GADGET GIZMO REVIEW HANDSETS UNDER Rs 15k

GADGET GIZMO REVIEW HANDSETS UNDER Rs 15k   Shopping on a budget? MEIZU M2 Unlike other Android phones, the Meizu M2 sports a single navigation button below its display . Tapping this button once lets you go back a step while pressing it returns you to the home screen. This might take some time getting used to, especially for a seasoned Android user. However, the customizations are minimal and the user interface is very intuitive: The M2 comes with basic gesture control to wake up the device from standby and a floating “smart touch“ button that lets you launch the notification bar, go to the home screen and switch between tasks in a jiffy. The handset is lightweight, feels sturdy , sports a unibody design and fits comfortably in the palm of the hand or in the shirt pocket.Its cameras, which come with HDR and basic photo filter options, are capable of shooting pictures with a fair amount of detail and balanced colours. That said, macro photography is not its strong point: results tend to be rather soft and out of focus. High-definition videos and 3D games like Asphalt 8 are handled without any hiccups. Transferring or watching content off a USB OTG drive is also smooth. Also, the M2 does a good job with music playback. Audio sounds better than the InFocus Bingo 50 and on a par with the Coolpad Note 3 Lite. Overall, this device is responsive and you can expect to get about a day's worth of work done on a full battery . SPECS: 5-inch (1280x720px) laminated display | 1.3GHz MT6735 quad-core processor | 2GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD | 13MP (LED flash), 5MP cameras | Dual SIM | 2500mAh battery PRICE `6,999 RATING 6/10 MI NOTE 3 The Mi Note 3 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to smartphone capabilities. It handles productivity tasks, Full HD movies and 3D games without any stutter, while music playback through headphones is balanced with just the right amount of lows, mids and highs, and it also gives you well over a day of battery life on a single charge. Both its cameras are best in class. You can choose between three modes of beautification when shooting selfies, while the rear cam comes with a dozen shooting options, including panorama, twilight mode, timer, fish eye, tilt shift for that miniature effect, and even manual that allows you to choose between white balance settings and ISO depending on your lighting.Of course, you can also select from 16 visual filters to create just the right mood for your snapshots. As a plus, the Mi Note 3 packs in an IR blaster that lets you configure it as a universal remote for international brands of ACs and TVs, a fingerprint sensor that works spiffily to unlock your device, and it even has a `night' and `reading' mode that makes its screen's brightness easier on the eye. Displaywise, it is capable of crisp text, good visibility in sunlight, and vibrant colours. The Mi Note 3 packs in the highest capacity of internal storage (in this review), which can be further expanded via microSD and USB OTG to store and seamlessly transfer your music, movies and photos. And, well, all of this is housed in an 8.6mm slim metal body that's fronted by a fully laminated screen. SPECS: 5.5-inch (1920x1080px) display | 1.8GHz Snapdragon 650 PRICE RATING hexa-core processor | 3GB RAM | 32GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | 16MP (dual LED flash), 5MP cameras | Dual SIM | 4000mAh battery PRICE `11,999 RATING 8/10 ASUS ZENFONE MAX The Max packs in a 5000mAh battery gives you over two day's of use. Addition , which ally, you can use its battery to charge another device via the USB OTG cable included in the box. Build-wise, this handset is a solid allplastic affair, and its curved back makes it easier to grip and operate. The Max's display is bright and renders vibrant colours, though it is not as crisp as the Redmi's Full HD display. Its rear camera is capable of capturing fair amount of detail in well-lit environs. However, shots taken in dim light appear soft due to heavy noise. Photos taken with the front camera are average and good enough for sharing on the web only . You also get a bunch of creative shooting modes that let you create GIF animations, panoramas, time lapse and slow-motion videos. On the audio front, the Max delivers clear output to the earphones. A dedicated graphic equalizer tool lets you tweak the final sound to your preferences. You also get a customized user interface, which does not slow the device down and includes a number of useful features like a onehanded mode, call recording, and colour profiles.This phone suits those folk who need an affordable device for personal entertainment, with a good battery life. SPECS: 5.5-inch (1280x720px) laminated display | 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor | 2GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | Dual SIM | 13MP (dual LED flash), 5MP cameras | 5000mAh battery PRICE `9,999 RATING 6.5/10 COOLPAD NOTE 3 LITE The Note 3 Lite is a low-price handset, but its solid plastic build quality , 16GB of internal storage with support for microSD cards and crisp display belie its budget pricing. As a plus, you also get a fingerprint sensor for security. Here, multiple fingerprints can be configured for different tasks, for instance to click a picture or to activate features like voice recording and even apps. On the downside, The Note 3 Lite's USB OTG is a hit-and-miss affair. In certain instances, the device recognized when a pen drive was plugged in, but couldn't read its contents. Hopefully, this is something that will be fixed with firmware upgrades from Coolpad. Performance-wise, the Note 3 Lite posts average scores in benchmark tests, but this is no indicator of its capabilities. The handset runs Full HD movies and 3D games like Asphalt 8: Airborne without any problems, and it also works well as a music player with its balanced sound output. Its camera app comes with a beauty mode for selfie photos and videos, a Pro mode where you can manually adjust exposure, aperture and ISO; a dozen image filters and an Edit feature that lets you post-process your snapshots.The Note 3 Lite's rear shooter is capable of good macro photos, though selfies appear soft and snapshots in incandescent lighting suffer from grain and loss of detail. That said, what you get is a device that gives you about a day's use on a full battery , and which delivers basic smartphone functionality without breaking the bank. SPECS: 5-inch (1280x720px) lami nated display | 1.3GHz MT6735 quad core processor | 3GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | 13MP (LED flash), 5MP cameras | Dual SIM | 2500mAh battery PRICE `6,999 RATING 6/10 LENOVO VIBE P1M The Vibe P1m's body is covered with a hydrophobic nano-coating to protect against accidental spills and water splashes. It feels bulkier than the Lava V2 3GB and Meizu M2, but its rubberized back panel offers better grip. You also get a vibrant screen with wide viewing angles. Like the Asus ZenFone Max, the P1m comes with a battery that gives you more than a day's worth of work done on a single charge, as well as the ability to charge other devices via an OTG cable. You also get a fast charger that replenishes the battery in a few hours. The P1m sports a dedicated toggle switch on its side which lets you switch the phone into a power-saving mode. In this mode, the handset turns into a feature phone, providing access to essential functions like phone, dialler, text messenger, contacts, calculator, etc. The device handles productivity tasks, Full HD movies, as well as the odd 3D game. However, there were noticeable delays in launching resource intensive apps and switching between multiple tasks. On the imaging front, the Vibe P1m's cameras are average. You get 14 preset scene modes (night, sunset, party , fireworks...), but the results don't appear sharp. Even focusing on subjects is a bit slow. Its speaker is loud, allowing for clear hands-free calls and music via earphones sounds well-balanced with adequate bass. All in all, the Vibe P1m is a good alternative to the year-old Moto E, which also comes with a water resistant build. SPECS: 5-inch (1280x720px) display | 1GHz MT6735P quad-core processor | 2GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | 8MP (LED flash), 5MP cameras | Dual SIM | 3900mAh battery PRICE `7,999 RATING 6/10 LAVA V2 3GB The Lava V2 3GB sports a slim profile like the Meizu M2. Its glossy back panel and smooth side metal frame makes it look good, but also slippery to hold. The handset runs on the latest Android Marshmallow with minimal customization. You get basic features like a call recorder, Turbo Download to combine your Wi-Fi speeds with 3G4G for faster downloads, a smart lock screen, and hassle-free USB OTG drive support. Its scratch-resistant display is bright, renders vivid colours and crisp text that is viewable from wide angles. The V2 is capable of smoothly running games like Asphalt 8, Frontline Commando and even high-definition movie content. That said, its audio output sounds relatively flat and is not as good as the Asus ZenFone Max. Its battery, which requires a recharge before the day is done, also failed to impress. Now while the V2's rear camera is capable of taking good photographs in well-lit environs, quality takes a hit in low-light: photos are plagued with excessive grain and softening of details. That said, it worked well for macro photos. Also, its selfie camera is accompanied with a front-facing flash, allowing for better exposure in low light. Indeed, the Lava V2 3GB's pocketfriendly form factor is its mainstay, but it could have been a much better phone if not for its middling battery life. SPECS: 5-inch (1280x720px) scratch-resistant display | 1.3GHz MT6735 quad-core processor | 3GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | 13MP (dual LED flash), 8MP cameras | Dual SIM | 2500mAh battery PRICE `10,750 RATING 6/10 INFOCUS BINGO 50 T he Bingo 50 sports a great build quality complete with a sandstone-finish curved back cover and a solid metal frame. What you , also get is a device that runs the newest version of Android: Marshmallow, and a feature called Turbo Download that allows you to combine your Wi-Fi connection along with your 3G or 4G networks for better speeds. The Bingo 50's screen is crisp, is visible outdoors under sunlight, and colours are rendered vibrantly . Its camera app comes with a Normal (with HDR) and Panorama mode ­ and within its settings menu, you can also select `beautification' for selfies, adjust exposure, white balance, and even choose between 14 scene modes, including sunset, party , portrait, night, sports, and fireworks. Macro images shot with this device are quite sharp with just the right amount of depth for the background. Overall, both 8MP cameras shoot pictures that are soft on detail, but their output is good enough to share on social networks. When it comes to performance, the Bingo 50 works just as well as the Coolpad Note 3 Lite, and while it posts average scores in benchmark tests, the handset is still capable of running Full HD movies and games like Asphalt 8. On the downside, auto-rotation on this handset does not work. If you change the orientation of the device when watching a movie, browsing the web or photos, it simply does not respond. Also, after selecting a numerical lock during setup, we weren't able to switch to pattern unlock until we reset the device. This was eventually resolved, but a firmware upgrade might be required to deal with these niggling issues, and perhaps to also make the handling of OTG drives simpler via a better file browsermanager. Lastly, the sound through headphones and speakers is rather underwhelming. On paper, the Bingo 50 holds a lot of promise, but doesn't quite deliver yet. SPECS: 5-inch (1280x720px) display | 1.3GHz MTK6735 quad-core processor | 3GB RAM | 16GB storage, microSD, USB OTG | 8MP (LED flash), 8MP cameras | Dual SIM | 2500mAh battery PRICE `7,499 RATING 5.5/10 ALSO CONSIDER : On February 20, Techtonic reviewed the LeEco Le 1s (Rated 7.5/10,PRICE `10,999), and the Honor 5X (Rated 6.5/10, PRICE `12,999). Both these devices are still worth your consideration. Second only to the Mi Note 3 in performance, the Le 1s promises value for money: it sports a metal body, looks fantastic, you get 32GB of storage, and its fingerprint scanner adds an extra layer of security. This device works smoothly when it comes to productivity, as well as performance in gaming and multimedia. The Honor 5X also boasts of a metal body, looks just as good, and comes with a fingerprint scanner ­ and while it is not in the same performance class as the Mi Note 3 and the LeEco Le 1s, you get a stellar battery life of over a day and a half on a single charge. WHAT THE RATINGS MEAN... Techtonic uses a detailed rating system that takes into consideration various criteria such as device build quality and design, hardware and software features, user experience and even price when reviewing products. Points are awarded and sometimes even deducted from total scores based on this system to arrive at a final score. Below 5: The product is poor and doesn't offer the experience it promises. 5 and 6: The device works. 7: It is very good. 8: The product is fantastic; super value for money. 9: The product is exceptional.

Ashutosh Desai and Savio D'Souza

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