If you read our past articles, we noted that Intel was planning its entry into the smartphone market. After some delay (it was to be made available for purchase on April 23rd), the Intel powered Xolo X900 is finally here in India. Despite all the anticipation around the Xolo, we just wish Intel didn't bother with it. We are sad that Intel's foray into the smartphone market was with such a mediocre and sub-par product. There was nothing original about the phone (aside from the guts of course). It looks like a cheap knock-off of the iPhone 4S albeit a little bigger. Before we go on, here are the specs of the Xolo X900:
- 4.03" display at a resolution of 1024 x 600 pixels
- 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading
- 400 MHz Graphics Engine
- 1GB RAM
- 16GB storage
- 8MP rear camera with 8x digital zoom and 1.3MP front facing camera
- 1080P HD video recording at
- Operating system: Android Version 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) upgradable to ICS
- Weight: 124g
- Battery capacity: 1460mAh
Coming to the camera, it is quick. The burst mode lets you take up to 10 photos in a second. The images are crisp but lack the color depth. Once again the display takes away from the actual image. We thought it had one cool feature, a 'Fireworks' setting in case you plan on taking a lot of shots of fireworks in action. We are surprised the Xolo was launched with Gingerbread especially since Ice Cream Sandwich is pretty much out in full swing and there is no word on when the ICS upgrade will be made available. Battery life is better than similar phones and you should see close to 8 hours on a single charge (with medium to heavy use).
Despite having good guts, the Xolo X900 comes up short overall. We don't really expect the phone to sell well. We spoke to a few stores that stock the Xolo and they aren't exactly flying off the shelves. Not surprising honestly. There has been barely any marketing or advertising of the phone online or on TV either. One would think if a heavy hitter like Intel is trying to get its feet wet they would be part of a product that would make heads turn. Not turn away. Then again it might be Intel just testing the waters to see if it should really get in deep in the market. Only time will tell.
Our Rating:
Our Rating:
The Xolo X900 is currently on sale in India for Rs. 21,999 (~$400).
Update (6/21/2012): It looks like someone heard our comments about there being barely any marketing for the Xolo X900. We have noticed commercials on TV and online ad banners promoting the Xolo X900... a LOT. We'll wait to see if this ad spend has a profound effect on the sales figures.
Update (6/21/2012): It looks like someone heard our comments about there being barely any marketing for the Xolo X900. We have noticed commercials on TV and online ad banners promoting the Xolo X900... a LOT. We'll wait to see if this ad spend has a profound effect on the sales figures.
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Going through your review, it struck me that the only negative thing that you could say was the display, which is no less crisp and capable if not better than its competition in the same price range. While multitasking is concerned, Xolo is a clear winner. Looks-wise, I agree, it looks like a knockoff of an Apple product.
ReplyDeleteI think the main issue here is that it is marketed by LAVA, if the same phone came out of other stables (Samsung or even Micromax for that matter), I think it would have done well. You are prejudiced, and since you consider this as the main issue (even though you could not mention anything apart from the display, which is pretty decent), you are showing aversion to this product.
I, like you, am sure that this will not do well in the Indian market, but I would not say this is a bad product. It compares and eats up its competition and also the once placed higher in the market. A good product by Intel with a disastrous partner selection and abysmal advertising and marketing strategies.