Weekly Wrap-Up #40 : Pixel 2, LG V30, Redmi Note 5A, Huawei Mate 10, Comio & More….

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The latest PhoneRadar weekly wrap-up is here with all the latest happenings around the smartphones and mobile technology. We will be seeing a few flagship launches in the next few weeks along with a couple of India-specific launches. Also, expect to see more leaks about the upcoming flagship devices. In case if you are interested to know more about the upcoming launches, check out our list of upcoming smartphones expected to launch in the month of August 2017.

Let’s take a look at the news from the last week:

• Google will be launching the second-gen Pixel smartphone in the next few weeks. While there are many leaks about the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, the Pixel 2 listing on FCC website has revealed few key features. Just like the Pixel and Pixel XL, the new Pixel 2 will also be manufactured by HTC. However, the leaks suggest LG to manufacture the Pixel 2 XL. The Pixel 2 will be launched with a new feature called Active Edge. It works same as the Edge Sense feature on the recently launched HTC U11. The user can squeeze the phone from the side edges to access pre-selected features. The Pixel 2 comes with the model number NM8G011A and is mentioned to run on Android 8.0.1 (Oreo?). It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor and comes coupled with Adreno 540 GPU. The Pixel 2 is mentioned to come with 64GB storage and supports NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.
• In the next few days, Samsung will be launching the Galaxy Note 8 as the successor to Galaxy Note 7. FYI, the Galaxy Note 7 was pulled out of the market after many units are blasted with defective batteries. Last week, the refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 4 batteries were recalled in the U.S. However, the devices under the AT&T’s insurance program are only affected by the defective batteries. Unlike the Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy Note 4 comes with a removable battery. Samsung has nothing to do with this incident as the faulty batteries are provided by FedEx Supply Chain in the U.S. The U.S regulator website also advised the consumers to stop using the recalled battery and power down their smartphone. All the affected consumers will receive the new replacement battery from FedEx Supply Chain along with a fireproof postage box to return the defective battery. The replacement batteries don’t come from Samsung, and this insurance program is independently operated.

• The Chinese smartphone brand, OnePlus has confirmed that the Android O update will be last major Android OS update for their last year’s smartphones. OnePlus Product Head, Oliver Z has posted on the OnePlus forum suggesting the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T smartphone will not receive any more major Android OS updates after the upcoming Android O upgrade. Earlier this year, the company also announced the OnePlus 2 will not receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update. OnePlus seems to be strictly following the rule to offer just two major Android OS updates for their smartphones. Many other major manufacturers offer software support at least for two years. However, the company will be releasing the security patch updates for the foreseeable future. The 2017 flagship smartphone OnePlus 5 has already received the new OxygenOS 4.5.8 update earlier this month. The same update will be available for the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T devices in the coming weeks.
• LG has already confirmed to launch the LG V30 flagship smartphone on August 31. Last week, the company confirmed a couple of new features of the LG V30 smartphone. Along with the LG V30, there will also be LG V30 Plus smartphone with more RAM and storage. We also got the high quality press renders of the device revealing the complete design. The secondary display added on the top of the LG V10 and V20 displays is missing on the upcoming LG V30. Instead, it comes with the “Floating Bar” software feature that can be opened by swiping out from the edges. The leaked render from Evan Blass confirms the dual camera setup on the rear and curved glass on the front. It comes in Silver color and sports bezel-less FullVision display with Quad HD+ resolution. While the volume rocker is placed on the left edge, the power button with integrated fingerprint sensor can be spotted on the rear. It comes with the all-new LG UX 6.0+ that takes full advantage of the POLED display.

• Huawei is also getting ready to unveil its latest flagship smartphone in the second half of 2017. The company will be launching the Mate 10 as the successor to last year’s Mate 9. As seen in 2016, the company might also launch the Mate 10 Porsche Design smartphone. The top Chinese manufacturer has already sent out the press invites for the Mate 10 smartphone launch on October 16 in Munich. Just like the Galaxy S8 and LG G6, the Mate 10 will also come with the display with minimum bezels and more screen-to-body ratio. While Samsung and LG have Infinity display and FullVision displays respectively, Huawei will be naming its bezel-less display as EntireView display. On the rear, we will be seeing the large vertical strip holding the dual camera setup with Leica lens. Based on the leaks, the device will be powered by the in-house Kirin 970 SoC built using the 10nm FinFET process. It is said to pack 6GB RAM and 4,000mAh battery capacity. The device might include facial recognition technology along with AR and VR support.
• Xiaomi is teasing the launch of new Redmi smartphone dubbed Redmi Note 5A in China. Based on the leaks, there will be two variants with and without fingerprint sensor. Both the variants come with a 5.5-inch display but offer different RAM and storage options. The Redmi Note 5A will be unveiled on August 21st and is expected to be priced between 999 and 1499 Yuan. This will also be the first selfie-centric smartphone from Xiaomi. The company already revealed the Redmi Note 5A to sports 16MP front facing selfie camera with LED flash and 32 beauty modes.It also comes with dual-SIM card slots and a dedicated MicroSD card slot. While the Redmi Note 4 with 5.5-inch display came with a 4,100mAh battery, the upcoming Redmi Note 5A offers only a 3,000mAh battery. It will be powered by Snapdragon 425/625 processor and runs on the latest MIUI 9 based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. Initially, the Redmi Note 5A will be only limited to China.

• HMD Global has officially launched the fourth Android powered Nokia smartphone called Nokia 8 at the event held in London. Earlier to this, the company launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 smartphones at MWC 2017. It sports a metallic unibody design and features a 5.3-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) display on the front with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The Nokia 8 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and comes coupled with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB of RAM. There is 64GB of internal storage that can be expandable up to another 256GB via a MicroSD card slot. The high-end variant in Gloss Blue color comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The physical home button on the front also houses the fingerprint sensor. On the rear is the dual camera setup featuring 13MP RGB sensor and 13MP Monochrome sensor with PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, and dual-tone LED flash. For selfies, there is a 13MP front facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 78.4-degree wide-angle. It houses a 3,090mAh non-removable battery and supports Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging technology.
• Last week, Comio from Topwise Communications entered the Indian market by launching three new smartphones. The Comio C1, Comio S1, and Comio P1 smartphones offer decent price-to-spec ratio. The pricing starts from Rs. 5,999 and will be available at all the retail stores in North India. All the three Comio smartphones run on Android 7.0 Nougat. They also support 4G VoLTE for using with the Jio 4G SIM. Interestingly, all the three devices come with a metal body. Comio is also offering one-time screen replacement for free within the first six months of purchase. Unlike the Comio P1 & S1, the entry-level Comio C1 lacks the fingerprint sensor. While the Comio P1 & Comio S1 offers an 8MP selfie camera, the Comio C1 is only limited to a 5MP camera. The Comio P1 is also backed by a large 5,000mAh battery that should easily give more than day long battery life.

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