Wednesday 26 November 2014

XonPhone 5 - India’s Latest Budget Android and 3G Smartphone

When one buys a smartphone, they may want to reconsider just how much they can spend on one. Budget phones have become a popular choice as they are just as good as some of the premium ones. This segment is flooded with many choices, the latest one being the XonPhone 5 by Oplus.


The company is new and they had previously launched a tablet called the XonPad 7. T give you a clearer picture of how good the XonPhone 5 is, one can compare it to the Canvas Unite 2 by Micromax or the Redmi 1S by Xiaomi. They phone does stand out in its own right here are some of its best features:

Design and Build Quality:
This is the best part of this budget phone and also a very critical feature on nay budget phone, for that matter. It has unique metal accents on the sides with a perforated dots pattern on the back panel, this makes the phone easier to hold, a plus point on budget phones. The bezels on the screen are smaller, so you have more real estate on the display. You can easily reach the ends of screen using one hand. The navigation buttons (Menu, Home and Back) are ergonomically placed under the screen. The speaker grill is one the back, along with the 8 MP camera and LED flash.

Audio and Display:
The 5” display is made using the IPS LCD technology, so you will get very bright colours and resolution at 320 PPI. It also comes with the Full View function so viewing from extreme angles are not really an issues. You have very accurate response touch function as it has the OGS technology as well. This phone is good for watching videos, playing games. Outdoor viewing is good and you will have to adjust the settings. The loudspeaker delivers an audible level sound. The sound from the earphones accessory is also very audible.

Camera:
There is an 8 MP camera at the back that is equipped with LED flash, Auto Focus. It has an aperture of F/2.2 and captures videos and photos in HD format. The 2 MP front facing camera can capture in the 720p format. You have loads of other options on the software suite such as HDR, Live Photo, Panorama, various colour modes. You can adjust the white balance, exposure, saturation and colours as well, so the camera is a highly versatile one. Some of these functions work in the video mode as well. The 2 MP cameras is a very basic one and is just perfect for video calling and conferencing.

Performance:
The hardware is also of a standard quality and you have the 1 GB RAM, a Mali 400 MP GPU card and a MediaTek MT6852 CPU. The daily performance is good and the phone can last a whole day on a single charge. You get a 16 GB of expandable storage. The phone runs the Android 4.4.2 (Kit Kat), so you don’t have to worry about the phone slowing down. OPlus has installed a MIUI launcher so you have different icons and wallpapers. Apps works smoothly with minor frame drops in very graphic heavy apps.   

Battery Life:
The removable 2000 mAh battery does give a decent output and can support the display and moderate usage, even though it may not seem like it. To get the best out of this battery one has to limit processes and apps.

For more insights, and reviews on the XonPhone 5, log on to www.oplustech.com. I have used the XonPhone 5 Latest Android Smartphone and have found that it is a pretty good handset.

Friday 21 November 2014

How to Choose the Right Smartphone for You



The real value of a smartphone lies in how we use it and the specifications tucked into it. Most smart phones will vary in what they have to offer their users; you need to keep in certain factors that will help you to choose the smartphone that is right for you.

There are thousands of handsets on the market being offered by many manufacturers, it can be tough to choose the right one from so many, especially if one is not really tech savvy. To many people, the smart phone is the heart of their universe, owing to the set of features that they have. They are our messaging devices, our cameras, our phones, our web browsers, music player, navigation device and so much more.

With so many changes taking place in technology, it has become even tougher to choose the right device. These improvements include things like bigger and crystal clear displays, quality in user interface, mobile gaming, application usage and more.


Here are a few points to keep in mind before selecting the right phone:

The Right OS:
Android is the most popular OS for the Smartphone, this is mostly because you have hardware options, more apps over the iOS or the Windows Phone. Smartphone manufacturers find it easier to build on Android. You have many versions of the Android OS, so always pick the latest versions as they can easily update. The Android UI can easily become cluttered, but you can adjust this very easily.

Display or Screen Size:
You have varying screen size sizes that range from 3.5” to 6”. The more popular ones are the bigger displays as these tend to sell out faster. The most popular small screen is the iPhone 5s, as it has a compact design. If you are looking for a bigger phone, then you will have to choose a device that runs on either the Windows or Android OS. If you want a tablet and a Smartphone in one, you can choose a bigger phone. The only drawback is that the devices may be heavy, won’t necessarily fit into your front pocket and you need both hands to operate them.

Camera:
You’re probably going to take loads of photos and videos with your Smartphone. In this case, there are many phones that have cameras that have a mega pixel count of 20 or higher. If you are looking for a good camera, you can choose a device that has 13 MP or higher. The quality of the images and the sensor are crucial here, as these will produce photos that are sharp. The software suite and the flash are also important as this increases the functionality of the camera.

Specifications:
The capacity of the battery is usually mentioned on the battery itself. If you want a device with endurance, you can choose a battery that is 3000 mAh or more. Since you will be storing plenty of data, choose a device that has loads of internal storage ranging from the standard 16 GB to 32 GB. You can also choose one with a Micro SD slot.


The RAM or system memory on a device ensures that device runs well. Low range phones will typically have a 1 GB RAM, but the flagship devices will have 2 to 3 GB RAM. A higher RAM ensures that faster loading and switching between apps.

Tuesday 18 November 2014

Unboxing and Review of the XonPhone 5 Smartphone



The XonPhone 5 by Oplus offers top quality hardware at a price that is more than reasonable. It also houses some great features in the metallic body. The smart phone has gathered enough attention since it release. You can get the XonPhone 5 through Snapdeal.com for Rs. 7999/-.   


If you are looking for a decent handset that offers very high value for your money, look no further than the XonPhone 5. Priced at just Rs. 7999/-, the budget android features an 8 MP camera, a 5” IPS LCD display with 720 p HD and a MediaTek processor. The XonPhone 5 has been made by new and upcoming company known as Oplus; the company does have a long way to go before they can prove themselves to the competition and established brands. Here are quick specs of the XonPhone 5:

Price
7999/-
RAM
1 GB
Display
5” IPS OGS
Resolution
1280x 720p HD, 294 PPI
Internal Storage
16 GB
Micro SD
Yes (32 GB)
OS
Android 4.4.2 (Kit Kat)
Primary Camera
8 MP (LED Flash)
Front Facing
2 MP
Geo-tagging
Yes
Battery
2000 mAh
Connectivity
WiFi, HSPA+, Micro USB 2.0, Bluetooth 4.0.
SIM
Dual (Mini SIM, Micro SIM)
USB OTG
No
Processor
1.3 GHz, MediaTek qua core MT6582
Multi Touch
Yes (5 point)
GPU
Mali 400 MP GPU

Build, Display and Design:
The XonPhone 5 has a good build. The back cover is made out of thin plastic that makes it very flexible, it sports a design that is perforated. The 3G Android Smartphone comes in three colours of gold, silver and grey. The phone has a very simple rectangle shape, power/ lock switch, volume control, three touch navigation buttons. The 5” display is the most noticeable feature that is HD (1280x 720p), since it is IPS OGS, the screen is very responsive, delivers bright color reproduction and has Full View.

RAM and Processor:
The quad core MediaTek MT6582 processor (1.3 GHz) cortex A7 can be found in many other budget android phones, so one can be assured of good performance. This is biggest advantage of the XonPhone 5, in this respect; the XonPhone 5 had scored 17,222 on the Antutu and 48.9 FPS on the Nenamark 2. The daily performance of the phone was smooth but there was minor frame drops in some of the graphics heavy games. The interactions with the UI were very good as there was a 1 GB RAM out of which just 400 MB was available when booted for the first time.


Internal storage and camera:
The 8 MP camera captures videos at 30 FPS (1080p HD), the pictures captured in low light were a bit grainy but the color reproduction was very good. The camera was very good as it features a number of features through which you can edit the photos, there are various modes and the camera exceeds expectations in a 3G Android Smartphone of this range. There is a LED Flash that does not work with the 2 MP camera. You have a 16 GB internal storage, out of this only 13 GB is free to use. You cannot move apps to the external SD card, so you have to adjust this setting to make the SD card the default storage area.

Battery and UI:
The budget android smart phone runs Android 4.4.2 Kit Kat out of the box, with only minor customizations being made to the icons and the home screen that looks very similar to the MIUI. Again, if you are not happy with this theme and look, you can always install any launcher app. The 2000 mAh battery offers average backup, this all depends on how apps you are running.

Connectivity, Video playback and sound:
The Android Smartphone can support playback for HD and Full HD videos, there is a loudspeaker at the back that delivers very good audio output in games and videos. The sound will get slightly muffled if you place the phone on a flat surface. There are a good number of connectivity options like Bluetooth, WiFi, WiFi Direct and HSPA+ and micro USB.

The XonPhone 5 is currently the best budget android smartphone out there, log on to www.oplustech.com to know more about it.