This week Google introduced the Pixel 3 series of smartphones, HMD Global launched the Nokia 3.1 Plus smartphone as well as Nokia 8110 4G VoLTE feature phone in India, Razer introduced the Razer Phone 2, Huawei’s Honor brand introduced the Honor 8C smartphone. Check out more in our weekly roundup.
Google announced the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones at an event in the US. The Pixel 3 has a 5.5-inch Full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio and the Pixel 3 XL comes with a 6.3-inch Quad HD+ display with 18.5:9 aspect ratio and a notch. These have a similar 12.2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Dual Pixel auto focus, and comes with dual rear 8-megapixel cameras, one with 97-degree wide-angle lens for group selfies. These come with new AI-powered camera features.
Both run Android 9.0 (Pie). These have Pixel’s iconic two-tone design, an aluminum frame with hybrid coating, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back. These also have IP68 ratings for water and dust resistance. Google says that these have 40% louder dual front firing speakers compared to the predecessor. These pack 2915 mAh and 3430mAh batteries, respectively with support for fast charging as well as wireless charging.
These will be available in India from November 1st starting at Rs. 71,000 and Rs. 83,000, respectively, and are available for pre-order from Flipkart, Airtel’s online store, and at offline partners including Reliance Digital, Croma and other leading stores across India. Check out the hands-on impressions here.
It also announced the ‘Google Home Hub’ with Google Assistant built-in where you can use your voice to get the best of Google—Search, YouTube, Google Photos, Calendar, Maps and more—right on Google Home Hub’s display. It comes with a 7-inch touch screen display that fit right into your home.
It is capable of setting alarms, turn off compatible lights and TVs, lock the front door. The company is offering six months of YouTube Premium on purchasing Home Hub.
The Google Hub comes in Sand, Aqua, Chalk and Charcoal colors, is priced at $149 (Rs. 11,035 approx.), and you can pre-order it from Google Store online. It will go on sale from October 22 in the US. Check out the first impressions here.
Google, along with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, also introduced the Pixel Slate, the company’s latest tablet running Chrome OS that can also run Android apps via Google Play. It has a new 12.3-inch (3000 x 2000 pixels) 293 PPI 2.5D curved glass Molecular Display, is just 7mm thin and has dual front-firing speakers. It has an extra layer of protection with the Titan security chip so your information, device passwords and OS are protected on your device.
It is powered by 8th Gen Intel Core m3, i5 or i7 processor, or Intel Celeron processor, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 256 GB storage, and 8MP cameras on both the rear and front, and the front-facing Duo Cam provides an extra wide field of view. The power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor and the Pixel Slate promises up to 12 hours of battery life with typical mixed usage.
The Pixel Slate comes in Midnight Blue color and starts at $599. The Pixel Slate Keyboard is priced at $199 (Rs. 14,750 approx.), and Pixelbook Pen costs $99 (Rs. 7,340 approx.). All three will be available later this year via Google Store, and at major retailers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.
Google also introduced its third-generation Chromecast after the Pixel event. It still has a circular design with built-in HDMI cable and it comes with Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz/5Ghz) support, however the Wi-Fi reception has been improved with maximum antenna gain of 4dBi compared to Chromecast 2’s 2.1dBi gain, which is about 50% improvement.
It lets you cast content from mobile apps and PCs, Macs, Chromebook or laptops from Chrome browser to your TV at 1080p resolution at up to 60 fps. It comes in Charcoal and new Chalk color, with a new matte finish and is priced at $35 (Rs. 2,600 approx.).
Razer announced the Razer Phone 2, successor of last year’s Razer Phone. The phone packs a 5.72-inch Quad HD 120 Hz UltraMotion display delivering fastest refresh rates and smooth graphics suitable for gaming, same as the predecessor, but this has 645 nits, making it brighter than the predecessor. This is powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 with Vapor Chamber Cooling that allows heat to spread throughout the phone via a custom vapor chamber which vastly increases the surface area for heat to dissipate, resulting in fewer hot spots and up to 8GB of RAM.
It has dual 12MP rear cameras, one with telephoto lens. It also has Razer Chroma RGB logo on the back that glows in different colors for notifications. It features a Glass Back and comes with IP67 ratings for Water Resistance up to 1 meter. It has stereo front-facing speakers and Dolby Atmos. Similar to the first phone, this doesn’t have a 3.5mm audio jack, but comes with 24-bit DAC Audio Adapter. It has a 8.5mm slim body and packs a 4000mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ as well as Wireless Charging.
The Razer Phone 2 comes in Mirror and Satin versions and is priced at $799 (Rs. 59,450 approx.), and will be available for order from today in the US, Canada, UK and Europe for the Mirror version and the Satin version will be available later.
HMD Global launched Nokia 3.1 Plus, the company’s latest Android One smartphone at an event in Delhi. It has a 6-inch HD+ display, is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P22 SoC, runs Android 8.1 (Oreo), has a 13-megapixel rear camera along with a 5-megapixel secondary camera for portrait shots. It also has an 8-megapixel front camera.
It has a metal matte finish in most part of the back, comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back, has dedicated Dual SIM and microSD slots and packs a 3500mAh battery that promises up to 2 days of battery life.
It comes in Blue, White and Baltic colors is priced at Rs. 11,499 (for the 3GB + 32GB version) and will go on sale from October 9th through offline retailers and Nokia online stores. Check out the hands-on impressions here.
HMD Global also launched the Nokia 8110 4G feature phone in India, months after it was introduced at the MWC earlier this year. It comes with 2.4-inch QVGA Curved display, intuitive tactile mechanics with slide to answer and end the call, and a helicopter-style spin on its axis. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 Mobile Platform clocked at 1.1GHz Dual-Core processor.
It comes with access to an app store with apps like Google Assistant, Google Search, Google Maps, Facebook, and Twitter, lets send and receive emails, import your contacts and sync your calendar with Outlook and Gmail. It also comes with a revamped version of Snake game. It comes with Dual SIM support in India with support for WiFi hotspot and packs a 2000mAh battery.
The Nokia 8110 4G comes in Black and Yellow colors, is priced at Rs. 5499 and will be available from October 24th through Flipkart and Nokia online store. It comes with 500GB additional data for Jio users.
Samsung announced the Galaxy A9 2018 (SM-A920F), the company’s latest mid-range smartphone with quad rear cameras. This includes main 24-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 aperture, 10-megapixel Telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture for 2x optical zoom, 8-megapixel 120° Ultra Wide Lens for wide-angle photos and the fourth 5-megapixel camera to capture depth information for portrait shots.
It also has a 24-megapixel front camera with f/2.0 aperture. It has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen, is powered by a Snapdragon 660 with up to 8GB of RAM, has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, and packs a 3,800mAh battery with support for fast charging.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) comes in Caviar Black, Lemonade Blue and Bubblegum Pink colors, starts at 599 Euros (US$ 690 / Rs. 51,300 approx.) in Europe, 39990 rubles (US$ 599 / US$ 44,444 approx.) in Russia and £549 (US$ 724 / Rs. 53,720 approx.) in UK and will roll out from November 2018 in select markets.
Huawei’s Honor brand announced the Honor 8C, the company’s latest budget smartphone and the successor of the Honor 7C in China, as it had promised. It has a 6.26-inch HD+ 19:9 aspect ratio display with a notch, is the first smartphone to be powered by the latest Snapdragon 632 SoC, has up to 4GB of RAM, comes with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash along with a secondary 2-megapixel camera for capturing depth information in portrait shots and AI scene recognition. It comes with an 8-megapixel camera on the front with AI beautify features.
It has 3D nano-level texture design, combining the gradient color and glare, offering an unique light and shadow circulation effect, features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. It has Dual 4G VoLTE support, dedicated Dual SIM and microSD slots, and packs a 4000mAh battery that promises up to 12.5 hours of online video playback.
The Honor 8C comes in Aurora Blue, Platinum Gold, Nebula Purple and Midnight Black colors, starts at 1099 yuan (US$ 158 / Rs. 11,785 approx.) and goes on sale from October 16th in China.
Optiemus launched the TCL-made BlackBerry KEY2 LE, a cheaper version of the KEY2 in India. It was was introduced at the IFA in August and has a similar design as the BlackBerry KEY2 which includes 4.5-inch (1620 x 1080 pixels) display with minimized screen bezels, 4-row QWERTY physical backlit keyboard, fingerprint sensor built into the spacebar and redesigned chassis and also comes with the recently introduced Speed Key for a more customized universal shortcut experience, but this is powered by Snapdragon 636 with 4GB of RAM, different cameras and a 3,000mAh battery.
It comes in Slate Blue, Champagne and Atomic colors, is priced at Rs. 29,990 and will be available exclusively from Amazon.in.
OPPO announced K1, the company’s latest mid-range smartphone in the ‘K series’ in China. It has a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with Waterdrop notch display with screen-to-body ratio up to 91% for a more immersive experience, is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 AIE with up to 6GB RAM, ColorOS 5.2 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo), 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 2MP camera and a 25MP front-facing camera.
It comes in Van Gogh Blue and Mocha Red colors, starts at 1599 yuan (US$ 231 / Rs. 17,145 approx.) and will go on sale in China starting from October 20th.
Panasonic launched Eluga Ray 600, the company’s latest smartphone in the Eluga series. It has a 5.99-inch HD+ 18:9 aspect ratio display, is powered by quad-core MediaTek SoC with 3GB of RAM, runs Android 8.1 (Oreo), has a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 8-megapixel front camera that also has an LED flash.
It has a fingerprint sensor on the back, features dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots and packs a 4000mAh battery. It comes with Arbo Hub -AI-powered app with self-learning technology. It comes in Blue, Black and Gold colors, is priced at Rs. 7,999 and available exclusively on Flipkart.
Xiaomi announced Mi Box S, its latest 4K box powered by Android TV. This is the successor of Mi Box that was introduced in the US back in 2016. It runs Android TV 8.1, comes with voice remote with Netflix shortcut, Assistant button, app shortcut and supports Google Assistant for easy voice search, and has built-in Chromecast. It also comes with 4K HDR support. Itis priced at $59.99 (Rs. 4,445 approx.), available for pre-order from Walmart in the US and ships from November.
Bose launched Home Speaker 500, Soundbar 700, Soundbar 500 India which comes with Amazon Alexa integration. These speakers were introduced back in August. Both the smart speaker and soundbars use their proprietary mic technology found in Bose headsets and headphones to hear commands better over louder listening levels.
The Bose Home Speaker 500 is priced at Rs. 39,000, the Soundbar 700 at Rs 79,000 and the Soundbar 500 costs Rs 59,000. All the three devices will be available for purchase in Bose stores, resellers like Croma, Reliance Digital, eZone, Lotus, Lulu and Vijay Sales, in addition to Flipkart and Amazon India.
SkullCandy launched Venue, the company’s latest Noise Canceling Over-Ear Headphones in India. It features a strong, lightweight folding design and is crafted with premium materials. The cushioned adjustable headband lets you dial in the perfect fit, while soft memory foam ear cushions mold to your ears. It has 24 Hours of Battery Life with Rapid Charge even with ANC, comes with Find Your Headphones feature, Monitor Mode as well as Activate Assistant with the quick touch of a button. It comes in Black and White colors and is priced at Rs. 18,999.
Sony launched the WH-1000XM3 in the 1000X series of wireless noise cancelling headphones with new HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 that promises four times greater performance to cancel mid to high-range noise such as street noise and human voices. The high quality internal headphone amp for the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 realizes stunning high sound quality.
The Sony WH-1000XM3 comes in Black and Platinum Silver colors, is priced at Rs. 29,990 and will be available for on Amazon and Croma from 11th to 18th October, 2018 and in all Sony Centers and major electronic stores in India from 18th October, 2018 on wards.
YU Televentures, which is a subsidiary of Micromax Informatics launched YU YUPHORIA Andriod-based Smart TV its first-ever television. It sports a 40-inch Smart LED display that allows its user to cast media from their smartphone to the Smart TV.
It sports a 40-inch Full HD LED display with 60Hz refresh rate and is powered by a Quad-Core processor and has AirPlay support to connect Apple devices for sharing media content. Connectivity features include 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, and 1 VGA port. It has 24W sound output. It is priced at Rs. 18,490 and is exclusively available on Amazon.in .
GOME announced its entry in India in partnership with Agaston Mobile Private Limited who have already created their own space in the Indian mobile market with its brand Tambo Mobile. GOME’s India venture will be its first overseas operation. The company has also announced its new C Series smartphones in India.
The GOME C7 Note and C7. will be available in Black, Gold colors and is priced at Rs. 6999 for the 2GB RAM model and Rs. 8499 for the 3GB RAM, while the C7 costs Rs. 5,999.
TCL Electronics launched the 65X, India’s first Google-certified Android QLED TV. It comes with Harman Kardon speakers and packs 4K UHD display with HDR features enable it to reproduce all shades of light and natural color in stunning detail.
The TCL 65X4 will be available from October 25th on Amazon.in, and will later become available through retails outlets across India. It is priced at Rs. 1,49,990 but will be available under a special festival season offer for Rs. 1,09,990 on Amazon. The S6500 series will be available across India in all major online and offline channels from October 15 at Rs. 16,990 for the 32-inch model, Rs. 24,990 for 40-inch, Rs. 27,990 for 43-inch and Rs. 31,990 for the 49-inch model.
Toreto launched ‘Whizz’ waterproof wireless headsets. These pack lightweight design and are also flexible. It comes with a 200mAh battery with up to 8 hours of backup. It comes with one of the smartest features including redialling a number; on triple clicking the Multi-Functional Button (MFB).
It is available in classic black color and is priced at Rs. 3,999, but you can get it for as low as Rs. 2,799 on Amazon.in.