About a month back we had reported the debut of CREO Mark 1, a unique smartphone from Bangalore-based startup which aims to increase the life of Android smartphones. The handset has been officially launched in India at Rs. 19,999.
Running on CREO’s own Android skin, Fuel OS, the smartphone sports some high-end features packed in a beautiful design. The device is available on CREO’s own website as well as Flipkart. Top 2000 buyers on CREO’s website will be rewarded with an option of free engraving anything of your choice on the smartphone.
Although the specifications were under wraps until the launch, we expected the phone to have some features available only in Rs 30k+ smartphone. Take a look at the specs below –
- 5.5-inch quad-HD IPS display(2560 x 1440 pixels) with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the screen from scratches
- Android 5.1.1 Lollipop and Fuel OS on top
- 1.95Ghz True Octa Core MediaTek Helio X10 Processor coupled with PowerVR G6200 GPU
- 3GB of RAM along with 32GB internal storage, expandable with micro-SD cards of upto 128GB
- 21MP primary camera with dual-tone LED flash, Sony IMX230 sensor and Phase-detection autofocus, 8MP front camera
- Connectivity options – WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and 4G LTE(Dual-Sim)
- 3,100mAh battery with fast charging
The specs may look great on paper, but there are some gems hidden in the hardware and software both. Firstly, the best thing that sets it apart is the monthly software update the company will push which will add one additional feature in the smartphone. This will make the phone as good as new and also future-proof for the next 2-3 years.
Secondly, there are three new software features CREO boasts about – Sense, Retriever and Echo. Sense is like a quick-search service which will find anything on the phone in a matter of seconds for you. This includes contacts, music, files and applications.
Retriever, as the name suggests, aids you in retrieving your smartphone if stolen. In a very busy and hectic life these days, smartphones are bound to get lost or stolen. The software will immediately trigger alerts to your registered email ID as soon as new sim in inserted in the phone. Users can then locate their lost or stolen phone easily by calling up the new sim number. This will work irrespective of internet connectivity and reset of the phone.
Echo is a unique service which sends voice notes to people you could not talk to while busy. It is like an answering machine which responds for you when you’re not able to pick the phone for too long. Personalized messages can also be sent to your callers, which can be customized in the settings.
Thirdly, the camera units equipped reek quality. With Sony sensors, the rear camera can record 4K videos and full HD slow motion videos at 120fps. The front camera has a 86-degree field of view(FOV) which allows wide-angle selfies.
The company claims it can offer 2 hours of talktime on a quick charge of 10 mins only, which we feel is quite good! The smartphone has a large battery as well which can compensate for a huge screen and plenty of features running in the background.
So should I get this smartphone?
We don’t have the smartphone in person to the judge this, however going by the fact that CREO’s parent company, MangoMan technologies, had launched Teewe, which was extremely successful and at-par with Chromecast, we can be sure that Mark 1 will not lack quality.
The features are great, and on paper the phone looks solid. Camera sensor looks well built and thought of, the processor might not be Snapdragon, but it is still nearly 2Ghz and MediaTek is a well known chip-maker.
One new update every month can be a deal-breaker. No other smartphone promises this, and CREO has already given a sneak peek of the next update in May – customizable and intelligent ECHO, selfie screen flash, new photo editor and some performance enhancements.
If you have a strict budget of Rs 20,000, then nothing fits this phone perfect and you should consider buying it. Let us know what you think of the new offering from CREO in the comments below!
Teewe never worked on my TV and the support was also pathetic. Considering that, will not prefer any product for this company.