Vivo Y35 vs Obi Worldphone SF1: The winner is clear

While Vivo has been around for sometime, Obi Worldphone is a relatively new entry in the smartphone market. The teasers we have seen so far indicate that both Vivo and Obi Worldphone are targeting youth with their beautiful designs and high-end specifications in a reasonable price range. In this review we are particularly comparing Obi Worldphone SF1 with Vivo Y35 that fall in somewhat comparable price segment to see which one of the two still makes up for a better deal.

Vivo Y35 is elegant, but Obi SF1’s raised glass makes it look premium

Let us start with what strikes the eyes first, the color. Obi SF1 is available in standard black color, where as Vivo Y35 offers multiple options such as white, black and gold color range. In overall physical terms, Obi SF1 measures 146x74x8 mm (7.8 mm body with 0.2 mm floating display) and weighs 147 grams, where as Vivo Y35 measures 143.3x71x6.78 mm and weighs 153 grams. Even though SF1 has a bigger body, it is lighter in weight that Vivo. Obi SF1’s unibody with metallic accents and raised glass display gives it a quite distinctive and premium look, while its rounded edges make it even more comfortable to hold. Although Vivo Y35 looks elegant but apart from that it does not offer anything new in terms of design.

Obi’s SF1 takes a definite lead in display quality and glass protection

Both the devices come with a 5inch display screen, however there is a huge difference in the display quality. While Obi SF1 has an astonishing Full HD (1080x1920 pixels) display with 443 ppi, Vivo Y35 lags behind with HD (720x1280 pixels) with 294 ppi. No doubt Obi SF1 offers much better visual experience whether it is reading or watching graphics. When it comes to screen protection Obi SF1 again moves ahead with the latest Corning Gorilla Glass (CGG) 4 compared to Vivo’s CGG 3. Here it is imperative to note that CGG 4 comes with native damage resistance technology that makes it stronger than CGG3 in terms of resisting scratches and overall durability. Needless to say that Obi SF1 is a clear winner when it comes to display quality and protection.

Obi SF1 maintains the lead at the performance front too 

Obi SF1 is powered by 1.5 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) processor and Vivo Y35 runs on 1.2 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 (MSM8916) processor, indicating that Obi SF1 has an edge over Vivo Y35 with faster processor as well higher clock speed. With its Operating System (OS) Android Lollipop 5.0.2, Obi SF1 retains the slight edge over Vivo Y35 which comes in slightly older version of Android Lollipop 5.0. Furthermore, Obi SF1 comes in two variants including 2GB RAM (16GB storage) and 3GB RAM(32 GB storage) which can be expanded up to 64GB via microSD card. On the other hand Vivo Y35 offers only 2GB RAM option with 16GB in-built memory but it can be expanded up to 128GB via microSD card.

Cameras are somewhat comparable, but SF1 comes with a better battery

Both Obi SF1 and Vivo Y35 offer 13 MP primary/rear cameras for an outstanding photography experience. However, Obi SF1 gives user more features with Ubi Focus, Chroma flash and Opti zoom. These features just take the overall camera experience to the next level. For selfies, both devices have a 5 MP secondary/front camera. But, in Obi SF1, there is a LED flash that enables capturing bright and clear selfies even in dark. At the battery front, Vivo Y35 has a 2300 mAh Li- Po battery which clearly lags behind Obi SF1 3000 mAh battery. Also, Obi SF1 supports quick charge 1.0 technology. While the cameras may be somewhat comparable, Obi SF1 jumps ahead in battery capacity too.

The winner is clear

We have noted that SF1 has a clear advantage in terms of resolution, pixel density, CGG4 protection, a slightly higher version of the OS, better processor and superior battery. On the other hand, in comparison, Vivo Y35 offers the singular advantage of higher expandable memory option, which is not all that critical as SF1 too offers the option to expand. If we add in price as a factor, we find out that while Vivo Y35 is available at around USD230, the equivalent Obi SF1 (2GB/16GB) variant is marked at USD199 (Obi’s 3GB/32GB variant costs USD 249), essentially indicating that Obi Worldphone has managed to offer better specifications and premium design at relatively lesser price than Vivo. It is obvious that Obi Worldphone SF1 has clearly established itself as a much better device than Vivo Y35.

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Lenovo K80 Simply Outshines Asus Zenfone 2

Asus and Lenovo moved many eyelids across the globe when they announced smartphones with 4GB RAM. Lets’ find out how the two first 4 GB Devices i.e Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML and Lenovo K80 compare with each other. 

Starting with dimensions Asus Zenfone size is 152.5x77.2x10.9mm and it weighs around 170gm, where as Lenovo K80 is 150.0x77.2x8.50mm and weighs 158gm. However, there is no difference in the display screen size and quality as both the devices come with 5.5” Full HD (1080p) IPS LCD capacitive touch screens. Both the devices run on Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system (OS). The most important feature is the 4GB RAM that allows both device for faster switching between various applications. In the sea of similarities the only distinguishing factor is the slight difference in the processor where Asus Zenfone acquires a slight edge in processing capacity as it powered by Intel Atom 2.3 GHz Quad-Core processor that offers a slightly better clock speed than Lenovo K80 which is powered by Intel Atom 1.8 GHz Quad-Core processor. Both devices have 13 megapixel rear cameras with LED flash and 5 megapixel front cameras with a fixed focus.

As far as connectivity is concerned both have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.0 and dual SIM slot. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market. In the Indian market, Asus Zenfone is priced at around INR23,000, where as Lenovo K80 is around INR17,000.

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Micromax YUREKA AO5510 poses tough challenge to Xiaomi Mi4i

The emerging global smartphone giant Xiaomi has done exceptionally well with its model Xiaomi Mi4i not only due to its great specifications and design but also the disruptive pricing strategy that the company has followed. On the other hand, Micromax, a much older player in the smartphone market than Xiaomi, too has played equally smart, may be even smarter, with its smartphone model YUREKA AO5510 that combines great specifications with equally great price. Therefore, we decided to have a spec to spec contest between Xiaomi’s Mi4i and Micromax’s YUREKA AO5510 to see how they compare with each other. 

DESIGN AND BUILD: Micromax YUREKA AO5510 comes in the dimensions of 154.8x78x6-8.8mm and weighs 155g where as Xiaomi Mi4i comes in dimensions 138.1x69.6x7.8mm and weighs 130g. YUREKA has rounded edges and a little curvy body, which gradually thins out from middle towards its edges. On the other hand, Mi4i, styled like iPhone, is a bar shaped device curved at all four ends and is relatively smaller and sleeker looking device. Moreover, YUREKA comes in only one grey colour, Mi4i offers a range of colours, including yellow, blue, white and pink. 

DISPLAY: The larger overall dimensions reflect in the display screen size, as Micromax YUREKA AO5510 comes with 5.5 inch display screen, larger than Mi4i which has 5 inch screen. Furthermore, YUREKA has IPS screen type with Gorilla glass, where as Mi4i comes with fully laminated OGS glass with IPS 178° wide viewing angle. In addition, Mi4i further makes up for the smaller screen size by offering a resolution of 1920x1080, which is 1280x720 in YUREKA. While the YUREKA has the size advantage, Mi4i is equipped to offer a better viewing experience. 

OS & PROCESSOR: Micromax YUREKA AO5510 runs on Android’s Lollipop 5.0.2 version operating system (OS) where as Xiaomi Mi4i packs its customised MIUI interface supported by Android’s Lollipop 5.0.2. So, when it comes to the OS, both the devices are front runners by any market reference, especially considering the price at which the two devices come. On the processor front, Xiaomi packs second-gen 64-bit Octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with Cortex-A53 cores clocking speeds at 1.7 GHz, where as Micromax YUREKA AO5510 is powered by Octa-core SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 clocking speeds at 1.5GHz, which makes the two devices almost comparable. 

RAM & STORAGE: There is a tie once again between the two devices, as both are having 16GB of internal storage and 2GB of RAM. But it’s the expandable memory where the Micromax YUREKA AO5510 takes a lead, as its memory can be extended via a MicroSD card upto 32GB but this option is not available in Xiaomi Mi4i.

CAMERA & BATTERY: Both, Mi4i and YUREKA AO5510, both have a commendable 13MP primary cameras that can record videos in full HD at 1080p and 5MP secondary cameras. On the battery front, while Mi4i boasts of 3120 mAh battery, Micromax YUREKA has 2500 mAh battery capacity. However, YUREKA’s battery is removable but this option is not available in Xiaomi device.

CONNECTIVITY: On the connectivity front both Xiaomi Mi 4i and Mircomax YUREKA AO5510 are 4G enabled dual-sim phones with Wifi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 version in YUREKA and WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1 in Mi4i 

CONCLUSION: Both the smartphones power a punch. While they match neck to neck on processor, operating system (OS), cameras and connectivity, there are points where they differ. While YUREKA comes with an advantage of larger screen size, expandable memory and removable battery feature, Xiaomi offers better display quality and larger battery capacity. The potential buyer may have to look at the trade offs and then weigh them against the respective costs while making a choice. Taking the Indian market price as a reference, we note that Xiaomi Mi4i is priced at INR 13,000, where as Micromax YUREKA is priced at Rs.9,000.  

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Sony Xperia Z2 simply outshines LG Nexus 5

In the global smartphone industry, Sony and LG, are two leading players that have been consistently launching better-designed and technologically superior smartphones over the years. Therefore, we decided to do a spec-to-spec analysis of Sony Xperia Z2 and LG Nexus 5 to provide our readers some precise insights about the two devices and help them make a better-informed choice. 

Design and Viewing Experience

LG Nexus 5 comes in dimensions of 137.9x 69.2x 8.6mm and weighs 130g where as Sony Xperia Z2 comes in dimensions of 146.8x 73.3x 8.2mm and weighs 163g, which makes Xperia Z2 a bigger looking and relatively heavier device, though it is slightly thinner than Nexus 5. However, the display screen size, which is 5” for Nexus 5 and 5.2” for Xperia Z2, is about the same. Both devices have similar resolution of 1080x1920 pixels, but the difference lies in display technology; while Nexus 5 has a Full HD IPS display, Xperia Z2 comes with an advanced FULL HD Triluminos screen. This means that Sony Xperia Z2 offers slightly better quality imagery but for an extra weight of 33gm in your hands. Both the smartphones are available in black variant. In addition, Nexus 5 is also available in white and Xperia Z2 in purple.

Device Performance

In terms of processor, Sony Xperia Z2 powered by Qualcomm MSM8974AB 2.3GHz Quad-Core is more of less comparable with LG Nexus 5 that is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.26GHz Quad-Core. However, Xperia Z2 with 3GB RAM has a leg up over Nexus 5 which comes with 2GB RAM, which enables users to have a faster interface experience and less chances of the device slowing down. both the devices run on Android KITKAT, though Nexus 5 features Android 4.4.2 where as Sony Z2 lags behind with Android 4.4 version. Another similarity between both the devices is the internal storage of 16GB, but while Nexus 5 has no expandable memory, Xperia Z2 comes with the option of expandable memory up to 128GB through microSD. At the performance front, the key differentiators are the extra 1GB RAM that works in the favor of Xperia Z2 and OS upgradability option that works in the favor of Nexus 5.

Battery & Cameras

After RAM, the next big difference is in the battery capacity of the two devices, where Sony Xperia Z2 once again acquires a leg up with its battery capacity of 3200mAh over LG Nexus 5 that comes with the battery capacity 2300mAh. However, the biggest differentiator is the primary (rear) camera. While Nexus 5 comes with a decent primary camera of 8 MP, Xperia Z2 simply outshines Nexus with its 20.7 MP primary camera. The rear cameras in both the devices are pretty much the same, though Xperia with 2.2 MP is slightly better than Nexus 5 with 1.3 MP. 

Additional Features

Both the smartphones have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth v4.0 and single SIM slot and support only Micro-SIM. In terms of connectivity, both smartphones are available in 2G, 3G and 4G depending on market.

The Bottom-Line

On the whole, Sony Xperia Z2 comes with bigger RAM, superior primary camera, larger battery capacity, expandable memory, slightly faster processor and larger display, where as LG Nexus 5 acquires a leg up over Xperia only due to the advantage of upgrading the device to a more advanced OS. Finally, just to have a comparative indication, we looked at the prices of the two devices in the Indian market. As expected, in India, both Sony Xperia Z2 and LG Nexus 5 is priced at around INR 30,000.

Given several aforementioned advantages, Sony Xperia Z2 simply outshines LG Nexus 5, especially considering the fact that the two devices are in somewhat similar price range.  

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Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML vs Lenovo K80: How much extra for the feel good factor?

Asus moved many eyelids world over when in January 2015 it announced world’s first smartphone with 4GB RAM, but the outright advantage was short-lived as Lenovo too announced a 4GB RAM smartphone. But, there is more to a smartphone than just the random access memory. Therefore, we decided to do a comparative analysis of the two first 4GB RAM devices i.e. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML and Lenovo K80.

We begin with the overall dimensions. Asus Zenfone size is 152.5x77.2x10.9mm and it weighs around 170gm, where as Lenovo K80 is 150.0x77.2x8.50mm and weighs 158gm. However, there is no difference in the display screen size as both the devices come with 5.5” screen size. Also, both the devices are available in Full HD (1080p) IPS LCD capacitive touch screens and have 1920x1080 pixels resolution, which provides similar viewing experience. Furthermore, both the devices come in multiple colours: Asus Zenfone is available in red, silver and gold where as Lenovo K80 is available in red, silver and black. The major difference in look and feel is on two accounts: firstly, while Asus Zenfone comes in a metallic hairline finish, Lenovo K80 has a plastic body. Secondly, Zenfone lays its claim to be the smartphone with the thinnest edges, 3.8mm, ever. Both the metallic finish and thin edges make Zenfone stand out.

Both the devices run on Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system (OS) that provides for exceptional user interface and user experience UI/UX and boast of 4GB RAM that allows for faster switching between various applications. Both of them also have an internal storage of 32 GB which is expandable to 64GB via microSD. However, Asus Zenfone acquires a slight edge in processing capacity as it powered by Intel Atom 2.3 GHz Quad-Core processor that offers a slightly better clock speed than Lenovo K80 which is powered by Intel Atom 1.8 GHz Quad-Core processor. Therefore, the only distinguishing factor influencing the performance of the two devices is the slight difference in the processor power.

Looking at the cameras, both the devices once again have similarly powerful primary (rear) cameras of 13MP with auto focus LED flash for high quality images and secondary (front) cameras of 5MP for good quality selfies. Furthermore, both the devices have Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11 a/g/b/n/ac), Bluetooth v4.0 and dual SIM slot. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 2G, 3G and 4G, depending on the market. In the sea of similarity, the first major difference between Asus Zenfone and Lenovo K80 comes in the form of battery capacity. While Zenfone has an impressive 3000mAh battery, Lenovo K80 simply outshines Zenfone with a 4000mAh battery capacity.

Considering that both the devices have more or less similar specifications, we looked at the price tag too. In the Indian market, Asus Zenfone is priced at around INR23,000, where as Lenovo K80 is around INR17,000. With its overall superior specifications, Lenovo K80 seems to be worth its price. However, the relatively higher price of Asus Zenfone seems less on account of slightly better processor but more for its metallic hairline finish meant to make the device stand out. The key question is how much extra the customers would be willing to pay for the feel good factor, if at all?

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