Technology companies such as Apple, Samsung, Google, Nokia and Amazfit among others, launched new smartphones, MacBook Pro (2021), smartwatch, earphones, and more this week (October 18-24).
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.
Panasonic LUMIX GH5M2 camera
It features a 20.3-megapixel Digital Live MOS Sensor with AR (Anti-Reflective) coating clearly captures details and drives the maximum performance of the lens. The image processor is also updated from that of the GH5 by adopting the latest Venus Engine that boasts high speed and high performance.
The LUMIX GH5M2 boasts high-speed, high-precision AF. It incorporates an advanced deep learning technology that detects specific subjects - humans, animals, and birds.
Notably for humans, in addition to the eye, face, body the head is also separately recognized by real-time detection technology to provide even more precise focusing.
To achieve stable handheld shooting, the Body I.S. (Image Stabilizer) in the LUMIX GH5M2 is further advanced, making it possible to use a .6.5-stop slower shutter speeds. Adopting the latest algorithm developed for the S1H, smooth, stabilized video is available even at the point where the camera gets in motion or in panning.
It also features 3.0-inch free-angle LCD in 3:2 aspect with 1,840K-dot high resolution provides touch control. It features higher luminosity than that of the GH5 and superior color reproduction to assure high visibility outdoors.
As far as the build material is concerned, Lumix GH5M2 is made of a magnesium alloy full die-cast front & rear frame and is not only splash resistant and dust resistant but also freeze-resistant down to -10 degrees centigrade.
Lumix GH5M2 body is priced at Rs 1,69,990, and GH5M2 L-kit at Rs 2,14,990.
Amazfit GTR 3 series
Zepp Health formerly known as Huami launched Amazfit GTR 3 smartwatch series. It comes with two variants- GTR 3 and GTR 3 Pro.
The top-end GTR 3 Pro features a 1.45-inch HD AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 331 ppi (pixels per inch). Its large circular screen supports a high refresh rate for seamless, smooth interaction, and features a 70.6% screen-to-body ratio. It has 2.3GB of onboard memory, capable of storing up to 470 songs. It comes with a 450mAh cell with up to 12 days of battery life. It comes in two models-- Brown Leather and Infinite Black-- for Rs 18,999.
The regular GTR 3 comes with a 1.39-inch AMOLED HD display, a 450 mAh battery and can offer an extensive battery life of up to 21 days. That means up to three weeks on a single charge, and even longer if it is on Battery Saver Mode. It comes in two variants-- Thunder Black, Moonlight Grey-- for Rs 13,999.
The company also unveiled Amazfit GTS 3 series. It features a 1.75-inch HD AMOLED screen with 341 ppi. It comes with a 72.4% screen-to-body ratio. It comes with a 250mAh cell and promises to deliver up to 12 days of battery life.
It has a slim smartwatch display and the features match those of the GTR 3 almost across the board. The GTS 3 comes in three colours--Graphite black, Terra Rose, and Ivory White- for Rs 13,999.
All three Amazfit smartwatches come with an activity tracker and support more than 150 sports. Also, they come with a heart rate monitor system -- 6PD (photodiodes) BioTrackerTM PPG 3.0. It has the ability to test four health metrics in one tap, which includes heart rate, blood oxygen, stress level, and breathing rate in 45 seconds.
They also support menstrual cycle tracking and sleep pattern. Furthermore, they support message notifications, sedentary and drink water reminders, calendar, events and to-do lists, weather forecasts, Bluetooth remote camera control, and more.
Signify Philips HexaStyle LED downlight
The downlight offers high energy efficiency of 100 lumens per watt and is available in both warm white and cool white options and three wattages - 8W (Rs 750), 12W (Rs 1,025) and 15W (Rs 1,150). It also features the company’s EyeComfort Technology which is designed to be easy on the eyes.
Currently, downlights are only available in 2 shapes - round or square, that are installed as single units offering functional and ambient lighting.
Soundcore Life Note E 'Saina Nehwal' special edition
Life Note E true wireless earbuds come with triple-layer 10mm drivers and promise to deliver sound with 50% more bass.
It also comes with the unique and signature 3 EQ Modes - Soundcore Signature, the default EQ that delivers well-balanced sound with realistic mids, soaring treble, and rich bass, while Bass Booster enhances bass-heavy music and Podcast makes voices stand out clearly. To switch to a different mode, quickly press the right earbud three times and enjoy music, videos or more.
Soundcore Life Note E is equipped with an AI Algorithm to enhance voice pick-up and ensure seamless calls. The ergonomically designed earbuds come with snug and secure fit that lets the user feel the music and never the weight of the earbuds.
The earbuds come with a carrying case that acts as a portable charger that extends the playback time of the earbuds by up to 32 hours. The earbuds deliver up to 8 hours of music with a single charge. It costs Rs 2,799.
Ambrane Dots Slay TWS earphones
It sports a button-shaped design and matte black finish. Its ergonomic design ensures a secure fit and has IPX 4 water-resistant certification. The Ambrane Dots Slay true wireless earphones come with a multi-functional button for effortless accessibility. With just a finger tap, the earphones can switch between Music or calls seamlessly.
With 8mm dynamic drivers, it promises to generate highly accurate sound with superior clarity and boosted bass, taking every musical experience up a notch. The TWS( True Wireless Stereo) earphones offer heavy bass, ensuring ear bouncing beats without sacrificing clarity and treble. It comes packed with a 600mAh cell and offers up to 38 hours of playback time. It can play non-stop 8 hours of Music with just a single charge.
The TWS supports the latest Bluetooth V5.1 with a wireless range of 10m, enabling an instant and reliable wireless connection. It also packs the convenience of voice assistance (Siri and Google Assistant). It costs Rs 799.
Vivo Y3s
It comes with a 6.51-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 p) LCD screen, triple tray slots ((nano SIM-1 + nano SIM-2 + microSD), 12nm class MediaTek Helio P35 12nm processor (with ARM Cortex A53 cores), IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU, Android 11-based Funtouch OS 11 2GB RAM, 32GB storage (expandable), 13MP (f/2.2) with LED flash on the back, a 5MP (f/1.8) front snapper and a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charger.
Vivo Y3s comes in three colours--Starry Blue, Pearl White and Mint Green-- for Rs 9,490.
Tagg Verve Plus
Tagg Verve Plus comes with Realtek chipset and it promises improved performance, better accuracy, and UI fluidity over the predecessor. The watch also boasts Sense+TM Technology to give you accurate biometric readings.
It features a 1.69-inch ultra-wide IPS-LCD display with 240x280p resolution and offers a peak brightness of 500 nits.
Also, it supports 16 sports modes in addition to 24x7 body temperature, real-time SpO2, and heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. It can also track sleeping pattern, female health, and also supports goal tracker. With the full charge, it can last up to 10 days. It costs Rs 1,899.
Syska HE910 earphones
It comes with a noise cancellation feature and promises an immersive experience. It comes with a 10mm dynamic speaker which provides a deeper sound quality. It comes with three sizes of ear gel pairs – small, medium, and large to provide a comfortable fit to all ear types.
It is available in six colours--Energetic Blue, Lively Red, Fancy Pink, Wonderful White, Gorgeous Green, and Dynamic Black-- for Rs 499.
Apple MacBook Pro with M1 Max and M1 Pro silicon
new model will be available in two sizes-- 14.2-inch and 16.2-inch. They come with the Liquid Retina XDR display. It features sane the mini-LED technology used in the latest iPad Pro.
MacBook Pro will come with two chipset options-- M1 Pro and M1 Max. Both promise a giant leap in terms of efficient performance, faster graphics processing, and battery life.
The new M1 Pro silicon comes with an up-to-10-core CPU with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores, along with an up-to-16-core GPU. It promises to deliver up to 70 percent faster CPU performance than M1, and up to 2x faster GPU performance.
The M1 Max has the same powerful 10-core CPU as the M1 Pro, but with double GPU cores. It has a massive 32 cores for up to 4x faster GPU performance than M1.
The new MacBook Pro model starts at Rs 1,94,900 and Rs 1,75,410 for students via education plan.
Must read | Apple MacBook Pro: Key features you should know
Apple AirPods 3rd Gen
The new AirPods boasts some of the key features of AirPods Max and Pro models including Adaptive EQ that tunes sound in real-time based on how AirPods fit in the user’s ear.
Its inward-facing microphone monitors for sound, and then Adaptive EQ, powered by computational audio, tunes the low and mid frequencies to account for what may be lost due to variances in fit.
Also, it supports spatial audio. Using advanced spatial audio algorithms, and applying directional audio filters to subtly adjust the frequencies that each ear receives, the new AirPods can place sound all around the user.
With this, AirPods 3 users can feel a three-dimensional theatre-like experience, placing sound virtually anywhere in space, and with Dolby Atmos, users can also enjoy the multi-level experience with dynamic head tracking, so music, video, and even Group FaceTime calls feel more immersive compared to the previous iteration. It costs Rs 18,500.
Must read | Apple AirPods 3: Everything you need to know
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 Bespoke customisation service
With the new Bespoke personalisation option, prospective customers can select multiple colourways for the premium Galaxy Z Flip3.
Customers will be able to mix and match to create their own unique combination by choosing phone frame options of Black or Silver, and front and back colors of Blue, Yellow, Pink, White, or Black.
If the customer does not like the customised Galaxy Z Flip3, they can still return it and get a new device in a better colour combination. But, they have to subscribe to Bespoke Upgrade Care.
Device owners can register to replace their device panel with new colors at Samsung.com.
Nokia XR20
Nokia XR20 comes with IP68 and MIL-STD-810H military-standard certifications. The device can operate in varying degrees of temperature ranging from 55-degree to -20 degrees celsius.
Also, it can survive accidental fall up to 1.5m (around five feet) drop and also work even after submerged underwater up to depths of five feet for close to 30 minutes.
Nokia XR20 sports a 6.67-inch full HD+ (2400×1080p) display and supports wet hands and glove touch inputs, and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus shield, which is said to be the highest-rated screen protector for an Android phone.
Must read | Nokia XR20: Key features you should know
Google Pixel 6 series
Google's new phones come in two variants-- top-end Pixel 6 Pro and a regular Pixel 6.
The Pixel 6 Pro features 6.7-inch curved LTPO pOLED QHD+ (3120x1400p) with an adaptive display refresh rate (10Hz-120Hz) and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus shield, fingerprint-resistant coating, and IP68 dust-and-water-resistant.
It also features an in-display fingerprint sensor and dual SIM options.
Inside, it runs Android 12 backed by 12GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB / 256GB / 512GB (UFS 3.1) storage and a 5,003mAh battery with 30W fast charging and 23W wireless charging.
As far as the photography is concerned, it comes with a triple-camera module-- main 50MP wide (Samsung GN1 sensor, f/1.85, 82-degree field-of-view: FOV, LDAF: laser detect auto-focus sensor) backed by 12MP Ultra-wide camera (with Sony IMX386 sensor, f/2.2, 114-degree FOV) and a 48MP telephoto camera (with Sony IMX586 sensor, ƒ/3.5, 4X optical zoom, 23.5-degree FOV, 0.8 μm pixel width) with LED flash.
On the front, it features an 11.1MP front camera (with Sony IMX663 sensor, ƒ/2.2, 94-degree FOV, 1.22 μm pixel width).
Both the front and rear cameras can record 4K video recording at up to 60fps (frames per second).
The Pixel 6 sports a 6.4-inch full HD+(1080 x 2400p) AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus shield, fingerprint-resistant coating and IP68 dust-and-water resistant rating.
The Pixel 6 comes with Android 12 OS, 8GB LPDDR5 RAM, 128GB / 256GB UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4,614mAh battery with 30W fast charging and 21W wireless charging support.
It boasts a dual-camera module-- 50MP (with Samsung GN1 sensor, f/1.85, OIS, 82-degree FOV, LDAF) backed by 12MP Ultra-wide (114-degree FOV) camera (with Sony IMX386 sensor, f/2.2, spectral and flicker sensor) with LED flash. It also supports 4K video recording at up to 60fps.
On the front, it houses an 8MP (ƒ/2.0), 84-degree wide field of view, and 1.12 μm pixel width.
Both the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are powered by Google's proprietary Tensor chipset (2 x 2.80GHz Cortex-X1 + 2 x 2.25GHz Cortex-A76 + 4 x 1.80GHz Cortex-A55) with 848MHz Mali-G78 MP20 GPU and is integrated with Titan M2 security chipset.
The top-end Pixel 6 Pro comes in three configurations-- 12GB RAM + 128GB storage, 12GB RAM + 256GB storage and 12GB RAM + 512GB storage-- for $899 ( approx. Rs. 67,475), $999 (around Rs. 74,981) and $1,099 (roughly Rs 82,486), respectively.
The regular Pixel 6 comes in two variants--8GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage for $599 (approx. Rs. 44,958), and $699 (around Rs. 52, 490), respectively.
Must read | Google 6, 6 Pro: Everything you need to know
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