We expected Intex to launch its new flagship phone today, after laying low for a while. The company however launched a revamped Intex Aqua i5 with better chipset and HD resolution. At the first glance, we noticed that Intex has provided with a 13 MP camera in this new phone priced below 10k, which seemed to be the standout feature. Rest of the specs are similar to what most other budget quad core phones offer. Let’s take a look at first impressions of Intex Aqua i5 HD.
Intex Aqua i5 HD Quick Specs
- Display Size: 5 Inch HD LCD, OGS, 1280 X 720 resolution, 294 ppi
- Processor: 1.3 GHz Quad Core MT6582 processor with Mali 400 GPU
- RAM: 1 GB
- Software Version: Android 4.4 KitKat
- Camera: 13 MP camera, Capable of FWVGA, 480P video recording
- Secondary Camera: 5 MP
- Internal Storage: 4 GB
- External Storage: MicroSD support up to 32 GB
- Battery: 2000 mAh
Intex Aqua i5 HD Hands On Video Review
Design Form Factor and Display
Intex Aqua i5 HD looked good and feels good in hand. Its fairly light to hold in hand and with 8.5 mm thickness its neither to slim or chubby. The rubberized matte finish at the rear gives a good grip but one handed operation is still difficult on Intex Aqua i5 HD.
Both the power key and the volume rocker are present on right edge. Both edges have a groove running through them which looks nice. The microUSB port and 3.5 mm audio jack are housed on the top. Speaker grill is present at the rear, which implies your sound will be muffled when the phone is resting on its back.
The Display is quite good in spite of the fact that Intex is not using IPS LCD technology. The viewing angles are great and so is the display brightness. The resolution however didn’t appear sharp enough or perhaps it was the primitive looking icons in the UI.
Processor and RAM
Processor used is 1.3 GHz MT6582 chipset which is the most common processor in budget quad core devices these days. The chipset is backed by 1 GB RAM and the chipset will give you smooth performance.
The Antutu and NenaMark scores displayed above are testify smooth performance. In our initial time with the device, Intex Aqua i5 HD was quite snappy.
Camera and Internal Storage
This is the first MT6582 smartphone that we have seen with 13 MP camera, but unfortunately the camera performance is very poor. If I had to guess, i would say Intex is using some software solutions to provide 13 MP output from an 8 MP unit. The shots weren’t rich in details and there was a lot of noise in the images. The camera didn’t focus very well either. The front 5 MP camera was average in performance.
The internal storage is only 4 GB. This is in line with the ongoing trend, but it would have been better if Intex had provided with at least 8 GB onboard storage. The storage is expandable using MicroSD card slot. We will confirm later if applications can be directly installed on SD card.
User Interface and Battery
User interface is primarily stock android. Intex has customized the size and shape of several icons, which didn’t match our taste. You don’t need to bother with this as there are several themes and launchers available for free on Playstore to solve this issue.
Battery capacity is 2000 mAh. Intex has not yet specified standby time and talk time stats and thus its hard to guess what it would be like. We will talk more about battery endurance in our Full review. The battery is however removable and replaceable.
Intex Aqua i5 HD Photo Gallery
Conclusion
Intex Aqua i5 HD is a good smartphone with good performance score and a bright display, but it didn’t appeal as a premium device. If you are an imaging enthusiast, the dismal camera performance will disappoint you. Intex has provided with MicroSD slot, removable battery, quad core chipset and 1 GB RAM for a competitive price of 9,990 INR.
