Swipe Konnect 5.0 phablet launched for Rs 8,999: Quad-core processor, 8MP camera

Low-cost manufacturer Swipe Telecom has launched the Swipe Konnect 5.0 smartphone in India for Rs 8,999. The phone will compete with the likes of the Moto E and Micromax Unite 2, which are setting the pace in the entry-level market. However, it’s specs are less than ideal, and that it’s a relative unknown in the market might not help things either.   The dual-SIM Konnect 5.0 runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and sports a 5-inch (540x960 pixels) qHD IPS display with One Glass Solution (OGS) technology.  Like many other phones in this segment it sports a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, though the chipset maker is unknown, we reckon it’s the Mediatek Mt6582 or a variant of it, which also has a Mali 400 GPU. There’s a healthy 1GB of RAM, though with no KitKat and therefore no Project Svelte on board, you will still be using much of it for the OS.   The Konnect 5.0 comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 3.2-megapixel front facing secondary camera. Built-in memory is 8GB which can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card.   Connectivity options are the standard 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio and GPS. Swipe packs in a 1950mAh polymer-ion battery, but fails to mention a rated battery life. The company is throwing in a free screen guard, flip cover and premium business navigator said to be worth Rs 1,499.