Weekly smartphone launches: Galaxy Grand 2, Titanium S7, Lumia 525, A116i (November 29)

New Delhi: The week gone by witnessed plenty of smartphone launches in mostly the budget segment. The most notable was undoubtedly the Nokia Lumia 525, an affordable device that succeeds the popular Lumia 520 – which is its top selling Windows Phone device worldwide. Nokia is offering the Lumia 525 with two significant upgrades: first it is powered by a 1 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and second it now has 1GB of RAM. The device was quietly announced out of Singapore, where it will go on sale from December 14 priced at $199. The company is yet to announce its global launch date and availability. The country's top smartphone maker Samsung also launched its Galaxy Grand 2, the successor to the highly-successful Galaxy Grand phablet. Unlike the Galaxy Grand which had a dual-core processor, this second version of this device has a quad-core processor. Key features include an 8 megapixel camera and a bigger 5.25 inch 1280×720 TFT screen.Another significant launch was Micromax A77 Canvas Juice. Micromax has officially listed the A77 Canvas Juice phablet in India, on its official website. However, the company has yet not revealed the details about the price and availability of the A77 Canvas Juice. Still, the Micromax A77 Canvas Juice was listed at an e-commerce website for Rs. 7,999, but remains 'out of stock'. Let us take a look at these launches:Samsung Galaxy Grand 2The Galaxy Grand 2 is the successor to the Galaxy Grand. The South Korean handset maker has not revealed the price for Galaxy Grand 2 and has also not announced the availability details for the smartphone.The Galaxy Grand 2 features a 5.2-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels. It is a dual-SIM device with support for GSM+GSM. The device is powered by a 1.2GHz quad-core processor alongside 1.5GB of RAM. It comes with an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera accompanied by an LED flash. It also houses a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It comes with 8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD card.Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ AGPS, micro-USB and 3G (HSPA+). The smartphone measures 146.8x75.3x8.9mm and weighs about 163 grams. The Galaxy Grand 2 packs a 2600mAh battery that can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime, although no standby time detailed. The Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 will be available in Black, Pink and White colour variants in select regions.Samsung Galaxy Grand 2 key specifications:5.2-inch HD TFT display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels1.2GHz quad-core processor1.5GB of RAMDual-SIM (GSM+GSM)8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash1.9-megapixel front-facing camera8GB inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 64GB via microSD cardAndroid 4.3 Jelly BeanWi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/ AGPS, micro-USB and 3G (HSPA+)2600mAh146.8x75.3x8.9mm163 grams Lumia 525Leaked just a few days ago, the Lumia 525, the 520's successor, is now official. It will be available in Singapore on December 14 for $198. You may be surprised, but the budget-friendly Nokia Lumia 520 is one of the best-selling handsets for the Windows Phone 8 platform.In a nutshell, the new model has same exact design as the 520, design, hardware and software included, with two upgrades. While the 520 packed a modest 512 MB of RAM, the 525 comes with 1 gig in tow, thus making multitasking a breeze. In addition, the Lumia 525 runs Windows Phone 8 with the Lumia Black update.The 525 features a 4-inch WVGA (480x800) IPS LCD display, resulting in a pixel density of 235ppi. The Lumia 525 is powered by a dual-core 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor alongside 1GB of RAM. It comes with 8GB of inbuilt storage, which can be expanded up to 64GB with microSD card.The Lumia 525 comes with 7GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage. It has a 5-megapixel rear camera with no flash or front-facing camera. The primary camera on the Lumia 525 features Nokia Smart Camera Cinemagraph lens, Panorama lens, and Bing vision with other image tweaking options namely touch to focus, landscape orientation, auto and manual exposure, and geo-tagging.The Lumia 525 gets its juice from a 1430mAh battery which according to the company can deliver up to 17 hours of talktime and up to 336 hours of standby time. Connectivity options on the smartphone include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, A-GLONASS and 3G. The device also includes popular location and navigation apps such as HERE Drive, HERE Maps, and HERE Transit.Nokia Lumia 525 key specifications:4-inch WVGA (480x800) IPS LCD display1GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor1GB of RAM8GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 64GB via microSD card5-megapixel rear cameraBluetooth, Wi-Fi, A-GPS, A-GLONASS 3GWindows Phone 8 with Lumia Black1430mAh Micromax Canvas HD A116iThe Canvas HD A116i is the successor to the Canvas HD smartphone. The Canvas HD A116i is listed on eBay at Rs 14,299 (with free shipping). The device features a 5-inch display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and boasts of a pixel density of 294ppi. The device is powered by a MediaTek's MT6589 quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz along with PowerVR SGX544 GPU and 1GB of RAM. The dual-SIM device runs Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, with the listing suggesting an update to Android 4.2.1 soon. It has a 8-megapixel rear shooter with LED flash and 4X zoom, and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. In addition, there is 4GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD card. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPRS, EDGE and 3G. All of this is kept alive by a 2,000mAh battery.Overall, the A116i seems to be a revision model of the A116, which was launched in early 2013.Micromax Canvas HD A116i key specifications:5-inch HD (1280 x 720 pixels) display1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6589 processor1GB RAM4GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB via microSD card8-megapixel rear camera2-megapixel front cameraDual-SIM (GSM+GSM)Android 4.1 planned Android 4.2 upgrade Karbonn Titanium S7Turning up the heat in the full-HD smartphone market, Karbonn launched its flagship Titanium S7 in India. The Karbonn Titanium S7 is now listed at Flipkart and can be pre-ordered at Rs. 14,999.The smartphone features 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) display with OGS Technology. The dual-SIM S7 is powered by 1.5GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset) and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. It sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and also houses a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The Titanium S7 comes with 16GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB with microSD card. The device has 1 GB of RAM and gets its juice from a 2600mAh battery. Karbonn Titanium S7 key specifications:5-inch full-HD (1080x1920) display with OGS Technology1.5GHz quad-core processor (unspecified chipset)13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash2-megapixel front-facing cameraDual-SIM (GSM+GSM)16GB inbuilt storage, expandable up to 32GB with microSD cardAndroid 4.2 Jelly Bean iBall Andi 5 E7iBall Andi 5 E7 is now available at e-commerce website, Snapdeal for Rs. 6,999. The Andi 5 E7 features a 5-inch FWVGA (480x854 pixels) display and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It is a dual-SIM smartphone with support for GSM+GSM. It is powered by a 1.3GHz dual-core Cortex A7 processor (unspecified chipset) along with 512MB of RAM. It sports a 5-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash and also houses a VGA front-facing camera.The device comes with 4 GB of inbuilt storage, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card. The Andi 5 E7 gets its juice from a 1850mAh battery. Connectivity options on the phablet include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPRS, EDGE, GPS and Micro-USB. The Andi 5 E7 does not support 3G connectivity.