Panasonic T31 Review – Low Cost Performer

Let’s be honest, Panasonic doesn’t really have a presence as a mobile phone manufacturer let alone in android scenario. However, this doesn’t mean we should straight away discard the android devices it has to offer. Recently launched dual sim Panasonic T31 is an attempt to compete with indigenous players like Micromax, Videocon, Karbonn, etc. Let’s see how well does T31 stand up against all the mid-range devices (to be more precise within price bracket of Rs. 6,000 – Rs. 7,000).

Design – Build Quality

To begin with it’s an all out plastic body. There’s nothing much to boast of in terms of build quality. But considering the price factor I am sure you won’t be expected aluminium casing. The good part is the device doesn’t feel fragile at all. Moreover like majority of devices using plastic body, this one doesn’t either attract finger prints. This is especially true for white color variant of Panasonic T31.

In terms of design, T31 is rounded around the corners and the curvature is more than what is seen on Samsung Galaxy Star Pro or LG Optimus L3 II. The device feels comfortable to hold and slides in easily in your pocket.

As far as button placements are concerned, at the back is 3 MP camera (no flash) next to speaker grill. On the front are 3 capacitive buttons which lack back-light and there’s a front VGA camera right at the top next to sensors. The left sideline of device is button less with right sideline containing volume rocker button and power on/off, screen lock button has been placed at the top next to 3.5 mm audio jack.

For those who are thinking screen lock button will be a pain to use, I must add that unless you have really small fingers, there shouldn’t be any problem reaching out to it. I, for one, had no issues using it.

Display

Panasonic T31 carries a 4″ inch TFT capacitive touchscreen measuring 480 x 800 pixels (approximately 233 ppi pixel density). The screen looks sharp, clear and is well lit. You won’t be disappointed when watching videos, playing games or viewing images. The color reproduction is better than what it’s competitors have to offer. For the price it comes at, T31 really stands up in display area.

Performance

Panasonic T31 comes with 512 MB RAM, 4 GB internal storage (expandable up-to 32 GB), supports GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB connectivity. It is powered by 1.3 Ghz dual core processor with Android version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean running atop. Looking at these specifications purely in terms of numbers, I must say Panasonic has stacked in a lot in the device especially the dual core processor and Android Jelly Bean OS.

For performing day to day tasks, I never really had to face any lags of any sort. Playing games like Temple Run, Angry Birds was fun. In my usage of device, I was had Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Gmail (2 accounts), Hangouts running in the background and with all these background apps running for the most part T31 ran smoothly. However if you were to push for resource intensive games like Asphalt, GTA, etc then you’ll be let down by the dedicated GPU processor and scarce inbuilt storage capacity.

Battery

Panasonic T31 comes with a removable 1300 mAh Li-Ion battery which is expected to deliver 9 hours of talk time on 3G connection. Considering the fact that 3G is still an expensive affair in India, I decided to test battery longevity on 2G connectivity. The results were pretty impressive, with mild usage T31 lasted for about 13 hours, which should be good enough for most users. A heavier usage, involving, continued WiFi connectivity, media streaming, music play back and some gaming, the battery died within 7 hours.

The battery is sufficient for an average user. Keep the usage in check and you should get around and about a days usage before you’ll need a wall charger.

Conclusion

Panasonic T31 offers lot more specifications than it’s competitors viz. Galaxy Star Pro or Optimus L3 II. If you can deal with lack of capacitive buttons back-light and limited internal storage of meager 4 GB then T31 is a good buy. It offers a large screen size of 4″ inch, both front (for video calling) and rear camera and dual core processor. At the price of approximately Rs. 6,900 T31 has a lot to offer that too for a reasonable price.

Panasonic T31 In Pictures