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phone of the month Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

for a connected lifestyle

Global Smartphone Shipment

India in the driver seat

Selfie Phones

The new engine of growth

Tested

Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro, Vivo V5s, Kara Mega 1, Micromax Dual 5, Lephone W7 and more...

Cyber Crime The dangerous twists

Editorpage

firstcall

he mojo is back in smartphone market! Global shipment is back to double digit growth and the good news really is that India is going to be the major driver for smartphone shipment as the US,

EDITORI A L

Europe and even China’s domestic smartphone shipment

Pankaj Mohindroo |

has cooled down. India remains the major exception and the

Shelley Vishwajeet | Editor

good run will definitely continue for quite a long time. More than the growth percentage or the number of

Editor-in-Chief

Gagandeep Kaur | Contributing Editor

shipment, the reason which makes me more optimistic

Ramesh Kumar Raja | Assistant Editor

about India’s mobile phone narrative is the steady rise

Haider Ali Khan | Senior Correspondent

in value additions that is happening domestically in the mobile handset

Vanshika Malhotra | Reporter

manufacturing segment. As Chairman of ‘The Task Force on Mobile Phone Manufacturing’ set up by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to galvanize India’s mobile manufacturing eco-system, we visualized and consistently pushed for enabling policy environment to spur domestic manufacturing. The growing domestic value addition is thus a matter of great satisfaction and we are determined to take domestic value

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

M A R K ETIN G

addition to the level of 39.5% in smartphones and 52% in feature phones

Puja Mohindroo | Manager - Business

by 2019-2020. Mobile manufacturing has indeed emerged as one of the

Sandeep Kumar | Sr. Manager – Marketing

strongest pillars of Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Make in India’ vision. Nonetheless, what will give me even more satisfaction and joy will be emergence of one of our own homegrown “Duan Yongping” – the founder of

O P ER A TION S

BBK Electronics Corporation, which owns three of the world’s top ten mobile

K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Administration

handset brands – Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus. Oppo and Vivo recently emerged

Deepak Kohli | Manager – Accounts

as the leading brands in China moving ahead of Apple in terms of shipment in

Varun Lama | Sr. Manager – Human Resources

China, something unthinkable just three years back. There are lots of lessons one can learn from the drive and vision of this visionary entrepreneur who happens to be a dear friend too. Not much is known about this inspiring figure in India, so we decided to dedicate few pages about him in this issue. The mobile handset market is now in buoyant mode. It’s raining new devices aimed at customer segments across board. This is indeed good news and reaffirms the market optimism. The biggest beneficiary amid this is going to be the consumers who are now spoilt for choices as manufacturers are packing in more features, more specs while price keeps coming down. Once derided as an exercise in narcissism, selfie has become the new

B. G. Mathur | Manager- Production

CIRCU L A TION Bhupender Singh Bisht | Manager – Circulation

A D V I S OR Y B O A RD Bejon Misra Rajan Mathews S.D. Saxena Subhash Chandra

growth drivers for mobile handset as the phenomenon gained respectability

Sunil Dutt

as a form of self expression. Today selfie centric mobiles are leading the

Sonu Bhasin

smartphone handset market. Almost all players are now devising special

Uvaraj Natarajan

campaigns around this particular feature to drive sales and capture mindshare. And yes, like smartphones led to near demise of point and shoot cameras,

G ET IN TOUCH

they are now beginning to pen down the obituary of television sets too. You

Editorial : shelley@mymobile.co.in

will read more about it and much more in our in-depth consumer and industry

Marketing : sandeep@mymobile.co.in

insights articles!

Circulation : bhupender@mymobile.co.in Phone : 011—46206161 Fax : 011—41520637

Happy Reading! n

Edited, published, printed and owned by Pankaj Mohindroo, Published from Flat No. 25, First Floor, Shankar Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001. Printed at HT Media Ltd. B-2, Sector 63, Noida.

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04 | JUNE 2017

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 XII, Issue V, june 2017

MYMOBILE

contents

48 Style Notes 10 letters 12 Cell Speak 14 Rumor Mill 16 NEWS 20 big NEWS 115 My Guide 29 just in Get a close look at the latest

players are betting big around this feature to drive growth and

Video media service space gets

bigger

capture market share

Face to Face

infrastructure as service will

Outsourcing spend on cloud

Interviews with business/industry

exceed traditional data center

leaders

in India in 2017

Riyas Usman – India Director

and CEO, NUU Mobile

Ashwin Bhandari – India CEO,

Digital Workplace is the New

Mantra for Enterprises

iVOOMi

The Burntest

mobile devices now in the

Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro

market

Mobile

Micromax Dual 5

Kara Mega1

Vivo V5s

Lephone W7

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

48 Chief Speak

Deepesh Gupta – CEO, Zen

108 Saahil Goel – CEO, BigFoot Retail Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Deval Parikh – CEO, Brightstar Telecommunications India Limited

52 Lead Story Selfie centric phones are the new growth driver

Industry Insight 64 Smartphone shipment - The mojo is back

most popular form of self

Business Insight 60 Indian smartphone market –

expression, the smartphone

Growing Pie, Fiercer Competition

As selfie has emerged as the

06 | JUNE 2017

96 Consumer Insight The drop in television viewership giving way to computers and smartphones

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What's Inside

contents 84 Digital Security

102 International

Securing Children’s Identity in

China’s Smartphone Growth

Digital Times

Softens while Market

90 Special Report The New Wave of Cyber Terrorism is Here!

94 Tech Trends Are SDN and NFV Techno logies the future of network?

113 Brand Insight

Consolidates

137 Add Ons The latest and the best of gadgets and accessories, from Bluetooth speakers to gaming laptops

80 Bazaar Bargain Four phones which are smart buy today

146 Vantage Point The Fintech Revolution – Manavjeet Singh, CEO &

106 Special Feature

Founder, Rubique

Enjoy Your Summer Sojourn the App Way

Why Vivo chose to associate with IPL, explains Vivek Zhang, Vivo India CMO

By Invitation Where business leaders share

98 Personality

their thoughts

110 Accomplishing Digital India

Duan Yongping: The Reclusive

Dream – Rahul Sharma,

Doyen of Mobile World

Co-founder, Micromax Informatics Ltd.

112 India: An Emerging Hub for

the Online Gaming Industry – Madhav Gupta, Co-founder, Baadshah Gaming

86 115

08 | may 2017

98 Total number of pages = 148

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cellspeak

Quotes

“There is no major impact (of ransomware cyber attack) in India unlike other countries. We are keeping a close watch. As per the information received so far, there have been isolated incidents in limited areas in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh”

— Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, at an event in New Delhi

“A digital movement has already started - which is the combination of a scientific movement and a technology movement - so that the poorest of the poor in the remotest part of India can have access to all the facilities”

— Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science and Technology, at an event in Kolkata

“By end of this year which is December we will have 20 to 25% of our business coming from offline sales which right now is around 10 %”

— Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi, in an interview with ET

“Spreadtrum and Intel have been collaborating on bringing out the technologically advanced chipsets. At the recently concluded Mobile World Congress, we launched a 14nm 8-core 64-bit mid- and high-end LTE SoC platform built on Intel’s 14nm foundry platform. We are also working with Intel for developing more chipsets leveraging their mature foundry” — Neeraj Sharma, India Head, Spreadtrum Communications, in an interaction with a news portal 12 | june 2017

“The first focus is to connect the unconnected. Second, to take Wi-Fi to all gram panchayats. Third, consumer is king. The new telecom policy will be made around these three broad points” — Manoj Sinha, Minister of State for Telecommunications, in an interview with a newspaper MYMOBILE

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Rumour Mill

Talk

Reliance Jio looking to source 4G VoLTE feature phones from Chinese manufacturers Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio is said to be in talks with Chinese companies like Techchain, FortuneShip and Uniscope for manufacturing of 4G VoLTE feature phones. According to reports, the talks are at their initial stage and the market disruptor has asked for engineering samples from the Chinese contract manufacturers. Lava had earlier introduced its 4G Connect M1 feature phone which was priced at Rs 3333. Indian handset makers such as Micromax and Intex are also gearing up to launch 4G VoLTE feature phones by June in the sub-Rs 2000 price segment. The 4G feature phones will allow Jio, which has already crossed 100 million subscribers in India, to capture a sizeable market and will also enable it to expand its userbase by tapping users that do not want to shift to smartphones and at the same time want to avail 4G VoLTE benefits.

14 | june 2017

in Tech Corners

Facebook working to debut premium TV shows Facebook is reportedly making a debut in premium television and developing around 24 shows that will be premiered in mid-June. There will be both long duration shows on the pattern of “House of Cards’ and also 5-10 minutes shows that will be added to Facebook app’s video tab daily, as per reports. It is believed that a virtual reality dating show from Conde Nast Entertainment is among the shows that Facebook has greenlit. The social networking giant is also trying to rope in “A-list celebrities” for other shows, and it is rumoured that one big (anonymous) star has already agreed to a deal. Facebook will also be soon among the tech giants making their entry into Hollywood as the company is currently looking for people who can create its own video programming. Facebook is looking for a film producer, which was posted to LinkedIn recently. The producer is required to develop,

script, produce and edit sharable motion picture content.

iPhone 8 may not be launched this year Apple Inc. may break away from the tradition of launching its anniversary edition this year. According to reports, an analyst from Deutsche Bank has released a research note that stated the Cupertino, California-based company will not launch its next-generation iPhone 8 on its 10th anniversary. The note has pointed at ‘key component shortages and technical challenges’ as the culprits behind the major delay. The note, which was first reported by Business Insider, surfaced recently is based on a report from ValueWalk. A fresh note from Deutsche Bank analyst suggests that the iPhone 8 may not be ready till as long as early 2018. On the other hand, the iPhone 7s, an incremental improvement on the iPhone 7 launched in 2016, will arrive on schedule in Autumn 2017. n

team@mymobile.co.in

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What’s Up

newsbits Apple iPhone 5S tops premium smartphones in India

Apple iPhone 5S has emerged as the top premium smartphone in seven states while other versions of iOS-driven devices occupy the top five premium spots in non-metro states, said a recent report by Mobilytiks, a big data analytics programme in India for mobile handsets introduced by market research firm CyberMedia Research (CMR). In Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, iPhone 5S is ranked as the top premium smartphone while iPhone 6 occupies the second place in these states, except West Bengal where Samsung S4 Mini is the second-most favourite smartphone in the premium category. The latest from Apple, iPhone 7 is ranked at number five in Delhi and Gujarat while OnePlus 3T is ranked fourth in Karnataka. From Android stack, Samsung and OnePlus are the only brands that made it to the list of top 5. There has been growth in numbers from Oppo and Vivo brands as well. However, models from these brands are yet to figure in the top five on a cumulative basis. HTC to launch mid-level VoLTE devices soon

16 | june 2017

Taiwanese handset manufacturer HTC recently introduced this year’s flagship HTC U11 4G-LTE smartphone based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system (OS), and it plans to launch mid-level VoLTE devices priced above Rs 10,000 under the Desire range in the second half of this year. The Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 segment, according to HTC South Asia President Faisal Siddiqui, is the fastest growing smartphone category in India. The Taiwanese tech major has a greater play in innovation-driven high-end smartphone segment which it said would continue to be its unique selling point (USP). In India, 70% of the smartphones are priced below Rs 10,000 while remaining 30% are high-end devices with various price points above Rs 10,000. The company is currently focusing to increase its smartphone market pie in India which it believes would be achieved gradually by adhering to design innovation. Xiaomi to open 100 Mi Home offline stores in India

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi plans to open 100 Mi Home stores across India in the next two years to strengthen its offline retail strategy in the country. It opened its first ever Mi Home store in Bengaluru recently. The company already sells devices through its own online stores, and through its partnerships with e-commerce and offline retailers and distributors. The company said that its new Mi Home stores will be located in other metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Select Mi Home stores will also have an additional zone where fans can experience the larger Xiaomi portfolio. Mi Home stores are Xiaomi’s exclusive offline retail stores that allow Mi fans to experience and purchase Xiaomi’s latest products under

one roof. The company currently has more than 70 Mi Home stores in Greater China, which are extremely popular. Gionee enhances distribution network by 30%

Chinese company Gionee has grown its distribution network by 30% and has doubled the national distributors in the country. “Strengthening its offline sales with focus on customer service, Gionee does not believe in flash sales and has steadfastly followed a different approach. As a result, Gionee today has a presence in 42,000 retail outlets with nearly 70% exclusive stores. In fact, the brand today sells only 1 per cent of its stock online, rest is offline,” the company said in a statement. According to CMR data collected as of March 2017 for the installed base of mobile handsets in India, Gionee is among the top 3 Chinese mobile brands. It is the most preferred brand in five states. Foxconn seeks 13-acre land at JNPT SEZ Foxconn Technology Group, which manufactures iPhones for Apple Inc., has sought 13 acres of land in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust’s (JNPT) special economic zone (SEZ) in Mumbai, according to Shipping and Roads Minister Nitin Gadkari. The minister said he has spoken to

MYMOBILE

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis about this but declined to share more details. Foxconn is one of the world’s largest electronic manufacturing contractors, headquartered in New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is the third largest information technology company by revenue. The Country Head and MD, Foxconn International Holding India, Josh Foulger had in March met Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to discuss support for exporting mobile phones from the country. JNPT, Mumbai, is among 12 major ports and handles over 40 per cent of Indian volumes. The development has reportedly been confirmed by JNPT Chairman Anil Diggikar but the talks are at an early stage. Smartron to raise Rs 250 crore to fuel expansion

Technology firm Smartron is raising up to Rs 250 crore from investors in the US and the Middle East as it looks to expand its bouquet of products, including smartphones and an electric scooter. The Sachin Tendulkar-backed firm has previously raised about Rs 150 crore from investors in the US and the Middle East. Smartron Founder and Chairman Mahesh Lingareddy said that the funds will be utilised in building an ecosystem of Internet-connected devices that would include smartphones, smartbands, home security products and an electric two-wheeler. This would put Smartron in competition with the likes of Xiaomi and LeEco who are also trying to bring in ecosystem products that connect with Internet. Smartron recently launched its new smartphone -- srt phone -- priced at Rs 12,999 onwards. The smartphone is the third device in Smartron’s portfolio.

www.mymobileindia.com

Intex eyes up to 40% growth in accessories business this fiscal

Homegrown handset manufacturer Intex expects to post 40 per cent growth and Rs 140 crore in revenues from its accessories business -- a segment that is presently dominated by unbranded products. The company currently manufactures certain products in the accessories category like power banks and chargers at its facility in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh. “Our accessories business has already clocked revenues of Rs 100 crore last year. We have seen a strong acceptance of our products that is dominated by the grey market,” said Manish Gupta, Business Head (Mobile Accessories), Intex Technologies. Gupta said the mobile accessories division grew at a similar pace last year, driven by strong sales through e-commerce portals. Intex gets about 65 per cent of its revenues from its mobile handset business with the remaining coming from consumer durables. For the year ended March 2017, Intex clocked a total revenue of Rs 4,600 crore. UC News app attracts 6.6 million daily views Alibaba’s UCWeb, a provider of mobile internet software and services has surpassed 6.6 million UC News daily app views. UCWeb, a Chinese mobile browser firm

acquired by Alibaba in 2014, has lately adopted an aggressive business strategy with a focus on emerging markets such as India and Indonesia. UC News garnered average daily views of 6.6 million on the UC News app for its innovative IPL campaign with 75 million page views on UC News YouTube Channel. “Total time spent consuming content on the mobile has seen a sharp rise among Indian audiences with sports, especially cricket, being one of the most popular content category for UC News readers,” Young Li, Head of UC News said. Early, this year, UC News had announced the We-Media Reward Plan 2.0 for selfpublishers, bloggers and independent writers. The Chinese Internet giant is also investing Rs 120 crore in the Indian market to drive user-generated digital content with workforce and operations expansion in the country.

What’s Up

newsbits

Instagram adds 100 mn users in four months to hit 700 mn

Facebook-owned photo and video sharing app Instagram now has more than 700 million users, with the last 100 million joining the platform in just four months. “We’re thrilled to announce that our community has grown to more than 700 million Instagrammers. And the last 100 million of you joined faster than ever,” the company wrote in a blog recently. “We have made it even easier for people across the globe to join the Instagram community, share their experiences and strengthen connections to their friends and passions,” it further read. Instagram has doubled in size in just two years. Growth has been driven by a number of factors, including the company’s ability to better connect people with their friends and easier sign-up. “With new features like Stories, Live Video and

june 2017 | 17

What’s Up

newsbits disappearing messages in Direct, people now have more ways than ever to express themselves and feel closer to what matters to them,” Instagram added. MediaTek powers smart IoT based home and healthcare devices

Fabless semiconductor company MediaTek has come up with two IoT devices in collaboration with PiOctave and Chainway in India. The devices, which were launched at the 3rd Smart Cities India 2017 Expo at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, include a video doorbell from PiOctave and a device designed for the healthcare industry from Chainway. The smart video Doorbell is a security device which can sense surroundings, interact, analyse and react to a situation. The doorbell sends smart motion alert on mobile, has 180 degree panoramic view, night vision, and smart connect with mobile through the cloud, group calling, emergency services and neighborhood connect. Chainway’s mobile healthcare solution is based on IoT and Cloud computing technologies which allows inspecting doctors and nurses to scan wristbands of the patients through the Chainway PDA device and acquire real time information about the patient’s history, medical administration records and other data. MobiKwik to power mobile wallet for BSNL

Mobile wallet firm MobiKwik has built a customized, co-branded wallet for the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, which will also give the digital payments player access to millions of customers of the state-owned telecom company. The BSNL wallet will be a semi-closed wallet to facilitate ease of payment and also to sell BSNL products exclusively in the wallet. It will be developed, operated and issued by MobiKwik and distributed and marketed by BSNL. MobiKwik currently has a customer base of over 55 million. MobiKwik had last year partnered with BSNL to facilitate bill payments through its own app. Users can still continue to pay BSNL bills through the MobiKwik app. With the new partnership, MobiKwik will also receive reseller rights, wherein the company will enable digital sale of BSNL SIM cards through its app and website, and sell BSNL products exclusively in the wallet. Shoto launches new weddings and events features

Shoto, the app that automatically brings photos from any event together into a single album, recently released a new suite of features designed especially for weddings and events, making it easier than ever before to collect all the photos taken of your special day. The new set of tools makes it possible to automatically and seamlessly collect all the photos and videos taken at any event into one shareable album. Shoto’s ‘Album Match’ feature will automatically tell users who has photos, how many shots they have, and prompt them to begin sharing. The technology is also capable of looking at photos people post to social media profiles using custom hashtags-pulling them into the shared album. Shoto also has extensive privacy controls to ensure users understand what is shared with whom at all times, and never shares photos without the user’s permission. Route Mobile acquires BPO Call2Connect The mobile technology firm with expertise

18 | june 2017

in messaging and voice interface, Route Mobile has bought business process outsourcing company Call2Connect from

Arabi Holding Group for an undisclosed amount. Route Mobile global CEO Rajdip Gupta said his company is in a position to double Call2Connect’s revenue because of its existing client base. “We aim to position Call2Connect’s expertise and experience with our global telco relationships,” he said. Route Mobile provides services such as information alerts and sale and marketing messaging for the country’s top banks. Acquisition of Call2Connect, Route Mobile’s third takeover since June last year, adds depth to the company’s existing relations with banks. Call2Connect, which employs 1,200 people to handle customer and internal query calls for its clients, counts Aircel, Airtel, Idea, Vodafone, Tata Teleservices, Punjab National Bank, One 97(PayTM), Pidilite and Bihar government among its clients. Its revenue is estimated at `80 crore, while operating margin is about 10%, said reports quoting a person familiar with the matter. Panasonic partners TCS to set up innovation centre in Bengaluru

Japanese electronics company Panasonic recently opened its first India Innovation Centre (IIC) in collaboration with global software major Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Bengaluru to develop transformative solutions for its wide range of products. The Centre of Excellence (CoE) in the IIC will focus on five domains spanning connected home/community, mobility, energy,

MYMOBILE

industrial and financial solutions, with the partners collaborating in the knowledge of technologies, industry best practices and understanding of the growing domestic market. Transforming its business model to offer disruptive technologies in the Internet of Things (IoT), Mobility and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Panasonic is foraying into local manufacturing and development of appliances. TCS will bring in industry knowhow, global innovation practices and create an ecosystem for Panasonic to shape its future product strategy and enable in digital transformation.

PowerGrid gets unified licence to offer telecom services

your home (through social media). All you have to do is be aware and not forward any malicious content or anything that you are not aware of and actually be a soldier by preventing forwarding of such information,” he said. The minister asked the people to self-regulate, contending that governments across the world are yet to find solutions to deal with the issue of circulation of malicious content on the internet. Rathore stated that although the issue was being handled by

What’s Up

newsbits

Ericsson, Microsoft join hands to accelerate IoT globally

Ericsson has tied up with Microsoft to further strengthen the global Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem by enabling enterprises to speed up the time it takes to launch mobile network-based IoT services. The partnership between the two will enable Ericsson IoT Accelerator to allow enterprises to deploy their IoT solutions using Azure, which connects them directly to the ecosystem of mobile operators using the connectivity management service delivered by the Ericsson Device Connection Platform (DCP) which is part of the Ericsson IoT Accelerator. Ericsson IoT Accelerator, a cloud-based, horizontal cross-industry offering comprising platform services and near-product services for telecom operators and selected industries, provides a continuous incremental set of functionality offered as a service to enable agile creation and deployment of solutions for IoT. It will allow telecom operators to design, launch and evolve managed IoT connectivity offerings towards enterprises requiring cellular connectivity.

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State-run Power Grid Corporation has been granted unified licence with national long distance and Internet service provider authorisation to provide telecom services. The power transmission utility provides its telecom towers and optical fibre cable infrastructure (for Internet services) to service providers and other firms for commercial use. This is a separate segment of revenue for the company. In a BSE filing, PowerGrid said, “The Department of Telecommunication has granted a unified licence to PowerGrid with national long distance (NLD) and Internet service provider-Category A service authorisation for providing telecom services. The licence is valid for 20 years.” PowerGrid has reportedly been in the business of telecom infrastructure for business to business services. Earlier, the company had two separate licences of infrastructure provider-1 (IP-1) and national long distance-1 (NLD-1), which is due to expire. Now, the company has got a single unified licence. The firm is mainly into power transmission business. Government asks netizens not to forward malicious content on social media Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore recently urged netizens to be “soldiers” by not forwarding “malicious” content circulated by “enemies” on social media. “You need not wear the uniform to be a soldier of this country, you need not go to the borders now, because the enemy can actually strike in

the information and technology ministry, people should try to solve it at an individual level and spread the word on social network. Chinese military develops phone software to spy on soldiers leaking secrets The Chinese military has developed a smartphone surveillance software that

automatically alerts authorities if soldiers leak sensitive information or use their handset devices during blackouts. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese military, reported recently that the PLA Rocket (Missile) Force introduced the mobile phone security platform to better regulate smartphone use in the military. The newspaper said the software can be installed or uninstalled remotely, ban access to specified websites, set restrictions on communication hours and screen for sensitive words. The platform will automatically alert authorities if it detects any violations of Internet use. The new software is capable of tracking each user’s telephone number and cell phone model. The software is in its test phases. n team@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 19

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Countering GST Impact on Domestic Mobile Manufacturing MeitY to push for BCD to ensure competitiveness of ‘Made in India’ phones

o prevent ‘Made in India’ mobile phones from becoming costlier from the impact of GST, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has decided to push for imposing a basic customs duty (BCD) on top of GST rate on imported devices. Industry apprehends that India-made handsets may become costlier as the Government of India has decided to levy 12% tax in the new regime called Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1, 2017, instead of the 5% that was recommended to it by MeitY and the industry’s nodal body Indian Cellular Association (ICA). The locally manufactured handsets will come under this new tax slab but not those who are being imported. Though there were talks going on in the industry that government might provide new

“Either the existing regime will continue or the new regime with GST plus BCD will come in — so either way the industry will not lose out” – Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, MeitY had pointed out. incentives to the local manufacturers to fuel the investments which came under Make in India initiative. To ensure that making phones locally would continue to be cheaper for companies compared with imports, Aruna Sundararajan, Secretary, MeitY told ET that MeitY will push for imposing a basic customs duty (BCD) on top of GST rate on imported devices to ensure that making phones locally would continue to be cheaper for companies compared with imports. “Either the existing regime will continue or the new regime with GST plus BCD will come in — so either way the industry will not lose out,” Sundararajan had pointed out. Earlier, the imported mobile handsets used to attract taxes in between 17 to 27% which will eventually come down to 12% for them as well, giving a tough task for the homegrown brands to cope with. Presently, the locally manufactured phones are sold with 7.5 to 17% tax. This move will push the phone prices by upto 5 percent, says industry expert. Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman of the Government appointed Fast Track Task Force on Mobile Manufacturing Eco-system and National President ICA, had pointed out that the principle of differential duty to support domestic manufacturing should be carried forward for at least a few more years so that mobile phone and components manufacturing industry in India becomes competitive. “GST is a very complex exercise and it’s a feat that a consensus

20 | june 2017

has been arrived at, which bodes well for the country and the industry. We still feel a 5% rate would be appropriate, as recommended by the ministry, and the government must maintain the differential duty for mobile phones for some time,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, President

“17.5 crore handset units valued at Rs 90,000 crore were produced locally in 2016-17, compared with 11 crore handset worth Rs 54,000 crore the previous year. The growth is expected to accelerate if the incentives continue” – Indian Cellular Association of Indian Cellular Association that represents handset manufacturers including Samsung, Apple, Micromax and others. According to ICA, 17.5 crore handset units valued at Rs 90,000 crore were produced locally in 2016-17, compared with 11 crore handset worth Rs 54,000 crore the previous year. The growth is expected to accelerate if the incentives continue. The research firm Counterpoint says, as much as 80% of the phones sold in India in the January-March quarter were locally made. n

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Phased manufacturing plan notified to boost mobile phone production W

ith the objective of promoting depth in the domestic manufacturing of mobile handsets, the Centre recently notified Phased Manufacturing Programme (PMP) which will be rolled out over a period of time. The programme has been prepared by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), keeping in view the state of the design and manufacturing ecosystem in the country. According to an official statement on the ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website, the focus is to ensure that through appropriate fiscal and financial incentives, indigenous manufacturing of cellular mobile handsets and various subassemblies which go into manufacturing of handsets can be promoted over a period of time. The PMP has been notified with the objective of substantially increasing the domestic value addition for establishment of a robust cellular mobile handsets manufacturing eco-system in India. The programme shall enable the Cellular mobile handset and related sub-assembly/ component industry to plan their investments in the sector. The phase-wise programme covers Mechanics, Die Cut Parts, Microphone & Receiver, Key Pad and USB Cable in the current financial year (i.e. 2017-18). It also aims to promote the indigenous manufacturing of populated printed circuit boards, camera modules and connectors in 2018-19; and display assembly, touch panels, vibrator motor and ringer in 2019-20. The programme will be extended to parts/ sub-parts/ inputs for aforesaid subassemblies as the manufacturing ecosystem evolves over the next few years. The introduction of differential excise duty dispensation in the Budget during 2015-16, countervailing duty (CVD) on imports of mobile handsets of around 12.5 per cent and excise duty of 1 per cent without input tax credit gave an impetus to the Assembly, Programming, Testing and Packaging (APTP) model in the sector. As a result of the programme, the domestic value addition in

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The phase-wise manufacturing of feature phones programme covers Mechanics, will go up from about 15 per Die Cut Parts, Microphone & Receiver, cent to 37 per cent and the domestic value addition in Key Pad and USB Cable in the current manufacturing of smart phones will go up from financial year (i.e. 2017-18). It also aims about 10 per cent to 26 to promote the indigenous manufacturing per cent. Around 40 new mobile handset of populated printed circuit boards, manufacturing units and 30 mobile camera modules and connectors in components and accessory manufacturing 2018-19; and display assembly, units were started during touch panels, vibrator motor the last two years, resulting in the direct employment of and ringer in over 1,00,000 persons. As per reports, this will give rise to 2019-20 indirect employment by creating

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work opportunities for an estimated 2,00,000 persons. Indigenous production of mobile handsets went up from 11 crore units in FY16 to 15.5 crore units. Total value went up from Rs 54,000 crore in FY16 to Rs 90,000 crore in the previous financial year. As a result of the increase in domestic production of mobile handsets, the share of imported mobiles in the domestic market is gradually coming down. n

june 2017 | 21

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Indian standards for 5G connectivity to be ready by 2018

The key drivers for 5G rollout and adoption will Mardikar added. He also pointed ndia is getting future ready and has be a massively anticipated increase out that networks will have to serious work on identifying Iandstarted become flat, ubiquitous and formalizing the standards for in data consumption, fast increasing nearer to consumers in the the rollout of 5G. The standards coming days to cater to fast are likely to be ready by 2018, digitised life and services, growth of changing digitized said D P De, senior DDG, lifestyle. Telecommunication smart cities and the need to have an 5G will address the Engineering Centre (TEC) at the all encompassing network architecture requirements of coming 5G India 2017 Conference in decades, said Radhey Shyam New Delhi recently. TEC is a which can utilise all available Sarda, Director, Wireless nodal agency of Department of Solution Sales, Huawei. He Telecommunications, and is spectrum bands rather than also pointed out that 5G responsible for drawing up of replace the existing architecture is targeting different standards, generic requirements, spectrum bands where each will play interface requirements, service networks different roles and within the emerging requirements and specifications for telecom products, services and networks. Addressing the inaugural session, Adrian Scrase, Chief Technical Officer, ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute and Head of 3GPP MCC (Mobile Competence Core), said, “5G will be an overarching umbrella of networks rather than a replacement technology and will usher in significant economic, political and environmental benefits.” As per industry representatives and sectoral experts, the key drivers for 5G rollout and adoption will be a massively anticipated increase in data consumption, fast increasing digitised life and services, growth of smart cities and the need to have an all encompassing network architecture which can utilise all available spectrum bands rather than replace the existing networks. “Connected devices, digitized lifestyle where almost every aspect of human life will be consumed digitally calls for a new paradigm shift in telecommunication eco-system,” said Shyam P Mardikar, CTO (Mobile Networks), Bharti Airtel. “We have moved from the Voice phase to Video consumption and the next phase will be virtuality which will demand humungous data availability and networks have to evolve to keep pace. This will be a real challenge,”

22 | june 2017

scheme of things, C-band and Group 30/40 is emerging as the globally harmonized bands. He said enhanced user experience, dynamic spectrum sharing and pairing of bands will be the mainstay of 5G architecture. Rajan S Mathews, Director General, Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), said that consumers side demand, resource deployment and commercial viability will be the main drivers for the operators for 5G rollout. “It may be easy to rollout 5G in a country like Japan or South Korea but India is a fundamentally different market with diverse needs. There would be huge financial and structural challenges. We have to make India specific case for 5G,” Mathews advised. Experts across the board did agree that sooner or later the telecommunication services will migrate to 5G architecture and the time has come to start serious preparation for standardization and network up-gradation. Making 5G India 2017 a truly global platform to conduct business, global players such as Huawei, VMWare, Keysight Technologies, Juniper, RedHat, Rohde & Schwarz, RV Solutions and TrustinSoft showcased their innovative and cutting edge technologies to the gathering. n

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A portal to clear mobile tower myths T

he Department of Telecommunications (DoT) recently launched Tarang Sanchar, a web portal for information sharing on mobile towers and electromagnetic field (EMF) emission compliances. Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha formally launched the portal at an event in New Delhi. Sinha said that the launch of Tarang Sanchar Portal will help in clearing myths and misconception of public on mobile towers and emissions from them. He expressed that the portal empowers any common person to know, at the convenience of a mouse click, about towers working in a particular locality and whether they are compliant to the EMF emission norms defined by the government. P K Pujari, the Power Secretary who was given the additional charge of DoT before being replaced by Aruna Sundararajan, during his keynote address said that the government is fully committed to protect the health of its citizens. To ensure the same, the DoT has prescribed standards for electromagnetic emissions from mobile towers that are ten times stricter than the international standards prescribed by International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). The government has taken adequate steps to ensure that telecommunications service providers (TSPs) strictly adhere to these prescribed norms. Though there is no scientific evidence of any health concerns from low power mobile BTSs, a need was felt to educate the citizens about EMF emissions from mobile towers and status of their compliances. The portal will generate confidence among the public about effectiveness of the EMF compliance process in India. G K Upadhyaya, Member (Technology), R K Misra, Member (Services) and Anuradha Mitra, Member (Finance) in Telecom Commission also graced the occasion. The features of the Tarang Sanchar were demonstrated during the event. The EMF portal is designed to provide a public interface where an easy map-based search feature has been provided for viewing the mobile towers in vicinity of any locality. By click of a button, information on EMF compliance status of mobile towers can be accessed. Detailed information about any tower site, if requested, will be sent on email to the users. Additionally, any person can request for EMF emission measurement at a location by paying a nominal fee of Rs 4000 online. The tests will be

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conducted by the local Telecom Enforcement Resource and Monitoring (TERM) field unit of DoT and the test report will be provided to the requestor. The portal also has ‘EMF Overview’ and ‘Learn’ Sections, which provide numerous articles, booklets and videos, to further educate the citizens about EMF and coverage of telecom services. Public can also access the ‘DoT Initiatives’ section which has information on various leaflets, articles and frequently asked questions (FAQs). In addition to Government to Citizen (G2C) services, the portal also facilitates Government to Business (G2B) service

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The EMF portal is designed to provide a public interface where an easy map-based search feature has been provided for viewing the mobile towers in vicinity of any locality delivery in a transparent and eco-friendly manner. The portal enables a method of maintenance and retention of end-to-end records including submission of compliance by telecom service providers and paperless processing by TERM cells. Tarang Sanchar, a unique initiative of Government of India, is one of the largest and most complex inter operator database of its kind in the world. It has the complete collated technical details of over 14.5 lakh base stations (BTSs) spread across the country of all technologies (2G, 3G, 4G etc.) and of all telecom service providers. n

june 2017 | 23

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Vodafone, SaveLIFE Foundation promote “safety in mobility” R

iding on a strong commitment to health safety well being and zero tolerance to distracted driving, Vodafone India and SaveLIFE Foundation recently released a first of its kind study on the theme of “Safety in Mobility” in New Delhi. The study reveals 94 per cent of people acknowledge using mobile phones during driving as being dangerous but 47 per cent of them admit to receiving calls while driving. The report titled, “Distracted Driving in India: A Study on Mobile Phone Usage, Pattern and Behaviour” was released by P Balaji, Director External Affairs, Regulatory & CSR, Vodafone India and Saji Cherian, Director Operations-SaveLIFE Foundation. Amongst other findings, the study reveals that 34 per cent of all respondents tend to apply sudden brakes when talking on the phone while driving, while 20 per cent of respondents admit to having had near-miss situations or having experienced road crash due to using mobile phones while driving. 96 per cent of people spoken to, tend to feel unsafe as passengers

if the driver was using mobile phone while driving. The launch of the study was graced by Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Abhay Damle who also launched the Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation “Road Safe” mobile application. The app which has been created with the objective of keeping drivers away from distractions while driving also provides useful tips on safe driving. The first of its kind study released in India is based on a survey conducted by international research agency Kantar Public covering eight cities and a total of 1749 respondents covering four typologies of drivers: two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and truck/bus drivers. The Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation “Road Safe” mobile app has been developed, under the ‘Safety in Mobility’ theme which has been working to improve road safety in India. A key feature in the app is promoting Distraction Free Driving (Android only) which will automatically disable calls/SMS/Push notifications for the driver when vehicle speed is above 10 km/hour. The app also has road safety tips and information on traffic fines and offences Damle said, “The Government of India is committed to reducing road crash deaths and injuries. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill has been passed by Lok Sabha. The Bill is likely to be considered by Rajya Sabha in the monsoon session. The Bill provides for strict penalties for dangerous driving including use of mobile phones while driving. We urge drivers to refrain from this practice.” Exhorting Indians to follow model road safety norms and set an example to the rest of the world, Balaji said, “We hope the findings of this report will draw focus to the perils of ignoring road safety norms and help save lives by getting citizens to use the convenient mobile app.” Cherian said, “This study is path breaking as it categorically confirms for the first time that use of mobile phones while driving is rampant in India. The focus is also on solving the problem by launching the Vodafone-SaveLIFE Foundation Road Safe mobile application that will help drivers remain distraction-free while driving.” n

A key feature in the app is promoting Distraction Free Driving (Android only) which will automatically disable calls/ SMS/Push notifications for the driver when vehicle speed is above 10 km/hour

24 | june 2017

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Modernized Satcom essential for delivering broadband to rural, semi-urban India L

auding Indian Space Research Organisation for launching the regional communication satellite for South Asia, GSAT 9, Broadband India Forum has said ISRO’s step highlights the great possibilities of modernised Satcom for connecting and delivering broadband in the country. Addressing an event to celebrate the World Telecom Day in New Delhi recently, BIF Emeritus Chairman Shyamal Ghosh said, “Use of satellite for providing internet services is perhaps the only way to cover the entire country. Its importance of meeting the objectives of Digital India and for providing ‘Broadband to All’ by 2020 cannot be overstated”. Ghosh also said that while India has made rapid strides in the areas of manufacturing and launch of indigenous satellites and launch vehicles for satellites, it has a long way to go to meet the communication requirements in an affordable, always available and accessible-to-all manner. While the global satellite industry is pegged at around 600 communication satellites, India has only a handful of them - all of which belong to ISRO. As per International Telecommunication Union, India ranks at a lowly 131 in Fixed Broadband and 155 in Mobile Broadband out of 187 countries. Moreover, there is a large urban rural digital divide. Since terrestrial broadband is expensive and difficult to roll out, the only option to provide broadband in rural/semi-urban areas is via satellite. BIF President TV Ramachandran said that regrettably due to certain factors, there is a mistaken perception that Satcom is unaffordable and therefore unavailable for deployment for a highly price sensitive market such as India, especially rural India. He asserted that this is totally incorrect and fallacious, just as in the early 1990s, it was thought by even educated segments of society that mobile phones are unaffordable technology toys - playthings of the rich, and not needed by the common man. “Globally Satcom is competitive to terrestrial technologies particularly for rural and remote areas. However, it lags behind in India due to inadequate capacity /availability, lack of use of new innovations and technologies and other legacy factors,” he pointed out. BIF, a technology neutral lobby of several tech companies serving satellite and telecom sector that promotes broadband, has conservatively projected India’s required broadband over satellite demand at between 100 and 200 Gbps over the coming five to 10 years, a big fraction of the Asian satellite broadband demand as projected by NSR. Liberalized implementation and

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India ranks at a lowly 131 in Fixed Broadband and 155 in Mobile Broadband out of 187 countries. Moreover, there is a large urban rural digital divide. Since terrestrial broadband is expensive and difficult to roll out, the only option to provide broadband in rural/semi-urban areas is via satellite facilitation of the latest innovations in this sector to help cater to this projected demand, shall enable the sector to achieve FDI of $3-5 billion that can be brought in to launch satellites, develop and manufacture satellite gateways (ground terminals) and also for the manufacture of end-user terminals (micro-VSATs, satellite handhelds, etc). Huge FDI inflows along with creation of tens of thousands of jobs are also possible from clearing long-pending private sector applications for manufacture and launch of satellites. Investment is also likely to come in for training and skilling local manpower to provide the professional services required in this sector. Ramachandran asserted that the Indian satellite sector has the potential to be the powerful harbinger of a great broadband revolution in the country just as the mobile/cellular sector had brought about in the connectivity revolution over the past decade and a half. n

june 2017 | 25

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bignews Lenovo becomes the most used Chinese mobile brand in India: Report

enovo has emerged as the most used Chinese mobile brand in India followed by itel, Gionee, Xiaomi, and Oppo, according to a new report by CyberMedia Research (CMR). The data collected as of March 2017 for the installed base of mobile handsets in

India depicted the usage of top three Chinese mobile brands in different states where Lenovo is the most preferred brand in seven states followed by itel in six states and Gionee in five states. However, itel is the second most preferred brand in three states and third most preferred brand in two states. In states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Lenovo has a lead over other brands. Interestingly, a Chinese brand Kechaoda has also made it to the list by becoming the most used brand in Bihar. It is also the second most preferred brand in Andhra Pradesh and third most preferred brand in North East. The report highlighted that itel is ramping up in the feature phone segment increasing the contribution of Chinese brands in the India mobile handset market. Even though Lenovo has bagged the top spot, it needs to rejig its strategy to retain its top position as other Chinese brands continue to give tough competition. Meanwhile, CMR recently said that homegrown phone brand Micromax has become the most used Indian mobile brand, followed by Lava and Intex. The report said that MILK (Micromax-Intex-Lava-Karbonn) brands are the four big Indian brands with their dominance in most of the states. It added that there are also some traces of localized brands like Celkon and Spice which are strong in states like Andhra Pradesh-Telangana and Rajasthan. n

Inter-ministerial panel to study financial health of telecom sector

n inter-ministerial committee is being constituted by the government to look into the financial woes of the telecom sector. It would have about three months to hand over its views and solutions to the government. According to reports quoting people in the know, the committee is likely to have six to eight members, including two from the telecom department and one each from the departments of revenue and economic affairs. The panel would look into issues related to the sector’s financial health, which has taken a beating due to cut throat competition triggered by the entry of Reliance Jio. “The suggestions will be given to the telecom ministry, which will then go to finance ministry, and then, if needed, to the Cabinet for action,” a senior government official who did not wish to be named was quoted as saying. Minister of Telecommunications Manoj Sinha recently said that inter-ministerial panels were being set up to examine systemic issues of viability and repayment capacity and furnish recommendation for resolution of stressed assets at the earliest. A similar inter-ministerial panel for the power sector is also being created, as per reports. The Reserve Bank of India recently asked banks to review immediately their exposure to the telecom sector, which has a debt of nearly Rs

26 | june 2017

4.9 lakh crore, and make higher provisions to firewall their business against any future stress. Public sector banks like State Bank of India and Punjab National Bank have huge exposure in the form of loans given to telecom companies. Under competitive pressure, major telecom players like Bharti Airtel, Vodafone India and Idea Cellular have reported dismal quarterly results in the three months ended December, and sector analysts expect another weak quarter, which ended March 31. n

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Chinese vendors rule Indian smartphone market M ore than half of Indian smartphone market is captured by China-based vendors, as per International Data Corporation’s (IDC) quarterly mobile phone tracker. The Chinese vendors have a 51.4% share of smartphone shipments in India where they recorded a 16.9% sequential growth and 142.6% growth over the same period last year. Home-grown vendors, on the other hand, have drastically dropped to 13.5% in the Q1 2017 from 40.5% in Q1 2016. The report stated that 27 million smartphones were shipped in India in CY Q1 2017 which saw a 14.8% growth as compared to the same period last year. The shipments grew sequentially in the first quarter of 2017 by 4.7% recovering from demonetization impact in Q4 2016. The increasing dominance of Chinese brands has led to some trends which are being observed such as the increase of average selling price of smartphone which has increased from US$131 in Q1 2016 to US$155 in Q1 2017. Another trend is that most of the smartphones being shipped are 4G-enabled. Therefore, 94.5% smartphones shipped in Q1 2017 were 4G-enabled. Another highlight showed that almost 5 out of 10 smartphones shipped in Q1 2017 had 13 megapixel and more as primary/rear camera where 62.2 per cent of devices shipped by China-based vendors are equipped with 13 megapixel and more as primary camera.

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Interestingly, South Korean company Samsung maintained its leadership position with 16.9% sequential growth in the first quarter of the 2017. Samsung was followed by Xiaomi with 39.8% growth in Q12017 over previous quarter where it also led online smartphone shipments with 40.6 per cent share. Vivo bagged the third spot with 44.2% shipment growth over Q4 2016 and 10.5% vendor share. Lenovo (including Motorola) slipped to fourth position as its shipments remained flat over previous quarter. However, it witnessed 33.7 % growth over Q1 2016. OPPO stood fifth with 14% growth in shipments in Q1 2017 over the previous quarter. n

Pro Kabaddi, Vivo sign five-year title sponsorship deal

ro Kabaddi, India’s fastest growing sports league, has signed on Chinese smartphone maker Vivo as the title sponsor for five years. This is the first time the network has sold the title sponsorship to a company outside its fold. The first four seasons saw Star Sports retain the title sponsorship for the tournament. The deal is pegged at Rs 275 to 300 crore for the duration of five years. The deal with Vivo kicks in from the July 2017 edition of Pro Kabaddi, which is the fifth season of the tournament. Vivo also holds the title sponsorship to the Indian Premier League. The upcoming season of Pro Kabaddi India’s will have up to 12 teams and more than 130 matches spread across 13 weeks. Vivo aims to strengthen its consumer connect with audiences across India as Pro Kabaddi League is the second most followed

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sport after cricket. The brand believes that this will help in achieving a stronger brand recall and better visibility. Sanjay Gupta, managing director, Star India, said, “Vivo coming on board as the title sponsor is a significant milestone in the growth story of the league. Star Sports will continue its efforts to elevate the stature of the sport further.” Kent Cheng, chief executive, Vivo India said, “We are thrilled to partner with Pro Kabaddi league as the title sponsor. This association is important for us as Pro Kabaddi league has reached incredible heights and now proudly stands as one of the most successful leagues in India. Earlier seasons have shown that Kabaddi is a sport whose popularity cuts across all audiences. With this association, Vivo aims to target the right audience and capture the hearts of Indians. We would like to wish Pro-Kabaddi league huge success for the years to come.” n

june 2017 | 27

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bignews Stable, long-term and predictable policy environment needed for telecom sector

he Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has called for a stable, long-term and predictable policy environment, which will facilitate affordability, growth, innovation and investments in the Indian telecom sector. It has also emphasized on the need for digital literacy, capacity building and creation of local language content in India, which would help in making the Digital India a reality. Addressing an event on the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD), Rajan S Mathews, Director General, COAI said, “India is currently the world’s second-largest

telecommunications market and it is only growing stronger. As one of the key contributors to the national growth, Indian telecom industry today has touched more lives than before. We have not only connected people, we have also provided a robust platform for ideas and innovations to flourish. The telecom industry is now serving over a billion Indians both connecting and empowering them for delivering the digital future.” COAI further mentioned that in order to create a state-of-the-art telecom infrastructure in India, the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) have already invested around 9,27,000 crores. As of September 2016, about 3.51 lakh Base Transceiver Station BTSs were added and telecom subscribers have reached the figure around 1 billion. According to the report of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the total number internet users in the nation have reached around 261.31 million, with a quarterly growth of 2.28 per cent. Mathews said, “By 2020, the contribution of mobile industry to the country’s GDP will increase to 8.2 per cent from the current 6.5 per cent. It is also expected to generate four million direct and indirect jobs over the next five years. Globally, we will also have between 26 billion and 50 billion Internet-connected devices by 2020.” He praised the decision of the government for setting-up an inter-ministerial committee, which will heal the wound of fiscal health of the sector. n

Gadgets can be smaller, faster and more powerful with this new nano material

new nano material with highest- ever conductivity in its class has been discovered by a team of scientists, including those of Indian origin. This material could also lead to smaller, faster and more powerful electronic devices. What makes this nano-scale thin film material so unique is that it has a high conductivity, which helps electronics conduct more electricity and become more powerful, said reports quoting researchers led by the University of Minnesota in the US. The material also has a wide bandgap, which means light can easily pass through the material making it optically transparent. In most cases, materials with wide bandgap, usually have either low conductivity or poor transparency. Currently, most of the transparent conductors in electronics use a chemical element called indium. The price of indium has gone up tremendously in the past few years significantly adding to the cost of current display technology. Researchers developed a transparent conducting thin film using a novel synthesis method, in which they grew a BaSnO3 thin film (a combination of barium, tin and oxygen, called barium stannate), but replaced elemental tin source with a chemical precursor of tin. The chemical precursor of tin has unique, radical properties that enhanced the chemical reactivity and greatly improved the metal

28 | june 2017

oxide formation process. Both barium and tin are significantly cheaper than indium and are abundantly available. “We were quite surprised at how well this unconventional approach worked the very first time we used the tin chemical precursor,” Abhinav Prakash, a graduate student at University of Minnesota was quoted as saying. “It was a big risk, but it was quite a big breakthrough for us,” said Prakash, the first author of the paper published in the journal Nature Communications. n

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Asus ZenFone Go 5.5 (ZB552KL) Pleasing to the eyes

ollowing the huge success of the ZenFone Go series,

layout, the ZenFone Go 5.5 has a physical rear key that allows

Taiwanese mobile manufacturer ASUS recently expanded

users to adjust the volume and click those perfect selfies with

its portfolio with the launch of ZenFone Go 5.5 (ZB552KL) in

absolute ease. The smartphone also has an in-built Bluelight

India. The smartphone’s ergonomic arc design makes it feel

Filter to ensure the safety of the user’s eyes during prolonged

secure and extremely comfortable to hold as it sits perfectly in

usage.

the user’s hand. Featuring a 5.5 inch HD IPS display, the ZenFone Go 5.5

Priced at Rs 8,499, the phone is available exclusively on

First Look

justin

Amazon India. n

is equipped with a powerful Qualcomm 8916 quad-core processor, Adreno 306 GPU and 2GB RAM. It has a longlasting 3000mAh polymer battery that allows extended use of the smartphone. For the perfect audio experience, the ZenFone Go 5.5 has a built-in mono speaker and a dual internal mic with Noise Cancellation for the best phone call quality. In terms of optics, the ZenFone Go 5.5 features exquisite 13MP/5MP PixelMaster rear and front cameras with an f/2.0 aperture. The rear camera has a dual LED real-tone flash to ensure high quality, sharp and clear photographs. ASUS’ PixelMaster 3.0 app offers multiple modes to further enhance the photography experience - Back Light (HDR) Mode, Low Light Mode, Manual Mode (for DSLR-like camera detail settings), Real Time Beautification Mode, Super Resolution Mode (for up to 4X resolution photos), Night Mode, Photo Effect Mode, Selfie Panorama, Selfie Mode. With a highly intuitive control

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 29

First Look

justin Ziox Astra Colors 4G Houses battery that keeps you going

Ziox Mobiles has come up with Astra Colors 4G smartphone in India. The smartphone comes loaded with a 5-inch HD

IPS display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels along with 2.5D curved glass protection. Under the hood, you get a 1.3GHz quad-core processor along with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. In the camera department, the Astra Colors 4G features

a 5MP rear camera with dual LED flash and a 5MP front shooter for selfies and video calling. The major highlight of the device is the 4000mAh battery and it runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. The Astra Colors 4G comes with 4G VoLTE/ViLTE support and has various other features like 21 language support with multilingual phonebook, MP3 player, FM Radio, Bluetooth connectivity and an SOS feature specially designed for women safety. Priced at Rs 6,499, the smartphone comes in the shades of Champagne and Black and is available on select e-commerce sites and retail stores in India. n

30 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Panasonic P85 High on power

dding yet another powerful smartphone to its portfolio,

options for different scenarios. Equipped with 4000 mAh battery

Panasonic India recently introduced the P85. Featuring a

and optimized power management software, it ensures longer

sleek design, the dual SIM smartphone sports 12.7cm (5) HD IPS Screen which provides clarity that allures eyes.

usage without a charge. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and provides

Powering the handset is a 1.0 GHz quad-core processor and a

connectivity options like 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

2GB RAM to speed-up large size applications. It comes with 16GB

The phone supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi Hot Spot, Wi-Fi Direct,

of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 64GB via

Bluetooth and Global Positioning System (A-GPS). Moreover, it

microSD card.

supports FM allowing you to listen to music wherever you go.

The all new P85 is integrated with 8MP AF rear camera with flash and 2MP front camera which offers numerous photography

www.mymobileindia.com

Aesthetically crafted, the 4GVoLTE enabled phone is available in Grey and Gold colour variants, at Rs 6,499 on Flipkart. n

june 2017 | 31

First Look

justin Sansui Horizon 2 An entry-level phone with great features

apanese tech giant Sansui recently unveiled Horizon 2, the next

Sansui Horizon 2 empowers you to stay ahead in the game with its

generation 4G VoLTE enabled smartphone, which comes loaded

additional 5 point touch feature for the ultimate gaming

with the Android 7.0, IR Blaster for controlling appliances and electronics, USB OTG support for pen-drives and other USBpowered accessories. Talking about the technical specifications, the Horizon 2 is

experience. Keeping the user security in mind, Sansui Horizon 2 comes with a panic button functionality. The handset also comes with one Full version of pre-embedded Gameloft game.

The newly-launched device, which is successor to Sansui

Bit) processor. It comes with MiraVision Display, which offers a

Horizon 1, is available at an introductory price of Rs 4,999 on

range of visual enhancements for images and videos, while

Flipkart. The phone has two colour options: Black Grey and Rose

preserving power. The phone sports a 5-inch high definition screen

Gold. n

for ultimate clarity. It is backed by a 2450mAh battery. In the camera department, the smartphone offers a 5MP front camera with selfie flash and 8MP rear camera with Dual Tone LED flash that will give users a much richer experience of photography.

32 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Karbonn Aura 4G Designed to make a fashion statement wherever you go

ome-grown mobile manufacturer Karbonn has come up

On the camera front, the smartphone comes with an 8MP

with a stylish new offering - Karbonn Aura 4G. The

camera on the rear panel which comes with LED flash option.

smartphone looks more appealing than many other phones in entry level segment.

On the front, the smartphone comes with a 5MP camera. Karbonn Aura 4G also comes with several connectivity

Speaking of the technical specifications, the Karbonn

options like -- 4G VoLTE connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,

Aura 4G features a 5-inch HD display and offers a resolution

Bluetooth, micro-USB, 3.5mm headphone jack, and GPS.

of 720x1280 pixels. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0

Furthermore, the smartphone offers a decent battery backup

Marshmallow and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core

with the 2150mAh battery.

processor.

Priced competitively at Rs 5,290, the smartphone is

This Karbonn phone packs 1GB of RAM which is further

available in two attractive colours- Blue Champagne

paired with an 8GB of internal storage. The storage space

and Coffee-Champagne and comes with a free protective

can be further expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card.

cover. n

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 33

First Look

justin

Panasonic Eluga Ray An Arbo-enabled handset

olstering its Eluga series, Panasonic has come out with the Eluga Ray smartphone

that features Arbo, an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that uses tracks and learns your daily life activity patterns. In terms of technical specifications, the Eluga Ray comes with a 5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels. Crafted in a metal body, the Panasonic Eluga Ray is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor and comes with 3GB of RAM. The phone packs 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card. The newly launched phone runs Android 6.0 and is powered by a 4000mAh non-removable battery that ensures better movie streaming and browsing experience without any interruptions. It measures 144.40 x 71.60 x 9.70 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 169.00 grams. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Panasonic Eluga Ray packs a 13MP primary camera on the rear and a 5MP front shooter for selfies. The Panasonic Eluga Ray is a dual SIM (GSM) phone. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB OTG, headphones, 3G and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the phone include Proximity sensor and Accelerometer. The phone costs Rs 7,999 and is exclusively available on Flipkart. It comes in three colour options - Space Grey, Gold and Rose Gold. n

34 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Zen Admire Metal Entry-level phone with front flash

ndian smartphone manufacturer Zen Mobile recently

selfie camera with flash, which allows users to capture images

launched the Admire Metal smartphone to strengthen its

effortlessly. The premium metal and sleek design finish,

ZENERATION 4G portfolio.

further adds to style statement.

Speaking of the technicalities, the dual SIM Admire Metal

The device also comes equipped with a varied range of

sports a 5-inch HD IPS display which makes watching videos

Value Added Services (VAS) and features such as the Twin

and images an absolute joy. The device is powered by a 1.3

WhatsApp, which allows users set up two WhatsApp accounts

GHz quad core processor and a 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM

in the smartphone. Further, the Admire Metal comes pre-

(expandable up to 32GG), and ensures smooth performance,

installed with 22 different Indian languages, Motion &

multi-tasking and boasts of seamless Android Marshmallow

Gesture, packed with Swalekh Keyboard and connectivity

6.0 OS. It houses a 2500 mAh battery.

options like- 4G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

For selfie lovers and amateur photographers, the Admire Metal offers a 5MP rear camera with auto focus and 5MP

www.mymobileindia.com

The Admire Metal 4G smartphone costs Rs 5,749 and is available in two colours - Champagne and Metallic Grey. n

june 2017 | 35

First Look

justin itel Wish A21 An SOS-enabled smartphone

n yet another stellar addition to its 4G smartphone portfolio,

dual Facebook), has auto-call recorder, preinstalled Xender

itel Mobile recently launched Wish A21, the latest entrant

for file sharing, and an 8GB storage space which is expandable

in its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; series. In the existing portfolio, the brand offers

up to 32GB. It also boasts Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and GPS

two other 4G VoLTE enabled smartphones in Selfie Pro series

connectivity. The complete product package offered by the

viz. it1518 and it1520 and Wish A41 in the Wish series.

brand comprises battery, charger, a hands-free set, 3-layer

The 4G VoLTE and ViLTE-enabled (Video over LTEenabled) smartphone, Wish A21 operates on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 1GB RAM and 1.3 GHz quad core

screen film, data cable and protective back cover. Priced at Rs 5,390, the smartphone is available in Grey, Champagne and Coffee colour variants. n

processor. Its 4.5-inch FWVGA display is backed by 2000mAh battery with 24 hours of 2G talk time, 12-hours 3G talk time, 8 hours of 4G talk time, and 182 hours of standby

time.

The

smartphone also comes with a 5MP Autofocus main camera with flash, face detection, as well as beauty mode while the front camera houses a 2MP sensor. The Wish A21 is an SOSenabled smartphone which also supports dual social media accounts (dual WhatsApp, dual Instagram and

36 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Micromax Canvas 2 (2017) Back with a bang

ome-bred handset maker Micromax has launched the

internal storage. It has a fingerprint scanner and a 3050mAh

2017th edition of Canvas 2, the smartphone that changed

battery. This is the first Android Nougat phone from Micromax.

the dynamics of Indian smartphone market, post its launch in 2012. The comeback device features the new Corning Gorilla Glass 5 2.5D cover glass which is very rare in this price range.

The phone is 4G VoLTE. Priced at Rs 11,999, the Micromax Canvas 2 (2017) will have a one-year one-screen guarantee. Corning Gorilla Glass 5 can

The Canvas 2 (2017) has an 8.5mm thickness and weighs

apparently withstand falls from up to 1.6 meters — the average

160 grams. It comes with a 5-inch HD display with 400nits

‘selfie taking height’ — and is scratch resistant. The phone comes

brightness. The rear camera is 13MP with f2.0 aperture and a

with unlimited prepaid talk time and data from Airtel for new and

software driven bokeh effect. It has a 5MP wide selfie camera

existing users. This is 400 minutes of talk time a day with a weekly

with a 4P lens.

cap of 1500 minutes and 1GB data a day.

Running Android Nougat, the Canvas 2 is powered by a quadcore 1.3GHz Mediatek 6737 processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB

www.mymobileindia.com

The phone is available in Chrome and Champagne colours across all leading retail outlets in India. n

june 2017 | 37

First Look

justin Zen Admire Joy A great option for those on the go

omestic handset maker Zen Mobile has come out with a new smartphone, Admire Joy. The slim and light 4G

VoLTE device has a long battery life, exciting camera features, and its light weight design caters to users who are on the go and need to stay connected all day long. In terms of technical specifications, the Zen Admire Joy sports a 5-inch FWVGA display with a resolution of 480 pixels by 854 pixels. The device is powered by a 1.3GHZ ARM A7 quad-core processor coupled with 768MB of RAM. It packs 8GB of internal storage that can be further expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card. Talking about its software fronts, the dual SIM (GSM and GSM) Zen Admire Joy smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. Camera-wise, the Zen Admire Joy features a 5MP primary camera on the rear with LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera for selfies. Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a MicroUSB port for charging and data transfer. The device is fuelled by a non-removable 2000mAh battery that is claimed to deliver up to 7.5 hours of talk time and up to 30 hours of standby time. Zen Mobile is offering free one-time screen breakage replacement guaranty within 180 days of purchase and a free protective case and screen guard with the Zen Admire Joy. Priced at Rs 3,777, the

phone

exclusively available on Shopclues, in Champagne Gold and Blue colour options. n

38 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

OKWU Omicron The rise of a new player

obility start-up OKWU recently launched its second

MT6737T processor coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB of

smartphone, Omicron, in India.

ROM which is expandable up to 64 GB via microSD card.

In terms of technical specifications, the Omicron sports a

On the camera front, the OKWU smartphone boasts a 13MP

5.5-inch resolution Full HD IPS display with 1920x1080 pixel

rear camera with PDAF technology and 5MP front camera with

resolution. The smartphone features a CNC-made metal frame

selfie flash. The dual SIM smartphone is backed by 3000mAh

rendering it a sleek look along with a fingerprint sensor which

battery and connectivity options include WiFi, GPS, 4G VoLTE

as per the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim can unlock the phone in just 0.1

and Bluetooth.

seconds. The Omicron is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek

www.mymobileindia.com

The smartphone is priced at Rs 10,499 and will be sold through leading retail stores across the country. n

june 2017 | 39

First Look

justin Samsung Z4 Aimed at new smartphone users

xpanding the Tizen ecosystem, Samsung has come up with the Z4,

a smartphone that packs powerful performance with a simple user experience. Geared towards feature-phone users who are looking to make a switch to smartphones, the Samsung Z4 is powered by Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-house Tizen (Tizen 3.0) operating system which is a custom fork of Android. It is a follow up to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s previously launched Z2. The Samsung Z4, although allplastic, has curved 2.5D glass on the front that enhances looks and aesthetics. It comes with a 4.5-inch WVGA (480x800) display and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM. It comes with a 5MP camera on the rear with dual flash LED and a 5MP camera on the front with flash. The dual-SIM Samsung Z4 supports 4G LTE, VoLTE, and VoWiFi. It is backed by a 2050mAh battery. The smartphone comes preloaded with host of services to make information easily accessible to new smartphone users. It gives users the option to access latest news in their preferred local language with just a swipe on their home screen. The calendar on Z4 can be automatically synced with future events, like upcoming cricket games, to give users reminder notifications and seamless access to event updates from the calendar itself. The device is priced at Rs 5,790. Besides the gold back cover on the device, all users will get an additional back cover inbox. n

40 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

iVOOMi Me 1, Me 1+ Rockstars in affordable segment

hinese electronics major iVOOMi has launched the

charge 2.0 technology. It is available in Rose Gold colour

Me 1 and Me 1+ smartphones in its ME series in

variant.

India. Both Me 1 and Me 1+ are 4G VoLTE-enabled and upgradable to Android 7.0 Nougat.

The affordable smartphones are Shopclues exclusive and cost Rs 3,999 and Rs 4,999 respectively. n

iVoomi Me 1 has a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 1280Ă&#x2014;720 pixels with 2.5D curved glass design. It is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card). The Me 1 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It has a 5MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera. The smartphone is backed by a 3000mAh battery and supports Fast Charge technology. It is available in Black colour option. On the other hand, iVoomi Me 1+ features a 5-inch HD IPS display with a resolution of 1280*720 pixels with 2.5D curved glass design. It is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card). The Me+ runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It features an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 5MP front camera. It packs a 3000 mAh battery and supports Flash/Fast

www.mymobileindia.com

april 2017 | 37

First Look

justin

Oppo F3 Cashing in on ‘group selfie’ trend

trengthening the ‘group selfie’ trend, Chinese smartphone brand Oppo

has come up with the Oppo F3 in India. The F3 is the second in line of dual front camera after the recently launched F3 Plus. In terms of design, the Oppo F3 looks identical to the Oppo F3 Plus. The F3 has a dual selfie camera with a 16MP 1.3inch sensor with f/2.0 aperture and double view wide-angle camera with an 8MP sensor. The F3 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6750T processor, 4GB of RAM and 64 GB ROM. There is also a triple-slot card tray that allows two nanoSIM cards and a microSD card to work simultaneously. It runs ColorOS 3.0 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The smartphone bears a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) In-Cell TFT 2.5D curved display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection and 401ppi pixel density. It packs a 3200mAh nonremovable battery. Connectivity options on board the Oppo F3 include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.0, GPS/ A-GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, and Micro-USB. The F3 comes in Gold and Rose Gold colours and is priced at Rs 19,990. n

42 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Meizu M5 Redefines beauty

xpanding its product range in India, Chinese company

system makes sure that the battery lasts even longer.

Meizu recently launched the Meizu M5 smartphone. The

For photography enthusiasts, the smartphone is equipped

new and stylish M5 smartphone comes as 32 GB variant

with 13MP rear camera which supports PDAF focusing with

only.

a large f/2.2 aperture which makes the photography a great

In terms of specs, the Meizu M5 has a 5.2-inch screen

and easier experience. Additionally, 5MP front camera is

with the 720P 2.5D glass, which looks natural and beautiful

equipped with a large f/2.0 aperture, for optimum

with its pixel density of 282 PPI. The fully-laminated HD

performance even under low light conditions. The premium

display of the M5 is based on IPS technology for a crisp

dual-tone flash delivers an accurate white balance.

image quality. Powered by an octa-core processor with the

Furthermore, the M5 comes with an advanced FotoNation

Mali-T860 GPU, the M5 provides powerful and efficient

2.0 intelligent beautification feature which is embedded in

performance. It is equipped with fingerprint identification

combination with the already existing Face AE: facial

and fingerprint payment options as mTouch 2.1 and mBack

exposure strengthening technology.

home button which ensure to offer a safe and swift user

The smartphone will be exclusively available on Tatacliq.

experience. The new M5 comes with a powerful battery of

com for Rs 10,499 in Blue and Champagne colour

3070mAh providing a long standby time. Additionally, the

options.n

First Look

justin

improved battery optimization features in Flyme operating

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 43

First Look

justin

nubia M2 Lite A perfect embodiment of performance and style

TEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brand Nubia recently launched the M2 Lite smartphone in India.

The M2 Lite is a part of Nubiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new M-series that sees the recently launched M2 with dual camera system taking centre stage. The M2 Lite can be considered as a toned down version of the M2. In terms of specs, the Nubia M2 Lite features a full-metal body and a frontmounted fingerprint scanner. It comes with a 5.5-inch 720p display and is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6750 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM and 32GB of internal memory. The dual-SIM Nubia M2 Lite also supports expandable storage via a micro-SD card slot. It runs Android Marshmallow-based Nubia UI 4.0 and supports 4G LTE

connectivity. It is backed by a 3,000mAh battery. On the camera front, the Nubia M2 Lite sports a 13MP shooter on the rear and a 16MP shooter on the front. Interestingly, the M2 Lite that Nubia has launched in India differs from the version that the company recently launched in China. It is also a little more affordable than the version that Nubia is selling in China. Priced at Rs 13,999, the Nubia M2 Lite is available in Black Gold colour on Amazon. n

44 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Feature-rich budget phone

First Look

justin

hinese technology major Xiaomi has come up with the Redmi 4 smartphone, which is the

successor to the much-acclaimed Redmi 3S which was the #1 best-selling device in the online segment last year. The Redmi 4 is a 5-inch device with a metal body and a fingerprint sensor. It sports a beautiful symmetric design, with a 2.5D curved glass that makes the phone super elegant and extremely comfortable to hold. Powered by Qualcommâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor and an Adreno 505 GPU, the Redmi 4 offers high performance gaming and multitasking. The smartphone runs on Android 6.0.1 with MIUI 8 and will be upgraded to Android N very soon. The newly-launched handset is powered by a massive 4100mAh battery. With a 13MP rear camera, Redmi 4 captures amazing pictures. It comes with PDAF (phase detection autofocus) for faster focusing, and supports 1080P full HD video recording. A 5MP, f/2.0 aperture front facing camera makes Redmi 4 ideal for selfies. Starting from Rs 6,999, the Redmi 4 comes in three variants 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 3GB + 32GB, and 4GB + 64GB, and is expandable up to 128GB with a microSD card. It supports 4G LTE and VoLTE out of the box, covering all India LTE bands. It comes in Gold and Matte Black Metal colour options. The 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM variant is priced at Rs 6,999 and 3GB + 32GB variant will be available for Rs 8,999. The 4GB + 64GB variant will be launched at Rs 10,999 by June end. n

www.mymobileindia.com

june2017 | 29

First Look

justin

Nubia N1 Lite Style and Innovation rear camera which makes pictures brighter and clearer in low light. It is a performance powerhouse with its 5.5 inch screen supported by 3000 mAh battery and quadcore 64 bit processor and dual sim slots. The second innovation in N1 Lite is the fingerprint scanner which can unlock the device in .3 seconds, even when the screen is turned off. The same scanner can unlock apps and files and the third category first feature that defines N1 lite is the f2.0 large aperture rear camera which allows 20 percent more light than the f2.2 aperture units normally seen in the market.

and dependable. Its .5 inch screen with 2.5D glass in front and

keeping in mind the aspirations of Indian consumers and

the edge arc on its back, give it a sense of roundness offering

focuses on reliability and performance. The N1 Lite comes with

comfortable grip. The UV coating at the back gives a pebble-like

three category first features; first is the front soft-light flash which

fine-sanded feeling, which makes it less slippery, while the panel

along with the selfie beauty algorithm, can enhance your beauty

at the back with back camera and fingerprint offer a good look

in both, day or night photos.

and finish to the device.

N1 lite is equipped with a front soft-light flash, which is a category first at the price point, comes with dual LED flash over

46 | june 2017

N1 Lite carries signature Nubia style which makes it tough

ubia has the launched N1 Lite smartphone in India, designed

The Nubia N1 Lite is available in India at Rs 6,999, on Amazon. n

MYMOBILE

Karbonn Aura Power 4G Plus Abundant Power

ndian mobile maker Karbonn Mobiles has launched its new

talk time of upto 16 hours the Aura Power 4G Plus is a power

product Aura Power 4G Plus,a powerful smartphone which

packed performer that stays with you day and night. The 4G

promises to deliver the best in class specifications at a

VoLTE enabled and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. The Aura

competitive price.

Power 4G Plus includes a 5 inch screen with an HD IPS

Aura Power 4G Plus is powered with Li-ion 4000 mAh battery that promises a stand by time of upto 400 hours and

display.

First Look

justin

The new smartphone is powered with a 5MP front camera with an inbuilt face beauty option for perfect selfies and a 5MP rear camera with LED flash combining options like Panorama shot, continuous shot and face detection for consumers to capture beautiful moments, while they master the art of clicking perfect pictures. The device is powered by 1.25 GHz quad-core processor with a 1 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM, 32 GB expandable memory and a dual sim option for seamless multitasking. Other features of Aura Power 4G Plus also include Bluetooth, GPS, FM Radio and G/P/L Sensors, OTG support which will help you connect any USB device with your smartphone as well as an inbuilt photo and video editor to help you customize your pictures and edit videos according to your preference, all in all, enhancing and increasing its overall functionality. Aura Power 4G Plus comes in two colours- Grey and Champagne with a free protective cover at a price of Rs 5790. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june2017 | 29

In Conversation

chief speak

e w , r a t s t h g i “At Br e h t g n i k a m believe in ” e l p m i s d complicate

48 | june 2017

Deval Parikh, CEO of Brightstar Telecommunications India Limited, is a business leader in the technology space for over a decade in a number of executive roles in the US as well as in India. He has built a consistent track-record in growing businesses from conceptstage to USD 200+ million scale in highly competitive environments. His experience spans domains of management consulting, venture capital, telecom, and semiconductor industries. Mr Parikh joined Brightstar India (Beetel Teletech Limited at the time) in July 2016 to accomplish the transition and to strengthen Brightstar’s businesses in India in sync with its global leadership status in wireless communication space through various verticals. Before joining Brightstar, Mr Parikh was Senior Vice President at Reliance Jio, where he led few nationwide initiatives including the head of the youth segment as well as the design and development of the products and services. He has also seen the deployment of state of the art LTE and Wi-Fi networks across India and served as an executive CEO of Gujarat. Mr Parikh holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and Masters in Engineering Management from Northwestern University. Excerpts from an interaction with My Mobile... MYMOBILE

“To lead the Indian market, Brightstar would continue to focus on the core distribution business, and excel operations in five segments including Business technology, Network solutions, Channel management, Supply chain and Reverse logistics space” we are continuously reinventing ourselves. This is done by (a)

In Conversation

chief speak

Adopting global best practices and intellectual properties across the globe (b) Bringing in system efficiencies (c) Using 30 years of Indian market knowledge, to provide customized solutions (d) Shifting from “selling products” to “providing solutions” for its end customers across retail, online, enterprise and networking (e) Making the “complicated simple!” You have an ambitious growth plan of 60% for the next year. How do you plan to achieve that? We have planned our growth over two pillars: (a) Growing the existing business and (b) Adding new services / new markets across businesses to meet the customer How has been the transitional journey from Beetel to Brightstar now

current and future needs.

that nearly three years have elapsed since the acquisition happened?

To lead the Indian market, Brightstar would continue to focus

When the acquisition happened in 2014, Brightstar did not

on the core distribution business, and excel operations in five

go ahead with the name change at the first go, as there were

segments including Business technology, Network solutions,

existing relationships across business lines and Beetel had a

Channel management, Supply chain and Reverse logistics space.

brand leverage in the market. Brightstar invested two years in

We will focus on all verticals and plans are in place to ensure growth

managing relationship and building confidence in partners.

across all. In the mobility division we are confident of growing at

In this journey, Brightstar retained some good businesses in

80% in 2017 drawing from our global leadership in managing this

landline/ IT & networking, from the erstwhile company and at

vertical. In the distribution space, we already have strong tie ups

the same time, established a strong mobile vertical in India. A

with Apple, Lenovo and Motorola and have last mile discussions

strong management team has also been put in place to manage

with 3 other major telecom brands.

operations successfully. Brightstar India has already recorded a phenomenal 300

With 4G rollout, what kind of opportunities do you see for your business?

percent growth from where it started in 2014. The business is

With the liberalization of 4G tariffs, massive consolidation is taking

projected to grow at more than 60 % for 2017. Now is therefore

place in the telecom sector. This will lead to increased penetration

the right time for announcement of the change.

of 4G devices in rural as well as urban areas, and thus the data adoption will grow at an exponential rate. We expect this to trigger a

Apart from the brand change, what are other deeper changes that

huge investment from various telcos in providing a better last mile

have been ushered in the organization? The change is definitely

as well as access network to maintain the customer experience,

“more” than just a name change. It has got us into a cycle where

with a focus on Wireless options to reach every corner of the

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 49

In Conversation

chief speak country. We also expect the cost of delivering BW to reduce with

Switching and Routing. We are also working towards creating a

major investments in unlicensed band for both Wireless backhaul

bouquet of managed solutions like WiFi, security, storage etc for

and Wi-Fi access network.

our SMB enterprise customers and help expedite

Brightstar is placed at a very bright spot in

their transition from a Capex Model to an Opex

Model. Brightstar’s cloud solutions in SaaS “We are also working of Access networks components, and PaaS will provide strong offerings towards creating a bouquet Last mile wired as well as wireless in and around “Video as a Service”, solutions and switching & routing, “Contact Center as a Service” and of managed solutions like WiFi, in form of L2 & L3 aggregation “Wi -Fi as a Service. devices. A big leap is also planned by security, storage etc for our our leasing initiative, where will SMB enterprise customers and In macro terms, what are going to be be help new startups/ SME phase the major growth drivers for Brightstar out their capital expenditure on IT help expedite their transition in India? Different verticals will have infrastructure over longer durations. from a Capex Model to an different drivers. For example, in addition to Tier1/Metro cities, we believe One believes you are adding new business Opex Model” the next burst of growth to come from Tier verticals. Please share some information. Yes, the market with product range comprising

2/Tier 3 cities and towns. We expect to expand

Financial services, Device protection and Buy back and Trade in (BBTI) are going to be our new business lines. At Brightstar, we believe in making the complicated simple. Keeping up to this promise, we have added, a bouquet of services which bring immense value from customer & enterprise benefit perspective. These are, Financial services, Device protection, & Buy back and Trade in. With these, we want to focus on the customer experience and end solutions. Certain challenges that the mobile consumers face are, affordability to change to a new smart phone, manage the wear & tear of existing high end phone, selling of the old phone for good price to upgrade again. Our services are aimed to provide solutions to all of them. How do you see the prospects for your landline range and your accessories segment? Brightstar retains the Beetel landline phone

our partnerships with our ground partners in these areas. Gadget Insurance or Device Protection, globally, is estimated to grow to a USD 48bn market by 2020 and we expect this to be a big business in India too in the coming years. Currently in India, it is at 2% penetration but projected to grow to 30% penetration, to a USD 1.4 bn market by 2020. It is an intrinsic customer need, as indicated by growing attach rates to smartphone sales 10% in 2014 to 25% in 2015, 30% in 2016. In telecom and networking space, we see significant impact of 4G which will drive significant investments while data adoption will grow at an exponential rate. Telco will invest heavily and will look for partners to provide better last mile as well as access network. We also see cloud services becoming more accessible to the midmarket segment. Our new offerings will have product range comprising of Access networks components, Last mile wired as well as Wireless solutions,

50 | june 2017

product range, which continues to dominate the segment with above 75% market share. The company plans to take this range to various emerging markets soon. The Indian mobile accessories market is set to explode owing to the exponential smartphone sales growth. With accessories market expected to grow at 20% in India, Brightstar accessories are already in the pipeline to hit the market soon. Our first range will be seen in markets around June. Which customer segments are your focus areas? It is actually a wide spectrum for us. Our customer segment ranges from end users in the case of mobility to enterprises / SMB in Networking, telecom and IT space. To list: (a) Mobility: 15 – 50 Years. It is a big segment ranging from the youth to the adults; (b) Telecom & IT: With existing focus on Telco, we will extend to Non telco, SME – tier 2, tier 3 markets; (c) Enterprise: With existing focus on tier 1 partners, we will enter in the Mid- Market segment in the tier 2 & tier 3 cities. n team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

Limelight

lead story

Welcome to Selfiestan

52 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Limelight

lead story Selfi centric handsets are driving the smartphone market and players are betting big around this feature

By Shelley Vishwajeet

Su Swagtam, Welcome To Selfiestan, Yeh Selfiestan Hai Meri Jaan!

robably no other single feature in the history of any electronic device has inspired a full length promotional song and video specially centered around it. Selfie feature happens to be the only one! And not for nothing! Selfie centric or phones with front facing 8 MP plus cameras are the new driver for smartphone growth the world over. Gone are the days when unleashing of self portraits in normal or absurd avatars would be considered an exercise in narcissism. Selfie is the new language of self expression â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the global phenomena of this decade. Welcome to selfistan where selfie is the unabashed king or is it the queen. When Gionee had launched Mullen Lintasin created Alia Bhat featuring selfiestan promotional campaign in March this year, it was part of a well thought of strategy to catapult the brand into the top five league. Last year itself, Gionee Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s CEO & MD Arvind Vohra had made it clear during many media interactions that it planned to garner bigger market share despite stiffening competition. Vohraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stated goal was to reach Rs 10,000 crore milestone by the end of 2017. To achieve this it naturally needed to catch eye balls and stand apart in the packed hall of mobile brands from as many as six countries. Selfiestan promotional was the perfect launch

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 53

pad to achieve the twin objectives. The gigantic 110 million plus units annually

India Handset and Smartphone Shipments Market Share in Q1 2017

Indian smartphone market is estimated to be worth Rs 1.4 lakh crore with Samsung

15.0% 24.4 %

ruling at the top. But mobile is one segment where competition catches up really fast and it’s a fierce battle out there. Not long back i.e during the 2014 IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, which happens to be one of the oldest and most sought after

4.6%

16. 9%

Limelight

lead story

Selfie-Focused Smartphone Brands Market Share Q1 2017

Samsung

Oppo

Vivo

Lenovo

Gionee

Others

platforms to showcase innovations, the buzz was created by two new smartphones

23.6%

which were sporting 8-megapixel front

16.4%

n Front facing camera above 8 megapixels n Lenovo includes Motorala

camera - HTC Desire 820 and Lenovo Vibe Z2. Both also had 13-megapixel rear

54 | june 2017

cameras but of course nobody really cared

and Facebook.

i.e smartphones with 8 mega pixels or

for that. Today 8MP is just the entry point

Smartphone brands may be advertising

more front camera grew at phenomenal

for any smartphone which desires to be

other strong features of their offerings too

nine times.

called itself a selfie camera. There is in

but it is being clubbed as the companion

“Integration of high-quality (8 megapixel

fact now a race among major players to

of the must have feature – the great

and above) selfie-focused camera in

launch smartphones with 20 MP plus.

front camera. As Shobit Srivastava of

smartphones is one of the fastest growing

If Gionee sometime back launched its

Counterpoint Research points out, “Brands

trend though merely a supply side push

specialist selfie phone A1 with 16 MP,

are playing on their strong points to market

to drive the selfie trend. Sales of devices

Vivo launched Vivo V5Plus and Oppo F3

themselves as leader in key categories –

focus on selfies trend grew annually by a

with 20 MPs!

such as Gionee with ‘Battery and Selfie’,

factor of nine in Q1 2017. The segment

The realization that selfie centric handsets

Oppo with ‘Selfie expert’, Vivo with ‘camera

was mainly driven by Samsung, Oppo, Vivo,

are the future has been a long held

and music’.”

Lenovo and Gionee,” says a recent research

belief in the industry. So apart from high

The growth driver: According to the latest

paper from Counterpoint. No surprise that

visibility campaigns, mobile manufacturers

research from Counterpoint’s Market

eight out of ten smartphones shipped

have been pacing ahead with improvised

Monitor service, smartphone shipments

supported a 5-inch or bigger display. Users

front camera to satisfy the ever growing

in India grew a healthy 15% annually

are enjoying content on bigger screens,

self expression which has only been fuelled

in Q1 2017, reaching 29 million units

while cut-throat competition between

by social media platforms like Instagrams

while selfie centric smartphones category

telecom operators is resulting in low cost

MYMOBILE

Best Selfie Camera Phones

4G tariff plans, enabling consumers to spend more times with their smartphone associated activities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; posting selfie of course is among the favourites. So who started the fire? Pouts, Kim Kardashian, Pope Francis, Prince William, Bradley Cooper, Aki Hoshide or that famous celebes crested

Vivo V5

macaque or was it our own PM Modi? Well, selfie predates the arrival of smartphones with front facing camera by many decades. Does anyone remember cameras with timers when people will set it up and run in front of the camera to get clicked! Well, some of them were truly mindboggling. It was the nostalgic era of black and white twin lens cameras of Yashicas and Rolleiflex. But arrival of smartphones with front facing cameras coinciding with

Oppo F3

zooming popularity of social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram has changed the dynamics of self expression forever. If mirror was the ultimate item for self expression in the safe cocoon of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own privacy, then seflfie has emerged as the ultimate expression

Huawei P9

Gionee A1

of self portrayal for public consumption. The world is going outward. Till the illusive search for another intrinsic feature is discovered and integrated in smartphone which would drive human expression the way selfie has done, selfie centric phones will continue to rule the roost. n

Samsung S8

Sony Xperia X Dual

www.mymobileindia.com

Google Pixel XL

HTC U Ultra

shelley@mymobile.co.in

Limelight

lead story

In Conversation

face to face

“We will be very aggressive for market share and mindshare” Founded in 2010 NUU Mobile is an American smartphone brand owned by Noetic Inc in partnership with Hong Kong-based Sun Cupid Group. NUU has made its presence felt in tough markets such as UK, Holland, Japan, South America, Indonesia and Malaysia. Its products have been lauded for high build quality and premium design. NUU is now going to make its debut in the world’s fastest growing but highly competitive smartphone market. And the man to lead from the front will be Riyas Usman who has been brought here after leading the brand successfully in South East Asia region. Mr Usman carries over 8 years of experience in the international telecom industry having served in Middle East & South East Asia. He will head India operations as NUU India’s Director and CEO. Mr Usman has been associated with Sun Cupid in different verticals too on the business development front. He is supposed to be a holistic thinker and likes to take his team along. He interacted with Shelley Vishwajeet to elaborate on NUU Mobile’s India plans.

56 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Indian smartphone market is on high growth

When do you plan to rollout your products

trajectory but has become very crowded

and what will be the USPs of your products?

and competitive with dozens of homegrown

Premium metal body, sleek innovative

companies and foreign majors already

designs, cool features, vivid colors and

having a firm footing here. In this scenario,

quality after sales service. Our products

what gives you the confidence that you can

will be available in stores from July 2017

still carve out a niche for yourself? India

onwards.

is a dynamic market and it’s one of the world’s 2nd largest smart phone market. If one can successfully overcome and touch the Indian consumer mind; then there is lot of opportunity for a brand. We are an

“At the moment, we would only focus on offline market. We want the customers to get the look and feel of our product which online can’t offer”

American brand involved in manufacturing of designer lean and eye catching quality

Please tell us about your plan to have a

Android Smartphone’s. It’s a great

manufacturing unit and R&D facility in India.

culmination of the hardware and design

We are a US based company; so already we

work the company has been perfecting over the past few years with customer oriented products and that’s how we distinguish our self.

have our existing team who is working on How will you like your brand to be known for?

the designs and R&D. Like I said earlier we

Premium designer and customer oriented

already have a manufacturing unit placed

Smartphone Brand.

in Schengen. We can look at opening the

In Conversation

face to face

R&D in the near future and this would also Will you focus on smartphones or feature

help in generating more employment in

phones? Our phones are complete

India.

smartphones. As India moved digitally

“We as a company endorse international design and produce smartphones for global audience. In India, our core focus would be on offering premium smartphones”

and India we would be focusing on quality

Online marketplaces have emerged as an

and good looking smartphone’s only! We

ideal platform for new players to launch their

as a company endorse international design

products in India. Will you stick with this

and produce smartphones for global

route only or have any plan to have an offline

audience. As India has moved digitally

presence too? At the moment, we would

and smartphone being a necessity our

only focus on offline market. We want the

core focus would be on designing premium

customers to get the look and feel of our

Smartphones.

product which online can’t offer.

Who will be your focus consumer segment-

Mobile accessories are emerging as

youth or will you have offerings for all

a big thing in India with almost every

consumer age group / segment? Ideally our

company exploring possibilities in it. Do

phones are accessible to any age group;

you have any plans for this segment too?

but what we genuinely feel – our target

Inclinations towards comfort and ease in

audience will range between Youths

drawing demand for wireless smartphone

White Collar individuals and yes who

accessories, particularly headphones and

loves designer smart phones with special

chargers. Wireless technology is clearly

features and benefits.

taking over the Indian market and we will soon become more advanced. We will also

What are your promotional and marketing

plan to develop innovative technology in

plans? We want to go very aggressive in the

order to design and produce products with

market and penetrate deep inside. We have

high degree of differentiation which will

quite exciting marketing plans in line. We

attract customers to prefer smartphone of

are focusing on delivering quality products;

our brand. n

combined with quality customer services.

www.mymobileindia.com

shelley@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 57

In Conversation

face to face

“We will be releasing high end technology for the masses” iVOOMi, a Chinese electronic major OEM/ODM which already caters to more than 30 markets across the globe, is one of the latest entrants into the happening but highly competitive Indian mobile handset market. iVOOMi started its Indian journey this March with the launch of budget smartphone iV505 and has just upped its presence with the launch of two new mid-segment smartphones under “ME” series. In an interaction with Shelley Vishwajeet, iVOOMi’s India CEO Ashwin Bhandari expressed deep confidence that his brand was a serious player in the large but highly competitive market and that the brand had unique strengths which will help it make a niche for itself. Excerpts… Being a very recent entrant or rather a

and develop as per the road map by Indian

late entrant into the exciting but highly

government for make in India.

competitive mobile phone space, what

we have our portfolio ready for 12 months in which we will be releasing high end

gives you the confidence of making iVOOMi

Currently, you have two budgets phones.

technology for the masses. We are working

a success in the crowded Indian market?

What is going to be your product portfolio

on the latest technologies and features on

Control on the device development, legacy

here? iVOOMi has wide range of product

camera and power for the mass consumer

of making successful products and right

portfolio spread across 5 categories over

base in India.

differentiations on the features have been

350+ SKUs selling over 30 countries. As

our key strengths. iVOOMi has a strong

per our mission to Indian market we will

Any specific customer segment - youth or

and experienced R&D team, delivering

release 3 product categories being Smart

mature consumers, urban or fun loving and so

successful products to the market for

Devices, Smart Accessories and Personal

on – where your brand is going to focus? We

10+ yrs. Moreover, the business dynamics

Care electronics within 12 months from

see Indian market as the fastest growing

in India has changed in last 6 months

now. We are focusing on delivering value

market globally, Indian demographics

completely, technology requirement and

products for each of category.

is at the best stage of the growth for the

product expectation for the consumers has grown to the next level & policy changes at the government has changed the complete business dynamics. The platform today is at same level for all the players. Product expertise has to rule over the distribution expertise for future growth. We expect the market to consolidate from here. With the current business environment we see a great opportunity for iVOOMi as we can deliver better products

58 | june 2017

As far as smart phones are concerned,

electronics market. Consumption on

“As far as smart phones are concerned, we have our portfolio ready for 12 months in which we will be releasing high end technology for the masses”

technology is seen to be growing and will keep growing further. We will be focusing on Tier 2 and Tier 3 consumer base for long term. We wish to connect to the most aspiring and demanding consumer base of the market and delivery value to our users. What are your promotional and marketing plans? We plan to do 360 brand campaign

MYMOBILE

In Conversation

face to face

manufacturing plant in India by Dec 2018. We are also in discussion with our technology partners to build the complete ecosystem for manufacturing of Panels, Battery Cells and PCBAs in India. Starting from 2018, we will focus on building our R&D team and complete manufacturing capabilities within India to deliver

“We will be setting up our manufacturing plant in India by Dec 2018. We are also in discussion with our technology partners to build the complete ecosystem for manufacturing of Panels, Battery Cells and PCBAs in India”

value products to our global clients. trade at retail levels. Online marketplaces have emerged as an ideal platform for new players to launch

Mobile accessories are emerging as a big

at offline and online space, we have started

their products in India. Will you stick with

thing in India with almost every company

partnering with the best properties online

this route only or have any plan to have an

exploring possibilities in it. Where do you

and off-line market. We will be focussing on

offline presence too? We are known for

stand in this segment? We have a wide

the tier 2 and tier 3 cities for the same. We

discovering new ways, we will be building

range of smart accessories already selling

will work on building a strong community

a unique mix of online – offline channels to

in different market, we plan to release a

of brand followers in the market.

make sure we reach our target customers.

wide range of power bank portfolio soon

We don’t believe in the traditional

in the market, and further more innovative

Please tell us about your plan to have

distribution models and hence we will

and smart accessories will be following to

a manufacturing unit and R&D facility in

be building a mix of online-offline strategy

the market. n

India. We will be setting up our

for fastest response time and efficient

www.mymobileindia.com

shelley@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 59

Study

Business insight

Larger Pie, Fiercer Competition Indian smartphone market continues to grows bigger but competition too is toughening up

s the Indian cellular market goes through consolidation amid aggressive 4G roll out, demand for smartphones

will continue to grow but so will be the

Smartphone Unit Sales as a Percent of Overall Mobile Sales in Selected Markets, 4Q16 Country

competition. This widely held belief has now been validated by Gartner too. Nonetheless, smartphone’s big growth run continues abated and along with China, India will continue to drive the smartphone shipments. With smartphone penetration maturing in many developed markets (see Table 1), continued growth in the world’s third largest smartphone market makes India an

Smartphone Penetration of Overall Mobile Phone Sales (%)

China

India

Indonesia

Brazil

This opens the opportunity for service providers to launch mobile wallet solution or even vendors to launch their exclusive mobile payment solutions like Android Pay or Apple Pay to build an ecosystem.

92 Source : Gartner (March 2017)

attractive market to device manufacturers

government for digital currency, as well

says a Gartner study. Smartphones in India

as people becoming more open to using

are expected to account for 62 percent of

digital payment methods. The rise of

all mobile phones sales in India in 2018.

digital currency is bringing a new use case

“With the slowdown in sales in

trigger higher demands for smartphones.

for smartphones, which, in turn, is set to

major markets, including the US, China and mature Western Europe, India represents the largest opportunity

“Ever rising mobile phone market after competition from Chinese China,” said Anshul manufacturers has not only Gupta, Research Director at Gartner. troubled top local brands such The recent as Micromax, Intex, Lava and demonetization is being seen as one of the Karbonn Mobile but also resulted catalyst for smartphone in a decrease in smartphone growth. Gartner points out that demonetization in market share for Samsung India through the elimination in India” of 500 and 1,000 rupee notes because it is the second-largest

caused an increased push from the

60 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Study

Business insight Top smartphone vendor share by unit sales to end users in India Smartphone Vendor

2014

2015

2016

Samsung

24.4%

21.2%

17.3%

Micromax

18.3%

16.7%

11.9%

Lenovo

1.6%

7.3%

8.1%

Intex Technologies

2.9%

10.1%

6.9%

3.4%

5.2%

Karbonn Mobiles

11.6%

Source : Gartner (March 2017)

Leading global vendors, Samsung and

more customized smartphones to come

Apple, have made exclusive plans to grow

to market and remain key to win in this

their shares in the market. Major Chinese

highly competitive market,” points out Mr

manufacturers, such as Gionee, Huawei,

Gupta.

Oppo, BBK (Vivo), Xiaomi, Lenovo etc., have committed big investments to exploit the growth opportunity. However, there are also flip sides to this growth. Ever rising competition from Chinese manufacturers has not only troubled top local brands such as Micromax, Intex, Lava and Karbonn mobile but also resulted in a decrease in smartphone market share for Samsung in India (see Table 2). “With an exclusive focus on the market from the device manufacturers, we expect

Customers are also now willing to pay a

“Our recently concluded consumer survey showed, users are willing to spend more to get a smartphone with better features than simply rushing for lowest price smartphones” – Anshul Gupta, Research Director at Gartner premium for more features and quality “As opposed to earlier falling mobile phone average selling price (ASP) trends led by the rush to low cost mobile phone, we have noted a change in consumer spending. Our recently concluded consumer survey showed, users are willing to spend more to get a smartphone with better features than simply rushing for lowest price smartphones.” “The growing ASP trend will be maintained in the coming years with the increasing middle class population and rising per capita income leading to more disposable income to be spent on electronic goods,” adds Mr Gupta. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 61

Study

Business insight

Video media service space gets bigger Pay TV and VOD segment to be USD 314 Billion worth of business globally by end of this year even as Asia Pacific market set to grow steepest

62 | june 2017

lobal spending on consumer

years of a new contract. “This will lead to

price of these packages compared with

video media services will total

an influx of new subscribers in the pay-TV

traditional pay-TV packages will also put

USD 314 billion in 2017, a

marketplace. However, it will also bolster

downward pressure on ARPUs overall.”

4.2 percent increase from

price competitiveness and put negative

4K T-VOD content to increase consumer

2016. Pay-TV services is the largest

pressures on the average revenue per user

spending in mature regions: Transactional

spending segment and is on pace to

(ARPU) of the overall pay-TV market,” said

video on demand (T-VOD) offers consumers

represent 90 percent of the total market,

Fernando Elizalde, Principal Research

the ability to access a wide variety of

totaling $282 million in 2017 (see Table).

Analyst at Gartner.

content, from either managed pay-TV

In 2017, emerging Asia/Pacific (20.8

Moreover, internet-delivered linear TV

providers or over-the-top (OTT) companies

percent) and Middle East and North Africa

services have already launched in India

such as Amazon, Google or Apple. “OTT-

(17.4 percent) are forecast to record the

and the Middle East, and Gartner expects

VOD sources are changing the landscape,”

highest growth in end-user spending on

these services will commence across all

said Derek O’Donnell, senior research

consumer video media services, according

emerging regions by 2018. “We estimate

analyst at Gartner. “OTT-VOD services are

to Gartner, Inc.

that, incentivized by lower prices, one

the fastest-growing segment in the VOD

Earlier this year, China Mobile began

million households in emerging regions

landscape and eroding pay-TV providers’

offering its pay-TV service free of charge

will enter the pay-TV market through an

share of revenue. OTT-VOD sources began

to its premium subscribers for the first two

internet TV service by 2020,” said Mr

outperforming traditional pay-TV sources

Elizalde. “The dramatic difference in the

in 2016.”

MYMOBILE

Study

Business insight End-User Spending on Consumer Video Media Services, by Service Category, Worldwide, 2016-2020 (Billions of Constant U.S. Dollars)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Pay-TV Services

275.2

282.0

288.4

302.5

309.1

S-VOD Services

14.6

18.7

22.9

26.6

30.1

T-VOD Services

11.8

13.6

15.5

17.5

19.2

301.6

314.3

326.9

346.6

358.4

Total Video Media Services

Source : Gartner (May 2017)

Mr O’Donnell added that the availability of premium-priced 4K content will increase end-user spending on T-VOD content in mature regions, from $160 million in 2017 to $400 million by 2020. In emerging regions, increased competition in the T-VOD marketplace from unmanaged providers and increased threats of piracy will put negative pressure on T-VOD prices. End-user spending on T-VOD services in emerging markets will decrease gradually

“Incentivized by lower prices, one million households in emerging regions will enter the pay-TV market through an internet TV service by 2020.The dramatic difference in the price of these packages compared with traditional pay-TV packages will also put downward pressure on ARPUs overall” – Fernando Elizalde, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner

www.mymobileindia.com

each year, starting in 2017, by about $60 million to almost $445 million by 2020. Global spending on S-VOD services to show double-digit increases over the next four years: Global consumer spending on subscription-based video on demand (S-VOD) services will total $18.7 billion in 2017, an increase of 28 percent from 2016.The average consumer adoption of S-VOD services is 10 percent in 2017, with an average ARPU of $7.41. The highest ARPUs are in Japan ($12.10), Mature Asia Pacific ($10.84) and North America

“OTT-VOD sources are changing the landscape. OTT-VOD services are the fastest-growing segment in the VOD landscape and eroding pay-TV providers’ share of revenue. OTT-VOD sources began outperforming traditional pay-TV sources in 2016” – Derek O’Donnell, Senior Research Analyst at Gartner

($9.60). “Consumers will not subscribe to more

to cooperate,” added Mr O’Donnell.

than three services,” said Mr O’Donnell.

“Therefore, true universal search is still

“This is because of price and content

some years away.”

discovery fatigue. Consumers are having to

“Currently, there is a market for

go through each application separately to

niche subscription video services and

find content, which can create fatigue.”

established streaming providers. However,

Universal search is the key to driving

as the market matures, we forecast more

further penetration, which will allow

consolidation around the fewer companies

consumers to search for content across

that can innovate and set themselves apart

all their S-VOD services. “However, this is

from the juggernauts within the industry,”

a ‘holy grail’ in the industry as providers,

concluded Mr O’Donnell. n

such as Netflix and HBO don’t want

team@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 63

On Track

Industry insight

The Mojo is Back! Global smartphone shipments back to double digit growth

ccording to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Market

Global Smartphone Shipment Growth by Price Band - Q1 2017

Monitor service, global smartphone shipments grew

11% in Q1 2017 compared to Q1 2016.

49.2%

Smartphone Shipments Wholesale Price Bands Growth (YoY)

This is a stark contrast from the -2%

28.8%

decline Q1 2016 endured. Commenting on the findings, Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at 1.7%

Counterpoint Research said, “The industry recorded its slowest smartphone

-4.4% -12.1% 0-99

100-199

200-299

– Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at Counterpoint Research

64 | june 2017

400+

growth in 2016, however, we estimate the

by growth from local kings, which are now

smartphone segment will bounce back

facing tough competition from Chinese

registering 6-8% volume growth during

brands that are venturing outside of their

2017.

own domestic market in search for growth.

The major factors driving growth

“The industry recorded its slowest smartphone growth in 2016, however, we estimate the smartphone segment will bounce back registering 6-8% volume growth during 2017”

300-399

So, we estimate these local kings, feeling

this year will be the proliferation of LTE

the pressure, will adopt a similar strategy

networks in emerging markets and the roll-

and subsequently expand outside

out of Gigabit LTE networks in established

their home markets. However, these

markets. Operators will benefit from

Chinese brands come with a strong

getting as many compatible devices onto

supply chain ecosystem backing

these networks as possible. In addition, the

and thus are at an advantage to put

launch of innovatively designed flagships

pressure on the local kings’ growth

from Samsung, LG, Apple and others

prospects.”

sporting bezel-free displays, Gigabit LTE

Commenting on vendor

support, AI capabilities and other features

performance during the year,

will drive the upgrade cycles higher during

Research Analyst

the year.” Commenting on the findings, Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research said, “While the global smartphone segment is about to witness growth, most of this growth is driven by only a few geographies such as India, Middle East & Africa, and small parts of Asia and Europe. These high growth markets were earlier driven

MYMOBILE

Market Summary n

Smartphone shipments reached 375 million units in Q1 2017. The smartphone market grew 11.2% annually.

Smartphone penetration reached over 80% of the mobile phones shipped in the quarter.

Top 10 brands contribute to almost 73% of the smartphone volumes in Q1 2017.

Premium segment ($400 above) smartphones now contribute to almost 20% of the global smartphone market. However, the segment declined annually due to softness in iPhone volumes and controlled inventory of the Samsung flagship Galaxy S7/S7+ ahead of Galaxy S8 series launch.

The ‘affordable premium’ segment USD300-399 was the fastest growing smartphone segment during the quarter mainly driven by OPPO, vivo and Samsung A series smartphones.

The USD 100-199 price segment has quickly become the sweet spot across the pre-paid developed and emerging markets. This segment accounts for one in three smartphones shipped globally, registering a healthy 28.8% growth in Q1 2017.

The USD100-199 price segment is mainly driven by Samsung’s J series, Huawei’s Honor series, OPPO’s A series and Xiaomi’s Redmi series smartphones. Together these brands accounted for almost half of the volumes of the price segment.

On Track

Industry insight

“Smartphone shipments set a first quarter record clocking 375 million units, growing 11% annually”

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 65

On Track

Industry insight OEM Performance Insights Samsung regained the top spot from Apple in Q1 2017 due to higher than expected shipments of 80 million smartphones. Samsung led the smartphone market by volume with a market share of 21% in Q1 2017. Its smartphone shipments recorded a marginal growth of 1% annually during the quarter.

Coming off a strong holiday season quarter, Apple shipped 50.8 million iPhones, down 1% annually. The iPhone shipments were below market expectations considering the strong demand for the new iPhone 7 series compared to the iPhone 6S series. Apple has yet to reach the peak Q1 2015 quarter shipment levels which it saw with the iPhone 6 series.

Softness in China remains the key factor holding back Apple’s iPhone growth.

Huawei shipped record first quarter shipments of 34.6 million units, up 22% annually. Huawei, like Apple, registered a healthy sell-through clearing most of the excess shipments at the end of Q4 2016.

“While the global smartphone segment is about to witness growth, most of this growth is driven by only a few geographies such as India, Middle East & Africa, and small parts of Asia and Europe. These high growth markets were earlier driven by growth from local kings, which are now facing tough competition from Chinese brands that are venturing outside of their own domestic market in search for growth” – Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint Research

66 | june 2017

OPPO and VIVO were the fastest growing brands during Q1 2017, continuing the strong momentum of the second half of 2016.

China, India and SEA remain the key growth markets for these brands. The companies captured one of the top three spots in most of these markets.

Both OPPO and vivo have been successful in driving the high tier ($300~$399) price segment by offering affordable premium smartphones with innovation across design, camera and battery technologies.

LG registered 14.8 million smartphone shipments in Q1 2017 with strong performances in North America, LATAM, and Korea. The company’s shipments grew 9.6% annually in the first quarter. The mid-tier K series smartphones were the major driver for LG during the quarter.

Xiaomi shipped 13.2 million smartphones, capturing 3.5% market share of the global smartphone market in Q1 2017.

India was the bright spot where shipments grew 283% during the quarter, which somewhat offset the continuous decline in its home market. Redmi Note 4 was the key volume driver for the company during the quarter.

ZTE had a soft quarter as its smartphone shipments declined 6.9% annually. This loss was despite registering growth in some markets such as North America.

The performance in Western Europe, MEA and Asia was weak during the quarter.

“OPPO, vivo and Huawei - These brands have reached dominant positions in their home market putting immense pressure on Samsung and Apple. However, the second half of 2017 will be a strenuous time for these challengers as Samsung and Apple leverage their vertical expertise to churn out two of the most unique and highly desirable flagships” – Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst at Counterpoint

MYMOBILE

On Track

Industry insight Global Smartphone Shipments Volume Share – Q1 2017

Shobhit Srivastava noted, “Only three brands out of the top 10 clearly outgrew the overall market -- Oppo, Vivo and Huawei. These brands have reached dominant positions in their home market putting immense pressure on Samsung and Apple. However, the second half of 2017 will be a strenuous time for these challengers as Samsung and Apple leverage their vertical expertise to churn out two of the most unique and highly desirable flagships.”n team@mymobile.co.in

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Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro

Solid Predecessor

he C7 Pro is following the same trend that of C9 Pro, but it is composed in a

smaller package, and consequently, a smaller price tag.The smaller size makes it more appealing for the users, who might have found the 6-inch C9 Pro intimidating size-wise. The C7 Pro comes with first implementation of the recent Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 chipset in a real product.

Design The front of the phone is classic Samsung. On the top is the earpiece with a metal grille, flanked by the front facing camera on the left and the notification LED and sensors on the right. The physical home button is integrated fingerprint sensor. On its left is the multitasking key and on the right is the back button. On the right side of the phone is the power button. C7 Pro has a single tray with one SIM slot and another hybrid slot for a second SIM or a microSD. The C7 Pro makes you choose between a second SIM and a microSD. On the other side of the phone are the

68 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

volume buttons. It is still fairly

that will get you through your

easy to

everyday tasks with ease. The

unintentionally

press the buttons on the

UI is fast working letting the

opposite side of the phone

apps open quickly. The internal

because you tend to squeeze

storage is of 64GB which gives

the device while pressing.

you immense space to store

The bottom section consists

any file or any applications and

of headphone jack, a USB-C

can further be expanded upto

port, a microphone, and a

256GB.

loudspeaker. The bottom

The advantage of the

speaker acts as the right

processor is that the C7 Pro

speaker along with the

does not get as hot very easily,

earpiece.

staying cool during normal

Display The Galaxy C7 Pro has a 5.7inch, 1920x1080 resolution

usage decreasing the error of

Looks

08 /10

Sleek but not appealing

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

07 /10

Good at work Could have been more

Battery

08 /10

Smooth and fluent

Value For Money Good buy

OVERALL

08 /10

78%

the device getting hanged in

Battery

display is perfectly sharp to

The C7 Pro has a smaller

the naked eye. The display

3300mAh battery, but the

gets sufficiently bright and is

chipset is also more efficient.

perfectly visible even under

The Snapdragon 626 is

direct sunlight. Under auto

extremely frugal meaning that

brightness, the display can

the device has excellent battery

boost brightness and saturation

life. The charger of this device

to extreme levels beyond what

enables you the experience of

can be set manually.

fast charging.

Settings app. The new UI also comes with a new Settings app, which has a simplified structure and the top level menu items list some of the options contained within to make things easy to find. What new is a group of Microsoft apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype which is giving you feel of Microsoft applications preinstalled on your phone. Then there’s Opera Max,

between any task.

Super AMOLED display. The

Samsung offers handy

verdict

which is a VPN service that

PROS Good processor, sleek and lightweight

Cons Battery might drain though it depends

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

also compresses data. The app is probably not all that bad to have on its own, but the phone will remind you to use it literally every single time you turn on Wi-Fi. The stereo speaker arrangement of the C7 Pro includes 3.5mm audio jack. The bottom-firing main

can easily be disabled. The C7 Pro comes with 5x5 layout by default for the icons,

loudspeaker is assisted by the earpiece, which provides the high-end.

controls in the Settings menu,

Cameras

and switching to Basic mode

The Galaxy C7 Pro has a 16

available screen space.The

the C7 Pro is very impressive;

allows the screen to render

megapixel camera on the back

app drawer still has the sliding

the sensor is consistently

colors as they were intended.

with f1.9 aperture, phase

pane design unlike the vertical

reliable and quick, making

You do lose some of the

detection autofocus, and

scrolling in the Pixel launcher.

it one of the better systems

contrast and punchiness,

two-tone dual LED flash. The

You get folder support and

available.

however, so we found AMOLED

camera can also record 1080p

by default most of the apps

photo to strike a nice balance

30fps video. The selfie camera

are grouped together in some

Conclusion

between accurate and

is also of the same resolution

folders.

The phone looks exactly the

pleasantly saturated. If you

and it does pretty decent job

care about color accuracy,

but not what we have seen on

also been improved with a row

Pro. It scores better than

you can always switch back to

A5.

of toggles that does not slide

the previous model on many

horizontally as before and can

aspects and also fits easily

be expanded by swiping down

into our hands. While it does

The launcher of the C7 Pro

again. You can rearrange these

charges fast but minus heating

The Galaxy C7 Pro is running

stick to the homescreen + app

toggles or add or remove from

the device. The pictures aren’t

on Samsung’s TouchWiz

drawer layout, complete with

them. Being a dual SIM phone,

that perfect as it should have

UI on top of Android 6.0.1

the app drawer button in the

you also get options to choose

been as we have seen in A5

Marshmallow.The performance

corner that is obligatory for

your default SIM for calling,

or A7. Though the C7 Pro

of C7 Pro is powered by 4GB

Samsung phones. The leftmost

texting and data but you can’t

still have many more specs to

RAM, which means that the

homescreen is still taken over

change anything from here and

attract the buyers. n

C7 Pro is perfectly good device

by Flipboard Briefing but that

tapping any of these opens the

Basic mode when you need it.

Platform

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Performance

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which makes great use of the

The notification shade has

The fingerprint sensor on

same as did the Galaxy C9

haider@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 69

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MICROMAX DUAL 5 Comeback Combo!

includes capacitive buttons for Android navigation just below the display. cameras, dual-tone LED flash,

icromax Dual 5 can be touted as the rebirth of

The device is having a display of 5.5-

cameras arranged in a symmetrical

inch, full HD of 1080x1920 pixels

column down the middle.

with pixel density that of 401ppi and

The backside looks very neat with

the home-grown brand

just one logo of the company at the

amidst growing Chinese

bottom. The curvy edges offer users to

AMOLED display type with screen protection of Corning Gorilla Glass.

influx. As the name suggests the Dual 5

get a good grip and also make it easy

Platform

gets its name because of the rear dual

and comfortable to hold as Micromax

The smartphone is running on Android

camera set up it has.Micromax would

calls it an “Arc design.”

6.0.1 Marshmallow on top with the company’s own UI which places all

aim to regain its lost market share with

The device has power button and

this mid-range phone but the task won’t

volume rocker on the right side and on

the apps on home screen and there is

be that easy for the company.

the left side there is a customizable

complete change in the Settings app.

smart key. The SIM tray is also located

The Speedup memory management

on the left side with hybrid Dual SIM

app is already installed in the device

The body of Micromax Dual 5 has all

manager. On the top of the device there

cleaning the junk files.

metal body with perfectly cut edges

is 3.5mm audio socket sharing the

and when holding the device the 2.5D

top there is also an infrared emitter for

core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652

curved-edges glass on the front provides

controlling electronic appliances. The

processor having four Cortex-A72 cores

a more appealing sense for users.

bottom of the device is provided with

clocked at 1.8GHz and four Cortex-A53

The back of the device with its golden

USB Type-C port and speaker grille.

cores clocked at 1.4GHz.The device is

look is also very attracting with two

The cool feature of this device also

running on 4GB of RAM making apps

Design

70 | june 2017

Display

and fingerprint scanner below the two

The Dual 5 is powered by an Octa-

MYMOBILE

run swiftly. The main attracting

smart beauty mode to enhance

aspect of this device is that it

selfies. It also possesses flash

is providing 128GB of storage

in primary camera allowing

which is not very common in

users to take selfies even when

the devices of this range and

the light is dim.

the storage lets you store a lot

verdict Looks

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

08 /10

Battery

08 /10

Focused and good

of stuffs without any worry of

Connectivity

space getting filled and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

The other specification

not the end of storage it also

includes 4G with VoLTE, Wi-Fi

allows storage expansion using

802.11ac, and Bluetooth

microSD card upto 128GB.

4.1. It is also packed with an

Smooth throughout

accelerometer, ambient light

Value For Money

Cameras The camera section has dual 13-megapixel cameras at the

sensor, gyroscope, infrared sensor and proximity sensor.

08 /10

Nice metallic built

if it gets lost. The Safe Switch feature of the device helps in preventing loss of data in case of theft. The device is configured with special feature that the physical buttons will automatically locks itself if

Manages properly

the SIM card is pulled out and it can only be disabled by entering a password within 30 seconds which can prevent

08 /10

A good buy

OVERALL

80%

the phone from being turned off, and thus can be handy in tracking the phone. It is also loaded with a feature that that

back and they capture photos

Battery

simultaneously which the

The battery of this device

your phone, a photo of them

phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s software processes

backs itself with 3200mAh

can be taken and sent to an

their output into a single image

battery providing enough

account of users choice.

and the two sensors are used

power for it to last for longer

to capture focus and depth-

period of time and it is also

of-filed information. The two

supporting Quick charge 3.0,

cameras have f/1.8 apertures,

which enables the device to

and also support phase

charge at a very fast rate most

detection autofocus. The color

probably 95 percent in 45-50

reproduction and sharpness

minutes in our case.

if someone attempts to unlock

Cons

PROS Security and Storage

Mid-range processor

has 13-megapixel front with an f/2.0 aperture adding to this it also has

security chip for storing passwords and fingerprints, and uses EAL 5+ militarySecure Vault feature which is a second space that the user can unlock the device with

Performance The Smart Key in the device enables users to launch any

a different fingerprint. The device is also added with apps like 360 Security and 360

app without even unlocking

Clone for more security.

the device. The phone also has

Conclusion

Themes app that lets users to choose six default themes as well as wallpapers, ringtones and fonts. The freezer app is quite a new app installed in the device which lets users to drag and drops apps that are not often used which can help the phone to run faster. There is also antitheft app which can be used by linking a Google account to the phone which can help to track the device in case

www.mymobileindia.com

It also has an independent

grade security. It also has (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

are biggest strengths of this device. The front camera also

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The performance of Dual 5 is impressive as it easily allows multi-tasking. The sound quality is also very good which does not get easily distorted at higher volumes. The video quality is also very impressive as it supports and plays HD videos with ease. The 13-MP rear dual cameras do not disappoint either, neither does the selfie camera. Planning an upgrade? This could be a good choice for you in Rs 24,999. n haider@mymobile.co.in

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72 | june 2017

Kara Mega1 Smartphone for Everyone

MYMOBILE

omegrown

which is an advantageous

Kara Mobiles,

application in case of

which claims

downloading any large files.

to provide-

In the audio section with all

verdict Looks

Decent and durable

08 /10

sound general settings, it also

smartphone and feature phone

includes an option like sound

for the Indian consumers with

enhancement for the user.

almost all the new features

The three fingers screenshots

making it very efficient for the

is also a new feature added

Enjoyable experience

Indian market, has come with

with KARA Mega1. The other

Battery

09 /10

Value For Money

08 /10

new product called Mega 1.

features includes options

The new KARA Mega1, which

like Smart wake, Non-touch

comes with a stylish look in 3

Gesture providing users wide

color variations, Champagne

range of options to choose

Gold, Pearl White and

from and driving their attention

Stardust Grey, is yet another

towards new KARA Mega1.

product from the company strengthening their portfolio.

Display

07 /10

Performance

07 /10

USP of the phone

OVERALL

Always be the battery and tough build

is also a new updated system

pixels which is an advantage

of KARA Mega1.

Mega1 offers a primary camera light which will let you click pictures the way you want it

78%

whether be it daytime or night with its digital zoom capability

is something that excites the

PROS

resolution of 1080x1920

Camera

with selfie flash light which

ability, giving a strong sense of on and off system of the device

between preferred networks.

and a 5.0MP front camera

with the biometric sensor privacy. The scheduled power

together and easy switching

of 13.0MP with selfie flash

device can excite the users

5.5-inches display with a

SIM Dual network feature

The camera feature of KARA

The security section of the

The device comes in

for giving the user a big frame

Cameras

Could be a good buy

of time. The device has Dual allowing two SIMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s to function

affordable yet the best

Makes you feel good

to get charged in short period

Cons

user to take selfies even in dim

Heavy, No NFC

lighting.

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

Other connectivity features include GPS/AGPS , WAP, Preinstalled Browser, USB Port, Bluetooth support, Wi-fi, Wi-fi hotspot. In the application

of video display with IPS LCD

Specifications

type screen. Some new feature

The new KARA Mega1 comes

about the display of KARA

with specification like 4G FDD-

Mega1 is the MiraVision,

LTE/TDD-LTE. The network

enhancing the display picture

connectivity has Wi-Fi features

quality, allowing interactive

(Mobile hotspot), Bluetooth,

tuning with real-time quality

USB connectivity as well. It

feedback, making it easy and

is powered by 1.5GhzQuad-

battery and two SIM slots.

Conclusion

straightforward for users to

core processor and offers 3GB RAM with 32GB ROM which

Platform

The new Kara Mega1 turned

tailor the picture quality based on their needs. Advanced users

is expandable upto 64GB

can choose Picture Mode/ User

enabling this device to work

Mode to activate more tuning

smoothly, bearing the workload

options.

pressure with ease and making

The device is loaded with

the device capable of using

various cool features including

various applications without

intelligent dialing and with

the fear of smartphone getting

screen gesture which makes

hanged in between any task

this new device different from

and not also letting the device

its earlier editions. Fingerprint

to get heated up . It is also has

function is also a new edition.

capacitive touchscreen, multi-

Performance

touch ability as well. The volume rocker and the

The new KARA Mega1 is also

power button is on the right

enabled with Turbo Download

side of the phone but there

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is nothing on the left of the phone. The audio jack fits on the top of the phone while it gets charged via the port at the bottom. The removable back cover holds the mammoth

The device runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow Operating System weighing almost 192 grams. The handset is providing a 4000mAh battery capacity giving the device long lasting standby time and allowing the user to use the device for a longer time and also having Standby intelligent power saving. The Charger carries the input capacity of 100-240V50/60Hz 0.15A and output of 5.0V which allows the device

section the device is giving you lots of pre-installed apps like Backup and Restore, Browser, Calculator, Calendar, Clock, Email, Facebook and Sound recorder.

out as a good decent phone in our review with all the specifications required and performance in this price category. The phone gives you a feel in your hand because of its huge battery which is incorporated to give it a minimum of two days of power backup. The metal body makes it much more durable and agile. And if you are a fan of the Indian brands this phone does have something exciting for you. n team@mymobile.co.in

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Vivo V5s Selfie Focused

he new Vivo

of the phone. The design is

V5s is the third

further enhanced by giving

smartphone

the metallic sharp edge to

in the range,

the device. The right side of

following the more affordable

the device has power knob as

Vivo V5 and the premium Vivo

well as the volume rocker. The

V5 Plus.The new Vivo V5s

bottom has a speaker grille,

was launched in April 2017

micro USB port and 3.5mm

with a sleek design where rear

audio socket. On left side

part is shaded in the color

of it has SIM tray with Dual

of gold giving its stylish and

SIM feature which in case

appealing look for the users

of insertion of microSD card

with the logo of the company

becomes uni-

in the middle of the rear side

SIM tray.

74 | june 2017

Display The Vivo V5s has a 5.5-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 720x1280 IPS display with 2.5D curved-edge Gorilla Glass for protection, and a density of 267ppi. The

with 5.5-inch display which gives you great experience while watching any video or playing games.

Platform The Vivo V5s is powered

screen is quite bright with eye protection feature. The size of the device

MYMOBILE

by an Octa-core MediaTek MT6750 SoC combined with 4GB of RAM and has 64 GB of storage which is expandable upto 256GB with help of microSD card in the hybrid dual-SIM slot meaning you can have lots of space to store any application or file and

verdict Looks

Good and solid design

Cameras

Does well

MX Player.

detailed shots. The HDR mode

09 /10

The other cool features

of Vivo V5s prevents images

of Vivo V5s include a one-

from getting overexposed in

handed mode that has the capability of shrinking the

08 /10

V5s gives users an experience

display into one corner of

Battery

08 /10

of recording videos at 1080p

the screen for quick access.

quality which is quite

Smart Click is also loaded in

08 /10

exceptional feature of this

the device allowing turning on

device.

the flashlight or launching the

Overall good

action it provides users a swift

Value For Money

The phone is running

VLC for android devices and

and managing to capture good

Performance

Survives a day

workload with ease.

WeChat, WhatsApp, YouTube,

camera is quick in focusing

harsh lighting conditions. Vivo

when its 4GB RAM comes into sensation of work handling the

08 /10

hand the 13-megapixel rear

A decent selfie choice

OVERALL

82%

Battery

camera by just pressing the volume button for some time.

on Funtouch OS 3.0 which

The device gives a battery life

Vivo V5s comes with preloaded

is based on Android 6.0

of 3000mAh battery providing

apps which cannot be deleted

a long lasting usage of the

and there are also some thirdparty apps.

Marshmallow but it is not yet upgraded to Nougat version of the Android. Several other smartphones at around this price range like Oppo F3, Moto G5

PROS

Cons

device. The battery is non

Camera and Storage

No full HD, Dated OS

time to hang on the internet,

allows multitasking and does

chat, texting, voice calling

not cause any hindrance in

and gaming at least for a day.

between switching apps and

The charging is also quite

it also provides a good sense

impressive with power charger

of gaming performance. The

allowing the device to charge

graphics is decent as well with

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

Cameras

removable. It gives ample

The Vivo V5s 4GB RAM

at a fast rate. The device is also

21fps in GFXBench and 5,160

updated android version

As the name suggests, Vivo

showing quite a good resistivity

points in 3DMark Ice Storm

which is Android

V5s moonlight camera, the

in heating of the device as it

Extreme. The multimedia

phone comes with front

does not get warmed up during

experience provided by the

camera of 20- megapixel

the usage of the device.

Vivo V5s is also very good

Plus and Gionee A1 possess

Nougat. The Vivo

packed with Sony’s IMX376

V5s is

sensor and a 5P lens with a

Connectivity

running

an f/2.0 aperture and it also

The connectivity features

has ‘Moonlight Glow’ front

includes 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth

flash. The rear camera is of

4.0, Wi-Fi ac and GPS/ A-GPS.

Conclusion

13-megapixel with PDAF

The sensors of the device

The Vivo V5s fits in between

technology. And like its

include an accelerometer, an

into the clan of V5 and V5

and there’s no visual change

predecessors it clicks better

ambient light sensor, a digital

Plus. The design and software

in the interface. There are

selfies in almost every given

compass, a proximity sensor,

are still the same and it looks

some interesting touches

ambience.

and a virtual gyroscope.

identical to other Vivo phones

on the same version of Funtouch OS seen earlier on the Vivo V5 Plus,

teaming with a full-HD resolution have evolved the experience little bit better.

in this series. It could be a

software from Vivo in like the

The main highlight of Vivo

App Clone feature, which lets

V5s is its 20-megapixel front

Performance

users create a second instance

camera, which adapts to all

Vivo V5s is also capable of split

selfie lovers where it does

of any app. Notably, users can

kinds of situations. There is

screen multitasking which

perform well with the single

use the two app instances to

group selfie mode available

basically allows the user to

front lens.In Rs 18,990, the

log into different accounts.,

which allows panoramic shots

run two apps simultaneously

V5s is going to face tough

with WhatsApp, Line, BBM,

and the shots can always be

and the apps supported of

challenge from the Oppo,

WeChat, Zalo, and Viber

touched up with face beauty

this function are Facebook,

Gionee and Motorola etc. n

currently supported.

mode 6.0. On the other

the default messages app,

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delightful experience for the

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76 | june 2017

Lephone W7

Highlight of this handset is that it supports 22 Indian Languages

ephone W7 in Indian market is one of the

22 different Indian languages.

convenient phones

Design

launched by the company

smartphone in this price category. The new Lephone W7 comes with 5-inch display, TFT type with pixel density of

The 2.5D curved glass adds some

196 ppi giving users enough screen

providing a wide sense of ranges

glam to the phone. There are many

display. The resolution of Lephone W7

available for the users. Targeting the

other features in this phone that can

is that of 480x854 pixels and it is also

multi-lingual landscape of the country

be upto oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s likings, though in first go

capable of capacitive touchscreen and

this phone comes with pre-installed

it comes across like any other normal

multi touch.

MYMOBILE

Platform Another feature of this device is that it runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow powered by 360 which showcases many features and useful apps like dual account support avatar master (Whatsapp, Wechat, Facebook etc.) The processor of this device has 1.3 GHz quad-core which is the key aspect of this device and it is also possessing 1GB RAM making it very handy for the Indian market where there is demand of mobile phones of low costs with high performance and

feature allowing the users to enjoy

verdict

the nonstop entertainment even in

Looks

08 /10

Cameras

07 /10

Performance

07 /10

Battery

07 /10

Value For Money

07 /10

Decent

networks.

Need improvement Fine

Scope for improvement Yes, especially if you need your mother tongue on the phone

OVERALL

72%

2-megapixel with average resolution that captures less vibrant images

where we felt it could have done

in case of users to use the benefits of RelianceJio 4G scheme. The body is heavily built decreasing the probability of any damage in case if the device falls down meaning it will very compact allowing it to fit in the userâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pocket. SIM availability feature allowing you to choose between preferred

PROS

Cons

Supports 22 Indian languages

Camera

letting you to take clear selfies or for clear video calls. But this one area

with 4G network which is very handy

Lephone W7 is coming with Dual

mobile phones.

Lephone W7 sports a front camera of

Lephone W7 providing the users

not get easily damaged. The size is

features similar to that of high costing

Cameras

the case of non-availability of internet

networks of your own.The SIM1 type is micro-sim with having features 4G Bands:TD-LTE 2300(band 40) FD-LTE 1800(band3) 3G Bands: UMTS 2100 / 900 MHz2G Bands:

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

better with selfie being the rage.

GSM 1800 / 1900 / 850/ 900 MHz GPRS:Available EDGE:Available. The second SIM is also capable of

The rear camera is of 5-megapixel

6.0 operating system with 1GB RAM

supporting 3G, 4G networks. The

allowing the users to take clear

enabling the device to work efficiently

sound system is also good of the

pictures of any scenery beauty with

in case of any multi-tasking work or

Lephone W7 with 3.5mm jack.

digital zoom facility and the flash

for the use of multiple applications at

Sensors on the phone include

availability in the device is giving an

a time. Lephone W7 is also providing

Proximity sensor, Accelerometer and

important feature within a low price

8GB of internal storage memory

Ambient light sensor.

range making it very efficient in terms

which can be further expanded upto

of taking pictures in dim light and

32GB with the use of microSDcard.

installed 22 different regional

dark conditions especially during the

Lephone W7 is also providing the

languages such as Hindi, Assamese,

night.

safety aspects for the device with 360

Punjabi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada,

security which is already coming with

Malayalam, Mararthi, Tamil, Nepali,

the phone as pre-installed feature.

Bodo, Telugu, Urdu, Sindhi, Oriya,

Battery The battery life of the Lephone W7

The device is coming with pre-

Sanskrit, Kashmiri, Dogri, Maithili,

is 1800mAh, which is average in

Connectivity

terms of usage and it can be easily

In the connectivity specification

replaceable. Giving a sub-2000 mAh

Lephone W7 is providing features

Conclusion

battery these days may not be the

like Wi-Fi connectivity allowing the

The phone relies heavily on its 22 pre-

most smart thing to do today but there

device to connect with available

installed Indian languages widening

must have been a thought process

Wi-Fi networks and it also has mobile

its target audience but that could not

behind this offer.

Hotspot allowing user to share the

be the only reason to buy this phone.

internet with others.GPS facility is

When you are shelling out more than

also provided in Lephone W7, there

Rs 4500 and you are getting an 1800

The image resolution of Lephone

is also Bluetooth facility available

mAh of average battery life than one

W7 is that of 2592x1944 Pixels.

in the device along with USB OTG.

needs to do some more research. n

The device is running on Android

The device is also loaded with FM

Performance

www.mymobileindia.com

Tried & Tested

burntest

Santhali, Konkani and Manipuri.

team@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 77

Tried & Tested

burntest

Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Nearly Perfect Smartphone!

amsung has hit the

again, while making others

sleek design and more

bull’s eye with the

to sweat more with their

than half a foot of display

launch of Galaxy S8

design and pricing. And when

makes you fall in love with

and S8 Plus and

I got hold of the Galaxy S8

this device. So let’s check

it has all the reasons to be

Plus for the first time, it was

it out how it fared on our

happy and smiling once

mesmerizing. The

parameters.

Design Now, you have to admit that love at first sight happens and it’s true with Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. The 6.2-inches of display with a very thin bezel looks stunning especially while checking the photos which you have clicked with this phone. The edges of this phone reminded of infinity with the curves it has. On the left of the phone there are volume rocker and the Bixby launcher, the power button is on the right side of the phone. On the top it has got the hybrid SIM tray and on the bottom of the device there are audio jack, USB-port and speaker grille. The back of Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus is shinier and glossy glasssurface which adds to the rich premium looks of the phone. The glass back allows wireless charging. The S8 is water resistant to IP68 standards, which can withstand 1.5 meters of submersion for up to 30 minutes. The screen as the Samsung calls it ‘Infinity screen’ literally proves it worth and the mammoth size of it really looks gorgeous and beautiful, especially when the screen is on always on mode, in hands. It is going to sway the attention and perspective towards Samsung. The onus will now be on Apple to save the market share it enjoys

78 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

world over. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back in the same row along with the camera and the flash. In Galaxy S7 Edge, it was right below the screen on front, which has made some extra space for the Samsung S8 Plus to stretch the screen

verdict Looks

10 /10

Gorgeously beautiful

context of what you’re doing

smoother and to go with that

in order to help better. It can

the S8 Plus is Android Nougat

also recognize and provide

7.0 compatible. Everything is

information for landmarks and

at ease with S8 Plus!

products while or after using

10 /10

Performance

10 /10

Battery

09 /10

The Galaxy S8 Plus sports an

Performance

8-MP front camera with f/1.7,

The S8 and S8 Plus are

10 /10

with fast focus and images

the first phones to come

are perfectly exposed with the

with Bluetooth 5.0, which

lens. The rear camera is of

gives a better range and the

Excellent Outstanding

Sufficient enough

touching the lens more often

Value For Money

the device. It also has the face

The software will know the

Cameras

size.But, you might end up than not while trying to unlock

It also has the TouchWiz UI to make it run faster and

Too good to think of money

OVERALL

98%

Cameras

the camera.

12-MP dual pixel with f/1.7,

ability to deliver audio to two

There’s also a sensitive home

optical image stabilization,

different Bluetooth devices

button icon built on the bottom

LED flash and it does shoots

at the simultaneously. It also

of the screen. With 173

4K videos. The cameras work

supports Samsung DeX,a

grams of weight the phone

perfectly fine in sync with the

dock whichcan help turning

phone and give some stunning

the phone into a PC with the

shots, particularly the night

help of a monitor, keyboard

shots. The image does not

and mouse. Samsung Galaxy

pixilate on zooming either to

S8 will also come with

an extent. I have zero doubt

Samsung Pay support that

that this phone will disappoint

means you can actually pay

any of the selfie-lover or any

using your mobile phone at

amateur photographer.

almost all card accepting

recognition to go with that.

doesn’t bother you either, whether in hand or in pocket. The screen might get some smudges, which shouldn’t have happened with such a premium device. I didn’t go

PROS

Cons

Too many to list here

Yet to find

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

for the fragility test!

Display The display is just next to infinity when you compare to

are going to get more exciting with this device. The screen is certainly its USP!

Battery

shops. It does perform all the task with Andoid 7.0, Exynos

The Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus

8895, TouchWiz UI and

gets power from a 3,500 mAh

ample storage. In our review

other smartphones and not

Platform

tablets. The massive 6.2-inch

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and

battery, which is enough for

it matches our expectations

of display gives the amazing

S8 Plus runs on the same

the large screen device to last

as expected from Rs 65,000

viewing experience, whether

platform, i.e, Samsung’s

for a day, easily. Being a Super

smartphone.

you’re watching movies or

Exynos 8895 processor which

AMOLED phone it tends to last

playing games. The curved

is equivalent to Snapdragon

longer than the usual. While

Conclusion

edges make it look more

835. The phone comes with

the idea behind 3,500 mAh

The phone clearly emerges as

astonishing. You can swipe use

4GB of RAM and 64GB of

cell could be the company

a winner at the moment. With

the right edge of the phone for

internal storage which can be

wanted it to look sleek and

high end specs and stunning

customization of your favorite

expanded also via microSD

lightweight at the same

features, the Samsung Galaxy

apps and contacts.

card upto 256GB. The

time,though it’s enough for a

S8 Plus wins the heart in every

performance of the device

normal user like me.

domain. The only problem it

The Samsung Galaxy S8

might face is the price but it’s

Plus has a Super AMOLED

is simply unmatched. It

screen with a resolution of

delivers on all parameters of

Bixby

2960X1440 pixels with 529

multitasking, thus making it a

Bixby is a new digital

the company would expect a

pixels per inch (ppi).The

perfect device in the town right

assistancefrom Samsung

good sale from this marvelous

screen has the ratio of 18:5:9

now. We have had played high

much like the Siri and Google

product. Certainly! It’s going

which give perfect video

graphics games to check the

Assistant. It can be instantly

to change the fortune for

viewing experience without

output and the results were

accessed with the dedicated

Samsung, worldwide. n

the black bars.The games

brilliant.

button on the left side.

www.mymobileindia.com

Tried & Tested

burntest

not a mass product either and

haider@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 79

Great Deals

mobilesensex

bazaar bargain HTC 10 HTC 10 sports a 5.2-inch QHD superLCD touchscreen and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based Sense UI. It comes with a 12MP UltraPixel f/1.8 camera at the back and a 5MP A/F selfie shooter. It is powered by HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition with Dolby Audio along with a 3,000 mAh battery. The smartphone includes a USB Type-C port and a fingerprint scanner at the bottom. The device comes in 32GB and 64GB variants and supports microSD card slot as well. The handset is available in Glacier Silver and Carbon Grey colour options. n

Launched at: Rs 11,980 Current Price: Rs 8,990

Vivo Y51L 4G

Launched at: Rs 52,990 Current Price: Rs 42,990

80 | june 2017

The Y51L features a 5-inch IPS screen and runs on Android Lollipop-based FunTouch OS 2.5 operating system. It is powered by the 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB and comes with 16GB internal storage and 128GB microSD card support. On the back, Vivo Y51L has an 8MP camera, while a 5MP camera is in front for selfies. This dual-SIM phone measures 143.8x71.7x7.52 mm and weighs 157 grams. The 4G-enabled smartphone has connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB 2.0 and USB on-the-go support. n

MYMOBILE

Great Deals

mobilesensex

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro The highlight of the smartphone is its 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) Super-Amoled display and its 5,000mAh battery. The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow, and is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. The device sports a 16MP rear camera with LED flash, an f/1.9 aperture, and optical image stabilisation (OIS), apart from an 8MP front camera that also bears an f/1.9 aperture. The smartphone comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 256GB) with a separate slot. n

Launched at: Rs 17,999 Current Price: Rs 14,999

Lenovo Z2 Plus

(3GB RAM, 32GB ROM) The smartphone sports a 5-inch FHD display and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It is powered by a quadcore Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.15GHz and comes with a 3,500 mAh battery that also features an intelligent charge cut-off feature to ensure the battery does not overcharge. The handset packs a 13MP rear camera with PDAF, LED flash, and electronic image stabilisation (EIS), and an 8MP frontfacing camera. Connectivity options on board include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and 4G. Sensors include a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, accelerometer, and gyroscope. n team@mymobile.co.in Launched at: Rs 32,490 Current Price: Rs 29,900

www.mymobileindia.com

(Note: Prices are those available at prominent dealers, online and/or offline. They may not reflect official price reductions)

june 2017 | 81

In Conversation

face to face

“Two-thirds of the growth expected to come from rural India” Indian mobile maker Zen Mobile has been winning accolades for its wide range of products and is also venturing into the 4G handset and smartphone making, which are highly in demand, thus opening the horizon of opportunities for the company. The company aspires to provide affordable yet advanced VoLTE devices for the Indian consumers. Deepesh Gupta, the newly appointed CEO of Zen Mobile took out time from his busy schedule and spoke to Haider Ali Khan to elaborate the task ahead and the goals for the homegrown mobile brand. Your target audiences have been mainly in Tier II and III cities. How

in different parts of the country can communicate in their own

important are they to you and your business? At Zen mobile, we believe

language. Our contractual partner, Optiemus Infracom has a state

that two-thirds of the growth in new users is expected to come from

of the art manufacturing facility in Noida where Zen mobiles are

rural India as the consumer continues to become more aware and

manufactured keeping the Indian consumer in mind.

increasingly access information on their mobile devices. Therefore, the next wave of smartphone revolution in India will come from

The feature phone segment has been your domain over the years.

the tier II and tier III markets which many brands will tap on. By

How do you plan to break this stereotype? As we are growing at a

offering devices at reasonable price point will help consumers to

fast pace, we are seeing significant adoption of feature phones

migrate from feature phones to smartphones which will further help

as well as smartphone. We have a robust portfolio of 15 running

in digitizing India.

models of feature phones ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 1800, at

Our focus is to strengthen our presence in these markets

the same time we are also focusing on increasing our presence

by offering affordable 4G Smartphone with great features and

in the 4G smartphone market. This year, in past five months, we

specifications allowing consumers to upgrade to a smartphone.

have launched 4 devices in the 4G segment which is helping us to

We have received highly positive acceptance of our ZENERATION

increase visibility and establish a strong presence in the market.

4G Smartphone portfolio that ranges from Rs 4,400 to Rs 6,500.

This year, Zen was awarded as “The Best Indian Smartphone Brand of The year 2017” and “Emerging 4G manufacturer of the

How much will Zen Mobile be investing in R&D and do you also have

year 2017” at the 3rd Mobility Excellence Awards 2017. This

any plan to expand your assembling and manufacturing base? We want

recognition of our offering is a resounding validation of our efforts

to offer technologically-advanced VoLTE devices at most affordable

to build a seamless and affordable 4G smartphone experience.

prices to the Indian consumers. We are targeting exponential growth in next couple of quarters to be a dominant player in 4G Smartphone

The telecom market is going through huge disruption with players like

category. We have introduced feature like SWALEKH so that Indians

Reliance Jio, which has opened new markets of 4G-enabled feature

82 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

phones. Do you see it as an opportunity for Zen Mobile? Yes, the telecom market is going through dynamic changes in the last 6 to 8 months. With entry of reliance Jio, new markets have opened up. There’s a huge opportunity for telecom operators as well as handset manufacturers like us to reach an audience which never existed before for 4G services. We at ZEN are very excited about this opportunity and will ensure that we meet the ever increasing requirement with

Could you please break it down

“Yes, the telecom market is going through dynamic changes in the last 6 to 8 months. With entry of reliance Jio, new markets have opened up. There’s a huge opportunity for telecom operators as well as handset manufacturers like us to reach an audience which never existed before for 4G services”

with the sales figures of feature and smartphones sold last fiscal by Zen Mobile? We have been in the business for almost a decade now and are one of the pioneers in bringing affordable mobile handsets to the Indian shores and are continuing to enjoy healthy market share in feature phone segment. In a few markets like Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, UP our market share varies from 6 to 8% so the focus clearly now is exceptional growth in all the major domestic markets and expand our footprints in the

our innovative and affordable

neighboring countries like Nepal

product range.

and Bangladesh. We’ll be highly

In Conversation

face to face

aggressive in launching a series of Zeneration 4G VoLTE devices in next quarter and build up a strong presence in affordable 4G devices category. Do you feel any kind of threat from the Chinese mobile makers in India? What could be the next move of Zen Mobile to maintain its prominence in the Indian market? Being a home grown company, we have been able to leverage our robust distribution and sales channel to reach out to consumers with the best affordable smartphonesthat offers variety of features. We have seen tremendous growth over the last few years and are looking at further expanding our market share. Going forward, we plan to further increase our presence in Tier II and Tier III market. As mentioned we will continue to launch feature rich devices that cater to the Indian consumer in the most comprehensive way. We aim to do this by partnering with companies that helps us make the smartphone experience much more wholesome and personalized. What is the future of Indian mobile manufacturers? Do you see consolidation happening as we saw with the telecom operators? Can’t comment on this right now but yes opportunities are very high and so would be challenges. Do we see Zen Mobile exporting to other nations as well in near future? Market expansion is critical for any company’s survival; in the current scenario when the Indian market is cluttered with handset manufacturers, it’s essential for us to aggressively plan our expansion both in domestic and neighboring markets. We already have good presence in Nepal and now looking to increase our penetration into other neighboring countries, as well. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 83

In Focus

Digital Security

Securing Children’s Identity in Digital Times As social media usage spreads dramatically among children, their vulnerability has also increased but a strong password can be an effective tool from identity theft and other vulnerabilities

nternet usage has increased

of social media? What are some of the

dramatically among children,

simple steps that could make children

Telenor India’s WebWise report

especially those residing in metro

less vulnerable? On this World Password

indicates that a whopping 98.8% of

in digital times.

and large cities. Children as young

Day which fell on May 4, Telenor (India)

children in urban areas are using internet

as 6 years are now getting active on social

Communications released a study which

and 54.6% of those surveyed use “weak

media. But how secure are they from

had many revelations about the internet

passwords” i.e. passwords with only

identity theft which is one of the world’s

trends and vulnerabilities and how to

alphabets or numbers and which are less

fastest growing crimes and other perils

secure oneself and one’s dear ones better

than 8 characters. Additionally, 54.82% children share their passwords with their friends, family or relatives, hence creating a threat to their digital security. The WebWise survey was done in 13 cities and covered 2700 students. It also showed that 83.5% children between 6 to 18 years are active on social media and, hence, are likely to have a higher threat perception. The study found that over 35% children have experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages. Lesson to be learnt is clear. In the age of highly-connected lifestyle, passwords hold the key to any form of information access and acts as our digital identity. A strong password is the first line of defense against intruders and imposters, which if compromised exposes an individual to vulnerabilities such as data theft, hacking and invasion of privacy. “Though India is home to the second largest internet population in the world, majority of users, especially our children, are exposed to cyber threats due to weak

MYMOBILE

In Focus

Digital Security

Password habits of Indian Children

Post the WebWise workshops, 81.9% children said that they will reconsider to

83.5% children aged between 6 to 18 years are active on social media

change their passwords and 84.26%

Every second child uses “weak passwords” for their online accounts

their passwords with anyone apart from

54.8% children share their password with their near and dear ones

of children said they will use a strong

Over 35% children experienced their account being hacked while 15.74% shared that they have received inappropriate messages.

numbers, small & capital letters, symbols

children agreed that they will not share their parents. Additionally, 72.26% password which is a mix of alphabets, and special characters. Telenor India had initiated WebWise workshops in 2014 amongst school

“Though India is home to the second largest internet population in the world, majority of users, especially our children, are exposed to cyber threats due to weak and easy-to-guess passwords. At Telenor India through projects like WebWise we are empowering the digital society by spreading awareness among our next generation of digital natives on how to stay safe from cyber vulnerabilities while accessing the Internet”

and easy-to-guess passwords. At Telenor

children, teachers and parents. Through

India through projects like WebWise we are

WebWise more than 55,000 individuals

empowering the digital society by spreading

have been trained on safe internet

awareness among our next generation of

practices. Telenor WebWise ambassadors

digital natives on how to stay safe from

conduct these workshops in schools where

cyber vulnerabilities while accessing the

they run modules on internet safety and

Internet. On the World Password Day, we

explain the importance of setting a strong

secure. The day aims to spread awareness

should understand the significance of

password.

that taking care with your passwords is

using strong passwords and secure our

World Password Day aims to educate

identity in this digital world,” said Sharad

and drive conversations about how to make

Mehrotra, CEO, Telenor India.

our online accounts and activities more

www.mymobileindia.com

– Sharad Mehrotra, CEO, Telenor India.

vital to protecting yourself against identity theft. n team@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 85

Business insight

Trendz

Cloud Arrives Outsourcing spend on cloud infrastructure as service will exceed traditional data center in India in 2017

loud infrastructure as a service

36.5 percent of the $1.65

will exceed traditional data

billion total data center

center outsourcing spend in

services

India during 2017, according

market in India,

(DCS)

to Gartner, Inc. In India, traditional data

consisting of

center outsourcing is forecast to reach

DCO/IUS,

USD 559 million in 2017, while cloud

hostingand cloud

infrastructure as a service spending will

infrastructure as

total USD 677 million this year. By 2021,

a service (IaaS).

cloud compute and storage as a service will

This is expected to

be nearly three times that of traditional data

tilt further toward cloud

center outsourcing in terms of spending in

IaaS and hosting, and by

India.

2021, DCO/IUS will be approximately

“As the demand for agility and flexibility

22 percent of the expected USD 3.8

grows, organizations will shift toward more industrialized, lesstailored options,” says DD Mishra, Research Director at Gartner. “Organizations that adopt hybrid infrastructure will optimize costs and increase efficiency. However, it increases the complexity of selecting the right toolset to deliver end-to-end services in a multisourced environment.” Gartner also predicts that by 2020, 90 percent of organizations will adopt hybrid infrastructure management capabilities. In 2016, traditional worldwide data center outsourcing (DCO) and infrastructure utility services (IUS) together represented

86 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

billion DCS market in India.

storage. Gartner’s interactions with end-

By 2021, the cloud IaaS market in

user organizations in India reflect a strong

India will exceed USD 2.1 billion in end-

willingness to consider alternate delivery

user spending, which will be nearly three

models for infrastructure requirements.

times that of traditional DCO in India. End

Users are keen to understand newer

user spending of traditional DCO in India

technologies such as integrated systems

will reach USD 693 million in 2021, and

and hyper-converged infrastructures, as

it will represent more than half the overall

well as cloud-based architectures.

DCS spending of approximately USD 3.8 billion.

Cost savings, optimized time to production and simplified operations

“This means that by 2021 traditional

are the top drivers for the adoption of

data center services will coexist with a

integrated systems. Within this reduced

minority share alongside the industrialized

design time, simplified procurement and

and digitalized services,” adds Mr Mishra.

improved time to delivery and simplified

Through 2020, integrated systems

integration with existing technology are top

in India will shave off up to 25 percent of the combined spend on servers and

Trendz

Business insight

considerations. A bigger focus on cloud, mobility and analytics has led to many organizations to rethink their data center strategies. Organizations in India are increasingly challenging the need to buy and maintain

“Organizations that adopt hybrid infrastructure will optimize costs and increase efficiency. However, it increases the complexity of selecting the right toolset to deliver end-to-end services in a multi-sourced environment” – DD Mishra, Research Director at Gartner discrete data center components, and are also evaluating architectures that would provide the agility, flexibility and the scale desired for new application workloads. At the same time, users now have a greater choice and availability of newer technologies, such as hyperconverged infrastructures. A further analysis of Gartner’s entire client interactions indicate that an average of 20 percent of organizations augmenting storage capacities in India are actively considering integrated systems. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 87

Trendz

Business insight

Digital Workplace is the New Mantra for Enterprises India IT infrastructure spending to reach USD2.2 Billion in 2017 as companies plan massive digital transformation

igital workplace is the new mantra for enterprises as more digital natives join the workforce leading to

increased spending on IT infrastructure. Business and IT leaders are getting increasingly focused on building an agile infrastructure that can address the needs of the changing workforce demographics while cloud computing is expected to become pervasive as an infrastructure layer, given its elasticity, and it creates a need for IT leaders to plan for managing various cloud options. These are the general trends shaping the future of business that were outlined at the sixth annual Gartner Infrastructure, Operations and Data Center Summit held in Mumbai recently. To funnel the transformation, IT infrastructure spending in India will total USD2.2 billion in 2017, a 1.5 percent

increase from 2016. The IT infrastructure market includes server, storage and enterprise networking equipment. “Digital transformation is bringing in new sets of challenges and opportunities for Indian infrastructure leaders,” points out Naveen Mishra, Research Director at Gartner. “They have the unique opportunity

88 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

IT Infrastructure Spending in India by Segment (Millions of U.S. Dollars) Segment

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Enterprise Networking

1,063

1,127

1,148

1,157

1,147

Storage

346

352

365

378

387

Servers

765

727

768

820

822

2,174

2,206

2,282

2,354

2,356

Total

Trendz

Business insight

Source : Gartner (April 2017)

of being at the helm of this shift within their

USD1.1 Billion in 2017 (see Table 1).

organization, provided they align with the

Software defined networking, SD-WAN

imperatives of the digital world. Modern,

are other options which organisations

lean, agile and secure infrastructure is the

are evaluating while they build their

business need.”

next generation network infrastructure,

Enterprise networking is the biggest

to enable a seamless digital experience

segment within the Indian IT infrastructure

for customers, employees and partners.

market with revenue expected to reach

However, storage solution will see only a

“Digital transformation is bringing in new sets of challenges and opportunities for Indian infrastructure leaders,” – Naveen Mishra, Research Director at Gartner modest increase in revenue. “With a revenue projection of USD 352 million in 2017, storage investment will witness a small increase primarily driven by technology alternatives such as SDS, and flash based storage coupled with continued focus on SAN based storage,” says Mishra. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 89

Malware

Special Report

The New Wave of Cyber Terrorism is Here There has been an alarming rise in targeted attacks aimed at politically motivated sabotage and subversion

yber criminals are executing politically devastating attacks in a move to undermine a new class of targets. Cyber attacks

against the US Democratic Party and the subsequent leak of stolen information reflect a trend toward criminals employing highly-publicized, overt campaigns designed to destabilize and disrupt targeted organizations and countries. While cyber attacks involving sabotage have traditionally been quite rare, the perceived success of several campaigns – including the US election and Shamoon – point to a growing trend to criminals attempting to influence politics and sow discord in other countries. “New sophistication and innovation are the nature of the threat landscape, but

“The use of email as an infection point also rose, becoming a weapon of choice for cyber criminals and a dangerous threat to users. Symantec found one in 131 emails contained a malicious link or attachment – the highest rate in five years”

90 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

this year Symantec has identified seismic

at the forefront: A new breed of attackers

shifts in motivation and focus,” points out

revealed major financial ambitions, which

Tarun Kaura, Director, Solution Product

may be an exercise to help fund other

Management for Asian Pacific & Japan

covert and subversive activities. Today, the

at Symantec. “The world saw specific

largest heists are carried out virtually, with

nation states double down on political

billions of dollars stolen by cyber criminals.

manipulation and straight sabotage.

While some of these attacks are the work

Meanwhile, cyber criminals caused

of organized criminal gangs, for the first

unprecedented levels of disruption by

time nation states appear to be involved

focusing their exploits on relatively simple

as well. Symantec uncovered evidence

IT tools and cloud services.”

linking North Korea to attacks on banks

Subversion and sabotage attacks emerge

“New sophistication and innovation are the nature of the threat landscape, but this year Symantec has identified seismic shifts in motivation and focus” – Tarun Kaura, Director, Solution Product Management for Asian Pacific & Japan at Symantec

Increased Vulnerabilities n

One in 131 Emails Contained a Malicious Link or Attachment – Highest Rate in Five Years

Size of Ransoms Spiked 266 Percent; U.S. Top Targeted Country as 64 Percent of Americans Pay Their Ransom

Malware

Special report

in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ecuador and Poland. “This was an incredibly audacious hack as well as the first time we observed strong

“Cyber criminals revealed new levels of ambition in 2016 – a year marked by extraordinary attacks, including multi-million dollar virtual bank heists and overt attempts to disrupt the US electoral process by state-sponsored groups” –Internet Security Threat Report (ISTR), Volume 22, Symantec

CIOs Have Lost Track of How Many Cloud Apps are Used Inside Their Companies – When Asked Most Will Say up to 40 When in Reality the Number Nears 1,000

indications of nation state involvement in financial cyber crime,” says Mr Kaura. “While their sights were set even higher, the attackers stole at least USD94 million.” Attackers weaponize commonly used software while email becomes the weapon of choice: In 2016, Symantec saw cyber criminals use PowerShell, a common scripting language installed on PCs, and

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 91

Malware

Special Report Security Tips from Experts As attackers evolve, there are many steps businesses and consumers can take to protect themselves. As a starting point, Symantec recommends the following best practices:

For Businesses: n

Don’t get caught flat-footed: Use advanced threat intelligence solutions to help you find indicators of compromise and respond faster to incidents.

Prepare for the worst: Incident management ensures your security framework is optimized, measureable and repeatable, and that lessons learned improve your security posture. Consider adding a retainer with a third-party expert to help manage crises.

Implement a multi-layered defense: Implement a multi-layered defense strategy that addresses attack vectors at the gateway, mail server and endpoint. This also should include two-factor authentication, intrusion detection or protection systems (IPS), website vulnerability malware protection, and web security gateway solutions throughout the network.

Provide ongoing training about malicious email: Educate employees on the dangers posed by spear-phishing emails and other malicious email attacks, including where to internally report such attempts.

Monitor your resources – Make sure to monitor your resources and networks for abnormal and suspicious behavior, and correlate it with threat intelligence from experts.

For Consumers: Change the default passwords on your devices and services: Use strong and unique passwords for computers, IoT devices and Wi-Fi networks. Don’t use common or easily guessable passwords such as “123456” or “password”.

Keep your operating system and software up to date: Software updates will frequently include patches for newly discovered security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers.

Be extra careful on email: Email is one of the top infection methods. Delete any suspicious-looking email you receive, especially if they contain links and/or attachments. Be extremely wary of any Microsoft Office email attachment that advises you to enable macros to view its content.

Back up your files: Backing up your data is the single most effective way of combating a ransomware infection. Attackers can have leverage over their victims by encrypting their files and leaving them inaccessible. If you have backup copies, you can restore your files once the infection has been cleaned up.

92 | june 2017

Microsoft Office files as weapons. While system administrators may use these common IT tools for daily management tasks, cyber criminals increasingly used this combination for their campaigns as it leaves a lighter footprint and offers the ability to hide in plain sight. Due to the widespread use of PowerShell by attackers, 95 percent of PowerShell files seen by Symantec in the wild were malicious. The use of email as an infection point also rose, becoming a weapon of choice for cyber criminals and a dangerous threat to users. Symantec found one in 131 emails contained a malicious link or attachment – the highest rate in five years. Further, Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams, which rely on little more than carefully composed spear-phishing emails – scammed more than three billion dollars from businesses over the last three years, targeting over 400 businesses every day. Caving in to digital extortion: Americans

MYMOBILE

Trends

Special report

“Cloud security continues to challenge CIOs. According to Symantec most likely to pay ransom demands: data, CIOs have lost track Ransomware continued to escalate as a global problem and a lucrative business of how many cloud apps for criminals. Symantec identified over are used inside their 100 new malware families released into the wild, more than triple the amount seen organizations” previously, and a 36 percent increase in ransomware attacks worldwide.

for cyber crime is upon us: A growing reliance on cloud services has left organizations open to attacks. Tens of thousands of cloud databases from a single provider were hijacked and held for ransom in 2016 after users left outdated databases open on the internet without authentication turned on.

However, the United States is firmly in

consequences. In 2016, the average

Cloud security continues to challenge

the crosshairs of attackers as the number-

ransom spiked 266 percent with criminals

CIOs. According to Symantec data, CIOs

one targeted country. Symantec found 64

demanding an average of USD 1,077 per

have lost track of how many cloud apps

percent of American ransomware victims

victim up from USD294 as reported for the

are used inside their organizations. When

are willing to pay a ransom, compared to

previous year.

asked, most assume their organizations

34 percent globally. Unfortunately, this has

Cracks in the cloud: The next frontier

use up to 40 cloud apps when in reality the number nears 1,000. This disparity can lead to a lack of policies and procedures for how employees access cloud services,

Symantec’s “Internet Security Threat Report” provides an overview and analysis of the year in global threat activity. The report is based on data from Symantec’s Global Intelligence Network, which Symantec analysts use to identify, analyze and provide commentary on emerging trends in attacks, malicious code activity, phishing and spam.

which in turn makes cloud apps riskier. These cracks found in the cloud are taking shape. Symantec predicts that unless CIOs get a firmer grip on the cloud apps used inside their organizations, they will see a shift in how threats enter their environment. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 93

Trendz

tech Trends

Are SDN and NFV Technologies the future of network? Yes, say experts as fast changing dynamics of communication and telecom calls for a new approach to network management

94 | june 2017

he spiraling demand for data is

by Konnect Worldwide Business Media,

and implementations and will be ready by

changing the dynamics of the

leading telecom and network experts

2020 for providing a differentiated level of

communication and telecom

agreed that future of network belongs

experience to their consumers.

industry globally, fuelling

to SDN & NFV. Experts also believe that

He further added that three key pillars

the need for service providers to adapt to

SDN and NVF technologies will transform

which support NFV network transformation

improved technologies that offer simplified

business models across the world.

are Hardware Resource Pooling, Fully

and seamless modes of communication

“The future belongs to smarter networks

Automated Operations bringing significant

while maintaining high standards of quality

that have the capability to self-drive and

efficiencies to the network and Distributed

and agility. The SDN and NFV technologies

maintain the networks intelligently,”

Software Architecture, which helps in

offer a new dimension of better optimisation

pointed out Chandan Kumar, Director

reduction of services TTM from months to

of capabilities to proffer disruption and

Marketing & Integrated Solutions, Huawei

days.

monetisation through innovation in the

Telecommunications. He added that

Shyamal Kumar, Founder & CEO,

world of smarter networks.

Huawai was already working with global

Lavelle Networks, feel that proliferation

SDN and NFV technologies are also set

operators across regions to deploy NFV

of cloud architecture would be fuel for

to transform ICT and telecommunications

solutions making their networks smarter

deployment of SDN & NFV technologies.

sector in India believe domain experts. At

and 5G ready. Mr Kumar points out that

“Everyone uses the cloud today in some

the recent India’s very first summit on SDN

global telecom majors like AT&T, Telefonica,

way or another. The biggest infrastructure

and NFV Technology – The SDN & NFV

Vodafone have already laid roadmaps to

between you and the cloud is the network.

India Conclave 2017, Mumbai – organized

move forward with NFV & SDN planning

Service providers and enterprises the world

MYMOBILE

over are turning to SDN & NFV technology

space will mean the infrastructural base

to make their networks simpler, safer and

of providing 5G mobile networks in India

faster, while maintaining the right balance

in the near future,” pointed out Rahul

of TCO, ROI and constant innovation of

Sindhwani, CEO, Konnect Worldwide

service offerings,” points out Shyamal Kumar. Experts believe that FY18 will be a breakeven year for many operators across

Trendz

tech Trends

Europe & other developed markets for movement from Planning to Commercial

“The future belongs to smarter networks that have the capability to self-drive and maintain the networks intelligently” – Chandan Kumar, Director Marketing & Integrated Solutions, Huawei Telecommunications

Deployments of NFV based networks. “High speed data connectivity has become the basic demand of consumers today which requires an overhaul of existing networking technologies. NFV and SDN technologies are set to transform operations in the ICT industry by leaps and bounds, offering improved networks through virtualisation. It has been shown that these new models of communication and networks are viable for the Indian experience where the density and complexity of deliverables is considerably heavy. SDN and NFV technologies offer better scalability, security and prove cost efficient for telecom service providers. The latest innovation in the technological

The Architecture of Software - Defined Network Applications User Needs & Service Requirements

Management & Control Orchestration

Abstraction

Virtualization

Automation

Recursion

Network State

Management & Control

Resources

SDN: Software-Defined Networking technology is a modern approach to networking that eliminates the complex and static nature of legacy distributed network architectures through the use of a standards-based software abstraction between the network control plane and underlying data forwarding plane, including both physical and virtual devices. NFV: Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is a network architecture concept that uses the technologies of IT virtualization to virtualize entire classes of network node functions into building blocks that may connect, or chain together, to create communication services.

www.mymobileindia.com

“Everyone uses the cloud today in some way or another. The biggest infrastructure between you and the cloud is the network. Service providers and enterprises the world over are turning to SDN & NFV technology to make their networks simpler, safer and faster” – Shyamal Kumar, Founder & CEO, Lavelle Networks Business Media. Leading ICT and networking companies such as Huawei, Oracle, Lavelle Networks, Happiest Minds Technologies and Open Networking Foundation participated at the India NVF and SDN summit and offered live demonstrations and networking opportunities for businesses. n team@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 95

Trendz

Consumer insight

Slip Sliding Away Television viewership habit is dropping dramatically around the globe giving way to computers and smartphones!

igitization is savouring

an accelerating shift in the digital video

consumers (42 percent) said they would

another edifice of the past.

market consumer behavior.

rather view TV shows on a laptop or desktop,

And though it may be too

The global online survey is based on

up from 32 percent in last year’s survey.

early to write obit of television

feedback from 26,000 consumers in 26

Thirteen percent said they prefer watching

screens but writing on the wall is clear or

countries which reveals that consumers

TV shows on their smartphones, compared

should we say writing on the screen is clear.

now increasingly prefer to watch TV shows

with 10 percent last year. The decline in

The light is dimming as people around

on devices such as laptop and desktop

TV viewing over the past year tracks with

the globe are fast switching over from

personal computers and smartphones.

a four-year trend. As recently as 2014, the

television sets to desktops and laptops

According to survey, more than 4 in 10

survey revealed that nearly two-thirds (65

and their handsets to watch their favourite shows. A new Accenture survey titled “Winning Experiences in the New Video World” reveals a particularly steep decline over the past year in the percentage of India’s consumers who prefer to view TV shows on TV sets; which dropped 78 percent - from 47 percent to 10 percent. In the United States, the number fell 57 percent (from 59 percent to 25 percent), and in UK, it dropped 55 percent - from 56 percent to 25 percent. The survey signals

96 | june 2017

percent) of consumers preferred the TV set

“While consumers increasingly prefer to watch TV shows on laptops and desktops, the smartphone is becoming the preferred device for watching short video clips”

for viewing TV shows. Sports programmes saw the biggest switch as survey reveals that only one in five consumers (19 percent) now prefer to watch sports games on their TVs, down from 38 percent in the prior-year survey. “Over the past one year we have seen a surge in the launch of over-thetop services both, by global and Indian media and entertainment companies. The ever increasing penetration of the internet

MYMOBILE

The past four years show

Dramatic shifts

in how consumers use devices to watch video content 60 50 30

Sports games

20 10

Video clips

– Aditya Chaudhuri, Managing Director and Lead for Accenture’s Communications, Media and Technology Group in India

www.mymobileindia.com

55% one year drop - from 52% in 2016 to 23% in 2017 - in Consumers Who Prefer to Watch TV Shows on TV Sets

2017

23% 2014

23% 2017

32% 2016

52% 2016

LAPTOP/ DESKTOP PCs

42%

“Over the past one year we have seen a surge in the launch of over-thetop services both, by global and Indian media and entertainment companies. The ever increasing penetration of the internet mainly through mobile, backed by WiFi and broadband has helped this wave. This coupled with high-quality content hosted by the content providers has enticed the Indian consumers to view varied content both live broadcast and VOD on different devices”

41% 2017

TV shows

Computers overtake TV sets as preferred devices for watching TV shows

The smartphone has nearly doubled in preference for watching video clips.

mainly through mobile, backed by WiFi

prefer to view these clips on their TV sets

and broadband has helped this wave. This

dropped even more, from 16 percent to

coupled with high-quality content hosted

only 5 percent.

by the content providers has enticed the

Responding to Momentous Shift: The

Indian consumers to view varied content

report also makes several recommendations

both live broadcast and video-on-demand

for how media companies should

(VOD) on different devices,” said Aditya

respond to the shift in consumers’ video

Chaudhuri, managing director and lead

consumption habits from TV sets to other

for Accenture’s communications, media

devices. These include:

and technology group in India.

Identifying new ways to engage

While consumers increasingly prefer to

consumers with more-personalized

watch TV shows on laptops and desktops,

video content across more types of

the smartphone is becoming the preferred

screens;

device for watching short video clips. In

Using more granular consumer data,

the most-recent survey, more than one-

segments and predictive analytics

third (41 percent) of consumers said they

to help anticipate consumer

would rather view these clips on their

preferences and find content they

mobile handsets, a substantial increase

desire; and

from 28 percent last year. In contrast,

Trendz

consumer insight

Focusing more on their target

the number of consumers who said they

audiences to identify exactly what

would rather watch video clips on their

content their viewers want to receive

laptops and desktops dropped slightly,

— and when, for how long and on

from 47 percent to 44 percent over the

what type of screen.n

last year, while the number who said they

team@mymobile.co.in

Methodology n

Between October and November 2016, Accenture conducted an online survey with approximately 26,000 consumers in 26 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The sample in each country was representative of the online population.

Ages of respondents ranged from 14-to-55 and over.

The survey and related data modelling quantify consumer perceptions of digital devices, content and services, purchasing patterns, preference and trust in service providers, and the future of their connected lifestyles.

These findings are derived from a multiple-choice question answered by survey participants

june 2017 | 97

Profile

personality

Duan Yongping: The Reclusive Doyen of Mobile World

98 | june 2017

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birthplace of Mao Zedong’s Communist revolution,

Duan is the maverick mobile

is a Chinese electrical engineer, inventor,

entrepreneur who toppled Apple in China, something

entrepreneur and philanthropist. n

absolutely preposterous to

He is the founder of both the Subor Electronics Industry Corporation and BBK Electronics Group and also its current Chairman.

even think just three years back. Apple, after ruling

Duan Yongping, born 1961 in Jiangxi, the

Profile

personality

Headquartered at Chang’an, Dongguan, China, BBK Electronics Corporation is into making

China market for years, in

television sets, MP3 & Blu-ray players, digital cameras, cell phones and head phones.

terms of handset shipments, tested its first setback when it was toppled by homegrown brands Vivo and Oppo, from the house of BBK Electronics. This unthinkable feat made international headlines, suddenly catapulting world interest in the man who was behind this impossible looking

Vivo Headquarter n

fantastic feat. And as it emerged, BBK’s founder Duan

BBK owns three of the world’s top 10 mobile handset brands: Oppo, Vivo and OnePlus.

After majoring in wireless electronics engineering,

Yongping had never given an

Duan became a teacher at the adult education

interview to any media house

studied at Renmin University, where he majored

center of the Beijing Radio Tube Factory. Later, he

till then, so very little was known about him. The first media interaction happened

in econometrics. He also studied in CEIBS as an EMBA student for two years. n

became the CEO later. Within less than 6 years,

only some months back. There

he set up the business empire and created a very famous brand in Chinese community: Subor

is more to Duan Yongping than Vivo and Oppo - find out here. Duan has certainly

Electronics Industry Corporation. n

but owed 2 million RMB debts. But after Duan’s persistent efforts, Subor quickly became a top

figure in mobile space after the founder of

In the beginning, the company had only 20 workers including himself and 3000 RMB cash

emerged as the most maverick legendary Steve jobs,

In 1989, he joined a company in Zhongshan and

producer of the “learning computers.” n

Subor ended up making a profit of more than 200 million RMB during 1994-1995.

Apple Inc.

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 99

Profile

personality n

In 1995, Duan left Xiao Ba Wang and founded BBK Electronics in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, whose main product at the time was DVD players.

BBK started with Oppo and Vivo and later added One Plus into its portfolio. Duan with Warren Buffetf

Duan has been a big admirer of Apple and remains so. He is also supposed to own at least 1% of Apple’s stock.

He also has a house in Palo Alto, not very far off from Apple’s headquarters.

Despite being or rather being a great fan of Apple, Duan knew Apple inside out and knew which were the areas where Apple was weak and how the mobile giant could be beaten.

“Apple couldn’t beat us in China because even they have flaws. They’re maybe too stubborn sometimes. They made a lot of great things, like their operating system, but we surpass them in other areas” “Apple is an extraordinary company. It is a model for us to learn from. We don’t have the concept of surpassing anyone, the focus instead is to improve ourselves.”

At the age of 40, mid-2000, Duan was all set to retire and enjoy the company and the wealth he had created with his family in the US. But the arrival of smartphones leading to a crash of his then business forced him to change plans.

Duan at his alma mater where he donated USD 30 million n

Duan even thought of closing down his business.

In 2005, he and his protege Tony Chen decided to create a new company: Oppo started with music players but ramped up to smartphones only in 2011.

“Moat” is an important means to determine the intrinsic value of the company. Corporate culture is an important part of the moat. It is difficult to imagine a strong moat without a strong corporate culture”

In 2009, BBK created Vivo, headed by another of Duan’s disciples, Shen Wei.

100 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

“We were in serious discussions about how to close the company peacefully - in a way that the employees can leave unhurt and suppliers don’t lose money”

Despite being from the same house, Vivo and Oppo are fierce competitors for market share, everywhere they are present and this strategy has worked well for both brands.

Vivo and Oppo together shipped more than 147 million smartphones in China in 2016, topping

Profile

personality

Huawei’s 76.6 million units, Apple’s 44.9 million and Xiaomi’s 41.5 million.

“Making mobile phones was not my call but I reckoned we could do well in this market” Duan and his wife n

Duan is a great believer in work life balance and loves to spend most of his time with his journalist wife and kids. He is a USA citizen today.

Today, Duan owns 10% each in both Oppo and Vivo but does not interfere in any day-to-day running. He only attends their Board meetings and is called the Spiritual Guru of both companies. In his own words, he gets most of his information on Oppo and Vivo from the internet, to avoid “disturbing them.”

Daun is also a very savvy investor. He is supposed to hold close to 1% in Apple, Inc. He has bought shares on companies when they were rock bottom or on the verge of closure and when trade pundits had written off these companies. But he trusted his own instincts and has now made a killing with shares jumping up many notches today. Examples include Netease Inc shares which he bought for 13 cents and sold it when it was trading at USD40!

In 2007, Duan spent USD 620,100 to have lunch with Warren Buffett in 2007. Today due to his success and investment savvies, he is nicknamed “Chinese Buffett”.

Duan donated US dollar 30 million to Zhejiang University in September 2006. This is among the biggest endowment in recent years for higher education in mainland China. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 101

Buzz

International

China’s Smartphone Growth Softens while Market Consolidates Huawei, Oppo, Vivo firm up their grip on the Chinese market by garnering more than 50 percent share among them in Q1 2017

ccording to the latest

slowing

research from Counterpoint’s

considerably

Market Monitor service, the

as most of the

smartphones shipments in

effort was in re-

China grew by only a modest 4% annually

building inventory after

during Q1 2017 (Jan-Mar) and declined a

clearance in the first two months.

massive 20% sequentially.

This is in contrast to last year’s first

Commenting on the results, Research

quarter where the first two months were

Director James Yan highlighted, “We are

weaker in terms of both consumer demand

seeing the Chinese holiday season quarter

(sell-through) as well as supply (sell-in or

shipments remain soft, as most of the sell-in to the channel has now shifted to the end of December. Demand has reduced during the first quarter as most of the brands exited Q4 with higher channel inventory ahead of the Chinese New Year season, but the overall sell-through was relatively healthy, up 12% annually. However, the market continues to concentrate around a few players with the top five brands, out of hundreds of brands in the market, contributing to almost threequarters of the market volume.” Oppo and Vivo were the fastest growing brands followed by Huawei, together cementing the top three spots and extending their lead over Apple, Xiaomi and Samsung by a widening margin. Apple’s performance has become very seasonal, while Xiaomi and Samsung are losing to Huawei (Honor) and the Oppo-Vivo onslaught respectively. The Chinese smartphone market saw a healthy sell-through in the first two months of the quarter with March sell-through

102 | june 2017

shipments). We estimate the shipments to

“The Chinese smartphone market continues to concentrate around a few players with the top five brands, out of hundreds of brands in the market, contributing to almost three-quarters of the market volume” – James Yan, Research Director at Counterpoint

be healthy from May onwards, as the market comes back from inventory corrections. Commenting on the vendor performance, Research Analyst, Mengmeng Zhang noted, “Huawei regained the top spot this quarter surpassing Oppo, shipping higher volumes into the channels. Huawei’s Honor-branded 6x led the shipments, followed by the newly-launched flagship P10 series.” Zhang continued, “Oppo’s shipments into the channels declined sequentially during the quarter, thus slipping to the second spot. Oppo focused on clearing the excess inventory build-up due to the higher sell-in at the end of December quarter. However, compared to a year ago, Oppo was the fastest growing brand in China with shipment volumes up 81% annually. Oppo continued to focus on building a stronger channel presence from tier-1 to tier-4

MYMOBILE

Buzz

International Smartphone Shipment Growth for OEMs and Market in Q1 2017 100% 80%

2017: China Smartphone Shipments Growth (%)

81% 60%

60% 40%

25%

20%

0% -20%

-15%

-40%

-34%

-60%

-80% Oppo

Vivo

Huawei Total China Apple

Xiaomi

Samsung

Source : Market Monitor – Q1 2017

cities, aided by effective and very visible

product quality, design, and integrating

ATL and BTL promotional marketing. This

the latest and greatest camera technology

has helped to create a consistent demand-

to capitalize on the selfie mania, has

pull. Furthermore, razor sharp focus on

contributed to its success.”

“The mid-tier USD100199 and USD300-399 segments were fastest growing segments, mainly driven by Huawei, Oppo and vivo with strong offline plays. However, Apple has not been able to grow at the same pace in this segment which has capped its totaladdressable-market to the 4000 rmb or USD600+ wholesale segment. This is one of the key reasons that has put the brakes on Apple’s growth in China” – Neil Shah, Research Director at Counterpoint

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 103

Buzz

International “Vivo, adopting almost a similar, Oppolike strategy, has also cemented its position in the top three with a steady performance, as its shipments which grew a healthy 40% annually. Vivo’s X9 series continues to remain popular, making Vivo the number one brand in the fast-growing USD300400 segment in Q1 2017.” “The competition between Huawei, Oppo and Vivo continues to be fierce with the race for the top spot always up for grabs, especially in

the new models launch quarter.” Sharing insights on the different smartphone segments, Research Director,

OEM Smartphone Shipment Share in Q1 2017 Smartphone Shipments (Million Units)

2016Q.1

2017Q1

Huawei

16.6

20.8

Oppo

10.2

18.5

Vivo

11.3

18.1

Apple

12.5

10.7

8.7

3.5

29.1

25.6

Samsung Others Total China China Smartphone Shipments Share (%) Huawei

101.2

105.6

2016Q.1

2017Q1

16.4%

19.7%

fastest growing segments, mainly driven by Huawei, Oppo and vivo with strong offline plays. However, Apple has not been able to grow at the same pace in this segment which has capped its total-addressablemarket to the 4000 rmb or USD600+ wholesale segment. This is one of the key reasons that has put the brakes on Apple’s growth in China.” “The premium segment USD600+ or 4000rmb remained flat annually but shrunk 33% sequentially. Apple’s share of this super-premium segment remains at 80%, with five out of the top ten model SKUs belonging to Apple. The 4000 rmb and above segment mostly peaks during

Oppo

10.1%

17.5%

Vivo

11.2%

17.1%

shrinks for the rest of the year. This volatility

Apple

12.3%

10.1%

is because of Apple and affects Apple,

Xiaomi

12.6%

8.0%

still weak. Though we are seeing Huawei

8.6%

3.3%

with its Mate 9 series and players such

28.8%

24.2%

100.0%

Samsung Others Total

Source : Market Monitor – Q1 2017

104 | june 2017

Neil Shah noted, “The mid-tier USD100199 and USD300-399 segments were

the Apple iPhone launch quarter and

as competition in the premium space is

as Vivo trying to make some movement in this segment to attract premium Android users. n team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

In Focus

Special Feature

Vacation Apps

Enjoy Your Summer Sojourn the App Way By Ramesh Kumar Raja

ow that the summer vacations

brings boredom, so it’s better to venture

looking for a perfect holiday destination in

are here again, parents and

out for a sojourn to cool and calm places,

this season.

their kids must be equally

away from scorching sun and hustle and

However, what comes in between is

excited to spend a quality

bustle of our daily lives. From the majestic

the nightmarish thought of preparedness

time with each other. Staying at home in

peaks in the North to the calmness of the

– from managing cash during travel to

this nearly one and half-month long break

South, India has so much to offer for those

ordering food and getting travel tickets to booking a good hotel. People usually get perplexed while dealing with these issues. Thanks to the technology, mobile phones in particular, anyone can plan his/her summer safari smartly like never before. We’ve listed below some categories of apps that can help make the vacation more organised. They are easy to use and all handy, providing all necessary support and information for quick reference so that you can have a hassle-free holiday. So, pack all your travel essentials to enjoy the summer holiday the app way.

Mobile Wallets With India becoming digital, especially post demonetisation, you must have an

96 | april 2017

MYMOBILE

In Focus

Special Feature

and that you have plenty of time to do e-wallet being offered by many banking

everything you want (or need) to do while

and non-banking companies. Some of the

youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re traveling.

popular brands include Paytm, Mobikwik, FreeCharge, State Bank Buddy, ICICI

Transport

Pockets, Airtel Money and BHIM-Aadhaar

Although our travel choices have increased

Pay. For your convenience on the go and in

dramatically over the past few years,

order to enjoy the journey, it is essential to

visiting a new city is always a tedious task

keep a check on e-wallets. Updating your

unless you are well prepared. A number

mobile wallet from time to time can help

of multi-modal transportation apps have

you avoid searching for ATMs during your

emerged, including Trafi, ZopHop and

vacation.

YoRide, that combine transport modes

Tourism/Travel Planning

including walking, cycling, buses, cabs, metro rail and autorickshaws to give you

When apps have become pervasive across

the best option of reaching your destination

various spheres, the travel industry is one

within a particular city. These apps save

of the top industries to capitalize on them.

our day and make your commute more

To make sure you cover all the important

convenient. Among all these, ZopHop is

tourist destinations, downloading apps

the most widely popular app and available

such as TripIt, TouristEye, TripAdvisor,

in 15 cities. You can also book an Uber

TripCase and WorldMate can help plan

from the app.

your travel. Whether you are hitting the road or taking to the skies this

Accommodation

travel season, you could do with the

Finding a good hotel or a guest house

digital companion to

anywhere has always been a priority and apps

help you plan your

such as OYO Rooms, Airbnb and Trivago

itinerary, make

ease the process. These mobile apps have

sure your tickets

made even the last-minute hotel booking

and connections

way too easy. Especially if you are one of

are all lined up,

those who love to go on unplanned trips,

www.mymobileindia.com

such applications can come in really handy as they can save you from

several

travel hassles and help you find an accommodation suited to your taste as well as budget.

Food Getting good and hygienic food doubles the joy of the outstation trip. The mobile apps such as Swiggy, Zomato and Foodpanda can help to order food from nearby restaurants. There are now apps which let you order 24/7 so that you can travel hunger free. Even Google recently came up with a new food delivery and local services app named Aero. Now cab aggregator Uber is gearing up to launch its UberEats food delivery service in India sometime during this quarter. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

june 2017 | 107

In Conversation

face to face

“Anyone with a smartphone can sell easily on Kraftly” It’s a difficult job for artisans or small entrepreneurs, who operate from a very small set up, to sell their products or get them noticed online, a platform which is dominated by big brands. Similarly, there is a section of people who wish to buy some distinctive artifacts which are available at an offline setting but not on ecommerce sites. Kraftly, a C2C app founded by Saahil Goel, the CEO of BigFoot Retail Solutions Pvt. Ltd, is weeding out this gap for homepreneurs. The app enables individuals, hobby sellers and shop owners to create their own branded micro-shop, list their products and receive payments on the go, all this without the need of any paperwork. Kraftly manages the complete payment and logistics process for each seller, thereby allowing the long tail of small and home sellers to go online. Buyers are able to discover unique products in a personalised manner and directly interact with sellers. A philanthropist at heart, Saahil has worked with Habitat for Humanity in the US during his college days. Now he wants to give back to the community through Kraftly and has several NGOs as sellers like Khwaab Welfare Trust, Peeli Dori, Raah etc. on the platform. Ramesh Kumar Raja talked to Mr Goel to know the story behind the app, its technicalities, market position and how it is serving people as a mobile C2C platform. Excerpts: What makes Kraftly unique as every online

Furthermore, Kraftly follows a very

big quantities – Kraftly is different as it

marketplace is coming up with an app

different seller model from the other

promotes such sellers online. The idea

targeting consumers like never before?

shopping platforms in the market. The

behind Kraftly was to create a platform

Kraftly is an e-commerce platform for

sellers registered on the platform are not

where small sellers, designers and artists

small sellers, entrepreneurs, and artisans

the well-known big brands, easily available

can showcase their products and brands

to sell unique products online. Started

in brick and mortar, but the small scale

without getting lost in the clutter of other

with the purpose to connect small sellers

entrepreneurs, womenpreneurs and

shopping portals. Hence, predominantly,

and aspiring designers creating beautiful

homepreneurs with limited resources

Kraftly is a discovery platform – our

products for those looking to buy such

and willingness to showcase their unique

customers come here to discover new

products, Kraftly is the go-to-place for

creations online

products and styles.

a unique shopping experience. It is a

Traditionally, these sellers have

platform for unique products that are not

had limited success on online portals

How this app is helping entrepreneurs and

easily available on large shopping portals

which promote large sellers who sell in

smaller business platforms reap the dividends

108 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

face to face

In Conversation

of technology and maximize outreach? What were initial challenges? Due to the paradigm shift in the shopping habits of the buyers and growing internet penetration in India, most of the small scale entrepreneurs were looking for an online platform where they could showcase and sell their creations. For sellers, different verticals Payments, Logistics, Discovery and Marketing are handled by Kraftly. Onboarding on Kraftly for sellers takes less than a minute and is very simple. Anyone with a smartphone can sell easily on Kraftly. Our vision is to enable any seller who wants to sell online and offer them the right ecommerce enablement experience spanning across discovery, publishing, logistics and payments. Kraftly offers a simple sign-up using mobile and web-sellers, and use the online knowledge base for any help needed. We provide multiple tools to our sellers through our website and app. For instance, the feature of Social Selling enables sellers to share their products/shop/payment link on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and other social channels. We also market these products through social media, paid advertisements, mailers and more, and help them reach the potential buyer Initially, it was daunting for us to spread awareness amongst the sellers. A lot of sellers are unaware that solutions such as Kraftly exist that can help them start their online journey. In the initial stages, as we were a completely new concept, getting sellers to buy-in was a bit hard. In addition, since most of the sellers had minimal knowledge about the online space and technology, making them tech friendly and teaching them to

What is your current user base â&#x20AC;&#x201C; monthly active

learn and improve to render better services.

users and where do you want to take it in the

Our sellers had innovative products but

next few years? We host over 23,000 monthly

very minimal resources and often, knowledge

active sellers on Kraftly. With product and

to enter the online space. We can proudly

incredible technology innovation deeply

say that we have helped 70,000-plus

embedded in its DNA, Kraftly plans to scale

entrepreneurs, a majority of which are

the platform by bringing in more and more

womenpreneurs and homepreneurs, expand

sellers over the next few years and by creating

their business online.

a wide catalogue of unique products.

We have also presented a new segment

We want to be the one-stop-shop for all the

to the buyers which wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t earlier available

unique products. Connect every small scale

online. It has been our constant endeavor

entrepreneur with the right audience. It has

to support, encourage and promote

been our constant endeavor to provide ways

entrepreneurship through our platform.

for enhanced selling and buying model to our What are the platforms where the app is

operate online was another challenge.

clients and fortify their growth further.

How many installs Kraftly has amassed and how

How has been your experience of making it big

app is available at both iOS and Android. We

as most of the clients you deal with have been

have extremely high user engagement on our

doing businesses traditionally offline? The

mobile apps where sellers fire-up our app

experience can be explained in two words-

28-30 times a month. Retention rates are

learning and evolving. Since the launch in

also on the higher side as there are multiple

August 2015, we have been taking constant

tools available for sellers to increase their

feedback from not only our buyers on Kraftly

orders and grow their business online. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

many sellers it has signed up since its launch in 2015? We have over 70,000 sellers on our platform. We have been witnessing a tremendous increase in the seller count and a lot of new small scale sellers across India are joining the platform. Besides, we have amassed over 6 lakh installations.

www.mymobileindia.com

available and what is its retention rate? The

but also our sellers. This practice helps us

june 2017 | 109

by Invitation

Guest Column

Accomplishing Digital India Dream Smartphone is one device that would bridge the gulf between Bharat and India.

By Rahul Sharma segment of users, smartphones continue to remain a critical and central part of their life. Major Trends: We foresee a few trends in the coming year that will connect this user â&#x20AC;&#x201C; camera (both front and back camera), long lasting battery and security becoming a central concern for users. In fact, there are various phenomenons that are responsible for driving the rise in demand of these features. When you look closer at the recent developments, you have government initiatives driving adoption of a digital way of living- facilitating digital payments through smartphones, which drives greater concern around a smartphoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to protect data and the user simultaneously. The consumer trends also indicate a collusion of factors that are fuelling the want of better products.

Factors such as internet access especially echnology never stands still and

with basic features but at an affordable

fast mobile data and broadband; Gadgets,

with newer technologies being

price range.

especially smartphones and streaming

adopted as mainstream trends,

As per Morgan Stanley, India currently

media devices, and the app ecosystem-

the future for smartphones is

has 225 million smartphone subscribers in

make the users want more developed

an exciting space to witness. But there are

the country, accounting for 18 percent of

screen and stronger batteries. To explain

two stories to narrate with an India that is

the total population. The connected users

briefly:

so diverse in its needs and demands. There

are an important chunk as they lead the

Screens: The trend will be bezel less

is a side that wants the best confluence of

smartphone revolution drive in the country,

phones, curved screens, and sharper

hardware and software and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another

pushing brands and companies to bring in

resolutions to anything that a consumer

that demands for a smartphone powered

the best of technologies for India. For this

desires. As more visual data is consumed

110 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

on phones, users demand for improved

of mobile users together, connecting the

screens will become a directive for brands

under-explored Bharat to the larger ‘Digital

to follow. A protected and stronger screen

India’ dream.

is also going to be a top ask for users going forward.

“The country is at the cusp of embracing a digital revolution and mobile phones are being touted as one of the greatest mediums of change - like giving people in rural areas without a bank account access to financial services and providing healthcare services. The need of the hour is to make smartphones more accessible to an Indian consumer, power the next phase of smartphone adoption in the country by hand-holding consumers help them upgrade to smartphones. A journey that can only be made if a compelling device cost is made available to the users at competitive pricing.” www.mymobileindia.com

The unprecedented data war between mobile service providers has resulted in

Battery: More data, more internet, more

data charges of less than 10 rupees per

multi-tasking through phones mean that

gigabyte. Telecom industry is coming up

users want their phones to be with juice

with competitive tariffs that may lead to

almost all the time. While the best solution

zero-rated services on internet speed as

is to pack more milli-amperes into the

well. With every service provider dishing

batteries but the trend will be providing

out their own lucrative offers, and faster

quick charge capabilities to those large

internet speed, the country is at the cusp

batteries as well.

of embracing a digital revolution.

Security: Two clear trends in terms of

Mobile phones are being touted as one

security have emerged as well - Security

of the greatest mediums of change - like

of the user and security of the data. With

giving people in rural areas without a bank

the government putting efforts towards

account access to financial services and

integrated panic buttons on phones, User

providing healthcare services. Mobile data

security will be a key trend and a conscious

services would help to tackle key issues

push towards digital payments will further

plaguing education, health, finance,

enhance data security on smartphones as

agriculture and governance in India. On the

well. The ecosystem must come together

consumer side, the increase in smartphone

to ensure that there is work towards data

adoption and a growing demand for

security both at hardware and software

internet-based services, such as chat,

levels.

social media, video, and music through the

It’s also important to note that with a more experienced smartphone user,

mobile medium, will accelerate growth in mobile internet usage.

technology is no longer about smartphone

The need of the hour therefore is to

specifications- what then changes the

make smartphones more accessible to an

dynamics of the industry is the software

Indian consumer, power the next phase

that is built within the smartphone which

of smartphone adoption in the country by

will further create differentiators for

hand-holding consumers to upgrade to

brands.

smartphones. A journey can only be made if

Connecting Bharat to a Digital India While the hardware and software plot continues to develop, this is the most opportune time to educate, advocate

Guest Column

by invitation

a compelling device cost is made available to the users at competitive pricing. n The author is the co-founder of Micromax Informatics Ltd (makers of Micromax mobile phones, accessories and consumer durables and India’s largest homegrown mobile company) and also YU Televentures

and bring together the first generation

june 2017 | 111

Guest Column

by Invitation

India: An Emerging Hub for the Online Gaming Industry By Madhav Gupta

ith a median age of

virtual world, however, online gaming also

behaviour. Games that fail to capture the

under 35, India has the

opens up avenues for people to monetize

imagination of the public fail to engage

worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest youth

their hobbies. This has led to an increased

users for long time-spans. The objective

population and these

traction in the skill based games category.

is to create games that convert viewers to

early adopters of technology have fuelled

A notable example is of Chris Moneymaker,

consumers, hence creating a property to

the growth of online gaming in India over

who, in 2003, won a seat to USD10000

play the game. The advent of online games

the last decade. The recent proliferation

Main Event of the World Series of Poker in

and concepts like daily fantasy sports or

of smartphones and better internet

Las Vegas after entering a USD39 satellite

in cricket allows fans to engage with the

connectivity has facilitated this northward

tournament. He went on to win the event,

game they love making them arm chair

outlasting a field of

selectors that they always have been. We,

838 players and taking

at Baadshah Gaming, have redefined daily

home the coveted

fantasy sports with innovative formats like

bracelet as well as a

Chhota Game, which involves breaking

USD2.5 million prize

down a match into smaller segments.

for his first-place finish.

e.g., in a T20 game, an innings is broken

Additionally, recently

down to 3 segments (two 7 over and one

a lot of youngsters

6 over). Users can create mini teams of

have also taken up

two batsmen and two bowlers for each of

professional gaming

the three segments for the innings. Created

as a career option.

for the more casual cricket enthusiasts, as

trajectory and simultaneously catalysed the popularity of casual games like Clash of Clans and Temple Run and games of skill like Rummy, Poker and Fantasy Leagues. Recently, there has been a considerable shift from India being a destination for global giants like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft outsourcing their design and software development requirements for games, to India becoming one of the largest emerging markets for online games. According to a recent report by KPMG and Google, the Indian online gaming industry will add 190 million gamers and become a billion-dollar opportunity by 2021, from the USD290 million that it was in 2016. Today, a majority of gamers engage for recreation and social interaction in the

112 | JUNE 2017

Traditionally, Indian gamers do

opposed to the serious gamer, the Chhota

not allocate high spend amounts for

Game is more engaging and attracts the

online gaming as the regular Indian

gamer to log in multiple times during a

gamer, primarily in the age group of 18-

single match.

24,usually relies on proxies for payments.

The gaming industry offers enormous

However, the increased accessibility to

scope for aggressive development in the

bank accounts coupled with the evolved

next few years. It has come a long way since

digital payment landscape has eased this

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nascent stages in the late ninties and

challenge. Baadshah Gaming, on its part,

with better internet connectivity and rising

has endeavoured to increase the scope for

entertainment seeking behaviour, India is

potential players by offering poker games

certainly at the cusp of a massive growth

with buy-ins as low as Rs 20 and cricket

in the gaming industry. n

fantasy leagues for a nominal Rs 15. Furthermore, the gaming industry is also plagued with the problem of extending engagement levels of users by creating games connecting with social habits and

The author is Co-founder, Baadshah Gaming which is a first of its kind online portal that offers Poker, Fantasy League and Rummy under one roof. It aims at changing the perception of game of skills from being only a leisure activity to a career avenue.

MYMOBILE

brand Strategy

Guest Column

Leveraging a Craze to Cement Presence Vivo India’s dynamic Chief Marketing Officer Vivek Zhang explains why Vivo chose to associate with IPL – the biggest sports property in the sub-continent and what have been the gains.

ricket and films are inseparable part of almost every Indian –

even bigger way.

more so for the millennials. And

Here is what Mr Zhang has to say:

for mobile companies looking to

On cricket: In India, Cricket is not merely a

cement their presence in the world’s second

sport but is a religion. The Indian Premiere

largest and the fastest growing smartphone

League (IPL) offered a unique opportunity

market, nothing could give a bigger visibility

to reach out to millions of people

to their brands than associating with the

particularly the youth who are extremely

two. Little wonder there has been rush

passionate about cricket. Vivo bagged the

by mobile companies to get associated

title sponsorship for IPL 2016 and 2017 as

with either big ticket cricket properties or

cricket is one of the most popular sports and

Bollywood heartthrobs. But it was Vivo, the

IPL is rightly termed as the Mecca of talent

Chinese handset major from the house of

of cricket in the country. As a young brand, it

BBK Electronics which was really the trend

is imperative to create a bond with existing

setter in this market. Vivo caught everyone’s

as well as potential customers. Vivo as a

attention and made big headlines when it

brand is progressive, exploratory, innovative

replaced Pepsi as the title sponsorship of

and IPL is the right platform to showcase

IPL in 2016 and pouring in Rs 100 crore

our offerings for the Indian market.

a year each for a two year association. The

The outcome of our association with the

amount committed by it was Rs 20 crore

Indian Premier League has been a game

more than what Pepsi had been to IPL/

changer in the diverse Indian smartphone

BCCI.

market. In 2016, Vivo was one of the most

VIVO’s second season association with

recalled brands and our association as the

IPL has just ended and Haider Ali Khan of

title sponsor for IPL helped us garner an

My Mobile caught up with Vivek Zhang,

increase in customer engagement.

the dynamic CMO of Vivo India to find

The association proved to be extremely

out why the company went for in for such

fruitful for the company as it helped them

expensive IPL association and if there have

gain huge brand recall across the country

been the gains. Interestingly Oppo, which

and connect with the youth. The second

is also owned by the same parent company

innings of IPL as the title sponsor was

BBK Electronics but happens to its fierce

extremely power packed and cricket fans

competitor for market share, has also now

witnessed various interesting and engaging

jumped onto the cricket bandwagon - in an

activities like the Vivo IPL Trophy Tour, Fan

Parks, etc. On benefits in terms of market share and overall sales: In just over two years, Vivo has established itself as a premium smartphone brand with 15.49% market share according to the latest GSK report. In fact, Vivo has achieved the second position in a market recovering from the effects of demonetization. We owe this to our aggressive offline distribution network spread across India and our association with the Indian Premier League which is a one stop platform to reach out to our target audience across the country. On prospects of future association: Yes, absolutely. Our association has been extremely fruitful and we would love to associate with the Indian Premier League once again for the next edition. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

june 2017 | 113

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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 May 22, 2017)

Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quoted 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

JUNE 2017 I 115

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

PARAMETERS

HITECH

I-SMART

Pride 350

Model

IS-206 DJ

NEW

IS-204 Flip

NEW

IS-100 Pro

NEW

IS-101 Champ

NEW

IS-202i Xtraa

NEW

IS-205 Sleek

NEW

2.8/-

2.4-inch

1.8-inch

2.4-inch

Dimension (mm)

131 x 58 x 10.2

123x51x12.8

120x51.8x15.8

112x46.5x13.5

121.34x52.02x14.71

126.8x53x10.3

Weight (grams)

100

110g

ST 6531DA/NA

ARM926EJ-S Core 312MHz

Nucleus

32MB/32MB/8GB

32MB/32MB/16GB

Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable

32+32MB/-

Rear/Front Camera

1.3 MP/NA

1.3MP/No

1.3/No

1.3MP/No

Battery (mAh)

1800 mAh

1,200

850

1,000

2,700

1,450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Launched

1,549

1,110

1,440

729

1,099

1,020

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

32MB/32MB/16GB 32MB/32MB/16GB 32MB/32MB/8GB

UP TO RS. 2,499

Rs. 2,500 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Rs. 5,999

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

ITEL

PARAMETERS

Model

LEPHONE

Smart Power it5600 Smart Selfie it5231

HONOR

K1P

Honor Bee

Display (inches/res)

1.77/ 240 x 320

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.8

4.5/ 854 x 480

Dimension (mm)

116.6 x 50 x 15.8

124.5 x 54 x 11.4

112 x 46.5 x 13.9

123 x 51.5 x 13.5

123 x 51.8 x 14.9

121x51x12.1

134.3 x 66.7 X 10

Weight (grams)

102

170

Processor/RAM

260MHz/32Mb

360MHz/64Mb

312MHz /32MB

ST SC 7732/1GB

Android OS, v4.4

32MB/32GB

64MB/32GB

32MB / 32GB

8GB/32GB

Digital Camera

8MP/2MP

Operating system Storage/Expandable

0.08MP

0.08MP/0.3MP

Digital Camera

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

2500

1900

1000

1,450

2,500

1,450

1,730

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes

Yes/Yes

YES

Yes/Yes

April, 2016

May, 2016

August '2016

OCTOBER' 2016

August '2016

May, 2015

899

1,335

674

899

999

1,499

4,999

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

116 I JUNE 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

HITECH

PARAMETERS

Model

IN-FOCUS

INTEX

Amaze S9

Air A8

Bingo 10 (M415)

Bingo 21 (M 430)

Aqua Fish

Cloud Glory 4G

Cloud String HD

4.5 /-

5.0/ 540 x 960

4.5/ 480 x 854

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

142.4x72x9.6

134.2 x 68 x 9

144.5 x 72.5 x 8.7

Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

140 x 66.88 x 9.65

Weight (grams)

150

152

140

152

150

120

150

Processor/RAM

ST 7731/512MB

ST 7731/1GB

MT 6580A/1GB

ST Shark/2GB

Quad core/2GB

MT 6735M/ 1GB

SC 9832A/ 1GB

Operating system

5.1 Lollipop

5.2 Lollipop

Android OS, 6.0

Android 5.1

Sailfish 2.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/ 32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

1,400

2,000

2,300

2500

1,800

2,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

April, 2016

March, 2016

February,2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

2,999

4,999

4,399

5,499

3,999

5,599

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8 135.65 x 67.38 x 10.43 136.8 x 67 x 10.95

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

INTEX

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

ITEL

LEPHONE

Aqua Classic 2

Power Pro it1410

Wish it1507

Wish it1407

5/480/854

4/480/800

4/ 800 x 480

5/854 x 480

4/WVGA/TN

4.5/ 854x480

5 inch/854X480

145.2x72.6x10.9

124.1x64.2x9.8

124x64.7x12.2

144.4 x 73 x 8.5

125x64.3x10.9

134.5x68x10.2

143X6.72X5.10mm

136

126

177

qcta-core/1GB

quad-core/1GB

Dual core, 1.3 GHz/512MB

Quad core, 1.2 GHz/512MB

1.5GHz,/ 1 GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android4.4

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

8 GB/ 32 GB

1GB/8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

2.0MP/0.3MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

2.0MP/0.3MP

2 MP

5MP/2MP

2200

1800

2,800

2,400

1500mAh, Li-ion

1,300

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

YES

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes/Yes

YES

Yes

May, 2016

April, 2016

April.2016

OCTOBER' 2016

Launched

3,339

5,063

2,989

4699

4,999

Weight (grams) Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

4,600

3,333

JUNE 2017 I 117

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

PARAMETERS

LEPHONE

LYF

MICROMAX

VIDEOCON

W7+

Flame 1

Wind 7i

Canvas Juice 3 Q393

Canvas Spark 3

Canvas Bolt Selfie

Delite11

Display (inches/res)

5.0 /1280X720

4.5/854 x 480

5.0/1280x720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/854x480

5.0/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

143.6X72.5X9.1

132.6 x 66.2 x 9.3

143.5x72x8.7

146.66X74.3X10.52

Weight (grams)

151

138

156

151

Processor/RAM

1.3GHz Quad Core

QS 210/1GB

MT6580/2GB

quad-core/1GB

MTK6735/1GB

Quad-core/1GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

1GB/8GB/32GB

8GB/128GB

8GB/32GB

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

1,800

2,000

2,250

4,000

2,500

1,750

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launched

February, 2015

March, 2016

May, 2016

5,999

5,499

4,171

4,848

4,849

5,840

Model

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

4,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

Model

Astra Metal 4G

NEW

Astra Colors 4G

NEW

Astra NXT+

NEW

Zi-34

NEW

Astra Prism

NEW

Astra Zing

NEW

Astra Zoom

NEW

5/480X854

5/720X1280

4 inch

3.5 inch

5 inch

4 inch

Dimension (mm)

143.8X73.3X10.4

142.9X71.65X11

125.4X64.2X13

116.2X61.4X11.3

134.4X67X10.1

124X64X10.1

125 x 64 x 10.2

Weight (grams)

171

182

130

108

119

105

107

Processor/RAM

1.5Ghz Quad-core ARM

Spreadtrum

1.2 GHz Quadcore

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

1GB/8GB

256 MB/512 MB

512 MB/4GB

512MB/4GB

512MB/8GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

2MP/0.3MP

0.3MP/ 0.3MP

0.3MP/2MP

0.4MP/0.3MP

3,000

4,000

2,000

1,200

1,700

1,400

1,450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Launched

5,553

6,499

3,703

2,993

3,813

3,653

3,703

Display (inches/res)

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

118 I JUNE 2017

512MB+4GB(DDR2) 2xCortex-A7,32bit 1.2 GHz Quadcore

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

Astra Zing+

Model

Astra NXT

NEW

ASUS

Astra NXT 4G

NEW

Astra Force 4G

NEW

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

Zenfone Max

Zenfone C ZC451CG

5 inch

4 inch

5 inch

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 720 x 1280

4.5/480 x 854

Dimension (mm)

146.4X73.6X10.1

125X65X10

123.5*64.2*10.5

144X73.5X10

152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9

156 x 77.5 x 10.55

136.5 x 67 x 10.9

Weight (grams)

107

110

172

Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

1.2 GHz Quadcore 1.2 GHz Quadcore

111 SC9832A Quad-core ARM

170

202

150

SC9832A Quad-core ARM

QS 410/2GB

QS 615/ 2GB, 3GB

IA Z2520/ 1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Storage/Expandable

512MB/8GB

512MB/4GB

4GB/512MB

1GB/16GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB, 64GB

8GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

0.3MP/5MP

2MP/0.3MP

5MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/0.3MP

2,000

1,600

1,450

3,000

5,000

2,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launched

August, 2015

May, 2016

January, 2015

4,323

3,603

3,599

6,053

9,299

9,325/ 12,999

5,499

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

CELKON

COOLPAD

Q550

Note 3 Lite

Mega 2.5D

Note 3 Plus

Mega 3

Note 3

Note 3s

Display (inches/res)

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

145.6 x 71.8 x 8

140.8 x 70.4 x 8.9

153x77x8

151.9 x 77 x 9.3

154.4x76.8x8.35

152 x 77 x 9

154.5x77x8.6

Weight (grams)

149

141

168

171

150

167

Processor/RAM

Broadcom/2GB

MT6735/3GB

Quad core/3GB

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/2GB

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/3GB

Android Kitkat 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android6.0

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

32GB/32GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,500

3,000

3,050

3,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Launch

2,014

January, 2016

August, 2016

May, 2016

November,2016

October, 2015

November,2016

Price Rs.

7,499

6,999

8,999

6,999

8,999

9,999

Model

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

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

JUNE 2017 I 119

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

COOLPAD

GIONEE

Model

Note 5 Lite

Honor Holly 3

Honor Holly 2 Plus

Air A9

M 350 (16GB)

M680

Display (inches/res)

5/1280X970

5.0/720x1280

5.5/1920x1080

4.8/720 x 1280

5.0-inch, 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

145.3X72.3X8.7

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

Weight (grams)

148

160

152

146

158

Processor/RAM

MT6735/3GB

Quad-core/2GB

Kirin 620/2GB

MT6735P /2GB

MT 3735M/2GB

MT6732/2GB

MT 6753/2GB

Android6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 5.1

16GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

13MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

2,500

2,300

3,100

4,000

3,500

2,500

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

March, 2017

December,2016

October, 2016

February, 2016

June, 2015

December, 2015

8,199

9,999

8,499

6,999

8,999

PARAMETERS

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

HONOR

IN-FOCUS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

HITECH

PARAMETERS

IN-FOCUS

INTEX

I-SMART IS-57i

ITEL

M810

Aqua S7

Aqua Secure

Aqua View

5.5/1080x1920

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0-inch/480 x 854 5.0-inch/720 x 1280

5/FWVGA/TN

Dimension (mm)

153.70 x 76.20 x 6.99

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

143x72x8.65

Weight (grams)

155

150

130

146

155

170

Processor/RAM

QS 801/ 2GB

Quad core/3GB

MTK6735M/ 1GB

MTK6735P/ 1GB

Quad Core/1 GB

Quad core/1GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/ 32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

5MP/ 2MP

8MP/5MP

8.0MP/3.2MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

2,600

3,200

1,900

2,200

2,100

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

Yes/Yes

July, 2015

September, 2016

May, 2016

June, 2016

September, 2016

September, 2015

June, 2016

9,999

9,499

6,499

8,999

6,499

6,999

6,000

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

120 I JUNE 2017

IS-56i HD Mercury V6

Wish it1512

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

ITEL

PARAMETERS

KARA

LAVA X10

Pixel V2

X50+

5.0-inch, HD IPS,

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1280x720

152.4X77.1X9.5

142 x 70.8 x 7.9

141.6 x 70.8 x 7.6

155x71.8x8.85

184

133

128

155

Quad core /3GB

Quad Core/ 2GB

quad-core/2GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

1GB/16GB

2GB/16GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/32GB

8.0MP/2.0MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

5,050

2,500

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

152.4X77.1X9.5

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

April, 2016

Launched

November, 2015

September, 2015

7,290

6,999

7,499

9,099

9,999

8,499

Power Pro it1553

Selfie Pro it1511

5.5)

5.0/1280 x 720

5.0-inch, HD IPS,

Dimension (mm)

138.5x69.5x9.8

152.4X77.1X9.5

Weight (grams)

184

Quad core/1GB

1.3GHz Quad Core (64bit)

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

8.0MP/2.0MP

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

Mega 4

NEW

1.3GHz Quad Core (64bit)

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

9,199

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

Mega 2

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

Model

W12

NEW

LENOVO

W11

NEW

Vibe P1m

K5 Plus

K3 Note

K6 Power

Display (inches/res)

5.0 /1280X720

5.0/1280X720

5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

145.2X72.4X10

144X72.4X9.5

142 x 71 x 7.99

141 x 71.8 x 9.3

142 x 71 x 8.2

152.6 x 76.2 x 8

141.9x70.3x9.3

Weight (grams)

148

161

142

148

142

150

145

QS 415/ 2GB

MT6735P /2GB

QS616/2GB

MT6752 /2GB

QS 430/3GB

Processor/RAM

1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core Android 6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

1GB/16GB/32GB

16GB/ Yes

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

2,000

2,750

4,000

2750

2,900

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Launched

June, 2016

September, 2015

April, 2016

March, 2015

November,2016

6,399

6,999

7,499

8,499

9,999

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

Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JUNE 2017 I 121

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

LYF

MICROMAX

Wind 5

Canvas Unite 4

Canvas Amaze 2

Canvas XP 4G

Canvas 5

Canvas Unite 4 Pro

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

5.0/ 1280 x 720

144.6 x 72.8 x 8.45 143.6 x 72.5 x 8.95 137

MT6735P/ 1GB

1.1GHz Quad Core/ 1.5GB

MTK 6735P/1GB

QS415/ 2GB

MT6735P/3GB

MT6753/3GB

Quad core/ 2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/ 5MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

2,000

2,125

2,500

2,000

2,900

3,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2015

June, 2016

6,599

8,690

6,999

7,499

9,999

7,499

Weight (grams) Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Model

Canvas Sliver 5

Moto G4 Play

Moto E3 Power

Eluga Tapp

Galaxy J1 4G

Galaxy On5

Galaxy On 5 Pro

Display (inches/res)

4.8/720 x 1280

5/720x1280

5/1280x720

4.3/480x800

5.0/720 x 1280

5.0/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

5.1mm thick

144.4x72x9.9

148.3x71.6x9.55

142x70x8.6

129x68.2x8.9

142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

137

153

138

131

149

Processor/RAM

QS 410 /2GB

QS 410/2GB

MTK6735P/2GB

MTK6737V/2GB

Quad-core/1GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Quad core/ 2GB

Operating system

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4 KitKat

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/No

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

4GB/256GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

2,000

2,800

3,500

2,800

2,050

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

2,015

September, 2016

Januray 2017

October, 2015

July, 2016

Price Rs.

8,387

8,999

7,999

6,890

7,490

7,990

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

122 I JUNE 2017

8,189

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

TCL

Galaxy J2 (2016) Galaxy J2 Pro (2016)

Model

XIAOMI

TCL 560

TCL 562

Redmi 2 Prime 4.7/720 x 1280

Redmi 3S/ 3s Prime Redmi Note Prime

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5/720x1280

5.5/ 1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

142.4 x 71.1 x 8.0

142.4x71.1x8

152x77x8

Weight (grams)

138

156

150

133

144

185

Processor/RAM

Quad core/ 1.5GB

Quad core/2GB

QS 210/2GB

MT6755M/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/ 2GB, 3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Storage/Expandable

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

2,600

2,500

2,960

2,200

4,100

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

July,2016

July, 2016

July,2016

August, 2015

August, 2016

December, 2015

9,750

9,490

6,999

9,999

6,999

6,999/ 8,999

7,999

Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

134.00 x 67.20 x 9.4 139.4 X 69.7 X 8.5

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

5.5/720 x 1280 154 x 78.7 x 9.45

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

5/ 1280X720

XIAOMI

PARAMETERS

VIDEOCON

Redmi Note 3

Redmi 3s Plus

Redemi Note 4

Graphite2

Graphite1

Delite21

Krypton3

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1280x720

5.5/1080X1920

4.5/1280x720

5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

150 x 76 x 8.65

139.3x69.6x8.5

151X76X8.3

137.55X70.28X10

136.76X69X10

146.66X74.3X10.52

144.5X73.14X9.74

Weight (grams)

164

144

165

129

127

151

153

Processor/RAM

QS 650/2GB,3GB

QS 430/2GB

QS625/2GB,3GB,4GB

Quad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

16GB,32GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

4,000

4000/4100

4,100

2,000

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes (Hybrid)

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yees

Yes/Yes

Launch

March, 2016

October,2016

January, 2017

Price Rs.

9,999/ 11,999

9,499

9,999

6,299

6,499

7,200

7,999

Model

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

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

JUNE 2017 I 123

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS

ZEN

ZOPO

ZTE

Ultra30

Ultra50

Yunique

Yuphoria

Cinemax 3

ZP331

Blade V6

Display (inches/res)

5/1920X1080

4.7/720x1280

5.0/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

144.31X73X10

133 x 65.7 x 8.5

142X69.5X6.8

Weight (grams)

153

186

128

143

August,2016

113

122

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410 / 1GB

Quad core / 2GB

Quad core/2GB

Quad core/1GB

MTK 6735/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8 GB/64 GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/3.2MP

5 MP/2 MP

13MP/5MP

4,000

3,000

2,000

2,230

2,900

1,700

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2015

May, 2015

August, 2016

July, 2016

9,990

6,300

6,499

6,999

7,500

9,999

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

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

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

ASUS

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

COOLPAD

Zenfone 2 (2GB/4GB)

Zenfone Selfie

Zenfone 3 lazer

Zenfone 3 Max(ZC520TL)

Zenfone 3S Max (ZC521TL)

Coolpad Note 5

Cool 1

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1280x720

5.2/1280X720

5.5/1920x1080

5.50/1080x1920

149x76x7.9

149x73.7x8.55

152.00 x 74.80 x 8.20

173

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8

Weight (grams)

170

Processor/RAM

IA Z3560 /2GB

QS615 /2GB,3GB

QS 430.4GB

Quad-core/3GB

Octa-core/3GB

QS 617/4GB

1.4GHz octa-core

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB2TB

32GB/64GB

32GB

Operating system Storage/Expandable

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

148

13MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

3,000

4,100

5,000

4,010

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

March, 2015

August, 2015

October,2016

November,2016

feb 20917

October, 2016

January, 2017

13,999, 18,999

10,999/ 16,999

18,999

12,999

14,999

10,999

13,999

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

124 I JUNE 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

HONOR

HTC

INFOCUS

F 103 Pro

Marathon M5 Lite

Honor 5C

Honor 5X

Honor 6X

Desire 630

Epic 1

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/720 x 1280

5.2/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

145.3 x 70.5 x 8.5

143 x 69.9 x 8.5

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

Weight (grams)

142

182

156

158

162

140

Processor/RAM

Quad core/ 3GB

Quad Core/3GB

Kirin 650/ 2GB

QS 616 /2GB

Kirin 655

QS 400/2GB

Decca-core/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

12 and 2MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

2,400

4,000

3,000

3,340

2,200

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

December, 2015

June, 2016

January, 2016

Jnauray 2017

February, 2016

November,2016

11,999

13,000

10,999

12,999

14,990

12,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

Model

KARA Mega 1

NEW

5.5/-

Display (inches/res)

LAVA

LEECO

LENOVO

Le 1S

Le 2

Phab 2

Vibe K4 Note

Vibe S1

5.5/720x1280

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080x1920

151.9 x 94.7 x 8.3 151.9 x 74.2 x 7.6 151.1 x 74.2 x 7.7

175x89.5x6.89

Dimension (mm)

152.4X77.1X9.5

Weight (grams)

184

153

169

153

225

158

132

Processor/RAM

1.5GHz Quad Core (64bit)

Quad core/3GB

"MT H X10/3GB"

QS 652/ 3GB

MTK8735/3GB

MT 6753/3GB

MT6752/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

3GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/No

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8 MP + 2 MP

4,000

3,000

4,050

3,300

2,420

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Launched

January, 2016

June, 2016

December,2016

January, 2016

November, 2015

12,999

11,299

10,999

11,999

12,999

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

153.67 X 76.45 X 9.14 143.3 x 70.8 x 7.8

JUNE 2017 I 125

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

Phab Plus

Vibe K5 Note

Phab 2 Plus

Water 7

K 10

X Screen

Display (inches/res)

6.8/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.3/ 1280 x 720

4.93/ 1280x720

Dimension (mm)

186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6

152x75.7x8.49

174x88x5.5

155.3 x 77.2 x 8.55

155.5x77.6x7.9

146.6x74.8x8.8

142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1

Weight (grams)

229

165

218

160

153

140

120

Processor/RAM

QS 615 /2GB

Helio P10/4GB

MT/3GB

QS 615/ 2GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP.8MP

13MP,13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

3,500

4,050

3,000

3,200

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

October, 2015

Jaunuary,2016

November,2016

June, 2016

October,2016

January, 2016

July, 2016

14,999

13,499

14,999

12,999

13,099

12,999

12,990

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

G4 Stylus

Canvas 6

Canvas 6 Pro

Moto G Turbo Edition

Moto G4

Moto G4 Plus

G5 Plus

5.7/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920X1080

5.2/1980X1080

Dimension (mm)

154.4 x 79.2 x 9.4

142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6

153 x 76.6 x 7.9

153X76.6X9.8

153X76X9.6

Weight (grams)

163

155

Processor/RAM

QS 400 /1GB

MT6753/3GB

Helio x10/4GB

QS 615 /2GB

QS 617/2GB

QS 617/2GB,3GB

QS 625 Octa-core

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0.1

Android 6.1

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

Yes/Yes

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

3,000

2,470

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

May, 2015

May, 2016

2,015

May, 2016

May,2016

March, 2017

13,869

13,999

9,999

12,499

13,499/ 14,999

14,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

126 I JUNE 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

NUBIA

PARAMETERS

PANASONIC

MOTOROLA

SAMSUNG

Z11 Mini

Eluga Note

Eluga Arc

Eluga Pulse X

Moto X (2nd Gen)

Galaxy On7

5/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.7/720x1280

5.5/1280X720

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

141.4x70x8

150.9x79x8.9

146.00x74.50x8.10

139 x 67 x 8.10

140.8 x 72.4 x 9.9

77.5x151.8x8.2

Weight (grams)

138

190

142

130

152

144

171

Processor/RAM

QS/3GB

MTK P10/3GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS801 /2GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/64GB

8GB/128GB

16MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

16MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

2,800

5,000

3,000

1,800

3,000

2,300

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

October,2016

December,2016

July, 2016

April,2016

March, 2017

2,015

October, 2015

12,999

11,999

13,290

12,490

10,990

16✌999/ 17,999

11,990

Model Display (inches/res)

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

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

XIAOMI

Galaxy J5

Galaxy J Max

Galaxy J5 (2016)

Galaxy J7

J5 Prime

Galaxy On7 Pro

Mi 4i

5.0/1280 x 720

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

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

142.1 x 71.8 x 7.9 186.9 x 108.8 x 8.7

Weight (grams)

146

158

171

143

171

130

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/1.5GB

Quad core/1.5GB

QS 410/2GB

Octa Core/1.5GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 615/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/128GB

8GB/200GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB,32GB/No

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

2,600

4,000

3,100

3,000

2,400

3,000

3,120

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2015

July, 2016

May, 2016

2,015

September,2016

July, 2016

April, 2015

11,390

13,400

13,990

14,250

14,790

11,190

11,999/ 14,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JUNE 2017 I 127

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIDEOCON

VIVO

Mi Max

Cube3

Y51L

Y55L

Y55S

YUREKA PLUS (YU5510A,YU5510 )

Display (inches/res)

6.44/1920x1080

5/1280x720

5.0/ 540x960

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/(1080X1920)

Dimension (mm)

173.1x88.3x7.5

147.9x72.9x7.5

155 x 78 x 9

153.3X75.4X8.5

Weight (grams)

203

152.5

157

142

154

172

Processor/RAM

QS 650,652/3GB,4GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/2GB

QS 425/3GB

QS 615/2GB

MT Helio P10/4GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Androis 5.1.1

32GB,128GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

4,850

3000

2,350

2,650

2,730

2,500

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

June,2016

January, 2016

October,2016

March, 2017

July, 2015

May,2016

14,999

10,490

10,700

11,980

12,490

8,999

12,999

Model

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

144.5X73.14X9.74 143.80 x 71.70 x 7.52

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

Yunicorn

PARAMETERS

ZOPO

ASUS Zenfone 3 Max (ZC553KL)

Yureka Note

ZP350

ZP370

Hero 1

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

6.0/1080 x 1920

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

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

Weight (grams)

137

167

136

175

190

175

Processor/RAM

MTK6753T/3GB

Quad-core/1GB

Ouad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

QS 801/3GB

QS 616/3GB

QS 430/3GB

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/Yes

8GB/64GB

16 GB/64 GB

64GB/No

32GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

8.0MP/2.0MP

13.2 MP/5.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

4,000

2,100

3,000

2,500

4,100

3,000

4,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/No

Model Display (inches/res)

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

128 I JUNE 2017

April, 2016

May, 2016

December, 2015

November,2016

13,499

10,000

11,000

14,500

13,499

16,499

17,999

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

PARAMETERS

CREO

GIONEE

HTC

Mark 1

Marathon M5

S6s

Desire 728 LTE

Desire 828

Desire 825

5.5/ 1440x2560

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

155.4 x 76.1 x 8.7

152 x 76 x 8.6

151.9 x 74.6 x 6.9

154.5x75.6x8.15

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.8

157.9 x 77.8 x 7.89

156.9 x 76.9 x 7.4

Weight (grams)

190

211

147

166

153

148

155

MT6753/2GB

MT6753/1.5GB

QS 400/2GB

Model Display (inches/res)

1.3GHZ OCTA CORE/3GB

Helio X10 /3GB

MT6735/3GB

MT6753T /3GB

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

32GB/-

32GB/128GB

32gb/128gb

16GB/200GB

16GB/2TB

21MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,100

6,020

3,150

3,159

2,800

2,700

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

April,2016

November,2015

November, 2015

August,2016

November, 2015

February, 2016

19,999

17,500

19,999

17, 999

15,500

18,700

14,490

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

HTC

PARAMETERS

LENOVO

LYF

HTC 10 Lifestyle

Vibe P1

Vibe Shot

Vibe X3

Z2 Plus

Earth 1

Earth 2

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

156.9x76.9x7.7

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

Weight (grams)

155

187

145

175

150

162.5.

140

Processor/RAM

QS 400/3GB

QS615 /2GB

QS 615/3GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/3GB,4GB

QS 615/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP + 2MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

2,700

5,000

3,000

3,500

2500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

September,2016

October, 2015

June, 2015

December, 2015

September,2016

January, 2016

15,990

15,499

18,500

19,999

19,499

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

19,999

JUNE 2017 I 129

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MOTOROLA

NEXTBIT

OPPO

Moto X Play

Robin

F1 S

Galaxy J7 (2016)

Galaxy On8

On Nxt

J7 Prime

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

148 x 75 x 10.9

149 x 72 x 7

154 x 76 x 7.38

76 x 151 x 7.8

151.7x76x7.8

151.7x75x8

Weight (grams)

169

160

169

167

Processor/RAM

QS615 /2GB

QS 808/3GB

MTK 6750/3GB

Exynos 7870/2GB

Octa-core/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/ 100GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

16MP/256GB

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

3,630

2,680

3,075

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes/Yes

Sept, 2015

May, 2016

August, 2016

May, 2016

September,2016

October,2016

September,2016

16,999/ 17,999

19,999

17,990

15,990

15,900

18,490

18,790

PARAMETERS

Model

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

SAMSUNG

VIVO

PARAMETERS

ZOPO

APPLE

ASUS

ZOPO SPEED 7

ZOPO SPEED 7 PLUS

iPhone 5S

Zenfone 3

Zenfone 3 Ultra

5.0/1280×720

5.5/1280x720

5.0/1920 x 1080

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

153.6 x 76.5 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

138

154

164

112

144

233

Processor/RAM

QS 616/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Octa-core/3GB

Octa-core /3GB

Dual-core/1GB

QS 625/3GB,4GB

QS 652/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

iOS 9.2.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16 GB/64 GB

16GB,32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/20MP

13 MP/5.0MP

8MP/1.2MP

16MP/8MP

23MP/8MP

2,550

3,000

2,500

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

September, 2013

August,2016

August, 2016

17,980

18,288

15,500

17,500

23,000 onwards

21,999/ 27,999

29,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

130 I JUNE 2017

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

21,990

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

LEECO

Model

Desire 10 Pro

Max 2

Stylus 2

Stylus 2 Plus

Nexus 5X

Moto X Style

Moto Z Play

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/(2560X1440)

5.7/1280X720

5.7/ 1920 x 1080

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.7/ 1440 x 2560

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

156.5x76x7.86

156.8 x 77.6 x 7.99

155 x 79.6 x 7.4

155 X 79.6 X 7.4

147 x 72.6 x 7.9

153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06

156.4x76.4x6.99

Weight (grams)

165

185

145

146

136

179

165

Processor/RAM

Helio P10/4GB

QS 820/4GB, 6GB

Quad Core /2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 808/2GB

QS 808/3GB

QS 625/3GB

Android 6.0

64GB/2TB

32GB, 64GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

16GB,32GB/No

16GB,32GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

20MP/13MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

16MP/8MP

12.3MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

3000

3,100

3,000

2,700

3,000

3,510

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November,2016

June,2016

May,2016

July, 2016

October, 2015

September, 2015

October,2016

26,490

22,999/ 29,999

20,500

24,000

24,490/30,645

26,999/ 28,999

24,999

PARAMETERS

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

MOTOROLA

JUNE 2017 I 131

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

PARAMETERS

NUBIA

ONEPLUS

SAMSUNG

Z11

Galaxy A7

Galaxy A5 (2016)

Galaxy A7 (2016)

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920z1080

5.5/1080p

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

151.8x72.3x7.5

151.8x74.9x9.85

152.7X74.7X7.35

152.7x74.5x7.35

151 x 76.2 x 6.3

144.8 x 71 x 7.3

151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3

Weight (grams)

162

175

158

141

153

169

Processor/RAM

QS 820/6GB

QS 810/3GB&4GB

QS 820/6GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa Core/2GB

Octa Core/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

64GB/2TB

64GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

16MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

3000

3,300

3,000

3400

2,600

2,900

3,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

December,2016

July, 2015

June, 2016

December.2016

February, 2015

April, 2016

December, 2015

29,999

22,999

27,999

29,999

22,900

21,900

25,900

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

SMARTRON

Galaxy A5/A7 (2017)

t phone

Xperia C4

Xperia XA

Xperia Z3+

Xperia C5 Ultra Dual

Xperia M5 Dual

5.2/5.5/1080X1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.0/1280 x 720

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

6.0/1080 x 1920

5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

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

158.2x78.2x6.98

150.3 x 77.4 x 7.9

143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9

146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9

164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2

145 x 72 x 7.6

Weight (grams)

157/I86

149

147

137

144

187

143

Processor/RAM

Octa Core/2GB/3GB

QS 810/4GB

MT6752/2GB

MTK H P10/2GB

QS 810 /3GB

MTK6752/2GB

MT H X10/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/256GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

16MP/16MP/16MP/ 16MP

13MP/4MP

13MP/5MP

20.7MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21.5MP/13MP

3000/3600

3,000

2,600

2,300

2,930

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yYes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

March, 2017

July,2016

June, 2015

May, 2016

June, 2015

August, 2015

September, 2015

Price Rs.

28990/33490

22,999

20,800

20,990

26,990

27,799

27,990

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

132 I JUNE 2017

SONY

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

XIAOMI

Xperia XA Ultra

Mi 5

X5 Pro

V3 Max

V5 Plus

iPhone 6

iPhone 6Plus

6/1920x1080

5.15/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

164x79x8.4

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

138.1 x 67 x 6.9

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1

Weight (grams)

202

129

151

168

159

129

172

Processor/RAM

MT6755/3GB

QS 820/3GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 652/4GB

A8,M8/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

iOS 9

Storage/Expandable

16GB/200GB

32GB/No

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

64GB

16GB,64GB/No

8MP/1.2MP

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

VIVO

APPLE

21.5MP/16MP

16MP/4MP

13MP/8MP

12MP and 8MP/ 16 MP

2,700

3,000

2,450

3,000

3,160

1,810

2,915

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Launch

July,2016

April, 2016

June, 2015

April, 2016

42,736

September,2014

29,990

24,999

21,400

23,980

27,980

27,990/45,990

48,500/57,000

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

ASUS

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

Zenfone Zoom

Zenfone 3 Deluxe

4.0/640 x 1136

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.7/1334x750

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.7/(1920x1080)

Dimension (mm)

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

158.9 x 78.8 x 11.95

156.4x74.4x7.5

Weight (grams)

113

143

192

138

188

185

172

A10Fusion, M10/3GB

IA Z3590/4GB

QS 820,821/6GB

iOS 10

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

128GB/ 128GB

256GB/128GB

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM Operating system Storage/Expandable

A9,M9/2GB

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

16GB,64GB/No

A10 Fusion, M10/2GB

iOS 10

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

12MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/7MP

12MP,12MP/7MP

13MP/5MP

23MP/8MP

1,614

1,715

2,750

1,960

2,900

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Launch

March, 2016

September,2015

October,2016

0ctober,2016

January, 2016

September,2016

Price Rs.

30,990/44,000

37,999

49,999

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM

www.mymobileindia.com

43,000/ 58,000/ 67,000 53,000/68,000/77,000 55,000/65,000/80,000 72,000/82,000/92,000

JUNE 2017 I 133

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

BLACKBERRY

PARAMETERS

GOOGLE

HUAWEI

HTC

Priv

DTEK 60

Pixel

Pixel XL

Nexus 6P

One A9

Display (inches/res)

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5/1920x1080

5.5/2560x1440

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.2/1920x1080

5.0/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

147 x 77.2 x 9.4

153.9x75.4x7

143.8x69.5x8.5

154.7x75.7x8.5

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3

145x70.9x6.95

145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26

Weight (grams)

192

165

178

144

143

Processor/RAM

QS 808/3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/4GB

QS810 /3GB

Kirin 955/3GB,4GB

QS 617/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/2TB

32GB,128GB/ No

32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB,/128GB

32GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

18MP/2MP

21MP/8MP

12.3MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

13MP/4MP

3,410

2,610

2,770

3,450

3,000

2,150

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

October, 2015

November,2016

October,2016

October, 2015

August,2016

December, 2015

34,999

46,990

57,000/66,000

67,000/76,000

34,999/ 39,999

39,999

31,990

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

HTC

PARAMETERS

LEECO

MOTOROLA

HTC U Play/Ultra

Le Max

G4 Dual SIM

V20

Moto X Force

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 2560X1440

5.2/1080X1920/ 5.7/2560X1440

6.33/2560 x 1440

5.5/1440 x 2560

5.3/ 2560x1440

5.7/2560x1440

5.4/1440 x 2560

Dimension (mm)

145.9 x 71.9x 9.0

162.41X79.79X7.99

83.5x167.1x8.95

148.9 x 76.1 x 8.9

149.4x73.9x7.3

159.5x77.9x7.6

149.8 x 78 x 9.2

Weight (grams)

161

145/175

204

155

159

174

169

Processor/RAM

QS 820/4GB

MediaTek/QS821

QS 810 /4GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /3GB

Operating system

android 6.0

Android 6/Android 7

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1.1

64GB,128GB/No

32GB/2TB

32GB/100GB

64GB/2TB

32GB,64GB/2TB

21MP/4UP

16MP/8MP

16MP,8MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

Model

Storage/Expandable

32GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

12MP/5MP

32GB/256GB/64GB/ 2TB 16MP/16MP/16MP/ 12MP

3,000

2500/3000

3,400

3,000

2,800

3,200

3,760

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

May,2016

February, 2017

January, 2016

May, 2015

April,2016

December,2016

November, 2015

52,460

39,990/59,990

32,999/ 36,999

34,800

52,990

54,999

34,999/ 37,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

134 I JUNE 2017

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MOTOROLA

ONEPLUS

Moto Z

Galaxy S6

Galaxy S6 Edge

Galaxy A9 Pro

Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Galaxy S7

Display (inches/res)

5.5/2560x1440

5.5/1920x1080

5.1/ 1440 x 2560

6/1920x1080

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.1/2560 X 1440

Dimension (mm)

153.3x75.3x5.19

152.7x74.5x7.35

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

Weight (grams)

136

158

138

132

210

171

152

Processor/RAM

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/6GB

Octa core /3GB

octa-core/4GB

Quad core /4GB

Exynos 8890/4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB/2TB

128GB

32GB,/No

32GB/No

32GB/256GB

32GB/No

32GB/200GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

2,600

3,400

2,550

2,600

5,000

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

October,2016

December.2016

March, 2015

April, 2015

September,2016

August, 2015

March, 2016

39,999

34,999

33,900

34,900

32,490

40,900/43,900

43,400

PARAMETERS

Model

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

SAMSUNG

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

TABLETS

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

SONY

APPLE

NEW

Xperia Z5 Dual

Xperia X

Xperia Z5 Premium

Xperia XZ

iPad Mini 2

Model

Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S8/Plus

Display (inches/res)

5.5/2560 X 1440

5.8/6.2/2960X1440

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/ 2160 x 3840

5.2/1920x1080

7.9/1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

72.6 x 150.9 x 7.7

148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0/159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1

146 x 72 x 7.3

143 x 69 x 7.7

154.4 x 76 x 7.8

146x72x8.1

200 x 134.7 x 7.5

Weight (grams)

157

155/173

156.5g

152

181

161

331

Processor/RAM

Exynos 8890/4GB

Exynos 8896

QS 810/3GB

QS 650/ 3GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 820/3GB

A7,M7/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

iOS 8

Storage/Expandable

32GB/200GB

64/256GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/ 200GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/256GB

16,32GB/No

12MP/5MP

12MP/8MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

5MP/1.2MP

3,600

3000/3500

2,900

2,620

3,430

2,900

23.8w

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

March, 2016

April, 2017

November, 2015

July, 2016

November, 2015

October,2016

November, 2015

50,900

57,900/64,900

37,000

38,990

47,990

49,990

17,949 onwards

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JUNE 2017 I 135

MYGUIDE TABLETS

TABLETS

MODELS

TABLETS

APPLE

PARAMETERS

Model

iPad Mini 4

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

ASUS

MICROMAX

SAMSUNG

ZenPad 8

LapTab

Galaxy Tab S2 9.7

7.9/1536 x 2048

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

Dimension (mm)

203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1

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 5.6

Weight (grams)

298.8/304

437

713/ 723

350

1.1kg

392

Processor/RAM

A8,M8/2GB

A8X,M8/1GB

A9X,M9/2GB

"A9X,M9 /4GB"

QS MSM8929/2GB

Intel 4 Gen/2GB

Octa core/3GB

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Android 5.0

Windows 10

Android 5.0.2

16GB,64GB,128GB/No

16GB, 64GB/No

32GB,128GB,256GB/ No

32GB/No

16GB/-

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

8MP/1.2MP

8MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

8MP/2.1MP

19.1W

27.3W

27.9 W

38.5W

4,000

7,700

5,870

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

Spetember, 2015

October, 2014

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2015

2,015

September, 2015

38,000

49,900 Onwards/ 61,900 onwards

65,900 nwards/ 85,900 onwards

12,496

10,999

38,500

Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

28,500

add-ons Garmin’s Fenix 5 series Multisport GPS Watch for fitness, adventure and style

armin India, a unit of Garmin

hi-tech GPS handhelds and

Ltd, will soon be launching

can be strapped on any wrist

its newest addition to high-end multisport GPS wearables- the

size. Each of the three new Fenix

Fenix 5 series, in the Indian market.

5 models come with Garmin’s

The three versions- Fenix 5, Fnix

Elevate wrist-based heart rate

5S and Fnix 5X are designed with

technology, a host of multisport

similar functionality of Garmin’s

activity modes,new Quick Fit

Maps & Memory • Built-in memory • Custom POIs (ability to add additional points of interest) • Waypoints/favorites/locations • Routes • Track log • Performance Features • Heart rate monitor • Virtual Partner (train against a digital person) • Virtual Racer/Race an Activity (compete against other activities) • Courses • Auto Pause (pauses and resumes timer based on speed) • Auto Lap (automatically starts a new lap) • Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout) • Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button and/or with activity still in progress) • Auto multisport (switch sport modes with 1 button press) • Advanced workouts (create custom workouts) • Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace) • Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal) • Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals) • Heart rate-based calorie computation • Calculates calories burned • Training Effect (measures impact of an activity on your aerobic fitness) • Customizable screen(s) • Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible 3rd party ANT+ -enabled power meters)

www.mymobileindia.com

64 MB; available 37 MB

1,000 30 200 hours (wrist-based)

bands that can be swapped tool free and is well-equipped for all-day tracking. The watches are Wi-Fi enabled and compatible with Connect IQ, which means users can customize their watch with apps, widgets, data fields and watch faces. They are also compatible with the Face It app, so users can set their favorite photo as a watch face and when paired with a smartphone, it displays call, text and email notifications. The new Fenix 5 measures 47mm across, slightly smaller than its predecessors (Fenix 3 models-Fenix 3HR) but still packed with multisport features like a three-axis compass, gyroscope, barometric altimeter as well as the ability to access both GPS and GLONASS satellite networks. All the models are available in a variety of colors and finishes with more accessory bands like the new QuickFit. Users can mix and match between their choice of leather, metal or silicone watchbands and switch between them in seconds with no tools needed. Designed with a focus on female adventurers, the watch measures 42mm and is available in silver with either a white, turquoise or black silicone band with a mineral glass lens. n june 2017 | 137

Gadget Corner

add-ons 65 inch Ultra HD (4K) Smart LED TV An impressive offering from Cloudwalker Price: INR 135,989 CloudWalker Cloud TV 165cm (65) Ultra HD (4K) Smart, Flat LED TV (CLOUD TV 65SU, 3 x HDMI, 2 x USB)

Price: INR 94,899

loudWalker Streaming Technologies, the tech-start-up dedicated to creating digital ecosystems for large format

screens directly through Smart TV or through conversion of

existing TVs into smart TVs recently launched its mammoth 65-inch Cloud TV. The Ultra HD (4K) Smart LED TV has been launched in two versions, the Flat LED and the Curved LED TV. Priced at INR 94,899 for the flat screen TV and INR 1,35,989 for the curved screen version, these TVs are also equipped with 3xHDMI and 2xUSB ports and are available for sale only on Flipkart with upto INR 22,000 Off on exchange of old TV’s on purchase of new Cloud TV and many other exciting offers. The smart TVs offer an impressive and immersive viewing experience and complete connectivity with the internet to ensure you watch what you like on the best canvas. The Cloud TV is powered by a CDE (Content Discovery Engine) which discovers & curates digital content available on the internet on Free, Premium or Freemium basis and helps discover Apps that can be viewed on TV. n

138 | june 2017

• Watch Live TV & Digital Content on the same screen • Downloads & Plays Any Android App • Powered by CDE (Content Discovery Engine) • Smart Search • Super Remote (Air Mouse + remote) • XLuminous Display • Dolby Digital Sound for an unmatched cinematic experience • Bluetooth • Android Kitkat 4.4 | Cortex Dual Core Processor • 1 GB RAM | 8GB Storage • CShare App - Connect Mobile to TV (Play, Mirror, Control)

CloudWalker Cloud TV 165cm (65) Ultra HD (4K) Smart, Curved LED TV (CLOUD TV 65SU-C, 3 x HDMI, 2 x USB)

MYMOBILE

HyperX Cloud Revolver S Headset An advanced gaming headset from the House of Kingston with an immersive Dolby experience at the push of a button

yperX, a division of Kingston Technology, has launched its most advanced gaming headset to date - the HyperX

Cloud Revolver S with plug and play Dolby7.1 surround sound. HyperX has added Dolby headphone technology into a new USB dongle that delivers high-end immersive

audio at the touch of a button. HyperX Signature Memory Foam and a new wide headband design enhance comfort for endless hours of game play. The new premium headset also features multi-platform support, 50mm drivers and a noise cancelling microphone designed for use by professional gamers and eSports teams globally. The HyperX Revolver S comes with an MRP of INR 12,999 and is currently available on Amazon.in. It will soon also be available on all major online and retails stores in India. The HyperX Revolver S headset is backed by a Two-year Warranty and Free Technical

Specifications: • Driver: Dynamic, 50mm with neodymium magnets • Type: Circumaural, Closed back • Frequency response: 12Hz–28,000 Hz • Impedance: 30 Ω • Sound pressure level: 100.5dBSPL/mW at 1kHz • T.H.D.: < 2% • Input power: Rated 30mW, Maximum 500mW • Weight: 360g • Weight with mic: 376g • Frequency response: 50Hz-18,000 Hz • Sensitivity: -44dBV (0dB=1V/Pa,1kHz)

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Support. The Cloud Revolver S sound stage features unique design driver technology that allows gamers to visualize sounds

Price: INR 12,999

placed around them at different angles and distances. With three pre-set equalizer settings that separate boost, flat and vocals, each gamer can choose their favorite setting. Gamers will gain a competitive edge in FPS and 3D environment games by hearing opponents’ locations more clearly and accurately than previously attainable. n

Key Features: • Dolby Surround Sound – New USB audio dongle for plug-and-play surround sound and built-in high quality sound card • Developed by Gamers – Three Pre-set Equalizer Settings, independent volume and microphone mute buttons, and backlit LED to quickly check active modes • New Design – Wider headband, matte black finish and HyperX Signature Memory Phone • Premium Performance – No software or separate audio box required, unlike competing headsets

june 2017 | 139

Gadget Corner

add-ons Legion Y520 & Y720 The new exciting gaming laptops from Lenovo

enovo’s new dedicated brand for gaming - ‘Legion’

night, the Legion Y520 laptop has an optional red backlit

is here in India with the launch of Legion Y520 and

keyboard that provides 1.7 mm of key travel for crisp,

Legion Y720, the specialist gaming laptops. The company

accurate, and responsive keystrokes. The laptop comes

says offerings under the new gaming brand is the outcome

with up to 128GB of PCIe SSD storage, ideal for reducing

of significant time spent building and listening to a global

boot-up time and in-game loading, or 1TB of HDD storage,

community of gamers to better understand what they value

perfect for storing your entire gaming collection. Gamers

most. Y520 and Y720 are designed for both casual and

can also enjoy hybrid storage, effectively getting the best

performance gamers who are on-the-go.

of both worlds.

The new laptops allow for a greater gaming experience

Legion Y720: Built from the ground up in an all-metal

in every sense – powering VR, better sound with Dolby,

cover, the Legion Y720 laptop is the world’s first Dolby

optional backlit keyboards, FHD IPS resolution and

Atmos Windows based PC bringing an enhanced sense

optimized cooling. Both laptops are equipped with up to

of depth and detail to the overall gaming experience. It

7th Gen Intel Core i7 CPU and the latest NVIDIA discrete

makes the game’s world come alive with immersive sound

graphics cards to deliver that extra edge on performance.

providing amazing precision and realism. With NVIDIA

Legion Y520: Designed for portability seekers, the

GeForce GTX 1060 graphics, the laptop is the India’s first

Legion Y520 has an aluminum-brushed body and weighs

Oculus certified VR-ready machine. All you need to do is

less than 2.5kgs. The device allows gamers to custom

plug a VR headset into the HDMI port and you’re set for a

tune audio with the 2 x 2W Harman speakers and Dolby

riveting experience.It also comes with Thunderbolt 3, the

Audio™ Premium for an outstanding audio quality even

fastest port available on a PC today to plug and play at

without headphones. Since most gamers prefer gaming at

lightening speeds. Gamers can enjoy crystal clear screen time with up to FHD IPS anti-glare display on the device. Another outstanding feature is the optional RGB backlit keyboard for those midnight gaming sessions. The Legion Y720 laptop comes with the option of an integrated Xbox One Wireless receiver, which can support up to four controllers simultaneously for gaming with friends. n

0, 2,49 9 R @ IN 149,990 0 2 R Y5 gion 20 @ IN e L : 7 e Pric Legion Y

140 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Marshall Kilburn Black Embodying the raw, wayward spirit of Rock n’ Roll

here is something about iconic Marshall speakers from Britain that makes you fall in love – whether it be its retro style simplistic

design evoking nostalgia and yet they are the most state of the art speakers that you can find. The Kilburn Black is one helluva speaker that is as much a thrill to listen as it is to look at. The Kilburn features a classic Marshall design, with a vintage-looking front fret, goldcoloured metal details, and that iconic script logo. And certainly Kilburn portable active stereo speaker takes the unmistakable look and sound of Marshall, unplugs the chords, and takes the show on the road. Weighing in at a taut 3kg, The Kilburn is a lightweight piece of vintage styled engineering. Setting the bar as one of the loudest speakers in its class. The Kilburn is a compact stout-hearted hero with a well-balanced audio which boasts a clear midrange and extended highs for a sound that is both articulate and pronounced. The analogue knobs allow you to fine tune the controls to your personal preferences while the guitar-influenced leather strap enables easy and stylish travel. It has Bluetooth compatibility and the 3,5mm jack input means easy connectivity, while the simple amplifier styled construction with classic Marshall logo means it will look as good as it sounds. A built-in battery life of up to 20 hours means the jams will be kicking for as long as you are. Now charge it up, plug it in, crank it up, and take pride in your new piece in a long line of Marshall’s unwavering legacy of loud. n

Price: Approx INR 24,500, available on various online shops june 2017 | 141

Gadget Corner

add-ons Intex FitRist Cardio Affordable fitband loaded with features

fter the launch of FitRist smart band earlier, Intex Technologies has launched Intex FitRist Cardio - a high-tech smart band version

with features including heart-rate sensor. Designed to cater to the health conscious and on the go generation, Intex FitRist Cardio is a fine companion for today’s fitness lovers. The Intex FitRist Cardio comes equipped with various features that allow users to have one device for all their needs. The Heart monitor tracks your heart and heart beats which helps you lead a healthy life. Walking is good for health and in the users’ mission to lead an active lifestyle, the device lets them monitor their steps and the calories burnt along with it. n

Price: Exclusively available on Amazon @ INR 1,499

Hengja Features: • Fitness features include Heart Rate Sensor, Sleep Monitor, Steps/calorie count, hydration alarm, camera control, Anti-Lost and OTA Support • Bluetooth enabled FitRist Cardio displays Whatsapp,Facebook Messenger,SMS and Call notifications coming on smart phone. Sports an OLED display of 2.18cms in size and weighs about 26gms.

iRobot Roomba 960 For sparkling clean home

uresightdelights has introduced iRobot Roomba 960, the vacuuming robot in

India market. Roomba960 extends mapping,

adaptive navigation with visual localization and cloud connected app control to a wider range of consumers, providing high-efficiency and systematic cleaning at a more accessible price point. The current range of products is available on Amazon. The Roomba 960 helps keep floors cleaner throughout the entire home with intelligent visual navigation, iRobot HOME App control with wireless connectivity and 5x the air power over previous generations of Roomba vacuum cleaners. The Roomba 960 also includes many of the premium features that can be found on all Roomba 800 and 900 Series vacuums, including tangle‐free debris extractors to prevent hair tangles. The Dirt Detect Series II has more focused cleaning on particularly dirty areas, and Recharge and Resume functionality (900 Series) to keep the Roomba 960 cleaning until the job is complete. n

Price: INR 64,900

142 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

Logitech BRIO 4K Pro Webcam For high quality video experience

ogitech has introduced its most sophisticated webcam yet - Logitech BRIO 4K Pro Webcam

designed to deliver highest quality desktop video experience available today. BRIO is a powerhouse webcam for business and home-

office users, streamers, YouTubers, vloggers, and anyone else looking for a top-of-the-line webcam. BRIO comes packed with industry firsts including Logitech RightLight 3 with HDR, 4K Ultra HD video quality, and 5X zoom, plus support for Windows Hello and other secure infraredbased facial recognition applications. Logitech BRIO works with all popular business applications, including Skype for Business and Cisco-

Gadget Corner

add-ons

compatible certifications, as well as all Logitech Collaboration Program cloud video partners such as BlueJeans, BroadSoft, Vidyo and Zoom n

Price: INR 24,995

Evoke MA-1999FB headphone Premium wireless Bluetooth headphone from MuveAcoustics

uveAcoustics has launched its premium over-ear wireless Bluetooth headphone series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Evoke MA-

1999FB - in its flagship blue colour in limited edition.

Evoke headphone is an ergonomically-built premium headphone that comes loaded with Bluetooth 4.0 and multi-device pairing capability. Evoke is a Bluetooth Class 2 device with up to 4 dam transmission power â&#x20AC;&#x201C; equipping it with an effective range of 10 meters from the paired device. It runs on a lithium-ion battery with a full-recharge time of 2.5 hours giving it up to 18 hours of uninterrupted playback time. Its users can, moreover, toggle between two paired devices with the touch of a button, giving them higher flexibility and functionality. Evoke MA-1999FB also comes with a multifunctional detachable cable with integrated playback, volume and phone-call control.n

june 2017 | 143

add-ons PB-106 10400mAh A powerful and sleek Power Bank by ERD

RD Group, a leading manufacturer of mobile accessories and electronics, has come out with a really powerful

yet sleek powerbank for all your mobile charging solutions. This one is especially useful during travel.

Product Details: Micro USB Input 5V DC-2Amp (Max) USB Port Dual

Specifications: • Input any USB Port Like:Computer/ Laptop/ Color TV/ Car/ Aeroplane/ Audio/ Video • Charging Time: 8 Hours (approx) on 5V-1Amp • Micro USB Input: 5V DC-2Amp (Max) • Two USB Output: 5V DC-1Amp (Max) one USB • 5V DC-2Amp (Max) Another USB

Features: • BIS Approved • A True Travel Companion • Can easily Charge Two Mobiles at a Time • Storage Capacity 10400 mAh • 4 LEDs indication for charging-discharging status • Press the button to check battery capacity • Built in LED Torch • Safe Fast Charging • 100% Extra Talk Time Mostly for Smart Phones

SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive A fine mobile memory solution for iPhone & iPad

he SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive is the latest mobile

The new flash drive features a modern and compact design,

memory solution for iPhone and iPad by Western

a high capacity of up to 128GB and fast read speeds of

Digital Corporation. The SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive

up to 70MB/s. With the advancements in iPhone and iPad

is equipped with a Lightning connector

camera and video functionality, people will continue to

and a USB 3.0 connector so users

produce content at astonishing rates, and may need even

can quickly and easily move files between iPhone or

more space to save all their memories. The SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive is

iPad and Mac or

designed to meet these physical

PC computers.

storage needs and enables users to capture, save and share content without limits. n

Price: SanDisk iXpand Mini Flash Drive is available in India in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB & 128GB capacities, with price ranging between INR 2,750 to 7,050.

144 | june 2017

MYMOBILE

TIMEX IQ+ Move A subtle yet smart activity tracker for the men on the move

Price: INR 9,995

IMEX IQ+ Move is an classic analog watch with an

distance, calories and sleep. One needn’t go through

activity tracker that amalgamates style and fitness

the hassles of charging, as it comes with a traditional

to gel with hi paced lifestyle. Targeted towards stylish

watch battery – so no charging required. The USP of the

men who are always on the move, IQ+ Move combines

watch is the ability to view stats on the watch dial. One

signature elements of a contemporary traditional watch

glance at the watch and you can see the percentage of

with sophisticated modern technology for tracking daily

goal accomplished. TIMEX IQ+ Move debuts in two styles

activities. The first device launched in this segment was the

– one variant has a Silver Tone Case, White Dial with Gold

TIMEX Metropolitan+ which has been well received in the

Tone Accents and Brown Leather Strap while the other

Indian market. The IQ+ Move uses Bluetooth technology

comes with a Gray Silicone Strap and a Gray Finish Case,

to connect with phone and track all day activity – steps,

Black Dial with Blue Accents. n

Gadget Corner

add-ons

Better Mobile Need a

Better Charger too.!! - Modern Industry Workshop - Best in Class Manufacturing - International Safety Standard & Certification

Plug the

Power +91 9990 578 181 abhineet@hgdindia.com www.hgdindia.com India Address : A-55, Sector-64, Noida (UP) China Address : No.150, Tianwan Road, Tianliao Gaungming , New District Shenzhen, China

www.mymobileindia.com

H.G.D (INDIA)

Hong Guang De Technology India Pvt. Ltd.

Specification : 5V/500mA | 5V/700mA | 5V/1A | 5V/2A Color : Black or White Type : USB or with Wire Safety : CE | UL | BIS |CCC

june 2017 | 145

Exclusive

Vantage Point

The Fintech Revolution Technology is transforming financial evaluation and facilitating financial inclusion By Manavjeet Singh

he financial technology or fintech revolution which began during the 2011-12 period with banks and

discovered data to approve loans. Bots also scan and collect

NBFCs initiating a rigorous process of digitisation has

information on applicants through their LinkedIn profiles to

today borne several benefits, both tangible and intangible. From

measure a customer’s job stability as well as lifestyle and habits

the simplification of payments and fund transfers through digital

through social media platforms, spending patterns, etc.

wallets and mobile banking apps to acquiring personal loans

Technology facilitating inclusiveness: Further, technology in

online or purchasing insurance, the growth of technology has

the lending sector has led to the inclusion of a large segment of

transformed the way we consume financial services. From being

unbanked Indians that includes low-income individuals, small

a lengthy, complicated and restrictive process, consumption of

business owners, and self-employed people. It has also made

financial services such as borrowing for personal needs or business

an enormous impact on the MSME sector in terms of providing

expansion has now become a quick and seamless experience.

loans to small and medium companies and entrepreneurs who

Innovations in the consumer lending space have given way to

previously did not have access to institutional credit. The MSME

alternative credit models that employ a range of non-traditional

sector has played a vital role in India’s economy for over 60 years,

sources of data and robust analytics that enable customer-centric

leading entrepreneurship, innovation and a culture of risk-taking

lending processes and lead to much higher financial inclusion in

capabilities. However, despite their significance and capabilities,

the economy.

raising adequate finances to ensure growth and survival in the

The process of loan approvals, previously involving exchange of

market has proved to be a difficult task for MSME units. Technology

several documents between the borrower and lender, has become

has helped eliminate this vast gap through various fintech

highly simplified through online lending. Robotics and machine

platforms that offer tech-led solutions that are directly integrated

learning are taking over the lending and information processing

to financial institutions’ lending systems. With latest technology at

function and breaking it down into algorithms. Bots can perform a

their disposal, borrowers experience immense financial freedom as

range of functions, from the mundane and simple tasks to highly

opportunities are created for them to access quick credit through

complex ones along with processing large volumes of data at the

online lending channels at lower interest rates.

same time – a task impossible for human agents to perform. These

As availability of financial services such as digital remittance,

bots employ algorithm and machine learning to scan information

credit and insurance etc. becomes widespread, it will create

and design the best type of loan suitable for an applicant based on

financial opportunities and benefits for consumers without

the data collected. This is a significant tech revolution that uses

commercial bank accounts. With nearly a billion mobile

algorithm and information clusters from several sources to study

subscriptions, Aadhaar IDs, and internet penetration on the rise,

customers and take quick decisions whether to grant approval for

mobile phones will be the most preferred channel for consuming

the loan or not. These bots not only help in reducing the response

financial services. For fintech players to expand into newer markets

time considerably but also allow intensifying the focus on value-

and reach the unbanked segments, factors such as affordability,

addition and improving customer-related functions.

speed, user-friendliness, and trustworthiness would be extremely

Most online lending platforms do not check for an applicant’s

crucial. Moreover, facilitating financial and technological literacy

credit history or CIBIL score, but instead use machine learning and

among low-income individuals at the grassroots level would further

unique models to ascertain creditworthiness through psychometric

ensure the success of fintech lenders. As the fintech ecosystem

tests. The entire process of loan application, eligibility check, and

in the country further matures, it will lead to greater financial

disbursal or rejection is based on specific algorithms operated

inclusion for individuals across demographics in the urban and

by bots. Unlike conventional lending-related functions such as

rural areas. n

researching only a borrower’s credit history, bots scan a person’s savings account, track cash-flow patterns and then correlate the

146 | june 2017

The author is CEO & Founder of Rubique - a leading FinTech marketplace shaping the lending industry with cutting edge technology.

MYMOBILE

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/2015-16-17 (Posting Date 26-27 of every month) Publishing Date- 22-05-17

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