With the demand for smartphones with large display increasing, many Indian manufacturers are trying to compete in the 5 inch plus domain. While not many have been successful with their attempt, Xolo has put together a killer 5.7 inch smartphone.
The Xolo Q3000, is the latest addition to the company’s popular Q-Core range which features smartphones with quad core processors. The device is also packed with a massive 13 MP camera to increase its attractiveness. All this for a price of Rs. 19000. Is it really that good? We’ll find out.
XOLO Q3000 specs:
- 5.7 inch display
- 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution
- 1.5 GHz quad core MediaTek MT6589T processor
- PowerVR SGX544 GPU
- 2 GB RAM
- 16 GB internal memory
- 13 MP primary camera
- 5 MP front facing camera
- Google Android v4.2 Jelly Bean
- 4000 mAh battery
Design:
The Xolo Q3000 has a huge 5.7 inch display with quite narrow bezels on the sides. However the lower bezel is slightly big, making the phone look very big and difficult to operate with one hand. The power button, which is placed slightly above the right edge centre, makes it easily reachable when holding the device with one hand.
Interestingly, the glass on the edges of the front is mildly curved, giving the edge a smooth finish. The front of the smartphone is plain with no physical buttons, just the capacitive buttons at the bottom that light up when pressed. The top edge houses the set of sensors, including the proximity and ambient light sensors. Also present is the LED notification light, which blinks in red and green colours, and the front facing 5 MP camera.
The back panel of the device is made out of plastic with a smooth matte finish, which provides a good grip for the phone. There is a separate non-removable shiny chrome strip which houses the massive 13 MP camera with LED flash. The speaker grill along with a secondary microphone is also present on top. The 3.5 mm audio jack and the micro USB slot are placed at the top. The microphone is placed at the bottom and due to the length of the phone it is unable to catch the voice unless held near the mouth.
Hardware:
The Xolo Q3000 is powered by a quad core MediaTek processor clocked at 1.5 GHz. There is 2 GB of RAM, which ensures that the phone doesn’t lag despite multiple apps and processes running simultaneously. The internal storage capacity is 16 GB which can still be further extended using micro SD cards. The SIM card slots and the micro SD slots are paced just below the camera. Surprisingly, one SIM slot accepts micro SIM only, while the other also accepts regular SIM.
User Interface:
The Xolo Q3000 has a 5.7 inch full HD IPS display with resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, which results in an extraordinary pixel density of 386 ppi. The display is very vibrant but not bright enough to be used in outdoor conditions. The display is very glossy and attracts a lot of fingerprints. The LED notification light is good feature. Unfortunately it hasn’t been configured properly and cannot be manually configured. The light blinks to signal new message, email, notification and missed call. The light remains steady during charging.
Like most of the Xolo smartphones, the device runs on near stock version of Android v4.2.1. The apps run very smoothly with no crashes reported. There is a one-hand operation setting which reduces the display to a small windows within the display. However, operation in the smaller window is very slow with considerable lags in the apps. However this would have been a very useful feature if implemented properly. You can quickly launch the one hand operation mode by pressing the back button continuously.
Camera:
The Xolo Q3000 has a massive 13 MP rear facing camera with BSI 2 sensor and LED flash. The camera takes pictures of the resolution 4864 x 2736 pixels. The pictures are quite good, but could definitely be better considering the 13 MP sensor. The camera has good auto focus capabilities. Pictures is low light conditions with flash are quite decent, with little to no noise. The HDR mode along with other features like Panorama mode are very useful.
Without HDR
With HDR
The camera can also be used to record decent full HD videos with excellent audio quality owing to the secondary microphone. The front facing 5 MP camera is very good for video chats and voice calls and also performs considerably well in low light conditions.
Performance:
The quad core MediaTek processor coupled with the 2 GB of RAM shows a remarkable performance. The device scores a decent 15483 at the AnTuTu benchmarks putting it on par with the HTC One X. the processor is capable enough to support multiple apps and processes simultaneously without showing any signs of lags or crashes. The PowerVR GPU gives graphics a good boost. Sadly, it did not show the best performance for gaming.
Battery:
Not only does the Xolo Q3000 have a big display, but also a big battery of 4000 mAh, which occupies almost 75 percent of the internal space. It is quite obvious that the battery last for a long time. On normal usage which includes data and calls, the battery lasts for nearly one and a half day. However on very minimum usage, the battery lasts for more than two days on a single charge. Prolonged gaming and internet browsing does affect the battery life.
Connectivity:
The Xolo Q3000 has dual SIM support with 3G connectivity. Unfortunately, only one SIM at a time can access 3G network, the other SIM has to be kept on 2G. The connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB and GPS support. The voice clarity on calls is good but you need to talk close to the microphone situated at the bottom of the phone to be heard clearly.
Pros:
- Vibrant display with high resolution
- RAM and internal storage
- Camera
- Battery
Cons:
- Bottom bezel is slightly big
- Pricing
Conclusion:
This could easily be one of the best full HD 5.7 inch device from an Indian manufacturer. Combined with the 13 MP camera and quad core processor with 2 GB RAM, this is one great handset for the market price range of below Rs. 20000.
