The Oppo R11 just got official in China. It is a phablet with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display of 1080p Full HD resolution. Under the hood is an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat with the latest Color OS on top. However, a rather small 2,900 mAh battery will keep its lights on.
Image by Oppo
Imaging-wise, the R11 packs a dual camera setup: one 20-MP sensor and another 16-MP sensor. The cameras can do up to 2x optical zoom and Portrait mode, which blurs the background behind the subject. It also has a 20-MP selfie camera in tow. Available in Rose Gold, Black, and Gold, the Oppo R11 will retail for about $485.
The Moto Z2 Play is here, and the announcement was without any fanfare. It has a super thin body at only 5.5 mm and weighs only 145 grams. Successor to the Moto Z Play, the Z2 Play comes with a 5.5-inch AMOLED display of 1080p Full HD resolution with a 16:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood is a super efficient octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 SoC with 3GB/4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB of expandable storage. It runs Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box. All these will be powered by a rather modest 3,000 mAh battery with a 30-hour battery life. The phablet also supports fast charging via its USB Type-C port.
Image by Motorola
Camera-wise, the Moto Z2 Play sports a 12-MP primary sensor with dual pixel auto-focus, a bright f/1.7 aperture, and dual-LED flash. In front, a 5-MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture and dual-LED flash can be found. Other features of the Moto Z2 Play is a squarish shaped fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button and a water-repellent nano coating. It will come in three color options: Lunar Gray, Nimbus Blue, and Fine Gold. It will retail for about $500 for its top-end model.
Image by Motorola
But wait, what's the Moto Z2 Play for if it does not come with Moto Mods? This year, the phablet comes with four new Moto Mods, which magnetically snap to the phone and can be purchased separately: the JBL Soundboost, the TurboPower Pack, the Moto GamePad, and Moto Style Shells with wireless charging support. Pricing for the Mods start at $40.
Designed by Andy Rubin, the guy who created Android, the Essential Phone has just been unveiled. It is a true bezel-less smartphone, similar to the Xiaomi Mi Mix or the Sharp Aquos phone, and modular as well, similar to Motorola smartphones with Moto Mods. It sports a titanium body, which is sturdier than aluminum, and a scratch-resistant ceramic back. It packs a 5.71-inch LTPS LCD of Quad HD resolution with a 19:10 screen aspect ratio, and protected by Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood is the high-end octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC with 4GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.0 non-expandable storage. It runs stock Android 7 Nougat out of the box with its own digital assistant and no bloatware. A relatively small 3,040 mAh battery will keep its lights on.
Image by Essential
Camera-wise, the Essential Phone comes with dual rear cameras: 13-MP RGB sensor with an f/1.9 aperture, phase detection auto-focus, laser auto-focus, and a secondary monochrome sensor with dual-LED flash. It has an 8-MP front-facing camera capable of 4K video recording. Connectivity-wise, the smartphone comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, LTE-A, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C port, fast charging, rear fingerprint scanner, dedicated wireless data transfer connector, 4 microphones with noise cancellation, and a magnetic dock at the back. However, like the iPhone 7/7 Plus, it forgoes the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Image by Essential
The phone measures 141.5 mm x 71.1 mm x 7.8 mm and weighs a hefty 185 grams. The Essential Phone will be available in black, gray, white, and dual-tone colors. It can now be reserved for $700, which is cheaper than the iPhone 7 Plus or the Galaxy S8/S8+. Add $50 for the magnetically connecting 360-degree camera. Are you getting one?
A new Xiaomi smartphone has been unveiled. It's called the Mi Max 2, which is actually a phablet, packing a 6.44-inch display of 1080p Full HD resolution with thin bezels. It comes in a full metal unibody display with discreet antenna design, a la iPhone 7/7 Plus. Under the hood is a midrange octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB or 128GB of non-expandable storage. It runs MIUI, which is based on Android OS. It's also got a whopping 5,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0. Xiaomi said that the phone will last for up to 2 full days on a single charge.
Image by Xiaomi
Imaging-wise, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 sports a 12-MP primary camera, which uses a Sony IMX386 sensor with 1.25 micron pixels, with phase detection auto-focus and dual-LED flash. It's a bit weird though that it doesn't have a secondary camera. The Mi Max 2 also boasts a fingerprint scanner at the back, LTE connectivity, a USB Type-C port, and stereo speakers. Pricing starts at $247 for the 64GB model and goes up to $291 for the 128GB model.
The ASUS ZenFone Live was announced in India. It comes with a 5-inch IPS LCD of 720p HD resolution. Ticking inside is a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset with 2GB RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. It runs the old Android 6.0 Marshmallow with ZenUI 3.0 on top. A 2,650 mAh battery will keep its lights on. Connectivity-wise, the ZenFone Live comes with the usual technology, including LTE and dual-SIM support. As for audio, the smartphone comes with dual MEMS, support for virtual 7.1 channel surround sound, and a 5-magnet loudspeaker.
Image by ASUS
ASUS touts it as the world's first live streaming, real-time beautification phone. It has a 13-MP rear camera with an f/2.0 aperture and LED flash, and a 5-MP front camera with 1.4 micron pixels, 82-degree wide-angle lens, and LED flash. It has a global beautification mode that works in any application, including live streaming to Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. The ZenFone Live will be available in Navy Black, Rose Pink, and Shimmer Gold.
