Lenovo launched two new notebooks at MWC 2018. The Lenovo Yoga 730 is a premium offering, which comes with built-in far-field-mics with Alexa AI. The Flex 14 is more of an affordable offering from the company. Both the notebooks are powered by Windows 10 OS.
Pricing and availability:
The Lenovo Yoga 730 comes in Iron Grey and Platinum Silver, which will be available from April, starting at US$ 879.99. The Flex 14 will be available in onyx black colour, which will be available from April, starts at US$ 600.
Design and features:
Both the notebooks from Lenovo offers flip to tablet mode with support for touch input. The display edges have been curved to offer a smoother tablet-using experience on the Lenovo Yoga 730. The Yoga 730 also offers a built-in fingerprint scanner. However, it misses out on the Windows Hello camera feature.
The laptop acts as Alexa hub, which can be used to control other Alexa accessories. However, the notebooks need to be up and running to access Alexa AI.
Specifications of Lenovo Yoga 730:
The Lenovo Yoga 730 comes in 13 inch and 15 inch display with 1980 x 1080p resolution. Under the hood, the notebook is based on 8th generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with 8/16GB RAM and 512/1TB SSD. The 13 inch variant is equipped with Intel UHD 620 GPU and the 15 inch variant has a powerful GTX 1050 GPU.
The notebook comes with plenty of port options, including dual Thunderbolt 3 port, one full-sized USB 3.0, USB type C port, and a mini HDMI port. The notebook also supports Active Pen 2, which has to be bought separately. In fact, the Thunderbolt can be used to connect external GPU for additional power.
Specifications of Lenovo Flex 14:
The Lenovo Flex 14 will also be called as Lenovo Yoga 530 in the European markets. As the name suggests, the Lenovo Flex 14 has a 14 inch full HD 1980 x 1080px resolution display with touch input. Similarly, one can choose between the 8th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with up to 16GB RAM. However, the storage is limited to a maximum of 512 GB SSD.
The choice of ports on the Flex 14 includes 2x USB-A 3.0 ports, one USB C 3.1 port, 3.5 mm headphone jack and a mini HDMI port. However, like the Yoga 730, there is no Alexa AI integration.
Sony has officially launched the Xperia Ear Duo at MWC 2018. Just like Google, Sony has launched a pair of wireless Bluetooth earphones after removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from its new Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. These are a universal pair of Bluetooth earphones, which works with iOS and Android devices.
Pricing and availability:
The Sony Ear Duo will be available in selected markets in Black and Gold style from Spring 2018. However, the pricing is yet to be announced.
Hiroshi Ito, Deputy Head of Smart Product Business Group at Sony Mobile Communications said:
Xperia Ear Duo represents what we’ve learned from audio and acoustics research. Ear Duo is the first wireless headset to deliver a breakthrough Dual Listening experience – the ability to hear music and notifications simultaneously with sounds from the world around you.
Features of Sony Xperia Ear Duo:
These wireless earphones are based on the new Sony concept called “Dual Listening”. The earphones bring the capability, which enables to listen to a music track + environmental sound.
Sony has developed a special Spatial Acoustic Conductor, which transmits the sound directly into the ear. The specially designed ring surrounds the ear canal, which blends the music and the sound from the environment seamlessly.
The earphones use AI to adjust the volume according to the external factors, which enables the crystal clear audio listening experience using Sony’s Clear Chase technology. The Xperia Ear Duo are IPX2 certified for splash proof. Which means one can use this while exercising without any worries.
The Sony Xperia Ear Duo is equipped with a low power consuming CXD5602 chipset with a multisensor platform. In fact, the headphones support various head gestures like nodding to decline a call, shaking your head from left to right to change the music etc.
The earphones do not come with a dedicated voice assistance. Instead, one can use voice control to access Google Assistance or Siri. This works in most of the situations due to the quad microphone system.
Samsung officially launched the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+ at MWC 2018. In the US, the Galaxy S9 is priced at US$ 719.99 and the Galaxy S9+ retails for US$ 839.99. In fact, the direct conversion to Indian rupees comes to around Rs 46,600 and Rs 54,400. However, the price will be higher than that in the Indian market.
Samsung is yet to make an announcement about the retail prices of these phone in India. However, these phones are already up for pre-booking on the Samsung India official website. The 64GB variant will be available in Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Lilac Purple and the 256GB variant is limited to Midnight Black as of now. However, there is no information about the inclusion of complimentary wireless charging dock for the pre-orders like the Galaxy S7 and S8 pre-booking.
Once the phone goes official, you will receive a text message with the complete pricing details
Apply the pre-book coupon, which adjusts Rs 2000 from the final amount
Specifications of Galaxy S9:
The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution. This translates to an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which means it is slightly taller than the usual bezel-less smartphones.
The smartphone is powered by the new Exynos 9810 chipset. Coupled with the chipset is 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 256GB of onboard storage. Similar to a lot of Samsung smartphones, the storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a MicroSD card.
The Galaxy S9 has a single Dual Pixel 12 MP sensor with dual /1.5 and f/2.4 apertures. In bright lighting conditions, the camera will use the f/2.4 aperture, while the wider f/1.5 aperture is used in dark lighting conditions. It also captures 720P videos at 960fps and 4K videos at 60fps, similar to the Apple iPhone X. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
Specifications of Galaxy S9+:
As is with its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S9+ has the same screen size as the Galaxy S8+. It sports a 6.2 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.
Under the hood, it is powered by the Exynos 9810 chipset. Unlike the Galaxy S9, the S9+ will be available in 6GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/256GB models in major markets across the world. Similarly, the phone does support external micro SD cards up to 256GB.
The main difference between the two S9 models this year is in the camera department. Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S9+ has a dual-camera setup on the back. The Galaxy S9+ has one wide-angle 12MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture and the other is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens is the same one found on the Galaxy Note8, which means it has OIS. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
Samsung launched the Galaxy Note8 back in August 2017 to a great reception. It built on the success of the Galaxy S8 devices and offered a lot more at a slightly higher price. However, it was still the most expensive Samsung Android device almost touching thousand dollar mark. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, according to early rumours were going to be these radically different smartphones with almost no bezels on the display.
However, that seemed too good to be true and as we moved closer to the imminent launch, we saw more accurate renders. The renders revealed something that will hold true for the smartphone industry in general. As we approach the future of completely bezel-less smartphones, the difference in design between two generations will be minimal. The Galaxy S9 and S9+, represent that future.
Galaxy S8
On the 25th of February, Samsung finally launched its two new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. As is with almost every launch these days, there was barely anything for Samsung to tell us that would be a surprise.Right from the volume rockers placement to the stereo speakers, everything about the devices was leaked well in advance. However, the Samsung flagship phones will dominate smartphone sales this year and these are two of the most important Android smartphones of 2018.
So, from the Galaxy S8 of 2017 to the Galaxy S9 of 2018, what really has changed, and what remains constant?
Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+
Design
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ were some of the best-looking smartphones of 2017. Samsung incorporated its edge design with thinner bezels and called it the “Infinity Display”. The glass on the front and back with a metal frame meant that the smartphones looked stunning. However, they were also fingerprint magnets. Somebody once said, “Don’t fix it if it ain’t broken,” and someone at Samsung followed the philosophy.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+, barring slightly thinner bezels, look very similar to their predecessors. In fact, it is hard to pick the correct one out when put side by side, at least from the front. To the back is where Samsung has made a necessary change. The Galaxy S8 and S8+, while lauded for their design, had a very suspect fingerprint sensor placement. With the new flagship phones, Samsung has fixed that and moved the sensor below the camera module.
Also, the Galaxy S9+ now has a dual-camera setup which is similar to the Galaxy Note8. However, the Galaxy Note8 had a horizontally placed setup while the S9+ has a vertically placed dual-camera setup.
Galaxy S9, S9+ Colour Variants
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have the exact same displays as their predecessors. Smaller of the two siblings, the S9 has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display while the S9+ has a 6.2 inch Super AMOLED display. Both smartphones have a 2960 x 1440 px resolution which translates to an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. This means that the Galaxy S9 devices are slightly taller than the usual 18:9 devices. The smartphones have a curved display where the edges can be used for shortcuts. This has become a standard for Samsung flagship phones now.
Under The Hood
It is understandable if the design and display don’t get an upgrade over a generation. However, seldom do you see a company launching a new generation smartphone with the same hardware. Same is the case here as well. The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are powered by the new and faster chipsets. For the US and South Korean markets, the S9 and S9+ will have the Snapdragon 845 chipset under the hood. For the rest of the world, they will be powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 chipset.
The Galaxy S9 has 4GB of RAM while the Galaxy S9+ has 6GB of RAM. Both the smartphones will be available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB storage variants which will be expandable via a microSD card. Also, for the first time in the Galaxy S series, Samsung has included a dual stereo speaker setup. These speakers are tuned by AKG and come with Dolby Atmos integration as well. Samsung has also decided to stay away from the herd and include a 3.5mm headphone jack which is great for people who still prefer wired headphones over Bluetooth ones.
Galaxy S9+
Similar to the predecessors, the Galaxy S9 is powered by a 3000 mAh battery while a 3500 mAh battery powers the S9+. Both devices support QuickCharge 4.0 and wireless charging as well. This time around, the iris scanner is more advanced and there is a Face Unlock feature called Intelligent Scan. If someone is not a fan of the rear-facing fingerprint sensor, there are more ways to unlock their smartphone now.
Software
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will run Android 8 Oreo out of the box with Experience UI 9.0 on top. Samsung’s custom skin has come a long way since the days of TouchWiz. It definitely holds up for a longer period of time and looks much better. There will be a lot of customisation options as well. In fact, this also means that smartphones like the Galaxy Note8 will also finally start receiving Android 8 Oreo update.
Cameras
Before even unveiling the new smartphones, Samsung revealed what will be new in them. The teaser poster clearly stated that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will have much better cameras than their predecessors. On paper, that is definitely true but, we will test out the cameras in detail before giving our two cents on it. However, the Galaxy S9 and S9+ do have improved specifications in the camera department.
The Galaxy S9 has retained a single camera setup on the back. It is a Dual-Pixel 12MP camera with a variable aperture of f/1.5 to f/2.4. In bright lighting conditions, the camera will use the f/2.4 aperture, while the wider f/1.5 aperture is used in dark lighting conditions. It also captures 720P videos at 960fps and 4K videos at 60fps, similar to the Apple iPhone X. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
The Galaxy S9+ gets a dual-camera setup on the back. The primary 12MP camera is the same one found on the Galaxy S9. The secondary telephoto lens is a 13MP camera with OIS and an f/2.4 aperture. This telephoto lens is the same one found on the Galaxy Note8. As is with S9, it records 720P videos at 960fps and 4K videos at 60fps. This is one more feature where the Galaxy S9 devices will go head to head with the iPhone X.
Some people might call it an Animoji rip off but, Samsung is calling it AR Emoji. Basically, the smartphone captures the face data, analyses it, which allows users to make animated versions of themselves. These can later be customised further. It is a fun feature to have on your smartphone but, you probably won’t spend all that money just for AR Emojis. However, it is something that Samsung demoed at the launch and believes it has enough customisation options to make it interesting.
Conclusion
While there is no information about the exact pricing of the two devices in India, they will be pricier than their predecessors. The pre-booking for the S9 and S9+ has already begun India and will go on sale from the 16th of March. Will you be buying one?
Sony has officially launched the Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact at MWC 2018. Both the smartphones have been significantly redesigned inside out, with a new design philosophy.
These are the first batch of smartphones from Sony to boast an 18:9 display with a curvier back. Sony is the second smartphone maker to announce the smartphone based on this new Snapdragon 845 chipset. With this new flagship series, Sony no longer offers 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Pricing and availability:
The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the XZ2 compact will be available from March 2018 in Black, White Silver, Moss Green and Coral Pink colours. However, there is no information on the pricing yet.
Specifications of Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact:
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact has a 5 inch FHD+ 2160 x 1080px IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core chipset based on Kryo 385 architecture, with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The storage is also expandable using micro SD card up to 400GB.
The smartphone has an “anti-twist” aluminium frame with a “frosted-glass” like polycarbonate shell. Sony claims that the polycarbonate shell is scratch resistance. However, Sony is still missing out on the dual camera setup, which has been widely adopted in the industry.
The phone has a 19 MP primary camera with support for 4K video recording and super slow motion video up to 960 fps. For the front-facing camera, the company is using a 5MP wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture that records 1080p videos. In fact, the front camera also comes with EIS. The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with the Xperia UI on the top. In fact, even the Xperia XZ had similar slow-motion video recording capability.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact has a 2870 mAh sealed battery with fast charging support. However, the device does not support wireless charging.
Specifications of Sony Xperia XZ2:
Like the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, the Sony Xperia XZ2 offers flagship class specifications. The Sony Xperia XZ2 has a bigger 5.7 inch screen with the same 2160 x 1080px resolution. The smartphone is powered by the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The smartphone also offers support for external SD card. However, the Xperia XZ2 uses a similar aluminium frame with the back panel is made using 3D Gorilla Glass shielding, which enables the wireless charging capability.
However, the cameras found on the Xperia XZ2 are the same as the XZ2 Compact. The smartphone offers a 19 MP primary camera with an f/2.0 aperture and a 5 MP front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
The phone has a slightly bigger 3180 mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging capability. Like the compact variant, the Xperia XZ2 is also IP68 certified for the water and dust resistance.
Conclusion:
The Sony Xperia XZ2 and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact represents a design change necessary for Sony devices and do not look anything like the Xperia flagships of the yesteryears. However, Sony’s pricing strategy will determine the two smartphone’s fate in markets like India.
Vivo showcased a smartphone with an in-screen fingerprint scanner at CES 2018. At the ongoing MWC 2018, the company has announced a new concept smartphone with an impressive screen to body ratio. The Vivo APEX FullView is the first production smartphone to achieve this ratio. The smartphone has minimal bezels on all four sides. In fact, the uses a retractable mechanism for the front-facing camera.
However, the company hasn’t revealed the exact tech specifications, pricing, or the availability of the Vivo APEX.
Features:
The Vivo APEX also offers an in-screen fingerprint scanner with a much bigger footprint. Unlike the Vivo X20 Plus UD, half of the screen portion of the Vivo APEX acts as a fingerprint scanner. The device comes with 1.8 mm bezels on three sides with 4.3 mm bezels on the bottom. In fact, it does not have a microphone, instead, it uses the SounCasting technology similar to the one found on the Mi MIX, which turns the entire display into a speaker.
The 8 MP front-facing camera uses elevating mechanism, which rises within 0.8 seconds whenever it is required. The phone uses OLED display, which might use the similar fingerprint scanner unit from Synaptic.
The device also offers a new system in package (SIP) technology to integrate the DAC with three amplifiers, which reduces the space of circuit board up to 60%. The reduction in the circuit size has enabled the company to fit in a larger battery.
Alex Feng, Senior Vice President of Vivo said:
APEX is an iteration of our constant pursuit of setting new industry standards and to deliver the ultimate mobile experience. From breakthroughs in audio, photography to In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Technology, Vivo has remained committed to realizing our vision for future smartphones. What we showcase in this concept phone is only a fraction of our innovation pipeline. We will continue to explore all possibilities to bring the best possible experiences to our consumers.
Nokia launches a refreshed version of the infamous version of the Nokia 8810 with 4G capability. The company calls the Nokia 8810 4G as the vacation or weekend phone. However, for the phone of this calibre, it packs powerful internals and an impressive design.
Design:
The Nokia 8110 4G comes with unique curved design, with a swappable keypad cover, which comes in black and banana yellow colour. However, the device will be available from April 2018 for an average price of 79 Euros.
The Nokia 8810 4G takes the design hints from the original Nokia 8810, which was launched in 1998. The phone comes with a T4 keypad with a replaceable back panel. The design does bring back the nostalgia feelings back into 2018.
Specifications:
The Nokia 8810 4G comes with a 2.4-inch display with 240x 320 px resolution. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 1.1 Ghz dual core chipset with 512 MB RAM and 4GB onboard storage. However, the smartphone does memory expansion using an external SD card.
The phone comes with 2 MP primary camera with an LED flash, with VGA quality video recording capability. The phone packs in a user replaceable 1500 mAh battery with micro USB port for charging and data syncing. However, there is no front-facing camera on the phone, which is little disappointing.
The device supports dual SIM cards with support for 2G, 3G and 4G LTE networks. In fact, the 4G data can be wirelessly shared using the built-in WiFi hotspot feature. Unlike the Nokia 8 Sirocco, the Nokia 8810 does retain the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The smartphone runs on custom Smart Feature OS, which comes with Google Maps, Google Assistance and Google Now. In fact, it also features apps like Facebook and Twitter. Additional apps can also be downloaded via the app store.
After weeks of multiple leaks, Samsung has launched the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at an event in Barcelona. The design, specifications, and a lot of the features were leaked ahead of the launch. The Galaxy S9 is priced at US$ 719.99 for the unlocked version in the US. However, the starting price of the Galaxy S9+ is US$ 839.99. The smartphones will go on sale on the 16th of March globally. In India, the devices will be launched on the 6th of March and go on sale on the 16th of March along with the rest of the world.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and its bigger sibling, the Galaxy S9+ succeeds the Galaxy S8 and S8+ as the 2018 flagship phones. Unlike the previous generation smartphones, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ have more differences than just the display and battery sizes. Samsung has made the Galaxy S9+ a bit more feature-packed to justify the higher price tag.
As expected, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ look extremely similar to their predecessors. The bezels are slightly thinner but, it is hard to differentiate between the two generations, at least from the front. To the back of the devices is where you see the difference. While the Galaxy S8 and S8+ were two of the most successful Android smartphones of 2017 and were lauded for their looks, there was an issue with the design.
Due to the decreased bezels, Samsung had to move the fingerprint sensor to the back of the phone. However, the execution left a lot to be desired as the sensor was placed next to the camera module. It looks like Samsung took the criticism into consideration. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ come with a fingerprint sensor placed below the camera module. This is a much more ergonomic placement for a rear-facing fingerprint sensor.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have a new feature similar to Apple’s Animojis. It is called AR Emoji. Basically, the smartphone captures the face data, analyses it, which allows users to make animated versions of themselves. These can later be customised further.
Samsung Galaxy S9
The Samsung Galaxy S9 has a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution. This translates to an 18.5:9 aspect ratio, which means it is slightly taller than the usual bezel-less smartphones.
Depending on the market, the Galaxy S9’s chipset will vary. For the US and South Korean market, the S9 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Galaxy S9 and S9+ are the first-ever smartphones launched with the new flagship chipset. For the rest of the world, it will be powered by the new Exynos 9810 chipset. Coupled with the chipset is 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. Similar to a lot of Samsung smartphones, the storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a MicroSD card.
Out of the box, the Samsung Galaxy S9 will run Android 8 Oreo out of the box with Experience 9.0 on top. Powering the smartphone will be a 3000 mAh battery, just like the Galaxy S8. The smartphone will have QuickCharge 4.0 compatibility and support wireless charging. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9 also has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. The Galaxy S9 also has a dual stereo speaker system tuned by AKG and Dolby surround sound.
The Galaxy S9 has a single Dual Pixel 12 MP sensor with dual /1.5 and f/2.4 apertures. In bright lighting conditions, the camera will use the f/2.4 aperture, while the wider f/1.5 aperture is used in dark lighting conditions. It also captures 720P videos at 960fps and 4K videos at 60fps, similar to the Apple iPhone X. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
Samsung Galaxy S9+
As is with its smaller sibling, the Galaxy S9+ has the same screen size as the Galaxy S8+. It sports a 6.2 inch Super AMOLED display with a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.
Under the hood, it will either be powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset or Exynos 9810. This will again depend on whether it is being sold in the US, South Korea or rest of the world. Unlike the Galaxy S9, the S9+ will be available in 6GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 6GB RAM/256GB models in major markets across the world.
Out of the box, the Galaxy S9+ will also run Android 8 Oreo out of the box with Experience 9.0 on top. Powering the smartphone will be a 3500 mAh battery, just like the Galaxy S8+. The smartphone will have QuickCharge 4.0 compatibility and support wireless charging. Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9+ also has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
The main difference between the two S9 models this year is in the camera department. Unlike its predecessor, the Galaxy S9+ has a dual-camera setup on the back. The Galaxy S9+ has one wide-angle 12MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture and the other is a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. The telephoto lens is the same one found on the Galaxy Note8, which means it has OIS. On the front of the smartphone is an 8MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and records 4K videos.
Nokia has officially launched the Nokia 8 Sirocco edition at MWC 2018, which will be available from April 2018 for 749 Euros. In fact, this is the most premium smartphone that supports Android One Programme.
The smartphone is constructed from a single block of stainless steel like the Apple iPhone X. This makes the Nokia 8 Sirocco a strong smartphone, as stainless steel is 4 times harder than the Aluminium, with IP67 water and dust resistance certification. In fact, it measures 7.5 mm at its thickest point and 2 mm at it thinnest. This is the first Nokia Android smartphone to support wireless charging.
Specifications:
The Nokia 8 Sirocco has a 5.5 inch pOLED QHD+ 2560 x 1440 px display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The display offers a dual curved design with the vacuum moulding technology with Gorilla Glass 5. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The Nokia 8 Sirocco comes with dual primary camera setup, powered by Zeiss. The primary 12 MP sensor has an f/1.75 aperture with 1.4-micron pixel size and the secondary 13 MP telephoto lens has an f/2.6 aperture. The device has a 5 MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1.micron pixel size. In fact, the primary camera setup found on the smartphone is exactly similar to the Nokia 7 Plus’s camera specifications.
The device does offer additional features like NFC, 4G VoLte, Bluetooth 5.0, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. However, this is the first Nokia smartphone to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
HMD Global has launched the Nokia 1 at an event in Barcelona along with a few other smartphones like the Nokia 7 Plus. The Nokia 1, as speculated, is an entry-level Android Go device which will retail for US$ 85 (Rs. 5500 approx.), excluding taxes and subsidies. However, the company has claimed that this a global price. Hence, it is expected to be launched in India at a price of Rs. 5000 or less.
The Nokia 1 will be the most affordable Android smartphone from the company, which right now, is the Nokia 2. While there are no details pertaining to its launch in India, the Nokia 1 will go on sale in April globally. It will be available in Dark Blue and Warm Red colour variants. Along with that, the company will also sell Xpress-on covers priced at $7.99 (Rs. 500 approx.) in Azure, Grey, Yellow and Pink colours.
Specifications
The Nokia 1 4.5 inch FWVGA display with an 854 x 480 px resolution. Under the hood, the Nokia 1 has the MediaTek MT6737M chipset with a 1GHz quad-core processor. This is coupled with 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 8GB of onboard storage.
Out of the box, the smartphone will run Android 8.1 Oreo based Android Go operating system. Powering the smartphone will be a 2150 mAh battery which the company claims will deliver up to 9 hours of talk time and up to 15 days of standby time.
Android Go
Google claims that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others.
Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.
Conclusion
While the Nokia 1 seems like an interesting phone, the Indian entry-level market has come competition. If it launches at the global price, the Nokia 1 will compete with the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 5A which offers much better specifications at a similar price point. However, this will depend on the pricing of the smartphone.
HMD Global has officially launched the Nokia 7 Plus at an event in Barcelona. It succeeds the recently launched Nokia 7 and will be a global device, unlike the Nokia 7. The Nokia 7 Plus is also an Android One device, which means that it will get Android update support for more than 2 years. It carries a price tag of EUR 399 (roughly Rs. 31,750) and will go on sale in early April in Black/ Copper and White/ Copper colour variants.
While the Nokia 7 had an older design with thick bezels and a 16:9 aspect ratio, the Nokia 7 Plus has an upgraded design. The Nokia 7 Plus has an 18:9 aspect ratio and the design accents similar to the Nokia 6 2018.
Specifications
The Nokia 7 has a 5.2 inch IPS LCD display with a 1920 x 1080 px resolution. Nokia 7 Plus, on the other hand, has a 6 inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio hence, the “Plus” moniker. The Nokia 7 plus also features a dual-tone design thanks to a few gilded bits and pieces. Like the fingerprint scanner ring, the dual-camera casing and the Nokia logo on the back.
Under the hood, the 7 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset and 2.2GHz octa-core processor. That is coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is now placed on the back and has the similar colour accents found on the Nokia 6 (2018).
On the back of the 7 Plus is a dual-camera setup powered by Zeiss optics. The primary wide-angle sensor is a 12MP camera with an f/1.75 aperture coupled with a 13MP telephoto lens with an f/2.6 aperture. The telephoto lens will allow for bokeh shots which have now become very trendy. On the front is a 16MP fixed focus camera with an f/2.0 aperture, 1-micron pixels, and Zeiss optics.
Conclusion
At a price of EUR 399 (roughly Rs. 31,750), the Nokia 7 Plus has a lot of competition. If and when HMD Global launches the Nokia 7 Plus in India, it will have to be priced closer to the Moto X4 rather than the Honor View10. However, the price and details for the Nokia 7 Plus in India have not been revealed yet.
Huawei has launched the worlds first 5G CPE at MWC 2018. However, the availability of the CPE will be limited to North America. The CPE stands for Customer Premise Equipment, which enables the company to test the true potential of the 5G network before the official rollout.
Huawei has partnered with the Canadian telecom company TELUS to implement this technology in Canada. Initially, this technology will be tested with the TELUS employees based on the successful 5G 3GPP mmWave tests that were conducted by the Huawei and TELUS in June 2017.
H Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO at TELUS said:
This trial represents continued progress toward the launch of 5G, as we start to replicate both the in-home experience and network footprint we will see when 5G becomes commercially available in the near future. Wireless 5G services will generate tremendous benefits for consumers, operators, governments and more through the use of advanced IoT devices, big data applications, smart city systems and other technologies of the future.
Dr Wen Tong, Huawei Fellow, and CTO Huawei Wireless said:
mmWave technology will be an important tool in ensuring widespread deployment of 5G technology in Canada. Huawei’s 5G solutions and terminals will enable 5G coverage over a neighbourhood or small community cost effectively. While providing more convenient and high-speed home broadband Internet access services. This friendly user trial will drive the global 3GPP unified 5G standard and build a solid foundation for the 5G early commercialization.
The Huawei 5G CPE utilises 5G gNodeB related elements built by Huawei?TELUS 5G lab. The trail system is based on the 28GHz mmwave band with 800 MHz of bandwidth. In fact, the 5G CPE from Huawei uses the existing technologies like MIMO, F-OFDM, and Polar Code.
With the 5G technology, the company will be able to replace the fibre to home solutions. Huawei calls this as “Last-Mile” solution for the consumers and business. The deployment of wireless 5G solutions will help the brands to reduce the cost of operations. The 5G equipment has smaller footprints compared to the traditional towers. In fact, it helps the requirement of government’s permission to set up new towers.
Thanks to smartphones with 6 inch or bigger display, the market for the tablet has been getting depreciated over the time. However, Huawei has posted a huge 28% YoY growth, which encourages the company to make more tablets. Huawei has officially launched Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro and Huawei MediaPad M5 at MWC 2018. The flagship tablets from Huawei comes with 8.4-inch and a 10.8-inch display with a comfortable to hold-in-hand curved design.
The only difference between the 10.8-inch Pro and non-pro model is the M-Pen. The Pro version comes with a dedicated stylus called M-Pen. This new range of tables from Huawei will be available for consumers from March.
Design:
The tablets come with full metal unibody design
In fact, this might be the first tablet from Huawei to support OIS and 4K video recording capability. One of the front-bezel has a home button with an embedded fingerprint scanner.
At the back, the Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro comes with multiple grills, which houses the quad-speaker setup with Harman Kardon branding. These speakers are driven by a dedicated smart-PA chipset for rich and clear sound. However, do note that the 8.4-inch Huawei MediaPad M5 comes with dual stereo speaker setup.
The company might also release an additional detachable keyboard, which doubles as the case cover. In fact, with this smart case, the users will be able to enjoy 2-in-1 PC experience with a desktop view, with multitasking and file management system. The company also offers a custom stylus called M-Pen, which can be used for sketching and designing.
Specifications:
The tablet comes with a massive 8.4-inch or 10 inch IPS LCD panel with 2560 x 1660 Px resolution. Though the leak does not indicate the chipset that powers the device, it does say that it comes with 4GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB storage. Compared to the iPad mini and iPad Pro, the Huawei MediaPad M5 Pro has 280 and 359 PPI. The display is enhanced with ClariVu, which offers 20% improvement in picture quality.
These tablets are powered by HiSilicon Kirin 960 Octa-core processor with 4GB RAM. The storage option varies from 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB. The tablets come with 13 MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture with support for PDAF. For the front-facing camera, the company is using an 8 MP sesnsor with fixed focus and an f/2.2 aperture. However, we have no details on the battery capacity of the device.
Huawei has launched the FullView touchscreen notebook, called Huawei MateBook X Pro at MWC 2018. The Huawei MateBook X Pro will succeed the MateBook X which was launched in 2017. The Matebook X Pro starts at a price of EUR 1499 and goes up to EUR 1899. The company has stated that it will go on sale in Q2 of 2018.
Specifications
The notebook comes with 13.9 inch display with 92% screen to body ration. It uses a low power consuming LTPS touch-screen with 3000 x 2000 px resolution, which offers 20 pixels per inch. The display supports 100% sRGB colour gamut with a maximum brightness of 450 nits and 1500:1 contrast ratio. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass for smooth and responsive multi-touch screen experience. The notebook runs on Windows 10 operating system with Windows Hello support.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro comes with the latest Intel 8th generation Intel Core i7 chipset with NVIDIA GeForce MX150 mobile GPU.
The Huawei MateBook X Pro offers perfect diamond cut edges with sandblast finish for a more uniform finish. The notebook is one of the lightest in its category, which weights at just 1.33 KG. Compared to the 13.3-inch Apple MacBook Pro, the Huawei MateBook X Pro is 50% thinner with similar hardware capabilities. Keeping this thin, the notebook also ships with a full sized USB 3.0 port, two USB type C ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The USB type C port does support Thunderbolts 3, which can drive an external display with up to 4K resolution. The port can also support external GPU like the NVIDIA GTX1080. The company has re-engineered the cooling system on the Huawei MateBook X Pro, which now comes with passive and active mode with temperature detection fans control. It uses the custom Huawei shark fin fan design, which offers up to 20% more efficient.
The Quad speaker setup on the notebook comes with the clear treble tweeter and rich base subwoofer. In fact, The sound profile has been fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos. It has a built-in 4 microphone solution, which offers 360-degree listening without any distortions. The Huawei MateBook X Pro comes with all-day battery life. Which means, the device can offer up to 15 hours of web browsing, or 14 hours of office work or 12 hours of video playback on a single charge.
Traditionally notebooks use keypad authentication. However, Huawei MateBook X Pro comes with iris scanner + fingerprint scanner + keyboard. A user can use any one of these features to login into the notebook. Like the Apple MacBook Pro, the Huawei MateBook X Pro comes with the one-touch power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.
The notebooks’ keypad is spill proof, which saves the device from the accidental coffee or water spills. The Huawei MateBook X Pro has the largest trackpad on any notebooks under 14 inch display.
Smartphone makers like Samsung and Xiaomi are getting ready to launch their flagship smartphones with Snapdragon 845 at MWC 2018. However, LG has taken a different route by launching the LG V30 with a new software update as the LG V30S ThinQ. In fact, there is a plus version of the model, which offers 256GB storage.
Though these smartphones have been officially launched, the company hasn’t unveiled the pricing or availability.
What’s new?
The company has stressed a lot on the improved camera capabilities and voice recognition, which were missing on the Lg V30.
The new camera on the LG V30S ThinQ comes with the AI capability called, Vision AI. The vision Ai offers three new features called AI Cam, QLens, and Bright Mode.
LG V30
The AI Cam’s dedicated mission is to analyse the subject, which helps the camera to choose proper shooting mood. These modes include portrait, flower, sunrise, city, animal, and Human. With the machine learning, the AI camera will get better over the time.
The QLens comes handy for those who shop a lot. Scanning a bar-code on the product will get you the complete information about the product. However, this depends on the information provided by the manufacturer. In fact, the company claims that it also shows similar products with the lower price tags. The QLens can also be used to get detailed information on the buildings and landmarks.
Bright mode deals with the low light photography. The combination of the f/1.6 aperture lens and Bright mode algorithms improve the images quality taken in low light situations.
Specifications:
The specifications of the LG V30S ThinQ are almost identical to the specifications of the LG V30 and LG V30+.
The LG V30S ThinQ has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, a 2.4GHz octa-core processor, 6 GB RAM and 128GB of onboard storage which can be expanded up to 2TB via a microSD card. The smartphone has an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance and MIL-STD 810G rating for durability. The special LG V30S+ ThinQ edition comes with 256GB storage.
The device is powered by a 3300mAh battery with wireless fast charging which supports 3.0 quick charge. The smartphone runs Android 7.1.2 with LG’s UX 6.0+ on top which offers a few customisation options.
The LG V30S ThinQ incorporates a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC powered by Bang & Olufsen with few sound presets like enhanced, detailed, bass and live. The smartphone also has support for Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) technology for high-resolution audio streaming.
Aside from the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which also doubles as a home button, LG has introduced few new security features in the LG V30+ such as facial and voice recognition. The voice recognition will even work along with the music playback.
The LG V30S ThinQ features a dual-camera setup at the back. As LG had announced, this smartphone has the first ever inbuilt camera unit to feature a 16MP crystal clear lens made of glass with an f/1.6 aperture and another 13MP wide angle lens with an f/1.9 aperture. The camera features laser detection AF, optical image stabilisation and electronic image stabilisation. On the front side, the LG V30+ sports a 5MP wide-angle camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
