The launch of Realme’s 6 series of smartphones did get affected amidst the scare of Coronavirus. But that couldn’t stop these devices from breaking cover. Smartphones from Realme have been already proven their might in the budget segment. And with these new devices, they are looking to strengthen their position. Well, we have the Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro for review, so let’s jump in to find out how these stack up against the current competition.
Realme 6
Realme 6 is the company’s latest offering in the budget segment that succeeds the Realme 5 Pro. Ideally, Realme 6 should have succeeded the Realme 5, but maybe the company had something else in mind. The device looks pleasing in the comet white colour, it has shiny streaks of lines that meet at the bottom.
However, the design is not something that is new, you could barely tell this apart from the Realme X2. The device sports a 6.5-inch IPS LCD display with a hole-punch design. Surprisingly, it comes with a 90Hz refresh rate which is rare to find in this price bracket.
The Realme 6 is driven by Mediatek’s Helio G90T which also powers the Redmi Note 8 Pro. Coming to cameras, the device packs in a quad-camera setup on rear whereas a single camera for selfies on the front. The performance on this device is on par with its counterparts, we did not notice any lag while using it.
On the software front, the device brings in Realme UI on top of Android 10. Besides this, it packs in a 4300mAh battery and a 30W fast charger for charging. Realme offers three variants: 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage priced at Rs. 12,999/- 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage for Rs. 14,999/- and 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage for Rs. 15,999/-
Realme 6 Pro
The Realme 6 Pro is being pegged as the successor to the Realme X. It is made available in two colours – Lightning blue and Lightning orange. The device comes with a 6.6-inch IPS LCD display featuring a dual punch-hole cutout for selfie cameras.
Like the Realme 6, this also comes with a 90Hz display and a fingerprint reader that is integrated with the power button. At 202gms, It is a little too heavy for my liking.
The Realme 6 Pro is the first device to be powered with the Snapdragon 720G, a mid-range processor from Qualcomm. On the camera front, the device gets a quad-camera setup on the rear and a dual-camera setup on the front. The camera performance is decent is in daylight but it struggles with colour saturation at night. You will not have to worry about the performance on this thing, it has plenty of power to run daily apps and games.
The Realme 6 Pro gets a 4300mAh battery and 30W fast charger for charging. Realme 6 Pro is available in three versions — one with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for Rs. 16,999; another with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 17,999/- and the top-end variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 18,999/-.
Verdict
The Realme 6 and 6 Pro are both power-packed devices with top of the line specs in their respective segments. The cameras on these devices offer decent performance. Additionally, you get the 90Hz display which is completely new to this price segment. Apart from this, these devices also bring great battery life to the table. So, if you are looking for devices with good gaming and camera performance, these can be a great option.
Samsung did begin the year 2020 with the launch of their flagship Galaxy S20 series, but with the ongoing global pandemic of COVID-19, it seems likely that a lot of launches will have to wait until the dust settles everywhere.
Build and Design
The Galaxy S20+ has a refined design when compared to its predecessor. The smartphone now comes with thinner bezels and the glass curves onto the edges of the display. The phone has a glass back held together with an aluminium frame.
The glossy finish on the phone means it does feel slippery in the hands and also attracts a lot of fingerprints and smudges. It weighs around 186 grams but does not feel heavy in the hands.
The display on the S20+ is a 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel which also supports HDR 10+ and a refresh rate of 120Hz. You can choose between QHD+ resolution which will bring down the refresh rate to 60Hz. The 120Hz refresh works only at Full HD resolution.
The display has a centre-mounted punch-hole for the selfie camera which does not really bother you. On the right, you have the volume and power buttons and the left has the dedicated Bixby button.
The sim-tray is at the top while at the bottom you have the USB-C type charging port and the speaker. You can also choose to expand the memory on the device with a micro-sd card. The main camera setup at the back looks very similar to Samsung’s A-series smartphones.
Having said that, the Galaxy S20+ feels very premium when you are holding it. In the box, you get a 25W fast charger, Type-C to Type-C charging cable, protective case and an AKG-branded headset
Performance
The Samsung S 20 Plus sold here in India only comes with 4G support and only one configuration. It is powered by an Exynos 990 processor paired with 8Gb of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. Samsung has used LPDDR5 memory on the S20+ which promises higher data rates and low power consumption.
Performance of the Galaxy S20+ is rock solid. The 120 Hz refresh rate makes it really smooth and fluid to scroll around. There is no lag or stutter when running heavy applications and also while gaming.
Heavy titles like PUBG, Call Of Duty and Asphalts 9 Legends could be run at maximum settings without any hiccups. The phone does get hot during the extreme gaming sessions but is nothing that one cannot handle.
The display is top-notch and the colours are rich and saturated while the screen brightness is adequate. With the slimmer bezels, watching content is a delight on this display.
Samsung has given the S20+ an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner which is surprisingly fast. You also have the option of choosing face recognition for unlocking the device.
Battery life on the S20+ is pretty solid and the 4500mAh battery means it will deliver a full day of usage. The 25W charger will charge the device to 100% in about an hour. It also supports Wireless PowerShare or reverse wireless charging, which can be used to charge accessories such as the Galaxy Buds+.
Finally, the Samsung S 20 Plus has a new camera setup with two of the highlight features being 8K video recording and up to 30x hybrid zoom. The primary sensor has a 12-megapixel resolution with Dual Pixel autofocus, an f/1.8 aperture, and OIS, but the pixel size is now 1.8 microns. The ultra-wide-angle camera also uses a 12-megapixel sensor and f/2.2 aperture, and no autofocus.
The telephoto camera is a 64-megapixel sensor without OIS. The selfie camera is a 10-megapixel with Dual Pixel AF and f/2.2 aperture. Images from the S20+ have been no less than amazing with sharpness, contrast and true to scene colours while the front camera does a good job of taking selfies.
Verdict
For a price of Rs. 73,999, you get a lot of capable hardware. While the price clearly indicates its premium segment. With great performance, great cameras and good battery life, money spent on the Galaxy S20+ is money well spent.
IQOO is a new brand in India and the company has already launched its IQOO 3 smartphone which also comes in a 5G variant. But is the performance worth the money? We find out.
Build and Design
The IQOO 3 is a premium offering from the brand and it is evident as soon as you pick the device up. Smooth finished front and back held together by a metal frame. It comes in three different colours Volcano Orange, Tornado Black, and Quantum Silver.
The one we tested is the Tornado Black colour option which has a pattern to it on the back when you try viewing it from an angle. On the right, you have the volume rocker and the power button which comes in orange and bears a texture on it while the left side gets a button which can directly summon the Google assistant.
Not only this, but two pressure-sensitive shoulder buttons are also present on the right side which you can use for gaming. The bottom features the speaker grille and USB-C type charging port along with the microphone and the top has the headphone jack and a microphone.
Coming to the display, it is a 6.44-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with support for HDR10+ and 2.5D curved glass. There is no notch on the display and the front-facing camera peeps through a hole which is punched on the display.
The display is bright and IQOO 3 claims an average brightness of 800 nits and up to 1200 nits when the brightness is at the maximum setting. The only downer is the 60Hz refresh rate of the display which could have been better. The phone is slightly thicker and heavier when compared to other flagship models but it boasts a good overall design and build quality that we look for when buying a phone.
Performance of IQOO 3
Now coming to the hardware, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Octa-core processor paired with 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage in the 5G variant of the phone. The processor is clocked at 2.84 GHz and an Adreno 650 GPU which handles intensive graphics. Moreover, the UFS 3.1 storage provides with fast loading times for applications and games.
The IQOO 3 also comes with an Ultra Game Mode which offers a game space which allows users to block calls and notifications and allowing higher resource allocation when gaming.
For cooling, the IQOO 3 features a Carbon Fibre VC Liquid Cooling system to keep the temperatures in check. With all that hardware, the phone draws power from a 4440 mAH battery. To keep things fast, the IQOO 3 is supplied with a 55 W charger out of the box which charges the phone from zero to hundred percent in under 40 minutes.
In the camera department, the IQOO 3 gets an AI quad-camera setup with a 48-megapixel main sensor, 13-megapixel super-wide-angle, 13-megapixel telephoto and a 2-megapixel depth camera.
The front gets a 16-megapixel selfie snapper. Image quality from the cameras is quite commendable with punchy colours, sharpness and details. However, low-light performance could have been better. Images from the front camera also exhibit a great level of detail.
Verdict
Performance of the device is pretty amazing with fast loading time, no lags, hang or stutters even during heavy multitasking or long gaming sessions. While we still cannot comment on the 5G speeds, internet connectivity and speeds have never been a problem. The IQOO 3 comes with a great display, great hardware and promised good battery life. Price – Rs, 44,990/-
Technology’s deep impact in human lives means we are very dependent on technology for our day to day lives. As much as humans, technology is rapidly evolving and taking the best shape around us humans. The biggest part of technology in our lives is perhaps our smartphone, which enables us to a lot more and provides access to all sorts of information and data right at the fingertips.
Smartphones have been catching up on all the technology trends and the latest is, of course, folding screens. Flexible folding screens have received a lot of interest both among technology enthusiasts and consumers alike. However, the implementation of folding screens is challenging in itself. Smartphone manufacturers have been using different mechanisms, form factors and materials to reach the destination fold.
Motorola is the name everyone has heard of. They were some of the early pioneers of the mobile world and came up with a lot of interesting phones during the early days out of which a folding phone which snaps into half in the middle was the most preferred way of people’s expression. Again folding feature phones just like any other commodity was being offered by most of the phone companies, Motorola created their iconic Razr phone which was an immediate success. The Motorola Razr of the yesteryear was a uniquely designed phone with its distinct ‘clamshell’ like the design. Its design featured a chin which housed some of the components of the phone as well as giving its iconic look. Motorola did bring out many iterations of the Razr phone and with time, the design just got better and better. It was so slim even after folding, it stood true to its ‘Razr’ name till the time exciting feature phones were murdered with the arrival of the touchscreen, Android and iOS devices.
2019 was no different and the market is oozing with new phones. Meanwhile, Samsung’s second-generation Galaxy Fold was already selling after its first unfortunate screen disaster. Motorola saw the right time and hit us with the Motorola Razr, a smartphone which was about to change the folding smartphones game. Behold the Motorola Razr, a clamshell design folding smartphone which follows the same design lines with the original Motorola Razr.
Early 2020 the Motorola Razr was already on sale in the international markets and in India, we had to wait a bit longer to have our hands on the device. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that has shaken the world to its core, Motorola finally made an official announcement of the Razr in India. As the case would be, we got out hands on the retail unit of the Razr and here is what we think about it.
Build and Design
The design inspiration comes from the original Moto Razr which featured a folding clamshell-like design and was pretty slim in its form, even when folded down. The folding design was so much on the point that one could flip out and flip-close the phone with just one hand. The thin cross-section of the phone led its name to be ‘Razr’ comparing its razor-thin body. The Razr was a particular hit of the time. Motorola did launch other folding handsets but out new devices coming in folding phones lost their charm.
Design-wise, it’s a success. The hinge mechanism works perfectly. When folding/unfolding the phone a tiny gap can be seen but it is interesting to see the display sink inside for a complete fold. You can still feel the middle crease on the display which slightly dips exactly where the folding happens. However, it is to be mentioned that flipping the phone open and close with one hand is a bit of a tricky job, especially if you have smaller hands. The chin portion of the Razr is fat but designed neatly. You will find a USB-C type port at the bottom along with the speakers. Motorola says that they have used the chin area as a resonance chamber for the speaker. However, you cannot differentiate that from the sound. The chin also has the fingerprint scanner and does a good job of unlocking the phone very swiftly. Sadly, the tight fitted design means you have no memory card slot, not even a physical sim which means you have to configure an e-sim to use on the Razr. Motorola has packed 128GB of onboard storage on the Razr.
Sadly a lot of perks have been trimmed down like a 3.5mm headphone jack or a micro-sd slot to make things neat and tightly packed which otherwise is a folding phone in itself. The secondary display is a 2.7-inch OLED mini screen while the primary display is an HD+ 6.2-inch POLD display. The display is a flexible one and you feel the not so firm display when using it.
The main camera on the Motorola Razr is a 16-megapixel unit while the front has a 5-megapixel selfie snapper. When in a folded position, the main camera can also be used as a selfie camera which turns the mini screen as a viewfinder.
Performance
Specifications of the Razr are not going to throw you off your seat. Yes, it is less powerful when compared to the pricier flagship devices. It is powered by a Snapdragon 710 processor which is paired with 6 GB of RAM. Storage options are limited to 128GB. The battery on the device is 2510 mAh which is almost half of some of the budget range devices.
The phone does not feel slow or laggy at any point. The hardware is very neatly integrated with the OS to offer a seamless experience. It ships with Android Pie out of the box but we believe Motorola to be quick in sharing the latest OS and updates providing the user with a very neat experience.
Gaming on the Motor Razr was not bad either. While this is not a phone which you would want to game on. Titles like PUBG, Call Of Duty and Asphalt 9 Legends run smooth with any issues. The gaming experience might not be of like most of the users because of its unusual form-factor.
Viewing content and consuming media is, however, pleasing with the nice and bright display. The overall performance of the Motorola Razr is rather smooth. What majorly concerns heavy users is battery life. With a tiny 2150 mAh battery inside you will see the charging points too often. An 18W Turbocharger comes in the box and it does a good job of charging the phone faster.
Last but not least, the retail box also offers a case which contains the accessories. The case is very similar to goggle cases and has a brained USB-C cable, paperwork and a USB-C type wired headset which is in association with Denon. The retail box itself has been designed to work in conjunction with the down-firing speaker of the Razr. When placed on the box, the sound resonates in the hollow box to make it sound like a mini boombox.
Verdict
A final say on the new Motorola Razr is quite difficult. It is a beautifully designed device which seems a lot more promising in hands than in pictures and videos. However, it does not offer everything that a power user would look for, especially when it costs Rs. 1,24,990 which is surely expensive. So here are a few points on why you should or should not buy the Razr.
Buy the Razr if
You love cutting-edge technology and rather buy a good looking phone which is sure to turn heads around. It is slimmer and smaller than the Galaxy Fold. The Razr is a throwback which is reminiscent of its past.
You like small phones and do not like carrying hefty big smartphones. You could also have smaller hands and are more comfortable with a smaller than average phone. However, when folded, the Razr’s thickness is more than conventional smartphones.
If you like Flip phones; Flip phones have lived their days of popularity and now with technology moving ahead fast, trends which are long gone are catching up at a rapid pace. As folding screens are no longer a technical challenge, it is right for smartphones to fold. The Razr is all about the style.
Do not buy the Razr if
You want high performance, go look elsewhere. There are many phones which will cost you a fraction of the Razr but deliver a higher performance and battery life. You also miss out on a higher refresh display which is the latest trend among smartphones.
You want a big battery life to support your heavy usage. It is quite a bit of sacrifice of performance for style. You will find double the capacity on some phones in just a part of the price of the Razr.
You want a great camera and are actively engaged in phone photography. At Least with four-cameras on offer on most handsets now, the single-camera setup on the Razr is no match. The Razr does take good images but as it is the case with cameras, you would want something more substantial.
Industry experts say that the Indian startup landscape has been growing tremendously in the past few years. Our country has been positioned the 3rd largest startup community after US and China. What is really overwhelming is the fact that creative and motivating people over the days have come up with unique ideas towards their journey of entrepreneurship.
However, one of the most important things that startups consider is funding. We did already try acquainting you with some of the easiest hacks to secure funding, but a more important point is to gain clarity on whether you should continue bootstrapping your fund or fetch funding.
BOOTSTRAPPING
Funding your own business allows you to focus on scaling the business more and less on the relationship with investors. This helps in making independent decisions about the future of one’s future, thus retaining a high proportion of shares. As and when a company would generate revenue, you realise that it was a good decision on your part to not go for funding.
However, on the other hand, if you are looking forward to scaling your business quickly, getting resources from outside or capital might be beneficial.
Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of Bootstrapping.
Pros:
Enjoy The Complete Ownership of Your Business
If you are a bootstrapped business, you have the freedom to enjoy the complete authority of your business. Even if you have a co-founder on board, the margin of your share continues to remain profitable. There might be chances of getting diluted if funds were being raised.
Focus Becomes More
Impressing investors is a tough nut to crack indeed. Generally, entrepreneurs that focus on growing and bootstrapping their business, spend their entire time and focus on improving their products and services.
Easier Pivoting
When you have a bootstrapped business, you can pivot much easier, considering the fact that there are lesser burdens involved from investors and stakeholders. It’s indeed a blessing to have absolute decision-making power over your project. It’s beneficial till the time you continue getting clients’ feedback that strengthens a brand in the industry.
What to Do?
As we did highlight some of the positive aspects of being a bootstrapped business, however, one of the biggest red flags is the problem of scaling ahead. In case, anybody wants to scale further ahead, then securing funding is advisable.
According to digital payments major Paytm, they have registered over 70 crore transactions in June 2019. This was more than the total transactions done by all UPI based payment applications like that of Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Whatsapp Pay and PhonePe.
Paytm says that the increased number of transactions are due to the flexibility it has offered to its large customer base to select their preferred payment methods like wallet, UPI, cards and net banking as compared to other players that are focussed on cash back peer to peer (P2P) transactions for growth.
Talking about Paytm, they have already announced its plans to move away from incentivising P2P transactions and commit the same amount for achieving progress in offline merchant payments. In a market size of 80 percent, it targets to reach more than 2.5 crore merchants in th financial year 2019-2020.
Senior Vice President at Paytm, Deepak Abbot said that Paytm has achieved 700 million digital transactions in June 2019, which is much higher than overall UPI total transactions. As of now, Paytm holds an 80 percent share, and now it’s targeting a wider audience.
Our View
Paytm becoming the digital king in the market and a higher percentage of the population relying on digital platforms seems that Paytm is really upping the game. With more and more people switching over to digital methods, transactions have become a lot easier, than what it used to be a few days back.
However, the only shortcoming here is talking about the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, that haven’t really been savvy with the digital mode of transactions. Once that is sorted, Paytm would make its presence felt even more.
Fintech Startup Fetches Funding From SAIF Partners
CashFlo, India’s first integrated, multi-funder marketplace has raised $3.3 Mn in series A funding from SAIF Partners, and select angel investors that include Ashish Iyer (previously Sr. Partner at BCG) and Arpan Sheth (Partner at Bain & Co Managing Director, Bain & Co. ) among others. Targeting a $100+ billion untapped category in SME lending market that’s currently operating in a highly-traditional manner, Cashflo is on a mission to solve one of the biggest pain points of businesses in India and globally – that of access to affordable credit.
Currently present in the top 7 metro cities in India, Cashflo is catering to SMEs across 30+ cities. The infusion of new funds will further be utilized for business expansion, platform enhancement and building a high calibre team to champion their robust growth plans. They are aiming to expand to about 75 employees in the next 24 months.
Incorporated in September 2017, Cashflo helps sellers undertake invoice discounting through their exchange, and get early payments to manage their working capital needs while Buyers improve their EBITDA margins or optimize their working capital by extending payables days, creating a win-win situation for all. To implement this, Cashflo ties up with anchor corporates and rolls out supply chain financing program for their entire base of vendors and dealer/distributors – MSME and non-MSME. Unlike traditional solutions that typically leverage a single source of funding – either a financial institution or buyer’s own treasury surplus, Cashflo takes a holistic, integrated marketplace approach giving buyers, for the first time ever, the flexibility to decide their funding mix across multiple sources while funding the sellers. This unique multi-funder model with stock-exchange like dynamic pricing, ensures coverage of the entire supply chain and enables even the smallest SME to access funds at 1-click on their phones on their own terms.
Ankur Bhageria, Co-Founder & CEO, Cashflo opined, “As an organisation, we are focused on democratizing access to credit in the SME space and tapping into new sources of liquidity for the credit economy, while building a holistic ecosystem for the businesses on our platform in the long run. ”
He added, “Investment from SAIF Partners is a validation of the market opportunity and a testament to the hard work gone in to build this business so far. We are excited to partner with SAIF and be able to leverage their expertise and know-how, especially in financial services, in this next phase of growth. This round gives us the necessary fuel to become one of India’s leading supply chain financing platforms in the years to come.”
Announcing the investment Mridul Arora, Managing Director, SAIF Partners said, “We are delighted to partner with Cashflo which is riding on the massive tailwind of supply chains getting more organised & consolidated; with eventual un-bundling of credit. We, at SAIF Partners, have a strong belief in the founding team’s vision of creating a multi-product , highly liquid and value-accretive credit platform ”.
Presently working with India’s leading corporate houses like the Tata Group, Aditya Birla Group, Bajaj Group and large corporates across sectors such as auto, retail, pharma, capital goods, textiles, logistics, and services among others, the company has garnered an order book of over Rs. 10,000 Crores of throughput from its existing contracts, making it the fastest growing platform in the country in just 2 years of active operations.
A lot of times, startups are in a fix as to whether or not they should raise funding, and if so, what kind of funding should they be opting for? In this section, we want to acquaint our readers with the pros and cons of seed funding. But first, let’s try to understand why is seed funding so very important.
Importance of Seed Funding
Well, seed funding is the early-stage investment that is required by a startup to get off the ground and gain some traction. This is considered a very important stage in the journey of a startup, since it allows them to grow, work on the product or idea. Also, develop a team and look into the other aspects responsible for running the company.
When Is The Right Time for Seed Funding?
Startups can fetch money whenever they want to, or so is believed. However, there are a few things that entrepreneurs might know if they want to get the required amount of funding that they want. Here are a few things to consider, before raising seed funding.
Do You Have the Right Team?
It is very essential to have the right human resources to work on ideas or products. Once you have the right team, you would treat everyone with respect, loyalty and care. So that this would ensure that the employees are invested in the company as much as the founders are.
Do You Have Validation From Industry Experts?
It is advisable that you take valuable feedback from experts in the field that you are operating from. This would be inclusive of advisors, angels, partners and industry players. This is a way in which startups can improve their product or idea, before the market knows about it or the early stage investors.
Do You Have the Prototype Ready?
In case you are ready with a product or software that you are wanting to implement, now is the right time to do so. You would need to have at least a working prototype which would be showcased in front of potential investors. If you can’t showcase a prototype, then you are clearly wasting the investors time.
Have the Potential Investors Been Vetted?
In terms of an investor meeting, it is best to do some research beforehand about potential investors. This would kind of help in building a relationship with investors before the pitch. Most investors are more inclined to come aboard with startups they find that already have background knowledge.
Did You Test Your Product?
To be on the safe side, it is always a safe option to test the product before you plan to raise seed funding. Once you get to know your customer’s needs and behaviour, this would allow startups to present a real world scenario of the product’s effectiveness.
The Takeaway
Though raising seed funding might seem pretty easy from all that we talked about, however all of us must clearly do our homework before we look forward to raising one.
Sony has been on every other person’s wishlist, especially for the WH-1000XM3 ANC headphones. But the fact that those aren’t cheap kept a lot of people from buying that ultimate piece of electronic gadget. But then Sony didn’t disappoint the music lovers and came up with the WH-XB900N headphones which we are going to talk about in just some time. The headphones are considerably cheaper than the elder sibling but are offering some features and tech which sure takes it a notch higher especially music lovers. Now let’s get into the details, shall we?
How Does It Look?
The construction of the Sony XB900N what we would call it here is good but the plastic is lightweight. The first touch does not feel very premium but then, there is more than what meets the eye. The overall weight is 254 grams making easy to carry around. The fir and flexibility are top-notch and the clasp is not too tight, making it comfortable to wear. The ear cups rotate 90-degree, lie flat and fold so you can carry it around in your bag easily. The texture on the headphones feels a bit weird, but it’s actually grippy so you will not end up dropping it off your hands. The memory foam padding is plush and the ears sit very comfortably inside the cups. However, I found them getting warm after extended use, but maybe it’s me nitpicking as I have never been a fan of over-the-ear phones. The padding keeps the isolation at a very high level and you will mostly not listen to most of the ambient sounds clearly after you put it on. The headphones look very stealthy in black. The left cup has two buttons, a power button and a custom button. There is a USB Type-C for charging and a blue LED light for indication, a 3.5 mm jack for using it as a wired headset.
How Does It Perform?
Paring it with my android smartphone was a simple deal. It quickly connects after you press the power switch on. The buttons feel a bit wobbly but are tactile in feedback. It also makes use of NFC to pair to nearby devices. It uses Bluetooth 4.2 but considering 2019, it’s a bit of a bummer. However, this headphone gets advanced codecs like Sony’s LDAC, aptX and aptX HD. You can download the Sony Headphones Connect application to control the amount of ambient noise as well as twenty different noise cancelling levels. The headphone gets noise-cancelling microphones which listen to everything around you. You can also select adaptive sound control and let the headphones adjust the settings on the fly. The app also allows you to have several other settings like in-built equaliser, surround options.
These phones also work with Google Assistant and Amazon Axela. The right earcup has the touch controls which allow you to play, pause, skip songs and rock the volume with just touch of your fingers. Placing your palm on the right earcup dims the volume of the music allowing you to hear in case someone is speaking to you which I feel is an amazing feature and you do not have to take your headphones off each and every time. Sony claims a total of 30 hours of battery life and personally, I have not been able to exhaust the charge in two days with a lot of constant use. You can still use them with the 3.5mm cable if the battery runs dry. These headphones are very bassy and are tailored for bass heads. The mids are quite prominent but the highs let lost, especially with the very punchy bass coming.
Verdict
If you are a bass head, listen to a lot of bass-heavy music, look no further. Great battery life, light-weight and ability to use them while travelling or commuting makes them an impressive buy. However, for a true audiophile, you can look at a lot more different options which however are far more expensive. For everything else, save some money and get the Sony WH-1000XM3 instead and you will be the happiest.
Specifications
Weight – 254 grams
Type – Over the ear with Active Noise Cancellation
It’s just been a few days since Apple have unveiled their new products and applications meant for their existing and upcoming devices as well. The most interesting product unveiled at the WWDC has to be the new Mac Pro, the most expensive offering starting at $5,999. Not only this, but Apple also launched the Pro Display XDR which starts at $4,999. The Mac Pro is by far the most powerful computer that Apple is offering now and it is purely meant for high-end processing and content creation for creators. For the ease of mobility, people prefer laptops as they are now smaller, thinner, lighter and more powerful. Apple has its MacBook lineup and since its inception, it has been a choice of millions of users all over the globe. Not too long ago when Apple went ahead and redesigned the MacBook Pro with an added touch bar, which also took its prices higher up. This calls for real alternatives which can be used if you are not looking to go into the Apple bandwagon or simply do not want to break a bank for the purchase of an Apple product. Any alternative to the Mac OS will definitely be Windows. And with the arrival of the Microsoft Windows 10, the overall computing experience on windows has increased several folds. We look at some of the best windows laptops which could be better alternatives than the Macbook.
Dell Xps
The Dell XPS is available in two different screen sizes, 13-inch and 15-inch. The Dell XPS is a very able MacBook alternative for those who want a powerful able laptop for their heavy usage. The Dell XPS looks amazing, is very compact and lightweight, with a long lasting battery increasing your productivity. There is an affordable entry-level XPS 13 which you can opt for and the price is something which is lower than Apple’s entry-level MacBook. You will get the latest Intel 8th generation of Intel processors and a display that looks amazing. The bezels are super thin and also have the option of a 4K display.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 2
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is one of the best offerings from Microsoft. This is the reason it becomes a great alternative for a MacBook. The Surface Laptop is in its second generation and it has been very well received by users from its initial days. The Microsoft Surface 2 laptop is a well-designed piece of technology with very sharp looks. It comes in a few colour options as well and is affordable when you compare it with the latest generations of the MacBook It’s a well designed, sharp-looking laptop that’s available in a lot of colours and it’s incredibly affordable compared to a MacBook Pro. Not only this Microsoft also offers several discounts, especially for students which makes it one affordable option for students, but especially those who create content and media. You get the latest 8th generation of Intel processors and RAM up to 16GB and up to 1TB of SSD storage. Additionally, the display looks great and the laptop has a whopping 14.5 hours of battery life. Asus Zenbook Pro 15 The Asus Zenbook Pro is what we can call very close to the MacBook and its most interesting piece of hardware is actually the screen which is a 100 per cent Adobe RGB 4K display with amazing colour accuracy. The screen also has a higher pixel density than the Retina display on the MacBook and also gets dedicated graphics support. The performance of the Zenbook Pro 15 is nothing short of amazing, it is better not to compare it directly with a MacBook. However, the battery life on the Zenbook Pro 15 is a bit of concern. The touchpad is replaced with a working screen which also allows several functions.
Lenovo Thinkpad X1
Carbon Lenovo has had the Thinkpad series for a few years now but if there is one Thinkpad which could be one of the best alternates for a MacBook. The Thinkpad X1 Carbon comes with a very tactile and amazing keyboard and is designed to be loaded work. The laptop is very thin and light and comes in a stealth black colour. The screen is great and there is plenty of power for all the tasks most users would need. Along with a 13-inch form factor, the screen supports HDR adding to the viewing experience. Lenovo has included all necessary ports for connectivity and also comes with Alexa controls built-in.
Hp Spectre X360
The HP Spectre X360 comes with a screen which swivels 360 degrees and also supports a stylus. There is an option of a 4K touchscreen display too. It is offered with both Core i5 and i7 8thprocessors. Its design is something unique with chamfered edges which look neat and add to the overall appeal. The Spectre X360 comes with an assurance of 13.5 hours of battery life. What makes this laptop even more desirable is the attractive entry-level price point considering you do not want to invest buying a MacBook. Furthermore, you get a lot of customisation options if you need to extract more out of the X360. The X360 is accompanied by a stylus.
