This week, Xiaomi launched its entry-level smartphones the Redmi 3S and the Redmi 3S Prime smartphones in India, as it had promised.
The Xiaomi Redmi 3S packs a 5-inch HD display, is powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 430 SoC, runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with MIUI 7 on top, has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF), resulting in a quick focus of just 0.1 second and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has full metal magnesium alloy unibody design and packs a 4100mAh battery. It also comes in a Prime version that has a fingerprint sensor on the back. It has hybrid SIM slot that lets you use the secondary nano SIM slot as a microSD slot when required.
We unboxed the Redmi 3S Prime recently, check out the video. Also check out the Redmi 3S Prime Review here.
The Xiaomi Redmi 3S and come in in Dark grey, Silver and Gold colors. The Redmi 3s is priced at Rs. 6,999 for the 2GB RAM with 16GB storage variant and the Redmi 3S Prime with 3GB RAM, 32GB storage and fingerprint sensor costs Rs. 8,999.
Both the phones will be initially available on Mi.com and Flipkart through open sale. Redmi 3S Prime will be available starting August 9th 12 Noon onwards and Redmi 3S will be available starting from August 16th.
Lenovo launched the Vibe K5 Note smartphone and the an upgraded version of the Vibe K5 Plus smartphone in India, months after it launched the 2GB RAM variant.
The Lenovo Vibe K5 Note packs a 5.5-inch 1080p display, is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P10 SoC and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, PDAF and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera with wide-angle lens. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back that can unlock the phone in under 0.3 seconds.
It also has TheaterMax technology, similar to the Vibe K4 Note for an immersive VR experience when combined ANT VR headset.
On the other hand, the upgraded 3GB RAM version of Vibe K5 Plus has a more cleaner UI that also offers almost stock Android experience and comes with customizable launcher. Other specifications are similar to the older 2GB Vibe K5 Plus, including a 5-inch 1080p display, Octa-Core Snapdragon 616 processor, 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Lenovo Vibe K5 Note comes in Platinum Silver and Graphite Grey and Champagne Gold colors and priced at Rs. 11,999 for the 3GB RAM variant and the 4GB RAM variant costs Rs. 13,499.
The Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus comes in Platinum Silver, Champagne Gold and Graphite Gray colors and the 3GB RAM variant is priced at Rs. 8,499, same as the 2GB RAM variant. Both the phones are available via open sale exclusively on Flipkart.
Panasonic launched the Eluga Arc 2, successor of Eluga Arc that was launched earlier this year. It has a 5-inch HD IPS 2.5D curved glass display with Asahi Dragon trail Glass protection, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has 4G LTE support.
Panasonic Eluga Arc 2 Hands On Impressions and Photo Gallery
The Panasonic Eluga Arc 2 comes in Gold and Rose Gold colors and is priced at Rs. 12290.
OPPO launched F1s, the company’s latest selfie-focused smartphone in India. The main highlight of the smartphone is the 16-megapixel front-facing camera with 1/3.1-inch sensor and f/2.0 aperture. It also has Beautify 4.0 and several filters. It has a 5.5-inch HD display and is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek MT6750 processor, but it runs on outdated Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS with ColorOS 3.0 on top.
The OPPO F1s comes in Gold and Grey colors and is priced at Rs. 17,990. It will be available for pre-order from August 4th till August 10th.
Micromax launched Canvas Unite 4 Plus, an enhanced version of the Canvas Unite 4 smartphone that was launched in June. It comes with a fingerprint sensor, packs a 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, compared to 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage in the Unit 4. Other specifications are similar, including a 5-inch HD screen, quad-core MediaTek SoC, 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 5-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash, and 4G LTE connectivity.
The Micromax Canvas Unite 4 Plus comes in Gold, Grey and Silver colors and is priced at Rs. 7999. It will be available from retail stores across India.
Lava launched X38 and A68 smartphones this week. The X38 comes with 4G VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) support and a huge 4000mAh battery. It has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera that also has LED flash.
The Lava A68 has a 4.5-inch WVGA display, is powered by 1.2GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a VGA front-facing camera that also has LED flash for capturing better images in low lighting conditions.
The Lava X38 comes in Blue and Grey colors and is priced at Rs. 7,399, but it is available online for as low as Rs. 6,599. The Lava A68 comes in gold, silver and black colors and is priced at Rs. 4599 (MRP), but it is available for Rs. 4,049.
Asus launched the Zenfone Selfie in India last year starting at Rs. 15,999, later it launched a 3GB RAM variant, and this week the company launched a new variant of the smartphone that comes with a diamond cut back panel like the Zenfone 2 Deluxe, that offers a premium look. Other specifications are similar to the original Zenfone Selfie.
The Asus Zenfone Selfie comes in Glacier Gray, Sheer Gold, Polygon-Illusion Diamond White, Illusion Polygon Blue and Illusion Smooth Pink colors. The new Diamond back version is available exclusively from Amazon.in and will be available through retail outlets from September.
Intex launched Cloud String V2.0, the company’s latest budget 4G smartphone with a fingerprint sensor on the back. It packs a a 5-inch HD on-cell 2.5D curved glass screen, is powered by a quad-core Spreadtrum processor, runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), has a 8-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual-SIM support and 4G LTE connectivity.
The Intex Cloud String V2.0 comes in Silver and Champagne colors, is priced at Rs. 6499 and is available exclusively from Flipkart.
Reliance Retail launched Lyf Wind 2, successor of the Wind 1. It has a 6-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Lyf Wind 2 comes in Gold color and is priced at Rs. 8299. It will be available from Reliance Digital and other retail stores across India.
Weekly Announcements
The big announcement this week came from Samsung, as it unveiled the flagship Galaxy Note7 smartphone at its Galaxy Unpacked 2016 event in New York.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has a 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440 pixels) Super AMOLED curved edge display with always-on feature. It is powered by a Snapdragon 820 or Exynos 8 Octa 8890 processor depending on the market, runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), has a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, OIS and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
It has 3D glass and metal design and IP68 ratings water and dust resistance, similar to the Galaxy S7 series. It has hybrid dual SIM support that lets you use the second slot as a expansion slot when required. In addition to fingerprint scanner, Samsung has added an Iris scanner for the first time that would let you unlock the phone using eye recognition.
The Samsung Galaxy Note7 comes in Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, Silver Titanium and Black Onyx. It will be available starting on August 19. No word on pricing yet.
Along with the Galaxy Note 7 Samsung also announced an updated version of the Gear VR headset. It features a new touchpad and supports USB Type-C.
The company is including a micro USB connector with the VR headset which will enable users to swap the USB Type-C connector. Samsung has not made any major changes in terms of design for the new Gear VR which will be compatible with the Galaxy Note 7, S7, S7 Edge, Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+.
The new Samsung Gear VR goes up for preorder starting August 3 for and will cost $99. It will go on sale on August 19.
Huawei’s Honor brand announced Honor Note 8, its latest smartphone at an event in China. It packs a 6.6-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, is powered by an Octa-Core Kirin 955 SoC and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with EMUI 4.1 on top. It has a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, RGBW Sensor, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera.
It also has a fingerprint sensor on the back, has a metal unibody design and is just 7.18mm thick.
The Honor Note 8 comes in Gold, Silver and Gray colors and is priced at 2299 yuan (US$ 346 / Rs. 23,110 approx.) for the 32GB storage version, 2499 yuan (US$ 376 / Rs. 25,125 approx.) for the 64GB storage version and the 128GB version costs 2799 yuan (US$ 420 / Rs. 28,140 approx.). It will be available for order through vmall and jd.com from August 9th.
Xiaomi finally introduced Mi VR Play – its first VR (Virtual Reality) headset in China. It has a zipper design so that the phone doesn’t fall out when moving the headset.
The Xiaomi Mi VR Play can fit phones from 4.7 to 5.7 inches in size. Since it has openings on the front, you can adjust the phone if it moves and ventilation.
It uses anti-glare aspherical lenses with tolerance of just 0.01mm and it also promises the superior clarity. There is a metal button on the top to interact with the phone.
Xiaomi is currently taking registrations for beta testing the Mi VR Play headset in China and is calling it Toy Edition. Those who are selected will be able to get it for just 1 yuan. It has not announced the pricing or release date for consumers, but it is rumored to be priced at 49 yuan (US$ 7 / Rs. 490 approx.). There might be a premium version of the headset as well.