Huawei Honor 6 [year]

Huawei Honor 6 2024

February 5, 2015 Richard Gomez 1

Huawei is among the present day entrants within the tremendously aggressive Indian smartphone market. It launched Honor, which is virtually a sub-brand and its smartphones […]

Gionee Marathon M5 Lite Review [year]

Gionee Marathon M5 Lite Review 2024

February 16, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Gionee's mission in the budget smartphone segment has been all about delivering the best battery life possible. Its Marathon series really took off after the company launched the Marathon M4 (Review | Pictures) and more recently, the Marathon M5 (Review | Pictures).
Following up on the success of the latter, we now have the Marathon M5 Lite, which was launched last month. The specifications and features of the newer phone bear a striking resemblance to those of the older M4, only with a newer version of Android and slightly beefed up internals. Although the M4 is still being sold for around the same amount as the M5 Lite, it could replace the older model going ahead.
So which one should you pick right now? Is newer always better? Let's find out.
Look and feel
The Marathon M5 Lite definitely scores more points when it comes to aesthetics. It's slimmer with a more premium look thanks to the new colour and the chrome accents running along its edges. It's slightly ..

Coolpad Note 3 Lite [year] Review

Coolpad Note 3 Lite 2024 Review

July 3, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

The Coolpad Note 3 Lite, as the name suggests, is a toned down version of the Coolpad Note 3 (Review | Pictures) that launched back in October last year. It was one of the first phones in the sub-Rs. 10,000 price segment to sport a fingerprint sensor, and today, the company is bringing this feature available at an even lower price segment.
(Also see: Coolpad Note 3 Lite vs Coolpad Note 3)
Our initial impressions of the Note 3 Lite were fairly positive but that was after using it for just a short while. Let's see if Coolpad will be able to disrupt the entry-level Android market with its latest offering.

Look and feel
The Coolpad Note 3 Lite has all the hallmarks of a budget phone but a few good design choices help it stand out. The gold trim running along the edges of the body, camera lens, and fingerprint sensor jazzes up the phone a bit. The quality of the plastics and the overall fit and finish of the parts is quite good, and the phone feels sturdy and durable on the whole.
..

QiKU Q Terra [year] Review

QiKU Q Terra 2024 Review

April 12, 2018 Richard Gomez 0

Another day, another Chinese smartphone maker enters India. This time, it's a joint venture between Qihoo 360 Technologies and the handset maker Coolpad, who have formed the brand QiKU. Its debut offering, the Q Terra, is yet another “flagship killer”, if you will, but comes with a unique set of features which should help it stand on its own feet. Priced similarly to the Moto X Play (Review), let's see if the company's debut offering in India has what it takes to get noticed.
Look and feel
The Q Terra is a massive phone and there's no getting around this fact. QiKU has tried to minimise this by shaving down the bezels to a razor-thin 1.4mm and leaving only enough plastic on the top and bottom for the earpiece and navigation buttons. The end result is quite stunning, mostly because almost all you see is the display. The near borderless design looks cool, but it isn't the most practical. We had to put up with many accidental presses of the touchscreen and naviga..

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 [year]

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 2024

December 26, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

Xiaomi last month caught some eyeballs when it launched its third-generation Redmi Note smartphone in China, its first device to feature a fingerprint sensor. The Redmi Note 3 is priced at CNY 899 (approximately Rs. 9,500) for 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage, and CNY 1099 (approximately Rs. 11,500) for 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. We recently got our hands on a unit and these are our first impressions.
The metal-clad, dual-SIM Redmi Note 3 is Xiaomi's latest flagship model, and it certainly lives up to that standard in most areas. The smartphone has a sturdy build, offering just enough grip to prevent it from slipping from your hands. Measuring 150x76x8.65mm, the device has its power button placed in the middle of the right side, making it easy to reach. The volume buttons sit above the power button, while the SIM tray is on the upper left. Of the three colour variants, gold, silver and dark grey, we found the gold version the most eye-catching.
The Xiaomi Redm..

Samsung Galaxy Note 800: [year]

Samsung Galaxy Note 800: 2024

January 16, 2017 Richard Gomez 0

After launching Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 in UK and USA, the company has now introduced it in India as the Samsung Galaxy Note 800. On the specs side, this tablet packs in the new 1.4GHz quad-core Exnyos processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal flash storage, and one can expand the memory via microSD cards of up to 32GB.
The 10.1-inch display comes with 1280x800p resolution, and there is a 7000 mAh battery on board. Just like the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 800 is also S-Pen optimised. It will retail at Rs. 39,990.
We were very excited when we saw the specifications of the tablet, and really looking forward to laying our hands on it. We have been playing around this tablet for a few hours now since Samsung had provided a unit pre-launch. However, the actual experience with the tablet has been bit of a disappointment.
Of late, there have been quite a few ivory white tablets in entry and high end tablet segments and Galaxy Note 800 is the latest to join the bandwagon. At just 0.35 i..

Vivo Xplay 5 to Launch March 1 With 6GB RAM, Snapdragon 820

Vivo Xplay 5 to Launch March 1 With 6GB RAM, Snapdragon 820

February 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Vivo, the Chinese tech company better known for its slimvsmartphone – the Vivo Max, has uvconfirmed it will include massive 6GB LPDDR4 RAM in its upcoming smartphone – the Xplay 5.
The confirmation comes from Vivo's Weibo account post made on Monday (via Phonearena). The post features a teaser image mentioning 6GB LPDDR4 RAM and Snapdragon 820 processor for the Vivo Xplay 5. The smartphone will be launched on March 1 this year. Some of the previous teasers have indicated the handset to sport a QHD (1440×2560 pixels) resolution display.
The inclusion of 6GB RAM should not come as a surprise to as Samsung in September last year already started producing 6GB LPDDR4 RAM for smartphones and tablets. Until now, the most we have seen in a smartphone or a phablet is 4GB RAM. Asus was the first in line to pack 4GB RAM in its Zenfone 2 handset, which was followed by Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Egde+.
We are yet to see how Vivo plans to make complete use of the 6GB RAM inside ..

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren't Everything

Intex Aqua Ace Review: Specifications Aren’t Everything

February 23, 2016 Richard Gomez 0

Just a short while after reviewing the Intex Aqua Trend (Review | Pictures), we have another model from the same company in our hands for review. The Aqua Trend underwhelmed us, especially considering how many strong alternatives are available at or even below the same price. Intex is well known for selling low-cost products, especially PC peripherals. However, a lot of companies have managed to drive prices down in the smartphone industry without compromising on features or materials, and so Intex's classic formula might not do it any good here.
Today, we have a slightly more premium model, the Intex Aqua Ace, in for review. Priced at Rs. 12,999, this phone will find itself going up against some very polished, premium products. We're hoping Intex can impress us and show that it's able to compete in a market very different to the one it has thrived in so far.
Look and feel
Immediately upon opening its box, we're struck by how derivative the design of the Intex Aqua..