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Amazon Prime Day 2019, Redmi K20 Pro and Realme X Sales, Realme 3i Teasers, More Tech News This Week

Amazon Prime Day 2019, Redmi K20 Pro and Realme X Sales, Realme 3i Teasers, More Tech News This Week

Nokia 9 PureView price in India revealed, Redmi 7A and Vivo Z1 Pro go on sale for the first time, plus Oppo K3 India launch date announced.

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 14 July 2019 17:34 IST

Amazon Prime Day 2019, Redmi K20 Pro and Realme X Sales, Realme 3i Teasers, More Tech News This Week

Amazon Prime Day 2019: OnePlus 7 Pro Mirror Blue edition will go on sale for the first time

Highlights

Amazon Prime Day sale 2019 kicks off on Monday, mobile offers revealed
Realme X and Redmi K20 series "blind sales" kicked off this week
Realme 3i price in India will be revealed the coming week

Amazon Prime Day Sale kicks off tonight, and ahead of its commencement, the e-commerce site has listed the mobile offers it will be hosting. This week also saw the pre-booking sales of the Redmi K20 duo and Realme X begin in India ahead of their launches in the country next week. The Realme 3i was teased for the first time this week as well, and Realme went on to confirm a few of its specifications apart from revealing it would launch alongside the Realme X. HMD Global launched its 2019 flagship smartphone in India – the Nokia 9 PureView – months after it was first unveiled at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow. These, and other highlights made up the top news stories in the past week – read on for all the details.

Amazon Prime Day Sale 2019: Mobile offers

While we've known the dates of the Amazon Prime Day Sale in India since late last month, it was only around this weekend that Amazon revealed the mobile offers consumers can avail. Alongside, it announced the sale would also cover smartphone accessories such as power banks, audio devices, and more.

Kicking off at midnight tonight on Monday, July 15, the Amazon Prime Day sale will last two full days, and finish at the end of Tuesday, July 16. Apart from mobile offers such as discounts and additional exchange discounts, the sale also includes some smartphones launching for the first time during the sale, as well as new colour variants being made available.

Amongst the new launches, the OnePlus 7 Mirror Blue variant will go on sale for the first time during the Amazon Prime Day Sale 2019 on Monday, alongside the LG W30 Aurora Green variant, Oppo F11 Pro Waterfall Grey variant, and the Samsung Galaxy M40 Cocktail Orange variant. The 10.or G2 will be made available for the first time during the sale, as well as the still unannounced Xolo XZ.

Amazon also claims that Prime Day 2019 will see some smartphones available at their lowest ever price, such as the Samsung Galaxy M20, Galaxy M30, Galaxy M10, Galaxy A8 Star, Realme U1, Honor 8C, Xiaomi Mi A2, Redmi 6 Pro, Redmi 6, OnePlus 6T, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 5.1, LG V40 ThinQ, Vivo V15 Pro, Huawei Y9 (2019), and Honor View 20.

Phones listed with additional exchange discounts during there Amazon Prime Day Sale 2019 include Samsung Galaxy S10, Vivo V15, Oppo F11, Oppo A5s, Samsung Galaxy A50, Oppo Reno, and the Vivo Y12. As always, the Prime Day sale is meant solely for Amazon Prime subscribers. If you aren't a subscriber but are interested in the sale, you can choose from an annual Rs. 999 subscription or monthly Rs. 129 subscription to avail the deals.

Redmi K20 Pro, Redmi K20 Alpha Sale pre-bookings

Ahead of their launch in India on Wednesday, the Redmi K20 Pro and Redmi K20 were put up for pre-bookings earlier this week. The sale is meant for users to reserve either of the two smartphones ahead of their first sale on July 17 – which is also their launch date. Called the Alpha Sale, it was held on Friday, July 12 on Flipkart and Mi.com, and allowed users to book a Redmi K20 Pro or Redmi K20 unit by paying Rs. 855 as the booking amount.

Notably, the Redmi K20 Pro and Redmi K20 price in India is still not known, so those who participated in the sale did so without that knowledge. The Rs. 855 booking amount will be adjusted against the price of the smartphone when making the purchase during the first sale. In case they do not want to purchase the Redmi K20 Pro or Redmi K20 after paying the booking amount, the money will be refunded in the form of Flipkart or Mi.com balance – letting buyers use that amount against another purchase on these sites.

To recall, the Redmi K20 Pro and Redmi K20 were unveiled side-by-side in China back in May. The Redmi K20 Pro price in China starts at CNY 2,499 (roughly Rs. 24,900), and the Redmi K20 price starts at CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs. 19,900). We can expect the India pricing to be similar to the phones' prices in China. The highlights of the Redmi K20 Pro and Redmi K20 include their processors at their price points, with the Redmi K20 Pro sporting a Snapdragon 855 SoC and the Redmi K20 running on a Snapdragon 730 SoC. Both smartphones feature 48-megapixel primary cameras in their rear triple camera setup, though in both cases, the sensor is different – Sony IMX586 on the Redmi K20 Pro and Sony IMX582 on the Redmi K20.

Realme 3i India launch teasers

This week, Oppo spin-off brand Realme announced that the Realme 3i would be launched alongside the Realme X in India on Monday. The revelation came soon after tipster Ishan Agarwal said the smartphone a new model in the Realme 3 series. So far, the Realme 3i has not been launched anywhere else in the world. Thanks to its branding, it appears the Realme 3i will be a lower-powered and more affordable version of the Realme 3.

Later in the week, the first Realme 3i teasers emerged on Flipkart, and we learnt that the Realme 3i features a dual rear camera setup, and a Gradient Diamond Cut back panel design that would be available in Red and Blue colour options. The teasers also revealed the Realme 3i would be powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 SoC and that it would run off a 4,230mAh battery.

The latest Realme 3i teaser also revealed the smartphone would sport a 6.22-inch display. An earlier Geekbench listing, which corroborated most of the teased information, had also revealed that at least one model of the Realme 3i would be paired with 4GB of RAM. It is likely more than one model of the Realme 3i will be launched in India.

Realme X Blind Order sale

From the Realme 3i, let's get to the Realme X. To recall, the Oppo spin-off brand launched the smartphone for the first time in China in May this year. It was launched alongside the Realme X Lite – but this model won't make it to India, as it is essentially a rebranded version of the Realme 3 Pro that's been in the country since earlier this year. This week, Realme put the Realme X up for pre-bookings in India ahead of its launch on Monday, July 15.

Called the Realme X Blind Order sale, it started off on Thursday, July 11 and will continue until today, July 14. Similar to the already described Alpha Sale of the Redmi K20 series, the Realme X Blind Order sale lets users book the smartphone ahead of its first sale on July 22 by paying a nominal amount of Rs. 1,000. Only 2,000 customers will be able to book the smartphone in this method, while the Realme X Spider-Man: Far From Home Gift Box will be available only for 300 customers.

Those who pre-book the Realme X smartphone using the Blind Order sale method will get to a guaranteed purchase from 12pm on July 22 to 11:59pm on July 26. The pre-booking amount will be redeemable against the cost of purchase, and bumped up to Rs. 1,500 as a bonus for early buyers. Realme also revealed that the Realme X would be shipped from July 22, while the Spider-Man Edition would be shipped from July 25.

As with the Redmi K20 Alpha Sale, the booking amount will be adjusted against the Realme X purchase. In case users do not want to purchase the smartphone despite making the booking, the deposit amount will be refunded by July 27.

Nokia 9 PureView launched in India

HMD Global's flagship smartphone of 2019 – the Nokia 9 PureView – was launched way back at MWC 2019 in February. Since then, the smartphone had yet to make its way to India – until this week. The Nokia 9 PureView with its innovative penta-lens rear camera setup was launched in India at Rs. 49,999 for its sole 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variant.

The Nokia 9 PureView is already on sale in India, via the Flipkart and Nokia website. It will become available to buy via major offline retailers from July 17 in its Midnight Blue colour variant. Launch offers on the Nokia website include a Rs. 5,000 gift card and a pair of Nokia 705 earbuds. Offline retail purchases will get 10 percent cashback on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards via Pinelabs terminals, apart from 10 percent cashback on HDFC consumer durable loans. Offline buyers will also get the free pair of Nokia 705 earbuds, while a 30-day Nokia Mobile Care concierge service will provided to all buyers.

To recall, the Nokia 9 PureView specifications include Android 9 Pie, a 5.99-inch Quad-HD+ display, an in-display fingerprint sensor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of inbuilt storage, a penta-lens rear camera setup, a 20-megapixel front camera, and a 3,320mAh battery with wireless charging support. The smartphone is also IP67-certified for dust and water resistance.

Redmi Note 7 series shipments cross 15 million units

This week, Xiaomi announced it had achieved a milestone with its Redmi Note 7 series – specifically, it had managed to ship 15 million units of the smartphones – Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7S, and Redmi Note 7 Pro – in just six months since their launch. To celebrate the milestone, the company has also announced a Redmi Note 7 Pro open sale, and additional exchange discount on the Redmi Note 7S.

The Redmi Note 7 Pro was put up for open sale via Flipkart and Mi.com from July 10 to July 12. Regular sale offers applied during the open sale. Separately, the Redmi Note 7S was received an additional Rs. 1,000 exchange discount for the same period – until Friday, July 12 – on both Flipkart and Mi.com. As with the Redmi Note 7 Pro, regular sale offers applied on the Redmi Note 7S.

Redmi 7A goes on sale for the first time in India

The Redmi 7A went on sale in India for the first time in India this week. To recall, the smartphone was launched in India last week, priced at Rs. 5,999 for its 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant, and Rs. 6,199 for its 2GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant. For the month of July, Xiaomi is offering a Rs. 200 introductory discount, giving the variants prices of Rs. 5,799 and Rs. 5,999 respectively during the period. While the first sale of the Redmi 7A (Review) was held on Thursday, July 11, the company has already announced the second sale date – one week from its first – on July 18 this week.

As you'd expect at this price range, there are no real launch or sale offers, beyond EMI options, an exchange discount, Jio additional data and cashback, as well as discounted Mi Protect service at Rs. 399. Specifications include MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie, a 5.45-inch HD+ display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC, 2GB RAM, a 12-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, a 5-megapixel selfie camera, expandable storage via a dedicated microSD card slot, and a 4,000mAh battery with 10W charging support.

Vivo Z1 Pro goes on sale in India for the first time

The Vivo Z1 Pro went on sale for the first time in India in the week past – specifically, on Thursday, July 11. The latest budget smartphone from Vivo has several highlights, including its hole-punch display, its Snapdragon 712 SoC, up to 6GB of RAM, a triple rear camera setup, a 32-megapixel front camera, as well as a massive 5,000mAh battery. Soon after the first sale at 12pm IST on Thursday, the company announced it would be holding a second sale the same day at 8pm IST.

Vivo has also revealed the next sale date of the Vivo Z1 Pro – and it's not a week away from the first sale day. Instead, it will be made available to buy the following Tuesday, July 16. The Vivo Z1 Pro price in India starts at Rs. 14,990 for the 4GB/ 64GB variant, going up to Rs. 16,990 for the 6GB/ 64GB variant and Rs. 17,990 for the 6GB/ 128GB variant. The smartphone is available to buy via Flipkart and the Vivo e-store, and sale offers include benefits up to Rs. 6,000 from Reliance Jio.

Vivo Z1 Pro is set to go on sale in India again on Tuesday, July 16. The sale will take place through Flipkart and the Vivo India E-Store. To recall, the Vivo Z1 Pro was launched earlier this month with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 SoC. Vivo has also offered a 32-megapixel "in-display" (company speak for hole punch) selfie camera. Further, the phone flaunts a triple rear camera setup and has up to 6GB of RAM. The Vivo Z1 Pro also comes preloaded with Game Mode 5.0.

Xiaomi Mi A3, Mi A3 Lite launch teased

Xiaomi has begun teasing the next generation of its Android One smartphones. To recall, Xiaomi had launched its first Android One smartphone (the Mi A1) in partnership with Google back in 2017, and followed that up with the launch of the Mi A2 last year. This year's Android One offering from Xiaomi will be called the Mi A3, as expected, the company revealed this week. Xiaomi has also begun teasing the smartphone's features, starting with its photography prowess. We can expect the Mi A3 Lite to also be launched alongside, a follow-up to the Mi A2 Lite from last year.

Separately, the new leaks of the Mi A3 and Mi A3 Lite hit the Internet this week, alongside the teasers. Tipster Ishan Agarwal claimed the Mi A3 would be powered by Snapdragon 730 SoC and that the Mi A3 Lite would be powered by the Snapdragon 675 SoC. A leak by WinFuture went on to share renders of the Mi A3, showing it would look quite similar to the Mi CC9. The second leak also claimed the Mi A3 would be powered by the Snapdragon 665 SoC. Other leaked specifications included a 48-megapixel primary camera in its triple rear camera setup, a 6-inch full-HD+ display, a 32-megapixel selfie camera, and a 4,000mAh battery.

Oppo K3 India launch date announced

Starting with a teaser from last week, Oppo this week confirmed that the Oppo K3 smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera will be launched in India on Friday, July 19. With the teaser on Amazon India, we can expect the smartphone to be available exclusively via the e-commerce site. Registrations for interest are currently being taken by Amazon, as are colour options of Black and Purple. To recall, the Oppo K3 was launched in May in China.

The Oppo K3 price in China starts at CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs. 16,100) for the base variant with 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, and we can expect India pricing to be similar. Highlights of the smartphone include its 6.5-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 710 SoC, its 16-megapixel pop-up selfie camera, its dual rear camera setup, an in-display fingerprint sensor, as well as a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging technology.

Infinix Hot 7 launched in India

This week, Transsion Holdings brand Infinix launched a new smartphone in India – the Infinix Hot 7. It sports a MediaTek Helio P25 SoC, 4GB RAM, dual rear camera setup, a dual selfie camera setup, a 4,000mAh battery

The Infinix Hot 7 Pro will go on sale in India for the first time from Monday, July 15, via Flipkart. It has been launched in a single variant in India – 4GB/ 64GB – and its price has been set at Rs. 7,999. It will be available in Aqua Blue, Midnight Black, Mocha Brown colour variants.

Realme C1 ColorOS 6.0 update

Realme C1 – the entry-level offering of the Oppo sub-brand that compares with Xiaomi's Redmi 6A and Redmi 7A – is now receiving its Android 9.0 Pie-based ColorOS 6.0 update in India. While the rollout was first reported by users, the company confirmed the rollout was indeed taking place.

The ColorOS 6.0 update for the Realme C1 brings several new features apart from Android 9 Pie offerings. These include navigation gestures, a riding mode, an app drawer, notification icons in the status bar, and an updated default theme among others. The ColorOS 6.0 additionally brings the June 2019 Android security patch. According to user reports, the Color 6 update is 1.99GB in size.

Flipkart Big Shopping Days Sale mobile offers revealed

In what certainly appears to be an attempt to compete with Amazon's Prime Day Sale, Flipkart this week announced its own Big Shopping Days Sale. While the Amazon Prime Day Sale starts from midnight tonight and goes on till the end of day on Tuesday, the Flipkart sale lasts a couple of days longer. Starting on Monday, July 15, it will go on till Thursday, July 18.

Flipkart Plus subscribers will get access to the sale at 8am on Monday, and for now, the company has not detailed when sales for non-Plus subscribers will begin. Sale offers across products include 10 percent instant discount on SBI credit cards. Unfortunately, Flipkart has not revealed many precise deals of the sale at this point of time.

What it did say is that during the upcoming Flipkart sale, TVs and appliances will see up to 75 percent off, and discounts up to 80 percent will be available in the fashion segment. Flipkart also said that the Big Shopping Days sale with offer Realme Mobiles from Rs. 7,499, the Nokia 5.1 Plus at Rs. 9,999. It added that there will be discounts on the Poco F1, Infinix Note 5, and Vivo V9 Pro. Finally, in terms of mobiles, the Flipkart Big Shopping Days Sale will offer Rs. 2,000 additional exchange discount on certain phones, including the Vivo V11 Pro, Vivo V11, and Oppo F9 Pro. Tablets will also get discounts during the sale, as will the Complete Mobile Protection service.

BSNL offers Amazon Prime subscription on broadband connections, and other telecom news

State-owned telecom operator, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), this week made several headlines. First, the company announced its 'Bumper Offer' - originally introduced back in September last year - that provides additional daily data was now being extended until October.

The telco also began offering Amazon Prime subscriptions to those with Rs. 499 or below broadband plans - if the subscriber opts for the plan for 12 months. It is also offering cashbacks on broadband subscriptions. BSNL also upgraded its Rs. 186 and Rs. 187 prepaid recharge plans to offer 2GB additional data a day.

Airtel this week began offering Shaw Academy courses as part of its customer rewards programme. The telco this week also launched a Rs. 97 prepaid recharge plan that offers 2GB of data and unlimited calls for 14 days.

Finally, Vodafone revised its Rs. 139 prepaid recharge plan to offer 2GB less data to subscribers. Vodafone and Idea both also began offering 400MB additional data on select plans.

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