Category: Smartphones & Gadgets

  • Apple releases iOS 16.1.1. Here’s how to download

    Apple has launched iOS 16.1.1 and iPadOS 16.1.1 updates to all iPhone and iPad fashions. According to studies, these updates don’t convey new options however have bug fixes.   

    Step 1: Open the settings in your iPhone.

    Step 2: Click on the overall settings choice.

    Step 3: Now, faucet the software program replace choice. It will present the newest software program replace out there.

    Step 4: Click to download and set up.

    Step 5: Enter your iPhone passcode and agree with Apple’s phrases and circumstances.

    Step 6: Confirm your choice and observe the on-screen prompts to full the set up.

    Also learn: Apple monitoring each App Store exercise since iOS 14.6

  • Reliance Jio launches affordable phone platform, starting at $12

    To convert India’s 250 million 2G subscriber base to 4G mobile networks, Reliance Jio launched a Jio Bharat platform on Monday, permitting manufacturers to create web or 4G-enabled gadgets at substantively low-entry stage costs. 

    As per the press launch, Reliance Retail and Indian smartphone producer Karbonn Mobile are already creating smartphones beneath the Jio Bharat platform. The beta trial for the primary 1 million Jio Bharat telephones begins from July 7, 2023. This trial can be carried out in 6,500 tehsils. 

    The starting value of telephones on the Jio Bharat platform is ₹999, nearly a fifth of Jio’s newest smartphone launch launched final 12 months. To break into the 2G subscriber base in India, Jio has been releasing its personal gadgets since 2016, usually priced at entry-level charges. However because the launch of its first characteristic phone in 2016, the following launches of smartphone gadgets resembling Jio Phone Next haven’t carried out effectively out there at all, with solely 5 million gadgets having been offered to this point.

    Analysts consider Reliance is rethinking methods, giving customers on the 2016 Jio Phone gadgets an opportunity to resume their gadgets with the gadgets on the Jio Bharat platform. Reliance Jio has renewed its dedication to its entry-level base in addition to per consultants, indicating that it’s going to not be growing its entry-level tariffs, not like Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, simply but. 

    Users will get “a 30 per cent cheaper month-to-month plan and seven instances extra information in comparison with characteristic phone choices of different operators  at ₹123 monthly for limitless voice calls and 14 GB information,” Jio stated.

    Akash Ambani, Chairman, Reliance Jio, commented, “There are nonetheless 250 million cell phone customers in India who stay ‘trapped’ within the 2G period, unable to faucet into fundamental options of the web at a time when the world stands at the cusp of a 5G revolution.”

  • Govt may soon standardise mobile screen guards to protect domestic manufacturing

    The Centre is probably going to implement Compulsory Registration Scheme for self-declaration of conformity with the brand new Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on imports of tempered glass screen protectors (TG-SP), that are primarily a part of the unorganised sector proper now.

    According to sources within the know, representations have been despatched from the organised gamers to each the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and BIS requesting obligatory “Fog marking/ Etching” on all of the imported tempered glass screen printers.

    Loss to the exchequer

    The sources stated there’s a lack of 1000’s of crore of rupees to the federal government yearly due to such unorganised imports of the screen guards from China.

    “There is a loss to the federal government by way of tax to the tune of 1000’s of crores (rupees). Besides shoppers are getting low high quality plastic merchandise within the identify of screen protectors,” a senior authorities official instructed businessline. There is quite a lot of job alternatives if this sector turns into organised and may make use of 40,000-50,000 individuals, the official stated.

    In India, there are just a few corporations like Optiemus Infracom and Corning India proper now, that are manufacturing tempered glass or screen protectors for smartphones regionally.

    According to market stories, domestic marketplace for tempered glass screen protectors is estimated to attain round ₹25,000 crore ($3.4 million) by 2025 at client value from at the moment round ₹18,000 crore, and the cumulative market is probably going to be round ₹1,02,700 crore ($14.3 billion) within the subsequent 5 years.

    In phrases of volumes, the general marketplace for TG-SP reached 373 million models in 2021 in India and solely 10 per cent market is organised and relaxation 90 per cent are within the gray market.

    Globally additionally, the screen protectors market is a big a part of the mobile equipment ecosystem and is anticipated to develop to $75 billion by 2025 from a present degree of round $43 billion.

    According to the India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) additionally, MeitY ought to advocate a particular HS Code for the Imports of TG-SP and make this as a compulsory requirement for these imports with Customs.

    It stated other than GST, there are additionally different income losses to the nation like no revenue tax income, deficit in customs obligation collections, lack of employment and most significantly, mobile shoppers in India are being supplied with spurious/ sub-standard merchandise.

    “Once the standardisation is achieved, a authorized and quality-oriented market will probably be created, enabling the native suppliers to promote by correct channels, formalising the whole provide chain,” Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA, stated.

  • realme 10 Pro 5G to hit shelves on December 16

    realme is launching its new smartphone realme 10 Pro 5G tomorrow (December 16)

    realme 10 Pro 5G smartphone is provided with a 120Hz show with ultra-slim facet bezels. The smartphone is powered by a strong (*16*) 695 5G processor and comes with a 108-MP ProMild Camera with 16MP selfie digital camera.  

    realme 10 Pro 5G is available in three colors- Hyperspace Gold, Dark Matter, Nebula Blue and shall be obtainable in two storage variants- 6GB+128GB priced at INR 18,999 & 8GB+128GB priced at INR 19,999.  Users can avail flat INR 1,000 financial institution provide on realme 10 Pro 5G (6GB+128GB)  bringing the efficient value to INR 17,999.

    The first sale will start on December 16, 12:00 midday, throughout realme.com, Flipkart.com, and bodily shops.

    (This article has been taken from a syndicated press launch, and will have been reworked for brevity.)

    (*10*)

  • Acer launches 16-inch OLED laptop Swift Edge in India

     

    Acer has launched the Swift Edge, which it claims is the world’s lightest 16-inch OLED laptop.

    The 4K OLED show on the Acer Swift Edge helps 100 per cent of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has a peak brightness of 500 nits for movie-quality visuals. In order to assist battle in opposition to more and more advanced cyberattacks, it’s geared up with Microsoft Pluton safety processor.

    The new laptop’s show has been licensed by VESA DisplayHD True Black 500 and TUV Rheinland Eyesafe for a long-lasting and cozy viewing expertise.

    This laptop weighs just one.17kg and comes with an AMD Ryzen PRO CPU and as much as a 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD. Starting at ₹1,24,999.00, the all-new Swift Edge is designed to meet the wants of the trendy hybrid workforce.

    (This article has been taken from a syndicated press launch, and will have been reworked for brevity.)

  • HMD Global launches new Nokia C31 in India

    The new Nokia C31 by HMD Global comes with a 6.7-inch HD show and triple rear and selfie cameras powered by Google. The smartphones comes with Android 12 and improved safety from mud and moisture.

    Nokia claims that the smartphone can go on as much as three days on a single cost. The Nokia C31 additionally comes with widespread functions pre-installed, together with Spotify for uninterrupted music and GoPro Quik so you may shoot, edit and share your creativity from anyplace. 

    The Nokia C31 is offered in India — on Nokia.com and throughout shops from in the present day, in Charcoal, Mint & Cyan, priced at ₹9,999 and ₹10,999 for 3/32GB and 4/64GB reminiscence and storage configurations respectively. 

    (This article has been taken from a syndicated press launch, and should have been reworked for brevity.)

  • IPhone maker Foxconn plans to set up $700 mn new plant in Bengaluru

    Apple Inc. companion Foxconn Technology Group plans to make investments about $700 million on a new plant in India to ramp up native manufacturing, individuals conversant in the matter mentioned, underscoring an accelerating shift of producing away from China as Washington-Beijing tensions develop.  

    The Taiwanese firm, additionally recognized for its flagship unit Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., plans to construct the plant to make iPhone elements on a 300-acre web site shut to the airport in Bengaluru, in accordance to the individuals, who requested not to be named as the data will not be public. The manufacturing unit can also assemble Apple’s handsets, a few of the individuals mentioned, and Foxconn can also use the location to produce some elements for its nascent electrical automobile enterprise. 

    The funding is one in every of Foxconn’s largest single outlays to date in India and underscores how China’s vulnerable to dropping its standing because the world’s largest producer of shopper electronics. Apple and different US manufacturers are leaning on their Chinese-based suppliers to discover different places resembling India and Vietnam. It’s a rethink of the worldwide provide chain that’s accelerated throughout the pandemic and the struggle in Ukraine and will reshape the way in which world electronics are made.

    The new manufacturing web site in India is predicted to create about 100,000 jobs, the individuals mentioned. The firm’s sprawling iPhone meeting complicated in the Chinese metropolis of Zhengzhou employs some 200,000 in the intervening time, though that quantity surges throughout peak manufacturing season.

    Output on the Zhengzhou plant plunged forward of the year-end holidays due to Covid-related disruptions, spurring Apple to re-examine its China-reliant provide chain. Foxconn’s choice is the newest transfer that means suppliers could transfer capability out of China far quicker than anticipated. 

    The plans may nonetheless change as Foxconn is in the method of finalising funding and mission particulars, the individuals mentioned. It’s additionally unclear if the plant represents new capability, or manufacturing that Foxconn is shifting from different websites resembling its Chinese services. 

    Apple declined to remark. Hon Hai, whose Chairman Young Liu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week, didn’t instantly reply to an e mail looking for remark. The Karnataka authorities additionally didn’t reply. Liu, who’s on tour in India, has dedicated to one other manufacturing mission in the neighboring Telangana .

    Foxconn’s choice can be a coup for Modi’s authorities, which sees a possibility to shut India’s tech hole with China as Western buyers and companies bitter on Beijing’s crackdowns on the non-public sector. 

    India has supplied monetary incentives to Apple suppliers resembling Foxconn, which started making the newest technology of iPhones at a web site in Tamil Nadu final yr. Smaller rivals Wistron Corp. and Pegatron Corp. have additionally ramped up in India, whereas suppliers resembling Jabil Inc. have begun making parts for AirPods regionally.

  • Samsung to invest in smart manufacturing capability, research and development in India

    Korean electronics main Samsung will invest in establishing smart manufacturing capabilities at its second-largest cell phone plant in Noida to make manufacturing extra aggressive, firm’s world head for cell enterprise stated right here on Monday.

    Samsung Electronics President and Head of Mobile eXperience Business T M Roh in response to a PTI question on firm’s funding plan in India stated that the corporate will proceed to invest in research and development facility in the nation.

    “We will proceed our funding to carry the optimised and or smart manufacturing unit to the Noida amenities. We will proceed our funding there. I imagine this our funding for the smart manufacturing unit will carry competitiveness in the manufacturing,” Roh stated.

    Samsung has its second-biggest manufacturing facility globally in Noida. The firm this yr began manufacturing its premium Galaxy S23 collection in India.

    “We have largest research and development centre right here. For the brand new innovation we’ll proceed our funding in this space,” Roh stated.

    Samsung has round 10,000 staff at its R&D centres throughout India, out of which the most important base of shut to 3,500 folks is situated at it Bengaluru centre.

  • Samsung launches Galaxy A54, A34 series

    Smartphone producer Samsung has launched Galaxy A54 5G and Galaxy A34 5G series of telephones, eyeing a glowing marketplace for 5G telephones within the nation.

     
    “The newest telephones will drive the adoption of 5G smartphones among the many telephone customers within the nation,” Akshay Rao, General Manager of Samsung India (Mobile Business), stated.

    Addressing a press convention right here on Wednesday, he stated each the cell phones provide ‘spill and splash’ resistance with an IP67 score.

     
    “This score means the telephones can stand up to water for as much as half-hour. They include a Corning Gorilla Glass 5 safety, providing scratch and drop resistance,” he stated.

    The two variants of Galaxy A54 are priced at ₹38,999 and ₹40,999, whereas Galaxy A34 are priced at ₹30,999 and ₹32,999 respectively. 

    The units are up on the market on on-line platforms from March 28.

  • A refined revision: OnePlus 11R

    While OnePlus’ R-series is generally the price range worth for cash refinement of its flagship lineup, the model has introduced out the OnePlus 11R, which brings a few of the finest options of the OnePlus 11, however at a extra budget-friendly flagship inexpensive value. Let us see what the OnePlus 11R has to supply.

    Display

    The design carefully resembles that of the OnePlus 11- with a delicate matte end on the glass again panel. The 11R is sort of slim and the delicate silicon case within the field is a reassuring addition. 

    The OnePlus 11R sports activities a powerful  6.74-inch AMOLED edge-to-edge show which helps refresh charges of as much as 120Hz. Colours are rendered nicely, together with glorious distinction and black ranges. 

    While the 11R does miss out on Dolby Vision and Atmos assist, the assist for HDR10+ makes it a great machine for media consumption on platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Netflix.

    Also learn: A mellow melody: OnePlus Buds Pro 2 evaluate

    The prime and backside firing audio system are fairly loud and a pleasure to atone for New York Times’ The Daily podcasts. 

    Spending some high quality time taking part in Call of Duty Mobile was fairly pleasing! The gameplay was fluid, with the telephone supporting very excessive graphics and churning out a constant 60 FPS via the session.

    The display is visible in  direct sunlight for a quick check on email notifications

    The show is seen in direct daylight for a fast verify on electronic mail notifications
    | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh

    The 1,450 nits of peak brightness assist with visibility in direct daylight, for a fast verify of emails and messages within the car parking zone earlier than beginning work for the day. 

    Camera

    The OnePlus 11R options the Sony IMX890- the identical sensor discovered within the OnePlus 11. However, it lacks the Hasselblad collaboration. The 11R isn’t any slouch although, and images taken within the day render nicely with none artifacts or color points, the evening pictures are also satisfactory for social media.

    The triple camera setup produces mixed results

    The triple digital camera setup produces combined outcomes
    | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh

    The 2-MP macro digital camera struggles with mounted focus and white steadiness points and isn’t one thing I needed to succeed in out for sometimes on the telephone. The 16-MP front-facing digital camera can work in a pinch for these video calls.

    Performance
    The 11R is an ideal phone for the price

    The 11R is a perfect telephone for the value
    | Photo Credit: Bijoy Ghosh

    The OnePlus 11R options the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset with the Adreno 730 GPU. The unit I reviewed had 16 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. During gaming, the machine did get scorching – possibly courtesy of the glass end on the again. However,  the general efficiency didn’t take a lot of successful.

    On artificial benchmarks, the OnePlus 11R scored 7,80,812 factors on AnTuTu, putting it means beneath the OnePlus 11’s 1,15,0541 rating however above the OnePlus 10R 5G and the Google Pixel 7.

    The telephone comes with OxygenOS 13 and the interface is fluid and straightforward to make use of. There isn’t a lot bloatware aside from the corporate’s personal apps which embody the IR blaster that can be utilized to regulate your TV, AC, and extra.

    Battery

    The OnePlus 11R was simply in a position to chug via over seven hours of screen-on time  – with an hour or so of video calls, two hours of gaming, and a few combined utilization on MS Outlook, Teams, and the digital camera. 

    The OnePlus 11R has a 5,000 mAh battery and assist for 100W SUPERVOOC, which permits for quick telephone charging from 0 to 100 per cent in below 40 minutes.

    Verdict

    The OnePlus 11R is one of the best bang for the buck for these in search of a telephone to be their each day driver. With spectacular efficiency and respectable battery life, that is just-below-flagship- ranges of superior, with out the premium price ticket.

    OnePlus 11R

    Pros: Value for cash specs, quick efficiency, vivid AMOLED display screen

    Cons: Heating points, poor macro snaps