Premium smartphone battle heats up with Apple event, new LG flagship’s release

Apple is expected to unveil long anticipated iPhone 8 in California on September 12, days after new LG, Samsung and Sony models came out; Nokia is joining the fray with ‘bothie’ phone and Xiaomi with a bezel-free handset

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LG presents its new V30 premium smartphone (right) at the IFA in Berlin on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Published: 3:45pm, 1 Sep 2017Updated: 3:46pm, 1 Sep 2017

Summer may be over but the battle of flagship mobile phones is about to heat up. Hot on the heels of the unveiling of LG’s V30 at this year’s IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin on Thursday came Apple’s confirmation that its “first-ever event at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino” – the company’s new campus in Silicon Valley – will be held on September 12.

The betting is that Apple will launch three new iPhones at the event to mark the smartphone’s 10th anniversary: the iPhone 7s, iPhone 7s Plus and the much rumoured and anticipated iPhone 8, which observers believe will be drastically different from previous models in terms of its look and capabilities.

Water droplets sit on the screen of a Samsung Galaxy Note 8 to show its water-resistant capabilities at a store in Seoul. The stakes are high for Samsung's rollout of the Note 8, after the previous model's exploding battery fiasco. Photo: Bloomberg

Not to be outdone, Apple’s arch rival in the global mobile phone market, Samsung, will launch its recently released Galaxy Note 8 in Hong Kong on September 13.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 (left and S8 Plus (centre) helped restore confidence in the Korean manufacturer’s handsets ahead of the launch of its Galaxy Note 8 (right). Photo: AP

Quick to put the whole explosive saga of the Note 7 behind it – consumer confidence in the South Korean brand has been partially restored after the release of its Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus handsets earlier this year – the new phablet will sport a bigger screen than Samsung’s S series (6.3 inches) and mark the return of the popular removable stylus.

Samsung hopes Galaxy Note 8 phablet can erase the memory of its phones catching fire

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Premium smartphone battle heats up with Apple event, new LG flagship’s release

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Samsung hopes Galaxy Note 8 phablet can erase the memory of its phones catching fire

Samsung hopes Galaxy Note 8 phablet can erase the memory of its phones catching fire