Sony Xperia Z1 with 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 processor, 20.7 MP camera announced #MobilekeedaLive

Sony has just announced the Xperia Z1, the company’s latest flagship phone at the IFA 2013. It has a 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Triluminos Display with with X-Reality engine that would offer rich, natural colours, powered by 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean). It has a 20.7-megapixel rear camera with Sony G lens with a 27mm wide angle f/2.0 aperture custom 1/2.3″ Sony Exmor RS image sensor, BIONZ image processing engine, , 1080p video recording and a 2-megapixel 1080p front-facing camera. It is 8.5mm thick and weighs 170 grams.

It has IP55 / IP58 rating for dust and water resistance. It comes with range of camera applications including Social live to broadcast live from the phone to Facebook, Info-eye which is a visual search application that offers info about landmarks, books and more from the live camera, the Timeshift burst mode takes 61 images in 2 seconds before and after you press the shutter and the AR effecsts act as a overlay a selection of fun, customizable animation using Sony’s AR augmented reailty tech.

It comes pre-loaded with integrated PlayMemories Online, a cloud-based image and video service, All-Sync feature that offers unlimited instant auto uploads.

Sony Xperia Z1 specifications

• 5-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Triluminos Display with X-Reality for Mobiles
• 2.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974 (LTE) or MSM8274 (HSPA+)) processor
• Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Single Aluminium frame with tempered glass on the front and back
• 20.7MP Primary Camera with Exmos RS sensor, HDR photos & videos, 1080p video recording.
• 2MP front-facing camera with 1080p video recording
• 6.5mm thick and weighs 212 grams
• IP55 / IP58 rating for dust and water resistance
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
• 2GB RAM,  16GB internal memory, Upto 64GB expandable memory via microSD card
• 4G LTE / 3G HSPA+, WiFi 820.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 with APT-X, GPS/ GLONASS, MHL, NFC
• 3000mAh Battery with STAMINA mode

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra comes in Black, White and Purple colors. It would go on sale globally from September 2013. No word on pricing yet.

LG Optimus G Pro vs Lenovo K900 on #MobilekeedaLive

LG Optimus G Pro was LG’s first Full HD phone which was announced way back in January but only recently launched. The Lenovo K900 was also announced in January and has been available since June in India.

Both the phones are similar in the fact that both of them have a 5.5inch Full HD display. The internals are completely different with the G Pro being powered by a Snapdragon 600 Processor while the Lenovo K900 is powered by Intel Clover Trail dual-core processor.

Lets check out how these phones compete against each other.

Design, Build Quality

The LG Optimus G Pro has a solid glass front and back supported by a solid and heavy metal rim at the center. The Lenovo K900 has an all metal build with a rectangular slab design. The Optimus G Pro is shorter, less wide but considerably thicker than the Lenovo K900 despite the same 5.5inch display. It also weighs 10 grams more than the K900.

On the front of the phones, we have the display, above which we have the earpiece and front cameras along with ambient and proximity sensors on the right side on the G Pro, while the front camera is on the left side of the earpiece on the K900. The earpiece is present on the top edge on the G Pro.

On the Optimus G Pro, we have a physical home button surrounded by LED light with capacitive touch keys on either side, but on the K900, there is no physical key, but all capacitive touch keys with a unique home icon.

The positioning of keys are similar with only the power lock key on the right side on both the phones while on the K900, we have a microSIM card slot also.

The bottom of Optimus G Pro has the micro USB port and the microphone while the K900 has a 3.5mm audio jack in addition to the microUSB port and microphone.

On the left side, we have the volume rocker and the customizable Q-slide key on the G Pro while we have just the volume rocker on the K900.

The top of Optimus G Pro has the 3.5mm audio jack, IR blaster and secondary microphone while there is nothing at the top of K900.

Moving to the back side, we find a lot of difference in terms of design and materials used. On both the phones, there is a 13MP camera along with single LED flash in G Pro and dual LED flash in K900. The secondary microphone is right next to the camera on the K900.

The Optimus G Pro has a removable battery cover and beneath the cover, we find a hot-swappable microSD card slot and microSIM slot.

Overall, the LG Optimus G Pro and K900 have a good finish and solid build quality, but because of the glassy material the Optimus G Pro feels slightly slippery while the K900 feels quite solid because of the rectangular build, but its big footprint makes it tough to hold in the hand.

Display

Display is where things are similar with both the devices sporting a 5.5 inch Full HD display of 401ppi pixel density. The LG Optimus G Pro has a Tru IPS+ display while the K900 has a regular IPS display. Both the displays are sharp, crisp and have amazing colors. The Lenovo K900 has slightly better viewing angles and the colors are much truer in the K900 than on the G Pro. The G Pro seems to have higher brightness, but it looks slightly over-saturated and unreal when compared with K900. The Lenovo K900 has a slightly better display in terms of true color reproduction.

Hardware and Performance

The major differentiating factor between the two phones is the processor – LG Optimus G Pro is powered by a 1.7 GHz QuadCore Snapdragon 600 SoC, has 2GB RAM and Adreno 320 GPU while the Lenovo K900 is powered by a 2 GHz DualCore Intel Atom Z2580, has 2GB RAM and graphics are taken care by PowerVR SGX544 GPU.

The Optimus G Pro has 16/32GB variants(we have the 16GB variant) while the K900 has just 16GB internal storage. Out of the 16GB, Optimus G Pro has 10.11 GB available while the Lenovo K900 has 4.68GB for apps out of which 1.17GB is available and 9.77GB user accessible memory. LG Optimus G Pro has a microSD card slot of expansion of storage which is missing in the K900.

Out of 2GB in both the phones, the G Pro has around 1781MB usable RAM while the K900 has 1.9GB usable and G Pro has 1.2GB RAM free when the device is idle,but the K900 has just 1GB RAM free when the device is idle.

The faster processor and more RAM give the LG Optimus G Pro a big upper hand in terms of performance. Both the phones are super fast and you would hardly notice the difference in day to day usage.

In benchmarks, the measure of performance could not be gauged as Optimus G Pro beat the K900 in few benchmarks like BaseMark X HD(OnScreen), GFX-Bench 2.7 T-Rex HD(OnScreen), LinPack(Single and Multi), Vellamo 2(HTML5) and Quadrant while the K900 beat the G Pro in AnTutu, Vellama 2(Metal), Sunspider Javascript, NenaMark 2 and Basemark X HD(Offscreen).

Camera

Both the phones have a 13MP camera at the back. The Optimus G Pro has a 2.1MP camera at the front while the K900 has a 2MP camera at the front. Both the phones can record 1080p videos at 30fps with stereo sound from both the cameras.

The camera UI is different on both the phones with some skinning from the manufacturers. Both the phones have separate screens for photos and videos. The K900 has a lot of filters compared to the G Pro. Various shooting modes like HDR, Panorama are found in both the devices. In terms of image clarity, the Optimus G Pro was much better with less noise, more details, better contrast and true colors.

Software features

The LG Optimus G Pro runs on Android 4.1.2 and has lot of LG customizations like different UI elements and features like Q-Apps. These Q-apps include browser, calculator, memos and can be placed anywhere on the screen(even inside certain apps). A maximum of 2 Q-apps can be opened at a time. In addition to that, LG also given the G Pro a note taking app that reminds us of Galaxy Note 2′s S-Note app. The G Pro also has an option to support single handed usage in apps like messaging, dialer. Any such customization is absent in the K900 and we get only skinned version of the basic apps. In terms of software, both the LG Optimus G Pro is ahead of the K900 with lots of software goodies.

Gaming

Gaming on the Optimus G Pro is excellent and it is not that smooth in the K900. The Intel Atom processor seems to undermine the performance of the device and there are occasional glitches in the games. The fluidic smoothness of the G Pro is missing in the K900.

Battery and Connectivity

The Optimus G Pro has a 3140mAh battery while the K900 has 2500mAh battery. In terms of battery life, the bigger battery in the G Pro is definitely better.

In terms of connectivity, both the devices are equipped with features like WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G, WiFi Direct and microUSB(MHL) connectivity. NFC and IR blaster are exclusive to G Pro. Also G Pro has support for WiFi 802.11 ac which is not there in K900.

Conclusion

LG Optimus G Pro is very good device overall with great internals and good build while the K900 is an equally, if not better built device, but is slightly on the other side of the line in terms of support for apps as it runs on Intel processor.

The LG Optimus G Pro retails for ₹39,000, while the Lenovo K900 retails for ₹26,000 and the huge difference in the price is unjustifiable. The LG Optimus G Pro offers a better gaming experience, better performance, better camera and has better software features while the relatively cheaper Lenovo K900 is a better built metal device with an excellent display.

Micromax A111 upcoming Canvas series smartphone images, specifications leak

Micromax unveiled the A116 Canvas HD, the company’s latest flagship back in January. Images of the A115 Canvas 3D surfaced earlier this month, now images of the another smartphone in the Canvas series, the Micromax A111 has appeared online. According to MMXNewscaster, the phone would feature a 5.3-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) display with 5 point multi-touch that would also let you operate the phone with gloves. The phone would be powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8225Q processor and run on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It would come with a 8MP rear camera with dual LED Flash and a 1.2MP front-facing camera. It would also have a 3D Graphics Accelerator.

Micromax A111 rumored specifications

• 5.3-inch (960 x 540 pixels) capactivie touch screen display
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 1.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon MSM8225Q procssor
• Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) with dual standby
• 8MP Auto Focus Camera with dual LED Flash
• 1.2MP front-facing camera
• 9.9mm thick
• 512 RAM, 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD
• 3G , Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS
• 2100 mAh battery

No details about the launch date yet. Hope we can see both the Micromax A111 and the A115 Canvas 3D soon.

Sony Xperia Z Review

A few weeks back, Sony announced its 2013 flagship device i.e. the Xperia Z. Quite possibly the best designed Sony handset ever, it combines impeccable craftsmanship with performance worthy of a class leading device. Sony has also attempted to build on its heritage of mobile, gaming and imaging by building components of each of those pillars into its device. It is a new design language which makes erstwhile gorgeous Sony handsets appear rather pedestrian. However in the weeks that have followed, both HTC and Samsung have revealed their plans for the year ahead which has allowed us to add a bit of perspective to our review. Keep reading on to find out if the Z has what it takes to take on these titans head on.

Hardware

The Xperia Z is one of those devices that you need to see in real life to really appreciate. The handset feels solid with vary a creak while the mirrored sides of the phone give it an appearance that could well be described akin to polished marble. The front of the smartphone proudly features a 5inch 1080p display panel which makes use of Sony’s Bravia Mobile Engine 2. We’ll talk in depth about the display further down the line.

The right side of the handset features a circular power button with a volume rocker below it. Above it is the recessed SIM card slot. Similarly on the top left you will find the microSD card slot and a micro USB port hidden behind flaps that can be rather hard to open but this is not surprising given the IPX5/7 rating of the smartphone.

The headphone jack is hidden behind a similar flap at the top of the phone while the left side has a covered slot for the microSD card. Contact points for using with docks are located on the left as well. A rather curious addition which is not too common in today’s unibody devices is the lanyard pinhole at the bottom of the phone.

Over all we were quite impressed by the design of the handset though the materials used end up being a major fingerprint magnet. Over the course of a few days of usage we also noticed scratched appearing on the shell. The handset seems to attract a lot of lint as well but we believe Sony’s claims of the handset being dust resistant as we did not spot any dust getting through inside the display. This will of course require extended testing and we’ll be sure to update this space with any further information.

Software

The Xperia Z runs a very clean UI layer on top of Android 4.2.1 with a focus on minimalism that frankly speaking, we prefer to the cartoony mess that is TouchWiz.

It would be quite fair to say that Sony has one of the best preloaded application suites out there. A Walkman app that ties into the Music Unlimited service merges aesthetics with above average capabilities. The application supports DLNA streaming and the usual graphic equalizers.

The “Movies” app in particular is very impressive as not only does it tie in with Sony’s service and also DLNA sharing but also has a very nifty recognition feature. The application tries to recognize a movie and offers cover art,  basic movie info. In case automatic recognition fails, users can search and select the correct details.

The gallery is also a stunner and offers an iterative update over the previous version. A very attractive globe view populates a map with your photographs on the basis of GPS data in the EXIF info. The application integrates with Facebook, Picasa and Sony’s own PlayMemories service.

Additional software features include a social aggregator that not many will use and a link for Playstation Mobile. The latter is just another way to get most of the same games that are available on the Play Store. That said, you might want to check back from time to time as Sony offers free games once in a while via the Playstation Mobile channel.

Performance

The Xperia Z is powered by a Snapdragon S4 processor which has four 1.5Ghz Krait cores, Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM. What this means is that it has more than enough power to get you through pretty much any task you throw at the phone. The specifications are also identical to the HTC Butterfly that we reviewed earlier. Any performance difference between the two devices here will essentially be down to optimization and the UI layer on top.

In AnTuTu, the Xperia Z has a minor lead over the Butterfly. The benchmark is an all rounder and tests CPU, GPU performance as well as memory speed. In Linpack too the Xperia Z leads but by a very small margin. Linpack can be used to test single threaded and multi threaded processor performance. Over all the Xperia Z is one of the fastest devices out there at the moment but only till the time the HTC One based on the Snapdragon 600 processor, the octa core Exynos chip running Galaxy S4 are widely available.

Display

The Xperia is part of the new breed of handsets to have a Full HD screen. The amazing pixel density makes everything look just that much better and the fairly small bezel makes the 5″ panel feel just about the perfect size.

The display itself is significantly better than the previous generation displays seen on Sony devices. That said, it is not even close to the Super LCD 3 panel on the HTC One or for that matter the one seen on even the One X. Viewing angles are limited and contrast levels are quite unimpressive. Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology boosts the contrast and brightness levels in photos and movie mode but outside that you’ll still end up being disappointed by the screen.

Camera

Sony has increased the resolution on the Xperia Z to 13MP and is using its Exmor RS stacked image sensor technology on the phone. The tech allows for a larger light sensitive layer which should theoretically result in better photos both in bright and low light. On the other hand, the phone does not have the relatively esoteric OIS system or super sized pixels as seen on the Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC One. How much of an effect does this have in real life ? Read on to find out.

The phone shoots stills at 13MP resolution in 4:3 mode but switches to 9MP 16:9 photos. Sony has an interesting new Superior Auto mode baked into the camera app that switches scene modes based on the type of conditions. In our experience it worked quite well. Images are generally good though you notice a fair amount of noise at 1:1 levels.

Macro capabilities are also a bit of a hit or miss. The phone struggle to get a focus lock on macro objects however once it does, images tend to look quite good. The shot above was the only one in a series of five shots that ended up being in focus. This is more of a software issue than a hardware problem and one that we hope Sony will fix in a subsequent software update.

The usual range of modes like panorama and burst mode are also included in the camera software package. We found the stitching in panorama mode to be pretty much perfect and always ended up with a usable shot.

Low light shots are predictably not so good with a significant amount of noise. The camera lacks optical stabilization as seen on the HTC One and Lumia 920, which makes it not very competitive in low light situations and especially for videos.

Battery Life

The Xperia Z is equipped with a 2330 mAh non removable battery. The fairly frugal sensor and good optimization by Sony means that it is very much possible to get a full day of use on a single charge.

Sony has bundled in a few battery management options as well that promise to increase longevity on a single charge. Standby performance is particularly impressive on the phone with it barely sipping power while syncing data in the background.

Miscellaneous

Possibly the first global flagship device to be certified as water resistant and dust proof, the Xperia Z can be used in all weather conditions.

We tested out Sony’s claim regarding the phone’s water resistance and found it to be accurate. Amongst other features, the phone also supports Miracast based mirroring but we couldn’t test this one out because of a lack of a miracast adaptor.

Conclusion

The Xperia Z is a very good device but is let down by its disappointing display and a not so great camera. The build quality while attractive is susceptible to scratches and is most definitely a fingerprint magnet.

While it does have speedy performance, the upcoming competition will have processors a generation ahead and should theoretically perform even better. Priced at ₹38,000 the phone is a good choice for anyone looking for a high end, attractive, weather proof Android phone. If the best camera, display for multimedia creation and consumption are what you crave then you’ll be better served by the upcoming HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4.

 

Pros

• Good build quality
• Waterproof / Dustproof
• Decent battery life

Cons

• Display
• Not so good camera

Sony Xperia E and E dual go up on pre order for ₹9,990 and ₹10,990 respectively

Impending announcement of availability or price? Never worry, because Flipkart’s always got you covered with them pushing out the pre order prices before the company itself tells you. They did it with the Lumia 620 and even the Xolo X1000, and now they have done the same for the Sony Xperia E and Xperia E dual(a dual SIM version of the same). They both have gone up on pre order in Flipkart for ₹9,990 and ₹10,990 respectively. It has been a long time since they were announced and we are finally seeing them land in Indian shores.

Sony recently announced that it would make the Firefox OS available for the Xperia E, just as an experiment. Anyway, here is a quick look at the specs of both these devices –

Sony Xperia E and E dual Specifications

• 3.5-inch (480 x 320 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen display
• Dual SIM (Xperia E dual)
• Xperia E – Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• Xperia E dual – Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) (Upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean)
• 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7227A processor
• 11 mm thick and weighs 115.7 g
• 3.2 megapixel camera
• 3.5 mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS
• 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi b/g/n, DLNA, GPS / aGPS
• 512MB RAM, 4 GB internal memory (2.2 GB user memory), up to 32 GB expandable memory with microSD
• 1500 mAh battery

As you can see, these are the Tipo replacements you have been waiting for. And they will be available real soon, as stated in the recent announcements in India.

PRE ORDER HERE–> XPERIA E     XPERIA E DUAL

Samsung Galaxy Y Plus with Android 4.0 spotted on Samsung India website

Samsung Galaxy Y Plus has surfaced on the official Samsung India website. Samsung announced the Galaxy Pocket in March last year, that launched in India in April. Details of the Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus (GT-S5301) surfaced earlier this year, but Samsung did not announce it officially. The Samsung Galaxy Y Plus (GT-S5303) looks like a Dual SIM version of the leaked Galaxy Pocket Plus for India.

It has a 2.8-inch QVGA (240 x 320 pixels) capacitive touch screen display, powered by a 850 MHz  processor and runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Even though RAM is not mentioned, according to the earlier rumors it is expected to come with 512MB of RAM, instead of 384MB in the Galaxy Pocket.

Samsung Galaxy Y Plus specifications

• 2.8-inch  (240 x 320 pixels) capacitive touch screen display
• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 850 MHz processor
• 2MP camera
• 3G HSPA 7.2 Mbps, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth, aGPS
• 4GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with MicroSD.
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
• 1200 mAh battery

No details about the pricing or the availability yet, but we can expect it to launch in India in coming weeks.

Sony Xperia Z Full In Depth Review

Here we are,the full in depth review of the superphone Sony Xperia Z.
Watch the video shared by iGyaan and tell us in the comment section below what you feel about this phone.

Sony Xperia Z Unboxing and Hands On Review

We are sharing the unboxing and hands on video of the superphone Sony Xperia Z. Check it out.

Video courtesy- iGyaan

Sony Xperia Z to arrive in India on March 6th

The Sony Mobile India facebook just published the above teaser a couple of hours back, and the shining button on the side of the seemingly unknown device photo indicates only one thing, the Sony Xperia Z is going to be launched in India on the 6th of March, which is just five days away.

The Xperia Z was launched at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas recently. 

The device has a really thin profile with the newest addition to the Sony series being the 5 inch 1080p panel. While we were quite underwhelmed with the display during our short hands on time, there are still other great specs that back this device up, and they are –

• 5-inch Full HD (1920×1080 pixels) Reality display with mobile Bravia Engine 2
• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to Android 4.2
• 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm APQ 8064 processor with Adreno 320 GPU
• 13 MP camera with LED Flash, Exmor RS sensor for HDR images and video
• 2.2 MP 720p front-facing camera
• Water and Dust Resistant (IP55 and IP57)
• 7.9mm thick and weighs 146g
• One-touch mirroring
• 2GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 64GB with microSD
• 4G LTE / 3G, WiFi 820.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC
• 2330 mAh battery

The Sony Xperia Z comes in Black, White and Purple colors and we are looking forward to the launch on the 6th of March.  So, are you looking forward to it? Do let us know your opinions in the comments section below.

Nokia Lumia 620 gets a pre order price of ₹15,199 on Flipkart

The Nokia Lumia 620 has been a long time coming. It was initially slated to be launched on the first week of February but it is already the first week of March, so it is about time it arrived on the market, and signs indicate that it is coming real soon indeed. Flipkart has just put up the phone for pre order at a price of ₹15,199, with availability promised within a week.

The Lumia 620 joins the 920 and the 820 in the Indian market. With the recent budget it was expected that the phone might not hit the sub 15k mark and the pre order price shows. But we can’t wholly trust Flipkart as prices for other pre orders have changed in the past. Anyways, the Lumia 620 is possibly Nokia’s best shot at a mid range winner device, with specs and features rivaling the competition. The specs are –

• Display: 3.8” TFT WVGA 800×480, ClearBlack
• Memory: 512MB RAM (8GB internal memory, Micro SD support up to 64GB)
• Camera: 5Mpix autofocus, LED flash; Video capture: HD 720p@30fps; VGA front camera
• Size & weight: 115.4 x 61.1 x 11.02 mm; 127g (including battery)
• Connectivity: NFC, WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n 2.4Ghz + 5Ghz, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS/A-GPS, Glonass, micro-USB, 3.5mm audio connector (AHJ + WP Controls)
• Processor: 1 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon (TM) S4
• Battery Talk time: (GSM/WCDMA) Up to 14.6 h/ up to 9.9 h; Standby time: Up to 330 h

So, are you excited that the Lumia 620 is finally arriving to the Indian market? Are you buying one? Let us know in the comments section below.