Reference Auto

Motorola has rolled out a higher version of the QUENCH XT3 Android smartphone in India, calling it the QUENCH XT5.

Both the phones have nearly the same features, with one of the differences being that the XT5 comes with a 5.0 megapixel fixed focus camera as compared to a 3.2 megapixel camera on the XT3. The XT5 also comes with a built-in FM radio, while there is no such feature in the XT3.

The Motorola QUENCH XT5 is priced at Rs 15,990. But portals like Best Buy offer a discount, which whittles down the price to Rs 13,990.

Motorola, whose handsets were known to be sturdy, was a major player in the Indian market but had gone into a hiatus for quite a while helping brands such as Samsung, LG along with Nokia and Ericsson to firm up their market share.

There was a handset revolution, especially in the home-grown category, which saw the emergence of brands such as Mircromax, Karbonn and Lava, among others. It is a different story now as these local companies have seen substantial growth. In fact, Micromax today is the country’s third largest handset player.

The XT5 features a 3.2-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixel. It comes with a 600 MHz Qualcomm MSM7227 processor and a 256 MB of RAM.

The device also has 512 MB built-in user memory, a microSD card with the help of which it can be expanded. It comes with a 2 GB card as standard with the ability to expand it to 32 GB.

The QUENCH XT5 is compatible with GSM 3G, HSPA, Bluetooth v2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g and A-GPS connectivity.

It runs on the outdated Android 2.1 Eclair. Google has announced its latest Android 2.3 powered Nexus S and even a handset like the Optimus One of rival LG has Android 2.2, which is an upgraded Android version. This is one of the negatives that could deter buyers from lapping up the QUENCH XT5.

The phone comes with an Aircel connection and a 9 GB free download which has to be used up within a period of three months and 150 (Aircel to Aircel) local minutes or 1 GB per month free download every month for six months.

Motorola’s re-entry of sorts will need a big marketing push as the handset market has hotted up like never before.

Motorola, in an effort to rev up sales, is giving away an Adidas jacket and four movie tickets! This move may apparently seem to be a smart one, but the high price tag (Rs 16,000) of the Motorola QUENCH XT5 on a somewhat obsolete Android platform may see buyers staying away.

But Motorola owners are aware of its durable handsets, and hence, the company could see a few loyal customers flocking for the QUENCH XT5.