HP Chromebook 13 G1 Launched With MacBook-Like Aluminium Body 

TL;DR

• HP Chromebook 13 G1 starts at $499 for base model.
• It comes in full-HD, QHD display options and Intel Core M SoCs.
• Its dual audio speakers are powered by Band & Olufsen Play tech.

HP has released several Chromebooks till date, and it seems the venerable PC maker has no intentions to stop just yet. The company in collaboration with Google on Thursday launched its latest Chromebook 13 laptop, the Chromebook 13 G1, priced at $499 (roughly Rs. 33,200) for the base model. It is listed on HP's US website, and is said to go on sale this month.

Looking at the Chromebook 13 G1's design, which boasts of a brushed anodised aluminium body along with the HP's glossy iconic logo, it's hard not to see the similarities with Apple's 12-inch MacBook. It even bears USB Type-C ports, and no Ethernet port. It weighs in at 1.29 kgs, and measures 319.9x219.6x12.9mm, which is thinner than the 13.1mm Apple MacBook - the MacBook is lighter however, at 0.92 kgs.

HP claims the business-ready laptop is 'ultra-thin' and features several security apps to protect sensitive data. It's also claimed to have the "first docking solution for a Chromebook", which enables the laptop to power dual-HD displays, access wired networks, and more conveniently charge devices with the increased number of USB Type-C ports the optional HP Elite USB-C Docking Station offers.

The Chrome OS-running Chromebook 13 G1 features a 13.3-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) resolution anti-glare display. It also comes in a QHD+ (1800x3200 pixels) resolution display option as well. Under-the-hood the laptop can pack sixth generation Intel Core M processors (Core M3, Core M5, Core M7) or the Intel Pentium 4405Y SoC, clubbed with up to 16GB of LPDDR3 1866MHz RAM and Intel HD Graphics 515 GPU.

The metal Chromebook 13 G1 houses 32GB eMMC 5.0 inbuilt storage along with a HP TrueVision HD webcam for video calls. On the connectivity front, the latest Chromebook bears 2 USB Type-C (USB 3.1) ports, a USB Type-A (USB 3.1) port, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, and Bluetooth 4.2. The keyboard is in full-sized backlit design with touchpad and multi-gesture support.

The HP Chromebook 13 G1 is backed by a 45Wh Li-ion battery. In the full-HD display model, the battery is said to run for 11.5 hours - similar to Apple's rating for the MacBook. One of the highlights of the Chromebook is that its dual audio speakers are powered by Band & Olufsen Play tech. Some of the free accessories buyers will be receiving along with the Chromebook 13 G1 are HP Elite USB-C Docking Station, HP Slim Ultrabook professional top load case, USB Type-C to HDMI adapter, USB Type-C to VGA adapter, and USB Type-C to USB 3.0 and DP adapter.

As mentioned above, the base model comes at $499 (roughly Rs. 33,200), while based on processor, RAM, and display it also comes in $599 (roughly Rs. 39,800), $819 (roughly Rs. 54,400) and $1,029 (roughly Rs. 68,400) variants.

Xiaomi Mi 5 to Be Available in Open Sale in India on May 4

TL;DR

• The Mi 5 will be available via Mi.com.
• Like before, the Mi 5 will come at Rs. 24,999.
• The 20000mAh Mi Power Bank is the highest capacity power bank from Xiaomi.

Xiaomi has announced that its flagship Mi 5 smartphone will be available in open sale on May 4 in India. The smartphone wasannounced in March and was available via the company's flash sale model. Apart from the flagship smartphone, the 20000mAh Power Bank will be also available via the company's Mi.com website without registrations. To recall, the Mi 5 was made available in an open sale in India with the Redmi Note 3 earlier this week.

(Also see: Xiaomi Mi 5 Review)

Getting back to the Xiaomi Mi 5, readers should note that the company has only brought a single variant of the smartphone in India, what was unveiled as the 'standard edition' in China, featuring 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. It has been priced at Rs. 24,999. Notably, while the smartphone is only available via Mi.com for now, the company says it will be made available via its e-commerce partners a few weeks later.

The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM card) Xiaomi Mi 5 features a 5.15-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) with curved 3D Ceramic glass, and a pixel density of 428ppi. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor coupled with Adreno 530 GPU. It sports a 16-megapixel Sony IMX298 camera sensor with PDAF (phase detection autofocus) and LED flash. The rear camera also sports 4-axis OIS (optical image stabilisation) and sapphire glass protection lens.

The smartphone supports 4K video recording. It also sports a 4-megapixel front camera, with 2-micron pixels. Both cameras feature an f/2.0 aperture. It measures 144.5x69.2x7.25mm and weighs 129 grams. The Mi 5 packs a 3000mAh battery and supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. The company says that the Quick Charge 3.0 is 20 percent faster than its predecessor, the Quick Charge 2.0. Also on board is a USB Type-C port. Connectivity options include VoLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/ac, 4G, Bluetooth 4.2, Glonass, and NFC.

On the other hand, the 20000mAh Mi Power Bank will be the highest capacity power bank from Xiaomi to be available in India. It supports fast charging and takes up to 7 hours to fully charge. As before, it will be available at Rs. 1,699.

Download the Gadgets 360 app for Android and iOS to stay up to date with the latest tech news, product reviews, and exclusive deals on the popular mobiles.

Xiaomi Mi 5

R 24999

• REVIEW
• KEY SPECS
• NEWS

• Design
• Display
• Software
• Performance
• Battery life
• Camera
• Value for money

• Good
• Good design
• Decent camera quality
• Blazing fast performance
• Great battery life
• Good fingerprint sensor
• Excellent value-for-money

• Bad
• No expandable storage
• Higher storage variants not available at launch
• Some unusual UI customisations
• Flash sale model makes it hard to buy

Read detailed Xiaomi Mi 5 review

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Airtel's New International Roaming Packs Offer Free Incoming Calls, Data 

TL;DR

• Airtel Smart Pack users will get mobile data and free incoming calls.
• Airtel's Smart Packs available for Singapore, Thailand, UAE, UK, US.
• New packs are targeted at frequent international travellers.

Airtel on Tuesday launched new international packs dubbed Smart Packs for its subscribers. The company claimed that the new packs will save the user from hassle of carrying an additional SIM card on international trips. Under the new Smart Packs, Airtel users will get free incoming calls as well as data while using international roaming in select countries.

"Airtel Smart Packs offer free incoming calls and provide up to 200 percent more data benefits than competing packs, so that customer are always connected without having to worry about bill shocks," the company said in an emailed statement.

Airtel says that the Smart Packs can be activated via the company's website or myAirtel app, as well as customer care. The company stresses that customers can activate the Smart Packs at any time but will need to pay only when they actually use them.

The Smart Pack is available for select countries including Singapore, Thailand, the UAE, the UK, and the US. The Smart Pack will offer free incoming calls and up to 3GB free data (up to 1GB free data in case of Thailand) when travelling to these countries.

Airtel's Smart Packs are available at Rs. 2,499 for travellers going to Singapore and Thailand in which they will get 299 free minutes of calling to India, SMS charges (local and to India) at Rs. 10; outgoing local or to India at Rs. 10 per minute, and data post pack at Rs. 10 per MB. Smart Packs for the UK and the US are priced at Rs. 4,999 and will offer 399 free minutes of calling to India; SMS charges (local and to India) at Rs. 10; outgoing call (local and to India) at Rs. 10 per minute, and data post pack at Rs. 10 per MB. The Smart Pack for UAE has been priced at Rs. 3,999 and will offer up to 100 minutes free incoming calls; 399 free minutes to India. Rest of the SMS charges, outgoing, and data charges post pack are same as other Smart Packs. The validity of all the Smart Packs are 30 days.

Announcing the new Smart Packs, Srinivasan Gopalan, Director, Consumer Business, Bharti Airtel India and South Asia said, "At Airtel, our constant endeavour is to bring better value and convenience to our customers through innovative product solutions. Our research has shown that when it comes to international roaming, the customer is looking for the convenience of carrying the same number without having to worry about billing shocks. Our new international roaming Smart Packs are aimed addressing this need gap and set a new industry benchmark."