Top technology majors such as Xiaomi, Apple, Google, Honor, and others unveiled new products globally and also in India this week (October 13-19).
DH lists the latest prominent gadgets to keep you abreast of everything that’s happening in the world of consumer electronics.
Apple iPad (2019)
Apple kicked off the week with the release of the new iPad on October 13. It is the 7th generation standard tablet and comes with a moderate upgrade over the predecessor.
It sports a 10.2-inch LED-backlit Retina display with nearly 3.5 million pixels. It offers a wide viewing angle, and support Apple Pencil (1st gen) stylus.
Inside, the iPad houses the Apple A10 Fusion chipset integrated with an M10 co-processor. It also comes with an 8MP camera and a big battery, which is capable of offering 10 hours of web surfing (on Wi‑Fi), watching a video or listening to music with a full charge.
A notable aspect of the new iPad (7th gen) is that it is the first-ever Apple device to come with dedicated iPadOS 13 out-of-the-box. It promises to offer PC-like experience in all aspects such as interface, multi-screen options, writing a document, creating powerpoint presentations, edit videos, watching multimedia content and web browsing. With the iPadOS, Apple wants to make the iPads a true laptop alternative.
Apple iPad (7th gen) will be offered in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi & LTE variants in 32GB and 128GB storages with prices starting at Rs 29,900 and Rs 40,900, respectively.
Read more | Everything you need to know about Apple iPad (7th gen)
Google Pixel 4 series
Search engine giant Google unveiled the new Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL in New York City on October 15.
Google’s new phone comes in two variants– the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL. Both the have pretty much the same specifications, except for the display and the battery.
The standard Pixel 4 comes with 5.7-inch full HD+ (2280 x 1080p) screen with 2800mAh battery, whereas the Pixel 4 XL sports a 6.3-inch QHD+ (2960 x 1440p) display with 3,700mAh cell. Both the devices’ display support the 90Hz refresh rate similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro and 7T series.
Both the devices are powered by Android 10 OS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB RAM’, 64GB/128GB storage and Titan M security chipset, which stores the password, Face data and other sensitive information to protect from hackers and malware threats.
As far as the photography hardware is concerned, Pixel 4 series comes with dual-camera– 12.2MP rear camera ( with 1.4μm pixel size, F1.7 aperture, 77-degree Field-Of-View, Dual PD autofocus, OIS, EIS)+ 16 MP Telephoto lens (with 1μm pixel size, F2.4 aperture) with LED flash, Spectral + flicker sensor, 4K video recording up to 30 fps, and HD 720p up to 240 fps.
On the front, it houses an 8MP autofocus camera with 1.22μm pixel size, F2.0 aperture, 90-degree FOV, full HD (1080p) at 30fps video recording. The company also added that the Pixel 4 series comes with dedicated Pixel Neural Core for enhancing photo quality. It enables the device to support Super Resolution Zoom and also improve Night Sight feature to capture the night sky with stars and Moon clearly than any other phone in the market.
The USP of the Pixel 4 series is the Motion Sense feature. It is powered by the Soli radar chip developed by Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) team.
“For the past five years, our has been working on Soli, a motion-sensing radar. Radar, of course, is the same technology that has been used for decades to detect planes and other large objects. We’ve developed a miniature version located at the top of Pixel 4 that senses small motions around the phone, combining unique software algorithms with the advanced hardware sensor, so it can recognize gestures and detect when you’re nearby,” Google said.
With this, Google Pixel 4 can detect hand gestures to skip songs, snooze alarms, and silence phone calls. These capabilities are just the start, and the company claims the Pixel phone’s Motion Sense will get better over time.
Sadly, Google is not releasing the Pixel 4 and the Pixel 4 XL in India. Though Google doesn’t explicitly give any reason for the decision, media reports are indicating the presence of Soli Radar chipset is the primary factor.
Read more | Here’s the real reason by Google not releasing Pixel 4 series in India
Besides the Pixel 4 series, Google launched Pixelbook Go and Pixel Buds wireless earphones.
Read more | Everything you need to know about Pixelbook Go and Pixel buds
Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 series
Xiaomi, earlier this week unveiled new mid-range phones– Redmi Note 8 and the Redmi Note 8 Pro– along with the Mi Air Purifier 2C in India.
The standard Redmi Note 8 sports an Aura Fluid design language with a glossy shell on the back. It sports a 6.3-inch full HD+ display with a 90-percent screen-to-body ratio. Inside, it comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 octa-core backed by Android Pie-based MIUI 10 OS, 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage and a massive 4000mAh battery with a Type-C 18W fast charger.
It also boasts a quad-camera module on the back. It houses a primary 48MP sensor with 8MP ultra-wide, 2MP for macro and 2MP depth sensor for portrait images. On the front, it features 13MP snapper to take selfies. It will be available in two configurations– 4GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage–for Rs 9,999 and Rs 12,999, respectively.
The top-end Redmi Note 8 Pro flaunts dot-notch display with 91.4 screen-to-body ratio, supports HDR content and also comes with IP52 water-and-dust resistant ratings in addition to P2i nano-coating.
Under-the-hood, it houses a powerful MediaTek G90T processor with Liquid Cool technology for buttery smooth operation and also lag-free gaming experience. It is backed by 6GB/8GB RAM, 64GB/128GB storage and a huge 4,500mAh battery with Type-C 18W charger in the retail box.
The Redmi Note 8 Pro also boasts a quad-camera module with a primary 64MP Samsung sensor, 8MP ultra-wide (120-degree Field-Of-View), 2MP for macro and 2MP depth sensor for portrait pictures. On the front, it features a 20MP selfie snapper.
Besides the new phone, Xiaomi also launched the Mi Air Purifier 2C in India for Rs 6,499. It comes with dual filtration technology, True HEPA filter, 360-degree air suction capability, CADR of 350m3/hour, real-time air quality indicator, DIY filter change feature and is capable of filtering 99.97-percent indoor pollution.
Read more | Everything Xiaomi launched on October 16 event
Honor Vision smart TV
Honor Vision sports a sleek design and measures just 6.9mm in thickness. It flaunts a huge 55-inch 4K HDR display with a wide color gamut, a 178 degrees wide viewing angle and comes with a 94% screen-to-body ratio. It is aptly supported by 6′ 10 Watt speakers for immersive viewing and audio experience.
Inside, Honor Vision smart TV houses proprietary HiSilicon Honghu 818 intelligent display chipset, which is said to offer powerful computing, decoding, image processing, and sound effects optimization capabilities, contrast and color performance of the display through multiple algorithms.
The company has announced to release the new Honor Vision smart TV in India only in the first quarter of 2020.
Read more | All you need to know about Honor Vision smart TV
Toreto TorPods
The new TorPods come with compact and ergonomic design. It supports smart wireless Auto Pairing Connectivity feature powered by Bluetooth 5.0 and offers up to 10 meter range.
It houses a 800mAh battery and offers up to 4 hours of playtime. It also comes with inbuilt magnetic charger that eliminates the need to carry a separate charging cable.It is available in black colour for Rs 4,499.