Celkon A200 review and Unboxing – Low cost dual core handset

The Celkon A200 also called Smartron A200 is here to compete with the Videocon A30. The Celkon A200 comes powered by a dual core processor running ICS OS over a 4.3 inch capacitive touchscreen, and similar features to Micromax A110, but for an attractive price of approx Rs. 8,000.

A200 Box Pack
The box is compact and specs are clearly mentioned on the box pack including RAM and internal storage. Inside the box you will find the handset, charger, USB to mico USB cable, earphone, user manual and warranty card.

Celkon A200 review

Design and Display
The handset looks awesome. The glossy off-white color covers up all the sides except the front screen area which is black color. The curves and the finishing are really good and it gives an elegant premium look.

The power button, 3.5mm jack and the micro USB port are present on the top side and volume rockers on the right side. The handset weighs 147 grams with 10.8mm thickness.

The IPS display screen is 4.3 inches supporting resolution of 800×480 pixels. No issues with the touch or the response.

Processor, OS, memory and storage
The Celkon A200 runs on the ICS version 4.0.4 with 512MB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The processor is dual core MTK6577 with PowerVR SGX 531 GPU same as on Micromax A110, iBall 4.5h, Lava Iris 501 and some other handsets. The CPU is clocked at 1GHz.

• Of the 512MB RAM, 209 MB is free and 265MB is used.
• Of the 4GB storage, 0.89GB (free and 45MB used) is available for apps and 1.5GB for internal phone storage.
• MicroSD card up to 32GB is supported.

The apps that you will install will be stored on the internal storage and not on external storage.

Benchmark score

• Quadrant Benchmark : 2741.
• Antutu Benchmark : 6723.
• Nenamark2 : 22.6 fps.
• Linpack : single 35, multiple 56.
• Multi Touch : 5 point.

Connectivity
There is 3G with speed of up to 7.2Mbps, 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, micro USB port and 3.5mm jack. USB and Bluetooth tethering is supported and you can also use the Wi-Fi as hotspot for sharing net connection with other Wi-Fi devices. There is built in GPS and it got a lock in less than 10 seconds.

Sensors
This low cost dual core handset comes with light, proximity, accelerometer and magnetic sensors. If you would recall, light and magnetic sensors are missing on Micromax A110.

5MP Camera?
Well not really, it’s 8MP. The box pack and even the rear side of the handset say its 5MP but when you go to settings you can change it to 8MP. The camera quality is the same, there is also LED flash and a front camera for video calls. You will need to set the hue to medium to correct the colour output (check the video review).

You can check sample images here – http://www.flickr.com/photos/gogirana/sets/72157632571076754/

Entertainment
The speaker sound is loud and clear. You can play 720p videos using MX player. Multi format video and audio files are supported.

Phone features
It dual SIM with dual standby, you can make video calls and surf the net using 3G.The in call speaker volume is good but has a mild rattling sound.

Gaming
The hardware can play many games, it can easily play temple run, Angry Birds and many other popular games, including some high end games.

Battery
The 1500 mAh battery for the 4.3 inch screen should be sufficient to get it going for over a day of moderate usage.

Verdict
For around Rs. 8,000 you get the same hardware that powered the A110 with light and magnetic sensors but with a 4.3 inch screen. The camera is of 8MP resolution but on box it’s mentioned as 5MP. The in call sound has a rattling sound probably could be the issue with the handset that I got. But overall the handset looks good with a catchy price tag.

Image Gallery

Celkon A200 unboxing and review video

720p video sample shot using Celkon A200

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