Global smartphone manufacturers are trying hard to increase their market share by offering customers more budget-friendly options as the world economy slips into recession and disposable income shrinks rapidly.
Apple is the latest company to launch its most affordable smartphone – iPhone SE at Dh1,699 – on Wednesday. It is facing tough competition in the segment from rivals including Samsung and Huawei, who are equally aggressive in trying to widen their customer base through pocket-friendly options for consumers.
South Korea's Samsung launched its economical 5G-enabled A series smartphones last week.
"The Covid-19 outbreak is expected to stress the short-term scenario with shipments declining 10.6 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2020," says IDC
The new iPhone SE is the cheapest phone the company has launched in the last four years after introducing the first edition priced at Dh1,466 in 2016. A cheaper offering may help Apple to compete in the mid-range smartphone segment and meet its goal of 200 million shipments in 2020, industry experts say.
Analysts say that the global smartphone market recovery this year is far from certain as major economies are still in lockdown and governments across Asia, Europe and North America are struggling to control the spread of the coronavirus outbreak.
The Massachusetts-based researcher International Data Corporation expects the global smartphone market to shrink 2.3 per cent year-on-year in 2020, with shipment volume just over 1.3 billion.
“The Covid-19 outbreak is expected to stress the short-term scenario with shipments declining 10.6 per cent year-on-year in the first half of 2020,” says IDC.
With mounting uncertainties, it seems widening the customer base through new and innovative technology at cheaper prices is the best strategy for phone manufacturers to follow.
Here, The National examines features of the current top smartphone options that are priced below $500 (Dh1,835).
How big is the camera?
Apple claims that the iPhone SE comes with the best single-camera system ever in an iPhone. It has a 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7MP selfie camera. The phone is designed to withstand the elements, with dust and water resistance features.
Samsung’s A51 5G has four rear-facing cameras (between 5MP to 48MP), with one in the front of 32MP. OnePlus 7 by Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus comes with a dual-lens set up – a main camera of 48MP and a secondary one of 5MP, as well as a selfie camera of 16MP. The Huawei P20 Pro has a triple camera on the rear – 8MP to 40MP – and a front camera of 24MP.
Who added the most juice?
The iPhone SE comes with a battery size of 1,821 milliampere hours. It is powered by Apple-designed A13 Bionic chip, which the company said enables longer battery life. The A51 5G featured a high-density 4,500mAh battery. The OnePlus 7 and P20 Pro offer batteries of 3,700mAh and 4,000mAh, respectively.
How much does it cost?
The new edition of the iPhone SE is priced at Dh1,699. The A51 5G is one of the cheapest 5G-enabled smartphones available in the market at almost Dh1,800. The OnePlus 7 was priced Dh1,724 at the time of its launch in May, last year. The P20 Pro is the cheapest among four at Dh1,399.
How about the display?
The new iPhone SE comes with a 11.9 centimetre screen. The screen size of the A51 5G is 16.5cm, while OnePlus 7 has a 16.3cm display and P20 Pro has a 15.5cm screen.
When will Apple launch its 5G phone?
Its new 5G-enabled iPhones, which are scheduled for a September launch, could face a delay due to supply chain disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak, Bank of America analysts say.
Other manufacturers such as Samsung, Huawei, LG and OnePlus are already selling 5G phones in the market.
THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
more from Janine di Giovanni
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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The years Ramadan fell in May
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
More on animal trafficking
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULTS
%3Cp%3E%0D5pm%3A%20Al%20Maha%20Stables%20%E2%80%93%20Maiden%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(Turf)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Alfahem%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%20(jockey)%2C%20Ernst%20Oetrel%20(trainer)%0D%3Cbr%3E5.30pm%3A%20Al%20Anoud%20Stables%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Musannef%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E6pm%3A%20Wathba%20Stallions%20Cup%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(PA)%20Dh70%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Rasam%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E6.30pm%3A%20Arabian%20Triple%20Crown%20Round%202%20%E2%80%93%20Group%203%20(PA)%20Dh%20300%2C000%20(T)%202%2C200m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Joe%20Star%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Helal%20Al%20Alawi%0D%3Cbr%3E7pm%3A%20Liwa%20Oasis%20%E2%80%93%20Group%202%20(PA)%20Dh300%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20AF%20Alajaj%2C%20Tadhg%20O%E2%80%99Shea%2C%20Ernst%20Oertel%0D%3Cbr%3E7.30pm%3A%20Dames%20Stables%20%E2%80%93%20Handicap%20(TB)%20Dh80%2C000%20(T)%201%2C400m%0D%3Cbr%3EWinner%3A%20Silent%20Defense%2C%20Oscar%20Chavez%2C%20Rashed%20Bouresly%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Power: 160hp
Torque: 385Nm
Price: Dh116,900
On sale: now
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of VoucherSkout
Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
Stage: Embarking on a Series A round to raise $5 million in the first quarter of 2019 with a 20 per cent stake
Investors: Seed round was self-funded with “millions of dollars”
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
MATCH INFO
Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
