karbonn titanium octane plus review
DESCRIPTION
We bring to you the review of the Karbonn’s current flagship, in the form of picturesTRANSCRIPT
Karbonn
Titanium
Octane Plus
Review in pictures
Slim and lightweight
• Even with 5-inch display panel, the Titanium Octane Plus can be comfortably used with a single hand
• The device is fairly sleek at 7.6mm and weighs just 140g
• Unlike other devices which sport unibody construction for a slim frame, the Octane Plus offers a removable rear panel, exposing the battery and slots for SIM card(s) and microSD card
Stands apart from the herd
• Features dual-tone finish at the front
• The curved white chin at the bottom matches the rear, and adds to the unibody look
• The combination of black and white hues gives it a distinct and attractive look
• Controls and ports placement are a standard affair
The 5-inch display brings everything to life
• Offers a 5-inch IPS display with full HD resolution • With 441ppi pixel density, the screen has good brightness
and sharpness, and is great for reading long documents, web browsing and viewing videos
• However, it’s very reflective outdoors
Camera is high on the megapixel count…
• Flaunts a 16-megapixel sensor at the back, which isn’t even available in many flagships from HTC and LG
• Supplemented by an LED flash for illumination
• Stock camera app with the usual modes and settings
• An object tracking mode lets you capture moving objects
• For video recording, it can shoot 1080p video at 30fps
… but not in quality
• Images were dull and grainy when zoomed in
• Macro shots fared better though and HDR mode also works well
• Like most smartphone cameras, the Octane Plus also struggles with low-light imagery
• A loaded 8-megapixel camera is available at the front for selfies and video calls
KitKat tastes better in vanilla
• Comes loaded with 4.4 KitKat without any customisations
• Helps in keeping things very smooth
• However, there are a number of preinstalled apps and games such as Amazon, OLX, Saavn, etc
• The games are demo versions only and require you to pay to get full versions
• Sadly, you can’t uninstall the preloaded titles
Performs very well, but also runs hot as hell
• Gets its name from the 1.7GHz octa-core processor handling the computing
• Mali-450MP4 GPU assists in the graphics department • Combined with 2GB RAM, the smartphone runs very
smoothly even while playing intensive games • However, it gets hot within just 10 minutes of gameplay
Ample storage that can also be extended further
• 16GB flash storage is partitioned in two chunks
• In total, you get 13GB to use, and the rest is taken by the OS and other system resources
• You can add up to 32GB more
• Support for USB OTG is also available
With great power comes the need of charging frequently
• A 2,000mah battery powers the device
• Barely enough to get you through an entire working day
• Below average results in our 720p video loop test, running for just 4 hours and 30 minutes
At a glance
• 5-inch display, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels
• 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor
• 2GB RAM • 16GB flash storage,
expandable up to 32GB • 16-megapixel primary camera
with LED flash and 8MP secondary camera
• Dual-SIM support (3G on the first slot only), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS
• Android 4.4 KitKat • 2,000mAh battery
- • Rear cover is glossy • Camera isn’t up to
the mark • Turns hot • Poor battery life
Pros and cons
+ • Slim design and
distinct looks • Powerful internals • Ample storage
Rs 14,000
Pricing and verdict
“The Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus comes across as a loaded offering with a gorgeous design and
powerful internals, though camera and battery life could’ve been better. Despite that, it’s one of the best options in its class, barring the Xiaomi Mi 3.”