After Micromax & Karbonn, Lava's quad-core offering XOLO Play up for sale at Rs 15,999

Only yesterday, we talked about the homegrown handset manufacturer Micromax launching its flagship smartphone Canvas 4 in the Indian market. We also compared the device with its closest competitor – Karbonn's Titanium S9. But the two smartphones now face competition from XOLO Play, the latest device from Lava's sub-brand XOLO.

While the company is yet to launch it officially in the county, XOLO Play is already up for pre-order online, with an estimated release date set for the third week of July and a price tag of Rs 15,999. It is also the first smartphone from the company's stable that runs on NVIDIA quad-core Tegra 3 processor, and was first leaked online in May this year. Here is a look at the specifications.

This smartphone features a 4.7 inch IPS HD touchscreen display (1280×720 pixels resolution) and is powered by a 1.5 GHz NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor. The device runs on the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean operating system and comes with 1 GB RAM. The internal memory of the device is only 4 GB, but can be expanded up to 32 GB with a microSD card.

On the camera front, this one sports an 8 mega pixel autofocus rear camera with Flash that can also record full high definition videos (1080p) and a 2 MP front-facing camera that can record HD videos (720p) as well. The camera has a back-illuminated sensor and comes with scene detection and a burst mode, among other features. In terms of connectivity, the device has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G, as well as a microSD card slot and a microUSB port.

It measures 138.4mm x 70mm x 10.4mm and weighs 167 gm. According to the company, the smartphone's 2,000 mAh battery will provide up to 11 hours of talk time and over 17 days of standby time. The device also has GPS (with A-GPS support) and will be available in black colour.

XOLO Play, which the company is fondly calling 'the next big thing in gaming', does come with decent specifications, but we would have loved more internal memory and a stronger camera. It will primarily compete with Micromax's Canvas 4 and Karbonn's Titanium S9, priced at Rs 17,990 and Rs 19,990, respectively. See the table above for a comparison of the three handsets. While its competitors cost more, they also come with better specifications. Take a good look at all three of them before you decide to buy one.

(Edited by Sanghamitra Mandal)