Author: Aniruddh

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL Review- Cons and Pros
Asus Zenfone 2 has many variants. These variants causes confusion. You should be very careful when you buy Zenfone 2. Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is the new addition to the list. In this Zenfone 2 Laser, there are two variants. First one is powered by Snapdragon 615 SoC with 3GB 0f RAM and another one is powered by Snapdragon 410 SoC with 2GB of RAM. In this post, we will be doing the review on Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL base variant which has Snapdragon 410 chipset.

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Asus Zenfone 2 Laser sports 5.5 inch IPS screen with resolution of 720×1280 pixels. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4. Colors and brightness are decent. However, if you set, auto brightness, the brightness level is little low. The device has screen to body ratio of 72%. Due to this, though it has 5.5 inch screen, phone does not feel much big. The design is identical to the Asus Zenfone 2 which we have seen already.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is powered by Snapdragon 410 SoC with 2GB of RAM. It has 16GB of internal storage and support for microSD card upto 128GB. It is dual sim smartphone and both sim supports 4G. The standard connectivity features such as 2G, 3G, Bluetooth, microUSB, WiFi also available.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser has 13MP rear camera with Dual tone flash and Laser. There is also a 5MP front facing camera. The laser guided rear camera does a good job when it comes to taking macro shots. The laser technology based focus system is useful only for taking the close objects. The camera does a decent job. However, in bright day light, images taken with auto settings produces wash out images. Indoor and low light performance is just ok. The front facing camera performance is also decent. There is one con here. That is default camera app cannot record videos using the front facing camera.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is powered by 3000mAh battery. This is one of the main attraction of the device apart from laser guided camera. The battery lasts almost a day with heavy usage and with casual usage, it lasts around 2 days. The screen on time is around 6 hours which is very good for a Android phone in this budget.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser run on Android 5.0 Lollipop and ZenUI on top of it. There are few tweaks which are very useful such as double to tap to wake up or go to sleep etc. Unfortunately, Asus bundled many bloatwares which cannot be uninstalled easily by the user. The day to day performance is good enough and not felt much lag. The call quality of the device is excellant. One of the disadvantage of Asus Zenfone 2 Laser is its speakers. The volume of this speaker is bit low.

Advantages and disadvantages of Asus Zenfone 2 Laser

Pros of Zenfone 2 Laser
- Excellent battery life.
- quick and accurate auto focus on macro shots.
- 4G connectivity on both sim.
- Decent performance.
- Good sturdy build quality.
Cons of Zenfone 2 Laser
- No 1080 display: It would have been great if it had 1080p resolution for a 5.5 inch screen.
- Low speaker output: The speaker output on this device is bit low.
- No video recording features for front facing camera.
- Average camera performance on open environment.
- No latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box
Asus Zenfone 2 Laser Specification
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI
- 13 MP Primary Camera with Dual tome flash and Laser
- 5 MP Secondary Camera
- Dual Sim (LTE + LTE)
- 5.5 inch Capacitive Touchscreen with 720p resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Protection.
- 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 Quad Core Processor with 2GB of RAM.
- 16GB internal storage & Expandable Storage Capacity of 128 GB.
- 3000 mAh battery.
August 30, 2015
Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime Review – Pros and Cons- Incremental Upgrade

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime is a incremental upgrade over original Redmi 2. Another USP of this device is, it is made in India. The device is manufactured at Foxconn facility in Sri City. The price of Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime in India is Rs.6,999. As it is a incremental upgrade, we will see the difference between the Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime.

Read: Xiaomi Redmi 2 Review

Difference between Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime

Display:

Both Redmi 2 variant comes with 4.7 inch IPS LCD screen with screen resolution of 720x 1280 and pixel density of 312 ppi. There is no visible difference here. The dimensions of the devices are same at 134.00×67.20×9.40. In this section, both are same.

Processor:

Both Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 prime is powered by 64-bit 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 CPU processor. Once again there is no difference.

Operating System:

Both smartphones runs on Android Kitkat with MIUI 6 skin on top of it. It is sad to know that, there is no Android 5.0 out of the box when there are multiple smartphones with much less price available with Lollipop. In this section too, you will not get any thing more.

Camera:

In terms of specifications, both smartphones features 8MP primary camera with LED flash and 2MP front facing camera. But with short time with Redmi Prime, i felt that, original Redmi 2 camera is slightly better.

Battery:

Once again there is no change. Both Redmi 2 and Redmi 2 Prime feature 2200 mAh battery which lasts for almost full day with casual usage. There is also a quick charger feature on these devices.

Connectivity:

As the SoC is same, there is no difference in connectivity. The connectivity features of these Xiaomi’s smartphone are dual SIM (both SIMs of the smartphones support 4G LTE), WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, FM, etc. There is no NFC.

RAM and storage:

This is the segment where there is a difference. The Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. This is the double the RAM and storage compared to original Redmi 2. Redmi 2 has only 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage. Both smartphones support for microSD card.Redmi 2 Prime is the winner here.

Price:

Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime price is Rs.6,999 and Redmi 2 Price is Rs.5999.

Verdict:

With a extra Rs,1000, you will be getting extra 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. So if you are planning to buy Xiaomi Redmi 2, then it will be advisable to consider Redmi 2 Prime .

August 29, 2015
Phicomm Energy 653 Review- Budget 4G Dual Sim Android Smartphone
In recent times we have seen many feature rich 4G dual sim Android smartphone at attractive price. China-based Phicomm is taken this competition to next level. It released 4G enabled smartphone Energy 653 at Rs.4,999. At the time of writing this review, this is the most affordable 4G Dual sim Android smartphone in India with 5 inch 720p HD display screen. The device is exclusively available on Amazon.in.

Phicomm Energy 653 is powered by quad-core 1.1GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor with 1GB of RAM. It has 8GB of internal storage out of which 5GB is user available. This budget 4G smartphone runs on Android Lollipop with Expect 5.0 UI. The UI is simple and very close to stock Android experience but there are few customizations and tweaks. The day to day performance is decent on this device for the price. I was able to play basic game like Minion Rush without any issues. However don’t expect to run graphic intensive games on this device.

Phicomm Energy 653 houses 8MP rear camera with LED flash and 2MP front facing camera. The pictures taken in daylight came out good. But low light pictures missed the details. The 2MP front facing camera is good enough for occasional video chatting and selfie. Phicomm Energy 653 sports 5 inch IPS screen with 1280x720p resolution. The display is sharp. Viewing angle and sunlight legibility also decent.

Phicomm Energy 653

Phicomm Energy 653 connectivity features includes 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB. Unfortunately, it does not support USB OTG. As this device does not have compass sensor, sometimes GPS has shown some issues in locking the locations. The device comes with removable 2300 mAh battery which lasts for a day on normal usage which includes 3G enabled all the time, 1-2 hours of talk time and play few casual games.

For the price of Rs 4,999, Phicomm Energy 653 does offer good features. Though there are few demerits on Phicomm Energy 653, it is acceptable considering the price. If you want branded budget 4G Android smartphone then you need to go for Moto E 4G at Rs. 7,999.

Advantages and Disadvantages Phicomm Energy 653

Pros of Phicomm Energy 653
- Affordable price.
- Dual sim and 4G support.
- Decent Display screen.
- Good camera for the price.
- Good battery life.
Cons of Phicomm Energy 653
- No USB OTG support.
- Glossy back cover. The design feels cheap.
- GPS fails to lock the location at times.
- Limited service centers.
- Availability: Available only through online.
Phicomm Energy 653 Specification
- Quad-core 1.1GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon 210 processor with 1GB RAM
- 8GB internal storage and support for microSD card
- 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB
- 8MP rear camera with LED flash
- 2MP front facing camera.
- Removable 2300 mAh battery.
August 18, 2015
Motorola Moto G3 Cons and Pros Review
Motorola Moto G3 or Moto G 3rd Gen is not great in terms specifications. We have seen much better spec smartphone for much lesser price. However Moto G smartphone wins in user experience rather than competing with high end specifications. It is one of the best selling smartphone of Motorola. So is it worth to buy Moto G 3rd gen?

The Moto G3 comes in 2 variant. One with 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage which is available for Rs.11,999. Another one is 2GB RAM with 16GB internal storage which is available for Rs.12,999. Both the variants support microSD card and USB OTG. It is highly advisable to go for 2GB variant if you are planning to buy 3rd Gen Moto G. First lets us talk about what is new in Moto G 2015 edition.

Read: Moto G3 comparison with its predecessors and specification.

One key highlight of 3rd Gen Moto G is its rear camera. It now has 13MP primary camera with dual LED flash. Company claims that, it is the same sensor which is used in Nexus 6. There is huge difference when it comes to camera performance compared to its predecessor. It is not the best, but it is one of the good camera phone in this budget. It also has 5MP front facing camera. Once again there is visible quality upgrade over its predecessor.

Motorola Moto G 2015

3rd Gen Moto G houses 2470 mAh battery which is optimised for long usage. If you are a Moto G or Moto G2 user, you will find the difference. Now, the battery lasts around 1 day full with heavy usage. Another addition to Moto G 2015 edition is 4G LTE support. The device is powered by 1.4GHz quad core Snapdragon 410 Soc with Adreno 306 GPU. Xiaomi Redmi 2, Lenovo a6000 Plus which also uses Snapdragon 410 Soc. But the one used in 3rd Gen Moto G has slightly higher clock speed.

One more USP of Moto G 2015 is IPx7 certification for water resistance. Motorola also made tweak in design aspect as well. The removable rear back cover is textured and gives good grip. The connectivity features of the device includes 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB tethering and WiFi hotspot. Moto G3 runs on latest Android 5.1.1 Lollipop.

3rd Gen Moto G 2015 has the same display as that of its predecessor. This is the one section, Motorola not done any changes. The device sports 5 inch IPS 720HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The display is crisp and pixelation is hardly visible when holding at an arm length.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Moto G 3rd Gen 2015

Pros of Moto G3 2015
- Excellent battery life: The battery offers close 6 hours of screen on time. On a regular usage, it lasts more than a day.
- Great user experience: Moto G3 is highly optimised for user experience. There is no log or shuttering while using the device on day to day usage.
- Stock Android with useful apps: UI of the device is very close to stock Android. It has very less bloatwares. Few Motorola Apps which are pre installed are very useful for most of the users.
- Good Call quality and great sound output via headphone: The call quality on Moto G3 is good. The sound output via headphone also excellent when we use good quality headphone.
- Water and dust resistance: It has IPx7 certification for water resistance.
- Decent rear camera: The 13MP primary camera does a decent job.
Cons of Moto G3 2015

Any device irrespective of the price and specification has its own demerits. Inspite of all great features, we feel if it has this feature, it would have been great. So here are few disadvantages of 3rd Gen Moto G.
- Same 720p HD display as its predecessor: Considering the competitive smartphones, it would have been great if Motorola added a full HD(1080p) screen.
- Long time for charging: The battery life of the device is good. But one annoying thing is that, Moto G 2015, does not feature fast charging. The bundled 0.5 amp charger takes more than 5 hours to fully charge the device.
- There is no NFC chip and No Wi-Fi ac support.
- No stereo speakers( Moto G2 had stereo speaker).
- Moto Maker is available only for selected markets.
Motorola Moto G 3rd Gen Tips and Tricks

How to take screenshot on 3rd Gen Moto G

For taking screenshot on Moto G 3rd Gen 2015 smartphone, press and hold volume down and power key simultaneously.

Gesture Controls on Moto G 2015
- While holding the device, if you shake like chopping, flashlight turns on.
- If you twist your hands, the camera app opens.
Verdict on Motorola Moto G 3rd Generation 2015: There is no doubt that, Moto G3 is one best of the best value for money device you can get. If you are planning to buy this device, choose the 2GB variants. With excellent battery life, lag free performance along with water resistant feature, Moto G3 is ideal phone for people who are looking for smartphone in the budget of 15k.
August 16, 2015
New Variants of Asus Zenfone 2
Asus Zenfestival 2015 witnessed launch of new variants of popular Zenfone 2 smartphone in India. The newly launched smartphones are ZenFone Selfie, ZenFone 2 Laser, the ZenFone 2 Deluxe and ZenFone Max. The common feature of all 4 smartphone includes Android 5.0 Lollipop, 4G LTE support, and dual-SIM (Micro-SIM) dual active support. Let us have quick look into these new smartphones from Asus.

New Variants of Asus Zenfone 2

I have already written a detailed post on comparing different variants of Asus Zenfone 2, in one of my previous post with the model numbers. The earlier variants majorly differentiated by the storage limit and display screen. All previous models were powered by Intel Atom processors with different clock speed. But, now Asus Zenfone 2 available with Snapdragon Soc too. We will discuss more on this by looking into individual new Asus Zenfone 2 variants.

Read:

Different variants of Asus Zenfone 2

How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone 2

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe

The main attraction of the Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe is its design. It also has 13MP PixelMaster camera with laser auto-focus technology. This technology helps to take instant shots on near object. Below are the specification of Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe. There are two sub variants of this model based on the internal storage. Except that, all the other specifications remains same.
- 2.3 GHz Intel Atom Z3580 Quad Core Processor with 4GB of RAM.
- PowerVR G6430 GPU and OpenGL 3.2 support.
- 5.5 inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 Full HD and Asus TruVivid Technology.
- 64GB/128GB internal storage.
- 5GB Asus Webstorage and 100GB Google Drive storage for 2 years.
- microSD card support upto 128GB.
- 13MP PixelMaster rear camera with laser auto-focus technology.
- 5MP front facing camera with large f/2.0 aperture and wide angle(85 degree) lense.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI.
- 3000mAh lithium polymer battery with Boostmaster fast charging technology(Charge upto 60% capacity in 39 minutes).
Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe Price

Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe 64GB variant price is Rs.22,999 and 128GB variant price is Rs.29,999.

Asus ZenFone Selfie

Asus ZenFone Selfie is designed for selfie lovers. It has twin 13MP PixelMaster cameras and a dual-color, dual-LED Real Tone flash at both front and rear. One more feature of this smartphone is,it is powered by 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 Octa Core Processor The specification of this smartphone are given below. This smartphone available with two variants based on storage capacity and RAM capacity.
- 1.7 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939 Octa Core Processor.
- 5.5 inch IPS display with 1920 x 1080 Full HD and Asus TruVivid Technology.
- GB RAM with 16GB internal storage or 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage.
- 5GB Asus Webstorage and 100GB Google Drive storage for 2 years.
- microSD card support upto 128GB.
- 13MP front facing camera with f/2.0 aperture,wide angle lens and Dual LED real tone Flash.
- 13MP rear facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, wide angle lens, 5 element auto focus lense/Laser auto focus for 0.3 second focus time and Dual LED real tone Flash.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI.
- 3000mAh lithium polymer removable battery.
Asus Zenfone Selfie Price

Asus ZenFone Selfie with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage is Rs.15,999. For the variant with 3GB RAM with 32GB internal storage price is Rs.17,999.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL

This one of the most affordable variants of Asus Zenfone 2. It is powered by Snapdragon 410 Soc with 2GB of RAM. It has 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with 720HD resolution. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The other features of the device includes 5MP front facing camera with f/2.0 and wide angle(85 degree) lens. This device too comes with 13MP rear facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, wide angle lens, 5 element auto focus lense/Laser auto focus for 0.3 second focus time and Dual LED real tone Flash.

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL Specification
- 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with 720HD resolution
- Snapdragon 410 Soc with 2GB of RAM
- 5MP front facing camera with f/2.0 and wide angle(85 degree)
- 13MP rear facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, wide angle lens, 5 element auto focus lense/Laser auto focus for 0.3 second focus time and Dual LED real tone Flash.
- 3000 mAh battery.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI.
Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL Price: Rs.9,999

Asus Zenfone Maxx ZC550KL

It has many common features of Asus Zenfone 2 Laser. The main difference is battery. Asus Zenfone Maxx houses huge 5000 mAh battery. One more feature of this smartphone is it can be used as power bank.

Asus Zenfone Maxx ZC550KL Specification
- 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with 720HD resolution
- Snapdragon 410 Soc with 2GB of RAM
- 8/16GB internal storage.
- 5MP front facing camera with f/2.0 and wide angle(85 degree)
- 13MP rear facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, wide angle lens, 5 element auto focus lense/Laser auto focus for 0.3 second focus time and Dual LED real tone Flash.
- 5000 mAh battery.
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with ZenUI.
In the Asus Zenfestival 2015, Asus also launched new variants of Asus ZenPad 7 and ZenPad 8. As far as accessories Asus has released ZenFlash( Xenon Flash light), ZenEar, View Flip Cover Deluxe and Lolliflash.
August 12, 2015