Nokia 8 Leaked Price, iPhone 8 3D Laser Tech, Xiaomi Mi 6 Specifications, and More: Your 360 Daily

Nokia 8 Android flagship phone’s price has leaked online courtesy a listing on Chinese e-commerce site JD.com. The listing is for pre-registrations for the Nokia 8 sale, and it is hard to confirm if it is authentic or not. According to the Nokia 8 listing, the smartphone – which is expected to be launched on February 26 on the sidelines of MWC 2017 – will be priced at CNY 3,188 (roughly Rs. 31,000). The flagship Nokia Android phone is expected to feature a 5.7-inch display, Snapdragon 835 processor, 24-megapixel camera with Zeiss optics on the back, 12-megapixel camera in front, Android 7.0 Nougat software, and 64GB and 128GB internal storage options.

But that's not the only major leak of the day. Check out your 360 Daily roundup below for the biggest tech news of the day.

iPhone 8 may sport 3D laser scanner for facial feature
Apple may do away with the Touch ID fingerprint sensor with the iPhone 8, and instead use a 3D laser tech for facial recognition, according to JP Morgan analyst Rod Hall. He adds that using the 3D laser tech will increase the bill of materials for iPhone 8 by $10-15, but the new technology may help the proliferation of the Apple Pay payments solution among consumers who are not satisfied with the reliability of Touch ID. Further, he said that the 3D laser tech would also help the company enable AR/VR functions in the upcoming flagship iPhone model.

Xiaomi Mi 6 specifications allegedly leaked
A Chinese tipster has leaked the alleged specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 6 flagship smartphone, which is said to come in three variants. One of the Xiaomi Mi 6 variants is said to pack 4GB RAM and 32GB storage, and feature full-HD screen resolution; the other model will reportedly have 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, and WQHD display resolution; the premium Mi 6 variant, on the other hand, will be the only with curved edges on both sides, 6GB RAM, and ceramic body. The smartphone is also said to sport a 12-megapixel camera with Sony IMX386 sensor.

BharatQR Code interoperable payment acceptance solution launched
RBI Deputy Governor R. Gandhi today launched the BharatQR code payment acceptance solution, which has been developed by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), MasterCard, and Visa. With this interoperable and low-cost payment solution, consumers will not have to scan separate QR codes at the same merchant provided by the different payment networks. Instead, merchants will only need to display a single QR code, either at their retail outlet or on the acquiring bank’s mobile app. BharatQR is compatible with MasterCard, Visa and RuPay accounts.

Incidentally, Paytm also announced today that it will invest a sum of Rs. 600 crores in its QR code-based payment solution to enable digital payments for merchants.

Vodafone-Idea merger may be finalised within a month
The merger of Vodafone India and Idea Cellular, which will create India’s biggest telecom operator, will reportedly be finalised within a month. The two companies are said to be close to signing a deal, and it may happen as soon as February 24 or 25. Former Vodafone India head Marten Pieters has been roped in to work on the proposed merger with Idea. The initial talks for the Vodafone-Idea merger were based on equal rights between Vodafone Group and Aditya Birla Group (Idea’s parent company), with Vodafone getting shares in Idea.

Sony Xperia X gets a Rs. 14,000 price cut
In less than a year of launch, the Sony Xperia X smartphone has received a second price cut, this time bringing its price down by Rs. 14,000 to Rs. 24,990; the smartphone had originally been launched in May last year at a price of Rs. 48,990. Despite a substantial decrease in price tag, the Sony Xperia X remains more expensive than other handsets with the Snapdragon 650 processor, such Xiaomi Redmi Note 3. Other key features of the Sony smartphone are 5-inch full-HD screen, 3GB RAM, 23-megapixel rear camera, 13-megapixel front camera, and 2620mAh battery.

Reliance Jio, Uber announce strategic partnership
Disruptive telecom operator Reliance Jio and ride-hailing app Uber have announced a strategic alliance in India. As the first step in this partnership, Uber customers will be able to pay for their rides using the JioMoney wallet app; similarly, JioMoney users will be able to book and pay for Uber rides from within the wallet app. The two companies said they will work together to enrich the Jio Digital Life experience with complementary programmes.

Xiaomi to launch home-made Pinecone processor on February 28
Xiaomi will launch the Pinecone processor, which the Chinese smartphone brand has developed in-house, at an event on February 28. The Pinecone processor’s launch has been confirmed on Weibo, and the event will take place at the Beijing National Convention Center at 2pm China time (11:30am IST). So far, Apple, Samsung and Huawei are the only other smartphone brands that develop their smartphone processors in-house.