 "XOLO Q1000 Review")
Quad-core processor-based budget Android smartphones are presently in the limelight. Several manufacturers have been releasing their flagship smartphone models powered by a quad-core processor and almost all of them are based on the MTK 6589 chipset. Xolo, a product of LAVA International, is out with yet another flagship smartphone, the Xolo Q1000. It boasts of premium looks with a powerful quad-core processor beneath the hood. Let’s take a good look at the phone and find out whether the phone fits the space between performance and price.
5-inch HD display, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system
Design and build
Sporting a premium-like looks, the Xolo Q1000 is encased in a good looking chassis. The entire frame is well built in a glossy white plastic with a chrome trim around the hood, which gives it some good aesthetics. The front panel sports an IPS display with a front-facing camera and a few sensors near the earpiece. The lower portion of the front panel features the usual three backlit buttons for Home, Menu and Back. The rear panel is highly glossy and sports the rear camera, an LED flash and the speaker grille. The protruding camera is a bit of concern as it can be easily scratched or damaged when placed on uneven surfaces.
8MP rear camera with an LED flash
The power/standby button is available on the right side, while the volume rocker is placed on the left. A camera button is awkwardly and inconveniently placed on the left side below the volume rocker. This is a very uncomfortable place for a camera button as it gets difficult to click snaps when using the camera in either landscape or portrait positions. The placement of the camera button at the bottom (in landscape mode) forces the user to use his/her left thumb to take photos. We wonder why would the engineers/designers at Xolo would place a camera button on the bottom left side of the smartphone when the actual convenient position is on the bottom of the right side (or the top while in landscape position). Moving on, the top side features the earphone jack and a microUSB slot for PC interface and charging the device. Below the rear panel is a dual-SIM slot and the non-swappable microSD card slot. The phone measures 70.8 x 143.5 x 8.8 mm and is a tad heavier at 171 grams.
2100 mAh battery, dual-SIM slots, non hot-swappable microSD card slot
Features
The Xolo Q1000 is seen running Google’s Android Jelly Bean operating system v4.2. The processor powering the phone is quad-core 1.2GHz with the GPU being the usual PowerVR SGX544, and the system is provided with a total RAM of 1GB. The display is a 5-inch IPS panel with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, which translates to a pixel density of 294 ppi. The camera featured on the rear is 8MP with a BSI sensor and coupled with an LED flash. The front camera is a 1.2MP also with a BSI sensor.
Volume rocker and camera button on the left
The internal storage is 4GB—the same as most budget smartphones offer these days. Out of the total storage space, you get 1.8GB usable space and the rest is used by the ROM and apps. Sadly, the operating system restricts you from installing or transfering apps to the external storage. Hopefully, Xolo will release an update to solve this issue.
Power button on the right
Connectivity options available are Wi-Fi b/g/n, 3G and A-GPS, while sensors available are only for accelerometer, proximity and ambient light. Lastly, the battery powering the Xolo Q1000 is a 2100 mAh, which should last you around 10 to 14 hours depending on the usage.
8.8 mm thick, silver trim around the frame
Performance
Since the quad-core chipset is similar to most budget handsets available today, the performance is more likely to be almost identical. However, it can vary depending on the way the operating system is tweaked and customised to enhance the performance and battery life. We ran our usual tests to check the core performance. AnTuTu and Quadrant logged a score of 13124 and 4039 respectively. We also ran Linpack to assess the processor performance. In this test, the phone logged 36.22 MFLOPS and 125.6 MFLOPS in single and multi-thread tests respectively. Considering the scores, the performance of the Xolo Q1000 is at par with most other quad-core smartphones featuring the MTK 6589 chipset.
Stock Android Jelly Bean OS
Display and media
The high-definition IPS display is very crisp, brilliant and has a great viewing angle. Xolo claims that the display is scratch resistant because of the Dragon Trail glass used for screen protection. The display is very bright and HD videos are enjoyable from any angle without any distortion. Full HD 1080p videos were tested on the device and they ran perfectly without any issues or flaws. The onboard speaker is pretty loud, but a tad too shrill and you would have to lower the volume marginally for a comfortable output. The bundled earphones are in-ear type and have an average build quality, but the audio quality is surprisingly superior. You won’t need any additional pair to enjoy your favourite music or flicks.
Basic and minimum apps pre-installed on the phone
Camera
The performance of the 8MP camera is just average. Outdoor photos are just about good enough. Colours are slightly more vibrant than natural and the sharpness is a bit difficult to maintain due to handshakes. We found the issue related to the EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization) option which needed to be enabled in order to get sharper images. Sadly, this option was not featured in the main camera section, but was present in the video settings. Once enabled, the photos were good enough. Indoor photos are average and could do better. If the subject is well lit, you should end up with better shots. Macro shots are also good enough.
Outdoor photos are good enough, but the colours are slightly boosted
EIS option is available in the video settings
Indoor shots could use a bit more light
Macros are also shot with good sharpness provided the lighting is sufficient
Battery life
The 2100 mAh battery powering the device is claimed to last you through the day. This could be true to an extent depending on the amount and type of usage. We did carry out tests to ascertain the battery life. We ran a full HD movie for two hours and ran a simulated Internet browsing using the Wi-Fi network. The battery lasted us just about 4.5 hours.The poor battery life could be due to the inefficient handling of the processor cores by the operating system.
AnTuTu system information
Verdict
Priced at Rs 14,990, the Xolo Q1000 seems a little high-priced as compared to the
Xolo Q700, which sports almost the exact hardware and is available for Rs 9,999. So the Rs 5,000 premium that the Q1000 is charging is only for a half inch bigger display, a slightly higher resolution camera and a better looking phone. The core performance does not justify the high price. We suggest opting for the Xolo Q700 and save on the dough. But if your budget is around Rs 15,000, you could also have a look at other smartphones
under Rs 15,000. What goes against the Xolo Q1000 is the price, tad heavy weight and average camera performance. Alternatively, for the same price, you can avail the
Wammy Passion Z from WickedLeak, which features a full HD IPS display with similar hardware.
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