JOIN USGadgets Weekly: Lava Blaze 5G, Samsung Odyssey Ark and more
Technology companies such as Google, Lava, Samsung, Redmi, and Motorola among others launched a new line of smartphones, tablet, smartwatch, laptop, related accessories, and more this week (October 3-9).
DH's Gadgets Weekly edition lists the latest personal technology products to keep you abreast of everything that's happening in the world of consumer electronics.
Lava Blaze 5G
Lava earlier this week unveiled the new Blaze series touted to be the most affordable 5G phone. It is expected to go on sale this Deepavali festival for under Rs 10,000 price range.
It features a 6.5-inch 2.5D curved screen, supports a 90 Hz Refresh rate, and features a side-mounted fingerprint scanner with dual-SIM slots.
It houses a 7nm class 2.2Ghz MediaTek Dimensity 700 octa-core processor with Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, 4GB RAM (+ 3GB of virtual RAM) with 128GB UFS (expandable), Android 12 OS, triple-camera module-- 50MP (f/1.8) with depth sensor and macro camera with LED flash on the back, an 8MP front camera (f/2.0) and a 5,000mAh battery. It supports eight 5G SA/NSA bands (1/3/5/8/28/41/77/78).
Samsung Odyssey Ark monitor
The new Odyssey Ark sports a 55-inch Quantum Mini LED screen with 1000R curvature, 3,840 x 2,160p resolution, support 165Hz refresh rate, and 1ms response time with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
It also supports Cockpit mode that enables the screen to rotate with a HAS (Height Adjustable Stand), tilt, and pivot for an optimal screen setup.
Also, Odyssey Ark comes with Samsung’s Quantum Matrix Technology using Quantum Mini LEDs equipped with 14-bit processing lighting control technology. It also boasts Sound Dome Tech featuring AI Sound Booster and Dolby Atmos. It can deliver 60W sound output with 2.2.2ch (four speakers and two woofers). It also supports HDMI 2.1 (4EA), HDMI-CEC, and RJ45 (1EA).
The company is also offering a solar-powered Ark Dial — the exclusive controller for the Odyssey Ark — that can quickly and simply control a variety of settings, including Flex Move Screen, MultiView, Quick Settings, and Game Bar. As well as being equipped with a solar panel, the Ark Dial can also be charged by a USB Type-C connection, eliminating the need for any disposable batteries. With the Flex Move Screen feature, users can adjust screen size between 55- and 27-inches, change the screen position, and even switch the screen ratio between 16:9, 21:9, and 32:9 — all with just one touch of Ark Dial.
It costs Rs 2,19,999. Customers purchasing the Odyssey Ark till October 9 will also get a 2 TB Portable SSD T7 Shield USB 3.2 free in addition to a Rs 10,000 instant cart discount. A 1 TB Portable SSD T7 Shield USB 3.2 and an additional Rs 10,000 instant cart discount will be available to customers buying the smart monitor between October 10 and 31.
Also, As part of Flipkart Big Diwali Sale, the flagship Galaxy Z Flip3 will be available for around Rs 50,000. Consumers planning to purchase Galaxy Z Fold3 can avail of it for around Rs 1,00,000 during Amazon's Great Indian Festival Sale. These amazing offers will
be unveiled and went live on October 8 for Galaxy Z Fold3 on Amazon and on October 10 for Galaxy Z Flip3 on Flipkart.
The Galaxy Z Flip3 features a compact design. The Galaxy Z Flip3 flaunts a flex mode that lets you go hands-free, be it selfies or videos, and its cover screen lets you check messages, take photos, play music, and so much more, all without opening your phone.
It features Dynamic AMOLED 2X with a 120 Hz refresh rate for super smooth gaming and scrolling and is also the world's first water-resistant foldable smartphone with an IPX8 rating.
The premium Galaxy Z Fold3 is Samsung's first foldable device to support S Pen, lending the device an enhanced multitasking experience. It also comes with the world's first Under Display Camera on its 120 Hz AMOLED Infinity Flex display to offer an immersive display.
With Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Octa-Core processor, Galaxy Z Fold3 boasts Samsung's super-strong yet lightweight Armor Aluminum frame and IPX8 rating for durability.
Must read | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G review: Foldable phone is now finally mainstream
Motorola Moto G72 5G
The new Moto G72 features a 6.55-inch full HD+ (1080 x 2460p) pOLED 10-bit display with up to 1300 nits brightness, support HDR10+, and 120Hz refresh rate.
It also comes with an In-display fingerprint sensor, and hybrid dual-SIM slots (nano SIM-1 + nano-SIM 2 or microSD card) and the screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 shield.
Inside, it comes with a 6nm class 2.2Ghz MediaTek Helio G99 octa-core processor, Arm Mali-G57 MC2, Android 12 (one Android OS update and three years of security support), 6GB LPDDR4x RAM, 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage (expandable) and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charger.
It also boasts triple-camera module -- main 108MP (with f/1.7) + 8MP ultra-wide camera (f/2.2) + 2MP (f/2.4) macro sensor with LED flash on the back. On the front, it features a 16MP (f/2.45) selfie camera.
It comes in two colours-- meteorite black and polar blue-- for Rs 18,999.
Mivi Fort S200
It can deliver a 200W output and promise to deliver studio-quality bass, which allows users to experience cinematic sound quality at home. The soundbar features a 2.1 Channel system to enhance the audio experience with immersive sound and powerful bass. The Fort S200 comes equipped with a remote control that allows you to control functions and volume settings with convenience.
Fort S200 is equipped with a powerful wireless subwoofer with a large 165mm speaker unit to deliver a deeper, richer bass sound. The Mivi soundbar supports multi-channel inputs including such as AUX, Coaxial, Bluetooth, USB, OPT, and HDMI TV. It costs 9,999 and but limited time, it will available for Rs 6,999 on Flipkart.
Gigatbyte G5 series gaming laptop
It sports a 15.6-inch thin bezel Full HD (1920x1080) IPS-level Anti-glare Display LCD with a 144Hz Refresh Rate, offering a super immersive gaming experience.
It is powered by 11th gen Intel Core i5 H series processor, 16GB DDR4 3200Mhz memory, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series graphics card. The laptops will be available in 3 variants, G5 KD, equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, the G5 MD equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti, and the G5 GD equipped with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050.
It boasts proprietary WINDFORCE cooling technology, to achieve 100 per cent CPU and GPU outputs while remaining calm and steady even under heavy gaming or multi-tasking large apps and files
The G5 gaming laptop comes with two M.2 slots and one 2.5 inches swappable bay, 3 slots offering a total of up to 6TB of storage space. It also features one high-speed PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD slot with support for super fast read speed, which comes in handy while playing graphics-rich games with large-sized files and all the other large media files with pure ease.
It also supports DTS: X Ultra audio technology with virtual 7.1-channel surround sound to offer true 3D surround effect for editing, watching movies, and conference calls.
The G5 series laptops are available on Flipkart starting from Rs 68,890 on an introductory offer with Microsoft Office 365 Personal version 1-Year subscription free. Early bird promotion till October 31with further discount plus a Steam Gift card worth Rs 3,000 by redemption.
Google Pixel 7, 7 Pro and Pixel Watch
Google earlier in the week launched two new premium phones Pixel 7 and 7 Pro along with Pixel Watch.
The Pixel 7 Pro features a 6.7-inch LPTO LED QHD+ display panel with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. It will support a fingerprint sensor, and face unlock security system and come with an IP68 rating, meaning the device can sustain water pressure for up to 1.5 metres (approx. five feet) for close to 30 minutes also, the display is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass Victus shield.
Inside, it houses 12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, and a 5,000mAh battery, promising to offer a full-day battery life and support both 30W wired and wireless charging.
The Pixel 7 Pro sports a triple-camera module-- 50MP wide-angle lens + 12MP ultra-wide-angle with auto-focus + 48MP telephoto lens with 5X optical zoom and LDAF with LED flash. It will support macro focus photo mode, realtone, support high-resolution 30X digital zoom, Pixel's next-gen Super Res zoom, up to two times faster Night Sight processing, sharper photos with Face Unblur, and new features like Cinematic Blur, Magic Eraser, and Macro Focus.
On the other hand, the Pixel 7 sports a zirconia-blasted matte aluminum frame. On the front, it flaunts a 6.3-inch full HD+ screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It will also come with It will support a fingerprint sensor, and face unlock security system, and come with an IP68 rating and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
Also read | Xiaomi 12T, 12T Pro with 200MP camera make global debut
Inside, it also comes packed with 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, and a 4,355mAh battery, promising to offer a full day battery life and support both 30W wired and wireless charging.
It features a dual-camera module on the back-- main 50MP wide-angle lens with 12MP ultra-wide-angle sensor with LDAF and LED flash, supporting high-resolution 8X digital zoom, realtone, and movie motion blur features, magic eraser and more. On the front, it is expected to feature a 10.8MP selfie camera. Both cameras will support 4K video recording.
Both the new Pixel phones are powered by Google Tensor G2 silicon with Titan M2 security chip and run Android 13 out-of-the-box. They are guaranteed to get three Android OS updates and five years of security software support.
The Pixel 7 (128GB) is priced at Rs 59,999 and the Pixel 7 Pro(128GB) costs Rs 84,999. Both devices will be available for purchase from October 13 and can be pre-ordered starting today (October 6) exclusively on Flipkart.
The new Pixel Watch sports a classic circular dial and boasts visually appealing 3D domed glass that blends into the stainless steel body. It is water-resistant (up to 5 ATM/50 meters) too.
It has a tactile crown that controls on-screen scrolling, accesses shortcuts, and initiates the app tray to get you the helpful information you need. The side button just above the crown opens the most recently used apps.
An interesting aspect of the new Pixel Watch is the unique band attach mechanism. It is said to be inspired by how a camera lens attaches to a camera body — making it easy to change bands to transform the overall look of the watch. Google is offering 20 band choices with a wide assortment of classic or modern bands in woven, stretch, active, and leather styles, with the metal coming year.
Must read | OnePlus unveils budget Nord Watch in India
Also, Google is offering 19 customizable watch faces, each with many personalization options – from the colors to the layout and the information you need most – providing thousands of options. You can even set any favorite photos as watch face with Google Photos.
The Pixel Watch runs Wear OS by Google (Wear OS 3.5). It can deliver information at a glance. With tiles and watch faces, users can easily customize to be full of information or minimal. It also supports Google Assistant built-in and users can easily control smart home devices through the Google Home app or just say “Hey, Google” to their watch to turn on or off the lights and get notifications from your Nest doorbell when a person or package is at the door (with compatible smart devices).
The most important aspect of the Pixel Watch is the deep integration with Fitbit. It promises to provide leading health and fitness features, including the most accurate heart rate tracking yet. With on-device machine learning and deep optimization down to the processor level, it can give an accurate measurement of your heart rate continuously tracking at once per second. The Fitbit experience is completely redesigned for Google Pixel Watch, with 40 exercise modes available to track your favorite workouts and all-day activities including steps, and distance with built-in GPS and Active Zone Minutes, to help users push for that extra rep during workouts.
Furthermore, it supports the ECG app to detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib), better understand your sleep with Sleep Score and Sleep Stages, and receive guidance powered by Fitbit’s 20 billion nights tracked.
Read more | Google Pixel 7, 7 Pro, Pixel Watch unveiled
Apple iPhone 14 Plus
The new iPhone 14 Plus sports the same design language as the regular model but comes with bigger dimensions and a large battery.
It flaunts a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, True Tone technology with Ceramic Shield and the case is made of aerospace-grade aluminium. It supports up to 1,200 nits brightness.
Also, it comes with an IP68 rating, meaning the device can sustain water pressure of up to six metres for close to 30 minutes.
Must read | Apple iPhone 14 review: Incremental upgrade
Inside, it houses Apple 15 Bionic seen in the iPhone 13 Pro series. The chipset comes with a 5-core GPU, 6-core CPU, and 16-core Neural Engine. Also, the iPhone 14 Plus is touted to offer the best battery life among the four new iPhone 14 series.
It should be noted that the regular iPhone 13 model had 4-core GPU, 6-core CPU, and 16-core Neural Engine.
Must read | Key difference between iPhone 14 and 14 Pro
Xiaomi Redmi Pad
The new Redmi Pad sports a 10.61-inch LCD-based 2K screen with 2000x1200p resolution, a pixel density of 221 ppi (pixels per inch) and offers a peak brightness of 400 nits.
It is powered by a 6nm class MediaTek Helio G99 octa-core chipset, which can clock CPU speed up to 2.2GHz. It is backed by an ARM G57MC2 graphics processor with Android 12-based MIUI 13. the device comes in three RAM+Configurations-- 3GB RAM + 64GB storage, 4GB RAM + 6GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for prices starting at Rs 14,999 (MRP).
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