Why I won't be buying the new OnePlus 6T even though it's a great phone

Let me get this straight. I'm a OnePlus fan ever since the OnePlus One came to be four years ago. Note that I'm a fan of the phones, not the company as in my eyes, those are two different things. And it's not that I dislike the OnePlus 6T per se, but I believe that it provides insufficient reasons to upgrade.

TOP 10 BY DAILY INTEREST

	Device	Daily hits
1.	OnePlus 6T	55,404
2.	Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018)	45,455
3.	Huawei Mate 20 Pro	39,790
4.	Xiaomi Mi Mix 3	37,385
5.	Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro	35,551
6.	Xiaomi Pocophone F1	31,425
7.	Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018)	28,658
8.	Huawei Honor Magic 2	27,871
9.	Samsung Galaxy S8	27,207
10.	Huawei Honor 8X	26,723

And if you are here to read the usual stuff like the lack of 3.5mm audio jack, wireless charging, microSD card support and water and dust protection, move over. We've been through this too many times and I don't find any of those a deal-breaker for me. I stream my music and videos from Netflix, YouTube and Spotify even on cellular while using Bluetooth headphones. And I haven't used my phone underwater ever nor do I find wireless charging a necessity with the super fast Dash charging.

TOP 10 BY FANS

	Device	Favorites
1.	Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro	1,287
2.	OnePlus 6	1,237
3.	LG V30	1,112
4.	Xiaomi Mi A1 (Mi 5X)	1,095
5.	Apple iPhone X	1,027
6.	Huawei Mate 10 Pro	954
7.	OnePlus 5T	923
8.	Nokia 7 plus	895
9.	Samsung Galaxy S9+	887
10.	Huawei P20 Pro	790

So I am using a OnePlus 3 as my daily driver ever since it launched two and a half years ago and after being disappointed by the new OnePlus 6, I decided to reach out to the company's support and change the battery of my old phone and keep it a little longer. The process was surprisingly painless and in just three working days the phone was back with me with a new battery, free of charge. Maybe because at that point it was still covered by its warranty, but I can't be sure.

Anyway, with the new battery, I felt like I was holding a brand new phone. Not only did the battery replacement boosted the endurance but it also breathed life into my old OnePlus 3. The performance was through the roof - no more lags, no hiccups, no nothing. It's only then when I finally appreciated the clean stock-ish nature of OnePlus' OxygenOS.

I could even argue that the day to day performance on my OnePlus 3 is negligibly worse than the OnePlus 6T's. It seems like the Snapdragon 820 is still pretty snappy and handles app opening and switching perfectly. Even the frame rate of the animations is plenty fluent.

So in the end, I won't be getting major real-world performance gains by spending €550 on the 6T.

Moreover, I find my OnePlus 3 easier to use with one hand and the 5.5-inch screen is perfectly fine for watching movies and browsing. It's so much easier to handle. And there's no issues with brightness and color reproduction. In fact, as our test confirmed, the sunlight legibility of my OnePlus 3 is somewhat better than the OnePlus 6T's.

Let's talk about the camera now. OnePlus' phones have gone a long way in this department, but the 6T still comes short of most of its competitors in the high-end segment. Sure, for the asking price, the device is arguably the best camera phone, but for posting on social media, my phone does a pretty good job. I've sideloaded Google Pixel's camera app on the OnePlus 3 and the results are just mind-blowing. Just look at that portrait shot with pretty poor lighting and no second camera for depth sensing.

And I just feel compelled to repeat this: OnePlus, please add a secondary camera that makes sense on the OnePlus 7. A telephoto or ultra-wide angle would really make a difference.

What's next? Battery? Well, with my usage, I can easily go through two days on a single charge or even three if I plug in the handset for 20-30 minutes while I shower. Once again, the Dash charge is a game-changer for anyone coming from the Quick Charge standard. The OnePlus 6T will surely last longer, but the fast charging means that I stand to gain little from it.

And I really don't like the fragile glass sandwiches these days. My OnePlus 3 has taken some beating over the years, but a few scuffs on the bottom is all it has to show for it and I don't really mind those. Whereas a cracked back would be such an eye-sore that a replacement would be necessary. If you are doing a glass phone, then at least include the wireless charging.

At first, I didn't think that OnePlus would do so such a ballsy move with the in-display fingerprint reader. Even the Mate 20 Pro feels a bit sluggish when unlocking and any other optic sensor currently on the market can't match the speed of a conventional one. The OnePlus 6T does get pretty close to that and it's not only usable, it's actually a lot faster than the one on my OnePlus 3.

I think the main reason is the much-optimized software and the fact that OnePlus uses Goodix's optic sensor instead of the sluggish one found on the vivo NEX S for example. Still, while it's great on its own it's not I can't shake off the feeling that the tech just isn't there yet. Maybe next year with the OnePlus 7?

However, I still struggle to find a good enough reason to make the jump. It just feels like €550 is just too much to spend just to have a cool in-display fingerprint reader and a slightly better camera. Hell, I don't even use my camera all that often. Or maybe I'm getting too old, my OnePlus 3 just molded in my hand and I lost flexibility. Besides, with the Android 9.0 Pie coming to the 3/3T, it almost feels like I have unfinished business with that phone.

I am pretty sure there are plenty of other Android fans out there who are in the same boat me. For good or bad, the smartphone market has matured to a point where buying a flagship is a long-term investment, especially if your OEM provides software support for longer than two years. Wasn't that the whole point of buying a flagship phone? I guess I finally settled.

First 5G iPhone to hit the stores in 2020: Report

Intel to provide iPhone 5G modem, while Qualcomm-powered Android smartphones with 5G capability will start rolling out next year.

The first 5G iPhone is likely to use an Intel modem, the 8161, and it could hit stores in 2020, according to a report in Fast Company.

If everything goes as planned, Intel will be the sole provider of iPhone modems, said the report.

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For prototyping and testing of the 5G iPhone, Intel is reportedly working on a precursor to the 8161modem, called the 8060.

To increase transistor density for more speed and efficiency, Intel is likely to fabricate the 8161 using its 10-nanometre process.

The performance of 8060 appears to have triggered a little tension between Apple and Intel due to “heat dissipation issues” that would both raise the temperature and hurt battery life, the report said.

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However, Apple’s current issues with Intel are not serious enough to cause Apple to turn to Qualcomm for the supply of 5G modems, said Fast Company report, based on its source.

Apple declined to comment on the report.

The first 5G smartphone is expected next year.

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Android phones from manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei will contain 5G modem chips made by Qualcomm, which has claimed that its modems have managed the heat dissipation issues, the report said.

To save the country, behen-beti, culture, bring back BJP: Sants

The sadhus also appealed to followers and to Hindus in general to ensure that the Narendra Modi government returns to power in 2019. People should vote for those who have faith in “cow, Ganga, Geeta, Gayatri and Govind”, they said.

After two days of deliberations dominated by the demand for a Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti Sunday asked the union government to bring an ordinance or a law to build the temple. The sadhus also appealed to followers and to Hindus in general to ensure that the Narendra Modi government returns to power in 2019. People should vote for those who have faith in “cow, Ganga, Geeta, Gayatri and Govind”, they said.

The Sant Samiti announced three more “dharma sabhas” — in Ayodhya, Nagpur, and Bengaluru — on November 25, and a larger congregation of sadhus in Delhi on December 9. From December 18 onwards, 500 more such meetings would be held across the country, they said.

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Reading from the “dharmadesh” of sants on various issues, Samiti head Hansdevacharya said, “Agar jeevit rehna hai, math-mandir bachana hai, behen-beti bachani hai, sanskriti aur sanskar bachana hai to iss sarkar ko dobara se laana hai (If we have to protect our lives, temples and maths, daughters and sisters, culture and tradition, then this government must be brought back).”

The sants had expectations fom the current government, which no other government could fulfill, he said. “Only this government will meet our expectations. Apna desh bhi bachao, apni sanskriti bhi bachao, aur phir se iss Bharat ke andar yahi sarkar ko 2019 me wapas lao, lao, lao… Jai Shri Ram (Save the country and its culture, bring back this government in 2019)!”

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Hansdevacharya said the sants were hurt with the delay in clearing the path for the building of the Ram temple. “But at the same time, we are satisfied with the central government’s work related to the nation, religion, culture, national security, and national pride,” he said.

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Sant Govindeo Giri of Pune said “certain forces” were trying to destabilise the government, and that a “conspiracy” against the government was afoot in Madhya Pradesh. “We should bear in mind while planning for the future that our central government should not be destabilised in any situation,” Giri said. The sants want the BJP-led government to return, he said.

The gathering called for the creation of a new “Teerthan Ministry” to promote pilgrimages, and to ensure that pilgrimage centres were not turned into tourism destinations. They also demanded a National Ganga River Act to protect the sacred river, and a “Gau Mantralaya” for the protection and conservation of cows.

The dharmadesh asked the government to identify and deport Rohingya Muslims. It demanded a Uniform Civil Code and a “national population policy” to control the “imbalance” in population, and a National Register of Citizens (NRC) across the country to identify “illegal migrants” with 1947 as the reference year.

Earlier, Vasudevanand Maharaj, who presided over the two-day meet, demanded that the name Delhi, “given by Muslim rulers and the British”, should be changed to Indraprastha “as per our tradition”.

Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who visited the congregation Sunday, said there were three possible ways forward on the issue of the Ram temple: that of dialogue, that of an appeal to the Supreme Court seeking an early verdict, and that of making a request to the government. The people wanted a grand temple in Ayodhya, Ravi Shankar said.

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Ravi Shankar also said those who were demanding the entry of women of menstruating age into the Sabarimala temple were not “bhakts” (followers). “Hamare yahaan jab sutak hota hai, patak hota hai ya masik dharma hota hai… koi mandir nahi jata… Ek niyam hai (In our society, one does not visit temples when one is menstruating. That is the rule),” he said. This, he said, was similar to Muslims wearing unstitched clothes while on hajj, or devotees covering their heads in a gurdwara.

The Sabarimala temple opens on Monday evening.

Separately, union minister Uma Bharti told PTI in an interview that while Hindus were the “most tolerant” people in the world, any talk of constructing a mosque on the periphery of a Ram temple in Ayodhya could make them “intolerant”. She invited Congress president Rahul Gandhi to lay the foundation stone of the temple in Ayodhya with her in order to “atone for the sins” of his party.

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Bharti’s ministerial colleague Giriraj Singh said “no power in the world” could prevent the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya; Singh was echoed by Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya; and state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath promised some “good news” on Ayodhya, separate PTI reports said.

Diwali 2018 sales: Best gadgets to splurge on from Apple iPad Pro to Microsoft Surface Pro and more

Diwali Sale 2018: The Amazon Great Indian Festival sale and Flipkart Diwali Dhamaka sale also give great benefits on popular gadgets besides smartphones.

Diwali is just around the corner, and It is expected that consumers will find electronics or of the best segments to splurge money on. In an attempt to get consumers shop online, many e-commerce sites like Amazon and Flipkart are offering massive discounts on iPads, game consoles, smart speakers, etc. Here is a list of the best tech to splurge on this Diwali.

The 10.5-inch iPad Pro is the perfect mix of power and portability. Although it no longer remains Apple’s flagship model in its iPad Pro lineup, it is still the best pro-level tablet you can buy in the market. Its 2,224 x 1,668 screen is simply gorgeous and takes advantage of Apple’s ProMotion technology, which has a refresh rate of 120Hz. No tablet comes close to the iPad Pro 10.5 in terms of performance, thanks to its powerful A10X Fusion chipset. And the iPad Pro’s 64GB internal storage (up to 512GB, depending on model) is good enough to store music, photos and videos.

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Keep in mind that the iPad Pro’s optional accessories (Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard) aren’t cheap. Apple sees the iPad Pro as a replacement to a notebook, and that’s something you should remember buying this device. The iPad Pro 10.5 is a no-compromise machine that has the best design, performance and battery life. At Rs 40,999 (64GB,Wi-Fi-only), the iPad Pro 10.5 is just irresistible.

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If there’s a race for the best 2-in-1 in the market, then the Microsoft Surface Pro has to win. This Windows 10 machine is a full-blown device which is as good as a regular laptop. You have got a 12.3-inch screen, a magnesium chassis, loud speakers and the legendary kickstand that allows the Surface Pro to be used in various positions. The base model of the Surface Pro comes with Intel’s Core M3 (7th generation processor), 4GB RAM and 128GB of SSD storage, which is good enough for basic tasks such as writing and editing on the go, browsing the web, watching videos and making powerpoint presentations.

The Surface Pro has the option of accessories (Type Cover and Surface Pen) too, all of which cost extra. Battery life on the Surface Pro is good. At Rs 46,900 (Intel Core M3 7th gen, 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD), the Surface Pro is a better option for those looking to buy a 2-in-1.

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The Nintendo Switch is the best-selling console in the world right now. This is the only console in the market that is both a home console like the PlayStation 4 and a portable one like the 3DS XL. It’s essentially a small tablet with controllers attached, and one can use it as a handheld or connect it to your TV. Sure, the Switch is not as powerful as the PS4 or Xbox One S, it does offer some high-quality first-party exclusive titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, and Splatoon 2. The Nintendo Switch is yet to launch in India officially, although it can be purchased from Amazon at a price of Rs 23,799. Keep in mind that the the Switch purchased from Amazon India does not come with the product warranty and after sales service support.

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Apple has finally launched the new MacBook Air that offers Intel’s 8th generation processor, a Retina Display, Butterfly-style keyboard, dual USB Type-C ports and Force Touch trackpad. The only downside is the price, starting at Rs 1,14,900, the new MacBook Air is an expensive machine. So, here’s an another option: Get the old model for Rs 55,990. Even if it does not come with a Retina Display or the latest Intel processor, the old model is the perfect notebook for most users. It’s a light-weight machine with the top-notch build quality – and it remains Apple’s least expensive notebook. Go, grab the old Macbook Air before it goes out of stock.

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Amazon’s 3rd generation Echo Dot has almost everything that made the original Echo Dot popular. The all-new Echo Dot has a new and improved design compared to the original model. It also comes with a more rounded design with a material finish, something that gives it a premium look. The company claims the new model is 70 per cent louder than the original, thanks to a bump to a 1.6-inch audio driver. Like the original model, the new Echo Dot offers the same basic functionality. Ask Alexa to read the news, check the weather, set reminders, control compatible smart home devices. The 3rd-generation Amazon Echo Dot is currently available at a price of Rs 2,999, which we think is a great deal.

Tug-of-war between BJP and AAP over Delhi’s iconic Signature Bridge

For the past few days, the Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari had been criticising the Arvind Kejriwal government for not inviting him to the inauguration ceremony of the Signature Bridge.

Minutes before the official inauguration of the much-delayed Signature Bridge on Sunday, a spat over credit for the project played out in open as Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari got into a scuffle with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and Delhi Police.

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Accompanied by supporters, Tiwari, who had not been invited for the inauguration ceremony, reached the venue at 3.30pm and tried to enter the bridge from the Bhajanpura side. Tiwari, the MP from North East Delhi constituency where the bridge is located, alleged he was stopped by the police.

Tiwari and his supporters, however, managed to make their way to the venue where they were again stopped by Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel as the MP tried to get close to the main stage. As a result, scuffles broke out between BJP workers, police personnel posted there and groups of AAP supporters.

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BJP alleged that AAP workers and police misbehaved with Tiwari. “AAP workers were there already as I walked towards the stage. A group of (AAP) workers came and started pushing me in the presence of police,” Tiwari said.

For the past few days, the Delhi BJP chief had been criticising the Kejriwal government for not inviting him to the inauguration ceremony.

“I am the MP of the area. In fact, the work for the bridge was stuck for a decade and I intervened so that it would speed up. This is how you treat me for showing you in a good light? I expected nothing in return, just some respect that you would give to an MP and a fellow human being,” Tiwari said.

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Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal slammed the BJP for “chaos” at the inauguration ceremony and sought Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal’s intervention in the issue. “Unprecedented. Chaos by BJP at Signature Bridge inauguration site. Its a Del govt prog. Police mute spectator. Can LG, being head of Del police, ensure peace and order at Signature bridge inauguration site [sic]?” the CM tweeted minutes after reports of the scuffles emerged.

The CM later said on Twitter that the Delhi Police “virtually handed over” the security for the entire programme in the “hands of hooligans.” He added that the government would “explore legal options.”

BJP workers waved black flags near the stage as the CM spoke at the inauguration.

In his speech addressing the 2,500 people at the event, Sisodia admitted that the Delhi government deliberately decided not to invite Tiwari. He said the BJP had started “politics of inauguration” in the city.

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“It is your party (BJP) that started politics of inauguration. We deliberately skipped (inviting) you… because your government did not invite an elected chief minister for inauguration of skywalk (at ITO last month) which was constructed by the state government,” Sisodia said.

Sisodia was referring to a controversy that was kicked off last month when the Union housing and urban affairs ministry did not invite Kejriwal, or other Delhi cabinet ministers, for the inauguration of the city’s first skywalk at ITO in central Delhi. The AAP had then accused the Centre of trying to “hijack the work of an elected government”.

BJP alleged that AAP workers and the police “misbehaved” with Tiwari who was also allegedly “pushed off” from stairs near the stage by AAP MLA from Okhla, Amanatullah Khan.

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“He (Khan) has a history of hooliganism. He has beaten up the chief secretary of Delhi. The AAP is a party of goons. They do not care for development or for people of Delhi,” Tiwari said.

Countering the BJP leader’s claims, the AAP blamed Tiwari of indulging in “hooliganism” by “thrashing” party workers. The party said Tiwari had come to the event with the intention of disrupting the launch of the landmark bridge.

“Thousands of people had come to celebrate without an invitation card. But the MP (Tiwari) considers himself VIP. That is why he indulged in hooliganism. They (BJP workers) had come to disrupt the event,” said Dilip Pandey, senior AAP leader and party in-charge for North East Delhi constituency.

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In one of several videos circulating on social media, Tiwari is seen scuffling with the police and people the BJP MP alleged were AAP workers. In another video, Tiwari is seen being pushed by a man that he claimed was Amanatullah Khan.

The authenticity of the videos, however, could not be independently verified by HT.

Later, a video shared online by a news agency showed Tiwari threatening that he would “deal” with policemen who had stopped him.

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Joint commissioner Ravindra Yadav said the Delhi Police did not allow the situation to turn ugly. “Though there were slogan shouting but police segregated the groups and prevented any clashes,” he said. Yadav said basic cause of dispute was that the BJP leader wanted to get on the stage, whereas the organisers did not want him to do that. “Rumours that a police official was slapped at the event are false. It was jostling and pushing which happens during crowd control situations,” added Yadav.