Video : Lava IRIS WIn1 vs Lumia 530 vs Celkon Win 400 vs Karbonn Titanium WIND W4 — Which One to Buy
If you have read our reviews, you know which of these Windows Phones to pick up, but if you haven’t, I will help you figure out which of these devices are perfect value for money.
Recently a lot of OEM rolled out super low-priced Windows Phone with limited hardware at Rs 5000 in the Indian market. These phones carry minimum required hardware with a feature added or removed. “Value for Money” plays a vital role in this segment. People don’t want to spend a lot, but they want the best hardware, and OEM delivering the right combination wins.
In this post, I am comparing windows phones from Lava, Celkon, Microsoft, and Karbonn. Do make sure to watch the video for a detailed discussion.
Specification Comparison:
| Specification | Lava | Microsoft | Celkon | Karbonn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series Name | IRIS WIN1 | Lumia 530 | WIN 400 | Titanium WIN4 |
| Price | Rs 4,999 | Rs 5,900 | Rs 3,999 | Rs 4,300 |
| Processor | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 Quadcore | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 Quadcore | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 Quadcore | 1.2 GHz Snapdragon 200 Quadcore |
| RAM | 1 GB | 512 MB | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Storage | 8 GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Rear Camera | 5 MP with LED Flash | 5MP without Flash | 5 MP with LED Flash | 5 MP with LED Flash |
| Front Camera | WCGA | NO | 1.3 MP Front Camera | VGA |
| Missing Sensors | Compass | Compass | Compass, Proximity | Compass |
| Display | 4 inch, WVGA Capacitive touch screen, Resolution 480 X 800 and 233 PPI | 4 inch LCD screen, FWVGA, which is 854 X 480 and 245 PPI | 4 inch, WVGA Capacitive touch screen, Resolution 480 X 800 and 233 PPI | 4 inch, WVGA Capacitive touch screen, Resolution 480 X 800 and 233 PPI |
| Build | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| Battery | 1950 mAh | 1430 mAh | 1500 mAh | 1950 mAh |
| Speakers | Good | Good | Average | Poor |
| Mobile Network | Dual SIM, 3G | Dual SIM, 3G | Dual SIM, 3G + WCDMA | 3G |
Video Discussion
Winner by Ratings
| Criteria | Lava IRIS WIN1 | Lumia 530 | Celkon WIN 400 | Karbonn Titanium WIND W4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design and Build | 8.5 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Display | 8.5 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Camera | 9 | 5 | 7 | 3 |
| Performance | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Battery | 9.5 | 9.5 | 7 | 9 |
| Music and Speakers | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Gaming | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Value for Money | 9.5 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
| Overall | 8.8 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Full Review | Read | Read | Read | Read |
Winner by Specification:
Lava IRIS WIn1 is a clear winner here as it houses the right hardware specification. 1GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage are like minimum requirements these days. You cannot expect consumers to invest in a microSD card right away or wait for apps to be released for 512 MB RAM. Lava IRIS WIN1 has a great build quality, a decent camera for daylight photography with a great performance.
This is then followed by Celkon WIN 400 or Karbonn Titanium WIN4, depending on what you choose. Celkon WIn400 comes with a 1.3 MP front camera, which is better than the WVGA camera of Karbonn, but then later comes with a 1950 mAh Battery, which is more than Celkon’s battery, which is only 1500 mAh.
Between Celkon WIN400 and Lumia 530, there is no competition. Celkon WIN 400 is cheaper than Lumia 530 by Rs 1800 approx, comes with a better camera, and comes with the Proximity sensor. Lumia 530 may have a better screen, but it doesn’t make sense for its price.
Winner as per Price Range:
Celkon WIN 400 wins, but you might want to keep an eye on the price of Karbonn Titanium WIN4. They only differ by Rs 400.
Lumia App Experience Exclusivity is Fading
The only advantage if you ever choose a Lumia device is its app experience. However, recent changes which we are noticing in Microsoft and other places are making me think twice. Here Drive is not available on all Windows Phone, while recently MixRadio was bought by Line. It’s quite possible that, except for some of the exclusive apps, you might not really miss the app experience by a large margin.
Drawbacks
Suppose I have to count drawbacks on these phones in general. All these phones use the Snapdragon 200 Quad-Core processor, which doesn’t support HD Playback. The problem is with the codecs and frame rates, which is a restriction by the OEM. You will need to wait for media players like VLC or use Moli Player to play it. Not to forget that except for IRIS WIN1, the rest of the phones have less storage and RAM.
