The first half of 2017 has mostly witnessed budget and mid-range smartphones battling it out for a share of the Indian market. Xiaomi, Moto, Oppo, Vivo and others have been fighting to grab a share of the pie. But June is here and the premium mid-range smartphone segment, priced at about ₹20,000, is readying for battle.
The first new smartphone in this price range to hit the Indian market will be the Moto Z2 Play, which was unveiled by the phone maker in the US yesterday. The phone will be launched in India on 6 June. It is the successor to the Moto Z Play, best known for its long battery life. Here is the specification run down for the new device:
Motorola claims that the phone is thinner than before, which could partly be the result of skimming down the battery to 3,000 mAh from 3,510 mAh. However, battery life was one of the most sought after features of Moto Z Play besides the clean Moto software and the modules. While the new Qualcomm processor might be power efficient, the noticeable decrease in battery size could take some points off from the new device.
At the other end of the spectrum, is the geek favourite, OnePlus 5. The phone's launch date is not known yet but some leaks have suggested that it might be unveiled on 15 June. More than any leaks, OnePlus itself has been dropping hints about its latest device. The phone-maker confirmed that OnePlus 5 will run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. OnePlus has also partnered with image processing software developer, DxO, to improve the camera performance.
While minor design changes are expected in the new phone, the fingerprint sensor at the front and the headphone jack are likely to remain as is. OnePlus tweeted out a multiple colour options for the new phone on Twitter.
In other details, it has almost been confirmed that the phone will be equipped with dual rear cameras. CEO Peter Lau also said that the new phone will be its thinnest flagship phone yet, without specifying any details.
OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T were a runaway success for the company in India and elsewhere, so there is considerable pressure on the Chinese smartphone maker to produce a stunning successor device.