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Your gateway to the world of mobility

Hot consumer trends 2018 Tested

Honor 7X, Moto X4, Vivo V7, Centric L3, Redmi Y1, Comio P1, and more…

Chief Speak Sudhin Mathur, MD Motorola & Country Head Lenovo

phone of the month OnePlus 5T

Our Chipset. Your Smartphone.

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Editorpage

Crossing the Next Frontier

obile manufacturing has been the most distinguished performer under ‘Make in

EDITORIA L

India’ mission. This is also a sector where

Pankaj Mohindroo |

the government and private sector along

with other stakeholders worked with unison, clarity and

Editor-in-Chief

Shelley Vishwajeet | Editor

purpose in a time bound manner. And the result is there

Ramesh Kumar Raja | Assistant Editor

for all to see. Today, there are no less than 107 mobile

Haider Ali Khan | Senior Correspondent

and components companies manufacturing devices within

Nijhum Rudra | Correspondent

India. By 2020, 96% of mobile phones all sold in India will be ‘Made in India’ with much greater value addition than what we see now. The recent import duty hike on mobiles and other electronics goods was also much needed to further galvanize the electronics manufacturing eco-system in the country. The

Vanshika Malhotra | Reporter

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

challenge is now to cross the next frontier – spurring up the

M AR K ETIN G

components sector. Under Phased Manufacturing Programme, we now have the ambitious goal of creating the most advanced and most

Puja Mohindroo | Manager - Business Sandeep Kumar | Sr. Manager – Marketing

competitive manufacturing eco-system for batteries and other key mobile components. As a key policy enabler and

O P ERATION S

manufacturing roadmap architect, Indian Cellular Association has taken up the cudgel to deliver yet another herculean but

K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Administration

highly desirable nation-building task of ensuring that no less

Deepak Kohli | Manager – Accounts

than 356 mobile charger factories are set up in India producing

Varun Lama | Sr. Manager – Human Resources

nearly 1.50 billion chargers and providing direct employment to over 8 lakh people by 2025. This target has been touted as too ambitious by some quarters but to me, no task is too ambitious or impossible if the goal is to serve national interest and provide benefits to common citizens. We will deliver on this count too as we have done in the arena of handset devices. Last year, we saw too many disruptions in economy and

B. G. Mathur | Manager- Production

CIRCU L ATION Bhupender Singh Bisht | Manager – Circulation

AD V I S ORY B OARD Bejon Misra

telecom sector – some emanating from the government like

Rajan Mathews

demonetization and some from within the industry such as tariff

S.D. Saxena

war unleashed by Reliance Jio. However, as the year closes, the

Subhash Chandra

economy looks robust again and the telecom sector appears to

Sunil Dutt

have emerged stronger. I do hope, in the coming months, more

Sonu Bhasin

energy will be spent on realizing the ‘Digital India Dreams’ and

Uvaraj Natarajan

collaborative approaches for achieving common national goals. Happy to inform you that in the new year, you will also see a

G ET IN TOUCH

completely new ahead-of-the-curve version of our online platform

Editorial : shelley@mymobile.co.in

– which has been designed to excite, inform and interact in a

Marketing : sandeep@mymobile.co.in

manner which has no parallel in the area of its domain.

Circulation : bhupender@mymobile.co.in

Happy Reading! Happy New Year! n

Phone : 011—46206161 Fax : 011—41520637 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.

Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

04 | january 2018

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 XII, january 2018

MYMOBILE

contents

44 Hot Consumer Trends 2018

Technology Turns Human

84 56 Style Notes

Director, Motorola Mobility

10 letters

Mobile Business Group

12 Cell Speak 14 Rumor Mill 16 NEWS 20 big NEWS

India & Country Head, Lenovo

60 Market Insight Q3 2017: Xiaomi shines while top vendors do good business in a somewhat placid market

109 My Guide Interviews with

28 just in business/industry leaders Get a close look at new mobile 62 Dr Sindhu Joseph – CEO & 44 Lead Story Hot Consumer Trends 2018

56 Chief Speak Sudhin Mathur – Managing

06 | january 2018

100

Kartik Bakshi – India Head,

Belkin

102

Venugopal Iyengar – Chief

Operating Officer, Apalya

131

Goutam Kumar Jain – Co-

founder, M-tech Informatics

Face to Face:

devices now in the market

Director, Khan Academy India

Co-Founder, CogniCor

Gopal Jiwarajka – Chairman &

Managing Director, Salora International

Johnny Li – Vice President,

Limited

The Burntest 64 HONOR 7X 66 COMIO P1 68 MOTO X4 70 VIVO V7

Cheetah Mobile

72 ONEPLUS 5T

74 REDMI Y1

Sandeep Bapna – Managing

MYMOBILE

What's Inside

contents 76 KULT AMBITION

78 CENTRIC L3

that are going to captivate us

The latest and the best of

in the months ahead

gadgets and accessories, from

80 GIONEE M7 POWER

Yahoo identifies the techs

136 Add Ons

Bluetooth speakers to gaming

82 ALCATEL A5 LED

Special Feature 99 Text Turns Twenty Five

84 By Invitation From 2017 to 2018: The

104 The Games World Played!

paradigm shift in smartphone ecology – Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi India

90 Industry Insight The Rise of Chief Data

laptops

146 Vantage Point Surviving the Age of Disruption – Rajiv Bhalla,

Bazaar Bargain 106 Four phones which are smart

Managing Director, Barco Electronic Systems (India)

buy today

132 Consumer Insight

Officers

Tech Trendz 92 Sensors in smartphones to top

YouTube Rewind reveals some deep and surprising insights into what videos Indians had

10 billion unit shipments in

been watching and sharing in

2020

2017

109

132

Total number of pages = 148

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DECEMBER 2017  Rs 100

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Tested

Xperia XZ1, MI MIX 2, Bharat 1, Galaxy Tab A, Centric A1, Moto G5s Plus and more…

CHIEF SPEAK Dr Salil Prabhakar, Founder & CEO, Delta ID

PHONE OF THE MONTH

GOOGLE PIXEL 2

My trust and passion of

of the whole insight about

and apps more often in the

I want to thank My Mobile

any latest mobile or

magazine rather than going

team for their continuous

technology but what we get

to any website. The main

effort to provide the unique

from it, which is very helpful

source of our tech content

and latest content in mobile

and deep. I am a regular

comes from My Mobile

and technology domain.

reader of your magazine and

magazine. The unmatched

What I like the most as a

I also recommend it to my

quality of the product keeps

reader is the Burn Tests as it

friends and family. It is a

it in a different league

gives an overall comparison

must have for those who

altogether. Just-ins,

of the devices. Thank you so

want to get useful and

Consumer and Industry

much, guys! Keep rocking.

correct information.

Insights always come handy.

—Nitin Singh, Allahabad

reading My Mobile keeps on

—Gautam, Mumbai

An ideal tech magazine should follow your footsteps. —Varun Khanna, Amritsar

The best way to get

increasing as the topics

My Mobile has been

which you have been

associated with me since I

covering these days are

was in my college and has

The December issue’s

and their prices is My

wonderful like the last issue

been a part of my growing

editorial was well elaborated

Mobile. The kind of

of December (The Year That

up. I am very fond of this

and very timely as were

collective information

Was) has been very

unique and informative

quite interested in knowing

available in My Guide

informative, well timed and

magazine present in the

the trends that have

section of the magazine is

properly researched one. All

country. Since I am a

dominated the year. The

very helpful, especially for a

the major mobile players

dedicated reader since my

new service provider has

customer and reader like

have been included in this

young age, I have been

taken everyone by storm.

me. We get all the brands,

coverage. While the Big

admired as the one who

The burn tests, chief speak

their specifications and

News and Consumer

knows everything in my

and games you did were

price range at the same

Insights are wholesome

friends and neighbors about

pretty good. It has been my

place. Rather than flipping

informative, the Bazaar

mobile and technology. I

guide to all the tech queries

through the entire

Bargain helps us to know

want to thank the whole

and hence developing my

magazine, one would get the

the latest price of the

team of My Mobile for their

knowledge as a consumer. I

idea about any particular

already launched products

continuous support.

want you to include more

mobile.

on which we could get the

—Vivek Kishan, Nagpur

—Ragini Malik, New Delhi

available mobile devices

gadgets and mobiles in your

—Shilpa Singh, Dehradun

Burn Test section.

best bargain. My best wishes to My Mobile team.

knowledge about all the

We, as the regular reader and

—Ankit Sharma, Delhi

subscriber of My Mobile, love to read the gadgets, mobiles

Dear My Mobile team, it gives me an immense knowledge of mobile ecosystem which you guys deliver through the magazine and it’s simply brilliant. I would also suggest you to add few more devices and gadgets like you did of Google Pixel 2in your burn tests. Majority of readers or the users might not be aware

10 | january 2018

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cellspeak

Quotes

“I believe internet is one of the finest creations of mankind and must be available for all. If internet is a global platform it must have link with local… The DoT has to now take call on TRAI recommendations over net neutrality” — Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister for Electronics and IT, at Digital India Summit

“There is a revolution happening in front of us. India today consumes more mobile data than any other country including China… We have to create our own Googles, Facebooks, Alibabas and Tencents” — Jayant Sinha, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, at India Ideas Conclave 2017

“Today, Indians consume more mobile broadband data than users in USA and China. If data is destiny, new India is well and truly ready for its new tryst with destiny” — Mukesh Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Industries, at HT Leadership Summit

“The market here is growing very fast and competition changes every year. When we first started off, the only other Indian handset maker was Spice Mobiles. Now there are nearly 130 different companies” — Rahul Sharma, Co-Founder & MD, Micromax, on the sidelines of TiEcon 2017

12 | january 2018

“While optical fibre and mobile broadband are the preferred technologies for the backbone of broadband penetration, it is also clear that unlike in the case of mobile, 100 per cent broadband penetration would not be possible unless we use other technologies like wi-fi, cable broadband and Satcom in particular” — Manoj Sinha, Union Telecom Minister, at India SatCom-2017

MYMOBILE

Rumour Mill

Talk Vivo phone may sport in-screen fingerprint sensor this year Chinese brand Vivo could bring the world’s first smartphone to ship with fingerprint sensors embedded into the display. The new sensors will be operated by one-touch, high-resolution optical scanning through full glass and through the device’s display. Earlier, Synaptics -- the company responsible for handling the touch input on millions of laptop trackpads and smartphone screens -- announced that it has started mass production with its first optical in-display fingerprint sensors. The company announced that it is going into full production with what it described as “top five original equipment manufacturers (OEM)”. Interestingly, Vivo is one of the top five smartphone vendors globally, according to the IDC Q1 2017 Tracker. Named “Clear ID”, these are expected to work exactly like the home button fingerprint sensors. Synaptics reportedly announced it has figured out how to manufacture, in high volume, an integrated fingerprint sensor in the smartphone display that operates in a

14 | january 2018

in Tech Corners

fast, secure, manner.

Samsung Galaxy A8+ likely to feature Infinity display Following the leaks of Samsung Galaxy A5 (2018) and Galaxy A7 (2018), fresh images of the much anticipated Galaxy A8+ (2018) are now leaked on Chinese microblogging website Weibo. The recent leak suggests the possibility of including an Infinity display on the device. Samsung is the first company to feature Infinity display on its smartphone that extended from both top and bottom, which also escalated the screen-to-body ratio. Other phone brands including LG, over a month back, has included Infinity display on its mid-range “Q” series handsets. The extension of Infinity display on Galaxy A series handsets might put them in the category of premium Galaxy ‘S’ series. Although there is no confirmation on the aspect ratio of the phone, it is speculated to be 18.5:9. Also, the leaks haven’t suggested anything on the dual rear camera and the fingerprint sensor, which are featured on Galaxy S8 series and Note 8.

Sony’s next smartphone could come with QS 845 SoC Sony, which is rumoured to unveil a new smartphone in its Z series, is expected to house Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 mobile platform. It is said to be in the line of Xiaomi’s Mi7 and Samsung’s Galaxy S9. According to newly-leaked images, the upcoming Sony smartphone with model number ‘H8216’ (expected to be christened Xperia Z2) is speculated to be equipped with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage which would be expandable with the use of a memory card. The device is rumoured to feature a 5.48-inch full HD TRILUMINOS display which could be a bezel-less one, marking Sony’s entry into the arena. In the camera department, the Sony H8216 is expected to sport dual cameras at the back, rated at 12-megapixel each, while at the front there could be a 15-megapixel shooter. The device might be backed by a 3130mAh battery with Quick Charge tech and run the latest Android 8.1 Oreo. n

team@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

What’s Up

newsbits Samsung starts 512GB memory chips production

Taking smartphone storage solution to an entirely new level, South Korean electronics major Samsung has begun mass production of the first 512GB memory chip for nextgeneration mobile devices. Utilising Samsung’s latest 64-layer, 512-GB V-NAND chips, the new 512GB Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) memory chip provides unparalleled storage capacity and outstanding performance for upcoming flagship smartphones and tablets. “The new Samsung 512GB eUFS provides the best embedded storage solution for nextgeneration premium smartphones by overcoming potential limitations in system performance that can occur with the use of micro-SD cards,” said Jaesoo Han, Executive Vice President of Memory Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics. The increased storage capacity will provide a much more extensive mobile experience. The Samsung 512GB chip also features strong read and write performance. Motorola launches 3 new ‘Moto Mods’ in India

Chinese smartphone brand Motorola has launched three new “Moto Mods” in India which are modular backplates that can be magnetically attached to Moto Z series

16 | january 2018

smartphones and turn the device into a movie projector, boombox or a battery powerhouse. The new “Moto Mods” include the JBL SoundBoost 2 speaker Mod, Moto TurboPower Pack battery Mod and the GamePad Mod that will be available at Flipkart and all Motorola exclusive stores “Moto Hubs.” “We have upheld our commitment to build a better mobile future with the promise of limitless possibilities, through the new Mods,” said Sudhin Mathur, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility India. The company has also collaborated with “RentoMojo” that will let customers experience these latest Moto Mods before buying them. Honor to focus on more budget phones for India

Riding high on the Honor 7X launch in India, the company is also planning to bring in more sub-Rs 10,000 phones next year. Honor Global President George Zhao recently said, “In three years, we want to be number one in India. We will launch more budget phones or sub-Rs 10,000 phones in India next year.” By sub-Rs 10,000, the company referred to its phones like “Honor Bee” that were earlier launched in India. The company, which has already launched seven-eight phones in India in 2017, would like to launch a similar number of devices in 2018 as well. “We want to launch competitive and unbeatable product in India,” Zhao added. Zhao said Honor should be the “killer or king in the sector.” Xiaomi introduces new payment option powered by Google Tez Extending its commitment to Digital India, Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi has introduced a new payment service, powered by Google Tez, on its e-commerce platform

Mi.com and Mi Store app. Users can now make cashless transactions on both Mi.com and the Mi Store app as Google Tez payments service operates atop the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). “As a merchant partner for Tez for business programme, all Xiaomi customers can now seamlessly and securely pay with any bank account stored in their Tez account on their phone,” said Sujith Narayanan, Head of Partnerships and Business Development, Tez. Users can pay directly from their bank accounts online for any purchase that they make, further cementing Xiaomi’s commitment to contribute to the “Digital India” initiative. Google had launched its UPI-based Tez payments app in India in September last year that was built for India. Green nod to Oppo to set up manufacturing unit in Greater Noida

Chinese smartphone player Oppo has been given green nod to set up a mobile manufacturing unit in Greater Noida at a cost of Rs 2,200 crore, said a senior government official recently. “The clearance has been given to the Oppo’s project after

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taking into account the views of an expert green panel. It is subject to compliance of certain conditions,” said the official. The environment clearance certificate has already been issued to the company, the official added. As per the proposal, Oppo wants to set up a smartphone manufacturing unit in 110.04 acres in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The project will comprise factory, offices, dormitory, canteen and play area. The project cost is estimated to be at Rs 2,200 crore. The proposed project will generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during construction and operation phases. Google Phone now has a video call button

Rumoured to be introduced soon, a dedicated video call button has now gone live on Google’s Phone app. The new dedicated video call button will allow easy transition between a voice and a video call. The users can easily tap the video call option to switch to video calling from the phone app while on a voice call with someone, all this happening at the same time. During an ongoing call, tapping on the video call option will direct the user to the Google Duo app and open up the camera. The user on the other side of the line will receive a call on Duo, however, will be required to unlock the device to receive the video call if the device gets locked. The voice call will eventually get disconnected. Additionally, both the users will have two different call logs registered in the phone app. Micromax aims to sell 6 million Bharat handsets by March 2018 Homegrown company Micromax expects to clock sales of six million units of its ‘Bharat’ range of affordable smartphones by March this year. The series, which was launched in

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iVOOMi collaborates with Hannstar, IVO to introduce LCD display smartphones

May last year, comprise six devices. The company unveiled its latest Bharat 5 recently. “We launched our Bharat range in May and we have sold three million handsets under the series. With the recent launches, we aim to sell six million Bharat phones by March 2018,” said Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing and Chief Commercial Officer, Micromax. The Bharat 5 features 5.2 inch-HD display, 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 64GB), 5MP front and rear cameras, and 5000mAh battery. The Bharat 5 comes with a price tag of Rs 5,555, and is available at retail stores. Lava raising Rs 193 crore from Chinese firm Domestic handset maker Lava is raising $30 million (about Rs 193 crore) from an affiliate of state-backed Chinese technology group Tsinghua Holdings. This is a first move by an Indian handset maker to raise capital in a tough market amid increasing competition from Chinese rivals. The Noidabased company has reportedly issued five lakh compulsory convertible preference shares to Hong Kong-based UNIC Memory Technology, an affiliate of Tsinghua Holdings, for the fund-raising, according to company documents filed with the Registrar of Companies (ROC). The company plans to invest the funds in local handset design and manufacturing capabilities, said reports quoting people aware of the development. Lava, which has been displaced from its position among leading smartphone makers by Chinese rivals such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, is investing in mobile phone design including setting up a mobile phone design centre in India.

Chinese electronics major iVOOMi has tied up with Hannstar and IVO – major glass manufacturers – to ensure futuristic glass development for their LCD panels. iVOOMi has opted for LCD display for its smartphones to provide an improved viewing experience to its consumers. There are banks of LEDs behind the pixels of an LCD display that provide the light shining through the individual pixels. This doesn’t only make for a brighter screen on average, but whites are much cleaner than with AMOLED display. iVOOMi has taken into consideration the fact that any screen size above 5.5 inch has not worked well in the Indian market as the Device Form Factor gets broader, whereas handset majors are opting for displays with 18:9 aspect ratio to provide users with an immersive viewing experience.

What’s Up

newsbits

MediaTek launches IoT MT2621 chipset

Chipset maker MediaTek has launched a new processor, known as the MediaTek MT2621 for Internet of Things (IoT), specified for fitness trackers and other wearables, IoT security sensors, smart meters and various industrial applications. The new processor supports both NB-IoT R14 and GSM/GPRS connectivity, with support for one SIM card. It also introduced dual-mode cellular technologies for IoT. Coming with ARMv7 MCU CPU, the SoC is compatible with internal Flash and PSRAM. The new MT2621 processor further supports single core and has a frequency rated at 260MHz, and embedded memory of 160KB and 4MB. The chipset’s wideband front-end module goes with all ultra-low/

january 2018 | 17

What’s Up

newsbits low/mid bands defined by the 3GPP Rel-14, making a single design work for all sorts of markets. Jivi Mobiles eyes Rs 2,500 cr revenue by FY19

Homegrown handset maker Jivi Mobiles expects over three-fold growth in revenue by the end of fiscal 2018-19, mainly on account of foray into 4G VoLTE- enabled smartphone segment. “Currently, we are selling 5 lakh feature phones per month and 70,000 4G smartphones. We are looking to scale it to 10 lakh feature phones and 5 lakh smartphones per month by end of 2018-19. At the end of 2018-19, we are expecting revenue in the range of Rs 2,400-2,500 crore,” said Pankaj Anand, CEO, Jivi Mobiles. The company expects revenue around Rs 700 crore for the current financial year. He was speaking on the sidelines of launching a 4G VoLTE smartphone Revolution TnT3, blended with feature phone keypad for Rs 3,999. The company is aiming to sell 20-30 lakh of Revolution TnT3 series phones alone by end of 2018. Vodafone, itel Mobile join hands to offer feature intensive A20 smartphone

Vodafone India has entered into a strategic partnership with itel Mobile to provide an exciting cashback offer on the purchase of feature intensive itel A20 smartphone. The offer provides a cashback of Rs 2,100 to a

18 | january 2018

customer buying itel A20 bringing its effective price down from Rs 3,690 to just Rs 1,590. This partnership underlines the common mission of both itel and Vodafone to popularize 4G connectivity in the country. It aims to propel the growth of data adoption by providing access to a smartphone and mobile internet, thereby, empowering customers to remain connected always at extremely pocket friendly prices. The bundled offer can be availed up to March 31, 2018. Users will receive the cashback in their M-Pesa wallets, allowing them to recharge, pay bills, transfer money or withdraw cash, according to their convenience. Airtel becomes first operator to launch 4G in Kargil, Dras and Leh

JioPhone. The Google Assistant for JioPhone will be available in English and Hindi, the company announced during an event in New Delhi. This is the first time Voice Assistant will be available in any feature phone. The 4G and VoLTE-enabled JioPhone was launched on July 21 last year which is available free of cost with a deposit money of Rs 1,500. Aimed at over 50 crore feature phone users, the 2.4 inch device has 2MP rear camera and houses 2000mAh battery. The JioPhone has a single Nano-SIM slot and a microSD card slot. According to reports, Jio carries more than 100 crore GB data per month. Discovery to launch four new digital channels soon

Bharti Airtel has become the first telecom operator to launch 4G services in the country’s northern frontier of Ladakh region. Customers in 130 towns and villages, including Kargil, Leh, and Dras, will now be able to enjoy affordable high speed data services and get on to the digital superhighway. The rollout, which is part of Project Leap – Airtel’s network transformation initiative, is a testament to the company’s network execution capabilities. Airtel’s network teams and partners have overcome the challenge of extremely difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions, including sub-zero temperatures, to deploy a state-ofthe-art 4G network in the region, the company said in a press note. To give a perspective, Dras, located in Kargil district and considered as the gateway to Ladakh, is the coldest inhabited place in India and the second coldest in the world. Google Voice Assistant lands on JioPhone In a move to empower feature phone users in the country, Google recently announced to bring its Voice Assistant on Reliance

Discovery Communications India is planning to launch direct-to-consumer, social and mobile-first channels early this year. The new mobile-first channels will focus on four core-interest areas - Military, Girlist, Automotive and Food. The first two channels to launch will be VEER by Discovery and RISE by TLC in Q1 2018. These will be followed by specialist automotive and food focused mobile-first channels later in the year. Discovery has partnered with YouTube, Reliance Jio and Vodafone Play to optimize the launch of these channels and maximize its reach across social and mobile platforms. “Digital viewership of our genre is significantly more than TV viewership of our genre, because of the nature. TV viewership of factual lifestyle entertainment channel is under 2 per cent of the total viewership while its digital viewership is 15 per cent of total digital viewership,” said Karan Bajaj, SVP and GM for South Asia, Discovery

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Communications India. Play your entertainment on multiple screens, without internet and absolutely free

build this fairly expensive functionality into their products, and it only succeeded in getting the Tango platform running on a few gimmicky devices. Droom brings to you the fair market value of pre-owned mobile phones in 10 seconds Droom, India’s largest online marketplace for automobiles, has announced expansion of the scope of Orange Book Value, popularly known as OBV, to give the fair market value of used mobile phones to the customers. After a blockbuster success for Droom’s

Unleashing the smartphone’s entertainment potential , VuLiv Player, India’s leading offline OTT entertainment platform, recently announced VuShare, the world’s only mobile technology for simulcasting a user’s videos, music, photos on multiple screens including smartphones, computers or even smart TV without any additional hardware or even without internet or any additional cost. This eliminates problems of low storage faced by virtually all smartphone users due to frequent file exchanges between peers through various platforms. In order to enable VuShare feature, users just need to click on the VuShare icon and enable a VuShare session to watch a favourite video together with friends or where friends can go even solo to watch their choice of content with full playback and sound controls. Google shutting down its AR platform, Tango Tech major Google has announced the shutting down of its high-end smartphone augmented reality platform, Tango. The company instead wants to shift focus to its mass market product, ARCore. According to TechCrunch, Tango support will cease March 1, 2018. “Thank you to our incredible community of developers who made such progress with Tango over the last three years,” Google said in a tweet. “We look forward to continuing the journey with you on ARCore,” it added. Launched in 2014, Tango relied on advanced camera hardware to build 3D meshes of spaces in a manner which was similar to the way HoloLens from Microsoft functions. Further, it was difficult for Google to get phone manufacturers to

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Orange Book Value (OBV), which provides a fair market value of any used vehicle, Droom has launched OBV for Mobile, a pricing engine for used mobile phones. Built on Droom’s ecosystem tool OBV, it helps buyers accurately ascertain the fair market value of any used phone – that too within 10 seconds. Droom’s ‘OBV for Mobile’ feature analyses mobile phones based on their make, model, age, condition, and accessories, besides many other factors, to come up with a fair, unbiased, and independent market value for a used phone. OBV for Mobile works on artificial intelligence engine and has created India’s largest database of used mobile phones to give the user a valuation report. Hike Messenger adds Group Chat feature; Public Groups soon

Hike Messenger, a home-grown messaging

platform, has added new social features for Groups, all built inside the chat and available at a single click. Groups can use - Vote, Bill Split, Checklists, Events with Reminders and even Teen Patti with great ease and without the cumbersome effort of using multiple apps. And you can work with a group size of up to 1,000 members. Hike is a social messaging app started by Kavin Bharti Mittal, the son of Bharti Enterprises Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal, in 2012. The app is currently available across Google, Windows, iOS and BlackBerry platforms in nine languages. Vishwanath Ramarao, CTO, Hike Messenger, said, “Our new features will make sharing much easier within the group and raise the fun and productivity quotient. We believe that this could be a key driver for groups to come together and do much more in the online world.”

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Mojo Networks rolls out scalable Cloud to accelerate India’s WiFi initiatives

Mojo Networks has rolled out a cloud infrastructure dedicated to India’s mega WiFi initiatives. With Government’s focus on digitization of India, all the mega WiFi initiatives are in need of massively scalable, easy to use and secure WiFi. Mojo Networks meets these requirements with its innovative cloud-managed, high-performance secure WiFi. Mojo cloud WiFi platform is easy to deploy and provides fail-safe operation. With advanced features like graphical troubleshooting, WiFi user analytics and social engagement, Cognitive WiFi - Mojo’s cloud-managed WiFi solution, applies artificial intelligence to the wireless network at a degree that is only possible by harnessing the limitless computing power and storage capacity of the cloud. The partnership of Mojo Networks with Reliance Jio is a brilliant example of cloud-managed massively scalable secure WiFi meeting these requirements. n team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 19

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bignews

Indus OS raises $4 mn, eyes 100 mn user base in 3 years

omestic mobile operating system Indus OS has raised $4 million in pre-series B round from existing investors including Omidyar Network, Ventureast and JSW Ventures. Although the company did not share the equity held by promoters after this round or the value of the company post funding, it now aims to acquire 100 million users in the next three years and is in talks with major Chinese and international smartphone companies for partnerships as it sees Chinese players’ role crucial in expanding its customerbase. “Partnering with the Chinese brands was one of our top priorities, thus we opened an office in China (last year) to work towards this goal. Consequently, Indus OS signed its first international brand partnership in November last year with itel Mobile,” said Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-Founder & CEO at Indus OS. After the latest round, Indus OS has a total funding of $13 million. According to an ET report, Indus OS plans to use the funds to accelerate brand partnerships, user acquisition and new product development. “We will strengthen our efforts to build the Indus OS

platform for developers to reach the Indian masses through dedicated brand accounts,” Deshmukh told ET. According to the company, its OS, which was launched in 2015, pipped iOS, MIUI with a market share of 7.6% to become the second most popular smartphone OS in India where Android dominated the market with 82.3% share, as per a report by Counterpoint Research released in the third quarter of 2016. Indus OS commands a user base of 10 million across its smartphone brand partners. After partnering Micromax, the company went on to explore partnerships with more Indian brands including Intex, Karbonn, Celkon and Swipe. n

Samsung patents fully curved smartphone display

new patent from Samsung has revealed fully curved display that goes all the way to the back of the device. “The patent filed with the World International Property Office (WIPO) features a 180degree edge display that curves from the front all the way to the back,” Phone Arena reported recently. Spotted first by Dutch tech website LetsGoDigital, the patent shows “bent areas” on the main display so it can curve 180 degrees around the top, bottom and sides. At “CES 2018” in January in the US, Samsung is likely to unveil a folding ‘Galaxy X’ and new Galaxy S9 with the fastest-ever processor, reports have said. As per LetsGoDigital, the new device would bring new functionality such as side or top notifications. The new Samsung handset will replace physical power and volume buttons with virtual ones. It must be noted that Samsung filed a patent with the Korean Intellectual Property Office in 2016 for a smartphone that can be folded in half and is expected to arrive this year. Likely to be called the Galaxy X, the front of the smartphone will sport traditional Samsung home button in between a back button on the right and a menu button on the left. Samsung has quietly introduced its latest ‘Exynos 9810’ chipset. “The Exynos 9 Series 9810 is Samsung’s latest flagship processor, with 3rd-generation custom CPU cores, upgraded GPU, and gigabit LTE modem with industry-first 6CA support, the company wrote in a blog post recently. It is built on 2nd-generation 10 nanometer (nm) process technology. Samsung’s ‘Exynos 9810’ chip is the successor to its first Exynos 9 series chip -- the 8895 which powers flagship devices like Galaxy S8 and Note 8. n

20 | january 2018

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Oppo India saw growth of 750 per cent in sales during last fiscal

hinese smartphone brand Oppo has surpassed Micromax, the largest domestic handset manufacturer, and Sony, the biggest Japanese electronics firm by revenue, after its sales rose more than seven times during FY17. This indicates Chinese dominance in the Indian smartphone market, even though industry executives said Oppo’s growth had actually slowed down last year due to cutting down on investment, impact on sales due to Indo-China frictions, and rival Chinese firm Xiaomi’s rapid growth. According to an ET report mentioning the company’s latest regulatory filings, Oppo Mobiles India saw sales surge to Rs 7,974.29 crore in the year ended March 2017, a 754% increase from Rs 933.74 crore in the fiscal before. That translates into Oppo, that entered India four years ago, adding more than a billion dollars, or about the entire size of Micromax or Sony in just a year. “Oppo was burning a lot of money in the Indian market last fiscal along with Vivo, be it through advertising blitzkrieg, sponsorship of marquee cricketing tournaments, paying retailers hefty margins, buying out retail shelves to place its handsets and

branding. All these led to a massive jump in sales. However, this fiscal its growth rate has plunged,” said the ET report quoting a senior industry executive. Another executive reportedly said Oppo’s performance in 2016-17 is commendable considering demonetisation in November 2016 took the steam out of smartphone sales when industry sales had declined till the fiscal end. “But this fiscal, Oppo’s growth rate has come down across neighbourhood stores and retail chains. Hence, Oppo which has largely been offline trade focused is now trying to be aggressive online and running promotions and discounts on Amazon and Flipkart,” he said. n

356 mobile charger factories to be set up in India by 2025 I ndian mobile phone industry expects that the government push to encourage production of battery chargers will lead to setting up of 356 factories that can generate 8 lakh jobs in the country by 2025, said Indian Cellular Association, the apex body of the mobile industry comprising manufacturers, brand owners, application & solution providers, distributors, retailers and eminent consumers of mobile handsets. “I have no doubt that seemingly impossible target of producing 1.46 billion chargers by 2025 will become a reality, with more than 356 charger factories employing over 8 lakh people,” said Pankaj Mohindroo, National President, ICA, at a recent workshop of mobile battery charger makers in New Delhi. The companies at the workshop asked the government representatives present on the occasion to impose 15 per cent basic custom duty on mobile chargers that are being imported in the country. Ministry of Electronics and IT representative S K Marwah asked industry players to submit structured recommendation to the government for its consideration. Mohindroo said Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) of the government has boosted the confidence of companies in the mobile sector. “It was heartening to see the deep confidence with which the entire ecosystem -- mobile phone brands, EMS companies, Charger manufacturers and manufacturers of components of chargers -- responded to the clarion call for building a world-scale mobile charger industry in India,” he

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said. Under the PMP programme, the government has accepted industry demand to give them level-playing field compared to imported products by imposing duty on certain components that are sourced by mobile phone companies. Mohindroo said the target number of 356 factories does not include the component industry which is going to be built feeding the charger industry. n

january 2018 | 21

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Smartphone OLED shipments up 30% in Q3 S hipments of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays for smartphones surged 30 per cent globally in the third quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period in 2016, data showed recently. According to data from industry tracker IHS Markit, the global market for the OLED displays for smartphones came to $4.7

billion in the third quarter, rising sharply from $3.6 billion posted a year earlier, Yonhap News Agency reported. Samsung has maintained the top spot in the area at 34.1 per cent, trailed by Japan Display Inc with 13.6 per cent and LG Display Co with 11.7 per cent. Japanbased Sharp Corp accounted for 8.2 per cent. OLED displays are widely applied on major smartphones, including Samsung Electronics Co’s Galaxy Note 8 and Apple Inc’s iPhone X, due to their slim and flexible nature, which can be utilized for various designs. Industry watchers said the growth was anticipated to continue down the road as Chinese brands were also planning to apply OLED displays on their devices. For all of the small and medium-sized displays, the combined size of the market came to $14 billion, up 20.4 per cent from a year earlier. The segment covers displays that are nine inches and smaller, and products used mostly for smartphones, tablet PCs and wearable devices. n

Airtel, Intex join hands to launch affordable 4G smartphones

ontinuing to build on the success of its ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative, telecom operator Bharti Airtel has partnered with domestic handset maker Intex Technologies to launch a range of affordable 4G smartphones with advanced features. The Intex Aqua LIONS N1, a brand new 4G smartphone from the Intex stable, will be available to Airtel customers at an effective price of just Rs 1649 (compared to market price of Rs 3799). The all new Dual SIM 4G smartphone is powered by MTK chipset with a 4” full touch WVGA screen, 2MP Rear & Front VGA camera, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage which is expandable up to 128GB along with a host of other exciting features. Customers need to make a down payment of Rs 3149 for the Aqua LIONS N1. The all new 4G smartphones come bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, offering generous data and calling benefits. The customer is required to make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169 from Airtel. After 18 months, the customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 and another Rs 1,000 after the completion of 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500. In addition to the Intex Aqua LIONS N1, two more affordable 4G smartphones have been introduced under the ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative. The Intex Aqua A4 comes at an effective price of Rs 1,999 (compared to market price of Rs 4,999). It is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM and an 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 64GB. It has a 5MP primary camera on the rear

22 | january 2018

and a 2MP front shooter. The Intex Aqua S3, the most advanced phone in this range, is available at an effective price of Rs 4,379 (compared to market price of Rs 6,649). n

MYMOBILE

MediaTek collaborates with Ministry of Electronics to prepare engineers for careers in smartphone design

ediaTek recently announced the launch of its second Smartphone Design Training Program in collaboration with India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The program, an annual initiative since 2016, nurtures talent in India’s fast-growing handset industry. With the Smartphone Design Training Program, MediaTek supports the broader “Make in India” initiative to transform India into a global smartphone design and manufacturing hub. The one-of-a-kind program prepares design engineers and talented individuals in the mobile industry with tools, insights and expertise necessary for a successful India smartphone industry. MediaTek, a key partner to the country’s growth story, is taking its commitment a step further to support domestic innovation and smartphone design and production. “Since opening our Noida office in 2004, we have seen expansive growth in India’s mobile market sparked by incredible talent emerging in the engineering and design fields,” said Grant Kuo, Managing Director, MediaTek India. “We introduced our Smartphone Design Training Program last year to facilitate and accelerate continued education and training of India’s mobile talents. This year, we aim to provide a greater depth of specialization and customization to prepare India’s next generation of design engineers.” Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, said, “MediaTek’s support for Make in

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India and our Digital India initiative have delivered a massive leap forward for handset design advancements in India, and the impact of this crucial program will surely continue to be felt across our nation in its second year.” The program starts on January 19 with a series of courses centered on theory running through February 2. Following a two-week break, participants will travel to Taiwan on March 10, for a three-week session with the lead engineers and R&D personnel from MediaTek and handset key component ecosystem partners at MediaTek headquarters. n

Google launches ‘Go’ to drive Internet adoption T echnology major Google recently unveiled a slew of new solutions, such as Android Oreo Go edition for low-cost smartphones and a bike mode for Maps, aimed at driving Internet adoption across markets, including India. The company has also worked with Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio to bring a customised version of Google Assistant to the latter’s smart feature phones. Caesar Sengupta, Vice-President, Next Billion Users, said Google’s Indiafirst suite of products and features are aimed to help more people

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discover how the Internet can make life easier and more convenient. “These products and features are India-first, but they are not Indiaonly. When we build better products for India, we ultimately build better products for everyone,” he added. Citing the example of the bike mode on Google Maps and addition of bill payment feature in Tez, Sengupta said, “These additions speak to the specific lifestyles of a large number of Indians”. “Then you have those who are just adopting Internet. For them, Android Oreo (Go edition) will help improve the experience on entry-level phones while new apps like Files Go will ensure their experience is smooth and they consume less data,” he said. Files Go helps users free up space on their devices, find files faster and share files offline with people nearby. Sengupta told that he expects handset makers to bring smartphones based on Android Oreo (Go) edition in early 2018. Previously, Google had partnered with Indian handset makers like Micromax and Spice to launch entry-level Android One smartphones. But unlike Android One, Android Go is a software available for any handset with 1GB RAM or less. There will also be a new set of lighter Google apps, including Google Go (for search) aimed at first time smartphone users. Google has already launched Youtube Go that is in beta testing phase in India. n

january 2018 | 23

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bignews

Qualcomm launches Next-Gen Snapdragon 845 mobile chip L eading chip-maker Qualcomm has launched the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform - the next generation flagship mobile technology. The announcement came at the annual Snapdragon Technology Summit in Hawaii recently where Qualcomm made several announcements aimed to deliver significant advancements and innovation in mobile and PC technologies. The 845 mobile platform is a successor to 2016’s Snapdragon 835 and will drive improved performance, better power efficiency, and improved image processing. The Snapdragon 845 will likely come in many high-end Android phones this year, as per reports. Samsung Electronics confirmed that Samsung Foundry will be the foundry for Snapdragon 845 as the companies continue to work together to advance the silicon manufacturing process. “As the foundry partner for the Snapdragon 845 mobile platform, we look forward to our continued collaboration,” said ES Jung, President and General Manager, foundry business, Samsung Electronics. Xiaomi Founder and Chairman Lei Jun announced that Xiaomi’s next flagship smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 845. “Xiaomi is committed to making devices that combine cutting-edge innovations in technology and beautiful design, while defying price expectations, and we have chosen Snapdragon 845 to power our

next flagship smartphone,” added Jun. Cristiano Amon, Executive Vice President of Qualcomm Technologies and Terry Myerson, Executive Vice President of the Windows and Devices Group at Microsoft, reiterated their collaboration to deliver Windows 10 on Snapdragon. “Always Connected PCs are instantly on, always connected with a week of battery life,” said Myerson. Jerry Shen, Chief Executive Officer of Asus announced the first Windows on Snapdragon device, the 2-in-1 convertible ASUS NovaGo, which is expected to be available this year. Kevin Frost, Vice President and General Manager of consumer personal systems at HP Inc., also announced a detachable HP ENVY x2 Windows on Snapdragon Mobile PC. n

Deadline to link Aadhaar with mobile phone extended till March 31

he government recently accepted the Supreme Court’s suggestion to extend the Aadhaar-mobile phone linkage deadline from February 6 to March 31, the date now set by the government for seeding Aadhaar in all schemes, including bank accounts. Amid forceful arguments from petitioners represented by a host of senior advocates led by Shyam Divan for a stay on making Aadhaar

24 | january 2018

mandatory till the SC decides its validity, the apex court suggested to Attorney General K K Venugopal that the Aadhaar-mobile phone linkage deadline could be extended to March 31, as has been done for 139 other schemes. In response to the views expressed by a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A K Sikri, A M Khanwilkar, D Y Chandrachud and Ashok Bhushan, Venugopal said the February 6, 2018 deadline for Aadhaar-mobile phone linkage was fixed by the SC and that the Centre would have no objection if the court extended it to March 31. The bench said it would commence final hearings of all pending petitions challenging the validity of Aadhaar from January 10. K V Vishwanathan, counsel for one of the petitioners, said the extension was meaningless as banks continued to coerce people to enrol for Aadhaar for opening new accounts despite a five-judge Constitution bench passing an interim order on October 15, 2015 restraining the government from making Aadhaar mandatory and allowing linkage of Aadhaar to six social welfare schemes. Venugopal said Aadhaar as an identity proof was demanded by banks for opening of accounts as part of a structured fight against fake accounts, money laundering and circulation of black money. The AG said persons opening new accounts in banks must either produce an Aadhaar number or proof of application for Aadhaar. n

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martphone apps such as WeChat, UC News, NewsDog and Truecaller have come under fresh scrutiny after Indian soldiers posted on China border were asked to delete over 40 applications that may have ‘Chinese links’. According to media reports, as per instructions sent on November 24 last year, Indian troops on the China border have been asked to format their smartphones and delete apps that may be compromising national security. It added that a number of Android and iOS apps developed by Chinese companies or having Chinese links are either spyware or malicious and use of these apps by the troops can be detrimental to national security. While WeChat is a messaging platform, UC News is an app developed by the Alibaba Group. Other apps on the list include micro-blogging site Weibo, file transfer application SHAREit, and NewsDog. Owned by a Chinese company called Hacker Interstellar, NewsDog is a news aggregator app that has partnered with publishers to offer content in English and Hindi. Mobile communications app Truecaller has reportedly clarified that it has no links to China. It added that Truecaller is not a malware, and claimed that all its features are permission-based and are disabled by default. The development comes just a few months after the Indian government directed over two dozen smartphone makers,

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UC News, NewsDog and others face government scrutiny S

most of which are Chinese, to inform it about the procedures and processes they follow to ensure the security of mobile phones sold in India, following reports of data leakage and theft last year. Chinese smartphone players led by Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Lenovo and Gionee account for more than half of India’s $10-billion smartphone market, with most of these companies having servers in China. Xiaomi has its servers in Singapore and the US. n

India behind Pakistan, Nepal at 109th in mobile net speed

ndia ranked a dismal 109th in the mobile Internet speed while its neighbouring countries - Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka - have registered better speed, said a recent report by broadband speed measuring firm Ookla. “According to data from Ooklas November Speedtest Global Index, India is ranked 109th in the mobile Internet speed and 76th for fixed broadband speed, globally,” the Speedtest Global Index report published by Ookla said. The report

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showed that India slipped by one position to 109th in November compared to the average speed telecom networks registered in the previous month. “At the start of 2017, the average mobile download speed in India was 7.65 Mbps (megabit per second). Heading to the end of the year, average mobile download speed is 8.80 Mbps as of November. That’s a 15% increase,” the report said. The same report showed Pakistan was ranked at 89th position even after slipping three positions, Nepal at 99th rank and Sri lanka at 107th position. When it comes to fixed broadband speed, India ranked 76th globally and average speed in the country was better than Pakistan (ranked 126) and Nepal (rank 92). Sri Lanka, however, was better compared to that of India, as per the report. The Ookla report said that while mobile speeds increased modestly, fixed broadband speeds increased dramatically. “Average fixed broadband download speed in January was 12.12 Mbps. As of November, it’s at 18.82 Mbps, a close to 50 per cent jump,” the report said. As of November, Norway topped the list of countries offering highest average mobile Internet download speed with 62.66 Mbp and Singapore takes the top spot for fixed broadband with a 153.85 Mbps average download. n

january 2018 | 25

What’s Up

bignews

Government sets up body to detect, prevent cyber attacks T he Government of India recently took steps to create a strong fire-wall around the official network of Centre and states as it set up a dedicated body to monitor, detect and prevent cyber-attacks. The NIC-CERT (National Informatics CentreComputer Emergency Response Team) centre has been formed to ensure that official channels of the government remain insulated from cyber threats at a time of growing incidents of attacks both from within the country and outside. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the growing role of Digital India has seen a lot of services going online. “Although this has made the services highly accessible to citizens, it has also exposed them to the threats and vulnerabilities which are an inherent part of cyberspace,” Prasad said. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) helps government agencies build their digital presence while CERT-India is the official agency of the government to track, prevent and tackle cyber threats. In the past, there has been an exponential growth in cyber-attacks, leading to concerns of data theft which led to the Government drafting the Data Protection Act. “As internet, with its everexpanding canvas of opportunities, is touching the life of people,

it necessitates the requirement to scale up the existing security infrastructure,” Prasad said. The government has also called a meeting of state IT ministers to further work on cybersecurity and safety. “In January, we will have a meeting of IT ministers and cybersecurity and safety will be an important component of that discussion. I have directed that the role of state governments has to be expanded in the area of cybersecurity.” n

Digital gender gap: Only 29% female Internet users in India I nternet usage in India is still a male preserve, with only 29 per cent of online users being females, thus underlining a “digital gender gap”, says a study by the United Nations. According to the report titled ‘State of the World’s Children 2017: Children in a digital world’ unveiled by the UNICEF recently, girls in rural areas often face restrictions while using the Information and Communications Technology (ICTs), solely because of their gender.

26 | january 2018

“Globally, 12 per cent more men than women used the Internet in 2017. In India, less than one third of Internet users are females,” the study said. “There are potentially serious consequences for girls excluded from the digital age,” it noted. The digital gender gap also leads to the inability to access online services and information on issues related to women health or further their education and skills that could help them participate in the global economy of the 21st century. “Girls and boys in India have the unique opportunity to benefit from the connectivity that the digital world can provide. India is famous as an IT hub and no matter where they live, every girl or boy should have digital advantage,” said UNICEF representative in India, Yasmin Ali Haque, at the launch of the report in New Delhi. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working with the Centre in developing a comprehensive plan on digital safety for children. UNICEF, in the annual flagship report, stated that despite children’s massive online presence - 1 in 3 internet users worldwide is a child - too little is done to protect them from the perils of the digital world. The report also presents UNICEF’s first comprehensive look at different ways the digital technology is affecting children’s lives and life chances, identifying dangers as well as opportunities. n

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Smartphones hold the key to make cities smarter

ur phones and tablets may be used to make cities ‘smarter’ by replacing costly sensors dedicated to collect data to track health and environment, a study suggests. By applying a mobile crowd-sensing (MCS) approach, communities may have the capability to transmit the same amount of data, with virtually the same level of accuracy. According to a PTI report, researchers from the University at Albany in the US reviewed the types of smart technologies currently deployed in cities, which break down into two primary categories: dedicated and non-dedicated sensors, the latter being available as a built-in capability in every smartphone. Most communities use a combination of cameras, microphones, temperature sensors, Global Positioning System (GPS) devices and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to monitor traffic, weather and energy consumption, according to the study published in IEEE Sensors Journal. These devices in turn supply data that makes it easier to track utilities, lighting, parking, health and the

environment. “The MCS concept also has known implementation challenges, such as incentivising the crowd and ensuring the trustworthiness of the captured data, and covering a wide sensing area,” said the PTI report quoting Tolga Soyata, from the University at Albany. “Considering the pros and cons of each option, the decision as to which one is better becomes a non-trivial answer. We conducted a thorough study of both types of sensors and draw conclusions about which one becomes a favourable option based on a given application platform,” Soyata was quoted as saying. n

US regulator scraps Obama’s net neutrality rules

he US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to roll back “net neutrality” rules adopted in 2015 that required internet service providers to treat all online traffic equally. In the rules adopted in 2015 under then US President Barack Obama, internet service providers were not allowed to block or degrade access to legal content, applications, services, or non-harmful devices. In a 3-to-2 vote along party lines, the FCC recently reversed what it called in a statement “heavy-handed utility-style regulation of broadband Internet access service” which “reduced Internet service provider (ISP) investment in networks, as well as hampered innovation, particularly among small ISPs serving rural consumers”,

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Chinese news agency Xinhua reported. At the same time, it restores the classification of broadband internet access service as an “information service” and reinstates the classification of mobile broadband internet access service as a private mobile service, the FCC statement said. The Obama-era rules also banned the establishment of fast and slow internet lanes in order to favour certain online content over others. Over the past two years, AT&T Inc. and other broadband providers have challenged the net neutrality rules in court. Michael Beckerman, president and CEO of Internet Association, a trade association that represents internet companies such as Amazon, Google and Facebook, opposed the FCC’s repeal of the Obama-era rules, saying “relying on ISPs to live up to their own ‘promises’ is not net neutrality and is bad for consumers.” There is little competition in the broadband service market -- more than half of all Americans have no choice in their provider -- so consumers will be forced to accept ISP interference in their online experience, Beckerman said. Beckerman said his group is currently weighing its legal options in a lawsuit against the new decision. n team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 27

First Look

justin LG V30+

outh Korean tech major LG has come up with yet another

At the front, there is a 5-megapixel camera with 90-degree

flagship smartphone, the V30+. The phone was earlier

wide-angle lens.

unveiled at IFA Berlin 2017 and has been launched after various teasers.

scanner at the back, facial recognition, improved 32-bit

The LG V30+ comes with two major features; dual

Hi-Fi Quad DAC audio by Bang & Olufsen, IP68 certification

cameras at the back and FullVision display with an aspect

for water and dust resistance, and the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upgraded

ratio rated at 18:9.

UX 6.0+. It comes stacked with various connectivity options

The display of the LG V30+ spans 6-inch and is QHD+ and OLED in nature with a pixel density of 638ppi and

such as 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, and USB Type-C 2.0.

Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection. In terms of other

The LG V30+ currently comes in Aurora Black and Cloud

specs, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon

Silver colour options, with other colour variants to be made

835 mobile platform, and is equipped with 4GB of RAM

available soon. The smartphone is priced at Rs 44,990 and

and 128GB of internal storage, expandable up to 2TB via a

will be available to buy exclusively via Amazon India.

memory card. The smartphone is backed by a 3300mAh battery and runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

28 | january 2018

Additionally, the LG V30+ comes with a fingerprint

Additionally, LG is providing the customers with offers such as a free one-time screen replacement worth Rs

In terms of optics, there is a dual-camera setup rated at

12,000, a free wireless charger worth roughly Rs 3,000,

16-megapixel with f/1.6 aperture and 13-megapixel with

and in-app purchases worth Rs 6,400 for the Beat Fever

f/1.9 aperture, featuring dual-tone LED flash and autofocus.

app. n

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

OPPO F5 Youth

fter being launched in the Philippines recently, the OPPO F5 Youth smartphone has now

arrived in India. The smartphone, which is a toned down variant of the OPPO F5, comes with the same 6-inch full HD+ bezel-less display as its highlight. The display comes with the same aspect ratio (rated at 18:9) as the OPPO F5, and a screen resolution standing at 2,160 x1,080 pixels. The OPPO F5 Youth comes with a lowered down RAM/ROM configuration, standing at 3GB/32GB, with it being expandable up to 128GB via a memory card. In the camera department, there is a 13megapixel rear shooter with LED flash, while the front houses a 16-megapixel snapper featuring screen flash feature. The smartphone comes with AI-based beautification technology for improved and natural selfies. In terms of other specifications, the smartphone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P23 processor along with ARM Mali G71 MP2 GPU. The

OPPO F5 sources power from a 3200mAh battery and runs Android 7.0 Nougat with ColorOS 3.2 on top. Furthermore, the OPPO G5 Youth is accompanied by a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition. The smartphone sports dual SIM card slots and comes with several connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS and OTG support. The OPPO F5 Youth comes with a price tag of Rs 16,990. n

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january 2018 | 29

First Look

justin

Panasonic Eluga I9

xpanding its Eluga series, Panasonic has launched a new

snapper also comes with LED flash. The smartphone is also

smartphone, dubbed the Eluga I9 in India.

accompanied by various camera features such as watermark,

In terms of the technical specifications, the Panasonic

Panorama, burst mode and various other filters.

Eluga I9 comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered

The Eluga I9 sources power from a 2500mAh battery and

by quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor clocked at

runs Android 7.0 Nougat, and comes with several connectivity

1.25GHz. The smartphone is equipped with 3GB of RAM

options such as 3G, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS.

and 32GB of onboard storage which can be further expanded up to 128GB with the use of a microSD card. On the camera front, there is a 13-megapixel primary shooter with LED flash, and the 5-megapixel front-facing

30 | january 2018

The Panasonic Eluga I9 comes in Space Grey, Champagne Gold, and Blue colour options. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 7,499, and is available exclusively via Flipkart. n

MYMOBILE

Intex ELYT e6

First Look

justin

omegrown Intex Technologies has launc he d a ne w b u d g e t

smartphone, dubbed the Elyt e6 in India. Talking about the technical specifications, the Elyt e6 comes with a 5-inch HD FL display with a layer of 2.5D curved glass and Dragontrail glass for protection. It is powered by a 64-bit quad-core MediaTek processor ticking at 1.25GHz. The smartphone comes equipped with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal

storage which can be further expanded up to 128GB with the use of a memory card. In the camera department, there is a 13-megapixel primary shooter with LED flash and autofocus, with an 8-megapixel front-facing snapper, also with LED flash. The Elyt e6 is backed by a huge 4000mAh battery which is claimed to last up to 12 days of standby time and up to 8 to 16 hours of talk time and, runs Android 7.0 Nougat. The smartphone comes with 4G VoLTE-enablement and OTG support. Additionally, the Intex ELYT e6 measures 146.4 x72.5 x9.8 mm and weighs 167.5 grams. The Intex Elyt e6 is available in a single black colour. It comes with a price tag of Rs 6,999 and is up for grabs exclusively via Flipkart. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 31

First Look

justin Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro

dding yet another smartphone to its bezel-less

front, rated at 20-megapixel and 8-megapixel. The rear

segment, domestic handset maker Micromax recently

camera stands at 16-megapixel. The smartphone supports

launched the Canvas Infinity Pro in India. The smartphone,

various camera features such as Portrait Mode, Face

like the Canvas Infinity, has the display as its highlight.

Beauty Mode, Auto Scene Detection, Super Pixel,

Speaking of technical specifications, the smartphone

Panorama, and Tale Album.

comes with a 5.7-inch Full Vision display with a screen

The Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro is backed by a bigger

resolution of 1,440 x720 pixels and an aspect ratio rated

3000mAh battery with a standby time of 420 hours and

at 18:9. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm

a talk time of up to 22 hours and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

Snapdragon 430 processor, along with 4GB of RAM. It

The device is also accompanied by a rear-mounted

has 64GB of inbuilt storage which can be further expanded

fingerprint scanner.

up to 128GB with the use of a memory card. The camera department, which is another highlight of the smartphone, comes with a dual-camera setup at the

32 | january 2018

The Micromax Canvas Infinity Pro comes with a price tag of Rs 13,999 and is up for grabs exclusively via Flipkart. n

MYMOBILE

First Look

justin

Xiaomi Redmi 5A

fter various teasers, Chinese technology major Xiaomi has

In the camera department, the Redmi 5A houses a 13-megapixel

finally launched the Redmi 5A as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Desh ka Smartphoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

rear shooter with LED flash, 5p lens and PDAF, while the front-

in India.

facing snapper is rated at 5-megapixel for selfies and video calling.

The main highlight of the budget smartphone is the 8-day long

It supports various camera features such as HDR, Burst mode,

battery life on standby as claimed by the company. The smartphone

Panorama, Face recognition, and real-time filters. The smartphone

is backed by a 3000mAh battery.

runs the latest MIUI 9.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat, and comes

Talking about the other specifications, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A

with dual-SIM card slots, with a dedicated home for microSD card.

comes with a 5-inch HD display with a pixel density rated at

The smartphone comes in Dark Grey, Gold, and Rose Gold colour

296ppi. The smartphone is powered by quad-core 64-bit Qualcomm

variants.

Snapdragon 425 processor clocked at 1.4GHz. The smartphone

The Xiaomi Redmi 5A costs Rs 5,999 (2GB RAM/16GB ROM)

comes in two RAM/ROM variants- 2GB RAM/16GB ROM and 3GB

and Rs 6,999 (3GB RAM/32GB ROM), and is up for grabs

RAM/32GB ROM, both the options coming with the option to

exclusively via Flipkart. However, the five million units of the 2GB

expand up to 128GB with the use of a microSD card.

RAM/16GB ROM variant will be priced at Rs 4,999. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 33

First Look

justin

Micromax Bharat 5

omestic tech firm Micromax recently launched a new smartphone in its budget

Bharat series, dubbed the Bharat 5 at an event in India. The main highlight of the smartphone is the huge 5000mAh battery it is backed by. In terms of the technical specifications, the Bharat 5 comes with a 5.2-inch HD IPS display and is powered by quad-core processor ticking at 1.3GHz. The smartphone comes equipped with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 64GB using a microSD card. On the camera front, both the front as well as the rear snappers are rated at 5-megapixel, with LED flash on the front and the back. With the massive 5000mAh battery capacity, the Bharat 5 is able to last up to two days and has a standby time of around three weeks. The 4G VoLTE-enabled device runs Android Nougat. It comes with various connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth V4.0, and FM radio. The Micromax Bharat 5 comes with a price tag of Rs 5,555, and is available across all the retail stores in the country. Moreover, Micromax has also collaborated with Vodafone to provide 50GB internet data to the Bharat 5 buyers. The users will get an additional 10GB of data on the recharge of 1GB data plan, for five months. n

34 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

OnePlus 5T ‘Star Wars’ Edition

First Look

justin

elebrating its third anniversary in India, Chinese smartphone company OnePlus

recently introduced OnePlus 5T “Star Wars” special edition smartphone in collaboration with science-fiction film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. The design of the limited edition phone has been inspired by planet “Crait” from the movie. The metal back of the device is “Crait” white with a “Star Wars” logo in red. As far as the features of the smartphone are considered, similar to OnePlus 5T, the special edition device also sports a 16MP + 20MP primary camera with f/1.7 aperture on both sensors. There is a six-inch display with an aspect ratio of 18:9 for immersive viewing. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset fuels the phone, coupled with 8GB RAM and 128GB onboard storage that’s not expandable. The device has a 3300mAh non-removable battery, which weighs 162 grams, and measures 156.1x75x7.3mm. It supports fast charging through the company’s Dash Charge technology. It also has a face recognition system. On the software front, there is a customised red, white and black theme with a set of 10 exclusive “Star Wars” wallpapers. The special edition of OnePlus 5T comes with a price tag of Rs 38,999. One can buy it from Amazon India or Oneplusstore.in. Apart from India, the limited edition variant will also be available in select European countries including Finland, Sweden and Denmark. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 35

First Look

justin

Intex Elyt Dual

xpanding its range of Elyt series smartphone, Intex recently launched a new mid-range dual selfie

sensor handset in India, known as the Elyt Dual. Coming to features, the phone sports a 5-inch HD IPS (720 x 1280 pixels) display with a pixel density of 294ppi. The phone is backed by the old 1.3Ghz quad-core Spreadtrum (SC9850) Cortex-A7 chipset and ARM Mali 400 GPU. Coupled with a 2GB RAM, the phone has an inbuilt memory of 16GB that can be increased to 128GB through an external microSD card. In terms of the optics, the smartphone features a dual front-facing camera of 8-megapixel and 2-megapixel for selfies and video calling and an 8MP primary camera. Both the rear and front cameras of the phone is equipped with a dual LED flash. The Intex Elyt Dual operates on Android 7.0 Nougat and is powered by a 2400mAh Li-ion removable battery, which claims to deliver up to 5-6 hours of talk-time and up to 200-220 hours on standby time. The connectivity options on the board include dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/AGPS, FM Radio, 3.5mm jack, USB 2.0, G-sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor and preloaded apps like Amazon shopping, Databack, Gaana, Intex Services, Newspoint, Qr Camera, SwiftKey, IndiGamez, UC Min. The phone carries a price tag of Rs 6,999. It appears in Champagne and Black colour options and is available on both offline stores and online. n

36 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

InFocus Vision 3

oxconn-backed InFocus has launched its latest full vision smartphone, known as InFocus Vision 3 for the Indian market

in the budget segment, to take on popular Chinese brand Xiaomi. Talking about the technical specifications, the InFocus Vision 3 sports a 5.7-inch full vision screen and 18:9 HD high resolution

First Look

justin

display. The smartphone is powered by MediaTek 6737H, 1.3GHz processor and Android Nougat OS. It comes loaded with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage which is expandable up to 64GB memory (through micro SD). It sources power from a 4000mAh battery which can also be used as a reverse charger. The InFocus Vision 3 comes with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Dualfieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; feature which allows clicking simultaneously, from the front and rear cameras to display the image together on the large screen. The device sports 13MP + 5MP wide-angle rear cameras and an 8MP front camera with up to 7 levels of beauty modifications. The front camera also sports background blur to give definition to subjects. Connectivity options on the board include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a micro-USB charging port as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors on the device include a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Gravity sensor, Ambient Light sensor and Proximity sensor. InFocus has also introduced its latest Smile UX that has a multitude of interesting and user friendly features. The InFocus Vision 3 comes with a price tag of Rs 6,999 and will be exclusively available on Amazon. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 37

First Look

justin Xiaomi Mi A1 Special Edition Red

o celebrate the global holiday season, Xiaomi has launched the red edition of its

popular Mi A1 smartphone in India. The Mi A1 Special Edition Red continues to have same innards and is powered by Google. The original variant of the special edition was launched in September last year. Unlike other Xiaomi devices, the Mi A1 has got stock Android operating system and receives regular software update and security updates when released. The smartphone offers unlimited photo and video storage on the cloud and Google Assistant. The Mi A1 comes with some additional utility apps such as Mi Remote and Mi camera app on the device. In terms of the technical specifications, both the smartphones share the same specs. The Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with a 5.5-inch full HD display with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. The camera department is the highlight of the smartphone, housing dual cameras at the back, rated at 12-megapixel each with camera features such as Beautify 3.0, Smart Beauty, Portrait mode, and 2X optical zoom. At the front, there is a 5-megapixel camera with realtime beautification mode. Another highlight is the incorporation of the stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat under Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Android One initiative. It is backed by a 3080mAh battery and comes with a rearmounted fingerprint sensor and 10V smart power amplifier for enhanced audio performance. The Mi A1 Special Edition Red comes with a price tag of Rs 12,999, and is up for grabs on mi.com, Flipkart and all Mi Home stores, Mi Preferred Partner stores, and retail partner stores. n

38 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

International

justin

Huawei Enjoy 7S

hinese smartphone maker Huawei has launched its latest

In terms of optics, the Huawei Enjoy 7S features a 13-

mid-range smartphone, dubbed the Huawei Enjoy 7S in

megapixel camera and a secondary 2-megapixel camera for

China. Huawei Enjoy 7S is regarded as the successor to the

capturing depth. For selfies, it features an 8-megapixel front

Enjoy 6S that was launched earlier this year. The smartphone

camera.

features an all-metal unibody design with an 18:9 aspect ratio.

On the connectivity front, the smartphone offers options like WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G LTE with VoLTE, GPS and microUSB

Talking about the technical specs, the Huawei Enjoy 7S is

port. The device houses an inbuilt storage of 32GB, expandable

via microSD card (up to 256GB) and will be available in Black,

with a MaliT830-MP2 GPU. The device sports a 5.65-inch

Blue, Rose Gold, and Gold colour variants.

full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect

The device will be available in two variants- 3GB RAM with

ratio. The device comes in two storage variants, an average

32GB storage variant for CNY 1,499 (approximately Rs

model with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and a higher version

14,540) and CNY 1,699 (approximately Rs 16,480) for 4GB

with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

RAM with 64GB storage variant. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 39

International

justin

ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1)

ollowing the launch of the Pegasus 4s with the aspect ratio

Talking about other specifications, the ASUS ZenFone Max

rated at 18:9, ASUS recently unveiled a new smartphone

Plus (M1) is powered by octa-core MediaTek MT6750T ticking

in the mid-segment, dubbed the ASUS ZenFone Max Plus

at 1.5GHz, along with Mali-T860 MP2 GPU. The smartphone

(M1) on the same lines in Russia.

comes in two RAM/ROM variants- 2GB RAM/16GB ROM and

The ZenFone Max Plus (M1) comes with the same aspect

3GB RAM/32GB ROM, both the options coming with the

ratio of 18:9, featuring a 5.7-inch full HD+ display with

option to expand up to 256GB with the use of a memory card.

minimal bezels on the sides.

The device is backed by a huge 4130mAh battery and runs

Another highlight of the smartphone is the dual-camera setup present at the back, consisting of 16-megapixel and 8-megapixel shooters featuring LED flash, autofocus, while the front houses an 8-megapixel snapper with 85-degree wideangle lens.

40 | january 2018

the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ZenUI 4.0 based on Android 7.0 Nougat. Furthermore, the ZenFone Max Plus (M1) is equipped with a facial recognition and a fingerprint sensor at the back. However, there is no word on the price and availability of the ASUS ZenFone Max Plus (M1). n

MYMOBILE

Samsung Galaxy S8+ SMARTgirl Limited Edition

fter introducing the Burgundy Red colour variant of the

dual Pixel 12-megapixel primary snapper with autofocus and

Samsung Galaxy S8, South Korean technology major

OIS, while the front camera stands at 8-megapixel. The Galaxy

Samsung recently introduced the SMARTgirl Limited Edition

S8+ sources power from a 3500mAh battery with fast charging

variant of the elder sibling- the Galaxy S8+ in Spain.

tech and runs Android 7.0 Nougat.

The new variant of the Galaxy S8+ sports a pink metallic

The flagship device comes with various connectivity options

colour and comes with a Swarovski back case, priced at Euros

such as 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C,

949 (around Rs 72,860). However, the new SMARTgirl variant

NFC, and GPS. It is also accompanied by a rear-mounted

is a limited edition one with only 7,000 units manufactured.

fingerprint scanner. n

Speaking of the technical specs, the new variant is similar to the original Galaxy S8+. To recall, the Galaxy S8+ comes

International

justin

with a 6.2-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED Infinity display with an aspect ratio rated at 18:9. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile platform, coupled with 4GB of RAM. It is equipped with 64GB of internal storage each, which is expandable up to 256GB via a memory card. On the camera front, the smartphone sports a

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 41

International

justin Xiaomi Redmi 5, Redmi 5 Plus

ollowing several rumours, leaks, and speculations,

density standing at 403ppi. The smartphone has

Xiaomi has finally launched the Redmi 5 and

Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, and it too,

Redmi 5 Plus smartphones in China. Both the

comes in two RAM/RAM configurations- 3GB

smartphones have a common USP, which is the bezel-

RAM/32GB ROM (costing CNY 999 or Rs 9,750) and

less display with an aspect ratio rated at 18:9.

4GB RAM/64GB ROM (for CNY 1,299 or Rs 12,800),

Starting with the Redmi 5, the smartphone comes

with both the options being expandable in nature. The

with a 5.7-inch HD+ display with a pixel density of

Redmi 5 Plus gets its fuel from a bigger 4000mAh

282ppi and is powered by octa-core Qualcomm

battery and runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat with MIUI 9

Snapdragon 450 processor clocked at 1.8GHz. The

on top.

device comes in two RAM/ROM options-

Both the Redmi 5 and the Redmi 5 Plus feature

2GBRAM/16GB ROM (for CNY 799 or Rs 7,800) and

same camera configuration. The rear shooter is rated

3GB RAM/32GB ROM (priced at CNY 899 or Rs

at 12-megapixel with dual-tone LED flash and PDAF,

8,800), both the variants coming with the option to

while the front-facing camera stands at 5-megapixel

expand up to 128GB via a memory card. It is backed

featuring soft flash.

by a 3200mAh battery and runs the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MIUI 9.0 based on Android 7.1.2 Nougat. The Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus, on the other hand, sports a bigger 5.99-inch full HD+ display with a pixel

42 | january 2018

Additionally, both smartphones are accompanied by a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and is available in Black, Gold, Light Blue, and Rose Gold colour variants. n

MYMOBILE

justin Vivo X20 FIFA World Cup Edition

fter becoming the official sponsor for

along with Adreno 512 GPU.

the 2018 FIFA World Cup to be held

The X20 sports a dual-camera setup

in Russia, Chinese smartphone brand

which comes with a combination of 24-

Vivo, in the spirit of the sporting

megapixel primary camera with f/1.8

extravaganza recently announced a special

aperture, OIS and there is a secondary

FIFA World Cup Edition of the recently

5-megapixel shooter. For the front, it sports

unveiled Vivo X20 at an event in Moscow,

a 12-megapixel shooter with soft LED

Russia.

flash and f/2.0 aperture. It runs on

The special edition phone will be given

Funtouch OS 3.2 based on Android 7.1.1

out to all the FIFA officials, with FIFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo

Nougat and also sports a fingerprint sensor

residing at the back. They will use the

at the back panel.

device during the World Cup which is

The Vivo X20 sports 4GB of RAM and

scheduled from June 14 to July 15 next

128GB storage option. The storage can be

year.

further expanded up to 256GB via

As far as the specifications of this World

microSD card slot. The smartphone is

Cup edition of X20 is concerned, it is same

backed by a 3245mAh battery with fast

as the existing Vivo X20. The major

charging support. The Vivo X20 measures

highlight of the Vivo X20 smartphone is

155.85Ă&#x2014;75.15x 7.2mm and weighs 159

the display. It sports a 6.01-inch Full HD+

grams. On the connectivity front, both the

Super AMOLED display, which bears an

smartphone supports 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth

aspect ratio of 18:9. It is powered by the

5.0, WiFi, GPS, USB Type-C port and dual-

latest quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon

SIM slot. n

660 mobile platform clocked at 2.2GHz

team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 43

Limelight

lead story

Hot Consumer Trends 2018

Technology Turns Human

A paradigm shift is underway as consumers expect digital technology to increasingly operate on human terms; body language, facial expression and intonation will augment voice and touch to control consumer interaction with tech devices, easing adaption in an ever-increasing pace of technological change. 44 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Limelight

lead story

from this vision of a not-too-distant future. One is an appliance with switches and knobs, and the other is a smartphone full of remote control apps. Ericsson ConsumerLab’s latest research indicates that consumers are increasingly moving towards a paradigmatic shift in how they expect to interact with technology. Ever more things are becoming connected, but the complexities of how to control them all are a different matter. On the one hand, alternative yet equally good user interface solutions for simple functions have existed for much longer than we’ve had electronic gadgets. A Westerner who experiences an Asian meal for the first time soon finds out that the user interface to that meal is a pair of chopsticks rather than a knife and fork. On the other hand, mass-market acceptance of digital technology has made the proliferation of user interfaces practically infinite. Every new device with a screen adds new user interface variations, which are then multiplied by the number of apps within each gadget. Today you have to know all the devices. But tomorrow all the devices will have to know you.

Tomorrow, your devices will know you!

Michael Björn, Head of Research, Ericsson ConsumerLab, says: “We are entering a future where devices neither

“Today, you have to know all the intricacies of the devices you use. But in the future, the devices will know you instead. For this to become a reality, devices must be able to relay complex human interaction data to cloudbased processing, and respond intuitively within milliseconds, increasing requirements on next generation connectivity” – Michael Björn, Head of Research, Ericsson ConsumerLab

Imagine you have just arrived home

have buttons and switches nor need to be

from work. You wave your hand, and the

controlled digitally via your smartphone. In

lamp turns on, flashing the light in greeting.

fact, this may be a necessary change, as it

The home speaker begins to play music,

would be difficult for people to learn a new

instead. For this to become a reality,

but when you give it an exasperated look,

user interface for every device that gets

devices must be able to relay complex

it turns off. You make a coffee, but grimace

connected to the Internet of Things.”

human interaction data to cloud-based

because it’s too bitter. The coffee machine immediately offers to add sugar or milk. Two things are conspicuously absent

www.mymobileindia.com

“Today, you have to know all the

processing, and respond intuitively within

intricacies of the devices you use. But in

milliseconds, increasing requirements on

the future, the devices will know you

next generation connectivity.” n

january 2018 | 45

Limelight

lead story

Your body is the user interface And digital tech is beginning to interact on human terms!

assistant users think that eventually they will not be able to open doors, cook food or even brush their teeth without an internet connection, it is clear that reliable connectivity will become all important. But it may also be necessary to think about what we will use less because of this change. Potentially, we will have a reduced need for smartphone-based remote control apps. And although the keyboard and mouse are universally present and accepted by almost everyone today, 81 percent of intelligent voice assistant users actually believe such traditional input devices will be a thing of the past in only 5 years. Will we miss them? If direct interaction turns out to be more convenient, we certainly wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. There are many other interfaces that will also be replaced by direct interaction and a reliance on connectivity. For example, the advanced internet users in our survey voted self-driving cars as the next tech gadget that people everywhere will eventually buy.

three years.

onsumers who already use intelligent

This means not only the end of steering

voice assistants are leading a behavioral

Today, smartphones are almost

wheels and pedals, but also that cars will

change. In fact, more than half of them

synonymous with internet use. But when

have to directly interact with pedestrians.

believe we will use body language,

consumers increasingly interact with other

For example, how does someone waiting

intonation, touch and gestures to interact

types of tech, they may well start to think

at a crossing know when they can go if

with tech just like we do with people; two

about a general need for connectivity.

there is no driver in the car to gesture to

out of three think this will happen in only

46 | january 2018

Given that one in three intelligent voice

them? n

MYMOBILE

Augmented hearing In the near future, we might find that we use wireless earphones all day long and even sleep with them too!

any smartphone makers are now abandoning the headphone jack in

favor of digital multi-function ports, in a way forcing consumers to seek out wireless

Limelight

lead story

alternatives instead. Some accept this change, while others do not; but all might agree that the headphone jack represents an analogue era that we no longer live in. This means when consumers are upgrading their phones they also need to upgrade their earphones. And just as people expect new functions in a phone, it turns out that they expect new functions in earphones too. Today, earphones are

think that earphones that let you select

percent believe earphones that charge

already used not only to enable sounds but

which people in a room you want to hear

wirelessly, so that you never have to take

also to block them out. For example,

clearly, and which people you want to mute,

them out at all, will be mainstream in only

noisecancelling functionality has been

will be mainstream in only three years. But

5 years. The most anticipated functionality

serving this dual purpose for some time.

for that to become a reality, earphones will

for such earphones is real-time translation

need to be more aware of our intentions and

of all languages, desired by 63 percent of

allow for more direct user control.

respondents. But 52 percent also want to

We use headphones and earphones to select what we want and do not want to hear. It is therefore not surprising that half

Furthermore, such functionality can be

of all advanced internet users surveyed

applied in many situations. In fact, 81

www.mymobileindia.com

block out the sound of snoring family members in order to sleep. n

january 2018 | 47

Limelight

lead story

Eternal newbies As many as 30 percent of respondents say new technology makes it impossible to keep their skills up to date. This means some of us feel like total beginners even when performing everyday routine tasks!

he pace of technological change is increasing

almost every day, and it is easy to feel stress at not being able to keep up. For some, this is probably manifested as a feeling of helplessness. [1] But for many, it may present an opportunity. In fact, almost half of consumers think technology will make learning even advanced professions much quicker. On the other hand, endeavors to learn and relearn will be a neverending rat race, with 55 percent believing that technological change will accelerate the pace of change in skills needed at work. Luckily, the internet can also help consumers cope with this new situation. As many as 46 percent say the internet allows them to learn and forget skills at a faster pace than ever before. Generally, we learn skills only at the moment we need them. Already today, almost half say they often just search the internet for how to do things, because they have either forgotten or because there is a new way to do it anyway. n

48 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Limelight

lead story

Social broadcasting Social media promised user-driven two-way communication, giving voice and power to individual consumers and redressing the balance between senders and receivers. However, social media is now being overrun by one-sided broadcasters!

nfluencers with money buy followers and those with the right know-how use

artificial intelligence (AI) bots to fill social media with traditional broadcasting messages â&#x20AC;&#x201C; turning social media back into a platform of one-way communication. Consumers are well aware that social networks are increasingly becoming the scene for standardized broadcast messages that are more designed to spread an opinion than to invite dialogue and reciprocity. Fifty-five percent think influential groups use social networks to broadcast their messages, and a similar number think politicians use social media to spread propaganda. Thirty-nine percent think celebrities pay to get more followers, while as many are getting tired of requests from companies to rate them and like them online. In fact, one in three confess that they do not really read other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status updates, implying they do not neccessarily pay attention to what they see online anyway. On the other hand, half of the advanced internet users surveyed say AI would be

useful to help check whether facts stated on social networks are true or false. The same number of respondents would also like to use AI to verify the truthfulness of

intelligent voice assistants would even

still remains open. What would happen if

what politicians say.

want to use AI to automate their email

we leave all dialogue to machines instead?

replies.

Given that as many as 38 percent of those

We humans sometimes favor automated communication over spontaneous dialogue.

Even though we may find it acceptable

who currently already use intelligent voice

Messaging apps in smartphones and smart

to give impersonal, machine like responses

assistants would like to use AI to write

watches are already offering lists of

to others, we must realize that we are also

social network status updates, this is a

predefined answers that we use to reply

receiving them in return.

question that needs to be answered. Would

even to our nearest and dearest. As many

The question as to whether we humans

as 41 percent of those who currently use

really want to engage in sustained dialogue

www.mymobileindia.com

a world where only AI assistants interact allow for a better exchange of opinion? n

january 2018 | 49

Limelight

lead story

Intelligent ads Ads might become too smart for their own good!

onsumers have a love-hate relationship

persuade us to buy things. On its own, that

purpose. Today, only a proportion of

with advertising. In our study, 40

would leave people quite exposed to

consumers use premium versions of

percent say they do not mind advertising if

commercial exploitation. But at the same

smartphone apps when free versions exist.

it means they get free services, whereas just

time, 6 out of 10 consumers expect to be

However, ads using augmented reality (AR)

over a third say they actually dislike ads.

able to use AI for price comparisons, thus

and virtual reality (VR) will gain app-like

helping them to select other suppliers.

functionality and could in essence turn into

This tension will remain, as the online advertising industry will certainly jump at

This could cause issues, with consumers

free versions of the products or services

the chance to create more direct interaction

becoming reliant on an electronic assistant

themselves. For this reason, more than half

with consumers. Simultaneously,

for their purchases. For example, 57

of current AR or VR users think ads will

consumers themselves also see an

percent of current intelligent voice assistant

eventually replace the products being

opportunity to employ cutting-edge tech to

users would like an AI to help them with

advertised. For example, you might

make ads less invasive. For instance, 6 in

everyday shopping. But many already use

experience a beach destination in a VR ad

10 want to employ AI to block out online

a voice assistant that has been developed

and realize you do not need the actual

ads.

by an advertising company or retailer.

vacation anymore. More than half of AR or

Speaking of AI, 42 percent think

However, some believe the urge to

VR users think ads will become so realistic

companies will use it to make intelligent

provide compelling experiences might

they will eventually replace the products

advertising that knows exactly how to

eventually cause ads to defeat their own

themselves. n

50 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Uncanny communication Machines that mimic human communication can make us feel surprisingly awkward!

ne thing that we have all been

around us will be full of pitfalls. Will

smartphone were to use such information

practicing since the day we were

machines communicate just like humans

interactively, many will feel uneasy; almost

born is communication with other

if they grow up communicating with us? Or

half of consumers said they would be

humans. Obviously, this also makes us

will humans refuse to interact if machines

spooked out by a smartphone that

experts at knowing when an interaction,

become too similar to us?

constantly watches their face. And as many

even a familiar one, is not quite human after all.

In the research by Ericsson

as 40 percent say that it would be spooky

ConsumerLab, 50 percent of respondents

if their smartphone sees when they are

Although people quite easily assign

said that not being able to tell the difference

happy, sad or bored and responds

human characteristics to toys, phones and

between human and machine would spook

accordingly.

pets, we can quickly become suspicious if

them out. In other words, the feeling of

A natural instinct in such situations

the objects become too human-like. For

uncertainty alone would be enough to

might be to try to hide your face. And

example, some people who have visited the

create a negative reaction. This has

indeed, one in three would like to wear

Madame Tussauds wax museum or any

implications for automation of some

glasses that make it impossible for facial

similar place might recall how their feelings

processes that are already well underway.

recognition software in their smartphone or

shifted from wonder to dislike when looking

For example, as many as one in three say

social network to recognize them.

at the figures on display. The fact that

they would avoid contacting companies

If consumers were to develop such

researchers are now creating AI-enabled

that use intelligent robots in customer

mistrust of their personal devices and

robots that mimic human expression down

service.

communication services, they would also

to the slightest detail [1] may not necessarily

Most likely, the smartphone is the first

soon doubt similar technology used on a

improve our aversion to things pretending

device that will expose consumers to these

societal level. Thus, one in three would also

to be human.

issues. Today, we already use biometric

like to wear glasses that make it impossible

A future where we move towards more

data, such as fingerprints or even facial

for surveillance cameras to recognize

direct communication with devices all

recognition, to unlock the screen. But if the

them. n

www.mymobileindia.com

Limelight

lead story

january 2018 | 51

Limelight

lead story

Leisure society Creating the freedom to engage in leisure may be more important than the need to preserve work!

ne in five students and working people in our study believe robots will take their jobs before they retire. Some people

certainly look to such a future with trepidation, whereas others may be looking forward to a day that is free from the boredom and stress of the daily work routine. In any case, those who think robots will take over their jobs are

outnumbered by the 32 percent who do not think they need a job

But is it realistic to believe that income will be separated from

to find meaningful things to do in life. Furthermore, almost 4 in

work? The alternative may be to have robots work for you rather

10 believe their hobbies may also develop into new sources of

than having them take your job. An example could be a taxi driver

income. For this reason, it is rather likely that more people will

who would rather manage a few self-driving taxis than drive

face a situation where work and leisure become more intertwined

himself. Forty percent say they would indeed like a robot alter ego

and income is garnered from many different sources.

that works and earns income for them.

At the core of this is of course the strong tie between work and

But both of these scenarios would lead to fewer humans

income. If that connection is severed, more people would be

actually working. Are we then heading towards a leisure society?

willing to forgo work. In our research, 49 percent said they are in

In fact, one in three would like having everything handled by

fact interested in a universal basic income, and as many as 1 in

intelligent robots, giving them all the free time they could ever

3 think it is OK to not have a job as long as their economic situation

want. And almost a quarter of respondents even see a future where

is not hurt.

intelligent robots take control of everything. n

52 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Your photo is a room Our photos are memories we have captured to revisit time and again, but they may be turning into rooms we can freely walk around in!

martphones are the most popular cameras ever. Not

you were one of the guests will be commonplace in only five

because they are necessarily the best quality, but because

years. As many think we will also do this on holiday and at

they are always there when you need them. When that memorable moment suddenly happens, the smartphone is with you.

parties by then. In order to do this, one in two already want a smartphone camera that lets you capture everything around you in 3D. Those

For this reason, our memories have changed from physical

who are currently using AR or VR have a higher level of interest

photo albums stowed away in a cabinet, to digital albums on

in this area, with 56 percent even wanting contact lenses with

our smartphones. However, new technologies such as light field

built-in AR or VR functionality.

photography are changing the nature of photos themselves, and

But if photos become rooms, consumers will also need to be

we will soon be able to revisit our memories from more angles

able to manipulate objects in these rooms. In this light, it is not

than a flat picture frame allows.

a big surprise that as many as 55 percent of those currently

Three out of four consumers believe taking photos at events such as weddings or birthdays and revisiting them in VR as if

www.mymobileindia.com

Limelight

lead story

using AR or VR would also like gloves or shoes that allow you to interact with virtual objects. n

january 2018 | 53

Limelight

lead story

Streets in the air City streets are getting so crowded that citizens are looking to the skies for relief!

rbanization keeps accelerating, as cities become increasingly

actually falling on their heads.

powerful drivers of the global economy. But whereas cities

Hence, there would need to be a way of knowing where drones

not only contain the majority of the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population, and

fly, so that citizens could take similar precautions as when they

consume an even higher proportion of its natural resources, cities

cross streets on the ground. Therefore 55 percent of current AR

in fact only occupy one percent or less of the land area worldwide.

or VR users would like an AR smartphone app that visualizes

[1] Cities are, in other words, extremely space-challenged

these air corridors.

places.

The fact that 4 out of 10 respondents are interested in using

Yet, from the perception of space, cities seem to be inhabited

flying taxis might reveal more about current frustration levels

by people who ave not realized there is a third dimension; apart

among city dwellers than it does about the most economically

from a few airplanes, the kies above are mostly empty.

viable type of transport.

But as city populations continue their extensive rowth, this

A more potentially likely near-future scenario may be that

might change. Already today, 39 percent think their city is so

competition to increase the delivery speed of consumer purchases

congested that it needs a road network in the air for drones and

takes to the air. For example, almost half of respondents want

flying vehicles.

drones that deliver takeout food so quickly that the dishes are

Obviously, city dwellers recognize that new layers of streets

still hot when they arrive. Given the extreme environment of the

in the air would ause some disturbances in airplane traffic, and

worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest cities, this could happen quicker than you might

would also increase overall treet noise. But an even bigger

imagine. In fact 77 percent think most online retailers will use

concern, voiced by 38 percent, is the possibility of drones

drones in order to minimize delivery times in only 5 years. n

54 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

The charged future A connected world will require mobile power. Keeping the power flowing will be as critical as maintaining connectivity; if either goes down, instant disruption will ensue!

here are of course many aspects to how we will power our

in battery technology will pick up speed. As many as 63 percent

hyper-connected lives. Sustainability of resources might be

want electricity to power cars, whereas only 33 percent prefer

one reason why consumers now rate electricity as the most

either oil or gas. Still, one in three believes fuel cars will not easily

popular energy source – 48 percent even think electricity should

be replaced, indicating that there could still be some speed

power airplanes.

bumps ahead on the road to a fully charged future. n

Another aspect is convenience, which could explain why consumers have high expectations of batteries. Fifty-six percent of advanced internet users expect smart battery technology to fundamentally change how we power everything from phones to cars. For many consumers, their smartphone’s battery doesn’t last a day without dying, and 71 percent want long-lasting batteries that they don’t need to worry about charging. The same percentage of respondents also want batteries you can fully charge in minutes, just in case. Consumers have been asking for batteries such as these for years, but now more than 80 percent of respondents believe they will be mainstream in only 5 years. One in two even thinks charging batteries using radio signals in the air around us will be commonplace in only three years. It might be the renewed focus on electricity in general, and electric cars in particular, that makes people believe innovation

www.mymobileindia.com

Limelight

lead story

team@mymobile.co.in

“This report presents insights based on Ericsson’s long-standing consumer trends program, now in its seventh year. The quantitative results referred to in the report are based on an online survey of 5,141 advanced internet users in Johannesburg, London, Mexico City, Moscow, New York, San Francisco, São Paulo, Shanghai, Sydney and Tokyo that was carried out in October 2017”

january 2018 | 55

In Conversation

Chief speak

“Motorola and Lenovo have their own unique personality and targeted towards distinct target audience” Dual brand strategy is something which Sudhin Mathur, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility India and Country Head, Lenovo Mobile Business Group, is enjoying with Motorola and Lenovo. He spoke to Haider Ali Khan and shared the future roadmap for the both companies in India as how he will create a product differentiation among numerous global and homegrown brands. Excerpts… buying because of the larger trust on the brand. So, talking about both the brands, we have been really been able to tap the larger set of consumers. Which is the main driver of growth in your portfolio - Moto or Lenovo? Both the brands, like I said, India is such a large market and every price band has a different set of consumers. And both the brands are contributing almost equal part of our business. Which are the key models for Moto that got the maximum traction for you in 2017? 2017 has been a very interesting year for us where we launched close to 15 odd phones so far. Let me talk about both Lenovo and Motorola. In Motorola there were two clear focus areas one is to build Motorola in combination with Lenovo has

personality and targeted towards distinct

our premium series where we extended

been among the top three players as per

target audience. Lenovo is targeted more

our Z series with the Z2 Play, which we

IDC. What would you attribute this success

towards consumers who are more tech-

launched along with the mods that we

to? What have been the main drivers for this

centric, experimenting and buys a lot on

are launching. And recently we launched

good response among Indian consumers? Let

the price value equation. Motorola on the

the X4. These two phones were targeted

me first talk about, since you mentioned

other hand has been our legacy brand

towards the premium end of the market

about our dual brand strategy and that

that has been here for almost 44 years

which is going at a very rapid pace as

has been one of our core pillars of our

and have a very loyal set of consumers

well. Having said that we also launched

strategy over the last four years. One of the

who have been buying a Motorola brand

a new series in the country which is also

reasons is that we have run the business

because of the brand promise that it offers.

the Moto C series which was targeted to

in India by using the strengths of both the

You see the kind of Moto experiences you

the more first time buyers of the product

brands – Lenovo and Motorola. I believe

have on your phones and things like those.

-the C series did very well for us. Having

both these brands have their own unique

And these are the set consumers who are

said that we have two very well established

56 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

chief speak

In Conversation

series the E series and the G series. In the E series the best seller phone this year was Moto E4 Plus and that was targeted largely to the customer with a bigger battery need and that has been a great success. I can say the best-selling phone this year for us has been the E4 Plus. Have you thought of tapping in the potential of budget smartphone segment in India? See, there is a potential in every segment. If you break it down from a price point of view while there is a lot of consumers roughly almost, India is a big market and this year it is expected that 120 million units are going to be sold. As per IDC report the sub 100 dollar is the 35 percent of the market and the above 100 dollar is 65 percent. That itself is a pretty large opportunity for us. We have been primarily focused on the above 100 dollar. Though we did launch the Moto C series which was just about 100 dollar range. But like I said, our larger success stories which consumers have related to us are the above 100 dollar that is the large E series and the G series and I forgot to

“The strategy of Mods is more targeted to the premium end of the consumers. You need to touch upon their passion points and the concept of Mods is not so much about the phone but what you do around it”

mention the K8 Note, the K Series as well. So in a market like India you need to be

younger people we launched the Mods like

you are doing first thing you want to ensure

very clear what are your battlefields and as

the Projector Mod. Nowadays people are

that you shouldn’t be out of touch with the

a brand choice we have clearly looked at

consuming a lot of YouTube videos now a

world and your battery should not die. So

segments that are growing faster.

days and things like that and they want to

the first Mod is the turbo battery which

share with their friends as well and watch in

adds up another 3,500mAh which is like

Moto is being the only smartphone maker in

the room imagining they have a big screen

more than a day battery. So you have your

the country which is experimenting with the

available along with their friends. Then we

phone battery and then this battery. But

mods. What would be the new additions to

have the basic things and the JBL sound.

the interesting part of this mod is that it

it? So the Mods strategy is about creating

So these were the four passion points that

charges your phone pretty rapidly. 50%

a different innovation. Motorola has been

we tapped. Now today we are announcing

of your battery will be charged in about

known for innovations in the past as well.

three more different Mods. Mods are only

20 minutes. The other like I said is a JBL

And the strategy of Mods is more targeted

limited to the z series the Z2 Play.

sound boost. You are in a swimming pool

to the premium end of the consumers. You

Today, Mod launch is more about

wanting to enjoy the music. You have

need to touch upon their passion points

touching upon the passion points like

a phone you want to keep it aside. The

and the concept of Mods is not so much

entertainment during travel. Like I said,

JBL sound boost is a water resistant. So

about the phone but what you do around

each mod has the story around it. It is not

you can attach it to your phone and enjoy

it. And just to give you an example of Mod

just about attachment but also what I do

the music while dancing in the rain. The

we launched in the past which got lot of

for the consumer. There are three different

third one that we are launching is the Game

traction. One was a hassle brat camera

mods. One is targeted to the travelers.

Pad. You are bored sitting alone wants

where you can actually zoom in 10X. So

Entertainment while on the go. When

to play games. So people can play games.

people who are keen into photography and

you travel outside, when you are on the

You attach a game pad to your phone and it

normally don’t carry their DSLRs. That

beach, you are hiking, you are biking, you

becomes an enjoyable gaming experience

was the Mod that we created for them. For

are climbing up the mountain or whatever

for you.

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 57

In Conversation

Chief speak Online has been the main source of Moto’s

We already have started the concept

same things the chances of success are

earnings. Will it continue to do so in 2018?

of Moto Hubs. Moto Hub is a very unique

very limited but if you do the same things

You are right, in the last three years we have

concept which is in an open environment

differently, is when you really connect with

been there. I won’t say we are an online

you go to malls and you will see Moto Hubs.

the consumers. The example is whether it

only brand but we are an online focused

We started off in Delhi and Mumbai and

is Moto Mods or Moto Hubs as a concept

brand where two third of our business is

now we are present in Kolkata Chennai

these are very new things in the market.

coming from online and one third of our

also. There are about 17 Moto Hubs

Similarly on the service side as well we

business is coming from retail space. That

today which we will expand close to 50 by

have done something very unique which

was the chosen strategy for the last four

the end of this year. We have got a great

today I can very confidently say not many

years. And that is why the online market

feedback from our consumer. This is the

people have done it. And lots of people talk

grew today one third of the consumers are

first time we are directly connecting with

about having 500service centers. Numbers

buying online on Flipkart and Amazon and

our consumer taking their feedback. They

is the defining thing. And we inaugurated

things like that. I think the next phase of our

are able to experience not just our product

the 155th service centers. And we are

growth is going to come by expanding into

but these mods as well. And I think that

spreading to now about 187 cities.

the retail space as well. Now consumers

is one of our strategies of expanding into

are aware of our product last four years

other cities as well.

the brand awareness has gone up; people

That’s the strategy. While we will have multi brand service centers in smaller cities, the point is that 85% of consumers

are buying our phone and now we need

What’s the state of your service centers

should be able to reach out to these

to expand the availability of our phones as

network across the country? As a brand

exclusive service centers.

well. In the coming year you will see almost

and especially in this very competitive

an equal space.

industry if you continue to keep doing the

Do we see the erstwhile successful Razor

“In a market like India you need to be very clear what are your battlefields and as a brand choice we have clearly looked at segments that are growing faster”

58 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

series coming in near future? Well, No.

“Smarter camera is the trend. How is one camera smarter than the other? It’s not a pixel race any more. What we are focusing on is making the camera even smarter”

How would the technology shape up the year 2018 with respect to smartphones and where does Moto fit into it? As the industry, Indian market and consumers are maturing. First is the aspiration which is going up which means that more and more consumers are upgrading into the smartphones. The number of upgrade cycles are going up that and people are going to pay a little more. There are certain trends we are noticing in different price and different trends. One is there is a larger as for higher power on the phone. Since the usage has gone so much, people are consuming data so much the battery runs out for people. So the need for a higher battery or a higher power on the phone is going up. That’s

That’s what I am saying that we have

little smarter and little more engaging. It

something we are seeing. Like I talked

already started like I gave you an example

is not about taking a picture and sharing it

about the Moto E4Plus, the biggest

of E4Plus and X4 in battery and design.

on social media; that will continue but is

reason what consumers came and told us

We have started to move in that direction

about becoming more smarter.

they bought the phone was its powerful

the mid-tier phones with 5,000mAh and

battery the 5,000mAh battery. It is not the

4,000mAh battery. You will see that more

Do you also have any plan to have your own

power of the battery but what the

in our portfolio.

AI like Panasonic has? See technology is

consumers are doing on their phones. They

The K series is a great example; both of

evolving; I don’t have a future roadmap to

are consuming too much internet on the

them come with 4,000mAh battery. I think

share but I think we keenly study all the

phone as the Jio data is available with us

that’s a big trend that we are seeing. Second

technology and then this camera thing is

and people are connecting with it. I mean

thing is the design that I talked about and

related to that only what is artificial that you

to say that Jio is helping improve the data

this is something which is a reflection of

take a picture and you know the location

consumption in the country which is a very

the people’s personality that now I am

where you are. I think it’s not the technology

positive thing. I am also using one so you

upgrading I need a better looking phone

but what you can do to demystify the

don’t have to go and ask for the Wi-Fi or

and hence you will see a similar kind of

technology and make it more consumers

spend money, the data prices are coming

design language coming through us as well.

friendly is the key messaging. While people

down. So that one definite trend that we see

Third important thing that we are seeing is

talk about technology consumers want to

that the need for higher data consumption

about smarter cameras. While brands are

know what it does for them. So we are open

and hence the need of stronger battery will

talking about pixels now the dual camera

to all technologies and I think as a leading

go up.

is not a trend. Smarter camera is the trend.

brand we continue to move like that.

The other big trend that we are starting

How is one camera smarter than the other?

to see is the design of the phone. As people

So it’s not a pixel race any more. What we

What are your thoughts on competition in

are evolving there is a larger demand for

are focusing on is making the camera even

the Indian market from the Chinese as well

new innovative design. One of the recent

smarter. Just to take an example of X4; two

as the Indian players? Well Indian market

phones that we launched is the X4. Now

things that I want to call out among many

is growing at almost a 15 percent year on

that is the new trend that we are seeing that

other things is that it does a spot color that

year of growth rate it is probably one of the

people are moving more and more towards

you can take a picture and you can do the

biggest market in the world and it will bring

design across the price points. And that is

color blurred, black and white or other is

a lot of people to this country and I think it

something that you will see from us.

the location based that you are in this hotel

is good for the consumer as well as it will

How will you tackle the issues of design and

and you just need to take a picture and

battery in creating a product differentiation?

find out where you are. So it is becoming

give consumers a lot of choices. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

chief speak

january 2018 | 59

International

market insight

Q3 2017 – Global Smartphone Sales

Xiaomi shines while top vendors do good business in a somewhat placid market

lobal sales of smartphones to

2017 (see Table 1),” said Anshul Gupta,

end users totaled 383 million

Research Director at Gartner. “Emerging

Samsung’s smartphone sales recorded a

units in the third quarter of

Asia/Pacific (15 percent increase) and North

double-digit increase (19.3 percent) in the

2017, a 3 percent increase

America (11.2 percent increase) drove the

third quarter of 2017. “Renewed pushes

smartphone growth in the quarter.”

of the newly designed Galaxy S8, S8+ and

over the same period in 2016, according to

due to its new flagship products.”

Gartner, Inc. All of the top five smartphone

“In emerging Asia Pacific, both Samsung

Note 8 smartphones have brought back

vendors achieved double-digit growth apart

and Huawei saw healthy demand as along

growing demand for Samsung smartphones,

from Apple, which achieved a 5.7 percent

with Xiaomi and Vivo, which were able to grow

which helped it compete against Chinese

increase.

their footprint outside their home markets,”

manufacturers and deliver a solid performance

“Despite market weakness in China, sales

added Mr Gupta. “In North America,

in the quarter,” said Mr Gupta. “The last time

of smartphones rose in the third quarter of

Samsung was the driving force in the quarter

Samsung achieved a double-digit growth was

60 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Table 1: Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 3Q17 (Thousands of Units) Vendor

3Q17 Units

3Q17 Market Share (%)

3Q16 Units

3Q16 Market share (%)

Samsung

85,605.3

22.3

71,733.5

19.3

Apple

45,441.9

11.9

43,000.7

11.6

Huawei

36,501.8

9.5

32,489.5

8.7

OPPO

29,449.2

7.7

24,590.8

6.6

Xiaomi

26,853.2

7.0

14,926.1

4.0

Others

159,552.1

41.6

185,501.5

49.8

Total

383,403.5

100.0

372,242.0

100.0

Source : Gartner (September 2017)

in the fourth quarter of 2015.”

consolidation around local and lesser-known

Apple’s sales grew 5.7 percent year over

brands (see Table 2). Buyers are preferring

year. Apple returned to growth in China and

known and high-priced smartphones,

also saw strong sales in many of the emerging

which is cannibalizing demand of budget

markets, including India. This is due to the

smartphones from local brands. In Western

continued sales of legacy iPhones, including

Europe and North America, demand for

the iPhone 5S which retails at around USD

premium smartphones from top brands

240 street price in most markets.

led to smartphone sales growth in the third

Xiaomi achieved the strongest growth,

quarter.

exhibiting an 80 percent increase in the

Leading Chinese manufacturers Oppo,

third quarter of 2017. Xiaomi’s growth came

Huawei, Vivo and Xiaomi continued to

more from international markets than from

drive sales across emerging markets, led

China, where it faces strong competition from

by their midprice and budget smartphones

Huawei, Oppo and Vivo. India continues to

with a focus on 4G connectivity and better

be the biggest and highest-growth market for Xiaomi outside China, but growing sales from Latin America and Russia are also boosting its sales. Greater China exhibited a decline of 11 percent in the third quarter due to

“Xiaomi achieved the strongest growth, exhibiting an 80 percent increase in the third quarter of 2017. Xiaomi’s growth came more from international markets than from China, where it faces strong competition from Huawei, Oppo and Vivo. India continues to be the biggest and highest-growth market for Xiaomi outside China, but growing sales from Latin America and Russia are also boosting its sales” www.mymobileindia.com

“Despite market weakness in China, sales of smartphones rose in the third quarter of 2017. Emerging Asia/Pacific (15 percent increase) and North America (11.2 percent increase) drove the smartphone growth in the quarter”

International

market insight

– Anshul Gupta, Research Director at Gartner

Table 2: Top-Five Regions for Smartphone Sales to End Users in 3Q17 (Thousands of Units) Vendor

3Q17 Units

3Q17 Market Share (%)

3Q16 Units

107,129.0

27.9

120,343.9

32.3

Emerging APAC

81,549.0

21.3

70,927.8

19.1

North America

47,511.3

12.4

42,722.9

11.5

Western Europe

36,019.8

9.4

32,900.7

8.8

Latin America

33,553.5

8.8

31,162.0

8.4

Others

77,640.9

20.2

74184.7

19.9

383,403.5

100.0

372,242.0

100.0

Greater China

Total

3Q16 Market share (%)

Source : Gartner (September 2017)

cameras.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the holiday

“The arrival of Apple’s new flagship

season will likely boost sales of smartphones.

iPhones at the end of the third quarter of

We estimate the fourth quarter’s smartphone

2017 has delayed smartphone purchases

sales will boost total sales for the full year,”

into the fourth quarter of 2017,” said Mr.

concluded Mr Gupta. n

Gupta. “Following compelling offers on

team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 61

In Conversation

face to face

“AI augments our capabilities by freeing up our time that is used in data analysis, decision making and automates mundane tasks” Artificial intelligence and machine learning are going to be the next big thing in the tech world. Taking over other computing technologies in a big way, AI has indeed paved the way for a new era of mobile technology to rise, one that promises to make future mobile phones smarter. To discuss how AI is transforming the paradigm of technology and its applications and what will be its future, Ramesh Kumar Raja talked to Dr Sindhu Joseph, CEO & Co-Founder of CogniCor, a Barcelona (Spain)-headquartered software firm which is delivering services to a number of national and international companies. Dr Sindhu has a Ph.D in Artificial Intelligence from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. She is also inventor of 6 US Patents in AI. Her Ph.D thesis in conflict resolution in multi-agent systems inspired her to apply the technology in commercial settings. She was selected as “One of the 3 outstanding Entrepreneurs” by the UK government in 2012. Excerpts:

94 | january 2018

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are

ability of machine learning algorithms to

taking over other computing technologies in

learn and train themselves, it can be hyper

smartphones in a big way. How important is AI’s

personalized to our ways of behaviour. Thus,

role in the ever-evolving tech industry, mobile

AI based devices can recommend products

phones in particular? AI is transforming the

and services that suits our lifestyle, social

paradigm of how applications are created

preferences and goals. It does this by

and how they behave. Until now, products

collecting and analyzing our data - which

came with predefined logic and hardwired

includes the way we talk about things, the

circuits. However, today we are seeing

sites we visit, the products we shop online,

increasingly personalized products that

our spending patterns and our financial

adapt to the user and learn to work better

transactions.

by incorporating feedback from user. From

In other words, we need to open up a lot of

smart robots that clean our homes and learn

our personal data for the algorithms to work.

to navigate obstacles to conversational

There are risks involved, if the data belongs

chatbots that can give us advice on a range

to sensitive information such as financial

of things, AI is invading our lives and is set to

or health records or our personal details.

make a lasting change. Smartphones enable

However, such risks can be minimized if

us to access conversational apps from the

we use the products/services with the right

messaging system of our choice.

security precautions.

How is AI helpful to our way of life? Is there any

How did the idea of starting CogniCor strike

data risk that AIs have access to? AI augments

you and how does its AI assistance pan

our capabilities by freeing up our time that

out in the current market condition? When

is used in data analysis, decision making

I finished my PhD in artificial intelligence,

and automates mundane tasks. Due to the

I was looking for an opportunity to

MYMOBILE

capability that is virtually indistinguishable

The market today is changing fast and

in medical fields such as helping

in pre-sales and post-sales scenarios.

Grand

View

Research,

and

CogniCor would be a key player in this new market by deploying to enterprises in Asia, Europe and North America in multiple sectors and languages. How do you look at the future of AI beyond smartphones and smart homes? The future of AI will be one characterized by pervasive use of it in our lives and levels of cognition and reasoning from that of humans. Thus advances

adoption of AI technologies is at a

our platform built with cognitive

disabled and elderly will be performed

frenetic pace. There is strong demand

technology that allows anyone to

by AI. Robotic surgeons will do precision

by enterprises to offer personalized

setup virtual agents without advanced

surgeries.

chat bots for pre sales and service as well

knowledge of AI. While existing players

as empowering customer service

offer solutions that is tuned to building

What are your future plans and target to help

executives.

simple chatbots, our platform enables

advance technological growth in India as well

enterprises to build complex user journeys

as the world? CogniCor is currently growing

driven by chatbots.

fast, with operations in three continents

Who are your major clients and what services you are offering to them? Our major

In Conversation

“The future of AI will be one characterized by traveler, I came across various pervasive use of it in our lives situations where I experienced terrible customer service. These and levels of cognition and experiences made me think of the reasoning capability that is virtually reason for this and it is then that indistinguishable from that of I realized the companies don’t have tools to help customers. We humans. Thus advances in medical are stuck with decades old systems fields such as helping disabled such as call centers. Thus CogniCor and elderly will be was born, in 2012. Today we help several companies deliver AI-enabled assistance performed by AI”

apply my learning. As I was a frequent

and taking new strategic partners as we

clients are in financial sector where we

What is the monetization model you are

go. We are currently closing our series A

help deliver cognitive chatbots to banks

employing currently and what kind of traction

fund raising to fuel this growth. Our vision

and insurance companies. OCBC Bank,

it is getting? We win when our customers

is to enable any business, large or small

in Singapore recently announced that they

save money and satisfy their clients. This

to engage seamlessly with their customers

were able to generate new mortgages to

allows us to focus our efforts in delivering

24x7. n

the tune of $30 Million using CogniCor’s

ROI (Return on investment) for customers.

chatbot. Similarly, we sell around 30

This model is proven to be of great

insurance policies per month fully using

traction.

chatbot. What is the market size and opportunity What is its USP and how CogniCor

you are eyeing? Intelligent Virtual

stands out from other existing players in

assistant market is worth $12

the space? Our biggest differentiator is

Billion by 2024, according to

www.mymobileindia.com

ramesh@mymobile.co.in

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Honor 7X

Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be overlooked at the moment

he smartphone market

which enhances the gripping

in India is witnessing

capability. The device is not heavy

a boom and the reason

and it is easy to carry around.

for this is the launch

The front side of the device is

of numerous smartphones. One

sporting the 8 MP camera along

such smartphone company is

with LED flash and the sensor. The

Shenzen headquartered e-brand

rear side of the device has dual

of technology major Huawei

rear camera of 12 MP and 2 MP

called Honor. In our previous

respectively along with LED flash.

reviews Honor Holly 4, and Honor

The fingerprint sensor is also at the

9i and not to forget Honor 8 Pro

back of the device for easing the

we witnessed some of the first

stretching of your fingers. At the

device from the company with

bottom of the device there is the

dual cameras at the back as well

USB port and 3.5mm headphone

as at the front (Honor 9i) which

jack. At the right side of the device

was an amazingly interesting

there lies the power button and

concept. In this review we will

the volume knobs and at the left

talk about the recent launch of

side there is the hybrid SIM tray for

the company which is Honor 7X

carrying SIM and microSD card.

which is the successor of Honor 6X. The new smartphone Honor 7X

Display

belongs to the middle price ranged

The new Honor 7X has impressive

smartphones costing around Rs

display size of 5.93 inches and it

12,999.

is easy to operate because of its

Design

64 | january 2018

slim design. The screen resolution will also bring users interest

The new Honor 7X has ultra slim

because the screen resolution is of

design and it feels nice when you

1080x2160 pixels and the display

hold it and the grip is also good.

also has 18:9 aspect ratio which

The phone has matte black finish

was also present in Honor 9i, so

MYMOBILE

when you think about it then

aspect of the phone. With such

of the device is 64 GB giving

perfect selfies to admire for

it is a bonus for you in the new

processor combined with RAM

enough space for storage and

no matter what the lighting

Honor 7X. The display is one

the device is all set to deliver

further the storage can be

conditions are. So if you are

of the attractive feature which

a great performance in every

expanded with the help of

selfie lover then the selfie

new Honor 7X possess. With

field and to handle any process

microSD card. The processor,

cameras will excite you for sure

such big display the gaming

without any issue. The ROM

RAM and ROM of the device

and will drive your attention

are mostly seen in the phones

towards this new phone. The

of price range above 25,000

cameras are powerful and

but in new Honor 7X you are

images taken are all clear and

getting all of it in mid price

crisp.

experience and as well as the viewing experience is good. One can comfortably watch any video or image without missing any detail because of the size of the display. The Phone also has Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi ac, and NFC. It is a dual SIM device with two Nano SIM slots and if you chose to insert microSD card then only one SIM slot is functional. There is support for 4G, VoLTE. It also

verdict Looks

09 /10

Cameras

08 /10

Very Sleek Impressive at least

Kirin 659 SoC. The processor is powerful expanding the battery life as well as running the tasks smoothly. The Honor

Battery Honor 7X is having a non-

08 /10

towards it.

Battery

08 /10

gifting you with its latest EMUI

of 3,340mAh. The battery

as well because it has newer

can withstand the mild usage

version of latest EMUI 5.1

for a day and if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a geek

which is newer version than

then it might drain in just 12

the previous launch of the

to 15 hours. The smartphone

company which was last seen

lacks the fast charging

in Honor 9i and the UI is based

option. The battery could

on Android 7.0 Nougat.

have been enhanced for a

No frills

Manages a day

Value For Money A good buy

OVERALL

09 /10

88%

Platform octa-core processor which is

all set to drive your attention

Performance

supports Screen Split function.

Honor 7X is powered by its own

range so the new Honor 7X is

PROS Design, Processor

Cons Lacks Fast Charging

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

The new Honor 7X is

removable battery which is

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wholesome entertainment. The

Cameras

competitors in this segment

The new Honor 7Xis having

are selling phones with 4,000

dual camera at rear side

mAh battery like for example

which lets you click images

Lenovo K8 Note.

with depth of field effects.

7X has 4 GB RAM which

The previous launch of the

Conclusion

is another attracting

company which was Honor 9i

The Honor 7X simply takes

also possessed 16 megapixel

the experience of 6X to a

camera along with a secondary

new level. The very price

2 megapixel sensor. There

competitive smartphone

are other features paired up

from Huaweiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sub brand is

with the rear camera like

a serious threat to the other

time lapse, light painting,

smartphones in the mid

slow motion video capture

segment. You will get dual

and panorama. The

rear lenses, good processor,

selfie camera is of 8 megapixel and it gives you

sleek design, edge to edge screen and many more things in just Rs 12,999 of the 32 GB variant. What else could you ask for? The battery easily goes on with the device for half a day. In a nutshell, Honor 7X cannot be overlooked in this category. n haider@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

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Comio P1

Where Battery Is The King

ne of the latest

smartphone market the

look into details about all the

the phone while the whole

entrants in

company has launched some

features of the phone and

body is painted in gold colour.

the Indian

smartphones like Comio S1,

what’s new company has to

The phone fits the size of your

smartphone

P1 and C1. The smartphone

offer.

palm comfortably and you

market is Comio which is being

which we will be reviewing

backed by Hong Kong based

is Comio P1. Comio P1 was

Design

Topwise Communications.

launched in the mid month

Comio P1 is beautiful to look

P1 is stylish and the weight

Since its arrival in the Indian

of the year 2017. So let’s

at with the black edge which

is not that much heavy but

runs throughout the body of

it somewhere feels heavy on

won’t feel uneasy to carry it around. The metal body of

some occasions when you have to use the phone for long period of time. The rear side of the phone is having the fingerprint sensor for easing the accessibility. The rear side is also sporting the rear camera along with LED flash. There is logo of the company in the middle of the rear side. The front side of the phone has selfie camera but missing the selfie flash. The front side of the phone has speaker grille as well. At the top of the device there is 3.5mm audio socket. The right side of the phone has hybrid SIM tray which could support tow SIMs at a same time or one SIM and one microSD card. The power button and the volume rockers are situated at the left side of the device. The bottom of the device is sporting USB port.

Display The new Comio P1 has 5.5 inch HD display with resolution of 720x1280 pixels. The display size of Comio P1 is luring the users with its screen resolution and provides you a nice experience in case of viewing

66 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

any documents or watching any video on the phone. It has 2.5D glass as well providing the protection to the screen from any scratch or minor damage. The display almost reaches to the edge

verdict Looks

08 /10

Cameras

07 /10

Performance

Comfortable Design Decent output

smartphone market which

the users to let them click nice

sure to last for long providing

pictures in well-lit ambience.

long hours of non-stop fun

It has 13 MP rear camera with

and entertainment. The

LED and screen flash which

phone does heat up while

means that you do not have

playing big sized games which

to worry about the darkness

might make you feel little

or about the lighting of the

uncomfortable.

Value For Money

07 /10

OVERALL

smartphones of current

08 /10 10 /10

The new Comio P1 is powered

Cameras

of the phone. The battery is

Battery

Platform

is not usually found in any

is adding to the plus point

it look different from other

Spoilt with the choices

enhanced by the screen size.

impressive cameras to attract

Get along well

smartphones.

battery of 5,000 mAh which

The Comio P1 has two

of the phone which makes

USP

The gaming experience is also

80%

by 1.3GHz quad core

environment in which you

processor which is meant

are clicking because the LED

Conclusion

to deal with the running

screen flash always letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s you to

The Comio P1 has the

take a clear and crispy image

capabilities of being a decent

Cons

no matter what the conditions

starter. The highlight of the

Competition

are. The selfie camera is of

smartphone is its 5,000

8.0 megapixel which performs

mAh cell which can take

well in the daylight but it lacks

you distance without being

the selfie flash which adds

bothered about the drainage.

to the disadvantage of the

The Comio P1 has decent

applications and other tasks of the phone with ease by

PROS

reducing the workload. The

Battery

device carries a 3 GB RAM which is capable of dealing with any process reducing

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

the pressure amount on the processor and as well as on

There are various applications

phone. The selfies taken are

camera performance, clean

the battery life of the device.

as well which cleans up the

quite clear and beautiful in

user interface and good music

The 3 GB of RAM is quite good

junk and reduces the stress

well lighting conditions. The

output. Priced at Rs 9,999,

enough to let you have a good

of the phone like Speed up

camera app features a face

P1 can be an option but the

gaming experience as well. The

app. The Comio P1 has the

beauty mode and you can

choices under 10K is limitless

Comio P1 has 32 GB of ROM

Android 7.0 Nougat allowing

adjust the exposure, white

with the likes of Xiaomi and

which is quite enough to store

the users to get the benefits

balance, anti flicker, anti

Motorola. Targeted at the set

large files and videos and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

of latest update of the android

shake. Overall the cameras are

of audience which looks for

not all, the storage can further

operating system. The gaming

good delivering pretty images

good battery life and loud

be expanded adding 32 GB

experience is also good

to cherish for.

music, Comio P1 is well

more with the help of microSD

because the RAM supports

card giving you enough space

big sized games and let you

Battery

to store anything you wish for.

play without any hindrance.

The Comio P1 has a powerful

www.mymobileindia.com

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on track of being their next smartphone. n haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 67

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MOTO X4

Many Positives But One Major Blotch

he fusion of

trust among the Motorola users

Yes we are talking about the

expected from them and from

Lenovo power with

and always stood up to the

X series smartphones whose

the company. So in this review

the accountability

expectations of the users. Moto

earlier versions included Moto

we will be talking about Moto

and endurance

X4 and what it has to offer.

has always provided something

X Gen2 and Moto X Style. The

of Motorola have created

exciting in its smartphones

recent launch we witnessed

powerful smartphones which

whether it was smartphones of

from the company is Moto

Design

possess every desirable trait

E series, G series, and Z series.

X4 which is a very interesting

The new Moto X4 is designed

to catch the attention of

There was another series of

smartphone with lots of new

in such a manner where it

smartphone lovers. Motorola

smartphones last witnessed

upgraded features. In some of

perfectly fits in the palm

since its very first smartphone

in the year of 2015 and since

our last reviews we witnessed

which offers easy gripping

production have established

then we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t saw any further

the launches from company

and easy accessibility without

smartphones of that series.

like Z2 Play and Moto G5S

stretching the muscles of

Plus and both of the phones

your fingers and adding to its

delivered exactly that was

perfect size is the weight of the phone which feels so light in your hand that it can be used until the battery drains up. The new Moto X4 has an outer aluminium frame and glass back look and the curvy edges making it look more beautiful. The rear side of the phone has the 12 megapixel primary camera along with the flash. The right side of the phone has volume rockers and the power button but the buttons somewhere are little smaller which might sometimes will make you uneasy. The SIM tray is at the right side and it is hybrid SIM tray where you can opt for only

68 | january 2018

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Tried & Tested

burntest one option either two SIMs at a time or one SIM and one microSD card for expanding the storage. The front side of the phone is sporting the selfie camera which is accompanied by selfie flash and towards the end of display at bottom side lies the home button which is installed with the fingerprint sensor in it. The bottom of the phone has USB Type-C port and the headphone socket but you won’t find any speaker grille in the new Moto X4 because the phone uses its earpiece as the loudspeaker.

Display

was clocked at 2 GHz meaning in the latest launch of Moto X4 the company have upgraded

verdict

click selfies in any condition of light. The images captured

Looks

09 /10

are noisy to great extent. The

Cameras

07 /10

phone has the ability to record

Elegant

The new Moto X4 has a HD

its processor and the work

display of 5.2 inch and has

efficiency. There is 4GB of

resolution of 1080x1920

RAM in the device to make

Average to decent show

pixels. The aspect ratio is

it deal with heavy tasks with

Performance

also very good as it offers

ease. The RAM supports big

16:9 ratio. There is oleo

file games and gives you better

phobic coating which keeps

experience when using the

the display smudge free.

device. Games like Asphalt

The display has good colour

runs smoothly. The processor

saturation which provides good

and the RAM together

brightness and clear images

provide a strong and smooth

charging is rapid as the phone

of any portrayal on screen.

functioning of the device. The

possesses Moto’s Turbo

The display glass is strong

ROM of the device is of 64 GB

and durable as it has Corning

which is quite impressive as it

Gorilla Glass 3 which keeps

can store immense amount of

the display safe from any

apps and any files. The ROM

damage. Moto X4 is even water

can further be expanded with

resistant so any splash of water

the help of microSD card. The

or the worry of carrying the

new Moto X4 runs on Android

phone during rainy season has

7.1 Nougat operating system.

been kept aside.

Cameras

Very smooth

Battery

09 /10 08 /10

Lasts for a day

Value For Money Doesn’t match performance

OVERALL

PROS Processor, Design

video recording is clear and the videos in HD and it can reach even upto 4K resolution.

Battery

07 /10

The Moto X4 has a powerful

80%

can last throughout the day

Cons Rear Camera

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

battery of 3,000mAh which with a single charge. The

power charging feature which provides the boost.

Conclusion The Moto X4 strikes all the boxes of being a worthy device in the mid end segment. The

for wide-angle shots. You can

water resistant smartphone

switch between sensors at any

boasts on smart looks, good

time with the dedicated button

processor and clean Android

Moto X4 has dual camera

in the viewfinder. The main

experience. The cameras did not

The new Moto X4 has

setup which is one of the

sensor is quick to focus during

perform well as it was expected

Snapdragon 630 SoC and the

main attractive aspects of the

the day with fairly good detail

from Rs 20,999 smartphone.

processor is clocked at 2.2

phone. It has a 12-megapixel

for landscapes and macro

The battery sustains a day

GHz previously in our review

primary camera with an f/2.0

shots. The phone features

because of the processor. In

of Moto G5S Plus we saw that

aperture and PDAF, and an

16 megapixel selfie camera

overview, it has lots of hits but, a

G5S Plus had Snapdragon

8-megapixel secondary camera

which is provided assistance

625 SoC and the processor

with a 120 degree field-of-view

by the LED flash to let you

miss as well. n haider@mymobile.co.in

Platform

www.mymobileindia.com

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Vivo V7

Light Weight Selfie Smartphone

ucceeding the

specifications. There are

success of V5 is

minor changes in its battery

the new Vivo V7

capacity, storage and display

series smartphones

size. The new Vivo V7 is

from the Chinese major of

mid ranged smartphone

the BBK clan. The previous

and in our review we will be

launches from the company

showcasing all the features

were very successful which

and attractive aspect of the

include smartphones like

phone.

V5, V5 Plus and recently the company in its previous

Design

launch introduced V7 Plus

The company have kept

that marked the drift from V5 series. The recent launch of the company is V7 which is very similar Vivo V7

its most delighting aspect which is providing a powerful camera especially the selfie camera. The new Vivo V7 lacks the metal body which

Plus in terms of

somewhere put the phone at

its design and

back foot in terms of having a solid body. The size of the phone makes it fit easily in your hand and there is no issue in carrying the phone around because of its light weight. The fingerprint sensor and the primary camera is at the back of the phone which is further assisted by the LED flash. The front of the phone is sporting the powerful selfie camera with the selfie flash. The bottom of the device has speaker grille, headphone socket and micro USB port. The power button and the volume rockers are placed at the right side of the device. The phone towards its left has SIM tray for dual nano SIM cards and a dedicated microSD card slot which is providing the users advantage of expanding the storage capacity. The phone only weighs around 139 grams.

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burntest Display The new Vivo V7 has 5.7 inch IPS full view display and has resolution of 720x1440 pixels. The phone has 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen is aimed to provide to you HD view experience at every small matter you choose to perform. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass and it will protect the screen from any minor fall or screen injury.

Platform The new Vivo V7 has Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor which features Eight ARM Cortex A53 CPU cores and the Adreno 506 GPU. The RAM of the phone is of 4 GB which is mostly found in all the smartphones of the price range similar to new Vivo V7. The processor and the RAM handle all the processes with ease and helping the battery to last for long. The RAM lets

verdict

the phone to capture and save

with just a single charging. The

Looks

photos really quick even when

battery remains normal even

08 /10

there is constant movement

while charging without getting

Cameras

10 /10

like travelling in car. The selfie

heated up. The phone has a

camera also has group selfie

rapid charger as well to charge

Performance

08 /10

feature which allows you to

the battery in short time span.

Battery

08 /10

Value For Money

Very Compact Never disappoint Not an issue Goes with it If you love selfies

OVERALL

take a mini panorama so that

Connectivity options

you can add more people

include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth,

08 /10

into a shot The face beauty

USB OTG, FM, 3G and 4G.

of the Vivo smartphones is

Sensors on the phone include

84%

also upgraded in new Face

Compass Magnetometer,

Beauty 7.0 which uses a new

Proximity sensor,

you play heavy games as well

algorithm to brighten up and

Accelerometer, Ambient light

but on some occasions there is

offer a more even complexion

sensor and Gyroscope.

heating of the phone noticed.

in your selfies. At the back,

So it could be said that the gaming and performing any task is good. The new Vivo V7 is offering 32 GB which

PROS Camera

Cons Plastic Body

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

is half of what we saw in Vivo V7 Plus and might make the users to be in double mind

Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

the smartphone is having a

Conclusion

16 megapixel primary shooter

The Vivo V7 is nothing new if

enabled with LED flash which

you’ve already used or using

is to give clear and sharp

V7 Plus but, it could be a nice

images no matter where you

experience to those with selfie

take pictures and no matter in

symptoms. The smartphone

which condition dim or dark.

is light in weight, sleek with

The cameras are undoubtedly

mid ranged processor from

when approaching for Vivo V7

Cameras

because of its storage capacity.

As we have seen earlier in

very good which lets you to

Qualcomm along with its

But to resolve this Vivo V7 has

all the Vivo phones the main

click desirable pictures and

main feature of 24MP front

dedicated microSD card slot

attracting aspects present are

captures memories which you

camera. The smartphone is

which could be used to expand

their powerful and delightful

don’t want to miss.

available at Rs 18,990 in the

the storage upto 256 GB. In

cameras and it is adopted

the field of RAM and processor

in the new Vivo V7 as well.

Battery

the new Vivo V7 doesn’t

The selfie camera as usual is

Vivo V7 has powerful non

though it might have to face

sound that much promising.

powerful and delighting as the

removable 3,000mAh battery

competition from Oppo F5 in

The new Vivo V7 runs on

new phone has 24 megapixel

which can last for long hours

this segment. n

Funtouch OS 3.2 based on

which works very fast allowing

taking you throughout the day

www.mymobileindia.com

market and has the potential of being a selfie lover’s delight

haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 71

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ONEPLUS 5T Smartphone of the Moment

nePlus is here

launched its first smartphone

again without

in the year 2014 which was

much of a wait

OnePlusOne and after that

between its

they delivered some powerful

last and current smartphone,

performing smartphones like

to be exact just five months;

OnePlus 2, X, 3, 3T and the last

OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T. The

was OnePlus 5 which hasn’t

most sought after smartphones

received positive response among

brand among the BBK family

the buyers despite huge fanfare

after Vivo and Oppo, OnePlus

due to some technical glitches.

has kept itself intact in the Rs

The recent launch of OnePlus is

30K price bracket, though there

the upgraded version of OnePlus

aren’t many products available

5 which is OnePlus 5T.

in this segment. Therefore it becomes too easy for OnePlus

Design

to dominate. The company has

One Plus 5T has aluminium body and it is beautiful to look at. You won’t feel uncomfortable while holding the phone. The phone is not heavy at all and you can carry it around easily. The front side of the device has the gigantic display with sharp borders and also carrying the selfie camera and the LED flash along with the sensor. The bottom of the device is sporting USB Type C port, 3.5mm headphone socket and the speaker grille as well. The new One Plus 5T has something new in its design which is that it has shifted the fingerprint sensor form front of the device to the rear side where your fingers can reach easily and you can access your phone without stretching your fingers. There is the new upgraded rear camera as well at the rear side. The left of the phone has OnePlus’s trademark Alert Slider, which lets you flip between three positions - Silent, DND, and Ring. The volume buttons are also on the left, and the power button is on the right. Above the power button is a tray for two Nano SIMs. There is no space for microSd card in the

72 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

last for the whole day with a single charge which means you can make use of your device without worrying about charging it anytime soon. The phone has Dash charger as well and it rockets up the charging SIM tray which means you

to the processor. The phone

You can store multiple items

cannot expand the storing

is packed with 8 GB RAM

no matter whatever it is, files,

capacity of the device.

which is quite a lot to offer in a

media, games etc. OnePlus 5T

and 4G on both SIMs, but only

smartphone of the price range

runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat-

one at a time, as well as dual-

in which the new One Plus 5T

based Oxygen OS which

band Wi-Fi 802.11ac and

belongs. The phone does not

provides you with lots of option

Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX HD.

like duplicating the apps and

NFC, GPS, and GLONASS are

many more.

supported, and there’s a wide

Display The new One Plus 5T has an impressive screen size which is of 6.01 inches and has screen resolution of 1080x2160 pixels and uses AMOLED technology.

verdict Looks

Nicely amalgamated

09 /10

Cameras

like it was in OnePlus 5. This phone supports VoLTE

range of sensors including an electronic compass and

Cameras

08 /10

OnePlus 5T comes with dual

Performance

10 /10

does not have an identical

Conclusion

Battery

09 /10

setup like OnePlus 5. The

OnePlus 5T clearly emerges

OnePlus 5T has 16MP and

as the winner in the 30K

Value For Money

10 /10

20MP Sony sensors, both

category without too much

of which boast an increased

of competition there. The

92%

aperture of f/1.7 for better

smartphone performs like

of the display is also not

low-light shots and the same

a beast with top notch

compromised as it is protected

27.22mm focal length. While

Qualcomm 835 chipset and

by tough glass to last any

the 16MP rear camera is the

shoots pictures like nothing

damage like random falls and

same as the one found on the

less than DSLR with dual

OnePlus 5, the 20MP rear

camera setup and pretty

sensor is no longer a telephoto

awesome low light output with

option, with it instead being

f1.7. You’ll get huge amount of

brought in line with the main

RAM and ROM starting at just

snapper. This camera also

Rs 32,999. For me, OnePlus

features OnePlus’ Intelligent

5T is a price worthy device

The display is such which will make everything looks sharp, bright and saturated. The display size will give you exciting gaming experience and with such a big screen you can’t

Rear outshines Very Smooth

Compliments it

help yourself from enjoying

Bang On

playing videos. The protection

OVERALL

scratches. The phone has bezel less screen and it is having something unusual and new in it which is it has 18:9 aspect ratio instead of regular 16:9.

PROS

Cons

Processor, No Radio, Not Rear Lenses Waterproof (For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

cameras on the rear, but it

gyroscope.

Platform

get heated up because of the

Pixel Technology, which

with all the good features and

The new One Plus 5T comes

powerful processor and RAM

merges four pixels into one

stands apart at the moment

with a powerful processor

while doing multi tasking.

to improve clarity and reduce

with bigger display, face

which at any stage of

The big sized games also

noise and blurring. The selfie

recognition and Dash

performing the assigned

performed very well without

camera is of 16 megapixel and

Charger. n

task does not get affected by

slowing down at any point of

it performs reasonably well in

the workload. The phone is

time. The phone offers you

all sorts of condition. It could

128 GB ROM which is another

have been better.

core Qualcomm Snapdragon

attracting attribute of new

835 processor clubbed

One Plus 5T. The memory

Battery

with Adreno 540 GPU. The

cannot be further expanded

The new One Plus 5T has

processor is undoubtedly

but according to me when you

a power battery of 3,300

powerful and the RAM of the

already have 128GB you don’t

mAh which is non-removable

phone is providing full support

require it to further expand.

in nature. The phone does

www.mymobileindia.com

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haider@mymobile.co.in haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 73

Tried & Tested

burntest

Redmi Y1

Selfie Focussed Budgetary Buy

ne of the

smartphones launched by

they did reasonably good.

most selling

Xiaomi are aimed at reaching

Redmi always understands

power of Redmi Note series

smartphone

every individual like it offers

the demand of market and the

but in this review we will be

in present

smartphones in low range,

latest trend and comes up with

highlighting the attracting

Indian market is Xiaomi

mid range and even in

power packed smartphones

aspects of Redmi Y1.

Redmi which offers a wide

high range. In our last few

containing all the features

range of smartphones. The

reviews we saw launches like

which one cannot resist. The

RedmiA1, Redmi MIX2 and

latest launch of the company

The new Redmi Y1 is a

is Xiaomi Redmi Y1 which

beautiful smartphone to look

is considered as a budget

at and for review we have the

smartphone. We have

gold colour variant which is

seen the performance and

Design

adding to the beauty of the phone and making it more appealing. The body of the Redmi Y1 is of metal and have curved edges all around. The fingerprint sensor is located at the back of the device and it has fast recognising system to let you unlock your device with just a simple landing of your fingerprint pattern on it. The rear side has the secondary camera along with LED flash. The front side of the phone has the selfie camera above the display along with the selfie flash. Below the display there are the capacitive keys with the home key in between. At the right side of the phone there is the SIM tray and what is good about the SIM tray is that it has a different slot for the SDcard which allows you to enjoy

74 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

dual SIM function and the advantage of expanding the storage of the device. To the left of the phone there are the volume rockers and the power

verdict Looks

07 /10

Decent looks

phone. Redmi Y1has 32 GB of

powerful and deliver great

ROM which is quite enough to

performance which in return

store large files and videos and

is doing the trick of luring the

thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not all, the storage can

users.

Cameras

Best part of it

09 /10

further be expanded with the

button. The bottom of the device is sporting two speaker

Performance

08 /10

you enough space. The Xiaomi

The new Redmi Y1 has a

Redmi Y1 runs on Android 7.0

powerful battery as well

which is quite outdated version

which is of 3,080mAh and

of the Android operating

non-removable in nature. The

system.

battery is for sure to last long

grille delivering a great sound experience. The USB port is also at the bottom of the device and at the top lies the 3.5mm headphone socket.

Never bothers

Battery

07 /10

Value For Money

09 /10

Sustains a day Worthy purchase

OVERALL

80%

Display

help of microSD card giving

Cameras One of the main attractant of

Battery

giving you enough time with your phone. This could have been better.

The new Redmi Y1 has

the new Redmi Y1 is its 16 MP

impressive display size as

front selfie camera with a selfie

include Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth,

flash which you will hardly find

Infrared, USB OTG, FM,

in any smartphone of the price

3G and 4G. Sensors on the

range in which you are getting

phone include Compass

Redmi Y1. As mentioned

Magnetometer, Proximity

above about the latest trend

sensor, Accelerometer,

and keeping note of that allows

Ambient light sensor and

the Redmi to have upper hand

Gyroscope.

well which gives the device a compact size to fit into your hand easily. The device is light

PROS Camera

Cons Could be the battery

weighted as well so it is easy to carry around. The display size of the phone is of 5.5 inch

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

with a resolution of 720x1280

Connectivity options

pixels. The display size and

app load with ease resulting

over other smartphones. The

the resolution lets you enjoy

in smooth performance of the

selfies are trending and if any

Conclusion

every detail of any sort of video

device. The device carries a

phone is offering clear and

The Redmi Y1 is focussed on

or work doing in a clear HD

3 GB RAM which is capable

crisp selfies in every condition

the selfie millennials without

quality. The screen is not made

of dealing with any process

then it is more preferable

pinching too much into their

up of ordinary glass; it has

reducing the pressure amount

choice of the smartphone

pockets. The 16MP front and

Corning Gorilla glass to guard

on the processor and as well

lovers and Redmi Y1 is

13MP rear camera clearly

the screen which makes sure

as on the battery life of the

delivering that which is making

shows the intent of Xiaomi to

that your device stays safe if

device. The 3 GB of RAM

it a more approachable and

get some more fans from the

it falls by accident and also

is quite good enough to let

demandable smartphone. The

camera-centric devices.The

preventing the scratches.

you have a good gaming

rear camera is of 13 megapixel

processor and battery life is

experience as well but not all

which clicks clear images in

good. Redmi Y1 is available at

games especially big sized

every condition. There are

Rs 8,999 for 3GB variant and

Platform The new Redmi Y1is

games which demands more

various filters and attractive

has all the potentials of being

RAM and powerful processor.

features attributed with the

a good choice in the budget

Qualcomm Snapdragon 435

The processor and RAM are

new Redmi Y1. The cameras

segment. n

processor which will take your

doing justice to the price of the

of RedmiY1 are undoubtedly

www.mymobileindia.com

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haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 75

Tried & Tested

burntest

Kult Ambition If only youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re too Ambitious

ult has released

able to bind the attention

a compact size which fits in

has selfie camera which is

smartphones of

of the smartphone users in

your hand easily. The display

accompanied by LED flash.

varying ranges

the Indian market. After the

just being of 5 Inch prevents

The rear side of the phone has

which are

success of its previous phones

the excessive stretching of

the rear camera, LED flash

affordable and possess all the

Kult has now come up with

your fingers. The phone is

and the fingerprint sensor. The

qualities which one seeks in

another budget smartphone

not that much heavy and it

fingerprint sensor is bonus in

any smartphone. The company

which is Kult Ambition. This

could be easily carried and

the Kult Ambition because

provided all the features in

review of ours will discuss

the only extra weight gained

most of the smartphones of

a compact and compressed

about the various features and

by the phone is because of

the price range which Kult

form and also in low price

interesting aspects of this new

the removable battery.The

Ambition possesses does not

range. In our previous reviews

launch from the Kult.

phone at the top side has USB

have fingerprint sensor. The

port and 3.5mm headphone

logo of the company lies at

socket as well. The bottom

the bottom of the rear side.

of the device has speaker

The SIM trays lie beneath

we talked about the Kult Gladiator, Kult Beyond and

Design

all those smartphones were

The new Kult Ambition has

76 | january 2018

grille. At the right side of the

the rear panel which accepts

device there lie the volume

micro SIM cards and there is

rockers and the power button.

different slot for insertion of

The front side of the phone

the microSD card.

Tried & Tested

burntest verdict Looks

07 /10

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

07 /10

Battery

06 /10

Value For Money

06 /10

Very generic Click Nicely Enough for it Huge Disappointment Couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stand competition

OVERALL

68%

on the processor and as

MP front camera with LED

removable battery of 2,600

well as on the battery life

flash which means that you

mAh which lasts for 12 to

of the device. The 3 GB of

do not have to worry about the

15 hours which is a kind of

RAM is quite good enough to

condition or about the lighting

disappointment for it. The

let you have a good gaming

of the environment in which

above 3,000 mAh batteries

experience as well. The Kult

you are clicking selfie because

have become a norm in Rs

Ambition has 32 GB of ROM

the LED flash always allows

5,999 smartphones.The

which is quite enough to store

you to have clear and crispy

phone also some interesting

large files and videos and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

image no matter what the

features as well like panic

not all, the storage can further

conditions are. So for selfie

button and Go2Pay.The phone

be expanded adding 32 GB

lovers it is quite an attracting

also has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,

more with the help of microSD

feature because it is offering

GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G

card giving you enough

LED selfie flash at a low price

VoLTE.

space to store anything you

range. The rear camera is of

wish for. These features

13 megapixel with LED Flash

Conclusion

were seen in the previous

so you can shoot amazing

The Kult Ambition is a

smartphones launchedby

pictures at day and even at

budget segment smartphone

Kultsuch asKult Beyond. Kult

night as well. The cameras

with decent specifications

Ambition runs on Android 7.0

are quite good giving you clear

such as the camera and

Nougat operating system. The

and crispy images even in the

processor. The battery of the

gaming experience is quite

dim lightings. The camera

device is a kind of let down

good if you stick to playing

app features a face beauty

for Ambition as the buyers in

light games which does not

mode and you can adjust

this category generally prefer

put much pressure on the

the exposure, white balance,

smartphones with big battery

MediaTek MT6737 processor

processor.

anti-flicker and anti-shake.

life. The number should look

which is meant to deal with the

Cameras

The selfies are average but the

impressive in the initial

Cons

PROS Camera

Battery

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

Display The Kult Ambition comes with a 5 inch touch screen display which has a resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels. The display size of Kult Ambition with its screen resolution provides you a nice experience in case of viewing any documents or watching any video on the phone. It has 2.5D Glass as well providing the protection to the screen from any scratch or minor damage.

Platform The Kult Ambition is powered by 1.25GHz quad- core

running applications and other tasks of the phone with ease by reducing the workload. The device carries a 3 GB RAM which is capable of dealing with any process reducing the pressure amount

price range of the phone and

stages. Being priced at Rs

The Kult Ambition has two

availability of LED flash covers

5,999, Kult Ambition has

impressive cameras to attract

this disadvantage of average

lot to face in terms of stiff

the users to let them click

selfies.

competition from Xiaomi,

amazing pictures in any condition which is available

Battery

in a low price range. It has 5

The Kult Ambition has a non-

www.mymobileindia.com

Comio and Micromax in the budget segment. n haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 77

Tried & Tested

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CENTRIC L3 A Solid Smartphone

he limelight of

like Centric are new entrants

easily affordable by middle

an interesting smartphone and

the smartphone

in smartphone market and

class families having all

prior to Centric A1 there were

market in India

they are aimed at reaching

the desirable traits which a

other previous launches from

is stolen by the

those sections of society

smartphone should possess.

the company like Centric L1,

Chinese and Korean based

which constitute the majority

In our last review of Centric

P1, P1 Plus, and G1. This

smartphones but in recent

population of India. Centric

smartphones we shaded light

review of ours is about the

times we have seen many

is manufacturing budget

on Centric A1 which was quite

latest entrant in the Indian

Indian smartphones rising

smartphones which are

and delivering according to the needs of Indian population. The smartphones

smartphone which is Centric L3.

Design The new Centric L3 is a budget smartphone with a beautiful metallic look with curved edges. The phone has a compatible size which fits your hand easily and it is easy to operate with one hand. The compact size of the phone makes it more favourable when it comes about having a smartphone which could be easily hold, operated and easily carry around. The front side of the device at the upper region is having the selfie camera along with the flash and the lower part of the front side has the fingerprint sensor embedded in home button. The rear side of the phone has rear camera which is accompanied by LED flash. The opening of rear panel takes you to the SIM insertion section. The phone has dual SIM capability with a dedicated microSD card slot which is another attracting aspect which is available in Centric L3. The left side of the phone has volume rockers and the power button. The top of the device is sporting 3.5mm headphone socket and the

78 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

USB port is also lying at

applications might get little

the top.

sloppy but it is not something

Display

Tried & Tested

burntest

which should worry you because the device restores it

The new Centric L3 has a

processes back quickly. The

display size of 12.7 cm which

ROM of the device is of 16

is 5 inch full HD and has

GB which allows you store

resolution of 1280x1080

multiple apps, media, and

pixels which is quite good

games. Further

and the resolution gives you

the storage can

clear clarity while you watch

be expanded

anything. The display has

up to 256 GB

500 Nits Brightness and is

with the help

protected by 2.5D curved

of microSD

glass which shields your

card. The new

phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s display and prevent

Centric L3 has

any scratch or crack by sudden

the Android

comparatively more

fall of the device. The display

7.0 Nougat

than the battery

size will give you good gaming

allowing the

experience also as because

users to get the benefits of

the size is such which provides

latest update of the android

you wider viewing angles in a

operating system.

compact size.

Platform

Cameras Centric L3 has two impressive

power of Centric A1. The battery

verdict

power of the device is quite impressive allowing

Looks

08 /10

the users to use the phone

Cameras

07 /10

non- stop hour of enjoyment

Very solid

throughout the day. It gives you

The new Centric L3 is powered

cameras to attract the users

Uptothe expectations

by 1.3GH Quad core processor

at an affordable price range.

Performance

Centric L3 has 5 MP front

Manages well

07 /10

with Mali T720 MP2 GPU. The processor is developed in

camera but the LED flash

Battery

such manner that it lets you

is missing which restricts

Sustains a day Suffice the need

07 /10

run your smartphone smoothly.

you to use the selfie camera

Value For Money

The device has 2 GB of RAM

in well lighted condition or

which is to take you away

environment. The rear camera

with the tasks without having

is of 13 megapixel with

much load on other processes

LED Flash so you can shoot

Conclusion

of the phone. The RAM with

amazing pictures at day and

The new Centric L3 is priced

the help of the processor

even at night as well. The

eases the device processing

cameras are quite good giving

and keeps the device from

you clear and crispy images

getting over heated and also

even in the dim lightings.

not allowing the device to get

The camera app features a

hanged in between in any task.

face beauty mode and various

The gaming experience is also

editing filters which are now

quite good because the display

latest and trending. The

Battery

of the device with its aspect

cameras of Centric L3 deliver

The new Centric L3 has an

camera, ample battery

ratio gives users a real amazing

decent images and it will

impressive battery power. It is

strength and apt processor it

experience but you cannot play

fulfil the desire of having

makes a good purchase for the

big sized games which will

a clear and crisp image to

removable battery giving the

heat up the device. The big

cherish later.

phone boost of power and it is

beginners. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

whether you are playing game

PROS Metallic Design, Storage

With such battery backup the worry of charging on regular span of time also goes down.

Justified with specs

OVERALL

or you are enjoying movies.

09 /10

76%

Cons Competition

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

The phone also has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G VoLTE, USB2.0.

at Rs 6,749 and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clearly worth it. Being a metallic smartphone it gives a kind of ruggedness as we end up dropping our smartphones quite often resulting in breaking of either display or back cover. With decent

january 2018 | 79

Tried & Tested

burntest

Gionee M7 Power Monstrous Battery

ithout a

bezels. We got the black device

feel to the smartphone.

resting. Moving forward, at the

single doubt,

(with the other blue and gold

However, the smartphone

top there is the front camera,

bezel-less

colour options) for review, and

weighs slightly too much and

with another company’s logo

display is the

here is what the results are:

is scratch-prone. Starting with

housing at the bottom. To the

the rear side, the M7 Power

right, there is a dedicated SIM

houses a camera module to

tray to house two SIM cards,

new trend we are getting to see in every other smartphones.

Design

Hopping onto the same

The Gionee M7 Power, at

the top right corner with LED

while on the left-hand side

bandwagon, Gionee recently

the very first sight totally

flash next to it, antenna bands

are situated a volume rocker

launched the M7 Power in

impressed me. The huge

at the top and the bottom,

and power on/off button. At

the mid-segment with what

display with the bezels too

with a fingerprint sensor lying

the bottom end, there (from

the company calls FullView

less, all fitted in a metal

between them. Going down

left to right) is the 3.5mm

display, featuring narrow

chassis, gives a premium

we have the ‘Gionee’ logo

audio jack, the USB port, and

80 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

speaker grille. In totality, the Gionee M7

(extracting all the beauty in you), Card Reader (to scan

Power scores decent marks in

all the cards you may lose),

terms of design.

and Translation (to help see

Display

and translate lines you just canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t read). Among such

The main attraction of this

camera features there is the

Gionee smartphone is the

Backlight, Night, Professional,

FullView display, spanning

Group Selfie and Slow Motion

6-inch, with an aspect ratio

features right there in the

rated at 18:9, and with really

camera app.

less bezels. The screen comes

Tried & Tested

burntest

terms of the display quality,

Performance and Spec sheet

the device has a screen

Taking a look at the other

above average. The colour

specifications, the smartphone

produced, as well as the

comes with decent ones

icons appearing were good

which include a Qualcomm

enough for convenient usage.

Snapdragon 435 mobile

Due to the FullView display,

platform, coupled with 4GB

the smartphone had room

of RAM for the purpose of

done such as using social

however, had too many apps

for wider viewing of content

multi-tasking. The smartphone

media apps (Facebook,

pre-installed. Among all the

and the ease of usability too

comes with 64GB of inbuilt

Instagram, Snapchat to name

specs and features the Gionee

got better. Additionally, the

storage which can be

a few) or playing games, all

M7 Power is incorporated with,

viewing angles were fine too.

expanded up to 256GB using

this happening with a number

the rear-mounted fingerprint

memory card. During my

of apps in the background was

sensor worked fine and

review period, the smartphone

simple. The smartphone was

unlocked the device is less

Starting with the camera

was able to work along pretty

easy to use, however, the touch

than a second. Additionally,

configuration, the M7 Power

well. Getting various tasks

at times became unresponsive.

the audio quality was fine too.

with full HD+ resolution. In

Cameras houses a 13-megapixel

verdict

During the left hours, the M7 Power managed to remain

Conclusion

08 /10

stutter-free.

Deemed as a perfect one for

07 /10

highlight (which inspired the

the Gionee M7 Power is a

name of the smartphone)

mixture of pros and cons.

is the battery which has a

While the device is slightly on

mammoth of a capacity, rated

the average road in terms of

Amazing life

at 5,000mAh and battery life

camera, in the battery arena

Value For Money

way too long (hands down

is definitely is a slayer and

to the battery!). Yes, the

can be bought if you seek a

smartphone on a single charge

monster battery. However, the

lived for more than two days,

smartphone stands against the

is above average, capable of

and then died a glorious death.

likes of various smartphones in

shooting well in almost every

Reviving it was not too long a

the same segment such as the

shooting condition, with any

process as well; it charged fully

Motorola G5s Plus, the Honor

in about an hour.

7X, and the Xiaomi Mi A1, all

primary shooter with PDAF and LED flash and an 8-megapixel front camera. The rear camera managed to give us decent outputs with details averagely highlighted. By average, I mean average, due to the results being not-soimpressive. The front camera too, gave us nice (but over exposed) selfies, but details were highlighted finely. Overall,

shooting mode available within the smartphone. The camera app comes with various modes such as Panorama, Face Beauty

Looks

Cameras

Looks premium Average outputs

Performance Averagely performed

Battery

Can be considered

OVERALL

PROS Battery

07 /10 09 /10 07 /10

88%

Cons cameras

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

www.mymobileindia.com

Coming to the other

The Gionee M7 Power

a price tag of Rs 16,999,

the three with the power of

runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat

dual cameras at the back and

with Amigo OS 5.0 on top.

better processors. n vanshika@mymobile.co.in

The UI was mostly clean,

january 2018 | 81

Tried & Tested

burntest

Alcatel A5 LED Light my body up!

iving all the disco

notifications and music. The

however, the images lacked

multi-tasks with the 3GB

feels is the new

lights, using the pre-installed

intricate details. While the

of RAM and has 32GB of

Alcatel A5 LED

Light Show app can be

HDR mode highlighted the

inbuilt storage which can be

by TCL-owned

controlled and the each app

pictures, it also over-exposed

expanded up to 128GB with

Alcatel, which recently arrived

has the LEDs lit in the shape

the images resulting in the

the help of a memory card.

in India. The smartphone,

of the first letter of the app.

blurred outputs. The front

The smartphone, from surfing

falling in the budget category

However, amidst all the lit-up

camera, relatively clicked

around the internet, to playing

has a canvas lit with 25 LEDs

fun, the LEDs seem to be more

better images with images not

games to just checking it out,

at the back. I got the device

of short-lived amusement as

for review, painted in black

the utility factor goes missing

and this is what the litmus test

and having fun with the lights

results are:

at the back fails to attract

Design

for a longer period of time. Furthermore, the A5 LED

The Alcatel A5 LED is a

also comes with a PC cover

smartphone which comes with

alongside.

a boxy chassis, and is totally

did all the stuff averagely, with

verdict Looks

07 /10

Cameras

08 /10

Performance

07 /10

Boxy and unimpressive Average results Averagely performed

07 /10

the touch being just fine. The audio quality was fine however, the fingerprint scanner housed in the physical home button was not that quick. The 2,800mAh battery got through almost a day, however, the presence of Android 6.0

not a goal-setter in terms of

Display

Battery

design. The device at the back

The Alcatel A5 LED has a

features the primary camera

5.2-inch HD IPS LCD screen

Value For Money

with LED flash at the top right

and is adequately bright. For

corner, with 25 LEDs spread

a budget smartphone, the app

all over, and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Alcatelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

icons and anything displayed

Conclusion

logo situated in the middle,

are clearly shown. The viewing

The Alcatel A5 LED, at a

beneath the camera module.

angles are average and the

Upfront, there is the secondary

colour production is fine too.

shooter at the top portion and

Additionally, the display has

a physical home button at the

the adaptive brightness feature

bottom portion. The right side

which adjusts the brightness

of the smartphone contains

of the screen in accordance

the power on/off and volume

with the surroundings of the

buttons, while the left side is

users.

Marshmallow bothered me,

Another average Can be considered

OVERALL

PROS LED lights

08 /10

given the incorporation of

74%

in the same price bracket.

Cons cameras

(For detailed specifications, please refer to My Guide)

Android 7.0 Nougat in many,

price of Rs 12,999 seems like an underdog. While every smartphone has its share of hits and misses, the A5 LED has a large amount of misses, for a price too expensive. It

turning out to be grainy. The camera app consists of

has other contenders in the market in the same price

HDR mode, Panorama, Face

category such as the Lenovo

Beauty and the ability to create

K8 Plus with improved 4GB

On the camera front, the

collages within seconds with

of RAM and Android Nougat,

A5 LED comes with a 13-

Instant Collage. Additionally,

the Motorola Moto G5s with

megapixel rear shooter

the pictures got clicked quite

a bigger 3,000mAh battery

from the LEDs has nothing so

featuring dual-tone LED flash

quickly.

and Android Nougat, and the

impressive about the design.

and autofocus, while on the

Therefore, is just an average

front, is situated a 5-megapixel

looking one.

snapper with fixed focus. The

Specifications and Performance

primary shooter was, in almost

The Alcatel A5 LED is

still intrigue you, you can add

of LEDs at the back, the

all shooting conditions was

the device to your cart! n

25 LEDs are specified at

able to capture good pictures,

processor clocked at 1.3GHz,

blank. The top end has the 3.5mm audio jack with the

Cameras

lower end comprising speaker grille and USB port. The smartphone, apart

Talking about the cobweb

82 | january 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 with better cameras and processor. Nevertheless, if the 25 LEDs

vanshika@mymobile.co.in

MYMOBILE

by Invitation

Guest Column

From 2017 to 2018: The paradigm shift in smartphone ecology As smartphones are slated to become smarter and more utilitarian, Ashwin Bhandari, CEO of iVOOMi India captures the catalysts that are fuelling the innovations in mobile industry as well as the device itself in the coming months

or any gadget lover, perhaps this is the best time to be alive. The smartphone industry is going through an overwhelming transformation due to the advancements in technologies. These advancements have made smartphones more affordable, accessible, user friendly, secure, intelligent, multi-purpose, and an indispensable part of our day-to-day lives. Below are some trends that the smartphone industry expected in 2017:-

4G VoLTE Unlike what we think, 4G Voice over LTE has improved our smartphone experience much beyond faster internet access. While it

in order to provide better video watching,

has strengthened the belief that cloud storage

internet surfing, video calling, and gaming

is the future for smartphones as it allows

experience. This year witnessed a plethora

hardware agnostic flexible storage, agility,

of smartphone launches with 7 inches or

and safety of data.

more display size. Moreover, if you are one of those who has lost a phone due to accidental

Data Encryption

damage to the screen, shatterproof displays

In 2017, end-to-end data encryption became

could be the answer. Made of several layers

the biggest weapon to fight against the

of plastic and synthetic fiber, these displays

perpetual threat to information safety. This

are almost unbreakable. A big sigh of relief

means that all the data stored on the device is

for adventure lovers!

in some jumbled form and does not become readable until the user enters the passcode.

can transfer data as much as 3x faster than

Cloud Storage

3G, it has also improved the quality of voice

Despite initial concerns, cloud storage for

makes it readable. Therefore, if a memory

calls significantly. In laymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s terms, we can

smartphones gained a lot of traction in 2017.

card is stolen out of a smartphone device, it

understand 4G VoLTE calls as high definition

Companies like Google, Apple, Amazon, and

will not work on another device without the

(HD) calls that provide richer experience as

Microsoft were there with their cloud services

passcode. Some phones like iPhone block

compared to its 2G or 3G counterparts. In

earlier too. However, the growth in adoption

the device or wipe off the data on repeated

This passcode decrypts the information and

fact, this will pave the way to address the

failed attempts.

problem of call drops in several emerging

Luckily, almost all

nations.

the smartphones

Bigger Displays with Shatterproof Screens

today

come

with encryption, making it hard for

With every passing year, the size of

cyber intruders

smartphone display has been increasing

to peep into your

84 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

personal information.

Fast Charging With multiple applications running constantly,

smartphones are all set become smarter.

storage as we had in Personal Computers

Here are some realistic trends that we expect

about 5 years ago.

in 2018:-

Battery Life

there is constant pressure on battery. As a

Artificial Intelligence

result, many flagship smartphone users are

Artificial intelligence has risen from being

will see high capacity batteries in the range of

perpetually running around to charge their

considered a myth to a real problem solver.

4000-5000 mAh, which will run for at least

phones. In 2017, fast charging or turbo

With the power of smartphone AI, premium

48 hours with average usage. Therefore, the

charging emerged as a big a big relief to

phones can recognize the owner; send

users do not have to carry their turbo charger

millions of users. It allows the smartphone

timely and relevant alerts about travel plans,

with them all the time. Powerful batteries

manufacturers to utilize the full capacity of

health, sports, and other favourite topics,

also ensure that the users would have optimal

the chosen batteries while not compromising

connect with other devices for information

experience even with multitasking and high

on the performance and safety standards.

collaboration, and smart route maps. AI

usage.

Virtual Reality Support

will be more powerful when implemented in conjugation with machine learning that

If fast chargers were the rage in 2017, 2018

Internet of Things (IoT)

reads data from past usage trends and

Guest Column

by invitation

predicts the future requirements of the user. Therefore, if you have taken a shortcut to a route that you travel twice a week, the device will automatically save it and automatically refers to the same when you are on the same route next time.

Bezel-less Display Phones Edge-to-edge displays, also known as bezel-

There have been rounds of talks about the

less displays will be a norm of the day. These

potential of IoT for quite a few years now.

displays reduce the gap between the screen

However, 2018 will be the year when it finally

and smartphone body. Therefore, smartphone

makes an impact on the lives of consumers,

Smartphones are slowly replacing dedicated

screens will continue to become bigger,

and smartphones will be at the centre of it.

virtual reality headsets, all thanks to

ergonomically supportive & comfortable to

Connected devices will enable us to control

improved accessibility and affordability.

hold, and may even cross 7 inches in 2018.

all our electronic gadgets remotely with just

In 2017, companies like Google, Apple, Motorola, Samsung etc. have revealed their smartphones or related solutions that support

Higher RAM and In-built Storage

virtual reality almost as good as Oculus Rift.

The above trends indicate that the smartphone industry is awaiting a new normal, where hardware and software come together to take user experience to the next level.

Selfie Camera, Moonlight Flash/ Front Flash

With manufacturers competing furiously for prices, features, and accessibility, consumers

Selfies are the craziest phenomenon in 2017.

are definitely set to benefit. n

Going by the new fad, all the smartphone manufacturers tried to provide the best selfie experience in order to develop a competitive

Coupled with falling prices of memory

edge. Dedicated selfie camera, front flash,

hardware, Growing demand to run multiple

and moonlight flash. Moonlight flash is a

applications over the high-speed internet will

low lumen LED light on the front side of the

push smartphone manufacturers to provide

camera that ensures the right amount of light

higher RAM and in-built storage. While we

without redeye effect.

have already seen up to 8GB RAM and 32 GB

However, the journey is nowhere near

RAM becoming a norm in 2017, in 2018,

complete. As we keenly await 2018,

smartphones may have as much RAM and

www.mymobileindia.com

a few taps on our smartphone.

Founded in 2001, iVOOMi is a Hong Kong based brand of SUNTEX with presence in China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Ethiopia & Middle East. It comprises more than 350 SKUs, spread over 5 product categories. The Chinese electronics major has 10+ years of experience in the mobile phone industry and is known for manufacturing smartphones with top-quality features at pocket-friendly prices.

january 2018 | 85

In Conversation

face to face

“We realized that specification is one thing but performance and reliability is really the crux of a product”

Salora, the Indian conglomerate with various ventures in different domains of IT and electronics, has been a part of our growing up years which was shaken by the Chinese onslaught. But it is bouncing back with well planned strategy leveraging its brand equity and has started selling smartphones apart from TV and components. The Chairman and Managing Director of Salora International, Gopal Jiwarajka spoke with Haider Ali Khan on his company’s ambition to provide reliable and durable devices for the masses without compromising on the quality. Excerpts: Is it the correct time for you to enter into the

the right product for the market at correct

has larger market share.For us there

smartphone domain? Correct or wrong time

time. Smartphone market is now settled

are enough customers who do not want

is very difficult to decide. Market is an ever

in terms of what kind of specification it

bundled products as the devices will get

evolving dynamic situation and more than

wants. VoLTE will become a default

locked to it.

time we have to decide that whether we

standard for 4G. Are you also there in feature phone segment?

have the right product for the market. You may think is the right time but a wrong

Will you ever go for bundled product? It’s not

If yes, what is the current ratio of Salora selling

product. Why we’ve waited for so many

with us to take that call; it’s the operators

smartphone vs the feature phones? Yes, we

years was because we do not have had

who will decide to go with players who

are present in feature phone segment

86 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

face to face

In Conversation

as well as it’s not going away easily. And big players aren’t there in feature phone segment and those with huge distribution network will win the race in this segment. We have just started our smartphone business and in terms of ratio 25 percent sales are coming from smartphone rest is feature phones. Which are the areas Salora will be targeting and from where does your maximum sale comes? We are present across the country due to our online presence and in offline we are there in North and East India. We are focused in these two regions as there’s huge potential in these areas.

“Our strength lies in three different from the home grown as well as Chinese entrants? Competition is the reality of parts; first is our manufacturing life. It will never go away. If we are not capability with 40 years of legacy; competent we must get away from the business. There are other challenges we have the infrastructure; and apart from the competition like the we have a fantastic distribution regulatory environment and the kind network of dealers and of things government keeps on saying for example, recently they have asked that distributors” GPS must be there in feature phones but Please share your thoughts on the competition

later on they have withdrawn it, location as that can be tracked via the operator and 22 languages support. Why should government insist on it, let customer decide they want a phone with 22 languages support or not. This is not government should mandate because mobile phones have survived in India over the period of time with just Hindi, English and one or other language support and that has to go for BIS approval. Other challenge which is coming in is the IPR. In China, IPR is not enforced that it will make us non-competitive against Chinese players.Only those regulations are welcomed which are in the larger interest of people. We will only focus on a certain price bracket and make products according to the requirements in that segment and we are not fighting with the large shareholders (market share). We will not go above Rs 7,000 category.

www.mymobileindia.com

display kind of things. What are the USPs of Salora smartphones? It must perform well, it should be contemporary. We have launched smartphones with Android 7.0 in just underRs 4,000. The Salora phones are durable and reliable with aluminum chassis. We manage our service centers

Could you break it down the contribution of

ourselves with 150 service points. We

mobile business into the overall revenue of

offer 120 days replacement warranty on

Salora? Currently in Salora we are doing

our smartphones.

three kinds of businesses; television and audio; components for TVs and mobile

Do you export smartphones to other

phones and mobile phones. 30 percent

countries as well? Currently not, but it’s a

of our revenue will come out from mobile

feasible option.

phone business. Who does manufacturing of Salora Which are series of smartphones do you

smartphones? We manufacture all our

have and what are your future plans? We

products at our Noida facility. We are

will launch two new products in between

focused and not in a race. We are moving

February to March of 2018 which will be an

at our own pace with our capability and we

upgraded version. One of our smartphones

are happy.

is going to be in 18:9 ratio which is the trend nowadays.The 18:9 concept is

Do you also need a face to promote your brand?

picking up because it’s convenient to hold

No, we do not need a face to promote our

and when you see it in portrait mode the

brand. Our products itself are our brand

video content becomes much more rich.

ambassadors. n

At the same time we will not go for infinity

haider@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 87

face to face

“We want to establish a successful digital advertising business in India in the coming two years” Cheetah Mobile is a mobile app technology driven company headquartered in Beijing, China. It was founded seven years back and started operating in India in the end of 2013. Since January 2017, it has more than 634 million monthly active users with 80% coming from China. In 2013, India was already being viewed as one of the most important markets for Cheetah’s global edition and in February 2015, it set-up the local office in Delhi and Bangalore. My Mobile’s Nijhum Rudra interacted with Johnny Li, the Vice President at Cheetah Mobile about the prospects of mobile/digital advertisement and the steps taken by Cheetah Mobile to make it a successful offering in the market. Can you please describe your business

Indian media like TOI, like Hindustan these

Google are the major players in the market.

model in India and how do you intend to

media and also we have news aggregator

They have good technology and the positive

expand this market? First of all we have to

app named News Republic. Third, we also

thing is that they also have a massive

look at the product and its quality. Now,

offer another important app Live.me, for

inventory, which helps them earn majority

we have three products in India of which

live video casting.

of the money. Moreover, they keep some

one is the Utility app, Clean Master or CM

very interesting policies in their ecosystem

security. In India almost 98% of the users

What are the biggest challenges in this space?

still using the android phone and the grave

In digital advertising space, Facebook and

issues they face are low storage and low lifetime of the battery. In the utility app, we offer clean master security that helps in removing unnecessary junk files while optimizing the phone. The second one is utility, which is also for the content similar to DailyHunt and in the beginning of last year, we have started working with the local

88 | january 2018

that ultimately leads the innovation. But for small media companies, small

face to face to use. We do this not for the end users, but also for the advertisers. Cheetah offer deep insights to our customers before suggesting them solutions. Our company tries to ensure a better user experience through our products but cater services to the advertisers as well. Can you please elucidate your roadmap in the coming years? Due to massive growth 3G and 4G networks in India and the increased usage of smartphone has led Cheetah mobile to commence its operation in India. Over the past two years, Cheetah mobile has always considered India as the most preferred destination for its new product launch. In the coming two years, we want to understand more of what Indian smartphone user needs. We are now craving for more knowledge about Indian

In Conversation

for them, make it user-friendly and easy

users from our local India team so that we media developers, the question appear is, ‘how can we survive’ and ‘how innovation can happen’? This has turned out to be a huge challenge for them. Secondly, they cannot always survive by the investors’ money and have to earn money by themselves. The third important hurdle is to find out more innovative products that can diversify the needs of smartphone users. What is Cheetah Mobile’s role in driving mobile advertising in the e-commerce segment? Most of our apps now focus on utility. Couple of month back we have provided the weather forecast for users

“Innovation is the foremost aspect that is leading Cheetah Mobile way ahead of its competitor. And at Cheetah, we offer deep insights to our customers before suggesting them solutions”

during summers in India, which is extremely scorching. This survey insisted Amazon

weather beside the image of the ACs that

can easily set up a fruitful business in the

to approach us for a digital advertising

gave a very high click rate. Amazon is now

country. n

campaign. They thought that the digital

successful in selling their Air Conditioners

advertisements would augment the selling

in India.

of Air Conditioners in the nation. After we recorded this with press, we discussed

What is your biggest differentiating aspect

how we could get people to accept the

in the advertising space? Innovation is the

campaigns or the apps. Apps sometimes

foremost aspect that is leading Cheetah

work and sometimes do not. Therefore,

mobile way ahead of its competitor. First,

we came up with a very innovative idea.

we deeply understand the pain points of our

We posted the temperature and

customers and then we prepare solutions

www.mymobileindia.com

nijhum@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 89

Enabler

industry insight

The Rise of Chief Data Officers As the role of CDOs continues to gain traction within organizations, a recent survey by Gartner reveals that these data and analytics leaders are proving to be a linchpin of digital business transformation

he third annual Gartner Chief

“While the early crop of CDOs was

and indirect employees, representing the

Data Officer survey conducted

focused on data governance, data quality

federated nature of the office of the CDO

from July through September

and regulatory drivers, today’s CDOs are

design.

2017 with 287 CDOs, chief

now also delivering tangible business value,

CDOs shift from defense to offense to

analytics officers and other high-level data

and enabling a data-driven culture,” said

drive digital transformation: With more than

and analytics leaders from across the world

Valerie Logan, Research Director at Gartner.

one-third of respondents saying “increase

has found that support for the CDO role

“Aligned with this shift in focus, the survey

revenue” is a top three measure of success,

and business function is rising globally. A

also showed that for the first time, more

the survey findings show a clear bias

majority of survey respondents reported

than half of CDOs now report directly to a

developing in favor of value creation over

holding the formal title of CDO, revealing a

top business leader such as the CEO, COO,

risk mitigation as the key measure of success

steady increase over 2016 (57 percent in

CFO, president/owner or board/shareholders.

for a CDO. The survey also looked at how

2017 compared with 50 percent in 2016).

By 2021, the office of the CDO will be seen

CDOs allocate their time. On a mean basis,

Those organizations implementing an Office

as a mission-critical function comparable to

45 percent of the CDO’s time is allocated to

of the CDO also rose since last year, with

IT, business operations, HR and finance in

value creation and/or revenue generation, 28

47 percent reporting an Office of the CDO

75 percent of large enterprises.”

percent to cost savings and efficiency, and

implemented (either formally or informally)

Budgets are also on the rise. Respondents

in 2017, compared with 23 percent fully

to the 2017 survey report an average CDO

“CDOs and any data and analytics

implemented in 2016.

27 percent to risk mitigation.

office budget of USD8 million, representing

leader must take responsibility to put

“The steady maturation of the office of the

a 23 percent increase from the average

data governance and analytics principles

CDO underlines the acceptance and broader

of USD6.5 million reported in 2016.

on the digital agenda. They have the right

understanding of the role and recognizes

Fifteen percent of respondents report

and obligation to do it,” said Mario Faria,

the impact and value CDOs worldwide are

budgets more than USD20 million,

managing vice president at Gartner.

providing,” said Michael Moran, Research

contrasting with 7 percent last year. A

CDOs are responsible for more than just

Director at Gartner. “The addition of new

further indicator of maturity is the size of

data governance: According to the survey, in

talent for increasing responsibilities, growing

the office of the CDO organization. Last

2017, CDOs are not just focused on data as

budgets and increasing positive engagement

year’s study reported total full time employees

the title may imply. Their responsibilities span

across the C-suite illustrate how central the

at an average of 38 (not distinguishing

data management, analytics, data science,

role of CDO is becoming to more and more

between direct and indirect reporting), while

ethics and digital transformation. A larger

organizations.”

this year reports an average of 54 direct

than expected percentage of respondents

90 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

(36 percent) also report responsibility for

Providing an external pulse and liaison:

profit and loss (P&L) ownership. “This

60 percent of respondents are assessing

increased level of reported responsibility by

external opportunities and threats as

CDOs reflects the growing importance and

input to business strategy, and 75

pervasive nature of data and analytics across

percent of respondents are building and

organizations, and the maturity of the CDO

maintaining external relationships across

role and function,” said Ms Logan.

the organization’s ecosystem.

In the 2017 survey, 86 percent of

Exploiting data for competitive edge: 77

respondents ranked “defining data and

percent of respondents are developing new

analytics strategy for the organization” as

data and analytics solutions to compete in

their top responsibility, up from 64 percent

new ways.

in 2016. This reflects a need for creating

CDOs are diverse and tackling a wide

or modernizing data and analytics strategies

array of internal challenges: Gartner

within an increasing dependence on data and

predicts that by 2021, the CDO role will

insights within a digital business context.

be the most gender diverse of all technology

CDOs are becoming impactful change

-affiliated C-level positions and the

agents leading the data-driven transformation

survey results reflect that position. Of

The survey results provided insight into

the respondents to Gartner’s 2017 CDO

the kind of activities CDOs are taking on in

survey who provided their gender, 19

order to drive change in their organizations.

percent were female and this proportion is

Several areas seem to have a notable

even higher within large organizations —

increase in CDO responsibilities compared

25 percent in organizations with worldwide

with last year:

revenue of more than $1 billion. This

Serving as a digital advisor: 71 percent of

contrasts with 13 percent of CIOs who are

respondents are acting as a thought leader

women, per the 2018 Gartner CIO Agenda

on emerging digital models, and helping

Survey. When it comes to average age of

to create the digital business vision for the

CDOs, 29 percent of respondents said they

enterprise.

were 40 or younger.

Enabler

industry insight

“While the early crop of CDOs was focused on data governance, data quality and regulatory drivers, today’s CDOs are now also delivering tangible business value, and enabling a datadriven culture” – Valerie Logan, Research Director at Gartner The Roadblocks: The survey respondents reported that there is no shortage of internal roadblocks challenging CDOs. The top internal roadblock to the success of the Office of the CDO is “culture challenges to accept change” — a top three challenge for 40 percent of respondents in 2017. A new roadblock, “poor data literacy,” debuted as the second biggest challenge (35 percent), suggesting that a top CDO priority is ensuring commonality of shared language and fluency with data, analytics and business outcomes across a wide range of organizational roles. When asked about engagement with other C-level executives, respondents ranked

“Gartner predicts that by 2021, the CDO role will be the most gender diverse of all technology -affiliated C-level positions and the survey results reflect that position”

www.mymobileindia.com

the relationship with the CIO and CTO as the strongest, followed by a broad, healthy degree of positive engagement across the C-Suite. n team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 91

Insight

tech Trendz

Sensors Bloom

Sensors in smartphones to top 10 billion unit shipments in 2020

oday’s smartphones contain a plethora of sensors which provide an amazing array of features and functionalities

boosting the overall user experience of the device. Some premium smartphones have already integrated more than 15 different sensors and this number is set to increase due to technological advances in MEMS and other sensor technologies driving newer use cases. According to Counterpoint’s Components Tracker research, all sensors combined, more than 6 billion sensors were shipped within smartphones in 2017 and it is estimated to cross the 10 billion mark in 2020. As per Pavel Naiya, Senior Analyst at

Counterpoint Research, “Sensors such as Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Ambient Light Sensors (ALS) have become ubiquitous across smartphones even down to a sub-USD50 category. These sensors have been the key components to make a phone smarter carving out meaningful usecases from navigation, gaming, augmented reality to preserving battery life and much more. Similarly, biometrics base sensors in

billion smartphones to be shipped in 2018

smartphones have seen greater adoption in

will sport a fingerprint (see here) sensor and

face unlock biometric sensor solution.” Mr Naiya added, “Health based sensors

the last few years. For example, more than a

close to 400Mn will feature some form of

such as Heart Rate, SpO2 are picking up traction though mostly in premium offerings and mainly driven by Samsung for enhancing its S Health offering. Adoption by other brands will depend upon their companion wearables strategy. However, for some OEMs, rising Bill of Materials (BoM) costs pressure will be a barrier to adopt these special sensors.” Commenting on proliferation of other sensor categories, Senior Analyst Jene Park highlighted, “Iris scanner, 3D sensing, Gyroscope, NFC will be popular sensors this year, powering features from facial

92 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

Insight

tech Trendz Exhibit: Sensor Penetration in Smartphones Shipped in 2017 Accelerometer

100%

Proximity

92%

Compass

69%

Ambient Light

59%

Fingerprint

58%

Gyroscope

“Sensors such as Accelerometer, Compass, Gyroscope and Ambient Light Sensors (ALS) have become ubiquitous across smartphones even down to a subUSD50 category” – Pavel Naiya, Senior Analyst, Counterpoint Research biometrics to AR/VR, immersive gaming, digital payments and others. Almost one in two smartphones will integrate an NFC solution or a Gyroscope by 2020.” Mr Park added, “Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi were the top three brands driving Gyroscope shipments with a combined 60% share in 2017. In NFC based smartphone shipments, Samsung, Apple & Huawei alone captured 83% of the market. In summary, a handful of top brands are focused to leverage on-device sensors to drive multiple use-cases and services and differentiate to succeed.” Sensor Fusion platforms are finally gaining popularity and getting adopted by different OEM players beyond smartphones. As MEMS technology become more advanced, less expensive and miniaturized, the microcontroller driven software platform helps to fuse

www.mymobileindia.com

48%

NFC

44%

Barometer

24%

SpO2

Heart Rate

the multiple sensor data to provide more accurate and contextual output. For example, combining accelerometer, magnetometer, gyroscope to accurately predict position in the physical world. Commenting on potential for Sensor Fusion solutions, Research Director Neil Shah said, “Sensor Fusion platform adoption will breathe more life into smartphones and

“Iris scanner, 3D sensing, Gyroscope, NFC will be popular sensors this year, powering features from facial biometrics to AR/VR, immersive gaming, digital payments and others. Almost one in two smartphones will integrate an NFC solution or a Gyroscope by 2020”

emerging categories such as smartwatches,

– Jene Park, Senior Analyst, Counterpoint Research

devices actually smarter as it’s all about

AR/VR devices, automotive and other IoT enterprise solutions. The sensor fusion capabilities in a device will help OEMs craft newer experiences by detecting context, emotion based on the different physiological variable states from the sensor data. The key suppliers such as InvenSense (TDK), Samsung, Mobileye, ST Micro, Bosch, AMS are driving this trend across different segments from smartphone to wearable to automotive. Mr Shah added, “Sensor Fusion platform is powerful not only for medical applications to detect muscle contraction or sweat or body temperature or heart rate variation but also for non-medical applications from immersive gaming to accurate indoor navigation to preventing car accidents monitoring the driver. The adoption of sensor fusion is what will make data and drawing out contextual awareness from it.” n team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 93

In Conversation

face to face

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” An investment in knowledge pays the best interest and going by the same thought Khan Academy invested in a venture, providing the best interest in the form of educated minds all around. Founded by American educator Salman Amin, Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization created in 2006 with a goal of creating a set of online tools that help educate students. Khan Academy recently joined hands with Tata Trust to empower, enlighten and educate millions of online users in India. In an interview with Sandeep Bapna, Managing Director, Khan Academy India, Vanshika Malhotra finds out more about the venture and Khan Academy’s mission. easy to use. The app and entire content on it is completely free. Videos have been optimized for low bandwidth conditions. We have redesigned our interactive exercises to work on mobile app and mobile web. Exercises have step by step solutions and recommended videos for students feeling stuck. What are the various subjects as well as classes Khan Academy covers? Any expansion plans? Our resources cover a wide range of subjects that appeal to learners of any age. While our focus remains on educational content for school-going students, our resources cover computer programming, economics, entrepreneurship, history, music, and more. In addition to videos and practice exercises, we have introduced quizzes and unit tests to provide students with personalized study plans. When a student takes a brief diagnostic quiz, they are Please explain the concept and working

Academy’s iOS and Android appscontain

provided with recommendations for the

on the Khan Academy website/app. Khan

interactive practice exercises and video

specific exercises they should focus on.

Academy is a non-profit with a mission

lessons in several subjects including

Mid-unit quizzes provide a check for

to provide a free, world-class education

math, biology, chemistry, physics, history,

understanding on additional skills, and

to anyone, anywhere. The platform is

economics, finance, grammar, preschool

a final unit test combines problems from

available via web (www.khanacademy.org),

learning, and more.

all skills within the unit to help students

as well as on Android and iOS apps. Khan

94 | january 2018

Khan Academy app is simple and

assess their progress.

MYMOBILE

making Khan Academy content available in multiple languages using three different models - in-house efforts (eg bilingual Hindi-English), partnerships with private foundations (eg Hindi, Gujarati, Bangla) and public private partnerships as in the case of Kannada. How is Khan Academy different from platforms

To push our effort in local languages,

such as Educomp or BYJU Classes? We have

Khan Academy India (KAI) announced on

one single app that works for teachers,

November 1st, 2017 the second edition

students and parents. If you are a teacher

of its India Talent Search. The program

or a parent, you have access to additional

seeks brilliant explainers whose videos

tools and dashboards on our site, which

help students succeed in school and find

is optimized for mobile usage. The app

joy in learning. The contest will be open

and website work together seamlessly. For

in five major Indian languages - English,

example, a user signed up as a teacher can

Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, and Tamil. Each

assign practice exercises on the site and her

language will have, one winner who will

students can finish these on their app. As

receive a grand prize of INR 75,000 and,

students complete assignments, teachers

in other states, and when? The government

one runner-up receiving a prize of INR

get completion reports. These reports are

of Karnataka has partnered with Khan

25,000. All finalists will be considered for

not only real-time and simple to use, but

Academy to make available educational

longer-term video creation contracts and

also are powerful in helping a teacher to

content including videos, exercises, articles

will have their videos published on Khan

assess their students’ performance. They

and teacher tools, in Kannada.Under the

Academy’s website. The link to this year’s

make it possible for a teacher to identify the

partnership, Department of State Education

application is at www.khanacademy.org/r/

most challenging problems for their class

Research & Training (DSERT, Karnataka)

indiatalentsearch2017.

and the learning gaps/needs of individual

will create in Kannada educational content

The contest is open until December 17,

students.

that includes 5,500+ videos and 20,000+

2017. The first edition of Talent Search,

exercises in Math and Science, as well as

which was conducted last year received

How many monthly active users do you have?

dashboards, which already help millions of

close to 500 video applications. The

What is the percentage of content consumption

students and teachers around the world.

entries received were highly diverse with

by smartphone/tablet/PC users? Every month

These resources would be mapped to the

participation from first year undergraduate

over 10 lakh (1 million) users in India learn

state curriculum. The effort could expand

students to experienced teachers, with all

on Khan Academy in subjects ranging

to include more subjects in the future.

the contestants deeply passionate about

from maths, science, English grammar to

Khan Academy will provide the state with

Khan Academy’s mission of enabling

computer programming and more. Users

training, know-how, and support.

quality education for all. Two members

include more than 4,000 teachers in India,

Earlier, we also partnered with the

who were finalists from last year are a part

who use Khan Academy resources to make

Government of Rajasthan to bring

of content team of Khan Academy India

their class more engaging with videos, to

personalized learning to state schools

today.

assign practice problems as homework,

starting from this current academic year.

and to provide personalized attention to

About 2,500 students in 57 classrooms

What are your various strategies to gain a

students using Khan Academy’s coach

are using Khan Academy resources once

strong foothold in India? What does your

dashboard.

a week to practice and strengthen math

roadmap for India involve? In the next

skills.

few years, as we make our content more

We are seeing high rates of growth on mobile in India. In 2017, usage of Khan

relevant and comprehensive to the needs of

Academy on mobile phones and tablets has

Can you tell us more about the India Talent

Indian learners, make it available in major

grown 4x compared to desktop.

Search contest? How is the response for this

Indian languages, and accessible on any

year so far? One of our objectives in India is

device, we aspire to make Khan Academy

Kindly elaborate on Khan Academy’s

to accelerate the development and delivery

become a 24x7 learning companion to all

collaboration with Government of Karnataka.

of locally relevant education resources to

Does Khan Academy plan to further its plans

the Indian learners. We are working towards

students in India. n vanshika@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

face to face

january 2018 | 95

Innovations

tech Trendz

Tech 2018

Yahoo identifies the techs that are going to captivate us in the months ahead

ahoo recently announced the 2017 Year in Review (YIR) for India. YIR is a look at the top newsmakers and happenings which caught the interest of Internet users in India, and were trending in 2017. Over the last decade, YIR has chronicled the all-consuming passions and shifting preferences of India’s exploding Internet audience. The last year had been a roller coaster ride in terms of technological advancements. But it is likely that 2018 will

surpass it in innovations. Here’s a glimpse of what this year may offer to the users in terms of tech marvels and what is likely to be trending in 2018.

Next Generation iPhone

pple celebrated ten years of iPhone by launching iPhone X. It’s a super-premium and

certainly expensive device. However, Apple has

confirmed that this phone lays the foundation for next 10 years of the iPhone series and we expect that the 2018 version of it will take a lot from iPhone X. Yahoo believes that the next generation iPhone will move back to aluminium from stainless steel to bring the price down, while retaining the features of iPhone X. n

Samsung Galaxy S9 & S9+

he South Korean giant doesn’t stop and it hasn’t been long since the launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ that we have started

discussing Samsung’s future plans. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is believed to come in two sizes and will stick to the same Infinity Display. With the debut of Samsung’s dual camera on the Note 8, you can expect zoom skills coming to the S9 too. Rumours are a little calm right now, but there’s already gossips that it will be running Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and we’d be expect it to launch around April 2018.. n

96 | january 2018

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Innovations

tech Trendz Block chain and distributed trust systems

he technology behind the disrupting currency Bitcoin has been buzzing around

and going by the current trends, this chain based technology is going to be commercialized in 2018. Gartner mentions that if organisations need to excel in the technology and explore it further, they would need a trusted architecture and necessary capabilities and implementation skills. This technology is definitely going to transform industries like financial services. n

Artificial Intelligence to go mainstream

“Y

Yeah, yeah, I know — artificial intelligence”. That’s likely a response you’ll get when talking

about AI in 2018. With everyone from toddlers to grownups using Alexa, Siri, and customer service chat bots, it’s no wonder AI may soon begin to feel like old news—at least to mainstream users. From business point of view, be it customer service, data analysis and marketing, AI is leading in a lot of fields. Companies will keep on utilizing AI to amaze, link, and interface with their clients in ways they may not even recognize. Convenient automation of everything from emails and content generation to industrial manufacturing is on the way. Every software companies has introduced AI in their systems. This is a sign of what is to come. n

Faster 5G rollout

he amount of data necessitated by the Internet of Things will push data to the edge, it will also force mobile providers to move faster

than ever — toward 5G. The level of hyper-connectivity expected by users today leaves little to no room to remain stagnant on the technological advancement, but don’t get too excited. Don’t expect to be using 5G technology anytime soon as the technology is believed to be polished in 2018. This year we are seeing  Gigabit LTE (the stepping stone between current LTE and 5G) making leaps with devices from Samsung and Sony leading the way. Today much of the Gigabit LTE

movement is being powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon technology, but others will certainly seek to become involved in this rapid growth market for mobile. n

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 97

Innovations

tech Trendz Tesla Model 3 and Increased Mileage Per Charge

he Model 3 with improved battery is supposed to be Tesla’s first mass centric car and will be

priced at about $35,000 and will have a range of more than 200 miles per charge, Musk said in March when he revealed the car. Tesla plans to begin production of the Model 3 in late 2017, with deliveries beginning in 2018. n

8K TV

K redefines TVs not only in terms picture clarity but it also expands the purview of big TVs. It’s got fourfold the picture clarity than 4K with

7680×4320 display resolution. For a better understating, pixels on a 65inch 8K screen will be so small that you won’t be able to make out the pixel structure. However, this resolution is significant on large screens only, so you can expect 150 inch TVs in near future. n

Tesla Solar Roof

he solar roofs portrays Elon Musk’s efforts to redefine solar panels by seamlessly infusing

them with the ordinary roof tiles. You can place order for the roofs, but production would sufficiently increase for customer installations to begin in earnest by 2018. At least, we hope for. n

Virtual Reality the New Reality

018 will likely mark another important step towards Virtual reality. Facebook recently announced standalone VR, Oculus Go, gave a small insight of

what  developers and consumers are going to get. Un-tethering VR headsets is a huge advancement for Facebook and when it’s

launched sometime in 2018 as it will make VR much more attractive to consumers. But it’s just the first step to VR that’s advanced enough to wow consumers. For gaming, Yahoo advises that for VR to be really community friendly, headsets need to be able to be multi-player, ideally with up to four players. “Gaming by yourself is fine, but experiencing a virtual world with your friends would take the experience to the next level.” Facebook is also trying to make VR a social experience with users entering the same virtual world without being in the same room, which will take a platform to  manage lakhs of users with high-speed bandwidth. If VR companies can make VR social it could open up a world of possibilities for the technology. n team@mymobile.co.in

98 | january 2018

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Text Turns Twenty Five Merry Christmas to SMS as it completes a glorious 25 yrs of existence spawning off mindboggling innovation in digital communication

By Vanshika Malhotra

ack in the 90’s and close

via a computer to a mobile phone. However,

on the heels of the arrival of

the inception of a text message took place

email, we got something else

way before in 1984, all thanks to digital

which took the world by storm

engineers like Friedhelm Hillebrand and

and was one of the harbingers of digital

Bernard Ghillebaert, who developed the

communication era – SMS! The three-letter

160 character protocol, and to Nokia, who

word which expands to ‘Short Messaging

created the first text message-enabled

Service’, gave us all, the 160-character

cellphone. While the initial response was

limit to transform the way we the humans

not-so-impressive (given the need for an

communicated. SMS was also the fountain

approval from the then-popular and now-

head of whatapps, instagram and what not

dead GSM standards), it eventually got

as they basically evolved from the idea of

merrier for the SMS, becoming an integral

Milestone

Specialfeature

Friedhelm Hillebrand

part of any mobile phone

when you can actually type in thesis to an

owner.

argument, or can (with great ease) attach

Current Relevance: SMS

all sorts of media to your conversations,

was the most widely used data

and can now post the newest 24-hour long

application, with an estimated

Statuses/Stories, the memory of an SMS

3.5 billion active users, or about

pack clubbed with the short-heighted

80% of all mobile subscribers,

single message, and the SMS slang we all

at the end of 2010. Forward

learnt, just can’t fade away.

to 2017, texting still involves

Till day, a text message, although is more

15,220,700 sent texts every

of a veteran in the world of technology, has

minute globally, and are read

still a vital role to play in places (we Indians

just under five seconds (that’s

know it all) where access to internet or a

quick!).

decent internet connection is still a struggle.

As it grew older, the world saw

(At least we can still tell our whereabouts in

introductions of various pieces of tech, further enhancing what a text message

the absence of Airtel!). What future a text message holds is

could. With the dawn of the internet, we

anybody’s guess; we still use a text be it

have seen not just improvements in a text

on the conventional messaging platform or

message alone (GIFs, Emoticons- we send

WhatsApp. Till you find a reply, just DM! n

them all), but evolving forms of a message came into being. The famous one till date (to start with) WhatsApp, iMessage, WeChat, Indian messaging app Hike, and many SMS. And last month, SMS completed its

more in the list, have actually contributed

glorious 25 years of its existence!

into having a toll over what was a source of

In 1992 (four years prior to my

conversing when in class, back then.

birthday), the very first text message -

While we love the ability to actually see

dubbed ‘Merry Christmas’ - was generated

when your ‘bae’ last used WhatsApp, or

www.mymobileindia.com

vanshika@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 99

face to face

“Wireless charging will change the way we think and operate in the charging space” Accessories have a lot to do with the beauty and durability of mobile devices. Belkin, an American manufacturer of consumer electronics, is leading the accessory market with a number of offerings from protective cases to connectivity devices to power products. Founded in 1983, Belkin is a 35-year brand with a mission to create products that make people’s lives better, easier and more fulfilling. The company claims to keep a tight control over quality and production by manufacturing many of their own products in their own factories. In an interaction with Ramesh Kumar Raja, Belkin’s India Head Kartik Bakshi talked at length about its product line up and expansion plans in India. He also discussed about measures to deal with grey market selling counterfeit products in India. Excerpts: Mobile phone accessories have emerged

will continue to work on these categories

power, connect and protect smart devices

as a huge market across the world. Being a

as part of the product innovation strategy

such as laptops, tablets and smart phones.

world leader in the tech accessory segment,

to expand into India.

Our focus for the Indian market will be:

what is your assessment about the India

Wireless Charging, USB Type C Solutions,

market? India is the world’s fastest growing

Which market – online or offline – yields more

and True Clear Pro Advanced Screen Care

mobile accessories market. At first Indian

business to you? Both channels are equally

(overlays for smart devices).

consumers were completely driven by

important to us and yield substantial

Competition drives Belkin to continue

price. As the Indian consumers become

revenue. For online, we are focusing more

to innovate. Despite presence of low cost

more sophisticated, the demand on high

on product content to educate consumers.

brands, we are experiencing growth across

quality phone protection, power and

Whilst for the offline market, we are working

Mobile Power, USB C Solutions and Screen

connect products is getting more prevalent.

with retailers to help customers make

Protection.

This change makes it extremely exciting

decision on quality by touch and feel. Do you also exclusively manufacture

for Belkin to help individual to realize the power of technology without compromising

What are the types of accessories you

products in collaboration with mobile phone

on quality and safety.

manufacture for Indian market and how

companies? Belkin has a longstanding-

have been their responses as competitions

relationship with many vendors in

What is your market share in India and what

among brands are very high over here? Any

the market providing peripherals and

are Belkin’s expansion plans over here? We

new products lined up? Belkin focuses on

accessories for their innovative hardware

hold a significant market share across most

quality products that enable consumers

products. It’s an honor being able to work

categories such as Mobile Power, Screen

to be on-the-go. We have accessories that

with world-class brands.

Protection and now Wireless Charging especially in the premium segment. We

Wireless charging is going to be the next big

have aggressive growth plans for India. We

thing. Being the manufacturer of BOOST UP

100 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

face to face this development? Everybody wants a hassle free life. Wireless charging will change the way we think and operate in the charging space. The beauty of wireless charging is: Convenience: Connecting to a wireless charger is faster and easier than plugging in cables. Just set the phone down onto the charger, and it starts charging immediately - no need to free up your other hand to find and connect to a cable. Wireless chargers also protect the phone from damage caused by repeated connecting and disconnecting, and are a lot more robust than charging cables which may end up showing signs of wear and tear. Stay Charged: Imagine giving the phone a little battery boost every time you put it down. With wireless charging, you can. Wireless chargers come in all shapes and sizes. With one on your nightstand, on your desk, even in your car, it’s easy to keep even the hardest working device charged all day. Speed: Wireless charging is just as

“Belkin has a longstanding-relationship with many vendors in the market providing peripherals and accessories for their innovative hardware products. It’s an honor being able to work with world-class brands”

fast as using conventional chargers.

ensures compatibility with any Qi products that launch in the future. AirFuel (formally PMA)-Certification: The AirFuel Alliance Certification is an assurance of compatibility between all PMA and AirFuel phones and chargers. The grey market of accessories is taking a toll on original products. How are you dealing with this menace and what should be done to stop them? Counterfeit products were a big issue in India three years ago. We have a come a long and the counterfeit market has

A 5-watt charging pad will charge

S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

reduced quite a lot, albeit a challenging one.

smartphone just as quickly as a 5-watt/1

AirFuel: Previously known as PMA, AirFuel

This has been achieved thanks to the need

Amp wall charger – which is usually the

is the standard developed by The Airfuel

of costly certifications and compliances by

kind supplied with your smartphone.

Alliance. Like Qi, it is supported by a

the Indian government.

Let’s not forget our flagship – BOOST UP

global network of companies such as Ikea,

Additionally, the retailers use “Brand

wireless charging pad for iPhone X, iPhone

Starbucks and Dell, and aims to further

Gating” procedures to ensure only the real

8 Plus, iPhone 8 – we worked closely with

wireless charging technology not just at

products are given shelf space/ or displayed

Apple to design a charging pad for iPhone

home, but in the world around us.

online.

X, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone 8 to charge

AirFuel standard products include: LG V10,

As a company, we are constantly

optimally at 7.5watt.

LG V4, Motorola Droid, Starbucks in-

educating users on our website on different

store Powermats, IKEA Wireless Charging

ways to spot a fake when it comes to Belkin

There are two different technologies that

Series.

products. We also have internal teams across

deliver wireless charging.

It’s important to make sure you have the

the globe to audit products and resellers.

Qi: Qi is an established, evolving wireless

right charger to charge your smartphone

These exercises have definitely reduced

charging standard owned by The Wireless

or tablet. While some wireless chargers

availability of fakes in our market.

Power Consortium, and backed by more

do work with both technologies, most

Belkin’s dedication to people-inspired

than 200 leading companies including

only support one, so be sure to check

design and quality informs everything that

Apple, Philips and Belkin. Their goal is to

compatibility before you buy.

we do, from our user testing and prototyping

deliver wireless charging easily and safely,

Qi-Certification: Look for the Qi Certification

process, to strict adherence, to regulatory

while ensuring compatibility across all

logo on any wireless chargers you buy

compliance, manufacturing, safety, and

devices that bear the Qi logo.

for your Qi-compatible phone. Not only

warranty programs. We take a lot of pride

Qi standard products include: iPhone X,

does this guarantee compatibility for any

iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Samsung Galaxy

Qi-compatible phone or tablet, but also

in the products we bring to market. n ramesh@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

In Conversation

wireless charging pad, how do you look at

january 2018 | 101

In Conversation

face to face

“Apalya’s core strength is to identify future trends and develop technology solutions in time to meet the demands of the industry” Apalya Technologies started with a vision to deliver content across digital devices back in 2005 when the reach of digital content was limited to television and smartphones were still a rarity. Sensing this as an opportunity to bring together the content owners, mobile telcos and end users, Apalya started with Mobile TV and has grown to serve every major telco in South Asia and Middle East. Since 2015, Apalya’s focus has been on building and deploying proprietary OTT platform - myplex. Through myplex and other OTT enablers, Apalya strives to deepen clients’ relationship, whether it be media owner or telecom operator or even a broadband ISP, with customers thereby impacting business in a positive manner. Shelley Vishwajeet interacted with Venugopal Iyengar, Apalya’s Chief Operating Officer to deliberate on its

journey till now and the company’s future goals. needs, perfecting engagement models

hours of experience in the field, Apalya has

and, in general, keeping things viable,

developed the most agile platform `myplex’.

which is often the difference between life

‘myplex’ is a plug-and-play solution for

and death.

enabling OTT way. Currently, Apalya boasts of powering Sun NXT and Vodafone Play

Which are the chief areas/verticals Apalya’s

completely on its platform. It is also the

expertise is being acknowledged for? The

lone Indian player to provide top of line plug

core of Apalya’s strength is to identify future

and play technology solutions for OTT.

trends and develop technology solutions

Aplaya’s enabling effort in the space

How has been your journey since you got

in time to meet the demands of the

encompasses integrating CDN, payment&

associated with Apalya? It has been an

industry. To that extent, Apalya has been

billing, cloud services amongst others.

incredible ride since I have got on board

in the forefront of pioneering innovative

Expertise extends to ensuring seamless

in the middle of 2013. Along the way

technology that helps drive the industry.

cross screen experience across Mobiles,

we went from trying to build a consumer

Apalya’s pioneering effort for Mobile TV in

Tablets, PC’s, Smart TVs, Chromecast, set

OTT service, pivoted to an OTT platform

India has seen it work closely with more

top boxes and Android boxes. Additionally,

licensing model, overcame some

than 40 leading media owners broadcasting

custom report generation tool helps manage

serious financial challenges , expanded

120+ channels, movies and videos.

Acquisitions, Subscriptions, content

international operations, turned profitable

Keeping in line with changing customer

after 9 long years and are now on our way

needs and new technologies Apalya

to building new service verticals. While

redefined its focus from the content

we have had our share of tense moments,

game to providing platform as a service

Could you please elaborate on some of the

we have matured as a business, learnt

for the fast growing Over The Top (OTT)

USPs about your proprietary OTT platform

a whole lot about identifying customer

segment. With several hundreds of man-

–myplex? Apalya’s flagship product myplex,

102 | january 2018

reports, Usage and behavior segmentation and retention.

MYMOBILE

differences with Apalya’s approach is that it

“The company is in these markets. The other thing eyeing both advanced markets that differentiates us is our like the US and Europe as well as high level of customization markets such as Africa, Middle East of our platform, product and service. A lot of the emerging and South-East Asia which are highly markets customers need influenced by the rising trend of cord this support as OTT is cutting and increasing penetration of still in its early stages with requirements, behavior and smart devices, presenting landscape changing every day. huge opportunities for Please talk about some of the OTT players”

partners its customers through their entire

challenges and opportunities globally for a

journey. It’s not a piecemeal, off-the-shelf

company like yours and the strategy you are

is one of the most agile and flexible solutions in the market that encompasses all the components required for a state of the art service. We are focussed on constantly evolving our platform capabilities and user experience parameters as well as critical business enablers like CMS scope, payments, billing and analytics Most of the current OTT solutions available in the market are rigid and not easily customizable. One of the biggest

solution. It’s as customized and engaged as

opting to maximize growth and gains? Apalya

We haven’t seen many OTTs or Apps from

customers need it to be.

caters to a market with several challenges

India making global waves despite having

on the enabling front, limited monetization

the best technical skills here. What have

tools, and technology that needs to be

been the reasons and what should be done

adaptable on incredibly different networks

to galvanize the OTT development base

“One of the biggest differences with Apalya’s approach is that it partners its customers through their entire journey. It’s not a piecemeal, off-the-shelf solution. It’s as customized and engaged as customers need it to be”

and devices.

here? The OTT space is not just about

Having grown up solving the

technology. Of course, the tech is core to

challenging problems of emerging

this. But domain expertise, familiarity with

markets, Apalya is tremendously

the content business, consumption and

adaptable and responsive and the

usage behavior, security and protection

deployment cycles have generally

and user management are all critical make

been very fast.

or break aspects. Given our decade long

The company is eyeing both

experience in mobile video where we have

advanced markets like the US and

been pioneers, we are at a position of

Europe as well as markets such as Africa,

advantage not just in India but across Asia

Middle East and South-East Asia which are

In Conversation

face to face

and Africa as well. n

highly influenced by the rising trend of cord cutting and increasing penetration of smart How competent and confident are you

devices, presenting huge opportunities for

of competing with international solution

OTT players. Global Online TV episode

providers in your field? We are already doing

and movie revenues for 138 countries is

this today. Given the highly specialized

expected to touch $83 billion in 2022;

area of our operations, our competition

more than double the $37 recorded billion

is mostly international. Our edge is really

in 2016. The Global OTT TV & Video

in knowing emerging markets and the

Forecasts report estimates that $9 billion

challenges of video delivery, user behavior

will be added in 2017 alone.

www.mymobileindia.com

shelley@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 103

Applause

Special feature

The Games World Played! These were the most popular new games of 2017

orld would be spending no less than USD 108.9 billion in 2017 on games and related softwares. There are atleast six companies including Tencent and Sony which have struck gold out of games. Companies like Activision Blizzard are going great guns and more and more people are going gung ho over games!

Here is the list of some top new games which hooked gamers:

Monument Valley 2: A completely new story from the Monument Valley universe

equel to the award-winning Monument Valley, Monument

Valley 2 presents a brand new adventure set in a beautiful and impossible world. Guide a mother and her child as they embark on a journey through magical architecture, discovering illusionary pathways and delightful puzzles as you learn the secrets of the Sacred Geometry. Help Ro as she teaches her child about the mysteries of the valley, exploring stunning environments and manipulating architecture to guide them on their way. Enjoy beautiful levels filled with illusory, meditative puzzles, using brand new interactions to explore the changing dynamics between characters. n

104 | january 2018

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Specialfeature

Applause

Super Mario Run: A new kind of Mario game that you can play with one hand

uper Mario Run has received some big updates! You control Mario by tapping as he constantly runs

forward. You time your taps to pull off stylish jumps, midair spins, and wall jumps to gather coins and reach the goal! Super Mario Run can be downloaded for free

and after you purchase the game, you will be able to play all the modes with no additional payment required. You can try out all four modes before purchase: World Tour, Toad Rally, Remix 10, and Kingdom Builder. n

Bubble Witch 3 Saga: The brand new game in the popular Bubble Witch series

elease the owls, free the ghosts and save the Fairy Queen from Wilbur! Stella the Witch is back and she

needs your help to defeat the evil Wilbur in this exciting

Magic Tiles 3 : One of the most popular piano games that has more than 17 million players around the world

adventure! He may look cute, but he’s full of magical mischief! Travel the realm bursting as many bubbles as you can in this bubble shooting puzzle game. Bubble Witch 3 Saga is completely free to play but some optional in-game items will require payment. n

n 2017, Magic Tiles added the new daily quest system in game which helps you to get more diamonds and unlock more piano

songs, etc. Further, the game is also added new package which includes all new and great songs. In additional, the battle mode is also improved with more challenges. Thus, this is special version in various genres of piano games combines various instruments such as guitar, drum, and especially piano! Moreover, this is one of the most popular new games 2017 which provides user the high-quality piano songs and beautiful gameplay. n

CATS: Crash Arena Turbo Stars

he Ultimate Christmas machine, a new Global Leaderboard, and improved replay recording! This update will keep you

warm! Santa’s ultimate machine! A laser bell, double rocket and

Santa’s freezing gift await! A new Global Leaderboard! Be on top of a new rating system.

An easier way to record and share video replays! Replays are

recorded automatically. You can easily share them anywhere you want! n

www.mymobileindia.com

team@mymobile.co.in

january 2018 | 105

Great Deals

mobilesensex

bazaar bargain Xiaomi Mi A1 The Xiaomi Mi A1 comes with a 5.5-inch full HD display with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. The smartphone houses dual cameras at the back, rated at 12-megapixel each with camera features such as Beautify 3.0, Smart Beauty, Portrait mode, and 2X optical zoom. At the front, there is a 5-megapixel camera with real-time beautification mode. It incorporates the stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat under Googleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Android One initiative, and is backed by a 3080mAh battery. n

Launched at: Rs 18,990 Current Price: Rs 15,990

Vivo V5s

Launched at: Rs 14,999 Current Price: Rs 13,999

106 | january 2018

The Vivo V5s sports an aluminum body with a 5.5-inch HD IPS display. Shielding the display is Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is powered by the octa-core MediaTek MT6750 SoC with Mali-T860MP2 GPU. The smartphone includes 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage. On the camera front, the smartphone has a 13MP rear shooter with f/2.2, PDAF and LED flash. The selfie camera is a 20MP lens capable of shooting Full HD video at 30fps. The device is backed by a non-removable 3000mAh battery, and ships with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. n

MYMOBILE

Great Deals

mobilesensex

Samsung Galaxy S7 The Galaxy S7 boasts of a glass and metal design and a front-mounted fingerprint reader. It comes with a micro-SD card slot for expandable storage and IP68 certification. The phone comes with a 5.1-inch Quad-HD Super AMOLED display with a 1440x2560 pixels resolution. The Galaxy S7 is further powered by an Exynos 8890 processor clubbed with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The dual-SIM phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow based TouchWiz UI (upgradable to Android Nougat) and supports 4G LTE connectivity option. It is backed by a 3000mAh battery. It comes with a 12-megapixel rear (with f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation) and 5-megapixel front shooter combo. n

Launched at: Rs 29,999 Current Price: Rs 25,999

Honor 8 Pro The smartphone has a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2560x1440p. It runs on the Kirin 960 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM and 128GB built-in storage, expandable up to 128GB. The smartphone houses a dual 12MP camera setup at the back and the front has an 8MP selfie camera. The Honor 8 Pro has a 4000mAh battery. It offers a plethora of Camera options to the users in the form of features like HDR, Pro Mode, Night Mode, Light Painting, 3D Creator, Slow-Motion recording and more. Other features of the smartphone include Dual SIM and 4G VoLTE support. n team@mymobile.co.in Launched at: Rs 48,900 Current Price: Rs 33,490

www.mymobileindia.com

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

january 2018 | 107

Subscription Final New gift March New offer-1.qxd

11/21/2016

5:51 PM

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Mobile Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flagship Magazine

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Address - # 25, 1st Floor, Shankar Market, Connaught Place, New Delhi - 110001. Phone: 011-46206161, 41081012/13, Fax: 011-41520637 Terms and Conditions: The offer is valid in India only. Gift will be deliverd within a month after clearing of the cheque.Please allow 4 - 6 weeks for processing your subscription. Any request for cancellation of subscription will not be entertained. Copies will be sent by ordinary post. The actual model of Subscription gift may vary from the model shown above. This subscription offer is valid till stocks lasts. All disputes subject to competent courts of Delhi only.

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

(Last updated on December 22, 2017)

Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quoted by the respective compa nies, 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

www.mymobileindia.com

MYGUIDE UP TO RS. 2,499

UP TO RS. 2,499

MODELS

UP TO RS. 2,499

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

HITECH

I-SMART

ITEL

LEPHONE

Pride 350

IS-100L Selfie

IS-203 Plus

IS-201 Plus

Smart Selfie it5231

2.8

1.8

2.4

2.4/ 240 x 320

1.8

2.4

126x53x10

124.5 x 54 x 11.4

112*46.5*13.9

131 x 58 x 10.2

112x46.5x13.5

Weight (grams)

Processor/RAM

Spreadtrum 6531DA/NA

ARM926EJ-S Core 312MHz

ST 6531

ARM926EJ-S Core 312MHz

360MHz/64Mb

312MHz /32MB

Operating system

Nucleus

Storage/Expandable

32+32MB

32MB/32MB/8GB

64MB/32GB

32MB / 32GB

Rear/Front Camera

1.3 MP/NA

0.8MP/0.8MP

0.8MP

1.3MP

0.08MP/0.3MP

Digital Camera

0.3 MP

1,800

1000

2000

1900

1000

1450

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

YES/NO/NO

Yes/No/No

Dual SIM

Yes

YES

Yes

YES

Yes/Yes

YES

Yes/Yes

YES

Launched

May, 2016

August '2016

1,549

745

828

1,049

1,335

674

950

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

UP TO RS. 2,499

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

HONOR

HITECH

IN-FOCUS

Model

Sleek 9

Honor Bee

Amaze S9

Air A8

Bingo 10 (M415)

Display (inches/res)

2.4

4.5/ 854 x 480

4.5 /-

5.0/ 540 x 960

4.5/ 480 x 854

Dimension (mm)

123*51.8*14.9

100 x 42 x 13.4

134.3 x 66.7 X 10

140 x 66.88 x 9.65

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

135.65 x 67.38 x 10.43

Weight (grams)

102

170

150

152

140

Processor/RAM

312MHz /32MB

ST SC 7732/1GB

ST 7731/512MB

ST 7731/1GB

MT 6580A/1GB

Android OS, v4.4

5.1 Lollipop

5.2 Lollipop

Android OS, 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32MB / 32GB

8GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

Digital Camera/ Digital Camera

0.1 MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

2,500

800

1,730

1,400

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

YES

Yes

Music Player/FM

YES

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

OCTOBER' 2016

May, 2015

April, 2016

999

1,325

4,999

2,999

4,999

4,399

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

110 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

PARAMETERS

IN-FOCUS

INTEX

I-SMART

Bingo 21 (M 430)

Aqua Fish

Cloud Glory 4G

Cloud String HD

Aqua Classic 2

IS-i1

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

5/480/854

4/480/800

Dimension (mm)

136.8 x 67 x 10.95

142.4x72x9.6

134.2 x 68 x 9

144.5 x 72.5 x 8.7

145.2x72.6x10.9

124.1x64.2x9.8

144x73.4x9.2

Weight (grams)

152

150

120

150

136

151

Processor/RAM

ST Shark/2GB

Quad core/2GB

MT 6735M/ 1GB

SC 9832A/ 1GB

qcta-core/1GB

quad-core/1GB

SC9832/1GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Sailfish 2.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

6.0 Marshmallow

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

1GB/8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

8MP/2MP

5MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

2,300

2500

1,800

2,200

2200

1800

2200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

March, 2016

February,2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

5,499

3,999

5,599

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

4,600

4,740

3,333

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Launched

ITEL

PARAMETERS

Model

MICROMAX

Power Pro it1410 Canvas Juice 3 Q393

M-TECH

Canvas Spark 3

Canvas Bolt Selfie

EROS PLUS

NEW

TURBO 4G

NEW

TEZ 4G

NEW

4/ 800 x 480

5.0/720 x 1280

5.5/720x1280

4.5/854x480

5 FWVGA TN

5 FWVGA IPS

Dimension (mm)

124x64.7x12.2

144.9x73.3x9.5

146.6x73.6x11.5

144x72.5x8.8

Weight (grams)

142

171

Processor/RAM

Dual core, 1.3 GHz/512MB

MT6580/2GB

quad-core/1GB

MTK6735/1GB

Operating system

Android4.4

Android 5.1

Android Nougat

Storage/Expandable

8GB/32GB

1GB/8GB/64GB

2.0MP/0.3MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/5MP

0.3MP/5MP

2MP/5MP

2,800

4,000

2,500

1,750

2,000

2,400

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

March, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2017

August, 2017

3,339

4,171

4,848

4,849

4,299

4,699

4,799

Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

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

JANUARY 2018 I 111

MYGUIDE Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

PARAMETERS

M-TECH

VIDEOCON

ZIOX

Delite11

Astra Metal 4G

Astra Colors 4G

Astra NXT+

Zi-34

Astra Prism

5 FWVGA IPS

5/1280x720

5/480X854

5/720X1280

4 inch

3.5 inch

5 inch

Dimension (mm)

72.4x142.7x9.3

146.66X74.3X10.52

143.8X73.3X10.4

142.9X71.65X11

125.4X64.2X13

116.2X61.4X11.3

134.4X67X10.1

Weight (grams)

136

151

171

182

130

108

119

1.3GHz Quad Core

Quad-core/1GB

1.5Ghz Quadcore ARM

Spreadtrum

Operating system

Android Nougat

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.2

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

1GB/8GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

1GB/8GB

256 MB/512 MB

512 MB/4GB

0.3MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

2MP/0.3MP

0.3MP/ 0.3MP

0.3MP/2MP

2,000

3,000

4,000

2,000

1,200

1,700

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

October, 2017

Launched

4,999

5,840

5,553

6,499

3,703

2,993

3,813

Model

EROS 4G

Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

NEW

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

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

Rs. 2,500 – Rs. 5,999

1.2 GHz Quadcore

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

Model

Astra Zing

Astra NXT Pro

ASUS NEW

Astra Blaze

NEW

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

CELKON

Zenfone Max

Q550

CENTRIC L3

NEW

4 inch

4.5/480x854

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.0/720 x 1280

5 HD IPS

Dimension (mm)

124X64X10.1

123.5x64.2x10.5

135x68x10.2

152.5 x 77.2 x 3.9

156 x 77.5 x 10.55

145.6 x 71.8 x 8

141x70.5x8.6

Weight (grams)

105

111

130

170

202

149

143

Processor/RAM

1.2 GHz Quadcore

QS 410/2GB

QS 615/ 2GB, 3GB

Broadcom/2GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

Display (inches/res)

Quad-core A7MP 1.3GHz Quad-Core

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 7

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android Kitkat 4.4.2

Android Nougat

Storage/Expandable

512MB/4GB

1GB/8GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB, 64GB

16GB/32GB

2GB/16GB/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

0.3MP/2MP

2MP/0.3MP

0.3MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

1,400

1,900

2,000

3,000

5,000

2,500

3,050

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launched

August, 2015

May, 2016

2,014

January, 2018

3,653

3,899

4,499

9,299

9,325/ 12,999

7,499

6,749

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

112 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

COMIO

PARAMETERS

COOLPAD Note 3

Note 3s

Note 5 Lite

5.5 HD IPS

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5/1280X970

149X72.6X7.9

152.85X76.14X9.2

152 x 77 x 9

154.5x77x8.6

145.3X72.3X8.7

159

178

150

167

148

MT6753/3GB

octa-core/3GB

MT6735/3GB

Model

Display (inches/res)

5 HD IPS

5.2 HD IPS

Dimension (mm)

143.5X71.3X9.35

144X71.6X9.9

Weight (grams)

175

165

Processor/RAM

NEW

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

Android Nougat

Android 5.1

Android6.0

Storage/Expandable

1GB/32GB

2GB/16GB

2GB/32GB

3GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

32GB/32GB

16GB

Rear/Front Camera

8MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

2,200

4,000

2,700

5,000

3,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

August, 2017

September, 2017

August, 2017

October, 2015

November,2016

March, 2017

5,999

7,199

8,999

9,999

8,999

9,999

8,199

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

GIONEE

HONOR

HITECH

IN-FOCUS

Honor Holly 3

Honor Holly 2 Plus

Air A9

M 350 (16GB)

M680

M810

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

5.5/1080x1920

Dimension (mm)

143.1 x 71.8 x 9.7

140.2 x 72.4 x 8.8

151 x 71.5 x 10.6

156 x 76.8 x 7.25

153.70 x 76.20 x 6.99

Weight (grams)

160

152

146

158

155

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/2GB

Kirin 620/2GB

MT6735P /2GB

MT 3735M/2GB

MT6732/2GB

MT 6753/2GB

QS 801/ 2GB

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

16GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

8MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/5MP

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

December,2016

October, 2016

February, 2016

June, 2015

December, 2015

July, 2015

9,999

8,499

6,999

8,999

9,999

Model Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JANUARY 2018 I 113

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

INTEX

PARAMETERS

Aqua S7

Model

Aqua Secure

I-SMART Aqua View

IS-57i

IS-56i HD Mercury V6

ITEL Ultra 50

Wish it1512

5/720x1280

4.5/ 480 x 854

5/ 720 x 1280

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

Dimension (mm)

142.5x72.5x8.7

133.5 x 66.5 x 9.4

124 x 64 x 10.3

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

143x72x8.65

Weight (grams)

150

130

146

155

170

186

Processor/RAM

Quad core/3GB

MTK6735M/ 1GB

MTK6735P/ 1GB

Quad Core/1 GB

1.3GHz Quad Core

Quad core/1GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 4.4.2

Marshmallow 6.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/ 32GB

8GB/64GB

3GB/32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

5MP/ 2MP

8MP/5MP

8.0MP/3.2MP

13MP/5MP

5.0MP/2.0MP

3,200

1,900

2,200

2,100

2,500

3,000

2,500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2016

May, 2016

June, 2016

September, 2016

September, 2015

Launched

June, 2016

9,499

6,499

8,999

6,499

6,999

9,990

6,000

Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

5/FWVGA/TN

PARAMETERS

ITEL

KARA

LAVA

Power Pro it1553

Mega 1

Mega 4

Mega 2

X10

Pixel V2

X50+

5.5)

5.5, Full HD

5.0-inch, HD IPS,

5.0/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

138.5x69.5x9.8

152.4x77.1x9.5

152.4X77.1X9.5

142 x 70.8 x 7.9

141.6 x 70.8 x 7.6

155x71.8x8.85

Weight (grams)

184

133

128

155

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1GB

1.2 GHz,Quad Core

1.3GHz Quad Core(64bit)

Quad core /3GB

Quad Core/ 2GB

quad-core/2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Marshmallow 6.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

3GB/32GB/64GB

1GB/16GB

2GB/16GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/32GB

8.0MP/2.0MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

5,050

4,000

2,000

3,000

2,900

2,500

2,800

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

152.4X77.1X9.5

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

June, 2017

Launched

November, 2015

September, 2015

7,290

7,950

4,500

6,500

9,999

8,499

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

114 I JANUARY 2018

9,199

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

LEPHONE

PARAMETERS

W15

W7+

W12

4.5/854X480

5/854X480

5/1280X720 IPS

5 inch/1280X720

5/1280X720

5.5/1280X720

5 inch/1280X720

Dimension (mm)

134.5X68X10.2

143.6x72.5x10

143.6x72.5x9.1

145.2X72.4X10

144.2x72x8.8

152.8x76.9x8.6

144X72.4X9.5

Weight (grams)

126

177

151

148

142

164

161

Model Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

NEW

W21

W11

NEW

1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad-Core 1.3GHz Quad Core Android 6.0, Marshmallow

Android 6.0, Marshmallow

Android 6.0

1GB/8GB/32GB

1 GB/8 GB

1GB/16GB/32GB

2GB/16GB/32GB

1GB/16GB/32GB

2MP/VGA

5MP/2MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

1,500

2,000

1,800

2,000

2,500

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

"Yes "

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Launched

4,499

4,999

5,999

6,399

6,499

6,799

6,999

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

Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

LENOVO

LYF

K6 Power

Wind 5

Canvas Unite 4

Canvas Amaze 2

Canvas XP 4G

Canvas 5

5/1920x1080

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

Dimension (mm)

141.9x70.3x9.3

Weight (grams)

145

144.6 x 72.8 x 8.45 143.6 x 72.5 x 8.95 137

MICROMAX

MTK 6735P/1GB

QS415/ 2GB

MT6735P/3GB

MT6753/3GB

Processor/RAM

QS 430/3GB

MT6735P/ 1GB

1.1GHz Quad Core/ 1.5GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

8GB/ 32GB

8GB/32GB

8GB/64GB

8GB/ 32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/64GB

13MP/8MP

8MP/ 5MP

5MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/ 5MP

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

4,000

2,000

2,125

2,500

2,000

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/ Yes/ Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

November,2016

June, 2016

January, 2016

June, 2016

May, 2016

November, 2015

9,999

6,599

8,690

6,999

7,499

9,999

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JANUARY 2018 I 115

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

NUU

PANASONIC

Canvas Unite 4 Pro

Canvas Sliver 5

Moto G4 Play

Moto E4/Plus

Nokia 3

5.0/ 1280 x 720

4.8/720 x 1280

5/720x1280

5/5.5/1280x720

5/1280X720

5/1280 x 720

5.5/1280x720

143.4x71.4x8.4

141.2x70.3x7.3

152 x 72.6 x 8.7

Q626

P55 Max

NEW

Dimension (mm)

5.1mm thick

144.4x72x9.9

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

Weight (grams)

137

150,/181

148

180

Processor/RAM

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 410 /2GB

QS 410/2GB

MTK6737

MT 6737

1.3GHz Quad Core

MTK6737

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/128GB

2/16/3/32GB

16GB/128GB

2GB/32GB/64GB

3GB/16GB

8MP/5MP

8MP/5MP/13MP/5MP

8MP/8MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

3,900

2,000

2,800

28,00/5,000

2,650

2,000

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2016

2,015

September, 2016

August, 2017

July, 2017

August, 2017

7,499

8,387

8,999

8,450 onwards

8,635

9,625

7,499

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

PARAMETERS

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

TCL

XIAOMI

TCL 560

TCL 562

Redmi 2 Prime

5/720x1280

5.5/ 1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

4.7/720 x 1280

142.4 x 71.1 x 8.0

142.4x71.1x8

152x77x8

134.00 x 67.20 x 9.4

149

138

156

150

133

MT6737/MT6753

Quad core/ 2GB

Quad core/ 1.5GB

Quad core/2GB

QS 210/2GB

MT6755M/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Storage/Expandable

3GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

5/13/13/13

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

Battery (mAh)

4,000/5,000

2,600

2,500

2,960

2,200

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

September, 2017

July, 2016

July,2016

July, 2016

July,2016

August, 2015

8,999/9,999

6,490

6,990

9,090

6,999

9,999

6,999

Eluga Ray 500/700

Galaxy On 5 Pro 5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/ 1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

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

142.3 x 72.1 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

163/182

Processor/RAM

Model Display (inches/res)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

116 I JANUARY 2018

Galaxy J2 (2016) Galaxy J2 Pro (2016)

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

XIAOMI

PARAMETERS

Redmi 3S/ 3s Prime Redmi Note Prime

Model

VIDEOCON

Redmi Note 3

Redmi 3s Plus

Redmi Note 4

Graphite2

Graphite1

5/ 1280X720

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/1080 x 1920

5/1280x720

5.5/1080X1920

4.5/1280x720

Dimension (mm)

139.4 X 69.7 X 8.5

154 x 78.7 x 9.45

150 x 76 x 8.65

139.3x69.6x8.5

151X76X8.3

137.55X70.28X10

136.76X69X10

Weight (grams)

144

185

164

144

165

129

127

Processor/RAM

QS 430/ 2GB, 3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 650/2GB,3GB

QS 430/2GB

QS625/2GB,3GB,4GB

Quad-core/1GB

Android 6.0

Android 4.4

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB,32GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/64GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

5MP/2MP

4,100

3,100

4,000

4000/4100

4,100

2,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes (Hybrid)

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yees

Yes/Yes

Launch

August, 2016

December, 2015

March, 2016

October,2016

January, 2017

Price Rs.

6,999/ 8,999

7,999

9,999/ 11,999

9,499

9,999

6,299

6,499

Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS

ZEN

Delite21

Krypton3

Ultra30

Ultra50

Yunique

Yuphoria

Cinemax 3

5/1280x720

5/1920X1080

4.7/720x1280

5.0/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

146.66X74.3X10.52

144.5X73.14X9.74

144.31X73X10

Weight (grams)

151

153

186

128

143

August,2016

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410 / 1GB

Quad core / 2GB

Quad core/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/2MP

8MP/5MP

5MP/3.2MP

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

2,230

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

September, 2015

May, 2015

August, 2016

7,200

7,999

9,990

6,300

6,499

6,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

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

JANUARY 2018 I 117

MYGUIDE RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 6,000 – RS. 9,999

ZIOX

PARAMETERS

Astra Star

Model

NEW

Astra Curve 4G NEW

ZOPO Duopix F1

NEW

ZTE

ASUS

ZP331

Blade V6

ZenFone 2 (2GB/4GB)

Zenfone Selfie

5/480x854

5/1280x720

4.5/ 854 x 480

5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

145.6x72.7x10.2

146.5x73.1x10.3

145.2x71.7x9.1

133 x 65.7 x 8.5

142X69.5X6.8

152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9

156.5 x 77.2 x 10.8

Weight (grams)

150

160

148

113

122

170

Quad core/1GB

MTK 6735/2GB

IA Z3560 /2GB

QS615 /2GB,3GB

Android 5.0

Display (inches/res)

Processor/RAM

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

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

1GB/16GB

2GB/16GB

8 GB/64 GB

16GB/128GB

Rear/Front Camera

5MP/2MP

8MP/8MP+2MP

5 MP/2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

2,350

2,200

2,400

1,700

2,500

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Launched

July, 2016

March, 2015

August, 2015

5,899

7,299

7,499

7,500

9,999

13,999, 18,999

10,999/ 16,999

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

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

ASUS

PARAMETERS

CENTRIC

Model

Zenfone 3 lazer

Zenfone 3 Max(ZC520TL)

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1280x720

149x76x7.9

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

COOLPAD

GIONEE

Coolpad Note 5

Cool 1

F 103 Pro

Marathon M5 Lite

5.5/1920x1080

5.50/1080x1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.0/720 x 1280

149x73.7x8.55

152 x 76 x 7.8

152.00 x 74.80 x 8.20

145.3 x 70.5 x 8.5

143 x 69.9 x 8.5

148

160

173

142

182

NEW

Processor/RAM

QS 430.4GB

Quad-core/3GB

QS 430

QS 617/4GB

1.4GHz octa-core

Quad core/ 3GB

Quad Core/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

3GB/32GB/256GB

32GB/64GB

32GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

3,000

4,100

3,000

4,010

4,000

2,400

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Music Player/FM

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Launch

October,2016

November,2016

November, 2017

October, 2016

January, 2017

July, 2016

December, 2015

18,999

12,999

10,999

13,999

11,999

13,000

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Price Rs.

118 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

HONOR

PARAMETERS

HTC

INFOCUS

LAVA

Honor 5C

Honor 5X

Honor 6X

Desire 630

Epic 1

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

5.0/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/720x1280

5.5/720x1280

Dimension (mm)

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.3 x 76.3 x 8.15

150.9X76.2X8.2

146.9 x 70.9 x 8.3

153x76x8.4

147.1 x 73.8 x 8.3

151.9 x 94.7 x 8.3

Weight (grams)

156

158

162

140

162

153

Processor/RAM

Kirin 650/ 2GB

QS 616 /2GB

Kirin 655

QS 400/2GB

Decca-core/3GB

Octa-core/4GB

Quad core/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/128GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

12 and 2MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

3,000

3,340

2,200

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes

June, 2016

January, 2016

Jnauray 2017

February, 2016

November,2016

September, 2017

January, 2016

10,999

12,999

11,999

10,890

12,999

11,590

11,299

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

NEW

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

Snap 4

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

Phab 2

Vibe K4 Note

Vibe S1

Phab Plus

Vibe K5 Note

Phab 2 Plus

K8 Note

Display (inches/res)

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080x1920

6.8/1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

6.4/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

175x89.5x6.89

186.6 x 96.6 x 7.6

152x75.7x8.49

174x88x5.5

154.5 x 75.9 x 8.5

Weight (grams)

225

158

132

229

165

218

180

Processor/RAM

MTK8735/3GB

MT 6753/3GB

MT6752/3GB

QS 615 /2GB

Helio P10/4GB

MT/3GB

MT Decacore/3GB/4GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB

32GB/128GB

32GB/64GB/256GB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8 MP + 2 MP

13MP/5MP

13MP.8MP

13MP,13MP/8MP

13+5MP/13MP

4,050

3,300

2,420

3,500

4,050

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes

December,2016

January, 2016

November, 2015

October, 2015

Jaunuary,2016

November,2016

August, 2017

11,999

12,999

14,999

13,499

14,999

12,999

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

153.67 X 76.45 X 9.14 143.3 x 70.8 x 7.8

JANUARY 2018 I 119

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

LYF

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

K 10

X Screen

G4 Stylus

Canvas 6

Canvas 6 Pro

Moto G Turbo Edition

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.3/ 1280 x 720

4.93/ 1280x720

5.7/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.0/720 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

155.5x77.6x7.9

146.6x74.8x8.8

142.6 x 71.8 x 7.1

154.4 x 79.2 x 9.4

142.1 x 72.4 x 11.6

Weight (grams)

153

140

120

163

155

Processor/RAM

QS 617/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 400 /1GB

MT6753/3GB

Helio x10/4GB

QS 615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

Yes/Yes

16GB/32GB

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3,200

2,300

3,000

2,470

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

October,2016

January, 2016

July, 2016

May, 2015

May, 2016

2,015

13,099

12,999

12,990

13,869

10,999

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS

NOKIA

NUBIA

Moto G4

Moto G4 Plus

G5 Plus

Nokia 5

Nokia 6

Z11 Mini

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920X1080

5.2/1980X1080

5.2/ 720x1280

5.5/1920X1080

5/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153 x 76.6 x 7.9

153X76.6X9.8

153X76X9.6

149.7 x 72.5 x 8.05

154 x 75.8 x 7.85

141.4x70x8

150.9x79x8.9

Weight (grams)

155

138

190

Processor/RAM

QS 617/2GB

QS 617/2GB,3GB

QS 625 Octa-core

QS 430

QS/3GB

MTK P10/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0.1

Android 6.1

Android 7.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

16GB, 32GB/128GB

16GB/32GB

2GB/16GB

3BG/32GB

32GB/200GB

32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

8MP/16MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

3,000

2,800

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/Yes

May, 2016

May,2016

March, 2017

July, 2017

October,2016

December,2016

10,499

13,499/ 14,999

12,999

12,499

14,299

12,999

11,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

120 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

NUU

PARAMETERS

PANASONIC

SAMSUNG

Eluga Note

Eluga Arc

Eluga Pulse X

Eluga A3/A3 Pro

Galaxy On7

Galaxy J5

5.5/1920 x 1080

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.7/720x1280

5.5/1280X720

5.2/720 x 1280

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

153x76.5x7.8

146.00x74.50x8.10

139 x 67 x 8.10

148.7 x 72.4 x 9.1

77.5x151.8x8.2

142.1 x 71.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

170

142

130

152

161

171

146

Processor/RAM

1.5GHz Octa Core

Octa Core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

Quad-core/3GB

Quad-core/1.5GB

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

3GB/32GB/128 GB

32GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/32GB/128GB

8GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

2,950

3,000

1,800

3,000

4,000

3,000

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

August,2017

July, 2016

April,2016

March, 2017

August, 2017

October, 2015

June, 2015

12,100

10,290

10,190

10,990

11,290/12,790

10,990

10,390

Model Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

NEW

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

Galaxy J Max

Galaxy J5 (2016)

Galaxy J7

J5 Prime

Galaxy On7 Pro

Mi 4i

Mi Max

7.0/ 1280 x 800

5.2/1280x720

5.5/720 x 1280

5/1080x720

5.5/1280 x 720

5.0/1080 x 1920

6.44/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

186.9 x 108.8 x 8.7

145.7 x 72.3 x 8.1

152.2 x 78.6 x 7.5

142.8x69.5x8.1

151.8 x 77.5 x 8.2

138.1 x 69.6 x 7.8

173.1x88.3x7.5

Weight (grams)

158

171

143

171

130

203

Processor/RAM

Quad core/1.5GB

QS 410/2GB

Octa Core/1.5GB

Quad-core/2GB

Quad core/ 2GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 650,652/3GB,4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

8GB/200GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/128GB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB,128GB/128GB

8MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

4,000

3,100

3,000

2,400

3,000

3,120

4,850

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2016

May, 2016

2,015

September,2016

July, 2016

April, 2015

June,2016

11,400

13,990

11,890

12,990

10,900

11,999/ 14,999

10,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

JANUARY 2018 I 121

MYGUIDE RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res) Dimension (mm)

VIDEOCON

VIVO

Cube3

Y51L

Y55L

Y55S

Yureka Plus (YU5510A,YU5510 )

5/1280x720

5.0/ 540x960

5.2/1280x720

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/(1080X1920)

6.0/1080 x 1920

147.9x72.9x7.5

155 x 78 x 9

153.3X75.4X8.5

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

Yunicorn

Yureka Note

Weight (grams)

152.5

157

142

154

172

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/3GB

QS 410/2GB

QS 430/2GB

QS 425/3GB

QS 615/2GB

MT Helio P10/4GB

MTK6753T/3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 4.4.4

Androis 5.1.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/64GB

16GB/128GB

16GB/256GB

16GB/32GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/Yes

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

3000

2,350

2,650

2,730

2,500

4,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

January, 2016

October,2016

March, 2017

July, 2015

May,2016

April, 2016

10,490

10,700

11,980

12,490

8,999

12,999

13,499

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 10,000 – RS. 14,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

ZOPO

PARAMETERS

ASUS

CREO

ZP350

ZP370

Hero 1

Zenfone 2 Laser ZE601KL

Display (inches/res)

5.0 / 1280 x 720

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.0/1280 x 720

5.5/1920 x 1080

6.0/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 1440x2560

Dimension (mm)

145.9 x 71.4 x 8.5

153.8 x 77.1 x 9

146.1 x 70.6 x 8.65

155.7 x 77.3 x 8.9

164.6 x 84 x 10.6

151.4x76.24x8.3

155.4 x 76.1 x 8.7

Weight (grams)

137

167

136

175

190

175

190

Processor/RAM

Quad-core/1GB

Ouad-core/1GB

Quad-core/2GB

QS 801/3GB

QS 616/3GB

QS 430/3GB

Helio X10 /3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

8GB/64GB

16 GB/64 GB

64GB/No

32GB/128GB

32GB/-

8.0MP/2.0MP

13.2 MP/5.0MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

2,100

3,000

2,500

4,100

3,000

4,100

3,100

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Model

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

122 I JANUARY 2018

ZENFONE 3 MAX(ZC553KL)

Mark 1

May, 2016

December, 2015

November,2016

April,2016

10,000

11,000

14,500

13,499

16,499

17,999

19,999

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

GIONEE

PARAMETERS

HTC

Model

Marathon M5

S6s

Desire 728 LTE

Desire 828

Desire 825

HTC 10 Lifestyle

Display (inches/res)

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/ 720 x 1280

5.5/720 x 1280

5.5/ 1280 x 720

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

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

156.9x76.9x7.7

Weight (grams)

211

147

166

153

148

155

1.3GHZ OCTA CORE/3GB

MT6753/2GB

MT6753/1.5GB

QS 400/2GB

QS 400/3GB

MT6735/3GB

MT6753T /3GB

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

32GB/128GB

32gb/128gb

16GB/200GB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

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

Yes/Yes

November,2015

November, 2015

August,2016

November, 2015

February, 2016

September,2016

17,500

19,999

17, 999

12,999

15,300

12,550

15,990

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

LENOVO

PARAMETERS

LYF

MOTOROLA

Vibe P1

Vibe Shot

Vibe X3

Z2 Plus

Earth 1

Earth 2

Moto X Play

5.5/1080x1920

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080x1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

152.9 x 75.6 x 9.9

142.7 x 70 x 7.6

154 x 76.5 x 9.3

140.2x60x6.2

154 x 76.6 x 7.25

142x76x7.9

148 x 75 x 10.9

Weight (grams)

187

145

175

150

162.5.

140

169

Processor/RAM

QS615 /2GB

QS 615/3GB

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/3GB,4GB

QS 615/3GB

QS615 /2GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 5.1.1

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/128GB

32GB/32GB

32GB/64GB

16GB,32GB/128GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

13MP/8MP

13MP + 2MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

21MP/5MP

5,000

3,000

3,500

2500

3,630

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

October, 2015

June, 2015

December, 2015

September,2016

January, 2016

15,499

18,500

19,999

19,499

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

Sept, 2015 19,999

15,999

JANUARY 2018 I 123

MYGUIDE RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

NEXTBIT

OPPO

Robin

F1 S

Galaxy J7 (2016)

Galaxy On8

On Nxt

J7 Prime

J7 Max

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1280x720

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

149 x 72 x 7

154 x 76 x 7.38

76 x 151 x 7.8

151.7x76x7.8

151.7x75x8

151.7x75x8.1

Weight (grams)

160

169

167

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

SAMSUNG

QS 808/3GB

MTK 6750/3GB

Exynos 7870/2GB

Octa-core/3GB

OCTA-CORE MEDIATEK

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/ 100GB (ONLINE)

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

16MP/256GB

4GB/32GB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/5MP

13MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

13MP/13MP

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

May, 2016

August, 2016

May, 2016

September,2016

October,2016

September,2016

July, 2017

19,999

16,444

14,900

12,090

14,900

17,290

Processor/RAM

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 15,000 – RS. 19,999

VIVO

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

ZOPO

APPLE

ASUS

MIMax 2

ZOPO SPEED 7 PLUS

iPhone 5S

Zenfone 3

Zenfone 3 Ultra

5.0/1280×720

5.5/1280x720

6.44/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1920 x 1080

4.0/640 x 1136

5.2,5.5/(1920x1080)

6.8/(1920x1080)

Dimension (mm)

143.6 x 71 x 7.5

153.8x75.5x7.55

174.1 x 88.7 x 7.6

153.6 x 76.5 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

138

154

211

164

112

144

233

Processor/RAM

QS 616/3GB

octa-core/4GB

QS 625/4GB

Octa-core /3GB

Dual-core/1GB

QS 625/3GB,4GB

QS 652/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

iOS 9.2.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

64/128GB

16 GB/64 GB

16GB,32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

13MP/8MP

13MP/20MP

12/5MP

13 MP/5.0MP

8MP/1.2MP

16MP/8MP

23MP/8MP

2,550

3,000

5,300

3,000

1,560

4,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes

May, 2016

November,2016

August, 2017

September, 2013

August,2016

August, 2016

15,250

16,990

16,999

17,500

19,280 onwards

21,999/ 27,999

29,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

124 I JANUARY 2018

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

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

BLACKBERRY

COOLPAD

DTEK 50

Max

M5 Plus

S6 Pro

Honor 8

Honor 7

5.2/1920x1080

5.5/1920x1080

6.0/1920 x 1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1920x1080

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

147x72.5x7.4

152x75.5x7.6

153x75.3x7.6

145.5x71x7.45

143.2 x 71.9 x 8.5

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.99

Weight (grams)

135

170

210.8g

170

153

157

170

Processor/RAM

QS 617/3GB

QS 617/4GB

Octa Core/3GB

octa-core/4GB

Kirin 950/4GB

HS Kirin 935/3GB

MT H X10/ 3GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/2TB

64GB/128GB

64GB/256GB

32GB/128GB

16GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

13MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

13MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

20MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

3000

2,800

5,020

3,130

2,900

3,100

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

yes/yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

November,2016

May, 2016

October,2016

October, 2016

July, 2015

May, 2016

21,000

24,999

27,000

21,130

29,000

22,999

25,990

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

GIONEE

HONOR

HTC

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

HTC

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

Model

Desire 10 Pro

Stylus 2

Stylus 2 Plus

Nexus 5X

Moto Z Play

Display (inches/res)

5.5/1920x1080

5.7/1280X720

5.7/ 1920 x 1080

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1920x1080

5.2/1080x1920

5.5/1920X1080

Dimension (mm)

156.5x76x7.86

155 x 79.6 x 7.4

155 X 79.6 X 7.4

147 x 72.6 x 7.9

156.4x76.4x6.99

148.4x73.4x8

156.2X76.2X5.99

Weight (grams)

165

145

146

136

165

163

145

Processor/RAM

Helio P10/4GB

Quad Core /2GB

Octa Core/3GB

QS 808/2GB

QS 625/3GB

QS630/3GB

QS 626/4GB

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

Android 7.1.1

64GB/2TB

16GB/2TB

32GB/2TB

16GB,32GB/No

32GB/2TB

32GB/64GB/256GB

64GB/2TB

20MP/13MP

13MP/8MP

16MP/8MP

12.3MP/5MP

16MP/5MP

12+8MP/16MP

12MP/5MP

3000

3,000

2,700

3,510

3,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

November,2016

May,2016

July, 2016

October, 2015

October,2016

October, 2017

July, 2017

26,490

20,500

24,000

24,490/30,645

20,490

20,990

24,999

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

Z 2 Play

NEW

JANUARY 2018 I 125

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MOTOROLA

NUBIA

Moto X Style

Z11

OnePlus 5

5.7/ 1440 x 2560

5.5/1920z1080

5.5/1080p

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

6.01/1080x2160

5.5/1080 x 1920

Dimension (mm)

153.9 x 76.2 x 11.06

151.8x72.3x7.5

151.8x74.9x9.85

152.7x74.5x7.35

154.2 x 74.1 x 7.3

156.1x75x7.3

151 x 76.2 x 6.3

Weight (grams)

179

162

175

158

153

162

141

Processor/RAM

QS 808/3GB

QS 820/6GB

QS 810/3GB&4GB

QS 821/6GB

QS 835/8GB

QS835/6GB

Octa Core/2GB

Operating system

Android 6.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.0.2

16GB,32GB/128GB

64GB/2TB

64GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/64GB

21MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

16+20MP/16MP

13MP/5MP

3,000

3000

3,300

3400

3,300

3300

2,600

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

September, 2015

December,2016

July, 2015

December.2016

June, 2017

November, 2017

February, 2015

26,999/ 28,999

29,999

22,999

22,000

32,999

22,900

PARAMETERS

Model Display (inches/res)

Storage/Expandable Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

ONEPLUS 5T

Galaxy A7

NEW

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

Model

Galaxy A5 (2016)

SMARTRON

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

SONY

J7 Pro

t phone

Xperia C4

Xperia XA

Display (inches/res)

5.2/1080 x 1920

5.5/ 1080 x 1920

5.2/5.5/1080X1920

5.5/1920X1080

5.5/1920x1080

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.0/1280 x 720

Dimension (mm)

144.8 x 71 x 7.3

151.5 x 74.1 x 7.3

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

150.3 x 77.4 x 7.8

158.2x78.2x6.98

150.3 x 77.4 x 7.9

143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9

Weight (grams)

153

169

157/I86

157

149

147

137

QS 810/4GB

MT6752/2GB

MTK H P10/2GB

Octa Core/2GB

Octa Core/3GB

Octa Core/2GB/3GB

Octa core Exynos/3GB

Operating system

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

16GB/128GB

32GB/256GB

64GB

64GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP/16MP/ 16MP

13MP/13MP

13MP/4MP

13MP/5MP

2,900

3,300

3000/3600

3,600

3,000

2,600

2,300

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/yYes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

April, 2016

December, 2015

March, 2017

July, 2017

July,2016

June, 2015

May, 2016

21,900

25,900

28,990/33,490

20,900

22,999

20,800

20,990

Processor/RAM

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

126 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

MODELS

RS. 20,000 – RS. 29,999

SONY

PARAMETERS

XIAOMI

VIVO

Xperia Z3+

Xperia C5 Ultra Dual

Mi 5

X5 Pro

V3 Max

VIVO V5 Plus

Display (inches/res)

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

6.0/1080 x 1920

5.15/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 1080 x 1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.5/1080X1920

5.99/720x1440

Dimension (mm)

146.3 x 71.9 x 6.9

164.2 x 79.6 x 8.2

144.5 x 69.2 x 7.25

147.9 x 73.5 x 6.4

153.9x77.1x7.58

152.6 x 74 x 7.3

155.9x75.8x7.7

Weight (grams)

144

187

129

151

168

159

160

Processor/RAM

QS 810 /3GB

MTK6752/2GB

QS 820/3GB

QS 615/2GB

QS 652/4GB

QS450/4GB

Operating system

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 5.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.1.2

Storage/Expandable

32GB/128GB

16GB/200GB

32GB/No

16GB/128GB

32GB/128GB

64GB

64GB/256GB 16MP/24MP

Model

V7 Plus

NEW

20.7MP/5MP

13MP/13MP

16MP/4MP

13MP/8MP

12MP and 8MP/ 16 MP

2,930

3,000

2,450

3,000

3,160

3,225

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

June, 2015

August, 2015

April, 2016

June, 2015

April, 2016

42,736

September, 2017

26,990

27,799

24,999

21,400

23,980

22,990

21,990

Rear/Front Camera Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

iPhone 6

iPhone 6Plus

iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

iPhone 7

iPhone 7 Plus

Display (inches/res)

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.0/640 x 1136

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080 x 1920

4.7/1334x750

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

138.1 x 67 x 6.9

158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1

123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6

138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1

158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3

138.3x67.1x7.1

158.2x77.9x7.3

Weight (grams)

129

172

113

143

192

138

188

Processor/RAM

A8,M8/1GB

A9,M9/2GB

A10 Fusion, M10/2GB

A10Fusion, M10/3GB

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

iOS 10

16GB,64GB/No

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/7MP

12MP,12MP/7MP

1,810

2,915

1,614

1,715

2,750

1,960

2,900

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

September,2014

March, 2016

September,2015

October,2016

0ctober,2016

23,999

24,999 onwards

24,000 onwards

39,990 onwards

48,998 onwards

45,775 omwards

59,999 onwards

Model

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

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

JANUARY 2018 I 127

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RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

APPLE

PARAMETERS

ASUS

BLACKBERRY

8 Plus

Zenfone Zoom

Zenfone 3 Deluxe

ZenFone AR

DTEK 60

KEYone

4.7/750 x 1334

5.5/1080x1920

5.5/1080 x 1920

5.7/(1920x1080)

5.7/1440x2560

5.5/2560x1440

4.5/1080 x 1620

Dimension (mm)

138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3

158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5

158.9 x 78.8 x 11.95

156.4x74.4x7.5

158.7 x 77.7 x 9

153.9x75.4x7

149.1 x 72.4 x 9.4

Weight (grams)

148

200

185

172

170

165

180

Processor/RAM

A11 Bionic

IA Z3590/4GB

QS 820,821/6GB

QS 821/8GB

QS 820/4GB

QS625/3GB/4GB

iOS 11

Android 5.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 6.0

Android 7.1

2GB/64GB/256GB

3GB/64GB/256GB

128GB/ 128GB

256GB/128GB

64/256GB

32GB/2TB

32GB/64GB/256GB

12MP/7MP

12MP/12MP/7MP

13MP/5MP

23MP/8MP

21MP/8MP

12MP/8MP

1,821

2,691

3,000

3,300

2,610

3,505

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

September, 2017

January, 2016

September,2016

August, 2017

November,2016

August, 2017

61,990

70,800

26,999

25,999

49,990

29,999

39,990

Model Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

GOOGLE

PARAMETERS

HUAWEI

HTC

Pixel 2

Pixel 2 XL

Nexus 6P

One A9

HTC U Play/Ultra

5/1920x1080

6/1440X2880

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.2/1920x1080

5.0/1080 x 1920

5.2/ 2560X1440

5.2/1080X1920/ 5.7/2560X1440

Dimension (mm)

145.7x69.7x7.8

157.9x76.7x7.9

159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3

145x70.9x6.95

145.75 x 70.8 x 7.26

145.9 x 71.9x 9.0

162.41X79.79X7.99

Weight (grams)

143

175

178

144

143

161

145/175

Processor/RAM

QS835/4GB

QS810 /3GB

Kirin 955/3GB,4GB

QS 617/3GB

QS 820/4GB

MediaTek/QS821

Operating system

Android 8.0

Android 6.0

android 6.0

Android 6/Android 7

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

32GB,64GB/No

32GB,64GB,/128GB

32GB/2TB

Rear/Front Camera

12.2MP/8MP

12.3MP/8MP

12MP,12MP/8MP

13MP/4MP

12MP/5MP

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

2,700

3,450

3,000

2,150

3,000

2500/3000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

October, 2017

October, 2015

August,2016

December, 2015

May,2016

February, 2017

61,000

81,000

34,999/ 39,999

39,999

25,990

34,999

29,999/53,999

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

128 I JANUARY 2018

MYMOBILE

MYGUIDE RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

HTC

PARAMETERS

MOTOROLA

ONEPLUS

HTC U11

G4 Dual SIM

V20

Moto X Force

Moto Z

5.5/2560X1440

5.5/1440 x 2560

5.3/ 2560x1440

5.7/2560x1440

5.4/1440 x 2560

5.5/2560x1440

5.5/1920x1080

Dimension (mm)

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.9

148.9 x 76.1 x 8.9

149.4x73.9x7.3

159.5x77.9x7.6

149.8 x 78 x 9.2

153.3x75.3x5.19

152.7x74.5x7.35

Weight (grams)

169

155

159

174

169

136

158

Processor/RAM

QS 835

QS 808 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 810 /3GB

QS 820/4GB

QS 821/6GB

Operating system

Android 7.0

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Storage/Expandable

64GB/128GB

32GB/2TB

32GB/100GB

64GB/2TB

32GB,64GB/2TB

64GB/2TB

128GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MO/12MP

16MP/8MP

16MP,8MP/5MP

21MP/5MP

13MP/5MP

16MP/16MP

3,000

2,800

3,200

3,760

2,600

3,400

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

July, 2017

May, 2015

April,2016

December,2016

November, 2015

October,2016

December.2016

47,999

34,800

25,999 onwards

54,999

25,990

39,999

25,990

Model Display (inches/res)

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

Galaxy S6

Galaxy S6 Edge

Galaxy A9 Pro

Galaxy Note 5

Display (inches/res)

5.1/ 1440 x 2560

6/1920x1080

5.7/1440 x 2560

5.1/2560 X 1440

5.5/2560 X 1440

5.8/6.2/2960X1440

Dimension (mm)

143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8

142.1 x 70.1 x 7

161.7x80.9x7.9

153.2 x 76.1 x 7.6

69.6x142.4x7.9

72.6 x 150.9 x 7.7

148.9 x 68.1 x 8.0/159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1

Weight (grams)

138

132

210

171

152

157

155/173

Processor/RAM

Octa core /3GB

octa-core/4GB

Quad core /4GB

Exynos 8890/4GB

Exynos 8896

Android 5.0.2

Android 6.0

Android 5.1.1

Android 6.0

Android 7.0

Storage/Expandable

32GB,/No

32GB/No

32GB/256GB

32GB/No

32GB/200GB

64/256GB

Rear/Front Camera

16MP/5MP

16MP/8MP

16MP/5MP

12MP/5MP

12MP/8MP

2,550

2,600

5,000

3,000

3,600

3000/3500

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes

March, 2015

April, 2015

September,2016

August, 2015

March, 2016

April, 2017

26,990

34,900

32,490

40,900/43,900

32,900

38,900

53,00/58,900

Model

Operating system

Battery (mAh)

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

www.mymobileindia.com

Galaxy S7

Galaxy S7 Edge

Galaxy S8/Plus

JANUARY 2018 I 129

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TABLETS

MODELS

RS. 30,000 AND ABOVE

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SONY

APPLE

Note 8

Xperia Z5 Dual

Xperia X

Xperia Z5 Premium

Xperia XZ

iPad Mini 2

iPad Mini 4

Display (inches/res)

6.3/1440 x 2960

5.2/1080 x 1920

5/1920x1080

5.5/ 2160 x 3840

5.2/1920x1080

7.9/1536 x 2048

Dimension (mm)

162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6

146 x 72 x 7.3

143 x 69 x 7.7

154.4 x 76 x 7.8

146x72x8.1

200 x 134.7 x 7.5

203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1

Weight (grams)

195

156.5g

152

181

161

331

298.8/304

Processor/RAM

Exynos 8895/6GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 650/ 3GB

QS 810/3GB

QS 820/3GB

A7,M7/1GB

A8,M8/2GB

Android 7.1.1

Android 5.1

Android 6.0

iOS 8

iOS 9

64GB/128GB/256GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/ 200GB

32GB/200GB

64GB/256GB

16,32GB/No

16GB,64GB,128GB/No

12MP/12MP/8MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

23MP/5MP

23MP/13MP

5MP/1.2MP

8MP/1.2MP

3,300

2,900

2,620

3,430

2,900

23.8w

19.1W

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes

Yes/No

Yes/-

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

September, 2017

November, 2015

July, 2016

November, 2015

October,2016

November, 2015

Spetember, 2015

67,900

37,000

38,990

47,990

49,990

28,460 onwards

44,500

Model

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

TABLETS

MODELS

TABLETS

APPLE

ASUS

MICROMAX

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

ZenPad 8

LapTab

Galaxy Tab S3 9.7

Tab A

PARAMETERS

Model

SAMSUNG

9.7/2048x1536

9.7/1536 x 2048

12.9/2732 x 2048

8.0/1280 x 800

10.1/1280X800

9.7/ 1536 x 2048

8/800 x 1280

Dimension (mm)

240 x 169.5 x 6.1

305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9

209 x 123 x 8.5

259.2 x 175.4 x 9.2

237.3 x 169 x 6

212.1 x 124.1 x 8.9

Weight (grams)

437

713/ 723

350

1.1kg

429

364

Processor/RAM

A8X,M8/1GB

A9X,M9/2GB

"A9X,M9 /4GB"

QS MSM8929/2GB

Intel 4 Gen/2GB

QS 820/3GB

QS425/2GB

iOS 9

iOS 9.3

iOS 9

Android 5.0

Windows 10

Android 7.0

Android 7.1

16GB, 64GB/No

32GB,128GB,256GB/ No

32GB/No

16GB/-

32GB/64GB

32GB/256GB

16GB/256GB

8MP/1.2MP

12MP/5MP

8MP/1.2MP

8MP/2MP

2MP/2MP

13MP/5MP

8MP/5MP

27.3W

27.9 W

38.5W

4,000

7,700

6,000

5,000

2G/3G/4G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Dual SIM

Yes/No

October, 2014

March, 2016

November, 2015

July, 2015

2,015

June, 2017

October, 2017

38,000

49,900 Onwards/ 61,900 onwards

65,900 nwards/ 85,900 onwards

12,496

10,999

47,990

17,990

Display (inches/res)

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

Music Player/FM Launch Price Rs.

130 I JANUARY 2018

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“Our mission is to become a Rs 1000 crore brand by 2020” Indian mobile manufacturer M-tech has embarked on a journey to provide customers with products which are not only affordable but also have unmatched quality and after sales service. Headquartered in Delhi, M-tech has a wide range of products which includes a range of feature, PDA and smartphones. It has its manufacturing plant in Himachal Pradesh with more than 650 service centers across India. The brand also has its presence in Nepal. Goutam Kumar Jain,

Co-founder, M-tech Informatics Limited, shared his strategies with My Mobile You have a whole range of portfolio from

What kind of feedbacks that you keep getting

feature to smartphones. Does that also reflect

from your dealers, retailers and customers?

in your sale figures? We have a wide product

Our channel partners help us in identifying

portfolio ranging from feature phones priced

the right price points, fast selling models in

at Rs 799 catering to the rural and bottom

specific colors and right incentive schemes.

of the pyramid markets to smartphones

This helps us to plan our production line,

priced between Rs 2999 – Rs 5999

inventory and marketing and deploy our

targeted at Tier 2 towns. The common thing

resources accordingly. Being a customer

in all our phones is good battery life, good

centric company we have always received

speaker quality and other useful features.

a very good and positive feedback from our

This has helped us to notch up sales of 3

customers.

In Conversation

face to face

million handsets in FY 2016-2017. Sales projections for the current year are approx

Where do you cater the most in India? We

5-6 million handsets with revenues of Rs

have a pan India presence. Internationally

340 crores. Our mission is to become a Rs

we already have a presence in Nepal and are

1000 crore brand by 2020.

actively exploring opportunities to venture into other international markets.

What is the ratio of feature vs smartphone sold by the M-tech? Currently the ratio stands at

Is this stiff competition a challenge for a brand

70:30, with feature phones still contributing

like M-tech? Competition is inevitable for

a large chunk to our sales and revenues.

any consumer brand. However, if a brand keeps innovating, listens to its customers

Do you plan to enter the affordable tablet

and channel partners needs and stays true

and Paytm among others. In physical stores

market as well? Currently we don’t have

to its core philosophy of quality, affordability

we are available across 20,000 retail points

any plans of entering the affordable tablet

and service, it will always stay ahead of the

of all formats. As an affordable phone brand,

market. However, we are planning to foray

curve.

we believe, both the channels are important

into mobile accessories, components and lifestyle products soon.

to widen our reach and serve different types How strong is the network of service center

of customers.

you have? We have wide and robust service What is the USP of M-tech mobiles? Right

center network of 650+ service center

Do you need a face to promote your brand?

from our inception the motto of M-tech

spanning the entire country.

We have in the industry for the last 7 years

mobiles has been to offer great quality

and have carved a niche for ourselves in

products at an affordable price and

Which is the suitable channel of growth for

the affordable phone segment. The quality

supplement it with excellent after sales

M-tech? We have a presence both online

of our products speaks for themselves.

service. All our phones come with good

and in physical stores. In online we have a

Therefore, we do not feel the need for a face

battery life, good speaker quality and various

presence on all leading e-commerce sites

other useful features.

like Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart, Shopclues

to promote our brand. n team@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobileindia.com

january 2018 | 131

Trendz

consumer insight

Indians were hooked to… YouTube Rewind reveals some deep and surprising insights into what videos Indians had been watching and sharing in 2017

ouTube Rewind is back and

Top 10 Rising Creators of 2017

celebrating what Indians watched, shared, and created in 2017 and that is actually

a long list – reflecting YouTubing is more popular than ever and that video community is growing by leaps and bounds. From falling in love with a 106 year old super chef, laughing at the raw humour of new comedy kings, reliving the golden era of Bollywood music through remixes, learning the trendiest beauty hacks, to watching the most sought after movie trailers and grooving to punjabi beats – India loved it all! Shaping the iconic pop-culture moments of 2017: From the fidget spinner becoming so darn popular worldwide, to Despacito

Highlights

S.No. Creator

Genre

% Subscribers growth Y-o-Y

Gharelu Nushke

Health

26628.88%

Factz Tech

Mystery

12436.85%

• 80 independent creators crossed the 1 million subscriber mark

Pretty Priya TV

Beauty

8331.21%

• 145 of 200 channels received the Gold Play Button (1 M subscribers) last year

Harsh Beniwal

Comedy

4622.53%

Ashish Chanchalni Vines

Comedy

3581.51%

Madras Central

Web Series

2441.19%

Health Tips for You

Health

1977.01%

Ayurved Samadhan

Health

1898.74%

Priya Malik

Beauty

1144.20%

10.

Indian Health

Health

935.81%

• Beauty & Health, represented by 6 out of the top 10 rising creators, emerged as the fastest growing vertical • Regional content grew exponentially, with JimikkiKammal and Zinggat becoming national hits

132 | january 2018

MYMOBILE

becoming a global phenomenon; seeing

Trendz

consumer insight Top 10 Creators of 2017

the other side of Irrfan Khan through memes by AIB, to getting the country to dance on Shape of You, which emerged as the most choreographed song in 2017; getting the funny-bone tickled by Angry Baba’s ChachaKePatake, to making JimikkiKammaland Zinggat a national sensation, YouTube has been part of some of the most iconic pop-culture moments of 2017. Topping the list of creators in 2017, is comedy superstar BB Ki Vines, with over 5 million subscribers, followed by Technical Gurujiwith almost 3.9 million subscribers

“This robust growth reflects the dynamic nature of the Indian creator community, with incredible talent surfacing from across India and especially amongst the regional language creators”

S.No. Creator

Genre

Subscribers Gained in 2017

BB Ki Vines

Comedy

3,206,004

Technical Guruji

Tech

3,100,000

Vidya Vox

Music

2,590,000

FactzTech

Top10/Mystery

2,500,000

Sandeep Maheshwari

Inspirational

2,300,000

Ashish Chanchalni Vines

Comedy

2,150,000

Amit Bhadana

Comedy

2,100,000

YourHealth

Health

2,092,000

Nisha Madhulika

Food

1,850,000

10.

TS Madaan

Inspirational

1,780,000