The Q1200 marks a shift in XOLO's traditional design elements for smartphones, featuring a slim unibody frame that measures just 6.9mm. It also gives the usual dual-SIM slots a miss, and offers only single SIM support. While the handset runs an outdated Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, a KitKat update is incoming. Unlike most XOLO devices, the Q1200 adopts a colourful UI, which offers several smart gestures and voice control features. We'll be sharing the full review with you shortly, and until then, here's a quick review in pictures.

1. XOLO Q1200
Review in pictures

2. Refreshing, unibody design
• The XOLO Q1200 features
an elegant unibody
design, with a sleek
6.9mm frame
• Sports a row of Android
capacitive hardware
buttons, which are
unfortunately not backlit
• It’s a single SIM device,
and features an ejectable
tray (tool included) that
holds both the micro-SIM
and microSD cards

3. Bright display with vivid colours
• The 5-inch IPS display bears 720p resolution (294ppi), and is
protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Colours are vibrant, but a tad oversaturated
• Brightness and sunlight legibility are its strong points
• The display is responsive, and supports various smart gestures

4. A snapper with a Sony sensor
• The Q1200 sports an 8MP
primary camera with a Sony
Exmor R sensor and dual-LED
flash. The front camera
bears 2MP resolution
• It offers various effects,
frames and manual controls
• There’s also HDR, Panorama
and Smart Selfie modes
• The camera supports voice
capture, activating the
shutter when you say
‘cheese’ or ‘capture’

5. Good for close-ups, not bad for selfies
• The main camera is an
excellent macro shooter,
delivering sharp images with
minimal loss of detail
• Landscape shots and the HDR
mode result in washed-out
images
• Photos taken in low light are
grainy but usable. However,
the camera has trouble
focusing at night
• The front camera can take a
decent selfie in bright lighting

6. An overcrowded, overbearing UI
• The XOLO Q1200 runs
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and
is due for a KitKat update in
the future
• It sports a heavy skin on top
of Android, with overly
colourful icons and wallpapers
• There are several themes and
transition effects to choose
from as well
• The notification bar has been
modified, with a separate tab
to access quick settings

7. Default apps have also been tweaked
• The device ships with the
usual trio of XOLO apps:
XOLO Power, XOLO Secure
and XOLO Care
• Third-party apps include
Facebook, Picasa Tool and
Notes
• An FM Radio and torch are
also included
• Most stock apps like the
dialer, calculator, music
player and browser have
been highly modified too

8. A smartphone with ‘smart’ gestures
• The UI offers various ‘Smart
Somatosensory’ features
• Smart Wake lets you cold
access certain apps and
functions by swiping or
tracing letters when the
screen is asleep
• Smart Light lets you double
tap to wake the display
• The phone also offers
reverse to mute and Pocket
Mode features

9. With lots of inspiration from Samsung
• Non-touch operation lets
you swipe your hand above
the display to browse the
gallery, music player and
apps
• Float Window brings up a
floating window to run the
video and music player on
top of other apps
• Voice Control also works to
answer/ignore calls and set
alarms

10. Decent performer marred by a sluggish UI
• A 1.2GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6582 processor, paired with 1GB of
RAM and a Mali 400 MP2 GPU powers the handset
• Performance is slightly hampered by the heavy UI, which is a bit sluggish
• However, heavy games like Riptide GP2 play without any lags or freezes
• There’s 8GB of expandable internal memory, out of which a little under
6GB is available to use for storage

11. Battery life that’s below average
• The device is fuelled by a
2,000mAh battery, which
gives below average
results, requiring a charge
before the end of the day
with regular usage
• Our standard video loop
test gave us only 6 hours
of playback before the
battery ran out
• The Low Battery mode in
the XOLO Power app can
extend battery life further

12. At a glance
• 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixels,
294ppi
• 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek
MT6582 processor
• Mali 400 MP2 GPU
• 1GB RAM
• 8GB inbuilt storage with
microSD slot
• 8MP primary, 2MP front
camera
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 2,000mAh battery
• Single SIM, 3G, Wi-Fi,
Bluetooth, GPS, USB OTG

13. -
• Below average battery
life
• Jarring, crowded UI
• Slightly sluggish for
everyday tasks
• A tad overpriced
Pros and cons
+
• Classy, unibody design
• Good primary camera
• Bright, colourful display
• Update to KitKat
incoming

14. Rs 12,999 (online price)
Pricing and verdict
“The XOLO Q1200 scores for its
sleek design and vibrant display,
but the overbearing UI does more
harm than good. The company’s
HIVE UI looks much more enticing,
and we can’t wait to see what
XOLO’s upcoming Android devices
have to offer. Considering the
competition like the ASUS Zenfone
5, Xiaomi Mi 3 and even the Moto
G, we’d suggest you wait for a price
cut before making your choice.