XOLO launches Hive UI-based Omega smartphones starting at Rs 8,999; Lenovo S580 available for Rs 8,999

Lava's sub-brand XOLO has further expanded its range of smartphones in the country with the launch of two new devices. Christened Omega 5.0 and Omega 5.5, the devices have been priced at Rs 8,999 and Rs 9,999 respectively. While Omega 5.0 will be available for purchase starting Dec 10, 2014, Omega 5.5 will go on sale later this month (Dec 20).

Both of them run on 'HIVE' user interface, which is built on Android operating system and offers a host of new features and enhancements. A made in India, made for India platform, HIVE offers a number of customised UI elements and also allows users to join in and become a part of the development team. You can read in detail about HIVE here .

The company has also partnered with telecom operator Vodafone to provide free data, as well as unlimited music download from 'Vodafone Music' for two months. While Omega 5.0 buyers will get 500MB of free data for two months, people purchasing Omega 5.5 will get 1GB of free data for two months.

In addition, Lenovo has further expanded its S-series of smartphones with the launch of S580. This one has been priced at Rs 8,999, and will be available for purchase exclusively on home grown e-commerce marketplace Snapdeal.com. Here is a look at the specifications of the devices.

Omega 5.0 for Rs 8,999

The smartphone sports a 5 inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixels resolution) with 294 ppi pixel density and runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system with Hive UI. It is powered by a 1.4GHz Octa-core MediaTek MT6592M processor and has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8GB that can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card.

Omega 5.0 has an 8 megapixel autofocus rear camera (with Exmor R Sensor) with Flash that can also record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 2MP front facing camera for video calling. Additional features of the camera include scene detection & tuning, High Dynamic Range (HDR), panorama capture, face beautification, geo-tagging, live filters, and voice capture, among others.

On the connectivity front, the device has Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, 3G, as well as a microSD card slot and a microUSB port. The dimensions of the device are 144mm x 72mm x 10.5mm, and it comes with GPS (with A-GPS support) and dual-SIM capability. The company has provided a 2,100 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide up to 7.7 hours of talk time, 23.6 hours of music playback, and 656 hours of standby time.

Omega 5.5 for Rs 9,999

In comparison, Omega 5.5 sports a slightly bigger 5.5 inch HD IPS capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixels resolution) with 267 ppi pixel density. The smartphone has a 13MP autofocus rear camera (with Exmor IMX 214 Sensor) with Flash that can also record full high definition videos (1080p) at 30 frames per second and a 2MP front facing camera for video calling.

The dimensions of the device are 155.5mm x 76.6mm x 10.6mm, and it comes with GPS (with A-GPS support) and dual-SIM capability. The company has provided a 2,600 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide up to 13.3 hours of talk time, 42.5 hours of music playback, and 749.2 hours of standby time. All the other specifications of the device are the same as Omega 5.0.

Lenovo S580 for Rs 8,999

The smartphone has a 5 inch HD capacitive touchscreen display (1280×720 pixels resolution) and runs on the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor and has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of the device is 8GB that can be further expanded up to 32GB with a microSD card.

S580 has an 8MP autofocus rear camera with LED Flash that can also record videos and a 2MP fixed-focus front facing camera for video calling. On the connectivity front, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G, as well as a microUSB port and a microSD card slot.

The dimensions of the device are 139.8 x 69.9 x 8.1mm and its weight is 129gm. Lenovo has provided a 2,150 mAh battery in the device, which it claims will provide up to 14 hours of talk time and 444 hours of standby time. The smartphone comes with dual-SIM capability and GPS (with A-GPS support). It is available in silver, black and gold colours.

Apart from XOLO's Omega 5.0, in its price range, the smartphone will also compete with the likes of XOLO Opus 3 (Rs 8,499), Lava Iris X5 (Rs 8,799), and Karbonn Titanium S19 (Rs 8,999), among others.