tech2touch

Author: Aniruddh

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 Pros and Cons Review
Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 is the latest smartphone which is launched in India recently. It has premium build and upgraded specifications compared to its predecessor. Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 price in India is Rs.32,500.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 which is launched in India is a true dual sim smartphone. In this device you can use 2 sim cards along with microSD card. Which is a welcome upgrade from its predeccessor as it was having a hybrid sim card slot.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 sports 5.5 inch Super AMOLED screen with resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and 401 ppi pixel density. The device comes with different colour modes such as Adaptive display, AMOLED cinema, AMOLED photo vivid etc. Galaxy A7 display delivers vibrant colours, great viewing angles and excellent sunlight legibility. Another feature of display is its thin borders which gives it an edge to edge look.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 has 13MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation and LED flash. Camera performance on outdoor and in an artifical lighting conditions came out well. However, in low light conditions, it takes couple of seconds to focus. The video recording on the device is also very good. However, it record videos at max resolution of full HD and it cannot record 4K videos. The 5MP front facing camera does decent job but considering the price, it could have been better.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 is powered by 64 bit 1.6GHz Octa Core Exynos 7580 Soc with 3GB of RAM and Mali T20 GPU. This is the same SoC used in Galaxy J7. In regular day to day performance, it does perform decently. However, high end gaming experience is just average. The connectivity features of the device are 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.1 and GPS. The fingerprint scanner on the device is mediocre.

Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 comes with non-removable 3,300mAh battery. The battery lasts comfortably for more than a day with moderate usage such as couple of hours of phone calls, some casual gaming and internet browsing.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy A7 2016

Pros of Galaxy A7 2016
- Premium design and build quality.
- Excellant battery life.
- Vibrant Display screen.
- Good primary camera performance.
Cons of Galaxy A7 2016
- No physical LED notification light.
- No Gyroscope sensor: Gyroscope sensor is required to use the device with VR headset and watch 360 degree videos.
- Mediocre SoC.
- Average Fingerprint scanner accuracy.
- Average GPS navigation performance.
Samsung Galaxy A7 2016 Specification
- 64 bit 1.6GHz Octa Core Exynos 7580 Soc with 3GB of RAM.
- 16GB of internal storage and support for microSD card.
- 4G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.1 and GPS.
- Fingerprint scanner.
- 13MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation.
- 5MP front facing camera.
- non-removable 3,300mAh battery.
March 29, 2016
Dell Inspiron 3542 Review- Pros and Cons
Dell Inspiron 3542 is the budget laptop for the home users. This laptop is designed for the people who spend time on browsing, watching movies and basic day to day activities. I have been using this laptop from past 7 months. Here is my long term review on Dell Inspiron 3542.

My review unit of Dell Inspiron 3542 is powered by 4th gen Intel Core i3-4500U processor clocked at 1.7GHz. It has 4GB of DDR 3L RAM and 500GB of hard disc. Out of the box, it came with Windows 8.1 Home edition. However, It already recieved the Windows 10 update. Coming the performance, it is below average. The software, hardware integration is pathetic. The OS crashes often. Some times, it even refuses to turn on from the standby mode. The only way to deal with this to force restart. At times even a basic browsing feels frustrating. However, adding the 8GB RAM, helps a bit on performance improvement.

Dell Inspiron 3542 sports 15.6 inch True life LED-Backlite Display with screen resolution of 1366×768 pixels. In this laptop, Dell has used low quality display panel. The viewing angles are below average. It has poor brightness. The contrast and colours reproduction are also not satisfactory. Overall, the display quality nowhere feels like it is a 30k laptop.

Coming to connectivity options it does provide USB 3.0 and USB 2.0, HDMI port, Ethernet port and headphone/mic combi jack. Dell has equipped this laptop with one of the poor quality speakers. Hence audio quality from the speakers are not good. Audio via headphone jack is slightly better than the built in speakers. It has got decent keyboard but this cannot be said for the track pad. Once again, Dell failed to provide good quality trackpad.

Here is the summary of Dell Inspiron 3542 Review based on pros and cons.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Dell Inspiron 3542

Pros of Inspiron 3542
- Very good service support.
- Decent battery backup.
- Decent connectivity option.
- Easy to add additional RAM.
Cons of Inspiron 3542
- Low quality display screen.
- Poor performance.
- Poor trackpad.
- Below average audio output.
Verdict: At a price of around 30k, Dell Inspiron 3542 fails to inspire. Its cheap quality plastic build coupled with poor performance and low quality display screen makes this laptop unattractive to buy. Except world class post sales support, nothing exceptional on this device. For the price, there are many other option which provides better performance and build quality. The budget Asus Eeebook 205 has better build and performs way better than this laptop.
March 28, 2016
Nexus 5X Tips And Tricks, FAQ
Nexus 5X is the affordable yet feature rich smartphone. Fast charging, excellant fingerprint scanner, good camera performance, compact size and stock Android experience with timely updates are the key highlights of the new Nexus 5X. Here are the quick tips and tricks on Nexus 5X through which you can make more out of the device.

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Top reasons for not to buy Nexus 5X

Nexus 5X Tips and Tricks, FAQ

How to take screenshot on Nexus 5X?

For taking screenshot, press and hold volume down and power key simultanesly for a second. The screen will blink and screenshot will be taken.

How to setup Google Now on Tap feature?

Google Now on Tap is a new features added with Android Marshmallow. It allows google to scan your screen and provide information based on what it finds. For example, if your friends texts about watching a movie, Google now tap will see the movie title and display the show time. Here is the step to enable Google Now on Tap in Nexus 5X.
- Open the Google app.
- Go to Settings.
- In this page tap on Now cards.
- Make sure Now on Tap is enabled,
- For using Google Now on tap, just long press the home key.
How to quickly launch camera app?

Some times, we need to take spontaneous shots. For that, Nexus 5X comes with few shortcuts which enables you to open camera app quickly even when the phone is in standby mode. If you double tap on power button, the camera app will be opened. If you press on volume down key when the camera app is open, then the photo will be taken.

How to choose default apps once and all?

App links is the one more feature added in Android 6.0. This allows you to select the default app to open certain types of links as per your wish. For doing so, follow the steps given below.
- Go to Settings > Apps.
- Tap the gear icon in the upper right.
- Tap on App links.
- Choose an app from the list.
How to use Fingerprintg scanner in Nexus 5X

With Android 6.0, Fingerprint scanner is natively supported by the system. So add a fingerprints for unlocking the Nexus 5X, follow the steps given below.
- Go to settings.
- then Security > Nexus Imprint > Add fingerprint.
- Create a backup PIN or password
- Follow the on-screen instructions for scanning your finger.
- After you’ve added your first finger, you can add more as well.
How to fix yellow Nexus 5X screen issue?

One of the biggest complaint Nexus 5x got is its display. That is display of the device looking too warm or yellow. Though initially Google replaced the devices with yellow display complaint, there was no guarentee that the new device will not have the yellow display issue. But finally, Google has released update to fix the Nexus 5X screen temperature in it new March security patch update(MHC19J). Here is the guide on how to change Nexus 5X screen temperature.
- First make sure your device is up to date. You check this by going to About phone-> Build number. Here you should see MHC19J.
- Once you get the latest security patch update, go to settings-> About phone.
- Now go Enable Developer Options by repeatedly tapping the build number.
- Now go to Developer Options in the Settings menu and toggle Cool color temperature.
- For changes to take place, you need to turn the display off and back on.
March 27, 2016
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Cons And Pros Review
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is the latest entrant to the budget Android smartphone. Fingerprint scanner, premium design and build quality and powerful internals at affordable price is the key advantages of this new Redmi Note 3. It is available in 2 variants. One is 2GB of RAM with 16GB of internal storage and another one is 3GB RAM with 32GB of internal storage. Here is the quick review along Redmi Note 3 Cons and pros.

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Vs Moto G4 Plus Comparison

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has good all metal design which provides good premium feel to the device. It has 5.5 inch IPS full HD display with narrow bezels. The screen is crisp and vibrant. It offers good color reproduction and features Xiaomi’s Sunlight Display hardware.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is powered by 64 bit Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 650 SoC. It is a hexacore SOC which has 2 Cortex-A72 cores running at 1.8GHz and four Coretx-A53s which runs at 1.4GHz. It has new Adreno 510 for better graphic rendering. The performance on the device is good. In our regular usage, we have not faced any lagging issue. As far as gaming is concerned, it was able to play most of the high end games like Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8 etc. However, there is minor lag observed while playing Nova 3 game.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 comes with 16-megapixel sensor and a wide f/2.0 aperture. The landscape and macro shots on outdoor conditions came out really well. It captures good details and color accuracy too was good. However, in low light conditions, camera struggles a bit. Video quality on rear is good. But as it lacks stabilization features, captured videos came out shaky. The front facing camera performance in good lighting condition is good.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has non-removable 4050mAh battery. It provides good battery life. With mobile data enabled all the time, it manages to deliver more than a day of usage. It comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge(version 1.0) feature. The connectivity features of the device are Category 7 LTE for Band 3, 5, 40 and 41 along with VoLTE support, dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n/ac, Bluetooh 4.1, USB OTG, FM radio, Miracast, GLONASS, and BeiDou. It also has IR Blaster. Redmi Note 3 comes with hybrid dual sim slot.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3

Here are summary of review with Redmi Note 3 cons and pros.

Pros of Redmi Note 3
- Good design and build quality.
- Good performance.
- Camera performance in outdoor condition is excellant.
- Good battery life.
- Decent display screen.
Cons of Redmi Note 3
- No Android 6.0 out of the box.
- No NFC.
- No optical/ Software stabilization which results in blurry images if there is slight shake while capturing images.
- Hybrid slim slot: You cannot use microSD card and 2nd sim simultaneously. Also expandable storage is limited to 32GB.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 FAQ, Tips And Trick

Here are the some of the frequently asked questions about redmi Note 3.

1.What type of sim card it supports?

Redmi Note 3 is dual sim Android smartphone. First sim card slot is for micro SIM. The second one is hybrid sim slot. That means, you can either use nano sim card or microSD card.

2. Does it has Corning Gorilla Glass protection?

Xiaomi has not mentioned anything about screen protection.

3. Does it support CDMA sim card in India?

I have not tested. However, one of my friend on facebook said that, it support CDMA. Below is the screenshot he shared.

4. Does Redmi Note 3 support google launcher?

Yes. It does support

5. Does it has notification LED?

No.

6. Is this device support fast charging?

The device comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge(version 1.0). However, it is bit dated technology now. The charging time is around 2 to 2 and half hours.

7. How to take screenshot on Redmi Note 3?

The easiest way to take screenshot is through quick setting menu-> Screenshot icon. Another way is through volume down and power button.

8. Does it has FM radio?

Yes. It has FM radio.

9. Does Redmi Note 3 supports USB OTG?

Yes. It has built in file explorer. Hence out of the box it support USB OTG.
March 22, 2016
Asus Zenbook UX 305 Review- Pros and Cons
Asus Zenbook UX 305 is one of the thinnest and lightest ultrabook with premium build quality. It has powerful internals with decent connectivity options. Here is the review on Asus Zenbook UX 305.

Asus Zenbook UX 305 sports all aluminium metal case and measures 22.6 x 32.4 x 1.2 cm and weighs 1.2Kg. The connectivity features of this ultrabook are 2 USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 micro HDMI port, a headphone jack and a full sized sd card reader.

Our review unit Asus Zenbook UX 305 is powered by Intel Core i5 5200U processor with 8GB of RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU. The Booting time, application load time, browsing experience and multi tasking are good. Though it is not a gaming laptop, the games like Asphalt 8 can be playable without any issues. The sound output and video watching experience are good. Touch pad and keyboard are pleasure to use.

Asus Zenbook UX 305 sports 13.3 inch IPS full HD display screen with matte finish. The viewing angle, color reproduction and brightness are good.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Asus Zenbook UX305

Pros of Zenbook UX305
- Thin, light weight and full aluminium body.
- Bright matte display screen with good viewing angles.
- Quite, fanless design.
- 10 plus hours of battery life.
- Good day to day performance such as browsing, watching vidoes etc.
- Good audio output.
Cons of Zenbook UX305
- No back light keyboard.
- No touch screen option.
Asus Zenbook UX305 Specification
- Intel Core i5 5200U processor with 8GB of RAM and Intel HD Graphics 5500 GPU
- 256GB of SSD hard drive.
- 13.3 inch IPS full HD display screen.
- 2 USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 micro HDMI port, a headphone jack and a full sized sd card reader.
- 45Wh battery.
Verdict: Asus Zenbook UX 305 is a very good value for money device. It is powerful yet very compact. The long battery life coupled with premium build quality makes it a worthy contender for Macbook. In fact, it lighter and thinner than Macbook air.
March 21, 2016