Best Unlocked Phones On Amazon For Every Budget

• Best at any price
• Under $600
• Under $400
• Under $250
• Under $150

Best at any price

Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9+

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The Galaxy S9 and S9+ aren’t much different from their predecessors, but seeing as those were Samsung’s best-ever-selling phones that’s not a bad thing. These phones are all about giving you the most features in the most beautiful package. You get top-end specs across the board, plus all of the hardware features you expect: waterproofing, wireless charging, an SD card slot, a headphone jack and more.

The camera is all-new this year, with a sensor that does fantastic processing to remove noise and sharpen fine detail. It’s aided by a dual-aperture lens to get the best combination of light and detail in different shots, and in the case of the Galaxy S9+, is paired with a secondary telephoto lens for zoom and portrait mode shooting.

You don’t get the clean and simple software experience of the Pixel 2, which may take some extra customization and tweaking on your part, but the Galaxy S9 is far less polarizing overall — just about anyone looking for a high-end phone will love using the Galaxy S9 or S9+.

Bottom line: The Galaxy S9 and S9+ don’t require much thought — they can do everything and look great doing it, with few real downsides.

One more thing: Consider paying the extra $120 for the Galaxy S9+, where you get more RAM, a bigger screen, and longer battery life. It’s worth it for most people.

Best under $600

Samsung Galaxy S8

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Samsung’s last-gen flagship is still plenty capable, and now that it’s been updated to Oreo it feels extremely similar to the new Galaxy S9. It doesn’t have the absolute latest specs or the new camera found in the GS9, but it’s also a notable step down in terms of price — you can get a brand new, warrantied Galaxy S8 for under $600 (and often even less).

You’ll have to put up with the slightly awkward fingerprint sensor placement, and will have a shorter runway for future software updates, but if the difference in price is top of mind and you want a “flagship” phone, you should check out the Galaxy S8.

Bottom line: The Galaxy S8 is a year old, but it still feels modern with great design, capable specs, a good camera and the latest Oreo software.

One more thing: Be on the lookout for further price drops as the phone gets beyond a year old and Amazon looks to move old stock.

Best under $400

Moto X4

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The Moto X4 is all about providing a high-end feel without the coinciding price. It originally retailed at $399, but now sits around $350 on Amazon. At that price, it’s a fantastic phone — it has a beautiful metal-and-glass build, dual rear cameras, solid battery life and really good specs for the money.

The software experience is typical clean Motorola, and runs buttery smooth thanks to some wonderful optimizations. It doesn’t offer flagship-like experience in every respect, but it’s also less than half the price of those phones — in all, it’s an inexpensive phone that doesn’t at all feel cheap.

Bottom line: The Moto X4 is a fantastic deal at under $400, providing a flagship-like experience in many respects for far less than half the price.

One more thing: There are regular sales on this phone that put it under the $300 mark, at which point it’s a better buy than the Moto G5 Plus at its usual retail price.

Best under $250

Moto G5 Plus

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Motorola performed yet another pricing miracle with the Moto G5 Plus, the successor to the excellent Moto G4 series and a contender for the best affordable smartphone today.

It starts with the excellent 5.2-inch Full HD display, but the real benefit to the G5 Plus this year is the excellent performance and battery life from the combination of a Snapdragon 625 platform and a 3000mAh battery.

Also of note is the improved low-light performance from the 12MP camera, which boasts the same hardware as (and similar results to) the Galaxy S7.

Bottom line: This is the best sub-$250 phone you can buy today, and it’s still a great device even if price isn’t a factor.

One more thing: Motorola.com is offering the Moto G5 Plus with inexpensive financing if you don’t want to pay up front.

Best under $150

Moto E4

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The Moto E line has always been about getting a barebones smartphone experience in order to get a super low price, and that’s where the Moto E4 still lands. The specs aren’t amazing, nor is the physical design, but you get that core Moto DNA that means this is a slick little phone for a great price.

You get a 5-inch HD display, a Snapdragon 425 processor, and 2800mAh battery. But you also get nice-to-haves at this price, like an 8MP auto focus camera and a fingerprint sensor. That’s more than you expect for an MSRP of $119.

Bottom-line: For a bargain basement price, it’s tough to get a phone that performs better or has the features of the Moto E4.

One more thing: The Moto E4 Plus is also available on Amazon for about the same price, with a larger display and much larger battery — but stock and pricing can be sporadic at times.

A new startup wants to launch a luxury space hotel into orbit

Companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are aiming to carry tourists into space within the next few years. But, if these tourists want more than just a flight (and they are able to pay the hefty fees that are sure to go along with such a request), where can they go? That’s what Orion Span plans to tackle. This week, the company announced that it wants to put its luxury space hotel Aurora Station into orbit in 2021, to begin receiving guests in 2022.

If you want to pay for the privilege of staying at Aurora Station, it will cost you $9.5 million per person for 12 days. That price is all-inclusive, and includes a three-month training program and transportation to and from the space station in low Earth orbit. The hotel will only have four guests at a time, along with two crew members. To reserve your place aboard Aurora Station, you can pay a (fully refundable) $80,000 deposit now.

This is certainly a cool idea, but it’s just that — an idea. There’s a lot that’s up in the air (quite literally, apparently) here. The price may seem steep, but considering the United States is currently paying Russia about $75 million per seat to transport American astronauts to the International Space Station, that’s a steal. Of course, Orion Span plans on partnering with private companies for transportation — Virgin Galactic is charging about $250,000 a ticket for a tourist seat. However, no such partnerships have been announced as of yet, and these companies aren’t close to being ready for operational flights. Also, this isn’t the only orbital space hotel that is currently in development.

While Orion Span certainly has lofty ambitions and plans, it seems the company doesn’t quite have the “hows” of it all figured out. For example, according to SpaceNews, Orion Span will build the Aurora Station at a facility in Houston. However, that facility has yet to be built. “We’ll probably be getting that in the next six to nine months,” Orion Span’s CEO Frank Bunger said to SpaceNews.

It’s not that the space station itself will be complicated in and of itself — according to Bunger, it’s a single module, so once it’s in orbit, no additional assembly will be necessary. It’s that everything about space travel is complicated, and there doesn’t seem to be much of a plan here (at least, from what the company has disclosed publicly). While it would be very cool to have a space hotel in orbit, it’s unclear at this time whether Orion Span will be able to meet the ambitious goals it has set for itself.

Via: Sky News

Source: PR Newswire

The C64 Mini review: Nostalgia’s not enough

Memory’s a weird thing, isn’t it? Your brain records every moment in your life, and locks it away forever. And then, suddenly, a sound, a smell, a piece of beige plastic can just send you tumbling back in time to a different time. Sat on the floor of my office, unboxing the C64 Mini, I wasn’t 33 any more, but eight, and sat at the blue formica table in the corner of my bedroom. In front of me, a hand-me-down Commodore from my neighbor, an engineer who taught himself BASIC in his semi-retirement. He chain-smoked cigars and was never without a tin of stout in his hand, smells that permeated the skin of this computer, never to be washed away.

It’s these pangs of nostalgia that British company Retro Games Ltd. is looking to take advantage of to sell a “mini” version of the Commodore 64. For the uninitiated, the microcomputer was the computer of the ’80s, and the first machine that many folks ever got their hands on. Even in Britain, which had been the crucible of the Sinclair vs. Acorn battle, Commodore holds a special place in millions of hearts.

My own Commodore 64 was hooked up to a 10-inch, black-and-white portable TV with a bent aerial. White-out was painted on to mark the tuning locations for BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV, and I vividly remember playing (Pac-Man knockoff) Radar Ratrace, purely because I had the cartridge, which loaded faster than games on cassette. I used that battered, beige machine for so long on that TV that, when I finished unboxing and turned the C64 Mini on, I was actually surprised to see it output video in color.

Hardware

The C64 Mini is a shrunken-down version of the original, although its keyboard and casing is just for show. Basically, it’s a hunk of plastic that’s been cut and painted to look like the real deal, even if the icons on the underside of the keys are missing. If you aren’t planning on using it as a working machine, it could easily pull double duty as a paperweight.

Beneath that exterior, I suspect, is a dinky miniboard, like a Raspberry Pi, that’s running an emulator. It would explain the closeness of the two USB ports that run where the C64’s serial ports originally sat and the micro-USB (power) and HDMI-out ports. The original model had the power and video-out connectors far further away, so clearly there’s a reason for the change.

Also inside the box is a micro-USB to USB cable and a HDMI lead, and I’m sure some will be upset that there’s no power adapter. That said, most HDTVs have a powered USB port and you’ve probably got an old smartphone adapter laying around somewhere. A nice touch is that the manual’s cover is styled to mirror that of the original CPC64 documentation.

Rounding out the bundle is a remake of the Commodore 64 joystick, with extra buttons and a USB connection. It is, unfortunately, very stiff and often unreliable, with gameplay suffering because of it. I needed to ram the palm of my hand into the stick, hard, if I wanted even a hope of my character is going in the right direction. I won’t share my notes here, but there were more than a few expletives included. It may loosen over time, for sure, but I doubt the accuracy will improve much.

Games

The C64 Mini’s OS is designed like a carousel and it takes less than a second to boot up from cold. Essentially, the lower half of the screen is the box art for each game that you can move left and right between. Above it, the left side holds a still and / or footage from the game, while the right offers a brief synopsis of the game.

There are 64 titles on the system, although you may be surprised and disappointed to learn that plenty of notable games are absent. I suspect licensing issues precluded the inclusion of titles from major publishers like the (then) Lucasfilm Games, Origin and EA. If you were hoping to play Zak McKracken, Maniac Mansion, Pirates!, Ultima, Wasteland, Skate or Die or Elite, you’re out of luck.

I want to be honest, and say that your mileage may vary, and the titles pre-loaded onto the C64 Mini could be cornerstones of your childhood. In the days before the internet, and monolithic games publishers, it was much easier to miss titles that didn’t pop up in your local store. But even so, it feels like the game selection here is the leftovers from a dumpster dive rather than a curated experience of the “best” titles the platform had to offer.

The biggest names in the roster include Impossible Mission and its sequel, Speedball and, uh, its sequel, and Paradroid. Sports fans may also get a tickle out of Summer Games II, Winter Games and World Games, which I dimly recall being forced to sit through as a kid. Memory plays tricks on us all, however: I thought I had fond memories for Who Dares Wins II, another included title here. After playing it, and some research, it turns out that I’d actually played Commando, of which Who Dares Wins was a fairly shameless copy.

Retro Games clearly knows that this is an issue, and makes a big deal about the fact that you can sideload other titles onto the system. The usual copyright caveats apply, but the only thing between downloading a bunch of .D64 ROMs onto a flash drive is your conscience. Although it’s worth noting that you can only load one title at a time, and you have to do it in BASIC.

Actually, it’s harder than that, because my generic Windows USB keyboard wouldn’t navigate the C64 Mini’s carousel menu. You need to use the joystick to activate BASIC, and then switch to the keyboard to type the commands necessary to load the game. Except the C64 Mini only has two USB ports… So, you pull out the joystick to make room for the flash drive, right?

Wrong.

As soon as I pulled out the joystick, the console reset itself back to the carousel, so the only way to do it was to type with the virtual keyboard. The solution to this is to use a keyboard with integral USB ports or a standalone USB hub, but at this point I wondered if it was worth the effort. Retro Games has promised that an update will make this process easier in the future, but when that will happen is anyone’s guess.

The games don’t ship with documentation, and the short blurb explaining the game’s basic premise is all the information you get. As a consequence, the learning curve for most games is steep, and not one that you’re likely to want to persist with. Re-learning the gameplay and controls for Impossible Mission is made all the harder because most games just aren’t built right.

There’s a video of Shigeru Miyamoto explaining the level design of the first Super Mario Bros. world floating around the internet. In it, he explains how those first few minutes are a gentle introduction into the gameplay mechanics without the need of a long, dull manual. In the pre-NES era, games shipped with very lengthy, often needlessly-complex manuals. And it’s hard to readjust to titles where you’re just dropped into the action.

Of the 64 games in the roster, there are a lot of titles that offer similar gameplay in a different package. There are side-scrolling space shooters like Uridium, Armalyte, Cybernoid, Cybernoid 2, IO, Mega Apocalypse, Netherworld and Hunter’s Moon. There are puzzle platformers, like Creatures, Cyberdine Warrior, Everyone’s a Wally, Firelord, Gribbly’s Day Out, Hawkeye, Heartland, Hysteria, Jumpman, Mission AD, Nobby The Aardvark, Nodes of Yesod, Robin of the Wood, Rubicon and… you get the idea.

The point is that you shouldn’t walk in and expect to be able to enjoy a wide variety of very different games. Retro Games’ more-is-more philosophy ensures that, rather than a curated and specific experience, you’re getting everything thrown toward you. It’s a shame, because some of the titles above are better than others and, perhaps, 30 decent games would have been preferable to 64.

I should add that in a couple of situations, the system actually managed to crash. That’s probably a result of the fact that the original code is running on an emulator, with all of the original bugs still present. Again, it’ll depend on your age and attitude if you think the company was better to fix this for easier use, or leave well alone for a more authentic experience.

One thing that the C64 does get right is save states, a feature clearly cribbed from other retro “mini” consoles. Much like its rivals, the C64 lets you save states up to four times for each title you play, and then hit the pop-up menu to reload it. And you’ll take advantage of that feature quite often, thanks to how inaccessible and difficult some of these games really are.

Wrap-up

And here’s the thing, this thing exists not because there’s a lot of demand for it, but because Nintendo started a trend.

Nostalgia is a great filter, because your brain dumps the bad stuff and leaves you with warm, fuzzy, incorrect records of what happened. Whatever really took place has been pushed through your brain’s equivalent of an Instagram filter called “Romance Pro.” Retro consoles have to be built with that in mind, and can’t simply replicate the experience of the ’70s and early ’80s. If things are as bad as they actually were, your brain clatters up against the truth, and that hurts.

Companies entering this space need to remember to smooth out some of the rougher edges. The hardware needs to look a little shinier, work a little better, feel a little nicer than it did a generation ago. This is exactly what Nintendo nailed with its NES and SNES revivals, but it hasn’t happened here, and the curation these projects need simply isn’t there. If you’re already a member of the retro gaming community, you don’t need to spend the money, or time, on this product. And if you were looking to dip a toe into this world, there are other, better ways to do it.

This wasn’t the first retro Commodore 64 console, and I doubt it will be the last, but this one was probably the best attempt we’re likely to see. And sadly, it falls just a little bit short, especially when you’re spending this amount of money on it. People often say that you could just buy a Raspberry Pi emulator box for a lot less cash, but that’s somewhat missing the point. Nintendo made an effort to build a machine that tickled our nostalgia tentacles while also being easy to use. The C64 Mini does not meet that standard, and so it’s actually probably preferable to invest in a RetroPie kit, even if it is ethically dubious. There isn’t enough here for nostalgic types, nor a decently-packaged experience sufficient for casual types who want to play something different.

Mark Zuckerberg will testify at a joint Senate hearing on April 10th

As details of the Cambridge Analytica scandal emerged, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was asked to testify before multiple Congressional committees as well as the UK Parliament. Earlier this week, the US House of Representatives confirmed that Zuckerberg had agreed to appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on April 11th and now, the Senate has announced that the CEO will also testify at a joint Senate hearing. On April 10th, Zuckerberg will appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Like the House hearing, this one is also focused on how Facebook manages its users’ data. “Social media has revolutionized the way we communicate, using data to connect people from around the world,” Senator Chuck Grassley said in a statement. “With all of the data exchanged over Facebook and other platforms, users deserve to know how their information is shared and secured. This hearing will explore approaches to privacy that satisfy consumer expectations while encouraging innovation.” The Senate Judiciary Committee had previously extended an invitation to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey as well as Zuckerberg.

“Facebook now plays a critical role in many social relationships, informing Americans about current events and pitching everything from products to political candidates,” said Senator John Thune. “Our joint hearing will be a public conversation with the CEO of this powerful and influential company about his vision for addressing problems that have generated significant concern about Facebook’s role in our democracy, bad actors using the platform and user privacy.” The hearing will begin at 2:15PM Eastern on April 10th.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Senate

Russia is getting closer to banning Telegram

Today, the Russian government filed a lawsuit to limit the messaging app Telegram domestically, the latest move in an escalating battle between the two. Roskomnadzor, the Russian media regulator, claimed in court that Telegram was not in compliance with its legal obligations and characterized the messaging service as an “organizer of information distribution,” according to Reuters. Pavel Chikov, Telegram’s lawyer, has already responded to the suit, saying that it is “groundless,” the BBC reports.

The conflict between Telegram and the Russian government goes back to last year, when the FSB (the successor to the KGB) demanded that the founder, Pavel Durov, hand over encryption keys to the service. The reasoning was that terrorists had used the apps to plan an attack, and the FSB needed access to it in the name of national security. Durov has steadfastly refused, even as the Russian government has been threatening to ban Telegram if he didn’t cooperate. Now, it seems, the government is ready to make good on that threat.

Russia has been trying to exert more control over social media and online communications over the years, and legislation passed in 2016 gave them the means to do it. This law requires any messaging service that operates within Russia to provide the government with the ability to decrypt messages, the equivalent of backdoor access. Durov, Telegram’s founder, has long claimed that this is not only unconstitutional, but it’s not feasible from a technical standpoint because of the end-to-end encryption Telegram uses.

If Russia moves ahead with the ban, then domestic ISPs will have to blacklist domains and IP addresses that Telegram uses. It will be interesting to see what happens, as Facebook recently rejected a demand that it store Russian user data domestically. Russia’s actions with Telegram could make clear how serious the government is about exerting control over social media and online messaging.

Source: Reuters

SpaceX cut its latest Falcon 9 stream because it didn’t get a license

SpaceX had to cut off the Iridium Next mission’s live feed earlier than usual, and it might be because its Tesla stunt got a bit too much attention. The private space giant raised questions and fueled conspiracy theories when it suddenly stopped Falcon 9’s live feed a few minutes into its journey. Its engineers said it was because SpaceX doesn’t have permission from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to broadcast images captured by the cameras on the rocket’s second stage.

NOAA confirmed that in a follow-up statement, citing the National and Commercial Space Program Act, which requires companies to secure a commercial remote sensing license to take images of Earth while their spacecraft is in orbit. That is, unless the mission has a government payload, like say, the supplies NASA regularly sends to astronauts aboard the ISS. The March 30th mission, however, launched 10 communication satellites for the Iridium Next constellation.

SpaceX has been getting away with broadcasting full launches, because while the law NOAA cited has been around for quite a while, it’s also vaguely enforced. The company’s Falcon Heavy launch, however, got a bit too many eyes on it, not only because it was the first time the heavy-lift rocket had left the planet, but also because it had a curious cargo: Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster. That Roadster captured and sent back numerous images of Starman, its silent passenger, with the Earth as a background. And according to Space Policy Online, that was what prompted NOAA to talk to SpaceX about the need for licenses.

In an interview with the publication, Tahara Dawkins (Director of NOAA’s Commercial Remote Sensing Regulatory Affairs) said SpaceX was completely unaware that it needed licenses for its broadcasts until NOAA got in contact with it. The company submitted an application four days before it had to launch the Iridium Next satellites, but that was only enough time to earn permission to host a live public broadcast before Falcon 9 reached orbit. To be able to award SpaceX the license to stream from orbit itself, NOAA has to check its imaging system’s implications on national security.

Dawkins said in a statement:

“With additional time to review and evaluate and, if necessary, elevate, we could have worked it out a little bit more and maybe allowed for live streaming, we’re hoping to get a better review of what that livestreaming is, and what potential risk to national security each one will have.”

The good news is that it no longer takes over 200 days to get that license, but it could still take a few months’ time. SpaceX has to submit an application for all the non-government (non-secret) launches it wants to livestream much earlier than four days before lift off.

Via: CNET

Source: SpaceNews, Space Policy Online

Hyperloop TT’s expansion continues with a Brazil tech center

From what sounded like a pretty crazy Elon Musk scheme, hyperloop transportation has been shaping up into a real system, over the last six months or so. After a slow start one of the two main players, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT), has expanding quickly, opening a new tech center in Toulouse, France. Now, it’s unveiled plans to open a global innovation center for logistics called XO Square in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

As with the center in Toulouse, a big part of the fund for the center is coming from government. The agreement came via a public-private partnership, with a $7.85 million investment for the first phase, and a donation of 5.4 acres and 43,000 feet of constructed space from the local municipality of Contagem.

While development of the technology for hyperloop will take place in Toulouse, which is the home of Airbus and other aerospace companies, researchers in the Brazil facility will focus on logistics. “The state of Minas Gerais and municipality of Contagem in particular are … the most significant logistics distribution hubs for Brazil,” said HTT chairman Bibop Gresta.

Along with the government aid, HTT is investing a lot for a company that’s a long ways from having a product. The company is essentially using crowd collaboration to develop the tech, with scientists, engineers, economists and administration staff working in exchange for stock options they hope will become valuable one day. If it succeeds, the system could revolutionize transportation by letting folks cross the country in just a couple of hours, or commute long distances to work in minutes.

Apple brings RAW video editing to the masses with new FCP X update

Apple has unveiled a new video recording codec called ProRes RAW, a move that instantly makes the high-quality format more mainstream. The feature arrived with the latest version of Final Cut Pro (10.4.1), and Apple said that creators will be able to use it right away via updates to DJI’s filmmaking drones and Atomos recorders. “With ProRes RAW, editors can import, edit and grade pristine footage with RAW data from the camera sensor, providing ultimate flexibility when adjusting highlights and shadows — ideal for HDR workflows,” said Apple.

RAW video recording has been available for years, but only on specialized, expensive cameras from RED Cinema, Blackmagic Design and others. As with photo JPEGs, regular MPEG video breaks down if you tweak it too much. RAW video, on the other hand can be pushed a lot, especially in shadows and highlights, letting filmmakers save badly exposed shots, maximize dynamic resolution and create interesting looks.

The problem with RAW video is that it requires very fast storage and takes up a lot of space. Apple said it has reduced those problems, however, at least if you have a Mac. “With performance optimized for macOS, editors can play full-quality 4K ProRes RAW files on MacBook Pro and iMac systems in real time without rendering,” it said. “ProRes RAW files are even smaller than ProRes 4444 files, allowing editors to make better use of storage while providing an excellent format for archiving.”

DJI said that owners of the cinema-oriented Zenmuse X7 (above) and DJI Inspire 2 drones can download a firmware update to get the new feature. Atomos’ Shogun Inferno and Sumo 19 recorders, meanwhile, will be the first to offer RAW recording for cameras from Panasonic, Sony, Canon and others.

Along with ProRes RAW, Apple has introduced closed captioning tools for Final Cut Pro X. That will make it easier for “professional filmmakers, YouTubers and students looking to add captions to their projects without the need for expensive third-party software or services,” it noted. Final Cut Pro 10.4.1 arrives on April 9th as a free update for existing users, $300 for new users, or in an educational bundle with Motion and Compressor for $200.

Source: Apple

Nokia 6 2018 with Snapdragon 630 is now up for sale in India for $260

The 2018 refresh of the Nokia 6 is now available for purchase direct from Nokia for ₹16,999 ($260).

HMD Global unveiled the Nokia 6 last year, and while the phone had a durable chassis crafted out of aluminum and a sleek design, its internals left a lot to be desired. The Snapdragon 430 chipset wasn’t powerful enough to drive the Full HD panel, and as a result the phone felt sluggish. Thankfully, HMD is making amends with the 2018 variant, which features a much more powerful Snapdragon 630 chipset.

The overall design is largely identical to last year, and that’s a good thing as the Nokia 6 is one of the most durable phones around (HMD even played air hockey with Nokia 6 units to demonstrate their durability).

The phone is crafted out of series 6000 aluminum, and offers a 5.5-inch Full HD panel layered with Gorilla Glass 3. HMD decided to go with an 18:9 panel on the Nokia 7 Plus, and it should have done the same for the Nokia 6 2018 — the 16:9 form factor makes the phone feel antiquated against the likes of the Redmi Note 5 Pro.

The rest of the specs include the aforementioned 2.2GHz Snapdragon 630, which is paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. There’s also a 16MP camera at the back along with an 8MP front shooter, a microSD card slot, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE Cat 4 modem, FM radio, dual SIM card slots, USB-C, and a 3000mAh battery.

The Nokia 6 2018 isn’t the fastest budget phone, but it has the best software experience.

HMD has finally ironed out the kinks from the first-gen model, but the budget segment in India is fiercely competitive. The Redmi Note 5 Pro retails at the same price point, and you get a beefier Snapdragon 636 chipset, 6GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a class-leading camera.

The Nokia 6 2018, on the other hand, is all about the durable design coupled with Android One. Ultimately, it comes down to what you’re looking for — the Nokia 6 2018 will be one of the first phones in this segment to receive updates, and while it may not have the hardware grunt of the Redmi Note 5 Pro, it offers a much better software experience.

Starting this year, HMD has started selling phones direct from its online store, dubbed Nokia Shop. You’ll be able to pick up the Nokia 6 2018 from the storefront for ₹16,999 ($260), with the device available in black and white color options. There’s a convoluted cashback scheme that will net you ₹2,000 back provided you’re an Airtel customer, and HMD has other launch offers as well.

Hit up the link below to get your hands on the Nokia 6 2018.

See at Nokia Shop

Samsung forecasts record profits of $14.6 billion in Q1 2018 as chip business takes off

Samsung has eclipsed everyone else, and is now competing with itself.

Samsung saw a huge uptick in profits and revenue last year, and it looks like the company’s momentum hasn’t slowed one bit in 2018. In its Q1 2018 earnings guidance, Samsung is forecasting that its quarterly revenue will be in the vicinity of $56.5 billion (60 trillion won), with an operating profit of $14.6 billion (15.6 trillion won) — making it Samsung’s most profitable quarter ever.

To put things into perspective, Samsung’s operating profits are set to rise 57% from the same period a year ago, during which it made $8.8 billion. The manufacturer beat its previous profit record of $14.13 billion — posted in Q4 2017 on the back of $61.5 billion in revenue.

Samsung overtook Intel at the end of last year to become the largest chipmaker in the world — a title Intel managed to hold onto for the last 25 years — and it once again looks like the chip business was the main driver for growth in Q1 2018. We’ll have to wait until the end of the month, which is when Samsung releases its earnings in full, to get an idea as to what divisions contributed to the uptick in profits.

As for the phone unit, sales from flagship devices usually reflect in the second quarter, so it’ll be interesting to see if Samsung can eclipse its profit record once again after three months.

Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

• Galaxy S9 review: A great phone for the masses
• Galaxy S9 and S9+: Everything you need to know!
• Complete Galaxy S9 and S9+ specs
• Galaxy S9 vs. Google Pixel 2: Which should you buy?
• Galaxy S9 vs. Galaxy S8: Should you upgrade?
• Join our Galaxy S9 forums

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