14 DAY TRIAL // Indian OEM iBall has just announced the immediate availability of a new high-end Android smartphone, the Andi 5K Panther. Aside from being a high-end device, this is the iBall’s first mobile phone to be powered by an octa-core processor.
Unfortunately, except for the octa-core chipset inside, the rest of the phone’s specs sheet does not really recommend it as a high-end devices, hence the not so high price.
According to fonearena, iBall Andi 5K Panther should be available for purchase in India for only Rs 10,499 outright, which is about $170 or €130.
The good news is that the Andi 5K Panther has been confirmed to ship with Android 4.4 KitKat operating system out of the box, which is one of the latest versions of Google’s mobile platform.
We doubt that the iBall will be capable of delivering the Android L for this particular smartphone, but anything is possible. There’s a high chance that iBall will base its decision to offer a KitKat upgrade for Andi 5K Panther on the sales the smartphone will get in India.
Moving on to specs, iBall Andi 5K Panther is equipped with a 1.4GHz octa-core processor, most likely provided by MediaTek. The phone’s decent CPU is complemented by 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32GB via microSD card slot.
On the back, the smartphone packs an 8-megapixel photo snapper with autofocus, LED flash and full HD (1080p) video recording. There’s also a secondary 2-megapixel camera in the front, which seems to be enough for video calls and self-portraits.
The Andi 5K Panther has been confirmed to sport a 5-inch IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen display that supports a disappointing qHD (540 x 960 pixels) resolution.
On the positive side, the smartphone offers dual-SIM capability with dual standby support. It also comes packed with multiple connectivity options, including 3G HSPA+, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP, GPS with A-GPS and USB on-the-go.
Last but not least, the iBall Andi 5K Panther features FM Radio function and packs a removable 1900 mAh battery, which has yet to be rated by the manufacturer.
We’re not sure when exactly the smartphone will go on sale, but it should take iBall more than a few days to make it available through multiple online retailers. Potential customers should know the Andi 5K Panther will be available in both Silver and Wine color options.