This week, Samsung launched the large-screen variant of the Galaxy S6 Edge in India. Xiaomi launched its limited edition Mi 4i in three more colours, alongside global introduction of the MIUI 7 and more.
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ was first announced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2015 event last week. The device packs a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels) Super AMOLED display that is curved on both the sides, is powered by a Octa-Core ( Quad 2.1GHz + Quad 1.5GHz) Exynos 7420 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM, and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, OIS and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ comes in Gold Platinum and Silver Titanium colors and is priced at Rs. 57,900 for the 32GB variant. It will be available in India starting August 28th. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ keyboard cover is priced at Rs. 4,599. Checkout our hands on impressions and photo gallery here.
Lenovo launched its most-affordable 4G smartphone dubbed the Lenovo A2010 at Rs. 4,990. It has dual SIM support and 4G connectivity with support for both 1800 MHz (Band3) and 2300 MHz (Band 40) for India.
The Lenovo A2010 has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, is powered by a 1.0GHz quad-core MediaTek SoC coupled with 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It will be available exclusively from Flipkart through flash sales starting September 3rd.
Micromax this week launched three devices in Canvas series dubbed the Canvas Selfie 2 Q340 and Canvas Selfie 3 Q348 smartphones, and Canvas Tab P680 3G voice-calling tablet.
The Canvas Selfie 2 has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with OmniVision OV5670 sensor and 4P lens. The Canvas Selfie 3 has a 8-megapixel front camera with Sony MX179 sensor and LED Flash. Both these are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal storage with expansion slot, dual SIM support and 3G connectivity. Checkout complete specifications here.
The Micromax Canvas Selfie 2 Q340 comes in Black color with leather-like finish and is priced at Rs. 5,999. It will be available across all the online and offline stores from August 22. The Micromax Canvas Selfie 3 Q348 comes in Blue, Green, Purple, Sky Blue and Yellow colors and will go on sale in the last week of August, but pricing is not available yet.
The Micromax Canvas Tab P680 is company’s latest tablet with 3G connectivity, dual-SIM support and voice calling capabilities. It has an 8-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) WXDA IPS display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Micromax Canvas Tab P680 comes in black and metallic copper colour, and is priced at Rs. 9,499. It will be available through retail outlets and online partners starting from August 22.
Panasonic launched three new 4G smartphones in India this week – T45 4G, Eluga L2 and Eluga I2.
The T45 4G has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen and is powered by a 1.0GHz quad-core processor, the Eluga L2 has a 5.5-inch qHD screen and is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, and the Eluga I2 has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor and also comes with a front-facing flash for capturing better selfies. All these smartphone have dual SIM support and 4G connectivity with support for FDD-LTE 1800 MHz (B3) and TDD-LTE 2300MHz (B40) bands for India. Check full details here.
The Panasonic T45 4G comes in White and Black colors and is priced at Rs. 6,990, the Eluga I2 comes in Metallic Silver, Metallic Gold, Metallic Grey color sand is priced at Rs. 8,290 and the Eluga L2 comes in Sand Gray and Midnight Black colors and is priced at Rs. 9,990.
Lava launched Iris Atom 2 and Flair P1i new budget smartphones in the Iris and the Flair series. The Atom 2 has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor. The Flair P1i has a 4-inch WVGA display and is powered by a 1GHz processor. Both these smartphones run on Android 4.4 (KitKat), come with dual SIM support and have 3G connectivity.
The Lava Iris Atom 2 and Lava Flair P1i come in White and Black colors and are priced at Rs. Rs. 4,949 and Rs. 3,299 respectively. These smartphones will be available through retail stores, multi-brand outlets and online platforms.
Aquaris E4.5 and Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Edition smartphones have been launched in India on Snapdeal. These are made by Spanish handset maker BQ. The Aquaris E4.5 went on sale in Europe back in February and packs a 4.5-inch qHD screen and the Aquaris E5 HD was introduced in June and packs a 5-inch HD display. These are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core SoCs, come with dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
The Aquaris E4.5 and Aquaris E5 Ubuntu Editions come in Black color and are priced at Rs. 11999 and Rs. 13499, respectively. These smartphones will be available for purchase by end of August from Snapdeal.
iberry’s Auxus has launched the Auxus PRIME P8000 in partnership with Chinese smartphone maker Elephone exclusively on Snapdeal. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p screen, is powered by a 1.3 GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6753 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It supports Elephone ROMs and customized ROMs. It has 4G LTE connectivity with support for 4G LTE bands (TDD B40 2300MHz and FDD B3 1800MHz) for India.
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The Auxus PRIME P8000 is priced at Rs. 14,990 for the Matte White version and Limited Gold Edition version is priced at Rs. 15,990. It will be exclusively available on Snapdeal by end of this month.
Karbonn launched Aura 9, the company’s latest smartphone with a 4000mAh battery. It has a 5-inch FWVGA IPS display, is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat). It has a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with dual SIM support and 3G connectivity. The Karbonn Aura 9 comes in White and Navy Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 6,390.
Lastly, Xiaomi finally launched limited edition Pink, Blue and Yellow variants of the Mi 4i smartphone in India at the MIUI 7 launch event. The Xiaomi Mi 4i limited edition Pink, Blue and Yellow variants will be available for Rs. 12,999 in India from August 25th exclusively on mi.com/in.
Weekly Announcements
Huawei this week announced its innovative camera designed smartphone dubbed the Honor 7i. The 13-megapixel rear camera can flip 180-degrees to the front so that you can use it as a front-facing camera as well. It also comes with a fingerprint sensor that is present on the side of the smartphone. You can also use the fingerprint sensor button as a camera shutter for capturing selfies easily.
The Honor 7i packs a 5.5-inch 1080p display with narrow bezels, is powered by the latest Octa-Core Snapdragon 616 SoC and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 on top.
The Huawei Honor 7i comes in White and Gold Colors. It is priced at 1599 Yuan (US$ 250 / Rs. 16,375 approx.) for the base 2GB RAM with 16GB storage version for China Mobile, 1699 Yuan (US$ 265 / Rs. 17,400 approx.) for the same version for China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom and the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version for all Chinese carriers is priced at 1899 Yuan (US$ 297 / Rs. 19,440 approx.). It is now available for order in China. Huawei did not announce details about its global roll out yet.
LG introduced its new Music Flow P5 (NP5550) and SoundPop 360 (NP7860) portable Bluetooth speakers ahead of IFA. Both these have multi-point connectivity so that you can connect up to three Bluetooth devices at the same time and allows users to simultaneously control the devices and share music. These also have TV Sound Sync feature that allows either speaker to be connected to a Bluetooth-compatible TV and enjoy separated surround sound at home.
The new LG Music Flow P5 is priced at US$ 99 and will be available in the U.S. sometime in October. It will also be available in India for Rs. 8990. No details about the pricing or availability of the LG SoundPop 360 yet. Both these speakers will be showcased at the IFA 2015 from September 4th to 9th.
LG also introduced new Tone Ultra (HBS-810), successor of last year’s Tone Ultra (HBS-800). The firm has partnered with JBL, one of the leading audio equipment maker once again to offer an enhanced audio quality.
The new Tone Ultra (HBS-810) features Quad-Layer Speaker Technology that provides enhanced bass and middle-range tones, and boosts overall sound quality through optimized audio equalization, said the company. It also has new and innovative wire management technology that makes the ear buds completely retractable.
The LG Tone Ultra HBS-810 Bluetooth Headset will roll out in the U.S. first starting in late August followed by key markets in Asia and Europe. Price and availability will be announced locally at the time of launch.
Samsung introduced its latest dual display Android flip phone dubbed the Samsung G9198 in China. It comes with dual 3.9-inch (768 x 1280 pixels) WXGA Super AMOLED screens, one on the front and the the other on the inside along with a T9 keypad. It is powered by a hexa-core Snapdragon 808, has a 16-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Samsung G9198 comes in Blue color and is expected to go on sale in China later this month. No word on the pricing yet.
Lastly, Sony launched its SmartBand 2 activity and fitness tracker this week. This second generation SmartBand from Sony comes with advanced heart rate tracking. Similar to the original SmartBand, the SmartBand 2 can also alert you when you have a call, message, email or tweet through vibration and pulsing LEDs on the strap. It has a removable core that is IP68 certified, making it water resistant. It features a battery that recharges in an hour and lasts for full two days.
Sony SmartBand 2 will be compatible with all Android and iOS devices running 4.4 KitKat (or higher) and iOS 8.2 (or higher). It will be available globally from September in four colours: black, white, pink and blue. Price of the device is yet to be revealed.