Big smartphones from Xiaomi to Vivo spin-off iQOO and Samsung ring in 2023 with some notable product launches. While Xiaomi is targeting its budget Redmi Note 12 5G series, iQOO is reaching for the stars with its high-end flagship, the iQOO 11 5G. Samsung, meanwhile, is launching with a relatively entry-level offering called the Galaxy F04, but there could be more surprises across the board – we’ll see. In this regard, OnePlus is also preparing the OnePlus 11, which is scheduled to launch in India on February 7, after being officially presented in China on January 4.
Here’s the full list of smartphones confirmed to launch in India in January 2023, including the key specs, features and everything else we know so far. (Also, this is an evolving story, so we’ll be adding more products to the list as more information becomes available.)
Samsung Galaxy F04 | Launch Date India: 4 January 2023
Samsung will launch its entry-level phone, also known as the Galaxy F04, in India on January 4th. This phone, it seems, will be exclusive to Flipkart. The product listing page has confirmed that the phone in question will come with a 6.51-inch 720p display with a waterdrop-style notch. Under the hood, it will come with MediaTek’s Helio P35 chip. It will run Android 12 software and will support Samsung’s RAM Plus virtual memory expansion technology, giving users access to up to 8GB of RAM.
The Galaxy F04 is powered by a 5,000mAh battery and supports USB Type-C charging. For photography, the Galaxy F04 comes with 13MP dual rear cameras. On the front, it comes with a 5MP selfie shooter.
Samsung has teased that the phone will come in at under Rs 8,000. It is speculated that it would be a rebranded version of the recently launched Galaxy A04e.
Redmi Note 12 Series | Launch date India: January 5, 2023
The Redmi Note 12 series spawns up to four models in China, but Xiaomi seems to be bringing only three to India at the moment. These are Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, Redmi Note 12 Pro and Redmi Note 12.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus will be the premium model with a 200MP main camera and 120W fast charging support. The Redmi Note 12 Pro is virtually identical to the Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus, but with a relatively watered-down 50MP main camera and 67W fast charging. Redmi Note 12 is the cheapest of them all. All four phones support 5G connectivity.
Speaking of the core specs, all three phones share the same display, i.e. a 6.67-inch OLED with a resolution of 1080p and a refresh rate of 120Hz. Redmi Note 12 Pro and Note 12 Pro Plus are powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 1080 chip, while Redmi Note 12 features Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 1.
Xiaomi has announced that it will end its ad-based monetization strategy for the Redmi Note 12 series following customer feedback. This means these phones won’t be priced like before and their prices in India would be more realistic, possibly closer to or even slightly higher than what they cost in China.
The Redmi Note 12 series is set to launch in India on January 5th.
iQOO 11 | Launch date for India: January 10, 2023
iQOO 11 features a 6.78-inch 1440p E6 AMOLED display with LTPO 4.0 technology and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. Under the hood you get Qualcomm’s brand new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor paired with up to 16 GB RAM and up to 512 GB UFS4.0 storage. The phone boots with Android 13 by default.
For photography, the iQOO 11 has 50MP main (Samsung GN5), 13MP portrait and 8MP ultrawide. On the front of the phone is a 16MP selfie shooter.
Rounding out the package is a 5,000mAh battery with 120W fast charging.
iQOO 11 will be launched in India on January 10th.
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