Panasonic is definitely not the first brand you think of when smartphones come to mind. The company has been rather active in India and other select parts of the world though. Panasonic T40, T9, P55, Eluga S… are just a couple of devices which were made available in India in the last year. Panasonic has just launched yet another handset in that Asian country, another member of the “Eluga” family, Panasonic Eluga I. Let’s check out what this device has to offer.
Panasonic Eluga I features a 5-inch 720p (1280 x 720) IPS display along with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB). This handset is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core processor, we’re still not sure who manufactures the chip for this handset, but I’ll take a wild guess and say MediaTek. On the back of this handset, you’ll find an 8-megapixel shooter which is flanked by an LED flash. 2-megapixel camera is located on the front of your device, in case you need to make a video call or like to take selfies. Panasonic Eluga I ships with Android 4.4.2 KitKat, with some Panasonic’s alterations to it. This is a dual-SIM handset and it also comes with a 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio with RDS, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. WI-Fi b/g/n is also available, of course, and this is a 3G HSPA+ device, no 4G LTE here. 2000mAh battery is also a part of this package. Eluga I measures 73.6 x 147.1 x 9mm while it weighs 155 grams.
This handset is available via Flipkart in India and it comes in Silver and White color options, while the device is priced at INR 10,990 ($178). If you purchase this device from Flipkart you’ll also get a free flip cover along with it. Panasonic Eluga I is a solid mid-range offering, though I’d argue there are more affordable devices which offer better or at least same specs as this device. The choice is up to you in the end, but India is really home to many great smartphones and you have tons of options, from Google’s Android One device, Xiaomi’s extremely affordable offerings to Motorola’s extremely affordable Moto G for example.
