As smartphones evolve with new features, we list the three models to watch out for
Xiaomi Mi Max
The market for large screen smartphones, also known as phablets, seems to be growing day by day. Devices like the Mi Max are good news for the consumer as it gives you a really large 6.44 inch screen for content consumption on the go. The larger design also means better battery life as Xiaomi has managed to pack a massive 4850mAh battery.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652 processor and packs a 16 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front-facing camera. There is a fingerprint sensor on the back for security. The Hybrid Dual SIM functionality means that you could use the phone like a regular dual SIM phone or a single SIM phone with an additional memory card as per your convenience.
The Mi Max starts at Rs 14,999 for the version with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage. The more expensive variant with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB of storage is priced at Rs 19,999. The phone will be available on mi.com initially followed by Amazon.in, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Tata CliQ and PayTM.
Ringing Bells
The company behind the infamous Freedom 251 smartphone is back to make news this time with a 31.5-inch HD TV priced at Rs 9,990. The company also announced four new features phones — Hit, King, Boss and Raja that are priced at Rs 699, Rs 899, Rs 999 and Rs 1,099. Two new android smartphones Elegant and Elegance priced at Rs 3,999 and Rs 4,499 were revealed too.
The first 5,000 orders of the Freedom 251 will start shipping on July 8 as per the company and it is not clear when the rest of the orders will be shipped.
Test Drive
iOS 10 is the upcoming operating system for Apple iOS devices, including iPhones, and packs a host of new features including improvements to photos, Siri, messaging and Apple music. You can also now type in two languages at the same time without having to change the keyboard.
If you have a spare iPhone or iPad lying around, you could become a beta tester for the upcoming software and share feedback directly with Apple. Previously such pre-release software was made available to only developers.
Make sure to save a backup of your device before installing the beta software. You have to sign-in to the mentioned website with your Apple ID, enroll yourself into the beta programme, download the profile to your device and you should soon be able to download the software update on your device.
I’m currently running this Beta on my iPhone 6S plus and feels like my iPhone has got a new lease of life. There are some minor bugs however and I would not recommend installing it on your primary devices.
More information is available at https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
The update is compatible with iPhone 5 and above, iPad mini 2 and above, iPad Air, iPad Pro, iPad 4th gen and iPod Touch 6th Gen
(Varun Krishnan is currently Editor-in-Chief of FoneArena.com, a leading technology portal. He can be reached @varunkrish varun at fonearena.com