OnePlus2 Says Something Bold, But Without A Headset

OnePlus started in 2013 with a vision of launching a superior device, a device that could enhance users’ experience of technology. With OnePlus 1, the company experienced success and created for itself a mass following. In its endeavor to become a leading player in the smartphone market, the company has come up with a slogan - Never Settle - and has launched another device, OnePlus 2. Given all the guesswork that was on before the launch, in this review we try to find out how closely the new flagship phone from OnePlus has lived up to peoples’ expectations.

The One Plus2 features indicate the urge of its makers to innovate. Considering the outer body, Plus2 measures 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.85 mm and weighs 175g. Well, for some the device may be a bit heavier and thicker, considering that getting slimmer is the larger trend. Still, for others, a device that marks its presence in the hand is a great idea. To catch the eyes, the company has come up with the style swap range that allows you to play with the looks without altering the form factor of Plus2. So with its sandstone black variant one can add different textures offered by the company.

OnePlus 2 has a 5.5 inch display screen that comes with the added protection of Corning Gorilla Glass. With 1080p Full HD (1920 x 1080) pixels resolution and the pixel density of 401 pixels per inch, the device promises great viewing experience to its users with sharp and clear images. Furthermore, the device is energized by 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 1.8 GHz Octa-core CPUs and GPU Adreno 430. Plus two runs on Oxygen OS based on Android 5.1 which is meant to improve the user experience.

 

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The device is accompanied by 13 MP primary and 5MP secondary camera which is distortion free. The camera is enhanced with 6 lenses and laser focus to avoid distortion and color aberration. The device is loaded with features like autofocus, Optical image stabilization,and an f/2.0 aperture, which gives your picture a power to showcase your craft. Well, a device with contemporary technology might have appeared handicapped if it wasn’t supported with equally powerful battery. One Plus2 comes equipped with a 3300 mAh LiPo battery.

Furthermore, this china-based company had made their device an easy to carry computer where storing data has no limits. The device comes in two variants – 4GB RAM/64GB Memory for INR 24,999 & 3GB RAM/16GB Memory for INR 21,062 approx. Considering that smooth performance and viewing experience is becoming increasingly the choice, OnePlus2 is likely to get the attention of many.

To ensure hassle free data storage and exchange, the device comes with Bluetooth 4.1, WiFi and USB type - C charger that will not only power up the device but also help exchanging data from PC. The device supports two nano SIM cards. To go well with their OnePlus cardboard, the company has loaded sensors like Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity and Ambient Light to bring the theater experience closer to the smartphone users.

As the company leadership has been saying, the OnePlus2 does have something bold to say, especially the OnePlus cardboard that adds on to the experience of looking at the device. However, if one is looking for the same pleasure for the ears, one needs to buy the headset separately. Considering that headset is a must for every smartphone user, OnePlus somewhat disappoints by not delivering the headset along with the device. All that you will find in the box is one USB type-C Cable, OnePlus2 USB power adapter and OnePlus2.

Interestingly, we note that the device is out with almost the same features that were being predicted in the gossip circles before the launch. The device will be out in market from August 11 on Amazon.

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Obi's Alligator is Leaving A Mark in Africa

Obi Mobiles, co-founded by John Sculley, had launched its first range of smartphones on the name of animals in India 2014. Over couple of months, Obi moved to Middle East and then subsequently entered Africa, where several of Obi devices have succeeded in making their presence felt. In this brief review, we have particularly taken a gander at the Obi model called Alligator S454.

The gadget captures the mood with its good camera quality. The devices is a complete blend of hardware and software that gives it a slight edge at the value that it comes. On the off chance that you have quite recently begun to wander into the cell phone classification of telephone moving out from your feature phones, Obi Alligator S454 may very well awe you. Pull out all the stops on the off chance that you are searching for all the more in less.

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Gionee Marathon M3 vs Lenovo A5000: The battle of battery and memory

In spite of fast paced innovation in the smartphone technology on all fronts, there is one front where innovation has been rather slow, and this is battery. Moreover, with millions of apps and so much more to do in a smartphone, it is really hard to figure out what battery size would be ideal for a smartphone. Two Chinese brands are battling out in Indian market with their devices, Gionee Marathon M3 and Lenovo A5000, that boast of having 5000 mAh and 4000 mAh battery size respectively. In this comparative review, we examine what all these two high-battery devices come with.

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Design

The style and design is not much distinctive with a simple candy bar design. While Gionee M3 comes with dimension 144.50x71.45x10.40mm and weighs 180g, Lenovo A 5000 has slightly slimmer and lighter body with dimensions 140x71.4x9.98 mm weighing 160g. Largely made of plastic, Gionee Marathon carries a massive non removable battery inside and is available in black and white variants. On the other hand, Lenovo A5000 is madeof polycarbonate plastic and non-sticky fingerprints materials and is also available in black and white variants. However, a relatively slimmer design and light body with rounded edges makes this device comfortable to hold.

Display

The display screen size of both Lenovo A5000 and Gionee Marathon M3 is 5 inch, which allows for better visual experience. Both devices have IPS LCD capacitive touch screen with 16M colours and offers a resolution of 720x1280 pixels HD with 294 ppi pixel density which is very sharp, clear and detailed. The viewing angles are pretty decent and the sunlight legibility is also fine. Therefore, on the display front, the performance of both the devices is pretty much the same.

Performance

Both Marathon M3 and Lenovo A5000 run on Android 4.4 Kitkat. However, Gionee has tried to give their device a distinctive look by creating their own skin Amigo UI layered on top of the OS. Both devices have a MediaTek MT6582M 1.3 GHz Quad-core processor, coupled with a 1 GB RAM. However, nowadays with the bombardment of mobile apps 1 GB RAM is considered to be a ediocre feature. In daily use, both device works fine and do respond to tap and swipe instantly. Both the devices are configured with 8GB of internal memory, which is expandable upto 32 GB in Lenovo A5000 and 128 GB in Gionee M3 via MicroSD card, which provides Gionee an edge over Lenovo.

Battery and Camera

Battery life is the USP of these products where Lenovo A5000 comes with 4000 mAh battery and Gionee Marathon M3 with a whooping 5000 mAh battery. Lenovo gives a talk time of 35h (2G) and 17h (3G). On the other hand, Gionee M3 gives an outstanding talk time of 51 h (2G) and 32 h (3G). Both devices have an 8 MP primary camera and a 2 MP secondary camera. The camera quality for both devices is decent capturing HD videosand images. Even the 2 MP front cameras perform well when it comes to taking selfies. Both the devices areequipped with features like geo-tagging, face detection and Panorama Shot.

Connectivity and other Features

Both Gionee Marathon and Lenovo A5000 are dual-sim phones, which support 3G. Addition to that both the smartphones have Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, FM, 3.5mm audio jack, accelerometer and proximity sensor.

Conclusion

We note that both the devices are pretty much comparable on most of the indicators. Nevertheless, Gionee takes a definite lead on two counts i.e. expandable memory and battery. This reflects in price, where Gionee Marathon M3 is available at around Rs.10,500 and Lenovo A5000 at around Rs.10,000. However, Lenovo has been in Indian market for a longer period and has built some brand image. Therefore, it would be a challenge for Gionee to beat Lenovo in this segment.

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Micromax Bolt D320: Reflecting the Art of Becoming A Mass Smartphone Brand

Micromax is one of the top 10 largest handset suppliers globally. They pioneered the democratization of technology in India by offering affordable phones and are now the 2^nd largest smartphone seller in the country. It is the brand that has slowly and significantly created its space in the heart of the youth and had empowered lives. Therefore, we have decided to review one of their devices Micromax Bolt D320 to get some insights about the way Micromax has come to become a mass brand.

The Bolt series was designed to thrill the customers with blazing Internet speed. With D320 the company moves another step forward by making most of the features offered by the company for the budget category of smartphone users. This device is currently available in black colour only. Bolt D320 has a 4.5 inch display screen, which seems a bit smaller considering that even 5 inch screen size is normal these days, and comes with 480x 854 resolution. A larger screen is always a plus point for making the days entertaining as you can play games and movies.

Apart from the bigger screen a stronger power system is needed that can support your applications and games. Bolt D is powered by MediaTek MTK6572M 1.2 GHz Dual core processor. This is a more advanced version that enhances multi-tasking environment because there are two complete execution cores.

Also, bolt is empowered with an advanced version of OS, Android KITKAT 4.4.2. Furthermore, the device has 512 MB RAM, which may be a constraint if you are keen on running many apps and games smoothly. Also, Bolt comes with 4GB internal storage that is expendable up to 32 GB.

The device is equipped by a reasonable battery capacity of 1600 mAh that gives 200 hrs of standby time and 5.5 hrs of talk time. On the camera front, Bolt D320 comes with 3.2 MP (rear) and 0.3 MP (front) cameras with resolution recording and play of 640x480. However, the camera power may disappoint selfie lovers.

The device is pre-loaded with apps such as the App Centre, Ask Me, Clean Master, Dr Safety, Games Club, Hotstar, Housing, M! Games, M! Insurance, M! Security, M! Live, MAD, Paytm, Quikr and Giga Jump. Furthermore, it is a dual SIM device that provides for 3G connectivity.

Micromax Bolt D320 is priced at around INR4000 (approximately USD65) on e-commerce sites. Moreover, the device also comes with two months free data plan for the Vodafone users. Considering the price, we think Micromax has done a great job of providing the aforementioned specifications and features.

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Lenovo S60 Shoots Ahead of Panasonic Eluga L 4G in the Spec Battle

Lenovo and Panasonic entered the smartphone market about the same time. They have faced lot of ups and downs to attain a certain position in the market and continue to compete with each other. Therefore, in this comparative review, we have picked Lenovo S60, which was launched in January 2015, and Panasonic Eluga L 4G, which was launched in May 2015. Let us find out how the two devices fare in the spec battle.

Design & Display

Lenovo S60 measures 143.3x72x7.7mm and weighs 128g, whereas Panasonic Eluga L comes in relatively higher dimensions of 147.1x73.6x9mm that makes it bulkier as well as heavier 155g. Furthermore, Lenovo is available in three colours including Pearl White, Graphite Grey and Yellow, where as Eluga is only available in Silver. Both the devices have same 5inch display screen with IPS capacitive touch screen and a resolution of 720x1280 pixels.

Processor & OS

Both Lenovo S60 and Panasonic Eluga work on 1.2GHz quad core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor. However, the difference lies in operating system (OS) where Lenovo runs on Android OS v4.4 (kitkat) where as Panasonic runs on relatively more advanced OS Android OS, v5.0 (lollipop). However, Lenovo S60 with 2GB RAM outshines Panasonic Eluga which has 1GB RAM, extra RAM ensures multitasking smoothly. Other than that both the devices have same internal memory, which is 8GB, which can be expanded up to 32GB via MicroSD card.

Camera & Battery

S60 Lenovo has 13MP primary (rear) camera with full HD video recording, flashlight and auto focus features and 5MP secondary (front) camera. Panasonic Eluga L, on the other side, has 8MP primary camera with flashlight and auto focus, and a 5MP secondary camera. It is obvious that Lenovo has the primary camera advantage. Moreover, Lenovo S60 has battery capacity of 2150mAh, which works up to 30hours with 2G, 16.5 hours with 3G and 17 hours with 4G. On the other hand, Panasonic Eluga L is on a bit lower side with 2000mAh. The difference is not much, but Lenovo has a slightly advantage over Panasonic Eluga on the battery front too.

Connectivity

Both devices support 3G, wireless LAN available, GPS, V4.0 Bluetooth, micro USB port and tethering which cover all the features of connectivity of modern smartphone. Both have a dual SIM phone, where Lenovo S60 supports regular SIM, Panasonic Eluga L supports micro SIM.

Bottom Line

Lenovo S60 has an edge over Panasonic Eluga L on account bigger display screen, bigger RAM, higher battery capacity and superior primary camera. The disadvantage is that Lenovo is not available on 4G. On the other hand, Panasonic Eluga L takes a leg up over Lenovo S60 on account more advanced OS and its availability in 4G. In terms of price, while Lenovo S60 costs around INR12,500, Panasonic Eluga L costs around INR11,000. Given the differences, the price difference is justified. As such, Lenovo S60 makes for a better deal.

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