GoPro Hero5 Session review: A good action camera for the price but needs improvement

GoPro Hero5 Session is the latest ‘action’ camera launched by GoPro in the Indian market earlier this year. Session 5 is the mid-tier action camera with the premium GoPro Hero5 Black on the top as the premium offering by the company. The GoPro Hero5 Session is priced at Rs 29,500.

Action cameras are used to shoot sports, bike journeys, among other things that are dangerous for devices like DSLRs or smartphone cameras to shoot. The danger here refers to the equipment getting damaged while biking, swimming or engaging in other types of adventurous sports. This is the first time I have extensively used an action camera as my early encounters were limited to shooting with DSLRs and smartphone cameras.

GoPro Hero5 Session is supposed to be aimed at consumers who want the performance and feature set of GoPro action cameras, but at an affordable price point. So let’s jump in to see how Hero5 Session fares in the review.

Build and Design: 7.5/10

The build quality of Hero5 Session is sturdy and top notch for an action cam. The rubberised top along with solid plastic exterior on the sides works perfectly in securing the internals of the camera.

One thing to note is that you don’t get anything remarkable in terms of design except the form factor. Hero5 Session is shaped like a small cube along with a microSD card slot and USB Type-C slot to charge in through a push door on the left side from the back.

The GoPro Hero5 Session does not come with a microSD card out of the box and you need to use a high-speed card, Class 10 or more for smooth 4K recording.

The action camera is waterproof, up to 10 meters in water, without any need for a special case which is impressive in itself. However, it does not come with any accessories out of the box except for a case and two adhesive mounts. I was expecting more in terms of mounts out of the box.

Features: 7.5/10

The main highlight of the GoPro Hero5 Session is its 4K recording capabilities in such a compact form factor. The 4K recording is at a standard 30 frames per second. The camera comes with an extremely wide angle lens with 10 MP image resolution for photos with effective dimensions of 3648 x 2736 pixels. The shutter button is located on the top along with the menu switching mode at the back of the camera.

You need to use both the buttons to change the modes and cycle through the options given which becomes easier to operate after initial confusion. The camera gives you the option to shoot 4K at frame rates of 30 and 25 frames per second in Wide; 2.7K at frame rates 48, 30, 25, and 24 in SuperView, Wide, Medium and Linear along with the option to shoot 2.7K in 4:3 aspect ratio from the default 16:9.

Other modes include: 2K at 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, and 24 frames per second in Wide mode; 1080p in 90, 60, 50, 48, 30, 25, and 24 frames per second and 960p in 100, 60, 50, 30, and 25 frames per second in Wide mode.

The Camera gives up options to choose modes from Wide, Medium and SuperView while shooting 720p video at 100, 60, 50, 30, and 25 frames per second. You can not go below 720p while shooting with the camera which is weird at best because going down would have given us the option to shoot at higher frame rates for potential use in slow motion videos.

The camera comes with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for you to connect it to the GoPro ‘Capture’ app for Android as well as an iOS device. You can use the app to record, review or transfer the images and videos that you shot using the camera from the Wi-Fi connection. You can also control all the settings of the action cam and get a live video of what the GoPro can see at any given point.

The camera does support video stabilisation, but that is only limited if you shoot videos up to 2.7K and it is not available if you are shooting 4K. You can use the voice control to tell GoPro to shoot or start recording by saying “GoPro start recording”.

Publish date: April 12, 2017 10:05 am| Modified date: April 12, 2017 10:10 am

Single Page

Pages: 1 2 3

Xiaomi Mi 6 rumours: GFXBench leak gives details on two variants of the Mi 6

Xiaomi Mi 6 render. Image: Android Headlines

As rumours keep coming in, we are getting excited for Xiaomi’s new flagship smartphone. The Mi 6 has leaked on numerous occasions and now we have an alleged specifications sheet of the upcoming device, courtesy GFXBench.

The device name says Xiaomi Sagit, which could be the codename for the Mi 6. The handset is running on Android 7.1.1 which is nice to see. We can also see the display section pointing to a 5.1-inch dimension with Full-HD resolution. Some of the other specifications have pairs which probably means that two variants of the Mi 6 were benchmarked.

The SoC is an octa-core Qualcomm chip with an Adreno 540 GPU. Clearly it is the Snapdragon 835. However, there are two clock speeds. Which means one of the variants will be clocked at 2.2 GHz while the second one at 2.4 GHz. Xiaomi is known to underclock SoC for its devices and the Mi 6 will get the same treatment. Rest of the specifications point to 4 GB of RAM as well as 6 GB of RAM and for storage we have 64 GB and 128 GB.

As for the camera, there is a 12 MP sensor on the back with 4K video support. On the front there is an 8MP that can also shoot 4K videos.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 is expected to launch this month in China as said by CEO Lei Jun.

Publish date: April 10, 2017 12:50 pm| Modified date: April 10, 2017 12:50 pm

Xiaomi Mi Max 2 specifications leak via GFXBench, could feature Snapdragon 660 SoC

Xiaomi will be announcing its new flagship smartphone, the Mi 6, this month and we have seen multiple rumours and speculations. However, there is another Xiaomi device that is set to launch soon. The successor to the Mi Max phablet, conveniently called Mi Max 2, was spotted once again. This time the source is a bit more believable.

According to a leaked GFXBench score sheet, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 will feature similar dimensions as its predecessor including a 6.4-inch Full-HD (1920×1080) display. There is also the mention of an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor clocked at 2.2GHz.

Now the exact model number of the SoC is not confirmed, it does match the specifications of the upcoming Snapdragon 660 which were leaked earlier. The rumoured chip could feature four Cortex A73 CPUs clocked at 2.2 GHz and four Cortex A53 CPUs clocked at 1.9 GHz. It will also be made on a similar 14 nm process along with an Adreno 512 GPU, X10 baseband, two channel LPDDR4X-1866 memory and UFS 2.1 flash memory.

Rest of the specifications include 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB storage. As for the camera, expect a 12 MP sensor that can record 4K videos and a 5 MP camera on the front.

Previous rumours suggested that the Mi Max 2 would come with up to 6 GB of RAM and even carry a large 5,000 mAh battery. Now that would really make it a ‘Max’ phone.

Publish date: April 10, 2017 10:40 am| Modified date: April 10, 2017 10:40 am

Xiaomi Mi 6: New leaks reveal box, front panel and hands-on images

Xiaomi Mi 6 render. Image: Android Headlines

As the launch for Xiaomi’s next flagship draws closer, we are seeing more leaks emerging. In the past we had heard that it will feature the new Snapdragon 835 chipset, a dual camera setup and more. Today we have a more scoop around the device including some alleged hands-on pictures. Let’s go through them one by one.

Firstly there is the official box for the handset. Two different Weibo accounts have leaked two different coloured boxes of the handset. Both the boxes also have different specifications.

The specifications include a 5.15-inch display, Snapdragon 835 processor clocked at 2.45GHz, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. For the cameras there is a 30MP sensor with optical image stabilisation at the back and an 8MP camera on the front. The box also mentions a 4,000mAh battery, dual SIM slots, and a USB Type-C port.

The second box which is the white one, mentions a 5.15-inch display with a 2.5D glass, a Snapdragon 835 processor with no mention of the clock speed. RAM on this version is 3GB while storage is 64GB. Even the camera is different, as the box mentions a 12MP rear shooter and a 4MP ultra pixel sensor on the front just like the Mi 5. Even the battery is smaller rating at 3,200mAh.

Rumours suggest the white box is probably the base variant while the black box is the higher ‘Pro’ variant.

Then we have an image of white and black front glass panels of the device. We can see that handset will have narrow bezels although the area on top and bottom are going to be fairly large. There are a bunch of openings above the display which are of course for the camera, earpiece and light sensors. It is being speculated that there is a third hole which could be for an iris scanner, but we have our doubts about that. Below the display is the opening for the front home button which has an oval shape. It is quite large and rumours suggest that the Mi 6 will feature an underglass ultrasonic fingerprint scanner used on the Mi 5S but with a fast sensor.

Finally there are a couple of leaked images of the handset itself, but this one is apparently the Mi 6 Plus. The leaked highly-glossy black coloured variant shows the front panel of Mi 6 Plus with narrow bezels. The physical home button placed below the display will also house the fingerprint scanner. At the back we can see a dual-camera setup with dual a LED flash arrangement. These to cameras are said to be a pair of 12 MP Sony IMX362 sensors.

Rumoured specifications of the Mi 6 Plus include a 5.7-inch full HD display, a Snapdragon 835 SoC with 4 GB of RAM while some also suggest 6 GB and 8 GB RAM variants. Other rumoured features include 64GB and 128GB storage options, going all the way up to 256 GB, and 8MP front camera, Android 7.0 Nougat with the latest edition of MIUI and a 4,500 mAh capacity battery. Pricing is said to start at 2,599 Yuan (Rs 26,000 approx) going all the way up to 3,499 Yuan (Rs 35,000 approx).

Publish date: April 3, 2017 11:57 am| Modified date: April 3, 2017 12:07 pm

Huawei runs past Oppo and Vivo in smartphone shipments in Q4 of 2016 in China

  19 Feb 2017 , 11:54

China shipped 131.6 million smartphones in in the fourth quarter of 2016 with Huawei topping the list, followed by Oppo and Vivo, a new report said on Saturday. According to a report by Singapore-based market research firm Canalys, the smartphone shipments in China accounted for nearly a third of worldwide shipments.

“Smartphone shipments in China for the fourth quarter of 2016 were also the quarterly highest in the history. Shipments for all of the year came to 476.5 million units, rising 11.4 percent from 2015 levels,” Digitimes reported, quoting Canalys report. Huawei shipped 76.2 million units in China’s smartphone market in 2016, followed by Oppo with 73.2 million units and Vivo with 63.2 million.

“In 2016, the top three brands were competing with new product launches, go-to-market strategies and brand building,” Canalys research analyst Jessie Ding was quoted as saying. Xiaomi took the fourth spot while Apple fell to fifth place.

“In 2017, competition between Huawei, Oppo and Vivo will become much more intense, while their increasing scale and bargaining power within the industry will have a larger impact on device strategies of operators and open channel partners,” Ding predicted. This comes right after the reports that Xiaomi is facing some problems in the Chinese market and Oppo, Vivo and Huawei are pushing up with innovation.

With inputs from IANS

Xiaomi launches Redmi Note 4X in China with Snapdragon 653 and special Miku edition

Image Credit: Xiaomi

By tech2 News Staff /  09 Feb 2017 , 12:56

Xiaomi officially launched the updated version of Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, the Redmi Note 4X in China. As all the product launches, officially, this will be limited to China in terms of availability. One important thing to note is that design-wise the Redmi Note 4X is same as the Redmi Note 4. The only difference is the availability in Teal Green which is being termed as the limited edition Hatsune Miku edition, on the occasion of Valentine’s Day.

Image Credit: Xiaomi

For the uninitiated, Hatsune Miku is an extremely popular singing synthesiser app primarily popular in Japan. The popularity is such that people attend concerts where the holographic avatar of Miku is performing on stage. In addition to the ‘Hatsune Gree’, the company has also launched a variant in ‘Cherry Pink’ colour as reported by GSMArena. The entire package comes along with a stylised package, protective case and limited edition Mi Power bank.

Image Credit: Xiaomi

The company has not published detailed specs of the smartphone along or the pricing but the company is expected to release these details prior to the sales day. However, as reported by GSMArena, the internals of the Redmi Note 4X are exactly the same as the internals of Redmi Note 4. In terms of hardware, the phone will be powered by a Snapdragon 653 chipset internationally and a MediaTek Helio X20 in China (the same as on the Chinese Note 4). The current international edition of the Note 4 uses the Snapdragon 625 chip, which is slightly less powerful than the 653, but more power efficient.

Storage options will now include variants with 3GB RAM / 32GB storage, 4GB RAM / 32GB storage and 4GB RAM / 64GB storage. Unlike the Note 4, there will be no 2GB RAM variant.

Xiaomi Redmi Note Pro 2 leaks, could get improved dual-pixel AF camera and battery

By tech2 News Staff /  31 Jan 2017 , 18:30

Xiaomi announced the Redmi Pro in China last year with a dual-camera setup and an OLED display. The company restricted the handset to its hometown and now it seems that a successor is on its way.

Thanks to a leaked slide, we now have info on what could be the Redmi Pro 2. The smartphone will come with a brushed metal finish at the back and skip the dual-camera for a single lens with improved specs. It will feature a new sensor, the 12MP Sony IMX 362. This is a 1/2.55” sensor with large 1.4µm pixels and Dual Pixel autofocus. On paper it should be better than the 1µm pixels that are on the Mi Note and Mi Mix.

Other features include a larger 4,500mAh battery which is an up from 4,050mAh unit. Expect two storage and RAM variants including one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage which could cost CNY 1,800 (Rs 18,000 approx). The other one would be a 4GB RAM and 64GB storage which would be the base version priced at CNY 1,600 (Rs 16,000 approx). The pricing sounds better than what it was on the original Redmi Pro which retailed at CNY 2,000 (Rs 20,000 approx) for the 128GB variant. There is no info on the chipset but we are assuming a MediaTek chipset, possibly a new Helio SoC.

Expect more leaks and rumours in the near future, so stay tuned.

This is Xiang Wang, the man who will replace Hugo Barra as CEO of Xiaomi

Image: Mi

By tech2 News Staff /  24 Jan 2017 , 18:37

Xiaomi CEO Hugo Barra quit the company citing health reasons, and has plans to go back to Silicon Valley. Barra was one of the founders of Xiaomi. Barra’s exit comes at a time Xiaomi is trying to adjust its strategy. The company has pulled back from several overseas markets, including Singapore and Brazil, in 2016. It is increasing its offline retail presence and aims to develop artificial intelligence and internet finance as growth areas.

India was the one of the few bright spots on the company’s international growth map last year, and is also where Barra opted to make his final public appearance for the company during a launch event in New Delhi last Thursday. In a letter released to employees earlier this month, Xiaomi Chief Executive Officer Lei Jun said “the worst is over”, referring to the company’s recent struggles to keep up with an ever increasing number of local competitors.

“For Xiaomi to return strongly in 2017 the biggest priority is the China market,” says Nicole Peng, senior analyst at Canalys. Barra’s replacement, senior vice president Xiang Wang, will oversee the company’s global efforts going forward, a spokeswoman confirmed. Formerly the President of Qualcomm’s greater China operation, Xiang joined Xiaomi in 2015 to oversee strategic partnerships. “Given his international experience he’s a very safe pair of hands,” said Peng. “However they are very different types of persons and have a different type of leadership style.”

Xiang is has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Beijing Polytechnic University, and the Senior Vice President at Xiaomi. Xiang currently leads the Supply Chain and Intellectual Property divisions at Xiaomi. Before joining Xiaomi, Xiang worked for Qualcomm for 13 years from 2002 to 2015. At Qualcomm, Xiang served as VP of Qualcomm CDMA technologies, President of Qualcomm greater China and Senior VP of Qualcomm Incorporated. Prior to working for Qualcomm, Xiang was in key positions at Lucent/Agere and Motorola. He has more than twenty years experience in the semiconductor and communications industries.

With inputs from Reuters

Xiaomi Founder Lei Jun targets $14.5 billion in revenue for 2017, to strengthen offline presence

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun (Image: Reuters)

By tech2 News Staff /  12 Jan 2017 , 12:16

Xiaomi, a company that’s already valued at over $45 billion, is now targeting $14.5 billion in revenue in 2017.

While this figure does seem quite small in comparison to companies like Apple (which made around $45 billion per quarter last year), it’s an ambitious figure for a startup like Xiaomi. In fact, Xiaomi is already considered to be one of the world’s most valuable startups. It was also rated as the third-largest smartphone maker in the world, after Samsung and Apple.

Bloomberg reports that Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun laid out his goals for 2017, where he spoke of plans for increasing its offline network, expanding globally and focusing more on artificial intelligence and online finance.

The report also points out that Xiaomi’s initial success came from its online-only model, but that rivals soon caught on. Xiaomi is now looking to establish a better retail presence and plans to open more outlets.

Xiaomi is a startup that launched in April 2010. While the company is primarily known for its smartphones, it has a presence in the consumer electronics in general and sells everything from drones to smart rice cookers and electric bicycles.

Apple team to meet government panel on 25 January to discuss its plans for manufacturing in India

  08 Jan 2017 , 12:18

A team of the US-based iPhone maker Apple will meet a group of senior officials from ministries, including IT and finance, on 25 January to discuss its demands for setting up a manufacturing unit in the country.

Officials from departments of commerce, industrial policy and promotion (DIPP), revenue, environment and forest, electronics and information technology (DeITY) will take part in the deliberations.

In a communication to the government, the Cupertino-based technology major has asked for several tax and other incentives, including long-term duty exemptions, to enter the manufacturing sector in India.

(Also Read: Apple demands for tax concessions and sops could adversely affect Make In India campaign)

However, the sources said the technology major should set up the manufacturing unit in India without seeking additional support.

As many as 42 companies are making mobile phones in India, including Chinese firm Huawei and Xiaomi, and no firm has approached the government for any additional incentives.

Currently, the government provides support by way of benefits under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (MSIPS) to boost electronic manufacturing.

The scheme offers financial incentives to offset disability and attract investments in the electronics hardware segment. It also gives subsidy for investments in special economic zones, among other benefits.

Apple’s products are manufactured in six countries, including Korea, Japan and the US.

Earlier, the finance ministry in May had rejected relaxing the 30 per cent domestic sourcing norms as sought by the iPhone and iPad maker as a pre-condition of bringing in FDI to set up single-brand retail stores in the country.

The company had sought exemption on the ground that it makes state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology products for which local sourcing is not possible.

The government had also turned down the firm’s proposal to import refurbished phones and sell them in India.

The company sells its products through Apple-owned retail stores in countries like China, Germany, the US, the UK and France, among others. It has no wholly-owned store in India and sells its products through distributors such as Redington and Ingram Micro.

The government has announced incentives to promote electronic manufacturing in India and reduce the import bill.

PTI

CES 2017: Xiaomi to showcase new Yi 4K+ action camera with 60fps support

By tech2 News Staff /  29 Dec 2016 , 12:36

If you remember Xiaomi, along with partner company Yi, launched Go-Pro like action cameras in the past. Yi Technology has confirmed that will be making an appearance at the upcoming CES where it will showcase its new action camera called the Yi 4K+. The company has also said that the new camera will have the capability shoot 4K videod at 60 frames per second.

Successor to the Yi 4K, the new camera is expected to be almost similar in terms of hardware. The Yi 4K came with a 2.19-inch 640×360 resolution LCD touchscreen with Gorilla Glass Retina. It came with a 12MP Sony sensor, a wide angle lens, f/2.8 aperture for photos, two hours of battery life, Wi-Fi stream support, dual microphones, 5GHz Wi-Fi support and EIS. Priced at $250 (Rs 17,00 approx) it had the capability to record 4K videos at 30 frames per second.

There aren’t a lot of cameras in the market today that can shoot 4K at 60 fps, so the Yi 4K+ is something to lookout for.

The company is also planning to launch a drone as it shared some information around the upcoming product. Called the Erida drone, the company says that it will be the fastest three-rotor drone on the market with speeds of up to 75 mph. The company also mentioned that initial tests allowed the drone to fly for up to 40 minutes. The Erida drone will be showcased along with the new action camera at CES 2017 in January.