Top consumer electronics majors such as Microsoft, Samsung and others, earlier in the week unveiled a new line of computers, innovative phones with flexible screens and more.
Here is the list of cool gadgets that made their debut this week (September 29-October 5):
Samsung Galaxy Fold
Samsung kicked off the October month with the launch of the company's marquee phone Galaxy Fold for Rs 1,64,999 in India.
The new Samsung phone has the most practical design language for a fully flexible phone. It folds inwards, which protects the large screen (7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED ) from daily wear and tear activities. Also, it has a dedicated secondary cover display (with 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED having a 21:9 aspect ratio ) on the front. It compact and is good for operating in one-hand, read messages and answer phone calls.
On the other hand, rival brands such as the Huawei Mate X, it bends outward, making the display more vulnerable to damage, if accidentally dropped on the floor or even when kept in the pocket, it can get scratched easily. And given the fact, it is an expensive phone, it will cost you a bomb for the screen repair.
As far as the internal hardware of the Galaxy Fold is concerned, it comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor, 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, dedicated 10MP front camera in the cover display, triple 16MP (ultra-wide-angle)+12MP(wide-angle)+12MP (telephoto) primary sensors on the back and a dual selfie-camera (10MP+8MP) in the big display and a 4,380 with fast charging (both wired and wireless) capability.
Read more | Everything you need to know Samsung Galaxy Fold
Microsoft Surface Duo, Neo and more
After months of speculations, Microsoft finally pulled the wraps off the Surface Duo, a twin-screen mobile that can fit in a pocket. It has two 5.6-inch screens that can unfold to 8.3-inches to offer wider screen experience.
Surprisingly, the device is powered by Android OS, not Windows. For now, Microsoft has no official plans to bring back the Windows Phone OS ecosystem. But, it has developed a Windows 10X for Surface Duo's bigger sibling Surface Neo, which also made its debut on the same day (October 2).
The Surface Neo sports a twin 9.0-inch screen which is connected with a 360-degree full-friction hinge. When the device gets opened it opens into a full-size 13-inch display in the thinnest LCD in its class. It’s built for productivity and multitasking like a true PC would be – running full productivity apps, with a removable keyboard and compatibility with Surface Pen and Bluetooth mouse, Microsoft claims.
Sadly, both Surface Duo and Neo series will be available in late 2020, most probably around Christmas.
Microsoft also launched the new Surface Laptop 3. It comes in two sizes 13-inch and 15-inch. They come with the same slim design and all-day battery life. Inside, they come updated with the 10th Generation Intel Core processor.
Also, the 15-inch Surface Laptop 3 comes with the new AMD Ryzen Surface Edition processor. Surface Laptop 3 13-inch starts at $999 and Surface Laptop 15-inch starts at $1199.
The Redmond-based company also unveiled a new line of Surface Pro series. There are two variants-- Surface Pro 7 and Surface Pro X.
The standard 12.5-inch Surface Pro is said to twice as fast (compared to predecessor) with a 10th Generation Intel Core processor, offers a full-day battery life and supports both USB-A and USB-C.
The 13-inch Surface Pro X houses custom Microsoft SQ1 processor chipset co-developed by Microsoft and Qualcomm. It offers 2 teraflops of graphics processing power and is said to be the fastest Qualcomm processor ever created for a PC. The new Surface Pro X Signature Keyboard includes pen docking for secure storage and charging for the new Slim Pen. Surface Pro 7 starts at $749 and Surface Pro X starts at $999.
Panasonic smart 4K and Android TVs
Panasonic's new Android TV series comes in six new models across 4K (GX655) and Smart TV(GS655) range.
They come with 16W & 20W speakers along with the integrated home theatre systems. They also have built-in Google Assistant and Chromecast that enables viewers to cast content from any device directly to the TV screen without any lags.
The 4K Android TV series is equipped with HDR 10 and 4K Dimming feature. Similarly, the colour contrast and black levels are enhanced in the Android Smart TV series as it boasts of the adaptive backlight-dimming feature, the company claims.
The 4K Android TV, GX655 is available in screen size of 43, 49, 55, and 65 inches and is priced from Rs 50,400 onwards while Android Smart TV, GS655 comes in the screen size of 32 and 43 inches priced from Rs 27,900 onwards.
Toreto Bloom series smartwatches
Toreto launched new two smartwatches- Bloom 3 (Tor 83) & Bloom 2 (Tor 82)--for Rs 2,999 and Rs 1,999/- respectively.
They both come in same dimensions 45.5mm long, 37mm wide and 9.5mm thick sleek dimensions and a 1.3inch screen size. They are powered by HS6220D CPU and they measure sleep quality, BP, calories, sPO2 as well as the steps are taken, track cycling, trekking and running in tracks and more. It is compatible with iOS and Android phones.
The key difference between the two is that Bloom 3 comes with IP67 ratings and a bigger 170mAh battery, while the Bloom 2 features a 150mAh cell and comes with IP65 water-resistant rating. They offer a one-week battery life under normal usage and can last up to two weeks under standby mode. They can be fully charged in 2 to 2.5 hours.
It supports Bluetooth 4.0 and the 'Find My Phone' feature. This feature helps one to recover the Smartphone quickly if by any chance one has lost it; simply long-press the sensor on the SmartWatch to find the lost phone within 10m of range.
PLAYGo N23 series earphones:
Delhi-based consumer electronics firm PLAY launched a new PlayGo N23 neckband earphone series. It comes with dual 6mm drivers offering an enhanced frequency range and HD sound quality. It has IPX5 water and sweatproof rating, which comes in handy while doing heavy workouts in the gym. It houses a 360mAH lithium-polymer battery and offers up to 20 hours of audio playtime. It supports all popular digital assistant including Google Assistant, Apple Siri, and Amazon Alexa.
It also supports Bluetooth 5.0, which ensures at least 2x data transfer speeds and up to 4x coverage basis older generation Bluetooth. It costs Rs 3,499.
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