wrap-up
Weekly Wrap-Up #8 : Android N, Galaxy S7, iPad Pro Mini, Redmi 3 Prime, Huawei P9, Freedom 251 & More…

The weekly wrap-up covering all the latest developments around the smartphone industry is here. This week few devices received the Marshmallow update, and there are official confirmations from few brands about the launch of their upcoming devices. More than the high-end devices, this week we have seen quite a few budgets smartphone launched in the market. Samsung Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge are finally launched this week in India, the devices are first unveiled at the MWC 2016.
- In September last year, Sony has launched the Xperia Z5, Z5 Premium, & Z5 Compact at the IFA 2015. All the three devices came with Android 5.0 Lolipop out-of-the-box and at the beginning of his week, Sony has confirmed the OTA update through an official blog post. Earlier to this, the Xperia Z5 has received the Marshmallow update but is only limited to Japan. All three devices will receive the updates with the firmware version 32.1.A.1.163. The OTA update also includes the Android security patch for the month of February. The Stamina Mode from Sony is left out in the latest update since the Android 6.0 Marshmallow comes with built-in battery saving mode Doze.
- From last few months, we have seen many rumors and leaks about the launch of a 4-inch iPhone. Now Apple has sent out the press invites for an event scheduled on March 21st. Though there are no official details mentioning the launch of an iPhone, we expect the launch of iPhone SE and a 9.7-inch iPad Pro Mini along with new Apple Watch bands. The iPhone SE is rumored to come with iPhone 6S specifications and iPhone 5S form factor. Talking about the iPad, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro was launched alongside the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, now the smaller 9.7-inch iPad Pro Mini is expected to come with same specifications as iPad Pro and also Apple Pencil support.
- The Google I/O 2016 was scheduled in the month of May and all in a sudden Google has the released the developer preview for the Android N. It is available for the Nexus 6, Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Nexus 9, Nexus Player, Pixel C, and also the General Mobile 4G. The new Android N brings in several new features including the Multi-Window, Data Saver, and Direct Boot. The Multi-Window gives the perfect multi-tasking where you can use two apps at the same time. The recent apps in the latest Android N shows much more in-app content. Now you can respond to the notifications even without opening the app and there few changes in the quick settings.
- HTC is rumored to launch two Nexus smartphones this year and now the latest reports suggest that the company has indeed made a deal to manufacturer Nexus devices for the next three years. The Nexus 9 tablet that was launched in 2014 is still the flagship tablet from Google and even the first Nexus device, Nexus One smartphone launched in 2010 is manufactured by HTC. If the rumors are to be believed, the upcoming Nexus smartphone will feature a 3D Touch display.
Samsung Galaxy S7 & Galaxy S7 Edge
As teased earlier, Samsung has launched the Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge in India this week. The devices are available to pre-orders from the launch day, and the company is offering a free Galaxy VR for every pre-order till March 17th. The Galaxy S7 is priced at Rs. 48,900 while the S7 Edge comes with a price tag of Rs. 56,900. As of now only the 32GB variants are available in India, the device can be pre-ordered from Samsung’s online and offline stores along with Flipkart. The Indian variants of Galaxy S7 & S7 Edge are powered by the in-house Exynos 8890 octa-core processor.
Both the devices are water and dust resistant with the IP68 certification. The S7 comes with a 5.1-inch Quad HD sAMOLED display and is backed by a 3,000 mAh battery while the S7 Edge sports 5.7-inch Quad HD sAMOLED display with the dual edge and sports a larger 3,600mAh battery. There is a 12MP dual pixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture and OIS, on the front is a 5MP selfie camera with the same f/1.7 aperture. The device run on latest TouchWiZ UI with Android 6.0 Marshmallow inside. The device includes hybrid SIM slot where you insert a MicroSD card instead of the second SIM.
OPPO F1 ICC WT20 Limited Edition
In January this year, OPPO has unveiled the OPPO F1 and F1 Plus smartphone in India. Since OPPO is one of the official sponsors for World T20 Cricket World Cup, it has exclusively launched the limited edition OPPO F1 priced at Rs. 17,990. While there are no changes to the device design or the specification, on the rear we can find the T20 World Cup 2016 logo. The company is also offering ICC World T20 branded Key Chain, a Flip Case with the same T20 World Cup 2016 logo and an OPPO branded selfie stick.
Earlier to this, OPPO also launched the OPPO R7 Plus FC Barcelona limited edition devices last year. Talking about the device, the OPPO F1 looks premium with the slim metal body. It comes with 5-inch HD display and runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with customized ColorOS on top. It is powered by Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor along with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. There is a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP selfie camera on the front. It offers 4G LTE connectivity and is backed by a 2,500mAh battery.
iBall Andi 5.5H Weber 4G & Andi 5Q Gold 4G
iBall has announced two new smartphones Andi 5.5H Weber 4G & Andi 5Q Gold 4G this week for the Indian market. The Andi 5.5 Weber 4G is the LTE variant of the earlier launched Andi 5.5H Weber and also includes some changes in the specifications too. The Weber 4G comes with a 5.5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by MediaTek MT6735 quad-core processor clocked at 1GHz. It has 1GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage while the 3G variant has only 8GB of storage. It is backed by a 2,680 mAh battery and comes with 4G LTE and other basic connectivity features.
Talking about the Andi 5Q Gold 4G, it features a 5-inch HD IPS display and is powered by the same MT6735M quad-core processor. It has 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage, and a 3,000mAh battery. Both the devices run on Android 5.1. Lollipop and offers dual SIM dual standby. There is an 8MP rear camera with autofocus and a 5MP front camera. The Weber 4G comes in Gold and Silver colors while the Gold 4G is limited to just Gold color. There pricing of both the Andi 5.5H Weber 4G & Andi 5Q Gold 4G aren’t mentioned.
Xiaomi Redmi 3 Prime (or Redmi 3S)
Xiaomi has launched the metallic build Redmi 3 as the successor for the Redmi 2 in China. Now a new variant of Redmi 3 with added fingerprint sensor os listed on TENAA hinting the launch to happen soon. It sports a 5-inch HD IPS display and includes a Snapdragon 616 octa-core processor. There is 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage along with a MicroSD card slot. The device runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop with the latest MIUI overlaid. It supports dual SIM dual standby with the hybrid SIM card slot that can be used for expanding the storage.
It has a 13MP rear camera with PDAF and f/2.0 aperture that can record videos in Full HD resolution. For selfie lovers, it features a 5MP front camera with beauty mode and live filters. The device is kept powered on by the massive 4,100mAh battery that can easily last more than of usage. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS/A-GPS, Bluetooth, and MicroUSB 2.0 port. While the non-fingerprint variant is priced at 699 Yuan, the new fingerprint variant is expected to come with a price tag 799 Yuan.