Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Homecoming

Xiaomi is all set to hit the 10-year milestone in India this July. But you might be surprised to know that the company hasn't been one to challenge rival smartphone makers in the sub-Rs. 50,000 until the Xiaomi 14 Civi launch. The company has tried to reinvent this price segment well and truly with its latest 14 Civi (short for Cinematic Vision) to take on the rivals in the sub-Rs. 50,000. It has a premium look and is packaged like a flagship smartphone with all bells and whistles.

It's a busy time for Xiaomi as it recently unveiled 14 and 14 Ultra a few weeks back. But, the company doesn't want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to tapping consumer demand. With one foot firmly in the premium category with the Xiaomi 14 series and the other in mass market price segments (for example, Redmi and Redmi Note), 2024 already looks like an excellent year for the company with six months to go. Unlike in previous years, Xiaomi has learnt lessons on how to keep its smartphone lineup more streamlined, which it shared with the world during the Civi unveiling.

Finally, with the 14 Civi, the sub-Rs. 50,000 segment gets the smartphone it deserves, especially considering the current phones available at this price, including the OnePlus 12R and Samsung Galaxy A55, which are great packages but mostly on paper. Let's break down the smartphone in this review.

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Aesthetically pleasing [Design]

• Dimensions - 157.20x72.77x7.45mm
• Weight - 179.3 grams
• Colours - Cruise Blue, Matcha Green, and Shadow Black

As the name suggests, the Xiaomi 14 Civi is part of the company's premium 14 series, which means you can expect high-quality materials on the phone. It sports metal frames and has an aesthetic design for one-hand usage.

Xiaomi 14 Civi features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

 

I'm happy that Xiaomi has kept the Civi's design dynamics closer to the Xiaomi 14 than the 14 Ultra. In terms of size, the 14 Civi (with a 6.55-inch display) strikes a perfect balance, sitting between the 14 (6.36-inch) and 14 Ultra (6.73-inch). It's also the lightest in the series at 179.3 grams, making it a comfortable and easy choice, especially when compared to the competition, which includes the OnePlus 12R (207 grams) and Samsung Galaxy A55 (213 grams). Unsurprisingly, the 14 Civi (7.4mm) is also the slimmest in this price bracket, adding to its practicality.

Xiaomi has taken attention to detail to the next level with its three different colourways for the 14 Civi. It comes in Cruise Blue with a dual-slice design, Matcha Green with vegan leather used in one portion, and a unique back glass pattern in the inlay. The third is the Shadow Black colour variant with a classic matte finish, which I preferred for my review.

Xiaomi 14 Civi weighs just 179.3 grams

 

The symmetrical design with a quad-curve body feels solid in the hands. On the rear, the starry Leica camera ring housing all the camera sensors is a highlight for me. All the physical buttons are placed on the right side and are very well within the fingers' reach while being used with one hand. The IR blaster is located on the top panel, while the Type-C port for charging is on the bottom panel. The dual stereo speakers setup is an exciting addition, and I will talk about the quality in the performance section.

Overall, the Xiaomi 14 Civi doesn't feel like a device designed with a thought to compromise on any design element.

The lightweight and sleek design works in its favour. The only big miss I felt was skipping the IP68 rating on the Xiaomi 14 Civi. It would have kept in the league of its own under Rs. 50,000.

Xiaomi 14 Civi comes in Shadow Black, Cruise Blue and Matcha Green colours

 

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Small but mighty [Display]

• 6.55-inch Quad Curved AMOLED display
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 3000nits peak brightness

If you're someone who loves bigger displays, then Xiaomi 14 Civi may not excite you. Compared to the competition, the 14 Civi features a 6.55-inch screen, the 12R sports 6.78 inches, and the Galaxy A55 sports a 6.6 inches screen. The Civi boasts an AMOLED quad-curved display, the first in this price segment. Other features include a 120Hz refresh rate, 3000nits peak brightness, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, 460PPI, and support for TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light (hardware solution) certified.

Xiaomi 14 Civi features a 6.55-inch display

 

In real-world usage, the 14 Civi's display is bright and perfect for binge-watching and gaming. The good part is that even under direct sunlight, the legibility is excellent. The floating quad-curve display on the 14 Civi is only a second after the 14 Ultra and gives a premium feel to the entire display. Overall, the vibrant, crisp and smooth display on the 14 Civi makes it ideal for viewing high-definition video and photo content.

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: As good as it gets [Camera]

• Main - 50MP with f/1.63 aperture and OIS
• Telephoto - 50MP with f/1.98 aperture & 12MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degree field of view
• Selfie - 32MP primary sensor & 32MP ultra-wide selfie camera

The 14 Civi is the first from the house of Xiaomi to bring Leica cameras to a price range we would have never expected a few years back. Straight jumping to real-world performance, the cameras are a highlight of the phone.

Xiaomi 14 Civi sports a triple rear camera setup

 

It can take consistent photos during the day with excellent autofocus capabilities. The best thing I liked about the Civi was its ability to adapt brightness to different lighting conditions. It manages skin tones well in most lighting conditions and has accurate exposure while ensuring a wide dynamic range. The details are handled well, especially during well-lit situations. Apart from photos, the device is well-optimised to handle videos as well.

The Leica features integrated into the camera allow for a myriad of creative experiments with your portraits. The Master Portrait and Leica Portrait modes, my personal favourites, are perfect for portraits. The 35mm mode with various Leica filters is a must-try for a touch of Leica vintage. Among the numerous filters available, the black and white filter stands out.

All the above camera samples clicked using the primary 50-megapixel camera

 

Like other Xiaomi 14 series devices, the Civi also does well in bokeh shots. There's accurate subject segmentation and a nice blur in the foreground and background. However, slight instabilities are noticeable in some of the camera samples in low-light situations.

Xiaomi 14 Civi portrait mode in action

 

Coming to low-light photography where things get interesting. It manages less challenging shots comprehensively, but there's apparent noise in low-light shots. In some shots, target exposure is slightly off in extremely low light conditions. When zooming into shots, fine details are lost in some low-light samples.

 

Xiaomi 14 Civi low-light camera samples

 

 

The 14 Civi does well in ultra-wide shots. Noise is handled well, while the level of detail is okay. It definitely can get a costlier flagship smartphone a run for its price.

Xiaomi 14 Civi ultra-wide camera in action

Xiaomi 14 Civi comes with Leica-tuned camera features, which is one of the highlights of this device

 

 

Coming to selfies, the 14 Civi brings back the focus on the front camera in this price segment. It is the only phone with dual cameras at the front, and all credit goes to Xiaomi for making this happen. Quality-wise, Civi manages decent skin tones in selfies with good white balance and accurate target exposure. However, you may have to turn off the beautification mode in selfies as it unnecessarily flattens the colour. The selfies are equally good in low light, but I noticed some desaturation in some samples.

Xiaomi 14 Civi's selfie camera in action

 

Overall, the Xiaomi 14 Civi gets a camera setup that raises the bar in the sub-Rs. 50,000 segment and no phone - OnePlus 12R or Samsung Galaxy A55 come closer.

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Plenty to like [Performance]

• Processor - Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform
• RAM and storage - 8GB + 256GB & 12GB + 512GB
• LPDDR5X RAM & UFS 4.0 storage

Xiaomi 14 Civi joins the league of new flagships that will pack the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 mobile platform. This processor brings numerous improvements, although they may not be immediately noticeable in everyday usage. The Civi, however, shines in its ability to handle multitasking with ease. You can effortlessly switch between multiple apps without experiencing any stutters. During my review, I used the 14 Civi as my primary device, and it performed flawlessly, without any glitches, over the course of several weeks.

Xiaomi 14 Civi is powered by Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor

While testing games, the Civi ran smoothly with the highest settings and graphics available in COD Mobile, BGMI, and Genshin Impact. Games like Need for Speed No Limits felt snappy. Surprisingly, Xiaomi isn't marketing the gaming capabilities of the 14 Civi at all. While extensively testing performance, the only issue I encountered was that the device gets warm, sometimes really warm. That's when I saw Xiaomi's new IceLoop Cooling tech coming into play. Games aside, the phone also gets warm when you use the camera extensively to click photos and videos. Now, I have to give the benefit of the doubt to Xiaomi as I was testing the device in Delhi's summer, where outside temperatures are hitting a whopping 45 degrees and beyond. But let me add that the heating on the Civi isn't as big of an issue as it was on the Google Pixel 8a.

The 14 Civi is an ideal device for multimedia thanks to the powerful combination of excellent display and stereo speakers. The Civi offers an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and face unlock - both snappy.

Xiaomi 14 Civi comes with tons of preloaded apps

 

Talking about benchmarks, the Xiaomi 14 Civi managed decent scores all around. Starting with AnTuTu, it scored 139,2401 points, closer to what the OnePlus 12R achieved in the same test. At the same time, managing a good 1931 in single-core and 4946 in multi-core tests. On the GFX Bench, Civi managed 6,727 frames in T-Rex (120fps) and 7,091 in Manhattan 3.1 tests. Another time that I noticed the device getting warm was when running synthetic benchmarks.

Xiaomi 14 Civi benchmark scores

 

The call quality on the Xiaomi 14 Civi is excellent, and one of the highlights of the phone is how soon it latches on to networks when you get out of a lift or just come out of your basement. During the review, it happened plenty of times that Civi managed to latch on to networks within seconds of coming out of the lift, while the iPhone 15 Pro Max took a good 20-30 seconds to be back with the network.

Xiaomi 14 Civi comes with 3 years of Android update support

 

Talking about the update cycle, Xiaomi promises a total of 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates, which scores less on paper when compared to devices like Google Pixel 8a and Samsung Galaxy A55.

The 14 Civi has launched with Android 14-based HyperOS and, as expected, gets tons of customisation options. Starting with the lock screen, which gets significant visual changes, then minor tweaks in the Gallery app to make it interesting. The Control Centre also gets a refresh and looks less cluttered. However, the biggest ease is the process to remove the bloatware apps.

Xiaomi 14 Civi runs on HyperOS based on Android 14

 

Xiaomi has cleared its stance on AI and how it will proceed with the entire adoption. The company has integrated some interesting AI tools into its gallery for AI Portraits and AI expansion. I tried the Erase and Sky features, which worked flawlessly. Other AI-enabled features are still a work in progress and can be expected to be rolled out with future updates.

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Trying to keep up with the competition [Battery]

• 4700mAh battery
• 67W Fast charging support
• Ships with a charger in the box

The battery department was the real test of the Xiaomi 14 Civi as it packs the smallest in the competition. The Civi packs a 4700mAh battery compared to the 12R and Galaxy A55, which come with 5000mAh batteries. The Civi gets a 67W fast-charger brick in the box for fast charging, OnePlus ships a 100W brick with 12R, and Samsung doesn't ship a charger with Galaxy A55. 

Xiaomi 14 Civi packs a 4700mAh battery, which is smaller than the competition

 

In real-world scenarios, the Xiaomi 14 Civi lasted almost a full day on a single charge with heavy usage, which included multiple apps open in the background, including browsing the Internet, a few calls during the day, Outlook, WhatsApp, Telegram, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and frequent camera usage. With medium usage, the phone could last over a day. In our video loop test, the Civi lasted 13 hours and 15 minutes before the phone powered down. The phone did better than the costly Xiaomi 14, which packs a 4610mAh battery. 

With 67W fast-charging support, the phone can fully charge from 0 to 100% within 50 minutes, which is decent but not a figure that's among the best in the segment. To compare, the OnePlus 12R, however, can fully charge in less than 30 minutes. Overall, the Xiaomi 14 Civi may not surpass the competition in terms of battery performance, but it certainly holds its own.

Xiaomi 14 Civi comes in two RAM and storage SKUs

 

Xiaomi 14 Civi Review: Verdict

2024 for Xiaomi is all about reclaiming its mojo back, and the Xiaomi 14 Civi is a fine example of how to do it in style without compromising on any department. The best part about this package is in the sub-Rs. 50,000 segment, it doesn't feel penny-pinching. To smartphone enthusiasts and Xiaomi fans, the 14 Civi will feel like a homecoming. Xiaomi is finally doing what it does best - pricing its device competitively in a price segment that never had a presence earlier.

There are plenty of things to like about Xiaomi 14 Civi, starting with the design ideal for one-handed usage, a display that's amazing for multimedia consumption and complementing it with powerful stereo speakers. The performance is comparable to the new and pricier flagships that the second half of 2024 will get, and HyperOS is surely likeable if you have used MIUI earlier. The battery is one department that is not comparable to the competition, while the bloatware situation is somewhat controlled, though we did see some notifications during the initial phase of the review.

If you're in the market and looking for a phone under Rs. 50,000, Xiaomi 14 Civi deserves to be at the top of that list. The alternatives at this price point include OnePlus 12R (Review) and Samsung Galaxy A55 (Review), while if you want to try the new Pixel, then the Pixel 8a (Review) is also a good option.

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Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless Review: Flagship Sound at Mid-Range Price?

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless earphones were launched in India a few weeks after the company introduced the flagship Momentum True Wireless 4 earphones in the country. The newly launched audio wearables are a mid-range offering from the German manufacturer at Rs. 12,999. They support Bluetooth 5.3 multi-point connectivity and feature 7mm TrueResponse transducers. In this review, we will talk about the audio experience of these true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones and whether they are worth your investment.

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless Review: Design and Features

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones are lightweight individually but the charging case they come with is chunky. Not big or heavy, in fact, it fits quite well within the palm of your hand. But it will be distinctly discernable in your skinny jeans pockets. The earphones sport a stemless, in-ear design. This usually runs the risk of each earbud being big, heavy and jutting out of the ear, but for this pair of earphones, there is an exception.

Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones come with a stemless design and offer a comfortable fit

 

They come with silicone ear tips of four sizes - XS, S, M, and L. The size S or small fits me the best. Since we are on the topic of fit, let me mention the comfort level they offer. They are good. During prolonged sessions of usage, I almost forgot I had an accessory on me. However, the road to such bliss was initially marred by a little bit of chaos.

Because of its design, you plug the Sennheiser Accentum TWS earbuds in with the body turned up towards the outer shell of your ears. Then you have to proceed to wiggle it around till the earphones are kind of screwed in place so that they don't fall off. Getting used to this took a few minutes. But it also demands a little bit of patience. Here's why.

Since there is no stem that you can grab to move the earphones around, you have to touch the body of the earbuds each time. Almost every time you do that, you set off the single tap command, sometimes on both sides at once. It is a whirlwind of beeps, and transparency mode jumps till you go to the app and turn the touch controls toggle off. But part of the convenience of the TWS earphones is the touch controls. So I had to turn them back on. It took me half a day to realise I could just deselect the functions for the single-tap commands and relieve myself from any further torment.

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones weigh only 5.5g each, and they are also IP54-rated for dust and splash resistance. However, the charging case, weighing 41g, comes with no IP rating. Aside from the case, earphones, ear tip options and reading material, in the box, the company also packs a USB Type-A to USB Type-C charging cable.

The earphones come with silicone tips, offered in four size options

 

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless Review: App and Specifications

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones are compatible with the Sennheiser Smart Control app on both Android and iOS smartphones. This app allows users to customise their listening experience and also lets them manage the noise cancellation modes. The app also offers users the ability to configure the touch control commands. The commands for phone calls are preset and cannot be altered. Personalisation for all other instances, including volume control and alternating between tracks, is available.

On the home page of the application, among the first few listed details are the charging percentages of the earphones and the charging case. You can also see the list of connected devices, manage touch controls and access the equaliser settings from here. The app offers a five-band customisable equaliser which you can freely control to personalise your sound experience. It also has two special EQ presets - Bass Boost and Podcast. The former is self-explanatory, and the latter enhances speech clarity. Among other presets are seven equaliser modes that you can choose from — Rock, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz and Movie.

You are also able to customise a preset for yourself using the Sound Check feature. You will be offered five sets of preset equaliser settings with three options in each set. While you are playing the music of your choice, you have to select the one option which suits you best out of each set and the app will modify the equaliser settings accordingly after you have chosen all five options. You can then save this preset and name it as per your wish.

Another important customisation function that the app allows is adjusting the noise cancellation and transparency modes. There are three transparency levels — low, mid and high, as well as three ANC levels — off, anti-wind and on.

The Sennheiser Smart Control app is available for both Android and iOS smartphones

 

The Smart Control app also allows users to save certain sound settings based on the different locations that they frequent, like the home, gym, work, cafe, etc. This requires access to the connected phone's location. Essentially, for each sound zone, you can save a particular combination of noise control and equaliser settings. These can be saved for both “entering” and “leaving” the zone. What is the zone? You can define it by starting from 100m to up to a 1km radius of a particular point on the map. With your location access permission, these settings will automatically be applied to your music/podcast as you commute in and out of the pre-decided sound zones.

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones come with 7mm TrueResponse transducers and support Bluetooth 5.3 multi-point connectivity. They also support SBC, AAC, aptX, and LC3 codes and Hybrid Adaptive ANC. Each earbud is equipped with two mics and a 55mAh battery, while the charging case, with a USB Type-C port at the bottom, packs a 400-420mAh battery.

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless Review: Performance and Battery Life

As previously mentioned, the Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones come with many noise cancellation modes as well as transparency levels. These modes are powerful and deliver what their names promise. The active noise cancellation mode manages to drown out almost stray sound. If you need some quiet time to finish work or to seek solace amongst snoring housemates, this is a good pick. The different transparency levels are, of course, useful for the outdoors. Since this mode allows environmental disturbances to follow through to help users stay alert, the sound quality is also affected by this.

The ANC mode, however, leaves the sound experience largely undisturbed. Alongside the bass boost and podcast modes, the Smart Control app holds seven equaliser presets — Rock, Pop, Dance, Hip Hop, Classical, Jazz and Movie. The sound experience in each of these modes is gratifying, to say the least. Having transitioned from always playing some of my favourite music on my regular budget TWS earphones, the exposure to the audio quality of the tracks using the Accentum TWS earphones was truly delightful.

Each Sennheiser Accentum TWS earbuds weigh only 5.5g

 

I tried to cover a wide array of genres and musical tones and played around with the custom equalisers as well as the presets. From Moondance by Van Morrison to Slow Dancing in the Dark by Joji, from Killer Queen by Queen to Outro: Tear by BTS — there was never a track I found which fell flat with these Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones. For me, the testament to the sound experience these earphones offer was locked in when I played I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles. Exhilarating. The track itself is arguably one of the best and earliest prog-rock mixes of all time. With these audio wearables, the timbre of that music is only accentuated. From all my years of marvelling at this Lennon–McCartney gem, this is the clearest and most detailed listening experience I have had of the track.

The multipoint connectivity feature of the Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones operates smoothly. They were connected to a smartphone and a laptop simultaneously at almost all times. Switching from the audio of one of the devices to the other was seamless in my experience.

The call quality the earphones offer is also good. However, the mic is not the best. It is not at par with the sound experience. Although this is not that surprising, considering the earphones lack stems, and then by design, the microphones are placed higher up inside the individual buds. Personally, this took very little away, if at all any, from my experience of the earphones since I am not big on calls to begin with.

What does stand out for me though, is the battery performance of the audio wearable. Without any noise cancellation features, the Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones (when used with the aptX codec) offer a total battery life of up to 23 hours as opposed to the advertised 28 hours. The total battery life of the earphones alongside the charging case falls to up to 21 hours with the active noise cancellation turned on. When used with the AAC codec, the earphones offer a total playback time of up to 24 and 22 hours, respectively, without and with ANC.

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones are IP54-rated, but the charging case has no such certification

 

Just the earphones of the Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless are claimed to offer a playback time of up to eight hours on a single charge. With the aptX codec, the battery life of the earphones with and without ANC lasts for up to five and a half and up to seven hours, respectively. Using the AAC codec, they lasted for up to eight hours on a single charge without ANC and almost six hours with ANC. The earphones' charging case supports USB Type-C wired and Qi wireless charging. Only 10 minutes of charge can offer users a playback time of up to an hour.

Sennheiser Accentum True Wireless Review: Verdict

The Sennheiser Accentum TWS earphones are retailing in India at Rs. 12,999. It is a handsome amount for TWS earphones but if your budget allows you, they are an easy pick. You get the sound experience you expect from a Sennheiser audio product. Paired with the Smart Control app, you can get an extensive equaliser personalisation control. The noise cancellation and transparency settings, including the anti-wind preset, do their job quite well. The lightweight earbuds and the compact charging case also qualify these earphones as one of the finest audio wearables in the market.

To get the Sennheiser Accentum true wireless earphones, though, you have to look past the battery life they offer. If you use a higher audio codec as well as the noise cancellation modes, the total playback time reduces to up to 23 hours. This may not objectively account for bad battery performance, given all the features, but it may be a deal breaker for some.

If you fall in the latter category, you may want to check out the Moto Buds+ (Review). They are priced in India at a lower Rs. 9,999 but are claimed to offer a total battery life of up to 38 hours. The Moto earphones also support LHDC Bluetooth codec and flaunt Bose-certified sound. Another pair you can look at, for a price of Rs. 11,999, is the Nothing Ear (Review) TWS earphones, which offer up to 40.5 hours of battery life as well as ChatGPT integrations.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Infinix ZeroBook Ultra With Up to Intel Core Ultra 9 CPU, 100W Fast Charging Launched in India

Infinix ZeroBook Ultra was launched in India on Saturday. The new laptop comes with artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and is equipped with up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processors. The Infinix ZeroBook Ultra runs on Windows 11 Home out-of-the-box and features a 15.6-inch full-HD+ IPS display. It packs 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and is backed by a 70Whr battery that can be charged at 100W over a USB Type-C port.

Infinix ZeroBook Ultra price in India

Infinix ZeroBook Ultra price in India starts at Rs. 59,990 for the model with a Core Ultra 5 processor. The Core Ultra 7 and Core Ultra 9 variants are priced at Ultra 7 at Rs. 69,990 and Rs. 84,990, respectively. It will be available for purchase via Flipkart on July 10.

Flipkart is offering up to Rs. 2,000 off on purchases made using HDFC bank cards. Buyers can avail of up to Rs. 28,000 exchange discount as well. EMI options start at Rs. 2,813 per month.

Infinix ZeroBook Ultra specifications

The Infinix ZeroBook Ultra runs on Windows 11 Home and features a 15.6-inch full-HD (1,080x1,920 pixels) IPS display with 400 nits of peak brightness and 100 percent sRGB colour gamut coverage. The screen has a 178-degree viewing angle. It is powered by up to Intel Core Ultra 9 processors with Intel Arc graphics. The CPU is paired with up to 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM. This processor equipped with Intel AI Boost Neural Processing Units (NPU) for performing AI-based tasks. The laptop is claimed to deliver 60fps for gaming. 

For thermal management, the Infinix ZeroBook Ultra uses an ICE Storm 2.0 cooling system. It features two USB 3.0 ports, two USB Type-C ports, an SD card slot, a 3.5mm audio jack and an HDMI 1.4 port. The laptop offers Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity.

The laptop is equipped with a full-HD webcam for video calls. This camera provides AI-based BeautyCam enhancements with the help of the Mi-Pi protocol. It has two microphones and includes dual 2W microphones with DTS audio processing. Further, it has a backlit chiclet keyboard.

The Infinix ZeroBook Ultra houses a 70Wh battery that offers fast charging support using 100W adapter. The battery is claimed to deliver up to 13 hours of 1080p video playback or up to 10 hours of web browsing. It has a 16.9mm thick body. 

 

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Vodafone Idea (Vi) Announces Increase in Prepaid, Postpaid Plan Prices From July 4 After Airtel, Jio Hike Tariffs

Vodafone Idea (Vi) on Friday announced that it was hiking the prices of its mobile tariffs in India. The beleaguered telecom operator followed rivals Reliance Jio and Airtel, which both announced higher prices for their prepaid recharge plans and postpaid plans on Thursday and Friday, respectively. All three carriers are looking to raising their average revenue per user (ARPU) while increasing profits and recouping expenditure on 5G network infrastructure over the past couple of years.

Vi prepaid recharge plan price increase

Just like Airtel and Reliance Jio, customers who opt for a prepaid recharge plan from Vi will soon have to pay higher prices to access the same data and calling benefits as their existing plan. It is worth noting that while Vi's most expensive annual recharge plan, offers a lower daily data allowance compared to Airtel and Jio, but is cheaper by Rs. 100.

All the plans that offer a daily data allowance (with the exception of the Rs. 299 plan) offer unlimited data between 12am and 6am, as well as weekend data rollover, according to the operator. 

In order to remain competitive with its biggest rivals, Vi has had to keep its prices on par with their recently updated tariffs. Airtel announced on Friday that it had to ensure that its ARPU had to exceed Rs. 300 in order for the telecom operator in order to recover spending on 5G networks and ensure the carrier incurs enough profit.

Old Price	New Price	Data Allowance	Validity (Days)
179	199	2GB	28
459	509	6GB	84
1799	1999	24GB	365
269	299	1GB per day	28
299	349	1.5GB per day	28
319	379	2GB per day	30
479	579	1.5GB per day	56
539	649	2GB per day	56
719	859	1.5GB per day	84
839	979	2GB per day	84
2899	3499	1.5GB per day	365
19 (Data add-on)	22	1GB	1
39 (Data add-on)	48	6GB	1

Vi postpaid plan price hike

Customers who have a postpaid plan will also have to pay an additional amount every month once the revised tariffs go into effect. The Rs. 401 plan with 50GB of data will soon be priced at Rs. 451, while the Rs. 501 plan with 90GB of monthly data will cost Rs. 551. Both these plans offer unlimited data usage at night, along with access to some over-the-top (OTT) services.

Similarly, the Family plans with two and four lines are also set to get more expensive, according to the operator. The plan with two lines (offering 70GB of data for the first number and 40 GB of data for the second) will cost Rs. 701, up from Rs. 601. The four line plan (with 140GB for the primary number and 40GB of data each for the secondary numbers) currently costs Rs. 1,001, and will cost Rs. 1,201 when the new tariffs are introduced.

Vi price hike effective from July 4

The operator is yet to update these new prices on its website, just like rivals Airtel and Jio. According to Vodafone Idea, the new prices for Vi prepaid recharge plans will be effective from July 4. Prepaid customers will see the updated pricing when they recharge their phone number after that date, while postpaid customers will see the new plans when their next monthly bill arrives.   

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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US, India Extend Digital Tax Truce to June 30 as Deadline Approaches

The United States and India have extended a standstill agreement on U.S. retaliation over India's digital-services tax until Sunday, aligning it with a fast-approaching deadline for a global deal to reallocate taxing rights on the world's biggest and most profitable companies, the U.S. Treasury said on Friday.

In a brief announcement, the Treasury said that a November 2021 political compromise that expired March 31 would be extended through the end of the month, as negotiations on the "Pillar 1" tax agreement continue.

The Pillar 1 deal is in danger of collapse, as the U.S., India and China have failed to agree on key elements of the deal related to calculation of transfer pricing to help determine local tax liabilities.

The stakes of the last-minute negotiations are high. The deal's failure could prompt several countries to reinstate their taxes on U.S. tech giants such as Apple, Alphabet's Google, and Amazon.com and risk punitive duties on billions of dollars in exports to the U.S.

The extension of the U.S.-India agreement also aligns it with the expiration of similar deals with six other countries that had enacted digital-services taxes: Austria, Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

These countries suspended their digital-services taxes shortly after a two-pillar tax deal was struck in October 2021 by nearly 140 countries to impose a 15% global minimum corporate income tax and complete negotiation on reallocating some taxing rights on large multinationals to countries where they sell goods and services. This was meant to replace the digital-services taxes.

At the same time, the U.S. Trade Representative's office agreed to suspend planned trade retaliation against the digital taxes while negotiations were completed.

U.S. negotiations are being led by the Treasury, where a spokesperson declined to comment on the state of negotiations.

A USTR spokesperson also declined to comment on next steps, but added: "As we've said previously, we oppose digital-services taxes that unfairly target U.S. companies and the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework negotiations offer the best path to address the challenges that digitalization of the economy poses to the international tax system."

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters at a G7 finance meeting in May that India and China were hindering agreement on the alternative transfer-pricing mechanism known as "Amount B," but that talks were continuing.

Italy's finance minister also blamed the U.S. demands for the inability to agree on terms. Italy is seeking an extension of the U.S. standstill agreement and sources told Reuters earlier on Friday that Italy has asked Google to pay $1 billion in unpaid taxes.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Top OTT Releases This Week: Sharmajee Ki Beti, The Bear Season 3, Aavesham, and More

This week, among the Indian originals, we have anthology-style drama Sharmajee Ki Beti and Nawazuddin Siddiqui's hilarious murder mystery Rautu Ka Raaz. The former focuses on the challenges that women of different age groups face. At the same time, the latter introduces us to a funny murder mystery.

Amongst the post-theatrical releases, we have A24's action-packed Civil War, set in a dystopian future where America is under a dangerous civil war. We also have Aavesham, a funny saga where we see Fahadh Faasil as a bizarre gangster helping three collegegoers.

Those looking for a critic-certified pick can go for Hulu's The Bear on Hotstar, which has also been renewed for a third season. The show has been time and again praised for its writing and nuanced performances and offers a perfect platter of humour and drama.

Documentary and music enthusiasts could go for Prime Video's I Am: Celine Dione, an emotional account of the Canadian singer's tryst with stiff person syndrome, an autoimmune neuro disorder which causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms.

Some other binge-worthy options are animated sci-fi WondLa, teenage drama That '90s Show's second season, and Zac Efron's rom-com A Family Affair.

Top OTT Releases This Week

Here are the top OTT releases of the week that we recommend for your weekend binge-watching marathon.

Sharmajee Ki Beti

When: Now Streaming

Where: Prime Video

Sharmajee Ki Beti is a heartfelt ode to women and femininity, as it gives a peek into the lives of three middle-aged and two teenage “Sharma women”.

In the film, we are introduced to a working mother (Sakshi Tanwar) who is trying to balance the roles of a mother and a teacher. We also have her constantly complaining teenage daughter (Vanshika Taparia) who is desperately waiting to get her periods, a lonely housewife (Divya Dutta) who is having a hard time adjusting to the fast-paced city of Mumbai, her nerd daughter (Arista Mehta), and their neighbour (Saiyami Kher) Tanvi, an aspiring cricketer whose boyfriend's fragile masculinity gets threatened with her achievements.

Through these stories, we explore the various prejudices and challenges that women battle daily. Although full of cliches, the film makes for a decent watch. Tahira Kashyap directs.

The Bear Season 3

When: Now Streaming

Where: Hotstar

The Bear won big time at the Emmys and the Golden Globe Awards last year. The series follows Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef from the fine dining world who returns to his hometown after a personal tragedy and decides to run his failing family-owned sandwich shop, The Beef. In the previous two seasons, we see Carmy give the venture his all. In this season, we see him try harder to establish the Beef into a fine dining melting pot. The stakes are higher than ever.

My Lady Jane

When: Now Streaming

Where: Prime Video

If you are a history buff, chances are you know about Lady Jane Grey, the English noblewoman who was crowned the Queen of England in 1553 for nine days and then beheaded.

Prime Video's latest historical fiction, My Lady Jane, re-imagines the infamous event and gives an account of how things would have turned out had Lady Jane (Emily Bader) not died. We see her battle through rivalries, regicidal maniacs, and swordfights, and live her happily ever after.

The eight-episode-long series is available to stream in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, French, Spanish, Dutch, and other international languages.

Rautu Ka Raaz

When: Now Streaming

Where: Zee5

Rautu Ki Beli is a quaint village in Mussoorie which hasn't seen a murder in over a decade. So, when a warden of the region's blind school dies mysteriously, and the possibility of a murder pops up, the local police department – that'd be SHO Deepak Negi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and his laidback team – get more excited than ever. As the officers put on their Sherlock Homes hats, an intriguing investigation begins.

Aavesham (Hindi Version)

When: Now Streaming

Where: Hotstar

Malayalam cinema has lately been in the cinephile's spotlight, attracting multi-lingual audiences. The latest headline from the industry is Fahadh Faasil's Aavesham, touted as a fun masala movie. The film follows three boys who have just been admitted into a prestigious engineering college in Bangalore. As they get into bad books of their seniors and have an ugly fight, the trio decides to seek help from a local eccentric gangster called Ranga to seek revenge. The rest of the film follows Ranga's colourful tactics, strange behaviour, and yet heart-winning personality. The original Malayalam version is available to stream on Prime Video.

Fancy Dance

When: Now Streaming

Where: Apple TV

Apple TV's latest is an intense tear-jerker with a moving storyline. Jax (Lily Gladstone), a former drug dealer, has been taking care of her niece Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) after her sister went missing. The two have developed a beautiful bond over time, which has changed Jax.

Things take an ugly turn when the authorities run a background check on Jax and threaten to shift Roki's custody to her grandfather. Shaken by core, Jax decides to take Roki along with her illegally on a frantic search for her mother while helping Roki prepare for the upcoming powwow ( a festive gathering).

Civil War

When: Now Streaming

Where: Prime Video

The United States is under a (fictionalised) civil war in a dystopian future where secessionist movements have fractured the States into multiple factions. The President isn't ready to step back and has ordered a shoot-on-sight for journalists.

As the rebels plot to take down the White House, a few war journalists head onto a dangerous journey from New York City to Washington, D.C., for an exclusive interview with the beleaguered President.

Civil War is A24's most expensive film till date and the second-highest-grossing film after the Academy Award winner Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).

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Crypto Price Today: Bitcoin, Ether Prices Fluctuate as Biden vs Trump Debate Skips Mention of Crypto, Analyst Says

Bitcoin opened with a minor price loss on Friday, and the world's most widely used crypto asset is presently trading at $61,637 (roughly Rs. 51.4 lakh) on international exchanges like CoinMarketCap, after incurring a loss of 0.23 percent. On national exchanges such as WazirX and CoinSwitch however, the value of BTC stood much higher at $66,863 (roughly Rs. 55.8 lakh). Macro-economic factors have always played a vital role in setting the temperament for the crypto market on a global level. Despite expectations from crypto investors, US President Joe Biden and Donald Trump didn't mention cryptocurrencies during their televised debate on Thursday, leading to volatility on the crypto price charts and experts predict more upheaval in the coming days.

“In a notable shift, Bitcoin posted gains as optimism swelled ahead of the anticipated Biden vs. Trump debate, with investors expecting cryptocurrency to be a focal point. However, the absence of any mention of crypto during the debate has led to concerns over potential impact for Bitcoin prices, possibly dampening industry enthusiasm. Bitcoin is entrenched in oversold territory, indicating a prolonged bearish sentiment. Market analysts predict this phase of stagnation could extend for a few more weeks,” Rajagopal Menon, Vice President, WazirX told Gadgets360.

Similarly, Ether was impacted by a minor 0.09 percent drop in value on Friday. It is currently trading at $3,448 (roughly Rs. 2.87 lakh) on international exchanges and at $3,701 (roughly Rs. 3.09 lakh) on national ones, as per the Gadgets360 crypto price tracker.

“The forthcoming launch of the Ethereum ETF on July 4 is seen as a potential game-changer, with projections of Ethereum prices climbing above $5,000 (roughly Rs. 4.17 lakh),” Menon added.

Cryptocurrencies that managed to log minor gains on Friday include Binance Coin, Dogecoin, Cardano, and Avalanche.

Solana managed to see profits of 6.24 percent on Friday – which is substantially higher than other cryptocurrencies. At the time of writing, Solana was trading at $145 (roughly Rs. 12,139).

“With the first Solana ETF application from VanEck, the SOL ecosystem saw a collective rise and the number of traders increasing by 30 percent. SOL may become the 3rd major crypto asset after BTC and ETH to have its ETF, thanks to its recent growth. Several Solana memecoins also resulted in gains. Some of these memecois include BOME, which rose 15 percent with an 80 percent increase in traders, and WEN, which rose 15.5 percent with a 25 percent increase in traders,” said Ryan Lee, Chief Analyst at Bitget Research.

Meanwhile, cryptocurrencies that registered losses on Friday include Tron, Near Protocol, Underdog, and Status.

As per CoinMarketCap, the overall crypto market rose in valuation by 1.39 percent in the last 24 hours. With this, the market cap of the crypto sector has come to $2.28 trillion (roughly Rs. 1,90,32,984 crore).

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Cryptocurrency is an unregulated digital currency, not a legal tender and subject to market risks. The information provided in the article is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice, trading advice or any other advice or recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by NDTV. NDTV shall not be responsible for any loss arising from any investment based on any perceived recommendation, forecast or any other information contained in the article. 

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Airtel Price Hike for Prepaid Recharge Plans, Postpaid Plans Announced: New Tariffs Effective From July 3

Airtel on Friday announced that it was revising the price of its prepaid recharge plans and postpaid plans, with costs increasing by as much as 20 percent. The telecom operator said the new prices are part of its efforts to increase the mobile average revenue per user (ARPU). The tariffs for prepaid and postpaid data plans will be revised next week, according to the operator. The Airtel price hike comes hours after rival Reliance Jio announced new tariffs on Thursday, increasing the prices of its plans in the country.

Airtel price hike for prepaid plans

Once the new tariffs go into effect, Airtel prepaid customers will have to pay more to access the company's data and calling plans. The telecom operator says that it is looking to increase the ARPU beyond Rs. 300 in order to remain profitable while continuing to invest in spectrum and network technology.

You can refer to the table below to see the updated pricing for each plan. The annual Rs. 1,799 recharge plan and Rs. 2,999 plan will increase by Rs. 200 and Rs. 600, respectively. It's worth noting that all prepaid recharge plans offer unlimited voice calls and up to 100 SMS per day, except the last three entries in the table as they are data add on packs.

Old Price	New Price	Data Allowance	Validity (Days)
179	199	2GB	28
455	509	6GB	84
1799	1999	24GB	365
265	299	1GB per day	28
299	349	1.5GB per day	28
359	409	2.5GB per day	28
399	449	3GB per day	28
479	579	1.5GB per day	56
549	649	2GB per day	56
719	859	1.5GB per day	84
839	979	2GB per day	84
2999	3599	2GB per day	365
19 (Data add-on)	22	1GB	1
29 (Data add-on)	33	2GB	1
65 (Data add-on)	77	4GB	Plan Validity

Airtel postpaid plan price increase

Airtel postpaid plans have also been hiked, which means that customers will have to pay a higher monthly bill starting from July. The Rs. 399 plan that offers one connection with 40GB of data and an Xstream Premium subscription will soon cost Rs. 449. Meanwhile, the Rs. 499 plan that offered 75GB of data, as well as Xstream Premium, Disney+ Hotstar, and Amazon Prime subscriptions, will be hiked to Rs. 549.

Two other postpaid plans will also be hiked, according to the telecom operator. The Rs. 599 plan that offers two connections with 1005GB of data will cost Rs. 699, while the Rs. 999 plan that offers four connections and 190GB of data will soon be priced at Rs. 1,199. Both these plans offer Xstream Premium, Disney+ Hotstar, Airtel Wynk, and Amazon Prime subscriptions.

New Airtel tariffs to be effective in July

Airtel says that the new tariffs for prepaid recharge plans and postpaid plans will be effective from July 3. As of next week, the telecom operator will display the revised pricing for prepaid recharge plans on its website. Similarly, postpaid customers will see the cost of their monthly bill increase as per the new plans, according to the company.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Galaxy A55 | A35 5G With Samsung Wallet – Payments, Documents and Tickets Are Just a Tap Away!

In today's fast-paced world, where convenience is key, making payments must be quick and secure. The Samsung Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G, with Samsung Wallet, make this a breeze, ensuring you can make your transactions with ease and peace of mind.

The new video shows how easy it is to use Samsung Wallet. We see Rohan Gurbaxani, Shanaya Kapoor and her family having lunch. After eating, the waiter brings the bill. Shanaya's father starts counting cash, but his brother-in-law stops him and looks at his cards. Rohan, smart as always, immediately picks up his Galaxy A55 5G and pays using Samsung Wallet. The waiter confirms the payment, and Shanaya's grandmother, impressed, approves of Rohan, saying, "He is awesome."

Samsung Wallet on the Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G changes the way we pay. With Samsung Wallet, you can safely store and use your debit and credit cards, making payments easy. However, Samsung Wallet does more than just make payments. It also lets you store your digital IDs, boarding passes, tickets, and even your PAN card & Driving License in one secure place. Whether you're at a restaurant, shop, airport, or anywhere else, Samsung Wallet makes your life easier by keeping the essentials you need in one app.

Now, let's take a look at the cutting-edge features. Both, Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G boast of brilliant 6.6-inch Super AMOLED displays. The 120Hz refresh rate ensures every swipe and scroll feels smooth and fluid, providing an immersive viewing experience. The Corning® Gorilla® Glass Victus®+ and IP67 rating for water and dust resistance make these phones tough and durable, ready to handle the challenges of daily life.

Photography is another area where these phones shine. The triple-camera system on both models includes optical image stabilization, ensuring that your photos and videos are always crisp and clear. AI enhancements make sure every shot is perfect, so you get professional-quality images without any effort.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G, offer more than advanced technology. They simplify your life and make you look great while doing it. With Samsung Wallet, paying is a simple process, and with their stunning displays and powerful cameras, these phones deliver on every front.

Get your Galaxy A55 5G and Galaxy A35 5G today, starting at just ₹ 1,723/month, and enjoy the effortless future of payments. Because with Samsung Wallet- Payments, Documents and Tickets are just a tap away!
 

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CMF Phone 1 Confirmed to Get Super AMOLED Display With 120Hz Refresh Rate and HDR Support

CMF Phone 1 will feature a Super AMOLED display with support for HDR and a high refresh rate, the company confirmed via a social media post on Wednesday. The handset is scheduled to launch during Nothing's next Community Update on July 8 and will be the first-ever mobile device from CMF – the company's sub-brand. Ahead of its launch, CMF said that it will reveal one component of the smartphone every day leading up to the launch day, starting with the display specifications.

CMF Phone 1 display

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the official CMF account posted that the CMF Phone 1 will feature a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display. The screen will have a refresh rate of 120Hz and come with HDR support for “vibrant and lifelike colours”.

Day 1 of revealing CMF Phone 1.

Over the next 9 days we will reveal one component at a time, starting with our impressive 6.67" Super AMOLED display: enjoy smoother scrolling with a 120Hz refresh rate, vibrant and lifelike colours with HDR10+ support, and clear visibility in any… pic.twitter.com/7EXffVEQn9

— CMF by Nothing (@cmfbynothing) June 26, 2024

A short video clip posted on CMF's Instagram page showed a comparison of the Phone 1's display with a traditional LCD panel. The smartphone's screen appears to have deeper blacks without any light bleeding, courtesy of the ability of AMOLED displays to turn off pixels individually. As per the company, it will be equipped with up to 2,000 nits of peak brightness for outdoor visibility.

This announcement is part of the nine-day reveal of each component of the CMF Phone 1. Leading up to the launch, CMF will share details about one component of the handset every day. However, not all of them are expected to have a separate reveal considering that the CMF Phone 1 has over 3,000 components.

In addition to this, the Carl Pei-led startup also announced a giveaway of one handset every day leading up to the launch day.

CMF Phone specifications (expected)

CMF Phone 1 is now confirmed to sport a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, corroborating previous leaks. It is tipped be equipped with a 50-megapixel dual camera system at the back and a 50-megapixel selfie shooter on the front, in terms of optics. The handset is said to be powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC.

CMF Phone 1 may be backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging (wired).

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Infinix GT Book Review: Gaming Laptop on a Budget

Infinix makes several affordable products, from smartphones to laptops to televisions. Naturally, when the company reached out to us to review their affordable gaming laptop, I was very interested. The Infinix GT Book is the first gaming laptop from the company, and it offers a lot for the price. The base model comes with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU, which isn't common in this price range. The laptop also has a large 16-inch display, some RGB lighting, and a unique design.

Does the Infinix GT Book make for a good starter gaming laptop? Is it worth the money, and can it play some serious games? These are some of the questions I'll be answering in my review. Read on to find out.

Infinix GT Book price in India

The Infinix GT Book is available in three CPU+GPU options in India. The base model, which Infinix sent us for review, is priced at Rs. 59,990 and is equipped with a 12th Gen Intel Core i5 12450H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU.

The laptop uses aluminium for the top and base plate

 

There's also a variant with a 13th Gen Intel Core i5 13420H and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 GPU, which is priced at Rs. 79,990. Finally, you can have the 13th Gen Intel Core i9 13900H CPU and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 combo for Rs. 99,990.

Infinix is selling the laptop in two colour options: Mecha Gray and Mecha Silver. You'll get just the laptop, some paperwork, and a massive 210W charging brick in the box. The company is also bundling a free accessory set for a limited time. The kit includes an RGB gaming mouse, RGB headphones, and an RGB mouse pad.

The GT Gaming accessories bundle is said to be worth Rs. 8,999, but it didn't feel that way

 

If you don't receive this, don't be sad, as the headphones and mouse pad quality isn't that good. The mouse, however, is not too bad and works well.

Infinix GT Book Review: Design and display

Infinix's new gaming laptop feels solid in hand. It features an aluminium top and base plates, while the centre frame uses plastic. There is absolutely no flex in the lid or the bottom of the laptop. The area around the keyboard also did not show any flex. You'll find some graphics on the lid, which Infinix calls the Cyber Mecha design, and the Infinix GT branding.

The bottom panel houses an orange-coloured grille for the intake vents and speakers. It also features angled edges. There's also an RGB strip at the back of the laptop, where the exhaust vents are. I liked the design of the back panel. The front has a single LED to indicate sleep/wake states. The hinges on the laptop seem sturdy, and you can easily open the lid with one hand. The laptop weighs 1.99 kg and is 19.9mm at its thickest point.

The laptop features a coloured grille at the bottom, which looks quite nice

 

Infinix has provided a plethora of ports on the GT Book. The left side houses HDMI 2.0, a USB Type-A, and a USB Type-C port. The charging connector is also on the left edge. Moving over to the right, you'll find a USB Type-C, USB Type-A, a 3.5mm headphone port, and an SD card reader.

Overall, the laptop has a nice aesthetic that doesn't yell ‘gamer'. Even if you're not a gamer, chances are you'd still like the design.

The 16-inch panel on the laptop has an anti-glare coating

 

Opening the lid reveals the large 16-inch anti-glare display with slim bezels. The panel offers full HD resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It is claimed to deliver 300 nits of brightness and cover 100 percent of the sRGB colour gamut. The laptop has a nice display, and I love its anti-glare coating. It is plenty bright indoors and I've enjoyed watching content on the screen. However, the display doesn't offer fast response times, and this is quite evident when gaming. If you're someone who will notice the motion blur, then you'll probably not enjoy gaming on the Infinix GT Book.

Infinix GT Book Review: Keyboard, touchpad, speakers, and web camera

The Infinix GT Book comes with a full-sized chiclet-style keyboard with 4-zone RGB. The keys take some getting used to but offer decent travel and feedback. The RGB backlight isn't very bright but does the job at night. You get 4-zone customisation, which can be controlled using the Control Center app. The WASD keys are accented, and you get three dedicated keys for the three available performance modes placed on the top right.

The keyboard offers 4-zone RGB customisation, but the lighting isn't very bright

 

Next up is the touchpad. You get a decent-sized touchpad with a smooth surface and decent click feedback. It supports multi-touch gestures as well, and they do work well. I have no complaints here. The Infinix GT Book comes with dual bottom-firing speakers that are placed on either side. The speakers are loud and offer some bass, but they can start tearing at full volume when listening to music. The sound quality is good when watching movies and playing games with nice stereo separation. It also helps that the DTS app is enabled by default.

You get a full-HD webcam on the laptop that performs well when there's plenty of light. The camera also offers good image quality at night as long as there's plenty of lighting. In low light conditions, there's a lot of noise, and the image isn't very clear. Audio from the dual microphones is crisp and clear.

Infinix GT Book Review: Specifications and software

The laptop is available in three different configurations, as mentioned in the beginning. You can equip the Infinix GT Book with up to 32GB LPDDR5X RAM at 6400MHz on the flagship model, whereas the base and mid-variants get 16GB LPDDR5X RAM at 5200MHz. The top-end variant also gets 1TB of PCIE 4.0 storage, whereas the other two get a maximum of 512GB. The RAM isn't upgradeable, but you can swap out the SSD for a larger one. Infinix has also offered up to Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 on the GT Book gaming laptop.

The Control Center lets you choose between three preset performance modes

 

Coming to the software, the laptop runs Windows 11 Home out of the box, and there are hardly any additional pre-installed apps. You get a Mouse driver app that lets you configure the included mouse if you're lucky to get the free bundle on purchase. The laptop has the Infinix Control Center that lets you choose between the three performance modes, customise the RGB lighting on the keyboard and the back strip, and offers a MUX switch.

Infinix GT Book Review: Performance and gaming

Alright, now let's talk about performance. Infinix sent us the base variant for review, which gets the 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12450H CPU and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 GPU with 6GB VRAM. The GPU can offer up to 80W TGP when the laptop is plugged in and set to the Gaming profile in the Control Center app. In the Performance mode, the GPU offers 65W TGP and 30W TGP in Office mode. I ran some benchmarks and played a couple of games on the laptop to see how it performed.

I'll list down some synthetic benchmark results first. On Geekbench, in Gaming mode, the laptop scored 2095 in single-core tests and 8874 in multi-core. Running PCMark 10 benchmark on the laptop resulted in an overall score of 5817 points. I also ran the Steel Nomad 3DMark benchmark; the laptop scored 1086 points. The included 512GB SSD delivered good numbers on the CrystalDiskMark storage benchmark.

Hogwarts Legacy worked quite well in full settings

 

When it comes to gaming, the laptop offers very good performance at a low price. I played Far Cry 6 and Hogwarts Legacy on the Infinix GT Book and got pretty good frame rates. In Far Cry 6, with resolution set to full-HD and 120Hz refresh rate, graphics at Ultra quality, and V-sync on, the laptop delivered an average of 54 fps. When playing Hogwarts Legacy, the laptop was able to offer an average frame rate of about 70 at full-HD resolution and graphics set to Ultra.

In regular usage, for productivity and some photo editing, I didn't notice any lag or stutter. The 120Hz display also offers a smooth experience when scrolling through web pages.

The laptop features a dual-fan, dual-heatpipe cooling setup that works quite well. In the Gaming mode, the fan does get quite loud though. I also noticed that a half-hour-long gaming session would cause the top left area near the touchpad to get quite warm. This was somewhat uncomfortable, especially since your palm sits exactly at that spot. In normal usage, I didn't notice any excessive heating.

Infinix GT Book Review: Battery life

The battery life on the Infinix GT Book is what you'd typically expect from a gaming laptop. Infinix has packed a 70 Whr battery in the laptop. In Office mode, the laptop lasted for about 4 to 5 hours of web browsing, YouTube, and some streaming. If you want to game on battery, then you can expect about 1 to 2 hours of usage based on the title. I got about 1 hour of Far Cry 6 in Ultra settings, which is in the Gaming mode. However, on battery, the GPU power draw is capped at 30W, which doesn't matter what mode you use.

The GT Book comes with a 70 Whr battery

 

Charging the laptop is also nothing impressive. It took more than 2 hours to get from about 9 percent to 100 using the provided 210W charger.

Infinix GT Book Review: Verdict

With a starting price of Rs. 59,990, and despite the ageing hardware, the Infinix GT Book is an excellent option for those on a tight budget. Even the base model offers good performance in most situations, including gaming. The display is good despite a high response time, the build quality is very good, you get a decent keyboard and touchpad, and there's no bloatware. It's a great first gaming laptop from Infinix.

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