Dhanbad and Ranchi only cities with over 95% 4G coverage in India, other cities pass 87% mark: OpenSignal Survey

The city of Dhanbad is known as the coal capital of India, and is headquarters of some of the country's biggest coking companies in the mineral-rich Jharkhand state. And now Dhanbad is on fire as Opensignal's hottest city for 4G Availability.

We looked at 50 of India's largest cities and analyzed them by their 4G Availability, based on a combined score for all operators that operate a 4G network in those metros. Dhanbad scored 95.3% in Opensignal’s measurements — one of only two cities to pass the 95% mark. The other was Ranchi, Dhanbad's neighbor and state capital of Jharkhand, which scored 95.0% in 4G Availability.

Opensignal’s 4G Availability metric is not a measure of coverage or the geographic extent of a network. It measures what proportion of time our users with a 4G device and subscription can get a network connection, in the places they most commonly visit. So when we say an operator has a 4G Availability score of 95%, that means our LTE users on that network were connected to 4G services 95% of the time. This important distinction is often missed by traditional coverage metrics. 4G Availability represents when users have an LTE connection, rather than where, providing a far more accurate reflection of the true mobile user experience. For more on Opensignal's metrics, please read about our methodology and Experience Charter.

In India 4G Availability, in a slightly unlikely third place we saw Srinagar, one of India's remotest cities, located in the mountain passes of Jammu and Kashmir. Srinagar was just shy of the 95% mark with a 4G Availability score of 94.9%. In fourth place we saw the much-larger metropolis of Raipur, which scored 94.8% in our measurements, followed by Patna with 94.5%. Patna won our comparison of 20 of India's largest cities by 4G Availability nearly a year ago, and has increased its score by close to 2 percentage points in that time.

Of India's largest cities, none were really stoking the fires in Opensignal's 4G Availability analysis. Delhi and Mumbai were in the lower half of the table, neck-and-neck with scores just shy of 90%, behind Hyderabad's 90.5%. Bangalore was mid-table on 92.3%, while Ahmedabad scored 92.7%. Nonetheless, all of the 50 Indian cities we measured scored over 87% 4G Availability — a feat that many much more developed mobile markets would be proud of.

Fanned by the flames of competition, India is really smoldering in 4G Availability. In Opensignal’s most recent India Mobile Network Experience report, we found Jio's national 4G Availability score was a remarkable 96.7% — over 20 percentage points ahead of its main rivals. The world's first "super-disruptor", Jio stunned the mobile world with its revolutionary free data offerings, amassing over 100 million subscribers in just 6 months. But its rivals have reacted. All of India's key operators continue to aggressively invest, while the merger of Vodafone and Idea is set to create India's largest operator, further disrupting the market.

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Airtel customers to get Rs 2000 cashback on purchase of new 4G smartphones

Airtel India today followed the footsteps of Reliance JIO and announced Rs 2000 cashback on purchase of new 4G smartphones. The cashback will be credited in user's MyAirtel app in form of 50 Rs coupons, 40 in number. 

These digital coupons can be redeemed on subsequent recharges on select prepaid packs of Rs. 199 & above or postpaid bill payment of Rs. 399 & above. Vani Venkatesh, Chief Marketing Officer said, “As customers upgrade their smartphone this festive season, we want to delight them with exclusive benefits under our recently launched customer program #AirtelThanks. We invite all our customers to make the most of the offer.”

Customers can buy the new 4G smartphone from any online or offline store. To avail the offer, customer will have to insert a 4G SIM in a new 4G smartphone on or before October 31, 2018. The coupons will auto-apply on every subsequent recharge or bill payment via My Airtel App and will be valid only for the first 40 months of being credited to the customer’s account. Only one coupon can be availed at the time a recharge or bill payment. For more details, log on to www.airtel.in

#AirtelThanks is Airtel’s biggest customer program which aims to delight its valued customers with exclusive benefits. Under the program, Airtel mobile and home broadband customers will get access to privileged benefits including premium content, offers on devices and red carpet customer care. The benefits will be digitally delivered through MyAirtel App, Airtel TV & Wynk Music 

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Mobiistar XQ Dual Review: Decent Selfie Camera, but is that enough?

Mobiistar is a Vietnamese smartphone company which recently announced its entry into Indian smartphone market with two budget devices. The CQ and XQ Dual, priced at Rs 4,999/- and Rs 7,999/- respectively. The later one is more talked about as it is placed with the likes of Honor 7C, ASUS Zenfone Max Pro or Honor 9 lite among the budget devices. No doubt XQ Dual has the price tag of least amount among all these phones, but does it really fits in with the competition lets find out.

Specifications:

The device's USP is its dual selfie camera which inspires the Dual in the name of the phone. The dual camera set at front includes a 13 MP and 8 MP 120 degree wide angle camera. The phone sports 5.5 inch Full HD IPS display with screen resolution of 1920x1080. Under the hood device runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa-core chipset, supported by 3 GB RAM, 32 GB internal storage which can be further expanded upto 128 GB via micro SD Card. The device comes with 3000 mAh battery.

Build and Design:

The XQ Dual is a well built device with unibody metal design which makes it one of the durable phones physically. However, the design has nothing new and its similar to what we see on other phones in this price range.

On the front the device sports two selfie cameras at top left of the device, ear piece in top left and proximity sensor and a selfie flash light at top right. Below that most of the front is dominated by 5.5 inch full HD screen. The bezels are pretty thin, but don't expect bezel less experience. On bottom of the device there are three physical capacitive buttons which are unfortunately the buttons are not backlit.

The volume rockers are on the left edge of the phone while the SIM tray and power button sits on the right edge of the device. On top edge we have a 3.5 mm audio jack and noise cancellation mic, while on the bottom edge of the phone you've got micro USB slot and speaker grill.

Turn the device towards its back and you will find the rear 13 MP camera which is very slightly protruding from the surface along with that there is a flash light just placed to the side of the camera.  Slightly above the middle of the rear we have a finger print sensor and mobiistar branding on the device. While bottom of the rear is plain with IMEI information sticker.

Camera:

Camera of this device is most talked about feature by the brand, in fact the company states the motivation behind this device is to bring best of the camera features for budget segment. The camera doesn't disappoint here, specially the front ones.

On the front we have 8 MP f/2.2 + 13 MP f/2.0  cameras, the dual camera set up is utilized for selfie and groupfies. i.e. 8 MP sensor comes into picture when you need a greater field of view, the 120 degree wide angle increases the area swept by the camera thus making it suitable for taking selfies in larger groups as well. In bright light conditions the camera works pretty good and most of the time we were satisfied with the results, however like other smartphones in this category the images carry the extra noise, front camera flash comes handy but it doesn't help that much.

As far as the rear camera is concerned the device comes with a 13 MP rear sensor which does its job well in day light and well lit conditions. The camera actually is the only strength of the device. When compared to the other devices in this price range the camera actually surprises us given that we were not impressed by other aspects of the device. However in low light conditions we had to live with noise and graininess in the images.

Below are few samples to judge for yourself.

Software:

The device runs on Android 7.1.2 and there is no word on the upgrade to Android P or even to Android O. The device does a good job with stock android and having just a couple of apps pre-installed other than usual Google apps. Another small customization which we liked were ability to action on items from notification drawer itself, specially user able to delete unwanted sms right from the notification area, given the sheer number of marketing SMS we get now a days.

The best thing done to the device on OS part is that not much is interfered with it and stock Android experience is by far the most simple and usable. As it is rightly said, speak only when you can better the silence.

Performance and battery:

The device runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa core chipset, which is outdated and misplaced for the segment , the brand intends to cater to. The phone's finger print sensor works almost every time without any noticeable lag, however opening simple apps like gallery, camera etc can be a sluggish operation on the device. The phone does ok with the day to day job, but this is not the winner of a phone in performance area. Apart of intermittent lag, the device fails miserably on power management. The phone comes with a 3000 mAh battery but was not able to hold the fort till end of the day, where we didn't used it for gaming. To give you some perspective, I use my Honor 6x with bluetooth on for full day, still it never goes down below 40% on average usage. 

Verdict:

If you have read the review from start then its a no brainer that the device caters only to those who are concerned about the images predominantly selfies in low budget. The performance users will be disappointed with the device. The device would have been a good seller if it was available offline in tier 2, 3 cities. As the 1000Rs lesser price than other competitors could have been the deal maker for many offline smartphone buyers.

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Mobiistar XQ Dual: Specification, Price and first impressions

International smartphone brand Mobiistar, today announced its entry into India with the launch of Star Selfie series smartphones – Mobiistar XQ Dual and CQ. With its brand promise to ‘Enjoy More’ by bringing uncompromised user experience, Mobiistar shared its plans to expand the horizon of mobile technology adoption by offering a great selfie experience at an even greater value in India. The XQ Dual selfie smartphone will be available at INR 7,999/- and the CQ smartphone will be available at INR 4,999/-. To begin Mobiistar’s strategic entry into India, the brand also announced a long-term partnership with ecommerce platform Flipkart. Both Star Selfie series smartphones XQ Dual and CQ will be available on the Flipkart exclusively from 30th May, 2018 12 PM onward.

XQ Dual Specifications and Features:

The XQ Dual is equipped with 13-megapixel and 8-megapixel dual selfie camera. The XQ dual as a specialized 120-degree wide-angle 8-megapixel camera which captures a wider view, this allows even more people to enter the frame and click those precious moments. The core of these cameras come from 13MP Samsung sensor and 8MP OmniVision sensor, which helps increase light exposure and clarity of images. The large f/2.0 aperture on the 13MP increases the amount of light entering the camera while the high dynamic range prevents noise and captures photos with vivid depth and detail.

XQ Dual

The XQ Dual is constructed with a full metal unibody and carefully crafted for a better sense of hand-gripping. The XQ Dual’s comes equipped with 2.5D screen which gives it an elegant look while retaining unmatched durability. When it comes to display the XQ Dual comes with 5.5-inches IPS and Full HD 1920X1080 screen resolution.

The XQ Dual comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB ROM, expandable storage up to 128GB and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 Octa-Core.

Both the XQ Dual and CQ are compatible to Volte and the latest ViLTE feature which is a video call service, based on the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) core network. It has specific profiles for the control and media planes of the video service. Conversational video is also possible on WIFI. With ViLTE, consumers can enjoy an enriched experience of mobile telecommunications (point-to-point and multi-party video calls).

Mobiistar claims that it is entering in India with 1000 service outlets already in place so as to ensure that the consumers have a seamless experience with the brand right from the start. 

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ASUS Zenfone Zoom S Review

ASUS Zenfone series phones are spread across the spectrum of smarphone scores. Few of the initial devices were breakthrough in their respective segment (Zenfone5, Zenfone2, Zenfone 4.5 etc) , some of the devices didn't worked out for the brand (ASUS Zenfone Selfie, ASUS Zenfone 4 Selfie pro). 

In 3 years, ASUS has worked a lot in terms of the device's design language, features, bloat wares etc. ASUS Zenfone Zoom  was result of these efforts that brought 3X zoom in a phone. The device was a bit bulky and lacked in few aspects. ASUS Zenfone Zoom S overcomes most of these hiccups but is it still good enough to compete with other flagships? Let's find out.

Build and Design:

ASUS Zenfone Zoom S is comes with a metallic unibody as is the norm now a days for mid-range and premium smartphones. The device sports a 5.5 inch display and is rounded from the edges which makes it quite ergonomic to hold the edges, however it feels slippery from the back as is the case with most of the metallic back phones. 

Volume rockers and power button are placed on right edge of the phone which works as expected and placed well within reach when phone is held in one hand. 

On top there is nothing but a noise cancellation mic, while on the bottom the device sports speaker grill, USB Type C slot, and 3.5 mm audio jack. On the left edge there is a hybrid SIM tray. 

Turning the phone towards back , Finger print sensor is placed on the back as most of other phones from the company, sensor was fast and accurate during our usage. Dual cameras sit on the top left of the phone supported by dual LED flash lights. Towards the bottom ASUS branding can be seen engraved center aligned to the horizontal width.

Bottom Edge

Rear View

Camera:

As the name suggests ASUS Zenfone Zoom S camera comes with optical zoom capability (2.3X), there are many implementations of dual camera setup which includes RGB+Monochrome, Depth+Auto, ASUS has implemented secondary camera for zoom which adds 2.3x zoom. Both rear cameras are 12MP cameras. The primary camera comes with SONY IMX362 sensor with f/1.7 aperture. The camera also comes with 4-axis OIS, dual pixel autofocus.

Camera no doubt is the highlight of the phone, Auto mode works well for most of  the situations, the images captured are crisp and clear. Phone works well in low light, optical zoom upto 2.3x works fine which can be further zoomed upto 12x digitally however zooming in digitally doesn't work really well. Secondary camera enables you to take portrait shots as well. Below are few of the shots taken by the phone.

Auto Mode

Night Mode

Auto Mode

HDR Mode

Artificial Light (Auto Mode)

Artificial Light (Auto Mode)

 Display and UI:

5.5 inch AMOLED display is good and bright, which can be viewed from different angles and in sunlight as well. There is a blue light filter as well which can be activated when you are reading at night. 

On the UI part, ASUS has done a good job in removing the infamous bloat-wares from the device and there are fewer applications pre-installed on the phone. The phone is running on ASUS Zen UI based on Android 7.0 Nougat. There are still few apps which can irritate the users as there is no option to un-install them however these can be disabled. 

Performance:

The phone runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset which is proven in many flagship devices, the processor is supported by 4 GB of RAM. We didn't faced any issues while using the phone in terms of performance. The phone is quite responsive when multitasking or putting it through resource intensive tasks. In our usage the device didn't get heated while playing light games for more than 15 minutes however in resource intensive games as NFS, Injustice 2 etc the temperature rises a bit. Good thing is it doesn't become unbearable while playing.

Bottom line:

The ASUS Zenfone Zoom S is priced at 25,999/- as of now on Flipkart. The camera of the device is quite impressive along with performance and battery backup. However when looked at its massive 5000 mAH battery, it seems like its a feat to put a battery of that size into a slim device. Overall the device is one of the best Zenfones from the company.

Having said that if you are looking for a decent device with focus on Camera, recently launched Honor View 10 looks more promising with price of 4K more than ASUS Zenfone Zoom S.

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Honor View 10 launched in India at price of INR 29999, exclusively available on Amazon.in

Honor View 10, the latest flagship phone launched at global event in London will be available for Rs 29,999 exclusively on Amazon.in from 8th Jan. It is important to note that this is the global best price of the device which is retailing at 499 Euros (approx 38,000 INR)  in European markets. 

Enough reasons to buy this phone?

Honor View10 highlights

Honor View 10 is banking on its AI capabilities along with a very good hardware and software amalgamation in the device. As per the brand new Kirin 970 processor understands what you do with your phone. From fast language translator after being worked upon with Microsoft to recognizing different scenes to make your photos better. 

The device comes with brilliant combination of 20 MP and 16 MP cameras (Monochrome and RGB) at rear and 13 MP front camera. For processing it has got all new in house Kirin 970 octa-core ARM Cortex CPU and a first-to-market Mali-G72 12-core GPU. Users can use the special Gaming Suite to boost gaming performance. Honor has partnered with leading game developers to optimize games for Honor V10, ensuring that games take full advantage of the hardware platform.  

Honor View 10 comes with 6GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage making it much better placed than OnePlus 5T and other flagship devices at this price point.

Honor works with Microsoft to optimize Microsoft Translator for Honor V10. AI Accelerated Translator software delivers instantaneous translation without you needing to be online. New Kirin 970’s powerful NPU makes translation more than 500 percent faster than other smartphones running the same app.

A 3,750 mAh battery with a fast charger make Honor V10 ideal for heavy users. Thanks to the battery optimization with the help EMUI 8.0 and Kirin 970, users can enjoy multimedia for hours without having to worry about frequent charging

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Samsung Launches most affordable 4G Tablet Galaxy Tab A 7.0 in India for Rs 9500 with Cashback offer of RS 2000

Samsung, India’s biggest and most trusted smartphone brand today launched Galaxy Tab A 7.0, that guarantees non-stop entertainment. Galaxy Tab A 7.0, the most affordable 4G tablet from Samsung, combines refined design, superior display, and powerful battery to deliver enhanced performance.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A7.0

Galaxy Tab A 7.0, with its slim design, round edges and non-slip pattern makes it easy for users to hold it in one hand and convenient to carry the device anywhere, anytime. It comes with a better than HD display for superior viewing experience. Powered by a massive 4000mAH battery, Galaxy Tab A 7.0 provides up to 9 hours of video playback. Its memory can be expanded via a microSD card to up to 200GB, making it a powerhouse to store all your memories in the form of photos and videos.

"Consumer-centric innovation is at the forefront of our business. With Galaxy Tab A 7.0, we are providing our customers a device that is the perfect blend of refined design, Superior display great performance and non-stop entertainment. Galaxy Tab A 7.0 caters to consumers’ On-the-go and Me-time needs thereby acting as a perfect companion for their active lifestyle,” Mr. Vishal Kaul, Director, Samsung India, said.

Galaxy Tab A 7.0 comes loaded with Kids Mode that provides educational and beneficial content designed especially for kids. The device also provides parental control, making it a fun yet safe experience for kids. Parental Control offers features such as setting usage time limits and restricting app access.

Galaxy Tab A 7.0 is powered by 1.5 GHz Quad Core processor, 1.5GB RAM and 8GB internal memory (expandable via microSD up to 200GB). The 5 megapixel AF rear camera allows users to take vivid images. Galaxy Tab A 7.0 also sports a 2 MP front camera.

Price and Availability

Galaxy Tab A 7.0 will be available for INR 9,500 and will come in two colours - White and Black. It will be available across retail stores starting January 5, 2018. Galaxy Tab A 7.0 will also be available on Amazon.

Exclusive INR 2000 Cashback for Jio Users

On using this device with Jio, get an exclusive cashback of INR 2,000 in your JioMoney account, on recharging with Jio Plan of INR 299 for 24 months. As part of this offer, users will get INR 800 after the first 12 months, and INR 1,200, after the subsequent 12 months, in the JioMoney account, after performing 13 successful recharges of INR 299 every 12 months.

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Vodafone ties up with Samsung to offer upto INR 1500 cashback in 24 months on selected smartphones

Vodafone, one of India’s leading telecommunications service providers, today announced a strategic partnership with Samsung, the leading mobile handset manufacturer, to make a select range of Samsung 4G smartphones more affordable and accessible with an attractive cashback offer.  Vodafone customers, both existing and new, can purchase any of the popular Samsung 4G smartphones - Galaxy J2 Pro, Galaxy J7 Nxt or Galaxy J7 Max to enjoy the cash back offer of Rs. 1500.

To avail this special offer, prepaid customers have to simply recharge with Rs 198/- per month for 24 months which would give them unlimited voice calls and 1GB data/day (the customer can also do any other recharge cumulating to Rs. 198/- per month). Postpaid customers need to opt into any one of Vodafone’s attractive Red Plans. At the end of the first12 months, users will receive a cash back of Rs. 600/- and after another 12 months, a cash back of Rs. 900/- respectively, thus availing a total cashback of Rs. 1500/-. The cash back will be credited to their Vodafone M-Pesa wallets.

Speaking about the offer, Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director – Consumer Business, Vodafone India said, “We are incentivizing our customers to enjoy the Vodafone SuperNet 4G data strong network on some of Samsung’s most popular 4G Smartphones. With this partnering, we now offer cashback over the widest spectrum of 4G smartphones across various price points. This is in line with our strategy to democartise data and make 4G more accessible. Our offer with Samsung will encourage customers to buy/upgrade their smartphones for a richer voice and data experience.”

Mr. Ranjivjit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer, Samsung India, said “We are happy to partner with Vodafone as it gives us another opportunity to enhance consumer experience, combining our popular Galaxy J series smartphones with their services at affordable prices. Today, every third smartphone sold in India is a Galaxy J series device. These smartphones come with several consumer centric innovations developed under the Samsung ‘Make for India’ initiative.”

Details of models and cash back offer extended

Model	Cash Back 12 Months (Rs.)	Cash Back 24 months (Rs.)	Handset MOP	Total Cash Back	Effective price (Rs.)
Samsung Galaxy J2 Pro	600	900	8490	1500	6990
Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt	600	900	10490	1500	8990
Samsung Galaxy J7 Max	600	900	16900	1500	15400

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Asus Zenfone 4 selfie Pro review: Stylish selfie expert or overpriced player in the race?

Asus has launched a plethora of devices under Zenfone 4 series this year and one of such devices is the Zenfone 4 Selfie  Pro. As the name suggests this device has its USP in the selfie camera or should we call cameras as the device comes with dual selfie camera. The Zenfone 4 Pro selfie is priced at Rs 23,999/- . So does the device justify the price tag or its an overpriced player in arena of 'Selfie Experts' ? Let's find out.

Specifications at a glance:

The zenfone Selfie pro is powered by time tested Octa-core Snapdragon 625 with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. The Zenfone 4 Selfie pro comes with 5.5 inch Full HD AMOLED display which has brightness of 500nits and clor gamut that's greater than 100% of NTSC color space as claimed by company. The display is crisp and can handle any type of content with ease. Even in outdoors on bright sunny day the display is readable and bright enough. The Zenfone 4 Selfie pro comes with a 76.7% body to screen ratio, however competitors in similar price segment are coming up with full view display now.

The phone comes with a finger print sensor on the front which is claimed to unlock phone in 0.2 seconds. We can say that finger print sensor is fast and accurate and we didn't faced any issues while using the device.  Zenfone 4 Selfie pro comes with 3000 mAh strong battery with Fast charging support. The charger supplied with device has a rating of 10W (5V/2A) rating. 

On camera department the Rear camera is a 16MP Sony IMX351 Sensor, which supports 4K video recording and comes with ASUS own SuperPixel Engine. On Front there are are two cameras for selfie , the first one features Sony IMX362 dual pixel image sensor that is said to be equivalent of 24 MP resolution camera. The 24 MP DuoPixel camera technology uses the information captured by the sensor to intelligently create one 24 MP photo. The second sensor is used to widen your frame area, i.e. it expands your view to upto 120 degrees which is best suited for group selfies.

Design:

The Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro is a sleek and stylish device which feels premium when held in hand. The device sports a rectangular metal unibody design with rounded corners. On the front of the device 2.5 D corning gorilla glass protects the 5.5 inch display. On top of the display there are two selfie cameras to the right of the ear piece and array of sensors to the left of ear piece. On the left edge of the device there is a SIM tray slot which can be ejected using the pin. The SIM tray can hold 2 Nano SIM cards and a micro SD card (upto 2 TB is supported). On the right side of the device you get volume rockers on the top and power button just above the middle of the edge.

Bottom of the device houses speaker grill, micro USB slot, mic and 3.5 mm audio jack. On the top edge there is just another mic (probably noise cancellation one). Turning the device on back, Antenna lines are visible on the top and bottom of the back panel. The Rear camera is sitting in middle horizontally and towards the top vertically with a flash light placed just the left of the Camera unit. In the middle of the back ASUS branding is visible.

Camera:

The frond camera works well in normal mode where there is enough light. The images are sharp and colors are natural. Sometimes images are overexposed when you are using front camera in sunlight. The low light performance is mediocre and images become bit noisy or blurry. 

There is a portrait mode as well in front camera which works pretty well. In group selfie mode the secondary 5 MP camera comes into the play and increases your view area. In view finder one can observe that switching to group selfie mode the edges resembles that of fish eye mode. The selfie camera is also capable of shooting 4K videos which will be useful for Vloggers specially. 

The back 16 MP camera does its job as expected and doesn't disappoint. The images from rear camera are detailed and clear in bright lit areas however in low light the images are grainy and not something we were hoping for with this camera. The images loose detail as soon as the light source is diminished. The autofocus of the camera works fine and quickly locks the focus on object in frame. The image processing is quite good and images are rendered in real time without any noticeable lag.

Below are few samples from the camera.

Low Light (Rear Camera)

Artificial Light (Rear Camera)

Day light (Rear Camera)

Group Selfie Mode (front camera)

Normal Mode (Front Camera)

OS and Apps:

The Zenfone 4 Selfie pro runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat with its own ZenUI 4.0 skin on the top. Thankfully Asus has listened to our pleas and this device is as neat as you would want in terms of applications. The only app on board are the required minimal set of apps to get started without any bloatware. The UI experience is fluidic and smooth. We didn't noticed any lag while opening multiple apps. In settings we have an Asus customized settings option where in you can enable twin apps feature for accessing two accounts on apps like Facebook and Instagram.

Final Verdict:

This selfie expert has great build quality and hardware strength. The phone has got most of the things on the right side. We are happy that Asus has not compromised on the hardware or quality in this device. The camera features are in line with the competition, however the competitors are offering features like full view display at lower or similar price. If you are looking for a decent camera phone with smooth UI experience then you can opt for this phone. For other uses there are still options in market at lower price. 

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With launch of Note 4 and Hot Pro 4, Infinix becomes the youngest brand in Indian smartphone market

How many times you have thought that the smartphone market is saturated now and how many times your belief is shattered with the entry of yet another vendor in market. Today is one such day, when you thought there are plenty of smartphone companies in market and no space left for any new brand, just then Transsion Holdings thinks otherwise and launches its smartphone brand Infinix in fully glory with launch of two budget smartphones.

(L-R): Benjamin Jiang, Global Head – Infinix; Anish Kapoor, CEO Infinix India; Ajay Veer Yadav, VP -  Smartphones, Flipkart and Marco Ma Chief, MD, Transsion India at the launch of Infinix mobiles in India.

Infinix begins its journey in India by introducing Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro from its global range of smartphones priced at INR 8,999/- and INR 7,499/- respectively to be available exclusively on Flipkart, India’s largest online retailer. To boost the consumer confidence Infinix is supported by an extensive service network of over 850 plus touch points across the country. All the launch products come with a free one-time screen replacement within the first 100 days of purchase (T&C apply).

 

“India is an extremely significant market for us” said Benjamin Jiang, Global Head Infinix. “The Indian smartphone industry is ever changing. It is interesting to note how millennials understand technology and become the conduit for driving online adoption. Our vision for Indian market is to become a preferred choice for young consumers by designing products that complement their lifestyle and make technology innovation affordable. We aim to expand our product portfolio by launching “Made for India” products soon” he further added.

 

Mr. Anish Kapoor, CEO Infinix India while speaking about India plans said, “Being a new player in the Indian competitive online smartphone market, consumer and product is at the centre of our “Go Beyond” philosophy. Our dedicated R&D team has evaluated the digital consumer needs and introduced unique features such as a big battery with Xcharge technology, big screens with stunning display and smartphones beyond ordinary colours that will enhance the young consumer’s smart lifestyle. Our partnership with Flipkart will be instrumental in making Infinix range of smartphones available pan India. We are targeting an online market share of 8-10% by 2018.”

 

To celebrate the launch of Infinix on Flipkart, Mr. Ajay Veer Yadav, VP Smartphones, Flipkart said, "Flipkart has a wide array of budget friendly smartphones that are not only easy on the pocket but are also equipped with best in class technology. A significant chunk of our large and growing customer base opt for affordable smartphones that are characterized by a sleek design, powerful battery life and high performance. Our exclusive association with Infinix checks all these boxes as we look forward to expanding shoppers’ choice of phones in this segment. We are determined to bring customers more innovation, superlative choices and a richer experience to constantly keep them excited and maintain our market leadership in this segment”. 

Flipkart is also providing a host of launch offers on purchase of Note 4 and Hot 4 Pro buyers (T&C apply). Consumers will get a free 2 months’ subscription for Hotstar Premium, up to Rs. 8,500 off on Exchange for Note 4 and Rs. 7,000 off on Hot 4 Pro. There is an extra 15% off on Flipkart Fashion and Lifestyle category on August 5th - 6th only.  In addition, consumer can also avail 84 GB data for 84 days at just Rs.443 from IDEA Cellular with the purchase of Infinix smartphones.

 

Note 4

In terms of specifications, Infinix Note 4 gets a 5.7-inch Full HD IPS Display with 500nits to provide unbelievably clear and colourful screen. The 2.5D curved glass on the front and metal print back body creates a sleek exterior and great style. It comes with latest Android Nougat operating system and further has a customized XOS UI layer for enhanced user experience. It has 32GB of internal storage and is powered by an Octa-Core processor with 3GB RAM for superior performance. It supports a big battery of 4300mAh with a 18W unique Xcharge technology which charges 75% of battery in just 60 minutes. The 13MP Rear camera comes with ‘Pro’ mode that enables users to adjust the manual settings as per their requirement. The 8MP front facing camera with large 1.14 µm pixel size comes with customizable LED flash to deliver optimum light while clicking selfies.

 

Note 4 priced at INR 8,999 will be available in exciting colours of Ice Blue, Champagne Gold and Milan Black.

 

Hot 4 Pro

Hot 4 Pro provides a delightful viewing experience with a vivid 5.5” HD IPS screen. The powerful 4000mAh battery extends beyond two days providing uninterrupted usage and the smartphone is packed with 3GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Music enthusiast are set to be captivated by dual speakers powered by Dirac Stereo Widening™ technology which produces more immersive, clearer, louder sound with powerful bass. The 80db+ Ultra loud receiver and Noise Reduction Technology in the smartphone allows users to listen conveniently even in the noisiest of surroundings. The 13MP rear camera comes handy to capture quality images while the 5MP front facing camera is supported by a soft light flash to avoid washed out selfies.

 

Hot4 Pro priced at INR 7,499 will be available in exciting colours of Bordeaux Red and Quartz Black, Magic Gold.

 

All Infinix range of smartphone supports 4G LTE bands with VoLTE support for HD calls and faster call connection. It also comes with 2-SIM card slots and one dedicated expandable slot, which can support upto 128GB of memory card. The stylish smartphones have a fast fingerprint sensor for secure phone unlocking and can also can be used for taking pictures, accepting calls and browsing pictures with ease.

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