Samsung Galaxy Star 2 Plus and Galaxy Ace NXT to retail for Rs 7335 in India at launch

The Android KitKat smartphone market in India is about to be invaded by the Samsung Galaxy Star 2 Plus and Galaxy Ace NXT, both falling in the entry-level category. The new Samsung handsets are currently listed on the official eStore at Rs 7335 and while the share the same price tag, their specs vary.

The Samsung Galaxy Star 2 Plus is essentially an upgraded version of the original phone that went official at the start of this month. While it continues to offer Android 4.4 KitKat with a toned-down version of TouchWiz out of the box, the display size and resolution (previously 3.5-inch HVGA) have been increased to 4.3 inches and WVGA, respectively.

The processor here is the same single core Cortex A7, but the clock speed is 1.2GHz. Additionally, the battery capacity is now 1800mAh, while the rear camera is of 3MP and is accompanied by an LED flash. Memory provisions remain the same at 512MB RAM, 4GB storage and 32GB microSD expandability.

The Galaxy Ace NXT has also been spotted on the company’s website, but some local retailers have already put it up for grabs in the country. The phone is quite similar to the Star 2 Plus where design and specs are concerned, but it does have a few different components.

Overview of the key Samsung Galaxy Ace NXT specifications:

- Android 4.4 KitKat w/ TouchWiz Essence UI
- 4-inch WVGA display
- 512MB RAM, 4GB storage
- 1.2GHz singe core processor
- 3MP rear camera
- Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi b/g/n, HSPA+, GPS
- 1500mAh battery

Be sure to check out the eStore listing for more information on the Samsung Galaxy Star 2 Plusand Galaxy Ace NXT. There’s no word on when the two smartphones will be released.

Samsung Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance, Galaxy Ace NXT launched in India

The Samsung Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT smartphones have been launched in India with their main highlights being the Android KitKat OS and support for up to 12 regional languages. These affordable handsets come equipped with low-end specs and are set to hit various areas in the country soon.

Let’s first talk about the Samsung Galaxy Star 2 which is the cheapest among the three. This Rs 5100 smartphone kicks in a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 pixel display, a single core 1GHz CPU and 512MB of RAM. There’s a very basic 2MP camera on its back for photography purposes, whereas support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 is also available.

The Samsung Galaxy Star Advance grabs a 4.3-inch 480 x 800 pixel TFT touchscreen and offers a 3MP camera with flash. There’s 512MB of RAM present in this device along with a 1.2GHz processor. Apart from Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, this handset provides users with support for 3G as well. It has been priced at Rs 7400 by the South Korean tech giant.

Last in the list is Galaxy Ace NXT which runs on a 1.2GHz processor, possesses a 512MB RAM module and costs Rs 7400. This Samsung device houses a 4-inch 480 x 800 pixel TFT panel and a 3MP rear camera with LED flash. It comes equipped with the usual connectivity options apart from 3G capability.

The Samsung Galaxy Star 2, Galaxy Star Advance and Galaxy Ace NXT are dual SIM smartphones and have been infused with compatibility for languages such as Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu. Vodafone will be offering 200MB of free data per month for the first six months to all those who buy any of these aforesaid devices.

Price slash for Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Note 3 Neo in India

We’ve been anticipating new price cuts for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Note 3 Neo in India for some time now and they’re finally here. Retail tags of both devices have been officially trimmed by the company on its online store, while Flipkart has also reduced its rates to offer more competitive prices.

Let’s start off with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 which was originally launched at Rs 49900 a year back and the price was later brought down to around Rs 43000. On the eStore, the newly listed price is Rs 40698 which is a decent drop, while Flipkart has taken things even lower by offering the phablet at Rs 38112.

The Note 3 Neo tablet was launched earlier this year for Rs 40990 which was greatly reduced to Rs 33990 a few months back. The new amount for the phablet is Rs 29570 throughSamsung’s online store. And if you head over to the aforementioned ecommerce website, you’ll be able to pick up the device for around Rs 27249.The two Samsung Galaxy phablets aren’t the only ones from the Korean giant to get price cuts. The company’s flagship Galaxy S5 which was launched at over Rs 51000 a few months back is now selling for as low as Rs 34752. The handset has seen a huge drop in its price through online retailers, while Samsung continues to offer it at full retail.

he price cuts for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Note 3 Neo are already in effect on the company’s eStore and Flipkart. You can purchase both phablets through the store links embedded above.

Xiaomi Mi3 handset will go up for sale again tomorrow on Flipkart

The Xiaomi Mi3 which has enjoyed unexpected demand in India, will go on sale again tomorrow through Flipkart, with 20000 units reported to be up for grabs. If you’re interested in buying it, you’d better register yourself for the same, since it’s not possible to grab the handset without doing that.

And even if you do register for the Xiaomi Mi3 sale, chances of actually getting to purchase it are pretty slim. If you haven’t heard, it is currently the most in-demand smartphone in the country. Units of it are vanishing off Flipkart’s shelves within seconds of them being made available.

The Xiaomi phone first went on sale on July 22 and managed to run out of stock in about 40 minutes. A week later, when more units were put up for sale, they were sold out within 5 seconds, whereas in the third week, it took just 2 seconds for the device to go out of stock.

Here’s a quick glance at the Xiaomi Mi3 handset features:

- Display: 5-inch IPS LCD, 1080p full HD
- Platform: Android 4.4 KitKat with MIUI V5
- Processor: 2.3GHz quad core Snapdragon 800
- Memory: 16GB internal memory, 2GB RAM
- Camera: 13MP main, 2MP front
- Connectivity: HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS
- Battery: 3050mAh

Flipkart will make it available for purchase at 2pm sharp tomorrow at its much-appreciated price of Rs 13999. Registrations for this sale will only be accepted until midnight tonight.

The Xiaomi Mi3 has been setting records ever since it first arrived in India, and with tomorrow’s sale too, the Chinese company would definitely want a repeat of the same.

India Internet subscriber base up 5.4 pct in Jan-Mar quarter: Ravi Shankar Prasad

The number of Internet subscribers in the country grew 5.4 per cent to 251.59 million in January-March 2014 quarter, the Parliament was informed today.

The number of Internet subscribers stood at 238.71 million in December 2013, Minister of Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

"The National Telecom Policy, 2012, specifies a target of 175 million broadband connections by 2017 and 600 million broadband connections by 2020," he added.

Of the 251.59 million Internet subscribers, about 60.87 million were broadband users.

Maharashtra (including Mumbai and Goa) had the highest number of Internet subscribers at over 40.21 million, followed by Uttar Pradesh (including Uttarakhand) at 24.32 million, Tamil Nadu 20.41 million and Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) at 17.63 million.

The Minister said Himachal Pradesh had the lowest number of Internet subscribers at 2.04 million.

Samsung says it’s still on top in India in reaction to ‘Micromax is No. 1′ claims

Just a week back, a research firm announced that Samsung India had lost its spot as the leading mobile phone maker in Q2 2014 to Micromax. Well, the company hasn’t taken the information lying down and has responded stating the claims to be untrue and that it still holds the top position in themobile market.

Samsung’s President and Chief Executive for South-West Asia, BD Park, has disclosed this information toThe Economic Times and has also stated that the company still holds a market share of almost 50%. And in the smartphone category, it apparently has a market share that’s twice the amount of the next competitor’s, which is obviously Micromax.

This information shared by BD Park was based on the company’s internal research and data form an undisclosed firm. He also went on to suggest the possibility of there being ‘some business motive behind release of such kind of data.’ The report which was published by Counterpoint Technology last week disclosed that Micromax managed to earn the top spot in India for Q2.

However, CMR (CyberMedia Research) disclosed that the South Korean conglomerate was still in the lead, but the gap between it and the second place holder was slowly closing. While this data is highly contradictory, both research companies are sticking to their findings. Then there’s the India-based GfK which disclosed that Samsung possessed a smartphone market share of 42.5% with the overall total being 40.5%.

Even if Samsung continues to reign supreme in the Indian smartphone market, Micromax and other OEMs are still trying their best to overtake the giant. And who knows, we might even see that happen in the near future with the Korean company slowly losing its pace.

Oppo to launch N1 Mini to India at Rs 26,990 this week

Chinese handset maker OPPO will bring its 'N1 Mini' in the Indian market, priced at Rs 26,990, later this week.

Powered by 1.6GHz quad-core processor, the N1 Mini comes with 2GB RAM, 16GB inbuilt memory and Android 4.3 customised operating system. It has 13 MP camera and 2,140 mAh battery.

"Oppo N1 Mini brings to users the unique design and technology for which the OPPO N1 won a lot of accolades, but in a sleeker and more compact body," Oppo India CEO Tom Lu said.

Including Oppo N1 Mini, the company has launched nine devices in the India market.