I am introducing cryptography.
Cryptography is used to secure and protect data during communication. Encryption is a process which transforms the original information into an unrecognizable form. Decryption is a process of converting encoded/encrypted data in a form that is readable and understood by a human or a computer.
At the start of this year, we made a list of the best smartphones available in India under Rs 10,000. It is time to refresh that list at the start of this new financial year. As always, we have made sure that each handset has at least 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, a good display and decent cameras. We also have a couple with more RAM and storage in this budget, and more than one handset with a 50MP camera. Excited to meet the top 5? Let’s go!
Best phones to buy under Rs 10,000 in India
Poco C55 We start with the latest of the lot, and also the only one to offer 6 GB RAM in this budget, the Poco C55. You also get 128 GB internal storage to go with it, which makes it quite a deal under 10K. There’s a dedicated MicroSD slot to expand it further while using two SIM cards at the same time. It has a 6.71-inch HD+ IPS display with a resolution of 1650 x 720 pixels and is powered by a more than decent MediaTek G85 SoC. Poco hasn’t skimped on a fingerprint sensor either, and one can find it at the back.
Speaking of the back, the Poco C55 has a leather-like texture at the rear giving it a premium feel. You get two cameras there with a combination of a 50MP primary camera with PDAF and a depth sensor. A 5MP selfie camera is located in a drop notch at the top of the screen. A 5000 mAh battery powers this phone for close to two days of moderate use. And last but not the least, it runs Android 12 with Xiaomi’s MIUI 13 on top.
Motorola G31 The Motorola G31 is another great option in this budget and is packed with impressive features. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen, which is quite rare in this budget. This phone too has a 50MP primary camera at the back, but the supporting cast is much better. You get an 8MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro camera. A 13MP selfie camera is located in a tiny punch hole at the top of the screen. The phone has a water-repellent design but no IP rating.
The Motorola G31 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chip that is powerful enough for day-to-day tasks. You get its 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal (expandable) storage variant in this budget. This phone too has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use. Like most Motorola phones, the G31 has a clean and near-stock Android user interface. It runs Android 11 and an Android 12 update has recently started rolling out.
Samsung Galaxy M13 Samsung Galaxy M13 is pretty much the F13 from the same company, just exclusive to a different e-commerce platform I suppose. The phone offers a good mix of features for its selling price. It is one of the few phones under 10K to offer a Full HD+ display. Its 6.6-inch screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. This phone is powered by Samsung’s Exynos 850 chip and comes with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage that can be expanded further up to 1 TB with a microSD card.
The photography department is pretty neat for a budget phone with three cameras at the back. This phone too has a 50MP primary camera, along with a 5MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP depth sensor. You also get an 8MP front camera for selfies and video calls. A big 6000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over two days of moderate use and also supports 15W fast charging. The Samsung Galaxy M13 runs Android 12 with One UI 4.1.
Infinix Hot 11 The Infinix Hot 11 retains its place in our list thanks to its impressive feature set. This phone has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ IPS display and is powered by a MediaTek Helio G70 SoC, which is a perfectly decent option for this budget. You get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal (expandable) storage here too. The camera department is modest with a 13MP primary camera assisted by a depth sensor. The 8MP front camera gets the job done when it comes to selfies and video calls.
This smartphone has a 5200 mAh battery that keeps it running for well over a day and a half of moderate use. The Infinix Hot 11 runs XOS 7.6 based on Android 11. A 2022 variant of this phone is also available for a similar price which offers a slightly larger 6.7-inch screen and a Unisoc T610 processor. The battery capacity is marginally lower at 5000 mAh. The rest of the specifications are the same. However, we still prefer its original variant.
Micromax IN Note 1 We started this list with a phone with 128 GB storage and we will end this list with one too. The Micromax IN Note 1 makes it to our list yet again, but this month you can get its higher capacity variant under 10K. It has a 6.67-inch Full HD+ screen with a tiny punch hole at the top that hosts a 16MP selfie camera. The X-shaped pattern at the back of the phone is eye-catching and adds to the phone’s style quotient. A 5000 mAh battery keeps it powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, and supports 18W fast charging.
Just like a couple of phones in this list, the Micromax IN Note 1 too is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 chip, and you get 4 GB RAM and 128 GB internal (expandable) storage to go with it. This phone has four rear cameras consisting of a 48MP primary camera, a 5MP ultrawide shooter, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The phone launched with Android 10, and an Android 11 update should be out by now.
The mere mention of a Sony Walkman brings back so many great memories (assuming you are old enough to know what an audio cassette is). What Xerox was to photocopiers and Google to search, Walkman was synonymous with portable audio cassette players back in the 80s and 90s.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
Other than a fashion statement for many, it was also a de facto device to make your music personal. From a cassette player, the Walkman metamorphosed into a portable CD player and eventually an ‘MP3 player’.
Over time, with smartphones assuming all entertainment duties and driving several gadgets like point-and-shoot cameras and media players into obsolescence, the Walkman lost its significance. To be honest, I don’t remember looking for one over the past decade or so.
But when Sony unexpectedly released their new Walkman earlier this month, the old memories came flooding back. I had to know what it looked like, how it performed, and how it planned to stay relevant in the smartphone era. We got our hands on one for a brief period, and I will answer all those questions and some more for you today.
What exactly is the new Sony Walkman NW-A306? The new Sony Walkman is a multi-format media player that can play most audio file formats and also videos, courtesy of an LCD screen. It runs Android 12 and one can download popular streaming services like YouTube or Spotify and stream content to this device over WiFi. Having said that, its speciality is crunching high-quality and near-lossless audio files for the best results.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
Does it look and feel like a classic Walkman of the 90s? No, it does not, nor was I expecting it to. But you do get the famous Walkman logo at the back of the device and an audio cassette player skin/wallpaper as a neat little throwback. Beyond that, nothing about it makes you nostalgic. In fact, this device looks more like an initial generation Sony Ericsson Android phone, probably because of its 3.6-inch 720p touchscreen display, and it does run Android too. The screen is quite sharp and responsive, but quite reflective.
The Sony Walkman NW-A306 is a compact device that fits nicely into your palm. The quality of materials used is quite good, and the build is sturdy and polished while keeping the weight down to just 113 grams. The rippled back is a nice design element and keeps smudge marks at bay. In addition to the touchscreen, you also get six physical buttons to control all the playback functions, and volume and to turn the screen or the device on and off.
You also get a hold slider to lock the keys in case you are worried about them getting pressed accidentally; not something you should worry about given that you need a decent amount of force to press the keys. There are no speakers on this device and you will have to use either wired or wireless earphones, headphones or speakers to listen to the content. You get a 3.5 mm headphone jack here along with the support of Bluetooth 5.0 to pair a device of your choice.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
What are its key features? As I mentioned at the start, while it can perfectly stream content or playback most media files, its primary purpose is to crunch near-lossless audio files like FLAC. If you have a collection of lossless FLAC files, the Sony Walkman NW-A306 is a great option to get the best out of them.
This player comes with 32 GB of internal storage out of which 18 GB is available for your files and installing more apps. If that’s not sufficient, there’s a MicroSD card slot to expand it further or to simply pop in your memory card loaded with ‘legal’ content.
Google Play store is available to give you access to pretty much any app of relevance on the platform. Wireless connectivity is good here with options like dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0. The codec support is even better with compliance with LDAC, aptX HD, AAC and SBC standards; with the first two being more relevant due to their higher bandwidth.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
Being a Sony product, you get support for 360 Reality Audio for an immersive experience in compatible content, and there’s DSEE Ultimate too to upscale and make compressed digital audio sound better. Then you have the S-Master HX digital amplifier and other high-end components to deliver high-quality output at 24-bit/96 kHz sampling rate and beyond.
How good is its battery backup? This is the tricky part. Your mileage will greatly vary depending on how you use this player and what you pair it with. Sony states a figure of 36 hours of audio playback for this Walkman, but when playing 128-bit mp3 files using wired earphones.
You certainly aren’t going to buy this device to play such low-bitrate content. So let’s get real. The number greatly varies when you play superior audio files like lossless FLAC or watch videos.
The battery figures drop further to less than half the theoretical maximum when listening to those FLAC files on wireless earphones. During our test process, we used wireless headphones and earphones with mainly LDAC codec and one with aptX codec briefly.
We got close to 16 hours of playtime out of it, which though not on the lines of the advertised figure, is pretty decent for a device like this given the amount of data it has to crunch while playing those high-quality audio files.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
Does the music sound better than it does on my Android phone? Yes, absolutely! But only if you use some high-quality earphones or headphones with it. You may not see much of a variance in entry-level wireless earphones. If you intend to use wireless earphones or headphones, choose one that is compliant with either LDAC or aptX HD codecs.
We used the Sony WH-1000XM5 for the better part of the test process and the results were excellent. While the XM5 sounds great even with the top quality Spotify Premium stream on smartphones, this Walkman elevated the experience to a new high.
Incidentally, I had a few old lossless FLAC files at hand too to try and get the best out of this player. The sound quality was topnotch with the three major frequency ranges well represented.
The detail in the audio was clearly a notch or two above what I have been experiencing on certain high-end Android phones. The clarity in mids was very good, the bass had a good thump without overstepping its boundaries and the highs had just the right amount of edge.
We also tried using certain midrange Soundcore TWS earbuds with aptX codecs. While I wasn’t expecting much of a jump in sound quality in comparison to smartphones, the audio actually sounded crisper than usual, which is pretty good. I tried pushing my luck further with some popular budget earphones like the OnePlus Buds Z2 but to no avail. There was hardly any discernible difference in audio when using earphones with AAC codecs.
Who should buy the Sony Walkman NW-A306? This is a very important question. Of course, if you have the money, you can buy whatever you want, but that’s not the point. This player is ideally suited for those who have a large collection of lossless audio files or access to a streaming service like Tidal that offers high-fidelity audio. In addition to that, you also need to have a high-quality listening gear, be it wired or wireless. Unlike the good old Walkmans from three decades ago, this doesn’t exactly have a mass appeal.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Ameya Dalvi
Price and verdict: The Sony Walkman NW-A306 can be purchased for Rs 25,990 in India with a one-year warranty. We wouldn’t call it affordable, but it is a niche product that addresses specific requirements. If a smartphone hasn’t been doing justice to your audio needs despite pairing it with quality earphones/headphones, by all means, you can consider buying this Walkman.
If you do not have the right headphones/earphones, nor are you keen on investing in one, it would be best to let your smartphone be the one-stop entertainment solution rather than carrying an extra device around.
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Generative AI has the ability to change the way we live and work, but it necessitates complicated computation. By working with industry partners to promote an open AI ecosystem, Intel hopes to make this technology available to everyone.
Generative AI requires a lot of computing power, which makes it important for hardware manufacturers to step up in a big way. Intel, with its Deep Learning Training Processor, the Intel Habana Gaudi2 is stepping up to the challenge in a major way.
ChatGPT, a creative AI chatbot, emphasises the importance of hardware and software solutions that allow AI to realise its maximum potential. An open ecosystem enables developers to create and implement AI anywhere while balancing power, price, and speed.
Intel is optimising open-source generative AI tools and libraries to allow better performance on its hardware accelerators. Hugging Face, a leading open-source machine learning library, revealed that Intel’s Habana Gaudi2 outperformed Nvidia’s A100-80G by 20 per cent when performing inference on the 176 billion parameters BLOOMZ model.
On the smaller 7 billion features BLOOMZ model, Gaudi2 performed three times quicker than A100-80G. Hugging Face Optimum Habana is a library that makes it easier to run big language models on Gaudi accelerators.
Furthermore, on 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs with built-in Intel AMX, Stability AI’s Stable Diffusion, a generative AI model for text-to-image creation, now operates 3.8 times quicker.
This acceleration was accomplished with no code modifications, and auto-mixed accuracy using the Intel Extension for PyTorch with Bfloat16 can further decrease delay to less than 5 seconds.
Intel’s 4th Generation Xeon processors provide a long-term and energy-efficient answer for large-scale AI tasks. With built-in accelerators such as Intel AMX, these CPUs can improve inference and training performance by 10x across a variety of AI use cases, while also increasing performance-per-watt by up to 14x over the previous iteration.
This method enables a build-once-and-deploy-everywhere plan with adaptable and open solutions.
While generative AI has the potential to greatly improve human skills, it must be developed and deployed in a human-centered and responsible manner.
To guarantee ethical practises and minimise ethical debt, transparent AI control via an open ecosystem is required. Intel is dedicated to democratising AI by investing in technology and fostering an open environment to satisfy the compute requirements of all facets of AI, including generative AI.
Intel is betting big on AI and is pushing to democratise access to computing and tools, including big language models, in order to lower expenses and increase equity. Personalized LLMs are being created for ALS people in order to enhance communication.
Intel promotes an open ecosystem to cultivate confidence and guarantee interoperability through a multidisciplinary strategy that focuses on amplifying human potential through human-AI cooperation and energy-efficient solutions. An open strategy is the path forward for AI.
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Pros – Excellent Battery life – Looks more expensive than it is – Solid build quality – Impressive main camera – Impressive Super AMOLED, 120Hz display – Samsung’s software update policy
Cons – 25W charging, with no charging brick in the box – Teardrop notch is unflattering on the display – Could have been priced a little more aggressively – More than usual bloatware and banner ads
Price: Rs 30,999 for the 8GB + 128GB variant Rating: 4/5
The mid-range segment in the Indian smartphone market is already very heated. So, in order to stand out, and ensure that people actually consider your offerings, you really need to step your game up. That is exactly what Samsung has done with their latest Galaxy A34 5G and Galaxy A54 5G smartphones.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
In this review, we will take a look at the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G and how, despite some issues here and there, it shapes up to be a pretty good value-for-money smartphone.
As with most of their recent launches, for the Galaxy A34 5G, Samsung has focussed on the overall experience of what consumers really want in terms of performance and experience in a mid-level smartphone – flagship-like premium looks, performance that is stable and strong, and long continuous support. And of course, tons of features.
The Galaxy A34 5G is a pretty solid phone. So, what is the Galaxy A34 5G’s performance like, and more importantly, does it justify the price that Samsung is asking for it? We take a look.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review: The design In terms of design, the Samsung Galaxy A34 5G is as premium looking as the more expensive and premium, S23 and the S23 Plus. The subtle differences that crop up come because of the materials used in the construction of the device.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
Our test device was a light, lime green coloured one, and because of the rear panel’s faint prism tint, it looked quite stylish. The polycarbonate back panel also has a hazy pattern to it, which, when combined with the prism effect looks really cool when the light catches it at an unusual angle.
Other than the lime green, which Samsung is calling Awesome Lime you get to choose from two more colours – Awesome Silver and Awesome Graphite. The Awesome Graphite, or the black-coloured model, looks even better in our opinion.
On the front of the display, we get to see a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED panel, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The display also has a centred teardrop notch that houses a couple of sensors and a front-facing camera. Of all the design choices that Samsung has made for the Galaxy A34, the teardrop notch, is the weakest one, but more on that later.
The device has the slightest hint of bezels, but we can’t really call it thick. Yes, the bottom bezel is a little thicker than the rest, but in everyday day-to-day use, it’s hardly discernible.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
On the right side of the smartphone, we have our volume rockers and the power button. The left side has no buttons. On the top, we get a mic and the hybrid SIM tray, using which, you can either add a second SIM card or use a microSDXC card.
At the bottom, we see a speaker grille that houses one of the speakers, as well as the USB Type-C port and another mic.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
At the rear, we get to see the three rear cameras laid out linearly, along with the LED flash. There is no housing around the camera as such which actually gives the device a premium and minimalistic appeal, which only gets accentuated by the metal deco rings around each camera. This adds to the premium look of the device.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
The front panel, as well as the rear panel, are flat, whereas the railing, which is made using plastic, is slightly curved, which makes the device very easy and comfortable to hold. This also makes the Galaxy A34 feel strongly built and solid. The device also comes with an IP 67 rating, which means it deals well with dust and is water resistant up to 1 metre for 30 minutes.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review: The display The display is one of the strongest aspects of the Galaxy A34 5G. Given that this is what a user will be looking at and interacting with most of the time, Samsung has ticked almost all of the boxes that would make the display in the A34 5G, truly the best in class.
We get a 6.6-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen, which has a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1000 nits. The display consists of a panel that has a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, set in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
The display is a quintessentially Samsung display that is found in its top-of-the-line premium range of smartphones – it is vibrant, contrasty and a joy to look at. The colour reproduction is awesome and lively and is very pleasing to the eyes. While the blacks may not be as crushing as some of the other premium display panels that we find in higher-end Samsung devices, they get pretty dark. Games and content look as sharp as a tack.
As we said, there’s just a hint of a bezel around the display, but not anywhere near a level where it would be considered egregious.
The only aspect where the front display lets down users is the teardrop notch that it comes with. At this price point, the design looks very odd and dated. Other than that, the display is as good as it gets for a mid-level smartphone.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
The display in the A34 5G also comes with some eye-protection features. For example, it comes with an SGS Eyecare certification, which means the display significantly reduces the emission of blue light.
All in all the display is an aspect where the A34 5G really stands strong, over and beyond most of its customers.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review: The camera The Samsung Galaxy A34 5G has a triple camera setup at the rear. The main camera is a 48MP sensor, paired with an f1.8 lens, which also comes with a much better, wider and enhanced OIS, and VDIS compared to older devices in the Galaxy A series. This allows the A34 5G to take better photos and videos in low light, and help deal with blurs in a much better manner.
Next, is the ultrawide 8MP camera and an f2.2 lens, and finally a 5MP macro camera with an f2.4 lens. At the front, we get a 13MP selfie camera, which gets the job done pretty well.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
The primary sensor has great clarity and sharpness and captures images with great detail. The dynamic range is also pretty solid, and the colours are vivid. When given enough light, the smartphone can take some pretty awesome photos.
During the night too, the images taken were pretty solid. Yes, there were some signs of Samsung’s software working its magic, but it wasn’t too aggressive or off-putting.
The detail in the selfies is also rather impressive. The shots are occasionally oversharpened, although that doesn’t appear too horrible. The skin tones are accurately captured. The front-facing camera does have the tendency to overexpose the face a little.
We also liked how Portrait mode works on the A34 5G. Edge detection is spot on most of the time, but there is scope for some improvement through an OTA update.
The ultrawide camera could have been a little better. Images taken from the ultrawide image don’t look as sharp as the ones from the main camera.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
You also get an AI image enhancer feature which just sorts out your photos in all the right ways – it takes care of the highlights and pulls them down when needed, and boosts up the shadows when required. It reduces noise very subtly and also helps with the dynamic range for a better HDR image.
The front cameras can shoot videos at up to 4K at 30fps while the rear camera can shoot videos at 4K at 30fps & 1080p at 30 and 60fps.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review: The performance, software experience and UI Thanks to a MediaTek 1080 octa-core CPU and the Mali-G68 MC4 GPU, the Samsung Galaxy A34 is a pretty capable smartphone. The SoC’s performance feels quite snappy in routine, day-to-day tasks and juggling between apps, because it has been properly optimised for the Galaxy A34.
Our device had 128GB of internal UFS 2.2 storage and 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM. We also get Samsung’s RAM Plus, which gives us the ability to add an additional 8GB RAM. Storage won’t be an issue because you also have a dedicated microSDXC slot that can accommodate cards up to 1TB.
The A34 performs decently well in benchmark tests, giving the impression that it is just good enough in terms of performance. However, it performed admirably in our daily usage, which included some very intensive gaming sessions and a lot of multitasking.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
The device handled games like Asphalt 9 and Call of Duty Mobile very easily. We were able to play these games at the medium settings and were consistently getting 60fps, without any issues.
The OneUI 5 operating system, which is based on Android 13, powers the Samsung Galaxy A34. This is a huge plus because you get Android 13 right out of the box. Despite being a mid-range smartphone, the Galaxy A34 offers some of the best features that Samsung’s One UI has to offer. For instance, it has some of the best Knox Security features from Samsung. You also get features like Voice Focus, which improves your voice during regular as well as video calls and virtually eliminates all other background noise.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
As is the case with most mid-level smartphones, there is some bloatware, mainly in the form of Samsung’s own apps and some other very popular apps. What is really egregious though is Samsung’s Galaxy Widget, which serves up ads for all sorts of apps. Yes, it can be disabled but given the cost of the device, we feel that this was uncalled for.
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The Samsung Galaxy A34 has WiFi, Bluetooth 5.3, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port for connectivity. The device has a pair of stereo speakers that can be rather loud but could use some fine-tuning. Still, playing games and watching stuff sans headphones is pretty awesome.
The Device has all the necessary 5G bands including N1, N3, N5, N7, N8, N28, N66 N40, N41, N77, and N78. During our 5G tests, we were easily getting about 475-500MPBS at about 500 metres away from a tower, which is usually where and how we do these tests.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review:The battery life The Galaxy A34 5G’s battery has a capacity of 5000mAh. Even though the smartphone features an OLED panel with a high refresh rate and high resolution, battery life is fantastic due to the gadget’s highly optimised SoC and OS.
We consumed roughly 13–15 per cent of the battery in an hour of intense gaming and video consumption while using the built-in stereo speakers and the display set to 75 per cent screen brightness.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
At 70 per cent brightness, you can easily get more than 8-9 hours of screen time and more than 17 hours of usage time. Our regular usage consisted of watching videos, accessing the internet, playing a few video games, checking emails, holding office conference calls, etc.
Samsung says that you can get about two days of power from the battery. Although we did not try to test that claim, we can see why they would claim that.
TheGalaxy A34supports 25W wired charging, provided you have a supporting charging brick. The device does not come with a charging brick, but only with a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Considering what the device costs, and that smartphones in this budget have started supporting up to 80W charging, Samsung really needs to work on a better fast charging mechanism. Usually, it would take us just over 2 hours to get the device charged from zero per cent to 100, using a 65W third-party charging brick.
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G review:The verdict The Galaxy A34 ticks a lot of the boxes which makes it a compelling device to buy. Yes, it seems to be priced slightly on the higher side if you compare it to some of its other competitors from brands like Realme, iQOO, and Vivo. Then, there’s the fact that Samsung is already selling some of its former flagships at a similar price point.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
However, there are a couple of advantages of going with Samsung that other smartphone brands simply don’t have an answer for. First, there is the breadth and depth of Samsung’s after-sales services, something that most other players in the mid-level segment haven’t been able to establish even after all these years. Then, there is Samsung’s guarantee of giving updates, under which, every Samsung device will be eligible for four major Android updates and 5 years of security updates.
Had the Galaxy A34 been a little competitively priced, recommending the smartphone would have been a no-brainer. Having said that, at Rs 30,999, it ticks a lot of the correct boxes for someone who’s looking for a budget smartphone from a reputable and established brand that performs well, has a solid camera system, and has a great battery life.
Image Credit: Tech2 | Mehul Reuben Das
Value for money doesn’t necessarily mean the cheapest option out here. Therefore, all things considered, the Galaxy A34 is a device that screams value for money.
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MSI not only makes some of the most powerful and capable gaming laptops around, but also some of the balanced, value-for-money designs as well. Their Sword, Katana, and Cyborg lines in particular stand out for offering an exceptional combination of high performance at affordable price points. These laptops are perfect for mainstream gamers and students alike.
Without exception, all of these laptops feature high-refresh rate screens, fast CPUs and GPUs, exceptional cooling, and plenty of connectivity options. They’re also very well designed and pack in some of the most powerful laptop hardware around.
MSI Sword 15
This one’s powered by an Intel Core i7-13620H and RTX 4060 graphics. Thanks to a MUX switch, the GPU’s full potential is delivered to your display. Thanks to MSI’s CoolerBoost 5 with Shared-Pipe Design tech, both the CPU and GPU can better balance their output based on your needs.
The design is also very nice, with a pleasant colour featuring a white body and blue backlight. There’s also plenty of I/O, including HDMI 2.1 support (that’s 8K 60 output if you want it) and 5 Gbps USB-A and -C with DisplayPort out.
The CPU-GPU combo available here is excellent for gaming on. You can expect well over 60 FPS at high settings in most games, even with RTX on, and esports titles like CS: GO or Valorant will take full advantage of that 15.6” 144 Hz display.
MSI Katana 15 and 17
While specced similarly to the Sword 15, these Katanas up your game with a trendy design, a neat, “digital-brick texture” and more interesting backlighting. You can also opt for a larger 17.3” FHD 144 Hz display, which can come in handy for gaming as well as studies or work.
That RTX 4060 is about 1.5x faster than the previous gen RTX 3060, helping gamers achieve around 60 FPS in even demanding games like Cyberpunk 2077 with RTX and DLSS enabled.
We’d recommend the Katana 15 if you want a style and portability, and the Katana 17 if you prefer a larger screen for work or studies. Either way, these are easily some of the best deals in gaming.
MSI Cyborg 15
One of the best value-for-money deals right now is the MSI Cyborg 15. Its incredible value stems from the fact that MSI has paired an RTX 4060 GPU with a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-12650H. Since most games are GPU-bound, the CPU does not affect gaming performance any that we can see. Cinebench R23 scores stand at 11500, and gaming benchmarks indicated that 70-100 FPS is possible in most modern games at high settings. MSI CoolerBoost tech ensures that there’s no slowdown when gaming for long sessions.
True to its name, the Cyborg also happens to be one of the coolest looking laptop in its category. The translucent plates and keys stand out, especially with the backlit keyboard.
The Cyborg 15 is easily one of MSI’s most powerful and balanced offering for casual gamers and students.
MSI Katana GF 66 and GF76
If you want the goodness of Katana design but don’t need the raw power of a 4060 GPU, the older Katana GF66 and GF76 models are perfect! They’re much cheaper since they offer an Intel Core i7-12700H and up to an RTX 3060, but these components are still very powerful, can run the latest games at high settings, and the hardware won’t get obsolete anytime soon.
These are a great deal if you’re on a tighter budget.
This is a Partnered Post.
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If you are looking for a flagship phone with excellent cameras, extremely powerful processors and high-end displays without spending close to a six digit sum, you should continue reading. We have capped our budget at 75K, and yet there are some great handsets to choose from. From that lot, we have shortlisted six smartphones for you that we believe are the best under Rs 75,000 this month. Here are your options.
Best phones to buy under Rs 75,000 in India
Google Pixel 7 Pro Google’s flagship smartphone was officially priced at Rs 84,999 in India at launch and is now selling for 3K less. Even better, it is possible to get it well under 75K on Flipkart by getting a flat Rs 10,000 discount on multiple credit and debit cards on the platform. The Pixel 7 Pro is powered by Google’s next-gen Tensor G2 processor and offers 12 GB RAM and 128 GB internal storage. It has a 6.7-inch QHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate and 1500 nits peak brightness. The HDR10+ compliant screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The sizable phone sports a classy design with IP68 rated ingress protection.
You get by far the best Android 13 experience on this device, thanks to the purest version of Android with the Material You design language. No surprise the Google Pixel 7 Pro is great at photography courtesy of three cameras at the back. You get a 50MP primary camera with OIS, along with a 48MP telephoto camera with OIS for up to 5X optical zoom and surprisingly good 30X digital zoom. The 12MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus doubles up as a macro camera too. They do a great job in different lighting and modes.
Samsung Galaxy S23 5G Speaking of credit card discounts, it is applicable for the new Samsung Galaxy S23 5G too. You get an instant 5K off using various credit cards on different online platforms on the 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage variant of this phone, thus bringing it within our budget. This phone is quite compact, and elegant and has IP68-rated dust and fluid resistance. The phone sports an aluminium frame and has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and back. It has a 6.1-inch Full HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a peak brightness of 1750 nits, HDR10+ compliance and a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The photography department has been carried forward from its predecessor and comprises three cameras at the back starting with a 50MP primary camera with dual pixel PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultra-wide camera with Super Steady video support and a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom. The camera performance is among the best in business currently and can record videos in 8K resolution. The phone runs Android 13 with Samsung’s One UI 5.1.
Apple iPhone 13 With Google and Samsung featuring in this list, we cannot leave Apple out, can we? The price of the Apple iPhone 13 has dropped since the arrival of the iPhone 14 series, and there’s hardly any difference between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 (non-Pro) models, so why spend more for nothing? The 256 GB variant of the Apple iPhone 13 can easily be purchased in this budget. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size, and is rugged with an IP68 rating for dust and fluid resistance. It launched with iOS 15, and is upgradable to iOS 16, with more OS updates to follow.
The Apple iPhone 13 has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels, and is compliant with HDR10 and Dolby Vision. It is powered by Apple’s previous flagship A15 Bionic chip that also powers the iPhone 14. There are two 12MP cameras at the back with the primary lens offering optical image stabilisation, and the secondary capable of capturing ultra-wide shots. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from all iPhones.
OnePlus 11 5G OnePlus makes a return to our sub-75K list after a prolonged absence. The OnePlus 11 5G is packed with a lot of features that are generally associated with the Pro variant. This stylish phone has a 6.7-inch curved LTPO3 AMOLED display with a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels. This HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, up to 120 Hz variable refresh rate and can get up to 1300 nits bright. The phone runs OxygenOS 13 based on Android 13 and one can expect several OS and security updates going forward.
The OnePlus 11 5G is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and you get its top variant with a whopping 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage in this budget with a lot to spare. The rear camera department is loaded to the brim. It is helmed by a 50MP primary camera with OIS and Hasselblad’s colour tuning. The support cast is equally impressive with a 48MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus that also doubles up as a macro camera and a 32MP telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom. Its 5000 mAh battery can last for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 100W charger juices it up in just 25 minutes.
iQOO 11 5G Here’s another phone in this list powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. The iQOO 11 5G comes with either 8 GB or 16 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. It has a sharp 10-bit 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant E6 AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440 pixels and 144 Hz refresh rate. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The phone’s 5000 mAh battery lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 120W fast charger claims to charge 50% of it in just 8 minutes, and fully in less than half an hour.
The rear camera department consists of a 50MP primary camera with a Samsung GN5 sensor and OIS, accompanied by an 8MP ultra-wide camera. Giving them company is a 13MP telephoto camera that provides 2X optical zoom, and also doubles up as a portrait camera. The 16MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls. The iQOO 11 5G runs Android 13 with FunTouch OS 13.
iQOO 9 Pro 5G While the iQOO 11 5G is newer and more powerful, the iQOO 9 Pro 5G still has a couple of extra tricks up its sleeve. It is powered by a generation-old Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip that is still extremely potent, and you get 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage with it. This phone too has a sharp 6.78-inch HDR10+ compliant AMOLED display with 3200 x 1440 pixels resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and the capability of displaying over a billion colour shades. The phone launched with Android 12, and an Android 13 update with FunTouch OS 13 has started rolling out.
The rear camera department here is even more stacked than the iQOO 11. You get a 50MP primary camera with Gimbal OIS, accompanied by another 50MP ultra-wide camera with auto-focus and 150-degrees FOV. And lastly, there’s a 16MP telephoto camera with OIS that facilitates 2.5X optical zoom. The 16MP front camera does a good job with selfies and video calls. The iQOO 9 Pro 5G’s 4700 mAh battery can last over a day of moderate use, and the charging is even faster with the 120W fast charger taking it from near empty to full in just 20 minutes. In addition, it supports 50W fast wireless charging too.
MSI’s Stealth 14 and 16 Studio for 2023 feature a heady mix of eye-catching design and a thin-n-light performance that will be appreciate by today’s trendy, new-age workforce.
These are amazing laptops, featuring cutting-edge internals, superb cooling systems, a modern design, and the performance to give any decent gaming laptop a run for its month.
They’re available in various colours, but we will admit to having a weakness for the stylish white finish, especially with the gold and grey accents for the logo. The magnesium-aluminium alloy chassis used in both the MSI Stealth 14 Studio and MSI Stealth 16 Studio is very strong but also light and sturdy, allowing both devices to stay under 2 kg in weight.
Both laptops support Thunderbolt 4 and 10 Gbps USB speeds, as well as HDMI 2.1. The larger Stealth 16 Studio incorporates a microSD card as well as an RJ45 Ethernet jack.
MSI Stealth 16 Studio: No-compromise ultra-light
The Stealth 16 Studio is what we’d recommend to professionals and gamers who really need a large screen and the performance to match. This model is powered by a powerful, 13thGen Intel Core i7 CPU and paired with Nvidia’s RTX 4070 GPU.
These are power-hungry components and so they’re fed by a monster 99.9 WHr battery and cooled using MSI’s CoolerBoost 5 with Shared-Pipe Design. This new cooling system is what gives the Stealth 16 its edge over the competition. Thanks to the shared pipe design, the laptop is able to better balance the load between the CPU and GPU, allowing for optimum performance when working or gaming. Its 6-speaker array is one of the best in the business.
With the laptop scoring well over 60 fps in most games, gaming performance isn’t an issue. Thanks to that powerful CPU and Nvidia RTX support, there’s also plenty of power on tap for coders, 3D artists, and content creators. Depending on your work, you can either opt for a 16” UHD+ 120 Hz panel or a 16” QHD+ 240 Hz one. Both support DCI-P3 wide-gamut colours, and are a great choice for anyone.
The laptop is available in pure white and star blue.
MSI Stealth 14 Studio: Premium thin-n-light
The Stealth 14 is what you go for if you prefer portability over screen size. It’s smaller, yes, and at 1.7 kg, lighter as well. However, there is no compromise on performance here, or looks.
That eye-catching dual-tone black and white design is inspired by space travel, and there’s a beautifully crafted RGB strip adorning the rear. It’s subtly done and really adds to the aesthetic of the Stealth 14. As with the Stealth 16, you can also get a star blue variant if you prefer.
The CPU is a powerful Intel Core i7-13700H, and can get Nvidia RTX 4060 graphics. Cooling is just as good thanks to MSI’s vapor chamber system, which uses its high heat capacity to help the laptop run cooler and quieter for longer. It’s also an extremely efficient system for cooling a thin-n-light machine like the 14.
We’d strongly recommend the Stealth 14 for creators, gamers, and professionals who travel a lot. Its low weight and form factor make it an excellent travel companion, and thanks to HDMI 2.1, you can setup a fast, high-res gaming monitor at home or at work for when you need a larger screen.
The MSI Stealth 14 and Stealth 16 Studio are two of the most capable and powerful thin-n-light gaming laptops you can get today. No-compromise performance and superb designs mean that your choice only comes down to form factor.
This is a Partnered Post.
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Australia celebrate after beating India by 21 runs in the ODI series decider in Chennai With the win, Australia clinched the ODI series 2-1. SportzpicsAustralia won the toss and opted to bat first. Mitchell Marsh top-scored for them as he made 47 runs, to take Australia to 269. APKuldeep Yadav celebrates with India skipper Rohit Sharma after dismissing David Warner during the third ODI in Chennai Kuldeep finished with figures of 3/56 from 10 overs. SportzpicsSenior India batter Virat Kohli plays a shot during the third ODI against Australia in Chennai. Kohli scored a half-century, eventually being dismissed for 54. SportzpicsAshton Agar (right) celebrates with Marnus Labuschagne after dismissing Virat Kohli (54) during the third ODI between India and Australia in Chennai. SportzpicsAustralia pacer Sean Abbott celebrates after dismissing India skipper Rohit Sharma during the third ODI in Chennai. Rohit managed just 30 off 17 balls. SportzpicsThe Australian players celebrate the dismissal of India opener Shubman Gill during the third ODI in Chennai. Shubman was out for 37 after being dismissed by Adam Zampa Sportzpics
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According to IQAir’s fifth annual World Air Quality Report 2022, India was the eighth-most polluted nation in the world in 2022, with a yearly average PM2.5 concentration of 53.3 micrograms per cubic metre. Out of the 50 cities on the ranking of the most polluted in the globe, 39 are in India.
Image Credit: Dyson
According to the study, India is the eighth most polluted nation in the globe, with Delhi ranking fourth. Other sources of pollution include manufacturing facilities, coal-fired power stations, and biomass burning, which account for 20-35 per cent of PM2.5 pollution.
This means that breathing Delhi’s air can have serious health consequences, such as respiratory infections, asthma, allergies, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer.
To protect yourself and your family from these harmful effects, you need a good air purifier that can effectively filter out the pollutants and allergens from the indoor air.
Here are five air purifiers that would suit residents in Delhi, even during the summers:
Dyson Purifier Cool Formaldehyde(TP09)
Image Credit: Dyson
The Dyson Purifier CoolTM Formaldehyde is continuously refining and iterating to represent the newest technology in three key areas: detect, catch, and project. It identifies airborne particles and gases autonomously, and then analyses and records them in real-time. There are numerous interior pollution sources that emit contaminants into the air such as PM10, PM2.5, VOCs, NO2, and formaldehyde. This newest purification machine eliminates 99.95% of particulates as tiny as 0.1 microns and is equipped with new solid-state formaldehyde sensing technology, which is intended to catch ultrafine dust and allergens while also eliminating potentially hazardous VOCs such as formaldehyde. Price: Rs 41,900
Philips AC2887/20 Air Purifier
Image Credit: Philips
This is another reliable option that comes with Philips’ patented AeraSense technology that can detect and display the PM2.5 level in the air. It has a three-layer filtration system that consists of a pre-filter, an activated carbon filter and a HEPA filter that can remove up to 99.97% of particles as small as 0.003 microns from the air. It also has a Turbo mode that can boost its performance during high pollution episodes. Price: Rs 23,559
Coway Sleek Pro AP-1009 Air Purifier
Image Credit: Coway
This is a sleek and compact device that can fit into any space without compromising on its efficiency. It has a four-stage filtration system that includes a pre-filter, an anti-bacterial filter, a deodorization filter and a HEPA filter that can eliminate up to 99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns from the air. It also has an air quality indicator that changes colour according to the pollution level. Price: Rs 34,900
Mi Air Purifier 3
Image Credit: Mi
This is an affordable yet powerful device that can cover up to 484 sq ft of area with its CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) of 380 m3/hour. It has a three-layer filtration system that comprises a pre-filter, an activated carbon filter and a true HEPA filter that can capture up to 99% of particles as small as 0.3 microns from the air. It also has an OLED touch display that shows the PM2.5 level, temperature and humidity in real-time. Price: Rs 12,999
Honeywell Air Touch V4 Indoor Air Purifier
Image Credit: Honeywell
This air purifier has a three-stage filtration system that includes a washable pre-filter, an activated carbon filter with anti-bacterial coating, and a HEPA filter with H11 grade efficiency. It can cover up to 93 square meters of area and has a CADR of 500 cubic meters per hour. It also has Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to control it remotely via an app. Price: Rs 19,299
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Snap Inc. and YouGov, a worldwide Internet-based market research and data analytics company, released the findings of their combined study to evaluate customer attitudes and key trends that make the digital generation pleased.
According to the poll results, 4 out of 5 internet users in India perceive Snapchat to be a fun and happy location. 97 per cent of users identify the words Happy, Fun, Creative, or Trendy with Snapchat, and 87 per cent consider Snapchat to be “the best” platform among competitors for using creative lenses/filters and sharing special/happy moments with loved ones.
According to the story, Snapchat’s AR shopping try-on glasses have sparked a lot of curiosity among users. These try-on glasses give their purchasing experience a playful spin, allowing them to discover new and pertinent goods in an entertaining and useful manner. Furthermore, buying with AR lenses aids decision-making, with 4 out of 5 users saying they would be less likely to return apparel if they could try it on first.
The poll included an equal number of boys and girls between the ages of 18 and 29. The poll included respondents from 17 cities, including Tier 1 cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Bangalore, as well as Tier 2 towns such as Bhopal, Surat, Patna, and Kanpur.
Festivals are an important part of Indian culture, and Indians enjoy using glasses to send greetings to their loved ones. According to the study, 80 per cent of users favour Snapchat for spending holidays with loved ones, and AR lenses are Snapchat’s top feature for celebrating holidays and special events.
Deepa Bhatia, General Manager, YouGov India, commented on the survey’s collaboration with Snapchat and current consumer trends. “Our survey shows that, when compared to general social media users, Snapchat users are more likely to share personal stories and pictures, and also enjoy adding filters and using lenses when it comes to pictures,” she said. Snapchat users love the ability to use inventive filters and glasses. However, it goes above and beyond for consumers. Many people see the platform as a way to interact with their community and enjoy holidays with loved ones.”
“At Snapchat, our mission is to enhance real relationships with friends, family, and the world, and empower Snapchatters to live in the moment and have fun together,” said Kanishk Khanna, Director, Media Partnerships for APAC, Snap Inc. It’s great to see Snapchat using innovative AR technology for visual messaging to help share pleasure across India.
According to survey respondents, Snapchat exudes optimism and plays an important role in connecting businesses and consumers. This is accomplished through entertaining and trendy methods that aid in the finding of new and relevant goods.
The ability to openly communicate oneself online is critical to fostering happiness among users. According to the study, 63 per cent of Snapchat users feel safe when sharing stories and pictures on the app. This feeling of confidence enables users to express themselves creatively, have fun, and form strong ties with friends and family.
Snapchat performed this poll with YouGov India following the release of its debut Digital Well-Being Index (DWBI) to understand the digital safety of Gen Z, in which India received the highest DWBI score of 68. Both studies’ results highlight how India’s digital youth thrives in a safe and happy atmosphere.
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