Orbital

Latest Episodes:

Will Jio Phone 2 Help WhatsApp, YouTube Reach the Next Billion Users in India? Aug 14, 2018

Show notes

We discuss whether WhatsApp and YouTube will be the killer apps that propel Jio Phone and KaiOS into a market share as large as that of Android. Jio expert Ravi Sharma joins host Pranay Parab to discuss.

Sponsor: Goalwise

WhatsApp on Jio Phone (2:10)

WhatsApp and YouTube on Jio Phone: Hands-On Impressions
Features missing from this app
Why these features are missing
Overall WhatsApp experience
WhatsApp Rollout for Jio Phone Delayed, to Start in Batches

YouTube on Jio Phone (15:00)

YouTube video viewing controls and experience
Can you download videos?
Sharing videos offline?

Jio Phone 2 (24:49)

Jio Phone 2 release date
Apps available on launch day
Jio Phone 2 vs Jio Phone

Can Xiaomi Mi A2 Outshine Redmi Note 5 Pro, Nokia 7 Plus? Aug 08, 2018

Show notes

Xiaomi Mi A2 is the company's second attempt at making an Android One smartphone. Reviewer Aditya Shenoy joins host Pranay Parab to talk about this smartphone.

The Android One program (0:57)

How Google initially pitched this
What Android One is today
Xiaomi’s Android One attempt
MIUI phones vs Xiaomi’s stock Android phone

The issues with Xiaomi Mi A1 (5:34)

Navigation
Proximity sensor
Buggy updates

Xiaomi Mi A2 (9:34)

Battery life
Camera
Performance
Specifications
Verdict

Xiaomi’s branding problem (20:26)

Redmi vs Mi phones
Xiaomi in the premium segment
Budget segment performance
Xiaomi’s most popular smartphones

Does Honor 9N Have What It Takes to Beat Redmi Note 5 Pro, Realme 1? Aug 02, 2018

Show notes

Honor 9N is the latest entry into the competitive budget Android phone market and reviewer Shobhit Varma joins host Pranay Parab to talk about this smartphone, with a mention of BlackBerry Evolve X and Evolve at the end of this episode.

Honor 9N (1:50)

Honor 9N design
- Display
- Colours
- Huawei and Honor’s design identity
- Honor 9 Lite pictures
- Earpiece
Honor 9N performance
- Processor
- Day-to-day usage
- What Honor can do to fix this
EMUI and software features
- Nifty addons
- Bloat
Camera
Battery life

BlackBerry Evolve X, Evolve (24:40)

Who owns BlackBerry now?
First impressions
The competition

Can Huawei Nova 3 Beat OnePlus 6 in India? Jul 26, 2018

Show notes

We talk about the Huawei Nova 3, which competes against the OnePlus 6 in India. Reviewers Roydon Cerejo and Aditya Shenoy join host Pranay Parab on this episode.

Huawei Nova 3 (1:00)

Cameras
Design
Hardware
Comparison with OnePlus 6
Other features
Should you buy the Nova 3?

Vivo Nex, Oppo Find X: Revolutionary Phones or Overpriced Prototypes? Jul 19, 2018

Show notes

We talk about two smartphones on the bleeding edge of technology: Vivo Nex and Oppo Find X as reviewers Ankit Chawla and Shobhit Varma join host Pranay Parab.

Pricing and market positioning (1:30)

Vivo Nex price
Oppo Find X price
Are these phones ready to take on iPhone, Pixel, and Galaxy flagships?

The compromises for “all-screen” tech (5:00)

Vivo X21: Future of Smartphones or Overpriced Gimmick?
Call quality
Ergonomics
Headphone jack
Pop-up camera

Software (13:40)

Color OS and Funtouch OS
The problems with custom Android versions
Updates?
The lack of polish in UI

Should you pay flagship prices for prototypes? (18:45)

In-display fingerprint scanner
Camera quality
Not waterproof

The pop-up camera (20:45)

Dust and water resistance?
Will it survive a drop or two?

Should Vivo launch a cheaper variant? (25:08)

The Vivo Nex A
Will it come to India?
Vivo and Oppo’s product lineup in India

Will Amazon Prime Day 2018 Be Bigger Than Amazon's Diwali Sale? Jul 11, 2018

Show notes

Gadgets 360's deals expert Harpreet Singh joins host Pranay Parab to talk about the discounts you can expect during the Amazon Prime Day 2018 sale, which starts July 16.

What to expect from Amazon Prime Day (1:30)

The products we think will go on sale
Delivery timelines
Digital content that becomes available

Does Amazon Prime Day sale offer the best deals? (7:10)

How to find the best deals
The biggest deal on offer
Comparison with Diwali sale discounts

What to watch out for and what to be wary of (12:05)

Common precautions to take
Common scams you can easily detect

How Amazon is preparing for Prime Day 2018 (19:45)

The focus on deliveries
Customer support

Will Asus Zenfone 5Z Force OnePlus to Slash the Price of OnePlus 6? Jul 05, 2018

Show notes

This episode centres around Asus Zenfone 5Z, Jio Phone 2, and Jio’s GigaFiber wired Internet service. Games editor Rishi Alwani and reviewer Aditya Shenoy join host Pranay Parab to discuss.

Jio Phone 2 (1:00)

Jio GigaFiber (19:41)

Jio GigaFiber announced
What we know about the service so far
How Jio plans to tackle ISP monopoly at the building level
The lack of details on pricing
Will GigaFiber disrupt broadband in India

Asus Zenfone 5Z (25:34)

How it stacks up against the OnePlus 6
Pricing and specifications
The “AI” features of the Zenfone 5Z
- Privacy concerns
- Battery charging features
- AI in camera
Camera comparison with OnePlus 6
Display and the lack of always-on
Asus’ aggressive pricing
- Is the Zenfone 5Z a flagship?
Performance
Storage variants
Contents of the box
The cons of the smartphone
- Android update schedule
- Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 review
- Availability
Flipkart exclusivity

After Prepaid, Is the Jio Effect Spreading to Postpaid? Jun 28, 2018

Show notes

Games editor Rishi Alwani joins host Pranay Parab to talk about Reliance Jio's Rs. 199 postpaid plan and Vodafone's Rs. 299 plan that offer over 20GB of data and might herald a crash in postpaid mobile data prices.

Postpaid mobile data plans in India

Reliance Jio’s 199 plan (2:45)
Vodafone’s 299 plan (5:20)
Mobile data speeds in India (10:00)
What to look forward to (17:16)

Is Redmi Y2 the Best Selfie Smartphone Under Rs. 10,000? Jun 21, 2018

Show notes

On this episode reviewer Aditya Shenoy joins host Pranay Parab to talk about the Xiaomi Redmi Y2, a selfie-focused smartphone.

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 (1:00)

What’s special about this phone?
- Xiaomi’s product roadmap
- Y2 variants and pricing
- Redmi Y1 vs Y2
- Where to buy this
- Why flash sales?
Performance (4:32)
- Benchmark scores
- Day-to-day use
- Gaming
- Software
  - MIUI vs stock Android
  - Updates
  - Advantages of MIUI
Design and build quality (8:48)
- Plastic feel
- Headphone jack
- IR blaster
- Looks
- Display quality
Selfie camera (10:38)
- Xiaomi competing with Oppo
- The selfie camera
- Diffused selfie flash
- Cameras and quality of photographs
The competition (14:37)
- Oppo Realme 1
- Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1
- Xiaomi’s own competing phones
Battery life (19:03)
- Specs vs optimisation

Is Moto G6 Better Than Realme 1, Redmi Note 5 Pro? Jun 14, 2018

Show notes

Reviewer Shobhit Varma joins host Pranay Parab to talk about three smartphones under Rs. 15,000 — Oppo Realme 1, Moto G6, and Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro — to help you decide which one to buy.

Introduction (1:00)