With the advent of 4G technology in India, smartphone makers are jumping in the bandwagon to make the most of it. The homegrown smartphone company Intex recently launched the Intex Cloud 4G Star we got to test it.
The device has a 5 inch IPS display with Asahi Dragon Trail glass protection and resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a 1.3 GHz quad core MediaTek processor with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage.
The Intex Cloud 4G Star has a 13 MP rear facing auto focus camera with LED flash. There is also a front facing 5 MP camera. The device runs on the Android Lollipop version with a 2300 mAh battery. The handset is priced at Rs. 7299 and is available in Black and Champagne colour options exclusively on Flipkart.
Before we start with the review, let’s have a look at the specs of the device:
| GENERAL FEATURES | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Intex |
| Handset Color | Black |
| Form | Bar |
| SIM Size | Micro SIM |
| Call Features | Loudspeaker |
| Model Name | Cloud 4G Star |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| SIM Type | Dual Sim, WCDMA + LTE |
| In the Box | User Manual, Earphone, Battery, Travel Charger, Data Cable, Protection Cover, Warranty Card, Screen Guard, Application Manual, Transceiver |
| Multimedia | |
|---|---|
| Video Player | Yes, Supports 3GP, MP4, AVI |
| FM | Yes, with Recording |
| Music Player | Yes, Supports WAV, MP3, AAC, AMR, MIDI |
| Camera | |
|---|---|
| Video Recording | Yes |
| Flash | Yes |
| Other Camera Features |
Auto Focus, Multi-shot, Night Vision, Single Touch Camera Operation, Stored Image Format, Live Photo Mode, Motion Tracking Mode, Multi Angle View Mode, Face Beauty, Panorama Mode, Slow Motion Video, 88 Degree Wide Angle, LED Flash Support, Samsung Sensor, Video in Video (VIV) Mode, Picture in Picture (PIP) Mode, HDR, Gesture Shot, Smile Shot, GPS Location Info
|
| Zoom | Yes |
| Rear Camera | Yes, 13 MP |
| Front Facing Camera | Yes, 5 MP |
| Internet & Connectivity | |
|---|---|
| WAP | Yes |
| Preinstalled Browser | Android, Opera Mini, WAP |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| Charging Point | Micro USB |
| 4G | Yes |
| Navigation Technology | with Google Maps |
| Internet Features | |
| Wifi | Yes |
| GPRS | Yes |
| EDGE | Yes |
| USB Connectivity | Yes, micro USB |
| Tethering | USB, Wi-fi Hotspot |
| 3G | Yes |
| Other Features | |
|---|---|
| Sensors | Gravity Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor |
| Call Memory | Yes |
| Pre-Installed Apps | Online Software Update (FOTA), Intex Zone, Intex Play, OLX, Intex Service, NewsHunt, ASKME, BLE Manager, Myntra, Chaatz, Auto Call Recorder, Apps Gallery, PayTM, MX Player, Quickoffice |
| Additional Features | Smart Gesture, Double Click to Awake, Power Management, Auto Call Record, 5-pin Micro USB Port, Wi-Fi Tethering, Bluetooth Tethering, Group SMS, Multi-tasking, Smart Wake |
| Warranty | |
|---|---|
| Warranty Summary | 1 year manufacturer warranty for Phone and 6 months warranty for in the box accessories |
| Dimensions | |
|---|---|
| Weight | 136.5 g |
| Size | 71x140x9.45 mm |
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Resolution | HD, 1280 x 720 Pixels |
| Other Display Features | Full Laminated IPS Display, OGS, Dragon Trail Glass |
| Color | 16.7 M |
| Size | 5 inch |
| Battery | |
|---|---|
| Talk Time | 8 hrs (2G) |
| Standby Time | 210 hrs (2G) |
| Type | Li-Polymer, 2300 mAh |
| Memory and Storage | |
|---|---|
| Expandable Memory | microSD, upto 32 GB |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM, 16 GB ROM |
| Internal | 16 GB |
| User Memory | 12.01 GB |
| Platform | |
|---|---|
| Operating Freq | GSM – 850, 900, 1800, 1900; WCDMA – 2100; 4G – LTE (FDD) – Band 1, Band 3, LTE (TDD) – Band 40, Band 41 |
| OS | Android v5 (Lollipop) |
| Processor | 1.3 GHz + MT6735, Quad Core |
Box Contents
The Intex Cloud 4G Star comes in a black box with a picture of the device on the top and mention of its USP’s like – 2GB RAM/16GB ROM; Asahi Dragontrail Glass. And all the feature details and specifications on the back. On the side you will get the price and other details like IMEI number. Inside the box you will find the device with screen protector already applied, a charger, in-ear headset, USB data cable, an extra screen protector, a transparent cover and the usual documents all tucked in together under the device.
Design and Display
The device feels premium and feels good in the hand thanks to the ergonomics of the smartphone. The Intex Cloud 4G Star features curved back panel which makes it easier grip the device. The front of the device has no branding and no marking giving users 80% screen-to-body ratio. The handset sports a 5 inch HD Full Laminated IPS Display, OGS, Dragon Trail Glass. On the front of the device you will only see the speaker grille, 5MP front camera and sensors. The sides of the device has a metallic trim running around the device giving it a premium finish. The device we tested was black with a golden trim and buttons.
The right side of the device has no buttons, the volume rocker is on the left side of the device and the Power/Sleep-Wake button on the top right corner. On the top you will also find the 3.5mm Audio jack and noise cancellation mic. The speakers and Micro-USB port are on the bottom of the device.
Moving to the back of the device, you would notice the branding right in the middle with the camera and flash on top of it. The rear cover has a shiny finish which prevent fingerprints and smudges. The rear cover is removable from the left bottom corner, once remove you see the two SIM card slots, a microSD card slot, and an irremovable 2300 mAh battery.
That’s the design bit, testing out the display of the Intex Cloud 4G Star which sports a 5 inch screen with 1280 x 720 Pixels. In fact, I was very surprised by the quality it offers at this price. The colour reproduction is good and so are the viewing angles and the touch.
Hardware
Cloud 4G Star runs on 1.3 GHz MT6735 Quad Core Processor with 2GB RAM(On the first boot you will get 440 MB Free RAM) , Mali 400 MP GPU and 16GB Rom (User available 11.91GB space for apps/ personal storage) which can be expandable up to 64GB via microSD card slot. Apps will get installed on the internal storage, however you can move some apps to external card – you will find the option in settings –> app – look for the app, tap and if it is possible to move, the ‘move to SD card button’ will be active and OTG is supported. We are happy about the overall performance of the device. The device weighs 136.5 g and has dimensions of – 1x140x9.45 mm. The SAR value mentioned on the device is 1.410 W/Kg. The device is available in two colour options – Black and Champagne. Now let’s review the Software (UI/UX) of the device.
Software
The Intex Cloud 4G Star comes with Android 5.0 pre-installed with a stock Android UI. That’s a good move by Intex as the users won’t have to wait till eternity to get next iteration of Android OS as they roll out. As most of the device nowadays come with some or the other kind of cloud storage we were expecting the same. Sadly, you will have to settle for your existing Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive without any free gigabytes. Nevertheless the device comes with a lot of pre-installed apps to enhance the experience, some of them are:
- Online Software Update (FOTA)
- Power Management
- Intex Play (Games listed out by Intex)
- Intex Service (List of service centres and their contact details)
- BLE Manager (To easily connect with Bluetooth Devices)
- Chaatz (Global chatting app)
- Auto Call Recorder (Some people really need this feature)
- Apps Gallery (Apps discovery engine)
- Quickoffice
Users can also control the device using simple gestures, such as drawing a C on the sleeping screen to go from sleep to camera mode. You can also draw an M and W to go to the Music app and File Manager app respectively. You can find the ‘Gesture Settings’ under Special Features in Settings.
Performance
The device offers is unmatched specs of 2GB RAM, 16GB ROM, 4G LTE, Android Lollipop, Dragon Trail Glass 5″ HD Display at price of only 7299/-. You can feel the swiftness of the device thanks to stock Android UI and 2GB RAM. Here is how it fared it in benchmark tests:
Result
Antutu 27928
Vellamo 27928 Metal (1013) Multi core (1412) Browser (2171)
Geekbench 631 Single-Core 1802 Muti-Core
Multi Touch 5 point
According to benchmark scores, the device is at par with its immediate competition. As far as daily usage on the device is concerned, the device is smooth and you will have no complaints. The Battery standby is good thanks to 2,300 mAh battery which withstands a full working day with mixed usage and a bit of gaming.
Camera
For a selfie crazy nation like us, nothing less than a 5MP works for the secondary camera and Intex kept that in mind. Before we proceed to the primary 13MP camera let’s see how the selfie camera worked for us – Moving on to the primary camera, the 13MP snapper could have had better optics and faster capture time but still is a very good and reliable camera to use. The camera app also comes with plethora of options and settings to choose from:
- PIP mode
- Live Photo Mode
- Motion Tracking Mode
- GPS Location Info
- Exposure
- Colour Effect
- Scene Mode
- White Balance
- Anti-Flicker
- Anti-Shake
- Gesture Shot
- Face Detection
- Smile Shot
- HDR
- Auto-Scene Detection
- Self timer
- Continuous shot
- Face Beauty
- EIS, Time Lapse (Video Recording)
Here are some samples of the 13MP primary camera –
The Unbiased Verdict
The device is definitely value for money with its best in price specs and build quality. The things that could have been better are – Sound Quality of the speaker and the earphones provided, less or no bloatware and better camera optics for low light photos.
And if you are convinced already then you can buy the Intex Cloud 4G Star exclusively from Flipkart for INR 7,299/-
