Swipe Elite Plus first impressions: affordable smartphone with a premium look

Swipe had launched their latest smartphone under the Elite series of devices, the Swipe Elite Plus, earlier this month. We have with us the Midnight Blue color variant. Concerning specifications, this smartphone features a full HD display, powered by 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor. It comes with a 5-inch screen, and 2 GB RAM. The internal storage is 16 GB storage, which is expandable up to 64 GB via a microSD card. It runs on Freedom OS, which is based on Android Lollipop 5.0.2, and packs a 3,050 mAh battery.

The smartphone features a display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It has three capacitive buttons for Back, Home, and Menu. All these buttons are located below the screen. The Back and Menu buttons are back-lit, while the Home button has a painted ring marking its presence. Additionally, there is an 8 MP front facing camera lens located above the display, to the right of the earpiece grille, which is itself in the center. The notification indicator LED is to the right of the camera lens. The proximity sensor is located to the left of the earpiece.

The smartphone's hardware includes 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor coupled with Adreno 405 GPU, 2 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, and a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash located below the camera lens. In between the camera lens and the flash lies the secondary noise-cancellation microphone. Below the flash is the Elite branding. The word itself is carved in metal on a white background and is enclosed with a metal oval ring.

The right side of the device features the volume rocker key (located on the top) and the power key (located below it). The left side of the device is kept bare.

The 3.5 mm headset jack is on the top left. The micro USB port is at the bottom center. The speaker grille and primary microphone are placed on either side.

Removing the rear textured plastic cover reveals the SIM tray. There are two SIM slots, along with a slot for microSD card for expanding the memory storage by up to 64 GB. The battery is non-removable. The device supports 4G LTE.

The side frame is plastic made but gives a hint of metal on its edges. Its light weight and rounded corners make the smartphone easier to hold and carry.

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