India based Spice Mobiles is on a wrath of launching a slew of offerings into the market in order to create a ripple effect in the smartphone arena that is flooded with devices from both global and local players. One such model launched by the vendor is the Stellar Mettle Icon Mi-506 that was launched a couple of months back bearing a tempting price tag of Rs 6,999. Here is a quick review on the smartphone for those who are looking for entry-level handsets.
Camera and Internal Storage
The rear panel of the Spice Stellar Mettle Icon Mi-506 flaunts an average 8 MP primary snapper that is coupled with LED flash for an enhanced performance under low light environments. This is paired with a 1.3 MP front-facing camera that can help in making video calls and in clicking selfies. Though these camera capabilities are claimed average, it has to be noted that there are hardly any smartphones in this price bracket with such traits. Most of them including the best selling Moto E feature only a rear camera without LED flash or front-facer.
The native storage support of the handset stands at the same 4 GB that might be too low for storing all the content. However, the inclusion of a micro SD card slot supporting expandable storage space up to 32 GB alleviates the concerns regarding limited storage capacity.
Processor and Battery
The processor incorporated in the Spice phone is a dual-core chipset clocked at 1.2 GHz. This is coupled with a Mali 400 graphics unit and a paltry 512 MB of RAM capacity that should be capable of delivering moderate levels of performance for this entry-level smartphone.
Under the hood is a 1,800 mAh battery that is rated to deliver a normal backup of up to 7.5 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours of standby time. This backup sounds pretty low, but it is acceptable as the handset is an entry-level offering.
Display and Features
Spice has given the Stellar Mettle Icon Mi-506 a standard 5 inch display with a screen resolution of 480×854 pixels. This translates to a low pixel density of 196 pixels per inch that could make the screen soft.
The handset runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system and is made using metal for great durability. Furthermore, the device is packed with software features including Pop-up Play, Flip to Mute, Intelligent Answer and Direct Call.
Comparison
The Spice Stellar Mettle Icon will definitely face a tough challenge with devices such as Xiaomi Redmi 1S, Xolo Q700s, Moto E and Micromax Unite 2
Key Specs
| Model | Spice Stellar Mettle Icon Mi-506 |
| Display | 5 inch, 480×854 |
| Processor | 1.3 GHz Dual Core |
| RAM | 512 MB |
| Internal Storage | 4 GB, Expandable up to 32 GB |
| OS | Android 4.2 Jelly Bean |
| Camera | 8 MP/1.3 MP |
| Battery | 1,800 mAh |
| Price | Rs 6,999 |
What we Like
- Good camera set
- Large Display Size
What we Dislike
- Low internal storage space of only 4 GB
Price and Conclusion
The Spice Stellar Mettle Icon Mi-506 is a competitively priced smartphone at Rs 6,999, but the handset does misses out on certain aspects that have become common aspects of such smartphones. In simple words, the Spice handset is based on the dated v4.2 Jelly Bean instead of the popular v4.4 KitKat with more resources and latest features. Besides this, the handset is a worthy one with a good camera set for its pricing and with the advantage of having a standard battery and storage capacities.
