Latest news with #AppleiPhone16
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First Post
a day ago
- First Post
Best phones under Rs 100,000 (June 2025): Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Apple iPhone 16 to Vivo X200 Pro
In the final smartphone buying guide of the current batch, we will look at premium phones priced up to a lakh Rupees. This is sufficient money to get pretty much anything one needs, be it great features, performance, camera output or style. Even better, this time you may not have to blow up your full budget to get our shortlisted phones, most of which were priced closer to a lakh or higher just a quarter ago. Here are your best options under Rs 100,000 at the moment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Best phones to buy under Rs 100,000 in India Apple iPhone 16/ iPhone 16 Plus You get not one but two options from the latest Apple iPhone 16 series to choose from. You can opt for either the iPhone 16 or the iPhone 16 Plus, both with 256 GB storage. Both phones have the exact specifications barring the display and battery capacity. The iPhone 16 has a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance. The 16 Plus has a larger 6.7-inch screen with a higher resolution of 2796 x 1290 pixels. Other display features are identical. The iPhone 16 feels better in hand due to its compact size and lower weight, but the iPhone 16 Plus has a significantly larger 4674 mAh battery that lasts a lot longer than the 16's 3561 mAh unit. Both phones have IP68 rated ingress protection and support wireless charging. These devices are powered by Apple's A18 chip and have a USB-C charging port. The Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus run the latest iOS 18 with more OS updates to follow over the years. Camera department hasn't seen a major change from the iPhone 15 series on paper. You get a 48MP main camera with dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). The secondary 12MP ultra-wide camera now gets auto-focus, and thus, macro capabilities; a welcome addition. The 12MP front camera here has been around for a few generations now. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone. And you also get the new physical Action button that offers a few new tricks. One can even get the 512 GB variant of the iPhone 16 under a lakh, but we would advise against it given the Rs 20,000 premium for just the extra storage. Apple iPhone 16 price in India: Rs 79,999 for 256 GB storage Apple iPhone 16 Plus price in India: Rs 89,999 for 256 GB storage STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra One of the absolute top phones of 2024, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is now available for an even better price. From raw performance to a stacked photography department to the versatile S Pen, this is a true flagship device in every sense. It is powered by Qualcomm's previous flagship, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and you can get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage variant comfortably in this budget. It handles everything effortlessly, be it day-to-day apps or gaming or photo editing with a dash of AI, without overheating or lagging. The showstopper of the photography department on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is a 200MP primary camera with multi-directional PDAF and OIS. Giving it company is a 10MP telephoto camera with OIS for 3X optical zoom and a second 50MP periscope telephoto camera for 5X optical zoom. There's also a 12MP ultra-wide camera with dual-pixel PDAF. The cameras do a stellar job across the board in photography and videography both and can record videos in up to 8K resolution. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The S24 Ultra has a sharp and vivid 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with HDR10+ compliance and 120 Hz refresh rate. The phone launched with OneUI 6.1 based on Android 14, and Samsung has committed to seven more years of OS and security updates, keeping this device secure and relevant for a long time. A 5000 mAh battery keeps it powered for well over a day of moderate use and supports both wired and wireless charging. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra price in India: Rs 84,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Google Pixel 9 Pro Moving on from one flagship phone of the year to another, the Pixel 9 Pro can now be purchased under 90K without any credit card hacks. The phone is packed with great features and AI tricks that seem to get better with time. It is powered by Google's current flagship Tensor G4 processor and you get 16 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage to go with it. It sports a sharp 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display with HDR10+ compliance, 2856 x 1280 pixels resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits peak brightness. The screen as well as its glass back are protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD This phone too sports an IP68 rating to keep it safe from dust and water ingression. As you expect from Pixel phones, you get the purest version of Android 15 with the Material You design language. Just like Samsung, Google too promises an incredible 7 years of OS and security updates for this phone, keeping it fresh and secure for long. Other than speedy OS updates, Pixel phones are known for their camera capabilities, and the Pixel 9 Pro is among the very best camera phones on the planet. You get a 50MP primary camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS and a 48MP ultra-wide camera with 123-degrees FOV and dual-pixel PDAF that lets you capture some excellent macro shots in addition to its primary functionality. And let's not forget that excellent 48MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that sets it apart from its non-Pro variant and provides 5X optical zoom. The cameras do a stellar job across different lightings and modes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Google Pixel 9 Pro price in India: Rs 89,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Vivo X200 Pro The Vivo X200 Pro is not just a powerful phone but one that has managed to take on the Big 3 in the photography game too. Just competing with them is an achievement but beating them in certain areas is just incredible. The photography department here, assisted by Zeiss optics, consists of a 50MP primary camera with Sony's LYT-818 sensor, one of the most versatile 200MP periscope telephoto cameras around with Zeiss colour correction and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. Image Credit: Vivo Collectively with Vivo's V3+ image processor, they do a phenomenal job across the board, be it regular, low-light, macro photography or clicking some great portrait shots and more. And its video quality is comparable to that of the latest iPhones; that's saying something! While that would have been enough, Vivo hasn't left other bases uncovered either. The X200 Pro is powered by a flagship Mediatek Dimensity 9400 chip with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage and also has one of the best displays around. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Its 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance, 4500 nits peak brightness and a resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels is mighty impressive. In addition, its 6000 mAh battery provides ample battery backup and charges briskly. While the above phones offer IP68 ingress protection, the Vivo X200 Pro goes a step further with an IP69 rating which lets you do some underwater photography too. It runs Android 15 with four major Android updates expected. Vivo X200 Pro price in India: Rs 86,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage
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First Post
a day ago
- First Post
Best phones under Rs 75,000 (June 2025): Apple iPhone 16, OnePlus 13 to Xiaomi 15
A budget of Rs 75,000 can easily fetch you some current and previous generation flagship phones. There are some great options out there and we have handpicked the best half a dozen for you to choose from. Ample processing power, great camera setups to excellent displays, they have it all. Here are the best phones under Rs 75,000 in India at the moment. Best phones to buy under Rs 75,000 in India Apple iPhone 15/ iPhone 16 We have two options from Apple, one for the early adopters and other for the pragmatic. You can either buy the 128 GB variant of the iPhone 16 or the 256 GB storage variant of the iPhone 15 under 75K. The iPhone 15 is powered by Apple's A16 Bionic chip, which is still sufficiently powerful for most tasks. The phone feels great in hand due to its compact size and lightweight, and it has IP68 rated ingress protection. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Apple iPhone 15 The iPhone 15 has a bright 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 2556 x 1179 pixels, 2000 nits peak brightness and HDR10 and Dolby Vision compliance. Photography department consists of a 48MP main camera with dual-pixel PDAF and optical image stabilisation (OIS). You also get a 12MP ultra-wide shooter and a 12MP selfie camera. The performance in photography and videography is excellent, as one expects from an iPhone. Apple iPhone 16 As for the Apple iPhone 16, the display specs are similar to the iPhone 15 but you get a more powerful A18 chip here. The camera department seems similar on paper with a 48MP + 12MP combination, but the 12MP ultra-wide camera has auto-focus and thus macro capabilities; a welcome addition. And of course, it has the new Action button. If you do not care for these minor changes, we suggest you give higher storage the preference and opt for the iPhone 15. Both phones run iOS 18 with more OS updates to follow over the years. Apple iPhone 15 price in India: Rs 70,900 for 256 GB storage Apple iPhone 16 price in India: Rs 69,999 for 128 GB storage Vivo X200 5G The Vivo X200 5G packs impressive features for photography enthusiasts as well as some serious processing muscle. This phone is powered by Mediatek's flagship Dimensity 9400 SoC, and you can choose between 12 GB or 16 GB RAM along with 256 GB or 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage. You get a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ compliance, 4500 nits peak brightness and a resolution of 2800 x 1260 pixels. Vivo X200 5G The cameras on this phone have been designed in collaboration with Zeiss. You get three 50MP units at the back, with the primary camera flaunting a Sony IMX921 sensor and OIS. Accompanying it is an ultra-wide shooter with 119-degrees FOV and auto-focus, along with a telephoto camera with Sony IMX882 sensor and OIS that facilitates 3X optical zoom. Collectively, they cover all the key bases including macro and portrait photography with excellent results. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The 32MP front camera is bound to impress the selfie enthusiasts. The phone's large 5800 mAh battery comfortably lasts over a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 90W fast charger juices it up briskly. An IP69 rating protects it from dust and water ingression. The Vivo X200 5G runs the latest Android 15 with the company's Funtouch 15 UI. Vivo has promised four major Android updates for this device. Vivo X200 5G price in India: Rs 65,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 71,999 for 16 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage OnePlus 13 The OnePlus flagship is another excellent option in this budget. While the OnePlus 13 continues with the OnePlus 11/12 design language with the circular camera island at the back, the company has made the phone slimmer and lighter and added IP68/IP69 ingress protection. You still get a large 6.82-inch QHD+ LTPO4 AMOLED display with a peak brightness of 4500 nits, 120 Hz variable refresh rate and compliance with Dolby Vision and HDR10+. It is protected by a layer of Ceramic Guard glass. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD OnePlus 13 The OnePlus 13 is powered by Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and you can get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage variant comfortably in this budget. A massive 6000 mAh battery keeps the phone running for close to two days of moderate use and supports 100W fast wired charging and 50W fast wireless charging. The phone runs the latest OxygenOS 15 based on Android 15 with four major Android updates to follow. The rear camera department is quite impressive and packs three 50MP cameras. The primary module is fitted with a Sony LYT-808 sensor with OIS. The support cast has a 50MP ultrawide camera with auto-focus that also doubles up as a macro camera and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera with OIS that provides 3X optical zoom. Hasselblad colour tuning and portrait tricks are also available. The 32MP front camera does a good job with selfies and video calls. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD OnePlus 13 price in India: Rs 69,998 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Xiaomi 15 If you like compact flagship phones, Xiaomi 15 might just be the right fit for you. It packs true flagship-grade features in a compact body with an IP68 rated ingress protection. You get a 6.36-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a variable refresh rate up to 120 Hz and a resolution of 2670 x 1200 pixels. The Pro HDR display is HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant, with a peak brightness of 3200 nits and supports up to 68 billion colour shades. The Xiaomi 15 too is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and accompanied by 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB UFS 4.0 storage. Just like its predecessor, the cameras on this phone have been designed in collaboration with Leica. You get three 50MP units at the back, with the primary camera flaunting a Light Fusion 900 image sensor, Leica Summilux optics and OIS. Giving it company are an ultra-wide shooter with 115-degrees FOV and a 60 mm floating telephoto camera with OIS that provides up to 2.6X optical zoom. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The telephoto camera is competent at portrait photography as well. The 32MP front camera is quite good for selfies and video calls. The battery capacity sees a jump from 4610 mAh to 5240 mAh and lasts for a day and a half of moderate use, and the bundled 90W fast charger promises to juice it up fully in about 45 minutes. The phone also supports 50W fast wireless charging. The Xiaomi 15 runs the latest Android 15 with the company's new HyperOS 2.0 UI with the company promising four major OS updates going forward. Xiaomi 15 price in India: Rs 64,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage Google Pixel 8 Pro There's always a bit of indecision between the current generation Pixel phone and the last gen Pro model. But with the 256 GB variant of the Google Pixel 8 Pro selling for 10K less, the decision was pretty straightforward this time. The Pixel 8 Pro is powered by Google's previous flagship Tensor G3 processor and you get 12 GB RAM to go with it. It sports an excellent 6.7-inch LTPO OLED HDR10+ display with a resolution of 2992 x 1344 pixels, 120 Hz refresh rate and 2400 nits peak brightness. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The screen as well as its glass back are protected against scratches by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. This phone sports an IP68 rating against dust and water ingression. As you expect from Pixel phones, you get the purest version of Android 15 with the Material You design language. Google has promised at least 6 more years of OS and security updates for this phone. Other than speedy OS updates, Pixel phones are known for their camera capabilities, and the Pixel 8 Pro is still among the very best camera phones out there. Google Pixel 8 Pro You get a 50MP primary camera with laser auto-focus and OIS and a 48MP ultra-wide camera with 126-degrees FOV and dual-pixel PDAF that lets you capture some excellent macro shots too in addition to its primary functionality. And not to forget the 48MP telephoto camera with dual-pixel PDAF and OIS that provides you with 5X optical zoom. The cameras do a fabulous job across different lightings and modes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Google Pixel 8 Pro price in India: Rs 64,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage Pro tip: If you prefer the faster Tensor G4 processor, more compact and refined design and modern AI features instead of a telephoto camera, and do not mind spending additional Rs 10,000 for that, you should opt for the Google Pixel 9 instead.
Observer
16-06-2025
- Business
- Observer
Apple failed to deliver the intelligent AI
A little less than a year ago, my wife's birthday was approaching. I was searching for a special birthday gift that is thoughtful, impressive, and useful. While window shopping and walking through virtually most of the shopping malls and centres here in Oman (let alone abroad during my short travels) and driving through the city, I could not miss seeing the new Apple iPhone 16 promoted on almost every digital screen, huge billboards inside the buildings, and outside on the highways, and the social media feeds/ads, be it on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter (now known as X after Elon Musk took over the helm). Practically everywhere I looked, I saw (and continue to actually see) the new smartphone with a bold and beautiful brand/promise/tagline, the 'Apple Intelligence'. Simply, a promise from probably one of the most expensive smartphone manufacturers in the world (Apple) that the artificial intelligence (AI) will finally come to their iPhone in a way that only they could do. Like anything I mostly do, I read, researched and consequently bought into the promise of the future (with a unique way of integrating AI into the already existing successfully touted smart mobile device). I jumped into the bandwagon, especially since I found this would be the perfect gift for my wife as an upgrade to her existing old model iPhone, but of course with the AI-powered feature apart from just the basic upgrade of the storage and memory space, the onboard camera quality and finally the processor speed. Fast forward to today, I must admit that I am quite disappointed, especially with the high price tag paid (approx. RO 580) for a promise (Apple Intelligence) that is yet to be materialised in practice (but is only available today as a concept and on paper since a year ago when it was introduced). So what really happened? Like almost everyone else, I bought into the promise of the 'Apple Intelligence'. Yet unlike everyone else, I realised today that it's probably a gimmick. Apple made the new iPhone look like the smartest phone ever made in history, where AI would be utilised as a feature to simplify our daily tasks, manage our lives better, and even offer creative tools on top of what is already available today as consumer AI-related apps (such as ChatGPT, Gemini and the like). If you watch last year's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC 2024), you will see that an amazing experience was promised (i.e., the Apple intelligence); nevertheless, fast-forward today, that was only a concept, not even a practical real demo that you can feel and play with. Apple, during the conference and later via the mass media, talked about how they will utilise AI across all your apps, predicting what you need, and even edit your writing like a personal assistant. All that sounded like the ideal smart device that is not only quite secure (as opposed to Android or Huawei, as it claims) but also blends better privacy, better design, and generative power, thanks to AI. In reality, the roll-out of features was very limited, and only a few of what has been promised were released (e.g., rewording, summarising and paraphrasing text), pretty much as what other generative AI apps can do (or even better too). Why did Apple do that? In my humble opinion, to remain or seem competitive in the market race for AI and also to ensure shareholders continue to gain profits from the mass sales that are done as a result. I am not happy, nor are many who realised the same. In conclusion, the futuristic gift that I bought for my wife did not materialise to date (though she loves the phone being a loyal Apple customer). The excitement of the same continues to be a frustration instead. Most 'Apple Intelligence' features that were promised and we saw remain a dream yet to be fulfilled. I hope Apple will soon react to this fiasco of selling an expensive promise (or device per se) with a real deed that puts a smile, productivity and a real future into the hands of consumers. Until we catch up again next week, let's continue to be positive of the beautiful innovative future.
IOL News
09-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Apple under pressure to shine after AI stumble
The Apple iPhone 16. Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements, including a rumored overhaul of its operating systems for its line of devices. Image: X/@milesabovetech Pressure is on Apple to show it hasn't lost its magic despite broken promises to ramp up iPhones with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) as rivals race ahead with the technology. Apple will showcase plans for its coveted devices and the software powering them at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicking off Monday in Silicon Valley. The event comes a year after the tech titan said a suite of AI features it dubbed "Apple Intelligence" was heading for iPhones, including an improvement of its much criticized Siri voice assistant. "Apple advertised a lot of features as if they were going to be available, and it just didn't happen," noted Emarketer senior analyst Gadjo Sevilla. Instead, Apple delayed the rollout of the Siri upgrade, with hopes that it will be available in time for the next iPhone release, expected in the fall. "I don't think there is going to be that much of a celebratory tone at WWDC," the analyst told AFP. "It could be more of a way for Apple to recover some credibility by showing where they're headed." Industry insiders will be watching to see whether Apple addresses the AI stumble or focuses on less splashy announcements, including a rumored overhaul of its operating systems for its line of devices. "The bottom line is Apple seemed to underestimate the AI shift, then over-promised features, and is now racing to catch up," Gene Munster and Brian Baker of Deepwater Asset Management wrote in a WWDC preview note. Rumors also include talk that Apple may add GenAI partnerships with Google or Perplexity to an OpenAI alliance announced a year ago. 'Double black eye' Infusing its lineup with AI is only one of Apple's challenges. Developers, who build apps and tools to run on the company's products, may be keen for Apple to loosen its tight control of access to iPhones. "There's still a lot of strife between Apple and developers," Sevilla said. "Taking 30 percent commissions from them and then failing to deliver on promises for new functionality—that's a double black eye." A lawsuit by Fortnite maker Epic Games ended with Apple being ordered to allow outside payment systems to be used at the US App Store, but developers may want more, according to the analyst. "Apple does need to give an olive branch to the developer community, which has been long-suffering," Sevilla said. "They can't seem to thrive within the restrictive guardrails that Apple has been putting up for decades now." As AI is incorporated into Apple software, the company may need to give developers more ability to sync apps to the platform, according to Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi. "Maybe with AI it's the first time that Apple needs to rethink the open versus closed ecosystem," Milanesi said. Apple on defensive Adding to the WWDC buildup is that the legendary designer behind the iPhone, Jony Ive, has joined with ChatGPT maker OpenAI to create a potential rival device for engaging with AI. "It puts Apple on the defensive because the key designer for your most popular product is saying there is something better than the iPhone," Sevilla said. While WWDC has typically been a software-focused event, Apple might unveil new hardware to show it is still innovating, the analyst speculated. And while unlikely to come up at WWDC, Apple has to deal with tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump in his trade war with China, a key market for sales growth as well as the place where most iPhones are made. Trump has also threatened to hit Apple with tariffs if iPhone production wasn't moved to the US, which analysts say is impossible given the costs and capabilities. "The whole idea of having an American-made iPhone is a pipe dream; you'd have to rewrite the rules of global economics," said Sevilla.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Reading man arrested in weekend burglary of middle school
A 25-year-old city man was arrested Tuesday after Reading police said security camera footage shows him breaking into Central Middle School over the weekend. Brandon McCurdy, 25, roamed the school for about an hour after breaking in through a second-floor window Friday night just before midnight, city police said. He stole two cellphones and a pair of scissors from a classroom, and later used the scissors to try to break into the register in the cafeteria before taking some snacks, they said. The footage shows the intruder leaving the building through the cafeteria about 1 a.m. The break-in was discovered Monday morning when school personnel discovered a window screen leaning against a wall in the corner of a classroom. According to court records: Police identified McCurdy as the suspect with the help of facial recognition software, investigators said. Officers went to his residence in the 1200 block of Elm Street, which is adjacent to the school on North 12th Street, to talk to him about the burglary. He denied taking the phones and said he was never in the school. A witness in the home, however, recalled that McCurdy had brought two iPhones to the residence Saturday. The witness told McCurdy she didn't want the phones in the house, and he took them down the alley. McCurdy later admitted that he placed the phones on the back porch. He showed the officers where he left them, but they were gone. Police said a student owned one of the phones, an Apple iPhone 16 valued at more than $1,200. It wasn't clear to whom the other phone belonged. McCurdy was committed to Berks County Jail in lieu of $20,000 bail to await a hearing after arraignment Tuesday night before District Judge Steven M. Chieffo in Reading Central Court. He faces charges of burglary, criminal trespassing, receiving stolen property, and theft by unlawful taking.
