The Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is another dual camera smartphone that comes with an attractive price tag of Rs. 8,999. Here is the review of Eluga Ray 500 that will give you an idea how the handset performs, is it worth the price and if the dual cameras really work like other dual camera smartphones.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is powered by MediaTek MT6737 quad core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and features a 5 inch screen with 720p resolution. Performance is good but for normal usage not for gaming users.
Battery life is very good thanks to the 4000 mAh battery. Coming to the camera there are dual cameras on the back and if you are expecting it to work like other dual camera smartphones, bokeh effects etc, well this is going to disappoint, check the camera section for more on this.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 features, specifications
Inside the box (unboxing the Panasonic Eluga Ray 500) : Handset, user manual, SIM Tray ejector PIN, data cable (USB to Micro USB), screen guard, standard quality earphone and travel charger 5V/2A
SAR Value : 1.18 head and 1.57 body
Body : Good build and finishing, Plastic body, curvy design, comfortable to hold
SIM Type : Nano + Nano/ micro SD slot (hybrid)
Weight and Dimensions : 163 grams, 9.2mm thick
Screen : 5 inches, 1280 x 720 pixels resolution, viewing angles, touch response and color reproduction are good, 2.5D curved glass
Connectivity : 4G, VoLTE (work on both SIM), WiFi, GPS and Bluetooth
Sensors : Accelerometer, Proximity, light – just 3 sensor
LED Notification : Yes
OTG : Yes supported
RAM : 3GB (about 2.1GB free on first boot)
ROM : 32GB (about 22GB free on first boot)
OS : Android Nougat 7.0
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 Performance
CPU : MediaTek MT6737 quad core @ 1.2GHz
GPU : Mali T720
Heating : Medium
Max Battery Temperature : 37 degrees
For normal usage the handset does well but when it comes to using heavy applications / games the handset lags. Heat build up is under control.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 Benchmark
Antutu : 30136 / 2419
NenaMark3 : 54.5fps (1-0)
Multi Touch : 5 points
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 Gaming Review
Played Asphalt 8 in high quality mode, it lagged, not that smooth. The game is playable in very low quality mode.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 Camera Review
Rear Camera : 13MP f/2.0 + 8MP f/2.4, auto focus, dual LED flash
Front Camera : 5MP, f/2.4
Video Recording : HD resolution
The camera quality is average. Low light shots are just about okay not that great. Moreover the dual camera setup on the back does not function like a dual camera for bokeh, there is no such option. In fact there is one option to switch between normal mode and wide angle mode.
The normal mode makes use of the 13MP camera and the wide angle mode makes use of 8MP camera. Wide angle is good for landscape shots, unfortunately, the wide angle shots were all blurry, check the samples. This handset can shoot HD videos. Front camera is okay.
Camera Rating : 3 out of 5
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 camera sample
Other features
The home button doubles up as the finger print sensor, not that fast but accurate. Sound is loud and clear, no issues with networks.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 Battery Review
Battery capacity : 4000 mAh (Non-removable)
Charging Time : Charge – 2 hours 50 minutes (0% to 100%) using the charger provided
Battery Life : 6 to 10 hours non-stop (moderate to heavy)
Daily usage battery life : One and a Half days of mixed usage and above depending on your usage
Battery Test Results
Battery Temp at idle : 34 degrees
Running Benchmark app : 15 minutes / 2% / 36 degrees
Asphalt 8 game play : 12 minutes / 3% / 37 degrees
HD video playback with full brightness (Wi-Fi /4G on) : 30 minutes / 5% / 37 degrees
Verdict
The good thing about the Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 is the battery life. For normal operations the handset is good enough, however don’t expect much out of the camera. There are better options available in the market.
Rating : 3.5 out of 5
Panasonic Eluga Ray 500 price in India is Rs. 8,999.