Fall 2017 Gadget Preview

Even though we’re halfway through the year, there are still quite a few major products still to come out from Google, Apple, Samsung and even LG. Let’s take a look at what’s coming in the next couple of months.

Phones

Since Apple released the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus last year, that means Apple will for sure be releasing the 7s and 7s Plus. They will have updated internal like faster processor, slightly better camera along with the latest software, iOS 11. Apple is also said to release a third iPhone this year, to help coincide with the 10th anniversary of the iPhone.

The rumoured iPhone X/8 is said to have a new design with a 5.8-inch OLED edge-to-edge display, facial recognition technology, no home button and faster processor. Apple will announce the new iPhones in September.

After the success of the Google Pixel and Pixel XL, Google will follow-up this year with two new Pixel phones. There are a lot of rumours circulating about the new Pixel phones for this year, some saying that the smaller Pixel will keep it’s 5-inch 1080p display or get a new 5.6-inch 18:9 curved screen with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,312.

This is what the Pixel 2 XL is rumored to look like, according to Android Police. 

Meanwhile, the Pixel 2 XL will have a 5.99-inch AMOLED display. Some rumours are suggesting that the smaller Pixel might be made by HTC again while LG will manufacture the Pixel 2 XL (or even both Pixel 2 phones).

All the Pixel 2 models will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage. The new phones will be fully water-resistant and come with improved cameras.

The Pixel 2 & Pixel 2 XL are said to be announced in late September/early October and be released soon after.

The Galaxy S8/S8+ aren’t the only smartphones that Samsung plans on releasing this year. Samsung will also be releasing the Note 8, with a rumoured 6.3-inch Quad HD infinity display, that is similar to the one on the S8/S8+. It is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or 836 processor with 6GB of RAM and come with either 64 or 128GB of internal storage.

This is what the Note 8 is rumoured to look like. 

The Note 8 is also said to come with a dual-camera array similar to the LG G6 or iPhone 7 Plus. The device will, of course, have an S-Pen, since it is a Note device. Samsung is said to announce the Note 8 in late August with an early September release.

The V30 is LG’s other flagship phone for 2017 and the V series tend to be feature packed. The V30 is said to have an OLED display so then it’s Google Daydream compatible and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 processor. Pictured below is what the LG V30 is rumored to look like. 

LG will announce the V30 at an IFA 2017 in Berlin, which takes place from August 31st to September 6th, 2017.

Smart Home


Coming in December, Apple is releasing the HomePod, which is their answer to Amazon Echo. The HomePod will be able to detect the space that it's in and play the audio accordingly and since the HomePod has Siri built-in, you can ask her questions like news, weather, traffic, reminders and even control HomeKit devices.


The HomePod will be available in the US, UK and Australia in December for $349 USD and more countries in 2018.

Apple is not the only company releasing their own Amazon Echo competitor, Harman Kardon will release their Cortana-powered Invoke speaker this fall. The speaker will offer a seven microphone array using Harman Kardon’s Sonique far-field voice recognition technology, 360-degree of sound, the ability to control your smart home, play music and even make/receive Skype calls to cell phones, landlines and Skype-enabled devices.


The Invoke has three woofers, three tweeters and 2 passive radiators and the design is similar to the Amazon Echo but the Invoke has more of a cone-like design and made from aluminum. No pricing has been announced but expect to pay a premium price for it.


Gaming


This November, Microsoft is set to release their “most powerful console ever” with the Xbox One X. With the new console, you’ll be able to play games in true 4K. Inside, there is a 6 teraflop GPU, 8-core custom CPU, 12GB of GDDR5 RAM at 326 GB/sec of memory bandwidth with a 1TB hard drive.


The Xbox One X is not only the most powerful console, it’s also the smallest Xbox ever. It’s also compatible with all Xbox One games and accessories. A 4K TV isn’t required to use the Xbox One X, but a 4K TV will help you get the most out of your new console.


The Xbox One X is set to release on November 7th, 2017 for $599 CAD/$499 USD.


After the success of the hard-to-get, NES Classic Edition last year, Nintendo will be releasing Classic Edition of the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). The SNES Classic comes with 21 16-bit games including the unreleased Star Fox 2. The console will come with two wired SNES Classic controllers.


The SNES Classic will release on September 29th, 2017 for $79 USD.

Drones


DJI just released their latest drone, called the DJI Spark and it’s the smallest drone they’ve ever made, even smaller than their DJI Mavic Pro. The Spark is so small, that you can lift off from the palm of your hand.

The Spark is the first drone that can be controlled by hand gestures alone. You’ll also be able to control the Spark via the DJI app or the optional remote controller. The drone has a flight time of 16 minutes and can record 1080p videos and 12-megapixel images. The DJI Spark comes in white, blue, red, yellow and green colour options and starts at $699 CAD or $499 USD.

Computers


Apple will also release the iMac Pro, which 22 teraflops of computing power. It can be optioned with 128GB of ECC RAM and comes with 4 USB Type-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 ports. The iMac Pro will be coming in December and starts at $4999 USD.