On CE - For Dealers, Distributors and OEMs of Consumer Electronics throughout EMEA

LG announces a refresh of the 2017 Q8 mid-range smartphone-- a 6.2-inch devices with updated internals and the addition of a stylus, making it something of a rival to the Samsung Galaxy Note devices.

Customers can hide the stylus inside the Q8 until needed, before use with a memo feature for drawing or creating own emoji. One can even use the stylus when the display is switched off, allowing for quick note taking, and the phone produces appropriate sound effects to make writing on screen feel like a selection of writing instruments.

Global tablet shipments total 33 million in Q2 2018, IDC reports-- a -13.5% Y-o-Y decline, with shipments of both slate and detachable/hybrid tablets falling, in part due to a lack of updates to the high-profile devices launched in Q2 2017.

"The detachable market is at a crucial stage as it has been driven primarily by premium products from Microsoft and Apple and growth has slowed in recent months," the analyst says. "Though consumers and businesses alike have shown interest in the detachable form factor, those operating on tighter budgets have had very few options available to them and hence some have opted for traditional PCs. However, with the launch of the Surface Go, Chrome OS-based detachables, and hopefully a more affordable iPad Pro in the future, the detachable category still has a bright future, provided the performance and software lines up with users' expectations."

Fossil launches a fourth generation of smartwatches with the Q Explorist HR and Q Venture HR, both featuring heart rate tracking, GPS and Google Pay technology within a waterproof design.

The Q Explorist HR is aimed at male customers, while the slimmer Q Venture HR is designed for women. Both offer a selection of over 36 watchfaces for further customisation, while bands come in a choice of interchangeable leather or metal materials. The actual casing is in stainless steel, with the Q Venture HR coming at 40mm size and the Q Explorist HR being slightly larger at 45mm.

The watches run on Wear OS, the rebranded update on the Google Wear platform, meaning they offer voice-controlled Google Asssistant functionality as well as regular Wear OS apps. An NFC chip allows contactless payments via Google Pay, and the watches can track workouts including swims. Further sensors include ambient light, gyroscope, altimeter and accelerometer.

Apple continues making headway into becoming a $1 trillion company, with revenues growing by 17% Y-o-Y to reach $53.3 billion, leading to profits worth $11.5bn, even during the traditionally slow fiscal Q3 2018 (ending June 2018).

“We’re thrilled to report Apple’s best June quarter ever, and our fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth,” CEO Tim Cook says. “Our Q3 results were driven by continued strong sales of iPhone, Services and Wearables, and we are very excited about the products and services in our pipeline.”