Panasonic Eluga U Review: The Subdued Flagship

Panasonic Eluga U Review

Panasonic introduced the Eluga series of smartphones in 2012 by launching the Eluga DL1 and the Eluga Power for European markets. Considering that India is now the global headquarters for Panasonic's global smartphone business, it is no surprise that the company is trying to revive the Eluga brand here with its latest flagship - the Eluga U.
Moreover, India is a great market for multiple smartphone companies to thrive in. The downside is that competition is fierce and companies have to innovate constantly. We try to find out if the Panasonic Eluga U can distinguish itself from the rest of the smartphones that have flooded the market in the last month alone.


Design
We had noticed in our first impressions of the Panasonic Eluga U that it vaguely resembles the Google Nexus 4 with its curved edges and textured back panel, and that's definitely true. It looks like it's made of glass but is actually plastic.
When compared to the Nexus 4, the Eluga U is taller and wider thanks to its larger 5-inch screen, but it's also slimmer. It's 7.95mm thick, 141.5mm tall and 71.3mm wide. The bezel around the screen is narrow and mostly unobtrusive, which is good. The phone is quite light at 141g and is easy to grip. One-handed usage is not a problem for those with medium-sized hands.
The 3.5mm audio jack is on top, and the bottom has the Micro-USB port and microphone. The power button is towards the top of the right edge which feels like an odd placement and is difficult to reach. Below the power button are separate angled volume buttons. The buttons are made of plastic and have terrible tactile feedback. On the left is the flap that covers the Micro-SD card slot and houses the tray for two SIM cards.
The notification LED, front-facing camera, earpiece and ambient light sensor are above the 5-inch display. Panasonic opted for a capacitive three-button setup for the Eluga U. The loudspeaker is on the bottom right corner of the rear panel. The rear cover is not removable, in case you were wondering.