Samsung has announced its Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event long back. The most-awaited event of 2021 will happen today, on August 11, where the South Korean tech giant will unleash Galaxy Z Fold 3, Galaxy Z Flip 3, wearables, and a few other exciting products.
The company has created a buzz about the event and the yet-to-be-launched products, but right before the day of the Unpacked event, OnePlus USA wants to steal all the attention from Samsung, as the company teases about a new device announcement on the eve of August 11.
The official Instagram and Twitter accounts of OnePlus USA shared a teaser of an upcoming dual-screen phone along with a date, August 11. The dual-screen device featured in a teaser looks to be a foldable one and takes us back to the launch of LG’s Dual Screen smartphone LG V60.
OnePlus hasn’t announced officially any foldable device; even there are no rumours and leaks about the device shown in the teaser. All these things indirectly say it could be a concept phone. To create more drama, OnePlus USA will present the device simultaneously, at 10 AM, exactly when the Galaxy Unpacked event will inaugurate.
According to a few reports and tipsters, the dual-screen phone in a teaser is not a dual-screen phone but just two OnePlus 9 Pro phones put together, which OnePlus is teasing through a special promotion where the company might offer a buy one get one deal, as every Wednesday is OnePlus day.
OnePlus is trying its best to steal people’s attention from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. The phone shown in a teaser looks similar to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, and if OnePlus unleashes a foldable smartphone today evening, then it would be a memorable launch for two rivals. Let’s just hope for a great evening.
Nowadays, all leading smartphone brands are offering 5G ready devices. Not only do these smartphones make your network access faster and better, their greater bandwidth and lower latency compared to 4G and 3G networks often translate into redefining the way all of us live, work and play. While many may assume that 5G ready devices are exorbitantly expensive owing to their excellent features and 5G support, nothing can be farther from the truth. You can grab a 5G phone with Avantgarde features for as little as INR 30,000. Let us have a look at some of the best 5G Smartphones under INR 30,000 available today.
OPPO Reno6 5G: Taking the smartphone videography benchmark a notch ahead OPPO recently announced the launch of the most awaited Reno series, the OPPO Reno6 Pro 5G and Reno6 5G along with Enco X True Wireless Noise Cancelling earphones in a new blue colour variant. The Reno6 5G would be available on Flipkart at INR 29,990.
The phone has a 6.5-inch 3D curved display with a 90Hz refresh rate and up to 180Hz touch sampling rate, ensuring a smooth feel and comfortable viewing experience. The display is HDR10+ certified for a more vivid visual experience. Paired with this display is 360-degree Light-Sensing enabled by two ambient light sensors, which improve the accuracy of auto-brightness adjustments, making the viewing experience more comfortable. The display is also Netflix HD and Amazon Prime Video HD/HDR certified for high-quality visual content. Like its predecessors, the OPPO Reno6 series continues with a trendy, thin, and lightweight design.
Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: The smartphone boasts a 6.50-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with two cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six cores clocked at 1.8GHz. It comes with 6GB of RAM and runs Android 11. A 4500mAh battery powers the phone. In terms of the camera, the phone rear packs a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture; a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 5-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture, and a 5-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports a 32-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.2 aperture. It offers 128GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via a microSD card (up to 1000GB). The phone is humbly priced at INR 26,499.
VIVO V21 5G: This smartphone comes with a 6.44-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2404 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. Vivo V21 5G is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 800U processor, and it has 8GB of RAM. The Vivo V21 5G runs Android 11 and is powered by a 4000mAh battery. The Vivo V21 5G also boasts proprietary fast charging. In terms of camera, the phone on the rear packs a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.79 aperture, an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture.
The rear camera setup has autofocus. It sports a 44-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.0 aperture. It runs on Funtouch OS 11.1, based on Android 11 and packs 128GB of inbuilt storage that can be expanded via microSD card (up to 1000GB) with a specific slot. Vivo V21 5G price in India starts at INR 29,990.
Realme X7 Max 5G: The device comes with a 6.43-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. An octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1200 processor powers Realme X7 Max. It comes with 8GB of RAM. The phone runs Android 11 and is powered by a 4500mAh battery. The Realme X7 Max is equipped with proprietary fast charging. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Realme X7 Max on the backpacks a 64-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture; an 8-megapixel camera with an f/2.3 aperture, and a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture. The rear camera setup has autofocus.
It sports a 16-megapixel camera on the front for selfies with an f/2.5 aperture. The Realme X7 Max runs Realme UI 2.0, is based on Android 11, and packs 128GB of inbuilt storage. The Realme X7 Max measures 158.50 x 73.30 x 8.40mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs 179.00 grams. Available colour variants are Asteroid Black, Mercury Silver, and Milky Way colours. Realme X7 Max costs INR 26,999.
One Plus Nord CE 5G: The OnePlus Nord CE retains the Nord’s 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display. It gets a pixel density of 410ppi, a 20:9 aspect ratio and a screen resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels. The smartphone offers a refresh rate of 90Hz, which translates to smooth app run and gaming. A 30W fast charging enabled powerful battery ensures that the device is always on. It features a triple rear camera with a foray into the 64-megapixel smartphone arena. An 8-megapixel sensor backs the primary camera with an f/2.25 ultra-wide lens and a 2-megapixel mono sensor with an f/2.4 lens. At the front, it offers a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 selfie camera with an f/2.45 lens and EIS support.
The device is powered by Snapdragon 750G 5G SoC at its core. Comparing the phone to its predecessor, the One Plus Nord CE 5G weighs surprisingly low at 170gms with a 4500 mAh battery under the hood.
Many remember Ashton Kutcher for his acting in No Strings Attached and What Happened in Vegas and sometimes forget about his punching lines in JOBS. There’s one line where he says about innovation and tells the people that unless and until their product doesn’t amplify their imagination, it’s impossible to predict whether people will like that product or not. Touching hearts and going beyond imagination is what sometimes people seek. QLED TVs have captured the mind by showcasing the new methodology of entertainment. Since half the year has passed, we will like to discuss today some of the coolest TVs. Through this Exhibit article, we will talk about the best QLED TVs of 2021.
Samsung Neo QLED QN90A
This QLED TV from Samsung has given an air-tight competition to several OLEDs due to its superior performance by its mini-LED panel, NEO QLED. It got more acceptance than its predecessor Q90T because of it being available at a better affordable rate. The best part of this QLED TV is its screen size and screen refresh rate, due to which a customer like you will experience better visualization. However, one must note that the screen size comes in different variants – 55 inches, 65 inches, and 75 inches.
Hisense U8G Android TV
Two words find their space in almost every single thing – Chinese and Android. Yeah, that’s true in every aspect as a truth spoken by Jack Sparrow to Elizabeth in the Dead Man’s Chest. Well, here we have another QLED TV – Hisense U8G Android TV. This TV also has the same screen size and refresh rate as that of Samsung Neo QLED QN90A. However, if you consider the price at which it is available against the sharpness, color, and contrast, you will definitely choose this one for sure. But, the hiccup that you may face with this QLED TV is motion smoothing.
Vizio M-Series Quantum MQ6
If you use a term like quantum, people start thinking that you will open the second version of Concepts of Physics by Dr. HC Verma and read the Modern Physics chapter. But, such terms sometimes add sophistication and style too. Well, if you talk about this QLED TV, you will say that Vizio M-Series Quantum can disappoint on the visual front if compared with the ones mentioned above. But, things get compensated at the audio quality end. In addition, you will find this Vizio QLED TV a lot lighter.
TCL 6 Series/R635
Well, if you watch anything in it, the very first statement that you will have is that HDR content is awesome. The quality of brightness and a better contrast ratio can let you see every detail you always wanted to see. The good thing about this product is that it has an in-built Roku platform added to its firmware. Hence, you can download many apps for your entertainment. The narrow viewing angle may be a bit of an issue for you, but you must appreciate the rest.
OnePlus Q1 Series 4K Certified Android QLED TV 55Q1IN Pro
OnePlus is that name for those who wanted something lucrative and luxurious but were unable to afford Apple. Hence, there is an assurance that what equipment OnePlus is delivering has a quality. It has elegance due to the Dolby vision panel. Thinking about the audio? 50W stereo speakers. Any weak points on connectivity? Well, it has 4 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, 1 Ethernet port, and 1 Toslink port. That’s a whopping one!
Conclusion
2021 has brought the baggage of many surprises when it comes to movies, web series, Olympics, Euro Cup, and many other shows. Unless and until there’s a handsome amount of people getting vaccinated, Work From Home culture will prevail. Bring one QLED TV and create a balance between entertainment and work.
Everyone knows that OnePlus has always been associated with Oppo behind the curtains, and to make the grip tighter, OnePlus is now officially merging with Oppo after working together on some level for the last one year. OnePlus and Oppo are popular smartphone brands in India, both owned by the Chinese parent group BBK Electronics that also owns brands such as Vivo and Realme.
Earlier, both the companies collaborated closely for a while, and now OnePlus has announced that it will further integrate with its sister smartphone brand Oppo, with OnePlus becoming an Oppo sub-brand; however, it will continue to operate independently.
The dramatic move appears after premium smartphone maker OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took on additional responsibility as Oppo’s chief product officer to develop a product strategy for both OnePlus and Oppo. Lau said in the forum post, “Since then, we have integrated a number of our teams with Oppo to streamline our operations better and capitalise on additional shared resources”.
The formal integration will give OnePlus additional resources to develop and create even better products for the consumers. “We’re at a turning point for the future of OnePlus, and I’m confident that this change will be positive for our community and our users. It will also allow us to be more efficient, for example, bringing faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users,” he wrote further in the post titled “A New Journey for OnePlus”.
Furthermore, Lau said in the post; the OnePlus brand will continue to operate its events and customer feedback channels independently. The move might also merge the mid-premium segment play of both brands, the Nord and Reno series. Also, the OnePlus spokesperson for the company confirmed that OnePlus products and regional markets would run the business as usual and continue to compete in the markets the same way they previously did.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus TV U1S, the latest model in the company’s growing lineup of televisions for the Indian market, at the company’s Summer Launch Event. Along with the OnePlus TV U1S, the company launched the much-awaited smartphone OnePlus Nord CE 5G, at an affordable price of ₹22,999.
The latest OnePlus TV is an LED LCD television with 4K resolution that supports a 60 Hz refresh rate and comes in three size variants, 50-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch. The 50-inch variant is priced at ₹39,999, the 55-inch variant is priced at ₹47,999, and the 65-inch variant will fetch you ₹62,999.
The OnePlus TV U1S series features a slim bezel-less design with a UHD resolution of 3840×2160 pixels and features 16GB internal storage with 2GB of system memory. The panel has a 10-bit colour depth and 93% coverage of the DCI-P3 with high colour accuracy of Delta-E<2 in the Movie preset.
The OnePlus TV U1S runs on Android TV 10 OS with built-in apps for Netflix, Prime Video, Google Assistant, and Spotify. The Smart TV comes with a pair of 30W stereo speakers that support standard Dolby Audio co-tuned with Dynaudio tuning and a quick connect feature with the OnePlus Buds.
The U1S TV can be controlled from the OnePlus Watch; when a smartwatch is connected with the TV models, it will turn off the TV after 30 minutes if the user falls asleep. The TV The OnePlus connect app can control the TV and enable Kids Mode to block certain content.
The smart TV also comes with a Speak Now feature, which will let you control the TV from a distance with Ok Google voice commands and works with Amazon Alexa as well. The open sale will start from today, June 11, via the OnePlus website, Flipkart, and Amazon.
Along with the TV, OnePlus is also launching the OnePlus TV Camera, which is designed to attach to all existing OnePlus TVs. The Camera can be useful for making video calls using apps like Google Duo from your television.
Last year, OnePlus added a new lineup of phones by launching the OnePlus Nord in the market, and this year they’re coming with another Nord sibling, the OnePlus Nord CE (Core Edition), which is set to launch in India on 10th June and will be available for sale on Amazon once released. It is expected to be the company’s cheapest 5G phone in the country yet and will have additional features compared to OnePlus Nord.
According to the leaks, the Nord CE will arrive with the Snapdragon 750G chipset and a 6.43-inch AMOLED panel. The phone will feature a 64MP primary camera, a 16MP camera at the front, and a 90Hz refresh rate, twinning to the one already on the OnePlus Nord. The leaked features directly point out the OnePlus’ strategy to compete with the recently launched Mi 10i and Samsung’s Galaxy A52 5G; both of these devices also come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor.
Furthermore, the upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 5G smartphone will fall in a similar pricing category as the Mi 10i and Samsung’s Galaxy A52 5G to give them healthy competition in the market. So, we can expect the phone to be priced between the range of 20k-25k, which will ultimately make the OnePlus experience more accessible than ever.
As the name suggests, the OnePlus Nord Core Edition 5G will go down deep to the core to provide you with a wholesome experience, and the phone will surely deliver all the features you would expect from a OnePlus flagship smartphone. The upcoming Nord CE 5G has already been listed on the Amazon India website with the notify me option; if you’re interested in buying one, you better click the option to get notified once the phone comes in stock.
OnePlus launched the OnePlus 9R on 23rd March with their very own Oxygen OS, which is one of the most fluid and clean versions of Android skins available, and there are lots within it to look into and customise. OnePlus is also trying really hard in India after becoming the most popular premium brand in the country and the launch of India only features was one of these steps. If you’ve recently purchased OnePlus 9R, here are some valuable tips that will make your premium phone experience effortless and easier.
Customize your fingerprint animation:
People usually get bored with the same blue-coloured fingerprint animation, but now they don’t have to stick with just one fingerprint animation. OnePlus seized their problem and has added several fingerprint animations that let users unlock their handset in style.
You can now customize the traditional fingerprint animation that comes when you unlock the phone using the in-display fingerprint scanner. To do that, open Settings > Security & Lock Screen > Fingerprint Unlock. Here, you’ll see a Fingerprint Animation Effect in the fingerprint unlock option, such as ripple, stripe, and more. Choose the fingerprint animation option you want and lock your phone to unlock it with the new fingerprint.
Use photos as your Always on Display:
A maximum number of smartphones with the Always-on display feature show a black screen along with time, date and battery percentage. Moreover, it looks decent, but having a canvassed photo of yourself or your loved ones on the Always-on display has its pleasure. The OxygenOS 11 update brings this beta feature called Canvas which turns a person’s photo into your Always-on ambient display.
Once you lock your phone, a person’s face becomes a white outline on a black background. If you want to add such canvas on your OnePlus 9R, then Open Settings > Customisation > Wallpapers and select Canvas. Then choose a photo you want to see on your AOD, and the phone will activate the Canvas.
Work-Life Balance:
OnePlus 9R features a new notification prioritisation feature to help users achieve Work-Life Balance, which is quite innovative. The feature allows users and helps them prioritise notifications and assign time and allocate time wisely. One of the best features launched by OnePlus will help users achieve work-life balance while working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new Work-Life Balance feature by OnePlus takes a more condensed approach; by applying this feature, you can use the same phone differently, with different apps, mute notifications from certain apps, during the set work hours and free time. To activate, head to the quick toggle/settings panel and tap on Work mode or Life mode, and it’ll show you a list of all your installed apps, select the preferred apps and activate the feature.
Double-tap to lock:
Android phones will instantly lock themselves once you stop the screen activity or turn the screen off with the power button, but a little problem arises when you have a giant phone, as you have to move your thumb and sometimes it makes you think, what if I have an option to lock the phone with other more straightforward options.
OnePlus has all ears to resolve your question, and with the OnePlus 9R, now you can lock your phone with just a double-tap on the empty space. To activate this feature, head to Home Settings > Double tap to lock, toggle the switch to the on position, then go back to your home screen again. Now, whenever you double-tap on your home screen, your phone will lock itself.
Bedtime Mode to slow wireless charging:
Living in a modern world and busy times, most of us will forget to charge our device during the daytime and put the phone on charge during bedtime. Also, most of us prefer to chat or watch movies by plugging in the phone to charge during the night hours and fall asleep; this raises concern over battery optimization and overcharging the device.
However, now we have a solution as OnePlus has launched the first wireless charger, and it’s a beauty. So, If you’re using one of OnePlus’ fast wireless charging stands with your OnePlus 9R, you can enable bedtime charging mode. The feature switches the whirring fan off and charges the phone more slowly at specific times, taking away the wireless charger’s bothersome fan noise. To activate the same, go to Settings > Battery > Bedtime Mode > Tap next to schedule to turn on the Bedtime Mode and schedule the time; that’s it.
Direct WiFi tethering:
Back in 2014, if somebody has asked you, is it possible to connect to a WiFi network and share that WiFi connection via a mobile hotspot simultaneously? You would have answered a straight no, but now with OnePlus, it is possible.
Sharing a connection this way is called Direct WiFi tethering, where you just have to connect your phone with WiFi and then you can share the same network to any other device by turning on a mobile hotspot. The feature is useful when you don’t want to share your home-based WiFi password with others, and it also sounds cool to activate WiFi and hotspot at the same time.
Horizon Lighting or Edge Lighting:
A direct notification and a blinking light notification are ice age features. OnePlus has introduced something unique with Horizon Light notifications. The horizon lighting feature lights up the edges of the screen via a flashing light when you receive an alert or a message instead of sending you a push notification.
A practical and helpful feature replaces the LED for notifications, an element that often does not find space in the most recently launched devices. If you want to enable horizon light for notification on your OnePlus 9R, then head to Settings > Display, turn on the Ambient Display and scroll down to tap on Horizon Light. Select one of the lighting effects out of four available options as per your choice and save it to apply the feature.
As the worldwide grip of Covid loosens, the citizens of Earth breathe a sigh of relief. However, the situation is yet to die down in India, where the cases are on an ever-rising curve. Even with all doctors running on full steam and state-of-the-art medical equipment, the sheer number of cases has become overwhelming.
Luckily, India has a bright silver lining behind this dark cloud. Global technology giants are coming together to do their bit for the recovery and stability of our motherland. Be it Google or Ethereum, these companies contribute massive amounts of money to help India get out of Covid’s web. Here are some of the feats that they have achieved so far.
Swiss computer accessory expert Logitech recently announced its contribution to India. In a press statement, the company confirmed that it was the largest one-time donation in its history, of two million dollars (roughly Rs 14 crores), supporting Oxygen for India. Oxygen for India is working with the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy (CDDEP), United Airlines, Tech Mahindra, and others to provide oxygen cylinders and oxygen concentrators to help those in need.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also stepped in to help India in its crisis. In a tweet, he announced Rs 135 crore in funding for medical supplies, organisations supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information. Yet another American tech giant is Microsoft, whose CEO Satya Nadella also announced in a tweet that the company would support the country by using its voice, resources, and technology to aid relief efforts and help purchase critical oxygen concentration devices.
Apple, too, has announced its support for India. Its CEO Tim Cook confirmed on Twitter that the American tech giant would be donating to support and relief efforts on the ground. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg has also confirmed that the company is working with UNICEF to raise ten million dollars (roughly Rs 73 crores) towards India’s emergency response efforts. Samsung has pledged USD 5 million (INR 37 Crores) to contribute to India’s fight against the current surge of Covid-19, providing donations to central and state governments and boosting the healthcare sector with essential medical equipment for hospitals as part of its citizenship initiatives. Samsung will donate USD 3 million to the Centre and the states of Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
Samsung has pledged USD 5 million (INR 37 Crores) to contribute to India’s fight against the current surge of Covid-19, providing donations to central and state governments and boosting the healthcare sector with essential medical equipment for hospitals as part of its citizenship initiatives.
Yet another smartphone giant, Oppo, has also stepped in. It has pledged to donate 1000 oxygenators and 500 breathing machines worth Rs 4.3 crore to the Indian Red Cross Society and the Government of Uttar Pradesh to help in the fight against Covid. They are also donating 5000 units of OPPO Band Style worth INR 1.5 Crore to front-line warriors of the Delhi Police and Greater Noida Authority to help them monitor their health as they serve others.
Another industry giant that is helping India as much as it can is Amazon US. Joining the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Task Force, Amazon US is working with NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). As part of this, critical life-saving equipment, including 82 anaesthesia ventilators, 1238 BiPAP machines and 60 ventilators, have already reached India. Amazon US will distribute medical equipment to its on-the-ground community partners such as the American India Foundation, ACT Grants and Swasth, who will distribute it to verified hospitals and nonprofit organisations across the country to ensure it reaches the communities it needs most.
Twitter India reminded its users of many features such as Twitter Advanced Search, Twitter Near You and the Latest Tweet to direct people’s searches towards Covid related information in India. LinkedIn has partnered with GiveIndia to raise funds for critical medical supplies.
Among the leading global financial services, Mastercard announced ten million dollars to cover all vaccine-related costs for its India-based employees and immediate family members. It also confirmed that it would allocate funds for additional shipments of 1,000 oxygen generators as part of its CSR effort.
Pledging its support towards India’s fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canon India has provided essential food and sanitation items across the villages. Canon employees PAN India are enthusiastically coming together and contributing to the PM CARES Fund as well. As part of the support, Canon India is providing 3000 food packets in its adopted villages. In addition to this, to provide sanitation support to children of SOS Children’s Villages of Faridabad, Hyderabad, Canon India has distributed essential items such as sanitisers, liquid soap, cotton masks, etc. other home cleaning products.
Pledging its support towards India’s fight against coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Canon India has provided essential food and sanitation items across the villages.
Mi India has also pledged to donate over Rs 3 crore to procure thousands of oxygen concentrators. They also confirmed they have partnered with GiveIndia to raise Rs 1 crore to support frontline Covid fighters across the country. Amazon India has also collaborated with multiple organisations to import more than eight thousand oxygen concentrators and five hundred bi-level positive airway pressure (BiPAP) machines from Singapore.
OnePlus is also doing its bit to help the country. In a recent blog post, its CEO Pete Lau confirmed that the smartphone giant would donate 400 oxygenators to India to help meet the immediate need for oxygen in several parts. The company also promised to add up to Rs 1 crore to public donations towards the Covid battle.
India’s tech giant and one of the worldwide leaders, Infosys, installed Covid-19 care centres in Pune and Bengaluru for its employees and their families. It will also educate children, expand bed capacity in hospitals, and assist the government in spreading awareness. Tech Mahindra has also announced its Covid-19 vaccination drive for its associates and dependent family members. It confirmed that it would cover all the incurred expenses. Similarly, TCS also announced that it would provide the Covid-19 vaccine to all its employees and family members, starting from May 1, 2021.
IBM India called out to its employees to come together in this crisis. Its chairman and CEO, Arvind Krishna, wrote to his employees to support the cause. This resulted in the donation of funds for 2500 oxygen cylinders and is continuing to grow.
Paytm, a popular digital payment platform, successfully raised Rs 1 crore through public donations and added the same amount from its end, which doubled the donations to source oxygen concentrators. Now, the company aims to raise Rs 10 crore! CRED founder Kunal Shah tweeted about the company’s plans to raise funds for procuring one billion litres of oxygen. It also encourages CRED users to donate the CRED coins that are present in their accounts.
Zomato’s founder Deepinder Goyal confirmed that the company’s not-for-profit organisation, Zomato Feeding India, has kickstarted the “Help Save My India” project in collaboration with Delhivery. It aims to raise Rs 50 crore to source oxygen concentrators and related supplies to help hospitals and families in India.
Ethereum’s co-founder Vitalik Buterin also confirmed via Twitter his donation of Rs 4.5 crore. Naturally, he donated 100 ETH and 100 MKR, whose proof he shared on Twitter. The co-founder of Sun Microsystem, Vinod Khosla, also announced his wish to fund hospitals in India for importing oxygen and other supplies in India. Following that, he received many requests from non-profit organisations, non-government organisations, and private initiatives such as Manjinder Singh Sirsa (President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee), the Cancer Aid Society, and Hemkunt Foundation to fund hospitals needing medical supplies to fight Covid, which he gladly received.
Apart from the significant organisations and global tech leaders, there are also many Indian companies working hard to save the country. Among such is Oxicare, which aims to help as many blue collared technicians as possible. The company hires technicians who can repair oxygen concentrators. The efforts were further emphasised on LinkedIn by Rajesh Bansal, who stated that they were on a mission to train 1000 technicians across India.
These companies have proven that despite being divided by the market, they are united by a single cause; the cause of saving lives!
OnePlus recently reentered the mid-range smartphone market segment with the launch of the OnePlus Nord. It may not be the best phone from the company’s stable, but it definitely packs a punch. The Nord had definitely been the talk of the town during its launch phase. However, it got a bittersweet reception after its specifications and pricing were announced.
Instead of taking a step further in the flagship range competition, OnePlus went with the tried-and-tested formula of returning to the mid-range segment, offering three variants of the Nord. I got a chance to use the top trim with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is what I am going to talk about in this review.
Now, I have been an OnePlus user for over two years. My model, the OnePlus 6 has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Naturally, I was expecting a considerable upgrade when using the Nord. But, the primary difference that I noticed, unfortunately, was the screen size and not the performance. Even in hardcore gaming, the best advantages the Nord offered was a slightly bigger screen, a better 20:9 aspect ratio, and clearer graphics.
Look and Feel:
The Nord is only marginally bigger than my OnePlus 6, though it has much thinner bezels and a better body-to-screen ratio. The phone also feels mediocre to hold. Not that it feels of inferior quality in any way, but it just meets usual OnePlus standards. It does get an all-glass body with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on both front and back. However, the downer is the plastic frame, which diminishes sturdiness and makes you feel less confident when handling your device. It also does not have an IP rating for dust and water resistance, further adding to its disadvantages over its competitors. I got to review the Gray Onyx coloured model, which I personally would always prefer over the Blue Marble.
The Nord retains the company’s signature slider button for volume profiles on the right, along with the power/wake button. The overall look and feel of the phone is neat, however, it misses out on the premiumness that OnePlus phones are generally associated with.
Camera:
Having said that, the Nord takes the cake with its camera. OnePlus offers some of the best manual control options in its camera. Even in my OnePlus 6, the Pro mode can be used to click DSLR quality images. Consequently, the Quad Camera setup of the Nord is lightyears ahead. Still sticking to the Pro mode, the OnePlus Nord allowed me to click lifelike images effortlessly. But for the occasions when I felt too lazy to adjust the settings, the Nord had my back with its 48MP Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) camera. It has a Sony IMX586 main sensor, along with three secondary cameras of 8MP, 2MP, and 5MP. All other photo modes (which are a lot by the way) support superzoom and superwide mode, but the 48MP mode takes all control in its own hands. Just focus and click away!
Video options are also ample, with 4K recording at 30 fps, 1080p recording at 30 and 60 fps, and a Time-lapse mode at 4K (30 fps) and 1080p (30 fps). For “Slo-Mo” content creators, the Nord can take super slow-motion videos at 1080p at 240 fps! The media that I captured was further enhanced when displayed on the 6.44” Fluid AMOLED screen. Not to forget its 90Hz refresh rate that offered a decently seamless transition.
Processor:
Honestly, I was quite disappointed by the processor choice. Again comparing with my OnePlus 6, I found its Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 to be much more efficient than the Nord’s Snapdragon 765G, which was rather dejecting. While both processors have 8 cores, the Snapdragon 765G has a combined peak CPU speed of 15.4 GHz, while the Snapdragon 845 clocks 18.28 GHz. The Nord does get a higher upload speed of 210 MBits/s, has a 267MHz higher RAM speed, and has a larger maximum memory size, which is why the Nord is available with 12GB of RAM. But apart from that, I missed the feeling of getting a processor upgrade when switching from my OnePlus 6 to the Nord.
Phone Setup:
Talking about switching, OnePlus offers a neat little app called, well, OnePlus Switch. This allowed me to replicate my existing settings and applications from my old OnePlus 6 to the new Nord. The transfer also happened in the time it took me to reach home from the office, which is why I was all set to experience the Nord as soon as I stepped in. To emphasize, the app transferred more than 50 GB of data, along with multiple customization and personalization settings in a span of 15 minutes, without a strong Wi-Fi connection.
Battery:
Being an ardent gamer, I mastered many different genres of games (Challenge me if you dare?). The OnePlus Nord allowed me to play games as intensely as I wanted while offering a decent battery backup with its 4115 mAh battery pack. On the occasional weekend that I played games from morning till night, I only had to leave the Nord on charge for a little over an hour. The WarpCharge 30T charger that comes in the box was wholly responsible for that, no questions asked. Honestly, I needed a bigger break than that so I am not complaining.
Verdict:
Priced at Rs 29,999, the top trim of the OnePlus Nord is the best choice for potential customers. This is because, with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, users can experience the fullest potential of the OnePlus Nord. Also, its option with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is priced just Rs 2000 less, which makes the top trim an even more value for money option. The Nord offers everything that OnePlus is known for, but it leaves something to desire. Probably as OnePlus says, Never Settle?
Just witnessed the much-hyped AR launch by Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox therapy and Carl Lau – CEO of OnePlus and well the product is good but the hype around the launch was a little stretched. The AR presentation though went off smooth, but it was not rocket science or Elon Musk personally ejecting himself to the moon in his capsule. In a nutshell, it was a great work of video editors who have been working on developing games. Now let’s get to the real deal which is the price and it’s quite reasonably priced for the specs it comes packed with.
OnePlus when it started was priced below the 20K mark and let’s be honest they have been able to establish a premium positioning. It’s a brand everyone is comfortable to be seen with, unlike Vivo and Oppo where some might draw their eyebrows and throw in the Chinese comparison. In Spite of it being from the same family of BBK, OnePlus perception has always been disruptive and a community feeling. It uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G SoC and will be offered in Blue Marble and Gray Onyx colours. Other specifications of the phone include a 6.44-inch full-HD+ Fluid AMOLED screen with a 90Hz refresh rate which is what Carl harped on for a long time, and is very important for a seamless experience. With specs going up to 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of onboard storage with the RAM being used is – LPDDR4X, and the onboard storage is UFS 2.1.
Image: OnePlus
Now the camera looks like they have taken a clean shot at loads of mid-rangers with its quad-camera setup that is headlined by a 48-MP main camera, along with an 8-megapixel wide-angle shooter, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The front hole-punch cutouts include two selfie cameras – 32-megapixel main camera + 8-megapixel wide-angle camera. All of them look very promising, we are yet to test it though so will reserve the comments on this
Image: OnePlus
Further, there is a 4,115mAh battery onboard that supports Warp Charge 30T fast charging technology, which enables the phone to charge from zero to 70 percent in 30 minutes flat. Of course, an in-display fingerprint sensor, 5G support, and NFC are part of standard features these days.
OnePlus Nord will run on Android 10-based OxygenOS 10.5 which has been making a lot of waves with its UI. Nord gets company at the launch with the OnePlus wireless earbuds which claim to have ten hours of battery life on a 10-minute charge. The runtime increases to 30 hours when recharged using the battery in the case. The case is also confirmed to support Warp Charge. It also includes a 13.4mm dynamic driver as well as 3D stereo support with Dolby Atmos and it weighs 4.6 grams each and the charging case weighs 36 grams and comes dressed in white, Nord Blue and Gray colours.
Image: OnePlus
PRICING
OnePlus Nord will start at Rs. 24,999 in India for the base 6GB + 64GB model. The 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB models will retail at Rs. 27,999 and Rs. 29,999, respectively. The OnePlus Nord will go on sale via Amazon India and OnePlus.in starting August 4. But very smartly, the Nord buyers will only get to choose from 8GB RAM and 12GB RAM models and the entry-level will drop only in September. No word on the availability of the OnePlus Buds but it has been priced very aggressively at Rs. 4,990 to rock the boat.
