Lava Launches First Intel-powered Smartphone For Rs 22,000

Lava International Ltd has launched XOLO X900, the first smartphone with Intel inside. The mobile phone runs on the Android operating system (OS) and will be available for Rs 22,000. The partnership between Lava and Intel was first announced at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona early this year. Let's have a look at the specifications of the device.

The mobile phone has a 4.03 inch TFT LCD capacitive touch screen display (1024x600 pixel resolution) and it runs on the Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS (later upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich). The highlight of the device is its processor, which is a 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor with Hyper Threading that the company claims will provide faster speeds and better multi-tasking performance. XOLO X900 has 1GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of internal memory.

The device comes with an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED flash that can also record full HD videos (1080p) and a 1.3MP front facing camera for video calling (480p). The camera also has a burst mode which lets it click 10 images in less than 1 second. On the connectivity front, the device comes with Bluetooth v2.1, Wi-Fi and 3G and it also has a micro USB and a micro HDMI port. Additionally, the device comes with Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities.

The dimensions of the device are 123mm x 63mm x 10.99mm and its weight is 127 grams. The device has a 1,460mAh battery that the company claims will provide up to 15.5 hours of talk time on 2G and up to 7.5 hours on 3G.

Initially (starting 23rd April), the mobile phone will only be available for purchase from Croma retail stores (since Lava has entered in a partnership with the offline retailer for the promotion and sale of the mobile phone) and Xolo.in. It will then be made available in other retail and online stores from early next month.

Lava usually deals in the low end mobile phone segment and this is by far the costliest product offering from the handset manufacturer and also it's most ambitious. The fact that the company has gone ahead and dedicated a complete website to the mobile phone only confirms that.

The mobile phone has decent specifications and has been sensibly priced and if you are not too hung up on being seen with an international brand you can give this mobile phone a shot in the mid-end smartphone segment.

Also, considering its price, it will compete with the likes of HTC One V (Rs 18,299) and Sensation (Rs 24,000 after the recent price slash), Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S (Rs 24,999), Nokia Lumia 800 (Rs 23,585) and Blackberry Torch 9860 (Rs 20,800), among others.