Author: Aniruddh

Micromax YU Yuphoria First Impressions
YU Televentures, a subsidiary of Micromax launched its 2nd smartphone called Yuphoria. It features a metal frame and will be available in buffed steel and champagne gold colour options. Like YU Yureka, YU Yuphoria also available exclusively on Amazon. The pre booking is already started. YU Yuphoria price in India is Rs.6,999.

YU Yuphoria is powered by 64 bit 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU with Adreno 306 GPU and 2GB DDR3 RAM. The device has 16GB internal storage and supports microSD card upto 128GB. The device runs on Cynogen OS 12 which is a custom aftermarket version of Android 5.0 Lollipop. Cynogen is popular for its customisability, enhanced performance and additional features. The Cynogen OS 12 UI look and feel is very much similar to stock Android 5.0. However, you can customise through themes.

Read: Yu Yuphoria Review

YU Yuphoria measures 154.8x78x8.8 mm. It has 5 inch Fully laminated IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 and screen resolution of 720x1280p. The pixel density is approximately 294 ppi.

YU Yuphoria 4G Dual sim

YU Yuphoria sports 8MP rear primary camera (f2.2 aperture, capable of 1080p video capture) with LED flash. There is also a 5MP(f2.0) front facing camera with 86 degree wide angle lens. The connectivity features of Yuphoria Dual sim includes 3G, 4G (CAT 4, including TDD-LTE, Indian 4G bands), Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. The device houses 2230 mAh high density quick charge battery which is rated to deliver upto 160 hours of standby time. The YU Yuphoria has Cirrus Logic Wolfson Stereo DCA audio chip for enhanced sound.

YU Yuphoria will compete with the likes of Lenovo A600 Plus, Redme 2, Moto E 2nd Gen 4G, Lenovo A7000. With same price and specifications, it will interesting see how it performs. The advantage over other is its Cynogen 12 OS.

YU Yuphoria Specification
- Dual sim with Dual standby time
- Cynogen OS 12 with Android 5.0 Lollipop
- 5 inch IPS display with 720p resolution
- 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad-core CPU with Adreno 306 GPU and 2GB DDR3 RAM
- 16GB internal storage and support for microSD card.
- 3G, 4G (CAT 4, including TDD-LTE, Indian 4G bands), Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS
- 2230 mAh high density quick charge battery
- 8MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera.
May 13, 2015
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Starts Getting Android Lollipop Update
Samsung is more serious on its market share. It released innovative smartphones Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge. Now, it is moving fast on upgrading its Galaxy smartphones to Android Lollipop update. Not only the high end phones, even budget Samsung smartphones started getting the latest iteration of Android. New addition to this is Samsung Galaxy Core Prime.

Samsung Galaxy Core Prime in particular model no SM-G360F next in line to get the Android 5.0.2 update. The update is available via Over the Air(OTA) as well as through Samsung Kies. The Android Lollipop update for Galaxy core prime brings in latest Touchwiz UI with material design and many improvements of Lollipop such as improved battery life, bug and security fixes, connectivity and performance improvements among other.

Read: Samsung Galaxy Core Prime Review

Currently Lollipop update for Galaxy Core prime started rolling out in Poland. You will get auto notification about the new update when available. You can also check manually for the Android 5.0.2 update on Galaxy Core Prime. For that follow the steps given below.

How to check for updates on Samsung Galaxy Core Prime
- Go to Settings > About phone
- Tap on to Software update
It is always better to connect to WiFi while downloading the major Android update.

Source: Sammobile.
May 12, 2015
Xiaomi Mi 4i Pros and Cons Review
Xiaomi entered the Indian smartphone market just 9 months back with Mi3. Because of the great value for money, it got huge response. Then Redme 1s, Redme 2, Redme Note followed. With such a huge response, India became second largest market after China. Now Xiaomi is back with great spec to value smartphone called Mi 4i. Is it worth buying. We will try to find out in this Xiaomi Mi 4i review.

Xiaomi Mi 4i is powered by Qualcomm’s new 64-bit 1.7GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with 2GB of RAM and Adreno 405GPU. The internal storage capacity of the device is 16GB and does not support microSD card. Xiaomi Mi 4i runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop along with MIUI 6 skin. The overall performance is decent. However, heavy games like Asphalt 8, Nova 3 tends lag a bit and frame drops visible even in high performance mode. One more negative of Mi4i is it gets heated up if you are playing for around 10- 15 minutes. While playing Nova 3, after 10 minutes the temperature of the device cross 50 degree Celsius. Even there is a slight UI lag. When opening a app or shifting between apps, there is a slight lag.

Xiaomi Mi 4i houses 5 inch full HD(1920x1080p) IPS display screen which has pixel density of 441 ppi. The display panel used in this smartphone is very good. It is bright and vibrant. The viewing angles and sunlight legibility are also very good. The screen has Corning’s Concore One Glass Solution protection. Mi4i comes with a special technology called Sunlight Display to ensure the display renders graphics well even under direct sunlight. Oveall display segment is one of the biggest positive of Mi4i.

For connectivity Xiaomi Mi 4i offers 4G(Both sim supports 4G), 3G, 2G, WiFi(Dual band 2.4GHz ,5GHz), Bluetooth 4.1, USB OTG, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot. Mi 4i sports 13MP Sony stacked CMOS primary rear camera(with 5-element lens, f/2.0 aperture) with Dual tone LED flash. There is also a 5MP( with 5-element lens, f/1.8 aperture) front facing camera. The outdoor performance of the camera is excellent in this price segment and indoor and low light performance also decent. Xiaomi Mi 4i has 3120 mAh battery. Overall it lasts more than a day. Having said that, it does not justifies 3120 mAh tag.

Read:

Redme 2 Review

Xiaomi Mi 4 Review

Advantages and Disadvantages of Xiaomi Mi 4i

Pros of Xiaomi Mi 4i
- Excellent Camera performance: Camera performance of Mi 4i is great for the price of device.
- Gorgeous Display screen: Sharp/JDI made 1080P IPS screen is very good.
- Decent battery Life: The 3120 mAh battery provides a decent battery life.
- Dual sim 4G support: Both the sim slots supports 4G LTE network.
- Value for money: For the features it provides, the price is decent.
Cons of Xiaomi Mi 4i
- Heating issues: The Mi 4i tends get heated up while playing high end games. Also browsing net on WiFi, it tends get heated up.
- Less Storage: Though Xiaomi said that there will be different variants of Mi 4i, currently only 16GB variant is available. Also there is no support for microSD.
- MIUI 6 performance issues: The phone tends to lag which browsing through apps. Overall UI itself is bit lagging. Though device runs on Android Lollipop, MIUI 6 does not carry the material designs of Lollipop.
- Availability: For buying the Mi 4i, one needs a bit of time and skill. It is a flash sale model. You need to register for the product and then on the predetermined time, you need to quickly hit on the buy button. Otherwise you will not get it.
- Bulky updates: Xiaomi provides regular bug fix updates. Most of these updates are huge in size.
Xiaomi Mi 4i Specification
- Dual sim with Dual standby(LTE+LTE)
- Android 5.0 Lollipop with MIUI 6.0
- 64-bit 1.7GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor with 2GB of RAM
- 16GB internal storage
- 5 inch full HD(1920x1080p) IPS display screen
- 4G(Both sim supports 4G), 3G, 2G, WiFi(Dual band 2.4GHz ,5GHz), Bluetooth 4.1
- 3120 mAh battery
- 13MP primary camera with Dual tone flash
- 5MP front facing camera.
May 11, 2015
Microsoft Lumia 640 Cons and Pros Review
Microsoft is doing good work in providing the best value for money smartphones in the budget segment. Lumia 640 is also part of such attempt of attract more customers into Windows platform. Windows Lumia 640 Dual sim best buy price is Rs.9999. Microsoft has promised Windows 10 upgrade to Lumia 640.

Microsoft Lumia 640 sports 5 inch display panel with ClearBlack and IPS LCD capacitive touch screen technology. It has 1280×720(720p) resolution and 294 ppi pixel density. The quality of the display panel is one of the best in this price segment. The colors look vivid and viewing angles are also great. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.

Microsoft Lumia 640 is powered by 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 305 GPU. This is the same chipset used in Moto G. This provides good day to day usage performance. The internal storage capacity of the device is 8GB and supports microSD card. Out of 8GB internal storage, only around 3GB available for the user and rest is used by the OS.

Microsoft Lumia 640 houses 8MP primary camera with LED flash and 0.9MP front facing camera. The quality of the images taken and video recorded came very well. The device is capable of recording full HD videos. The front facing camera is decent enough but if you are a selfie lover then you might get disappointed a bit as it has only 0.9MP camera. The connectivity features of the device includes 2G, 3G, WiFi, USB, GPS, DLNA and WiFi hotspot. It comes pre loaded with Beidou, with HERE Drive+, HERE Maps, HERE Transit out of the box. Microsoft Lumia 640 has 2500 mAh battery which lasts more than a day on normal usage.

Read:

How to take screenshot on Windows Lumia 640 Smartphones

Advantages and Disadvantages of Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual sim

Pros of Lumia 640
- Gorgeous Display screen: 720p HD IPS screen with ClearBlack screen is brilliant in this price segment. The viewing angles great and colours are vivid. The text looks sharp. Sunlight legibility is decent.
- Good camera: The primary camera performance is one of the best in this price range. Both videos and photos comes out well.
- Decent Battery life: 2500 mAh battery provides longer power backup. For casual users, it lasts close to 2 days and for average users more than a day.
- Call Quality and Sound Output: Call quality is good and the speakers on the back of phone are loud enough for day to day use.
- Free 1 year Microsoft Office 365 subscription: Lumia 640 comes with a 12-month Office 365 Personal subscription worth Rs 3299. This includes the latest desktop version of Office applications such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, in addition to cloud storage of 1 TB space for 12 months and Skype.
Cons of Lumia 640
- Poor resolution front facing camera: The front facing camera has only 0.9MP sensors. It takes decent images and videos. It could have been better if it could have come with better resolution camera for selfie lovers.
- Limited Apps: The app store for Windows platform is increasing. However, it is not comparable to Android Play store apps.
- Low available internal storage: Lumia 640 comes with 8GB internal storage. However, available storage space for user is only 3GB rest all used by the OS.
- No dedicated camera button: For a such a good camera, like previous Lumia phones, it would have been great if it had dedicated camera button.
- Old styled bundled charger: Unlike many budget smartphone which comes with detachable USb cable charger, it comes with permanently attached cable. The charger is not very compact.
Microsoft Lumia 640 Specification
- Dual sim with Dual standby
- Windows Phone v8.1 with Lumia Denim Upgradeable to Windows v10 OS
- 8GB internal storage & microSD card support upto 128 GB
- 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 Quad Core Processor with 1 GB RAM and Adreno 305 GPU
- 5 inch 720p HD IPS LCD Capacitive Touchscreen with ClearBlack technology
- 8MP primary camera and 0.9MP front facing camera.
- 2500 mAh battery
- 2G, 3G, WiFi, USB, GPS, DLNA and WiFi hotspot.
May 8, 2015
ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML Pros and Cons Review
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is a Dual sim 4G enabled 5.5 inch phablet. It is very much improved phablet compared to its predecessor. High end specifications and affordable price are key attractions of this phablet. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML price is $259.29 after a discount of 17% on MRP in Gearbest.com online store. For our reader there is a additional $15 discount. While you are buying ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML use the coupon code ASUSZ2GB for avail the additional discount.

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is powered by 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 2.3GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and PowerVR G6430 GPU. This is the same GPU used in Apple A7 Soc. The internal storage capacity of the device 16GB and supports microSD card upto further expansion of the storage.

One more major upgrade on Asus Zenfone 2 is its design. Now it measures 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm and weighs 170 grams. Asus has trimmed the bezels to get the screen to body ratio of 72%. One more change is volume rocker is moved to the back of the device and power button moved to top. It has curved back which feels good to hold on hands.

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML sports 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels which translates to 403 ppi pixel density. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The display screen looks vibrant and viewing angles are also good. The device runs on Android Lollipop along with Asus ZenUI.

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML has 13MP primary camera with dual-color Real Tone LED flash. The features of the camera includes PixelMaster options (Low-light mode/Backlight HDR mode/ Enhanced Beautification mode/Manual mode/Zero Shutter lag). The 13MP camera unit consist of 5 element, f/2.0 aperture lens. There is also a 5 MP selfie snapper with wide angle (85 degree) lens. The camera does a decent job. But it is not great. Front facing camera panorama shot is a welcome addition. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML houses 3000 mAh battery which fast charging option called Boost master.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

Pros of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
- Good performance: There is no lag while using the device. While playing the games also there is no much problems seen.
- Great display screen: Asus has added a very good quality display screen. The colors look vivid and viewing angles as well as the sunlight legibility are decent.
- Decent build quality: The build quality of the Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is good in the segment.
- Customisable UI: The current ZenUI with Zenmotion like features really feels innovative. It is welcome move from the Asus.
- Fast charging: With boost master technology, Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML comes with fast charging feature. This works great.
Cons of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
- No 2160p video recording: Despite having the great specification, missing the 2160p video recording is a bit surprising as there are many devices coming with this in this price segment.
- Rather large and hefty: Though Asus has tried to trim the bezels to make the device compact, it is still a phablet. All will not be happy to carry such big smartphone. It also weighs 170 grams which bit heavy for a smartphone.
- Average camera performance: Both primary as well as front facing camera has many features. But overall, the camera performance is not that great compared to the competitors.
- Weak Speaker: The inbuilt speaker of this device is not great.
- Confusing naming conventions: Asus Zenfone 2 has many variants. It is very difficult remember the naming conventions of the variant.
Asus Zenfone 2 Tips and Tricks

How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone 2

Asus ZenUI provides an easy way to take screenshots apart from the default android way of taking print screen. I have written a details instructions on this. For more details read my post how to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone.

How to download Asus Zenfone 2 PC Link PC suite

You can download the latest Asus PC suite from the official support page. You refer my earlier post on How to download Asus PC suite for more information.

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Specification
- Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box with Asus ZenUI
- 5.5-inch IPS capacity touch screen with 1080p resolution and 403ppi density and Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Intel Atom Z3560 chipset with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU with 2GB of RAM
- 16GB of storage and a microSD slot
- Dual-SIM, Dual Standby capability
- LTE Cat.4, NFC, Bluetooth; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot; microUSB 2.0 port, MHL, USB host
- 13MP main camera with dual-tone LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording; 5MP front camera with wide angle lens
- 3,000mAh battery with fast charging feature.
May 5, 2015