Gimmicks galore in the smartphone universe.
Beyond the regular set of features and specifications which remain almost identical to every other device, there’s little novelty factor added to give each device a USP in the market. Intex knows this trend.
Intex Aqua View is the company’s first smartphone with a fingerprint scanner, and is a ‘virtual reality’ headset. What’s a virtual reality headset? A gimmick or something to blow the pants off the competition? Read on.
Pros:
- Decent design
- Light on weight
- Bright display
Cons:
- Mediocre cameras
- Fingerprint scanner slow to respond
- Low battery life
What’s Good?
The design surely catches the attention. The phone has a 2.5D curved glass display, and a small circular button on the front doubles up as a fingerprint scanner. No, we are not talking about the iPhone; this is Intex Aqua View. The rear of the device also looks inspired, though by Huawei’s Nexus 6P, with its black frame for the camera and the flash.
The back of the smartphone has a brushed metal texture but is actually made of plastic and feels quite delicate.
The phone runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop, with MediaTek’s 1 GHz 64-bit quad-core processor with 2GB RAM. The phone feels decent for light usage, but slows down while multi-tasking.
The fingerprint scanner is also quite slow to respond to touch and, sometimes, we almost got confused whether the phone was in a mood to let us in at all. It was a little difficult to locate the fingerprint setting and the enrolment option, since it was absent from the main menu of the phone.
We later discovered a standalone app called ‘Fingerprint Settings’ which allowed us to add/edit fingerprints for the sensor. The fingerprint sensor has a backlit feature which lights up if it detects the wrong fingerprint. It actually looks quite cool.
Once in, the 5-inch HD screen takes over, which is quite bright with impressive viewing angles. Another important feature, which is also the marketing basis of this phone, is that Intex Aqua View is a ‘virtual reality’ ready smartphone which comes with a free VR headset – ‘Eyelet’ – based on the very basic Google cardboard.
What’s Bad?
Beyond all the hype and marketing, this smartphone comes with a pretty dumbed down virtual reality headset. It’s basically a glossy, cardboard-based, do-it-yourself kit. The quality leaves much to be desired; it is quite wobbly, even when compared to a few other cardboard based headsets.
The 8 megapixel rear camera and the 5 megapixel shooter on the front are average performers at best. The colours appear washed out and disappoint in clarity.
Still, if you’re planning to take the VR set for a spin, and wish to see a few video clips, please make it quick. The 2,200 mAh battery loses charge quickly, losing all of its steam in around 6 hours with moderate to active usage. You will need a powerbank often, but don’t keep it hanging out of the VR headset.
Another big disappointment is the fit and finish of the product. The highlight strip on the rear camera looks very plasticky and the panels are also quite fragile. The phone doesn’t have a very good grip and is prone to slipping.
Why Buy it?
Exactly, why buy it? Intex Aqua View is a lost opportunity at bringing VR to the masses. The phone hasn’t been optimised for VR, beyond the cardboard headset and a few pre-loaded apps.
There are better options in this price range which offer better processing with a better battery, a better fingerprint scanner, and yes, a better screen too which eventually means a better VR experience on a similar headset. Check Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus. Intex Aqua View looked good virtually but, sadly, not so much in reality.
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