“From Nokia’s comeback to the arrival of next flagship killer, June has been pretty exciting”
Last month has been pretty exciting in terms of smartphone launches in the Indian handset market. It witnessed the comeback of the cult brand, Nokia under the tutelage of HMD Global, and after much hype, the OnePlus 5 was released across the globe. June also saw Moto taking the offline route, marking a significant shift in its sales strategy. Let’s round up the top smartphones launched in the month of June, so you’re on top of things in this exciting segment.
Table of Contents
Nokia 3 (Rs 9,499)
After a lot of hype about Nokia making a comeback, it finally did, and launched the nostalgic Nokia 3310 in a refreshed avatar. While the handset did evoke Déjà vu in the mind of mobile users, it was the Android lineup that was more anticipated. The brand started the launch spree by releasing the Nokia 3 in the wild. The offline-exclusive handset is reminiscent of the durability which Nokia handsets of the yore had, and comes with a decent spec sheet as well. It comes with a 5-inch display on the fascia that offers HD resolution. There’s a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 SoC paired with 2GB RAM and 8MP shooters on both front and rear. While it is missing a fingerprint scanner, it still is a good buy just for the build quality and the brand.
Related read: Nokia 3 unboxing
Motorola Moto C and Moto C Plus (Rs 5,999 onwards)
The Lenovo-owned handset maker Moto recently launched its offline-exclusive handset in the form of the Moto C and Flipkart exclusive Moto C Plus in the country. Both these smartphones comes featuring the signature Moto design, polycarbonate bodies and stock Android Nougat operating system. The Moto C is the smaller of two and comes with 5-inch display bearing 480p resolution, quad-core MediaTek MT6737m processor, mated to 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. In the imaging department it has a 5MP primary camera and a 2MP secondary snapper, both accompanied by LED flash. On the other hand, the Moto C Plus features 2GB RAM with the same SoC, HD resolution on same display size, better 8MP sensor on the rear with the front snapper remaining the same.
Related read: Motorola Moto C Plus review
OnePlus 5 (Rs 32,999 onwards)
It has finally happened – after years of claims of being a flagship killer, OnePlus finally produced a proper flagship in 5. The newest launch from the brand is the slimmest, most expensive and the first ever dual-camera toting offering from the brand till date. Available in Slate Grey and Midnight Black, the handset is being offered in two variants – 6GB RAM / 64GB storage and 8GB RAM / 128GB storage. The new handset utilises the latest Snapdragon 835 SoC and features Android 7.1.1 Nougat based Oxygen OS out of the box. Coming to imaging, the rear dual-camera module is a combination of a 16MP primary snapper accompanied by a 20MP telephoto lens and dual tone LED flash. On the front is the 5.5-inch full HD display, fingerprint scanner and 16MP selfie shooter. In short, while OnePlus 5 might be the most expensive OnePlus till date, it is still solid value for money.
Related read: OnePlus 5 review
InFocus Turbo 5 (Rs 6,999 onwards)
The American handset maker InFocus has recently added an all new device called the Turbo 5 to its lineup in India. As the name suggests, the mainstay of the device is the humongous 5,000mAh battery under the rear panel. InFocus claims that the battery can deliver two days of regular usage on a single charge, which is pretty impressive. The all-metal handset features a 5.2-inch HD IPS display and runs Android Nougat pre-installed. It is powered by 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737 and is offered in 2GB / 16GB and 3GB / 32GB variants. Exclusive to Amazon, the handset features a 13MP rear snapper with an LED flash and a 5MP front shooter.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Max and Galaxy J7 Pro (Rs 17,900 onwards)
The South Korean handset maker Samsung too added two more mid-range devices to its J-series in the month of June. The Galaxy J7 Max and J7 Pro both come with Android Nougat pre-installed and front selfie flashes. The company has also equipped these handsets with Samsung Pay support, although the J7 Max gets the ‘Mini’ version of this feature. Coming to the specs, the Galaxy J7 Pro gets a 5.5-inch full HD display, a 1.6GHz octa-core Samsung Exynos 7870 SoC, 3GB RAM, 13MP snappers on both ends and a 3,600mAh battery. On the other hand, while Galaxy J7 Max has the same camera setup as the Pro, it features a bigger 5.7-inch full HD display, a 1.6GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6757V SoC, 4GB RAM and a 3,300mAh battery.
Related read: Samsung Galaxy J7 Max first impressions
HTC U11 (~Rs 51,900)
HTC brought its newest flagship, the U11 in June and the handset has been acclaimed by one and all. Not only does the handset have a top-notch spec sheet to its name, but it also comes with Edge Sense. This is the first of its kind feature, which lets the user perform tasks and open pre-set apps by simply squeezing the sides of the device. Moreover, the Taiwanese handset has an aesthetic that is sure to grab attention each time you take it out of the pocket. It also happens to be the smartphone which scored 90 on DxOMark Mobile rating for photography and left the Google Pixel biting the dust. The spec sheet of the handset also includes a 5.5-inch 2K display, a Snapdragon 835 processor, 6 gigs of RAM, a 12MP primary Ultrapixel 2 sensor, a 16MP selfie shooter and a 3,000mAh battery. In a nutshell, this year seem to be pretty good for the Taiwanese brand.
Related read: HTC U11 review
Sony Xperia XZ Premium (Rs 59,990)
Another flagship that saw the light of day last month in India is the Xperia XZ premium from the Japanese handset maker, Sony. This is the first from the brand to come with a 5.5-inch 4K HDR display (3,840 x 2,560 pixels). It carries forward the rectangular slab design of the brand and has a reflective rear panel, which seems to be trending this year. With Android Nougat pre-installed, the handset features the latest Snapdragon 835 processor with 4 gigs of RAM and 64GB on-board storage. Moving to imaging, there is a 19MP snapper on the back, which also comes with one of its kind recording of HD video at 960fps. The front snapper however, is pretty standard at 13MP. The handset gets the power required from a 3,230mAh pack under the rear panel.
Related read: Sony Xperia XZ Premium first impressions
These are the top smartphones that have been launched by various brands in India and already being sold in the market. What do you think of the specs and pricing of these devices? Let us know in the comment box below.