Ever since Google dipped its toe into the smartphone industry since 2007, it has been making very good android phones that are both affordable and value for money. While initially partnering with HTC to create the initial Google-software smartphones, the brand evolved over time to be a purely Google phone developer. Initial Google phones such as the HTC/T-Mobile G1 (2008), HTC Magic/Google Ion (2009), Motorola Droid (2009) and many more caused serious competition for the then hot item, iPhone, and set a great prerequisite for current smartphones. More recently, the Google Play system may have accidentally revealed the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL specifications and release date by accident. That is what we seek to discuss within this post.

The first leak of the Pixel 3a phone was spotted by a Reddit user and confirmed by Google support. The Google Play Developer Console, which is an open-ended software that allows any developer to add to it, saw the entries ‘sargo’ and ‘bonito’ added onto the console. In the Play Developer Console, android programmers get to create applications and decide various aspects about them such as whether they would let their apps work on certain devices. On Google’s side, they provide device specifications so that the developers can select the devices without necessarily having to have the devices on hand for testing purposes. The entries were then assumed to be the phones code names, based on previous leaks and the display sizes noted. The Pixel 3a phone will have a 5.6-inch display with a 1,080 x 2,220 resolution, 4 GB of RAM, and Open GL ES 3.2 support and run on Android 9 Pie out of the box. A trusted tech leak site, 9to5Google, was able to get the Pixel 3a in March and confirmed these specifications as well as an OLED screen, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 OS, an eight-megapixel wide-angle front camera, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and a 3,000 mAh battery. These are clearly impressive specifications which promise a whole new experience especially with the new Snapdragon OS. Its predecessor, the Pixel 3 uses a faster Snapdragon 845 processor, which could mean the 3a might not be completely cut out for such intensive gaming but is still fast enough to get everything done efficiently. In terms of the release date, there is much speculation that the Pixel 3a will be released some time in the middle of the year possibly before October. This is because the leak had the tag line ‘Pixel_2019_Midyear_Experience,’ which could only mean it will be released sometime in the midyear portion. The Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are set to be some of the biggest phone news of 2019. These phones are to compete with the budget-premium models such as the OnePlus 6T and Samsung Galaxy S10e. They are considered budget premium models since they offer fair specifications, while still maintaining the same top-drawer technology. The Pixel 3a for instance, is considered to pack some of the best cameras on the market and is still a mid-range phone.

There’s no word on price, but considering its mid-range status, it should cost somewhere between $550-$650. Google’s upcoming, I/O developer conference is coming up in May and it is during this time that many presume the phone will be debuted. The event brings together developers from all over the world for talks, hands-on learning with Google experts, and a firsthand look at Google’s latest developer products. Google’s marketing strategy for this event is usually top notch, with this year being a puzzle which was released on their twitter page. The event markets and showcases the brand’s latest developments and smartphones. For instance, last year’s event discussed and upgraded Google Assistant, Android, Google Maps and AR. This year’s event is pegged to officially release the new Pixel phones and all we can do is wait. Google has over time worked to improve and develop their offerings. With the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, the phones seek to be affordable improvements on their predecessors- Pixel 3 and XL. Their mid-range status means that the phones will be both value for money and affordable. The Pixel range still boasts some of the best cameras on the market right now, and with the Pixel 3a, the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 OS promises a fast, sleek smartphone with the camera of a more expensive phone. The I/O event this year, is posited to be the ideal marketing event for the Pixel 3a phone- an event many are looking forward to. We will continue to keep our eyes and ears peeled for this official release.

I am a Marketing student who is interested in technology. My biggest dream is to have a great platform to help me express my own feelings and thoughts about Teck Leaks. My blogs will inspire and educate you about technology.

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The new DJI Mavic 2 was just released a few months ago and now there has been a buzz growing about the upcoming DJI Phantom 5. This new updated version of the drone is on every drone enthusiast’s mind due to the promised improvements that are significantly better than the older versions. There have been rumors that the company was having issues with the production of the drone with the release date consequently being pushed to spring of 2019. This new drone promises to be unique in terms of price offering and many more changes. DJI is known for innovation and therefore this release is propped to be the best drone release of the year. This post seeks to discuss the upcoming DJI Phantom 5 drone release, its features and what makes it stand out from previous versions.

There is yet to be an official date provided for the release of this new drone, but rumors seem to be pointing at November 28^th. As stated earlier, there has been a delay in the release of this model which was initially marketed in April 2018. This has been thought to maybe be a marketing strategy of building suspense and enthusiasm. The company has also stopped selling some earlier and bigger models which makes it seem like they could be gearing up to release the new Phantom 5 drone this year. Drone enthusiasts remain hopeful that this release will finally happen this year. In terms of pricing, the Phantom 5 is expected to appeal to the casual hobbyist with is competitive price of between $1,100 and $1,500. The battery of this new drone is also a topic that seems to attract many. The idea is that it may use a 1.2 Lipo while others speculate it could be a whole new battery never seen before. If the latter is the case, then DJI will have successfully broken through the drone industry. Another aspect of the Phantom 5 drone is a short charge life of roughly 30 minutes. This sets the bar for longest flight time a drone has been on. This will obviously see a shift in drone technology towards a more resilient and longer lasting device that can be used for longer periods of time.

DJI markets its brand as having spectacular cameras onboard the drones which counts largely for the use of the drone. The new Phantom 5 has been speculated to have a new type of gimbal that trumps any other currently on the market. This new gimbal will not only utilize 360-degree angles but will also be able to take high quality photos even when moving at high speeds. This would be a huge advantage for anyone trying to take surveyance photographs instead of stopping every few meters, a whole panoramic view can be captured as the drone moves. Another subtle but important aspect of the upcoming drone will be the lens release button. This option helps users change lens on the drone for each type of photography or videography project. The new anti-collision feature will now have an obstacle sensing system which has sensors on all sides thus effectively preventing collisions. The previous version of this drone- the Phantom 4 Advance has completely transformed the driving and control options and the Phantom 5 is expected to be leaps and bounds ahead. This will be contributed by the streamlined design and obstacle sensing system which will allow the drone to identify obstacles from all angles. Another major plus for the new drone will be the throw-in-the-air-to- activate option. This feature reduces time taken to simply activate a drone. The drone will also be controlled with your smartwatch- an aspect that makes it easier to handle your drone and keep it in the air. There are even rumors of a sky pain feature that allows one to create a design in the sky. All avid drone enthusiasts are genuinely excited for what this new drone could bring and while at this point most of these specifications are simply speculation, it should be noted that the company has really capitalized on the buzz and enthusiasm surrounding the release of the Phantom 5 drone. The November date promises a launch event that might push DJI through the roof.

Apple officially announced that it would be holding an event on March 25^th, 2019 for the purpose of revealing its long-awaited television streaming and Apple News subscription services at the Steve Jobs Theatre in Cupertino. These rumors began last month, and in Apple’s usual fashion, the invitation doesn’t have much to go by other than the fact that we should save the date. The event will reportedly focus on services, but Apple enthusiasts hope to see the announcement of revamped Air Pods, or the entry of a new generation iPad or even the long-delayed Air Power wireless charging pad.

An animated countdown GIF has been going around with the tagline ‘Its show time’- a tag used in a September 2006 event when it announced that it would start offering movies on iTunes as well as the first reveal of Apple TV which at the time was referred to as iTV. Just as this launch saw Apple’s media offerings for its devices expand, the March 25^th event also carries this possibility. Along with this TV service launch, Apple is expected to give us a look into its new Apple News subscription service. This service will offer a Netflix-style bundle for everything from magazines to subscription newspapers all in one easy to access location. The Wall Street Journal had reported some trouble with negotiations with some companies due to its demanding at least 50% of revenue from the service. The subscription service is said to offer paid access to content from large bodies like the New York Times, the Washington Post and so on. In fact, many believe the service could be marketed alongside Apple Music- with one subscription you have subscribed to all. Apple uses these events as a marketing strategy to create hype for new product launches and old upgrades. In the past, spring events have been used to make significant announcements which is why everyone is so excited for the March 25^th event.

In spring of 2015, the marketing event held by Apple saw an announcement on the 12-inch MacBook and pricing and launch dates for the Apple Watch original which was aptly named Spring Forward. The next year, they released the iPad Pro 9.7, iOS 9.3 and the iPhone SE in a similar marketing event named the ‘Let us Loop you in’ event. Spring 2017 was the exception- instead of another anticipated event, the company quietly shut down its online store and sent out a press statement announcing the launch of the red iPhone 7 and the iPad 2017. The lack of marketing for this event was a setback for the sales of these products proved the importance of taking care of one’s customer base. It was a major disappointment for Apple followers and saw the company launch a larger event the following year. In 2018, Apple changed tact and used their marketing event as an education-focused even at a school in Chicago. They announced a new iPad which can support Apple Pencil, as well as updates to Pages, GarageBand and Numbers and Keynote. They also discussed what these product offerings could do for both students and teachers. This event was dubbed ‘Let’s take a field trip’. For the 2019 spring event, we can expect the Apple streaming video service, which could take on Netflix to be launched. We can also expect a new Mini Apple TV which should be a cheaper way to access this new TV streaming service. However, it is speculated that Apple has joined with different TV providers to enable AirPlay 2 compatibility on their televisions to provide even cheaper access to users. Another product rumored to be launched at this event will be the new HomePod and HomePod Mini- a cheaper and smaller smart speaker. Other potential products will be AirPods 2, Over-ear headphones, AirPower (the wireless charger that was set to launch in 2018), iPhone SE 2, and updates for almost all its other products.

There will be other marketing events set in the year- specifically in June, September and October. While there are usually exceptions, most of Apple’s big announcements tend to happen at these four dates. There were a lot of untouched, unmarketed products in 2018 which are all expected to be launched this year, including some long-awaited updates. For this first event of 2019 therefore, the anticipation from Apple fans is palpable.

The future is here, and it is foldable phones. This year, both Samsung and Huawei have launched their own foldable phones- some very expensive prototypes. While both brands have been hailed for launching us into the future, the one taking everyone’s attention is the Huawei Mate X- Huawei’s version of the foldable phone. Its general appearance is simply better than Samsung’s offering- the Galaxy Fold. Not only is it a lot thinner than the Galaxy Fold especially when folded, but it also features a much bigger foldable display that stays on the outside. The Galaxy Fold, on the other hand, folds inwards like a book which gives it a thicker look. But why is this? Why does the Huawei Mate X seem to be garnering more attention in a field so young? What marketing strategies have allowed this? Here we will seek to understand why this happens.

During their press release event, Huawei took jabs at Samsung as it unveiled their Mate X. They compared the phone’s display with the Galaxy Fold, which was an easy comparison. The Huawei phone has a much larger tablet display, while still maintaining thinner bezels. On top of this, the Galaxy Fold features a camera notch which is not too pretty either. Even when folded, the Huawei phone provides a larger screen area while compared to the Galaxy Fold. They used these obvious weaknesses from their competition to elevate their product which was a fascinating marketing strategy. Samsung, however, was unwilling to let that go- citing that Huawei’s Mate X is just the easier way to design foldable phones. The reason why Samsung went with an inward fold is that it increases security. According to the Samsung UK director of product, services, and commercial strategy Kate Beaumont, they considered the security of the screen as well as factors such as wanting to put a screen cover. The best way to protect the screen is by having it on the inside. Samsung is selling durability and sophistication with this one and it is something their customers can get behind. Samsung also has the upper hand in terms of pricing, where their Samsung Fold will go for a starting price of $1980 against $2600 for the Huawei Mate X. While these are still eye-watering prices, they will make all the difference when it comes to marketing the phones.

However, these are all still to be seen and not touched. While the companies have launched these products, they are yet to find themselves in the market. The reason why is evident- research and development still need to be done before the foldable phones can be mass released into the market. But even after this is done, the phones will still be a very hard sell. It will be interesting to see how they handle the marketing of the devices which will go for $2000 and above upon release. For now, though, both companies continue to market the product using the unveiling press events where their stills and videos are so well done that, they encourage anyone willing to buy this product. They also have been allowing people to view the devices up close, though Samsung did gain suspicion for not allowing people to touch their phones. Huawei allowed very few people to touch it- relying mainly on demonstrations from its own staff. This raised some obvious questions regarding the readiness of these products which for now remain far off. Another marketing point for the foldable Huawei has been the 5G network offering. While the world remains in 4G, Huawei has already launched 5G network enabled phones before the network itself has been built. The CEO says that is the only factor delaying the launch of this product. In my opinion, both products are revolutionary. The Huawei Mate X is very aesthetically pleasing, and all reports seem to point to the fact that they are readier to launch than Samsung. The Samsung Fold does, however, promise durability which is obviously a major factor- no one wants their phone breaking. Both companies have marketed their products well, and now we can only wait until the products hit the market before, we can choose the better one.

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Tech companies tend to have a hard time keeping their products muted until they are ready to launch.  A new product offering should come with a lot of privacy and secrecy, but this usually ends up being all for naught when a tech leak occurs, and all the information is spread online. No tech is immune from a leak, whether in terms of a prototype being leaked or just any form of information getting into the wrong hands. Tech leaks have left companies weaker than they were. Samsung is no stranger to tech leaks and as long as tech companies exist, it will continue suffering the same. The Note 9 case is a good example of a leak that Samsung went through, in this case it was a supply chain leak in which information gets illegally shared from contact with so many suppliers or individuals somewhere along the supply chain. Leaks aren’t always accidental though, some are intentional in order to build up the energy surrounding the release of a new product. Some leaks work to their advantage and even Samsung has participated in this time and again. When it came to the Samsung S10, the leak was considered accidental since Samsung does tend to tease fans ahead of major releases. The leak occurred when Samsung accidentally aired a commercial on the largest commercial broadcaster in Norway and it did leak major upgrades. The S10 boasts of having the world’s first punch hole display, the ultrasonic fingerprint reader, and the new triple camera system. The phone is a far reach from the S9 as it will be an entirely bezel-less phone with the exception of a cut-out in the corner of the display for the front camera. This is an incredibly bold move for Samsung for what is probably going to become a major trend in phone culture this year and even beyond. Another leaked fact is the display. The massive 6.4-inch display seems too much but surprisingly the device is quite small and light. What the leak will not tell you though, is the back of the S10- what might actually cause major competition. Let’s begin with the fact that the back camera of the phone features a triple lens camera- the primary, wide angle and 2X optical zoom, quite impressive. Triple cameras have already been widely accepted by other companies as well including Huawei and Oppo. The hottest new feature, the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and upgraded face ID features are still experimental especially for the asking price of this brand. This is what could cause consumers to back out.

Samsung has always had an issue with their price offerings. For instance, the S10 range and specifically the 1TB Galaxy S10 could be priced at up to $1500. They do provide an alternative though, the Galaxy S10e, which could be around half the cost. While one misses out on the Ultrasonic reader, the device is still topnotch. It is, however, important to address why people seem to prefer the phone without the Ultrasonic reader. A video leaked by MobileFun highlights the issue at hand- the Ultrasonic display does not work with screen protectors. This means one cannot take charge of protecting their device without compromising on the one feature that made you buy the device. This is a huge weakness that Samsung should have investigated at the research and development stage and it baffles me how they missed it. The MobileFun video shows consumers how the solution for this phone using regular screen protectors is to cut a hole around the new sensor, which ends up looking horrible. The only available screen protector comes from only one company and will cost you an eye-watering $60. Apparently, the reason for this is that the device requires that the screen protector have no trace of air between it and the screen. This is impossible to achieve with any standard protector and instead the company selling the cover uses a liquid adhesive, which has been proven to be a very lengthy installation process. So why would the company provide a product which is so limiting and continues to become more and more expensive? This is one leak that may have worked to the disadvantage of the company especially from a marketing perspective. Not only did the leak expose the ultrasonic limitation, it may have opened the company up to scrutiny as to why such issues do not come up during the research and development stage.

Another major leak that Samsung has already done regarding the S10 is testing its One UI software publicly for the existing models and every S10 model already leaked. People would prefer if the brand marketed their amazing battery upgrades, which we must say are the best in the market right now. One of the major takeaways from leaks is that when the cat is already out of the bag, just roll on with the show! Leaks tend to work to the advantage of a brand if it is intentional and doesn’t highlight the weaknesses of the brand in question. Marketing strategies for the S10 branch should include such things as blog posts and social content that focuses on the brand’s positive aspects and what the brand can do to counteract negative views from other blogs or social media campaigns. The S10 is a great brand and with enough fixes could be the perfect smartphone of the day.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton