iPhone 5 review

Article By-
Sudipto

The good: The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, free turn-by-turn navigation, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light.

The bad: Apple Maps feels unfinished and buggy; Sprint and Verizon models can't use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There's no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android models.

The bottom line: The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It's absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.

 

GENERAL	2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - GSM A1428
		CDMA 800 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - CDMA A1429
	3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - GSM A1428
		CDMA2000 1xEV-DO - CDMA A1429
	4G Network	LTE 700 MHz Class 17 / 1700 / 2100 - GSM A1428 or LTE 850 / 1800 / 2100 - GSM A1429
		LTE 700 / 850 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 - CDMA A1429
	Announced	2012, September
	Status	Available. Released 2012, September

BODY	Dimensions	123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
	Weight	112 g

DISPLAY	Type	LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
	Size	640 x 1136 pixels, 4.0 inches (~326 ppi pixel density)
	Multitouch	Yes
	Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass, oleophobic coating

SOUND	Alert types	Vibration, proprietary ringtones
	Loudspeaker	Yes
	3.5mm jack	Yes

MEMORY	Card slot	No
	Internal	16/32/64 GB storage, 1 GB RAM

DATA	GPRS	Yes
	EDGE	Yes
	Speed	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps, LTE, 100 Mbps; Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps
	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi plus cellular
	Bluetooth	Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
	USB	Yes, v2.0

CAMERA	Primary	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
	Features	Simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, panorama, HDR
	Video	Yes, 1080p@30fps, LED video light, video stabilization, geo-tagging
	Secondary	Yes, 1.2 MP, 720p@30fps

FEATURES	OS	iOS 6
	Chipset	Apple A6
	CPU	Dual-core 1.2 GHz
	GPU	PowerVR SGX 543MP3
	Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
	Messaging	iMessage, SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email
	Browser	HTML (Safari)
	Radio	No
	GPS	Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
	Java	No
	Colors	Black/Slate, White/Silver
		- nano-SIM card support only - Active noise cancellation with dedicated dual mics - Siri natural language commands and dictation - iCloud cloud service - Twitter and Facebook integration - TV-out - Maps - iBooks PDF reader - Audio/video player and editor - Image editor - Voice memo/command/dial

BATTERY		Standard battery, Li-Ion 1440 mAh (5.45 Wh)
	Stand-by	Up to 225 h (2G) / Up to 225 h (3G)
	Talk time	Up to 8 h (2G) / Up to 8 h (3G)
	Music play	Up to 40 h





Motorola RAZR XT910

SPECIFICATIONS

Android 2.3 (upgradable to ICS)
Camera
   -Primary : 8mp
   -Secondary : 1.3mp
   - Full HD video recording
1.2 GHz dual core ARM cortex A9 processor
4.3" super AMOLED Advanced touchscreen
Wi-Fi
Memory
   -Internal : 16 GB 
   -Expandable : 32 GB
REVIEW
Motorola reintroduces the popular RAZR line with the RAZR XT910, touted to be the slimmest phone measuring just 7.1 mm. The XT910 runs on the Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. Powered by a 1.2 GHz dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor, the RAZR also packs in 1 GB of RAM and a PowerVR SGX540 GPU.

This Android smartphone sports a 4.3-inch capacitive touchscreenthat shows off your pictures and videos in superior clarity. The RAZR XT910 packs in an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash, which can record videos in Full HD 1080p resolution. A 1.3 megapixel front facing camera is fitted above the screen that can be used for video chatting and is also capable of HD video recording.

A BSI-2 sensor integrated in this RAZR handset lets you click quality pictures even in low light conditions. You can say goodbye to blurry images, thanks to image stabilization feature present in the Motorola XT910. Capturing good quality audio is very important for an enhanced video shooting experience. Keeping this in mind, Motorola has included 3 microphones in the device along with features such as wind and microphone blocking detection and audio zooming, which help to record superior audio.

The RAZR XT910 debuts the unique MotoCast app for easy streaming of content. This app lets you transfer music, photos and videos to your smartphone from your computer, wirelessly. It can stream over Wi-Fi as well as 3G and works with either Mac or Windows PC. The MotoCast creates a cloud server through which you can stream content to the XT910. Usage of this app will not require any operator supported cloud services and hence will not cost you anything extra.

PRICE
Rs 24,990 ($499)

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830

SPECIFICATIONS

• Android v2.3.6 (Gingerbread) OS
• 3.5-inch TFT Capacitive Touch screen
• 5 MP Primary Camera
• 800 MHz ARM11 Processor
• 2G and 3G Network Support
• Wi-Fi Enabled
• Expandable Storage Capacity of 32 GB

REVIEW

Design

The Ace S5830 sports a minimalist design featuring clean 

square trims with smooth rounded edges. The Samsung 

Galaxy S5830 comes with a 3.5 inches TFT HVGA LCD 

screen that renders vivid color & contrast ratios even in 

bright sunlight.

The Galaxy Ace S5830 features an accelerometer for UI 

auto-rotate and a proximity sensor for auto-turn off. The 

physical buttons on the Galaxy Ace smartphone include the 

volume rockers, power button and the touch sensitive 

Android buttons.

Storage & Battery

The Samsung 3G phone is powered by a 1350 mAh battery 

that lasts for 11 hrs on 2G and 6.5 hrs on 3G networks. 

The Galaxy Ace comes with 158 MB of internal memory 

which can be expanded up to 32 GB via microSD card.

Connectivity & Features

The Samsung Ace S5830 supports 3G HSDPA connectivity 

at 7.2 mbps, WiFi, USB and Kies PC Sync data transfer 

options. This Android phone lets you stay connected via 

multiple mobile social networking platforms including 

Facebook, Twitter, Gtalk and Myspace. This Samsung 3G 

phone is preloaded with business suite tools like Thinkfree 

Document viewer, Voice memo and voice mail.

This 3G phone is preloaded with Android Web Browser and 

offers pinch-to-zoom support. Other features on the Galaxy 

Ace include multi format Music player with DNSe sound 

enhancement and 3.5 mm jack, multi-format video player, 

and access to over 100,000 apps on the Android Market. 

The Samsung Android phone supports A-GPS navigation, 

Digital Compass and location based services with access to 

Google applications likeGoogle Maps. Samsung's TouchWiz 

UI retains much of the stock Android features albeit with 

few welcome tinkering to the menu navigation and social 

networking access.

The Galaxy Ace S5830 offers one swype access to social 

networking streams including Facebook, Myspace & Twitter. 

The phone even integrates your social networking buddies 

into your phonebook and calendar giving you real time 

social streams.

PRICE

Rs 11,500 ($199)

Micromax Pixel A90

Article By-
Sudipto

Announced: July. 2012

 

Released: August, 2012

 

Price: Rs. 12,990/-

 

Hype: 4/5

 

Alternatives: HTC Desire C, Motorola Defy Plus, Samsung Galaxy ace Duos

 

Chipset: MediaTek MT675 Chipset

 

Processor: 1GHz Single Core

 

GPU: PowerVR SGX 531

 

Battery: 1600 mAH

 

Primary Camera: 8MP Auto Focus, LED Flash

 

Secondary Camera: 0.3MP

 

Dimensions: 125 x 65 x 10.6 mm

 

Main Display: 4.3 inches, AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 256K colors

 

In-Built Storage: 4GB

 

RAM: 512MB

 

Manufacturer: Micromax

 

Type: Dual Sim, Smartphone

 

OS: Android, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.3

 

Price Category: Rs. 10,000-15,000

 

We Like ! :

AMOLED Screen, Audio Quality, Build Quality, Camera

 

What we Don't Like !:

Sluggish Processor, Gaming

 

The Bottom Line

A smartphone with a large AMOLED screen and dual-sim capabilities coupled with an 8MP Camera for just Rs 12,499/-. Micromax seems to have hit all the right notes with the A90.

Performance

The chipset here is a MediaTek MT675 combined with a PowerVR SGX 531 GPU. A potent combination, Android 4.0 runs like a charm on it with no lags whatsoever. RAM is 512MB which might be a bit low for all the power users but is generally enough for day to day usage.

As indicated by the Quadrant scores, the A90 (2370) comes close to and in some cases even beats higher range devices like the Sony Xperia U (2248).

With a score of 3950 in Antutu, the A90 has decent scores for its class of devices. The dual core Xperia U fares much better here.

A score of 2900 in Sunspider Javascript is not bad at all for a device of its class. The dual core Xperia U scores marginally better at 2435 but in real life usage, the difference was minimal. Synthetic benchmarks tell only half the tale. In terms of usability, there is no reason to be concerned as the phone remains speedy even under fairly heavy usage.

Software

Software wise there isn’t much to say. The A90 is running stock Android 4.0 ie Ice Cream Sandwich with the only customizations being a few custom icons.

Micromax has also bundled in a few apps but most of them turn out to be useful ones like Whatsapp instead of bloatware. Given that the phone comes pre rooted, it shouldn’t be too hard for a user to remove these manufacturer installed apps. We really wish more manufacturers would go down this route instead of providing customers a sub par experience. We’re looking at you, Touchwiz !

Multimedia

The inbuilt storage on the Micromax A90 is 4GB of which about 2GB is available. Memory can be extended by 32GB via the microSD slot. The smartphone supports the usual mp4, mkv and avi file formats for video playback. The MediaTek MT6575 chipset supports video playback up to 720p.

Camera

The camera on the Micromax A90 is an 8MP unit which takes remarkably good stills in sufficient light. Low light performance predictably suffers with a fair amount of noise and visible banding.

Day light images are crisp and noise free for the most part. Auto focus is very quick as long as conditions are ideal.

Battery Life

For a 1600 mAh battery, you won’t expect battery life to be anything out of the ordinary. You’re in for a pleasant surprise ! The phone keeps going on and on. Between the optimized software, low power processor and fairly large battery, the A90 is able to squeeze in over a day of usage. Even after heavy usage, the phone always had battery life left over to use the next day in our tests.

Conclusion

The Micromax brand name is still associated with low end cheap phones and this legacy baggage might hold back what is otherwise an excellent product. With the perfect mix of good performance, brilliant display and fantastic pricing, it is hard not to recommend the A90.

We loved the display and the fact that the phone comes with stock Ice Cream Sandwich. Additional RAM is one area where we believe Micromax could have worked on. We would wholeheartedly recommend this phone to anyone looking for a good Android experience on a budget.

Pros

1. Fantastic display

2. Stock Android 4.0

3. Smooth performance

4. Great battery life

Cons

1. Update to Jelly Bean unlikely

2. 512MB RAM may be limiting for power users