tech2touch

Category: Smartphones

  • Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Review- Pros and Cons

    When it comes to sub 10k smartphone segment, Xiaomi smartphones are the front-runners. The smartphones like Redmi 5A, Redmi 4A, Redmi Note 4 all were well received by the customers. Xiaomi Redmi Y1 is the new entrant in the segment with the main focus on Selfie enthusiasts. Here is the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 review based on pros and cons.

    Xiaomi Redmi Y1 ReviewXiaomi Redmi Y1

     Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Review- Pros and Cons

    We will be splitting the review into two parts namely pros or advantages and cons or disadvantages.  Let’s start pros or good things about the Redmi Y1.

    Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Pros

    • Dedicated microSD card slot:  As more and more smartphones started coming with the metal unibody design, dedicated sim card slot became a rarity.  On a positive note, Redmi Y1 does features dedicated microSD card.
    • Decent display panel: Redmi Y1 sports 5.5 inch 720p IPS LCD screen with around 269 PPI pixel density.  The display viewing angles, saturation levels, and sunlight legibility were decent.  For the price, the display provides the justice according to us.
    • Performance:  Redmi Y1 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 SoC with 3GB of RAM and Adreno 505. The day to day uses like opening apps, switching between the apps were smooth. Gaming on this device is decent for the most part. Having said that, opening heavy gaming takes a while and animations were not smooth.
    • Cellular call quality and network reception: In our testing period, We were happy with call quality and signal reception of Redmi Y1.

    Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Cons

    Here are the things which we felt as cons of Redmi Y1.

    • Battery life: Redmi Y1 comes with 3080 mAh battery.  Compared to other Redmi phones like Redmi 4, 4A or Note 4, battery life is less.  It easily lasts a for a working day. However, it is not up to the standards of other Redmi phones.
    • Selfie camera: 16MP f/2.0 wide-angle front camera with selfie flash on Redmi Y1 suppose to take good selfies. However, in our usage, we were disappointed. Especially in the low light, it struggles in focusing and noise level were on the higher side.
    • Design: Redmi Y1 comes with the plastic body with the metallic finish.  For the price, we feel it would have been great if it had metal unibody.

    Redmi Y1 will be competing with the likes of Redmi Note 4, Zenfone 4 Selfie and Lenovo K6 power.  To summarize  Xiaomi Redmi Y1 review, it is a decent phone for the price. But it slightly disappoints in battery and camera segments.

  • How to set Ringtone in Xiaomi Mi A1

    Mi A1 is the first smartphone from Xiaomi to run on stock Android under Android one initiative. Guaranteed software updates, No bloatware, fast performance are some of the key advantages of this smartphone. However, on the negative side, it does not features some of the useful functionalities of MIUI. One such limitation is setting custom MP3 ringtone.  So in this post, let’s find out two different ways on how to set ringtone in Xiaomi Mi A1.

    How to set Ringtone in Xiaomi Mi A1

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    How to set Ringtone in Xiaomi Mi A1

    There are several ways to set custom tones as ringtone in Mi A1. However, we will guide on two methods. One without using any third party apps and another one using third party file manager.

    How to set Ringtone in Xiaomi Mi A1 without using any third party apps

    • Open the pre-installed default ‘File Manager’.
    • Browse to the folder or path where your desired ringtone is saved.
    • Copy the MP3 or other music files. To copy, long press on the file. Tap on copy button which is at the top.(overlapping square box button just before vertical three dots.).
    • Now, go to the folder ‘Local->Internal storage->Ringtones’.
    • Now tap paste icon.

    HOW TO SET RINGTONE IN Mi A1 PLUS

    • Go to the Settings->Sound->Phone Ringtone.
    • Choose the MP3 ringtone which you have saved in ringtone folder.
    • Tap on OK. The ringtone will be set.

    How to set Ringtone in Mi A1 using ES File Explorer App

    This is the 2nd method wherein user have to download a third party file explorer. We personally used ES file explorer and below steps are for using ES file explorer to set MP3 ringtone in Mi A1.

    • Go to Play Store.
    • Search and download ES File Explorer.
    • Once ES explorer installed, go to Setting->Sound->Phone Ringtone.
    • Select ES file explorer to open.
    • Browse to the location where the ringtone is saved.
    • Tap on OK. The ringtone will be set.

    Video guide on How to set custom ringtone on a smartphone running on stock Android

  • Honor 7X Cons- 5 reasons not to Buy

    We have written a post on which we have mentioned about all the Honor 7X pros. Even now we feel it is one of the best value for money device. Having said that, there is nothing called a perfect phone. Each phone will have some or other cons. So here is the Honor 7X Cons according to us.

    Honor 7X Cons

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    Honor 7X pros: 5 Reasons to Buy

    Honor 7X Cons- 5 reasons not to Buy

    These are may not be a deal breaker for many. But it is good to know before picking the one for your self.

    1. No USB-C port: Honor 7x comes micro USB slot for the charging and data transfer.  Considering the features it packs, lack of latest USB-C type port is little disappointment.
    2.  No Optical image stabilization: Camera is one of the key strength of the Honor 7X. However, lack of OIS is felt while recording videos and clicking images in low light condition.
    3.  Lack of fast charging:  Honor 7x packs 3340 mAh battery and comes with 10W charger in the box. In our review time, charging the device to 100% from 0% took close to two and half hours. The inclusion of fast charging option could have been better according to us.
    4.  No Android Oreo out of the box:  Running on the latest Android version is what many users wish for.   Though Honor promised for Oreo update to Honor 7X, users have to wait for it. The EMUI 5.1 on top of Android Nougat does the fantastic job. There is no doubt about it. But Android Oreo out of the box is something which we miss on this device.
    5. No dedicated microSD card slot: Honor 7X comes with hybrid sim card slot. This means you can either use 2 sim cards or 1 sim card with the microSD card. 64GB internal storage on a higher variant is sufficient for most of the user. But if you have chosen 32GB variant and using 2 sim cards, then you might feel the absence of dedicated microSD card slot.

  • Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Review- Pros and Cons

    Asus has launched its Zenfone 4 Selfie series smartphones in India couple of weeks ago. The base variant price is Rs.9999 and top variants price is Rs.23,999.  This Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Review for the base variant.

    Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie

    Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Review- Pros and Cons

    This Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Review is divided into pros and cons. Let’s start with the pros and advantages of Zenfone 4 Selfie.

    Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Pros

    • Design: The device is lightweight and slim.  Smooth Rounded corners give good in hand feel.
    • Camera:  Zefnone 4 Selfie houses 13MP primary camera and a wide-angle 13MP front-facing camera.  The camera interface has a lot of predefined modes to chose from.  For advanced users, the device provides pro mode as well.  The wide angle front facing camera does take nice selfies and the rear camera does fare well considering the price.
    • Decent performance: Zenfone 4 Selfie is powered by Snapdragon 430 with 3GB  of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. In day to day to usage performance is decent. However, this device is not for gamers. The casual games are playable without any issue.
    • Good sound output and call quality: In our testing period, we felt the cellular signal reception and call quality was good. We have not faced any call drops.  Sound output via the speakers was satisfactory.
    • Display: The device sports 5.5 inch 720p HD display panel. The viewing angles, color saturation, and brightness are good. However, sunlight visibility is just average.  Once considering the price, we are happy with the display panel.

    Asus ZenFone 4 Selfie Cons

    Here is the list Asus Zenfone 4 Selfie cons or demerits based on our experience.

    • Battery life and charging time: Battery life optimisation could have been better. In our review period, we were not happy with the battery life and charging time.
    • Slow Android updates.
    •  Occasional stuttering:  While opening apps or browsing through apps, there was a minor lag observed.

  • Honor 7X Pros- Top 5 Reasons to Buy

    Honor 7X is launched in India and will go on sale from 7th December exclusively via Amazon.in.  It will be available in two variant. One with 32GB of internal storage which is priced at Rs.12,999 and another variant which has 64GB of internal storage which is priced at Rs.15,999. The device will be available in Black, Blue, and Gold color variants.  We have spent few weeks with the device as a primary device and here is our list of Honor 7X Pros.

    Honor 7X Pros

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    Honor 7X Pros- Top 5 reasons to Buy

    Gorgeous Display

    Honor 7x sports 5.93inch full HD+(1080*2160) IPS display screen with 18:9 aspect ratio. Though it has a large screen, the device feels compact. Thanks to the thin bezel around the screen. Viewing angle, color saturation, brightness and touch response is good.  For media consumption, it is one of the best budget smartphone according to us.

    Camera

    Honor 7x comes with dual camera setup in the back which comprise of 16MP primary and 2MP depth sensor. It has  8MP front-facing camera for selfies. There are plenty of modes to play with camera settings. The pro mode allows you to manually change ISO, shutter speed, exposure etc. You can see some of the sample images taken using Honor 7x in our Instagram page here.

    Software

    This new midrange smartphone from Honor runs on EMUI 5.1 which is based on Android 7.0 Nougat. There is useful customization options such as themes, dual apps, WiFi bridge option to name few. The company also claims that with EMUI 5.1 smartphone will not become slow with the time.

    Performance and Battery life

    Honor 7x is powered by HiSilicon Kirin 659 octa-core SoC with four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.36GHz and 4 Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.7GHz, coupled with 4GB of RAM. In our usage, we have not faced any UI lag or difficulty in playing any games. Coming to the battery, it has 3340 mAh battery. In our regular usage, it easily lasts more than a day of usage.

    Value for money

    There are very few smartphones in the price bracket of sub 15k which has close to a 6-inch display with the thin bezel. We are not saying it is a perfect phone.  It has few cons which we will cover in our next post. But considering the price, it offers a lot to users.