Obi Hornbill Beats Samsung Galaxy S3 with Specifications

Obi Mobiles, a smartphone company establish by John Sculley, previous CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, has entered East Africa, beginning Kenya and Tanzania after tasting success in East Asia. On the other hand, it is as of now confronting rivalry from set up brands, for example, Samsung, Tecno Mobiles, Huawei, HTC, and so forth. With yet another player guaranteeing the predominance of its cell phone in the business sector adds to the test of picking the right item. Through this comparison, we have analyzed the relative qualities of Samsung Galaxy S3 and Obi Hornbill S551 with the aim to empower buyers to settle on an educated decision.

Obi’s Hornbill in display screen size, operating system technology, cameras and battery life including more advanced processor and the ability to function on multiple networks (2.5G, 3G and 4G), leaves Samsung’s Galaxy S3 behind. Looking at the price tag, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is priced around KSh 40,000, where as Obi Hornbill is pleasantly priced around KSh 18,000. Obviously, Samsung has the brand quality to legitimize the cost, however a smart buyer would beyond any doubt consider a few discriminating features while settling on choice.

Read More

HTC Desire 820G+ rises in Taiwan

HTC, one of the leading smartphone companies in the world, is in the news again for its latest launch of HTC Desire 820G+ Dual Sim. The smartphone was recently launched in Taiwan and is currently available there only. Let us review the product to find out if it brings something unique or superior than most other players. 

Design & Display

With measurements such as 157.7x78.74.7x7.74mm and weight 154.5g, HTC 820G+ is an eye candy with almost C-shaped edges and a long and flat display. It is probably not the sleekest phone in the market, but the attention to detail given by the designers would make almost any tech-geek want to hold and ogle at it. With a matte-finish on the back panel, the front side panel has a thin strip of color running on the sides. The strip of color depends on which color you wish to have. Yes, the device is available in two colors of White Marble and Gray Swallowtail, where the prior comes with gray strip and the later with a blue strip. Moreover, 820G+ boasts of a wide 5.5 inches screen, like most devices hitting the markets lately, with a vibrant HD display, 820G+ holds a resolution of 1280x 720 pixels. 

Processor & OS

Desire 820G+ Dual SIM runs on HTC Blinkfeed, which is the equivalent of Android 4.4 KitKat operating system (OS). However, given that most of the latest smartphones are releasing with Android 5.0, HTC users would not be very happy with this. Nevertheless, HTC seems to have made up for the OS by powering the 820G+ device with a 1.7GHz Octa-Core processor supported with 1GB of RAM. Moreover, the smartphone has an internal memory of 16GB and an expandable memory of 32GB. The expandable memory should help users who like to travel watching movies or videos with a huge collection. 

Camera & Battery

Pretty much like its predecessor (HTC Desire 820), the latest device, Desire 820G+, sports a superior 13-megapixel primary camera with and LED flash. For selfie-lovers, 820G+ holds an 8MP front-camera with BSI Sensor. The BSI Sensor follows a certain procedure to maximise amount of light captured in a selfie and improve low-light pictures. Furthermore, with a battery capacity of 2600mAh, the longevity of charge could stand up to 12 hours of talk time and 560 hours on standby, which is decent.

Connectivity

HTC has enabled the usage of 820G+ only on 2G and 3G bands for now, so 4G users would have to wait until HTC brings in this feature. But Wi-Fi capability, Bluetooth, FM Radio and GPS are still available. As it can be inferred from the model’s name, the phone supports dual-SIM cards but both cards have to be Nano SIM cards.

Bottom Line

With a wide display, high-end processor and superior cameras, the smartphone is definitely worth the cost. But the unavailability in 4G and relatively outdated OS could be a turn-off for some consumers. Since the device is only available in Taiwan, we have looked at the Taiwanese prices. The smartphone is currently priced around Taiwanese Dollars (TWD) 6,000, which is equivalent to approximately INR12,332 which seems reasonable.

Read More

HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge: How much extra is justified for resolution?

Samsung and HTC are two heavyweight players in the smartphone world that have consistently shown class and prowess through their products. It would be compelling to compare their smartphone models and do a spec-to-spec analysis to understand their capabilities and help potential customers make an informed decision while considering their products. Therefore, we have chosen Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge for a comparative review with HTC One M9.

HTC One M9 with dimensions such as 144.6x 69.7x9.61mm weighs 157g, while Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge with dimensions of 142.1x 70.1x 7.0mm weighs 132g, a significant 25g lesser than One M9. There is not much difference in the display screen size, where HTC’s One M9 is 5 inches long where as Samsung’s S6 Edge is 5.1 inches long. Also, One M9 is available in Full HD (1080p) and S6 Edge is available in Dual Edge Super AMOLED, which makes the touch-screens pretty much comparable too. However, after the weight, the major difference comes in resolution, where Samsung’s S6 Edge has a significant leg up with 2560x1440 pixels over HTC’s One M9 that has 1920x1080 pixels, promising a better picture quality. Moreover, both the devices come in multiple colors: S6 Edge is available in white pearl, black sapphire, gold platinum and green emerald, where One M9 is available in gray, silver and gold. The overall design, however, remains a matter of personal preference.

Both the smartphones are powered by 1.5GHz Octa-Core processors, but Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop where as HTC One M9 runs on HTC Sense 7.0 which happens to be HTC’s customized OS based on Android Lollipop, essentially comparable operating systems (OS). Also, both the devices operate on a 3GB RAM and have an internal storage of 32 GB, however, Samsung’s S6 Edge has no expandable memory where as HTC’s M9 has an expandable memory up to 2MB through microSD. HTC’s M9 also has an edge in terms of battery capacity 2840mAh over Samsung’s S6 Edge that comes with 2600mAh battery. As such, while performance of the two devices is comparable, HTC’s One M9 acquires an edge on two accounts i.e. external memory and battery capacity.

If we take a look at the additional features, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a 16MP primary (rear) camera with CMOS senor technology that detects and conveys information that constitutes an image and a 5MP secondary (front) camera. On the other hand, HTC One M9 has a 20MP primary camera with BSI sensor that adds more light quality to photographs and a 4 ultra-pixel front camera; apparently, ultra-pixels are capable of capturing around 200 percent more light. As such, HTC’s One M9 with higher pixels stands out at the primary camera front and also promises a better selfie given the ultra-pixel feature. Both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.10 and single SIM slot, and support only Nano-SIM. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market.

At the end, the key differentiator is the price. In the Kenyan market, Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is priced around KSh85,000 where as HTC One M9 is priced around KSh69,000. With the availability of expandable memory, better cameras, higher battery capacity HTC One M9 seems to be worth its price. Considering that the design is largely a matter of individual preference, the relatively higher price of Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge seems to be on account of the device being lighter, thinner, and offering higher resolution. The Kenyan customers would have to consider whether it is worthwhile spending additional KSh16,000 for slightly superior resolution and sleeker look.

Read More

Sony Xperia Z2 can sure give HTC One M8 tough time in Africa

HTC and Sony are two high-end smartphone makers that have time and again asserted their dominance through their products. Needless to say, it would be interesting to put their smartphone models up against each other for a spec-to-spec match to make sense of their product strategies as well as inform potential customers to help make a considered choice. Therefore, we have picked up Sony Xperia Z2 and HTC One M8 for this comparative review.

The basic dimensions of both the devices are very close match. With 146.8x73.3x8.2mm, Sony Xperia Z2 weighs around 163gm, where as HTC One M8 with 146.36x70.6x9.35mm dimensions weighs around 160gm. The overall physical feel of holding the two devices in hand is about the same. Moreover, multiple colour variants in both the devices allow customers a greater choice in picking the right colour to make their style statement. Sony’s Xperia Z2 is available in black, purple and white colours, where as HTC’s One M8 is available in gunmetal grey, glacial silver and amber gold.

There is also not much difference in the display screen size as Sony Xperia Z2 has 5.2inch display where as HTC One M8 comes with 5inch display, meaning viewing space is about the same too. However, Xperia Z2 has a relatively more advanced Full HD Triluminos capacitative touchscreen where as One M8 has a Full HD 1080p capacitative touchscreen, which gives Xperia Z2 an edge for offering a superior quality of display.

There are slight variations on the front of performance indicators. Sony Xperia Z2 is powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop, where as HTC One M8 is powered by 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. In spite of slightly loosing out on processor, Sony’s Z2 acquires an edge over HTC’s M8 due to more advanced operating system. Nevertheless, it is possible to manually upgrade M8 to Android 5.0 Lollipop, if one is prepared to make an effort. Another critical difference is in RAM, where Sony’s Z2 comes with 3GB RAM while HTC’s M8 has 2GB RAM. Both the devices are available with a 16GB internal memory and an external memory expandable up to 128GB through microSD. As such, Sony Xperia Z2 has an edge over HTC One M8 due to more advanced processor and higher RAM, which influence the performance of the device.

This brings us to the additional features. Sony Xperia Z2 has an astonishing 20.7 mega-pixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization but a rather diminished 2.2 mega-pixel front camera. On the other hand, HTC One M8’s rear camera has a 2.0 ultra-pixel with 1/3-inch BSI CMOS sensor and a 5 mega-pixel front camera. The ultra-pixels are capable of capturing around 200 percent more light. In case of rear camera, Z2 stands out due to its superior mega-pixels but One M8’s ultra-pixel capability should put up an ideal fight in the battle for better primary camera. However, in case of front camera, HTC’s M8 has an edge over Sony’s Z2 giving users a better result in selfie quality.

Another critical differentiator is the battery capacity. While HTC’s One M8 has a battery capacity of decent 2300mAh, Sony’s Xperia Z2 comes with enormous 3200mAh capacity. Other than that both Z2 and M8 have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.0, Wi-Fi Direct and only 1 SIM slot. If Sony Xperia Z2 users can use only Micro-SIM, HTC One M8 users too can use only Nano-SIM. At the connectivity front, HTC One M8 is available in 2G/2.5G - GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 3G - WCDMA and 4G - LTE, where as Sony Xperia Z2 is available on 2G‎ - GSM, 3G‎ -‎ HSDPA and 4G - LTE.

Finally, we also looked at the price tag in the African market. In Kenya, Sony Xperia Z2 is priced around KSh38,000 where as HTC One M8 stands at around KSh46,000. Considering that Sony Xperia Z2 comes with more advanced operating system, larger RAM and higher battery capacity, it does make HTC One M8 look over priced.

Read More

Will brand-value help Samsung Galaxy S3 to battle it out with Obi’s Hornbill S551?

Having tasted some success in a rather short time in the Middle East, Obi Mobiles, a smartphone company co-founded by John Sculley, former CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, has entered East Africa, starting Kenya and Tanzania. However, it is already facing competition from established brands such as Samsung, Tecno Mobiles, Huawei, HTC, etc. With yet another player claiming the superiority of its smartphone in the market adds to the challenge of picking the right product. Through this comparative review, we have tried to examine the relative strengths of two smartphone models, i.e. Samsung Galaxy S3 and Obi Hornbill S551 with the intention to enable consumers to make an informed choice.

With dimensions 136.6x70.6x8.6mm, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 weighs about 133g where as Obi’s Hornbill with 156x76.8x7.9mm dimensions weighs only about 126g. Interestingly, in spite of its larger frame, Obi’s Hornbill is a relatively lighter device. Furthermore, while Galaxy S3 has a Super AMOLED display, Hornbill has a TFT IPS Screen with Capacitative Touch HD. Both the devices, however, have a resolution of 1280x720 Pixels. Given the larger overall dimensions, Obi’s Hornbill has the space to offer a wider display screen size 5.5 inches, where as Galaxy S3 comes with a screen size is 4.8 inches. Considering the display screen Galaxy S3 has an edge due to being more battery efficient, better viewing quality at angles and just sharper and clearer images in general, however, a larger screen size in Hornbill simply enhances the viewing experience. 

At the performance front, both Galaxy S3 and Hornbill have the same 1GB RAM, but Galaxy S3 has a comparatively advanced Quad Core 1.4GHz processor than Hornbill that comes with Quad Core 1.3GHz processor, which gives S3 a sure edge. However, Hornbill makes up for the processor lag in the operating system. Obi’s Hornbill runs on Android 4.4 Kit Kat while Samsung’s Galaxy S3 runs on a rather outdated Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which puts Obi’s Hornbill on a stronger footing. Furthermore, Galaxy S3 has an internal memory of 16GB expandable up to 64GB through microSD where as Obi’s Hornbill has an 8GB internal memory which is expandable up to 32GB through microSD. Since expandable memory of 32 GB is more than sufficient, we believe it is not really a critical differentiator.

Obi’s Hornbill also has superior cameras of 13 megapixel at the rear and 5 megapixel at the front, where Samsung’s Galaxy S3 has an 8 megapixel rear camera and a meager 1.9 megapixel front camera, an out right advantage Hornbill. Looking at the battery capacity, Galaxy S3 with 2100 mAh once again is found to be lacking before Obi’s Hornbill that comes with 2200 mAh. Maybe Samsung should have paid more attention to the battery and less on the expandable memory.

In terms of Networks and Wireless Connectivity, Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is available on 2.5G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, 3G: 850/900/1900/2100 MHz and 4G (dependent on market) but Hornbill is available only on 3G: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA 900/2100MHz. Both devices have v4.0 Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/b/g/n), but only Galaxy S3 provides Wi-Fi Hotspot. Another differentiator is the SIM Card capability, where Galaxy S3 has only 1 slot for a micro SIM but Hornbill has two slots and can be used for micro SIMs and regular SIMs.

That brings us to the most critical differentiator, the price. In spite of lagging behind Obi’s Hornbill in display screen size, operating system technology, cameras and battery life but with the advantages of more advanced processor and the ability to function on multiple networks (2.5G, 3G and 4G), Samsung’s Galaxy S3 is priced around KSh 40,000, where as Obi’s Hornbill is pleasantly priced around KSh 18,000. Of course, Samsung has the brand value to justify the price, but a smart consumer would sure consider several critical differentiators while making decision.  

Read More