First up, the Chinese smartphone maker Phicomm entered India this week with the launch of Passion 660 smartphone. It comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 10,999. It will be exclusively available from Amazon.in starting June 9.
Highlight of the Phicomm Passion 660 is that the smartphone sports unibody premium magnesium alloy build and has pedometer, step-counter sensor. The step-counter sensor doesn’t even require GPS & Network and it has 166 times power saving capability as compared to a software, says the company. It also has gesture recognition and built-in barometer. The smartphone is just 7.4mm thick, weighs 110 grams.
It has a 5-inch 1080p display, is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 615 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat with Expect OS UI 5.0. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has hybrid dual SIM support that lets you use the second SIM slot as a microSD expansion slot . It has 4G LTE with support for LTE bands (3 and 40) for India. Checkout our Hands On and Photo Gallery here.
While the LG will launch the 2015 flagship LG G4 in India on June 19, the dual-SIM variant – LG G4 Dual (D818N) – is already available online via third-party retailer Infibeam for Rs. 49,999.
The LG G4 Dual is currently available in Black and Brown leather finish online. Red variant is expected soon. It has dual-SIM support and 4G LTE connectivity with support for LTE bands for India. It has a 5.5-inch (2560 x 1440 pixels) Quad HD Quantum display, is powered by a 1.8 GHz hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with LG UX 4.0. It has a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Laser AF for fast focus, Manual mode with RAW image capture, OIS 2.0 and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
This week, HTC finally launched the One E9+ dual SIM in India for Rs. 36,790 (MOP). The smartphone was first announced in India in April, alongside Desire 326G dual sim. The HTC One E9+ comes in Meteor Grey, Gold Sopia and Rose Gold colors and is already available across India.
The HTC One E9+ comes with a 5.5-inch Quad-HD (1440×2560 pixels) display, is powered by a 2GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with HTC Sense UI on top. It features a 20-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a ultrapixel front-facing camera.
HTC also launched the Desire 326G dual sim in India, priced at Rs. 9,590 (MOP). It has a 4.5-inch (480×854 pixels) FWVGA display, is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731G processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) with HTC Sense UI on top. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera with BSI sensor. The battery is 2,000mAh.
Xiaomi introduced the Mi 16000mAh Power Bank in India last week along with the 5000mAh Slim Power Bank. Xiaomi asked their fans to vote for the power bank that they want first. As expected, the 16000mAh power bank won the voting with 83% votes. It will go on sale through Mi India website starting from June 9 at 2PM for Rs. 1399. We unboxed it recently, check out the video below.
httpv://youtu.be/2WnhNxBUBT0
The power bank is compact, even though it packs 16000mAh battery, but weighs 350 grams. It has two slots, each offering 2.1A output to charge two devices at a time.
Indian manufacturer Micromax, this week launched three new devices – 2 smartphones and 1 tablet.
First up, the successor of last year’s Canvas Knight smartphone called the Canvas Knight 2. The smartphone sports a metal frame with glass back that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. It is priced at Rs. 16,299 and will go on sale across India from June 10.
The Micromax Canvas Knight 2 features a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) AMOLED display, is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 615 64-bit processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It packs a 13-megapixel auto focus rear camera with Largan 5P lens, LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone has dual-SIM support with 4G LTE connectivity on both the slots.
Second smartphone from Micromax this week is the new Canvas A1 (AQ4502) with 8GB of internal storage. The last year’s Canvas A1 got the Lollipop update recently, and the new version runs the latest Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box. Other specifications are similar, including a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Micromax Canvas A1 AQ4502 comes in Black color and is priced at Rs. 6,039 on ebay.
Third in the list from Micromax is the Canvas Tab P690, company’s latest voice calling tablet with 3G connectivity via SIM slot. It has a 8-inch (1280×800 pixels) IPS display, runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat), has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, similar to the Canvas Tab P666 that was launched last year, but this is powered by a faster quad-core 4th generation Intel Atom Processor and has got a unibody brushed metal finish design.
Another Indian manufacturer, Intex Technologies also launched three devices this week dubbed Intex Aqua 4G+ at Rs. 9,499. It comes with dual-SIM support with 4G on one SIM and 3G support on the other. It comes in Black and White colors and is available for purchase already.
The Intex Aqua 4G+ features a 5-inch HD display with scratch-resistant Dragontrail glass. Intex says that the smartphone has 80 percent screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by 1.3 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6735 64-bit processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. It packs a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Intex also launched two new budget smartphones with 3G support in the Aqua series called the Aqua 3G Pro and the Aqua 3G Strong. Both smartphones have a 4-inch WVGA screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, powered by a 1GHz processor coupled with 256MB RAM, 512MB internal storage and run on Android 4.4 (KitKat). These have a 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera.
The Intex Aqua 3G Pro and Aqua 3G Strong come in Black, Silver and Champagne colors are priced at Rs. 3666 and Rs. 3333, respectively.
Videocon launched the VA81M, a new 7-inch tablet with dual SIM support and voice calling capabilities, priced at Rs. 4,900. It has a 7-inch (1024×600 pixels) is powered by a 1.3 GHz dual-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (Kitkat). It has a 2MP rear camera without flash and a VGA front-facing camera and packs a 3000mAh battery. Check full specifications here.
Panasonic launched the smaller version of last year’s Eluga S dubbed the Panasonic Eluga S Mini at Rs. 8,990. It has a 4.7-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display, but other features are similar to the Eluga S, including a a 1.4 GHz True Octa-Core processor, Android 4.4 (KitKat), 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Weekly Announcements
Major announcements this week came from Taiwanese manufacturer Asus. Company at Computex 2015 announced two new variants of its latest ZenFone 2 smartphone series – a 6-inch ZenFone 2 (ZE600KL), 5-inch ZenFone 2 (ZE500KL) and 5.5-inch ZenFone 2 (ZE550KL) with Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs instead of Intel SoCs. Even the Zenfone Selfie that was officially announced at the Computex has a Snapdragon 615 processor. Checkout the full details here. Also read our hands on with the device.
The firm also announced new ZenPad tablet series at the Computex 2015. This includes a 7-inch ZenPad 7.0, 8-inch ZenPad 8.0 Z380KL (4G) / Z380C (WiFi), ZenPad S 8.0 with optional Z Stylus, and the 10-inch ZenPad 10 with an optional keyboard. All these ZenPad tablets come with Wi-Fi, LTE/3G connectivity and voice calling capabilities. These run on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with new ZenUI for tablets. All variant detailed here.
Asus introduced new Transformer Book T100HA at the Computex 2015. It will come with Windows 10 out of the box and even has USB 3.1 type C port. The Asus Transformer Book T100HA comes in Silk White, Tin Grey, Aqua Blue and Rouge Pink colors and will go on sale sometime in Q3 2015. No word on the pricing yet.
It has a 10.1-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) HD display, is powered by Intel Atom X5 Cherry Trail processor and has 4GB of RAM. It is just 8.45mm thick and weighs 580 grams. As usual you get a keyboard dock with a trackpad.
Company also introduced the Transformer Book Flip TP200, its latest Transformer Book convertible at the Computex 2015 along with the Transformer Book T100HA. It has a 360-degree hinge so that you can flex it easily according to your comfort, a reversible USB 3.1 Type-C port and runs on Windows 10 out of the box. It has a 11.6-inch (1366×768) screen, is powered by a either Intel Pentium or Celeron processor and has a scratch-resistant metallic finish.
It has up to 4GB DDR3 RAM, 32GB / 64GB of storage, card reader, VGA webcam, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, headphone/microphone jack, Speakers with SonicMaster audio, 1 USB 3.0 port, 1 USB 2.0 port, 1 USB-C Gen 1 and a micro HDMI. It has a 38 Wh battery that promises up to 8-hour battery life. It measures 297 x 201.3 x 18.45 mm and weighs 1.2 kg with the battery.
Asus launched a new model of Chromebox as well. The latest Chromebox is a successor to the original Asus Chromebox, which was launched last year in February. The Chrome OS-powered Chromebox PC features the latest 5th generation Intel processors. The Chromebox will also connect to wireless AC routers, with 802.11ac Wi-Fi built-in. It will let users with the performance required to run apps smoothly or watch videos in 4K/UHD.
ASUS states that the Chromebox keeps noise levels down to just 17dB at idle and draws just 6W of power. There is no word on pricing or availability of the Chromebook CN62 yet. Intel Celeron-powered Chromebox by Asus also came in Intel Core i3 and Core i7 processor versions.
Lastly, Asus announced the second generation of ZenWatch, its Android Wear powered smartwatch. The company showcased the ZenWatch 2 in two different sizes at the Computex 2015. Check full details.
Second highlight of the Computex 2015 was Acer announcements. Firm introduced three new wearable devices in its Liquid wearable lineup dubbed the Acer Liquid Leap Active, Leap Fit and Leap Curve. The firm had teased these devices in April. Check full details here and read our hands on as well.
Acer introduced the successor to the Chromebox CX1 at Computex dubbed the Chromebox CX 12. The latest Chromebox CXI2 will be equipped with Intel Broadwell series processors, optional Core i3 or Celeron processor. It will have up to 8GB of RAM DDR3 and come with Intel HD integrated graphics, 1600MHz dual-channel and 16GB SSD. There are four USB ports and an HDMI-out for a monitor or display. Connectivity options include Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi 802.11ac , Bluetooth 4.0 and SD card reader. The Mini PC is also equipped with a mouse and keyboard optimized for Chrome OS.
Acer also announced Iconia One 8 B1-830 and Iconia Tab 10 A3-A30, two new tablets powered by powered by a MediaTek SoCs at the Computex 2015. The One 7 B1-760HD has a 7-inch HD screen, is powered by a quad-core MediaTek chip and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). The Iconia One 8 B1-830 has a 8-inch HD screen, is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek SoC compared to Intel Atom Z3735G chip on the Iconia One 8 B1-820 that was announced last month and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). Read our hands on.
Another big announcement came from Chinese manufacturer Meizu. The company announced m2 note, successor of last year’s m1 note smartphone without a major change in the design and specifications.
It has the same 5.5-inch 1080p IGZO display, is powered by a 1.3GHz 64-bit Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 processor with eight Cortex-A53 64-bit CPUs with Mali-T720 GPU and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Flyme OS on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with 69-degree wide viewing angle.
Checkout our m2 note Photo Gallery here and unboxing video below.
httpv://youtu.be/fGgbgyKbfGw
This week, Xiaomi unveiled a new variant of its original Yi Camera dubbed the Yi Camera Night Edition in China. In terms of design, the Yi Camera Night Edition looks the same as original Yi Camera. It is also priced the same as Yi Camera launch price at CNY 149 (approximately Rs. 1,500/ $25).
As the name suggests, the Yi Camera Night Edition can take pictures at night (up to 5 metres) with its 940mm infrared camera sensor. Other than that, it features same specifications as the original Yi Camera featuring an “All Glass” lens with f/2.0 aperture and 4x zoom function can capture video at 20fps (1280×720) frame rate and has the same 92.7-degree horizontal, 48.7-degree vertical and 111.2-degree diagonal viewing angles. It also supports microSD card expandability up to 32GB.
Microsoft announced new Nokia 105 and Nokia 105 Dual SIM feature phones for the global market. These are the successor feature phones of the popular Nokia 105 launched in 2013. Keeping its success in mind, company has decided to stick with the old name only.
Priced at $20 (approximately Rs. 1,250) before taxes and subsidies, the new Nokia 105 and Nokia 105 Dual SIM will be available in cyan, black and white colour options. It will start selling globally in select markets by the end of this month.
SanDisk Corporation introduced the world’s smallest 128GB compact flash drive in the SanDisk Ultra Fit series at the Computex.
The SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 128GB Flash Drive will be priced at an MSRP of $119.99 (Rs. 7,645), and the SanDisk Ultra 256GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive is priced at an MSRP of $199.99 (Rs. 12,740 approx). Both these flash drives will be available globally, but no details about the time frame of the roll out.
Kingston announced The DataTraveler microDuo 3C, a USB OTG drive for smartphones and tablets with a USB Type-C connector. It comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, will ship starting this month. No details about its pricing yet.
It has a standard USB Type-A ( USB 3.1, 3.0, 2.0) connector on the other end that lets you connect it to a PC, laptop or a Mac to transfer files easily. The USB Type-C enables a single port to function as a point for data transfer, video output, charging and even power external devices.