Itel S42 review: A good smartphone on a budget
Twitter will soon start banning cryptocurrency advertising, joining Facebook and Google in a clampdown that seeks to avoid giving publicity to potential fraud or large investor losses.
The prohibition will cover advertising of initial coin offerings ( ICOs) — crowdfunding used to raise cash by creating new coins — as well as token sales, the San Francisco- based firm told Reuters. The new policy, which will be rolled out over the next 30 days, will also ban ads by cryptocurrency exchanges and cryptocurrency wallet services unless they are public companies listed on certain major stock markets.
For Japan, these will be limited to crypto exchanges regulated by its national financial regulator, Twitter said. The firm had said this month it was taking measures to prevent crypto- related accounts from “engaging with others in a deceptive manner”, but faced calls to go further after bans from Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s Google.
Facebook has restricted crypto- related adverts, while Google announced a ban that comes into force in June. The price of bitcoin, already 4 per cent in the red, fell further after the Twitter announcement. It traded at $ 7,920 BTC= BTSP on ● Regulators have warned that bitcoin and other virtual currencies are highly speculative and that some could be fraudulent
the Luxembourg- based Bitstamp exchange at 1740 GMT, down more than 6 per cent on the day.
Regulators’ warnings: Regulators have stepped up warnings that bitcoin and other virtual currencies are highly speculative and that some could be fraudulent, and that investors should be prepared to lose everything. But last week the G20 group of rich nations failed to reach a consensus on how to supervise them.
Adverts for virtual coins or ways to trade them have appeared everywhere from London’s transport network to Japanese television as demand for them has soared. “With the increasing number of ICOs coming to market, it is an impossible task for anyone, much fewer platforms like Twitter or Facebook, to keep on top of which ICOs and cryptocurrencies are genuine versus frauds,” said Zennon Kapron, director of the financial consultancy Kapronasia. With the number of smartphones flooding the market, the battle for dominance in the budget smartphone category rages on. And now, a new one is brewing in the sub-` 10,000 price range. itel seems to be adding fuel to the embers with its latest offering S42. The itel S42 offers a full view display, Android 8.0 Oreo, an entrylevel Snapdragon processor, 13MP front and rear cameras, and a 3000mAh battery.
The S42' s design isn't anything new — it looks almost identical to most smartphones out there. The only defining feature of the itel S42 is the 18: 9 display, which is now a norm on mainstream phones but is seen on this budget entrant. However, the phone doesn't quite achieve the bezel- less look. It flaunts a 5.65inch HD display with an 18: 9 aspect ratio and features a 2.5D glass.
The S42 runs on a quadcore SD425 chipset, clocked at 1.4GHz with 3GB RAM and 16GB storage. The S42 does not suffer any lag or stutters — the chipset with the latest Android 8.0 Oreo ensures that the smartphone easily sails through daily usages such as browsing, photography and social media. However, the only hiccup was the load times for heavier apps, which sometimes takes a toll on the performance. Multitasking is handled pretty smooth.
The S42 also manages to deliver a decent gaming experience. Casual games such as Candy Crush and Shadow Fight 3 work without hiccups. Don't expect high- end gaming here.
Photography from the S42 managed to surprise us — most pictures turned out to be above average. The S42 also features a 13MP selfie camera with a dual LED flash and the images produced seem to be at par with similar smartphones in the sub-` 10,000 category. The company has also promised face recognition support in its next software update.
The S42 is backed by a 3000mAh battery keeps the device up and running for around 12 hours with average use. Heavy usage will still keep you good enough for an entire workday.
Overall, the itel S42 is an entry- level phone that provides good value for its demanding price. It ticks all the right boxes with a decent camera performance, good battery life and overall performance. If you are looking for a smartphone on a tight budget, then the itel S42 could be considered.