The first few days of the year 2014 have seen several hot launches, bringing in a plethora of new gadgets across various categories to the market. Whether you want a smartphone, phablet, camera, tablet or laptop, there are brand new options in all to choose from.
Check out our list of the 15 hot gadgets launched in 2014 to find the best device for you...
Moto G
Motorola re-entered the Indian market after a gap of two years with the launch of Moto G smartphone. The dual-sim phone comes in two variants – 8GB at Rs 12,499 and 16GB at Rs 13,999. It has a 4.5-inch 720p screen and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat), the latest version of the software.
On the back, Moto G sports a 5MP camera, while a 1.3MP camera is in front. The device runs on a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, backed by 1GB RAM. Powered by a 2,070mAh battery, this smartphone has connectivity options like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.
LG G Flex
LG has launched its first curved screen smartphone, G Flex, in India. With a price tag of Rs 69,999, it is the most expensive Android smartphone in the Indian market.
When sufficient force is applied, the smartphone’s screen bends a little as well. The G Flex is also the first handset in the world to feature a self-healing back panel, which repairs minor scratches and cuts on the back automatically.
The new LG G Flex has a 6-inch 720p display that curves across the vertical line and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). Other key specifications of LG G Flex include 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 13MP rear camera and 3,500mAh battery
Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Grand 2 phablet in India at Rs 22,999. This handset is the successor of Galaxy Grand that was launched early last year; the new model has a larger screen, more RAM and bigger battery than its predecessor.
Samsung's latest phablet Galaxy Grand 2 has a 5.25-inch HD screen and 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It comes with 8GB internal storage, up to 64GB microSD card support and 1.5GB RAM. On the back, it has an 8MP camera with LED flash and sports a 1.9MP camera in front.
Connectivity suite of Galaxy Grand 2 includes 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. It is powered by a 2,600mAh battery and the company claims that it can provide talk time of 17 hours. The phone will be available in white, black and pink colours in the market.
Nokia Lumia 525
Nokia updated the Lumia 520, the highest selling Windows Phone handset in the world, with the launch of Lumia 525. The new smartphone was launched in India at Rs 10,399 and has twice the amount of RAM and glossier back compared to its predecessor.
Lumia 525 features a 4-inch screen with 800x480p resolution and 235ppi pixel density, same as that of the Lumia 520. Powered by a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor and 1GB RAM, the phone runs Windows Phone 8.
The Lumia 525 sports a 5MP autofocus rear camera; however, there is no flash at the back or a front camera. The phone can access the internet via 2G, 3G and Wi-Fi networks and transfer data via Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. The phone packs a 1,430mAh battery and has been launched in four colour options -- white, black, yellow and orange.
Nokia Lumia 1320
Nokia has launched its mid-range phablet Lumia 1320 in India at Rs 23,999. The handset’s highlights are its 6-inch ClearBlack (720p) display and 3,400mAh battery.
Lumia 1320 runs on Windows Phone 8 operating system and is powered by a 1.7GHz dual-core processor, backed by 1GB RAM. It features a 5MP rear camera and VGA front camera.
The phablet’s internal storage is 8GB and it supports microSD card up to 64GB. Connectivity suite of the phablet includes 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.
Oppo N1
Chinese manufacturer Oppo has forayed into the Indian market with N1, the smartphone with a rotating camera. The 13MP rear camera of the device can swivel to the front when you want to take a selfie or make video calls.
Oppo N1 sports a large 5.9-inch full-HD IPS display. Powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB RAM, the smartphone runs a highly customised version of Android 4.2 (Color ROM). The smartphone is backed by a 3610mAh battery and comes in 16 and 32GB storage variants. Connectivity options include WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and DLNA.
Micromax Canvas Power, Turbo Mini
Micromax has launched the Canvas Power smartphone with a 4,000mAh battery in India at Rs 9,900. This device sports a 5-inch TFT display with resolution of 480 x 854p and is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor with 512MB RAM. The phone sports a 5MP rear camera and 0.3MP front-facing camera.
Canvas Power runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and supports 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS. The dual-sim phone comes with 4GB internal storage and supports storage expansion up to 32GB via microSD card.
The company has also launched the Canvas Turbo Mini at Rs 14,490. The device’s price was recently reduced to Rs 12,990. A compact version of Canvas Turbo, this device sports a 4.7-inch 720p display and is also powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 1GB RAM.
Canvas Turbo Mini sports an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera. Internal storage in the device is 4GB, and users can add a microSD card with capacity up to 32GB; it also has 1,800mAh battery.
Sony Vaio Flip 13
Sony has launched the Vaio Flip 13 hybrid laptop in the country at Rs 99,990. The convertible laptop has a hinge mechanism that allows the touchscreen to be flipped over such that the model can be used as a tablet.
This mechanism also enables the device to be used as a kickstand (which Sony calls Viewer mode). Sony Vaio Flip 13 has a 13-inch Triluminous Display with 1080p resolution and runs on Windows 8.1 operating system.
The model has a 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB flash drive and Intel HD Graphics 4400 GPU under the hood. The model weighs 1.31kg, has an 8MP camera and offers battery life of 7.5hours. The company also launched a 14-inch and two 15-inch laptop-cum-tablets in the same series.
Intex Aqua Octa, Aqua Curve
Intex launched two new smartphones in India – one with an eight-core processor and one with a curved screen. While the eight-core processor handset is available at Rs 19,999, the curved-screen smartphone is priced at Rs 12,490.
The all-new Aqua Curve is a dual-sim smartphone with 5-inch curved screen having resolution of 960x540p and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor with 1GB RAM and has 4GB internal storage and offers 32GB microSD support. Powered by a 2000mAh battery, Intex Aqua Curve has an 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera.
Aqua Octa holds the distinction of being the first smartphone in the world to have ‘true octa-core processor’, since all eight processing cores in the chip can work simultaneously. Other key specifications of the handset include 6-inch screen, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 16GB internal storage, Android 4.2 operating system and 2,300mAh battery.
HP Slate 6, 7 VoiceTab
HP has unveiled two Android voice-calling tablets in India – Slate 6 VoiceTab and Slate 7 VoiceTab. The Slate6 has been launched at a price point of Rs 22,990, while the Slate7 has been priced at Rs 16,990.
Both tablets are powered by Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and have 5MP rear camera and 2MP front-facing camera.
The Slate 6 sports a 6-inch IPS LCD display with 720p resolution. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz Marvell PXA1088 chip and 1GB RAM. The dual-sim tablet comes with 16GB built-in storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. Powered by a 3,000mAh battery, it supports 3G, Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi and GPS connectivity options.
HP Slate 7 sports a 7-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 800x1280 pixels. This device is also powered by a 1.2GHz Marvell PXA1088 chip and 1GB RAM. The dual-sim tablet comes with 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. It is powered by a 4,100mAh battery and has connectivity options like 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB 2.0.
Dell Venue 7, Venue 8
Dell has launched a pair of Android tablets in India – the Venue 7 costs Rs 10,999 and Venue 8 is priced at Rs 17,499. Venue 7 sports a 7-inch display with a 1280x800 pixel resolution, while the Venue 8 sports an 8-inch display with the same resolution.
Both the models are powered by Android 4.2 and run on 2GHz dual-core Intel Atom processors with 2GB RAM. Venue 7 sports a 3MP rear camera and a VGA front camera, while the Venue 8 features a 5MP rear camera and a 2MP camera in front.
Venue 7 comes with 16GB internal storage while Venue 8 comes with the option of 16 or 32GB storage. Both tablets come with a microSD card slot. The company has launched Wi-Fi version of the tablet.
Amazon Kindle PaperWhite
Amazon has launched its Kindle PaperWhite e-reader in India. The WiFi-only version of the device is available at a price of Rs 10,999, while the 3G+WiFi version is priced at Rs 13,999.
Kindle Paperwhite features new display technology with improved built-in light; a 25% faster processor and new touch technology with 19% tighter touch grid for better sensitivity.
The e-reader also boasts of some new features such as Kindle Page Flip in-line footnotes, Freetime and Vocabulary Builder. The ereader now also offers Facebook and Twitter integration for sharing recommendations, highlighted sections and quotes. As per the company, the new e-reader offers higher contrast and better reflectivity for whiter whites and blacker blacks. The new Paperwhite weighs 206gm and offers battery backup of 8 weeks on a single charge.
Canon PowerShot G16
Canon India has launched PowerShot G16, the company's latest compact camera, at Rs 34,995. The compact camera features a DIGIC 6 processor for relatively lower shutter lag, and a new 12.1MP High Sensitivity CMOS sensor.
It can shoot Full-HD(1080p) video at 60p. Canon claims that the high speed AF improves focus speed by shooting 12.2fps continuous shooting in full resolution and 5.7fps with AF.
The PowerShot G16 features a zoom range of 5x, with a focal range of 28mm-140mm and this is expandable to 10x using Canon's new ZoomPlus feature. The company claims that the camera's f/1.8 (W) - f/2.8/ (T) lens performs well in low light, for creating soft backgrounds with shallow depth-of-field.
Xolo Q3000
Xolo has launched the Q3000 phablet in India at Rs 20,999. The phablet has a 5.7-inch full HD screen and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean).
One of the highlights of the phablet is its 4,000mAh battery, which delivers battery life of approximately 2 days. The new Xolo Q3000 is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Mediatek processor, with 2GB RAM and comes with 16GB internal storage and supports 32GB microSD card. It sports a 13MP camera on the back and 5MP camera in front. Connectivity suite of Xolo Q3000 includes 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.
Metis Eddy
Metis, an Indian education startup, has launched a tablet for kids at Rs 9,999. The new tablet, named Eddy, runs on Android 4.2 and is aimed at educational content for 2-8 year olds.
The 7-inch screen tablet sports a 1.6GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM and internal memory of 8 GB, which can be expanded to 32GB with a microSD card. A 3200mAh battery ensures more than 4 hours of continuous usage time on full charge.
Children can read books, learn to play the piano, explore the world and the universe as well as practice math through games on Eddy. All the games preloaded on the tablet are violence-free.
Eddy also comes with an exclusive recommendation engine for parents, the Kids Radar, which recommends the most suitable learning apps for their kids on the Play store.
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