The XOLO Q1010 comes powered by 1.3GHz MediaTek processor running Android 4.2 with 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage. The specifications are a little better than as seen on Micromax A114. Even though A114 is cheaper, the XOLO Q1010 cannot be ignored.

Q1010 – Inside the Box
Inside the white box pack you will find the handset, a nice premium looking free flip cover made of artificial leather, OTG cable, data cable, travel charger and good quality earphone.  Also included are the quick start guide and warranty booklet. You will not find the battery inside the box because its inside the handset (it’s a non-removable battery).

Design, Display and OS
The handset does look attractive and pretty slim with an 8.20mm thickness.  The handset weight is 156 grams. The back cover is thin and flexible, its black color with matte finish. Battery is  built in.  The handset dimensions are 72.54 x 143.53 x 8.20mm.

The Q1010 feels good to hold and the free flip cover further enhances the looks. The volume rockers are on the left side, power button on the right, 3.5mm audio jack on the top and micro USB port at the bottom. There are dual mics for noise cancellation as well as LED notification. There are accelerometer, proximity and light sensors.

XOLO Q1010 box pack

The OGS, IPS touchscreen is 5 inches supporting 1280×720 pixels resolution. Touch is smooth and responsive.  There is Gloves option that will increase the touch sensitivity. Viewing angles are good. This dual SIM (2x Micro SIMs) handset runs on Android 4.2.2.

XOLO Q1010 unboxing

Memory and Storage
There is 1GB on-board RAM and you get around 760MB free on the first boot. And of the 4GB internal storage 1.75GB is assigned as phone storage and 0.9 GB as space for apps. You can assign the external card as the preferred install location. OTG also works (it is mentioned on the box).

Q1010 Performance
The XOLO Q1010 is powered by 1.3GHz Cortex A7 ARM MediaTek MT6582 quad core chipset with Mali 400 GPU. The box pack clearly mentions that the Mali GPU is clocked at 500 MHz. Performance is lag free and smooth.

xolo q1010 review

Benchmark scores

  • Quadrant Standard – 5852.
  • AnTuTu – 17115.
  • Vellamo – HTML5 1957, Metal 537.
  • Nenamark 2 – 55.4 fps
  • Multi touch : 5 points.

The benchmark score are almost similar to as seen on the Micromax A114.  In fact the Micromax A114 is with qHD resolution. The Q1010 does have the HD advantage (screen resolution) and still does well in the benchmark test.

Gaming
I tried MC4 and Asphalt 8 both of these games got installed on the external storage. Game play is smooth. The Asphalt 8 in high graphics mode was not that smooth (but playable) – with low resolution it did really well.

Camera and Entertainment
The 8MP camera placed on the rear with LED flash support does a pretty decent job. Close ups and long shots are impressive. The front camera is blurry, not that good may be good enough for video chats. The rear camera can shoot 1080p videos and the video quality is also very good, you can check the sample images and videos at the end.

XOLO Q1010 8MP AF camera

This hardware is capable of playing full HD videos.

Note:- XOLO has rolled out an update – the camera quality has improved (some users have mentioned this).

Others
Sound is loud and clear. 3G, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi worked well. GPS is fast we have seen this on the MMX A114 too. Q1010 comes loaded with smart features that makes use of on-screen gestures to access apps instantly in sleep or standby mode. For example swipe ‘e’ to launch web browser, ‘c’ for dialer and ‘m’ for camera.

Battery
The battery of 2250 mAh capacity comes built in. In case of battery issue it can be serviced / changed by the service center. I used the handset for about 42 minutes running the benchmark apps and playing the above mentioned games, battery dropped by 12%. Max temperature was 40 degrees. If you are playing high end games you can expect the battery to last for about 4 to 5 hours on a full charge.

XOLO Q1010 non-removable battery

Verdict
The XOLO Q1010 is a very good alternative to the Micromax A114. The MMX A114 is now cheaper currently priced at approx Rs. 10,200. The XOLO Q1010 is available for approx Rs. 12,500. Though the hardware is the same the specifications are better on the Q1010. Definitely a very good buy, would have been better if the price was under 11K, just to be at a safe pricing distance from Moto G.

Image Gallery

Sample Images

XOLO Q1010 handset and gaming review

Full HD (1080p) video recorded using Q1010 handset

By Rajeev Rana

Founder and Chief Editor - gogi.in