Reviews
Xiaomi Mi4c vs LG Nexus 5X vs Moto X Play- The budget Comparison


This year was filled with multiple phone launches around the world. The most trending category of the phones bought was the budget category of around $300 – $350. Some of the best phones in this range are Moto X play, Mi4c and LG Nexus 5X. So today we will compare these phones and check which one is better for you.
So we would be first telling you all the traits of the phone like Display, performance and then later we would be doing a spec showdown too.
Mi4c vs Nexus 5X vs Moto X play
Design and Built
All these phones come in the budget category so you won’t get a Metallic or glass finish. All these phones are made of plastic but are of good quality.
The Xiaomi Mi4C is made up of a polycarbonate body and is single shell that means that you can’t remove the back cover similar to nexus 5X. The unibody design may look good to some while it won’t to some. I personally like the Uni-body design of Mi4c and Nexus 5x. However, I found that LG is using a better quality plastic in Nexus 5X than Xiaomi is using in Mi4c
The Motorola Moto X play has 3 layers in the built, The first one being the plastic around the edges of the screen, The second one is the shiny plastic brim and the third one being the flat plastic cover which can be removed to insert the sim and the memory card. The Mi4c and the Nexus 5X has a sideways sim slot which can be ejected by inserting a pin.
The Moto X play and the Nexus 5X has front speakers while the Xiaomi Mi4c has rear speakers. All these phones have the volume rocker and the power button on the Right which is getting very common. In all these phones, only Mi4c has physical keys and the rest have On-Screen keys. The keys on the Mi4c are backlight so it should not create any problem also the physical buttons increases the view on the screen.
Overall In the build section, I would give the MotoX Play the point for the looks as well as the quality used, The second will be Nexus 5X followed by Xiaomi Mi4c.
Display
The Moto X Play has a 5.5″ full HD display with a PPI of around 403, the Xiaomi Mi4c has a 5″ Full HD screen with a PPI of around 441 while the Nexus 5X has 5.2″ full HD Display with a PPI of 442. Although all these displays are full HD panels, but they have some differences.
The Xiaomi MI4c has a feature called sunlight display which increases the contrast and saturation whenever you get in sunlight which hence increases the visibility. On the other side, the nexus 5X display is one of the few displays I have seen in this price range which are near to perfect. It is not oversaturated neither it is pale. The blacks are deeper and on the first sight it looks as if it has an AMOLED panel.
Coming to the Moto X’s display, the 5.5″ display that comes about to 403 pixels per inch, makes it the least pixelated phone in these three phones. I would say the moto X play display is more than average but not near to the Nexus 5X. The contrast and the saturation are on the lower side and the black colour shifts to grey in certain angles.
Performance
All these phones are packed with snapdragon 64-bit processors. The Moto X play comes with a Snapdragon 615 2nd gen while the Mi4c and the Nexus 5X comes with snapdragon 808. The Nexus 5X and Moto X play has 2gigs of RAM while the Mi4c has a freaking 3GB RAM; Do note the Mi4c is the cheapest is all three.
As you can clearly see from the Benchmarks above, The Nexus 5X and the Mi4c is almost on the same level on Antutu while Moto X play is lagging behind with a slow processor. There is a substantial difference of the scores of Mi4c and the Nexus 5X in GeekBench3 as GeekBench3 is a GPU intensive benchmark and Mi4c is running the heavily skinned MIUI which takes up the resources.
The results are as expected, Mi4c and Nexus 5X are very similar in performance while the Moto X Play lag behind a big time but when the prices of these devices are compared, we see Moto X shining as the Mi4c is not available everywhere and importing it brings up the cost so in a nutshell even Moto X did a good job for the price we are paying.
OS
As said the Xiaomi Mi4c comes with a skinned version of Android called MIUI, It is based on the concept of customizability with beauty, unlike the cynogenMod, you get more animations and cinematic experience that gives users a feel of luxury. MIUI does not have any App drawer rather all the apps are displayed on the home screen itself, similar to other Chinese smartphones.
Moto phones are known for Nexus-like experience with its almost stock Android If you are wondering what is it, Check out this guide from Android Central. The Moto X play comes with a couple of apps from Motorola like Moto Migrate, Moto Help and Assist( in some phones). Moto has also launched an app known “Moto” which manages all the actions like the AC display, shake for flash and twist for opening the camera.
Nothing can be better than the Nexus, The Nexus 5X comes with the original Android, i.e. the way it is meant to be, no addition so bloatware. Nexus 5X is the only device in this comparison which is running the latest version of Android, that is Android Marshmallow. Android marshmallow gives you features like “Now alert” by which you can search about something on the screen by just one press. You also get specific app permission editor which means that you can change specific permissions for an app.
I personally like the stock Android experience than any skinned Android, but MIUI is also a good choice, I have used Mi4 running MIUI 6 for more than 7 months and believe me, It is flawless. If I have to choose between all three of these, I will choose the OS in Moto X play as it brings up several features along with the stock Nexus feel.
Buy Nexus 5XSpec comparison
Specifications | Xiaomi MI4c | LG Nexus 5X | Motorola Moto X Play |
---|---|---|---|
Display size | 5 inch | 5.2-inch | 5.5-inch |
Display type | IPS-NEO LCD (in-cell) / Gorilla Glass | IPS-NEO LCD (in-cell) / Gorilla Glass | IPS-NEO LCD (in-cell) / Gorilla Glass |
Resolution & ppi | 1920 x 1080 Pixels / 441 ppi | 1920 x 1080 Pixels / 423 ppi | 1920 x 1080 Pixels / 403 ppi |
Processor | Snapdragon 808 | Snapdragon 808 | Snapdragon 615 |
CPU | Dual-core Cortex-A57 and Quad-core Cortex-A53 | Dual-core Cortex-A57 and Quad-core Cortex-A53 | Quad-core Cortex a-53 And Quad-Core Cortex a-53 |
Core | Hexa-core | Hexa-core | Octa-Core |
GPU | Adreno 418 | Adreno 418 | Adreno 405 |
RAM | 2 GB (16GB) , 3 GB (32GB) | 2 GB | 2 GB |
Internal storage | 16/32 GB | 16/32 GB | 16GB/ 23GB |
Micro-SD card Expension | No | No | Yes |
Operating System | MIUI | Stock Android Marshmallow | Stock Android |
OS version | Android 5.1 Lollipop | Android 6.0 marshmallow | 5.1.1 Lollipop, 6.0 soon |
Rear Camera | 13 megapixel, Dual tone flash | 12.3 Megapixel, laser Autofocus, Dual LED | 21 megapixel, Dual tone LED |
Video Recording | 1080p, 30 frames per second | 2160p at 30 frames per second | 1080p at 30fps |
Front camera | 5-megapixels | 5-megapixels | 5 MP |
Unique Features | USB C | USB C, finger prnt scanner | twist to launch camera, Splash-proof |
4G-LTE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
NFC | No | Yes | Yes |
GPS | A-GPS with GLONASS | A-GPS with GLONASS | A-GPS with GLONASS |
Connectivity | Bluetooth,WLAN, Quick charging 2.0, 3.5 mm jack | Bluetooth,WLAN, 3.5 mm jack | Bluetooth,WLAN, 3.5 mm jack, Micro-USB |
Weight | 132 g | 136 g | 169 g |
Battery | 3080 mAh, non removable | 2700mAh, non removable | 3630, non removable |
Colors | White, Grey, Pink, Yellow, Blue | Carbon, Quartz, Ice | Black, white |
So which of these phones will be yours? Let us know in the comment below
Wearables
PlayFit Smart Band – The best Fitness Band in the market?


Recently Play, an Indian brand which focuses primarily on wearable tech and accessories launched its two new products, The PlayGo which is a bluetooth headset and the PlayFit which is an activity tracker/smart band. So we got a chance to review the smart band and here it is. We will be discussing various aspects like design, build, software, accuracy, battery life etc.
PlayFit Smart Band Review
Design and build
A watch is as important as any other apparel one would wear. This one looks much better than any other smart band in this price range. Kudos to PlayFit design team for inculcating ritzy neon green stripes with a gentle grey accent. The rubber material used is flexible and fits nicely on hand. The belt has 15 slits which should be enough to suit most hands. It’s lite and compact form does favour a distraction-free workout session
Coming to the front, it has a Colored touchscreen display spanning 0.98-inches diagonally. This display felt small for our liking. Another pain point is the outdoor legibility, which is a major miss here. You have to hover your hand to view the screen contents, which is rather stone age-ish at this point. Even the display was hasty to go dark, which was always annoying. But on the flip side, this might aid a better battery life. We also appreciate the fact that the device is IP68 Dust and Waterproof certified.
UI & UX
Even though we would wish to have android wear in the smart bands someday, the PlayFit comes with its own custom UI. The UI makes the full use of the coloured display by having every item coloured differently. we really enjoyed the UI though sometimes navigating between the different screen was not easy. There are a limited number of watch faces, 4 to be exact with 2 of them being just a change in colour. The default watch face is the only one which we really liked. In the default screen, if you tap once you will get the heart rate, then the steps and then calories.
While if you swipe from the top, you will get a menu with different screens which include the notifications. Speaking of notification, PlayFit syncs your call and smartphone app notifications on its display along with vibration alert. These are some of the apps it support – SMS, WeChat, QQ, Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Instagram, Messenger, LinkedIn, Email, Calendar, Skype, etc. In our testing, certain features like the remote camera access didn’t work as advertised. There is an option to control the music navigation from the wrist band itself. However, it works with selected apps like Google Play Music only. No support for Spotify, it seems! All that said, a fitness band will still get our approval if it does well where it’s supposed to. Here’s how it performs on fitness grounds. There is also an option of more options in which you have settings like lift-up display, camera, alarm etc.
Overall the UI is great and the UX is also very user-friendly. Even for people who are not really tech-savvy.
Connectivity
The device is compatible with android (4.4 & above) & iOS (9.0 & above) devices. It is equipped with Bluetooth version: 4.2. Sorry, No 5th gen here! The pairing is pretty easy using the PlayFit app downloadable from the Google or Apple app store.
Once you sign in to the app, you’ll be welcomed by a pleasing user interface. It presents real-time and progress on 14 activities (which will discuss in the next section), your sleep routine, and your heart’s health. It also exhibits periodic stats of your activities, sleep, and heart health on different useful metrics. There is even an activity logger to custom-meter any activity.
Features
This is where I think this device shines the most. It has more than 10 sport modes like Walking, Running, Cycling, Skipping, Badminton, Basketball, Football, etc. Now, you may already know that the fitness bands, for the most part, project guesstimates. But, we didn’t understand the lack of swimming mode, even though it has waterproof certification. Further, like many of its peers, it also fails to detect our erratic daytime naps. Similarly, PlayFit 53 confuses vehicle rides for walking, which is also something that cripples other bands. But in all due fairness, the fitness tracking functions accurate enough to be useful. And as aforementioned, it covers every major sports activity. The Sedentary Alert lets you know of your prolonged inactivity.
Battery Life
Play claims that this device would last for more than a week however in our usage, it lasted for little more than 4 days which is average is these bands. Do note that the bluetooth connection was always on and we get a lot more notifications than a standard user. So if you are intending to use it moderately, it might last you for about a week.
Final Verdict
Overall we are very impressed by the device, at this price, It has to compete with some of the veterans in the field like the Mi Band. If the brand continues to provide support and updates, it can easily make a fair share in the fitness bands market.
Tech News
EaseUS Data Recovery Software Review – The Best one!


We all have been in this situation where we mistakenly or unknowingly delete important data. This can be files of some office work, old pictures of a trip you took with your girlfriend or just cute pictures of cats you downloaded from the internet, any data that you really want to keep and gets destroyed hurts a lot. A file once deleted is almost impossible to retrieve, this is something that we all used to think or at least I used to. Well not anymore. Recently while deleting some junk, I mistakenly deleted a photoshop template that took more than 10 hours to make. I was in no way in a mood to make it again so went on the journey of “Data Recovery”. If you search for data recovery software on Google, you will be bombarded by thousands of companies claiming to be the best and capable to retrieve any data. Well most of them were just a result of massive advertisement budgets and nothing else. So in my quest to find a reliable data recovery software that my Macbook supports, I came across EaseUS Data Recovery. They seem to have spent all their money on making the product work well instead of the advertisements. Hands down this is the best recovery software you can buy for your machine. Let’s dig a bit deeper-
EaseUS Recovery Software Review
When you first open the software you are asked to select the drive you wish to perform the recovery on. On Macbook generally, there is only a single drive so select it. Once you select it, wait for a while so that the software can scan the drives for the data. The time it takes depends upon the type of drive and the size. Data recovery takes time and you should be patient enough and let the software do its job. Even if the scanning is midway you can navigate the files and select the folder which you wish to recover. Along with this, you can even navigate on the basis of the data type. You can filter down on the types whether its audio, picture, video etc.
EaseUS provides trial versions of its software, which can be used to recover up to 2GB of data on PCs and Macs. A trial run will help you determine if your lost data can be recovered prior to purchasing the software. The premium version which has no restriction costs 70USD which is value for money. After using the software for a week or two if you feel like it is not working as you expected you can get your money back! EaseUS recovery has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Once you have selected the folder or the files you wish to recover just press on “Recover Now”. This will pop up a dialogue box for selecting the location. It is recommended to select a different drive to save the data as recovering and saving data at the same time could be dangerous. So what will those people do who have just a single drive? Well, EaseUS has taken care of us by providing a feature of storing the recovered data on the cloud. This shows the amount of work they have done for the software.
Once the recovery process is complete you will be able to see all the files that you had deleted in the past.
Features at a Glance
- Quick Scan
- Deep Scan
- Sort by File Type
- Partition Recovery
- Store in Cloud
- USB/ External Drive recovery
- 24/7 Support
- 30 Day money-back guarantee
Final Verdict
If you are in a situation where you require to recover your lost data then EaseUS data Recovery would be an ideal option. With features like sort by file type, partition recovery, store in the cloud, great UI, the software has a lot of advantages when compared to the rest. With the sweat price of just 70$, Everyone who deals with important data should own a license of it be it photographers, designers or programmers.
Reviews
1MORE iBFree Bluetooth earphones review!


There was a time when you would have to shell out 10-12 thousand rupees to get a good pair of Bluetooth earphones. It 2018 now and the scenario has changed. Now, you can get unbranded bluetooth earphones from 700rs and upwards. I have tested a lot of Bluetooth earphones and almost all of them have some problem, it could be the battery life, standby time, ergonomics or just the sound quality. 1MORE is a popular brand based out of Shenzhen which has its market all over the globe. 1MORE is also known for the piston earphones they make for Xiaomi.
I have been listening to iBFree from 1MORE. Apart from the name, How good actually are these earplugs? Well, we will find that in this review!
Box Contents
In the box, you get following things-
- Earphones
- USB A – Micro-USB
- 2 extra tips
- 2 extra hooks
The unboxing experience of these was great, The quality and the design of the box is well thought off. However, India is a competitive market and most of the bluetooth earphones here come with a solid case which these lacks. If not a case, 1MORE could have included a pouch at least. Anyway, moving forward.
The earphones are made up of solid metal and are very well built. You can throw these around, drop them and even step on them, They will continue working. The design is exceptionally good as well and gives a premium look. There is a rubber tube to provide support to the wire. The wire is also thick enough and can easily handle the normal wear and tear. According to the 1MORE website, these aren’t officially sweat proof but in my usage, they haven’t given me any problem while using them at the gym or in the rain. If not deliberately destroyed, These can easily last long.
iBFree are sports earphones and to ensure that these don’t fall out, 1MORE has provided ear hooks as well. And believe me when I say this, Once they are inside your ear, they are not going anywhere. The ear hook is tilted which might be the reason for such snug fit.
Talking about sound leaking, The design of the ear tips is such that, very minimal amount of sound gets leaked so If you have to wear these in subways/metro then rest assured, Your co-passenger won’t be hearing your songs :p. Also, If you do gym, then these will also reduce the outside noise in the gym if your gym plays their own songs, It won’t be a problem.
Talking about the sound quality, These are downright the clearest sounding earphones. The highs on this are a bliss to listen. You might have to tune the equaliser to get the best out of these. If you are into bass, then you might dislike these initially. Let them run for 4-5hours and they will burn-in into something incredible. For the size of these, They produce excellent sound.
The audio controls are on a small remote attached to the wire. The middle button is used to play and pause as well as to turn on and off the earphones. the right and left switch can be used to increase or decrease the volume and Next and the Previous song if you hold them for two seconds. The earphones come with MEMS microphone which eliminates the noise while you are on a call.
These come with Qualcomm aptx technology which ensures that there is no latency while you are playing songs or watching movies. This feature is only available on Android phones with Qualcomm processor.
These charge in less than 2 hours on a 2A charger and last for about 5-6hours is medium volume. Do note, that these are very loud and you will end up listing on the low volume.
Conclusion
If you are looking for bluetooth earphones for the gym or normal commute than these are best earphones to go for under 4,000INR. You get great battery life, Awesome sound and durable body.