A round-up of some of the latest local and international phones, mobile devices and portable audio category news.

Mobile World Conference 2017

A few category highlights from the mobile industry’s annual pilgrimage to Barcelona and MWC 2017:

• LG launched its G6 smartphone, the model destined to be compared with Samsung’s Galaxy S8 this model boasts a bigger, higher res 5.7” screen, water resistance and metal and glass build. Oh and it has Google Assistant built in.
• Huawei announced its new P10 and P10+ smartphones, the latter with a bigger 5.5” screen, higher resolution, slightly better front camera and bigger battery than its P10 sibling (see below). Again co-engineered with Leica (rather than just bearing the optics firm’s logo), professional studio-like effects to enhance portrait photography are promised as is the inclusion of GoPro’s Quick mobile editing app. And, through a special partnership with Pantone Color Institute, the phones bear a range of on trend colours on their full metal jackets. Both have a front-mounted fingerprint sensor and have been designed to handle Hi-Res Audio files.

• In some surprising news HMD Global, which owns the Nokia brand, launched an interesting range of products including the Nokia 3310, a super affordable, brightly coloured, retro/rebooted version of the classic last-forever Nokia 3310 feature phone of the early 2000s. Although limited by its tiny screen and processing power, the new 3310 promises a month’s battery life. And it still has Snake too!
• Newer is the formerly mid-market China-only Nokia 6 smartphone with its 5.5” screen, which, along with the affordable new Nokia 3 and Nokia 5 models, is now to become available elsewhere in the world.

www.mobileworldcongress.com
www.lg.com/nz
consumer.huawei.com/nz/
www.nokia.com/phones

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Sony Xperia Smartphones

Also debuting in Barcelona, Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium took home the award for “Best New Smartphone or Connected Mobile Device”. Xperia XZ Premium features Sony’s new Motion Eye camera system to enable advanced features like super slomo, as well as the world’s first 4K HDR display in a smartphone (5.5”). Xperia XZ Premium is available in Luminous Chrome and Deepsea Black.

Sony also introduced its Xperia XA1 (5”) and and Xperia XA1 Ultra (6”) featuring high-end camera specifications with 23MP sensors, borderless design for a full-width display and smooth performance and fast speed for those who thrive online.

www.sony.co.nz

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus Smartphones

The big news in phones this month is the release of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Arguably the world’s best phone (for now anyway), Samsung has dramatically upped the specs on the S7, almost doubling processing power and has what many are calling the best smartphone screen ever, a massive 5.8” Infinity Display screen that is even more impressive in the Plus model’s huge 6.2” screen.

Other changes include the addition of another physical key that takes you to Samsung’s new entry into the smartphone AI arena, with an assistant called Bixby. Features a boosted 8Mp front camera, facial and fingerprint recognition and fast and wireless charging. And while the S8 can operate two sets of wireless headphones at the same time it also has a headphone jack!

www.samsung.com/nz/

3SIXT Mobile Accessories

3SIXT now offers four new phone cases for the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. For the ultimate two-in-one case, the genuine leather wallet folio 3SIXT NeoCase provides everyday protection with all the space you need for cards and cash. This versatile case can magnetically mount in your car using the 3SIXT NeoMount or NeoVent. The slimline 3SIXT SlimFolio (see photo) and 3SIXT Pureflex cases are also new.

The 3SIXT Quick Charge Wall Charger and Quick Charge Car Charger have compact designs that blend neatly into your home or car’s console. Both models feature Qualcomm Quick Charge Class A technology to charge devices, for super-fast charging up to 75% faster than some models.

The 3SIXT USB-C to USB-A v2.0 cable is ideal for super-fast charging and data transfer. The reversible USB-C connector also gives the ability to plug and unplug easily no matter what direction. And, for connecting two USB-C devices the 3SIXT USB-C to USB-C cable has connectors that click into your smartphone or tablet for a snug
and secure connection.

www.cellnet.co.nz

Belkin MIXIT DuraTek USB-C Cable 

The MIXIT DuraTek USB-C cable is the latest addition to Belkin’s DuraTek cable collection. USB-IF Certified it comes with a 5-year limited warranty and features reinforced conductors with Kevlar fibre for durability, protecting the wires inside from damage and longer, flexible, strain-relief that absorbs stress from bending. The 1.2m cable is covered in double-braided nylon to form a flexible, durable cable jacket.

www.belkin.com/au/

Apple iPad 9.7 2017

The new 9.7-inch iPad is the latest version of Apple’s most popular sized tablet and boasts a 64 bit A9 processor, 8 megapixel rear and 1.2 megapixel front, camera, Touch ID, 1080p HD video and a 10-hour battery life with 32 GB storage. All this is packed into a 469gram, 7.5mm thin package available in silver, gold and space grey. It’s also one of the most affordable iPads ever.

www.apple.com/nz/