Reliance Jio has a lot riding on the Jio Phone, as it hopes to use it to grab its next big chunk of subscibers. While the phone is still making its way to those who’ve registered for it, we’ve got a report of a unit that allegedly exploded and burst into flames. In a statement to Gadgets 360 on the matter, a Reliance Retail spokesperson said the company is aware of the incident, and found in its initial investigation that the damage has been caused by intentional sabotage. To make things more suspicious, the Twitter account that first tweeted pictures of the mangled phone has since deleted the tweet. It’s hard to tell if this is genuine incident or indeed some mischief played by rivals in the hopes to kill the hype around it.
In other news, it seems Samsung just can’t catch a break when it comes to exploding phones as a Galaxy J7 reportedly caught fire mid-air on a Delhi-Indore flight last Friday. The phone was apparently placed in a bag, presumably not charging, when the owner noticed smoke coming out of the bag about 15 minutes after the Jet Airways flight took off. The fire was put out immediately and everything was under control.
New upcoming features discovered in WhatsApp for iPhone beta code
With Facebook steering WhatsApp’s future, the company is rapidly expanding the apps funtionality. We now know that group calls and group video calls are coming soon, accoridng to WABetaInfo. The reference to these features was discovered in the beta code of WhatsApp for iPhone. “There are a lot of hidden references about group voice calls, but there is only one reference about group video calls. So group video calls are partially confirmed at the moment,” said WABetaInfo in a tweet.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 specifications and images leak
The Xiaomi Redmi Note series has arguably been one of the most successful series for the company and now, we get a peak into what the next version will look like. According to a TENAA listing, the Redmi Note 5 will have a 18:9, 5.99-inch aspect display, a 4000mAh battery and will use a Snapdragon 600-series SoC. The listing also includes images that tip that the handset will sport a fingerprint scanner located at the back.
Nokia 9 back cover leaks, Nokia 2 spotted
The Nokia 9 has been in the news quite a bit these past couple of week and now, we get a clear shot at the smartphone’s back cover, which all but confirms the dual-camera setup. It also shows a cut out for the circular fingerprint sensor. Separately, HMD Global’s lowest rung Nokia phone, the Nokia 2, was briefly spotted on US retailer’s website, B&H. Acccording to the retailer listing, the alleged Nokia 2 (with model name TA-1035) will sport a price tag of $99 (roughly Rs. 6,500) and can be expected to hit different markets including India.
Google Pixel 2 XL screen burn-in issue looks very worrying
If you were eagerly anticipating the Pixel 2 XL in India, then you need to sit up and take notice. Alex Dobie of AndroidCentral tweeted a picture over the weekend which showed some nasty screen burn-in on his Pixel XL review unit. A burn-in on a P-OLED display isn’t uncommon but this issue typically pops up after months of usage. It will be interesting to see what Google finds in its investigation and if it something that could go away with a software update. Or else, Google as well as Android enthusiasts eyeing the Pixel 2 XL smartphone are up for some disappointment.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro gets a DxO Mark score of 97
Huawei claimed that its new Mate 10 Pro is capable of taking great pictures and now, DxO Mark has somewhat validated their claim by grating a score of 97 to the phone, which is higher than the iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy Note 8, which score 94 each. Last week, DxO published a comprehensive review of the camera sensors on the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, surprising many when it said the Huawei Mate 10 Pro has received a score of 100 for its photo performance. The company additionally gave the handset 91 for video testing.
Moto G6 Play tipped to launch next year
It doesn’t take genius to figure out that Lenovo will launch the successors to the Moto G5 series next year, which will most likely be called the G6 series. However, according to Evan Blass, the company will also be bringing back the moment but we expect to hear more in the coming months. It is also widely expected that the company may reveal the Moto G6 and Moto G6 Plus ahead of the Moto G6 Play launch, which has been a pattern for other Play variants.
Essential Phone price slashed to $499
Andy Rubin’s ambitious smartphone project, the Essential Phone, didn’t exactly get off to a great start and now, Essential Products has slashed the price of the phone from $699 (roughly Rs. 45,460) to $499 (roughly Rs. 32,457). Niccolo de Masi, President and Chief Operating Officer of Essential, made the announcement over the weekend, noting that the move comes as the startup attempts to “make it even easier for you to experience our products and our band.” The price cut comes at time when Google’s own Pixel 2 XL is out in the market and Apple’s iPhone X is right around the corner.
UberHIRE XL now available in Delhi
Uber, has announced that UberHIRE XL, an extension of UberHIRE tier that it has offered for sometime, is coming to Delhi. UberHIRE XL allows as many as six people to travel together, compared to UberHIRE, which allows up to four people to share the ride. Customers who avail a UberHIRE XL will have to pay a minimum fare of Rs. 359 in cash, which will cover an hour of travel time and up to 10 kilometres of ride.
HTC U11 Plus, HTC U11 Life specifications leaked
HTC is scheduled to have an event on November 2 in Taiwan, and according to some new leaks, it could be for the launch of HTC U11 Life and the HTC U11 Plus smartphones. A smartphone, called “HTC 2Q4D200”, was spotted on Chinese telecommunication certification website TENAA, which is reported to have a 5.5-inch QHD display, a 3830mAh battery and run Android 8 Oreo. Going by new outlet WinFuture, The company will also launch another phone called the U11 Life, which is said to have a 5.2-inch, full-HD display, Snapdragon 630 SoC and a 2600mAh battery.