A lot of brands launched their newest smartphones for the first part of this year. Some of those phones, including the ASUS Zenfone 5, Samsung Galaxy S9, Sony Xperia XZ2, and the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2018 expo in February. Some other brands like Honor, Huawei, and Motorola…
A lot of brands launched their newest smartphones for the first part of this year. Some of those phones, including the ASUS Zenfone 5, Samsung Galaxy S9, Sony Xperia XZ2, and the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2s were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2018 expo in February. Some other brands like Honor, Huawei, and Motorola conducted separate launch events after MWC 2018 to unveil their latest phones. A few brands like HTC and OnePlus are yet to announce their smartphones for 2018. HTC is expected to unveil probably its last flagship smartphone, the HTC U12+, while OnePlus will soon announce the OnePlus 6.
Out of the all the smartphones launched during MWC 2018, only the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9+ have been launched in India. Phones like the Mi MIX 2s, Honor 10, Huawei P20, and the Moto G6 are yet to make their way to the country. If you’re in the process of buying a new smartphone soon, and are doing your own research on the best phone you could buy in your budget, you should first have a look at the list of phones that will soon be launched in India. The list also includes some phones like the Apple iPhone SE 2 and the Xiaomi Mi A2, which haven’t been announced yet. Let us have a look at the specifications, possible launch date, and expected pricing of these phones.
Samsung Galaxy S9+ Review
While there’s a lot of time before Apple announces the successors to the iPhone X and the iPhone 8 series, it will most probably announce a mid-range smartphone in the interim. While there have been conflicting reports on the existence and expected launch date of the iPhone SE 2, regulatory filings were done for eleven models of upcoming iPhones with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). EEC filings are usually done a month before the announcement date, and since the iPhone X and iPhone 8 successors will be released sometime in September 2018, we can expect these eleven iPhones to be variants of the iPhone SE 2.
Apple could unveil the iPhone SE 2 during the Worldwide Developers Conference 2018, and according to leaks and reports, the iPhone SE successor could have a 4.2-inch screen with thinner bezels. It could use the same metal-and-glass design as that of the iPhone X and the iPhone 8, and hence bring support for wireless charging. It is rumoured to be equipped with the A10 Fusion chipset, which could be paired with either 2GB or 3GB of RAM. It could be made available in two storage variants: 32GB and 128GB. It could feature a 12MP rear-facing camera with 4K video recording and a 5MP front-facing camera. It is expected to come packed with a 1700mAh battery.
It is expected to be announced on June 4,2018. The iPhone SE 2 could bear a starting price of Rs. 30,000 for the 32GB storage variant. The expected pricing of the 128GB storage variant could be somewhere in the vicinity of Rs. 35,000 in India. Apple’s strategy to release a cheaper smartphone such as the iPhone 5C failed, but the iPhone SE 2 could be an instant hit, especially if it features a bezel-less screen design and a price that’s cheaper than the iPhone 7 series (which is still being sold for Rs. 42,000).
The ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 will be the first result of the partnership between ASUS and Flipkart to launch customised smartphones in India with value-for-money price tags and features to suit the needs of consumers in the country. The name of the phone was announced on April 17,2018, and it is expected to be fully unveiled at an event on April 23. While the pricing of the phone wasn’t unveiled, it is being rumoured that the Zenfone Max Pro M1 will be priced somewhere around Rs. 15,000 and sold exclusively through Flipkart.
The ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 is also being launched in Indonesia, and the teaser images have revealed a lot of the phone’s features and specifications. It will have a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, and minimal bezels around the display. It will be equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, up to 6GB RAM, and up to 64GB of internal storage. There will be a microSD card slot for storage expansion. A base variant with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage can be expected. A dual-camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor will be present at the Zenfone Max Pro M1’s rear, and it can click portrait images. A 16MP camera will be present at the front with soft-LED flash.
Other features include pure version of Android with stock user interface. We expect it to run Android 8.0 or Android 8.1. The phone will also feature a 5-magnet speaker, a fingerprint reader at its rear, fast Face Unlock, a dual-SIM card slot, and a USB Type-C port. The phone will also come with a large-capacity battery at 5000mAh.
The Honor 10 was unveiled in China earlier this week, and it is an Honor counterpart of the Huawei Mate 20. It features a 5.84-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, and a bezel-less screen design, but with a notch near the front-facing camera. It has a dual-camera setup at its rear, consisting of a 24MP monochrome sensor and a 16MP colour sensor (with f/1.8 aperture). It can click portrait images and capture 4K videos. The front-facing camera uses a 24MP sensor to click selfies.
The Honor 10 runs Android 8.1 Oreo based EMUI 8.1 software. The Honor 10 is equipped with a Kirin 970 processor, 4GB/6GB RAM, and 64GB/128GB of internal storage. There’s no microSD card slot, though. It’s a dual-SIM phone with 4G LTE, gigabit Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone port. It has a front-facing fingerprint reader, a Hi-Fi audio chip (AK4376A), and a 3400mAh battery with Super Charge (5V, 4.5A). The phone could be launched in India with a price tag of Rs. 30,000 as a replacement for the Honor View10. However, there’s a possibility of Huawei snubbing its launch in favour of the Huawei P20 Pro.
The Huawei P20 Pro features a 6.1-inch AMOLED screen, while the Huawei P20 Lite uses a 5.84-inch LTPS screen. Both the phones have screens with Full HD+ resolution, 19:9 aspect ratio, and a screen notch. The P20 Pro and the P20 Lite run Android 8.1 Oreo based EMUI 8.1 software. The P20 Pro has a Kirin 970 chipset, 6GB RAM, and 128GB storage. The P20 Lite uses a Kirin 659 processor, 4GB RAM, and 32GB/64GB storage. Both phones have front-facing fingerprint readers, dual-SIM card slots, 4G LTE, GPS, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, and USB Type-C ports.
The Huawei P20 Pro has a triple camera sensor, consisting of a 40MP colour sensor, a 20MP monochrome sensor, and an 8MP 3x telephoto sensor. All the sensors are used to click excellent images. It can even capture portrait images and 4K videos. There’s a 24MP selfie camera at the P20 Pro’s front. The Huawei P20 Lite has a 16MP+2MP dual rear-facing camera with 1080p video recording. A 16MP front-facing camera is tasked with clicking selfies and capturing videos. The P20 Pro has a 4000mAh battery, while the P20 Lite has a 3000mAh battery.
The P20 Lite could be launched in India with a price tag of somewhere around Rs. 20,000, while the P20 Pro could be launched with a price tag of Rs. 40,000. Both phones will be launched exclusively through Amazon.in on April 24.
The Mi MIX 2s will succeed the Mi MIX 2, and features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD screen with bezel-less design and Full HD+ resolution. It runs Android 8.0 Oreo based MIUI 9.5 software. The phone is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB/8GB RAM, and 64GB/128GB/256GB storage. In India, Xiaomi could launch the variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. There’s a fingerprint reader at its rear.
It has a dual-12MP camera setup, with 2x optical zoom for the secondary sensor, dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus, 4-axis OIS, and 4K video recording. It can capture images with bokeh mode as well. There’s a 5MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1080p video recording. It has a dual-SIM card slot, GPS, dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. It lacks a 3.5mm headphone port. The phone is powered by a 3400mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0.
The phone could debut in India with a price tag of Rs. 35,999. Expect it to be launched in India in 8-10 weeks time to compete with the Honor P20 Pro and the OnePlus 6.
The Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus, and the Moto G6 Play, which were unveiled in Brazil earlier this week, could soon be launched in India. The Moto G6 Plus has a 6-inch IPS LCD screen with Full HD+ resolution, while the Moto G6 has a 5.7-inch screen with similar resolution. The Moto G6 Play has a 5.7-inch IPS LCD screen with HD+ resolution. All phones have metal-and-glass designs with water splash resistance. The Moto G6 Plus and the Moto G6 have 12MP+5MP dual-camera setups with dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus.
