Before we start off with the review of this phone, I want to ask you to do one thing. Close your eyes, and imagine a printed Polaroid picture on one hand and a digital photo on the other.
You may be wondering why I made you do that. That is somewhat the gist of what the experience of using the Panasonic T11 has been like. It has an old school charm of sorts. You ask how? Read on to find out!
Where does the phone figure out in the universe of android phones?
Panasonic has been on a launching spree in India lately. This is one of their latest phones. The Panasonic T11 retails at around Rs. 9000 – in other words an entry level android market. Now this term is arguable because androids are now available at 4000 ish range, but honestly the experience is pathetic at that price.
So this phone is mostly likely to be your first (or second) android. And you expect it to be a good companion for most of the basic needs. And the competition is not easy either – loads of local manufacturers practically rule this segment. Best of luck Panasonic!
Our Promise
We review phones with an obsessive focus on the experience that really matters to you. We don’t care about specifications, we will tell you what you will really feel while using the phone. And needless to say, we maintain total integrity and truthfulness in our reviews.Don’t Miss- Why We Are Different
Panasonic P11 Review: Jack of all trades
Pros and Cons
- Does not feel fragile
- Gaming is a good experience
- Solid UI and smooth operations
- Good value for money
- Bad camera details
- Pathetic speakerphone
- Ringtone should be louder
- Heating can be annoying
User Experience
i. Design – The iPhone 3GS
Like I said earlier, the phone has a certain old school charm. Do you remember those old Nokia phones? You would not feel afraid of dropping those phones. This one feels similarly sturdy.
The phone screen has a lot of margin both below and above it, a rare thing in todays smartphones. The look reminds one of the iPhone 3GS. It has a nice chrome bezel around the front half. And the quality of the bezel seems good. So it probably won’t be getting eroded over time.
The plastic quality is cheap. But less than Samsung anyway!
Size is extremely manageable, so you will not have a problem fitting it in the pocket. Even girls will find the phone easy to carry.
The buttons and sensors are generally traditionally placed. The only exception is the power & lock button. Its placement on the top of the phone is annoying. But a smaller size does make it a little less annoying.
All in all the phone is not a looker, but will grow on you. It feels sturdy and durable. And the size is quite good too.
ii. User Interface : Naked android
This is one front where Panasonic disappoints us. Panasonic is a well known name in the consumer industry, and we expected they will put in more efforts on the software they provide.
The android is quite bare in this phone. There are a few customizations, if any. But the good thing is that the phone interface does not lag. No matter what you throw at it. And this is aided by a good touch response.
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The experience across almost all of the menus was seamless. Multi – task or single task, the phone does not get slowed down. Transitions are present but will not get long and slow.
One of the funny experiences was the task manager. Most other phones will show the recent apps on holding down the home key. We tried a lot and finally figured out you need to double tap for that.
For getting a good experience out of this phone, you will have to customize it and put in apps from the play store.
iii. Display – Does a good job
The phone has a reasonable sized 4” screen. With a resolution of 480×800, the phone has a decently crisp screen. The screen won’t hold a candle to today’s HD screens, but then the price is low too.
The screen feels to be a little small given the large margins it has around the phone. But the size is decent for most uses. That also makes it easy and convenient to be used with a single hand.
The colours on the screen are quite natural. Sharpness is good owing to the smaller size. And contrast is also good.
The phone has limited brightness options – Low, medium high and Auto. The lack of a brightness adjustment slider might seem like a missing point but the auto adjust works fine so that should not be a big problem.
Screen does not have a problem with washing out when seen from an angle. Most of the usable spectrum of angles is handled nicely by the screen.
Reflectivity hampers sunlight visibility. The brightness makes it readable but only by a small margin. A little more brightness would have been good for outdoor use. Indoors it is alright.
All put together, the screen is a nice package at the price. You won’t be complaining about it any time soon.
iv. Typing: A pain
Single handed typing is honestly a pain. And the absence of swipe is even worse.
You will have to buy something like SwiftKey to be able to use the typing freely. This is specifically for the portrait mode.
Things get much better in landscape mode. They typing is much more intuitive and you won’t have to pull your hair out in frustration.
I strongly recommend you get Swipe up and running on your phone if you plan on getting this one.
Voice dictation and other features are hogwash anyway – I don’t know a single person who has used it successfully in daily life.
One more annoying thing is the lack of good smileys.
v. Browsing: You will be doing a lot of it
Browsing on this phone is a good experience. The page load is generally quick with the occasional hiccup. The default android browser is snappy and the pinch to zoom works alright.
I expected that at the given resolution, reading with zoomed in text will be an eyesore. But surprisingly the text maintains good fidelity even when you zoom in fully. It remains nice and crisp.
The night I spent in bed with the Panasonic T11 was quite good for the price. I mean browsing , for the perverts among you!
Downloading chrome is recommended. Even that works without any hiccups.
Camera : Good focus, but details are zilch
The camera is a disappointment. To summarize all of it, the 5 MP camera had potential but in the end it fails.
Camera button is not present, but on such a phone it may not really be a must-have.
Let’s first start with the positives of the camera. The focus is exceptional! The way it adjusts to a whole range of distances was really surprising. And this seems to be the norm with all Panasonic phones like the P51 and the Panasonic P11.
The focus adjusts to close macro shots really well. We tried focussing in some scenarios which would have generally been problematic (Read. Transparent windshield and dots on it) but the camera held its end up well.
The colour reproduction is very real too. One of the only cameras where it is not saturated (over coloured) or washed out. Just as or eyes see it.
The problem starts when you start looking for details. Because there aren’t any!
The 5 MP shooter feels inadequate in today’s digitally connected world. Had there been a capability to capture details well, this camera would have been a delight for using.
There is HDR and a set of some more functions. But with the lack of detail it’s a waste.
Downscaled Camera Samples at 90% Quality
One fun thing in this low end device was Picture-In-Picture (PIP). The PIP attached clearly shows my editor’s displeasure and my happiness about the fact that his more expensive test phone did not have it 🙂
Video Recording Test : 72op
Multi-media: No hit, only a miss
The speakers are well, to put it mildly, like a ‘Fata Tambura’. (Broken musical instrument for those who do not get Hindi). They are a little on the less loud scale for volume. But what really kills it is the bad quality. Different sounds are not easily discernable!
The first time I saw the phone a
nd it straightaway looked like an iphone. But the similarities don’t end there, they run deep. The earphones are a ditto replica of the iphone’s old ones. The colour combination, number of holes and everything else is exactly the same.
Plagiarism aside, the earphones are a much better way to listen to music on this phone. We would have like them better if they would have been the ‘in ear’ ones which is like the industry norm now a days.
So on the music front, the best experience I had was with wires in my ears. If you wish to listen to music on the speaker, please go somewhere else.
If you wish to try stunts and listen to music on the speakers despite all that, Panasonic awards your bravery with an equaliser in your arsenal. You can tweak it around, but honestly you would have spent your time better chasing stray dogs.
The volume of the ringtone is sufficient. Because of the feature phone like build, I had an impression that it would be loud. But alas!
Let me tell you one funny incident demonstrating my point. The phone was next to my younger cousins pillow while he was in the middle of his afternoon nap. I could not find it for the life of me. He had picked it up and fell asleep while playing Subway surfer on it. So I called the phone.
Not once or twice, 9 times!
And he dint budge from his sleep.
I don’t know if it was the large amount of food he had just devoured, but I suspect that was because of the comparatively non loud ringtone volume.
Generally we cover the UI and stock music player features in this section. But I have to tell you, I won’t be doing that. The stock UI is much less than what experience an Android can give you.
Please go ahead and download better alternatives. This will be a big favour to you and all of our kind.
Video experience is alright. The display is good while the speakers are a little on the problematic side. But putting all
of it together, you will enjoy the experience. 720p and 1080p will not play on this device. Live happily ever after with 480p. Skipping to various parts of the video is a breeze!
Hardware performance: Dabbang/Solid
The hardware performs nicely just like its sibling, the Panasonic P11. This is one of the astonishing points in this phone: it’s a solid performer.
Now you might say that since it can’t play 720p or 1080p. But honestly those things don’t matter at this price point.
In terms of how it operates, the phone is butter smooth. Irrespective of how many ever apps you multi task with, the phone will not lag. Its basic menu and interface remains responsive and quick. That is such a pleasure to use. Third similar point to apple!
Steve Jobs has been re incarnated at Panasonic, no?
Gaming:
Games run brilliantly on this phone. We tried the following popular games on the phone, and they worked really well.
- Temple Run 2
- Subway Surfers
- Temple run Oz
- Guns N Glory
- Beach Buggy Blitz
My younger cousin told me he wants to buy this phone within 2 minutes of playing Subway Surfers on it. And that’s saying something!
Battery
The phone battery is not exceptional. But it should easily last you a day with good heavy use. We tested it heavily all day and it still had about 35% battery left by late night. So a nice thumbs up for that!
One complaint I had is the heating. It is not unbearable. But with a non-high performance processor they could have made the heating better.
Connectivity
The connectivity options are standard. Nothing exceptional but nothing important is missing either. The usual barrage of options like 3G, Bluetooth, GPS and WiFi are present.
Box Contents
Final Verdict
No nonsense phoneThe Panasonic T11 is definitely worth its asking price. Even though it disappoints in the camera section, it has some very good features like picture-in-picture. So, if you are looking for a branded phone under 9k INR and do not care about photography that much then this is it.
- looking for a good value for money phone
- A gamer
- In search for a branded phone at local price
- Are planning to listen to music on speakers
- Like photography
- Are picky about aesthetics and looks
You ought to know this- Why we don’t trust specifications?
Panasonic T11: Specifications
|
Hardware |
Panasonic T11 |
| Processor (CPU) | 1.2GHz quad-core |
| RAM | 1GB |
| Display Type | TFT LCD Capacitive |
| Size & Resolution | 4inch, 480x800pixels |
| Primary Camera | 5MP, LED Flash, 2592 x 1944pixels |
| Secondary Camera | 0.3MP, 640 x 480 Pixels |
| Android OS | Android 4.1 JellyBean |
| Battery | 1500mAh |
| Memory | Internal- 1GB, microSD card upto 32GB |
| Connectivity USB | Yes |
| EDGE | Yes |
| HSPA+ | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi with Hotspot & Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | Yes |
| GPS | Yes |
| Dimensions | 112.60 x 63.50 x 9.20mm |
| FM | Yes |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Light sensor & Proximity sensor |
| Dual SIM | Yes |
| Colors | Black |
| Online Price | Rs. 9,650 |
Thanks for the review. I was looking for a handy phone yet with decent hardware for some time. I think this fits the bill but only disappointment is the battery. Though you mentioned the stock android as one of the cons, I liked it. the internal memory is only 4gb, if they had customized the UI there would not have been any space left for user.
@Jazeem: Many users like stock Android whereas the others don’t. Its a matter of personal taste.
PS: Thank you for your feedback. 🙂
A nice step by step review. But T21 is the one I’m really looking forward to. When are you reviewing the same? And please write a thing or two about its Broadcom chipset. How it fares against the T11 and P11 chipsets. Eagerly waiting. Thanks.
We generally avoid writing about the chipset as it may not mean real life performance. But will add a few lines from the next time.
We are expecting T21 by this weekend so we’ll work and put the review ASAP.
Thank you so much for your comment! 🙂
Thanks for the detailed review, very appreciable.
I am looking forward for T21 review, any update on when this would be released. Based on your review would either go for T11 or T21.
The T21 is already available on ebay.in
It will be available very soon in the local market.
I was referring to release of T21 detailed review..!!!
It will be published within a few days. Stay tuned!
Panasonic T21 Review was delayed due to unavailability of the handset in the country.
Check the T21 Review now.
very well written, keep it up!!
Thank you sufyan! The review is being updated with screenshots soon! Do check back 🙂
I have bought it for 8436.00 from eBay. am I deceived?
As long as you got it from a proper seller on ebay, it should be no problem. That is actually a good price right now.
thanks Ankur,
really a good site.
hope your site will become more popular than ***arena.com
keep it up .
Thank you so much! We will make it happen, especially with readers like you. So if you know anyone who needs reviews, do recommend us 🙂
What about its battery performance?plz give some reviews about its battery performance also….
The battery should easily last you an entire day with heavy usage
hello..
can anyone tell me how to take screenshots in Panasonic p11 without downloading any screenshot app..
Press and hold POWER KEY + VOLUME DOWN button
hello..
can anyone tell me how to take screenshots in Panasonic p11 without downloading any screenshot app..
urgent plzzz
hello..
can anyone tell me how to take screenshots in Panasonic p11 without downloading any screenshot app..
PAnasonic p11
n if u can also tell me some more good features to use in it.
Ankur I did it but nothing happened..
That worked for us even on the testing model. Try out volume down + menu key. It is not likely to work but does not hurt to try. Also the power key is the one used for locking, the one on the side. Dont mean to say you do not know which one it is, but some people do tend to confuse power key with the menu key.
power off key + vol down took d screen shot one time but not working again.
I got it Ankur.. thanks buddy..
Sure! Happy to be of help.
it wud be really helpful of u if u can tell n guide me sum more interesting features of Panasonic p11?
The phone comes with basic software. But with all the good performance it has and the applications available on the app store, it should be fun. Off the top of my mind here is a list of apps you can try out: opensignal, flipboard, Fweather widget, CPU-Z, Jango radio, instagram,Photo effects (by radium one), sygic india gps.
Also do search on google for apps based on what you like. Eg. Best music apps for android.
The number of apps is so large that we can not cover all of them well 🙂
Which is the exact gpu in this panasonic t11.I want to buy this phone but please confirm me the GPU?Powervr or Adreno?
The company has not provided the gpu. But we will conform through apps on the phone. But the phone performs where it really matters, so I dont think you should have a problem with the GPU.
It is Adreno 203.
thanks thanks a lot Ankur for such a fast response….:) fir to ye karbonn titanium s1 ki tarah hua 🙁
No problem! Take a look at the Q800 if you looking for a gaming phone. My editor is in love with it 🙂
that’s how the mobile phone review should be !!!!!!!!!! ……… well done
Thank you for your feedback, Mann saab! 🙂
Nice review! Now i am confused between Micromax Canvas Fun A74 and this one? What’s your suggestion ?
Performance wise the T11 is much better. Normal UI is totally lag free while the A74 did face some lags. If performance is your priority, you should go for T11.
A warning: We have not been able to conduct a in depth review. This is my judgement so do check the A74 in person once. The T11 has been tested thoroughly and it performed very well.
Thanks for your fast input!!
I have also choosed Spice coolpad 2 mi 496..Ankur bro is it also qualcomm and adreno 203?Can you review it or confirm me.I will be very thankfull to you
Will ask in the market and get back to you asap. Also if you can do email spice about providing us a handset. We are also talking to them but when customers ask them they provide review handsets quickly.
I have chosen Xolo Q800 and Panasonic T11. According to you which one should I buy? My priorities are good after sales service, good quality of components used in the device ,good build quality and a good performer.
I’d prefer Xolo Q800 over T11 if performance is concerned.
Panasonic T11 over Xolo Q800:
Good after sales services.
Quality testing
Xolo Q800 over T11
Better performance
Better display etc.
I think this information would be enough for you to take a decision.
Hi Guys, can you guide me which one is better, as I have Panasonic T11, T21 and samsung galaxy s duos s7562 in mind. If you could give me the reason that would be great.
I have purchased a panasonic t11 from local vendor for 8550/-. Featurewise its the best you can get for this price. But, the sad part is battery. It takes much more time to charge than to get discharged. It took 4 hours to charge from 0 to 100 and just 3 hours of normal use to again get back to 0. Battery sucks….. Is somebody else is also facing same problem or its just me????.
Hi Paramjit,
We used for a few days and didn’t experience such poor battery backups. There has to be something wrong with it or your normal usage implies heavy gaming. 😀
No bro, i have not installed a single game on it till now. I only use opera mini and whatsapp messenger.
I think i have to purchase a power bank and tie it up to the phone.
Dear paramjeet,
I have bought ir from ebay for 8436.00, battery charging problem is same as you are facing.
compass is not working, do you have the same problem.
intezar
Intezar bro, i checked the sensors by an app from play store it says there is no compass sensor in it. Battery is pathetic.
Yes I also find same problem.I don’t we only facing this or this is the phone specification
You are write paramjeet battery not up to the mark and giving review by this site not true. I think this the partner of Panasonic mobile company for dump cell phone selling for Panasonic.
Dear Ankur,
I have purchsed T11 fro ebay, Battery takes whole night to charge,
Compass and Water Leveler is not working, company website http://www.mobile.panasonic.co.in/ tells that mobile has digital compass sensor, please tell me how to make compass working.
You should visit the service centre and tell them your problem. The battery might have a problem.
Dear,
Can you suggest any 3×9 portrait keypad software,
as you reviewed that single hand typing is a pain.
and i am facing the same.
Hi Intezar,
Visit the Google Play Store and buy Swiftkey.
Which phone is better:
Sony Xperia M or Panasonic T11.
We haven’t tested Xperia M yet, so can’t give any opinions.
Xperia M is worth Rs 12500.00 and T11 is worth Rs 8500.00,
t11 is dual sim phone and 1500 mah battery.
Xperia M has 1750 mAh battery and compass sensor.
and every thing is almost same, decide your self.
Reading your review of Panasonic T11, I purchased Panasonic T11 3-4 days ago. But there are two major problems with the phone.
1. When I tried its camera, I was surprised to see the horrible images it captured. Camera quality is very dark and photos are much worse as compared to photo samples available on your website. I have checked all the settings but in vain. I think something is wrong with my phone.
2. Battery backup is very poor. I managed only 1.5-2 hours for continuous usages and only 6-7 hours for moderate usage. In your review it should last a day for normal to moderate usages.
Now I tried to contact Panasonic customer support on 18001028989 but it is not working. I want to know that Panasonic has DOA policy for replacement this phone with a new one? I purchased it online so I cannot confirm it from there. Please help me regarding this matter because I am totally frustrated.
It could be a device specific problem.
You can try contacting their Service Centre- http://www.mobile.panasonic.co.in/servicec.html
Hey! Guys plz sugest me….i want to buy a mobile near about 10000 plz give me some suggestion.
Dear ankur plz tell me which is better micromax canvas doodle or t11 plz tell me or give me other option near about 10000.
Hi alok!
We have a specific page dedicated to answering our readers questions about selecting a specific phone. Here is the link. Please use the form. Make sure you subscribe and also specify what you are looking for in a phone. That will help us answer your question properly as different phones are good at different functions.
Dear Ankur my requirement-gud battry life,fast internet surfing and downloading,gud camra and video quality,whatsup, skype,line etc are supported,no hanging prob. Which mobile will be better under 10000.plz suggest me i m very confused.
Dear Ankur / All,
I have ordered T11 online and got it yesterday
1. Earpiece volume is low and in full volume voice clarity is very bad and unable to understand what others are talking.
2. Poor battery backup.
I have contacted the seller they are asking DOA from panasonic service
Any suggestions please
Battery seems to be a common issue with the T11. Do contact their customer care all along. Also try tweeting to them, it might work.
Hi Anannd
Thank you so much for the detailed review.I checked some youtube reviews regarding this panasonic T 11 but i am just satisfied with your review.I am planing for my first smart phone.I am little confused between Windows and Android.Can you suggest me which smart phone is better under 10k sector for beginner.I am looking for brand value(Nokia,HTC,Panasonic,Samsung).My least priority is for samsung and most priority is for Panasonic t11.I am not a gamer but want to hear music, use internet and photoghraphy.Thank you so much Anand
If you don’t want too many apps and have photography and music playback as your priorities then go for Nokia Lumia phones.
You can buy Nokia Lumia 520. Its a very good phone.
Dear ankur sir plz tell me somthing…..
Alok, please read the instructions on http://mobilejury.com/ask-us/ and fill out the form to get advice from our experts.
I am planning to buy this phone.Thanks for this full-fledged Description.
Yaar i liked your review..but tell me openly about its 1)battery removable or non removable
2)its ram,rom,internal
3)processor – chipset type – quad core which type
4)battery backup
5)sensors working ok or not
6)most important – wt about its SAR value..x!
Hi Tazz,
The battery can be removed. We didn’t check the chipset and processor of the phone as it worked really well. Battery backup is ok but users complain that the phone gets heated up very quickly. Sensors work fine.
I have nokia Lumia 520…can someone please tell me whether the display of Panasonic t11 is better than Lumia 520 or not???
Hi Riju.
We will put both the phones side by side and let you know which one is better. Ill try to get it done asap but it might take a couple of days so do bear with us please 🙂
I have purchased T11 & my experience is very very bad. After using 15 days the speaker is out of order. There is no service centre in Vadodara to repair. Absolute waste of money. Do not purchase without viewing the review of the phone
While accessing gallery it says ‘Storage is not available’. I have installed moser baer 8gb memory card. Same with camera also. I need to reboot the phone to work it again.
Please help me.
Hello sir I am confused between two android phones :- iball andi 4.5 k6 and T11 . can anyone suggest me which phone to buy . I want a phone for gaming , internet surfing and to watch videos
Hi Noor,
By bad camera details we mean that the camera is not able to capture fine details. Check out the attached camera samples and see for yourself.
We have a dedicated section to help people make a wise decision while buying a new phone. Head on to our ask-us page and send a query to our experts.
What do u mean by bad camera details
Sorry sir but i dont understand that what is bad camera details . Are you mean by camera quality ?
Sir what do u mean by details in camera . Details like pic size etc type or not . pplease help me
It means picture quality.
Oh thank you sir.Thankyou
and sir what is UI smooth UI means ?
It means that the menu and transitions are very fluid and there is no perceptible lag.
Can we can play 1080p videos with mx player and is the phone can be updated to kitkat
We test the video playback only on the stock video player but we believe that the phone is capable of playing full HD videos smoothly. Just install MX player and the necessary codecs (if required).
Last time we contacted Panasonic, we got the information that the all of their recent phones shall be updated to Android v4.2.2. They haven’t released the android update roadmap for their devices.
We’ll get in touch with them and update the post accordingly.
Ok thankyou ! Can we can take screenshots from the phome while playing games,videos etc
Yes, you can take screenshots of almost everything in all latest android smartphones. It supports LPDDR2 RAM. We were unable to install high-end games on our test unit. But games like Temple Run Oz run just fine.
Which type of ram it has how much is free and can the phone can play nova3 smoothly
Thankyou ! Can it can play games which samsung s3 can
Purchased on 30th dec. Found heating issue and battery issue .contacted customer care. Phone given to service centre. They confirmed it has pcb issue. Again i contact customer care. Today i got confirmation for replacement. Totally not up to the brand name. But superb ui,no lag. Need to use atleas for 1 week and then review.
hey can u pliz help me
im planin to buy a phone with 1gb ram below 10000
i dont prefer online stores …i’d like to get the real launched price pliz help????
Please drop in your query via our ask-us form Our experts will get in touch with you shortly.
Hello All,
You are all talking about phone best part but no one talking memory card problem like
Amit says:
November 19, 2013 at 7:19 pm
While accessing gallery it says ‘Storage is not available’. I have installed moser baer 8gb memory card. Same with camera also. I need to reboot the phone to work it again.
Amit Please help me how you handel from memory card problem, company was replaced the phone or not.
If yes then what is the process
Thanks
Can you please suggest me alternative of panasonic t11 battery
I have some questions over
reason of selection andriod over firefox
Can i have a explain on andriod vs firefox os
similarites nd differences