Yu Yutopia [year]

Yu Yutopia 2024

January 1, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

The Yu Yutopia, Yu's ticket to enter the high-spec smartphone category, has been teased for months. Now officially announced, the device is up for pre-order via Amazon, priced at Rs. 24,999 and will start shipping on December 25. Yu Televentures CEO Rahul Sharma unveiled the smartphone at a press event and also announced a new service dubbed Around Yu, which aims to reduce the time taken to download apps for different services such as shopping, booking hotels, flights, taxis, and more. Touted as the 'world's most powerful' smartphone, the Yutopia aims to take on OnePlus 2 and others that fall in the same price segment. The smartphone comes with top-of-the-line specifications but does it only look good on paper or does it really perform as promised? We got our hands on a sample device, and here are our first impressions.
The design of the Yutopia takes clues from other Yu siblings. It sports a metal unibody with antennas running around all four corners on the rear p..

HTC One A9 and HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM

HTC One A9 and HTC Desire 828 Dual SIM

January 2, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Ever since HTC unveiled its One A9 smartphone back in October in New York, the smartphone has been in news thanks to its similarity to the iPhone 6. Following several reports calling the One A9's design 'heavily' inspired by the iPhone, the Taiwanese company got defensive, refuting the claims and even suggested that Apple had copied HTC and not vice-versa.
The phone has only been available in a limited number of markets till now. HTC on Wednesday announced the HTC One A9 in India alongside the Desire 828 Dual SIM. The company confirmed that both phones will start shipping to India in the next two weeks, and has chosen to withhold pricing information until then. The company stated that pricing will be announced closer to the date of availability. In line with what the company's Chairwoman and CEO Cher Wang has previously said, the company stressed that the One A9 will be a 'good alternative to the iPhone.' The HTC One A9 boasts of a metal unibody design as ..

Moto G Turbo Edition [year] Review

Moto G Turbo Edition 2024 Review

January 2, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

When the newly resurgent Motorola made its mark in India early last year with the first-generation Moto G, it quickly became the go-to value option. Three generations later, and the situation isn't as clear. There are more options than ever thanks to the entry of a number of Chinese companies in quick succession. The Moto G has lost its spot as the sub-Rs. 15,000 top dog in terms of raw specifications, but its brand value makes buyers keep coming back.
In an effort to at least try to remain competitive, Motorola is now offering the Moto G Turbo Edition, a mid-cycle upgrade of the Moto G (Gen 3) (Review). Nearly everything is the same, except for the bumped up processor, RAM, and storage, plus the incorporation of Motorola's TurboPower feature as a result of the fast charging capabilities of the new Qualcomm SoC.
Not to be confused with the Moto Turbo (Review | Pictures), the new Moto G Turbo Edition slots in alongside the Moto G (Gen 3) at a higher price. We're curious t..

Intex Cloud Flash [year] Review

Intex Cloud Flash 2024 Review

January 3, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

The Cloud Flash is Intex's most recent entry in its 'Cloud' series of smartphones and it's just in time for the holiday rush. This Rs.10,000 smartphone boasts off having a protective glass back and of course 4G connectivity. However, the Intex has its work cut out for it as the Lenovo K3 Note (Review | Pictures) happens to reside in this segment too. The latter is one of our favourite phones of 2015 and was one of the most popular handsets on Flipkart this year. Let's see if the Cloud Flash has what it takes to pose as a better alternative.
Look and feel
Intex has certainly stepped up its game in the build and finish department. With smooth, rounded edges and Gorilla Glass for the front and back, the Cloud Flash doesn't feel cheap. The glass back does make the phone very slippery though and can easily slip through your fingers or slide of an uneven surface.
Dominating the front is a 5-inch HD AMOLED display, which produces saturated colours along with good..

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus [year]

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus 2024

January 4, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

No matter how big the battery on any smartphone, it degrades over time. If your smartphone lasts a whole day on a single charge when it's fresh out of its box, then one year later its battery life will be significantly less. The Gionee Marathon M5 Plus, which the company unveiled at a special event in Dongguan, China this week, tries to solve this problem. Gionee claims that the smartphone's battery will retain 90 percent of its capacity after 600 charging cycles, which translates to roughly two years of use.
This explains why the Gionee Marathon M5 Plus has a slightly lower capacity 5020mAh battery, when compared to the 6020mAh battery if the Gionee Marathon M5 (Review | Pictures). The “Plus” moniker has more to do with its larger screen and longer-lasting battery, according to Gionee. In a world where an Android smartphone with a humongous 10000mAh battery isn't impossible, the Marathon series' battery capacity doesn't seem excessive.
The biggest challenge fo..

Obi Worldphone SF1 - [year] Review

Obi Worldphone SF1 – 2024 Review

January 5, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Obi Mobiles made its debut in India last year as a provider of low-cost Android smartphones. What made this company different from numerous others newcomers is that it had a strong backer; ex-Apple CEO John Sculley to be precise. However, Obi Mobiles seemed like every other company, picking an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM) from China to design and manufacture phones to sell under its own name. The company's debut offering, the Obi Octopus S520 (Review | Pictures) only focused on specifications but failed to address other key areas like aesthetics and user experience.
Cut to 2015 and Obi Mobiles has reemerged as Obi Worldphone. The focus of the company continues to be budget smartphones for emerging markets, but it's now putting the user experience and aesthetics first. The phones and their UI are now designed by a Californian design studio called Ammunition, founded by Robert Brunner, who was the Director of Industrial Design at Apple in the past.
Today, we'll be..

InFocus M680 [year] Review

InFocus M680 2024 Review

January 6, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

InFocus has been a player in India for less than a year now, but it has been releasing a steady stream of new models, most of which we have received well. The US-based company, which specialises in projectors and office communication equipment, is working with Chinese electronics giant Foxconn to put its name on a line of smartphones aimed at emerging markets. Through this relationship, InFocus is trying to carve out a space for itself, and it seems as though the periodic flash sales it holds are receiving quite a lot of attention.
It can't be easy to compete in the Indian smartphone market, where a disruptive new device comes along nearly every other week. Still, InFocus appears to be gunning for the budget segment with a combination of low prices and premium features. Let's see if the new M680 can take on existing low-cost champions and leave a good impression.
Look and feel
We liked looking at the InFocus M680 from pretty much every angle except head-on. The front face is ..

Lenovo Vibe S1 [year] Review

Lenovo Vibe S1 2024 Review

January 8, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Lenovo is the leading manufacturer of personal computers in the world, and since entering the smartphone market in 2012, has quickly become one of the top five smartphone vendors as well. Part of this success can be attributed to the Vibe range of smartphones, and today we're reviewing the new Lenovo Vibe S1.
At Rs. 15,999, the Vibe S1 is the company's latest entry in the ultra-competitive mid-range. It's got everything that a good mid-range smartphone needs, from a good specification sheet to the signature dual-camera setup in the front. We go into the finer details of the Lenovo Vibe S1 in our review.
Look and feel
While many phones in the sub-Rs. 20,000 segment lack any real aesthetic appeal, the Vibe S1 really stands out. The frame is metal, with a dull matte finish all around. The phone is available in two colour options, blue and white. Our review sample was blue, and we loved the look of the device.
Although the Vibe S1 is 7.8mm at its thickest point, it has a cu..