The quest for Android dominance

Vaibhav Sharma

Having shipped over 70 million smartphones globally in 2017, HMD Global, the company behind the Nokia branded smartphone reboot, is now gunning for dominance in the cluttered Android marketplace. Its offerings this year are Android One branded, which means the company will deliver untouched builds of the operating system, direct from Google — putting these phones almost at par with Google’s own Pixel lineup, which has received rave reviews. Companies like Huawei have similar plans and there isn’t a better way to capture consumer interest than launching a high-end flagship like the Huawei P20 Pro, with the P20 Lite rounding off the mid end. Then there are established players like Samsung who continue to churn out enviable devices, the latest being the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus. Not to be left behind, Xiaomi offers the Mi Mix 2, which combines premium materials with a more affordance price point.

HUAWEI’S OFFERINGS

P20 Pro: The phone to compete with the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy S9, iPhone X and the Pixel 2XL, this phone’s USP is its three camera setup that is Leica branded. The main sensor is a 40 MP RGB monstrosity that is paired with a 20 MP monochrome sensor, while an 8 MP sensor handles the optical zoom duties. The advantage of this setup is that you not only get 3X optical zoom, but also 5X Hybrid zoom that may remind you of the Lumia 1020 or the Nokia 808, both of which carried 41 MP sensors back in the day. It runs on a Kirin 970 octa-core processor, 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. It carries Huawei’s own custom EMUI 8.1 software, that is based on Android 8.1 – this is perhaps the device’s only weakness. If you hate the skin, you can customise the UI, but there won’t ever be a stock Android feel. The battery life with a 4000 mAh battery and wireless charging should be solid. Price: Rs 64,999.

Huawei P20 Lite: The budget offering keeps a similar design, but loses a camera on the back to revert to a more traditional dual lens setup. There is a 16 MP sensor and a 2 MP sensor that helps it deliver photos with bokeh effect.  It packs a 5.84” Full HD display, is powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 659 SoC and features 4 GB of RAM with 64 GB of storage. The battery size drops down to 3000 mAh with fast charging support, also present is a microSD slot for expandable storage. Price: Rs 19,999.

FROM NOKIA’S STABLE

Nokia 8 Sirocco: Furthering the trend of slim bezel phones, the spiritual successor to the Nokia 8 moves the finger print reader to the back and puts the large curved edge-to-edge pOLED 2K 5.5-inch display front and center. The moulded body curves packed into a precision milled stainless steel frame, coupled with classic Nokia design presents the new Sirocco in a compelling, premium design. The dual camera setup on the back houses a wide angle and a 2x zoom capable telephoto lens, both with ZEISS optics. The Pro Camera app gives you granular control over various settings that the default Android camera app lacks. Price: Rs 49,999.

New Nokia 6: This is 2018’s ‘new’ Nokia 6 that looks similar but promises 60 per cent better performance with Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and 3 GB of RAM. Also included is fast USB-C charging that promises a 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes. The rear camera is powered by a 16 MP sensor with ZEISS optics and an 8 MP front camera. The screen is a 5.5” full HD display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. Available in Black/Copper and White/Copper. Price: Rs 16,999.

Nokia 7 Plus: The trump card in the company’s mid-range offeringis powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platform and 4 GB of RAM, this smartphone should have no trouble keeping things running smoothly.The Nokia 7 plus comes with a 3800 mAh battery that along with Android Oreo tweaks should keep you going for almost two days. Its real strength lies in its class leading camera performance, which is delivered through a 16 MP front facing camera, and dual 12 MP & 13 MP sensors at the back that offer wide angle and 2x zoom capabilities. Like the more expensive Nokia 8 Sirocco, it also offers the Pro Camera app that lens you manually control ISO, white balance, shutter speed, focus and exposure. On account of the narrow bezels, it fits a 6-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display in the body of a traditional 5.5-inch display device.In this price segment, you cannot go wrong with the Nokia 7 plus.Price: Rs 25,999.

SAMSUNG’S WORKHORSES

Galaxy S9 Plus: Samsung has been refining the flagship Galaxy design over the last two years, and this year’s offering while not entirely fresh gets a lot right. The fingerprint sensor is placed under the camera lens unlike last year’s faux paswhere they decided to place it next to the lens – which resulted in pictures marred by smudges. The narrow bezels ensure that a 6.2” display fits in a very pocketable size, and the dual 12 cameras consistently produce stellar results that the 1440x2960 screen can proudly show off. Performance is also great with 6GB of RAM paired with Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 Octa chip. The 3500 mAh battery although, sometimes has you wishing that the device had more juice to last through a busy day. Feature wise, there isn’t much that Samsung hasn’t included – wireless charging, quick charge, IP68 dust and water resistance, Samsung Pay, and stereo speakers are all there. Price: Rs 64,900.

Galaxy S9: The slightly smaller variant ditches the dual cameras, and with it loses out on the bokeh action. The screen clocks in at 5.8”, the RAM falls to 4 GB and the battery size to 3000 mAh. However, performance is still great and endurance continues to be ordinary. But as it is a Galaxy flagship after all, you’ll find everything else that the Plus model has on offer. Only consider this if you really want to save the extra Rs 7000, or prefer the smaller size. Price: Rs 57,900.

LG’S flagship

LG G7 ThinQ: The phone carries all the trademarks of a 2018 flagship — thin bezels along with a notch that can be hidden via software, a 6.1-inch 19.5:9 3120 x 1440 pixel display, the Snapdragon 845 chip, 6 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. The camera is a pair of 16 MP sensors, one lens comes with a 71 degree field of view, and the other is a super wide angle shooter. LG has bucked the market trend of ditching the 3.5mm headphone jack, and instead doubles down with a high-end 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC from ESS that is sure to please the audiophiles with its virtual 3D sound that delivers up to 7.1 channel audio with earphones. Also present is a dedicated button to summon Google Assistant. The device checks all the right boxes, but lacks a defining feature that could have catapulted it to the top. The India release date or price has not been announced yet.

XIAOMI’S ENTRY

MI MIX 2: The Mix 2 may not be the fastest phone and may not pack the best camera, but its premium ceramic body and narrow bezel display make it one of the better looking smartphones in the market right now. However, when you factor in the not-so-demanding price, and the respectable Snapdragon 835 processor, 128 GB of storage, 6 GB of RAM and an optically stabilised 12 MP camera, it does present a compelling proposition. It is also one of those rare flagship phones to offer a dual SIM slot. It runs on MIUI 9 that brings its own set of bells and whistles with things such as Mi Drop, which is Mi’s answer to Apple’s AirDrop.Price: Rs 32,999.

BOTTOMLINE

We’re fast getting to a stage where there is no bad smartphone. Most phones get the basics right, and what differentiates them is the choice of material, design and whether or not they run stock Android. Apart from Nokia, none of the other manufacturers mentioned here have a good track record when it comes to timely updates, and their own customised skin has a lot to do with that.