IFA 2018 is almost over. By now, you’re probably excited to hear the last few product announcements to be made in Berlin, Germany. Earlier in August, we saw some images of the Fitbit Charge 3 leaked. More details of Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Galaxy Watch were also leaked before the official launch followed by early teasers and announcements from top OEMs like LG, Dell, Sony, and Huawei. For LG, the South Korean tech company has unveiled several XBOOM Audio products including those AI ThinQ speakers.
Samsung didn’t wait for IFA 2018 to launch the Galaxy Note 9 but a number of phone makers unveiled their latest smartphones. We’ve seen the ARCHOS Access 57 4G running Android Oreo Go and featuring an 18:9 aspect ratio display at a budget price among the first devices to be shown off.
LG G7 One and LG G7 Fit
LG launched the G7 Fit and the LG G7 One. The LG G7 One runs on Android One while the LG G7 Fit is more of a mid-range variant with only Snapdragon 821 chipset. The G7 Fit runs on Android 8.1 Oreo and boasts an AI CAM. Simply put, these are mid-range phones with “flagship-level intelligent features at exceptional price points” as earlier described.
Sony Xperia XZ3
The Sony Xperia XZ3 is Sony Mobile’s latest premium flagship offering. The phone was announced with an OLED screen and still without a notch nor dual cameras. Others are saying it should have been the Sony Xperia XZ2. The no-notch phone was shown off in rendered images and a 360-degree video first. We learned of the four colors even before the official launch: Black, Silver White, Bordeaux Red, and Forest Green.
The phone’s design may have not changed in a major way but Strategy Analytics named the Sony Xperia XZ3 as having the Best Display among the World’s Leading Smartphones. At the moment, the Sony Xperia XZ3 is ready for pre-order on Amazon for EUR 799,00 ($928).
HTC U12 Life
The HTC U12 Life was launched with an 18:9 display, dual camera setup, and a dual finish design. This is the ‘Something new for U’ device the Taiwanese tech giant was teasing earlier. The device costs £299 ($390).
Motorola One
The Motorola One sports a 5.9-inch HD display with 19:9 Max Vision, AI-powered Google Lens, 2.0 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core chipset, 8MP selfie camera, and 13MP dual smart rear cameras. The Motorola One is powered by Android One. There’s also the Motorola One Power which has a bigger display at 6.2-inches and almost the same specs. Both phones come with wide notched displays and slim side bezels.
Huawei Honor Magic 2
Huawei launched the Honor Magic 2 with super slim bezels, Kirin 980 processor, and a slide-out selfie camera. The top Chinese OEM has decided to hide the sensors and front-facing camera. The result is reduced thickness of the Android slider phone.
ZTE AXON 9
The ZTE Axon 9 is a new premium flagship that sports a 6.21-inch AMOLED screen with 18.7:9 aspect ratio, Snapdragon 845 processor, 12MP and 20MP dual camera sensors, 20MP selfie camera, 6GB RAM, 128GB onboard storage, USB-C connector, 4000mAh battery, and Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone will be out with a €649 ($750) price tag later this month in Europe.
Other Android smartphones revealed during the IFA 2018 event also include the Blackberry KEY2 LE.
