S NAGA MALLESWARA REDDY

Nokia launched its first 'Android' phone, Nokia X, in India to lure buyers with the prospect of Android app support. The smartphone maker believes it will act as a 'feeder' for its Lumia phone range and make the first time smartphone users feel at home before they graduate to high-end alternatives.

But does Nokia X live up to the hype surrounding it, or is it a case of too little, too late from the fabled Finnish firm? We find out in our review.

Build & design
Nokia X takes design cues from both Nokia Lumia 520/525 and Asha 503. It sports the same rectangular design and a colourful polycarbonate shell, which is a bit chunky. As soon as you notice the Asha-like capacitive button with the arrow label at the front, just below the screen, you realize it is not a Windows Phone device. Also, unlike the Lumia 525/520, the edges of the phone are sharp and not rounded. The edges at the front feel rough and lack refinement.

The red colour variant that we used had a neon shade and matte finish.



The front of the phone sports a 4-inch display.

The right edge of the phone features the volume rocker and Power/ Screen lock keys that also sport the same colour as the phone and offer decent tactile feedback. The micro-USB port is placed at the bottom edge, while the 3.5mm headset jack sits at the top.

The back of the phone sports a 3MP camera lens and a speaker outlet.

The body shell is removable and hides a battery compartment that houses a removable battery, two slots for sim cards (micro-sim) and a microSD card slot.

Overall, Nokia X exudes a feeling of durability due to the use of good quality plastic materials. Having said that, it sports the same staid design that we've seen in the Asha phones and Nokia has obviously played safe than variate with the looks in the brand new series.

Display
Nokia X sports a 4-inch WVGA LCD display (480 X 800p, 233ppi), which looks better than the displays of Asha phones. One of the reasons you don't notice the low resolution of the display is the phone's user interface which majorly consists of tiles similar to Windows Phone. It offers good viewing angles, but is highly reflective and prone to smudges, reducing outdoor legibility.



Software
Nokia X runs a custom operating system based on AOSP (Android Open Source Project). What this means is that Nokia has taken the free, open source bits from Android (which doesn't include Google's apps and services) and added its own (and Microsoft's) services and apps. Nokia has heavily customised the user interface, adding elements from Windows Phone, Asha OS and Meego Harmattan. The result is a mishmash combining elements from all these platforms and the UI doesn't look anywhere close to stock Android interfaces. The silver lining here is that the phone can run a number of Android apps even as it looks like a.Windows Phone device.

The Nokia X user interface is mainly divided into two homescreens - Fastlane and app launcher. The app launcher borrows its look from the Windows Phone Start screen and features tiles for launching apps. The same screen supports Android widgets as well, but adding widgets makes it messy and inconsistent. Unlike Windows Phone, the tiles are not live tiles, but select native apps such as the Calendar and Gallery app offer more than just static icons.

 

The tiles can be customised to a limited extent. You can select between two sizes for native app tiles, and can also choose between six colours for third party app tiles. You can also move and reposition tiles as per your preference.

As you install more apps, the number of tiles also increase and you'll need to swipe down to browse them unless you choose to make folders and group them.

Swipe to the left or right and you get the Fastlane screen. We had first seen Fastlane in the Nokia Asha. This feature was borrowed from the Nokia N9's Notifications interface, part of the Meego Harmattan OS.

The Fastlane not only displays notifications for alerts, messages, missed calls and events, it also logs how you use the phone. The long vertical list records all call logs, emails, webpages, app installs, pictures taken and music played.

Thankfully, the screen is customizable and the phone lets you choose if you don't want to log events of a certain type, or from a certain app. You can even choose not to display any notification or notifications from certain apps.

However, the Fastlane is also the multi-tasking interface of the phone. Unfortunately, it is the only multi-tasking interface of the phone. This means if you open multiple apps in the background and choose to switch between them, the only way to do so is Fastlane. Unlike conventional Android interfaces or even Windows Phone or iOS, there's no button or gesture that brings all open apps to the front.

The Asha UI also follows the same philosophy, but then those Java apps don't support real time multitasking unlike Android apps.

Since Nokia X features a single capacitive button - the back key and navigation is also problematic. Pressing the back key takes you a step back and to go to the home screen, you need to long press it. This is unintuitive and will confuse people who have used Android or Windows Phone interfaces before.

The phone also lets you enable a 'swipe to right' gesture to go directly to the home screen, but it is available only for select native apps like the Phone, Messaging and People apps. The transition is jerky and there is a considerable lag.

The lock screen also displays notifications for apps. Swiping to the right opens the respective app, while swiping to the left dismisses it.

A slight pull on the app launcher screen brings up universal search just like iOS 7. Swiping down from the top on the same screen brings up a Settings tray that offers toggles for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, mobile data and silent mode and a button to go directly to settings. The same tray is usually used for notifications on Android and iOS. We would have preferred the same on Nokia X as it makes accessing notifications easier.

Nokia has included the double tap to wake up and glance screen features of its Lumia Windows Phone on Nokia X. While the glance screen displays time when the phone is locked without drawing more power, the double tap to unlock doesn't work well on the phone. In fact, 9 out of 10 times the phone fails to register a normal tap. You need to tap really hard, or rather hit the screen, for it to work properly.

Coming to apps, Nokia offers some preloaded ones and others via its own app store, Nokia Store. You can also download third party app stores such as the 1Mobile Market, Yandex or Amazon Appstore to install paid apps.

It is worth pointing out that apps which use some kind of Google service, for instance Google Wallet for in-app payments or Maps for location, won't work on the phone unless it is ported to Nokia's store by the developer.

You also have the choice to search for APKs on the web and side load them after enabling installation of apps from unknown sources from the phone's settings. However, we don't recommend this as this could give way to malware-infested apps.

Having said that, Nokia X doesn't come with Google's Play Store and even if you get hold of installation files or APKs of the Play Store and other Google apps (such as YouTube, Maps, Gmail), the phone would not be able to support these.

Nokia pre-loads apps like Twitter, Facebook, WeChat, BBM, Astro File Manager, Opera and a number of demo games, in addition to Here Maps and Nokia MixRadio. You can download offline maps and use them for turn by turn voice-guided navigation.

MixRadio on Nokia X allows you to stream music free and download up to 4 offline mixes (a mix is a playlist based on tracks from similar artists). Unlike the Windows Phone version of the app, you can't search for individual tracks and download them (that requires a Nokia Music subscription though).

If you largely use Google services, you'll be disappointed with this phone. The phone's email client will allow you to access Gmail but won't sync your Google contacts and calendars. It offers this functionality for Microsoft's Outlook though.

The phone's minimalist browser is based on Chromium and is functional at best. You can't install Chrome and since there's no integration with a Google account, your browsing history and bookmarks don't sync.

The default keyboard on the phone doesn't offer a good experience and is not very usable even if you have small fingers.

Of course, there are a number of third party launchers and keyboards available that will bring the phone's UI closer to what most Android phones in the market offer. There are also ways to install Google apps, but you may end up losing your phone's warranty with those. We feel that most users, especially first time smartphone users would not be comfortable rooting their phones, or installing third party launchers.

Camera
Nokia X sports a 3MP fixed focus rear camera and doesn't include an LED flash. The camera is one of the weakest points of this phone. We expected a phone in Nokia X's price range to support auto focus. It is ironic how Nokia has added an app that includes controls for granular settings like ISO, anti-banding, saturation, white balance, contrast and sharpness in a phone with an apology of a camera. It even offers a Panorama mode!

The camera is functional at best and takes very average quality pictures in daylight and grainy, noise-infested pictures in low light conditions and indoors. The lack of an LED flash makes it almost impossible to shoot pictures in dimly lit conditions.

The video camera is capable of shooting up to FWVGA or 480p resolution videos and records average quality videos.
 
In the selfie era, Nokia X misses out on a front-facing camera. This also means you won't be able to use Skype for video calls.

Performance
Nokia X comes with modest hardware under the hood. It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB RAM. It comes with 4GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD card.

The phone offers sub-par performance and you'll notice some lag while scrolling up and down the phone's app launcher screen. The phone struggles to multitask efficiently and you'll encounter a black screen with a 'Please wait' message when you want to jump to the home screen from a resource intensive app.

Browsing graphics-heavy websites also takes a toll on the phone's performance and you'll notice stutters and lags.

In synthetic benchmarks, the phone scored 7,422 in Antutu, 2,844 in Quadrant and 27.2 in Nenamark 2 tests.

Nokia X offers Bluetooth, WiFi and A-GPS connectivity options. A-GPS relies on the network for getting location-related information.

Nokia X offers good call quality and signal reception and we did not encounter issues while making calls even in areas where cell signal is relatively weaker. The phone offers dual sim with support for 3G data on the first sim. You'll only be able to use one sim at a time for voice calls.

The external speaker on the phone offers loud sound output but the sound gets muffled when the phone lies on its back, which is an issue.

We were able to play popular video and audio file formats barring full-HD MOV video files, but using a third party video player can fix the issue.



The phone is backed by a 1,500 mAh battery and will last you just half a day (about 7-8 hours) with moderate to heavy use if you put the screen brightness at the highest level and use 3G data all the time. You'll be able to make about 1-2 hours of phone calls, play some casual games and browse the web in this time period. The phone can play video continuously for 4 to 5 hours. We were quite disappointed with the battery backup offered by the phone.

Overall, Nokia X offers underwhelming performance.

Gaming
While playing popular games like Temple Run 2 and Subway Surfers, we noticed considerable lag and frame drops. The games take about 20 seconds to start-up. Games like Tetris, Fruit Ninja and Angry Birds still perform better than the others. But, gaming is clearly not one of the phone's strong points either.

Verdict
At Rs 8,499, we don't recommend buying the phone. It is an entry-level phone that doesn't offer any USP except for compatibility with Android apps (not all of them though). It should have been priced in the Rs 6,000 to Rs 7,000 bracket replacing high-end Asha phones.

In the same price range, you can get phones like the Xolo Q800, Zen Ultrafone 701 HD or Micromax Canvas 2, all of which offer better performance. These phones come with quad-core processors, bigger screen and 1GB RAM. They offer a full-fledged Android experience and have access to the Google Play Store.

Nokia's own Lumia 520 is a great Windows Phone handset in the same price range.The Lumia 520 is available at a cheaper price ranging between Rs 7,500 - 8,000 unofficially via e-commerce retailers.

It is also worth pointing out that Microsoft has inked a deal to acquire the devices business of Nokia and the deal is expected to close in a few weeks. It's hard to predict if the Redmond giant will continue to offer the phone after taking over.

We don't understand why Nokia needed the X series, especially when the Lumia 520, its entry-level Windows Phone handset, is doing well and Microsoft has managed to populate its app marketplace with apps from Indian and global developers.

Perhaps, the Nokia X is just part of an experiment in the company's R&D lab, and we would, therefore, recommend staying away from it.

Sony's earlier phablet - Xperia Z Ultra - was a high-end device. It was a very good phablet but with a price of over Rs 40,000, it did not find many takers. Equally good devices were available at a lower price.

The Xperia T2 Ultra is Sony's second attempt at wooing consumers who want an XL size screen in their smartphones. But unlike the Z Ultra, T2 is not a flagship product. It is priced more modestly and packs in hardware that won't make you go wow. The goal is to sell a device that is value for money and not the one that is fastest, best looking and priciest. Well, in our opinion that is not a bad goal at all.

After using the device for over a week, we think Sony largely succeeds. Xperia T2 Ultra is a good product. But on the pricing, Sony again misses a beat. However, before we talk about the price and value of T2 Ultra, let's take a look at the device.

Build and design
T2 Ultra follows the same design pattern that Sony is using in high-end range of Z smartphones. It is a sleek, slim and good looking device. The difference between T2 Ultra and other high-end Sony smartphones is the build material. The high-end devices like Xperia Z1 use metal body and a glass back cover. T2 Ultra has a plastic shell, albeit the one that is so glossy that it looks like glass. But the build quality and finishing is top notch. There are no loose parts and the device doesn't look or feel cheap. Another difference is that unlike high-end Xperia devices, T2 Ultra doesn't have water or dust resistant body.

 

T2 Ultra is just 7.7mm thick and weighs little over 170 grams. For a phablet, these figures are very impressive. The slim and sleek design makes using T2 Ultra easier even though it is a large device.

Display
T2 Ultra has a 6-inch TFT screen. The resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels though around 80 pixels at the bottom of the screen are taken by virtual buttons - Home, Multitasking, Back.



The is screen but not exceptional. The screen with its 720P resolution is not as sharp as 1080P screens that have become common on phones that cost around Rs 25,000. While mostly it is something that you will rarely notice, but if you are reading an ebook or a PDF file you will see not-so-sharp text.

The touch response of the screen is fantastic.

The T2 Ultra screen displays rich and vibrant colours and has very good viewing angles. The brightness, however, is not adequate. It is sufficient for indoor use but in sunlight, the screen is too reflective. It is not unusable in sunlight if you manually bump up the screen brightness to full but we have seen brighter screens.

Software
T2 Ultra is powered by Android 4.3. However, just like other Xperia phones, it uses Sony's custom user interface (UI). In terms of usability, Sony's UI in T2 Ultra is similar to stock Android. This is a good thing and unlike the UI that some of the Chinese brands are putting in their phones, doesn't confuse a user. Multitasking, app launcher and installer, even options to customize home screen, are similar to how they are on the stock Android.



One major addition to the stock Android is a task bar that opens after a user taps on the multi-tasking button. From this task bar, a user can launch mini apps like Notes or Recorder, which are useful and float on the top of any open app or homescreen.

The device comes with a few third-party apps like McAfee Security and TrackID TV preloaded on it. We don't find them particularly useful.

Camera
T2 Ultra has a 13MP primary camera. The performance of the camera is decent. It is definitely not in the league of the cameras found on high-end Xperias or in phones like Galaxy S4, LG2 or even Gionee E7.

When we say decent, we mean that in good light T2 Ultra will click photos that your friends on Facebook or Twitter will not call shabby. It is particularly good when you shoot close ups or macros. But in low light, or if you shooting something indoor, T2 Ultra clicks images that have visible noise.

 

During our tests, we also didn't like the way the device processes images. It doesn't capture as much detail as some other 13MP cameras can do and tends to bump the sharpness in an image. The effect is that the images look processed and not natural.

The over-processing is also visible in 720P and 1080P videos that T2 Ultra can shoot. Thankfully, the final output is more than satisfactory, especially considering the price of the device. The videos capture adequate light (good exposure) and keep subjects in focus even when you are shooting from a moving vehicle.

The front camera can shoot images in 1.1MP. It is good enough for video chats.

Performance
T2 Ultra is powered by Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor. If you are interested, it is a variant of MSM8228 processor. The four cores of the processor use A7 ARM architecture, which is meant to be used in mainstream devices. The cores run at 1.4GHz. T2 Ultra has 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage and support for a up to 32GB microSD card.

Compared to similarly-priced devices, the core hardware in T2 Ultra doesn't look too impressive. But Sony has optimized the software on the device very well. We did not face any lag on the device while opening apps, scrolling through lists or browsing images. With the native video player app the device can handle 1080P videos in MP4 well. But for some other formats like MKV and AVI, we had to use MX Player.

GPS in the device works very well. The satellite lock is acquired quickly and is maintained well.

Overall, we found the performance of T2 Ultra satisfactory. Despite its modest hardware, it doesn't lag. There are occasions when it feels a little slow, for example while installing apps or while multitasking between two three demanding apps, but these occasions are rare and not bothersome.

While making calls with T2 Ultra, we found the call quality to be good. The device has two sim slots.
Battery life is the highlight of T2 Ultra. After pairing the device with a 3G connection, we used it for nearly 20 hours before we had to recharge the phone. For a device with a big screen, this is fantastic battery life!

Gaming
The MSM8228 processor in T2 Ultra has Adreno 305 graphics chip. This graphics chip is capable of handling most of the Android games available today, though we feel it won't be able to run the demanding games in future all that well. During our tests, we were able to play games like Asphalt 8, Angry Birds Go Cart and Dots on the device without facing low frame rates or lag. Asphalt 8, which requires really good hardware, ran at its maximum graphics setting on T2 Ultra but the races were smoother and car handled better when we selected medium quality graphics.

Verdict
With an MRP of Rs 25,990, we feel Xperia T2 Ultra is overpriced. If you are looking for a big-screen device, T2 Ultra is definitely the best one in its class. It is much better than HP Slate 6 Voice Tab, even though the HP device is cheaper by a couple of thousand rupees. But given the performance, hardware and experience it offers, T2 Ultra is not a value for money device.

Micromax Knight offers comparable performance, slightly better screen, more premium design and slightly better camera at less than Rs 20,000. But the screen measures five inches and we still don't hear great things about aftersales service of Micromax.

Similarly, Galaxy Grand 2 offers similar performance and a better camera compared to T2 Ultra at a price that is around Rs 3000 less. But then Grand 2 has a 5.2-inch screen (smaller) and doesn't look as good as T2 Ultra.

On the other hand, if you don't want a big screen, you can get Nexus 5 by spending around Rs 3,000 more. With Nexus 5, you will get much better hardware - in fact really top class hardware -- and great performance.

T2 Ultra is a good phablet but it would have been easier for us to recommend if it was selling for around Rs 21,000 to Rs 22,000. But at a price of around Rs 25,000, we can recommend it to only those who must have a device with six-inch screen or users who need great battery life from their phablets.

Smartphone technology is evolving everyday. It has reached a stage where phones and tablets sport more powerful processors than PCs and laptops. Device makers introduce features with their flagships that may or may not be of use to end users. However, there have been very few experiments with the form factor of smartphones since the full-touch slab design became mainstream. Flexible materials have been showcased and prototyped, but the last few months have seen the first few commercially available devices that sport flexible materials including a flexible, curved display.

LG G Flex is the second phone after Samsung Galaxy Round to boast of this unique form factor. The phone features the curved from top to bottom and offers some amount of flexibility. While people were skeptical if the phone will make it to all markets, LG decided to launch it widely, though it comes at a steep price. Does the LG G Flex offer enough reasons to buy a curved smartphone? We try to find out in our review.



Build & Design
LG G Flex's unique design catches your eye the very first time you look at the phone. Instead of the conventional flat, slate-like design, the phone is curved at the back in a concave form, vertically (top to bottom). In addition to being curved, the phone can be flattened out to a limited extent by applying pressure when it lays on its front. LG has reduced the flexibility of the phone and it bends as long as the pressure is applied. Making the phone more flexible would have made it appear flimsy.

Putting a flexible display alone would not have made the phone flexible, so LG also had to make the phone's battery and other components flexible.

The phone is comparatively larger than most smartphones and some phablets in the market.

LG claims that the curved form factor makes it ergonomically better for use while talking. However, we feel that the large footprint negates this effect, especially if you have a petite face. We didn't notice any major difference while using the phone for calls. Having said that, the sound output stays consistent and doesn't get muffled even when the phone lies at its back due to the curved design.

The front is dominated by a 6-inch OLED display with a 2.1MP camera and the sensor array placed just above the display. The right edge is barren while the left edge features the micro sim card tray.

The back reminded us of the LG G2 as it features the volume rocker and power keys, just below the 13MP camera lens and LED flash. We're not fans of LG's placement of these keys ,but it does make sense on the G Flex due to its bigger size.

However, the materials used on the G Flex give a special ability to repair minor scratches inflicted on it. While it looks like it's made of glossy plastic, it also comes with a 'self-healing' coating that allows the phone to repair itself. In our tests, we discovered that it doesn't repair all types of minor scratches. Some scratches made by keys and coins did not disappear while others did. You may not need a case to protect it, but you still need to be careful if you're someone who dreads scratches at your phone's back.

The build of LG G Flex is a refreshing change from the usual but apart from a few, we don't see many advantages of its curved form factor.



Display
LG G Flex sports a 6-inch plastic OLED flexible display with a 720p resolution. The resolution seem to be a little underwhelming for a large screen phone, but in everyday use we did not notice a big difference. The display offers vibrant colours, excellent viewing angles and high brightness levels. Text and images look sharp and crisp (though not as sharp as a 1080p display) and watching videos made for a pleasurable experience. While the display is not as flexible as it would have been before being attached to the phone, the curved form factor makes viewing angles better as the screen is at an equal distance from the eyes at all points. Sunlight legibility was also good.

LG includes a special Gallery app that utilizes the curved display and allows you to browse videos and photos. It also includes lock-screen wallpapers that take advantage of the screen and produce a parallax effect when you slightly tilt the phone. Unfortunately, we found these feature to be gimmicky and still don't see a use case for the curved screen. Perhaps, future iterations of the phone will give us more reasons.

LG G Flex doesn't include Gorilla Glass protection, a standard feature found in all flagship smartphones that makes their display resistant to scratches and minor bumps.

Camera
LG G Flex sports a 13MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera. The camera modules are similar to that of the LG G2 except that the G Flex doesn't include Optical Image Stabilization or OIS which means that the phone is more sensitive to shakes while taking photos. It also affects the phone's ability to capture pictures in low-light conditions.



The phone includes the same app that we've seen on the LG G2. It offers different modes and controls for granular settings. G Flex also adds a Face Tracking mode that is capable of detecting faces and alerting you when it detects a face through the LED notification light integrated with the phone's power button, helping you take better selfies. In our use, the feature worked as promised.

LG G Flex takes good quality pictures in the daylight delivering good level of detail, accurate colour reproduction and satisfactory contrast. The G Flex camera takes decent low-light shots but zoom in to 100% and you'll see details missing and some noise.

The front camera takes good quality selfies and offers a great video chat experience.



The phone is capable of recording 1080p video and we were satisfied with the quality of audio and video captured through it.

User interface
LG G Flex runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which was a bit disappointing as new phones are shipping with Android 4.4 KitKat, the latest iteration of the OS at this time.

The interface is similar to LG G2 with Optimus UI layer masking Android and enabling customization. The phone features the same bells and whistles that we've seen in the G2, including support for gestures, sensors that keep the screen on or pause videos depending on whether you're looking at the phone and multitasking features that allow you to move between three open apps or run two apps simultaneously. All these features work as promised but we're not sure if you'll use them on a regular basis in the long run. However, there are a number of customization options including themes, the ability to create your own icons and even change the skin of navigation buttons.

The phone also comes with KnockOn, LG's version of double tap to unlock and lock the phone, and Guest Mode for offering select apps to friends or kids when they wish to use your phone.

LG G Flex includes its own voice assistant in addition to Google Now. It was able to understand our accent and was handy for tasks like launching apps, setting a reminder and checking the weather.

For single-handed operation, the phone's keyboard and dial keypad can be aligned towards the right or left sides.

LG G Flex also offers a Quick Remote app to be used with the phone's Infrared Blaster. It enables the phone to act as a universal remote to control audio, video, DTH receiver and home appliances. We found it easy to configure the app and use the phone as a remote.

As we mentioned earlier, the phone includes a special Gallery app called Q Theatre that lets you browse photos, videos and YouTube in an interface that takes advantage of the curved display.

Overall, LG's UI skin is deeply integrated with the phone with all native utility apps looking different from stock Android ones, so purists will be disappointed.

Performance
LG G Flex is powered by a 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor coupled with Adreno 330 graphics and 2GB RAM. We did not notice any lag whatsoever while navigating through the phone's menu, launching apps and switching between them.

In synthetic benchmarks, the phone scored 34,540 in Antutu, 19,997 in Quadrant and 60 in Nenamark 2 tests.

The phone offers 32GB internal storage. Unfortunately, you can't expand the storage as the phone doesn't come with a memory card slot. It offers NFC, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS connectivity options.



LG G Flex 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. The phone was able to lock to GPS without any issues. It also offers FM radio.

The external speaker on the phone offers loud sound output.

LG G Flex is backed by a 3500mAh battery (non-removable) and will last you a day and a half 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 to 9 hours.

Gaming
We were able to play games like Temple Run 2, Riptide GP2 and Asphalt 8(with Visual Quality set to High and Engine at 100%) without encountering any frame drops or freezes.

Verdict
At a price of nearly Rs 70,000, it is difficult to recommend LG G Flex over other top-of-the-line premium smartphones. The only novelty that the phone offers is its curved display. However, we feel it's still not ready for prime time as LG is not able to offer any significant use case for it. The self-healing back also has its limitations.



Most of the features of the phone are offered by LG's own flagship smartphone, G2, which is available at a much lower price. It offers the same level of performance, as well.

Having said that, G Flex, is an amazing piece of engineering and we'll have to credit LG for bringing this innovation to the Indian market. We are looking forward to the phone's next iteration to see how it evolves in terms of hardware, features and applications centred around the curved display.

NEW DELHI: Fast, functional and pricey - this is Galaxy S5 in one line. Samsung's top Android phone, which went on sale in the Indian market a few days ago, is the best phone the company has made so far. We have been using one since last week and we can tell you that it is an impressive device.

Galaxy S5 has (almost) everything you can ask for in a smartphone. Yet, there is something missing. It lacks a feature that truly stands out. It lacks appeal that can make it irresistible to consumers. It lacks the wow factor that can make anyone pick it up and pay the big bucks Samsung is asking for it.

So, should you buy Galaxy S5 or not? May be you should. Or may be not. It all depends on what you want your phone to do.

We will deal with this all-important question in a while (or you can skip to the verdict if you are running short on time). But before that, let's take a look at the device and what it can do.

Build and design
Samsung phones and tablets have similar designs. If you have seen a Galaxy S4 or Galaxy Grand 2, you will recognize Galaxy S5 as a Samsung phone at first glance. The only major change is the back cover. It is made of plastic - hardly a surprise - but unlike the shiny and slippery finish found on the earlier Galaxy devices, the back cover in Galaxy S5 has a soft matte finish with perforated pattern.

One key feature of Galaxy S5 is that it is a waterproof phone. It can survive rain. You can use it in shower. You can carry it in a swimming pool if you are not going to dive deep. As part of the waterproof design, the charging port, which supports both USB 2 and USB 3, is covered with a flap.



While there is no doubt that iPhone 5S or Xperia Z1 are better looking phones, Galaxy S5 gets the job done. The finishing and build quality of the device is top class. The design, though boring, is excellent in terms of functionality. We have seen phones that have exotic designs but don't feel comfortable to hold. Galaxy S5 fits well, at least as well as a big phone can, in hand.

Display
The top Galaxy phones always come with spectacular displays. Galaxy S5 carries on with the tradition. The 5.1-inch SuperAMOLED screen in S5 is gorgeous! It shows vibrant and rich colours and has excellent viewing angles.

The display is sharp due to the Full HD resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. On this device, the text doesn't show pixilated edges in ebooks or on a web page. It is also very bright. Unlike Galaxy S4, which has some trouble in sunlit areas, Galaxy S5 screen remains bright enough to display text during outdoor use.



Special features
With the days of massive performance jumps or big updates over, Samsung is trying to woo consumers with some unique features. We have already talked about the waterproof design (high-end Xperia phones are also waterproof) but Galaxy S5 has a few more tricks up its sleeve. Are these special features useful?

Fingerprint scanner: Apple introduced it on iPhone 5S. But now Samsung too allows users to unlock their phone through a fingerprint scanner. This feature is a novelty. It looks cool when you unlock the phone using the fingerprint scanner. It works best when you swipe the fingerprint slowly and firmly on the scanner. This means 40-50% time when you swipe your finger, it will probably fail. It is not frustrating. But it is pointless.



Also, finger has to be swiped in vertical motion, something that is impossible when you are using the phone with one hand.

Summary: Cool feature but unlocking a phone through PIN or pattern is faster and more convenient.

S Health: We loved this feature in Galaxy S4 and we love it in Galaxy S5. With S Health, you can record your walking or jogging sessions. You can see how many steps you have taken each day or how many stairs you climbed. It is useful.

IR Sensor: This allows a user to control TV or set-top box with Galaxy S5. Useful and easy to set up.

Heart rate monitor: Under the primary camera in Galaxy S5, there is a heart rate monitor. You can put your finger on top of the sensor, open S Health app and check your heart beat. The device takes around 5 seconds to display heart rate and is mostly accurate but we won't pop a pill on the basis of Galaxy S5 readings. ​If you think your heart rate is not normal, see a doctor.



Again, this is a cool feature but not very useful for two reasons. One, any phone with a flash and camera can check your heart rate through an app like Instant Heart Rate. And two, you can't use it in gym or while jogging because keeping an eye on "heart rate zones" require real-time heart rate monitoring that can be performed only by a device that you can strap on your chest or wear on your wrist.

Kids Mode: On Galaxy S5 you can enable Kids Mode before you pass on the device to a kid who wants to play game on it or wants to draw something. With Kids Mode enabled, the phone displays colourful and cartoonish theme. You can choose the app you want the kids to access. This feature works well and is useful.

Bonus: There is an animated crocodile (swipe left from the home screen) in this mode. Kids can dress this crocodile in various attires, including different hats.



Ultra Power Saving Mode: Enabling this feature puts a greyscale theme on the phone. All non-essential services, including push notifications, are stopped to conserve the battery. We tested this mode with only 5% battery left in the phone. We used Twitter in greyscale, opened a website and read a few articles, and made a few several calls. The phone lasted for little over an hour with just 5% battery in this mode. Useful, we say.

Software
Galaxy S5 runs Android 4.4.2, which is the latest version of Android, modified with TouchWiz, Samsung's proprietary user interface. Depending on your aesthetic sense, TouchWiz, with its emphasis on rich and bright colours, will either look garish to you or playful.

We prefer the stock version of Android available in a phone like Nexus 5, even though this time Samsung has toned down some of in-your-face design elements found in TouchWiz.

The big changes in terms of usability and aesthetics are three. One, the icons in settings panel and in the quick action bar in notification shade are round and flat. It is not a big deal but these new icons do look better.

Second, My Magazine now takes the full left screen adjacent to the homescreen. This is similar to how Blinkfeed is presented on HTC One devices. Unfortunately, My Magazine, which is based on Flipboard and shows news stories as well as updates from social media, is not very useful. In its place Samsung could have put Google Now, just the way it is available on Nexus 5.

Third, Samsung finally has the multi-tasking button on its Galaxy phone. The button on the left of the home button now opens the task-switcher. This is a welcome change. Though, users can still access menu by a long-press on this button.

The other TouchWiz features are part of Galaxy S5. The device has multi-window feature, which allows users to open and work on two apps simultaneously. It has S Voice, which we don't find too useful (Android voice search is supported too through "OK Google" phrase). It also contains a new feature called 'toolbox' which puts a floating and translucent round icon on the screen. Tapping on this icon allows a user quick access to a few apps like notepad and browser. For example, if you are in Facebook app and then you have to quickly open the notepad app, you can do it through 'toolbox' if you have enabled it.

Smart gestures like 'Air View' and 'Direct Call' are still part of the phone and can be enabled or disabled from the settings. They are not very useful though.

Camera
The primary camera in Galaxy S5 can capture images in 16MP. Samsung is using ISOCELL technology in the phone. According to Samsung, this technology should help users click better images in low light.

We found that Galaxy S5 is capable of shooting some fantastic pictures. Images that we shot with it in proper light had good amount of detail and pleasant colours. However, in scenes where the source of light was too prominent (a difficult scene for any camera) we found the images had off-the-mark contrast. Fortunately, in most of the cases this was fixed by using HDR mode, which was just a toggle away.

Galaxy S5 is one of the rare smartphones where HDR mode in the camera works well enough and is fast enough to be of use.

Talking of speed, the camera in Galaxy is very fast in getting focus. You point it at something and zap, the subject is in sharp focus.

In low light, the performance is good, though a lot depends on how well you shoot. If you hold the hand steady while taking images, Galaxy S5 can take some nice photos in low light. The HDR mode also helps here. But the way camera processes images, aggressively trying to reduce noise, robs them of fine details.



Shooting videos is fun with Galaxy S5, mostly because it captures footage that is clear, sharp and has good contrast. Galaxy S5 can shoot videos in 720P, 1080P and 4K resolution. Of the three, 720P and 1080P are better. In 4K, the quality takes some hit. In 720P and 1080P modes, the phone also offers 'slow' recording or 'fast' recording. Slow mode, as the name suggests slows down the video to a crawl. You can shoot a car moving at 60 km/h and you will see it crawling on the road. The fast mode speeds up the video. Both are fun mode to use though in "slow" mode, quality of video takes a noticeable hit.

The 2MP front camera does a decent job while video chats.

Performance
Galaxy S5 is powered by Exynos 5422 processor, which has eight cores. There is 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. This is a fast phone. The kind of mysterious lag often visible in TouchWiz user interface is not there in Galaxy S5. It feels as fast as Nexus 5, which is the fastest Android phone. On Galaxy S5, you can scroll through lists, switch tasks or open apps without seeing any lag.

We had a very positive overall experience while using Galaxy S5. It handles web browsing well and can play movies in most of the common formats and resolutions, including Full HD resolution, without requiring you to convert them into smaller files. The GPS in the phone is very fast and performance while using navigation or map apps is reliable.

The phone offers good call quality though it wasn't as crisp as what we have found in devices like Nexus 5. Similarly, the mono speaker is loud and will satisfy you if you want to play a song or two but we have heard better sound from devices like HTC One that have stereo speakers.

Battery life is where Galaxy S4 really excels. Once charged fully, its 2,800 mAh battery can keep the device going for around 15 to 16 hours when used with a 3G connection. This battery life of around 15 hours is with around 4 hours of screen up time, which means we were using the device a lot. If you are not always connected to social media or don't open a website on your phone every 15 minutes, you will get even better battery life.

Gaming
We played casual games like Angry Birds Go as well as some more demanding games like Asphalt 8 on the device. In both types of games, the performance of Galaxy S5 was fantastic. We could play Asphalt 8 at its high graphics settings with ease. The device gets little hot after 15 to 20 minutes of gaming but then this an issue that affects all high-end phones, including iPhones.

Verdict
Galaxy S5 is available in the market at a price of Rs 51,500. This means it is an expensive phone. In fact, it is a very expensive phone in a world where Moto G, Moto X and Nexus 5 exist.

As we noted earlier, we had a positive experience with Galaxy S5. It is a very capable phone and even though it lacks a killer feature, every little thing in the device, every new feature - such as waterproof design - adds to the user experience in a positive way.

But you may not need everything that Galaxy S5 offers. If you require a fast, functional and powerful smartphone, you can buy Nexus 5 without any second thoughts. You will pay Rs 20,000 less than what you will pay for a Galaxy S5.

But Nexus 5 lacks something. It doesn't have a slot for microSD card. It doesn't have a heart rate monitor. It is not waterproof. It doesn't have the camera or screen that Galaxy S5 has, although on both counts Nexus 5 is not too shabby.

There are three reasons to buy Galaxy S5. No matter what, you want to spend Rs 51,500 on a phone. If this is the case, go ahead and get Galaxy S5. It won't disappoint you. It is a fantastic phone.

The second reason is that you are already using a Galaxy S3 or something similar. You want to upgrade, you are comfortable with a Galaxy phone and have no problems shelling out Rs 51,500. Galaxy S5 works for you.

The third reason is that you want something special that Galaxy S5 offers. May be you want an Android phone with fingerprint scanner. Or you want the S Health feature. Or maybe you want a high-end phone with a battery that can be removed. Or you want use an external storage card in it.

Go through the special features listed above and decide whether they are going to be useful to you or not. Are they worth spending Rs 20,000 extra? If your answer is yes (our answer is no, in case you are curious), go ahead and get Galaxy S5. You will enjoy using it.