2019 has begun with a bang. Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei and many others have stepped up their game as they fight for a larger slice of the market. 2019 would be a major year for the smartphone industry as a whole. From foldable devices, to devices that bring incredible innovation to the forefront, Q1 2019 has just tipped us for what’s about to come ahead in the next three quarters.
Huawei Mate X – Huawei’s Savage, Yet Incredible Entry Into The Foldable Race
The Huawei Mate X has to be on top of the list. Without a doubt, Huawei’s announcement of the Huawei Mate X stunned everyone. The announcement of Huawei’s Mate X was not only a surprise, but it was a completely savage thing to do right after Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Fold.
We had seen foldable designs coming for quite a while, as far as 2012 if I would recall correctly. The first foldable designs came in from the folks over at Samsung back in the day that once seemingly looked a fad that would never make its way to the real world. Fast-forward to 2019 and the race is on.
In my personal opinion, Huawei’s foldable Mate X looks a whole lot better than Samsung’s Galaxy Fold. Unlike Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, the Huawei Mate X uses a simple foldable design that folds outwards, leaving no room for bezels.
When unfolded, the Huawei Mate X reveals a monstrous 8-inch OLED display. However, that could be halved into smartphone mode by leaving 6.6-inch and 6.3-inch displays on either side. Furthermore, the device would come with Huawei’s 5G modem as well to revolutionize the path for 5G thanks to their in-house Balong 5000 modem.
For specs, the device comes with Huawei’s Kirin 980 SoC, 8GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage. And as usual, the Huawei Mate X comes with a triple-camera setup pushing into a bezel of the device. The triple-camera setup consists of a 40 MP (Wide Angle Lens), a 16 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens), and an 8 MP (Telephoto) camera. The battery is rated at 4500mAh and would support Huawei’s 55W Super Charge technology.
The device is set to retail for about $2600 when it arrives in Q2 2019. And while it may be expensive, it may very well pave the way for the industry to move forward, eventually leading to more competition and cheaper foldables in the next year or two.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus & Galaxy S10 5G – The Two Behemoths Set Wreck Havoc In 2019
Samsung’s Galaxy S10 lineup has been the buzz ever since the Galaxy S9 launched. Being Samsung’s device that commemorates their 10th anniversary in the smartphone market, Samsung has to be sure that the Galaxy S10 and its mercenaries were heavy hitters.
Last month, Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup of devices, consisting of the Samsung Galaxy S10E, Galaxy S10, and S10 Plus. However, Samsung didn’t end there, revealing their trump card, the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is the highest-end variant of the S10 lineup ahead of the Galaxy S10 5G launch. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus features the best of Android, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, a 6.4-inch display, up to 12GB RAM, up to 1TB of internal storage, a triple camera setup on its rear, an ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor, a 3.5mm headphone jack, IP68 water and dust-resistance, and a 4100mAh battery.
Regarding the camera setup, the Samsung Galaxy S10 comes with a 12MP, 12MP and 16MP trio on its rear dedicated for telephoto, wide-angle, and ultra-wide shots, respectively.
Samsung is also reportedly said to unlock 25W fast-charging support for the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup most probably set to be delivered via an OTA update. A time frame for the update hasn’t been leaked nor revealed. However, I would suggest that the update may be coming in the very near future, most probably ahead of the Galaxy Fold launch.
The next device though, the Galaxy S10 5G is set to trump the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. Not only would it feature 5G support, but it would also introduce a larger 6.7-inch display, a 4500mAh battery, and a quad-camera setup on its rear all-the-while retaining the best of the Galaxy S10 Plus.
Reports have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G could be released as early as next week. However, Samsung seems to be quiet of now.
Xiaomi Mi 9 – The Best Value-Oriented Flagship Of 2019… With Incredibly Fast Wireless Charging
Xiaomi’s early introduction was something I had been predicting for quite a while. However, what I didn’t expect was for them to announced the Xiaomi Mi 9 on the same day as the Galaxy S10 lineup.
The Xiaomi Mi 9 clearly shows why Xiaomi isn’t simply a cheaper cut-down version of the big boys. The Xiaomi Mi 9 features the beastly Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, 8GB RAM, up to 256GB of internal storage, a triple rear camera setup and a 3300mAh battery.
However, it doesn’t end there. Aside from the beastly specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 9 comes with 20W super fast wireless charging, a new standard Xiaomi has introduced with the Mi 9 and Mi 9 Transparent Edition. Furthermore, Xiaomi has also recently teased 100W fast charging via a Type-C cable earlier this week. If true, it could be ground-breaking, leaving OnePlus, Oppo and Huawei in the dust.
Huawei P30 Pro – Talk About Innovation
The next device that is making its way to this list is the Huawei P30 Pro. The Huawei P30 Pro has just made it’s way fresh out of the oven last week, introducing some crazy changes and introductions to take on its rivals in 2019.
Featuring Huawei’s in-house Kirin 980 SoC, up to 8GB, up to 512GB of internal storage, a 6.47-inch curved QHD+ OLED display, a triple-camera setup on its rear, IP68 water
However, it’s evident by now that anyone could cram in beastly specs. I mean, just ask Xiaomi. Anyways, where the Huawei P30 Pro flips the table is in the camera department. The triple camera setup on the rear of the Huawei P30 Pro consists of a 40MP f/1.6 main shooter, a 16MP f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter and 8MP f/3.4 telephoto shooter on the back. In addition to that, Huawei has also added a tiny TOF 3D camera to capture and process depth effects. Unlike traditional smartphone camera sensors, the Huawei P30 Pro utilizes an RYYB grid rather than an RGGB grid to capture its shots. Huawei claims that this would allow the Huawei P30 Pro to capture 40% more light compared to traditional camera sensors.
If you thought it would end there, you’re horribly wrong! The Huawei P30 Pro doesn’t only come with a few new updates to its camera sensor, but it also comes with 10x hybrid zoom and 50x super-zoom under its belt so that you could creep on people. And thanks to the super-wide angle camera on the P30 Pro, seeing how much you could zoom into a shot from the ultra-wide camera lens is simply mind-boggling, especially when you realize that Huawei coupled that with OIS.
Overall, the Huawei P30 Pro looks like an absolute killer, even when put side to side against the big names. What boxes
Nokia 9 – This Bad Boy Has 5 Cameras On Its Back
The Nokia 9 has been standing out for more than a while now. Leaks regarding the device and its incredibly creepy
The Nokia 9 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, 6GB RAM, 128GB of internal storage, a 5.99-inch QHD+ pOLED display, as aforementioned, a triple-camera setup, and a 3320mAh battery, Qi Wireless Charging, and a whole lot more.
Just like the Huawei P30 Pro, the Nokia 9 mesmerizes tech enthusiasts for its five 12MP camera sensors at its back. Three of those sensors capture monochrome images. While the other two capture RGB information. What the Nokia 9 then does is that it combines them together for form a crazy-detailed shot.
Nokia has declared the device to be an “experiment”. However, for enthusiasts, this is more than just an experiment. The hype surrounding the device is surreal, and so are the features Nokia has introduced with the device.
Samsung Galaxy A50 – Samsung Takes A 180 On The Mid-Range Market
Samsung’s Galaxy A50 has to be one of the biggest head-turners from Samsung this year, especially for folks who are out in the market for a few mid-rangers. Samsung has traditionally disrespected the market by flooding the market with devices no one could count on.
Taking advantage of Samsung’s bad habits, rivals from the Chinese coast begun to spring around Asia and soon made their way to the European market,
However, this year, Samsung has finally begun to tackle its Chinese rivals aggressively. Beginning with the M20 and M30, Samsung sent a strong message of its presence in the mid-range market, further amping its presence with the launch of the Galaxy A30 and A50.
Out of the bunch, Samsung’s Galaxy A50 has consistently stood out of the crowd for us. Not only does it feature decent internals for its price point, but Samsung made sure that they don’t skimp on the under-display fingerprint sensor, a great design, a 4000mAh battery, and a decent trio of cameras on its back.
Samsung is expected to launch three major Galaxy A devices next month. Given how much attention Samsung is paying to the Galaxy A-series of devices lately, it seems like Samsung is stoked to pull back a major share the Chinese rivals with these devices. In the end, us, as consumers, win. I personally can’t wait to see what Samsung has in-store next month.
