Karbonn K406 - Dual SIM music phone or just a gimmick
In recent times, we have seen a whole set of new comers - crowding the cell phone market with Dual SIM phones. This means healthy competition among the new as well as the existing brands and a number of buying options for the consumer. Karbonn K406 is another addition to the long list of Dual SIM phones. The only saving grace of this phone is that it is being promoted as a music phone rather than a boring Dual SIM phone.
In the design section, this mobile phone looks quite similar to the Tech Com's T 21.Its front and rear panels are coated with black matte finish and the body contours have a typical red coloured strip running over them. The phone had dedicated multimedia keys (unlike T-21) and a bevelled keypad design that makes typing comfortable through firm feedback.
The menu interface is traditional with no interesting customizations. The sub menu interface is quite well organised, thereby making it simple to search configurable options and setting.
Also the Karbonn does not justify being targeted as a music phone as it lacks a 3.5mm audio jack.
PERFORMANCE
The signal strength was consistent, both indoors and outdoors. But the voice clarity was better outdoors rather than indoors, indicating a weak embedded antenna. The volume level of the earpiece was average but not good enough to overcome the noisy street sounds. Also, the purpose of using a loud speaker in noisy environment was defeated as the audio clarity was mediocre even at less than 50% volume levels. The hand free also lacked audio clarity and produced low audio even at maximum volume.
The photo and image quality test produced mediocre results. The captured images, even in close range shots, were blurred and produced washed out colours. The captured videos were of low quality as they produced blurred frames and had lacklustre colour accuracy. The quality of video playback was also poor as there was constant stuttering and irregular frame freezing, thereby making it a bad experience for the user. The display quality, with satisfactory viewing angles was average. On the whole, K406 is an average performer which faces completion from cheaper phones like T-21.
VERDICT
This Karbonn mobiles fails to justify the tag of a music phone, as it gives an average music performance and misses out on the 3.5mm audio jack. Overall, it is an ordinary phone, but at the price tag of Rs 2590, it can be considered but only after looking at other cheaper options available in the market.
Specifications: SIM (GSM+GSM); Display: 2-inch; Memory: microSD expandable up to 8GB; Battery: 1000 mash, Talk-time: up to 4 hours, Standby-time: up to 200 hours; Dimensions: 110 x 46 x 15mm; Weight: 75 grams
Pros
Dual SIM dual-standby
Dedicated multimedia keys
Ships with a memory card
Cons
Cheap build quality
Lacks a 3.5mm audio jack
Poor loudspeaker audio quality
In recent times, we have seen a whole set of new comers - crowding the cell phone market with Dual SIM phones. This means healthy competition among the new as well as the existing brands and a number of buying options for the consumer. Karbonn K406 is another addition to the long list of Dual SIM phones. The only saving grace of this phone is that it is being promoted as a music phone rather than a boring Dual SIM phone.
In the design section, this mobile phone looks quite similar to the Tech Com's T 21.Its front and rear panels are coated with black matte finish and the body contours have a typical red coloured strip running over them. The phone had dedicated multimedia keys (unlike T-21) and a bevelled keypad design that makes typing comfortable through firm feedback.
The menu interface is traditional with no interesting customizations. The sub menu interface is quite well organised, thereby making it simple to search configurable options and setting.
Also the Karbonn does not justify being targeted as a music phone as it lacks a 3.5mm audio jack.
PERFORMANCE
The signal strength was consistent, both indoors and outdoors. But the voice clarity was better outdoors rather than indoors, indicating a weak embedded antenna. The volume level of the earpiece was average but not good enough to overcome the noisy street sounds. Also, the purpose of using a loud speaker in noisy environment was defeated as the audio clarity was mediocre even at less than 50% volume levels. The hand free also lacked audio clarity and produced low audio even at maximum volume.
The photo and image quality test produced mediocre results. The captured images, even in close range shots, were blurred and produced washed out colours. The captured videos were of low quality as they produced blurred frames and had lacklustre colour accuracy. The quality of video playback was also poor as there was constant stuttering and irregular frame freezing, thereby making it a bad experience for the user. The display quality, with satisfactory viewing angles was average. On the whole, K406 is an average performer which faces completion from cheaper phones like T-21.
VERDICT
This Karbonn mobiles fails to justify the tag of a music phone, as it gives an average music performance and misses out on the 3.5mm audio jack. Overall, it is an ordinary phone, but at the price tag of Rs 2590, it can be considered but only after looking at other cheaper options available in the market.
Specifications: SIM (GSM+GSM); Display: 2-inch; Memory: microSD expandable up to 8GB; Battery: 1000 mash, Talk-time: up to 4 hours, Standby-time: up to 200 hours; Dimensions: 110 x 46 x 15mm; Weight: 75 grams
Pros
Dual SIM dual-standby
Dedicated multimedia keys
Ships with a memory card
Cons
Cheap build quality
Lacks a 3.5mm audio jack
Poor loudspeaker audio quality
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