It was on 15th August 2011 when Google bought the smartphone brand, Motorola. Before the purchase, Motorola segregated into two companies, Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility. It was Motorola Mobility which was responsible for manufacturing smartphone. This was also the company which Google bought. However, just three years after the Google and Moto merger, Google sold off Motorola to Lenovo, in 2014. Ever since Lenovo purchased Motorola, the company has been producing both mid-range and flagship smartphones. One such smartphone, the Motorola P30 is the latest offering from the company. It is worth noting that Motorola went out of its way to make this smartphone look eerily similar to the iPhone X. While using almost the same colour finish found on the Huawei P20.
The Motorola P30 has a 6.2-inch IPS LCD 2246 x 1080 px display. Protecting the panel is an unspecified version of Corning Gorilla Glass. Because of the elongated iPhone X like notch, the smartphone has an 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone runs the Lenovo ZUI 4.0 on top of the Android 8.0 (Oreo).
There is a triple camera setup on the Motorola P30 with two rear-facing and a single front-facing camera sensor. The rear-facing camera module has a 16 MP primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 5 MP secondary sensor. The front-facing camera module is a 20 MP shooter with f/2.9 aperture and LED flash.
The Motorola P30 runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset. The smartphone uses the Adreno 509 for graphics output. Powering the smartphone is a 3,000 mAh Li-Ion battery. The storage options available for the smartphone are 64GB and 128GB with 6GB RAM. The smartphone supports a microSD card of up to 256GB.
Pricing And Availability
Announced in China, the Motorola P30 is available for pre-order in the country. The company also plans on bringing the smartphone to other markets soon. There are a total of three colour variants of the smartphone, Aurora, Black, and White.
The trend of online multiplayer games has picked up the pace in recent years. One such multiplayer game, Fortnite, places a total of 100 players to compete against each other. The players land on a common map where they shall find resources and fight to become the last one standing. As a result, it has become one of the most downloaded games across all major platforms, making it an extremely popular multiplayer game. It was on 25th July 2017, when the game finally launched on a mobile platform. The iOS devices like the iPhones and iPads were the ones to first receive the game on a mobile platform. While the Android version of the game will initially be exclusive to the Galaxy Note 9, it will later be available on a few other smartphones. However, even the smartphones which support the game may run it on medium settings.
This list of smartphone compatible with Fortnite on Android leaked a while ago on Fortnite’s website. The list included the likes of Google Pixel, Huawei Mate 10, Razer Phone, and Nokia 6. Interestingly enough, the “flagship killer” OnePlus 6 was absent from the list. According to some reports, the new list suggests that most 2018 flagship devices will support the game. However, the default settings on these smartphones will be medium. On 9th August, Samsung has scheduled its Unpacked event in which it will unveil the new Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4. The game could be launching on the Samsung App store when the new Galaxy devices are unveiled. For the first month at least, the game might be exclusive to Samsung smartphone owners.
It is apparent with this list that most 2018 smartphones will be able to run the game easily. However, the fact which doesn’t seem fit well is that these devices will run the game on the medium setting by default. While this could just be the bare-minimum specs, we plan on digging deeper to find out more. So stay tuned as more on this will be soon available.
Apple had a good Q3 in 2018 earning US$11.5 billion in profits. There have been rumours of a Dual SIM iPhone set to launch this year. For Apple, a Dual SIM flagship smartphone would bode well for its sales figure, especially in the emerging Asian markets like India and China. However, a recent report suggests that Apple fans waiting for a Dual SIM iPhone, especially in India, may not be able to buy it. This Dual SIM smartphone will likely be launched with a 6.1-inch LCD display, this could be the iPhone 9. The other variants will likely sport a 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch display which would be the iPhone XI and iPhone XI Plus.
BEST OFFERS ON Apple iPhone X
According to the reports, Apple wants to launch the Dual SIM iPhone exclusively in China. The reason, as the report claims, is that the company plains on growing a strong foothold in the Chinese market. Currently, the major players in the Chinese market are companies like Huawei and Xiaomi. Apple iPhones account for less than 5% of the Chinese smartphone market share, hence this could be Apple’s strategy to rope in more customers. However, China is not the only market where Dual-SIM smartphones are popular. The Indian mid-range smartphone segment provides a buyer with plenty of Dual-SIM smartphone options. The fact that Apple may not be planning to sell a Dual SIM iPhone in India might disappoint a lot of loyal Apple fans eagerly waiting for the company to launch a Dual SIM flagship smartphone.
Apple’s Dual SIM iPhone will quite likely be the less costly variant in the 2018 iPhone lineup. Especially since the company is planning to launch it in a market where mid-range smartphones dominate the flagship lineup. With that said, the best bet for Apple fans in India should wait until Apple launches the new iPhone in its September event. In all likelihood, the news about a China exclusive Dual-SIM smartphone could be fake. So, stay tuned for our full coverage of the story.
It was with the release of the Apple iPhone X in 2017, that the rumours about the next Apple iPhone began. While Apple reported record profit earnings, the company dipped to the third position as a smartphone seller behind Samsung and Huawei, with 20.9 & 15.8% respective market shares. It is an undeniable fact that overall smartphone sales have taken a hit and are relatively low in the last two years. This is also one of the reasons why HTC recently decided to quit the Indian market. However, as Apple’s September iPhone event approaches, more leaks emerge for next generation devices from the company.
The leaked images showcase both the front and rear panels of these iPhones in black and white colour variants. The three alleged screen sizes are, 5.8-inch for the iPhone XI, 6.1-inch for the iPhone 9, and 6.5-inch for the iPhone XI Plus. It has become apparent from these images that the iPhone with 6.1-inch display also has a single camera, so, it’s safe to assume that this is the alleged more affordable 2018 iPhone 9.
All three devices appear to have a notch, so it is safe to assume that even the cheaper iPhone 9 along with the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones will have Face-ID. In the image it appears that the left most device will be iPhone XI and the right most will be the iPhone XI plus, both of which have a vertical dual camera. The middle one will have a single camera, may be dubbed the iPhone 9 and will be the most affordable of the 2018 iPhones. This naming system will also eliminate any confusion as Apple may continue to sell the iPhone X, hence in 2018 Apple iPhone 9, iPhone X and iPhone XI may be sold.
According to previous leaks, emerging markets like India and China could receive dual-SIM 2018 iPhone variants. These markets are also the key sales places for Apple and a dual-SIM iPhone could help improve the smartphone’s sales. Apple projected that it will bag even more profits in the fourth quarter of this. Since the company has been at the forefront of bringing feature-rich smartphones, albeit, at a hefty price, we look forward to see how the 2018 iPhone lineup performs. While there’s still a month before the new iPhones launch, you can go back to our Apple iPhone X vs Samsung Galaxy S8 Feat. Galaxy Note 8 video.
It is an undeniable fact that Apple iPhones have had a great impact in shaping the future of smartphones. Despite lacking GPS and video recording capabilities, the 2007 released iPhone did fairly well in the market. However, iPhones started gaining their popularity even more after the launch of the iPhone 3G with GPS. The Apple iPhone has evolved ever since, and now is among the top selling smartphones. All the iPhone models starting from 2013’s iPhone 5s had a fingerprint sensor. Apple used the physical home button of the iPhones as the fingerprint sensor until the iPhone 7 came along. With the iPhone 7, Apple introduced its “taptic” home button which uses haptic feedback instead of a physical button to produce a button like feedback. In 2017, however, the company entirely got rid of the home button and fingerprint sensor on one of the models the “iPhone X” and introduced the Face-ID unlock mechanism. Now new 2018 iPhone lineup is about to launch in September. The recent leaks for the smartphones are images of two display panels and the rear panels.
It becomes apparent from these images, the new 2018 iPhone lineup does not have any significant design changes. Also, the image of the rear panel of these iPhones reveals a single rear-mounted camera for the device with 6.1-inch LCD display. We can assume that this will be the cheaper 2018 iPhone. The 2017 iPhone X had a stainless steel frame so we expect the 2018 models to have a steel frame as well. However, the rumours also suggest that the iPhone with a 6.1-inch display will use an aluminium frame. An aluminium frame will help keep the cost of manufacturing the iPhone down, further providing evidence for a cheaper 2018 iPhone 9.
The images tweeted by the tipster Ben Geskin, suggest that the new 2018 iPhone with 6.1-inch display will have thicker bezels. As compared to the alleged iPhone X Plus which will have relatively slimmer bezels. Apple’s biggest competition during launch the Galaxy Note 9 is rumoured to have the “best” slow-motion recording camera @960fps. It will be interesting to see how the new iPhone cameras will perform against Samsung’s new offering.
The first Xiaomi smartphone to enter the Indian market was the Xiaomi Mi 3. The company launched the smartphone in July 2014. Since then, Xiaomi has produced smartphones in all the price segments. From budget-oriented devices to flagship smartphones. A TENAA listing suggests that the company might soon launch the Mi Note 4. We expect that the device will first be launched in China and then the company will organize a global launch if it does well in the Chinese market.
Mi Note 4
The TENAA listing of the Mi Note 4 suggests that smartphone would have both LTE and GSM capabilities. The specific model number which the TENAA listing certified is M1807E8A. Also, the images for the device reveal that the smartphone may feature a transparent rear-panel. This rear-panel is similar to the one on the Xiaomi Mi 8 – Explorer Edition. We speculate that the Mi Note 4 could sport a notch display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. According to rumours, the smartphone may also sport an OLED panel and a 3,100 mAh Li-Ion battery.
TENAA Listing
The trend with Xiaomi smartphones is that they run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. Regardless of whether the device belongs to the flagship or the budget segment. We think the trend of using a Snapdragon chipset will continue with the Mi Note 4 as well. The smartphone may either run on the Snapdragon 660 or the new Snapdragon 710 SoC. We can also see from the leaked TENAA images that the smartphone has a triple camera setup. Although not much is known about the specification of these sensors. We speculate that there will be three storage variants of the device. The smartphone may be available with 6/4GB RAM and 32/64/128GB storage.
TENAA Listing
The Mi lineup has always been competitively priced. So, the Mi Note 4 should also follow the same trend. The price we expect the smartphone to launch at is CNY 1,999 (Rs. 20,115.94 approx). We will keep an eye out for further development on this story so stay tuned.
One of the first smartphones to feature slow-motion video recording @960fps was the Sony Xperia XZ. Following Sony, smartphone manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei also introduced 960fps slow-mo recording. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is about a month away from release. The company might announce the smartphone at the Unpacked event, scheduled for August 9th. According to the latest rumours, the Note 9 may not only feature 960fps slow-mo video capturing but it will also record twice as long videos as the Galaxy S9. The Galaxy Note series is Samsung’s phablet (phone-cum-tablet) smartphone offering. With the Note series, Samsung has kept productivity as a priority. However, with the Note 9, Samsung could be opting for a gaming oriented marketing strategy.
Before its launch, Samsung has already teased few features of the Galaxy Note 9 through videos posted on YouTube. These features include a larger storage space and battery. So we assume that Samsung could be launching the Note 9 in 128GB, 256GB, and possibly 512GB variants. The smartphone may also have a 4,000 mAh battery. Which should be enough for the smartphone to easily last a day. The Galaxy Note 8 was able to record slow-motion videos at 240fps at 720p resolution. Whereas the Note 9 may record 960fps videos at the same or possibly higher resolution. If that is the case, then Note 9 could be one of the best slow motion recording smartphones available.
Flipkart has also teased the Galaxy Note 9 on its website. This could mean that the Note 9 may likely be a Flipkart exclusive device in India. We have already seen renders for the Galaxy Note 9 which suggest that the smartphone will have a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The Note 9’s 960fps video recording capabilities sound exciting on paper. However, we would need to test out the capabilities of the smartphone’s camera to see how it actually performs.
Arguably, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is one of the most anticipated smartphones by Samsung in 2018. Scheduled for 9th August 2018, Samsung could unveil the Galaxy Note 9 at the Unpacked event. There are other rumours which suggest there could also be a Galaxy Tab S4 unveiling at the event. So, before the smartphone and possibly the tablet unveils at the event, we have decided to round up everything we know about the Galaxy Note 9 so far.
Samsung unveiled the first phablet smartphone in October 2011, people were sceptical about a device with such a large screen. Later, in December 2011, that the Galaxy Note had sold 1 million units in two months. Clearly, the smartphone was a great success for the company. Samsung went on to release 8 versions of the Galaxy Note lineup. In 2016, Samsung launched the Note 7 which the company had to eventually recall due to issues with the battery. This led to severe damage to Samsung’s reputation and sales. In the year of 2017 however, despite several rumours of Samsung not continuing with the Note series, Samsung launched the Galaxy Note 8 which went on to become one of the most popular smartphones from the company. Samsung soon caught up in the race with a 20.5% market share in the first quarter of 2018. Now, the company is ready to unveil the 9th edition of the Note lineup; the Galaxy Note 9.
Galaxy Note 7
[section label=”Specification”]
Specifications
Rendered images of the Galaxy Note 9 revealed that it will feature a rear-facing fingerprint sensor. Also, through these renders, we got a rough idea about the smartphone’s design. This smartphone could share a lot in common with its predecessor, Galaxy Note 8. There is only one noticeable difference between the Note 8 and the “alleged” Samsung Galaxy Note 9. The fingerprint sensor on the Note 8 is alongside the cameras, whereas, the Galaxy Note 9 features the fingerprint sensor below its camera setup.
Galaxy Note 9 Render
The display on the Galaxy Note 9 could be a 6.3-inch Super AMOLED panel with 2960 x 1440 px resolution. While there is no notch on the display, Samsung’s “Infinity Display” could make for an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Since the Corning Gorilla Glass 6 is already unveiled, we expect Samsung to use it for its front and rear panels. As Corning allows design-customizability, we expect there to be a special edition smartphone featuring such a panel.
Galaxy Note 9
Samsung debuted the company’s first smartphone with a dual rear-facing camera with the Galaxy Note 8. The smartphone featured a triple-camera setup. The primary camera had a 12 MP sensor with f/1.7 aperture and a 12 MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture. This time around as well, the Galaxy Note 9 could have a 12MP wide-angle sensor along with a 12MP telephoto lens.
Galaxy Note 8 Camera
Under the hood, the smartphone could run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset for the US and South Korean markets. For the rest of the markets, the smartphone might run on the Exynos 9810 chipset which is a Samsung SoC. There may be three variants of the smartphone with 6GB of RAM along with either 64GB/128GB/256GB storage which will be expandable via microSD card. Samsung has also released a teaser video suggesting that the smartphone could sport a massive storage, further confirming the rumours. The most exciting news yet, is that the smartphone may feature a vapour chamber heat pipe. This is a cooling system, which was also featured in the Asus ROG Gaming Phone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16i8TH6lxmo
Samsung recently posted a video on YouTube which hinted at a possibly large battery for the Galaxy Note 9. So, we expect that the smartphone will have a 4,000 mAh battery with QuickCharge 4.0 support. Out of the box, the device could run on Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung’s Experience 9.0 UI on top.
[section label=”Pricing And Availability”]
Price And Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could start at a price of US $1,228 (Rs. 84652.18 approx) for the 128GB variant. This is quite close to the price of the iPhone X, which was launched in 2017. As previously mentioned, there could be three storage variants of the device and price may vary accordingly. However, leaks suggest that the 64GB and 256GB variants will not be sold in the European market. The 512GB variant of the smartphone may have a price tag of $1,465 (Rs.1,01,004.43 approx).
[section label=”New Features”]
New Features
Samsung also plans to launch the Galaxy Note 9 bundled with month-long exclusive rights for Fortnite on Android. So this means that smartphone could be marketed as a gaming oriented device. This also means that the smartphone could support Samsung Gear VR, which is the company’s virtual reality headset to offer VR-gaming with the smartphone. We will be closely covering the further leaks of the smartphone, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can go back to our first look and unboxing of the Galaxy Note 8.
Most smartphone manufacturers have already embraced the notch-display. Some have even taken it a step further and introduced an almost all-screen display. However, brands like Motorola and Sony are still releasing smartphones with a notch and relatively big bezels. A recent TENAA listing of an Android One Motorola has surfaced. The listing suggests there may be a Moto smartphone with notch-display after all. The company may call this smartphone the Motorola One Power. Many companies have released an Android One smartphone including the recent Xiaomi Mi A2. The earliest leaks of the Motorola One Power were a series of hands-on images of the smartphone showcasing the device from each angle.
The Moto X4 is the company’s only Android One device on sale presently. The certification posted on TENAA suggests a second Android One smartphone by the company. The listing also reveals the smartphone’s specification including a 6.18-inch TFT display with a resolution of 2246×1080 px. Since the smartphone will have a notch we predict that it may have an aspect ratio of 18.5:9.
Motorola One Power
There is no mention of the exact chipset for the Motorola One Power. The clock speed of this chipset is 1.8 GHz. The smartphone will be launched in three RAM variants and two storage variants. Options include 3GB, 4GB and 6GB RAM with either 32GB or 64GB storage. We think that the smartphone may run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset. This is a mid-range SoC which fits the smartphone’s price-point.
The primary camera will have an 8MP sensor along with another 8MP depth sensor. The listing also suggests the smartphone will be powered by a massive 4,850 mAh Li-Ion battery. This battery will be charged using a USB Type-C port.
While there is no release date for the Motorola One Power, we think it may launch soon. The smartphone may cost $400 (Rs. 27,474.00 approx). We will keep an eye out for further development in this story so stay tuned.
Google launched the Nexus 6P smartphone on 29th September 2015. Despite the fact that the Nexus line of smartphones did well in the market, Google pulled the plug on the lineup. The very first device in this lineup was the Google Nexus One, manufactured by HTC. After the discontinuation of Nexus, Google launched the Pixel smartphones. The Pixel devices replaced the Nexus devices to become the premium flagship smartphone offered by Google. However, Google still relies on other manufacturers to provide the hardware for the smartphones. The Google Pixel, first in the Pixel line of devices, launched on 20th October 2016 was manufactured by HTC as was the Pixel 2. However, the bigger variant of the Pixel 2, the Pixel 2XL was manufactured by LG. Since the Pixel is fairly new, there is no doubt that Google will release a third Pixel device. A series of images for the Google Pixel 3XL surfaced which gives an idea of how the smartphone may look like.
Google Pixel 3 XL Clearly White
The Google Pixel 3 could launch on 4th October this year, along with the Google Pixel 3XL. From the images, we can clearly see that Google has embraced the concept of a notch-display. While this may be a good news for some, most other expected Google to take a route which was different, may be pop up cameras. This would have allowed the company to use an almost completely bezel-less display instead of a notch. What is also worth noting is that prior to the White version, which Google likes to call “Clearly White”, photos of the smartphone’s black variant also surfaced. Google calls it, “Just Black”. As was the case with the previous Pixel devices, the Google Pixel 3Xl does not have a headphone jack either.
It also looks like Google could bring face-unlock features with the Google Pixel 3Xl and maybe even the Pixel 3. The images reveal dual front-facing cameras, while the rear camera still has just the one sensor. The Pixel 2 series had a similar setup for the main camera yet it was one of the best performing smartphone camera of 2017. Google emphasized on AI capabilities and features of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL. We expect that the Google Pixel 3 will also be marketed as a feature-packed AI smartphone.
Thanks to a completely stock version of the OS, Pixel smartphones are among the first to receive the latest Android updates. We expect the trend to continue with the Google Pixel 3XL and the Pixel 3 as well. Once the smartphone launches we’ll take a closer look at how it performs especially in the camera segment. Judging by the pricing of the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2Xl, we expect the Pixel 3 series to also come at a hefty price point. Stay tuned for further updates for the Pixel 3 series.
OnePlus has become a major smartphone brand in just a. few years. The OnePlus 6 is the company most popular device yet. And, if the company sticks to it launch pattern, then we will likely see the OnePlus 6T in the fourth quarter of 2018. However, before the smartphone launches, several renders of the device have surfaced which suggest that the smartphone might feature a pop-up selfie camera, much like that seen on the Vivo Nex. OnePlus has made sure that its fans get flagship specifications at a reasonable price. We are hoping that the trend continues with this smartphone as well.
OnePlus 6 Avengers Edition
What Do The OnePlus 6T Renders Reveal?
There are several image renders and video showcasing what a OnePlus 6T with a pop-up selfie camera could look like. The images of the smartphone also hint at in-display fingerprint sensor. What is also worthing noting, is that the rear panel of the smartphone reveals a third camera sensor for the primary camera setup. Except for the lack of notch and the third camera, the aesthetics of the smartphone follow the same pattern as the OnePlus 6. The pop-up selfie camera also has dual sensor, which means the smartphone could feature a more evolved face-unlock mechanism. Similar to the ones found on the Oppo Find X and even the iPhone X.
Our Predictions For The OnePlus 6T
The CEO of OnePlus announced previoulsy that the company would launch a OnePlus 6T only if there is anything new to offer. Since then, companies like Oppo launched its Find X smartphone and Vivo launched the Vivo Nex. Both of these devices feature an almost all-screen display with a pop-up selfie camera. These smartphones have potentially ushered the industry into a new domain of display real-estate. Which gives OnePlus an incentive to launch the OnePlus 6T. Corning Gorilla Glass have also announced their new Gorilla Glass 6which can be customized to create beautiful looking glass-back smartphones. This is also something the company could make use of.
We also predict that the smartphone will feature the same Snapdragon 845 found in the OnePlus 6. It is important to note that these are just image renders and could only be speculations.
Smartphones have been around for a while now. Ever since the first iPhone and the first Android Phone arrived, people have had an affinity towards owning a smartphone. In the past few years, smartphones have evolved a lot in terms of their aesthetics and performance. However, even to this day, we know that an average battery life of a smartphone is at most two days. This could soon change, as a few images a front and back panels of a Tesla smartphone were leaked.
Tesla Model 3 via arsTECHNICA
Why Might Tesla Make A Tesla Smartphone?
Tesla is a company which makes some of the most elegant looking, and high-performance electric cars. From the Model S to the Model X, Tesla cars have shown the world that electric cars can potentially outperform petrol or diesel cars. While smartphones with a Qualcomm chipset have Quick Charge capabilities, Tesla cars have Supercharger charging stations. These stations can charge a Tesla car in just half an hour. Tesla also makes its own batteries which can power an entire home and use solar energy for charging. Imagine such a company making a smartphone. The leaked images suggest this might not be a distant dream after all. A Tesla smartphone could change the way in which we perceive design, battery life, and overall performance of a smartphone. Hence it would make sense for Tesla to enter the smartphone market.
Tesla Model X
What Do The Leaks Reveal About The Tesla Smartphone?
As seen from the images, the front panel has a considerably thin notch cut-out. The back panel has a cut-out for the camera below which is the Tesla logo. Right below the logo the number 4 is inscribed after what seems to be the letter “Q”. So it is quite possible that the Tesla smartphone may launch at the Tesla “Q4”. With that said, we should keep our anticipations in check as these images could turn out to be fake or simply accessories for a smartphone. It is not really that hard to print smartphone panels using a 3-D printer.
Tesla Smartphone Leak
What Are Our Prediction For The Tesla Smartphone?
If Tesla will actually launch a smartphone then we expect it to have a giant battery packed into a small form factor. Tesla may also closely integrate its smartphone companion app for Tesla cars with the device. The smartphone could also have an in-display fingerprint sensor and a face unlock. Since its cars have focussed on implementing AI and autonomous functionality, we could see those features in its smartphone as well.
Companies like Huawei have partnered with car companies in the past to launch their smartphones. Huawei launched the Porche design Mate RSin partnership with Porche. The recently launched, Oppo Find X also has a special Lamborghini Edition. So there is also a possibility that this smartphone could be a special edition variant from one such company. Tesla or Elon Musk are yet to comment on these leaks and put an end to speculations once and for all. Nonetheless, we will be on the lookout for more news about the Tesla smartphone.
Sony might release the Sony Xperia XZ3 in its IFA 2018 press conference scheduled for 30th August. However, before the launch, the leaks for the smartphone reveal that it might have an all glass or at least a glass back design and no headphone jack. We speculate that this smartphone could feature the Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which launched on 18th July.
There is no doubt that Sony is one of the top camera sensors manufacturers. Many smartphone brands use these sensors for their devices. However, its own smartphone lineup has not been doing so well. While the company had a relatively profitable year in 2017, the profits made were because of the price cuts. Sony does not lack behind when it comes to bringing innovation with its smartphones. With the Xperia XZ2, Sony became the first brand to introduce a 4K HDR display on its device, along with 960 fps slow-motion video recording capabilities. Even with such innovative features, Sony has not been doing well in the market. The reason could have something to do with the lack of design changes in its smartphones. The new leaked renders for the Sony Xperia XZ3 also seem to hint at the same design the company followed with the Xperia XZ2 lineup.
Left: Xperia XZ2, Right: Xperia XZ3
If the image above is anything to go by then, the company has again decided not to dwell into design changes with the Sony Xperia XZ3. Apart from curved edges on the display not much seems to have changed in the new smartphone.
Xperia XZ3
While this image shows the device in a black colour variant, other renders reveal white/silver variant as well. What is worth noting, is that in any of the renders, we could not find a headphone jack. Apart from the design, this is also something that the smartphone has in common with its predecessor. The renders of the Sony Xperia XZ3 also show that the smartphone has a single rear-facing camera. Right below the camera, you will find the fingerprint sensor.
Xperia XZ3 Renders
It is clear from the renders that the design changes will be to a bare minimum if any. What remains to be seen is what new features the Sony Xperia XZ3 would bring which we haven’t already seen in 2018. Although very little is known about the smartphone but we speculate that it will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Chipset and have AI capabilities in its camera. A benchmark with a model number H8416 has appeared on GFXBench featuring a camera with whopping 47MP resolution. We expect this to be the Sony flagship cameras for future smartphones, and yo may see major brands utilise this. Sony recently launched the 48MP IMX586 sensor which could be this very sensor.
Sony has suffered in the market due to poor pricing decisions, especially in a price sensitive market like India. The company also has been late to the market with its smartphones. And lastly, the specifications Sony chooses for its devices are seldom up to the mark, especially the design. If the company can make the necessary changes, it can potentially give the likes of Samsung and Apple a run for their money.
Ahead of its launch on 9th August, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has already caught a lot of attention. There are a lot of rumours, leaks, and speculations about the smartphone. We already know about the all-new S-Pen and its Bluetooth connectivity. Now a leak suggests that Samsung will launch a 512GB storage variant of the smartphone.
In previous leaks of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, we saw a few of its colour variants, namely, Black, Brown, Lilac Purple, and Coral Blue. Some of the images also showed a few colour variants of the S-Pen as well.
Comparing these images with the Galaxy Note 8, we see that there is not a significant change in the design. There is only one noticeable difference between the Note 8 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. While the fingerprint sensor on the Note 8 is alongside the cameras, the Galaxy Note 9 features the fingerprint sensor below its camera setup.
Galaxy Note 8 Fingerprint
Samsung has been closely competing with Apple in terms of their flagship pricing. While the older Galaxy Note 8 started at a price of Rs. 67,900, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 could start at a price of US $1,228 (Rs. 84652.18 approx) for the 128GB variant. This is quite close to the price of the iPhone X, which was launched in 2017. There may be 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB variants of the device. However, the leak suggests that the 64GB and 256GB variants will not be sold in the European market. The 512GB variant of the smartphone may have a price tag of $1,465 (Rs.1,01,004.43 approx). We are hoping that the smartphone features the new Gorilla Glass 6 considering the price point of the device.
A general expected price point even for a flagship was close to about $600 – $700 (Rs. 41,000 to Rs. 48,000). After the launch of iPhone X, the price of a smartphone is now comparable to a top of the line laptop. Now with Samsung Galaxy Note 9, we are approaching new price points for smartphones, this smartphone price trend is a bit concerning. However, we can take comfort in the fact that mid-range smartphones are now offering flagship-like performance for a significantly cheaper price point.
Launched on the 3rd of November 2017, the iPhone X has definitely brought some nifty features to the table. To name one, FaceID is by far the most secure unlocking mechanism in a smartphone. Which is why Apple was confident enough to skip out on the fingerprint sensor on the iPhone X. The decision to do away with the fingerprint sensor has probably set another trend after the notch-display. The Oppo Find X is among the first Android smartphones to embrace this concept. The 2018 Apple iPhone lineup has been hit with leaks and speculations for quite a while now. The recent leak shows three front panels, which we assume are for the three variants of the device.
A Tipster by the name Ben Geskin revealed the screen-size of each of the iPhones. The image of the front panels reveals there will be three variants of Apple’s 2018 smartphones. One with a 5.8-inch display, another with a 6.1-inch display, and the third with a gigantic 6.5-inch display.
iPhone Screen Size Leak
Taking the image as a reference, it is safe to say that Apple will release the three Apple iPhone variants this year. This keeps up with the rumour of there being two flagship devices, a 2018 iPhone X and an iPhone X Plus. The third device could be the “cheaper” iPhone.
The 2017 iPhone X had a 5.8-inch 2436 x 1125 px OLED True Tone Super Retina display with minimal bezels around it. Out of the box, the device ran on iOS 11. The iPhone X was powered by a 3,000 mAh battery which charges Apple’s lightning port. We suspect that the new iPhones will have a similar setup, with the exception of the “cheaper” iPhone.
Since Apple was big on AI last year, we think that the trend will continue in 2018 as well. The last year’s device featured the Apple A11 Bionic chipset with a neural engine. The camera setup may also see improved specifications.
The massive event in September will definitely be one of the most exciting updates for Apple fans this year. If the rumours turn out to be true, then it will be interesting to see what segment the cheaper 2018 iPhone variant will be priced at. We will keep an eye out for all the necessary updates, so stay tuned to iGyaan and comment below and let us know what you think about this latest leak.
