One of the three vehicles carrying the Android One promise by Google is the affordably-priced Karbonn Sparkle V. We take it through its paces to figure out what the deal is all about, and whether it lives up. Here's our review

1. Karbonn Sparkle V
Review in pictures

2. Staid looks, but solid build
• It’s not going to dazzle anyone
with its looks, and appears
rather plain
• While the other two Android
One devices come in the usual
white or black, the Sparkle V is
offered in multiple hues
including bright red
• Compact in size thanks to its
4.5-inch display, it sports good
build quality and doesn’t feel
cheap despite the plastic
construction
• The rear is prone to smudges

3. An average display
• A 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels is on offer
• Offers reasonably good colours and viewing angles, but sunlight legibility
is a problem
• No Gorilla Glass protection
• The text and graphics look fine, without too much pixelation to mar the
experience

4. Naked Android
• Runs runs the purest, cleanest form
of Android there is
• Google promises that these devices
will always have the latest, and be
first in line to get the refreshes along
with the Nexus range
• Offers the Google Now launcher that
reserves a dedicated home screen on
the leftmost side for displaying its
cards
• The Google experience, be it with
voice-based searches using the ‘ok
Google’ hotword, or the functionality
of Google Now and all the other apps
which are part of the suite, is
unmatched

5. Social snapper
• A 5-meg autofocus shooter
aided by an LED flash is
present for shooting, while a
2MP front camera handles
video calls
• The Google Camera app acts
as the front-end, offering
features such as Lens Blur,
panorama and 360-degree
Photo Sphere
• The rear camera offers
reasonable images good
enough for social sharing as
long as the lighting is good

6. Runs smoothly with nary a hiccup
• A 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor, paired with 1GB of RAM is good
enough for most tasks. While heavy games don’t play as smoothly as they
should, they remain playable for the most part
• There’s 4GB of storage, giving you about 2GB to use. You can add up to
32GB more via the microSD card slot
• Standard connectivity options, including dual-SIM capabilities, 3G (only on
the first SIM slot), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, Wi-Fi hotspot and cast screen

7. Storage issues abound
• The lack of USB OTG support
is disappointing
• The bigger problem is that
access to internal storage has
been reserved only for
installation of apps and games
• A microSD card is required for
all other files, including media
• You can’t even perform basic
tasks like capturing
screenshots or shooting
images using the camera
without a memory card
inserted

8. All-day battery life
• The device is fuelled by a
1,700mAh removable
battery
• Lasts a full day with
moderate usage
• Lasted about six and a
half hours in our
standard video playback
test, with both SIM cards
inserted

9. At a glance
• 4.5-inch, 854 x 480 pixel IPS
display (218ppi)
• 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek
processor
• Mali-400 graphics
• 1GB RAM
• 5-megapixel primary camera, 2MP
front
• 4GB storage (expandable by
another 32GB)
• Dual-SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0,
A-GPS, Wi-Fi Hotspot, USB 2.0
• Android KitKat 4.4.4
• 1,700mAh battery
• FM Radio

10. -
• Below-average
camera
• Needs a microSD
card to store media
files
• No USB OTG
• Smudge-prone rear
Pros and cons
+
• Always the latest
Android
• Fluid operation
• Optimum Google
experience
• Reasonable build
quality

11. Pricing and verdict
Rs 6,399
“The Xiaomi Redmi 1s is
the one to beat in this price
range. However, it won’t
really be an exaggeration
when we say that if you’re
enticed with what the
latest version of Google’s
mobile OS to offer and
don’t want to spend a
bomb, the Android One
range, including the
Karbonn Sparkle V, is your
best bet right now”