A new report claim that the Samsung Galaxy Note9 will be the first-ever Samsung phone to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor. For weeks leading up to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note8, there were speculations that it would have an in-display fingerprint sensor. The Galaxy Note8 was launched in August 2017 and by then, screen embedded fingerprint sensors were found in concept phones only.
However, since the launch of the Galaxy Note8, this technology has come a long way and is finally consumer-ready. Vivo recently launched the Vivo X20 Plus UD in China, becoming the first ever smartphone to feature the new Clear ID technology. For Samsung to implement this technology makes a lot of sense since it already uses OLED panels for its premium smartphones and Clear ID, right now, only works on OLED panels.
The report claims that a Samsung patent unearthed has indications toward a screen embedded fingerprint sensor. Apparently, Samsung doesn’t want to rely on Synaptics and wants the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy Note9 to be based on its own technology. While this sounds like an irrational decision as it will increase the R&D cost and take up a lot of time, a company of Samsung’s stature and resources can definitely go this route.
Vivo X20 Plus UD
It is worth noting that the design in the image is merely for reference. It certainly does not indicate the future design of the Galaxy Note9 or any premium Samsung smartphone. Industry sources claim that Samsung has been trying to master the Clear ID technology for quite some time now. Both the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8 devices were eluded of the technology as Samsung struggled with manufacturing yield rates.
The Samsung Galaxy Note9 is expected to be launched in August 2018, similar to its predecessor. It will have better S Pen implementation, improved dual-camera performance and in all probability, a screen-embedded fingerprint sensor.
The budget segment of the Indian smartphone market has been congested for a while. So many companies have launched great devices at a very competitive price. Recently, smartphone makers like Honor have also released some great devices in the budget segment. In January, the Honor 9 Lite was launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 10999. Subsequently, Samsung launched the Galaxy On7 Prime in India at a starting price of Rs. 12990.
When you put the smartphones together, the winner is quite evident. The Honor 9 Lite has a modern design with an 18:9 aspect ratio, very thin bezels and a glossy finish on the back. It is also the only smartphone in this price segment that has an all-glass build, giving it an extremely premium look. The Galaxy On7 Prime on the other hand just doesn’t look up to speed with the Honor 9 Lite. It has thick bezels around the display and is reminiscent of all the previous Samsung budget smartphones.
The Honor 9 Lite starts at a price of Rs. 10999 for the 3GB RAM variant while the Galaxy On7 Prime costs Rs. 12990 for the same configurations. Clearly, the Honour 9 Lite is a much better proposition if you’re on a tight budget. The Honor 9 Lite also has the new Kirin 659 chipset while the Galaxy On7 Prime is powered by an older Exynos 7870 chipset.
Motorola will be launching a few smartphones in the coming months. Iterations of the Moto E and G series are expected to be announced as per the launch pattern. Recently, a few Moto E5 renders were leaked which revealed a couple of design changes from the predecessors. A new leak, however, claims that Motorola will be introducing a ‘Play’ variant in the Moto E series as well.
Moto E5 Play
The renders were posted by a famous tipster on Twitter. No other details accompanied the images but, as we move closer to a launch, more details will follow. If true, Motorola could launch three smartphones in the Moto E series this year along with the Moto E5 and E5 Plus.
The Moto E5, on the other hand, has been doing the rounds for a while. Here is a comprehensive rumour round of the Moto E5:
Moto E5 Rumour Roundup:
Moto E5
Recently, an image was leaked which revealed the possible design of the Moto E5. The interesting bit about in the image is the placement of the fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor on the upcoming Moto E5 will be housed inside the Moto logo on the back.
No other details were mentioned. It is expected to have the same 5.5 inch IPS LCD display with a 1280 x 720 px resolution.
Last year, Motorola went with a MediaTek chipset last year but, it could revert to a Snapdragon chipset. According to the leaked image, the smartphone will retain the single camera setup on the front and back along with an LED flash.
The Moto E4 Plus was announced in June 2017. While there doesn’t seem to be an apparent reason for the company to disrupt the launch cycle, it could spring a surprise and launch the E series phones early this year.
Sony will be present at MWC 2018 and is expected to make a few announcements. One of the smartphones that are heavily rumoured to be launched at MWC is the Xperia XZ2 Pro. The Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro is expected to be the first Sony Android device to feature an 18:9 aspect ratio and thin bezels. This will be a timely departure for Sony smartphones from the normal design language.
A new leak has shed some light on what to expect from this Sony smartphone. First off, it appears that the smartphone will go by the moniker of Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro. Also, since this is an HTML benchmark, the listing doesn’t reveal much information about it. According to the listing, the upcoming Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro will run Android 8.1 out of the box.
If true, the smartphone could be the first non-Google device to run Android 8.1 Oreo. So far, only Google Pixel and select Nexus phones run Android 8.1 Oreo. A lot of premium Android devices are stuck on Android 7 Nougat. The other detail revealed is that it will sport the 18:9 aspect ratio.
It is rumoured the Xperia XZ2 Pro will have a 4K display resolution. Recently, an upcoming Sony smartphone with the model number ID PY7-21831A has surfaced online as it passed through FCC. While FCC listings don’t usually shed a lot of light on specs and features of a smartphone, this particular listing reveals that this Xperia device won’t have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Furthermore, the attached document also highlighted that the dimensions of the phone will be 152.79 x 72.42 mm and that it has a 5.7-inch screen diagonal display.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro will have a 5.7 inch OLED display with 4K resolution, thin bezels and an 18:9 aspect ratio.
Under the hood, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro will have the Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. The storage is expected to be expandable via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is expected to be housed inside the lock button on the side. Although, with the presence of an OLED display, Sony could go ahead and use a screen embedded fingerprint sensor.
The device will be powered by a 3420 mAh battery which will support QuickCharge 4.0+.
The Xperia XZ2 Pro will have a dual rear camera setup, with one of the cameras having an 18 MP sensor with 1.33 microns pixel size and a 12 MP sensor with 1.38 microns pixel size. On the front will be a 13 MP camera.
In mid-December, Apple launched the iMac Pro in the US at a starting price of US$ 4999. In India, it was announced that only the base variant with an 8-core processor will go on sale at a price of Rs. 4,15,000. The exorbitant pricing keeps up with Apple’s much higher pricing pattern in India when compared to its American price.
Select Apple stores across the country have started receiving iMac Pro units which means that it is now available to buy. A wider availability of the new iMac Pro is expected by the end of this week.
The iMac Pro has a 27-inch Retina 5K display with a 5120 x 2880 px resolution and 500 nits of brightness. The iMac Pro will be available in only one colour variant, Space Gray.
Under the hood, the iMac Pro’s base model comes with an 8-core Intel Xeon processor which can go up to 18 cores, 32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory RAM with the other two variants having 64GB or 128GB of RAM. The base model has 1TB hard drive with 2TB or 4TB being the other two options. Handling the graphics in base model will be the Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics processor with 8GB of HBM2 memory, this can also be configured up to Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics processor with 16GB of HBM2 memory.
Just above the display is an improved 1080P FaceTime camera.
In terms of the number of ports and connectivity, it has four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack, SDXC card slot, and an Ethernet port.
Along with the iMac Pro, the consumers will also get a Space Gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and a Space Gray Magic Mouse 2 along with the essential cords.
Every Android user is proud of the choices on offer on Android OS. Same cannot be said about iOS and a lot of consumers choose an Android device for this particular reason, we all liked to be spoiled for choices. However, over the years, a lot of people have formed a liking towards stock Android OS, which doesn’t offer as many options as a custom skin.
Xiaomi, famous for its MIUI running Android smartphones in India, recently held a poll on Twitter. The question asked was whether users prefer MIUI or Android One. Android One means stock Android OS and the majority voted for Android One. The poll was subsequently deleted since users chose stock OS over its proprietary custom skin.
It is fair to say that this is very subjective. Some people prefer the custom skins like MIUIwhich offers a lot of options to customise smartphones according to one’s personal preferences. While others prefer stock OS which might not provide a lot of customisation options but, it does feel more stable than a lot of skins.
Xiaomi even launched an Android One device, the Mi A1 back in September 2017. Xiaomi has made some excellent devices over the years with great hardware. While MIUI has not been everyone’s cup of tea, the Mi A1 was the perfect device for such users. The Mi A1 had Xiaomi’s hardware and stock Android OS.
Redmi Y1
The poll on Twitter just revealed that while custom skins are great, stock Android OS is probably better. And who knows, maybe this poll will make Xiaomi launch a successor to the Mi A1 as well!
Samsung has been in the news for the much-anticipated launch of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. While the marquee launch has grabbed everyone’s attention, a new Galaxy device, the Galaxy C10 Plus has started doing the rounds on the internet. Samsung and its Galaxy C series have seen a bit of success in the India market. The Galaxy C7 Pro was a good device and a lot is expected from its successor.
A few days ago, the Galaxy C10 Plus showed up, revealing a few key specifications. The smartphone in question carries the model number SM-C9150. According to the listing, the alleged Galaxy C10 Plus will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. Along with 660 chipset, it will have 6GB of RAM and run Android 7.1.1 Nougat.
Now, a few concept renders of the Galaxy C10 Plus have been released. The design of the Galaxy C10 Plus stunning and different from what we’ve usually seen from Galaxy smartphones. The smartphone has the shape of an old Galaxy smartphone but, the edge-to-edge display makes it look modern. The very thin bottom bezel also houses a very small home button that will have a fingerprint sensor in it.
To the back of the smartphone is a vertically placed dual-camera along with an LED flash. Unlike a lot of other OEMs, Samsung will not follow Apple’s footsteps when it comes to the positioning of rear-facing dual cameras. Just like the Galaxy Note8, and upcoming Galaxy S9+, the dual-cameras are positioned in the middle of the device. The antenna lines are very similar to the Galaxy C7 Pro.
Galaxy C7 Pro
In the previous leak, the Galaxy C10 Plus was running Android 7 Nougat. This hints at a possible early launch, right after the Galaxy S9 launch. Samsung is expected to launch all smartphones running Android 8 Oreo post the Galaxy S9 launch. For the Galaxy C10 Plus to still run Android 7 Nougat means the launch of the device might be on the fore.
Samsung will launch the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at MWC 2018. The press conference is set for the 25th of February and there is an obvious buzz around the devices. We have seen enough leaks and renders of the smartphones to tell us that they won’t look too different from their predecessors. But, we finally have an official image of the upcoming flagship smartphone.
A banner advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy S9+ was recently leaked, which reveals the front of the smartphone. As expected, the Galaxy S9+ will have top and bottom bezels similar to the Galaxy S8+. However, the size of the bezels will be slightly smaller which means it will have a better screen-to-body ratio. Since there is no image of the back, it is impossible to tell what colour variant this is.
Apart from that, the image has some text written in Chinese. The text reveals that one of the variants of the Galaxy S9+ will have 128GB of onboard storage. This was also revealed a few weeks. A Chinese tipster, citing a company insider, had posted on the Chinese social media, Weibo that the Galaxy S9 will be offered in two options, 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 4GB RAM/128GB storage. The bigger sibling of the two, the Samsung Galaxy S9+ will be available in 6GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 6GB RAM/256GB models in major markets across the world.
Rumour Roundup:
The smaller sibling will have a 5.8 inch Super AMOLED display while the Galaxy S9+ will have a 6.2 inch display. Both the devices will have a 2960 x 1440 px resolution.
Case Renders
Similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S9 will have a single 12MP SuperSpeed Dual Pixel camera. This time around, however, the camera will have an f/1.5 aperture and record super slow motion videos at 480fps. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ will become the second phone from Samsung to feature a dual-camera setup on the back after the Galaxy Note8. The Galaxy S9+ will have a 12MP camera with an f/1.4 aperture along with another 12MP camera with an f/2.5 aperture
Owing to the launch of the Samsung flagship phones, a lot of companies have restrained from making significant announcements. It was recently revealed that Xiaomi could skip the Mi 7 launch at MWC as well, similar to what Huawei and HTC will do. The Galaxy S9 will be priced at Rs. 69000 in India.
Xiaomi is expected to put up an impressive showing at MWC 2018. Along with smartphones, the company could also unveil the Surge S2, its second custom chipset after the Surge S1. The confusion arises when we look at what Xiaomi could unveil and what the rumours point at. A month ago, there was barely any chatter about the Mi Mix 2S to ever be launched.
But, it is becoming increasingly possible that the Chinese smartphone maker could announce the Mi Mix 2S and not the Mi 7. After a few sketchy leaks, the Mi Mix 2S has shown up in an official Xiaomi banner which states the important specifications and the official design of the device. The first thing that grabs your attention is the design of the Mi Mix 2S and it will surely turn a few heads at its launch.
The back of the Mi Mix 2S is expected to be the same as the Mi Mix 2. It will be made of ceramic which means it’ll be a fingerprint magnet. However, that is a price you have to pay for a device that looks as premium as the Mi Mix 2S. The significant change will be in the camera department. This time around, the Mi Mix 2S will have a dual-camera setup, which could be similar to the one found on the Mi A1, albeit of better quality.
On the front is where Xiaomi will look to one-up the much-famed Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+. The leaked image confirms that the Mi Mix 2S will have a different take on the “notch.” The bezels all around the display will be uniform but, the top right corner will protrude a bit and that will house the front-facing camera.
What’s missing in the render is a fingerprint sensor. This means that Xiaomi could be the second company to launch a smartphone with an in-display fingerprint sensor. This would also mean that Xiaomi will use an OLED panel for the upcoming device as opposed to the IPS LCD panel used on the Mi Mix 2.
Mi Mix 2s Renders
As we all know, the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+won’t look very different from their predecessors. This means that design-wise, Samsung won’t have much to show, and that is where the Mi Mix 2S could excel. A lot of smartphone makers will skip MWC because of the popularity of the Galaxy S devices but, Xiaomi could grab a lot of eyeballs with the launch of this smartphone.
Apart from the design, the image also reveals that the Mi Mix 2S will be powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset coupled with 8GB of RAM and 256GB onboard storage.
A few days ago, a part of the iOS source code was posted online. It has now been revealed that apparently, it was an ex-Apple intern that leaked the source code.
According to a report, the intern stole the code to help out his group of friends in the iOS jailbreaking community. He did that in order to help them with their ongoing efforts to find a way around Apple’s locked down iOS. According to one of his friend, he took “all sorts of Apple internal tools and whatnot.” This included additional source code that was not included in the initial leak.
The source code was taken down
The report claims that the initial plan was to make sure the source code never left the group of five friends. However, that did not hold up for too long as the code spread beyond the original group sometime last year. Eventually, the source code made its way to Reddit but, apparently, the post was initially deleted by a moderation bot automatically.
That is not where the circulation of the source code and eventually made its way to GitHub this week. Since then, Apple has ordered GitHub to remove the code. According to a source at Apple, the company already knew about the leak. This does make sense since the source code was generously circulated in the jailbreaking community. Someone from Apple was bound to come across this source code just roaming about on the internet.
The leak of the source code was considered to be a security concern in the beginning. The leak could allow hackers to discover iOS vulnerabilities more easily and make creating iPhone jailbreaks simpler. At the time, Apple’s lawyers described the leak as a “reproduction of Apple’s ‘iBoot’ source code, which is responsible for ensuring trusted boot operation of Apple’s iOS software.”
Since then, Apple has seem unfazed about the potential security issues. Apple claims that the code is already three years old and that the security of its products doesn’t depend on the secrecy of their source code.
In a debate of Android vs iOS, Android loses out when it comes to software support. The argument holds true that slightly older Android phones do not get the kind of software support older iPhones get. Samsung appears to be changing that with its line of flagship smartphones. A day after it started rolling out Android 8 Oreo update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+, it appears that even its 2015 flagship devices will get Android 8 Oreo update.
Now, when the smartphones will get this update is anyone’s guess as of now. The Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 edge, S6 edge+, and Galaxy Note5 will be the 2015 devices that will get the Android Oreo update. Manufacturer Development pages for these devices on T-Mobile’s official website say the carrier “and the device manufacturer have agreed to support a new software update.” This new software update will be Android 8 Oreo!
It looks like a lot of Samsung smartphones will receive Android 8 Oreo update this year. Recently, a few users in Vietnam received the Oreo update even though there were no prior beta programs or an announcement of any sorts. That looks like an error but, it does prove that the smartphone will eventually get Android 8 Oreo update.
A few weeks ago, a Samsung customer rep accidentally let slip that the Galaxy S6 will get Android 8 Oreo update in January or February. If true, the software update should not be far away.
2017 was a great year for smartphones. The bezels shrunk, dual cameras became a norm, and AI gained a few strides. 2018 promises to be another great year for a smartphone enthusiast and the early leaks and rumours are very promising. Let’s take a look at the top five upcoming smartphones of 2018:
Samsung Galaxy S9/Galaxy S9+
The first big launch of 2018 will be that of the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S9+. The smartphones will be launched at MWC 2018 and will possibly be the first to run on the Snapdragon 845 chipset. After weeks of renders and leaks, Samsung will finally unveil two of the most anticipated smartphones of 2018.
Design wise, the two phones won’t look different than their predecessors which is not a bad thing. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still two of the most stunning devices on the market. The top and bottom bezels will be slightly thinner and the fingerprint sensor will be repositioned. Unlike last year’s, the fingerprint sensor will now be placed below the camera module instead of next to it. That is a great design change which was called for by many Galaxy S8 and Note8 users.
To compete with Apple’s Face ID, Samsung is rumoured to introduce Smart Scan as well. Apparently, the new feature is a combination of face and iris scanning. This extra layer will improve accuracy and security of the system in extremely dark or lit up environments. These are the situations where iris scanning and facial recognition systems fail. There have been reports that suggest the Samsung Galaxy S9 devices might have a 3D sensor equipped front-camera for improved biometrics.
There are no rumours or leaks about an upcoming Xiaomi Mi A2 or Mi A1(2018). However, considering the popularity of the Mi A1 in India, the company will be hard-pressed to launch a successor in 2018. The Mi A1 had a more 2016 design with thick bezels but, with budget smartphones also moving on to an 18:9 aspect ratio, the Mi A2 will also have a modern design.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched as the Mi 5X in China and the Mi 6X could be the Mi A2 in India. So far, there have been a few leaks pertaining to the Xiaomi Mi 6X. According to leaked images, the Mi 6X will have an iPhone X-like vertically placed dual-camera setup along with fingerprint sensor and an aluminium unibody build.
Up until the Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched, Motorola’s Moto G5 Plus and G5s Plus had the best cameras in the segment. However, the Xiaomi Mi A1 had a great dual-camera setup as well and the Mi A2, in order to sway customers will have to have a great camera performance as well. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is expected to have the same “wide-angle and telephoto lens” combination for the primary cameras. The dual-camera setup on the front is becoming popular as well, meaning the Xiaomi Mi A2 could also have a dual-camera setup on the front as well.
If Xiaomi does launch the Mi A2 or Mi A1 (2018) in India, it is expected to do well, considering budget smartphones from Honor will have EMUI and a lot of consumers still prefer stock Android OS.
The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T saw a rise in price which many people weren’t happy about. There was also no water resistance even though OnePlus decided to increase the price of its new flagship considerably. However, early rumours of the OnePlus 6 are in and it appears that the company will be refreshing its smartphone lineup earlier than expected. A report from Android Marvel claims that the OnePlus 6 will be launched in March of 2018 and have a few new features which the OnePlus 5T is missing.
Inspired by Face ID, the OnePlus 6 will also have its own version of facial recognition. The OnePlus 6 is expected to have a camera hardware setup similar to the iPhone X, complete with a 3D camera module that will use infrared light to measure depth. However, the OnePlus 6 will not have an iPhone X-like notch. Instead, the handset is expected to have a full top bezel where the extra sensors should be found.
The OnePlus 6 is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset under the hood along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. Storage options will most probably be the same with 64GB or 128Gb variants of the phone. OnePlus has shown its tendency to launch limited edition variants of its devices and it is fair to assume that the company will do something similar with the OnePlus 6 and possibly, the OnePlus 6T.
Apple iPhone X Plus
2018 Apple iPhone lineup
It’s tentative but, we might see a bigger version of the iPhone X in September of 2018. The iPhone X, launched in September 2017 saw a radical shift from the traditional iPhone design we were accustomed to, since the launch of the iPhone 6. While the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were similar to their predecessors, the iPhone X was the special 10th-anniversary device, billed as the true successor to the original iPhone which was launched back in 2007.
Early reports claim that Apple will continue the trend and launch three new iPhones in 2018. While two of them will continue to have an OLED display, the smallest of the three iPhones will be cheaper thanks to the LCD display. However, the design of all the three iPhones will be similar to the iPhone X with the notch at the top of the display and vertically placed dual cameras.
Under the hood, an upgraded A12 (tentatively named) chipset is expected which will, as always, perform better than the previous generation and go toe-to-toe with the Snapdragon 845 chipset.
Apple made it clear that it will emphasise a lot on the use of AI and machine learning with the introduction of ARKit. This is expected to be taken a notch higher with the next generation iPhones. What will be interesting to see is the nomenclature of all the three iPhones.
Google Pixel 3/Pixel 3 XL
The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launched amidst a lot of anticipation. Google was expected to deliver two of the best Android phones of the year and while the software and AI integration of the two phones was commendable, Google lost the race in the hardware department.
In 2018, especially after having the HTC smartphone personnel on board, Google will be expected to rectify those mistakes and deliver great Android devices which will compete with the likes of the Galaxy S9 and the OnePlus 6.
Similar to the Pixel 2, the Pixel 3 and its bigger sibling will focus a lot on AI and machine learning, and deliver smooth software experience thanks to the stock Android OS. 2018 will see the launch of Android P and the Pixel 3 devices will be the first Android phones on the planet to run o the new Android OS.
The Pixel 2 smartphones had the best camera on smartphones and achieved dual-camera capable features on their single camera setup thanks to Google’s incredible machine learning and AI implementation. We expect similar results from the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.
Ever since 2018 rolled around, the density of smartphones with an iPhone X-like notch has been increasing. From Chinese smartphone makers like Doogee to established companies like Huawei, many devices are expected to be launched in 2018 with a notch. A few weeks ago, images of the Sharp Aquos S3 surfaced and new images of the device confirm the design’s inspiration from the iPhone X.
Leaked in live images, the Sharp Aquos S3 has an iPhone X style notch on top which probably doesn’t house a bunch of 3D sensors. In the images, it visible that the notch houses a front-facing camera along with an earpiece. Also, unlike the iPhone X, the notch is much smaller which gives the phone an odd look.
The bezels are thin but, the bottom bezel is thicker than the rest which has been a trend for a lot of smartphones. Even the leaked renders of the Huawei P11 Lite and Huawei P11 Plus reveal a thick bottom bezel. It will be interesting to see if a smartphone releasing in late-2018 will get rid of that odd thickness of the bottom bezel.
On the back of the smartphone is again, a familiar design language. The two cameras are placed vertically on the back and the positioning is very similar to the iPhone X. Where the Aquos S3 one-ups the iPhone X is in the fingerprint sensor department. Apple got rid of Touch ID in favour of Face ID and although Face ID has held up pretty well, a lot of people miss the fingerprint sensor.
Early Leaks
The Sharp Aquos S3 does not leave out the fingerprint sensor. 2018 will also see a lot of smartphones integrating a more secure form facial recognition which is more than just software based. Huawei already unveiled its technology in late-2017 and the Huawei P11 and P11 Plus are expected to have facial recognition which can be used for banking.
The Sharp Aquos S3 is expected to be unveiled at MWC 2018.
The build-up to Xiaomi’s event at MWC 2018 is very confusing. While companies like Samsung have confirmed the rumours and announced that the Galaxy S9 and S9+ will be launched at MWC, Xiaomi has been rather quiet about it. It was believed that the company would launch the Mi 7 at MWC but, recently, rumours about the Mi Mix 2S have picked up.
However, a new leak focuses on the next ‘Mi’ flagship device, the Mi 7. A screenshot, believed to be a Mi 7 device, reveals a few key specifications of the upcoming smartphone. It claims that the smartphone will have 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. Powering the device will be a massive 4480 mAh battery, a considerable upgrade over the Mi 6’s 3,350 mAh battery.
As expected, it runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. What is a bit disappointing is that it has a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px instead of 1880 x 1440 px. Considering the fact that it is a flagship phone, the company should be pushing higher resolution for the device.
Early Mi 7 Renders
On the OS front is where the things get a bit sketchy. Xiaomi recently rolled out MIUI 9 for devices that were launched over 4 years ago but, the Mi 7 in this screenshot still runs MIUI 8. While it could be possible that MIUI 8.1.30X means the build is 30th January, and not an old UI, nothing is certain for now. What is certain is that any Xiaomi smartphone launched in 2018 will run MIUI 9 and not an older version.
Motorola’s 2017 flagship, the Moto Z2 Force will launch in India on the 15th of February. The company has sent out press invites for the event in Delhi which doesn’t mention any pricing details. However, with the launch of the device happening so late in India, we expect the company to price it competitively.
The Moto Z2 Force was launched globally in July 2017 and its entry in India has been long overdue. The Moto Z2 Force could be priced in India to compete with the likes of the OnePlus 5T and LG V30+. To sweeten the deal, Motorola could add the Moto TurboPower mod as well.
Moto Z2 Force Overview
The Moto Z2 Force has a 5.5 inch P-OLED display with a 2560 x 1440 px resolution. The Moto Z2 Force does not have Corning Gorilla Glass on top, instead has a plastic shattershield coating on top. This means that the Moto Z2 Force will survive drops more than a regular device with Corning Gorilla Glass. However, thanks to the presence of a plastic coating, it would be more susceptible to smaller scratches.
Under the hood, the device has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. The storage is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed on the front of the smartphone as it retains the size and design of a ‘Moto Z’ device. This is done to maintain compatibility with Moto Mods.
Moto Mods Compatible With Moto Z2 Force
Powering the device is a 2730 mAh battery with support for QuickCharge. Out of the box, the smartphone will run Android 7 Nougat but, it is expected to get Android 8 Oreo update soon.
The smartphone has a dual 12MP f/2.0 camera setup on the back. One of them has an RGB sensor while the other one has a monochrome sensor. On the front of the smartphone is a 5MP camera with a dual-tone LED flash.
