HTC announced its 2016 flagship smartphone HTC 10 this week. The phone boasts of full metal body and fingerprint sensor is on the home button that can unlock the device in 0.2 seconds.
The HTC 10 has a 5.2-inch Quad HD screen, is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 820 SoC, has a 12 Ultrapixel camera with Laser auto focus, optical image stabilization (OIS), f/1.8 aperture and the camera can be launched in just 0.6 seconds. It also has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with f/1.8 aperture and OIS. HTC says that it is the world’s first dual OIS smartphone.
It has 3000mAh built-in battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 that can charge up to 50% in 30 minutes. It also promises up to 2 days of battery life with normal use. The HTC 10 comes in Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver, Topaz Gold, and Camellia Red color, starts at US$699 (Rs. 46,420 approx.) and will roll out starting from early May.
The firm quietly launched a new 3GB variant of the Desire 828 as well. First the smartphone was launched back in December last year but that had 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Now the new Desire 828 dual sim smartphone is available with 3GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. Other specifications are the same, including a 5.5-inch 1080p display, Octa-Core MediaTek MT6753 SoC, 13-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilization (OIS), Ultrapixel front-facing camera and 4G LTE support.
The HTC Desire 828 dual sim comes in Dark Gray and Pearl White colors and the new variant is priced at Rs. 19,990, same as the original 2GB RAM version.
LG launched K7 LTE and K10 LTE smartphones in India with VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) and VoWiFi (Voice Over Wi-Fi) support, as it had promised. These are the first LG smartphones to be made at its Noida plant in India.
Both these smartphones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, run Android 5.1 (Lollipop), come with dual SIM support, have rear mounted power button and volume rockers and feature a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The LG K7 LTE comes in Titan, Gold and White colors and the K10 LTE comes in White, Indigo and Gold colors. These are priced at Rs. 9,500 and Rs. 13,500, respectively and the K10 comes with a free smart quick cover. Check out our unboxing video above.
CREO launched its flagship smartphone Mark 1 with custom Android-based Fuel OS at an event in Delhi this week. Company is promising this device to be “a new phone every month” by rolling out a new feature every month through OTA update, inspired by suggestions from its community of users.
On software level, CREO Mark 1 comes with a new ‘Echo’ feature which is a built-in answering machine that automatically answers when you don’t attend a call and the caller can also send you messages that are stored in the phone. The Retriever feature sends an email if a new SIM is inserted, including number of the SIM and doesn’t require internet. CREO support will also help you to locate the phone.
Coming to the hardware, the phone aircraft-grade metal frame, 5.5-inch Quad HD display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and the back is also covered by Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio X10 processor, has a 21-megapixel rear camera with phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) for 0.5 second quick focus and a 8-megapixel front-facing camera with 3D photos.
The CREO Mark 1 comes in Gun Metal Black color, is priced at Rs. 19,999 and will be available from Flipkart and CREO website soon. No word on the availability yet.
Micromax launched its flagship Canvas 6 and Canvas 6 Pro smartphones at its Guts to Change event in Gurgaon.
The Canvas 6 has a metal unibody design and comes with a fingerprint sensor on the back. Both the phones have a 5.5-inch 1080p display, come with a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, PDAF for quick focus, have 4G LTE support and pack a 3000mAh battery. Both the phones are powered by an Octa-Core MediaTek Helio X10 processor. Check Micromax Canvas 6 Photo Gallery.
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The Micromax Canvas 6 comes in Gold color and Canvas 6 Pro comes in Black color and are priced at Rs. 13,999, each. Both the phones will be available for pre-order from the official website. Check Micromax Canvas 6 Pro Hands On and Photo Gallery.
Huawei finally launched the Huawei Watch in India, as expected. It was originally announced back in March last year, but it went on sale only in September. It has a 1.4-inch (400 x 400 pixels) circular AMOLED display with 10,000:1 high contrast ratio, scratch-proof sapphire crystal lens and has cold-forged stainless steel frame. It has built-in heart rate monitor, 6-Axis motion sensors and is also water resistant with IP67 ratings.
The Huawei Watch comes in black color with leather band and is priced at Rs. 22,999. It will be available exclusively from Flipkart starting today and will be available offline later. We went hands-on with the smartwatch at the IFA last year, check out the video below.
Lenovo launched PHAB, a 6.98-inch phablet in India, months after launching the high-end PHAB Plus in the country. It was announced back in September last year at the IFA, has an HD screen, is powered by a quad-core 64-bit Snapdragon 410 SoC, runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop), has a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
The Lenovo PHAB comes in Ebony Black color, is priced at Rs. 11,999 and will be exclusively available from Flipkart. Registration for the first sale on April 21st is already open.
The company also launched it’s latest affordable Windows 10 notebook the Lenovo Ideapad 100S. It has a 11.6-inch display, is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom processor, has 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage with microSD slot and the 2-cell battery promises up to 8 hours of battery life.
The Lenovo Ideapad 100S comes in Black color, is priced at Rs. 14,990 and is exclusively available from Snapdeal at an offer price of Rs. 14,499.
Gionee launched two new smartphones – the Pioneer P5L and Pioneer P5 mini. The Pioneer P5L has a 5-inch HD display, is powered by a quad-core processor, runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS with Amigo UI 3.1, has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. It also has 4G LTE connectivity with VoLTE and dual SIM support.
The Pioneer P5 mini has a 4.5-inch FWVGA display, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Amigo UI 3.1, has a 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It has dual SIM support and 3G connectivity.
The new Gionee Pioneer P5L comes in Red, White, Black, Blue, Yellow and Golden colors and is priced at Rs. 8,499. The Gionee Pioneer P5 mini comes in Red, White, Black, Blue, Yellow and Gold colors and is priced at Rs. 5349. Both smartphones are available from official Gionee online store.
Karbonn launched Quattro L52 and Titanium Mach Six smartphones that come with free VR headsets. The VR headset also come with a headband for comfortable viewing. These smartphones come pre-loaded with engaging games and video content and users can also create their own VR videos using the VR app. Check more details here.
The Karbonn Quattro L52 comes in White with Champagne color and is priced at Rs. 8790, while the Karbonn Titanium Mach Six comes in silver color and is priced at Rs. 7490.
Pantel launched Penta T-PAD WS1001Q, its latest Windows 10 2-in-1 with inbuilt 3G SIM support and a detachable keyboard with trackpad. It has a 10.1-inch (1280×800 pixels) IPS 10-point capacitive touch screen display, is powered by a quad-core Intel Atom x5 processor, has a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, has 32GB of built-in storage with expansion slot and a 7000mAh battery.
The Penta T-PAD WS1001Q comes in black color, is priced at Rs. 10,999 and is exclusively available from ShopClues. It also comes with bundle pack of 3G dongle (14.4 Mbps) with 6 months of Aircel internet connectivity at Rs. 11,599.
Weekly Announcements
Meizu announced PRO 6, the company’s latest flagship smartphone at an event in China. It has a 5.2-inch 1080p AMOLED display with 3D press that perceives different levels of pressure on the screen, 0.715mm narrow frame, 70.8mm width and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection. It is powered by a Deca-Core MediaTek Helio X25 SoC, has 4GB of RAM, 21-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone 10-LED Ring flash, Laser auto focus and phase-detection auto-focus (PDAF) for quick focus in just 0.07 seconds. It has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and runs Flyme OS 5.5 based on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow).
The Meizu PRO 6 comes in Gold, Silver and Gray colors and is priced at 2499 yuan (US$ 386 / Rs. 25700 approx.) for the 32GB variant and the 64GB version costs 2799 yuan (US$ 432 / Rs. 28,790 approx.). It is now available order in China and goes on sale from April 23rd.
Acer had announced the affordable Liquid series of smartphones at IFA 2015 in September last year. Today, the company has launched Acer Liquid M330 with Windows 10 Mobile.
The phone has a 4.5-inch FWVGA screen, 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It supports 4G and comes with a 2000mAh replaceable battery. The Acer Liquid M330 smartphone will be available this month at Microsoft Stores and Microsoftstore.com in the US for $99.99.
Huawei introduced MediaPad T2 10.0 Pro tablet, few months after it announced the MediaPad M2 10.0 tablet at the CES 2016. This has a similar 10.1-inch WUXGA IPS display and runs on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) with Emotion UI 3.1 on top, but this is powered by an Octa-Core Snapdragon 616 SoC, instead of Kirin 930 SoC. It has a 8-megapixel auto focus rear camera with LED flash, 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is just 8.5mm thick and also comes with 4G LTE connectivity.
The Huawei MediaPad M2 10.0 comes in black and white colors, but no word on pricing or roll out details yet.
Also, the budget Huawei Y5 II smartphone leaked last month, got listed on the official website along with the Y3 II, another budget smartphone. Both the smartphones come in both 3G and 4G variant, are powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6735 processor for the 4G variant, while the 3G variant is powered by MediaTek MT6582 processor. The Y5 II even has a front-facing flash.
Both the Huawei Y5 II and Y3 II come in Obsidian Black, Arctic White,Sand Gold,Rose Pink and Sky Blue colors. No details about the price or roll out details yet.
LG introduced Rolly Keyboard, its first rollable portable wireless keyboard during the IFA 2015 last year. Now it has introduced the new LG Rolly Keyboard 2 in Korea with an updated five-row design, compared to four rows in the first version. The extra row adds number / symbol / function keys on the top and the keyboard also has enough space between the keys, promising the best typing experience.
The first keyboard can only connect to two devices at a time. It uses a single AAA battery that promises up to 3.5 months of battery life with average use. The LG Rolly Keyboard 2 is priced at 129,000 Korean Won (US$ 111 / Rs. 7445 approx.). No details about its global roll out yet.
Lastly, Amazon announced Kindle Oasis, the company’s flagship Kindle eReader. The 8th generation of e-ink Kindle has the same 6-inch display at 300 PPI pixel density seen in Kindle Voyage, but this has a redesigned built-in front light with 60% more LEDs that makes it the brightest Kindle display ever. The ultrathin flush 0.13” display with 200 micron backplane has new cylindrical diffractive patterns to increase the consistency and range of screen brightness for improved reading in all types of lighting.
The Kindle Oasis comes in Black color with leather covers in black, merlot, or walnut finish, is priced at Rs. 23,999 in India ($289.99 in the US with special offers) for the WiFi variant and the WiFi + 3G variant costs Rs. 27,999 ($359.99 in the US with special offers). It is currently the costliest Kindle eReader. It is now available for order from Amazon.in and ships from April 27th.