The Intex Aqua Octa, earlier known as the Intex Aqua i17, went on sale recently with a price tag of 19,999 INR.
Hardware
Display and Operating System
For a device that offers allegedly one of the most powerful mobile processors on Earth, the Aqua Octa disappoints with the display. The phone features only a 720p resolution on its massive 6 inch screen, which honestly takes a lot of the magic away. In an age of retina shredding 1440p displays, Intex could’ve and should’ve included a 1080p FHD panel at least. When we had a hands on with the prototype of this device, it ran stock Android which was quite smooth and stable. Flavour was v4.2.1 Jelly Bean as you would expect, with hardly any customizations whatsoever. However the retail version of this device might have an overlay on stock UI.
Camera and Storage
The USP of this device clearly is the processor. This is reflected by other specifications that are more or less standard for the price range the device sits in. This includes the imaging hardware – there’s a 13MP main shooter paired with a 5MP front-facer. The 13MP at the rear should suffice for most, if they don’t expect DSLR like photos from the phone. However, expecting too much might leave you disappointed. 5MP front should be ideal for video chat as well as an occasional selfie. The device packs 16GB of on-board ROM which is great to see. There’s also a microSD slot that can accept cards up to 32GB in size, which again is a good sign. We like the fact that the phone comes with decent in-built storage as well as offers you the option of increasing the amount of storage via microSD.
Processor and Battery
As just mentioned, Intex are banking on the noise made by the 8 core processor to sell the phone. Benchmarks by devices running this processor have been great, which i a very encouraging sign. The 8 core processor runs at 1.7GHz, and should be able to make humble pie of anything you throw at it. This includes most high-end games as well, since the MT6592 comes with the Mali 450 GPU which is indeed quite a powerful one. The device should leave you future proof for quite a long time to come. 2GB of RAM is something very desirable in this age of multitasking. The device comes with a disappointingly low capacity battery of just 2300mAh. Although the relatively low display resolution will help, there will still be a lot to be desired with regards to battery backup. You can expect around 8-11 hours of usage on one charge.
Form Factor and Competitors
Design and Connectivity
The phone has a candy bar design. You can imagine how well the device would fit in your hands, taking into consideration that fact that it has a 6 inch screen. The device has dual SIM as well as WCDMA 3G support.
Competitors
Gionee Elife E7Gionee Elife E7 miniSamsung Galaxy Note 3, etc.
Conclusion
The device is quite an exciting launch in the country. This launch puts Indian manufacturers right on par with Chinese and other international ones. Speaking of the device itself, it does seem like a good deal for around 17k INR. The only reason why we say 17k INR and not 20k INR (which is the MRP of the phone) is because of the low resolution and the low capacity battery. If you an overlook these factors, the device will make a very good companion for quite some time now, with a powerful processor plus GPU.
