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The budget smartphone market is ready to be disrupted, Motorola in collaboration with Flipkart in India has launched the new Moto E, a smaller brother to the Moto G smartphone from the company. The Moto E has been priced at Rs. 6999 and it may as be responsible for bringing a real smartphone to the masses.
Next to Moto G
The Moto E goes on sale at Midnight tonight (13th May 2014), for Rs. 6999 with same day delivery in some cities. Specs wise the Moto E is quite impressive too the front has a 4.3 inch display that has a resolution of 540 x 960 qHD resolution and a pixel density of 256 ppi. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and also is splash proof. A 1980 mAh battery is inbuilt and is non removable, the Moto E comes with Android KitKat 4.4 out of the box and promises “Guaranteed updates” to the next version of Android.
Powering it is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 A7 processor that is clocked at 1.2 GHz and is supported by 1 GB of RAM. On the back is a 5 MP camera that captures FVWGA video and the Moto E can playback 720p video.
The build quality is actually comparable to the Moto X and Moto G so the three devices are quite identical only to be disturbed by difference in specs. The back panel is exceptionally well built and the buttons seem very tactile to use. The device mostly feels much more premium in the hand and performs better than one can expect.
The Moto E makes a lot of sense for a market like India, and where major manufacturers have been reluctant to bring their devices in this price bracket Motorola has been brave enough to deliver a device with a promise of instant updates along with features and customizability that most fail to offer.
We saw leaked images of Apple’s next jesus phone appear a couple of days back, but they failed to show us the front and the back of the device. This time around Inner Exile a China based case manufacturer shows off how the phone will look from the front as well as the back. The power button has a new location and it resides next to the sim card tray on the right of the new iPhone 6, or so claim the images.
Apple will kick of WWDC 2014 in June and will possibly announce the new version of iOS aka iOS 8, with the expected launch of the iPhone 6 somewhere at the end of August.
Several Chinese companies have made mock dummies of the iPhone 6 based on the leaked schematics. Heck you can buy a dummy of your own and make your own rumors. But if anything is to be confirmed, till we do see an actual iPhone running the new iOS that looks like this, we will have to take each story with a pinch of salt and lime. Honestly these images look far from what Apple could possibly have in stock for us.
Sony has just launched the new Sony Xperia Z2 in the Indian Market for a price of Rs. 49900, which is along the lines of major flagship smartphones available in the market, including the S5 and the HTC One M8.
The Xperia Z2 is a revision to the Xperia Z1 launched last year and sports mostly the same design elements and aesthetics. On the Inside is where all the magic is with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset which enables the large 20.7 MP sensor to capture 4K video.
Phone
Sony Xperia Z2
Dimensions
142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm
Weight
163 g
Display
1920 x 1080 pixels, 5.2 inches (~424 ppi pixel density), IPS LCD
Memory
16 GB , microSD up to 128 GB
Ram
3 GB Ram
Camera
20.7 MP Camera, front 2.2 megapixels
OS
Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
Processor
Snapdragon 801, 2.3 GHz Quad Core, Adreno 330
Battery
Non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery
Build Quality
Glass and Metal Frame without removable back
Ruggedness
IP58 certified – dust proof and water resistant over 1 meter and 30 minutes
Price
Rs. 50,000
The build quality is more or less identical to the previous generation of Xperia devices. The Xperia Z2 is IP55/58 certified to make it extremely resistant to dust and water.
The Box is pretty bare bones especially considering that we were given the demo box. The phone has Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box and comes with a fast and responsive UI, along with a 5.2 inch 1920 x 1080p display that is a huge improvement over the Xperia Z1. Check out the unboxing up top and stay tuned for more.
It seems as if Apple just started a whole new revolution in consumer electronics. After the release of the Gold variant of the iPhone 5S, it seems like every major company is experimenting with adding some glitter to their gizmos.
On Monday Samsung announced the release of the Galaxy S5 with a Copper-Gold(officially listed as “Golden”) back panel in India. Priced at 51,500, the flagship Gold Galaxy S5 also features the latest Android 4.4 Kitkat. It also features a fingerprint scanner on the home button, a heart rate sensor placed near the 16-megapixel camera, and the IP67 certification that makes it dust and water-resistant. We have already reviewed the white Galaxy S5 here.
On the other hand Samsung introduced the gold clasp in the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, giving it an opulent branded watch feel accompanied with the leather strap. The Gear 2 is a considerable enhancement on its predecessor, which looked like an overpriced toy watch.
Gold has captured the human imagination ever since its discovery. The obsession is evident in the fact that most our global economy is backed by gold. Gold in itself is a useless element, its rarity is its alibi for its exorbitant price. But its glitter is just too enticing for us to ever get over it.
It’s not just the two mobile giants who are incorporating the golden hue in their design elements. Even HTC released the gold version of the M8 which is readily available in various markets. Seems like HTC has some serious gold fever, as they also launched a 24k limited edition HTC One M8.
The Rose Gold Nike+ FuelBand SE is a great example of this. The gold in this limited edition band also fueled the gadget’s luxurious appeal.
It seems now that a lot more companies will introduce gold in their design elements to quench the hunger for the golden glitz.
If you are interested in getting the action of the Xperia Z2 launch happening today, then you are at the right place. We saw the Xperia Z2 back at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new variant of the Z series comes with a IP58 Rating making it dust tight and water resistant just like its predecessor, so as long as the doors are all closed.
The new Z2 is expected to hit the Indian market for a price of around 50 thousand, so check out the live feed up top for more info. The event will start at about 1 PM IST.
If you were waiting to get your eyes on the new Apple iPhone 6 before its launch, this is your best bet right now on what its going to look like. This latest leak comes courtesy Macitynet.it, who showed off photos of a phone that resembles the 1st generation iPhone, but is actually bigger and slimmer than the iPhone 5s.
Previous rumors have always mentioned a 4.7 inch iPhone 6 from Apple, along side other upgrades like a faster processor and NFC capabilities. Till now we have mostly seen mockups of the alleged iPhone 6 (see top), which have sort of been confined to a slightly bigger size and lesser bezel.
Reports also mention a 5.5 inch Apple Phablet headed for launch somewhere in the latter part of the year, which some how seems unlikely.
Apple’s strong change in design is expected as the company changes the appearance every second year since the launch of the iPhone 3G. Whether this will or won’t be the next iPhone is surely unknown at the moment, and Apple is hell bent on keeping it that way especially since the iPhone 5s’ Touch ID sensor was heavily leaked prior to launch.
Apple has also closed down their leaks from accessory manufacturers, that we have seen in the past years, hinting towards a more secretive launch than we have seen in the past. However the next iPhone aka the iPhone 6 is a few months from being launched and we might have a lot happen in this time frame.
LG continues to bring handsets to the Indian market quicker than before, and the recently released LG G Pro 2 is next on the list. Priced at a whopping Rs. 51,500 the LG G Pro still houses the dated Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset, while many now use the 801.
The front has a large 5.9 inch 1920 x 1080p IPS display along with the usual knocking capabilities. The front design follows up on the G2 and has a 3.3 mm narrow bezel, making it very close to edge-to-edge in appearance.
The 13 Mp camera at the back is capable of 4K video and has inbuilt Optical Image Stabilization carried again from younger brother the G2. While others are using many ways to promote selfies, the G Pro 2 has a flash for selfie mode, often seen on phones a couple of years back, also a prevalent Mac feature when using photo booth.
Funnily enough the phone will not sport 4G capabilities and will only have 3G/HSPA+ Network capability. Other specs include
Bluetooth Smart Ready (BT4.0) USB, Wi-Fi, NFC and SlimPort
Android 4.4 KitKat OS
157.9×81.9×8.3 mm Size
White and Titan Black colours available
A microSD Slot expandable upto 64GB
LG had announced the G Pro 2 at the MWC 2014 held in Barcelona earlier this year, the handset meant to be a bigger brother of the G2, has added a few features like 4K video capture Android 4.4. KitKat out of the box and more.
The Human Media Lab at Canada’s Queen’s University has designed a prototype of a smartphone, that can not only fold, but transform from one form factor to another. The future of unified devices may simply lie in a design like this. The “Paperfold” uses three snap – E-Ink displays to create one large display.
The Human media lab claims that the inspiration came from paper, and that the device will have a lot of possible future uses. The hinges also act as buttons allowing you to switch between modes and tasks depending on your usage and application.
Although we are notoriously far from the project reaching commercial availability, it seems that the next logical step in transformation of devices could and may as well be devices like the Paperfold. Watch the video below for more.
Our gadgets are now a necessary part of our everyday life. We honestly believe they deserve their own section on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. We do want to get the most out of them, but often they give us serious heart aches by dying out too soon. There are certain precautions you can take to ensure they manage to surpass their average life of 12-18 months.
Use these tips to service your gadgets routinely:
1. Cleaning:
Like everything else, your gadgets also require regular clean ups. For touchscreens ideally use a microfiber cloth, the same one used for sunglasses, or you can substitute it with a soft cotton cloth. It is extremely important to avoid over rubbing. Make it a point and regularly clean your gadget to avoid the build up of grime.
2. Battery Management:
This is one important area of focus as its the life of our gadgets. The batteries have faced the brunt of high performance machines which are released one after the other. Turn off the services you don’t need – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, cellular data and high screen brightness are the major juice drainers. You can use a few credible battery apps as well. They help to increase efficiency and enhance the battery backup by automatically closing unwanted applications.
3.Upgrades:
Upgrades are cheaper and more efficient than investing in whole new equipment. Scan through the available ones available from time to time, to figure out the best add-ons and upgrades to keep your system efficient. Powerbanks are also a good idea if you don’t find time to regularly charge your phone.
4. Buy Genuine:
Whichever accessory you wish to add to your device, it’s important to make sure that it is compatible as well as genuine. Fake accessories have the potential to cause harm to your expensive gadgets. There is also an added value of warranties/replaceability when you’re buying original products.
5. Maintaining the OS:
The operating system is the essence of every device, it is the basis of our interaction with the device. There are several diagnostics and maintenance tools available on the OS which should be used regularly. Unwanted clutter, such as multiple copies of the same file and unnecessary softwares, slows down the system. Take out time every few weeeks to clean up the mess.
6. Protectors:
With the increased delicateness of our gadgets, added protection is necessary. Starting with the stage, a.k.a the screen, where it all happens – a protector is required. Invest in high quality anti-glare and anti-scratch protectors, they are worth the extra cost. Also a body guard or a protective case which can protect the gadget from dust as well as impact is always advisable.
7. Banana:
Yes, a Banana. We were equally vary of the fact that a fruit might be useful. Just to be cautious, we checked out a few tutorials before trying it out ourselves. If you want your device squeaky clean, all you need to do is spread a layer of Banana on the surface. Keep caution about any openings: concentrate only on the screen. Use the banana peel to wipe the surface after a while. Follow it up with glass cleaning liquid on a cotton cloth.
We have so much to thank Smartphones for! They help us keep tabs on our friends, emails, daily events and pictures. If we ever have a random doubt, thanks to 3G, an answer is ready within seconds. Since now we can look up anything, anywhere and at anytime – it has led to the death of debates.
As much as it has made our lives simpler, too many hours are wasted on it as well. At iGyaan, with the million things we do daily, staying on top of the online world is a skill we’ve perfected over time. The aim is to spend the least amount of time scouring through junk and get straight to what’s important. Here are our picks of the top apps which will make you the most digitally organized person around:
Social Media Mania
1. Pixable
After being on Facebook for years, it’s easy to accumulate friends who now hold no significance in your life. You couldn’t care less about who, when and why, the girl you met at a conference in 2008 is getting married to today. Even though unimportant newsfeed annoys us daily, deleting these “friends” is not an option. Here is where Pixable steps in. The app gathers all the pictures shared by your friends, and customizes it to show you only the profiles you choose. It compiles your Twitter, Instagram and Facebook feed, and organizes into sections according to relevance personalized by you. Some of the useful sections include – Top Photos of the Day, New Profile Pics, and Most Recent Photos.
2. Socialgiri
It could be to stay in tune with the entertainment industry or the need to know which teenager James Franco tried to pick up lately on Instagram. We all have specific celebrities we like to keep track of (read: stalk) via social media. There are times when we’ve considered getting rid of the constant updates, but we secretly love being a part of the drama in their lives. This app helps you create a separate timeline solely dedicated to your chosen celebrities, consequently tidying up your Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Socialgiri users can choose from over 500 social media celebrities from Bollywood, Hollywood, music, sports, fashion and politics. So, in a single flow you’ll see Critiano Ronaldo’s tweet about where he’s eating lunch, which would be followed by a perfectly Instagrammed picture of his dish. It also gives you an option to be able to like or comment through any of your three accounts. Available on Android and iOS, it recently launched its iPad Version.
Daily Reading
3. Flipboard
We can’t speak about aggregating feeds without mentioning Flipboard. It is the one-stop destination to stay in clue about what’s happening in the world. You can combine your favourite media portals and search for any news you might be interested in. Its clean interface reminiscent of a print magazine makes this our favourite way to browse through everyday stories. The action of flipping through news pieces, attempts to recreate the experience of physically using a print publication. You can also add your personal networks such as Facebook, Twitter and share stories directly through the app.
4.Pulse
Another one similar to Flipboard is Pulse. Like its competitor it collects and organizes news to suit your needs. Created by Stanford graduates Ankit Gupta and Akshay Kothari, the app got rave reviews for its slick interface. The display is more image-based, making it faster to get through articles. The key feature which gives it an edge above Flipboard is that it can load previously read stories even when you’re stuck without internet.
How To Never Miss An Email
5. Mailbox
This handy app promises to make your inbox light, fast and mobile-friendly. It helps you combine your Gmail, Google Apps and iCloud accounts into one single app. Some of its significant functions which should be utilized: You can snooze emails and get back to them later, mute conversations which aren’t important and it also automates your common actions. The mailbox swiftly recognizes what’s important and what’s not.
Motorola has finally made its way back into the Indian market and boy has it arrived. After the superbly successful launch of the Moto G in the Indian Market, the company has made available the new Moto X. Does the Moto X have the capability of surviving the Indian market, a market so powerfully taken over by brands in the lower tier and predominantly by companies like Samsung and now Sony. Lets find out!
Overview
The Moto X is the best return a company like Motorola can make. With an massive evolution on design strategies and understanding the importance of a form factor, Motorola showed that they are ready to give the people what they need. The Moto X is built on a Google experience, a pure Android Experience, almost Nexus like, but better. The custom addition and hands free operations only add to the usage capabilities and experience, and while this may be one of the best handsets in the market, has it come at the right time in India, is what one must really ask.
Build, Design and Hardware
Motorola is known for their build quality, with their US specific DROID line up or even with their Moto Defy series of phones, the company has made a mark for their robust hardware. The Moto X is no less, the handset is well built with a great mix of good material and protective design. The bezel raises slightly above the glass on the front to give the front glass protection from direct scratching.
The Moto X is another one of those phones, that even though available in India, does not give us the custom experience it offers users in markets like the US. No you cannot choose between wood finishes and color options, and no you cannot sign your signature and give it a name. The motomaker tool is only for the US and its a pity that the experience could not be brought to India. The Moto X available in 6 color options along with a wood option but no customization.
Hardware wise the Moto X is held up with a Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Snapdragon chipset with a dual core 1.7 GHz CPU, you will also get an Adreno 320 GPU. On the inside is 16 GB storage with a higher price 32 Gb variant and 2GB of RAM as standard. The battery is a 2200 mAh unit and the cameras are 10 MP rear and 2 MP front, both with 1080p video capture.
The front has a 4.7 inch 1280 x 720p AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass, the handset will only accept a single sim card and does not have a removable back panel or micro SD expandability.
Display, Multimedia and Performance
The Moto X is laden with a 4.7 inch AMOLED display, it has great outdoor visibility and good levels of brightness. The display can proudly boast excellent viewing angles and contrast output. The display however does have the blueish tint that we have seen in the past on AMOLED displays.
The X can handle all forms of media, taking into consideration a lower end of the specs spectrum. This will playback full 1080p videos without lag or stutter. The speakerphone is not the best but its pretty loud, and in most cases you will not need additional speakers. The audio output from the 3.5 mm jack is also refined and loud.
The Moto X is designed to run Android, and you will get a device that does exactly that. Even though hardware wise the Moto X is limited to a dual core processor, an average user will not feel the grunt of this. However if you are looking for a peak performer the Moto X will not be the handset you may be looking for.
Most games will work out of the box and almost all will run lag free, over a period of time if you have a lot of applications running you will see a slow down in performance while gaming, and the only way to fix this is to reboot.
Thanks to Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the Moto X has a much lighter version of the Android OS, one that is not very resource hungry, therefore ensuring good stability and smooth usability of the handset.
Camera
The fact that the Moto X has a better than average camera is well known, but its also one of the most accurate to capture color and exposure value. The camera is very snappy, and comes with very little shutter lag. The 10 MP camera will live up to its name in most situations and deliver promising results. The LED flash is not very loud and does not disrupt the color of the image, and may only help in low light conditions and not complete utter darkness.
Video is shot in Full HD at 30fps with stereo sound and HDR capabilities. Video capture is impressive with stable lag free video along with precise color monitoring and audio capture.
HandsFree Operation
In India, the training phrase is “Ok Google Now” and it allows you to do almost all imaginable things that a phone should do, from executing searches to calling people and answering phones. Its a feature that allows you to wake up the phone without needing to press any button or physically touch the handset. See our Review video for a full demo.
Essentially its a version of Google Now that’s listening for you to say “Okay Google Now!” so that you can avoid tapping the mic icon.
It also is not the perfect companion, for e.g. you can’t ask for navigations to “a concert” but only to specific addresses. Although the feature can come in handy, we have found many keep it off, purely to save battery and accidental phone calls.
Phone and Battery
Phone networks are stable, and like most phones in this price range the Moto X lacks LTE, not that we need it yet. Audio quality in phone calls is impressive too with crisp sound coming in and going out, with little or no network loss while in conversation.
Battery life is impressive with one day’s use easily available to the owner. Talk time can be rated around 6 hours thanks to the lower end chipset and relatively low power consuming dual core setup.
Conclusion
The Moto X is a beautiful product, delivering an Android experience the way it was designed to be delivered. However, with a recent launch in India, the Moto X is slightly underpowered, over priced and lacks customization, so its really not the same experience as it is for a US Moto X owner.
The phone is however a stable handset and would work as a wonderful gift, to a person who is not a very high end user of a smartphone, or as a first phone to those looking for a “perfect Android experience.” The minute you try and exploit the Moto X for extreme use, you will start to see its incompetencies. It will handle almost anything and everything you can throw at it as long as it does not include the kitchen sink.
Gionee announced the ELife S5.5 at MWC 2014 and launched it in India early April. For a price of Rs. 22900/- the handset also takes on the moniker of the “Slimmest Phone in the World”. But, does this handset compromise on performance and capability because its slim? Lets find out in our Review !
Overview
The Gionee ELife S5.5 comes only a year after the company started operations in India. With claims to become Top 5 vendor in less than 5 years the company seems to be headed in the right direction. The few handsets in the past have shown us that the company not only focuses on bringing handsets into the market but also ensures that the user experience is good. With previous handsets like the E6 and E7 winning us over the S5.5 shows a great mix of design and performance at a good price.
Build, Design and Hardware
The build quality on the new Elife S5.5 is superb, a perfect mix of Gorilla Glass laden exteriors mixed with a structure based on a hardened aluminum alloy. The buttons are also made from metal, and have a premium and tactile feel. At first it seems that the bezel is flush with the glass but is actually slightly, almost not noticeably, raised, giving the S5.5’s glass design some protection from flat drops.
The frame itself has been designed to release shock and therefore drops should not easily shatter the glass. The phone can take quite some damage and almost show no signs of wear and tear, the frame is metal so expect it to scratch easy.
Design wise the S5.5 is very very good looking, especially in the Gold and White variant. The company has ensured that everyone gets a version they like and the colors should help in that. The phone has a very premium design and the finish on the handset is very rich.
Hardware wise the Gionee Elife S5.5 somehow seems to find a good balance. A Mediatek 6592 chipset with 8 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz a Mali450 MP4 variant GPU, 2 GB of RAM and 16/32 GB storage capacities. The main camera sensor is 13 MP and the front camera sensor is 5 MP both with 1080p capture. Battery is on the low side with just 2300 mAh under the hood, however with the slimness of this device in consideration, its a pretty high value.
UI, Performance and Gaming
The Elife S5.5 comes with Android 4.2.2 out the box with no official word on updates to Android 4.4 aka KitKat. However the highlight of this is the new Amigo 2.0 UI which has been put right on top of Android. Now, unlike skins, it is a rebuild of Android, similar to the likes of Cyanogen and MIUI. The newer Amigo is much faster and more responsive than previous builds. The improvement also translates into installed applications, which include “power booster and performance booster” the two of the most significantly useful preloaded apps till date. The performance booster allows you to ban apps that forcefully startup on powering the handset, therefore considerably improving the free ram and performance of the phone.
The handset is stable and powerful enough to handle daily tasks and also the extremities you might want to expose it to. Heat management is also much more controlled than the competition, possibly because of the lack of a turbo variant of the MT6592 chipset.
Gaming is impressive and lag free in most cases, most games are compatible out of the box and run smooth. Audio could have been louder and we have expressed this in the past. The screen is beautiful and the dimples on top and bottom somehow not only make it look good but also provide adequate grip for holding the device in landscape.
Dimple for grip?
Camera
The big disappointment is that there is no 4k video capture, especially when most companies are moving forward with the same trend. The chipset is very capable, the module of the camera is very capable, the hardware is very capable, the only problem seems to be extra large video files, and the lack of SD card slot may be the biggest reason to blame for the lack of 4K capture.
For the camera, the colors and saturation is near perfect, with no problems with exposure or white balance. Images are crisp and autofocus works really well, even up close. Video is also good with no lag in video capture, it is also worth stressing that the onboard microphone for video is exceptionally good.
The front camera is equally good with 5 MP on the badge, pictures are clear and it works well in low light conditions. If you are a selfie fiend, then this might just be right up your alley.
Phone and Battery
The Gionee Elife S5.5 comes with a globally unlocked 3G capability, so this single sim device will come in handy for the global traveller. However the lack of 4G is really worth a notice, especially considering we are not far away from launch of said services in India (Or so we are made to believe).
The networks are solid and the phone holds its connections mostly throughout the range of the conversation. The inbuilt noise cancellation is good but not comparable to the likes of flagships from Apple and Samsung. Audio coming in and going out is crisp, loud and clear and honestly we really have nothing to complain about in the phone department and thats saying a lot.
Battery life is the most we could expect from this handset, and honestly with the kind of hardware inside, and the lack of a bigger battery we were expecting much less. You will still get a days use of the phone even if you talk upto 5 hours on this and then use it some.
Conclusion
The Gionee Elife S5.5 shows that new players can have great phones, where many Indian counterparts have let us down. Gionee tries to deliver a complete package, a custom UI, a great built device, a good set of hardware along with impressive performance and battery life. All this at a fairly low price when compared to the market value of flagships. However it does let us imagine why things like a microSD card slot are left out, features like 4K video capture and 4G networks are ignored for markets like India. Even if as a higher price option, consumers deserve an option to choose a handset which is more capable. And what about those KitKat updates?, why can we not simply get a handset that runs Android 4.4. out of the box.
The Elife S5.5 impressed us, now if the company can roll out a KitKat update consider us sold. The color options, the impressive build quality, and great hardware are just the beginning, the UI is good and so is the overall experience. There are other options in the market, the Moto X delivers faster updates handsets from Samsung and Sony also now belong in this category. Honestly the Elife S5.5 deserves a chance because it sort of sits above the rest, sort of!
HTC’s latest One the M8 has caused a stir and then some in the smartphone market, but does it really have what it needs to make the cut for a flagship smartphone. Lets find out in our review!
Overview
HTC has done some great things with a revision of their flagship phone, the original one, which was also voted and won “the phone of the year” award many a times last year and at MWC 2014 this year. Holding up to that mark may have been difficult but it looks like HTC might have a real winner here.
Build Quality
Three words ; 90 percent metal, thats all it takes to describe the new HTC One M8. Versus the outgoing One, which had 70% metal and then some polycarbonate. The One M8 has a 90 percent metal single shell thats not only strong, but uses the most extreme machining processes to make it curve to front of the handset in the most beautiful manner. The build is much more solid than the previous version and actually holds up pretty well against drops.
The HTC One M8 is also splash proof, why no one talks about it is because they don’t want you splashing water on your phone. If you do accidentally spill coffee or milk (if thats your thing) the phone should survive. The front has a Gorilla Glass 3, which means that it has better visibility, strength and scratch resistance than the M7, which held up pretty well in all of the three aspects.
Hardware
HTC has stuffed in the best of the hardware into the new HTC One M8 barring a few things, including a larger mega pixel camera and 4 k capture.
Are you ready for BoomSound? This phone is loud, louder than you can expect, much more than you can imagine those tiny speakers to be. Seldom would you ask for additional speakers if you alone use this phone. The sound quality is crisp and not tinny at all, mids are clearly balanced and highs are placed well, larger sound cavities (25% larger) ensure better bass.
The display is impressive too, most would ask for a 2k or a 4k display in a 2014 flagship, but honestly one can’t complain. The HTC One M8 has a gorgeous 5 inch 1920 x 1080p LCD 3 (441ppi = 100 more than the eye can see) display with excellent brightness, accurate and vivid color and impeccable viewing angles. The display is great indoors and out with a extra sensitive touch which will work through most gloves (even though HTC doesn’t say it will).
If you plan to watch movies on this device, you will thoroughly enjoy that activity. the perfect mix of great viewing angles and excellent sound make the HTC One M8 a brilliant consumption device.
Software and UI
The HTC One comes with Sense 6.0 and Android 4.4.2 out of the box. The new version of Sense is a highly refined version of Sense 5.0, the interface is clean and more minimal. The icons are free looking and more defined and modern, while the Blinkfeed UI is bolder and more aligned with the vertical flow.
The new Blinkfeed is highly customizable, with the ability to select your own feeds and inputs the new feed allows you to sort and stream from sources and topics of interest. The fact that you can search for “cat whiskers” and add it as a feed so that whenever anyone in the world talks about them you will see an update in your feed.
It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while.
HTC has mostly kept it simple with the software customizations to ensure the smoothness of the operational usage. It is one of the most mature UI updates we have seen in a while. Not that it is completely stripped, you still get a customizable notification panel, HTC keyboard, themes and color options and a whole flurry of wallpapers and sounds. You can still change the grid size of the app drawer and sort it as per your own needs. You also get features like the car mode, and this brilliant ultra power saving mode that will run the device for up to another 20 hours on very low battery power.
Camera
What HTC has here is possibly the future of smartphone camera technology. While smartphones are getting compacter and thinner by the day the need of a high end camera in a phone is going up. With almost everyone using their smartphones as their primary camera manufacturers are struggling to find the right balance.
The camera on the HTC One M8 could be an answer to a more deeper problem in the industry. The combination of the two sensors, a primary 4 “Ultrapixel” sensor and a secondary 4 “ultrapixel” depth sensor work together to make you believe that the image you clicked is actually higher end than it is.
Hokum, thats what it is!
Hokum, thats what it is! But at that very level of picture taking capability, it gives users that extra oomph in the image before they basically crush it and post it on Instagram. Yes it works and it looks decently good.
HTC has however gone one step further and made the API of the camera available to debs who might be able to give you applications that HTC could not, what the capability lacks is truly good software to work with the hardware to enable great pictures, maybe even oversampling to get larger images ? who knows?
Phone and Battery
We would like to assume that HTC will stick to their word and launch a 4G/LTE enabled handsets in India. This would make this the first flagship to feature LTE connectivity, also almost all bands will be unlocked making this a world LTE phone, a boon for travelers. HTC will also launch a dual sim version, in fact the company designed the phone to be a dual sim phone, as it clearly shows in the sim tray.
Phone call quality is very impressive, especially considering its a 90% metal phone. Audio is crisp and clear with no problems even when there is a tower switch : Impressive!
Battery life is exceptional, and HTC has managed to ensure that the phone does not dissipate heat, in fact in weeks of usage we have not noticed the device get hot at all.
Talk Time 3G : 5 Hours
Talk Time 2G : 5.5 hours
Standby : 2 days
Recharge Required : Once daily
Ultra Power Saving Mode : adds 20 hours to 20 % battery life
Accessories
A worth mention here is the new DOT case, which shows how involved HTC has become in developing good accessories for their handsets. The HTC One has a simple flip case, which matured into a battery flip for the HTC One Max, and now this beautiful Dot Case, that is not only meant for design , but is actually very functional.
One Max power case
Conclusion
HTC has done what nobody expected, while everyone was hoping for a major change in handset design , HTC has improved on their last years winning design. They have also managed to not only make the phone better but also resolve the supply issues they faced with the original One. The first phone in a long time to be launched and made available at the same time is also the phone which has impressed out from out of the box to the usage place.
In the time we have used it, we honestly have nothing to complain about, except possibly the lack of a better simple camera. The dual focus mode is a lot of fun and easy to use, it becomes a daily driver. A better quality camera would have made this experience better and we might see it in the M9 ( not to be confused with a Leica M9, even though that has a marvelous picture taking capability).
HTC has made a mature decision, and made a phone that not only handles everything you throw at it, it looks good doing it. The phone balances perfectly in form, design and performance and will satiate almost every who buys this. HTC has already pushed the handset out with 4.4.2 and promises almost instant UI updates. The new Blinkfeed interface is a great improvement and the overall handset seems very well refined.
NOTE : The HTC One has been launched in India for Rs. 49,900 and will be a available for purchase 8th May. This review was revised to reflect the new price.
Micromax has changed the perception of the company yet again with the new Micromax Canvas Knight, But does this new smartphone keep up to the expectations of the people. Lets find out.
Overview
The Canvas Knight is a brilliant attempt from the company at providing a premium experience. The phone uses good quality materials and has an impressive new chipset. The pricing seems right and the battery life is great* (read below), the phone is the company’s new flagship and holds that position well among its competition.
Build Quality, Design and Hardware
A metal shell with glass on both sides, we have seen this design repeat several times, but it is actually impressive coming from an Indian manufacturer at this price. The front and back are solid toughened glass and should withstand a fall or two, we would however recommend the use of a case (there is one included in the box).
The side bezels and frame are of brushed aluminum with excellent finish and quality. The buttons of the Micromax Canvas Knight are also robust and tactile in feel.
The phone looks good to look at and has a heavy reassuring built, definitely a refined canvas, but its not there yet. The company’s major reluctance in designing their own handsets is still unclear. Micromax time and again choses to buy designs from OEMs and not to make their own handsets. A plastered bad logo at the back shows distasteful branding, even though its a far cry from the usual we have seen in the past.
Another thing to mention is the quality of in box accessories is definitely higher than in the past. the company has improved with their accessories and inclusions, we do however wish for better earphones in the future.
In box Goodies
Hardware wise Micromax has pulled out all the stops, well at least on paper. The Micromax Canvas Knight has a true Octacore Mediatek 6592T chipset, the “T” stands for turbo. The CPU runs on 8 cores at 2.0 GHz and is paired with a Mali 450MP4. RAM is kept at 2 GB and internal storage is a good 32 GB out of the box.
Cameras include a mix of 16 MP shooter at the back along with an 8 MP front facing selfie cam, both capable of 1920 x 1080p video capture. The phone accepts two micro sim cards and has a 2350 mAh battery.
Multimedia
The display on the handset plays a major role, it is a good quality display with vivid colors and bright outdoor visibility. You also get acceptable levels of viewing angles without a lot of shadows at extreme corners. The levels of black are deep, however there is some aliasing noticed on the display from time to time.
Content consumption is better enjoyed with a set of good quality headphones, thanks to the lack of a good on board speaker. The sound from the speaker is tinny and not even comparable to the previous canvas flagship.
Streaming is good, and the Canvas Knight A350 can handle unto 4k video playback, with the right codecs and software, however what really matters is the smooth playback of a full HD video and the phone does that with ease.
Camera
Both the cameras on the Canvas Knight are disappointing with washed out images and lack of detail. We have seen the company deliver great cameras in the past, however this time around the sensor and lens combination is simply torrid.
Video is actually better than the pictures that this camera can click , video captured has better color and less washout. A camera stabilizer inbuilt would help the likes of me with shaky hands, however the software helps a little.
Camera UI
Camera Settings
Camera Modes
Special Modes
Video Settings
Third party apps improve the camera experience a little bit, however it seems like poor choice of camera hardware is mainly the cause of this.
Performance and Gaming
While the phone can handle all tasks, it seems that the software has not been stabilized or tweaked to take the full advantage of the hardware. You see considerable crashes and lag throughout usage and heavy apps end up quitting on you, especially graphic intensive games.
Daily performance is good if you don’t want this to be a power driver, personally we feel the software needs a lot of work. Games run on this without a problem, almost all games that are compatible with the chipset will work aside from the quitting mentioned above.
The phone heats up considerably during usage, so much so that it might be the reason that apps quit. The phone becomes unmanageably hot and uncomfortable to handle. This causes severe effects to the battery, of the 3 handsets we tested two had this problem. Micromax claims problematic handsets will be replaced, and they should be.
Phone and Battery
The Micromax Canvas Knight accepts 2 micro Sim cards on either side of the bezel. The handset is 3G network capable globally with one sim card handling 3G data. On this phone both SIM cards can accept calls and run simultaneously.
Network performance was generally good, we did see some outage from time to time but a good cause for that could be the network. Overall good network performance and phone call capability. Audio on the incoming and outgoing side remains crisp with the noise canceling doing most of the magic for the outgoing voice.
Battery life, when not being affected by the over heating battery drain mentioned above, will last a whole day with a good amount of use. approximately 5-6 hours on 3G calling mixed with a few hours on Social Networks and some music playback. So the battery gets a good thumbs up, when not being burned out.
UI and Conclusion
Apart from the fact that we get Android 4.2.2 with a pseudo-false promise for an update soon, we feel the Ui needs real work. Micromax seems to be slacking in making a handset that they can call their own and this old approach does not seem to work for us anymore. The company needs to bounce back and fix it reputation by bringing phones that not only look good on paper but work too. A more refined user experience will go a long way.
Dialer
Notification Panel
App Drawer
Quick Toggles
Messaging and Keyboard
Software Info
The fact that their flagship smartphone is a mini hell in the pocket is worrisome, the phone heats up often and to high temperatures. This causes the phone to lose battery power and how.
The end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship!
While the trend seems positive around the Micromax Canvas Knight A350, and we couldn’t agree more with the phone in terms of what it sets out to do. Design is a huge leap forward and so is the build and choice of materials, but the end resultant is not acceptable, not as a flagship.
A lot of patches are required for the software and something that will fix this overheating issue and quick. The Micromax Canvas Knight A350 is a good move from the company, but seems like a hasty handset, one that lacks finesse and with more stable and choicer options in the market like the Moto X, the Moto G, Gionee S5.5 and the likes of Sony and market leader Samsung in this price bracket. We recommend you give this one a pass until all of the above can be fixed by the company.
While India is yet to see the official release of the new HTC One M8, the company is reportedly working on a plastic version of the smartphone.
This phone, that seems to go agains the company policy of high quality builds, will be considerably cheaper as not only will it save on material costs, but also machining costs and time which is associated with the manufacture of the current One M8.
Plastic here could be a reference for a polycarbonate design, which HTC is know to have used successfully in their One X and WP8 phones in the past.
Critics argue that HTC’s move to create a plastic version of the HTC One M8 could turn to be a great one only if executed correctly. The physical design of the metal build variant of the HTC One M8 is its biggest asset, so the question is whether consumers will be willing to take the cheaper version with probable downgrade of specs.
HTC Butterfly S
HTC is also reportedly working on a new HTC Butterfly, which will carry the same specifications as the HTC One but with a 13 MP camera.
If HTC launches a Plastic M8, would you consider buying it?
