Even though the ‘Android One’ series was almost launched a year back in India, I was able to give it a go recently when I was able to play around with the Spice Dream Uno Mi-498H (498 and 498H are basically same with the ‘H’ standing for Hindi with the box and manuals all in Hindi). From whatever I read on the net the Android One series didn’t set the markets on fire but those looking for a decent smartphone without breaking the 5K INR barrier (85 USD) can consider this…
From the outside,
- It’s made of black plastic not too glossy and measures 132 x 67 x 9.2 mm and weighs 107 grams. The build quality is good for this price point.
- It’s got a removable back cover which houses a removable 1700 mAh battery with dual SIM slot and a micro SD card slot supporting upto 32 GB. It supports micro SIM.
- On the front the 4.5″ capacitive LCD touch screen measure 4.5″ with a screen resolution of 854 x 484 pixels (218 ppi). A bright and sensitive touch screen but with no Gorilla glass support.
- The back camera is a 5 MP and front camera is a 2 MP one. Both is pretty good to take snaps in well lit conditions. With no flash and a pretty basic camera module night shots is not this one’s forte…
- The 3.5 mm audio jack is at the top and the micro USB cable for charging / syncing is at the bottom. The power key and volume rockers are on the side.
From the inside,
- All the android one series phones are the same (Micromax Canvas A1 and Karbon Sparkle V) with a MediaTek Quadcore processor clocked at 1.3 Ghz with 1 GB RAM and 4 GB internal memory.
- The phone came with Android 4.4 (KitKat) and with two OTA updates it jumped to Android Lollipop 5.1 first then to 5.1.1 making it up-to date with regards to the latest stable Android version available in the market now.
- The phone was pretty smooth for day to day tasks making use of the latest vanilla Android lollipop version. Apps for messaging / calling / browsing were pretty slick to load and use.
- The phone calling feature was nice and loud with good network reception.
- The 1700 mAh battery will last a day and a half for medium use. There is a in-built battery saver function to eke out some more from the battery if the need arises…
Summing up, the Spice Android One Mi-498H is a good entry level Android smartphone. It gives a great look into the Android eco-system and at a price point of around 3,999 INR (70 USD) it’s Value for Money all the way…
What’s in the Box : Phone, Battery, Micro USB cable, Charger plug, Headphones, Manual, Screen protector, Warranty card.