Intex Aqua Lions X1+ review: A shatter-proof screen for the clumsy few

By Karan Bajaj

Price: Rs 8,499

Rating: ***1/2

Specifications: 5.2-inch IPS Shatterproof display (1280 x 720 pixels), 1.3Ghz quad core processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB Storage, dual SIM, microSD slot, 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera with flash, 4G, VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, fingerprint scanner, Android 7.0, 2,800mAh battery, 170 grams

Pros: Shatterproof display offers peace of mind, smooth day to day operation, loud audio output, fast fingerprint scanner, stock android interface

Cons: Poor cameras, battery life could be better, glossy back prone to smudges and scratches, loaded with bloatware


If you drop your phone often, probably one of your main fears is a shattered screen. ‘Why can’t they make screens with anything other than glass?’, you ask. Turns out, they can! We’ve seen it before on the Moto X Force and Micromax Canvas 2.

The shatterproof screens they use won’t break as easily as a standard screen, offering peace of mind to the clumsy. Aqua Lions X1+ is a significantly cheaper offering from Intex with a similar kind of screen.

The X1+ has a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. While the screen’s responsiveness is good, we did notice that brightness was not the best and there’s also some colour shift when viewed from an angle (45-degrees or more). These are the trade-offs you will need to make.



To test their claim, we dropped it from pocket and face height on different surfaces like asphalt, tile and stone. The screen did not break though it did develop more than a few scratches. Shatter proof does not mean scratch proof ! In terms of design, we did not like the glossy back panel — it’s prone to smudges and scratches. At least it’s removable and you can access the battery if you need to change it.

Inside is a quad core processor, 3GB RAM and 32GB storage. We saw no issue with normal use, social networking, calls and multimedia. As for gaming, we could play basic games only. We were able to get from 9am to 9pm with around 15% to spare. If you’re a heavy user, you will need to charge up by early evening. Where the phone really disappoints is in the camera department. The rear 13MP camera offers workable results in daylight only. In low light, the high noise make the images unsuitable for anything. The front camera is slightly better when it comes to daylight and indoor images, but in low light it fares similar as the rear camera. In addition to all this, there is a loads of shutter lag. If photography is one of the main uses, then we suggest avoiding this phone in particular.

While it comes with near stock Android user interface, the number of preloaded bloatware apps is disappointing. There are over 12 preloaded apps on the phone — luckily, most of them can be uninstalled.

If you don’t want to spend too much money and are in the habit of dropping your phone, the Lions X1+ is an easy choice. If you can be more careful or use a case, consider options like the Redmi 4, Infinix Note 4, Smartron srt, 10.or E and Panasonic P55 Max available at around the same price.