Technology majors such as Sony, Fitbit, Samsung, Xiaomi, HP, Amazon, and Vivo among others launched new smart TV, phones, tablets laptops, and related accessories such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, Wi-Fi routers and more this week (August 23-August 29).
DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest prominent personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything that's happening in the world of consumer electronics.
Sony BRAVIA X9000H
The new 4K UHD Sony Bravia TV series comes in two sizes -- 55-inch (KD-55X9000H) and 65-inch (KD-65X9000H) for Rs 1,09,990 and Rs 1,59,990, respectively and are available across all major Sony retail stores and e-commerce websites.
Sony Bravia X9000H series flaunts TRILUMINOS full array LED Display with a full array with Dolby Vision and X-tended Dynamic Range support. It comes with X1 4K HDR picture processor. The object-based HDR remaster technology can intelligently enhance the contrast, detail and colour which produces closer to 4K resolution and life-like picture, the company claims.
Also, X9000H promises to offer extremely smooth gaming experience and can display gameplay images of up to 4K resolution at 120 fps with a very low input lag of 7.2ms. This is a ‘Ready for PlayStation 5’ TV model and comes with BRAVIA Game Mode, which allows users to automatically play games on the PS5 console with low latency. Users can also wake both TV and PS5 with the DualSense wireless controller at once, while seamlessly controlling the PS5 using just the TV remote. With HDMI 2.1 and eARC input, Sony Bravia X9000H owners can enjoy smoother and clearer movement for responsive gameplay.
It also comes with Android TV OS, Google Assistant voice command support, 5,000 apps & games from Google Play such as YouTube™, Netflix, Amazon Video, Hotstar, ALT Balaji, Zee5, Sony LIV, and also compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. Furthermore, it has a special Netflix Calibrated Mode to view the content in the highest possible video quality.
It has Dolby Atmos sound system, an X-balanced speaker, ambient optimisation, a new technology that optimizes picture and sound quality in any environment. It makes use of Acoustic Auto calibration to detect where the customer views their TV from during initial set-up and calibrates sound quality based on the environment. The powerful sound coming out directly from the TV screen creates a highly realistic and captivating viewing experience. However, the Acoustic Multi Audio feature is available in a 65-inch model only.
As far as the connectivity is concerned, it comes with four HDMI ports, two USB ports, optical audio-out, built-in Wi-Fi 802.11ac, ethernet, Bluetooth 4.2, RF connector, composite video, and headphone jack.
Asus Zenfone 7, 7 Pro
Asus Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro features the almost same design and internal hardware, but come with different chipsets. The top-end model comes with Qualcomm's latest 3.1GHz Snapdragon 865 Plus, while the standard model features a 2.8GHz Snapdragon 865 processor.
The Zenfone 7 series comes with a 6.67-inch full HD+ (2400 × 1080p) AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, HDR, 20:9 aspect ratio, with peak brightness up to 700 nits, side-mounted fingerprint sensor and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 shield.
A notable aspect of the Zenfone 7 series is that they come with a motor-powered flip camera similar to the Zenfone 6 series. But, the successor now houses faster, refined motor and an extra camera sensor to capture better quality photos.
The Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro have minute differences. They come with same triple-camera module-- 64MP camera (with Sony IMX686 sensor, 0.8μm pixel size, f/1.8 aperture)+ 12MP ultra-wide camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, f/2.2 aperture, 4cm macro mode, 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom, up to 12x digital zoom) and support video recording-- 8K video at 30 fps (frames per second), 4K at 60fps, 4k ultra-wide, slow-motion 4K at 120 fps and 1080p at 240fps.
The key difference is that the main 64MP and 8MP telephoto lens support 4-axis (Optical Image Stabilisation) available in the Zenfone 7 Pro, while the standard Zenfone 7 lacks them.
Asus Zenfone 7 series comes in White and Aurora Black colours. The ZenFone 7 will be made available in two configurartions-- 6GB RAM (LPDDR5) + 128GB storage (UFS 3.1) and 8GB RAM (LPDDR5) + 128GB storage (UFS 3.1) -- for NT$21,999 (approx. Rs 54,816)and NT$23,999 (roughly Rs 59,800), respectively.
On the other hand, the Zenfone 7 Pro (8GB LPDDR5 RAM + 512GB UFS 3.1 storage ) costs N$27,990 (around Rs 69,767).
Godrej Steri-on
Godrej Security Solutions (GSS) launched currency sterilizer-- Steri-on. It uses the Sharp's patented Plasma Ion Cluster technology that releases 19 million ion clusters to sterilize currency in real-time upon detecting notes. It uses a HEPA filter to collect fine dust (PM 2.5) and takes under 30 seconds to eliminate up to 99.9% bacteria and viruses instead of the prevailing germicide-based methods.
"Using Steri-on will reduce the risk of infection in cash-heavy sectors such as Banking, Retail, Gems, and Jewelry where still the primary and preferred mode of transactions is in cash. Sterilizing currency notes with plasma ion technology will secure and safeguard the health of both employees and customers," the company said. Steri-on costs 95,000 in India.
LG PuriCare
LG's PuriCare comes with an air purifier. It has two replaceable high-performance H13 HEPA filters to supply fresh, clean air indoors and out. And 'with the dual fans and patented Respiratory Sensor, LG’s wearable air purifier allows users to take in clean, filtered air while the Respiratory Sensor detects the cycle and volume of the wearer’s breath and adjusts the dual three-speed fans accordingly, The fans automatically speed up to assist air intake and slow down to reduce resistance when exhaling to make breathing effortless," LG said.
It can perform in two modes- low mode and high-performance-- for up to eight hours and two hours, respectively.
Must read | LG PuriCare: Everything you need to know
Tenda AC21 Dual-Band Gigabit Router
Tenda AC21 is a dual-band gigabit wireless router and it supports 802.11ac wave2 Technology and provides Wi-Fi speeds up to 2033 Mbps (2.4 GHz: 300Mbps, 5GHz: 1733Mbps) to achieve the best performance.
The new router is equipped with the latest 4X4 MU-MIMO technology of 5GHz band that yields wider Wi-Fi coverage and a faster Wi-Fi speed as compared to regular routers with older 3X3 MU-MIMO technology.
Tenda AC21 houses a 28nm class 1GHz CPU equipped with 500MHz co-processor, dual-core design that helps in faster processing speed and in optimized operation.
Also, the router has an in-built signal amplifier used both on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands of AC21 to enhance the penetration capability and expand the Wi-Fi coverage. It is also the first router from Tenda to use 6x6 dBi external antennas and four data streams of the 5Ghz band to provide a better 5GHz Wi-Fi signal. It is available exclusively through Amazon for Rs 7,999.
Vivo Y20 series
The new Vivo Y20 and Y20i series come with slight difference. Both come with 6.51-inch HD+ (720x1600p) LCD display, fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 CPU, FunTouch 10.5 OS, 64GB storage, 5,000mAh battery, 8MP front camera wth f/1.8 aperture and a triple camera-- 13MP (f/2.2)+2MP(f/2.4)+2MP (f/2.4) on the back.
Vivo Y20 comes with 4GB RAM and 18W fast charger, while the Y20i features 3GB RAM and comes with a normal charger. The former costs Rs 12,990 and the latter is priced Rs 11,490 in India.
Must read | Gionee Max with massive battery launched in India
HP Envy laptops
Hewlett-Packard’s latest Envy 15 laptop is available with up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 (H-series) processor, up to Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 with Max-Q design and up to 16GB of DDR4 Memory. It also comes with 4K OLED VESA-certified DisplayHDR True Black display with 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut, 100,000:1 contrast ratio with 400 nits brightness.
Other new products are the HP Envy 13, HP ZBook Studio and HP ZBook Create. The Envy 15 range begins at Rs 1,19,999, the Envy 13 begins at Rs 79,999, while the ZBook Studio and ZBook Create begin at Rs 1,77,000.
Amazon Halo fitness tracker
Amazon's new Halo is not like any other smartwatch or a fitness tracker we see in the market. It has no display as such but comes with loads of sensors including an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, a heart rate monitor, two microphones (with a button to turn on/off), an LED indicator light and others to track body movements, voice, body fat and more.
Amazon Halo band is also water-resistant for all-day wear. The battery can last up to seven days and fully charges in under 90 minutes.
"Using new innovations in computer vision and machine learning, Amazon Halo lets customers measure their body fat percentage from the comfort and privacy of their own home, making this important information easily accessible. The Amazon Halo body fat measurement is as accurate as methods, a doctor would use—and nearly twice as accurate as leading at-home smart scale," the company said.
Another key attribute of Amazon Halo is the Tone feature. It uses machine learning to analyze energy and positivity in the user's voice. This will help the user better understand how they may sound to others and also improve their communication and relationships. For instance, Tone results can reveal that a difficult work call leads to less positivity in communication with a customer’s family, an indication of the impact of stress on emotional well-being, Amazon noted.
Amazon Halo fitness tracker costs $99 and will be initially available in the US.
Read more | Everything you need to know about Amazon Halo
Xiaomi Redmi 9
Xiaomi Redmi 9 sports a 6.53-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 p) IPS LCD screen with Dot Drop design having 20:9 aspect ration and peak brightness up to 400 nits brightness. On the back, it flaunts a sturdy polycarbonate shell with visually appealing textures.
Inside, it comescomes with a 12nm lass 2.3GHz MediaTek Helio G35 octa-core processor with 680MHz IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU, Android 10-based MIUI 12 OS, 4GB RAM (LPDDR4x), 64GB / 128GB storage (eMMC 5.1-expandable memory up to 512GB with microSD card), three-slot tray and a massive 5,000mAh battery.
As far as the camera is concerned, it houses dual-camera-- main 13MP camera (with f/2.2 aperture) backed by 2MP depth sensor (with f/2.4 aperture) and LED flash. On the front, it has a 5MP selfie snapper with f/2.2 aperture. Its price starts at Rs 8,999.
Must read | Xiaomi Redmi 9: All you need to know
Fitbit Sense
The new Fitbit Sense is touted to be the world's first smart wearable that way to monitor the stress levels of the user. It comes with an on-wrist EDA Scan app that can detect electrodermal activity—which may indicate your body’s response to stress—and reveals a graph in the Fitbit app to give insight into the stress of the owner.
The user just has to open the EDA Scan app, place the palm over the face of the device to detect small electrical changes in the sweat level of the skin. It costs Rs 34,999 in India.
Read more | Fitbit Sense: Everything you need to know
Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 series
Samsung's new slate comes in two models-- a standard Galaxy Tab S7 (with 11-inch 2560x1600p (WQXGA) LTPS TFT, up to 120Hz refresh rate and 8,000mAh battery) and Tab S7+ (with 12.4-inch 2800x1752p (WQXGA+) Super AMOLED, up to 120Hz and 10,090mAh cell)
Another key difference between the two is that the Galaxy Tab S7 comes with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, whereas the Tab S7+ features an in-screen biometric sensor.
The rest of the specifications are the same in the devices. They come with the dual camera-- 13MP (Main) + 5MP (Ultra Wide) + LED Flash and an 8MP front camera, 7nm class 3.0GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor, 6GB + 128GB /8GB +256GB ( up to 1TB via microSD), Type C USB 3.2 Gen 1 and Quad Speakers sound by AKG and Dolby Atmos.
With the advanced S Pen and Samsung Notes, the Galaxy Tab S7 series owners can improve their productivity compared to the previous generation models. Its price starts at Rs 55,999.
Nokia 5.3 Android One
After weeks of teasing, HMD Global Oy launched the new Nokia 5.3 series in India.
It features a 6.55-inch HD+ (1600x720p) screen with a 20:9 aspect ratio. Inside, it comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 with 4GB/6GB RAM, 64GB storage (expandable), Android 10, and a 4,000mAh, which is sufficient to last a full day under normal usage.
It also boasts a quad-camera module -- primary 13MP (f/1.8 aperture, LED flash)+ 5MP wide-angle camera + 2MP depth sensor+ 2MP for macro and on the front, it houses an 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture. Its price starts at Rs 13,999.
Besides the Nokia 5.3, HMD Global also launched the new Nokia C3, Nokia 125, and Nokia 150 series.
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