Thursday, March 5, 2026
Home Blog Page 72

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G Review: Impressive Performance but With a Few Compromises

By
hitesh
-
0
iQoo Z6 Lite 5G Review: Impressive Performance but With a Few Compromises

[ad_1]

5G has been officially launched in India. As telecom operators rush to make 5G available across different parts of the country, smartphone brands are also introducing multiple devices, across multiple price points that support the next-generation network. Even before 5G rolled out in India, a plethora of smartphone options were available for consumers to choose from, especially under Rs. 20,000. One such recent option was the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G, which went on sale in early September. This smartphone is priced under Rs. 15,000 and it is the company’s most affordable 5G smartphone currently in India.

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G is currently the only smartphone in India to feature the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC, which is based on a 6nm process. iQoo claims that its 5G smartphone can outperform competitor devices. It also offers a 120Hz display, a dual-camera setup and a beefy battery in the hopes to offer a good all-round experience. With all that is on offer, is the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G the best smartphone under Rs.15,000 in India? More importantly, should you consider buying this one? We help you find out.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G price in India

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G has a starting price of Rs. 13,999 for the base variant with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Our variant, which packs 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, is priced at Rs. 15,499. There is support for 1TB storage expansion via a hybrid microSD card slot.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G design

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G comes in two colours. iQoo sent us the Stellar Green variant, which looks more blue than green in our opinion. The back panel has a gradient finish and shines when light falls on it. The colour scheme makes the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G look a lot more premium than it actually is. The back panel also does not attract fingerprints and smudges easily. For those who want a more classic colour, the phone comes in a Mystic Night colour as well.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G 5 iQoo Z6 Lite 5G

​iQoo Z6 Lite 5G in its Stellar Green colour

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G sports a flat frame design with a large rectangular camera module on the back, similar to the Vivo V25 series. The flat frame design makes the phone feel a lot lighter than its actual weight of 194g. The power and volume buttons on the right side, although clicky, are a bit too recessed for my liking. At the bottom is the USB Type-C port sandwiched between the 3.5mm headphone jack and the speaker grille.

On the front, the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G has a 6.58-inch IPS LCD display with a full-HD+ resolution. The bezels around the display are thin, except for the thick chin at the bottom. There is noticeable backlight bleeding around the edges of the screen.

iQOO Z6 Lite 5G 7 iQoo Z6 Lite 5G

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G has a fairly thick chin bezel

I would have liked to see an AMOLED display for a brighter, more vibrant viewing experience but iQoo seems to have traded that for a 120Hz refresh rate. It is not the smoothest software experience I’ve had despite the high refresh rate, but I would not complain too much considering the price tag. The screen is fairly bright for outdoor use when you push the brightness bar to its limits. Like its older sibling, the iQoo Z6 5G, the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G also sports a water-drop notch at the top of the display, which unfortunately gives the phone a slightly dated look.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G specifications and software

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 SoC, which is based on a 6nm process. The phone packs a 5000mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging. It is among the very few smartphones in this price segment to not have a charger in the box. Instead, iQoo has conveniently packed a note in the box, thanking customers for “contributing towards the planet by reducing carbon emission.” The device supports Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, FM radio, etc.

In terms of software, the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G runs on the Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12. It comes with a few third-party apps preinstalled, which can be uninstalled if needed. While Funtouch OS 12 has come a long way, it still needs a lot of catching up to do with other skins out there. Some of the features include the ability to customise the interface such as personalising the animation effects, adding themes and wallpapers, etc. The new update also gives users the option to match the colour of the system and app UI colours with the wallpaper.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G 7 2 iQoo Z6 Lite 5G

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G comes preinstalled with quite a few third-party apps

That being said, the default Browser app pushes at least five notifications daily in my experience. The only way to disable the spam notifications is by opening the ‘App Info’ window and then disabling the toggle. This could have easily been a one-step process had iQoo allowed users to disable notifications directly from the notifications shade.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G performance and battery life

The biggest highlight of the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G is its performance. The phone is perhaps among the best performers in the price segment. While day-to-day tasks caused no issues, the games I played on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G also ran smoothly on most days. I played games such as Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legends on the device. The former ran on ‘Max’ frame rate and ‘High’ graphic settings, which was quite impressive for a phone in this price range. I did not experience any major lag or stutter while playing, but I did notice minor stutters at times, which was acceptable from a phone priced at Rs. 15,499.

In AnTuTu, the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G scored 3,85,763 points, which is higher than the pricier Moto G72 (First look) with a MediaTek Hello G99 SoC and the similarly priced Redmi 11 Prime 5G (Review), which features the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC. The phone also did not get too warm when stressed, which could be credited to the four-component cooling system doing its job.

The bottom-firing single speaker is fairly loud. While there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, the company has not packed a pair of wired earphones in the box. The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is quick to authenticate and unlock the phone. You also get the less secure AI face recognition as an alternative. Lastly, the phone supports only two 5G bands — n77 and n78 — which is disappointing.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G 8 IqOO z6 lITE 5g

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G has a flat frame design

Battery life is not disappointing as the phone lasts easily for a full day on a single charge. On days when I played games and used the camera, the phone returned around nine hours of screen on time on a single charge. On other days with lighter use, the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G gave me over 10 hours of screen time. In our battery loop test, the iQOO Z6 Lite 5G ran for 15 hours and 2 minutes. Since the phone does not pack a charger in the box, we used the 22.5W fast charger shipped with the Redmi 11 Prime 5G to charge the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G. The device took about two hours to charge completely.

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G cameras

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G has a dual-camera setup on the back, out of which only one is usable. There is a 50-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies, there is an 8-megapixel front camera.

iQOO Z6 Lite 5G 4 iQoo z6 Lite 5G

iQoo Z6 Lite 5G features a 50-megapixel primary camera.

To my surprise, the primary camera does a good job. Photos have good details and the colours are slightly saturated. The post-processing algorithm also helps in improving the dynamic range of the final result. That being said, the white balance goes for a toss at times and colours are either on the cooler side or you see a cast of pink hue.

Shot using the standard Photo mode on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G (tap to see full size)

Shot using the standard Photo mode on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G(tap to see full size)

Night mode on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G ensures that the sky looks black and grey (and not dark blue) but messes up the white balance by adding a pink cast. One major issue that I have with the phone is that it does not offer Night mode in the 4GB RAM variant. Considering there is support for up to 2GB of extended (virtual) RAM, iQoo should not have skipped this feature in the base model.

Night mode on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G(tap to see full size)

 

Night mode on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G(tap to see full size)

The front camera does a decent job with both colours and details. Portrait mode smoothens the skin way too much even when the beauty mode toggle is turned off. Selfies taken using the standard Photo mode, on the other hand, produce better skin tone and texture.

Front camera sample shot on the iQoo Z6 Lite 5G(tap to see full size)

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G can shoot videos at up to 1080p 60fps using the rear camera. The front camera’s video recording is limited to 1080p at 30 fps. While the overall colours are decent, the dynamic range performance is not as good as some of the phones in this segment.

Verdict

The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G gets it right in most areas when it comes to a budget 5G smartphone, without compromising a lot. The 120Hz refresh rate display is one of the highest in the segment and the camera performance is also quite good for the price. I was particularly impressed with the phone’s gaming performance, which by far is the best in my experience in this segment. The battery life is also pretty solid and can last all day.

That being said, having no charger in the box is a bummer but one can take it as a trade-off for the better hardware and performance that the phone offers. What I did not like though was iQoo skipping some features such as Night mode in the base 4GB RAM variant. Lastly, while the phone does offer 5G, it only supports two bands, which will be supported across telcos in India However, it would have been nice had iQoo added support for some more bands in the Z6 Lite 5G.

We would recommend buying the 6GB RAM variant of the phone if you want basic 5G support without compromising on the overall performance. The iQoo Z6 Lite 5G also undercuts the Redmi 11 Prime 5G (Review) by Rs. 500 while offering better hardware, which makes it a good deal. It is also more affordable than the Realme 9i 5G 6GB RAM variant, which is available in India for Rs. 16,999.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro First Impressions: Worth the Wait?

By
hitesh
-
0
Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro First Impressions: Worth the Wait?

[ad_1]

The Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro have been launched in India, four years after the 2018 Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL. After waiting for so long, Google finally decided to offer top-end smartphones for Indian consumers again. Sure, Google did launch the more affordable Pixel 6a here not too long ago, but it was nowhere close to its flagship counterpart in terms of performance. Launching premium smartphones after a gap of four long years in India, will Google be able to regain its position in the premium price segment? Especially now, when Indian consumers have access to a variety of devices from various brands in these price segments. I got to spend some time with the latest offerings from Google at its event in New Delhi, and here are my first impressions of the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

Google Pixel 7 is priced at Rs. 59,999 and the Google Pixel 7 Pro is priced at Rs. 84,999 in India. They are currently being sold only through Flipkart. Pixel 7 comes in three colours: Snow, Obsidian, and the new Lemongrass. Pixel 7 Pro also comes in Snow and Obsidian, as well as a new Hazel colour. Google Pixel 7 has 8GB of RAM and the Pixel 7 Pro has 12GB, but both come in only one storage option, that is 128GB, which in my opinion is restrictive.

Both Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro look similar to the Pixel 6 lineup, and the body-matched aluminium camera bump on each device surely stands out. The back panels are definitely fingerprint magnets, and every time i wanted to take a picture of these phones, I had to wipe them clean. Fingerprints show a lot more on the Obsidian and Hazel colour options. If you’ll be rocking either of these phones without a case on, I would suggest you go for the lighter colour variants.

The plastic back panels don’t give a very premium feel to these devices. At the back of each phone, we have the distinctive camera bar and also the usual Google logo in the middle. The Google Pixel 7 sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a basic 60hz refresh rate, but it is bright enough and does seem to have good saturation levels. The Pixel 7 Pro has a bigger 6.7-inch quad-HD+ LTPO OLED Display with upto a 120hz refresh rate. The bezels are quite thin on both these smartphones.

The Pixel 7 does feel a lot more natural in the hand, mainly because it is fairly compact, whereas the Pixel 7 Pro is a lot bigger and sometimes I did feel as though I was stretching my thumb a little too much to reach the opposite corner of the screen. Despite their sizes, there’s not much difference in the weight of these two phones – the Pixel 7 weighs in at 197g while the Pixel 7 Pro stands at 212g. The smaller Pixel 7 has matte aluminium sides For the Pixel 7 Pro, we have polished aluminium sides that feel a lot like what we see on the Pro iPhone models, but this means the frame attracts smudges and fingerprints too. We have the same button placement on both models, with the volume buttons and power key on the right, the SIM tray on the left, and a USB-Type C port along with the primary speaker and microphone on the bottom.

pixel7 xl rear black ndtv pixel

The Pixel 7 Pro has an additional 5X telephoto camera and its 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera can take macros

 

Both these phones are IP68 water and dust resistant, which is a plus, as not a lot of phones in the Indian market offer this, especially in the price range that Google Pixel 7 is in.

The Pixel 7 has a 50-megapixel wide camera with an f/1.85 aperture, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The Pixel 7 Pro utilises the same 50-megapixel wide camera but its 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera is also capable of autofocus, which means it can take macro shots. but What’s also exclusive to the more expensive model is the 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which delivers some decent shots. Video quality has definitely been upped since the previous generation. Images shot in good light turned out to be good, and I personally liked the Pixel 7 Pro’s macro mode a lot. Google claims that subjects as close as 3cm can be shot using the macro mode, and after trying it for myself, I have to say picture quality is great. We’ll have more on this in our full review, coming up soon.

​​The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are powered by Google’s own Tensor G2 SoC, and also have the Titan M2 security chip. Both phones are quite fast and did not show any signs of lagging in the short time that I had with them. The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro run Android 13 out of the box, and Google claims guaranteed Android software updates for three years as well as Android security updates for five years. The interface is quite smooth and bloat-free, as you’d expect from Pixel devices. Lovers of stock Android are surely going to appreciate using these phones.

pixel7 pro front ndtv pixel

Both phones use Google’s Tensor G2 SoC and have a Titan M2 security chip

 

Both smartphones have decent battery capacities. The Pixel 7 packs a 4270mAh battery and the bigger Pixel 7 Pro packs in a 4926mAh unit. Google claims that both phones can deliver all day battery life, which we’ll be testing in the full reviews of these devices.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are both good-looking devices that show off Google’s in-house hardware and software capabilities and have some upgrades in the camera department too. The three-year Android upgrade promise should satisfy consumers who want to stick with one smartphone for a long time. Considering that Google is making a comeback in the Indian market after four long years with flagship devices, it’ll be interesting how consumers react to these phones, especially now that there are so many options in each of the price segments that these phones will sell in. We will be testing both phones to bring you full reviews very soon, so stay tuned to Gadgets360 for more updates on these devices.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Amazon Great Indian Festival Extra Happiness Days: Top Deals on Echo Speakers, Fire TV, Kindle Readers

By
hitesh
-
0
Amazon Great Indian Festival Extra Happiness Days: Top Deals on Echo Speakers, Fire TV, Kindle Readers

[ad_1]

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2022 sale began last month, and the e-commerce platform’s festive season sale is now in its ‘Extra Happiness Days’ phase, ahead of the upcoming festival of Diwali. Since the sale began, several products have gone on sale via the platform, available for purchase at deeply discounted prices. Amazon’s Echo smart speakers, Kindle e-book readers, and Fire TV devices are no exception, and you can avail of deals, discounts, and offers on the company’s devices during the ongoing sale. The firm has offered an additional 10 percent instant discount on select cards during the ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival Extra Happiness Days sale.

Echo Dot (3rd Gen)

The third-generation Echo Dot smart speaker is currently available for purchase at Rs. 1,749 (MRP Rs. 4,499). You can use this voice activated speaker to stream music, check the news, access trivia, check sports scores, and the weather. The Echo Dot also allows you to control various smart home devices such as smart lights, air conditioners, smart TVs, and smart plugs. Amazon is also offering “combo” offers with smart bulbs and smart plugs during the ongoing Amazon Great Indian Festival sale.

Buy now at: Rs. 1,749 (MRP Rs. 4,499)

Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen)

If you’d prefer a smart speaker with a display, the second-generation Echo Show 8 is now on sale at Rs. 7,499 (MRP Rs. 13,999) for the duration of the sale. It sports an 8-inch HD display with stereo speakers and comes with inbuilt Alexa support. The smart display is also equipped with a 13-megapixel camera for video calls. You can also watch content from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video on the display, or monitor your smart home devices remotely. It comes with a physical microphone mute button and an inbuilt camera cover.

Buy now at: Rs. 1,749 (MRP Rs. 4,499)

Fire TV Stick Lite

Amazon’s cheapest Fire TV streaming dongle brings smart TV features to any full HD TV with an HDMI port. It ships with the Alexa Voice Remote Lite, which comes with app control, according to the company. Like other devices in the Fire TV portfolio, you can use the Fire TV Stick Lite to access shows on a wide range of subscription-based platforms, from Amazon Prime Video to Zee5. The Fire TV Stick Lite can be moved between TVs, which can come in handy when traveling.

Buy now at: Rs. 1,899 (MRP Rs. 3,999)

Fire TV Stick 4K

If you have an older 4K television that you want to turn into a smart TV, the Fire TV Stick 4K is worth your consideration at Rs. 2,999 (MRP Rs. 5,999). This smart dongle from Amazon also comes with a smart remote with dedicated buttons for some streaming services. You can also take advantage of Dolby Atmos audio on compatible home audio systems, and access Dolby Vision, HDR, and HDR 10+ content on compatible TV models. You can also stream content from several supported streaming services, control smart home devices, and move the Fire TV Stick 4K between TVs, like its more affordable sibling, the Fire TV Stick Lite.

Buy now at: Rs. 2,999 (MRP Rs. 5,999)

Kindle Paperwhite (8GB)

The Kindle Paperwhite sports a 6.8-inch display with a 330ppi glare-free panel that is claimed to look like real paper in various lighting conditions, including direct sunlight. Amazon says the Kindle Paperwhite can offer up to 10 weeks of battery life, and charges over a USB Type-C port. It is also said to bring 20 percent faster page turns than its predecessor, and is waterproof, with protection from accidental immersion in water. You can also adjust the screen’s temperature from white to amber, to prevent eye strain.

Buy now at: Rs. 11,099 (MRP Rs. 13,999)

Kindle Oasis (10th Gen)

With a 7-inch display and a 300ppi resolution, the Kindle Oasis is the largest e-book reader from Amazon, and features an adjustable warm light. It is equipped with a dedicated page turn button, and is claimed to offer faster page turns compared to the 9th generation Kindle Oasis model. Like the Paperwhite model, the Kindle Oasis also has a waterproof design with an IPX8 rating. It comes with Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity, and can be charged in three hours via a 5W USB power adapter.

Buy now at: Rs. 17,999 (MRP Rs. 21,999)

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series (X50) 50-inch Ultra-HD LED TV Review: Well-Priced 4K TV

By
hitesh
-
0
Xiaomi Smart TV X Series (X50) 50-inch Ultra-HD LED TV Review: Well-Priced 4K TV

[ad_1]

Xiaomi has, in a short time, made big strides in the television business in India. Among the leading brands in the smart TV space and a popular option for buyers looking for affordable, value-for-money big-screen TVs, Xiaomi’s televisions are usually on the radar of many buyers in India. While it does offer some high-end options including OLED and QLED TVs, the brand is best known for its affordable products, making the new Xiaomi Smart TV X Series particularly relevant in its growing product portfolio.

Priced at Rs. 34,999 in India for the 50-inch variant (L50M7-A2IN) on review here, the Xiaomi Smart TV X Series is similar to the Mi TV 5X that was launched in 2021, but with a more spartan approach that sees fewer features and frills in favour of more competitive pricing. Xiaomi has, however, retained some key specifications, including the Ultra-HD screen, support for Dolby Vision HDR, and Android TV with the PatchWall and stock Android TV UIs. Is this the best affordable Ultra-HD TV you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

xiaomi smart tv x series review logo Xiaomi

The Xiaomi TV X Series is a bit more affordable than the Mi TV 5X which was launched in 2021

 

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series X50 design and specifications

The Xiaomi Smart TV X Series is available in three size options, ranging from 43 inches to 55 inches. The 43-inch variant is priced at Rs. 28,999, the 50-inch variant retails for Rs. 34,999, and the 55-inch variant is priced at Rs. 39,999, as per the company’s launch pricing. At the time of this review, I spotted the 50-inch X50 variant on the company’s official online store for Rs. 31,999. All variants have the same specifications and Ultra-HD resolution, so the only significant difference between the three is the size of the display.

As mentioned, the Xiaomi Smart TV X Series skips a few features in favour of better pricing, including some elements of the design of the television. The back of the TV is quite plain to look at, and the included stands are made of plastic (unlike the metal stands included with the Mi TV 5X). However, you won’t notice any significant differences at the front of the TV, with a fairly straightforward look that has slim bezels and a fairly high screen-to-body ratio.

At the bottom is the Xiaomi logo, just above the module for the indicator light. Unlike on the Mi TV 5X, there is no hands-free Google Assistant on the Xiaomi Smart TV X50, and therefore no microphone on the TV itself or a sliding switch to mute it. The back of the TV has the ports facing the left and the bottom, with plenty of space around them to allow convenient connections, even if you have the TV wall-mounted.

Additionally, Xiaomi hasn’t skimped with the ports, and the options remain unchanged from the Mi TV 5X. There are three HDMI 2.1 ports (one supports ARC/eARC), two USB Type-A ports, a 3.5mm socket for wired headphone or speaker connectivity, and Digital Optical (Toslink), Ethernet, AV Input, and Antenna connectivity.

xiaomi smart tv x series review software Xiaomi

The Xiaomi Smart TV X Series runs on Android TV 10, with the stock Android TV and PatchWall UIs on top

 

I had the TV wall-mounted for my review, and it didn’t sit too close to the wall even with a low-profile wall-mount kit, so there was enough room to access the ports as needed. The wall-mount kit isn’t included in the sales package; the Xiaomi technician can provide one at the time of installation.

The Xiaomi Smart TV X50 has a 50-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) LED screen with a refresh rate of 60Hz, with support for the Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG high dynamic range formats. Audio output from the TV’s down-firing speaker system is rated at 30W, with support for the Dolby Audio, DTS-HD, and DTS Virtual X formats. For connectivity, there is dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5, and the TV has a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of internal storage for apps and app data, lower than the 16GB storage on the Mi TV 5X.

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series X50 remote and features

Xiaomi’s minimalistic remote returns on the X50 TV, albeit with minor changes. There are two new hotkeys for Disney+ Hotstar and apps in addition to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and the ‘Mi’ logo has been replaced by the PatchWall logo for the button that quickly switches to Xiaomi’s custom UI for its TVs. Apart from these, it’s the same familiar remote, although it does seem slightly larger than previous remotes.

The remote is powered by two AAA batteries, which are fortunately included in the sales package. Some of the software-based tweaks for the remote, introduced to cover for the lack of hardware buttons, are still in place. These include pressing the volume down key twice quickly to mute, and long-pressing the PatchWall button to access the quick settings menu.

xiaomi smart tv x series review remote Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s compact and lightweight remote sees a few changes with the X50 TV, including new hotkeys

 

Other features on the Xiaomi Smart TV X50 include auto low-latency mode (ALLM) for gaming, Dolby Atmos passthrough when using HDMI ARC with compatible speaker systems, and access to Google Assistant using the remote. There is also built-in Google Chromecast and Miracast for casting from compatible devices.

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series X50 software and interface

Xiaomi’s familiar dual-UI approach based on the Android TV 10 operating system remains in place on the Smart TV X50. If you prefer the PatchWall UI, the company’s custom user interface continues to improve by way of performance, curation, recommendations from over 30 integrated streaming services, and more. There is also access to the Mi Home app directly on the TV, which is useful if you have any Xiaomi IoT products.

If you prefer the familiarity of the Android TV user interface, that’s present as well. Soon after setting up the Xiaomi Smart TV X50, the stock Android TV UI was updated to the fresher, Google TV-inspired look. Regardless of which UI you prefer, the apps are the same, including access to over 7,000 apps on the Google Play store for Android TV, to download any additional apps and games that you might want.

I did experience some issues with the UI on the Android TV interface, with the Xiaomi Smart TV X50 feeling a bit sluggish to navigate around. There were also occasions where apps would not load properly, and subtitle timing on apps such as Netflix and Disney+ Hotstar was off by a second or two. However, the fix for this was easy; a full reboot would have the TV working fine for the most part, until a few days later when the issues would reappear.

An interesting new addition to the software suite is the Xiaomi TV+ app. This allows access to linear, programmed ‘channels’ similar to what you’d find on a DTH set-top box-based service, with the obvious difference being that the content is streamed using an Internet connection.

I did find it to be a bit slow and it took quite a while to load even on my otherwise fast Internet connection, but this will hopefully improve over time. The channel selection had a fair amount of variety and content, and was a useful distraction for times when I couldn’t think of what I wanted to watch, or just wanted to watch something for a few minutes.

Xiaomi Smart TV X Series X50 performance

The Xiaomi Smart TV X Series is positioned below the Mi TV 5X in the company’s order of pricing, but this has more to do with small differences in the feature set and design of the TV. When it comes to performance, the Xiaomi Smart TV X50 is fairly adept and up to the mark for a television in its price segment, thanks to its Ultra-HD screen with support for Dolby Vision HDR, general good picture quality across different resolutions, and decent sound quality.

I watched a variety of content across resolutions and dynamic ranges, from Ultra-HD with Dolby Vision or HDR10 support, to standard definition video clips and shows on YouTube and Hotstar. While the differences in the top-quality content naturally showed, the 50-inch size of the X50 variant seemed to help hide some of the drawbacks of lower-resolution content at typical viewing distances for a living room.

xiaomi smart tv x series review house of dragon Xiaomi

Black levels weren’t very good on the Xiaomi Smart TV X50, and this showed in dark scenes on House of the Dragon

 

Watching episodes of Home on Apple TV+ in Ultra-HD Dolby Vision was expectedly good as compared to all other content, with the Xiaomi Smart TV X50 doing a decent job with the high dynamic range format. This didn’t seem to translate into as significant a bump in brightness as could be expected from a high-end LED or quantum-dot LED TV, but the colours and tones seemed to be better off.

The beautiful, often colourful homes and surrounding nature on Home looked about as good as can be expected on an entry-level Ultra-HD HDR TV. The naturally bright and vibrant picture of Chef’s Table: Pizza on Netflix looked particularly attractive in terms of colours and sharpness, and the gentle motion in these two shows was generally handled well by the TV.

Shows such as Andor and House of the Dragon provided a somewhat different viewing experience, which had to do with the black levels. The Xiaomi Smart TV X Series is an entry-level LED TV, and this meant that there was always a slight grey tinge across the screen.

With bright, colourful content, this didn’t matter or show too prominently, but with the aforementioned two shows relying heavily on dark, night-time scenes, this made the picture appear a bit dull and often difficult to watch unless the room was completely dark. Andor seemed to benefit from its Ultra-HD resolution and Dolby Vision support to look somewhat watchable, while the full-HD resolution of House of the Dragon looked rather strange in dark scenes, with a lot of artefacts, and colours appearing washed out.

xiaomi smart tv x50 review wrexham Xiaomi

Full-HD content on the Xiaomi Smart TV X50 looked decent, although Ultra-HD content expectedly brought out the best in the television

 

With HDR10 content, the TV seemed nearly as capable as with the high-quality Dolby Vision content on Apple TV+ and Netflix. The latest episode of The Grand Tour was sharp and fun to watch thanks to its primarily bright snowscapes, but the technically inferior HDR format seemed to show in the colours being slightly less impactful.

That said, the content itself will make or break the experience, and the high-quality content and footage of The Grand Tour arguably looked better than the dull Dolby Vision stream of Andor on the Xiaomi Smart TV X50. Full-HD content such as House of the Dragon and Welcome to Wrexham, despite the obvious differences in sharpness, looked decent thanks to the 50-inch screen size of the X50 variant.

Lower-resolution content such as episodes of Sarabhai vs Sarabhai on Disney+ Hotstar were similarly handled fairly well by the TV, with decent upscaling and the size of the screen itself hiding some of the weaknesses in the picture from typical living room viewing distances.

Sound quality on the Xiaomi Smart TV X Series was rather impressive given the price and size of the TV. The TV is loud, with the sound tuned well to enhance dialogue and background scores. While the sound wasn’t as impactful in the lows and background effects, it largely suited much of what I wanted to watch. At this price level, this is a particularly useful point, since users won’t need to invest in a soundbar or speaker system along with the TV.

Verdict

Xiaomi’s televisions in India have always pushed the value-for-money proposition much further than the competition, and the X Series manages to fine-tune the concept even further. It’s not very different from the more expensive Mi TV 5X range in terms of core specifications, but does cut back on some features that could be considered unnecessary frills.

The result is a capable budget Ultra-HD TV that largely does the job its meant to do, and at Rs. 34,999 for the 50-inch variant (going as low as Rs. 31,999 depending on seasonal pricing), offers excellent value for money. Picture quality is decent save for some small drawbacks, sound quality is good, and the software and UI performance are acceptable on the whole. This is a sensible pick for the price, if you’re looking to upgrade to a big screen and want to explore the ever-increasing list of Ultra-HD and HDR content on offer right now.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review: A Final Game of Thrones for King Viserys

By
hitesh
-
0
House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review: A Final Game of Thrones for King Viserys

[ad_1]

House of the Dragon episode 8 — out now on HBO Max and Disney+ Hotstar — is titled “The Lord of the Tides”. That’s because it’s largely focused on deciding who will inherit the throne of Driftmark, what with Lord Corlys “Sea Snake” Velaryon (Steve Toussaint) believed to be gravely injured. (It’s a bit weird that the Game of Thrones prequel spin-off series has essentially killed one of its main cast members entirely off-screen. Thanks, time jumps.) In some ways, House of the Dragon episode 8 could’ve been called “The Lord of the Undercurrents”. While everyone involved can feel it, nearly no one has the audacity to admit that a war is inevitable and around the corner. This is, if you can term it as such, the calm before the inevitable storm.

And what a strange tension-filled calm it is. Six years have passed since the events of House of the Dragon episode 7. King Viserys Targaryen (Paddy Considine) is a shadow of his former self. Half his face is gone, he’s more or less bedridden, and he’s surviving on the milk of the poppy — which stems the immense pain he feels. In his absence, the Hightowers are basically the new rulers: Queen Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), and her Hand of the King father, Ser Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans). And given the Velaryon household has stronger ties to wife-husband Princess Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Prince Daemon (Matt Smith) — both were married to the Sea Snake’s children — the Hightowers are naturally not inclined to let the standard rules of inheritance apply to Driftmark.

Rather than taking things by fire and blood, as was the case in episode 7, political machinations and back dealings are the name of the game in House of the Dragon episode 8. The Hightowers have invited “petitions” that will be heard in the Red Keep, and since the scales of power tilt in their favour at this time — the Hand of the King speaks on the King’s behalf when he is indisposed — they are certain of dealing a heavy blow to Rhaenyra. Holding Driftmark gives you control over the Seven Kingdoms’ biggest fleet, after all. Add to that Alicent’s thirdborn Prince Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) winning Vhagar to their cause in episode 7, and that would make them formidable. Rhaenyra understands this too — which is why she sets off for King’s Landing at once after getting word.

Prey, House of the Dragon, and More on Disney+ Hotstar in October

house of the dragon episode 8 wil johnson house of the dragon episode 8

Wil Johnson as Ser Vaemond Velaryon in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

Said word comes from Daemon’s daughter, Lady Baela (Bethany Antonia), at Driftmark. (Baela has become a ward of her grandmother in the years since episode 7.) House of the Dragon episode 8 opens there, with Sea Snake’s younger brother, Ser Vaemond Velaryon (Wil Johnson), making his case for why he should be the new lord of Driftmark should Corlys not make it. I have to admit, I had to look his name up. Vaemond has barely been in the show — this is partly a problem of jumping years, with characters not getting enough screen time — and suddenly, he’s front and centre, vying for a powerful seat. Like, who are you? Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) warns her brother-in-law that his words are treason, but Vaemond is secure in the knowledge that it’s the Queen who rules these days.

Alicent is so busy doing the ruling that she doesn’t even have time to greet her guests, Rhaenyra and Daemon. Though that is the more charitable version. The two childhood best friends don’t see eye to eye anymore — and things ended very badly last time around. In fact, when they are reunited on House of the Dragon episode 8, Alicent’s eyes drift towards Rhaenyra’s left arm, where the scar has healed but remains visible. Rather than being a moment of concession, the reunion ends up being spicy, with accusations levelled back and forth. Given the state of her king father, Rhaenyra feels the Hightowers are occupying the Iron Throne with no legitimacy. She’s the heir after all. Alicent protests that Viserys is guiding them from his bed. Who do you choose to believe?

Daemon’s chuckle at that moment in House of the Dragon episode 8 says it all. After all, it’s clear who’s actually calling the shots. The decision Alicent — with guidance from her father, Otto — makes here is essentially a reflection on the bigger picture. If you overlook a son’s right to inheritance (in this case, Prince Lucerys, Rhaenyra’s son and the Sea Snake’s grandson in name if not blood) because you want someone who’s in your favour (in this case, Vaemond the guy who’s barely been in the show), you’re setting a dangerous precedent. Sure, you’re helping your own cause down the line — Rhaenyra the chosen heir vs Alicent’s firstborn Aegon — but it also opens you up to questioning and suspicion from other lords in the future.

The Rings of Power Season 2 Has Begun Filming in the UK: Report

house of the dragon episode 8 emma d arcy house of the dragon episode 8

Emma D’Arcy as Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

For Rhaenyra, the petitions are a deep affront. The Targaryen Princess sees this as a questioning of her own legitimacy to claim the Iron Throne — if her children are overlooked for the Driftmark seat, what does that say about who wields ultimate power? At night, Rhaenyra visits her ailing father once more, half praying to the gods to give him strength to oversee the proceedings. But in the morning, as the petitions are heard in the Great Hall, there’s no sign of Viserys. Instead, it’s Otto who sits on the Iron Throne. As Vaemond Velaryon make his case in House of the Dragon episode 8, Rhaenyra is visibly frustrated. She might be the heir to the Iron Throne, but in the moment, she’s utterly powerless.

Then, the mood in the Great Hall shifts entirely as the doors open. In walks Viserys — clutching onto a cane, the King of the Seven Kingdoms slowly makes his way to the Iron Throne. Otto, Alicent, and Vaemond exchange glances, knowing this is going to spill cold water on their plans. Viserys’ frailty is clear for all to see in House of the Dragon episode 8, and he can barely keep the crown on his head, but once he makes it to the other end of the room, it’s clear that only one man’s voice matters now. The King notes that since Corlys is out injured, the best person to speak on his behalf would be his wife, Rhaenys.

Instead of making a case for herself as she had suggested earlier, Rhaenys publicly agrees to the marriage proposals set out by Rhaenyra in private earlier in the episode. It’s smart. Instead of undermining herself in front of Viserys who’s all by the book, The Queen Who Never Was shows that she knows how to play the game of thrones. However, her brother-in-law Vaemond isn’t having it. He goes on a rampage, calls Rhaenyra the W-word and her children the B-word. Forget the insults; this is treasonous, especially given how Viserys reacted in House of the Dragon episode 7. As you might expect, the King gets up and demands Velaryon’s tongue. But Daemon is two steps ahead, as he beheads Vaemond from behind. And just like that, the guy we barely knew is gone.

Watch the New Trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

house of the dragon episode 8 ewan mitchell house of the dragon episode 8

Ewan Mitchell as Aemond Targaryen in House of the Dragon episode 8
Photo Credit: Ollie Upton/HBO

That night over dinner, the ailing Viserys does his best to bridge the differences between his wife and his daughter. (House of the Dragon episode 8 sets this scene up with a nice shot of the literal gulf between the Queen and the heir — which is appropriately filled by the King.) And for a while, his words work. Rhaenyra and Alicent acknowledge each others’ efforts. Even Rhaenyra’s children get in on the act, doing their best to say something nice about their uncles, Alicent’s boys. Satisfied with what he’s seeing, Viserys asks for music, which leads to a dance between one of Rhaenyra’s boys and Alicent’s only girl. It’s a brief hint of a union between the two warring factions. As he’s carried away owing to his pain, the King thinks he’s done his duty.

But, obviously, that was all an act. Alicent’s boys are naturally more bitter, given Rhaenyra and her family will sit on all the thrones. Having previously mocked them over their marriages, Aemond — the boy who became Vhagar’s new dragonrider in House of the Dragon episode 7 — makes a final speech. He chooses his words cleverly, calling Rhaenyra’s boys “strong” while implying something else entirely. As the children begin to fight, they are separated and sent to their chambers. Rhaenyra then tells Alicent that they will leave for Dragonstone in the morning — she got what she came for — even though they only just arrived.

As Alicent attends to her king husband after the contentious dinner, Viserys starts to babble about the “song of ice and fire”. He’s talking about the dream that Aegon the Conqueror had — a vision about a long night when invaders will arrive from the North — whose details have been passed down generation to generation, from one Targaryen ruler to the next. But the Queen misunderstands him, thinking he’s talking about their son Aegon (II) as the “prince that was promised” and the “one to unite the realm.” It’s clear that Alicent is going to use those words to establish her son’s credentials later. Rhaenyra might have heard the full thing (when Viserys was sober and in his senses), but it’s her word against Alicent’s now.

And with the King breathing his last in House of the Dragon episode 8, the brittle peace he struggled to maintain looks set to vanish any second.

House of the Dragon episode 8 is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar in India, and HBO Max wherever available. New episodes release every Monday at 6:30am IST/ Sunday at 9pm ET.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Apple Watch Series 8 Review: Should You Upgrade?

By
hitesh
-
0
Apple Watch Series 8 Review: Should You Upgrade?

[ad_1]

Apple launched a brand new model of its Apple Watch called the ‘Ultra’ at this year’s ‘Far Out’ launch event and it has been a major talking point. It’s bigger, chunkier, offers better hardware, and is designed keeping in mind a very special set of users. Another thing that the Apple Watch Ultra managed to do is steal the show from the standard Apple Watch Series 8. The new model does pack a few upgrades over the previous Series 7, but not as much as we were hoping for. Is the new Apple Watch Series 8 worth upgrading to or should you stick (or upgrade) to the Series 7 instead?

Apple Watch Series 8 price in India

The Apple Watch Series 8 is available in two case sizes (41mm and 45mm) and two case finishes (aluminium and stainless steel). Another category you need to keep in mind when choosing an Apple Watch is connectivity. Here, you can choose between the GPS model or the GPS + cellular model.

The Apple Watch Series 8 with the 41mm aluminium case starts from Rs. 45,900 for the GPS model, and Rs. 55,900 for the GPS + cellular model. The Series 8 with the 45mm aluminium case is available at Rs. 48,900 for the GPS model, and at Rs. 58,900 for the GPS + cellular model. The stainless steel models of the Apple Watch Series 8 are only available in GPS + cellular, and are priced upwards of Rs. 74,900 (for the base 41mm case).

Apple Watch Series 8 sport band ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

The 45mm case Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + cellular in the Midnight finish with the black Sport Band attached

 

There are a number of colours to choose from and the same can be said about the watch straps which range from simple silicone straps to rugged steel and the premium leather options. I received the Apple Watch Series 8 GPS + cellular model in the Midnight finish with the 45mm aluminium case for this review.

Apple Watch Series 8 design and specifications

The design of the Apple Watch has barely changed over the years. We got a bigger display with the Apple Watch Series 7 last year and Apple has retained the same display with this year’s model as well. In fact, there are no cosmetic changes between the two watches at all, unless you flip them on their backs and take a closer look at the rear case, which now says ‘Series 8′ instead of ‘Series 7′. Even the older straps from the Series 7 (depending on case size) are compatible with the Apple Watch Series 8.

The quality, and the fit and finish of the new Apple Watch Series 8 remains the same as before, which is to say, is very good. While my watch came with the standard black Sport Band (made of silicone), I used the smartwatch with the Summit White/Black Nike Sport Band instead, which can be purchased separately for Rs. 4,500. Despite its weight of 38.8g, the Series 8 felt quite comfortable to wear while working, exercising, or otherwise, so much so that I even wore it to bed, which is something I don’t usually do with regular watches.

Apple Watch Series 8 case back ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

The back of the Apple Watch Series 8 case with the ‘Series 8’ engraving

 

The Ion-X glass display on the Apple Watch Series 8 did not get scratched during the review period, and the same can be said about the aluminium case which rubbed against a thick metal chain and survived with no scratches. The more expensive stainless steel model offers better display protection with a sapphire crystal glass display, but is also priced a lot higher.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is water resistant up to a depth of 50 metres and comes with an IP6X rating for dust resistance. In the box, Apple thankfully still bundles the Magnetic Charger, with a USB-C port at the other end.

In terms of specifications, the Apple Watch Series 8 comes with the new S8 SiP or system-in-package and offers 32GB of storage which is used to store synced songs, photos and applications (apart from the watchOS software and respective app caches). Despite switching from the first generation Apple Watch SE (Review), I only managed to use about 10GB of the available space. The new S8 SiP supports WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, and includes the W3 wireless chip for connecting with supported Bluetooth accessories, as well as the U1 chip (Ultra Wideband).

Apple Watch Series 8 nike strap ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

The Apple Watch Series 8 with the Summit White/Black Nike Sport Band

 

Like the previous model, the Apple Watch Series 8 also includes various health sensors for detecting blood oxygen levels and has the ability to record an ECG. The new bits that are brand new to the Series 8 include a more powerful gyroscope and accelerometer which helps with Apple’s new Crash Detection feature, and a new two-temperature sensor design, that’s used to track skin temperature when sleeping, and for the new ovulation tracking feature for women.

Apple Watch Series 8 performance

The Apple Watch Series 8’s 1.9-inch LTPO OLED display is the same as the Series 7, offering a peak brightness of 1000 nits, and up to 500 nits in its always-on state. Since the display is quite bright, I had no problems viewing it outdoors in the harsh afternoon sun. The always-on implementation works brilliantly with every watch face from the Face Gallery.

This not only works well with the regular watch faces that show information (time, date, weather, etc) but also for the Portrait watch face that dims the photo down to a level where it’s still possible to view and enjoy every photo when in this always-on state. This made it quick and easy to glance at information available on a watch face without having to flick my wrist and wake the display all the time.

Performance with watchOS 9 and the new S8 SiP is a smooth and fluid experience, whether it’s opening and running apps, using the watch to monitor workouts, or just switching between the beautifully designed watch faces. Among the new watch faces is Playtime, which has these fun, ballooned numbers floating in and out of the display to reveal the current time.

Apple Watch Series 8 aod ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

The always-on display (AOD) implementation shows enough information from the watch face

 

Apple’s new motion sensors (high-range accelerometer and gyroscope) can now detect a wider range of G-forces than what was previously possible. According to Apple, once a crash is detected by the watch, both the iPhone and Apple Watch work in sync and will call for emergency services (or notify emergency contacts) if the user does not respond within 10 seconds. The new temperature sensors now make it possible to receive retrospective ovulation estimates for women (requires the watch to be worn for at least two months before predictions begin), which can be handy when planning a family and is said to also provide improved period predictions.

While sleep tracking was previously available with the Apple Watch, watchOS 9 adds sleep stages (detecting and tracking REM, core and deep sleep) for delivering a lot more data to help users develop better sleeping habits. Apple says it has developed an advanced algorithm to check the same and tries to predict sleep stages based on signals from the accelerometer (movements when asleep) and the heart rate sensor. In my experience, I found the sleep stages data to be quite accurate. More so, because I have the habit of checking the time whenever I wake up in the middle of the night.

Apple Watch Series 8 sleep stages ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

Sleep tracking is quite accurate and sleep stages gives good insights about sleep patterns

 

What’s interesting is how the Apple Watch Series 8 provides two sleep tracking readings in the Health app, one telling me the total time I spent in bed (lying almost motionless, reading a book, or watching videos) and the reading showing me the time I actually spent sleeping. What the Apple Watch is still missing compared to other smartwatches is the ability to track naps, as the sleep tracking only works during the assigned bedtime hours. With the new temperature sensors, the watch also tracks your temperature while sleeping, but it won’t alert you when you have a fever as it only tracks skin temperature and not body temperature.

In terms of fitness-related activities, the Apple Watch Series 8’s accuracy was quite good, whether it was GPS tracking when walking through my neighbourhood lined with trees and buildings, or tracking short indoor workouts. I also did a basic step count of 1000 steps without the iPhone and the results from the watch were close to accurate, with it just missing out on a few steps.

SpO2 tracking, when compared with a pulse oximeter, was not perfectly accurate. It kept fluctuating between 95 to 97 percent every time I took a reading which was minutes apart, and this also required me to hold my arm up in a particular position in order to do the test and get a result. SpO2 readings from the Apple Watch took just 15 seconds, compared to my oximeter which took about 30 seconds but with more consistently accurate results.

WatchOS 9 also brings the new compass feature called Backtrack (also available on older models), that will record your route using GPS so you can find your way back if you get lost. It can be activated manually but it also turns on automatically when there is no data or Wi-Fi connectivity available on the watch or via an iPhone.

Apple Watch Series 8 playtime backtrack ndtv AppleWatchSeries8 Apple

The new Playtime watch face (top) and the new Backtrack feature in the revamped compass app (bottom)

 

Battery life on the Apple Watch Series 8 was as good as the Series 7, and it lasted me about two days on a single charge when connected to my Wi-Fi network or to the iPhone. My usage mainly involved viewing and responding to notifications, and about 30 minutes of exercise on some days, all with the always-on display enabled. Those who work out for a couple of hours could see battery life drop to about a day and half. Switching on the new low-power mode in watchOS 9 extends battery life by half a day, but it’s only useful for those who solely use the Apple Watch for viewing notifications as all the automated health tracking features and the always-on display are switched off.

One health-tracking feature that the low-power mode does not turn off is sleep tracking. It turned out to be the main source of battery drain, without which, the low power mode seemed pretty efficient at its job. Apple’s fast charging feature for the Apple Watch which was introduced with the Series 7, is present on the Series 8 and this charges it up quickly going from 0 to 100 percent in about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Verdict

The Apple Watch Series 8 is a solid smartwatch for health and fitness tracking, and thanks to watchOS 9 users can now also get accurate sleep tracking data. What hasn’t changed or improved a lot is the battery life, which Apple seems to have addressed with the Apple Watch Ultra, but this model isn’t exactly meant for the average iPhone user. Crash Detection is a feature that no other mainstream smartwatch manufacturer has delved into yet, which is currently unique to the 2022 Apple Watch models.

However, the Apple Watch Series 8, just like the Apple Watch Series 7, offers only minor incremental updates and this time, almost no cosmetic changes. If you are using an Apple Watch Series 7, you really don’t need to upgrade unless features such as ovulation tracking and crash detection are something you need to have. If you are looking to upgrade from an Apple Watch Series 5 (or older), I would recommend waiting for a good sale and getting the Apple Watch Series 7 at a discounted price. The current price of the Series 7 starts from approximately Rs. 39,000 (online), which makes little sense as the Series 8 starts from Rs. 45,900.

If you are an Apple Watch user and simply crave something different, you should check out the Apple Watch Ultra (First impressions). It’s clearly built for the more adventurous type given its large dial size, but those looking for better battery life, a big display and don’t mind the hefty price, might find it appealing.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Werewolf by Night Review: MCU Horror TV Special Isn’t Anything Special

By
hitesh
-
0
Werewolf by Night Review: MCU Horror TV Special Isn’t Anything Special

[ad_1]

Werewolf by Night — out Friday on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar — pushes the Marvel Cinematic Universe into a new dimension. On paper at least. It’s the first TV special that Marvel Studios has produced. (TV special is basically a fancy term for an hour-long movie.) The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special — coming in December, also to Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar — was set to be the first, but Werewolf by Night emerged out of nowhere last month at Disney’s D23 Expo 2022. More importantly, Werewolf by Night is also the first full-on MCU horror flick, though we sort of went there with the Sam Raimi-directed Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, earlier this year.

Intriguingly, Werewolf by Night comes from an unexpected source too. It’s directed by Michael Giacchino, the guy otherwise known for composing indistinguishable background scores for several Marvel movies, including the Cumberbatch-led Doctor Strange, Thor: Love and Thunder with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy. That guy is doing a horror creature feature about monster hunters now? Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige was taken aback by Giacchino’s choice of the character too. But as Feige heard more, he became more enthusiastic — and suggested Giacchino incorporate the swamp creature Man-Thing.

Giacchino said he was inspired by American horror films from the 1930 and 40s. To his credit, Werewolf by Night mimics the style of these decades well. For one, the Marvel TV special is entirely presented in black-and-white — this isn’t a first for the MCU, given we had an episode or two of WandaVision do that — with “cigarette burns” appearing in places to complete the look. What gives away the modernness though is the depth of field and the use of distortion lenses. Giacchino, who is also naturally the composer here, even brings in songs from the late 30s, with one by Vera Lynn and another from The Wizard of Oz.

Watch the First Trailer for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

What works best for Werewolf by Night is that it all feels tangible. Unlike the prevalent overuse of CGI and virtual backgrounds in the MCU, the first Marvel TV special relies largely on practical effects, be it with the creatures, the action, or the surroundings. Werewolf by Night does well to balance violence and humour — the screenplay comes from Heather Quinn (Hawkeye) and Peter Cameron (WandaVision) — and even packages a bit of heart. Within all the hunting and running around, it finds moments of quiet with the lead characters, as they delve into family and generational trauma.

But even though it might be the first proper MCU horror tale, I don’t think it’s effective in that regard. Sure, there are moments when blood streams down your screen — Werewolf by Night escaped with a less punishing rating, because the blood isn’t red thanks to the whole thing being in black-and-white — but I can’t recall any genuine scares. An even bigger problem is that it’s too short. Wrapping up at 48 minutes — the length of one Loki episode or thereabouts — Werewolf by Night doesn’t have enough time to flesh out its characters. It gets over before it really even begins.

An animated lore dump at the start of Werewolf by Night tells us that famous monster hunter Ulysses Bloodstone (voiced by Richard Dixon) has died, leaving behind the Bloodstone relic, a powerful stone that’s very useful for monster hunters. As per Ulysses’ wishes, a “ceremonial hunt” has been organised. Whosoever kills the beast and grabs the Bloodstone relic will be designated the “new leader of their fight against monsters”, as Ulysses’s widow Verussa (Harriet Sansom Harris) says early in Werewolf by Night to the gathered group of monster hunters.

Said group includes a bunch of faces that really don’t matter. Save for Ulysses’s estranged daughter Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly) who left her father’s side many years ago — Verussa calls her a “disappointment”, while Elsa makes a face when Verussa calls herself Ulysses’s lover. And our protagonist, Jack Russell/ Werewolf by Night (Gael García Bernal). Werewolf by Night tries to make a meal out of its lead’s alter ego, but that only works if you haven’t seen the poster, the trailer, or literally any piece of marketing. (And now, this review. Sorry?)

Avengers: Secret Wars Has Reportedly Found Its Writer

werewolf by night review verussa werewolf by night mcu

Harriet Sansom Harris as Verussa in Werewolf by Night
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Mild spoilers ahead for Werewolf by Night.

The first half of the first Marvel TV special plays out as part setup and part Hunger Games, with the second half devoted to examining Jack’s other side. Everyone, including the monster, is fair game. And given that the monster hunters have 200 kills between them, they don’t pull punches.

Thanks to the expanded content rating, Werewolf by Night is able to showcase a bunch of brutal kills. The best ones are reserved for a climactic third-act sequence, in which Giacchino truly taps into the menacing and unforgiving side of his title character. But the rest of it can be a bit humdrum — for instance, after being set up for several minutes, the whole monster hunt business is resolved very quickly and easily.

Most of that is partly down to the concise time frame allotted to Werewolf by Night. Though it’s commendable that Marvel Studios is open to experimentation, I’m not sure it’s committing to the right projects. The last one was the shorts series I Am Groot, and there was little of value there as well. But while Vin Diesel’s talking tree has a big enough place in the ever-expanding MCU, it’s entirely unclear how Werewolf by Night connects to any of it. For now, it feels as though Jack and Co. exist in a parallel world.

Even Marvel Studios itself seems noncommittal on the whole enterprise. Co-executive producer Brian Gay refused to provide a straight answer when asked about the future of Werewolf by Night. On the other hand, Gay hinted that he wants more monsters to appear in upcoming projects – but will that happen with mainline MCU films and series, or on the side like this?

Marvel’s Blade Loses Director, Film Said to be in Trouble

werewolf by night review ulysses bloodstone werewolf by night mcu

Ulysses Bloodstone in Werewolf by Night
Photo Credit: Disney/Marvel Studios

Werewolf by Night begins by revealing a new “Marvel Studios Special Presentation” animated intro before the usual Marvel Studios sequence. The fact they went to the effort of making one could suggest that we can expect more of them in the future.

The issue is that Marvel has so many (weird) characters now — many of them introduced in The Multiverse Saga, which began post-Endgame — that you wonder how many will be forgotten when we get to the next Avengers movies. Werewolf by Night seems like a prime candidate.

Werewolf by Night is released Friday, October 7 at 12am PT/ 12:30pm IST on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar wherever available.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

OnePlus Nord Buds CE Review: Comfortable, Yet Awkward

By
hitesh
-
0
OnePlus Nord Buds CE Review: Comfortable, Yet Awkward

[ad_1]

OnePlus only recently launched the Nord Buds, bringing its ‘affordable’ branding and approach to the true wireless earphones segment. Like the Nord smartphones, the Nord Buds are priced reasonably, and deliver the basics capably. However, the brand has now launched an even more affordable true wireless headset, featuring the increasingly less common outer-ear fit that some prefer. The OnePlus Nord Buds CE is priced at Rs. 1,899 (MRP of Rs. 2,699) in India, and is the brand’s most affordable true wireless headset yet.

Much like the Nord CE range of smartphones which are even more affordable than the standard Nord lineup, the OnePlus Nord Buds CE is an entry-level product, but promises a fair bit despite its low price. There is app support, ultra low-latency mode, and a lightweight design with the outer-ear fit which is more comfortable for some than the more common in-canal fit. Is this the best affordable true wireless headset you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

oneplus nord buds ce review earpieces2 OnePlus

The outer-ear fit isn’t as popular as it once was, but there are still some options such as the OnePlus Nord Buds CE that have it

 

OnePlus Nord Buds CE design and features

The outer-ear fit for true wireless earphones is a lot less popular now than it was even just a couple of years ago, but a few brands continue to offer options with this fit. The OnePlus Nord Buds CE features this outer-ear fit, which is a significant change from the in-canal fit of the slightly more expensive OnePlus Nord Buds.

Naturally, this means that there is barely any passive noise isolation on the Nord Buds CE, but many potential buyers may consider that a good thing. Additionally, the fit is always a bit loose, and the earpieces tend to move around a bit with even the slightest contact, and particularly when using the touch controls. This design also means that the specific angle that the earpieces are worn affects the sound considerably, which can be quite annoying.

Available in two colours — white and grey — the OnePlus Nord Buds CE have a single-mould design with long stems for the microphones and battery charging contact points. The touch-sensitive area is at the top of the stems, and is very sensitive to touch gestures. I had to deactivate the single-tap gesture because it led to a lot of accidental commands even when doing something as simple as adjusting the fit.

Fortunately, the touch controls are customisable, allowing you to set up single-, double-, or triple-tap gestures to control various functions such as playback, invoking the default voice assistant on your smartphone, or activating the 94ms low-latency game mode. The earpieces weigh just 3.5g each and are IPX4 rated for water resistance, while the charging case weighs about 33g.

The charging case is pebble-shaped and small enough to store in your pocket easily. The bottom has the USB Type-C port for charging, and there is an indicator light just above the OnePlus logo and below the lid. There is no pairing button on the charging case, and no wear detection sensors on the earpieces. There is no active noise cancellation, but there is AI noise cancellation for improved clarity for voice calls.

OnePlus Nord Buds CE app and specifications

Like other OnePlus true wireless earphones, the Nord Buds CE uses the HeyMelody app to enable customisation of the earphones, but only on non-OnePlus smartphones. If you have a OnePlus smartphone, the functionality is embedded into the phone’s Bluetooth settings, and doesn’t need an app. The Nord Buds CE are only supported by the HeyMelody app on Android though; iOS users don’t get app support.

I used the earphones with a OnePlus smartphone, which allowed me to use OnePlus Fast Pair to quickly pair and link the earphones to my smartphone. I then had to go into the Bluetooth menu for the earphones and tap ‘Earbud functions’ to reach the detailed settings for the Nord Buds CE.

oneplus nord buds ce review app settings OnePlus

If you have a OnePlus smartphone, detailed customisation is available through the system’s Bluetooth settings

 

These include Sound Master EQ with four equaliser presets for sound customisation, control customisation for the left and right earpieces separately, a mode to use the earpiece touch sensor as the camera shutter button remotely, and firmware updates. You can also view the battery levels for the earpieces and charging case through this menu.

The OnePlus Nord Buds CE have 13.4mm dynamic drivers, with a rated sensitivity of 128dB and a frequency response range of 20-20,000Hz. For connectivity, there is Bluetooth 5.2, with support for the SBC and AAC codecs.

OnePlus Nord Buds CE performance and battery life

Although suitably equipped when it comes to specifications and features, the OnePlus Nord Buds CE’s sound quality is quite heavily influenced by the fit. Even the slightest change in the way you put the earphones into your ears can considerably change the sound; this is common on all earphones with this fit, but feels particularly pronounced on the Nord Buds CE. However, over the course of my review, I found the right fit for a good combination of comfort and sound quality.

Support for the SBC and AAC codecs meant that the Nord Buds CE were equally at ease with iOS and Android devices, although for my review I primarily used a OnePlus smartphone as the source device to ensure easy access to the customisation features. The earphones were fairly loud, and despite the lack of proper noise isolation, even a volume level of around 60 percent was more than enough for indoor listening.

oneplus nord buds ce review open OnePlus

The charging case of the OnePlus Nord Buds CE has USB Type-C fast charging

 

I quite liked the open, free-flowing feel of the outer-ear fit. This allowed me to keep a ear open on my surroundings without significantly affecting the listening experience — something that many earphone buyers specifically want, for use when outdoors. I also found that the ‘Balanced’ equaliser preset was ideal for pretty much any listening.

Listening to The Great Divide by Velvetine, the introduction leading up to the bass-heavy beat drop was fun to listen to, with the OnePlus Nord Buds CE offering up a fair amount of attack and aggression, while maintaining a reasonable level of detail for a budget headset. Interestingly, twisting the earpieces inwards a bit significantly bumped up the drive and rumble in the lows, and bass enthusiasts might actually like this seemingly unintended flexibility.

Although I did on occasion feel that the highs were a bit shrill, the sound was generally pleasant with most tracks at moderate volumes. Listening to Subways by The Avalanches, I found the mid-range to be surprisingly adept and clean, and the earphones created a decent soundstage and detail levels in this diverse sample-based track.

Connection stability wasn’t a problem with the OnePlus Nord Buds CE, and I was able to use the earphones at distances of up to 4m between the earpieces and smartphone. Call quality was acceptable for short calls, although I was told that my voice sounded a bit different and strange by someone I regularly speak to on the phone.

The earpieces have 27mAh batteries, while the charging case has a 300mAh battery. I was able to use the earphones for about four hours on a single charge, and the charging case added an additional three charges for a total run time of 16 hours per charge cycle, which is acceptable for a headset in this price range. There is fast charging on the OnePlus Nord Buds CE, with a 10-minute charge said to offer 81 minutes of listening on the earpieces.

Verdict

Much like with its smartphones, OnePlus’ approach to the affordable true wireless earphones segment is a sensible one that has seen some worthwhile products. The latest in this list is the company’s most affordable true wireless headset yet. The OnePlus Nord Buds CE is a capable pair of earphones on the whole, and might be particularly tempting to anyone who has a OnePlus smartphone.

That said, the outer-ear fit and the somewhat inconsistent sound as a result of the fit are worth noting on the OnePlus Nord Buds CE. The lack of passive noise isolation of this fit isn’t necessarily for everyone, and options such as the Realme Buds Air 3 Neo with a proper in-canal fit and better passive noise isolation may be worth considering instead. However, if you do decide to get the OnePlus Nord Buds CE, the overall experience should largely be a pleasant one.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Review: Much Improved in Many Ways

By
hitesh
-
0
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Review: Much Improved in Many Ways

[ad_1]

Although launched back in 2019, the Apple AirPods Pro is still immensely relevant and entirely holds its own against newer competition in the premium true wireless segment. However, three years is a long time in the world of consumer technology, and many would argue that the AirPods Pro has been long overdue for an update. That update is now here, with the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) launching alongside the new Apple iPhone 14 series, and bringing some interesting changes.

Priced at Rs. 26,900 in India, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) may not appear to be significantly different to the original AirPods Pro at first glance. However, there are a number of changes on the inside, including a ‘smart’ charging case, better controls, and a promise of better active noise cancellation and sound quality. Is this the best pair of true wireless earphones you can buy right now? Find out in this review.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) design and features

Even after all these years, one thing about the Apple AirPods (TWS) remains constant; you only get one colour option, and that is white. Furthermore, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) doesn’t even see much of a change in the design, as compared to the original AirPods Pro. It’s the same familiar look and feel, complete with a proper in-canal fit to ensure good noise isolation, which aids the effectiveness of the active noise cancellation.

The controls are familiar as well, with a force-touch button on each earpiece of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) which largely works the same way as before. Pressing down on the button for specific gestures controls playback and answering calls, while a long-press cycles between the ANC and transparency modes by default, but can be set to invoke Siri if you prefer.

I preferred using the former function, since Siri could be invoked hands-free by saying ‘Hey Siri’ while wearing the earphones, and this worked reliably for me both indoors and outdoors. The headset-specific functions of Siri worked well, letting me adjust volume, control playback, and place calls to contacts easily using voice commands.

A big change on the second-generation AirPods Pro is volume control on the earpieces; you can now adjust the volume by sliding a finger up or down along the force-touch area. This is a particularly useful feature, and makes things a lot quicker and easier to use by reducing the number of times you need to pick up your iPhone.

apple airpods pro 2 review case1 Apple

The charging case of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) sees small changes, with the notable addition of a speaker at the bottom

 

While the earpieces look similar to the previous generation, the charging case of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) sees some big changes. The shape and size are fairly similar to the charging case of the original AirPods Pro, but the new charging case has a small looped hook on the right side to attach a lanyard. You also get MagSafe compatibility for wireless charging and a small speaker at the bottom alongside the Lightning charging port.

It might seem odd for the charging case to have a speaker, but this enables some fairly useful functionality on the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen). The charging case has Apple’s U1 chip, which enables enhanced information and Find My functionality for the earphones and case, which is quite unique and different from what you typically get on true wireless earphones.

Even when the earpieces are inside the case with the lid shut, it’s possible to see the battery level of the earpieces and case on your iOS device, as long as you’re within a short range of the charging case. You can also ‘ping’ the charging case using the Find My app, which will cause it to emit a loud sound to help you find it. The speaker on the case also emits soft chimes in certain situations, such as when it’s put to charge.

Other features on the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) include a promise of better active noise cancellation, quick pairing, seamless switching between all of your Apple devices, and personalised Spatial Audio, which uses your iPhone camera to create a specific profile for you, to enable better sound with Spatial Audio.

Both the earpieces and charging case are IPX4 rated for water resistance. The sales package includes a charging cable (USB Type-C to Lightning) and four pairs of ear tips of different sizes.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) specifications and controls

As before, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) can be used with any compatible smartphone, tablet, or PC thanks to the universality of Bluetooth connectivity. However, certain functionality and customisation-based features only work if you pair the AirPods Pro to an iOS device. There is no app for the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), but detailed functionality can be accessed through the system’s Bluetooth settings for the headset on iOS.

The first thing you’ll see is a graphical display of the battery, both on the earpieces and charging case. As mentioned earlier, the U1 chip usefully now lets you view the battery level of the charging case even if the earpieces aren’t inside. The key functions near the top let you cycle between ANC and transparency modes, customise the press-and-hold gesture’s function, and conduct an ear tip fit test.

apple airpods pro 2 review settings Apple

As with other AirPods headsets, detailed settings for the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) are accessible only on iOS through the Bluetooth menu

 

Other functions include enabling the Adaptive Transparency mode (which reduces some loud sounds even if Transparency mode is active), automatic ear detection (which now uses a Skin Detect sensor for better accuracy) and connection with the selected iOS device, optimised battery charging, enabling Find My functionality, and charging chimes from the case. On iOS 16, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) settings appear as a dedicated selection in the settings, and you can also control certain functions such as volume and Spatial Audio from the iOS Control Centre.

The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) earpieces have Apple’s new H2 chip, which promises better ANC, audio performance, and battery life. There is also Adaptive EQ, and Bluetooth 5.3 for connectivity.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) performance and battery life

Apple’s ecosystem benefits are a big reason why the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) make a good choice for iPhone users, and at the same time make the earphones an impractical and wasteful pick if you don’t have an iPhone to use them with. This naturally means that the earphones are built to work optimally with an iOS device, and have the codec support to match.

This is largely what holds the headset back in terms of sound quality as compared to the much more analytical and detailed Sony WF-1000XM4 and Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3, although both of those headsets need to be used with an Android smartphone to truly unlock their full potential. Interestingly, this makes the original Apple AirPods Pro the closest competition to the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), in my opinion.

When it comes to sound, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) seems to recognise its weaknesses, but covers up for them beautifully with other abilities and features such as careful and calculated tuning, Adaptive EQ, and Personalised Spatial Audio. The latter two account for the fit and ear shape to tailor the sound for the listener, and this seemed to make all the difference in adding a bit of nuance and spaciousness to the sound.

apple airpods pro 2 review earpieces Apple

The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) features improved active noise cancellation and sound quality

 

Listening to Levels by Avicii, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), sounded wholesome, head-filling and spacious, audibly outperforming the original AirPods Pro in every way. There is a sense of aggression and eagerness in the sound that felt almost infectious, with the positive energy of this legendary house track flowing naturally through the spacious soundstage.

The Adaptive EQ intuitively adjusted the sound for various tracks, and seemed to give the bass and treble a slight but important bump. This was also audible on similarly energetic tracks such as Dirty Sexy Money by David Guetta, with the earphones seemingly adapting to the changing tempo and vocals of the track on the fly. With the more melodic Boogie Wonderland by Earth, Wind & Fire, the sound adapted to allow the catchy beat and vocals to shine through.

Like Adaptive EQ, Spatial Audio isn’t new, but sees some impressive improvements on the new true wireless earphones. Dolby Atmos tracks on Apple Music sounded a lot less canned, with surround sound virtualisation sounding considerably better on the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen). This also helped the head-tracking feature, which felt a lot less gimmicky and a lot more natural as a result of the generally better separation and imaging.

Apple claims that the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) has better active noise cancellation than the previous generation thanks to the H2 chip, and I have to agree. Even with no music playing, there was a significant reduction in noise, both indoors and outdoors, with even non-uniform sounds such as commuter train horns and loudspeaker music sounding a fair bit softer than without the earphones on.

With music playing even at around the 50 percent volume level, it was practically impossible to hear anything else, even in noisy outdoor areas. There is no adjustability to the ANC on the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), but I didn’t really miss this much given the overall competency of the feature.

Transparency mode on the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is among the most natural I’ve heard on true wireless earphones, sounding almost as if I didn’t have earphones on at all. In relatively quiet environments, this didn’t even hamper the listening experience, while letting me remain attentive to my surroundings. Call quality was very good even on long calls, and connection stability was problem-free at distances of up to 4m.

apple airpods pro 2 review open Apple

Although expensive, Apple iPhone users will find the connectivity benefits and features on offer on the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) to be well worth it

 

Battery life on the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is pretty good, with the earphones running for a bit over five hours with mixed usage consisting of music at moderate volumes, the occasional video, and a few short calls. The charging case added four full charges to the earpieces, for a total run time of around 25 hours per charge cycle.

Wired charging for the case still uses the Lightning charging port, but this shouldn’t be too much of a bother if you have an iPhone and its charger already hooked up. Usefully, there is also Qi wireless charging, with support for Apple’s MagSafe standard, and you can also interestingly use an Apple Watch charger to wirelessly charge the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) charging case.

Verdict

The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) may not look dramatically different to the original AirPods Pro, but the changes under the hood are significant. With improvements across sound quality and active noise cancellation, along with a state-of-the-art charging case and impressive features, this is among the most impressive true wireless earphones you can buy right now. Apple users will also continue to enjoy the seamless connectivity and device switching that makes the AirPods so great to use with an iOS device.

It is, of course, worth noting that the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) remain tied to the Apple ecosystem for the most part; many features on the headset won’t work if you don’t have an iOS device, and wired charging continues to rely on the Lightning charging standard. It is therefore not recommended to buy the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) if your primary use-case involves an Android smartphone. Headsets such as the Sony WF-1000XM4 offer far more detailed sound, assuming you have an Android device to use it with.

If you’re an iPhone user with a high enough budget for new true wireless earphones, this should be your default pick. Additionally, if your original AirPods Pro are close to retirement, the AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) is what you should replace them with. On the other hand, if you want to save a bit, then the first-generation AirPods Pro is still relevant and worth buying even today.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

Redmi Pad First Impressions: The New Affordable Android Tablet Champ?

By
hitesh
-
0
Redmi Pad First Impressions: The New Affordable Android Tablet Champ?

[ad_1]

The need for large screen devices saw a surge after the pandemic hit as people started working and studying from home. The iPad was a popular choice but it wasn’t the most affordable device, at least in India. Android smartphone manufacturers such as Samsung, Realme, Motorola, and the likes started launching more and more budget tablets under Rs. 20,000 in India. Xiaomi has been a little late to the party but it aims to make up for this with the launch of the Redmi Pad.

The Redmi Pad is the first Android tablet in the Redmi series in India. Claiming to be “the right choice”, the Redmi Pad arrives in three storage configurations. Its base model has a starting price of Rs. 14,999 and packs 3GB of RAM with 64GB of internal storage. The other variants include 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which are priced at Rs. 17,999 and Rs. 19,999 respectively.

The Redmi Pad is also available in three colours. We have the Mint Green colour variant, which has a matte finish. This helps hide fingerprints and smudges. If you want a more classic colour, you can look at Moonlight Silver or Graphite Grey options. Adding to the looks is an all-metal body, which certainly gives the Redmi Pad a premium feel.

Redmi Pad 3 Redmi Pad

Redmi Pad in its Mint Green colourway

The Redmi Pad has a flat frame with the right edge housing the volume buttons and the microSD card slot. The right corner of the top-edge makes room for the power button. On paper, the Redmi Pad weighs about 465g, but it actually feels a lot lighter when held. The corners of the frame are curved to ensure a comfortable grip when holding the tablet horizontally or vertically. The rear panel sports a rectangular module, which houses the single 8-megapixel rear camera.

At the front, there is a 10.61-inch IPS LCD, which Xiaomi says is the tallest in the segment. It has 400 nits of peak brightness and fairly thin bezels for a budget tablet. There’s an 8-megapixel front camera and its positioning makes it practical for video calls. It also comes with a feature called FocusFrame to switch to a wider view automatically when more people are detected in the frame.

Redmi Pad 1 Redmi Pad

The Redmi Pad has fairly thin bezels for a budget Android tablet

The display of the Redmi Pad offers a 15:9 aspect ratio and for a better visual experience, it comes with Widevine L1 certification and support for a billion colours. The tall display is complemented by a quad-speaker setup (two at the top edge and the other two at the bottom), which are fairly loud and clear. We would have liked to see a 3.5mm headphone jack, considering this is a budget tablet and is fairly thick at 7.05mm.

The Redmi Pad is said to be the only tablet in its price range to offer a 90Hz display. Compatible games should be able to take advantage of the high refresh rate. Xiaomi also claims that the Redmi Pad offers best-in-class gaming performance, courtesy of the MediaTek Hello G99 SoC. The tablet features a 8000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Xiaomi has bundled a 22.5W charging adapter with a USB Type-A to USB Type-C port in the box.

Redmi Pad 9 Redmi Pad

Redmi Pad running Asphalt 9 Legends

The tablet runs on the Android 12-based MIUI 13.1 skin. MIUI is among the most feature-rich Android skins out there and offers features such as split screen, floating windows, etc. Unlike most Redmi smartphones, the Redmi Pad does not come with many third-party apps pre-installed, which saves you from the additional step of uninstalling unnecessary apps. Xiaomi is also promising support for two major Android updates and security patches for three years for the Redmi Pad.

Redmi Pad Redmi Pad

Redmi Pad is claimed to offer the tallest display in the price segment

The Redmi Pad competes against a bunch of Android tablets priced under Rs. 20,000. With the kind of hardware it offers, the Redmi Pad definitely looks promising on paper, however, the spec sheet only tells one part of the story. How does it perform in day-to-day life? For that, stay tuned for the full review of the Redmi Pad coming soon, on Gadgets 360.

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

[ad_2]

Source link

1...717273...86Page 72 of 86

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

©