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Xiaomi Redmi 5 Launch Date, Vodafone RED Plans, Nokia 9 Case on Sale Already, and More: Your 360 Daily

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Launch Date, Vodafone RED Plans, Nokia 9 Case on Sale Already, and More: Your 360 Daily

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 29 November 2017 22:17 IST

Highlights

Xiaomi sets December 7 launch date for Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus
New Vodafone RED Basic plan gives 10GB data at Rs. 399
Nokia 9 may not be here yet but you can already buy a case for it

Xiaomi has announced that it will launch two new phones – Redmi 5, and Redmi 5 Plus in China – on December 7 in China. Both are expected to have 18:9 near bezel-less displays, which Xiaomi is referring to as 'full screen'. Though Xiaomi hasn't revealed any details with its announcement poster, the TENNA listings of the devices supposed to be Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus talk about 5.7-inch HD+ screens, Snapdragon 450 (Redmi 5) and Snapdragon 625/630 (Redmi 5 Plus), and up to three RAM and storage variants.

For the Redmi 5, these will likely be 2GB/16GB, 3GB/32GB, and 4GB/64GB for RAM and storage respectively. Both new Redmi devices are expected to have a 12-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera, and run MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.2. The Redmi 5 Plus likely won't have a bigger screen, just an upgraded chipset and bigger battery (4000mAh vs 3200mAh). A report claims that the Redmi 5 will have a price of CNY 1,399 (about Rs. 13,600), but we don't have to wait long to find out.

Vodafone RED Together for postpaid, RED Basic at Rs. 399
Vodafone launched its family-sharing programme, RED Together, for postpaid customers on Wednesday, which it claims provides up to 20 percent savings on total rental, and offers 20GB extra data. Plus, you only have to make a single bill payment for the household. There's also a new RED Basic Plan for individuals, which offers 10GB data per month at Rs. 399, and users can rollover unused data for a maximum of 200GB. RED Basic does not offer bundled Netflix, Vodafone Play, and Magzter subscriptions unlike various other Vodafone RED plans.

Nokia 9 case on sale before phone announcement
The Nokia 9 has yet to be announced by HMD Global, but a case for the phone has shown up on Amazon UK, which reveals the phone's front. If the pictures are to be believed, the Nokia 9 will have a curved display, just like the one on Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. The case has a circular hole in the back, which suggest placement of the fingerprint scanner. Given the case is already on sale, it seems the phone could launch soon.

OnePlus 5T gets Lava Red colour
After launching the OnePlus 5T in just the lone Midnight Black colour variant, OnePlus has made official a Lava Red option in China. And although it's visible on OnePlus' China site at the same price tag as the original at CNY 2,999 (about Rs. 29,300), there's no option to buy it just yet.

Samsung's graphene ball tech could solve battery troubles
Samsung researchers have developed a new battery technology they call 'graphene ball', which could enable a 45 percent increase in battery capacity, and five times faster charging speeds. With the new technology, Samsung says batteries need only 12 minutes to charge in theory. Graphene is an allotrope of carbon, and has long been considered as an alternative to silicon for processors, batteries, and other items.

More importantly for Samsung's future safety, graphene ball-based batteries run at cooler temperatures and can maintain a stable temperature of 60-degrees Celsius. Jokes aside, stable battery temperatures are important for electric vehicles.

Asus ZenFone Max Plus (M1) set for Russia debut
Asus launched a second near bezel-less smartphone, the ZenFone Max Plus (M1), on Wednesday. The phone has been officially listed in Russia, where it's expected to make its debut. The ZenFone Max Plus (M1) - that's one complex name – has a dual-camera setup, 5.7-inch full-HD+ IPS 18:9 display, MediaTek MT6750T chip, and 2/3GB RAM plus 16/32GB storage variants. Owing to the name 'Max', it has a 4130mAh battery.

Gear Fit2 Pro, Sport arrive in India
Samsung's newest pair of wearables – the Gear Fit2 Pro and Gear Sport – have arrived in India, priced at Rs. 13,590 and Rs. 22,990 respectively. Both will go on sale in December, and will be available in a variety of colour choices. The Gear Fit2 Pro has a 1.5-inch Super AMOLED Display just like its non-Pro cousin, while the Gear Sport has a circular 1.2-inch one. Both have a dual-core processor, 4GB of onboard storage, 5ATM water resistance, and heart-rate sensors.

Indians apparently loved Honor phones in 2017
Huawei has revealed that shipments of Honor smartphones to India nearly doubled in 2017 as compared to last year, with 98.8 percent improvement. Honor president George Zhao said that it's planning to ramp up manufacturing in India thanks to this news.

Pixel 2, 2 XL random reboot fix to arrive in "coming weeks"
Google has promised a fix for the random rebooting issue for its new Pixel devices in the coming weeks. The problem - related to the LTE modem - arose after users installed the November security update, though it doesn't get solved even after a factory reset. It's been well documented and talked about on Google Product Forms, and a spokesperson acknowledged the issue to Gadgets 360.

Google 'fixes' its Android burger emoji
Meanwhile, Google has 'corrected' the burger emoji in Android 8.1 Oreo, placing the cheese slice above the patty after facing much ridicule on the Internet, which prompted CEO Sundar Pichai to tweet that he would "drop everything" to fix it. The debate had begun owing to Baekdal Media founder Thomas Baekdal, and it has now resulted in a multi-billion dollar company conforming to supposed emoji standards.

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Further reading: Google, Android 8.1 Oreo, Burger emoji, Google Pixel, Google Pixel 2, Huawei, Honor, Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro, Samsung Gear Sport, Nokia 9, Asus ZenFone Max Plus (M1), Graphene Ball Battery, OnePlus 5T, Vodafone, Vodafone RED Together, Xiaomi Redmi 5, Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus