No, not a spa vacation or a new car. The new Indian millennial is investing in new smart phones this festive season. According to the latest study by Counterpoint Research, nearly half of all smart phones sold in our country are bought in the festive four weeks spanning Dussehra and Diwali. Already, sales across online platforms tend to cross the equivalent of a billion dollars, every five days. For the mid-range mobile enthusiast, confused by the plethora of choices, we review four options, each unique in their own way...
Samsung Galaxy J6+: Side is the new middle
Manufacturers have placed the fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, below the screen, and sometimes on the screen itself. But Samsung claims that it has positioned the sensor in the most obvious and natural place it should belong: the side of the phone! And no, it doesn't make the device any fatter. The recently launched Galaxy J6+ is the first device to introduce this feature. Additionally, the combination of a true HD+ 6 inch infinity display and 360 degrees surround sound with Dolby Atmos makes this device a good festive buy. Powered by the Snapdragon 425 processor and a 3300mAh battery, the J6+ comes in a 13MP + 5MP back and 8MP front camera configuration, and is priced at Rs 15,990 (4GB + 64GB). If you are willing to give up the side fingerprint sensor and settle for a 13MP rear and 5MP front camera, and a 2GB + 32GB memory configuration, you can opt for the Galaxy J4+ which can be had for Rs 10,990.
Tecno Camon iClick2: Flash that 24MP smile
The flagship from Tecno — Camon iClick2 — leads a range of offerings targeted at providing an affordable mix of camera performance and design. The iCLick2 is the first-ever notch device with a 24MP AI selfie camera, with a video chat flash, priced under Rs 14,000. With 4-in-1 pixel binning and a 5MP lens, the front camera of the iClick2 features AI bokeh and a special beauty algorithm to clean up your selfies. The 13MP + 5MP back camera, enabled with a quad flash, automatically detects scene details and optimises the image accordingly, thanks to its deep learning-powered database of India-specific scenes and images. The 6.2-inch device is powered by a 3750mAh battery and runs on the Helio P22 quad-core processor.
The AI-enabled battery management ensures that the device churns out around 2 days of the charge, by optimising power usage based on your usage trends. The dual SIM, dual VoLTE phone ensures that you can run two sims on 4G VoLTE as well as a third memory card in case you need additional space. The Camon iClick2 comes with an arc curvature 3D back design and rounded corners that fit snuggly in your hands and weighs just 145g. At an asking price of Rs 13,499 (4GB + 64GB), the Tecno Camon iCLick2 takes your selfie obsession rather seriously. If you prefer a better rear camera, you can also check out Tecno's almost identically featured Camon i2X: 13MP + 5MP dual back and 16MP front for Rs 12,499.
Honor 8X: Elevator Mode, On!
Elon Musk's moon mission may not really be the biggest tech challenge in the world. It could be something as simple as getting a mobile network back as soon as you get off an elevator! Honor, in this latest offering — the 8X — sports an AI innovation where the elevator mode in the backend reconnects to 4G network in less 3-4 seconds depending on your mobile service provider. In comparison, other phones require anything between 10 to 40 seconds to lock into the network. Honor has the reputation of having top-notch R&D that is dedicated to solving performance issues with the good design. For instance, the 8X antenna placement follows a double L design which occupies the bottom part of your screen under-the-hood in a horseshoe fashion rather than a flat block, allowing Honor to slim down the phone and increase antenna performance.
The 8X also happens to be the first device in the world that is certified by TUV Rheinland since it offers optimum protection with its low blue light reading mode. Design-wise, the 8X sports a double textured aurora design with 2.5D glass and a metal frame, giving a rather sophisticated, yet shiny look to the phone. Powered by the Kirin 710 processor, the 6.5-inch device comes with a 20MP + 2MP AI rear camera, a 16MP front camera with special modes such as an AI sports mode with motion detection, and an optimised sports mode. The 8X, packed with such innovative design and specs, is available for Rs 14,999 (4GB + 64GB), Rs 16,999 (6GB + 64GB) and Rs 18,999 (6GB + 128GB).
Nokia 3.1 Plus: Pure Android experience
The new-wave Nokia brand has become synonymous with Nordic design engineering with a pure, unadulterated Android experience. Its latest release — the Nokia 3.1 Plus — is meant for those of us who like to view a lot of online content on our devices, With its 6-inch HD+ display and an 18:9 aspect ratio, Nokia claims that it will enhance your content consumption experience by making it ideal for news feeds and social media. With an optimised 3500mAh battery, you can truly view a lot of content before running out of juice. The 3.1 Plus comes with a 13MP + 5MP back camera configuration, with the 13MP clicker featuring phase detection auto-focus, and the 5MP front lens exclusively for depth sensing. The 8MP front camera comes with a typical mix of selfie-enhancement and low-light optimizations. Powered by the Helio P22 processor, the highlight of the Nokia 3.1 is the fact that it is part of the Android One program, which comes with guaranteed three years of monthly security patches and two years of OS updates. The device is available at Rs 11,499 (3GB + 32GB). If a pure Android experience in a sturdy but compact device is what you need this Diwali, go for the 3.1 Plus.
--IndiaTechOnline
