Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 With Dual Cameras Now Available via Offline Stores in India

Panasonic on Tuesday announced that its Eluga Ray 500 smartphone will be made available across leading retail stores in India. Initially available exclusively via Flipkart, the Eluga Ray 500 will now be sold offline for the same price of Rs. 8,999. The smartphone will be available in three colour variants - Marine Blue, Champagne Gold, and Mocha Gold.

At its price point, the Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 faces competition from Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, Xiaomi Redmi 4, Motorola Moto G5, and Micromax Canvas Infinity, among others.

Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 specifications

To recap, the Panasonic Eluga Ray is a dual SIM (GSM+GSM) smartphone that runs Android 7.0 Nougat, and has support for Panasonic's Arbo digital assistant. The phone sports a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS LCD display, with a 2.5D curved glass. It is powered by a 1.25GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 3GB RAM.

Talking about the optics, the Eluga Ray 500 bears a dual camera setup on the rear with a 13-megapixel rear sensor and an 8-megapixel sensor, paired with dual LED flash. In the front is a 5-megapixel sensor for selfies and video calling. There is 32GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). A fingerprint sensor is embedded into the home button on the front of the phone. Powering the internals is a 4000mAh battery.

Pankaj Rana, Business Head - Mobility Division, Panasonic India, said, "We have received tremendous demand for Eluga Ray 500, our first dual camera phone and therefore have decided to make it available in the offline channel as well at all leading retail stores. The Eluga 500 has been a great success in the online channel and we believe we will be able to replicate this success in the offline channel too.

"About Vodafone New Offers

Samsung Galaxy S9 Design, Single Rear Camera Tipped by New Phone Case Listing

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ sometime in February next year but that hasn't stopped case manufacturers from listing phone cases for the Galaxy S9. Ghostek, a mobile accessories manufacturer, has listed renders for the Galaxy S9 and is taking orders for its rugged waterproof case - part of its Nautical series.

As we mentioned, Ghostek has listed a case for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9. Renders of the smartphone show a design that other reports have been suggesting in the past few weeks. The images show a similar 18.5:9 display as seen on the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy A8 (2018) duo. The bezels do appear slightly thinner than last year, and the images show that the Galaxy S9 is also expected to retain the Bixby button from the Galaxy S8.

The renders of the back of the case reveal that the Galaxy S9 will not sport a dual camera setup, which might be exclusive to the Galaxy S9+.

The Ghostek case offers shockproof, impact, and drop protection for the upcoming Galaxy S9. Additionally, the product page also claims that the case is "Touch ID Fingerprint & Face ID Compatible." The rugged waterproof case supports wireless charging, which has been a feature since the Samsung Galaxy S6.

Case renders of the Galaxy S9+ were listed on Mobilefun's website last week. The images from the product listing reveal a dual camera setup.

Last week, Samsung had released images for its music creation app SoundCamp that "accidentally" leaked the design of the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy S9+, on the other hand, had some of its specifications leaked on GeekBench. According to this listing, the Galaxy S9+ will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and 6GB of RAM.

About Vodafone new Offers

OnePlus 5 Starts Receiving Android 8.0 Oreo-Based OxygenOS 5.0 OTA Update

After two open beta releases, OnePlus 5 has finally received its anticipated Android 8.0 Oreo-based OxygenOS 5.0 update. The new version has started been rolling out as an incremental over-the-air (OTA) update for the previous OnePlus flagship.

OnePlus, in a forum post on Friday, confirmed that the Android Oreo-based OxygenOS 5.0 update for the OnePlus 5 is reaching a small percentage of users at the initial stage, though it will get a broader rollout in a few days. This means that your OnePlus 5 would receive the new update sometime in the coming days. Separately, Carl Pei, Co-Founder OnePlus, revealed in a tweet on Saturday that the OnePlus 5 would also get the OnePlus 5T's Face Unlock feature, one that had at launch been exclusive to the newer phone.

As far as the list of new changes is concerned, the OxygenOS 5.0 update for the OnePlus 5 brings an upgraded launcher that includes optimisations for the shelf and includes the ability to let users upload their photos through Shot on OnePlus. The default Camera app has received an uplift with a new UI design, optimisations for photo quality, and a beauty effect for the preloaded Portrait mode. Additionally, the Gallery app has added a "Places" tab to let users view photos on a map.

The OxygenOS 5.0 update for the OnePlus 5 also has a bunch of system upgrades. There is a Parallel Apps feature to let users have multiple accounts for apps such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn. Also, there is a new design for Quick Settings panel and Lift up display as well as an "Adaptive model" screen calibration and system-level optimisations for Wi-Fi and Battery Saver. The update additionally comes bundled with the December Android security patch. Users would also observe a history feature in the Calculator app and an alarm calendar feature in the Clock app.

In addition to OnePlus' proprietary offerings, the OxygenOS 5.0 update for the OnePlus 5 brings all the core Android Oreo features. These include new Notification dots, Picture-in-Picture mode, Auto-fill feature, and Smart text selection.

Though the Android Oreo-based OxygenOS 5.0 is an incremental update and is rolling out in batches, you can check its arrival on your OnePlus 5 manually. You need to go to Settings > System updates.

At the time of launching the OnePlus 5T in November, OnePlus announced that it will bring Android 8.0 Oreo to OnePlus 5 sometime in early 2018. However, the Chinese company has managed to enable the new experience sooner than its promise. This is would ultimately help the company incline more buyers. Having said that, the latest Android version is yet to arrive on OnePlus 5T, which runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.

About vodafone New Offers

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018) Price Revealed

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) were officially launched on Tuesday. Samsung has revealed pricing and availability for the two smartphones in Vietnam. The latest mid-range smartphones from Samsung feature an Infinity Display and an IP68 dust and water resistance rating. These are the first phones from Samsung to have dual-front facing cameras.

As we mentioned, Samsung has officially announced the pricing and availability for the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) in Vietnam. The Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) is priced at VND 10,990,000 (roughly Rs. 30,980) and the Samsung Galaxy A8+ (2018) is priced at VND 13,490,000 (roughly Rs. 38,040), according to Samsung Vietnam. Samsung also mentions that the two phones will be made available on January 6, 2018. Pricing and release date are applicable only for the respective market and will vary for others, but, give us a good indication of what to expect.

Samsung's Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) will both be available in Black, Gold, Blue, and Orchid Grey colour variants. These offbeat options suggest that Samsung is targeting a younger demographic with its mid-range offerings. The Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) come with Samsung Pay integration and are the first phones in the Galaxy A series to support the Gear VR headset.

Both the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) are based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The Galaxy A8 (2018) features a 5.6-inch full-HD+ (2220x1080 pixels) Super AMOLED with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, while the Galaxy A8+ (2018) sports a 6-inch full-HD+ (2220x1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with the same aspect ratio. Powering the internals is a 2.2GHz octa-core processor (two cores clocked at 2.2GHz and six cores clocked at 1.6GHz) on both the phones.

In terms of optics, the Galaxy A8 (2018) and Galaxy A8+ (2018) are the first smartphones from Samsung to come with two selfie cameras. There is a 16-megapixel fixed focus,f/1.9 camera sensor, and an 8-megapixel f/1.9 sensor. To further enhance self portraits, there is a Live Focus feature that helps users adjust Bokeh effect even after the photo has been clicked.

specifications  Of A8 2018

• KEY SPECS
• NEWS

Display

5.60-inch

Processor

1.6GHz octa-core

Front Camera

16-megapixel

Resolution

1080x2220 pixels

RAM

4GB

OS

Android 7.1.1

Storage

32GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery Capacity

3000mAh

   

specifications Of A8 + 2018

• KEY SPECS
• NEWS

Display

6.00-inch

Processor

1.6GHz octa-core

Front Camera

16-megapixel

Resolution

1080x2220 pixels

RAM

4GB

OS

Android 7.1.1

Storage

32GB

Rear Camera

16-megapixel

Battery Capacity

3500mAh

About Vodafone New offers

Moto G5, Moto G5s Plus, Moto Z2 Play, Moto E4, and Other Moto Smartphones Get Limited Period Discounts in India

Just days after the Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus received a temporary price cut on Amazon; Lenovo brand Moto has temporarily slashed the price of the Moto G5 in India for its Christmas sale. Other smartphones like the Moto M, Moto Z2 Play, Moto E4, and Moto C are also available at discounted prices. The discounts are available via leading offline retail stores, as well as Moto Hub outlets, the company said.

As we mentioned, Moto India is offering a festive discount on a range of Moto smartphones. The Moto G5 is available at a price of Rs. 8,999, down from its previous price of Rs. 9,999. The Moto Z2 Play gets a price cut of Rs. 3,000 and is now available for Rs. 24,999, down from Rs. 27,999. The Moto M 3G now comes at a price of Rs. 11,999, down from Rs. 13,999; the Moto M 4G is available at Rs. 13,999, down from Rs. 15,999; the Moto E4 is available at Rs. 7,999, down from Rs. 8,499, and the Moto C is down to Rs. 5,499 from the earlier Rs. 5,999. The Moto G5S is now available for Rs. 12,999, down from Rs. 13,999.

This limited period offer will be applicable on the above mentioned Motorola smartphones until December 30. The offer can be availed at all leading mobile retail (Moto partner) stores includingMotoHub stores across the country.

As for the price cuts on Amazon, the Moto G5s is still available for Rs. 11,999 on the e-commerce site, though the Moto G5s Plus has gone back up to Rs. 15,999. The Moto G5 on the other hand, reflects the same temporary price cut on Amazon as seen on offline stores.

Moto recently announced the launch of three new Moto Mods in India - JBL SoundBoost 2 Mod, GamePad Mod, and TurboPower Pack Mod. All three Moto Mods will be compatible only with the Moto Z, Moto Z Play, Moto Z2 Play, Moto Z Force Droid, and the Moto Z2 Force Edition

.About Vodafone new offers

Vodafone Rs. 198 Plan Offers 1GB Data Per Day, Bundled Calls

Jio launched the Rs. 199 and Rs. 299 plans late last weekwith 1.2GB and 2GB data per day, respectively, and the other standard freebies such as free calls and SMSes. Vodafone has emerged as the first operator to counter this move by Jio with the launch of the Rs. 198 plan that offers similar data and calling benefits. Existing Vodafone customers will get 1GB data per day, bundled calls and 100 SMSes per day for Rs. 198. On the other hand, new customers will have to shell out Rs. 229 for the same benefits. The validity of the Vodafone plans is 28 days, same as that of the new Jio plans.

"As a part of this offer, customers will also enjoy unlimited local and STD calls even while roaming in India. The pack also offers 100 free SMS per day," the statement said. "With 1GB data per day and unlimited calling, the plans will take care of all their (users) communication needs," said Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director-Consumer Business, Vodafone India.

As has become the norm for most telcos, Vodafone is putting a cap on these 'unlimited' calls. Consumers will be able to make free calls worth only 250 minutes per day, and 1,000 minutes per week. Beyond this, they will be charged calls at 30 paise per minute for the remaining day and week, respectively. Also, they can call only a maximum of 300 unique numbers in a 7-day period; if this limit is breached, the call tariff will become 30 paise per minute for the rest of the validity period.

The company statement said that the new recharge pack is available across all Vodafone 4G circles. However, the official website does not mention the new Rs. 198 plan in some circles, such as Delhi-NCR, Chennai etc. Therefore, users need to check the plan mentions 1GB per day data allocation, as plans at a similar price point (such as the Rs. 199 pack) offer just 1GB data for the entire 28-day validity period.

Written with inputs from PTI

Digmine Cryptocurrency Mining Malware Being Spread via Facebook Messenger: Trend Micro

   

A new cryptocurrency-mining bot, named "Digmine", that was first observed in South Korea, is spreading fast through Facebook Messenger across the world, Tokyo-headquartered cyber-security major Trend Micro has warned.

After South Korea, it has since spread in Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, the Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela. It is likely to reach other countries soon, given the way it propagates.

Facebook Messenger works across different platforms but Digmine only affects the Messenger's desktop or Web browser (Chrome) version. If the file is opened on other platforms, the malware will not work as intended, Trend Micro said in a blog post.

Digmine is coded in AutoIt and sent to would-be victims posing as a video file but is actually an AutoIt executable script.

If the user's Facebook account is set to log in automatically, Digmine will manipulate Facebook Messenger in order to send a link to the file to the account's friends.

The abuse of Facebook is limited to propagation for now, but it wouldn't be implausible for attackers to hijack the Facebook account itself down the line. This functionality's code is pushed from the command-and-control (C&C) server, which means it can be updated.

A known modus operandi of cryptocurrency-mining botnets and particularly for Digmine (which mines Monero), is to stay in the victim's system for as long as possible. It also wants to infect as many machines as possible, as this translates to an increased hash rate and potentially more cybercriminal income, the blog post stated.

The malware will also perform other routines such as installing a registry autostart mechanism as well as system infection marker. It will search and launch Chrome, then load a malicious browser extension that it retrieves from the C&C server.

If Chrome is already running, the malware will terminate and relaunch Chrome to ensure the extension is loaded. While extensions can only be loaded and hosted from the Chrome Web Store, the attackers bypassed this by launching Chrome via command line.

Whats App will stop working in these phones soon

WhatsApp's farewell note for 2017 is not good news for some smartphone users. WhatsApp will stop working on devices running BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8.0 and older from December 31, 2017. The WhatsApp blog post with end-of-life dates clearly mentions that users of BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone 8.0 and older operating systems will not be able to use the app after December 31, 2017 - less than a week from now.

To recall, WhatsApp had extended support for both platforms in June this year. At the time, WhatsApp had also revealed that the app will stop working for phones running Nokia S40 will be stopped from December 31, 2018. The app will stop working on phones running Android 2.3.7 and older (Gingerbread) will be stopped from February 1, 2020. The messaging app became unavailable on Nokia phones running Symbian S60, from June 30, 2017.

Ending support for Blackberry and Windows Phone has seen no further extensions and will come into place on the mentioned date. If your phone has any of the two specified operating systems, you should consider upgrading to a newer phone in order to access WhatsApp properly. WhatsApp updates for other OS versions like Windows Phone 7, Android 2.1, Android 2.2, and iOS 6 were stopped in 2016.

WhatsApp, earlier this month, officially took covers off its new standalone app for businesses, which features both verified and non-verified profiles. This gives businesses a formal route to conduct business on the messaging app.

VODAFONE 4G

Vodafone India on Tuesday confirmed the roll-out of its Voice over LTE (VoLTE) services beginning January 2018. In the first phase, Vodafone VoLTE service will be available in Mumbai, Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, and Kolkata and will be extended across the country in a short time, the company said in a statement.

"Vodafone is getting future ready with the advent of newer technologies and digital services. The introduction of VoLTE will enhance customer experience with HD quality calling and offer our customers newer possibilities. Vodafone VoLTE is an important step towards introducing futuristic technology enhancing our data strong network," said Sunil Sood, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Vodafone India.

Reliance Jio, with its entry into the telecom sector in India back in September 2016, was the first telco to offer VoLTE services in India. Airtel followed with a launch in September this year and has so far been launched in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Chennai. Other operators are yet to get into this space, which enables call charges to be dropped significantly if not completely.

Earlier this week, state-owned telecom operator BSNL announced it would start 4G services in the country in January, with Kerala its first destination. Odisha is next on the BSNL 4G rollout list.

Written with inputs from IANS

Will Star Wars Battlefront 2 Loot Boxes Bring Regulation Into Gaming?

On this episode of Transition, gamers Rishi Alwani and Mikhail Madnani join host Pranay Parab to talk about Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot boxes, Ashes Cricket, Destiny 2, IGX 2017, Demon’s Souls, and Deus Ex Mankind Divided. We begin the episode by talking about Star Wars Battlefront 2 and loot box legislation. The first thing we discuss is whether loot boxes are a form of gambling. We talk about the loot box regulations in China, European legislation attempts, CS: GO's failed lottery system, and Gacha games in Japan. 

Then we mention how loot boxes are different from traditional forms of gambling, and why Star Wars Battlefront 2 in particular is in the spotlight. We wonder whether this game has brought the wrath of regulation on gaming and what are the downsides of having regulators interfering with video games. We conclude this segment by comparing the loot boxes in Overwatch against those in Battlefront 2.

Next up, we talk about claims that Bungie has been lying about Destiny 2 XP system. We begin by explaining the level scaling mechanics in Destiny 2, and how players discovered that the XP system was rigged. Then we talk about Bungie’s statement and whether it's a good enough explanation. 

Then we bid a fond farewell to Demon’s Souls' online component. Mikhail talks about the history of Demon’s Souls and measures it against other games in the series. Then we explain why the online component of the game is still quite popular and talk about the future of PS3 and Xbox 360 games, and how it's decided by the number of people who play these games online.

Rishi then starts shedding tears over Square Enix claiming that Deus Ex is quite important to the studio. He talks about why Deus Ex is a big name in gaming, Deus Ex Mankind Divided controversies, and why you should be sad about the state of Deus Ex. Following that, we talk about Ashes Cricket, starting with why Big Ant Studios delayed the PC release and the game's rather steep MRP and subsequent discounts within weeks of release.

Here the discussion takes us back to Steam Direct and what a disaster it is for PC gaming. This begins with a discussion on why developers delay PC releases. Rishi and Mikhail talk about the discoverability problem on Steam, low-quality games, and the rather low Steam Direct entry fee. Here we subtly point people to the Transition episode on Steam Direct.

Honor 7X India Launch Set for December 5, Sales Begin December 7

HIGHLIGHTS

• Honor India confirms the launch of Honor 7X
• New Honor smartphone will be available exclusively on Amazon.in
• Huawei has scheduled an event in London to announce the launch

Huawei brand Honor on Tuesday confirmed that it is set to launch the Honor 7X in India on December 5. The new smartphone was unveiled at a media event in China last month and was recently teased to debut in the Indian market with an "unbeatable price" tag. It will go on sale in the country exclusively on Amazon.in following its formal launch next week, starting December 7.

The Honor India account on Twitter has revealed the launch schedule. As per the details provided by the official account, Huawei is hosting an event in London on December 5 where the Honor 7X launch will be announced for alongside the global launch of the Honor V10. The event will be live streamed in India through the Honor India Facebook page at 8 pm IST on December 5. Further, a listing on Amazon.in confirms that the Honor 7X will go on sale in the country from December 7 at 12pm IST. The online marketplace started taking registrations for the sale earlier this month.

As a successor to the Honor 6X, the Honor 7X features a 5.93-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio and full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels resolution. The Android 7.0 Nougat-based smartphone runs Huawei's proprietary EMUI 5.1 custom skin and is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 659 processor. Also, it packs a 3340mAh battery and has dual-SIM support.

The Honor 7X has a dual-camera setup with a set of 16-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors on the back and an 8-megapixel camera sensor is available on the front. The handset comes in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB storage options that all include a microSD card to expand the built-in storage by up to 256GB.

India price details about the Honor 7X in India are yet to emerge. However, the 32GB Honor 7X is available in China at CNY 1,299 (approximately Rs. 12,800), while its 64GB version is available at CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 16,700) and the top-end version with 128GB storage is on sale at CNY 1,999 (approximately Rs. 19,700). All these models have Gold, Aurora Blue, and Black colour options.

Vodafone's Rs. 399 RED Basic Plan Offers 10GB Data, RED Together, Data Roll Over Benefits

  

HIGHLIGHTS

• RED Together was unveiled earlier this month
• Users on RED Together can save up to 20 percent, Vodafone says
• The RED Basic plan offers free incoming on national roaming

Vodafone India on Wednesday launched its new RED Together feature for postpaid customers, unveiled earlier this month alongside its new Vodafone RED data roll over plans. The benefit is meant for groups like families, and is said to provide up to 20 percent savings on the total rental of the group, and offer up to 20GB data extra. The RED Together feature also allows the group to make a single payment, under a single bill.

As mentioned, RED Together is meant for groups like families, but is not restricted to them, and users can choose to bring their friends - or their own multiple devices - under the feature. Consumers can apply for Vodafone's RED Together on any new RED postpaid plan, starting with the RED Basic plan at Rs. 399. The telecom operator says the new plans are currently not available in Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh circles.

The Vodafone RED Basic plan offers unlimited local, STD, and free incoming on national roaming, 10GB data, and data roll over (allowing users to carry forward a maximum of 200GB of unused data to their next cycle). Unlike the new RED Traveller, RED International, and RED Signature plans unveiled earlier this month - starting at Rs. 499, all of these also offered data roll over and RED Together eligibility - RED Basic does not offer bundled Netflix, Vodafone Play, and Magzter subscriptions, free outgoing calls on national roaming, a number of free local/ national SMSes, or RED Shield device security.

Speaking about the launch of RED TOGETHER, Avneesh Khosla, Associate Director - Consumer Business, Vodafone India, said, "RED TOGETHER is an extremely rewarding proposition that guarantees savings for our consumers. As it is exclusively available on the recently relaunched Vodafone RED Postpaid plans, it further strengthens Vodafone RED's position of being India's best postpaid plan."

WhatsApp Now Lets Users Play YouTube Videos Without Leaving Chats

WhatsApp for iPhone has been updated, and brings two new features - the ability to watch YouTube videos directly within a conversation, and, the ability to lock recording so users can record a voice message without holding the button down. Notably, the YouTube feature comes with Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode, allowing users to keep watching the video even when they navigate to another chat. The new WhatsApp v2.17.81 app for iPhone is now available to download via the App Store, and details the changes in the What's New section.

The update was first spotted by WABetaInfo, which adds that the YouTube feature may need to be enabled with a server side switch. We were also not able to replicate the built-in player or PiP on the latest version of the iPhone app, but, the voice message recording lock is there.

"When you receive a link to a YouTube video, you can now play it right within WhatsApp. With picture-in-picture, you can also keep watching the video while you navigate to another chat," the App Store description reads.

Earlier, when users clicked on the link, the YouTube video would open in YouTube app installed on the smartphones.

The latest update can also help you record long messages with ease. "Want to easily record long Voice Messages? When recording a Voice Message, just swipe up to lock recording so you can continue to record without keeping your finger down," read the description.

WhatsApp is also working on a new feature that will allow users to quickly switch from voice to video call while the voice call is in progress.

According to WABetaInfo, in a new Android update, WhatsApp is developing a new button that will allow users to quickly switch from voice to video call without stopping the voice call in progress.

The recipient, however, will be able to reject the upcoming video call if he or she wants.

"WhatsApp is also testing a feature that will allow to directly mute a video," the report added.

WhatsApp has over 200 million monthly active users in India and 1.2 billion users worldwide.

Written with inputs from IANS

ONE PLUS 5T LAVA RED

OnePlus 5T 'Lava Red' Limited Edition Colour Variant Launched in China

The Lava Red variant of the OnePlus 5T is currently visibleon OnePlus' China site, with a starting price tag of CNY 2,999 (roughly Rs. 29,300), which is identical to the price of its 'Midnight Black' model. Notably, it is not listed on the Buy page yet. The new variant was announced at the OnePlus 5T launch event as a Limited Edition variant for the country, as reported by TechDroider.

Sans the new colour treatment, the OnePlus 5T Lava Red variant has no changes over the existing OnePlus 5T. The smartphone has a 6.01-inch Optic AMOLED display with full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, coupled with 6GB and 8GB RAM options and up to 128GB onboard storage. The handset runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based OxygenOS and packs a 3,300mAh battery.

As we mentioned, his isn't the first time when OnePlus has opted a new colour option for its flagship model. The Shenzhen-based company launched the OnePlus 3 Red colour variant last year. It also launched a limited edition OnePlus 5 Soft Gold variant in India earlier this year.

Jio, Airtel and Vodafone Rs 149, Rs 199 plans: What they offer, which one is better

The telecom war doesn't seem to end anytime soon. It all started from the time Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio entered the telecom space back in September 2016 with its free and unlimited data and calling facility. The free services definitely wooed the customers, and in no time Jio garnered millions of consumers. This indeed started giving sleepless nights to other telecom majors in the industry. To counter Jio's services and strategies -- telecom operators -- especially Airtel and Vodafone started to bring in new 'value-for-money' plans and revamp the old ones with the motto to provide more at a cheaper price.

New tariff plans are introduced almost every passing day, and very recently, Airtel and Vodafone announced two new plans and both are priced at Rs 199. Similarly, to counter Jio's 149 plan, Airtel also introduced Rs 149 plan. So, which of the aforementioned plans are better? Which one should you opt for? Let's find out.

Airtel Rs 199 plan

It is a couple of days ago that Airtel announced this offer for its prepaid users. So what does it offer? Under the Rs 199 plan, Airtel offers unlimited local and STD calling facility, and 1GB of data with a validity for 28 days. When we tried to check the MyAirtel app, this plan was listed under the bestselling prepaid packs category. Under this plan, customers will be able to receive unlimited roaming incoming calls, but then it seems charges will be applied to the roaming outgoing calls. You'll also get unlimited local and national SMS facility.

Vodafone Rs 199 plan

Like Airtel, Vodafone also offers the Rs 199 plan to the prepaid users only. Under this plan, consumers will get 1GB of 4G or 3G data along with unlimited local and STD calling facility will the validity of 28 days. But, the unlimited calls come with certain limitations. It doesn't literally offer 'unlimited' calls. Under the new plan, Vodafone prepaid users will be able to make unlimited calls for only 250 minutes in a day -- both local and STD and to any network, while the weekly limitation is 1000 minutes. So, what happens if you make more than 250 min calls in a day? In that case, Vodafone will charge 30 paise per minute call. There's another limitation. If you make calls to more than 300 unique numbers in a week, Vodafone will charge you 30 paise per minute for the remaining validity. Alongside the data and call offers, this plan also offers a free subscription to Vodafone Play to the customers.

Comparing the two plans, both Airtel and Vodafone offer almost the similar benefits to its users. Although there are slight difference in the calling facility, as there a lot more limitations when it comes to Vodafone's Rs Rs 199 plan. Airtel's plan also has some limitations but are comparatively a little lesser than Vodafone.  

Airtel Rs 149 plan

Now coming to the Rs 149 plan by Airtel -- which the company apparently introduced to take on Jio's Rs 149 plan. Under the Rs 149 plan, Airtel is offering 300MB data along with unlimited local and STD calls with a validity for 28 days. But then, there's a catch. 4G handset users opting for this plan will get 300MB data, while other handset users will get only 50MB.

Jio Rs 149 plan

Jio revamped its tariff plans back last month - at the time of Diwali. It revamped its Rs 149 plan as well. After the revision, Jio's Rs 149 plan now offers 4.2GB of 4G data along with unlimited local and STD calls. The plan comes with a daily FUP limit under this plan is 0.15GB.

Comparing these two plans, Jio seems to offer better services compared to Airtel. The data offer by Airtel is much lesser than that of Jio's. However, in the calling department, both the telcos offer the same service. 

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) Front Panel Leaks, Suggests Dual Selfie Cameras and Thin Bezels

 

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) 

In addition to the dual selfie camera, the leaked panel of the Galaxy A8 (2018) apparently suggests thin bezels on the left and right of its display. The panel doesn't look curved, unlike some of the recent bezel-less smartphones. However, the actual shape of the frontal view would be visible only on the handset - not through the surfaced glass panel.

Earlier this month, the Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) received Wi-Fi and FCC certification. Samsung also revealed the existence of both the new Galaxy A series smartphones through its official support pages. If we believe the details provided by the Wi-Fi Alliance, the Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) both will run Android 7.1 Nougat and have dual-band Wi-Fi support.

Some case renders of the Galaxy A5 (2018) had emerged last week that showed a thin-bezel display and a rear-facing fingerprint sensor on the new smartphone. Recent reports suggested that the Galaxy A5 (2018) will come with a 5.5-inch full HD+ display and include an Exynos 7885 chip, paired with 4GB RAM.

Considering some historical records, Samsung is expected to unveil its new Galaxy A range, including the Galaxy A5 (2018), Galaxy A7 (2018), the Galaxy A8 (2018), in January. The new lineup is also likely to be showcased at Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with a dedicated Bixby Voice button, similar to the Galaxy S8 flagship.