Torque avatar Review

Experts predicted that 2013 will witness the dominance of large-screened smartphones, colloquially known as “phablets,” in the market. Global brands aside, local manufacturers are also active in the competition. Joining the fray is Torque with the Avatar. The Avatar shares similarities with other phablets. Above the 5-inch screen, it hosts a frontfacing camera and a speaker grille,  whereas near the bottom sits the touch-sensitive icons for home,  back, menu, and search functions. 

                          Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Note, the Avatar does not have a physical button in front. The Avatar’s display features a 640 x 960 screen resolution with a density of 240dpi. Content looks decent on the Avatar’s screen,  though its sunlight legibility is relatively poor. While the smartphone can play HD videos,  we noticed stuttering when it tried to handle videos in both SD and HD resolutions. The Torque Avatar has a solid construction and it seemingly uses  a metal frame. On the rear side, the Avatar has a textured back cover. 

                                Removing it reveals the phone’s two SIM terminals and a microSD slot which can be used to expand its 4GB built-in storage. The battery module that came with our demo unit has a rating of 1700mAh, much lower than the 2000mAh+ modules found on many phablet models. One of the key features of the Avatar is its 12-megapixel main camera. Leveraging on Android 4.0’s standard camera interface, the Avatar offers options that allow users to tweak settings like exposure, ISO, saturation, and sharpness. 

                              For creative users, the Avatar also has color effect and panorama features. At default settings, the Avatar’s camera can deliver decent photos with good color quality and a fair amount of details. When shooting in environments where there is a bright light source, we recommend users to reduce the exposure.     The Avatar uses a dual-core CPU with 512MB RAM. The Avatar   can play games like Temple Run but at average graphics settings. Dead Space slows down on the Avatar when graphics elements populate the screen.

                       In Quadrant Standard, the Avatar got a score of 2790. Its performance is close to those of the LG Optimus 2X, Motorola ATRIX 4G, and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, smartphones that come with dualcore CPUs but are equipped with smaller screens.

              For PhP 5,999, the Avatar  offers the benefits of having a 5-inch touchscreen, dual-SIM feature, and a 12-megapixel camera in a solid smartphone that does not break the bank.

 SPECIFICATIONS 

GPU ..............................PowerVR SGX 531  
MEMORY ....................................512MB RAM
 STORAGE ............................................. 4GB Internal
WIRELESS  CONNECTIVITY........... Wi-Fi,Bluetooth,GPS  PHYSICAL INTERFACE .......................Micro-USB 2.0, 3.5mm Audio Jack 
 BATTERY .......................................  1700mAh 
 DIMENSIONS....................................... 145 x 85x10mm
WEBSITE .................................. www.lovekotorque.com


AT A GLANCE 

PROCESSOR ................... MediaTek  MT6577 (Dualcore, 1GHz)
CAMERA .......................12MP (Main), 1.9MP (Front) 
DISPLAY.................................. 5” LCD (640 x 960)
 OPERATING SYSTEM ............................ Android 4.0 ICS PRICE ......................... PhP 5,999