We expected last week to be slow, however, it turned out otherwise. We not only witnessed the launch of multiple smartphones but also interesting happenings. We have compiled some of them in this single article as ‘top stories’. Since everyone has a different opinion, we would like to know your top picks from last week after going through our list in the comment section below.
Honor’s first foldable smartphone is here – HONOR Magic V
After multiple leaks and teasers, Honor officially took the wraps off the HONOR Magic V and HONOR Watch GS 3 on January 10 in China. Though it is the brand’s first attempt at a foldable smartphone, the product doesn’t look like one, as it appears to have been under development while the company was still a sub-brand of Huawei.
The device’s hinge design makes it the thinnest foldable smartphone in the market right now. It has a thickness of 14.3mm and 6.7mm when folded and unfolded respectively. The inner display is folded in a tear-drop manner like the OPPO Find N to minimize crease.
Talking about specs, it has a 7.9-inch 90Hz foldable screen, 6.45-inch 120Hz external screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, Magic UI 6 based on Android 12, 50MP (wide) + 50MP (spectrally enhanced) + 50MP (ultra-wide) triple main cameras, dual 42MP front-facing cameras, dual stereo speakers, 4,750mAh battery, and 66W fast charging.
The HONOR Magic V is priced at ¥9,999 ($1,575) and ¥10,999 ($1,733) for 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB memory configurations respectively. Its first sale is scheduled for January 18 (tomorrow).
OnePlus 10 Pro gets a solo launch
Usually, OnePlus’ flagship smartphones are first announced in international markets. Also, both vanilla and Pro models debut together. The brand broke this tradition with the launch of the OnePlus 10 Pro in China on January 11. It was accompanied by a special edition of the OnePlus Buds Pro.
The successor of the OnePlus 9 Pro continues the partnership with Hasselblad. It arrives with a 48MP Sony IMX789 primary sensor with OIS, a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL JN1 sensor 150° ultra-wide unit, and an 8MP 3.3x telephoto shooter with OIS. Then, there’s a 32MP Sony IMX615 sensor on the front for selfies and video calls.
Unsurprisingly, it comes with high-end features like a glass sandwich design with a metal frame, 6.7-inch QHD+ 120Hz 2nd-gen LTPO AMOLED display, Qualcomm snapdragon 8 Gen 1, LPDDR5 RAM, UFS 3.1 storage, Android 12-based ColorOS 12.1 with HyperBoost for gaming, dual stereo speakers, 5,000mAh battery, 80W fast wired charging, 50W fast wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging.
The OnePlus 10 Pro retails at ¥4,699 ($740), ¥4,999 ($787), and ¥5,299 ($835) for 8GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB, and 12GB + 256GB memory variants respectively.
Realme 9 series debut, starting with realme 9i
The realme 9i went official in Vietnam on January 10 as the first Realme 9 series smartphone. It costs VND 6,490,000 ($286) for 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The handset is scheduled to release in India on January 18 (tomorrow).
The phone sports features like a 6.6-inch FHD+ 90Hz display (LCD), Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC, LPDDR4x RAM, UFS 2.2 storage, 50MP (wide) + 2MP (macro) + 2MP (monochrome) triple camera setup, 16MP front-facing camera, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, dual stereo speakers, realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11, 5,000mAh battery, and 33W fast charging.
Meizu re-enters budget smartphone category with mblu 10
Meizu unveiled a budget smartphone after a long time The device is officially called mblu 10. As the name suggests, it is a phone under the company’s recently revived mblu sub-brand, which is also known as Blue Charm.
The handset offers a glass sandwich design with a plastic frame, 6.62-inch HD+ display (LCD), UNISOC T310 SoC, 48MP + 2MP + 2MP triple camera setup, 8MP selfie camera, IR blaster, Flyme 9 Lite based on Android 11, 5,000mAh battery, and 10W charging.
It comes in 4GB + 64GB, 4GB + 128GB, and 6GB + 128GB versions priced at ¥699 ($110), ¥799 ($126), and ¥899 ($142) respectively.
benco V80s – A smartphone without cameras and GPS
Out of nowhere, a company called INONE Technology launched a privacy-focussed smartphone dubbed as benco V80s on January 12. This phone lacks cameras and GPS.
Going by the specs, the Benco V80s is a subpar budget smartphone. It arrives with a 6.5-inch HD+ display (LCD), UNISOC S9863C chip, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Android 11, and 5,000mAh battery.
The price and availability of this device are not known.
Vivo introduces smartphones with outdated chipsets – vivo Y10 and vivo Y10 (t1 version)
Vivo released two new budget smartphones in China called vivo Y10 and vivo Y10 (t1 version). These handsets are limited to 4G connectivity and house outdated chips.
Both these phones offer a near-identical set of specs and design. They also cost the same ¥1,099 ($173) for 4GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The only major difference between the two is that the vanilla model is powered by a MediaTek Helio P35 SoC, while the t1 version features a MediaTek Helio P70 SoC. Both these chipsets are around 3 years old and rarely do any brand use them now
Second Moto G tablet goes official – Motorola Moto Tab G70
Motorola debuted its second Moto G branded tablet called Motorola Moto Tab G70 in Brazil on January 13 for BRL 2,399 ($435). This tablet is essentially a rebranded Lenovo Tab P11 Plus. It is set to launch in India on January 18 (tomorrow).
The tablet sports an 11-inch 2K display, MediaTek Helio G90T chip, 4GB RAM, 64GB storage, 13MP rear camera, 8MP front-facing camera, IP52-certification, quad-speakers with Dolby Atmos support, Android 11, Google Entertainment Space, Google Kids Space, 7,700mAh battery, 20W fast charging
OnePlus 9RT and Motorola Moto G71 5G launch in India
The OnePlus 9RT and Motorola Moto G71 5G finally landed in India on January 14 and January 10 respectively. The latter was also accompanied by the OnePlus Buds Z2.
The OnePlus 9RT comes in two memory configurations, such as 8GB + 128GB and 12GB + 256GB for ₹42,999 ($579) and ₹46,999 ($633) respectively. Customers can avail bank discounts to lower the price.
On the other hand, the Motorola Moto G71 5G is priced at ₹18,999 ($256) for the sole 6GB + 128GB variant. It will go on sale for the first time on January 19.
Tencent eyes Black Shark acquisition for Metaverse entry
Recently, all popular companies have made announcements regarding metaverse. So it’s not surprising to learn that Tencent of all names is also interested in it.
A report from last week revealed that Tencent is eyeing to acquire Black Shark, a brand known for gaming smartphones and related accessories. With this acquisition, Black Shark will produce VR hardware, while Tencent will develop software to complement the hardware.
Tencent is yet to issue an official statement on this rumor.
BlackBerry isn’t dead yet
OnwardMobility, the licensee of the BlackBerrry brand, had plans to release smartphones with 5G connectivity in 2021. Unfortunately, that never happened. Hence, the revival of the iconic brand was thought to be dead after a short stint by TCL.
However, the brand licensee recently made an announcement saying that a BlackBerry smartphone with a keyboard and 5G connectivity is coming in 2022. Anyway, we don’t have any high hopes.
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