The iPhone X is Apple’s most expensive smartphone till date. Among the others, the face recognition feature of it has made a buzz around the world. While the company has always claimed that the feature may not give the best results for twins, triplets, and children under the age of 13, it has now been revealed that the system is not totally fruitless in that area.
Apple wasn’t hesitant in sharing that the probability of someone else unlocking your iPhone X with the face recognition feature is 1 in 1,000,000 compared to 1 in 50,000 with the touch ID. Further, it added that the probability of a false match is different for twins and siblings that look like you as well as among children under the age of 13, because their distinct facial features may not have been fully developed.
Various companies have put the feature to test and have come up with different findings. Mashable ran the test for two sets of identical twins, both of whom suffered false matches. The Face ID failed to register the difference for them. Similarly, another test by the Wall Street Journal showed that once, Declan registered his face on the system, both his brothers were able to unlock the iPhone X without much effort.
However, the finding of the test done by Business Insider begs to differ from the others. When testing the phone with one set of twins, one of who tries on a hat, a scarf, then all three, the phone passed the tests. The phone unlocked for one of them but not the other.
Meanwhile, when put in tests in normal conditions, reviewers seem fairly positive about the iPhone X face recognition system. They say that it works in low light, with glasses on, sunglasses on; making it nearly accurate.
Whether twins or children under thirteen, if your phone gets unlocked by others, it is an alarm! Similarly, this certainly is a downside because touch ID works very well for issues as such. Meanwhile, another piece from Mashable article stated that Windows has already solved the setback with its Windows Hello Facial Recognition system! Whether Apple can set itself free from this concern, we are yet to see.
World’s leading lifestyle brand for gamers: Razer has now taken another step in the technological front. Adding to the list of its award-winning hardware designs and software platforms, Razer has now unveiled: Razer Phone. This is an Android smartphone that is said to have groundbreaking audiovisual technologies and processing unit fit for smartphone gaming.
This is the first attempt by Razer in the mobile industry and just like it’s previous products, Razer has come up with this smartphone continuing the tag of “By Gamers, For Gamers”. Now, if you are wondering how a smartphone can be designed prioritizing gaming let’s see what the Razer phone has up for the offer.
The phone comes with a Quad HD IGZO LCD- 5.72-inch display. Equipped with the world’s first 120 Hz UltraMotion display, the phone is promised to deliver the fastest refresh rates and smoothest graphics. The UltraMotion display has an adaptive refresh technology that synchronizes the GPU and display which removes image tearing or lag. All in all, the Razer phone has a phenomenal display.
Like I mentioned earlier, the phone has been designed targeting gamers, what would be more important for efficient gaming than a powerful processor and expansive RAM? The Razer phone comes with an astounding 8GB of RAM along with an expandable 64GB internal storage. Moreover, to enhance the gaming experience, the phone comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 octa-core processor. Also, the inbuilt Razer Game Booster app allows users to maximize the power and performance and fine-tune their experiences.
To team up with the impressive display, the phone also has made sure to provide true cinematic audio experience to the customers. The phone is powered by Dolby Atmos technology and has front-firing speakers with dual dedicated amplifiers. Instead of the traditional 3.5mm audio jack, it comes with a THX-certified USB-C audio adapter with a 24-bit digital audio convertor (DAC).
To optimize the power and performance of all of these specifications and guarantee that the users can get the ultimate gaming experience, Razer has partnered with the world’s top gaming companies: Tencent and Square Enix.
In terms of the UI, the phone operates on stock Android Nougat 7.1.1 and comes with the premium version of the Nova Launcher preloaded. The OS can be upgraded to Android Oreo.
On the photography front, the phone houses dual rear 12 MP cameras and gives the photographers a versatile tool to create closer to reality images. This dual camera setup is the same as that of iPhone- one camera has a f/1.8 lens for wide shots and the other is a telephoto f/2.6 shooter, and the dual-tone flash ensures that the images always look close to natural. Also, the front camera is 8MP with f/2.0 aperture.
The 8mm slim aluminum body of the Razer Phone is powered by a 4000mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ support. Priced at $700 in the US, the phone has been made available for online reservations from today and will be sold directly from the Razer’s online store or Amazon.com. Also, 1,337 units of Razer Phone Special Edition with Razer’s iconic green triple-headed snake logo have also been made available.
Now let us revisit the key specifications of the Razer phone:
Key Specifications of Razer Phone:
Display: 5.72-inch (2560×1440 pixels) Quad HD IGZO LCD UltraMotion display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
Dimension: 158.5 x 77.7 x 8 mm; Weight: 197g
Processor: Octa-Core Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform with Adreno 540 GPU
RAM: 8GB LPDDR4 RAM
ROM: 64GB (UFS) storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD
OS: Android 7.1.1 (Nougat), upgradable to Android Oreo
Rear Camera: 12MP camera with f/1.75 wide-angle lens and 12MP secondary camera with f/2.6 zoom lens, PDAF, dual-tone LED flash
Front Camera: 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
Most of you probably know or even use the Missed Call Notification (MCN) service. The same service that used to cost you around Rs 2 every week is finally a free service now.
What is Ncell Missed Call Notification?
Missed Called Notification or as Ncell calls it MCN, is a service that enables you to not miss calls even when your phone is turned off or out of network coverage.
How does it work?
You will receive a detailed SMS notification of all the calls you missed as soon as you switch on your mobile phone or when you enter the network coverage area.
We understand your every call is important
How much do I have to pay?
It used to cost Rs 2.51, but this service is free as of today, November 1.
How do I subscribe to this service?
All you need to do is call *9141# and you will automatically be subscribed to the service.
Verdict on Ncell Missed Call Notification Service (MCN)
It is not always possible to stay on the same place forever. Even if it was possible, there is not a guarantee to receive the network signals of the phone every single time. And what happens if somebody calls at such times of signal/network unavailability? Needless to answer, we would miss the call. That’s only the case of signal unavailability. We would face the same problem if we are busy on another call (if call waiting is not activated) or if the phone is switched off. So in order to avoid such scenario, Ncell had brought the Missed Call Notification service a long time back. And even used to charge Rs. 2.51 (with tax included) per week for the service a few days back.
Now with the charges lifted, Ncell seems to value the customers’ calls and willing to buzz about the missed calls for free. With this service activated, the users who missed the calls will receive text messages with the missed calls info as soon as they are available (receive the signals or have their phones switched on). With the service being free, most of the users are going to activate for sure. This also results in boundless communications among the people. So, cheers!
So, do you think this step from Ncell was important? With the service being free, are you going to activate it? Feel free to express yourself in the comment section.
Goenka Infotech Pvt. Ltd., the authorized distributor of HTC phones in Nepal has launched a mid-range device in Nepal, the HTC Desire 10 Pro. The phone is priced at Rs. 32,490 in Nepal which is considerably low compared to Indian launch price of INR. 26,990 (Rs. 43,184).
The HTC Desire 10 Pro comes with metal chassis with rubberized back for proper grip, since the phone comes with a 5.5-inch display and the bezels are considerably big. The display here is a Full HD unit with the pixel density of 401ppi and the screen is protected with a Corning Gorilla Glass 4.
Powering the phone is the MediaTek’s Helio P10 chipset which is an average performer. At this price, Snapdragon 625 SoC would have been a better choice. The phone also comes with 4GB of RAM which would be plenty for heavy multitasking. For storage, the phone offers 64GB of internal storage which can be further expanded up to 256GB using the second SIM tray. On the downside, the phone is still running on Android Marshmallow with no signs of future updates.
The phone looks really impressive in the optics department with a high megapixel count. The phone comes with 20MP Primary camera with f/2.2 aperture and laser autofocus for faster focus. The phone is capable of shooting Full HD video at 30fps, however, it cannot shoot 4K videos. Up front, it boasts a 13MP secondary camera with f/2.2 aperture and Auto HDR. It also lacks a dedicated selfie flash which a lot of phones are offering at the similar price but it offers screen flash.
The HTC Desire 10 Pro has a rear mounted fingerprint sensor which is one of the greatest distinction between the pro and a normal model. The phone is backed up by 3,000mAh battery and the phone supports fast charging as well. The phone is pretty basic when you compare it with other phones at the same price range. Alternatives for HTC Desire 10 Pro are Xiaomi A1 and Samsung J7 Pro.
Specifications of HTC Desire 10 Pro:
5.5 inches (1080 x 1920) IPS LCD display @401ppi
Gorilla Glass 4 Protection
Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Rear Mounted Fingerprint Sensor
MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 Chipset
Octa-core (4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.0 GHz Cortex-A53) CPU
Mali-T860MP2 GPU
4GB RAM
64GB Storage, Expandable up to 256GB (SIM 2 Tray)
20 MP Rear Camera with f/2.2 aperture, laser autofocus, LED flash
13MP Front Facing Camera with f/2.2 aperture and Auto HDR
Goenka Infotech Pvt. Ltd., the sole authorized distributor of HTC mobiles in Nepal has launched a new HTC midrange phone, the Desire 650. Priced at Rs. 20,666, the USP of the phone is front firing Boom sound and high res audio.
At this price bracket, the HTC Desire 650 has a 5-inch 720P IPS display with a gorilla glass protection. It is powered by a 64bit MediaTek MT6737T SoC with a quad-core processor running at 1.5Ghz. The variant that’s launching in Nepal has 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. You can expand the storage via a dedicated microSD card slot for upto 256GB.
Camera wise, it has a 13MP BSI rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash. The front houses a 5MP front camera. The phone is currently running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with HTC Sense UI layered on top. Connectivity wise, you have dual nano SIM slots (4G), WiFi, Bluetooth, and GPS.
Although the phone has a plastic back, it feels great in the hands — all thanks to its new groove. The 3000mAh battery powers the phone and is non-removable. As expected, the phone lacks fingerprint scanner and Gyro sensor. The phone weighs 140gms and measures 146.9 x 70.9 x 8.4 mm in dimension.
HTC Desire 650 Highlights:
5-inch HD IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection
1.5GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6737T processor with Mali-720 MP2 GPU
3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB
Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Sense UI
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, f/2.0 aperture
5MP front-facing camera, f/2.8 aperture
Dual front-facing stereo speakers
Dual SIM (4G), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS
With the increasing smartphone users in Nepal, telecom service providers have also seen tremendous growth. With NTC and Ncell boasting a user base of more than 10 million, there has been a fair battle for providing attractive voice and data plans. With emerging telecom like Smart Cell announcing its 4G services, Nepali users find themselves with yet another choice. So, vote for your preferred service provider below:
[socialpoll id=”2468168″]
Also, feel free to tell us about your experience in the comments section below.
HMD Global is on a run to launch back-to-back Nokia smartphones. In doing so, the company has launched an entry-level Nokia 2 today, and it comes at a price of €99 in the international market. The price tag it carries has made it the cheapest Nokia smartphone around since the company’s reincarnation last February.
The Nokia 2 is a 5-inch device with 720 x 1280 pixels resolution. The IPS LCD display is covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. Unlike the rumored Nokia 9, which will supposedly come with minimal bezels, this device has a traditional display with 16:9 aspect ratio and 67.4% of screen-to-body ratio. The new Nokia 2 is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 SoC and a Quad-core CPU with 1.3 GHz of clock speed. The performance of this device is further supported by 1 GB of RAM and Adreno 304 GPU.
The Nokia 2 runs on Android v7.1.1 Nougat right out of the box which will be upgraded to Android v8.0 Oreo in the near future. Storage wise, the device has 8 GB of onboard memory which can be expanded via a microSD card. As far as the cameras are concerned, the Nokia 2 has an 8-megapixel rear-facing shooter accompanied by a LED flash and a 5-megapixel selfie shooter.
The USP of the device is its 4,100 mAh battery which, according to HMD Global, will provide two or more days of battery life under minimal usage. With this huge battery, it can sure go up against some of the popular entry-level smartphones available right now. HMD Global has also boasted the inclusion of Google Assistant in the device, mentioning it to be the first of its kind in the entry-level smartphone category.
The Nokia 2 will go on sales starting mid-November in the international market. It is available in three color options, namely, Black, White, and Copper. We are yet to receive any news regarding its launch in Nepal since the device is only a few hours old.
We all love to have the option of latest and greatest smartphones in the market. Previously where our market had a handful of brands and products to choose from, today it is flooded with all the diverse options one could think of. We may not get all the products from a brand but we get enough to satisfy our needs. In this article, we have listed few of the upcoming smartphones that will be hitting the Nepali markets pretty soon.
iPhone 8/8 Plus
If you are an Apple fanboy, then you must be desperately waiting for the newly launched iPhone 8. The phone will be hitting the country soon as the pre-booking has already been started.The most interesting thing about the new iPhones is the A11 bionic chipset which opens a new world of Augmented reality and AI on the phone. With that, the phone comes with new studio lighting feature which helps to recreate lighting condition like that of a studio. The best thing about the new iPhones is they have introduced fast charging and can shoot 4K videos at 60fps.
1821 mAh battery with wireless charging and fast charging
2691 mAh battery with wireless charging and fast charging
Price
Rs 98500, Rs. 119500
Rs 112500, Rs 133000
Launch Date
Prebooking Started
Prebooking Started
Nokia 8
The upcoming Nokia 8 is the most powerful Nokia ever made. It comes with a 5.3-inch QHD display. It comes protected with corning gorilla glass 5 and is IP54 water and dust resistant. Powering the device is the latest octa-core SnapDragon 835 chipset clocked at 2.5 GHz. It comes with either 4GB or 6GB of RAM with storage of 64GB and 128GB respectively. Nokia 8 offers a Dual 13MP camera with Carl Zeiss lens. It can shoot 4K at 30fps. Up front, it offers 13MP Camara. The phone offers the latest in terms of connectivity like Bluetooth 5.0, Dual Band ac WiFi and USB C. The phone is backed up by 3090mAh battery aided with Fast Charging 3.0.
Android Version: Android 7.1.1 Nougat upgradable to Oreo 8.0
Fingerprint: Front Mounted
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz Kryo & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo)
GPU: Adreno 540
RAM: 4GB or 6GB of RAM
Storage: 64GB and 128GB, Expandable up to 256GB (using SIM slot 2)
Rear Camera: Dual 13 MP with f/2.0 aperture, laser & phase detection autofocus, Carl Zeiss optics, OIS
Front Camera: 13 MP with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus
Connectivity: Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), Bluetooth 5.0, 3.1 USBC 1.0, Dual Band WiFi ac
Battery: 3090mAh battery with Fast Charge 3.0
Price: Rs.72,500
Launch Date: November 1st week
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
If you want to go full bezel-less, nothing gets better than the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. The Mi Mix was already an unreal looking phone with no bezels on all three sides. Now the phone comes in a more proper form factor and maintains a smaller chin at the bottom. The phone comes with 6.0inch full HD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is also powered by the latest SnapDragon 835 Chipset clocked at 2.4GHz, it offers massive 8GB and 6GB of RAM. The storage ranges from 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB in the 6GB variant while the 8GB variant comes with default 128GB only. The phone offers a single 12MP back camera and 5MP front facing camera which lies at the bottom of the phone. The phone is backed by 3,400mAh battery with fast charge 3.0.
Android Version: MIUI 9 on top of Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Fingerprint: Rear Mounted
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835
CPU: Octa-core (4×2.5 GHz Kryo & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo)
GPU: Adreno 540
RAM: 6GB or 8GB
Storage: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB, Non Expandable
Rear Camera 12 MP with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus, OIS (4-axis)
Front Camera: 13 MP with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), USB C, Bluetooth 5.0, Dual Band ac WiFi
Battery: 3400mAh battery with Fast Charge 3.0
Price: Rs..72,000
Launch Date: December
Huawei Nova 2i
Huawei Nova 2i is one of many names of the phone and it also has one too many cameras. Dubbed as the first phone with to sports 4cameras, the phone is making waves in the smartphone market. It comes with two cameras on the front and the back. Up front, it comes with a pair of 13MP + 2MP lenses. The secondary camera helps to take portrait images with bokeh effect. On the back, it comes with 16MP + 2MP setup which is again for portrait images.
The phone offers 5.9inch full HD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Powering the phone is Kirin 659 Chipset clocked at 2.3GHz. It comes coupled with 4GB of RAM. Huawei Nova 2i offers 64GB of onboard storage. The phone is supported by 3340mAh battery.
Specifications of Huawei Nova 2i
Display: 5.9 inches (1080 x 2160) @409ppi
Android Version: EMUI 5.1 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat
Connectivity: Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), Dual Band ac WiFi, Bluetooth 4.2, micro USB 2.0
Battery: 3,340mAh
Price: Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000
Launch Date: November 2nd Week
Gionee M7 Power
Gionee Marathon series is all about battery backup and the new M7 Power brings 5,000mAh of dominance to the table. The phone sports a 6.0inch 720p display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 435 clocked at 1.3GHz coupled with 4GB of RAM. It offers 13MP Rear Camera and 8MP Front Facing Camera.
Specifications of Gionee M7 Power
Display: 6.0 inches (720 x 1440) @268ppi
Android Version: Amigo on top of Android 7.1 Nougat
Fingerprint: Rear Mounted
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8940 Snapdragon 435
CPU: Octa-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Adreno 505
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, Expandable up to 256GB
Rear Camera: 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash
Front Camera: 8 MP
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by), Bluetooth 4.0, micro USB 2.0
Battery: 5,000mAh battery
Price: Rs.25,000 – Rs.30,000
Launch Date: November 3rd Week
Oppo F5
Oppo phones have established itself well among the selfie lovers. Their tag “Selfie Expert” is justifiable with the camera performance their phone delivers. The new Oppo F5 will be more intriguing with an AI chip that will enhance the photos taken from its 20MP front-facing camera.
With the use of an AI chip, Oppo F5 would be able to take portrait images. Like the Pixel 2, the front would use machine learning to properly put a blur on the background. It also enhances the beauty mode to bring more natural skin tone. The phone has also introduced facial recognition feature like in the Note 8. It works well even in low light conditions. The phone also comes with a single 16MP Rear Camera with f/1.8 aperture and phase detection autofocus.
It holds 6 inches full HD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Powering the device is Helio P23 octa-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz accompanied by either 6GB or 4GB of RAM with 64GB and 32GB storage respectively. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back. It is backed up by 3200mAh battery.
Specifications of Oppo F5
Display: 6.0 inches (1080 x 2160) @402ppi
Android Version: ColorOS 3.2 on top of Android 7.1 Nougat
Rear Camera: 16 MP with f/1.8 and phase detection autofocus
Front Camera: 20 MP with f/2.0
Connectivity: Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual standby, Bluetooth 4.2, micro USB 2.0
Battery: 3,200mAh
Price: Rs. 37,000
Launch Date: November 14
Vivo V7+
Vivo V7 Plus is the second and the last phone in this list to sport an 18:9 aspect ratio with a 720p display. It is a midrange device running on octa-core Snapdragon 450 chipset clocked at 1.8GHz. For multitasking, it provides ample 4GB of RAM. It offers 64GB onboard storage and expandability option up to 256GB. The phone comes with a 16MP rear camera and a whopping 24MP selfie camera which is capable of shooting portrait shots with bokeh effect. It is backed by 3225mAh battery.
New smartphone brands are making their way in Nepal. With the increasing number of brands and their wide range of products, it is always a pleasure to have numerous smartphones as alternatives. Meizu had been one of such alternatives when it brought Meizu M3 Note in Nepal. At that time, Ubiquity Pvt Ltd. had been the benefactor. However, the smartphone brand failed to achieve a remarkable success in the Nepali arena because of which the brand got ditched by the distributors.
Meizu has a good lineup of products in the smartphones’ front. And the failure of the brand had blocked the way for new smartphones to make their entrance in Nepal. But thanks to Chaudhary Group (CG), which made a step forward to revive the brand back to Nepal. CG, in spite of having their own home-manufactured smartphones, CG mobiles, had already brought a few smartphone brands in Nepal.Now with the Meizu coming back to Nepal, a new name will be added to their huge portfolio of diversified businesses. And with the return of this brand, CG is currently looking for distributors all over Nepal.
The newspaper ad from Meizu featured the M5 Note, an early release maybe? Also, their newly released Super mCharge Tech is something to get excited about, however a bigger charger might come underway.
By launching a wide range of mobile phones catering to a varied demographic of customers, Colors Mobiles Nepal has created a mark of itself in the Nepali smartphone market. Continuing their effort to provide excellent products to the customers at the best prices, Colors has launched its latest flagship phone: the Colors P85+ Selfie Pro, priced at Rs. 14,995/-.
I got to use this phone for a couple of days and play around with its features and specifications. I tested out its marketed features during the 7 days and now, I am going to share my experiences with the phone to you. Leaving the judgment at your hands, for now, let’s walk through the highs and lows of the Colors’ flagship phone.
Build and Design
Speaking of the design and build of the phone, it looks almost the same as its predecessor: the Colors P85+. However, the phone includes commendable additional designs as well. Even if the build is actually plastic, the metallic finish on the phone is a wow. Hence, it would nit be wrong to say that the metallic chassis and unibody of the phone offer a premium feel on hold and on use.
Also, the phone falls on the lighter scale side and hence offers an easy usability.
Display
The P85+ Selfie Pro comes with a 5.5-inch IPS LCD screen, which is an upgrade to its predecessor: Colors P85+ which came with a 5.3-inch display.
The 720 x 1280 pixel resolution offered by the phone is okay. There is not much notable about it. Additionally, there were also some moments where I felt that the display could have been better in terms of color vibrancy and sharpness.
Moreover, the 2.5D glass topping adds to the elegance of the phone giving its an extra push. For someone like me, who can be as clumsy as one can be, the Dragontrail Glass protection over the display was an added assurance.
The presence of MiraVision engine in the phone is also an additional benefit. With the freedom of choice to select the picture quality based on your requirement, one can easily toggle between the available picture modes and basic color tuning.
Hardware
All the buttons are placed on the right side of the phone, which I often messed up while use. Though the power button is easily reachable, I had to stretch my finger to reach the volume buttons.
The phone features a 3.5mm slot for a headphone jack at the top right and has micro USB 2.0 port at the bottom. The phone comes with a powerful speaker at the back, which performed well. One thing that I noted was the volume during phone calls. It could have been better optimised.
The fingerprint sensor on the phone is just as quick as promised (0.2 seconds). Also, it allows users to store up to 5 fingerprints at maximum. Moreover, there are touch and motion enabled gestures linked with the fingerprints which is something I really enjoyed using.
The smart gestures and multi-tap features allowed me to easily to unlock the phone and also launch my immediate priority apps with simple gestures.
Software
The phone runs on Android Nougat 7.0 and delivers an efficient performance. However, there is not much to share about the UI of the phone, it is the same old: Stock Android UI. Though it is very minimalistic and quick, I am not much of a fan of it. So, I am not going to lie to you: I downloaded a launcher app on the phone just as soon as I got the phone.
I also enjoyed the split screen feature of the phone. Because of that, I could easily go through my image gallery and also take notes simultaneously. Also, the app drawer feature allowed me to efficiently switch between two recent apps, saving me from the hassle of app switching.
Also, for security purposes, special features have been designed in the phone like Emergency Rescue and Smart Lock. The Smart Lock feature allows you to keep your phone unlocked by the on body detection mode, through trusted devices, voice and even at trusted places. And the Emergency Rescue feature let’s you choose trusted contacts and send messages to them in case you are in any emergency. This feature was actually something I was impressed with. I didn’t really test to see if it performed just as it had promised, but it is better to be safe than sorry!
Like in all other Android phones with Nougat and higher versions, the phone also includes quick reply feature which performed swiftly saving me the hassle of launching the apps and from the wrath of being the “online but unavailable” person.
Performance
The phone features a 2GB RAM and comes with an internal storage of 16GB expandable up to 128GB. The Quad-core 1.3GHz processor teamed with MediaTek MT6735 chipset gives the phone a performance boost. Running multiple apps and switching between them was very easy. The split window feature is also available here, which allowed me to make the most out of available screen space.
There was not much heating issue on the phone even while running multiple apps which was a plus point. Also, with a single touch, I could clear out the apps in use at once which was very helpful for me.
However, there were also certain issues which were a let down for me. Many times, there were pop-up messages stating that the app has crashed and had to be closed. This was quite inefficient as the apps crashed mid-performance.
Camera
Speaking of the camera of the smartphone, the phone comes with a 13 MP primary camera and an 8 MP front facing camera. It offers a range of photography modes such as Panorama, Voice Photo, QRCamera, Exposure, Night, HD and Square. The inbuilt camera also allows users to take pictures in Professional mode and play around with features like ISO, WB and ET, manually.
The 8 MP selfie camera did not seem to perform as promised. The pictures appeared to capture details finely and pretty close to true colors. Nonetheless, they did appear a bit grainy. Even if the phone has been promoted as a “Selfie Pro”, I don’t think this performance qualifies it to be called one.
The 13 MP back camera was good enough. I took more than a few pictures this Tihar with this phone and honestly, I was more than impressed most of the time. Viewing Kathmandu through the 13MP rear camera and taking pictures of lights and mandalas was a fun experience.
Both front and back cameras are backed with LED flash that did provide proper lighting for pictures. However, due to the slow shutter speed of the cameras, I had to retake pictures multiple times just to take a steady shot
P85+ Selfie Pro Day Light
P85+ Selfie Pro Low Light
P85+ Selfie Pro Front Camera
Connectivity
The Colors P85+ Selfie Pro comes with Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, 3G, 4G LTE and OTG support. With Proximity sensor, Ambient Light sensor and Accelerometer. The hybrid SIM slot in the phone allowed me to use a nano-SIM and a micro-SIM simultaneously.
As the phone is 4G enabled, the browsing speed is very seamless. Communicating with friends and family while on the go was very easy.
The proximity sensor in the phone is also commendable as it worked absolutely fine with efficient screen timeout during calls. Also the smart lock in the system keeps the phone unlocked by the “on- body detection” mode when kept close to the body. Also, the phone features an ambient light sensor and A-GPS which helped enhance the performance.
Battery
I really appreciate the battery power and back up that the phone provided. The non-removable 3000mAh battery performed seamlessly. Though there was no quick charge functionality in the phone, the battery did provide me a good run time for 4.5 hours after one full charge.
Also, there is a “battery saver” mode inbuilt to the system which allows you to choose whether or not you want to save the battery life once you hit the 15% charge mark.
Verdict
To end with the final verdict of how I found the Colors P85+ Selfie Pro in the short time that I used it for, I must say that for a budget smartphone, this was a good one. The sleek and neat design of the phone and the feel of it itself was amazing. Additionally, the amazing battery backup helped me a lot with my continuous need of listening to music and working.
If you are looking for a budget-smartphone that keeps your wallet happy and fits well in your pocket (Yes, it fits!), this could be a good choice for you. Another quick information: this is the only phone within Rs.15,000 with 5.5-inch display.
However, the phone could probably have delivered much better in terms of the camera functionality. The performance it delivered in this department does not really seem to meet it’s marketed tag of “Selfie Pro”, which is a let down.
Pros: What I liked about the P85+ Selfie Pro
The remarkable 3000mAh battery.
The easy one-tap RAM cleaner.
The quick fingerprint scanner.
The budget.
Cons: What could have been better in the P85+ Selfie Pro?
Front Camera
The shutter speed.
A possible revamped UI.
What do you think about the Colors P85+ Selfie Pro? Would you give this a chance? Let us know in the comments below.
