Category: Reviews

Reviews on smartphones, gadgets and other useful applications. The reviews and summarised by splitting the features into pros and cons.

Pros and Cons of Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
A powerful processor with good 2K HD display and Dual sim support are the key features of Lenovo Vibe Z2. With this new Android smartphones, Lenovo is creating a new storms in high end smart phone segment. Is this the great phone? Let us find out the pros and cons of Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro. Before we will look into the quick features of the device.

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro is powered by 2.5GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM. The same chipset is used in other flagship smartphones such as HTC One M8, Sony Xperia Z3, LG G3 etc. For storage, device comes with 32GB internal memory and OTG support. Unfortunately there is no MicroSD card support.

Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro sports 6inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with screen resolution of 1440×2560 pixels(2K HD or 1440p) and 490 ppi pixel density. For connectivity device has 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and USB. The Vibe Z2 Pro houses Li-po 4000 mAh battery. Vibe Z2 Pro sports 16MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro

Pros of Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
- Powerful performance: The 2.5GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM provides great performance.
- Gorgeous Display screen: The IPS screen with 2H HD resolution looks sharp and crisp, The viewing angles too good.
- Good camera: Both primary and secondary camera records good quality images and videos. The primary camera is capable of recording 4K videos.
- Great Value for Money: There is no phone with 2K HD resolution and Snapdragon 801 chipset for this price as of now.
Cons of Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
- There is no microSD card slot: The Vibe Z2 Pro doesn’t provide expandable storage option through microSD card.
- Average battery life: Vibe Z2 pro comes with 4000 mAh battery. But due to large screen with high screen resolution, battery drains faster.
- 4G is not supported in India
- Average Sound Quality: Though Vibe Z2 Pro produces high volume, quality is not great.
- Heating issues: Device heats up if used for long time with games and 3G connectivity.
Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro Specification
- Dual Sim (GSM+GSM)
- Android 4.4 Kitkat
- 2.5GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 801 processor with 3GB of RAM
- 6inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with screen resolution of 1440×2560 pixels
- 16MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera
- 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC and USB
- Li-po 4000 mAh battery
October 11, 2014
Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Pros And Cons
Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 is budget Dual sim Android smartphone. It is powered by 1.7GHz Mediatek MT6592 octa-core processor with 2GB of RAM. The device runs on Android 4.4 Kitkat OS out of the box. Price of Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 in India is 12,649. This Micromax Dual sim smartphone will compete with likes of Xiaomi Mi3 and Motorola Moto G.

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 sports 5 inch IPS display with a screen resolution 1280×720 pixels. The text and graphics looks sharp and viewing angles are good. The Sunlight legibility and touch sensitivity also decent. The internal storage of the device is 8GB in which 5.68GB is the user available. It also supports microSD card upto 32GB.

The connectivity features of Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 are 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB. It houses 2500 mAh battery which is rated to provide upto 10 hours of talk time and standby time of 320 hours. When it comes to performance, it slightly better than Moto G and Compared to Xiaomi Mi3 just behind it.

Read: Pros and Cons of Motorola Moto G.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Micromax Canvas Nitro A310

Pros of Canvas Nitro A310
- Good performance: The quad core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM does a good job. The games like Dead Trigger 2, Asphalt 8: Airborne runs smoothly with a slight frame drop issues.
- Good Battery Life: The Micromax Nitro A310 does a great job when it comes to battery life. Even with heavy usage, it lasted for 14 hours.
- Decent Camera: Sony CMOS sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and added a blue glass filter over it by Schott, Canvas Nitro A310 does take decent photos. However, camera is not excellent.
- Great Value for Money: Overall, the price to performance comparison, Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 scores high. It justifies the price it comes with.
Cons of Canvas Nitro A310
- Heats Up after a While: The Canvas Nitro A310 does heated up after using the device for gaming or 3G browsing. It is common issues fund on most of the MediaTek SoC based smartphones.
- Lot of Bloatware: Micromax Canvas Nitro comes with lot of Annoying bloatwares. Most of them are the links to website and don’t serve any purpose.
- Average Video Recording: The video recorded comes little shaky and bit low on sound.
Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Tips and Tricks

Take screenshot on Nitro A310: To take screenshot on Micromax Canvas Nitro A310, press and hold Volume down key and Power Button simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved in gallery.

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 as Modem: User can use Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 as modem through USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot. I have written a detailed post on that which you can refer it here: How to use Micromax Canvas as Modem.

Micromax Canvas Nitro A310 Specification
- Dual Sim (GSM + WCDMA)
- 5-inch Touchscreen with 720p resolution
- 1.7 GHz MT6592 Octa Core Processor with 2GB RAM
- 13 MP Primary Camera and 5 MP Secondary Camera
- Android v4.4.2 (KitKat) OS
- 8GB internal storage
- Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB
- 2500 mAh battery
October 10, 2014
Pros and Cons of Samsung Galaxy Alpha
Samsung has launched a new smartphone in the name of Galaxy Alpha. The key highlight of this new Galaxy device is its premium build quality with metal frames. Though Galaxy Alpha still has a plastic back but it feels smoother and nicer than that of Galaxy S5. The Samsung Galaxy Alpha price in India is Rs.39,990. We will the specification part before moving on to the pros and cons of Galaxy Alpha.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha is powered by Octa Core Chipset based on Exynos 5 Octa 5430 chipset with 2GB of RAM and Mali -T628 MP6 GPU. The internal storage capacity is 32GB and unfortunately there is no provision to add microSD card. Galaxy Alpha sports 4.7 inch AMOLED 720p display screen with 312ppi pixel density. The device has 12MP primary camera and 2.1MP front facing camera. The primary camera is capable of recording UHD 4K resolution at 30fps.

The connectivity features of Galaxy Alpha includes WiFi, Bluetooth, 2G, 3G and USB. The device houses 1860 mAh user removable battery. It runs on latest Android Kitkat 4.4.4 OS with Touchwiz UI.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy Alpha

Pros of Galaxy Alpha
- Premium build feel: The metal frame makes Galaxy Alpha most luxurious Galaxy smartphone. It is a good thing considering a premium look differentiates from the crowd.
- Good Performance: The Octa core processor with 2GB of RAM provides a good performance. The most of the high end games were able to play without much lag.
- Good Camera: Like any other Galaxy Smartphones, this too takes good photos and records 4K videos.
Cons of Galaxy Alpha
- Average Display: Considering the premium price, the display is not great. The 720p resolution and quality of the display is not at par compared to similar priced smartphones.
- No expandable storage: There n provision to add extra memory through microSD card. So you have stick to the internal storage.
- Average Battery Life: The battery performance is average.
- Over Priced: Looking the specification, pricing of the device just for the metal frame design is not justifiable.
Samsung Galaxy Alpha Tips and Tricks

Galaxy Alpha PC suite: The free download of Samsung PC suite for Alpha is available on the support page, You can refer my earlier on How to download Samsung Kies for more info.

Galaxy Alpha as Modem: Samsung Galaxy Alpha does provide USB tethering and WiFi hotspot features. Using these methods you can use Galaxy Alpha as modem to connect to internet from other devices. Read How to tether Samsung Galaxy smartphones.

Taking screenshot on Galaxy Alpha: To take screenshot on Galaxy Alpha, hold volume down and Home button simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved in gallery. Read: How to take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha Specifications
- Octa Core Processor with 2GB of RAM
- 4.7 inch AMOLED 720 p Display screen
- 32GB internal storage capacity
- 12MP primary camera and 2.1MP front facing camera
- 1860 mAh battery
- WiFi, Bluetooth, 2G, 3G ,USB and NFC connectivity
September 28, 2014
Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498
Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 as name suggests runs on new Android One platform. Big advantage of this new intiative from Google is, the devices will timely updates all software upgrades for next two years. There are there devices which runs on Android One OS. The other two smartphones are Karbonn Sparkle V and Micromax Canvas A1.

Spice Dream Uno Mi-498 is powered by 1.3GHz Quad Core Processor with 1GB of RAM and Mali-400 MP. The device sports 4.5inch IPS FWVGA screen. The connectivity features of the device includes 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB. The internal storage of the device is 4GB and supports microSD card upto 32GB.

Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 comes with 5MP primary rear camera with auto focus and LED flash. There is also a 2MP front facing camera for selfies and video calling. The device is powered by Li-Polymer 1700 mAh battery.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498

Pros Spice Dream Uno Mi-498
- Good Performance : The stock Android OS on this comes with very less bloatwares which interns provides faster performance and optimum use of internal usage.
- Timely Android updates : As the OS of the device is handled by Google, as promised, these devices will get all updated quickly like Nexus series smartphone.
- Decent Battery Life: The battery life is decent enough to stay for a day or slightly more based on your usage.
- Good Display: The display has good viewing angles and produces sharp text and images
- Attractive price tag.
Cons of Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498
- Low internal storage.
- There is no screen protection. Needs to rely on screen guards.
Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 Tips and Tricks

Use Dream Uno as Modem: To use Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 as modem you can utilize the USB tethering through which you can share the data connectivity to the PC via USB cable. Even you can use Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 WiFi Hotspot features to share internet via WiFi to other WiFi enabled devices.

Take screenshot on Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498: To take screenshot on Dream Uno Mi-498, press and hold volume down key and Power button simultaneously. The screenshot will be saved in Gallery>Screenshot folder.

Spice Android One Dream Uno Mi-498 Specification
- Android v4.4.4 (KitKat) OS
- Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
- 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB
- 5 MP Primary Camera and 2 MP Secondary Camera
- 1.3 GHz Quad Core Processor with 1GB RAM
- 4GB internal storage and Expandable Storage upto 32 GB
- 4.5-inch LCD Capacitive Touchscreen with FWVGA screen
- Li-polymer 1700 mAh battery
September 25, 2014
Pros and Cons of Motorola Moto G 2014 (Gen 2)
The new 2nd Gen Moto G 2014 comes with few upgrades over its predecessor. Some of the cons which was there in original G were addressed in the newer version. It is welcome move from Motorola. Let us all the see the pros and cons of the Moto G 2014.

New 2nd Gen Moto G 2014 shares some of the specifications same as that of original such as Dual sim, 1.2GHz quad core Snapdragon 400 CPU with 1GB RAM and 2070 mAh battery. The additions include bigger screen size and support for microSD card. Now it has 5inch 720p display screen. It has 8MP primary camera compared to 5MP which was seen in the original Moto G.The connectivity features also remained same. i.e 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB.

Read: Comparison between Motorola Moto G2 Vs Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime.

Advantages and Disadvantages of New 2nd Gen Motorola Moto G 2014

Pros of Moto G 2014
- Good display: Inspite of half inch increase in the screen size, screen produces share and clear texts and videos. It offers good viewing angles and vivid colours. The screen also has Corning Gorilla Glass protection
- Good Performance: Almost stock Android experience on this device gives almost lag free experience. We can play most of the popular Android games.
- microSD card support: Addition of microSD card support make this device more attractive. 16GB internal storage and support for the microSD card is a good deal.
- Value for Money: Promise of Android L update, good day to performance at a affordable price tag, make this device of the good value for money device.
Cons of Moto G 2014
- No increment on Battery: Despite increase in screen size, there is no improvement made on battery size. Though it is not a deal breaker, still the battery life got reduced a bit.
- Design and look: In terms of build quality it is good. But addition of speaker grid in the front does not look good.
- No 1080p video recording: The camera pixel is increased to 8MP but max video resolution at which we record is not upgraded. It is still 720p.
New Moto G 2014 Tips and Tricks

Moto G 2014 as modem: Using Moto G 2014 as modem is similar to its predecessor. You can refer my earlier post on how to use Moto G as modem.

Take screenshot: You can take screenshot on Moto G 2014 by holding Volume down and Power key simultaneously.

New 2nd Gen Moto G 2014 Specification
- Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
- 1.2 Ghz Qualcomm Quad Core Processor with 1 GB RAM
- 5-inch HD Screen with 720P resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass Protection
- 16GB internal storage and Expandable Upto 32GB
- Android v4.4.4 (KitKat) OS
- 8 MP Primary Camera and 2 MP Secondary Camera
- 2070 mAh battery
September 24, 2014