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As 2017 approaches, the new trend for the smartphones of tomorrow seem to be edge-to-edge bezel-less displays. Following the footsteps of the Xiaomi Mi Mix, Huawei is rumoured to be the next manufacturer to release a bezel-less smartphone and it might just arrive sooner than you think. The Honor Magic (as it will possibly be called), could be revealed on December 17. It could have already been out and about, had the original release date of December 7 not been pushed back.


If the latest leak is to be believed, then the Honor Magic will be priced higher than a mid-high end gaming PC, two or three average laptops and even the Apple iPhone 7 Plus 256GB variant! JingDong has the Magic priced at RMB 9,999, which equates to around USD 1441/Euro 1385/1162 pounds. Let's just hope that this listing price is the result of an exaggerated pre-release hype rather than a reflection of the actual official price tag. Also take a look at what the Magic promises to bring with it, as per leaks and rumors.



Curved Super AMOLED edge-to-edge 4K display made by Samsung
A huge battery with charging tech that pumps up the battery from 0 to 50% in five minutes
Dual rear cameras
Included stylus
Fingerprint scanner below the curved glass
3D glass back cover


We are not entirely sure about the authenticity of these rumors, but the image that you see above seems legitimate. However, some of the other specs, as well as the price seem like, well... "Magic!"


Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)


tax on mobile phones

 

The Indian Government seems to be a little aggressive about the new tax schemes. Recently the Goods and Services Tax council of India decided to increase the tax rate by 6% over the existing 12% tax rate. The new tax rate of 18% will apply to anything related to the smartphone industry that also includes the components or parts of the smartphones.


The GST council of India is raising the taxation rate on mobile phones to meet the existing rate on raw material and components used in the manufacturing of the smartphone. India has already slapped on an 18% GST rate on raw materials used for manufacturing smartphones. The current tax rate on the final product was, however, 12%. This was leading to an inverted pyramid of the tax system. In a move to rationalize taxes, the council has increased taxes on mobile phones to match the 18% GST on components. Inevitably, this will lead to an increase in the cost and financial burden on the end consumer.


Manu Kumar, Xiamoi India MD has requested the Indian Government to reconsider this new tax update. According to his latest tweet, he has suggested that the industry is already struggling with depreciating INR and supply chain disruption due to covid-19. He further said that govt should at least consider exempting low-budget smartphones that used to cost under $200. The covid-19 had hugely impact the smartphone and many industries to in fact.


This new tax will further enforce more damage to one of the fastest-growing industries in India. In a memo to the GST council, the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association has raised the issue, but it remains to be seen whether any exemptions will be made to keep prices low, especially in the popular sub-Rs. 15,000 segment.



According to the latest leak by VentureBeat, the Galaxy Note 8 will be costlier than any phone ever released by Samsung yet. While it is to be expected as I have never really seen any of their flagships launched with a lower price tag than that of its predecessor, Samsung is taking it beyond the $1,000 mark this time. To be precise, the Note 8 will start at an astoundingly expensive price tag of $1,120 or €999. This is of course, presuming that the leak has any merit to it.


The price itself will not matter much to the US users as they often get brilliant discounts, bogo offers and excellent monthly contract options. The international markets like India however, will feel the pinch as the prices are always higher and such discounts and offers are unheard of.


In case you don't know yet, rumors are predicting that you will be paying that price tag of $1,120 or higher (depending on where you are located) for a 6.3-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835/Exynos 8895, 6GB of RAM, rear mounted dual cameras, the S-Pen, Nougat 7.1.1 and a weirdly placed rear mounted fingerprint sensor.


Via: SamMobile


Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)



Although the Galaxy Note 8 was launched with 6GB of RAM on Wednesday, rumor has it that Samsung is planning to release a cheaper version of its latest flagship smartphone with 4GB of RAM. Everything else should be exactly the same though and that brings us to the question, would you mind less RAM if you could save up on some money for that?


As of now, the rumor suggests that the phone is only being developed for China, but it could be making an appearance in other Asian countries as well. The Note 8 with 4GB of RAM came into limelight after it was seen passing through the TENAA. As per the report, this one will be cheaper at 5,664 Yuan/$850, whereas the regular Note 8 with 6GB of RAM should be priced at around 6,288 Yuan or $943. We are not sure if this cheaper version will hit any other countries outside Asia though.


Saikat Kar (tech-enthusiast)



The myth of the Samsung foldable smartphone continues as the latest rumors and reports are pointing towards some additional info. Apparently, the Galaxy X, aka Samsung's first foldable smartphone is coming in 2019, but it will be expensive, very expensive! If you though that latest flagship smartphones touching the $1,000 mark was crazy, wait till the Galaxy X hits the market with a price tag close to 2 million won or $1900!


The 7.3-inch (rumored) foldable phone will either carry two or even three separate AMOLED displays which will lock together into one single device on opening, or there will be just one amazing, foldable display. Given the rumored prize tag though, it better be amazing! In any case, the price tag might just put off buyers because shelling out that kind of money for one smartphone is neither feasible nor intelligent for most users, but then again, you may never know! The phone could make an appearance at the CES 2019 first, but it will likely be a private showing and limited to the eyes of the investors and partners only.


Saikat Kar



It would be a lie to state that the Galaxy Note 9 is almost the same as the Note 8, but as far as looks are concerned, they do look almost identical! Nevertheless, it features every innovation that the last leak suggested, but at an eye-watering price of $999.99 and $1249.50 for the 128GB/6GB and 512GB/8GB versions respectively. Primary highlight of the unveiling was the new Bluetooth powered S-Pen's capabilities, which comes with its own battery now. In addition to the stylus finctionalities, the S-Pen can also be used as a remote control for controlling the Note 9. AI powered scene detection, a bigger battery and early adopter goodies for Fortnite players were the other highlights of the show. Do check out the full spec list below.


Display: 6.4-inch, 18.5:9, Super AMOLED display at 2,960 x 1,440 resolution (516 ppi)


SoC: Global: 10 nm, 64-bit, octa-core Samsung Exynos 9810 (2.8 GHz quad + 1.7 GHz quad); U.S.: 10nm, 64-bit, octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845


GPU: ARM Mali-G72 MP18 (Exynos); Adreno 630 (Snapdragon)


RAM: 6GB or 8GB LPDDR4 RAM


Storage: 128GB or 512GB with microSD expansion up to 512GB


Rear Cameras: Dual camera with dual OIS, Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12 MP AF sensor with OIS, f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures; Telephoto: 12 MP AF sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 2x zoom


Front: 8 MP AF sensor, f/1.7 aperture


Audio: Stereo speakers tuned by AKG, surround sound with Dolby Atmos technology


Audio formats: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA, DSF, DFF, APE


Video: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM


Battery: 4,000mAh battery

Fast Wired Charging compatible with QC 2.0

Fast Wireless Charging compatible with WPC and PMA


IP rating: IP68


Sensors: Iris, pressure, accelerometer, barometer, fingerprint, gyro, geomagnetic, hall, HR, proximity, RGB Light


Network: Enhanced 4X4 MIMO/CA, LAA, LTE Cat. 18


Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), VHT80 MU-MIMO, 1024QAM


Bluetooth: v5.0 (LE up to 2 Mbps)


ANT+


USB Type-C


NFC


Location: GPS, Galileo, Glonass, BeiDou


SIM: Single nano-SIM


Authentication  Lock type: Pattern, PIN, password


Biometric lock type: iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, face recognition, Intelligent Scan


Software: Android 8.1 with Samsung Experience


Dimensions and weight: 161.9 x 76.4 x 8.8mm, 201g


Colors: Lavender Purple, Ocean Blue, Midnight Black, Metallic Copper



***All pictures were obtained from Android Authority


Saikat Kar


iPhone

 

Apple iPhone is one of the most expensive smartphones and now it is going to even pricier. Thanks to Trump administration who is threating to impose more tarrif on Chinese products, iPhone prices could go up to 14%, according to CNBC. This would make the cheapest iPhone XR $750 to cost us an extra $100. Whereas the most expensive one the iPhone XS max would cost $200 more - bringing its price tag up to $1,650. J.P Morgan said, "We estimate a price increase of around 14% is required to absorb the impact of a 25% tariff, keeping margin dollars for all players in the supply chain constant," J.P. Morgan said in a note to clients Tuesday.


With $200 billion on hand, Apple can easily afford this cost but most likely it is going to past down to the customer. The tarrif isn't a reality yet but on Monday, Trump tweeted that customers in U.S should buy stuff from other countries or something made in U.S. This is easy to say but in practical terms may be not easy to do. Apple has clearly stated that it iPhones may not get have a huge impact from this trade war but the prices of other products like Apple watches and Air Pods are going to be higher with immediate effect if the tarrif is imposed.


According to statista.com, throughout 2010, 304.7 million devices were shipped. In 2018, we see that 1.4 billion units were sold, which is way higher figure anyone would have anticipated a decade ago. It seems that market is already saturated with dozens of smartphone manufacturers already. Looking in the future, some people suggest that Apple may move its production unit to some other Asian country or should move to U.S completely. Bank of America Merrill Lynch estimates that iPhone prices would have to increase by around 20 percent if production was moved to the U.S. "We estimate the incremental cost of manufacturing iPhones in the U.S. could be 15-25%, and, if passed on to consumers could lead to demand destruction, in our view," the Bank of America said in a note.


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