XOLO Omega 5.0 review – octa core with Hive UI

XOLO had recently launched the Omega series, an octa core powered smartphone running the Hive UI over Android KitKat. There are two variants XOLO Omega 5.0 and the XOLO Omega 5.5. This is the review of Omega 5.0 that sports a 5 inch screen.

Inside the Box
Contents : Handset, free plastic case, screen guard, travel charger, data cable, earphone, warranty card and user guide.

Design, Display and OS
The Handset looks good and on the first look you will get an impression that you have already seen it. Yes it does look like the Motorola handsets; however there are minor changes in the design. The glossy back cover is removable (battery comes built in) and when you open it is similar to as seen on the Motorola handsets. Body is made up of plastic.

There is a broad sliver line that runs all around the sides and merges with the power and volume rockers becoming a part of it (check the images). The unique button design is the key highlight that also makes the Omega look a bit different. Weight with battery is 152 grams and dimensions are 71.49 x 143.18 x 9.94 (mm).

There are dual micro SIM slots and 3G works on both. There is a micro SD card slot too. The Omega 5.0 sports a 5 inch screen with 1280 x 720 pixels. Touch is smooth; colour reproduction is good, the screen quality could have been better. Viewing angles are okay.

There are only 3 sensors accelerometer, proximity and light.

Omega 5.0 runs Hive UI with Android 4.4.2. The Hive UI will give you a completely different android experience. What’s more XOLO has confirmed that the Hive users will get Lollipop update.

Memory and Storage
Of the 8GB internal storage you will get about 5.8GB for apps and of the 1GB RAM the free RAM on first boot is around 557 MB. OTG is not supported. Apps can be installed on the external storage.

Performance
The Omega 5.0 is using the 1.4GHz MediaTek MT6592 octa core cortex A7 processor with Mali 450 MP GPU. Performance is smooth and lag free.

Benchmark

Gaming
I tried Asphalt 8 in high visual quality mode and it played smoothly. Another game Modern Combat 5 also played well. You can play high end games and in most cases the games will get installed on the external storage.

Camera and Entertainment
There is 8MP AF camera with Exmor R sensor on the rear and 2MP front facing camera. Camera quality is above average. Please have a look at the raw images shot using this handset, you can also check the video shot using the Omega 5.0 handset at the end.

The Omega 5.0 handset can play full HD videos.

Others
Speaker / in-call sound is loud and clear, no issues found with 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.  Native video calling is supported. The Hive UI comes with 4 key components – Edge, Secure, Power and Connect. The Navigation buttons they do not light up. There is no Hindi language option in Languages and Input.

Battery
Omega gets power from a 2100 mAh non-removable battery. You can expect 4 to 6 hours of battery backup – continuous usage moderate to heavy. For moderate to normal daily usage you can expect over a day of battery backup on a single charge.

Verdict
The XOLO Omega 5.0 is another low cost octa core powered handset available for Rs. 8,999. Build quality and finishing is good and the performance is pretty good and smooth. Camera is above average and battery backup is decent enough. There are other Octa core handsets in the market for under Rs. 10,000 but XOLO for now is the only company that have promised the Lollipop update.

XOLO Omega 5.0 is priced at Rs. 8,999.

 Omega 5.0 Image Gallery

Sample Images shot using the Omega 5.0 handset

Front Camera sample