Best Upcoming Smartphones of August 2017 – Expected Specs & Features

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In the first half of 2017, we have seen quite a few flagship smartphones with value for money price tags. There also several affordable smartphones launched in India in 2017. Now, the companies are getting ready to unveil their latest flagship devices in this second half. We will be seeing international launches of two flagship devices along with few budget smartphone launches in India. Talking about the international launches, as of now, there is no information about the India launch dates.

Scroll down to know more about the expected specifications and features of the upcoming smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Samsung has recently confirmed to launch the Galaxy Note 8 at the Unpacked event on August 23rd in New York. This new device will be the successor to the Galaxy Note 7 which is one of the biggest disasters in the company’s history. A few reports also suggest the company to offer the Galaxy Note 8 Emperor Edition boasting 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. On the front, we will be seeing the Infinity Display with Quad HD resolution. The Galaxy Note 8 also sports dual camera setup on the rear and is rumored to offers 3X optical zoom. Based on the rumors, we might see a 6.3-inch Quad HD curved display with Snapdragon 835 processor or Exynos 8895 processor. The battery on this device will be slightly smaller than the 3,500mAh battery on the Galaxy Note 7. It also comes with the Bixby AI and includes a dedicated physical button to trigger it. The fingerprint sensor still sits on the rear, and the device also features improved IRIS scanner. On the bottom edge, the device features a 3.5mm audio jack, USB Type-C port, S Pen, and loudspeaker. There will also be Samsung DeX support to use the Galaxy Note 8 as a desktop by connecting the monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

Nokia 8

At the MWC 2017, Nokia under HMD Global launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 Android powered smartphones. The Nokia 6 was launched in India exclusively through Amazon.in and the first sale is set to happen on August 23rd. From the last few months, there are many leaks and rumors about the upcoming Nokia flagship smartphone. Earlier this month, the company also sent out the media invite for a new product launch on August 16th, and it is expected to be the rumored Nokia 8. It will be running on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. Unlike the other flagship devices, the Nokia 8 might still come with thick bezels and capacitive navigation buttons. It also sports a wide physical home button with an integrated fingerprint sensor. As seen in the leaked images, the device features vertical camera stripe featuring dual camera sensors with Carl Zeiss lens. On the front, the Nokia 8 sports a 5.3-inch display offering Quad HD resolution. Under the hood, the device might be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor built on 10nm architecture. Based on the leaks, the Nokia 8 might come with dual 13MP sensors on the rear and a single 13MP sensor on the front for selfies. Instead of the USB Type-C port, the device might feature MicroUSB 2.0 port for charging.

JioPhone

Reliance Jio has announced the world’s first 4G VoLTE smartphone called JioPhone in India. The device will be effectively costing zero as the initial deposit of Rs. 1,500 will be refunded after completion of three years. It will be available for beta testing from August 15th, and the public pre-orders begin from August 24th. Though the company showcased only one variant on the launch stage, the JioPhone will be coming 5-6 different variants. All the variants will be powered by either by Snapdragon or Spreadtrum processors. A few variants will also support dual SIM but only works with the networks offering 4G VoLTE services. As of now, Jio 4G is the only VoLTE based service provider in the country, and Airtel plans to launch nationwide VoLTE services by March 2018. The JioPhone includes a built-in NFC chip to offer touch and go payments. It also supports screen mirroring for watching the content from the phone on the TV. However, the user has to opt for Rs. 309 monthly plan to get the screen mirroring option. The basic monthly plan costs Rs. 153 and comes with unlimited 4G data (FUP @ 500MB/day), voice calls, and SMS. The Rs. 309 plan offers the same benefits as the Rs. 153 plan, but the FUP increases to 1GB per day. All the pre-booked users can get the JioPhone from the nearby Reliance digital or Jio store from early September.

Lenovo K8 Note

After quite a few affordable Moto smartphones, Lenovo will be launching a new smartphone under its popular K-series. Instead of K7 Note, the company will be directly launching the K8 Note as the successor to the K6 Note. It will be officially unveiled on August 9th, and there is not much information about the device. With the intense competition between the Chinese brands, the company might offer better value for money specification. We expect the device to sport metal body along with the latest version of the Android. Based on the benchmark listing, the device might come powered by a MediaTek Helio X20 processor clocked at 1.4GHz. It will be coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The device will be supporting dual SIM dual standby and offers 4G VoLTE for using with the Jio 4G SIM. As seen with the recent Moto smartphones, the Lenovo K8 Note is expected to be sold via offline and online stores. Last year’s K6 Note came with a 5.5-inch display offering Full HD resolution. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor and includes 3GB of RAM. In the camera department, the K6 Note offers a 16MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera for selfies.

LG V30

Back in 2015, LG unveiled the new V-series by launching the LG V10 smartphone. It came with the secondary ticker display to show the time, notifications, and app shortcuts. Even the last year’s LG V20 also included the secondary display. While the LG V10 came with the dual camera setup on the front, the LG V20 featured it on the rear. Now, the company is all set to unveil the 3rd-gen LG V30 on August 31st at IFA 2017. Along with the 64GB storage variant, the device is also rumored to come with 32GB and 128GB storage options. While there is no confirmation, the device might use the Quad HD OLED panel. Instead of the secondary ticker display, the LG V30 sports the FullVision Display with a cut out for the front facing camera as seen on the Essential smartphone. The LG V30 will be the company’s first smartphone to use the Snapdragon 835 processor. Earlier launched LG G6 came with the Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor. The LG V30 will also be water and dust resistant, thanks to the IP68 certification. We might also see the Quad DAC and wireless charging support. It will be backed by a 3,200mAh non-removable battery and includes the 3.5mm audio jack. On the rear, the device sports the dual lens camera and a fingerprint scanner.

Blackberry KEYone

At the MWC 2017, TCL has officially launched the Blackberry KEYone smartphone. It comes with QWERTY keypad along with display offering 3:2 aspect ratio. It comes with an Aluminum frame with textured finish polycarbonate body. It is expected to launch here in India in the next few days and might come with a price tag for Rs. 39,999. The KEYone sports a 4.5-inch IPS display with Full HD (1620 x 1080 pixels) resolution. Beneath the display is the four-row QWERTY keyboard with Gesture support. The fingerprint sensor is integrated right into the Space key. It runs on the latest Android 7.1 Nougat OS with out of the box and includes DTEK and Blackberry Hub apps. The company also promises to release the Google security patch updates faster than other major manufacturers. It packs Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor that is known to offer better battery life. There is 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage that can be further expandable via MicroSD card slot. Talking about the cameras, there is a 12MP camera on the rear with PDAF and an 8MP camera on the front for selfies. It is backed by a 3,505mAh battery and supports fast charging using the USB Type-C port.

Nubia Z17

Nubia Z17 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone launched in China in May 2017. It comes with unibody metal design and sports dual camera setup on the rear. The device runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat based Nubia UI 5.0 and supports 3D Touch shortcuts as seen on the latest Google O Developer Preview. It sports a 5.5-inch two-sided bezel-less display with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution and is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. Under the hood, it houses the 64-bit Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor built on the 10nm FinFET process and comes coupled with Adreno 540 GPU. It includes 6GB/8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB/128GB of UFS 2.1 storage. We expect the company to bring only the 6GB RAM variant to India. In the camera department, there are 23MP & 12MP dual rear cameras with f/1.8 aperture and Sapphire glass protection. For selfies, there is also a 16MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and 80-degree wide angle lens. With the Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging technology, the 3,200mAh non-removable battery on this device can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 25 minutes. It measures 152.60 x 72.38 x 7.60 mm and weighs 173 grams.

Apart from the above mentioned devices, there will be few other launches happening in the month of August. Stay tuned on Phone Radar for more details!

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