In an effort to address a recent oversight, OnePlus has announced that buyers of the higher storage configuration of the OnePlus 12R smartphone can now seek a full refund until mid-March. The company admitted to mistakenly listing the handset with UFS 4.0 storage instead of the intended UFS 3.1, which is consistent with the base storage option. Launched in tandem with the flagship OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 12R boasts a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 16GB of RAM, and storage options of up to 256GB.

Details Unveiled by OnePlus President and COO

Clarifying the situation further, Kinder Liu, President and COO of OnePlus, reiterated the company’s stance on the matter. Liu assured affected customers that those who purchased the 256GB storage variant of the OnePlus 12R are entitled to a full refund until March 16. Additionally, Liu emphasized that OnePlus’s customer service teams are fully briefed on the situation and ready to assist customers accordingly.

Refund Process Explained

According to Liu’s statement, buyers seeking a refund must contact OnePlus’ customer service to initiate the process. This one-month refund window, ending on March 16, allows buyers to return their OnePlus 12R handsets.

OnePlus 12R: A Bridge Between Affordability and Flagship Features

Introduced in global markets and India just last month, the OnePlus 12R ships with Android 14-based OxygenOS 14 out-of-the-box. It showcases a 6.78-inch LTPO 4.0 AMOLED Display with a 120Hz refresh rate, safeguarded by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Under the hood, it is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, accompanied by up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

Camera and Battery Specs

The OnePlus 12R boasts a 50-megapixel primary camera, which features a Sony IMX890 sensor. It also has an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2-megapixel Macro lens to complement the primary camera. For selfies, it has a 16-megapixel front camera. The phone is powered by a strong 5,000mAh battery that supports 100W SuperVOOC charging.

Take Away

OnePlus’ decision to offer full refunds demonstrates its commitment to customer satisfaction and transparency. The company’s swift response to rectify the situation underscores its dedication to maintaining trust and reliability among its user base.

Carl Pei, the tech entrepreneur known for co-founding OnePlus and now leading Nothing, is in the news with his recent social media persona shift. In a bid to connect with the Indian market ahead of the Nothing Phone 2A launch, Pei has adopted the moniker “Carl Bhai” (brother in Hindi), joined by his colleagues on the X social media platform.

Pei began the campaign on X after the speculations of Nothing India roping in Ranveer Singh as the brand ambassador started spreading. Pei replied to a user on X, “We want to sell more phones bhai,” when asked why a brand ambassador is needed for the brand. When one of the users replied that “Carl Pei becomes Carl Bhai”, that’s when Pei decided to add the moniker to his X profile name.

Soon after, Nothing India added the same to their profile name, followed by content creator SuperSaf and the other co-founder of Nothing. The campaign gained traction on the social networking site and soon came on the trending page as well.

Will the “Bhai” campaign work for Nothing?

Pei’s use of “bhai” is not merely a linguistic switch. It’s a calculated attempt to tap into the Indian cultural context and show the Indian audience that its upcoming smartphone launch has India as one of its key markets. By using familiar and friendly terms, Pei seeks to bridge the gap between foreign brands and Indian consumers.

The use of the term “bhai” makes Pei more relatable to the community. Further, the unexpected move has garnered significant online attention, creating free marketing and sparking discussions about Nothing’s India’s strategy. In addition, by adopting a local touch, Pei tries to portray himself as someone who understands the Indian market and its preferences.

Read More: Nothing Phone 2a Confirmed: Expected Features, Launch, and Price

While it may be a masterstroke in the marketing world, it could have negative implications, too. The move could be seen as inauthentic or pandering if not executed carefully. Overdoing the “bhai” persona might backfire. Ultimately, the phone’s features, price, and performance will hold more weight in purchase decisions than Pei’s online persona.

While the “Bhai” move might generate short-term buzz, its long-term impact on sales remains uncertain. Ultimately, the success of Nothing Phone 2A in India will depend on a combination of factors, including the phone’s value proposition, marketing efforts, and brand perception. If the phone doesn’t speak for itself at the time of launch, then it could go completely haywire no matter how effective the marketing effort is.

Former marketing tactics

Pei has always been a marketing genius for his specialities; in the past, he has adopted unconventional ways to promote his brand and products. In the case of Nothing, he began reviewing the competitors of the brand’s own products to garner attention. Moreover, to show the brand is taking feedback, Pei also watches other reviewers reviewing Nothing products to find out what they think about the offering.

One of the traditional ways Pei has followed with Nothing, which he also did with OnePlus, was the invite system in the initial days of the brand. The invite system to purchase a product creates not only hype but also exclusivity, which attracts people.

Samsung is set to expand its budget lineup of smartphones in India with the launch of a new model called ‘Galaxy F15’ soon. From the design to its specifications along with a launch date and a rumoured price range, everything about the Galaxy F15 has been detailed online in leaks. Here’s all that information compiled for you.

Galaxy F15: Launch Date

As per a Smartprix report, the Galaxy F15 will launch in India on February 22, the same day when the iQOO Neo 9 Pro will also be launched. Some teaser posters of the handset were also revealed, which showed the design of the handset to be similar to some of the former smartphones from the company.

Galaxy F15: Specifications

The Galaxy F15 could get a 6.5-inch full-HD+ (2,340 x 1,080 pixels) Super AMOLED Display with a refresh rate of 90Hz. An octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC and a Mali G57 GPU may power the phone.

It may come with a built-in storage of 128GB, which could support expansion. The phone will come with One UI 6 pre-loaded, which is based on Android 14. It should get 4 years of major OS upgrades along with 5 years of security patches.

The triple camera setup on the back may comprise of a 50-megapixel primary sensor with 10x magnification, a 5-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel camera with a macro sensor. The front camera has a 13-megapixel sensor.

The F15 may include a 6,000mAh battery that supports 25W wired fast charging. It further will get a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for security. Connectivity options could include Bluetooth v5.1, Wi-Fi 5, 5G, NFC, GPS and a USB-C port for charging.

Galaxy F15: Expected Price

The Samsung Galaxy F15 is expected to be priced aggressively in India with a price tag of below Rs 15,000. However, an official announcement from the brand is awaited.

For the average smartphone user, the difference between UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 storage might seem negligible. But for power users who demand the absolute best performance from their devices, the upgrade to UFS 4.0 is a significant leap forward. Let’s delve into the details of these storage standards and explore why UFS 4.0 is a game-changer for specific user groups.

What is UFS standard?

UFS stands for Universal Flash Storage, and it refers to a common flash storage standard used in electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices. UFS is designed to provide high-speed data transfer and reliable storage capabilities for these devices. The standard is governed by the JEDEC Solid State Technology Association, which sets industry standards for semiconductor devices.

UFS 3.1 vs UFS 4.0

The most apparent difference between UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 lies in their raw speed. UFS 4.0 boasts nearly double the sequential read and write speeds compared to its predecessor. In numbers, UFS 4.0 doubles the sequential read from 2.1GB/s to 4.2GB/s and more than doubles the sequential write to 2.8GB/s from 1.2GB/s. This results in some real-world improvements too, which include:

• Faster App loading and multitasking: UFS 4.0 allows apps to launch and switch between tasks noticeably faster, creating a smoother user experience.
• Reduced loading times in games and heavy applications: Professionals who rely on demanding apps like video editing software or mobile workstations will experience significant improvements in loading speeds.
• Faster file transfer: Transferring large files like 4K videos or high-resolution photos will be significantly quicker with UFS 4.0.

UFS 4.0 isn’t just about raw speed but also about improved efficiency across the board. It also boasts impressive improvements in power efficiency, consuming 46% less power than UFS 3.1. This translates to extended battery life, especially for users who heavily utilize their storage. Additionally, UFS 4.0 introduces newer features over UFS 3.1 like host performance counters and data consistency guarantees, enhancing data integrity and security.

Read More: OnePlus Apologises For OnePlus 12R Goofup!

Why is UFS 4.0 a big deal for some users?

While UFS 4.0 offers benefits for all users, it particularly caters to specific groups who regularly perform demanding tasks that require higher power. This includes mobile gamers who demand smooth gameplay without frame drops or stuttering will appreciate the faster loading times and improved responsiveness of UFS 4.0.

Then there are creative professionals who work with large files, such as videographers, photographers, and graphic designers, will benefit from the significant speed boost in file transfer and app loading. Finally, there are early adopters and tech enthusiasts who crave the latest and greatest technology will find the performance gains of UFS 4.0 appealing.

Verdict

For casual users, such as those who primarily use their phones for basic tasks such as browsing the web, checking email, and social media, the difference between UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 may not be very noticeable. However, for power users who prioritize speed, performance, and efficiency, UFS 4.0 represents a significant upgrade. As more devices adopt this new standard, the gap between UFS 3.1 and UFS 4.0 will likely widen, making UFS 4.0 the preferred choice for future-proof performance.

Honor, along with its Honor X9b and other launches, also revealed a new website for Indian consumers at the address “ExploreHonor.com”. This new website offers users all the information about the latest launches from the brand and, most importantly, the correct information, as per Madhav Sheth, CEO of HTech, brand licence of Honor in India.

In an interaction with The Mobile India, Sheth said, “Our website will offer users the correct information” when asked whether the website would offer any exclusive content to the users. This statement looks quite loaded in the wake of recent controversy surrounding OnePlus.

For those unaware, OnePlus recently got involved in a controversy where it wrongly mentioned the storage of the 256GB model of the OnePlus 12R as UFS 4.0 on its website, whereas in reality, it was the older UFS 3.1 storage. The brand apologised for the miscommunication and asked existing buyers and those who pre-ordered the device to contact customer support for a solution.

Read More: Honor X9b vs Poco X6 Pro 5G: Which One Should You Buy?

Coming back to Honor, Sheth also confirmed that the company is currently evaluating the market to find out which Honor Magic series smartphone would be the ideal one for the Indian region. Honor Magic series consists of the brand’s top-end set of flagship smartphones, the latest addition to which was the Honor Magic 6 and the Honor Magic 6 Pro.

Sheth also said the brand is currently focusing on a leaner distribution in the offline market as of now because “the customer would have to bear any costs associated with expanding offline”.

Aside from these, Madhav also told us about the Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0 release timeline in India for the Honor 90 and the Honor X9b. Finally, he also confirmed the reason behind not offering the charger inside the box of the Honor X9b.

Honor launched its second smartphone in India after its return to the country’s market, and similar to the first one, even the Honor X9b doesn’t come with a charger included in the box. Here we are with an answer for you as to what’s the reason behind not offering a charger within the box of Honor X9b and instead offering it separately to the users.

In an interview with The Mobile Indian, Honor CEO Madhav Sheth conveyed that as the Honor X9b is currently being imported to India, its chargers aren’t suitable for the Indian voltage system. As a result, the brand has developed 35W chip-based chargers in India that are suitable for the market’s voltage system and work efficiently here. Due to this reason, the charger is being offered to the consumer separately out of the box and free of cost.

When asked about the Make in India program, Sheth said, “We have already begun localisation of production with the smartphone chargers, and we have a roadmap ready for the production of the rest of the parts”. However, Sheth didn’t share any exact plans for when Honor will begin producing smartphones in India.

As for the battery-related stats of the Honor X9b, we confirmed in our review that the handset is surely a battery champ. It packs a 5800mAh battery with 35W fast wired charging. Thanks to its large battery capacity and decent optimisation, the Honor X9b can easily last for a day or even two, depending on your usage. The charging time is decent but not the best, as it takes 1.5 hours to charge from 10 to 100%.

Aside from this, the Honor executive also confirmed to us that it will be releasing the Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0 update for the Honor 90 and the Honor X9b soon in India.

Since Honor made a comeback to India back in September of 2023, the brand has launched two devices, the Honor 90 and the Honor X9b, both of which run on Android 13-based Magic OS 7.1 and Magic OS 7.2, respectively. The brand’s CEO has confirmed that Honor 90 and Honor X9b will soon receive their next major OS upgrade, the Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0, in India.

Honor India CEO Madhav Sheth said to The Mobile Indian in an interview that Honor 90 and Honor X9b will get the Android 14-based Magic OS 8.0 update in India sometime during Q2 of 2024. In addition, Sheth also confirmed that a video calling feature in Honor 90 is available within the OS but hasn’t been enabled.

”We want to ensure that the users receive updates that are stable and secure at the same time. As of now, we have to make sure that the updates being pushed out comply with the regulations for enhanced privacy of the users”. In comparison, Honor 90 is slated to receive the said update in March in China.

Read More: Honor 90 Review: The comeback phone

If compared with the competition, most of the brands have already pushed out their Android 14-based updates to their respective devices within the same price range as Honor 90, for instance, the iQOO Neo 7 Pro and the Nothing Phone (2). However, we agree with the brand that the update shouldn’t be pushed out in a rush and should keep in mind the user’s privacy and security.

As for the features in Magic OS 8.0, it comes with MagicLM, HONOR’s Proprietary on-device AI large language model, which operates at a platform level. Optimised in a collaborative effort between HONOR and Qualcomm, the seven-billion-parameter MagicLM runs smoothly and efficiently on the Snapdragon 8 Gen3, contributing to a more personalised, intuitive and secure experience.

With MagicOS 8.0, HONOR also introduced Magic Portal, an intent-based shortcut recommendation feature that lets users seamlessly switch and access services between apps and devices with a simple swipe. In safeguarding privacy and security, MagicOS 8.0 introduces system-wide Parallel Spaces and adds bar smartphones to the list of supported devices. Images and files can also be loaded into the private space through Magic Portal.