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<ul><li>Xiaomi recently introduced the Xiaomi 14 series in India</li><li>Xiaomi 14 features a much-talked-about Leica camera setup</li><li>The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 </li></ul>Xiaomi surprised everyone in the market when they simultaneously introduced both the 14 &amp; 14 Ultra in India, breaking away from the norm. Up until now, we have always seen only one of the Xiaomi flagship number series devices showing up in India. Last year it was just the 13 Pro and not the 13 Ultra. This was a long time coming, considering brands like Vivo, with their X100 &amp; X100 Pro, have already made this move. While this isn’t a comparison piece between any smartphone brand or device, I can safely say this is the best time to be a smartphone enthusiast in India — more competition, more options!<br /><br />While the 14 Ultra is yet to be seeded to us for review, the Xiaomi 14 has been my daily driver for close to 2 weeks now. Sharing the same chipset and optical DNA with its elder sibling, this device is the closest I have gotten to a compact, efficient, and mighty powerful smartphone, apart from the commendable camera specifications. But like anything, it’s not perfect. where does it lack? And what makes it special, I tell you in my detailed review. <br /><br /><strong>Price and availability</strong><br />Xiaomi 14 is available only in one specification, 16GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. It is priced at ₹69,999 and is available on Amazon, Flipkart and Xiaomi’s official website. It is also available on select offline stores.<br /><br /><strong>Design and build<br />    <div type="image" title="The compact form factor makes the device easy to hold." msid="108468249" hostid="261" sizebytes="43320" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The compact form factor makes the device easy to hold.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></strong><br />Xiaomi 14 swims against the current in terms of size. Unlike the usual flagship screen size of 6.7-inches or above the 14 sticks to a modest 6.3-inches. Some people might dub it compact, but I think it's well-balanced. Yes, a bigger display is generally favourable for watching content, but it also comes with a bigger form factor. Something many users including myself can’t enjoy for long. This is also one of the reasons why my primary SIM is in the iPhone 15 Pro, that size is perfect to carry around everywhere. <br /><br />    <div type="image" title="The camera module houses Leica triple camera set-up." msid="108468294" hostid="261" sizebytes="36548" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The camera module houses Leica triple camera set-up.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Xiaomi 14’s size gave me the confidence to use my primary SIM in it, something I haven’t done in a while. And of course, you do get other benefits attached to a compact smartphone, like lighter weight. So far in my testing and living with the device I haven’t felt the need for a bigger display, because for me these benefits outweigh any other aspect. <br /><br />Xiaomi has done a good job by combining this form factor with a stellar build quality. The device, although compact, feels like a tank, with a really impressive combination of materials put together. Sporting an aluminium frame, it is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus upfront and comes with a silicone or glass back. I have the black variant with me, which has a silicone back with a matte finish, it looks good but can register smudges. <br /><br />On the back, we also have a fairly big camera module housing the Leica triple camera set-up. The housing unit is square, similar to what we saw on the 13 Pro, unlike what we see on the 14 Ultra. It is protruding but doesn’t wobble much especially once you put in a case. Volume rockers and the power button on the right edge are placed neatly. And since the size is favorable it's easy to reach the buttons with one hand. At the bottom, you have the SIM card tray that can house 2 nano SIMs and a downward-facing speaker grill.<br /><br />It also supports IP68 dust and water resistant rating, so yes you are secure in that aspect as well. Overall, Xiaomi 14’s design will grow on you and has a solid potential to become your preferred form factor over a period of time. <br /><br /><strong>Display, audio and viewing experience<br />    <div type="image" title="The flat screen makes the Xiaomi 14 a delight to type on." msid="108468359" hostid="261" sizebytes="44960" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The flat screen makes the Xiaomi 14 a delight to type on. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></strong><br />In 2023, curved displays dominated the tech scene, but the industry is now making a shift back to flat-screen displays, especially in flagship devices like the S24 Ultra. The 14 series embraces both trends, offering a flat display on the 14 model and a curved screen on the 14 Ultra. I prefer a flat display for its typing convenience, and the 14 meets that preference perfectly with its ideal size, sharp display, and highly responsive feedback.<br /><br />The Xiaomi 14 comes with a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display boasting a resolution of 1200 x 2670 pixels. The bezels are virtually nonexistent, presenting a stunning visual experience. Xiaomi emphasized that this display isn't just for content consumption but also for viewing photos. With 3000 nits of peak brightness, the display remains clear and visible in varying lighting conditions, be it Delhi's varying visibility range or Mumbai’s unpredictable weather.<br /><br />The auto-brightness feature on the 14 works exceptionally well, adapting to changes in ambient light effectively. The display supports Dolby Vision, enhancing both video and audio output noticeably. The high-definition content compatibility allows a satisfying viewing experience, and the device's audio setup matches its stature, featuring a dual speaker system that can reach impressive volumes. The responsive display, especially during typing, is an underrated but notable feature. The default keyboard is precise and responsive, adding to the overall user experience.<br /><br />With a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz and support for adaptive refresh rate, the display smoothly transitions between different tasks, ensuring a lag-free experience. The in-display fingerprint sensor, though optical and therefore slightly delayed compared to ultrasonic sensors, offers an additional security option. Face unlock, on the other hand, provides instant and mostly accurate access.<br /><br />Before concluding this section, I have to address the buzz around the screen size here. Yes, it is a 6.3-inch screen and it might not be the best size for some. I personally didn’t find myself complaining about the size while watching content, but if you read a lot from your smartphone then you will not be a fan of this device. Another aspect is if you are an avid gamer, yes you will adapt to the size overall, but a bigger surface area ensures more room to set up your controls. <br /><br />For me, these are not deal breakers, but for some of you, it might be! <br /><br /><strong>Software and performance<br />    <div type="image" title="Xiaomi 14 combines Hyper OS with Android 14." msid="108468403" hostid="261" sizebytes="41432" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Xiaomi 14 combines Hyper OS with Android 14.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> </strong><br />Out of the box, the Xiaomi 14 is equipped with Android 14, coupled with the all-new Hyper OS. Although currently more of an aesthetic overhaul, Xiaomi has ambitious plans to build an ecosystem around this software, with the EV SU7 already operating on the same OS, promising an exciting future.<br /><br />Aesthetically, the user interface (UI) bears a resemblance to typical MiUi, with some distinctions, particularly in widget design. However, it still carries some bloatware, albeit offering a smoother experience overall.<br /><br />In terms of usability, the Hyper OS on the Xiaomi 14 proves to be remarkably stable and devoid of bugs. As expected from a flagship device, there are no intrusive pre-loaded apps that might compromise the user experience. The UI is clean, visually pleasing, and easily customizable. The impressive display of the Xiaomi 14 enhances the visual appeal of legacy features like theme access, wallpapers, and customization options. <br /><br />One standout feature is the game turbo, offering stability and instant functionality. It provides options for screen recording, screenshot capture, and custom profiles, making the Xiaomi 14 a delightful choice for gaming enthusiasts. While there are some notable areas for improvement, such as the floating windows feature that allows users to pin windows on the screen, it generally functions well across various applications.<br /><br />The integration of AI is significant this year, with Samsung introducing Galaxy AI features in the S24 lineup. While not a deal-breaker, there is anticipation for future enhancements, especially with Hyper OS in the equation. Regarding updates, Xiaomi commits to a respectable 4 years of Android updates and 5 years of security updates. Although generous, it falls short when compared to Samsung Galaxy S24's promise of 7 years on both fronts.<br /><br />The Xiaomi 14 is fueled by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, marking my second encounter with this processor within the past two months. Having previously tested it on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and now on the 14, I continue to be impressed by its seamless integration with diverse hardware.<br /><br />The performance of the Xiaomi 14 is predictably rapid, evident in favourable benchmark results. A Geekbench 6 test yielded a single-core score of 2153 and a multi-core score of 6455. While the average user may not immediately discern the performance disparities, I noticed reduced throttling and heat generation during my extensive use. Playing COD: Mobile every day showcased the device's stability, maintaining optimal graphics with no frame drops or surprises. The combination of robust performance and the previously mentioned game turbo in the software section underscored the smartphone's commendable gaming capabilities.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Hyper OS follows a minimalistic design." msid="108468600" hostid="261" sizebytes="42352" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Variable focal lengths with Leica lenses add to the experience. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />In India, the single configuration offering of 512GB internal storage and 16GB RAM might seem excessive for most users, but those consistently working with heavy formats like 4K or 8K videos may even find the storage capacity falling short. So, this is a welcome improvement compared to the 256GB internal storage of the previous year's 13 Pro. The RAM effortlessly handles all tasks, eliminating the need for fusion memory. <br /><br />The 4610 mAh battery has proven resilient during a week of testing, providing an average screen-on time of 6 hours, even with a weekend filled with continuous content consumption, social media usage, and calls. This surpasses the performance of the Galaxy S24, a device known for its impressive battery life. The 120W charger efficiently replenishes the battery from 0-100% in about 40 minutes, without causing undue heat. Additionally, the Xiaomi 14 supports 50W of wireless charging, although the wired option proves to be quicker. <br /><br /><strong>Camera, a star highlight?<br /><div type="image" title="Variable focal lengths with Leica lenses add to the experience." msid="108468618" hostid="261" sizebytes="37076" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Variable focal lengths with Leica lenses add to the experience. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div></strong><br />Xiaomi 14’s camera set-up has completely been swapped and upgraded over its predecessor. We now have a 50MP primary camera paired with a 50MP telephoto sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide sensor. The novel OmniVision OVX9000 sensor for the primary camera is a first-time inclusion. Significantly larger, Xiaomi aptly names it Light Fusion 900.<br /><br />Xiaomi has assured users that the Xiaomi Imaging Engine guarantees uniformity in tone across all cameras by deriving white balance and exposure and so far I believe them. Throughout daylight hours, the primary camera achieves image quality on par with flagship standards. It encompasses sharpness, intricate details, expansive dynamic range, and precise colour reproduction while maintaining consistent performance both outdoors and indoors.<br /><br />Certainly, there are instances where the results appear slightly oversaturated. However, the overall details remain exceptional and the intricate details are well-preserved. Even upon zooming in, the details remain intact until the final pinch, where some distortion begins. The camera's focus shift is also praiseworthy. I tested this by capturing a model in motion within a single frame, and the camera maintained a consistently sharp focus throughout.<br /><br />Colour science plays a crucial role, especially when photographing individuals with varying skin tones. In the samples provided, the camera subtly enhances the skin tone, imparting a lighter complexion without deviating significantly from the original. Users can mitigate this effect by utilizing the pro mode, allowing adjustments for a more customised result.<br /><br />Night photography remains consistently strong, having been tested in both low-light conditions and under artificial lighting. As evident in the collage below, the camera excels in capturing details, although achieving the perfect shot may require some patience.<br /><br />Moving on to the 50MP telephoto lens with floating lens technology, it's important to note that while it may not match the Galaxy S24 Ultra in terms of detail, it unquestionably gets the job done. The floating lens technology becomes apparent when the camera surpasses expectations, as illustrated in the collage featuring samples at 0.6X, 2X, 10X, 30X, and 60X, with a noticeable colour shift at the 30X mark. The details remain impressive, only slightly diminishing at the brink.<br /><br />In the realm of portraits, the Xiaomi 14 truly shines, especially for enthusiasts of monochrome portraits. Multiple images captured with the device are magazine-cover worthy, with the portrait results being stunning, thanks to the master-lens system presets available in the camera app. The black &amp; white filter with the documentary 35mm setting is a standout, closely followed by the swirly bokeh at a 50mm focal length. The 75mm portrait shots are solid, standing out as some of the best in the price range. <br /><br />The super macro mode, under natural lighting, proves impressive, delivering detailed images suitable for wallpapers. As depicted in the samples below, the colours are accurate, and the details are finely preserved.<br /><br />While the camera's video capabilities may not rival those of an iPhone 15 Pro, it stands out as one of the strongest on an Android device in recent memory. Shooting a B-roll for a video at 4K 30FPS yielded clean results, though the saturation issue, particularly with reds standing out, persists. While the camera can record up to 8K videos, opting for 4K is advisable to avoid heavier files and potential heating issues.<br /><br />Turning the selfie camera, equipped with a 32MP sensor, it may pale in comparison to the primary setup, but it still delivers sharp images as a standalone unit. However, it tends to soften skin tones, imparting an artificial appearance, especially when AI is enabled. While the AI enhancement is well-executed, it may not align with personal preferences.<br /><br /><strong>Verdict</strong><br />Xiaomi 14 ticks the boxes in every possible category you look for in a smartphone. With a well-developed camera system, a brand-new intricate UI, efficient performance hardware and a respectable size. The performance-hungry users and users with optics as a priority have something to root for with this device. <br /><br />However, I understand that screen size is an important factor for many users, which is fair. In that case, I recommend the OnePlus 12 which falls in the same price segment. The camera performance there is also competitive and perhaps a more stock UI will add to the appeal as well.<br /><strong><br />SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/asus-rog-strix-scar-16/slidelist/107873658.cms">Asus ROG Strix Scar 16 – powerful hardware at a premium</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-8-pro-review/articleshow/107726935.cms">Pixel 8 Pro review: ‘Okay Google’ – The flagship smartphone ticks almost all boxes</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-open-review/articleshow/106961567.cms">OnePlus Open review – Feature-packed foldable in a premium design</a><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />

Xiaomi 14 Review — With a camera that never fails, can the latest flagship phone overcome the screen size barrier?

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Mickey  sandwiches are the best ice-cream snack at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.insider.com/favorite-things-to-do-at-disney-world-someone-with-annual-pass-2021">Disney World</a>.</li><li>Mickey’s premium ice-cream bars melt a lot faster than the  sandwiches.</li></ul><p>The Mickey premium ice-cream bars at the <keyword id="11920976" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney-parks" source="Orion">Disney parks</keyword> get a lot of attention — and selfies.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/mickeybar/"><u>hashtag</u></a> #Mickeybar has over 20,000 photos on Instagram, and the bar is considered one of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2022/03/06/the-25-best-desserts-in-disney-world-according-to-you/">most popular desserts</a> in the park.</p><p>It’s a solid ice-cream option, but there’s a<strong> </strong>way more under-the-radar treat modeled after the famous mouse that I think is better.</p><h2>Enjoying a Mickey ice-cream sandwich requires a little patience, but it’s always worth it for me</h2><div type="image" title="hand holding a package containing mickey ice cream sandwich in front of the castle at disney world" height="3024" width="4032" msid="90852374" hostid="261"></div><p>A Mickey’s premium ice-cream sandwich has cookies-and-cream <keyword id="11910483" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ice-cream" source="Orion">ice cream</keyword> sandwiched between two soft chocolate cookies embossed with Mickey Mouse’s face.</p><p>It’s typically served rock hard, but it doesn’t take long for it to warm up a bit in the hot Florida sun at <keyword id="71278" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney-world" source="Orion">Disney World</keyword>. After impatiently waiting for a few minutes, it’s time to dive in to take that first bite.</p><div type="image" title="hand holding mickey ice-cream sandwich in front of castle at disney world" height="3024" width="4032" msid="90852376" hostid="261"></div><p>The ice cream is cold and refreshing, and the cookies look adorable with Mickey’s face on them.</p><p>I always start by eating an ear because it’s easier, but no matter how you eat it, a Mickey ice-cream sandwich is always worth waiting in line for.</p><div type="image" title="megan posing for a selfie eating a mickey ice cream sandwich at disney world" height="2316" width="3088" msid="90852378" hostid="261"></div><p>If I’m staying at a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.insider.com/best-hotels-resorts-walt-disney-world"><u>Walt Disney World resort</u></a><u>,</u> I can also get my beloved ice-cream sandwich from many of the quick-service restaurants.</p><p>I like to mobile-order it through the My <keyword id="46161" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="disney" source="Orion">Disney</keyword> Experience app on my way back from the theme park, so I can pick it up on my way to my room and enjoy it as a late-night snack while I watch Mickey Mouse cartoons.</p><p>On the rare occasion when I’m staying in a Disney Vacation Club villa where there’s a freezer, I mobile-order the ice-cream sandwich at breakfast, throw it in the freezer, and have it right when I get back from the parks.</p><h2>There’s no comparison between the ice-cream sandwich and the standard premium bar</h2><div type="image" title="hand holding mickey premium ice cream bar at a disney resort" height="3024" width="4032" msid="90852381" hostid="261"></div><p>A Mickey’s premium ice-cream bar is plain vanilla ice cream dunked in a chocolate shell and served on a stick.</p><p>Unlike the sandwich, it’s ready to eat right when you get it. But it also melts super quickly, making enjoying the treat a race against the Florida sun.</p><p>If I tried my mobile-order trick for the ice-cream bar, there’s a good chance it’d be at least partially melted by the time I got to my room.</p>

Mickey premium bars are super popular at the Disney parks, but there's a better ice-cream treat everyone should order

Realme 11 5G Review: New Design, Same UI

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Alexis Georgeson/Tesla</span></p><p class="caption">A Tesla Model S parked at a Supercharger station.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tesla">Tesla</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/tesla-supercharger">Supercharger</a> station at a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/wawa">Wawa</a> store in Parsippany, New Jersey, caught fire on Sunday, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/tesla-supercharger-fire-at-wawa-store-in-new-jersey.html?__source=sharebar%7Clinkedin&amp;par=sharebar">CNBC</a>'s Lora Kolodny reported.</li><li>A Wawa representative told CNBC that there was a problem with the store's Supercharger cabinet, which supplies power to the Supercharger stalls.</li><li>A Wawa representative told the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/science/climate/wawa-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-tesla-20190807.html">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> in August that it had <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tsla-stock">Tesla</a> Supercharger stations at 16 of its stores and planned to double that number by the end of 2020.</li><li>Tesla's Supercharger stations are a key part of the eletric-car maker's strategy to make electric-vehicle ownership easier for customers.</li><li><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/shiftinggears">Sign up for Business Insider's transportation newsletter, Shifting Gears, to get more stories like this in your inbox.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul><p>A Tesla Supercharger station at a Wawa store in Parsippany, New Jersey, caught fire on Sunday, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/18/tesla-supercharger-fire-at-wawa-store-in-new-jersey.html?__source=sharebar%7Clinkedin&amp;par=sharebar">CNBC</a>'s Lora Kolodny reported.</p><p>A Wawa representative told CNBC that there was a problem with the store's Supercharger cabinet, which supplies power to the Supercharger stalls. The Supercharger station's power was shut off, as of Monday, while Tesla investigated the incident, Wawa told the publication. </p><p>A Wawa representative told the <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/science/climate/wawa-electric-vehicle-charging-stations-tesla-20190807.html">Philadelphia Inquirer</a> in August that it had Tesla Supercharger stations at 16 of its stores and planned to double that number by the end of 2020.</p><p>Tesla, Wawa, and the Parsippany-Troy Hills Fire Department did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment.</p><p>Tesla's Supercharger stations are a key part of the eletric-car maker's strategy to make electric-vehicle ownership easier for customers. While electric-vehicle owners can often charge at home, longer trips can require a trip to a public charger, which are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-insane-not-buy-ev-autonomous-potential-2019-6">less common</a> than gas stations.</p><p>Tesla has over 1,600 Supercharger stations with over 14,400 stalls in North America.</p><p><em>Are you a current or former Tesla employee? Do you have an opinion about what it's like to work there? Contact this reporter at <a href="mailto:mmatousek@businessinsider.com">mmatousek@businessinsider.com</a>. You can ask for more secure methods of communication, like Signal or ProtonMail, by email or Twitter direct message.</em></p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ford-mustang-mach-e-tesla-model-y-compared-photos-specs-2019-11" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Elon Musk said he's excited about Ford's $43,895 Mustang Mach-E electric SUV - here's how it will stack up against Tesla's $39,000 Model Y</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-plan-to-build-factory-in-germany-makes-no-sense-2019-11" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Elon Musk's plan to build a new Tesla factory in Germany makes no sense. Here's why.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-casey-neistat-appreciate-selfie-stick-of-tesla-guy-2019-11" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Elon Musk and YouTuber Casey Neistat bonded over a Tesla engineer's massive 'selfie stick' extender pole</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-the-tesla-bmw-comparison-doesnt-make-business-sense-2019-11" data-read-more-link="" data-e2e-name="read-more-link">Here's why the Tesla-BMW comparison doesn't make business sense</a></li></ul><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/future-of-retail?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=tesla&amp;itm_campaign=future-of-retail-2"></a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/safest-walk-ice-penguin-2017-2">The safest way to walk on ice is to impersonate a penguin</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A Tesla Supercharger station caught fire at a Wawa in New Jersey

Xiaomi 13 Pro Review: Cameras stand true to the promise

<br /><br /><strong>Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro<br /></strong><br />
  
  
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<br />The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro is only phone under ₹15000 to offer a 48MP camera where most brands only have 12MP and 16MP camera setups. It has a Sony IMX 586 sensor on board – the same one that’s on the Honor View 20 and One Plus 7 Pro.<br /><br />Keep in mind that when you’re using the phone, you’ll have to manually turn on the 48MP mode in order to take high resolution pictures. The shots aren’t bad but some of the pictures are softened a little too much and it also takes a while for the shutter to process the photo in that mode. <br /><br />But, even if you choose to stick to snapping photos in 12MP – Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro is better than any other 12MP camera in its class. This is isn’t only for well-lit shots but also the case in low lighting, macro shots and landscape photography. <br /><br />The phone’s front camera also works considerably well and automatically detect when you might need to use HDR for your photos. <br /><br /><strong>Samsung Galaxy M30<br /></strong><br />
  
  
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<br />Where Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 Pro is the only smartphone under ₹15,000 to offer 48MP goodness, the Samsung Galaxy M30 is the only phone to feature a triple camera rear setup. <br /><br />The phone has a 13MP primary sensor, an 8MP wide angle lens, and a 5MP sensor for depth sensing. The power of its triple cameras can capture a considerable amount details but as is with ­all Samsung phones, the colors are a little too vibrant. That may not necessarily be a bad thing depending on what you want from your photos, but it does take away from the ‘natural-ness’ of the photo. <br /><br />The phone is camera capabilities are at par with the Redmi Note 7 Pro, except when it comes to recording videos. The Galaxy M30 can only capture HD videos while the Redmi Note 7 can record 4K videos. <br /><br /><strong>Realme3 Pro<br /></strong>
  
  
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<br />The Realme 3 Pro was the first phone to bring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 into the Indian market and has the same camera as the OnePlus 6T, which costs over ₹30,000.<br /><br />The camera onboard the phone has a 16MP Sony IMX519 primary sensor and a 5MP depth sensor. It takes good shots in well-lit conditions and also in low-light conditions in comparison to its counterparts. The Realme3 Pro’s AI detection may even be a little faster than the Redmi Note 7 Pro – making the photos a little more saturated than they need to be. <br /><br />The Realme3 Pro is essentially the best gaming phone that you can buy under rs. 15 000 and requirement that’s only increasing by the day. A fact that is apparent in the fact that Redmi’s Note 7 Pro camera has many more features and customisations available to the user. <br /><br />But, if you’re looking for the best of the worlds – gaming and photography – Realme3 Pro is the best option under rs. 15000 in the Indian market right now.<br /><br /><strong>Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2<br /><br />
  
  
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<br /></strong><br />The Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 has a good camera at the price of ₹9,999. The only thing is that its not absolutely consistent. The camera has a leg up over the other phones on this list as having the best color reproduction. What you see is what the camera will capture. <br /><br />Portrait shots and landscapes in well lit conditions will turn out as well with well defined edges and accurate contrast. But, the minute you try and capture a low-lit image – the camera produces grainy images with vaguely defined edges. <br /><br />The selfie camera with AI detection also works well and doesn’t go overboard with its ‘beautification’.<br /><br /><strong>Samsung Galaxy M20<br /><br />
  
  
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<br /></strong>When you stack the Samsung Galaxy M30 against the Galaxy M20, there isn’t much of a difference when it comes to the phone’s camera. The camera is quick to focus and the shutter lag is minimal in most shooting conditions. <br /><br />But, one problem that users have indicated with the Galaxy M20 is that due to the difference in megapixels in the primary and secondary rear lens – the photos sometimes have a ‘fish-eye’ distortion to them, which is obviously noticeable.<br />

Best camera phones under ₹15,000

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The writer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-writer-went-undercover-to-investigate-white-supremacists-online-2020-10">Talia Lavin</a> reflects on emerging from our <keyword id="8764262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid">Covid</keyword> quarantines with the same perceived flaws and insecurities as before. </li><li>What if the coming season is less "Hot Vaxxed Girl Summer" and more "Blob Girl Summer"?  </li></ul><p>As the petals drop to the pavement and shots slip into arms, we're rolling inexorably toward Hot Vaxxed Girl <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sextech-startup-summer-market-booming-2021-4">Summer</a>. We, the immunized, survivors of the plague, are supposed to emerge from our Covid quarantines without hesitancy. The problem with this is that I was never Hot in the first place and this Summer is no different. </p><p>It's still just me, blinking hesitantly and shaking a little, sweating under my shapeless clothes and knowing that there are still people dying at war with their own lungs. </p><p>The truth is I am a <a href="https://twitter.com/chick_in_kiev/status/1187113670603661313?lang=en">Blob Girl</a>. I am part of a vast middle sector of womanhood who are pretty bad at Being <keyword id="624" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Women">Women</keyword> in the way that involves an arsenal of products and a wealth of knowledge to address every detail of our femininity with attention and care and perform it with the practiced grace of dancers. My <em>je ne sais quoi </em>is a literal translation: I don't know what it would take to have such a quality. </p><p>This summer, the humid air will press down on me like a sweaty hand and I, in the middle of it, will be as limp and unluscious as a two-day-old funnel cake. In a world of curation through layers of screens-in which even I, stale dough pinched into the rough approximation of a human woman, know my best selfie angles-it is difficult to admit it and still more difficult to hope that somewhere I have a tribe. </p><p>There is so much expectation, after more than a year locked inside. We were supposed to improve ourselves during our time away from the world. In a social milieu shaped by the bright relentless self-optimization of capital we are supposed to come out of our bedrooms-slash-workspaces thinner and shinier. </p><p>Except I didn't. For me, what's coming is Blob Girl Summer.</p><p>I know I am not alone, that there's a secret legion of grieving and unimproved femmes who have tried and failed to enter the halls of a kind of womanhood that is locked off to us. Somewhere there is a place, I imagine it to be not unlike the <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/547802">Temple of Dendur</a> in the Met, where the Hot Girls sleep at night in their sarcophagi. I could get my ticket my <keyword id="6360041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="life">life</keyword> would change, and since I can't, I live an unchanged life. The last time I tried to sit on a stoop on a sunny day I sat in dog piss and I didn't even know, for hours. </p><p>For years I have tried to enter the temple, but I haven't tried hard enough, and I have a big furrow in my brow and wrinkly hands. So much of what Being A Woman is supposed to be is the ability to transfix and enchant, glances sticking to you like cobweb.</p><div type="image" title="Talia Temple" height="3451" width="5207" msid="82314004" hostid="261"></div><p>I was built for gazes to pass over, an awning is more exciting than me, a hot dog cart is more exciting than me, the little creatures in the rainwater coming out of the gutter that you can't see with the naked eye are nonetheless more visually arresting than I am. Am I a woman still? I have tried to be. </p><p>So <a href="https://projects.thecity.nyc/covid-19-deaths/">many people</a> have died this year, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/global-covid-deaths-3-million-surges-us-brazil-india-2021-4">millions,</a> and I have survived to take into my body a miraculous shot that is the very flower of medical science, a code written in my genome to lock out the great threat. And I, imbibing this, have the temerity to not even be sexy. If Vaxxed Girl Summer is meant to be a kind of pan-cultural Rumspringa I ought to be someone that transcends schlubhood under its thrilling aegis. And yet.</p><h3>A SUGGESTED RITUAL</h3><p>The proof of my failure is all around me, entombed in the room I rent. Somewhere in my possession is a pale blue container of Tatcha's The Water Cream, a moisturizer that goes for $68 for 1.7 fluid ounces. Within the pale unguent, the advertising copy states, are wild roses, and leopard lilies found "on the cool hillsides of Japan." The cream is thick and white, and the luxuriant vessel that holds it is accompanied by a gold-colored spoon, with which to smooth the pricey goop onto your face. There is a "suggested ritual" to accompany the cream: Camellia Cleansing Oil, Rice Polish, The Essence - $286 worth of salves and scours meant to alchemize one's face and decolletage into youthful, glowing perfection. I bought it, all of it, in a manic phase in the last year of my twenties.</p><p>I was a Blob Girl convinced I could be a Hot Girl and so I was attuned to the chatter all around me about skincare routines. There were articles about it - The Cut runs a repeating feature interrogating how various women "Get Her Skin So Good" (most are very rich or very young or both). I wanted in, and I read the articles, bought the best, as far as I could determine, among a blizzard of beauty guides laden with an intricate web of affiliate links. For a few nights I bathed my skin in these things, titrated them drop by drop onto the bags under my eyes, the sallow tops of my breasts, my unspeakable neck. But I had no discipline; it was just another dilettante's sally into a kind of femininity I had no real business taking part in.</p><p>By now I've mostly mostly hidden the serums away, feeling a vague shame about the whole thing. </p><p>I'm now 31, and I grew up when Heroin Chic was still the ideal of womanhood, hipbones protruding from low-rise jeans. The belated acknowledgement that flesh belongs adjacent to bones came late in my twenties, too late for me, and I continue to await a great cultural reset that hallows a body that looks like mine--an overstuffed couch dropped from a great height, a knockoff Venus of Willendorf made of plasticine. Somehow and somewhere (many somewheres, or everywhere) I learned that a perfect woman is a mirror that shows you precisely what you desire.  </p><p>Nonetheless I stand in my sack dress and Walmart sandals and tilt up my bare, pore-heavy face with its incipient jowls and admit with chagrin and little grace that I am not among the blessed. I am a Blob Femme, a creature half-made of envy and shame, whose breasts are incidental and pendulous. A woman sure she is a woman, but sure of little else.</p><p>To be a woman and do it <em>properly </em>is a job that requires both effort and skill. It can involve cash, yes, but also work - testing and curation, a keen awareness of audience and effect. Much can be done with simple and cost-effective material, and while its primary cultural exemplars are wealthy, looking fantastic isn't solely the provenance of the bourgeois. There is value to this work: learning the mysteries of the contour, differentiating foundations, finding the just-right nook of bone that blush ought to be applied to; assessing one's palette, knowing hair milk from hair gel from hair cream. There is work in building looks each day out of the raw material of simple clothing, and it is work I admire, and at which I lack talent and initiative. There is unimaginable amounts of work involved in sculpting a beguiling figure out of simple flesh. I do not denigrate it; I long for it, strive for it when I'm flush in mad dashes of acquisition. </p><div type="image" title="Talia Makeup school" height="3006" width="4008" msid="82314013" hostid="261"></div><p>I never learned how to be flat enough, silent enough, to be all winking, passive chrome. During the pandemic I was lucky enough to be cloistered; this privileged solitude left me alone with a mind that wouldn't stop buzzing, alone with a body that kept manufacturing its own insistent and extraneous desires. I know that there are many women who excel at both the labor of performed femininity. Who lust and take with grace, and who are as skilled in attaining their own pleasure as they are at giving pleasure away. Still, after this wearing year, a year of morgue-trucks and uncertainty and pain, I am still a woman unskilled at womanhood, not new to its arts but still humbler than an apprentice: A supplicant at the door of the temple.</p><p>The world calls me out into the light of Hot Vaxxed Girl Summer, to be warm and poised and lush, but the spring is still cold and I am frightened and frozen at the threshold. Each step I take from an isolation in which my body, being alone, had no locus of comparison, is a step back into a world of all-too-familiar shame. Forgiving myself for every untoward fold and hair, every lemurish attempt at eyeliner, every clumsy waddle on thighs like boiled dumplings, forgiving myself for being me, or even just for being, is its own ongoing labor. </p><p>Having survived through a plague I want to live every inch of my survival, the world my oyster and I, its irritant little pearl, the gem at the lip of the mantle, to be plucked out and buffed to shining nacre. Instead I'm the oyster, all slime in the throat, eating grit. Still, I lived. My body allowed me to hide and survive and, surely, for this it has earned a little grace.</p><p>Penelope, the wife of Odysseus, undid her weaving each night to ward off suitors and buy herself time. I too have much to unthread each time I close my door on the world. From the poor material of myself, I have to spin patience and a little kindness. Hot Vaxxed Girl Summer is coming, and all I can do is set my fat hands to the loom.</p><p><em>Talia Lavin is a freelance journalist and author of the recent book "<a href="https://bookshop.org/books/culture-warlords-my-journey-into-the-dark-web-of-white-supremacy/9780306846434">Culture Warlords: My Journey into the Dark Web of White Supremacy</a>." </em></p>

Get ready for Blob Girl Summer

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>Yahoo's digital <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> recovery is definitely happening. But it's not happening fast enough.</p><p><a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Facebook-Twitter-Will-Take-33-Share-of-US-Digital-Display-Market-by-2017/1012274?ecid=PR101">The latest forecast from research group eMarketer</a> predicts that Twitter will overtake Yahoo in terms of total digital display ad revenue (which includes ads that appear on desktop and laptop computers plus mobile phones and tablets) in the US for the first time in 2015.</p><p>And that's despite eMarketer forecasting that Yahoo will report a lift in US display ad growth this year for the first time since it started tracking the company's ad revenues in 2009.</p><p>Let's be clear: eMarketer's figures in this instance are only looking at a proportion of Yahoo's (and other companies') revenues within one region. Yahoo's global full-year revenue (excluding traffic acquisition costs) - which includes all its different business divisions beyond display, such as search - <a href="https://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=893145">fell 1.3% year on year to $4.6 billion.</a> However, the display ad portion of that is an important indicator <a href="http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Mobile-Will-Account-72-of-US-Digital-Ad-Spend-by-2019/1012258">as display is the largest sector of digital advertising</a>, the US is the largest digital ad market, and Yahoo used to be the leader in US display until 2011 when both Google and Facebook overtook it.<a href="https://investor.yahoo.net/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=893145"></a></p><p>In 2015, eMarketer predicts Yahoo will report $1.24 billion in digital display ad revenue in the US. Twitter will report $1.34 billion, moving it into the coveted number three position.</p><p>Yahoo's growth just isn't as rapid as Twitter's ascent, and eMarketer predicts the former company's market share will drop to 4.6% in 2015, down from 5.5% in 2014, and 7.2% in 2013. Twitter, meanwhile, will shift to 5% in 2015, then up to 5.9% in 2016.</p><p><span>When it comes to digital advertising, scale is the name of the game. And Yahoo will be all too aware what signal losing its number three position will give out to the market.</span></p><p>What makes Yahoo's lackluster growth in digital display even more remarkable is that its mobile strategy actually appears to be paying off. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-to-overtake-twitter-on-mobile-ads-2014-12">EMarketer's mobile forecast, published back in December</a>, predicts that Yahoo is set to be biggest gainer of US mobile advertising share (which includes display ads, search ads, and messaging-based ads) between 2014 and 2016. This year eMarketer predicts Yahoo's US mobile advertising share will climb to 3.74%, narrowly overtaking the current number three player Twitter, which will have a 3.69% share.</p><p>Why is Yahoo performing so well on mobile, yet struggling in display?</p><p>The vast majority of its mobile ad revenues come from search ads (of which Twitter has none).</p><p>Whereas, in the display category, Yahoo struggles across the board - on desktop, mobile, and tablet. Its mobile search business might be performing well, but mobile ads are cheaper, so desktop display in particular is dragging down revenue growth overall. </p><p>Elsewhere, brands are starting to put an increasing amount of their search dollars into social media, which is hurting Yahoo in the long-term. It may have Tumblr, but its revenues (<a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/10/21/yahoo-tumblr-to-make-over-100-million-in-revenue-next-year/">projected to be around $100 million this year</a>) pale in comparison to the $12.5 billion Facebook posted, or the $1.4 billion Twitter reported in 2014.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Yahoo has made <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-to-merge-flurry-with-gemini-to-create-self-service-mobile-ad-platform-2015-1">huge investments in mobile over the past few months</a>, such as acquiring the Flurry mobile app network last year and investing in its Gemini native advertising platform, which was built in-house. And those investments do seem to be paying off: Yahoo is in growth, and that growth looks to continue into 2017, according to eMarketer.</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> </span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/selfie-sticks-future-selfies-drones-culture-2015-3">Selfies are evolving beyond the selfie stick</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Rxbnk1dDqZi_-vOBH8M2Bt6SFg-vfFbg" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Yahoo's recovery is so weak it will be overtaken by Twitter on digital display ad revenues

I attended Instagram influencer Caroline Calloway's 5-hour, $165 creativity workshop that people have called a 'scam.' Here's what it was like inside

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>Snapchat wants to go&#xa0;public in&#xa0;the first half of 2017. Its valuation, Bloomberg reports, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-26/snapchat-said-to-seek-to-raise-as-much-as-4-billion-in-ipo">could be up to $40 billion</a>.<p>If you consider Snapchat's business today, that seems ludicrous.</p><p>Snapchat, which recently changed its corporate name to Snap Inc, &#xa0;will reportedly&#xa0;generate about $300 million in 2016,&#xa0;up from roughly $50 million last year. Even if you believe Snap can generate $1 billion-2 billion in 2017 (its rumored projection), a $40 billion IPO would give the company a hard-t0-justify 40X&#xa0;multiple. Its ad offerings and technology are relatively early days, compared to peers like Google and Facebook, and TV ads- which&#xa0;Snap likely wants to compete against- are&#xa0;still generally priced much higher than online video units.</p><p>Facebook, by comparison, is expected to generate about <a href="https://markets.ft.com/data/equities/tearsheet/forecasts?s=FB:NSQ">$27 billion</a> this year. And although it boasts a&#xa0;massive <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/FB-Quote">$370 billion</a>&#xa0;market cap, Facebook's stock is only trading at 10x next year's projected revenue.</p><p>For many investors, that's reason enough to dismiss Snap out of hand.</p><p>But if you ignore the numbers for a minute and look at Snap's product and leadership track record, it becomes much tougher to write the company off as just an overhyped flash in the pan. If Snap's impact on the tech industry over the next five&#xa0;years is as profound as the past five, then some of the heated&#xa0;expectations around the company might not be so outlandish.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><h2>Evan Spiegel&#xa0;is considered a product&#xa0;'Picasso'</h2><p>Spiegel isn't a technical founder (someone who writes lines of code) like Google's Larry Page or Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. And his company doesn't make decisions based on data, ignoring a&#xa0;fundamental&#xa0;tenet&#xa0;of Silicon Valley's engineering-driven companies.</p><p>Instead, Snap operates more like a creative shop where Spiegel obsesses over the product. As one person who has worked there explained: If you imagined a movie director starting a company with artists flowing in and out, that's what Snap's office vibe is like.</p><p>Spiegel's emulation of Steve Jobs has been much remarked upon, with the 26-year-old Snap CEO sharing the late Apple founder's passion for showmanship, secrecy and suspense when it comes to creating products.&#xa0;</p><p>But Spiegel isn't just another Jobs imitator. He has a proven&#xa0;multiple times that he can invent hit products that set industry trends. And like Jobs, he has some fiercely loyal followers who believe he's the real deal.</p><p>"<span>Admirers say Spiegel is as good at building products as Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs," <a href="http://www.recode.net/2016/5/9/11594144/evan-spiegel-snapchat">Recode's Kurt Wagner writes</a>. "And if you think that's hyperbole, you should talk to several of the sources we spoke to for this story, who casually likened him to Picasso."</span></p><h2><strong>Radical-sounding ideas that have proven to be right</strong></h2><p>Throughout Snap's short, five year history, Spiegel has made a series of decisions that seemed crazy at first but proved to be right. Consider:</p><ul><li><strong>Before Snap, the internet was permanent.</strong> Every tweet, message or photo was<strong>&#xa0;</strong>documented forever on sites like Google and Facebook - even the unflattering ones. Snap single-handedly blew that up, introducing&#xa0;the notion of ephemerality<strong>. </strong>Whether it's teens regularly culling&#xa0;their Instagram accounts of posts that are more&#xa0;than a week old, or the bevvy of messaging apps designed for self-destructing communications, Snap's idea is now increasingly the norm.</li><li><strong>Snap popularized&#xa0;<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/evan-spiegel-snapchat-record-video-portrait-vertical-2015-6">vertical video</a>,&#xa0;a format that makes much more sense on phones. </strong>Horizontal video, the so-called "landscape" mode that you watch TV shows and movies in, was the undisputed&#xa0;standard for video until Snap came along. Now a growing number of publishers, advertisers and even online video rivals like YouTube have latched on to videos that are shot in vertical mode.</li><li><strong>Turning down a roughly $4 billion acquisition offer from Facebook turned out to be smart</strong>. It's not easy to refuse an offer from Mark Zuckerberg (just ask the founders of Instagram, WhatsApp and Oculus), especially when the offer is multiple billions of dollars. But three years later, Spiegel's&#xa0;company is already worth about five times Facebook's offering price, and if it IPOs at $4o billion, Snap will&#xa0;be worth 10 time that.</li><li><span><strong>He's re-thinking the shape of&#xa0;photos and videos from squares to circles.</strong> The idea has yet to be proven, but Spiegel's logic is sound.&#xa0;"<span>The video [Snap's Spectacle sunglasses]&#xa0;records is circular, more like human vision," <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/snapchat-releases-first-hardware-product-spectacles-1474682719">WSJ's &#xa0;Seth Stevenson writes</a>. "Spiegel argues that rectangles are an unnecessary vestige of printing photos on sheets of paper."</span></span></li></ul><h2><strong>Snap doesn't have just one hit product - it has at least&#xa0;six</strong></h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>When Snap launched, it looked like a fad. It was&#xa0;considered a sexting tool for college students that made lewd photos disappear. But a lot of red-hot apps that fail to keep innovating die shortly after launch: Yo, Ello, Meerkat; even Pokemon GO has quickly lost its cool.<p>Instead of riding&#xa0;out its one smash hit, Snap launched a series of new products that kept users sticking around.</p><ul><li><strong>Snaps.</strong> In &#xa0;2010, Snap launched with its flagship feature, disappearing photo and video messages. Now, more than 1 billion snaps are viewed every day. Video views on Snap have grown more than 350% in the last year to more than&#xa0;10 billion daily views.</li><li><strong>Stories.</strong> In October 2013, Snap allowed users to create strings of photos and videos that disappear in 24 hours, called Stories. Stories are now viewed by 10-20 million Snappers per day.</li><li><strong>Discover.</strong> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/snapchat-launches-new-discovery-feature-2015-1">Snap launched Discover</a>, a section for media publications to post articles, in January 2015. Now 100 million Snappers view it every month. That's vastly lower than the number of people who are snapping back and forth each day, so you&#xa0;could argue Discover isn't a hit. But it accomplished an important goal for Snap: It made&#xa0;the media infatuated with it. This worked for Facebook when it began driving traffic to publishers from its NewsFeed. Mark Zuckerberg had reportedly been upset that journalists were infatuated with Twitter. So <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/buzzfeed-facebook-rumor-2014-2">BuzzFeed's Jonah Peretti apparently advised him</a>&#xa0;to"s<span>how them how much traffic you can drive. That will cure the journalists of their attachment to Twitter, and get better press for Facebook."</span>&#xa0;</li><li><strong>Filters.</strong> Launched in December 2014, users now view snaps with geofilters more than 1 billion times per day.</li><li><strong>Lenses and Messaging</strong> are also popular on Snap. Even sponsored lenses that Snap makes money from are getting a decent amount of user interaction. For example, Taco Bell's Cinco de Mayo taco-face selfie lens was viewed 224 million times.&#xa0;</li></ul><p>Of course, not everything Snap has launched has taken off. For example, Snap tried launching SnapCash,&#xa0;a Venmo-like service, and it has tried a few in-app payment features that never went mainstream. But the company had enough hits to prove it's no one-trick pony.</p><p>"<span>One of the company's great attributes is their willingness to put out a lot of product," Snap investor Mitch Lasky told Recode. "<span>Evan's got a lot of interesting ideas and he's absolutely fearless about putting them out there. If they don't work, so be it."</span></span></p><h2><strong>Facebook's&#xa0;paranoia</strong></h2><p>A major indicator of Snap's potential upside is Facebook's reaction to it. At first, things started out cordial.</p><p>Zuckerberg emailed Spiegel in November 2013 to say he was a fan of his app.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div><p>Then, within weeks of meeting Spiegel and his cofounder Bobby Murphy, Zuckerberg launched a near-Snap clone called Poke.&#xa0;The app failed shortly after it launched.</p><p>One year later, reports surfaced that Facebook had made an offer to purchase Snap for billions of dollars, but Snap declined.&#xa0;Since then, Facebook has launched more than half a dozen apps and features that resemble Snap.&#xa0;</p><p>The Verge put together <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/10/11395428/facebook-copying-snapchat-timeline">a timeline of all the times Facebook&#xa0;has tried to copy Snap</a>. It lists seven instances total, excluding the most recent cloning examples, such as <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-vs-snapchat-stories-2016-8">Facebook's August&#xa0;launch of Instagram Stories</a>, which mimics Snap's stories features down to its very&#xa0;name, and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-live-masks-snapchat-like-selfie-video-filters-2016-10">"Live Masks,"</a> Snap-like face filters which Facebook announced in October.</p><p>Snap&#xa0;seems to be the only real thorn in Facebook's side, catering to a younger teen and 20-something&#xa0;audience that Facebook would love to have. And Facebook has a history of waging&#xa0;war on any product it deems a threat. &#xa0;</p><p>For example, when Google launched its&#xa0;social media platform, Google Plus, Zuckerberg called an all-hands meeting and put the company on "lockdown," with employees encouraged to work around the clock to defeat the competition.</p><p>"Y<span>ou know, one of my favorite Roman orators ended every speech with the phrase </span><em>Carthago delenda est.</em><span> 'Carthage must be destroyed,'"&#xa0;<a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/06/how-mark-zuckerberg-led-facebooks-war-to-crush-google-plus">Zuckerberg told employees</a>.&#xa0;"For some reason I think of that now."</span></p><h2><strong>How Snap looks compared to&#xa0;Twitter and Facebook</strong></h2><p>Based on some of the data we have about&#xa0;Snap (the company has not yet publicly filed its prospectus), it's fair to say Snap isn't in the same league as Facebook at the time of its IPO&#xa0;- though Snap is seeking a valuation of less than half of Facebook's.</p><p>If Snap were to go public today, it would have significantly fewer users than the 900 million monthly actives Facebook had at its IPO. It would also have about one-tenth Facebook's revenue (roughly $350 million versus Facebook's $3 billion-$4 billion). &#xa0;Facebook ended its first day of trading with a $104 billion market cap, about 26X revenue. Although&#xa0;Facebook's value was cut in half four months later, it rebounded back to its IPO price once the company mastered mobile monetization (Facebook generated almost no mobile revenue when it went public).</p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>But Snap is only five years old&#xa0;and Facebook was eight when it was listed. When Facebook was&#xa0;Snap's age though, it was generating <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-wont-be-a-multi-billion-dollar-company-for-many-years-2010-3">roughly $650 million</a>, about double that of Snap.</p><p>If you compare Snap to Twitter, things look a little rosier. Twitter was seven when it went public and had about the same number of active users then (~230 million&#xa0;per month) as Snap likely has now. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-02/snapchat-passes-twitter-in-daily-usage">Snap has already passed Twitter in terms of DAUs</a>, according to Bloomberg. Twitter had a<a href="https://www.cnet.com/news/key-numbers-to-know-before-twitters-ipo/">bout 100 million daily active users</a> when it IPO'd. It generated about $665 million in 2013, less than Snap is hoping to make in its sixth year.</p><p>Twitter's stock has been getting hammered lately on reports of layoffs, stalled growth, and lack of acquisition interest. The $27 billion market cap it had in 2013 has been sliced to about $12 billion today. And Twitter still has not managed to turn a profit.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><h2><strong>What will Snap&#xa0;become? </strong></h2><p>Can Snap become a Facebook or Google-size behemoth with more than 1 billion users? If so, then a $40 billion valuation isn't outrageous.</p><p>Or will it become Twitter, which tried to chase Facebook's scale&#xa0;but never quite nailed&#xa0;the experience&#xa0;for the masses?</p><p>Snap, like Twitter, isn't easy for non-millennials to immediately grasp. And Snap will need to attract older audiences if it wants to keep growing.</p><p><div></div></p><p>Snap could also become something else entirely, ranging from a $20 billion messaging app like WhatsApp to a $15 billion media company like&#xa0;Viacom, to a much smaller camera company like $1.4 billion&#xa0;GoPro.</p><p>Those are a lot of unknowns for public investors. But because the company is young, there could also be&#xa0;significant potential upside, and&#xa0;Spiegel has&#xa0;consistently proven that he isn't someone to underestimate.</p><p>"<span>When Snap started out, I thought it seemed trivial. I was completely wrong,"</span>&#xa0;<span>Chamath Palihapitiya, a&#xa0;</span>startup investor who is not invested in Snapc&#xa0;<a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-05-26/evan-spiegel-reveals-plan-to-turn-snapchat-into-a-real-business">told Bloomberg</a>.</p><p>"<span>I don't think anyone saw coming what they are building."</span></p><p class="tagline">Visit Markets Insider for constantly updated market quotes for individual stocks, ETFs, indices, commodities and currencies traded around the world. <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/">Go Now!</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/infected-honey-bees-in-the-us-are-dying-2016-10">Scientists have discovered why American honey bees are turning into zombies</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Q0c3AzeDoFdIxrXSBTCcR8lfdcuwyQPu" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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