Japanese electronics brand, Panasonic has launched two new smartphones in India after nearly four months. Usually, when you hear the brand name Panasonic, mid-range and entry-level smartphones will come to your mind. But that's not the case this time around as the company launched two new smartphones priced above Rs 20,000, for the first time. The smartphones in question are the Panasonic Eluga X1 and Eluga X1 Pro. They both pack dual rear cameras, MediaTek Helio P60 chipset and the Eluga X1 Pro even offers wireless charging feature, something we haven't seen with smartphones releasing under Rs 30,000. Panasonic is touting these phones as its flagship, so the pricing is on the steeper side at Rs 23,000 and Rs 27,000 respectively.
Panasonic Eluga X1 and X1 Pro: Specifications and Features
Much like several other smartphones releasing these days, the Eluga X1 and X1 Pro both feature a notched display on the front. The notch also houses an Infrared Sensor which helps in unlocking the smartphone and it's way secure than the standard software-based Face Unlock feature. Panasonic has added a stainless steel frame around the sides of both the phones and they even come with a glass back, which of course, is fragile.
The Panasonic Eluga X1 and Eluga X1 Pro, both feature a 6.18-inch Full HD+ display on the front with a resolution of 2280 x 1080 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio. Under the hood, they have the powerful MediaTek Helio P60 chipset, which is built on the 12nm process and also powers the phones such as Oppo F9 Pro, Nokia 5.1 Plus and Realme 1. The Eluga X1 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, while the X1 Pro comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Panasonic has added a microSD card slot on both the phone for storage expansion.
Moving onto the cameras, the Eluga X1 and X1 Pro feature similar camera setup- both on the front and rear. A 16MP primary sensor on the rear side works in tandem with a 5MP secondary depth sensor. On the front side, a 16MP shooter helps the users in capturing selfies and video calls. Like Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, Panasonic says the camera app comes loaded with a plethora of Artificial Intelligence features such as AI scene detection, AI Beauty Mode, Facemoji and so on. Users can capture Portrait shots via both front and rear cameras.
The fingerprint scanner is placed on the rear side on both the phones and as mentioned above, they both have an IR sensor which helps in unlocking the phone with your face. As for connectivity options, the Eluga X1 and X1 Pro come with Dual 4G, VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS and thankfully, they both feature a USB Type-C port. Lastly, a 3000mAh battery backs both the phones and there' support for fast charging as well.
Panasonic Eluga X1 and X1 Pro: Pricing, Colour Options and Availability
Panasonic confirmed that both the phones would be available in Silver and Grey colours. The Panasonic Eluga X1 will be available for purchase at Rs 23,000, while the Eluga X1 Pro with wireless charging will come at a price of Rs 27,000. To take an upper hand during the festive season, Panasonic said the phones would be available from October 10.
Panasonic Eluga X1 and X1 Pro: Competitors in India
The Panasonic Eluga X1 Pro is the only smartphone priced under Rs 30,000 to offer wireless charging and that's a great feat for the company. But it will be interesting to see how the device fares in real life. The Eluga X1 Pro goes against the Vivo V11 Pro which packs in superior hardware, excellent design, slightly powerful processor and a bigger battery. But it lacks wireless charging though.
The Eluga X1, on the other hand, takes on the Oppo F9 Pro which also comes powered by the Helio P60 chipset. Both the Panasonic phones will be available via offline stores too- so Oppo and Vivo have a new competitor in India.
