Floods of phones released every month, with India being attacked from all sides in this regards, it sometimes get difficult for Indians who are by now, spoilt for choice. Hundreds of screen sizes and as many hardware configurations has driven the online retail competition in recent times and more is set to come. Though Samsung, Nokia(now Windows), HTC and Sony were the safest bets in past, bravery is being demonstrated by Indians in accepting local brands like Micromax, XOLO, Spice etc.(most of them selling rebranded Chinese Phones) or even accepting chinese entrants like OPPO, Huawei, Xiaomi etc(very Popular in China). The smartphone killer, Oneplus One, is said to have generated so much interest in India that Oneplus has planned a full scale Indian base and the necessary staff for this is being manned. One important aspect which may be lagging is the after sales service in India.
Another company which is quietly making inroads into Indian market is Lenovo which has acquired Motorola just recently. It had launched quite a few impressively configured models in past but it has started gaining traction only in recent times. One such model very recently launched is the Lenovo Vibe X2 with the “Multilayered design for Multilayered life” as proclaimed by its punchline.
The design and color combinations shout different layers without the need of handling the phone. The layers are actually fancy strips on the edge, but Lenovo also has some thing call Xtensions to transform the mobile boombox or a power reservoir. These Xtensions clip on the back plate of the phone, and though they increase the thickness by as much as 5.1mm, they are designed to serve their purpose. AS of now, the two extension layers announced are the Vibe X2 Speaker(JBL powered) which doubles up as a stand and Vibe X2 Battery which gives your phone the much need refueling stop on the go. A first of its kind by any manufacturer since all previous such addons were aftermarket 3rd party manufactured. Its not yet clear whether both the Xtensions can be attached together, which would make more sense since speakers will consume more power. Also no news on any other Xtensions under developement. Is this due to lack of ideas? Here are a few:
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Electronic ink Screen Xtension( similar to one on Yota Phone)
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3D camera module Xtension
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NFC Xtension
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QWERTY Keyboard Module with Single line screen Xtension
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Simple phone keypad Xtension if you need to call more often and don’t want to wakeup the screen
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External Memory Card Xtension
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Various Combinations of above Xtensions to reduce thickness
What the heck. Am being creative.
Anyway, the phone packs some punch, albeit via MediaTek Chipset. Here are a few important hardware aspects.
Configuration:
Screen : 5″ IPS LCD, 1920×1080 full HD 5 point touch. No mention of a gorilla glass so be ready with a quality screen guard
SIM: Dual SIM(Micro/Nano)
Memory: 2 GB RAM, 32 GB ROM, No external memory card adapter.
Chipset: MediatTek MT6595m True8Core
CPU: Octa-core 2.0 GHz
GPU: PowerVR G600
Camera: Primary 13 MP, Secondary 5 MP(Are they significant or just numbers? real world tests will tell)
Connectivity: The usual Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS, USB along with 2G, 3G and 4G
Pros:
Price: Rs. 19,999 in India which makes it quite competitive
Size: Just the right size that sells in India at this moment
Display: Full HD display
Connectivity: 4G connectivity will enable people to access 4G network which is to be launched soon
Horsepower: Latest MediaTek chipset which boasts of battery saving features.
Cons:
Display: No Gorilla Glass
Memory: No provision for external SD
Xtension: Only two Xtensions without any information when they will be out for sale
Layer: The screen layer is bit smaller then the border and person using the phone one handed will feel it on his thumb base.
Battery: Built in
OS: Android Kitkat 4.4
All in all the phone seems to be good for the price point. That’s being demonstrated by the high demand on flipkart. But then flipkart seem to have struck the sweet spot in advertising and creating a hype, so much so that Xiaomi, which was not well known before flipkart flash sell, is now a wishlist for many who are unable to lay their hands on it, sale after sale. A lot needs to be seen about its performance and of course the timely upgrades.