The Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphone has received a permanent price cut in India, which brings down the handset’s price to Rs. 13,999. The Android One smartphone was launched at Rs. 14,999 in September this year. The Mi A1 (Review) price cut in India is applicable both on Mi.com and Flipkart. This price cut comes soon after the Honox 7X was launched in the country at starting price of Rs. 12,999; incidentally, the Mi A1 was also available at Rs. 12,999 last week as part of an online sale. The Xiaomi handset has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat software, Snapdragon 625 SoC with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, microSD support up to 128GB, dual rear cameras, 5-megapixel camera in front, and a 3080mAh battery.
The Mi A1 was not the only smartphone that received a price cut in India today, as the Vivo V5s saw its market price slashed by Rs. 2,000. The smartphone was available at Rs. 17,990 since July this year but can now be purchased for Rs. 15,990. While Flipkart still lists the old price, a Vivo representative has confirmed the new price to Gadgets 360. The Vivo V5s (Review) has a 5.5-inch HD screen, Android 6.0-based custom UI, 1.5GHz octa-core MT6750 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, microSD expansion up to 256GB, 13-megapixel rear camera, 20-megapixel front camera, and 3000mAh battery.
India’s average 4G Internet speed the slowest
According to a new Ookla report, India stood at the 109th position in terms of mobiles Internet speeds and 76th for fixed broadband speeds in November. However, the country’s average mobile download speed did increase by 15 percent between January to November, up from 7.65Mbps to 8.80Mbps. In wired broadband, the speed has risen from 12.12Mbps to 18.82Mbps, an increase of roughly 50 percent. Nevertheless, India is placed behind the likes of Nepal and Sri Lanka in mobile Internet speeds, as per the report.
Another list, this one compiled by OpenSignal, says India’s average 4G speed is 6.1Mbps, which is 10Mbps lower than the global average. Network congestion is said to be the primary reason behind the slow speeds in the country. The same report also says Reliance Jio – which it credited providing LTE signals to consumers 95.6 percent of the time – may raise its data tariffs in 2018. If indeed comes to pass, this will mean an end to the low-cost data that consumers have been enjoying for more than a year now.
Flipkart New Pinch Days sale date announced
Flipkart will host its next big sale, named New Pinch Days, from December 15 to December 17. Among electronics, the Flipkart sale will offer deals on LED TVs, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, mobile accessories, power banks. The e-commerce brand has also teased an “offer of the year” on Samsung On Nxt 64GB. Online sales staples such as no-cost EMIs and exchange discounts will be part of the sale too, and consumers will get 10 percent additional discount on HDFC debit and credit cards. More details about the Flipkart sale are expected to trickle out as it draws closer.
Idea launches Rs. 309 plan with 1GB data per day, roaming outgoing calls
Idea Cellular has released a Rs. 309 plan with 1GB data per day and free roaming outgoing calls for 28 days. Apart from these, the plan comes with bundled local and STD calls and 100 SMSes per day. The bundled calls are limited to 250 minutes per day and 1,000 minutes per week; once these limits are exhausted, the consumers will be charged at 1 paisa per second. Subscribers purchasing the recharge from the Idea website or app will get 1GB of additional data for the validity period.
Vodafone has also launched a Rs. 176 plan with 1GB of 2G data per day, bundled calls, free outgoing calls on roaming. The Vodafone plan is only available in the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circle, and comes with access to the Vodafone Play app. The bundled calls are limited to 250 minutes per day and 1,000 minutes a week here too, and if this is crossed, the tariff will be 30 paisa per minute. Buying the pack from MyVodafone app will fetch 5 percent cashback.
WhatsApp Web may soon get Picture-in-Picture mode
WhatsApp seems to be looking to get the Picture-in-Picture mode to the Web client, along with the option to reply to messages privately in group chats. For now, the features have not been rolled out, and the company has only submitted the version 0.2.7315 of its Web client that includes the two new features. The PiP mode creates a separate pop-up window for videos, with play/ pause button, volume controller, and timeline slider. With this, WhatsApp users will be able to continue their chats while watching videos.
OnePlus 5T does not support HD video streaming on most platforms
In an unpleasant surprise to buyers, it turns out OnePlus 5T does not support HD video streaming on platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. A user has pointed out that the smartphone does not support the Widevine L1 certification at present, which is mandatory to access HD streams from DRM-protected websites such as Netflix. However, OnePlus 5T (Review) users can still stream content in SD (standard definition) from these platforms, as well as HD YouTube videos. The company reportedly said it plans to fix the issue via a future software update, but has not given a timeline for that so far.
Nokia 3 December security update released
Nokia 3 is now getting the December security update, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The security patches offer an improved level of security for the Nokia 3 (Review), and is part of the company’s promise of monthly updates. In fact, most high-end smartphones across brands are yet to receive this update. Apart from the security patch, this 345.4MB OTA update offers improved stability and UI enhancements. For those waiting for Oreo, the handset will skip the Android 7.1.2 build and move directly to Android 8.0, though there is no fixed timeline for the same yet.
Harman Kardon Allure speaker with Alexa integration launched in India
Harman Kardon Allure speaker with hands-free, voice-controlled Alexa access has been launched in India at Rs. 22,490. The new speaker allows users to access the 11,000-odd skills Amazon’s Alexa is capable of, including playing music, ordering goods from Amazon.in, order cabs, and read the news, among others. It delivers 360-degree sound and has a 360-degree multicolour lighting that can adapt to the surroundings. The new Allure speaker will be available only from Prime members via Amazon India.
Acer Windows Mixed Reality headset launched in India
At the finale of the Predator league event, Acer launched the Windows Mixed Reality headset in India, though the price has not been announced yet. The new headset offers both Augment Reality (AR) as well as Virtual Reality (VR) features, and is the first such headset in the country. It features two front-hinged 2.89-inch high-resolution LCD displays that offer a 95-degree field of view. With a resolution of 1440×1440 on each panel and a refresh rate of 90Hz, these displays claim to offer an immersive VR experience. Acer Mixed Reality headset comes with a 13-foot cable and offers connectivity ports such as HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0.