Weekly Wrap-Up #36 : OnePlus 5, Nokia 6, Moto Z2 Play, Android O, Honor 9 & More….

The latest PhoneRadar weekly wrap up is here with all the latest happenings around the smartphones and mobile technology. We have seen a few smartphone launches in the last seven days. In the next few days, we will also see the launch of the new flagship device from OnePlus. In case if you are interested to know more about the upcoming launches, check out our list of upcoming smartphones of June 2017.

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

• OnePlus 5 has been in the rumors mills for quite a long time, and the official launch event is now scheduled for June 20th. The design and specifications of the device are already revealed by several leaks. Apart from the dual camera setup on the rear, nothing is yet confirmed by the company. However, the teaser image tweeted by OnePlus shows the rear of the upcoming OnePlus 5 to look similar to that of Apple iPhone 7 Plus. The device sports a 5.5-inch FullHD AMOLED display, Snapdragon 835 SoC, 6GB/8GB of RAM, and 64GB/128GB of internal storage. If the rumors are to be believed, the 6GB and 8GB RAM variants of the OnePlus 5 costs Rs. 32,999 and Rs. 37,999 respectively. On the camera front, the OnePlus 5 will be featuring dual 16MP sensors on the rear and another 16MP sensor on the front for selfies. It runs on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat based Oxygen OS out of the box. Instead of the Quick Charge 4/4+, the company will be opting for the in-house Dash Charging technology.

Nokia 6

• A few weeks back, we have reported about the India launch event of Android-powered Nokia smartphones to be held in June. Now, the company has revealed the official launch date as June 13th. The new Nokia 3310 feature phone is already on sale via offline channels for Rs. 3,310. HMD Global has already unveiled the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 smartphones at the MWC 2017 event held in Barcelona, Spain. All the three devices will be running on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box without much customization to the stock UI. Based on the rumors, we might soon see the launch of flagship Nokia 9 smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 835 SoC. Talking about the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6 smartphones, these devices will be offering dual SIM dual standby, 4G LTE support, and expandable storage. While the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 comes powered by Snapdragon 430 octa-core processor, the entry-level Nokia 3 will be equipped with the MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor. The Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 also features fingerprint sensor with NFC support.
• The latest report from Statista reveals some interesting data about the Indian smartphone market. By 2019, India with 15% market share will be placed next to China in the list of largest smartphone markets in terms of shipments. Another developing nation, Brazil occupies the fourth place with its 4% market share. The U.S with 10% market share will be moving from current second to third place in the listing. OPPO and Vivo with their huge marketing budgets are currently the top two fastest growing brands. Interestingly, both Vivo and OPPO has a very smaller market presence when compared to the major brands like Apple and Samsung. While Micromax is still the largest local player here in India, its market share has been gradually decreasing from the last few quarters. On another hand, the Chinese brands with their aggressive pricing and better features are making it difficult for the Indian brands.

Android O

• At the recently held Google I/O 2017, Google announced the Android O developer preview with a whole bunch of new features. It was made available for the last year’s Google Pixel and Pixel XL along with Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P smartphones. Before to the introduction of Google Pixel devices, the Nexus devices are first to get the latest Android updates. Now, the latest rumors suggest the Google Pixel and Pixel XL will first receive the Android O update, even before updating the supported Nexus devices. With the recently released Android O third developer preview, Google has officially confirmed the upcoming major update will be the Android 8.0. Even the third party manufacturers like Nokia and OnePlus have already confirmed to the update their latest smartphones to Android O after its public release. The Android O brings many new features like Picture in Picture (pip) mode, Notification Dots, and Autofill with Google. Even the quick toggle settings and settings menu are redesigned to match the new UI.
• After launching the Nubia Z17 Mini in China, the company brought this newly launched mid-range to the Indian market. Just like the earlier launched Nubia smartphones, the new Nubia Z17 Mini is also sold exclusively through Amazon India. The device is priced at Rs. 19,999 and will be available in Black Gold color option. It comes with a metal built unibody design and sports a circular fingerprint sensor on the rear. There is also a Corning Gorilla Glass protection on the top of the 5.2-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display. Under the hood is the Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. The USP of the device is its 13MP Monochrome and 13MP RGB sensors on the rear with f/2.2 aperture and Sapphire glass lens. For selfies, there is a 16MP front camera with f/2.0 aperture and 80-degree wide angle lens. While the Android O will be released in the next few months, the Nubia Z17 Mini still runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow based Nubia 4.0 UI. It also offers dual SIM support along with other basic connectivity options.

Moto Z2 Play

• The Moto Z2 Play is now officially launched here in India, and interestingly the company made it available through the offline and online channels. It comes with a price tag of Rs. 27,999 and there are few introductory offers as well. On the bottom rear is the 16-pin connector for magnetically attaching the Moto Mods. The Indian variant of the Moto Z2 Play comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It sports a 5.5-inch FullHD AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on top. The device comes powered by 64-bit Snapdragon 626 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz and come coupled with Adreno 506 GPU. The improved 12MP rear shooter comes with f/1.7 aperture, laser autofocus, and dual tone LED flash. Even the 5MP wide-angle front camera also comes equipped with a dual tone LED flash. It sports a 3,000mAh non-removable battery that can be charged from 0% to 50% in just 30 minutes using the TurboCharge technology. Apart from the dual-SIM card slots, there is a dedicated MicroSD card slot for storage expansion.
• Huawei’s sub-brand Honor sent out the media invites for the launch of its new flagship device, Honor 9. Looking at the teaser images, we can confirm the device to feature dual camera setup on the rear with glossy finish body. However, the TENAA listing revealed complete specifications of the device. It comes with a 5.15-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display and comes with a 2.4GHz octa-core processor. The Honor 9 also includes 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage with a MicroSD card slot. We might also see the 6GB RAM variant with 128GB of storage. Talking about the cameras, there is a 20MP + 12MP dual camera setup on the rear with laser autofocus and LED flash. Unlike the Honor 8, we expect the upcoming Honor 9 to support 4G VoLTE connectivity. On the front, we will be seeing a physical home button that comes integrated with a fingerprint sensor. It is backed by a 3,100mAh non-removable battery and might support in-house SuperCharge fast charging technology.

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