Category: Reviews

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

Xolo Black Review – Cons And Pros
Xolo Black is the first smartphone from Lava’s premium brand Xolo Black Series. There are many options within the price bracket of 15k. With likes of Lenovo K3 Note, Yu Yureka Plus, InFocus M810, where Xolo Black stands. Lets have a quick Xolo Black Review based on the pros and cons.

Xolo Black is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (2nd Gen) SoC(4x Arm cortex A53 @ 1.5GHz + 4x Arm Cortex A53 @ 1.1 GHz) and 2GB of RAM. The onboard storage is 16GB in which approximately 12GB user available storage and it supports microSD card. This is the same SoC used in recently launched Yu Yureka Plus which is available for Rs.9999. It runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Hive UI. Overall performance is decent with minimum lag. However, the Hive UI feels bit sluggish at times.

Xolo Black sports 5.5 inch display screen with full HD resolution(1920*1080 pixels) which results in 401 ppi pixel density. The viewing angles, touch and color reproductions are pretty decent. It is a dual sim smartphone. SIM 1 supports microSIM cards which supports 4G/3G/2G. The SIM2 supports only 2G. On SIM 2 slot you need to opt between second sim or microSD card. You cannot use both second sim and microSD card together.The device supports USB OTG.

Xolo Black comes with 13MP+2MP Dual primary camera with LED flash. The front camera is of 5MP (BSI Sensor) resolution and this also has LED flash. The primary camera can record Full HD(1080p) video and there is native video calling support. The camera performance is decent enough. You can even capture images while recording Full HD videos. The Xolo Black packs non removable 3200 mAh battery.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Xolo Black

Pros of Xolo Black
- Good design and build quality: The device glass on both the sides and it is protected by Corning Gorilla glass 3. It is gives premium feel to the device.
- Good Camera performance
- Good battery life
- Refreshing Hive UI
- Overall good performance
Cons of Xolo Black
- Hive UI needs more improvements
- Handset lags while playing high end games in high graphic mode.
- No headset/earphone in the box
- You cannot use second sim and microSD card simultaneously.
- No direct Galley app access in order to support intel’s photo studio, but photostudio is heavily laging.
Xolo Black Tips and Tricks

How to take screenshot on Xolo Black

For taking screenshot or printscreen on Xolo Black, you need to press and hold Volume down Key and Power Button simultaneously.

How to use Xolo Black as Modem

You can use Xolo Black as modem using the WiFi Hotspot or USB tethering features.

Xolo Black Specification
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (2nd Gen) SoC(4x Arm cortex A53 @ 1.5GHz + 4x Arm Cortex A53 @ 1.1 GHz) and 2GB of RAM
- 16GB internal storage and support for microSD card
- 5.5 inch display screen with full HD resolution(1920*1080 pixels)
- 13MP+2MP Dual primary camera with LED flash
- 5MP primary camera with LED flash
- Non removable 3200 mAh battery.
July 22, 2015
Lenovo K3 Note Cons and Pros Review
Lenovo K3 Note is a sub 10k dual sim Android phablet. Looking at the specifications, the device is one of the best value for money smartphone in the segment. I have been using this device from past 1 week. Based on that duration I am writing this Lenovo K3 Note review. Every devices has its own advantages and disadvantages. In this review, we will see the Lenovo K3 Note demerits and merits which I felt in these days. I will be updating the review in coming days if required as I am continuing to use the device.

Read: Comparison between Lenovo K3 Note Vs Yu Yureka Plus

The one of the key attraction of this Lenovo smartphone is its display screen. It has 5.5 inch IPS display with 1920x1080p(1080p) resolution and 401 ppi pixel density. The screen to body ratio is 71.7 % which is very decent. The viewing angles are great and colors look vivid. Due to the full HD resolution, text looks crisp and video watching too good. It has Dolby Atomos feature.The sound output of the device is good considering the price. The call quality also very good.

Read:

How to take screenshot on Lenovo K3 Note

How to download PC suite for Lenovo K3 Note

Lenovo K3 Note is powered by 1.7GHz Octa Core Mediatek MT 6752 SOC with 2GB of RAM and Mali-T760MP2 GPU. It has 16GB internal storage, in that 8GB is user available. It also microSD card upto 32GB. K3 Note does support USB OTG. This Lenovo phablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop along with Vibe UI. The day to day experience on this device is excellant. However, high end graphic intense games like Asphalt 8 struggles a bit. While playing the Asphalt 8, I have observed occasional frame drops and bit of lagginess. Also when played for long times(Around 20 mins continuously) the top area gets bit heated up.

Lenovo K3 Note houses 13MP primary camera with Dual LED flash and 5MP front facing camera. The quality of images taken with this device and the video looks decent. In this price segment, the camera quality is justified. The connectivity features of the device includes WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G, 3G, 2G, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot. The device access microSIM and both sim supports 4G. The Lenovo K3 Note houses 2900 mAh battery. On a casual usage, battery lasts more than a day.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Lenovo K3 Note

Pros of Lenovo K3 Note
- Gorgeous Display screen: The 5.5 inch IPS full HD screen in a sub 10k price segment is very good.
- Decent SOC and 2GB of RAM: The Octa Core CPU along with 2GB of RAM, does a decent job. The performance is good.
- Decent Camera performance: Both front and rear camera performance is good enough.
- Good Battery: The battery life is decent enough in the segment.
- Good value for money: For Rs.9,999, it has great specs .
Cons of Lenovo K3 Note

Below are the Lenovo K3 Note demerits.
- No bundled earphone in the box.
- No fast charging: For charging the device fully, it takes more than 6 hours. The fast charging features if provided would have been great.
- Heating Issue: While playing graphic intense games, it tends to get heated up a bit(Around 43 to 48 degree celsius).
- No Corning Gorilla Glass protection: However, Lenovo does ship with Screen protector. It is highly recommended to use a screen protector to safeguard the screen from scratches.
- Bloatwares: There are many apps and games in the device which requires you to download full version. Only basic link to them is provided. However, it takes away internal storage. There is no easy way to remove them.
Lenovo K3 Note Specification
- 5.5 inch IPS display with 1920x1080p(1080p) resolution and 401 ppi pixel density
- 13MP primary camera with Dual LED flash and 5MP front facing camera
- 1.7GHz Octa Core Mediatek MT 6752 SOC with 2GB of RAM and Mali-T760MP2 GPU
- 16GB internal storage and support for microSD card.
- Dual sim(microSIM) and Android 5.0 Lollipop.
- WiFi, Bluetooth, 4G, 3G, 2G, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot
- 2900 mAh battery.
July 14, 2015
Micromax Unite 3 Cons and Pros Review
Micromax Unit 3 is a dual sim budget Android smartphone. It is the successor for last years Micromax Unite 2. On paper, the specifications are decent enough. But what about on real life experience? We will learning this in our quick review on Micromax Unite 3.

Micromax Unite 3 packs 1.3GHz quad-core Mediatek MT6582M processor with Mali-400MP2 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It has 8GB of internal storage and support for microSD card upto 32GB. It also supports USB OTG. Micromax Unite 3 runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop with Firstouch launcher. Android Lollipop by default supports 15 Indian languages so there is not much extra language support on Unite 3. However, Firstouch keyboard is good for typing indian languages. On the negative side, Firstouch launcher is not feels good.

Micromax Unite 3 sports 4.7 inch IPS display screen with 480×800 pixel resolution and 199 ppi pixel density. The quality of display is average. The viewing angles and sunlight legibility are poor. The colors look desaturated. The connectivity features of the device are Wi-Fi a/b/g/n ,Bluetooth 4.0, 2G, 3G, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot.

Micromax Unite 3 houses 8MP primary camera and a 2MP front facing camera. The camera performance is just average. When we compare the quality of images and videos taken from Unite 3 and Redme 2 or Yu Yuphoria, it is no where close to them. It has 2000 mAh battery.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Micromax Unite 3

Pros of Micromax Unite 3
- The indian language keyboard is very good.
- Good battery life.
- Decent performance on day to day usage.
- 5GB user available internal storage.
- Attractive price.
Cons of Micromax Unite 3
- Poor Display quality: The resolution of the screen is low. The viewing angles and sunlight legibility are also not great
- Average camera: Camera performance compared to similarly priced phones is not satisfactory.
- No Compass and BSI sensor
Micromax Unite 3 Specification
- Android v5 (Lollipop) OS
- 8 MP Primary Camera with LED flash
- 2 MP Secondary Camera
- Dual Sim (GSM + WCDMA)-Both SIM 3G compatible
- 4.7 inch Touchscreen with 800 x 480 Pixel resolution
- 1.3 GHz MTK 6582M Quad Core Processor with 1GB RAM
- 8GB internal storage
- Expandable Storage Capacity of 32GB.
- 2000 mAh battery.
July 7, 2015
Asus ZenPower 10050mAh Power bank Cons and Pros Review
Asus has launched power banks along with Asus Zenfone 2. The USP of these power bank is its compact size. With lot of extra large portable power sources, how these Asus Zenpower power banks performs? We will see a quick review on Asus Zenpower 10050 mAh power bank.

The Asus Zenpower power bank comes in five color variants namely black, silver, gold, blue, and hot pink. The review unit which I received has silver variant. The device measures 90.5mm of height, 59mm of width and 22mm of thickness. The weight of this Asus power bank is 215 grams.

Recommended Reading:

How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone 2

Asus ZenPower comes with 1USB port for charging devices and one microUSB port for charging the power bank. In the box, we get USB to microUSB cable. The power bank provides an output of 2.4A and input upto 2A for charging.

Asus power bank was able to charge my Moto G for around 5 times which is very good. The charging is very fast. However, as I don’t have the 2A charger, I charged the Asus power bank with normal charger which took almost 10 hours to fully charge. It is better to have a 2A charger if you want this Asus power bank get charged faster.

Asus Zenpower power bank comes with lot of safety features such as short circuit protection; reset protection, output over voltage protection, etc. It also manages to change the voltage and current levels depending upon the device you have plugged in. These are a welcome additions for a power bank.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Asus Zenpower 10050 mAh power bank

Pros of Asus Zenpower 10050 mAh power bank
- Compact in size: This is one of the most compact sized power banks in the market now.
- Set of safety features: As mentioned in the review, this power bank packs lot of safety features which is very good.
- Premium design and build quality: The device gives a premium feel and build quality too very good.
- Fast charging: The Asus Zenpower comes with fast charging feature. This will charge your smartphone or tablet very quickly.
Cons of Asus Zenpower 10050 mAh power bank
- Price is little on the higher side
- Only one device can be charged at a time.
- Long time of charging the power bank: It would have been great, if Asus bundled 2A charger along with this power bank.
Asus Zenpower 10050 mAh power bank Specification
- Battery Type:Lithium-ion rechargeable cell
- Input Power: DC 5V 2.0A
- Output Power : DC 5.1V 2.4A
- Capacities : 3.6V/10050mAh
- Charging Time : 6hrs with 5V/2A standard cable
- Dimensions : 90.5 x 59 x 22 mm
- Load Detection: Auto-detect the plug-in and plug-out of devices
- Safety features
  - Temperature Protection
  - Short circuit Protection
  - Reset Protection
  - input over Voltage Protection
  - output over Voltage Protection
  - Input reverse direction protection
  - Over charge/over discharge protection
  - Output Over Current Protection
  - Cell PTC Protection
  - adapter protection
  - Jeita Protection
- Charging temperature: 0℃-40℃ (TYP)
  Working temperature: -40℃~+70℃
  Weight : 215 g.
July 2, 2015
Huawei Honor 4C Cons and Pros Review
Huawei Honor 4C is a dual sim 3G smartphone within the price tag of 10k. The main attraction of this smartphone is its primary camera. Let us see the Honor 4C review to understand whether it is worth buying or not.

Recommended Reading:

How to download Huawei Honor 4C PC Suite

Huawei Honor 4C is powered by 64-bit 1.2 GHz Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor with 2GB RAM and Mali 450 GPU. The device has 8GB of internal storage capacity, in that 4GB is available for user. There is also provision for adding microSD card upto 32GB. Phone performance is decent but has issues such as crashing of apps. Honor 4C runs on Android 4.4.2 Kitkat with Emotion UI.

Huawei Honor 4C features 5 inch TFT IPS display with screen resolution of 720×1280 pixels and pixel density of 294 ppi. The sun light legibility and viewing angles are just average. In terms of call quality, Honor 4C does a decent job. However, watching youtube videos using the headphone, the audio quality is not good.

Huawei Honor 4C comes with 13MP A/F primary camera with LED flash and 5MP front facing camera. The phone has lot of customisation options in camera settings. Even with default settings, this dual sim smartphone takes a good images and videos in this price. Some of the customisation option available on Honor 4C are Panorama, HDC, All Focus (lets you change focus point of a picture after you have taken it) etc.

Huawei Honor 4C houses 2,550mAh battery. The battery performance is below average. It drains fast and also gets heated up while charging. The connectivity features of the device are Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, Wi-Fi , 3G, USB tethering and WiFi hotspot. Unfortunately there is no 4G support. It surprising considering the phones which are priced much lesser than this such as Lenovo A6000, Moto E 4G has 4G support.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Huawei Honor 4C

Pros Honor 4C
- Good camera performance.
- Competitive pricing.
- Decent build quality.
- Good selfie camera.
Cons of Honor 4C
- No Android Lollipop out of the box.
- Battery drains faster.
- No headphone in the box.
- No 4G connectivity
- Only 4GB user available internal storage.
Huawei Honor 4C Specification
- Dual-SIM.
- 5-inch 720p HD TFT IPS display.
- 64-bit 1.2GHz octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 620 processor.
- 2GB of RAM and 8GB internal memory.
- Expandable storage up to 32GB via microSD card.
- 13MP A/F rear camera with Flash, 5MP front camera.
- Android 4.4 KitKat with Emotion UI 3.0.
- 2,550mAh battery.
- Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, Wi-Fi, 3G.
July 1, 2015