Year Ahead 2020: Top 6 most promising gadgets to look out for next year

From foldable devices to true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones and internet of things (IoT) products, the year 2019 saw several innovations that changed the technology landscape and raised expectations from products scheduled to come next year. There is still some time before we learn what 2020 has in store for tech enthusiasts, but there are some products — confirmed or spoken about by manufacturers — that offer a glimpse into what we could expect in 2020.

Business Standard lists top 6 gadgets that we should look forward to in the new year:

OnePlus ‘Concept One’ smartphone

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has confirmed that it will participate in the 2020 edition of Consumer Electronics Show, to take place in Las Vegas, US, from January 7. The company will showcase its ‘Concept One’ smartphone, which it says will “demonstrate a vision of both new technology and alternative design approach for the future of smartphones”. Though it may be early to make a guess as to what the smartphone would really offer, I am looking forward to this phone with no ports and buttons, like the Vivo Apex and the Meizu Zero.

Vivo ApexRepresentative image: Vivo ApexMotorola Razr

Motorola, now owned by Chinese electronics manufacturer Lenovo, will in 2020 launch in India the Motorola Razr, a bendable-screen smartphone based on the company’s iconic Moto Razr flip-phone (original). With a reprise of the Moto Razr, Motorola becomes the third company among popular mobile phone makers to bring a foldable smartphone with a bendable screen. The other two are Samsung and Huawei. However, the Motorola Razr is the only device that makes no big claim of being a smartphone and a tablet. Instead, it works like a smartphone irrespective of how you use it — folded or unfolded — and that is what makes it different from its counterparts.

ALSO READ: Coming soon to India: Motorola's bendable-screen smartphone Moto Razr

Motorola Razr, Moto RazrOppo under-screen-camera phone

First unveiled at the Mobile World Congress 2019, Oppo’s under-screen-camera technology is expected to find its way into smartphones in 2020. The technology will allow the company to design smartphones with obstruction-free front profile and enhanced screen-to-body ratio as the placement of the front camera under the display will do away with the need for a cut-out or notch on the screen. In retrospect, Oppo was one of the first phone makers to bring in-display fingerprint sensor technology and elevate camera modules. In 2020, the company might repeat its history when it brings the first smartphone with under-the-screen selfie camera module.

READ MORE: Oppo Unveils Under-Screen Camera, MeshTalk Tech At MWC Shanghai 2019

Oppo under-screen cameraiRobot intelligent mopping robot

Founded by roboticists at the US’ Massachusetts Institute of Technology, iRobot is a company with expertise in home robotic appliances, such as vacuum cleaners and floor-mopping machines. In 2020, the company is to launch a floor-mopping robot under its Braava series of machines. Being part of the iRobot ecosystem, this upcoming device will be equipped with the company’s imprint technology, which will allow it to work in sync with iRobot Roomba robotic vacuum cleaners. Besides, the device is expected to support the company’s robust automation app for remote access, and Amazon Alexa for voice command operations.

iRobot Braava 390TLG 2020 UltraFine Ergo display

Part of LG’s 2020 Ultra series monitors, the UltraFine Ergo Display is designed for working professionals who spend a lot of time at their desk. The monitor has an ergonomically advanced arm-type adjustable stand that can extend outwards, be positioned close to the wall, be moved up to the eye level, or lowered to the desk. It can also swivel to face the opposite direction. The LG Ergo also replaces the conventional monitor stand-base with a desk clamp to free up more space. Besides, the monitor boasts a USB-C One Cable solution for 4K imaging, fast data transfers and charging through a single and convenient cable. Apart from the UltraFine Ergo, the LG’s 2020 Ultra series monitors also include the UltraGear and UltraWide monitors for gaming enthusiasts and content producers, respectively.

LG 2020 UltraFine Ergo displayLG 2020 UltraFine Ergo displayMicrosoft Xbox Series X

Microsoft’s gaming console, the Xbox, is set to get a complete makeover next year, both in terms of design and performance. The next-generation gaming console, called the Xbox Series X, is expected to come out in the last quarter of 2020, along with an exclusive set of gaming titles. In terms of design, the console will depart from the conventional Bluray-like form factor to a tower-shaped design which will make the device look like a miniature PC or air purifier. Though the exact hardware and specifications of the Microsoft Xbox Series X are not yet known, the company promises that its graphic performance will be twice as good as the Xbox One X.

OnePlus 5th anniversary: Up to Rs 10,000 discounts on smartphones, QLED TVs

It has been five years since the Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus launched its first smartphone in India. Celebrating the company’s fifth anniversary, OnePlus announced several offers in partnership with Amazon India, including discounts, zero- interest equated monthly instalment options and instant cashback on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards. The OnePlus five-year anniversary sale, which started on November 25, will continue until December 2. Here are the offers:

OnePlus 7T

The company’s midrange-premium smartphone is available at a discounted price of Rs 34,999 and Rs 37,999 for 128GB and 256GB storage variants, respectively. In addition, the company is offering flat Rs 1,500 instant discount on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards, and EMI transactions. You can also exchange your old phone for a value of up to Rs 7,000.

OnePlus 7TALSO READ: OnePlus 7T review: Value-for-money smartphone with premium specs, features

OnePlus 7 Pro

The company’s premium smartphone is available at a discounted price of Rs 39,999, Rs 42,999 and Rs 48,999 for 6GB/128GB, 8GB/256GB and 12GB/256GB variants, respectively. In addition, the company is offering flat Rs 2,000 instant discount on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards, and EMI transactions. Besides, you can exchange your old phone for a value of up to Rs 7,000.

 OnePlus 7 Pro review: A device that will fascinate first-time premium users

OnePlus Q1 Pro TV

The premium QLED television in OnePlus Q1-series is available at Rs 99,899. In the OnePlus five-year anniversary sale, it gets a flat discount of Rs 5,000 on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards, and EMI transactions. The TV is eligible for no interest EMI on select cards. Additionally, you can exchange your old television for a value of up to Rs 9,140.

OnePlus Q1 ProOnePlus Q1 TV

The premium QLED television in OnePlus Q1-series is available at Rs 69,900. In the OnePlus five-year anniversary sale, it gets a flat discount of Rs 5,000 on HDFC Bank debit and credit cards, and EMI transactions. The TV is eligible for no interest EMI on select cards. You can also exchange your old television for a value of up to Rs 9,140.

OnePlus dials into Bharat, says getting huge response from cities and towns

OnePlus, the Shenzhen, China-based premium phone maker, is fast expanding to tier-II and tier-III cities and towns in the country — it says there is huge response from these regions.

The firm is looking at going beyond the metro cities by scaling up its offline stores to over 5,000 and setting up more than 100 ‘experience centres’ in the top 50 cities by next year, said Vikas Agarwal, general manager and head of OnePlus India.

Till recently, OnePlus was mainly relying on e-commerce platforms for reaching customers. India has already become its largest and fastest growing market, accounting for over a third of overall revenue.

“India is one region which has performed best as compared to any other market (for us). That is very counter-intuitive because when we entered India, nobody expected OnePlus or the premium segment to do so well,” said Agarwal. “But, today, India is the fastest growing premium smartphone market for us. People do have that money to spend. Though there is talk about economic slowdown, our sales are better than ever.”

OnePlus has partnered with Redington (India), a global mobility distributor, which will boost its offline presence across the northern and northeast regions in particular. The firm has also partnered with offline retailers such as Sangeetha, Poorvika, Vijay Sales and Big C, with access to thousands of offline stores beyond big cities in Andhra, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu.

OnePlus had, says CounterPoint, widened its lead over Apple and Samsung with the OnePlus 7 launch in the premium smartphone segment during the September quarter.

This month, OnePlus said, it recorded Rs 500 crore of revenue in only the first two days of the festive sale on Amazon.in.

“The momentum for OnePlus has been quite strong. They have to expand offline because they have been missing the biggest chunk of consumers who are ready to buy the product, once they are able to experience the look and feel of the product,” said Tarun Pathak, associate director at Counterpoint Research. “If you go to tier-II and tier-III cities, you would find a significant chunk of premium users. Their (OnePlus) offline strategy makes a lot of sense.”

Smartphone shipment in the premium segment (Rs 30,000 and above) grew an impressive 33 per cent annually in India, way above the single-digit overall smartphone shipment growth, during the quarter, said Counterpoint. This was mainly driven by flagship launches in terms of the OnePlus 7 series, price cuts by Apple for its iPhone XR and aggressive promotions from Samsung for the Galaxy S10 series. As Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo and Huawei enter this segment, this category is going to be hyper-competitive in the second half, it said.

OnePlus 7T Pro launch at 8:30 PM today: Livestream, likely specs & features

Chinese electronics manufacturer OnePlus is set to launch the OnePlus 7T Pro at a global event in London that would be livestreamed simultaneously on the company’s social media and YouTube channels. In India, the event’s livestream on YouTube will start at 8:30 PM. At the launch event, the company is also expected to unveil the OnePlus 7T Pro’s McLaren edition, teased recently on OnePlus' official Twitter account.

A successor to the OnePlus 7 Pro, the OnePlus 7T Pro is expected to be a premium flagship. It could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ mobile processor, which also powers the company’s recently launched OnePlus 7T. The phone might come in multiple variants; with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. However, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren edition is expected to come only with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.

OnePlus

✔

@oneplus

McLaren and OnePlus, relentlessly pursuing perfection. See the embodiment of excellence on October 10, 4 PM BST.

Embedded video

3,719

6:30 PM - Oct 8, 2019

Twitter Ads info and privacy

323 people are talking about this

The OnePlus 7T Pro is expected to get the matte frosted glass design, which the company introduced in the OnePlus 7T. Other than cosmetic upgrades, the phone could be similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus 7 Pro. It is expected to boast a 6.65-inch fluid AMOLED screen of a QHD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. Like in its predecessor, the screen in the OnePlus 7T Pro might be curved on the sides and support HDR10+. The phone is expected to come with a pop-up selfie camera module, in-display fingerprint sensor and Gorilla Glass protection on the front and back.

The OnePlus 7T Pro is expected to come with a triple-camera set-up on the back, featuring a combination of a wide-angle sensor, an ultra-wide angle sensor and a telephoto lens. The phone could be powered by a 4,085 mAh battery. Like the OnePlus 7T, the OnePlus 7T Pro is also expected to come with Warp Charger 30T.

OnePlus to set up its largest global R&D unit in Hyderabad for Rs 1,000 cr

Chinese premium smart phone maker OnePlus has announced a Rs 1,000-crore investment plan to develop its biggest global R&D Centre in Hyderabad over a period of next three years.

Formally inaugurated today in an owned premises at a tech park close to the Financial District, the unit will gradually increase its headcount to 1,500 people from the present 200, while undertaking core innovative work across different technology components, besides leading the development of the Oxygen OS platform that runs OnePlus phones.

OnePlus founder and CEO Pete Lau, who came down to Hyderabad for the launch of the R&D facility, also said that the company would begin exporting the India-made OnePlus products to the US and the European Union countries from the current calendar year.

The smart phone maker currently operates five R&D centres -- three in China and one each in Taiwan and the US, with Shenzen facility being the largest among them.

Terming India as a second home, Lau said the Hyderabad unit will eventually become the largest of all as the company plans to drive the innovation and product development on software front for the global requirements from here.

"When I visited Hyderabad last year, the city evoked the same feeling that Shenzen gave me ten years ago. It is a modern city with a lot of energy, market potential and human talent," Lau, who is viewed as a poster boy of technology start-ups back in China, said in response to a question as to why OnePlus selected Hyderabad for its R&D plans.

The new R&D facility will have OnePlus's first Camera Lab, a Networking and Communication Lab centred on 5G technology among five focus areas, including product development and testing. "Many companies have their R&D centres to provide support services required in product development etc. But our R&D centre in India will do a lot of creative work," Lau said, emphasising on the significance of the India R&D plans in the company's overall product development.

The R&D using the Indian human resource comes as a next logical step for OnePlus, which already operates a smart phone manufacturing plant in Noida. All of the OnePlus products, including the newly launched OnePlus 7 Pro that are sold in India are produced out of the Noida plant.. Within five years of its entry into the Indian market OnePlus emerged as the largest seller of ultra smart phones with a 43 percent market share in the overall smart phone segment in the country.

"This new development is in three phases; One, expanding the 'Made in India' concept. Two, investing heavily in employing Indian talent and three, strengthening India as an innovation hub for domestic and global markets," Lau summed up his vision behind the new investment.

Besides hiring techies with prior experience, the company is looking to acquire 25-40 per cent fresh talent from IITs and IIMs, according to the company officials.

While the OnePlus brand's marketing success in India was largely driven by the on-line sales mode using Amazon's on-line market place, the company management has now embarked up on a big plan to establish its offline foot print across the country to further consolidate its position in India.

According to OnePlus India general manager Vikas Agarwal, the firm is planning to establish offline stores in 50 cities in the next one year in addition to the current base of partner-owned stores, and set up exclusive service centres in 50-100 cities, super experience stores such as the upcoming 16,000 square-foot facility in Hyderabad, in all the big cities within the next 2-3 years.

Lau said he will be coming to Hyderabad again next month as the Telangana government invited him to visit some factories in the city, as it wants him to consider locating the next manufacturing plant here. However he remained non-committal on whether OnePlus has such a proposal at all. "It was Mr K T Rama Rao (former IT minister and son of chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao)'s idea. I have nothing to say on this," he said.