This week we saw Meizu’s latest flagship smartphone MX5, new variant of Microsoft Surface Pro 3 with a faster processor, Huawei Honor 7 with fingerprint sensor and many more.
Weekly Announcements
Meizu this week hosted an event in China to unveil its latest flagship smartphone, the Meizu MX5. It is priced at CNY 1,799 (Rs.18,400 / $290 approx), CNY 1,999 (Rs. 20,500 / US$322 approx) and CNY 2,399 (Rs. 24,600 / $387 approx.) for the 16GB,32GB and 64GB variants respectively. It is now available for pre-order and will go on sale in China from July 5. No details about the global roll out yet.
It has a 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 100% increase in NTSC color gamut, 10000:1 contrast ratio and a brightness of up to 500 nits. It is powered by a 2.2 GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio X10 processor and runs on Flyme OS 4.5 based on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). Checkout full details and photo gallery.
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Meizu alongside announced two more products – a 10,000mAh power bank and a Google Cardboard-like virtual reality cardboard Depth-VR.
The Meizu 10,000mAh power bank has two-way fast charging so that you can charge the power bank quickly and also charge the MX5 smartphone with mCharge faster-charging support, up to 58 percent in 30 minutes and 100 percent in just 83 minutes.
The power bank is priced at CNY 149 (Rs. 1530 / $ 24 approx.) and is available for order through crowdfunding in on jd.com in China. The depth-VR is priced at CNY 49 (Rs. 500 / $ 8 approx.) and goes on sale in China from July. No word on global roll out yet.
On the other hand, Microsoft introduced new Surface Pro 3 variant with Intel Core i7 processor, 128GB of flash storage, 8GB of RAM at the same price of $1,299 as the older Core i5 version. Other specifications are the same as previous Surface Pro 3 model. Microsoft is also introducing new LTE compatible Surface Pro 3 variants in Germany and UK.
After so many leaks, Huawei Honor 7 finally became official. Priced at CNY 1,999 (Rs. 20,500 / $322 approx.) for the 16GB single-SIM variant, CNY 2,199 for the 16GB dual-SIM variant (Rs. 22,500 / $355 approx.), and CNY 2,499 (Rs. 25,600 / $403 approx.) for the 64GB dual-SIM variant. It will available in China from July 7, and company has not announced its plans for global roll out yet.
Huawei Honor 7 packs a 5-inch 1080p display, is powered by an octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 935 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM and runs Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 skinned on top. It has a 20-megapixel rear camera with Sony sensor, LED flash, Phase Detection auto focus that would let you focus a subject in just 0.1 second and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash.
ARCHOS announced a brand new smartphone called the 50d Helium. It has a 5-inch 720p IPS display and is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor clocked in at 1.2GHz. It has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of memory that is expandable via microSD card.
There is a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash at the back and a 5-megapixel camera at the front. It has dual-SIM support as well as 4G connectivity support. It will run Android 5.1 Lollipop out-of-the-box and will be powered by a non-removable 2100mAh battery.
Samsung announced a new bluetooth headset in their LEVEL series of audio accessories. Dubbed LEVEL U, the new headset incorporates an adjustable neck band design. It weighs just 33 grams, and there are controls on the device itself that allow users to adjust the volume, play / pause and seek / skip between the tracks easily.
It will be available in White, Blue Black, Gold and Blue colours when it launches for a price of $79.99.
Weekly Launches in India
Panasonic launched a new smartphone in its P series dubbed the Panasonic P55 Novo. It has a 5.3-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) IPS display, is powered by a 1.4 GHz octa-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). The 8GB of internal storage is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). It packs a 13-megapixel rear camera with triple LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash as well.
It comes with dual-SIM support and Peel Smart Remote app that lets you control TV, DVD Player, AC and other appliances using IR sensor. The Panasonic P55 Novo comes in Champagne Gold, Smoke Gray and Midnight Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 9,290.
Something similar to Panasonic P55 Novo, Celkon launched the Campus A35K Remote with Peel Smart Remote app that lets you control TV, AC, Set Top Boxes, DVD Players and more using IR transmitter present on the top of the smartphone.
Other specifications are similar to last year’s Campus A35K, including a 3.5-inch (320 x 480 pixels) display, Android 4.4 (KitKat), 1 GHz processor, 3.2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera, dual SIM support and 3G connectivity. The Celkon Campus A35K Remote comes in blue, black, grey and white colors and is priced at Rs. 3,199. Celkon is also offering a 16GB memory card for free with the smartphone.
iBall launched its first smartphone with swivel camera dubbed the iBall Avonte 5. The 8-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash can rotate up to 180-degree, just like Oppo N1 – which has a 13-megapixel sensor.
The iBall Avonte 5 features a 5-inch (480 x 854 pixels) FWVGA PS display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, and runs Android 4.4 (Kitkat). The smartphone comes in Gold color and is priced at Rs. 5,999.
Xolo launched the Cube 5.0 earlier this month, and this week it launched a variant of the smartphone with 2GB RAM, instead of 1GB and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, instead of 2-megapixel. Other specifications are the same, including a 5-inch HD OGS display with 85% NTSC color gamut that promises ultra-high color contrasts and vivid colors, Dragontrail Glass protection, a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582M processor and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop).
The 8GB of built-in storage is expandable via microSD card (up to 32GB). Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS/ A-GPS. The handset is backed by a 2100mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 24 hours of talk time on 2G and 11 hours of talk time on 3G.
Videocon launched Infinium Z51 Nova+, the company’s latest smartphone in the Infinium series. It has a 5-inch FWVGA display, is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and runs Android 4.4 (KitKat).
It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, compared to 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera on the Infinium Z51 Nova that was launched last month. The Videocon Infinium Z51 Nova+ comes in Grey and Blue colours, and is priced at Rs. 5,799.
Intex launched its latest budget smartphone in the Aqua series dubbed the Intex Aqua Y4 at Rs. 4,190. It has 3G connectivity and dual SIM support, similar to most other Intex smartphones.
Specifications include a 4.5-inch FWVGA display, 1GHz dual-core processor coupled with 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and runs Android 4.4.2 (KitKat). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
Lastly, Asus launched two new X555 series of notebooks – Asus X555 LJ-XX177H and Asus X555LJ-XX132H – in India, prices starting from Rs. 28,999.
Both Asus notebooks – X555 LJ-XX177H and X555LJ-XX132H – are powered by Intel Core processors and runs Windows 8.1 OS. Asus has included its SonicMaster and AudioWizard technologies for an immersive and crystal audio experience. It has four optimized modes such as Normal mode for daily work, Theater mode for the ultimate movie experience, Vivid mode for photographs and Intense image viewing, and Manual mode for the ultimate user experience. The IceCool technology would prevent heat build-up and Smart Gesture technology offers quick navigation, says company. Checkout full details here.