Thursday, 12 March 2015

XIAOMI REDMI 2 - THE BIG REVIEW


The whole country was abuzz about the launch of Redmi 2. Better late than never, the Chinese giant had launched the smartphone in other markets in January. It is quite amazing to know that Xiaomi launched it in India, its 2nd largest market three months later. The new Redmi has a lot to offer with 64 bit processor, better front camera and 4G. Let’s have a detailed review.

PROCESSOR
Xiaomi Redmi 2 has a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor. It has 1GB RAM. The new processor guarantees a fluid experience even for the heaviest of users. Its energy efficient Hexagon DSP core maximizes work per CPU clock cycle for long lasting battery life and wait for it... 64-bit computing! It's faster and more powerful than 32-bit processors, and allows for more efficient processing and memory use.

DISPLAY & DESIGN
Xiaomi has kept the same 4.7" display but designed Redmi 2 to be lighter at 133g and thinner at 9.4mm. Display resolution is 1280x720 with AGC Dragontrail Glass. It also features rounded corners and a textured back that will feel great in your grip. The matte finish adds to the feel good factor. The volume as well as Power keys are on the right side, while the primary mic and micro USB port are at the bottom.

CAMERA
The 8MP camera uses backside illumination (BSI) for great low-light performance at night, while infrared sensor protection improves image quality in sunlight. Shoot in HDR, panorama, fisheye, use voice commands, and more. The 2MP front camera records 720p HD video and comes with Beautify, which intelligently guesses age and gender in order to apply 36 smart filters.

SOFTWARE
 On the software front, Redmi 2 runs on Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS with a guaranteed update to 5.0 Lollipop within a month. There are new functions, shortcuts, customizations and animations embedded within MIUI 6. 

MEMORY
The smartphone packs 8GB of internal storage, of which 4.38GB is available to the user. The external memory can be expanded up to 32 GB via a micro SD card.

BATTERY
The battery is 2,200mAh in capacity equipped with fast charging which is better than Redmi 1S. It should last up to 11 hours on a single charge.

PRICE
The smartphone is priced at Rs. 6999/-. The Redmi 2 will follow the flash sale model on Flipkart. Registrations have started and it will go on sale on 24 March. Xiaomi says that 30-40,000 units will go on sale and it is hoping to move the Redmi 2 to a regular sale model that won’t require registration any longer.

Xiaomi has earned a name for itself for providing great specs under an affordable price. It aims to claim its hold in India with the Redmi 2. The main plus points include 4G connectivity, faster processor and better UI. It will have to compete with Moto E 2nd gen and Lenovo A6000 for the best budget smartphone. Indications show that it will be a highly successful device due to its price.

GENERAL FEATURES
Business Features
Document Viewer, eBook
Handset Color
White
Form
Bar
Call Features
Loudspeaker
SIM Type
DualSIM, Micro sim card
Model ID
MZB4283IN
In the Box
Handset, Battery, Adapter, USB 2.0 cable, User guide, Warranty Card

CAMERA
Video Recording
Yes, 1080p HD
Secondary Camera
2MP, supports 720p video recording
Flash
Yes, LED
HD Recording
HD, Full HD
Primary Camera
8Mega Pixel BSI

MULTIMEDIA
Video Player
MPEG4, h.263, h.264
Sound Enhancement
Dual mic noise reduction
Music Player
MP3, aac, aac+, eaac+, amr, wb-amr, midi, ogg
FM
Yes

INTERNET & CONNECTIVITY
Audio Jack
3.5 mm
Preinstalled Browser
MIUI Browser, Chrome Browser
Bluetooth
Yes, v4, Supported Profiles (LE)
Navigation Technology
GPS, AGPS, GLONASS
Internet Features
Email
Audio Jack
3.5 mm
Wifi
Yes, 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
EDGE
Yes
GPRS
Yes
Tethering
USB, Wi-fi Hotspot
USB Connectivity
Yes
3G
Yes

OTHER FEATURES
Sensors
Gyroscope, Light Sensor, Accelerometer, Electronic Compass, Proximity Sensor
Phone Book Memory
Yes
Call Memory
Yes
SMS Memory
Yes
SAR Value
0.999 W/Kg
Additional Features
Quick charge 1.0

DIMENSIONS
Weight
133g
Size
134mm X 67.2 mm X 9.4mm

DISPLAY
Resolution
HD, 1280 x 720 Pixels
Other Display Features
Multi-touch, IPS Display
Size
4.7 Inches

WARRANTY
Warranty Summary
1 year manufacturer warranty for Phone and 6 months warranty for in the box accessories

BATTERY
Standby Time
N/A
Type
Li-ion Polymer, 2200 mAh

MEMORY AND STORAGE
Memory
1 GB RAM, 8 GB ROM
Internal
8 GB
Expandable
Upto 32 GB
User available Memory
5.75GB

PLATFORM
Operating Freq
FDD-LTE Band 1(2100MHz); Band 3(1800MHz); TD-LTE Band 40(2300Mh), WCDMA(850/900/1900/2100 MHz), GSM(850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
OS
MIUI based on Android 4.4
Graphics
Andreno 306
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 64Bit, Quad core 1.2Ghz


Monday, 2 March 2015

THE BIG REVIEW - SAMSUNG GALAXY S6



The release of the flagship from Samsung was widely expected this Mobile World Congress, Barcelona. Galaxy S6 was known internally as “Project Zero.” Why zero? Because with the S6, Samsung says it started from scratch and its design team members were given the freedom to build the phone of their dreams. The Samsung galaxy S6 can easily be said as the prettiest galaxy yet from the company. Samsung has gone for a total reboot of its smartphone line with yesterday's unveiling of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones. 

PROCESSOR
The new galaxy is powered by a 64-bit 2.1GHz octa-core processor and 3GB RAM, which make for a powerful and extremely responsive smartphone when combined with the Android 5.0-based TouchWiz. No lag shall be experienced in this one though. This time the processor is designed by Exynos, manufactured by Samsung itself. Overall, the processor lightning fast.

DISPLAY & DESIGN
Samsung galaxy S6 features an eye-catching 2k display. The 5.1 inch Super AMOLED screen has a 1440x2560p resolution which is far better than a Full HD one. The Edge screen on Galaxy S6 Edge is on both sides this time, up from just one side as is the case with Galaxy Note Edge. There is a much needed improvement on the design front with metal and glass and of course the plastic has been finally dumped.

CAMERA
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge both have a 16 MP rear camera which is also great for lowlight photography, Samsung claims, as the sensor is now able to capture up to 60% more light now. The camera's indoor photography skills are top notch, capturing all the details and delivering great colours and contrast. The 5MP front camera captures much light as does the rear camera. This means much clearer, brighter selfies for you. On the software side, you get features like beauty mode and wide-angle selfie.

SOFTWARE
 On the software front, The S6 runs on Android Lollipop 5.0 along with its customized TouchWiz UI.  There is much smaller number of preinstalled Samsung apps. The new TouchWiz UI has been made more simple and clutter-free.

MEMORY
In the new galaxy, the back panel is not removable and you can't place a micro SD card for storage expansion. Samsung has given 32, 64 and 128GB options, stating that the new flash memories it has used make the process up to 80% faster.

BATTERY
The battery is 2,600mAh in capacity. However, the fast-charging technology Samsung has used can charge the phones from 0% to 100% in just 30-40 minutes. And charging the phone for just 10 minutes will ensure that it lasts for up to 4 hours.

PRICE
The official price of the Samsung Galaxy S6 is Rs. 49,900 for the S6 and 58,500 for the S6 edge.

The Korean company was forced to act like the design leader with devices like the Samsung Galaxy S5 that the company struggled. The Galaxy S6 definitely look better than recent Galaxy devices, hinting Samsung may be more comfortable chasing a target rather than being asked to lead from the front. The new metal and glass design is always welcome. The camera just keeps on improving and the Exynos processor is also lightning fast coupled with the new light TouchWiz UI. It would be interesting to think what the consumers think of this flagship.


Watch the Official release of Samsung galaxy S6

Samsung Galaxy S6 detailed specifications
GENERAL
Release date
March 2015
Form factor
Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)
143.40 x 70.50 x 6.80
Weight (g)
138.00
Battery capacity (mAh)
2550
Removable battery
No
SAR value
NA
DISPLAY
Screen size (inches)
5.10
Touchscreen
Yes
Touchscreen type
Capacitive
Resolution
1440x2560 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)
577
Colours
16M
HARDWARE
Processor
1.5GHz  octa-core
RAM
3GB
Internal storage
32GB
CAMERA
Rear camera
16-megapixel
Flash
Yes
Front camera
5-megapixel
SOFTWARE
Operating System
Android 5.0
Java support
Yes
CONNECTIVITY
Wi-Fi
Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported
802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac
GPS
Yes
Bluetooth
Yes, v 4.10
NFC
Yes
Infrared
Yes
DLNA
No
Wi-Fi Direct
Yes
MHL Out
No
HDMI
No
Headphones
3.5mm
FM
No
USB
Micro-USB
Charging via Micro-USB
Yes
Proprietary charging connector
No
Proprietary data connector
No
SIM Type
Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA
GSM
3G
Yes
SENSORS
Compass/ Magnetometer
Yes
Proximity sensor
Yes
Accelerometer
Yes
Ambient light sensor
Yes
Gyroscope
Yes
Barometer
Yes
Temperature sensor
No


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