video | Fone Arena

Gionee Elife E5 Unboxing and First Impressions

The trend in today’s Indian market is cheap Android Smartphones. Many companies like Micromax and Karbonn have successfully built huge businesses over this specific concept, however there are always compromises to be made. Most devices that land in the Indian market are re branded low cost Smartphones from across the border in China. Shenzen is a hub of countless number of companies that are mainly contract manufacturers and often end up offering really low cost, and thereby low quality phones. But some of them really stand out, like Meizu, Xiaomi, Oppo and the new entrant in our list of impressive Chinese companies – Gionee. The Elife E5 has inspired us to think beyond and acknowledge the fact that excellent phone makers exist, irrespective of the market they are from.

We unboxed the Elife E5, one of the company’s recent releases in the Elife range, and found it really nice. Here is a video of us talking about the box contents and the device itself, go past the break for our complete impressions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIzid_VK8bs&feature=youtu.be&a

Continue reading “Gionee Elife E5 Unboxing and First Impressions”

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Moto X hands on comparison

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3, launched at IFA received much attention mainly for its extensive customization options apart from the top end specifications. These options mainly deal with the back covers, ranging from metal to false stitched leather, and literally anything can be done with respect to the back cover. Guess which other device offers similar or even better customization? You guessed right, it’s the Moto X. One of the few devices in the world that can come with a wooden back, the Moto X is the Googlorola company’s only ticket back to being credible. With increasing competition and their top end specs, can the decidedly mid specced phone match up against the Note 3? We try to find out in a quick comparison video –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fQ4IMGBoIM

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Moto X hands on comparison”

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Apple iPhone 5 hands on comparison

With the next iPhone(s) scheduled to launch in just a few hours, we took the liberty of comparing the Apple iPhone 5 with the just launched Samsung Galaxy Note 3, because for all you know, the 5S might just be a slight upgrade over the 5. That said, the Galaxy Note is possibly the most technologically(read: hardware) advanced smartphone right now, so how does it fare in comparison with the most popular smartphone on the planet? Watch our video for a quick hands on comparison.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc9PcQRkMHk

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Apple iPhone 5 hands on comparison”

HTC One Mini Hands-On

HTC announced the mini version of their flagship, HTC One, back in July as the HTC One Mini and the phone was on display at IFA 2013 in Berlin. The HTC One Mini looks quite similar to the original HTC One, but comes in a smaller package and a less powerful package.

htc-one-mini-hands-on-8

Here is our hands on video from the event –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jA_cqeaPsU

Continue reading “HTC One Mini Hands-On”

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z Ultra Hands on Comparison

sony-xperia-z-ultra-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-3

Samsung just unveiled the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 3 at their IFA unpacked event today. Boasting a beautiful 5.7 inch full HD Super AMOLED display with a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 Processor and 3 GB of RAM, it is easily one of the most powerful devices that have launched till date. But there was also another Snapdragon 800 device that impressed us with its performance and that was the Xperia Z Ultra, the first 6.44 inch device from Sony. How do both these phablets look side by side, and how do they fare in a quick comparison? We shot a video to show you how –

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

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Sony Xperia Z Ultra Hands on Comparison”

Nokia Lumia 625 Unboxing

It might be really hard to believe, but the Nokia Lumia 625, that launched recently, is the company’s largest phone till date, with respect to screen size. The UK Retail box of the 4.7 inch device just landed in our labs and naturally, we were bothered enough to unbox it and take a overview of the device on video, watch –

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

Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 625 Unboxing”

Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Review

samsung-galaxy-s4-zoom-review-8

Samsung has been recently having an obsession to provide solutions of convergence in weird form factors. We saw that with the Mega 6.3 and the Galaxy Note 510, both being devices with a certain feature, unknown to that specific form factor, hacked in, and the S4 Zoom falls in that same category. It is basically a Smartphone with a camera slapped on its back, or a point and shoot with a smartphone slapped on its back, you get the idea. Samsung started this trend with the Galaxy Camera, a high end point and shoot running Android, which is basically a connected camera, with 3G. Expectedly, Samsung has taken it further with the S4 Zoom adding phone functionality. Priced at Rs. 29,990, is the S4 Zoom a hack job or is it actually a good enough cameraphone? Lets find out.

Video Review

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfz1vMhBbIk

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Review”

Meizu MX2 Unboxing and first impressions

meizu-mx-2-unboxing-2

Meizu, a well known Chinese smartphone manufacturer, rose to popularity with its M9 and MX devices. The company was always known for making devices that look remarkably similar to Apple’s iPhone, and that tradition continues with its latest flagship, the MX2. With a really impressive build quality and a gorgeous display, we set out to unbox this beauty of a device with some high expectations. Does it deliver? Watch the unboxing video and skip past the break for our initial impressions of the device.

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

Continue reading “Meizu MX2 Unboxing and first impressions”

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Review

samsung-galaxy-mega-6-3-review-34

Ever since the original Galaxy Note, Samsung has continuously shocked us with screen sizes on their smartphones. Predictably, that has continued with the Galaxy Mega 5.8 and its bigger brother, the Mega 6.3 with the world’s biggest screen, on a smartphone that is. We initially thought it was ridiculous that Huawei launched a 6.1 inch device at CES, but Samsung has one-upped them, actually 0.2-upped them with a more monstrous 6.3 inch screen. After a good amount of ridicule and plenty of surprises, we have finally tested this Smartphone-Tablet hybrid in whole and here are our complete thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3. Retailing at Rs 32,990, is this the large screen phablet you are waiting for? Lets find out.

Video Review

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec2mdHaJg6I

Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Review”

Leaked Moto X video reveals an always listening Google Now with a sleeping screen

google-moto-x-eric-schmidt

Seemingly controlled, yet another new Moto X leak has been let loose on the Internet. This time, it’s not the Google Chariman, but the Canadian carrier Rogers. In a “Tech Talk Experts” video, Rogers shows off the black Moto X, which very much looks like the Nexus 4, but shows off rather intriguing functionality. The Moto X is always listening to your voice for commands, just like the Google glass and will let you talk to it, without touching the phone. Much like the Microsoft Kinect on the Xbox One, Google Now always keeps its ears open for a specific command, in this case – “Ok Google Now”. A few more interesting features have been revealed, but watch the video first –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBGU9t7NpaA

Continue reading “Leaked Moto X video reveals an always listening Google Now with a sleeping screen”

New Android 4.3 camera and gallery app emerges [Download]

It was rumoured that Android 4.3 will be launched with the stock HTC One version, but there was no trace of the new version of Android when the device was launched recently. Recently the camera interface for the Android 4.3 was leaked by someone having 4.3 running on a Nexus 4 at a Thai expo. The new UI was supposed to come with Android 4.3, instead Google has decided to put some new features of Android 4.3 on these phones instead of the complete new update. Now, we have the apk and you can install it in any device just like you install any application.

Continue reading “New Android 4.3 camera and gallery app emerges [Download]”

Lenovo K900 Unboxing and First Impressions

lenovo-k-900-unboxing-11

UPDATE – You can read the full review here.

The K900 is Lenovo’s massive flagship device that recently launched in India for Rs. 32,999. Boasting some impressive specs, it has landed in our labs for testing. The huge 5.5 inch 1080p IPS screen is coupled with powerful internals such as the 2 GHz dual core Intel CloverTrail processor and the 13 megapixel Sony Stacked CMOS sensor camera, making it a very impressive package. This got us excited for the unboxing and the initial walkthrough of the device, which we captured in a video here –

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnwXRcLlff4

Continue reading “Lenovo K900 Unboxing and First Impressions”

Nokia Lumia 925 vs HTC One Quick Comparison

nokia-lumia-925vs-htc-one-7

The Nokia Lumia 925 launched the day before yesterday, invoking various reactions from the internet, including ours, which is detailed in the hands on post here. This new Lumia device with a metal frame loses a lot of weight and has slimmed down, mainly for people who were holding out on the 920 because of its bulkiness. We had explained the differences between it and the 920 here, which would make sense of this device’s release. At the event, once we were done with the Lumia 925 photo gallery, we were looking to compare it with various flagship devices. We initially compared with the Samsung Galaxy S4 and now we are comparing it with the very beautifully designed HTC One. Here is a quick video of the same –

Continue reading “Nokia Lumia 925 vs HTC One Quick Comparison”

Video: Downhill Action with the Nokia Lumia 920 GoPro Chest Harness

A week ago I have received a package with something very cool inside. In the package I have a found a custom-built Nokia Lumia 920 case, made of Plexiglass, built on a GoPro chest harness. It’s probably no secret that I’m the unsportiest person in Austria, so I’ve contacted my friend Gernot Lambeck, a huge downhill biking fan. He agreed to give this a try, and so we met last weekend for some action in a nearby forest. With the OIS (Optical Image Stabiliser) built inside the Lumia 920, Nokia promises a great video experience even in difficult situations. Blasting through a forest on a bike would probably be “difficult”, and I was looking forward to see how the 920 handled the abuse.

Nokia Lumia 920 GoPro02
Continue reading “Video: Downhill Action with the Nokia Lumia 920 GoPro Chest Harness”

Nexus-like Motorola prototype leaks out in pictures and video

motorola-google-x

Motorola has been dormant since the great Google acquisition with only a couple of device launches, namely the Razr i and the Razr/Razr MAXX HD. But with this new detailed leak, few of the remaining fans might be happy to see that the company is working on a new portfolio, which might be influenced by Google design. Known for its earlier high profile leaks, the Vietnamese site Tinhte.vn has leaked a confidential prototype Motorola device that pretty much resembles the Nexus 4 on its front. This mysterious device might just be a prototype, but we would really like to see it get iterated into a real product from Motorola, mainly because it is part of Google, now, and we might actually get to see the Google influences on the devices. You have pictures as well as a video of this device, check out the video below, for a lengthy hands on(warning, it’s Vietnamese)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxYEt8S7q-4#!

Continue reading “Nexus-like Motorola prototype leaks out in pictures and video”