This week we saw the launch of eight devices including seven smartphones and one feature phone.
InFocus launched an Aadhaar enabled smartphone this week, the Bingo 20 (M425) which will authenticate one’s Biometrics using the iris scanner. The device is priced at Rs 12,000. The Bingo 20 (M425) comes with a 4.5-inch display. The device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with 4G-VoLTE support. Inside, it is powered by a 1.5GHz Quad-Core Spreadtrum SC9830 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB internal storage which is expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. For the camera, there is an 8-megapixel Autofocus rear camera with LED flash combined with a 5-megapixel front facing the camera. To juice up, there is a 2300 mAh battery.
Boasting about the Aadhaar authentication support, InFocus claims that it has received Standardization testing and Quality Certification (STQC) from the Indian Government. Further, the company is also expected to launch more devices which will support the Aadhaar based biometric authentication.
LG launched LG V20 smartphone in India this week for Rs 54,999. The V20 comes bundled with complimentary B&O headset worth Rs 18,000 and comes in Titan, Silver and Pink colour options. LG V20’s body is made of aluminium AL6013 alloy, which is being used to build aeroplanes and boats as well. LG also claimed that the smartphone can withstand extreme environmental conditions including shock for which it has got MIL-STD-810 certification. The LG V20 features a Dual display including a primary 5.7-inch Quantum display that comes with QHD (2560×1440 pixels) Resolution and a secondary 2.1-inch screen with 160 x 1040 pixels resolution. The smartphone is armed with quad-core Snapdragon 820 processor, which is paired with Adreno 530 GPU. It comes with 4GB of RAM, 64GB internal storage, and expandable storage of up to 2TB with micro SD card. The LG V20 is the first smartphone which comes pre-installed with Android 7.0 Nougat.
On the rear panel of LG V20, there are two cameras of which one is of 16-megapixel resolution that comes with OIS, Hybrid Auto-Focus (includes Laser auto-focus, PDAF, contrast auto-focus), f/1.8 Aperture and dual-tone LED Flashlights. The second camera is a wide-angle 8-megapixel fixed focus unit. The V20 has a 5-megapixel selfies camera in its front. The smartphone houses a fingerprint scanner, which is integrated on the back panel and also comes with USB Type-C port.
The LG V20 comes packed with 3200mAh removable battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology. Besides, the smartphone offers 4G LTE, WiFi (802.11 ac), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, and NFC. Moreover, LG V20 comes with a 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) thus promising superior audio experience through wired headphones. The smartphone measures 159.7 x 78.1 x 7.6mm and weighs 174 grams.
Lenovo added another member to its Phab series with the launch of Phab 2 in India. The smartphone comes with a price tag of Rs 11,999 and is available exclusively on Flipkart.
The Lenovo Phab 2 sports a 6.4-inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1280×720 pixels. On the hardware front, the device is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT8735 SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 128GB. On the camera front, the smartphone sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with PDAF and LED flash, while on the front there is a 5-megapixel sensor with 85-degree wide-angle lens for selfies and video calling. The company also claims that the smartphones come with some augmented reality (AR) effects in the camera app, just like we saw in the Lenovo Phab 2 Plus.
On the software front, the device runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and comes with a massive 4050mAh battery. On the connectivity front, the Dual-SIM smartphone supports 4G LTE, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS support. The Lenovo Phab 2 will be available in Champagne Gold and Gunmetal Grey colour options.
Micromax Vdeo 1 and Micromax Vdeo 2
In a bid to popularise the video calling feature in India, Micromax announced a whole new range of entry-level 4G-enabled smartphones, Vdeo 1 and Vdeo 2, in India. To sweeten the deal, the company has also bundled Jio sim will the devices but activation and verification for the sim need to done separately. Apart from that Google’s video calling app, Duo, has also been preloaded onto the device.
The Micromax Vdeo 1 is priced at Rs 4,440, while the Vdeo 2 comes with a price tag of Rs 4,990. Both the devices will be available in offline retail stores only.
The Vdeo 1 comes with a 4-inch WVCA display, while the Vdeo 2 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA display. On the hardware front, both the devices are powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Both the smartphones sports a 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras and runs on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The Vdeo 1 juiced by a 1,600mAh battery, while the Vdeo 2 is powered by a 1,800mAh battery. On the connectivity front, both the devices support 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
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Alcatel Idol 4
Alcatel also announced the launch of its new flagship device with VR headset, named Idol 4 in this week. The smartphone is priced at 16,999 and is exclusively available through Flipkart. The device comes in Gold, Metal Silver and Dark Grey colour options.
One of the major highlights of the smartphone is the boom key feature. In it with a single press of a button you can control camera, gallery, videos, music, games and more. So, for example, when you press and hold the button, it will make the camera to into burst mode, whereas if you were to press it while recording a video it will broadcast the video live. Additionally, the device also comes bundled with a VR headset and JBL stereo headsets. It comes with dual stereo speakers which are powered by Waves MaxxAudio technology.
On the specification front, the Alcatel Idol 4 sports a 5.2-inch FHD IPS display with a screen resolution of 1080×1920 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a dated octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor. The device is backed by a 3GB and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expanded up to 512GB via microSD card.
The smartphone flaunts a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, dual-tone LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF and EIS. For the front, the device comes with an 8-megapixel camera. The Idol 4 is powered by a 2610mAh battery with Quick Charge support and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. On the connectivity front, the smartphone offers Dual SIM, 4G/LTE, WiFi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), WiFi Direct, micro-USB port, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and GPS/A-GPS. The handset measures 147×72.5×7.1mm and weighs 130 grams.
Lava Metal 24
In the week of smartphones, Lava launched a new feature phone – Metal 24 later in the week. Expanding its Metal series of Dual SIM features phones, the Metal 24 is priced at just Rs 2,000. Coming in black and gunmetal colour, the feature phone will be available in various retail and multi-brand out across the country.
For the design, Metal 24 features a Metal back finish with a 2.4-inch QVGA screen at the front. There is a 1.3-megapixel camera with flash at the back which can both capture and record photos and videos. On the inside, the Metal 24 is powered by an MTK6261D processor and also supports memory expansion up to 32GB via microSD card. The device also features a 3.5mm Headphone jack and FM radio (with recording) functionality.
For entertainment, Lava’s Metal 24 come with a couple of games pre-loaded on the device – Snake and Need for Speed. To power up the device, Lava has given a solid 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery. Apart from the above features, the device also comes with Bluetooth 3.0, internet browsing (EDGE), Dual SIM functionality and USB-PC connectivity. On top of this, the feature phone from Lava also comes with 1 Year manufacturer warranty and 6-months warranty for in-box accessories (battery,headset,charger and USB cable).
Panasonic Eluga Prim
At the end of this week, Panasonic announced the launch of its new smartphone under its Eluga series, which is named as Panasonic Eluga Prim. It is priced at Rs 10,290 and will be available in retail stores across India.
Panasonic Eluga Prim has an all-metal unibody design and features a 5-inch HD 2.5D curved Asahi enhanced glass display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. It is powered by a 1.25GHz quad-core processor. The smartphone comes with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be further expandable1 up to 128GB via microSD card.
The Eluga Prim smartphone runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with Android-For-Work functionality for enhanced security and is backed up by a 2500mAh battery. On the camera front, the smartphone offers a 13-megapixel camera with Triple LED flash, f/2.0 aperture and a 5-megapixel front facing the camera for selfies and video chats. The smartphone also houses a fingerprint scanner, which is embedded in its home button. Besides, the device offers Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, GPS/AGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, FM with RDS, a microSD Card, Proximity, Accelerometer, and Ambient Light Sensor. The smartphone comes in Gold with White Display Panel & Gun Metal Silver with Black Display Panel. The handset weighs 145 grams.