The Patym Payments Bank has finally launched after months of delays, becoming the third entity after Airtel and India Post. The Paytm payment bank offers 4 percent interest and cash back on deposits, no fees for online transactions, and no minimum balance requirements. However, unlike standard banks, Paytm Payments Bank cannot provide loans and credit cards. As part of the process, the company will move all 220 million customers using its digital wallet to the payment bank and aims to reach 500 million customers over the next three years. For the time being, the payment bank is only available by invitation.
Xiaomi Redmi 4 goes on sale, selling 250,000 units in eight minutes. The Redmi 4 went on sale in India at noon on Tuesday, starting at Rs. 6,999 for the base variant, via Amazon India and Xiaomi’s Mi.com website. The company sold more than 250,000 units in eight minutes, putting its record between the other two models in the larger Redmi range. The Redmi Note 4 sold 250,000 units in 10 minutes, while the Redmi 4A sold 250,000 units in 4 minutes.
Buyers had the option to choose between two Xiaomi Redmi 4 variants: 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage for Rs. 6,999 or 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage for Rs. 8.999; the top model with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB (Rs. 10,999) will not be available until the end of June.
Microsoft Surface Pro with LTE option and 13.5 hours of battery life launched At its event in Shanghai, Microsoft launched the fifth generation of its 2-in-1 detachable Surface Pro, eliminating the numbering scheme. It features Intel’s latest seventh-generation Kaby Lake processors, with the new Core m3 and i5 fanless design offering 50 percent more battery life than its predecessor, from nine to 13.5 hours. It will be available on June 15 in 25 countries, starting at $799 (about Rs. 52,000).
In addition, while the Type Cover used to be a separate purchase for $129 (about Rs. 8,500), a new next-gen Surface Pen will now be sold separately for $99 (about Rs. 6,500). And for the first time, the Surface Pro will have a model with LTE Advanced option, which will support micro-SIM and eSIM. There is no information about the processor, price or release date.
Nokia 9 spotted on GeekBench; Moto G5S, Moto G5S Plus Leaked Nokia 9, rumored to use Snapdragon 835 chipset, has allegedly been spotted in a GeekBench listing, with scores that should help it compete with the performance of today’s flagships. There are two additional caveats: First, an older version of GeekBench was running, and its single-core scores aren’t that impressive.
Aside from the Nokia phone, two more Lenovo phones – the Moto G5S and the Moto G5S Plus – have leaked courtesy of a presentation slide, giving us a glimpse into their possible design and specs. From the leak, we know the screen resolution (full-HD) and dimensions: 5.2 inches on the Moto G5S and 5.5 inches on the Moto G5S Plus; the latter may have a dual-camera setup.
Samsung Galaxy Wide 2 mid-range smartphone launched Samsung’s homeland-focused sub-brand, the Galaxy Wide, has received a successor. Called the Galaxy Wide 2 and priced at KRW 297,000 (approximately Rs. 17,000), the smartphone sports a 5.5-inch HD LCD with 2.5D curved glass. It is powered by an octa-core 1.6GHz processor with 2GB of RAM running Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’ and has 16GB of internal storage that can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card. On the front of the camera, you get 13 megapixels f/1.9 on the back and 5 megapixels on the show. Inside is a 3,300 mAh battery. The Galaxy Wide later came to India as the Galaxy On7, so there’s a good chance this will also make an appearance.
With OnePlus’ next flagship, the OnePlus 5, to be released later in the summer, the Chinese company has been building hype since its official confirmation. OnePlus 5 may come in four different colors. In a new tweet, OnePlus asked what colors users would like on their next phone, then showed four options in an image: Black, Red, Gold, and what the company calls “Unicorn.” Of course, this doesn’t guarantee four color options for the OnePlus 5, and it could be a marketing stunt.
Tesla doesn’t need local parts to produce in India. After a tweet from Tesla CEO Elon Musk indicated a delayed arrival of the carmaker’s Model 3, the Indian government cleared the air that Tesla didn’t have to buy local parts to make it in India. Produce. Interestingly, the clarification was sent via Make in India’s Twitter account, citing Elon Musk. Musk had previously tweeted that he was told “30% of parts must be sourced locally,” given India’s current supply chain, which is not feasible for the company.
Apple could expand iPhone production in India. Indian IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government is currently in talks with Apple to increase local iPhone production by offering tax breaks on parts that cannot be produced here. Apple started a trial run making iPhone SE in Bengaluru, which has reportedly already hit stores across the country. India is an important market for Apple, given the stagnation in established markets and competition from domestic companies in China.
Meizu M5c, Honor 6A smartphones launched Meizu and Huawei have launched several new devices, with the former launching a mid-range phone, the M5c, and the latter the Honor 6A budget phone, the Band 2A fitness tracker and the Play Pad 2 tablet.
The new Meizu M5c runs Android 7.0 Nougat on a 5-inch HD display powered by a quad-core 1.3GHz processor with 2GB of RAM. It has an 8-megapixel f/2.0 camera on the back and a 5-megapixel shooter on the front. You get 16 GB of internal storage (expandable to 256 GB) and a 3000 mAh battery. There is also a fingerprint scanner on the show. It costs less than $275 (about Rs. 17,800).
The Honor 6A, meanwhile, is a budget phone that comes in at CNY 799 (around Rs. 7,500) for the lowest-end variant. The new Honor phone has a 13-megapixel rear camera, a fingerprint scanner underneath, a 5-megapixel front camera, and a 3,020 mAh battery. A dual-SIM smartphone running Android 7.0 Nougat, the 6A sports a 5-inch HD display and an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC with either 2/3 GB of RAM or 16/32 GB of internal storage. You can expand up to 128 GB using a microSD card.
The Honor Band 2A, priced at CNY 199 (about Rs. 1,870), has a rectangular screen like the Fitbit Charge 2. Apart from the fitness smarts, it has a heart rate sensor, sleep tracking function, and IP67 rating. Huawei claims a battery life of nine days, but that will only be revealed after good tests. Finally, the Honor Play Pad 2 is available in two different sizes – 8-inch and 9.6-inch – with the same resolution of 1280×800 pixels. Everything else is also the same: a quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage (expandable up to 128 GB), 5-megapixel cameras on the back and 2 megapixels on the front, and a battery of 4,800 mAh. Both run Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’ out of the box.
Disclosure: Paytm’s parent company, One97, is an investor in NDTV’s Gadgets 360.
