Smartphone and tablet launches in India this week

In the hustle-bustle of your everyday work life, you might have missed the launch of this week's hottest smartphones and tablets. Worry not, here’s our round-up of this week’s launches. Let’s start with the smartphones.

Intex AQUA Wonder
Intex launched a new dual-SIM smartphone, the AQUA Wonder. The smartphone runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and has 512MB of RAM. The device looks sleek, has an 8.9 mm-thick waistline and weighs 125 gm. The phone’s specifications place it in the mid-range category, but it has a price tag of Rs 9,990, which should make it an attractive option.     

Intex AQUA Wonder

Other specs of the smartphone are:

• 4.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 960 x 540
• Dual-sim, 3G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• 8 megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash and 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• 2GB of storage space and supports microSD cards up to 32GB in size

The phone is powered by an 1800 MaH battery, which the company claims will last for 3.5 hours of talk-time and 72 hours of standby.

Karbonn Smart A111
Karbonn also launched a dual-SIM smartphone, the Karbonn Smart A111. It is powered by a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor and has 512MB of RAM. Unfortunately, the Karbonn handset runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, when almost all new phones in its range are launching with Jelly Bean. The Smart A111 is available at some online retailers for Rs 10,290.

Karbonn Smart A111

Here are the highlighted features of the Karbonn Smart A111:

• 5-inch display
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• Ambient light sensor, a G-sensor and a proximity sensor
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP
• 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, burst mode and face detection along with front-facing camera
• 4GB of internal memory expandable via microSD up to 32GB

The phone is equipped with a healthy 2100mAh battery, which should be more than enough to keep it powered on for the entire day.

Celkon A27
After Celkon’s recent attempt at an Android smartphone with the A200, the company has launched the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich-running A27. The phone was launched with a price tag of Rs 8,999 and comes with a free scratch guard and flip cover. Much like the recent crop of Indian smartphones, the A27 has dual-SIM support.

Celkon A27

Here are some other key features of the A27:

• 4.63-inch touchscreen with qHD resolution
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth with A2DP
• 4GB internal memory

It is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor and has 512MB of RAM. It is equipped with an 1800 mAh battery. Unfortunately, the company has not revealed any details about the phone’s camera.

Samsung Galaxy Young
Samsung announced two low-end smartphones for emerging markets. The Galaxy Young will likely fill up the bottom spot in Samsung’s range. It is powered by a 1Ghz single-core processor and 768MB of RAM, which should run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean smoothly. It also has 1300mAh battery, which should be enough for a low-powered phone like this.

Samsung Galaxy Young

Other specs of the Galaxy Young:

• 3.27-inch display with a 480 x 320 resolution display
• WiFi, EDGE/GPRS
• GPS with A-GPS
• Bluetooth with A2DP
• 3 megapixel rear camera
• 4GB internal storage with microSD card slot for cards up to 64GB

Samsung Galaxy Fame
The other low-end phone that Samsung launched this week was the Galaxy Fame. Despite a bump up in screen size from the Young, Samsung has gone with the same resolution on this handset. This means that despite the larger screen, the pixel density is actually lower on the Fame. The company has also decided to grace the handset with the same 1GHz processor as its sibling.

Samsung Galaxy Fame

Here are some of the key technical specifications of the Galaxy Fame

• 3.5-inch screen with 480 X 320 resolution
• WiFi, EDGE/GPRS
• GPS with GLONASS support
• Bluetooth with A2DP
• 5 megapixel rear camera has a VGA front-facing companion.
• NFC connectivity
• 4GB internal storage with microSD card slot for cards up to 64GB

The Fame has slightly less RAM than the Young at 512MB. The Fame also runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Plenty of options to choose from when it comes to smartphones, but tablet launches aren’t far behind. Three Indian manufacturers launched slates this week. Here’s a roundup.

HCL ME tablets
HCL yesterday unveiled a new range of tablets, with the HCL ME Y3 being the pick of the lot. This is a dual-SIM tablet and is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A9 processor with 1GB RAM, which should ensure speedy performance. The Y3 has priced at Rs 11,999, which should please most buyers.

For that price, here’s what you get:

• 7-inch screen with a resolution of 1024 x 600
• 3G, Wi-Fi
• GPS
• Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB, Mini HDMI port
• 3.2 megapixel rear camera with VGA fron camera
• 4GB built-in memory, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card

The tablet has a 3,100mAh battery, which should be enough for a slate of this size. HCL also introduced two other tablets, the HCL ME V1 and the ME U2. The HCL ME V1 has the facility of making calls and is housed in a slim, metal body.  It is powered by a 1GHZ processor and has 1GB of DDR3 RAM.

HCL ME V1

Other specs of the HCL ME V1 are:

• 7-inch touchscreen with 800 x 480 resolution
• EDGE, Wi-FI
• GPS
• Proximity sensor
• Bluetooth 3.0 with micro USB for data cards
• 2MP camera on the rear of the device, while a VGA unit is placed in front
• 4GB built-in memory and can accommodate microSD card of up to 32GB capacity

The V1 is a bargain at Rs 7,999 and is powered on by a robust 3200 mAh Li-Po Battery and supports almost all 3G USB dongles available in the market. The third tablet launched by HCL, the ME U2, is very similar in specs to the V1. It does not have a camera on the back and is priced at Rs 5,999.

Champion Wtab 705 Talk
Champion Computers launched its latest tablet, the Wtab 705 Talk, this week. The tablet runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Wtab 705 Talk is powered by a single-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and has 512 MB of RAM.

Champion Wtab 705 Talk

Other specs of the Wtab 705 Talk are:

• 7-inch display with a resolution of 480 x 800
• 3G, GPRS/EDGE, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Hotspot
• GPS
• Bluetooth
• Rear and front-facing cameras
• 4GB of storage, with support for further 32GB via microSD card

To access 3G connections, you'll have to connect a 3G USB dongle. The Wtab 705 Talk tablet is priced at Rs 6,300

Videocon VT71
It seems 7 inches is the hottest size for tablets. Videocon also launched a 7-inch tablet this week, the VT71, with a price tag of Rs. 4799. Videocon has powered this device with a 1.2GHz processor and 512MB RAM.

Videcon VT71

Key specifications of the VT71 are:

• 7-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 3G via dongle
• GPS
• Bluetooth with microUSB and HDMI port
• Front-facing camera
• 4GB of on-board memory with microSD card slot for expansion up to 32GB

However, there is no camera and the tablet doesn’t get the latest version of Android, but in fact, runs 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The company has equipped the tablet with a 3,200mAh battery, so one can expect good battery life.

Cover image credit: Getty Images