Friday, August 2, 2013

TECH REVIEW ...........SMARTPHONES FIRST AMONG EQUALS



 SMARTPHONES FIRST AMONG EQUALS


    IF you’re seeking a smartphone within a budget of 15,000, you might have come across these indigenous ‘phablets’ – the Micromax Canvas HD (reviewed on March 10, 2013 in Times Life), the Lava Iris 504Q, the Zen Ultrafone 701HD and the Videocon A55HD – that have taken the market by storm. These handsets run Android Jelly Bean 4.2; sport a big 5-inch screen with HD resolution; are powered by a quad-core MediaTek processor; pack in 1GB RAM; and boast an 8MP camera. Given the prices they retail at – and the specs they pack in – all of these offer great ‘value for money’. But read on if you’re interested in the subtle differences that arise in performance.
Lava Iris 504Q
    At little over 8mm thick, the Iris 504Q is the slimmest of all the devices reviewed here. Notably, it also allows you to use natural hand gestures to navigate the phone. For instance, users can browse through the gallery’s images by moving their hands in the air above the screen. Still, for a large part, this feature is pure gimmickry. It neither works reliably, nor enhances the experience. But that does not make this a bad handset…
WHAT’S HOT
Curved design:
The 504Q has very good build quality; its matte-plastic back cover provides for slip-proof grip, and doesn’t allow for smudges and fingerprints. The phone sports a slightly curved design which makes it sit comfortably in the palm of your hand, despite its large size. Sharp and vibrant screen: Its 720P screen is sharp, bright – and is capable of good, punchy colours, making it a great device to watch videos or browse picture-rich websites. Its touch sensitivity is also top-notch and games like Temple Run, which require prompt touch response, run smoothly.
Fast performance: Like the other devices featured here, the Iris is a spiffy performer. There is no noticeable lag, regardless of the tasks – whether apps, web browsing or games – we threw at it.
WHAT’S NOT
Average camera:
The 504Q’s camera is capable of clear, sharp pictures in daylight. But in low light and during video shoots it suffers from focus issues. Still, its shooter’s performance averages out when seen in the context of what’s available on other phones that sell at a similar price.
Middling battery: The phone’s battery allows for 12 hours of average use when used with a 3G connection, for gaming, web browsing, calls, messages and emails.
Poor GPS performance: Well, it’s an issue that afflicts all the phones featured here. Despite its GPS hardware, the Iris 504Q either fails to lock onto satellite signals or loses the link in minutes after acquiring it.

Zen Ultrafone 701HD
    Even among indigenous brands, Zen is a lesser-known smartphone company. But given the Ultrafone’s price and specs, it still poses quite an attractive proposition. The only issue with Zen might boil down to instances of poor after-sales service. Still, these could be isolated cases, barring which; the 701HD is a handset that’s worth considering.
WHAT’S HOT
Matte plastic:
The Ultrafone 701HD is a well-built device. Besides, its back cover sports a rubber-like coating that is impervious to finger prints. Even its power and volume buttons feel nice and ‘clicky’.
Stock Android: The device doesn’t suffer any noticeable lag during use. Pinch-to-zoom while browsing works smoothly; fast-paced games like Rayman Jungle Run and Temple Run can be played without any performance issues.
Best in class images: Its camera, though similar to other phones in its class, offers slightly better performance. It can take sharp and detailed pictures in good light. Unfortunately, this performance is limited to still images. The videos shot with Ultrafone 701HD are poor and lack details.
Vibrant screen: Its touchscreen is receptive; has great viewing angles; is sharp, vivid, and is fantastic for movie viewing.
WHAT’S NOT
Quality control issues:
The handset that we reviewed worked beautifully.Yet, the Facebook page of Zen Mobile is full of comments from consumers who reportedly found glitches in the phone’s screen and microphone. This is likely to be an issue with specific units, but it also looks like that Zen might have some quality-control and consistency problems.
Average battery life: When used with 3G for web browsing, calls, messages, some gaming and media playback, the phone lasts for around 13 hours.

Videocon A55HD
    Videocon’s flagship phone, the A55HD, is a decent effort at a budget quad-core handset. But, when compared to the devices from other players in this review, its offering seems to lack some polish.
WHAT’S HOT
Fast performance:
The A55HD is a speedy phone. It can handle fast-paced games with ease; web browsing works very well and swiping in apps is smooth.
Slim and shiny: The Videocon device, made out of glossy plastic, is not as slim as the Iris 504Q, but it is lighter than the Ultrafone 701HD and feels better to handle. That said, the credit for its design doesn’t belong to Videocon. The A55HD is an almost exact copy of the HTC Butterfly. It has the same curved body, with slightly thicker top and bottom ends. It even has the finely perforated metal strips, a unique design element of Butterfly, on its left and right side. Good battery life: On a ful charge, the A55HD lasts a little over 14 hours when used with a 3G connection, for gaming, shooting photos, web browsing, some calls and SMS.
WHAT’S NOT
Bugs:
In our use of the A55HD, we found several software glitches. The capacitive buttons under the touchscreen, for instance, give out a beeping sound whenever you touch them. Long press the home button, however, and it keeps beeping continously. This, of course, can be fixed by switching off ‘key press tones’, but it does affect the experience. Also, we couldn’t sync the phone to Google Contacts, even though it synced easily with Gmail and Google Talk.
Tint on screen: The A55HD has a vibrant screen, but it suffers from a pinkish tint. This means whites look a little dull, while blacks are not as deep as they should have been.
Pictures that are too smooth: Again, this is something that we feel is due to the software in the phone. The A55HD’s camera strips away details from photos. This means even the shots taken in good light aren’t crisp. In low light and for video shoots, the performance of A55HD camera is plain disappointing.

IN CONCLUSION
Despite similar specs, each of these phones offers an experience that’s different from the other. In terms of call quality, the Iris 504Q, the Canvas HD, and Ultrafone 701HD offer similar performance with clear voice reproduction, but not as crisp as what you get from premium phones like the Galaxy S4 or the iPhone 5.
    When it comes to music playback, the Iris 504Q is the best performer. It isn’t very loud, but its output sounds rich and fuller. Here, the Ultrafone 701HD lags behind marginally.
    Overall, you’d be served well by either of these devices when it comes to web browsing, video playback and multitasking.
    Buy the Micromax if you want a brand with a proven track record. The Iris and the Ultrafone are superb alternatives. Opt for the A55HD if these others are not available in a store near you.
Javed Anwer TL130721



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