Panasonic P81

Review in pictures

It’s big!! Yet lightweight

• Really big because of large 5.5-inch display

• However, it’s quite lightweight making for very comfortable handling

• Standard design at the front and in terms of ports or buttons

• But the capacitive home key at the center opens Google Now with a single tap and recent apps with double tap, unlike the usual implementation

Following Samsung’s footprints in the design department

• Features a leatherette rear panel adding to looks and grip

• Prying open the cover exposes a pair of SIM card slots and a microSD card slot

• The battery is also user-replaceable

• Bundled along with the device is a protective flip cover and a screen guard

Not full HD this, but still a beautiful large display

• Catering to the phablet segment, the device features a huge 5.5-inch display

• With 720p resolution, pixel density count might be lower, but the display is really nice

• Easily viewable under direct sunlight

Loaded snapper in terms of pure specs and features…• A 13-megapixel shooter at the

rear• LED flash available for assisting

in poor lighting conditions• Custom camera app offers a

simplistic interface and loaded feature set

• Provides options to modify scene mode, adjust ISO, saturation, etc.

• Alongside normal image, also lets you capture HDR, panorama or GIF images

• For video recording, it can shoot 1080p video at 30fps

… but not in the terms of quality

• Results in below average images

• Images lack detail and colours also seem oversaturated

• Low-light shots are also not up to the mark

• A 2-megapixel camera at the front can be used for video calling and clicking selfies.

‘Play More’ with Panasonic’s take on Android

• Runs dated Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean

• Right from the lockscreen and home screen to the dialler and other default apps, Panasonic has used a custom interface

• Play More theme manager gives options to change wallpaper, animation, font and ringtones

• Several useful options in customised apps like dialler and messages

It doesn’t end there…

• With Gesture Play, you can unlock your device by drawing a u-shaped gesture

• Ability to define more gestures for opening an app via the lockscreen, although there’s a considerable delay in the execution

• Multi Play shows two apps on the same screen

• However, very limited number of apps like browser, messages, etc. support this mode

Freebies galore

• With the device, users also get premium subscriptions for apps and content

• Six-months premium subscription for the popular note-taking app Evernote

• Three-month membership of India Today digital magazines

• Ability to download magazines and comics worth Rs 5,000 with the Readwhere app

• 30-day subscription to download unlimited songs via the Hungama app

The roaring power of eight cores with a bit of hotness quotient

• The device really shines in the performance aspect• Powered by the MediaTek MT6592 octa-core chipset with

a clock speed of 1.7GHz• Supplemented by a gigabyte of RAM• No signs of slowdown no matter what we threw at it• However, it gets hot after 15 to 20 minutes of gameplay

Storage can suffice for your usual needs

• Packed with 8GB built-in memory

• Approximately 5.34GB is user-accessible

• Can be further extended up to 32GB with the use of a microSD card

• Unfortunately, there’s no support for USB On-the-Go

Your all-day companion thanks to good battery life

• Sips juice from a 2,500mAh battery

• Can get you through an entire working day with the regular usage

• Gave decent results of little less than eight hours playback for a 720p video in our test

• The Power Saver app helps in extending the battery life, when needed

At a glance• 5.5-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixels

(267 ppi)• 1.7GHz octa-core MediaTek

MT6592 processor• Mali 450 GPU• 1GB RAM• 8GB onboard storage with

microSD slot• 13MP primary camera with

flash, 2MP front camera• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean• 2,500mAh battery• 3G (supported on the first SIM

slot), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS

-• Heats up quickly• Average camera

Pros and cons

+• Lightweight and

good handling• Good display• Lag-free

performance• Bundled freebies

~ Rs 17,000(online price)

Pricing and verdict

“With the P81, Panasonic has taken the right step and priced it well considering its specifications. Even

though it faces huge competition from performance-oriented devices in this price segment, its phablet-sized

display, good design and bundled freebies act as a differentiator in its favour”