2022 was a great year for the tech sector, especially for the smartphone market as the year saw a huge variety of smartphones ranging from budget to mid-range, premium to foldables launching throughout the year. 2023 is almost here and the year is expected to start with a bang as there are about 6-7 major smartphone launches that might take place in the 1st month of 2023. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset will be a major highlight of many devices launching this year. So let us have a look at what January has in store for smartphone enthusiasts of India.
1. Vivo X90 Series
Launch date- end of January
Vivo X90 Series is expected to launch in India towards the end of January 2023. The series has 3 smartphones- Vivo X90, Vivo X90 Pro, and Vivo X90 Pro+. The Pro Plus model was the first to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset while the other two were powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset. India might get 2 out of these 3 models that have been launched in China, but nothing is concrete as of now.
All 3 smartphones run Android 13 with Origin OS 3 skin on top along with 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The vanilla X90 model has triple camera sensors at the back (50MP+12MP+12MP) while the X90 Pro has 50MP+50MP+12MP camera lenses at the back. The top-end X90 Pro Plus model has a quad camera setup (50MP+48MP+50MP+64MP).
2. iQOO 11 Series
Launch Date-10 January 2023
The iQOO11 series has been confirmed to launch in India on 10th January 2023. It will have 2 smartphones- iQOO 11 and iQOO 11 Pro. Both models will be available from January 13 and sport a 6.7-inch E6 AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. These two are powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The base model has 120W fast charging support while the Pro model has 200W fast charging capability. The price of iQOO 11 is expected to be somewhere around Rs. 55,000 to Rs. 60,000 while the Pro model will cost between Rs. 60,000-70,000.
3. Tecno Phantom X2
Launch date- 2nd January 2023
Tecno has been launching affordable smartphones in the country for a while now, but now the brand is stepping up its game and entering a slightly expensive mid-range category. Tecno Phantom X2 will launch in India on January 2 2023 and will be powered by MediaTek Dimensity 9000 chipset. It has 45W fast charging for a 5160mAh battery. The smartphone will flaunt an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and have a triple-lens setup at the back (50MP+13MP+2MP). Tecno Phantom X2 is expected to go on sale in India from January 9 and cost around Rs. 30,000.
4. Moto X40/Moto Edge 40
Launch date- Mid-January 2023
Motorola launched the Moto X40 in China earlier this month and the smartphone is expected to drop in India too in January 2023. It will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and have up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage. The smartphone will sport an FHD+ AMOLED display with a whopping 165Hz refresh rate and also feature 125W fast charging capability.
The Moto Edge 40/X40 will have a triple camera setup at the back including a 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto lens. There will be a 60MP front camera for selfies and video calls.
The smartphone is expected to cost around Rs. 40,000 in India which will make it one of the cheapest phones with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset.
5. Redmi K60 Series
Launch date- Mid-January under Poco branding
Redmi K60 Series is launching in China today (27 December) and the series will include Redmi K60, K60 Pro, and K60E devices. While the Redmi K60 Pro will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the K60E has used MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC. The base K60 model might be powered by Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset.
Redmi has also confirmed that the Sony IMX800 will be the main sensor in Redmi K60 Pro. The smartphones might come to India under the name of Poco in January itself.
6. Redmi Note 12 Series
Launch date- 5 January 2023
Xiaomi India is all set to launch the Redmi Note 12 Series in the country on 5th January 2023. The series will have 3 smartphones- Redmi Note 12, Note 12 Pro, and Note 12 Pro+. The Redmi Note 12 Pro Plus will be the first in India to have a 200MP main lens. It has up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage and is powered by Dimensity 1080 chipset.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro will sport a 50MP main camera and 120W fast charging.
7. Samsung Galaxy F14
Launch Date- first week of January 2023
The successor to the Galaxy F13 is expected to launch in the 1st week of January. It is expected to have 5G connectivity, feature, and an Exynos chipset and cost around Rs. 12,000.
