APEX TECH REVIEWS

 The mid-ranged mar­ket is bustling, and we have never seen this level of competition. Even high-end phone manufactures like Oppo, Huawei and Vivo have joined in on the fun with very compet­itive devices, even as industry veterans like Xiaomi and OnePlus have retained their con­trol. The battle between companies completely focused on the mid-ranged market and those who’ve only just started competing has been to the consumer’s benefit. Here we look at some of these mid-range devices

Vivo Y81

price: Rs 24,190

 2018 has been the year of bezel-less dis­plays with high-end iPhone, Samsung Galaxy and Hua­wei phones touting phones with minimal borders. Fortunately, because of the popu­larity of this feature, it has trickled down to the mid-ranged mar­ket too. Which is also why the bezel-less 6.22 inch screen on the device is its crowning glory. The tall 19:9 aspect ratio screen is bright, vibrant and sharp; the hardware supporting the device underneath doesn’t disappoint either. The device is powered by the mid-ranged pro­cessor the Helios P22 and comes with the latest Android Oreo, with Vivo’s own Funtouch OS skin on top. The processor is supported by 3GB of RAM and comes with a decent storage of 32 GB (with the added benefit of expansion). The 3260 mAh battery should be ample enough for daily use as well.

Huawei Y9

Price: Rs 34,900

The Huawei Y9 is an upgrade to the smartphone released just a few months ago. Touted the Huawei Y9 2019, it is evident that the company wants this smartphone to be relevant for the bet­ter part of next year. We don’t know about the future but right now, the Y9 is surely one of the hottest mid-ranged devices. While the Y9 also features a bezel-less front screen, the internals are what inspire the most. The phone has a good cam­era, and dual lenses 16MP lenses, with an additional augment in the form of an AI support. The screen on the device is a tall 6.5 inch display that outputs a full HD image of 1080 x 2340 px. The phone is pow­ered by Huawei’s in house CPU, the HiSilicon Kirin 710, supported by 4 or 6 GB of RAM and 64 or 128 GB of storage which can be expanded externally. Powered by a high capacity 4000 mAh battery, the Huawei Y9 is an excellent device for the price.

Xiaomi Redmi 6

 Price: Rs 18,490 (64 GB)

 The Redmi line from Xiaomi has always offered great value for money. They’ve been called ‘the king of bud­get phone’ and the brand name alone is enough to spark inter­est among people looking for a decently priced smartphone. The Redmi 6 does not disappoint with a Helio P22 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32 or 64 GB of internal storage. While the device does not have the flair of a bezel-less display, the 5.45 inch panel is a good performer regard­less. The device also comes with a dual lens 12 MP camera at the rear and is sup­ported by a decent 3,000 mAh battery. This device offers great value for money and should definitely be considered if you’re looking for a low cost option.