HTC, LeEco, Huawei and others had announced flagship smartphones in April. Now, top brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi, Sony and Motorola are expected to unveil feature-rich mid-range phones in May.
Here are some of the highly anticipated smartphones slated for launch in May 2016:
Motorola Moto G4 series:
Lenovo-owned Motorola confirmed last week it would host an event in New Delhi on May 17. Though the company refrained from revealing more details about the event, numerous reports have indicated that the new Moto G4 aka Moto G (4th gen) series will make its debut later this month.
Also read: Moto G4 teasers hint at 3 key feature upgrades
The new phone is expected to come in two variants — Moto G (4th gen) and Moto G Plus. Both devices are expected to feature 5.5-inch screens, but differ in terms of primary camera hardware. The former is expected to come with a 13MP snapper, whereas the latter is said to ship with a 16MP shooter.
Word on the street is there is a possibility Motorola might also unveil the Moto E (3rd gen). This is just speculation, and we just have to wait a few more days to know what the company has in store.
Read more: Expected price and features of Moto G4 series
Xiaomi Mi Max:
The Chinese smartphone maker has confirmed to host an launch event to unveil Mi Max (and Mi Band 2) on May 10.
As per the reports, Mi Max is said to come with a massive 6.4-inch full HD display and run Android Lollipop-based MIUI v7.0 OS, Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB inbuilt memory, a 16MP camera on the rear and a 5MP snapper on the front.
Read more: Xiaomi Mi Max image surfaces onlineahead of launch; key design elements revealed
OnePlus 3:
The company has not confirmed the launch date of the flagship phone OnePlus 3, but if rumours are to be believed, it is expected to get unveiled either on May 18 or on May 28 and go on sale in June.
OnePlus 3 is said to come in two-variants- one having 4GB/32GB storage and another with 6GB/64GB inbuilt memory. Rest of the specifications are expected to remain same.
Read more: Expected features and price details of OnePlus 3
Sony Xperia C6 series:
Sony-branded phones codenamed F3216 and F3311 appeared on the GFXBench performance testing site last week. Both devices boast high-end cameras, indicating Sony is ready with the successors of the camera-flagship Xperia C5 series.
The sightings of Sony F3216 and F3311 on GFXBench just a month ahead of one of Asia's biggest consumer electronics shows, Computex 2016 (May 31-June 4) in Taipei, suggests fans might witness the debut of the new Xperia C6 series by the end of May.
Sony F3216 is said to be the top-end variant among the two. It boasts full-HD (1920x1080p) screen and comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow, a 1.9GHz MediaTek (MT6755) Helio P10 octa-core (ARM v8-based Cortex A53 x 8) processor, a Mali-T860 graphics engine, 2GB RAM and 16GB in-built storage.
It also boasts a 20MP primary camera with LED flash, auto focus, face detection and a 15MP snapper on the front with full-HD video recording ability.
On the other hand, Sony F3311 features an HD (1280x720p) display and houses the Android Marshmallow OS, a less powerful 1.3GHz MediaTek (MT6735) quad-core (ARMv8-based Cortex A53 x 4) CPU, a Mali-T720 GPU, 1.5GB RAM and 16GB storage.
As far as camera is concerned, it comes with a 12MP snapper with LED flash and autofocus on the rear, and a 5MP front-shooter with full-HD video-taking ability.
Read more: Two Sony phones spotted on GFXBench; key features revealed
Samsung Galaxy C7, C5 series:
Reports on Samsung's Galaxy C7 and C5 series phones have been making the rounds on Internet for more than a month now. If sources of SamMobile are to be believed, they are expected to be unveiled this month in China.
The Galaxy C7 is said to sport 5.5-inch full HD display and run Android's latest v6.0.1 Marshmallow powered by a 64-bit class Qualcomm Snapdragon (MSM8953) 625 octa-core CPU, which can reach up to 2.02GHz speed.
It is believed that the Galaxy C7 will flaunt a metal-clad body, like the Galaxy A series. It is also said to feature a 5.5-inch full HD display, 4GB RAM, a 16MP primary camera and an 8MP snapper on the front.
On the other hand, the Galaxy C5 is expected to sport a 5.2-inch full-HD screen and come packed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor, an Adreno 406 graphics engine and 4GB RAM.
Lenovo's ZUK Z1:
The ZUK Z1 was originally unveiled way back in August 2015 in China, but it is finally ready to set foot in India this month.
Though Lenovo is yet to confirm the launch date, a source with knowledge of the company's plans has confirmed that the company will indeed release ZUK Z1 in India in May.
Two main attributes of the ZUK Z1 are the Cyanogen OS and a high-capacity 4,100mAh battery, which can keep the phone running for close to 526 hours.
Read more: Complete specification details of the ZUK Z1
Meizu M3 Note:
Meizu unveiled the M3 Note in China in early April. Now, it is set to hit Indian stores in May for around Rs. 9,000.
The company has confirmed a launch event on May 11 in India.
Meizu M3 Note sports a 5.5-inch full HD display with a physical home button, which also houses the fingerprint sensor. It runs the Android 5.1 Lollipop-based Flyme OS backed by a MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core CPU, 2GB/3GB RAM, 16GB/32GB and a 4,100mAh battery.
Read more: Key features of Meizu M3 Note
LeEco Le 2 and Max 2 series:
Chinese smartphone-maker LeEco took the wraps off the Le 2, Le 2 Pro and Max 2 in Beijing last month. The company will be officially launching the new devices in India on May 3.
The USP of the Le 2 (and Max 2) series phones is they are the world's first devices to boast the new USB Type-C headphone port with Continual Digital Lossless Audio (CDLA) noise-cancelling standard for enhanced music experience. It also doubles up as a charging port.
Read more: Key specifications of LeEco 2 and Max 2 series
Nextbit Robin:
Nextbit Robin was rumoured to debut in India by the end of April, but it looks like it will be made available in May.
For the uninitiated, Nextbit Robin can be shipped to India from the U.S., but consumers have to pay $70 (roughly Rs. 4,667) as delivery charge. Once officially launched, Indians need not pay the additional amount to buy the Robin.
The highlight of Nextbit Robin is users will get free 100GB cloud storage and the phone, whenever connected to Wi-Fi Internet, automatically syncs (with encryption) apps, videos, images and other forms of data with the cloud storage. The company has incorporated a light system with four LEDs on the device's back with a cloud image to indicate when it is undergoing the syncing process.
Read more: Key specifications of Nextbit Robin
