Top tech news of the week: September 4 – September 8

As the week comes to an end, we take a look at the news that were in the spotlight this week. After a long hiatus, the Indian smartphone market this week saw the return of Google’s Android One platform. The search giant this time has partnered with Xiaomi to launch its Android One phone. Called Mi A1, the smartphone is also the first device from the Chinese smartphone brand to run stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box.
As for specification, Xiaomi Mi A1 has a 5.5-inch Full-HD display and full-metal body. Priced at Rs 14,999, it runs on octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor, clubbed with 4GB RAM and 3080 mAh battery. Users can further expand the 64GB internal storage with additional 128GB via a microSD card. The smartphone also comes with dual 12-megapixel cameras. One handles wide-angle shots, while the second is a telephoto lens that adds bokeh effects to your portrait photos. The same lens can also handle optical zoom upto 2x. It also sports a 5MP front-facing camera for selfies. The Mi A1 comes in Black, Gold and Rose Gold colour variants.

Next, Lenovo too launched two mid-range smartphones, Lenovo K8 Plus and Lenovo K8. Lenovo K8 Plus has a 5.2-inch Full-HD display and runs on MediaTek Helio P25 chipset. The smartphone has 3GB RAM, 32GB of storage and packs 4000 mAh battery. The smartphone comes with dual cameras, a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera that can also calculate the depth of field for bokeh portrait shots. There is also an 8MP front-facing camera for selfie fans.
As for Lenovo K8, it has a 5.2-inch HD display and is powered by the MediaTek Helio P20 chipset. It also comes with a single 13MP primary camera and 8MP front-facing camera. The rest of the specifications are the same as the K8 Plus. Lenovo K8 Plus is exclusively available on Flipkart at Rs 10,999. The company has so far not announced the availability details of Lenovo K8.
Also, this week Vivo launched its latest smartphone V7+. The smartphone comes with a 5.99-inch Full View HD display with 720×1440 pixel resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The highlight of the smartphone is its 24MP front camera, which the company claims is the world’s first. The primary camera is a 16MP lens with f/2.0 aperture. It runs Android 7.1 Nougat operating system topped with the company’s own UI Funtouch, and is powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It offers 64GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB by adding a microSD card. The device is backed by a 3,225mAh battery.
Moving on, Nubia has launched the M2 Play in India. It features a 5.5-inch HD display and is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor paired with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone offers 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB by installing a microSD card. The M2 Play has a 13MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera for selfies. The smartphone houses a 3,000 mAh battery. The smartphone is available at Rs 8,999.
Finally, Nikon launched its flagship DSLR camera in India this week. Dubbed Nikon D850, the camera has a 45.7MP sensor that is capable of recording 8K time-lapse videos, as well as 4K full-frame video content. The company aims to promote its full-frame imaging technology. The camera is priced at Rs 2,54,950. It has a 3.2-inch display, with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.