Flipkart Billion Capture+ among budget phones

The Billion Capture+, the first smartphone developed by homegrown e-commerce major Flipkart, is not just another product vying for eyeballs in India’s already-flooded smartphone market. Though a budget device, this smartphone impresses with a performance that is on a par with many a mid-tier device.

Flipkart claims that the Billion Capture has been made in India for the Indian consumer, and that it has been designed after analysing user feedback received on the e-commerce portal. But does it pass the test in so far as user need and greed are concerned? Business Standard reviewed the Billion Capture+ to test how it fares in real-life scenario and here are our observations:


Design

At first look, the Billion Capture+ looks almost the same as the Xiaomi Mi A1. But, a few imperfections – not-so-smooth side curves and out-of- place SIM card tray – become visible on a closer inspection.

The front has a 5.5-inch full-HD IPS screen in the 16:9 aspect ratio which leaves huge bezels on the top and bottom. While the top bezel houses an earpiece, front camera and sensors, the bottom bezel has been kept vacant – it is tough to fathom why. It could have been used for capacitive navigation keys and the fingerprint scanner placed on the back.

The power key and volume rockers are placed on the right side and the SIM-card tray on the left. The chassis is accentuated by its silver linings, which boost the overall appearance. The bottom is occupied by a five-grille design to accommodate the speaker and microphone, with a USB type-C port placed in between.


Performance

The smartphone feels swift in day-to-day actions without any lag or stutter, thanks to its powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. However, the phone heats up a little on heavy use for watching videos over Netflix or YouTube, internet browsing, social media, etc.

Multi-tasking on this device is glitch-free; running multiple apps at the same time does not cause strain, thanks to its 4GB RAM. For storage, the phone comes with 64 GB ROM, which can be expanded to up to 128 GB using a microSD card. Additionally, the phone comes equipped with tronX cloud storage from Smartron to provide unlimited free cloud space for photos.

Camera

The Billion Capture+ sports a dual-camera set-up on the back using 13-megapixel lenses – Colour and Monochrome – with f/2.0 aperture, and an 8MP selfie camera on the front. The dual cameras on the back are a clear winner for its price bracket. At present, there is no budget smartphone in the market that might come close in terms of features and picture output.

Additionally, the portrait mode makes things even better for the rear camera. The feature works flawlessly and provides a control over the intensity of bokeh (blur effect). The smartphone captures neat photos with a good detail in daylight and satisfactory ones in low-light visible conditions.

The selfie camera is as good as the rear one and its performance is satisfactory, too.


Battery

The Billion Capture+ houses a 3,500 mAh battery supported by the Quick Charge technology. On normal use, the phone keeps going for a day, and a little more. On heavy use, though the battery numbers plummet quickly, the device somehow takes you through most of the day.


Verdict

Priced at Rs 12,999, the Billion Capture+ poses a serious competition to others in the budget smartphone segment. It offers a little more than what an average mobile user expects. The phone is also available in a slightly toned-down variant, with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage, at a price tag of Rs 10,999. This might appear attractive for people on a tight budget but looking for a capable smartphone.

In its price segment, the Billion Capture+ could prove a worthy rival to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 and Redmi Y1 – especially with its great battery life, smooth performance and immaculate camera.