The smartphone industry has become too popular these ultra-modern days that the companies like Samsung, HMD Global, Motorola, Xiaomi, Huawei, and some domestic smartphone makers like Micromax, Lava, Intex have completely updated their catalogue of high and budget smartphones. They are now launching their latest offerings on a regular basis. Every week, we see new smartphones and other smart devices getting launched in the Indian market as well as the global market. There are several new smartphones those were launched this week and the smartphone industry has witnessed the launch of some of the much-awaited launches. As we mentioned above, not only the global market but also the Indian smartphone market has witnessed some of the notable product launches.
Last week on Monday, Huawei announced the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro flagship smartphones at an event in Germany. Last week HMD Global introduced its highly anticipated Nokia 7, Xiaomi unveiled the Redmi 5A, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Book 2, Samsung launched Galaxy Tab Active 2, HP unveiled ZBook x2, and a few other devices. On the other side, Domestic handset manufacturer Micromax Informatics in a collaboration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced the launch of its latest 4G VoLTE feature phone, called the “Micromax Bharat 1” in the Indian market. Today, we have come up with a list of latest offerings including smartphones, laptops and other devices, which were launched last week. Scroll down to discover more.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Core:
South Korean electronics giant Samsung last week expanded its Galaxy J7 series smartphone portfolio with the launch of a new budget-oriented handset, called the “Samsung Galaxy J7 Core” in the Philippines. The Galaxy J7 Core comes as a variant of the company’s previous Galaxy J7 Nxt, which was launched in India in July this year. Priced at PHP 9,990 (approximately Rs. 12,600), the Samsung Galaxy J7 Core is now available for purchase in the Philippines via all major offline retail stores across the country in Black and Gold colour variants. Technically speaking, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Core comes equipped with a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 1.6GHz Octa-core processor coupled with Mali T720 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 256GB via a micro SD card. The Galaxy J7 Core runs company’s custom UI skin, based on Google’s Android 7.0 Nougat operating system.
In terms of optics, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Core features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, autofocus, and an LED flash. On the front, the smartphone houses a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter with an f/2.2 aperture and a selfie flash. On the connectivity front, the smartphone offers dual-SIM slots, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the Galaxy J7 Core comes loaded with a powerful 3,000mAh battery. Dimensionally, the handset measures 152.4 × 78.6 × 7.6 mm and weighs 170 grams.
Moto Green Pomelo:
Motorola Mobility, a Lenovo owned brand last week launched a new mid-range handset, dubbed as the “Moto Green Pomelo” in the Chinese tech market. The Moto Green Pomelo has been launched in China with a price tag of CNY 1599 (approximately Rs. 15,700) and will be available in China in Cool Black and Rose Gold colour options.
In terms of specifications, the Moto Green Pomelo flaunts a 5.2-inch full-HD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a scratch resistance Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top of the display. The smartphone is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, which comes coupled with Adreno 505 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The Moto Green Pomelo runs ZUI 3.1 custom UI skin, based on Google’s Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system.
In terms of optics, the smartphone features a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera with an f/2.0 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), and a single LED flash. On the front, the Moto Green Pomelo sports a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. In terms of connectivity, the Moto Green Pomelo supports dual-SIM dual standby, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/A-GPS, NFC, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the device is fuelled by a decent 3,000mAh battery with fast charging support.
Blu S1:
Miami-based smartphone manufacturer Blu last week officially announced the launch of its latest budget-friendly Android-powered smartphone, called the “Blu S1” in the US tech market. Carried a price tag of US$ 179 (approximately Rs 11,600), the new Blu S1 is now already made available for purchase in the US via the e-commerce website Amazon.com, AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint, Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile USA and all the MVNO network in Black, Gray and Gold colour options.
As far as specifications are concerned, the Blu S1 sports a 5.2-inch HD IPS display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels and a 2.5D curved glass protection on top of the display. Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1.5GHz MediaTek MT6750 octa-core processor clubbed with Mali T860 GPU, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of native storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card. On the software front, the dual-SIM Blu S1 runs on Google’s Android 7.1 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box. The smartphone also features a front-mounted fingerprint scanner (housed underneath the physical Home button) for the biometric authentication process.
In terms of photography, the Blu S1 features a 13-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and an LED flash module. Talking about its selfie camera, the smartphone sports a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper for capturing selfies. Connectivity options offered by the Blu S1 include dual-SIM, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS/A-GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, Bluetooth v4.0, and microUSB v2.0 port for charging and other connectivity. On the battery front, the Blu S1 is backed up by a powerful 2,800mAh battery. Dimensionally, the handset measures 147.3 x 72.8 x 8.4mm and weighs around 137 grams.
Xiaomi Redmi 5A:
Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi last week announced the launch of its latest entry-level smartphone, dubbed as the “Xiaomi Redmi 5A” in the Chinese tech market. The Xiaomi Redmi 5A is a successor to the company’s previous Redmi 4A smartphone, which was launched in India in March this year. However, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A has been launched in China with a price tag of CNY 599 (approximately Rs. 5,600 or $90) and will be available in Champagne Gold, Pink and Grey colours.
The Xiaomi Redmi 5A comes with a 5-inch HD IPS display with a screen resolution of 720 pixels by 1280 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of native storage, which can be further expanded by up to 128GB via a micro-SD card. On the software front, the dual-SIM smartphone runs company’s proprietary MIUI 9 custom UI skin, based on Google’s Android Nougat operating system.
In terms of photography, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A features a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), LED flash and full-HD (1080p) video recording support. On the front, the smartphone bears a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for capturing selfies and making video calls. On the connectivity front, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A supports dual-SIM dual standby using the hybrid SIM (Micro-SIM + Nano-SIM/microSD) slot. Apart from this, the smartphone also offers various connectivity options including 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/A-GPS, FM radio, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a microUSB v2.0 port for charging and other connectivity. On the battery front, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A comes loaded with a powerful 3,000mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 8 days of standby time on a single charge.
Mafe Shine M815:
Home-grown handset manufacturer and also a new-entrant in the Indian mobile market, Mafe Mobile last week expanded its product portfolio with the launch of a new entry-level smartphone, called the “Mafe Shine M815” in the Indian tech market. Carried a sticker price of Rs. 4,999, the Mafe Shine M815 is now already made available in the country via all leading offline retail stores as well as major e-commerce websites including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Shopclues, Paytm and others in Golden and Black colour options.
The Mafe Shine M815 flaunts a 5-inch FWVGA display with a screen resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 1.3GHz Spreadtrum quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 64GB via a microSD card. The Mafe Shine M815 runs on Google’s Android 7.0 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box. For photography, the Mafe Shine M815 features a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and a single LED Flash. On the front, the smartphone houses a 2-megapixel fixed focus front-facing camera for capturing selfies and making video calls.
In terms of connectivity, the Mafe Shine M815 supports dual-SIM dual standby, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS, FM Radio, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microUSB port for charging. On the battery front, the Mafe Shine M815 comes packed with a mammoth 4,000mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 15 hours of talk time on a single charge. Dimensionally, the handset measures 11.1 mm in thickness and weighs 184 grams.
lphone W15:
Chinese smartphone manufacturer lephone last week launched a new entry-level handset, dubbed as the “lephone W15” in the Indian tech market. Priced at Rs. 5,499, the new lephone W15 is now already made available for purchase in India via all online retailers as well as all leading offline retail stores across the country in Red, Gold, Silver and Rose Gold colour options.
The lephone W15 comes equipped with a 5-inch HD IPS display with a screen resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels and a scratch resistance 2.5D curved glass coating on top of the display. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor clubbed with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. On the software front, the lephone W15 runs on Google’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system out-of-the-box. For photography, the lephone W15 sports an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and single LED flash. On the front, the device features a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter for capturing selfies.
In terms of connectivity, the dual-SIM supported lephone W15 offers various connectivity options including 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, FM Radio, USB OTG support, a 3.5mm audio jack and a microUSB port for charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the lephone W15 comes loaded with a 2,000mAh removable battery. The lephone W15 also comes pre-loaded with Indian regional lingoes that enables communication in 22 regional languages.
Huawei Mate 10 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro:
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei on Monday last week officially announced the launch of its two new premium smartphones, called the “Huawei Mate 10 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro” at an event in Munich, Germany. The Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro comes equipped with several new upgrades in terms of built quality, power and performance. Talking about their main USP, both the smartphones come with 3D glass design, Water and splash resistant body, fingerprint sensor, Leica powered dual-camera setup, Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo OS, dual 4G VoLTE connectivity support and a powerful 4000mAh battery with SuperCharge technology support. As for pricing, the Huawei Mate 10 has been launched with a price tag of EUR 699 (approximately Rs. 53,400), the Huawei Mate 10 Pro is priced at EUR 799 (approximately Rs. 61,000), while the special edition Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 has been priced at EUR 1,395 (approximately Rs 1,06,600).
All these models come loaded with FullView display, Leica-powered dual rear camera setup, a blazing-fast Huawei Kirin 970 octa-core processor, Android 8.0 Oreo OS with EMUI 8.0 custom UI skin and a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine, which offers real-time scene and objects recognition functionality. This technology automatically choosing the perfect camera settings such as Bokeh effect in images, taking better selfies, recognizing an object for any environment or focal point. The AI engine also translates text, voice, conversations, and images into over 50 languages.
Huawei Mate 10:
The Huawei Mate 10 comes with a 5.9-inch Quad HD display with a screen resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a 2.5D curved glass coating on top. Under the hood, the device is powered by a Huawei Kirin 970 (4 x 2.4GHz A73 & 4 x 1.8GHz A53) octa-core processor + i7 co-processor coupled with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which is further expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card slot. On the software front, the Huawei Mate 10 runs company’s proprietary EMUI 8.0 custom UI skin, based on Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.
For photography, the smartphone features a Leica-branded dual rear camera setup, which comes combined with 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and 12-megapixel RGB sensor. The rear camera features include Leica Summilux-H lenses, an f/1.6 aperture, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), BSI CMOS, CAF, Laser AF, Depth AF, Optical image stabilisation (OIS), 4K video recording support and dual-tone LED flash. On the front, the device houses an 8-megapixel fixed focus shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options offered by the Huawei Mate 10 include dual-SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz & 5.0 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, NFC, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port. On the battery front, the smartphone is fuelled by a 4,000mAh battery with SuperCharge technology support for fast charging. Dimensionally, the handset measures 150.5 x 77.8 x 8.2 mm and weighs 186 grams.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro:
The Huawei Mate 10 Pro features a huge 6-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and offers 112 percent of NTSC colour gamut. Under the hood, the smartphone is also powered by a Huawei Kirin 970 (4 x 2.4GHz A73 & 4 x 1.8GHz A53) octa-core processor + i7 co-processor coupled with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU, 4GB of RAM / 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which is further expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card slot. On the software front, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro also runs company’s proprietary EMUI 8.0 custom UI skin, based on Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.
In terms of photography, the Mate 10 Pro also houses a Leica-branded dual rear camera setup, which comes combined with 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and 12-megapixel RGB sensor. The rear camera features include Leica Summilux-H lenses, an f/1.6 aperture, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), BSI CMOS, CAF, Laser AF, Depth AF, Optical image stabilisation (OIS), 4K video recording support and dual-tone LED flash. On the front, the smartphone features an 8-megapixel fixed focus shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options offered by the Huawei Mate 10 Pro include dual-SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz & 5.0 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. The Mate 10 Pro doesn’t feature a standard 3.5mm headphone jack. On the battery front, the device is backed up by a 4,000mAh battery with SuperCharge technology support for fast charging. Dimensionally, the handset measures 154.2 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm and weighs 178 grams.
Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10:
Apart from the Huawei Mate 10 and Huawei Mate 10 Pro, the company also introduced a special variant, dubbed as the “Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10”, which also comes equipped with all-glass design, 6GB RAM & 256GB storage, and a custom Porsche Design interface.
The Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 also features a 6-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and offers 112 percent of NTSC colour gamut. The special edition device is also powered by a Huawei Kirin 970 (4 x 2.4GHz A73 & 4 x 1.8GHz A53) octa-core processor + i7 co-processor coupled with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU, 6GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. On the software front, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 also runs company’s own EMUI 8.0 custom UI skin, based on Android 8.0 Oreo operating system.
For photography, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 sports a Leica-branded dual rear camera setup, which includes one 20-megapixel monochrome sensor and one 12-megapixel RGB sensor. The rear camera features include Leica Summilux-H lenses, an f/1.6 aperture, Phase detection autofocus (PDAF), BSI CMOS, CAF, Laser AF, Depth AF, Optical image stabilisation (OIS), 4K video recording support and dual-tone LED flash. On the front, the smartphone bears an 8-megapixel fixed focus shooter with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options offered by the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 10 include dual-SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 GHz & 5.0 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. On the battery front, the smartphone is backed up by a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging support. Dimensionally, the handset measures 154.2 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm and weighs 178 grams.
Huawei Mate 10 Lite:
Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei last week also announced the launch of its latest mid-range smartphone, called the “Huawei Mate 10 Lite” in the European tech market. Carried a price tag of EUR 399 (approximately Rs. 30,500), the Huawei Mate 10 Lite will be made available for purchase in Germany starting next month in Prestige Gold, Aurora Blue, and Graphite Black colour options.
The Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes equipped with a gigantic 5.9-inch Full HD+ display with a screen resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels and a scratch resistance 2.5D curved glass coating on top. The display has an 18:9 aspect ratio and minimal bezels. The Mate 10 Lite draws its power from a 2.36GHz Kirin 659 octa-core processor (4 x A53 cores at 2.36GHz & 4 x A53 cores at 1.7GHz), which comes clubbed with Mali T830-MP2 GPU, 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage, which can be further expanded via a microSD card. On the software front, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite runs company’s own EMUI 5.1 custom UI skin, based on Google’s Android 7.0 Nougat operating system. The smartphone also features a rear-mounted fingerprint recognition button for biometric security.
For photography, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite features a dual rear-facing camera setup, which comes combined with a 16-megapixel primary sensor with an LED flash module and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front, the handset also houses dual front-facing camera setup, which includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor for capturing selfies and making video chats. On the connectivity front, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite supports dual-SIM dual standby, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS / A-GPS, NFC, USB OTG, FM Radio and a 3.5mm audio jack. On the battery front, the Huawei Mate 10 Lite comes loaded with a denser 3,340mAh non-removable battery. Dimensionally, the smartphone measures 156.2 x 75.2 x 7.5 mm and weighs 164 grams.
ZTE Axon M:
Shenzhen-based handset manufacturer ZTE also expanded its smartphone portfolio with the launch of a new dual-screen foldable smartphone, called the “ZTE Axon M” in the US tech market. With the launch of its dual-screen foldable smartphone, ZTE now becomes the first company to bring first dual display smartphone with a hinge in the smartphone industry. The key highlight of the ZTE Axon M is its two 5.2-inch full-HD (1080p) LCD panels with a hinge that allows users to use their handset in a variety of different positions. The device can be used as a traditional smartphone, positioned as a tent or opened up side by side to form a book shape. With these two screens, the ZTE Axon M offers a dual screen experience with four different operating modes, which include Dual mode, Extend mode, Mirror mode, and Traditional mode.
The ZTE Axon M has been launched in the US with a price tag of $725 (approximately Rs. 47,200) and will be made available for purchase in the US exclusively via US mobile carrier AT&T. For qualified customers, ZTE Axon M will be available at $24.17 (approximately Rs. 1,570) for 30 months contract on AT&T. The Chinese vendor has also confirmed that the Axon M will also be available in other markets including China, Europe, and Japan sometime later of this year.
Technically speaking, the ZTE Axon M comes equipped with two 5.2-inch full-HD TFT LCD displays with a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels and a scratch resistance Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a blazing-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The smartphone runs on Google’s Android 7.1.2 Nougat operating system out-of-the-box. For photography, the ZTE Axon M features a single 20-megapixel camera with Sony IMX350 sensor, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), an f/1.8 aperture and dual-tone LED flash for excellent low-light photography.
Unfortunately, the smartphone doesn’t feature a front-facing camera. But don’t worry, the single 20-megapixel camera can be used both as the primary and front-facing camera. The rear camera can be turned into a front-facing camera by folding the handset. Connectivity options offered by the smartphone include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/A-GPS, a 3.5 mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port for superfast charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the new ZTE Axon M comes packed with a powerful 3,180mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support. Dimensionally, the handset measures at 150.8 x 71.6 x 12.1 mm and weighs 230 grams.
Nokia 7:
HMD Global-backed Nokia last week also launched its latest mid-range Android-powered smartphone, called the “Nokia 7” in the Chinese tech market. The all-new Nokia 7 comes in variants based on its RAM configuration: Nokia 7 with 4GB RAM and Nokia 7 with 6GB RAM. As for pricing, the Nokia 7 with 4GB RAM variant has been launched in China with a price tag of CNY 2,499 (approximately Rs. 24,500), while the Nokia 7 with 6GB RAM variant has been priced at CNY 2,699 (approximately Rs. 26,500). The Nokia 7 is now available for pre-order in China on e-commerce website JD.com, Suning and Tmall, and the same will be going sale in China starting October 24 in Gloss Black and Matt White colour options.
The main highlights of the smartphone are its revamped design, a blazing-fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, pure stock version of Android 7.1.1 Android Nougat OS, Nokia Ozo Audio algorithms, Carl ZEISS powered rear camera setup, Dual-Sight technology and a powerful 3,000mAh battery. The Nokia 7 is the company’s second smartphone support a feature called “Dual-Sight streaming”. The feature provides a split-screen view in the viewfinder and allows you to use the front and rear camera at the same time for capturing both photos and videos. Further, the Camera app on the Nokia 7 lets you stream these “Bothies” as full-HD videos directly to Facebook and YouTube live in the Dual-Sight mode so you can share both sides of the story. The Nokia 7 also comes loaded with Nokia’s proprietary Ozo Audio and has three high-dynamic range microphones, which enables it to capture 360-degree sound.
As far as specifications are concerned, the Nokia 7 sports a 5.2-inch full-HD display with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a scratch resistance 2.5D curved Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 octa-core processor clubbed with Adreno 508 GPU, 4GB RAM / 6GB of RAM and 64GB of native storage, which can be further expanded up to 128GB via a microSD card. The Nokia 7 runs on Google’s Android 7.1.1 Nougat (upgradable to Android 8.0 Oreo) operating system out of the box.
For photography, the Nokia 7 houses a 16-megapixel rear camera setup with Carl ZEISS optics, an f/1.8 aperture, 1.12 µm pixel size, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF), 80-degree wide-angle lens, dual-tone LED flash and 4K video recording (30fps) support. On the front, the device features a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter with an f/2.0 aperture, 1.12 µm pixel size, 84-degree wide-angle lens.
In terms of Connectivity, the Nokia 7 supports dual-SIM, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/A-GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port for superfast charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the Nokia 7 comes packed with a 3,000mAh non-removable battery with fast charging support. Dimensionally, the handset measures 141.2 x 71.45 x 7.92 mm.
Sharp Aquos R Compact:
Japanese electronics company Sharp Corporation last week officially announced the launch of its latest bezel-less smartphone, dubbed as the “Sharp Aquos R Compact” in the company’s homeland, Japan. Unfortunately, the pricing details and the availability of the new Sharp Aquos R Compact have not been revealed by the company yet. But it will be available for purchase in Japan starting December and exclusively via Softbank Japan in Amethyst Purple, Diamond Yellow, Tourmaline Black, and Moon White colour variants.
The Sharp Aquos R Compact comes equipped with a 4.9-inch FHD+ IGZO display with a screen resolution of 2032 x 1080 pixels. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by a 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor, which comes coupled with Adreno 512 GPU, 3GB RAM and 32GB internal Storage, which can be further increased up to 256GB by inserting a microSD card. Talking about its software fronts, the Sharp Aquos R Compact runs on Google’s latest Android 8.0 Oreo operating system with company’s EMOPA 7.0 custom UI skin running on top. In terms of photography, the Sharp Aquos R Compact features a 16.4-megapixel rear-facing camera with hybrid AF (PDAF + Contrast), an LED flash for an excellent photography. On the front, the smartphone sports an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter for capturing selfies and making video calls.
On the connectivity front, the Sharp Aquos R Compact supports dual-SIM dual standby, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/A-GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port for super-fast charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the Sharp Aquos R Compact comes packed with a 2,500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology support for fast charging. Dimensionally, the handset measures 132 x 66 x 9.6 mm and weighs 140 grams.
Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2:
South Korean electronics giant Samsung launched a new rugged tablet, called the “Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2” in Netherlands. The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 is the successor to the company’s previous Galaxy Tab Active, which was launched in September 2014. Priced at €500 (approximately Rs. 38,200), the new Galaxy Tab Active 2 will be made available for purchase in Netherlands starting late November in Black colour option. The main highlights of the new digital slate are its S Pen stylus and Bixby (Home and Voice) assistant support and a rugged body with a military-grade MIL-STD-810 rating that means the tablet can survive under all extreme weather conditions. The tablet is capable of tackling the rough conditions (including extreme pressures, temperatures, climates, shocks, and drops) due to its rugged build quality. The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 also features IP68 certification that means it is a water and dust resistance device.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 sports an 8-inch WXGA display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The tablet is powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos 7880 octa-core processor coupled with Mali-T830 GPU, 3GB RAM and 16GB internal storage, which can be further increased up to 256GB by inserting a microSD card. The new Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 runs on company’s own custom UI skin, based on Google’s latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system. The tablet also features a front-mounted fingerprint sensor (housed underneath the physical Home button) for the biometric authentication process.
In terms of optics, the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 features an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, and LED flash. On the front, the tablet houses a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Galaxy Tab Active 2 also supports an S-Pen stylus that allows for a precise and natural handwriting or drawing experience. Connectivity options offered by the tablet include 4G LTE (model wise), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, hotspot, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/ A-GPS /GLONASS, NFC, a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port for superfast charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the Galaxy Tab Active 2 packs a powerful 4,450mAh non-removable battery.
ZTE Blade X:
Last week, Shenzhen-based handset maker ZTE also announced the launch of its latest budget-oriented smartphone, called the “ZTE Blade X” in the US tech market. Carried a price tag of Rs. $119.99 (approximately Rs. 7,800), the new ZTE Blade X is now already made available for purchase in the US exclusively via US mobile carrier Cricket Wireless in Castle Black colour option. The key highlights of the smartphone are its 5.5-inch HD display, 13-megapixel rear camera, fingerprint reader and heart rate monitor, a powerful 3,000mAh battery with power saving mode and Dolby Audio technology support for an immersive audio experience.
The ZTE Blade X comes equipped with a large 5.5-inch HD display with a screen resolution of 720 × 1280 pixels and a scratch resistance Dragontrail glass protection on top. The smartphone is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 quad-core processor along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card. The ZTE Blade X runs on Google’s Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system out of the box. The smartphone also features a rear-mounted fingerprint recognition button that is housed on the rear panel of the device.
In terms of optics, the ZTE Blade X sports a 13-megapixel rear camera setup with autofocus and LED flash. On the front side, the handset features a 5-megapixel front-facing camera for capturing selfies and making video calls. For connectivity, the ZTE Blade X offers various connectivity options including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 Low Energy, GPS/A-GPS, a 3.5mm Audio port, and a USB Type-C port for superfast charging and data transfer. On the battery front, the smartphone packs a 3,000mAh battery and supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology for fast charging. Dimensionally, the handset measures at 155.9 x 77.47 x 8.89 mm.
Micromax Bharat 1:
To counter the Reliance JioPhone and Karbonn A40 Indian 4G VoLTE feature phone, home-grown handset manufacturer Micromax Informatics in a collaboration with State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) announced the launch of its latest 4G VoLTE feature phone, called the “Micromax Bharat 1” in the Indian market. Carried a sticker price of Rs. 2,200, the new Micromax 4G VoLTE feature phone will be made available in India starting October 20 via all leading retail outlets in Black colour option.
The Micromax and BSNL partnership will allow the users to experience low-cost data and enjoy unlimited voice calling facility and Internet services at just Rs. 97 per month. The BSNL Rs. 97 tariff plan offers unlimited voice calls, free roaming, unlimited SMS and data to its users. Micromax says Bharat 1 users can access live TV, music, movies, and videos via company’s Entertainment app as the device comes pre-loaded with Micromax entertainment apps. The new feature phone also comes bundled with a BSNL SIM card, but like the JioPhone (which is currently restricted to the Jio network only), Bharat 1 is not restricted to BSNL’s network only, it can be used on any other network operator also including Airtel and Reliance Jio if they want to use 4G VoLTE services.
The Micromax Bharat-1 feature phone comes equipped with a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT display with a screen resolution of 320×240 pixels. The device is powered by a latest 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 dual-core processor coupled with Adreno 304 GPU, 512 MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. In terms of optics, the Micromax Bharat-1 features a 2-megapixel rear-facing camera and 0.3-megapixel (VGA) front-facing camera. On the connectivity front, the Bharat-1 supports dual-SIM, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, GPS, and a microUSB 2.0 port. Other features on the Bharat-1 include music/video player, FM Radio, Alphanumeric keypad, torchlight, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, internet browsing, ringtones, phone contact and much more. The Micromax Bharat-1 also supports all languages including 22 major Indian languages. On the battery front, the handset sips its power from a decent 2,000mAh battery.
HP ZBook x2:
American information technology company HP last week launched its latest powerful and detachable PC, christened as the “HP ZBook x2” at the Adobe MAX conference in Las Vegas. Carried a starting price of $1,749 (approximately Rs. 1,13,800), the new HP ZBook x2 will be made available starting December in Silver colour option. The new powerful device is powered by the latest 8th generation and 7th generation Intel Core i7 and Intel Core i5 processors and offers a range of new features such as premium design, Wacom EMR Pen stylus support, upgraded storage options, NVIDIA Quadro M620 graphics card, a detachable backlit keyboard, a built-in kickstand, improved battery life and a 14-inch, 10-bit 4K “Dreamcolor” antiglare display.
The HP ZBook x2 comes equipped with a stunning 14-inch diagonal, 4K multi-touch display with a screen resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. Under the hood, the HP ZBook x2 is powered by the latest 8th generation Intel Core i7 (Intel Core i7-8650U & i7-8550U) and 7th generation Intel Core i7 (Intel Core i7-7500U & i7-7600U) and Intel Core i5 processors, which comes coupled with up to 32GB of DDR4 SDRAM for smooth multitasking and up to 512GB PCIe-based NVMe M.2 SED solid-state drive (SSD) storage for faster data access speeds and boot-up times. There is also an optional 2-terabyte NVMe M.2 SSD inside the tablet. In terms of graphics, the 14-inch HP ZBook x2 high-end variant comes packed with an Intel UHD Graphics 620 integrated GPU or NVIDIA Quadro M620 discrete GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 dedicated VRAM for an incredible gaming performance and detailed gaming visuals.
The HP ZBook x2 has passed the US Military Standard MIL-STD 810G Transit Drop Test against a subset of specific environmental conditions, including extreme temperature, dust, shock/vibration, etc. Apart from this, the tablet also comes with an embedded stylus powered by Wacom EMR technology that features 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity. The stylus supports tilt detection and has a dedicated eraser button at the top, which actually acts like a real eraser. Other notable features on the device include a 720p HD front-facing webcam with IR technology, a 720p HD rear-facing webcam, a smart card reader, and a fingerprint sensor. The HP ZBook x2 runs on a 64-bit Windows 10 Home Single Language (for base variant), and Windows 10 Pro (for workstations).
On the battery front, the HP ZBook x2 comes loaded with a long-life 4-cell, 70Wh Li-ion polymer battery with fast-changing technology support. Connectivity ports on the device include two Thunderbolt 3-compatible USB Type-C connectors, one USB 3.0 connector, one HDMI port, one 3.5mm combo Audio Jack port for headphone and microphone, and one multi-format media card reader slot (SDXC/SDHC).
Microsoft Surface Book 2:
American technology company Microsoft Corporation also expanded its Surface Book series of notebook portfolio with the launch of a new powerful notebook, called the “Surface Book 2” in the United States. The Surface Book 2 comes in two different variants based on its display sizes: 13-inch model and 15-inch model. The new Microsoft Surface Book 2 now comes equipped with the latest 8th Generation Intel Core processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 10-Series graphics, Windows Mixed Reality (Microsoft’s VR and AR technology), a stunning display, and some really good specifications. Just like its predecessor, the Surface Book 2 also comes with a bundled Surface Pen stylus that allows for a precise and natural handwriting or drawing experience. Apart from this, the notebook has a detachable display that allows users to use their notebook in a variety of different positions. The laptop can be used as a lightweight tablet or a traditional laptop.
Coming to the pricing and availability, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 will be available at a starting price of US$1,499 (approximately Rs. 97,600) for the 8th generation Intel Core i5 processor, 13.5-inch PixelSense display, 8GB RAM, Intel HD Graphics 620 integrated GPU and 256GB SSD storage variant. On the other hand, the 15-inch Microsoft Surface Book 2 has been launched with a starting price of US$2,499 (approximately Rs. 1,62,700). This variant comes with 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, dedicated GPU and 256GB SSD storage option. All these variants and models will be available for pre-order in the United States starting November 9 at local Microsoft Store, and Microsoft.com, while deliveries will commence starting November 16, 2017.
Canon G1 X Mark III:
Japanese imaging company Canon last week announced the launch of its latest PowerShot camera, called the “Canon G1 X Mark III” in the US tech market. Priced at US $1,299 (approx. Rs. 80,000), the new Canon G1 X Mark III will be available in the US starting November 2017. Along with the camera, the company also launched a Lens Hood LH-DC110 ($59.99), a Waterproof Case WP-DC56 ($499.99) and a Deluxe Leather Case PSC-6300 ($99.99) for the Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III.
The Canon G1 X Mark III comes equipped with a 24.3-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor coupled with company’s DIGIC 7 Image Processor, which the company claims it can deliver clear and high-quality images even under low light situations and is capable of achieving a mind-blowing background blur effect. The camera also comes with Canon’s fast and accurate Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology with phase-detection for high-performance focus tracking.
The new Canon G1 X Mark III has a high sensitivity range of the image sensor which goes all the way up to ISO 25,600, allowing users to capture great low-light situations with beautiful background blur effect. The another highlighted feature in this camera is its high-speed continuous shooting ability of up to 7 frames per second (fps), or up to 9fps with the dual-pixel CMOS AF technology. The Canon G1 X Mark III comes with 5-Axis Image Stabilisation system built into the body which helps in capturing the best scenes and subjects even during a horizontal and vertical shift. It is very useful for handheld shooting. The camera is capable of shooting videos in full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution at 60 frames per second. Sadly, the camera does not offer 4K video recording capability.
On the back, the new Canon G1 X Mark III sports a 3-inch Vari-angle touch screen display. By the Vari-angle mechanism, a user can easily position at any desired angle for effortless shooting in high and low angle photography. Besides this, the display offers a clear, real-time preview with 100% field coverage for focusing, framing, and reviewing shots. The camera also comes with 24-72mm wide-angle lens with Optical Image Stabilization featuring a wide f/2.8-5.6 aperture. Connectivity options offered by the camera include built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC. The Canon G1 X Mark III also features an all-new 2.36M OLED electronic viewfinder (EVF) that offers a wide and bright view of the frame to easily track and compose subjects.
Samsung 360 Round camera:
South Korean tech giant Samsung also introduced a 360-degree round camera that can capture 360-degree footage. The camera comes equipped with 17 lenses including six internal microphones and two external microphone ports and one single lens placed vertically. Each of the 17 cameras sports a 2-megapixel image sensor with an f/1.8 aperture lens. The 360 Round camera comes loaded with a 10GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 40GB of eMMC internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card and up to 2TB via an SSD. As the name suggests the camera can live stream 2D and 3D content at 4K (UHD) with 30 frames per second in X264 / X265 format and record high-quality 3D content with depth.
Connectivity ports on the camera include a LAN port and a USB Type-C port. The minimum system requirements needed to use the bundled PC software: Windows 10 64bit OS for 4K video editing, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA GTX 1080 x 1ea GPU and Intel Core i7-6700K or above. For post-processing, you’ll need an Intel Core i7-6950X processor with 32GB RAM and NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti x 2ea GPU. Dimensionally, the camera measures 205 x 205 x 76.8 mm and weighs 1.93kg. Unfortunately, the pricing details of the Samsung 360 Round camera has not been revealed by the company yet. But some reports suggest the Samsung 360 Round camera will cost around US$10,500 (approximately Rs. 6,83,400) and It will go on sale sometime later in October.
