Panasonic Eluga I5 Launched in India: Price, Specifications And Review

With all the high-octane action going on in the smartphone business, Pansonic has been strengthening its line-up with back to back launched in the mid-budget segment to now the Panasonic Eluga I5 has been launched in India to cater to the needs to entry-level handset seekers and will go against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi 4A, and Moto C Plus.

Lately, Panasonic-build smartphones have adopted sleek design theme and there is a lot of work that has been done with the displays, making them the best offerings in the competition for multimedia consumption. However, with the Panasonic Eluga I5, the focus has now shifted towards offering the best overall package at an attractive price tag.

But is it enough to make Panasonic Eluga I5 the bread and butter for the Japanese maker? Let’s see.

Panasonic Eluga I5 Specifications

• 5-inch (1280 x 720) FHD 2.5D curved glass display, offering 294 ppi and protected with Asahi Dragon Trail Glass.

• 64-bit quad-core MediaTek MT6737 chipset clocked at 1.25 GHz and coupled with Mali-T720 GPU.

• 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via microSD.

• Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.

• 13MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, PDAF, 5 piece lens and LED flash.

• 5MP front-facing camera with fixed focus, f/2.0 aperture, and a 3 piece lens.

• Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD) and Fingerprint sensor.

• 2500mAh battery with no fast charging support.

• Dimensions: 143x71x7.5mm and Weight: 145.5g

• 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/GLONASS 3.5mm audio jack and Micro USB 2.0 support.

Panasonic Eluga I5 Price And Availability

Priced at Rs 8,990, the smartphone is currently available in Black and Gold color options and is exclusive to Flipkart. However, as an introductory offer, Panasonic Eluga I5 is available at a discount of Rs 2,500 discount, bringing its effective cost down to Rs 6,490 for a limited period.

In addition to the discount, Flipkart has also announced an exchange offer of up to Rs 6,000 on the device, on top a 5 % discount for Axis Bank Buzz credit card users.

Panasonic Eluga I5 Review

• First and foremost, the battery package is a big sore on the spec-sheet as the competition offers more than 3000 mAh of juice as a battery backup and since there is no fast-charging supported device in this category, Panasonic could have taken a first mover’s advantage.

• That said, considering the segment Panasonic Eluga I5 is competing in, Stock Android is a welcomed feature as entry-level users will be able to experience the purest form of the Android world.

• As for the display, we really liked the fact that Panasonic has given the 5-inch curved display external protection, something which we miss in Xiaomi Redmi 4A. Although brightness levels are not that great but the screen still offers good viewing angles.

• Moreover, the 13MP rear camera and 5MP front shooter, while not the best in the competitions, can offer Redmi 4-like results in good exposure. Apart from that low-light performance of the camera units is at par but when overexposed to brightness, the rear camera struggles to find the exact color production.

• Coming to the design, it the tried and tested build which comes with curved edges and a shiny surface to add to the smartphone’s appeal and Panasonic has done a great job by not experimenting this time.

Conclusion

At Rs 6,490 during the introductory offer, the Panasonic Eluga I5 is a highly recommend device or those looking for Stock Android experience, however, with an MRP of Rs 8,990, we have our doubts about its success as this will put the smartphone in direct competition with Moto E Plus and Redmi Note 4’s 2GB/32GB version.