Samsung Galaxy A50s First Impressions And Zomato launches video streaming service to compete with Netflix, Amazon

Samsung Galaxy A50s First Impressions

Samsung Galaxy A50s stands out with its prism design and overall sleek profile.

The trend of launching mid-cycle upgrades with minor hardware tweaks is quickly gaining traction, as Smartphone makers race to offer the latest innovations to end-users. Samsung Galaxy A50s is the latest example of this strategy, with Samsung updating its mid-range Galaxy A-series and Galaxy M-series phones to keep up with rivals such as Realme, Xiaomi, and Vivo that are breathing down its neck. The Galaxy A50s builds over the Galaxy A50, which was launched back in February, and offers more powerful camera hardware, upgraded processor, appealing aesthetics, and Samsung Pay support. We got to spend some time with the Galaxy A50s and here are our first impressions.

The Samsung Galaxy A50s instantly grabs attention, thanks to the glossy rear panel that has a prism-like design. It has distinct regions that glisten in a different color when light falls on it from various angles. The Prism Crush Violet variant is the one you should pick for its brilliant reflective profile and flashy color scheme, but if you want a less ornate finish, the Prism Crush Black and Prism Crush White will serve you well.

The prism design stands out, but the glass-like rear panel is a smudge magnet and gets covered with fingerprint marks in no time, much like its predecessor. The build quality is solid, and the sleek profile ensures a comfortable grip. The curved rear panel meets the frame smoothly, giving the Galaxy A50s a more premium feel.

The new Samsung offering packs a 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity-U Display, which renders vibrant colors and has an impressive brightness output with good sunlight legibility. However, the in-display the fingerprint sensor was a bit slow compared to what we've seen on other phones in the same price bracket.

Samsung Galaxy A50s is powered by the 10nm Exynos 9611 SoC, which appears to be an updated version of the Exynos 9610 powering the Galaxy A50. The phone packs up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage, while One UI based on Android Pie handles things on the software side. Support for NFC-based Samsung Pay also separates the Galaxy A50s from the Galaxy A50.

We quite like the cleaner look of One UI, and in our brief experience, navigating through the UI, Web surfing, and multitasking was buttery smooth. We'll soon put the phone through its paces to find how well it handles gaming and intensive multitasking.

Samsung has also upgraded the Galaxy A50's camera hardware and fitted the phone with a 48-megapixel primary camera, up from the 25-megapixel snapper on the Galaxy A50. There is also an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The selfie camera has also been updated to a 32-megapixel sensor.

The company has added a Night Mode to the Galaxy A50s, which is a first for a mid-range Galaxy A-series phone, alongside a Super Steady mode for video recording. We will be comprehensively testing the camera to find out if the new sensors and the dedicated night mode make a tangible difference vis-à-vis the Galaxy A50. The Galaxy A50s comes equipped with a 4,000mAh battery and its retail package are bundled with a 15W fast charger, which is definitely a perk.

At a starting price of Rs. 22,999, the Galaxy A50s goes head-on with some well-received phones such as Redmi K20₹ 22,999 (Review), Poco F1₹ 18,449 (Review), and the Vivo V15 Pro₹ 23,990 (Review), to name a few. The overall package is a little underwhelming for the asking price, but we'll reserve the final verdict for our review as we extensively test the cameras, day-to-day performance, and battery life. Stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for our Galaxy A50s review arriving soon.

Zomato launches video streaming service to compete with Netflix, Amazon

Food delivery giant Zomato has recently launched its video streaming service. Its OTT service will allow users to watch food reviews, recipes, among others. The video streaming service may give a tough competition to Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hotstar. Initially, around 18 shows will broadcast from September 16 that will be available on the app.

On this new video platform of Zomato, users will get to see shows like comedy, reality, celebrity, and fiction in addition to food categories. Users will also be able to watch three to 15-minute videos of a sneak peek restaurant stories.

Zomato will provide over 2000 videos in its video streaming service. Indian users will be able to access Zomato Originals, sneak-peak recipe videos, among others. Its videos can only be accessed in India, while sneak-peek recipe videos can be accessed from any country of the world.

As per Zomato CEO, the video streaming feature is being added to make the app more engaging with the user's food interest. Videos of master chefs like Sanjeev Kapoor, Sumukhi Suresh, and Sahil Shah will be shown on the original recipe video of Zomato.

The food videos will be available in portrait mode to aid mobile viewers. "They are primarily shot in a vertical frame, which is ideal for app-based mobile viewing. The playlists will help you get started and binge your way through," said Zomato as quoted by YourStory.

All these videos will not be longer than 15 minutes. It will feature shows in both Hindi and English languages. Currently, the company has more than 70 million active users in India with a presence is almost 500+ Indian cities.