Smartphones sales are booming in India and Android is gradually taking the lead as a powerful operating system in most phone brands. One of the key reasons for this spike in demand is that a large number of feature phone users are migrating to Android-powered smartphones. According to research firm CMRs latest mobile handsets market review,India registered 73.5 million mobile handset shipments for the period January-April 2013,registering a growth of 11.1% year-on-year. During the same period,9.4 million smartphones were shipped in the country,a growth of 167.3% on an annual basis. In sync with this trend,domestic handset makers are introducing quad-core smartphones running on Googles Android operating system. They are trying to attract the countrys cost-conscious,yet tech-savvy mobile phone users who would like to migrate to a more sophisticated mobile experience. People want the most out of their devices and the user is already particular about certain features such as the speed of screen swipes,how fast they can download movies,send a photo via instant messenger or make a purchase on an online mall. Recently,we received two new mobile phones from domestic handset makers,running Googles innovative mobile platform. I spent some time with both the devices. Let us probe the devices further to know more about their performance and features. Spice Coolpad Mi 515 The all-new Spice Coolpad Mi 515 from S Mobility is a 5-inch quad core Jelly Bean smartphone with qHD resolution and IPS display. The device is the first in a series of smartphones to follow under the Spice Coolpad brand. The BK Modi-promoted firm has tied-up with Coolpad,a Chinese handset maker,to introduce new handsets in the Indian market. The Mi 515 offers features generally found in the high-end phone segment. This DTS enabled smartphone with a large ultra-bright screen has received a good response internationally; company officials claim it has already sold in excess of 1 million units globally. Priced at R9,990,the Mi 515 is a 9.9 mm thin device that comes with a large 12.7 cm ultra-bright IPS display and a 1.2 GHz quad core processor. It offers clear video and DTS audio that lends multi-channel clarity and good sound effect. Running on the Android Jellybean operating system,this device has a decent 5 megapixel auto focus rear camera. Supported with a spacious 4 GB ROM and a 1 GB RAM,this smartphone can be expanded upto 32 GB through a micro SD card. It comes packed with a 2000mAh Li-ion-Polymer battery and other features like Bluetooth 3.0,Proximity sensor,G-sensor,Light sensor,media player 3G video calling among others. SPICE COOLPAD MI-515 Processor: 1.2 GHz quad core processor * Display: 12.7 cm IPS display,qHD resolution * Operating system: Android Jelly Bean * Camera: 5 MP rear; AF + VGA camera * Storage: 4 GB,expandable upto 32 GB * Connectivity: Wi-Fi,Bluetooth 3.0 * Estimated street price: R9,990 With a 1.2 GHz quad core processor,the Mi 515 is zippy rather than super-fast. Colours are bright and vivid. Video is clear and detailed while text is sharp and crisp,making reading websites a pleasure. The devices speaker is loud enough to watch a movie or listen to music. The phone comes with 4 GB of internal storage,enough to keep your most important apps on. This can be expanded to a much healthier 32 GB with a microSD card,enough for most people to store all the music,apps and even video they want to have on the go. Lemon A4 Fastrack Communications,makers of the Lemon brand of mobile phones,has introduced its new smartphoneLemon Aspirational A4,priced at R17,999. The A4 is a handset that treads the line between mid-market and high-end handset,with a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor lining up alongside a 5-inch screen and an 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera. One of the favourites aspects of the Lemon Aspirational A4 is its screen. The 5-inch big screen is streets ahead of most other phones in its price range. It comes with a full high definition 1920 x 1080 resolution and a unique design. The A4 screen is sharp,vibrant and proved highly responsive during the trial-run. Photos and text looked detailed,and colours were rich and clear. The A4 feels great in the hand. It is super slim at 8.5 mm in thickness and comes with a big 1850mAh battery. The device feels like a solid,well-constructed phone that could stand up to the rigours of daily usage with little sign of wear or tear. From first impressions,the performance of the A4 is strong. Apps load and close promptly with little fuss. Behind this smooth running is the phones 1.2 GHz quad-core processor and 1 GB of RAM. Its a pairing that pushes the A4 to the upper end of the mid-range market. Although it has just 16 GB of internal storage,the A4 supports expandable memory via microSD upto 64 GB. This is a great value for money phone! Its screen looks pretty neat with huge viewing angle. The phones hardware seems pretty good . There is a decent battery life too. Overall,a strong handset from a fast-emerging brand. Lemon A4 * Display: 12.7 cm (5-inch) IPS display * Processor: 1.2 GHz quad core processor * Operating system: Android 4.2 Jelly Bean * Camera: 13 MP rear; 5 MP front camera * 1 GB RAM + 16 GB ROM * Sensors: 3D Magnetic/ 3D Gyro/Proximity / Accelerometer /Light * Estimated street price: R17,999
