Tecno Mobile is planning to Launch Smartphones with AI, Face Detect and 18:9 displays in India under sub 15K

With the increasing demand of Selfie smartphones in India the innovations in this sector are visible day by day. Smartphone Companies have already launched their Artificial Intelligence (AI) dependent smartphone. Tecno Mobile the Chinese smartphone company now is entering into the same league with their upcoming Camon series smartphone.

Images of upcoming phone shared to media

Tecno Mobile is expected to launch their AI-enabled Selfie-centric Camon series smartphone in India by the end of this Month under the 15K. The main highlight of upcoming Camon-series smartphone will be its AI-enabled Selfie camera. The smartphone will utilize the AI technology to give you the best and good looking Selfie images in day and night time and automatically detect lighting condition and facial features on a real time.

The devise is also suggested to sport fingerprint sensor and face unlock feature With the Camon series in portfolio, Tecno aims to be among Top 5 smartphone brands in India by end of 2018. Tecno’ is product and consumer focused company and the key focus area central to Tecno India strategy for 2018 is “Camera-centric” smartphones line-up enabled with full view display that is 18:9 aspect ratio. 

All our TECNO products are supported by extensive service network of Carlcare with 940+ after-sales service touch points. COCO (company-owned, company-operated) forms an important part of our offline channel strategy to provide consumers with better service in the process of purchase and experience of TECNO products and we’ll continue to enhance this part. Currently, we have one COCO center in Noida and one more is coming up in Mumbai.

At present, The TECNO mobiles selling 3 Camon series smartphones in India namely, Camon I, Camon I Air & Camon iSky under the price range of 7499 to 8999 respectively. According to the Counterpoint recent report, The TECNO Smartphone registered 23% QoQ growth in Q1 2018. Techno mobiles also become the official Smartphone Partner for Kings XI Punjab for IPL 2018 & it also partnered with leading telecom operator Vodafone to offer exciting cashback offers to its new buyers.

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Vivo takes HDR to a new level with a dynamic range of 14 EV that adapts to complex lighting

Shenzhen, China, 13th March 2018 – Vivo announced its cutting-edge, AI-powered Super HDR at a media event in China. Following the previous breakthrough success in backlit photography, Vivo is taking mobile photography to new heights with Super HDR's auto scene detection to produce clearer photos, better colors, more details and better tones.

Super HDR follows the same principles as regular HDR but merges more frames to resolve the problems presented by contrasting strong dark and light tones in a photo. Super HDR captures more frames and intelligently merges them to cater to more extreme lighting scenarios.

Great Frames Great Flexibility     

Super HDR's dynamic range can reach up to 14 EV (Exposure Value). With just a single press of the shutter, Super HDR will capture up to 12 frames, significantly more frames than previously possible with existing HDR technology. This provides more image options for merging to perfectly light all the parts of the eventual photo.

Optimized Details Under Extreme Light

To reduce the unnaturally processed look of regular HDR, Super HDR adapts to different scenes and their dynamic range characteristics, selecting and merging frames to best render the image's highlights and shadow details. Super HDR then optimizes shadows to ensure the complex photo's highlights and shadows are balanced and natural.

Get Easy Yet Perfect People Shots

Regular HDR might sacrifice lighting for the person in focus for a better lit photo, but Super HDR ensures the person is clear and well-lit. Super HDR employs smart scene detection to balance the lighting of the person and the background to create a natural feel.

Advanced AI Improves Photos at All Stages

The Super HDR leverages complex AI algorithms to adapt to different scenarios. The moment the shutter is pressed, the AI will detect the scene to determine the ideal exposure strategy and accordingly select the frames for merging. This process ultimately delivers a natural looking shot which looks like it was captured by the human eye.

Advantages of Super HDR

1.      Highly adaptable: With a wider dynamic range of 14EV, Super HDR can ensure perfect shots in a broader range of lighting scenarios, even in adverse ones. This results in image that shows the details of the rock, grass, mountains and clouds despite the back lit, high contrast scenario.

2.      Accurate and smart exposure selection: At up to 12 frames, Super HDR has more lighting options for its smart frame selecting strategies to correctly expose all parts of the photo. This retains the natural contrast that is key to accent the features of this photo.

3.      Intelligent identification: AI-powered scene detection means that each part of the photo can be identified and isolated for processing to insure even complex photos are perfected. The AI can perfectly identify and expose the unique shapes of these rocks, moss, waves and clouds in this shot.

4.      Natural looking results: Super HDR produces more natural tones by reorganizing and optimizing the highlights and shadow portions of the scene when merging the frames and ensures the photo naturally matches the original scene as seen by human eye. This shows the couple clearly and naturally despite sun and umbrella creating such complex lighting.

5.      Perfectly lit portraits: Super HDR prioritizes the best lighting for the person in the photo and adjusts the background exposure to produce an optimal and natural portrait. Optimizing the lighting for the girl and creating complimentary lighting of the sky and flowers help accentuate her in the photo for a perfectly lit portrait.

Alex Feng, Senior Vice President at Vivo added that, "Vivo continues to push the boundaries and provide the ultimate camera experience for consumers. This goes beyond just adding powerful functions, but to developing innovations that our users can immediately enjoy. Today's showcase of Super HDR is an example of our continued commitment to mobile photography, to enable our consumers to shoot professional quality photos at the touch of a button. Using intelligent AI, Super HDR can capture more detail under any conditions, without additional demands on the user."

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Micromax Dual 5 with dual 13 MP rear cameras and CC EAL 5+ security certified for Rs 24,999/-

Micromax had been away from the limelight from quite a long time, once there was a time when every month or even fortnight you will hear a new phone launched from Micromax there were lot of advertisements, sponsorship and other publicity.  While some predicted that Chinese competitors had got better of it, some other analysts were hopeful that Micromax will return with a bang in smartphone market. It seems that with the launch of Dual 5 the company has hit the right chord. We must say, that we have spent just a few minutes with the device but we are impressed with the end product, I believe you will also agree with us after getting to know about the device. So let's have a look at the price, specifications and features of the phone.

Micromax Dual 5

Well till yesterday there were lot of speculations about the device and we too joined the rumor mills to get and spread the information. However most of what we got was not true apart from the fact that the phone sports dual camera at back. 

Specifications, Price and Availability:

The Dual 5 runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa Core processor coupled with 4 GB RAM, 128 GB on board storage which can be further expanded upto 128 GB via MicroSD card. The phone sports a metallic body. The device comes with two 13 MP Sony IMX258 sensor one for Monochrome and another one for RGB (color) sensor both the cameras have f/1.8 aperture to capture more light. A color temperature sensor is used to combine the images captured from both the sensors to produce a high quality final product. While on the front as well the phone comes with same 13 MP camera with Sony IMX258 sensor and f/2 aperture. The front camera is also accompanied by a soft flash. The device runs on Android Marshmallow though.

The phone sports a 5.5 inch Full HD Super Amoled display with 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla glass protection. The Dual 5 is powered by 3200 mAh strong battery and supports Quick Charge 3.0 for faster charging. The device supports Dual SIM connectivity, 4G, VoLTE, BT 4.1 and Wi-Fi ac.  On sensors front the device comes with a Fast Finger print sensor, ALS, Gyroscope, IR Sensor and proximity sensor.  For charging and data transfer the device comes with USB Type-C port.

As mentioned earlier the phone is priced competitively at 24,990/- which is right between the recently launched Gionee A1 and OPPO F3 Plus. On paper the phone looks to have an upper edge and will compete with other devices in similar price range.

The Dual 5 will go on sale from 10th April, 2017. Registrations for the sale has opened from today itself at http://www.micromaxinfo.com

Features:

The most talked about feature of the phone is its beefed up security. The Dual 5 has a separate chip for safety and security, this chip is said to store all your credentials and other confidential data. The Dual 5 is EAL 5+ security certified device which makes it as secure as banking transaction devices or Military Grade security. The phone allows users to create a private profile to keep their private files, images and applications , different finger prints can be assigned to unlock phone into different profiles. The phone is also anti-theft device as its anti-theft safety switch feature allows one to block anyone from shutting down the phone if the SIM is tried to be removed which enables the tracking of the phone as well if the password is not entered within 60 minutes of the attempt the phone will self destroy the data and ensure that your confidential data is safe and secure.

Apart from security features, as the phone has dual camera setup it allows you to take photos with great details and depth and have modes like pro, pano, anti haze, HDR etc. The IR sensor allows the phone to be an universal remote. The phone will also come with a Micromax Care app pre-installed, the company has also announced 24 hour service promise along with 1 year replacement warranty.

The phone also sports an extra dedicated button on the left (power and volume rockers are on right side). This button can be customized to be used as a flash button, the camera shutter, Quick Photo, Clean App or Disable Virtual Key on screen.

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OPPO launches first phone with Dual Selfie Camera for Rs 30,990/- in India

It was in 2014 when we witnessed a plethora of devices focused on Selfies, it was then we reviewed devices with greater than 5 MP front camera. Just a day before Gionee launched A1 which is again a selfie oriented smartphone, Vivo have also launched another couple of months back which means smartphone companies see a lot of potential in this segment and their decision is also backed by the research done on the topic.

In last two years the industry has moved at a high pace and we have seen many innovations in specs as well as the technology overall including the camera in a smartphone. Recently every other brand launched one or more than one smartphone sporting Dual cameras at rear, OPPO having positioned itself as a Camera focused brand in past 3 years, we were expecting a flagship from OPPO carrying dual camera setup. OPPO did as expected but inspite of being late in the Dual Camera race the brand turned up as a leader as it launched first phone OPPO F3 Plus with Dual Selfie Camera on the front.

Deepika Padukone, Mr. Sky Li and Dabbu Ratnani on launch of OPPO F3 Plus

The Cameras:

The Dual Selfie cameras of OPPO F3 Plus are for specific scenarios which are- "One for Selfie and another one for Group Selfie". The camera software automatically recognizes if there are more than 3 people posing for the Selfie and changes its mode to group selfie to work with a larger view area. The 120 degree wide angle, 6P front camera gives 105% larger field of view, than a regular camera. The other front camera with 16 MP resolution, 1/3.1-inch sensor and a large f/2.0 aperture will inherit the advancement seen in previous Selfie Expert phones by Oppo like high dynamic range, vivid depth and minimized noise.

While the rear camera offers high-quality photography performance with fast focusing speed, noise reduction and advanced low-light performance. The 16-megapixel rear camera is powered by a brand-new 1/2.8-inch IMX398 sensor. This sensor is jointly developed by OPPO and Sony, which features Dual PDAF – dual phase detection autofocus technology. This new technology doubles the sensor’s pixel array area where the photodiodes are embedded, necessary for phase detection autofocus. This makes for 40 percent faster focusing speeds even in low light. Paired with the large f/1.7 aperture, the resulting images are clear and breathtaking.

Other Specifications:

The OPPO F3 Plus comes with a 4000 mAh strong battery with proprietary VOOC Flash charge technology which is claimed to provide 2 hours of Talktime in just 5 minutes of recharge. The 6-inch FHD Screen, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen features a pre-applied protective screen coating. The F3 Plus is powered by an octa-core processor – the Qualcomm MSM8976 Pro, 4GB RAM, 64 GB ROM backed by the ColorOS 3.0 with Avast scanner.

Price and Availability:

The F3 Plus will be available in Gold and Black. Priced at Rs 30,990, the Gold variant of the F3 Plus will be available from 1^st April 2017 both online and offline. It will be available in OPPO stores across India and online stores on Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal. The pre-order starts from today till 31^st March 2017. OPPO is also giving a special gift pack for all pre – orders purchases made both online and offline. There is also a Black color variant for the F3 Plus which will be available later.

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Decoding OPPO's upcoming Breakthrough smartphone photography technology '5X'

OPPO Mobiles is now one of the leading handset maker company in China as well as India, its world's 4th largest selling brand. OPPO has established itself as a global player and its innovations have surely grabbed the attention of users and critics alike. 

True to its campaign 'OPPO Camera Phones' spirit, OPPO is set to unveil its next breakthrough in smartphone photography code named project '5X'. 

Speaking about the technology, Mr. Sky Li, VP, OPPO, MD of International Mobile Business & President of OPPO India, said, “OPPO’s relentless pursuit of perfection without compromise has given birth to a remarkable technological breakthrough that will change how the world perceives smartphone photography.”

Sky added, “This remarkable achievement is the result of an extensive, year-long R&D process, combined with OPPO’s unparalleled expertise in smartphone imaging technology. We chose MWC to unveil the ‘5x’ technology with the belief that we can inspire the industry to aim higher, and continue to create pioneering products that give amazing experiences to consumers.”  

OPPO is well known for its premium build smartphones with a strong emphasis on Camera of the phone, the name '5X' suggests that it can be related to the optical zoom capability of a phone. We have seen ASUS Zenfone Zoom with '3X' optical zoom. Extending that to '5X' will be interesting to see. Our speculations seems to be in right direction as the image for the event which is part of the official press release states 'So close you can feel it'. This further confirms that OPPO's next breakthrough project has something to do with the zoom capability of the smartphone.

Going by example ASUS Zenfone Zoom we now know that its pretty difficult to fit a complex lens mechanism in smartphones of today's era. On the other hand OPPO is well known for its well built slim profile smartphones. Now Is OPPO working on a better zoom enabled smartphone? May be that's what we can infer from whatever information we have as of now, but it would be interesting to see if they compromise on the form factor of the phone to that and if yes upto what extent. So if you are nearby you can experience it first hand on Feb 27, 2017 in OPPO’s booth at MWC is D31 in Hall 3, if not than don't be disappointed we are here to bring all the news to you just keep watching this space. 

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ASUS unveils Zenfone 3 Zoom with a dual Camera setup, 2.3X optical zoom and 5000 mAh battery at CES 2017

ASUS has unveiled the successor of Zenfone Zoom , the Zenfone 3 Zoom at CES 2017. Continuing on its legacy the USP of the phone is its camera albeit in different terms from its predecessor. The Zenfone 3 Zoom retains the optical zoom feature however its lowered to 2.3X while the original Zoom had an optical zoom of 3X. On brighter side other parts of the phone are much improved and a major of such improvements is its 5000 mAh strong battery and slim design. To give you an idea the new Zoom is around 3mm thinner than the previous Zoom. 

Zenfone 3 Zoom

Zenfone 3 Zoom is a much better device overall in terms of design, build and compactness of the device. ASUS has really heard the feedback about its design and made a mark with entire Zenfone 3 series. The Zenfone 3 Zoom comes with a dual camera setup, where in one is  for 2.3X optical zoom while another one is 12 megapixel wide-angle lens with f/1.7 aperture. ASUS claims that these two lenses can also work in conjunction to produce depth-of-field bookeh effect which we are sure it can as we are witnessing the same on Honor 6x review unit.

An improved TriTech+ autofocus system automatically chooses among three autofocus technologies — Dual Pixel PDAF, subject tracking autofocus, and second-generation laser focus — depending on the situation to achieve accurate focus in just 0.03 seconds, even when photographing moving subjects.

ZenFone 3 Zoom is also the first ASUS smartphone with SuperPixel camera technology that enables it to focus incredibly quickly and capture clear photos at night or in low-light environments. ASUS-exclusive hardware and software enhancements boost sensor light-sensitivity by up to four times by intelligently adjusting ISO levels while shooting and applying noise reduction in post-shot processing. SuperPixel technology enables the camera on ZenFone 3 Zoom to have 2.5-times (2.5X) greater light sensitivity than Apple iPhone 7 Plus as claimed by ASUS.

ZenFone 3 Zoom has a high-capacity 5000mAh battery that is sculpted to fit in the phone’s super-slim, 7.9mm full-metal body. The phone weighs just 170 grams, yet with its large battery and powerful, efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor it provides users with up to 42 days of standby time. The high-capacity battery also complements ZenFone 3 Zoom’s photographic capabilities, allowing users to shoot more photos, enjoy power-intensive operations like time-lapse photography, and capture up to 6.4 hours of continuous 4K UHD video on a single charge. ZenFone 3 Zoom can also double as a high-speed power bank for charging other devices.

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ZenFone 3: Built for Photography, Camera Modes explained

Over the past few years, smartphones have undergone a radical transformation. From being considered gadgets meant to only talk and text one’s contacts, their role has become versatile enough to include a plethora of tasks which earlier required specific gadgets. A visible change in the user’s busy lifestyles meant that they required gadgets that could excel at more than just one function. Photography has, quite understandably, emerged as one of the key functions of a smartphone. Camera is often considered as one of the features that can actually influence a consumer to recommend a phone. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that smartphones have actually replaced other cameras to become the preferred device for photography for the larger section of the audience. In fact, it is very common to find even professional photographers with a smartphone having a good quality camera for impromptu photography. But what constitutes a good photography smartphone? Listed below are a few features that throw light on the same.

Camera Hardware and Software Modifications

The most obvious feature on the list. A good camera forms the very basic of a good photography smartphone. Just like a magnificent monument is the result of the labour of an experienced architect, trained craftsmen and disciplined workers, a stunning photograph requires a good camera sensor, lens and aperture among other hardware specifications. It is near impossible to expect a smartphone that utilizes lower-quality camera components to click an image that impresses the users. Similarly, an innovative software for the smartphone camera is a great way to enhance the quality of images. Such a feature can help in capturing photographs that are vibrant, real and stunning always.

ZenFone 3 packs a 16MP camera with the latest Sony® IMX298 sensor, six-element Largan lens with a large f/2.0 aperture. The camera is protected by sapphire glass that is resistant to scratches and damage. This ensures crystal clarity in images at all times. ZenFone 3 is equipped with ASUS-exclusive PixelMaster 3.0 that elevates the level of smartphone photography. The phone offers exclusive TriTech auto-focus technology that combines three focusing technologies — laser, phase detection and continuous contrast-detection auto-focus — to achieve clear focus in 0.03 seconds, up to 10x faster than the blink of an eye.

Faster Laser AutoFocus

Image Stabilization

Shooting a precious moment on camera only to see a blurry image is not the most ideal situation to be in. This is where optical image stabilization (OIS) plays a key role. It ensures that movements and jerks do not interfere with the sharpness of an image. After all, most extraordinary shots happen by chance and are not actually composed. For instance, spotting a tiger drinking water in a sanctuary is a once-in-a-lifetime moment and no one would want it to be ruined because of a smartphone that does not offer OIS. Furthermore, we are increasingly capturing our memories in video format. Be it weddings, parties or travelogues, all of such moments are captured in extended videos which would be ruined if not for electronic image stabilization (EIS).

ZenFone 3 offers 4-axis, 4-stop OIS with 8-direction OIS compensation and 3-axis EIS with 6-direction EIS compensation to ensure steady shots and blur-free memories.

Optical Image Stabilization

The EIS video output of the ZenFone 3 has a maximum resolution of 4K (3840 ×2160). Owing to the phone’s high resolution sensor, ZenFone 3 provides 4K video recording facility that offers incredible details to match the resolution of the highest resolution TVs currently in the market.

Camera Modes

A good camera-smartphone should provide multiple modes to suit various photography requirements and styles of the user. This ensures that the user is able to make modifications to suit his or her vision for each photograph.

Here are few shots taken by me using Zenfone3 I will be updating this space with more images. Click on images to view in full size.

Some of the modes offered by ZenFone 3 include:

HDR Pro and Real Time HDR – In HDR Pro mode, the camera analyses the images and improves the contrast levels by lowering the brightness in overexposed sections, and increasing the brightness by up to 400% in underexposed parts, providing more details in the picture. However, unlike other smartphones, ZenFone 3 displays HDR photo results in real time when framing the shot resulting in increased accuracy of photographs 

HDR Vs Non-HDR

Super Resolution Mode – ZenFone 3’s Super Resolution Mode allows the user to create a super-high resolution, 64MP photos. It employs special image-processing techniques to capture and combine four 16MP photos to create a single image with exceptional 4X clarity, greater detail and less noise.

Low Light Mode – ZenFone 3’s Low Light Mode combines four adjacent pixels on its sensor to work as a single large pixel to provide greater light sensitivity. This mode, in combination with OIS helps reproduce images that are clearer and sharper than the ones shot on other smartphones.

Professional manual creative controls – Every smartphone photographer has a different interpretation of a scene and often likes to be in total control of the frame that he or she has in his or her mind. ZenFone 3’s manual controls allows the user to input custom settings for white balance, Exposure Value (EV), ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and focus, allowing for greater creative independence.

32 second slow shutter mode – ZenFone 3’s allows photos to be shot with and exposure time of up to 32 seconds. This allows the smartphone photographers to use their creativity when shooting low light or night-time photos. It is best suited to capture the light streaks of passing traffic or stationary subjects in very low light conditions without the harsh lighting of a flash.

Comprehensive Preset Modes – ZenFone 3’s camera offers multiple preset modes to enable the users to shoot in multiple situations. Some of these include special effect filters, a miniature mode that makes subjects appear like mini toy figures, automated unwanted element removal, an automated beautification mode for human portraits as well as an automated time-lapse mode.

Panorama Mode – This allows the users to take beautiful landscape shots by simply panning the camera from one side of the landscape to another. The camera captures individual frames and glues them together to form one panoramic photo.

Depth of Field Mode – This mode increases the focus on the main object by blurring the background.

Miniature Mode – This mode makes subjects appear like toy models giving a whacky touch to the image!

Time Rewind Mode – This mode is used to shoot fast moving subjects like children or pets. The camera shoots a rapid burst of frames in sequence for up to two seconds, allowing the users to select the frame that they would want to save.

All Smiles – Quite similar to the Time rewind Mode, All Smiles mode shoots five frames allowing the user to save the best ones.

Gif Animation Mode – ZenFone 3 also allows the users to create fun gifs. Users only need to click an image and the camera compiles the photo sequence as an animated gif image.

Performance

A good photography smartphone needs to be backed by high performing technical specifications. It is important to be able to capture shots at a moment’s notice without facing any lags and hang-ups. A slow smartphone that makes one wait in between shots hinders the freedom that a photographer should enjoy.

ZenFone 3 is designed for photographers and is powered by a 64-bit, 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon™ 625 – the first 600 tier processor that uses 14nm finFET process technology  making it 35% more power efficient than 28nm processors. Furthermore, PC-grade graphics combine with up to 4GB RAM to deliver an outstanding performance with improved efficiency.

Storage

Every picture clicked requires a certain amount of storage space. “Memory low” or “Please delete old data” are two of the most fearful messages for a smartphone photographer. Nobody wishes to part with their memories and why should they? A smartphone should deliver sufficient storage space to the users to be able to save their pictures, both old and new.

ZenFone 3 offers up to 64GB of internal storage that can be expanded to 2 TB through a micro-SD card.

Design

A smartphone should be designed to support the user’s photography expeditions. It is generally noticed that when smartphones are packed with features, they tend to appear bulky, which is not the most ideal design element for a smartphone photographer. It should be sleek, easy to hold and feel good in the hands of the user, making it difficult for him or her to put the phone down and motivating him to explore the world through the smartphone’s camera a little more!

The ZenFone 3 range is constructed out of materials like glass and metal in a sleek packaging making it really comfortable to use. ZenFone 3 is only 7.69 mm thin and bears the aesthetics of Zen’s signature concentric-circle pattern, rendering it as beautiful as the images it captures!

Disclaimer: This article is an informative article about Asus's latest smartphone Zenfone 3 camera  modes and should not be taken as review of the same.

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Huawei launches its Flagship P9 co-engineered by Leica with dual cameras ,in India for Rs 39,999

Huawei today announced launch of its latest Flagship P9 with a tagline "change the way you see the world" as it comes with a dual camera at back one to work on vivid colors and another one sporting monochrome lenses. The phone is co-engineered by Leica camera AG. The two rear cameras of the Huawei P9 work in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail, depth and color by capturing more light and stitching together both vivid colors and monochrome images. Huawei accompanied the launch of the P9 with the showcasing of 2 other international blockbuster products- the Matebook and the TalkBand B3, which will be debuting in India soon.

Boman Irani and Sushmita Sen at the launch event

The first Chinese company to realize the potential of Indian software talent by investing in India with its R&D center way back in 1999, Huawei has always believed that companies will need to examine the market more closely, identify customer needs and devise innovative products so they address unique challenges which meet price and performance targets.

The P9, targeted for the users of the growing premium end smartphone market will mark the re-entry of Huawei in this segment after a period of almost 3 years and would give an impetus to the India growth story for Huawei. Huawei realized the potential of India as a strategically important market and has big plans for India. An important step in the direction is the appointment of Mr. Peter Zhai, the new President of Huawei India Consumer Business Group.

With a decade of global management experience in the smartphone industry, Peter will be kick-starting the momentum with the distribution of the Huawei P9 in the country. Peter’s approach also includes bolstering the dual strategy of Huawei and Honor by tapping the market with offerings from both Huawei, which will cater to a premium market, while consistently focusing Honor as a masses device in both Huawei’s offline and online channels. To do so, Mr.Zhai also emphasizes a VIP service options that includes 1 year warrenty, 3 months accidental damage warranty (Only Screen), free postal repair service- pick up and drop. For for details of the privilege, please visit www.hihonor.com/in/support/

Specifications at a glance

The Huawei P9 is equipped with the power, connectivity and speed that today’s high-end smartphone user expects from Huawei. With a 5.2-inch 1080p display, the smartphone is powered by the new Kirin 955 2.5GHz 64-bit ARM-based processor coupled with 3GB of RAM for leading-class mobile performance. The 3,000 mAh high-density battery offers the Huawei P9 users outstanding mobility and battery life.

Leveraging Huawei’s industry-leading capabilities in telecommunications, the Huawei P9 offers unrivaled new features including a virtual-triple-antenna architecture, designed for users who need robust and seamless connectivity to cellular and Wi-Fi networks to fully harness the power of the mobile Internet no matter where they are in the world.

The Huawei P9 also protects users’ privacy and information security with Huawei’s world-leading biometric fingerprint recognition technology. The enhanced fingerprint sensor allows users to personalize and safeguard their devices by significantly lowering the possibility of fraudulent or accidental device access, while also ensuring users can quickly and securely access their smartphone.

Speaking at the launch, Peter Zhai, President,Huawei India, Consumer Business Group said “Huawei is known for many firsts. We introduced the first ever android smartphone of the world in India in 2011 and the launch of P9 is another feather in our cap. We are excited to give our valued customers the best smartphone photography experience by leveraging the unrivalled capabilities of Leica, the leader in the world of imaging for more than 100 years. We feel photography is a critical element in user experience in a smartphone and Huawei P9 users can now capture images with unmatched clarity, richness and authenticity, with a masterfully designed and powerful smartphone that looks, feels and performs exceptionally.”

Reinventing Smartphone Photography

Integrating the design values and engineering excellence of Huawei and Leica in a smartphone photography system co-engineered by the two companies, the Huawei P9 brings together the best-in-class hardware and software, from optical lenses, to sensors, to image processing algorithms, empowering users to capture the highest-quality images.

Huawei P9 rear view with dual camera on the top

Key to the Huawei P9’s superlative imaging capabilities is a dual-lens camera design that fully unleashes the power of Leica’s optical lenses, renowned for precision and attention to detail, and subject to the industry’s most stringent quality screening requirements. The RGB camera on the Huawei P9 specializes in capturing color, while the monochrome camera is outstanding at acquiring picture detail. The two rear cameras of the Huawei P9 works in tandem to enable users to create images of superior detail, depth and color. The Huawei P9 excels in low-light conditions, as the dual-camera design guarantees more light and detail capture. 

Each picture taken by the Huawei P9 carries the unique emotional resonance and timelessness that are the hallmarks of Leica, as users may choose between three film modes: Standard, Vivid Colors and Smooth Colors, depending on their personal preferences. With meticulous calibration of the Huawei P9’s camera parameters, each film mode faithfully renders the authentic color and style of Leica. By selecting the monochrome mode, the users can use their devices as a true monochrome camera to capture powerful and evocative black and white images of superior quality.

Deploying Huawei’s Hybrid Focus technology, the Huawei P9 captures images with superior speed, accuracy and stability. The Huawei P9 supports camera focusing based on three methodologies – laser, depth calculation and contrast – and automatically selects the one that yields the best result in any given environment. 

The wide-aperture photography feature on the Huawei P9 allows users to experiment with innovative visual effects to create unique images and content. The Huawei P9 makes it easy to adjust the camera aperture to create bokeh and other depth-of-field effects, while keeping the main object in sharp focus.

Taking Industrial Design to a Higher Level

The Huawei P9 has a state-of the-art industrial design, with the same minimalist design DNA as earlier products in Huawei’s acclaimed flagship P-series of premium smartphones. Each device is a perfect construct of superior-grade 2.5D glass and an aerospace-class aluminum, with diamond-cut edges rounded out by carefully balanced curvatures.

The Huawei P9 comes in a stunning and unique three colours setting new industry standards in industrial design, with the use of techniques including brushed hairlines and metal polishing at micron-level precision to create a translucent metal surface.

Pricing:

The Huawei P9  is slated to be available in the country beginning August 18^th at a price of Rs 39,999/-  

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ASUS announces #Zoomography campaign to experience the Zenfone Zoom

ASUS announced the launch of its campaign '#Zoomography' that gives an opportunity to its consumers to experience the 3X optical-zoom of much acclaimed Zenfone Zoom, the campaign encourages the users to explore their creativity while at the same time, capturing the beauty of the world through the Zenfone Zoom’s powerful camera. 

Zenfone Zoom

In order to be eligible to win the vouchers, consumers need to purchase a Zenfone Zoom from Flipkart or any ASUS authorized partner and register the product purchase details on http://asusindiapromo.com/register/  Once deemed valid, the buyers will get an assured chance to win free vouchers worth INR 8,000 that includes GoIbibo vouchers worth INR 6,000 and Flipkart vouchers worth INR 2,000. The offer is valid for all purchases made from 18th to 30th April, 2016.

Dubbed ‘Shoot At Sight’ the next leg of #Zoomography allows participants to even win the ZenFone Zoom itself! Users simply need to upload and share the most unique and spell-binding photographs of India on https://asus.in/zenfone-zoom/ These photographs should be spontaneous, original and should portray the true beauty of India. Open for voting by fans, 3 of the best photos selected give the photographers a chance to win the Zenfone Zoom. This contest will also run from the period of 18^th April to 30^th April. The time frame will also see known 30 celebrities like Richa Chaddha, Irfan Pathan, Rannvijay, Malaika Arora Khan, Karan Singh Grover etc. share their experience with the Zenfone Zoom on social media.

Marcel Campos, Marketing Director, Mobile Division - ASUS India, said, “We are extremely glad to see the response we have received for the Zenfone Zoom till now. We always strive to create products that stand out by means of their technological achievement, and at the same time, appeal to the creativity of our audience. With the Zenfone Zoom, our intention was to introduce mastery to the art of clicking a photograph through the smartphone camera. This resulted in a product that combines panache, artistry and luxury with features that are useful to the photographer in everyone. We are sure #Zoomography will give our patrons and photography enthusiasts a chance to nurture the artist in them.”

Additionally, to showcase the true power of the Zenfone Zoom, a smartphone with DSLR- like capabilities, ASUS has worked with David Sandberg, an acclaimed global filmmaker to create thrilling short films that depict the ‘Zoom’ in its full glory. Known around the world for his ability to create unique stories, these films reflect the optimum power of the ASUS Zenfone Zoom through the master director’s eyes. These 5 films can be seen at https://youtu.be/MApMlOZQAWA

On the films, Sandberg said, "When ASUS approached me to shoot five videos for Zenfone Zoom, I was excited about the zoom feature of the smartphone and the possibilities of how I could present it. ASUS gave me a blank canvas to work with — it's rare for a client to be so open, and I really appreciate that. I am sure the end result will show how much fun we had working on this project."

The most recent addition to ASUS’ fast-evolving smartphone family, the Zenfone Zoom offers a 13MP PixelMaster camera with 3X optical zoom and laser auto-focus in a sleek form-factor which enables users to create incredible images while delivering powerhouse performance through a 64-bit quad-core processor. The Zenfone Zoom is available at a price of Rs 37,999 in India.

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ASUS Zenfone Zoom Review: The master of Camera Phones?

ASUS as we know is playing aggressively in Smartphone markets since the inception of its Zenfone brand. The Zenfone series has given ASUS a respectable space in market as well as the market share it was looking for. The ASUS Zenfone 5, Zenfone 4 were low budget smartphones boasting high end specifications and ASUS's proprietary technologies such as Pixel master running over the top of Zen UI. The Zenfone 2 series went up a little higher and did well for 10K to 20K price segment, however recently ASUS has played big on its part and launched premium smartphone the Zenfone Zoom, priced at Rs 37,999/- . So, does the phone justifies the price tag? let's find out.

Build and Design of the phone:

We will start our review from the back side of the phone as this is the place which holds its much talked about camera unit. The back comes with stretched leather covering over plastic and definitely looks premium. The back is dominated by the camera unit which is a circle enclosing the 13 MP rear camera, dual tone LED Flash and a laser auto-focus, along the circular line you can see details about camera written such as 3X optical Zoom with OIS | 13 Megapixel F2.7-F4.8 | DualFlash | Laser AF | HOYA Lens. Hoya is the hardware partner of ASUS for Zenfone Zoom. The camera unit is bulging out slightly but given the fact that it houses 10p element HOYA lenses and comes with 3x optical zoom without protruding anything out, its acceptable.

You can see intel branding on top right corner and ASUS, branding in mid lower segment of the phone, There is deliberate bulge which looks like stitched leather which keeps camera unit safe from scratches when the phone is kept on plain surface, it also helps preventing the audio muffled from the speaker which is just below it on the left side in same position.

The phone comes with solid metallic built on the sides, left side of the phone is void of any physical buttons, the left corner however comes with a lanyard slot to tie a lanyard, bottom edge of the phone comes with mic and micro USB charging slot which supports fast charging.

On top of the phone we have a noise cancellation mic and 3.5 mm audio jack, right side of the phone has volume rockers on top, power button just down it and 2 dedicated buttons for camera app on bottom which can be used for recording video or clicking the images. Long pressing these buttons from home launches the camera app as well in video/normal mode.

Front side is dominated by a 5.5 inch HD IPS display which comes with a pixel density of 403 ppi, on top of the display we have an Earpiece, 5 MP front camera right to it, ASUS branding in the center and other sensors such as proximity, light sensor to the left. Coming down to bottom there are 3 capacitive buttons for back, home and multitasking placed from left to right respectively. Further down there is familiar ASUS chin of the phone with concentric circle design.

Design wise ASUS has listened to the feedback received after Zenfone 2 and thankfully it has not placed volume rockers at back and power button on top of the phone. all the buttons are quite accessible and seems well placed.

Display: 

ASUS Zenfone zoom's display is definitely better than the displays of other Zenfone models we have seen in the past. The color reproduction is good, display looks brighter and can be looked at in direct sunlight. However for a premium phone 1080p display looks below standard and you can get much higher resolution displays for less price, but point to be noted is that display is not the selling point of the phone , is it?

Camera:

Here comes the area where ASUS has boasted a lot about its strength and even compared the phone's camera to that of a DSLR. Though those claims are only good for marketing as we think no phone camera yet beat a DSLR, but Zenfone Zoom does justice to the hype created going by the standards of a smartphone. The 3X optical zoom works really well and we are impressed by the details in pictures we were able to capture thru this camera. We found built in modes like HDR, Low light to be taking a longer time to process the image, manual mode works well. Below are few sample shots taken from camera in different settings.

3X optical Zoom (Above 1X - below 3X Click to enlarge)

Auto mode (Click on image to enlarge)

Auto mode (Click on image to enlarge)

Auto mode (Click on image to enlarge)

Depth of Field (Click on image to enlarge)

Low Light

Software and Performance:

A phone touted with tag line "PC like performance" better perform good specially when it runs on 2.3 GHz intel quad core processor supported by 4GB RAM. Zenfone Zoom didn't disappointed us in our day to day use, we didn't observed any heating issue or any lag while switching between multiple applications. For battery part we were left with around 20-30% of battery after using it for complete day which includes 3G network, wifi, bluetooth on for full time, around 3 hours screen on time, occasionally a game or two of GT Racing. The phone comes with fast charger and does gets full charged in around 2 hours (though never measured exact time it took to charge).

ASUS Zenfone Zoom comes with ZenUI based upon Android Lollipop 5.0, there are many pre-installed applications which looks more like of bloat ware, Auto start manager is one such applications which controls which apps are allowed to run by default when your phone is restarted any time. However, the UI is pretty stable and smooth and we didn't faced any issues with the software.

Verdict:

Zenfone Zoom comes with an out of box optical zoom features which packs in 11.95 and doesn't protrudes out, however on down side it lacks on Finger print scanner which is a norm for flagship phones and comes with slightly lower resolution display, but on positive side the phone does really well for what it is marketed i.e. camera performance and has 4 GB RAM, 128 GB internal storage and great performing processor in its arsenal. So if you are looking for some serious photography smartphone with decent hardware to accompany it then Zenfone Zoom deserves a chance, however if you are fine with casual photography and 3x optical zoom doesn't charm you then there are plenty of options available in market at lower costs.

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