Smartphones

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Stay updated with the latest smartphone releases, comparisons, and tips. From flagship models to budget picks, find the perfect device for your needs — all in one place.

Asus ZenFone Zoom [year] Review

Asus ZenFone Zoom 2025 Review

February 8, 2016 Richard Gomez 5

Innovation tends to reach a saturation point after a while, which bogs down pretty much ever facet of technology. What do you do when those eureka moments start drying up and you find yourself looking for something new to wow your audience with? Putting a fresh spin on old technology seems like one way to go about it. Smartphone cameras with optical zoom have been around ever since Nokia launched the N90, way back when. This didn't exactly catch on since no one likes carrying a bulky camera in their pockets, which is what these phones essentially were.
Samsung has toyed with this idea a bit, with its last attempt being the Galaxy K Zoom over two years ago. The 10X optical zoom was the highlight of this phone but it was still more of a digital camera than a smartphone.
Asus has never known to shy away from experimenting with hybrid devices and its latest incarnation is the ZenFone Zoom. This is its attempt at a smartphone with optical zoom and thankfully, it hasn't compromi..

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus [year]

Gionee Marathon M5 Plus 2025

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..

Sony Xperia Z5 Dual Review [year]

Sony Xperia Z5 Dual Review 2025

February 13, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Sony's mobile division has been in a rut for a while. If IDC's latest report is anything to go by, dominance by the likes of Huawei and Lenovo is only adding to the company's woes. Rather than sticking with the standard formula of yearly refreshes, Sony decided a few years ago to try bi-annual refreshes in order to keep things exciting and hopefully drive up sales.

Our last outing with Sony's flagship smartphone was the Xperia Z3+ (Review | Pictures) , which didn't exactly blow our socks off. This was just three months ago, and today, we already have its successor in the form of the Xperia Z5 Dual. Our first encounter with the phone was at IFA 2015 where the company announced it along with its two siblings – the Xperia Z5 Premium and Xperia Z5 Compact.
(Also read: Sony Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia Z5 Premium First Impressions)
The Xperia Z5 Dual is on sale right now at Rs. 52,990 and will compete with flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, Sam..

OnePlus X [year] Review

OnePlus X 2025 Review

February 20, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

You've probably heard of OnePlus. This small smartphone manufacturer from China was founded less than two years ago by a former vice-president of Oppo and set up shop in India late last year. The company uses an innovative invite-based system for distributing limited quantities of its devices while creating hype and a level of demand that far outstrips the supply. The marketing department of OnePlus is run by absolute geniuses.
Soon after launching this year's 'flagship killer', the OnePlus 2 (Review), the company launched a more budget-friendly model, the Rs. 16,999 OnePlus X. Our initial impressions of the device were that it is essentially a smaller OnePlus One (Review | Pictures). Is this all the 'little' OnePlus is about, or is there more to it? Find out in our review.
Look and feel
Initially (and unofficially) referred to as the OnePlus Mini, the X is smaller and easier to handle than either of the company's previous smartphones. Apart from the ..

Lenovo Vibe X3 Review [year]

Lenovo Vibe X3 Review 2025

February 9, 2016 Richard Gomez 8

Lenovo has been on a bit of a spree, launching a number of new smartphones in quick succession. The company is good at creating models that cater to specific needs, such as the Vibe P1 (Review | Pictures) with its oversized battery, the Vibe Shot (Review | Pictures) for camera lovers, the Vibe S1 (Review | Pictures) for those who care most about looks, and most recently, the Vibe K4 Note for the budget segment. We now have with us the brand new Vibe X3, which takes its place at the top of the heap as Lenovo's latest flagship.
The Lenovo Vibe X3 costs just Rs. 19,999 but packs a number of features and attributes that might make it a competitor to phones that cost way more. The spec sheet alone would give us quite a bit to dig our teeth into, but Lenovo has also tossed in a few things that it says improve the user experience in less tangible ways. We'll have to dig deep to find out if that's just a marketing line or if the Vibe X3 really does blow all its competition away…

Nubia Z9 Mini [year]

Nubia Z9 Mini 2025

June 22, 2015 Richard Gomez 4

ZTE is among the many highest 5 smartphone makers in China. the company entered Asian nation final 12 months with highly effective gadgets priced sharply […]

Lenovo Vibe S1 [year] Review

Lenovo Vibe S1 2025 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..