Weekly Roundup: Nokia 3310 4G, Moto X4 6GB RAM, Xiaomi Mi Box 4 and more


This week HMD global introduced the most expected Nokia 3310 4G, Motorola launched the 6GB RAM version of the Moto X4, Redmi 5A, Honor 7X, Honor 9 Lite, LG G6 and LG G6 got new color variants and lots more that happened this week in our weekly roundup.

HMD Global officially announced the Nokia 3310 4G phone with VoLTE support in China. It has a similar design and a similar 2.4 inch QGVA color display, 2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash light, Bluetooth, microSD expansion slot and a 1200mAh battery as the Nokia 3310 3G, but this has a more powerful processor, more RAM, more storage and it runs on YunOS compared to Java-powered Feature OS in the 3G version.

The Nokia 3310 4G comes in Fresh Blue and Deep Black colors and will go on sale in China in February. No word on the pricing or details about the global roll out yet.

Motorola launched the 6GB RAM version of the Moto X4 smartphone in the country that comes with Android 8.0 (Oreo) out of the box.  Other specifications are similar to original Moto X4, including a dual 12MP and 8MP rear cameras to take images with blurred background, portraits, selective black and white and has dual Autofocus Pixel technology for faster focus in low light, 5.2-inch 1080p screen, Snapdragon 630 SoC and 16MP front camera with 4MP adaptive low light mode.

The Moto X4 6GB RAM version comes in Super Black and Sterling Blue colors, is priced at Rs. 24,999 and is available exclusively from Flipkart online as well as Moto Hub stores. Check out the review here.

Sharp announced S3, the company’s latest Android One smartphone and the successor of S2, in partnership with Google running stock Android 8.0 (Oreo) in Japan. It has a 5-inch 1080p IGZO screen, is powered by Snapdragon 430 with 3GB RAM, has a 13.1-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 5-megapixel front camera, features a polycarbonate body, but it doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor.

It comes in Blue, Black, White and Pink colors, is priced at 32,400 yen (US$ / Rs. 19000 approx.) without contract or with 12-month contract from local operator Softbank.

Xiaomi announced Mi Box 4 and Mi Box 4c, the company next-generation smart TV box with support for 4K HDR videos. It comes with the same AI-based PatchWall interface as the predecessor that learns your viewing habits and offers content based on your liking. The Mi Box 4c comes with the standard infrared remote, while the Mi Box 4 comes with multi purpose Mi Remote Control with PatchWall artificial intelligence voice system.

The Xiaomi Mi Box 4 and Mi Box 4c are priced at 349 yuan (US$ 55 / Rs. 3,505 approx.) and 249 yuan (US$ 40 / Rs. 2500 approx.), respectively and are available in China.

InFocus launched A2, the company’s latest budget smartphone with 4G VoLTE support. It packs a 5-inch HD 2.5D curved glass screen, is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat), has a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with face beauty, camera filters and pro mode. 

It comes in Champagne Gold and Black colors, is priced at Rs. 5,199 (MOP) and is available from offline stores. It also comes with Rs. 300 MobiKwik SuperCash and 30GB additional 4G data for Reliance Jio users.

Flipkart’s Billion brand launched new 10000mAh and 15000mAh power banks that are ‘Made in India’ and ‘Made for India’. Both these feature Lithium-ion batteries and come with 5V/2.1A USB out ports (2 in 15,000mAh, 3 in 10,000mAh), a 5V / 2A input port and also come with built-in LED Torch Light.

The Flipkart Billion 10000mAh (Copper and Black colors) and 15000mAh (Rose Gold and Black colors) power banks are priced at Rs. 799 and Rs. 999, respectively and are available exclusively from Flipkart.

Motorola launched new Motorola Sonic Play Bluetooth speaker series – Sonic Play 100, Sonic Play 150, Sonic Play 200 and the Sonic Play 275 in India. These are designed for easy travel, focuses on ergonomics, comes with integrated Multipoint Technology, which lets you connect two devices at one time and feature built-in controls to adjust volume +/-, Play/Play and more.

The Motorola Sonic Play 100, Sonic Play 150, Sonic Play 200 and Sonic Play 275 are priced at Rs. 1499, Rs. 1799, Rs. 1999 and Rs. 2499, respectively and will be available from retail stores.

ZAKK Twins

ZAKK launched the Twins wireless Bluetooth headphones in India. The headphones come with anti-drop ear hooks and water resistance. These come with true wireless Bluetooth technology along with a microphone for taking calls. You can get it on Amazon.in at Rs. 2,999.

OPPO introduced A71 (2018). This has similar specifications as the predecessor, including a 5.2-inch HD display,  Android 7.1 (Nougat) OS with ColorOS on top, 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and 5-megapixel front-facing camera, but this is powered by Snapdragon 450 SoC instead of MediaTek MT6750 SoC. It also has only 2GB of RAM compared to 3GB of RAM in the predecessor.  It also has A.I. Beauty Recognition technology.

It comes in Black and Gold colors and is listed on OPPO’s Taiwan and Pakistan sites. It is said to be priced at PKR 19,899 (US$ 179 / Rs. 11,465 approx.) in Pakistan.

Xiaomi this week launched the Rose Gold variant of the Redmi 5A  smartphone exclusively on Flipkart as well as Mi.com. The smartphone was introduced back in November last year in Dark Grey, Champagne Gold and Rose Gold colors, but only the Gold and Grey color variants of the smartphone went on sale starting from December. Earlier this month the company said that it has sold over 1 million or 10 lakh units of Redmi 5A smartphones in India.

LG announced Moroccan Blue, Lavender Violet and Raspberry Rose color variants for G6. It is already available in Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Mystic White, Terra Gold and Marine Blue colors, with this it will be available in 8 color variants.

The LG Q6 that is already available in Astro Black, Ice Platinum, Mystic White, Terra Gold and Marine Blue colors get new Moroccan Blue and Lavender Violet color variants.  These new color variants will be available in Korea starting from February, 2018.

Honor 9 Lite was launched in Sapphire blue, Glacier Grey and Midnight Black colors last month starting at Rs. 10,999. Now the company has announced that the Glacier Grey version will finally available from next sale exclusively on Flipkart.

Amazon.in has started teasing the Red Limited Edition Honor 7X smartphone in India. The company also confirmed that the Honor 7X is now made in India and the company in partnership with Flex has started manufacturing the phone at Flex’s plant in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.


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