As Apple promised, pre-orders for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus opened in India today, a week before the devices go on sale. The two phones have starting prices of Rs. 64,000 and 73,000, respectively, for the base 64GB versions, while the 256GB versions are officially priced at Rs. 77,000 and Rs. 86,000, respectively. Both are available in Space Grey, Silver, and a new shade of Gold and have new glass backs instead of metal. These models replace the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus but fit under the upcoming iPhone X, which is now Apple’s flagship.
You can book an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus from Apple Authorized Resellers and large format stores, Amazon, Flipkart, and Reliance Jio stores. Amazon and Flipkart offer more than Rs. 20,000 discount in exchange for an old phone. There are also free EMI options and extra cashback if you have a credit or debit card issued by a participating bank.
Jio has some special offers both online and offline at Reliance stores. Customers who pre-order can save Rs. 10,000 if they use a Citibank credit card. The value will be returned within six months in the form of vouchers that can be used towards a new iPhone or other purchase from Reliance Digital. Buyers can also return their iPhone 8 or 8 Plus after one year and get a whopping 70 percent refund of the pre-tax cost of each model if they use a Jio SIM card and have the MyJio app installed.
Jio also has a custom pricing plan for iPhone 8 and 8 Plus buyers, which gives them 90GB of 4G data for free calling and texting, plus access to Jio subscription services. The price of Rs. 799 applies to both prepaid and postpaid subscribers.
iPhone 8 is lukewarm, as fans waiting for iPhone XLaunch may tempt buyers in India, but it seems the more eye-catching iPhone X is causing many potential buyers to hold off on buying these models, at least for now. Crowds at Apple Stores in Australia and across Asia had fallen to less than a third of their usual size at previous years’ iPhone launches. The change in atmosphere is attributed to a lack of differentiation between this year’s models and last year’s and relatively lukewarm reviews.
On the plus side, destroyer-of-phones JerryRigEverything put an iPhone 8 through a battery of torture tests and gave it a favorable rating for its build quality. It survived attempts to burn, bend and scratch it and should endure the rigors of everyday use quite well. Camera quality review company DxOMark has also stated that the new iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus cameras are the best they’ve ever tested, replacing the HTC U11, Google Pixel, and iPhone 7 Plus.
Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm Mall’s big festive sales events are in full swing, and the deals keep on coming. Festive sales continue at Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm Mall, and other sites. All sites not only lower the prices of popular products but also offer exchange deals, easy installment plans, and cash-back bonuses in cooperation with various banks. You can buy a 32GB iPhone 7 for the ever-low price of Rs. 38,999, a Google Pixel for Rs. 42,999, or a Samsung Galaxy S7 for just Rs. 29,999. The MacBook Air, Apple Watch, and AirPods are also heavily discounted, although some sites have raised prices since sales began. Stay tuned for Gadgets 360 as we track the best deals daily.
Xiaomi is one of the bigger brands participating in the sale through multiple websites and its own Mi.com and offline stores. The popular Redmi Note 4 is discounted at a whopping Rs. 2,000, with the 4GB/64GB variant now priced at Rs. 10,999 lower than Rs. 12,999. Discounts may vary from website to website, but other commonly available products include the Mi Router 3C, Mi Air Purifier 2, and Mi Max 2, and accessories such as power banks and earphones. Xiaomi says it has sold over a million phones across all websites in 2 days at an average of 300 phones per minute.
Related to this, Flipkart has said it sold twice as many phones on the first day of its sales event as it did last year, with 1.3 million units sold in the first 20 hours alone. According to Flipkart, this is three times the sales of its closest competitor. One in four buyers of premium smartphones has benefited from Flipkart’s repurchase offers, and 80 percent of all buyers have benefited from a repurchase, exchange, or EMI scheme.
Samsung’s Bixby assistant is now available in IndiaSamsung’s virtual assistant Bixby is rolling out to compatible smartphones in India. The company hopes to compete against Apple’s Siri, Google Assistant, Microsoft’s Cortana, and Amazon’s Alexa. Bixby is currently only available on the Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, and Galaxy Note 8. Samsung says it understands a wide range of Indian accents. Custom commands can be created to perform a series of actions. Samsung plans to use Bixby across its entire consumer electronics portfolio, but its scope seems limited now compared to similar tools from other companies.
Micromax Selfie 3 launched in India Micromax launched a new smartphone called Selfie 3 in India just a few months after the Selfie 2. This new model costs Rs. 11,999 and will be available in black and blue. The main highlight is, unsurprisingly, the 16-megapixel front camera with its flash and beauty mode in the software. The Selfie 3 also has a 13-megapixel rear camera, a 5-inch full-HD screen, Snapdragon 435 SoC, 3GB RAM, and 32GB storage space.
HTC is reportedly preparing a new flagship phone for launch HTC’s U11 impressed us mainly because of its excellent camera and unique compressible sides. Now it is reported that the company is preparing a new model called HTC U11 Plus, which will have a 5.99-inch bezel-less display, Snapdragon 835 SoC, and a 12-megapixel camera. It may have 4 GB or 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB or 128 GB of storage. HTC, which recently sold part of its team to Google, is reportedly set to launch this phone on November 11.
Facebook is testing the WhatsApp buttons in Android app facebook is experimenting with WhatsApp integration within the Facebook client for smartphones. Some Facebook for Android users who have set Danish as their default language has reported seeing a new WhatsApp button at the top of their screens, allowing them to switch between the two apps quickly. This could be a simple experiment that leads nowhere or the start of a phased rollout.
Vivo X20 and X20 Plus launched in China Vivo have launched its X20 and X20 Plus smartphones in China. The two models have 18:9 screens and dual rear cameras. The only differences between them are their screen sizes and battery capacity, with the smaller X20 sporting a 6.01-inch display and 3245 mAh battery. In comparison, the larger X20 Plus has a 6.43-inch screen and 3905 mAh battery. Both use the Snapdragon 660 SoC and have 4 GB of RAM plus 64 GB of storage.
