Forget foldable or 5G handsets, 'value for money' key focus for smartphone makers in 2019

Smartphone makers are slowly realising the huge potential of the mid-range market space, especially in growing markets like India and China. Earlier this year, Samsung took a page out the Xiaomi’s playbook by introducing the budget Galaxy M series. At the Mobile World Congress (MWC 2019), it seems like all the major players including LG and Sony are gearing up to launch their budget handsets for 2019.

LG Q60, K50 and K40

LG announced that the Q60, K50 and K40 would all sport LG’s HD+ FullVision display. All three handsets will also have a new AI feature called AI Cam. The feature will help the device's camera to recognise objects in front of it and automatically adjust the settings to get the perfect shot. All three phones also boast a dedicated Google Assistant button and support for DTS:X 3D Surround Sound. LG claims the new sound technology simulates a 7.1-channel surround sound system.

Samsung Galaxy A30 and A50

Samsung unveiled two mid-range A series smartphones at the MWC 2019. Both the smartphones came with 6.4-inch (1,080×2,340-pixel) Super AMOLED Infinity-U displays. While the Galaxy A30 features a dual rear camera setup with a 16-megapixel front camera, the A50 boasts a triple rear camera setup with a 25-megapixel front camera. The A30 and A50 will ship with Android Pie out-of-the-box.

Sony Xperia 10

The Sony Xperia 10 features a 6" Full HD+ display with an impressive 21:9 aspect ratio. The Japanese device maker is bringing a new form factor to all their new smartphones as part of Sony’s cinema experience. The new Xperia 10 boasts a dual camera setup and ships with Android Pie straight out-of-the-box. The handset is powered by a Snapdragon 630 SoC, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.