After unveiling it in some international markets, HMD Global has finally brought the Nokia 7.1 smartphone to India with a slew of eye-popping specifications like an HDR display, Zeiss Optics and 2PD camera technology. The Finnish company says that the Nokia 7.1 will go on sale starting December 7 and will be available across top mobile retailers as well as on Nokia.com/phones at a recommended best buy price of Rs 19,999. This is a lower price tag than the cost of the device in European markets, where it was launched for EUR 349 which is approximately Rs 27,700. HMD Global, a 20-month old company, has managed to reach the top 10 smartphone brands list globally and is doing well in Europe. In third quarter of 2018, HMD Global shipped 4.2 million units of Nokia smartphones registering 71 percent of year-over-year growth, says Counterpoint Research. Nokia was a household brand in India before it slowly faded away, but later it joined hands with Google to bring Android on the device, which played a major part in the brand’s revival. Nokia 7.1 price and launch offers The Nokia 7.1 comes in two variants - Gloss Midnight Blue and Gloss Steel and both will be available starting next month. Airtel prepaid customers on Nokia 7.1 can enjoy 1TB of 4G data on eligible plans starting at Rs 199. Airtel postpaid customers can get an additional data of 120GB along with three months of Netflix subscription and one year of Amazon Prime subscription on plans starting Rs 499. Consumers who purchase the Nokia 7.1 using HDFC Bank Credit and Debit cards on EMI transactions done through Pinelabs terminals in offline stores will receive a 10 percent cashback. Nokia 7.1 specifications and features The Nokia 7.1 has design techniques found in jewellery and high-end timepieces and has dual-anodised aluminium diamond cut coloured edges. HMD Global says that each Nokia 7.1 device is crafted from a 6000-series aluminium CNC machined frame which is sandwiched between glass sheets that have been shaped at the edges for comfort. The Nokia 7.1 is claimed to be the first smartphone to come with PureDisplay screen technology for HDR10 cinematic quality entertainment. The smartphone offers higher contrast (1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio) and clarity to match the HDR content which is currently been supported on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos. The 5.84-inch Full HD+ notched display offers a 19:9 screen ratio display and the company claims that with PureView technology, the non-HDR content can be up-scaled in real-time using a dedicated 16-bit engine. The Nokia 7.1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, which also powers the Nokia 6.1 Plus and a few other phones in the same segment. It has a USB type-C fast charging port which is claimed to deliver up to 50 percent of the 3060mAh battery in 30 mins. When it comes to the camera, the Nokia 7.1 sports ZEISS Optics dual-camera setup on the back with 12MP and 5MP sensors. While the 12MP camera has f1.8 aperture and 1.28um pixel size, and the secondary 5MP shooter has a f2.4 aperture and 1.12um pixel size. The sensors come with photodiodes (2PD) technology that help them absorb much more light than devices with a single photodiode of same number of pixels. 2PD technology enables fast and accurate autofocus in both bright and low light conditions. The sensors also come with the Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) technology. There is a front-facing 8MP camera with f2.0 aperture. There is a new camera UI on the phone that give users control of white balance, ISO, focus and shutter speed using the Pro Camera Mode. The Nokia 7.1's AI-enhanced front facing camera introduces facial recognition to deploy animated 3D personas/masks and filters. Users can live stream their “bothies” with just one touch to Facebook and YouTube directly from the camera app. Google Lens and Motion Photos can also be accessed directly from the app quickly. “We know a lot of our fans in India enjoy creating videos and watching content on their smartphones. That’s why it was important for us to bring both ZEISS optics and PureDisplay technology together in a versatile device that offers a superior content experience, regardless of whether you’re taking photos for your social media or watching the latest series on your favourite streaming service. With real-time SDR to HDR conversion, more fans can enjoy a premium viewing experience across content. And with the integrated ZEISS optics, fans can take advantage of rapid auto focus and capture incredible HDR photography as well,” Ajey Mehta, Vice President and Country Head, India, HMD Global, said in a statement. The Nokia 7.1 joins the comprehensive line-up of other Nokia smartphones in the Android One family. This means that the smartphone will receive three years of monthly security patches as guaranteed in the Android One programme. The smartphone has recently received the Android 9 Pie upgrade but there is no information whether it will be available with Android Pie out-of-the-box in India. In addition, the device offers free unlimited high-quality photo storage with Google Photos.
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Realme is now rolling out its ColorOS 5.2 update for its Realme 1 smartphone in a phased manner. Realme CEO, Madhav Seth announced the new update via a tweet, which reads, “As you all know we are rolling out a stable version of ColorOS 5.2 for Realme 1 users starting today in a phased way. If you want to get it earlier, click the link below to register, we will send the update to you in about 24 hours.” While the new update is bound to be seeded to all Realme 1 units, those who can’t wait for it can register with the company and receive the update in around 24 hours. To gain early access to the new ColorOS 5.2 update, one needs to fill a Google form provided by the company, which can be accessed here. Once on the form, a user will have to confirm that they use a Realme 1 (review) smartphone and enter their IMEI1 number in the form. After successful submission, one should receive the new update for their Realme 1 in about 24 hours. The Realme 1 and its successor, the Realme 2 are also confirmed to receive the Android 9 Pie update in the near future but there’s no definitive timeline on by when the patch could be rolled out for the two phones. The ColorOS 5.2 update comes with new features like single-swipe notification dismiss, a new Smart Bar feature that is said to enable easier multitasking between apps, a headset icon, and more. The new patch is also supposed to optimise various aspects on the Realme phone like the bokeh shots captured using the front-facing camera, new presets for the video editor, background music playback in the video player, custom modes for multiple activities in the Timer app, one can now add markers while recording or playback in the audio Recorder app, and more. Realme recently announced its latest Realme U1 (review) smartphone in India. Priced starting at Rs 11,999, the handset is the company’s fifth phone and the world’s first handset to be powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 processor. It features a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with 90.8% screen to body ratio and a Dewdrop notch. On the back, one will find a dual camera setup with flash and a fingerprint sensor. The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. You can read more about the device here. 
WhatsApp keeps adding new features to its online messaging app to enhance its usability and the company is reportedly working on two new features that could soon make way to the app. As per WABetaInfo, support for consecutive playback of voice messages, and Group Call Shortcut are currently under beta testing on the Android version of the app. Both the features were previously spotted on WhatsApp for IOS in version 2.18.100 and 2.18.110.17 updates respectively and could soon be made available for all, since they are said to be undergoing testing on Android. Do note that both the features are currently not available on the app, not even for beta testers of the app, and are said to be remotely enabled in the next beta update for the app. As per the report, the Consecutive voice messages feature will enable users to listen to all received voice messages in succession. This means that one won’t need to tap on every voice message to hear them as the app would automatically do this for the user. The feature is said to kick into action when someone receives two or more voice messages and when the first voice messages are played. Additionally, the feature is also said to notify the user when a voice message ends and the next one begins. This will reportedly be done by playing two different tones, where the first one means that a voice message has been fully played but there is another one ready, and the other one will mark the end of the voice message when there isn't a next voice message to play. Coming to the group call shortcut feature, it is said to work in a similar manner as it does on iOS. A new group call icon will show up on the upper right corner of the screen from where one will be able to initiate a group call. After tapping on it, the user will be shown the contacts they want to start a group call with and one can select to either place a group video or voice call. This will make it much easier to place a group video call as currently, one needs to place a normal video call first and then add other people to the call using an option on the upper right corner of the screen. Speaking of the group calling feature, a recent report suggested that WhatsApp is testing UI improvements in the Group Calling feature in the iOS app. The app could soon get a new call button as part of the revamped UI, along with some bug fixes. Those users who have beta versions of the app installed on their phones can test the new button. When the new button is tapped, WhatsApp is said to present a list of all possible participants in the group with whom a user can initiate a call. However, as only four participants can be in a group call, a user can only select three others. You can read more about the new feature here.
HMD Global has started to roll out a new Android 8.1 Oreo update for the Nokia 5.1 Plus smartphone. The 250MB update version V1.14A will bring the November Android security patch and some user-interface improvements. With this rollout, the Nokia 5.1 Plus joins the ranks of other smartphones like Nokia 5, Nokia 6, Nokia 8, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 3, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1 and Nokia 3.1 Plus that have already been updated. Generally, your phone will be prompted to download the update and if you are one of those who haven’t been prompted, you can go to Settings and tap to check for system updates. Don’t worry if your phone says “Your phone is up to date”, you will soon get the update on your device. The latest security update changelog mentions user interface improvements and improved system stability as well as the latest security patch. The patch brings fixes for many security issues, including the most severe vulnerability in this section, which could enable a proximate attacker using a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process. As noted by Google, there are no reports of customers being affected by the security vulnerabilities that it found. The dedicated bulletin for Google’s phones and tablets listed three security fixes and four functional updates. HMD Global has been consistent in releasing Monthly Security and OS updates for Nokia smartphones. It released all its smartphones under Google’s Android One Program, which means these smartphones will receive a minimum of two years of OS update support and regular Android Security patches. While some of the smartphones have already got the Android 9.0 Pie update, others are expected to get the OS update soon. Launched in August, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is powered by the MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core SoC and comes equipped with a 5.86-inch HD+ display with a 19:9 aspect ratio and an 84 percent screen-to-body ratio. In terms of optics, the Nokia 5.1 Plus sports a 13MP + 5MP dual-rear camera setup with a f/2.0 aperture. On the front, it features an 8MP sensor with f/2.2 aperture and 80.4-degree angle of view. The dual-SIM smartphone is also backed by a 3060 mAh battery. Intext Image courtesy: nokiapoweruser
With Samsung now out with the Exynos 9820 that will be powering the Samsung Galaxy S10 in the Indian market, Qualcomm is the only one left to reveal its plans for 2019. Huawei’s 7nm Kirin 980 is already out powering the Mate 20 series while Apple’s A12 Bionic is present in the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR. Now all eyes will be on the successor to the Snapdragon 845. Qualcomm’s event is slated to take place in Hawaii on December 4 and based on past records, the chipset is expected to debut first on the Samsung Galaxy S10 in the United States along with other Android flagship and high-end phones in the first half of 2019. A lot of details about the upcoming chipset have leaked. Benchmark reports from Geekbench and AnTuTu have revealed a significant jump in performance over the Snapdragon 845, while an AI benchmark pegged the upcoming Snapdragon SoC as the best among chipsets that power Android phones. The chipset is also expected to sport a tri-cluster CPU architecture with new Kryo cores that could go all the way up to 2.8GHz. However, what’s really uncertain as of now is what the chipset will be called. The name Snapdragon 8150 has been doing the rounds for long, but it seems to be nothing but an internal codename for the SoC. According to PCMag’s sources, the chipset could be named Snapdragon 855 after all, keeping things simpler and less-confusing. While a jump in the naming could be expected, like how the company made a jump from the Snapdragon X24 modem to X50, the report states that no chipset by the name of Snapdragon 8150 will be launched on December 4. The claim is corroborated by noted Twitter leakster Roland Quandt who clarified that the Snapdragon 8150 was never more than a codename. There could be another Snapdragon 865 announced in the later half of 2019 which could come touting the Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Similar to the Exynos 9820, the upcoming Snapdragon flagship will stick to LTE connectivity after all.
