Asphalt 9 for Android and iOS Could Be the Best Mobile Racing Game Yet

Asphalt 9: Legends for Android and iOS is the latest in the long-running series of racing games from Gameloft. It’s currently in soft-launch in the Philippines, Thailand, and France. Asphalt 9 download size is around 1.3GB on Android and iOS. While Asphalt 9 is not available in India officially, we’ve managed to check it out on a OnePlus 6 and an iPhone 6s to give you an idea of what to expect when it’s finally out in India.

First up, Asphalt 9 looked fantastic on both smartphones - from highly detailed car models complete with reflections and incidental details like meters on the dashboard to the tracks themselves with snow and water effects in full view. Be it the snowcapped peaks of the Himalayas to the gloomy wet roads of Scotland, every single inch of Asphalt 9 is spectacular.

Even insignificant bits like tires heating up when applying the breaks to the dust that’s kicked up when you use nitrous to boost through the game, it’s obvious that developer Gameloft Barcelona has spared no expense in making Asphalt 9 gorgeous, which is an impressive feat when you consider how visually stunning Asphalt 8 is.

However, graphics aren’t the only area that’s seen an upgrade. Asphalt 9 gameplay has seen some interesting changes versus Asphalt 8. You can double tap the left side of the screen to spin your car, allowing you push your opponents off the track. Double tapping the right side of the screen uses your nitro to send out a purple pulse that makes your ride invincible. If you tap the right side of the screen when the nitro bar is blue, you earn points for pulling off what the game calls a Perfect Nitro, increasing your score. It’s similar to Gears of War’s Active Reload mechanic.

Google Pixel Leaked Renders Tip No Dual Cameras and 3.5mm Jack

Google Pixel's successor will expectedly be unveiled by the search giant later this year but the renders of the smartphone have now been leaked on the Internet. While the earlier leaked images suggested that Pixel XL will come with narrow bezels much like modern flagship Android smartphones, the new renders indicate that the regular variant of the smartphone will come with the same wide bezels as the last year's model. Sadly, the 3.5mm headphone jack might also not be making its way to this year's models of Google Pixel as well.

Venture Beat's Evan Blass has shared renders of Google Pixel's 2017 model, aka Google Pixel 2, which suggest that the smartphone will not come with several features that are usually associated with modern flagship Android smartphones. In the shared renders, we can see that apart from thick bezels, there is no dual camera setup.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 Render Image Leaked, Dual Camera Details Tipped

While Samsung has announced that it will officially unveil the Galaxy Note 8 on August 23, the render images of the smartphone are continuing to pop up on the Internet ahead of the event. The newly leaked image of the next Galaxy Note series flagship suggests a similar design to previous leaks but the possible details regarding the camera on the handset have also been revealed by the company.

First talking about the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 render, the image leaked by credible tipster Evan Blass aka @evleaks shows the alleged smartphone in Midnight Black colour. As Samsung said "Do bigger things" in its invite images, a slightly bigger 6.3-inch Infinity Display (narrow bezels and taller-than-usual frame) is expected on the smartphone. The leaked image show a similar design to Galaxy S8 on the front but suggests that the Galaxy Note 8 will have slightly squarish edges.

Nokia 3 Review

The Nokia 3, the most affordable of the three new Nokia-branded Android smartphones, was launched in India last month. It is the first smartphone with the Nokia name to hit the Indian market in a long time, but it's worth pointing out that it hasn't been manufactured by Nokia itself. The company that once dominated global smartphone sales is getting a second shot at the mobile business thanks to a brand licensing agreement with HMD Global, a Helsinki-based company run largely by former Nokia and Microsoft employees. As per the deal announced last year, HMD Global has an exclusive global license to create and sell Nokia-branded phones for 10 years. The company has been betting heavily on the Nokia brand's power, and fans have been looking forward to the devices which are now finally here.

The rebooted Nokia 3310 was the first to be made available in India and received mixed response. The other two Android smartphones are the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6, which are yet to be made available in India. These four Nokia phones were the biggest announcements at MWC 2017, but it will only translate into sales if the products are good enough.

HMD Global has been marketing the Nokia 3 to buyers looking for a good design and "pure Android with regular updates" at a budget price. The Nokia 3 has been priced aggressively to take on the some of the heavyweights in the Indian market. However, it will have a tough fight ahead of it, as HMD Global needs to find its place in the Indian market and compete with popular phones like the Xiaomi Redmi 4, Moto G5, and Yu Yureka Black. The Nokia 3 is being marketed as the "Android phone with all the smartphone essentials" but will that be enough? We take a look.