The renders for the alleged OnePlus 8 Lite stem from the collaboration between 91mobiles and OnLeaks, which provides a 360-degree video to detail the same. Based on the CAD renders, it appears that the OnePlus 8 Lite will feature a flat display panel with a hole-punch cutout in the center, which appears to be the trend with smartphones going forward. Towards the rear, the phone seems to sport a rectangular camera module that houses two lenses along with a bunch of sensors....

To begin with, in terms of design, the OnePlus Buds appear to have a similar design language as some of the other earbuds in the market — inspired by Apple’s AirPods. The earbuds themselves have a stem design, and the case features a puck-shaped body that appears somewhat similar to the case of the recently announced Vivo TWS Neo earbuds. Moreover, there is also IPX4 water resistance. In terms of color options, the Buds come in three colorways: Gray, Nord Blue, and White....

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 Lite 5G (hereafter referred to without the 5G suffix for simplicity) follows the same template. This is not a phone that is going to win rave reviews like its premium siblings for features like display and camera quality. Where it looks to stand out is in terms of user experience, just like the first OnePlus. But will that formula work eight years down the line and in a different price segment?...

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Oppo A71 comes with a compact 5.2-inch 720p screen on the front. It’s powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 450 octa-core chipset, a significant bump from the dated MediaTek MT6750. There’s 2GB of RAM, Adreno 506 GPU, and a 3,000mAh battery. The phone runs on Android Nougat and the company’s own ColorOS 3.1. Sadly, it lacks a fingerprint sensor or face unlock feature available either....

The most important one of them all is the motorized camera system. The three camera sensors are entirely hidden when the phone is off or the camera app is inactive. Once the software detects a need for them, a panel slides up to reveal the 25-megapixel selfie camera and 16-megapixel+20-megapixel dual setup on the rear. Oppo says all of this happens in less than 0.5 seconds so that you won’t ever have to wait....

If you like the M1 note and Mi 4i — two top-of-the-line smartphones in the sub-Rs 15,000 range, you will probably find the Passion 660 interesting. Priced at just Rs 10,999 (lower than Xiaomi’s and Meizu’s best offerings), the Passion P660 delivers equally enticing hardware specifications. It sports a 5-inch display of FHD screen resolution (1920×1080 pixels). It is powered by a Snapdragon 615 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.5GHz which comes paired with Adreno 405 GPU and 2GB of RAM....

The same Russian folks have got their hands on the Google Pixel 3 Lite which seemingly comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, unlike both the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. While it carries the same design language on the back (now plastic instead of glass) and textured power button, this is a relatively smaller phone with a 5.56-inch IPS display at 2220×1080 resolution. As with the Pixel 3, there is no notch to be seen, thankfully....

A familiar spec sheet with some changes… That leaves the Realme 8 with quite a lot to do. And we are not too sure it actually succeeds in doing what is expected. Let us get one thing out of the way – the Realme 8 is a very decent proposition in many regards. It comes with a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED full HD+ display (with a 60 Hz refresh rate, rather than the 90 Hz on the Realme 7) and runs on the impressive MediaTek Helio G95, which is known as one of the best gaming chips in the Rs 15,000 price range and comes with a large 5000 mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging....

The Realme C3 is the brand’s entry-level smartphone and aims to offer the best bang for your buck at Rs. 7,000. And that starts right from the core of the smartphone, which comes fitted with a MediaTek Helio G70. It’s the first time we are seeing this chipset on any smartphone, let alone at this price point. It’s a huge leap compared to the Helio P22 on the Realme C2, and on paper, it is miles ahead of the Snapdragon 439 found on the Redmi 8A which should be the closest competitor till Redmi 9A comes out....

Realme GT 5G: Design and Display Starting with the design, the Realme GT 5G appears to have a design aesthetic that seems inspired by sports cars. There are two design versions for the device: glass and leather. Talking about the glass design, Realme has two different finishes for this one: Silver and Blue, both of which undergo different manufacturing processes. On the other hand, the other variant, Leather, comes in a Racing Yellow color with a dual-tone finish....

The Realme GT Master Edition aims to be a different phone, unlike other special editions where an existing device gets a new theme or redesign in terms of appearance but has the same specifications. The Master Edition differs from the Realme GT 5G mainly in the core, the processor. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G on board, the device brings a potential chipset in terms of performance, with an added touch of 5G connectivity....

On the outside, the RealMe Buds seem like any other pair of wired earphones with a black overall and a three-button remote for controlling the volume, playback, you get the idea. The ear tips are said to be bent ever so slightly at 45-degrees for producing a more comfortable fit, especially for prolonged periods. Speaking of the tips, they’re magnetic, a perk usually reserved for more higher-end Bluetooth earphones. The cable itself is made out of kevlar fiber which prevents it from getting tangled quickly and is break-resistant....

A few years later, there came the Redmi Note 5 Pro, and sure enough, it was the best phone you could get for under Rs 15,000. Then came the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max, and heck, it was the best phone that you could get for under Rs 20,000. You get the point. There is no beating about the bush: If you are in the market for a smartphone and have a budget of less than Rs 20,000, go ahead and buy the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max....

For those wondering, the ReTV X1 comes with three months of free DittoTV subscription and a year of ReTV subscription. Furthermore, ReTV plans to collaborate with Spuul to provide 6 months of free subscription to the buyers of the new TV box. Another highlighting feature of the ReTV is its ability to download movies from Bit Torrent. More on that later. Build and Design The ReTV X1 is a well-designed Android TV box....

Growth in Q1 Like its counterparts, IDC has also reported that the Indian smartphone market recorded a very healthy 18 percent growth in the first quarter of the year, with shipments of 38 million units. Interestingly, however, the report also highlighted that this figure represented a 14 percent decline from Q4 2020. Tough Q2 coming up, but not as bad as last year Just as Counterpoint and Canalys, IDC too has pointed to a much tougher second quarter in the year, because of the onset of the second wave of COVID-19....

Samsung Galaxy A71: Design and Display The Galaxy A71 comes with a similar design as the A51. It has a diamond-cut design on the rear with multiple shades of color and a rectangular camera module housing the rear cameras. Towards the front, it features a 6.7-inch Infinity-O Super AMOLED infinity display with 2400 x 1080 pixels. Since the phone sports an Infinity-O display, there is a small cutout at the top to house the front camera....

Editor’s note: In case you live in a cave and haven’t listened to it, check out the original before proceeding. MWC is the best place to go when it is phones you cover The demo zone is where we go Me and my friends doing hands on, taking shots Writing fast as we go from show to show Nokia comes over, hands a three three one oh to just me Asks me to give it a glance now I take it in my hands, stop Because this phone so rocks Feels like an old romance And now I’m singing like Guys, you don’t need to shove This phone was handmade for somebody like me Calls and texts are all I need No iPhones or Android for me Oh, boy, let’s just talk so much Tap that keyboard and play some Snake on me I may be old, but fun indeed Come, come on now, follow my lead I’m in love with the shape of you Though there ain’t no apps on you And I use a smartphone too I’m in love with your body With you there is no battery gloom And my chargers stay brand new I’m in love with your body Every day discovering new shades of the same old you I’m in love with the shape of you Years ago, we dumped you in the bin Now it is time for another date Other phones are so hefty But you and I are so neat We are meeting again, it’s gotta be fate I can talk for hours and hours about the sweet and the sour And your battery is always doing okay Cost less than a ride in a taxi, Put the specs in the backseat The cam sucks but the radio plays And I’m singing like Guys, you don’t need to shove This phone was handmade for somebody like me Calls and texts are all I need No iPhones or Android for me Oh, boy, let’s just talk so much Tap that keyboard and play some Snake on me I may be old, but fun indeed Come, come on now, follow my lead I’m in love with the shape of you Though there ain’t no apps on you And I use a smartphone too I’m in love with your body With you there is no battery gloom And my chargers stay brand new I’m in love with your body Every day discovering new shades of the same old you I’m in love with the shape of you (repeat to fade out)

“What’s so special about it?” That has been the call that goes out pretty much every year a new iPhone is released in the Indian market at a premium price. This year has been no different. With the iPhone 6s starting at Rs 62,000 and the iPhone 6s Plus at Rs 10,000 more, there has been a storm of outrage that almost borders on the moral from a number of people, ranging from mainstream users to tech experts and pundits....

The Surface Book will come equipped with a 13.5-inch PixelSense display and will also be offered with an optional Alcantara keyboard. As of now, it’s still not clear on the hardware bundling for the Surface laptop but the leaked images point at the existence of USB port, mini DisplayPort and the usual Surface power connector. Weighing in at 2.76 pounds with a thickness of 14.47mm the Surface Laptop is expected to come bundled with the Windows 10 S, a light cloud-centric version of the Windows 10 that is expected to stack against the ChromeOS....

If you want to trade in your old phone for the new iPhones than you are in for luck as Apple has introduced a new buyback scheme via its Indian reseller Ingram Micro, which will offer up to Rs 43,000 for your old iPhone, bringing down the upfront price of the device down drastically. The buyback scheme is available across all major Apple retailers including Reliance digital and Ezone. Reliance Digital sweetens the deal further by offering an extra Rs 2000 cashback and accessory coupons worth Rs 2000....