Budget 2018-19

  The Mi Notebook Ultra challenges the conventions set by the legacy consumer PC makers by democratising features and specifications usually seen in laptops that cost almost twice as much I was planning to buy a midrange laptop and was amazed to see that every other legacy brand in the consumer PC market had products with similar features and specifications. Blame the oligopoly, but as a consumer I was almost convinced that the product offerings by the legacy PC makers were the best available in the market. And then was released the Mi Notebook Ultra by Chinese technology company Xiaomi. A premium laptop, the  Mi Notebook Ultra  challenged the conventions set by legacy consumer PC makers by democratising features and specifications usually seen in laptops that cost almost twice as much as the top-end model (review unit – Rs 76,999) on offer here. Starting with the design, the Mi Notebook Ultra boasts a unibody made of series 6 ...

  Xiaomi’s premium flagship justifies its price tag of Rs 69,999 simply because it is significantly cheaper but in no way inferior to its peers that cost over Rs 100,000 Xiaomi is no newbie in the premium smartphone segment, but in India it is not so well known for its flagship offerings as it wasn’t until recently that this Chinese technology company started bringing such products here. Expanding its premium smartphone portfolio, the company recently launched the Mi 11 Ultra in India. Touted as ‘the Superphone’, this flagship smartphone is brimful with industry-leading features and specifications. That said, the Mi 11 Ultra is capable of beating other premium smartphones on more parameters than one, but the real-life experience shows it wanting in some areas. Beginning with strengths, the  Mi 11  Ultra is a spectacular smartphone with regard to display, audio, imaging, performance, and battery efficiency. The display is sharp, bright, vivid and responsive. It is loaded w...

  Priced at Rs 39,999, the Mi 10T Pro is one smartphone that seems to offer sheer value-for-money, at least on paper. Is it as good in actual use? Let’s find out Xiaomi restricted itself to budget and mid-range smartphones in India’s price conscious market for a long time. This year, however, the Chinese electronics maker took the leap and launched its premier smartphones in India. Fresh in the line-up is the Mi 10T Pro, which epitomises the company’s efforts in display technology and imaging. Priced at Rs 39,999, the Mi 10T Pro is one of the smartphones that seems to offer sheer value-for-money, at least on paper. Is it as good in real life usage? Let’s find out: Mi 10T Pro: Design The Mi 10T Pro is huge, bulky and heavy. Look elsewhere if you need a compact smartphone because this one is a brick not meant for single hand operations. The smartphone boasts premium glass-metal construction with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back, and on the rear camera module. Though t...

The MIUI 9.5 is currently rolling out as an over-the-air (OTA) update, and the Redmi Note 5 users can download and install it through the software update option available in the phone's settings menu Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has started rolling out in India the MIUI 9.5 update for the  Redmi Note 5  smartphone. The new operating system update is still based on Google’s Android Nougat operating system, but with some major improvements and customisation. The MIUI 9.5 is currently rolling out as an over-the-air (OTA) update, and the Redmi Note 5 users can download and install it through the software update option available in the phone’s settings menu. The OTA version installs the update files without deleting the phone’s content and settings. However, for advance users who want to fresh install the MIUI 9.5 ROM, the full update file is also available and can be downloaded from the official MI forum. You can install it using the fastboot ROM flash...

The rollout would take place in three batches, the first of which would get the over-the-air (OTA) update starting from the last week of March   Technology : Chinese technology product maker Xiaomi on March 20 announced the rollout of its next iteration of Android-based operating system MIUI. Dubbed the MIUI 9.5, the Android-based OS global stable ROM would roll out to 30 of Xiaomi’s smartphones, including the recently launched Redmi 5, Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro. The rollout would take place in three batches, the first of which would get the over-the-air (OTA) update starting from the last week of March. The supported devices in the first batch include the Redmi Note 3 Special Edition, Redmi Note 3 Qualcomm, Redmi Note 4 Qualcomm/Redmi Note 4X, Mi Max, Mi Max Prime, Redmi 3S, Redmi 4 Prime, Redmi 4A and Redmi Note 4 MTK. The second batch of devices would get the update in early April and the supported devices are the Redmi Note 5A Prime/Redmi Y1, R...

Based on the new leak, the Mi Mix 2S would sport a Mi Mix 2-inspired design, with three-side bezel-less screen and minimal bezel on the bottom   Technology :  Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is gearing up to announce the the Mi Mix 2S, the next iteration of its bezel-less smartphones, on March 27. Before the official launch, however, the phone’s official promo material has been leaked and it drops a few hints on what to expect from the device. Unlike the previous leak, which showed the bezel-less smartphone with all-screen display and a minute cut-out on the top-right corner for a selfie camera, the new leak shows an altogether new design, in line with the current breed of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. Based on the new leak, the Mi Mix 2S would sport a Mi Mix 2-inspired design, with three-side bezel-less screen and a minimal bezel on the bottom. However, the front camera placement is not clearly visible and the phone might get a new space to host it. As f...

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi seems in no mood to slow down. Its latest phones, the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro, seem similar on the first look but are very different devices. While the Note 5 adds ultra-wide screen along with enhanced camera on the back when compared with the Note 4, the Note 5 Pro is a new package with substantial upgrades.The Note 5 and Note 5 Pro, launched on February 14, would go on sale today, exclusively on home-grown e-commerce platform Flipkart and Xiaomi’s Mi Store. As for the price and variants, the Redmi Note 5 comes in two storage and RAM combinations – 32GB/3GB and 64GB/4GB – priced at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999, respectively. The Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with 64GB internal storage but in two RAM variants – 4GB and 6GB – priced at Rs 13,999 and Rs 16,999, respectively. Here is a quick comparison review of Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro: On the front, the Note 5 and the Pro look similar: Both feature 18:9 screens. On the back, the N...

The Bharat 5 Pro is primarily a battery-centric smartphone, whereas the Redmi 5 shows some strength in every vertical China-based smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi on March 14 announced the Redmi 5 in India. On the same day, home-grown electronics company Micromax announced a new budget offering, the Bharat 5 Pro. Both the smartphones compete in the same price segment of sub-Rs 10,000. While the Redmi 5 offers a modern look because of its futuristic 18:9 aspect ratio screen, the Bharat 5 Pro centres around the battery. Business Standard compared the Micromax Bharat 5 Pro and the Xiaomi Redmi 5 on ke parameters, and here is what we found: Where the Redmi 5 is ahead of Bharat 5 Pro The Redmi 5 looks similar to the recently launched the Redmi Note 5. The smartphone looks modern with its 5.7-inch 18:9 aspect ratio HD screen. The metallic chassis looks plush and the form factor is better than most of the budget smartphones, except the Huawei Honor devices. In terms...

At Rs 16,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage varia, the Redmi Note 5 Pro seems a little overpriced. On the other hand, the Redmi Note 5 is priced competitively at Rs 9,999 for the base model   Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi seems in no mood to slow down. Its latest phones, the Redmi Note 5 and Note 5 Pro, seem similar on the first look but are very different devices. While the Note 5 adds ultra-wide screen along with enhanced camera on the back when compared with the Note 4, the Note 5 Pro is a new package with substantial upgrades. The Note 5 and Note 5 Pro, launched on February 14, would go on sale today, exclusively on home-grown e-commerce platform Flipkart and Xiaomi’s Mi Store. As for the price and variants, the Redmi Note 5 comes in two storage and RAM combinations – 32GB/3GB and 64GB/4GB – priced at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999, respectively. The Redmi Note 5 Pro comes with 64GB internal storage but in two RAM variants – 4GB and 6GB – priced at Rs ...