This week was all about two big tech giants launching their flagship smartphones in India. While Google started pre-booking its 2015 Nexus smartphones in the country, Apple on the other hand started selling its new iPhones towards the week end.
The new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have the same 4.7-inch (1334 x 750 pixels) and 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) displays respectively from its predecessors, but with a new 3D Touch technology that senses the pressure you apply to the display.
Apart from the new 3D Touch display, new iPhones pack Apple A9 processor with M9 motion co-processor, 2GB of RAM, 12-megapixel iSight camera with support for 4K video recording, and 5-megapixel front-facing camera with Retina Flash.
httpv://youtu.be/v_6aR_fSymQ
The iPhone 6s is priced at Rs. 62,000, Rs. 72,000 and Rs. 82,000 for 16GB, 64GB and 128GB versions respectively, while the iPhone 6s Plus is priced at Rs. 72,000, Rs. 82,000 and Rs. 92,000. Both are already available for purchase in Silver, Gold, Space Gray and Rose Gold colors.
Apple also refreshed its iMacs in India. It launched a new 21.5-inch iMac with Retina 4K Display with 9.4 million pixels, 4.5 times more than the standard 21.5-inch iMac display. It has a 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz) with Iris Pro Graphics 6200 and 1TB hard drive, compared to the 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz) with Intel HD Graphics 6000 and 1TB of hard drive on the standard 21.5-inch iMac model.
The company also brought 27-inches iMac with 5K display. It is powered by the latest AMD Radeon R9 graphics cards and fifth-generation Intel Core processor.
The 21.5-inch iMac is available in two models starting at Rs. 91,900 and Rs. 107,900, respectively. The 21.5-inch iMac with a Retina 4K display starts at Rs. 1,23,900. The new 27-inch iMac with 5K display comes in three models priced at Rs. 148,900, Rs. 164,900, Rs. 188,900, respectively. These also come with new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse 2 that are also available separately for Rs. 8,300 and Rs. 6,600, respectively. There is also separate Magic Trackpad 2 that is priced at Rs. 11,200.
Google had unveiled the LG-made Nexus 5X and the Huawei-made Nexus 6P smartphones at an event last month. This week it launched the smartphones in India starting at Rs. 31,990 and Rs. 39,999, respectively.
The Google LG Nexus 5X packs a 5.2-inch 1080p display, is powered by an Hexa-Core Snapdragon 808 processor coupled with 2GB of RAM, and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 12.3-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, laser auto focus and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ1lnqOJklo
The Nexus 5X comes in Carbon Black, Quartz White and Ice Blue colors and is priced at Rs. 31,900 for the 16GB version and Rs. 35,900 for the 32GB variant. The phone is exclusive to Amazon for online purchase and is up for pre-order on their website already. It will go on sale through Amazon and various offline retail channels from October 21st.
The Google Huawei Nexus 6P packs a 5.7-inch Quad HD display at 518 PPI, is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 810 v2.1 processor coupled with 3GB of RAM, and runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). It has a 12.3-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, IR Laser assisted autofocus and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera. It has anodized aluminium body and is just 7.3mm thick.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KV0YTEt9vw
Unlike the Nexus 5X, the Google Nexus 6P is online exclusive to Flipkart. You can pre-order from Flipkart and it will go on sale through Flipkart and other offline stores such as Croma, Reliance Digital, The Mobile Store, Ezone,Sangeetha and Poorvika in key cities across India from October 21st. The Nexus 6P comes in Aluminium and Graphite colors and is priced at Rs. 39,999 for the 32GB version and Rs. 42,999 for the 64GB version. The 128GB version is not expected any time soon.
Other than these two big tech companies, Samsung also launched its new Tizen OS-based smartphone in India dubbed the Samsung Z3. We went hands on with the smartphone, so do check that out too.
The Samsung Z3 is company’s second Tizen smartphone after the Samsung Z1. It has a 5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM, and runs on Tizen OS 2.4. It has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
The Z3 comes in gold, black and silver colors and is priced at Rs. 8,490 in India. It will be available across offline channels and exclusively from Snapdeal online starting from October 21.
Other launches in India
Gionee this week launched its first ‘Made in India’ by Foxconn in SriCity. The phone from the F series dubbed the Gionee F103 was launched last month in the country, but now the company will be manufacturing it here as well.
The Gionee F103 packs a 5-inch HD IPS display, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core 64-bit processor coupled with 2GB of RAM and runs on Android 5.0 (Lollipop) with latest Amigo UI 3.1. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Micromax launched three new dual-SIM 3G smartphones in the Bolt series – the Micromax Bolt S302, Bolt Q331 and Bolt Q338. The budget Bolt S302 and Bolt Q331 smartphones run on Android 4.4 (KitKat) and have 4-inch WVGA and 5-inch FWVGA screens respectively. The Bolt Q338 that already surfaced on the official website packs a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop).
The Micromax Bolt S302 is priced at Rs. 3,199, Bolt Q331 is priced at Rs. 4,999 and the Bolt Q338 is priced at Rs. 6,499. Checkout full details here.
Panasonic launched two new smartphones – P50 Idol and P65 Flash – in India. The Panasonic P50 Idol packs a 5-inch HD screen, while the P65 Flash comes with a 5.5-inch HD display. Both these smartphones are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, run on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), have a 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. Both these have dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
The Panasonic P50 comes in Idol Fabric Silver and Fabric Gold colors, and is priced at Rs. 6,790. The Panasonic P65 Flash comes in Metallic Silver and Metallic Gold colors, and is priced at Rs. 8,290. Check complete specifications here.
Lenovo launched the Tab 2 A7-20, the company’s latest budget tablet in the A-series in India. It has a 7-inch (1024 x 600) IPS display, is powered by a 1.3GHz Quad-Core MediaTek SoC and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat), which is upgradable to Android 5.0 (Lollipop). Lenovo launched the Tab 2 A7-30 with 3G and voice calling in India earlier this year, but this comes only with WiFi support.
The Lenovo Tab 2 A7-20 comes in ebony black color and is priced at Rs. 5,499. It is already available from Snapdeal at an offer price of Rs. 5,001.
Lenovo also announced its Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 (8) tablet in India. It was announced at IFA last month, has a 8-inch HD display, is powered by quad-core processor and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop). It has four modes – Hold, Stand, Tilt or Hang, front-facing stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos sound and even has an 8-megapixel 180-degree rotatable auto focus camera.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e8FXLskY-w
It also has 4G LTE support with support for both 1800 MHz (Band 3) and 2300 MHz (Band 40) LTE in India and also has voice calling capabilities through loudspeaker or headset. It packs a 6200mAh battery that promises up to 20 hours of usage time.
Sennheiser launched a new range of in ear headphones in the CX series that includes, CX 1.00, CX 2.00g and CX 3.00.
The Sennheiser CX 1.00 is priced at Rs. 2,990, CX 3.00 is priced at Rs. 3,490 and the Sennheiser CX 2.00g for Android is priced at Rs. 4,490.
Xiaomi finally launched the Mi Portable USB fan in India. The Mi portable fan comes with a body that has a motor and a USB port. The plastic blade needs to be attached to the top and has a flexible body, similar to the Mi LED light that was launched earlier this year. It only makes 25.8db of noise, says the company.
Xiaomi’s Mi USB Fan is priced at Rs. 249 and is available for purchase through mi.com/in. We checked out the Mi Portable USB fan along with the Mi Selfie Stick few months back, check out the video below.
httpv://youtu.be/TohgO2NgPM8