The iPhone 8 launch date is official as Apple has begun sending out invitations to an event on September 12 at the Steve Jobs Theater on its new campus in Cupertino, California. In addition to the iPhone 8, the company is also expected to unveil the iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus, as well as an upgraded Apple TV model with 4K and HDR support. Also expected at the iPhone 8 launch event on September 12 are LTE-enabled Apple Watches that make the wearable much less reliant on iPhones.
LG V30, V30+ smartphones launched at IFA 2017LG has launched the V30 smartphone at IFA 2017 after months of speculation. The smartphone has a 6-inch OHD+ OLED FullVision Display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. Aside from the bezel-less display; the new LG V30 boasts flagship features like Bang & Olufsen audio, MIL-STD 810G rating for durability, along with IP68 dust and water resistance. One of the highlights of the LG V30 is the dual camera setup on the back with a 16-megapixel camera with an f/1.6 aperture, a first on a smartphone; there’s also the 13-megapixel with a 120-degree wide angle and an f/1.9 aperture on the front. The Snapdragon 835 SoC powers the V30 with 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 64GB of storage. LG also launched a higher storage variant of the V30 called the V30+ with 128 GB of built-in storage.
Sony Xperia XZ1, XZ1 Compact, Xperia XA1 Plus unveiled at IFA 2017Sony has launched the Xperia XZ1, Xperia XZ1 Compact, and the Xperia XA1 Plus smartphones at the IFA 2017 show. The Xperia XZ1 has a 5.2-inch full HD display. It has a Motion Eye 19-megapixel Exmor RS camera on the back capable of 960fps slow-motion video recording like the Xperia XZ Premium, in addition to 4K -video recording. The new flagship comes with an Android 8.0 Oreo update, making it one of the first non-Google devices. Xperia XZ1 Compact has a 4.6-inch display with HD resolution. The Xperia XZ1 and Xperia XZ1 Compact are powered by Snapdragon 835 SoC and 4GB of RAM. On the other hand, Sony’s Xperia XA1 Plus is a mid-range smartphone powered by the Helio P20 octa-core processor. It has a 5.5-inch full HD display, a 23-megapixel rear camera, and an 8-megapixel selfie camera.
In addition to the new Xperia smartphones, Sony launched the smart speaker with Google Assistant. The speaker offers Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity options and NFC for pairing. Sony also launched three new Bluetooth noise-canceling models; WF-1000X are Airpods style wireless earbuds, while WF-1000X and WF-1000XM2 are Bluetooth headphones.
Xiaomi Mi 5X will not be launched in India next week. We already know that Xiaomi is teasing the launch of a new smartphone next week. While most speculate that the Mi 5X would be the prime candidate for the launch, a recent teaser from Xiaomi confirms to some extent that the smartphone will be an all-new series. It could be a brand-new device, sparking speculation about the Mi 5X-inspired Android One smartphone.
Moto X4 is expected to launch at IFA 2017Moto’s upcoming smartphone in the X-series, the Moto X4 is expected to launch at IFA 2017, according to popular tipster Roland Quandt. The tipster shared an image showing a Moto X4 stall at the expo, confirming an imminent launch. Reported leaks point to a 5.2-inch full-HD display expected to be powered by a Snapdragon 630 SoC. The device is expected to launch with two variants for $349.99 (about 22,400) and $399.99 (about 25,600).
Paytm Payments Bank is open to all consumers. You can only use the company’s banking services through the Paytm apps – you can’t sign up through the web browser, nor are there any physical branches where you can sign up. The Paytm Payments Bank is now available to all users in the beta version months after its launch in May. Now with the latest app update, the Paytm Payments Bank is open to all users on both Android and iOS.
Nokia 130 is now on sale in India. The Nokia 130 (2017), unveiled last month, is now on sale in India through offline stores. The feature phone will be available in three variants: red, gray, and black. HMD Global touts Gameloft’s “try and buy” game bundle that it shipped with the phone. The dual SIM Nokia 130 (2017) costs Rs. 1,599 in India and features a VGA rear camera and support for MP3 files. There is 4 MB of RAM, 8 MB of storage, and a microSD card slot with cards up to 32 GB.
Intex Aqua Note 5.5 launched in India Indian smartphone maker Intex has launched a new 4G VoLTE smartphone in the form of the Aqua Note 5.5. The smartphone has a 5.5-inch HD display and is powered by a MediaTek MT6737 SoC coupled with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. It has an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. Priced at Rs 6,199, the highlight of Note 5.5 is the selfie flash and the Android Nougat that comes out of the box.
Jio leads the data card market; Lenovo beats Samsung in tablet sales. Reliance Retail’s JioFi continued to dominate the data card segment with a market share of 91 percent, leaving Huawei far behind with a meager 3 percent. A report from CyberMedia Research attributes this huge lead to the launch of consecutive free data services by Reliance Jio, followed by the availability of Mi-Fi data cards at various prices.
Things are moving in the tablet market, too, as Lenovo beat Samsung to take the top spot in the tablet market in India, according to IDC. Lenovo had a 21.8 percent market share in the second quarter of 2017, the market research firm says, while Samsung dropped to second place (maintaining shipment volume from the previous quarter) with a market share of 20.6 percent.
The Skype Lite app can now send and receive text messages. Skype Lite adds the ability to send and receive text messages. Microsoft differentiates Skype Lite by boasting about SMS Insights, a feature that extracts useful information from your collected letters. It organizes and sorts messages based on the information they contain using Microsoft’s Machine learning models. Of course, Microsoft isn’t the only company to support traditional text messaging; several instant messaging clients, including Facebook Messenger, already do.
Google Assistant is now on third-party smart speakers and LG devices. At its ongoing IFA 2017 event, Google announced that its virtual assistant would no longer be exclusive to its Google Home smart speaker. The Google Assistant will soon be available in new third-party speakers, starting with Anker’s Zolo Mojo, Mobvoi’s TicHome Mini, and Panasonic’s GA10. The tech giant also announced a partnership with LG to integrate Google Assistant into its consumer devices, allowing users to control it with their voice.
Nubia Z17 Lite with 6 GB RAM launched ZTE-owned Nubia has launched the Nubia Z17 Lite, a lightweight version of its Nubia Z17 smartphone. The new Nubia Z17 Lite has a Snapdragon 653 SoC, 6 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, DTS sound support, edge-to-edge display, and Quick Charge 3.0, with the 13-megapixel dual camera on the rear being the highlight. The Nubia Z17 Lite is priced at CNY 2,499 in China (approximately 24,700) and will be available in China from September 6 in Gold, Blue, and Black colors.
Disclosure: Paytm’s parent company, One97, is an investor in Gadgets 360.
