OnePlus 7 Pro Teasers, Pixel 3a Launch, Nokia 4.2 India Release, Realme X

OnePlus 7 Pro teasers and leaks as well as Pixel 3a launch with other Google I/O announcements dominated the tech news cycle this week. Nokia 4.2 India release, Realme X debut date reveal, and Xiaomi India's triple camera smartphone launch teaser were some of the other developments that captured the headlines. Lastly, TikTok Made it's way back to the top of App stores in India and WhatsApp confirmed that it will end the support for Windows Phone devices by year-end. 

OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7 Teasers

OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7 are all set to make their official debut on May 14 and as we head closer to the launch day, the company has been releasing new teasers for the OnePlus 7 Pro to hype the smartphone. During the week, the Chinese smartphone maker revealed that the OnePlus 7 Pro will feature an HDR10+ certified display, making it one of the few phones to support the technology. Samsung's flagship Galaxy S10 ₹ 59,450 and Galaxy S10+ phones also pack HDR10+ certified screen.

OnePlus also announced that OnePlus 7 Pro will be the first smartphone to pack UFS 3.0 storage. The company founder claimed that the presence of UFS 3.0 will enable the OnePlus 7 Pro to be faster than comparable smartphones. Additionally, the company said the OnePlus 7 Pro and OnePlus 7 phone will get Android Q beta in the weeks after their launch. OnePlus did not offer an exact date. It already provides the Android Q beta for OnePlus 6T and OnePlus 6 phones.

In an official announcement, the smartphone maker touted the support for Netflix HDR on its upcoming OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone. It will hardly be the first phone to get the feature, as pretty much major flagship phone supports the same. While announcing the support for Netflix HDR, the company published two posters of the season 2 of Netflix's Sacred Games Web series. These posters feature the stars of the series, Saif Ali Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, reprising their roles as Sartaj Singh and Ganesh Gaitonde respectively.

As if the teasers weren't enough, OnePlus 7 Pro also appeared in a number of leaks this week. One such leak divulged the full specifications of the phone, whereas the other hinted at the Europe price of the smartphone. To recall, OnePlus 7 Pro is rumoured to be coming with a 6.67-inch (1440x3120 pixels) Fluid AMOELD display with 516ppi pixel density, and 90Hz maximum refresh rate. The phone will powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core processor, pack up to 12GB of RAM, and up to 256GB of onboard storage. Additionally, the phone is said to be coming with a triple rear camera setup on the back.

The OnePlus 7 Pro is tipped to be priced starting EUR 699 (roughly Rs. 54,700) in Europe. As per a tipster, the 6GB RAM variant of the phone will only be released in Mirror Grey colour option at launch, while the 12GB variant will just be available in Nebula Blue colour option. The OnePlus 7 Pro 8GB RAM option, however, will arrive in all three colours – Nebula Blue, Mirror Grey, and Almond.

Google Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL launch, and other major Google I/O announcements

After months of leaks and rumours, Google finally unveiled the new Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones at the company's I/O 2019 developer conference. The company's first foray in the mid-range segment with its own branded phones, the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL, feature an interesting set of specifications, but the biggest highlight of the phones is their camera setup. Google has added the same camera in the Pixel 3a phones as its flagship Pixel 3. Although the new phones lack Pixel Visual Core chip, the company says it has made enough AI and machine learning progress that Pixel 3a owners won't be disappointed with the camera.

While the Pixel 3a phones are already on sale in markets like the United States, they will reach India on May 15. The company has priced the Pixel 3a at Rs. 39,999 and Pixel 3a XL at Rs. 44,999. The registrations are now open on Flipkart.com. There has been some outrage on social media over the India pricing of the Pixel 3a phones when Google is selling the phones for starting at $399 (roughly Rs. 28,000) plus taxes in the US. This is hardly new and has almost always been the case. Hopefully, the phones will see some price cuts over the coming weeks and months, making them more enticing for the prospective buyers.

In terms of the specifications, Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 SoC, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of onboard storage. There is a single 12.2-megapixel Dual-Pixel Sony IMX363 sensor on the back and an 8-megapixel sensor on the front. Additionally, the phones come with the usual set of connectivity options, full-HD+ screens, and Android 9 Pie.
Apart from the Pixel 3a smartphones, Google has also made a number of announcements at the I/O 2019, including the latest beta of Android Q. Google previewed the next-generation Assistant, which will be debuting on the Pixel 4 phones later this year and will then arrive on older Pixel phones and third-party Android devices. The company also stated that it will soon be adding support for UPI payments in the Google Play Store and will start rolling out cash support for in-app purchases in select markets. Google Play users in Japan and Mexico can already use cash to top-up their Google Play balance.

Nokia 4.2 India launch

After over two months of introducing the Nokia 4.2 at the Mobile World Congress 2019, HMD Global launched the smartphone in India. The phone has been priced at Rs. 10,990, and is currently available via the company's online store. The availability will expand to select Croma, Reliance, Sangeetha, and other stores on May 14, before being available everywhere on May 21.
The Nokia 4.2 is an Android One smartphone and comes with a 5.71-inch HD+ (720x1520 pixels) screen. It is powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC, paired with Adreno 505 GPU and 3GB of RAM. Other specifications of the phone include a 13-megapixel primary camera with f/2.2 aperture and a 2-megapixel secondary sensor with an f/2.2 lens. There is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter on the front as well with an f/2.0 lens.

Xiaomi Triple Camera Smartphone Teaser & Redmi Flagship

Xiaomi started teasing a new smartphone launch this week. The company was quite cryptic in its teaser and didn't reveal much, however given the presence of triple cameras in the promotional poster, it is believed that company may release a triple rear camera smartphone in India. Xiaomi had earlier announced that it will soon be bringing a smartphone powered by Qualcomm's brand-new Snapdragon 730 or Snapdragon 730G processor in the country. It is quite possible that the upcoming triple camera phone is powered by one of the above two processors.

Meanwhile, Redmi executives in China continue to hype the upcoming announcement of Redmi flagship. The phone is largely believed to be coming next week, however the company is yet to announce an official release date. Redmi flagship has long been anticipated by the company's fans and it will be using Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 855 SoC.