More camera than phone

with a pouch for carrying around the bundled lenses — fisheye, macro, wide-angle and 8X zoom — as well as a transparent hard-shell case, which adds threads around the phone’s camera. Uncap a lens and screw it into the threads of the case to add the effect to pictures. While the fisheye effect can be added via an app, the 8x optical zoom lens can’t be replaced by software enhancement. The gigantic size of the zoom lens makes it difficult to get a steady shot, which is a problem since you’re unlikely to buy a tripod for a phone. An 8 MP sensor doesn’t do justice to the lenses either. A clamp that can mount the lenses to the front camera is a nice attempt to tempt the selfieobsessed and perform well, but that’s only until you add the 8x zoom and get a closeup of your nose.

If you’re tempted to buy this phone just for the lenses, just go to eBay and order some online instead. But if you’re okay with a phone running on Android Kitkat and find the design element to match your expectations, the mSLR Cobalt4 isn’t a bad option for the price. The lenses are also a fun addition that you’ll probably keep stashed away until vacations and trips. —Sanshey Biswas