tech2touch

Category: Smartphones

  • ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML Pros and Cons Review

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is a Dual sim  4G enabled 5.5 inch phablet. It is very much improved phablet compared to its predecessor. High end specifications and affordable price are key attractions of this phablet.  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML price is $259.29 after a discount of 17% on MRP in Gearbest.com online store.  For our reader there is a additional $15 discount. While you are buying ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML use the coupon code ASUSZ2GB for avail the additional discount.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is powered by 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 2.3GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM and PowerVR G6430 GPU. This is the same GPU used in Apple A7 Soc. The internal storage capacity of the device 16GB and supports microSD card upto further expansion of the storage.

    One more major upgrade on Asus Zenfone 2 is its design. Now it measures 152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 mm and weighs 170 grams. Asus has trimmed the bezels to get the screen to body ratio of 72%. One more change is volume rocker is moved to the back of the device and power button moved to top. It has curved back which feels good to hold on hands.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML sports 5.5 inch IPS capacitive touch screen with a screen resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels  which translates to 403 ppi pixel density. The screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The display screen looks vibrant and viewing angles are also good. The device runs on Android Lollipop along with Asus ZenUI.

    Asus ZenFone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML has 13MP primary camera with dual-color Real Tone LED flash. The features of the camera includes PixelMaster options (Low-light mode/Backlight HDR mode/ Enhanced Beautification mode/Manual mode/Zero Shutter lag). The 13MP camera unit consist of 5 element, f/2.0 aperture lens. There is also a 5 MP selfie snapper with wide angle (85 degree) lens. The camera does a decent job. But it is not great.  Front facing camera panorama shot is a welcome addition. Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML houses 3000 mAh battery which fast charging option called Boost master.

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    Pros of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    • Good performance: There is no lag while using the device. While playing the games also there is no much problems seen.
    • Great display screen: Asus has added a very good quality display screen. The colors look vivid and viewing angles as well as the sunlight legibility are decent.
    •  Decent build quality: The build quality of the  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML is good in the segment.
    • Customisable UI: The current ZenUI with Zenmotion like features really feels innovative. It is welcome move from the Asus.
    • Fast charging: With boost master technology,  Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML comes with fast charging feature. This works great.

    Cons of Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

    • No 2160p video recording: Despite having the great specification, missing the 2160p video recording is a bit surprising as there are many devices coming with this in this price segment.
    • Rather large and hefty: Though Asus has tried to trim the bezels to make the device compact, it is still a phablet. All will not be happy to carry such big smartphone. It also weighs 170 grams which bit heavy for a smartphone.
    • Average camera performance: Both primary as well as front facing camera has many features. But overall, the camera performance is not that great compared to the competitors.
    • Weak Speaker: The inbuilt speaker of this device is not great.
    • Confusing naming conventions: Asus Zenfone 2 has many variants. It is very difficult remember the naming conventions of the variant.

    Asus Zenfone 2 Tips and Tricks

    How to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus ZenUI provides an easy way to take screenshots apart from the default android way of taking print screen. I have written a details instructions on this. For more details read my post how to take screenshot on Asus Zenfone.

    How to download Asus Zenfone 2 PC Link PC suite

    You can download the latest Asus PC suite from the official support page.  You refer my earlier post on How to download Asus PC suite for more information.

    Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML Specification

    • Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box with Asus ZenUI
    • 5.5-inch IPS capacity touch screen with 1080p resolution and 403ppi density and Gorilla Glass 3 protection
    • Intel Atom Z3560 chipset with a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, PowerVR G6430 GPU with 2GB of RAM
    • 16GB of storage and a microSD slot
    • Dual-SIM, Dual Standby capability
    • LTE Cat.4, NFC, Bluetooth; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot; microUSB 2.0 port, MHL, USB host
    • 13MP main camera with dual-tone LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording; 5MP front camera with wide angle lens
    • 3,000mAh battery with fast charging feature.

     

  • Lenovo A5000 With 4000 mAh Battery 5 inch HD Display Launched

    Lenovo A5000 officially launched in India.  Unlike previous A series smartphone, this device available on Lenovo official store. Lenovo A5000 price in India is Rs.9,999.

    This smartphone first launched in Russia last week. It is also listed on Lenovo’s official UAE page but there is no mention of the price. In India, Lenovo’s TheDoStore is started taking the pre-order  for Lenovo A5000 and it is mentioned that April 30th as the shipping date.

    Lenovo A5000 with 4000 mAh battery

    Lenovo A5000 key highlight is its 4000mAh battery which is rated to provide upto 17 hours of talk time and upto 792 hours of standby time. Unlike Lenovo A6000 and Lenovo A7000, Lenovo A5000 does not supports 4G network. It supports only 3G connectivity. The company also said that, A5000 has Quick charge feature which allows battery to get fully charged in 3 hours while a 15 minutes charge will offer 4 hours of talk time.

    Read: How to Take screenshot on Lenovo A5000

    Lenovo A5000 is a dual sim(Micro-SIM and regular sim)  running on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat out of the box.  The device sports 5 inch IPS display screen with a screen resolution of 720×1280 and 300 ppi pixel density. The device also comes with rain and splash-proof screen protection according to the company.

    The Lenovo A5000 is powered by 1.3GHz quad core MediaTek(MT6582) processor with 1GB of RAM and Mali T760-MP2 GPU. The internal storage capacity is 8GB and supports microSD card upto 32GB.  The device houses 8MP auto focus primary rear camera and LED flash. There is also a 2MP front facing camera for video calling and taking selfies.

    The connectivity features of Lenovo A5000 includes GPRS/ EDGE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth. It has sensors such as accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and a proximity sensor. The device measures 140×71.4×9.98mm, weighs 160 grams. The available colors are Black and White.

    The pricing of Lenovo A5000 is confusing. The much better spec smartphones such as Lenovo A6000 Plus or Lenovo 7000 price is lesser than A5000. The extra money for just 4000 mAh battery with compromise on the other specification does not look good. Any way, once we do the complete Lenovo A5000 review, we will come to know whether it is worth or not.

  • Top 5 Reasons to Buy Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 is yet to launch in India. However, I got an opportunity to attend Asus Pre-Launch Showcase  event in Bangalore. It is not a complete review. This is based on the short period of time I spent on Zenfone 2 in the event. You can read more about the specification in the Asus Zenfone 2 official page.

    Top 5 Reasons to Buy Asus Zenfone 2

    Asus Zenfone 2 with 4GB RAM

     

    Image courtesy: Asus India.

    Read: Different variants of Asus Zenfone 2

    1. 64-bit Dual-Channel 4GB RAM: Asus claims that, Zenfone 2 is the first smartphone in India to feature 4GB of RAM. The device is powered by 64-bit Intel Atom 2.3G CPU with 6430 PowerVR 533MHz GPU. In my experience in the event, device worked without any lag even while playing a high end racing game.
    2. 5MP selfie camera with Panorama shots: Zenfone 2 comes with 13MP primary camera with Toshiba sensor and Dual LED realtone Flash. The 5MP front facing camera has F/2.0 apertures  and wide angle lens. You can also take panorama images using the front facing primary camera. There is also a night mode which is quit useful. Overall camera section is one of the segment truly competes with rest in this price segment.
    3. ZenUI and Android 5.0 Lollipop:  We have already seen the ZenUI with last years Zenfone. However, with Android Lollipop, Zenfone 2 comes with much more refined and user friendly ZenUI. The ZenMotion is also works without any issue. Switching users based on the lock screen swipe lock is really innovative.
    4. Asus BoostMaster:  Asus is incorporating the fast charging features with Zenfone 2.  Company claims that, you can charge 60% of your battery in just 39 minutes. According to this 10 mins of fast charging will provide 4 hours of 2G talk time and 2.7hours of 3G talk time. This feature is available only for the 4GB ram model. I will do a detailed review on this once I get the review unit.
    5. Display screen: Zenfone 5 comes with 5.5 inch full HD display screen. Asus has reduced the bezel width compared to previous years Zenfone. Now Zenfone 2 screen-to-body ratio is 72% which is a welcome upgrade. In my short time with Zenfone 2, I felt the quality of the display is good. The viewing angles are good and colors look vivid.

    As I mentioned earlier, this is not the complete review. I will be doing a detailed pros and cons review on Zenfone 2 once I get the review unit. The initial impressions on Asus Zenfone 2 looks very impressive. Though there is no information on the price, we can expect it to be very competitive.   The refreshed design and build quality coupled with powerful CPU and 4GB RAM, 13MP primary camera and 5MP front facing camera are very good as per the spec sheet. However, for real time performance, we need to wait for some more time.

  • Samsung Galaxy E5 Cons and Pros Review

    Samsung Galaxy E5 is a mid range Android smartphone. It is dual sim with Dual standby feature. It runs on Android 4.4.4 Kitkat along with Touchwiz UI. The Galaxy E5 price in India is Rs.15,340.

    Samsung Galaxy E5 is powered by 1.2GHz Quad core snapdragon 410 chipset with Adreno 306 GPU with 1.5GB of RAM. The internal storage of the device is 16GB and supports microSD card upto 64GB. Do note that, you can use either 2nd sim or the microSD card. You cannot use both of them simultaneously.

    Samsung Galaxy E5 sports 5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen with screen resolution of 720×1280 pixels and 294 ppi pixel density. The display screen is vibrant and has very good viewing angles and good sunlight legibility. The device has Accelerometer, proximity sensors. It is sad to see a mid range smartphone which lack Light sensor and a compass.

    Samsung Galaxy E5 Review

    Samsung Galaxy E5 houses 8MP autofocus primary camera with LED flash. There is also a 5MP front facing camera. Outdoor performance of the 8MP primary camera is decent. However, indoor conditions and low light performance is just average. The facing camera performance is good. It is one of the best in this price segment.

    Samsung Galaxy E5 packs 2400 mAh battery. It is highly efficient smartphone with very good battery life. On average user battery lasts for more than 1 and half day. If you are a casual user, then it lasts more than 2 days. For the connectivity, device has 2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot.

    Read:

    How to take screenshot on Samsung Galaxy Smartphones

    How to use Samsung Galaxy smartphones as modem

    How to download PC suite for Samsung Galaxy Smartphones.

    Advantages and Disadvantages of Samsung Galaxy E5

    Pros of Galaxy E5

    • Excellent Battery life: The battery life of this smartphone is one of the best in the price segment, The standby time is also very good.
    • Good Super AMOLED screen: The 720p Super AMOLED display screen is very good. The touch response is very good and it support 10 multi touch points.
    • Good cellular call quality: The cellular call quality in Galaxy E5 is excellent.
    • Decent Performance: With trimmed down Touchwiz and 1.5GB of RAM offers good performance. The gaming experience in this device also good. Even games like Asphalt 8, modern combat plays without any issues. The doesnot get heated up while playing these games.
    • Impressive Front facing camera:  Though, primary camera disappoints, front facing camera is very impressive in this price segment. Quality of the selfies and videos looks good.
    • Theme Support: Galaxy E5 comes with support for themes. Though it is in starting stages, it is a welcome move.

    Cons of Galaxy E5

    • Non removable battery
    • No LED notification light
    • No Auto brightness sensor and compass sensor: Though it does not have the compass sensor, the GPS works well.
    • No Android Lollipop Out of the box.
    • Average primary camera: The indoor and low light performance of 8MP primary camera is not impressive.
    • No USB OTG support

    Verdict: If you are looking for a mid range Samsung Galaxy smartphone, then  Galaxy E5 is a worthy contender. It provides excellent battery life, good display screen and good selfie camera. It is also worth noting the availability of the service across the country. It does has cons which mentioned above.

    Samsung Galaxy E5 Specification

    • 1.2GHz Quad core snapdragon 410 chipset with Adreno 306 GPU with 1.5GB of RAM
    • 16GB internal storage and supports microSD card upto 64GB
    •  5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen with 720p resolution
    • 8MP autofocus primary camera with LED flash
    • 5MP front facing camera
    •  2G, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB tethering and WiFi Hotspot
    •  2400 mAh battery.

  • Xiaomi Redme 2A Budget 4G Smartphone Unveiled

    On the occasion of its 5th Anniversary, Xiaomi has unveiled a new budget 4G Android smartphone called Xiaomi Redme 2A. In simple terms, it is the cheaper variant of Redme 2 smartphone. Along with this device, Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun, also unveiled Mi Note(Pink Edition).

    The new Xiaomi Redme 2A has many things identical to Redme 2 in terms of cosmetics. The only difference is the CPU. Redme 2A is powered by 1.4GHz quad-core Leadcore (L1860C) Cortex-A7 processor with 1GB of RAM.  Whereas  Xiaomi Redme 2 is powered by 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 Cortex-A53 processor coupled with 1GB of RAM.

    Xiaomi Redme 2A Dual sim

    Xiaomi Redme 2A sports 4.7 inch 720P HD IPS display screen with 312 ppi pixel density. This budget 4G Android smartphone comes with 8GB of internal storage and support for microSD upto 32GB.  Like Redme 2, this also features 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 lens, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 2200mAh battery.  The connectivity features includes TDD-LTE Bands 38, 39, 40, and 41, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Direct and wireless display functionality, alongside GPS/ A-GPS. The dimensions of Redme 2A is similar to Redme 2 which is 134.00×67.20×9.40mm. Xiaomi Redme 2A price is CNY 599(approximately Rs. 6,000).

    Mi Note Pink Edition according to the Xiaomi tailored Edition for modern ladies. Xiaomi Mi Note Pink edition is a dual sim with Dual sim standby  support Android smartphone which accepts Micro-SIM and Nano-SIM card.  Mi Note Pink edition comes with 5.7-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for protection.  This phablet has metal frame.

    Xiaomi Mi Note

    Mi Note Pink Edition houses 13-megapixel rear camera and 4-megapixel front-camera also onboard with large 2-micron pixels. The device is powered by quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz alongside 3GB of RAM and Adreno 330 GPU. Connectivity features includes 4G LTE connectivity. It has 3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0 technology. Mi Note Pink Edition price is CNY 2,499 (approximately Rs. 25,000). Xiaomi also offering a 5000mAh battery power bank along with the handset.

    Xiaomi Redme 2A Specification

    • 1.4GHz quad-core Leadcore (L1860C) Cortex-A7 processor with 1GB of RAM
    • 4.7 inch 720P HD IPS display screen with 312 ppi pixel density
    • 8GB of internal storage and support for microSD upto 32GB
    • TDD-LTE Bands 38, 39, 40, and 41, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with Direct and wireless display functionality, alongside GPS/ A-GPS
    • 2200mAh battery
    • 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.2 lens, 2-megapixel front-facing camera