Akai Samurai – Dual-sword rookie Review

Akai Samurai is a low-end dual SIM cellphone which gives you a good bang for buck. Although it is not a satisfactory performer; at a price of Rs. 2,295 it makes a decent buy with a fair assortment of basic multimedia features. The major drawback is the lack of USB and Bluetooth connectivity, which cripples the cellphone from sharing or receiving data from other cellphones and computers. Also, the lack of video recording feature is a big disappointment.

Akai Samurai is a candy bar dual SIM phone, adopting a simple yet contemporary design. It is sleek and coated entirely in matte black (above pictured unit is a red variant) finish, giving it a touch of class & style. It ships with an anti-scratch sticker on the LCD screen & camera lens, which serves as a value added feature. The delicate curves on the contours of the body, enhances the stylish design and also enables better grip while holding it in the hands. The ring structured navigation control dial and the two small strips separating the option select & the call function keys are coated in red, which adds a touch of glamour to a rather simplistic design of the cellphone.

[RELATED_ARTICLE]The digital camera and the speakers are located on the back-panel, just above the battery compartment. The torch LED is located at the top surface of the cellphone, while the FM radio antenna could be retracted into the compact groove, just beside the hole for the torch LED. The ordinary build quality of the screen, battery cover and the keypad is quite expected for such a low-end budget phone. However, the poor build quality of the FM antenna is questionable, as it tends to break off too easily during usage.

The keypad layout design is well formulated by providing ridged spacing between the keys. The well laid-out design enhances the overall ergonomics of the keypad, by improving the navigation and keypad usability. However, the ordinary build quality of the keypad results in poor tactile feedback, which requires the user to press the keys harder to register the user input successfully.

Read on to know the performance, our take, specifications, ratings and performance test results in the next page…

Performance

[RELATED_ARTICLE]Although, we witnessed reasonably good voice clarity and signal reception across zones one and two; there was considerable drop in signal strength across zone three, leading to broken words & intermittent drop in voice clarity. The device earpiece volume and speaker volume were average at best. The loudspeaker delivered distorted voice even at medium volumes, defeating the purpose of its use. Although the handsfree delivered decent voice clarity, it had wavering audibility making it extremely difficult to understand the conversation especially across zones two and three.

The captured photo colour lacked depth and there were visible grainy particles across the edges of the objects affecting the overall image clarity. Outdoor photos looked quite crisp & sharper than the indoor ones, emphasizing the need for a flash.

During the music test, there was considerable sound distortion at volumes higher than 60%. Also, it lacks the dynamic bass boost which affects the overall sound reproduction quality, both with the loudspeaker and the bundled earphones.

The quality of display is mediocre and reveals visible grainy particles when the screen is slightly tilted – hence limiting the viewing angle of display. The display legibility under bright sunshine and video playback quality is average. Overall, the Akai Samurai is an ordinary performer that just gets the job done.

Our Take

Akai Samurai is a low-end dual-SIM budget cellphone which gives you a good bang for buck. Although it is not a satisfactory performer, at a price of Rs. 2,295 it makes a decent buy with a fair assortment of basic multimedia features. The major drawback is the lack of USB and Bluetooth connectivity, which cripples the cellphone from sharing or receiving data from other cellphones and computers. Also, the lack of video recording feature is a big disappointment.

Specifications: SIM (GSM GSM); Display: 1.8-inch; Memory: microSD expandable up to 2GB; Battery: 1000mAh;

Ratings
Features: 5
Performance: 5.5
Build Quality: 5.5
Value for money: 5.5
Overall: 5.5

Contact: Akai Mobiles
Phone: 18601802524
E-mail: info@gbes.asia
Website: www.gbes.asia
Price: Rs. 2,295

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Vinod Yalburgi