The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are two of the best premium flagship smartphones one can buy this festive season and Google is making the duo available just in time for Diwali shoppers. The Pixel 3 and 3 XL go on sale in India starting November 1, both online on Flipkart and offline through retail stores including Reliance Digital, Croma and others. At the time of the announcement, Google had said that Pixel and Nexus phone owners can encash loyalty benefits from Flipkart and other offline retail stores on the purchase of the Pixel 3 series of devices. Now, popular smartphone retailer Mahesh Telecom, known for his tweets outing special offers on smartphones, has revealed some buying offers for the Pixel 3 and 3 XL, which were not known earlier. The 64GB storage variant of the Google Pixel 3 is priced at Rs 71,000 while the 128GB Google Pixel 3 will be sold for Rs 80,000. The Google Pixel 3 XL (64GB) will be sold for Rs 83,000 while the 128GB variant will be offered at Rs 92,000. According to Mahesh Telecom existing Pixel and Nexus owners will get a free Google Home Mini with the purchase of the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL. Google Home Mini is a smart speaker made by Google and powered by the Google Assistant. It can be controlled using voice commands, just like Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speakers, and can be used to play music, search the web, play games, control smart home appliances, book cabs and more. The device costs Rs 4,499 on Flipkart, but loyal Pixel and Nexus users will seemingly get it for free when they upgrade to a Pixel 3 smartphone. Note that buyers will not be required to exchange their existing Google devices to avail the offer which is valid from November 1 to November 7. Additionally, Mahesh Telecom lists No-Cost EMI options for 6, 12 and 18 months with the purchase of a Pixel 3 phone. No-Cost EMIs can be availed from HDFC Bank credit and debit cards, Citibank credit card, RBL credit card, and more. The 64GB storage variant of the Pixel 3 can be bought for EMIs of 3,499 per month for 18 months. There are multiple Bajaj Finance schemes also available with the purchase of the Pixel 3 phones. A 5% cashback is also available on EMI transactions on the date of purchase through HDFC credit and debit cards, Citibank credit card, RBL credit card and BFL Super cards. One should note that these offers have been detailed by an offline retailer and may vary on Flipkart. Flipkart is offering no-cost EMIs with the purchase of the two phones, along with a 10% instant discount on Mastercard for first time online payers. There’s also a 5% discount when purchasing the phones using an Axis Bank Buzz credit card. Additionally, there are some unique offers on the two phones. With the Pixel 3, buyers can avail Rs 14,200 off on exchange, including an extra Rs 7,000 off over exchange value on select models. Using HDFC bank debit and credit cards, one will also get to avail an instant discount of Rs 4,000. With the Pixel 3 XL, one can opt for a 50% buyback value offer by paying Rs 199. Airtel Online store also lists the two phones with bundled postpaid offers. You can check them out here. Head here to read the review of the Pixel 3, and here for the Pixel 3 XL.
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With a whopping 65 percent share, Xiaomi is the most preferred brand for users for their next smartphone purchase in the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 price segment owing to value-for-money and brand awareness. Samsung is the second most loved brand in this category with 43 percent, followed by Vivo and Oppo with 29. When it comes to the Rs 25,000 - Rs 40,000 segment, no rewards for guessing that OnePlus leads it with 55 percent, followed by Xiaomi at 47 percent, Apple with 45 percent and Samsung at 39 percent. Counterpoint Research says that it conducted primary consumer survey through a randomly selected sample of over 700 respondents from India to understand mobile user behaviors, usage patterns, preferences, level of satisfaction and future purchase intentions. “Within the sweet-spot price segment of Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000, Xiaomi is the most preferred brand for consumers’ next purchase, with target users mainly the ones upgrading to their second smartphone. OnePlus is the preferred brand in the fast growing Rs 25,000 to Rs 40,000 segment, where consumers are looking for premium experiences at affordable price-points. There is strong competition to acquire mature smartphone users and we see Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) becoming more aggressive and offering a stronger value proposition in these two important price segments,” Tarun Pathak, Associate Director at Counterpoint, said on the consumer preferences for different brands. When it comes to the purchase intention for their next smartphone, the Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 price segment is the most favoured category with 34 percent users preferring it. The segment is followed by the Rs 15,000 - Rs 25,000 at 19 percent, and Rs 8,000 - Rs 10,000 at 16 percent. Interestingly, only 3 percent people want to spend more than Rs 40,000 on their next smartphone. It may imply that people are weighing necessary features more than the premium features and are going for value-for-money devices. “Mobile phone users in India are becoming more sophisticated as many of them are on their second or third smartphone. OEMs are competing aggressively to get a larger share of the fast-growing market and, as a result, we have seen advanced features diffusing through the mid-tier segment faster than ever before and users are finding these features attractive enough to upgrade. For example, it took less than six months for some of the key flagship features of 2018 to reach the mid-tier. This is likely the reason that one in three respondents in our survey are planning to spend Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 on their next smartphone purchase,” Pavel Naiya, Senior Analyst, Consumer Lens, added. OnePlus tops the smartphone satisfaction index list with 94 percent of its users satisfied by its phones’ overall performance. This also results in the highest retention rate of 88 percent among all Android OEMs with its value-for-money offerings. It is followed by Vivo (90 percent), Oppo (84 percent), Samsung (82 percent) and Xiaomi (81 percent). Counterpoint Research says that overall 79 percent of smartphone users are satisfied with their phones. “We found that four in five users are satisfied with their current smartphone. OnePlus leads the satisfaction index and retention rate among all Android OEMs. Overall, Xiaomi was the preferred brand for future purchases followed by Samsung and OnePlus. However, not many users are sticking to the same brand when it comes to their next purchase. This reflects the fact that in a competitive market like India there is no guarantee that loyalty will be sustained, which is an opportunity for all the key OEMs," Peter Richardson, Research Director at Counterpoint Research, said. Tit-bits 1) The purchase intention for Xiaomi smartphones was highest in Haryana, and Punjab. 2) OnePlus purchase Intention was highest in Karnataka and Maharashtra 3) Camera remains as one of the key features that users look for in their devices. 4) Vivo is getting stronger in Southern India with highest purchase intention coming from Tamil Nadu. 5) A total of 72 percent of respondents prefer Apple as their next smartphone brand in the $600 and above segment. 6) In terms of channels, Amazon has managed to build greater loyalty than rivals through leveraging its popular and Amazon Prime program and 68 percent of Amazon users are likely to prefer Amazon as the preferred channel for their next purchase. 7) WhatsApp and Paytm topped the most installed apps for communication and commerce. Hotstar is leading for video streaming, Jio Music for music streaming and UC Browser for web browsing. (Consumer Lens is Counterpoint Research’s global research programme that aims to help the industry better understand the consumer’s perspective across different markets, channels and product categories.)
Halloween is almost here and Steam is celebrating the occasion by holding a Halloween Sale on PC games. There are a bunch of interesting deals that you can get on a plethora of games ranging from indie titles to AAA games. While a majority of the games are horror, there are a few non-horror titles that are up for sale. However, it should be noted that the sale is only till November 1. So you might want to make your decision quickly if you plan on buying any of these games. Here’s a look at some of the titles that are up for sale: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard Price: 1,299 It doesn’t matter if you call it Resident Evil 7: Biohazard or Biohazard 7: Resident Evil. By the end of the game your heart will be glad that it’s all over. The game marked the first time that the series used a first-person perspective and ramped up the horror to level 10. If you are looking for a scary game. This is it. Outlast II Price: Rs 182 If you are looking to get your horror kicks for less, then you might want to try out Outlast II. The first game was very scary and the sequel aims to kick things up a notch. Prepare yourself for a lot of gore. Amnesia: The Dark Decent Price: Rs 113 Amnesia takes the ‘survival horror’ very seriously. You cannot fight back the monsters and your only hope of survival is to run and hide. The pacing of the game is a little slow, but it makes up for it in atmosphere. Metro Redux Price: Rs 288 With Metro Redux, you get two great games for the price of one. Metro 2033 and Metro Last Light feature survival elements with action thrown into the mix. This is also a great way to catch up with the Metro series, before the launch of Metro Exodus. Left 4 Dead 2 Price: Rs 69 If you haven’t played Left 4 Dead 2 yet then stop everything and buy this game right now. Considered to be one of the best co-op shooters everything made, Left 4 Dead 2 takes everything that its sequel offered, and made it even better. Inside Price: Rs 254 Inside is a platformer that sees you take control of a small boy as he tries to save himself from being hunted. The game is a spiritual successor to Limbo, a game which itself is available for Rs 72. Of course, there are loads more games that are available on sale. You can check out the entire list of games by clicking here. 
Apple CEO Tim Cook has landed in New York City for the much-anticipated October 30 event in which the company is expected to launch a series of hardware products, including an iPad Pro, a MacBook Air and a Mac Mini. It was previously reported that the company would launch this hardware at the Gather Round event in September but Apple primarily dedicated that event to the new iPhones. According to a report in 9to5mac, the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max proved a significant success for Apple, even before the iPhone XR went on sale, though the picture will be clearer when Apple releases its quarterly results on November 1. After today's launch, the Cupertino-based company will also expect the new hardware to follow in the footsteps of the new iPhones and become hit products. As per information making rounds on the internet, Apple will launch new hardware at an event in Brooklyn, New York on October 30. The event will commence at 10AM local time, which translates to 7.30 PM IST today. Just like its previous event, you can watch the proceedings live on your Mac or PC using the Safari browser or on Apple TV. Users with other Apple products like the iPhones or the iPads can also stream the event on their devices. The event will not be live on YouTube. Here's what Apple is expected to launch at the event. iPad Pro with edge-to-edge display It is being reported that Apple will be streamlining its hardware and will bring a design to the new iPads to that will match the new iPhones. Apple may completely remove the famous Home Button in favour of Face ID and bring an edge-to-edge display design to the new iPad Pro. The chances of a notch on the iPad are extremely bleak and, frankly, Apple shouldn’t even think of such a design. Instead, the bezels are expected to be thick enough to house a camera and necessary sensors for the Face ID. When it comes to the display sizes, Apple is expected to launch the iPad Pro in two LCD screen variants – 11-inches and 12.9-inches with Aluminum body and thin bezels. The new iPads may be powered by an A12X chipset and ship with 64GB/256GB/512GB/1TB storage options. Industry watchers expect the device to be available in Space Grey, Silver, and Gold colour options. Suggestively, the company could opt for a USB-C port in place of the regular lightning port. Apple MacBook and MacBook Pro already have USB-C connectors. Apple may also launch a budget iPad in the form of an updated iPad Mini. Apple Mac Mini Apple last launched the Mac Mini in 2014-2015 with an aim to punch way above its weight with fourth-generation Intel Core processors, faster integrated graphics, Thunderbolt 2, next-generation Wi‑Fi and plenty of ports. But the company has not refreshed the hardware since and the punches fell short over time. Apple is expected to raise the bar with the updated hardware and new features this time. The Mac Mini is basically a compact desktop for people who seek more power in a PC with small form factor. MacBook Air If we were to compare Apple’s laptop with a smartphone, Apple’s MacBook Air is like the iPhone XS Max. It is one of the most anticipated hardware when it comes to laptops, but sadly, it has been bearing the same design for years. On the contrary, its competitors like the Microsoft Surface Laptop, Dell XPS, HP Spectre 360, among others, have updated their devices with catchy, useful designs. So Apple may make its competitors a bit uncomfortable if it launches the MacBook Air with a new design. Also, there are claims that Apple will also update the MacBook Pro, but we are not counting on it to happen today. Other hardware Reportedly, other Apple products like the Apple Pencil that accompanies the iPad, may also get an update. The AirPods may also see a refresh and get wireless charging support. Though a lot less has been reported on these peripherals but Apple may surprise its potential customers with a treat.
Would you like to gift your parents a new no-frills laptop so they can video-call you long after the festive season is over? How about a new gaming laptop for the little tyke? Or even an entry-level convertible laptop for yourself? Here are some laptop models we've handpicked for you to buy and gift this Diwali. We think they're the best of their segment. So, go on and have a look: 1. Lenovo IdeaPad 330S The Lenovo IdeaPad 330S is a great choice if you’re planning to gift your son or daughter a new entry-level laptop. The IdeaPad 330S comes with the latest generation Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. It also comes with 16GB of Intel Optane memory to speed things up. The RAM on the laptop is upgradeable in case there's a need for more speed later on. The display is a 14-inch Full HD unit and the keyboard is backlit. The laptop is easy to hold and carry at 1.6 kilogrammes.It comes with Windows 10 Home pre-installed. The IdeaPad 330S costs Rs 38,499 on Amazon.in. Read our review of the IdeaPad 330S to learn more about it. So, go ahead and light up a young college-goer’s Diwali. Get the Lenovo IdeaPad 330S here 2. Dell Vostro 3478 Consider the Dell Vostro if you want to gift yourself or a loved one an entry-level laptop for editing spreadsheets and documents, casual browsing, and movie playback. This model has an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM that’s upgradeable in the future, 1TB of hard drive-based storage space, and an AMD Radeon 520 GPU with 2GB of video RAM. All put together, the laptop becomes powerful enough even for some light video gaming. The laptop weighs 2 kilogrammes, which is light enough on the hands and the back. Windows 10 Home and Microsoft Office Home & Student 2016 come pre-installed on the laptop. The Dell Vostro 3478 costs Rs 42,990 on Amazon.in. Get the Dell Vostro 3478 here 3. HP Pavilion x360 The HP Pavilion x360 is what you should get if you’re planning to gift somebody an amateur’s pass into the world of convertible laptops. The HP Pavilion x360 hybrid laptop comes with an 8th-gen Intel Core i3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for fast boot times. The laptop’s touchscreen display works with an HP Active Pen stylus to let you draw and write on it easily while providing sufficient palm rejection. Apart from two regular USB ports, the HP Pavilion x360 comes with a USB Type-C port. To learn more about the HP convertible laptop, read our review of it. The HP Pavilion x360 costs Rs 50,990 on Amazon.in. Go ahead and get a Pavilion x360 for a loved one who you think is a born artist. Get the HP Pavilion x360 here 4. Lenovo IdeaPad 530S The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is the laptop to get if you want to gift somebody a powerful all-rounder. The IdeaPad 530S comes with the latest generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB NVMe solid-state drive. Put together, you get ample speed for many hours of browsing, video playback, and number-crunching. It also features an NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU with 2GB of video RAM. This lets you indulge in some gaming and image editing as well. The laptop comes with Windows 10 and Microsoft Office Home & Student 2016 pre-installed. To learn more about the IdeaPad 530S, read our review of it. The Lenovo IdeaPad 530S is priced at Rs 80,900 on Amazon.in. Get the Lenovo IdeaPad 530S here 5. Asus TUF Gaming FX504 Do you think your son or daughter is ready for some intermediate-level PC gaming? Look no further than the Asus TUF Gaming FX504. It’s powered by an 8th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU and 8GB of RAM. Storage is handled by a 1TB hard drive that works in conjunction with a 128GB NVMe solid-state drive. Graphics is taken care of by an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 GPU with 6GB of video RAM. That’s enough power to let you play game titles as recent as 2016 at at least 60 frames per second. The Asus TUF Gaming FX504 will also let you play VR games. It’s available on Amazon.in for a price of Rs 94,989. Get the Asus TUF Gaming FX504 here
