XOLO has been struggling to find a place in the upper mid-range segment where Samsung and Micromax still dominate in India. However, the budget segment is still open for grabs. That's when XOLO decided to launch the A500S, which became an instant hit. The company is trying to do the same with the XOLO A500L, the less costlier variant of the A500s. The A500L features a 4-inch WVGA display which has become the norm in this category, with a dual-core 1.3 GHz MediaTek MT6572 chipset running on 512 MB RAM. There's 4 GB of internal storage which is expandable using a micro SD card. You also get a 3MP primary camera capable of 720p video capture and a 0.3 MP front facing camera for video calls. Connectivity options include 3G, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, GPS with aGPS support and FM Radio.
Again we have the usual set of accessories with the XOLO A500L, which include a USB wall charger, USB to microUSB data syncing/charging cable, headset, a free screenguard alongwith warranty and user guides. The quality of the accessories is a bit suspect, but given that this is a budget device, we'll let that slip.
The XOLO A500L doesn't feel cheap, even though its made entirely of plastic. From the glossy backcover to the metallic looking trim, the device feels premium to hold. The power and volume rocker buttons offer solid tactile feedback. The capacitive buttons although do not light up, provide adequate touch response.
Coming to the display, one thing we noticed is that the display is a bit deep set into the smartphone which might make it a bit less visible outside in direct sunlight. However, this does not affect touch response and it registered our touches exceptionally well. The display here is 4-inches in size with a resolution of 800x480 pixels and it looks crisp, vibrant with a slight hue imbalance.
The device booted up quite fast and the phone did not lag all though our hands-on. Only essential apps come installed including most of Google's services and there's almost no bloatware. XOLO Power and XOLO Secure too come with the A500L which add to its merit. All in all, the A500L can become the budget choice for the Indian smartphone hunter. Its only real competition right now is the Karbonn A12+, which scored brilliantly in our benchmarks and review. So, can the XOLO A500L de-throne the Karbonn A12+ as the budget choice or does it fizzle out without a show? Stay tuned, and subscribe to our YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ to stay current about the latest and greatest from the mobile world.