Videocon V1306 Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) Mobile Phone

Videocon seems to have established itself as a mobile manufacturer now and not just a company renowned for consumer electronics for the home. Their range extends from the lower end segment to devices in the higher end spectrum with touchscreen devices running on a Windows Mobile Platform. The V1306 Dual SIM is one of their ultra budget handsets for those looking to keep things real simple. Here’s a closer look.

Form Factor
The V1306 looks like the Nokia 1608. There’s no doubt about it. In quite a few ways though, it’s a little better than the Nokia model in terms of features at least. The V1306 comes with an LED light located on the top and a standard mini USB port (universal – Charger, USB, handsfree) on the side. It’s also of the Dual SIM variety and supports external memory (up to 4GB) via microSD cards. There’s no hot swap for the same but it doesn’t seem necessary for a handset in this segment. It’s light weight with comfortable keys making it a comfortable mobile to use.

Features and Performance
Interface
Since the phone is designed for and targeted at a lower end demographic, the UI is simple, colorful and well laid out. Its navigation and accessing functions are smooth, however when it comes to typing the handset just can’t keep up. The V1306 isn’t designed for speedy typers as you’ll have completed an entire SMS of 100 characters while the handset would still be on its 70th. It’s excruciatingly slow. This is one of the handset’s bigger drawbacks. Another issue is that it doesn’t have a Vibrate & Ring option in the settings. It relys on what Videocon calls a ‘Vibra’ Speaker system. The speakers vibrate for external audio which means for incoming calls as well. But in a noisy environment, if it’s in your pocket you won’t feel or hear it.
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Media
Equipped with a music player and EQ presets, the V1306 seems like it has the makings of a decent multimedia handset however it falls quite short. Audio quality from the speakerphone is not too bad and it’s adequate enough to have a conversation as well if there isn’t too much ambient sound around i.e. noise. The bundled handsfree is not designed to provide loud or clear tone quality for the player so music just doesn’t sound good enough, even with EQ presets. The bass is muffled at best and higher tones seem to be missing.

On the plus side, the V1306 has an FM radio that functions with an internal antenna. You don’t need to plug in the handsfree for the radio. Like LG GM200’s ‘Intenna’ technology. Reception was quite good and it managed quite well in areas where most handsets don’t seem to get good pick-up. There’s also a recording option available as well as a separate voice recorder.

The image viewer didn’t seem to find any of my picture files stored on my card. Most of course were too large to open, including those in a 240 x 320 pixel resolution. A few games are thrown in and do help pass the time if you're thoroughly bored.