Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo

Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo

Samsung's Grand lineup, in its short history, has been all about two things: screen size and dual SIM support on a shoestring budget. With screen real estate getting cheaper all the time, Grand phones are targeting fans of big screens who aren't looking to break the bank to have one.

The latest installment in the lineup, the Neo, brings the Galaxy Grand to an even more competitive price point, although understandably, that required a few sacrifices.

But just how good is a Neo going to be when it comes to the Grand concept? Let's take a closer look at the specs, and how they're different from the original Galaxy Grand.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE; dual-band 3G with HSPA
• 5" 16M-color WVGA capacitive touchscreen; 186ppi
• Android OS v4.2 Jelly Bean with TouchWiz UI
• Quad-core 1.2GHz (3G) Cortex-A7 CPU, VideoCore IV GPU; Broadcom BCM23550 chipset
• 1GB of RAM
• 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash, 720p video recording @ 30fps, continuous autofocus
• 0.3 MP front-facing camera, VGA video recording
• Dual-band Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wireless Hotspot
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 8GB of built-in storage
• microSD card slot
• microUSB v2.0
• Bluetooth v4.0
• Stereo FM radio
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• 2,100 mAh battery; user replaceable

Main disadvantages

• Not competitively priced (€250 at the time of writing)
• Only 4GB user available internal storage
• Tired and exhausted design, no differentiation whatsoever
• No USB On-The-Go

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2

Samsung's pole position in smartphones doesn't necessarily mean a win in tablets but it sure is an advantage and the Koreans won't give up on it easily. The Galaxy Note Pro 12.2 is standing at the very top of a lineup, whose fourth generation has hit the fast lane again after a less than impressive showing last season. This here Note Pro has unique size and all the S Features the company has developed so far.

The tablet's business aspirations are made clear by the KNOX enterprise security feature and rich app package that includes a full-blown office document editor, collaboration tools and even subscriptions to business publications.

There's an artistic side to it too, enabled by the S Pen and an advanced drawing app, while the Multi-window split-screen multitasking has grown to support up to four apps at a time (made possible by the larger screen). And that's before the floating apps come in.

Key features

• 12.2" 16M-color Super Clear PLS capacitive touchscreen of 2560 x 1600 px resolution
• Wi-Fi only model: quad-core 1.9 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T628MP6 GPU; Exynos 5420 chipset
• LTE model: quad-core Krait 400 processor at 2.3GHz, Adreno 330 GPU; Snapdragon 800 chipset
• 3GB of RAM
• Android OS v4.4 KitKat with TouchWiz UI
• S Pen input and great software backend
• One of a kind split-screen multitasking and pop-up mini apps
• Quad-band GPRS/EDGE/HSPA and hexa-band LTE connectivity Cat.4
• 32/64 GB of built-in memory
• 8 MP autofocus camera, 3264x2448 pixels, geo-tagging
• 1080p video recording @30fps
• 2MP front-facing camera; 1080p videos
• Side-mounted stereo speakers
• Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Direct, dual-band, Wi-Fi hotspot
• Stereo Bluetooth v4.0
• HDMI TV-out (adapter required), USB host (adapter required), Ethernet (adapter required)
• microSD card slot
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Infrared port
• GPS with A-GPS support; GLONASS, digital compass
• 1080p XviD/MKV video support with subtitles
• Accelerometer, three-axis Gyroscope sensor
• Office document editor preinstalled
• 9,500mAh Li-Po battery

Main disadvantages

• Sky-high starting price
• Size will put some people off
• Relatively poor audio and video codec support
• Air view works with S-Pen only, no thumb support
• Notification area not optimized for the large screen

Nokia Lumia 1320

Nokia Lumia 1320

Large displays are all the rage these days and a phablet with the right price is strategically set to win big. Nokia certainly sees the Lumia 1320 this way, aware of the need of a capable midranger to stand next to the premium 1520.

The Lumia 1520 was the latecomer that went on to steal the show, but not all Nokia had to say in phablets in 2013. The door was left open and the Lumia 1320, which is probably more important to Nokia in the long run, didn't need a second invite.

The Nokia Lumia 1320 is toned down version of the Lumia 1520 and is tailored to fit both the needs and budget of its potential customers. We are more than used to seeing Lumia smartphones do well enough on far from stellar hardware, and Nokia's choice of the trusty Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and a 5MP camera, seems to make sense on a device like the Lumia 1320.

Here's what the Nokia Lumia 1320 is all about.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support
• Quad-band 3G with 42 Mbps HSDPA and 5.7 Mbps HSUPA support
• Penta-band LTE Cat4 support, 150Mbps downlink, 50Mbps uplink
• 6.0" 16M-color ClearBlack IPS CLD capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 720 pixels; Corning Gorilla Glass 3; Nokia Glance screen
• 5MP sensor, 1/4" sensor size, LED flash
• 1080p@30fps video recording
• VGA front-facing camera
• Windows Phone 8 GDR3 OS with Nokia Black
• 1.7GHz dual-core Krait 300 CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 1GB of RAM
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band
• GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
• 8GB of inbuilt storage
• microSD card slot, up to 64GB
• Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
• Built-in accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP and file transfers
• SNS integration
• Xbox Live integration and Xbox management
• Digital compass
• Nokia Music
• FM radio
• Excellent battery life
• Exchangeable back covers

Main disadvantages

• Non-user-replaceable battery
• No system-wide file manager
• No lockscreen shortcuts
• No NFC

Micromax Canvas Knight

Micromax Canvas Knight

Micromax of late has been aggressive in launching smartphones in India, and a new leak claims that the popular domestic handset maker might unveil two new smartphones soon.

The two alleged smartphones include the Canvas Knight (A350) which is rumoured to be company's first smartphone with a octa-core processor, while another is the Canvas Tube (A118R) which is said to be targeted for Russian market.

MMXNewscaster, which is a source related to Micromax's yet-to-be-launched smartphones has posted purported specifications of the alleged Canvas Knight (A350) which include a 2GHz octa-core processor, 32GB inbuilt storage, 2GB of RAM, 16-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The alleged Canvas Knight is also said to come with a 5-inch full-HD display and is rumoured to sport a 7.3mm thin profile. Notably, the tipster claims that the alleged Canvas Knight will come in Gold colour variant. The tweet said, "Micromax Canvas Knight A350 GOLD. 2 GHz Octa Core, 32 GB, 2GB,16MP,5MP,5" FHD. 7.3mm." Unfortunately, there is no word on the Android version of the alleged Canvas Knight.

Notably, a Russian site claims that Micromax has reportedly launched the alleged Canvas Knight in the country. However, the site does not reveal any details about the price and availability of the device.

In addition, the alleged Canvas Tube (A11R) has also been purportedly leaked, with a report citing the company's presentation during the launch of its Russia operations.

Micromax announced its Russia operations recently and announced two new smartphones (Canvas Beat A114R and Canvas Social A94) for the country, apart from saying it would be launching 14 Bolt and Canvas series smartphones totally in the initial phase.

Preliminary specifications

• Dual Sim
• IPS LCD Capacitive Touch Screen 16M colours
• 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inch(441 ppi pixel density)
• No External Card Slot
• Internal Memory : 32 GB
• RAM 2 GB
• Camera 16MP  Auto Focus,LED Flash
• 5MP secondary
• Video 1080p @30fps
• Android 4.2.2 Jellybean
• Octa Core 2 GHz
• Battery 2350 mAh