March Smartphone Roundup

Who doesn’t have a smartphone? The pocket-friendly gadget revolutionised the role of technology in everyday life, and now everyone has one! This March, these are the screens we can’t take our eyes off.

Huawei Mate X: Foldable 5G Smartphone

We thought that the future was here, but it really just keeps coming! Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you: this novel 2-in-1 smartphone/tablet is indeed foldable, in a feat of serious technical engineering prowess. Available in a sleek Interstellar Blue colour wave, the Huawei Mate X features a flexible OLED panel and a Falcon Wing Mechanical Hinge making it stylish, ergonomic and lightweight.

The Mate X combines the flexible OLED foldable FullView display with the Balong 5000, to deliver the best multi-tasking experience. Double screens are not at all double the trouble when the Huawei X allows you to use two screens simultaneously! And if you’re wondering about its other functions, Huawei smartphones have always come with powerful cameras, and that’s not changed at all here. As the foldable screen comes into play, the camera system plays the unique role of both front and rear cameras for a whole new type of photography experience.

Details to note:
Battery:
4,500mAh capacity, Huawei SuperCharge (55W)
Camera:
Leica, specifics TBA
Dimensions :
6-inch (smartphone), 8-inch (tablet)
11mm (folded), 5.4mm (unfolded)
Colours:
Interstellar Blue

The Huawei Mate X is tentatively priced at €2999 but is subject to change during actual launch. Global and local availability has yet to be confirmed. huawei.com

Nokia 4.2

We all know of and probably have owned a Nokia phone at some point— so you’ll be glad to know that the classic brand isn’t going anywhere! This Nokia model is sleek yet sturdy, with a compact size that is maximised with edge-to-edge screen display, complemented by its lightweight metal internal structure and satin-finish polycarbonate frame. The Nokia 4.2 also introduces a new smartphone experience, with the Google Assistant button making its debut. Press once to get help and information, double press for a snapshot of your day, including intelligent suggestions and personalised information, including transport and billing info. Long pressing activates walkie-talkie mode, allowing you to relay lengthier queries to Google Assistant.

The Nokia 4.2 is available in two colours, Black and Pink Sand, and will be available from April retailing for an average retail price of USD169 for the 2/16GB storage variant and USD199 for the 3/32GB storage
variant. nokia.com.

Nokia 9 Pureview

With the Nokia 9 Pureview, the stars of the show are without a doubt its five cameras. The Nokia 9 PureView is the first-ever 5 camera array smartphone with ZEISS optics, of which 2 lenses are RGB and three are monochrome. All five sensors work together to collect up to 10-times the amount of light than a single sensor of the same type, and every shot is HDR, with up to 12.4 stops of dynamic range and a full scene 12MP depth map.

Check out the pictures you can take with the Nokie Pureview:

Details to note:
Display:
5.99” 18:9 QHD+ 2K pOLED Nokia PureDisplay
Battery:
3320mAh⁴, non-removable, fast charging compatible
Camera:
Main: RGB*2: 12MP, 1.25um, AF, F/1.8, Mono*3: 12MP, 1.25um, AF, F/1.8
Front: 20MP(5MP), 1.0um (2.0um)
Flash: Dual tone LED flash
Dimensions:
155*75*8.0mm / Weight 172g
Colours:
Midnight Blue

The Nokia 9 PureView will be available in Midnight Blue. Already shipping, Nokia 9 PureView will have a global average retail price of USD699. nokia.com

Samsung Galaxy 10 Series

The Samsung Galaxy hardly needs introduction. The iconic phone is celebrating a decade since it was debuted, and what better way to celebrate than with a line of new and improved versions! The S10 range is certainly something to swoon over— check out The Guardian’s review of it here! The star of the show is Samsung’s best screen to date, boasting a wide range of vivid colours for crisp, accurate display. With its nearly bezel-less design, binge-watching your favourite Netflix show is now more full-screen than ever.

Samsung Galaxy S10, $1,298 (Recommended Retail Price)

Samsung Galaxy S10e, $1,078 (Recommended Retail Price)

Samsung Galaxy S10+$1,398/$1,798/$2,198 for 128GB/512GB/1TB (Retail Recommended Prices)

Details to note:
Display:
Dynamic AMOLED+, 19:9 aspect ratio, Wide Quad HD+ (1440 x 3040 pixels), Gorilla Glass 6 (front), Gorilla Glass 5 (back)
Battery:
4,500mAh
Camera:
Ultra Wide Lens with a 123-degree field of view
Up to UHD quality for front and rear cameras
HDR10+6 recording for rear camera
Dimensions:
S10: 149.9 x 70.4 x 7.8 mm/Weight 157g
S10+: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm/Weight 175g (Glass), 198g (Ceramic)
S10e: 142.2 x 69.9 x 7.9 mm/Weight 150g
Colours:
Galaxy S10e, S10 and S10+ (128GB1): Prism White, Prism Black and Prism Green
Galaxy S10+ (512GB and 1TB): Ceramic White and Ceramic Black

The Galaxy S10e, S10 and S10+ will be available in Singapore from 8 March 2019, at local telecommunication operators (M1, Singtel and StarHub), major consumer electronics & IT stores, Samsung Experience Stores and Lazada Singapore. samsung.com

Lenovo Tab V7 Ultra-portable Tablet-and-smartphone-in-one

Multi-tasking seems to be in this tech season with the Lenovo Tab V7 joining the Huawei Mate X in the smartphone-cum-tablet ranks. Although it doesn’t literally transform as the Mate X does, in terms of functionality the multi-use aspect is definitely present. With a whopping 6.9-inch IPS Full HD display, the V7 Tab fuses the best parts of an Android™ tablet with the advantages of a smartphone, with the quintessential data, talk, and messaging applications.

Details to note:
Display:
6.9 inches, 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~350 ppi density)
Battery:
5,180mAh
Camera:
Main: 13 MP, LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video: 1080p@30fps
Dimensions:
6.9 inches, 122.9 cm2
7.9 mm thickness/Weight 195g
Colours:
Black