XOLO 8X-1000

Review in pictures

A design that’s all glass and geometry

• The XOLO 8X-1000 sports a unibody sandwich design, with sloping edges and a slim 7.9mm frame

• The back panel is made of glass, and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3, making it look ultra-premium

• There are Android capacitive buttons below the display, which are represented by three backlit dots

Vibrant display with good viewing angles

• Sports a 5-inch IPS HD display (~294ppi), which is protected by a layer of Asahi Dragontrail glass

• The screen offers ample brightness levels and is legible even in bright sunlight

• Colours are vibrant, and viewing angles are good too

• While the screen was mostly responsive, it wasn’t the smoothest for scrolling or swiping

The cameras look good on paper

• The 8X-1000 sports an 8MP primary camera with a Sony Exmor R sensor and LED flash

• In front, it gets a 2MP snapper for video calls and selfies

• The camera offers a range of modes like HDR, Panorama, Gesture Shot, Pro and more

• There are also a variety of effects to choose from, like Mono, Sepia, Negative, etc

…but the results are a mixed bag

• The primary camera can take decent daylight and macro shots

• In low light, it utilises the ambient light well to create bright images

• However, grain is an issue, and there’s significant loss of detail when images are zoomed into

• The front camera produces hazy results, and is only acceptable for video calls

HIVE UI offers tons of custom features

• The smartphone runs XOLO’s custom built HIVE UI, which runs on top of Android 4.4.2 KitKat

• HIVE completely changes the look and feel of Android, and offers a range of themes, wallpapers and ringtones that can be downloaded from a dedicated store called Edge

• A platform called Connect lets users interact with the HIVE team, offer feedback and vote for suggestions

And a complete design overhaul too

• HIVE features several cosmetic changes as well

• The app drawer lets you view apps alphabetically, by recently installed first or category, with a dedicated tab to access the Play Store

• The Quick Settings menu displays circular sliders for brightness and screen timeout

• A dynamic “Chameleon Widget” on the homescreen displays missed notifications, weather, date and time

A smooth performer, but the heavy UI takes its toll

• The device is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor clocked at 1.4GHz, mated to 2GB of RAM and Mali 450-MP4 graphics

• Day-to-day performance was fine, although some of the heavier themes can cause lags and freezes

• Intensive games play without a hitch, but the device tends to heat up• Out of the 16GB of internal storage, around 13GB is available to use

Battery life isn’t the greatest• The 8X-1000 is powered by

a 1,920mAh battery• The device lasts less than a

day with regular use, usually requiring a recharge by the evening

• In our video loop battery drain test, it gave us around 5 hours and 30 minutes of playback

• There’s a Power saving mode you can enable to prolong usage

At a glance

• 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixels, 294ppi

• 1.4GHz octa-core MediaTek MT6592 processor

• Mali 450 MP4 GPU• 2GB RAM• 16GB storage with microSD

slot• 8MP primary, 2MP front

camera• HIVE UI on top of Android 4.4.2

KitKat• 1,920mAh battery• Dual-SIM (3G+3G), Wi-Fi,

Bluetooth, GPS

-• Performance can be

sluggish depending on the theme

• Average camera duo• Battery life barely last a

day

Pros and cons

+• Classy design and

flagship-quality build• Bright display with good

viewing angles• HIVE adds an interesting

software twist

Rs 13,999

Pricing and verdict“The XOLO 8X-1000 is a compelling device, but will face a tough time with the competition. Apart from domestic rivals like the Karbonn Titanium Octane and Micromax Canvas Nitro, the new Moto G and Zenfone 5 are also worthy competitors. The smartphone’s main attraction is the HIVE UI, but this still a work in progress, and will require a some polishing before it becomes an attractive proposition for potential buyers.”