Reviews | Fone Arena

Obi Octopus S520 Review

Obi Mobiles is a relatively new and unknown brand in India. Riding on a media wave created by one of its investors, ex-Apple CEO John Sculley, the newly founded company launched its first ambitious product for the Indian market, a mid range device called the Obi Octopus S520. Sporting a 5 inch HD display, an 8 MP camera and the MediaTek Octa core processor (hence the name), the device is priced at Rs. 11,990, which is less for what it offers. By undercutting the competition, Obi aims to stand out, but will that be enough for people to notice a new brand? Lets find out in our full review.

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Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455 Review

Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455-1

Celkon launched its new Millennium series recently. The Celkon Millennium Vogue Q455 is a low to mid-range smartphone in the series that competes with the likes of Moto E, Micromax Unite 2, Lava Iris X1 and the Xolo Q600s. We had already reviewed all these smartphones. How good is the Millennium Vogue Q455 compared to these smartphones ? Let us find out in the complete review.

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XOLO Q1200 Review

XOLO Q1200 Review -3

XOLO is a well known player in the Indian smartphone space. With several class leading devices over the last few years, it has established itself as a player that provides quality hardware with well optimized software at a price point that is within the reach of most buyers. The company recently launched the XOLO Q1200 and we take it for a spin. Read on to find out what we think of it. Continue reading “XOLO Q1200 Review”

ASUS Zenfone 4 Review

Asus Zenfone 4-2

Asus ZenFone 4 is the cheapest of all the three smartphones from the Zenfone series. The entry-level phone, launched in India last month for Rs 5,999, aims to offer great value for the price it comes at. ASUS has launched the phone in two versions viz, the A400CG and A450CG. The former has a 4 inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera, whereas the latter, which is not available for sale in India yet, has a 4.5-inch screen and an 8-megapixel camera. Let’s take a detailed look at the Asus Zenfone 4, A400CG black color model in our review. Continue reading “ASUS Zenfone 4 Review”

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Review

After the iPad happened, Samsung was the first company to release a 7 inch tablet that could make calls. A new form factor was born, and a long time has passed since then. They are now the biggest tablet maker in the market, mainly thanks to the various mid range calling tablets that the company eventually released. However, Samsung’s desire to completely 1-up the Apple iPads is still here, which has transpired into the Tab S series of tablets, squarely aimed at the iPad Air with the 10.5″ version (our review) and the iPad mini retina, with the 8.4″ version. Yes, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is Samsung’s latest “mini” tablet for the high end market. The “S” here is all about the screen, which is a WQXGA AMOLED panel that proves to be its USP and is central to the whole experience. Launched in India for a price of Rs. 37,800, the 3G data and voice enabled tablet aims to offer the best mini tablet experience for the premium buyer. So, is this the best mini tablet money can buy? Lets find out in our full review.

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Vertu Signature Touch Review

Vertu has priced its most recent launch ‘New Signature Touch’ at whopping Rupees 7.5 lakhs. Many would question if there really is a market for such expensive mobile devices? The answer is – yes there is! Proof of which is Vertu’s survival in the industry, for nearly 15 years.

vertu front screen

The target audience for such expensive phones is extremely niche and thus very selective. They want to be seen carrying devices that set them apart from the crowd. Vertu has successfully catered to this audience with its uniquely hand-crafted mobile devices. Yet, its beautifully packaged mobile phones failed to deliver the latest in technology. This remained a huge obstacle in Vertu’s growth. Continue reading “Vertu Signature Touch Review”

Asus Zenfone 6 Review

Asus Zenfone 6-6

Asus launched the Zenfone series of smartphones in India last month. We reviewed the Zenfone 5 recently. The Zenfone 6, top-end model in the series with a 6-inch HD display is priced at Rs. 16,999. It is one of the few large-screen smartphones in this price range to launch in India recently, apart from smartphones like the Xolo Q2500 PocketPad and Lava Magnum X604 from local manufacturers. Asus has been using Intel Atom processors for its Fonepad tablets, even the Zenfone smartphones are powered by Intel Atom processors. Is the Zenfone 6 one of the best large-screen smartphones in this range? Let us find out in the review.

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Spice Smart Pulse review: A not so smart watch

Spice Smart Pulse -2

The market for wearables is clearly divided. Smartwatches have lined the upper end of the spectrum with Samsung’s Gear line of devices and now Android Wear based watches being the most prominent ones. The other end of the spectrum includes the standalone fitness focussed wearables. These wearables are then focussed on tracking your fitness related activities and include basic time keeping functionality. Due to the price, functionality divide between the categories, neither of them really have the potential to democratize wearables. And so step in indigenous manufacturers that try to bridge that gap by introducing a device that cherry picks features from higher end smartwatches and makes them available at a very accessible price point. Today we take a look at the Spice Smart Pulse, a device pegged as a smartwatch for the masses by the company. Worth it? Read on to find out. Continue reading “Spice Smart Pulse review: A not so smart watch”

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Review

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5-1

Samsung launched the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, the company’s latest flagship tablet in the Tab S range in India earlier this month. Even though the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition and the Galaxy NotePRO 12.2 had 2560×1600 WQXGA resolution screens, this is the first time Samsung has used WQXGA Super AMOLED display on a tablet. The main USP of the tablet is its display, and Samsung has implemented new technologies to improve the display. Is this the best high-end Android tablet? Let us find out in the complete review. Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 Review”

OnePlus One review: A fantastic device backed by a not-so-fantastic marketing campaign

OnePlus sprung out of nowhere in the latter half of 2013, a time when a company called OPPO was at the prime of its popularity. Why are we talking about OPPO in a OnePlus One review? There are two bits to the answer: (i) most of the staff, including the company supremo Pete Lau came from the OPPO camp, and (ii) OPPO is believed to be OnePlus’ parent company, even though neither like to admit it. Continue reading “OnePlus One review: A fantastic device backed by a not-so-fantastic marketing campaign”

LG G3 Review: Ambitiously Regressive

Ever since the Nexus 4, LG has been consistently upping its flagship game. The company’s first decent flagship device, Optimus G, was the start of a wonderful intra-company relationship in which LG started pulling resources from within its own divisions, like the one for display, the one focused on Chemistry for battery technology, etc. It then culminated into the G2, which was, in fact, as popular as the Nexus 4 at some point, known for its edge to edge design, good camera, screen and great battery life. The G3 is the LG’s ambitious successor, which fixes the few complaints the G2 had related to storage expansion and a removable battery, and adds interesting new technologies to differentiate itself. LG boasts itself as one of the firsts in the industry to have a quad HD display on a smartphone and also touts the new laser autofocus system that can be reliable, even in low light. Armed with all these features, can the LG G3 take on the Galaxies and the iPhones of this world? More importantly, is a Quad HD display really necessary? Lets find out in our full in-depth review.

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LG G3 prices announced for India – 16 GB – Rs 47,990 – 32 GB – Rs. 50,990

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Oppo Find 7 Review: Leading the race to the top

The idea of a Smartphone flagship is a race to the top where companies constantly try to 1up each other with class leading technology and innovative new additions to their top end smartphone, every year. The Find 7 is Oppo’s entrant into this increasingly crowded flagship rat race, meant to appeal to the buyer seeking cutting edge technology. The Chinese manufacturer has been playing this game since the Find 5, and for the second time, they have captured the pole position by introducing a Quad HD display in a smartphone way ahead of any one else. But the race has already started and the gap has closed, with new uncertainties and the competition rapidly stepping up its game. One of the major uncertainties is the need for a Quad HD display on a smartphone. With a 1080p display on its younger sibling (the cheaper Find 7a, read the review here), the Find 7 finds itself facing a tough argument from the user “Is a Quad HD display really needed?”. But even then, as a top end flagship, can it endure the onslaught from the competition and retain the pole position it wanted initially? Find out in our full review of the Oppo Find 7.

Oppo Find 7 is available in India for a price of Rs. 37,990

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BlackBerry Z3 Review

BlackBerry Z3-2

BlackBerry launched the BlackBerry Z3 in India recently. It is the company’s first smartphone as the result of its 5-year Foxconn partnership. After the BlackBerry Z10 and the Z30, this is the third full touch BlackBerry 10 smartphone. The BlackBerry Z10 that was launched for Rs. 43490 in India last year got a price cut to Rs. 17,990 earlier this year, which made more people try out the BlackBerry 10 platform. Priced at Rs. 15,990, the BlackBerry Z3 has a large screen and a slightly larger battery compared to the BlackBerry Z10. Is it worth the price? Let us find out in the complete review.

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Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT 712 Review

Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT 712-2

Flipkart entered into Indian tablet market with the XT 712 tablet under its new Digiflip Pro brand. Priced at Rs. 9,999, the tablet comes with a 7-inch HD display, Dual SIM support with voice calling and 3G connectivity. The specifications are definitely better compared to most tablets in the price range. What about the build quality and the performance ? Let us find out in the complete review. Continue reading “Flipkart Digiflip Pro XT 712 Review”

LG L90 Dual Review

LG L90 Dual-1

LG L90 Dual, the latest dual SIM smartphone in the L Series III lineup from LG went on sale in India back in March. We brought you the unboxing and the benchmarks of the smartphone recently, here we have the complete review of the smartphone. The L90 dual has an unique compact design, powered by quad-core Snapdragon 400 SoC and runs on Android 4.4 (KitKat) out of the box. Is it worth the price? Let us find out in the review. Continue reading “LG L90 Dual Review”