Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

5 New Features of Oxygen OS That Make the OnePlus 5 Stand Out

OnePlus 5 Review India -10

A big draw for the OnePlus smartphones has been the clean build of Android onboard. Called Oxygen OS, the operating system is nearly stock and devoid of most of the bloatware found on competing smartphones. The few additions included are meaningful for the most part and are well appreciated. With the OnePlus 5, once again the company has made a few more tweaks and additions that are bound to nudge the experience forward a small step ahead.

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We’ve been testing out the phone with Android 7.1.1 and the latest release of Oxygen OS 4.5.1 and have so far counted 5 major changes or tweaks that we’ll detail below. Continue reading “5 New Features of Oxygen OS That Make the OnePlus 5 Stand Out”

OnePlus 5 Review

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OnePlus hasn’t shied away from calling it’s phones, flagship killers. The company set out to build top-notch handsets with cutting edge specifications and offered them at bargain basement prices. The OnePlus 5 however has higher ambitions. With its sight set on top end flagships and a price that isn’t too far off, OnePlus has a tough uphill climb ahead of it. The company has endowed it with all sorts of hardware bells & whistles but hardware alone doesn’t make a phone. Let’s take a closer look and see if the OnePlus 5 really lives up to the hype. Continue reading “OnePlus 5 Review”

OnePlus touts customer service improvements ahead of OnePlus 5 launch

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As OnePlus gets ready to launch their next flagship, the company has left no stone unturned to build hype around the upcoming phone. From specifications to design and the camera, much has been said about the OnePlus 5. That said, in an offline first market like India, it is customer support & service that can often make or break a product. The company has now released a new video that talks about all the improvements and efforts that it has made to improve customer support.

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5 things you must know about the upcoming OnePlus flagship launch

OnePlus 5 teaser

With the OnePlus 5 right around the corner, the company has predictably been teasing and hyping up the feature set of their upcoming phone. There’s a lot that has been rumored and hinted at in whispered tones about the upcoming phone but these are the five features that we’ve heard about straight from the horse’s mouth. So without further ado, here are the top five features that we think you should know about the upcoming OnePlus 5. Continue reading “5 things you must know about the upcoming OnePlus flagship launch”

Moto Z2 Play Hands On Impressions

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The Moto Z2 Play is a successor to what was perhaps the most successful device in the revamped Z series. The Z2 continues the tradition of striking a good balance between design and performance while bringing the whole Moto Mod ecosystem to yet another handset. Continue reading “Moto Z2 Play Hands On Impressions”

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Hands On Impressions

Xperia XZ Premium -10 We saw it first at MWC in Barcelona and now Sony has finally launched the Xperia XZ Premium in India. The first Snapdragon 835 powered phone in the country is also the world’s first with a 4K HDR screen. Let’s take a closer look. Continue reading “Sony Xperia XZ Premium Hands On Impressions”

Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT Review

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Part of Sennheiser’s 2017 range of headphones, the HD 4.40 BT sits bang in the middle of the wired HD 4.30 and the 4.50 which includes active noise cancellation. Priced at Rs. 10,990, the pair is relatively pricey and faces a fair amount of competition. Will Sennheiser be able to strike that much vaunted balance between performance and price? We find out in our review. Continue reading “Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT Review”

Sony MDR-XB950B1 Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones Review

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Sony has been a champion of the Extra Bass line of audio products for quite a few years. We might be guilty of grossly generalising popular music but looking at music charts it is easy to see that bass heavy pop and EDM music dominates and for obvious reasons, Sony has been targeting this massive user group with their audio products. At CES, the company introduced a few more products in this line up. Called the MDR-XB950B1, these wireless headphones predictably carry a massive punch on the bass side of things but also introduce niceties like app control which as you’ll find out, comes very handy. Continue reading “Sony MDR-XB950B1 Extra Bass Bluetooth Headphones Review”

I/O 2017 shows signs of a more mature Google

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There’s few industry events that get enthusiasts as excited as Google’s annual I/O developer gathering. It was ‘just’ four years ago that skydivers zoomed down on Moscone Center and streamed the entire thing via Google Glass. From moonshots to hardware efforts like the Nexus Q that never really saw the light of day, Google has been the adventurous, perhaps slightly reckless counterpart to the more reserved and cautious Apple. If I/O 2017 is any indication then it looks like that there’s a change coming and we might start seeing a more mature side of Google. Some might call it boring but boring too can be good. Continue reading “I/O 2017 shows signs of a more mature Google”

Xiaomi Redmi 4 Review : Budget Blockbuster

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The sub 10,000 rupee category of phones has been redefined by Xiaomi’s Redmi series. Over multiple generations, the company has focussed on delivering a compelling experience driven by competitive hardware and well optimised software. Xiaomi has a similar goal in mind with the Redmi 4 too. Does it succeed? We find out in our review.

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Micromax Canvas 2 (2017) Hands On

Micromax Canvas 2 (2017) -1 Back with a bang, Micromax launched yet another smartphone yesterday. Called the Canvas 2 – 2017 edition, the phone appears to be a well rounded package aimed at the offline market. Let’s take a look at the hardware and features of the device. Continue reading “Micromax Canvas 2 (2017) Hands On”

CAT S60 Review : Rugged to the Bone

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Think CAT and a massive yellow excavator is probably the first image that comes to your mind. Short for Caterpillar, the company has been making heavy construction equipment for decades now. What’s not quite as well-known is the fact that the company has been in the rugged phone market too for the last few years. While the S60 might be the first smartphone with a built-in thermal camera, it is also the first CAT device to be launched in India. Rugged phones are still a bit of a rarity in India so we were suitably excited to put the CAT S60 through it’s paces. Find out what we discovered in our review. Continue reading “CAT S60 Review : Rugged to the Bone”

Micromax Evok Power Review

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Stepping out from their slumber, Micromax is finally introducing a range of new smartphones. A play in the online-only space, the Evok series is aimed directly at competitors like Xiaomi. With the Evok Power and Evok Note, the first wave of phones target both the large battery and large display wanting market segments. A budget device that is focussed on delivering the essentials, the Micromax Evok Power brings a large battery, sturdy design as it’s highlight features. Will that be enough to make it a strong contender in the highly competitive budget segment? We find out in our review. Continue reading “Micromax Evok Power Review”

Smartron srt.phone First Impressions

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With Sachin Tendulkar as a principal investor, Smartron has been making waves as the next big Indian company to look out for. The company has so far been involved in highly diversified technologies like convertible computers, IOT peripherals and of course smartphones. While Smartron’s first attempt at building a smartphone was not as successful as they might have hoped, it looks like their second innings might change the game altogether. We went hands on with the new Smartron srt.phone and here’s what we think of it. Continue reading “Smartron srt.phone First Impressions”

Brainwavz Blu Delta Review

Brainwavz Blu Delta -2 Brainwavz is one of those brands that we blindly trust to introduce some of the most well lasticriced and more importantly well sounding audio products at their respective price points. We’ve previously reviewed the Brainwavz M3 and Alpha in-earphones and found them to be pretty solid performers. Today we’re about to take a look at the Brainwavz Delta bluetooth in-ear monitors priced at Rs. 3,699. These compete in a market category that is flooded by a large number of branded and off brand competition. Let’s see if they have what it takes to cut out a niche for themselves. Continue reading “Brainwavz Blu Delta Review”