Pros:Big screen; Smooth UI; Good sound quality; Dual-SIM functionality.
Cons:Uncomfortable for one-handed use; Terrible camera; Mediocre screen.
WickedLeak Wammy Note
MRP (As On 12-Oct-2012): Rs 11,300
Do you love big screen phones, but can't afford the Samsung's GALAXY Note? Worry not, WickedLeak is offering an alternative for one third the cost. Dubbed as the Wammy Note (how original!), this handset surely can't match Samsung's performance or screen quality, but comes with mass market features such as dual-SIM functionality and inbuilt analogue TV tuner. Now let's find out whether the Wammy Note delivers good value for money.
Design And Build Quality
A spare battery makes appearance in the retail package apart from the usual suspects (earphones, charger, USB cable). The device measures 5.7" (l) x 3.5 (w) x 0.5" (12 mm) (d), and tips the scales at a rather heavy 192 grammes (both, the current Samsung Note 2 and the earlier Note N7000 are lighter). Being a "phablet", the Wammy Note is too big for a single handed use. Design-wise, it's a complete rip off of the GALAXY Note, save for its textured back panel. So don't be surprised if many people identify it as a Samsung's device. Needless to say, it's a clear case of lack of design innovation. On the bright side, this inexpensive clone gives you the bragging rights of a phone that costs around 34 grand. More importantly, unlike the most budget Androids, the Wammy Note is quite sturdy.
The panel is quite bright, and reasonably sharp despite not looking great on paper. The phone's 5" LCD screen is only 0.3" shy of the GALAXY Note's display but more importantly has only 480x800 pixels (versus the Note 2 at 720p). If you thought 16 million colors was standard today, wrong - the Wammy Note can only render 260K colours, so don't expect it to be vivid though. Additionally, the screen's viewing angles are narrow, but then again, you get what you pay for. Moving on to the other specs, the gadget is powered by a 1 GHz CPU and has 512 MB of RAM. Here's the list of detailed features:
UI And Applications
The Wammy Note features Android 4.0 (ICS) with hardly any customisation done by WickedLeak. This is actually a good thing since you get a clean interface. More importantly, the phone's single core CPU does very a good job at handling the software. I couldn't notice any significant lag while swiping through the homescreens. Be informed though that this phone is quite uncomfortable for one-handed use, but I guess that's the price you pay for having a big screen. Popular games such as Temple Run and Fruit Ninja worked fine, and there was no issue with browser's performance either. To sum it up, the manufacturer has managed to deliever a pleasant ICS experience at an affordable price.
Multimedia
The Wammy Note's sound quality is good, and the bundled earphones aren't very bad either. The 3.5 mm jack is placed at the bottom of the phone, which is quite odd and takes some time to get along with. The "phablet" comes pre-loaded with MoboPlayer, and is capable of handling MP4, DivX, and XviD videos up to 720p.
This was my first encounter with a smartphone that features a built-in analogue TV tuner. The device could pick up DD1 and some other regional channels such as Sahyadri, but its video quality wasn't even watchable.
Although the camera specifications read 8 mp, the quality leaves a lot to be desired. As expected, the video recording quality is as bad as still images. What's worse is that these clips turn out to be very choppy. Click here, to check out the video sample.
Telephony, Messaging, Battery Life, And Verdict
The phone's call quality and signal reception was very good during the testing. As usual, this dual-SIM, dual-standby device offers SIM settings that allows you to assign a particular SIM for voice, data, or messaging. Thanks to its 5" screen, you're unlikely to hit a wrong key while typing.
The Wammy Note's 2500 mAh battery comfortably a morning-to-evening schedule. With the screen and data connection kept on however, (let's call this 'heavy use') expect it to last only about about five hours. Considering the screen size, these figures are not bad at all. Available for around Rs 11,000, the handset offers smooth UI, good sound quality, and a bigger screen. If you're hunting for an affordable "phablet", then the Wammy Note deserves to be on your radar. Other devices worth mentioning in this category are Micromax's Superfone Canvas A100, and iBall Andy 5C.
MRP (As On 12-Oct-2012): Rs 11,300
Do you love big screen phones, but can't afford the Samsung's GALAXY Note? Worry not, WickedLeak is offering an alternative for one third the cost. Dubbed as the Wammy Note (how original!), this handset surely can't match Samsung's performance or screen quality, but comes with mass market features such as dual-SIM functionality and inbuilt analogue TV tuner. Now let's find out whether the Wammy Note delivers good value for money.
Design And Build Quality
A spare battery makes appearance in the retail package apart from the usual suspects (earphones, charger, USB cable). The device measures 5.7" (l) x 3.5 (w) x 0.5" (12 mm) (d), and tips the scales at a rather heavy 192 grammes (both, the current Samsung Note 2 and the earlier Note N7000 are lighter). Being a "phablet", the Wammy Note is too big for a single handed use. Design-wise, it's a complete rip off of the GALAXY Note, save for its textured back panel. So don't be surprised if many people identify it as a Samsung's device. Needless to say, it's a clear case of lack of design innovation. On the bright side, this inexpensive clone gives you the bragging rights of a phone that costs around 34 grand. More importantly, unlike the most budget Androids, the Wammy Note is quite sturdy.
The panel is quite bright, and reasonably sharp despite not looking great on paper. The phone's 5" LCD screen is only 0.3" shy of the GALAXY Note's display but more importantly has only 480x800 pixels (versus the Note 2 at 720p). If you thought 16 million colors was standard today, wrong - the Wammy Note can only render 260K colours, so don't expect it to be vivid though. Additionally, the screen's viewing angles are narrow, but then again, you get what you pay for. Moving on to the other specs, the gadget is powered by a 1 GHz CPU and has 512 MB of RAM. Here's the list of detailed features:
Dual-SIM, dual-standby, quad-band GSM (850 \ 900 \ 1800 \ 1900 MHz), 3G (2100 MHz).- 5.0" multi-touch (five point) screen with 480x800 pixels and 260K colours, supports handwriting recognition.
- 8 mp auto-focus rear camera with LED flash and burst mode (16 Shots in 2 seconds), 0.3 mp front camera.
- 1 GHz Cortex A9 CPU, PowerVR SGX531 GPU, 512 MB of RAM.
- 3.5mm mack, Micro-USB, Analogue TV tuner, FM radio.
- 4 GB internal storage (2 GB user accessible), 16 GB microSD card slot, Gravity sensor.
- Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi with hotspot, Assisted GPS.
- Android 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
- Supported Media Formats: MP3, WAV, AMR, AWB, MOV, MKV, AVI, RMVB, RM, TS, TP, M2TS, VOB, DAT, MPEG, MP4, PMP, 3GP, FLV, WMV, ASF.
- 5.7" (l) x 3.5 (w) x 0.5" (12 mm) (d), 192 grammes.
- 2500 mAh Li-ion battery.
UI And Applications
The Wammy Note features Android 4.0 (ICS) with hardly any customisation done by WickedLeak. This is actually a good thing since you get a clean interface. More importantly, the phone's single core CPU does very a good job at handling the software. I couldn't notice any significant lag while swiping through the homescreens. Be informed though that this phone is quite uncomfortable for one-handed use, but I guess that's the price you pay for having a big screen. Popular games such as Temple Run and Fruit Ninja worked fine, and there was no issue with browser's performance either. To sum it up, the manufacturer has managed to deliever a pleasant ICS experience at an affordable price.Multimedia
The Wammy Note's sound quality is good, and the bundled earphones aren't very bad either. The 3.5 mm jack is placed at the bottom of the phone, which is quite odd and takes some time to get along with. The "phablet" comes pre-loaded with MoboPlayer, and is capable of handling MP4, DivX, and XviD videos up to 720p.This was my first encounter with a smartphone that features a built-in analogue TV tuner. The device could pick up DD1 and some other regional channels such as Sahyadri, but its video quality wasn't even watchable.
Although the camera specifications read 8 mp, the quality leaves a lot to be desired. As expected, the video recording quality is as bad as still images. What's worse is that these clips turn out to be very choppy. Click here, to check out the video sample.
Telephony, Messaging, Battery Life, And Verdict
The phone's call quality and signal reception was very good during the testing. As usual, this dual-SIM, dual-standby device offers SIM settings that allows you to assign a particular SIM for voice, data, or messaging. Thanks to its 5" screen, you're unlikely to hit a wrong key while typing.
The Wammy Note's 2500 mAh battery comfortably a morning-to-evening schedule. With the screen and data connection kept on however, (let's call this 'heavy use') expect it to last only about about five hours. Considering the screen size, these figures are not bad at all. Available for around Rs 11,000, the handset offers smooth UI, good sound quality, and a bigger screen. If you're hunting for an affordable "phablet", then the Wammy Note deserves to be on your radar. Other devices worth mentioning in this category are Micromax's Superfone Canvas A100, and iBall Andy 5C.
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