SMARTPHONE SPECIAL ...... NEW BUDGET SMARTPHONES (5)

NEW BUDGET SMARTPHONES (5)





Entry-level smartphones have enough processing muscle to handle every productivity task smoothly and even play Full HD movies. You can also expect a day-long battery life.

INFOCUS TURBO 5

The InFocus Turbo 5 offers a two-day battery life, the ability to charge another device and a fingerprint sensor for security. Those looking to buy a phone primarily for battery capacity should consider this one.

The InFocus Turbo 5 sports a polycarbonate body with a metallic grey finish and a touchscreen that's slightly curved at the edges. The end result is a good-looking handset.

Its 5.2-inch HD touchscreen works to its advantage ­ it is small enough for single-handed use, yet large enough for comfortable reading and typing long missives. Its display is bright, renders vibrant colours with excellent contrast. Like the Nubia N1 Lite, you get MiraVision, a display enhancement tool to tweak the way colours are rendered onscreen.

Apart from the Moto E4 Plus, the Turbo 5 is the only handset on test with a 5000mAh battery , and you can eke out two days of use before reaching for the charger. Plus, it supports reverse charging, so you can use it to replenish another smartphone's battery (you will need to buy the cable separately).

Like the Moto E4 Plus, it runs the latest Android 7 (Nougat) OS. Its user interface is customised to include add-ons like call recording, memory optimisation and a security app called Safebox to lock apps, personal photos, confidential documents and bank account details.

However, its rear camera is underwhelming when compared to similarlypriced phones like the Redmi 4A and Nubia N1 Lite. Subjects do not appear sharp, highlights are blown out in brighter settings, and finer details like texture and grains of sand look blurry when examined closely . Its selfie camera is also lacklustre but that lack of detail is not a big deal here as the beautification modes usually soften them out.

On the performance front, you get a snappy user interface with smooth screen animations and quick transitions. It works well for productivity apps and light games like Smash Hit and Bomb Hunter. Full HD video playback poses no problem.

This handset comes with an audio “boost“ only for its speaker.It is not very discernable and since the speaker is on the rear panel, it gets muffled as soon as the device is placed on a flat surface. However, audio over a pair of earphones is better with clear sounds across the lows, mids and highs.

SPECS: 5.2-inch HD display | 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6737 quad-core processor | 2GB RAM | 13MP rear (LED flash), 5MP front camera | 16GB storage, hybrid microSD | 5000mAh battery

Rs 6,999 | RATING: 6.5/10

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 5AUG17