Nokia 6.1 Plus to go on sale on Flipkart today: Price, launch offer & more

The Nokia 6.1 Plus, a first notch-based budget offering from the stable of HMD Global, is going on sale today (August 30) for the first time in India. Priced at Rs 15,999, the Android One smartphone will be available exclusively on Flipkart and the sale would begin at 12 noon on the e-commerce platform and Nokia online store. The Nokia 6.1 Plus will be available in three colour options - gloss black, gloss white and gloss midnight blue. As for the launch offer, the company is offering Rs 1,800 instant cashback and 240GB of mobile data valid for 12 months to Airtel customers on Rs 199, Rs 249 and Rs 448 plans.

Nokia 6.1 Plus review
Compared to the predecessor, the Nokia 6.1, the Plus edition is although cheaper but offers better hardware, premium design, bigger screen estate and enhanced camera modules. In terms of design, the Nokia 6.1 Plus looks plush in its glossy outlook. It features a glass-metal-glass design in a compact form factor, which is easy to hold and operate. The phone is light in weight which makes it easy to use and carry around in hand or pocket. It is among the few few smartphones with a perfect body size -- neither big nor small. Granular detailing in design, such as silver accent lining around keys and fingerprint sensor, also accentuates its overall premium appeal.

Oppo Find X earns people's votes as innovative smartphone: Know poll result

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Oppo on July 12 launched the Oppo Find X in India. The phone is one of its kind and comes with a motorised mechanical pop-up module, which hosts front camera, earpiece, sensors on the front and rear camera, along with LED flash on the back. In a poll run on the day of launch, we asked for our readers to give their opinion about the phone, and their mandate has been in favour of the Oppo Find X. They see the device as an innovative smartphone rather than a marketing gimmick.

Oppo Find X features
The Find X sports a new design in comparison to the current-generation flagship smartphones. The phone features a curved arc glass-based design with a 6.42-inch AMOLED screen in 19.5:9 aspect ratio on the front, stretchingt from edge to edge on three sides, and leaving a negligible chin at the bottom. The all-screen design is achieved by moving the earpiece, selfie camera and sensors to the pop-up mechanic module (stealth design), which comes out from the top. The module also sports the dual camera set-up on its back, along with LED flash, that leaves the phone’s back with only the Oppo logo and the Find X moniker.

Samsung to unveil Galaxy On-series smartphone on Flipkart today: Know more

Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, is gearing up to announce a new Galaxy On-series smartphone in India today i.e. July 2. Tipped to be the Galaxy On6, the smartphone is going to be Flipkart-exclusive and the e-commerce portal has put up a listing page highlighting some of the features of the upcoming device.

In May, Samsung introduced a fresh line-up of its J-series and A-series smartphones. The smartphones boast Infinity display, which is a term used by Samsung for its 18.5:9 aspect ratio screen. The Galaxy On6 is also expected to sport the Infinity display, however, the exact size and resolution are not known.

Based on the previous Galaxy On-series launches, it is known that the On-series smartphones are rebranded versions of company’s J-series devices. Therefore, the Galaxy On6 is expected to be similar to the recently launched Galaxy J6. The upcoming phone’s silhouettes on teaser posted on Flipkart also hints at the possibility of a rebranded J6.

Listed retail companies likely to see muted revenue in June quarter

The June quarter could see revenues of listed retailers under pressure, with higher discounting by online players and corresponding offers from traditional retailers. Online offers and promotional activities were especially high in May.

Analysts at financial services entity Jefferies say that with two large global rivals (Amazon and, after the Flipkart acquisition, Walmart) controlling 70 per cent of online retail sales, the likelihood of a rise in online competition remains as they bid to drive market share. In addition to the online entities, Future Group ran aggressive schemes, with ...Read Full Story

Flipkart's PhonePe ties up with Ola, bets on micro-apps for growth

Flipkart-owned digital payments firm PhonePe has tied up with homegrown cab aggregator Ola, where users can book a cab or an auto using a micro-app built on its payments platform.

The company has gone live with three such micro-apps, including that of redBus and Metro services, and plans to go live with 5 to 10 more in the ongoing quarter.

“Ola’s scale and reach, topped with our AutoPay feature will enable greater convenience and control to our users while making payments seamless,” said Rahul Chari, co-founder and chief technology officer, PhonePe.

Amazon now has customers in 100% serviceable pin-codes in India: Jeff Bezos

Amazon.in might be the most visited shopping site in India, but for Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of the technology giant, it is still Day 1 in what may be the second-most important market for the firm outside the US.

Bezos, in a letter to customers, said that Amazon now has customers in 100 per cent serviceable pin-codes in the country and is shipping packages from more than 50 fulfillment locations in 13 states.

From talking about how Alexa plays devotional songs in local Indian languages to Amazon India working closely with communities in rural areas, Bezos said that the online marketplace has now become part of the country's culture and has adapted all its services and offerings accordingly.

Stressing that Amazon India has captured the top spot for the last two years, Bezos pointed out that amazon.in is the most visited site in the country.

Amazon, which has completed five years in India, has managed to reach the top spot while taking on local favourites Snapdeal and Flipkart. Bezos, in a letter to customers, said that Amazon now has customers in 100 per cent serviceable pin-codes in the country and is shipping packages from more than 50 fulfillment locations in 13 states.

Flipkart deal wrapped, Walmart now eyeing deals in Brazil and Japan

The sun never sets on Walmart Inc.’s empire, thanks to its network of stores across five continents. But in the span of 10 days, chief executive Doug McMillon has begun dramatically redrawing the retailer’s map, and there’s likely more to come as it places bets to remain on top.

“All of a sudden, everything is in play,” said Dave Marcotte, an analyst at Kantar Retail.

In less than two weeks, Walmart has agreed to cede control of its British business to a competitor and spend $16 billion to acquire India’s e-commerce leader in its biggest-ever deal, fending off Amazon.com Inc. The wheeling and dealing show how McMillon is focusing on high-potential markets like China and India, finding partners to help it battle online and cutting loose middling businesses. He’s got more work to do, though, and subpar markets like Brazil and Japan might be next on his list.

Walmart’s far-flung international units don’t get much attention, but they’re important as a source of cash, management talent and ideas that percolate into its core U.S. operations. Sales growth outside the U.S. once topped more than 10 percent annually, adjusted for currency moves, but it’s less than half that now as sluggish economies, store closures and fierce competition have taken their toll.

Flipkart will become Walmart today: Is that really good news for India?

When Carl Douglas McMillon, president and chief executive officer of Walmart Inc, arrives at the Embassy Tech Village headquarters of Flipkart in Bengaluru later on Wednesday to acquire India’s first-to-a-billion-dollars-startup, he will be accompanied by Walmart International’s Judith McKenna and CEO (commerce) Marc Lore. It will be a triumphal return to India for the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer which will be partnering Google’s parent Alphabet Inc in a deal estimated at $18-20 billion enterprise value – Walmart will own about 60 per cent stake, and Alphabet will get to own about 15 per cent of the online market place.

The passage of the past five years has obviously dulled memories. All recent media reports seem to have conveniently glossed over the history of Walmart’s previous foray into India, in partnership with Sunil Mittal’s Bharti group. Walmart in 2012 launched a global review of corruption after a New York Times report on bribery at the company’s Mexico operations. The review by its lawyers flagged India among the countries with the highest corruption risk. The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act forbids American firms from paying bribes. Almost on cue, in November that year, Bharti Walmart suspended a number of employees, including the chief financial officer, as part of an internal investigation into bribery allegations in the Indian operation. By June 2013, Raj Jain, the CEO of the India operations, quit after six years at the helm of the company. It did not take much time thereafter for the Walmart-Bharti JV to fall apart.

Flipkart's silent soldiers: Men who will lead the firm in its next innings

During the past two years and more, the baton of leadership at Flipkart saw quick change of hands. There were times when access to capital was considered the biggest constraint, as rival Amazon was continuing to splurge to march ahead. But Flipkart stay focused on to its core belief and execution capability, and the results are quite visible today, as it not only continues stay ahead in the race in almost every category, but global investors are also now more than willing than before to put their bet here.

The credit for this seemingly impossible feat could be given to a single man, but it’s better deserved by the team of top leaders who have worked relentlessly in the background to make this happen. In spite of its ups and downs, Flipkart has created a strong leadership pipeline as the country’s most valuable startup readies for the future with around 75-80 leaders who are now steering different key businesses and categories that have been instrumental to retain its leadership. Several of them have moved up the ranks as the company has grown, while others have been roped in from global giants Google, Amazon and Microsoft apart from large FMCG and consulting firms over the years.
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Flipkart lists Reliance JioFi WiFi hotspot JMR815 at Rs 999: Details here

Reliance Jio has added a new 4G LTE hotspot model to its portfolio of JioFi devices. The new model, dubbed the JioFi JMR815, is currently available on Flipkart at a price of Rs 999. However, the JioFi is not yet listed on Jio’s online portal.
The JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot, according to the Flipkart listing page, is capable of attaining a download speed of up to 150Mbps, and upload speed of 50Mbps. The device features a circular design, unlike the oval design of the predecessor.

It allows up to 32 simultaneous connections – 31 WiFi and 1 USB – to connect over Jio’s 4G network for accessing the internet. The device also allows HD voice calls and video calls on non-4G phones via Jio 4G Voice app.
 JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot JMR815 JioFi 4G WiFi hotspot JMR815 In terms of features, the device has power buttons, along with WiFi Protected Setup (WPS) button for instant connection. There are notification lights for battery, 4G connectivity and signal strength. It is powered by an ALT3800 processor and supports 4G connectivity at FDD-Band 3, Band 5, and TDD-Band 40 – supported by Reliance Jio.

Alcatel POP4 10 tablet review: At Rs 10,999, great choice for budget buyers

Alcatel recently launched its new 10.1-inch tablet, which supports 4G LTE in India. Priced at Rs 10,999, the POP4 10 tablet is available exclusively on Flipkart. With only 7.95mm thickness, the company claims that the Alcatel POP4 is one of the thinnest tablets available in the world.
The Alcatel POP4 10 tablet was first unveiled in CES 2018, where the company announced its global partnership with Flipkart for better consumer engagement and retail availability at a time when the tablet manufacturing industry is on an apparent decline. This is a notched-up variant of the previously released A3 10, priced at Rs 6,999.

Business Standard reviewed the Alcatel POP4 10 to test its overall performance. Here are our observations:
Design:
The POP4 10 tablet is a lightweight tablet that looks very sleek. The company claims this 10-inch Full-HD tablet is the best that a consumer can buy for latest features at such a price range in the market.
The POP4 10 has a non-mettalic body that although looks nice, collects a lot of fingerprints. The rear camera lies at the corner of the right-hand top corner. The USB port and the 3.5mm jack also sits on the top while the dual speakers are in the front of the tab.

Flipkart pulls down Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ before sale on March 16

Home-grown e-commerce major Flipkart seems to have removed the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus from its portal before the start of the smartphones’ official sale on March 16. The flagship smartphones were first announced a day before the Mobile World Congress and unveiled in India on March 6.
The pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ began in India through Samsung online stores soon after the international unveiling at the MWC.

However, Samsung’s partner for online sales, Airtel online store and Flipkart, had started taking pre-orders after the official launch on March 6.
Starting March 6, Flipkart not only started taking the pre-orders but also listed the two smartphones as bundled with offers like Rs 5,000 additional discount on exchange, cashback of Rs 6,000 for HDFC credit and debit card holders and no-cost equated monthly instalments removing the interest component from EMIs paid to banks on the purchase of devices using a credit card.

Here is how to pre-book Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ via Samsung, Airtel, Flipkart

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung recently unveiled the flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Mobile World Congress. These smartphones are set to launch in India on March 6.
The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus would go on sale in the country via the company’s official portal, besides online stores of e-commerce major Flipkart and Airtel. While the official Samsung portal and Airtel have already started taking pre-orders, Flipkart has listed these products and would take pre-orders starting from March 6.
Here is how to pre-book the Galaxy S9 or Galaxy S9 Plus
Samsung Store
The company’s official online store is currently taking the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ pre-orders. Interested customers can pre-order the device of choice by paying an advance amount of Rs 2,000. On the official launch day of the smartphone, March 6, registered customers would receive a message and email notification mentioning the launch price and a timeline to complete the transaction.
If the customer chooses to buy the device, he/she can complete the transaction by paying the final amount (device price – preorder amount) within the stipulated time shared by the company.

However, if for any reason the customer chooses not to buy the product, the pre-order amount would return to the customer’s account within 7 working days.

Flipkart Apple Days: iPhone 7 for OnePlus 5T price, iPhone X at Rs 82,999

Home-grown e-commerce giant Flipkart has put up a promotional sale for Apple products, a second time in February. Dubbed as Apple Days, the promotional offer started on February 27 and will go on until March 2.
Under Apple Days, the e-commerce portal is offering iPhones, iPads and smartwatches at discounted prices, along with an extra cashback of 5 per cent to SBI customers.

The online shopping portal is also providing a no-cost equated monthly instalment (EMI) option, which removes the interest component from fixed monthly instalments on select products.
Here are some of the best offers under Apple Days:

iPhone X
The anniversary-edition iPhone X was launched in the 64GB and 256GB storage variants at Rs 89,000 and Rs 1,02,000, respectively. Under the offer, the e-commerce portal is selling the iPhone X at Rs 82,999 and Rs 98,999 for the 64GB and 256GB, respectively.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus base models with 64GB storage had been launched at Rs 64,000 and Rs 73,000, respectively.
Under Apple Days, Flipkart is offering the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus smartphones at Rs 54,999 and Rs 64,999, respectively.
The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus models with 256GB storage -- launched at Rs 77,000 and Rs 86,000, respectively -- are being offered at Rs 69,999 and Rs 79,999.

Flipkart ranking: These top smartphones got buyers drooling in 2017

The year 2017 was a great one for the smartphone industry, despite the overall consumer market being somewhat slow in India. While some of the revolutionary features like the 18:9 aspect ratio screens and dual-camera set-ups excited the tech geeks as well as common buyers alike, futuristic technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality and artificial intelligence became mainstream in smartphones.

Simultaneously, there was seen a major shift in users’ preference, too – while buyers earlier were more after devices carrying powerful innards, the year 2017 saw them drifting more towards exciting features – along with top-tier specifications adding value to capable smartphones.

Home-grown e-commerce major on Friday released its pick of best smartphones in various segments, based on the shopping trends seen across online shoppers on its platform. The company claimed to have arrived at its selection “after analysing the shopping carts of over 150 bn shoppers”.

“With the e-commerce landscape drastically growing in India, the smartphone category continues to be a frontrunner among online shoppers. Flipkart flagship sales events, exclusive partnerships and innovative schemes like ‘no-cost EMI’, ‘product exchange offers’ and ‘buy now, pay later’ has exponentially impacted the sales on the online smartphone category, specifically the budget and mid- range segment,” Flipkart said in a statement.

Here is a snapshot of Flipkart’s top picks in various segments:

Flipkart Billion Capture+ review: A budget smartphone with mid-tier specs

The Billion Capture+, the first smartphone developed by homegrown e-commerce major Flipkart, is not just another product vying for eyeballs in India’s already-flooded smartphone market. Though a budget device, this smartphone impresses with a performance that is on a par with many a mid-tier device.

Flipkart claims that the Billion Capture has been made in India for the Indian consumer, and that it has been designed after analysing user feedback received on the e-commerce portal. But does it pass the test in so far as user need and greed are concerned? Business Standard reviewed the Billion Capture+ to test how it fares in real-life scenario and here are our observations:

Design
At first look, the Billion Capture+ looks almost the same as the Xiaomi Mi A1. But, a few imperfections – not-so-smooth side curves and out-of- place SIM card tray – become visible on a closer inspection.

The front has a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS screen in the 16:9 aspect ratio which leaves huge bezels on the top and bottom. While the top bezel houses an earpiece, front camera and sensors, the bottom bezel has been kept vacant – it is tough to fathom why. It could have been used for capacitive navigation keys and the fingerprint scanner placed on the back.

The power key and volume rockers are placed on the right side and the SIM-card tray on the left. The chassis is accentuated by its silver linings, which boost the overall appearance. The bottom is occupied by a five-grille design to accommodate the speaker and microphone, with a USB type-C port placed in between.

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Moto X4 with dual rear cameras, IP68 water resistance launched at Rs 20,999

Motorola has launched Moto X4 starting at Rs 20,999 for the base model and Rs 22,999 for the premium model with 64 GB storage and 4 GB RAM. The IP68-certified water and dust resistant device went on sale last night.

The Moto X4 sports a dual camera set-up on the back, which utilises a 12-megapixel shooter with f/2.0 aperture and an 8MP ultra-wide angle shooter with f/2.2 aperture. The cameras on the back are assisted with phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and dual LED flash.

On the front, the smartphone houses a 16 MP selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. The selfie camera is supported with flash and comes with features such as beautification mode, pro mode, filters, panorama and adaptive low-light mode.

 Moto X4 sports a 5.2-inch fullHD IPS screen covered with Corning Gorilla Glass for protection against scratches and accidental drops. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, which is an octa-core processor ticking at 2.2 GHz, coupled with Adreno 508 graphic processor. The device boasts 32 GB and 64 GB internal storage variants, expandable up to 2TB using microSD card slot, with 3 GB and 4 GB RAM, respectively. The phone boots Android Nougat 7.1 out of the box.

The Moto X4 offers all-round connectivity options including near-field communication (NFC), Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (dual band, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), GPS, GLONASS, 4G LTE, and FM radio.

The 163 grams smartphone houses a 3,000 mAh battery.

Flipkart beats Amazon in festive season sales, captures 50% market share

Flipkart beat Amazon in sales during this year's festive season by a huge margin, reported the Economic Times. The Indian e-marketplace captured 50% of the festive market, while the American e-commerce behemoth trailed as the runner-up with a 35% share.

The Indian e-commerce market is reported to have grown by 40% in value over the last year. Online sales during the September-October festive season is estimated to have increased to $2.9 billion from $2 billion last year.

Amazon is said to have pocketed just Rs 2,500-2,700 cr during its Great Indian Festival Sale in September as compared to Flipkart's Big Billion day jackpot of Rs 5,000 cr, according to Livemint. (However, ET reports that Flipkart may have sold only Rs 4,300 cr worth of products, a number that is still way ahead of Amazon India's)

Livemint quotes Manish Tiwary, vice president (category management) at Amazon India as saying, “Amazon.in remains the largest marketplace and the fastest growing one in Indian e-commerce landscape. The recently concluded Great Indian Festival has been our biggest shopping event till date with a remarkable spike in customer acquisition from tier-II and tier-III cities across India, with 85% of new customers coming from these areas. We saw a tremendous customer response across categories—from high-value products such as smartphones and appliances to everyday essentials such as shampoos, biscuits and pet supplies.”

Amazon's Great Indian Festival vs Flipkart's Big Billion Days: Online sales begin today

It is time again to loosen your purse strings! With attractive deals and huge discounts across various categories on offer, almost all major e-commerce platforms are geared up to commence their sales for the festive season.

While e-commerce giant Flipkart and the online retail platforms it owns -- Jabong and Myntra -- will start with their five-day-long "Big Billion Days" sales from September 20, Amazon India's "Great Indian Festival" will begin exclusively for its "Prime" customers on the same day at 12 p.m.

However, the festival sale for all customers of Amazon India will be from September 21 to 24.

"For the first time ever, the Great Indian Festival will start early at 12 noon on September 20 only for 'Prime' members," Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Category Management, Amazon India, told IANS.

"We expect more customers to join the digital ecosystem and shop with us during this festive season. With expanded selection and a robust logistical support system, we are ready to handle the massive customer traffic that we are bound to receive this season," Tiwary added.

Amazon India will offer deals across several categories, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, large appliances, baby products, clothing and accessories, beauty products, home and kitchen products, furniture and stationery products.

28 hours a week: Indians spend 7X more time on smartphones than on TV

Indian  consumers spend as much as 28 hours a week on their smartphones, seven fold more than the time they end up spending in watching programmes on television as more users access internet on their mobile phone.

According to the Mary Meeker report, released on Wednesday night, the delivery of  entertainment, education, healthcare and marketplaces is being reimagined in India with the mobile phone emerging as the primary device for access to consumers.

In education sector, the report said education technology firm Byju’s has shown 15 per cent improvement in the quality of learning by accessing content on smartphones. In the healthcare sector, prices of laboratory tests have dropped by 50 per cent due to the aggregate inventory maintained by startups such as 1Mg and Portea. Customers made savings of around 20-30 per cent due to drug comparison on these platforms.

As far as payments are concerned, the unified payment interface (UPI) and use of Aadhaar is yielding results in areas such as the direct benefit transfer and instant money transfer schemes.

Users spend nearly half their time in watching entertainment content, while around 4 per cent of the time is invested on social networks and search engine sites such as Facebook and Google. News and media content remained low on priority at 2 per cent.

Around 4 per cent of the time is spent on online shopping from marketplaces such as Amazon and Flipkart.

This could potentially help Indian consumers take a gaint leap away from traditional formats as users stream content on their smartphones, aided by the massive rollout of 4G services by Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio.

Launch of Jio in India has accelerated internet adoption by bringing down data prices to 17 cents per GB of data in March, from $2.7 in September last year.

People spend just two hours on print, a primary vehicle for consumption across India for decades, as multimedia content on smartphones account for a majority of their lives. Most of the content they consume is shared on platforms such as ShareIt and WhatsApp.

According to the report, there are around 355 million internet users in India, which is second only to China. Nearly 80 per cent of the useer access internet through their phones.
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