[dragonfire]

Originally Posted by nova.19_exe

From what I read, the explosion was due to post accidental phone impact on the road, causing damage to the battery, and exploding

Man, now I'm scared.. I'm gonna keep my phone in my bag next time I'm on a bike or something

The phones with metal casings are a bit safer in this aspect if I am not wrong. Alas all manufacturers have shifted to glass and plastic for the sake of supporting wireless charging.

Am also wary about those huge powerbanks with plastic shells. Better to stick to powerbanks with metal casings eventhough they are heavier.

[Venkatesh]

Xiaomi India has launched the Redmi Note series, first sale on 13th Dec.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Ha ha, vegan leather.

Better marketing points than fake

[dragonfire]

Originally Posted by fiat_tarun

While it was very pocketable, when folded it was thicker than a normal phone, so you need to account for that.

Apart from the coolness factor, i have felt that flip phones provide zero utility. Saving vertical space in the pocket provides no additional benefit when the phone becomes too thick when folded.

Fold phones too are rather too thick for my liking, but at least they become a tablet when unfolded, which is nice if you want to read or use productivity apps.

[IamNikhil]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Ha ha, vegan leather.

Better marketing points than fake

A small brand called Infinix has been flaunting this so-called "Vegan Leather" on a series of their phones for about a couple of years now,

[Oxy]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Xiaomi India has launched the Redmi Note series, first sale on 13th Dec.

Ignore everything else, you get UFS 2.2 storage even in the highest variant of the 14 Pro+ which costs 35k. Not sure what Xiaomi is smoking! I would recommend to stay far away from this one.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

I think I'm going to squeeze the remaining life out of my 4a and then get one of the 'smaller' newer Pixels to replace it...

I was walking by the Google service center @ 1 MG Rd mall, and casually enquired what a battery swap would cost me.

Turns out, nothing! Mind you, it's a 3-year-old, out-of-warranty device and they owe me nothing.

'Hand over the phone. Come back in an hour'.

Ain't that sweet!

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

Turns out, nothing! Mind you, it's a 3-year-old, out-of-warranty device and they owe me nothing.

I don't get this. Why would they replace battery for free? Some kind of Christmas goodwill/PR exercise by Google?

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

I don't get this. Why would they replace battery for free? Some kind of Christmas goodwill/PR exercise by Google?

I don't know. I went in expecting to pay a reasonable amount.

They do offer free replacements for bulged batteries on all devices. There was nothing wrong with mine, just reduced life with usage. I told them as much, they didn't seem to care.

Invoice shows 100% discount on part and labor. They didn't charge me their diagnostic/estimation fee either.

[Turbanator]

Definitely a PR exercise, I'm sure Chetan's next phone will be a Pixel. Multiply the number of readers of the above posts here or on any other platform he will post on and this expense of a thousand odd Rupees (battery will go back to the vendor and reduced fix labour should be the true cost)

Google must have decided to spend a part of its advertisement budget to improve (exceed) customers' expectations. Makes total sense when you have to take a giant like Samsung

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Definitely a PR exercise...

In a world full of corporations looking for any excuse to wash their hands off even genuine warranty claims - often after selling customers expensive add-on 'protection' plans on top of devices that already cost a small fortune - it's a pleasant surprise to get support on an old 'budget' device.

PR exercise with actual value to end customer, that's something I can get behind.

P.S. It isn't a new thing with them either. My phone needed a back panel replacement under warranty in its first year. Phone picked up & dropped back home within a week. Completely fuss free experience (Google Support did need a little talking-to, before the chap who called accepted it wasn't user-inflicted damage).

[humyum]

Samsung would not honour any warranty even if their phones blew up and it was out of warranty by a few hours. Kudos to Google for doing this.

[kiramisu]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Xiaomi India has launched the Redmi Note series

Redmi Note series used to be an instant pick when it comes to budget phones that pack a bang. It is no longer the case after Redmi Note 10 series and better alternatives are available in the market

[Venkatesh]

OnePlus 13 series to debut on January 7, 2025.

OnePlus 13, 13R and Buds 3 Pro





Link

[IamNikhil]

Bought the Google Pixel 9 Pro (Obsidian) for my Mother. After the pink/green line issue with the Samsung S21 FE, she was sure she did not want another Samsung. Stretched my budget a little and ultimately bought the Pixel after much research.

The phone feels sturdy and compact in the hand and she is especially liking the looks. The clean UI and sleek animations are quite nice too. Since she uses 2 numbers, converted the Jio into an e-Sim and retained the physical Sim for Airtel. No issues with mobile connectivity. The phone did heat up quite a bit for the initial couple of days, but that's mostly owing to setup and the phone sort of getting used to the usage pattern.

Purchased a Spigen screen protector, which is definitely expensive but seems to be the only one without any issues with the fingerprint reader on the screen. Also purchased a Riggear clear TPU case from Amazon.