After last year’s chilling response from the audience, Smartphone expo has returned this year again at the same venue. This year, however, the organizers have carefully put the name “Tab” in the title of the event in response to the rising popularity of tablet devices among the young generation.
Whether you’ve been to last year’s Smartphone Expo or not is not relevant. Because you’ll have almost the same experience at this year’s rather small and occupied space at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka. Thankfully, when we visited the expo, it had just opened for the public. So if you’re planning to visit it on Friday, expect a lot of crowd.
You will feel lost unless you check this list out
That said, Smartphone and Tab Expo 2014 will be open to the public on April 4th and 5th from 10.00 AM to 08.00 PM. Access is free. But you might feel lost at the sea of newest gadgets with all those shiny bodies and amazing specifications. To help you out, we’ve put together a list of devices that we found fascinating at the first day of the expo. So if you’re headed to Dhaka Smartphone & Tab Expo 2014, be sure to check out the devices we’ve listed below.
This post also appears on Android Kothon in Bangla.
Samsung
This goes without saying: The main attraction of this year’s Smartphone & Tab Expo is Samsung’s latest flagship device, Samsung Galaxy S5. True that a lot of people didn’t like it that much as it resembles a lot of its predecessor, but the crowd’s interest was centered around this device. We’ve seen a lot of pre-bookings for Galaxy S5 as well, indicating that as much as we tech freaks don’t like Samsung following iPhone design strategy, your average consumers still want a Galaxy S device.
However, we particularly were interested more in Samsung’s newest smartwatches, Samsung Gear and Samsung Gear Fit. This is the first time Samsung is selling these smartwatches directly in Bangladeshi market. And they have been announced just recently. We’re surprised at how quickly these devices have been brought into the domestic market. More than that, we loved the simple design of Samsung Gear Fit.
But the downside was, the Gear Fit is unable to work without a paired-up device. That means, to use the smartwatch, you also have to have a compatible phone with you. While it’s understandable that Gear Fit is more of a fitness device than a smartwatch, we were expecting that the device would work as a standalone device.
If you’re too tired of Galaxy phones and Gear smartwatches, you might want to change your taste by looking at the monstrous tablet (!), the Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2. The Korean company made no less of an effort to make it a device that can replace your laptop. Despite that, the device has ended up becoming nothing more than a blown-up version of your average Samsung tablet.
At 12.2-inch screen, the device does look like a Samsung laptop at glance, but our short experience says we won’t be replacing our laptops with this at any cost. That leaves us wondering who the heck would want such a giant tablet? If you’re interested, you should amuse yourself by checking out the biggest tablet Samsung has ever made, Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2.
LG
Nexus 5
For weird reasons, Bangladeshi folks don’t have much interest in LG devices. We know for a fact that geeks love Nexus devices (well, most of them do), and LG came out of nowhere under the spotlight by making Google’s Nexus 4 and recently Nexus 5, thus giving it an international recognition. We have noticed the sheer amount of requests on our inbox and Facebook groups that people want to buy Nexus phones right in Bangladesh. And LG is selling its latest iteration of Nexus phone directly to you.
Yes, we’re talking about Nexus 5. LG is selling its Nexus 5 with warranty. If you like Nexus 5, you should at least check out this device. We loved the build quality, the screen is gorgeous, and so is the price! After a special discount, LG is selling Nexus 4 for about 40,000 BDT.
LG G2
Just because LG makes Nexus phones does not mean they don’t make phones of their own. If you don’t check out the LG G2 at Smartphone & Tab Expo 2014, which costs a little more than the Nexus 5, you will never know. The LG G2 is an amazingly high-end phone with a brilliant display to look at. We won’t go into the technical details, but we must say that it’s a great phone. Its marketing was eclipsed because the Nexus 5 came out shortly after G2 was announced. That’s probably one reason you’ve not heard of it much. But this powerful beast will set you back about 53,000 BDT.
Asus
Much like LG, Asus made headlines after making Nexus 7 tablet for Google. Suddenly, Nexus 7 became the ‘standard Android tablet’ for testing apps, games and all other things. If there was a new tablet in the market, they’ll compare it to Nexus 7. Not just because of its specifications, which was amazing at the time it came out, but also because of its incredibly low price.
The original Nexus 7 with 3G capability in 32 GB storage is now available at Smartphone & Tab Expo 2014. Take a look at Asus’ stall and you’ll see the shiny Nexus rocking the display which will cost about 33,000 BDT.
Next to that, you’ll find plenty of Asus Fonepad devices which, according to our experience, are really worth every penny. Most Fonepads have built-in 3G capability and they are powered by Intel processors.They are pretty affordable too.
Even if you don’t buy a tablet just tomorrow, we suggest you keep Asus Fonepads among the tablets that you’ll check out.
Lenovo
Lenovo Yoga 8
It’s surprising how many people did not know or did not care that Lenovo actively makes Windows and Android smartphones and tablets. I don’t have much experience with Lenovo smartphones, but I can tell you for sure that Lenovo Yoga 8 powered by Android is a tablet definitely worth checking out.
At 1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 1280 x 800 pixel resolution at 8-inch display, the tablet has dual-speaker for your audio and movie experience. We say movie, because it has a kind of stand on one side that you can flip to put on top of your desktop. Not just that, you can also feel comfortable to hold it by one hand. That said, if you’re the type of tablet users who would spend hours browsing the web reading materials or actually finish reading a PDF book on your tablet, this is definitely the perfect tablet for you.
With 3G capability built-in, the tab is powered by a 6000 mAh battery. So you can’t really go wrong with this device. If you’re going to the expo tomorrow and thinking of checking out just one tablet, let that be this one. Just in case you are interested, this tablet costs about 30,000 BDT.
Nokia
As much as it pains us to say this (no it doesn’t), Nokia X is the one phone that you might not even want to see for yourself. Granted, for this price point, the phone features a great build quality, not so great design, and a below average Android experience.
But our expectation from Nokia, which was fired upon the moment Nokia X was announced, goes well below the point where we would recommend anyone to buy this. Even we noticed people don’t spend too long around Nokia X, which was supposed to be the main attraction at the expo.
Still if you’re looking for an Android phone to buy your family member or relatives/cousins for the price of 10,000 BDT, buying Nokia X might not be that big of a mistake, especially since the company is releasing regular updates to the phone. But, we won’t hold our breaths.
Others
Dhaka Smartphone & Tab Expo 2014 is full of other manufacturers. Symphony is there with its various phones and tablets although its latest addition Symphony Xplorer ZIII was nowhere to be found at the time we left the premises. You can also check more devices from the companies we already discussed about above.
You can also find some really good accessories for your smartphone such as ADATA Power Bank which is sold at 2,000 BDT (capacity 5,000 mAh), wireless charger, OTG Pen Drive (which works on virtually all smartphone and tablet’s microUSB port, and more.
At this time, you have two more days remaining to check out the latest and coolest Android (and Windows) devices at Dhaka’s Smartphone & Tab Expo 2014. Visit the place for yourself, check out the phones, come back and let us know in the comments which one you liked and why.
