UNIVERSAL: COVID-19 protocols have made it inevitable that even children should be trusted with smartphones. So makers of smartphones have to go beyond the child lock to ensure that kids learn only what they are supposed to be taught.

By Haider Ali Khan

Smart phones are trying very hard to keep abreast of those who try to hack them. The latest Apple phone has ensured that the military grade spyware Pegasus cannot infiltrate your phone and steal your data. Or worse still plant incriminating data, as it happened in the case of Dr Rohini Wilson, one of the accused in the Koregaon case in Pune…

SMARTPHONES have become an inseparable part of our lives. Like an organ, people are dependent upon it for routine and multitasking. The smartphone makers compete with one another to bring out the best smartphones each year in terms of specifications and try to justify them with honest pricing. People chose them on the basis of their requirements and most importantly on how much do their pockets allow. The Covid-19 year 2021 did see some flagship smartphone launches despite the world’s economy being in doldrums.
Global smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc, launched their smartphones this year while we did see an Indian brand pushing itself in the race of smartphone in the form of Lava Agni 5G. But, we were all surprised by the pricing of JioPhone Next.
Depending on region, and budget people preferred these smartphones in the year 2021:

Apple iPhone 13
The trillion dollar company launched its 13th generation of iPhones in September 2021. The most sought after phones came in four versions; iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 13 Pro Max. The US-based iPhone maker did some changes in the designing of the phones but overall they remained quite similar to the previous generation of iPhones. The iPhone 13 series came with A15 Bionic chip, 12MP standard selfie camera and 12MP+12MP dual lenses in 13 and 13 mini. Nevertheless, iPhone remains an aspiration for buyers in India. We might see Apple launching the SE edition early next year to cater Indian buyers.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
The South Korean electronics major launched Galaxy S21 Ultra in the premium segment. The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra featured 6.8 inch AMOLED display having 1440×3200 pixels resolution, 1500 nits of peak brightness, and supports HDR10+. The display has a refreshing rate of 120Hz. The premium flagship smartphone came with Snapdragon 888 in standard 12GB RAM. The phone runs on Android 11 and will soon start getting Android 12. It comes with 5,000mAh battery.
For photography, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has quad-camera setup. The main lens is of 108MP along with a 10MP telephoto sensor, the third lens is also a 10MP shooter and the fourth sensor is of 12MP which is an ultra-wide lens. The S21 Ultra has a 40MP selfie lens.

OnePlus Nord 2 Pac Man
OnePlus strengthened its Nord segment with the launch of Pac Man edition phone. The Nord 2 Pac Man comes in collaboration with the Bandai Namco of Japan, the makers of Pac Man game. The special edition smartphone came with 12GB RAM and uniquely designed back to create an impact in the smartphone market. The Pac Man was packed with MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset coupled with 256GB ROM. The phone features triple camera setup. The 50MP main lens comes with two other sensors of 8MP and 2MP. It has a 32MP selfie camera.
The Nord 2 Pac Man has a punch hole display of 6.43 inch with 90Hz refresh rate.

Lava Agni 5G
The Indian smartphone maker launched its first 5G smartphone and thus became the first indigenous company to do so. Lava launched Agni 5G to compete with Chinese smartphone players. The Lava Agni 5G ships with 6.78 inch display having 90Hz refresh rate. Agni 5G was launched with MediaTek Dimensity 810 clubbed with 8GB RAM. It runs on stock Android 11. The phone packs a huge 5,000mAh battery.
In optics, Lava Agni 5G ships with quad-camera setup having 64MP main lens accompanied with 5MP ultra-wide sensor, 2MP macro and another 2MP bokeh lens. The Agni 5G sports a 16MP selfie camera.

JioPhone Next
Reliance did a dare to launch JioPhone Next on Diwali this year. The smartphone market was actually surprised by the packaging of JioPhone Next. The Mukesh Ambani-owned company introduced a new OS called the Pragati OS in JioPhone Next jointly developed by Reliance and Google. Qualcomm also joined in to provide an entry level chipset QM 215 for JioPhone Next. The smartphone was launched with a mediocre 5.45 inch display having 60Hz refresh rate. For photography, JioPhone Next has a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie lens. Another low was its 3,500mAh battery. The phone features 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. Surprising all, Reliance priced JioPhone Next at Rs 6,499.

Courtesy:Livemint