Even if CES 2018 is still going on, the majority of companies already made their big product announcements. So below we take a look at some of the best smartphones that were launched this week in Las Vegas.
Sony Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra
Sony introduced two new solid mid-rangers with great specs and a focus on taking better selfies. The XA2 Ultra is actually the first Sony phone to come with a dual selfie camera setup.
There’s more good news – the fingerprint scanner on these phones will finally work for US users. Although it no longer resides in the power button on the side, but on the back of the devices.
Xperia XA2
- 5.2-inch IPS LCD display with fullHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 424ppi
- Snapdragon 650 with Adreno 510 GPU
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage (microSD card slot available)
- 23-megapixel rear facing camera with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus and LED flash
- 8-megapixel front facing camera with f/2.4
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 3,300 mAh battery
- Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box
Xperia XA2 Ultra
- 6-inch IPS LCD display with fullHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 367ppi
- Snapdragon 650 with Adreno 510 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 32GB/64GB of storage (microSD card slot available)
- 23-megapixel rear facing camera with f/2.0, phase detection autofocus and LED flash
- Dual 16-megapixel (f/2.0, OIS, AF) + 8-megapixel (f/2.4) front-facing camera
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 3,580 mAh battery
- Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box
Sony also announced the Xperia L2, a budget smartphone coming with a 5.5-inch 720p display, quad-core MediaTek MT6737T processor and 3GB of RAM/32GB of storage out of the box. Unfortunately, the phone will ship with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box, unlike the XA2 and XA2 Ultra.
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Despite loosing the AT&T/Verizon deal, Huawei announced at CES 2018 that Mate 10 Pro flagship is still coming to the States and will be offered via retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Newegg. The Chinese company has even partnered up with Wonder Woman (aka actress Gal Gadot) to help promote the shiny new phone in the country. Any takers?
Mate 10 Pro
- 6-inch AMOLED display with 1080 x 2160 resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, 402ppi
- Kirin 970 with Mali-G72 MP12 GPU
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB of storage
- Dual 12-megapixel (f/1.6, OIS) + 20-megapixel (f/1.6, 27mm) rear-facing camera with phase detection & laser autofocus, Leica optics, dual-LED dual-tone flash
- 8-megapixel front facing camera with f/2.0
- 4,000 mAh battery
- Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box
- Price: $799
Huawei also said it will be bringing the Mate 10 Porsche Design to the States. The exclusive model comes with 256GB storage and some premium design tweaks. This version is going to set you back with a whopping $1,225.
Zenfone Max Plus (M1)
Looking for a smartphone with an 18:9 aspect ratio display and a big battery that won’t break the bank? ASUS has your back with its latest Zenfone Max Plus model which will become available this February.
Max Plus (M1)
- 5.7-inch IPS LCD display with 1080 x 2160 resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, 424ppi
- MediaTek MT6750T with Mali-T860MP2
- 3GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage (microSD card slot available)
- Dual 16-megapixel (f/2.0) + 8-megapixel (17mm) rear-facing camera with phase detection autofocus, LED flash
- 8-megapixel front facing camera with f/2.0
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 4,130 mAh battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box
- Price: $229
BlackBerry Motion
Introduced a while back, the BlackBerry Motion is now available for pre-order in the United States via Amazon. Unlike, the KEYone, the BlackBerry Motion comes sans a physical keyboard under the display and it’s the first handset in the company’s portfolio to offer water-resistance.
BB Motion
- 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with FullHD resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, 403ppi
- Snapdragon 625 with Adreno 506
- 4GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage (microSD card slot available)
- 12-megapixel with f/2.0 and phase detection autofocus
- 8-megapixel front facing camera with f/2.0
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- 4,000 mAh battery
- Android 7.1 Nougat (planned upgrade to Oreo)
- Price: $449
Alcatel 5
Alcatel isn’t really known for high-end phones, but the company is looking to change directions with the new Alcatel 5 series. Details are scarce for now, but we do know the phones in this series will come with 18:9 screens, brushed metal bodies and facial recognition. Prices will start at around $300.
