Xiaomi Mi A2 Review: A capable midrange smartphone with a sleek camera

The Mi A2 offers a power-packed performance, clutter-free user interface and top-notch camera. While the Mi A1 was an all-rounder, the Mi A2 seems more of a balancing act.

 

Smartphones Review: Xiaomi has refreshed its Android One platform-based Mi A-series with the launch of the Xiaomi Mi A2. Priced at Rs 16,999, this smartphone features a new design when compared with the predecessor, along with a better hardware, upgraded camera modules and stock Google Android Oreo, which would soon be upgraded to Android Pie, according to the company.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 is a midrange smartphone which has a design language identical to the one Xiaomi introduced with the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The new phone boasts an aluminium unibody covering the back and sides, and glass on the front. The back features a vertically aligned iPhone X-inspired dual-camera module that bulges out from the body, making the phone uneven on flat surfaces like table. It also makes the glass covering the camera module more prone to scratches and smudges. Like other Xiaomi devices, the Mi A2 also sports a circular fingerprint sensor at the upper centre on the back that is easy to reach and operate.

Xiaomi Mi A2

The Mi A2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. Unlike the predecessor, the Mi A2 does not support storage expansion via microSD card slot. However, the phone is expected to get a 128GB internal storage variant soon with 6 GB of RAM. Coming back to the 4GB variant, the phone gets free unlimited storage on Google cloud to store photos and videos as part of Android One benefits.

On the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera that also supports AI enhancements in portrait mode for enhanced bokeh effects. The camera's performance in the Mi A2 seems to be one of the best in the midrange segment. It can even be on a par with some midrange flagships.

Read my full Review → Xiaomi Mi A2 Review

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News Source: BS

Samsung Galaxy J8 Review: Premium midrange device with good battery, camera

The Galaxy J8 is primarily a battery-and-camera-centric smartphone with an average processor capable of handling only day-to-day tasks with ease.

Technology News: The latest in its line-up is the Galaxy J8 smartphone, a modern day smartphone with a great build, big super AMOLED screen, dual rear cameras and powerful battery. The Galaxy J8 seems to be a heavy contender in midrange smartphone segment, at least in terms of specifications and features. However, does it perform equally well in real life scenarios? Let’s find out:

Design and Build Quality: In the front, the phone sports a 6-inch (18.5:9 aspect ratio) super AMOLED screen of HD+ resolution. The screen is touted as an infinity screen, which is a fancy name mostly used for curved screens with no bezels on two sides found in Samsung's premium devices. But in reality, this phone has bezels around the screen. These bezels are relatively slim, and therefore add to the overall design quotient while providing an immersive viewing experience.

Samsung Galaxy J8

On the back, there is a dual camera set-up placed vertically in the middle, along with an LED flash and a fingerprint sensor. The power button is on the right side of the frame, whereas the volume rocker keys are on the left side. At the bottom, there is a micro-USB charging port, along with the 3.5mm audio output port.

Display: The Galaxy J8 6-inch super AMOLED screen is bright, and works well under direct sunlight or bright streetlights. However, the screen resolution is 1480 x 720 pixels, i.e. HD+, making the screen look pixelated at times. The 6-inch panel looks vivid and has saturated colours, which looks great while watching multimedia content or playing games.

Battery: With a 3,500 mAh battery, the phone manages to go for more than a day on normal usage. That is due to an HD+ resolution screen and power-efficient Qualcomm processor. Even with heavy usage and active internet connection all the time, the phone easily sails through one full day.

Read my full review → Samsung Galaxy J8 Review

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News Source: BS

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Review: A budget smartphone with great camera, battery life

Priced at Rs 9,999 for the base model, the Redmi Y2 is primarily a camera-centric smartphone with tried and tested processer, modern design and good battery life.

 

Technology News : The Redmi Y2, the successor to of the Redmi Y1, has got major upgrades in terms of design, technical specifications and camera. This brings the phone in line with other selfie-centric budget smartphones. However, it is the processor, 18:9 aspect ratio screen and artificial intelligence-backed camera features that make the Redmi Y2 a modern-day smartphone.

The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 promises enhanced camera performance, especially the selfie camera – thanks to AI-based semantic segmentation – and improved overall performance with a more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 system-on-chip (SoC). The Redmi Y2 seems quite an update. But can it match or exceed peers in the same segment? Let’s find out:

Redmi Y2 design

The Redmi Y2 looks identical to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, except that it has a tall and wide instance and metallic finish body. The front is dominated by a 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which does not stretch from edge to edge, unlike other 18:9 aspect ratio smartphones. So, it leaves huge bezels around the screen. The screen is covered under a flat glass with no protection rating. However, it has a protruding plastic rim to reduce direct impact on the glass in the event of accidental drops.

On to the back side, the smartphone looks like a foil of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, except for its redesigned dual antenna lines, which run parallel on the top and bottom. Like the Redmi Note 5 Pro, there is a vertical dual camera unit on the back that significantly protrudes from the body. The camera bulge makes the phone go uneven on a flat surface causing scratches on the camera rim. Other than the camera, the back also gets a circular fingerprint sensor placed at the upper middle point for ease of reach and accessibility.

The phone sports a microUSB port at the bottom, for charging and data transfer, along with mono speaker and microphone placed under six-hole grills on either side. The volume rocker keys and power button are on the right, the 3.5 audio jack is on the top and the dual-SIM with dedicated microSD card slot on the right.

Redmi Y2 battery

A power-efficient processor, coupled with an HD+ resolution screen, helps the 3080 mAh battery sail through a day without any problem. Online video streaming, screen-on time and multiplayer gaming drains more battery but not so much as to pull the life under 10 hours – that is satisfactory, if not excellent.

Read the Verdict → Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Review

Gionee S11 Lite Review: Average smartphone with entry-level specs, features

Powered by a 3,030 mAh battery, the phone boots Android 7.1.1 Nougat and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor under the hood, paired with 32GB internal memory and 4GB RAM.

Technology News » Chinese handset maker Gionee launched its selfie-centric S11 Lite for Rs 13,999 on April 26, 2018. Powered by a 3,030 mAh battery, the phone boots Android 7.1.1 Nougat and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor under the hood, paired with 32GB internal memory and 4GB RAM.

The Gionee S11 Lite manages to do multitasking, but tends to lag with multiple apps running in the background. The phone shows no lag with casual games such as Subway Surfers and Angry Birds Classic, but heavy games such as Need for Speed No Limits shows inconsistencies, making playing the game impossible.

The phone sports a 5.7-inch 18:9 screen of 1440 x 720 (HD+) resolution. The screen is bright and has good sunlight legibility. However, the colours look washed out and does not do justice to multimedia content.

The S11 Lite features Gionee’s Amigo 5.0 user interface which comes pre-loaded with bloatware such as UC Browser, Truecaller, Amazon Shopping, Prime Video, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram to name a few. Though the UI is smooth and responds well to the feedback, it feels clustered due to too many preinstalled apps.

In terms of imaging, the S11 Lite boasts dual camera set-up on the back — a 13-megapixel primary sensor mated with 2MP depth sensing lens — with LED flash light. There is a 16MP camera on the front with soft screen flash for selfies. Both the front camera and rear camera take satisfactory images in day light conditions but fail miserable in low light.

As for the utility, the phone sports a fingerprint sensor on the back that works fine, but not as smooth as how other phones in the same league do. There, however, is no face unlocking feature, which has become a common utility tool in the same segment.

Read the Verdict → Gionee S11 Lite Review