latest gadget news and reviews: April 2019

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Vivo V15 Pro Review - XiteTech

Vivo’s first major launch of 2019, the V15 Pro is a device that offers more than what its price justifies.

While a lot of Chinese companies launched their products in the Indian smartphone market in 2018, it was Vivo, in particular, that stood out with its head-turning designs and innovative hardware. For instance, the Vivo V9 was one the first Android devices to have a notch, then there was the Vivo Nex, which packed a motorised front-facing camera that popped up from the top of the phone. And now, in 2019, we have the Vivo V15 Pro – a new smartphone that has an excellent spec sheet, pop-up camera mechanism from Vivo Nex and a very competitive price of Rs 28,990. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. So, let’s look at the device.

Design

The V15 Pro comes with a notch-less, 6.4-inch OLED display, thanks to the pop-up selfie camera. And while the working mechanism is the same as the Nex, the front camera of the V15 Pro has a better resolution at 32MP as compared to the 8MP camera of the Nex.

Read More:- Vivo V15 Pro Review

Honor 6X Review - Xitetech

The Honor 6X makes dual lens smartphone an affordable affair for shutterbugs on a budget. But, does it deliver as promised?

With a zillion new products coming to the market one after the other, it’s really hard to keep tabs on the ones that truly matter. But, like they say, the cream always rises to that top, and so is the case with the new Honor 6X. It is your average smartphone – if you can say so – that has a decent software and is priced quite well. However, the USP of this phone lies in the fact that it features a dual-lens camera among other key highlights. So, is it all just a gimmick or the 6X really stands out?

The main highlight of the 6X is its dual lens camera that comprises a 12MP and 2MP lens. For the uninitiated, the benefit of having a dual lens camera is that it allows for faster focus and a greater depth of field. And it kind of shows in the pictures taken from the 6X. The image quality is quite impressive, I have to say. As you can see in the pictures (right), they aren’t pixelated and the colours are very sharp. What I really love about its camera is its quick response time and detailed picture quality. The phone also comes with a raft of photo editing tools that have some really cool features – you can say bye-bye to Instagram and Snapseed filters, really. There’s an 8MP front camera for the self(ie)-obsessed, too, which also produces decent images

Read More:- Honor 6X Review

Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Vs Iphone X Comparison - Xitetech

Apple wants iPhone X to be the beginning of a new generation of iPhones. Will Google Pixel 2 XL and Samsung Galaxy S9 be able prove their worth in this unending flagship battle? Let’s find out.

Apple and Samsung have long been battling against each other to prove their dominance in the smartphone market, and so far, it’s been interesting. But usually in battles of such nature comes a point when they become quite predictable. So, the trick to win the game lies in more or less making an unpredictable move, and that’s what Apple seems to have done.

How? Well, usually new models are based on the good traits of their predecessors. While maintaining the same design aesthetics, they seek to enhance the user experience. Apple has been using this formula with the iPhone and iPad for multiple generations, but with iPhone X, it has completely reimagined the very idea of an iPhone – a very unpredictable move indeed.

Unfortunately, Samsung has failed to introduce this unpredictability into its product – if you remember last year’s Galaxy S8, you know the essence of 2018 Galaxy S9 Plus.

Google, on the other hand, is a another story. It’s Pixel 2 XL prefers function over form. The company could have gone for a flashy design, but it mostly focused on fine-tuning the basics. So, let’s see how these three flagships fare against each other.

Read More:- Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs iPhone X vs Google Pixel 2 XL

Oneplus 6 Vs Asus Zenfone 5Z - XiteTech

The OnePlus 6 is the fastest mid-range Android phone on the market and is hands down the best OnePlus phone ever launched.

Once common names in the world of mobile phones, LG and ASUS have been surprisingly absent for the past few months in India. On the other hand, since its inception in 2014, China’s OnePlus has successfully upset the flagship applecart (no pun intended). The company’s recently launched OnePlus 6, also called the ‘Kingslayer’, has once again managed to win hearts with its competitive pricing and monstrous power. But while it’s a great value, it still has the same old problems. The OnePlus 6 fails to compete with Samsung, Apple, Google or at times even with LG in terms of cameras.

The recent appearance of the LG’s G7+ThinQ and the ASUS’s ZenFone 5Z in the mid-range segment can possibly be another cause of worries for OnePlus. So, will these new entrants be able to give OnePlus a run for cover. Let’s find out.

Design

The most attracting feature of the OnePlus 6 is its new design, which replaces the old aluminium chassis with glass panels on both the front and the back. According to OnePlus, an all-glass design allows for better wireless reception. While that may be true, glass is glass. And even though the OnePlus 6 has Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides, it’s not scratch proof, and if you happen to drop it from a certain, it will shatter.

Read More:- Oneplus 6 Vs Asus Zenfone 5Z

Honor 8 Pro Review - XiteTech

The Honor 8 Pro is going all guns blazing against established names in the high-end smartphone segment. But, does it have enough ammo to beat the biggies?

Think of high-end flagship smartphones and brands like Apple, Samsung, HTC, Google Pixel, One Plus, et al, immediately spring to mind. A name like Honor, which is a sub-brand of Huawei, is easily missed by most of us. And if I’ve to be honest, it’s a shame, really. In the past year itself, Honor has launched some kickass phones such as the Honor 8 and 6X models. While the 6X was a budget phone – which I really liked for all what it offers – the 8 has been the firm’s flagbearer in the cut-throat high-end segment. Recently, Honor gave the 8 some ‘Pro’ treatment and I got the chance to use it for a couple of weeks to see if the improvements are really worth the high price-tag or not.

6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage, dual 12 MP primary cameras + 8MP front camera, 4000mAh battery, Kirin 960 Octa-core processor, 5.7-inch quad HD 2K display and a super-sleek metal body – for the nerd among us those are quite some specs. The most beautiful part about these numbers is that they aren’t just a paper talk – they really do show up and perform in the real world.

Read More:- Honor 8 Pro Review

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

HP Spectre X360 Review - Xitetech

HP’s flagship laptop, the Spectre 13 x360, looks like a million dollars and is powered by Intel’s quad-core, eighth-generation processor. So, is it the perfect convertible laptop in the market? Let’s find out.

I have to admit when I opened the box, I was slightly taken aback by the new HP Spectre 13 x360’s bling black colour with chiselled copper finish frame. As it’s a premium convertible laptop, HP also decided to give the 180-degree hinges a copper finish. Thanks to these hinges, this sleek laptop offers four modes — standard laptop mode, tablet mode, tent formation for presentations and stand mode. The display is brought to the forefront, which is ideal for streaming content and video. This ultraportable laptop certainly makes a style statement with its design and metal build quality. But the question that arises then is this – is it just a laptop that oozes snob value and lacks substance? Well, that’s what we are going to find out.

Performance

Let’s get straight to the point. The Spectre x360’s biggest upgrade and stand out feature is Intel’s 8th Generation Core i7-8550U, which ensures a no-holds-barred performance. This processor actually offers a 30% boost when compared to the 7th generation chip and has extra juice, as the new processor has four cores rather than two. It also has an increased speed of up to 4GHz.

Read More:- HP Spectre X360 Review

Friday, April 5, 2019

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus Vs Iphone X Approved Links

Oneplus 6 Vs Asus Zenfone 5Z Approved Links

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Honor 8 Pro Review Approved Directory Links

Tuesday, April 2, 2019

Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus Review Links