Author: Aniruddh

Samsung Galaxy S7 Features and FAQ

Samsung has unveiled much anticipated Galaxy S7, its flagship device for 2016. Like last year, this year too we have 2 different variants Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. The preorders will begin from Tuesday and the device will be available to consumers starting March 11th in selected regions. Samsung also announced offer to provide free Gear VR headset bundled along with six games for those who preorder in some region.

Based on the information we have as of now, here is the few FAQ on the new Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone. We will be updating this post in coming days as and when we get more information. If you want to ask any specific questions, feel free to use the comment section below.

Samsung Galaxy S7 Features and FAQ

What are different variants of Galaxy S7 available?
Primarily there are 2 variants. One is Galaxy S7 and another one is Galaxy S7 Edge. There is also variant based on the Soc, single and hybrid dual sim variants. The different colour variants available are black onyx, gold platinum.

What is the SoC is used on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge?

As mentioned above, there 2 different SoC variants are available. One is based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor and another one is Exynos 8890 SoC. Based on the region, availability of these variant changes.

How about Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge display?

Samsung Galaxy S7 comes with 5.1-inch QHD Super Amoled display and Galaxy S7 Edge comes with 5.5-inch QHD Super Amoled display panel. Both smartphones feature Always-On display which allows you to check important notifications, time and date without having to wake up the device.

Is there any changes interms of camera unit used in Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge?

Yes. Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge comes with 12MP primary camera with f1.7 and 5MP front facing camera. Like we have seen in iPhone 6s, this also use display flash while taking selfies. There are plenty of camera tweaks such as Motion photo, Motion panorama to name few.

What are the storage option available?

The device will be available in 32GB or 64GB variants depending on the region. There is also provision for additional storage through microSD card upto 200GB. All the variants of Galaxy S7 will come with 4GB of RAM.

What about battery capacity of Galaxy S7?

Galaxy S7 comes with 3000mAh battery and Galaxy S7 Edge has 3600mAh battery. Both variants supports fast charging both on wired and wireless.

What is the design and build quality change?

Aesthetically, both devices looks very similar to its predecessor. However, now both devices has IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

February 22, 2016
Asus Zenfone Max Review – Pros and Cons
Asus Zenfone Max is a lower mid range dual sim Android smartphone. The key highlight of the device is its massive 5000 mAh battery. The device can be used as power bank for charging other smartphones. The price of Zenfone Max in India is Rs. 9,999. For this price, it is one of the best value for money smartphone if you are looking for a smartphone with good battery life. This Zenfone Max review is segregated by questions and answers. This includes features and specifications, advantages and disadvantages and few simple tips.

Asus Zenfone Max Review and FAQ

What are the box content of Asus Zenfone Max?

Box content of Zenfone Max includes Handset, user manual and warranty card, charger, USB to microUSB cable, USB OTG cable.

How is the design and build quality of Zenfone Max?

The device looks very similar to previous Zenfone 2 smartphones. The dimensions of the device are 77.5mm*156mm*10.55mm. The thickness at its thinnest edge is 5.2mm. This smartphone weighs 202 grams. Unlike Zenfone 2, the volume and power buttons are placed in the right side of the device. The device comes with surrounding metal like edge which gives style factor to Zenfone Max.

What are the different colour options available?

Zenfone Max is available in two colour variants. One is Pure White with an elegant eggshell texture and another one is Osmium Black with the look and feel of embossed leather.

What is display size and quality? Does it has any protecting glass cover?

Zenfone Max sports 5.5 inch HD (1280×720 pixels) IPS display screen. The viewing angles and colours reproduction are good. Even brightness of the device also decent but not great. If you are used to high ppi density display screens, you might observe bit of pixalation. As far as screen protection, it has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 with fingerprint and smudge-resistant oleophobic coating.

How is the performance? Does Zenfone Max has any heating issue?

Zenfone Max is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC with 2GB of RAM. The device has 16GB of internal storage in which 10GB is user available. It also supports microSD card. The internals are very similar to Zenfone Laser. In general usage, i have not faced any lag while switching between the apps or opening a app. The gaming performance too decent. In my usage, I have not faced any heating issue.

How is the camera performance?

Asus Zenfone Max houses 13 megapixel, f2.0 aperture rear camera with dual tone LED flash. There is also a laser auto focus for quick focus on the object. The performance of camera in outdoor condition is good. In indoor and low light performance with auto settings is average. However, if you play with manual settings, it takes decent images. The device also has 5MP, f/2.0-aperture camera with 85̊ wide-viewing angle. It does take decent images.

What is the battery capacity of Zenfone Max? Does it has fast charging?

Zenfone Max comes with huge 5000 mAh battery. There is no fast charger out of the box. The bundled charger takes around 5 hours to charge completely. The battery life on this device is excellent. With my regular usage, I got more than 2 days of battery life with 4G/3G enabled all the time. The standby time also excellent.

Can I use Zenfone Max as power bank?

Yes. You can use this device as power bank. Asus has bundled OTG cable along with the box.

What are the connectivity features of this dual sim Zenfone smartphone?

The connectivity features of the device includes 4G(on sim 1 only), 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB.

What are different sensors available in Zenfone Max?

Accelerator,E-Compass,Proximity sensor,Hall sensor,Ambient light sensor.

What are the pros and cons of Zenfone Max?

Pros:
- Excellent battery life.
- Decent performance and software.
- Decent build quality.
- Ability to use the device as power bank.
Cons:
- Bundled charger does not support fast charging.
- Display could have been better.
- Feels bit heavy in hand.
- No Android 6.0 out of the box.
How to download PC suite for Zenfone Max?

There are 2 ways through which you can install Asus PC suite for Zenfone Max. One through directly from your phone. That is connect your device to PC. New drives shows up. Click and install the PC suite. Another way through directly downloading from official support page. You can read more on this in my previous post how to download Asus Zenfone PC suite.

How to use Zenfone max as modem?

You can use Zenfone Max as modem through USB tethering, Wi-Fi hotspot and through Bluetooth tethering. I have detailed post on this with title How to use Zenfone as modem.

How to capture screenshot on Zenfone Max?

I already covered it in previous post. You can refer to it here.

When Zenfone Max will get Android 6.0 Marshmallow update?

As per the recent announcement from Asus, Android 6.0 update for Zenfone Max will start from March 2016. You can read more about this here.
February 21, 2016
How to update Moto E 2nd Gen to Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Motorola Moto E 2nd gen finally started to recieve Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in India. The size of the OTA update is around 450MB. So you need to have around double that space. The new Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for Moto E 2nd gen will bring new features like Now on Tap, Doze functionality which improves battery life, using microSD card as extension of internal storage etc.

Useful links:

How to take screenshot on Moto E

How to use Moto E as modem

Moto E 2nd gen pros and Cons

How to update Moto E 2nd Gen to Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Before starting the update, it is better to fulfill some of the prerequisites. They are
- Battery is charged at aleast 50%.
- Have atleast 1GB free space.
Now here is the update procedure.

There are 2 scenarios.
1. If you have received a notification message for this update:
  - Select “Yes, I’m in”.
  - After the software is downloaded, select “Install now”.
  - After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
  - Your phone is now updated to Android 6.0.
2. If you have not received a notification message for this update:
  - Select the Settings icon in the apps menu.
  - Select “About phone”.
  - Select “System updates”.
  - Select “Yes, I’m in”. After the software is downloaded, select “Install now”.
  - After the software is installed, your phone will re-start automatically.
  - Your phone is now updated to Android 6.0.
Motorola has released Android 6.0 update for its Moto G series(Starting Moto G 2nd Gen) and Moto X series. Now it is the turn for Moto E. Android 6.0 Marshmallow update as of now available through OTA in India only. But it expected to roll other parts of the world as well very soon.

If you haven’t got the update, don’t be panic. The update will come in phases. With this update, Moto E 2nd Gen will be most affordable smartphone to run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. If you already recieved updated, don’t forget to share your experience with new OS in the comment section below.
February 19, 2016
How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone Max
Asus Zenfone Max is a sub 10k Android smartphone with huge 5000 mAh battery. It runs on Android Lollipop with ZenUI. In this post, we will go though on how to take screenshot on Zenfone Max.

For capturing screenshot on Zenfone Max, there are 3 different methods are available. 1. Power and Volume down method, 2. Recent Apps key method and 3. Through screenshot button.

How to take screenshot on Zenfone Max

1. Power and Volume down method:
- Go to the screen on which you want to perform print screen.
- Press and hold power and volume down key for around 1-2 seconds.
- Screenshot will be saved.
2. Using the recent apps Key method:

For using this method, first you need to assign recent apps key to take screenshot.
- Go to “Application” >> Tap “Settings” >> Choose “ASUS customized” from options. >> Choose “Key settings”>> Choose “Tap and hold to get screenshot”.
- Now whenever you want to capture screenshot on Zenfone Max, long press on the recent apps key.
- The screenshot will be saved.
3. Using the screenshot button method

By default quick settings menu does not have screenshot button. So you need to add it to the quick access menu.
- On home screen, go to Access Quick settings and then tap “Quick settings options”.
- Select the screenshot option from the available tools option. Do note that, you can choose maximum of 4 tools. So you need to disable the tool from quick settings menu which you don’t want.
- Now whenever, you want to perform screen capture on Zenfone Max, access the quick settings and tap on to Screenshot button.
Where the taken screenshot will be saved?

All the screenshot which are taken on Zenfone Max will saved under Gallery->Screenshot folder.
February 18, 2016
Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 Features and FAQ

Samsung has recently launched 2016 variant of Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7. Both devices share similar specification in many aspects. The key difference are display screen size, RAM and the battery. In this post we will have a quick look into features of the Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 which are segregating into questions and answers.

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 edition FAQ

What are the different variants Galaxy A5 2016 available?

Mainly Galaxy A5 2016 comes with 2 processor variants. One is powered by Snapdragon 615 Soc and the other one is Exynos 7580. The model which is available in India is powered by Exynos 7580 Soc which is a 64 bit 1.6GHz Octa core processor(Cortex A53) with Mali T20 GPU. It has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It also supports microSD card.

What are the different colours options available?

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 will be available with 3 different colours variants namely Gold, White and Black.

Does it has seperate dual sim slot or hybrid slim slot?

Galaxy A5 2016 has dual sim card slot+ seperate memory card slot.

How is the display on this device? Does it has any protective glass?

The device sports 5.2 inch super AMOLED screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels and pixel density of ~424 ppi. The screen has Corning Gorilla glass 4 protection.

What about camera?

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 houses 13MP primary camera with f1.9 lense and LED flash. The camera also has optical image stabilisation. There is also a 5MP front facing camera with f1.9 lense. Both camera are equipped to record videos at 1080p resolution.

What is battery capacity of Samsung Galaxy A5 2016? Does it has fast charging feature?

Galaxy A5 2016 model houses 2900 mAh battery with fast charging feature.

What is Android version? Will this device gets Android 6.0 Marshmallow?

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 edition runs on Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box. There is no official communication on Android 6.0 update as of now. However, this device is expected to get the update.

What are box content of Galaxy A5 2016 edition?

The box content are device, Quick start guide, sim ejector pin, microUSB to USB cable, Power adaptor which supports fast charging.

Does it has FM Radio?

Yes. It has.

What is the price of Galaxy A5 2016 edition? Where can I buy?

Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 edition price in India is Rs.29,400. You can purchase it from Snapdeal.com.

How to take screenshot on Galaxy A5 2016

To take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy A5 2016, there are 2 different methods available. One is through the Power button and home key and another one is through palm swipe method. I have done detailed post on these method. You can read that in my previous post on how to take screeenshot on Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Can I use Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 as modem to share mobile data with PC and other devices?

Galaxy A5 2016 supports USB tethering, Wi-Fi Hotspot and Bluetooth tethering features. Using these features, you can share mobile data with other capable devices. You can read more on this in my previous post on how to use Samsung Galaxy as modem.

These are most commonly asked question on this device. If you have any specific questions, you can ask using the comment section below. I will be doing the complete indepth review on Samsung Galaxy A5 2016 in the coming days which will cover pros and cons of the device.

February 17, 2016