Category: Smartphones

Samsung Galaxy On5 Review-Pros and Cons
Samsung Galaxy On5 is the new offering in the price segment of below 10k. With decent spec sheet and affordable price, this Dual sim Samsung smartphone competing with the likes of Lenovo A600 Plus, Meizu M2, Motorola Moto E, Redme smartphone etc.

Samsung Galaxy On5 sports 5 inch TFT display with screen resolution of 720×1280 resolution and 294 ppi pixel density. Though it is not a AMOLED screen, it is still a good display screen. The viewing angles are decent and color output is good. Sadly display is fingerprint magnet and doesn’t come with Corning Gorilla glass protection. Also screen is bit reflective which affects on the legibility under sunlight. Considering similar priced smartphones, display quality is satisfactory.

Samsung Galaxy On5 is powered by quad core 1.3GHz Samsung Exynos processor with 1.5GB of RAM and Mali T720 GPU. Out of 1.5GB of RAM, 534MB is free and 681MB is used by system files. Default apps consume around 184MB of RAM. In terms gaming experience as well as loading heavy animation in UI and apps is good. Phone doesnot exhibit any heating issues in my testing. Even with 20 minutes of gaming phone became just warm(36 degree) which is acceptable.

Samsung Galaxy On5

Samsung Galaxy On5 houses 8MP primary camera with LED flash and 5MP front facing camera. The primary camera takes some impressive images in outdoor conditions as well as in artificial lighting. It can record videos at 1080p resolution. There is some stabilization from shakes using the software tweaks. Video quality is decent but not great. There is also a pro mode through which you can do manual settings. Front 5MP snapper is on par with similar priced smartphone front cameras. Wide-Selfie and Interval Shots options are nice addition.

Samsung Galaxy On5 has 2600 mAh battery. As the Exynos Soc used in this device is optimized for battery usage, it easily lasted more than 1 day with heavy usage on our test unit. There is also normal power saving mode and ultra power saving mode through which you can increase battery level further. For connectivity, Galaxy On5 has 4G, 3G, GPS, GLONASS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It is dual sim smartphone and both sim are capable of 4G. But you can use any one of the sim on 4G connectivity at a time.

Recommended Reading:

Lenovo Vibe P1m Review- Incredible Battery life at affordable price tag.

Let us summarize Samsung Galaxy On5 Review by splitting features into merits and demerits.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy On5

Pros of Samsung Galaxy On5
- Decent Display screen.
- Good battery life.
- Decent camera performance.
- 4G connectivity and Dual sim support.
- Samsung Brand trust and availability of service centers.
Cons of Samsung Galaxy On5
- Limited Sensors: Device has only Accelerometer and Proximity Sensor. Other basic sensors like Ambient light sensor and compass etc missing.
- No Corning Gorilla Glass protection: Display screen does not have any protective glass such as Corning Glass. Also no screen guard in the box.
- Speaker output is bit low.
- No LED notification.
Samsung Galaxy On5 Tips and FAQ

Does Samsung Galaxy On5 supports USB OTG?

Yes. It is.

How to take screenshot on Galaxy On5?

To take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy On5, press and hold home+ power button simultaneously. The screenshot will be taken.

How to use Galaxy On5 as Modem?

You can Samsung Galaxy On5 as modem through USB tethering and Bluetooth Tethering. You can also use personal wifi hotspot feature.
December 1, 2015
Microsoft Lumia 950XL Hands On Review
Finally Microsoft has launched its flagship smartphones Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL in India. As reported earlier, both devices support Dual sim. The key attraction of these smartphones are Windows 10, Continuum(using phone as full fledged PC), QHD display and camera. Microsoft Lumia 950 price in India is Rs.43,999 and Lumia 950XL price in India is Rs.49,399. In this post we will have a quick hands review on Lumia 950XL.

Microsoft Lumia 950XL runs on latest Windows 10. This brings in new features such as Continuum, Cortana,Hello,Edge and MS Office suite. From the look wise, Windows 10 looks very similar to Windows 8 mobile. But there is few changes in icons and addition of new quick settings . Its more of new a features rather than change of UI. In my short duration with the phone, there is no shutter or lag is observed. The clean look and easy UI feels refreshing and good to use.

Microsoft Lumia 950XL

Microsoft Lumia 950XL comes with 5.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen with impressive 1440×2560 pixel resolution which results in pixel density of around 518 ppi. The screen to body ratio is 74.3% which is good. The display offers wide viewing angles, deep black color and good color saturation. Overall display looks gorgeous.

Lumia 950XL sports 20MP primary camera with features triple LED flash, Carl Zeiss optics, optical image stabilization and 4K video recording. In the front it has 5MP secondary camera which can record videos at 1080P resolution. The primary camera feature includes 1/2.4′ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size, PureView technology, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama and HDR. The initial impression on camera is very good.

For performance, Lumia 950XL has Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor along with 3GB of RAM. The device has 32GB internal storage and supports microSD card. Lumia 950XL also supports USB OTG. It packs 3,340mAh user removable battery. To recall, this smartphone uses liquid cooling technology.

These are initial impressions on the new Microsoft Lumia 950XL. I will be posting a detailed review and tips and tricks on Lumia 950XL in the coming days. If you have any specific questions or any thing you would like to cover in the review, please share it in the comment section below.

Microsoft Lumia 950XL Specification
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB RAM.
- 32GB internal storage and support for microSD card.
- 5.7 inch AMOLED screen with 1440×2560 pixel resolution and 518 ppi pixel density.
- 3,340mAh user removable battery.
- 20MP primary camera with triple-LED RGB flash and 5MP front facing camera.
November 30, 2015
Lenovo VIBE P1m Review-Pros And Cons
Lenovo VIBE P1m is an entry level dual sim Android smartphone. The key highlight of this device are 3900 mAh battery, 4G support, 2GB RAM and 5 inch HD display screen. Lenovo VIBE P1m price in India is Rs.7,999. There are many devices are available in price segment. So lets have a quick look into VIBE P1m in our express review.

Lenovo Vibe P1m sports 5 inch 720p HD display which offers 294 ppi pixel density. Display panel used in this device is good. Viewing angles, brightness, color reproduction are very good. Only demerit of the Vibe P1m screen is, it does not have any screen protection. So you need to use a screen guard to protect the display from scratches. Lenovo does provide screen guard in the retail box. Also there is no oleophobic coating on the screen, hence screen is fingerprint magnet.

Lenovo Vibe P1m

As mentioned earlier, the key attraction of Lenovo Vibe P1m is its battery. The device has 3900 mAh battery with fast charging support. The bundled charger does supports fast charging. It takes around two to two and hours to fully charge the battery. As expected, the battery life on this device is incredible for a touch screen android smartphone. With my regular usage it lasted more than 2 days in single charge. The screen on time I got was around nine hours.

Lenovo Vibe P1m is powered by 64 bit 1GHz quad core MediaTek MT6735P processor with 2GB of RAM and Mali-T720 GPU. It has 16GB of internal storage and supports microSD card upto 32GB. The day to day performance was decent. There was no/minor lag observed and multi tasking also good. The graphic intensive games also runs in medium graphic settings well. There is no over heating issue noticed.

The Lenovo Vibe P1m measures 141 x 71.8 x 9.3 mm and weighs 148 grams. Though it has huge 3900 mAh battery, it does not feel heavy. The phone also comes with water repellent nano coating which is similar to Moto G first and second gen. This provides protection incase of sudden water splashes. The downside of Vibe p1m is its camera. Interms of specification, it has 8MP primary camera with LED flash and 5MP of front facing camera. But camera quality is just average. It takes decent images not comparable to other budget smartphones in this price segment.

Lets summarize the Lenovo Vibe P1m review by splitting the features into merits and demerits.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Lenovo Vibe P1m

Pros of Lenovo Vibe P1m
- Very good Battery life and fast charging feature.
- Good display screen.
- Decent performance.
- 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage with microSD card support.
- Value for money.
Cons of Lenovo Vibe P1m
- Average camera performance.
- Display screen is fingerprint magnet
- No corning gorilla glass protection.
- No info on future update to Android 6.0.
Lenovo VIBE P1m Tips and FAQ

Does Lenovo P1m supports USB OTG?

Yes. It does supports USB OTG.

Is Lenovo P1m has Dual speaker?

No. The left side is the speaker and the right one for just design purpose.

How to take screenshot on Lenovo Vibe p1m?

I have already made dedicated post on this. You can read it in how to take screenshot on Lenovo Vibe p1m.

Can Lenovo Vibe P1m be used as modem?

Yes. You can use Vibe P1m as modem through USB tethering and Bluetooth tethering. You can also use personal hotspot feature.
November 28, 2015
Samsung Galaxy J2 Review-Cons and Pros
Samsung Galaxy J2 is a sub 10k Android dual sim smartphone with AMOLED display screen and 4G LTE connectivity. There are already plethora of smartphones in this price segment. How good is this smartphone comparing with them. Is this device value for money. We will see in this Samsung Galaxy J2 Review.

Like we have seen in Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7, Galaxy J2 too comes with AMOLED screen but in smaller screen size and lower resolution. It has 4.7 inch Super AMOLED Touchscreen with 540 x 960 pixels resolution and 234 ppi pixel density. The viewing angles are good. The colours reproduction and sunlight legibility too decent. In this price segment we have lot of options with 720p HD resolution. Though the panel used in this device is of good quality, lower screen resolution is notceable if you watch it closely.

Samsung Galaxy J2 is powered by Exynos 3475 Quad core processor with 1GB RAM and Mali-T20 GPU. The day to day performance is decent and hardly there is a lag. But in multi tasking and gaming performance, this is not a match to the smartphones with 2GB RAM. The sound output is clear but loudness is bit on lower side. Call quality on this device is good. The device has 8GB internal storage and supports microSD card upto 128GB.

Samsung Galaxy J2 sports 5MP primary camera with LED flash and 2MP front facing camera. Camera performance is just average considering the options we have in this price segment. The device is powered by 2000 mAh battery. The battery life on this dual sim galaxy smartphone is excellent.

Recommended Reading:

Lenovo Vibe P1m Review- 3900 mAh battery, 5 inch 720p HD Display at Rs.7,999.

Let us summarize Samsung Galaxy J2 review by spliting into demerits and demerits.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy J2

Pros of Galaxy J2
- AMOLED Display screen
- Good battery life
- Dual sim with 4G LTE connectivity(Both sim supports 4G LTE. Only 1 sim on 4G at a time).
- Samsung company reputation and availability of service centers.
- Decent performance.
Cons of Galaxy J2
- Lack of sensors: Samsung has included only Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor. The basic sensors like Ambient light sensor, compass etc are missing.
- Average camera performance: The primary camera performance is just average comparing with competetors.
- No 720p HD display: It has only qHD display resolution.
- Only 1GB of RAM.
- Android 6.0 Update doubtful.
Samsung Galaxy J2 Tips and FAQ

How to take screenshot on Galaxy J2: For performing screen capture or print screen on Galaxy J2, press and hold home and power button simultaneously.

How to use Samsung Galaxy J2 as Modem: You can use Galaxy J2 as modem through personal wifi hotspot and USB tethering features. The method is same as we have seen on Galaxy J5 and J7.

How to download Galaxy J2 PC suite: Galaxy J2 is compatible with Samsung Kies 3.0. You can read more on this in my other article on how to download Samsung Galaxy PC suite.

Samsung Galaxy J2 Specification
- Dual Sim (GSM + LTE).
- Android v5.1.1 (Lollipop) OS with Touchwiz UI.
- 5 MP Primary Camera with LED flash.
- 4.7 inch Super AMOLED Touchscreen with qHD resolution.
- 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 Exynos 3475 Quad Core Processor with 1GB of RAM.
- 4G, 3G,Bluetooth, WiFi, microUSB.
- 2000 mAH battery.
- 8GB internal storage and microSD card support.
November 22, 2015
How to use Samsung Galaxy J5 and J7 as Modem
Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 are two mid range Android smartphone which offers good features in affordable price. The AMOLED screen is the additional attraction of these smartphones. The Android version and UI are identical. In this post, we will learn to use Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 as modem through personal WiFi hotspot and USB tethering.

WiFi Hotspot and USB tethering are two popular methods to share internet from smartphone to PC or other WiFi enabled devices. So in this post, let us explore the two different methods to share internet from Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 to other devices.

Other Related Tips:

How to take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy J5, J7 and J2.

How to download PC suite for Galaxy J5, J7, J2

How to use Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 as Modem

For using Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 as modem to connect to internet from PC, Laptop or iPad, there are 3 different methods. The methods are Personal WiFi hotspot, USB tethering and Bluetooth tethering. You can use any of these methods according to your requirement. For using this Samsung Galaxy smartphone as modem, you need to have a data plan for tethering. The charges might apply as per your cellular network provider.

How to use Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 personal Wi-Fi Hotspot

Samsung Galaxy personal Wi-Fi hotspot is the method through you can share your mobile data to other WiFi enabled devices through mobile hotspot.
1. First enable the Mobile data.
2. Now go to Apps->Settings.
3. Tap on to Tethering and Mobile hotspot.
4. Now Select Mobile Hotspot.
5. Here you can enable the WiFi hotspot by moving the slider to right.
6. You can access your mobile WiFi hotspot from any other wifi enabled devices using the SSID and password you have provided while configuring the Mobile Hotspot.
How to configure Mobile Hotspot/WiFi hotspot in Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7
- Follow the steps till 6 and then tap on to Menu Button(|)
- Tap configure hotspot.
- In this page, you an enter or edit the network SSID, password and security type.
- Once down tap on to Save.
Video Guide on how to use Galaxy J5 & Galaxy J7 as Wi-Fi Hotspot

Video guide on how to use Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 as modem

How to use USB tethering on Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7
- Connect your your device to PC through USB cable.
- Install the required drivers. If any difficulty in installing the USB the driver for Galaxy J5 or J7, download and install Samsung Kies.
- Follow the steps 1 to step 4 mentioned above.
- Enable the USB tethering by moving the the slider right.
- Your USB connected device will start getting the internet.
How to use Bluetooth tethering on Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7
- First you need to pair your smartphone with device which you want to connect to internet.
- Then follow the steps 1 to 4.
- Now enable the Bluetooth Tethering.
These are the different ways of accessing net from pc through Samsung Galaxy J5, Galaxy J7, Galaxy J2.

Note:

Using Samsung Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7 as WiFi hotspot, will drain your battery faster. So use this feature wisely.
November 11, 2015