Likely launching next month in India, the OnePlus 10T has been spotted on Benchmark sites reportedly performing with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at the helm. Frame rates, along with operating temperature have been reported on Twitter by leaker Yogesh Brar, claiming that in the popular and graphically demanding game Genshin Impact, the newly identified OnePlus smartphone boasted 57FPS on average, at 43-46˚C on Extreme graphics settings. This is in comparison to the existing OnePlus 10 Pro which currently performs at 55FPS running at 45-49˚C. A common complaint with the 10 Pro is that the phone runs too hot. Although this is not entirely fixed, OnePlus has partially internalised this problem with the new chip.
Another leaker Mukul Sharma revealed that the OnePlus 10T is currently undergoing Research and Development testing in India, revealing variants with 8GB/128GB and12GB/256GB, attesting that 150W charging is quite likely. Two supposed finishes are a Green and Grey shade, while he further confirms that the smartphone will be offered as an upper mid-range device.
In other news, the smartphone is expected to come with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with second-generation LTPO technology allowing the display to refresh between 1hz and 120hz. The phone might come with a 360hz touch sampling rate to improve responsiveness and gaming. On the back of the phone, the phone is rumoured to come with a triple camera setup yet again, with the now popular 50MP IMX766 sensor on the primary shooter, an 8MP sensor for the ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera. The phone would feature anything between 4500-5000mAh battery as there is no real clarification on the same.
The upcoming Nothing Phone(1)’s design was recently revealed to a private audience at Art Basel, finally lifting the covers on the long-anticipated unique transparent phone design. The phone is expected to come with the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 at the helm, with up to 8GB of RAM and a dual-camera setup on the back, housing a 50MP shooter with an ultrawide second camera with no confirmation on the lens or sensor. The device is expected to come with a centre hole punch design and a 6.55-inch 90hz FHD+ OLED panel. Interestingly enough, with the open back of the phone, wireless charging is confirmed, along with a standard USB C port. Lastly, the phone will come with Android 12 based on the all-new NothingOS.
The product is expected to launch in the under $500 (39k INR) range.
Realme GT Neo 3T 5G – July 7th [unofficial]
Realme’s latest instalment of the GT series, the Neo 3T 5G, will come with the Snapdragon 870 platform, with up to 8GB RAM, featuring a 6.62 inch 120hz AMOLED panel. On the back is a triple camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary shooter, 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel Macro camera. With a whopping 80W charger, the phone is expected to top out the 5000mAh cell in 36 minutes.
The Realme GT Neo 3T 5G is expected to launch at about 36,599 INR.
Moto G62 5G – July 20th [unofficial]
The Moto G62 is a mid-range offering from the Lenovo-based brand for about 20k INR. The phone features a slightly upsetting Snapdragon 480+. The phone will feature up to 4GB of RAM, which is considerably less, slightly made up by the fact that the phone sports a 120hz IPS FHD+ panel. The product also comes with a 15W charger. The phone comes in two colourways – Midnight Gray and Frosted Blue, shipping with a close-to-stock Android 12 experience of Moto’s MyUX.
Oppo Reno 8 Pro [Early July]
After the success of the Reno 7 Pro, the 8 Pro carries heavy excitement, and so far, it seems to be delivered. Along with a unique curved class camera module design, the phone will feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Max with up to 12GB of RAM onboard. Furthermore, the phone will be packed with a 4500 mAh cell with up to 80W of fast charging. The phone is expected to be priced at about 35K INR and ship with RealmeUI over Android 12.
Oppo Reno 8 [Early July]
The Oppo Reno 8 is the younger sibling of the aforementioned 8 Pro, featuring a slightly clunkier display, featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 instead, and up to 8GB RAM, with a 50MP primary shooter, but a disappointing dual 2MP setup for the Macro and Depth cameras. The phone will feature a 4500 mAh cell with their VOOC standard charging for up to 80W going from 0-100 in 26 minutes. The price of this phone is expected to be around 25k INR, 10K less than its Pro variant.
The global pandemic has triggered digitization at an unprecedented rate in India, with the country becoming a leading mobile-first consumer economy1. As smartphone prices cease to be prohibitive, the smartphone user base is expected to reach 829 million in 2022, accounting for 60% of the population,which will represent 38% of all networked devices in India this year2. Today, India ranks second in the world for the number of smartphone users.6
Smartphones are playing a pivotal role in bridging the divide between urban and rural India and improving digital literacy- they are offering access to education, healthcare, banking, and other vital services. In fact, during the most severe lockdowns, smartphones and internet access were central to keeping children connected and educated, especially in rural and remote parts of the country. People are turning to their phones both for enrichment as well as entertainment.
The Photographer in Us
Smartphones have dramatically changed our lifestyles and have become our go-to devices. People in India spend around five hours a day on these devices on average, and are one of the world’s highest data consumers per day—even surpassing China3. After all, digital natives turn to smartphones for work, play, and nurturing hobbies. Phone cameras offer rich 4K resolution today, and several new devices bring 8K video recording. These innovations have turned many people into amateur photographers and content creators, capturing and documenting our lives. However, at the same time, this means that unless we have the right level of storage, we have to make the debilitating decision of deleting our memories in order to create new ones.
Today, dedicated storage devices are developed especially for mobile content creators, such as SanDisk® Dual Drives, which can be used to enhance mobile storage by up to 1TB5 and offer ease of moving content between various compatible devices. Moreover, dedicated storage is available both for AndroidTM and iOS devices. This simple plug-and-play device allows us to continue the pursuit of the best picture and capture our precious moments without worrying about the lack of storage space. Other options are available too, such as microSDTM cards and external SSDs, that offer phenomenal transfer speed and can be plugged directly into smartphones that feature a card slot.
Thanks to the smartphone penetration in the country, mobile gaming has also become a mass phenomenon and is competing with other popular entertainment categories, such as short-form video, streaming services, and social networks for user attention. With one out of ten gamers across the globe being in India, it is the fifth-largest mobile gaming market globally4. Even an entry-level smartphone today comes packed with more power and features. As a result, affordable yet powerful smartphones are one of the critical enablers of this massive boom in mobile gaming. Additionally, easy access to various game titles has also aided the popularity of mobile gaming. For example, many casual games are ‘Pick Up and Play’, usually available as a free download and monetized by ads. These also attract casual gamers looking for no-obligation games to pass the time.
Hardcore gamers can easily access the games of their choice from almost unlimited title options and play immersive multiplayer games, which are gaining traction. While immersive and graphically taxing titles are becoming popular, these take up a lot of space on the device, which can hamper the gameplay in the absence of the right storage. The storage should be designed to avoid the lagging graphics that can slow the game down. For example, the microSDTM card, in addition to offering ample space, should also offer high-performance speeds to support demanding game graphics and 4K ultra-HD video.
Smartphones have changed our world and have become a crucial part of our lives. However, these devices will become inhibited without storage.
The beginning of every New Year is no doubt exciting for a variety of reasons. However, among these reasons, is the unveiling of new technologies. This unique opportunity creates a unique platform for companies far and wide to introduce what they will be working to launch in the upcoming year. It also provides each company a unique look into what their competitors are trying to get out there.
Whether you use this platform just as an observer or a competitor, it is hard not to be left oohed and awed by some of these technological adventures. Here is just a shortlist of some of the most exciting things tech companies are working toward this New Year.
3D Home Printing
Could the old methods of home-building be about to change forever? What if you could do away with your hardhat and toolbelt and wear a suit and tie while carrying a briefcase to work every day? This might not be a sacrifice everyone is willing to make, but 3D home printing technology could forever change the world of homebuilding. You’d be surprised at just how applicable it is to feed concrete, sand, and plastics into massive 3D printers.
You might be surprised by this, but you likely be even more surprised at how cost affordable this solution is. It might end up even being less costly than the older, traditional ways of building homes. There is, however, one thing still holding the industry back. That is the lack of infrastructure to transport printing materials to parts of the world where they would be most impactful.
Self-Fertilizing Crops
When you look at all the wealth in the world, it is almost hard to believe that there are still suffering and struggling out there. Indeed, there are entire countries and regions of the world lacking, but it just seems like some people have so much. Not only this, but you combine all this excess with the waste that goes on today, and the fact that there is one starving person in the world seems kind of ludicrous. That might be about to change. And it won’t have anything to do with less spending or less wasting.
It will be thanks to self-fertilizing crops. Most people just don’t realize how harmful current farming practices are. With the use of massive commercial fertilizers, nitrogen and other harmful chemicals are just eating away at the earth daily. Nitrogen is a highly used crop production chemical that accounts for 1 to 2 percent of yearly, global carbon dioxide emissions.
While nitrogen has proven to be an effective fertilizer, it is also doing untold harm to the world.
A world that is in limited supply. Soy plants and members of the legume family like peas and lentils might be about to transform the entire industry. Scientists are already immediately working on getting corn and other cereals to self-fertilize.
Advancement Of Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies have been a slowly trudging technology that’s for the most part stayed on the fringes of mainstream finances. Consumers have seen this shift a bit in the online sports betting market. So, it is possible to play สล็อตแตกง่าย ฝากถอน ไม่มีขั้นต่ำ with specific digital currencies.
There are now a few online platforms willing to accept and payout in cryptocurrencies. Some e-commerce sites also accept digital currencies.
El Salvador has just recently become the first country in Central America to make Bitcoin the most popular cryptocurrency in the world.
Sweden, Canada, The European Union, and The United Kingdom are already a few of the global leading giants that are considering implementing financial changes. Unfortunately, there are some still not embracing this digital currency and all the potential it offers, but that could possibly change in 2022. It is the concerns and potential risks for digital fraud in countries like China, Bangladesh, Qatar, Egypt, and Morocco that have been deterring many.
Anti-Aging Drugs
Who doesn’t want to stay looking and feeling like a teenager? It seems these hopes and dreams might come to fruition in the upcoming years. At least the part about looking like a teenager.
While there are plenty of exciting and ground-breaking things going on in modern medicine, it seems that anti-aging medications are the exclusive talk of the town.
The first wave of new class anti-ageing drugs has already been shipped out and implemented in controlled testing environments. While these medications are not yet designed to make one live longer, they remove certain cells that accumulate during the aging process.
At least once in your life, you have run into a conversation that poses a comparison between Android and iOS. While we are all aware that Google’s Android offers a more open platform, choice, versatility, and customization, there must be something that keeps the users hooked to the iOS devices. The fight between Android vs iOS will never have a real winner. However, we might help you find your pick.
The latest versions of both the operating systems – iOS 15 and Android 12, are pretty excellent but in different ways. Many of the features, such as swiping, and zooming in and out, overlap, but both have a different design, except for the basic touch-screen layout. You need to know the strength of both these operating systems to get a clear picture of which smartphone to invest in. Currently, the flagship smartphones of both these OS are Google Pixel 6 and iPhone 13.
Android 12 vs iOS 15
Both Android and iOS are unique, with similar features and layouts. We will list them all on some parameters, and the OS that ticks more boxes becomes the winner.
Personalization
With its design and layout, Google has taken this one right off the bat. From layout to wallpaper changes, Android 12 adapts to everything, from wallpaper changes to layout, and the notification panel, which can be customized to make the phone your own.
iOS, on the other hand, gets some degree of customizability but gets outperformed by Android 12. You can not have a blank home screen on an iPhone, and it’s a little disappointing.
I think Apple does excellently by giving notifications a needed facelift in iOS 15, with bigger app icons and contact photos for conversation notifications.
Fluidity
Both the operating systems are quite fluid and stable as far as the overall performance is concerned. With Android 12, the calculator looks updated with new angles, new Google apps, and standard apps like Settings, Privacy, and Games.
With iOS 15, the flagship browser Safari has been redesigned with the address bar at the bottom, closer to the keyboard, refined notifications, and App Library. All the apps have well-rounded corners and a pie-chart-like display of various stats. The apps on iOS 15 seem to work on a similar template and come with a certain level of polish.
Google is trying to catch up on a similar level of consistency with Android, but iOS wins the race for now.
Updates
Apple is known for its better update timeline since iOS rolls out updates on the same date for every device without discrimination. Whether it is the iPhone 6 or iPhone 13, all the phones will get the same update simultaneously.
On the contrary, Android smartphone makers schedule updates according to their priorities and do not sync with Google. This is because most smartphone brands put their flavours to the Android version and are tweaked for the next update.
While iOS 15 rolled the updates for all the devices at once, Android 12 makes you wait for the OEM to provide the update, and that can take months. iOS is a clear winner here.
Gaming
Android 12 has come up with some exciting features for gamers. The ‘play as you download’ feature lets the user play games while other assets are being downloaded in the background. Also, there are added features like quick toggles in its Game Dashboard that let you take screenshots and toggle DND. Android devices have a larger collection of games as compared to iOS.
On iOS 15, everything revolves around the App Store and Apple Arcade. You get a dedicated Focus Mode for games and a game centre for the multiplayer experience; however, there are no console-quality games despite the powerful chipset that iPhone comes with.
Bloatware
Apple has the upper hand because Google doesn’t decide on pre-loaded apps on every Android phone. While the Pixel lineup and a few other high-end smartphones have decent pre-loaded apps, it is not the same for every Android smartphone, for they are loaded with bloatware.
iOS 15 lets you delete whatever you want from your smartphone, but Android 12 wouldn’t let you do the same. Few apps can be a potential privacy threat to your data.
Conclusion
iOS and Android are the two most popular mobile operating systems around the world. What makes iOS different from Android is that you can get a lot of variations of Android depending upon the OEMs, but there’s only one version of iOS throughout every iPhone lineup. Apple excels in consistency.
It isn’t easy to judge both these operating systems and pick out the best but let’s say that while Android beats iOS in customizability, iOS covers the road of longevity more than Android.
In the recent WWDC 2022 event on June 6, Apple inc finally announced its iOS 16 update, which will be released in September 2022. Although this is excellent news for all the tech followers and smartphone enthusiasts, this is also bad news for some previous iPhone users.
With iOS 16, Apple also announced that some devices wouldn’t be receiving these updates, specifically the iPhones starting from 7 Plus to the bottom will not be receiving these updates. The announcement shocked many people because the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were released in September 2016, which isn’t a long time for smartphones not to receive further updates.
Like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, iOS 16 is not to be released for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, among other devices. Following Apple’s WWDC event on June 6, iPhone 7 customers rushed to Twitter to voice their frustrations over the lack of an update for their phones.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of death globally. In 2020 alone, cancer was responsible for nearly 10 million deaths. Scientists have conducted ongoing research and experimented to find a cure for this disease throughout history. The first cancer patient was cured in 1898 using radiation, a method used to cure cancer in the current times, and this is called chemotherapy. Chemotherapy damages the genes inside the nucleus of the abnormal cancerous cells. Although this treatment has a five-year survival rate of 90%, it is often pretty dangerous for people because of the excessive radiation exposure to the patients. The dangers of excessive radiation have motivated scientists to find a safer and more efficient way of curing cancer through research and experiments.
In a recent trial on 18 rectal cancer patients in the US, cancer disappeared from each patient through a drug called Dostarlimab. Doctors at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York conducted the research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. “At the time of our report, no patients had had chemoradiotherapy or surgery.” researchers said in a media outlet study, which meant that the drug Dostarlimab didn’t require any surgery or chemotherapy to decrease the tumour.
The trial is a fascinating breakthrough since nothing like this has ever happened in the history of cancer, where the cancer tumour has decreased/faded from each patient. Experts applauded the study because not all patients had significant adverse effects from the pharmaceutical experiment.
Although this is exciting news, people should not be overly hyped about this because Dostarlimab is not 100% a cure for cancer and has significant side effects which make it undifferentiable from chemotherapy. “We do not know if it will work for other cancers, apart from rectal cancer, because testing and trials have not been done,” Dr Ashok Kumar Vaid. “(My) initial thoughts were that this was very exciting because patients were getting cured without any radiation, surgery, or chemotherapy. A deeper dive brings up questions,” Adds Dr Anil Heroor
Even though there are multiple drawbacks to this study, such as the cost of treatment, small sample size, and eligibility, this is an outstanding achievement for science. Everyone should hope for the best while being realistic.
The iPad, iPad mini, and iPad Pro are Apple’s three iPad product lines. For tech products to thrive in the market, updates and changes are very important. Apple has done precisely that.
In the recent update, Apple Inc. introduced an entirely new multitasking experience with the Stage manager and full external display support, bringing in new ways to collaborate via the Messages app, significant updates to Mail and Safari, new apps and more.
Updates to Messages
The Messages application now has new capabilities that make it simple to collaborate and manage shared material across Apple-based applications like Files, Keynote, Pages, Notes, Reminders, Safari and other third-party applications. The document, spreadsheet, or project is automatically shared with all the members of the thread/group when users submit a collaboration invitation via Messages. Everyone will also be able to see live updates to a shared file right at the top of the Messages thread when someone modifies.
In addition to the improved collaboration, messages will also allow users to have a better messaging experience by enabling users to edit sent messages and recover recently deleted messages.
New Application: Freeform
Apple is introducing a collaboration application called Freeform during the iPadOS 16 updates. With this application, you can view, share, and collaborate all in one location without worrying about layouts or page sizes. Coming to iPadOS 16 later this year, Freeform will permit users to view others’ contributions as they add content or make edits while enjoying a real-time collaboration space by starting FaceTime sessions and getting updates from others on Messages.
New Application: Weather
In the new update, the long-awaited weather app is being added to the iPad. Users may access essential weather information with only a swipe or browse maps to check precipitation, air quality, and temperature. Users will also receive notifications when a severe weather alert is issued in their location and monitor the air quality using a colour-coded scale.
Updates to ‘Live text’ and ‘Visual look up.’
Using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Live Text identifies text in photos. This functionality has been extended to videos, allowing the reader to interact with stopped video frames. Users can now use this feature to convert currencies, translate different languages, or copy the text in a live video!
Updates to Safari & Mail
Shared Tab Groups allow users to collaborate on a set of tabs with friends and see updates instantly while they work together, share tabs and bookmarks, and start a conversation right from Safari.
Passkeys, a quicker and safer sign-in technique meant to replace passwords on the web and in applications, make browsing in Safari even more secure. Passkeys are stored on the iPad and are unique to the sites they were created for. Hackers can’t leak passkeys or fool users into providing them since they’re special digital keys that stay on the device and are never saved on a web server.
Mail introduces new smart tools; some are options to cancel the delivery of a message before it reaches a recipient’s inbox, schedule emails to be sent at the perfect moment and more.
New Feature: Powerful Multitasking
Stage Manager is a brand-new multitasking experience that organises programmes and windows for you, making switching between jobs a breeze. Users may now construct overlapping windows of various sizes in a single view, drag and drop windows from the side, or start applications from the Dock to build groups of apps for quicker, more flexible multitasking on the iPad for the first time.
Final Conclusion
These are the most significant updates coming to the new iPadOS 16. These changes will positively impact the user experience of iPads because additional features for multitasking were much needed, which now have been implemented to the iPadOS.
June marks the start of the monsoon season in India. Earlier, actors, filmmakers, producers, and distributors used to bypass their big releases during June as the month also marks the reopening of the schools, and people couldn’t afford to spend money on movie tickets. However, the farewell of covid-19 is pushing people towards the big screens again, and of course, OTTs are always there to cure your boredom.
Major
The biographical action movie follows the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who fought against terrorists and was martyred in action during the 2008 attacks at the Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai, India. The film marks the debut of Adivi Sesh in Hindi movies, who also wrote the script. The film also stars Saiee Manjrekar, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Revathi and Murali Sharma.
Release: June 3 (in theatres)
Genre: Biography
Directed by: Sashi Kiran Tikka
Samrat Prithviraj
The historical action drama movie stars superstar Akshay Kumar in the lead as Prithviraj Chauhan, a Rajput king. The film marks the debut of Manushi Chhillar as Sanyogita, one of three wives of Prithviraj Chauhan, who was said to be the incarnation of Tillotama – an apsara from heaven. The movie also stars Sanjay Dutt, Sonu Sood, Manav Vij, Ashutosh Rana and Sakshi Tanwar.
Release: June 3 (in theatres)
Genre: Historical
Directed by: Chandraprakash Dwivedi
Vikram
The upcoming Tamil language action thriller film stars one of the most influential star cast we’ve seen in recent times, Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil. The film has no connection with the 1986 released movie of the same name, which also starred Kamal Hassan. The storyline of the movie revolves around the lives of two siblings, one being a gangster and the other a politician.
Release: June 3 (in theatres)
Genre: Action Thriller
Directed by: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Maidaan
The biographical sports drama film is based on the golden era of Indian football (1952–1962) and stars superstar Ajay Devgn in the lead as a football coach Syed Abdul Rahim, who managed the Indian football team for 13 years. The music of the movie is composed by popular musician A.R. Rahman. Along with Ajay Devgn, it also stars Priyamani, Gajraj Rao and Rudranil Ghosh.
Release: June 3
Platform: Amazon Prime
Genre: Sports Biopic
Directed by: Amit Sharma
The Boys (Season 3)
The Boys are back with the show’s third season, and the fans can not contain the excitement. The short synopsis of the show suggests the coming episodes will kick off an all-out war between The Boys and The Seven. Also, the third season will introduce a few new characters, which include Superhero: Soldier Boy. The show stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, and Erin Moriarty in the lead.
Release: June 3
Platform: Amazon Prime
Genre: Science Fiction
Developed by: Eric Kripke
Jungle Cry
The movie documents the true story of India’s under-14 rugby team’s World Cup triumph in 2007. Jungle cry stars Abhay Deol in the lead, along with Stewart Wright and Atul Kumar. The movie showcases the inspiring and triumphant journey of 12 underprivileged children from Kalinga Institute in Odisha. The sports drama is all set to release on Lionsgate Play.
Release: June 3
Platform: Lionsgate Play
Genre: Sports Drama
Directed by: Sagar Ballary
Ms Marvel
A miniseries is based on the Marvel Comics featuring the character Kamala Khan or Ms Marvel played by a debutant Iman Vellani. The miniseries is based on a fangirl of the Avengers, particularly Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel, who struggles to fit in until she gains her powers. It features Matt Lintz, Yasmeen Fletcher, Zenobia Shroff, Mohan Kapur, Saagar Shaikh, Rish Shah, and Laurel Marsden.
Release: June 8
Platform: Disney+ Hotstar
Genre: Action Adventure
Created by: Bisha K. Ali
Jurassic World: Dominion
The American science fiction action film is the sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), the sixth installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the last Jurassic World trilogy. The movie takes place four years after Isla Nublar has been destroyed and features a stellar star cast, including Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Daniella Pineda.
Release: June 10 (in theatres)
Genre: Science Fiction
Directed by: Colin Trevorrow
She (Season 2)
The first season of the mini-series “She” ended on a thrilling note, and everyone was aware that the makers would come up with a second season. The series stars Aaditi Pohankar as constable Bhumika Pardesi and shows us how she copes with her personal and professional struggles. Along with Aditi, the series features Vishwas Kini, Kishore Kumar G, Shivani Rangole and Suhita Thatte in pivotal roles
Release: June 17
Platform: Netflix
Genre: Crime Drama
Created by: Imtiaz Ali
The Umbrella Academy (Season 3)
The show revolves around highly dysfunctional and wonderfully funny adopted sibling superheroes who reunite to solve the mystery of their father’s death. The series is based on the comic book series of the same name written by Gerard Way and published by Dark Horse Comics. The cast features Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, and Robert Sheehan.
BMW has been on an update spree like most other manufacturers in the year 2022. This time around, it’s the X4’s turn to receive a stealthy yet worthy Shadow edition update, a limited edition! This vehicle is also offered in a standard edition, but the M Sport package amplifies the overall appeal as expected no matter which you choose. On a sunny afternoon, we drove a limited edition BMW X4 Shadow edition wrapped in a nardo grey suit, one of the best colours on automobiles. Rev along.
BMW X4 MSport x30d-Wiser and meaner with time
Launched back in 2014, BMW last updated the BMW X4 in 2019. This year, the BMW X4 gets an updated, versatile chassis shared with older and younger X siblings from the family. The shadow edition accentuates this car’s appearance with all black and nardo grey contrast. BMW equips the X4 in x30i or x30d configurations, both standard in the M Sport package. Visually, both are identical, with sharper fascia and slim M Sport BMW adaptive LED lights front and rear. While the X6 is the original SUV Coupe beauty, the X4 symbolises this design in the midsize SUV Coupe silhouette making it one of the most handsome SUVs for its asking price.
Standing on M Sport dual spoke M light run-flat 20-inch tyres and adaptive suspensions, the X4 looks stunning in proportion. Shadow edition masks all the chrome elements of the standard car in gloss and matte black combinations. First seen on the M4, the adaptive air intakes sit neatly behind the more proportionate BMW grille. Sharper angles make this update feel modern and apt for this year and the future. M Sport batches all around the car, red M Sport brake callipers and wider tyres with 245 section up front and 275 at rear heighten the car’s road presence compared to its predecessor. This time in sharp geometric shapes, the rear black diffuser and M Sport dual exhausts add a sense of sporty appeal to the overall X4 package.
On the inside, our shadow edition featured all-black interiors with red stitching on good quality leather finishes and soft-touch leather on the dash, doors and centre consoles. Nothing much has changed since its last update in 2019, apart from the 12.3 BMW live cockpit touch infotainment system featuring wireless Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and gesture controls with M Sport animated dials to display gravitational acceleration, lean angles and more. M Sport three-spoke steering feels sturdy and acts sharp, making this SUV coupe feel more like a typical coupe than a midsize SUV. There are some misses, like the lack of wireless charging and 360-degree cameras, especially in a day and age when affordable cars are loaded with such sensors and more. The quality of leather and fit-finish levels are one of the best in the premium segment, and everything feels tactile. Being an SUV Coupe, the X4 packs a healthy electric-operated boot space of 525L with a space saver tyre.
BMW X4 MSport x30d-M Sport package as standard
The X4 is offered in twin-turbo combos of a 4-cylinder 252 bhp and 350 Nm petrol x30i engine, and our review (absolute) unit is provided in 6-cylinder 262 bhp and 620 Nm diesel x30d engine. BMW has got rid of other xDrive offerings. We test the better of the two – x30d, and its various drive modes include Eco, Eco Pro, Comfort, Comfort what-not, Sport and Sport Plus, with individual configurations for all settings. Truth be told, our dials were usually red with the Sport plus mode activated for most of our drive. What was surprising was the sheer opulent drive in comfort modes. The diesel engine is engineer-aged like a fine wine and feels refined, and the gearbox is smooth, mated to sophisticated NVH levels on a chassis developed for the X7!
Despite the larger shoes with 20-inch wheels, the adaptive suspension, brilliant chassis with minimal to no body roll, refined diesel engine and class-leading NVH levels give the BMW X4 a duality. It can be calm in comfort modes, and when you are in the mood for some paddle shifting fun, this bimmer can surprise you. A 0-100kmph sprint is achievable in 5.8s! This car is quick, considering the size and volume. To put it in perspective, this midsize mammoth is almost as fast as the newly launched BMW i4, and that is an all-electric sedan! Different modes aside, this car can perform a wheel spin on ECO mode if demanded. SPORT plus modes aggrandise the power, steering feel, suspension feedback and overall responsiveness of the BMW X4. BMW M sport package amplifies this car’s appeal by many folds. In an era dominated by midsize SUVs, this brilliant SUV Coupe does not just stand out with its design but also its mean twin-turbo M spec power.
The BMW X4 does feel like an SUV in all its elements. Still, it drives like a sedan thanks to an enthusiastic engine coupled with a smooth 8-speed Steptronic transmission, sharp steering inputs and M sport black magic on the limited shadow edition. Interiors, too, are sumptuous and accommodating despite the M sport seats with ample lumbar support. The adaptive suspension has made a world of difference to the overall drive quality of the updated BMW X4. There is almost no body roll despite the sheer size of this SUV, and high-speed stability has to be one of the best ammunition in its arsenal, coupled with solid but progressive braking.
BMW X4 MSport x30d- The sporty SUV styled as a Coupe
We drove spiritedly all day long in a limited Shadow edition BMW X4 x30d, and not many will be available in India. The black treatment on the exterior and interior with subtle M Sport badges makes the BMW X4 a handsome car. Newer details make the X4 look sharp and modern, ready to age with poise. Limited editions not just age with grace but sometimes appreciate with time. This beautiful monstrosity is a worthy set of wheels in your garage if you are tired of the ordinary-looking SUVs on our roads. Not only is it sporty in its drive appeal, but also composed in a way. BMW X4 has matured into a stunning midsize SUV Coupe update from BMW.
