Intex Aqua Octa with Android 4.2, octa-core CPU launched at Rs. 19,999

Intex's new phablet, the Aqua Octa, has been launched at Rs. 19,999. The company says the octa-core phone will be available in Black and White colours, from January 15, at 40,000 plus retail outlets, more than 42 Intex Square (exclusive retail stores), several hypermarkets and other e-commerce portals.

The Intex Aqua Octa is a dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) device which runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. It comes with a 6-inch (720x1280 pixels) HD OGS (One-Glass Solution) IPS display. The Intex Aqua Octa is powered by the MediaTek's much-touted MT6592 octa-core chipset clocked at 1.7GHz with 2GB of RAM.

The new phablet features 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 32GB via microSD. The Intex Aqua Octa sports a 13-megapixel rear autofocus camera with LED flash, while there is a secondary 5-megapixel front-facing camera.

On the connectivity front, the Intex Aqua Octa includes 3G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, and Bluetooth. The phablet packs a 2300mAh battery, with no word on standby time and talktime. The Intex Aqua Octa measures 161x80.8x7mm and weighs 180 grams.

Intex showcased its first octa-core smartphone prototype at an event in November, 2013. The company had announced that the smartphone (Intex Aqua Octa) powered by the MT6592 chipset would be launched in January 2014 and could be expected to be priced around Rs. 20,000 in India. It seems the domestic handset maker has indeed kept its promise.

Commenting on the launch, Sanjay Kumar Kalirona, Business Head - Mobile, Intex Technologies Ltd. said, "The launch of 'Aqua Octa' reinforces our brand's promise to bring premium smart devices at the leading edge of technology, to improve the quality of life of people at large. With the True Octa Core processor, Intex achieves another industry first by bringing the fastest 6-inch Android smartphone ever for the technically savvy customer".

The Gionee Elife E7 Mini is another octa-core Android smartphone that was recently launched in India, however, without an exact date for availability. It has been priced at Rs. 18,999, and runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with the company's custom Amigo 2.0 UI layer on top. The phone supports dual-SIM (GSM+GSM) functionality, and features a 4.7-inch display (unspecified resolution). It is powered by a 1.7GHz octa-core processor (unspecified chipset), and also features a 13-megapixel camera with rotating capabilities.

Mobiles launched in December 2013