Last week was a very eventful one. No fewer than fifteen new phones were announced across the globe. However, phone launches were not only the big announcements. There were a few goodbyes too in the smartphone industry. Here’s a recap of the top stories from last week:
POCO has a new flagship killer and a mid-range killer too
POCO announced two new phones last week that marked its return to its roots of making unbeatable value-for-money smartphones. After years of waiting for a true POCO F1 successor, the new POCO F3 (actually a rebadged Redmi K40) arrived as the brand’s latest flagship killer. But it didn’t come alone. POCO also announced the POCO X3 Pro, a mid-range phone with a Snapdragon 800-series processor. Yes, the new Snapdragon 860 (the snapdragon 855+ in a new skin) is a chipset made for mid-range phones and it arrived first in this new phone. Both phones are super affordable and pack pretty interesting features. Do check out our review of the POCO X3 Pro.
Black Shark 4 Series – speed is matters
China’s Black Shark announced two new gaming smartphones last week – the Black Shark 4 and the Black Shark 4 Pro. Powered by the Snapdragon 870 and Snapdragon 888 processors respectively, these two gaming beasts pack more than just powerful chipsets. They also charge super-fast, supporting 120W fast wired charging; have incredibly fast storage (SSD on the pro model), and are stunning too.
Three new OnePlus 9 phones and a smartwatch
After months of leaks, the OnePlus 9 series finally launched last week. The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus 9 Pro bring revamped cameras, powerful chipsets, top-of-the-line displays, and fast wired and wireless charging. They also brought along a sibling called the OnePlus 9R and the OnePlus Watch.
Moto G100 and Moto G50
Motorola’s first Snapdragon 800-series powered Moto G phone launched too. The Moto G100 has a Snapdragon 870 processor inside it, six cameras in total, and some software features, one of which allows you to use the phone as a desktop computer when hooked up to a monitor and paired to a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. It didn’t come alone either. The Moto G50, a budget 5G phone, also tagged along.
Honor’s new products – a phone and tablet for China and a fitness tracker for global markets
The Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition and the Honor Pad 7 tablet were announced in China. The former has a curved 90Hz OLED display, a 5G processor, 64MP quad rear cameras, and 66W fast charging. The Honor Pad 7 is an Helio P22T-powered 10-inch device targeted at students. It comes in LTE and Wi-Fi-only variants. The Honor Band 6 also got a global launch last week, three months after it was announced in China.
HMD Global’s Chief Product Officer resigns; Xiaomi loses CFO to ByteDance
Juho Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer of HMD Global and the face of Nokia Mobile since the brand made a comeback, announced he is leaving after 15 years of service. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has lost its CFO, Shou Zi Chew, to ByteDance, the company behind the viral app, TikTok.
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