Phicomm Passion 660: Slim and light, but has drawbacks

Phicomm marked its entry into the Indian market with the Passion 660. The phone looks good, is very light at 110 g and has a 5-inch display. 

The back panel is made of plastic while the sides are metallic. The good thing is, the phone didn't get scratched during everyday use. Despite its 5-inch screen, the phone is easy to use single-handed. 
 

Powered by the 1.65GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, the Passion 660 sports its own custom user interface, the Expect UI, which is clutter-free and easy to use. The only hitch is, it is based on Android 4.4.4 and while an upgrade to Lollipop is promised, one doesn't know when it is coming. 
 

The high-definition display is good and is easy to use in direct sunlight. Transitions and multi-tasking is lag-free, because of the 2GB of RAM it sports.
 

There are two SIM slots (for a microSIM and nano SIM), and one can be used for microSD cards as well. But opening these slots is a difficult task. I haven't been able to open one till date.
 

The Passion 660 sports a 13-megapixel (MP) rear camera with auto focus and LED flash. And the 5MP front camera has an 84° wide-angle view, which helps a lot in clicking group selfies.
 

The front camera's performance outdoors is quite good, but it fails to impress in low-light conditions. While the cameras on the Passion 660 are good, there are many phones in this price range which have better camera performance.
 

The phone has 16GB of memory on board, which can be expanded via microSD, with cards up to 64GB supported. The 2,300mAh battery lasts for 5-6 hours with heavy usage, which is disappointing.
 

At Rs 10,999 (available for lesser online), the Phicomm Passion 660 is a mixed bag. It has good display, is light and thin, and sports a nippy processor and UI, but its battery, camera's low-light performance and the older flavour of Android are its drawbacks. Go for it if you want a lightweight smartphone with good looks, if you can live with the battery, camera and old OS.