Pune-based startup Swipe, better known for its affordable Android tablets, is now eyeing the smartphone segment. Their first smartphone, Swipe Elite (Rs. 5,999), is priced affordably. It faces some serious competition from established players like Xioami which has Redmi 2 Prime (Rs. 6,999) and Motorola which has Moto E 4G (Rs. 5,999).
Design: Handy and well-built
The area where the phone really surpasses its rivals is its looks. The compact size and the curves around the edges gives it a better appearance than the slab-like Redmi 2 prime and the chunky Moto E. It also snuggles well into the hand. The matte finish is a good addition too as it keeps the body smudge-free and reduces the risk of it slipping out of hand. The use of plastic throughout has allowed Swipe to keep the phone’s weight in check. It weighs 131g and is 8.4mm thick, which is impressive by the standards of a 5-inch smartphone.
In comparison, the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime weighs 133g and is 9mm thick and the Moto E 4G weighs 143g and is 12.4mm thick. However, the Moto E doesn’t feel unwieldy because of the curved back design and compact size.
Display: Sharp but too glossy
Swipe Elite has a 5-inch HD (1280x720p) display which is slightly bigger than its rival Moto E’s 4.5-inch qHD (960x540p) display and Redmi 2 Prime’s 4.7-inch HD (1280x720p) display. While the Elite handle text and colours well, we feel it looks a bit dull at times. Also, the display is too glossy which makes it a finger magnet and hampers visibility under bright light due to reflections. The Redmi 2 has a slight edge over all the rivals as it looks bright and more legible in a similar scenario.
Software: Interesting customisation options
Swipe has wrapped the Android 5.1(Lollipop) OS it runs with a custom UI, known as Freedom OS. It provides more customisation options than plain Android. For instance, you can add your picture on the app drawer icon, resize icons and even change the way apps scroll in the app drawer. There is a short-cut feature that remains hidden until you make a swipe up gesture from the left side corner of the display. It shows your favourite apps, recent activities, and settings on a multi-layered scroll.
The Moto E 4G runs on Android 5.1 too, but doesn’t offer as many customisation options since its unique point is the pure Android usage experience. The Redmi 2 Prime offers more customisation but it runs on a considerably old Android 4.4 (KitKat) operating system.
Performance: Meant for basic tasks only
Swipe Elite runs on MediaTek’s low-power quad-core processor and is paired with 2GB of RAM. For day-to-day tasks such as reading, YouTube videos and social networking, this combo turned out to be quite adequate as long as you don’t have more than five apps running in the background. It even played the Asphalt Nitro game without any lags, but there was a significant amount of heating up on the back and side panels which meant you cannot really stress the phone beyond a point.
The 2,500mAh battery, when used moderately, had to be charged twice in a single day.
The Redmi 2 and Moto E 4G run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 quad core processor. But they handled multi-tasking and games better. Also, their batteries lasted a full day comfortably. They also support 4G networks, an important feature that Swipe Elite does not have.
Camera: Good daylight camera
The 13-megapixel snapper ensures an acceptable picture quality during the day. While it handles colour reproduction well, it struggles with detail and sharpness a bit, especially in landscape shots, when you zoom in on photos. Close-up shots look better than expected, because of the good focus. As expected, it struggles when indoors and in low light.
The Redmi 2 Prime, which has an 8-megapixel camera and handles colour and detail brilliantly, particularly in good light, is still the best of the lot.
Verdict
Swipe’s Elite smartphone has a good design, an acceptable display and a rather interesting custom interface. However, the heating issues when the phone is stressed can be a bit of an issue, while the disappointing battery life, even under moderate use, is a matter of concern. The Redmi 2 Prime and Moto E have a clear edge over this phone.
