Redmi Note 12, iQOO 11, and more smartphone launches to look forward to in Jan 2023
With 2022 coming to an end in just a few days time, we are already gearing up for several new and exciting launches in the initial weeks of 2023. Many brands have already announced their upcoming launches for the first week of January. Companies like Xiaomi, iQOO, Samsung, Tecno, and more are gearing up to launch their first offerings for 2023 in India, so here’s a look at some of the top smartphone launches that will kick-off 2023.
1. Redmi Note 12 Series
The Redmi Note 12 series, which will include the Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro, and the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ will be launched in India on January 5. The Redmi Note 12 series is already being teased by Xiaomi, and the company has already hinted at some of the key specifications of the smartphones.
According to the teasers shared by Xiaomi, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G will come with a 200-megapixel primary camera, which will be a first in this segment. The Redmi Note 12 series has already been launched in China, and the Indian version of the three smartphones are said to come with the same specifications as their Chinese counterparts.
The Redmi Note 12 5G, which will be the entry-level offering in the series, is said to come with a Super AMOLED display, along with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset, which is said to be the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chip. The Redmi Note 12 5G will also come with 33W fast charging, and a 48-megapixel triple rear camera setup for images and videos.
The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G, on the other hand, is expected to come as a rival to the recently-launched Realme 10 Pro+ 5G, and will come with a 200-megapixel rear camera. Apart from this, the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is expected to come powered by MediaTek’s new Dimensity 1080 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. The Redmi Note 12 Pro+ is also expected to come with super-fast 120W fast charging for its 5,000mAh battery unit.
2. iQOO 11 Series
Vivo sub-brand iQOO’s next-generation flagships in the iQOO 11 series are also coming to India on January 10, 2023. Now, it is not known if the company will launch both the iQOO 11 and iQOO 11 Pro, but the media invites for the launch do not mention the iQOO 11 Pro. The iQOO 11 is expected to be the first smartphone in India to come with Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The iQOO 11 5G will also debut Vivo’s new V2 camera chip, and the smartphone will come with a new E6 AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate, 2K resolution, and LTPO 4 technology for variable refresh rate.
In terms of battery, the iQOO 11 5G is expected to come with a 5,000mAh battery paired with 120W fast charging. The iQOO 11 Pro, on the other hand, was launched in China with 200W fast charging. The iQOO 11 5G may also come with a triple rear camera setup.
3. Poco C50
Poco is also gearing up to launch a budget offering in the first month of 2023. The company is expected to launch the successor to the Poco C31, the Poco C50. The Poco C50 launch has already been teased on Flipkart, but the launch date has not been confirmed yet. Reports have suggested that the Poco C50 may launch on January 3, and will come with several improvements over its predecessor.
Not much is known in terms of specifications, but the smartphone could come with a dual rear camera setup, instead of the triple rear camera setup on the other two Poco C-series smartphones. The Poco C50 is also expected to feature an HD+ display, and while this will be a budget offering, it is unlikely to come with support for 5G.
4. Samsung Galaxy F04
Another budget offering that has been teased to be “coming soon” on Flipkart, Samsung’s Galaxy F04 will be launched in India at a price of under Rs 8,000. According to the official teaser, the Samsung Galaxy F04 will be launched at a price of Rs 7xxx. The teaser also shows a dual rear camera setup, and two different colours – a shade of pink, and one shade of green. Not much is known in terms of performance specifications, but the Samsung Galaxy F04’s teaser shows that the smartphone will come with 8GB of RAM.
Several reports have also stated that the Samsung Galaxy F04 may come with similar specifications to the Samsung Galaxy A04e which was launched in India earlier this month. The Samsung Galaxy A04e was launched with a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-V display and is powered by a MediaTek Helio P35 paired with up to 4GB of RAM. There is a dual rear camera on the Samsung Galaxy A04e, which includes a 13-megapixel primary shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor.
5. Tecno Phantom X2 5G
The Tecno Phantom X2 5G will be the next flagship from the brand in India. The smartphone will be launched on January 2, 2023 and will go on sale in the country on January 9, 2023 onwards. The Tecno Phantom X2 5G’s key specifications have already been confirmed by the company. Apart from this, Tecno has also unveiled several offers for the upcoming Tecno Phantom X2 Pro, which includes a free trolley bag, a special discount of Rs 2,000, a free screen replacement within 100 days, and a no down payment EMI buying option, along with other offers.
The Tecno Phantom X2 5G will come with a 6.8-inch FHD+ curved AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The smartphone will be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000 chipset and there will be a triple rear camera setup with a primary 64-megapixel shooter with Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS).
