Digital Indian Gov

Nokia X6 was expected to unveil yesterday in China, but HMD Global did not make a splash with its iPhone X-lookalke. Apparently, the Nokia X6 launch will be held roughly 2 weeks from now, with the company posting a photo of the handset, showing the notch above the display. The handset, however, may be called the Nokia X instead of the X6, going by a HMD Global post.
Apart from this, the company seems to be working on a relaunch of the Nokia N8-00 smartphone. Two posts on Weibo by HMD Global confirm that the company will be unveiling its next smartphone - the Nokia X - at an event scheduled for May 16, going by the loose translation. The photo shown in the post reveals Nokia's first smartphone will sport a notch and an edge-to-edge display. Apart from that, there is a slight chin on the bottom that comes with Nokia branding.
As per previous reports, the upcoming Nokia X (or Nokia X6) is expected to run Android One-based Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. It will most likely sport a 5.8-inch full-HD+ (1080x2280 pixels) display with a 19:9 aspect ratio. In terms of internals, the smartphone might arrive with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 or a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, coupled with 4GB/ 6GB RAM and 64GB/ 128GB inbuilt storage. On the back, the phone might get a dual camera setup with a 12-megapixel Carl Zeiss lens.
Apart from this, a teaser posted on Weibo, HMD hinted towards the launch of a modernised version of a phone from the N series. The teaser states that the Nokia N series made its debut on April 27 in 2005, exactly 13 years back. The image shows the Nokia N8 so it wouldn't be entirely wrong to assume that this is the phone that will be relaunched between April 27 and May 2.

3D Touch is quite possibly the most underappreciated technologies Apple has developed in the past decade, and that’s entirely Apple’s fault. It’s a very complex and compelling technology that uses special sensors integrated with the iPhone’s display. These sensors are able to measure how much pressure is applied when a user touches the phone’s display, and then Apple’s iOS software can trigger different functions based on how much pressure is applied. For example, lightly tapping an app icon on an iPhone home screen will open the app, but pressing firmly on the icon will open a menu of shortcuts and widgets.
When Apple develops nifty new technologies for its iPhones, the company’s rivals typically trip over themselves racing to copy it. In the case of 3D Touch, no other company has managed to achieve what Apple did. In this case, however, it might not be that Apple’s rivals were unable to copy 3D Touch, they simply may have realized that the technology isn’t particularly useful. Now, a new report from the world’s most reliable Apple insider suggests that Apple may have come to the same conclusion. Apple’s 3D Touch technology is actually quite elegant, but it also has some serious problems. The first problem is the fact that Appel offers absolutely no indication of where 3D Touch works and where it does not. We’ve discussed this at least a dozen times here on the site, usually while we remind users about some of the nifty 3D Touch features available on Apple’s iPhones. The second big problem with 3D Touch is also a big one: it’s sort of unnecessary. And by “sort of unnecessary,” I mean it’s almost entirely useless.
Most 3D Touch features can easily be replaced with a simple tap-and-hold, or long-press as it’s often called. There are definitely a few features that can’t, such as turning the keyboard into a trackpad (since long-pressing on any letter already opens a shortcut) or opening the quick action menu on an app icon (since long-pressing on an icon lets you rearrange apps). Of course, it wouldn’t take very long at all to figure out new gestures to perform those functions. That brings us to a new note sent to clients on Wednesday evening by KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo’s track record obviously speaks for itself, and he claims that one of the three new iPhone models Apple plans to release this coming September will not support 3D Touch. Apple is expected to release a new 5.8-inch iPhone X successor and a larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone later this year, and then a third new 6.1-inch iPhone model will feature a similar design with a much lower price point. To achieve that lower price point — which could start at just $550 — Apple will reportedly cut costs in several key areas. The 6.1-inch iPhone will supposedly have an LCD display instead of OLED, it’ll have an aluminum midframe rather than stainless steel, Apple will use 3GB of RAM instead of 4GB, and the phone will not support 3D Touch. Here’s where things get interesting. As Apple news blog Cult of Mac picked up on, Kuo’s note claims that the 6.1-inch iPhone is just the start.
According to the analyst’s note, none of the new iPhone models Apple releases in 2019 will support 3D Touch. The original coverage of Kuo’s note is in Chinese so it’s possible that something is getting lost in translation, but the machine translated version of the article appears to make it clear that all of the new iPhone models Apple is planning next year will abandon 3D Touch and move to the new thinner Cover Glass Sensor (CGS) technology debuting on the 6.1-inch iPhone this year. Most people likely don’t remember this little tidbit, but here’s the worst part: it took Apple five years to develop 3D Touch. If you go back to my iPhone 6s review from 2015, you’ll see a link to a tweet from an Apple engineer revealing that the company’s 3D Touch technology took five years to develop and release. Ironically, if Kuo’s intel ends up being accurate, 3D Touch will end up having lasted only four years before being abandoned.

Today, Apple’s iPhone X is the best iPhone model you can buy. Beginning this coming September, however, the phone’s successor may end up being the worst iPhone you can buy. I recently penned a piece about Apple’s rumored iPhone plans for 2018, suggesting that this year could be the first year since the original iPhone was released that I don’t buy a new flagship iPhone. I have no doubt that the next-generation iPhone X and the upcoming “iPhone X Plus” are going to be wonderful devices, but it’s the third new iPhone set to debut in September that has caught my attention.
According to rumors, this model will fill an entirely new space in Apple’s iPhone lineup, potentially offering the same power and performance as Apple’s two new OLED iPhones, but with an LCD display and a few other key changes to help drive down the price. It would seem that sky-high iPhone prices finally caught up with Apple in 2017 and 2018, because far fewer people are willing to upgrade to a phone that starts at $1,000. A new note yesterday evening from the world’s most accurate Apple insider claimed to offer additional details surrounding Apple’s upcoming third new iPhone model. If these new details are to be believed, it’s looking more and more like Apple’s LCD iPhone will be the best iPhone model to buy in 2018. First, a quick recap of what we believe to be Apple’s plans for its 2018 iPhone lineup. First, there will be an updated version of the current iPhone X that will feature a 5.8-inch OLED display and a new A series chipset. Then, a supersized “iPhone X Plus” will launch alongside it with a 6.5-inch OLED screen.
Finally, a medium-sized, upper mid-range model will launch with a 6.1-inch LCD display. Apple’s next-gen iPhone X is expected to start at $899 when it’s released this year, which would be $100 less than the first-generation model. The “iPhone X Plus” would then occupy the $999 price point, with the 256GB version likely to cost $1,149. Meanwhile, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the new LCD iPhone model might start at just $550. How is it possible that this iPhone could be so much less expensive than Apple’s OLED models while still featuring the same design and comparable specs? Apple will reportedly trim it down in a few key areas. First, LCD displays are far less expensive than OLED displays.
Second, the phone’s frame will supposedly be made out of aluminum instead of stainless steel. Third, the handset will include 3GB of RAM instead of four, according to Kuo. And finally, Apple will reportedly ditch 3D Touch and all of the pricey sensors needed to make it work. So that begs the question, why pay $900 for a phone when you can get almost the same experience in a device that will likely be the perfect size for just $550? But wait, it gets even better. Kuo’s note to clients from Thursday evening also says that Apple plans to use new Cover Glass Sensor (CGS) technology in the 6.1-inch iPhone’s LCD display. CGS is a different way to sense touches and swipes on a touchscreen, and it results in a thinner overall display assembly.
According to Kuo, the phone will also feature stronger display glass, and the LCD iPhone will be lighter overall. Lighter weight and stronger glass means the phone’s screen will be less likely to shatter when dropped. It’s really beginning to sound like buying any iPhone other than the LCD model this year will be a mistake. Everything adds up. If we’ll be able to get almost identical performance out of a phone that’s perfectly sized, lighter weight, and more impact resistant than either of Apple’s OLED iPhones, who would choose to spend hundreds more? Of course, there’s a very good chance Apple will throw us a curveball when its new iPhone lineup is finally unveiled this coming September. Remember, Apple is masterful when it comes to encouraging customers to choose more expensive products over cheaper models, so we can almost certainly expect to see some OLED-exclusive features appear that no one knows about right now.

The iPhone 6s debuted one of the most revolutionary technologies that became key to an iPhone’s appeal — 3D Touch. 3D Touch paved way for the rival Android platform to develop long-press contextual menus on home screen icons. However, insider information suggests that Apple could ditch 3D Touch for one of its mainstream iPhone models, along with its rumoured budget iPhone SE 2, for this year’s lineup. Ming-Chi Kuo, one of the most prominent names in the world of iPhone leaks, suggests that Apple won’t be considering the inclusion of 3D Touch for the more affordable mainstream iPhone model of 2018 — the rumoured 6.1-inch iPhone with an LCD display. Apple is probably going for a new ‘Cover Glass Sensor’ (CGS) display technology that will help them strengthen the glass against shocks and will lighten the overall weight.
However, in doing that, Apple will be looking at an increased cost per panel, which could result in hiked prices for the end consumer. Since the whole point of this LCD iPhone is to keep it affordable to battle the likes of the upcoming OnePlus 6 and other similarly priced Android smartphones, Apple will omit 3D Touch in this model, which will likely keep the costs in check while adopting the newer technology. Now, this could be an issue for those used to the 3D Touch on premium iPhones, which is also responsible for defining the qualities of the iPhone’s user experience. However, the 2016 iPhone SE did well without the 3D Touch by using an Android-esque long-press gesture. This is still a rumour, which means that this information might not make into a reality anytime soon. However, since it comes from Kuo, one can hope that Apple could be doing something similar. Remember Kuo’s prediction for the iPhone X’s FaceID last year, which turned out to be true?

The current-generation iPhones -- iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus -- are getting an all-new colour -- Red. Part of Apple's Product Red Special Edition, the two smartphones have gone on sale in India today (April 27). The limited edition iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will come in Red colour finish with a matching aluminium band and a sleek black front. Here's all you need to know about the pricing, offers, availablity and other details of the New Product Red iPhones that go on sale today ...
1. Specifications remain same : Yes, there is absolutely no change in specifications. Product Red editions of both iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will come with exactly the same set of specifications as their regular variants. The special edition iPhones will be available at all Apple authorized resellers across the country and join iPhone 8 finishes in Gold, Silver and Space Grey.
2. Apple iPhone 8 Product Red price starts at Rs 67,940 : Apple iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus Product Red edition are available in 64GB and 256GB models. Price starts at Rs 67,940 and goes all the way up to Rs 91,110. The 64GB variant of iPhone 8 is priced at Rs 67,940, while the 256GB storage variant at Rs 81,500. On the other hand, the 64GB iPhone 8 Plus sports a price tag of Rs 77,560 and 256GB variant Rs 91,110.
3. Up to Rs 16,000 exchange discount available on Flipkart : All models are available for preorder on domestic e-tailer Flipkart's website. There are also a few offers for potential buyers. These an exchange offer of up to Rs 16,000. There is also an option to get 5% extra discount on Axis Bank Buzz Credit cards.
4. Arrives in India in third wave : The Product Red variants of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have launched in India in the third wave. The smartphones are launching in India in the third wave along with Chile, Colombia, India, Israel, Turkey and several other countries and regions. In the first wave, the duo will go on pre-orders starting April 10 in select countries including Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea.
5. No Product RED variant of iPhone X, but there's Product Red Leather Folio for iPhone X users priced at Rs 7,900 : Apple has not launched Product Red variant of iPhone X. However, the company has introduced a new Product Red iPhone X Leather Folio priced at Rs 7,900. The cover is claimed to be crafted from specially tanned and finished European leather. The new folio joins the company's Product Red devices and accessories like Beats Solo3 Wireless on-ear headphones.
6. ​Part of the company's Red programme : The new iPhones are a part of the company's Red initiative, which funds programmes that combat HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa region.

Several analyst reports and rumours have pointed out that Apple is all set to bring three iPhone devices later this year. While one of them will be the successor to the iPhone X, the other two will be follow-ups on the iPhone 8 and the 8 Plus. Out of these three, two are said to feature OLED screens while one of them could be sporting an LCD display. According to a new report, the LCD screen iPhone may support a stylus and could be $200 cheaper than the OLED screen models.
One of the market analysts with Rosenblatt, Jun Zhang in the latest note has written that the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone could support a stylus. The device could also be cheaper than the other two models. Zhang says the handset could be priced around $799 range. This strategy is assumed to take place in order to push iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S users for an upgrade. The particular device is being tipped as the ‘iPhone 8S’ and internally as ‘Jaguar’. The device is said to be cheaper due to the usage of LCD screen instead of OLED and a different material instead of the metal. More material cost reduction could be around radios, single rear camera setup and exclusion of force touch among other features. However, the ‘notch’ design will remain and a small bezel might be there below the screen.
Talking about other upcoming iPhones, the analyst claims that the upcoming 5.8-inch model, which will be the successor to the iPhone X, won’t have many changes. As for the larger 6.5-inch OLED iPhone, the device is expected to support the ‘iPen’, which will bring the device in direct competition with the Samsung Galaxy Note series. Some other features mentioned include better water resistance, 3D sensors and more efficiency with less battery consumption.

Apple iPhone X generated a lot of curiosity, hype and buzz but it certainly was affected by its high price and certain demand issues. With its next iPhone model, the Cupertino-based tech company is looking to avoid those issues. However, for that it needs to strike a deal with its biggest rival, Samsung. According to a report in Digitimes, Apple wants Samsung to cut the price of the OLED panels. For the uninitiated, iPhone X was the first Apple phone to boast of an OLED display. The displays were made by Samsung and now Apple wants Samsung to cut the price by almost 10 per cent.
This will directly lead to the cost of the next iPhone models being reduced. While the entire tech world anticipates the next iPhone to cost more than the iPhone X but somehow if Apple does manage to get Samsung to slash the price of OLED display, the pricing could surprise many. It is reported that one third of total iPhone X production cost goes on the OLED display. Whether Samsung agrees to the new deal or not remains to be seen. Although the South Korean tech giant could end up gaining by doing so. If the demand for new iPhone or even the iPhone X does go up then Samsung stands to gain more than it did with the iPhone X.
A recent report also highlighted that Apple had been considering other manufacturers like LG but concluded that they didn’t have the capacity to meet their demands. So that leaves it to rely on Samsung that uses Y-Octa panels for its Galaxy S9 smartphones. It was rumoured that Samsung had, in fact, offered the same panels to Apple for its next-generation of iPhones. The price of the next iPhone could very well rest in Apple’s biggest rival’s hands.

Huawei P20 Pro, the flagship smartphone with a Leica-branded triple-camera setup, has been officially launched in India. The smartphone has been launched exclusively on Amazon India and will go on its first sale on May 3. The Huawei P20 Pro is priced at Rs 64,999 and comes only in one storage variant. Huawei is launching its P-series after a gap of more than a year. It launched its P9 flagship in India but decided against launching the P10 and P10 Plus. This year, however, Huawei is bringing P20 Lite and P20 Pro to the Indian market and has decided against launching the standard P20. For anybody interested in smartphones, it is easy to say that Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most interesting smartphones in the recent times. Huawei P20 Pro’s major highlight is the triple-camera system with Leica-branded lens but however, the Chinese smartphone maker has also taken deep care to make its flagship outstanding in terms of design and overall aesthetics. One of the key element of that attention to detail is the new twilight color which changes its hue as soon as you tilt it around a light source. It is unlike anything else in the market but it also comes with very strong competition. The Huawei P20 Pro’s direct competitors in India would be the Galaxy S9+ and Apple iPhone X.
Huawei P20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs Apple iPhone X: Design and Display This is probably the most difficult area to compare these three devices since all of them have their own distinct styling. Let’s start with the P20 Pro; Huawei has used a nice mix of metal and glass with a texture on its back that makes it stand out when stacked against other premium smartphones. However, the Galaxy S9+ with its fused metal and glass casing and curved edge display is a killer in terms of looks. Then there is iPhone X, which is understated at first but uses stainless casing, Gorilla Glass back and edge-to-edge display to stay worthy of that premium branding. However, when it comes to display, Huawei falls miserably short of matching Samsung and Apple.
The Galaxy S9+ features a 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display with a Quad HD+ resolution of 2960 x 1440 pixels and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The iPhone X features a 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Huawei P20 Pro, on the other hand, features a 6-inch AMOLED display with a resolution 2280 x 1080 pixels and aspect ratio of 18.7:9. It just doesn’t cut in areas like saturation and color reproduction. The Galaxy S9+ and iPhone X have far brighter and color accurate display panels. It is also worth noting that iPhone X and P20 Pro have a notch or cut-out at the top of the display, which may or may not beneficial.
Huawei P20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs Apple iPhone X: Specifications Since these three smartphones are flagship, they definitely come with flagship-grade specifications as well and all three devices use their own indigenously developed mobile processors. The Huawei P20 Pro uses company’s own Kirin 970 chipset with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The octa-core chipset also comes with a dedicated neural processing unit for executing AI applications like voice assistant and object recognition. Huawei is offering the smartphone in only one storage option. Samsung has also equipped its Galaxy S9+ with top-shelf specifications. Under the hood, it gets an octa-core Exynos 9810 SoC with some support for machine learning and neural processing. It comes with 6GB RAM as standard but can be purchased with option for either 64GB or 128GB or 256GB of storage.
Samsung is trying to cover a wide range of audience here and with a price difference of just Rs 4,000 between these storage variants, the South Korean company seems to have properly sorted its product offering. Apple iPhone X is undoubtedly the most powerful smartphone ever made. In synthetic benchmarks, the iPhone X is far, far ahead of Galaxy S9+ and Huawei P20 Pro. It is as powerful as some of the mainstream computer chipsets right now. On the hardware side, it has just 3GB of RAM and option for either 64GB or 256GB of storage but Apple has optimized its iOS mobile operating system to such an extent that the iPhone X will never slow down that easily. On the contrary, Huawei P20 Pro runs Android 8.1 Oreo with its own EMUI on top of it. The Galaxy S9+ runs Android 8.0 Oreo layered with Samsung experience. Over the long term, this could prove to be the biggest disappointment for these two devices since neither Samsung nor Huawei have a very proven record in the software department and are known to offer duplicate apps and bloatware.
Huawei P20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs Apple iPhone X: Cameras That brings us to cameras, an area that Huawei P20 Pro owns. The P20 Pro comes with not one, not two but three cameras at the back. The triple-camera setup and the selfie camera combined have a resolution of 92-megapixels, if that sounds overkill then it is. The triple camera setup is comprised of a primary 40-megapixel image sensor, a secondary 8-megapixel telephoto sensor and third 20-megapixel monochrome sensor. The P20 Pro also uses larger sensors than what we have seen on smartphones so far. In terms of camera results, the P20 Pro holds its own ground as one of the best smartphone cameras but it is hard to decide whether it is any better than Samsung or Google or Apple’s offering. One of the highlight of the P20 Pro is night mode where the camera automatically switches to 4-second long exposure and with bigger sensor, the result tends to be better than rivals. But Huawei also tends to do over process its image compared to Samsung or Apple.
The Galaxy S9+ features a dual 12-megapixel rear-camera system with its primary 12-megapixel sensor supporting mechanical aperture. With the Galaxy S9+, users can manually switch between wider f/1.5 and narrower f/2.4 aperture. In low-light, Samsung tends to absorb more light due to its wide aperture but the daylight pictures are where it shines with crisp details and not a lot of software processing. Apple has the most neutral stance of the pack here. The iPhone X also features dual 12-megapixel camera setup and captures natural looking photos most of the time. It is, however, not the best when it comes to dynamic range. If one area where iPhone X outshines others then it would be in 4K video recording at 60 frames per second. The Galaxy S9+ and Huawei P20 Pro offer a unique super slow-motion video recording at 720p resolution. You won’t go wrong with either of the three devices but Huawei does better of the pack here since it has more sensors and new software features.
Huawei P20 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S9+ vs Apple iPhone X: Pricing Huawei P20 Pro is priced at Rs 64,999, which makes it competitive against Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Apple iPhone X. The Galaxy S9+ starts at Rs 64,900 while the iPhone X seems too expensive for a starting price of Rs 95,390. Huawei has done well with the pricing and its feature set does help it come out on top of Galaxy S9+ and iPhone X. However, it lacks the familiarity of these two brands, and it might be hard to convince a lot of people to spend Rs 65,000 on a Huawei smartphone.

Apple will shut down its last of the three Apple Watch-exclusive stores - located in Tokyo - it built when it launched the wearable in 2015. On May 13, the last Apple Watch-exclusive store will close its doors. Twitter user Shotaro Akiba has shared a photo on the microblogging platform showing the department store's announcement. Apple had shut down the other two stores in London and Paris last year. According to 9to5mac, the shop held a sale in which it was selling the remaining Apple Watch Edition inventory for as little as $700 (roughly Rs. 46,400).
These 18-karat gold watches were sold for at least $10,000 (roughly Rs. 6.62 lakhs) and as much as $17,000 (roughly Rs. 11.25 lakhs) when they first became available, the report said. In recent months, high-profile applications, including Instagram, Amazon, Google Maps and Twitter, pulled out their apps from the WatchOS. Driven by Apple Watch Series 3 shipments, the Cupertino-headquartered giant shipped a record 18 million Watch devices in 2017, an increase of 54 percent compared to the previous year.
"The Series 3 was the key growth driver, as total shipments of the latest version of Apple's Watch were just under nine million, making up nearly half of all shipments in 2017," Singapore-based market research firm Canalys said. Apple's shipments in the fourth quarter of 2017 grew by more than 32 percent over the fourth quarter of 2016 to eight million, the highest-ever number of shipments in a single quarter for any wearable vendor.

The Apple iPhone SE 2 is arriving as the smartphone is allegedly listed in the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database. The EEC, on Tuesday, listed more than 10 iPhone models and all of them are unreleased models. However, it’s unclear which models will Apple be releasing because we are long away from the next wave of iPhones (the iPhone X successor). So the newer models could be of the Apple iPhone SE 2 which is expected to make an appearance at the WWDC 2018 conference in June.
In the past, the EEC database revealed details about the Apple’s 2018 iPad which went official on March 27 and a couple of other products such as Apple AirPods and MacBooks way before the launch. So this is an indication that Apple is preparing an iPhone for releasing at the WWDC 2018 event, and it could be the successor to the iPhone SE, which was released two years ago. That said, the regulatory filing did not reveal the hardware specifications of the upcoming smartphone, but it confirmed that the device would be running iOS 11. This is another indication that these newer models do not belong the 2018 iPhones. The World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) 2018 begins on June 4 as Apple already pushed invites for the same. The iPhone SE 2 is expected to feature similar hardware as the iPhone SE.
A 4-inch Retina display and the Apple iPhone 7 design is heavily expected for the upcoming compact smartphone. Hardware side of things, Apple might go with the same A10 Fusion chipset, which it used on the Apple iPad 2018. And the chipset might be coupled with 2GB of RAM. It might come in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB storage models, but the regulator listing did not reveal any details. If recent Apple’s track record is to be considered, the iPhone SE 2 will be available in just 32GB and 128GB storage options.
Apple will surely upgrade cameras on this device. The Cupertino-based company might pack the iPhone 8’s camera on this upcoming device with f/1.8 aperture and quad-LED flash. The phone is expected to offer Optical Image Stabilisation. The selfie camera on the smartphone might receive a bump to a 7MP unit, as seen on the latest iPhones. And of course, the reason for a special edition iPhone is the low-end price tag. The iPhone SE 2 is expected to come at a very lower price as compared to the Apple iPhone 8, 8 Plus and the iPhone X. There are some rumours that Apple is considering to launch the SE 2 at half of the price of the iPhone X, but nothing is confirmed for now.

If you think the bezel-less iPhone X was the pinnacle of what Apple can achieve in smartphones, you may be wrong. According to a report in Bloomberg, the Cupertino-based tech firm is working on touchless control and curved screen-featuring iPhones. As explained in the report, the touchless control seems to be similar to 3D gestures that you can perform by hovering your fingers slightly above the screen.
Assumptions are that Apple may not be ready to mass produce such iPhones for the next two years. Citing ‘people familiar with the matter’ Bloomberg adds that this particular tech would take in to account the proximity of your fingers to the display. It is being said that Apple will be building this tech right on the screen instead of using a motion gesture controller on the bezels, something similar to what Samsung does to implement Air Gestures in its smartphones.
Interestingly, Apple is also working on displays that gradually curve inward from top and bottom. For those unaware, the OLED screen of the iPhone X also bends inward from the bottom but is not visible to the human eye. It is also one of the reasons for the smartphone’s thickness. Apple is likely to use an OLED screen for the aforementioned tech as well as they are more flexible than the regular LCD screen panels.
Both these features are said to be in early test and development stages and it may as well be the case that Apple may decide to put this on a halt. These two major screen technologies are said to come as Apple plans to make its iPhone handsets more distinct and stand out from the ever-expanding smartphone market where majority appear the same with bezel-less screens, powerful dual cameras and more. Apple seems to be stressing a lot on screen development recently.
Besides what has been mentioned above, a separate report from Bloomberg last month revealed that Apple is also working on microLED screens in a secret manufacturing facility near California. MicroLEDs can potentially let the company make slimmer smartphones with brighter and less power consuming screens.

Apple today started rolling out the much-awaited iOS 11.3 software update to the supported iPhones, iPad devices which bring new features to both these devices. In addition, Apple has also rolled out watchOS 4.3 and tvOS 11.3 with new features and improvements. The iOS 11.3 is a major update with a long list of features which Apple has been promising for months. The update addresses the controversial battery-based performance throttling issue as Apple received public backlash over deliberately slowing down iPhones to conserve battery life. Here are the major features in iOS 11.3:
Battery Health Apple’s iOS 11.3 update brought a new feature to show battery health of an iPhone or iPad and recommended if the battery needs to be replaced. The new feature can be found in the Settings app, nested under “Battery,” called “Battery Health”. And the feature has been made available for iPhone 6 and later iPhones. If you visit this on an iPhone with a battery Apple deems healthy, it shows the “maximum capacity” of your battery along with a link to the webpage for more details. In addition, there is the new power management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns.
This is listed under section Peak Performance Capability. If your phone has never experienced an unexpected shutdown due to low battery health, it will simply say: “Your battery is currently supporting normal peak performance.” On iPhones with poor battery health, there is now an option to disable the performance-management feature. Users can turn off this feature as Apple promised, but there’s risk of unexpected shutdowns.
Notably, the feature isn’t visible unless your device has shut down unexpectedly and you can’t turn it on unless you have run into the problem. This feature is available for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
Health Records iOS 11.3 also includes a new feature inside the Health application called Health Records, which lets iPhone users access medical information from multiple institutions right on their device. The feature is still in beta and available only in select few countries. The health records data are encrypted and protected with a passcode.
Business Chat Business Chat in iMessage is another new feature in iOS 11.3. It allows users to chat directly with businesses for support, to purchase products, to schedule appointments and more. The conversation can be triggered by tapping the Messaging icon that appears when searching for a business in Maps, Safari, Search or Siri on iPhone/iPad. Users can then contact the business to ask questions about product and services, or make purchases using Apple Pay. These conversations can be continued on Mac or Apple Watch.
Apple claims users can control whether they want to share any contact information with the businesses. This feature, however, is US exclusive.
New Animojis Apple also adds four new Animoji in iOS 11.3 for iPhone X, including a dragon, a bear, a skull and a lion. There are a total of 16 different characters now. These new Animoji don’t add any new functionality but are created using iPhone X’s TrueDepth sensor that records facial expressions of the users. Animoji is animated emoji videos that are created using the facial recognition Face ID technology built into the iPhone X.
Apple Music The new iOS version also brings along an updated Apple Music app with the ability to stream music videos without any ads and access the all-new music video playlists.
How to download the update? Apple’s iOS 11.3 is available as over-the-air (OTA) update. To manually start the update, unlock your iPhones and go to Settings > General > Software update. You will see the iOS 11.3 software update, a big update with 2.18GB size. Connect your device to Wifi and wait for few minutes as it takes some time to download the update.
Post download, the installation takes around 15 minutes. The iOS 11.3 update is available for the iPhone 5S and later, iPad Air and later models, the iPad mini 2 and later, and the sixth-generation iPod touch.

One of the most talked-about feature of Apple’s tenth anniversary edition smartphone, iPhone X, is the notch on its screen. It has been both loved and hated by iPhone users. Now this notch seems to have become one of the most-popular design trends among many of the flagship Android smartphones set to launch in the coming months. So much so that Google too has embraced it in the next version of its Android OS, Android P. So, here’s a look at 10 ‘iPhone X-lookalikes’ set to launch.
1. OnePlus 6 According to a report by Android Central, the upcoming OnePlus smartphone -- expected to be called OnePlus 6 -- is also going to feature the iPhone X-like notch with a 19:9 aspect ratio display. The report also revealed that the handset is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. As per the image leaked by ithome, the OnePlus 6 also has a vertically placed dual-rear camera setup and a glass backed design, a first for any OnePlus device.
2. Oppo F7 The Chinese smartphone maker is all set to lunch its next flagship smartphone with an iPhone X-like notch. The company has shared an image of the upcoming handset that clearly sports Apple's flagship iPhone's notch on the top. As part of the rumoured specs, the handset is likely to sport a 6.2-inch full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio. Other key highlights of the device include a 25MP front camera with Artificial Intelligence like real-time HDR, AR stickers feature as well as beauty mode for selfies.
3. Huawei P20 Huawei's upcoming flagship smartphone P20, scheduled to launch on March 27, has been the subject to several leaks for a while now. The most recent of them showed the handset in its full glory. As per an image posted by famous tipster Evan Blass, the handset has a very small centrally placed notch. Also there is a vertically placed protruding dual rear camera setup, like we saw on iPhone X.
4. LG G7 South Korean tech giant LG too is expected to launch its upcoming handset with a notch just like the iPhone X. The render images leaked by TechnoBuffalo give a good look at what the handset may look like. These concept images show that LG is planning to place the notification bar to the left and right so there is more screen space. Even at the MWC 2018, LG showcased its upcoming flagship handset to few invitees. This was leaked by Israeli publication Ynet in a form of a video that also showed the LG G7 (Neo) with the notch.
5. Vivo V9 Vivo too is all geared up to launch its first handset with a notch. The company has teased an image from its Malaysia handle clearly showing the notch. Also images shared by Anzhou.cn on Weibo show the notch on the smartphone.
6. Huawei P20 Lite Along with the P20, Huawei is also expected to launch a toned-down version likely to be called the P20 Lite. An image posted by Evan Blass shows the handset from all angles, revealing that it has a notch similar to the P20 and a rear mounted fingerprint sensor.
7. Oppo R15 F7 is not the only smartphone that Oppo is planning to launch with the notch. The company is also planning to launch the R15. As per several leaks and render images, the successor to the R11 also has an iPhone X-like notch. According to a report by GSMArena, the handset is expected to sport a 6.28-inch display with 19:9 aspect ratio with 1080x2280p display.
8. Huawei P20 Pro The last and expected to be the most-powerful handset of the P20 series from Huawei, the P20 Pro is also said to feature the notch design. This can be seen in an image posted by Evan Blass, that also shows the back panel of the image showing that the handset has a triple rear camera setup.
9. Asus Zenfone 5Z Although already launched at the Mobile World Congress 2018, the Asus Zenfone 5Z comes with the iPhone X-like notch, marking a major design change for the Zenfone series smartphone. In terms of specs, the handset has a 6.2-inch full HD+ IPS display with 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, coupled with 8GB RAM and 256GB inbuilt storage.
10. Asus Zenfone 5 Launched along with the Zenfone 5Z at MWC 2018, Asus Zenfone 5 has the iPhone X-like notch and a vertically placed dual rear camera setup. The handset runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, clubbed with 4GB RAM or 6GB RAM and 64GB inbuilt storage.

2017 witnessed the launch of various smartphones which excelled both in terms of design and innovation. The year 2018 is expected to be no different. Smartphone makers are expected to unveil some of their best smartphones with high-end features. So, here's over to some of the big-ticket launches scheduled for 2018.
1. Apple iPhone 2018 Like always, Apple will launch its latest generation of iPhone in September this year. The iPhone 2018 (not the official name of the device) is expected to sport a 6.1-inch display and 4GB RAM. Like the iPhone X, the smartphone will also come with a OLED display.
2. Samsung Galaxy Note 9, Galaxy X Samsung has started working on the successor of its most-expensive smartphone Galaxy Note 8. Not much information about the smartphone is available right now, but as per rumours Samsung is working on enchaining the functionality of S Pen for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Along with this, it is also expected that the South Korean tech giant will also launch its foldable smartphone Galaxy X, which it showcased at CES 2018. The smartphone is likely to sport 7.3-inch foldable display and it be the part of Note series of the company.
3. OnePlus 6 Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus is all set to launch its next generation flagship smartphone. Likely to be called OnePlus 6, the smartphone will be launched in the second quarter of 2018 as confirmed by the company. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau also confirmed that the smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm’s flagship processor Snapdragon 845.
4. Samsung Galaxy S9, S9+ Samsung also confirmed that it will be launching its flagship smartphones for 2018 -- Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ -- at the Mobile World Congress 2018 next month. The smartphones will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and are expected come with a single rear camera just like their predecessor Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. As per rumours, the Galaxy S9 is said to sport a 5.7-inch display and Galaxy S9+ is expected to come with a 6.2-inch display. It is expected to come with Bixby virtual assistant and rear mounted fingerprint sensor.
5. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 Xiaomi will launch the successor of its most expensive smartphone Mi Mix 2 this year. The company is said to be working on Mi Mix 3 and this time the smartphone is expected to sport a bigger battery along with the bezel-less display. The handset is likely to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage.
6. Moto G6 Like most other brands, Motorola also unveils smartphones at MWC. This year the company is expected to launch its Moto G6 device. Successor to the last year launched Moto G5, the device is will come in the budget segment and will run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. It is also expected that the smartphone will sport a dual rear camera setup. The company is expected to launch the device in March this year in India.
7. Sony Xperia XZ Pro Sony Xperia XZ Pro is the top-end smartphone from Sony which will launch this year. As per speculations, this will be the first Sony smartphone to ditch the 3.5mm audio jack. The device is expected to come with a USB Type C port which will be used for both charging and listening to music. The device is also expected to feature a full screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio and 4K resolution. The smartphone is also said to come with a dual rear camera setup.
8. Nokia 9 HMD-Global is gearing up for the launch of its next high-end smartphone, Nokia 9. As per rumours, the smartphone is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and is said to come with a 5.30-inch full screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is expected to run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.
9. LG G7 Every year LG launches its flagship smartphone at MWC, this year also it is expected that the company will launch the G7 at MWC 2018. The smartphone is expected to launch in India in April this year. The handset is expected to sport a Full Vision display like the LG G6 and is expected to run Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.
10. Xiaomi Mi 7 Xiaomi Mi 7 is the successor of the Mi 6 smartphone launched year. However, the company never launched the Mi 6 in India due to some price constraints but it is expected to bring Mi 7 to the country. The company will first unveil the device at MWC 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. The device is said to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. As per the rumoured specifications, the Mi 7 is expected to feature a full screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio and facial recognition. The handset will reportedly offer dual 16MP rear cameras with one of them having f/1.7 aperture.
12. Huawei P20 An online leak recently confirmed that Huawei will launch its flagship smartphone P20 at MWC 2018 next month. The leak also revealed that the company will be incorporating triple camera in the smartphone. The triple camera placed on the rear panel is said to offer 40MP sensor with 5X hybrid zoom. The device is expected to be powered by the company’s own Kirin 970 chipset and might come with facial recognition feature.
11. Asus Zenfone 5 Asus launched the Zenfone 4 series in the second half of 2017 and it is expected that the company will launch the Zenfone 5 series this year. Not much information about the smartphone series is available right now.
12. Vivo X20 Plus UD Chinese smartphone maker Vivo recently showcased in-display fingerprint sensor technology earlier this month at CES 2018. The company has now launched the Vivo X20 Plus UD smartphone in China and it is soon expected to come to India as well. The Vivo X20 Plus UD comes with Synaptics Clear ID 9500 in-screen fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor is placed between the mainboard and the OLED display. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system and comes 6.43-inch full HD+ display. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.