Friday, May 23, 2014

Moved to phonesoldier.com!

3:06 PM Posted by phonesoldier No comments
Thank you for reading my blog and my articles first of all, but now i have a new address that is phonesoldier.com! See you there.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Micromax unite 2 impressions, tough Moto E competitor?

5:26 PM Posted by phonesoldier , , , No comments
Micromax just launched their Unite 2 handset in India with a price tag of 7000 INR targeting directly at the Motorola's already successful Moto E with specs so shocking, you are going to ditch Moto E!

Micromax-Unite-2

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Micromax Unite 2 comes with a 4.7-inch display WVGA display with 800×480 pixels resolution. Inside, it has a 1.3GHz quad-core processor coupled with 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. It sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

The phone runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Moreover, just like Motorola, Micromax too is guaranteeing an upgrade to the software. In addition to that the phone will come pre-loaded with several apps including Micromax’s own apps like Mad which allows users to get paid for watching advertisements, M!Games, M!Live, and others like Hike and Opera Mini.

On the connectivity front, it comes with dual-SIM support, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. Other features in the phone include of support for 21 languages namely English, Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, Marathi, Nepali, Bodo, Dogri, Konkani, Kashmiri, Maithili, Manipuri, Sanskrit and Sindhi. The phone is available in red, white, green and grey colors.


With this phone, Micromax is clearly targeting the Moto E smartphone, which sold out on Flipkart. The Moto E comes with a 4.3 inch qHD (960×540 pixels) display with a pixel density of 256ppi and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass. It is powered by a Snapdragon 200 dual-core SoC clocked at 1.2GHz, while the Micromax’s phone boasts a quad-core chipset. Both the phones have 1GB of RAM and 4GB internal storage, which can be expanded by up to 32GB using microSD card. Both the phones have 5-megapixel primary camera, however while the Moto E lacks a front-facing camera, Micromax offers a 2-megapixel camera on the Unite 2. Motorola’s Moto E is the first phone to offer Android 4.4.2 out of the box, guaranteeing further updates to the software at the earliest. 

What sets the Moto E apart is that the phone comes with a nano coating on the inside as well as the outside, which can protect is against the accidental splash of water, which is missing from the Micromax’s Unite 2 smartphone. As mentioned already, the Moto E is priced at Rs 6,999 and is available exclusively through Flipkart.


With a front facing camera and a Qual core processor, Micromax's Unite 2 is all set to rock the market and hopefully defeat the Moto E hands on.

Let's wait until it arrives in the market. I will be posting a review as soon as I get my hands on it.


Also Read: Moto E review!


ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
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Moto E vs Nokia X, which is the best entry level Android?

3:29 PM Posted by phonesoldier , , , , No comments
Moto E is already a blockbuster in the smartphone market but how it stacks up against the Nokia X which was appreciated too? Let's find out in my in depth comparison of the Nokia X and the Moto E!




DESIGN AND BUILD.

One of the key features of the Nokia X is its design that is the traditional Nokia polycarbonate build that feels great and is eye catchy at the same time but the Moto E is not bad looking either with its curved design that is extremely comfortable! 



Both the phones are build greatly but I think the Nokia X looks much more eye catchy, so I am going to make Nokia X the winner here!

DISPLAY.



The Moto E comes with a 4.3-inch display which is not only bigger than Nokia’s 4-inch display but also offers better display resolution with higher pixel density. The Moto E qHD display with 960×540 pixels resolution and a pixel density of 256ppi, while the Nokia X sports a WVGA display with 480×800 pixels resolution pushing out 223 pixels per inch. 

The Moto E unsurprisingly is better than the Nokia X on paper and in real life too! 

Apart from that, the Moto E’s display also has Gorilla Glass 3 protection which is absent from the Nokia X.

HARDWARE.

When it comes to connectivity options, both devices come with Bluetooth, 3G and WiFi hotspot!

Moto E however gets the advantage of having Bluetooth v4.0 over Nokia X Bluetooth v3.0!

Both the smartphones include 4GB of internal storage that can be further expanded to up to 32GB using a microSD card. This is the first time Motorola is offering such a feature, as it is missing from the Moto G and the Moto X. This round then is a tie.

Another aspect where the Moto E gets the advantage is the rough and tough category because of the nano coating to protect is against the accidental splash of water, it also boasts features that add value to the phone. 

There's another area where Moto E outruns the Nokia X is the HSDPA speed which is 21Mbps on the Moto E against the much slower 7.2Mbps on the Nokia X.

When we talk about battery life, Nokia X runs on a removable 1500mAh against the Moto E non removable 1980mAh which is bigger but not that better!

Both phones can equally give you two full days on moderate usage but because of the Removable functionality of the Nokia X, I will give it the edge here!

SOFTWARE.

Software is the field where these both phones differ a lot, they are both android devices but the Nokia X features a forked android software.



Nokia has gone for a completely new interface, which borrows elements from Asha and Windows Phone phones, and has also replaced Google’s services with that of its own or Microsoft’s.

While some of the apps are present on Nokia’s app store, others have to be installed from third party app stores and the process is not very user friendly. The Moto E, on the other hand, offers Android 4.4.2 KitKat out-of-the-box, and that in a near stock form. Motorola has also guaranteed software updates at the earliest after their announcement. Clearly, the Moto E gets an edge over the Nokia X when it comes to software and UI.

PERFORMANCE.

Performance is all that matters when it comes to a smartphone but it's not that great on all phones.

Nokia X runs on a slower  1 GHz Dual-core Cortex-A5 backed up with Adreno 203 with 512MB RAM while the Moto E runs on a much faster 1.2 GHz Dual-core Cortex-A7 backed up with Adreno 302 with double RAM!

While the Nokia X almost never lags, Moto E is a lot faster whether it is multi-tasking or HD gaming.

Moto E wins again here.

CAMERA.

Both phones are awful when it comes to camera performance and both lack a LED flash and a secondary camera for selfies and occasionally video calls.

Moto E features a 5MP fixed focus camera that is decent in sufficient lighting but fails completely in low lighting.

Nokia X on the other hand comes with a 3MP camera that is also fixed focus and awful too!

Both phones are good in decent lighting but in low light, both fall apart!  

If you are looking for a better camera, these phones are not for you.


TO SUM UP..

Bottom line is that the Moto E is better than the Nokia X in almost every aspect and it's the clear choice for a low end android, simple as that.


Read Also: Moto E review!



ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
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Nokia Lumia 630 review, Nokia slipped again?

11:37 AM Posted by phonesoldier , , No comments
With the biggest windows phone 8 update, comes the Nokia lumia 630 with a gorgeous design and an affordable price but with drawbacks like No flash, low RAM and no secondary camera, is it worth to buy the Nokia lumia 630?

Let's find out in my full review of the Nokia lumia 630!



DESIGN AND BUILD.

The lumia 630 again comes with the traditional Nokia design that is plastic but doesn't feel cheap at all and feels extremely premium at the price it is offering.



The back is smooth but the phone never flips from your hand thanks to the comfortable design.

This time however Nokia removed the camera shutter key which I think is a real bummer as a lot of people liked that!




The phone like all Nokia devices comes in a variety of colors like orange, black, green and much more.

The design and build of the phone is great and worth the price.

DISPLAY.

Display is the beginning of the mistakes Nokia made in this phone!



The display is quite large measuring at 4.5-inches but where it falls apart is the resolution area.

It's a 480x800 pixels ClearBlack display with corning gorilla glass 3 that doesn't look so bad but with competing with the Moto G 720p display, this display is going to fail.

If we look at only the lumia 630 display, it's not that bad! Color reproduction is great, outdoor visibility is no problem and viewing angles are decent too!

Looking at the competition, this display is not good.

HARDWARE.

When it comes to connectivity options, this phone comes with the basics including 3G, Bluetooth and Micro USB v2.0!

In the storage compartment, the lumia 630 comes with 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via Micro SD card which is a great benefit.

Lumia 630 is also a Dual SIM handset if you are looking for a Dual SIM windows phone. You can also get the Single SIM version which costs 1K INR less!

Nokia has cut corners at a number of places (more on that later) and has even excluded a proximity sensor and an ambient light sensor. As a result, the screen does not turn off during a call unless it touches your face or finger. I didn't miss this sensor much but the absence of an ambient light sensor means that the phone doesn't feature automatic brightness depending upon the ambient light. This means you'll need to manually set brightness levels depending on the light conditions, which is a bit cumbersome.

The phone offers excellent call quality and signal reception and we did not encounter issues while making calls even in areas where cell signal is relatively weaker. It was able to lock to GPS without any hiccups.

The external speaker on the phone offers loud sound output though the sound gets muffled when the phone lies on its back, which is an issue. We were able to play most popular video and audio file formats.

When we talk about the battery, lumia 630 runs on a non removable 1830mAh battery about which we will talk about later in this article.

SOFTWARE.

Software is the place where the lumia 630 catches eye with its latest windows phone 8.1 with lots of features including Cortana, Action center and much more.




The first and most demanded feature that it has got is Action Center, a unified notifications interface; it is the equivalent of iOS's Notification Center and Android's Notification Tray. The implementation is also similar, with a swipe from the top rolling down the Action Center displaying four customizable toggles, notifications, alert messages, network indicators, date and battery level. The 'Clear All' and 'All Settings' buttons clear all notifications and jump to the phone's settings menu, respectively. Action center is a pleasure to use and the quick settings come in handy when you want to quickly turn off a setting!



The other big Windows Phone 8.1 feature that everybody's talking about is Cortana, the virtual assistant that rivals iOS's Siri and Android's Google Now. The feature is still in Beta and not available in India unless you change the region settings to US, and language settings to English (US). While it doesn't support all features, you can ask it to perform a large number of tasks including opening apps, calling contacts from People list, setting reminders, check weather, time or location, check nearby places and search the web, among others.



The phone also benefits from the Windows Phone 8.1's new Swype-like 'Word Flow' keyboard that lets you quickly key in words by tracing a path over letters. In tandem with the predictive text feature, the keyboard offers one of the fastest typing experience available at the moment. It also integrates Emoji characters.

Windows phone 8.1 also comes with Data Sense, WiFi sense, better Internet explorer ( with reading mode ) and much more!

Cortana almost everytime understands an Indian accent and is much better than Apple's Siri!

Lumia 630 uses on screen buttons like android instead of the capacitive touch buttons but the onscreen buttons never disappear whether it is gaming or any other application!

The software runs silky smooth and is not laggy at all like all other windows phones out there.
The new Windows phone 8.1 fills almost every void or limitation that the previous windows phone had!

PERFORMANCE.

Performance is another aspect where I think Nokia made a mistake!

Lumia 630 comes with quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. Even though it comes with a measly 512MB, I still don't understand why the phone comes with less RAM given that a number of games and apps are not optimized for 512MB devices at the time of their original release. In fact, Nokia introduced Nokia 525, a variant of the popular Lumia 520 that comes with more RAM, to please consumers who want access to all apps and games.

Even though the phone comes with less RAM, it is really snappy and quick! Applications and games run without any lags! Apps however do take some time to close and open but it is just a second late.

Games like temple run or asphalt 8 run perfectly without any frame drops! However if you keep the graphics to the maximum, you will face some lags at times.

The phone overall performs really fast but if you want more games, I would advice to choose the lumia 525!

CAMERA.

Camera is another area where you will be disappointed!



Lumia 630 is not exactly a camera phone. It just offers a 5MP rear camera and there's no LED flash. While the phone comes with a new Camera app (in addition to Nokia Camera app), the hardware is not remarkable for the price. One good thing is that it does feature auto-focus. You can even set the focus manually.

The quality of images captured in day light was better than the quality of ones taken indoors in less light. It struggles to shoot in low light, though. Colour reproduction was good though.

I feel that by excluding a front-facing camera the device will lose favour among youngsters especially with selfies being the current rage.

Camera can record videos up to 720p which are average.

With no shutter key, taking photos from a lumia is not that fun anymore!

Lumia 630 like all the budget devices is not a camera phone.





BATTERY LIFE.

Battery life is the field where the lumia 630 shines perfectly.



The phone is backed by an 1,830mAh battery (removable) and will last you a complete day (15-16 hours) even if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and use 3G data all the time. You'll be able to make about 2-3 hours of phone calls, play some casual games and browse the web in this time period. The phone can play video continuously for 8-10 hours.

TO SUM UP.

Lumia 630 is a great device with no lags whatsoever but it comes with some drawbacks too like no flash, less RAM , missing sensors or the missing front facing camera!

If you are not a gamer and okay with these drawbacks, I would suggest you to go for this device else increase your budget and go for the moto g or the cheaper lumia 525!

I will be soon posting the comparisons of this phone with other competitors, so stay tuned for that!


Read Also: Moto E review!



ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Why you should go for the Moto G instead of the Moto E!

7:24 PM Posted by phonesoldier , , , , No comments
Moto E was launched a few days back with low specs and a great price but is it capable enough to drive customers from the Moto G? I don't really think so as the Moto G is a lot better than the Moto E in basically every aspect from performance to camera.

So let's see how the Moto G is a better buy than the Moto E!



BETTER DISPLAY.

Moto G comes with a 4.5 inches 720p display  (~326 ppi pixel density) that looks gorgeous thanks to the small size whereas the Moto E comes with a 4.3-inches display with 540 x 960 pixels resulting in a pixel density of 256ppi that isn't the best but is totally acceptable because of the price. 



Moto G display is a lot better than the Moto E with better viewing angles, better color reproduction and better everything. Moto E display on the other hand is not up to the mark with pale color reproduction and decent viewing angles.

Display is a lot better on the Moto G if you are looking to watch movies on your phone or play HD games.


MOTO G IS FASTER.

Moto G comes with a much powerful 1.2 GHz  Quad-core Cortex-A7 processor assisted with 1GB RAM with Adreno 305 for better graphical expreience. 

Moto E however comes with a comparitively slower 1.2 GHz Dual-core  Cortex-A7 assisted with a similar 1GB RAM with Adreno 302 which isn't the best but is capable of running most of the games.

Moto G is a lot faster than the Moto E in every aspect from multi-tasking to gaming.


BETTER CAMERA WITH MORE HARDWARE FEATURES!


While the mega pixel count on both the phones is the same that is 5MP, difference comes in the focus!

The Moto E surprisgly lags a "Auto-focus" camera and comes with a fixed focus camera that will create a problem when it comes to macros!

Moto G also gets the advantage of a LED flash for better low light shots and a 1.3MP secondary camera that comes in handy when it comes to video calls and occasional selfies!

Another area where the Moto G camera is better is video recording! Moto G is capable of recording videos up to 720p that results in a far better videos than the Moto E!


TO SUM UP.

I think these reasons are enough for you to go for the Moto G instead of the Moto E even if the Moto E is cheaper. 

If you are okay with this drawbacks, then Moto E is for you!



Read Also: Moto E review!




ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
 DO MAKE SURE TO HIT THAT SHARE BUTTON IF YOU LIKED READING IT!


Moto E review, Nokia killer?

12:21 PM Posted by phonesoldier , , No comments
Android market is increasing everyday but where it lags is the low end market where most customers prefer windows phone or a Nokia device  but now we have the priced for all and made to last Moto E with extremely low price retailing at $129 off contract or 7K INR!

So let's find out whether this phone is the best low end smartphone in the market right now or not in my full review here.






DESIGN AND BUILD.


Moto G is an exceptional phone with a great build that fits right in your palm and surprisingly the Moto E comes with the same build and design that feels and fits great!

Motorola Moto E reviewIt feels robust, with very little flex in the body apart from when pressing very hard on the screen, which bends slightly. That solid build makes the phone relatively heavy at 142g, and noticeably heavier than the Nokia Lumia 520 or some other super-budget smartphones.

The Moto E is also very thick which could be a great feature for some and for some it is just cheap! It comes with a matt plastic back with a curved design that is as I said before is perfect.

The design and build is overall is great and doesn't feel cheap either.


DISPLAY.

The display as you would expect is not that great as its sibling Moto G and reflects the price of the phone from all angles.

                      Motorola Moto E review

The display is not bad at all, considering the price and the competition including the Nokia X or the lumia 520, the display is really good.

Moto E rocks a 4.3-inches 540 x 960 pixels (~256 ppi pixel density) display which is adequate for regular usage.

Despite being low resolution, the screen is very good. It is bright, with decent viewing angles and good colour saturation – a cut above most of its competition, including the Nokia Lumia 520. In general use the screen is crisp enough for viewing most text. It is only when you start to look at smaller text on desktop web pages that it becomes hard to read compared to higher resolution phones like the Moto G.

Gorilla Glass covers the Moto E’s screen, making it scratch resistant, while a P2i nano waterproof coating on both the inside and outside of the phone makes it water repellent and splash proof.

Bottom line is that the display is decent enough and can be lived with!


HARDWARE.

When it comes to connectivity options, Moto E comes with 3G, Bluetooth v4.0 and WiFi Hotspot!

Device comes with 4GB of internal storage of which only 2GB is user available but not to worry because this time Motorola added Micro SD card support so that you can increase your storage up to 32GB.

The speakers on the Moto E are on the front, they are the same as the Moto G in quality and loudness but having them on the front boosts the experience a lot!

Now when we talk about the battery, Moto E runs on a 1980mAh non removable (the back is removable so that you could swap different back covers! ) battery that is great! 


It can give you a solid full day on heavy usage and a period of two days on moderate usage which is I think one of the finest android battery out there.


SOFTWARE.

Software is I think the most important part when it comes to low end android devices but this phone completely fills that void.

Moto E comes with Android 4.4.2 with near stock android experience which is extremely smooth given the low specs!

Closing and opening of applications cannot be comparable to a higher end phone but it is not that slow and is fast enough to give you a lag free life.

Motorola has added a few bespoke apps, including Motorola Migrate, which helps you transition to the Moto E from other Android smartphones, pulling contacts, call history and text messages, photos and videos wirelessly to your new phone.

Motorola Assist is another useful app that plugs into your calendar, automatically silencing your phone when in meetings or at night, with favourites lists that allow phone calls through if the caller calls twice in quick succession.

Finally, Motorola Alert is worth mentioning as it acts as a panic button, automatically calling emergency contacts or the emergency services, as well as sounding an alarm. The app can send your location to a friend or family member, and send short bursts of pre-defined text like “I’m in danger! I need your help."

Software is I think the only place where there is no flaw and is perfect.

PERFORMANCE.

Performance is the category where I think you are concerned the most because of the low specs and you should be as this is not the fastest or the near fastest phone out there.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 1.2GHz dual-core processor makes the Moto E relatively fast and responsive, while 1GB of RAM – typically twice what is available in other smartphone costing around this device allows every app to run without running into memory issues.

When it comes to gaming performance, Moto E is capable of running almost all the games excluding the graphically intensive games like MC4 or Fifa 14.

You can run Asphalt 8 on low graphics else it will drop frame rates at some point.

Performance is overall great and this is the best android performance you can get in this price range.


CAMERA, DROP YOUR HOPES!

It’s a 5-megapixel camera, but it lacks auto-focus, which means that objects in the foreground can appear out of focus if too close. The photos it captures are weak, often lacking colour and detail – not a replacement for a point-and-shoot camera like most more expensive smartphones.



It also lacks a flash, while video capture is limited to standard definition. There is also no front-facing camera, which means selfies and video calling are out, but that is probably not a problem for the target market as the competition lags here too like the Nokia X or the lumia 520.

Camera is capable of giving you some great shots in enough lighting but in low light, it completely fails!

Camera is the part where the Moto E falls apart completely.

If you are a photo addict, this is not for you!

I would still give a pass to Moto E here because of its price.

Take a look at some snaps taken from the Moto E.

Because of the fixed focus, forget about taking close ups!
Outdoors however, the camera performs decent!

TO SUM UP...

Moto E is the best android phone in its category with a lag free experience that misses from every android device in its category.
If you want a android phone with capabilities of running almost all apps and can live with a poor camera, this is for you else increase your budget and opt for the Moto G!

I would soon post comparisons of this phone with Nokia X, Nokia lumia 520 and Moto G, so stay tuned for that!


ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
 DO MAKE SURE TO HIT THAT SHARE BUTTON IF YOU LIKED READING IT!

Monday, May 12, 2014

Nokia XL review!

9:16 PM Posted by phonesoldier , No comments
Nokia's third installment to the X series is the 5-inches Nokia XL with not so top notch specs but comes with Nokia branding and Android operating system, so will it be able to break the code of success and defeat the existing rulers of low end market? Let's find out!

                       


DESIGN AND BUILD.


When it comes to design and build, Nokia XL again rocks the traditional Nokia polycarbonate build with a sturdy and smooth feel.



It is little thick but that really helps in the grip and is really comfortable to hold.



It is not particularly premium, but it feels great in hand and I have no complaints when it comes to build quality!

DISPLAY.

Display is one of the area where the Nokia XL feels left out!



The Nokia XL features a 5 inches IPS LCD display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels with a pixel density of 187ppi which is really poor on paper and in real life experience too!

If it was the 4 inches screen of Nokia X, it wouldn't be a problem but we have here the massive 5 inches display with really low res.

Color reproduction is not really a problem here, it is about the details and the pixels when you read some texts, watch high quality movies which you will given the size of the screen.

The display overall looks decent but if you are a pixel lover, this is not for you.

HARDWARE.

When it comes to connectivity options, Nokia XL supports 3G, Bluetooth v3.0 and WiFi hotspot.

It also supports micro sd expansion up to 32GB and you get 4GB of internal storage which is a little less but you can always install apps and games on the SD card.

If you are concerned about sensors, it includes the accelerometer and the proximity sensor.

Now when we talk about battery, Nokia XL runs on a 2000mAh removable battery which is quite decent and will be able to give a day and a half on moderate usage.

      

SOFTWARE.



Nokia XL as all the X series phones runs on the forked Android Nokia x platform v1.0 and if you want to know the Android version, it is 4.1.2 jellybean.



The operating system is not really rapid fast but it looks good and you will also love the functionality of the fastlane.



If you want to know more about the software of Nokia XL, check out the separate article I wrote on it.

PERFORMANCE.

Internals of the Nokia XL don't really differ from the Nokia x with the Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A5 with the Adreno 203 assisted with 768MB RAM which are not really the ideal specs for Android but can give you a lag Free experience if you are not a heavy gamer.



It can run games like subway surfer or temple run 2 without any frame drops but while playing heavier games like the asphalt 8, there are a couple of frames drops which is quite expected given the specs.



CAMERA.

In the camera depart, the Nokia XL features a 5MP autofocus camera with a single LED flash and you also get a secondary 2MP camera which is quite a nice addition.




Additional camera features also include panorama, face detection, 480p video recording and Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic which wasn't expected but it is there and will act as a plus point!

When we talk about the quality, it is not really ground breaking but it is good enough in sufficient lighting but isn't really good in low light.

TO SUM UP..

Nokia XL is  a great device when compared to the Nokia x with better experience, better camera and big screen!

But the main factor that will act in its sales will be the price which we are not yet aware of but it will be most probably around 10k INR competing with the lumia 525 and the upcoming Moto E.

I will post an article on lumia 525 vs Nokia XL, so stay tuned for that.


ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR READING, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE SUGGESTIONS OR QUESTIONS ON THIS ARTICLE , COMMENTS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED OR YOU CONNECT ME ON TWITTER@phonesoldier or Facebook!
 DO MAKE SURE TO HIT THAT SHARE BUTTON IF YOU LIKED READING IT! 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Nokia X vs Nokia lumia 520!

4:40 AM Posted by phonesoldier , , , No comments
What happens when forked android or you can call it Nokia's attempt to run Android on their devices takes on windows phone?

Let's find out in my latest in-depth comparison of the Nokia x and the lumia 520!



Nokia x remained in a lot of talks after its release given it's price and the ability to run android apps on a Nokia device but the current ruler of the low end market that is the Nokia lumia 520 is no loser either with its "best low end phone" crown from the mwc!

DESIGN AND BUILD.




Both the devices feature the traditional polycarbonate build of Nokia that looks and feels great even it is plastic!



You can't really decide a winner here as both are build nicely considering the price point, so no quarks here!

DISPLAY.

Display is almost never good when it comes to low end market and these two aren't quite the best either!



Both the devices sport a 4-inch WVGA (480×800 pixels) display pushing out 223 pixels per inch (ppi). The Lumia 520 has a scratch resistant coating on top, which is absent from the Nokia X which comes in handy if you are a quick dropper!

Outdoor visibility is always decent on both and you can read texts with the brightness to 90%.

The display is actually similar on both but with the advantage of the scratch resistant glass, the lumia 520 gets the edge!


HARDWARE.

When it comes to connectivity options, both devices come with Bluetooth,3G but they both lack NFC which is quite expected.

The Lumia 520 has a larger storage (8GB internal, expandable up to 64GB using microSD card) than the X (4GB internal, expandable up to 32GB). The Lumia 520 also supports up to 21.1Mbps download speeds on HSDPA while the X tops at 7.2Mbps.

When it comes to battery, the Nokia X comes with a 1500mAh battery while the Nokia lumia 520 features a 1430mAh battery. Both are removable which is always a great feature to have.

When we talk about battery backup, both can give you a full day on heavy usage but the Nokia X can give a little more than that.

So in the hardware category also the lumia 520 wins with faster connection speeds and more storage.

SOFTWARE.

              

The biggest difference between the two phones lies here. The Lumia 520 runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS while the X uses Nokia X Software, a forked version of Android. In terms of out of the box features, both devices come integrated with Nokia and Microsoft services like Outlook, Skype, HERE maps, Nokia MixRadio and what not.

The only place where I think Nokia X gets the edge is here. Nokia X is capable of running most of the android apps which is quite helpful at times but lumia 520 is no loser too as I said with better operating system and stable apps.

While as a plus point, you can run android apps on the Nokia x, you won't be able to live a "lag-free" life as Nokia x with low end specs and Android , lags a couple of times!

Plus, you also get the ability to multi-task on the lumia 520 which you just can't on the Nokia X.

You will also get the windows phone 8.1 update on the lumia 520 which is quite a big and ground breaking update with features like cortana, action center and more!

So, I would still advice to go with windows phone in the low end category for better experience, however if you are an app addict, the Nokia x is no bad too.


PERFORMANCE.


When it comes to performance, The Nokia X has a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon SoC while the Lumia 520′s unit boasts the same clock speed (and specs) but has a different chipset.

Both get 512MB of RAM. The Lumia 520 has an Adreno 305 GPU while the Nokia X has an Adreno 203 GPU which is a significant benefit on the lumia 520 in the graphic category!

Performance as I said before is much smoother on the lumia 520 than the Nokia x!

CAMERA.

Camera is not really good on either device.

The Lumia 520 uses a 5-megapixel rear camera while the X gets a 3-megapixel unit. Neither of these get a secondary camera which can be bummer for some selfie lovers, but higher resolution and the ability to shoot 720p video makes the Lumia 520 a winner here. 

The Nokia X can only shoot videos in 480p resolution.
Photos are decent in proper light on both but still lumia 520 captures better photos and more mega pixels result in more detailed images too.

Flash is sadly missing from both the devices.

TO SUM UP.

The only reason, one would choose a Nokia x is only the apps but on lumia 520, you get better camera, storage and a lag free experience.
I am not really saying Nokia x lags all the time but it clutters some times and takes time to open apps.



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