Price and specifications of XOLO Q800 advantages, disadvantages, and a comprehensive explanation

Overview of XOLO Q800

The XOLO Q800, announced and released in February 2013, is a smartphone that offered many impressive features during its time. As a device from the mid-range segment, it was designed to cater to users who were looking for good performance at an affordable price. Although it has been discontinued, as of this writing, the XOLO Q800 remains a topic of interest, particularly for those examining the evolution of smartphone technology over the past decade.

Design and Build

The XOLO Q800 comes with dimensions of 135.5 x 67 x 9.6 mm, weighing 143.5 grams. The design is typical of smartphones from its era, sporting a solid build quality that's comfortable to hold. The device features a dual SIM setup, allowing users the flexibility of managing two separate phone numbers within one phone, an essential feature for many business users and travelers. Available in black and white, the XOLO Q800 provided a simple yet sleek aesthetic which was appealing to a wide range of users.

Display

Equipped with a 4.5-inch IPS LCD, the XOLO Q800 offers a screen resolution of 540 x 960 pixels, approximately 245 ppi pixel density. This setup provides users with decent display quality, suitable for media consumption, browsing, and gaming during its time. The IPS technology ensures wider viewing angles and accurate color reproduction, enhancing the visual experience compared to its non-IPS counterparts.

Hardware Performance

Powering the XOLO Q800 is the MediaTek MT6589M chipset, built on a 28 nm process. It features a quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 processor paired with a PowerVR SGX544 GPU. This combination was capable of delivering robust performance for everyday tasks such as web browsing, social networking, and handling light to moderate multitasking. The inclusion of 1GB of RAM further aids in maintaining smoother performance across various applications. However, its performance was relatively limited by today's standards.

Storage

The phone comes with 4GB of internal storage, which, while modest, is expandable via a microSDHC card slot. This dedicated slot allows users to extend their storage capacity, accommodating additional apps, photos, music, and videos. Given the storage demands of applications and media files, this feature was highly valuable.

Operating System

The XOLO Q800 operates on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, which, at the time of release, brought several improvements over its predecessors, including Project Butter, which enhanced system performance and responsiveness, and support for rich notifications and widgets that added to the user experience.

Camera

The XOLO Q800 features an 8 MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash, allowing for competent photography even in low-light conditions. It is equipped for video recording, catering to casual photographers and videographers. The 1 MP front camera offers basic functionality for video calls and selfies, sufficient for the standards of the time.

Battery Life

With a Li-Ion 2100 mAh removable battery, the XOLO Q800 provides a standby time of up to 360 hours and talk time of up to 16 hours on 2G and 10 hours on 3G networks. This capacity ensures the device offers a day's worth of usage for most users, aligning well with mid-range expectations during its release period.

Connectivity

The device supports GSM and HSPA networks, with 2G and 3G bands ensuring adequate coverage in most regions. Other connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot capabilities, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP for wireless audio streaming, GPS, and microUSB 2.0 for charging and data transfer. Additionally, the XOLO Q800 features an FM radio with recording capabilities.

Additional Features

The XOLO Q800 is equipped with essential sensors such as an accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass, which enhance its usability across various applications and services. The inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack ensures compatibility with a wide range of audio peripherals.

Market Positioning and Pricing

Priced approximately at 130 EUR, the XOLO Q800 was positioned as a budget-friendly option that offered good value for the features it provided. It appealed particularly to cost-conscious consumers looking for a functional smartphone without the premium price tag associated with flagship devices.

Conclusion

In conclusion, while the XOLO Q800 has been discontinued, its impact and relevance during its time of release are noteworthy. It encapsulated a snapshot of smartphone technology from 2013, offering an affordable option for users looking for practical functionality. As technology advances, comparisons to devices like the XOLO Q800 offer a perspective on how far the industry has come and give an appreciation for the rapid pace of innovation in mobile technology.