Indigenous handset maker Intex has launched a new affordable smartphone, Aqua Lions T1 Lite, in India. The new device is a watered-down version of the Aqua Lions T1 that was launched in India last year and is being marketed with the tagline - "Heavy on features, light on pocket."
Priced at Rs 4,449, the Aqua Lions T1 Lite is also being touted as the cheapest 5-inch smartphone available in the country. At this price, the handset will be competing directly with Xiaomi Redmi 5A which was launched last year at Rs 4,999 for the 2GB RAM +16GB storage variant.
The entry-level handset comes with 4G VoLTE connectivity, support for 21 regional languages and a bunch of Intex Value Added Services as its biggest highlights.
Intex's Value Added Services include LFTY, DataBack and Prime Video access. The LFTY feature offers a single-swipe access to infotainment providing a cohesive mix of multi-category content such as videos, news, wallpapers and a list of trending apps. The DataBack service is essentially a Data saver app that helps users save up to 500MB of data per month. And lastly, the Prime Video service provides access to users to watch popular movies and TV shows, including various Bollywood and regional movies.
Also read: Intex launches cheapest dual selfie camera smartphone in India at Rs 6,999: Check specs, features
Intex Aqua Lions T1 Lite Specifications
Intex Aqua Lions T1 Lite sports a 5-inch HD display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and 2.5D glass atop. It is powered by a 1.3GHz Spreadtrum SC9832A quad-core processor which is coupled with 1GB of RAM. The handset packs 8GB of storage on board, which is expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card.
On the photography front, the Intex phone sports a 5MP rear camera with an LED flash and a 2MP sensor at the front, which is also assisted by a dedicated selfie flash. It also comes with features such as Beauty mode, Panorama, Burst mode and several filters.
The dual SIM device offers 4G VoLTE support, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, micro USB 2.0 and there's also a G-sensor on board. Besides, the handset's 'Matrabhasha' service offers language options in 21 regional languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati Bengali and more.
The smartphone runs on Android 7 Nougat operating system and packs a 2,200mAh battery, which is claimed to deliver a talk-time of up to 10 hours and a standby time of 10 days.
The handset comes in Royal Black, Steel Grey and Champagne colour and is available for purchase from retail stores across India.
So is it better than Redmi 5A?
The Intex Aqua Lions T1 Lite does make for a great value-for-money proposition at Rs 4,449, but the Redmi 5A offers double the RAM and storage - 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage, instead of 1GB RAM and 8GB. The Xiaomi device also offers a better camera with 13MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter, compared to the 5MP rear camera and 2MP selfie camera on the Intex device. And then, there's the Snapdragon 425 chipset under the Redmi 5A's hood that we simply cannot ignore.
All things considered, we think the Redmi 5A is a better phone at just Rs 550 extra (Redmi 5A is priced at Rs 4,999). And although the Aqua Lions T1 Lite does make for a good alternative - considering the Redmi 5A is hard to get your hands on - we will still side with the Redmi 5A on this one.
