SMARTPHONE SPECIAL .....BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

The way handsets are specced, it pays to buy a device in the sub-₹15k range. These offer you a
...and even deliver on almost each and every smartphone promise. Ashutosh Desai and Savio D’Souza review mid-range handsets to help you find one that’s perfect for your needs

HONOR 8C | ₹12,499 (32GB), ₹14,199 (64GB)

The Honor 8C comes with a plastic body, which sports a muted blue-black finish that looks attractive without appearing garish. Up front, you get a toughened glass display. This surface, however, is prone to smudges; we recommend you use the screen guard—included in the box—to protect it. Overall, the handset is well constructed. You get a display that is capable of vibrant colours and is bright enough to be legible even in sunlight. On the flip side, it is the only device here that does not have a Full HD display.

Like all Honor smartphones, the 8C runs its homegrown EMUI user interface—over Android 8.1 Oreo—that comes with a custom apps and services such as an FM Radio receiver, HiCare that provides quick access to service centres, informs you of spare-part prices, and includes hardware diagnostics for troubleshooting.

SPECS: 6.26-inch (1520x720px) HD display 1.8GHz Snapdragon 632 octa-core processor 4GB RAM 32GB/64GB storage, microSD 13MP+2MP rear, 8MP front camera 4000mAh battery

RATING: 6/10

You get a Ride mode that disables your Bluetooth headset so calls are automatically answered with voice messages or SMS; there’s the Huawei Health app that keeps a tab of your step count and which can record and store other health related metrics including your heart-rate data when paired with Honor wearables. EMUI also comes with a file manager with a built-in cleanup app to free up storage when required.

People who prefer a stock Android experience might find the pre-installed apps a bit annoying, especially since they cannot be uninstalled. That said, the device posted the highest scores in productivity benchmark tests among the phones reviewed here; games like Asphalt 9 played smoothly, while PUBG is rendered without stutters in low and medium settings.

Call quality is clear, and voice/call recordings are crisp. Music via earphones are balanced with just the right amount of bass. The 8C can handle the playback of Full HD movies, but you will need to use earphones as the speakers are not powerful enough.

The 8C’s fingerprint sensor works spiffily, and its face unlock is prompt in bright environs. In low light, it uses the phone’s display to illuminate your face so this can be hit or miss affair.

On the camera front, the rear shooters on this handset are capable of photos that are good enough for social networks. That said, in Portrait mode, the snappers tend to mess up edges, especially when it comes to hair, to create unnatural-looking bokeh shots. The device comes with options for panoramas, HDR and a ‘Pro’ mode that allows you to manually set ISO, focus, shutter speed and colour temperature. For videos, you can choose between HD and Full HD captures.

Overall, photos shot in daylight tend to be overexposed, and you might lose details in brighter areas. Low light captures, on the other hand, are plagued by noise. When it comes to selfies, you get a beauty mode, but this works better for light skin tones. As far as videos are concerned, the 8C lacks any kind of image stabilisation.

Now, one area where this handset truly shines is its battery: You get close to two days of mixed use on a single full charge. For its asking price, the 8C isn’t a bad smartphone at all. It packs in enough features, handles cellular networks very well, looks good and boasts of an above average battery life.

SAMSUNG GALAXY M20 | ₹10,990 (3GB RAM, 32GB), ₹12,990 (4GB RAM, 64GB)

The M20’s polycarbonate body is fronted by an almost edge-to-edge display with a “tear drop” notch. The handset sports clean lines and is solidly built, though its smooth finish makes it slippery to hold. At the front, you get a bright Full HD+ display that renders crisp images with punchy colours. This screen lends itself for movie watching because it can render more details in dark scenes. Overall, it is much better than what you see on the Honor 8C.

Like it is with all Samsung handsets, the M20 runs the Experience UI over Android Oreo that comes pre-loaded with a apps like a voice recorder (no call recording), an FM radio, the Microsoft Office Mobile productivity suite, and Dual Messenger to run two instances of apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp. You also get a privacy protection mode to block ad trackers while web browsing, and a McAfee-powered malware scanner.

For device security, you get a fingerprint scanner that unlocks the handset quickly; its face recognition feature, however, is sluggish and takes a second or more to scan and load the home screen.

The M20 handles productivity tasks with ease, switches between apps without lag, and even renders games like Asphalt 9 and PUBG smoothly, albeit at medium quality settings. Call quality is clear, though its loudspeaker—like the Honor 8C—is not powerful enough to be audible in noisy settings. Music over earphones sound balanced.

Photographs clicked with the M20’s rear cameras are a mixed bag. Captures in natural light contain a fair amount of detail. Its portrait or bokeh mode does well to separate the foreground from the background. However, this effect does not work when it doesn’t detect a face in the frame. Closer

OPPO K1 | ₹16,990

The Oppo K1 looks identical to the Samsung Galaxy M20. Its high-gloss polycarbonate body looks premium, but it is also a fingerprint magnet. It is the only device in this review that comes with Gorilla Glass 5 and an on-screen fingerprint sensor. You get a bright Full HD+ display that outputs vibrant colours and images, but while its screen is better than the one on the Honor 8C, it doesn’t handle contrast details as well as the M20.

Like the other two handsets in this review, the K1 runs its own ColorOS UI over Android Oreo. You get a phone manager app for device optimisation and a screen recorder; you can clone apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to run two instances with different logins, and you get safety features like a kid’s mode with restricted access to apps, an “incognito” keyboard for passwords, the ability to hide apps under a PIN, and a “Protect Personal Information” feature that prevents apps from accessing your contacts, messages and call history.

The onscreen fingerprint sensor works promptly, while its face recognition algorithm performs consistently even in poor light. The K1 is equipped with a processor that is more powerful than the one on the Honor 8C and Samsung M20. This is evident from its higher benchmark scores. In real world usage, Full HD video playback and games like Asphalt 9 and PUBG pose no problem. Voice calls and their recordings are clear, and its speaker is loud enough to be heard even in a noisy office space. Audio output over earphones is crisp and balanced.

The K1’s cameras capture sharp images without overexposing the brighter regions. Indoor photos show some softening, with a shift towards warmer tones; here, graininess is kept under control with smoothening.

inspection also shows softening in some areas, but this isn’t a deal breaker. You can switch to an ultrawide-angle view to fit in a large group and landscapes. However, quality takes a hit in poor light.

SPECS: 6.3-inch (2340x1080px) FHD+ display 1.8GHz Exynos 7904 octa-core processor 4GB RAM 64GB storage, microSD 13MP+5MP rear, 8MP front camera 5000mAh battery

RATING: 6.5/10

You get basic modes for action photography, panoramas, and a manual mode that only gives you control over ISO, exposure and white balance. Selfies with the fixed-focus front cam – with beautification mode disabled – show natural colour tones, but lack detail.

Despite the high-resolution display, the M20’s battery will last for more than a day. Its power management settings will help extend battery life further. The Galaxy M20 is well priced and it has almost all that you need from a mid-range phone: Performance, software features and an impressive battery.

The camera app has modes like panorama, time-lapse, portrait and manual where you get control over shutter speed, ISO, exposure and aperture. Plus, you can shoot 4K videos, albeit without image stabilisation. The front camera captures detail, which is noticeable only when its beauty mode is switched off. Here, colours appear warm and with great contrast.

SPECS: 6.41-inch (2340x1080px) Full HD+ display 1.95GHz Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor 4GB RAM 64GB storage, microSD 16MP+2MP rear, 25MP front camera 3600mAh battery

RATING: 6.5/10

The Oppo K1 is a little more expensive than the other phones in this price bracket. Its battery needs to be recharged everyday and it doesn’t support fast charging. But, it is the best overall performer from all the three devices reviewed here.

OTHER SMARTPHONES WORTH CHECKING OUT…

Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2’s 5000mAh battery keeps the phone going for up to two days on a single charge. It has the same processor as the Oppo K1 and its cameras are capable of crisp captures with saturated colours. Besides, it can detect up to 13 scenes and is also capable of recording videos up to 4K resolution. The selfie camera is basic, with face detection and an LED flash for low-light photography.

Besides, this phone runs the stock Android OS and comes with few pre-loaded apps like a calendar, voice recorder and FM radio.

SPECS 6.26-inch (2280x1080px) FHD+ Gorilla Glass 6 display 1.95GHz Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor 3GB/4GB/6GB RAM 32GB/64GB storage, microSD 12MP+5MP rear, 13MP front camera 5000mAh battery

₹12,999 (3GB RAM, 32GB), ₹ 14,999 (4GB RAM, 64GB)

Motorola One Power

The Motorola One Power packs in a 5000mAh battery with a two-day battery life and fast charging, which means you can get up to six hours of use from a 15-minute recharge. Moreover, this handset sports a metal back panel and is treated with a water-repellent coating to protect it from damage caused by water.

Its cameras click pictures with good colour contrast (though it struggles in low light). Performance wise, it is capable of handling high-definition video content, and even some 3D gaming without any lags. The Motorola One Power runs the stock Android OS and is guaranteed to receive regular security patches. On the downside, it lacks a face unlock option, which is found in most smartphones in this price range.

SPECS 6.2-inch (2246x1080px) Full HD+ Gorilla Glass display 1.8GHz Snapdragon 636 octa-processor 4GB RAM 64GB storage, microSD 16MP+5MP rear, 12MP front camera 5000mAh battery

₹13,999

Mi A2

The Mi A2 ticks all the right boxes when it comes to build, cameras, storage and battery life. You get a scratch-resistant display, a full metal unibody and an IR blaster to control gadgets like TVs, ACs and DVD players, etc from the phone itself. Photos clicked with its dual rear cameras are detailed, while selfies taken with its front camera are equally good, and rendered in natural colours with warm tones.

One thing to note is that the Mi A2 lacks the standard 3.5mm stereo port and a microSD slot.

It runs a pure Android Stock interface, without any bloatware, and you will get regular OS updates. On the battery front, it will work for a full day before needing a recharge.

SPECS 5.99-inch (2160x1080px) FHD+ display 1.95GHz Snapdragon 660 octa-core processor 4GB/6GB RAM 64GB/128GB storage 12MP+20MP rear, 20MP front camera 3010mAh battery

₹13,999 (4GB RAM, 64GB), ₹15,999 (6GB RAM, 128GB)

Nokia 6.1 Plus

The Nokia 6.1 Plus sports a glass and metal design. Its screen renders rich colours with excellent contrast. The phone, which is also an Android One handset that’s promised regular updates, is specced to handle varying workloads and graphic-intensive games without any perceivable lag. Its cameras can be set to click pictures or shoot videos with the front and rear cameras simultaneously.

On the battery front, the Nokia 6.1 Plus will give a day’s worth of use before needing a recharge. However, even though the phone supports fast charging, it comes with a standard charger.

SPECS 5.8-inch (2280x1080px) FHD+ Gorilla Glass 3 display Snapdragon 636 octa-core processor 4GB RAM 64GB storage, microSD 16MP+5MP rear, 16MP front camera 3060mAh battery

₹14,999

TOI 23FEB19