The Indian smartphone market keeps getting new entrants all the time and this time around its consumer electronics maker Salora’s turn. Salora has launched a new smartphone in India dubbed the POWERMaxx for Rs 15,999.

Now, this is not exactly a cheap starting point for a new brand especially in a price category that is crawling with global smartphone vendors like Nokia, Samsung, Sony, HTC and the works, but Salora definitely will hope that it has something that would appeal to the Indian consumer.

The specs are not exactly earthshattering, but there some interesting caveats which could make the POWERMaxx an interesting contender. Firstly, the device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core CPU based on the ARM Cortex A9 instruction set, which works in concert with 512MB of ROM and 4GB of internal memory that can be expanded via a microSD card slot.

The interesting stuff begins with the display. The display has a qHD resolution and measures 4.5-inchs, but Salora is touting a Zero Air Gap technology that sounds similar to the optical bonding/In-cell type of display technology found in the iPhone 5 and the Microsoft Surface RT tablet. This technology basically reduces the gap between the front panel and the actual display assembly, which makes the text pop out even more. Additionally, Salora even says that the display is dustproof.

Salora claims that the battery life is another area of strength for the POWERMaxx as it packs in a massive 3,200-mAh battery that too in a rather svelte 10.9mm package for a device of this class.

Besides this, the POWERMaxx also has an 8-megapixel rear camera that can shoot 720p video and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. On the connectivity front it has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and voice calls Salora claims to have added a dual-mic-design for ambient noise cancellation and also has dual-SIM capabilities.

It will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but according to the company it will be upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

At CES in Las Vegas, Lenovo is launching Android based products thick and fast, but that’s not stopping the company from launching products in India. The company has launched the Android based 7-inch IdeaTab A2107 tablet in India for Rs 14,000.

At first glance, the specs are definitely not something one would expect of a high-end tablet. It is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A9 MediaTek processor, 16GB of internal memory, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and has a 7-inch display with a resolution of 1024×600 pixels and 350 nits of brightness.

Besides this, Lenovo claims it can provide up to 8 hours of battery life and it has built-in 3G. The IdeaTab is a rather hardy tablet and Lenovo has installed an internal roll cage to protect it when the user drops it.

Other features include dual-cameras, microSD, microUSB and Bluetooth connectivity and dual-speakers. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on top of which Lenovo has employed its Mondrian UI.

HTC has unveiled the Desire SV in Singapore, which is a dual-SIM Android Ice Cream Sandwich smartphone. The device will come to India for Rs 22,560.

Specs wise, it has a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 5-megapixel camera, a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz, 768MB of RAM, 1GB of internal storage (user available), a microSD card slot and it will even have the Beats Audio branding. While the phone will ship with Android 4.0, HTC says it will be upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Key Specifications:

• 4.3-inch display with a 800×480 resolution
• 1GHz dual-core processor
• 768MB of RAM
• 1GB of user available internal storage
• microSD card slot
• 5-megapixel camera
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Image Credit: Ashish Bhatia

Disclosure: HTC paid for our travel and stay

Karbonn has launched the A21 and A9+ Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich smartphones in India for Rs 11,990 and Rs 9,990. Notably both devices use dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processors and have Dual-SIM capabilities.

The A21 features a 4.5-inch display with a qHD resolution of 960×540 pixels, while the A9+ on the other hand has a smaller 4-inch display with a WVGA resolution of 800×480 pixels.

Besides this, both the devices tout a wide array of features like 5-megapixel rear cameras, 1.3-megapixel front facing cameras, 3G support, 512 MB of RAM, and microSD card support. The A21 has a 1,800-mAh battery, and the A9+ has a 1,420-mAh battery.

Apart from the Xperia J and the Xperia SL, Sony has also launched the Xperia Miro which it is positioning as a rather mid-range smartphone at Rs 15,249. However, the pricing of the Xperia Miro is rather puzzling considering its weak spec. In fact, Sony already has products like the Xperia U, which costs a little more than the Miro and boasts a vastly superior spec.

Talking of specs, the Miro has a 3.5-inch display with a resolution of 320×480 pixels, an 800 MHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory of which only 2.2GB is available to the user, a microSD card slot, a 5-megapixel rear camera, a VGA front facing camera and a 1,500 mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.0.

Sony calls it the social phone, but in our humble opinion that can be said of any Android phone. One just needs to install the related social-networking apps. The Miro not only does have a weak spec, but it also does not have a marquee feature like water resistance on the Xperia Go or dual-SIM capabilities on the Xperia Tipo, so it’s hard to understand where exactly this phone fits in Sony’s portfolio. On the bright side the device will be available in four colors – White, Pink, Black and Gold.

Officially unveiled at IFA in August alongside the Xperia T and Xperia V, the Xperia J is a decidedly mid-range Android smartphone that Sony mobile has launched in India. Priced at Rs 18,399, the Android 4.0 smartphone combines a 9.2mm slim profile in a package that offers mid-range specs.

The Xperia J packs in a 4-inch display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels, a 1GHz single-core processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, 5-megapixel camera, a VGA front-facing camera and a 1,750 mAh battery.

Sony says that it will be upgradable to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but that update will only come next year.

Sony has launched the Xperia SL Android smartphone in India for Rs 32,549. The Xperia SL is essentially an upgraded version of the Xperia S that was launched in April.

Physically, the Xperia SL is quite similar to the Xperia S, but underneath the hood it runs on a faster dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, NFC, 32GB of storage and a 12-megapixel camera and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing.

The Sony Xperia SL runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and has a 1,750 mAh battery.

After receiving a premature hands-on treatment courtesy Bloomberg India, Asus has launched the Padfone 2.  For those who don’t know Asus’s Padfone concept encapsulates a smartphone and a 10-inch tablet in one convenient sandwich, with the smartphone module being home to most of the processing internals.

The new iteration of the Padfone substantially builds upon the foundations of the original. Starting with the smartphone bit, the device now has a 4.7-inch 720p display which uses Sharp’s IGZO technology. This means one can ramp up the brightness levels to an insane 550nits. Additionally, the very impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core chip clocked at 1.5GHz powers it. Currently only the LG Optimus G uses this powerful stack, and it is perhaps the fastest ARM chip out there. On the camera front we have a 13-megapixel Sony made BSI sensor with a f/2.4 aperture. To give some perspective, even the LG Optimus G uses the very same 13-megapixel sensor. Apart from this, it has a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, 2GB of RAM, Corning Fit Glass, NFC, 50GB of Asus Web storage and a 2,140-mAh battery.

The tablet bit or as Asus likes to call it the Padfone station has a 1,280×800 pixel IPS panel a 5,000 mAh battery which is actually lower than the 6,600 mAh battery on the original Padfone and it has a weird 13-pin connector that handles all video, data and radio signals between the phone and the Padfone station. Notably, this 13-pin connector is compatible with micro-USB as well.

Asus is saying that the Padfone 2 will ship with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but will review an update to Jelly Bean shortly. Additionally the device will be sold in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB flavors. The Padfone 2 can either be purchased as a standalone phone or with the Padfone station.  Engadget notes that the price of the Padfone 2 ranges between $620 (Rs 32,739) and $750 (Rs 39,607) for the phone alone and the bundle costs an extra $210 (Rs 11,089). Currently, no India related pricing and release dates have been announced.

Photo Credits:  Ashish Bhatia

Back at IFA HTC had announced the Desire X and while HTC has not officially announced the product for India, the device is already available at eBay.in for Rs 19,799.

The Desire X is supposed to be a mid-range model and it runs on a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 play processor, which is based on the ARM Cortex A5 architecture and has a 4-inch S-LCD display with a resolution of 800×480 pixels, a 5-megapixel-rear camera and 768MB of RAM. The phone also has the Beats Audio branding and comes with 25 GB of DropBox cloud storage for 2 years. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with the HTC Sense 4.0 overlay.

The HTC Desire X will go head on with the likes of the Sony Xperia Sola, and the Sony Neo V. Specs wise it compares pretty favorably so it will be an interesting battle.

Samsung has announced the Galaxy Music smartphone, which is a budget friendly Android 4.0 music themed device. It features a 3.0-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240×320 pixels, a 3-megapixel fixed-focus camera, front stereo speakers with SRS and Sound Alive surround sound.

Other features of the device include 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, 1,300 mAh battery and a microSD card slot. Additionally, Samsung is saying that a Dual-SIM variant of the device will also be launched. Samsung will call that device, the Galaxy Music Duos.

As of now, the South Korean company remains mum on pricing and release date, but it should not be far away. We can expect the device to be launched in India pretty quickly, considering it is a phone for the budget conscious.

Key Specifications:

Sony has launched the Xperia Tipo in India for Rs 9,999. The phone runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The phone is available in both single-SIM and dual-SIM variants. The dual-SIM model costs Rs 10,449.

It sports a 3.2-inch display which is reinforced with scratch-resistant mineral glass, a 800MHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.2-megapixel camera, 1,500 mAh battery, 2GB internal memory, up to 32GB of expandable memory via a microSD card slot, and free 50GB of Box cloud storage.

Sony has partnered with Vodafone to offer users of the Xperia Tipo free 500MB of 3G data for three  months. Additionally both the Tipo and the Tipo Dual will come pre-loaded with a number of India centric apps such as Bollywood Hungama, Dainik Jagran and Cricbuzz.

On a side note Sony India also announced that starting from September 2012, the Sony Mobile smartphone unit had integrated with Sony India as part of the ‘One’ Sony ethos.

Key Specifications:

Now that Apple has unveiled the iPhone 5, everyone is wondering how it fares up against its main rivals. By main rivals we of course mean the Samsung Galaxy S III and the recently announced Nokia Lumia 920. From what we have seen today, the iPhone 5 is not breaking any new ground in terms of specs, but the good news is that it more than matches its competition.

Once we go through the specs it becomes pretty clear that the three flagship phones compare pretty well. While the Nokia Lumia 920 seems to have an edge in terms of the camera and display technology, the Samsung Galaxy S III provides the largest display and battery and the iPhone 5, on the other hand, makes for the most compact smartphone and wins out in terms of industrial design. The pricing of the iPhone 5 will be closer to what we have seen with the Samsung Galaxy S III, but Nokia is yet to announce any information regarding pricing and release, so it could turn out be a make or break launch for Nokia.

Karbonn has launched yet another smartphone in India, the A18 Smart, which runs Android 4.0 and costs Rs 12,990.

Powered by a 1GHz single-core processor, the A18 Smart has a 4.3-inch IPS display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front facing camera, dual-Sim support, 32GB of microSD card support, a 1,500 mAh battery and 3G connectivity.

This is not first device to be launched by a local OEM in this price bracket. Micromax, Spice and Gfive already offer a couple devices with similar specs at similar price points. The Micromax Pixel A90, in particular, would offer stiff competition to Karbonn’s A18.

Key Specs:

• 1GHz single-core processor
• 4.3-inch IPS display
• 5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front facing camera
• 1,500 mAh battery
• Dual-Sim
• microSD card support for up to 32GB of storage
• 2G and 3G support

Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich

After unveiling its latest flagship, the Optimus G, LG has unveiled another device called the Optimus L9, which is part of the L-series of smartphones built by the company.

The Optimus L9 is a slender device at 9.1mm and features a dual-core processor clocked at 1GHz . Additionally, it sports a 4.7-inch IPS display, a 5-megapixel camera, a 2,150mAh SiO+ battery that helps maximize performance and battery life. The Optimus L9 will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

LG is employing its Optimus UI 3.0 over the ICS experience and too sweeten the deal it is also bundling a handy QTranslator app based off Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Technology and can scan entire sentences and phrases in 44 foreign languages to 64 user languages. This tech works in conjunction with the camera and an online translation engine.

Considering, Google has already added OCR to Google Translate, we cannot help thinking that this might not be a critical differentiator for the LG Optimus L9. Furthermore, the company has also added an adaptive keyboard called the ‘My Style Keypad’. It actually adapts to weather the user is texting single handedly or using both his fingers.

LG is yet to announce pricing and availability of the Optimus L9, but judging from the specs we can assume that it will be priced in the sub 20k band.

Key Specifications:

Sony’s Xperia J has been leaked ahead of its rumored launch at IFA in Berlin starting next week according to a report filed by GSM Arena. The Xperia J is decidedly mid to low end smartphone and it runs of a 1GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and a 4-inch display with a resolution of 854×480 pixels.

Additional features of the smartphone include a 5-megapixel rear camera, a VGA front facing camera, a large 1,700 mAh battery and it runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Design wise it is a mashup of the 2011 Xperia Ray, Arc and the 2012 Xperia U as it integrates the multi-colored LEDs as seen on the latter.

Key Specifications:

• 4-inch display, 854×480 pixels
• 1GHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon
• 5-MP rear camera, VGA front facing camera
• 1,700 mAh battery
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

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