10.or E review: Making the budget-smartphone competition tougher

10.or, a new smartphone brand in India, recently launched the 10.or E in India. The 10.or, pronounced as Tenor, is focusing on delivering budget smartphones with a good amount of specifications and nearly stock Android experience. The 10.or E was their first smartphone launched in India for a starting price of Rs. 7,999. The phone offers a 5.5-inch full HD display at a budget. Here is our full review of the 10.or E and this may help you in making a choice for your next smartphone.

Specifications

The 10.or E is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with the Adreno 505 GPU. The smartphone sports a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The phone is available in two variants, one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and another with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The storage on the device is further expandable up to 128GB using a microSD card. Under the hood, there is a 4,000mAh battery powering up the device. The 10.or E runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box.

On the optics front, the 10.or E features a 13-megapixel camera at the back with a LED flash. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a soft flash for better low light selfies.

Design

The 10.or E is made out of a polycarbonate body while it looks and feels more like metal. The phone weighs at around 150 grams. As for the placements, up front, there is the earpiece at the top surrounded by the front-facing camera, a LED flash and a coupled of sensors. At the rear, the phone sports a camera with a LED flash and an active Fingerprint scanner lies right below that. On the right, there is a power button and the volume rocker. On the left, there are two trays, one for two sim cards while the other accepts a microSD card.

Software

The 10.or E runs on Android 7.1.2 Nougat out of the box. The smartphone runs stock Android with almost no bloatware except the Amazon applications as the smartphone is an Amazon exclusive. The overall software experience was fluid and reminded us of the Nokia 6 which also comes with a similar stock Android experience. It was impressive to see that a budget smartphone like the 10.or E is running on the latest version of Android Nougat 7.1.2, while most budget smartphones come with 7.0. The company has also promised the Android Oreo update for the smartphone which adds up to the pros of the smartphone.

Also Read: Nokia 6 Review: Best Budget Smartphone?

Performance

The 10.or E is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with the Adreno 505 GPU. The unit which we reviewed had 3GB of RAM which helps in making the multitasking smoother. The smartphone delivered a smooth experience overall. As for gaming, the smartphone was able to run games like Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2 without any lag. However, heavy games like Injustice 2 and Asphalt 8 did tend to lag a bit which is acceptable considering the price of the smartphone.

Camera

The 10.or E features a 13-megapixel rear camera with a LED flash. up front, there is a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with a selfie flash. The rear camera on the smartphone works pretty well in outdoor lighting conditions while it does tend to struggle a bit under the low lighting or indoor conditions. As far as the front camera is concerned, the shots taken in outdoor conditions were good while the indoor shots were just average.

Battery

The 10.or E comes with a massive 4,000mAh battery. The battery was sufficient to get the device through a full day with minimal usage. However, with moderate or heavy usage, one would need to juice up the smartphone by the evening. With the Ambient display turned on, the battery life got shorter, which was expected due to the IPS LCD panel.

Verdict

The 10.or E is a new smartphone from a newly introduced company in India.  The company is currently concentrating on delivering some good smartphones on a budget. The 10.or E is priced at RS. 7,999 for the 2GB +16GB variant while the 3GB + 32GB variant retails at Rs. 8,999. The smartphone consists of impressive specifications for its price point. The phone features a 5.5-inch full HD display which is not seen much in this price bracket. Also, the phone comes with stock Android which contributes in making the overall performance better. The cameras on the smartphone are just average which is acceptable as the phone offers good performance and is relatively cheap. The 10.or E does not compromise with the design. The device gives the look and feel of a metal back and comes with curved edges up front.

To sum up everything, anyone looking for a smartphone under Rs. 10,000, this one could make a great option. However, it is highly recommended to opt in for the 3GB + 32GB variant as it gives more room for media and can handle multitasking well. The 2GB + 16GB variant is also a good option if you are on a tight budget.