Home
360daily
360daily Features
Moto G5 Plus India Launch, Xiaomi Launch Event, Samsung Galaxy S8 Teasers, and More: Your 360 Daily

Moto G5 Plus India Launch, Xiaomi Launch Event, Samsung Galaxy S8 Teasers, and More: Your 360 Daily

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 16 March 2017 16:17 IST

Highlights

Moto G5 Plus launched in India, price starts at Rs. 14,999
Xiaomi to host launch event in India on March 20
Sony Xperia XZ gets a Rs. 10,000 price cut

Just a fortnight after its unveiling at MWC 2017, the Moto G5 Plus has been launched in India; there is no word yet whether the Moto G5 will be launched in the country. Available exclusively on Flipkart, the new Moto G5 Plus comes in two variants – 16GB storage + 3GB RAM at Rs. 14,999 and 32GB storage +4 GB RAM at Rs. 16,999 – and will be available starting 11:59pm tonight. The smartphone has a 5.2-inch full-HD screen, Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, Snapdragon 625 processor, 12-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front camera, 3000mAh battery, and a fingerprint sensor. Flipkart has several launch offers for the Moto G5 Plus, such as BuyBack Guarantee, exchange discount, no-cost EMIs, and special discounts on SBI debit and credit cards.

While the Moto G5 Plus launch stole the limelight today, it was not the only big tech news today. Scroll down to read what else happened in the world of technology through the day.

Xiaomi launch event on March 20, Redmi 4 series expected
Xiaomi India has sent out press invites for a launch event on March 20 in New Delhi, where the Chinese company is expected to launch as many as four smartphones. Going by the invite and the emphasis on the 4 and A symbols, the company may launch the Xiaomi Redmi 4 series, which has been unveiled in China. This Xiaomi series includes the Redmi 4 Prime (CNY 899, roughly Rs. 8900), Redmi 4 (CNY 699, roughly Rs. 6,900), Redmi 4A (CNY 499, roughly Rs. 4,900) and Redmi 4X (CNY 699).

Preloaded malware found on Samsung, Asus, Lenovo, LG phones
Check Point, an Israel-based cyber-security firm, has discovered that some Android phones by the likes of Samsung, Asus, Lenovo, LG and ZTE come preloaded with malware. However, the malware were not in the official ROM supplied by these manufacturers, but were added somewhere along the supply chain, Check Point says. Among the smartphones affected by this are Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Samsung Galaxy Note 5, Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy A5, ZTE x500, Asus ZenFone 2, Lenovo S90, Lenovo A850, and LG G4.

Sony Xperia XZ gets a Rs. 10,000 price cut
Sony Xperia XZ, launched in India last October, has received a price cut that brings down its price by Rs. 10,000. The smartphone was released at Rs. 49,990, but can now be purchased on Amazon India – Sony’s official online partner for the handset – for Rs. 39,990; on the official Sony website, it is listed at Rs. 41,990. The USP of the Sony Xperia XZ are the three camera sensors on the back – one that tracks and predicts movement of objects in the frame, one to make focusing on the object better, and one to deliver accurate colour reproduction.

On the specifications front, the Android 6.0 Marshmallow-based Sony Xperia XZ features a 5.2-inch display with full-HD resolution, 1.6GHz quad-core Snapdragon 820 chipset, 3GB RAM, 64GB storage, 2900mAh battery, 23-megapixel rear camera, and a 13-megapixel front camera.

Samsung Galaxy S8 teasers suggest new colour options, AI, more
Samsung Philippines is taking an opinion poll of what the company’s fans want from the Galaxy S8, which will be launched on March 29. Options include a superior camera, premium and stylish design, enhanced battery life, powerful gaming performance, and enhanced virtual reality experience. The official poll hints that Samsung may add a new functionality for virtual reality as well. A separate poll being run by a Brazilian e-commerce company asks users whether they want the handset in Black, Silver, or Amethyst colour, suggesting that the smartphone may come in these colour options.

Google Allo can reveal all your searches to friends
Google’s AI-based messaging service Allo can reportedly reveal your search history to your contacts. The report claims, the Google app “has been found to be capable of "sharing users' past Google searches with contacts, without being prompted to,” and has been described as a technical glitch. In response, Google said that it has been notified of Google Assistant’s unusual behaviour within Allo, and has fixed the issue.

Nokia 7, Nokia 8 will reportedly run on Snapdragon 660
While previous rumours have pegged the Nokia 8 as the company’s flagship Android phone, the new report claims the smartphone will be a mid-ranger powered by the yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon 660 processor. The same chipset will be doing the paces in Nokia 7 as well, says the report. One of the above-mentioned smartphones will feature a large screen and QHD screen resolution, whereas the other will have relatively smaller screen and full-HD panel. Both upcoming Nokia smartphones are said to feature fingerprint sensor, large camera sensor, and fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Galaxy A7 (2017) go on sale in India
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017), launched in India nearly 10 days ago, have finally hit the shelves in retail stores; the two smartphones can also be purchased from the Samsung E-Store. Both smartphones feature design similar to that of Galaxy S7, feature cameras optimised for low-light conditions, and are dust-and water-resistant. The Galaxy A5 (2017), featuring a 5.2-inch display, has been priced at Rs. 28,990; on the other hand, Galaxy A7 (201) with 5.7-inch display cost Rs. 34,990.

Both Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow phones come with 32GB storage, 1.9GHz octa-core Exynos 7 series processor, 3GB RAM, up to 256GB storage expansion support, 16-megapixel cameras on the front and back, and fingerprint sensor. Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) has a 3000mAh battery, whereas the Galaxy A7 (2017) packs a 3600mAh battery.

Google Pixel 2, Pixel XL 2 said to be codenamed Walleye, Muskie
Google’s upcoming Pixel smartphones, likely to be named Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2, are reportedly being developed under the codename Walleye and Muskie, respectively. The Walleye name has been spotted on the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) gerrit as well. Not much else is known about the upcoming Pixel models, but they are likely to be launched in October this year. Google has confirmed that it will launch the successors to the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, and that both will be positioned as premium smartphones.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Moto G5 Plus, Sony Xperia XZ, Sony India, Malware, Asus, LG, ZTE, Lenovo, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S8, Xiaomi, Xiaomi India, Google Allo, Nokia 7, Nokia 8, Nokia, Google Pixel 2, Google Pixel XL 2, Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017), Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)