Technology

Honor 200 5G series will be launched in India in the coming days. Confirming the upcoming debut of the handsets, Honor has detailed some specifications of the phones via a press invite on Friday. They will run on Honor’s MagicOS 8.0 skin, which is based on Android 14. It will be offered in two colour options in the country. The Honor 200 series was previously launched in China and Europe. The global variant of Honor 200 and Honor 200 Pro are equipped with a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 and Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipsets, respectively.

Honor 200 5G series India launch date

Honor 200 5G and Honor 200 Pro 5G India launch date has been set for July 18, and the launch event will kick off at 12:30pm IST. The Pro model is confirmed to be offered in Black and Ocean Cyan shades, while the vanilla Honor 200 will be released in Black and Moonlight White colours. The handsets will be available for purchase on Amazon, Honor India website and leading mainline stores.

Both models will run on MagicOS 8.0 based on Android 14 in India. The Honor Pro 5G is confirmed to boast a 6.78-inch quad-curved screen.

While Honor hasn’t detailed specification sheets for the Indian versions of Honor 200 5G series, we can expect them to offer similar features to their European counterparts.

Honor 200 series specifications, price (Expected)

The European variants of Honor 200 family feature full-HD+ (1,224 x2,700 pixels) screens. The Pro model has a 6.78-inch display and runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chipset. The vanilla model boasts a 6.7-inch display and is powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip. They flaunt triple rear camera units comprising a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle macro camera. On the font, they feature 50-megapixel selfie cameras. They carry 5,200mAh battery units with 100W wired fast charging support. The Pro model supports 66W wireless fast charging.

The Honor 200 is priced at GBP 499.99 (roughly Rs. 53,500) in the UK, while the Honor 200 Pro is priced at GBP 699.99 (roughly Rs. 74,800). Price in India is expected to be similar to that of the European pricing.

The stock has slipped nearly 32 percent this year alone as SanDisk reported a string of issues, including unplanned maintenance at its chip foundry, weak sales of enterprise products and lean inventory levels of NAND memory chips.

The stock’s sell off has left SanDisk with a market value of about $13 billion (roughly Rs. 80,995 crores) as of Thursday’s close, making the company “an excellent takeover target” and attractive to memory chipmakers including Micron Technology Inc and SK Hynix Inc, Bernstein analysts said in a research note.

These analysts say SanDisk is best positioned in the “enterprise NAND” market for applications such as cloud computing, datacentres and networking systems.

Shares of SanDisk, whose flash memory storage chips are also used in smartphones and other mobile devices, rose as much as 5 percent to $67.78 on Monday.

SanDisk was not immediately available for comment.

Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Mehdi Hosseini said Western Digital Corp could be a buyer, adding that if the maker of solid-state drives were to pay about $86 per share, or about $19 billion (roughly Rs. 1,18,377 crores), for SanDisk, the deal would add to its profit by the second year.

However, Needham & Co’s Richard Kugele said Western Digital would find it “extremely expensive” to buy SanDisk, which would appeal more to NAND producers looking to consolidate market share.

That could bring Samsung Electronics Co Ltd or Toshiba Corp, with whom SanDisk has a joint venture to make NAND products, into the picture, RBC Capital Markets analyst Douglas Freedman said.

Samsung, which has been boosting its chipmaking business to help offset declining sales of smartphones, had made an unsuccessful hostile bid, worth $5.85 billion, for SanDisk in 2008.

The joint venture with Toshiba could make it difficult for SanDisk to sell itself to a competitor of the Japanese conglomerate, Wedbush Securities analyst Betsy Van Hees said.

© Thomson Reuters 2015

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Twitter India Said to Be Granted Time Till July 4 to Comply With All Past Blocking Orders

Apple introduced the Emergency SOS via satellite for all iPhone 14 users in November 2022. When there are no other options for contacting emergency services, emergency SOS via satellite feature can help users get in touch with them. Compatible iPhone models make an effort to link customers to necessary assistance via satellite-based communication in the event they are unable to reach emergency services because they are outside the coverage area of cellular and Wi-Fi networks. The feature has been reported to be life-saving in several situations so far. Initially provided for free for two years, the emergency SOS feature will now be available for longer for iPhone 14 users at no additional cost.

The iPhone maker confirmed in a press release that it is extending the two-year free trial of the Emergency SOS via satellite feature for iPhone 14 users by another year. “We are so happy iPhone 14 and iPhone 15 users can take advantage of this groundbreaking service for two more years for free,” Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product Marketing, said in the release.

According to Apple, the free trial will be extended for iPhone 14 users who have activated their device in a country that supports Emergency SOS via satellite prior to 12am PT (1:30am IST) on November 15, 2023. Currently, Emergency SOS via satellite is available in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. There’s no word on when the feature would make its way to India.

Apple launched the iPhone 14 lineup with four models – iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max, in September 2022. It was followed by the release of the Emergency SOS via satellite feature in November of that year, initially only in the US and Canada, and later extended to more countries.

Buidling upon the satellite connectivity capability, eligible iPhone 14 users travelling off the grid, that is a location without cellular or wireless connectivity, can also use the Find My app and communicate their location with friends and family via satellite.

Apple also introduced the Roadside Assistance via satellite feature in the US, which connects car-owners to AAA roadside assistance in case of car trouble in a region with no cellular and Wi-Fi coverage. According to Apple, the feature is included for free for two years, starting at the time of activation of a new iPhone 15 or 14 series model, and would require iOS 17 on the device to work.

The Emergency SOS via satellite service has also been extended to iPhone 15 users in 16 countries and regions, according to Apple. The company recently expanded the feature to Spain and Switzerland. Apple launched its latest iPhones at its ‘Wonderlust’ event in September.

Update 10/3/24: Prime Big Deal Days is fast approaching, and we’ve been seeing even more early offers for Dell devices. We’ve been monitoring the prices closely, and we can say that we’ve been loving what we’re seeing so far. Keep checking this page as we add even more bargains whenever we find some!

Gearing up for the upcoming Prime Day on October 8 and 9, there are a lot of excellent Dell deals that are worth grabbing already. In fact, we’re seeing some pretty solid discounts on a wide selection of laptops and workstations from Dell, including some great budget-friendly gaming laptops that you could potentially pick up. With so many options and configurations out there, it can be hard to find something worth picking up, which is why we’ve gone out and looked through Dell’s offerings to find you the best Prime Big Deal Days deals on Dell products.

That said, if you haven’t quite found what you’re looking for below, be sure to check out there Prime Day laptop deals or Prime Day gaming laptop deals, and if you want something that’s closer to a more handheld experience, then maybe these Prime Day tablet deals might be worth checking out.

S24245H monitor — $100 $120 17% off

For a budget-friendly monitor, you can’t go wrong with the S2425H monitor, which is even cheaper right now as it’s sale with a 17% discount for $20 in savings. The 24-inch screen offers Full HD resolution, and it comes with a pair of integrated speakers. It comes with two HDMI ports so you can have two sources connected at the same time, and you can easily switch between them.

Inspiron 15 — $500 $700 29% off

The Inspiron lineup from Dell is its budget-oriented lineup, but that certainly doesn’t mean that they are bad laptops. They are actually great for those who don’t really need anything fancy. Its 15.6-inch FHD screen is great for watching content online, and the 120Hz refresh rate will make you feel as if the whole laptop is a lot smoother. The 12th-generation Intel Core i7 is a mid-range processor that’s more than powerful enough to handle most productivity tasks without an issue, supported by 16GB of RAM. You also get a pretty sizeable 1TB to work with, so as long as you’re not pushing the Inspiron too hard, it will be an overall excellent experience. The Dell Inspiron 15 is 29% off, for savings of $200.

G3223Q 4K gaming monitor — $550 $630 13% off

For a premium PC or console gaming experience, check out the G3223Q 4K gaming monitor, which offers 4K Ultra HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate for sharp details and smooth animations — all at 13% off, for savings of $80. The monitor supports AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro so you won’t suffer through stuttering and screen tearing, and the 32-inch display is just the right size for gaming.

G15 Gaming Laptop — $960 $1,260 24% off

Much like the Inspiron, the Dell G15 is a standard laptop when it comes to budget-friendly gaming laptops. While it does suffer a little bit from middling battery life, that’s really the case with most gaming laptops, and for less than $1,000, this configuration of the G15 comes with an RTX 4060. That’s an entry-to-mid-range GPU that should have you playing most modern games with a few graphical compromises, and luckily, the 15.6-inch screen that runs an FHD resolution won’t push the RTX 4060 too far. That said, it can hit a 360Hz refresh rate, so if you want to prioritize that, you certainly have the option. You also get a very solid Intel Core i7-13650HX, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, all of which are excellent with this 24% discount that translates to $300 in savings.

XPS 15 — $1,199 $1,499 20% off

If you’re looking for a thin and light laptop that’s affordable and still packs a punch, this configuration of the Dell XPS 15 might be right up your alley. Under the hood, you’ll find an Intel Core i7-13620H CPU, which is a higher-end processor with quite a bit of power behind it, so it’s perfect for work and day-to-day tasks. The 15.6-inch FHD+ screen is also pretty great, and the 500 nits of peak brightness mean you can use it pretty much anywhere, even with indirect sunlight, although sadly it only runs at 60Hz. Still, the 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage are both respectable for what you’re getting, so it’s worth the compromise. At 20% off, you’ll pocket savings of $300.

Latitude 7440 — $1,200 $1,701 29% off

If you’re looking for a laptop that’s targeted towards business use, then this Latitude 7440 is a good option as the 29% discount will let you save $501. While the Intel Core i7-1365U vPro is a great CPU, where the Latitude 7440 shines is in the additional features, such as the inclusion of a fingerprint reader for added security and authentication. The 14.0-inch Quad HD+ display has an IPS panel for wider viewing angles, and it’s also touch-enabled, which is another nice feature that some folks might find handy in a work environment. It also comes with a substantial 57W battery that will last quite a long time, and the FHD camera is great if you need to have regular meetings. All that said, it does only come with 256GB of storage, which isn’t a ton, so you’ll either have to upgrade the internals down the line, or grab one of these external hard drive deals.

G16 Gaming Laptop — $1,300 $1,950 33% off

Of course, if you’re looking for a bit more gaming power under the hood, then maybe the Dell G16 gaming laptop is the way to go, at least with this configuration. It comes with an RTX 4070 under the hood, which is roughly equivalent to a desktop-grade RTX 4060, so it’s still relatively powerful and shouldn’t get too taxed with the 16-inch QHD+ screen. You also get a surprisingly powerful Intel Core i9-13900HX, which is one of the best CPUs on the market and is great if you want to take on more CPU-heavy tasks, such as streaming. The 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage are substantial, making the 33% discount for savings of $650 look like an excellent deal.

XPS 13 — $1,359 $1,759 23% off

While the MacBook Air is great, if you’re not in the Apple ecosystem and don’t want to be, then one of the best alternatives is the Dell XPS 13, which is 23% off for savings of $400. At just 0.60 inches thick, it’s pretty much the same size as the MacBook Air, and not only that, but this configuration comes packed with great features, such as the powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor. Besides that, the screen is probably one of the best you’ll find on a laptop, sitting at 13.4 inches in size with a whopping 3.2K resolution, not to mention that it’s OLED to boot, so you’re really getting the best of all worlds here. You’ll also very much appreciate the massive 32GB of RAM you’ll find, which is often much lower on MacBooks in general, and any upgrades in RAM tend to come with a steep premium.

XPS 14 — $1,450 $2,000 28% off

For those who like the XPS 13 but still want something a little bit bigger, then the XPS 14 is the best middle ground. While there are a lot of configurations you can go for, this deal gives you a little bit of everything and makes it a very versatile laptop. For example, you not only get a great Intel Core Ultra 7 155H processor, but also the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card. Besides that, the 14.5-inch screen runs on Full HD+ resolution, so anything you watch will look crisp and excellent. The 16GB of RAM is also very much appreciated, as is the 1TB of storage, so you get a little bit of everything. At 28% off, you’ll enjoy savings of $550.

XPS 16 — $2,560 $3,260 21% off

The newest entry into the XPS lineup is the XPS 16, and it replaces the XPS 17, which sadly isn’t being made anymore. Even so, the 16.3-inch monitor is still pretty big, and it even comes with OLED and a UHD+ resolution, much like the other configurations on the list. Even better, you get a powerful RTX 4070 GPU, which will handle quite a lot of modern games, although the resolution might mean that you’ll have to make some graphical compromises. As for the CPU, the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is more than powerful enough for most needs, and the same applies to the 32GB of RAM and 1TB storage, so if you’re willing to pay the price, this configuration of the XPS 16 is one of the most versatile on the list. With a 21% discount, you’ll get savings of $700.

Precision 5860 Tower Workstation — $2,949 $3,489 15% off

While all the options so far have been for laptops, if you’re the sort of person who really needs a productivity powerhouse in the form of a workstation, then this Precision tower is the way to go. The Intel Xeon W3-2435 is an enterprise-grade processor and can easily handle the much more complex calculations a normal commercial CPU can’t handle. The same goes for the NVIDIA T1000 GPU, which is made to handle things like transcoding, video editing, and really any sort of 3D pipeline that you might deal with. That’s also helped by the 32GB of RAM, and is a great option for those who do a lot of CAD or programming work. The only big downside is the 512GB storage, which isn’t a lot given the purpose the Precision is meant to fill, although you can always upgrade that down the line at some point with one of these SSD deals, so it’s not a dealbreaker. Hurry if you want the 15% discount, which is equivalent to savings of $540.

How to choose a Dell deal on Prime Day

While there is a lot that goes into any decision to buy a computer, there are certain baselines that we have come to expect and that we wouldn’t really recommend going under. For example, when it comes to RAM, anything below 8GB for a Windows laptop these days is really not worth it, mostly because Windows itself likes to take a substantial chunk of that, leaving you with not much else. Also, when it comes to gaming, 16GB is generally the minimum amount of RAM we want to see for similar reasons. In truth, if you can snag 16GBs, it’s always best to go that route, even if it costs a little bit extra, which is why most if not all, the deals here are at 16GB. Also, while 32GB is great, it’s not worth it unless you program a lot or do a lot of CAD work.

Another example is the CPU. While you can certainly find laptops with something like an Intel i3 or Ryzen R3, those really are too entry-level at this point to give you a good experience unless you’re going for something really bare-bones. In fact, even Dell doesn’t offer many laptop configurations with i3s or R3s, so that’s not something you’ll necessarily have to worry about, but it’s still something you should be aware of. Similarly, it’s worth keeping in mind that AMD CPU configurations tend to be cheaper than Intel configurations, and if you’re going for gaming, the latest 13th and 14th generation of Intel CPUs have been having issues, so it’s probably better to go with an AMD configuration if you’re gaming. That said, AMD is not as common, so that can be a bit harder to find, if at all.

Finally, one thing that’s worth noting is storage, and while it shouldn’t be a big issue for most folks, if you’re planning to buy a gaming laptop then you really want to have as much storage as possible. The unfortunate reality is that a lot of modern games have quite large storage, so if you download a few AAA games, you’re already going to eat up a lot of a 512GB storage SSD. As such, you’ll want to aim for a gaming laptop that has at least a 1TB SSD or more if you can find it, although larger sizes tend to be much more expensive. Luckily, a lot of laptops these days can have their internals upgraded, so it’s not necessarily a dealbreaker if you want to find something with a smaller storage.

How we chose these Dell Prime Day deals

Whenever a deal goes on one of these pages, a lot of decision-making process goes on behind the scenes, and it doesn’t only come down to something that has a good deal on it, but whether the item itself is worth grabbing. For example, Dell has dozens and dozens of various configurations for each lineup, some with deals, some without, and often, we have to go through everything that’s on offer to make sure that anything we recommend does a good job of balancing cost vs. performance. After all, you could, in theory, buy a laptop with something like an RTX 4090, but that’s incredibly overkill and will cost you a ton of money, and really, laptops don’t have the sort of thermal dissipation that can handle a card that powerful, which means they are often performance throttled, in which case, you might as well spend less money on a laptop with an RTX 4080 Super or even an RTX 4070.

Beyond that, we also look at historical prices and our reviews and compare them to the configurations that may add or subtract from any single deal before posting it on this page. We also have decades of combined experience in tech and commerce, so we have a good knowledge base to rely on whenever we recommend a deal.

Lunar, a 2-in-1 foldable mini keyboard that squeezes in a full computer inside its tiny package, is now available to support on Kickstarter. This tiny PC launched earlier this year, in July, and the Kickstarter version is virtually unchanged from what was shown at that time.

The machine has an AMD Ryzen 8840U processor paired to either a 16GB RAM/512GB SSD or 32GB/1TB SSD combination. Aside from that, it features Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, plus a single USB Type-A (USB 3.0) and two USB Type-C (USB 3.2 and USB4) ports. For a portability boost, the mini keyboard PC has a built-in 59.2Wh (16,000mAh) battery, allowing you to use it for up to 8 to 10 hours for light office work away from an outlet.

This is an interesting form factor as this device provides you with the full Windows experience practically anywhere. And since we’re surrounded by displays and screens, Lunar decided to forego a built-in display that will consume a lot of power and make the device unnecessarily large. Instead, you can connect an external monitor with its own power, thus allowing you to extend the battery life of the mini keyboard PC. It also offers wireless display streaming to various devices, like iPhones, iPads, or even Apple computers, so you don’t need to bring a different screen just to use it.

Alternatively, you can pair the Lunar with AR glasses, like the XReal Air 2, if you want to do some computing in a discreet, low-profile manner. But if you like to get the most immersion even if you’re in a coffee shop, it will also work with VR headsets, like the Apple Vision Pro.

Aside from its Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2 wireless connectivity options, you can also turn the Lunar mini keyboard PC into an offline hotspot for better device connectivity. This will make it easier to share content and, more importantly, setup multi-display solutions even if you’re away from a formal desk.

The only major surprise we have had since July is the device’s price increase. This foldable mini keyboard initially launched at $412 for the 16G/512G version, and $495 for the 32G/1TB. However, the early bird crowdfunding price is now at $600 — a 45% increase — while the top-spec option is $770 for early bird customers, meaning you have to pay 55% premium over the original announcement. 

Nevertheless, this is an interesting form factor that has potential in some niche applications. We hope that this becomes a successful product and that we get future iterations that are powered by AMD Ryzen AI, Intel Core Ultra 200V, or even by the Snapdragon X chips, especially as these new processors are known for the impressive battery life they offer to users.

If you want to show your support for this project, head on to its Kickstarter page to leave your pledge. However, note that pledging your money to a crowdfunding project is not equivalent to buying it. Instead, you’re investing toward its success, and the hope that you’ll be the first to get a new product in exchange for your pledge. 

While Kickstarter will do its best to protect your interests and ensure that you get the device you want, it’s still not a guarantee that you’ll get the PC. Sometimes, it’s just wiser to buy an item after it’s been tested by your trusted reviewers. That way, you know you’re getting your money’s worth with your purchase.

Apple hosted its first product event of the year on Tuesday, where it unveiled the anticipated iPhone SE (2022) — alongside the iPad Air (2022), Mac Studio, and the Studio Display. While the Mac Studio is the showstopper here, the iPhone SE might be the most important announcement for both Apple and its audience at large. It doesn’t have any noticeable changes — however, the iPhone SE (2022) does have iPhone 13’s internals, including the A15 Bionic SoC as well as an upgraded rear camera.

Host Akhil Arora speaks with Executive Editor Jamshed Avari and Senior Reviewer Aditya Shenoy to talk about all the products Apple introduced at its Tuesday event on this week’s special episode of Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital.

For this year’s iPhone SE, Apple has retained the same design and aesthetics that it introduced on the iPhone SE (2020) a couple of years back. There are, though, few minor changes on the designing front — including the new glass protection at the front and back that is claimed to be the same panels that debuted on the back of the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 models last year.

The new iPhone SE also comes in an IP67-rated dust- and water-resistant aerospace-grade aluminium build. Further, there are slightly different colour options that Apple calls Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT) RED.

However, the iPhone SE (2022) comes with the A15 Bionic chip that is touted to deliver up to 1.8 times faster CPU performance over the iPhone 8. The new chip also enables features including Live Text in the Camera app and on-device dictation — thanks to the built-in 16-core Neural Engine.

The other major change in the iPhone SE (2022) is the presence of the new rear camera that comes with computational photography benefits that were earlier available on the iPhone 13 and previous flagship models, including Smart HDR 4, Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion, and Portrait mode.

Apple has also included 5G support on the iPhone SE (2022) to make it a viable option in markets where the next-generation cellular connectivity is already available or is about to roll out.

Put all that aside and pricing is a sticking point, at least in India. iPhone SE (2022) price in India starts at Rs. 43,900 for the base 64GB variant. It also comes in a 128GB model at Rs. 48,900 and the top-end variant with 256GB storage at Rs. 58,900.

In India, the iPhone SE (2022) isn’t an affordable option to pick. Moreover, its design is too dated up against most Android phones today.

You can also get an iPhone 12 mini at around the same pricing or even at a lower price for the base variant during festive sales.

But nonetheless, the iPhone SE (2022) comes with Apple’s top-of-the-line mobile chip and the form-factor that was available only on older models up until now. It could, therefore, be a worthy upgrade for the existing users who are on iPhone 6 or iPhone 7.

Alongside the iPhone SE (2022), Apple this time brought the iPad Air (2022) as its new regular iPad offering. The new iPad Air also comes with the A15 Bionic SoC and an upgraded front camera with support for Center Stage. It also has a 5G option for you to choose from.

With the iPad Air (2022), Apple essentially seems to be focusing on customers who want an iPad not just from a consumption perspective, but also for creating new things, including artwork. It can also be paired with Apple’s keyboards and Pencil (2nd generation) to deliver an upgraded productivity experience.

This week’s Apple event has also introduced Mac Studio and Studio Display as the two new hardware offerings specifically for pro-users. The Mac Studio is designed for people looking for a modular computer that can deliver top-notch performance in a form-factor that is smaller in size over the Mac Pro and is similar on the footprint with the Mac mini, albeit taller.

The Mac Studio is powered by Apple’s all-new M1 Ultra as the new SoC — the new chip is essentially a combination of two M1 Max chips to deliver a faster computing experience.

To make things clear, Apple confirmed that the Mac Studio will not replace the existing Mac Pro. It said that the upgrade to the Mac Pro will debut later this year.

The Studio Display, on the other hand, is designed to offer an enhanced viewing experience. It works as an external 27-inch 5K monitor, with a camera that supports Center Stage and inbuilt speakers to deliver high-fidelity audio.

We discuss more about all these new Apple products on this podcast episode that runs for over 30 minutes. So, hit the play button on the Spotify player embedded above to listen to our full conversation.

In case you’re visiting our site for the first time, you can find the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital on your favourite platform — be it Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Gaana, JioSaavn, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Don’t forget to follow the Gadgets 360 podcast wherever you’re listening. Please also rate us and leave a review.

New Orbital episodes release every Friday — this week is an exception due to the Apple event. So, make sure to tune in each week.

Apple has taken the wraps off its latest-generation 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops as well as the Mac mini desktop computer, now powered by M2-series processors. The long-rumoured 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro (2023) models will be available with the newly unveiled M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, while the new Mac mini features the M2 CPU with an option to step up to the M2 Pro. All new models are already available to preorder at official Apple stores including Apple’s online store, and will go on sale from January 24 in India and 26 other countries, with other countries and regions to follow.

MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) and MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) price in India and specifications

Apple has priced the new MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023) starting at Rs. 1,99,900 in India while the MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023) will be priced starting at Rs. 2,49,900. The company promises up to 22 hours of battery life, which is the longest ever for a Mac laptop. Both models also now support Wi-Fi 6E for faster connectivity and updated HDMI ports allowing for 8K external displays for the first time. Both are still available in Silver and Space Grey.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro will cost Rs. 1,99,900 with an M2 Pro CPU with 10 CPU cores, of which six are performance cores and four are efficiency cores. This configuration has 16 active GPU cores and a 16-core Neural Engine for AI acceleration. 16GB of integrated RAM is standard, but this can be configured to 32GB. You also get a 512GB SSD, configurable to 1TB, 2TB, 4TB or 8TB. 

An option priced at Rs. 2,49,900 will get you a 12-core M2 Pro CPU with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores, plus a 19-core GPU. 16GB of RAM is still standard but you get a 1TB SSD. 

You can step up to the M2 Max CPU which features the same 12-core CPU configuration but a 32-core GPU. RAM is 32GB minimum, and memory bandwidth is doubled from 200GBps to 400GBps. This option will cost Rs. 3,09,900 in India.

As for the 16-inch model, prices start at Rs. 2,49,900 for the 12-core M2 Pro with a 19-core GPU, along with 32GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. There’s a pre-configured option with a 1TB SSD for Rs. 2,69,900. The variant with the 12-core M2 Max processor includes a 38-core GPU but the same other specifications as its smaller counterpart, and is priced at Rs. 3,49,900.

Custom configurations can be ordered with up to 96GB of RAM which will cost Rs. 80,000 more than a 32GB version. 8TB of storage will cost Rs. 2,20,000 more than a unit with 1TB by default. These components are not upgradeable post-purchase.

The 14-inch MacBook Pro models feature a 14.2-inch display with a 3024×1964 native resolution, while the 16-inch models have a 3456×2234 resolution. These are Apple’s Liquid Retina XDR LCD panels, with 120Hz ProMotion and up to 1000nits sustained brightness, plus full P3 colour gamut reproduction. Depending on which variant you choose, you’ll get either a 67W, 96W or 140W USB Type-C charger and a detachable MagSafe 3 cable.  

All new MacBook Pro variants have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI video output, an SDXC card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also a 1080p webcam, six-speaker sound system. The 14-inch models are 15.5mm thick and weigh up to 1.63kg while the 16-inch models are 16.8mm thick and weigh up to 2.16kg. 

The M2-powered Mac mini has two Thunderbolt 4 ports while the M2 Pro-powered version has four

Mac mini (2023) price in India and specifications

The new Mac mini (2023) will cost Rs. 59,900 onwards with the M2 processor and Rs. 1,29,900 onwards with the M2 Pro processor. It is available only in Silver. The base configuration priced at Rs. 59,900 features an M2 CPU with four performance cores and four efficiency cores, plus a 10-core GPU and 16-core neural engine. Memory bandwidth is 100GBps and 8GB of RAM is standard but you can choose 16GB or 24GB at the time of purchase. The 256GB SSD can also be swapped for 512GB, 1TB or 2TB. 

The M2 Pro configuration, for Rs. 1,29,900, will get you a 10-core CPU with six performance cores and four efficiency cores, plus a 16-core GPU. 16GB of RAM is standard, with the option of 32GB, and memory bandwidth is 200GBps. You also get a 512GB SSD. This variant can support up to three external displays while its lower-priced siblings can handle two. 

All Mac mini variants have a built-in speaker and integrated power supply, two or four Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI video output, a Gigabit Ethernet port, two USB Type-A (5Gbps) ports, and a 3.5mm audio jack. There’s Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. The device weighs up to 1.28kg. With this launch, Apple has officially discontinued the last Intel-powered Mac mini.

Samsung has been resting on years of delivering smaller updates for its customers in India. So, a new player (in the foldable market) like Vivo literally needs to reinvent the wheel to get a premium smartphone buyer’s attention. After using the phone for several weeks, I can conclude that Vivo has not exactly reinvented the wheel with its X Fold 3 Pro. But it does take things to the next level, offering plenty of value and features compared to the competition. As feature-packed as it may seem, it’s not perfect. Read on to find out why.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is available in just one RAM and storage option with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage that is priced at a staggering Rs. 1,59,999 in India. It may seem like a very high price to pay for an Android smartphone, let alone a foldable one. But browse around, and you will notice that Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 starts from Rs. 1,54,999 (512GB) and goes all the way up to Rs. 1,84,999 (for the 1TB variant). Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is also priced at Rs. 1,29,999, and it’s not foldable. Suddenly, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro seems like a reasonably good deal, given what it offers. And there sure is plenty!

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Review Design: Thin is in

• Dimensions – Closed – 159.96 x 72.55 x 11.2mm
• Dimensions – Open – 159.96 x 142.4 x 5.2mm
• Weight – 236 grams
• Colours – Celestial Black

As with every foldable device, design, durability, and service play a major role. While I cannot comment on the last two (unless I use it long-term), I can tell you about the slightly different approach that Vivo has taken to get to the very top of its game.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is just 5.2mm thick when open

Vivo’s claim about being the thinnest foldable on offer in India is genuine. At 11.2mm, it’s not as slim as a bar-shaped premium flagship (usually around 8.5mm), but it feels close enough when you hold it. Unfolded, it measures just 5.2mm, which is impressively thin not just for a foldable but even for a regular smartphone or tablet.

Having shown this foldable to friends and family, it was easy to wow them because many assumed it was a regular smartphone until I pried it open from the side, revealing the larger display inside.

And if that wasn’t enough, Vivo also claims that foldable is IPX8 rated (just like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5), which should give buyers peace of mind when using it in the rain. While I did bravely spray water on the foldable, I will advise against doing so as the warranty does not cover this, just like any other premium smartphone in the market.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Review Displays: Smarter by design

• Cover display – 6.53-inch, 2,748 × 1,172 pixels, full-HD+, 120Hz
• Main display – 8.03-inch, 2,480 × 2,200 pixels, 2K+, 120Hz
• Cover display type – AMOLED (LTPO), Armour Glass
• Main display type – AMOLED (LTPO), UTG

At 8.03 inches, the main folding display is the largest on a foldable to date. It’s taller and wider than any bar-shaped flagship as well, including Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra (6.8-inch) and Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max (6.7-inch). It makes for some interesting use cases for this smartphone. The foldable’s displays, despite their larger than usual size, offer good natural colours and get plenty of bright outdoors, even under direct sunlight. There’s no visible crease, even though both halves fold flat against one another.

I could comfortably consume content on the main display thanks to its slightly rectangular 4:3.55 aspect ratio, which is a lot better than the square one the OnePlus Open (1.0758:1) offers.

Even when folded in Vivo’s “flex mode”, which lays the controls (cursor, brightness, etc.) on the bottom half of the display (like a laptop), the top half of the display was as big, broad and wide as a regular premium flagship. When fully opened, it was fun to watch the video, no matter which format or aspect ratio content was shot in.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s main display at 8.03 inches is the biggest one around

And at 6.53 inches, even the cover display, with its 21.1:9 aspect ratio, is one of the biggest ones available on a foldable. It is very much possible to pair a Bluetooth keyboard with the phone and use it as a small Android tablet for light productivity. I also found the large display very useful while attending briefing calls and meetings when a computer was not available. The proprietary Armour cover glass also has a 3D curved edge on the right side, making swiping gestures very inviting and natural.

Like Google’s Pixel Fold (which never came to India), Vivo has added some nifty features that take advantage of the phone’s hinge and large displays.

When shooting photos, you can hover the camera half of the phone and use the other half as a tripod for snapping group photos from a distance or even for capturing better low-light landscapes.

A fold-to-split gesture activates when you close the fold halfway and then (quickly) open it again. This places the existing fullscreen app to the left in a dual-spit format and opens up the app drawer for you to select the second app. Quite convenient!

The Desk Calendar AOD mode has to be my favourite. Place the X Fold 3 Pro on a table in tent mode, and the cover display’s 1Hz refresh rate (LTPO) turns the large screen into a table clock. While it sure looks cool and practical, the Desk Calendar AOD automatically switches off after a maximum duration of 2 hours.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s Desk Calendar AOD feature makes excellent use of the hinge

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is also very smart. When viewing a video, the phone will detect its state and orientation depending on whether it’s in hover mode, tented mode, folded or wide open. Smartly project the video on the correct screen (or half) facing you. It’s something that just works flawlessly and feels very natural.

All of this flipping and flexing is possible because of the new hinge. Vivo claims it is much lighter than the competition and went to several lengths to get this foldable’s weight down to 236 grams. This makes it 3 grams lighter than the titanium-laden Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. And it manages to stay this light and slim despite having a big 5,700mAh battery backup, which is again the largest we have seen on a foldable to date.

Unlike most foldables, the X Fold 3 Pro has two fingerprint readers, which are embedded into their respective displays. While I found the one on the cover display to be very reliable, I struggled with the one on the main display, which needs a hard press to reliably unlock the device with the screen open.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Software: Needs a bit of polish

• Software – Funtouch OS 14
• Version – Android 14
• Latest – Security Patch: 01 June, 2024

Unlike the OnePlus Open, the brand’s first book-style foldable, Vivo surely had enough time to refine its software experience, given that this is a third-generation device.

The foldable runs Vivo’s Funtouch OS, based on Android 14. In terms of commitments, Vivo offers three years of software updates and four years of security updates for this foldable. This isn’t bad, but given how Samsung and Google have raised the bar by offering up to 7 years of software support, it does fall a bit short of expectations, especially given that Vivo is looking to woo Samsung’s long-standing customers in India.

Vivo’s software somehow seems to lack the necessary polish in some areas.

Given that the X Fold 3 Pro has a rectangular main display, it’s natural that many of us would reorient the screen from vertical (when opened) to landscape to watch movies or simply run apps in tablet mode, adding a split screen view and more for certain apps.

With four apps on display at a time, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro can easily be used as a light office productivity device

When reorienting the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro, not all apps stretch from edge to edge, leaving a black bar on the left side of the display, which is nearly a centimetre wide, running from top to bottom, which is a waste of screen space. With the apps that I used when testing this device, a few apps (WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger by Meta) stretched to fit the display, but these did not even include Google’s services like Messages (SMS), Calendar, Drive, etc. Even Netflix did not play videos in full screen unless pinched to zoom, which would end up cropping the frame.

Vivo did introduce a feature in Settings called ‘Display at the top of the screen’ in a recent bug-squishing update to handle the selfie camera’s cutout, but it does not seem to solve the problem, with problematic apps displaying a filler white bar on the left instead of the empty black void.

I have informed Vivo about the same and the brand has assured (with calls from its software team) that they will find a way to fix the above issue. But it is a bit concerning that nobody from Vivo noticed this from the get-go.

Among the numerous native Vivo apps, the V-Appstore constantly shows annoying notifications from time to time. Uninstall a third-party app from the Play Store, and the V-Appstore will seize the opportunity to push out a notification and remind you to download other related apps from its store instead. Thankfully, Android let me turn these off.

There’s an annoying black bar visible on the left that eats into the otherwise vast viewing area when using many third-party apps (shown here is Netflix)

While the phone does come with a ton of Vivo apps (most of which cannot be uninstalled), some of it is useful because it packs the much-needed AI punch that the brand’s flagships have lacked for a while. The functionality is still quite basic. The native Notes app can create summaries from pasted text, while the recorder app, apart from transcribing text from a recording, can also create a summary of the audio recording.

For those who frequently record phone calls, Vivo uses its dialer app and so can record calls in a rather stealthy manner, without a notification or even a beep before, after or even during a recording.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Performance: Keepin’ it cool

• Processor – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• RAM – LPDDR5X – 16GB
• Storage – UFS 4.0 – 512GB

With a powerful processor and a slim body, the phone does warm up when using the camera under direct sunlight, but it’s not as concerning and did not throw up any warnings even when shooting 4K video samples back to back.

The device managed impressive benchmark scores that are far higher than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and a bit higher than the OnePlus Open.

Demanding 3D games like Genshin Impact run perfectly fine without any hiccups or abnormal heating at maxed-out settings. Both displays are perfectly responsive when playing Call of Duty: Mobile at Max and Ultra frame rates. The phone can easily multi-task while you are playing a game with a YouTube video or even another game running on a split screen.

There’s a handy yet discreet alert slider on the left half of the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro for switching ringer profiles

Indeed, this is all down to the large vapour cooling system that Vivo has smartly packaged into this device despite its skinny profile. Add to this the fact that the processor resides in the top half of the phone (when held in landscape mode), keeping the warm areas away from my hands when gaming on the main display.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Cameras: Could be better

• Main camera – 50MP (OIS), f/1.68 aperture, AF
• Ultra-wide-angle camera – 50MP, f/2.0 aperture, AF
• Telephoto camera – 64MP (OIS), 3x optical zoom, f/2.57 aperture, AF
• Selfie cameras – 32MP, FF (cover display) – 32MP, FF (main display)

The primary camera handles photographs like a pro in all types of lighting conditions. Autofocus is quick to lock focus in all types of conditions, so I could click photos of my kid and pets easily in Portrait mode without worrying about blurry results. Shooting city streets in low light, the colours come out beautifully without getting saturated while details and sharpness are what one would expect from a smartphone at this price point.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro has three rear cameras

The telephoto camera also did not fail to impress with tack-sharp portraits of subjects or objects in daylight and impressive results with excellent colour reproduction in low light as well. However, unlike the primary, the telephoto did struggle a bit with moving objects, resulting in slightly soft images of subjects when captured indoors under artificial light.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Daylight Camera Samples. Top to bottom – Ultra-wide, primary, 3x telephoto (Tap images to expand)

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s telephoto camera can also be used for shooting close-ups or macro photos, and these come out really well and pack in plenty of detail thanks to the high-resolution sensor. Zoom was also quite useful despite switching to hybrid after 3X, as the photos are perfectly usable up to 10X zoom, beyond which there is a noticeable drop in detail and some purple fringing as well.

The ultra-wide camera is not as impressive as the other two, but it gets the job done in daylight. There’s noticeable barrel distortion, and the colours don’t match the results from the other two cameras. In dim street-lit settings, the image quality takes a drop, with aggressive noise removal messing up the details. Moreover, colours also appear a bit dull.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro camera samples. Top – close-up, bottom – Super macro (tap images to expand)

Both selfie cameras produce average results with textures that aren’t as detailed as most flagships at and below this price point. However, since this is foldable, it was possible to use the primary camera as a selfie camera, and the results from this camera were top-notch, with excellent detail, sharpness, and edge-detection. Low-light selfies from the primary camera also came out equally impressive.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Low light camera samples. Top to bottom – Primary camera, telephoto camera, Selfie from Primary camera (tap images to expand)

The phone captures good 4K video at 30 or 60fps with good detail and dynamic range in daylight and low light. The videos offer a steady bit rate as well and are well-stabilised. The T* coating sure helps cut down on lens flare when shooting video in low light. 8K 30fps footage turned out to be the best of the lot and even managed excellent quality in dim lighting. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too shaky, and at 200MB for 20 seconds of footage, it’s not feasible to shoot at this resolution all the time.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Battery: Bigger is better

• Battery Capacity – 5,700mAh (dual-cell)
• Wired Charging – 100W
• Wireless Charging – 50W
• Charger – 120W (in the box)

Battery life is shockingly good for a foldable and quite impressive for a regular premium phone as well. The phone easily managed more than a day with heavy usage, even with the AOD on, which included mixed use of both displays. With casual use, you can get past 1.5 days of use.

The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro’s hinge makes it slimmer and lighter than the competition

In our video loop battery test, the phone managed to run for 19 hours and 56 minutes on the cover display and an equally impressive 16 hours and 4 minutes on the main display. And even when I ran out of charge, the included charger juices up this foldable’s massive battery (from zero to fully charged) in just 43 minutes, managing an 82 percent charge in just 30 minutes.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro Verdict

Samsung has been delivering every single foldable that has been launched globally in India year after year. The brand surely has its following, so it will be really hard to convince a Samsung smartphone owner to switch to another brand, let alone a Vivo-branded device.

However, there’s enough value with bigger (high-resolution) displays, plenty of raw performance, more features (with a sprinkle of AI), and better overall camera performance available on the Vivo, making the X Fold 3 Pro stand out. Vivo seems to have done enough to get any brand-loyal smartphone buyer’s attention. Just so you know, this phone is also manufactured in India. Oddly, Vivo does not offer any paid care program to extend the warranty of the foldable, as Samsung and OnePlus do. This means you will have to really take care of the device (or pay for damages yourself in full) in case your display or hinge gets damaged beyond the warranty period, which can get expensive.

If you are very picky about the software experience, then the OnePlus Open (Review) is definitely a better choice at a lower price, but it lacks several features that the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro offers. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 (Review) will still be the go-to foldable for many buyers as it also provides S-pen stylus support, but it has now come to a point that it’s hard to ignore the massive hardware and feature upgrades that are being offered by the growing competition this year.

Drops of sweat trickle down your forehead and your heart starts beating faster as you look down at a 10,000ft freefall. “I can do this,” you mutter under your breath because a parachute is the only thing that stands between life and death at the moment. Finally, eyes closed, you take the leap.

The GoPro Hero range of action cameras has been capturing such experiences of adrenaline pumping adventure sports since 2004. The first GoPro Hero shot only still photographs on 35mm film. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that GoPro created the action camera category, spurring other manufacturers to try their own versions. The GoPro Hero has come a long way since then; the company even won an Emmy award in 2013 for Best Technology and Engineering.

After multiple iterations, today we have the GoPro Hero4 Black, which can shoot full-frame 4K footage at a decent 30fps. Even a mainstream camera manufacturer such as Nikon only started supporting 4K video capture recently with its Nikon 1 J5 mirrorless camera. Anyway, this is quite an achievement for a camera of this size.

While we couldn’t really take our review unit rafting or skydiving, we did mount it on a motorbike and take it out for a spin. Why should adventure sports junkies have all the fun?

Look and feel
For the purpose they serve, GoPro Hero cameras are meant to be tiny and inconspicuous. For that reason the company hasn’t played around with the core design and the ergonomics too much. Without the bundled housing, the Hero4 Black and Hero 3+ (the previous version), including their variants, have the same dimensions of 41x59x30mm. The only difference between the Hero4 Black and the Hero4 Silver is the inclusion of an LCD touchscreen on the rear of the latter. However,the Hero4 Black is the superior of the two in terms of video recording capabilities.

Without its waterproof case, the camera weighs exactly 88g and with it, that goes up to 152g. The housing is essential if you are going to mount the camera on different surfaces using the official accessories.

The Hero4 Black’s lens peeks out from the front of the unit and there’s a small LCD to its left. Two LED indicators are lined up next to the LCD – the one on top blinks blue to indicate the Wi-Fi status, whereas the bottom one is for camera status and doubles up as the battery indicator. Below the LCD is a button that can power up the Hero4 Black and change modes. A big shutter button lies on top of the camera along with another camera status light. The left edge has a settings button, which has replaced the Wi-Fi button which was on the Hero3+. This is great because it makes the software a bit more accessible. More on that later.

On the rear, there is yet another camera status light (which might feel like overkill but makes sense given the various ways this device can be mounted). GoPro’s proprietary “Hero port” on the rear is used by accessories such as the external LCD monitor and LCD Touch BacPac. The right edge of the Hero4 Black houses the Micro-HDMI port (cable sold separately), Micro-USB port, and microSD card slot. There is a speaker on on the right as well. At the bottom is a battery door that slides open. A small slip of paper attached to the battery can be used to pull it out.

We must mention that we haven’t seen as many official first-party accessories for any other product. For example, there are at least eight options for mounts.

Specifications and software
The GoPro Hero4 Black has a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor and an F2.8 aperture ultra-wide angle lens. This specification is unchanged from the Hero3+ Black. However, the main difference between the two variants of the GoPro Hero4 – Black and Silver – is the quality of videos each can take.

The Hero4 Black can capture 4K (3840×2160)footage at a decent 30fps whereas on the Hero4 Silver it is capped at 15fps. Similarly, the Hero4 Black can shoot 1080p video atup to 120fps and 720p footage at 240fps – which is what the iPhone 6 (Review | Pictures) and iPhone 6 Plus (Review | Pictures) can achieve. The GoPro Hero4 Black also has a new image processing engine which the company claims is twice as powerful.

The ability to record video at a rich 60mbps bitrate will be very tempting to professional videographers, because the quality of recordings is bound to be excellent, and it also allows for downsampling later in post-processing. The GoPro Hero4 Black continues to rock a mono microphone for recording audio and apparently the quality has been improveddrastically. However, there is also an optional 3.5mm input accessory which can be used to attach a better external mic. GoPro goes one step further and adds an integrated analog-to-digital converter thus enabling users to add microphones with lower sensitivity response for better recording quality.

Let’s not forget that the Hero4 Black can also capture 12-megapixel still shots and has a Time Lapse mode that allows users to capture a series of photos at intervals of 0.5 to 60 seconds. There is a similar Time Lapse mode for video (only at 4K and 2.7K). Additionally, using the Video+Photo mode a user can record video and capture Time Lapse photos at the same time. In Night Photo mode one can capture a single stills at exposure times of up to 30 seconds.

An interesting Superview video mode on the GoPro Hero4 Black (available in 4K, 1080p and 720p resolutions) can be used to capture videos with a more immersive wide-angle perspective. GoPro has enhanced the capabilities of its Protune software to now accommodate both videos and stills. Protune opens up a bunch of options for more control over the capture quality. For example, a user can choose a flat colour profile for better accuracy so that it can be manipulated later at the editing desk. Similarly, Protune allows users to change the ISO settings, white balance, sharpness and exposure.

The GoPro Hero Black incorporates Bluetooth in addition to the already existing Wi-Fi for connectivity. The Hero4 Black accepts microSD cards of up to 64GB in capacity, but you will need a card with fast writing speeds – GoPro suggests at least Class 10. For some reason, the device has a slightly smaller 1160mAh battery than its predecessors did.

Thanks the the new Settings button, navigating through the software of the GoPro Hero4 Black is much easier. Hitting the Mode button switches through all the available modes. On the other hand, the Settings button can be pressed to access the settings available for the specific mode that the camera is currently in. One can also access a separate settings menu, with all the options consolidated together, by switching through the modes.

Apps for Android and iOS let you connect your smartphone to the camera and use it as a viewfinder or review captured files. Similarly, there is a free GoPro Studio program for Windows and OS X, which we found to be user friendly. It is great formaking basic edits.

Performance
For testing, we first attached the camera to a selfie stick without its housing. The selfie stick was then mounted on a motorbike. We chose this method so that we could test the full range of the mono microphone. Our experiment, and the corresponding experience is proof enough that if you are even slightly enterprising then the GoPro Hero4 Black could be used to capture great action footage with DIY hacks. That said, one can use the official helmet mount or handlebar mount as well.

We captured a lot of 4K footage at 25fps. The first thing we noticed was that the camera gets hot – not to the extent that it feels uncomfortable, but perceptibly hot nonetheless. Moreover, if you are going to use a phone as a viewfinder, rest assured that the battery life will drain faster than Usain Bolt on steroids. Our battery lost all its juice in just a little over 45 minutes of continuous 4K video recording when connected to a phone. The situation does get better with Wi-Fi turned off, but even otherwise we strongly suggest that users who want to shoot long action sequences buy an extra battery.

Without a doubt, the quality of captured video was really good and the camera managed to capture a lot of detail. The colours captured using the default colour profile were adequately saturated. Having said that, we’d suggest using Protune and shooting with a flat colour profile, which might look lifeless at first, but will allow for more control over the final image. We played around with GoPro Studio and edited some footage to make it look like a neo-noir film. The mono microphone can capture crisp audio but we noticed that going above 50kmph introduces a lot of environmental noise. Using a higher quality external microphone can alleviate this problem.

One thing we did notice after shooting multiple test videos are that god rays are unavoidable in bright sunlight; in fact, it would even make J.J. Abrams proud. There is no HDR mode for better dynamic range, which would have been great since we noticed a lot of areas which were over-exposed in the background. However, this can be fixed during editing.

Objects that got close to the lens during capture would often go out of focus. Moreover, there is evident barrel distortion especially if shot with a wide field of view, which is what most users will want. This might be slightly off-putting for a few people but the resulting style has become one of the USPs of the GoPro range.

We captured 1080p at 120fps and 720p at 240fps to test the slow motion features and found that the captured video was really smooth, and the camera didn’t lose any fidelity either. The sample videos embedded here have lost some fidelity due to compression while uploading, but are still fairly indicative of the results one can achieve.

(Click for full size)

Low-light videos were significantly better than previous models have been able to achieve thanks to the bumped up resolution, but it could have been even better. We noticed a lot of noise, and bloom is significantly more annoying here. The GoPro Hero4 Black may be a whiz at video capture but its still photo capabilities are decent at best. Apart from close-to-accurate colours, the details were lacking.

Verdict
There is no doubt that the GoPro Hero4 Black is the best action camera money can buy right now, thanks to its superior 4K 30fps video recording capabilities, great performance, and compact yet sturdy body. That said, the battery life is a big letdown, and combined with the heating issues, this essentially means that the GoPro Hero4 Black is more suited for 1080p video capture.

Stereovision, the official distributer for all variants of the GoPro Hero range of cameras in India, sells the Hero4 Black for Rs. 43,900 which is pretty steep compared to the price of the Hero4 Silver, which is a more affordable Rs. 34,900. If you don’t absolutely need a future-proof device and can survive with 1080p or 2.7K resolution video, we’d suggest picking up the Hero4 Silver instead. The savings can be used to buy accessories of your choice.

Sony’s recently launched Action Cam FDR-X1000V is probably the only other mainstream action camera with the ability to shoot 4K video, but it isn’t available in India yet. That makes the GoPro series your best bet at the moment.

Pros

• Compact size
• Great build quality
• Superior 4K video quality
• Strong accessories ecosystem

Cons

• Heats up during 4K video recording
• Battery life is disappointing
• Expensive

Ratings (Out of 5)

• Build/Design: 4
• Image Quality: 3
• Video: 4.5
• Battery Life: 2
• Value For money: 3
• Overall: 3.5