drmsriram: SMARTPHONE REVIEW

SMARTPHONE REVIEW

MOTO Z2 PLAY

The Moto Z2 Play supports different attachments: a camera mod, a projector mod, one for better audio, and another for improved battery. Depending on your use, you can pick either or all of these, making this device highly customisable. As far as daily use goes, it doesn’t fare too bad either.

Build: The handset boasts of a metal unibody finish that is treated with a water-repellent nano-coating to safeguard against spills and splashes. But the handset’s true USP is its modular design. It supports a camera mod with 10x optical zoom, a dual three-watt speaker mod, a 50-lumens projector mod, and a 2220mAh battery add-on – all of which snap onto the device magnetically and connect to it via 16 gold contacts on its back. This ‘bond’ seems solid but requires careful handling as a drop could cause the component to separate and even lead to damage. It should be noted that these units cost extra and are not splash proof. The Z2 Play’s homescreen button doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

Display: By default, its scratch-resistant Full HD touchscreen is set to the ‘Vibrant’ mode where it displays enhanced “saturated” colours. You can, however, switch to its ‘Standard’ mode from device Settings if you prefer a more realistic palette. In either mode, visibility takes a slight dip in sunlight due the reflective nature of the screen, but in most situations this can be worked around by adjusting the brightness manually.

Features: The device features a near-stock Android Nougat experience with minor additions to improve user experience. For instance, you get support for hand gestures that activate the camera or LED flash, the ability to shrink screen size for single-handed use, and even configure the homescreen button to perform multiple functions like open recent apps or lock the screen. Then, there’s Moto Display, a feature that lets you to view notifications on the screen and even reply to them without unlocking the phone.

Performance: Network handling and call clarity and is problem-free on the Z2 Play. Its earpiece, which doubles as a front-firing speaker, is loud and works well for hands-free phone calls in noisy environs. Audio over earphones is powerful and clear without sounding too bright. Besides, you get a 5-band graphic equaliser (found in the Play Music app’s settings) to fine-tune output. The Z2 Play is not kitted with a high-end processor like the Asus ZenFone AR, yet it is capable of handling tasks without any noticeable slowdowns. You will be able to play 3D games like War Robots and Asphalt 8. Working with the Mods is also a seamless experience: just snap one on and it is ready to be used immediately.

Camera: Photos taken with the rear shooter appear sharp and evenly exposed, with natural colours. Though, it does not capture details as well as the Asus ZenFone AR. Also, there is visible image softening in photos taken in poor light. It still manages to capture textures, but colours look pale with noise creeping into the image. Add the Hasselblad True Zoom mod (`14,999) and the phone becomes a full-fledged camera – with a 12MP sensor, flash and 10x optical zoom. Photo captures, without magnification, are on a par with the rear camera, but with better depth of field. Even though the mod includes optical image stabilisation, you need steady hands to shoot at full zoom. Pictures clicked with the front cam are average – skin tones are natural, though lack detail. However, it adjusts light exposure well and the front flash adds warmth to the frame.

Battery: You can expect to get up to a day’s worth of work out of the Moto Z2 Play. Snap on the camera mod and the battery will drain faster. However, you could opt for the battery mod (`2,999) to add an extra day.

BLACKBERRY KEYONE LIMITED EDITION BLACK

With its physical keyboard and best-in-class security features, the BlackBerry KeyOne is a device that’s targeted at suits in corporate halls who are looking for a secure handset for smartphone communication. Its smaller display, and slightly slower processor might not make it a multimedia and gaming smartphone, but it still manages to get the job done where it matters.

Build: The BlackBerry KeyOne build comprises a strong aluminium frame and a toughened Gorilla Glass 4 display. Its back panel has a textured, leatherette finish, which makes it look elegant and also offers better grip. This device is the only phone in this roundup to sport a compact physical keyboard at the bottom of the handset. The keys are backlit and offer excellent tactile feel. Also, they are touch sensitive and respond to swipes and gestures. Notably, the spacebar doubles-up as a fingerprint sensor, and despite its small size, it responds very quickly to unlock the screen. That said, the keys are quite closely packed and this could make it slightly difficult for people with bigger thumbs to type comfortably.

Display: This handset has the smallest display on test, but it is very responsive and renders vivid colours and crisp text that is legible even in sunlight, complete with great contrast and wide viewing angles. You can change the system font size and colour profile to suit your viewing preference. However, you don’t get a dedicated reading or night mode.

Features: The KeyOne runs the latest Android 7 (Nougat) OS along with some productivity features. The keyboard, for instance, recognises swipe gestures. So you can scroll through documents, flick predicted text ‘up’ without having to type the entire word, summon the onscreen keyboard if you want to access special symbols and even start Google’s speech-to-text engine to dictate long messages. It also allows you to assign each letter on the keyboard to a specific app: Long press “A” to launch Contacts, “B” to open the Chrome browser and more.

You can also assign actions for short presses – effectively, you can configure up to 52 shortcuts with the keyboard itself. BlackBerry has also baked security features into the handset: The OS is patched with the latest security updates, cryptographic keys are embedded in the hardware to prevent tampering, there’s complete encryption, along with DTEK monitoring software that alerts a user when it detects ‘at risk’ apps.

Performance: There were no issues with call handling and its speaker is loud and clear. Music played over the earphones is crisp across the mids, but don’t expect nuanced sound and deep lows. The KeyOne is kitted with a mid-range processor that is slower – based on synthetic benchmark scores – than the other handsets reviewed here. Yet, it is more than capable of playing Full HD movies, multitask between productivity apps smoothly and even load a 3D game. However, it is not built to be an entertainment device; its display is too small and the physical keyboard makes it awkward to use in landscape mode.

Camera: You get a great set of shooters with the KeyOne. In fact, its rear snapper is capable of capturing quite a lot of detail in photos that are evenly lit. Colours appear natural, without heavy tinting. However, you don’t get as many shooting modes as the Asus ZenFone AR. Selfies taken with the front camera are average, but are good enough for sharing online.

Battery: The KeyOne can give you up to two full days of service on a single charge of its battery. Plus, you get a fast charger that can replenish half the battery capacity in 45 minutes.

ASUS ZENFONE AR

The Asus ZenFone AR packs in powerful hardware, a good camera and support for augmented and virtual reality technologies. This handset is for early adopters of such cutting-edge tech; besides, it works just as well as for productivity and gaming. The only downside is that the Daydream View headset costs extra.

Build: The Asus ZenFone AR’s build is a combination of metal, toughened glass and textured leather, making it a sturdy handset that’s also stylish. Besides, you also get a physical homescreen button that doubles as a fingerprint sensor.

Display: Its QHD display outputs heavily saturated colours, but you can adjust this profile from the Settings app. Here, you will also find a blue light filter to avoid eye strain when using the device in the dark. Other than that, the ZenFone AR renders sharp images, with crisp text, great contrast and deep blacks. Legibility in direct sunlight isn’t a problem either.

Features: The device has a motiontracking and a depth-sensing IR sensor alongside its rear snapper. These work along with Google’s Tango (augmented reality) and Daydream (virtual reality) services that come pre-loaded on the phone. Both let you browse apps that let you ‘experience’ a 3D object, as well as interact with or explore landscapes in an immersive way. For instance, WSJ AR is a Tango-based app that loads a 3D bar chart of the stock exchange, which you can manipulate with a pinch-and-zoom to view a company’s share price. Similarly, you can install apps that generate virtual objects and superimpose them in the real workspace around you.

Daydream is an advanced version of Google Cardboard. It is meant to be experienced with Google’s Daydream View headset (available separately for `6,499) . This headset comes with a rechargeable controller, which connects to the handset via NFC and Bluetooth. It comprises a touchpad, buttons to navigate an app’s interface and adjust volume. Here, you can install apps that support Google Cardboard and the newer Daydream technology.

Apart from that, the ZenFone AR packs in customisations that allow users to adjust the look and feel of the homescreen, adjust icon size as well as alignment; change how the app drawer organises installations and more. There’s support for touch and motion gestures, which allow you to draw on a blank screen to launch apps, flip-to-mute and even enable a “one hand mode” that shrinks the screen size when you double press the homescreen button. There are optimisation tools that help to free up memory and even speed up loading time for specified apps. The UI lets you switch to a kid’s mode, which creates a safer sandboxed environment when you hand over the phone to a child. Plus, you get 100GB of free Google Drive space for two years.

Performance: The phone handles networks well and call quality is clear. It comes with a DTS sound enhancement that outputs balanced audio across the aural range with discernable bass. The ZenFone AR is specced to handle any app or task that is thrown at it. It ran all synthetic benchmark tests without a hitch, posting scores that were second only to the OnePlus 5 in this round up. It handles 3D games like War Robots, Modern Combat 5 and Real Racing 3 without a stutter, and multi-tasking poses no problem either. Besides, it works really well with demanding tasks such as rendering 3D objects and landscapes while using AR and VR applications. That said, there is a noticeable lag when switching between such apps. Also, the headset feels heavy and cumbersome over a period of time.

Camera: The 23MP snapper takes stellar shots in well-lit environments. There is minimal lag in focussing on a subject and capturing the frame when the shutter is triggered. Colours look vibrant with lots of detail and pictures are evenly exposed. In fact, they are worthy of being used for postcard-sized prints. Low light and indoor shots also show detail with great colour reproduction. But certain photographs also showed heavy optimisation and softening round the subject’s edges. Selfies taken with the front snapper display warm skin tones but with a lot of smoothening even when the ‘beauty’ mode is disabled. The camera app is loaded with a number of scene modes like low light, macro, children, GIF, miniature, time lapse and a manual mode that gives you complete control over focussing, shutter, aperture, exposure and white balance.

Battery: You can expect a day’s worth of service from the ZenFone AR. This may dip further when the camera and the ARVR apps are used for an extended period of time. That said, you get multiple power-saving modes to help you extend battery life.

ONEPLUS 5

This handset packs in the most current hardware with very practical features baked into its interface, making it one of the best smartphones in the market. It promises and even delivers more at this cost than other devices that are pricier. If you have the budget, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Price: `32,999 (6GB RAM64GB), `37,999 (8GB RAM128GB)

RATING: 7.5/10

HONOR 8 PRO

The Honor 8 Pro ticks all the right boxes when it comes to looks and performance; you get an IR blaster and almost two-day battery life to boot. If you’re shopping within a budget of `30,000, this is a handset well worth your consideration.

Price: `29,999

RATING: 7/10

What the ratings mean:

Below 5: The product is poor and doesn’t offer the experience it promises | 5 & 6: The product works as advertised | 7: The product is good; will not disappoint the buyer | 8: Very good; super value for money | 9: The device is exceptional | 10: You’re kidding, right? All ratings awarded to devices factor in prices to arrive at a final score.

Ashutosh Desai TOI 20AUG17

drmsriram

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SMARTPHONE REVIEW

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