Weekly Roundup: LG V20, Meizu M5 Note, Meizu Band, Lenovo PHAB 2 and more


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This week LG launched its flagship V20 smartphone, Lenovo launched the PHAB 2 smartphone, a cheaper variant of the PHAB 2 Plus, Meizu introduced the M5 Note smartphone and its first activity tracker – Meizu Band and more that happened this week in our weekly roundup.

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LG finally launched the V20 smartphone in India for Rs. 54,999 (MOP). It also comes with a B&O headset worth Rs. 18,000, free SF coated back cover and 6 months screen replacement offer. It is available through offline stores and exclusively available from Amazon.in online. Check out our review of the LG V20 if you are planning to buy the smartphone.

Lenovo PHAB 2

Lenovo, this week launched the PHAB 2 in India that packs a 6.4-inch display, similar to the PHAB 2 Plus, but this uses a 720p panel instead of a 1080p display. This also doesn’t have dual rear cameras and fingerprint sensor, but most other specifications are similar, including the huge 4050mAh battery, Dolby Atmos with 5.1 Dolby Audio Capture, Triple Array Microphone with Active Noise-Cancellation and 3GB RAM.

It comes in Champagne Gold and Gunmetal Grey colors, is priced at Rs. 11,999 and is available exclusively on Flipkart.

alcatel-idol-4

Alcatel, this week launched the Idol 4 smartphone in India. It packs a 5.2-inch 1080p display with Precog UI (Touchless control), Live UI, Parallax UI, is powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 617 SoC with 3GB RAM, 16GB internal storage with microSD expansion slot in the form of hybrid slot, runs Android 6.0 (Marshmallow), has a 13MP rear camera with dual-tone LED Flash and a 8MP front-facing camera. It h as Dual stereo speakers (2 x 3.6W), Smart PA (Power Amplifier) TFA9890, BOOM Key Experience Booster, FM Radio 4G LTE and a 2610mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0.

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It comes with a box that transforms into a VR headset, come with a JBL headset, comes in Gold, Metal Silver and Dark Grey colors, is priced at Rs. 16,999 and will is exclusively available from Flipkart.

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Micromax launched Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2, budget smartphones with 4G VoLTE support. Both these also come pre-loaded with Google Duo video calling app out of the box and also come bundled with Jio SIM card. These have a metal back cover and run Android 6.0 (Marshmallow). The Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2 feature 4-inch & 4.5-inch WVGA & FWVGA display, respectively, are powered by 1.3 GHz Quad Core processor, 1GB RAM, sport a 5MP rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Micromax Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2 are priced at Rs. 4,440 and Rs. 4,990, respectively.

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Panasonic, this week launched Eluga Prim with a 5-inch HD IPS on-cell 2.5D curved Asahi glass display, 1.25 GHz quad-core processor, 3GB RAM, Android 6.0 (Marshmallow),  13-megapixel rear camera with triple LED flash, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, fingerprint sensor on the front, 4G VoLTE and a 2500mAh battery. It comes in Gold and Gun Metal Silver colors and is priced at Rs. 10,290.

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Lava launched Metal 24, a feature phone with dual SIM support in the ‘Metal Series’ with a Metal back finish. It has a 2.4-inch (240 x 320 pixels) QVGA screen, 1.3MP rear camera with flash, FM Radio with recording, Bluetooth 3.0, 2G EDGE connectivity, USB-PC connectivity, memory expansion up to 32GB through a microSD and a 1000mAh battery. It comes in black and gun metal colors and is priced at Rs. 2000.

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Portronics launched Yogg X  fitness watch with an OLED touch screen that shows time & date and battery status, allowing you to shift between modes, by simply touching at the designated spot. It also has IP67 for water resistance, can track your fitness activities, let you set fitness goals and also has sleep tracker. Portronics Yogg X comes in black and red colored bands and is priced at Rs. 2499.

amkette-trubeats-s50

Amkette launched Trubeats S50, equipped with NFC, USB charging and conference calling. It has FM Radio, USB/SD Card playback and Alarm Clock that can be controlled with a smartphone by downloading the app available from Google Play Store. It has Aux, USB, Micro SD, USB DC and a battery with a playback time of 12 hours in single charge. It is available exclusively on Amazon.in at an offer price of Rs. 2,999 for a limited period.

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Bingo Technologies launched M2 Smart Band with 0.42 inch OLED display, heart rate sensor and IP67 ratings for dust and water resistance. It has pedometer to count the number of steps taken, calories meter to track calories lost during a physical activity,  sleep monitor to checck the quality of sleep using app, sedentary reminder that reminds you when you don’t move from one hour, calling function that lets you make and disconnect calls when connected to a phone, SMS Notifications (only for Android smartphones) and a 70 mAh battery provides a stand by time of up to 300 hours. It is priced at Rs. 999 and is available from Amazon.in, Flipkart and other online retailer stores.

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Zebronics launched Eternity Bluetooth headphones that sports aluminum finish ear cap and extra soft cushions. It comes with built-in media controls for play, pause, next, previous as well as volume controls. It has microphone that will let you answer calls and packs a 300mAh built-in rechargeable battery that promises up to 5 hours of non stop music and 200 hours of standby.

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Coming to the announcements, Meizu this week announced the M5 Note at an event in China. It a 5.5-inch 1080p 2.5D curved glass display, is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P10 processor, 3GB or 4GB RAM, runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with Flyme OS 6.0 on top, has a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF, 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

It has mBack fingerprint sensor embedded into the home button that can also be used for payments, 4G VoLTE support, hybrid dual SIM slot and packs a 4000mAh battery with support for 18W mCharge fast charging that can charge the phone fully in just 90 minutes. It comes in Gray, Silver, Champagne Gold and Blue colors and is priced at 899 yuan (US$ 130 / Rs. 8,880 approx.) for the 3GB RAM with 16GB storage version, 999 yuan (US$ 145 / Rs. 9,870 approx.) for the 3GB RAM with 32GB storage version and the 4GB RAM with 64GB storage version costs 1499 yuan (US$ 218 / Rs. 14,810 approx.).

meizu-band

Meizu also announced Meizu Band, which is its first fitness band. It has a concealed OLED screen that blends in with the band well, can track fitness data such as distance, number or steps and calories burnt, track sleep and also has a heart rate sensor on the back for 24-hour heart rate tracking. It has IP67 ratings for dust and water resistance and promises up to 15 days of battery (without heart rate tracking) life, 7 days (with heart rate tracking). It is priced at 229 yuan (US$ 33 / Rs. 2,260 approx.).

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Xiaomi  launched Mi In-Ear Headphones Pro HD in the U.S. It comes with hybrid drivers dual-dynamic and balanced armature drivers. It weighs just 17 grams and also comes with a built-in microphone for calls. It has 45º angled in-ear design that creates a good, comfortable seal, TPE wiring for the cables for durability with good rebound rate and less tangling and Full-metal three-button remote. It comes in Silver color and is priced at $39.99 (Rs. 2725 approx.).

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Finally, Xiaomi introduced  Yeelight LED Ceiling Light on its Mi Smart Home platform. It promises fast installation in just 5 minutes, has Ra95 color rendering index, moonlight night-light and has IP60 ratings for dust resistance. It is also a smart light that lets you change the color using its proprietary app for Android and iOS. It is priced at 349 yuan and is expected to ship starting December 29th through Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Home crowdfunding platform.


Author: Srivatsan Sridhar

Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram