The coronavirus pandemic brought most economic activities across the globe to an abrupt halt. Most countries were in a state of lockdown in the months of March, April and May. But this did not deter smartphone makers, with a number of big launches announced amid the lockdown. 

If you are looking to upgrade your smartphone, here are the latest devices that were launched recently: 

Apple iPhone SE

Apple decided to utilise the lockdown to launch a revamped version of its leading flagship device iPhone SE. Apple launched the upgraded version of the phone in April. 

The phone, which has a 4.7-inch display and is powered by a A13 bionic chipset, is aimed at those looking to buy a powerful phone but do not want to shell out heavy bucks. 

While launching the phone, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller said that the new second-generation iPhone SE looks to build on the unique combination that many customers love. 

“The first iPhone SE was a hit with many customers who loved its unique combination of small size, high-end performance and affordable price; the new second-generation iPhone SE builds on that great idea and improves on it in every way,” Schiller said during the launch. 

The base model of the Apple iPhone SE is priced at Rs 42,500.

OnePlus 8 and Oneplus 8 Pro

In a grand virtual event, OnePlus launched two new high-end devices on April 14 – the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. 

Both the devices run on the latest Android 10, and are powered by Qualcomm’s flagship chipset Snapdragon 865. 

The price of the OnePlus 8 series starts at Rs 41,999. 

Xiaomi Mi 10

The Chinese smartphone maker launched the Mi 10 in May to take on the OnePlus 8. The device not only packs high speed and battery life, but also supports 5G connectivity. 

The phone also boasts of a 108-megapixel camera and wireless charging. The base model has a 8 GB RAM and runs on the octa-core Snapdragon 865 processor. 

The Xiaomi Mi 10 is priced at Rs 49,999.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro Max – it was launched on March 17, 2020. 

Realme Narzo series

After postponing its launch twice, Realme finally launched its Narzo 10 series on May 18. The phone sports a 6.5-inch HD+ resolution screen and comes with three card slots (2 SIM cards and 1 microSD slot). 

Priced at under Rs 10,000, this is the phone for gamers looking to buy a low-cost device. It has a MediaTek Helio G70 processor along with a 3GB RAM. 

Poco F2 Pro- expected to be launched on June 16 

Poco launched F2 Pro on May 12 which comes with a display of 6.67-inch and 1080×2400 pixels resolution and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The phone is expected to be priced at Rs 26,990.

Poco F2-to be launched on June 19