If
a common middle class man can get himself a smartphone, it is all because of
Android. You can get an Android powered handset for as less as 3.5K; and the
price range goes as high as 40K. But it is the lower end handset section that
makes Android the ultimate choice for the common man, especially in a country
like India. And today, I am going to write a comparison between two low end
smart phones - Lava Iris N350 and Micromax Ninja 3.5 A57 - powered by
Android OS; it will help you in making your mind about which handset is better
suited to your need.
Display
Both
the handsets sport a 3.5 inch capacitive HVGA screen. Both the screens have
262K color depth. Both of them have multitouch input method. Lava Iris has a
dimension of 115 x 61.5 x 11.9 mm and A57 has a dimension of 116 x 62 x 11.5
mm. Without a shadow of doubt this section ends in a tie.
CPU
and RAM
The
Lava handset has a 1GHz processor on a MediaTek chipset, the processor is
complimented by a 256MB RAM. On the other hand the A57 too has a 1GHz processor
presiding over a Qualcomm chipset, the CPU is also seconded by a 256MB of RAM.
A tie once again.
Storage
Capacity
In
the storage capacity segment the Lava Iris N350 sports a 100MB built-in
storage capacity, which can be furthered till 32GB via a microSD card. The
handset can store up to 1000 phonebook entries and up to 200 SMS. In reply the
Ninja has almost similar storage credentials and has similar expansion
capacity. So, one more parley.
Camera
The
Lava handset has a 2MP camera on the back side of the body and a VGA camera on
the front side for video chat and self portrait. In the main camera segment the
Ninja is a better option as it has a 3MP camera on the posterior of the body
but unfortunately there is no front camera, hence maladroit or no video
chat. Advantage Lava Iris N350.
Data
Connectivity
In
the data connectivity arena, the N350 has GPRS, EDGE, and Wi-Fi for Internet
connectivity and USB and Bluetooth 3.0 for faster and convenient data transfer.
Ninja on the other hand houses all the aforementioned specs and in addition, it
has 3G, which readers know is many folds faster than GPRS and EDGE. Ninja A57
wins hands down.
Battery
The
Lava N350 has a Li-Ion 1300 mAh battery, which can give the users a talk time
of around 2 hours 40 minutes and a standby time of 10 days. In reply, Ninja
houses a Li-Ion 1400 mAh battery, which is capable of giving the users a talk
time of around 4 and a half hours and a standby time of 6 days. Ninja.
Operating
System
As
we talked earlier, both the handsets are Android powered devices. Both of them
run Android Gingerbread 2.3. So, both of them at the same pedestal in this
section too.
The
Verdict
Frankly speaking, if your
sole motive is video chat go for the Lava Iris N350, since it houses a
front camera. But if your liking is faster Internet better, battery, and
superior looks; you will have to go for Micromax Ninja 3.5 A57. Like the post you might also like to read:
When
Samsung launched Galaxy Note, critics were a little skeptic about the reception
that the phablet would get in the market worldwide. But the phablet, as soon as
it was launched, silenced all the criticism and skepticism that was created
around it. Gradually the public interest rose and the demand for the new genre
of mobile phones called phablet increased. But price, which is the biggest area
of concern in the domestic market, comes in the way of most of the folks
interested in phablets.
To
explore the possibilities, the domestic companies like Micromax, Spice, and
others come with phablets, which are not just
good but cost effective as well. But then, the vital question is, which one
should the buyers take among the plethora of phablets in the markets. And to
provide the readers with a solution I am going to do a comparison between the
best phablets available in the domestic market, namely: Spice Stellar HorizonMi-500 and Micromax Superfone Canvas A100. So let’s get started, without delay.
Esthetics
Both
the devices are equipped with a 5 inch display; both the displays have WVGA (800x480)
resolution. Both the handsets are well equipped with sensors like Accelerometer,
proximity, G-sensor. In the weight and dimension segmentthe Micromax handset is a little ahead
of the Spice Mi-500 but as far as the looks is concerned Spice turns the table
on Micromax. I would call it a tie.
CPU
and RAM
In
this segment the Spice handset seems to be donning the victor’s crown as it has got a 1GHz dual
core processor, whereas the A100 has got a 1GHz single core processor, the
difference is quite conspicuous. Both processors are seconded by a 512MB RAM.
Storage
In
the storage segment the Spice Mi-500 and Micromax A100 both offer the users a
built-in memory of 4GB and both of them possess an expansion capacity of 32GB.
Both are equals here as well.
Camera
The
5MP primary camera of the Mi-500 is supported by a dual LED flash, in reply
the Micromax A100 also dons a 5MP camera but has support of a single LED flash.
As far as the front camera is concerned, both the handsets has 0.3MP camera on
the front side of the body. With a little bit of up and down I would call it a
tie.
Battery
For
a mobile as big as Mi-500 or A100, the battery spec becomes as pivotal as anything.
The Mi-500 houses a mammoth 2400 mAh battery, the Micromax A100 comes in with a
2000 mAh battery. Both the phones have a strong battery capacity but Mi has a
conspicuous edge over the A100.
Operating
System
Both
the handsets are Android IceCream Sandwich powered devices. And there is no
need to say that the ICS is the best user friendly Android till date.
The
Verdict
After going through all the
tech specs of either of the handsets, one feels that there is not much to
differentiate between the two of the handsets. But with better battery and
faster processor, the Spice Mi-500 becomes the better handset between the two
good mobile phones. Go for the Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500. Like the article, you might also like to read:
Are you guys
thinking that the Samsung Galaxy Note is too expensive to grasp in your hand
and flaunt in front of your buddies? No need to worry. Spice is coming up with
a gigantic handset to please you all – Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500- which will
hit the market by 1st week of October. This post, dear readers,
would not just give you a full view of the phablet but also tell you that it is
not necessary to spend a 30K for a 5 inch phone. So, why wait, let’s divulge
into a review.
First and the
most eye catching thing about the handset is its intimidating size, the sheer 5inch size of the device takes it in a league where there are only couple of
other handsets to give company(read competition). The big 5 inch screen is full
of vivacious colors and the touch is superb, for crisp images an 800x480p resolution has been incorporated to the screen . And the sensors like proximity
sensor and accelerometer sensor 3(D) add glitter to glory.
Moving on, the
phone has a 5MP camera on the rear side of the body and a VGA one on the front
side for video chat and self portrait. The main camera is supported by a dual LED
flash. And there is no need to say that the camera has no dearth of additional
features, such as auto focus, portrait, landscape & other modes, and
various effects. I am, here affixing some of the pics taken from
the phone camera itself.
For the speed
lovers the handset offers a Dual processor, which has a clock speed of 1GHz. The
superfast processor is backed by a 512MB RAM, the combination is lethal, pretty
lethal.
In the
connectivity segment there is Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot, USB
connectivity, GPRS, and HSPA. With the 3G(HSPA) capability the phone is at the
same pedestal with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note. In addition the handset has a dual SIM support
as well.
If one wants to
peep into the battery capabilities of the handset, it has a Li-Ion 2400 mAh
battery, which without doubt is one of the high points of the handset.
Moving towards
the Operating System of the handset, it has got the best in the business –
Android IceCream Sandwich 4.0 (ICS). As far as apps are concerned, we are all
familiar with the fact that how big the Play Store range is in this regard. You
can just download and use apps or games of your choice. In addition, there are
GPS and Google maps to help you in unfamiliar territories.
No, we are not
finished yet; I know that most of you like your handsets to be stylish in
looks, so I am not expected to end the review without describing how the
handset looks. Its rectangular accent makes it much similar to Note or Samsung Galaxy SII, or
with an iPhone, if you can imagine a stretched version of it. That itself
suffices the looks. This look and feel video would tighten the remaining loose
screws, if there are any.
Plus, you get the
preloaded NetQin app to make your Android experience safe form unwanted
malware, absolutely free. Plus you get pre-loaded apps like WhatsApp, Dhingana, and Facebook to make your experience even sweeter.
So, what do you
think of the handset, is it worth your while or not, kindly let me know through
your comments, no need to say how much we treasure your remarks here at
india-mobilewatch.blogspot.in. You might also like the following :
Targeting the customers who look for
cost-effective yet powerful Android devices, Spice has recently launched three
Android smartphones – Mi-425, Mi-355, and Mi-500. While Mi-425 has already
marked its triumph in the indigenous souk, the Mi-355 –Stellar Craze- is
getting ready to hit the market with vigor. Let’s see what is good and what is
bad in this smallest and cheapest dual-SIM Android phone in the series.
Quick Spec - Rundown
·Dual SIM (GSM+GSM)
·Android v2.3 Gingerbread OS
·800MHz Snapdragon Processor
·3.5″ Inch capacitive touchscreen display
·Rear Camera: 5.0 Megapixels - Front camera:
0.3 Megapixels
·Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB
·GPS Navigation
·Preloaded Netqin Anti-Virus
·1420mAh Battery
Spice Stellar Craze Mi-355 hands-on video
Esthetics
The phone radiates elegance with a clean glossy
finish, rectangular profile, and sturdy feel. The phone seems to be optimal to hold in your palm. The device
sports a silver color bezel, which enhances the look and makes it similar to
iPhone. Spice could have bestowed its customers with a bigger screen in the
given real estate; the current 3.5 inch screen leaves a lot of free space on
top and bottom face of the mobile. At the top of the front face, you can see
the proximity sensor and a VGA front camera for video chat. A 3.5mm audio jack
assumes its position on the top along with lock/power key. Volume rocker is given in the left hand side, while a micro USB port is given at the bottom side. The right
hand side is wholly bare.
The interior of the phone looks well designed
with two SIM card slots aligned side by side. Having a hot swappable SD card slot would have added some convenience to users, unfortunately it is not.
User Interface
At the
bottom of the screen four capacitive keys have been given: home, accessing
options, back and Google search key. Long pressing home key opens recently opened
apps to give quick access to frequently used apps. You can pull down the
notification bar from the top and have quick access to notifications; you can
also control Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, screen rotation and much more from your notification
bar! You have five homescreen to make use of. Adding shortcuts, widgets,
folders and wallpapers is so simple; you just need to long press the screen and
add your favorite widgets. Apps can be accessed easily by flipping menu screen
horizontally. At the bottom of the touch screen, you can have access to
alpha-numeric dialer, contacts, messaging, and app drawer.
You
can retrieve separate call logs for Master and Slave SIMs. You have separate
calling buttons for Master and Slave SIMs and call logs, which again can be
separated for each SIM - an exalt for a dual SIM phone.
Touch & Display
As I said earlier,
the screen looks small in the given
front space of the device. Images and text look incredibly crisp on the screen
that has a resolution of 320 x 480 and color depth of 262K. The
default wallpaper that illustrates water droplets on a grey background makes it
even more similar to iPhone, while you can pick any live wallpaper and set on it to
match your moods. Screen visibility on
sunlight is middling, when the brightness is maximized, but the screen looked
as dark as a slate, when the brightness is lowered. Very smooth touch response
is the most virtuous aspect I found in this device. It supports multitouch
gesture, which makes Internet browsing and gallery viewing a pleasure.
Camera
The Stellar Craze Mi-355 comes packed with two cameras,
which, in the given price bracket, is a big achievement. The 5MP back camera comes with dual LED flash and 4x digital zoom. Images clicked in well-lit conditions looked satisfactory. But the power of the dual LED flash not seems to be adequate to
light up objects in poorly lit conditions. It has a number of additional camera features like
exposure adjustment, scene modes, picture size adjustment, picture quality
adjustment, color effects, and anti-banding. As far as the video
recording capability is concerned the video given below will speak vociferously
for it. A VGA front camera has been provided for video chat.
Sample photos
Music
I would not call music the main forte of this
handset, yes, it does not pack a punch like the high end Sony models. But it
does sport a pretty strong speaker that, according to me, is at least three
times stronger than the same of Samsung Galaxy Y ( I used to have the handset
once), which will cost you around thousand bucks more than this mobile. And for
quality of sound, you have the liberty to connect a high definition headset all
the time. By all means, the Stellar Mi-355 passes the acid test in the music
genera.
Connectivity
The phone comes with dual-SIM connectivity.
The Master SIM supports 2G as well as 3G, while the Slave SIM supports only 2G.
Like any other Android phone, Spice Mi-355 also comes with connectivity options
including GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WI-FI and WAP. It supports Bluetooth v2.1 and USB to
transfer data locally. The device has integrated GPS with A-GPS support. Aircel
users may get the additional offer of 100MB data usage free each month for the
period of 12 month with every Stellar device.
Processor/ RAM/Memory
The device comes with an 800MHz Snapdragon processor. For a device in the six thousand range, the processor looks decent. It comes with a dedicated GPU that helps play graphics more smoothly. 140MB phone memory is available for users to download and install apps.
Battery
Specs sheet promises that the 1420mAh
Li-Ion battery gives talktime of 4 hours and standby time of 200 hours. I really
don’t know how to measure these parameters rationally. But certainly I found
this battery performance above standard, as a single full charging lasted me
one and a half day of average use, which included calling, Wi-Fi browing,
music and gaming.
Messaging
The
Android keyboard enables faster typing both in the vertical and horizontal
view. The copy and paste
can be done just by pressing and holding to select words, stay in selection
mode, and copy text for later pasting. After composing the message, you can
easily select Master or Slave SIM to send from.
OS and Apps
The
phones come preloaded with Android Gingerbread version 2.3.6. The USP of the Stellar is the Mobile
Antivirus by NQ Mobiles, which comes preloaded. Recently Spice had a tie up
with NQ Mobile for proving security services its Stellar Series. In addition to
the common Google apps like YouTube, Google Maps, Google Talk and Google
Search, many apps come preloaded such as News & Weather app, Spice
Gang, Whats App etc. Unlike the previous
Android models from Spice, the device is not loaded with bizarre apps that are
rarely used by users. No worry of wasting precious memory. Other features
include anti-theft and Vault- privacy lock for apps like, photos, videos, SMS
and call logs & secret contacts. Users can update the virus/malware
database for a period of six months absolutely free.
In my final words, I would like to draw your
attention towards the high points of the Mi-355. Highly crisp display, front
camera, strong speakers and powerful battery are strong enough propositions for
an Android phone in the Rs. 6500 range. Go, get your Stellar Craze today!
Spice Stellar Craze handset would be
available at Online store www.saholic.com and over 50,000 Spice shops across
the India.
In one of my older posts I
compared two budget Android handsets for you: Galaxy Y and Galaxy Pocket. Today, I am going to compare two budget Android handsets again, this time it is
Samsung Galaxy Y versus Samsung Galaxy Y Duos. Both of them are well below the
five digit mark and both of them are doing quite well in the market. But as
they say a thing is as good as your need and liking in it lies. So let us
divulge into a head to head comparison.
The
Price Tag
As said earlier, both the
handsets are well below the 10K mark; the Galaxy Y comes for 7.5K INR and the Y
Duos costs the users 8.5K. The Galaxy Y comes for thousand rupees less but we
will find out in the later half of the article is it worth spending the
additional 1000 bucks for the Samsung Y Duos or not.
Hardware
Head to Head
The Galaxy Y and the Y Duos, both the handsets sport a 830 MHz processor, which is well complimented by a
290MB RAM. So, there is nothing much to choose as far as the CPU and RAM are
concerned. Moving to the storage capacity of the handsets, the Y has an
internal storage capacity of 180MB whereas the other handset in the comparison,
the Y Duos has a 160MB capacity. Both of them have the same expansion capacity
– 32GB. Y holds a slight edge here.
In the camera segment the
Galaxy Y has a 2MP camera on the back side of the body in reply, the Y Duos
sports a 3MP cam on the posterior. None of the handsets have a secondary camera on
the front side of the body. You might think (you have all the valid reasons to
think that way) that the Duos has an advantage in this segment, but I would like
to tell you, folks, that both of the cameras are not strong enough and both of
them take somewhat similar pics.
In the battery segment the Y
has a Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery, the Duos comes packed with Li-Ion 1300 mAh
battery; but again the end result, which, in this case is the talk time and the
standby time and music & video functioning time is somewhat similar. Due to
smaller size and single SIM Y stands a little taller here.
The display of the Y is just 3
inches and in reply the Y Duos come with a 3.14 inch screen. Both the handsets
have the similar pixel resolution of 320x 240. Duos, with a bigger screen size,
wins this section hands down.
As far as the connectivity is
concerned both of the handsets have GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, USB, and Wi-Fi
connectivity.
Software
Segment
In the operating system segment
both of the handsets are Android Gingerbread driven devices. Hence, they have
the full version of Google Play to visit and download software and apps.
Friends, the two of the
handsets possess Google Talk, YouTube, Email, Push Mail, IM, WAP support, Java,
image viewer/editor, and Document viewer/editor.
The
Verdict
10-12 hundred rupees are not
that big a deal but no one does-and should not- throw away his hard earned
money. Unless and until you have an utmost need of two numbers you should go
for the Samsung Galaxy Y. Plus it is better looking than the Duos. I give my
full and final recommendation to the Galaxy Y. I own it myself!
As the
dust starts to settle after all the hullabaloo created by the Xperia series,
HTC One series, the Lumias and the other big names of the world, a handset
stealthily entered the Indian market, which is not just cheap but has all the
features that that a gadget lover wants in his machine. The name, dear readers, is Spice Stellar Mi-425.
But
before we divulge into a review, I must tell you that in this article I am not going
to try to compare Mi-425 with any of the above mentioned names. The reason is
simple- they are four to five times costlier than this phone. But I would not
hesitate in stating that this handset has almost all the features that aforementioned
handsets possess. Let’s find out how much veracity my statement has.
The
Pros
First
let’s have a look at the specs: the Spice Mi-425 has a 4.0 inch screen with a
resolution of 800x480, which, by any standard, is a good screen quality. This
mobile phone has a 1GHz processor, which is as good as you want. This handset
has two cameras: a 5 MP one on the rear side of the body and a VGA one on the
front side. In the battery segment the Spice Mi-425 has a Li-Ion 2000 mAhbattery. This handset saves unlimited phone book entries and has a memory
expansion capacity of 32 GB.
Turning
our attention towards the software segment of the phone, it has Android
Gingerbread OS on board and has the potential to get upgraded to the latest ICS
4.0 OS. For the users, it offers full version of the Google Play so that they
are able to download their favorite apps and games. It comes pre-loaded with
many Google apps including YouTube, Gtalk, and Gmail and social networking
clients including Facebook. It has an Android browser to better the user’s net
surfing experiencing. You can also download VoIP clients to have cheap Internet
calls.
Spice
Mi-425 is a 3G enabled handset, which has a Dual band 2G connectivity. The phone
is a dual-SIM handset that gives the users additional liberty to keep two
numbers with them. Mi-425 has Bluetooth v2.1 then it has a Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and can perform as Wi-Fi hotspot,as well. There
is USB connectivity to transfer files. Below are some of the specimen of the 5 MP camera that this handset has:
The Cons
Though the
appearance of the phone is quite pleasing to the eyes, you may feel slightly
disappointed with its weight .
The inbuilt
memory is so trifling that the phone asks you to insert a microSD card as soon as
you try to take your first pic. Spice should have included a microSD card
within the box.
When you zoom the camera the pixels start to
crack, which is again a concern for camera lovers.
The Pricing
The
price for this feature-rich phone is just 9999 INR, yes that is true, it is not
in the five digits. If you compare this phone with phones like Lumia 800, which
does not have a front camera, the conspicuous advantage comes to strike you. Even
in the battery segment the Mi-425 scores some valuable points. The size of the
handset is also bigger than the said mobile. Plus it costs you three times less
than the Lumia 800.
The Verdict
All the
above mentioned cons get trivialized once the price tag comes to the fore. With
this phone you pay a medium sum of money and get features of a real high end
smartphone, what else one can ask for. The verdict is all in the GREEN. To let you know about the video recording capabilities of the handset, here is an example -
At
the present moment the Indian market is flooded by a deluge of budget
smartphones, almost all of them are Android driven handsets. Because of the
number of such handsets it is very difficult for a common user to choose a
smartphone which is in accordance with his need and does not harm his pocket
too much. In order to alleviate the problem I am going to write this post where
I shall be comparing two Samsung handsets running Android OS: Samsung Galaxy Y
and Samsung Galaxy Pocket.
As
I always do with budget smartphones, I will first tell you about the amount of money
that the handsets will be costing you; if you plan your purchase, both the handsets will come under 7000
INR. Let’s talk about the features now.
CPU
and RAM
In
the processor and RAM segment both the handsets are somewhat similar. Both of
them sport a 832GHz processor. Pocket has a 384 MB of RAM whereas the Y sports
290 MB of the same. Pocket seems to be having an upper hand, though a very
small one.
Display
In
the display segment the Pocket has a 2.8 inch screen with 320x240 p resolution
in reply the Galaxy Y has a 3 inch screen with the same pixel resolution.
Pocket has support for 56K colors and the Galaxy has 256K. With bigger screen
size and more number of colors the Galaxy Y takes the trophy home.
Storage
In
the storage segment the Samsung Galaxy Pocket has a conspicuous advantage over the
Galaxy Y as it has a 3GB internal storage and the storage capacity can be
furthered till 35 GB via a 32 GB microSD
card; the Galaxy Y in this case seems to be tottering far behind the Pocket
with a trifling 180 MB internal storage capacity. Y too sports the same memory
expansion capacity.
Camera
Neither
of the handsets can boast of having a tremendous camera spec in them; both of
them sport a 2MP primary camera, neither of them has a camera on the front side
of the body. This round ends in a tie.
Battery
In
the battery segment the Pocket has a 1200mAh li-Ion battery, which is capable
of giving you a talk time of 17 hours and a stand by time of 33 days over the
2G network. The Galaxy y has in reply has the same battery spec, the battery performs slightly better in this
handset.
Features
Both
the devices are Android Gingerbread driven handsets. Both of the handsets
support MMS, Push Mail, SNS integration,
both have EDGE and GPRS. Both have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot
functionality. Other features are also more or less the same.
The
Verdict
It
is very hard to judge the handsets on the basis of the features as there are
very few things that differentiate them. So we will have to be judgmental on
the basis of hardware specs. And in that case with bigger screen size and
better looks the verdict goes in favor of the Samsung Galaxy Y. Plus it will
cost a few bucks less.
