OnePlus 3T announced: New processor, larger battery, improved front-facing camera

With smartphones like the OnePlus 3 it's tough to justify paying more than $400 for a smartphone today. The company just announced the next model, the OnePlus 3T that brings improvements in the processor, battery, and camera with an option for more internal storage.

The OnePlus 3T will start at $439 for the 64GB model and is advertised as launching on 22 November.

The OnePlus 3 is an excellent Android smartphone available for $399. It was released in June and just five months later we are seeing an incremental bump in the internal specifications. Current OnePlus 3 owners likely won't have any need to upgrade, but others looking for an affordable Android phone with flagship specifications may definitely consider this powerhouse of a phone.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad core
• Display: 5.5 inch 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution Optic AMOLED, 401 ppi
• Operating system: Oxygen OS built upon Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
• RAM: 6GB
• Storage: 64GB or 128GB of internal storage
• Cameras: 16 megapixel rear camera with OIS and 16 megapixel front facing camera
• Wireless technology: NFC, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2
• Battery: 3,400 mAh battery with OnePlus Dash Charge technology
• Dimensions: 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 mm and 158 grams

OnePlus has publicly stated that a beta build of Oxygen OS built on Android 7 Nougat is coming soon so we can expect the OnePlus 3T to be upgraded to this version within the next couple of months as well.

Instead of gray, a new gunmetal color will be available with the OnePlus 3T. It looks to be a darker gray than the standard gray found in the OnePlus 3.

The only things lacking here compared to the iPhone 7, Google Pixel, and Samsung Galaxy S7 are a Quad HD display and water resistance. The cameras on these newest Android and iPhone devices are fantastic while the OnePlus 3 and 3T are fine for most well-lit environments. Consumers will have to decide if paying twice the price for these features is worth it as they consider the OnePlus 3T.

One aspect that I like about the OnePlus 3 and 3T is the ability to customize the smartphone to your personal preferences, even more so than you can with most Android smartphones. The OnePlus smartphones have always catered to the smartphone enthusiast, but with more people considering SIM unlocked devices at half the price of a flagship major brand there is an opportunity for OnePlus to succeed with these devices.

This blog was first published on: http://www.zdnet.com/article/oneplus-3t-announced-new-processor-larger-battery-improved-front-facing-camera/

Apple partners with Flipkart to sell iPhone 7 online in India

Apple partners with Flipkart to sell iPhone 7 online in India

In an attempt to better control the pricing of its products, Apple has partnered with Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce website. Though Flipkart has always sold Apple’s products, this is the first time it will directly source inventory from Apple's distribution channel in the country.

Apple does not sell products directly in India and has a network of distributors and authorized resellers. Unlike the US and other markets, where one can buy Apple products directly from the company's website, buyers in India are directed to third-party retail stores as Apple does not have the license to sell products directly.

Prior to the partnership, Flipkart relied on third-party retailers for selling Apple products via its marketplace. This enabled (and sometimes forced) Flipkart to give heavy discounts on iPhones and other Apple products to match the offering by rivals Amazon India and Paytm among others in gaining GMV, or gross merchandise value.

"Partnering with Flipkart means Apple will have a better control on pricing unlike what happened last year when pricing for Apple products across leading ecommerce players was largely unstable. This might also be a good move for Flipkart from value perspective when whole focus has been shifted from GMV lately," Tarun Pathak, Senior Telecom analyst with marketing research firm Counterpoint Research told Mashable India. 

Though Flipkart might lose on those customers who are looking to purchase an iPhone at discounted prices, the company will get two things that its rivals won’t — better supply chain and marketing support from Apple. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus will launch in India on Oct. 7, and they are likely to be in short supply during the first few weeks. 

Apple also has a partnership with Infibeam, another ecommerce company in India to directly sell iPhones. Its new tie-up with Flipkart however includes plans to sell products such as iPads and Mac lineup as well. Flipkart is the biggest player in online smartphone sales. It sold roughly half of all the smartphones sold online in India last year, according to Counterpoint Research. 

For a Company that is known for its high priced products, Apple was on the receiving end of the ecommerce price war in India. Last year, Amazon India, Paytm, Flipkart and Snapdeal offered the iPhones with enticing discounts. As a result, the iPhone 6s base model, which was officially priced at Rs 63,000 ($945), was selling on e-commerce sites for as low as Rs 45,000 ($675) days after its availability.

Ecommerce sites are steadily becoming a major platform for smartphone sales. For instance, sales through online shopping portals amounted for 32 percent of the overall smartphone sales by volume in Q2 2016, according to Counterpoint Research.

Apple’s partnership with Flipkart comes weeks ahead of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus launch in India, which is scheduled for Oct. 7. The iPhone 7 starts at Rs 60,000 ($900), whereas the base iPhone 7 Plus model is priced at Rs 72,000 ($1,080). The company has also revised prices of its last year’s iPhones, with the iPhone 6s now starting at Rs 50,000 ($750).

This blog was first published on: http://mashable.com/2016/09/23/apple-flipkart-partnership-india-iphone-7-launch/

Moto E3 Is Rumored To Launch In India On September 19

The third generation Moto E is reaching the Indian shores this September 19, according to Android Headlines. Lenovo had quietly announced the Moto E3 in July and India is going to be the first country for the phone to launch. It is likely to priced at Rs 7,000.

The E series is Moto's lowest end smartphone which along with the Moto G have become one of the highest selling smartphones for Lenovo in India, mainly because of the sub Rs 20,000 pricing of the phones.

Despite their low prices, Moto E phones have always had respectable hardware specs. The Moto E3 too is no different. The phone will ship in two variants, one with 1GB RAM with 8GB storage and another with 2GB of RAM with 16GB of storage.

It sports a 5-inch 720p display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It is powered by a MediaTek quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The storage is expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. There is an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front.

All this is powered by a 2,800mAh battery for the 1GB RAM variant and 3500mAh battery for the 2GB variant. It runs pretty much stock Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow with a few additional features from Moto.

The main attraction about the Moto E phones have always been the staggeringly low price. In India, budget and mid-range phones sell the most and Lenovo will look to continue domination of that market with the Moto E3.

Motorola will also start selling the Moto G4 Play on Amazon India before the September 19 launch of the Moto E3, according to Moto's website.

The Moto G4 Play comes powered by a Snapdragon 410 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, sporting an 8-megapixel camera on the rear and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front.

This Blog was forst published on:- http://www.gizmodo.in/indiamodo/Moto-E3-Is-Rumored-To-Launch-In-India-On-September-19/articleshow/54014852.cms