The entry level smartphone arena in the country is probably the most lucrative one for a smartphone manufacturer in India. Every manufacturer is flooding this segment to help people move on from feature phones to smartphones. And the consumers are interested in the same too because of the value for money that is on offer. Karbonn, the company which has to its credit the title of launching the cheapest smartphone in the country has just launched the Karbonn A99i for Rs 4,750 and it is an affordable smartphone. Let us take a quick review of its specifications:
Camera and Internal Storage
The A99i comes with a 5MP rear camera coupled with a LED flash. The camera is not really one of the stellar performers but with a sub Rs 5,000 price tag, you cannot expect things to get better either so this one works just fine. It is complemented by a VGA camera for video calling and self portrait shots but more often than not you’ll end up using it for last minute vanity checks.
The internal storage capacity of the A99i stands at 4GB and it can be expanded further by 32GB with the aid of the microSD card slot that is made available. This is pretty much the standard package at this price so even though it is nothing great, it is not really bad either.
Processor and Battery
The processor ticking at the heart of the device is a 1.3 GHz dual core unit which is probably from the stable of Mediatek. It gets mated to a 512 MB RAM and the two perform well enough for a device which costs a little under Rs 5,000. We couldn’t ask for more at this price either.
The battery unit is a 1,200 mAh one which we doubt will last you a day on a single charge. Entry level smartphones usually compromise a lot in many areas and battery backup is one such arena. A slightly bigger battery, say a 1,500 mAh unit would have been welcome.
Display and Features
The display unit is a 4 inch one whose resolution is unknown but we are guessing it is 800 x 480 pixels in all probability. The display quality is average too and you’d be better off using it only for basic tasks. The viewing angles aren’t that great either and you tend to feel that it is a budget device when you look at the display.
It runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean which is pretty old now. With companies like Celkon and Micromax bringing KitKat goodness to lower price points, Karbonn should really be working around bringing it to the budget handsets too.
Comparison
The Karbonn A99i will be going up against a slew of other sub Rs 5,000 handsets which include Karbonn A99, Panasonic T31, Micromax Bolt A089 and Intex Aqua Qwerty.
What we like
- Processor
- Price
What we don’t like
- Camera
- Display
- Operating System
Key Specs
| Model | Karbonn A99i |
| Display | 4 inch |
| Processor | 1.3 GHz Dual Core |
| RAM | 512 MB |
| Internal Storage | 4 GB, Expandable |
| OS | Android 4.2 Jelly Bean |
| Camera | 5 MP/ VGA |
| Battery | 1,200 mAh |
| Price | Rs 4,750 |
Conclusion
The Karbonn A99i will serve you right if you are looking for an entry level smartphone which is going to be your first device or are upgrading from a feature phone. It does not get the latest operating system and lags behind in the processor department too. It will serve you just fine as an entry level device but nothing more.
