Seldom does a week go by without anything interesting happening in the mobile world, but the past week was especially rich in smartphone announcements. We’ve seen a few premium handsets make a debut in the wild, but also really affordable ones. So before you go off to enjoy your week, we invite you to take a look at some of the hottest smartphone that have made it out in the past few days.
Meizu M5
We start off with an extremely affordable phone that looks quite beautiful. The Meizu M5 will be sold for just $105 which is pretty amazing. The handset will be made available internationally with the Android-based version of Flyme UI. Here’s what to expect from the M5:
- 5.2-inch display with 720 x 1280 resolution
- Top panel features a layer of 2.5D curved glass
- Octa-core MediaTek MT6750 chispet with Mali T860 GPU
- 2GB/3GB of RAM
- 16GB/32GB internal storage
- 13MP/5MP camera combo
- Fingerprint scanner
- Hybrid dual-SIM/microSD slot
- 3,700 mAh battery
- Flyme UI on top of Meizu’s Yun OS for China version
- Mint Green, Glacier White, Champagne Gold, Sapphire Blue and Matte Black
Meizu Pro 6s
This week Meizu also unveiled a more premium offering, the Meizu Pro 6s. The phone will be launched in China for $399, but hopefully the company will offer it outside the country too. The Pro 6s is an improved version of the previous Pro 6. It uses an aluminum unibody with curved edges which gives it a very stylish look. Here’s the complete spec list:
- 5.2-inch AMOLED display with 1080 x 1920 resolution with 3D Press capabilities
- Deca-core MediaTek Helio X25 with (2xA72 at 2.5GHz, 4x A53 at 2 GHz, 4xA53 at 1.4 GHz) with Mali-T880MP4 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of internal storage (non-expandable)
- 12MP/5MP camera combo
- 3,046 mAh battery
- Supports mCharge 3.0 charging via 24W charger
- Android OS with the latest Flyme OS launcher on top
- Gray, Gold, Silver, Rose Gold
Lenovo Phab2 Pro
The Lenovo Phab2 Pro is a special phone because it’s actually the first Project Tango phone to make it on the market. The Lenovo phone aims to become your augmented reality companion and sells for $499 a pop in its unlocked form. Google also said 35 AR apps are ready and waiting for Phab2 Pro users in the Google Play Store.
- 6.4-inch display with 1,440 x 2,560 resolution
- Octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC with Adreno 510 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of internal storage (expandable)
- 16MP with Phase Detection Auto Focus/8MP camera combo
- Fingerprint scanner on the back
- 4,050 mAh battery
- Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Gunmetal Grey and Champagne Gold
Huawei Mate 9
Huawei had a great year in 2015. It managed to score a Nexus deal and it launched several handset models that became very popular. Well Huawei continues to sediment its position in the mobile market well into 2016 by launching a new premium phone called the Mate 9 that could very well appeal to ex-Galaxy Note7 users. The device will initially hit Europe for €699 ($775), but will make it out into the States later on.
- 5.9-inch display with 1080 x 1920 resolution
- New octa-core Kirin 960 four Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and another four Cortex-A53 cores ticking at 1.8GHz with ARM Mali-G71 MP8
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of internal storage (expandable)
- Dual camera setup (Leica-branded 20MP monochrome + 12MP RFB f.2.2, OIS plus 8MP selfie snapper)
- Capable of 4K video shooting
- 4,000 mAh battery with Super Charge with a 5A charger
- Fingerprint scanner on the back
- Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0
- Space Gray, Moonlight Silver, Champagne Gold, Mocha Brown, Ceramic White and Black
Huawei Mate 9 Porsche Design
Huawei really wanted to wow mobile users this time around, so it also unveiled the Mate 9 Porsche Design model. Mind you, it’s not the first time the fashion-focus subsidiary of the legendary car maker partners up with a smartphone maker, but it’s the first time it does so with Huawei. The Mate 9 Porsche Design is a bit above the Mate 9 spec-wise. Expect the phone to be available in Porsche Design Stores worldwide (not the US though) and select Huawei stores in Asia, Middle East and Europe for a whopping €1,395 ($1,547) a pop.
- 5.9-inch display with 1,440 x 2,560 pixel resolution
- Octa-core Kirin 960 chipset
- 6GB of RAM
- 256GB of internal storage (non-expandable)
- Dual camera setup (Leica-branded 20MP monochrome + 12MP RFB f.2.2, OIS plus 8MP selfie snapper)
- Capable of 4K video shooting
- 4,000 mAh battery with Super Charge with a 5A charger
- Fingerprint scanner on the back
- Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0
Samsung W2017
Think that clamshell phones are outdated? Well some users really love them and for them Samsung rolled out the W2017 also known as “Veyron”. Unlike most flip phones on the market this is a high-end device boasting pretty great specifications. No details on the pricing just yet, we just know it’s going to be launched in China initially.
- Dual 4.2-inch Super AMOLED displays with 1,080 x 1,920 pixel resolution (internal and external)
- Snapdragon 820 chipset
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of internal storage (expandable)
- 12MP/5MP camera combo
- 2,300 mAh battery
- Fingerprint sensor
- Support for Samsung Pay
- Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- Black, Gold
ZTE Cymbal-T
Samsung unveiled a high-end flip phone, but ZTE launched a budget model called the Cymbal-T this week with a $99 price-tag attached. It features mid-range specs and if purchased from TracFone (via BestBuy) comes with 1 year of service with 1200MB of data, 1200 minutes talk-time and 1200 messages throughout the period.
- 3.5-inch touchscreen display plus secondary mini display for notifications
- Snapdragon 210 processor
- 1GB of RAM
- 8GB of internal storage (via microSD)
- 5MP/2MP camera combo
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
So which model is your favorite this week?
