This week in tech news: Xiaomi 13 Ultra hits India’s first Apple Stores
The Xiaomi 13 Ultra was launched earlier this week in China as Xiaomi’s top-of-the-line flagship for the year. The handset features similar specs as the Xiaomi 13 Pro that recently made its debut in India, with some notable upgrades in the camera department. The smartphone features a 50-megapixel 1-inch primary camera sensor tuned by Leica with support for variable aperture. Alongside the launch of Xiaomi’s flagship phone and Apple’s new stores in Delhi and Mumbai, reports suggest that Apple’s iPhone 15 series smartphones will miss out on solid state buttons altogether while Google could announce its first foldable device after its upcoming Google I/O event in May.
On this week’s episode of the Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, host Siddharth Suvarna sits down with Senior Reviewer Sheldon Pinto and Reviewer Pranav Hegde to discuss the week’s biggest stories in tech. With rumors surrounding yet-to-be announced devices — Apple’s iPhone 15 series, the Pixel Fold, and Motorola’s upcoming foldable phones for 2023 — there’s a lot for tech lovers to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead.
Earlier this week, Apple CEO Tim Cook opened the first Apple Stores in India. Both locations, located in Mumbai and Delhi, drew large crowds and warm receptions on their first days. Customers had access to third-party stores in India, but Apple Stores have their own unique design and other city-specific elements. Cook also had a packed week, meeting with industry leaders and celebrities in India.
As usual, Apple has kept quiet about the company’s upcoming smartphones, but recent reports suggest that the iPhone 15 Pro models will feature an improved camera setup with a periscope lens, but may miss out on the previously rumored solid-state buttons. Other manufacturers have revealed concept phones with solid-state buttons, but there’s no word yet on whether we’ll see these buttons on an iPhone model this year.
Earlier this week, Xiaomi announced the launch of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra in China. This flagship phone from Xiaomi features a Leica-tuned quad-camera setup with high-quality Summicron lenses. It also features a 50-megapixel 1-inch primary camera sensor with a variable aperture. There’s no word yet on whether this high-end phone from Xiaomi will be coming to India unlike the previous model, the Xiaomi 12S Ultra.
Google has been tipped to launch its own foldable phone in the form of the Pixel Fold in June, with the handset previously rumored to be unveiled at the company’s Google I/O event in May. Google will face competition from Samsung’s well-established Z-series smartphones, or even Motorola’s upcoming foldable phones that are confirmed to debut soon.
You can listen to all of this in detail in our episode by clicking the play button on the Spotify player above.
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