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HTC Desire 816 Review: Sum of all Desires

There’s no doubting the fact that phablets have gained consumer approval and are now considered a mainstream category of devices. HTC has so far kept its distance from these large screen devices with the One Max being its largest smartphone till date. With the Desire 816, HTC is bringing it’s A-Game to the mid range. As the upper end of smartphones hits a plateau, it is the mid range that is proving to be rather interesting. In our review we take a look at the HTC Desire 816 in a bid to determine if the handset really does fulfill all our desires. Continue reading “HTC Desire 816 Review: Sum of all Desires”

Spice Stellar 360 Review

In a world of touchscreen phones, choices in form factors are few, but Spice, one of the many Indian smartphone manufacturers, is offering one, with a keyboard. Spice’s Stellar 360, a budget Android touchscreen smartphone with a full sized qwerty keyboard, wants to appeal to a crowd that still likes its messages typed, on a real keyboard. Selling at a very low price of Rs. 4,799, can the phone be the bridging gap between lower end keypad based phones and a full touch screen device? Lets find out in our review.

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Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM Review: Missed Opportunity

Nokia’s devices and services division, now officially part of Microsoft, unveiled the Lumia 630 Windows Phone at their developer conference at San Francisco. This low end Windows Phone, which will cater to the budget customer, has a number of firsts and even a last, in terms of features. It is the first Windows Phone 8.1 device to be launched into the market, it is the first Dual SIM Windows Phone, it is the first Windows Phone with a quad core Snapdragon 400 chip and also the first one to support on-screen navigation buttons. But, having launched before April 25th, this, along with the Lumia 930, will be the last Windows Phones with a “Nokia” brand on them. Sporting a price tag of Rs. 11,500, the successor to the yesteryear Lumia 620 sports a bigger screen, with roughly the same resolution, undercuts it by a couple of thousands, but loses the LED flash and goes for a cheaper bill of materials (referred to as BoM from here on) generally. With the RAM staying at 512 MB, does the Lumia 630 Dual SIM Windows Phone strike a good balance between price and specifications in this crucial segment? Lets find out in our full review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixmnsH_1sQI

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LG G Pro 2 Review

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The original G Pro was LG’s push into the phablet category with high end specifications and more specifically a gigantic (for the time) display. Fast forward to 2014 and 5.5 inches is fast becoming the norm for smartphones. Owing to consumer trends, the successor has grown bigger still. We have with us the LG G Pro 2 which is the latest large screen wonder from the Korean smartphone manufacturer that aims to tackle the needs of consumers wanting a bigger smartphone viewing experience. Follow on for our review of the LG G Pro 2 as we take a look at what makes this device tick. Continue reading “LG G Pro 2 Review”

HTC One (M8) Review: One Up

HTC, the Taiwanese manufacturer, has been making smartphones for ages, but a definite breakthrough occurred when the company released the world’s first ever commercial Android handset, the Dream G1. A lot has happened since then, and the journey has been peppered with noteworthy products, especially the flagship “One” series. The One X started it all, as it was the first flagship that could truly stand out from the crowd. Sporting a brilliant 720p display, the One X had great design, build quality and general appeal. HTC continued this trend with last year’s One that won accolades for its slick design and build quality, and of course, a brilliant display. The software too had gone through various iterations under the Sense brand, and we are now at a point where all of it culminated into the company’s latest flagship, the HTC One M8.

Announced at an event in New York, the HTC One (M8) arrived in India not too long ago, which was an encouraging sign. Commanding a starting price of Rs. 49,990, the HTC One (M8) aims to offer the best of everything, with a slightly updated design, a larger screen and a new camera set up, while retaining all the goodness its predecessor was famous for, like for example, the HTC Boomsound. So, is the One (M8) the best HTC device yet? Can it be the flagship device you deserve? Let’s find out in our in-depth review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6r1pfsd5_I

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Sony Xperia Z2 Review: Taller, Faster, Sharper

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We got our first glimpse of the Sony Xperia Z2 a few months back at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Set against competition from the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Z2 felt like the antithesis of the Korean flagship. Where Samsung was hell bent on throwing everything at the wall in the hopes of attracting consumer attention, Sony’s flagship felt like a device where the thought was on making improvements all around. Improvements that made sense and improved the experience. Now that we’ve spent more time with the device, we’re all the more sure that Sony thought long and hard when working on the Z2. Read on for our thoughts on what is a solid contender for flagship of the year. Continue reading “Sony Xperia Z2 Review: Taller, Faster, Sharper”

Samsung Galaxy S5 Review

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For the past 4 years, there is an event that most phone geeks look forward to; the announcement of the latest Samsung Galaxy S flagship. Ever since the launch of the original Galaxy S smartphone which was a big success for a flagship device at the time, we have all waited to see what Samsung brings in new every year with the successor to the previous model. Samsung have a history of providing a do it all device with every feature you could imagine packed into a single device. Naturally this year also everyone expected the same.

Each year Samsung manages to sell more and more of it’s flagship device and this year it’s expecting to do the same. However it does have some fierce competition from the likes of HTC and Sony. Only time will tell how it stands against them but let’s take a look at the S5 and how it performs.

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HTC Desire 310 Dual SIM Review

HTC has had a troubling past few quarters with well reviewed devices that haven’t really caught the consumer’s eye. In the upper end of the segment, we’ve seen HTC’s new One M8 that incorporates cutting edge design and materials to create the perfect flagship. However it is sales in the volume segment ie the entry level that can help revive the flailing smartphone giant. The Desire 310 aims to be exactly that device as it aims to combine a good experience with an enticing price point. Does it succeed? Read on to find out. Continue reading “HTC Desire 310 Dual SIM Review”

Sony Xperia E1 Dual Review: a loud whimper for your buck

Sony has been making a comeback of sorts. A couple of years back, they were struggling to match the competition in price and were never on par in specifications but things started to change last year, when the company rebooted the brand and design with fresh new phones, like the recent and much loved Xperia Z1 Compact. While it has amplified at the higher end with flagships like the Z2, the effect has now reached the lower end spectrum of the market. The Xperia E1 Dual is Sony’s latest jab at the entry level smartphone which replaces the good old Tipo Dual. Priced at less than 10,000 rupees, this Sony smartphone aims to satisfy the needs of a market that always wants more for less. Armed with music focused features, can the Xperia E1 dual stand out from the crowd? Lets find out in our review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap56WSDWO18

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Lenovo Vibe Z Review

Lenovo Vibe Z, the Chinese company’s flagship smartphone, was launched in India for a price of 35,999 a while back. The phone, also know by its codename K910, is the successor to Lenovo’s K900, the flagship from last year. We had reviewed the K900 and found it to be a really good flagship at that point in time, and it’s not surprising that the Vibe Z is modeled off the same. With improvements on the outside in terms of design and build and on the inside in terms of internals, is the Vibe Z Lenovo’s best offering yet? How does it compare to the newer breed of flagships from other companies? Here is our detailed review of the Lenovo Vibe Z aka K910 to answer those questions.

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Gionee Elife E7 Review: Best in class

The Elife E7 is Gionee’s first flagship smartphone that is aimed at the premium high end segment of the market. The device is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 800 processor and sports a seemingly good 16 MP camera, which brings it closer to the likes of other flagships like Nexus 5 and the even the S5 to an extent, but offers a price advantage making it one of the best VFM products out there. But can a newer brand like Gionee instill confidence in the high end consumer, with its hardware and software package? Lets find out in our Gionee Elife E7 Review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9QnwfoiMKo

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Karbonn Titanium S5 Plus Review

As the market gets flooded with large display devices at ever more appealing price points, buyers are spoilt for choice. While the likes of Micromax and Spice are the elephants in the room, Karbonn isn’t far behind either. The brand new Karbonn Titanium S5 Pro brings a large display, above average performance to a very appealing price point. Read on to find out our opinion of the phone. Continue reading “Karbonn Titanium S5 Plus Review”

Nokia Lumia 1320 Review

Back in October at it’s Nokia World event, the Finnish smartphone manufacturer showed off two devices that were meant to capitalize on the trend favoring larger screen sizes. Packed with 6 inch panels and some special Nokia bits baked into Windows Phone 8, the two devices were intriguing to say the least. Fast forward to today and we’ve spent some quality time with both the phones. A few days back we brought you our review of the Nokia Lumia 1520 and here’s our take on the Lumia 1320. Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 1320 Review”

LG G Flex Review – Setting the Precedent

A few years ago, LG was not relevant in the smartphone conversation. The optimus range was uninspiring and the flagships like 2x and 4x were duds, but all changed when the company released the Nexus 4, with Google. Continuing with the successes of Nexus 5 and the G2, LG has firmly cemented its position as one of the top 5 smartphone vendors in the world. But at this point in time, with virtually every evolutionary avenue explored, the question of “What’s next?” had to be addressed in the smartphone market. The G Flex is LG’s answer, as it hopes to set the precedent for the next generation of devices. Well, does it? Lets find out in our review.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIRnDc_eYaA

Check out our LG G Flex Giveaway!

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Xolo Play Tegra Note Review

Seven inch tablets are a dime and a dozen however finding one that delivers compelling performance at a competitive price point is still rather elusive. Enter the Tegra Note 7. Powered by a blazing fast Tegra 4 chip and boasting of strong gaming credentials, the Tegra Note 7 promises the sky. But can it deliver? We find out in our review. Continue reading “Xolo Play Tegra Note Review”