Best Upcoming Smartphones of September 2017

Last month, we have seen few Global and India-specific smartphone launches. After the press conferences at IFA 2017, there aren’t many smartphone launches. A few devices that are already launched in the international markets are expected to go on sale in India in September. Below is the list of the smartphones that are going to launch in September. We aren’t mentioning about the Sony and LG devices that are confirmed to launch in the next couple of days at the IFA 2017.

Apple iPhone 8 (iPhone X)

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 8 alongside the iPhone 7S and iPhone 7S Plus on September 12th. Few leaks also suggest the iPhone 8 to be launched as iPhone X. It will be running on the latest iOS 11 and comes powered by the powerful A11 chipset built using the 10nm FinFET process. The Apple iPhone 8 will be the first iPhone to feature OLED display panel. If the rumors to be believed, we will be looking at a 5.8-inch bezel-less display with a small cutout on the top for the front camera, earpiece, and sensors. Instead of the metal, the iPhone 8 sports glass body to support wireless charging. The TouchID will be moved from the front of the device to tight right edge, where it will be integrated into the power button. Additionally, Apple will be offering Facial Recognition technology to seamlessly unlock the device by scanning the face. The new iPhones will be available to pre-order from September 15th and the shipping begins from September 22nd.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2

Philippe Starck, the french-designer who designed Xiaomi’s Mi MIX smartphone has shared the concept video of the Mi MIX 2 showing the full-screen display on the front with the curved edges and rounded corners. Compared to the first-gen Mi MIX, the Mi MIX 2 comes with an even thinner lower bezel. The front facing camera sits on the right side of the bottom bezel and the company might opt for ultrasonic proximity sensor as seen on the Mi MIX. While the fingerprint sensor will be placed on the rear, the leaked screenshot hinted the device to come with 3D facial recognition feature to securely unlock the device without touching it. The Mi MIX 2 will be running on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat based MIUI 9 out of the box. Based on the rumors, the smartphone might come with a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ bezel-less display. It will be powered by the Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM and 128GB/256GB of internal storage.

Huawei Mate 10 & Mate 10 Pro

Huawei is another manufacturer to launch its latest flagship smartphone in the month of October. The company will first unveil the mobile AI processor at the IFA 2017. The Mate 10 smartphone will be launched on October 16th. As seen in 2016, the company might also launch the Mate 10 Porsche Design smartphone. According to leaks, only the Mate 10 Pro codenamed Blanc will sport the bezel-less display called EntireView Display. The Mate 10 will be running on the Android 7.1.1. Nougat out of the box. There will be no camera strip on the rear to hold the dual camera sensors. Instead, it comes with the vertical dual camera setup and the company will continue its parent ship with Leica to improve the camera capabilities. The smartphone will be powered by the in-house Kirin 970 processor built using the 10nm FinFET process. It is said to pack 6GB RAM and 4,000mAh battery capacity. The device might include facial recognition technology along with AR and VR support.

India-specific launches:

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

The recently launched Galaxy Note 8 is already available to pre-order in selected markets. However, Samsung is yet to announce the pricing of the Galaxy Note 8 in India. The Indian launch is expected to happen in the month of September. Unlike the U.S, the Indian variant will come powered by the 10nm Exynos 8895 octa-core processor coupled with Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. It was launched in Midnight Black, Maple Gold, Orchid Grey, and Deep Sea Blue color options. The 6.3-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display with Quad HD+ resolution is also the biggest display ever seen on any Galaxy Note device. It packs 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The dual camera setup with 12MP wide-angle lens and 12MP telephoto lens is one of the biggest highlights of the device. It comes with Dual OIS, 2x optical zoom, & up to 10x digital zoom. For selfies, there is an 8MP front camera as seen on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The Galaxy Note 8 is also IP68 certified, which means the device is water and dust resistant. Even the S Pen is also IP68 certified and the company added the DeX station support for offering desktop experience with the Galaxy Note 8.

Nokia 8

Nokia under HMD Global has officially unveiled the flagship smartphone dubbed Nokia 8 at an event held in London. At the MWC 2017, the company launched the Nokia 3, Nokia 5, and Nokia 6smartphones. It sports a metallic unibody design with chamfered edges. On the front is a 5.3-inch Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Under the hood is the 64-bit Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor clocked at 2.35GHz. It comes coupled with Adreno 540 GPU and 4GB of RAM. There is 64GB of internal storage that can be expandable up to another 256GB via a MicroSD card slot. The Nokia 8 sports dual camera setup on the rear featuring 13MP RGB sensor and 13MP Monochrome sensor with PDAF, f/2.0 aperture, and dual-tone LED flash. For selfies, there is a 13MP front facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 78.4-degree wide-angle. The Nokia 8 is expected to launch in India in October. The availability and pricing in India will be known only on the launch day.

LG Q6 Plus

LG launched the mid-range LG Q6 smartphone with FullVison display offering Full HD+ resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The earlier launched LG G6 also came with the same Full Vision display with 18:9 aspect ratio but offers higher Quad HD+ resolution. The LG Q6 is priced at Rs. 14,990 and is exclusively available on Amazon India. According to our exclusive source, LG will launch the LG Q6 Plus in India in next couple of weeks. It is expected to cost Rs. 17,990 and will be available in Astro Black, Ice Platinum, and Marine Blue color options. The LG Q6 Plus comes with an Aluminium frame and plastic body. Under the hood is the Snapdragon 435 octa-core processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There is also a dedicated MicroSD card slot for further expansion of storage. In terms of optics, there is a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera. It lacks the fingerprint sensor but includes face unlock feature. It runs on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat based LG UX 6.0 out of the box.

Coolpad Mega 4A & Cool S1 Changer

At the Cool Play 6 launch event held in Dubai, Coolpad has announced to bring in two new smartphones to the Indian market before Diwali Holiday season. The affordable Coolpad Mega 4A and the high-end Cool S1 Changer are those two new devices. The Coolpad Mega 4A is the affordable 4G VoLTE smartphone priced at just Rs. 5,999. It comes with a 5-inch HD display and runs on the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. The Mega 4A will also be sold through offline channels across the country. Talking about the Cool S1 Changer, it an high-end smartphone with Harman’s Clari-Fi audio enhancing technology offers Hi-Fi audio output. It sports a 5.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) display and comes powered by 2.35GHz Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor. There is 6GB of RAM, 128GB of internal storage, and 4,070mAh battery. Unlike in China, the Indian variant is expected to come with Android 7.0 Nougat based Journey UI. In the camera department, there is a 16MP Sony IMX298 sensor on the rear with PDAF, 6P lens, and an aperture f/2.0. For selfies, there is an 8MP front facing camera with f/2.2 aperture and 84-degree wide-angle lens. The Cool S1 Changer.

Asus Zenfone 4 series

Earlier this month, Asus unveiled the ZenFone 4 series by launching the Zenfone 4, Zenfone 4 Pro, Zenfone 4 Selfie, Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro, Zenfone 4 Max, and Zenfone 4 Max Pro. While the company hasn’t announced anything about the availability of the devices in India. While there is no exact information, the company will launch few of the Zenfone 4 smartphones in India in September. All the Zenfone 4 smartphones came with dual camera setup and Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. Out of all the six devices, only the Zenfone 4 Selfie and Zenfone 4 Selfie Pro sports front facing dual cameras. The devices will be running on the latest Android 7.1.1 Nougat with the customized Zen UI 4.0 on top. The Zenfone 4 Pro is the flagship device among the list and comes powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor. It packs 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. There is a 16MP + 12MP dual camera setup on the rear and an 8MP selfie camera on the front.