In the first month of the year 2019, we saw quite a few smartphones being launched in India ranging from INR 4,444 to INR 49,990 and among these there were a few budget-friendly smartphones from Xolo, Mobiistar, and Samsung, then Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, and Honor launched their new midrange smartphones and also we saw a couple of flagship smartphones. So, if you have missed all the action that happened in India this month, this post will cover it up.
Budget Smartphones
Xolo Era 4X
One of the first launches of the year came from the company Xolo, who made a comeback to the Indian smartphone market after almost a year. The company announced Xolo Era 4X comes with Corning Gorilla Glass which is the USP of the device. It comes in two variants- 1GB RAM + 16GB storage and 2GB RAM + 16GB storage with a microSD card support. The 1GB RAM variant runs on Android Oreo (Go Edition) and the 2GB variant runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. Here is the full specification of the device.
Xolo Era 4X Specifications
- 5.45-inch HD+ 2.5D Curved glass display, with Corning Gorilla Glass
- 1.5GHz Quad Core MediaTek Processor
- 1GB/2GB RAM
- 16GB storage, microSD card support
- 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash
- 5MP front camera with Screen and LED flash
- Android Oreo (Go Edition)/Android 8.1 Oreo
- Face unlock(2GB RAM variant)
- 3000mAH battery
- Thickness: 8.6mm
- Colors: gold and black
Mobiistar X1 Notch
Mobiistar launched a budget smartphone that comes with a notched display, AI cameras, and also comes in gradient finish and is priced under INR 10,000. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner at the rear and face unlock feature.
Mobiistar X1 Notch Specifications
- 5.7-inch HD+(1498 X 720) display, notch
- 2.0GHz Quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 processor, PowerVR Rogue GE8300 GPU
- 2GB/3GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB storage, microSD card support up to 128GB
- 13MP rear camera with AI Scene Detection, PDAFAuto Focus, LED flash, 7 level Face Beauty Mode
- 13MP selfie shooter with AI Face Beauty, Bokeh Effect
- Android 8.1 Oreo
- 3020mAH battery
- Rear fingerprint scanner, face unlock
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS
Vivo Y91
Vivo launched the successor of the last year’s Y81, the Vivo Y91 a big 6.22-inch display, face unlock, dual rear cameras and is also powered by the MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core processor. Also, this device packs in a bigger 4000mAH battery.
Vivo Y91 Specs
- 6.22-inch 1520x 720 HD+ Halo FullView Display with a 19:9 aspect ratio
- 2Ghz MediaTek Helio P22 Octa-core processor
- 2GB RAM
- 32GB internal storage, up to 256GB with microSD support
- 13MP( f/2.2)+2MP( f/2.4) dual rear camera with LED flash, Pro mode, Face Beauty, Slow, Time-Lapse, PPT, Palm Capture, Voice Control, Portrait Mode
- 8MP front-facing camera, f/1.8 aperture, Face Beauty, Palm Capture, Voice Control
- Funtouch OS4.0 based on Android 8.1 Oreo
- 4030mAH battery
- Rear Fingerprint sensor, Face unlock
- 3.5mm audio jack
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Ambient light sensor, Proximity Sensor, E-compass, and Gyroscope
- Thickness: 8.28mm and Weight: 163.5gms
- USB 2.0
- Dual SIM, 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS
- Colors: Black, Gold
Samsung Galaxy M10
Samsung announced a new M series smartphone to take on the likes of Xiaomi, Realme, Oppo, Vivo, and others. The Samsung Galaxy M10 features a 6.2-inch HD+ (1520 × 720p) infinity-V display, it is powered by an Octa-core in-house Exynos 7870 processor. It comes in 2 variants – 2GB+16GB storage and 3GB+32GB storage and packs in 3430mAH battery. The M10 features a 13MP(f/1.9)+5MP(f/2.2) dual rear camera set-up with LED flash, an ultra-wide mode which lets you capture more expansive photos. At the front, there is a 5MP camera with f/2.0 aperture.
Midrange Smartphones
Honor 10 Lite
The Honor 10 Lite was announced in mid-January and it features 2019 standard features like a dew-drop notch, dual rear camera, and glass design. The Honor 10 Lite is also available in a Sky Blue gradient color option.
Honor 10 Lite Specifications
- 6.21-inch (2340 X 1080 pixels) Full HD+ display, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, dew-drop notch
- 2.2GHz Octa-Core Kirin 710 12nm, ARM Mali-G51 MP4 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage, microSD card support up to 400GB
- Android 9.0 Pie, EMUI 9.0
- 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture
- 24MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture
- Rear fingerprint sensor
- 3400mAH battery
- Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2
Huawei Y9 2019
The first midrange smartphone of the year, Huawei Y9 2019 comes with a big 6.5-inch notched display, Kirin 710 SoC, four cameras, 4000mAH battery. The device comes with GPU Turbo technology which doubles the GPU efficiency and increases basic performance by 1.3x.
Huawei Y9 2019 Specifications
- 6.5-inch (2340 X 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 3D curved glass display, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, notch
- 2.2GHz Octa-Core Kirin 710 12nm processor, ARM Mali-G51 MP4 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 64GB internal storage, microSD card support up to 400GB
- Android 8.0 Oreo, EMUI
- 16MP + 2MP dual rear camera with f/1.8 aperture LED flash, PDAF, AI 3D lighting
- 13MP + 2MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture
- Rear fingerprint sensor
- Thickness: 8.05mm and Weight: 173g
- Histen 5.0
- Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS
- 4000mAH battery with AI power management
- Colors: Sapphire Blue & Midnight Black
Samsung Galaxy M20
The Samsung Galaxy M20 features a 6.3-inch FHD+ infinity-V display, it is powered Exynos 7904 and comes in 2 variants – 3GB RAM with 32GB storage and 4GB RAM with 64GB storage. The phone packs in a massive 5000mAHbattery with support for the 15W quick charge via USB Type-C port. The M20 features a 13MP(f/1.9)+5MP(f/2.2) dual rear camera set-up with LED flash, an ultra-wide mode which lets you capture more expansive photos. At the front, there is an 8MP camera with f/2.0 aperture. It comes with a rear fingerprint scanner as well as face unlock feature. 
Oppo R15 Pro
Oppo’s third R series smartphone launched in India after R17 and R17 Pro last month, the Oppo R15 Pro offers Vooc Flash charge, dual rear cameras, 20MP selfie camera, and is powered by a Snapdragon 660 SoC. 
OPPO R15 Pro Specifications
- 6.28-inch (2280 X1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 aspect ratio OLED display
- 2.2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 660 processor, Adreno 512 GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal memory
- Android 8.0 Oreo, ColorOS 5.0
- 20MP(f/1.7 aperture) + 16MP(f/1.7 aperture) rear cameras with LED Flash
- 20MP AI front camera with f/2.0 aperture
- 3430mAH battery with Oppo’s VOOC Flash Charge
- Rear fingerprint sensor
- Thickness: 7.5mm and Weight: 181g
- Hybrid SIM, 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, USB Type-C, NFC
Flagship Smartphones
LG’s flagship phone, V40 ThinQ comes with 5 cameras with triple rear camera set-up at the rear and dual selfie camera set-up. The smartphone is IP68 Water and dust resistant rated and also MIL-STD 810G certified. It houses a 3.5mm audio jack and comes with a 32-bit Advanced Hi-Fi Quad DAC as well as BoomBoxSpeakers.
LG V40 ThinQ Specifications
- 6.4-inch display (3120 x 1440 pixels) QHD+ OLED display, 538 PPI, 19.5:9 aspect ratio
- Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with Adreno 630GPU
- 6GB RAM
- 128GB internal memory, microSD card support up to 2TB
- 12MP(78°) +16MP(107°) +12MP(45°) triple rear cameras
- 5MP( f/1.9 )+8MP( f/1.9) front camera
- Android 8.1 Oreo with LG UX
- 3,300mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, fast wireless charging
- Thickness: 7.7mm and Weight: 169g
- Fingerprint sensor at the rear
- IP68 Water and dust resistant, MIL-STD 810G certified, 32-bit Advanced Hi-Fi Quad DAC
- 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0 LE, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C
Honor View20
With OnePlus dominating the premium flagship smartphone category in India, Honor has finally launched a device that may well be an alternate for the OnePlus 6T. The View20 comes with a 48MP rear camera which comes with an f/1.8 aperture and a secondary TOF 3D camera. It also features Liquid cooling system with an S-shaped heat pipe that cools a wide area of heat. 
Honor View20 Specifications
- 6.4-inch Full HD+ LCD IPS display, 91% screen-to-body ratio
- 2.6 GHz Octa-core Kirin 980 processor, ARM Mali-G76MP10 GPU
- 6GB/8GB RAM
- 128GB/256GB Storage
- 48MP rear camera with f/1.8 aperture and a secondary TOF 3D camera with LED flash, AI vision
- 25MP front punch-hole camera with f/2.0 aperture
- Android 9.0 Pie
- 4,000mAH battery, fast charging via USB Type-C
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Thickness: 8.1mm and Weight: 180g
- Dual SIM, Dual 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5 LE, GPS, NFC, IR blaster
- Colors: sapphire blue, midnight black, phantom Red, and phantom blue
These were the smartphones that were announced in the month of January, do let us know which was your favorite among these. Follow us on Twitter for more news and updates.
