Category: Smartphones

Honor 5C Tips and Tricks with FAQ
Honor 5C is the latest Android smartphone which is launched in India. The main USP of this device are 5.2 inch full HD display screen, 13MP primary camera and 8MP front facing camera. Honor 5C price in India is Rs.10,999. Let us have quick look into Honor 5C Tips and Tricks with FAQ,

Honor 5C Tips and Tricks with FAQ

What size sim cards Honor 5C accepts?

Honor 5C comes with dual sim hybrid sim card slot. It accepts 2 nano sim cards.

What are the different colour variants of Honor 5C available?

Honor 5C is available in Gold, Grey and Silver colours.

Does it has dedicated microSD card support?

No. As it has hybrid sim slot, you can either use 2 sim cards or 1 sim card along with microSD card.

What is the internal storage on this device? How much is user available storage?

Honor 5C has 16GB of internal storage. In my unit the user available storage out of the box is around 9.78GB.

What are the box content of Honor 5C?

Honor 5C box content are device, sim ejector pin, charger and USB to microUSB cable.

How many fingerprint id can be configured on this device? What are the different functions or Fingerprint scanner tips and tricks?

You can add upto 5 fingerprint ids. Below are different functions which can be done using the fingerprint scanner on Honor 5C. You can access these settings from Settings->Fingerprint ID.
1. Tap and Hold gesture:
  - Take photo or video: From the viewfinder screen, touch and hold the fingerprint scanner to take photo or record video.
  - Answer call: if you enable this, you can answer a incoming call by touch and hold fingerprint sensor.
  - Stop Alarm: When an alarm goes off, touch and hold fingerprint sensor to stop the alarm.
2. Slide Gesture:
  - Show notification panel: Slide down on the fingerprint sensor to display the notification panel. Double touch to clear the panel and slide up to close the panel.
  - Browse photos: When viewing photos in full screen mode, swipe left or right on the fingerprint sensor to switch to the previous or next photo.
How to take screenshot on Honor 5C

There are two ways through which you can take screenshot on Honor 5C.
1. Screenshot button method: To capture screenshot using this method, you need access the notification panel->Shortcuts. Now tap on to the screenshot button.
2. Volume down and power button: To capture screenshot on Honor 5C using this method, you need to press and hold volume down and power button at the same time.
How to download PC suite for Honor 5c? What are features of it?

You can download the Honor 5C PC suite from the official support page. For more details on this you can refer to my post Honor PC suite download and Features. You can directly install PC suite for Honor 5c by connecting the device to PC as well.

What about review on Honor 5C?

I started using the Honor 5C from past 2 days. So far I am pretty happy with the device. The performance, build quality, camera performance all are good. Only con of Honor 5C I felt is hybrid sim card slot. However, I will be making dedicated Honor 5C review in the coming days in which I will be discussing the pros and cons of Honor 5C in detail.

These are some basic Honor 5C tips and FAQ. If you have any questions related to this device, please mention it in the comment section below.
July 7, 2016
Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Cons-Reasons not to buy

Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 or Samsung Galaxy J7 -6 is the successor to the previous years Galaxy J7. The Super AMOLED display screen, good camera, excellent battery life, Decent performance, S-Bike mode are some of the key USP of this smartphone. However, this smartphone has few drawbacks. So here are the some of Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Cons.

Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Cons-Reasons not to buy

These are some of the demerits of Samsung Galaxy J7 -6 when we compare it with other smartphones available in this same price segment or lower.

No full HD display screen

Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 which is launched in India comes with 5.5 inch sAMOLED display with screen resolution of 1280×720 pixels. It provides good viewing angles and sunlight legibility. However, we are seeing many smartphones which are priced less than this smartphone featuring full HD resolution screen. Interestingly, the variant of Galaxy J7 2016 which is launched in other part of the world has full HD resolution. This is one of the biggest drawback of Galaxy J7 2016 according to us.

Lack of basic sensors

Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 has only Accelerometer, Hall Sensor and Proximity Sensor. There is no ambient light sensor. This sensor is useful for auto brightness adjustment. Also there is no compass sensor . This sensor is very useful while using the google maps navigation. As there is no Gyroscope sensor, you cannot use this device with VR headsets. All these sensors are available in the smartphones such as Le 2, Redmi Note 3, Honor 5c etc which are priced much lower than Galaxy J7 -6.

No secondary noise cancellation mic

This is another area Galaxy J7 -6 lags behind. The noise cancellation secondary mic is helpful when you are in crowded area. It reduces surrounding noise which interns provide better audio output to the person with whom you are talking to.

No Fingerprint scanner

Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 is priced at Rs.15,990 in India. In recent times we are seeing smartphones which are priced below 10k featuring fingerprint scanner. It is sad to know that, Samsung is not providing fingerprint scanner on a device which is placed in the upper mid range smartphone segment.

No Gesture controls

Galaxy J7 2016 comes with touchwiz user interface on top of Android Marshmallow. Samsung has omitted all the gesture controls and multi windows options on this smartphone. Simple gestures like double tap to wake up also missing.

No LED notification Light

This is another drawback of Samsung Galaxy J7 2016. Having a LED notification light, helps a lot especially to know if there is a notification without even touching the device.

Navigation Keys are not backlit

This is another area Samsung tried to do cost cutting. When we are in dark area, having the navigation keys with backlight is very useful . Samsung devices has back key in the right side and multi tasking button in the left side. If you are using multiple smartphones, it takes a bit of time to get adjusted to it.

These are the some of the Samsung Galaxy J7 2016 Cons according to us. These drawback are very basic things. Considering the price, these are features we expect from smartphone in this segment. Hope Samsung fixes these Galaxy J7-6 cons in the next iteration.

July 4, 2016
Xiaomi Mi Max Tips And Tricks with FAQ
Xiaomi Mi Max is a hulked up version of Redmi Note 3. It is purely aimed at people who uses smartphone for mainly content consumption. In this post we will have some of the Xiaomi Mi Max Tips And Tricks with FAQ.

Xiaomi Mi Max Tips And Tricks with FAQ

What are the different variants of Mi Max available in India?

Xiaomi has launched 2 variants of Mi Max in India. Details of them are given below.
1. Mi Max with Snapdragon 650 chipset (2x Cortex-A72 at 1.8GHz and 4x A53 at 1.4GHz cores); Adreno 510 GPU; 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Price of this variant Mi Max is Rs.14,999.
2. Mi Max with Snapdragon 652 chipset (4x Cortex-A72 at 1.8GHz and 4x A53 at 1.4GHz cores); Adreno 510 GPU; 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage. Price of this variant Mi Max is Rs.19,999.
What are the different colour variants available?

Mi Max will be available in Silver, Gold and Dark Grey color options.

What is the size of sim cards Mi Max supports?

Mi Max comes with dual hybrid sim slot. It accepts 1 microSIM card and 1 nano sim card.

Does it has dedicated microSD card slot? What is maximum size of the microSD card can be used in Mi Max?

No. You can add upto 128GB of microSD card if you can compromise on the second sim card.

How to take screenshot on Mi Max?

To Take screenshot on Xiaomi Mi Max, there are two methods are available.
1. Screenshot button method of taking screenshot on Mi Max
  - Go to the screen on which you want to capture screenshot.
  - Now, access quick setting menu.
  - Tap on to the Screenshot button.
  - Screenshot will be taken.
2. Volume down and power button method of taking screenshot on Mi Max:
  - Go to the screen on which you want to do print screen.
  - Press and hold volume down and power keys at the same time.
  - The screenshot will be taken.
  - Taken screenshot can be accessed from Gallery folder.
How to download PC suite for Xiaomi Mi Max?

Xiaomi provides free PC suite for its devices. You can download it from the official support page. I have written a detailed post on how to download Xiaomi Mi PC suite and features. You can go through that post.

How to share Mi Max mobile data with PC/Laptop?

There three methods through which you can share mobile data with PC or laptop.
- Portable Wifi hotspot.
- USB tethering.
- Bluetooth Tethering.
Is it possible to share internet from PC to Mi Max?

Yes. You can share the internet from PC to Mi Max using the Xioami PC suite. Connect the phone to PC via USB cable. Run the PC suite. It will start sharing the mobile data.

These are the some of the useful Xiaomi Mi Max Tips And Tricks. If you know, any other tips and tricks, please share it in the comment section below.
July 2, 2016
LeEco Le 2 Cons- Reasons not to buy

LeEco Le 2 is the latest smartphone launched in India. It has got huge response from the smartphone enthusiasts. Great specification list, affordable price and much promoted CDLA technology are the main reasons for this. In this post we will have a look into some of the LeEco Le 2 cons. This might help you to decide on whether to buy this or not.

Recommended Reading:

LeEco Le 2 Vs Redmi Note 3

LeEco Le 2 Features

LeEco Le 2 Cons – Reasons not to buy

Display quality control issue

This is one of the major demerit of LeEco Le2 smartphone. When you press on the display, it produces kind of creaking noise. The reason for this might be due to display not struck well or there is hollow space below the display panel. The impact of this on the durability is not known. But in Spite of many people complaining about it, LeEco never bothered to clarify on the reason for the same. In summary, if you are looking for a durable smartphone, it is better to stay away from this smartphone till there is proper explanation from the company.

No 3.5mm headphone jack

In LeEco Le 2, 3.5mm headphone jack has been removed. Now it uses USB-C port for the audio output. Unfortunately, LeEco’s Type C earphone is the only available earphone which can utilize the new CDLA technology. This costs you around Rs.2000. The sound output via USB-C to 3.5 mm jack is not much different from the other smartphones in the same price tag.

Heavily customised skin and delay in software updates

LeEco Le 2 runs on EUI 5.8 on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It comes with lot of bloatware. Considering the history of LeEco previous devices, there is a much delay in rolling out Android updates. Le 1s yet to get the Android 6.0 update. Lack of security updates might result in malware attacks.

No expandable storage option

LeEco Le 2 comes with 32GB of internal storage in which around 23GB is user available. Lack of expandable storage, might be a deal breaker for people who wants to save huge media collections.

No NFC

LeEco L2 does not have NFC.

These are some of the LeEco Le 2 cons which you need to keep in mind before purchasing this device. It is a good smartphone, there is no doubt in that. But quality control issues and slow android updates are serious concerns of LeEco Le 2.

June 29, 2016
OnePlus 3 Tips and Tricks With FAQ
OnePlus 3 comes with great features at attractive price tag. With Oxygen OS which is based on Android Marshmallow, you have lot of features to customise your device. Here are some of the OnePlus 3 Tips and Tricks in the form of FAQ.

Recommended Reading:

Le Max 2 Features and FAQ

OnePlus 3 Tips and Tricks

What are the different gesture controls available on the OnePlus 3? How to enable it?

It offers 4 different types of gesture controls. The details are given below.
- Double tap to wake: Tap the screen twice to wake the device.
- Open camera: Draw “O” on the screen to open the camera.
- Toggle Flashlight: Draw a V on screen to toggle flashlight.
- Music Control: Draw “||” with two fingers to play or pause music. Draw “<” or “>” to previous or next.
You can access this settings from Settings->Gestures.

How to customise LED notification light in OnePlus 3?

You can customise Notification light colors by going to Settings->Customisation->LED notifications.You can select different colours for Global notifications, Battery full, Battery low or Battery charging.

What are the different navigation bar customisation options available on OnePlus 3?

There are many customisation options available for customising navigation bar. You can access it from Settings->Buttons.
1. On-Screen navigation bar: Using this option you can toggle between onscreen software navigation bar or hardware capacitive touch button navigation bar.
2. Swap buttons: This allows you to swap the recent and back buttons.
3. Backlight: This allows you to toggle between capacitive key backlight LED turn off or on.
Apart from this, you can assign different task to home, recent and back buttons for below actions.
Long press action & Double tap action: You can assign task such as opening Recents, Search assistant, Turn off screen , open camera, Open voice search, Open last used app and Open shelf for these action for each buttons.

How to enable power button to end call function in OnePlus 3?

Go to Settings->Accessibility. Here you can enable power button to end call option.

How to customise quick toggle menu buttons?

For customising the quick toggle buttons, go to quick toggle menu and tap on to edit button. Now you can move quick toggle buttons according your requirement. You can also remove or add quick toggle buttons by tapping on it.

What are OnePlus 3 camera tips and tricks?

OnePlus 3 comes with Manual camera mode which allows you to tap to focus, set the exposure point etc. For accessing this setting, launch the camera app, swipe left for modes and select manual mode.
Volume keys as shutter button: You can use shutter button to shoot the picture and to start or end video recording.

You can enable double tap power button to Launch camera: To enable this, go to settings->Display. Now enable the Press power button twice for camera.

How to take screenshot on OnePlus 3?

The simple two method to take screenshot are default volume down+Power button method and Power button method.
1. Default Android Volume down+Power button method
  - Go to the screen on which you want to take screenshot.
  - Press and hold volume down and power button at the same time.
  - Screenshot will be taken.
2. Power button method
  - Go to the screen on which you want to take screenshot.
  - Now Press the power button.
  - In the options, select Screenshot. Screenshot will be taken.
What are different ways to share mobile data from OnePlus 3 to PC or laptop?

OnePlus 3 provide 3 different methods through which you can share the mobile data with other compatible devices. You can access these settings from Settings->More->Tethering & Hotspot.
1. WiFi Hotspot: If you enable, you can make your OnePlus 3 as hotspot to connect other wifi enabled devices to internet using the mobile data of OnePlus 3.
2. USB tethering: For enabling this, you need to connect the phone to PC/Laptop via USB cable.
  Now enable the USB tethering. It will start sharing the mobile data with Laptop or PC.
3. Bluetooth Tethering: For to use this, first you need to pair your OnePlus 3 with laptop or desktop. Then enable the Bluetooth tethering.
What are the other useful OnePlus 3 tips and tricks?
- Left capacitive button long press- Shelf feature: The latest Android Marshmallow based Oxygen OS in OnePlus 3 has new feature called Shelf. You can access this feature by flicking your finger right across the home screen. This gives you the fast access to favorite contacts and apps, essential info and widget.
- Swipe up for google now and swipe down for notifications.
- Night Mode which you can access from the quick toggle menu.
- Long press on toggle menu to go to settings: If you do long press on any of the quick toggle menu buttons, it will take you to relevant settings page.
- Wave your hand to Ambient Display: This will give you an option to see lock screen notification by just waving your hand on the display.
- Customise your Google search bar: Tap your right capacitive key, go to customize, swipe right on quick search and select the size of your search bar.
These are only few OnePlus 3 tips and tricks. There are lot of customisation and features available on OnePlus 3. If you know other OnePlus 3 Tips and Tricks please share it in the comment section below.
June 28, 2016