Akai Slimz – Simplicity is a virtue Review

The Akai Slimz is a decent performer, most noticeably lacking a worthy camera. The two bundled back panels make a good deal for those looking to change the style quotient of their phone ever so often, and overall, it is a capable dual SIM phone that is not priced beyond its abilities, except the perplexing lack of EDGE connectivity. Rock solid performance however, should not be expected, with erratic dropped calls and poor video performance taking their toll.

Overall, while we wouldn’t describe the build quality as top-notch, especially with the near zero hefty feel, the phone doesn’t have any glaring physical defects, getting a very average 5 rating.

Ergonomically, the phone is quite well designed, lending itself to easy one handed operation, and offering good response from the four unbroken rows of alphanumeric keys. The central navigation button is diamond shaped, and, it must be noted that as a dual SIM phone, the Akai Slimz does not have dedicated SIM 1 or SIM 2 call keys. The microUSB port is situated on the bottom of the phone, to the extreme right, while a 3.5-mm jack can be on the top of the phone, to the extreme left.

The phone also comes bundled with two extra back panels, giving users the option of outfitting their phone in metallic red or canary yellow.

Interface
After reviewing the Micromax X505 Psych, we were a little apprehensive about other low-end operating systems and their trend towards aesthetically displeasing user interfaces. However, the Akai Slimz stands out for its simple and almost elegant UI that’s easy to use and move around in. The home screen is where the navigation button really comes into play, allowing you to either browse and select the shortcuts (Menu, Write Message, Browser, Alarm, Profiles, & Bluetooth) arranged in neat row on top, or move down to configure network settings of the displayed SIM cards, or select calendar notifications below that.

The Akai Slimz phonebook is well-made, with groupings such as All (both SIM 1 and 2) Family, Friends, Colleagues, Classmates, and Blacklist, apart from of course, SIM specific contacts.

Messaging is likewise clean and easy to use even taking to account the slightly hard to get used to predictive text system.

The video recorder and camera are separate native apps, which isn’t too much of an issue, but takes some getting used to. Unfortunately, in terms of interface, the camera is found deep inside (Menu>Multimedia>Camera).

What’s great about the phone is the call record facility, which can be switched on during the call, after which, the recording in conveniently stored in the recording folder. Also nice, is the mobile tracker feature, sure to appease those worried about their phone getting into the wrong hands.

As for the audio player, six equalizer options are available. The control interface is not immediately obvious, but once you discover it (*/# for less/more volume, up for pause/play, down for stop, left/right for previous/next track), it’s much more user friendly than many phones out there without a dedicated volume rocker.

The video player follows the same rules, with the central select button putting it to fullscreen.

Performance
The phone’s call clarity and signal reception is not bad, however, in Zone 3, some call drops were experienced. The phone’s loudspeaker was quite capable, but at maximum volume, did face some distortion with resonance along the body, something quite ironic for the prominently 3D Sound engraved loudspeaker. The audio pick up in loudspeaker mode was not too good however, with the listener complaining of alternately muted and echoing voice. The handsfree was good on call for the listener, however, we weren’t too happy with the maximum volume output.

[RELATED_ARTICLE]As for the audio playback of the phone, the bundled headphones provide a tinny sound, with high frequency treble sounds nearly too sharp to bear, and of course, there is a very negligible bass experience. However, the phone plays 320kbps bit rate MP3 without a hitch.

Video output of our sample video file (320×240 MP4/AVI) was quite bad, with video and audio synchronisation being completely off, and some rather evident stuttering evident in the video. The phone’s 3GP/AVI recordings play well enough though, obviously.

The camera is nothing to write home about, and you can forget about ever taking a picture from your phone that will one day be on your desktop, unless you intend to make a collage or mosaic out of a dozens of small pictures. There’s too much noise and pixilation evident, though the colour accuracy was not bad. Video can be dismissed completely, unless of course the object of the video was to get the general idea and the audio, instead of any video details. The camera settings are good overall, bet then again, what’s the use if the resulting picture is always a let down.

Battery life of the phone is quite good, owing to the rather powerful 1000 mAh battery that’s more than sufficient for this diminutive device. We required a full recharge every 32 hours, with average use. That figure will go down considerably of course, if one uses the loudspeaker often.

Verdict:
The Akai Slimz is a decent performer, most noticeably lacking a worthy camera. The two bundled back panels make a good deal for those looking to change their phone’s style quotient ever so often, and overall, it’s a capable dual SIM phone that’s not priced beyond its abilities. Rock solid performance however, should not be expected, with erratic dropped calls and poor video performance taking their toll.

Rating
Features: 5
Performance: 5
Build Quality: 5
Value for Money: 5
Overall: 5

Price: Rs. 3,695 (MRP)

Read on to see the phone’s test scores….

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Abhinav Lal

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