exams, law exams, SSC exams, etc. must join Top Rankers for better preparations. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 67

Guest Column

by Invitation

The Rise of Subscription Based Economy By Gagan Maini

ith the rise of technology in India, the spread of digitization on all levels has seen the fastest

growth in recent years. The rise of the Internet in the last decade has brought about a new form of business that has revolutionized the way in which companies operate today. Everything has now been digitalized right from ordering food to booking flights.

68 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Over the years, content consumption across the globe has been seen drifting

customization has become a key.

paid subscribers has clearly been able

This has given rise to players in the

to convert a huge chunk of the youth

OTT space such as Netflix, Amazon

television audience to their mobile

With content ranging from specific

Prime and Hotstar, etc. that challenge the

phones and laptop screens in India.

information to entertainment only a

traditionally maintained supremacy of

They have a wide array of genres ranging

towards digital formats.

touch away, accessibility has become a problem of the past. With such a drastic shift in direction, the importance of ease in product use has increased in value. This also means that consumption is no longer limited by geography and has made content and services available across the globe. Convenience and product

from romance to horror, catering to the

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The unmatched ease provided by a subscription driven model allows consumers the liberty of choice. Online content consumption has become highly personalized and has shown tremendous growth over the past few yearsâ&#x20AC;?

interests of all age groups. It enables their subscribers to consume content online at their discretion, thereby helping us watch our favorite TV shows anytime, anywhere without having to impede our other plans. Amazon with Prime, has bundled various offerings across its many offerings to give customers convenience and a multitude of features under a single plan in order to

Guest Column

by invitation

aid growth and to push its Prime Movies and Prime Music businesses. Great deals and convenience offered by ecommerce players in the country

the television as the main entertainment

also meant that Indians are shopping

hub. The unmatched ease provided

more online, turning to apps for more

by a subscription driven model allows

entertainment, day to day services and

consumers the liberty of choice. Online

using more digital payments services

content consumption has become highly

than ever before bringing in players like

personalized and has shown tremendous

Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra etc., that provide

growth over the past few years.

the convenience of having something

Similarly, apps providing end to end services such as ride hailing apps, FMCG,

Another rising segment in the market

hospitality and reservation apps along

are Fintech players in the insurance

with banking, insurance and assistance

and protection segment including

providing apps such as Uber, UrbanClap,

OneAssist, OnsiteGo and Servify. Brands

MakeMyTrip (MMT), Zomato and

such as OneAssist have extended their

OneAssist have seen an increasing rise in

initial offering from plans protecting

demand.

credit and debit cards to quickly cover

Zomato, for example, started as a

all the valuables that we use on a daily

restaurant reviewing site and app and

basis including mobile phones, laptops,

then extended its offering to include

tablets as well as all our home appliances.

costs, recommendations and reservations

Again, features that ensure customer

before launching Zomato Gold, its

convenience, handle the leg work involved

subscription-based product that allowed

with loss, damage or misuse of their

users to get deals on food and drink at

devices and the liberty to choose the kind

about 2000 partner outlets across

of plan that fits a customer need have

the country. Zomato Gold has today

played a key role in building its 2 million strong active customer base. n

very quickly grown to a base of 150,000 paid customers, helping Zomato lock in loyalty while improving billing for its many partner restaurants. Netflix, with over 125 million

www.mymobileindia.com

delivered at your doorstep.

The author is Co-Founder and Director, OneAssist Consumer Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a multi-product assistance and protection company for wallets, mobiles, gadgets and home appliances.

march 2019 | 69

Feature

Apptastic

Is mHealth going to be a trendsetter in the app domain? The growing popularity of smartphones over the years and the escalation of mobile internet has helped social media gain huge traction among the global masses. For several years, social media apps like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have become daily bread and butter for the people. Apart from this popularity, health and wellness apps are also becoming very trendy these days, maybe because of too much focus on fitness by the youths. The market of mobile health apps is increasing steadily with the commencement of innovative technologies, new business models and new workflows. mHelath app Market For the past couple of years, the popularity

out YouTube and Facebook Messenger.

and IoS, which is double the number in 2015. The market was projected to be

of mHealth apps have escalated so much

Popularity over the years

that usage is growing by over 330% and

A number of app developers said the

is expected to reach up to US$102.35

is said to have taken over popular social

popularity reached such an extent people

billion by 2023, which is due to massive

media apps according to Flurry Analytics.

are now trusting their health reports from

investment in the digital health sector.

It also stated that three quarters of active

their apps and wearable technology more

Tushar Vashisht, Co-founder and CEO,

users opening their health and fitness app

than their physicians and dieticians.

HealthifyMe, said,“The growing popularity

at least two times a week, and more than

Even couple of years back, a survey by

of health & fitness mobile apps can be

25% of users access their fitness apps more

PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed mHealth

attributed to 2 fundamental reasons - A rising

than 10 times a week.Sometimes back,

apps as top 3 biggest mobile trends for

awareness of the need for a healthy lifestyle

tech portal TechCrunch mentioned that

2016 and is based on a fact that every adult

and what I like to call - “India’s problem of

health app, Sweatcoin where users earned

in the US who uses a smartphone have at

access”. Our country has multiple tens of

Cryptocurrency redeem them for fitness,

least one health or fitness app.

millions of people in need of sound nutrition

valued at US$28.320 billion in 2018 and

which then topped the Apple Top 100 Apps

Since last year, there are now over

and fitness advice. However, India barely

chart and the Google Play Store – beating

318,000 health apps available on Android

has a few tens of thousands of qualified

70 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

dieticians and fitness coaches.â&#x20AC;?

Revenue Growth

Revenue

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only way this problem of access can be bridged and quality diet & fitness

800

HealthifyMe comes in which has artificial intelligence powered technology overlayed with strong elements of human empathy delivered by our coaches,â&#x20AC;? added Tushar.

Dependence on Technology

In million US$

of technology. Which is where an app like

659

692

consultative services can be provided to those in need is through the intervention

Apptastic

Feature

600

623

552 475

400

391 300

200 0

2016

2017

2018 n Apps

2019

2020

2021

2022

n Wearables

Healthcare consumers utilize most of the

Source : Statista

digital technology, which is augmenting

mHealth apps, compared to just 16% in

a bill, fill prescriptions, access test results,

every year. Accenture survey report last

2014. Also, these consumers are using

and schedule appointments.

year claimed that over 75% of people

mHealth apps anytime and anywhere by

Gartner forecasted that there would be

depend fully on technology to monitor

which it seems that 79% wants to have

over 310 million wearables sold in 2017,

their regular health. This research also

a provider through which they can have

which would be an increase of 16.7% to

showed increases across the board in the

medical interactions either online or on

2016. A study from PwC shows that the

use of mobile, electronic health records,

mobile apps. Digital technology has also

number one reason for people purchasing

social media, wearables and online

assisted patients from all over the world to

a wearable device is health. This indicates

communities. More specifically, nearly half

allow them to access patient records, pay

a substantial growth opportunity for health

(48%) of healthcare consumers are using

& fitness app developers in the next year. There are various types and forms of health apps, but the most popular of all is connection to doctors, which is of 30% preference, subsequently Diabetes, Heart, circulation, blood and Medication. Nonetheless, it also depends of the type of company. For an instance, pharma companies focus basically on selling products and services for medication and diabetes and on the other hand hospitals and creating apps for the purpose of building hospital competence.

Conclusion mHealth app market is still developing every month and so, a large number of stakeholders in and around the world are developing themselves by coming up with numerous innovative services and products that incorporate a sturdy business sculpt. Consequently, requirement of an impeccable company is highly decisive to supervise and monitor your mHealth development. n nijhum@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 71

Review

Apptastic

SkillBox A platform for deeper artist discovery

rt social network and discovery startup SkillBox has come up with its Android app for deeper

artist discovery. After the successful launch of its web-based platform - www. skillboxes.com, with over 5k users, the app promises to make things easier for all users. It is all set to arrive on iOS in early April. The SkillBox app offers a host of useful features for all categories of

playlists and people they follow with the

users – artists, businesses and fans

tap of a button.

and is distinguished by a sleek User Interface (UI). Combining superior

FeedBox

User Experience (UX) with state of the

A personalized and seamless feed of the

art technology, some of the prominent

latest posts and news based on one’s

features of the app are:

preferences and profiles they follow. It

Profile A comprehensive and interesting profile layout with all the necessary details of

is easily manageable and is powered by state-of-the-art technology to give optimum user experience.

an artist, business or fan for people to

Discover

know more about them with an option

The Discover feature offers a powerful

to follow and get all the latest news

search functionality for better

directly on their personal feed. On the

performance and faster access. With

profile management end, one can edit

Discover, one can dig deep and narrow

information, add music/photos, manage

one’s search criteria for artists and businesses by a particular type of artist, genre or select an artist hand- picked by SkillBox staff who are featured on weekly/monthly/yearly lists.

StreamBox StreamBox is an exclusive video/audio streaming service provided to artists and is free to use and complements the Discover feature. Artists are encouraged to upload their music/art to reach out to fans and gain a fan base.

Playlist The Playlist feature lets users to create a list of favorites akin to a media player and helps in showcasing one’s music taste to the audience at large. Users can also make the playlists public which appear on the Profile section for others to enjoy.

Book Artist One key feature for businesses is the Book Artist option which allows them to book an artist directly from the app after viewing their profile and work repository. All processes are streamlined and an e-contract is readily available upon booking which makes the process smooth with zero friction for businesses and artists alike.

TalkBox A one of its kind forum which allows users to pose questions and also answer questions thereby creating a rich discussion platform. n team@mymobile.co.in

72 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Apptastic

Feature

StepSetGo Walking is now truly a rewarding experience

tepSetGo has started a revolution in fitness. The app has been designed

to turn you into an unstoppable force. It erases all the excuses and hurdles that come your way. From lack of motivation to procrastination, StepSetGo helps you make the biggest of challenges look small. Every step you take is rewarded with SSG Coins. For every 1000 steps, you earn 1 SSG Coin. SSG Coins can be used inside the in-app ‘Bazaar’ to buy exciting products without spending real money.

The app that understands you Fitness is a journey and the only way to live a healthy life is to take one step at a time. In today’s fast paced lifestyle, challenges amplify and keeping pace with them

redeeming them at the Bazaar.

is not an easy task. Furthermore,

The Bazaar

fitness apps have been made with an

The Bazaar is where you reap

assumption that you are motivated.

the fruits of your hard work. You

While they expect you to hit the bull’s

can not only redeem your SSG

eye of fitness goals, StepSetGo keeps

Coins to get exclusive discounts

you going. It motivates you to step-it-up

on many brands, but also buy

on a daily basis. It can be something

products without spending real

as simple as walking to your nearest

money. From the Amazon Echo

railway station instead of taking a

Dot to Sony Headphones to

rickshaw. StepSetGo keeps it real with

iPhone XR and Play Station 4,

achievable goals.

a whole new world of delights

Level up your fitness

awaits you.

There’s more to StepSetGo than meets

Challenge your friends

Making Waves

the eye. The mantra is simple. The

In the world of StepSetGo, you’ll never

StepSetGo started turning the tide

more you walk, the more you earn. The

walk alone. Its Social Features allow

as soon as it got launched. In a

more you earn, the more you redeem at

you to invite your friends. Get them to

matter of weeks, the app has been

the Bazaar. Every single day, you have

download the app (you’ll earn 5 SSG

downloaded by more than 20,000

to take enough steps to ensure you earn

Coins when they do), motivate them

people.

your target coins. When you keep going

to follow your path, challenge them,

and stay consistent, you open the doors

build a healthy competition and top the

to earning more coins every day and

weekly Leaderboards.

www.mymobileindia.com

StepSetGo is available on Play Store and App Store. n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 73

Games

boredom Busters

Mobile Gaming: The Current Dominating Trendsetters Gone are the days when gaming used to be popular via laptops and PCs only due to high demand of graphics and other specifications. With the emergence of smartphones for the past couple of years, the trend is now shifting more on mobile devices because phones are now available with high graphics, RAM and sophisticated processors, which make it quite easy for people to play their favourite games. It has been improving on mobile phone each year with Android games mostly gaining traction among the youths. Yes, there are a number of popular games on iOS also, but with the release of Vulkan API and Android Nougat, the games are running smoother on mobile phones. We present you some of the most popular games that turned to be extremely popular on smartphones

By Nijhum Rudra

Battle Bay This game was launched by Finnish video game maker Rovio, which is also known for launching the most popular Angry Birds game. Battle Bay is targeted mostly to people of all ages and can be played on both iOS and Android. In fact, this game is Rovio’s first real-time, multiplayer game. Team up with a group of 5, and challenge opposing teams in real time battles. Choose a ship, customize it to complement your personal playing style, and hit the waves.The game is Multiplayer online battle arena on high seas. The surroundings are furnished with lots of rocks, buoys, and a cool visual style also. Here, people have the option to choose a ship, select their weapons and go to battle against opponents around the world. Use team strategy and firepower to take your fleet to the top - it’s sink or win! It is available on operating platforms such as Android (4.1 and up),iOS (8.0 and up). In this game, teamwork is essential if they want to get rid of their enemy’s ships and it is a quite colourful video game.

74 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Games

boredom Busters

PUBG One of the most popular online multiplayer battle royalegames, PlayerUnknownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is developed by PUBG Corporation, a sister organization of South Korean video game firm Bluehole. It was first released in December 20, 2017 and can be played on various platforms such as Windows, Android, iOS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The addiction of this game reached such an extent that one of the state government in India has requested for its immediate ban. It is basically a player versus player shooter game in which up to one hundred players fight in a battle royale, a type of large-scale last man standing deathmatch where players fight to remain the last alive. Now, they also has the option to play the match duo, solo, or with a small group of 4 people. This game was first rolled out

for Microsoft Windows via Steamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early access beta program in March 2017, with a full release on December 20, 2017, while on the same month, it was introduced by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox One via its Xbox Game Preview program, and officially released in September 2018. This game also targeted people from all ages.

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 75

Games

boredom Busters Asphalt 9: Legends The game was developed last year by Gameloft Barcelona and is available on all the leading platforms such as Windows, Android, and iOS. It is the ninth series, which is now equipped with several new-fangled features such as a important car lineup, new control schemes and race modes. Even, the graphics is also now improved when compared to its 2013 predecessor, Asphalt 8: Airborne. This ninth installment now has new 58 cars, but player initially has to start the game with lowest class (Class D), the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Now, each car requires “blueprints” to unlock and level up. Even, customization option is also available in

this new version. For the first time in the Asphalt series, you can create your own community of likeminded racers with the Club feature. Collaborate with your Club members to unlock Milestone rewards and rise up the ranks of the Club leaderboard. You can use the new car editor to define the exact color and materials for your car. You can also pick the color of the Rims and Brake Calipers and add carbon parts to fully customize your rides. Players can feel the thrill of gravitydefying races across 70 tracks in the most amazing realworld locations. Race around giant tornados in the American wilderness, avoid landslides in the Himalayas and hit the ramps to perform awesome stunts.

Golf Battle This game has been launched in August 2017 for free on both iOS and Android and has targeted mostly children. With a total size of 121.3 MB, this game requires iOS 8.0 and Android 4.1 and up. Devoid of any obnoxious content, Players can earn coins and gems by playing, or can acquire them by watching ads or buying packs with real money. The gems and coins are then used to unlock chests which contain items as special balls, fancy new clubs, and even weird holes. Players can send messages to their competition at the end of a match, but only predetermined phrases and emojis. It is a family oriented mini golf game without any dark themes, but rather colourful game levels of different environments. Players must note that online communications could crash this game. Most importantly, this game can be played offline anywhere and anytime. In Battle Golf’s multiplayer it’s all about getting the ball in the hole before your friend does. Shoot a ball to the other side of the map to stun your opponent. Try to get to a score of 5 before your opponent in versus mode or work together in co-op mode. You can also play singleplayervs the computer or try to score as many points within 60-seconds in time attack.

76 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

boredom Busters twelve difficult MCQs are asked by the host and players who can answer the question correctly by ten seconds moves to the next stage and the rest are eliminated. Invite some friends to join the fun - if they use your code, you’ll get extra lives. HQ has had special guest celebrities like The Rock, Robert De Niro, Gordon Ramsay, and Alicia Silverstone dropping in, giving away millions of dollars in prizes, and been featured in The New York Times, The Today Show, Time, ABC, CNBC, and more. Join the future of television and get HQ now. The game

HQ Trivia

was founded by a college dropout turned startup millionaire Colin Kroll

This online trivia game was first launched for iOS platform

who also co-founded Vine, which is a

on 26th August 2017, and then it was rolled out on Android

dais to share six second short video.

on 31st December 2017. This popular game show app helps

Initially, the prize for games from Monday through Saturday

you win cash prizes for free. Every day, tune into HQ to answer

was $250 but since has increased to $5,000, with a $25,000

trivia questions and solve word puzzles ranging from easy

prize on Sundays and a $2,500 prize on weekday afternoons.

to hard to savage. See if you have what it takes to win cash.

Occasionally, Sundays, holidays, and special events have had

Make sure you turn on push notifications so you never miss

prizes up to $400,000. The creators have stated that they

the live shows, and your chance at the money. A series of

plan to someday increase prizes to $1,000,000. n

Clash Royale This game is manufactured by Finnish mobile game maker Supercell and is launched in March 2, 2016. It is available on both the platform iOS and Android, which is claimed to have reached $1 billion in revenue in less than a year on the market. The game is like enter the arena and then collect and upgrade dozens of cards featuring the Clash of Clans troops, spells and defenses you know and love, as well as the Royales: Princes, Knights, Baby Dragons and more. Knock the enemy King and Princesses from their towers to defeat your opponents and win Trophies, Crowns and glory in the Arena. Form a Clan to share cards and build your very own battle community. Trophies are won or lost through multiplayer battles, a player wins a battle by destroying more towers than the opponent (each destroyed tower being represented as a ‘crown’), or by destroying the opponent’s King’s Tower, resulting in an automatic “three-crown” victory. Players must note that Clash Royale is free to download and play, however, some game items can also be purchased for real money. If you do not want to use this feature, please set up password protection for purchases in the settings of your Google Play Store app. Also, under our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, you must be at least 13 years of age to play or download Clash Royale. n

www.mymobileindia.com

Games

boredom Busters Alto’s Odyssey This game was initially released on 22 February 2018 published by Noodlecake Studios Inc., and Canada based video game firm Snowman. Alto’s Odyssey can be played on

Basically, it appeared in

tvOS, iOS, and Android. What’s unique about this game is

the iOS as paid game, but

the stupendous graphics, smooth gameplay, and stunning

when both Noodlecake

atmosphere. A new Zen mode feature is also included right

Studios and Snowman

out of the gate and there are new-fangled activities obtainable.

partnered to fetch Alto’s Adventure to Android they decided to offer it for free and also purchases were then available for premium upgrades. Alto’s Odyssey is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Alto’s Adventure, but you don’t need to have played one to enjoy the other. From the dunes, to the canyons, to the temples, explore a rich and diverse landscape, with each area boasting unique visuals and gameplay. From the pause screen, get behind the lens and take stunning photos of your trip through the desert. Pinch, swipe, pan and zoom to frame the ideal shot, and share them with friends and family. n

PAKO 2 Published by Tree Men Games, PAKO 2 is an arcade driving game where you work as a getaway driver. The game was released on November 16, 2017 for macOS and Microsoft Windows and later released on Android and iOS on January 31, 2018. Pick up your crew from heist spot, escort them to safety in dramatic chase against the cops, repeat and compete in the leaderboards! Every run gains you money which can be used to buy new rides and locations. Over here, the player runs away from cops who try to stop him and therefore, he drives on a selected level. The player can also perform a drive-by shooting at police cars while delivering robbers to their designated location. But, once their car stuck into any bumpers or other obstacles they player will instantly die and game over. The game has targeted children between the ages of 12-16, although everyone can play this game. It has received a score of 80 out of 100 on Metacritic, a website that aggregates reviews of media products: films, TV shows, music albums, video games, and formerly, books. A minimum of 253 GHz Dual Core chipset is required to play this game along with a 4GB RAM and NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT graphics. n nijhum@mymobile.co.in

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250 Million More Women Became Mobile Owners in Low and Middle –Income Countries Since 2014 Closing the Mobile Gender Gap in These Markets Represents a $140 Billion Commercial Opportunity for the Mobile Industry over the Next 5 Years, claims GSMA.

new GSMA study reveals that

GSMA Connected Women Programme’s

80 per cent of women in low-

Commitment Initiative, nearly 37 mobile

and middle-income countries

operators from 27 countries across Africa,

are now mobile owners.

Asia and Latin America have committed

According to the GSMA’s 2019 Mobile

to reducing the gender gap in their mobile

Gender Gap Report released today, mobile

money or mobile internet customer base

is the primary means of internet access

by 2020. These operators have provided

in these markets, where 48 per cent of

over 16 million additional women with

women use mobile to get online.

access to digital and financial services

However, despite the growth in

since 2016.

connectivity, the gender gap in mobile

“Ensuring digital and financial

ownership is not closing. Women remain

inclusion for women is critically important,

10 per cent less likely than men to own a

as we know that when women thrive,

mobile phone in low- and middle-income

societies, businesses and economies

countries, and 23 per cent less likely than

thrive,” added Granryd. “Reaching the

men to use mobile internet. The mobile

432 million women in these countries

gender gap varies by region and country

who are still unconnected will require

but is widest in South Asia where women

concerted effort and coordination from the

are 28 per cent less likely than men to

mobile industry, as well as policy makers

own a mobile device and 58 per cent less

and the international community.”

likely to use the mobile internet. “We are seeing significantly increased

Women highlighted affordability, literacy and digital skills, a perceived

mobile access for women, however in an

lack of relevance, and safety and

increasingly connected world, women

security concerns as the top barriers

are still being left behind,” said Mats

needing to be addressed in order to

Granryd, Director General, GSMA. “While

further decrease the mobile gender

mobile connectivity is spreading quickly,

gap.

it is not spreading equally. Unequal access to mobile technology threatens to exacerbate the inequalities women already experience.”

Opportunity for Significant Economic and Commercial Growth

revenue if operators could close these

The GSMA found that closing the gender

gender gaps by 2023. The GSMA also

gaps in mobile ownership and usage

found that closing the mobile gender gap

represents a substantial commercial

could be an important driver of economic

Mobile operators are taking action to

opportunity for the mobile industry. Over

growth. These markets could also add an

address the mobile gender gap and leading

the next five years, low- and middle-

additional $700 billion in GDP growth by

an effort to drive digital and financial

income countries could gain an estimated

2023. n

inclusion for women. As part of the

additional $140 billion in mobile industry

Taking Action to Address the Mobile Gender Gap

www.mymobileindia.com

Trendz

in focus

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 79

Trendz

Market insight

Smart Feature Phones to Create $28 Billion Revenue Opportunity As the penetration of smart feature phones increases across the world, new business and revenue opportunities will be created for the entire mobile value chain

early 370 million smart feature phones are expected

Global Smart Feature Phone Opportunity Revenues (US$, Billions)

to be sold across the world over the next three years,

according to a recent study by Counterpoint Research. This will introduce an entirely untapped customer base to high-speed internet, apps and services and in doing so, open a whole host of new business and revenue opportunities for the entire mobile value chain. According to Neil Shah, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, the revenue opportunity from increasing sales of smart feature phones is expected to be in the region of US$28 billion over the next three years. Shah adds, “This will be enabled by a potential of more than 300 million smart feature phone users

opportunity, or around $20 billion.”

as a perfect middle ground between

globally by the end of 2021. Software and

A smart feature phone is a device with

Services alone will contribute to

a traditional feature phone form-factor and

71% of this near- to mid-

design but with a chipset and an operating

While the trend to migrate to

term revenue

system which can support sophisticated

smartphones is strong, less tech-savvy

smartphone-like features such as high-

users and first-time users continue to

speed internet access along with an

prefer a feature phone form-factor and

application and services ecosystem. A

user interface (UI). In many African

smart feature phone serves

countries and India, literacy rates remain

feature phone and smartphone reducing the barriers to access the digital world.

well below 70%. For users in such countries, moving to a smartphone is a steep learning curve which is why there are still two billion active users of feature phones across the world. This is the space that smart feature phones will enter. “The global smart feature phone

86 | january 2019

MYMOBILE

Trendz

Market insight demand grew 252% year-on-year in 2018 – albeit from a low base, contributing roughly 16% of the total feature phone volumes. While India is the biggest contributor to this demand, major markets that have driven smart feature phone sales include the United States, United

One of the key components that have been driving the growth of smart feature phones is KaiOS, which is a software platform powering this new segment of phones and helping the digital inclusion of feature phone users with native support for 3G/4G networks as well as a curated app and services ecosystem Kingdom, South East Asia and Africa.

Reliance Jio added since the Jio Phone

“The global smart feature phone demand grew 252% year-on-year in 2018 – albeit from a low base, contributing roughly 16% of the total feature phone volumes. While India is the biggest contributor to this demand, major markets that have driven smart feature phone sales include the United States, United Kingdom, South East Asia and Africa”

We estimate that smart feature phones

launch in late 2017, the KaiOS powered

will cross more than half of global feature

4G smart feature phone contributes close

phone volumes by 2021,” says Tarun

to half of those net additions.

– Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research

www.mymobileindia.com

Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research.

The largest beneficiary from the growth in smart feature phones will be network

One of the key components that have

operators. Existing 2G customers can be

been driving this growth of smart feature

moved to a more efficient 4G network.

phones is KaiOS. KaiOS is a software

Network operators can then free-up the 2G

platform powering this new segment of

spectrum and re-farm it for 4G, upcoming

phones and helping the digital inclusion

5G or Low Power Wireless Access (LPWA)

of feature phone users with native support

IoT networks. Further, as customers move

for 3G/4G networks as well as a curated

to the 4G network, operators can drive

app and services ecosystem. Over the

voice as well as data revenues increasing

last year and a half, eight KaiOS-powered

their average revenue per user (ARPU).

devices have been launched with multiple

“Perhaps the biggest benefit of 4G

models launching in 1Q 2019. These

smart feature phone adoption for operators

models have been launched across North

is the opportunity to accelerate the

America, Europe, Africa, South East Asia,

adoption of more efficient technologies

and India.

with much lower cost/bit metrics with

Reliance Jio has been fastest to see

users on 4G/5G networks than on 2G/3G

the opportunity and adopt the platform

networks. Further, operators have the

to acquire tens of millions of 2G feature

potential to drive voice as well as data

phone users to its 4G network with its

revenues and, in the process, increase the

KaiOS-powered 4G smart feature phone.

4G ARPU. It will help operators achieve

The company’s Jio Phone, is the world’s

a return on 4G equipment and network

leading VoLTE-supported KaiOS-based

rollouts. We estimate close to $15 billion

smart feature phone. It was launched

in connectivity service revenues will be

at a price of US$20 and is the current

generated, cumulatively, between 2019

exemplar of a smart feature phone value

and 2021,” says Varun Mishra, Research

proposition and execution globally. Out of

Analyst at Counterpoint Research. n

more than 100 million subscribers that

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 81

Trendz

Market insight

Global Smartphone Market Declines for First Time in 2018 The decline in smartphone shipments can be attributed to lengthening replacement cycles in developed markets like US, China and Western Europe, says a study

ccording to the latest research

and Western Europe. Smartphone OEMs

from Counterpoint’s Market

tried to push sales by adding features

Monitor service, global

such as AI, multiple camera assemblies,

smartphone shipments

full-screen displays, in-screen fingerprint

declined 4% annually in CY2018. Fourth

scanners etc. but consumers held on to

quarter smartphone shipments for 2018

their devices longer due to the absence

recorded a decline of 7%, marking it the

of groundbreaking innovations and higher

fifth consecutive quarter of smartphone

prices of devices being offered by the

decline.

OEMs.”

Commenting on the decline in

Pathak added, “Smartphone OEMs in

smartphone market, Tarun Pathak,

2019 are looking to launch devices with

Associate Director at Counterpoint

innovative designs and specifications

Research, said, “This is the first time

such as 5G, foldable displays, punch-hole

that the global smartphone market has

cameras, full-screen in-display fingerprint

witnessed decline for a whole year. The

scanners to lure consumers to upgrade.

decline in smartphone shipments can be

With Chinese OEMs Huawei, Oppo, Vivo,

attributed to lengthening replacement

Xiaomi (HOVX) improving their quality and

cycles in developed markets like US, China

taking the lead at launching these new

“Smartphone OEMs in 2019 are looking to launch devices with innovative designs and specifications such as 5G, foldable displays, punch-hole cameras, full-screen in-display fingerprint scanners to lure consumers to upgrade” – Tarun Pathak, Associate Director, Counterpoint Research features, it has become tough for both global brands and local brands alike to sustain market share.” Commenting on market dynamics

86 | january 2019

MYMOBILE

in 2019, Research Analyst Shobhit

Global Smartphone Shipments Ranking and Market Share – Q4 2018

Srivastava, Counterpoint Research, noted, “The collective smartphone shipment growth of emerging markets such as India,

Global Smartphone Shipments (Millions Units) 2017Q4

2018Q4

YoY% Growth

Samsung

74.4

69.0

-6%

Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia and others was

Apple

77.3

65.9

15%

not enough to offset the decline in China,

Huawei

41.0

59.7

46%

which was responsible for almost 1/3rd of

Oppo

30.7

32.5

Vivo

24.0

27.0

-13%

Xiaomi

31.0

26.5

-15%

13.9

9.5

-32%

recovery due to various politico-economic

Lenovo*

12.4

9.7

-22%

factors, Chinese brands are looking to

Alcatel

3.9

5.7

47%

Nokia HMD

4.4

4.6

Others

110.5

84.1

-24%

Total

423.4

396.0

-7%

global smartphone shipments in 2018. With China showing little or no sign of

expand overseas. To increase market share, Chinese brands have been aggressive in both hardware/software design and

Trendz

Market insight

Source : Counterpoint Research: Quarterly Market Monitor Q4 2018

marketing. They are bringing many firsts

Key Takeaways:

into smartphone designs and are taking

The global smartphone market declined for the first time ever as

“The collective smartphone shipment growth of emerging markets such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Russia and others was not enough to offset the decline in China, which was responsible for almost 1/3rd of global smartphone shipments in 2018” – Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst, Counterpoint Research

www.mymobileindia.com

consumers held onto their devices longer, especially higher-end phones. Many did not see a need to upgrade as the available phones were too expensive without offering any groundbreaking innovation that would move them to upgrade their older device. n For Q4 2018, Huawei, Oppo and Vivo continue to dominate with strong performances in China, India, Asia and parts of Europe. The trio have multiple regions to enter and grow moving forward into 2019. n Samsung and Apple saw a tough quarter and tough 2018 as demand for their flagship phones have waned due to competition from affordable premium and more cutting-edge phones from Chinese brands such as Huawei and OnePlus. n Apple has already attempted to reduce prices in China to alleviate the fall. This will not have a lot of impact on China sales. A small price cut will not move the dial. More effective will be Apple’s buy-back programs and installment plans which will be rolled out into more countries. n Xiaomi reached a record fourth position for the full year after two years of setbacks thanks to immense growth in India. It has surpassed Oppo globally to take back the fourth position. n BBK Group (which owns Oppo, Realme, Vivo and OnePlus brands) is collectively the world’s third largest manufacturer, even bigger than Huawei in terms of volume. n Huawei continues to have its sights on Apple and should surpass Apple as the second largest brand globally in 2019 if it doesn’t face any sanctions from the US in the way ZTE was cut-off from US suppliers (e.g. Google, Qualcomm, US RF components, etc. multiple brand strategies to enter new

local brands. We have been talking about

segments without making a compromise

consolidation in the smartphone market

of their brand image.”

in the past and 2019 will bring just that

“The increasing competition from both Chinese and global smartphone players will make it tougher for already suffering

— top brands will continue to eat market share of smaller and local players.” n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 83

Overview

in focus

Indians set up 205 companies in Estonia using e-Residency program

he e-Residency program launched by Estonia in December 2014 to empower digital entrepreneurs with easy

access to Europe has seen huge success in India with over 1,062 individuals applying for e-Residency in 2018. Around 205 new Estonian companies were created in the process majorly from startups and other freelancers working on sectors such as web designing, software programming, content writing etc. Among the notable Indian e-residents are Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh

Ambani and Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Reliance Industries has set up a research centre for Jio in Estonia. The research centre aims at understanding digital society of Estonia and the benefit it can offer to India and Indians. The centre is headed by Taavi Kotka, former Chief Information Officer of Estonia and one of the founders of e-Residency program. Ambani has always been appreciative of the advancements made by Estonia in the

and non-metro cities, to look beyond the

more closely on e-governance, tech and

domestic market and extend their services

economic issues.”

to the European market of 500 million people. Riho Kruuv, Ambassador of the

on Information and Communications

Republic of Estonia to India, said, “Our

Technology (ICT), Cyber Security and

innovative e-Residency program has

Blockchain Technology.

already made a mark among the Indian

In India, Estonia has partnered with

entrepreneurs and our Indian e-Residents

Startups Club who is actively involved in

are now fully equipped to make their

providing support to Indian e-residents

business prosper with easy access to the

as well as creating awareness about

European market. We are upbeat and

e-Residency through workshops and meet-

quite enthusiastic about 2019 which I

ups in major cities, such as Bangalore,

believe, will be yet another

Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai. They are also helping Indian digital entrepreneurs

field of e-governance.

to better understand the benefits

Estonia is the world’s first country

of the program and guide them

to introduce an e-Residency program

through the process of creating a

that offers individual access to a

company in Estonia.

government-issued digital ID, thus

Through its e-Residency

enabling the opening of a global

program, Estonia endeavors

European Union (EU) company fully

to provide these budding

online while working from India.

entrepreneurs with a seamless

Ever since its launch, e-Residency has enrolled nearly 2,300

excellent year for e-Residency in India.”

e-residents from India who have created

Arnaud Castaignet, Head of Public

around 286 companies. Among them

Relations of Estonia’s e-Residency, said,

are large pools of freelancers or location-

“Our goal in 2019 will be able to attract

independent entrepreneurs who operate

around 300 new companies from India.

their Estonian companies while sitting

With the benefits that e-Residency has

in India with zero hassle using Estonia’s

to offer for Indian digital entrepreneurs,

state of the art digital infrastructure.

I am confident that we will outperform

e-Residency has enabled a large number

our targets, especially because Estonia

of such freelancers, based out of IT hubs

and India are collaborating more and

84 | march 2019

Republic of Estonia is also extending cooperation to multiple state governments

and hassle free environment which will allow their businesses to grow and prosper internationally. They can run their company remotely from anywhere on Earth and by expanding their market to Europe, these digital entrepreneurs will reap benefits of huge demands from 500 million population of the continent. n team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Market insight

Four China Firms among Top 10 Chip Buyers With Huawei moving into top 3, OEMs increased semiconductor buying power, says Gartner

amsung Electronics and

bytakingoutorpurchasing

Apple remained the top two

competitors. As a

semiconductor chip buyers

result, semiconductor

in 2018, representing 17.9

per cent of the total worldwide market,

spending by the top 10 OEMs increased

according to Gartner, a research and

significantly, and their share reached

advisory firm. This is a 1.6 per cent

40.2 per cent of the total semiconductor

decrease compared with the previous

market in 2018, up from 39.4 per

year. However, the top 10 OEMs increased

cent in 2017. This trend is expected to

their share of chip spending to 40.2 per

continue, which will make it harder for

cent in 2018, up from 39.4 per cent in

semiconductor vendors to maintain high

2017.

margins.

“Four Chinese original equipment

Another factor impacting the market

manufacturers (OEMs) — Huawei,

was memory prices. While the DRAM

Lenovo, BBK Electronics and Xiaomi — ranked in the top 10 in 2018, up from three in 2017. On the other hand, Samsung Electronics and Apple both significantly slowed the growth of their chip spending in 2018,” said Masatsune Yamaji, senior principal analyst at Gartner. “Huawei increased its chip spending by 45 per cent, jumping in front of Dell and Lenovo to the third spot.” Eight of the top 10 companies in 2017 remained in the top 10 in 2018, with Kingston Technology and Xiaomi replacing LG Electronics and Sony. Xiaomi rose eight places to the 10th position, increasing its semiconductor spending by $2.7 billion in 2018, a 63 per cent growth year over year. The continued market consolidation in the PC and smartphone markets had a significant impact on the semiconductor buyers’ ranking. The big Chinese smartphone OEMs, in particular, have increased their market domination

www.mymobileindia.com

“Four Chinese original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) — Huawei, Lenovo, BBK Electronics and Xiaomi — ranked in the top 10 in 2018, up from three in 2017. On the other hand, Samsung Electronics and Apple both significantly slowed the growth of their chip spending in 2018” – Masatsune Yamaji, Senior Principal Analyst, Gartner

average selling price (ASP) has been high in the past two years, it is now declining. However, the impact is limited, as OEMs will increase their memory content when the ASP declines and also invest in premium models. Gartner predicts that the share of total memory chip revenue in the total semiconductor market will be 33 per cent in 2019 and 34 per cent in 2020, higher than its 31 per cent share in 2017. “With the top 10 semiconductor chip buyers commanding an increasing share of the market, technology product marketers at chip vendors must allocate a majority of their resources to their top 10 potential customers,” said Yamaji. “It is crucial that they take advantage of the open budget that is available due to the weakening memory ASPs and encourage customers to use advanced chips or increase memory content.” n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 85

Trendz

Market insight

India PC Market Sees Downfall in 2018 Weak consumer demand in Q4 results in a 2.8% decline in Indian traditional PC market in CY2018, says IDC

he overall India traditional

adoption trends of traditional PCs. The

Segment Highlights

PC market shipments for

market witnessed the rise of new form

In CY2018, the consumer market dropped

the calendar year 2018

factors in both desktop and notebook

by 1.5% and recorded an overall shipment

stood at 9.3 million units,

category,” says Nishant Bansal, Research

of 4.54 million units. Consumer notebook

Manager, IPDS & PCD, IDC India.

shipments saw a growth of 0.7% over

a decline of 2.8% year-on-year, according to latest IDC Asia/Pacific

“All-in-One, Ultrasmall and small

last year owing to increase in demand

Quarterly Personal Computing Device

desktops saw a combined growth of 23%

for growing categories like gaming and

Tracker, February 2019. This was primarily

YoY, while convertibles and ultraslim

ultraslim notebooks, thereby commanding

due to the muted consumer demand and

notebooks observed a cumulative growth

a share of 82% out of the overall consumer

the absence of large special projects in

of 75% YoY. Traction towards exciting

PC market while Consumer desktops saw

2018Q4 as shipments for the quarter

new categories such as branded gaming

an annual decline of 10.2% due to the

stood at 1.99 million units, down by

notebooks continued in CY2018, clocking

weakening contribution of the unbranded

23.8% YoY and 26.7% QoQ.

a growth of 123% YoY. Gaming and new

desktops.

The overall market saw good

form factors have been driving the growth

In CY2018, the commercial shipments

momentum in H1 2018 due to stable

of the premium market segment in

declined by 4%, recording a total volume

consumer spending and the execution of

CY2018,” adds Bansal.

of 4.76 million units, as the year did not

special projects. However, the market witnessed challenges in H2 2018 in both consumer and commercial segment owing to the aggressive stocking of inventory, drop in demand and impact of processor shortages. “Despite decline in CY2018, the industry is seeing new

86 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

see any large-scale special projects in the education segment. Large and Very Large businesses saw a total growth of 17.6%

Trendz

Market insight India PC Shipments (M), Share, and Year-on-Year Growth by Top 5 Companies, 2018

YoY. Companies in IT/ITES and BFSI have been driving the spending in the Enterprise segment.

Quarter Highlights Consumer PC market registered an overall shipment of 0.91 million units

Source: IDC Asia Pacific Quarterly Personal Computing Devices Tracker, February 2019

in 2018Q4, which is a 25.7 % decline

positioning within global accounts across

over last year. The decline in the segment

the large and very large business.

was a result of the excess inventory being

Lenovo held the third position with a

carried forward from 2018Q3 owing to a

20.6 % market share in the overall India

drop in festive buying from consumers,

traditional PC market in CY2018, which is

aggravated further by channel partner

a marginal decline of 1.3% in shipments

issues across the country.

YoY. The consumer PC business grew by

The overall commercial PC market

17.0% YoY in CY2018 as the company

recorded a total shipment of 1.08 million

aggressively captured consumer

units in 2018Q4, a decline of 22.1 % over

mindshare in the ultraslim notebook

last year. The drop is largely attributed

category and continued with online

to the sluggish demand from the SMB segment owing to credit uncertainty and lack of execution of large special projects. Moreover, challenges in fulfilling enterprise orders due to processor shortages also accounted for the drop in commercial volumes.

Top 3 Company Highlights: HP led the overall India traditional PC market with a 31.0% share in CY2018 and recorded a YoY shipment growth of 0.6%. The vendor has maintained its dominance in the consumer PC market in CY2018, growing 5.6% YoY due to continuous engagement with channel community and penetration across Tier 2 and Tier 3 states to increase footprint and build brand awareness. The vendor led the commercial segment in CY2018 with key

“Despite decline in CY2018, the industry is seeing new adoption trends of traditional PCs. The market witnessed the rise of new form factors in both desktop and notebook category” – Nishant Bansal, Research Manager, IPDS & PCD, IDC India

store penetration. Lenovo’s commercial segment dropped by 13.3 % YoY in the year as the company did not witness the execution of large manifesto projects. However, the company saw strong growth in the Enterprise and SMB segments.

Market forecast “Heading into 2019Q1, IDC expects the consumer market to decline due to frail consumer sentiment and see a correction of inventory in the channel. IDC anticipates vendors to push the new portfolio of products into the market to drive demand in the mid of CY2019. The commercial market is expected to grow on the back of the execution of special projects. Moreover, the Government segment is likely to withhold on spending

strategic wins in enterprise accounts in IT/ ITES vertical but registered a decline of

the overall traditional PC market. In the

3.9% in shipments YoY as the vendor was

consumer market, Dell was down by

not able to execute high-volume special

11.5% YoY owing to challenges within

projects in the public sector segment.

the channel towards H2 2018. The

Dell remained second with a 23%

vendor recorded a growth of 10.6% YoY

share in CY2018 but witnessed a soft

in the commercial segment, driven by the

decline YoY in shipments by 0.2% in

refresh in enterprise demand and strong

www.mymobileindia.com

channel focus and regional exclusive

before the general elections. Headwind around processor shortage is expected to continue, impacting vendor shipments in 2019Q1,” says Navkendar Singh, Associate Research Director, Client Devices & IPDS, IDC India.n team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 87

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Address - # 25, 1st Floor, Shankar Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110001. Phone: 011-46206161, 46206100, E-mail: subscriptions@mymobile.co.in, Web : mymobileindia.com Terms and Conditions: The offer is valid in India only. Gift will be deliverd within a month after clearing of the cheque.Please allow 4 - 6 weeks for processing your subscription. Any request for cancellation of subscription will not be entertained. Copies will be sent by ordinary post. The actual model of Subscription gift may vary from the model shown above. This subscription offer is valid till stocks lasts. All disputes subject to competent courts of Delhi only.

MY GUIDE While My Mobile tries to ensure accuracy in the pricing and features any discrepancies that may emerge are beyond our control. Please check with the retailer about features of the phone before buying. Feel free to update us. (Last updated on February 22, 2019)

Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quot ed by the respective companies, ex-Delhi. The prices may vary on account of promotional schemes or dealer discretion.

Devices featured in the My Guide have been segregated into different categories based on price and colour-coded as:

Up to Rs. 2,499 Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999 Rs. 6,000 – Rs. 9,999 Rs.10,000 – Rs. 14,999 Rs.15,000 – Rs. 19,999 Rs. 20,000 – Rs. 29,999 RS. 30,000 and above. Tablets

Spreadtrum—ST Intel Atom—IA Qualcomm Snapdragon—QS MediaTek—MT MediaTek Helio—MTH

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

FOX MOBILES

PARAMETERS

HITECH

BigDaddy V2

Bolt FX241

Champ FX240

F2 Sultan

24 Karat

Gama

Pride 350

2.8-inch QVGA

2.4-inch QVGA

2.8 inch

Dimension (mm)

137x58x13.3

127x52x12

125.4x52.5x12.2

125x53.50x14.3

123.7x51.9x12.2

116.5x50.5x15.3

131 x 58 x 10.2

Weight (grams)

137

117

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable

312MHz

Spreadtrum 6531DA/NA

Nucleus RTOS

Nucleus

32MB/32MB/32GB 32MB/32MB/32GB 32MB/32MB/32GB 32MB/32MB/32GB 32MB/32MB/32GB 32MB/32MB/32GB

32+32MB

Rear/Front Camera

VGA

1.3 MP/NA

Battery (mAh)

3,600

1,800

2,500

1,500

2,500

1,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes/Yes

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launch

Launched

1,799

1,549

1,299

1,799

1,299

1,549

Price Rs.

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

I-SMART

PARAMETERS

LEPHONE

Model

103

102 Cute

K15

K10

K11

Display (inches/res)

1.8

2.4

1.8

2.4

1.8

Dimension (mm)

112x46.5x13.5

121x51.5x13.3

123.5x52x15

112x46.5x13.9

121x51.5x13.3

Weight (grams)

Processor/RAM

Speadtrum 6531da

Speadtrum6533

312MHz /32MB

32+32MB

32MB / 32GB

0.8/NA

Digital Camera

1,000

850

1000

1800

1000

1450

1,850

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Music Player/FM

Yes

YES

Launched

650

684

1,099

1,050

1,099

999

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

90 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

HITECH

INTEX

I-SMART

Model

Sleek 9

Amaze S9

Air A8

Aqua Classic 2

is-59

i1-Mini

Display (inches/res)

2.4

5.0/ 540 x 960

5/480/854

5/854x480

4.5/854x480

Dimension (mm)

100 x 42 x 13.4

140 x 66.88 x 9.65

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

145.2x72.6x10.9

143.5x73.6x9.5

135.2x66x10.8

Weight (grams)

112

150

152

120

109

312MHz /32MB

ST 7731/512MB

ST 7731/1GB

qcta-core/1GB

1.2GHz, quad-core/1GB

1.3Ghz quadcore/512MB

5.1 Lollipop

5.2 Lollipop

Android 6.0

Android 6.2

32MB / 32GB

4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

Digital Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

2,500

800

1,400

2,000

2200

2,200

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

YES

Yes

Music Player/FM

YES

Yes/Yes

Yes

Launched

1,199

1,499

2,999

4,999

2,999

3,199

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

4,600

ITEL

PARAMETERS

Model

MICROMAX

Power Pro it1410 Canvas Juice 3 Q393

M-TECH

Canvas Spark 3

Canvas Bolt Selfie

EROS PLUS

TURBO 4G

TEZ 4G

4/ 800 x 480

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/854x480

5 FWVGA TN

5 FWVGA IPS

Dimension (mm)

124x64.7x12.2

144.9x73.3x9.5

146.6x73.6x11.5

144x72.5x8.8

Weight (grams)

142

171

Processor/RAM

Dual core, 1.3 GHz/512MB

MT6580/2GB

quad-core/1GB

MTK6735/1GB

Operating system

Android4.4

Android 5.1

Android Nougat

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

1GB/8GB/64GB

2.0MP/0.3MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/5MP

0.3MP/5MP

2MP/5MP

2,800

4,000

2,500

1,750

2,000

2,400

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

March, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2017

August, 2017

3,339

4,171

4,848

4,849

4,299

4,699

4,799

Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core

MARCH 2019 I 91

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

M-TECH

VIDEOCON

EROS 4G

Delite11

Astra Metal 4G

Astra Colors 4G

Astra NXT+

Zi-34

Astra Prism

Display (inches/res)

5 FWVGA IPS

5/1280x720

5/480X854

5/720X1280

4 inch

3.5 inch

5 inch

Dimension (mm)

72.4x142.7x9.3

146.66X74.3X10.52

143.8X73.3X10.4

142.9X71.65X11

125.4X64.2X13

116.2X61.4X11.3

134.4X67X10.1

Weight (grams)

136

151

171

182

130

108

119

1.3GHz Quad Core

Quad-core/1GB

1.5Ghz Quadcore ARM

Spreadtrum

Operating system

Android Nougat

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

1GB/8GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

1GB/8GB

256 MB/512 MB

512 MB/4GB

0.3MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

2MP/0.3MP

0.3MP/ 0.3MP

0.3MP/2MP

2,000

3,000

4,000

2,000

1,200

1,700

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

October, 2017

Launched

4,999

5,840

5,553

6,499

3,703

2,993

3,813

PARAMETERS

Model

Processor/RAM

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

ZIOX

512MB+4GB(DDR2) 2xCortex-A7,32bit

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

1.2 GHz Quadcore

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

ASUS

CELKON

CENTRIC

Zenfone Max

Q550

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5 HD IPS

135x68x10.2

152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9

156 x 77.5 x 10.55

145.6 x 71.8 x 8

141x70.5x8.6

130

170

202

149

143

QS 410/2GB

QS 615/ 2GB, 3GB

Broadcom/2GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

Astra Zing

Astra NXT Pro

Astra Blaze

4 inch

4.5/480x854

Dimension (mm)

124X64X10.1

123.5x64.2x10.5

Weight (grams)

105

111

Processor/RAM

1.2 GHz Quadcore

Model Display (inches/res)

Quad-core A7MP 1.3GHz Quad-Core

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 7

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android Kitkat 4.4.2

Android Nougat

Storage/Expandable

512MB/4GB

1GB/8GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB, 64GB

16GB/32GB

2GB/16GB/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

0.3MP/2MP

2MP/0.3MP

0.3MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

1,400

1,900

2,000

3,000

5,000

2,500

3,050

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launched

August, 2015

May, 2016

2,014

January, 2018

3,653

3,899

4,499

9,299

9,325/ 12,999

7,499

6,749

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

92 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

COMIO

PARAMETERS

COOLPAD

Note 3

Note 3s

Note 5 Lite

5 HD IPS

5.2 HD IPS

5.5 HD IPS

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5/1280X970

Dimension (mm)

143.5X71.3X9.35

144X71.6X9.9

149X72.6X7.9

152.85X76.14X9.2

152 x 77 x 9

154.5x77x8.6

145.3X72.3X8.7

Weight (grams)

175

165

159

178

150

167

148

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/3GB

MT6735/3GB

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core Android Nougat

Android Nougat

Android 5.1

Android6.0

Storage/Expandable

1GB/32GB

2GB/16GB

2GB/32GB

3GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

32GB/32GB

16GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

2,200

4,000

2,700

5,000

3,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

August, 2017

September, 2017

August, 2017

October, 2015

November,2016

March, 2017

5,999

7,199

8,999

9,999

8,999

9,999

8,199

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

DAZEN

HONOR

HITECH

IN-FOCUS

Honor Holly 3

Honor Holly 2 Plus

Air A9

M 350 (16GB)

M680

M810

Display (inches/res)

5.7/1440x720

5.5/1920x1080

4.8/720 x 1280

5.0-inch, 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

156.9x72.9x8.2

143.1 x 71.8 x 9.7

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

151 x 71.5 x 10.6

156 x 76.8 x 7.25

153.70 x 76.20 x 6.99

Weight (grams)

170

160

152

146

158

155

Processor/RAM

1.3GHz Quad Core

Kirin 620/2GB

MT6735P /2GB

MT 3735M/2GB

MT6732/2GB

MT 6753/2GB

QS 801/ 2GB

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

3GB/32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP+0.3MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3,100

4,000

3,500

2,500

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launched

October, 2016

February, 2016

June, 2015

December, 2015

July, 2015

7,999

9,999

8,499

6,999

8,999

9,999

Model

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2019 I 93

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

INTEX

PARAMETERS

Aqua S7

Model

Aqua Secure

I-SMART Aqua View

IS-57i

IS-56i HD Mercury V6

ITEL Ultra 50

Wish it1512

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

5/HD IPS, MiraVision, 5.0-inch/480 x 854 5.0-inch/720 x 1280 cast screen

Dimension (mm)

142.5x72.5x8.7

133.5 x 66.5 x 9.4

124 x 64 x 10.3

146.72 x 72.85 x 8.73 143.54 x 71.55 x 8.52 148.24X72.56X11.44

143x72x8.65

Weight (grams)

150

130

146

155

170

186

Processor/RAM

Quad core/3GB

MTK6735M/ 1GB

MTK6735P/ 1GB

Quad Core/1 GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

Quad core/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Marshmallow 6.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/ 32GB

8GB/64GB

3GB/32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

5MP/ 2MP

8MP/5MP

8.0MP/3.2MP

13MP/5MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

3,200

1,900

2,200

2,100

2,500

3,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2016

May, 2016

June, 2016

September, 2016

September, 2015

Launched

June, 2016

9,499

6,499

8,999

6,499

6,999

9,990

6,000

Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

5/FWVGA/TN

PARAMETERS

ITEL

KARA

LAVA

Power Pro it1553

Mega 1

Mega 4

Mega 2

X10

Pixel V2

X50+

5.5)

5.5, Full HD

5.0-inch, HD IPS,

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

138.5x69.5x9.8

152.4x77.1x9.5

152.4X77.1X9.5

142 x 70.8 x 7.9

141.6 x 70.8 x 7.6

155x71.8x8.85

Weight (grams)

184

133

128

155

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1GB

1.2 GHz,Quad Core

1.3GHz Quad Core(64bit)

Quad core /3GB

Quad Core/ 2GB

quad-core/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Marshmallow 6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

3GB/32GB/64GB

1GB/16GB

2GB/16GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/32GB

8.0MP/2.0MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

5,050

4,000

2,000

3,000

2,900

2,500

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

152.4X77.1X9.5

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

June, 2017

Launched

November, 2015

September, 2015

7,290

7,950

4,500

6,500

9,999

8,499

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

94 I MARCH 2019

9,199

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

Display (inches/res)

5-inch/1280x720

5/854X480

Dimension (mm)

145.5x72.9x10.35

143.6x72.5x10

143.2x69x9.1

Weight (grams)

150

177

136

Model

Processor/RAM

W15

W21

W7R

5/1280X720

5.5/1280X720

5/ FWVGA/854x480

154.9x79.1x9.4

144.2x72x8.8

152.8x76.9x8.6

145x72x9.6

164

142

164

142

4.7 inch/1280x720 5.5 inch/1280x720

1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad Core Android 7.0

Android 6.0

1GB/8GB/128GB

1GB/8GB/32GB

2GB/16GB/32GB

1GB/8GB/32GB

2GB/16GB/32GB

5MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

2,500

2,000

2,500

2,000

2,500

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

"Yes "

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launched

4,599

4,999

5,749

4,999

6,499

6,799

5,499

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

LEPHONE

LYF

W10

Wind 5

Canvas Unite 4

Canvas Amaze 2

Canvas XP 4G

Canvas 5

5 inch/854X480

5/ 720 x 1280

5/ 480 x 854

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.2/1080 x 1920

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

145x72x9.6

Weight (grams)

164

144.6 x 72.8 x 8.45 143.6 x 72.5 x 8.95 137

MICROMAX

MTK 6735P/1GB

QS415/ 2GB

MT6735P/3GB

MT6753/3GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

MT6735P/ 1GB

1.1GHz Quad Core/ 1.5GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

1GB/8GB/32GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

5MP/2MP

8MP/ 5MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

2,000

2,125

2,500

2,000

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launched

June, 2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2015

4,499

6,599

8,690

6,999

7,499

9,999

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2019 I 95

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

NUU

PANASONIC

Canvas Unite 4 Pro

Canvas Sliver 5

Moto G4 Play

Moto E4/Plus

Nokia 3

Q626

P55 Max

5.0/ 1280 x 720

4.8/720 x 1280

5/720x1280

5/5.5/1280x720

5/1280X720

5/1280 x 720

5.5/1280x720

143.4x71.4x8.4

141.2x70.3x7.3

152 x 72.6 x 8.7

Dimension (mm)

5.1mm thick

144.4x72x9.9

144.5x72x9.3/ 155x77.5x9.55

Weight (grams)

137

150,/181

148

180

Processor/RAM

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 410 /2GB

QS 410/2GB

MTK6737

MT 6737

1.3GHz Quad Core

MTK6737

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/128GB

2/16/3/32GB

16GB/128GB

2GB/32GB/64GB

3GB/16GB

8MP/5MP

8MP/5MP/13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

3,900

2,000

2,800

28,00/5,000

2,650

2,000

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

2,015

September, 2016

August, 2017

July, 2017

August, 2017

7,499

8,387

8,999

8,450 onwards

8,635

9,625

7,499

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

TCL

XIAOMI

TCL 560

TCL 562

Redmi 2 Prime

5/720x1280

5.5/ 1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

4.7/720 x 1280

142.4 x 71.1 x 8.0

142.4x71.1x8

152x77x8

134.00 x 67.20 x 9.4

149

138

156

150

133

MT6737/MT6753

Quad core/ 2GB

Quad core/ 1.5GB

Quad core/2GB

QS 210/2GB

MT6755M/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Storage/Expandable

3GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5/13/13/13

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

Battery (mAh)

4,000/5,000

2,600

2,500

2,960

2,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

September, 2017

July, 2016

July,2016

July, 2016

July,2016

August, 2015

8,999/9,999

6,490

6,990

9,090

6,999

9,999

6,999

Eluga Ray 500/700

Galaxy On 5 Pro 5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

5/5.5/720 x 1280/ 1080 x 1920 144.3 x 71.3 x 9.2/ 153.8 x 75.4 x 8.9

142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

163/182

Processor/RAM

Model Display (inches/res)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

96 I MARCH 2019

Galaxy J2 (2016) Galaxy J2 Pro (2016)

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

XIAOMI

PARAMETERS

Redmi 3S/ 3s Prime Redmi Note Prime

Model

VIDEOCON

Redmi Note 3

Redmi 3s Plus

Redmi Note 4

Redmi Note 5

Graphite1

5/ 1280X720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1280x720

5.5/1080X1920

5.9/1080x2160

4.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

139.4 X 69.7 X 8.5

154 x 78.7 x 9.45

150 x 76 x 8.65

139.3x69.6x8.5

151X76X8.3

158.50x75.45x8.05

136.76X69X10

Weight (grams)

144

185

164

144

165

180

127

Processor/RAM

QS 430/ 2GB, 3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 650/2GB,3GB

QS 430/2GB

QS625/2GB,3GB,4GB

QS625/3GB/4GB

Quad-core/1GB

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB,32GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/64GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

4,100

3,100

4,000

4000/4100

4,100

4,000

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes (Hybrid)

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yees

Yes/Yes

Launch

August, 2016

December, 2015

March, 2016

October,2016

January, 2017

February, 2018

Price Rs.

6,999/ 8,999

7,999

9,999/ 11,999

9,499

9,999

6,499

Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS

ZEN

Delite21

Krypton3

Ultra30

Ultra50

Yunique

Yuphoria

Cinemax 3

5/1280x720

5/1920X1080

4.7/720x1280

5.0/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

146.66X74.3X10.52

144.5X73.14X9.74

144.31X73X10

Weight (grams)

151

153

186

128

143

August,2016

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410 / 1GB

Quad core / 2GB

Quad core/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/3.2MP

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

2,230

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2015

May, 2015

August, 2016

7,200

7,999

9,990

6,300

6,499

6,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

148.24X72.56X11.44 134.5 x 67.5 x 8.3 142.4 x 73 x 8.2-9.35

MARCH 2019 I 97

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

ZOPO

ZTE

ASUS

Model

Astra Star

Astra Curve 4G

Duopix F1

ZP331

Blade V6

ZenFone 2 (2GB/4GB)

Display (inches/res)

5/480x854

5/1280x720

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

145.6x72.7x10.2

146.5x73.1x10.3

145.2x71.7x9.1

133 x 65.7 x 8.5

142X69.5X6.8

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9

156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8

Weight (grams)

150

160

148

113

122

170

Quad core/1GB

MTK 6735/2GB

IA Z3560 /2GB

QS615 /2GB,3GB

Android 5.0

Processor/RAM

1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core

Zenfone Selfie

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

1GB/16GB

2GB/16GB

8 GB/64 GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/8MP+2MP

5 MP/2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

2,350

2,200

2,400

1,700

2,500

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Launched

July, 2016

March, 2015

August, 2015

5,899

7,299

7,499

7,500

9,999

13,999, 18,999

10,999/ 16,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

16GB,32GB/128GB 16GB,32GB/128GB

ASUS

PARAMETERS

CENTRIC

COOLPAD

GIONEE

GIGIL

Model

Zenfone 3 lazer

ZenFone Max Pro M1

Coolpad Note 5

Cool 1

F 103 Pro

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.9/1080x2160

5.5/1920x1080

5.50/1080x1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

6.18 inch

149x76x7.9

159 x 76 x 8.5

152 x 76 x 7.8

152.00 x 74.80 x 8.20

145.3 x 70.5 x 8.5

76x156x8.2

180

160

173

142

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

Apex 3

NEW

Processor/RAM

QS 430.4GB

QS635/3GB

QS 430

QS 617/4GB

1.4GHz octa-core

Quad core/ 3GB

1.5GHz Quad core

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 8.1

Android 7.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 9.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

3GB/32GB/256GB

32GB/64GB

32GB

16GB/128GB

3GB/32GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13+5MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP+0.3MP

3,000

5,000

3,000

4,010

4,000

2,400

3,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

October,2016

May, 2018

November, 2017

October, 2016

January, 2017

July, 2016

March, 2019

18,999

10,999

13,999

11,999

14,591

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Price Rs.

98 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

HONOR

PARAMETERS

HTC

INFOCUS

LAVA

Honor 5C

Honor 5X

Honor 6X

Desire 630

Epic 1

Snap 4

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15

150.9X76.2X8.2

146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3

153x76x8.4

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.9 x 94.7 x 8.3

Weight (grams)

156

158

162

140

162

153

Processor/RAM

Kirin 650/ 2GB

QS 616 /2GB

Kirin 655

QS 400/2GB

Decca-core/3GB

Octa-core/4GB

Quad core/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

12 and 2MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

3,000

3,340

2,200

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

June, 2016

January, 2016

Jnauray 2017

February, 2016

November,2016

September, 2017

January, 2016

10,999

12,999

11,999

10,890

12,999

11,590

11,299

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

Phab 2

Vibe K4 Note

Vibe S1

Phab Plus

Vibe K5 Note

Phab 2 Plus

K8 Note

Display (inches/res)

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080x1920

6.8/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

175x89.5x6.89

186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6

152x75.7x8.49

174x88x5.5

154.5 x 75.9 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

225

158

132

229

165

218

180

Processor/RAM

MTK8735/3GB

MT 6753/3GB

MT6752/3GB

QS 615 /2GB

Helio P10/4GB

MT/3GB

MT Decacore/3GB/4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB/256GB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8 MP + 2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP.8MP

13MP,13MP/8MP

13+5MP/13MP

4,050

3,300

2,420

3,500

4,050

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes

December,2016

January, 2016

November, 2015

October, 2015

Jaunuary,2016

November,2016

August, 2017

11,999

12,999

14,999

13,499

14,999

12,999

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

153.67 X 76.45 X 9.14 143.3 x 70.8 x 7.8

MARCH 2019 I 99

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

LYF

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

K 10

X Screen

G4 Stylus

Canvas 6

Canvas 6 Pro

Moto G Turbo Edition

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.3/ 1280 x 720

4.93/ 1280x720

5.7/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

155.5x77.6x7.9

146.6x74.8x8.8

142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1

154.4 x 79.2 x 9.4

142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6

Weight (grams)

153

140

120

163

155

Processor/RAM

QS 617/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 400 /1GB

MT6753/3GB

Helio x10/4GB

QS 615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

Yes/Yes

16GB/32GB

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,200

2,300

3,000

2,470

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

October,2016

January, 2016

July, 2016

May, 2015

May, 2016

2,015

13,099

12,999

12,990

13,869

10,999

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS

NOKIA

NUBIA

Moto G4

Moto G4 Plus

G5 Plus

Nokia 5

Nokia 6

Z11 Mini

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920X1080

5.2/1980X1080

5.2/ 720x1280

5.5/1920X1080

5/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153 x 76.6 x 7.9

153X76.6X9.8

153X76X9.6

149.7 x 72.5 x 8.05

154 x 75.8 x 7.85

141.4x70x8

150.9x79x8.9

Weight (grams)

155

138

190

Processor/RAM

QS 617/2GB

QS 617/2GB,3GB

QS 625 Octa-core

QS 430

QS/3GB

MTK P10/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0.1

Android 6.1

Android 7.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

2GB/16GB

3BG/32GB

32GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/16MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

3,000

2,800

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

May,2016

March, 2017

July, 2017

October,2016

December,2016

10,499

13,499/ 14,999

12,999

12,499

14,299

12,999

11,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

100 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

NUU

PARAMETERS

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Eluga Note

Eluga Arc

Eluga Pulse X

Eluga A3/A3 Pro

Galaxy On7

Galaxy J5

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.7/720x1280

5.5/1280X720

5.2/720 x 1280

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

153x76.5x7.8

146.00x74.50x8.10

139 x 67 x 8.10

148.7 x 72.4 x 9.1

77.5x151.8x8.2

142.1 x 71.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

170

142

130

152

161

171

146

Processor/RAM

1.5GHz Octa Core

Octa Core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

3GB/32GB/128 GB

32GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,950

3,000

1,800

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

August,2017

July, 2016

April,2016

March, 2017

August, 2017

October, 2015

June, 2015

12,100

10,290

10,190

10,990

11,290/12,790

10,990

10,390

Model Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

Galaxy J Max

Galaxy J5 (2016)

Galaxy J7

J5 Prime

Galaxy On7 Pro

Mi 4i

Mi Max

7.0/ 1280 x 800

5.2/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5/1080x720

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1080 x 1920

6.44/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

186.9 x 108.8 x 8.7

145.7 x 72.3 x 8.1

152.2 x 78.6 x 7.5

142.8x69.5x8.1

151.8 x 77.5 x 8.2

138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8

173.1x88.3x7.5

Weight (grams)

158

171

143

171

130

203

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1.5GB

QS 410/2GB

Octa Core/1.5GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 650,652/3GB,4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/200GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB,128GB/128GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

4,000

3,100

3,000

2,400

3,000

3,120

4,850

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

May, 2016

2,015

September,2016

July, 2016

April, 2015

June,2016

11,400

13,990

11,890

12,990

10,900

11,999/ 14,999

10,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2019 I 101

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIVO

Redmi Note 5 Pro

Y51L

Y55L

Y55S

Yureka Plus (YU5510A,YU5510 )

Display (inches/res)

5.9/1080x2160

5.0/ 540x960

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/(1080X1920)

6.0/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

158.6x75.4x8.1

143.80 x 71.70 x 7.52

147.9x72.9x7.5

155 x 78 x 9

153.3X75.4X8.5

Weight (grams)

180

157

142

154

172

Processor/RAM

QS636/4GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/2GB

QS 425/3GB

QS 615/2GB

MT Helio P10/4GB

MTK6753T/3GB

Operating system

Android 7.1.2

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Androis 5.1.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

64GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/Yes

12MP+5MP/20MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

4,000

2,350

2,650

2,730

2,500

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

February, 2018

January, 2016

October,2016

March, 2017

July, 2015

May,2016

April, 2016

13,999

10,700

11,980

12,490

8,999

12,999

13,499

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

Yunicorn

Yureka Note

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

ASUS

CREO

ZP350

ZP370

Hero 1

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

Display (inches/res)

5.0 / 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

5.5/1920 x 1080

6.0/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1440x2560

Dimension (mm)

145.9 x 71.4 x 8.5

153.8 x 77.1 x 9

146.1 x 70.6 x 8.65

155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9

164.6 x 84 x 10.6

151.4x76.24x8.3

155.4 x 76.1 x 8.7

Weight (grams)

137

167

136

175

190

175

190

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/1GB

Ouad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

QS 801/3GB

QS 616/3GB

QS 430/3GB

Helio X10 /3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16 GB/64 GB

64GB/No

32GB/128GB

32GB/-

8.0MP/2.0MP

13.2 MP/5.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

2,100

3,000

2,500

4,100

3,000

4,100

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

102 I MARCH 2019

ZENFONE 3 MAX(ZC553KL)

Mark 1

May, 2016

December, 2015

November,2016

April,2016

10,000

11,000

14,500

13,499

16,499

17,999

19,999

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

GIGIL

HTC

HUAWEI

Desire 828

Desire 825

P20 Lite

5.99-inch

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.8/1080x2280

74.9x146x9.5

75x158x9.2

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.89

156.9 x 76.9 x 7.4

148.6 x 71.2 x 7.4

141

148

155

145

MT6735/3GB

QS8937/3GB

1.5GHz Octa core

MT6753/1.5GB

QS 400/2GB

Kirin 659/4GB

Android 5.1

Android 7.1

Android 9.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 8.0

32GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

4GB/64GB/128GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/64GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

13+2MP/16MP

16MP+5MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16+2MP/24MP

6,020

3,030

4,040

6,000

2,800

2,700

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November,2015

May, 2018

March, 2019

November, 2015

February, 2016

April, 2018

17,500

15,000

17,531

18,412

15,300

15,501

19,999

Model

Marathon M5

S11 Lite

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.7/720x1440

5.2-inch

Dimension (mm)

152 x 76 x 8.6

153.8 x 72.6 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

211

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

NEW

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

NEW

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

MOTOROLA

Vibe P1

Vibe Shot

Vibe X3

Z2 Plus

Earth 1

Earth 2

Moto X Play

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

152.9 x 75.6 x 9.9

142.7 x 70 x 7.6

154 x 76.5 x 9.3

140.2x60x6.2

154 x 76.6 x 7.25

142x76x7.9

148 x 75 x 10.9

Weight (grams)

187

145

175

150

162.5.

140

169

Processor/RAM

QS615 /2GB

QS 615/3GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/3GB,4GB

QS 615/3GB

QS615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB,32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP + 2MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21MP/5MP

5,000

3,000

3,500

2500

3,630

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

October, 2015

June, 2015

December, 2015

September,2016

January, 2016

15,499

18,500

19,999

19,499

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

Sept, 2015 19,999

15,999

MARCH 2019 I 103

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MOTOROLA

OPPO

One Power

F1 S

Galaxy J7 (2016)

Galaxy On8

On Nxt

J7 Prime

J7 Max

6.2/1080x2246

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

156x76x8.4

154 x 76 x 7.38

76 x 151 x 7.8

151.7x76x7.8

151.7x75x8

151.7x75x8.1

Weight (grams)

205

160

169

167

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

SAMSUNG

Processor/RAM

QS636/3GB

MTK 6750/3GB

Exynos 7870/2GB

Octa-core/3GB

OCTA-CORE MEDIATEK

Operating system

Android 8.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

16MP/256GB

4GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP+5MP/12MP

13MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

5,000

3,075

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

October, 2018

August, 2016

May, 2016

September,2016

October,2016

September,2016

July, 2017

15,269

15,001

15,780

15,620

15,000

16,900

15,001

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

VIVO

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

ZOPO

APPLE

ASUS

MIMax 2

ZOPO SPEED 7 PLUS

iPhone 5S

Zenfone 3

Zenfone 3 Ultra

5.0/1280×720

5.5/1280x720

6.44/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.0/640 x 1136

5.2,5.5/(1920x1080)

6.8/(1920x1080)

Dimension (mm)

143.6 x 71 x 7.5

153.8x75.5x7.55

174.1 x 88.7 x 7.6

153.6 x 76.5 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

138

154

211

164

112

144

233

Processor/RAM

QS 616/3GB

octa-core/4GB

QS 625/4GB

Octa-core /3GB

Dual-core/1GB

QS 625/3GB,4GB

QS 652/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

iOS 9.2.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

64/128GB

16 GB/64 GB

16GB,32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/20MP

12/5MP

13 MP/5.0MP

8MP/1.2MP

16MP/8MP

23MP/8MP

2,550

3,000

5,300

3,000

1,560

4,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

May, 2016

November,2016

August, 2017

September, 2013

August,2016

August, 2016

15,450

15,990

15,230

15,199

20,280 onwards

21,999/ 27,999

29,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

104 I MARCH 2019

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 146.87 x 73.98 x 7.69 186.4 x 93.9 x 6.8

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

BLACKBERRY

COOLPAD

DTEK 50

Max

M5 Plus

S6 Pro

Honor 8

Honor 7

5.2/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

6.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1920x1080

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

147x72.5x7.4

152x75.5x7.6

153x75.3x7.6

145.5x71x7.45

143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.99

Weight (grams)

135

170

210.8g

170

153

157

170

Processor/RAM

QS 617/3GB

QS 617/4GB

Octa Core/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Kirin 950/4GB

HS Kirin 935/3GB

MT H X10/ 3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

64GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

20MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3000

2,800

5,020

3,130

2,900

3,100

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

November,2016

May, 2016

October,2016

October, 2016

July, 2015

May, 2016

21,000

24,999

27,000

21,130

29,000

22,999

25,990

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

GIONEE

HONOR

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

HTC

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

Model

Desire 10 Pro

Stylus 2

Stylus 2 Plus

Nexus 5X

Moto Z Play

Z 2 Play

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/1280X720

5.7/ 1920 x 1080

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1080x1920

5.5/1920X1080

Dimension (mm)

156.5x76x7.86

155 x 79.6 x 7.4

155 X 79.6 X 7.4

147 x 72.6 x 7.9

156.4x76.4x6.99

148.4x73.4x8

156.2X76.2X5.99

Weight (grams)

165

145

146

136

165

163

145

Processor/RAM

Helio P10/4GB

Quad Core /2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 808/2GB

QS 625/3GB

QS630/3GB

QS 626/4GB

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

Android 7.1.1

64GB/2TB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB/2TB

32GB/64GB/256GB

64GB/2TB

20MP/13MP

13MP/8MP

16MP/8MP

12.3MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

12+8MP/16MP

12MP/5MP

3000

3,000

2,700

3,510

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November,2016

May,2016

July, 2016

October, 2015

October,2016

October, 2017

July, 2017

26,490

20,500

24,000

24,490/30,645

20,490

20,990

24,999

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MARCH 2019 I 105

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

Moto X Style

8.1

OnePlus 5

5.7/ 1440 x 2560

6.18/1080x2280

5.5/1080p

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

6.01/1080x2160

6.28/1080x2280

Dimension (mm)

153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06

154.8x75.8x8

151.8x74.9x9.85

152.7x74.5x7.35

154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3

156.1x75x7.3

155.7x75.4x7.8

Weight (grams)

179

180

175

158

153

162

177

Processor/RAM

QS 808/3GB

QS 821/6GB

QS 835/8GB

QS835/6GB

QS845/6GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 9.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 8.1

16GB,32GB/128GB

6GB/128GB

64GB

64GB/128GB

64GB/128GB/256GB

21MP/5MP

12MP+13MP/20MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

16+20MP/16MP

3,000

3,500

3,300

3400

3,300

3300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

September, 2015

December, 2018

July, 2015

December.2016

June, 2017

November, 2017

May, 2018

26,999/ 28,999

26,999

22,999

22,000

32,999

34,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

ONEPLUS

Snapdragon 710/4GB QS 810/3GB&4GB

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

PARAMETERS

Model

PANASONIC Eluga X1 Pro

SAMSUNG Galaxy A7 (2016) Galaxy A5/A7 (2017)

SMARTRON

SONY

J7 Pro

t phone

Xperia C4

Xperia XA

6.18/1080x2246

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.2/5.5/1080X1920

5.5/1920X1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

155x75.5x7.9

151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3

144.8 x 71 x 7.3/ 151.5X74.1X7.3

150.3 x 77.4 x 7.8

158.2x78.2x6.98

150.3 x 77.4 x 7.9

143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

195

169

157/I86

157

149

147

137

QS 810/4GB

MT6752/2GB

MTK H P10/2GB

Display (inches/res)

MT6771/4GB

Octa Core/3GB

Octa Core/2GB/3GB

Octa core Exynos/3GB

Operating system

Android 8.1 (Oreo)

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

6GB/64GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

64GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP+5MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP/16MP/ 16MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/4MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3,300

3000/3600

3,600

3,000

2,600

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yYes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

October, 2018

December, 2015

March, 2017

July, 2017

July,2016

June, 2015

May, 2016

26,990

25,900

28,990/33,490

20,900

22,999

20,800

20,990

Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

106 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIVO

Xperia Z3+

Xperia C5 Ultra Dual

Mi 5

X5 Pro

V3 Max

VIVO V5 Plus

V7 Plus

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

6.0/1080 x 1920

5.15/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

5.99/720x1440

Dimension (mm)

146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9

164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2

144.5 x 69.2 x 7.25

147.9 x 73.5 x 6.4

153.9x77.1x7.58

152.6 x 74 x 7.3

155.9x75.8x7.7

Weight (grams)

144

187

129

151

168

159

160

Processor/RAM

QS 810 /3GB

MTK6752/2GB

QS 820/3GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 652/4GB

QS450/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.2

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

32GB/No

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

64GB

64GB/256GB 16MP/24MP

Model

20.7MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

16MP/4MP

13MP/8MP

12MP and 8MP/ 16 MP

2,930

3,000

2,450

3,000

3,160

3,225

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2015

August, 2015

April, 2016

June, 2015

April, 2016

42,736

September, 2017

26,990

27,799

24,999

21,400

23,980

22,990

21,990

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

iPhone 6

iPhone 6Plus

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

Display (inches/res)

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.0/640 x 1136

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.7/1334x750

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

138.1 x 67 x 6.9

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6

138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3

138.3x67.1x7.1

158.2x77.9x7.3

Weight (grams)

129

172

113

143

192

138

188

Processor/RAM

A8,M8/1GB

A9,M9/2GB

A10 Fusion, M10/2GB

A10Fusion, M10/3GB

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

iOS 10

16GB,64GB/No

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/7MP

12MP,12MP/7MP

1,810

2,915

1,614

1,715

2,750

1,960

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

September,2014

March, 2016

September,2015

October,2016

0ctober,2016

23,999

24,999 onwards

24,000 onwards

39,990 onwards

48,998 onwards

45,775 omwards

59,999 onwards

Model

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 16GB,64GB,128GB/ No 32GB/128GB/256GB 32GB/128GB/256GB

MARCH 2019 I 107

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

ASUS

BLACKBERRY

8 Plus

iPhone XS

Zenfone 3 Deluxe

ZenFone AR

DTEK 60

KEYone

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080x1920

5.8/1125 x 2436

5.7/(1920x1080)

5.7/1440x2560

5.5/2560x1440

4.5/1080 x 1620

Dimension (mm)

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3

158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5

143.6x70.9x7.7

156.4x74.4x7.5

158.7 x 77.7 x 9

153.9x75.4x7

149.1 x 72.4 x 9.4

Weight (grams)

148

200

177

172

170

165

180

Processor/RAM

A11 Bionic

A12 Bionic

QS 820,821/6GB

QS 821/8GB

QS 820/4GB

QS625/3GB/4GB

iOS 11

iOS 12

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

256GB/128GB

64/256GB

32GB/2TB

32GB/64GB/256GB

Model Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable

2GB/64GB/256GB

3GB/64GB/256GB 4GB/64GB/256BG/512GB

12MP/7MP

12MP/12MP/7MP

12MP+12MP/7MP

23MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

12MP/8MP

1,821

2,691

2,658

3,000

3,300

2,610

3,505

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

September, 2017

September, 2018

September,2016

August, 2017

November,2016

August, 2017

61,990

70,800

99,990

25,999

49,990

29,999

39,990

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

GOOGLE

PARAMETERS

GIGIL

Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL

Pixel 3

Pixel 3 XL

5/1920x1080

6/1440X2880

5.5/1080x2160

6.3/1440x2960

Dimension (mm)

145.7x69.7x7.8

157.9x76.7x7.9

145.6x68.2x7.9

Weight (grams)

143

175

Processor/RAM

QS835/4GB

Operating system

Model

S10

HUAWEI P20 Pro

Mate 20 Pro

6.21-inch

6.1/1080x2240

6.39/1440x3120

158x76.7x7.9

155 x 73.9 x 7.8

157.8x72.3x8.6

148

184

180

189

QS835/4GB

Octa core

Kirin 970/6GB

Kirin 980/6GB

Android 8.0

Android 9.0

Android 8.1

Android 9.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

6GB/128GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

8GB/128GB/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

12.2MP/8MP

2,700

2,915

4,000

4,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/No

October, 2017

November, 2018

March, 2019

April, 2018

November, 2018

43,880

65,000

68,550

83,000

37,573

64,990

69,999

Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

108 I MARCH 2019

12.2MP/8MP+8MP 12.2MP/8MP+8MP

NEW

16MP/2MP

40+20+8MP/24MP 40+20+8MP/24MP

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

HTC

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

OPPO

HTC U11

G4 Dual SIM

V20

Moto X Force

Moto Z

Find X

5.5/2560X1440

5.5/1440 x 2560

5.3/ 2560x1440

5.7/2560x1440

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

6.42/1080X2340

Dimension (mm)

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.9

148.9 x 76.1 x 8.9

149.4x73.9x7.3

159.5x77.9x7.6

149.8 x 78 x 9.2

153.3x75.3x5.19

156.7x74.2x 9.4

Weight (grams)

169

155

159

174

169

136

186

Processor/RAM

QS 835

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS845/8GB

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 8.1

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

32GB/100GB

64GB/2TB

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

128GB/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MO/12MP

16MP/8MP

16MP,8MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP+20MP/25MP

3,000

2,800

3,200

3,760

2,600

3,730

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

July, 2017

May, 2015

April,2016

December,2016

November, 2015

October,2016

July, 2017

47,999

34,800

25,999 onwards

54,999

25,990

39,999

59,990

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

Galaxy S6

Galaxy S6 Edge

Galaxy A9 Pro

Galaxy Note 5

Display (inches/res)

5.1/ 1440 x 2560

6/1920x1080

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.1/2560 X 1440

5.5/2560 X 1440

5.8/6.2/2960X1440

Dimension (mm)

143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8

142.1 x 70.1 x 7

161.7x80.9x7.9

153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6

69.6x142.4x7.9

72.6 x 150.9 x 7.7

148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0/159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1

Weight (grams)

138

132

210

171

152

157

155/173

Processor/RAM

Octa core /3GB

octa-core/4GB

Quad core /4GB

Exynos 8890/4GB

Exynos 8896

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB,/No

32GB/No

32GB/256GB

32GB/No

32GB/200GB

64/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/8MP

2,550

2,600

5,000

3,000

3,600

3000/3500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes

March, 2015

April, 2015

September,2016

August, 2015

March, 2016

April, 2017

26,990

34,900

32,490

40,900/43,900

32,900

38,900

53,00/58,900

Model

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

Galaxy S7

Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S8/Plus

MARCH 2019 I 109

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

TABLETS

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SONY

VIVO

APPLE

Note 8

Xperia Z5 Dual

Xperia X

Xperia Z5 Premium

NEX

iPad Mini 2

iPad Mini 4

Display (inches/res)

6.3/1440 x 2960

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/ 2160 x 3840

6.59/1080x2316

7.9/1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6

146 x 72 x 7.3

143 x 69 x 7.7

154.4 x 76 x 7.8

162x77x8

200 x 134.7 x 7.5

203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1

Weight (grams)

195

156.5g

152

181

199

331

298.8/304

Processor/RAM

Exynos 8895/6GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 650/ 3GB

QS 810/3GB

QS845/8GB

A7,M7/1GB

A8,M8/2GB

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 8.1

iOS 8

iOS 9

64GB/128GB/256GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/ 200GB

32GB/200GB

8GB/128GB/256GB

16,32GB/No

16GB,64GB,128GB/No

12MP/12MP/8MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

23MP/5MP

12MP+5MP/8MP

5MP/1.2MP

8MP/1.2MP

3,300

2,900

2,620

3,430

4,000

23.8w

19.1W

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

September, 2017

November, 2015

July, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2018

November, 2015

Spetember, 2015

67,900

37,000

38,990

47,990

44,990

28,460 onwards

44,500

Model

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

TABLETS

MODELS

TABLETS

APPLE

ASUS

MICROMAX

iPad Pro 9.7-inch iPad Pro 12.9-inch iPad Air 2 with Wi-Fi WiFi/ Wi-Fi + Cellular WiFi/ WiFi + Cellular

ZenPad 8

LapTab

Galaxy Tab S3 9.7

Tab A

PARAMETERS

Model

SAMSUNG

9.7/2048x1536

9.7/1536 x 2048

12.9/2732 x 2048

8.0/1280 x 800

10.1/1280X800

9.7/ 1536 x 2048

8/800 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

240 x 169.5 x 6.1

305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9

209 x 123 x 8.5

259.2 x 175.4 x 9.2

237.3 x 169 x 6

212.1 x 124.1 x 8.9

Weight (grams)

437

713/ 723

350

1.1kg

429

364

Processor/RAM

A8X,M8/1GB

A9X,M9/2GB

"A9X,M9 /4GB"

QS MSM8929/2GB

Intel 4 Gen/2GB

QS 820/3GB

QS425/2GB

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Android 5.0

Windows 10

Android 7.0

Android 7.1

16GB, 64GB/No

32GB,128GB,256GB/ No

32GB/No

16GB/-

32GB/64GB

32GB/256GB

16GB/256GB

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

8MP/1.2MP

8MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

27.3W

27.9 W

38.5W

4,000

7,700

6,000

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

October, 2014

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2015

2,015

June, 2017

October, 2017

38,000

49,900 Onwards/ 61,900 onwards

65,900 nwards/ 85,900 onwards

12,496

10,999

47,990

17,990

Display (inches/res)

Operating system Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

110 I MARCH 2019

MYMOBILE

In Focus

Event

Convergence India 2019

The Three-day Event Registered a record footfall of over 25,000 visitors

he 2019 edition of Convergence India, IoT India, Embedded Tech India and Mobile India expos came to

an end at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on January 31. The three-day event, which was inaugurated by Union Minister Suresh Prabhu, saw record visitor numbers and strong sales across all disciplines. The event had something to offer to all - trade delegations moved fruitfully from booth to booth; ideas exchanged among compatriots; and businesses were discussed. Organised by India Trade Promotion

in India”

• The organisers announced the inclusion of Fintech India expo in the

Organization (ITPO) and Exhibitions

28th Edition of Convergence India,

India Group, the event builds upon the

IoT India, Embedded Tech India and

Government of India’s ‘Digital India’ and

Mobile India expo, to be held from

‘Make in India’ initiatives through a display

19-21 February, 2020.

of a vast array of products pertaining to

Another highlight of the event was

fields such as ICT, IT & ITeS, broadcast &

the high number of conferences and

digital media, emerging technologies &

workshops organised at the venue. An

enterprise solutions, virtual & augmented

impressive line-up of senior government

mark in their respective domains, and they

reality, artificial intelligence, robotics,

representatives, leaders from large

now have the opportunity to work together

cloud services, etc.

corporate and young tech start-ups, along

on building holistic solutions needed for

with a mix of entrepreneurs, accelerators,

the future we are heading towards.”

Highlights:

• Sectors such as telecom and mobile

incubators and academia addressed

Prem Behl, Chairman, Exhibitions India

packed rooms and responded to queries

Group, said, “With an annual GDP growth

communication, content production,

from an inquisitive audience. The

rate of 7.4 per cent, India is already the

management and delivery, IT

outcome of the activities was that IoT is an

world’s sixth-largest economy and poised

and ITeS, security, broadcast and

integral part of our daily lives and its role

to become the fourth-largest consumer

digital media, as well as emerging

will only increase.

technologies and smart solutions

Speaking on the occasion, Suresh

market behind the US, China and Japan. Consumer spending is expected to grow

showcased under the banner of

Prabhu said, “This event is a true

from $1.5 trillion to around $6 trillion by

Convergence India.

convergence of technologies and

2030. Much of this progress in terms of

companies from around the world coming

GDP and consumer buying has happened

together to build a new global technology-

in the last five years or so.”

• Record footfall of 25,000+ visitors • 600+ participants from 30+ countries • 20,000 sqm of exhibit space • 28 conference sessions and 6

driven ecosystem. I believe India has a

All events were supported by the

very important role to play in this new

Ministry of Electronics and Information

world, not only as a nation capable of

Technology, Ministry of Micro, Small and

adopting new technologies, but also one

Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Science

capable of innovating and producing new

& Technology, Digital India, Niti Aayog and

MarketsandMarkets, titled “Internet of

technologies. We have many companies

NSIC.

Things: The Next-Gen Revolution

in the country that have already made a

workshops

• 182 speakers • Release of knowledge paper by

www.mymobileindia.com

team@mymobile.co.in

march 2019 | 111

Gadget Corner

add-ons Toreto Magik A wireless charger that doubles up as a lamp

ortable digital product maker Toreto has come up with ‘Magik’, a wireless charger that promises to

charge your mobile phones seamlessly and much faster than your regular chargers. Magik also acts as a lamp to light up your house in different colours and create a soothing environment. It has a jellyfish-styled design which further has an anti-skidding silicon cover that can be removed and washed easily too. This makes the

Price : INR 1,999

wireless charger environment friendly and compatible with all Qi-enabled devices. This wireless charger has a sensitive induction coil

insulation sheet that ensures quick charging without

and high-end chip that allows fast charging and protects

emitting any radiation. This device assures safe charging

the smartphone from over-heating, over-charging, voltage

as it will automatically detect any metallic objects

fluctuation and short circuit, thus protecting your device

while working- an LED indicator light will start flashing

completely. Magik allows you to charge your phone even

to inform you. The charger also comes with a built-in

with the mobile cover and stops charging automatically

vibration switch and three lightning modes. It is available

when the phone is completely charged, giving the battery

at leading e-commerce platforms and retail stores across

a longer life. The charger also has a built-in magnet

India. n

Skullcandy Set Your ideal companion from work to workout

S-based audio brand Skullcandy has come up with its latest in-ear headphone, known as Set, in India. Made for sports and fitness

enthusiasts, the Skullcandy Set is sweat and water resistant and comes with three different size ear-tips that help you feel an immersive sound experience by isolating ambient noise. The ear-bud design and hook-like structure of Skullcandy Set makes it quite comfortable while wearing it for long hours or during workout. On the connectivity front, it is a wired one and is compatible with mobile, tablet, audio player and laptop. The all-new earphones come with a 3.5mm jack and removable FitFin gels. It’s an in-line

Price : INR 2,999

microphone and call and track control. Having a warranty of two years, the Skullcandy Set comes in White/Crimson, Black/Red, Black, and Gray/Teal colour variants. One can purchase it online on the company’s website. n

112 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Rapoo V29PRO An optical gaming mouse with LED multi-colour light system

9 2,99 R N I e: Pric

ireless peripheral brand Rapoo has launched

set to a gamerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s individual style or preference. The

its latest optical gaming mouse, the V29PRO of

on-board memory allows users to customize lighting

resolution of up to 8000 DPI with maximum tracking

and effects and save up to three profiles for on-the-go

speed of 100 (inch/s) and maximum acceleration of 20

gaming. LED lighting customization allows users to

(G). The mouse weighs 102gms and comes with left

choose and set RGB colours on the 360-degree light

and right button switches, rated up to 20 million clicks

ring & DPI button using Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10

whereas middle and DPI button rated up to 3 million

system. In addition, advanced customization tools

clicks followed by side button. The mouse also offers

include sensor performance settings, macros and DPI

radiant 360-degree RGB light ring with effects and it is

settings. Designed for comfortable gaming sessions,

workable in system like Windows XP/Vista/7/8/ to match

the V29PRO uses a flexible, braided cable for smoother

for an immersive gaming experience. The V29PRO

movements and lasting durability. The mouse also

features an APM-lighting mode that reflects your actions

features a comfortable symmetrical design with large

per minute with a spectacular light show.

skates for enhanced gliding and smoother movements

The V29PRO features 7 customizable native DPI settings that support up to 8000 DPI, which can be

Gadget Corner

add-ons

across surfaces. The product is available with leading retail stores and ecommerce portals in India. n

Saregama Carvaan Mini Bhakti For the generation that has high dependency on others

igital audio brand Saregama has come up with

to the generation that has high dependency on others

Carvaan Mini Bhakti, a product designed to cater

to listen to their favourite devotional songs. It has preloaded 300 devotional songs and can be started with just press of a button. Like other Carvaan devices, it does not need internet or connectivity with your phone to play it. Categorized by deities like Shiv, Ganesh, Krishna, Sai, Devi and Ram, Hanuman, Carvaan Mini Bhakti has pre-loaded repertoire of 300 songs - bhajans, aartis, mantras and more. Much like the previous versions of Carvaan Mini, it is compact in size with power speakers and features like AM/FM, Bluetooth and a USB to enjoy oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal favorites as well. This mini version of Carvaan has a long lasting battery of up to 4 hours. The product also offers a 6 month warranty. The Carvaan Mini Bhakti is

Price: INR 2,490

www.mymobileindia.com

available on Saregama website and your nearest retail outlets.n

march 2019 | 113

Gadget Corner

add-ons F&D W40 A party booster with TWS function

12,990 Price : INR

udio brand F&D has come up with a series of

driver with mega bass brings thundering low frequencies,

party speakers, the first being the ‘W40’ portable

while the F&D sound technology adds rich detail for

Bluetooth speaker, which claims to come with excellent

high quality sound in every track. Guaranteeing long

bass, flashing lights and high-powered sound that sets

playtime with 1,800mAh Li-ion battery and 20m range,

the scene for the club night. Its glossy front panel

the connectivity options on the board include micro SD

and ultra slim profile packs the enough oomph to the

card/TF and AUX cable. Its high-quality Bluetooth also

unadulterated music experience. Take it to a party and

supports the TWS function. With the built-in FM Radio

feel the night come alive, with built-in colour changing

function, tune-up to your preferred channel and enjoy

RGB LED Light Band and a flashing strobe, see and hear

the radio, anytime, anywhere. Truly handy along with

the beat. Boost your party with its TWS technology by

easy to control operations; Play/pause, call function

connecting two same speakers at the same time to make

and mode change buttons, stay controlled in music.

the sound stereo.

The speaker comes in shades of Grey and Black and is

The 40-watt output in very compact size brings 360degree sound field experience. The 2.5-inch full range

available at leading retail and e-commerce stores across India. n

FiiO M6 A portable high-resolution lossless music player

hinese electronics brand FiiO has expanded its range

Res Bluetooth Audio. It runs FiiO-customized Android OS

of product portfolio with the launch of M6 portable

and features some pre-installed apps like NetEase Cloud

music player in India. The FiiO M6 high-resolution

Music, MOOV, Tidal, and KKBOX. Using the FiiO Link

lossless music player comes equipped with dual-mode

functionality, one can remotely control the M6 as well as

Bluetooth v4.2. It supports high resolution wireless

display its current playing status. Once it is connected

format including 24-bit aptX HD, LDAC, and HWA Hi-

to a desktop, the M6 works as an asynchronous USB DAC supporting up to 192kHz/24 bit decoding. The device runs on Samsung Exynos 7270 Dual-core 1GHz 14nm processor. FiiO M6 comes with ESS Sabre 9018Q2C chip which is said to give 50% higher power output than the M7. It offers a signal-to-noise ratio of ≥118dB and a noise floor of ＜3uV. Connectivity options include USB ports 2.0, USB Type-C connector and Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz. Its USB ports fully support DSD with native DSD output up to DSD64/128 and support for the ISO, DFF, and DSF formats. It comes with an in-built storage of 2GB and supports up to 2TB storage using microSD card. The music player houses a 1,200mAh battery which claims to offer 13 hours of playback time and a standby of 26 days. The FiiO M6 is “Hi-Res Audio” certified as well. It can be purchased online on the company’s website along with

Price : INR 14,990

114 | march 2019

other online and retail stores.n

MYMOBILE

add-ons

Gadget Corner

iBall CompBook Netizen

India’s first laptop with 4G LTE connectivity

xpanding its product portfolio, homegrown brand iBall has introduced a laptop with built-in 4G LTE

connectivity, known as the CompBook Netizen in India. The iBall CompBook Netizen sports a 14-inch FHD IPS

multi-touch display with 1920x1018 pixel resolution that is powered by an Intel N3350 dual-core processor with processing speed of up to 2.4GHz and 4GB DDR3 RAM. Enabling smooth multi-tasking and effortless productivity, it has an inbuilt storage up to 64GB, which is further expandable with a microSD card up to 128GB and a separate 7mm expansion slot that can be used for installing a hard disk or SSD. The CompBook Netizen houses a 4G SIM card slot along with a 5,000mAh battery supporting longer hours of working with faster operation. The iBall

capable device. The laptop also has USB 3.0 port, HDMI

CompBook Netizen runs on Windows 10 and comes

port and two USB 2.0 ports. The all-new laptop comes

with several connectivity options which include LAN,

in the shade of Metallic Grey. It is exclusively available

Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi, in addition to being a 4G

with Shopclues.com.n

Shinco 65-Inch 4K LED Smart TV Enhance your viewing experience

n a bid to cater to the ever-growing demand of technologically advanced smart TVs with big screen

size, Shinco India recently launched its 65-inch affordable smart 4K LED TV. The product is available at www.shinco.in.

HDR10 support. It’s powered by a Cortex A73 Dual Core 800MHz with a Dual Core Mali450-540MHz, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Shinco has added a ‘Voice Recognition’ feature into the Smart TV, allowing users to command the TV via the

The smart TV comes with Quantum Luminit DLED

Sensy Remote App installed on the user’s smartphone.

display with a 178-degree viewing angle, resolution of

The Air Click Remote equips a QWERTY Keyboard and

3840 x 2160 pixels, 95% NTSC Wide Colour Gamut and

allows users to operate the TV from any corner of the room. The 65-inch Smart TV

Price : INR 59,990

also comes with a 20W soundbar with Boosted Tweeters and Dolby Digital for utmost clarity. The Shinco 65-inch 4K smart TV runs on Android 7.0 with an app store which allows users to download audio and video streaming apps to enjoy content online. Additional features include Screen Capture, M.Cast, E-Share, AirPlay and a Mouse cursor on a remote. n

www.mymobileindia.com

march 2019 | 115

Gadget Corner

add-ons ZAAP Aqua Pro A Bluetooth speaker with 360-degree sound

ifestyle audio product maker ZAAP has come up with its new ‘Aqua Pro’

Bluetooth speaker in India. The speaker boasts of an immersive 360-degree sound with rich deep bass. Aqua Pro is a next-generation speaker developed and designed in the USA by renowned industrial designer Steve Herres. The Bluetooth speaker has an international

Price: INR 2,549

rating of IP 66 which makes it water, shock, snow and dust-proof. The speaker also boasts

to its 2,000mAh Li-ion battery. It is compatible with

of a premium rubberized rugged exterior which adds to

iOS, Android and Windows devices. The advanced 4.0

its design and enhances its built. It’s a perfect fit for

Bluetooth technology consumes less energy and has an

outdoor parties, showers, pool sides, group camping and

impressive 33 feet long distance range. Aqua Pro further

other rugged activities.

allows the users to accept or reject phone calls, change

The all-new Aqua Pro houses 10 Watt speakers

tracks or adjust the volume all with the help of its built-in

within its compact design delivering a full 360-degree

microphone. It also has a LED indicator which notifies the

high definition sound quality for jaw-dropping music

user about its battery status and connectivity. It comes

experience. It is also equipped with a bass diaphragm

with a micro USB charging cable, 3.5 MM Aux-in cable,

and subwoofer which delivers rich bass and clear

and a 12-month warranty. It is available via Amazon,

sound. The speaker has 8 hours of playtime, thanks

Snapdeal, Zaaptech.com and selected retail stores.. n

Ambrane WH-5600 Takes your listening experience to a new level

obile accessories brand Ambrane recently extended its wireless category with the launch of ‘WH-5600’ headphones

in India. The WH-5600 comes with a complete package of wireless comfort and advanced high-end chipset boasting sound to a new level of listening experience. With robust design and leather-covered headband, the headphone houses an enhanced digital amplifier that cancels ambient noise promising the highly redefined acoustic experience. The WH-5600 delivers a cinematic surround sound to immerse you in whatever you’re watching or

Price: INR 1,999

listening to. Its 32 mm dome drivers deliver deep bass and a wide frequency range. The headphone comes with Fast Charging feature, which only takes up to 90 minutes for a full charge and offers superior listening expertise for up to 8 hours, thanks to the 250mAh battery. With the latest version of Bluetooth integrated into WH-5600, play music from any corner of the room of about 10 meters of range. Receiving calls is also easy with control buttons. The built-in mic with amazing frequency range and high-quality drivers allows you to have a smooth user experience. The product is available across leading retail and ecommerce stores in India.n

116 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Acer Chromebases A welcome addition to the office

cer recently launched two sleek and elegantly designed Chromebases- the Acer Chromebase for

Meetings 24V2 for effortless video conferencing with Google Hangouts Meet, and the Acer Chromebase 24I2,

an all-in-one Chrome device designed to fill multiple

groups in large or small rooms ensuring nobody is left

roles, either as an individual desktop working device, or

out of the meeting. It boots up in seconds and provides

as an in-store kiosk.

video conferences that run smoother, thanks to an 8th

The Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 is a dedicated all-in-one touchscreen video conferencing

Gen Intel Core i7-8550U processor, 4GB DDR4 RAM, and a 32GB SSD.

system designed for individuals and small to medium-

On the other hand, the Acer Chromebase 24I2, powered

sized spaces, such as phone booths, huddle spaces and

by Chrome OS, provides a streamlined experience filling

desktops. It helps businesses remotely collaborate and

multiple roles in modern small and medium business.

engage with colleagues and customers as though they

With an optional touch display, it’s ideal as an individual

were in the same room. Users can immediately make

desktop working device, or as a shared workstation. The

conference calls arranged and scheduled using Gmail

new Acer Chromebase 24I2 is also ideal for today’s higher

and Google Calendar, or simply by clicking a shareable

education classrooms, computer labs or school libraries

link. It supports up to 25 callers out of the box through

as public sharing desktop PCs. It will fully support Google

Google Hangouts Meet, up to 50 callers with Google’s

Play at launch, so students will have access to both

G Suite Business, and up to 100 callers with G Suite

Android apps and Chrome web apps.

Enterprise. The Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 features

Apps load faster, graphics run faster and tasks can be run simultaneously without lag with an 8thGen Intel Core

a large 24-inch Full HD adjustable touch display,

processor, up to 8GB DDR4 RAM, and up to 128GB SSDs.

providing 250 nits of brightness for crystal clear video.

Both the Acer Chromebase for Meetings 24V2 and Acer

The integrated 5MP wide-angle webcam accommodates

Chromebase 24I2 feature a beautifully shaped chassis on a diamond cut stand, making them a welcome addition to the office. The Full HD 1920x1080 IPS narrow bezel touch display is antiglare and capable of tilting between -5 and 25 degrees. A host of ports on both devices expands functionality to connect almost any secondary device. They each include a USB 3.1 Type-C connector, four USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports, HDMI, SD card reader, and RJ45 ports for lag-free video conferencing. n

march 2019 | 117

Gadget Corner

add-ons Asus ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 Claim to be the world’s smallest range of notebooks

aiwanese tech major Asus has come up with its new

1 x MicroSD card reader. They get 3D IR HD camera and

ZenBook series of laptops called the ZenBook 13

get wireless connectivity options of Dual-band 802.11ac

(UX333), ZenBook 14 (UX433) and ZenBook 15 (UX533)

gigabit-class Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. The ZenBook 13

in India. This comes after the company introduced the

(UX333) and ZenBook 14 (UX433) will get 50Wh 3-cell

devices at IFA last year. The Asus ZenBook 13, 14 and

battery with up to 13 hours of usability.

15 are claim to be the world’s most compact 13.3-inch,

The Asus Zenbook 15 (UX533) comes with a 15.6-inch

14-inch and 15.6-inch laptops that feature the frameless

FHD display and is powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7-

Asus NanoEdge display with ultraslim bezels that have 95

8565U, 2GB NVIDIA GTX 1050 Max-Q processor with up

per cent screen-to-body ratio.

to 16GB DDR4 RAM support and 1TB M.2 SSD storage.

The new ZenBooks come with the latest 8th Generation

It comes with 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.1

Intel Core i7 quad-core processor with integrated Gigabit

Type-A, 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1 x SD card reader

Wi-Fi that is optimized for Intel Wireless-AC 9560, with

and features a 3D IR HD camera with Dual-band 802.11ac

up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics, along

gigabit-class Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, along with 73Wh

with the ScreenPad that doubles up as a number pad as

4-cell battery with up to 17 hours of usability.

well.

The Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333) 256GB storage price in

As the name suggests, the Asus ZenBook 13 (UX333)

India is Rs 71,990 and the 512GB variant is priced at Rs

comes with a 13-inch FHD display, while the ZenBook

88,990. The Asus ZenBook 14 (UX433) 256GB variant

14 (UX433) comes with a 14-inch FHD display. Both

price in India is Rs 72,990 and the 512GB storage variant

come powered by a quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U / Core

is priced at Rs 89,990. The Asus ZenBook 15 (UX533)

i5-8265U processor with up to 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3

comes priced at Rs 1,39,990 and will be available in

RAM support and 512GB / 256GB M.2 SSD storage

Icicle Silver and Royal Blue colours. The all-new devices

configuration. Both get options like 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2

are available online on Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm and

Type-C,1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI,

also offline. n

118 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

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Gadget Corner

add-ons

Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A 80 Series AV Receivers A customized home theater never experienced before

amaha Music India, a subsidiary of Japan-based

noise generated by dimmer switches and other home

Yamaha Corporation, recently announced the India

electronics.

debut of its revolutionary AVENTAGE RX-A 80 series of AV

All five AVENTAGE receivers also feature wireless

receivers equipped with SURROUND:AI, a proprietary, next

MusicCast Surround, which gives home theater fans the

-generation artificial intelligence technology that promises

opportunity to use wireless speakers for a home theater’s

to deliver the best in class home theater experience. The

Surround Left and Surround Right speakers, each

RX-A80 series comprises four receivers – RX-A1080,

synchronized with wired front speakers. MusicCast Surround

RX-A2080, RX-A3080 and RX-A880 and Pre-amp CX-

builds on the MusicCast wireless multi-room platform,

A5200.

which streams music from almost any audio source over a

Three of the receivers – the RX-A1080, RX-A2080 and RX-A3080 and Pre-amp CX-A5200 – are equipped with

home’s Wi-Fi network to multiple MusicCast audio products throughout the house.

SURROUND:AI, a next-generation artificial intelligence

Most models also expand the number of HDMI

technology, which makes for a clearer, more engaging

connections, so enthusiasts can connect more HD and 4K

listening experience by automatically adjusting surround

video sources, such as 4K game consoles and 4K Blu-ray

field effects on the fly to match the scene setting.

players. For ultimate convenience, all models integrate with

SURROUND:AI automatically tailors audio performance to

installed home-control systems such as Control4 and RTI

match individual scenes in a movie or TV show. In real time

enabling consumers to turn on their home theater system,

and on a scene-by-scene basis, SURROUND:AI analyzes a

lower the lights, and close the shades with one button

scene’s audio characteristics, including dialogue, sound

press.

effects and channel balance. The AV receiver then compares

The Yamaha AVENTAGE RX-A1080, RX-A2080, RX-

the scene’s audio characteristics to a reference database

A3080, RX-A880 and Pre-amp CX-A5200 will be available

of movie scenes and automatically processes the scene’s

for retail prices of Rs 96,990, Rs 1,22,990, Rs 1,61,990,

sound field to enhance the audio experience.

Rs 1,93,990 and Rs 2,12,990 respectively at authorized

Born from the Yamaha legacy of tonal quality and craftsmanship, AVENTAGE receivers are built with the highest-quality components that are meticulously matched to provide the ultimate sonic experience. Refinements include a choice of electronic components that suppress digital noise and vibrations that reduce audio quality, a sturdy frameand-beam chassis with a fifth foot to dampen sound-degrading resonances, and an aluminum front panel that shields sensitive internal circuitry from electronic

120 | march 2019

Yamaha AV dealers in India. n

team@mymobile.co.in

Trendz

Vantage Point

Smartphone Hijacking A Malicious Revenue Source By Faisal Kawoosa There is a breed of OEMs who are intentionally or helplessly allowing their smartphones to be hijacked by some malicious players in the value chain.

probably

services revenue, many a times have malicious intentions, which

encountered‘misbehaviour’ from your smartphone,

would

have

most

are deep coded into SDKs and the core of the apps. Due to lack

especially in the entry to mid-level of the range. The

of technical capabilities and/or lack of appropriate infrastructure

smartphone could have gone crazy and performed

in terms of activity monitoring tools, this gets easily through the

operations which you never invoked. At this time, the first to earn

testing that OEMs do before onboarding any such partner. In

a bad name from you is the handset brand.

some cases, such third party app players remain quiet initially

However, it might not be their fault at all. What actually

when they know the vigil from the Smartphone maker would be

happens is that due to a code, to be precise an SDK, which gets

high and gradually over the passage of time they trigger activities

embedded into a smartphone through a third party app, either

having revenue accruals. For the smartphone makers it is a pain point as it brings disrepute to their brand. Users will never bother about why it’s happening. They are more concerned about where it’s happening, in this case the smartphone. So the blame is squarely on the smartphone brand. The problem is more for the user. The users become victim of activities that someone is doing intentionally acting on their behalf. They also start experiencing degradation in the performance of the phone. What is even crucial is that the data is put to risk. Such malicious code can do any and every harm to the user. They can steal the data including contacts, pictures, videos, messages and other important private information stored on the Smartphone. Unfortunately, users are helpless in this case to secure their Smartphones. It is only upto the OEMs to put perform the desired advanced tests as well as put in place the monitoring tools which can constantly track the activity of apps and other SDKs residing on a smartphone. Smartphone brands while recognising this issue have sort of compromised with this problem. The prime reason is of revenues. They do not want to disturb the VAS channels as they apprehend it can restrict or reduce their earnings. However,

coming pre-installed or later installed by a user, the smartphone gets ‘hijacked’ in a way. It starts dancing to the tunes of these third party application providers. Not that all the third party app developers are rogues. There are some fair and genuine people in the business as well, who code their app only to the extent of what it is supposed to do at the face value. The third party applications which collaborate with smartphone

they are ignoring the fact that these third party partners might be adding the revenues but definitely not the value. Sooner or later users will discontinue such brands which trouble them in performance and experience in a very short span of usage. n

The author is Founder and Chief Analyst at techARC, a technology analytics, research and consulting firm.

makers to get a substantial user base in return of additional

122 | march 2019

MYMOBILE

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