CAPE TOWN – As we approach the end of the year, all major smartphone companies have launched unique devices with own special groundbreaking features.
Business Report list a few of the top smartphone launches that happened for 2018.
Here is the list:
1. The new Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro
Join us live for the #HuaweiMate20Pro launch in Johannesburg tomorrow. A #HigherIntelligence is here. Stayed tuned, you could win your very own #HuaweiMate20Pro pic.twitter.com/dmEaDmmPwI
— Huawei Mobile SA (@HuaweiZA) October 22, 2018
The device has a 16mm Leica Ultra Wide Angle Lens, which creates a sense of spaciousness and adds a three-dimensional effect to your images. The camera of the Mate 20 series also supports macro distance, which means that you can take crisp, precise photos of objects that are placed as close as 2.5cm to the lens.
The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is equipped with a 40MP wide angle main camera, a 20MP ultra wide-angle camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera.
The 40W Huawei SuperCharge gives your phone 70 percent charge in 30 minutes and Huawei’s Wireless 15W Quick Charge is the industry’s fastest wireless charging solution.
2. Huawei P20 and P20 Pro series
undefinedThe P20 key Features:
- OS: Android 8.0
- Display: 5.8-inch 1.080 x 2.280 FHD+ LCD screen
- Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 970
- RAM: 4GB RAM
- Storage: 64/128GB storage
- Rear Camera: Duel lens,12MP colour and 20MP monochrome camera
- Front Camera: 24-megapixel
- Battery: 3400mAh battery, USB-C
- Connectivity: Bluetooth. 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB Type-C
- Network: LTE
The P20 Pro key features:
- OS: Android 8.1
- Display: 6.1-inch 1,080 x 2,240 AMOLED
- Processor: HiSilicon Kirin 970
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 128GB, microSD 256GB
- Rear Camera: Triple-lens – 40MP, 20MP, 8MP
- Front Camera: 24MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.2, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, USB Type-C
- Network: LTE
3. Samsung Galaxy Note 9
undefinedThe device has featured a 6.4-inch display and a 4 000mAh battery, the largest battery found in any Samsung device.
According to Samsung, the new S-Pen acts as a wireless remote. It can be used to take a photo, Play/Pause YouTube videos, go through slides in PowerPoint.
It is also water resistant with a battery life that will last 7 days and comes in 2 sizes.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 camera specs has a dual 12MP Camera and 8MP Front Camera.
Samsung South Africa confirmed that the Galaxy Note 9 will be available in South Africa from 24 August 2018 in three colours – Midnight Black, Metallic Copper, and Ocean Blue.
4. Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+
undefinedThe new devices featured what the company is calls a "redesigned'" camera with a new Dual Aperture lens, Super Slow-mo video capabilities which allow you to create a personalised Augmented Reality (AR) Emoji.
The devices now support expandable memory of up to 400GB with a Micro SD Card and are equipped with the latest premium application processors.
The slow-motion video feature has the ability to capture video at 960 frames per second.
The devices are made in four colours: Midnight Black, Titanium Gray, Coral Blue and a new hue, Lilac Purple.
The devices are also Water and dust resistant.
The Galaxy S9 and S9+ both feature AKG stereo tuned speakers on both sides of the device.
5. The iPhone Xs and Xs Max
undefinedThe new iPhone Xs and the iPhone Xs Max were unveiled at Apple's live event and are an update from the iPhone X.
Here is a closer look at the iPhone Xs and Xs Max:
SpecsiPhone XsiPhone Xs MaxCapacity64GB, 256GB, 512GB64GB, 256GB, 512GBHeight5.65 inches6.20 inchesWeight177 grams208 gramsDisplay5.8‑inches diagonal6.5‑inches diagonalCameraDual 12MPDual 12MPTrueDepth Camera7MP7MPOSiOS 12iOS 12SimDual simDual simColoursGold, space gray, silverGold, space gray, silver
6. Blackberry KEY 2
The device screen display is 5.5inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) with is IP67 water and dust resistant.
There is a USB Type-C port, support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and a fingerprint scanner.
It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage capacity.
It has a 12MP camera at the back and it has an 8MP selfie camera.
7. LG V40 THINQ
Featuring five cameras, the device also sports an improved 6.4-inch FullVision OLED display.
The device's chipset is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and has 6GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.
8. Nokia 8110
Nokia launched five new smartphones which were manufactured by Finnish company HMD Global at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona.
However, one particular device that stood out was the relaunch of the 8810.
The device has 25 days’ battery life on standby, a small number of apps including Facebook, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Search and Twitter.
It also has 4G connectivity and the ability to share 4G in a hotspot.
9. Honor 8X
Honor which is a sub-brand belonging to Huawei has announced that their latest device the Honor 8X will be available in South Africa.
It is a part of the company's new mid-range devices that has a 6.5″ Full View display up front and has a dual camera (20MP and 2MP) setup on the rear which features an AI system for scene and object detection.
10. HTC Blockchain device
Mobile and Electronics company HTC has announced that they will be developing a blockchain-powered smartphone which the company will be naming Exodus.
The device will be using an Android Operating System (OS) and will include built-in support for blockchain applications and will include a universal cryptocurrency wallet. Exodus is being developed by a team lead by Vive creator Phil Chen, who is overseeing the cryptocurrency and blockchain initiatives at HTC.