Chinese smartphone brand Phicomm has introduced the 5-inch Energy 653 at a price of just Rs 4,999, making it the cheapest HD phone in India with 4G LTE. It will be sold exclusively by Amazon in India.
At present, the cheapest HD phones in India with LTE are the Redmi 2S and the Coolpad Dazen 1, both carrying tags of Rs 5999. The Phicomm Energy 653 has a price that is Rs 1000 lower.
Phicomm has already achieved a distinction for being a very efficient player in India as it launches the most cost-effective phones in the market.
In June, it launched the Passion P660 for Rs 11,000. At the time, the Passion P660 was the cheapest full-HD 4G phone you could buy in the Indian market, and Phicomm seems to be eager to repeat the feat at the entry-level market as well.
The Energy 653 comes with what has by now become the default specifications for all entry-level 4G smartphones – 1 GB of RAM, 8 GB of storage memory, 8 + 2 MP cameras, 2,300 mAh battery, dual-SIM support and Android Lolipop.
Unlike some other models, this one supports 4G in both SIMs.
The company also say that Energy 653 will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. We are guessing its the SD 410.
It should be remembered that this phone will not be the lowest priced 4G handset in India. That distinction is likely to belong to the ZTE Blade Q Lux, which technically carries the same tag of Rs 4,999 – but is currently available under ‘Freedom Sale’ at Rs 4,499.
However, at 0.4 MP, the ZTE Blade Q Lux has only 40% of the number of pixels on its display that the Phicomm Energy 653 has. Moreover, display size is smaller at just 4.5 inches diagonal.
As a result, the Phicomm Energy 653 is definitely the king of the entry-level smartphone market right now, but two factors are yet to be known — exact availability and overall quality.
The phone is available for purchase on Amazon.
Similarly, entry-level phones have had a spotty reputation so far. As a result, it will be wise to wait for early-user reviews before shelling out money on such phones. The ZTE Blade, for example, has had some negative user reviews.
However, the previous phone – Passion – has got decent reviews from users, with users reporting decent build quality and displays.
Here’s a video.
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