Karbonn Aura Note 2 review: The phone that flaunts simplicity

Priced at Rs 7,790, this is a smartphone for those who wouldn't mind a glitch here and there

Two months back in June, Karbonn mobiles had launched its Aura Note 2 series to be available in three shades- blue, champagne coffee and black. The smartphone is priced at Rs 7,790. Here, is a closer look at the phone:

Design- Karbonn’s Aura Note 2 flaunts a sleek 115 mm-long body, complemented with a matt finished case at the back, giving it an appealing image.  The silver lining running along the length of the phone on either sides that are no more than 8 mm thick add to the elegance of its overall appearance. In terms of branding, the phone is clearly trying to sell the lean look and is successful in owning it. 

Display- With a 5.5-inch HD display, the phone offers a decent screen size for video streaming without being too stressful for this reviewer’s pair of bespectacled eyes. The range of in-built wallpapers is not exciting but not disappointing either as one gets to choose from several categories, including solid colours. The default font and display size is also reader-friendly and the adaptive brightness feature comes in handy.

Hardware- Powered by a 1.25 GHz Quad Core Processor, the dual-SIM phone offers a 2GB RAM and an internal storage of 16 GB- this, however, means that you have an available space of 8.32GB. Despite taking around 3 hours to charge, the battery lasts long enough to get through the day as it offers a talktime of 8 hours and a standby time of 192 hours.

Software- Karbon Aura Note 2 runs on Android 7.0 Nougat and the phone lags a bit with the heavy use of game apps like Mini Militia. The Vistoso application uses artificial technology to create painted versions from saved pictures that can be then printed on merchandise including coffee mugs, T-shirts and bags. The Fashion eye app also uses AI to match wardrobe to pictures that act as samples to prompt an apparel list either on the basis of the identified raw material of the cloth or its print.

Camera- The 13-megapixel rear camera works fine but a few blurred pictures can be expected since the autofocus feature takes some time to set in. The LED flash, however, comes very handy during dim light conditions. The phone offers a 5 MP front camera and has little to offer as the image quality is not impressive.

The X-factor- The phone has a few unique features like the automatic off/on setting that allows users to pre-set the time for switching a phone off and on. It is great battery saving measure, especially for those who tend to charge their phones during nights and end up either overcharging it or forgetting to plug in the charger. Similarly, the Do Not Disturb setting is also an interesting feature that allows users to limit contact. Users can save select contacts of people, whose calls will come through.  Other calls and message s will not be allowed or received. 

Snags and glitches

In case you want to continue with an old micro-SIM, you will have to get another SIM or a slot for the micro-SIM. Also, the battery takes time to charge 

Verdict- The Karbonn Aura Note 2 is a simple phone that lives up to the firm’s ‘Celebrate Simplicity’ motto. It is definitely not the best buy but a decent deal in this price range.