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Idea cellular has launched an improved version of the Aurus. Called the idea Aurus II, it comes with enhanced features, including a dual camera. It is still targeted at the affordable smart phone segment, will  consumers bite?

 

Look:  Decent enough

It is not the sleekest phone around. But the Idea AURUS II still manages to look simple and stylish. It is a bit on the thicker side and comes with a rubberized plastic back cover, while the front is dominated by a 3.2 inch, 320X480 capacitive touch screen display. Unlike its predecessor, the Idea AURUS II does not  have any hard button on the screen. Below the display are three soft keys for Back. Home and Options, while above it is a 0.3-megapixel camera. The power and camera button are oddly placed and take some getting used to the former is placed towards the left side  on the top, whereas the camera button is placed on the upper part of the right side. On the back is a 3.2-megapixel camera and the speaker grille. 

Hardware:   Ordinary

The Idea AURUs II is powered by I GHz processor which works fine, with not too many lags. It is a 3G Smartphone and comes with dual SIM functionality (GSM+GSM)  - both SIMs and the microSD card are not hot swappable and one has to remove its battery to insert them. The phone comes with 512MB RAM and 4GB of internal memory which can be further expanded to 32GB via microSD card. On the connectivity front, it offers 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Software: Nothing exceptional

The idea AURUS II runs on Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. There are five shortcuts on the main screen for calling,camera, main menu, internet and messaging. There are also five customisable homescreens, which can be used to place app shortcuts and widgets. The smartphone also offers some pre-loaded apps like Facebook, Twitteer, YouTube, and Gmail. 

Multimedia : Good Camera and Sound 

The IDEA AURUA II offers a 3.2 – megapixel rear camera with no flash. The camera takes decent shots in daylight, although we would not recommend using it in low light condition. There is also a 0.3-megapixel front facing camera, which is best suited for video chats. The sound quality of the phone was good both on the loudspeakers and on the hand free, and FM played very well too. Voice quality over calls was good as well.

 

User experience: Satisfactory

The phone in general works well without many lags. Internet browsing is also fast and hassle-free. We found the battery backup good and display decent enough for the price point. 

Conclusion

The Idea AURUS II is priced at Rs.6490. Those looking for alternatives can go for the Samsung Galaxy Y Plus, which runs on Android 4.0 and comes with a price tag of Rs.6400/-. They can also consider the Nokia Asha 311 which is priced at Rs.6375/- and has a 2.0-megapixel camera.