Panasonic P81 Hands on Review: Blurring The Lines Between Haves and Haves-not

Rating:

3.0/5

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PROS

• Display and Design
• Battery Life
• Software and Apps
• Value

CONS

• Camera Quality
• Missing NFC
• Dated Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS

There is no simple answer to any question related to the smartphone experience. User Experience is one of the most important things one should consider when deciding what kind of Smartphone to buy. Lots of people are completely lost when buying a new phone. What this means is that users need to be extra vigilant what they're spending-- and keep track of it. This may seem like common sense, yet somehow we commit blunders.

Anyway, Panasonic has found a solution to your problems. This Japanese giant recently introduced its latest wonder, the P81, the latest flagship phone in India. The Panasonic P81 is a super phone from Panasonic, replacing the original P51. The phone incorporates genius design. Yes, it is slightly bigger than an average smartphone size, but still the phone is pretty solid from inside and out. The device represents massive upgrade over its predecessor. Not only it is bold, with its supremely powerful processor, the device has an incredibly sharp 5.5-inch IPS HD display. More importantly, the P81 features sleeker design, plus superb unique user interface slapped on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

In a nutshell, the Panasonic has a bigger 5.5-inch HD display;customised user interface(UI); a thinner, lighter design; latest ‘true' octa-core processor, and an above average 13-megapixel rear-facing camera.

The Android 4.2 Jelly Bean powered phone is shipping now, and costs Rs. 18,990 across the country. Flipkart sells the device for lower Rs. 17,999 up front. Let's find out whether Panasonic's P81 is worth your money or not.

What's inside the box ?
Panasonic P81 ( handset)
Battery
Free Flip case
Headset
USB cable cum charger
Quick Start Guide
Warrenty Card

Panasonic P81- Physical Appearance

Panasonic's ambitious strategy to conquer the Indian handset market is evident in the P81's physical appearance and build quality. Its faux leather back cover, polycarbonate build, and top-of-the-line spec sheet could easily be its biggest highlight. The phone is much more elegant and sober than any other Panasonic-made phone available in the market.
The P81( 7.9mm) is even slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo (8.6mm), a haxa-core powered handset priced at Rs. 33,000 in the market. Both the Panasonic P81 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo come with 5.5-inch display and even with the same 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.

Designwise the Panasonic P81 takes a huge departure from glossy finished handsets.The P81 is your usual rectangular smartphone with slightly curved corners and a 5.5-inch HD display framed by a metal trim. The phone has a usual three-way capacitive Android buttons.

Above the display you'll find a 2-megapixel front-facing camera for self-portraits. The P81's top edge houses its 3.5mm headphone jack, while on the bottom edge you'll see a standard looking microUSB port. On the left side of the Panasonic P81 are the volume control buttons, and on the right side is the power button.

The leatherette rear-back cover reminds of Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Though the P81's back cover is made out of plastic, it does bring a premium feel to it. As usual, the back cover of the device is easily removable, allowing access to the battery, Dual SIM cards and a microSD card slot. The latter is practically a must have with the P81, as the phone only has 8 GB (out of which only 5.63GB is available for use) of internal storage.

The Panasonic 81 supports microSD cards up to 32GB. It is a well calculated move to use fake leather back cover instead of conventional glossy rear back side at this price point. But at same time, we cannot ignore the fact that the same design has been implemented by Samsung. It will be interesting to see a full metal bodied phone coming out of Panasonic's developers in the coming days.

Panasonic P81- Display

Panasonic P81's display is simply stunning. The phone has an excellent scratch-resistant 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. We had no problems reading text on websites, as letters were sharp and crisp. Viewing angles were good when we watched the teaser trailer of Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt starrer "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania". It certainly outdoes the Note 3 Neo's ( 5.5-inch, 1280 x 720 pixels) viewing experience.