drmsriram: GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL .....................HANDSETS FOR UNDER Rs 12,000

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL HANDSETS FOR UNDER Rs 12,000

Shopping for a budget smartphone?

7 REVIEWS FOR YOU

MOTOROLA MOTO E (2015)

The Moto E sports an understated rubberized build, with an ergonomically curved back. What you also get is a smudgeresistant screen protected by Gorilla Glass, as well as a water-resistant coating. A thin, removable, textured band (colours available separately for personalization) runs along the edges of the device, and this hides the SIM and microSD slots.

The device is capable of clear phone calls and its speakers are louder than some larger phones. But while commuting when switching from one cell tower to another you might face call drops. Still, this is not a deal breaker. The handset handles multitasking and productivity tasks smoothly , and can playback HD movies without a hitch; Full HD files could sometimes suffer from stutter, but you get about a full day's use on a single charge.

The rear camera shoots pictures that are adequate for online sharing. In the absence of a flash, low-light photography is a definite “No“. Unlike the older Moto E, this one has a front camera, though its VGA resolution is only capable of grainy low-res selfies. One nifty feature is that you can access its camera from the locked screen with just two twists of your wrists. of your wrists.

In terms of storage, you get about 5GB of space, and this can be expanded by microsSD. The absence of support for USB OTG is disappointing.

The device runs stock Android, but is equipped with new features. Its Alert app, for instance, lets you add family and friends with whom you can constantly share location data, track their locations, and even set up meeting places with navigation.

HONOR 4X

The Honor 4X comes with a fully-laminated screen that protects it from most scratches, but it lacks the reassurance of a Gorilla Glass front. Super Another downer is battery that the controls in its life touch-panel are not backlit, so using it in the dark could be an issue.Still, the device with its textured back cover feels solid to hold.

Its screen leaves little to be desired; text is displayed crisply while colours are rendered accurately . During tests, it handled productivity , multitasking, mid-level 3D games, and even Full HD movies without a stutter, though you would need to use headphones to compensate for its low speaker output.

Huawei is known for its network support, and this translates to clear calls with minimal call drops. Also, both SIM slots support 4G data.

On the storage front, only 4GB is available to users. And while this space can be boosted with a microSD card, its lack of OTG support for USB drives is disappointing.

Its cameras perform on a par with the best devices in this price range. The front camera comes with a beauty mode for better selfies, while its rear camera boasts of an All-Focus mode that let you shoot a picture first, and later decide on the area of focus.

The 4X has the best battery life we have seen, ever.A full charge lasts close to four days on moderate use.

INFOCUS M2

The InFocus M2 looks like a larger version of the Moto E with the same curved back and good build quality , but with a matt finish for grip.

Its HD touchscreen outclasses the Lava and Karbonn with sharp renders, crisp text, vivid colours and superior touch response.Unfortunately , this screen is not scratchresistant like the closely-priced Moto E and Xiaomi Redmi 2.

Two 8MP cameras with autofocus mean that front-shooter selfies are of the same quality as the photographs taken with the rear snapper. They are sharp and aren't treated with any softening filters. Also, you can use its diffused front LED flash for mug shots in a soft light and with less shadow.However, autofocus is a bit sluggish and snapshots lack detail.

The M2 is capable of clear calls, can handle casual gaming, productivity tasks, and even Full HD movies, but its cramped touchscreen keyboard affects typing and the movie-viewing experience.

We got almost a full day of service on a single charge, which is a bit substandard for a small-screened phone. This, however, can be extended by a few hours if you configure the battery optimization tool in the M2.

XIAOMI REDMI 2

The Redmi 2 boasts of a sturdy build and scratchresistant Dragontrail glass, but its smooth edges and back make it slippery to hold.

Its larger 4.7-inch screen, which is capable of vibrant colours and crisp text, is better suited for movie watching, mobile photography , and working on documents when compared to the InFocus M2 and Moto E.

The handset uses MIUI, a customized version of Android, which includes options to change font size to make it easier to read; receive discreet call notifications while you are working in another app and you can even downscale the live display for easier singlehanded operation.

Voice calls are clear; its speaker is loud enough for group conversations, and you also get a built-in call recorder. Like the Honor 4X, the Redmi 2 comes with dual 4G SIM slots.

The rear camera on the Redmi 2 is pretty responsive, takes good captures with decent detail and true colours.Overall, it turned out to be the best out of the seven phones on test here, closely followed by the Honor 4X. And as far as battery is concerned, you get slightly over a full day's use on a single charge.

AOC M601

The M601 is huge; has a nice rubberized exterior and feels solid to hold. Sadly , it is fronted by a 6-inch screen with a resolution that's similar to the much smaller Moto E, making its display seem less sharp, and the visuals a tad bit washed out.

The device tends to suffer during multitasking due to limited RAM, but still played most HD movies, and even a few Full HD files. It is capable of running most productivity apps and even the odd 3D game. Phone calls are clear and loud, but you will still need to rely on headphones for audio playback as its single rear speaker tends to get blocked when you hold the handset.

The output of its front VGA camera is generally blurry , grainy and devoid of detail. The rear camera, with an LED flash is capable of better photos, but these are only good for sharing on social networks.

In terms of storage, you get around 2GB with the option of using microSD cards, as well as OTG pen drives for quick transfer of data and multimedia.

To this average mix, add a battery life that lasts for less than a day and you have a device that only has a huge screen working in its favour.

KARBONN TITANIUM MACH TWO

The Karbonn Titanium Mach Two, which uses Gorilla Glass for its display and back panel, looks like the Apple iPhone. It even sports dual speaker grills at the bottom of its metal trim.

Its HD screen is bright, but the colours are not as punchy as the Xiaomi Redmi 2 or InFocus handset. Adjusting brightness does not help as this interferes with readability in sunlight.

The Karbonn, along with the Lava handset, tops the charts in terms of processing power.This reflects in the way it handles everyday tasks of document editing, Full HD movies, voice calls and some games like Frontline Commando.Everything ran smoothly without a hiccup.

The Mach Two does come with some customizations to the stock Android, but these are limited to convenience like smart gestures and a stamina mode for battery longevity so it remains responsive and snappy .

The cameras, however, are a bit of a let down.The Mach Two takes long to focus on an object; there's purple fringing around light sources, and colours tend to appear sources, and colours tend to appear smudged and blotchy .

Users get around 6GB storage space, as well as microSD card support, but it lacks USB OTG capability . Also, you will find yourself reaching for the charger even before you finish your shift at work.

LAVA IRIS X8

The Lava Iris X8 is an all-plastic affair, which feels tacky and quite heavy to hold. Its HD display uses Asahi glass, but still picked scratches very easily so it is advisable to use the screen guard included in the box. With time, the blemishes on the glass made the colours appear slightly dull and also affected touch response.

The X8's Android user interface is tweaked to include gesture and gaze controls to launch apps with the swipe of a hand, playpause videos when you look away from the screen, and a “floating“ button to quickly access favourite content.

On the performance front, this handset is more than capable of handling Full HD movies and 3D games. In our synthetic benchmarks, the Karbonn Mach Two was the only device that matched the Iris X8's processing power.

Call quality on the X8 is clear. Its speaker is not as powerful as the Moto E, but it does not distort at higher volumes while on a call.

The X8's cameras include a number of functions, like a bar code scanner, gesture control to remotely trigger the shutter, preset scene modes, etc. However, results were mediocre, with pictures appearing soft and colours smoothed over.

It gets a little better on the battery front. You can expect to get at least a full day's worth of work e-mails, a few games, social networking done with the X8.

Ashutosh Desai and Savio D'Souza TOI25APR15

drmsriram

Sunday, May 3, 2015

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL .....................HANDSETS FOR UNDER Rs 12,000

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