XOLO Era 4G The Complete Guide to Specs Pricing and Pros & Cons

Overview of XOLO Era 4G

The XOLO Era 4G, announced and released in February 2016, marked a significant entry into the budget smartphone niche with a focus on delivering essential features wrapped in a compact design. While it has been discontinued, its blend of functionality and affordability continues to be of interest to many tech enthusiasts.

Design and Build

The XOLO Era 4G measures 145.5 x 72 x 8.5 mm, providing a comfortable size for one-handed use. Despite its modest price point, the phone incorporates a Corning Gorilla Glass protection, which is typically found in higher-end models. It features a standard black color that gives it a classic and clean appearance. The device supports dual SIM cards, allowing for flexibility in managing personal and work contacts separately.

Display

The XOLO Era 4G is equipped with a 5.0-inch IPS LCD display, offering a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels, resulting in approximately 294 ppi pixel density. The screen-to-body ratio stands at around 65.8%, which is adequate for reading and multimedia consumption. The presence of IPS technology ensures wide viewing angles and good color reproduction, contributing to a satisfactory viewing experience.

Performance

Under the hood, the XOLO Era 4G is powered by a Spreadtrum SC9830A chipset, featuring a Quad-core 1.5 GHz CPU and a Mali-400MP2 GPU. This configuration was designed for basic daily tasks such as browsing, social media usage, and running light applications. The 1GB RAM somewhat limits multitasking capabilities, yet remains suitable for the phone's target audience at the time of its release.

Storage

The device comes with 8GB of internal storage, which is quite limited by today's standards. However, it supports microSDHC cards, allowing expansion and providing the user with ample space for additional apps, photos, and data.

Camera

The main camera of the XOLO Era 4G is a 5 MP shooter with autofocus capability. It includes features like LED flash, panorama, and HDR, enabling users to capture reasonable pictures in good lighting conditions. The phone is also capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps. On the front, there's a 2 MP camera suitable for video calls and basic selfies, complemented with an LED flash mechanism that aids in low-light selfies.

Battery Life

The smartphone houses a Li-Po 2500 mAh removable battery. The manufacturer claims standby times of up to 455 hours on 2G and up to 329 hours on 3G. For active usage, it offers talk times of up to 13 hours and 30 minutes on 2G, and up to 10 hours and 45 minutes on 3G. Such battery performance ensures that the device can traditionally span through a full day of moderate use.

Network and Connectivity

The XOLO Era 4G supports GSM, HSPA, and LTE networks, providing versatility and fast data speeds with HSPA capabilities of up to 21.1 Mbps for downloads and 5.76 Mbps for uploads. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot feature, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM radio, and microUSB 2.0. However, it lacks NFC support, typical for budget models during its launch period.

Additional Features

Basic sensors such as accelerometer and proximity are included in the XOLO Era 4G, covering mundane operational functionalities. It comes pre-installed with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and can be upgraded to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, offering a somewhat refined user experience and access to a wide array of apps and services from the Google Play Store.

User Experience and Market Position

While the XOLO Era 4G may no longer be available in the market, its role during its availability was pivotal in transitioning budget smartphone users into the realm of 4G connectivity. Its combination of a sturdy build, necessary telecom features, alongside basic smartphone capabilities, made it a noteworthy option within its class.

Conclusion

The XOLO Era 4G served as a practical, entry-level smartphone choice for users seeking essential features without the premium price tag. With its decent battery life, adequate performance for everyday tasks, and solid construction, it stood as a testament to the capability of budget devices of its time, fulfilling basic smartphone needs for a wide range of users.