The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A was finally unveiled in China and it will go on sale via Mi.com and JD.com from Tuesday. The first smartphone to launch in the Note 5 series that succeeds last year’s popular Note 4 line comes in two versions – Standard Edition and High Edition with three RAM and memory variants in total. The base version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage is priced at CNY 699 (around Rs. 6,700). The two other premium versions are priced at CNY 899 (roughly Rs. 8,600) for 3GB and 32GB storage, and CNY 1,199 (almost Rs. 11,500) for 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The 3GB RAM and 32GB variant and the 4GB with 64GB version come with fingerprint sensors while the base model of the Redmi Note 5A does not.
All three Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A editions will be available in Champagne Gold, Rose Gold, and Platinum Silver colour options. Common features include a 5.5-inch HD (720×1280) display and a Snapdragon 425 SoC and an Adreno 308 GPU. Internal storage is expandable up to 128GB. There’s a 13-megapixel rear sensor with LED flash support, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture, HDR mode, and real-time filters. At the front, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A has a 5-megapixel selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. It packs a 3080mAh battery that is rated to offer 35 hours of call time and 11 days of standby time. The dimensions of the base model of the smartphone are 153×76.2×7.5mm, and it weighs 150 grams. Connectivity options on the Redmi Note 5A include 4G, Bluetooth v4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, and GPS + GLONASS. Sensors on board include infrared, gyro, acceleration, distance, ambient light, and compass.
OnePlus 5 8GB RAM Slate Gray variant now available in India
After launching the Soft Gold version of the OnePlus 5, OnePlus has now made the Slate Gray OnePlus 5 8GB RAM available in India via the Amazon India OnePlus Super Seller Week from Monday, August 21 to Friday, August 25. It’s also available via oneplusstore.in. Previously, the only way you could get your hands on a Slate Gray OnePlus 5 was if you went with the 6GB/64GB version.
As part of the OnePlus Super Seller Week, Amazon India is offering deals on Cleartrip, extra Rs. 2,000 off on exchange (up to Rs. 22,700 on exchange), 3 to 6 months No Cost EMI options on credit cards, and Rs. 1,500 Amazon Pay cash back on the use of American Express card or Amazon Gift Card. Vodafone is offering free 75GB 4G data and three months of free Vodafone Play if you purchase the OnePlus 5 model. And lastly, there is also free 12-month accidental damage insurance, courtesy Kotak 811.
Intel 8th generation core series launched
Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs were expected to be the first variant of its 8th gen Core CPUs. This isn’t the case. Pre-empting it is the Kaby Lake Refresh. Four new U-series 15W processors for laptops have been announced: the Core i7-8650U, Core i7-8550U, Core i5-8350U, and Core i5-8250U. While Kaby Lake Refresh is not a major new architecture, Intel is promising a 40 percent performance improvement compared to the 7th generation and up to 200 percent compared to a five-year-old machine. The most significant reason for this is the doubling of core counts from two to four, while actual design and manufacturing improvements contribute to a lesser extent.
Speeds range from 1.6GHz to 1.9GHz, with boost speeds ranging from 3.4GHz to 4.2GHz. Cache sizes are also doubled, to 6MB on Core i5 CPUs and 8MB on Core i7 models. Hyper-Threading remains exclusive to Core i7 models. The integrated GPU is now called Intel UHD Graphics 620 and is completely unchanged compared to Kaby Lake, except for the name change from HD to UHD to reflect its capabilities. The GPUs of Core i5 models run at 1.1Ghz while those of the Core i7 models run at 1.15GHz.
Xiaomi reportedly working with Google on an Android One smartphone
Xiaomi may launch a version of its Mi 5X smartphone called the Xiaomi A1 with Google’s Android One experience. According to a recent report, the smartphone manufacturer is collaborating with Google on an Android One smartphone. With Google yet to make its own stock Android offerings available to budget buyers, this partnership could help the company realise the goals of the Android One project it set forth – a lineup of low-cost smartphones that offer stock Android experience with timely updates.
Google has typically partnered with entry-level OEMs like Micromax and Karbonn in the past, launching affordable smartphones with a stock Android UI. Interestingly, the Android One was a project that was first launched in India back in 2014, around the same time Xiaomi launched the Mi 3. But the Android One devices haven’t managed to rake in the numbers as much as Google would have probably liked.
Gionee X1 with 4G VoLTE support launched in India
Gionee has launched the Gionee X1 smartphone in India. Powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 SoC, 2GB of RAM, and has 16GB of internal storage. There’s a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display, a 3000mAh battery, a dedicated microSD slot, and a fingerprint sensor too. The smartphone includes an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash, apart from an 8-megapixel front camera. Launch offers on the Gionee X1 include up to 10GB additional data per month for 6 successive recharges. Separately, Gionee X1 buyers will get two Patym cash back voucher codes entitling them to Rs. 250 cash back on a minimum purchase of Rs. 350 on Paytm Mall. The Gionee X1 available in Black and Gold colour options.
Nokia 6 registrations close ahead of Wednesday’s sale
The Nokia 6 will first go on sale in India on August 23. It is exclusive to Amazon India. Leading up to this, the company has set a registration window which is set to close today. The sale begins at 12 pm IST on Wednesday and the Nokia 6 can be purchased for Rs. 14,999. It will be available while stocks last and those interested in picking it up must be online for an hour prior to launch to fill our credit card information and address details for a smooth checkout.
The Nokia 6 managed to get more than one million registrations as of two weeks ago, and many more have presumably been added since then. Amazon India has some launch offers including a Rs. 1,000 cash back to Prime members who use Amazon Pay balance to make the purchase.
Furthermore, all Nokia 6 customers who sign in to the Kindle app will get 80 percent off on Kindle eBooks up to Rs. 300. MakeMyTrip is offering Rs. 2,500 off to Nokia 6 buyers (Rs. 1,800 on hotels and Rs. 700 on flights), and lastly, Vodafone is offering 45GB additional 4G data free for five months. This offer is valid till August 31, and 9GB of data will be added to every recharge of 1GB and above with five months validity for the additional data.
Replacement screens with malicious chips can be used to control your phone
It seems that replacing your smartphone or tablet screen can give hackers control of your device. Israel’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has discovered that by installing specific chips under a third-party screen could allow for keyboard input logging, installation of malicious apps, taking pictures and email them without the user’s knowledge. The university’s research team was able to hack a Huawei Nexus 6P and LG G Pad 7.0 by using such malicious chips, which also allowed them to exploit vulnerabilities in their operating system kernel.
Apple’s search for a talented engineer revealed in secret job posting
Apple seems to be looking for a “talented engineer.” How talented you wonder? Well, good enough to find a hidden Apple page which is a part of the eligibility process. The page, now removed, was a listing for an engineer to work with a small team though will be provided with resources of a large company.
“Hey there! You found us. We are looking for a talented engineer to develop a critical infrastructure component that is to be a key part of the Apple ecosystem,” the page read.
“Experience designing, implementing, and supporting highly scalable applications, and web services. Comfortable working with Java 8. Familiarity with modern server technologies, and familiarity with distributed system ideas,” the post continued.
Xbox One X pre-orders now live; Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition console announced
After officially revealed at E3 2017, the Xbox One X pre-orders are finally up. Microsoft announced this along with the Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition console. While both the Xbox One X and Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition share the same internals and same price of $499 (almost Rs. 32,000), the latter sports aesthetics and design sensibilities that hark back to the original Xbox that released back in 2001 and is in limited supply. No news of Indian pre-orders or a local release date just yet though. If you’re looking to pre-order the Xbox One X in India, this guide may help.
