Android One

First of all, let me make it clear that Android One is NOT AN OPERATING SYSTEM! Its just an initiative by Google under which companies have to manufacture low cost smartphones with a minimum requirement set by Google itself. That means no compromise on hardware. Rejoice!

Today I'm reviewing the Micromax Canvas A1 which is a part of the initiative. But don't worry about the other Android One devices, hardware and software wise they are EXACTLY the same. Clones, I should say.
And Yep, I own this phone myself!

After checking a quick specs view from GSMArena, read on the review.

GENERAL
Its a Dual SIM phone for the Indian market having 2G and 3G support.
4GB is the internal storage which can be expanded to 32 GB via Memory card.
Running on Android 4.4.4 KitKat with a PROMISE OF ANDROID UPDATES FOR 2 YEARS.


DISPLAY
Canvas A1 sports a regular 4.5" IPS LCD display with 480p resolution, which is quite common. But it produces excellent colors having 16M colors with a density of 218ppi. Which is enough for playing games and watching HD videos.

CAMERA
Camera quality is good when used outdoors, focus sometimes take time to set but it is acceptable.
5MP on the back with AF does a good job for regular shooting, the updated GOOGLE CAMERA is just awesome. New features like Photo Sphere and Lens Blur makes it unique.
2MP front camera is also acceptable for selfies etc. Check my Whatsapp DP for an example :P

PERFORMANCE 
Can't complain here. Just flawless. The stock pure Android version makes it even smoother and faster. Heavy games like Asphalt 8 runs smoothly on the device. 1.3Ghz quad core compared with 1GB of RAM is more than enough for this price bracket.

BATTERY
Battery is still ACCEPTABLE, but it'll last a day only on regular use. Heavy users will be dissapointed. (1700 Mah)

PROS
1) Guaranteed Android updates for 2 years directly from Google, even before Motorola devices!!
2) Very nice and loud sound quality.
3) Performance is excellent, no compromise here.
4) RAM is enough, handles most of the tasks.
5) Display is crisp.
6) Rubber back panel gives a nice grip and premium feel.
7) Camera is good according to the price range.
8) Very light and thin.

CONS 
1) Device heats up a lot, even with regular gaming.
2) Battery is almost average.
3) Flash sometimes doesn't detect the brightness, but that's an update problem.
4) No apps can be installed without an SD Card, that's weird, but don't worry, an 8GB SD Card    comes free with the device.
5) Only the external SD Card is accessible via PC, that's strange too.

BAG IT OR JUNK IT? 
If you want an affordable smartphone without compromising on Hardware and Software, without those ugly skins, without 'ting ting ting' sound in the starting, a quality device which you CAN call a Google device, just close your eyes and go for it.

Or, you can wait for the higher end Android One smartphones, which are on their way, to be launched in India. Remember, they WILL BE PRICED HIGHER THAN THESE.

Finally, check out a sneak preview at Google's Official Site

ANDROID ONE PURCHASING LINKS
Buy the Canvas A1
Buy the Karbonn Sparkle V
Buy the Spice Dream UNO

Thanks for reading :)

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Apple iPhone 5S

Seven years ago, when Apple introduced the iPhone, it changed the mobile world. Smartphones we see today are inspired by iPhone's technology. And the latest variant of the iPhone, which is the 5S, is available in the market. Even the next generation of iPhone is on the way, but till then, have a look at the specs of this half-a-lakh priced phone on GSMArena

REVIEW
Build quality
The one area where Apple hasn't managed to better itself is with build quality, and that's only because the iPhone 5 was such a great phone. Apple doesn't skimp on premium materials and the metal body and Gorilla Glass covered screen still look and feel fantastic.
Clearly one of the best built device available.

Touch ID
Touch ID can be programmed to recognize up to five fingers (they can be just yours or yours and trusted other people). All you have to do is hold your finger to the sensor repeatedly, while the iPhone 5S builds up an image of what your print looks like. You're prompted to move your finger around, to get full coverage, and even to use the side of your finger so that you can use Touch ID from pretty much any angle. With that done, you're ready to go. This is not the first time bio matrix has been introduced on a phone, but the previous phones didn't had the right technology but this one definitely has.

Screen
Given that the phone size hasn't changed, Apple hasn't changed the screen, so you get the same 4in 1136x640p screen that was used in the iPhone 5. Again, you can get higher resolution, bigger screens moving to Android. The screen is fairly good but the competition is much much higher than 'this'. I expected a higher resolution FHD screen but Apple had something else in mind.

Camera
The iPhone 5S features a new 8 megapixel iSight camera, with the new camera app allowing fast continuous shooting and recording of slow-motion videos. It also has dual LED flash which according to Apple, adjusts itself for a perfect shot. BUT, what I think is that this is just a gimmick and nothing else.

CONCLUSION
Let's face it. This phone's launch price was Rs. 51,500. And this is an OK product
THIS PHONE IS NOT WORTH THE MONEY. The Apple loyals must be angry.

The screen is not even HD, after spending half a lakh on this phone you would expect a Full HD screen, but Apple did was thumbs down.

NO NEW INNOVATION except the finger-print scanner. And this is a big drawback.  Learn from Samsung, the innovation in their phone till the Galaxy S4 was mind-boggling!!

DUAL CORE PROCESSOR AND 1 GB OF RAM. Yes it is smooth but still.....
I think Apple has already retired from the race.

Aluminum back panel can be subject to scratches and dents, so much so that some shipped scratched from the factory.

BATTERY LIFE IS TOO SHORT, even less then what we expect from a smartphone.

NANO-SIM can be irritating. This stupid trend is started by Apple.

Dear Apple, if you are selling your smartphone just with a new iOS, that doesn't mean that you created a new phone.

There's only one reason to buy this phone, the Apple logo. I know the Apple loyalists will surely hate me after reading this review.
If you LOVE APPLE, and you are READY TO SPEND 50,000 on this phone, then only buy this, otherwise, alternates are always available.

ALTERNATIVES TO THE iPHONE 5S 
1) Samsung Galaxy S5 or even the S4
2) HTC One M8
3) Sony Xperia Z2
4) Samsung Galaxy Note 3
5) Google Nexus 5

If you still want to buy it, click here to get the best deal in India. (Cheapest deal)

I hope you liked my first ever review, if you did or didn't, please leave you comments and suggestions below.

SUBSCRIBE, SHARE, FOLLOW

And Stay Tuned For More!

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Samsung Galaxy S5

My first review!! Well, this review is on a phone manufactured by samsung. And like all the galaxy s series, this phone also does things that other phones can't. First of all, let me tell you that I do not own this phone, so I get the information from other sources. So why should you visit this blog? The answer is- I get information from different sources, analize it, and then compile it for the best results. So instead of going to many sites to find the info, you can simply log on to this blog and get all you want. Plus I also give the site from where you can buy this phone at the cheapest price. Enough talking, let's hook this up!

I will not post the specs here on this post, I have made an attractive word file in which you will find all the specs arranged in an innovative way. In this way, you can check it out without distraction like advertisements. Now that's another reason you should visit my blog.

VIEW THE SPECS

Here are some comments on galaxy s5. (Taken from a shopping website)

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NOT AT ALL WORTH IT

This is phone is not worth the price TAG, It has been long time since SAMSUNG has been fooling indians with just numbers.

I dont find any Pros : other than the super amo-led which samsung produces

Cons there are a lot: Same old shamesung processor( EXY). No Snapdragon
Just 16 Gb of internal memory
Cartoon like UI.
Hefty Price TAG to just WOO users not to sell the device.
Just 2GB of RAM.

I highly recommend , Please do not buy this phone, to teach SHAMESUNG a lesson. So that they launch the international versions here in INDIA. Also with some decent specs and Price.

No Snapdragon No Buy

An awesome phone no doubt, has the best display on the planet, IP67 certification.
BUT,
In India launched with exynos Octa core version which is fast no doubt, but the games and apps are better optimised for Snapdragon SoC because it is more popular. Samsung( outside India), LG, Sony, HTC, Gionee, Nexus, Oppo, and many other use Snapdragon 800 SoC.
Also it is more battery efficient with built in 4G capabilities.
So better go for Snapdragon SoC than this.

putrid crap!

I've lately switched to iPhone 5s from my good old crappy note 2
I'll give three reasons for not buying this phone!
1.Samsung doesn't maintain their flagship user's standards.... after a month or so s5 neo and later grand 3 will come and they'll all look very similar and will pack identical features and just like s3 it's price will drop to 20k after an year or so
2. Exynos crap which doesn't support 4g which is being offered at 3g rates in iPhone 5s in Bangalore by airtel! and some image stabiliser is absent and above all when the exynos variant of note 3 was launched it couldn't even play high end games like nova 3 because they were not even optimised for it and GTA 3 would come up with some terrible graphics issues and above all the snapdragon variant will always have higher benchmark score and performance ( and please even if it's benchmark score doesn't don't fool yourselves believing that it's slower as note 3 was spotted using a special code to increase its benchmark score by 20 percent by ars technica; they know how to cheat stuff)
3. The 4.3 update on galaxy s3 rendered it useless as the device would freeze randomly and you would have to remove the battery and start over again moreover WiFi issues and so the note 2's update was delayed by 20 days and when I got it in my note 2 I faced similar problems and hated Samsung for it that's how they treat their One year old flagship phone users
Its been 5 months since November 20th and Samsung hasn't done anything and yes history repeats itself....... all I can say is choose wisely :-)

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And now, I will tell you where you'll get the cheapest price. You will get it here.

If you own this phone or want to express your views on it, please post your opinions in comments. I will be highly thankfull to anybody who does that.

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