Smartphones Launching in March 2024: Nothing Phone (2a), Xiaomi 14 & More

Nothing Phone (2a) will be coming to sit in between the Phone (1) and the Phone (2). The device is rumoured to sport an OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a feature commonly found in mid-range phones in India. With a screen size of around 6.7 inches under the hood, the Phone 2a might be equipped with a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra SoC, paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Operating on the latest Android 14 OS, the Phone is expected to feature a dual-camera system, with both lenses boasting a 50-megapixel resolution.

Launch Date (Confirmed)

Nothing India has already confirmed the launch date of the Phone 2a, which is now set for March 5 at 5PM IST.

Expected Price

Nothing has yet been revealed regarding the official pricing details for its Phone (2a). However, it is expected to be more affordable than its predecessor, the Phone (2). The original Nothing Phone (2) was launched in India with a starting price of Rs 44,999. The Phone (2a) is expected to be priced under Rs 40,000, ideally even below Rs 35,000, considering the current lower price of the Phone (2) at Rs 36,999.

The Xiaomi 14 gets a 6.3-inch C8 display with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, a 1.5K resolution, 12-bit colours, 460 ppi and supports Dolby Vision HDR format. Furthermore, thanks to LTPO technology, it achieves a variable Refresh Rate ranging from 1 to 120Hz.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Processor powers it, paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. The Xiaomi 14 equips a triple rear camera system, including a Leica Summilux 50MP Hunter 900 main sensor with OIS, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP OIS-enabled telephoto unit. There’s a 32MP selfie snapper on the front.

The Xiaomi 14 is equipped with Dolby Atmos dual stereo speakers and a 4-mic array capturing sound in 360 degrees while recording a video. As for the battery, the device has a 4,610mAh battery with 90W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support.

The handset further has a customised high-vibration X-axis linear motor, USB-C 3.2 port, NFC, Bluetooth v5.4, 5G, Wi-Fi 7, an IR blaster, and Xiaomi’s latest HyperOS 1.0 based on Android 14. Finally, it is also IP68 rated.

Launch Date (Confirmed)

The Xiaomi 14 is confirmed to launch in India on March 7, while its global launch will take place on February 25 at the MWC 2024.

Expected Price

The Xiaomi 13 Pro debuted in India with a price tag of Rs 79,999, and considering that price, the Xiaomi 14 could also be positioned in a similar price bracket. However, it will have to compete with the aggressively priced iQOO 12 which performed like an all-rounder in our review.

Regarding the China pricing, the Xiaomi 14 starts at CNY 3,999 (approx Rs 45,500) for the base 8GB + 256GB variant. The 12GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB are priced at CNY 4,299 (approx Rs 48,900) and CNY 4,599 (approx Rs 52,300) respectively. The top-end 16GB + 1TB carries a price tag of CNY 4,999 (approx Rs 56,800).

Realme launched the Realme 12 Pro 5G series earlier in January this year, and it’s time for the Realme 12 5G series now, according to leaks. The series will consist of the Realme 12 5G and the Realme 12+ 5G. Some of the key specs of the Plus model include a Dimensity 7050 Chipset under the hood, a flat frame, a Sony LYT-600 OIS portrait camera, 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. Specifications for the vanilla model are yet to be uncovered.

Launch Date (Expected)

The Realme 12 5G series will launch in India on March 6 at 12 PM as per leaks. However, there’s no official confirmation regarding the same yet.

Expected Price

There’s no word on the pricing of the Realme 12 5G series either. However, it should be priced below Rs 25,000, considering the Pro models begin at Rs 26,000 in the country.

We already know what the Vivo V30 would sport as it launched in international markets. Its features include a 6.78-inch AMOLED Display with a 1.5K 2800×1260 Pixels resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, punch-hole cutout, 20:9 aspect ratio, 2800 nits peak brightness, 89.9% screen-to-body ratio, and 100% DCI-P3 colour gamut. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip powers the V30.

The Vivo handset gets up to 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. It is equipped with a 5000mAh battery that supports 80W charging. For security, the device features an under-display fingerprint scanner. The device runs on Android 14-based FunTouch OS 14.

The smartphone has a 50-megapixel selfie camera with dual soft-LED flash units. The rear camera setup consists of an OIS-assisted 50-megapixel f/1.8 primary camera and a 50-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide lens. The device offers dual SIM, 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, NFC, and a USB-C port. There are also stereo speakers on the device, and it is IP54-rated as well.

The V30 Pro will also get a 6.78-inch 1.5K Resolution display with a 120Hz refresh, which we assume will be the same panel as the V30. Cameras should get a 50MP IMX920 primary sensor with OIS, a 50MP Samsung JN1 ultra-wide angle sensor, and a 12MP IMX663 telephoto sensor with 2x Optical Zoom at the rear.

The front will have another 50MP selfie sensor. The V30 Pro could be backed by a 5000mAh battery with 80W fast charging, and the handset could be IP54 rated as well. It should run on FunTouchOS 14 based on Android 14.

Launch Date (Confirmed)

The Vivo V30 series smartphones will launch in India on March 7, 2024 as officially confirmed by the brand.

Expected Price

While there have been no official confirmation or any leaks regarding the price range of the V30 series smartphones so far, we feel Vivo could price them above Rs 30,000, considering the brand’s past trend. This is purely an assumption based on Vivo’s previous launches.

Tipster Evan Blass shared the design for the Galaxy A35 on X where one can notice that it sports a design similar to its predecessor, except for the newer frame with the key island and the front notch being a punch-hole instead of the U-shaped one in Galaxy A34.

As for the specs, it should get a 6.6-inch 120Hz FHD+ resolution display along with the Exynos 1380 processor under the hood. Its features may include a 5,000mAh battery and 25W fast charging, stereo speakers, IP67 rating, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, and a microSD card slot. It could have a 50MP primary sensor at the back with an 8MP ultra-wide angle sensor and a 2MP macro sensor.

Launch Date (Expected)

Samsung is set to make an announcement on March 11, 2024 regarding new Galaxy A-series devices which may include the Galaxy A35.

Expected Price

The price for the Galaxy A35 may be set at around Rs 30,000. As usual, an official confirmation is awaited.

The Samsung Galaxy A55 could also have a design similar to that of the Galaxy A35. Under the hood, most of its specs could also match, except for the more powerful Exynos 1480 chipset and a 12MP ultra-wid angle sensor. Aside from that, the device could be made available in trendy colours, similar to its predecessor.

Launch Date (Expected)

Alongside the A35, the Galaxy A55 could also launch on March 11, 2024.

Expected Price

The price for the Galaxy A35 may be set at around Rs 40,000 as per predictions based on past pricing trends of the brand.

The Poco X6 Neo model surfaced on the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) certification platform, bearing model number “2312FRAFDI”. This appears similar to the model number of Redmi Note 13R Pro, a smartphone already launched in China.

Considering that the Poco X6 Neo will be a Redmi Note 13R Pro rebranded, you can expect identical specifications in both devices. As the latter has already launched in China, it gives us an idea of what we can expect from the Poco X6 Neo.

The Redmi Note 13R Pro features a 6.67-inch full-HD+ AMOLED Display with 1080×2400 pixels resolution. Further, there is a 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, instantaneous touch sampling rate of up to 2160Hz, 1920Hz PWM dimming, and a hole-punch at the front.

The phone packs a MediaTek Dimensity 6080 SoC under the hood. It is coupled with up to 12GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB UFS 2.2 internal storage. In addition, the device comes with a dual rear camera setup. This includes a 108-megapixel primary sensor, along with a 2-megapixel depth shooter. For the front, there is a 16-megapixel selfie camera.

The device runs on Android 13 with the MIUI 14 skin on top. A 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W fast charging backs it. The connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.3, GPS/ A-GPS, infrared (IR) blaster, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm Headphone jack. Further, there is also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. The device has stereo speakers.

Launch Date (Expected)

A 91Mobiles report, citing tipster Yogesh Brar, claimed that the Poco X6 Neo will launch in India by March 2024 and will likely be the company’s last X-series model to launch in the first half of 2024.

Expected Price

The device may carry a price tag below Rs 20,000 according to the specifications of the smartphone we currently have.

Two OnePlus smartphones could also be coming to India in March 2024. Leaks say that OnePlus Nord CE 5 will be equipped with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset while the brand may ship the Nord CE 5 Lite with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor. Aside from this, there’s not much information available about the upcoming OnePlus Nord devices.

Launch Date (Expected)

There’s no concrete launch date available for both of the smartphones as of now, except that they’ll be breaking cover in March 2024 in India.

Expected Price

Considering the Nord devices constitute the mid-range and budget segment of the brand, it is expected that OnePlus could price the Nord CE 5 below Rs 30,000 while the CE 5 Lite may have a price tag below Rs 25,000 or maybe even Rs 20,000.

As per leaks, iQOO Z9 5G will have an AMOLED Display with an FHD+ resolution, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. The size of the display is rumoured to be above 6 inches.

Under the hood, the Z9 5G will get the Dimensity 7200 chipset, as also spotted on Geekbench recently. The exact battery size of the device is not known yet. However, what’s known is that it will sport 44W fast charging. For optics, users will get an OIS-assisted Sony IMX882 50-megapixel primary camera and an auxiliary lens whose details are yet to be revealed.

Launch Date (Confirmed)

The device will debut in India on March 12.

Expected Price

The Z9 5G is expected to be priced at around Rs 25,000 or maybe even less, considering the leaked specifications as well as the past trends of the brand with regards to aggressive pricing.