Gadgets Weekly: Google Pixel Buds A, BenQ Laser 4K projectors and more
Technology companies such as Samsung, Google, Fossil, Acer, Casio's G-Shock, Intel, Audio Technica, Nothing, and Realme among others, launched new smartphones, laptops, smart TVs, earphones, speakers, and more this week (August 16-22).
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.
Google Pixel Buds A series
The new Pixel Buds A series comes with custom-designed 12 mm dynamic speaker drivers to deliver full, clear, and natural sound, with the option for even more power in those low tones with Bass Boost.
"To experience the full range of the speaker’s capabilities, especially in the low frequencies, a good seal is essential. We’ve scanned thousands of ears to make Pixel Buds A-Series fit securely with a gentle seal. In order to keep the fit comfortable over time, a spatial vent reduces in-ear pressure," Google said.
Each earbud also connects to the main device playing audio, and has strong individual transmission power, to keep your sound clear and uninterrupted.
It boasts Adaptive Sound, which increases or decreases the volume based on your surroundings. This comes in handy when you're moving from the quiet of your home to somewhere noisy like a city street, or while jogging past a loud construction site.
To make sure your calls are as clear as they can be, Pixel Buds A-Series use beamforming mics to focus on your voice and reduce outside noise, making your calls crystal clear (though of course, overall call quality depends on signal strength, environment, network, and other factors). Once your call is over, quickly get back to your music with a simple “Ok Google, play my music.”
The Pixel Buds A-series promises to deliver up to five hours of listening time on a single charge or up to 24 hours using the charging case. It also supports fast charging. Just 15 minutes in the case, it can offer up to three hours of listening time. It costs Rs 9,999.
BenQ Laser 4K projectors
BenQ launched two new V6000/V6050 series, an ultra-short throw 4K Laser TV (Laser projection TV). They promise to offer True 4K image quality, wide color range performance on a Large ALR screen 100/120 inches which come along with the projector as a package deal.
They offer a high brightness of 3,000 Lumens with 98% of the DCI-P3 color space coverage and give HDR PRO image quality with high-quality TreVolo Speakers, a motion sensor for eye protection, automatic sunroof slider. It comes with a laser light source which guarantees minimum Light Source Life of up to 30,000 hours.
The company is offering installation support in addition to three years onsite warranty on the projector and three years or 15,000 hours on the light source. The new 4K projectors come with the option of 100/120 inch ALR screen (Ambient light rejection screen) and the latest 32GB Apple TV device for Rs 4,99,000 (tax included).
Intel Arc GPU series
Intel earlier this week launched new graphics products-- Intel Arc. It covers hardware, software, and services, and will span multiple hardware generations, with the first generation, based on the Xe HPG microarchitecture, code-named Alchemist (formerly known as DG2).
Intel also revealed the code names of future generations under the Arc brand: Battlemage, Celestial, and Druid.
With Intel Xe scalable graphics and compute architecture, it is designed to deliver exceptional performance and functionality spanning integrated to discrete and data centers to supercomputers.
Intel shed light on Alchemist, the first generation of Intel Arc products. It will feature hardware-based ray tracing and artificial intelligence-driven super sampling, and offer full support for DirectX 12 Ultimate. This promises frictionless gaming and content creation experiences to gamers and creators. The Alchemist products will arrive in the first quarter of 2022.
Acer Predator Helios 300 series laptop
It comes equipped with 11th-generation Intel Core H-series processors with up to 4.6 GHz, 8 cores and 16 threads and up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 GPU. Other key highlights of the latest Helios 300 laptop include and, high-speed boost with PCIe Gen 4 SSD of a total 1TB capacity for an exceptional sequence of high-performance gaming experience.
It runs on Windows 10 Home and features full-HD IPS display with blazing-fast 360Hz refresh rate or Quad HD IPS panel with high-speed 165Hz display refresh rate options. The display option also comes with a 100 percent sRGB color gamut. The 3ms overdrive response makes this laptop into high gear a tear-free, seamless experience with minimal ghosting.
Furthermore, it features a triple-fan cooling system, including a 5th Generation custom-engineered AeroBlade™ 3D Fan, to redirect airflow to critical components and maximize performance, no matter the task. And when the going gets hot, Predator CoolBoost™ gets going. Fan speeds increase based on generated heat, keeping critical areas continually cooled.
It boasts Killer's E2600 Ethernet Controller, Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i, and Control Center 2.0 for reduced latency while gaming. Also, it comes with a full range of ports, including HDMI 2.1, MiniDP, THUNDERBOLT 4, and the newest USB 3.2 standard with Gen 1 and 2 (offline charging) support. Its price starts at Rs 1,29,999.
Audio Technica AT2040 mic
With the rugged all-metal construction, the AT2040 excels at isolated/up-close vocal reproduction and rejection of unwanted room noise due to its tight hyper-cardioid polar pattern, ensuring professional-quality podcasts.
The AT2040 provides smooth, warm, natural sound, while the mic’s multistage windscreen combines a nonwoven filter with foam mesh to provide superior internal pop filtering, and its specially-designed integrated shock mount prevents unwanted noise by attenuating vibration from a boom arm or mic stand.
The AT2040’s XLR output connects to a conventional analog microphone input, providing versatile use with everything from USB audio interfaces to professional mixing consoles. The mic comes standard with a pivoting stand mount, 5/8′′-27 to 3/8′′-16 threaded adapter, and a soft protective pouch. It costs Rs 9,500.
Fossil Hybrid HR smartwatches
The new smartwatches offer all the features of a smartwatch including receiving calls and texts, previewing notifications, music control, and weather updates. It also enables fitness and activity tracking and more, all from your wrist without compromising on aesthetics. With a subtle stainless steel look offered in different colours as well as interchangeable watch bands, the Hybrid HR smartwatches are swathed in the vintage charm. Furthermore, the increased customization gives you added control with accessibility, so much so that you can even decide the look of the dial tone.
For women, Fossil offers the Monroe HR Mini collection, with the slim design and the smarts of Hybrid HR all packed into a compact 38mm case and a 12mm lug––the smallest Hybrid HR smartwatch ever. With bands ranging from stainless steel silver, gold and rose-gold to a leather finish, these watches are a quintessential accessory for the wardrobe.
For men, Fossil Hybrid HR Smartwatches checks all the boxes of conventional as well as modern time-keeping. The Neutra Hybrid HR range for men comes with a 45mm case and 22mm lug, a classic yet nuanced neutral touch of stainless steel, in silver and black finishes. These watches are the epitome of modern construction with a vintage design.
Syska P1037B power bank
It weighs around 217gms and consists of a steady capacity of 10000 mAh/37Wh and comes with an LED indicator as wells as a micro USB. It has the capability to charge multiple gadgets at one go with seamless fast charging speed.
The company has developed the power bank with 9-layers of advanced chip protection, which ensures safety from any kind of short-circuits and malfunctions and provides temperature resistance, PTC protective circuit, output overcurrent/overvoltage protection, incorrect insertions protection, and reset mechanisms that ensure optimum efficiency.
It comes with dual input ports, Micro USB input of DC 5V/2.1A and Type-C input of DC 5V/2.1A that can be utilized at the same time for quicker charging.
It features dual USB-A output ports of DC 5V/2.4A and it enables one to charge two devices simultaneously. The power bank has a low current mode for AIoT devices.
It supports multiple devices such as iPhone, iPad, iPod, smartphones, Mp3/Mp4 players, PSP, PDA, and Bluetooth-enabled gadgets. It comes in multiple colours--Perkier Blue, Vibrant Red, Pristine White and Elegant Black-- for Rs 1,599. The company offers 180 days of warranty.
Vivo Y21
It comes with a 6.51-inch HD+(1600 x 720p) LCD screen,triple slots ( nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD card), side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 12nm clas MediaTek Helio P35 octa-core chipset with IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU, Android 11-based Funtouch OS 11.1, 4GB RAM, 64GB / 128GB storage (expandable) and a 5,000mAh battery with 18W fast charger in-box.
It boasts a dual-camera module-- a 13MP (f/2.2) + 2MP (f/2.4) with LED flash on the back and an 8MP (f/1.8) on the front. It comes in two colours--Diamond Glow and Midnight Blue. It will be available on two options-- 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 4GB RAM + 128GB storage-- for Rs 13,999 and Rs 15,490, respectively.
G-Shock GST-B400AD and GST-B400BD
They feature a new, improved module built to deliver slimness. Using only two watch hands and running on a low-power Bluetooth system, the GST-B400 models consume 55.7% less power than their predecessor GST B-200. The lower power requirement means the dial does not have to be as light-transmissive, offering to improve dial design. Treatments applied to designed inset dial parts and elsewhere give the watch face a look of enhanced metallic texture.
Both the GST-B400AD and GST-B400BD models feature multilayer vapor deposition-treated dials for highly chromogenic and distinctive coloration. Multiple layers of clear coatings are applied to shape the appearance of the light, taking advantage of the chromatic expression made possible by vapor deposition. High-convenience timekeeping features include automatic time adjustment when paired with a smartphone installed with the dedicated app and a Time & Place function that allows the user to log the current time and position on a map in the app with just the press of a button on the watch.
Other features offering outstanding practicality include a Reminder setting that helps users keep track of upcoming events they set in the app, as well as a high-brightness double, LED light that maintains watch readability in the dark. G-Shock GST-B400 series watches' price starts at Rs 20,995.
XGIMI Horizon and Horizon Pro projectors
The standard HORIZON offers a 1920x1080p (full HD) resolution. The image size varies from 30 to 300 inches. Its in-built sound system includes two 8W 45mm Harman/Kardon Speakers. It weighs just 2.9kg. The Lamp Life is 25,000 Hours and it comes with an Android TV 10.0 with a built-in Google Assistant. The Display is 2200 ANSI Lumens. It also has an Intelligent Screen Adaptation of 40° Auto Keystone Correction. It costs Rs 1,25,000.
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On the other hand, Horizon Pro offers a resolution of 3840 x 2160p (4K). The image size of the screen can go from 30–300 inches. The inbuilt sound system offers the joy of Dual 8W Harman / Kardon Speakers, DTS-HD & DTS Studio Sound Dolby. And it weighs just 2.9kg! The Lamp Life is upto 25,000 Hours. It also has an Android TV 10.0 OS. The display is 2200 ANSI Lumens. You also get an Intelligent Screen Adaptation with ±40 Degrees Auto Keystone Correction (Horizontal & Vertical). It costs Rs 1,87,500.
Bajaj Ivora Insect Shield LED Lamp
It serves the dual purpose of illumination and keeping insects at bay. The innovation lies in the unique yellow -spectrum light that enables it to create an invisible insect shield and provide protection to consumers. The light’s shield works well in both indoors and outdoors set-ups making it the perfect partner when battling insects like mosquitoes and house flies.
The company says that the product is specifically designed considering the tropical Indian climate. Mosquitoes and insects become a genuine concern especially during evening hours and the monsoon season. The Ivora Insect Shield LED lamp by Bajaj Electricals is a practical solution to maintain the much-needed distance from the insects. It costs Rs 249, but can be bought for less on Amazon.
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Soundcore R500 earphones
The new Bluetooth 5.0-based neckband R500 features 10mm drivers to deliver HD sound. The R500 supports superior calling experience with an AI-powered microphone that allows to hear and be heard clearly. The two buttons inline remote control ensures a hands-free user experience.
It supports fast charging (USB-C) that equals 10 min charge to 3-hour playtime. It supports 20 hours of playtime for whole day use on a single charge.
The R500 is compatible with Android and IOS devices on the connectivity front. Lightweight, ultra-flexible, and tangle-free, the neckband provides a dynamic audio experience up to 10m distance. Additionally, the neckband is IPX5 Water resistant, which can withstand all weathers and deliver an unaltered performance each time.
The new R500 is light in weight and comes in 4 beautiful colors: Blue, Yellow, Black, and red. Now proudly showcase it around your neck or let it peek from under your shirt's collar. It costs Rs 1,399.
Nothing ear (1)
Carl Pei's Nothing earlier this week launched the ear(1) earbuds in India.
It flaunts a stripped-down design with a transparent cover revealing microphones, magnets, and circuit board inside. It also has a distinct crimson-hued dot on one of the earbuds to indicate it is for the right ear. And, earbuds are sweat and water splash resistant too.
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Inside, it comes with an 11.6mm driver with well-optimized software and supporting hardware for balanced bass, mid, and treble performance.
The ear (1) also boasts Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and it makes use of three high definition mics and lear Voice Technology) to reduce distractive background noise, like the wind to deliver clear, disruption-free music, films, and podcasts. It costs Rs 5,999.
Must read | Nothing ear (1): Everything you need to know
Samsung Galaxy A03s
It comes with a 6.5-inch HD+(1560 × 720p) LCD display with Infinity-V design language. It features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and dual-SIM slots.
Inside, it features a 12nm class MediaTek Helio P35 octa-core processor with IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU, Android 11-based Samsung One UI 3.1 Core, a 3GB/4GB RAM with 32GB/128GB storage (expandable up to 1TB ), and a 5,000mAh battery.
As far as the photography hardware is concerned, it comes with triple-cameras--13MP (f/2.2) + 2MP depth sensor + 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back. It features a 5MP (f/2.2) snapper on the front. Its price starts at Rs 11,499.
Must read | Motorola Edge 20, Edge 20 Fusion 5G phones launched in India
iTel A48
It features a 6.1-inch HD+ (1560x720p) IPS screen with waterdrop notch design, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage, Android 10 (Go edition), 1.4GHz quad-core processor and a 3,000mAh battery.
The new iTel A48 model houses a dual-camera module-- 5MP + 5MP with LED flash on the back and a 5MP selfie snapper on the front. It costs Rs 6,399.
Realme GT series
Realme GT sports a 6.43-inch full HD+ (2400×1080p) AMOLED screen with HDR10+, 120Hz refresh rate, In-display fingerprint sensor, 5nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 octa-core CPU, Adreno 660 GPU, 8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM with 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1) storage, Android 11 OS and a 4,500mAh battery with 65W Super Dart fast charger in-box.
It also boasts triple-camera module-- main 64MP (Sony IMX682 sensor, f/1.8) + 8MP (f/2.3) 119-degree ultra-wide sensor+ 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back. It features a 16MP(f/2.5) selfie camera on the front.
Realme GTIt comes two configurations-- 8GB RAM + 128GB storag and 12GB RAM + 256GB storage --for Rs 37,999 and Rs 41,999, respectively. It will be available in three colours-- Dashing Silver, Dashing Blue and Racing Yellow (12GB RAM + 256GB model only).
The Realme GT Master Edition comes with a 6.43-inch (2400 × 1080 pixels) full HD+ OLED screen, supports 120Hz display refresh rate, up to 1000 nits peak brightness, in-display fingerprint sensor, dual-SIM slots, 6nm class Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G octa-core chipset, Adreno 642L GPU, Android 11-based Realme UI 2.0, 6GB/8GB LPDDR4X RAM, 128GB / 256GB UFS 2.2 storage and a 4,300mAh battery with 65W Super Dart fast charger in-box.
It features triple camera-- main 64MP (f/1.8) + 8MP (f/2.2) 119-degree ultra-wide sensor+ 2MP (f/2.4) macro camera with LED flash on the back. It features a 32MP(f/2.45, Sony IMX615 sensor) selfie camera on the front.
Realme GT Master Edition comes in three configurations-- 6GB RAM + 128GB storag, 8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage-- for Rs Rs. 25,999, Rs 27,999 and Rs 29,999, respectively. It will be available in three colours-- Luna White, Cosmos Black and Voyager Grey.
Must read | Realme GT Master Edition: First impression
Realme Book Slim series
Realme's Book Slim series laptop sports a 14-inch 2K (2160 × 1440p) IPS display with 400 nits peak brightness. Also, it features a fingerprint sensor-cum-power button, and a 720p webcam up top in the center.
It features 3-level Backlit Keyboard with Smile Arc design, X-shape Bracket, 1.3mm key travel, 123.8 × 78.2mm trackpad, and supports Microsoft PTP Clickpad technology.
The company is offering two Intel processor options-- 3.4GHz i5-11300H processor (peak 4.4GHz) with Intel Iris X-E Graphics and another 3GHz 11th Gen Intel Core i3-1115G4 (4.1GHz max clock) with Intel UHD Graphics.
It houses Windows 10 Home OS (upgradable to Windows 11), comes pre-loaded with Microsoft Office 2019 app suite, 8GB DDR4 4266MHz RAM with 256GB (i3) / 512GB (i5) NVMe SSD. Its price starts at Rs 46,999.
Google Pixel 5a with 5G
The new Pixel 5a sports a slightly bigger 6.34-inch full HD+ OLED screen compared to the predecessor. But, supports a standard 60Hz display refresh rate and features a biometric (Pixel Imprint) sensor on the back.
Also, it comes with a polycarbonate case on the back, a 3.5mm audio jack, and an IP67 rating, meaning the device can sustain underwater for up to 1 metre (around three feet) for close to 30 minutes.
Inside, it comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G octa-core processor with Adreno 620 GPU, Titan M security chip, Android 11 OS, 8GB RAM, and 128GB storage.
It features a dual-camera module-- main 12.2MP wide sensor (1.4 μm pixel width, Autofocus with dual pixel phase detection, Optical + electronic image stabilization, ƒ/1.7 aperture & 77-degree field of view) backed by 16MP ultra-wide (1.0 μm pixel width, ƒ/2.2 aperture & 107-degree field of view) and LED flash. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 30 Frames Per Second (FPS), 60 FPS, 120 FPS and 240 FPS, and 4K at 30 FPS & 60 FPS. Also, they support Live HDR+, Cinematic Pan, Night Sight on Portrait Mode, new Google Photos editor offers studio-quality light to the portraits of people with Portrait Light.
On the front, They boast an 8MP with 1.12 μm pixel width, ƒ/2.0 aperture, fixed focus, and 83-degree field of view. It costs $449 (approx. Rs 33,384).
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