Infocus M260, Another Entry Level Phone for Basic Use

These days, the smartphone world is witnessing high end gadget launches one after the other. Amidst all this frenzy, we still have many companies that are focusing on producing entry level budget phones. One such company is InFocus, which is known for giving high value for money. InFocus recently launched M260, which intends to attract the young students’ crowd with its vibrant colours. In this precise review, we will look into what more the device has in store for the young.

Overall, InFocus M260 has a neat and interesting look. It has a dual coloured body, where the main colour is black. Black is teemed with three other vibrant colours like orange, pristine white and fluorescent green. The phone cover is made of plastic, but has a matte finish which keeps the device relatively smudge proof. The device is certainly a little bulky and heavy, but overall it gives a firm grip with the curved edges in place.

M260 is not so satisfactory when it comes to display, but then at this price, can we expect more? However, InFocus could have probably given a smaller screen size with better resolution. The screen here also includes the navigation buttons that are usually found on the bezel. It is also difficult to read the phone under direct sunlight, as the viewing angle is not so good. However, the touch response of the screen works pretty well.

M260 allows you to do multiple tasks at the same time very smoothly. This sounds good for the youngsters who usually have multiple web pages, videos and applications running at the same time. The multiple cores come handy here, also, it has the most common and recent Android software with custom skin of InFocus. What is impressive is the battery and memory capacity that M260 gives at this price. As a few currencies up this segment also, most phones offer similar storage. The camera of the device delivers decent pics but lacks auto focus and is not useful in low light. While it offers most connectivity options, it misses out on 4G, the very pulse of the youngsters.

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Gionee Elife E8 has more to it than its 24MP camera

With phones becoming smarter by the day, it has become possible for us to replace most of our other gadgets with this 5-6 inch small device, the smartphone. One of the most vied achievements of the phone makers has been to be able to replace a camera’s presence with a smartphone in our lives.

The latest to enter this race is Gionee, which announced its flagship killer, Gionee Elife E8, with a 24MP primary camera. The slide below gives us some idea of the device in terms of what all it comes with, including specifications, indicative price and other key offerings.The camera is sure the highlight. One might wonder whether Gionee is being too ambitious by offering a camera brimming with so many pixels. Well, we do want the smartphone makers to be ambitious and raise the bar every time they release a device, however it should not be without substance. What guarantees those perfect clicks in a camera is not just the number of pixels it captures but also the size of the pixel which is determined by the camera sensor.

Here Gionee hasn’t revealed much about its sensor, which again makes us wonder about the quality of images that the 24 MP would produce. However, other features of its optical system, like the dual LED flash, six element lenses with Sapphire glass, image stabilization, phase detection, autofocus and 3 times zoom facility, do add to its credibility. Also, a glance over the specifications makes us realize that, at this price range, Gionee has much more to offer than just great clicks. Moreover, a large phablet size screen, which though makes the device a little heavy, is presented in a classy sleek colour. The CPU, OS and battery of the device have remarkable potential to provide smooth functioning of the system.

Furthermore, the device delights us with a good internal storage capacity, which is further expandable. Another main highlight of the device is its finger print sensor, which in a way also justifies the cost. Considering the above factors, we realize that Gionee is offering a lot more than its peers in the same range, hence making it totally worth giving it a try.

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Motorola Google Nexus 6 vs Sony Xperia Z3

Although once a pioneer in cell phones, Motorola, together with Google, has begun almost like a fresher in the smartphone business. On the other hand, Sony too join the smartphone business a bit late, but now has an impressive Xperia smartphone line up. Therefore, we have picked up two handsets from these companies, namely Motorola Google Nexus 6 and Sony Xperia Z3, for this comparative review.

BUILD
Motorola Google Nexus 6 measures 159.3x83x10.6mm and weighs 184g, whereas Sony Xperia Z3 is a visibly much smaller device that measures 146x72x7.3mm and weighs about 152g. Besides, Google Nexus6 is accessible in two distinct hues, midnight blue and cloud white, where as Sony Xperia offers four color options to choose from including dark, white, copper and gold.

DISPLAY 

Motorola has a screen size of 5.96inch with a capacitive touch screen accompanied by Corning Inc’s Gorilla Glass 3, where as Sony comes with a relatively smaller display screen size of 5.2 inch with a capacitive display followed by Triluminos display. Moreover, Nexus6 has a significant leg up with 1440 x 2560 pixels over Xperia Z3 that has 1080 x 1920 pixels. Both the devices come with waterproof and dust tight display. On the whole, at the display front, Xperia Z3 with bigger screen and sharper pixels acquires a leg up over Google Nexus6.

PROCESSOR & OS 

Both the devices have 3GB RAM and run on Android v5.0 (lollipop) OS. Considering the processor, Google 6 is powered with 2.7 GHz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, which is slightly more powerful than Xperia Z3 powered by 2.5 Ghz Quad-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801. In spite of the fact that both the contraptions run on the same OS, Google Nexus6 gives a relentless rivalry to Z3. Furthermore, Sony Xperia Z3 provides 16GB internal storage, which is expandable up to 128 GB with a microSD card. Nexus 6, on the other hand, provides much higher 32 GB internal storage, but provides no option to expand, which is a relative weakness.

CAMERA & BATTERY

On the camera front, Sony’s Xperia Z3 takes a lead with a whopping 20.7 megapixels (rear) camera that in case of Motorola’s Nexus 6 is only respectable 13 megapixels. However, the front camera in both cases is 2.2 megapixel. However, the battery capacity advantage lies with Google Nexus 6 that has 3220 mAh battery, slightly more powerful than Xperia which comes with 3100 mAh battery.

OTHER FEATURE & PRICE 

In terms of connectivity, both the gadget bolsters 802.11 a/b/g/n/air conditioning Wi-Fi guidelines. They also support 3G/ 4G, NFC and GPS. However, Motorola can disappoint buyers by not supporting FM, something that Sony does. Considering the Bluetooth facility Google came up with v4.10, which is a slightly advanced version than Xperia v4.00. Both the gadgets are accessible on a few India-specific e-business sites and cost about the same, around INR 38000-40000.

BOTTOM LINE 

Both the devices are comparable on most accounts. On one hand, Motorola Google Nexus 6 has a favorable position because of wider screen size with sharper pixels, higher battery capacity and a propelled processor, which offers better viewing experience and faster data processing. On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z3 takes the attention because of its much stronger rear camera, expandable storage option and FM facility, which could work better for people with larger data storage requirements.

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Coolpad Dazen looks cool, but Nubia Z9 Mini has a storage punch

Several Chinese players like Xiaomi, Huawei, Meizu etc. have entered the Indian market and are competing for a slice of the Indian market share. Joining the league are two new Chinese players called Coolpad and Nubia that have recently launched their devices in India. The models are respectively named as Coolpad Dazen X7 and Nubia Z9 Mini respectively. This brief review presents how the two models compare with each other on various standard indicators.

After a careful review, it is noted that both the smartphones are pretty much comparable on display and processor (Android 5.0). The two devices also come with similar 2GB of RAM and 5MP secondary camera. However, there are some definite differences too, particularly related to storage, battery capacity and primary camera. In addition, there is design aspect which is essentially a matter of personal preference. The following slide highlights the key differences between the two devices.

We note that while Coolpad Dazen stands out for its sleeker look and a slightly larger display screen, Nubia acquires a definite edge for having superior OS, more powerful primary camera and, most of all, a much larger storage.

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Micromax vs Intex: Will you prefer battery capacity or advanced OS?

Micromax has been a rather consistent player, operating in low-cost phone segment within the Indian Market. Intex, on the other hand, is a relatively new addition to the smartphone market, but has made its mark by being the first to release a Firefox OS smartphone. Therefore, we have chosen two handsets from these companies namely Micromax Canvas Nitro A311 and Intex Aqua Xtreme for this comparative review. 

BUILD: Micromax’s Canvas Nitro measures 141.3x71.9x8.9mm and weighs 154g, whereas Intex’s Xtreme is 144x69.7x7mm and weighs about 120g, indicating that Intex’s Xtreme is relatively sleeker looking and lighter weight device than Micromax’s Nitro. Furthermore, Canvas Nitro is available in two different colors, pristine white and mystic blue, whereas Xtreme offers three options i.e. gray, black and red. Both the models have rectangular bar shaped plastic body with rounded edges. 

DISPLAY: Micromax Canvas A311 has a screen size of 5.0’’ with an IPS LCD capacitive screen and oleophobic protection. Intex Aqua too has a display screen size of 5.0’’ with an IPS LCD capacitive display, but it comes with Dragonglass Trail protection, which is similar to Corning Inc’s Gorilla Glass. Both models have an HD resolution of 1280x720 pixels with a pixel density of 294 ppi. Therefore, on the display front, both the models run neck to neck.

PROCESSOR & OS: Both the devices are powered by Octa-Core, MediaTek MT6592 central processing unit clocking in 1.7GHz of processing power, have 2GB RAM and 16GB internal memory that is expandable to 32GB through an external SD. They also run on Android OS, though while Micromax’s Nitro A311 runs on v4.4.2 (KitKat), Intex’s Xtreme runs on a more advanced version v5.0 (Lollipop). Since android updates usually take really long to come to android phones, it is better to opt for a device that comes with v5.0. Therefore, Intex Xtreme acquires a leg up over Micromax’s Nitro on the OS front. 

CAMERA & BATTERY: Both the devices have similar cameras, i.e. 13MP primary cameras and 5MP secondary cameras and provide auto-focus, geo-tagging, LED flash. However, Micromax’s Canvas Nitro does pack in a few additional features like CMOS image sensor, digital image stabilization that provide Micromax’s Nitro a slight leg up over Intex’s Xtreme. Battery-wise, Micromax has a 2500mAh Li-PO battery giving up to 10hrs of talk-time on 3G, where as Intex comes with battery capacity of 2000mAh with a talk time of 7hrs on 3G. The battery capacity often plays a crucial role in determining the customer choice. 

OTHER FEATURES & PRICE: In terms of connectivity, both the models have 2G/3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth connectivity, GPRS and USB, which are more of less standard. Both the devices are available on several India-specific e-commerce websites with slight price variations. Just to give an indication, we noted that Intex Aqua Xtreme costs around INR11,000 and Micromax Canvas Nitro A311 around INR10,000.

BOTTOM LINE: Both the devices are comparable on most indicators. However, Intex’s Nitro has an advantage on account of more advanced operating system (OS) and additional camera features, besides being a sleeker looking and lighter weight device. On the other hand, Micromax offers the advantage of higher battery capacity. Considering that design is a matter of personal preference, in this case, customers will have to make a choice between a more advanced OS and battery capacity.

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Micromax Canvas Sliver 5: World’s thinnest smartphone

Micromax, India’s 3^rd largest mobile selling company, is in news for launching a smartphone with a tagline “World’s thinnest smartphone”. Micromax Canvas Sliver 5, with 5.1mm thickness, boasts of being the thinnest smartphone in the world. Fascinated by the Micromax claim, we at Brands Dialogue decided to review the device to examine its strengths and weaknesses, if at all.

Design
Canvas Sliver 5 is indeed 5.1mm thick, if we ignore the camera bump on the rear side. In general, the device measures 141.9 x 68.1 x 5.1 mm and weighs just 97g which makes this device not only the thinnest in the world, but probably also among the lightest smartphones ever made, undoubtedly the USP for the company. Needless to say that the device is quite comfortable to hold and carry, if you do not mind the little bumpy bit at the back. In addition, there is a double layer of bright aluminium coating that gives classy look to the smartphone. There are volume rocker buttons on left and power button on right side of the smartphone. The top of the device is clean and on the bottom there is 3.5mm audio jack and micro USB charging port.

Display
Micromax has equipped Canvas Sliver 5 with 4.8 inch HD AMOLED capacitive touch display screen with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels (~306 ppi pixel density), which is pretty much standard now a days. The colours appear to be vibrant and the viewing angles are good. The smartphone is built with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, which makes it relatively scratch free, and it has the propensity to collect smudges. However, this too is becoming pretty much common these days. 

Performance
Canvas Sliver 5 is built with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 chipset and has a 1.2GHz quad core processor paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which are fairly decent. However, the surprise element is that there is no option of MicroSD card, which could prove to be a setback for the device, especially considering that in actual the internal memory is lesser than the indicated one. However, Micromax Sliver is dubbed with the latest Android 5.0.2 Lollipop operating system (OS) and has some pre-loaded apps like Chaatz, clean master, Hotstar, Quikr, Snapdragon etc which can be uninstalled if not needed. 

Battery and Camera
Canvas Sliver 5 comes with fairly decent cameras. It has 8MP rear camera (3264x2448 pixels) with Sony IMX219 and is packed with CMOS Sensor, which apparently helps in preserving battery life. It comes with dedicated professional mode which helps in shooting continuous shots while playing with ISO and white balance etc. It also has 5MP front camera for selfies and this also has access to the professional mode features. On the battery front, Sliver 5 comes with 2000 mAh lithium polymer battery which gives up to 345h of standby time and 8h of talk time, which is also fairly decent. The smartphone comes with SIM 4G LTE connectivity and takes Nano SIM Card into it. In addition, there are other standard features such as Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS for the users.

Conclusion
Micromax has undoubtedly done a great job in pulling out a device with distinctive design, good specifications and an industry first, the thinnest smartphone in the world, with a price tag of around INR18,000 in the Indian market. It’s slimness and light weight are sure attractions for the customers. However, absence of external storage option is a drawback. Moreover, with the brand history of manufacturing low cost phones, Canvas Sliver 5 may be viewed as being a bit highly priced.

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Coolpad vs Nubia: Two Chinese smartphones competing for space in India

Last month saw two new Chinese players entering the Indian smartphone market, Coolpad and Nubia. In a  country where there is a new launch every second month, it becomes really challenging to make a choice. At Brands Dialogue, we try to make it easier for the customers by undertaking comparative reviews. In this review, we are comparing two new Chinese kids on the block, Coolpad Dazen X7 and Nubia Z9 Mini. If you are planning to spend around INR15,000, you may consider these two options as well.

DESIGN & BUILD: Coolpad Dazen X7 comes in the dimensions of 146.6X73.6X6.5mm and weighs 131 gm where as Nubia Z9 Mini comes in the dimensions of 141.3X69.8X8.2mm and weighs 147gm. Both the devices are bar shaped, rounded at all ends that give them a steady look. Dazen stands out for being a lot more sleeker device than Nubia, particularly the way Dazen has managed to cut down thickness is attractive.

DISPLAY: Coolpad Dazen has 5.2 inch super AMOLED Cornea glass screen (CGS) that gives you 1080p FULL HD display where as Nubia Z9 has a bit shorter display screen of 5 inch with 1080p scratch resistant (CGS). 

OS &PROCESSOR: Coolpad X7 runs on Android 4.4 that makes it lag behind Nubia Z9 Mini that runs on Android 5.0. On the processor front, Dazen X7 is packed with 1.7GHz Octa Core, MediaTek MT6595 processor where as Nubia Z9 Mini is packed with Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor clocking speed at 1.5 GHz. Nubia has an edge over Coolpad on these counts.  

RAM & STORAGE:  On the memory front, both Coolpad Dazen and Nubia Mini carry 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, but it is the expandable memory where Nubia Z9 takes a solid lead by having a commendable memory slot of upto 128GB over Dazens’ regular 32GB.

CAMERA & BATTERY: Nubia Z9 maintains the lead over Coolpad here too. While CoolpadX7 has 13MP primary (rear) camera, NubiaZ9 provides a 16MP primary camera which is rare at this price. Both the phones sport a 8MP secondary to cater to video calls and selfie needs. On the battery front, Coolpad has a 2700mAh Li-on embedded battery where as Nubia has a notch higher battery capacity of 2900mAh which is also embedded. 

CONNECTIVITY: Both the smartphones, Coolpad Dazen X7 and Nubia Z9 Mini are 3G/4G enabled, dual sim phones with Bluetooth V4.0, WiFi and USB Support.

BOTTOM LINE:  Both the smartphones comes with superior specifications and rightly competing against each other. They offer similar on RAM, internal memory and secondary camera, and are pretty much comparable on display, processor and battery. However, Coolpad stands out for its sleeker look with a slightly larger display screen, where as Nubia acquires an edge for superior OS, primary camera and memory. We also note that Nubia Z9 Mini costs around INR17,000, where as Coolpad Dazen X7 is priced around INR18,000.

VERDICT: Unless one has a particular preference for a sleeker looking device, we think Nubia Z9 Mini brings out a better spec-price combo.

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Obi Fox S453 simply outshines Hisense U606 in UAE

The European smartphone brand Hisense, headquartered in Germany, is an established player in the UAE market. On the other hand, Obi Mobiles, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Apple, is a new player in the UAE market. In this comparative review, we are comparing Hisense U606 and Obi Fox S453. The following spec-to-spec match will be useful for the potential customers.

Look & Feel : We start with the overall appearance. Hisense U606 has a dark front and white back, where as Obi Fox S453 is white on both sides, with a slightly greyish-white back. However, if colour is not the primary determinant of one's choice, there are other details that need attention. With overall measurements 127x64.3x9.9mm, Hisense is relatively smaller and thicker looking device than Obi’s Fox, a relatively sleeker looking device that measures 131.7x64x9mm. 

Display: The main difference lies in the display screen size, where Fox with 4.5 inch screen beats Hisense that has 4 inch screen. In terms of display technology, both the devices have a capacitive touch screen. A larger screen is always a plus from the point of view of viewing experience and a 4 inch screen is definitely small, considering that even 5 inch screen is common nowadays. Larger screen particularly acquires more significance for the youth as viewing videos on the smartphones is becoming part of their everyday life.

Processor & OS: Obi Fox S453 is powered by MediaTek MT6572 1 GHz dual core processor, as compared to Hisense U606 which has Qualcomm MSM8210 1.2 GHz dual core that offers a slightly better clock speed than Fox. However, Fox’s OS Android 4.4.2 KitKat is slightly improved version over Hisense U606 OS Android 4.3 KitKat. Both the devices have internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. However, the major difference between the two is RAM where Obi Fox’s 1GB RAM outshines Hisense U606 that comes with 512MB RAM. Extra RAM helps apps run smoother with reduced time lags, and when coupled with an excellent processor, it enhances overall quality of user interface and experience.

Battery & Cameras: Obi’s Fox S453 has a leg up on the battery front too. With 1600 mAh battery size, Fox gives 6 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time. On the other hand, Hisense U606 has 1500 mAh battery that gives 3 hours of talk time and 240 hours of standby time. Talking about the camera, Obi Fox has an impressive 5MP primary (rear) camera and 2MP secondary (front) camera for selfies. On the other hand, Hisense U606 has 3MP primary camera and 0.3MP secondary camera. Needless to say that Obi Fox outshines Hisense U606 on both the counts, i.e. Battery capacity and cameras.

Connectivity & Price: As far as connectivity is concerned both the devices have 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n standards supported. Both the devices also have a dual sim card slots, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM receiver. Furthermore, we also looked at the price tags of the two devices in the UAE market, where Obi Fox S453 is priced at around AED 280, where as Hisense U606 is at around AED 350. 

Bottom Line: Both the devices are marked for budget customers, where value for money is particularly important. Obi Fox S453 comes with some definite advantages including a lager display screen, superior operating system (OS), bigger RAM (double), better cameras, and higher battery capacity over Hisense U606. Moreover, Obi brings all this at a lesser price too. Therefore, making a choice between the two should not be difficult, unless of course you love brand Hisense. In that case, well, love has no parallels. 

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Xiaomi Mi4 may have hard time beating OnePlus One

With the smartphone market growing exponentially, it is only natural to find new companies entering the fray with every passing day. However, only some of them have managed to make a name for themselves globally in a very short span of time. Two such companies are OnePlus and Xiaomi that have been able to create a lot of buzz in the global smartphone market. However, a company is only as good as its products. Therefore, we have decided to do a spec-to-spec review of smartphones, i.e. OnePlus One and Xiaomi Mi4 from these two companies to see how their offers compare. 

Look & Hold

With overall dimensions such as 152.9x75.9x8.9mm and weight 162g, OnePlus One is bigger and heavier device than Xiaomi Mi4 that measures 139.2x68.5x8.9mm and weighs 149g. However, since the thickness of the two devices is exactly the same, OnePlus gives a relatively sleeker appearance than Mi4. Also, OnePlus has mildly curved edges, bulging openings at the top and bottom and a metallic strip on the top end that enhance its visual appeal. On the other hand, apart from the slight curves on the edges, Mi4 is designed in a rather compact fashion with a stylish look and a matte strip on the sides. Moreover, One is available in silk white and a sandstone black colors, a little different than the normal, Mi4 is available in Black and White. 

Visual Experience

Taking advantage of larger overall dimensions, OnePlus One has been able to provide a 5.5inch display screen, which is larger than Xiaomi Mi4 that comes with a 5inch screen. OnePlus may have a wider screen but Mi4 offers a wider viewing angles. Both smartphones are supported with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. Furthermore, OnePlus has LTPS LCD screen type with Corning Gorilla Glass 3, while Mi4 is available with IPS LCD and Corning scratch-resistant, which means One Plus One has 3 times the resistance to scratches on display as opposed to Mi4. On the whole, OnePlusOne does seem to have an edge over Mi4 at the display front. 

Performance 

OnePlus One runs on Android’s Lollipop 5.0.2 where as Xiaomi Mi4 runs on a customized MIUI interface supported by Android’s Lollipop 5.0.2. At the processor front, both smartphones are packed with 2.5GHz QualComm Snapdragon 801 Quad-Core processor and a 3GB RAM. Also, both One and Mi4 are available with an internal memory of either 16GB or 64GB; any external memory?. Therefore, performance wise there are no major differences, except that the customized  MIUI interface could provide some uniqueness. 

Battery, Cameras & Connectivity

Both the devices are pretty much comparable on the battery front, where OnePlusOne comes with a battery capacity of 3100 mAh, where as Xiaomi Mi4 follows closely with 3080 mAh battery. Interestingly, both the devices provide 13MP primary (rear) cameras. However, the first major difference surfaces in the secondary cameras, which in case of OnePlus One is 5MP, where as Xiaomi Mi4 boasts of 8MP secondary camera. One thing is assured that quality of selfies is going to get better for sure. 

Indicator	OnePlus One	Xiaomi Mi4	Advantage
Screen Size	5.5 inch screen	5 inch screen	OnePlus One
Viewing Experience	LTPS LCD	IPS LCD	Xiaomi Mi4
Scratch Resistance	Corning Gorilla Glass 3	Corning Scratch-resistant	OnePlus One
Secondary Camera	5 Mega Pixels	8 Mega Pixels	Xiaomi Mi4

On the connectivity front both Xiaomi Mi4 and OnePlusOne are 4G enabled smartphones supporting Micro SIMs with WiFi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0 version.

Bottom Line 

Both the smartphones are quite the bomb. While they are at par in terms of processor, operating system, primary cameras, internal memory and connectivity, there are a few points where they differ. While OnePlus One comes with an advantage of larger screen size and provides higher resistance to scratch, Xiaomi Mi4 enables its users with a wider viewing angle and experience, and a superior selfie camera. 

Price Factor 

Taking Indian market prices as an indication, we note that on Amazon the 16GB variant of OnePlus One is marked at INR16,000 and 64GB variant at INR19,000, where as, on Flipkart, Xiaomi Mi4's 16GB variant is marked at INR15,000 and the 64GB at INR20,000. However, we also note that another website (dhgate.com) is offering OnePlus One 16GB variant at INR9,500. Therefore, if it is not an issue of brand affinity and customers are looking for a better deal, with some hard work they may be able to secure a price that becomes the key differentiator and, therefore, a factor in decision making.   

The Final Call

Given the spec-to-spec similarities, the basic utilitarian trade off is between a device with a larger display screen minus wide angle viewing of OnePlus One and a superior secondary camera of Xiaomi Mi4. The other differentiators are the uniqueness of the overall design and the colors and, most of all, the systematically cultivated brand affinity. Both the companies have succeeded in creating a name for themselves by offering greatly designed powerful products at disruptive price points. They are here to stay for sure and may take their battle to the likes of Samsung and HTC.

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Lenovo A6000 Plus beats Xiaomi Redmi 2

Lenovo A6000 Plus is out in market with some definite improvements over its predecessor A6000 in terms of RAM and storage capacity while retaining its other strengths. On the other hand, Xiaomi, promising to accelerate your life at a surprisingly low price, has recently brought out its next best creation Xiaomi Redmi 2 that comes with significant design improvements over Redmi 1 which has already played its successful inning. Both Lenovo A6000 Plus and Xiaomi Redmi 2 reignited the market expectations and, therefore, competition too. Since both the devices are out on similar price points, they call out for a comparative review. 

LOOK & FEEL : 

We start with the look and feel of the two devices. The overall physical dimensions of Lenovo A6000 Plus are 141x70x8.2mm and it weighs 128g, where as Xiaomi Redmi 2 comes in dimensions 134x67.2x9.4mm and weighs 133g, which makes Lenovo’s device slightly bigger but lighter in weight than Redmi 2, which is although smaller in size but weighs more. Moreover, A6000Plus is pleasing to the eyes because of its built quality due to the usage of polycarbonate in its outer body. On the other hand, Redmi uses finely textured and matte-sprayed back cover that feels great, and it is also fingerprint and grease-resistant. Furthermore, while Lenovo Plus comes in black colour that promises to never get out of fashion, Redmi 2 is available in multiple colour variants including stylish black, white, yellow, pink and green. 

DISPLAY : 

On the display front, the first difference is in the screen size. Lenovo Plus comes with 5inch screen, slightly larger than 4.7inch screen of Xiaomi Redmi2. However, both the devices have capacitive touchscreen and produce 720x1280 pixels resolution and somewhat comparable pixel density that is 312 pixels per inch for Redmi 2 and 294 pixels for Lenovo. On the whole, while the quality of visuals in terms of crispness and sharpness may be almost the same in both the devices, a larger display screen size provides Lenovo a slight leg up over Redmi 2. 

PERFORMANCE : 

Both the devices are powered by 1.2 GHz Quad-Core processors, however Lenovo A6000Plus has a definite leg up over Xiaomi Redmi2 on three counts, i.e. operating system, RAM and storage. Firstly, A6000Plus runs on Android 4.4.4 OS where as Redmi 2 runs on a slightly older version Android 4.4 OS. Secondly, Lenovo comes with 2GB RAM, which is double of Redmi2 that has 1GB RAM. Thirdly, with its 16GB internal storage expandable to 32GB, Lenovo is clearly ahead of Xiaomi that comes with 8GB internal storage expandable to 16 GB. Furthermore, while Xiaomi Redmi2, with its skin MIUI6, allows you to discover new functions, shortcuts, customisations and animations, Lenovo offers similar possibilities with its VIBE 2.0. On the whole, Lenovo A6000 Plus is relatively better placed to make apps run smoother with reduced time hold-up and provide overall quality of user interface and experience. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES : 

Besides Internet browsing, emailing, app downloading and gaming, increasingly the photography has become an integral part of smartphones. Both Lenovo and Xiaomi understand this aspect, particularly the growing trend of selfies. Both the devices are comparable on the camera front, as they come with 8 megapixel primary (Rear) cameras and 2 megapixel secondary (Front) cameras with flash. Furthermore, another important indicator is the battery capacity. On this count, Lenovo A6000 Plus, with its 2300mAh battery capacity, is slightly more dependable in comparison to Xiaomi Redmi 2 that comes with 2200 mAh battery capacity. Other facilities like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM etc. are all available in both the devices. In terms of connectivity, both devices are available in 3G and 4G depending on the market. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS : 

Going by specifications, we note that Lenovo A6000 Plus clearly steals the show from Xiaomi Redmi 2 with its larger display screen-size, more advanced OS, bigger RAM, larger internal as well as external storage and slightly higher battery capacity. There are distinctive design elements too, which include overall size, shape and colour variants that are a matter of individual preference. 

Last but not the least, we looked at the price tag on leading shopping portals like Flipkart, Amazon and Snapdeal with India in mind, where both the devices are priced at around INR7,000. Therefore, Lenovo A6000 Plus stands out as a more sensible choice over Xiaomi Redmi 2, unless one has specific preference of design and colours.

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Lenovo RocStar A319 vs Huawei Y330: Will front camera make a difference?

By introducing the Android operating system (OS), Google changed the smartphone game for good. It does not take huge amounts in order to buy a smartphone anymore. This warrants that look at select budget smartphones competing in the Kenyan smartphone market to help customers make more informed choices. Therefore, in this review, we are comparing two budget smartphones Lenovo RocStar A319 and Huawei Y330 to see what they have to offer.

Design & Display 
We start with the design of the two smartphone models. While Huawei is available in black, white, red, blue and yellow colour, Lenovo’s RocStar comes in red, white and black variants. Furthermore, although the dimensions are quiet similar, Lenovo’s RocStar gives a slightly sleeker feel with 123.5x63.8x10.2mm dimensions. On the other hand, Huawei with 122.1x63.5x11.3 dimensions is relatively smaller and thicker. Both the devices have a comparable display screen size of 4 inch, resolution (800x480) WVGA, and a multi-touch LCD capacitive touch screen. 

OS & Processor 
Both the devices are powered by MediaTek MT6572 1.3 GHz dual core processor. However, RocStar’s OS Android 4.4 KitKat is an upgraded version over Huawei’s OS Android 4.2 Jellybean. Though Huawei has tweaked the OS and made their own skin Huawei Emotion UI 2.0 Lite which gives display a distinctive look but still it just can’t match up to the performance of an upgraded Android OS.

RAM & Storage 
Both Lenovo’s RocStar and Huawei’s Y330 has a 512 MB RAM. If one is looking forward to have many Apps, lesser RAM may be a limiting factor as it helps apps run smoother with reduced time lags. In addition, both the devices have internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card.

Battery & Camera
Both the devices have same battery capacity. With 1500 mAh battery size both the devices give around 3 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time. However, the major difference lies in the cameras. RocStar has a 5 megapixel rear (primary) camera with flash and a 2 megapixel front (secondary) camera with a fixed focus. Huawei, on the other hand, with a 3MP rear camera without flash and no front camera looses out to RocStar on the camera front.

Connectivity 
As far as connectivity is concerned both the devices have a Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n standards supported, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM receiver.

Price in Kenya
Considering that most of the specifications are comparable, the price difference between the two devices is rather small. In Kenya, while Huawei Y330 is priced at around KSh 6500, Lenovo’s RocStar A319 is at around KSh 7500. Slightly higher price in case of RocStar seems justified on account of three major advantages over Huawei Y330, which include a more advanced version of OS, a superior front camera and a rear camera, which Huawei does not provide.

Concluding Remark 
The two models are pretty much comparable on most of the indicators. On the whole, Huawei Y330 offers relatively more colour options to choose from, whereas Lenovo’s RocStar A319 provides a definite camera advantage. Not having a front camera these days means loosing out on the all time selfie-advantage, which has become a necessity these days, particularly among the youth.

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Obi Wolverine is a better deal than Samsung S Duos 2 in Kenya

This comparative review focuses on two mid-range smartphones that are competing against each other in East Africa, particularly Kenya. Samsung S Duos 2 has been a choice of many for a long time in Kenya, where as Wolverine S501 from Obi Mobiles, a company co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Apple and PepsiCo, has entered the Kenyan market in March this year. In spite of being new Obi Mobiles, as the review indicates, stands a good chance to give a healthy competition. So, as part of our comparative review series, in this review we compare Samsung S Duos 2 with Obi’s Wolverine S501.

Design: In the first look, we note that Samsung S Duos 2 (Size: 121.5X63.1X10.57mm) is comparatively much smaller looking device than Obi’s Wolverine (Size: 144X73X9.6mm) and weighs much lighter too, just 118g as compared to Obi’s 167g. With such dimensions, Samsung Duos fits well in the hand and easy to carry around, however, larger size is not necessarily a disadvantage, probably more of a matter of preference. Moreover, Duos 2 has a metallic body finish and comes in white and black colours, where as Wolverine comes in impressive black, leather-like cover that protects the device from cracks and scratches.

Display: The overall size seems to reflect in the display screen size, which is 4 inch in case of Samsung S Duos 2, where as Wolverine offers with a screen size of 5 inch; a significant one inch difference obviously means larger visuals. Moreover, while Duos comes with a display with TFT technology and a screen resolution of 420X800 pixels, Wolverine S501 has a TFT IPS Screen with capacitive touch with a screen resolution of 480X854 pixels. Given its larger screen size, superior display technology and slightly higher resolution, Obi’s Wolverine takes a slight lead on the visual experience front.

OS & Processor: Samsung Duos 2 runs on Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean packed with a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 processor, where as Wolverine S501 runs on Android KitKat (4.4), powered by a MeditaTek MTK6572 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, that gives it an accelerated touch screen and superior performance. On the OS front too, Wolverine has a leg up over Samsung Duos.

RAM & Storage: Samsung S Duos 2 comes with a mere 0.75GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage that luckily Samsung gives you an option of expanding up to 64GB, however, a low RAM and extra storage option can make the performance of the device suffer. Obi Wolverine S501, on the other hand, has a more balanced 1GB RAM support and 4 GB internal storage with external memory support up to 32GB via a MicroSD card.

Camera & Battery:  Samsung S Duos 2 sports a 5MP primary camera with flash. It also has a VGA secondary camera which with time has run out of fashion. Obi Wolverine S501 sports a 5MP primary camera placed in the middle of the device and comes with a LED flash. It also has a 0.3MP secondary camera. On the battery front, both Samsung S Duos and Obi Wolverine S 501 have removable batteries with 1500 mAh capacity that gives you a standby time of 280hrs in Duos and 180hrs in Wolverine. While Obi Wolverine takes a lead on the camera front, Samsung S Duos 2 claims better standby time.

Connectivity: On the connectivity front, both Samsung S Duos 2 and Obi Wolverine S501 are dual-sim phones, Wolverine being the smart one for it has 3G support for both the sim-cards, where as Duos 2 uses one as 2G and the other as 3G. Both the smartphones have WiFi 802.11/b/g/n and Bluetooth v4.0 support.

Conclusion: Both the devices are pretty much comparable on most of the indicators, however, there are specific differences. Samsung S Duos 2, with a certain brand value, would appeal to those looking for an elegant, easy to carry, smaller looking device, where as Obi’s Wolverine would appeal to those looking for a device that could afford better visual experience, especially youngsters who like to watch videos on the smartphone. The leatherish feel in the Wolverine design is unique too. In addition, Obi’s Wolverine has the advantage of superior OS, higher RAM and superior secondary camera.

Price: Finally, we look at the price in the Kenya market, where Samsung S Duos 2 is marked around 11,500KSh, where as Obi’s Wolverine S501 is at around 9000KSh. Therefore, unless there is specific brand priority and design preference, we find Obi Wolverine to be a better overall deal considering the specifications and the price point at which it comes.

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Obi Fox is out for a kill in Kenya, Huawei needs to watch out

If you are looking for an entry-level Android handset, the choices are generally limited, and sometimes even the budget market seems pricey. In Africa, Huawei has received notable praise for its affordable but high-performing smartphones. Huawei has added another member to the Y-series of entry level budget smartphones which is Huawei Y330. On the other hand, Obi Mobiles, co-founded by John Sculley, ex-CEO of Pepsi Co and Apple, is already making its mark in Africa since it entered the African market couple of months ago. Therefore, we have picked up Huawei Y330 and ObiFox S453 for our comparative analysis. Let us see how do they fare against each other.

Look & Feel

We start with the design of the two smartphone models. First point of difference is Huawei Y330 comes in black, white, red, blue and yellow colours, Obi’s Fox is only available in white colour, so if you are keen on a colourful device, there are more options with Huawei. However, there are other design considerations too. With 131.7x64x9mm dimensions, Obi Fox gives a more sleeker look than Huawei that is 122.1x63.5x11.3mm and has slightly shorter and thicker appearnce.

Display

The main difference lies in the display screen size which is 4.5 inch in case of Obi Fox and 4 inch in case of Huawei Y330. Furthermore, both the devices have a capacitive touch screen where Obi Fox display screen produces 854x480 pixels resolution where as Huawei Y330 slightly lags behind with 800x480 pixels. A larger screen is always a plus from the point of viewing experience. It particularly acquires more significance for the youth where video viewing and gaming on the smartphone is part of their everyday life.

Processing Capacity

Obi’s Fox is powered by MediaTek MT6572 1 GHz dual core processor, as compared to Huawei Y330 which is powered by similar MediaTek MT6572 1.3 GHz dual core processor, offering a slightly better clock speed. However, Obi Fox’s OS Android 4.4.2 KitKat is an improved  version over Huawei’s  Android 4.2 Jellybean OS. Moreover, Huawei has tweaked with the OS and has their own skin Huawei Emotion UI 2.0 Lite which gives the display a distinctive look. Both the devices have internal storage space of 4GB that can be expanded up to 32GB using a MicroSD card. However, the major difference between the two is RAM where Obi Fox’s 1GB RAM completely outshines Huawei Y330 which comes with 512MB RAM. Extra RAM helps apps run smoother with reduced time lags, and when coupled with a powerful processor, it enhances overall quality of user interface and experience.

Battery & Cameras

Obi’s Fox has a leg up on the battery front too. With 1600 mAh battery size, Fox gives 6 hours of talk time and 180 hours of standby time while, on the other hand, Huawei Y330 has 1500 mAh battery that gives 3 hours of talk time and 240 hours of standby time. Also, Fox S453 has an impressive 5MP primary camera and 2MP Front camera, whereas Huawei Y330 comes with 3MP primary camera and no Front camera. Huawei’s decision to bring a device without a front camera seems to be a big blunder considering the selfie generation. Needless to say that Obi Fox has emerged as a clear winner in this feature.  

Additional Features
Lets sum it up
Concluding Remark

As far as connectivity is concerned, both the devices have 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi with 802.11 b/g/n standards supported. Both the devices also have a dual sim card slots, Bluetooth V4.0, GPS, 3.5 mm audio jack and FM receiver.

We note that Huwaei Y330 offers more colour options, slightly more powerful processor and an operating system with its own skin for a distinctive effect, but also has a major drawback in terms of not having a front camera. On the other hand, Obi Fox S453 takes a clear lead on every other key component which includes a larger display screen with a slightly better resolution, double RAM, more advanced OS, higher battery capacity and, most of all, it comes with a 2MP front camera to respond to the needs of selfie generation. We also explored the price in the Kenyan market, where Obi Fox is priced at around KSh9000 where as Huawei Y330 is at around KSh6500. The price difference is justified on account of front camera.

It is important to note that both the devices are made for people on a limited budget and therefore it is obvious that in order to maintain the low price the manufactures have made some sacrifices. However, we find that Obi has been able to work out the trade offs better and manages to put together a device that balances youthful aspirations, specifications and price better. If one can squeeze out a better price deal, even better.

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