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Jio Prime Free Renewal, Oppo F7 Launched in India, WhatsApp UPI QR Codes, Mi Mix 2S Unveiled, and More News This Week

Jio Prime Free Renewal, Oppo F7 Launched in India, WhatsApp UPI QR Codes, Mi Mix 2S Unveiled, and More News This Week 6lh63

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 1 April 2018 13:04 IST

Highlights

Jio Prime free extension for one year free for existing s announced
Oppo F7, the most affordable 'notched' Android phone, launched in India
WhatsApp updated to allow s to scan QR codes to send money

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In our regular weekly recap of technology news, the headliner this time is extended for one year, until March 2019. The process is not automatic, and customers need to go to the MyJio app and apply for the free Prime renewal. 3i542x

That's no surprise given Jio's history of rolling out freebies ever since it first launched - the network was completely free for its first six months. New s, on the other hand, will have to pay Rs. 99 to start accessing Prime. The company also revealed that it now has 175 million s, up from 160 million in December 2017.

Jio 4G Speeds Higher Than Rivals' in February, TRAI Data Shows

Meanwhile, both new Rs. 65 plan that offers 1GB of 3G data with a 28 day validity period. Airtel is also offering a 2GB plan which gives access to both 3G and 4G connections, with the same validity, for 28 days.

On the other hand, BSNL has three new plans, with prepaid packs priced at Rs. 118, Rs. 379, Rs. 551. Its Rs. 118 prepaid pack - valid only in Tamil Nadu circle - offers 1GB 3G/ 4G data, and unlimited voice calls (including free roaming except for Delhi and Mumbai circles) with a validity of 28 days. In the Kerala circle, it has a recharge priced at Rs. 379 that offers 4GB 3G/ 4G data per day and unlimited BSNL-to-BSNL voice calls (30 minutes per day) for a total of 30 days. BSNL's Rs. 551 prepaid pack - also in Kerala - offers 1.5GB 4G data per day.

The Oppo F7 special edition variants - named Diamond Black and Solar Red - with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, and priced at Rs. 26,990. The 4GB variant will be available from April 9, but the availability of the special edition models, which will only be sold at select Oppo stores, has not been announced.

Aside from RAM and storage, the variants have the same hardware. There's a 6.23-inch full-HD+ display, a MediaTek P60 octa-core SoC, 16-megapixel rear camera and 25-megapixel front camera, and a 3400mAh battery that Oppo says will give you 33.5 hours of music playback. We haven't had a chance to review the phone yet, but our first impression was fairly positive. The phone felt speedy, and while we're not fans of some of the aesthetics of Colour OS, some of the gesture controls were nice to use.

The price tag makes this the most affordable 'notched' our detailed comparison.

There were also a couple of important developments for to access payments, but it's still in beta, so that could be added at some point too, before a wider launch.

Apart from this, WhatsApp is also making it easier to inform friends about Windows Phone versions soon.

Meanwhile in China, iPhone X-like notch with the Mi Mix 2S display, retaining the bottom position for the front camera, but has gone with a vertical dual rear camera design. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S price starts at CNY 3,299 (roughly Rs. 34,200) for the 6GB RAM and 64GB inbuilt storage variant, going up to CNY 3,599 (roughly Rs. 37,300) for the 6GB RAM and 128GB inbuilt storage, and CNY 3,999 (roughly Rs. 41,400) for the top-end model with 8GB RAM and 256GB inbuilt storage.

The phone has a 5.99-inch full-HD+ 18:9 display, and uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. There's a 3400mAh battery, and in our limited time with the phone, it performed irably. We've not had enough time to fully review the phone, but after using it a little, we can say that the cameras are a cut above what the Mi Mix 2 came with, which is a welcome improvement.

Huawei also had a coming to India soon, though pricing here hasn't been announced yet.

Both phones are powered by the octa-core Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC, and the P20 has 4GB RAM while the P20 Pro comes with 6GB RAM. Both have 128GB of inbuilt storage. The P20 has a 5.8-inch full-HD+ display, while the P20 Pro sports a larger 6.1-inch full-HD+ display. The P20 has a dual rear camera with a 12-megapixel RGB sensor and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor, and a 24.8-megapixel front camera. As mentioned above, the P20 Pro has a triple-rear camera - there's an 8-megapixel sensor with a telephoto lens, a 40-megapixel RGB sensor, and a 20-megapixel monochrome sensor. The company claims this combination allows it to offer great low-light performance, and 3x optical zoom.

Aside from that, Huawei also Y7 Prime 2018, or its release date, but we know that it has a Snapdragon 430 processor and 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage. There's a dual rear camera setup with 13-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors, and an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

On the other end of the spectrum, it also launched the triple camera setup. The phone is nearly identical to the Huawei P20 Pro in of specifications, but there's no notch on the display. Also, the triple rear camera is laid out in a vertical line above the fingerprint sensor. There is an under display fingerprint as well - this sensor also wakes up the smartphone if you hover a finger over it. The other highlight is that this phone comes with a 512GB storage variant. The Huawei Porsche Design Mate RS is priced EUR 1,695 (roughly Rs. 1,36,400) for the 256GB variant and goes up to EUR 2,095 (roughly Rs. 1,68,600) for the 512GB variant.

In India, we Lava Z91. This phone also has a 5.7-inch HD+ display, and 13-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras; but a 1.3GHz quad core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, and a 3000mAh battery.

There was also the India launch of the announced the smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, but it's finally available, at a price of Rs. 5,499. The entry level phone is available at an effective price of Rs. 3,299 with cashback offers from Reliance Jio, and you can buy Xpress On covers to customise its look for Rs. 450.

Meanwhile, although Xiaomi has brought the Mi TV 4S. The 55-inch Mi TV 4S is priced at CNY 2,999 (roughly Rs. 31,100) in China. Unlike the 55-inch Mi TV 4 launched in India, this model has a voice remote which s commands like "shut down after 20 minutes", or "fast forward to 54 minutes and 21 seconds".

And finally, Echo, Echo Dot, and Echo Plus - in India.

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