This week there were several announcements at the CES 2017 from several brands such as Asus, Xiaomi, Samsung, LG and more. In India there were quite a few product launches. Check out all the announcements and launches from this week in our roundup.
Earlier this week Samsung announced Galaxy A3 (2017), Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) smartphones ahead of CES 2017.
All the three smartphones are IP68 certified meaning they are water and dust resistant. The phones sport a metal designs and 3D glass back which offers them a premium look.
These have a USB Type-C port, Fast Charging, and Always on Display. The A7 and A5 come with a 16MP front and rear cameras that offers different modes to optimize photos and enhance the color of images.
Asus announced Zenfone 3 Zoom with 12-megapixel rear camera with 25mm wide angle lens, f/1.7 aperture, Sony IMX362 sensor with 1.4μm pixel size along with a 56mm telephoto lens. It also has a secondary 12-megapixel camera that offers 12x zoom and 2.3x optical zoom.
It has TriTech+ optimization that selects one of three autofocus methods — Dual Pixel, continuous AF and laser — to use at any given time and promises image capture in just 0.03 seconds, even with a moving subject. It also has RAW support with an upcoming Android Nougat update and comes with manual shooting mode. It comes in Glacier Silver, Sapphire Black and Rose Gold colors and will roll out starting from February 2017.
Asus also announced Zenfone AR , first smartphone in the world that is compatible with both Tango AR platform and Google’s Daydream VR platform.
It sports a 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display, is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, runs Android 7.0 Nougat, has 8GB of RAM, 23-megapixel main camera with a motion tracking camera and a depth sensing camera that supports Tango’s AR capabilities. It also comes with a new “immersive” five-magnet speaker that supports High-Res Audio and DTS virtual surround sound. It comes in Charcoal Black color with leather finish and will roll out starting from Q2 2017.
Lenovo introduced Smart Assistant speaker built in collaboration with Amazon, powered by Amazon’s Alexa cloud-based voice services. It has eight 360-degree far-field microphones with noise suppression and acoustic echo cancellation. It comes in Light Gray, Green and Orange colors, starts at $129.99 (Rs. 8,890 approx.), and will be available in beginning in May 2017.
LG announced SJ9500, SJ8500 and SJ8000 SUPER UHD TVs featuring Nano Cell technology. These have wider viewing angles and offers Active HDR with Dolby Vision allowing for multiple HDR formats. The Super UHD TV is equipped with Active HDR and Dolby Vision to render brighter scenes and greater shadow detail.
LG also announced SJ9 and SJ8 sound bars and LOUDR CJ98 all-in-one speaker. The LG SJ9 has Dolby Atmos technology, has multiple cutting-edge speakers – including two powerful up firing speakers. LG SJ9 also has 4K Sound (Hi Resolution Audio) compatible with high quality lossless audio files to recreate the sound recorded in the original studio. LG LOUDRCJ98 targeted at party-goers offer 3,500W of powerful sound.
Garmin announced fēnix 5 series of multisport GPS watches – 5, 5Sand 5X with Elevate wrist heart rate technology. In addition to counting steps and monitoring sleep, these watches use heart rate to provide calories burned information and quantify the intensity of your fitness activities.
Toshiba introduced Portégé X20W Windows 10 2-in-1 convertible with a 360-degree, dual-action hinge that lets you convert the notebook into a digital inking tablet by simply rotating the display. It has facial authentication using IR cameras to allow you to login easily and securely with your face using Windows Hello, Synaptics Natural ID fingerprint sensor built right into the Touchpad and Trusted Platform Module technologies. It comes in Slate Gray and Onyx Blue colors and will be available soon.
Acer announced Predator 21 X gaming laptop powered by 7th Generation Intel Core i7-7820HK processor. It comes with cooling fans and dual NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 GPUs in SLI. It features advanced cooling architecture of 5 system fans, 9 heat pipes and Acer Dust Defender. It sports new 3-way (tweeter, midrange, woofer) audio design for Hi-Fi quality sound and is powered by 4 speakers (2 tweeters, 2 midrange) and 2 subwoofers to produce a full spectrum of sound.
The Predator 21 X will be available in North America in February with prices starting at $8,999; and in EMEA in February with prices starting at €9,999.
Asus announced Chromebook Flip C302CA with a 12.5-inch 1080p multi-touch screen and 360° hinge that offers 4 modes (Tent, Tablet, Laptop and Stand). Powered by 6th generation Intel Core m3, m7 or Pentium processors with up to 8GB RAM, it starts at $499 (Rs. 34,030 approx.) for the base model with the Intel Core m3 CPU, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage and will go up to $1000 for the Intel Core m7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
Acer also announced its Chromebook 11 N7 (C731) for education. It has a rugged body, spill-resistant keyboard and also features a fan-less design that provides cool and quiet operation and doesn’t require venting that may cause airflow issues and dust accumulation. It starts at $229.99 (Rs. 15,700 approx.) and will be available in North America this January. It will be available in EMEA in February with prices starting at €299 (Rs. 21,240 approx.).
Even Samsung introduced its Chromebook Pro and Chromebook Plus with Google Play out-of-the-box for installing Android apps. These have a 360-degree rotating 12.3″ (2400×1600) Quad HD LED touchscreen, built-in digitized pen and new lightweight metal design, have 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The Chromebook Plus will be available starting this February for $449.
Samsung also announced its first Gaming Notebook dubbed Samsung Notebook Odyssey. It comes in 17.3-inch (300 nits) and 15.6-inch (280 nits) models with a 1080p, Wide-View Angle, Anti-Glare display, is powered by a 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processor (Quad Core 45W) and has HexaFlow Vent, an advanced cooling and ventilation system that helps the device remain cool.
Asus also announced Asus ZenBook 3 Deluxe. It has a slim, light-weight design, glass precision trackpad that comes with an integrated fingerprint reader which is placed on the top right corner. It also features quad-speaker Harman Kardon audio. It is available in royal blue and quartz grey colors, is priced at $1,699 and will be available in May.
Xiaomi introduced its Mi TV 4 that has a 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) panel, 4.9mm frame at its thinnest point, modular TV design that separates the display from the electronics. It also features a Dolby Atmos audio technology with 2 up-firing speakers, that are basically pointed at the ceiling which reflects the sound to provide a 3-dimensional experience.
The Patch Wall UI layer on top of the Android OS based on deep learning AI technology can curate content based on recommendations. The Mi TV 4 will be available in 49-inch, 55-inch, and 65-inch variants. The 65-inch version will be priced under $2000 (Rs. 1,35,485 approx.), that includes full sound bar set up with Dolby Atmos technology, while the standard version with normal speakers will cost $1500 (Rs. 1,01,610 approx.). It will be available in China first later this year.
Xiaomi also announced Mi Router HD 802.11ac router that features smart features including automatic backups from all your devices, and even Time Machine support. It automatically syncs with your dropbox cloud, backs up photo gallery, digital camera backup, laptop backup and also integrates with your Sonos audio system. It will be priced under $200 (Rs. 13,550 approx.) for 1TB, and 8TB version will cost under $500 (Rs. 33,870 approx.). It will be launching later in Q1 in China.
Xiaomi also introduced White Mi MIX with the same ceramic body. It has a silver colored ring around the rear camera and the fingerprint sensor. Other specifications are the same.
The White Mi MIX will go on sale later this year in China.
Dell announced 32 Ultra HD 8K Monitor (UP3218K) with 33.2 million pixels of resolution. It also announced 27 Ultrathin Monitor (S2718D) with 27-inch (2560×1440 pixels) Quad HD 60 Hz panel, ultrathin bezel design and 24 Touch Monitor (P2418HT) with 23.8-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) 60 Hz 178⁰/178⁰wide viewing angle Antiglare panel with 3H hardness, 10-point touch, Ultrathin bezels and Unique articulating stand with height-adjustment.
The Dell UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD 8K Monitor (UP3218K) starts at $4,999 (Rs. 33,9830) and the Dell 27 Ultrathin Monitor (S2718D) costs $699.99 (Rs. 47,560 approx.). Both these will be available from March 23 on Dell.com in the United States. The Dell 24 Touch Monitor (P2418HT) starts at $399.99 (Rs. 27,180 approx.) and will be available Jan. 12 on Dell.com in the United States.
Dell also announced a range of products with Windows 10 and new 7th Gen Intel Core processors that includes, Dell Canvas, Dell XPS 13 2-in-1, Latitude 5285 2-in-1, Dell XPS 27 AIO and more.
Sony introduced XBR-A1E Bravia 4K OLED TV powered by Sony’s 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme, the Acoustic Surface sound system and a cutting-edge stand-less form factor. It will support Dolby Vision and will be powered by Android TV.
It also introduced SRS-XB40, SRS-XB-30 and SRS-XB20 wireless speakers in four different sizes, various colours options, and boasts of the EXTRA BASS technology.
It also introduced MDR-XB950N1 and MDR-XB950B1 Bluetooth headphones with and Near Field Communications (NFC) technology for easy pairing. Sony claims battery that lasts for up to 22 hours on the XB950N1 and 18 hours in the XB950B1. These headphones come integrated with a microphone for hands-free calling.
NVIDIA introduced a new SHIELD console powered by NVIDIA Tegra X1 processor with 256-core Maxwell architecture GPU, 64-bit CPU, 3GB RAM and Android 7.0 (Nougat) powered by Android TV and 4K HDR support for Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies and VUDU.
ZTE announced its mid-range Blade V8 Pro smartphone with a 5.5-inch 1080p display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 processor, Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) and 13-megapixel dual rear cameras with dual LED flash offering bokeh effect, PDAF. It has 3GB RAM, hybrid dual SIM slots and 3140mAh built-in battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge. It comes in Black Diamond, is priced at $229.98 (Rs. 15620 approx.) and is already available for for pre-order in the U.S..
Coming to the launches, LeEco launched the 64GB version of Le 2. Apart from the storage, other specifications are same, including Snapdragon 652 SoC, 3GB of RAM, 5.5-inch 1080p display, Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), 16-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes in Rose Gold color and is exclusively available from Snapdeal.
Xolo launched Era 2X, a budget 4G smartphone with 4G VoLTE support, 5-inch HD display, quad-core MeditaTek MT6737 processor, Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), 2GB or 3GB RAM variants, fingerprint sensor and a 2500mAh battery. It comes in Latte Gold and Dark Gunmetal colors, is priced at Rs. 6666 for the 2GB RAM variant and the 3GB RAM version costs Rs. 7499, and will be available exclusively from Flipkart from January 9th.
Samsung launched Galaxy J1 4G (SM-J120G), a budget smartphone with 4G VoLTE support, 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen, quad-core Spreadrum SC7727SE processor, 1GB of RAM and a 2050mAh battery. It comes in Gold, Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 6890 (MOP).