The latest phones and gadgets tested and reviewed in our labs
YU Televentures which is a subsidiary of the popular domestic player Micromax, last week launched an affordable 4G smartphone the YU Yunique in India at Rs. 4,999. The smartphone will be exclusively available on Snapdeal through flash sales staring September 15. While the device specifications appear impressive for the price, is it really worth the purchase? We find out. Continue reading “YU Yunique Review”
Micromax Canvas 4 A210 was launched back in July 2013. Even though M launched several smartphones in the Canvas series after that, the Canvas Sliver 5 that was launched back in June is considered as a successor of the Canvas 4. With the Sliver 5 Micromax enters the slimmest smartphone race. Even though Vivo X5Max is currently the slimmest smartphone with just 4.75mm thickness, the Canvas Sliver 5 is the slimmest smartphone without any bumps, even though it is 5.1mm thick.
Time and time again, Panasonic has struggled to make itself feel relevant in the mobile space. Previous efforts have more or less failed to leave a mark on the Indian smartphone space and just as we thought that the company might be about to call it quits in the mobility space, we see yet another handset from the Japanese marque. The Panasonic Eluga Icon is the latest to join the company’s Eluga series of handsets that represent the upper end of their offerings. Decidedly still in the extremely crowded mid-range segment, we spent some time with the handset to gauge its worth. Here’s the FoneArena review of the Panasonic Eluga Icon . Continue reading “Panasonic Eluga Icon Review: A Well Rounded Package”
YU launched the YU YUREKA, its first smartphone back in December for Rs. 8,999, which went on sale in January. It quietly launched the YUREKA PLUS with a 1080p display and a better camera at a price tag of Rs. 9,999 in July, which even got a price cut to Rs. 8999 earlier this month to compete with other smartphones in the similar range. Is the YUREKA PLUS worth the price? Let us find out in the complete review.
There’s a certain appeal to a pocketable smartphone. A phone that just slips away into jeans such that you don’t even feel its presence. A phone that sticks to the basics, does all the essentials but isn’t really aiming to replace your tablet, laptop and perhaps even your kitchen sink! For better or worse, we’ve mostly been relegated to the entry level segment for such handsets and the experience of using these phones has been less than exemplary. Enter the Oppo Joy 3, yet another entry level device, which somehow managed to leave a unique impression. Despite the seemingly good usage experience, do we feel that it is worth a recommendation? Read on our review of the Oppo Joy 3 to find out! Continue reading “Oppo Joy 3 Review: Bite Sized Smartness”
Choice is good. Yes or No? That is a statement that has been debated by many over the course of history and I am a believer of the former. I believe that the more the number of choices you have the better it is. Sure, it does get tougher to make the right choice as the lines between the choices gets thinner with each additional choice. This is the case with smartphones in India particularly in the sub 18k price segment. A while back we didn’t have much choice in this segment. You got a number of models that you could count on your fingers and most often than not each one was very different from one another and each came with a set of flaws that you had to live with. Fast forward to the introduction of the Moto G and Moto E as well as Xiaomi’s entry into India where users started getting better value for money and no longer had to compromise with the handset they got. In 2015, we now have more brands than we had handsets in this price range a few years back. Each brand brings us good value for money with their own twist on it trying to tempt users to purchasing their phones. While each does have its drawbacks, the drawbacks are often minimal and each smartphone delivers good value for money. The Elephone P8000 is one such phone that promises just that and is set to enter the Indian market under the iberry branding as the Auxus P8000 Prime. We spent a good amount of time with the device and got to know its positives and negatives. In this review, we will take a look at whether the phone lives up to that promise and whether the Rs 14,990 price tag is worth spending on. Continue reading “Elephone P8000 (iberry Auxus PRIME P8000) Review”
We’ve seen portable chargers with large capacities and Dual USB ports or fast charging portable battery packs as well. But not often do we come across a portable battery pack that offers a fairly large capacity with Dual USB ports and quick charging. That is exactly what the Spigen F70Q offers. It has a fairly large 7000mAH capacity as well as two USB ports that support fast charging. Let’s dive in to the review to see what exactly the F70Q offers and whether it is a good bang for your buck.
Continue reading “Spigen F70Q Dual Portable Quick Charger Review”
Amazon launched a new version of the Kindle Paperwhite in India back in June month starting at Rs. 10,999, after more than a year of launching the second-generation Kindle Paperwhite in the country. We got hold of the 3G version of the Kindle Paperwhite (2015). The new Kindle Paperwhite has a 300 ppi display, which is the main USP of the new eReader. Is it worth the price? Let us find out in the complete review.
The original Micromax Canvas Xpress was announced in December 2014 at a price of Rs 6,999. The successor, the Canvas Xpress 2 was announced late last month at a price of Rs 5,999. Don’t be fooled by the pricing as the Xpress 2 seems to pack in a lot more than the original despite being Rs 1,000 cheaper than the former. However, mere specifications and a cheaper price tag alone doesn’t mean a phone is better than its predecessor or that it is a good buy at the time. We need to see how well it fares in real life and for that we need to dive into the review. So let’s go ahead and take a look at the Micromax Canvas Xpress 2 and see what are its strong suits and what are the chinks in its armour.
Google last month launched its latest Android One smartphone with Lava dubbed the Pixel V1 at Rs. 11,350. After devices from three OEM partners – Micromax, Karbonn and Spice – last year, this is company’s first large-screen (5.5-inch) Android One smartphone above Rs. 10,000 in India. Continue reading “Lava Pixel V1 (Android One) Review”
Oh look, Another Zenfone 2! Wait, that’s the Zenfone Selfie? Nah, that’s the Zenfone 2 Laser. Once again, Asus has launched a phone that looks nigh identical to the rest of its line up. Call it the creation of a homogenous brand identity or sheer laziness on the part of the brand, the Zenfone series of phones do provide a solid albeit utilitarian handset. With the Laser, the Taiwanese brand is entering the budget segment and is seeking a replacement for last year’s Zenfone 5. We put the phone through its paces to determine whether this is the best handset that you can buy at this price point. Continue reading “Asus Zenfone 2 Laser 5.5 (ZE550KL) Review: The Budget All-rounder”
XOLO Black is the first smartphone from XOLO that is part of the Black series of smartphones that are aimed at online retail markets. Calling the series Black and the smartphone Black as well makes it quite confusing for the customer and it will become more so when it is time to launch the next phone in the Black series. That is expected to be sometime soon as the company did state that it has plans to launch around 4 devices per year. We aren’t sure what naming scheme the company plans for the upcoming devices but what we do know is what the XOLO Black offers and it seems to offer plenty judging by its specifications sheet. Let’s dive into the review and see if it actually does live upto expectations in real life. Continue reading “XOLO Black Review”
A flagship is usually a company’s best product. It’s top-of-the-line, packed with a lot of new and innovative features, but is decidedly out of reach in terms of affordability. That was how things were until everything changed in the last year or so. Now we have flagship grade devices that are accessible, without many compromises that usually come with low price points. The Meizu MX5 is one of them. Announced a month back in China, the MX5 has all the features and aesthetics you’d look for in a flagship and is quite affordable, but should you buy it? The short answer is yes and the long answer for why, is called a review, read on.
OnePlus is quickly turning out to be a household name. It just took OnePlus about 12 months to become a hero from a zero. The company’s marketing strategy with all the social media hype and of course, the invite system made sure that the demand was always soaring through the roof.
With their first device, OnePlus set out on a mission – to offer great performance, while still keeping the price tag very affordable. It sounded similar to Google’s Nexus program, but as turns out OnePlus managed to beat the Nexus pricing hands down. It’s still quite hard to figure out how the company is doing that. Continue reading “OnePlus 2 Review”
Motorola launched the Moto G (3rd Gen) in India last month. Compared to last year’s Moto G (2nd Gen), the third-generation Moto G retains the same display, but it comes with a better camera, faster processor and 4G support. It is also the first smartphone in the Moto G series that is water resistant, since the other two just have water repellent nano-coating. Is the smartphone worth the price? Let us find out in the complete review.
