Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

<ul><li><keyword id="6151051" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tencent-Games">Tencent Games</keyword> and PUBG Group announce <keyword id="7818414" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pubg-mobile-india-tour">PUBG Mobile India Tour</keyword>, a multi-city tournament for mobile gamers </li><li>The Mobile India tour has a prize pool of ₹15 million </li><li>Regional events are scheduled in Jaipur, Guwahati, Pune &amp; Vizag with the Grand Finale in Kolkata </li></ul>The biggest gaming company in the world <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-biggest-video-game-company-in-the-world-has-pulled-a-blockbuster-game-in-china-replacing-it-with-a-patriotic-version-where-players-wave-when-they-die/articleshow/69238082.cms">Tencent Gaming</a> and PUBG Group are set to unveil the Oppo <keyword id="7307958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PUBG-Mobile-India">PUBG Mobile India</keyword> tour, a multi-city gaming tournament with a prize pool of ₹15 million. The event <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA5fGkN3YII">kicked off</a> on July 1st, with the regional heats scheduled in Jaipur, Guwahati, Pune and Vizag and a grand finale in Kolkata in October. The contest is open to Indian residents who have a Platinum 5 (Level 20) PUBG mobile account. While there are no restrictions to the number of players registering in a group, the number of registrations by an individual participant is limited to one. The squad members of a team are not restricted by geographical region and can hail from any city across India. Here's how to get in on the action In the squad-only format, the matches will be played across four maps spread over various rounds, with a mix of both first-person and third-person gaming modes. Based on the points secured by the registered squads during this in-game qualifier phase, the top 500 teams from each group will be selected for the 'Online Playoffs'. This pool will be further filtered to 20 of the best teams across groups, who will compete at the group finals. The Top 4 teams from each group will receive direct promotions to the grand finale of the India Tour. The newly introduced wild-card round will allow the top 64 teams (16 teams from each group final) eliminated during the online playoffs to receive another opportunity to prove their might. 4 squads from the wild-card round will make it to the grand finale. <div type="Youtube" id="SA5fGkN3YII" title="OPPO X PUBG MOBILE India Tour - How to register &amp; Join a Squad!" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SA5fGkN3YII/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

 Show me the money With a total cash pool of ₹15 million, the top ranking team wins ₹5 million while the first and second runners-up walk away with ₹2 million and ₹1 million, respectively. Cash prizes will also be awarded to all the teams who make it to the finale. Players who qualify for Group Final and Grand Finals will receive a total of ₹2.5 million in logistical support. Group Finalists will also receive ₹1 million worth of PUBG MOBILE merchandise. The most popular teams, as voted by the public, will receive ₹1 million as well. There are also individual awards with cash prizes ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹100,000 for achievements such as the highest damage score, maximum foot travel, squad with most kills and players with most headshots, to name a few. Aneesh Aravind, General Manager for Tencent in India said they want to develop eSports in the country and Tencent are collaborating with YouTube and Facebook content creators to stream the matches live. He also added that "by bringing the finals to 5 cities we are hoping to engage and excite our player base across India and make PMIT, uniquely Indian." Rules and regulations for each phase of the tournament can be found <a href="http://www.pubgmobile.in/esports/indiatour2019/#/termsAndEngagement/:General_Rules">here</a>. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pubg-gamer-in-india-salary-sponsorships-and-opporutnities/articleshow/69952705.cms">Here's what it's like to be a gamer in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pubg-ban-leads-to-arrests-in-rajkot-india/articleshow/68404164.cms">Teens are getting arrested for playing PUBG in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/pubg-ban-india-healthy-gaming-experience-proposed/articleshow/68058605.cms">Faced with ban threats, PUBG is trying to placate Indian parents and the government</a>

PUBG announces Mobile India Tour with a prize pool of ₹15 million

<ul><li>Esports has always been present in India since the days of the Defence Against the Ancients (DOTA) but it's booming to a whole new level with the advent of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) making its foray into the country.</li><li>More and more players are taking up gaming professionally but it's not as lucrative as one would expect and parents still want their kids to keep their grades up in case esports doesn't work out. </li><li>Business Insider India spoke to two previous winners of PUBG Mobile competitions in the country to find out what it's like to be a gamer in India.</li></ul> PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has been sweeping over India. And in June, the game crossed 400 million downloads reaching 50 million daily active users (DAUs). The esports industry is also hot on the track — expected to cross $1 billion in the next two years according to <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/tech/expect-indian-gaming-industry-to-cross-1-billion-within-two-years-says-google-2164255.html">Google</a> — with numerous competitions opening up the possibility of <keyword id="2466005" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Professional-Gaming">professional gaming</keyword> for PUBG players in the country. Business Insider India spoke to Mehul Dey, winning team member for Terrifying Nightmares who won the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge 2018, and Naman Sandeep Mathur — popularly known as Mortal on YouTube — from <keyword id="7799655" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="team-soul">Team SOUL</keyword>, winner of PUBG Mobile Championship Open (PMCO), to get some insight into the world of gaming. Here’s what it’s like to be a gamer in India:

Here’s what it’s like to be a gamer in India

<ul><li>The Indian government banned 118 Chinese mobile applications on Wednesday, including Tencent’s PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG). </li><li>PUBG is one of the primary catalysts behind the boom in the gaming industry in India.</li><li><keyword id="9873701" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="professional-pubg-gamers">Professional PUBG gamers</keyword> now have to decide whether to choose a new game or regress to their back up options.</li></ul>PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a big part of the gaming industry boom in India. Now, with the Indian government banning the Tencent-owned game under the shadow of border tension with China, professional gamers who were betting on PUBG for their livelihood are left wondering what’s next. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="77890776" title="India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> “It’s absolutely shocking and too sudden to even comprehend or react,” professional PUBG gamer Mehul Dey told Business Insider. Sakriya Puri — a member of The Terrifying Nightmares squad — believes that gamers will either have to choose another game or regress to their back up plans. Neither solution is a quick fix. Learning all the tips and tricks of a new game to reach a level where you can professionally compete takes time. Looking for alternative employment options in the nine-to-five arena has its own risks with companies going slow on new hiring under the uncertain economic circumstances. Can Indian <keyword id="7473236" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="pubg-gamers">PUBG gamers</keyword> still compete? Professional PUBG gamers in India generally earn anywhere between <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/tech/heres-what-its-like-to-be-a-gamer-in-india/slidelist/69952389.cms#slideid=69952659">₹5,000 to ₹45,000</a> per month once they sign up with an esports company. The main chunk of their earnings come from winning tournaments like the PUBG Mobile Championship Open (PMCO) and the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge (PMSC) with grand prizes that go up to $2 million. “It was not easy for people to believe that Gaming or Esports could also be chosen as a profession but now everyone was considering it to be a career because of PUBG that the gaming scenario was brought out to such a huge audience,” explained Puri. PUBG is yet to issue a statement on the future of PUBG tournaments in India. If the government blocks PUBG on Indian IP addresses, as they did with Chinese mobile apps, which were banned in the first list, then competing won’t be possible. Even if one were to use a VPN to access the game, it would slow down reaction times and put Indian gamers at a disadvantage against their peers. “People outside will have a better ping advantage over us, which will make it very difficult for us to win or even give good competition,” said Dey. Should PUBG gamers migrate to alternatives like Fortnite or Garena Free Fire? If a gamer is signed up with a particular Esports company, it’s possible that may shift towards another game. However, not everyone is necessarily in the mood to do so. “Being so closely associated with the game it's really hard for me to make any decision towards any other game,” said Dey. For those who’re on their own, shifting gears will be harder. “Every gamer should definitely have a backup plan in my opinion because the community and the industry is too small for everyone to get an opportunity,” said Puri. The massively popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is among the 118 apps that the Indian government banned amid border tension with China. For India, the move means keeping the data of Indian users within Indian borders. But for professional gamers, it could possibly mean looking at alternative careers. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/rise-in-work-from-anywhere-will-lead-to-more-outsourcing-thats-an-opportunity-for-tcs-infosys-and-hcl-tech/articleshow/77864248.cms">TCS, Infosys and HCL Tech have the most to gain from post COVID wave of outsourcing</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/india-bans-pubg-wechat-and-118-other-mobile-applications/articleshow/77890776.cms">India bans PUBG, Ludo World, and 116 other Chinese mobile applications</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-twitter-account-hacked-heres-what-the-hacker-had-tweeted/articleshow/77902203.cms">Twitter account of PM Modi’s personal website hacked— Here’s what the hacker had tweeted</a>

Professional PUBG gamers left in the lurch as Indian government bans Tencent’s iconic battle royale game

<ul><li><keyword id="11197652" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="battlegrounds-mobile-india">Battlegrounds Mobile India</keyword> 1.5 update is now rolling out.</li><li>The big announcement of the update is the <keyword id="107096" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tesla">Tesla</keyword> partnership, which lets you drive a Tesla Model Y car in the game.</li><li>You can also watch how the Model Y is manufactured from start to finish.</li><li><keyword id="10155974" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="krafton">Krafton</keyword> has also added Mission Ignition mode in Erangel, a new weapon and more.</li></ul>After <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-to-watch-battlegrounds-mobile-india-launch-party-on-july-8/articleshow/84199369.cms">celebrating its launch party</a> on July 8 and 9, Krafton has updated <keyword id="11213261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="battlegrounds-mobile">Battlegrounds Mobile</keyword> India with an interesting new addition – the Tesla Model Y car and Gigafactory. This is a part of Krafton’s partnership with Elon Musk’s Tesla, giving you a first-person view of the electric car maker’s latest model. The Battlegrounds Mobile India 1.5 update includes a lot of other new additions and tweaks, but the Tesla partnership is the highlight. Although Tesla cars are still not available in India, you can experience the interiors of the Tesla Model Y with a first-person view. As an added bonus, you can also experience the auto-pilot feature that is available in Tesla’s cars. If that is not enough, you can also watch the Model Y being manufactured from start to finish by entering the Gigafactory in the game. A Gigafactory is Tesla’s manufacturing hub that handles the end-to-end processing of producing a car, including batteries and everything else that goes into it. Apart from this, a self-driving Tesla Semi truck also spawns sporadically on roads. Players can attack the Semi to loot supply boxes when you need them. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Here’s everything that’s new in the Battlegrounds Mobile India 1.5 update" comment="subhead" text="Here’s everything that’s new in the Battlegrounds Mobile India 1.5 update">Here’s everything that’s new in the Battlegrounds Mobile India 1.5 update</cmsannotation> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Mission Ignition mode in Erangel" comment="subhead" text="Mission Ignition mode in Erangel">Mission Ignition mode in Erangel</cmsannotation> The new Mission Ignition mode will have six major places on the Erangel map which will be transformed into research and energy facilities. You will be able to use tactics to manipulate the game by adding combat features like patrol robots and information collectors. You can also use the automatic Hyperline to transport yourself. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Royale Pass system is here" comment="subhead" text="Royale Pass system is here"><keyword id="7045807" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Royale-Pass">Royale Pass</keyword> system is here</cmsannotation> Krafton has brought the royale pass system to Battlegrounds Mobile India, called the RPM1 for the inaugural month. Each Royale Pass Month lasts for a month, priced at a cost of 360UC, with the highest rank achievable limited to 50. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="MG3 light machine gun added" comment="subhead" text="MG3 light machine gun added">MG3 light machine gun added</cmsannotation> Krafton has added a new weapon, called the MG3. It is a light machine gun that can take up to a 6X scope and no other attachments. It can be obtained by airdrops while playing classic maps apart from Karakin. The M249, which was previously airdropped, will now appear directly on the map for loot. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Free sand bottle exchanges" comment="subhead" text="Free sand bottle exchanges">Free sand bottle exchanges</cmsannotation> The BGMI 1.5 update adds sand bottles as free events in the Events section. Players can complete challenges to earn sand bottles, which can then be exchanged for prizes. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Gyroscope sensitivity can now be changed" comment="subhead" text="Gyroscope sensitivity can now be changed">Gyroscope sensitivity can now be changed</cmsannotation> For the first time in the game, gyroscope sensitivity can be changed. Apart from this, Third Person Perspective (TPP) camera angles can be tuned, and ammo indicators allow for more finesse in strategy. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Clan Clash battles every fortnight" comment="subhead" text="Clan Clash battles every fortnight">Clan Clash battles every fortnight</cmsannotation> With Clan Clash, clans can fight against each other in a fortnightly battle and get Clan Points. Krafton has implemented a system to ensure clans with similar activity levels are pitted against each other, to make sure the competition is healthy. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/how-to-watch-battlegrounds-mobile-india-launch-party-on-july-8/articleshow/84199369.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India launch party starts July 8, ₹6 lakh prize money up for grabs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-official-download-link-how-to-update-bgmi-rewards/articleshow/84058116.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India launched officially – here’s how to update, claim rewards and more</a>

You can now drive the Tesla Model Y in Battlegrounds Mobile India

<ul><li><keyword id="205081" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Meru">Meru</keyword> alleged that <keyword id="1042120" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uber">Uber</keyword> had adopted certain abusive practices to oust its competitors from the market. </li><li><keyword id="47183" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="CCI">CCI</keyword> has observed that Uber is not in the dominant position as Ola too has a strong presence here. </li><li>Meru had previously alleged that Ola was the dominant player, which CCI had closed as Uber was a “stronger player”.</li></ul>India’s antitrust watchdog the <keyword id="97393" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Competition-Commission-of-India">Competition Commission of India</keyword> (CCI) has rejected radio taxi service Meru’s plea alleging that cab hailing app Uber abused its dominant position in the Indian ride hailing market. Meru had alleged that US-based Uber, owing to its dominant position, had adopted certain abusive practices to oust its competitors from the market. These practices included offering unreasonable discounts to the customers leading to low/predatory prices, employing incentive policies that were not economically justified. Meru noted that these incentive policies were aimed at exclusively engaging the drivers to its network so as to exclude its competitors from having access to such drivers. CCI, in its order dated July 14, 2021, has observed that Uber is not in the dominant position in the Indian ride hailing segment, as Bengaluru-based Ola too exists in the market. Back in 2015, Meru had alleged that Ola was the dominant player in the market, which CCI had closed as Uber was a “stronger player”. “And in the facts of that case [Meru’s plea against Ola in 2015], the <keyword id="6355822" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="commission">Commission</keyword> was of the view that despite Ola having the largest network, the network effects were not strong enough to deter entry and rapid expansion of another big competitor ‘Uber’ who was competing fiercely with Ola in the relevant market of ‘radio taxi services in <keyword id="6354321" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bengaluru">Bengaluru</keyword>’,” CCI said, in its notice of July 14. The director general (DG) was looking into Meru’s plea against Uber’s dominance in the Indian market and has given a similar finding (submitted in February 2020). Though Meru has said this finding is contradictory to the earlier order on Ola, but CCI has found no such infirmity. The DG has found traces of predatory pricing structure in the case of Uber as evident through its losses between 2014-2018. However, it has also found similar trends in the case of both Ola and Meru. “This shows that the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by Uber was in order to compete aggressively for the market (just like its closest competitor Ola) and to build its network,” CCI has maintained. The investigation also revealed that the discounts and incentives have gradually declined over time with a positive per trip margin recorded by Uber since October 2017. Business Insider has reached out to both Meru and Uber seeking more details about the CCI’s latest ruling. The article will be updated if and when they respond to our queries. With respect to Meru’s allegation of Uber’s exclusive agreements with its drivers, the DG investigation has revealed that the drivers face no restriction in terms of getting attached to a competitor’s network. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/wazirx-coindcx-and-coinswitch-kubers-advertising-roll-has-hit-a-roadblock-in-india/articleshow/84432645.cms">WazirX, CoinDCX and CoinSwitch Kuber have been asked to add ‘standardised disclaimers’ to their ads on television</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/just-dial-share-price-surge-as-mukesh-ambani-is-looking-to-buy-just-dial/articleshow/84432450.cms">As Mukesh Ambani reportedly dials in, Just Dial stocks surge 3%</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/pubg-developer-krafton-is-going-to-help-indian-storytelling-platform-pratilipi-to-turn-a-few-stories-into-games/articleshow/84430517.cms">PUBG developer Krafton is going to help Indian storytelling platform Pratilipi to turn a few stories into games</a>

India’s antitrust watchdog rejects radio taxi Meru’s plea against Uber, says there is an 'ever-expanding pool of drivers' available

<ul><li>In today’s episode of <keyword id="11984359" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="influencer-adda" source="Orion">Influencer Adda</keyword>, we will be talking to one of the biggest names among women gaming creators, <keyword id="12938904" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="aparna-shukla" source="Orion">Aparna Shukla</keyword> about her journey and <keyword id="12938905" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="future-of-gaming-in-india" source="Orion">future of gaming in India</keyword>.</li><li>She found her true calling while playing games with her brother and today she has over 2.45 million followers on Facebook.</li><li>So if you are a gaming enthusiast, Aparna’s story is for you.</li></ul>After the pandemic, gaming and esports platforms have witnessed massive growth and have turned into major advertisers. Online gaming saw its tipping point in 2020, with consumption and engagement at an all time high and is now competing with traditional forms of entertainment. According to Sensor Tower, India led the globe as the largest market in gaming app downloads in the first quarter of 2021, clocking in an astounding 28% growth year-on-year. As India established itself as a gaming market that cannot be ignored anymore, its women haven’t stopped challenging age-old conventions either. Gaming was a male-dominated industry for the longest time but women gamers have grown exponentially since the onset of the pandemic due to increasing smartphone penetration and as a result, the profile of a ‘typical gamer’ has changed. As per InMobi, women constitute over 43% of smartphone gamers in India. <div type="image" title="rise in women gamers" msid="88858023" hostid="261"></div> Facebook’s Aparna Shukla aka Rog Stream was one of the first women gaming creators on the platform and she has grown leaps and bounds in the past four years. Based in Kanpur, Aparna was preparing for competitive entrance exams to join the banking sector before her brother introduced her to the world of online gaming. <div type="Video" msid="88858411" hostid="261" title="Facebook’s biggest woman gaming creator, Aparna Shukla, on her journey and future of gaming in India" dataSource="BUSINESSINSIDER" thumbUrl="https://denmark.timesinternet.in/cmslite/api/app/images.jpg?msid=88858411"></div> She looked at the medium primarily as a channel of relaxation and as a way to keep herself entertained through the day. She started by playing Candy Crush to relieve stress and her younger brother told her about PUBG. What started as a side-hustle, has become her passion now. Today, Aparna has 2.45 million followers on Facebook. “I was given very limited options like any other young woman gets in a small town: I could ‘choose’ between becoming a teacher or a doctor or a banker. I did go down that lane but life had a different plan for me. I chose an unconventional path: gaming. When I look back at those days now, I laugh. For a long time, my father thought gaming was just a hobby. But over the years, it has grown into a serious career option and he realised its power when I started making money out of it. He borrowed some money and bought a gaming PC for me as a ‘toy’. And just like that, I started streaming my games out of the comfort of my home,” shares Aparna. Aparna and her younger brother danced dorkily in her living room as she found her first monetisation opportunity. This excitement of hitting new milestones, she says, later turned into love. “It usually takes a month or two to find a monetisation avenue and once I found my break, I started religiously streaming my games. Before that, I didn’t have a schedule. I would stream for an hour whenever I would get the chance. Later, that turned into 9 hours and I would find myself playing at night too,” recalls Aparna. With more people joining the gaming pool, brands are shifting their focus on marketing themselves through these young creators. Aparna thinks that gaming creators offer direct access to GenZ and Millennials and that’s why brands are beelining to advertise themselves in gaming apps. From her experience of working with brands, she has one piece of advice for them. “Brands should communicate directly with creators and try to understand their audience from their perspective: find out more about the audience’s expectations and behaviour patterns. I’ve noticed that my audience is very curious. If I add a logo onto my game stream, they wouldn’t talk about my performance that day but definitely bring up the logo. So, with this high-engagement that we offer, brands should maintain a dialogue with creators during their partnership,” says Aparna. For someone who is looking to dip their feet into the gaming world, Aparna suggests using the powerful gaming console that fits right in the palm of your hands: your smartphones! You can start your gaming career with Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) or Free Fire. “If you want to become a successful gamer, there’s no mantra for that. Just keep gaming, maintain continuity but try to find your niche and bring that in your content,” Aparna signs off.

Play like a girl: How Facebook’s biggest woman gaming creator, Aparna Shukla, found her niche in a male-dominated industry

<ul><li>Indian government has banned over 250 <keyword id="6022999" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="chinese-apps">Chinese apps</keyword> over the last year, due to the geopolitical crisis with the neighbouring country.</li><li>The ban on Chinese apps impacted the short video segment the most, as it found itself in a void with the absence of top two players in the segment.</li><li>While many alternatives have emerged to give a tough competition to <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword>, any real competition to PUBG still does not exist.</li></ul>You can now find Vassundhara Pandita, a former TikTok creator, entertaining about 4.5 million users on <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>’s Sharechat-owned Moj app. Just like her, thousands of Indian creators have set their camps on different short video apps that came into existence in the past one year, after the government of India decided to ban <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/checkout-the-name-of-the-chinese-banned-apps-in-india/articleshow/76696132.cms">59 Chinese apps</a> on this day (June 29). The banned apps not only included TikTok, the biggest short video platform in the world with a user base of 200+ million in India alone, but its alternatives Likee and Vigo as well. Vigo was owned by TikTok’s Chinese parent ByteDance that was supposed to be <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/ad-tech/news/bytedance-shuts-down-vigo-video-in-india-to-focus-on-other-businesses/articleshow/76382018.cms">shut by October 2020</a> to direct users towards TikTok, but all these efforts were futile. This is how TikTok creators’ hunt began to find the perfect Indian alternative that would help them continue entertaining millions of users and keep the flow of income running. But the first priority on the list was to redirect their followers to other social media platforms, most popularly <keyword id="819905" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Instagram">Instagram</keyword>. “I had to make short videos on my TikTok and YouTube [channels] to direct my followers to my Instagram handle,” says Vassundhara, who had more than five million followers on TikTok and goes by the username ‘@__vassundhara__’ on Instagram. As expected, Vassundhara and many other creators did lose their followers in this reshuffle, but thankfully finding the next stage turned out to be a little simpler. <h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;">Indian digital businesses fill up TikTok void</h2> Well established digital businesses were already on to finding their way to dominate the Indian short video platform, which was suddenly left with a void with the exit of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/top-ten-most-downloaded-apps-in-india/slidelist/72977234.cms">top two players </a>-- TikTok and Likee From Sharechat to Dailyhunt, MXPlayer, Gaana, Zee5, you name it and they were already set to launch their Made-In-India offering. A few months later, even YouTube and Instagram decided to grab on to this opportunity and launch their respective hypershots entertainment offering in India. So, the competition was on and it was a pretty hot one. But Indian platforms did fairly well for themselves in this highly competitive market. Just like TikTok, many of these Indian alternatives have set a monetisation practice in place for these creators. Each creator on these platforms, with a specific number of followers and reach, is paid a certain undisclosed amount. Besides this, they are also allowed to take any paid promotional partnerships in their personal capacity without having to share their income with the platforms. There are only three shortcomings to the Indian alternatives at the moment. First, the limited market compared to TikTok that had its presence across the globe. Second, the limited market is further divided among the rival brands. Third, the not-so-great technological innovation and user-experience. While Instagram may have these problems figured out by integrating Reels into their image and video app. However, it is not a great offering in terms of the monetisation aspect. It was much easier for a content to blow up on TikTok, given its artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms. It also offered more in-depth insights into the audience. On the other hand, it is much more difficult to blow up content on Instagram. “Instagram has its plus points, but it's not offering much payout to influencers at the moment… Also Instagram, I think, is focusing on a more lavish life and a glamorous one with money. Unlike TikTok, we see only one or two videos from the rural parts of India on Instagram. Moj and other Indian apps, and even TikTok for instance, push such contents as well,” Vassundhara added. However, the Indian alternatives have replaced TikTok in the eyes of content creators at least. “If TikTok comes back to India, creators will still take some time to move to the platform. As you know, a lot of controversies have happened around TikTok in India like the <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-others/carryminati-amir-siddiqui-youtube-vs-tiktok-6411239/">YouTube roast </a>or questions over its Chinese origin. People will take some time to understand this. By the time, creators will start going back to Moj or any other platform that may establish dominance,” Vassundhara said, adding the platform offers fair income to the creators from their end. Notably, TikTok may to make a comeback to the Indian market soon, as it has <a href="https://theprint.in/tech/tiktok-definitely-hopeful-india-ban-will-be-lifted-in-talks-with-govt-to-resume-operations/683916/">reportedly</a> started discussions with the government once again. <h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;">India Yet To Find PUBG’s Alternative</h2>The Indian government’s attack on Chinese apps took down close to over 250 apps in the last one year. This also includes South Korean online multiplayer battle royale game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). PUBG had more than 175 million installations from India alone which accounted for 24% of the total installations worldwide. The ban on the online multiplayer battle royale game came due to its partnership with China-based Tencent Games. Tencent was PUBG Mobile’s licensed publisher in India. The duo ended their partnership in September 2020, and PUBG is now set to make a<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-is-now-official-check-out-launch-date-downloads-and-more/articleshow/82427206.cms"> comeback</a> in India in a new avatar ‘BattleGrounds Mobile India’. The launch of BattleGrounds Mobile India may be subject to scrutiny as well, after a <a href="https://in.ign.com/battlegrounds-mobile-india/161110/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-china-server-data-sharing-meity-government-meenakashi-lekhi">IGN India</a> report highlighted that the app was sending user data to China. Despite the spike in India’s e-sports segment over the last one year due to PUBG ban and Covid-19, there haven't been any direct replacements to PUBG Mobile India. Many users simply switched to the web version of the app, which was not banned. For PUBG Mobile India, Bengaluru-based nCore Games did come up with the one alternative -- Fearless And United Guards (FAUG) in September 2020. The company launched the beta version of the app earlier this week (June 27), but is yet to <a href="https://in.ign.com/fau-g-android/161446/feature/faug-team-deathmatch-map-gameplay-story-weapons-future-ncore-games">impress the Indian audience</a>. <h2 style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:18pt;margin-bottom:6pt;">What other segments were disrupted due to the ban of Chinese apps?</h2> The ban on Chinese apps also promoted the Made-In-India sentiment that pushed users towards many Indian alternatives. For instance <keyword id="3518161" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo">Koo</keyword> and Tooter were the first to arrive as the alternatives to US-based microblogging website Twitter. While Tooter was lost in the crowd, Koo has managed to set itself to a better start, at least. The one-year-old app already has about a third (<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/will-double-headcount-lot-of-headroom-for-growing-user-base-koo-121050900174_1.html#:~:text=Koo%20has%20about%2060%20lakh,base%20and%20burgeoning%20Internet%20adoption.">6 million</a>) of Twitter's 17 million users in India. It has also raised about<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/indias-micro-blogging-app-koo-raises-30-million-by-tiger-global/articleshow/82965589.cms"> $34 million</a> to date from marquee investors like Tiger Global Management, Accel, Kalaari Capital, and more. The platform is set to accelerate even further amidst Indian government’s ongoing tussle with Twitter. It has also made an<a href="https://qz.com/africa/2024107/nigerian-government-moves-to-indian-app-koo-after-twitter-ban/"> entry</a> into Nigeria after the Nigerian government banned Twitter last week. Even Indian ministers have<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/it-minister-ravi-shankar-prasad-praises-koo-indias-alternative-to-twitter-950088.html"> praised</a> the app on many occasions. China-based document scanning and file storage app CamScanner, which found its biggest market in India with 100 million users, was also banned on June 29, last year. Since then, the app has been shadowed by another new popular option, Gurugram-based alternative Kaagaz Scanner. Launched in March 2020, the platform has over 5 million downloads and 1.7 million plus monthly active users. The platform has raised $575,000 last year from former <keyword id="6354512" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Infosys">Infosys</keyword> vice-chairman Kris Gopalakrishnan’s Axilor Ventures, Better Capital and Pravega Ventures. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/china-will-not-buy-iron-copper-aluminum-zinc-and-some-other-commodities-from-foreign-countries/articleshow/83565216.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">China has decided to take global commodity bulls by their horns ⁠— to protect the profit margins of its small businesses</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/soccers-most-expensive-young-player-missed-a-decisive-penalty-that-saw-reigning-world-champion-france-crash-out-of-euro-2020/articleshow/83940298.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Soccer's most expensive young player missed a decisive penalty that saw reigning world champion France crash out of Euro 2020</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/coinbase-ceo-brian-armstrong-says-the-goal-is-for-the-crypto-exchange-to-list-every-asset-that-is-legally-possible/articleshow/83937379.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong says the goal is for the crypto exchange to list every asset that is legally possible</a>

One year of Chinese apps ban — Indian alternatives take over TikTok

<ul><li>Google has released the Play’s Best of 2021 awards for this year.</li><li>The awards include the best games and apps in different categories.</li><li>Here’s a look at the winners of Google Play’s Best of 2021 awards.</li></ul>Google is back with another year of the best apps and games in the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/google-play-store-to-get-offers-tab-for-limited-time-deals-on-apps-and-games/articleshow/87840991.cms">Play Store</a> this year. The Google Play’s Best of 2021 winners in India include some expected names like <keyword id="11923507" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bgmi" source="Orion">BGMI</keyword>, <keyword id="7370620" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="garena-free-fire" source="Orion">Garena Free Fire</keyword> and Clubhouse. This year’s winners for different categories also include many learning apps. The best game of the year is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-adds-parental-control-game-limits-for-minors/articleshow/87928653.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India</a> (BGMI) developed by Krafton as an India-exclusive version of the banned PUBG Mobile. BGMI launched earlier this year in July after much fanfare and also some delays. Another popular title that won the Users’ Choice pick is Garena Free Fire MAX. This game is so popular it topped the overall downloads on Android and iOS globally in October, according to data from <a href="https://sensortower.com/blog/top-mobile-games-worldwide-october-2021-by-downloads">Sensor Tower</a>. More games like MARVEL Future Revolution and Pokemon Unite by The Pokemon Company made it to the most competitive apps of 2021. The indie game winners of this year include Bird ALone, DeLight: The Journey Home, Huntdown, and My Friend Pedro: Ripe for Revenge. As for the coveted ‘Best App’ of the year in India, it’s <keyword id="10253519" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="bitclass" source="Orion">Bitclass</keyword>, a platform enabling interactive cohort-based learning. This app features live and interactive classes on topics like software tools, languages, tech skills, hobbies and more. Google said this app highlighted the “emergence of a digital learning culture in India fueled by innovative localized solutions.” The Users’ Choice App of 2021 is Clubhouse, the app that created a new niche of social audio platforms. Clubhouse launched first in iOS last year, and its Android version was released earlier this year. Clubhouse also led to many rivals including Twitter Spaces, Facebook’s live audio rooms and more. Clubhouse also made it to the list of apps ‘Best for Fun’ along with apps like FrontRow and Hotstep that lets you learn singing, music, stand-up comedy, dancing and more. The ‘Best Hidden Gems’ apps include Jumping Minds, an app that lets you share your feelings and stories with people from around the world, FWD another learning platform and Moonbeam, a podcast discovery app. There are many more categories of Google Play’s Best of 2021 that you can find in the Play Store. You can also check the nominees for each category. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/meet-parag-agarwal-the-iit-bombay-grad-who-is-taking-over-from-jack-dorsey-at-twitter/articleshow/87989039.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Meet Parag Agrawal, the IIT-Bombay grad who is taking over from Jack Dorsey at Twitter</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pokemon-go-developer-and-fold-have-announced-a-game-that-lets-you-earn-bitcoin/articleshow/87902243.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Pokemon Go developer and Fold have announced a game that lets you earn Bitcoin</a>

Google Play’s Best of 2021 India Awards: BGMI, Garena Free Fire MAX, Bitclass and Clubhouse top the ranks this year

<ul><li><keyword id="8952920" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nissan-Magnite">Nissan Magnite</keyword> is all set to launch on December 2 — the company will announce the pricing during the launch. </li><li>The car will compete against some of the best models, such as Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Mahindra XUV300, among others.</li><li>The Magnite will be offered in four grades — XE, XL, XV and XV Premium, and almost 20 variants.</li></ul>Nissan India has now officially confirmed that its sub-compact SUV Nissan Magnite is all set to launch on December 2. Since its first appearance in October, the car has created a lot of buzz in the market and is one of the most anticipated launches in the coming days. However, a huge competition awaits its way as it enters a very competitive segment of the sub-compact SUVs. The car will compete against some of the best models, such as Kia Sonet, Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Hyundai Venue, Toyota Urban Cruiser, Mahindra XUV300, among others. Nissan said that the prospective customers would be able to take a closer look at Magnite at all its showrooms in India next month and the price will be revealed during the launch on December 2. Here’s all you need to know about the all-new <keyword id="9438104" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="nissan-magnite-suv">Nissan Magnite SUV</keyword>: <ul><li>The Nissan Magnite will come with two engine options. A smaller one will be the B4D naturally-aspirated 1.0-litre petrol engine with Nissan’s dual VVT system. It will be capable of producing 72 hp at 6,250 rpm. The second one will be the 1.0-litre turbo petrol unit that makes 100 hp at 5,000 rpm. </li></ul><ul><li>The car has also promised several segment-first features such as a large 10-litre glovebox, multiple camera displays on the eight-inch infotainment screen, wireless charging, ambient lighting, air purifier, among others.</li></ul><ul><li>The Magnite will be offered in four grades — XE, XL, XV and XV Premium, and almost 20 variants.</li></ul><ul><li>Although the company hasn’t yet revealed the <a href="https://auto.hindustantimes.com/auto/cars/nissan-magnite-to-officially-launch-in-india-on-december-2-41605859807055.html">price</a>, it is likely to be in the range of ₹5.50 lakh and ₹10 lakh (ex-showroom). </li></ul>SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/pubg-mobile-india-was-supposed-to-launch-today/articleshow/79315462.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">PUBG Mobile India was rumoured to launch today — but there is no official update from the company</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/gland-pharma-shares-list-at-premium-of-12-records-stellar-debut-despite-the-slow-subscription-numbers/articleshow/79315924.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">FOMO helps Gland Pharma swell on debut</a>

Nissan Magnite SUV set to launch in India on December 2 — Here’s all you need to know

<ul><li><keyword id="2850099" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="riot-games" source="Orion">Riot Games</keyword>, the publishers of <keyword id="9263126" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="valorant" source="Orion">Valorant</keyword>, are developing the mobile version of the first-person shooter game.</li><li><keyword id="11372432" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="valorant-mobile" source="Orion">Valorant Mobile</keyword> is likely to offer similar gameplay to its PC version.</li><li>The upcoming game is still in the development phase.</li></ul>The popular first-person shooter (FPS) game from Riot Games, Valorant, is coming to mobile phones soon. With this, Riot Games would be looking to offer another title after League of Legends mobile in the pursuit of becoming one of the best first-person shooter games on Android. It is not the first FPS game to be introduced on mobile. We already have mobile versions of popular PC titles like Call of Duty, Fortnite, PUBG and even Apex Legends has showcased the beta. It would still be very interesting to see what Valorant has to offer as it offers a slightly different format and gameplay, which led to its popularity on PCs. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming game. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="The game" comment="subhead" text="The game">The game</cmsannotation> If you are not aware of the title, Valorant is a tactical first-person shooter which has a gameplay and mechanics similar to that of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The development of the game started in 2014 and the title was officially announced in March 2020. Ever since its release, it has become one of the most popular first-person shooters, both for esports and regular play. According to <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/valorant/how-many-people-play-valorant-player-count-1584836/#:~:text=actually%20play%20it%3F-,Valorant's%20player%20count%20in%202021,anyone%20can%20make%20an%20account.">Riot Games</a>’ report in June 2021, more than 14 million players across the globe logged in every month to play Valorant. This shows that the game has become widely popular since its release and has the potential to grow even further. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Gameplay" comment="subhead" text="Gameplay">Gameplay</cmsannotation> The gameplay is similar to other first-person shooter games. Here’s each player plays an agent with some special ability to attack or defend a bomb site. The game currently offers a roster of 15 agents, that includes four sub-type — Duelists, Controllers, Initiators, and Sentinels — that determines their special ability. There are plenty of modes in the game, but the popular one is the competitive mode, where each match is played as best of 25 rounds, where you must win 13 rounds to win the match. Each round is timed for 100 seconds, but you can win the round early by wiping out the enemy. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Valorant Mobile" comment="subhead" text="Valorant Mobile">Valorant Mobile</cmsannotation> While not much is known about the Valorant Mobile, we expect a similar gameplay as its PC version. The transition for Valorant into the mobile space could be similar to what we have seen for Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG Mobile, which are quite popular on the smaller screen. Although the gameplay might be similar, Riot Games would take some time to offer the same controls as it does on the PC game. In terms of controls, we could see something similar to that on Call of Duty Mobile or PUBG Mobile. To start with, Riot Games might release a limited number of agents and maps to keep the gameplay simple for players on mobile. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Release date" comment="subhead" text="Release date">Release date</cmsannotation> The game is still in the development phase and not much is known about its release date. We will know more only when Riot Games is ready for the release. For the time being, gamers can be excited about another popular title coming to their mobile screens. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/chip-shortages-to-blame-for-black-friday-online-sales-dip/articleshow/87973731.cms">Chip shortages to blame for Black Friday online sales dip</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-9-series-to-launch-in-india-in-february-2022-to-feature-four-models/articleshow/87972627.cms">Realme 9 series to launch in India in February 2022, to feature four models</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/germany-plans-to-phase-out-the-sale-of-combustion-engine-vehicles-to-help-meet-its-ambitious-goal-of-getting-15-million-electric-vehicles-on-the-road-by-2030/articleshow/87955593.cms">Germany plans to phase out the sale of combustion-engine vehicles to help meet its ambitious goal of getting 15 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030</a>

Valorant Mobile: Gameplay, release date and what to expect

<ul><li>Popular first-person shooter <keyword id="9263126" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="valorant">Valorant</keyword> is coming to mobiles. </li><li><keyword id="2850099" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Riot-Games">Riot Games</keyword>, the company behind the game, announced this on the first anniversary of the PC-only game. </li><li>Valorant now has 14 million monthly players. </li></ul>Riot Games is bringing its popular first-person shooter game, Valorant, to mobile. The company announced that it is working on bringing the Valorant experience to mobile to expand the player community. Launched exactly a year ago (in 2020), Valorant has gained popularity, garnering great reviews over time. Riot also announced that the game now has 14 million players each month. To recap, Valorant is a first-person shooter (FPS) game that combines some of the best aspects of Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and Overwatch, bringing the mechanics of the former and the character abilities of the latter. Valorant is a free-to-play game that is available for computers running Windows 7 or later. It rewards players with good reflexes and aims. "One of our top goals this first year was to earn the trust and respect of the global FPS community, and to prove to them that Valorant will always uphold the fundamentals of a truly worthwhile competitive tac-shooter," said Valorant executive producer Anna Donlon. "To see our growing player community recognise and appreciate what we're trying to do with Valorant is beyond what we could have expected and we are thrilled to soon offer the same competitive Valorant experience to even more global players,” she further added. Riot Games’ <a href="https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-06-02-riot-announces-valorant-mobile">announcement</a> about a mobile version of Valorant might seem a little strange to some players since gaming controls are not as precise as they are on computers and gaming consoles. Further, the company skipping consoles might disappoint the game’s fans, but seeing the popularity of mobile versions of rival titles like PUBG, Call of Duty and Fortnite, it’s hard to blame the developers of Valorant. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-is-giving-away-9000-worth-google-stadia-bundle-for-free-but-its-not-available-in-india/articleshow/82965884.cms">OnePlus is giving away ₹9,000 worth Google Stadia bundle for free – but it’s not available in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-is-now-official-check-out-launch-date-downloads-and-more/articleshow/82427206.cms">Battlegrounds Mobile India is now official, but comes with several restrictions for minors</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/battlegrounds-mobile-india-pre-registrations-to-begin-on-may-18/articleshow/82702403.cms">PUBG Mobile: Battlegrounds Mobile India pre-registrations to begin on May 18 – rewards, maps and more</a>

Riot Games’ Valorant is coming to mobile

<ul><li>Made in India, the app also saw 122% m-o-m growth in <keyword id="9751753" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="monthly-active-streamers">monthly active streamers</keyword> in the last three months</li><li>The platform enables users to watch and stream gameplays of different games such as PUBG Mobile, FreeFire, and Call of Duty Mobile</li></ul>With the lockdown accelerating the growth of India’s gaming market, home-grown app Loco has witnessed a 6x growth in DAUs in the past month. The viewership increase has been driven by a growth in the number of active streamers on the platform, including India’s top streamers, who are now actively streaming on Loco. Monthly active streamers have increased by 122% month-on-month during the last three months and continue to accelerate at a breakneck pace. Loco sees over 1,000+ hours of live gaming content being streamed per day and this is likely to grow further in the coming months. The platform enables users to watch and stream gameplays of different games such as PUBG Mobile, FreeFire, and Call of Duty Mobile. Loco houses some of India’s top competitive gamers such as Jonathan, Ghatak, IND Snax, and Xyaa, who, along with top teams like Fnatic, IND, 8bit, and Team Tamilas, provide viewers with the very best of gaming entertainment. The platform is also pioneering the regional language game streaming space with regular South India-focused programming being created in association with Sky esports and Midfail, the leading Tamil streamer, streaming on the platform. Commenting on Loco’s growth trajectory, Anirudh Pandita and Ashwin Suresh, Founders, <keyword id="3169142" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pocket-Aces">Pocket Aces</keyword>, said, “With game streaming and esports, we are witnessing the rise of a completely new category in entertainment and we are excited to serve this ecosystem through Loco. Over the past few months, we have seen consumption growing rapidly and this has been accompanied by strong positive sentiment from content creators, publishers, and advertisers. The gaming community and culture is getting stronger by the day as the sector transitions from a niche hobby to a mainstream interest. We are now seeing streamers come to the fore from various walks of life and different parts of the country, entertaining audiences in their own unique way. We are really grateful for the support of various ecosystem participants and believe that we are just scratching the surface when it comes to the potential of this sector.” Being one of the earliest entrants in the Indian game streaming and esports broadcasting space, Loco has cemented its position in the rapidly growing ecosystem which comprises over 600 million gamers.

Pocket Aces’ Loco sees over 6x rise in daily active users, registers 122% m-o-m growth

<ul><li>The <keyword id="8597623" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="poco-x2">Poco X2</keyword> is the company’s second phone to launch in India, after the Poco F1 which was launched in 2018.</li><li>The Poco X2 competes with the Realme X2 and the Redmi K20, among others.</li><li>While the Poco X2 is not a flagship like the Poco F1, it makes improvements in other areas like build quality, cameras, display and more.</li></ul>Poco took the Indian smartphone industry by storm with the launch of the Poco F1 back in August 2018. Poco quickly developed a cult-like following as it offers flagship-grade hardware at a fraction of the price. Much to their disappointment, things at Poco went quiet leading to speculation that <keyword id="874458" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Xiaomi">Xiaomi</keyword> is rolling back its sub-brand. Instead, Poco was spun off as an independent company, and is back with the launch of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/poco-x2-february-4-120hz-display-liquid-cooling-snapdragon/articleshow/73660476.cms">Poco X2</a>. While the Poco X2 is not a true successor to the Poco F1, it is a sign of life which should be enough for its fans. Poco X2: Price The Poco X2 starts at a price of ₹15,999 which puts it in direct competition with , Realme X2, Xiaomi’s own Redmi K20 and Redmi Note 8 Pro. The base variant of the Poco X2 comes with 6GB of RAM, which adds bonus points in its favour when compared to the Realme X2 which starts with 4GB of RAM. Poco X2: Design and build quality 
 
 <div type="image" title="Poco X2" msid="74186188" hostid="261"></div>





 One of the important considerations while buying a phone is its design and build quality. Most budget smartphones now offer decent design and build quality - turning them into basic needs rather than premium features. While the Poco F1 displayed its budget credentials with its plastic build, the Poco X2 shows no such signs. The phone feels solid to hold and looks premium without . squeaky corners. It is covered in glass on the front as well as the back. An unfortunate side-effect of the glass back is that it is slippery, so you might want to use a skin or a case. The back of the phone sports a glossy design and has a circular design around the camera module, which adds a bit of a flair to the otherwise understated looks. Poco X2: Display quality 
 
 <div type="image" title="Poco X2" msid="74186266" hostid="261"></div>





 The display is one of the most hyped features of the Poco X2, and you might wonder why. Although raw power is still important, most smartphones are now powerful enough. Understandably, companies have now turned their focus to other areas like the display quality. With the X2, Poco is kicking it up a notch with a 120Hz refresh rate display. What does this mean in lay terms? Well, the Poco X2’s display is super smooth. It refreshes 120 times per second while most smartphone displays refresh only 60 times per second. This has an immediate effect on the overall smoothness of user interface elements and animations. For example, scrolling is a lot smoother on the Poco X2 when compared to a regular smartphone. However, not all third-party apps support high refresh rates, in which case the phone will use the regular 60Hz refresh rate. Still, we expect this to improve in the near future as higher refresh rates become more common. Other than that, we also found the display to be bright enough to use in direct sunlight. Poco has used a high-quality display on the Poco X2 and there’s nothing to complain about. Poco X2: Performance While the Poco F1 was powered by a flagship Qualcomm 845 chipset, the Poco X2 uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, which is a mid-range chipset. However, that does not mean the Poco X2 is slower. We tested the 8GB model with 256GB storage. In our testing, we did not come across any performance issues. The phone performed just fine while playing popular games like Call of Duty: Mobile and PUBG Mobile. Ample memory and fast storage remove any performance bottlenecks, too, so the overall experience is very smooth. In terms of battery life, the Poco X2 easily lasted us for an entire day with regular usage – this includes social media, messaging, calls, watching videos and gaming. There are multiple factors which help the Poco X2’s battery life – the chipset is efficient, the battery is a massive 4,500mAh unit and MIUI prevents apps from wasting too much power. Poco has also bundled a massive 27W fast charger, which charges the Poco X2 from 0% to 100% in less than 1.5 hours. Poco X2: Software The Poco X2 runs on MIUI 11 which is based on Android 10, so you have the latest version of MIUI as well as Android. As of writing this review, Poco has also pushed out the latest security update, which is a positive sign. Overall, MIUI 11 has a wide range of useful features. Xiaomi has tweaked its custom skin extensively over the past few years to add a lot of value, so you don’t have to download a third-party app for many of the features. Another important aspect of the Poco X2 is that it doesn’t have any ads across the interface. Xiaomi generally pushes ads on its phones running on MIUI, but Poco smartphones use a slightly tweaked version that removes these ads. Then being said, the Poco X2 does come with some third-party apps pre-installed, but you can easily uninstall them. You can also disable most of the functions of the built-in security app if you don’t like them, which is a good thing. Poco X2: Cameras 
 
 <div type="image" title="Poco X2" msid="74186175" hostid="261"></div>





 The Poco X2 has a total of six cameras – four on the back and two on the front. Let’s talk about the cameras on the back first. The Poco X2 is one of the first few phones to come with a brand new 64MP Sony IMX 686 sensor, which succeeds the highly popular 48MP sensor from Sony. The 64MP main camera is assisted by an 8MP ultrawide camera, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth shooter. Essentially, you have a camera for every situation. In the real world, the Poco X2 performs exceedingly well for the price. Daylight shots capture details effortlessly with good colour reproduction. Ultrawide angle and macro shots take some effort, and they’re not always great, but that’s okay since you will be using the primary camera most of the time. On the front, the Poco X2 has a 20MP selfie camera with a 2MP depth sensor. The addition of an extra camera on the front allows the Poco X2 to capture some really good portrait shots that belie the price of the phone. The Poco X2 does struggle a bit in low-light conditions, but Night mode does a decent job of capturing enough details. All things considered, though, the Poco X2 does very well in terms of camera performance. Verdict Poco X2 is one of the best budget smartphones that you can buy right now. It has a lot of things going for it – the build quality, great display, an adequately powerful chipset, ample memory and storage, great battery life and surprisingly good camera performance. There’s little to complain about. Yes, the circle around the camera module was not necessary, but the phone will likely be in a case, which removes this issue out of the equation. The other problem that could hamper the Poco X2 is the flash sales model – Poco is currently selling the phone in weekly flash sales on Flipkart. You will have to be fast enough to purchase the phone when it goes on sale at 12PM today or wait for the next weekly sale. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/article/poco-x2-vs-realme-x2-phone-battle-for-the-best-budget-smartphone-in-india/articleshow/73935927.cms">Poco X2 vs Realme X2 Phone: Battle for the best budget smartphone in India</a>

You Searched For "pubg competition india" and got 14 results

PUBG announces Mobile India Tour with a prize pool of ₹15 million

BI India Tech Bureau

Here’s what it’s like to be a gamer in India

Prabhjote Gill

Here’s what it’s like to be a gamer in India

Professional PUBG gamers left in the lurch as Indian government bans Tencent’s iconic battle royale game

Prabhjote Gill

You can now drive the Tesla Model Y in Battlegrounds Mobile India

Rounak Jain

India’s antitrust watchdog rejects radio taxi Meru’s plea against Uber, says there is an 'ever-expanding pool of drivers' available

Kritti Bhalla

Play like a girl: How Facebook’s biggest woman gaming creator, Aparna Shukla, found her niche in a male-dominated industry

Karuna Sharma

One year of Chinese apps ban — Indian alternatives take over TikTok

Kritti Bhalla

Google Play’s Best of 2021 India Awards: BGMI, Garena Free Fire MAX, Bitclass and Clubhouse top the ranks this year

Marcia Sekhose

Nissan Magnite SUV set to launch in India on December 2 — Here’s all you need to know

Navdeep Yadav

Valorant Mobile: Gameplay, release date and what to expect

Shadab Rabbani

Riot Games’ Valorant is coming to mobile

Rounak Jain

Pocket Aces’ Loco sees over 6x rise in daily active users, registers 122% m-o-m growth

BI India Partner

Poco X2 review: Poco makes a super-smooth comeback

Rounak Jain

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides