Quad-core Karbonn Titanium S5+ available online for Rs 10,636

Karbonn is bulking up its low-end and mid-range segments. The latest phone from its stables is the Titanium S5+, which is now available for Rs 10,636 at a couple of online retailers. This despite the fact that we haven’t seen an official announcement for the the S5 successor. 

As we can see the Titanium S5+ runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, a couple of pegs lower than the latest version. Up front is a 5-inch IPS display with a qHD or 540x960 pixel resolution. In terms of performance, the S5+ makes use of a 1.3GHz quad-core processor of unspecified make, along with 1GB of RAM. 

On the back is an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, while the front camera is only a VGA shooter. The S5+ comes with lowly 4GB of internal storage, but can take in cards up to 32GB in size. There’s an 1800mAh battery, which does not sound ample, given the quad-core processor and the large display. Connectivity-wise you get the standard Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ AGPS, and 3G options. 

Here are the key specs once again:

• 5-inch IPS display with a 540x960 pixels resolution
• Dual-SIM (GSM+GSM), 3G, Wi-Fi,
• Bluetooth, GPS with A-GPS support
• 4GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 8-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash

Last week, the company launched two entry-level phones in the Duple series. Both priced under Rs 6,000, the A1+ and the A15+ Duple also run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, but have a dual-core 1.3GHz processor instead of a quad-core CPU.

Micromax A77 Canvas Juice with 3000 mAh battery on sale for INR 7,999

Micromax has released a new Android smartphone in the Indian market. Dubbed as A77 Canvas Juice, the smartphone packs a huge 3,000 mAh battery and is currently available on HomeShop18 for INR 7,999.

Other specifications of Micromax A77 include 5-inch FWVGA display, Android 4.2.2, 1.3GHz dual-core processor, 5MP rear camera and VGA front camera. As you can see, apart from the battery, all other specifications of the phone are decent but not great. The phone is clearly meant for consumers, who are more concerned about the battery backup of their phone than other features.

The smartphone will be joining Micromax’s Canvas line-up, which includes other smartphones like Canvas Fun, Canvas HD, Canvas Turbo and Canvas 3D.

In related news, Micromax has also released A116i Android smartphone in India, which is currently selling for INR 12,090 and comes with Android 4.2, 5-inch HD display and quad-core processor.

Micromax Canvas Juice A77 key specifications

• 5-inch display with 854x480p resolution
• Dual-SIM support
• 1.3GHz dual-core processor
• Android 4.2.2
• 5MP rear camera with LED flash, VGA front camera
• 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G
• 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, MicroSD card slot
• 3000 mAh battery

Samsung announces Galaxy Grand 2 with quad-core CPU and 720p display

Samsung has announced a successor to the Galaxy Grand that was launched earlier this year. The Galaxy Grand 2 is a much-improved version of the earlier phone and brings some high-end features to what is hoped will be a mid-range phone. It resembles the Note 2 sporting a 5.25-inch display, but do not expect a stylus to be accompanying it. 

The Galaxy Grand 2 features a 16:9 720p display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. It comes with support for Samsung's Multi Window feature that allows multitasking on the device’s large screen. The processing speed has been stepped up as the Galaxy Grand 2 is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and there's a healthy 1.5GB of RAM on board. It runs on Android 4.3, and there is no word on whether it will get Android KitKat.

Here’s a quick look at its key specifications:

• 5.25-inch HD display with 1280 x 720pixels of resolution
• 3G, Wi-Fi
• 8 megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash, 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera
• 8GB onboard storage, expandable upto 64GB via microSd card slot

All of this is fuelled by a 2,600mAh battery that promises up to 10 hours of playback and 17 hours of talk time. The smartphone also offers dual SIM capabilities. Continuing the Galaxy legacy, the Grand 2 comes with some smart features that continue such as the Story Album to organize pictures, an S Translator app, a Samsung Hub, S Travel, Samsung Link and more. It is also expected to get some features from high-end Galaxy models, but support for Galaxy Gear is still unknown.

It measures 146.8 x 75.3 x 8.9 mm, and tips the scale at 163 grams. Samsung has not gone colourful with the Galaxy Grand 2, offering the now-standard white, black and pink colour options. There is no word on the pricing and availability yet, but we expect an early 2014 launch.

Grand Quattro successor, Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo launching in India soon?

Samsung definitely seems to have a busy month ahead, setting the stage for a bunch of mid-range phone launches. Hot on the heels of Galaxy Grand 2 officially being launched, a new report from BGR suggests that the Taiwanese company is working on yet another successor, this time for the Galaxy Grand Quattro. The Grand Quattro was launched in India back in May for Rs 17,290, but saw the price dropping to Rs 16,900 soon after.  

While details are scarce, the device may come with a new name in tow: the Galaxy Grand Neo. It is expected to come with better specifications than its predecessor and could be launched in India by December this year. There has not yet been any confirmation from Samsung about the existence of this device yet, so it is tough to validate these claims for now.

While it is still not clear what the Grand Neo will get, a quick look at the specs of the Grand Quattro reveals that it comes with a 4.7-inch TFT display with a resolution of 400x800 pixels. Under the hood, it is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8625Q Snapdragon 200 1.2GHz quad-core processor, an Adreno 203 GPU and 1GB of RAM for some extra processing power. Te 5-megapixel primary camera is decent enough for basic photos, although the VGA front shooter is a disappointing feature in the smartphone. Rounding up the offering is a 200mAh battery, which seems ideal given the low resolution display and CPU. 

The company’s latest launch, the Grand 2, comes with a 5.25-inch 16:9 display and a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The handset packs in Samsung’s Multi-Window feature for multitasking on the large screen. Bumping up the processor speed, the Grand 2 is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz coupled with 1.5GB of RAM. The device runs on Android 4.3 right out of the box, and there is no word yet on whether it will get Android’s latest flavour, KitKat. While there is no word on the pricing and availability yet, an early 2014 India launch is expected.

Huawei's Ascend Mate 2 leak hints at 1080p display, better CPU

The last time we saw a phablet offering coming from Huawei was back in June, when it launched the Ascend Mate in India for Rs 24,900. The company now plans to bump up its offering with a successor, tentatively being called the Ascend Mate 2. A new leak from Huawei News comes with a bunch of images that help to fill some of the gaps in the specifications sheet. 

The source, while referring to an anonymous tipster, shows off what it claims to be photos of Ascend Mate 2, along with a screen shot of Android setting page showing the Android version, model name and other details. According to source, the new device may come with a 6.1-inch IPS display, the same as its predecessor, but with a higher resolution, presumably 1080p.

Under the hood, it is expected to be powered by HiSilicon’s latest Kirin910 chipset with a 1.6GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 processor, Mali-450 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Other features expected in the specs list include 16GB of internal memory and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean coupled with the latest version of Emotion UI. There is no official word from Huawei about this, though. There is also no mention of a possible release date, estimated price tag, or the number of markets the device may be headed for. 

The company’s earlier offering, the Ascend Mate, came with a 6.1-inch HD IPS+ display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels and Corning’s Gorilla Glass for protection. Under the hood, the device is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Hi-Silicon K3V2 processor. It also comes with Intel’s XMM6260 HSPA+ chip for high-speed 3G Internet.

The Ascend Mate adds 2GB of RAM as well as Android 4.1 Jelly Bean right out of the box. For the photographers among us, the device offers an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 1-megapixel front shooter. On the connectivity front, we have the usual options like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Rounding up the package is a massive 4050mAh battery. .

Karbonn Titanium S7 up for pre-order for Rs 14,999

Karbonn has now entered the full HD smartphone arena by unveiling the Titanium S7 in India. It is now listed on Flipkart and can be pre-ordered for Rs 14,999. The listing clearly states that the estimated release date is in the fifth week of November. The handset measures 72x143.5x9.3mm and is available only in black colour.

The handset comes with a 5-inch full HD display OGS technology. It also offers dual-SIM support and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. Under the hood, the S7 is powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz, although the chipset has not been specified.

For the photographers among us, the S7 comes with a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash as well as a 2-megapixel front-facing shooter for those occasional selfies. It offers users 16GB of internal memory, expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. While the actual capacity of the phone battery has not been mentioned, the listing shows that the handset will give you a paltry four hours of talk time on 2G and 200 hours of 2G standby time. There are no details about the RAM capacity of the model. Given the amount of usage that smartphones see these days, the dismal battery life may prove to be a deal-breaker for most users.

Here’s a quick look at the specs of the Karbonn Titanium S7:

• 5-inch full HD display, 1920x1080 pixel resolution, One Glass Solution technology
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, EDGE
• 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash, 2-megapixel front camera
• 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card slot

While the S7 is the latest device on Karbonn’s roster, the company also has plans to introduce another smartphone for the market soon: the Titanium X. Originally thought to be the first full HD device from the company, the device will come with a 5-inch IPS display (1920x1080 pixels). Under the hood, it will be powered by a quad-core processor clocked at 1.5GHz and run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. On the photography front, we get a 13-megapixel rear shooter with auto focus and dual LED flash as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing shooter. Rounding up the offering is a 2,300mAh battery. There is still no word on when the device will be hitting the market.