Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ might drop the headphone port, and everyone is annoyed

It is that time of the year when rumors and leaks around the Samsung Galaxy S9 start emerging online. A new leak now reveals alleged concept images of the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ showing its possible design, and some specifications of the smartphones.

The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are imagined with a similar design to that of the Galaxy S8 series. The front panel has slight curves on the edges with thin bezels on the sides. There is no home button up front, but the top bezel houses the front camera and speaker grille. The power button, volume rocker and Bixby button are visible on the side panels. In comparison to past leaked renders, the design language remains the same.

ALSO READ: Google Tez garnered over 7.5 Million users in 5 weeks, records over 30 million transactions: Sundar Pichai

However, an interesting discovery in this leak is that the spec sheet mentions “no headphone jack”. If rumors are to be believed, then the Galaxy S9 series would be the first Samsung smartphones without a headphone jack. It is also written that the smartphones will feature an under-screen fingerprint sensor, and 3D sensor for facial recognition. On the contrary, a recent patent filing by Samsung hinted at a home button on the Galaxy S9. It’s a bit too early to determine which mode of biometric authentication Samsung would opt for on the Galaxy S9 series. 

The Galaxy S9 is further rumored to feature a 5.8-inch display, while the Galaxy S9+ will flaunt a 6.2-inch display. For photography, the Galaxy S9 duo is said to feature a pair of 16-megapixel rear cameras, and also dual 12-megapixel front cameras. The smartphones will come with either be IP65 or IP68 rating for water resistance. It’s only conceptualization and speculations at this point so it’s best to keep judgement for when there’s more confirmation. 

WhatsApp Pay in final testing stage, likely to launch in December: Report

We might be very close to getting a payments option in WhatsApp. There’s been considerable buzz surrounding the feature that the messaging giant has been working on for months, and now in a month or two, it could roll it out. The final testing phase is on, and WhatsApp Pay would likely see a December launch, FactorDaily reports. India would be the first to get the new feature. And why not? With 200 million-plus daily users, it is WhatsApp’s largest market in the world.

ALSO READ: Google Tez garnered over 7.5 Million users in 5 weeks, records over 30 million transactions: Sundar Pichai

“They are likely to do some sort of an extended beta program for the feature in November and by December you can expect a full rollout,” a source close to the company stated. WhatsApp has reportedly partnered with three of India’s leading banks — SBI, ICICI and HDFC. WhatsApp Pay would require a bank’s UPI architecture to function. Uber, for instance, partnered with HDFC Bank and Axis Bank recently to roll out an UPI payment option for customers. 

The report also released an artist’s impression of the imminent feature. It reveals that making a payment via WhatsApp would be as simple and quick as sharing a photo or contact on it. An added ‘Rupee’ symbol would crop up when a user clicks on Attachment. And he/she could make a peer-to-peer payment through a one-step process of entering amount and UPI PIN.

What is critical to note is that users wouldn’t need to exit their existing screes in order to make a payment. This not only means convenience, but also improves customer stickiness, increases minutes spent on the app, as well as reduces chances of another payments app being used. Surely other payments apps and mobile wallets have reasons to be worried. 

WhatsApp is possibly trying to emulate China’s WeChat, which has made a success out of an integrated messaging-and-payments play. WeChat has over 930 million users in China, and soon after it rolled out WeChat Pay, it went on to capture 40 percent of the payments market. That is second only to market leader Ali Pay, operated by e-commerce giant Alibaba. For WhatsApp, which has over a billion users across the globe, India is just the start. If it makes a success out of the new feature in its biggest — and possibly most complicated — territory, it wouldn’t be long before a Facebook-owned service dominates the payments space too.

Google Tez garnered over 7.5 Million users in 5 weeks, records over 30 million transactions: Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai on Thursday during the Alphabet earnings call made several announcements around Google Tez, the payments app that the search giant had launched in India last month. Based on Unified Payments Interface (UPI), the NPCI's payments platform for the country, the Google Tez app leverages bank accounts for payments.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai, when talking about Google’s revenue in Asian markets, highlighted what Google Tez has achieved so far. Pichai said that Google Tez now has 7.5 million users who have made over 30 million transactions on the app alone.

Within a span of five weeks, Google Tez has managed to garner quite impressive stats for a cash first market like India. Caesar Sengupta, VP of Product Management at Google further highlighted how UPI had a total of 16.6 million transactions in August, and Google Tez managed to garner over 30 million transactions in a month alone. Pichai also added, ”I’m really excited about the potential this brings for India’s mostly cash-based economy.”

Sengupta also answered queries regarding the huge spike in UPI transactions. Firstly, he said that UPI transactions are on Google Tez alone, and not as a whole. In addition to this, he also said that these transactions include P2P (person to person), cash mode and P2M (person to merchant), and does not count cash backs.

Google Tez allows users to transfer money, and make payments via Cash Mode and UPI. Using the ‘Nearby’ feature, you can send instant cash to anyone nearby without having to share your contact or even bank details. For this transaction process, both the smartphones need to be connected either via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Google Tez also supports UPI payment method, which is currently available in a host of major banks across India. You can use Google Tez to transfer money to any user with a UPI-supported bank account. Like Paytm, you can also use Google Tez to make payments at physical stores, and for online goods as well. 

Download Google Tez app click here

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) with Exynos 7885, 18:9 aspect ratio spotted on Geekbench

Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) is not new to the rumor mill. We have come across reports that suggest that the Galaxy A7 (2018) will feature glass and metal design and also come with dedicated Bixby button. Now, the smartphone has been spotted benchmarking site Geekbench, revealing various specifications of the phone.

ALSO READ: Samsung distributes 200 free Galaxy Note 8 units to airline passengers

According to the Geekbench listing, the upcoming Galaxy A7 (SM-A730F) is expected to be powered by an Exynos 7885 chipset. There’s no information about the GPU as well, but rumors suggest that the Exynos 7885 has two Cortex-A73 cores and four Cortex-A53 cores. Further, the listing reveals that the smartphone will be paired with 6GB of RAM. The smartphone was listed running Android 7.1.1 Nougat out-of-the-box, which is a bit disappointing considering the smartphone will be launched in 2018. The Galaxy A7 (2018) scored 1,478 points and 4,170 points in the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) starts receiving Android 7.1.1 Nougat update

Unfortunately, the listing did not reveal anything else about the Samsung Galaxy A7 2018. However, thanks to the rumors in the past, we know that the phone is likely to come with a 6-inch full HD+ Infinity display with an aspect ratio of 18:9.

The renders leaked in the past shows the presence of the Bixby button on the left side of the smartphones. To recap, Bixby was introduced on Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ earlier this year. Considering the phones will have an infinity display, the fingerprint has been shifted to the rear of the phone. 

The device is expected to come with IP68 certification for dust and water resistance, a USB Type-C port, Samsung Pay support and a 3.5mm audio jack. The highlight of the phone is said to be its dual front-facing camera, but the resolutions of the cameras are still unclear at the moment. The Galaxy A7 (2018) might also come with Always On Display.

Galaxy A5 2017 

Galaxy A7 2017 

Galaxy Note 8 

Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL warranty extended to 2 years

Yesterday, the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL went up for pre-orders, with the sales for Pixel 2 scheduled for November 1, and November 15 for Pixel 2 XL. While initial reviews for the smartphones were impressive, some early adopters have reported a bunch of issues with the device. Dull colors, screen “burn-in” on the Pixel 2 XL screen and clicking sounds from their Pixel 2′s speaker, among others, were reported.

When the frequency of these reports increased, Google stepped in saying that they were actively investigating the issues. Today, Google VP of product management Mario Queiroz took to the Google Pixel support forum, to reveal the results of their investigation, along with the (somewhat compensatory) announcement of extending the warranty of the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL to two years from one.

ALSO READ: YouTube now gets over 100 million hours of watch time in the living room everyday: Sundar Pichai

“We’re very confident that the Pixel 2 delivers an exceptional smartphone experience, and to give users peace of mind, every Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will now come with a 2-year warranty worldwide,” read the note on the forum.

As for Google’s finding after the investigation, Mario Queiroz says, “Our investigation so far has given us confidence that our displays are as great as we hoped they would be, though we’re also taking steps to address the concerns we’ve heard.”

There are two issues they addressed. One is regarding a narrow color gamut, and the other about the apparent “ghost lines” in the display. To this, Google responded saying, “On the topic of color saturation, we designed the Pixel 2 XL to take advantage of multiple facets of the innovative new pOLED technology, including QHD+ resolution with 538 pixels per inch and a wide color gamut. One of our design intents was to achieve a more natural and accurate rendition of colors. We know that some people prefer more saturated colors, so both Pixel 2 phones already include an option to boost colors by 10% for a more vivid look. And based on the recent feedback, we’re adding a new mode for more saturated colors, which will be made available via a software update to both Pixel 2 phones in the next few weeks.” 

Pre-orders for both the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL kicked off at midnight of October 26 on Flipkart. The Pixel 2 comes in two variants, the 64GB one for Rs 61,000, and the 128GB variant priced at Rs 70,000. In case of Pixel 2 XL, the 64GB variant is priced at Rs 73,000, and 128GB variant costs Rs 82,000. 

Google Pixel  

Google Pixel XL

YouTube now gets over 100 million hours of watch time in the living room everyday: Sundar Pichai

In a world where content consumption is increasing on mobile devices, things are taking a different turn for YouTube. Google’s parent company Alphabet held its Q3 earnings call where it announced the latest figures. During the earnings call, Alphabet also mentioned how YouTube is a major revenue builder for Alphabet. It also mentioned how people watch 100 million YouTube videos per day on TV sets.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai talked about the growth and future perspectives of YouTube. He starts by saying how YouTube “continues to see phenomenal growth” with over 1.5 billion users globally. Pichai says that an average users spends at least 60 minutes a day on YouTube on mobile devices. He further says how YouTube watch time isn’t growing just on smartphones and desktops. Pichai adds, “YouTube now gets over 100 million hours of watch time in the living room everyday.”

ALSO READ: Google Lens now being rolled out for first-generation Pixel, Pixel XL

What he means by this is YouTube viewing time garnered from TV sets, gaming consoles, and devices such as Roku, Chrome Cast and Amazon Fire TV. In fact, the viewership of YouTube through these platforms has seen a 70 percent increase as compared to last year. With the onset of people switching to smart TVs and streaming devices for a connected TV watching experience, this growth doesn’t seem surprising. It does pose a threat to traditional TV manufacturers and DTH services though.

Pichai also announced future plans for YouTube with the company focusing on increasing its subscription-based monetized models. As for YouTube Red, Pichai said that it would release over 40 original shows through the service this year. YouTube Red is a highly sought-after service but is available in only five countries for now – US, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, and South Korea. Stats for YouTube TV which broadcasts live from over 40 networks was also mentioned. YouTube TV now covers two-thirds of US households and is available in 50 metro areas. 

Samsung distributes 200 free Galaxy Note 8 units to airline passengers

Samsung has done a pretty good job in making the Galaxy Note 7 battery fiasco a thing of the past. The Galaxy Note 8 is out in the market, and it has received rave reviews. Now, Samsung is back in news for quite an interesting gesture. 200 lucky passengers onboard Iberia Airlines flight number IB 0513 from La Coruña to Madrid Barajas were handed free Galaxy Note 8.

The massive giveaway was organized by Samsung Spain on a domestic flight, and it’s not a part of a global campaign. As seen in the photos shared by the company, the phones were served on a tray by the flight attendants. Along with the phone, there was also a short message that read, “A year ago we asked you to turn it off, we welcome you today on board.”

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy J5 2016 starts receiving Android 7.1.1 Nougat update

This, not surprisingly, is a reference made to the Galaxy Note 8‘s predecessor, which was banned from airlines around the world. Samsung recalled its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone after reports started pouring in about phone overheating and even exploding. The company said it “conducted a thorough investigation and found a battery cell issue”. Samsung sealed a 3,500mAh lithium-ion battery into a 7.9mm thin smartphone. Keeping the same in mind, Samsung has used a smaller battery in the recently launched Galaxy Note 8. The cutting down on battery size of the Galaxy Note 8 was an intended move to guarantee battery safety.

To recap on the specifications front, the Galaxy Note 8 sports a 6.3-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity display, with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by Exynos 8895 SoC. On the camera front, there is a pair of 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens. Both the lenses support Optical Image Stabilization, making it the first such setup in its category. Up front, it houses an 8-megapixel sensor. The smartphone is priced at Rs 67,900 for the 64GB variant paired with 6GB of RAM. The built-in storage can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card.

Galaxy Note 8 

Google Lens now being rolled out for first-generation Pixel, Pixel XL

Google Lens, the image recognizing tool, has started appearing on Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones. Announced first at Google I/O 2017, this app scans objects and gives you text information on your smartphone. Google Lens arrived as an app on recently launched the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Redditors have now posted images of Google Lens appearing on their smartphones without any update.

First reported by 9to5Google, Google Lens was discovered by Redditor self.Android who saw the app under Photos on his Pixel XL. After sharing the discovery on Reddit, other Pixel and Pixel XL users started commenting saying that Google Lens is available on their devices too.

The Google Lens display page lists different features of the app. These include copying text like phone numbers, dates and addresses. More features include learning more about landmarks, and looking up books, music albums, movies, and artwork. It further states that any Google Lens activity will be saved to your Google account if permissions are granted accordingly. Google Lens is rolling out in a phased manner as not everyone has received it. In a few weeks, Google Lens is said to be integrated to Assistant as well. 

Google Lens uses the company’s Deep Learning technology. The app uses your smartphone’s camera to scan, for example, a flower and the AI will search the web for relevant information. Google will present information with action cards for opening a related app, copy the text, or open the Share menu. Google Lens is also capable of automatically connecting to your Wi-Fi network. All you need to do is point the smartphone’s camera at your Wi-Fi network’s SSID and password. 

Google Pixel 

Google Pixel XL

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016) starts receiving Android 7.1.1 Nougat update

Samsung has started rolling out Android 7.1.1 Nougat update for its Galaxy J5 (2016). The smartphone was spotted running Android Nougat few months back. The smartphone was launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out-of-the-box wrapped under TouchWiz UI.

This update is rolling out over-the-air, and, if you receive an update notification, just tap on Install now. The update can take a couple of days to reach all the units. However, if you don’t receive a notification or can’t wait for it, you can check for the update manually by going to Settings -> About phone -> System updates -> Install now. According to Sammobile, the update, as of now is only available in select European markets, and will slowly roll out to other regions in the coming weeks.

The update comes with a host of improvements and features including new power saving and background management features. The update also brings added support for dual-SIM dual-standby for 4G and 3G networks. The new update will also allow users to integrate GIFs directly on your keyboard with compatible apps like Google Allo, Google Messenger and Hangouts. The update also allows users to launch actions within an app by long pressing the app. Apart from the Nougat update, users will also get Samsung‘s Experience 8.5 user interface, which includes some improvements like Samsung Cloud integration, a new Device Manager app, as well as shutter button zoom option for the camera.

Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime 

Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016 edition) 

Microsoft Edge for Android now available on the Play Store

In a surprise move last week, Microsoft said it was bringing its Edge Web browser to Android and iOS platforms. A week later, the company has made a preview of Edge available on Google Play for customers with Android devices.

Last week, the company released a preview version of Edge for iOS via test flight beta channel. At the time, the company was not yet ready to release the Android version of Edge, and instead was only accepting requests from customers who wanted to have Edge on their phone.

If you had signed up to be notified about Microsoft Edge's availability on Android, you may have received an email from the company. "Thank you for your interest! The Microsoft Edge Preview for Android is now available for download in the Google Play Store," the message states.

ALSO READ: Google Tez UPI app hits 5 million downloads on Play Store 

Microsoft Edge Preview for Android offers a range of features that you may have appreciated on its desktop client. There is Continue on PC, which lets you pick up things from where you left off between your mobile device and PC. Microsoft says Edge will also sync a user's favourites and reading lists across devices.

There is also Hub View which lists all your favourites, reading list, history and books all in one place. Then of course, there is the Reading View, which reorganises content on a webpage to make it easier for a reader to read them.

Microsoft has also thrown in a QR Code Reader, which pulls up information once it has scanned it, and Voice Search, letting people ask questions without the hassle of typing things.

Microsoft Edge for Android is using Blink rendering engine from the Chromium browser project. "This approach gives us more control and better performance than using the Android WebView control, but means that we are shipping our own copy of the rendering engine in the app. Much like other Android browsers based on Chromium, we expect to keep up with Chromium releases," the company said last week.

Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro receives a price cut in India again, now available for Rs 29,990

After a Rs 5,000 price cut back in June, the Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro has received yet another price cut, and this time it has been lowered by Rs 2,000. This means, as opposed to the launch price of Rs 36,900, the Galaxy C9 Pro is now available at Rs 29,900. The smartphone can be purchased across e-commerce platforms, and via Samsung’s official website. The price cut was first tipped by Mumbai-based offline retailer Mahesh Telecom on Twitter.


Launched in January this year, the Galaxy C9 Pro was the first Samsung smartphone to come with 6GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro comes with a 6-inch full HD (1080p) Super AMOLED display with 2.5D curved glass on top. That screen size points the device more towards the phablet category. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 653 octa-core chipset paired with Adreno 510 GPU. It is equipped with 6GB of RAM, and 64GB onboard storage, which is expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card.

In terms of photography, the phablet features a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.9 aperture, dual-tone LED flash and 1080p video recording capabilities. It also has a 16-megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.9 aperture. Fuelling the phablet is a 4,000mAh battery, fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button, and a Cirrus HiFi Codec for better audio performance.

Connectivity options on the device include dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE support, USB Type-C port, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 and GPS. On the software front, the phablet runs on Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 out-of-the-box wrapped under TouchWiz UI.

Galaxy C9 Pro (Rs. 29,990) 

Galaxy A7 2017 (Rs. 24,900) 

Galaxy A5 2017 (Rs. 22,400) 

Google Tez UPI app hits 5 million downloads on Play Store

Last month, Google launched its first payment service in India - Google Tez. The app created with an objective of facilitating digital payments, aims to contribute to the Digital India initiative and has now been downloaded five million times from the Google Play Store.

Google Tez is based on UPI and is available on iOS and Android. At the time of launch, the app supported Axis, HDFC Bank, ICICI and State Bank of India, among other banks supported by UPI. It also supports online payment partners through which you can place orders on Dominos, RedBus, and Jet Airways.

One of the talking points of the app is its ‘Nearby’ feature. Similar to how file transfer app ShareIt works, Google Tez allows you to transact with your friends nearby. This is done using the Cash Mode, which allows you to instantly transfer cash to anyone nearby without the need to share your contact or bank details. This feature works in the same way as sharing photos or media to a nearby device connected over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. 

To recall, when launched, Google saw nearly 1.8 crore gross merchandise volume (GMV) done with over four lakh active users. To accelerate the adoption, Google also offered Tez Scratch Cards within the app at the time of launch. Using the scratch cards, you can earn up to Rs 1,000 for eligible transactions. You can also enrol in Lucky Sundays offer to win up to Rs 1 lakh every week.

Google Tez adds to the growing portfolio of digital payment services including Paytm, BHIM, and MobiKwik among others. Another key element of the app is that it is said to be made for India and hence, brings support for Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu, in addition to English. 

OnePlus 5T with 6-inch display and 18:9 aspect ratio might launch in November: Report

OnePlus might not actually skip the successor to its OnePlus 5. If latest rumors are to be believed, the company is mulling the OnePlus 5T device. Similar to how the OnePlus 3T came as a surprise to a lot of OnePlus 3 customers, the same might hold true for OnePlus 5 users as well.

It was recently reported that OnePlus 5 units were out of stock in the US market, sparking rumors that the next smartphone-in-line could be launched sooner. However, those reports were met with contradictions when some suggested that the next smartphone would be called the OnePlus 6 and not the OnePlus 5T. Now, further leading to confusion, a GizmoChina report shows off what it calls the OnePlus 5T.


According to the report, the purported OnePlus 5T will release as soon as November 2017, five months after the launch of the OnePlus 5. The OnePlus 5 has received a positive response from the consumers and the arrival of the OnePlus 5T might upset a few of them. Nonetheless, there are some upgrades in the upcoming model, with the biggest changes in terms of display.

Based on the renders, the purported OnePlus 5T smartphone appears to feature bezel-less display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The size of the display has also received an increase to 6-inches with 2160 x 1080p resolution. On the whole, the narrow bezels on all sides give the phone an edge-to-edge appearance. It is also worth pointing that the phone now features curved edges, similar to the Samsung Galaxy S8 lineup. 

On a closer look, the renders appear identical to the recently leaked OPPO F5, which is expected to release on October 26 in Manila. The smartphone is speculated to feature a tall, bezel-less 18:9 display and carry forward the selfie-centric capabilities from the OPPO F3 with a pair of 16-megapixel dual-camera on the front.

As OnePlus is yet to officially confirm the existence of the OnePlus 5 successor or a new OnePlus 6 model, it is advisable to take the information with a grain of salt. As for the OnePlus 5; the flagship smartphone is priced at Rs 32,999 and sells exclusively on Amazon. The USP of the smartphone is the 20-megapixel + 16-megapixel dual-camera setup at the back, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 under the hood, 6GB of RAM, and Android Nougat out-of-the-box.

OnePlus 5 (Rs. 32,999) 

OnePlus 3T (Rs. 25,999) 

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (Rs. 67,990) 

Samsung Galaxy Tab A with 5,000mAh battery, Snapdragon 425 SoC launched in India: Price, specifications

After the Galaxy Tab S3, Samsung has launched a new tablet called the Galaxy Tab A in India. Successor to the Galaxy Tab A (2016), the new Galaxy Tab A is priced at Rs 17,990, and will be available for purchase on online and offline platforms. Samsung had first unveiled the Galaxy Tab A in Vietnam last month. Buyers will be able to choose from two color options of black and gold.

The Galaxy Tab A measures 212.1×124.1×8.9 mm, and weighs 364 grams. There’s a home button up front that doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. The tablet houses the volume rocker and power key on the right side. The USB Type-C port, and a speaker grille is placed on the bottom panel. Making it a first, the Galaxy Tab A comes with Bixby Home integrated.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A specifications

The Galaxy Tab A features an 8-inch HD IPS display, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz, and 2GB of RAM. There’s also 16GB of onboard storage, which is further expandbale up to 256GB using a microSD card. In the photography department, the Galaxy Tab A sports an 8-megapixel rear camera of f/1.9 aperture accompanied by an LED flash and auto-focus. Up front, it sports an 5-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling. 

The connectivity options available on the Galaxy Tab A include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C port. On the software front, the tablet runs on Android 7.1. Nougat out-of-the-box. Keeping the tablet ticking is a 5,000mAh battery, which Samsung says can provide up to 36 hours of talktime, and 14 hours of video playback over LTE or Wi-Fi connectivity. 

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 (Rs. 47,990) 

Samsung Galaxy A7 2017 (Sale discont Price Rs. 20,990) 

Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (Sale discount Price Rs. 17,990) 

Apple investigating claims of iPhone 8 splitting open while charging

Within a week of going on sale, the Apple iPhone 8 is again in news, and not for the best reasons. There have been a few reports of the iPhone 8 duo splitting up due to some alleged battery issue. There was one such case reported in Japan, and one in Taiwan. And earlier today, Apple has acknowledged the issue, and said that it is investigating the cause of the issue. Apple told The Independent, that it is “looking into” reports that customers in Asia have seen their new iPhones split apart while charging them.

In one case, the user was charging her iPhone 8 – using an official Apple adapter – when she said the phone suddenly snapped apart. In the other case, an iPhone 8 Plus owner tweeted photos of his new phone with the screen practically popping off due to a “swollen battery”. According to the owner, the phone was damaged before he even opened the box.

However, at this point, it is important to note, that the number of reported incidents is relatively small, which can be counted down to two as of now. This in turn is indicative of a possible manufacturing defects. And that is why it would be wrong to categorize these incidents as a larger design issue like the one that forced a recall of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 7  last year.

Interestingly, according to The Next Web, some unconfirmed reports suggest that Apple iPhone 8 Plus uses a battery made by the same manufacturer Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) as the Galaxy Note 7. Notably, no burn marks or wear and tear has been noted in the two cases.

Last year, post the launch of the iPhone 7 duo, and around the same time when the Galaxy Note 7 was reported of explosion, a bunch of iPhones were found to be catching fire too. Though that never came to be zeroed to a design and manufacturing issue. The iPhone 6 faced a more serious issue, when the reports of ‘bendgate’ went viral, wherein, the infuriated customers revealed that the device was susceptible to bending.

iPhone 8

iPhone 8 Plus

Facebook reportedly testing facial recognition feature for account logins

Facial recognition is the new buzzword in tech. After Apple made it the talking point with its Face ID feature on the iPhone X, social networking giant Facebook is said to be testing facial scanning for account logins. The company is working on a feature to help users locked out of their accounts regain access through a face scan. This could be particularly useful in times when a two-factor authentication via SMS is not possible, say on-flight or in a poor-network zone.


The development was first spotted by a social media researcher who passed on a screenshot to The Next Web. Further screenshots have surfaced on social media that reveal Facebook’s upcoming Face Recognition Settings. “To recognize whether you’re in a photo or video, our system compares it with your profile picture, and photos and videos that you’re tagged in. This lets us know when you’re in other photos and videos so we can create better experience,” Facebook states on the panel.

ALSO READ: WhatsApp introduces its own emoji set in the latest Android beta v2.17.364

Facebook has confirmed that it is indeed testing a Face ID feature. “We are testing a new feature for people who want to quickly and easily verify account ownership during the account recovery process. This optional feature is available only on devices you’ve already used to log in. It is another step, alongside two-factor authentication via SMS, that were taking to make sure account owners can confirm their identity,” it told TechCrunch. Facebook has also trained neural networks to identify people by their hair, body shape, and posture. 

While biometric authentication is surely safer than a regular two-factor authentication, it is bound to raise concerns around privacy. Also, facial recognition wouldn’t work for accounts that don’t have a face as its display picture — and that is common as users put up pictures of their kids or pets as display pictures. Additionally, some users disable photo-tagging too. Hence, Facebook would technically be unable to search for images that resemble such users’ faces. Only time will tell how the facial recognition feature fits into such situations. But for now, it seems like an interesting development.

OnePlus 6 to launch in early 2018; OnePlus 5T likely to be skipped

OnePlus 3 was among the best devices in the sub-Rs 30,000 segment last year. Looking at its demand, the company launched an upgraded variant, called the OnePlus 3T. Fast forward to the year 2017 where OnePlus launched the OnePlus 5, again a smartphone that offers flagship specifications at a much cheaper price compared to other premium devices. But, if the latest reports are to be believed, OnePlus might skip the OnePlus 5T this year, and instead launch the OnePlus 6.


According to androidmarvel, OnePlus might launch the OnePlus 6 sometime in the first half of 2018. Apart from that, Android Headlines states that the OnePlus 6 could come with big changes in design, including a bezel-less display. The OnePlus 6 is expected to feature a 6-inch display, with the fingerprint scanner pushed to the rear of the phone. To put that into perspective, the current OnePlus devices flaunt 5.5-inch displays. Under the hood, the flagship device could come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 SoC, paired with 6GB and 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of internal storage.

There are however reports claiming that the OnePlus 6 could be among the first devices to be powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC. However, reports also claim that Samsung’s Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ will hog the initial stocks of Snapdragon 845 SoC.

Apart from that, a report also hints that the OnePlus 6 could be more water resistant when compared to the current flagship device. Talking about the price of the smartphone, OnePlus 6 is expected to be priced between Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 which is almost similar to OnePlus 5. There are also rumors about a launch at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Spain. OnePlus, at the moment, has not confirmed anything and hence, we suggest you take this information with a grain of salt.

OnePlus 5

WhatsApp introduces its own emoji set in the latest Android beta v2.17.364

Facebook-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has released a beta version of a new emoji set for Android OS that appears quite similar to Apple’s designs. Apart from Apple, Facebook and Twitter have their own custom emoji set within the app.

“At a glance, these could be confused for Apple’s own emojis. Side-by-side the differences are clear for some emojis, but others are very close to what Apple displays,” a blog on a post on Emojipedia said.


WhatsApp beta Android version, released today, comes with its own set of emojis that seem to be inspired by the iOS emojis. While they appear identical, there are subtle differences. For example, the girl emoji has different hair in the WhatsApp version as compared to the iOS set, even as they are racially diverse. Secondly, the water droplets emoji is purple in color in the beta version for Android, while on iOS, it is blue in color.

WhatsApp was first to implement the middle finger emoji and briefly added an emoji for the Olympic Rings. The blog said that with this beta release, WhatsApp was ahead of iOS native emoji support. Since this is only a beta version, these emojis might change before public release or not even make a public release. In July, WhatsApp announced that it has a billion users who send messages on it daily.

WhatsApp also said that users send 55 billion messages per day, 4.5 billion photos and 1 billion videos, has 1.3 billion monthly active users and 60 languages are supported on the platform.