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April 2019 / `50/ www.gadgetsngizmos.in WH
HEN THE NOV VELLTY
WEARRS OFF, TEC
CH
GIA
ANTTS CO
OULD
BE STRUUGGLINNG
TO JUS
STIFY
Y THHE
UTIL
LITY ANND
TRON
AST NOMICCAL
PR
RIC
CING OF
DCP No. F.2(I/I) Press/2009
FO
OLDIING PHOONEES.
HUAWEI
MATE X
Tuning up
Huawei P30
Pro reviewed
SAMSUNG
GALAXY FOLD
www.gadgetsngizmos.in
CONTENTS
Editor-in-Chief: Aroon Purie
Associate Editor: Nidhi Singal
Deputy Art Director: Amit Sharma
Assistant Art Director: Raj Verma
Group Business Head: Manoj Sharma
Associate Publisher(IMPACT): Anil Fernandes
IMPACT TEAM
Senior General Manager: Jitendra Lad (West)
General Managers: Upendra Singh (Bangalore)
Kaushiky Gangulie (East)
Cover Story
4 Foldables Have Miles to Go
When the novelty wears off, tech giants could
be struggling to justify the utility and astro-
nomical pricing of folding phones.
6
Tuning up
Local and global players are wooing
Indian consumers with music streaming
services. Differentiation will decide who
wins and who loses.
Volume 11, Number 10;
April – May 2019
8
Reviews
Redmi Go
Copyright Living Media India Ltd. All rights reserved throughout the world. Amazon Echo Show
Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. zIndia Today does not take
responsibility for returning unsolicited publication material. Huawei P30 Pro
Cover Design: AMIT SHARMA Asus ROG phone
Samsung
Galaxy
A2 Core
SAMSUNG HAS launched its Android
Go smartphone called Samsung Galaxy
A2 Core to take on Xiaomi's Redmi Go.
The Galaxy A2 Core runs on Android
Pie (Go Edition) and is the successor to
Samsung Galaxy J2 Core, which was
codenamed as SM-J260. The Galaxy
A2 Core is priced higher than the Xiaomi
Redmi Go at `5,290. Xiaomi's Redmi Go
is priced at `4,499.
"We are going to ship out Galaxy A2
core this week at `5,290. This is going smaller than the one in Redmi Go (3000 mAh).
to be a tremendous boost to people who Since the device runs Android Pie (Go Edition), it will come pre-
want to switch from feature phones to installed with a host of Android Go-optimised apps. The Android
smartphones. This is going to be huge in Pie (Go Edition) is a trimmed down version of the power-hungry
terms of volume," Ranjivjit Singh, Chief OS, which is designed to work flawlessly with limited memory and
Marketing Officer and Senior Vice Presi- processing power.
dent, Samsung India said. Meanwhile, as per the leaked user manual, the Samsung
As far as specifications are con- Galaxy A2 Core will come with both single-SIM and dual-SIM
cerned, Galaxy A2 Core has a 5-inch variants, but it is not clear which version has made it to the Indian
LCD with a qHD (960x540 pixels) market. Going by the usage pattern of Indian consumers, the dual-
display. The smartphone is powered SIM variant will surely make its way into the country.
by the octa-core Exynos 7870 SoC Lastly, the optics of Samsung Galaxy A2 Core will be at best
paired with just 1GB of RAM and 16GB satisfactory. The smartphone comes equipped with a single 5-MP
of internal storage. The dimensions rear camera as well as a 5-MP front camera. In comparison,
are 141.6x71x9.1mm and it weighs 142 Redmi Go houses an 8-MP camera with flash and HDR. The cam-
grams. The phone draws power from era application is neat with photo, video, square and manual mode.
a 2,600mAh battery, which is slightly The front camera of Redmi Go also has the AI Beautify feature.
2
Vivo S1
Vivo has launched its mid-range no-
notch smartphone Vivo S1 with a pop-
up selfie camera in China to take on the
likes of Realme and Xiaomi. The pop-up
camera design was first introduced by
Vivo in its Vivo V15 and Vivo V15 Pro
smartphones.
Vivo S1 is company's first smart-
phone under the S series lineup and
packs 6GB RAM memory and 128GB
of internal storage which can be ex-
panded up to 256GB via microSD card.
The S1 boasts of a 6.53-inch full-HD+
IPS display with screen resolution of
1080x2340 pixels, 19.5:9 aspect ratio
and 90.95 per cent screen-to-body
ratio. On the hardware front, the Vivo S1
is powered by like octa-core MediaTek
Helio P70 SoC with Mali-G72 GPU.
As far as the optics are concerned,
Vivo S1 includes a triple camera ar-
rangement at the back that includes a
primary sensor of 12-MP with an f/1.78
lens, a secondary 8-MP sensor with an
f/2.2 wide-angle lens and third 5-MP
sensor with an f/2.4 lens. On the front,
the Vivo S1 includes a 25-MP pop-up
selfie shooter with f/2.0 lens.
Vivo S1 comes with dual-SIM sup-
port. On the software front, the phone
runs Funtouch OS 9 which is based on
Android 9 Pie.
The phone is powered by a
3,940mAh battery and comes with a
rear-mounted fingerprint sensor just
below the triple camera module.
Vivo S1w has a dedicated button
for AI voice assistant. However, as the
phone is currently available in China,
the AI of choice is Vivo's own Jovi voice
assistant. Focussing on the connectiv-
ity, Vivo S1 has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-
OTG, GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou. Vivo
S1 measures 161.97x75.93x8.54mm
and weighs 189.5 grams.
Vivo S1 is available for about CNY
2,298 (which means approximately
`24,500) for the sole 6GB and 128GB
storage model. The phone is offered in
blue and peach pink colours.
Vivo hasn't said anything about Vivo
S1's India launch plans however could
launch it soon to take on the mid-range
smartphones.
3
Cover Story
FOLDABLES HAVE
MILES TO GO
WHEN THE NOVELTY WEARS OFF, TECH GIANTS
COULD BE STRUGGLING TO JUSTIFY THE UTILITY AND
ASTRONOMICAL PRICING OF FOLDING PHONES.
By Nidhi Singal
MARTPHONES have become Mate X will cost $2,600, undoubtedly Will Form Factors Fascinate?
exciting again. At least the fold- premium pricing), but one can under- The first iPhone featured a 3.5-inch dis-
ing ones, ever since Samsung stand why the buzz around foldable play and we are now quite familiar with
and Huawei unveiled their lat- phones is not going to fizzle out. 6-inch plus screens. Foldable phones
est creations, giving rise to specula- Here is a path-breaking innovation, a are yet another step towards a much
tion that a folding iPhone is bound to never-before change in form factor, bigger screen estate – a convenient
happen by 2020. Motorola is gearing which could redefine the hardware, combo of phone, tablet and camera – in
up to launch its device and Xiaomi has software and user experience (UX) a compact form. The aim is to enhance
posted a futuristic, double-folding pro- much like Apple did in 2007 when the UX by facilitating better content con-
totype on a social media site. A new first iPhone hit the market. We have sumption and creation across e-mail,
patent that has surfaced online sug- seen plenty of incremental changes web browser, e-books, video stream-
gests Google may come out with a over the past decade – big screens, ing, gaming and more.
phone similar to Motorola Razr 2019. transparent panels, multiple-camera Consider this: iPhone XS Max packs
We are not yet sure what specif- set-ups, reverse wireless charging a 6.5-inch display in a body measur-
ic purpose these ‘luxury’ phones are and in-display fingerprint sensors. But ing 157.5x77.4x7.7 mm and weighing
going to serve (Galaxy Fold starts at none of these turned out to be the next 208g. In contrast, Huawei Mate X has
$1,980 for the 4G version while Huawei big thing in the smartphone space. a 6.6-inch front panel (when folded)
4
those phones does not look good. It
is easy to prototype but it has a crazy
high reflection. So, in the longer term,
I think people want a glass solution.
That way, the best technology solu-
tions will be converged eventually. It
is going to be a huge value opportu-
nity,” says John Bayne, Senior Vice
President and General Manager at
Corning Gorilla Glass. The US-based
Corning is the industry leader in glass
protection for smartphones and
should be ready with its bendable
glass solution by the end of this year
or the next.
HUAWEI MATE X The Bottom Line
In spite of the hype, foldable phones
are still taking baby steps and the eco-
system around them must evolve to
meet consumer expectations. Other
than design challenges, application
that can be unfolded to a seamless IN SPITE OF THE HYPE, optimisation will be a big issue as apps
8-inch panel. At 161.3x78.3x11 mm, FOLDABLE PHONES ARE STILL must be optimised for each design.
the folded Mate X is slightly bigger TAKING BABY STEPS AND Plus, the most significant pain point
than the XS Max but the device weighs THE ECOSYSTEM AROUND remains in the form of pricing – it will
around 300g. The front panel can be THEM MUST EVOLVE TO MEET not go down any time soon.
used just like a regular smartphone, CONSUMER EXPECTATIONS “Foldable technology is at early
and the 8-inch panel, when unfolded, stages of the development cycle. We
can be used as a great multitasking believe the first- or second-gener-
device. But, will the hinges function ation foldable smartphones will be
as smoothly as manufacturers claim? initial imprints of future technolo-
Second, how smooth will be a split- gy. Typically, smartphone specs are
screen usage for multitasking? Best of Tech on the Cards? designed for single-handed use; so, the
“To start with, foldable phones Manufacturers today are not only foldable design is likely to face ergo-
will not replace normal smartphones. talking about great designs but are nomic challenges initially. Also, they
People will continue using smart- also packing in the latest technology. are likely to be bulkier. It remains to be
phones as they have done before. But Both Huawei Mate X and Samsung seen if consumers will perceive value
when foldable phones become main- Fold will be 5G compatible. Google, in such devices at the expense of cost
stream, people will have new options too, has recently released its first beta and convenience. Apart from usability,
to learn and think about. UX will be of Android Q, the upcoming software cost and convenience, foldable smart-
a differentiating factor here,” says update for Google’s mobile OS, which phones have no standard aspect ratio
Wally Yang, Senior Product Marketing will be optimised with foldable-fo- for now,” says Hanish Bhatia, Senior
Director at Huawei Consumer cussed features and experiences. But Analyst, Devices and Ecosystem,
Business Group. the most contentious point at the time at Counterpoint Research, a Hong
A lot depends on the design. Mate is the polymer (plastic) displays used Kong-headquartered market research
X has an out-fold design while Galaxy by first-generation foldable smart- organisation.
Fold has opted for an in-fold version. phones. The material might be flexi- Unless the value gets clearly
The outer part of Galaxy Fold features ble enough to withstand thousands of defined, the bendy phones may end
a 4.6-inch display and there is a sepa- folds, but it is highly reflective and not with a whimper just like the modu-
rate 7.3-inch display inside. “This year, scratch-resistant. lar smartphones did after the initial
the industry will see different form fac- “During the Mobile World hoopla.
tors and design is going to be crucial for Congress this year, we saw a couple
foldable phones,” adds Yang. of foldable devices and the plastic on @nidhisingal
5
TUNING UP
LOCAL AND GLOBAL PLAYERS ARE WOOING INDIAN CONSUMERS WITH MUSIC
STREAMING SERVICES. DIFFERENTIATION WILL DECIDE WHO WINS AND WHO LOSES.
By Nidhi Singal
Illustration By Nilanjan Das
USIC LOVERS in India never had it so good. Prime Music (part of the Prime offering in
Now there is no need to visit a music store or India) and a bunch of heavily funded Indian
purchase it online or download it clandestinely players such as JioSaavn, Gaana and Wynk
(yes, we call it piracy) as nearly a dozen music in the fray. All of them offer millions of songs
streaming services, both homegrown and across genres, provide curated playlists and
global, are operating in the country. YouTube feature Internet radio shows. Add to that
Music is the latest to join the league that has the growing number of smartphone users,
global leader Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon cheaper data and improved bandwidths
6
(3G and 4G coverage), and one compared to the previous year,” user experience.
can easily understand why online says Amarjit Batra, India Managing Apple Music, with more than 50
music streaming and downloads are Director of Sweden-based Spotify. million songs, is an ad-free music and
growing. video-streaming service that allows
According to a recent report by the WHAT WORKS FOR INDIA downloads for offline listening. There
Indian Music Industry (IMI)-Deloitte A growing user base is no doubt is a three-month trial period, and
on the audio OTT (over-the-top) good news, but converting users to you need to pay `99 per month for
economy, the number of smartphone paid subscribers in a price-conscious individual use and `149 a month for
users is expected to grow to 829 market is no easy task. International family access. Ad-free streaming on
million in 2022 from 404 million in price tags are not likely to work here Amazon Music (bundled with Prime
2017, leading to a digital revolution and key players have tuned in with membership at `129 a month or
where an increasing number of a host of affordable options. For an annual charge of `999) enables
people will shift to digital platforms instance, Spotify offers ad-supported offline listening, supports hands-
for music consumption. By the end free subscription across devices while free voice commands and can be
of December 2018, the number Spotify Premium is an ad-free service accessed via the Echo range of smart
of people using music streaming priced at `119 per month (`59 for speakers. In the hands-free mode,
services across the country reached students) that provides high-quality users can interact with Alexa and ask
nearly 150 million, but it is only 60 streaming (320 kbps) and download it to play the songs that they heard a
per cent of the online video audience option for offline consumption. You week, a month or almost a year ago.
Airtel-backed Wynk follows a
similar model. Ad-supported Wynk
is free while unlimited downloads
THE INDIAN OTT MARKET, INCLUDING AUDIO
without ads cost `119 a month. Airtel
AND VIDEO STREAMING, IS VALUED AT OVER
subscribers get free and unlimited
$280 MILLION, WITH REVENUES FROM THE downloads, though. Reliance-owned
AUDIO OTT INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTING TO 67 PER JioSaavn offers ad-supported free
CENT OF THE TOTAL RECORDED MUSIC REVENUE streaming, and so does Gaana,
which is backed by Times Internet
and Tencent. But both have slashed
of 225 million-plus. This indicates also get a free trial for the first month. annual fees for premium services in
a significant growth opportunity Besides the monthly plan, there are the face of stiff competition. JioSaavn
for increasingly popular audio OTT choices galore as you can subscribe Pro is now down to `299 a year from
platforms which procure content from for a day (`13), a week (`39), a quarter `999 while Gaana Plus charges
music labels, publishers and other (`389), six months (`719) and a year `298 annually instead of `1,098. The
distributors, and deliver the same (`1,189). It also features city-specific student’s subscription plan is priced
over the Internet by independently playlists in addition to Bollywood at `149 a year.
hosted applications. The Indian OTT Blast, Desi Hits and Editor’s Picks “The latest IFPI report says
market, including audio and video such as Punjabi 101 and Jashn-e- India’s music industry grew by 24.5
streaming, is currently valued at over Qawwali to build instant rapport with per cent in 2018, and this trajectory
$280 million, with revenues from the multilingual audiences. indicates that India will be in the top
audio OTT industry contributing to 67 YouTube Music from Google’s 10 music markets by 2022,” says
per cent of the total recorded music stable also offers ad-supported free Batra of Spotify.
revenue. music and an ad-free paid service But the key question remains:
“Although there are over 150 called YouTube Premium. The latter What will differentiate the market
million audio streaming listeners in charges `99 per month for a single leader? With so many players to
the country, only 1 per cent pays for user and `129 a month for family choose from and little difference in
the music. So, when we talk about sharing. You also get a free trial for pricing, consumers may bet big on
pure growth potential, it is huge. three months – the offer is valid until seamless access and flawless user
In fact, as per the Digital Music March 31, 2020. One can use the app experience across devices and digital
Study 2018 released by the IMI to watch music videos as well or turn infrastructures. A user-friendly
and the International Federation of them off using a toggle at the top. interface, intuitive search, well-
the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Recommendations are based on your curated lists, content diversity and
income from subscriptions to audio YouTube history and Google's best- original music production are likely
streaming tripled to `220 crore in-class algorithm ensures excellent to play a vital role in gaining traction.
75.0"
HD SCREEN
DISPLAY
GO FOR IT
BY NIDHI SINGAL
Talk
about entry-level smartphone
category, primarily under `5,000,
Design: Even though it has been
made of plastic, it doesn’t look
we rarely see them in this price
category. So, to protect your device,
and there aren’t many good options cheap either. Xiaomi has added a you will have to rely on the PIN,
to choose from. Even though there 5inch HD display at the front, which password or pattern lock.
is a huge market for these smart- seems to be pretty bright with Given the price it comes at, the
phones, the segment mostly has got decent sunlight legibility. The touch overall look and feel of the phone is
low-quality hardware that struggles response is pretty good and there impressive. The plastic used has a
to support the custom Android soft- are three navigation capacitive keys soft finish that makes it easy to grip.
ware. Load applications and content below the display — ‘home’ key, And at 137 grams, it doesn’t feel
and the device start slowing down. multitasking key and ‘back’ key. heavy either. The phone is available
Thankfully, Google has acknowl- But the keys are not backlit. For in classic black and blue.
edged the need for having a lighter charging, it continues to have the
version of the Android operating micro USB port and the charger Setup: Setting up the Redmi Go
system for low-specification devices is bundled in the box. However, a (just like other Android devices) is
to run smoothly. And the Redmi Go headphone isn’t a part of the box. fairly easy. Just insert your SIM
runs on just that - Android Oreo (Go Lastly, even though fingerprint card and follow the instructions. The
Edition). scanners have become common, device will ask you to connect to a
88-MEGAPIXEL
CAMERA WITH
FLASH AND HDR
REDMI GO
PRICE
`4,499
WiFi network if available followed by the video in basic, standard or high during bright daylight were decent
entering Google account details. If quality (and watch it even with oc- but wasn’t impressive during the
you don’t have these, fret not as you casional internet connection). night as the shots had a lot of noise.
can always skip the steps and start Of the 8GB onboard storage, While the camera was quick to cap-
using the device. But to download close to 2.3GB was occupied by the ture images, it took a few seconds
some apps you will have to enter system and 1.3GB by applications. to click an image with HDR turned
your Google account details. While the phone supports two SIM on. For selfies, there is a 5MP cam-
cards, both cannot be used at the era with AI Beautify that captures
Android Go, apps and perfor- same time. The phone is powered decent images.
mance: Android Oreo (Go Edition) by Qualcomm 425 processor and
is a trimmed down version of the is paired with 1GB of RAM. And the Verdict: Redmi Go for `4,499 is a
power-hungry OS which is designed 3000 mAh battery lasted me a day great buy for first-time buyers or
to work flawlessly with limited and a half on average use. even those who want to switch to
memory and processing power. a good Android smartphone under
While streaming videos on YouTube Camera: Redmi Go houses an `5,000. If you are flexible with your
Go, it displayed the storage available 8-megapixel camera with flash budget, you can consider Redmi 6A
and gave an option to download and HDR. The images captured for `5,999.
910.1-INCH HD
DISPLAY
TEST BENCH SPEAKER
WITH DUAL
2-INCH
NEODYMIUM
DRIVERS AND
PASSIVE BASS
RADIATOR
AN EXPENSIVE
UPGRADE
BY NIDHI SINGAL
A
display at the front, physical buttons for volume
control at the top and a trapezium-shaped rear,
housing the speaker and the power cable (the
lumpy rear looks like the back of a CRT TV) – the
anywhere at home or in your office cabin depend-
ing on where you need quick access to information
and home controls. For the latter, you get the
Zigbee smart hub built-in for pairing with devices
design part of the second-generation Amazon such as the Philips Hue bulb (without the hub).
Echo Show may not wow you, especially as it is One can also retrofit it with existing home automa-
quite expensive by Indian standards. But it fea- tion solutions. Moreover, an increasing number
tures an Alexa-powered smart speaker with a of Alexa-compatible devices also support Wi-Fi
10.1-inch HD touch display, eight microphones to connectivity, making them easy to operate. Just
pick up commands even when music is playing and tell it: Alexa, discover devices, and it starts looking
comes with a refined software programme, all of for compatible gadgets and connects with them.
which make it bigger and better. If you want to ditch the voice command, swipe
Smart speakers are a great way to com- down from the top of Echo Show to get one-touch
municate and adding a screen further enhances access to all smart appliances paired with Echo
user experience. The Echo Show can be placed Show. But for all this, you will have to enable
105 MP CAMERA/MIC
CAMERA MUTE BUTTON
AMAZON
ECHO SHOW
(2ND GEN)
PRICE
`22,999
compatible skills (apps for the voice assistant). The 5 MP camera above the display can be
Other than controlling home devices, I was able used for video calls on the Alexa ecosystem or
to fetch news updates, access recipes, play music, Drop In. The latter is a two-way communication
answer quiz questions, get information on 2019 with Alexa where the camera and the mics get
Lok Sabha elections and Cricket World Cup and did activated automatically. Those concerned about
much more. privacy can disable them by using the mute but-
Alexa is not perfect, though. When I asked ton at the top.
for euro-to-INR conversion, it managed to fetch Finally, Echo Show packs in dual 2-inch neo-
the day’s rate, but could not provide the previous dymium drivers and a passive bass radiator for the
day’s currency rate or the fluctuation chart for the audio, but the sound is still muffled. Although I
month. Another pain point is its lack of YouTube was able to adjust bass, treble and mids, the audio
skill. Although I could watch trailers, movies and lacked clarity and base. Overall, the latest offering
videos on Amazon Prime or other skills, I had to from the Echo stable works well and looks cool.
use Silk or Mozilla browser to access YouTube, and But with so many screens around us, do we need
it was not a seamless experience. another one with expensive upgrades?
11TEST BENCH
20 MP ULTRA-
WIDE ANGLE
LENS
40 MP
WIDE
ANGLE
LENS
8 MP
TELEPHOTO
LENS WITH 5X
OPTICAL AND
10X HYBRID
ZOOM
TOF
CAMERA
HUAWEI
P30 PRO
PRICE
`71,990
12CAMERA WONDER
BY NIDHI SINGAL
Talk
of flagship phones and many would
discard Huawei as a serious contender.
optical zoom, 10x hybrid zoom and up
to 50x digital zoom.
But the Chinese manufacturer has In the default photo mode, I was
come out with stunning technology able to switch seamlessly between
breakthroughs, the latest being the wide angle, 1x, 5x optical and 10x hy-
P30 Pro that can compete with the brid zoom, and the images did not suf-
likes of Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus and fer any clarity loss. Even when zooming
Google Pixel 3 XL and beat them on the in, the AI support quickly identifies ele-
camera front. This one houses a Leica ments while balancing light and colour.
quad camera set-up at the rear and Better still, the phone captures clear,
uses the RYYB sensor for the primary noise-free pictures even in pitch dark.
lens (instead of the standard RGB Taking macro shots was a delight as I
sensor), which captures 40 per cent captured close-up views from 2.5 cm.
more light and is extremely convenient But there is more. It has a curved
for low-light photography. The rear glass front (6.47-inch FHD+ display)
camera module comprises a 20 MP and back, a teardrop notch, and an
ultra-wide angle lens at the top, a 40 in-display fingerprint sensor. Running
MP primary wide angle lens in the mid- on Android 9.0, it is powered by Kirin
dle and an 8 MP ‘SuperZoom’ telephoto 980 octa-core processor and paired
lens and a time-of-flight (ToF) camera with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of on-
placed below the flash for accurate board storage. It performs smoothly
depth detection, producing a superb and does not overheat even after long
bokeh effect in portrait mode. The best sessions of camera usage. The 4,200
part is the periscope-style ‘SuperZoom’ mAh battery lasted me a day and a half
camera, which is perpendicular to the and was quick to charge. It supports
smartphone’s surface and comes with wireless charging and reverse wireless
an array of lenses. What we see from charging (you can charge other devices
the outside is a prism that rotates light with this one), but Huawei has also
towards the lenses inside, enabling 5x bundled a 40W charger in the box.
138MP FRONT CAMERA
WITH F2.0 APERTURE AND
840 FIELD OF VIEW
TEST BENCH
6" AMOLED
DISPLAY WITH
1MS RESPONSE
TIME
4000 MAH
BATTERY
2.96GHZ
QUALCOMM 845
PROCESSOR
ASUS ROG
PHONE
PRICE
`69,990
14GAMERS’ DELIGHT BY NIDHI SINGAL
Asus
ROG Gaming and phones go back
a long way. Remember the Nokia
at 200 grams, the device is heavy.
There is a USB Type C port at the
storage is non-expandable.
The phone runs on Android 8.1
N-Gage? Back then, it was a popular bottom along with the headphone with Asus Zen UI. Within the Game
gaming phone. Since day 1, Apple jack and another Type C port on the Center, a user can customise game
iPhone has been the power-packed left while charging in the landscape profiles, fire up X Mode, check
device for gaming. Most high-end mode and for docking accessory. temperature and CPU load and do
phones with flagship processors For gaming, there are Touch- more. We played games like PUBG,
can handle gaming with ease, but sensitive AirTriggers that can be Asphalt 9 and Battle Warship and
Asus has extended its ROG brand to used as left and right gamepad the experience was superb.
smartphones with this first genera- buttons. The phone can be used to The phone is also accompanied
tion ROG phone. live stream the game. The speaker by a fan accessory but it looked like
There is a lot on the hardware and the display complement the a gimmick. The ROG phone was
front to talk about. The 6-inch gaming experience. capable enough to handle hours of
AMOLED panel at the front is crisp It is power packed – the Qual- continuous gaming without slowing
and bright with good viewing angles. comm Snapdragon 845 processor is down or heating up.
There is an option of always-on clocked at 2.96GHz, higher than the The device has a dual camera set
display and users can even choose standard clock speed of the proces- up at the rear, and the 12MP along
between the 60Hz refresh rate sor. This has been done to ensure with an 8MP camera captures some
and a higher 90Hz refresh rate. that the device has enough power impressive images.
To match the design, instead of a to handle heavy graphics games. It Matching the performance, there
circular fingerprint sensor, Asus has also has carbon pads, a large va- is a 4000mAh battery onboard and
opted for a hexagon shape, and that pour cooling chamber, and a copper the 30W charger bundled in the
too slightly towards the right of the heat spreader for heat dissipation. box juices up the 50 per cent of the
panel. Thankfully, it isn’t too difficult This is paired with 8GB of RAM and battery in first 30 minutes and takes
to reach to unlock the device. But 128GB of storage. Surprisingly, the another hour for a full charge.
15You can also read
