From smartphones to tablets and PCs, fingerprint unlocking has seen a gradual surge in popularity in the last couple of years. However, the technology is now shifting gears and moving to a new territory: cars. According to a report by The Korean Herald, South Korean auto giant Hyundai has showcased a car that will allow drivers to unlock and start the vehicle by simply using their fingerprints. The car in question is Hyundai’s premium SUV, the Santa Fe. The company showcased the car – and the tech – at an auto show in China.
A car that can be unlocked with your fingerprint (Best of the best: 15 top smartphones launched in 2018)
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| A car that can be unlocked with your fingerprint (Best of the best: 15 top smartphones launched in 2018) |
How fingerprint sensor will work in the car
The fingerprint sensor will be in the door handle as well as at the ignition point. The good thing is that the car will allow multiple drivers to enrol their fingerprint data. What’s even better is that as soon as the fingerprint is recognised the car will adjust the angle of rear-view mirrors and the position of the seat.
As of now, the feature will come to the Hyundai Santa Fe in China and is expected to debut in 2019. A report by Engadget further explains that Hyundai uses “human capacitance” to make sure that no one can hack or fake fingerprints. According to Hyundai, the system has an error rate of 1 in 50,000. The new Santa Fe in China will also Baidu’s voice recognition and will offer a wireless mobile phone charger.
While fingerprint tech has been around in cars, Hyundai will be the first manufacturer to use it in a vehicle’s door handle. The car also comes equipped with Chinese internet giant Baidu's voice recognition system and a wireless phone charger. As of now it has been reported that Hyundai will launch the car in China only. It is expected to roll out on the roads in early 2019.
2018 would go down as the year when smartphone industry attempted some radical innovations. Some worked out, while some fizzled out. Since we have almost reached the end of the year 2018 and it is time to take a look back at all the smartphones that grabbed our attention. Here is a list of 15 smartphones that had something noteworthy to offer across price segments and were launched this year: Note: The smartphones in the list are in random order.
Best of the best: 15 top smartphones launched in 2018
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| A car that can be unlocked with your fingerprint (Best of the best: 15 top smartphones launched in 2018) |
Apple iPhone XS Max (starting price of Rs 1,09,900): Best iPhone so far
Big screen, big bucks. Apple’s best iPhone of the year (review) boasts of a 6.5-inch display. That’s not all, it also has a processor that has consistently been rated the best in the business. The only thing that works against is the high price tag it carries. It is powered by A12 Bionic chip and offers a dual rear camera setup of 12-megapixel wide-angle and telephoto cameras. On the front, there is a 7-megapixel sensor. It comes in three storage variants of 64GB (Rs 1,09,900), 256GB (1,24,900) and 512GB (Rs 1,44,900).
Google Pixel 3XL (starting price of 78,500): Best camera smartphone of the year 2018
As always the best camera in a smartphone belonged to Google’s Pixel 3 XL (review). It’s remarkable that while other brands keep falling over each other to put two, three and now even four cameras, Google wields magic with just a single camera of 12.2-megapixel sensor. Other specs of the handset include a 6.3-inch QHD+ OLED screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB RAM and two storge variants -- 64GB (Rs 78,500) and 128GB (87,500).
OnePlus 6T (starting price of Rs 37,999): Best all-in-one Android smartphone
In terms of offering a complete Android experience, OnePlus 6T (review) is one of the obvious choices for a buyer. The device offers a nearly stock Android experience with the latest Android 9.0 Pie, powerful performance of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, in-display fingerprint sensor and much more. It comes in three storage variants -- 6GB RAM +128 GB (Rs 37,999), 8GB RAM +128 GB (Rs 41,999) and 8GB RAM + 256GB (Rs 43,999).
Apple iPhone XR (starting price of Rs 76,900): 'Most-affordable' new iPhone
If you want to experience the powerful processors -- A12 Bionic -- of the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max at a slightly lower cost, then iPhone XR (review) is the handset to go for. However, you may have to make compromises in terms of having a single rear camera and an LCD display. On the plus side, it is the only iPhone that offers six colour options -- Red, Yellow, White, Coral, Black, Blue. It comes in three storage options -- 64GB (Rs 76,900), 128GB (Rs 81,900) and 256GB (Rs 91,900).
Huawei P20 Pro (Rs 59,999): World's first smartphone with triple rear camera
In terms of innovation, with the P20 Pro (review) is Huawei took the title of becoming the first smartphone manufacturer to offer three rear cameras that includes a 20MP monochrome sensor, 40MP RGB sensor and an 8MP telephoto sensor. Some of the other specifications are 6.1-inch full HD+ OLED display, 24MP front-facing camera, octa-core Kirin 970 processor, 6GB RAM, 128GB inbuilt storage, 4000mAh battery -- all of that priced at Rs 59,999.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (starting price of Rs 67,900): Best phablet of the year 2018
With the Galaxy Note 9 (review), Samsung introduced a much improved S-Pen with Bluetooth support. Using the S-Pen, users can click pictures, access apps, make presentations and much more. Other specs of the handset include Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 4000mAh battery, up to 512GB internal storage, water-carbon cooling system. It comes in two storage variants -- 128GB (Rs 67,900) and 512GB (84,900).
Xiaomi Poco F1 (starting price of Rs 19,999): 'Most-powerful' smartphone under Rs 20,000
The Poco F1 (review) makes it to the list just because it offers a flagship processor -- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 -- as the other handsets that offer the same processor are nowhere nearly priced as this device. Other specs of the handset include 6.18-inch FHD+ screen, 4000mAh battery, 12MP+5MP rear cameras, 20MP front camera and more. It comes in three storage variants -- 6GB+128GB (Rs 19,999), 6GB+64GB (Rs 22,999), 8GB+256GB (Rs 27,999).
Samsung Galaxy S9+ (starting price of Rs 64,900): First smartphone to launch globally with variable aperture
This flagship smartphone from Samsung offers a human eye-inspired variable aperture -- of F1.5 and F2.4 modes -- that automatically switches between various lighting conditions. If it's dark, the lens opens to F1.5 mode and in the day-light the lens shifts to F2.4 mode. Other specs of the Galaxy S9+ (review) handset include 5.8-inch QHD+ screen, 8MP sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 3,500mAh battery. It comes in three three storage variants -- 64GB (Rs 64,900), 128GB (Rs 68,900) and 256GB (Rs 72,900).
Vivo Nex (Rs 44,990): Introduced pop-up front camera to smartphones
Upping the 'cool quotient' with a pop-up slider camera, the Vivo Nex (review) managed to eliminate the notch that was spotted in budget and flagship smartphones alike. In terms of specs, it comes powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset, 4000mAh battery and 6.59-inch FHD+ display, 128GB storage and 8GB RAM. It comes in a single storage variant and costs Rs 44,990.
Asus ROG Phone (Rs 69,999): World's most-powerful gaming smartphone
With mobile gaming becoming popular in India, it was only a matter of time that a dedicated gaming smartphone came to the market. Asus' ROG phone (review) packs all the right ingredients of a solid gaming smartphone -- a good AMOLED screen, powerful performance, large battery and accessory support. Priced at Rs 69,999, the Asus ROG has 6-inch FHD+ display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, ‘specially optimised’ Adreno 630 GPU and LPPDR4X 8GB RAM.
LG G7+ ThinQ (Rs 39,990): Offers 2018's best audio experience in a smartphone
With MP3 players becoming a thing of the past, an added, yet under-appreciated feature of any smartphone is the audio quality and the LG G7+ThinQ (review) will not disappoint you in this department. It comes with the ‘Boombox Speaker’ mechanism that essentially makes the smartphone as good as a mini speaker. It also lets you activate the Hi-Fi Quad DAC audio tech. As for other specs, the LG G7+ ThinQ offers Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor clubbed with 6GB RAM, 3000mAh battery and 6.1-inch QHD+ FullVision display all at a cost of Rs 39,990.
Nokia 6.1 Plus (Rs 15,999): Best budget smartphone
With Nokia 6.1 Plus (review), users get everything from a 19:9 aspect ratio screen, compact form factor, decent cameras, good battery life and Android 9.0 Pie support, making it a good choice for the price. Nokia 6.1 features a 5.5-inch full HD display and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor. The Nokia 6.1 Plus is backed by a 3060mAh battery and comes equipped with a 16MP (f/2.0 aperture) + 5MP (f/2.4 aperture) rear cameras with LED flash. It comes in a single storage variant of 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and costs Rs 15,999.
Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 (starting price of Rs 12,999): Best battery budget smartphone of 2018
For those who are heavy smartphone users and hate to charge their devices all the time, then Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2's 5000mAh battery will leave no room for complaint. Over that, users get a stock Android experience, 6.2-inch full HD+ screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, 12MP (f/1.8 aperture) + 5MP (Depth Sensor) rear cameras and more. It comes in three storage variants -- 3GB RAM +3 2GB (Rs 12,999), 4GB RAM + 64GB (Rs 14,999) 6GB RAM + 64GB (Rs 16,999).
Realme 2 (starting price of Rs 9,499): One of the best smartphone under Rs 10,000
Why we think Realme 2 (review) is the best is because it’s the first phone to come with a notch under 10k. Also, in terms of a wholesome package, Realme 2 Pro seems to have an edge over the chasing pack. It is essentially a sub-10k price smartphone that offers what most of the mid-range models are offering today. In terms of specs, the handset has a 4230mAh, 6.2-inch screen, 13MP+2MP rear cameras, 8MP front camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor and more. It comes in two storage variants -- 3GB RAM +32GB (Rs 9,499) and 4GB + 64GB (Rs 10,990).
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (starting price of Rs 13,999): One of the best-selling smartphones in India
According to market research firm IDC, Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro (review) is the best selling smartphone under Rs 20,000 in India. The handset offers a 5.99-inch screen with a FHD+ resolution, Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor -- was the first smartphone in the world to be powered by it, 4000mAh battery, dual rear camera setup of 12MP+5MP RGB sensors, 20MP front camera and more. It is available in two storage variants 4GB+64GB (Rs 13,999) and 6GB+64GB (Rs 15,999).
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