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boAt launches ‘TRebel’ collection of audio wear designed exclusively for women

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Our world is made up of so many incredible women, and so many amazing changes in our world are being made by women who recognize their importance. To celebrate the Indian women of today and drawing strength from its brand values, boAt – India’s No.1 consumer audio and lifestyle brand – has launched an exclusive and vibrant collection of audio wear. The collection named ‘TRebel’ includes headphones, earphones and wireless earbuds.

The collection personifies the characteristics of a strong independent woman who is reinventing the societal playbook to go big in all walks of life. Designed in-house by boAt, the new range has a fresh palette of Blue, Lime, Red, Yellow, and Pink. The artistic designs and colour scheme is reminiscent of the new Indian woman who is – Not Afraid to Stand Up for What She Believes In.

Aman Gupta, Co-founder, boAt, said, “Women are now active agents of change. We as a brand have always supported women who want to explore more, celebrate their individuality, and believe in living unrestrained. boAt’s TRebel collection is dedicated to the women around us who are limitless.”

boAt has partnered with Universal Music India to release the ‘TRebel’ campaign with a poignant all-woman collaborative song titled ‘I’m A Rebel’. The idea is to create a progressive narrative around the spirit of new-age women who don’t live by conventional expectations. The video stars boAt endorser Kiara Advani who has been breaking the mould of the girl-next-door with an array of diverse performances. Kiara celebrates individuality with boAt’s upcoming campaign ‘I’m a Rebel.’ Composed and performed by Grammy-nominated multi-platinum rapper Raja Kumari, the song features significant women achievers from diverse backgrounds including film actress Bani J, MMA professional Sanika Patil, gender fluid artist and sculptor Durga Gawde, television actress Ayesha Adlakha amongst others.

‘TRebel’ collection will be available on Amazon, Flipkart as well as the boAt website.

MapmyIndia releases features to help you locate corona vaccination centres

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Digital mapping and location-based deep-tech platform MapmyIndia today announced the launch of maps and nearby search features as a part of its mobile application and official website, to help Indians find coronavirus vaccination centres across the country. The Government of India has also integrated these features into cowin.gov.in, their official corona vaccination registration portal to guide the people and connect them to their nearby vaccination centres.

“In the fight against Covid, each one of us has a role to play. Since the pandemic entered India, MapmyIndia took upon the task of real-time geospatially mapping all corona-related places – testing, treatment and isolation centres as well as containment zones. To make the critical vaccination effort seamless, MapmyIndia has put all the vaccination centres across India on MapmyIndia’s maps. Users can use the MapmyIndia app (mapmyindia.com/move) and Maps portal (maps.mapmyindia.com) to search and find nearby vaccine centres and get directions to them. They can also write reviews and report issues they face there – to help authorities get feedback and take corrective action, where required,” said Rohan Verma, CEO & Executive Director, MapmyIndia.

He further said, “We are additionally so excited and thankful to the Government of India for integrating MapmyIndia’s Maps APIs and technologies into the official corona vaccine registration website and app, cowin.gov.in, to enable the crores of citizens, who will log in, to be able to find nearby vaccine centres. This represents the best of Atmanirbhar Bharat – a partnership between the indigenous public and private sector organisations – to leverage world-class, indigenous technologies to enable ease of living and enhance efficiencies for the country.”

People can search nearby vaccine centres across any city, town or village in India using MapmyIndia Maps – be it Siwan in Bihar or Panaji in Goa or a house address such as S386, Greater Kailash 2, New Delhi – making this the most comprehensive and hyper-local search useful to all Indians across urban and rural India.

Steps to find nearby Corona vaccination centres:

  1. Download mapmyindia.com/move app or visit maps.mapmyindia.com or cowin.gov.in
  2. In the search box, press current location or enter your address or place name or eLoc of interest. eLoc is the 6-character digital address for any place across India, a precise pin code representing the doorstep of any place (more information at mapmyindia.com/eloc)
  3. Click search / vaccination centres. You will see the nearest vaccination centres to you or the location of your interest. You can click on Get Directions to further get exact turn-by-turn directions and real-time navigation (based on live traffic congestion and road safety hazards) to that vaccine centre.

Vaio to set up 24×7 service support for customers in India

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Laptop brand Vaio has introduced its customer care helpline in India. Reassuring patrons of its proactive approach and round-the-clock services, Vaio’s customer support is a toll-free helpline (1800-103-9635) and will be available 24×7 at the convenience of the clients pan India.

The latest toll-free support initiative indicates the relentless efforts of Vaio to connect with its customers and presents a helpful front to cater to its customers to resolve all concerns related to maintenance and product information. Tending to software as well as hardware glitches, the laptop-owners can now directly reach out to the customer support and smoothly sail through any mild/grave issues in context to the Vaio models. Projecting a customer-centric approach and delivering best of all worlds to the patrons, the brand endeavours to become the go-to name in the Indian market.

With a spirit of ingenuity, unique design, and technological advancements, the brand reintroduced itself to the Indian market recently and is only making it easier for the customers and tech-buffs to swoon over the Japanese craftsmanship and expertise. Leveling up the tech-game in the country and offering modern-day digital collaboration with technology, VAIO is retracing its way back and creating an upward spiral of growth for itself while inspiring others in the same league.

Seema Bhatnagar, Regional Business Director (South Asia) and Country General Manager, said, “We are delighted to announce the launch of new Vaio 24×7 customer service helpline for the Indian audience. We have always had a proactive approach in helping and supporting our premium customers and with this helpline, we aim to extend the same devotion throughout the day. Aiding the customers with any kind of technical and non-technical difficulties, we aspire to become more accessible to our patrons as they reach out to us on 1800-103-9635 for best customer experience.”

Airtel Xstream app partners with Divo Movies

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Divo, a leading digital media and music company based out of South India, has today announced their strategic content-sharing partnership with Airtel Xstream. Divo, one of the largest enterprise content partners to various video platforms and OTTs in South India, has partnered with Airtel, India’s leading multinational telecommunications services company to offer their entire Tamil catalogue of movies (old and new), exclusive premiers, on the Airtel Xstream app.

The Airtel Xstream app, which is available for free on Android and iOS, will now have a new channel within the app called, Divo Movies. The users of Airtel Xstream will now be able to watch exclusive Tamil content like movies, digital premieres, latest hits, and evergreen movies of leading actors like Rajinikanth, Vijay, Ajith, Simbu, GV Prakash and more. It will be the first exclusive channel catering to the Kollywood users of Airtel.

Divo Movies on Airtel Xstream will be available as standalone and bundled subscriptions along with recharges. The subscriptions will be priced at INR 30/monthly

Shahir Muneer, Founder and Director of Divo, said, “We are glad to partner with Airtel Xstream to provide strategic content distribution of our Tamil catalogue. Currently, we have over 200 movies and we aim to add another 200 by the end of this year.”

“This partnership with Airtel Xstream is an unique opportunity as it opens up Airtel’s network and telco subscribers for us at Divo helping us reach out to more audience and also gives our content and our content partner’s a new window to monetise, which otherwise is restricted by the terms or licensing of OTTs,” said Muneer.

Sudipta Banerjee, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Wynk Music & Airtel Xstream App, said, “We’re excited to partner with Divo Movies and make a plethora of premium and evergreen Tamil content available for Airtel’s 335 million+ subscribers. We aim to make Airtel Xstream app a hub for Indians to watch the content of all kinds and only pay for what they consume.”

Inbase Urban LYF smartwatch with unique ‘Bluetooth Calling’ feature launched at Rs 4,999

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Portable digital product maker Inbase has expanded its smartwatch segment with the launch of Urban LYF in India. It is one of the few smartwatches available in the market which comes with the ‘Bluetooth Calling’ feature through which one can make important calls without pulling out smartphone from his/her pocket.

The new smartwatch comes equipped with a host of features. It is an apt device to keep a check on daily health activities, i.e. to measure the vitals, heart rate, calories, ECG, sPO2, blood oxygen level, blood pressure as well as the steps taken accurately. With its Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, the smartwatch connect swiftly with iOS and Android smartphones, the company said in a statement.

Urban LYF is waterproof as it is IP67 certified, making it an ideal companion for your water related events and sports. The smartwatch comes with a full touch HD display screen of 1.75 inches with a 240*240 resolution getting out a crystal clear and colourful display output and single-touch sensor through which every information about one’s daily health and fitness activities can be tracked and accessed via the device or the app.

Furthermore, one can even access their social media and smartphone notifications via the smartwatch that vibrates when there are alerts. It offers a battery life of 7 days without calling and 2 days with calling feature. The smartwatch has a stand-up time of 15 days overall.

Urban LYF is available in three colour combinations and easy swappable straps starting with Jet Black case with Midnight Black band, Silver case with Frost White band and Rose Gold case with Pink Salmon band.

The Inbase Urban LYF smartwatch is available through the Urban’s official website (https://gourban.in/) at an introductory price of Rs 4,999. It’s also available on Amazon. The customers can also avail a special discount offer of Rs 1,000 till March 5 by using a promo code ‘URBANLYF’ at the time of purchase.

Infinix Smart 5 Review: Big display and big battery on a budget

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Infinix has expanded its popular Smart series with the launch of Smart 5 in India. The smartphone has some headlining features which you may call the category-firsts such as a 6,000mAh battery, a large 6.82-inch display and Helio G25 octa-core processor at the price of Rs 7,199. The Infinix Smart 5 comes in four colour options: Morandi Green, 7° Purple, Aegean Blue and Obsidian Black, and the one that I had for review is the Aegean Blue variant. Even though it looks interesting on the spec-sheet, let’s find out where it stands on different parameters of excellence.

Design

The all-new Infinix device is bigger in size than most other smartphones in this price segment. It sports a 6.82-inch HD+ display with moderately thick bezels all around on the front, whereas the back is glossy, having a gem-cut texture design with a flow pattern which pops when light falls on it. There is a dual-camera module located at the top left on the rear which is designed in such a way that it looks like there are three lenses. The camera setup appreciatively is not protruded and sits nearly flush with the rear panel. The handset has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which is placed a little higher than usual. Performance-wise, the fingerprint sensor is accurate enabling the device to unlock swiftly.

While there is a SIM tray – housing two nano-SIM slots as well as a microSD card slot – on the left, you’ll find the power and volume buttons on the right side of the frame. The power button is suitably positioned, whereas you need to shuffle the phone in your hand to reach the volume buttons. On the bottom, the smartphone offers a micro-USB port, with a 3.5mm headphone jack and the primary microphone on either side. As usual, the company provides you a screen protector along with a plastic case and a 10W charger in the box.

The Infinix Smart 5 weighs 207g and is among the heaviest smartphones in its price range. This is something you’ll notice as soon as you pick it up. It’s weighty possibly due to the big 6,000mAh battery that it houses. Thankfully, it has curved edges that give you a better grip over the phone.

Display

As mentioned above, the smartphone features a 6.82-inch HD+ cinematic drop notch display and a 90.66% screen-to-body ratio. The display comes with an aspect ratio of 20.5:9 which makes it an outstanding device for enjoying videos. It also has 440 nits of brightness and a 1500:1 contrast ratio. At the top of the display sits a selfie camera in the dewdrop notch, along with a big earpiece just above it. The Smart 5 houses a selfie flash that is hidden in between the display and the frame. Overall, the display is quite decent indoors but a bit reflective in the open.

Platform

The Infinix Smart 5 is powered by the MediaTek Helio G25 octa-core processor, and it comes in only one configuration– 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which is expandable up to 256GB using the microSD card. It runs Android 10 with the brand’s custom XOS 7 UI on top, which is easy to use and you’ll not find any issue while using the phone. You can customize the UI your way with theme support.

There are some unwanted apps and games preinstalled on the phone that will irritate you a bit, however, you may disable them. Thankfully, the smartphone comes with a Game Mode which turns off auto-brightness and prevents the phone from switching between data and Wi-Fi while you are gaming.

If we look at its performance, the Helio G25 is capable of handling casual usage and definitely not ideal for heavy users. It’ll not satisfy you, if you are a gaming enthusiast willing to play heavy games. Besides, there is not a huge scope for multitasking owing to only 2GB of RAM in it. However, it’s a good device for watching videos, browsing the internet and using messaging and social apps. Anyway, what else can you expect at this price?

Connectivity options on the phone include Bluetooth 5, VoWiFi and dual 4G VoLTE. On the audio front, it has DTS Surround Sound in four modes which will enhance your viewing-listening experience.

Cameras

The handset offers a dual-camera setup, comprising a 13MP primary camera and depth sensor. On the front, it sports an 8MP camera and a selfie flash. The camera app is basic and user-friendly. The primary camera uses AI and is quite quick at detecting the scene. I clicked some nice daylight shots with this phone. Although it was a bit slow at times to lock focus on the object while shooting close-ups, the pictures came out well. On the other hand, low-light shots were not that good as they lacked sharpness and colour accuracy. Similarly, the selfies taken with the front camera were up to the mark in daylight but lacked the quality in the low-light. Likewise, the videos made via this phone were above average. The camera of Smart 5 also comes with a category-first mode like Slow Motion video recording feature that’ll allow you to capture and edit super slow-motion videos through the camera interface.

Battery

The smartphone houses a heavy-duty 6,000mAh battery, backed by an ultra-Power Marathon technology that optimises the power used by the apps and thereby increases battery backup by up to 25%. This keeps the smartphone operational even after long hours of heavy usage. Standing tall in this department, the battery delivered over 22 hours of video playback and nearly 14 hours of gaming. It took nearly three hours to charge the phone completely.

Conclusion

Although it’s a bit bulky and heavy, the smartphone scores big on display and battery at a budget price. While a big display means it’s good for watching videos and playing games, a big battery means you won’t have to charge the phone very frequently. Even the Helio G25 processor that it comes with is not bad; it’s fairly fine from the gaming point of view. One area where it slips massively is the 2GB RAM which definitely is not good from the performance perspective at the price point where you’ll find a number of alternatives in the market.

ICEA welcomes Government of India approval under the PLI Scheme for IT Hardware Products worth Rs 7,350 Crores

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India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) wholeheartedly welcomes the recent announcement on the PLI scheme for IT Hardware Products – Laptops & Tablets worth Rs. 7,350 crores for over 4 years.

The PLI Scheme for IT Hardware is a further step in the same direction. The scheme would position India as a manufacturing hub, spur export and create new job opportunities. It will extend the incentives between 4% to1% on net incremental sales (over base year i.e. 2019 – 2020) of goods manufactured in India and covered under the target segment, to eligible companies.

Pankaj Mohindroo, Chairman, ICEA stated, “It is a strong beginning by the Government of India (GOI) to cover the IT hardware sector followed by the PLI for the mobile manufacturing sector. We currently import a large part of our laptops and tablets for consumption. The proposed scheme is likely to benefit major global as well as domestic manufacturers of IT hardware products such as Laptops, Tablets. Over the next 4 years, the scheme is expected to have a total production of INR 3.26 lakh crore out of which exports will be INR 2.45 lakh crore. It will also create 1.80 lakh employment opportunities. We are thankful to Shri Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister and Hon’ble Union Minister for Communications, Electronics & Information Technology Shri Ravi Shanker Prasad for this path-breaking initiative.”

ICEA believes that this segment was very much crucial to promote manufacturing as there is huge import reliance on these items at present. As per the research, the global market for Laptops and tablets is expected to reach 220 Billion USD and in India, the domestic market is expected to reach 7 to 10 bn USD by the year 2025. The IT hardware (laptops, tablets) will definitely emerge as the second-largest contributor after the mobile handsets and will ensure India’sAatmanirbhar Bharat’s vision. With this new PLI scheme, we will not only meet our domestic needs but would also capture a large share of the global market”.

ICEA stated that it will continue to work with the Government and various industry stakeholders, located both within India and outside India as well, on outreach initiatives and handholding support to help actualize these objectives covered under PLI.

Anker introduces Powercore, a 20,000mAh power bank in India

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US-based charging brand Anker has launched a 20,000mAh power bank called Powercore in India. The power bank is extremely handy to carry. Designed in matte finish, it enhances grip and doesn’t leave smudges or fingerprints.

The high speed charging, with Power IQ and Voltage Boost, combines to deliver the fastest possible charge. The ultra high capacity offers two-way fast charging and a conversion rate of more than 90%. It provides more than five charges for iPhone X, five full charges for Samsung Galaxy S10 and over two and a half charges for iPad Mini5. The power bank supports micro USB input.

The device sports Anker’s multi-protection system that ensures complete protection of the devices, along with temperature control when charging. It protects the devices from overcharging, overheating, short-circuit etc. Fabricated with A-Grade li-polymer battery, with rugged design, the power bank is also safe from external damages and mishaps.

The all-new Anker Powercore is available with Amazon India and leading retail stores in Black colour. The product also comes with 18 months warranty.

Infinix Mobile Bonanza sale goes on at Flipkart

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Transsion Group-owned Infinix has come up with an exclusive Mobile Bonanza sale on Flipkart which started on February 24 and will go on till Feb. 28. The smartphone brand has put out special offers on the purchase of its latest devices: Infinix Note 7 and Infinix Zero8i. The brand has announced an additional Rs 1,000 prepaid offer on its newly-launched 32-inch and 43-inch smart TVs from February 25 to 28.

Available at a discounted price of Rs 9,999, the Note 7 comes with a 48MP AI quad rear camera, ultra-power Helio G70 octa-core processor and a long-lasting 5,000mAh battery with an 18W fast charger that delivers up to 20 hrs of video playback.

Powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G70 processor, the smartphone is backed with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 64GB internal storage and operates on Android 10 XOS 6.1 Dolphin to guarantee a seamless, glitch-free, and connected usage experience for the users. Note 7 is the first in its segment to come with a near bezel-less 6.95-inch pin-hole display with HD+ resolution and a 91.5% screen-to-body ratio for an immersive viewing experience.

Priced at a discounted rate of Rs 14,999, the revolutionary and elegantly designed Zero 8i is for the new-age multi-taskers. It comes with a 48MP AI quad rear camera with 8MP ultra-wide angle lens. The device features a unique Ultra-steady Video mode in collaboration with advanced Vidhance video stabilization solution, which allows the camera to capture clear and stable images/videos from both the front as well as the rear camera in all scenarios. The advanced camera of Zero 8i also comes with multiple category-first modes like Slow Motion video recording mode. To ensure a power-packed performance, the smartphone operates on Android 10 XOS 7, and is backed by an ultra-powerful MediaTek Helio G90T 64 bit octa-core processor with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 128GB internal storage. The newest entrant in the Zero series stands out for its 6.85-inch FHD+ Dual Pin Hole with a 90.1% screen-to-body ratio and 480 nits brightness and 1500:1 contrast ratio for bringing out the best video viewing experience.

 

Priced at a discounted rate of Rs 11,999 and Rs 19,999, Infinix’s TUV Rheinland-certified 32-inch and 43-inch Android smart TVs promise the best viewing experience with EPIC 2.0 picture engine that uses algorithms to enhance the overall picture quality and improve the brightness, color, contrast, and clarity to deliver a vivid picture quality. Meanwhile, the Eye-Care technology implementation on them has been done at the LED panel hardware and software level to provide the safest viewing experience. Powered by Mediatek quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of ROM, the Infinix Smart TVs come loaded with built-in Chromecast for seamless connectivity to your favourite video apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc. and Google assistant to have a personalised and hands-free experience. The TVs come with in-built Box speakers with Dolby Audio’s surround sound capabilities to separate sound channels for creating a cinematic surround sound experience.

Nokia 3.4 Review: Refreshing Contours but is that enough?

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Nokia has finally announced the launch of Nokia 3.4 which the company was delaying for a long time. The new Nokia 3.4 is the latest entrant in the budget range where it is sure to face tough competition from the likes of Redmi Note 9, Poco M3, Realme Nazro 20A, etc. In this review of ours, we will highlight what the new Nokia 3.4 has to offer to make it stand in the top tier of the competition.

Design

Nokia has used the unique pattern design on the new Nokia 3.4 as well which we have seen earlier in Nokia 5.3 and Nokia 5.4. The pattern design at the rear side of the phone is giving an aesthetic appeal to the phone. The phone size is compact and fits the palm quite comfortably and thanks to the curvy edges the phone has a better grip as well. The bodyweight of the phone is light as the company has used plastic body which reduces some amount of body weight. The company is now accustomed to using the circular frame at the rear side to incorporate the camera sensors and the new Nokia 3.4 also has the same circular frame inside of which lies a triple camera sensor and an LED flash. The rear side also has a physical fingerprint sensor which is quite fast to respond to touch. The front side of the phone sports a huge display and a punch hole notch.The use of punch hole notch in the Nokia 3.4 which is a budget range phone is something that will get the attention of the users. The placement of the buttons is just like the previously launched Nokia phones whereon the left side lies a Google Assistant button and a dual-SIM tray and a dedicated micro SD card slot and on the right side the power button and the volume rocker. The top of the phone holds a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the bottom is having a USB-C charging port and speaker grille.

Display

The Nokia 3.4 comes with 6.39-inch IPS LED screen and has an aspect ratio of 19:5:9. The screen offers wide viewing space and the colors produced on the screen maintain a good contrast level. The bezels on the screen are quite prominent on the bottom side of the screen where lies the logo of the company whereas the bezels on the sides are slim. The display has a screen resolution of 720×1560 pixels and has 400nits brightness which enables the screen to be visible under bright daylight.

Cameras

Nokia 3.4 has three rear camera sensors which when tested provided satisfying results. The primary sensor is of 13MP wide lens. The secondary sensor is a 5MP ultrawide lens and the third lens is a 2MP depth sensor. The images captured during the daytime maintained a good color level with an average contrast level. Sometimes the images get over-sharpened but overall the quality is ok to be for a smartphone in this price range. Increasing the resolution makes the images unstable so I would suggest using the camera lens in their default mode. The images captured at night were of average quality, not something very exciting. The flashlight though assists you to capture a good amount of light in dim lighting conditions. At night there are some graining and noise effect visible. Overall, it could be said that the Nokia 3.4 delivers an average quality of images which is to me is ok when we look at the price tag of the phone but it surely falls a little bit behind Redmi Note 9 in the camera section. The selfie sensor is 8MP which delivers selfies of good quality as the selfie captured were clear and bright. The selfies did not possess any unwanted effect which we liked about the selfie sensor. Nokia 3.4 can record videos in 1080p@30fps and there is not stability feature so the videos recorded will be a little shaken up if you won’t keep the camera steady.

Platform

The new Nokia 3.4 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 processor which has eight cores where four cores are clocked at 1.8GHz Cortex- A73 and the rest four cores are clocked at 1.8GHz Cortex- A53. The processor is mediocre as it is only good for using light applications. The processor gets slow while using heavy apps and multitasking. You have to be very patient while multitasking as it takes few seconds to launch the apps. The 4GB RAM though provides some power to the processor to carry out the tasks. The ROM size of the phone is 64GB which can be expanded with the help of a dedicated microSD card slot. The gaming experience is not that so good as the phone fails to impress us while playing 3D games. The normal games run smoothly but if you try to switch to big games then the phone gets extremely slow.

Nokia 3.4 has the Android 10 stock version and just like the previously launched phones from Nokia, it will be able to receive the update of Android 11 whenever it will be available. The Android One has a clear interface which we liked.

Battery

The battery power of the Nokia 3.4 is impressive as it is powered by 4,000mAh battery power. The battery can last a day if it is used moderately otherwise if you prefer heavy usage like watching movies for hours, browsing, or playing games for hours then you have to charge it once again to make it last a day. The battery draining could have been avoided if the processor would have been more powerful. The charging speed is moderate and the phone comes with a 10W charger and it takes few hours to completely charge the phone.

Conclusion

The Nokia 3dot4 comes with decent cocktail of features and pricing. The smartphone comes in attractive colour options that feel refreshing. The display provides enough area to enjoy content. Cameras do as expected, not very detailed but, can manage decent clicks. The octa-core QS chipset assists the 3dot4 comfortably. The battery can take you for a day under normal conditions. The Nokia 3.4 sells at Rs 11,999 for the base variant of 4GB and that makes it stay away from the crowd with stock Android and Nordic feel.