This week Xiaomi introduced the Mi Pad 4 Plus, larger version of the Mi Pad 4, Motorola introduced the Moto P30, OPPO introduced the F9, Samsung introduced its new Dolby Atmos Soundbars, and lots more from this week in our weekly roundup.
Xiaomi introduced the Mi Pad 4 Plus, a larger version of the Mi Pad with a 10.1-inch WUXGA screen with 16:10 aspect ratio, fingerprint sensor on the front, in addition to AI face unlock present in the Mi Pad 4, up to 128GB storage and a large 8620mAh battery. It comes in Black and Golden colors, starts at 1899 yuan (US$ 275 / ₹ 19,280 approx.) and is available in China.
Motorola announced the Moto P30 in China. It has a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 636 with 6GB of RAM, Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ZUI 4.0, glass back and gradient design and a Corning Gorilla glass protection on the front and the back.
It packs a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.25μm pixel size along with an 5-megapixel secondary rear camera to capture depth information in portrait shots with AI support and a 12-megapixel camera on the front with AI beautification and AI face unlock. It packs a 3000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging.
It comes in White, Black and Aurora Blue colors, starts at 2099 yuan (US$ 303 / ₹ 21,315 approx.) for the 6GB RAM with 64GB storage version and will go on sale in China soon.
OPPO introduced F9 in Vietnam and Philippines, as it had promised. It has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display with Waterdrop Screen with screen-to-body ratio up to 90.8% for a more immersive experience, is powered by Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P60 12nm processor with up to 6GB RAM, ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo), 16MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.85 aperture, secondary 2MP camera and a 25MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture, AI, Sony IMX576 sensor.
It comes in Sunrise Red, Twilight Blue and Starry Purple color, is priced at 76,90,000 Vietnamese Dong (US$ 331 / ₹ 23,290 approx.) for the 4GB RAM version. It will launch as F9 Pro in India on August 21st, and we should know the price next week.
Vivo launched Y81 in the ‘Y Series’ that packs a 6.22-inch HD+ screen with 19:9 aspect ratio, 2.15mm narrow bezels and 88% screen-to-body ratio, is powered by MediaTek’s latest Helio P22 Octa-Core 12nm SoC with 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, portrait mode and a 5-megapixel front camera with support for face unlock.
It runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) with Funtouch OS 4, dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots and packs a 3260mAh battery, but the Indian version has a fingerprint sensor. It comes in Black and Gold colors, is priced at Rs. 12,999 and is available from Amazon.in, Flipkart as well as Vivo online store in India.
Asus launched the ZenBook Pro 15 (UX580), ZenBook S (UX391), and ZenBook 13 (UX331) just as it had promised. The Zenbook Pro 15 packs a 5.5-inch Full HD resolution ScreenPad, an interactive display that intelligently adapts to match whatever you’re doing. It can change functions automatically when you switch apps, and you can create your own shortcuts.
The Asus Zenbook Pro 15 series (UX580GE-E2032T) variant with Intel I9-8950HK is priced at Rs. 2,09,990, while the Intel I7-8750H model costs Rs. 1,79,990. ZenBook S (UX391) with Intel i7-8550U, 16GB RAM costs Rs. 129,990, while the same model with an Intel I7-8550U processor and 8GB RAM is priced at Rs. 84,990. Finally, the Asus ZenBook 13 base model with Intel i5-8250U, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD costs Rs. 66,990.
All the three models are available on e-commerce platforms, LFR stores and channel partners in India.
Coolpad launched Mega 5A, the company’s latest smartphone in the Mega series as an India exclusive offline product. It has a 5.45-inch HD+ 18:9 aspect ratio display, is powered by quad-core Spreadtrum SC9850K processor with 2GB RAM, runs Android 8.1 (Oreo), has an 8-megapixel rear camera with flash along with a secondary 0.3-megapixel camera for portrait shots and a 5-megapixel camera on the front with support for face unlock. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back, features dedicated dual SIM and microSD card slot and packs a 2500mAh battery.
It comes in Golden color, is priced at Rs. 6999 and is available through offline stores across 8 states.
Tecno launched two new smartphones – Camon iAce and Camon iSky 2 in India. These have a 6-inch HD+ 18:9 FullView displays, powered by quad-core MediaTek SoCs with 2GB of RAM and run Android 8.1 (Oreo) with the company’s own HiOS on top. These have a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, but the Camon iSky 2 also comes with a secondary VGA camera for portrait shots. The Camon iAce has an 8-megapixel camera on the front, while the Camon iSky 2 features a 13-megapixel camera, and both have dual LED flash.
Both these have face unlock, dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots and a 3050mAh, but the Camon iSky 2 also comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back.
The Tecno Camon iAce comes in Champagne Gold, Midnight Black and Midnight Blue and is priced at Rs. 6,799, and the Camon iSky 2 comes in Champagne Gold, Midnight Black and Bordeaux Red colors, and is priced at Rs. 7,499. The Camon iAce is already available across India through 35,000+ retail outlets, and the Camon iSKY 2 will be available starting August 20th.
HARMAN International launched the JBL Xtreme 2 portable speaker in India. It now comes with a new durable design, superior and powerful audio performance, up to 15 hours of playtime and an IPX 7 rating for a fully waterproof design. It is priced at Rs. 21,999 and comes in Midnight Black, Forest Green, and Ocean Blue colors. It is already available at jbl.com and other online and retail channels, including 350 Samsung brand stores across the country.
Saregama launched Carvaan Mini 2.0 with support for AM/FM radio and a curated collection of 351 evergreen retro Hindi songs (up from 251 songs from the previous version), upgraded speakers along with Bluetooth and USB. It comes in Sunset Red, Moonlight Black, Regal Blue, Skyline Blue and Sapphire Green colors, is priced at Rs. 2490, same as the predecessor and is available exclusively from Flipkart.
Samsung announced two co-branded premium soundbars – the HW-N950 and HW-N850, in collaboration with Harman Kardon. The company says that the HW-N950 and HW-N850 soundbars are the first major collaboration between Samsung and Harman Kardon to enter the premium category.
The HW-N950 and HW-N850 are capable of offering theater-like experience thanks to Dolby Atmos and DTS:X technologies, plus up and side-firing speakers that move sound naturally above and around listeners. The HW-N950 comes equipped with the main unit, four speakers and two wireless surround sound speakers, offering an incredibly immersive sound experience. The HW-N950 and HW-N850 feature both Samsung and Harman Kardon’s logos and will be available from August 20 and cost US$1,699.99 (₹ 1,19,345 approx.) and US$1,199.99 (₹ 84,260 approx.), respectively.
Intel introduced new NUC kits and NUC mini PCs in the company’s NUC family. They feature 8th Gen Intel Core processors and the company claims that the new Intel NUCs bring desktop performance in a compact form factor. The new Intel NUC kits include NUC8i7BEH, NUC8i5BEH, NUC8i5BEK, NUC8i3BEH, NUC8i3BEK. These will be available worldwide through Intel distributors and through online retailers starting from September.
Conekt Gadgets, Hyderabad-based company launched rage of accessories in the country. Rohit Sharma unveiled the brand at an event in Mumbai. The company launched Zeal Series – Power banks, Dash Series- Wall chargers, Ace series – Data Cables,Youth Series -Car Mount, Chick Series – Earphones, Verve Series – Car Chargers and Elan – Wireless Charger. These range from Rs. 349 and goes up to Rs. 3499.
Portronics launched Harmonics 200 Retractable Bluetooth Stereo headphones. It lets you pull out and insert the tethered earbud into your ear for music listening and answering calls. It has ergonomically designed ear hooks, with snug fit ear buds, a durable Silicon Material neckband and a lightweight body of 67 grams. It comes in Black, Grey and White colors, and is priced at Rs. 2999, but you can get it for as low as Rs. 1,969 from Amazon.in.
Portronics also launched a USB Type-C multi-port Mport 7C, a smart and sleek, an extremely portable, plug and play device. This lets you connect standard USB Pen drive (USB 2.0 or 3.0), an external keyboard, an external storage device, USB Flash drive, a mouse, gaming console, projector or TV on HDMI port (1080 or 4K). It is priced at Rs. 2999 and will be available through both offline and online stores. You can grab it from official Portronics website for as low as Rs. 2,199.
Lenovo announced the ThinkPad P1 which is company’s thinnest, lightest and sleekest mobile workstation. It measures in at 0.72 inches, weighs 1.7 kgs and it is certified for key ISV applications. It sports a 15-inch 4K UHD display and is powered by the 8th Gen Intel Xeon and Core processor. It also unveield ThinkPad P72 aimed at users looking for top of the line power and performance. It sports a 17-inch and is powered by the 8th Gen Intel Xeon or the Core processors coupled with NVIDIA Quadro graphics – up to P5200.
The ThinkPad P1 and P72 will be available from the end of this month i.e, August starting at $1949 (Rs. 1,36,225 approx.) and $1799 (Rs.1,25,741), respectively.
Xiaomi introduced new Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with customizable RGB lights for all the 104 keys and Mi Sports Bluetooth Headset Youth Edition. The keyboard has TTC Red switches with a 3-mm travel distance. It uses Sonix microcontroller with a 32-bit Cortex-M0 core and USB interface supporting a 1000 Hz polling rate. The Mi Sports Bluetooth Headset Youth Edition is cheaper than the Mini version and comes with water-resistant and sweatproof body with IPX4 ratings. It has a light weight design at just 13.6 grams.
The Xiaomi gaming keyboard comes in Black color, is priced at 229 yuan (US$ 33 / ₹ 2,325 approx.) and the Mi Sports Bluetooth Headset Youth Edition comes in Black and White colors, and is priced at 99 yuan (US$ 14.4 / ₹ 1000 approx.) . These are already available for purchase in China.
Alcatel announced 7, a mid-range smartphone with 6-inch FHD+ display, Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P23 SoC with 2GB of RAM, Android 8.1 (Oreo), 12-megapixel rear camera along with a 2-megapixel secondary rear camera to capture depth information for portrait shots, and a 8-megapixel camera on the front. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back and packs a 4000mAh battery. It comes in Black color, is priced at $179.99 (₹ 12,580 approx.) and is exclusively available from MetroPCS in the U.S.