Dhruv Bhutani | Fone Arena

ASUS Zenfone 5Z Unboxing and First Impressions

Its been a couple of months since we last saw the ASUS Zenfone 5Z. Announced at MWC, the device was quite a jump up. Sure, ASUS usually does have an array of refreshed options available under its Zenfone series every year but this was a massive leap forward aimed at taking the OnePlus 6, head on. The ASUS Zenfone 5Z doesn’t just pack the internals of a flagship, it sure looks and feels like one too. Fast forward to July and we’ve finally had a chance to spend a bit of time with the phone. Hang tight as we run you through our first impressions of the ASUS Zenfone 5Z. Continue reading “ASUS Zenfone 5Z Unboxing and First Impressions”

Smartron t.band Review

Bangalore based Smartron calls itself India’s first global OEM and IoT brand. True to their name, the company has dabbled in a range of products including the t-book and the t.phone. The products might not have been smash hits in the market but they’ve certainly proven that Smartron has some good ideas and the capability to deliver on those. The Smartron t.band is the company’s entry into the wearable space and here too, the promise goes beyond what the competition offers. The Smartron t.band claims to track not just the standard measurements like steps, exercise, heart rate and sleep but also your blood pressure. Does it deliver? Let’s find out in our review. Continue reading “Smartron t.band Review”

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Review

Lenovo’s ThinkPad series of laptops are iconic machines. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that in the business world, they occupy the same position as Apple products do for media professionals. Head to any office and you are bound to spot a number of ThinkPads. The ThinkPad X1 Carbon sits at the top of the ladder then with its svelte build, classic keyboard and a brilliant display. Follow along for our review of what could be the ultimate business laptop. Continue reading “Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Review”

1MORE iBFree Sport Bluetooth Earphones Review

We quite liked the original 1MORE iBFree when we reviewed it last year but found it to be a bit lacking in terms of sound quality. The 1MORE iBFree Sport aims to correct that while offering improved physical hardware and better still, an IPX6 rating. We’ve been testing out the 1MORE iBFree Sport Bluetooth Earphone over the last few days and here’s what we think. Continue reading “1MORE iBFree Sport Bluetooth Earphones Review”

boAt Nirvanaa Tres Triple Driver Earphones Review

There’s no shortage of audio brands that claim to deliver top-notch sound quality at a fraction of the price of more established companies. Where boAt audio misses out on heritage and legacy, it makes up for it by introducing well priced audio products that punch above their weight. The boAt Nirvanaa Tres is a triple driver earphone, one of the cheapest ones at that. The latest addition to the company’s line up of audio products, we’ve been testing them out for a while and here’s what we think. Continue reading “boAt Nirvanaa Tres Triple Driver Earphones Review”

Sony MHC-V81D Bluetooth Speaker Review

Turntables to boomboxes, home theatres to bookshelves and now party speakers, Sony has an audio product for everyone. Never to miss out on a trend, the Sony MHC-V81D is the company’s effort to enter the party speaker category. So what exactly is a party speaker? Something that goes loud, provides oodles of bass and if Sony is to be believed, enough blingy lights to trigger an epileptic seizure. Jokes aside, this thing could absolutely replace your neighborhood DJ for that crazy birthday party you were planning out. Sounds interesting? Check out our Sony MHC-V81D Bluetooth Speaker review below. Continue reading “Sony MHC-V81D Bluetooth Speaker Review”

OnePlus Bullets Wireless Review

Wireless headphones have really come into their own over the last year or two with an increasing number of brands getting into the game. From the standard earbuds connected by a single cable to truly wireless and neckband style earphones, there’s one for everyone. The OneMore Bullets Wireless are neckband style earphones, the company’s first wireless pair at that. We’ve been testing these out over the last few days and here’s what we think. Continue reading “OnePlus Bullets Wireless Review”

1More Dual Driver In-Ear Headphones Review

Audiophiles on a budget have never had it better. From Soundmagic to MEE Audio, 1More, FiiO and more, there’s an option for every sound preference and every budget. We’ve previously reviewed a range of 1More products and found them to be excellent value for their price point. In the case of the 1More Triple Driver earphones,we found them to deliver sound quality that punches well above its weight. For someone with a lower budget though, 1More has a dual driver variant. We’ve been testing out the 1More Dual Driver In-Ear Headphones over the last few weeks and here’s our review. Continue reading “1More Dual Driver In-Ear Headphones Review”

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Review

It is intriguing how the selfie-taking capabilities of a phone have spurred a whole new line-up of phones across manufacturers. Following in the footsteps of ‘Selfie Experts’ like OPPO, Xiaomi too introduced their Y series of phones last year. Promising excellent front-facing cameras in addition to robust internals, the Redmi Y1 saw quite a bit of success. So it is fairly obvious why Xiaomi has introduced a second generation model ie the Xiaomi Redmi Y2 today. Follow along for the full review.
Continue reading “Xiaomi Redmi Y2 Review”

Sandisk Ultra 400GB microSDXC UHS-I card Review

Just a few years ago if you’d told me we’d be able to stuff 400GB of storage into something the size of my thumbnail, I’d have probably dismissed it as fantasy. After all, it wasn’t that long ago when 8, 16 or even 32GB memory cards were more than sufficient. Such is the pace of technology. Anyways, when Sandisk asked us if we’d want to check out their all new 400GB memory card, we just couldn’t say no. Follow along for our review of the Sandisk Ultra 400GB UHS-I microSDXC memory card. Continue reading “Sandisk Ultra 400GB microSDXC UHS-I card Review”

Apple introduces watchOS 5 at WWDC, brings Walkie Talkie mode, Podcasts, Work-Out Detection and more

Apple announced the watchOS 5 update for the Apple Watch at WWDC earlier today. With the update, Apple is very clearly doubling down on health and fitness features as it tends to be one of the most popular use cases for smartwatches. There’s much more to the update though. Let’s take a closer look. Continue reading “Apple introduces watchOS 5 at WWDC, brings Walkie Talkie mode, Podcasts, Work-Out Detection and more”

Pride Edition Woven Nylon band announced for Apple Watch, Available today for $49

During the WWDC keynote earlier today, Apple announced a brand new watch band for the Apple Watch. Called the Pride Edition Woven Nylon band, it has been designed to celebrate Pride Month. Continue reading “Pride Edition Woven Nylon band announced for Apple Watch, Available today for $49”

MacOS Mojave Announced with Dark Mode, New Mac App Store, Enhanced Privacy, Desktop Stacks and More

At their annual WWDC event, Apple introduced the latest series of updates to the Mac platform. Dubbed as macOS Mojave, the update brings a brand new cosmetic overhaul in addition to app updates and improvements to security and privacy. Continue reading “MacOS Mojave Announced with Dark Mode, New Mac App Store, Enhanced Privacy, Desktop Stacks and More”

Sony WI SP500 Wireless In-ear Sports Headphones Review

Sony has always had a pretty robust portfolio of audio products that target the sports or athletic use segment. The WI SP500 is one such product that was introduced recently. With an interesting design that sits somewhere between an old-school Bluetooth headset and the air pods but with a cable running between the two, the SP500 are earbuds with open-type drivers. Right then, on to the review. Continue reading “Sony WI SP500 Wireless In-ear Sports Headphones Review”

FiiO BTR1 Bluetooth DAC – Amp Review

Don’t you hate it when you find out that your new smartphone doesn’t sport a headphone jack? You’re left with two options. Use that ridiculous dongle bundled in the box or shell out a lot more money for a high-quality Bluetooth headset. What if we told you there was a third option? Bluetooth music adaptors have existed for years now but FiiO sent us over their BTR1 dongle recently that is supposed to deliver audiophile-quality music over an AptX connection. With a cheeky name that literally says better one, our curiosity was definitely piqued. Find out what we thought about it in our review of the FiiO BTR1. Continue reading “FiiO BTR1 Bluetooth DAC – Amp Review”