S NAGA MALLESWARA REDDY

HP introduced Pavilion X360 laptop at the MWC in February. and now, it has brought the device to the Indian market. Taking a cue from the likes of Lenovo Yoga, the laptop can swivel 360-degrees and be turned into a tablet. However, unlike other convertibles, HP is targeting the mid-range segment with the device by pricing it at Rs 39,990. Is the Pavilion X360 the affordable convertible we've been waiting for? We try to find out in our review.

Build and design
HP Pavilion X360 is a very good-looking device though it's on the heavier side at 1.4Kg. We were enchanted by its 'brilliant red' colour outer shell that has a satin sparkle texture and a soft matter finish that helps protect against fingerprints. The silver coloured metallic HP logo sits right in the middle.



The hinge as well as the bottom shell sport the same design. Lift the laptop's lid and you'll see the its 11.6-inch touch-enabled display surrounded by a black bezel that sports a glossy finish with the rest of the frame also sporting black colour, albeit with matte finish.

The Keyboard panel on the other hand, looks stunning with its brushed aluminium finish, featuring an island/chiclet style black coloured keyboard. The keyboard features special keys for controlling screen brightness, volume and music playback.

The trackpad also sports a metallic finish. We found the keyboard to be pretty good, although not as swift as the ones featured in some high-end devices. Your typing speed would, of course, improve as you spend more time with the device. To our disappointment, the keyboard is not backlit.

The trackpad, which HP likes to call Imagepad, offers multi-touch gesture support and is pretty smooth when it comes to scrolling or navigating through the screen. The wrist rest offers good support and makes the experience even better.

The hinge sports the Beats Audio branding.

HP Pavilion X360 offers a large number of connectivity ports. On the right side of the keyboard panel, you'll see an Ethernet port, an HDMI port, a USB 3.0 port, a USB port 2.0 and an SD card reader, in addition to a charging port.



The left edge sports a USB 2.0 port and an earphone jack along with a volume rocker key (which comes handy in tablet mode) and a power button. The two speakers are located at the bottom. Overall, the Pavilion X360 is a very well-built device and exudes a premium feel.

The 360-degree hinge

Thanks to its 360-degree hinge, the device can be used in multiple modes. It can serve as a conventional clam-shell notebook, used as a video player in the stand mode with the keyboard acting as a base, and act like a photo frame or recipe book, placed in the tent mode. You can fold it a full 360-degree and make it into a tablet as well. The keyboard is automatically disabled as you turn the display an angle more than 180-degree.

While the hinge works flawlessly and never feels flimsy, the tablet's base panel is a bit heavy and adds to the bulk when you're carrying it around as a tablet. Also, when you fold it 360-degree, the display doesn't clasp with the base panel and since the base panel is longer than the display panel, it sticks out and doesn't look appealing. HP says that it's intentional as the speakers are located at the base. We feel that the placement could have been different to take care of aesthetics.



This really spoils the remotest possibility of someone mistaking the device for a tablet. The added width worsens things further. The device is good for use as a laptop or a stand, but we'd certainly not prefer using it as a tablet.

Having said that, the Pavilion X360 scores when it comes to build and design, and is one of the most attractive devices available in the market.

Display

HP Pavilion X360 comes with an 11.6-inch anti-glare LED backlit touch screen (1366X768p). For a device which is designed to be used as a tablet in addition to a notebook, the X360's screen is disappointing. While we're okay with HP putting a low resolution,720p panel as it's a mid-range device, the display isn't bright enough and colours appear washed out. Viewing angles are also not that wide. The display is one of the weaker points of the device.

Software

Our review unit came with 64-bit Windows 8.1 and we updated it to Update 1, the latest version of the OS that features power and search buttons, ability to pin Modern UI apps to the taskbar, and boot directly to Desktop, among others.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 offers a better desktop experience and streamlines Modern/ Windows 8 apps with desktop apps.

HP also bundles additional software with the laptop, including CyberLink YouCam and PowerDVD, Adobe Shockwave Player, HP Connected Music, HP Support apps, McAfee LiveSafe, HP CoolSense, HP ProtectSmart, Skype, Amazon Kindle and 7-Zip among other HP apps and casual games. These apps can be easily uninstalled if you don't require these.

Performance

HP Pavilion X360 is powered by a 2.16GHz Intel Pentium N3520 quad-core processor with 4GB RAM. The processor has the same architecture that has the Bay Trail Atom chip which is not very powerful. In terms of performance, the laptop is good for moderate use and for web browsing, casual games and multimedia, and for apps like office suites, and simple imaging editors, among others. If you open too many tabs and multitask between many apps, the laptop becomes sluggish. Don't even think about playing graphics-intensive 3D games.

Having said that, the laptop runs Modern UI apps without any problems.

The X360 doesn't offer good battery life. In our tests, the laptop lasted about 4-4.5 hours while using Microsoft Word, a picture editor, a music streaming service and playing some YouTube videos, keeping the screen at full brightness. In our video look test, it lasted about 3.5 hours.

While we don't endorse benchmarks, the Pavilion X360 scored 1040 in PCMark8 (Creative conventional) and 1277 in PCMark 8 (Home conventional) tests, and 442 in Novabench. The Pavilion X360 scored 1435 in Cloudgate 1.1 and 16,612 in Icestorm 1.2 tests of 3DMark.

The laptop has an HD front webcam which is good for video chats. The BeatsAudio speakers are not that great as they lack loudness and bass though the sound output is good in terms of clarity.

Overall, the device doesn't boast of high-end performance but is well-suited for day-to-day tasks.

Verdict

HP Pavilion X360 is a good-looking Windows convertible let down by its sub-par display and underwhelming performance. It doesn't offer a good tablet experience due to its bulk which makes it difficult to lug around and due to its unwieldy shape.



At a starting price of Rs 39,990, we'd not recommend buying the device unless you really want the 360-degree swivel feature. You can get a more powerful touch-enabled notebook in the same price range minus the multimode feature.

You can also look at HP Pavilion X2 which comes with a removable display panel for use as a tablet, and more powerful hardware. It costs about Rs 10,000 more, but will offer better portability. If your budget is less, then the Lenovo Ideapad Flex 10 is another option.

Let's not beat around the bush. Moto E is a phenomenal smartphone. No, it doesn't dazzle like iPhone 5S or packs in a gazillion features like Galaxy S5. But it doesn't have to. With a price of Rs 7,000, it needs to just provide basic but hassle-free smartphone experience to people who don't want to or can't splurge more than Rs 10,000 on a phone. And Moto E does exactly that. Not only does it offer a good smartphone experience but in some cases does so in a way that puts it ahead of more expensive devices.

Yes, there are a few misses in Moto E. We will tell you where it falls short and where it excels in this review, but if you are in a hurry to get the device, you can go ahead and pull the trigger. Moto E is worth its price.

With this out, let's take a better look at Moto E and what makes it such an appealing deal.

Build and design
Last year when Motorola rebooted its smartphone business with Moto X, a premium phone, it probably decided to use a similar design in all its phones. Moto X had rounded edges, a curved back cover stylishly carved on the top, the primary camera topped with a round glass cover, a metal ring around the camera and the Motorola logo under the camera. Moto G, launched a few months after Moto X, had the same design even though its finish and build quality was more mainstream.

Moto E continues the tradition. It looks similar to Moto X and Moto G. However, Moto E is also an unmistakably budget phone, in both design specifications and build quality.

At its thickest point, Moto E measures 12.3mm, which makes it chubby compared to lean and sleek Moto X and stocky Moto G. It also weighs 142 grams, which is on the heavier side for a phone with 4.3-inch screen. The build quality doesn't match what Moto G or Moto X offer. But see all of it in the context. For its price, Moto E is mighty nice. The plastic back cover, which can be removed to access sim and microSD card slots (but not battery), has matte finish and feels soft to touch. This makes Moto E a better device compared to phones that use cheap glossy plastic.



The overall build quality is a step up from what other companies offer in phones priced below Rs 10,000. The screen on Moto E is covered with tough glass - Gorilla Glass version 3, to be precise - something that is a rarity on mainstream and budget phones. The Gorilla Glass gives the phone a solid feel. Though it is not slim and light, the compact size, curved back cover and rounded edges make Moto E a phone that is easy to handle and use.

Display
Good screens are expensive and companies often put cheap screens in budget phones. Motorola reverses the trend and equips Moto E with a screen that is really good, considering the low price of the device. The 4.3-inch screen in Moto E has resolution of 540x960pixels (540P). It is not as sharp as 720P or 1080P screens in more expensive, but unless you stare at it from close, the text and images on Moto E screen look clear enough. It also displays rich colours and has decent viewing angles. Movies on the device are enjoyable because the image doesn't get distorted much if you tilt or move your head while watching them.



Unless you try to read an article under direct sunlight, you will be satisfied with the brightness of Moto E screen.

Software
Moto E is powered by Android 4.4.2 aka KitKat. This is the latest version of Android. Unlike other companies, Motorola is also promising to update Moto E to the next major version of Android.

Punit Soni, Motorola's vice president for products, told TOI that the company would like to support the device for at least 18 months with software updates. But even if that doesn't happen, he promised, Motorola would update Moto E to the next version of Android.

Since last year, Motorola uses almost an unmodified version of Android in its devices. This makes a Moto device like Moto E similar to a Nexus phone. The launcher and lock screens are more or less same. Google Now, the virtual assistant built into Android, works without any fuss. And so do the Android keyboard and Voice search. The on-screen buttons - Home, Back and Multitasking - work the way they do on Nexus devices.

This is different (in a good way) compared to what other manufacturers offer by modifying the user interface, feature set, navigation buttons and other aspects of Android in their phones.



In terms of extras, Motorola offers just a few unique apps. There is an Alert app, which can "alert" your contacts in case of emergency. Then there is the Assist app, which can monitor your schedule and put the phone in silent mode when you are sleeping or when you are in a meeting.

Camera
While Motorola decided against going with a cheap screen, on camera it probably saved some money in a bid to keep the price of the phone low. Moto E is not a shooter's delight. It lacks a front camera. So, no selfies with Moto E unless you are standing in front of a mirror.

The primary camera can shoot images in 5 megapixels, a decent number for a budget phone. But as we have said earlier, the number of pixels doesn't matter. The camera in Moto E lacks flash as well as auto focus. Fixed focus is not much of an issue when you are shooting portraits or photos of friends, but if you are trying to click close ups, it is a problem. Moto E has a difficulty focussing on close objects. Even when the subject is around a metre away, the camera tends to shoot soft images.



Photos shot with Moto E in good light show noise and have colours that look artificially punchy. The camera also doesn't capture details well and tries to compensate by sharpening the image. The end result is not good. Images shot in low light too come out noisy.

Compared to cameras in other similarly priced phones, Moto E does an average job. Most of the time you will be able to click photos that you can share on Facebook or Twitter. But don't expect clear and shiny photos that more expensive smartphones can manage. One good feature of Moto E camera is that you can change the exposure by selecting the area in a scene that you are trying to capture. This helps in low light scenes.

The device shoots 480P videos. The video recording is good. It is possible to shoot clear and usable video footage, albeit in 480P, in good light.

Performance
Moto E uses a dual-core processor running at 1.2GHz. It has 1GB RAM, 4GB internal storage (2.2GB user accessible) and support for up to 32GB microSD card. Apart from 1GB RAM, there is nothing striking about Moto E hardware.

However, Motorola has optimized the software well. In daily use, we found Moto E to be a good performer. During browsing we found the pinch-to-zoom gesture on a webpage smooth. While switching between apps we didn't notice any significant lag. When we scrolled in apps like Facebook and Twitter, the performance was smooth.

Yet, Moto E doesn't feel as speedy as Moto G or high-end phones. You may notice a hint of lag from time to time. But this is not the kind of lag that will slow down a user. After clicking on dialer, you won't have to wait for a few seconds before the call log opens. When you are quickly scrolling through the photos in your Gallery app on Moto E, it doesn't freeze for a second or two the way some other budget phones do.

Again putting it in context, Moto E offers performance that is superior to most of the Android phones selling for less than Rs 15,000. Under Rs 10,000, there is no Android phone that offers similar performance.

But more than the performance, the real deal with Moto E is that it does almost everything that a more expensive Android phone can do. It offers very good GPS performance, a rarity in a mainstream phone, and that allows users to utilize apps like Google Maps and Runkeeper. It can play 720P videos and in some cases even 1080P files. It gives users a Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, YouTube experience that is not lacking in any significant way compared to what they can get with more expensive phones.

Moto E supports two sim cards. When we used it with a 3G connection and Wi-Fi, we found the connection speed to be satisfactory.

Moto E has a mono speaker under the screen that is loud enough to fill a small room with sound even though the quality of sound is not particularly rich. Sound quality during music playback through headphones and calls is satisfactory.

Battery life too is good. The device has a 1,980mAh battery. When used with a 3G connection, Moto E lasted around 15 to 16 hours before we had to recharge its battery, ​which was above average.

Gaming
First a number: In 3D Mark, which measure graphics performance, Moto E scores over 3700 points. This is more than what HP Slate 6 and Lenovo Vibe X (both have an MRP of more than Rs 20,000) score. It is also more than what Nexus 7 (2012) scores. For a budget phone, this is a really impressive performance.



In actual use too we found Moto E to be a decent performer. We played Asphalt 8, a demanding game, at high graphics settings on Moto E. However, there was some occasional lag so we switched to medium graphics settings for smoother gameplay. We also played casual games like Angry Birds Go and Temple Run with ease on Moto E.

Key takeaway: Moto E may not be able to run some demanding games that may come out in future but it can handle most of the existing games and you can have lot of fun with it if you are fond of Angry Birds and friends.

Verdict
As we said earlier, Moto E is worth its asking price of Rs 6,999. There is no other Android device in sub-Rs 10,000 that offers comparable value.

There are two competitors to Moto E: Nokia Lumia 520 and Spice MI-515. Both have their own set of issues.

Lumia 520 is not an Android device. It offers comparable performance to Moto E but inferior Gmail/YouTube/browsing/gaming experience. Also, Android devices have access to better apps. Spice MI-515 is a really impressive phone, with performance similar to that of Moto E. But it is almost a year old now, runs an older version of Android, probably won't get any upgrade, and has questionable build quality. Both Lumia 520 and MI-515 also cost around Rs 1,500 more.

Moto E is kind of a total package for people looking to get a smartphone for less than Rs 10,000. Except the camera and low internal storage (it could be an issue if you install many games), the device gets everything else right. Yes, it is not in the league of expensive phones, but if you were waiting for a good budget Android phone before you ditch your feature phone, your wait is over. You can safely go for Moto E. It is the best sub-Rs 10,000 phone in the market right now.

Nokia Lumia 630 marks many firsts. It's the first phone to be commercially launched in India after Microsoft acquired Nokia. It's the first dual-sim Windows Phone handset. And, it's also the first smartphone to ship with Windows Phone 8.1, the latest iteration of the OS.

Entry-level Windows Phone devices like Lumia 520 have contributed a lot to the platform's market share, especially in markets like India. With the addition of dual-sim functionality, will Lumia 630 take it at the next level? Will the phone be a serious challenger to budget Android devices? We try to find out in our review.

Build & Design
Nokia Lumia 630 doesn't look very different from other Nokia Lumia budget phones. We've seen the same design in Lumia 620 and, to some extent, in Lumia 625. Having said that, the phone does look sleeker and feels good to hold. It's 9.2mm thick and weighs just 134gram.

Lumia 630 sports a colourful, interchangeable polycarbonate back shell that wraps around the phone. The cover which will be available in black, white, green, orange and yellow colours, sports a matte finish.




We still want to see fresher designs from Nokia, even on budget and mid-range devices. Overall, materials used in the phone are of good quality and feel durable.

The right edge of the phone features the power and volume rocker keys, in the same colour as that of the shell. Strangely, a major omission in Lumia 635 is the camera shutter hardware key, which is available in Lumia 620 and 625 smartphones. This means that you'll only be able to activate the shutter through soft keys. Perhaps the focus is not so much on the camera.

The right edge is barren, while the bottom edge features the micro-USB port and the 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top. The back features a 5MP auto-focus camera but there's no LED flash, which makes the phone useless for dark and low-light shots.

Removing the cover reveals the two micro-sim card slots, a microSD card slot and the battery compartment. It's easy to remove the cover and insert the sim cards. The cover fits well and there were no creaks or wobbles.



Missing sensors
Nokia has cut corners at a number of palces (more on that later) and has even excluded a proximity sensor and an ambitent light sensor. As a result, the screen does not turn off during a call unless it touches your face or finger. We 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.

Display
Nokia Lumia 630 sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA (480X854p) ClearBlack, IPS LCD display. It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection to guard against minor scratches. The display is not one of the best ones we've seen on a Nokia phone. It packs less pixels than Lumia 520/525 due to the bigger screen size and as a result pictures and text looks a bit pixilated. Viewing angles were also not that great and sunlight legibility was above average. Overall, Lumia 630's display is not bad but with the competition (read Moto G) offering high quality displays packing more pixels, we feel that Nokia could have done a better job.

Camera
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.

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




The camera can only capture videos of up to 720p and the quality of recording was just average. Clearly, the camera is not the high point of the device.

Software
Nokia Lumia 630 is the first handset to ship with Windows Phone 8.1 in the Indian market. The new iteration of the OS irons out inconsistencies and achieves feature parity with competing smartphone platforms like Android and iOS. It pretty much covers the basics and would satisfy most casual users.

Windows Phone 8.1 brings core changes like support for universal Windows apps for tablets, phones and PCs but there are a number of user facing changes as well.

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.



You can choose to display the Action Center even when the screen is locked and turn notifications on or off for specific apps. Interestingly, you can clear all notifications, including the ones displayed in Live Tiles, when you tap on the Clear All button. This is a minor but well thought out functionality. Notifications for individual apps can be swiping over them.

Nokia Lumia 630 is the first Windows Phone device that comes with on-screen buttons for navigation. These are similar to the soft keys we've seen in Android phones from Google (Nexus), LG, Sony, Motorola and, now, HTC. You can enable haptic feedback (vibrate on touch) for these keys and choose to keep them always dark, match the background colour of the app on screen, or match the accent colour. Unfortunately, keys are visible even when you're playing full screen games or reading a web page in reader mode (yes, Internet Explorer now supports it). This makes the display appear smaller and gives the impression that there is less space for content.

The Start screen has also received a minor makeover and can now display background wallpapers. The wallpaper is visible through transparent tiles but tiles that have different colours remain opaque. We have to say it looks better than the single solid coloured tiles and adds more personalization capabilities. The update also enables a third column of tiles on non-1080p displays. So, if you don't mind a cluttered but convenient arrangement, you can opt to squeeze more tiles on the Lumia 630's relatively smaller screen.

Multitasking is better as the OS just suspends apps when you hit the back button so resuming them again doesn't take much time. The multitasking interface now offers the option to close apps by tapping on the cancel key or by swiping them down the screen, a bit like iOS and webOS.

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.

Cortana recognized our voice and our accent much more accurately than Apple's Siri. The OS also supports a Do Not Disturb feature called Quiet Hours, but it's linked to Cortana, which handles alerts and notifications when the mode is turned on.



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.

new feature called Wi-Fi Sense lets you share your home or office Wi-Fi connection with people who have a WP 8.1 device without sharing the password for that network. We couldn't test this feature as we didn't have two WP 8.1 devices.

The Data Sense feature not only allows you to monitor data use but even offers a setting for saving consumption by compressing large images via the browser. We found the built-in data compression feature (seen in browsers like Opera Mini and Nokia Xpress) pretty useful.

Windows Phone 8.1 also introduces support for VPN (Virtual Private Networks), splits the Music+Videos apps into two, offers new camera and calendar apps with better features and updates the default browser with new capabilities (including reading mode).

Nokia Lumia 630 comes with a large number of preloaded apps in addition to Nokia and Microsoft apps. Thankfully most of these apps can be removed.

The phone comes with a three months subscription of Nokia MixRadio, including free music downloads, but for some reason we were not able to activate it. We got a message saying "Downloading songs or albums is no longer possible.." every time we tried downloading music tracks.
Dual-sim capability
Lumia 630 is the first dual-sim enabled Windows Phone device. The implementation of the feature is a little different from what we've seen on Android or feature phones, which makes it interesting.

By default, you get a set of Messaging and Call apps for each sim card, complete with individual call records, speed dials and message threads. However, it's possible to switch between the two sims in the phone dialler screen or even when you're viewing a contact. Same is the case with messages when you're trying to reply to one. We found this functionality pretty convenient.

For people who don't like this arrangement and want centralized universal apps, it's even possible to link the two sets of apps and just keep one. You can even set the default sim for individual contacts. For instance, if you have a separate work number, you can set it as default for all work contacts. So, the phone will use that particular sim while dialling out or sending a message.

Lumia 630 also offers Smart Dual Sim, allowing you to automatically forward calls from one sim to the other if one of them is busy. Of course, you'll incur charges for receiving the call just like a normal forwarded call. The functionality worked without any hiccups while using a Vodafone and a Reliance sim card.

SensorCore
Nokia Lumia 630 boasts of SensorCore which allows applications to use the sensors in a Lumia phone without affecting battery life. The functionality helps the phone track the user's activity, including steps travelled, and record location data. According to Nokia, it is a software solution that is capable of running at very low power as well as a hardware component that acts as a buffer between the sensors and the applications.

In tandem with the preloaded Bing Health & Fitness app, it lets users track their physical activity. The GPS tracker feature of the app records time, distance, pace and calories burned while users walk, run, bike and do other activities. In our use, we found that the app did not measure our running activity accurately in an indoor location. Perhaps this was due to GPS getting disabled when the phone is locked.

Performance
Nokia Lumia 630 is powered by a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor. Even though it comes with a measly 512MBWe 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.

RAM, the phone offers good performance. Windows Phone OS is not a resource hog and WP 8.1 optimizes it further to suit low-end devices. We did not observe lag or stutter while launching and switching between apps, though the apps still take time to resume from their suspended state when running in background. We also did not encounter any issues while browsing the web, clicking pictures and playing videos and music.



Lumia 630 offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity options in addition to FM radio (which is now a separate app). 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.

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.

Gaming
We were able to play casual games like Temple Run and Angry Birds without facing any issues. Even graphics-heavy games like Asphalt 8 performed well and we did not experience frame drops. However, if you set Visual Quality to High and Engine at 100% then you'll notice pixelation and distortion.

Verdict

The dual-sim version of Lumia 630 is available at Rs 11,500 (single-sim version costs Rs 10,500).So should you buy Nokia the phone? The answer is yes if you're looking for a reliable, fluid, easy to set-up and use, dual-sim smartphone without spending a large amount of cash.

As with other Windows Phone devices, the usual caveats apply. It's not as rich as Android and iOS when it comes to apps but the basics are pretty much covered (including all major Indian apps). It's another thing that developers do not update their Windows phone apps as often as they update iOS and Android ones.

Having said that, you won't miss much if your usage mainly comprises of email, making calls, instant messaging, social networking, consuming multimedia content and casual gaming. With Windows Phone 8.1, Microsoft has made the OS more streamlined, and has filled the gaps. It offers all the basic features you'll get on rival platforms. But on the hardware front, Nokia has cut corners to keep the pricing low and you'll have to compromise on a number of feature. In a way, it's a downgrade compared to the Lumia 620.

If you're looking for alternatives, there's Motorola's Moto G. It costs Rs 1,000 more and doesn't offer expandable storage but you get Android, smooth performance, a better screen, front camera and LED flash along with dual-sim functionality. You can even look at its younger sibling Moto E that costs Rs 6,999 and offers most features the Lumia 630 offers.

Like many other Indian brands, Spice offers a number of smartphones at a pretty low price point in a bid to tap into switchers (people who are moving from feature phones to touchscreen smartphones). It is estimated that the low-end segment is responsible for a huge chunk of smartphone sales in the Indian market, and Spice has entered the battle with the ultra-cheap Smart Flo Poise. 

The smartphone has a 4.5-inch display, dual-core processor, rear camera with LED flash, 1GB RAM and dual sim functionality. It carries the price tag of just Rs 5,400, but is available online at Rs 5,000. 

This combination of spec sheet and price certainly makes for a pretty tempting offering for buyers who want a low-end smartphone. But does the performance justify the price? And is it a better alternative than Samsung's entry-level Galaxy Star smartphone or Nokia's Asha 500, a similarly-priced smart feature phone from a bigger brand? We get you the answers in this review: 

Looks and build quality
Spice Smart Flo Poise is a smartphone that takes a lot of design cues from Samsung's Galaxy S2, but with a few changes of its own. So, the chrome lining on the sides is much wider here and the overall design is very boxy and chunky, and the edges are sharper. The device is pretty heavy, but feels very solid and sturdy when held in the hand. 

Below the screen are the three touch-sensitive keys for Menu, Back and Home; the speaker is located at the back, next to the camera. The Power button is placed on the right, just above the Volume key; both are pretty easy to access while using the device with one hand.



What is really striking is the fit and finish of Smart Flo Poise for its price. Having become used to shoddy build at this price point, we were surprised to see the high quality of plastic used, level of care taken in manufacturing and no creaking at all. We don't usually see this level of detail from most smartphones under Rs 10,000, so this is a change we welcome wholeheartedly. 

Hardware
Smart Flo Poise has better hardware than what rivals offer at this price. You get an IPS display with resolution of 480x854p, which trumps the 240x320p resolution of most competitors by a wide margin. There is a 1.3GHz dual-core processor with 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, 32GB microSD support for storage expansion, 3.2MP rear camera with LED flash, 1.2MP front camera and 1,450mAh battery.



There is no 3G support in Spice's ultra-cheap smartphone, something it has in common with most handsets in this segment; it can access the internet over 2G and Wi-Fi. 

Software
Spice has used Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system in Smart Flo Poise smartphone. The ageing OS is overlaid with a custom launcher that eliminates the app menu and puts all the downloaded apps (with redesigned icons) on home screens. We are not particularly fond of this setup, though it is fast becoming pretty common among smartphones made in China. 

Apart from this custom launcher, there are four themes that you can choose to use as the home screen. These are similar to the themes available on Play Store and seem a little childish in appearance.



You can also select the type of animation you see while moving between home screens; there are 12 options in total and are pretty standard fare to anyone who has used such customization apps in Google's marketplace earlier. But the impression we get from this software is that Spice wants to give the popular animations to buyers, who are likely to be first-time Android users, without them having to visit Play Store. 

Performance
Spice's low-cost offering has a screen size and resolution that is hard to match in Rs 5,000-price segment, but numbers don't tell the real story. The display is bright and vibrant indoors and suffers from only slight pixilation, but much better than what you get from products by most other brands, both Indian and global. 

However, when we step out into the Sun, the screen washes out totally and it is hard to figure any what is displayed on the screen, even at maximum brightness. This is a major flaw than can prove detrimental to sales and popularity of the smartphone. 

On the software side, the heavy customization bogs down the performance. Apps don't open fast enough, but the smartphone's response time is still better compared to that of others at the same price. We feel that using stock Android would have been a better option at this price point and helped the device perform better. 

Preloading the smartphone with multiple browsers and as many as 48 apps does not really help the user considering the low-end hardware it features. Thankfully, users have the option to uninstall most of the preloaded apps to get rid of the clutter and improve performance. You can not only delete third-party apps like Opera browser, but also a few Google and Spice apps. 

We uninstalled the unnecessary apps, retaining only Facebook, WhatsApp, NQ Mobile Security and a few others, and then used a third-party launcher. This improved the performance of the smartphone drastically, with minimal lag while switching between apps. 

Images taken with Spice Smart Flo Poise's 3.2MP rear camera are disappointing, with poor details. The colours appear okay most of the times, but look a bit dull in some photos. The camera app has a number of settings, but tweaking them does not help much either. 

The 1,450mAh battery ensures that the smartphone runs for about 8-9 hours once fully charged with 2G data turned on. The usage included an hour of web browsing, couple of hours of using WhatsApp and Facebook, three hours of music playback, half an hour of calling and an hour of YouTube before the battery was exhausted. 

Verdict
Spice Smart Flo Poise is a pretty good smartphone for the price. The screen quality in sunlight and camera are its two major flaws, but the overall performance is something you don't find at Rs 5,000 easily. Moreover, most other smartphones at this price come with lesser hardware, older Android versions and a laggy performance. It is also a better option than Nokia's Asha 500, which has grown very little on the software side and is not really an option if you want a smartphone.

Samsung was one of the first mainstream device makers to jump into the smartwatch segment. It launched the Android-powered Galaxy Gear smartwatch as a companion device with its Galaxy Note 3 flagship phablet.

The watch did not receive much favour among critics, but managed to attract some early adopters of smart watches. Samsung shipped half a million units worldwide, according to a new report by Strategy Analytics.

With the first mover advantage already with it, the South Korean giant has now unleashed its second-generation smartwatch, Gear 2. It looks better, sports a brand new OS and offers wider compatibility. But does the Gear 2 improve on the shortcomings of its predecessor? Was dumping Android for Tizen a sensible decision? We try to find out in our review.


How does it look?

Samsung Gear 2 doesn't look vastly different from Galaxy Gear. However, the design has evolved and it looks sleeker though still similar to a miniature phone. There are no visible screws at the front and it's a bit lighter.

Unlike the Galaxy Gear, the camera lens and the microphone are no longer a part of the strap. The camera lens (2MP sensor) is instead placed at the front along with an infrared blaster. This also facilitates changeable straps. Yes, Samsung now allows you to remove the strap that ships with the watch and replace it with the one that you like.

Just below the 1.63-inch Super AMOLED touch-enabled display (32-x320p resolution), you'll spot a new Home key. The display looks good and accentuates the white text over black background notification UI. Sunlight legibility is not great at lower brightness levels. Though you can switch to outdoor mode or full brightness for better visibility, the mode automatically turns off after 5 minutes to save battery.



Gear 2 is IP 67 certified water and dust-resistant, which is one of the major selling points of the watch.

The watch comes in gold brown and black colours and the bezel retains the brushed metal finish. An optical heart rate sensor and metal contacts for the charging connector are placed at the back. The charging connector is a bit better compared to the Galaxy Gear's bulky case, but it's easier to lose it and is an additional item that you have to carry around.
Using the Gear 2

Samsung has replaced Android with Tizen (its own home-grown OS) in Gear 2. In terms of user interface, the Gear 2 doesn't really look much different from its predecessor. You simply swipe the screen horizontally to navigate across app shortcuts and sub-menus. Swiping from top to bottom takes you a level back. Once you get the hang of it, you'll find navigation pretty easy. Inspired by Android, the software also features the ability to switch between open apps by hitting the Home button twice.

The watch comes with a number of pre-installed apps, including apps for tracking call logs, a dialler and contacts app for making calls (calls are dialled out via the connected phone), a camera app, a dedicated music player, voice recorder, Universal remote control, S Voice, Pedometer, Sleep monitor, Heart rate monitor and fitness apps to track your workout. It also fetters apps for Email, Gallery, Messages, Schedule, Stopwatch, Timer and Weather.


However, the strength of Gear 2 is notifications. After pairing the watch with a compatible phone (the watch supports 17 Samsung phones, a much bigger list compared to the number of phones supported by the Galaxy Gear), you can get notifications from virtually all third party Android phone apps to appear on the smartwatch. We were able to get notifications not just from email and messaging apps like WhatsApp, but also from news apps like The Times Of India or utility apps like Truecaller.

Message and mail notifications offer a good amount of information when they pop up on the screen (Sender's name and subject or starting line) and tapping on them displays about 25 lines of text from the message. To read further, you'll need to take out your phone.

A bit of an annoyance is that if you miss tapping on the notification, it'll disappear and you'll need to go to the Notifications app to find it. While the Notifications app features the badge(s) for unread notifications, there's no other way to keep track of these. We'd rather like missed notifications to appear as symbols on the home screen.

Unfortunately, you can't respond to third-party notifications directly through the watch, but you can send canned replies to text messages or even use S-Voice's speech to text.

Just like Galaxy gear, the Gear 2 is also capable of making and receiving phone calls through its built-in speaker and microphone. Of course, it's cumbersome to use it for calls as you need to bring the watch closer to your face but the voice quality is good as the microphone is very sensitive.



Gear 2, unlike Galaxy Gear, features a native Music Player in addition to a media controller. This means you can transfer and store music directly on the watch and pair it with a Bluetooth stereo headset to listen to music, without the need to carry your smartphone along. This is especially useful when you're working out or running. Of course, you can also control the music on your phone with the watch acting as a Bluetooth remote.

Gear 2 also features Samsung's WatchON universal remote app which acts as a remote to control multiple appliances and multimedia boxes, in tandem with the watch's Infrared receiver.

While the watch irons out some of the software problems that plagued its predecessor, it moves a step backward when it comes to third party apps. Major apps including Facebook, Twitter, Path, Flipboard and Foursquare, which were present on Galaxy Gear are missing on Gear 2. There are very few apps on Samsung's app store if you exclude apps for watch faces.

One area where the Gear 2 excels is battery backup. It lasted a full 3 days with moderate to high usage whereas Galaxy Gear hardly lasted two days.

Health and fitness features

Gear 2 comes with a number of fitness tracking apps. The Exercise app allows you to track Running, Walking, Hiking and Cycling. You can track attributes like duration, distance covered, calories burnt, average speed and maximum speed, among others and set goals based on distance, time and calories. The hiking and cycling trackers need GPS, so you'll need to pair the phone and carry it with you.

Fitness data can be synced with the phone's S-Health app. In our use, we found that the running tracker was fairly accurate though sometimes its readings were on the higher side.


Gear 2 can also track your sleep pattern if you're comfortable going to sleep with the watch strapped to your wrist, and the steps you've walked with its built-in Pedometer.

It also features a heart rate monitoring app that uses the watch's heart rate sensor to measure your heart rate. We found that the monitor's reading varied with consecutive readings, sometimes by almost 10 beats per minute. At best, you can just estimate your heart rate with the utility and keep a track of it during workouts.

Camera
Samsung Gear 2 also comes with a 2MP camera lens that lets you shoot pictures and record 15 second video clips. While the camera lens is now right at the front, you still can't take selfies.



You'll need to position your hand carefully before recording as the lens points at a different angle.



The watch makes a sound every time the shutter key is pressed which prevents its use as a spy cam. The quality of images was average but it's good for taking picture memos. For instance, you can take a shot of the parking slot number lest you miss it when you come back.



Bottomline
So should you buy Samsung's shiny new smartwatch? At a price of Rs 21,550, we feel Gear 2 is still an expensive proposition and doesn't offer enough bang for the buck. But with Gear 2, Samsung's smartwatch has evolved to a large extent.

The focus is now on notifications, which is a major use case for smart watches, for most people. The other key area that it needed to focus upon was health and fitness. While it adds a number of new fitness-based features, the implementation could have been better, especially how the watch talks to the Galaxy smartphone to sync data. Third party apps is also one area where it needs improvement. Samsung needs to work with developers to boost the app ecosystem.

Gear 2 is better than Galaxy Gear in a number of areas, battery life being the most critical one. However, we'd still advise you to wait for the wearables market to evolve.

Over four years after Apple introduced iPad - and dazzled the world - tablets remain a work in the progress. iPad is more or less amazing at what it does. But at the same time, it is a device that has limited appeal, especially in the developing countries where people don't want to carry more than one or two devices at a time, because of what it can't do. For most people it doesn't replace a laptop. People who carry an iPad also carry a laptop with them. Usually.

Microsoft, which realised the disrupting power of tablets late, understands this. Windows 8, launched in 2012, was an attempt to combine the power of PC into the convenience and appeal of a tablet. It didn't succeed. But Microsoft and its hardware partners haven't given up. The company has worked on improving Windows 8 while its partners have polished the hardware that is supposed to replace the tablet-laptop combo with one device.
Omni 10, a tablet by HP, is one such device. Powered by Windows 8.1 (upgradable to Windows 8.1 Update 1 for free), Omni 10 promises consumers full Windows functionality in a form factor that offers the ease and convenience of a tablet. Does it succeed? Let's find out...

Build quality, screen and camera
Compared to some other Windows tablets - Microsoft Surface is one example - Omni 10 is a budget device. But HP has managed to strike a good balance between keeping the price low and opting for premium build material. The shell of Omni 10 is made of plastic that has soft rubber coating. The tablet has a tried-and-tested rectangular design with rounded edges, which makes it easy to hold. The whole design is very minimalistic. On the back, there is a shiny engraved HP logo and a small camera slot. On the left, there is a 3.5mm jack for headphones. On the right, there is a volume rocker that sits flushed with shell of the tablet. This too adds to the minimalist design.



The power button is on the top right. The tablet has stereo speakers, which are very loud for their size but the quality of sound is nothing special. The speaker grills are on the bottom side along with a micro HDMI port, a micro USB port and a covered micro SD card slot.
The ports and buttons are well disguised and that gives the tablet a design that looks clean and seamless.

Omni 10 has a 10-inch screen, covered by tough (Gorilla Glass 3) glass. The screen has a resolution of 1200 X 1980 pixels. It is not among the best screens we have seen in a tablet but it gets the job done. Colours look punchy on Omni 10 and contrast is good. The brightness is on the lower side, but is adequate unless you are standing under the sun.

Compared to the screen in iPad Air, Omni 10 doesn't look that good. The iPad screen is sharper, has better viewing angles and shows punchier colours. But compared to screens that you will get in a similarly priced laptop or a Windows tablet, HP Omni 10 does a very good job. The Omni 10 screen won't dazzle you but whether you are browsing the photos you snapped during your latest holidays or reading a book on it, it will look pleasant to you.



The tablet has two cameras. Both are passable. The 8MP primary camera shoots images that lack contrast. Though the level of detail it captures is decent and focus is usually sharp. If you are using Omni 10 for taking photos - we don't recommend it because it is a large tablet and it is little awkward to hold it as a camera - you can click images that are fit to be shared on social media. But just don't expect it to match the images that similarly-priced smartphones can click.

The 2MP camera on the front captures noisy footage, especially indoors where it is likely to be used. But it offers enough clarity to hold video chats.

While it is mostly a good show from HP in Omni 10, we have one complaint: The capacitive home button under the screen is not sensitive to touch. There were instances when we had to tap on it twice or thrice before it registered the touch.



Overall, we like the design and build quality of Omni 10. The quality of plastic used to build the shell of tablet and the use of Gorilla Glass give it a solid feel. Finishing is top notch, buttons don't wobble and due to the rounded edges it is easy to carry and use Omni 10.

Software and performance
Omni 10 runs the full and fat version of Windows. It uses Windows 8.1 and not the Windows RT that some other tablets use. In terms of hardware requirements, the full version of Windows is more demanding than the iOS that powers iPad or Android.
Omni 10 is powered by Intel Atom Z3770 quad-core processor running at 1.46GHz. It uses 2GB DDR3 RAM and 32GB Samsung hard drive - of which around 10GB is available to users.

Atom Z3770 is top of the line processor. In a tablet like Omni 10, it is a necessity too. For most part, Omni 10 offers performance that is very good. A user gets the full Windows experience optimized for touch and with Omni 10 you can do almost everything that you can do on a laptop.

Earlier Windows tablets suffered due to performance issues but Z3770 offers enough speed and power to make the experience better on Omni 10. Web browsing is smooth on Omni 10. And so is working on Word or PowerPoint documents. Demanding games like Asphalt 8 can be played but the gameplay is not entirely smooth and there is a hint of lag.

The biggest strength of Omni 10 is that it runs the full version of Windows. This means you get access to the "desktop" mode as well as the Modern UI mode. This also means that you can install almost any Windows application on it.

In terms of user interface, Windows 8.1 one big advantage over iPad or Android tablets: Full multi-tasking. If you use Omni 10 in desktop mode, you can enjoy the same multitasking that you get on a laptop or computer. Even in modern UI mode, you can snap two applications side by side - the windows are resizable - and work on both of them simultaneously.



But the biggest disadvantage of Omni 10 is also Windows. It is not as elegant or easy to use as an iPad or an Android tablet. If you are familiar with computers and like working on them, you will feel comfortable with Omni 10. But it will not delight you the way an iPad does.

Omni 10 can run almost any Windows app. But the good Windows apps that are optimized for Windows 8.1 and are available through the Windows App store are still not as abundant as iPad specific apps or Android apps. If you are using an iPad or an Android tablet, you will have access to higher quality games and better looking apps compared to what you will get with Omni 10.

In the past, battery life has been an issue with Windows tablets. Omni 10 fares better. It still doesn't offer 15 hours of battery life that the latest iPads or some Android tablets can manage but depending on your use, it is easy to get battery life of around 10 to 11 hours from the device. The fact that Omni 10 is a Wi-Fi only device (it doesn't support cellular connectivity) also helps.

Should you buy it over iPad?
In general, Windows tablets are still not at a stage where we can recommend them over iPad or a good Android tablet. But there are some specific exceptions.

If you are looking to get a Rs 30,000 tablet to browse the web and social media sites, use apps like Gmail, watch movies an play games, we still recommend iPad. But if you want a good portable device that can run some specific Windows apps that you use at work, or offer you a fully-functional file system, Omni 10 is a good option. It is not as good as Surface Pro but then it also costs almost half of what Surface Pro would cost if Microsoft launches it in India.

In a way, with a price of Rs 29,990 Omni 10 is a poor man's Surface Pro. It is fast enough and good enough to be recommended over a Rs 30,000 laptop if you are looking for a portable Windows device. Buy it if you REQUIRE a Windows tablet. Don't buy it if you just want a tablet because in that case iPad Mini/iPad Air or a device like Nexus 7 is a better option.

Lava launched 504Q as part of its Iris range of premium smartphones last year. It was a well-made phone compared to smartphones from other domestic brands and brought features like gesture control to the budget segment. Iris 504Q+ is an iterative update offering a superior camera, slightly better internals and better fit and finish, while retaining the gesture control. Does the phone have what it takes to beat the likes of Moto G in this segment? We try to find out in our review.

Looks and build quality
Unlike its predecessor, Lava Iris 504Q+ sports a very sharp, rectangular design with clean lines and corners that are not very rounded. The plastic has been replaced with metal with the front frame sporting a shiny chrome finish while the back panel features a dark grey metal cover with matte finish.



The front is dominated by a 5-inch 720p IPS OGS display with Dragontrail glass for protection.

Below the screen are the three touch-sensitive keys for Menu, Back and Home; the speaker is located at the back. The Home key also acts as the notification light and lights up in different colours. The Power button is placed at the right edge while the Volume rocker is at the left edge. Both keys are easy to access while using the device with one hand and offer good tactile feedback. The camera lens and the LED flash sit on top of the left side at the back. Removing the cover reveals the battery compartment and slots for the two sim cards and microSD card.

We'll have to say that the phone has great build quality and exudes a premium feel. It's one of the very few budget smartphones that boast of outstanding fit and finish.


Display It has a 5-inch 720p IPS OGS display made by Sharp with Dragontrail glass for protection. Lava Iris 504Q offers great viewing angles, vivid colours and good contrast. Images and text appear crisp and sharp and sunlight legibility is also good.

Software
Lava Iris 504Q+ runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and comes with an almost stock build of the OS. However, it does feature some themes that change the look of the phone to a minor extent. Just like its predecessor, the phone offers air gesture controls for apps like Music, FM Radio, Gallery, Camera and even the app launcher. These gestures allow you to browse content or activate the camera shutter without touching the phone and can be enabled through the phone's Accessibility settings. In our use, we found the feature to be a bit gimmicky. The controls don't always work as desired and you'll end up spending more time trying to figure them out. One of the useful features of the phone is the ability to set on and off timers.

Lava preloads apps like Sketch (for sketching), Variety Theme (for themes), and My Notes (for jotting notes) with the phone, in addition to a file browser and flashlight app.




Camera
Lava Iris 504Q+ sports a 10MP rear camera with 1.4μm pixel size, BSI II sensors, f2.0 aperture, large 1/3.2" sensor, an LED flash, and a 2MP front camera. The rear camera takes good quality images in daylight, but grainy ones indoors in less light. Colour reproduction is decent. We faced difficulty in focusing while taking macro shots but the outcome was acceptable. It's capable of shooting full-HD videos and the quality was acceptable.



The front camera does't take good quality images. It is good for video chats though. Overall, we feel the camera could have been the high point of this phone, but that is not the case.

Performance
Iris 504Q+ is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6582 processor, along with 1GB RAM. While using the phone, we did not encounter any hiccups while launching and switching between apps and there was no visible lag.

Casual games such as Temple Run 2 run smoothly. However, we encountered some frame drops while playing graphics-heavy games like Asphalt 8 and Riptide GP 2.

In terms of synthetic benchmarks, it scored 5,964 in Quadrant Standard, 16,963 in AnTuTu, 1117 in Geekbench 3(Multi-core) and 53.9 in NenaMark 2, lagging behind Moto G by a big margin in some tests. But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance is different, at times.

The phone sports a 2000mAh battery and lasts a full working day (14-15 hours) with moderate to heavy use.

Out of the 8GB storage, 5.48GB is available to the user. You can also expand the storage with a memory card of up to 32GB.

We were able to play most video and audio files on the phone without any hiccups. the dual-sim, dual-standby phone offers good call quality and signal reception. The phone was able to lock to GPS without any hiccups.

The external speaker on the phone offers loud sound output. Of course the sound gets muffled when the phone lies on its back, which is a problem with all such designs that place speakers at the back.

Verdict
Lava Iris 504Q+ is a very well-built phone for its price. It exudes a premium feel and doesn't look like a budget phone. The display is another strong point of the phone. Having said that, the two headline features of the phone - its 10MP camera and gesture control, aren't really extraordinary and have their own flaws. It also does't come with the latest version of Android and lags marginally behind Moto G in terms of performance.

At a price of Rs 13,990, Lava Iris 504Q+ is a decent option if you're looking for a smartphone that looks good and comes with a bright, vivid display. But you should also take a look at Moto G, Nokia Lumia 630 and Xolo Q1100 if you're looking for better performance.

Gionee surprised everyone by launching Elife E7, a mid-range phone that boasts of high-end hardware only seen in premium flagships. Taking a cue from bigger brands, it also announced a compact variant of the phone, Elife E7 Mini. 

Interestingly, ELife E7 Mini is not just a stripped down version of its bigger sibling but has some special features of its own. It looks premium, is powered by an octa-core processor and flaunts a swivel camera seen in the likes of Oppo N1. So is Elife E7 Mini a good buy? We tried to found out in our review. 

Build and design
The first thing that you notice when you get your hands on Elife E7 Mini is its impeccable build quality and finish. The phone is essentially made of plastic, but the quality of material used is pretty good. The matte finish accentuates the premium look further. 

The phone looks like a rectangular bar with rounded top and bottom edges and flat side edges. The front panel below the swivel camera features glass and looks attractive. The panel sports a 4.7-inch display and capacitive touch buttons for navigation. 

The power and volume rocker keys are placed at the right edge and offer good tactile feedback, while the micro-USB port and 3.5mm headset jack sit at the bottom edge. The left edge has the micro-sim tray that cleverly houses two micro-sim card slots.



The swivel camera sits above the display, joining the top edge of the phone. It also houses the earpiece. The swivel can be easily twisted to bring the camera lens to the front. However, you'll need to rotate it back the opposite way as it doesn't move 360-degree. 

Gionee claims that it has tested the swivel for several thousand rotations. In our use, we never had problems with it and rotation was pretty smooth. Still, it remains to be seen how it will stand the test of time and wear and tear.The swivel lets one use the 13MP lens as the rear camera as well as the front one. 

Unlike its larger sibling, Elife E7 fits well in the hand and its slightly curved back helps in getting a good grip. There's very little branding on the phone. Overall, Gionee Elife E7 Mini looks and feels like a premium smartphone. 

Display
Gionee Elife E7 Mini sports a 4.7-inch 720p IGZO display from Sharp. While the resolution of the screen is not full-HD, the pixel density is high due to the comparatively smaller screen size. The display on Elife E7 Mini is one of the best we've seen, especially in the Rs 15,000 - Rs 18,000 price range.



It offers vivid colours, good brightness levels and excellent viewing angles. Images and text appear crisp and sharp, and sunlight legibility is also good. 

Software
Gionee Elife E7 Mini runs a heavily customised build of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, called Amigo 2.0, which is the second iteration of its user interface (UI) skin. The skin is similar to Xiaomi's MiUi ROM and doesn't feature a separate app launcher. Instead, the app icons are merged with the home screen, similar to the iPhone. You can read more about the software in our Gionee Elife E7 review. 

The OS suffers from the same problems that plagued its big brother. We feel that Gionee has gone overboard on transition effects and animations and navigating through the home screens and launching apps takes more time due to these extra bells and whistles. The flying windows and transitions look jarring. Also, the colourful, flat icons look like they've been borrowed from a kid's picture book. 

Another problem is the absence of widgets. A number of Android users love widgets as they offer information at a glance, but Gionee Elife E7's UI doesn't support them. Even lock screen widgets are not supported barring one made by Gionee that offers access to camera, voice recorder, flashlight and a fake call app. But then there are those who also dislike widgets. 

The software is feature-rich, but we wish Gionee updates it to run more smoothly. We recommend using a third party Android launcher for better navigation. 

Camera
Gionee Elife E7 Mini comes with a 13MP camera lens mounted on a rotating swivel. The same lens can be used as a front camera and rear camera. It's surely good news for people who frequently take selfies. 

Unlike Elife E7, the Mini's camera app doesn't come with a professional mode. However, it features controls for all granular settings, colour effects (filters), HDR mode, Panorama and Face beauty modes. Interestingly, some of the toggles for switching between modes appear only when the camera swivel is rotated towards the rear. 

The quality of images captured by the phone in daylight was really good with accurate colour reproduction and good detail. The phone also takes good images in macro mode.




The camera takes high quality selfies and smile and gesture shot modes make it easy to take these shots. However, when you move to a location with less ambient light, the quality deteriorates and you'll get grainy images. 

The phone is capable of recording full-HD video and the quality of the videos shot with the phone was also good. Pitiably, it can't play them in full HD. 

Performance
Gionee Elife E7 Mini comes with powerful hardware under the hood. It is Powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor coupled with Mali450 graphics and 1GB RAM, the phone offers good performance with the only issue being the laggard software. 

While the phone is able to handle graphics-rich games without any hiccups, multitasking becomes a bit sluggish if a lot of apps are running in the background due to less RAM. 

In synthetic benchmarks, the phone scored 27,346 in Antutu, 13,916 in Quadrant, 1391 in Geekbench 3(Multi-core) and 59.2 in Nenamark 2 benchmark tests. Some of these are less than the ones scored by Micromax Canvas Knight, another MediaTek octa-core smartphone. 

But we'd not recommend a phone based solely on benchmarks as real world performance can be different at times. 

The phone comes with a 2200mAh battery and lasts a full working day (14-15 hours) with moderate to heavy use. 

The phone comes with 16GB storage, but unfortunately, it doesn't sport a microSD card slot. This means you'll need to live with the limited storage capacity of the phone. Elife E7 too was marred by this limitation. 

We were able to play most video and audio files on the phone without encountering problems. The dual-sim, dual-standby phone offers good call quality and signal reception. The phone was able to lock to GPS without any hiccups. 

The external speaker on the phone offers loud sound output. However, the sound gets muffled when the phone lies on its back, which is a problem with all such designs that place speakers at the back. 

Verdict
Gionee Elife E7 Mini is a good package with its premium design, brilliant display, good performance, and rotating camera. At a price of Rs 18,999, we feel it scores well when it comes to the value for money quotient. Also, you'll not get a phone with a rotating camera in this bracket. 

Having said that, it's worth pointing out that Gionee is comparatively new to India and still in the process of consolidating its presence in the market. The company claims to have 400 service centres in the country and had announced plans to set up 750 service centres across India by March 2015. 

Other options you can look at include Micromax Canvas Knight and Motorola Moto X.