Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 and Eluga Ray 700 First Impressions: Focus on Battery and Camera

Panasonic Eluga Ray 500

Priced at Rs. 8,999, Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is one of the most affordable dual-lens camera smartphone in the Indian market. The smartphone will compete against budget smartphones from Xiaomi, Lenovo, Huawei, Micromax and Intex. It runs stock Android 7.0 and has a dual-lens camera that can click 120 degree wide angle shots. Let's find out more about the smartphone.

 

13MP+8MP dual-lens Camera setup

The smartphone features a 13MP+8MP dual-lens rear camera setup that comprises of one standard and one wide angle lens. The 8MP secondary camera at rear lets you capture 120° wide angle frame while the 13MP primary lens captures standard frame. I tested the camera indoors and the image output seemed at par with other smartphones priced in sub Rs. 10k price segment. The wide angle lens captures a wide frame and will come handy to capture landscape shots. As far as front camera is concerned, Eluga Ray 500 has a 5MP front camera.

Compact Design and 5-inch HD Display

Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is quite compact as the smartphone sports a 5-inch HD screen. The device measures 144.26 x 71.26 x 9.2 mm and weighs 163 grams. You can use the handset with one hand without any struggle and the screen felt pretty responsive during my brief time with the device. The HD IPS display offers a resolution of 1280×720 pixels and also has a 2.5D curved glass for better viewing angles.

Quad-core MediaTek chipset and stock Android Nougat

Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is backed by a quad-core MediaTek MT6737 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM. There is 32GB internal memory that can be expanded by up to 128GB via hybrid SIM card slot.

The handset worked without any issues in my brief usage and I was quite delighted to see Panasonic devices running the stock Android UI. I believe it will help the company tap a wider audience who prefer stock Android UI over the gimmicky customized user interface.

Eluga Ray 500 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and ships without any unwanted bloatwares. The smartphone also features a fingerprint scanner which is embedded into the home button on the front.

4,000 mAh battery and Hybrid SIM card

Eluga Ray 500 is backed by a 4,000mAh battery unit and supports 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM radio, dual-SIM connectivity and micro USB 2.0 port.

Panasonic Eluga Ray 700

Coming onto the bigger Eluga Ray 700, the smartphone is priced at Rs. 9,999 and is designed to deliver a long-lasting battery backup. It also features a full HD screen and comes with a dedicated microSD card slot.

Large 5.5-inch Full HD screen

While Eluga Ray is bigger in size due to its large 5.5-inch screen, the smartphone is still manageable and can be used with one hand. The smartphone sports a 5.5 inch 1080p IPS screen with 2.5D curved glass on top.

The display is quite bright and has good viewing angles. This will make the handset a good buy for consumers who love to watch movies and play games on their mobile devices. The buttons are placed ergonomically on the right side of the handset and you also get a front mounted fingerprint scanner for additional security.

13MP rear and 13MP front camera with LED flashlight

For photography, Eluga Ray 700 sports a 13MP rear camera that works on a Sony IMX 258 lens and also comes equipped with Phase Detection Auto focus. The camera delivered decent image output in indoor lighting. Wait for our detailed review to find out the camera performance in daylight. The smartphone will also please selfie lovers as it comes equipped with a 13MP front camera that is also accompanied with a flash light.

Octa-core MediaTek CPU and Stock Android Nougat

Powered by a 1.3 GHz MediaTek Octa -core Processor and 3 GB RAM, the smartphone will serve good for everyday tasks such as Emails, web browsing, casual games, social networking, etc. Panasonic Eluga Ray 700 also runs on stock Android 7.0 Nougat.

5,000 mAh battery and dedicated microSD card

While Eluga Ray 500 has a 4,000 mAh battery unit, the battery centric Eluga Ray 700 packs even bigger 5,000 mAh battery unit. I believe the battery will easily last for more than day on moderate usage and can deliver a day's backup even with heavy use.

However, the real performance will be evaluated in our comprehensive review of the handset. You will not need to compromise on connectivity and storage as Eluga Ray 700 comes with a dedicated microSD card slot that can expand the 32GB internal storage by up to 128GB.

As far as connectivity is concerned, Eluga Ray 700 supports 4G CORE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and microUSB 2.0 port.

Conclusion

Panasonic has decided to ditch the company's customized UI and has shipped the new Eluga handsets with stock Android 7.0 Nougat. This will help the handsets run smoothly and might also result in better overall processing and battery performance. Both the handsets have big battery units, especially the Eluga Ray 700 that offers a massive 5,000 mAh battery unit. We can expect new Eluga handsets to easily last a day and even more on moderate usage.

Besides, both the handsets have something in their pocket for camera enthusiasts. While Eluga Ray 700 focus on selfies by incorporating a 13MP front camera accompanied with a flashlight, Eluga Ray 500 features a dual-lens camera setup capable of capturing wide-angle shots.

We will test the smartphone's complete performance in our detailed reviews. Till then, stay tuned on GIZBOT.com