PhoneRadar Report Episode 9

Welcome back for the episode 9 of the PhoneRadar Report your source for all things mobile.

News Report:

Indian Announcements:

• This week we saw the launch of the many devices in India. First was the by the Lenovo where the company announced its latest mid-ranger, the A7000, which is a successor to its cheapest 4G LTE smartphone, the A6000 that was launched in the country in January. This pumped up version of A6000 is now available at a price tag of INR 8999, which is a very aggressive pricing, considering the device is priced a little higher in the international market. It would be exclusively available to purchase on April 15 on Flipkart. The registration for the sale is live, register while you can. To tell you, in short, the A7000 packs a bigger display, battery, as well as a Dolby Atmos audio enhancements, which is a first time on any smartphone. (Lenovo A7000 Specs)
• Talking about the second launch in the country, which was by Microsoft, where the company announced its two handsets Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL. These two handsets are supposed to lie in the mid-range category, but the pricing of INR 11999 and INR 15799 for 640 and 640 XL doesn’t justify it at all. The specs on these device are decent, but they are priced heavily. Both devices pack Snapdragon 400 chipset, 1GB RAM and 8GB internal storage while they only differ in terms of display, camera and battery offering. Since 640 XL is a bigger sibling, it sports bigger display, camera, and battery. You can purchase Lumia 640 exclusively on Flipkart while the 640 XL is available everywhere online and offline. (Lumia 640 XL Specs)
• On the other hand, there are some confirmed launches that would be taking place in the coming weeks. One of them is the Asus’s highly awaited Zenfone 2. So, India would be getting ready to see the launch on April 23rd. It is an upgrade from the last year’s line-up of the Zenfone phones. The new Zenfone 2 will be coming up with a massive 4GB RAM, as well as in 2GB variant too. It boasts features like 5.5-inch Full HD display, 64-bit Intel chipset, 13MP rear cam with Pixel master technology, 5MP front cam, and the large 3000mAh battery. These all features makes it a great package for the starting price of $199. Now let’s hope Asus, gets that pricing to Indian too. (Asus Zenfone 2 Specs)
• While Meizu India is planning to launch its first handset in the country very soon. The date is still unknown, but the offering of a mid-ranger with a great set of specs is a something very smartphone user in the country would look forward too. The device that is coming to India is the M1 Note. The 5.5-inch phablet from Meizu is expected to be launched in the country by this month end. The device boasts Full HD display, 64-bit MediaTek chipset, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear cam, 5MP front cam, and a massive 3000mAh battery. The pricing is still unknown for the device, but it sure will compete with Xiaomi Redmi Note 4G and Yu Yureka. (Meizu M1 Note Specs)

International Announcements:

• Coming to the International announcements this week. HTC announced One M9+ in China, which is a bumped up version of its flagship device One M9 announced at MWC Barcelona in February. The new M9+ boasts features like Quad-HD display, Octa-core MediaTek chipset along with 3GB of RAM. The rear cam on the back is 20MP with duo camera setup while the front is the notorious UltraPixel camera. The battery is also upgraded to 2840mAh. (HTC One M9+ Specs)
• While talking about the flagship devices, LG is all set to announce its latest flagship, G4 on April 28. The device is being teased by the company as it unveils little details about the device. Like the latest teaser showcase that rear camera lens would boast an aperture of f/1.8 that is a great addition. Right now, no specifications are confirmed about the device. But we expect it to pack the same display, a battery that was in G3, although a new Snapdragon 810 chipset and 16MP rear camera may be on its way to come with G4 on April 28.

Review Report:

This week we reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A7. The device is overpriced for what it packs inside. You can easily find better alternatives from the company if you look back last year’s line-up. The Galaxy S5 is priced almost similar, which has a better camera and hardware when compared to A7. Though, the A7 can be your choice if you’re more of a design person, as well as don’t mind the non-removable battery on the device, then this can be a worthwhile device to you. Head over to our detailed review of the Samsung Galaxy A7 to learn more about it.