Android One Review
Google has introduced an Android One program with an intention of extending the smartphones to the common man. Domestic smartphone brands-Karbonn, Spice & Micromax are the Partners of Android One program. Android One is a design reference platform which enables the manufacturers to build low cost smartphones with much more ease. The first three mobiles with Android One are released in the market. They are Spice Dream Uno Mi-498, Micromax Canvas A1 & Karbonn Sparkle V.
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Android One is a revolutionary platform that will change the Indian smartphone scenario and is mainly targeting at people buying their first smartphone. Android One provides you with all the latest features in your smartphone at a very cheaper rate. Android One is a great beginning for making smartphones with the latest software features and security updates to the masses. Android One phones will initially be released in India, Nepal, Indonesia, the Philippines and other South Asian countries in 2014. The three Indian brands-Karbonn, Micromax and Spice have released their first Android One based smartphones and are available in the market at a price range of 6000Rs to 7000Rs. What all the features do we expect from a smartphone? A smartphone should have a good Camera, Sufficient memory to store our files, powerful Processor, full day Battery, Dual Sim facility and a good RAM to support gaming experience. These all features are avilable in the Android One platform based smartphones.
Performance & Display: With its powerful quad-core Processor of 1.3 GHz and 1 GB RAM, you can have an amazing experience while playing games and watching videos. You can check Email or browse your social websites with absolute ease. These phones performs well during most tasks without showing any signs of fatigue. The next feature which one can really appreciate is the Screen size and its Resolution. The Android One phones sport a 4.5-inch FWVGA(480x854p)IPS display. The display offers good viewing angles and decent sunlight legibility.
Storage & Battery: These phones come with an internal memory of 4 GB. An external memory card slot is available which supports Micro SD with a size of upto 32 GB. These smartphones are powered by a 1700 mAh Li-ion battery, not so huge but are quite sufficient.
Automatic Updates: The another good feature provided in these smartphones are the automatic updates. They run on the latest Android 4.4 Kitkat operating system and can be upgraded to the newer version automatically for a period of two years. Google says that these Android One smartphones would be among the first to get the Android L release when it is rolled out sometime later this year.
Design: The look of these phones are quite good. The Spice and Micromax phones sport a soft touch, rubberized, matte finish that feels good to hold. The Karbonn phone feels more plasticky at the back even though it sports a matte finish. The Spice and Micromax phones have soft, rounded edges while the Karbonn Sparkle V has flat edges and a slight taper at the back
Huge Drive Space: Android One smartphones are offering a huge drive space of 15 GB on Google Drive. There is no need of looking for a storage anywhere. You can store your files online and retrieve it easily whenever you need it. The only thing you need is a good internet speed. Spice is providing an additional 10 GB space in Spice's cloud drive.
Negatives:
1. Google's OEM partners have already launched similar phones and it is not clear if they will promote Android One over their own phones.
2. For a smartphone, a good battery backup is always necessary. Battery of these phones are not so huge. 1700 mAh battery is not so sufficient and easily drains out.
3. Camera clarity is a bit down. Pictures are not so vivid when taken in low light.
Verdict:
The Android One phones are no doubt among the best entry-level Android smartphones when it comes to performance and software. The positive point is that Google is offering priority software updates. Android One smartphones have hit the market very hugely and are like a gift to the people who cannot afford much money for a smartphone. Thanks to GOOGLE.
