LG Optimus 4X HD

            MRP: 32999

Digit Rating: Good

4/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• Solid performance
• Excellent display
• Good camera

CONS

• Drab, large form factor
• Speakers not very loud
• Over-simplistic UI

Summary

The Optimus 4X HD is LG's first quad-core offering, and joins the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X. With the S III in the clear lead in terms of performance, the LG Optimus 4X HD is closely followed by the HTC One X. It is also cheaper than the One X, holds all the bangs and whistles that the One X offers and comes with expandable storage, which the One X lacks. For Rs. 32,999 (MRP) the device can be considered as your go-to quad-core smartphone.

The HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III have been battling it out as the best quad-core smartphones available in the market. But now these two devices are joined by a third contender, the LG Optimus 4X HD. Does it have what it takes to stand tall with the big guns or are you better of with the tried and tested? Read on to find out!

Design and Build
One look at the LG Optimus 4X HD and the first thing that will come to mind is that the device is huge. It has a large 4.7-inch IPS LCD display which feels a little more rectangular in shape when compared to the HTC One X (read our review) or theSamsung Galaxy S III (read our review).

Just like the plethora of other Android devices in the market, the LG Optimus 4X HD sports three touch sensitive buttons below the display – back, home and menu. Long pressing the home button brings up the multitasking menu and you can close apps from here by simply swiping them out of the way.

The face of the LG Optimus 4X HD is simple and clean with the LG logo resting below the earpiece. To the right of the earpiece is the 1.3MP front facing camera for video chatting.

Android version

Back

Back open

Camera

LED flash

The rear of the LG Optimus 4X HD has a textured finish to it. The rear panel is quite plasticky and houses the 8MP camera with an LED flash. The overall finish and the feel of the device in our hands was a bit better with the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III as they sported a polycarbonate finish. The LG is not bad by any means but the feel of the device in one’s hands could have been better.

Customizable app

Media hub

Swipe in any direction.

Top

Touch buttons

In terms of controls too you have the standard assortment of physical buttons. The power/sleep/wake button rests on the top of the device along with the headphones jack. The top is a more convenient place for the power button as compared to other devices that have it on the right panel. The volume rocker rests on the left of the LG Optimus 4X HD. It is really slim and blends into the left panel. For look and design this is a nice touch but ergonomically, it’s easy to lose the volume rocker. The bottom of the device houses the microUSB port.

Sony Xperia S

          Price: 32549

Digit Rating: Good

4/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• Premium build
• Fits well in the hand
• Excellent display
• Lots of internal storage
Camera that works well for the most part

CONS

• Camera behaves badly during night shots
• Timescape UI feels boxy
• Needs Android ICS update quickly

Summary

Sony really needs to push the ICS updates out of the door, very quickly. The Xperia S seems to have everything in place - good hardware, excellent build quality and design and a very good display. However, Sony needs to get the UI sorted. When compared straight with the HTC Sense, the UI just looks boxy. But with the ICS update inevitable, this is a pretty decent device to buy.

It is quite rare to find a phone that is almost perfect. We were honoured to meet a second such device in quick succession. Close on the heels of the HTC One X came the Sony Xperia S. And both the phones, though they are in different smartphone categories, do most things right - the perfect translation of potential into performance.

Look & Feel
The Sony Xperia S has a very premium build quality. It feels worth the price, and no point of time does it look less expensive than what it really is. To start off, the transparent strip running below the display only breaks the darkness of the piano black glass. Labeled on this transparent strip are the three icons - return, home and options. However, the actual keys are the touch sensitive ones just above the strip, indicated by three tiny dots. The video-calling camera sits on the right top corner above the screen. Compare on either side of this glass, and it is like the city of Liverpool divided by the Mersey River - completely different from the other. While it is the darkly shiny bit around the display, the rubberized finish below it adds a contrasting dimension. Also, this rubberized finish flows all the way around to the back also.

Speaking of which, this finish of the rear panel is helpful when gripping the phone and typing with the same hand - the Xperia S doesn’t slip around as some phones do. Towards the top is the 12MP camera, which we feel is a little too far that way. We shall get to that point later. Sony haven’t given the Xperia S the unibody design goodness, which means the rear panel can be opened to access the micro SIM slot. However, the battery is locked away from user access. We would have loved to see this phone with the unibody build, and the micro SIM slot could have been implemented on a spine. There are covers for the HDMI port as well as the micro USB port. While the covers themselves are quite solid, the hinge holding them is surprisingly flimsy plastic. We would be very careful every time we plug in the phone for charging, fearing even the slightest rough use will break it.

Also, check out our video review of the Sony Xperia S:

HTC One X

          Price: 37899

Digit Rating: Good

4/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• One word - powerful
• Very good display
• Slim chassis
• Built well, even though it is just plastic
• Looks fantastic

CONS

• Battery life is disappointing
• A dash of metal would have given it a premium look
• HTC Sense crashes at times

Summary

There are two reasons to buy this - you want the very best Android phone at the moment but don't really care about the mediocre battery life, and that you hate the iOS platform from the bottom of your heart!

It is astounding how HTC makes brilliant looking phones, one after the other, as if the designing process is a well planned production line in itself! The latest flagship phone, the One X, walks down the same path.

Look & Feel
The HTC One X is a looker, and there is no doubting the effort that the Taiwanese manufacturers’ design team has put in for this phone. Judging by the design, the form factor and the quality of materials used, the One X feels quite premium. For a lot of people, a phone with some metal component to the build is an essential indicator to the solidity of the build quality. See and hold the One X once, and all those assumptions will be dispelled. Even though this falls squarely in the big-screen smartphone category, the One X isn't uncomfortable to use or unwieldy to hold.

To understand most elements of the design influence, you need to look at the phone placed vertically on a flat surface, from side on. The slimness literally shouts silently. We had praised theMotorola Razr (read our review) for its slimness, and at 8.9mm, the One X isn't far behind the Razr’s 7.1mm. What you will also notice is slight curve on the top and bottom. The only issue with this slimness is that the 8MP camera protrudes out at the back, and when placed flat, the phone rests on a part of the clicker.

While it is plastic throughout, we believe it is the unibody design that lends it the solidity. We first saw this a few years back on the HTC Legend, and while the design didn’t really catch on then, it never really went away. Off late, we have seen this with a lot of phones, with the Nokia Lumia 800(read our review) being a prime example. The review unit sent to us had the enamel white finish, which wasn’t glossy and thankfully so, for it isn't a fingerprint or scratch magnet. However, this colour does have the problem of getting dirty very quickly, and you’ll have to be quite careful about that.

BlackBerry Curve 9220

          Price: 10990

Digit Rating: Average

3/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• BB OS 7.1
• Good battery life

CONS

• Noisy keypad
• No GPS

Summary

If you just have to get a BlackBerry device because of their BBM and Email goodness, want something with the latest OS, and can only budget for about Rs 10,000, this has to be the device you buy. If all you want is BBM and you aren't app crazy, stick with the Curve 8520. If you want GPS and 3G on a budget, get the Curve 3G 9300. You will have to spend a little over Rs. 17,000 on the Curve 9360 if you want BB OS 7 and the latest features (NFC for example).

The BlackBerry Curve 9220 arrived at Digit’s office about 10 days prior to its launch. As fate would have it, my own BlackBerry Curve 9360 mysteriously died a day before the Curve 9220 arrived – stuff conspiracy theories are made of. What this means is that the 9220 has actually been my primary phone for the past 10 days, and thus it’s truly been tested in “real-world” usage scenarios. For those wondering what exactly my real world is like: it’s been rattled about in my car door holder, as I pretend I’m driving a moon buggy on our pot-hole-laden roads, had my cat knock it off a table (just because she could), got suntanned when it was forgotten on the car dashboard on a proper Mumbai summer afternoon, dropped when the stupid silicone cover got stuck in the pocket of my jeans... the works.

I’m happy to report that it’s still working, so it’s certainly a tough little thing, and the aforementioned evil silicone cover that it came with is actually a boon for careless, scatterbrained, butterfingered people like me.

Look and feel
What look and feel? The thing looks just like the older BlackBerry Curve 8520 or the Curve 9300.

As someone using it after a Curve 9360, it’s certainly a step backwards – it’s irritatingly fatter, but not 9K worth of irritation, which is how much cheaper it is than the 9360. The BlackBerry Curve 9220 is a tiny bit slimmer than the 8520 and 9300, and has actual buttons for Call, Menu, Return and End Call keys, but that’s about it in the looks department.

HTC Rhyme

          Price: 25950

Digit Rating: Good

3.5/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• Good build and design
• Sense 3.5 is a refreshing UI over Android
• Upgradable to ICS
• Good battery life

CONS

• Single-core processor
• Charm is a useless accessory
• Battery cannot be removes

Summary

In a day and age where we have dual-core smartphones ruling to roost, it's a little hard to recommend a single-core smartphone. It's not like the device is bad. The camera has some nice effects. Apps run smoothly until you start some heavy multitasking. The Sense 3.5 is one of the best skins to overlay the Android OS and the fact that the Rhyme is expected to receive the ICS update soon makes it future proof. But if you are in the market to pick up a device close to the Rs. 25,000 mark, we suggest that you take a look at the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S, HTC Sensation or the Nokia Lumia 800 before making your buying decision.

Smartphones today have become more of a style statement along with housing some impressive power under the hood. We have devices like the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Motorola Razr that are not only eye catchers with their design, but boast of some amazing power under the hood as well.

Today we have with us the HTC Rhyme. A smartphone that has some really impressive and stylish looks, funky and unique accessories and boasts of a single-core processor in a day and age ruled by the dual-core. Are looks and feature enough to distinguish this device from the crowd, or has it fallen short of performance?

Look and FeelThe device has a candy bar form factor with a look and feel that screams HTC all over the place. The front has a 3.7-inch display with four touch sensitive buttons below it – home, menu, back and search. A lot of handset manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony have foregone the search button in their handsets but its nice to see that HTC has retained it. We think it’s pretty useful.

HTC Sensation XL

           Price: 37899

Digit Rating: Average

3/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• Vibrant and crisp display
• Surprisingly smooth real-life performance
• Comfortable touchscreen experience
• HTC Sense looks superb on the bigger real estate

CONS

• Specs don't inspire confidence
• Too many apps preloaded
• No memory expansion slot

Summary

The Sensation XL makes us scratch our heads in puzzlement. There is nothing wrong with the device, but it still doesn't stand out in the Android crowd. Ideally, it should, because of the bigger than usual display size. The performance is quite stable as well. There will be the inevitable comparisons to the Samsung Galaxy Note - both are the big-screen smartphones. Benchmarks portray this phone as an inferior device, which isn't how it feels when you are using it.

Look & Feel

The HTC Sensation XL is the second phone, with the HTC Sensation XE being the first, to come with the Beats Audio branding. And is targeting an even more unique demographic - one that doesn’t want a traditional smartphone with a 4-inch display, and neither do they want the mammoth 5.3-inch goodness of the Samsung Galaxy Note. How successful that approach will be, only time will tell. But we should state this straightaway - the bigger the display, the more convenient it is to use a touchscreen. 
It is a big phone, and quite clearly feels that way. HTC have smartly thinned the bezel on the right and left side of the display, to shave off that precious mm that could make all the difference between comfortable and unwieldy. Below the display are four touch sensitive keys - Home, Options, Return and Search. While a lot of phone manufacturers are doing away with the dedicated Search key, HTC retains that. And we believe that is a convenience thing we wouldn’t want to let go of. Flip the phone over, and there is a dual toned finish - silver combines with the white flowing over from the rest of the phone. The Beats Audio logo clearly gives away its alliances. Battery opening mechanism is simple, thanks to the press to flip up mechanism. However, be careful to not press the power button while doing that. There is the 1,600 mAh battery sitting there, and so is the SIM card slot. No memory expansion though - you will have to be happy with the 13GB of the 16GB internal storage available to you. While it is plastic all through, the build quality is just okay. It doesn’t have the premium feel that the black and red finish of the slightly smaller Sensation XE offered. But doesn’t feel flimsy or badly made in any way.

Apple iPad (2012)

          Price: NA

Digit Rating: Excellent

4.5/5

Features:

Performance:

Value:

Design:

PROS

• Retina Display
• Better rear camera
• Snappier performance

CONS

• Slightly heavier than the iPad 2
• 4G capabilities unavailable in India
• Apps will consumer more space, courtesy new display

Summary

If you are an iPad 'one' user, or a user of any other tablet available in the market, then you should consider the upgrade to the New iPad. If you are an iPad 2 user however, we suggest you skip this iteration and wait for the fourth generation iPad as that will be a better value for money upgrade for you.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Apple single handedly defined the tablet genre with the launch of the original iPad way back in 2010, and, that the competition still has not been able to catch up!

With the launch of the Asus Transformer Prime boasting of the powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor and Super IPS+ 1280 x 800 display, a ray of hope started to emerge for the competition (check out our first impressions). Then Apple went and did what it does best. Revolutionize the iPad to an extent that it has blown the competition straight out the window.

With quad-core graphics, a better rear snapper and a tiny thing called the Retina Display, has Apple raised the bar for the tablet industry? In a word, yes, but read on to see why and how!

What’s in the Box?
Look at the box of the iPad 2 (read our review) and the New iPad and you will see absolutely no difference. The packaging is the same and minimalistic with the box housing the iPad, 30-pin connector and a wall plug for charging along with the manuals.

Design
If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it! We placed the New iPad and the iPad 2 in the hands of virtually everyone who walked into our lab and while the display was off, none of the users could make out the difference between the 2 devices. Some of the people who were iPad 2 users complained about one being heavier than the other and they guessed which was which.

In terms of its design, the New iPad is identical to the iPad 2 (just like the iPhone 4 and the 4S). The only difference lies in its weight. Just to put things into perspective, here’s a look at the dimensions of the iPad 2 and the New iPad.

As you can see, the upgrade in weight is only incremental and first for time users, it won’t make much of a difference.