OnePlus 6, Nokia 7 Plus, Mi Mix 2S: Top phones launching in India soon
Three months into 2018 and we have already seen some interesting smartphone launches in India from the like of Xiaomi and Samsung. The former launched the Redmi Note 5, Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi 5, while the latter brought its flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones to the country. The next three months are expected to get even crazier with companies like HMD Global, OnePlus, Motorola and Apple all expected to launch some of their phones in India.
From now until the end of June, we expect phones like the Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, iPhone SE 2, Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S and the Moto G6 to be some of the most anticipated launches in India. Some of these phones have already been announced internationally, while some are yet to be unveiled officially, but based on all the rumours we have heard so far, you can expect almost all of them to be available in the country over the next few months. Here’s what you need to know about these phones.
The dual rear camera system will include one 16-megapixel sensor and another 20-megapixel sensor. On the front, we expect a 20-megapixel camera. The company hasn’t revealed an exact date yet, but if it does stick to tradition, the OnePlus 6 will likely be unveiled in May or June. You can expect the phone to reach India soon after its global unveiling and we expect the price to be around Rs 40,000.
Nokia 7 Plus
HMD Global announced a slew of Nokia-branded smartphones at MWC 2018 last month which included the Nokia 1, Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco. The Nokia 1 is an Android Go smartphone that was launched in India earlier this week. The company will now hold an event on April 4 in New Delhi where we expect it will announce the Nokia 7 Plus. HMD could announce the Nokia 6 (2018) and Nokia 8 Sirocco, but the possibility of the Nokia 7 Plus is higher going by what HMD Global Vice President Ajey Mehta said at MWC.
The Nokia 7 Plus is an updated version of the Nokia 7 and also sports an 18:9 display. The 6-inch FHD+ panel is protected by Gorilla Glass and the handset is crafted from a single block of Series 600 aluminium with copper accents around the camera and the frame. The Nokia 7 Plus is powered Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. It houses a 3,800mAh battery which Nokia claims is good for 2 days of mixed use.
The Nokia 7 Plus also supports face unlock and AI imaging features like the ability to modify lighting conditions and add masks. The phone comes with ZIESS-branded dual rear cameras with a 12MP primary sensor and a 13MP secondary sensor for 2X optical zoom, similar to the Nokia 8 Sirocco. Both the phones also support OZO Audio which allows for 360 degree audio recording and Bothie.
Mi Mix 2S
Xiaomi has already launched a few budget and mid-range smartphones in the country in the past two months. The company’s first flagship smartphone – the Mi Mix 2S – was launched in China this month, and we expect the phone to arrive in India soon enough. Since the Mi Mix 2 was launched in the country, there is a good chance the Mi Mix 2S will come here as well.
The Mi Mix 2S sports a familiar design language as it looks similar to its predecessors. It’s an incremental update to Mi Mix 2 and packs some updated hardware including an impressive dual rear camera system that is on par with the iPhone X and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro as per DxOMark rankings. The cameras are made up of a pair of 12-megapixel sensors with one wide-angle and one telephoto. The offer 2X optical zoom and 10X digital zoom along with a 4-axis OIS. Up front, the Mi Mix 2S sports a 5-megapixel camera.
OnePlus 6
While the name hasn’t been official yet, we know that OnePlus will be launching the successor to the OnePlus 5T soon. Apart from all the rumours and leaked images, the upcoming phone has been teased by OnePlus itself. Just this week, the company confirmed what had long been rumoured and expected going by the industry trend – the OnePlus 6 will have a notch. OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei told The Verge in an interview that the notch will be there, it will be smaller than the iPhone X, and it is a necessary feature to maximise screen real estate. The company confirms the phone will have a 90 per cent screen-to-body ratio, and really wants you to embrace the notch.
So, the OnePlus 6 is going to have a dramatic new design, which might be a little controversial. What we know is that apart from the notch, the front will also sport a chin, while on the back you’ll see a vertical dual rear camera centrally located above a squarish fingerprint sensor. The phone will retain the 3.5mm headphone jack, if you were worried. The OnePlus 6 is tipped to sport a 6.28-inch AMOLED display and will be powered by a Snapdragon 845 chip coupled with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The phone is also expected to run Android 8.1 Oreo-based OxygenOS and backed by a 3,450mAh battery with Dash Charge support.
The flagship is powered by a 2.8GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor paired with Adreno 630 GPU. You get an option of 6GB of RAM with either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM with 256GB of storage. The phone sports a 5.99-inch Full-HD+ 18:9 display with a 2160×1080 pixel resolution and is backed by a 3,400mAah battery.
iPhone SE 2
Apple typically keeps its major iPhone launch for the end of the year, but before that the tech giant could launch one its most affordable iPhones at WWDC 2018. The iPhone SE 2 is rumoured to launch at Apple’s annual developer conference. The phone will succeed the old iPhone SE, which has been of the most affordable and widely popular iPhone in India. Last year, the iPhone SE became the first iPhone to be manufactured in the country and the iPhone SE 2 is expected to follow.
The iPhone SE 2 will follow a design language similar to the iPhone SE and Apple is not likely going to make it look like the iPhone X. The iPhone SE 2 is expected to 4.2-inch display with bezels all around, a compact form factor and boxy chassis. It will also keep a home button on the front which will house the Touch ID. Past rumours suggest the iPhone SE 2 will be powered by Apple’s A10 processor. It is expected to come with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage with an option for 128GB as well.
Moto G6
Motorola is yet to begin its announcements for the year, but we have heard plenty about what its planning ever since early January. The company is expected to announce the new Moto G, Moto E and Moto Z smartphones this year. The company confirmed this week that it will launch its first product of the year next month, which is likely to be the Moto G6 line. This week, the Moto G6 was spotted on Chinese certification site TENAA, which means its launch is imminent.
The Moto G6, much like most Moto phones this year, is expected to sport an 18:9 display with slim bezels all around. The listing notes a 5.6-inch FHD+ (2160×1440) display with enough bezel on the bottom to keep the home button which will likely house a fingerprint sensor as well. As per renders, the G6 will sport a curved back panel and a circular dual camera setup that looks a lot like the Moto X4. This will likely include a 12-megapixel primary lens and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor for depth effects. As per past reports the Moto G6 will come with a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
The listing adds that the phone will house a 3,000mAh battery and will measure 154.5×72.2×8.3mm. Past rumours also tip the Moto G6 will be powered by a Snapdragon 450 chipset coupled with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The budget smartphone could be priced around Rs 10,000 when it comes to India.
