Priyal Tech

“The trio of Energizer smartphones will feature waterdrop-style notch display and come equipped with MediaTek chipset” After  announcing its plan to launch 26 smartphones  at next month’s MWC 2019, Energizer has previewed three handsets from the lineup. Dubbed the Ultimate U620S, U570S, and U650S, the phones will come with waterdrop-style notch displays and unknown MediaTek SoCs under the hood. It must be noted that the brand hasn’t revealed all the specifications of the phones it has announced today, though the most notable difference between the three offerings will be the screen sizes. The Energizer Ultimate U650S is the most powerful offering among the trio and will sport a 6.5-inch panel, while the U620S and U570S will ship with 6.2-inch and 5.7-inch displays, respectively. The bezel-less displays will help the upcoming Ultimate series boast a tall aspect ratio of either 18:9 or 18.5:9.  “The formats w...

Tweet “The Vivo V15 Pro is confirmed to flaunt triple rear cameras and an under-display fingerprint sensor” Vivo’s  upcoming  V15 Pro  smartphone has been the subject of a number of  headlines  lately. Most recently, a few images of the phone’s alleged case were leaked on the interwebs, which revealed a few details about the handset’s design. The company is  expected  to launch the smartphone in India at an event on February 20th. Now, just a few weeks ahead of the unveiling,  91mobiles  brings you the first look at the Vivo V15 Pro, as well as its availability details for the country. According to our sources in the retail chain, the Vivo V15 Pro will be available to pre-book in India starting February 15th, just a few days ahead of the unveiling on February 20th. The company will be partnering with the likes of Bajaj Finserv, HDFC Bank, Jio, and HDB Financial for the launch offers on the smartphone durin...

The Lite open beta a free-to-play version of the game designed to work on low-end PCs” There’s finally some good news for us poor peeps – PUBG Corp is testing a Lite version of the popular battle royal game that works effectively on low-end PCs and is free to download and play. The developer has further stated that the Lite version, although built for low-end hardware is just as good as PUBG on Steam. Dubbed PUBG Lite, the game is currently being tested in Thailand and according to a blog post by the developers it will arrive in other markets soon. Last year also PUBG Corp had launched a Lite version of the game for smartphones in Philippines but that too hasn’t made it to India yet. The best part however is that PUBG Lite is free-to-play meaning there’s absolutely no entry barrier, which is exactly why the game is more popular on smartphone than PCs. PUBG Lite was launched in Thailand on 10 th  January, while beta testing began yesterday on 24 th  January. Understandabl...

Share Tweet “As per the CIRP report, the iPhone XS has performed the worst, selling only slightly more than the iPhone 7, which is two generations old” The Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) has published a report for  iPhone sales  distribution for the last three months of 2018. As per the data published from its market survey, the  iPhone XR  ( review ) accounted for 39 percent of all iPhones sold in the USA between October and December, 2018. This is significantly higher than what the  iPhone XS  ( review ) and  iPhone XS Max  ( review ) sold in total, during the same period. Among all the  iPhones , the iPhone XR enjoys the best balance of every factor — it is more affordable than the other new iPhones, has a large display, higher native storage and most of the features of the flagship iPhones. On an overall sense, it doesn’t come across as a compromise the way the iPhone 5C did, back when it w...

“The upcoming Nokia smartphones are also expected to be Android One-branded” Nokia’s  Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas has  teased  February 24th as the launch date for its devices. The company has once again chosen Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2019 — world’s biggest tech trade show — to showcase what it has in store. Much like last year, Nokia’s license holder HMD Global may take the wraps off new smartphones, including the rumoured  Nokia 9 PureView ,  Nokia 8.1 Plus , and  Nokia 6.2 . The Nokia 9 PureView is expected to be a flagship offering and the world’s first smartphone with five camera setup. You heard it right! The handset is tipped to feature Penta cameras at the back panel. It’ll most likely flaunt a 5.99-inch display – probably with an 18:9 aspect ratio, 2K resolution, and Nokia’s PureView tech. Under the hood, it may employ Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 84...

“The APEX 2019 is a flagship phone that has no ports or buttons and is made from a single slab of aluminium” Vivo  recently  announced  its latest concept phone, the APEX 2019, in China. Although the phone won’t be available for purchase anytime soon, a device based on this concept could be launched in the coming months. The  APEX 2019  is the successor to last year’s Vivo APEX, which also brought a new design paradigm to the smartphone industry. The brand’s latest is all metal and glass without any cut-outs, ports and buttons. The entire front of the phone is a display, except for a very thin chin at the bottom.  The Vivo APEX 2019 has a full-screen in-display fingerprint scanner among other cool technologies. The entire front of the screen can be used to unlock the phone and that’s a first. We have seen phones which hid the biometric module under the half portion of the display, but this is the first time that an entire screen is used for thi...

The plan comes with a validity of 28 days and is mandatory to avoid deactivation” As you know, Indian telcos have made it mandatory to have a minimum balance of at least Rs 35 to avoid SIM deactivation in case you’re a prepaid subscriber. This decision has since been backed by TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and requires prepaid users to recharge their phones every month with the most basic plan to keep getting incoming calls. Now Vodafone Idea has introduced a new minimum plan that is even cheaper than its Rs 35 plan. The new Rs 24 minimum prepaid recharge tariff comes with a validity of 28 days and requires users to recharge before the expiry date. The same is notified to the users via SMS before the expiry date. Failing which users will be given a time of 15 days in which they can recharge their SIM cards, during which Vodafone Idea will stop outgoing service from their number and suspend data services. If you don’t recharge after these 15 days also,...

“The new Jio Phone recharges priced at Rs 297 and Rs 594 have validities of 84 days and 168 days, respectively” Jio has announced two new recharge packs for the users of its  Jio Phone  4G feature phone. Unlike the Jio Phone recharges that are already available in the market, these new prepaid packs offer long-term validity and, consequently, are priced relatively higher. Both the Jio Phone recharges, priced at Rs 297 and Rs 594, offer the exact same benefits — including the bundled calls and daily data allocations — as the Rs 99 pack for the 4G feature phone. The new Rs 297 Jio Phone recharge has validity of 84 days, while the Rs 594 pack will be valid for 168 days. Both come with 500MB data per day bundled STD and local calls, no charging on calls made while roaming, 300 SMSes per day, and access to Jio apps. This puts the bundled data at 42GB and 84GB for the two packs, respectively. Buyers can purchase the packs from the official website or ...

“The Seamless Data Connectivity technology will help most of the apps ranging from mobile payments, KYC, transports and logistics to work properly without an Internet connection.” BSNL has signed a business partnership with Be-Bound, a French mobile network optimisation firm to bring data connectivity through SMS in areas without Internet Connectivity. The deal has been approved by the Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of France, Claire Thuaudet. The partnership is aiming to bring Seamless Data Connectivity (SDC) everywhere to keep mobile apps connected without internet or any congested data connection. Be-Bound has developed a technology that can help in bringing SDC to smartphones. After signing the pact, BSNL Chairman and MD, Anup Shrivastava said  “We were trying to get SMS based data service technology on our own but learnt that Be-Bound has already developed this technology and has been given a patent for it. This technology is very good to suppo...

“The problem is said to be the thin and fragile flexible cables that connect the display with the controller are integrated to the screen” MacBook Pro models, starting with 2016 family to the latest 2018 versions, have been reported with an uneven lighting issue at the bottom of the screen. The problem, dubbed as ‘flexgate’, arises due to the inferior quality of flex cables that are used to connect the display with the controller. It seems like another controversy for  Apple  months after a CPU throttling problem was spotted on MacBook Pro 2018 models. Repair website iFixit highlighted the issue, claiming that Apple has used thin and fragile flexible ribbon cables in the new models instead of the durable cables that were used in previous generations. The issue is mainly arising in the  MacBook Pro with Touch Bar . Image courtesy: iFixit The cables are subject to the stress with repeated opening and closing of the lid, thus making the...

“iOS 12.1.3 mostly includes bug fixes for your iPhone or iPad” Apple has rolled out a consumer-ready update of watchOS 5.1.3 and iOS 12.1.3 after testing it across four betas in the past few weeks. Along with these, the company also rolled out the tvOS 12.1.2, macOS 10.14.3 updates which largely pertain to bug fixes and security enhancements, similar to the iOS 12.1.3 which is also a minor update. The Cupertino giant has also released notes mentioning the highlights of the update which have been listed below. As per the release notes, the update fixes an annoying bug that prevented scrolling through photos in the Details view on the Messages app. It also fixes a bug that caused audio distortion when using external audio input devices on iPad Pro (2018). The update also squashes a bug that caused disconnection between CarPlay systems and iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max devices. The iOS 12.1.3 update will also be released for HomePod and it fix...

“The Galaxy M20 is expected to be launched later this month, while the Galaxy S10 series phones could be unveiled in February” Samsung  is all set to unveil its brand new Galaxy M series of phones, which will include the  Galaxy M10 ,  Galaxy M20 , and  Galaxy M30 , in India on January 28th. After unveiling the Galaxy M series, the South Korean tech giant is expected to unleash its latest Galaxy S series flagships at its Unpacked 2019 event on February 20th. Ahead of the unveiling, the upcoming  Galaxy S10  series phones and the Galaxy M20 have already been spotted on various certification agency’s website. Now, all of them have been certified by Indonesia’s  TKDN  certification agency. Three models of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 have been certified by TKDN, namely the SM-970F, SM-973F, and SM-975F. These are expected to be launched as the  Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite , Galaxy S10, and  Galaxy S10+ ...

“The Vanguard cases for the in-display fingerprint scanner-enabled Galaxy S10 would not include the built-in screen protector.” Fans waiting for the new  Samsung Galaxy S10  with an in-display fingerprint scanner may be in for some disappointment. The much-anticipated ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor in Galaxy S10 will reportedly not work well with external screen protectors due to lack of compatibility. Ahead of the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S10, Armadillotek has been working hard in order to ensure the early availability of the cases for the series. However, while performing tests with the S10, it has found that the in-display fingerprint scanner of the smartphone series does not support the screen protector. The news regarding the same came out as a Tweet by Armadillotek, where the case-maker also said that the Vanguard cases will not come with an in-built screen protector. Previously,  Samsung  has been using the traditional fingerprint senso...

“With the new BSNL Rs. 399 tariff, users will now get 3.21GB data (2.21GB extra), along with unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day for 74 days.” For any telecom company to make a mark in the industry, offering unlimited data and voice calling is indispensable. Reliance Jio has been ruling the party with its prepaid tariff plans that offer 1.5GB data and 100 SMSes per day along with unlimited calls. However, BSNL has now announced a new plan to directly rival the Rs 349 plan from Jio. This new BSNL prepaid tariff is priced at Rs 399 and comes with increased benefits like a massive 3.21GB data, unlimited voice calling and 100 SMSes per day. The validity of the plan is 74 days. Hence, the total amount of data enjoyed by the users is a whopping 237.54GB. However, added to these benefits, the tariff recharge will also bring free PRBT (Personalised Ring Back Tone) to its users. However, it is to be noted that this Rs. 399 plan is not completely new from the telco as it was i...

Share Tweet “Vivo’s new phone exchange program lets you easily upgrade your current phone with a new Vivo smartphone” Vivo  has launched a new smartphone exchange program in India called Vivo Xchange. Through this program, customers can trade-in their current smartphone and upgrade to a new Vivo device. The Chinese smartphone maker has partnered with Cashify for this initiative. Thanks to the partnership, the entire exchange process has been made very easy and happens on the official Vivo India website. The Vivo Xchange program is applicable for both Vivo and non-Vivo smartphone users. The customer simply has to head over to the Vivo India site, select a phone, and opt for the exchange offer. However, Vivo will provide an extra Rs 1,000 off for those purchasing a new phone by trading-in an old Vivo device. This is a limited time offer though, which starts today and will last till January 19th.  Cashify is the exclusive partner of Vivo and will t...

“While the Mi MIX 3 is pretty much certain to have a new 5G variant, the launch date remains debatable as of now.” Xiaomi is reportedly setting up to launch its first  5G-compliant smartphone , based on the Mi MIX 3, on February 24th. Word pertaining to the launch was shared on Twitter by user Ben Geskin, who is known to have tipped quite a few product launches in the past. However, the tweet has since been deleted, although the infographic that was shared has now been reuploaded online. To affirm, there is literally nothing in the invite that seems to suggest that the Mi MIX 3 5G will be launched on February 24th. It only reads ‘we make it happen’, along with Xiaomi’s company logo. While this indeed points at an impending launch from Xiaomi’s stable, it can also allude to other devices as well — for instance, the flagship Mi 9. That said, there is a fair amount of chance that the  Mi MIX 3 5G  will be launched at the Mobile W...

“Redmi Note 7 Pro will have a 48-megapixel Sony IMX 586 sensor and will be launched after February 5th” Redmi Note 7 , the company’s first phone after it became a standalone brand will reportedly be getting a sibling,  Redmi Note 7 Pro , as early as next month. And like Redmi Note 7, the Pro model will feature a 48-megapixel rear camera – however, the handset is said to sport a Sony sensor instead of a Samsung one. Redmi executives reportedly made the statements around the Redmi Note 7 Pro launch plans at the event where the Redmi Note 7 was launched. According to  GizmoChina , Redmi plans to launch the Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone in February, after the Spring Festival (February 5th). The smartphone will have the Sony IMX 586 sensor that can capture images of 48-megapixel resolution. On the other hand, the Samsung GM1 sensor “can only do 12-megapixel but interpolates to 48-megapixel.” In fact, the  Xiaomi  ...

Nokia 5.1 Plus price in India in offline stores is Rs 10,599, which is Rs 600 higher than its online price tag” Nokia 5.1 Plus  ( review ) budget smartphone has finally hit the shelves at offline retail stores in India. The smartphone was unveiled in the country in August last year and became available to purchase in October. Till now, the Nokia 5.1 Plus had been limited to Flipkart and the Nokia online store, but has finally been made available in offline stores. As for the Nokia 5.1 Plus price in India in offline stores, buyers will have to shell out Rs 10,599 — a premium of Rs 500 over the handset’s online price. Nokia 5.1 Plus specifications The dual-SIM Nokia 5.1 Plus sports a 5.86-inch display with HD+ resolution and 2.5D curved glass on top. The phone rocks MediaTek’s Helio P60 chipset under the hood, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage, expandable up to 400GB via a microSD card. Software-wise, the handset  recen...

“The new affordable phone from Micromax comes with near-stock Android UI and a capable selfie camera”    Micromax is still one of the first names that comes to mind while talking about Indian smartphone brands, despite the fact the company was missing in action the past few months. After a hiatus, it’s now back with two new handsets, called the Infinity N11 and  Infinity N12  ( first impressions ), and I managed to use the latter as my daily driver for some time now. Without much ado, here are my thoughts about the new affordable phone from the brand. Design and display The Infinity N12 is perhaps the most non-Micromax looking phone that we have seen. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a bad thing. As other brands are constantly innovating and experimenting with the design elements, it is good to see that Micromax is now trying to make sure that the brand’s own phones don’t look cheap. Coming ...