Reliance Digital has today launched the LYF F1 smartphone in India. But can it compete against the likes of Xiaomi Redmi Note 3, Moto G4 Plus, LeEco Le 2 and others?
Adding to its range of budget, 4G-enabled LYF smartphones, Reliance Digital has introduced its LYF F1 special edition smartphone in India today. The LYF F1 is the company’s latest smartphone to come bundled with the Reliance Jio Welcome Offer that offers unlimited 4G data and voice services till December, 2016. The LYF F1 smartphone is priced at Rs 13,399, and goes on sale today across all Reliance Digital stores.
Reliance Digital currently has four categories for its smartphones which are named after the elements of the nature called — Earth, Wind, Water, and Flame. The newest smartphone, called LYF F1, is not part of any of these categories and is a special edition smartphone. Being a special edition handset, it brings with it special offers and freebies including a free Bluetooth speaker and 10 percent cash back for Citibank customers.
Reliance Digital LYF F1 specifications
The LYF F1 boasts a 5.5-inch full HD IPS (1920×1080 pixels) display with Corning Gorilla 4 protection on top. It is powered by 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 chipset with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is expandable up to 128GB via microSD card.
The smartphone runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and supports dual SIM. It features separate slots for storage and SIM cards so that a user can expand storage as well as insert a second SIM simultaneously. The smartphone is backed by a 3,200mAh battery.
In terms of camera, the LYF F1 features a 16-megapixel rear camera which comes with PDAF support and electronic image stabilization for steady video recording. For selfies, the smartphone sports an 8-megapixel front camera with auto-focus. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth V4.1, USB 2.0, OTG, GPS, and support for 3.5mm stereo jack.
The company has added certain features which are aimed at enhancing the user experience. The LYF F1 smartphone comes with a built-in video player that allows users to view two videos on one screen. It further comes with a Smart Play option that basically pauses videos if the user looks away from the screen. A feature called Smart Ring adjusts the timer volume of the smartphone based on ambient noise levels.
Reliance has further added some of its own services like the Rich Communication Services which includes a set of messaging and calling features — similar to the Apple iMessage. The smartphone further comes with carrier aggregation (CA) support, which the company claims to give users improved data transfer rates and browsing experience. The feature is also said to boost battery life.
At Rs 13,399, the LYF F1 smartphone with 4G LTE capability competes with the LeEco Le 2, Moto G4 Plus and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3; all of which are priced under Rs 15,000. The LeEco Le 2, priced at Rs 11,999, offers a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is powered by 1.8GHz Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor and paired with 3GB of RAM. It further comes with 32GB of onboard storage with no support for microSD card. In terms of camera, it offers 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, and LED flash. It comes with an 8-megapixel camera up front. Other connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, fingerprint sensor, 4G with VoLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, GPS, and Bluetooth v4.1. The smartphone draws its juice from a 3,000mAh battery.
Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 3 is quite popular among buyers, and is also priced at Rs 11,999. At this price the device comes with features like 5.5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 650 hexa-core chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 16-megapixel rear camera, and 5-megapixel selfie camera. It also features a 4,050mAh battery, and connectivity options like dual-SIM card slots, 4G with VoLTE support.
The Moto G4 Plus, on the other hand, priced at Rs 13,499, comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display and is powered by an Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 Octa-core 1.5GHz processor paired with 2GB of RAM. It further includes 16GB of internal storage with support for expansion up to 128GB via microSD card. The phone comes with a 16-megapixel rear camera with OmniVision Sensor support and a 5-megapixel selfie camera. It comes with a 3,000mAh battery with TurboPower support.