While some major smartphone releases happened during the Mobile World Congress back in February, we are yet to see some flagship phones from a couple of brands. OnePlus and LG confirmed to launch their upcoming flagship devices in the month of May. The OnePlus 6 already confirmed to launch on May 17 in India, while the LG G7 ThinQ launch is on May 2. Apart from the flagship devices, we might see some budget-centric smartphones launch in India as well. Here are the major phones releases happening in May 2018.
LG G7 ThinQ
LG’s next-gen flagship device, the LG G7 ThinQ is set to launch on May 2 in New York and on May 3 in Seoul. Like most of the other Android phones, LG also opts for the notch style display design. There will also be a dedicated Google Assistant button and dual camera setup. Besides AI based camera features, G7 ThinQ will also bring new AI features such as Voice AI and Vision AI.
LG G7 ThinQ will come with a 6.1-inch display that will be offering Quad HD+ resolution and 19:9 aspect ratio. The company revealed the G7 is the first smartphone offer Super Bright Display with up to 1000 nits brightness. Under the hood, the device will be powered by 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform.
OnePlus 6
The OnePlus 6 is perhaps one of most anticipated phone releases of all. The Chinese phone maker has confirmed that the device will officially be unveiled on May 16 in London and the India launch is scheduled on May 17.
The key features and specs of the phone have been teased by OnePlus for quite some time now. The OnePlus 6 will have iPhone X-like top-notch display and a glass body on the rear. The device is expected to sport a rear dual camera setup, a wide-angle selfie camera, and waterproofing features. Also confirmed are the specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 6/8GB of RAM, 256GB storage, 3400mAh battery with Dash Charge support.
Nokia X
HMD Global is expected to take wraps off a new smartphone dubbed Nokia X or Nokia X6 on May 16 in China, the same day as the OnePlus 6. The company confirmed the launch date for its upcoming device on Chinese microblogging site Weibo.
The Nokia X will be first Nokia branded phone to embrace the notch. In images leaked so far the device is seen with an edge-to-edge display with curved corners. The rear panel is seen with a glass back and vertically aligned dual camera setup just like other Nokia phones. The Nokia X is expected in two variants: Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and MediaTek Helio P60 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.
Xiaomi Mi A2
Xiaomi is expected to bring its recently launched Mi 6X as Mi A2 in the international markets. While the Mi 6X is already on sale in China, there is no official confirmation about the Mi A2 launch by the company. The phone is expected to launch in May as the older Mi A1 is already out of stock in India.
The Mi 6X aka Mi A2 sports a 5.99-inch FHD+ display and is backed by a Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor paired with 6GB/4GB of RAM. The device sports dual rear camera module which uses the 20MP Sony IMX376 and 12MP Sony IMX486 sensors. There is another 20MP Sony IMX376 sensor up front. The device is backed by a 3010mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging support.
?Xiaomi Redmi S2
Xiaomi is also gearing up to launch another budget phone with dual cameras and 18:9 display. The device dubbed “Redmi S2” has appeared online in several leaks and comes with a 6-inch HD+ display and Snapdragon 625 processor. The phone will come in three models: 2GB RAM + 16GB storage, 3GB RAM+32GB storage and 4GB RAM + 64GB storage. The device could be part of Android One program running stock Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box.
In terms of cameras, there’s dual rear 12MP and 5MP sensors with EIS and LED flash. There is a 16MP front-facing camera with portrait mode. The device will be backed by a 3080mAh battery and offers 10W fast charging. The device is expected to go live in India and China in upcoming weeks.
Asus Zenfone 5
After taking wraps on the Zenfone Max Pro M1 smartphone, Asus is expected to launch yet another Snapdragon 636-powered smartphone in the country, dubbed as the Asus Zenfone 5. Asus launched these smartphones at the MWC 2018 event in Barcelona. The Zenfone 5 is one of the best-looking smartphones launched in 2018 so far. It has a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display with a notch on top, dual rear cameras, 8MP front-facing camera, Snapdragon 636 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM and a 3300mAh battery. If Asus launches it an aggressive price as the Zenfone Max Pro M1, then this device could steal the thunder of Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Moto G6 Series
There's a lot going on inside the Motorola and Lenovo India groups with the top-level management quitting the company. Motorola is yet to hold a major product launch in the country, which could change this month. The Moto G6 lineup of devices- the Moto G6, Moto G6 Plus and the Moto G6 Play is expected to launch in the sub-continent. The price range of these devices will be around Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000.
Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018) and A6+ (2018)
The Galaxy A6 (2018) and the A6+ (2018) are amongst the long-rumoured Samsung smartphones this year. The phones are expected to launch in the country this month. The Galaxy A6 (2018) is said to sport a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED Infinity Display on the front, Exynos 7870 SoC, up to 4GB of RAM & 64GB of internal storage, triple card slot, single rear and front cameras and a 3000mAh battery.
The Galaxy A6+ (2018) will arrive with different specifications of Snapdragon 450 SoC, 6-inch Super AMOLED Full HD+ display, up to 4GB of RAM & 64GB of storage, triple card slot, dual rear cameras of 16MP and 5MP, single 24MP selfie camera with Face Recognition feature, Bluetooth 5.0 and a 3500mAh battery.
Honor 10
The Honor 10 global launch is set for May 15 in London. Post the launch, the device will be made available for purchase in the country. The smartphone is already launched in China with decent specifications of 5.84-inch Full HD+ display, Kirin 970 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM, dual rear cameras, single front-facing camera and a 3400mAh battery. The phone is expected to launch around Rs 30,000 as the successor to Honor View 10 in India.
