Realme 2 Pro is all set to launch in India next week, on September 27, and ahead of that date, the company has begun teasing the smartphone in the country. We know now that the Realme 2 Pro will be exclusive to Flipkart, and that it will come with a new ‘Dewdrop Full Screen’ design, referring to both the display notch’s design as well as an immersive, taller than usual display. To recall, Realme – a brand that recently separated from Oppo – first teased the Realme 2 Pro at the launch of the Realme 2 last month, saying it would arrive in September.
Apart from the above-mentioned details, nothing else is known officially of the Realme 2 Pro. It can of course be expected to be better endowed than the Realme 2, and be more expensive. The smartphone is said to have been spotted on Geekbench as well, and the benchmark site listing tips some of the specifications, including the presence of 8GB of RAM. The listing also reiterates the presence of a Snapdragon 660 SoC. In contrast, the Realme 2 sports a maximum of 4GB of RAM (though the Realme 1 had a 6GB RAM variant) and runs on the Snapdragon 450 SoC. Earlier in the week, the company released a video teaser for the smartphone, which showed a dual rear camera setup, as well as the dewdrop design display notch. We’ll have to wait for the launch next week for more details about the Realme 2 Pro – so stay tuned to Gadgets 360 for the price, release date, and specification information that emerges from the launch event.
Another interesting piece of news this week, despite not being from an official source, was a leak that tipped the price, specifications, and colour options of the highly anticipated Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro. Its predecessor, the Redmi Note 5 Pro, was one of the most popular smartphones in India since its launch earlier this year, and the new model can be expected to be similarly popular.
As per a listing for the global variant on third-party retailer AliExpress, the Redmi Note 6 Pro price is between $193.99 and $218.99 (roughly Rs. 14,100 and Rs. 15,900). The specifications in the listing include a 6.26-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixels) display; Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC; 3GB of RAM; a dual rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor; a dual front camera setup with 20-megapixel and 2-megapixel sensors; 32GB of onboard storage expandable via microSD card, and a 4,000mAh battery. Earlier in the week, another Redmi Note 6 Pro leak showing the retail box and smartphone in live images tipped the same specifications, as well as 4GB RAM and 64GB storage options.
In more Xiaomi news, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer began rolling out the MIUI 10 stable update to its popular Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphones. While the former is still based on only user reports, the latter is based on both user reports and an official confirmation from the company.
The Redmi 6A, which was launched this month in India after its China launch in June, went on sale in the country for the first time this week. Made available via Amazon India and Mi.com, the smartphone price starts at Rs. 5,999 for the 16GB storage variant, going up to Rs. 6,999 for the 32GB storage model. The smartphone sports a 5.45-inch HD+ (720×1440-pixel) display, a MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, 2GB of RAM; a single 13-megapixel rear camera; a 5-megapixel front camera; storage expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB), and a 3,000mAh battery.
This week, Lenovo brand Motorola also confirmed that its recently unveiled Motorola One Power smartphone that was launched at IFA 2018 last month would be launching in India on Monday, September 24. Highlights of the smartphone include its massive 6.2-inch full-HD+ display and 5,000mAh battery. It will be priced at around Rs. 14,000 in India, the company confirmed to Gadgets 360.
Other specifications of the Motorola One Power include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC; 4GB of RAM; a dual rear camera setup with a 16-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor; a 12-megapixel front camera; and 64GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB).
Samsung had a pretty big week, making big headlines in the form of mid-range and budget smartphones. The Galaxy A7 (2018) was unveiled globally this week, and it is the first smartphone from the company to feature a triple rear camera setup. It follows the Huawei P20 Pro, a flagship smartphone was launched earlier year with three cameras at its back as well. The decision to bring such an innovation to a mid-range smartphone is in line with the company’s recent moves to revamp its lineups by bringing the ‘latest tech’ to lower-priced handsets.
Though Samsung did not reveal the Galaxy A7 (2018) price in its initial announcement, a report citing the company claimed it will be priced at EUR 350 (about Rs. 30,000), and go on sale in select European and Asian markets starting this fall before being made available in more markets. Alongside, the company announced its upcoming smartphone that’s set to launch on October 11 and been teased to sport four rear cameras will be part of the Galaxy A series as well.
The Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) features a large 6-inch full-HD+ (1080×2220 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity Display; an unnamed octa-core SoC; 4GB/ 6GB of RAM; a triple rear camera setup with a 24-megapixel sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, a 5-megapixel depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture; a single 24-megapixel selfie fixed focus camera with an f/2.0 aperture and LED flash; 64GB or 128GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 512GB); a 3,300mAh battery, and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
In India, Samsung launched two budget smartphones – the Samsung Galaxy J4+ and Galaxy J6+. The two smartphones, priced at Rs. 10,990 and Rs. 15,990 respectively, feature several common specifications, including the use of 6-inch HD+ (720×1480 pixels) Infinity Displays, 3,300mAh batteries, Snapdragon 425 SoCs, Dolby Atmos audio, and Widevine L1 certification for HD playback. Both smartphones will be made available from September 25 via Samsung India’s retail outlets, as well as Amazon, Flipkart, and the Samsung Shop online stores. The company is also touting an Emotify feature.
Both smartphones come with Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box. The Samsung Galaxy J4+ sports 2GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front camera. The Galaxy J6+ features 4GB of RAM, 64GB of inbuilt storage, a dual rear camera with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor, apart from an 8-megapixel selfie camera sensor with f/1.9 aperture. It also features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor.
Samsung Galaxy J4+ and Galaxy J6+ First Impressions
Next up, are Apple’s latest flagship smartphones. To recall, the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max were globally unveiled last week, and this week, the smartphones went on sale in the first-wave of launch countries, while in India, they went up for pre-orders via Airtel, Jio, Flipkart, and offline stores in the country partnered with Redington India and Ingram Micro.
The iPhone XS is priced at Rs. 99,900 for the 64GB storage variant, going up to Rs. 1,14,900 and Rs. 1,34,900 for the 256GB and 512GB variants, respectively. In the US, it is priced at $999 (roughly Rs. 71,800) for the 64GB variant, $1,149 (roughly Rs. 82,600) for the 256GB variant, and $1,349 (roughly Rs. 97,000) for 512GB. The iPhone XS Max on the other hand, is priced at Rs. 1,09,900, Rs. 1,24,900, and Rs. 1,44,900 for the 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB storage options respectively. In the US, it is priced at $1,099 (roughly Rs. 79,000), $1,249 (roughly Rs. 89,800), and $1,449 (1,04,200) correspondingly.
As usual, Apple did not reveal several specifications of the new iPhone models at its launch event or on its site subsequently. Like before, we’ve had to wait for the first teardowns and benchmarks to figure out the RAM and battery figures of the smartphones. Apart from an early Geekbench listing and TENAA listings, more details were revealed by iFixit and TechInsight teardowns of the smartphones. The iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max have been found to sport 4GB of RAM, compared with 3GB RAM on last year’s iPhone X. The iPhone XR was found to bear 3GB of RAM. The iPhone XS was found to sport a 2,658mAh battery unit, the iPhone XS Max a 3,174mAh battery, and the iPhone XR a 3,174mAh battery unit. In comparison, the iPhone X sports a 2,716mAh battery.
The Nokia 5.1 Plus was launched in India last month, alongside the Nokia 6.1 Plus. At the time though, Nokia 5.1 Plus price in India had not been announced, but the company had said it will go on sale in September. Now, Nokia brand licensee HMD Global says the price will be revealed on Monday, September 24, at 2pm IST, on Flipkart. To recall, the smartphone will also be made available via the Nokia online store.
To recall, the Nokia 5.1 Plus is in fact the global variant of the Nokia X5 that was launched in China back in July. Globally, it is part of the Android One initiative, which means it is Google-certified to offer an optimised Android experience as well as timely security and version updates. It was given a global pricing of EUR 199 (roughly Rs. 15,900) excluding taxes and subsidies. Specifications include Android 8.1 Oreo, a 5.86-inch HD+ (720×1520 pixels) display; a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC; 3GB of RAM; a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor; an 8-megapixel front camera; 32GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card (up to 400GB), and a 3060mAh battery.
Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus on Saturday began rolling out the stable build of Android 9.0 Pie-based Oxygen OS 9.0 to the OnePlus 6. It has also begun teasing the launch of the OnePlus 6T, the second flagship from the company that’s due in 2018. Last week the company had first said the smartphone would sport an in-display fingerprint sensor, then confirmed the smartphone would not feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, and instead use a USB Type-C port for audio – citing improved battery as the reason for its decision. Now, the company has created a landing page on retail partner Amazon, as well started airing television ads. A leak alongside tips that it sports a dual rear camera setup, debunking an earlier rumour that claimed it would come with a triple rear camera setup. OnePlus 6T cases also went on sale, tipped a vertical dual rear camera setup.
The company also announced a OnePlus smart TV was in development, and started a contest for fans to name the television. It touted the presence of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, saying the TV would be launched some time in 2019. It will also be a “premium, flagship TV”, and not a budget offering, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said. Speaking of premium, OnePlus entered the top 5 premium Android vendors ($400 to $600 segment) globally in the second quarter of 2018, according to a report by Counterpoint Research. The top four are Oppo, Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi.
Huawei brand Honor this week announced that the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant of the Honor Play will henceforth be available in open sale in India, which means users don’t have to queue up to buy the smartphone during flash sales on Amazon India. The 4GB RAM/ 64GB variant will continue to be sold via the flash sale method in the country. The manufacturer this week also brought GPU Turbo mode and other features to the Honor 7X and Honor View 10 via a software update.
Next up, we come to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL – Google’s anticipated flagships for 2018 that are due to be launched on October 9. The leaks are now increasing in frequency, with several in the past week. The most recent saw Indian tipster Ishan Agarwal share alleged live Pixel 3 XL images as well as UI screenshots. Alongside, the original tipster Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) shared two press renders of the smartphone, while the alleged UI for the rumoured Pixel Stand wireless charging dock was shown off in a leaked animation.
This week, the Pixel 3 was also briefly listed on JD.com, priced at CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs. 52,800) – though this may have been a placeholder price tag. Qualcomm Snapdragon branding was seen, tipping they would be powered by the Snapdragon 845 SoC. A circular fingerprint sensor was also seen behind, something that renders from earlier this week also tipped. In all the above leaks, the Pixel 3 is seen not to sport a display notch, while the Pixel 3 XL is seen to, matching earlier reports.
There were three major Samsung Galaxy S10 leaks this week, with the most recent tipping three model numbers – SM-G970 and SM-G973 were said to sport 5.8-inch display panels, and the larger SM-G975 to get a 6.44-inch display. The SM-G970 will reportedly get a single rear camera, the SM -G973 a dual camera setup, and the SM-G975 a triple camera setup. A separate 5G model is reportedly being tested for US and South Korea. Another leak from this week tipped four variants as well, with codenames Beyond 0, Beyond 1, Beyond 2, and Beyond 2 5G. The resolution of the smartphone was also tipped by an HTML5test benchmark site listing, while Samsung mobile chief DJ Koh told the press the Galaxy S10 will launch with “very significant changes”.
iOS 12 was also released this week, alongside tvOS 12 and watch OS 5. Notably, the company also released the first developer and public betas for iOS 12.1, bringing the missing Group FaceTime feature it had announced back at WWDC 2018.
This week, a report came in of a lawsuit that had been filed by a Samsung Galaxy Note 9 owner, claiming it had caught fire in her purse. While at this stage, the incident – if true – is isolated, it brings echoes of Samsung’s worst nightmares from 2016 when the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7 was recalled due to a fire hazard caused by faulty batteries.
Flipkart launched its Cardless Credit feature, just days after its biggest rival unveiled a similar feature – Amazon Pay EMI. Both are offering users instant credit up to Rs. 60,000, with the former using customer behaviour on Flipkart as the basis to calculate the amount of credit, and the latter using its lending partner ‘Capital Float’ to determine the amount.
Nikon this week brought its first full-frame mirrorless cameras to India, the Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7, priced starting at Rs. 1,69,950 and Rs. 2,69,950 respectively. It launched its new range of Nikkor Z lenses as well. Canon brought its first full-frame mirrorless camera to India as well – the EOS R – priced starting at Rs. 1,89,950. Separately, Fujifilm launched its X-T3 compact mirrorless camera in India, priced starting at Rs. 1,17,999.
Samsung this week also launched its ‘LED for Home’ range of premium, wall-sized televisions in India. They are priced starting Rs. 1 crores, and go up to Rs. 3.5 crores, and come in these sizes: 110-inch (full-HD), 130-inch (full-HD), 220-inch (ultra-HD), and 260-inch (ultra-HD). Featuring Active LED tech, the televisions are said to deliver long-lasting performance with a lifespan of over 100,000 hours. The company is also touting their modular configuration and device agnostic features, enabling them to be used in unique home settings.
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) this week reportedly revised its FTTH broadband lineup in Chennai, offering more data at even higher speeds than before. The top plan offers 3.5TB FUP at speeds of 100Mbps at Rs. 4,999. The state-owned telecom operator also reportedly announced two new voice-only prepaid packs in the Andhra Pradesh & Telangana circle, apart from a data-only pack with data rates at an all-time low.
Airtel this week reportedly refreshed its Rs. 168 recharge for select subscribers in the Delhi and Andhra Pradesh & Telangana telecom circles, offering 1GB of 2G/ 3G/ 4G data per day, 100 SMS messages per day, and unlimited voice calls (local, STD, and roaming), with a validity of 28 days. Separately, in a move for new consumers, Airtel announced five recharges for new prepaid customers who purchase a recharge for the first time.
Finally, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) published its [July subscriber report] (https://www.gadgets360.com/telecom/news/trai-july-subscriber-report-reliance-jio-11-796-million-vodafone-idea-airtel-bsnl-1-757-million-1918735), and found that Reliance Jio had added a total of 11.79 million new subscribers in the month, helping it capture 19.62 percent of the market, going ahead of Vodafone and Idea both. with respect to market share. Airtel managed to keep the highest market share at 29.81 percent. The total additions of Vodafone, Airtel, Idea, and BSNL combined, amount to only 1.757 million, much less than what Reliance Jio achieved in the same month. Jio this week finally released the long promised YouTube app for its Jio Phone.
Can Motorola One Power dethrone the Redmi Note 5 Pro and the Redmi 6 Pro? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2024 hub.