Weekly Wrap-Up #13 : Lenovo Z1, Canvas Mega 2, Coolpad Note 3 Plus, Free Jio 4G Data & More…
In the first week of May 2016, we have entry-level smartphones launched by the Indian manufacturers. This week we got some information launches by Chinese manufacturers in India and also in their home country. Below are few other devices that are launched here in India and other countries as well. Reliance’s Jio announced referral program where the users get unlimited 4G data, and voice calls free for three months.
- In 2014, OnePlus moved from Cyanogen OS to its in-house Oxygen OS because of the exclusive partnership between YU Televentures and Cyanogen in India. Now it seems that Cyanogen OS is no more exclusive to YU Televentures in India since Lenovo will be launching its first Cyanogen OS powered device in India in the next couple of days. ZUK is the sub-brand of Lenovo that was launched to compete against OnePlus and Xiaomi.
- By the end of May 2016, Android 6.0 Marshmallow is running on 7.5% of the total active Android devices. The latest available version of Android has seen almost 40% compared to 4.6% in April. A year old Lollipop stands in first place with a market share of 35.6% and is followed by Kitkat with 32.5%. Android 6.0 Marshmallow accounted for 1% of total active devices after five months after the public release in September 2015.
- From the beginning of 2016, there are rumors that the upcoming iPhone 7 will skip the 3.5mm audio port. Even before Apple has done that, LeEco launched three new superphones Le 2, Le 2 Pro, Le Max 2 without the audio port; the device package includes earphones with a USB Type-C port. Now the leaked circuit board of iPhone 7 is similar to that of iPhone 6S, and the 3.5mm audio port will be present as on earlier iPhones. Earlier Apple is said to make the device 1mm slimmer by removing the audio port.
- Reliance’s Jio is still limited to its employees, and there is no info about the public launch date. But with the invite program, the Reliance employees can refer ten of their friends to try out the Jio services for free for the first three months. Those who got the invite need to purchase the LYF 4G Smartphone where they will get the Jio SIM card. The users will get free digital services from eight Jio apps along with unlimited 4G data, voice calls and video calls for free the first three months.
Along with some mid-range device with aggressive pricing, we have also seen some affordable devices with basic specifications. The iBall Andi 5N Dude is the latest affordable smartphone launched in the Indian market at a price of Rs. 4,099. It runs on years old Android 4.4 Kitkat out-of-the-box. The device features a 5-inch FWVGA (854 x 480 pixels) IPS display and is powered bu MediaTek quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz.
It includes just 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal storage along with a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion upto 32GB. The device supports dual SIM dual standby but misses the 4G LTE. It has a 5MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a 0.3MP front camera. The device is kept powered on by a 2,000mAh battery. Connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, and a MicroUSB 2.0 port. The Andi 5N Dude will be available only in Gold color.
Intex, one of the India’s largest smartphone manufacturer, launched a new entry-level smartphone called Aqua Lions 3G. It comes with dual SIM supports and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop. At a price of Rs. 4,990 the device lacks the 4G LTE support while there are other which offers the same at this price range. The device is backed by a 3,500mAh battery that is rated to deliver 8 hours of talk time and lasts upto 20 days on standby.
It sports a 5-inch display with HD (1280 x 720 pixels) resolution. Under the hood is an unknown quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The device includes 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage that can be expanded additionally upto 32GB via MicroSD card slot. In the camera department, it has a 5MP sensor on the back and 2MP sensor on the front. It measures 145 x 71.5 x 9.5 mm and weighs 172 grams. The device can be purchased across India via online and offline stores.
Lenovo will be launching its upcoming smartphones Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus in India later this month. In between, the company is also launching the “Lenovo Z1 powered by ZUK” on May 10th in India, this same device was launched in China as ZUK Z1 in 2015. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop based Cyanogen OS 12.1 out-of-the-box. We can also expect it come with Marshmallow since the international users already received the latest Android update.
It features a 5.5-inch Full HD display and comes powered by years old Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz. The device includes 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage without MicroSD card slot. It packs a 13MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP front camera. The Z1 is backed by a whopping 4,100mAh that easily last more than a day of usage. The Home button on the front also houses the fingerprint sensor.
After launching the popular Coolpad Note 3 and Note 3 Lite, Coolpad launched the Note 3 Plus priced at Rs. 8,999. The Note 3 Plus is the same Note 3 that was launched last year but comes with a Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display. The device will be exclusively sold through Amazon India starting from May 13th. It will be available in both Gold and White colors. The device comes with a polycarbonate body and features a fingerprint sensor on the rear.
The device sports a 5.5-inch Full HD display and is powered by 1.2GHz MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor. It includes 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion. In the camera department, it includes a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The device is kept powered on by a 3,000mAh battery that might at least give a single day of usage. It measures 151 x 77 x 9.3 mm and weighs 168 grams.
Like the other Indian smartphone manufacturers, Micromax also launched an entry-level smartphone last week. The Micromax Canvas Mega 2 comes with a huge 6-inch display and is priced at Rs. 7,999. Even with a bigger display, the device is limited to just qHD (960 x 540 pixels) resolution. On the back, it comes with a textured finish that offers nice grip to hold on to the 6-inch device. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box.
Under the hood, the Mega 2 is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core processor and coupled with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. There is also a MicroSD card slot for storage expansion upto 32GB. It sports an 8MP autofocus rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The device supports dual SIM dual standby and offers 4G LTE. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, MicroUSB port along with 4G LTE.
HTC launched the successor for mid-range Desire 820 in Taiwan last week. The all new Desire 830 comes with a front-facing BoomSound speaker with Dolby Audio support. It runs on Android 6. Marshmallow based Sense UI overlaid. The device is priced at approximately at Rs. 20,000 price range and is built out of plastic. It features a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display and is powered by Helio X10 octa-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz.
The Desire 830 includes 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage that can be expanded additionally upto 128GB. It packs a 13MP camera with f/2.0 aperture and OIS (optical image stabilization) on the back. For selfies, it sports a 4MP ultra pixel camera with the same f/2.0 aperture. The device is kept powered on by a 2,800mAh battery. It will be available in Blue and Red colors. As of now, there is no information about international availability.
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