Few weeks back, we received the Swipe Elite Note, the latest in the Note series from Pune based Swipe Telecom & the journey of it’s usage has been great so far. Swipe Elite Note was launched on 26th April,2016 and it promises to be a bigger, bolder and better smartphone that provides a great experience without making a dent on pockets. Elite Note boasts of superior design, premium build quality and powerful hardware at a disruptive price point.
Today we have a detailed review of the Swipe Elite Note, so let’s get started…
Swipe Elite Note : Overview
Swipe Elite Note is a Android [5.1] Lollipop based smart-phone that runs on the Freedom OS [modified version of Android]. Freedom OS offers an extremely personalized experience. The device sports a 5.5 inches HD screen with pixel resolution of 720*1280. The screen density is 320 dpi.
Specifications*
Display : 5.5-inch HD [720*1280] display, 320 dpi
OS : Android 5.1 Lollipop with Freedom OS
CPU : 1.3 GHz quad-core Mediatek MT6735 SoC, 3 GB RAM
Storage : 32 GB storage [expandable upto 32 GB]
Cameras : 13 MP Rear Camera with f1/3.2 aperture with flash + 5 MP Front Camera f/2.0 aperture
Connectivity : Wi-Fi, 3G/4G/2G, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, USB OTG
Battery : 3,000 mAh
Dimensions : 77.1*154*8.4 mm
Weight : 194 grams
The Swipe Elite Note is available exclusively on Flipkart (Affiliate Link) and the 16 GB version costs Rs 7,999.
Swipe Elite Note : Design
The Swipe Elite Note has a sleek 8.4 mm body that is crafted from magnesium alloy. Elite Note has premium appeal as it has the finest Sandstone Back cover that ensures a comfortable touch in hands [with Matte Gold Frame]. The processor on the device is based on the 28 nm technology. The phone weighs a bit on the heavier side [194 grams] but it is still looks comfortable to hold in one hand [and perform day to day activities like browsing, watching videos etc.]
Swipe Elite Note fits easily in your hands and since it’s back is not slippery so there are less chances of the phone slipping out of your hands. Overall, the Swipe Elite Note looks very elegant from a design point of view.
Swipe Elite Note : Memory
As discussed earlier, the device comes with a 3 GB RAM and 16 GB ROM. Swipe Elite Note comes with a micro-SD card slot and the maximum expandable memory is 32 GB. The Freedom OS looks very breezy and there was no lag observed while using the phone. Out of the box, the available user memory is 11.35 GB. With enhanced processing power, an Elite Note user can enjoy apps and games to their full potential.
By default, the phone comes with Swipe’s proprietary launcher called the ‘Swipe Launcher’. The launcher is very similar to the Nova Launcher or the Google Launcher and hence there is no learning curve involved in getting used to the features of the Launcher.
Swipe Elite Note : Display
Swipe Elite Note sports a 5.5-inch HD IPS (720*1280) display with pixel density of 320 dpi along with Dragon trail Protection. The display is equipped with ‘MiraVision Tuning features‘ which is a set of engines to enhance the display picture quality. This interface allows for interactive tuning with real-time quality feedback, making it easy for users to tailor the picture quality based on their needs.
There are three picture modes – User Mode, Standard Mode & Vivid Mode. User Mode is for power users where you can do Basic Color Tuning [Contrast, Saturation & Change picture brightness], Advanced Tuning [Sharpness & Adjust colors according to temperature].
It comes with 2.5D Arc Touch Screen that supports Vi-Di technology that brings a brighter, bolder, bigger world right in front of your eyes. Performing daily activities like reading e-mails, news etc. is a real pleasure on the Elite Note due to it’s excellent display quality. The viewing angles are very good [and so is the sound quality of the speakers] thus making it an ideal device for users who use their phones for watching videos, reading etc.
A visually-stunning, incredibly tough Dragon trail Glass – a lightweight, flexible and scratch-resistant glass with extraordinary strength – comes as a protective cover glass for the very stylish Elite Note, which not only enhances the phone’s style quotient, but also offers exceptional resistance to scratches and bumps of everyday use.
Swipe Elite Note : Camera
Swipe Elite Note comes with a 13 MP Rear Camera [with f1/3.2 aperture with flash] and 5 MP Front Camera with 2.0 aperture. The camera does not have in-built Image Stabilization. The camera is equipped with features like Auto Focus, Continuous Shot, Smile Shot & Face Detection.
The camera is a Sony Camera which is excellent at this particular price point. The shots from the rear camera are of decent picture quality [very much comparable with shots taken from Mi4i, Lenovo K3 Note]. During the camera testing, we did find some lag while taking continuous shots.
Some of the sample images are below:
Swipe Elite Note – Battery
Swipe Elite Note is packed with massive 3,000 mAh battery unit that makes it possible for the smartphone to easily last a full day’s usage. The device managed to last around 16 ~ 18 Hrs [on full charge] while using WiFi-3G and doing activities like Emailing, Reading etc.
However, we did observe that the device gets over-heated [with very heavy usage like WiFi, 3G, Video Playback etc.], after which we get pop-ups to shut-down the device in order for the battery to ‘Cool Down’ !! The average temperature of the device [with Display brightness 100%] and kept in Idle state was always around 41 degrees which seems on the higher side.
Swipe Elite Note – Software
The Swipe Elite Note runs on the Freedom OS [customized version of Android] though there are traces of stock Android. The launcher used on the device is the Swipe Launcher which used to show some lags when there are apps running in the background.
There are handful number of pre-installed apps on the phone – Flipkart, Bobble, DailyHunt, Magzter. On installation of Gmail, we could observe that the ‘Label Colors’ are not visible which looked very strange which was strange and it might not go-well with power Gmail users !!
The snapshot of Gmail on Swipe Elite Note and Samsung Galaxy Note are below:
Though the phone comes with Swipe Launcher, we are sure that users would switch to their favourite launchers like Nova Launcher, Google Launcher etc. as there would not be any learning curve involved. On the review device, we switched to Nova Launcher and multi-tasking became very easy [and there were less lags involved]. Overall, the device scored high on performance. The AnTuTu benchmark score of the device was 24073 [snapshot below]
Swipe Elite Note – Connectivity
The Swipe Elite Note comes with Dual-SIM 4G LTE support. It has WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity and has in-built IR Blaster. We tested the IR blaster by using the in-built app Z-Remote on LG TV and worked like a charm 🙂 It supports all kinds of TV. The IR sensor gives a user complete and overall control for multiple electronic appliances like Air-conditioner, Television, Set-Top boxes etc The USB port on the device is OTG complaint which means it can act as a Host and can be used to charge other devices.
The device comes with Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Light Sensor, G-Sensor. It also has the HALL sensor [or the proximity sensor]. We were able to use the device for 12~14 hours while on 3G with stable network conditions. There were no call-drops observed when 3G Data was ON while the calls are active [which made 3G much more usable].
Swipe Elite Note – Verdict
Vibrant display quality, decent camera unit and great battery backup makes Swipe Elite Note a good buy at Rs. 7,999. Given that the device comes with micro-SD card slot [expandable upto 32 GB] ensures that the user is left with more internal memory 🙂
As discussed earlier, after disabling Swipe Launcher, Force Closing some in-built apps; performance of the Swipe Elite Note was even better !! If Swipe is able to woo users with good after-sales service, than chances of Swipe Elite Note clicking with users [in sub 10K range] is even higher.
We did receive a Wireless Update couple of days back that indicates that Swipe is taking effort to make experience better for existing users of Swipe Elite Note. If you are planning to go for a 4G phone with excellent battery backup & great display, we definitely recommend Swipe Elite Note.
Barring aside couple of minor issues, Swipe Elite Note is definitely worth a buy !!!
Source* – 1