After the success of A9 and A7, Karbonn mobiles will soon launch the 800 MHz powered dual SIM android phone with 3G support. The handset will run on the gingerbread OS (Android 2.3) and will be here to compete with the Micromax A50 and, the yet to be launched, Spice Mi-355.

The handset looks stylish with white back cover and a blackish front. The touchscreen occupies most of the area, its 3.5 inches capacitive touch. The resolution I think will be 240 x 320 pixels (not yet confirmed) but could be even better at 320 x 480. There are 4 touch sensitive buttons and over all the handset has got that class look.

The Karbonn A5 specifications sound familiar to something you have heard before, closely resembles Karbonn A7 and MM A50. It houses a 800 MHz processors with dual SIM support (GSM + GSM). The internal memory is unknown, but micoSD card is supported (up to 32 GB).

There is the multi format player and probably built in FM radio. Sound output can be from a built in loudspeaker or a 3.5 mm jack and you can control the volume using the volume rockers (dedicated vol buttons).

High speed 3G (HSDPA – 7.2 mbps) is supported (from SIM 1 only), the SIM 2 supports only GPRS / EDGE networks. Other features are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and microUSB port. Additional features are a built in GPS and a 2 MP camera (rear) with flash.

Karbonn A5

The A5 is loaded with accelerometer sensor and a proximity sensor. The proximity sensor is an added advantage as this is missing on the Ninja A50. A high capacity rechargeable battery (1420 mAh) should give a decent standby and talktime.

The Karbonn A5 price is unknown but the handset is a bit better than the A50 as it comes with some added features. The 2 MP camera is just a formality, just ignore the quality. The 1420 mAh battery is another strong point.

Now the display resolution, I am not sure but if you compare this phone with Karbonn A7 there is a lot of similarity. The 5 MP on A7 is now 2 MP on A5 and also there seems to be no front cameras (not confirmed) on A5.

The Karbonn A7 is currently priced at under Rs. 7,000 (Rs. 6500 the last I heard), so considering this The A5 is a Karbonn copy of A7 with trimmed down features, and will definitely come with a trimmed down price tag, which I expect it to be under Rs. 5,500. It could give a close competition to MM A50.

By Rajeev Rana

Founder and Chief Editor - gogi.in