14 DAY TRIAL // We reported about a week ago that Panasonic planned to launch a new mid-range Android smartphone in India, the P31. Even though the company stated last year that it would exit the smartphone market, the actions taken by Panasonic in the last couple of months are proof that it plans to strengthen its position on the Indian market.
According to AndroidNova, Panasonic has partnered with the owner of the Karbonn brand, Jaina, for the distribution of some of its Android smartphones.
Panasonic P31 is a mid-range handset that ships with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean operating system out of the box. In addition, the smartphone runs Panasonic’s proprietary Play Life UI on top.
The Play Life UI offers some useful features, though we’re not sure how they really work. With Gesture Play, users will be able to open various apps with a simple gesture assigned by them. Predefined gestures can also be used to unlock the P31.
Panasonic P31 comes with a personalized media sharing application called Pop-I Player, which allows users to watch videos on larger screens.
The Ultimate Save feature is meant to manage your battery consumption, while Music Café has been added as a tool for managing your media library.
Panasonic P31 is powered by a 1.3GHz quad-core MediaTek processor and 1GB of RAM. It packs 4GB of internal memory, microSD card slot (up to 32GB) and a decent 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports 480 x 854 pixels resolution.
The smartphone is now available for purchase in India via major retailers across the country for Rs 11,990 outright, which is about $195 or €140.