Karbonn

Titanium

Octane Plus

Review in pictures

Slim and lightweight

• Even with 5-inch display panel, the Titanium Octane Plus can be comfortably used with a single hand

• The device is fairly sleek at 7.6mm and weighs just 140g

• Unlike other devices which sport unibody construction for a slim frame, the Octane Plus offers a removable rear panel, exposing the battery and slots for SIM card(s) and microSD card

Stands apart from the herd

• Features dual-tone finish at the front

• The curved white chin at the bottom matches the rear, and adds to the unibody look

• The combination of black and white hues gives it a distinct and attractive look

• Controls and ports placement are a standard affair

The 5-inch display brings everything to life

• Offers a 5-inch IPS display with full HD resolution • With 441ppi pixel density, the screen has good brightness

and sharpness, and is great for reading long documents, web browsing and viewing videos

• However, it’s very reflective outdoors

Camera is high on the megapixel count…

• Flaunts a 16-megapixel sensor at the back, which isn’t even available in many flagships from HTC and LG

• Supplemented by an LED flash for illumination

• Stock camera app with the usual modes and settings

• An object tracking mode lets you capture moving objects

• For video recording, it can shoot 1080p video at 30fps

… but not in quality

• Images were dull and grainy when zoomed in

• Macro shots fared better though and HDR mode also works well

• Like most smartphone cameras, the Octane Plus also struggles with low-light imagery

• A loaded 8-megapixel camera is available at the front for selfies and video calls

KitKat tastes better in vanilla

• Comes loaded with 4.4 KitKat without any customisations

• Helps in keeping things very smooth

• However, there are a number of preinstalled apps and games such as Amazon, OLX, Saavn, etc

• The games are demo versions only and require you to pay to get full versions

• Sadly, you can’t uninstall the preloaded titles

Performs very well, but also runs hot as hell

• Gets its name from the 1.7GHz octa-core processor handling the computing

• Mali-450MP4 GPU assists in the graphics department • Combined with 2GB RAM, the smartphone runs very

smoothly even while playing intensive games • However, it gets hot within just 10 minutes of gameplay

Ample storage that can also be extended further

• 16GB flash storage is partitioned in two chunks

• In total, you get 13GB to use, and the rest is taken by the OS and other system resources

• You can add up to 32GB more

• Support for USB OTG is also available

With great power comes the need of charging frequently

• A 2,000mah battery powers the device

• Barely enough to get you through an entire working day

• Below average results in our 720p video loop test, running for just 4 hours and 30 minutes

At a glance

• 5-inch display, 1,920 x 1,080 pixels

• 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa-core processor

• 2GB RAM • 16GB flash storage,

expandable up to 32GB • 16-megapixel primary camera

with LED flash and 8MP secondary camera

• Dual-SIM support (3G on the first slot only), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS

• Android 4.4 KitKat • 2,000mAh battery

- • Rear cover is glossy • Camera isn’t up to

the mark • Turns hot • Poor battery life

Pros and cons

+ • Slim design and

distinct looks • Powerful internals • Ample storage

Rs 14,000

Pricing and verdict

“The Karbonn Titanium Octane Plus comes across as a loaded offering with a gorgeous design and

powerful internals, though camera and battery life could’ve been better. Despite that, it’s one of the best options in its class, barring the Xiaomi Mi 3.”