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Most notable smartphones launched in February

With the recent Mobile World Congress event, many people may have missed all the smartphones that came out in the chaos of the month. Here are some of the most notable phones of the month that you should keep an eye on.

Shunal Doke|Mar 01, 2013, 16:07:43 IST

February has been a busy month for phone makers, especially with the recent Mobile World Congress event. So, obviously, many people may have missed all the smartphones that came out in the chaos of the month. Here are some of the most notable phones of the month that you should keep an eye on.

LG Optimus G

LG had launched the Optimus G at an event last night. LG has used the Zerogap Touch technology for the Optimus G display, which brings UI elements closer to the screen and also drastically reduces the phone’s dimensions. LG’s flagship phone can be bought for Rs 34,500.

LG's flagship phone is something worth taking a look at

Key specifications of the LG Optimus G are:

4.7-inch True HD-IPS Plus display with 1280 x 768 resolution
LTE connectivity, HSPA, GPRS/EDGE
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
MicroUSB 2.0 with MHL and USB Host support
13 megapixel camera with LED flash and 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
32GB internal memory with no expansion slot.

Many of the device’s specs match that of the Nexus 4, which is but natural considering Google based its smartphone on the LG device. However, unlike the Nexus 4, the Optimus G runs Android v4.1.2 Jelly Bean instead of 4.2.2. LG has put the Optimus 3.0 UX on top of the stock UI.

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The Optimus G is powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, which means it has four Krait cores ticking at 1.5GHz. It is coupled with an Adreno 320 GPU. The Optimus G is decked with 2GB of RAM. All that processing power and Jelly Bean should ensure smooth performance.

BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry launched the Z10 at an event earlier this week, and while the phone does cost a whopping Rs 43,490, it brings some new ideas to the table in BlackBerry’s newest operating system.

BlackBerry's saving grace comes with new ideas

Here is a quick look at some of the highlights of the Z10:

4.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels
LTE, 3G, EDGE, Wi-Fi, NFC
GPS with A-GPS support
Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
8 megapixel AF camera with 1080p recording, 2 megapixel front-facing camera with 720p recording
16GB internal memory, expandable up to 64GB via microSD
MicroHDMI for AV out

The phone is powered by a dual-core 1.5GHz processor and comes with 2GB of RAM. The BlackBerry Z10 will be kept powered on by an 1800mAh battery.

The BlackBerry Z10 was unveiled along with the new BlackBerry 10 OS on January 30. The device has been available in the grey market ever since and it was priced initially at a whopping Rs 80,000. However, the price fell steeply after the official launch.

Micromax Canvas HD A116

Micromax had launched what is believed to be one of the cheapest quad-core smartphones in the market—the A116 Canvas HD. You can buy the phone for Rs 13,990.

One of the cheapest quad-core smartphones in India

Other features of the phone include:

5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1280 x 720
Dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi hotspot
GPS with GLONASS and A-GPS
Bluetooth with A2DP
8MP rear camera with LED flash with night mode and 4x zoom, VGA front camera
4GB of internal storage and supports microSD card up to 32GB

The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MT6589 1.2GHz quad core processor. It is one of the most power efficient chips in the market since it is manufactured using a 28nm process. The phone also has a PowerVR Series5XT GPU and 1GB of RAM. The CPU and GPU are more than enough to perform everyday tasks smoothly and to run HD games. The A116 Canvas HD boots Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but Micromax has included some changes in the UI, including quick toggles in the notification drawer. The phone comes equipped with a 2100mAh battery.

XOLO A1000

XOLO launched its A1000 flagship this month, which brings an HD display and a slim 8.8 mm body at an affordable price. The phone is manufactured using a unique One Glass Solution (OGS) display technology that reduces the girth of the phone. The XOLO A1000 is priced at Rs 13,999.

A giant of a budget phone

Some specifications of the XOLO A1000 are:

5-inch HD IPS display with a 1280 x 720 resolution at 295 ppi
Dual-SIM, 2G, 3G (HSDPA: 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA: 5.7 Mbps)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP
GPS with A-GPS
8 megapixel rear camera with LED Flash, BSI sensor and HDR
1.2 megapixel front-facing camera with BSI sensor
4GB internal memory with microSD expansion slot support up to 32GB

The XOLO A1000 has a 1GHz dual-core Mediatek MT6577 processor and 1GB of RAM. It launches with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and has a 2100 mAh battery.

By Shunal Doke

Ever heard of one of those people who just never seem to shut up about something? Shunal is like the nerd equivalent of that guy. Believe us when we say that he can go on talking about games and smartphones for hours on end. We do manage to find some insight in his insane ramblings though, and through his moronic facade, he does seem to know more than he lets on. Sadly enough, it always ends up being about gaming with him. Or stupid, stupid puns.