Cubot S308 review, a handy $150 Chinese smartphone.

Cubot S308 review, a handy $150 Chinese smartphone. - Android General

Hello, everyone who is reading this review. I would like to let you know that this is my first big review. I would love to hear your feedback and your comments.
Pros
Cubot S308 is a nice, well performing smartphone that has a good camera. It looks outstanding for it's tiny price of $148.89.
Cons
While it has nice IPS, OGS 5" display, it has a resolution of only 720p (this is a minus because I feel that Cubot could give us at least 1080p), battery's capacity is only 2000 mA·h. Cubot has decided to not invest in their product's packaging and branding.
Design, display and specs.
At the first glance it is hard to differentiate this smartphone from any other phone on the market, but if you take a closer look you will be able to notice couple of slight differences in it’s outlook. My favorite part of this model’s design is it’s rear cover, which is made of plastic but appears as real leather.
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This part is truly unique about Cubot S308 and the brand. Unfortunately this model comes only in white or black colors. That would be great if Cubot could spoil us with couple unique rear covers as XIAOMI did with their flagman model MI4. If you consider Cubot S308’s price tag, that is not a big deal. Apple and Samsung fanboys are paying a lot more for the same design diversity, but their smartphones’ price tag is much higher. The rear cover is made of plastic, as whole smartphone is, but it looks like it is made of leather. Looking from distance of 30 cm (1 feet) not a single person in the world will be able to tell that it is not leather. Cover is mounted using small hooks on the edges, I have been opening the rear for more then 10 times and it hasn't’t broken, so I assume that it will have a long lifetime and has been made of good quality plastics.
Around the edge, you can see a glossy frame, not to confuse anyone - it is also made of plastic. On the top and bottom this edge has a slight matt to it and it reminds me of ASUS notebook surface. As the notebook mentioned above, this edge has been designed to look like metal (aluminium). As a part of design it fits really nice.
Cubot S308’s camera placement is quite classic - top in the middle. This will help your fingers to stay out of the lens, so they don’t get in the shot. Other then that, speaker is placed at the bottom of rear, so that while watching videos you won’t cover it. Maybe you have already got used to this order of things being placed on a smartphone but don’t forget that it is done for maximum comfort when using it. Loudspeaker can perform very loud without any distortion, however when you max valume sound becomes a bit distorted.
This phone will fit your hand like a glove, even if you don't have long fingers like I do. In any case, don’t worry, because buttons on the side of the phone are placed in a way that you don’t have to stretch your fingers every time when you want to unlock screen or change volume. When I first got to try it, my reaction was:”Wow, how light it is!”. For it’s size the phone is very light - only 154 grams. You will be pleasantly surprised by phone’s width, just 8.2 mm. I gave my new phone to two THL users to see their first impression. First person was surprised how thin it is, but second was fascinated by how lightweight it is and tiny the frame around the display.
Out of the box you will get a display that already has a protective sticker on it. In my case the sticker had no bubbles and was put on perfectly. The screen is sensitive and works great - without any glitches. Like any other display with 320 dpi (dots per inch) this can reproduce crystal clear imagery. IPS system works great on this phone and images will look outstanding from any viewing angle. Touch screen can sense 5 points of contact at the same time.
The automatic brightness sensor performs well indoors, while outdoors it proved itself to be useless. In bright sun it doesn't maximize screens brightness. On the other hand, if you use your phone mostly indoors it will work like magic for you and save some of your precious battery power. I have tested sensor outdoors, it does understand brightness variations from 200 lumix to 10k but is not reacting accordingly to max brightness (in direct sunlight).
Built quality
Some Chinese phones will come not that well built. I have read that some THL phones come squeaky and their parts don't really fit each other. This is not the case for Cubot S308. The phone come in sturdy and will not make a single sound if you press it around edge or in the middle of it. That being said, the phone is throughout made of plastic. Certainly you can feel that back cover is plastic, but in any case it fits your hand like a glove.
The specs themselves:
Screen: 5” IPS, OGS
Resolution: HD Ready - 1280x720 320 dpi
SoC: Mediatek 1.3 Ghz MT6582 quad core
GPU: Mali-400 MP
Dual SIM
RAM: 2 Gb
ROM: 16 Gb
Front camera: 8 Mp
Rear camera: 5 Mp
Battery: 2000 mA·h
OS: Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
You may think that this processor is a bit outdated, but it performs well and prooves it’s performance. Newest games similar to Asphalt 8 are running smoothly and without any lag. All web-pages are loaded with no hustle at all - 2 Gb RAM is more then enough to smoothly browse the Web.
Performance
Using newest version of Antutu v5 benchmarking software Cubot S308 scored prestige 18919 points.
To see how the phone is performing, I have tested it to run a FullHD video (V: MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920x1080 59.94fps 5843kbps A: AAC 48000Hz stereo 174kbps). The video (Uncharted 4: A Thief's End E3 2014 Trailer (1080p, 60fps)) was recorded on a regular MicroSD card that I got from some dodgy seller on AliExpress. Video was played using built-in video player and never stuttered a single frame, video ran smoothly.
As per games, I have tested Asphalt 8 on this phone, to see what kind of graphics it will be able to render. Unfortunately I am not able to compare graphics with any other phone, but I can tell for sure how it looked. The game is running without any problems and the "Loading" screen wasn't there for too long. The game didn't stutter at all but graphics themselves look a bit pixelated (maybe I am too skeptical).
Surfing the web or just the menu will be smooth and glitch-free. I am well impressed with it's performance. It feels like RAM is fast enough to keep phone operating quickly.
GPS
I am not a huge fan of using GPS anyway, usually I am certain of where I am going to and I know the shortcuts GPS is something that I am not impressed about in this phone. When you start GoogleMaps and tap on "Locate" it works perfect and can identify your location within seconds. I also tested it in Endomundo, just to see how well it will track me. The result:
My personal [B[verdict[/B[ on GPS - it works good for me, since I almost never use it, but it might be a problem for drivers that are using Waze. Most importantly, it finds your location on map within seconds.
Two Sim-cards, cellular antenna and frequencies.
Perhaps you’ve already had experience with phones that supports two sim-cards, but I have to go into detail about that. You can insert up to two sim-cards in this phone - one regular sim and one micro sim. Both cards can be on standby mode simultaneously. As there is only one antenna in the phone, you can make or receive call only on one at the same time. It is extremely easy to insert cards, since there is a straightforward instruction next to sim slots.
I’ve got about 5 phones in my “old gadgets drawer” but non of them was capable of having decent service signal in my flat and usually my friends had to call my landline, which is the only reason I got one in the beginning. You should see my face when I saw that Cubot S308 had ¾ of full service on my desk next to my laptop. Long story short - both sim-cards are easy to insert and smartphone gets decent signal when other phones have proven to fail.
Frequencies
This phone supports majority of European mobile operators (2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 850/2100MHz). So for me, it works like magic with Three and GifGaf. Talking about mobile broadband speed. I can't tell you if I have to be super-exited about it or not, because there is not a lot I can compare it with except of my laptop. I am currently using BT Broadband which does have some decent speed and allows me to play online with no issues at all.
My laptop gives me these results when connected to Wi-Fi.
And when I connect my Cubot S308 to the same Wi-Fi I get these results using SpeedTest app:
I am using Three, British operator, that gives me good coverage in Belfast and this is what Cubot gives me using SpeedTest app.
Battery life
The battery that comes inside the box is only 2000 mA·h. First two days I had to charge my phone twice a day, since I was constantly surfing web, installing new apps from Android Market and so on.
At this point, where I am already settled with apps and don't feel the urge to check Facebook every 5 minutes I am charging it only during the night. Other Cubot S308 users have reported that battery is only 1800 mA·h but I can't tell the difference and it has totally met my expectations.
Packaging and what’s inside the box.
Nowadays companies like Apple, Samsung, HTC and others are investing a lot of manpower and funds towards the packaging itself. Buying electronics of popular brands you also pay for packaging. Since Chinese smartphone market is very tight and competitive, companies like Cubot can’t afford to raise prices of smartphones for $20-$30 just for packaging. This means that your phone will come in regular brown cardboard box that will have only a small company’s label on top of it. If you consider the price of Cubot S308 you should understand why you are not getting a glossy bright-colored box. I am more then comfortable to pay exclusively for the gadget itself rather then paying extra for 2 minutes unboxing experience. That being said, Cubot S308 comes in a sturdy box that will be able to protect it against negligence of postal services.
Inside the box you will find standard accessories pack - charger, USB cable and additional protective sticker for your screen. You will not find a headset within, but standard 3.5mm headphones jack will let you use your favorite headphones. I would like to mention, that charger and USB cable is pretty high quality. I usually pay a lot of attention to this kind of details and I was blown away by the feel of them. Some USB cables are flimsy or have some sort of cheap plastic feel to them, but not in this case. Their quality reminds me the cable and charger (1000 mA) that comes with any Apple gadget.
When buying this smarthopne with Pandawill, as a part of package you will get a free case, which you will not be impressed by. It is quite flimsy and can be mounted by gluing it to rear cover. I am not comfortable with gluing something on my new Cubot S308, so I passed on it.
The Camera
Rear camera has 8 Mpix and is capable of shooting good quality pictures. When I was testing it, I was pleased with the results and quite impressed with macro pictures it produced. As the saying says: “one picture paints a thousand words.”
Front camera has 5 Mpix and keeps up with it’s tasks. I tested it for a video call and it worked like charm. In any case, here is a test picture.
In a nutshell
Cubot S308 is able to offer you what you would expect from a $150.00 smartphone and will exceed your expectation - beautiful design, snappy performance and good quality camera at a pricetag that is so hard to resist.
Smartphone’s design is quite unique thanks to it’s rear cover and tiny frame around the display. You will be pleased how well it fits your hand.
This model is being sold only in one setting - 2 Gb RAM and 16 Gb ROM with an option to extend it with MicroSD card. This smartphone is not supporting 4G, but supports European 3G frequencies with an antenna that will able to find service in places where other phones fail.
I receommend this phone to anyone who is on tight budget, but is willing to get high performance, nice looking phone with a decent camera.

Cubot s308 inserting dual sims
Hi I'm new to both the Forum and Cubot phone. I got one recently and we all have tryed putting in a sim which worked with Tesco mobile sim which I think is a standard sim and it worked but the sim we realky want to work is the 3 network sim which was a micro sim and its not working says theres no network. They are not both together just one or the other and its v frustrating. Theres no step by step videos or pictures online to show how to do it. Looking at the pics in the phone are not helping. I know this must be easy or I'm sure I would have found an answer. Would appreciate some help with this as we need a Cubot for dummies book . Thanks in anticipation.

hello did you get your 3 sim to work in your cubot s 308 im asking because i ordered one myself and im on 3 network in belfast
---------- Post added at 12:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:45 PM ----------
thank you for your review did you have any issues getting your 3 micro sim to work im asking because of the post after yours thanx, i to amm on 3 and i am waiting for my s308 to b delivered i had a note 2 got sds complete brick needs new emmc chip samsung wouldnt cover warranty because the screen was damaged gutted

Related

Neken N6S - Review (MT6592, 2/16GB, 5.0" 1080p, 3000mAh)

Introduction:
Hi,
been looking around for a while but not much attention seems to be given to Mediatek phones here on XDA.
I got one anyway since the performance seems to be rather good and compared to some brands that are well established in the 1st and 2nd world the Mediatek phones are sometimes even better. (Sorry Sony! But your TN displays are horrid.)
Picked Neken N6S from other available competitors in the price range of $200 - $250 shipped to Europe.
More about competitors and different options later.
Specifications:
Neken N6S
2GB DDR2 RAM
16GB ROM = 2GB app space, 12GB user space, ...
MT6592
3000mAh (optional), 2000mAh (default)
Notification LED: Yes
OS.: Android 4.2.2
Dual Sim (2 full sized SIMs, no micro or nano crap)
Display: IPS, 5.0", 1920x1080
Multitouch: 5 point
OGS: Yes
OTG: Yes
Dimensions: 141.7x70.5x10.9mm (2000mAh, presented)
Dimensions: 142x71x11.9mm (3000mAh, real measured, larger battery adds 1mm of thickness, rest is as precise as I can get but it's quite close to presented dimensions)
Weight: 165g (presented)
F. cam: 8.0 Mpx
R. cam: 13.0 Mpx
CPU: 8x1.66 Ghz
GPU: Mali-450 MP4 (MP4 = 4 cores, basically 4 Mali-400 cores)
GPS, A-GPS (no Glonass on Mediatek)
SD card size: supposedly up to 64 GB
Gravity sensor: Yes
Proximity sensor: Yes
Light sensor: Yes
Compass: Yes
WiFi: b/g/n (yes N as well)
Bluetooth: Yes (4.0, but dunno how to verify)
2G: 850/900/1800/1900
3G: 2100 (been to a screen that shows the bands, but don't know how to get there again, if it was some app or settings menu option, there were some other 3G bands but I can't test them, it all works on 2100 MHz here.)
Package:
Bought from Neken on aliexpress/alibaba. (Yes, from Neken directly it seems, hence the option to get the larger battery without buying the standard one as well and lower price due to avoiding resellers aka websites that resell phones)
Price: $238.4 including DHL (3 days shipping, arrived in 2.5 days once DHL had it in hands), excluding tax.
Total price: cheaper than Motorola Moto G 16GB single SIM, cheaper than Sony Xperia SP, cheaper than Samsung Galaxy S3, ... I say it's a steal if it will work at least for a couple years :good:
Contents:
Neken N6S, extended battery back cover, 3000mAh battery, screen protector installed, 2 spare screen protectors, clear hard case (fits only standard battery, not the extended 3000mAh), 1.0A charger (got US plug, probably only US plug available, should work with an adapter in EU too, don't have adapter yet), headphones (better than the ones I have from Nokia), USB cable for charging and connecting to PC, manual (Chinese and English if I remember correctly), ...
Bought separately:
Clear TPU case for Neken N6. Yes everything from N6 fits N6S, more importantly the TPU case can also be used with the extended 3000mAh battery
They will tell you it can't be, it was designed for the standard 2000mAh battery, but I risked it and got it anyway.
The case fits, to my surprise the backside and whole case is not thin, it could be 2mm thick so it does not really stretch but it fits anyway, it's snug but it locks on all 4 corners no problem and all the edges lock as well.
Pictures:
Unprocessed pictures.
New, with dust under the screen protector, fixed it later.
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My camera lying with it's lens on the screen and focused to 0.
Pictures with the clear TPU case, IPS viewing angles:
Yes the buttons are separate, not on screen
And unobtrusively illuminated when touched. They are touch buttons below the screen. That means you get true 1920x1080px of screen estate to use. Darn it, forgot to zoom the wallpaper.
The back.
Almost default home screen.
Tests:
Real tests, done by me. Want some other? Let me know.
Click the picture to view full size, kept them original at 1920x1080px PNG.
Some are done without limited CPU some maybe with, I limit the CPU by default to save battery.
All done at 1920x1080px (unless benchmark forced it otherwise), 1080p is really taxing for mobile GPUs.
Nenamark v2.4:
FPS: 55 - 57fps
Antutu v4:
unlimited CPU: 25 - 26k
limited CPU: 24 - 25k
Antutu device info:
Antutu 3D Rating v4.00:
2494
Epic Citadel:
HQ: 37.0 fps
HP: 39.8 fps
3D Mark 1.2:
Ice storm unlimited: 6947
Ice storm extreme: 3754
Ice storm: 5313
GFXBench:
T-Rex: 8.7 fps
Quadrant:
Score: 12858
CPU: 53202
RAM: 4015
I/O: 4548
2D: 224
3D: 2301
LCD Tester 3.8.3:
Refresh rate: 57Hz
Yellow can be a little to the green side on lowest brightness.
Blacks are enhanced, it seems to hit the limit at 10 or 11 which looks black.
White seems to be alright, goes all the way and only 255 looks like pure white, 254 can be distiguished.
Gamma looks like 1.4, but it doesn't seem off to me. Yes the blacks can be seen sometimes as dark but that's about it.
GPS Test:
No signal inside a concrete building.
All tests outside walking on a road, field, forest.
Strength usually around 30. Probably doesn't go over 40. Is it good or bad?
Lock time after a fresh start usually 20 - 70s. If it had GPS lock before, then it locks instantly.
Some apps are better than other when it comes to getting a location.
Speedtest:
WiFi connected to an old router with WiFi N, 65 Mbps.
30/30 Mbps network connection.
The phone maxes it no problem to 30/30 Mbps.
Pros & cons:
Decent screen, maximum size of 5.0" that I found still pocketable and usable one handed although two hands are more comfy.
1080p can be a bit hard on the GPU when gaming but even Real Racing 3 runs fine on the default high setting. I turned it down all the way to low but it wasn't a slideshow on the default high setting either. Other games ok as well graphic performance wise, but most are boring.
It is truly a shame game developers forget to give users the basic graphic configuration settings so one could easily in-game change to lower resolution, some offer lower graphic details.
Device did not come rooted.
With 3000mAh battery it can play 4.5h of 1080p 8bit video/movies using MX Player HW+ video decoding and software audio decoding, movies are standard PC quality, around 3-4GB each, no low bitrate things but just small enough to fit on FAT32. This is played at FULL brightness, with headphones, cellphone ON (3G), WiFi OFF, BT OFF, location OFF, Clear Motion ON, CPU saving ON. Does not get hot with HW decoding.
Can also play 20 Mbps 1080p 8bit videos using HW decoding. And movies encoded in 1080p 10bit via software decoding but it is using the CPU quite a bit, it has the power to decode it smoothly though.
It is 4h of playback to hit 15% warning and then another nearly 30min to hit 4% warning.
Playing a lower complexity video at minimum brightness it would last "forever" (that's what GSM arena uses for their crappy testing, SD video and airplane mode, etc.).
The OS seems to have a few enhancements, Clear Motion that makes playing video smoother, I don't know how, but it could be interpolating frames to get higher framerate. It really works and a low fps footage from a camera plays more smoothly with it.
I use it.
Next are two audio enhancements, first works IMHO as a equalizer when headphones are plugged in and enhances middle frequencies.
The speaker booster seems as a normalization and makes quiet things more loud which can be useful for movies and playing them without a boost in the video player. But this works everywhere, even for playing songs where it is noticeable too I think.
I don't use the earphone enhancer but I do use the speaker booster since the speaker is not extremely loud.
Headphones are a bit the opposite, I basically use minimum volumes with the two headphones I have.
Device info:
Front camera is not very good, I would not say it has 8Mpx but maybe 5Mpx but still nothing spectacular in terms of noise.
Rear camera is ok, 13Mpx seems real, since the lens is tiny and all that jazz of phone camera is there and it will never measure up to a decent compact camera. Think what you want but iPhone's camera sucks too. Don't expect wonders. Camera operation seems as fluid as I've experienced on Samsung Galaxy S4. The burst shooting mode is fast, I mean it really is fast and much faster than my older compact camera. Focusing is alright, nothing bad. It can track objects too if you like that. Panorama, HDR and so on. Flash is fine, can't compare to other phones.
Rear camera is protected if you use the extended back cover with larger battery, the lens is not sticking out anymore. With the TPU case on the lens is sunk inside.
Touchscreen is ok but rarely some applications seem to have an issue. Real Racing 3 likes to lose touch for gas pedal when holding it down for minutes during some races, RR3 also rarely loses orientation which means no steering or no steering to one side. ON/OFF of RR3 fixes it. LCD Tester today acted up in one of it's tests by moving to the next like if I touch it. Strange because there were no ghost? touches anywhere else at the moment when I moved around but only in that test. So go figure I think the touchscreen is alright, just some applications are not very good at handling the controls.
Screen looks nice, not over saturated, yay! The blacks are a little enhanced though. Whites are fine.
Screen is usable whole, no software buttons. At 1920x1080px (440 PPI) it is impossible to see the individual pixels as close as I can focus. Nice to read text like ebooks and websites. Brightness is alright during the day, outside, I would prefer lower minimum though but doubt any phone goes that low by default.
SD card works, use my older 8GB card, lost some screenshots and such since it crashed but after reformatting it in the phone itself it works alright so far. Will replace it with a bigger and newer one, it did act up in my older phone too.
App space is 2GB and I did not manage to fill it yet and I did install lots of things to try them out.
2GB RAM seems alright, probably even 1.5GB RAM would be ok, but 1GB for Android seems a little bit small if one uses the smartphone a lot, like gaming especially or web browsing.
16GB ROM has nearly 12GB user usable and it is enough space for me especially since I can add as much as I like via an SD card.
Buttons work alright, they do have a tactile feedback, for me it could be stronger but that's me used to robust buttons
Proximity sensor only recognizes near and far, works fine to turn off the screen when calling.
Light sensor works fine but seems to have only about 8 levels approximately/guessing, at least that's what apps show.
Compass works, which is something not all Mediatek phones have.
All the other sensor goodies are there, see Antutu device info.
Phone charges alright via USB from PC, can be turned into charge only and charges best when not being drained at the same time, so of course it charges fastest when it's off, or screen is off, WiFi off, etc.
Not sure it supports fast charging, don't have a fast charger or know how it may detect fast charging on the charger. Had it plugged to a 30A USB port but it has data lines disconnected, no fast charging happened.
Calls are definitely better than my old phone, not very loud which is a shame but the audio is clear and has a decent quality compared to older phones.
Calls and playing music seems alright and does not drain much.
Screen and CPU/GPU hungry applications are the main cause of battery drain then having unnecessary connections enabled, like WiFi, BT, GPS.
TPU case fits both standard and extended battery variant. You just have to find a seller of the color option you like.
So far, 3 weeks later, I am satisfied and find no bugs in the phone.
Build quality is good as I have nothing to complain about. Compared to other phones, I've seen/had similar quality from Nokia.
Bezels are small, spaces between parts are minimal and only sometimes the plastic bulges a tiny tiny bit around the middle close to the buttons on the side. But this took me some time to find out by gliding my fingers around the phone. Had similar thing on a Nokia phone, that's just how plastic works. Back cover snaps well and holds. Phone seems to be all around plastic except the front where the screen is and I guess the black around the display is some metal. Paint seem good. The white back is painted as well and looks a little pearl like if you know what I mean. So it is not just pure white "ugly" plastic.
Installed screen protector was probably put by the seller and it had 3 dust particles under it. Cleaned it up later in my very dusty place, no idea how am I going to ever install a screen protector here, this certainly ain't dust free place
The protector is matte but I got used to it. The screen is glossy though.
No idea if any of the 3 spare screen protectors I have are glossy. But they are two different types/styles/source than the one that is on the phone. Got 2 with the package as gift and another one surprisingly with the TPU case.
GUI has app drawer and holding the home button brings the fake process manager I guess it's called nearly useless app manager that allows you to switch between apps but will not fully/truly close or kill apps if you remove them from there.
Other options:
Jiayu G4S MT6592, 2/16GB, 3Ah - not available at the time, didn't want to wait for it even though I knew it's gonna come out in April with G5S, seeing how overpriced and out of stock Jiayu phones can be I gave it a pass and the price may jump up after the initial sale of the first batch.
iOcean X7S MT6592, 2/16GB, 3Ah - more expensive, weird option for 3000mAh battery resulting in a possible Frankenstein.
Motorola Moto G - difficult to buy in Europe, only single SIM, no SD card, only 1GB RAM, ... seems like unfair comparison with MT6592 phones but Moto G costs more than them.
Sony Xperia SP - the display on most Sony phones is an old and outdated TN panel with poor viewing angles, had it in my hands and it felt like the same poor display I had on my Nokia E51, even more expensive than Moto G, $300 or so.
Jiayu G4 MT6589T, 2/32GB - was a tempting option at the time, for $226 but a wait for G4S would be wiser.
...
Picked it because it has MT6592 with 2GB RAM and a big 3000mAh battery.
The only other option was iOcean X7S which this told to be a clone of or some such, anyway, iOcean is more expensive and the 3000mAh option is Frankensteined on it I think.
Jiayu makes the only other 3000mAh phones but G4S got released only yesterday and I did not feel like waiting another month, waited long enough already. G4 platform is a nice phone but seeing how long it takes Jiayu to adopt new technologies and how out of stock and overpriced it can be I gave it a pass and did not wait for G4S. It is definitely more boxy like an iPhone is. With smaller screen it is easier to carry around but also harder to work on since the screen is smaller and yes it is noticeable, plus it may not be as good for reading due to lower PPI, still decent though. I would see G4S as a main competitor unless it's price goes up too much after the initial sold out.
G5S is probably fine too but one pays considerably more for the metal body.
At 5.0" or with 1080p, this is IMHO the only option right now when it comes to bigger battery. Unless of course you like the bigger battery option and higher price of iOcean X7S.
Update: Similar package of Jiayu G4S costs around $232 + shipping + tax.
From my POV, it's either G4S or N6S depending on how big a screen you want and if you want 720p or 1080p.
Would not opt out of a decent battery if you use the phone frequently. The cell standby and screen eat power plus does anything that uses the CPU/GPU a lot (games).
Clarifications:
Goal:
sub $300 total price
bigger than 2200mAh battery
decent CPU&GPU
minimal dimensions height and width wise
unlimited thickness since I do not care about thinness war and will rather have a device that runs for several days than a paper thin phone that lasts me a couple hours
no bigger than 5.0" = still pocketable and usable by one hand only
working GPS
decent build quality
English as second language, feel free to point out errors. Surprised?

Vellamo:
HTML 5: 1971
Metal: 622
Sample photos, rear camera:
Panorama:
HDR:
If there is light and the object is still the ISO is low and noise is down, but if the ISO goes up then as always with any mobile camera the noise gets in there. Not something that can't be removed in post processing though. As said before, no phone will match a compact camera, physically impossible. And even most/all compact cameras suffer from noise at higher ISO.
---
Reserved for updates and rooting.

gps
As far as Europe is concerned you have to apply a gps fix
in order to let your gps work correctly.
I followed some instructions on youtube and the result is very good.
Type "android gps fix" on youtube...

root to 4.4.2
hello i want to ask if i can update form 4.2.2 to 4.4.2 android .

Have you found any method to root the phone? I bought one as well, and I need to root it, but haven't found any method to do that so far.

koniaris1980 said:
As far as Europe is concerned you have to apply a gps fix
in order to let your gps work correctly.
I followed some instructions on youtube and the result is very good.
Type "android gps fix" on youtube...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I might try it as the initial lock does take some time that I think shouldn't be necessary.
makrotrela said:
hello i want to ask if i can update form 4.2.2 to 4.4.2 android .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dunno, I have not had the need to mess with the phone on lower than application level yet.
What would the advantage of having 4.4 kitkat be?
4.2.2 is the most common, all apps work.
I don't think there are any Chinese Kitkat phones, or only a couple of questionable source/quality.
Legdotus said:
Have you found any method to root the phone? I bought one as well, and I need to root it, but haven't found any method to do that so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me check, I have not rooted it since I found I don't need root really, maybe when I do more with the phone from a programming POV.
Any tool used for MTK6592 should do the trick to root it.
Often they are chinese tools, I downloaded some for sure.
There is a thread about Jiake X3S, I think there is info about rooting MTK6592.
I have VRoot here from several sources and also MTK Droid tools. Probably the most reliable for MTK phones. Also framaroot but don't know about it. Search and you will find, it should be the same for all MTK6592 phones to get root. Shops often sell phones rooted or with optional root.
---
Phone works fine so far. Real racing still is not as great to control on occasions, no idea if it's a game issue or the controls freezer sometimes as I may lose steering or holding the gas down turns off. But the screen works fine anywhere else.
Most draining is when one fiddles with the phone, not even as much playing a video with HW acceleration, but moving screens and starting, opening, closing, browsing. Apart from heavy 3D gaming of course, that's the biggest battery eater.
Oh BTW, the charger works fine, got a socket adapter from US to EU and works really well, better than USB charging from a computer I think. There must be some trick to allow fast charging over 500mA. Probably the data wires shorted but haven't tried that with my home made USB power supply.

Engineering mode, type: *#*#3646633#*#*
Finally got there again, works for MTK phones.
Trying to update the files manually. Like this.
► How to fix / repair GPS on Chinese smartphones - MTK6592 6589 GPS FIX - S4 jiayu G4 Umi X2 [HD]
Doesn't seem to do anything. Had to create the data folder and I doubt it check the data folder for EPO updates.
The MTKGPS app needs root.
The only thing I find dissatisfactory is the initial fix delay. But I bet it's present on any other phone in this area. Still get an alright signal of 25-35 in GPS test and in debug it does list around 9 satellites.

Legdotus said:
Have you found any method to root the phone? I bought one as well, and I need to root it, but haven't found any method to do that so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have rooted in two seconds using
Framaroot-1.0.9.apk

Guyz .....
i have Neken N6 and i really love this device, but accidentally broke the screen glass and the top left corner ,, everything is extremely working but im not liking to use the device with this small scratch on it , i looked around to but screen assembly but i didn't found, does anybody know where can i get the screen replacement ?...
Thank you

Yung-M said:
Guyz .....
i have Neken N6 and i really love this device, but accidentally broke the screen glass and the top left corner ,, everything is extremely working but im not liking to use the device with this small scratch on it , i looked around to but screen assembly but i didn't found, does anybody know where can i get the screen replacement ?...
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got it from Neken via Alibaba/Aliexpress so if anyone is going to have replacement parts it's going to be them since they make and sell the phones.
If I were you I would look there and their homepage to find their contacts and talk to the people, they will not have it listed for sell in the shops probably but could offer it to you if you ask.
I got that way the bigger battery and cover instead of the stock one when ordering my phone, you just have to ask.
Anyone saw an Android update to higher version? Probably not but doesn't hurt to check.

Cube Talk 9X Review - Best Tablet Ever from a Chinese Brand

Colors are vivid as well, and it has amazing viewing angles, making it a great all-round display for browsing the web pages, watching HD videos and gaming.
As for the device's speakers, I was pleasantly surprised by how loud and rich the stereo speakers sound. To my non-audiophile ears, I didn't detect much tinniness, and found them perfectly acceptable for listening to music tracks. I wouldn't replace your best Bluetooth speakers with them of course, but they'll do in a pinch.
Systems and software
The 9X arrives running the stock Android 4.4.2 Kitkat operating system, which is pleasantly up to date. Knowing its own limitations in developing customized Android, Cube has kept the 9X’s interface 100% Android.
Preinstalled applications have also been kept to the minimum, but you could still find an entire set of useful Google applications. Google Play and Google map work perfectly fine on the 9X, I have already installed dozens of applications from the Google Play app.
Performance
Inside, the Cube Talk 9X has a octa-core Mediatek MT8392 CPU at 2.0GHz, as well as 2GB of RAM. These specs powered the 9X to some of our best formal performance numbers for an Android tablet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JJajwJSrFs
[/CENTER]
We compared the 9X against a range of tablets from the market-leading manufacturers, including the Google Nexus 7 (2013), the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition), the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.4 Pro, and the LG G Pad 8.3. We found that the 9X performed powerfully across the board.

As can be seen from the table and screenshot above, the Cube Talk 9X stands up well to the market-leading flagship Android tablets in synthetic benchmark tests such as AnTuTu, Geekbench, Quadrant and CF-Bench. Its Vellamo and 3DMark scores, meanwhile, though not the highest, were very respectable as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eHPoerqqcc
Gaming on the 9X
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GIStSS2pqE
Browsing the internet
In the real-world use, the Talk 9X performed like a boss most of the time. Handling everything from browsing through the home screens to some of the most graphic-intense games with ease. I did have encountered some lags and hiccups here and there, but the overall experience was pleasantly smooth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8Rht-fBuYM
Video Playback was also very smooth, as the tablet breezed trhough most of the 1080P video I threw at it. Only a few clips of which audio did not work while playing with hardware decoding, choosing software decoing mode instantly sovled the problem.[
Connectivity
Bluetooth 4.0, 3G (WCDMA/TD-SCDMA/GSM), wireless display, FM Radio, GPS and dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi are all on-board.
With an SIM card inserted, you can even use the 9X to make phone calls and send short messages. There is no earpiece on the tablet, so whenever you make or receive a phone call, you have to either use a headset or the speakers.
As for Wi-Fi reception, The Talk 9X is at least as good as my Samsung Galaxy Tab, if not better. Even at 10 meters and a few walls away from the router, it can still establish a pretty solid connection.
The only issue, potentially an annoying one for some, is that the 9X failed to mount some of the MicroSD cards. I tried 2 Samsung MicroSDs, neither of them worked on the 9X. But the Sandisk and Kingston MicroSD cards worked perfectly.
Camera
Let me be clear once more: I would never advocate actually using a tablet to take photos. It just doesn't make sense, when a smartphone could do a better job. If all you had was the 9X, however, it would work in a pinch.
I used Auto mode for most of my tests, which is what most consumers are likely to do. The rear 8-megapixel camera takes reasonably good shots -- my sample pictures looked crisp and colors appeared accurate and lifelike, even beat the snaps of many low-end smartphones.
Even when I tried to use the camera in low light, the photos remains nice, with some reasonable drop in sharpness.
Shot in total darkness, with LED flash on.
Only in the really dark environments, images looked fuzzy and grainy, and I had to hold the tablet super still in order to get a shot that wasn't too blurry. The LED flash didn't help matters either, as it often resulted in shots that were blown out.
The 2-megapixel front-facing camera is the best I have seen any Chinese tablet. With that said, it's alright for selfies and the occasional video chatting, but I really wouldn't use it for anything else given the resolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is9dtbpvczo
Surprisingly, though, the 9X records pretty decent 720p video. It captures motion smoothly enough, and it records ambient sound quite clearly.
Battery life
The Cube Talk 9X packs a 10,000mAh battery, which is a huge bump over the 5,300mAh battery of its predecessor (Talk 9). In our standard battery test where we play a video on loop with 50 percent brightness while having notifications for email, Facebook and LinkedIn turned on, the 9X lasted for 8 hours and 13 minutes. That's substantially less than the iPad Air, but handily beat the battery life of most of the Android tablets
With moderate use -- by which I mean talking to friends on Whatsapp and Wechat, browsing the web pages and watching some YouTube Videos -- the tablet easily lasted through a whole day. I left it mostly idle throughout the weekend, and the battery only dropped less than 10%.
But there was a small issue, it normally took more than 6 hours to finish a full charge and this could sometimes be pretty annoying, especially for people who hope to get a decent percentage of refill during lunch hours.
Verdict
One or two small niggles aside, the Talk 9X is a very promising tablet. The screen looks great and the refined design feels like a meaningful and long overdue step forward for Cube. The octa-core MT8392 chipset works like a beast most of the time, and the 8.0MP rear-facing camera is as good as you could ask for from a tablet. The most important achievement Cube has managed to make with the 9X is to make people actually forget about the quality issues which normally keep us from buying tablets from a Chinese brand.
Besides being a wonderful tablet, the Talk 9X can also be used as a phone. Although I personally would never encourage anyone to carry a 10 inch tablet around as her main communication device, the 9X could serve as a nice backup whenever your smartphone run out of juice.
At $180, the 9X is sensibly priced and could potentially serve as an iPad air or Galaxy Tab alternative. If you have enough faith in Cube like I do now, you wouldn't want to miss this slate.
Pros: great screen, super thin, decent battery life, premium materials, nice cameras
Cons: long battery charge time, incompatibility with some of the Micro SD card, the absence of HDMI port.

I don't know where you got the USD180 from. This tablet retails for USD224 - 254 depending on the 2G/16G or 2G/32G. The processor speed is limited at 1.664GHz.
However with all this said, this is one of the best looking tablet or might even be the looking tablet out there. There also some problems with the micro SD self ejecting sometimes and you cannot write to uSD card using 3rd party apps like file commander or solid explorer. Recognizes my 64 GB samsung usd pro card with no problems.
The only way is to use the bundled file manager app. Other than that tablet is fast and is good buy. Need to root. Definitely the best Chinese tablet out there for now.

ssingaram said:
I don't know where you got the USD180 from. This tablet retails for USD224 - 254 depending on the 2G/16G or 2G/32G. The processor speed is limited at 1.664GHz.
However with all this said, this is one of the best looking tablet or might even be the looking tablet out there. There also some problems with the micro SD self ejecting sometimes and you cannot write to uSD card using 3rd party apps like file commander or solid explorer. Recognizes my 64 GB samsung usd pro card with no problems.
The only way is to use the bundled file manager app. Other than that tablet is fast and is good buy. Need to root. Definitely the best Chinese tablet out there for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$180 is the retail price in China， u can find it on tmall.com.
Sent from my GT-P6810 using XDA Free mobile app

Thanks but do they ship to international buyers.
Sent from my U65GT using XDA Free mobile app

Wow. 10" tablets are a bit larger than I prefer, but for that price, and I'm not MediaTek's biggest fan, but those are some impressive benchmarks. I might have to give one a shot.

This review was incredibly useful. Thank you very much! Just ordered one Cube Talk 9x for my self.

mirio said:
This review was incredibly useful. Thank you very much! Just ordered one Cube Talk 9x for my self.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@mirio, can you share where did you order from and what price in USD?

Sure, I`ve ordered from China, via AliExpress from this seller - http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Cube...z-Tablet-PC-9-7-inch-3G-Phone/1881742165.html - price varies from 236 to 293 US dollars depending on which bundle you choose.

What are your thoughts about this vs the Galaz A1 ?
I want a tablet with 3G and not sure on this or the Galaz, as i cant figure out if the Galaz has built in 3G or not as the Cube 9x do have it.
Great review with lots of usefull info, so thank you for using time to do it :good:

Very good tablet.

http://mikecanex.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/cube-talk9x-the-big-fraud/
Still looks pretty good.

thangcuoi said:
http://mikecanex.wordpress.com/2014/06/16/cube-talk9x-the-big-fraud/
Still looks pretty good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a HUGE fraud. I bought tablet for my self and it is NOT as advertised. Here is why:
Antutu benchmark scores around 27000, not 41000. CPU-Z says that ARM Cortex-A7 clock speed is 1,66GHz, not 2,0 GHz. Screen is 1969 x 1536, not 2048 x 1536 and dpi is 264 not 326 as is stated on official website - http://www.cube-tablet.com/news/cube-talk-9-tablet-pc/ And on top of all that I am not able to insert MicroSD card into slot - when I try to push it in, it always jumps immiadetelly out...
If you hate being lied to (nad I REALLY do) do NOT buy anything from Cube, because they simply take customer for a fool...

mirio said:
It is a HUGE fraud. I bought tablet for my self and it is NOT as advertised. Here is why:
If you hate being lied to (nad I REALLY do) do NOT buy anything from Cube, because they simply take customer for a fool...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, I do. I really do. In this case, I'm ordering it on a friend behalf, and I know of the fraud before hand. Plus, I could not find another tablet with the same or better specs in the same price bracket.
I have recently canceled an order for the (Star S5) G9000 over at DX.com. The specs was 2GB RAM and 3800mAh battery, but the real spec is 1GB RAM and 2800mAh battery. I only found out about it a few weeks after placing the order. I completely understand your feeling of "being cheated".

Hello.
I read mostly here ...great forum.
I would like to have accurate measurements on this tablet, length and height only ...thinness is obvious.
With the new thin bezels we are seeing on many new tabs, I am hoping this 9.7" is close in size to my Pipo M8 Pro.
Thanks

BamaPanda said:
Hello.
I read mostly here ...great forum.
I would like to have accurate measurements on this tablet, length and height only ...thinness is obvious.
With the new thin bezels we are seeing on many new tabs, I am hoping this 9.7" is close in size to my Pipo M8 Pro.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you've asked this question in freaktab forum. Is not it enough, if you put the question in one forum?

bluefish007 said:
you've asked this question in freaktab forum. Is not it enough, if you put the question in one forum?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I did.
I hope there is not a rule I am breaking.
I have found that many times it takes a LONG time to get an answer, so I thought two different place ...same question, might speed things up.
So do you have the answer to my question.
Thanks
Edit. Got my answer ....236x170. Same size as my Pro, only thinner. Sweet!

mirio said:
It is a HUGE fraud. I bought tablet for my self and it is NOT as advertised. Here is why:
Antutu benchmark scores around 27000, not 41000. CPU-Z says that ARM Cortex-A7 clock speed is 1,66GHz, not 2,0 GHz. Screen is 1969 x 1536, not 2048 x 1536 and dpi is 264 not 326 as is stated on official website - http://www.cube-tablet.com/news/cube-talk-9-tablet-pc/ And on top of all that I am not able to insert MicroSD card into slot - when I try to push it in, it always jumps immiadetelly out...
If you hate being lied to (nad I REALLY do) do NOT buy anything from Cube, because they simply take customer for a fool...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This video differs with your score ...getting very close to 40K on Antutu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2kRT5IsSas
Looks to be a very nice tab. :fingers-crossed:

mirio said:
It is a HUGE fraud. I bought tablet for my self and it is NOT as advertised. Here is why:
Antutu benchmark scores around 27000, not 41000. CPU-Z says that ARM Cortex-A7 clock speed is 1,66GHz, not 2,0 GHz. Screen is 1969 x 1536, not 2048 x 1536 and dpi is 264 not 326 as is stated on official website - http://www.cube-tablet.com/news/cube-talk-9-tablet-pc/ And on top of all that I am not able to insert MicroSD card into slot - when I try to push it in, it always jumps immiadetelly out...
If you hate being lied to (nad I REALLY do) do NOT buy anything from Cube, because they simply take customer for a fool...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
r u sure u get a genuine one? mine works fine enough.

BamaPanda said:
This video differs with your score ...getting very close to 40K on Antutu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2kRT5IsSas
Looks to be a very nice tab. :fingers-crossed:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is a decent slate, but don't expect it to best the performance of the snapdragon 800 powered tablets, although it has higher antutu scores.

jupiter2012 said:
r u sure u get a genuine one? mine works fine enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can never be 100% sure with Chinese merchandise. But yes, I am pretty sure. For testing purposes I bought Geekbench3 (no benchmark cheating) and got the same results like you did. I even managed to solve the sd card problem - by brute force.
Overall I am pretty satisfied with the tablet, specially considering the price, I just hate the fact, that the AnTuTu scores are fraud. It looks like the same AnTuTu cheating like Samsung did. And cheating is not cool...

OnePlus One 64GB Sandstone Black Global version - Review

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OnePlus One – Review
The OnePlus One is without a doubt one of the most anticipated mobile devices of 2014, thanks in part to it’s awesome hype campaign. Despite over promising and under delivering in regards to availability the device is still very sought after. When you look at the fact that OnePlus are a startup company (yes, with some help from Oppo), it really is amazing the amount of attention they garnered.
So after much waiting I finally have a OnePlus One in my possession. Will it live up to it’s hype or fall flat on it’s face? Let’s have a look at the device and see what it can do.
Unboxing
I received my invite and was informed I had 24 hours to use it or it would be gone. Needless to say, I used it as soon as I got home. Ordering from the site was easy but to my dismay the only shipping option was DHL. Sure DHL are fast, but I always get rather large additional charges from them. With no other choice I put the order through knowing that it would arrive with money owing to the carrier.
Just as expected the device arrived within several days as it shipped out of California and arrived in Canada. Also as expected there was money owing. $61 to be exact. Keep in mind that this is on top of the almost $30 I paid for DHL shipping. So realistically my $349 flagship killer had jumped to almost $449. Still a good deal? Keep reading to find out.
The parcel was in a simple thin bubble wrap envelope. Luckily the actual box and packaging on OnePlus’ part is solid so the device arrived in mint condition. When I opened the box I noticed that they had not cheaped out on the appearance and the presentation gives you the feeling of a quality company and device. The wall charger came boxed separately to ensure you recieve the proper one for your region. In side was the device, a micro USB cable, instructions and a SIM tool. Also included was a wall charger but like I mention that had it’s own box.
So far so good.
You can check out the unboxing video here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg9H5daxRpc
Specs
5.5″ 1920 x1080 display with 401 ppi and Gorilla Glass 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5 Ghz
3GB of RAM
64GB storage
3100 mAh battery
5 MP front and 13 MP rear camera
LTE
Android 4.4.2 via Cyanogenmod 11S
Check out the full video review here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbExjYSpKIY
Physical features
The OnePlus One measures 152.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm and weights 162g. Despite the 8.9mm thickness the nice contour on the back of the device make it very comfortable and feel much thinner than it actually is. It’s also worth noting that the back is textured and gives it a nice slightly granular feel.
On the bottom of the phone is the micro USB port and speakers.
On the left is the volume rocker and SIM slot (It’s a micro SIM).
The right hand side has the power button.
The top has the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The front facing camera is on the top left of the device.
The rear camera and dual LED flash is located on the top center.
Impressed so far? I am, let’s turn it on.
Display
The OnePlus One carries the typical 2014 Chinese flagship display size of 5.5 inches. The display is 1080p with a 401 ppi and is very crisp. I can’t really complain about anything in regards to the screen. It’s bright, clear, crisp, responsive and solid. Many early customers were complaining about yellowing on the display, I can say my device did not have any of those issues. Either it was just a small number of devices or they fixed it. +1 for the One.
Software
The OnePlus One being sold outside of China is running Cyanogenmod 11s which is based on Android 4.4.2 KitKat and was designed specifically for the device. It retains enough of a stock feel that users won’t feel completely lost but does have customization available. Themes, font, icons etc are all interchangeable, some for free, some for a cost. Everything runs buttery smooth with no real lags, no freezing, and thus no need to change out the launcher unless you simply want to. All apps I tried were compatible and it is important to note that Google apps including the Play Store were already loaded on the phone.
The only thing I didn’t like was the base layout and method of customizing the pulldown menu for quick access to things like wi-fi, bluetooth,gps, etc. It didn’t have all the standard icons available and was overly complicated to adjust.
The boot time was an average 28 seconds.
Wi-Fi
I have recently moved so the layout of my testing grounds has also changed. Where I use to have a main floor, an upstairs, and a basement, I now have just a main floor and basement but they larger. I mention this just in case you are comparing these results to ones from my previous reviews as they will differ.
The OnePlus One has 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi so I tested both.
5 Ghz
Router (basement) = 82.61 mbps
Main floor =38.55 mbps (I got to the halfway point of this level and the signal went from around 40mbps to no signal within a couple of feet. This was at one level up and 24 feet from the router.
2.4 Ghz
Router = 47.84 mbps
Main floor = 16.31 mbps at the furthest point of this level, which is one level up and about 48 feet from the router.
Even at the furthest point of the house the OnePlus One had fast enough 2.4 Ghz Wi-Fi for any streaming and or browsing I needed.
Good Wi-Fi results.
Call Quality
The OnePlus One did a very good job with the calls I made. Volume was good on both ends as was the clarity. If you are a talker, you shouldn’t have any issues with what the OnePlus One sounds like.
Speakers
The speakers are located on the bottom of the device as opposed to the back which many companies seem to favor. In general the bottom location is much better because the speaker doesn’t get muffled if you put the phone down on a surface. The only time it ends up being a hindrance is if you play a lot of video games. Then it can easily be muffled by your hand when holding the phone sideways. So it really does depend on how you use your phone.
Location aside, the sound that comes from the OnePlus One is very nice. It’s loud, and capable of impressive sounds in all scenario’s, whether it’s video games, hard rock, dance, dialogue in movies or special effects in movies, it sounds great. It was definitely more than what I was expecting.
Video Playback
I tested the phone using the stock video player as well as VLC. Video playback was fantastic regardless of format. In addition to the SD video’s, and online media, I tested it with some HD movies in various formats and all played equally well. If you like to watch media on your phone, the smooth playback, beautiful screen, and clear speaker quality will certainly impress.
Web Browsing
Stable ROM, 2.5 Ghz Snapdragon 801, and 3 GB of RAM… you can see were this is going. Web browsing, even with multiple windows open is a breeze for this handset. As would be expected, browsing is awesome on the phone. All actions respond quickly, pages load within a short period of time, and the overall feel is snappy.
Cameras
The OnePlus One has a 5MP front camera and a 13MP Sony IMX 214 that promises to give us some pretty good photography for a phone. The 6 lens optics and f/2.0 aperture make it a standout in todays market.
The front facing camera is crisp and perfect for video calls and those that love the selphie. The rear Sony camera doesn’t disappoint and delivers far above average shots. Regardless of environment the camera was consistent and delivered good pictures. The dual LED flash works well and buyers shouldn’t have any fear of low lighting situations. Are there phones that do photography better than the OnePlus One. Certainly. But the One can hold its own with the upper part of the market.
GPS
The GPS on the device is fantastic. The first lock was done outdoors in airplane mode and took less than 5 seconds. Locks after that where almost instant. I tested the handset with Navfree that doesn’t use data and with Google Maps and Waze that use data to assist. In both scenarios the GPS was flawless and quick to adapt. One of the better GPS’ I have used recently.
Benchmarks
With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 and 3 GB of RAM I think it’s safe to say that most people would expect the phone to score well. The question is “How well?”
Let’s take a look at the results.
Antutu
38,823
That’s enough to take out the best of the best.
Nenamark 2
61.4 fps
CPU Prime
7259
Vellamo
Vellamo has changed recently, and have added a multicore test into the mix.
Metal
1719
Multicore
1864
Chrome Browser
2772
As you can see the OnePlus One holds it’s own and slightly edges out the best phones on the market in the overall picture.
Battery
The battery was my only area of real concern. I know that a 3100 mAh battery was included, but would it play nicely with the ROM and actually last. I put the OnePlus One on auto brightness and used VLC to test the phone on a video loop. The phone lasted a staggering 10.5 hours!
The lower end of the battery actually runs down very smoothly and slower than the top part. I was left with 3% on the phone and am certain it could have lasted another 15 minutes of playback.
Very nice results.
Gaming
I’ve used Qualcomm 800 processors in the past and know they do very well with gaming thanks to the Adreno 330 GPU. The Snapdragon 801 is no exception and the handset played everything very well. Crisp, smooth gameplay with max resolution settings. Add in the beautiful screen and great speakers and you have a winning combo. The only thing I want to mention is the location of the speakers. While great for music and media, having them located on the bottom of the device does make it much easier to muffle them with your hand while playing games that require the screen to be held sideways. Can you work around it? Sure. It’s just your hand location is the last thing on your mind while you are being horded by a half dozen zombies and you are fighting for your life….or something like that.
Final thoughts
Pro’s
Comfortable, stylish design
Nice screen
GPS works well
Cameras are very good
Cyanogenmod 11s is stable and customizable with Google Play Store already installed
Plays media and games with ease
Powerhouse device that doesn’t drain the battery
4G
Con’s
Hard to get an invite
Shipping is expensive due to additional fee’s
Non -removable battery
No expansion slot so make sure you get the model that truly has the storage you need
Wow….this device really delivers. Even with the extra shipping costs the phone is still almost half the price of it’s rivals. Considering this is the first phone from a startup company, I’m really interested in seeing what they release next. With all the hype I was waiting for the phone to fall flat on it’s face and really under perform. That did not happen at all.
Are there better devices on the market right now? I believe so, but they aren’t much better. You just need to decide if they are worth double to cost.

[REVIEW] Siswoo Cooper i7: octa-core, 64 bits, 4G, IPS HD 5", 2GB de RAM, 16GB ROM,

[REVIEW] Siswoo Cooper i7: octa-core, 64 bits, 4G, IPS HD 5", 2GB de RAM, 16GB ROM,
Recently the young Chinese company Siswoo announced their second Android model, taking advantage of the new 64 bits processors from MediaTek.
{
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As I have already told before, those Chinese manufacturers are each time copying (imitating less) and willing more to highlight something from their own. Today Siswoo is presenting the Cooper i7, and before going into the review, I cannot hide... it's a bullet!
Hardware
Those are the specifications of the last Siswoo smartphone:
And yes, you are right, 64 bits octa-core processor running at 1,7Ghz, GPU Mali T760, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (of which 12,82GB available for the user) and up to 64GB expandable via microSD, 4G-LTE connectivity ... appetizing, isn't it? Let's go with the review.
Packaging, design and ergonomics
The package is really simple and quite square, the one used by Elephone for the P3000s attired my attention, but this one goes back to the “standards”. Small and with the table of content and smartphone specifications.
[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/sF0Pcrfu1Fo
[/YOUTUBE]
Just taking it out of the box, two things surprised me: the design and the weight. It's really light, in a very first moment I even though it didn't have the battery, but yes, it was inside, and even so it stays on 130gr.
As we can see on the video, the device comes inside a small plastic bag and in the bottom inside the box, we will find the charger and earphones. It's very nice from Siswoo's side to include (already applied) the plastic cover for the screen.
Regarding the design, I must confess I didn't like it in a first sight, too simple and too... flat, with round edges.
BUT, once you use it, this feeling changes. And this design influences a lot. As said before, it's very light (although the different of size, exactly the same weight of iPhone 5) and with less than 9mm of thickness, you can carry it very comfortably on your pocket... and being a 5” device.
One remarkably thing on its design are the touch buttons. They are normally off, but when you use the phone or you have a notification, they light in an elegant and practical way. When not, the front part is completely black. On this front, we will also find the 5Mpx camera and the sensors for light and proximity.
Unlike other smartphones, all the physical buttons of the Cooper i7 are on the right side. In the beginning it might be confusing, since sometimes you want to press volume down and you lock the phone.
However, once you get used to that, it's very comfortable, specially because this terminal fits perfectly into one hand, and by having the buttons on the same side, you can manage it completely with just one hand.
The rest on the edges is free... except for the top part, where we find charger plug and jack 3.5 for the earphones.
Turn it. On the rear part, your eyes go directly to the 8Mpx camera with dual LED flash on the top, just below SISWOO logo and on the bottom the speaker and logo with “4G-LTE” like to remember us that we can connect to those networks.
Last on this part, I must say that the Cooper i7 does not slide at all. It's very agreable to touch and it fits perfectly on the hands, so VERY good ergonomics.
Screen
Cooper i7 mounts a HD IPS 5” screen, offering a resolution of 720x1280. It has very good quality, although I think they use dynamic contrast, because I don't feel as much range of tones as in other (first brand) phones. I mean, black is not as black.
The viewing angle is very good and I had no problems using it under bright sun, by having the brightness in automatic mode, it adjusts in seconds to any situation.
We will also find two interesting functions, "Gesture sensing" and "Smart Wake". The first one means that we will be able to navigate through pictures on the gallery and some other apps just by moving our hand over the phone (but without touching it). The second one, allows us to complete some actions by drawing pre-defined patterns on the screen when the phone is locked, like activate radio, camera, change song...
The gesture recognition is working but, at this point is not as perfectioned as in other models like new Samsung Galaxy, with the Cooper i7 you must pass your hand closer to the screen and slower.
The Smart Wake function is really interesting, I liked it a lot. I continually use it for many applications... and with just one movement!
Software, multimedia and games
This terminal comes with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, although Siswoo has annouced we will receive the update to Lollipop during March.
They didn't apply any customization layer on top of Android (maybe it also influences the high speed this phone goes), in addition it is rooted by default and includes all the usual and popular applications out of the box (Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Skype, Adobe Reader, Documents to Go and the interesting WeCal) so we can start fully using it just after the first booting.
Browsing the web either with WiFi or with 3G/4G connection, it's very fast and fluid, no lags, specially the background applications (like social network notifications)
In the multimedia area is where I really enjoyed myself. Since there were not pre-installed game, I went direct to Fifa 15:UT and another action game called Contract Killer... ¡bingo!
The initial test became some weekend hours playing online tournaments (specially Fifa, I really love it). The fact of being so light and so comfortable on the hands, make this smartphone the perfect portable gaming console, and as I said before, being so fast makes the games start very quickly and loading times are very short. While playing there are no lags, nor freezes and being moving images, contrasts and colors are perceived perfectly.
I have the same feeling when playing videos, the powerful CPU and accompanied with one of latest presented GPUs make the work without any trouble. FullHD, subtitles... even working through the network I had no problem with any type. Regarding the volume, it's OK and the rear speaker has enough relief (inward) so that the sound is not muffled by supporting the phone on any surface.
Coming to the extras, GPS and compass worked very well and once again, without having to wait.
So, in general, the multimedia experience has been very satisfactory.
Camera
The Cooper i7 brings (as usual) two cameras, the front one with 5Mpx and the main one at the rear with 8Mpx, both with interesting characteristics like voice shooting control, the beauty effect (perfect for selfie lovers) or the noise reduction.
However it suffers from the great evil of Chinese phones: lots megapixel unable to perform well in low light conditions.
It was clear that the "buts" would arrive sooner or later.
I have tried the camera inside and outside. Taking pictures outside and with full sun light, the results are very satisfactory for pictures and also recording video.
But when the light is lower, other "first brand" phones like iPhone (who also mounts an 8Mpx main camera) are capable of great pictures...and with this one we will simply prefer not to zoom too much on the pictures.
I would even say that I even like more the results of the front camera (with its 5Mpx and without flash) rather than the main one, so selfie addicts...good for you! Both cameras work perfectly with Skype, just pay attention you don't cover the microphone when holding the phone.
Autonomy
As seen on the specifications, the (removable) battery has a capacity of 2100 mAh, something I found quite tight compared to the more than 3000 mAh we see often on new terminals... but very good compared for example with the 1440mAh on the iPhone 5... and more than enough for one day. I already said I spent several hours playing online.
It's equiped with fast charging technology, nevertheless I would preferred to see the latest ultra-fast charging technology (around 80% in 15min or so).
Conclusions
In the first lines of this review I already stated than although most of Chinese phones have some common points, it is each time more usual to see brands willing to highlight their "personal touch".
In my opinion, Siswoo has been able of achieving a very interesting result in which is only their second model on the market. Not only on the design but specially on the usability, the user experience is very agreable.
We cannot dismiss from our minds that it's not only the aforementioned excellent potential, the Cooper i7 also brings us dual SIM and 4G-LTE connectivity for around 180€ (as per its price on Etotalk including VIP shipping DHL only took 2 days to arrive to my house).

mdabar said:
Recently the young Chinese company Siswoo announced their second Android model, taking advantage of the new 64 bits processors from MediaTek.
As I have already told before, those Chinese manufacturers are each time copying (imitating less) and willing more to highlight something from their own. Today Siswoo is presenting the Cooper i7, and before going into the review, I cannot hide... it's a bullet!
Hardware
Those are the specifications of the last Siswoo smartphone:
[IMG="Specifications"]
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-omHjEmmzagg/VPGBRIFQFlI/AAAAAAAABuY/8la0GNjKY-I/s1600/SiswooCooperI7-specs.jpg[/IMG]
And yes, you are right, 64 bits octa-core processor running at 1,7Ghz, GPU Mali T760, 2GB of RAM, 16 GB of internal storage (of which 12,82GB available for the user) and up to 64GB expandable via microSD, 4G-LTE connectivity ... appetizing, isn't it? Let's go with the review.
Packaging, design and ergonomics
The package is really simple and quite square, the one used by Elephone for the P3000s attired my attention, but this one goes back to the “standards”. Small and with the table of content and smartphone specifications.
[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/sF0Pcrfu1Fo
[/YOUTUBE]
Just taking it out of the box, two things surprised me: the design and the weight. It's really light, in a very first moment I even though it didn't have the battery, but yes, it was inside, and even so it stays on 130gr.
As we can see on the video, the device comes inside a small plastic bag and in the bottom inside the box, we will find the charger and earphones. It's very nice from Siswoo's side to include (already applied) the plastic cover for the screen.
Regarding the design, I must confess I didn't like it in a first sight, too simple and too... flat, with round edges.
BUT, once you use it, this feeling changes. And this design influences a lot. As said before, it's very light (although the different of size, exactly the same weight of iPhone 5) and with less than 9mm of thickness, you can carry it very comfortably on your pocket... and being a 5” device.
One remarkably thing on its design are the touch buttons. They are normally off, but when you use the phone or you have a notification, they light in an elegant and practical way. When not, the front part is completely black. On this front, we will also find the 5Mpx camera and the sensors for light and proximity.
Unlike other smartphones, all the physical buttons of the Cooper i7 are on the right side. In the beginning it might be confusing, since sometimes you want to press volume down and you lock the phone.
However, once you get used to that, it's very comfortable, specially because this terminal fits perfectly into one hand, and by having the buttons on the same side, you can manage it completely with just one hand.
The rest on the edges is free... except for the top part, where we find charger plug and jack 3.5 for the earphones.
Turn it. On the rear part, your eyes go directly to the 8Mpx camera with dual LED flash on the top, just below SISWOO logo and on the bottom the speaker and logo with “4G-LTE” like to remember us that we can connect to those networks.
Last on this part, I must say that the Cooper i7 does not slide at all. It's very agreable to touch and it fits perfectly on the hands, so VERY good ergonomics.
Screen
Cooper i7 mounts a HD IPS 5” screen, offering a resolution of 720x1280. It has very good quality, although I think they use dynamic contrast, because I don't feel as much range of tones as in other (first brand) phones. I mean, black is not as black.
The viewing angle is very good and I had no problems using it under bright sun, by having the brightness in automatic mode, it adjusts in seconds to any situation.
We will also find two interesting functions, "Gesture sensing" and "Smart Wake". The first one means that we will be able to navigate through pictures on the gallery and some other apps just by moving our hand over the phone (but without touching it). The second one, allows us to complete some actions by drawing pre-defined patterns on the screen when the phone is locked, like activate radio, camera, change song...
The gesture recognition is working but, at this point is not as perfectioned as in other models like new Samsung Galaxy, with the Cooper i7 you must pass your hand closer to the screen and slower.
The Smart Wake function is really interesting, I liked it a lot. I continually use it for many applications... and with just one movement!
Software, multimedia and games
This terminal comes with Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, although Siswoo has annouced we will receive the update to Lollipop during March.
They didn't apply any customization layer on top of Android (maybe it also influences the high speed this phone goes), in addition it is rooted by default and includes all the usual and popular applications out of the box (Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Skype, Adobe Reader, Documents to Go and the interesting WeCal) so we can start fully using it just after the first booting.
Browsing the web either with WiFi or with 3G/4G connection, it's very fast and fluid, no lags, specially the background applications (like social network notifications)
In the multimedia area is where I really enjoyed myself. Since there were not pre-installed game, I went direct to Fifa 15:UT and another action game called Contract Killer... ¡bingo!
The initial test became some weekend hours playing online tournaments (specially Fifa, I really love it). The fact of being so light and so comfortable on the hands, make this smartphone the perfect portable gaming console, and as I said before, being so fast makes the games start very quickly and loading times are very short. While playing there are no lags, nor freezes and being moving images, contrasts and colors are perceived perfectly.
I have the same feeling when playing videos, the powerful CPU and accompanied with one of latest presented GPUs make the work without any trouble. FullHD, subtitles... even working through the network I had no problem with any type. Regarding the volume, it's OK and the rear speaker has enough relief (inward) so that the sound is not muffled by supporting the phone on any surface.
Coming to the extras, GPS and compass worked very well and once again, without having to wait.
So, in general, the multimedia experience has been very satisfactory.
Camera
The Cooper i7 brings (as usual) two cameras, the front one with 5Mpx and the main one at the rear with 8Mpx, both with interesting characteristics like voice shooting control, the beauty effect (perfect for selfie lovers) or the noise reduction.
However it suffers from the great evil of Chinese phones: lots megapixel unable to perform well in low light conditions.
It was clear that the "buts" would arrive sooner or later.
I have tried the camera inside and outside. Taking pictures outside and with full sun light, the results are very satisfactory for pictures and also recording video.
But when the light is lower, other "first brand" phones like iPhone (who also mounts an 8Mpx main camera) are capable of great pictures...and with this one we will simply prefer not to zoom too much on the pictures.
I would even say that I even like more the results of the front camera (with its 5Mpx and without flash) rather than the main one, so selfie addicts...good for you! Both cameras work perfectly with Skype, just pay attention you don't cover the microphone when holding the phone.
Autonomy
As seen on the specifications, the (removable) battery has a capacity of 2100 mAh, something I found quite tight compared to the more than 3000 mAh we see often on new terminals... but very good compared for example with the 1440mAh on the iPhone 5... and more than enough for one day. I already said I spent several hours playing online.
It's equiped with fast charging technology, nevertheless I would preferred to see the latest ultra-fast charging technology (around 80% in 15min or so).
Conclusions
In the first lines of this review I already stated than although most of Chinese phones have some common points, it is each time more usual to see brands willing to highlight their "personal touch".
In my opinion, Siswoo has been able of achieving a very interesting result in which is only their second model on the market. Not only on the design but specially on the usability, the user experience is very agreable.
We cannot dismiss from our minds that it's not only the aforementioned excellent potential, the Cooper i7 also brings us dual SIM and 4G-LTE connectivity for around 180€ (as per its price on Etotalk including VIP shipping DHL only took 2 days to arrive to my house).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good, very good to review, but I wonder what is the most interesting device, and what it may have longer duration in time ... this I 7, or R8 ...
now my thanks for the review ...

Hi bodyjoao, from my point of view they are very different devices.
Think that Siswoo is a really new (young) company and up to now they have just launched 2 smartphones, being the first one the R8 Monster. In my opinion they did like that to show everybody what they were able to do, so top of hardware specifications.
Then they presented the Cooper i7 to show that they want to do also more affordable products, but without going to low end range. My impressions have been very good testing the i7, I insist that the weak point for chinese phones is always the camera, but leaving that on a side... I'm really enhoying the i7, it's very very fast on everything... and delicious to play with very light and thin hehe
The R8 Monster costs around 100$ more and... still I'm not sure the camera will be much better.
We have very good news coming from other brands like Xiaomi, were people insist that their cameras are quite good, so I'm confident that chinese companies have already understand that people demand quality and they are giving it little by little... better finishing, better, screens, better storage... It's not always the amount that counts, but the quality

mdabar said:
Hi bodyjoao, from my point of view they are very different devices.
Think that Siswoo is a really new (young) company and up to now they have just launched 2 smartphones, being the first one the R8 Monster. In my opinion they did like that to show everybody what they were able to do, so top of hardware specifications.
Then they presented the Cooper i7 to show that they want to do also more affordable products, but without going to low end range. My impressions have been very good testing the i7, I insist that the weak point for chinese phones is always the camera, but leaving that on a side... I'm really enhoying the i7, it's very very fast on everything... and delicious to play with very light and thin hehe
The R8 Monster costs around 100$ more and... still I'm not sure the camera will be much better.
We have very good news coming from other brands like Xiaomi, were people insist that their cameras are quite good, so I'm confident that chinese companies have already understand that people demand quality and they are giving it little by little... better finishing, better, screens, better storage... It's not always the amount that counts, but the quality
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am under This phone or the jiayu s3 , But the site don't have now the jiayu s3 for now, and I like this look...I wait for one or tree days and then I decid....
Sent from my HUAWEI G750-T20 using XDA Free mobile app

bodyjoao said:
I am under This phone or the jiayu s3 , But the site don't have now the jiayu s3 for now, and I like this look...I wait for one or tree days and then I decid....
Sent from my HUAWEI G750-T20 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Jiayu is very good one too, I found available on the same store I took the Siswoo -> http://www.etotalk.com/jiayu-s3_p7545.html
And as usual customer they gave me these coupons... first in first served
5 USD Available 77571b3b8a 2015-04-02
5 USD Available 7ef04c0bff 2015-04-02
5 USD Available fc8cabfe8e 2015-04-02
5 USD Available 9c7b4d8e1d 2015-04-02
5 USD Available 857faaa218 2015-04-02
5 USD Available bf36c5bfe8 2015-04-02
I prefer them because of the DHL VIP shipping ... take a look and decide, you will tell later which one you take!

I've been using mine since a couple of weeks, but the home button backlight somehow stays on all the time. Any idea why? Cheers, great review!

yash3339 said:
I've been using mine since a couple of weeks, but the home button backlight somehow stays on all the time. Any idea why? Cheers, great review!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have not had this issue... and since yesterday I'm thinking on it and surfing my Cooper i7 up and down to find anything :-/
The only I can think on is, go to Settings -> Display -> BreathLight and try to unable all of them, reboot the phone and then activate them again.
Normally it should light only to notify something.
Goos luck and tell us if it works!

cooper 17
hello
i also plan to buy it, but i fear about the small battery..
could you tell us more about that matter ?
thks

jdcesari said:
hello
i also plan to buy it, but i fear about the small battery..
could you tell us more about that matter ?
thks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More than 1 day with my normal use,... I mean a lot of wifi: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Opera, weather and Youtube for the baby
I've also been using radio and trying 2 different GPS applications (Navmii and Navigate 66) for which I have not only tried the apps but also downloaded the maps for a couple of countries (so more than 1GB downloaded over wifi for those apps)
And planning the trip I have moved cartoons for the baby from my NAS to the smartphone using the wifi, so another 1GB moved there and the battery resisted
It's true it went faster when playing Fifa, because it was online and playing, but with normal use it's much longer.
So it's true that the battery is not as long as for other devices, but you see that also on its thickness, it's really comfortable to bring it on the pocket.

5" HD 720p is poor
it's a great screen with 5" FHD
MTK6752 support screen solution 1080P

thks a lot
you are perfect

Hahaha thanks! but just trying to help and share my experience through reviews
If you liked it, I would appreciate you clic on the "Thanks!" button
Have a nice one!!

Weak wifi on Cooper i7?
Hello,
I just received my siswoo cooper i7 yesterday. I'm also lucky with until now except for one issue: the Wifi is very weak. It has an ok connection next to the router (54 Mbps), but if I move away 4-5 meters (staying in the same room even), it drops the connection or goes down to 12/ 5 / 2 Mbps. I also tried at my office, it wouldn't work if not directly at the router. All my other devices (Moto MB 526, XT320, iPad Air) have good connection even 2 rooms further away and work like a charm.
Anyone else having similar issues? Any good ideas to solve this?

IF SISWOO IS READING -> PLEASE DONT BLOCK ROOT !
ROOTED WITH iROOT SUCCESS
Back and other Button LED = (su) echo 255 > /sys/class/leds/button-backlight/brightness // 0 to turn off
Breathlight (HomeLED) = echo (CODE) > /sys/devices/virtual/breathlightdrv/breathlight/open // 0 to turn off
CODE -> defines blinking rate - havent figured out the system but any numbers between 12 to 20.
Will add if found out more...

What about the storage? Is it unified or partitioned?
I'm still worried about the battery. Otherwise it looks great.

chat1978 said:
What about the storage? Is it unified or partitioned?
I'm still worried about the battery. Otherwise it looks great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you mean with unified that all the available storage is on the same partition then it's a yes, available storage appears all together as internal SD Card and it all can be used to install apps.
The battery life depends on the usage. I consider it will last a full day with moderate usage (2 - 3 hours SOT, some gaming, some calling, some music listening), but no more that that.

alresave said:
If you mean with unified that all the available storage is on the same partition then it's a yes, available storage appears all together as internal SD Card and it all can be used to install apps.
The battery life depends on the usage. I consider it will last a full day with moderate usage (2 - 3 hours SOT, some gaming, some calling, some music listening), but no more that that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes about the storage. Thanks.
On my daily life, I don't have high expectations from the battery.
But last year, while on route to an island, I drained the battery of THL W200 within a couple of hours just by looking at the ship's location and doing some reading.
Very disappointing. I have a portable battery back but still, I would like something bigger for vacation time!

Full Review Video
Pictures from http://s7yler.blogspot.com

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLB3C60yvcc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYR-Y3umZaM

[REVIEW] uleFone Be Touch: 5,5" IPS, 4G, 64bits octa-core CPU, 3GB RAM, fingerprint

[REVIEW] uleFone Be Touch: 5,5" IPS, 4G, 64bits octa-core CPU, 3GB RAM, fingerprint
uleFone is one of new Chinese brands making good things lately. And in the same way some players are doing, they also wanted to present something interesting before the summer period.
But they want to be like "the others", so they have come with an amazing smartphone which they have presented as their flagship device for the season: the uleFone Be Touch
Something very interesting, since this brand is very young. They’ve worked designing and making parts for other brands during years, but it wasn’t until 2014 they moved to manufacture their own smartphones.
When I opened the box my first though was about that size "It's huge!". But then, I started it and as Megan Trainor sings... "It's all about that bass"
Only that smartphone is not fat at all, it's very thin and light. It's even thinner than other thin devices like the Siswoo Cooper i7 I reviewed some weeks ago.
But let's go step by step.
Design and package
The box is quite standard, white, same shape that we can typically find for the iPhones or Samsung devices, for example. With a sticker showing some info and then most of the specifications on the bottom part.
Once opened, we can see the amazing Be Touch with its huge screen inside a soft bag and on the lower level, we have all the rest which is USB cable, charger (attention 1.5A! more than common units), headphones and quick start guide in English and other European languages... it's not something very necessary (we all know how to start the phone and take a picture) but it's really the first time I see it. And not one single item in Chinese. Sincerely that feels like more quality.
I live you that video with those impressions and something more:
Summarizing, on the front we have the 5,5" screen. On the top, frontal camera for selfies...with flash!!, light and proximity sensor. And on the bottom we have the navigation buttons: menu, back and home... which integrates a great surprise in form of fingerprint reader. Of all that I will talk more in detail.
On the left side we will find the lock/power and the volume buttons.
Going to the bottom side, just the micro and speaker (very iPhone-like). We have the holes for micro USB and jack exit on the top side, and nothing at all on the right side.
If we flip the phone, on the rear part we will see the main camera (using the Sony IMX214 4th gen sensor) with dual led flash and on the middle the uleFone logo.
All that within very tight dimensions of 158.1x77.4x8.6mm and another advantage is that it fits very well on the hand. It’s true that it’s big, but it doesn’t slip.
Hardware specifications
When you put the mark "flagship" over a product, you really want to mean that device is your top-range. Especially when you are a new player on the field and you want to set up what is your quality level and left aside your “Chinese stamp mark”. The Be Touch is much more than 64 bit octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM…So here it is what hides inside this thin beast.
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Model uleFone Be Touch
Color Metal Grey / Silk White
Dimensions 158.1 x 77.4 x 8.60
Weight 160g
Operating system Pre-install Android 5.0 Lollipop
Touch ID Front Fingerprint Scanner, Unlock in 0.1-0.5s
CPU 64Bit MTK MT6752 processor Octa core 1.7GHz CPU
GPU Mali T760 MP2/7000MHz GPU
RAM 3GB LPDDR3 RAM
ROM 16G
Battery 2550mAH
Charger Quick charger 1.5A ooutput
Display 5.5 inches, HD 1280*720pixels, IPS OGS (NEW 2.5D Arc screen) with Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
Cameras 13MP 4th generation camera Sony IMX214 (main) and 5.0MP (OV5648) for the Front camera
Video 1080P, 2K, 4K
Network GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (band5,band8,band3,band2) ; WCDMA: 850/900/1900/2100 (band5,band8,band2,band1) ; FDD-LTE: 800/1800/2100/2600(band20,band3,band1,band7)
SIM Dual sim dual standby, Micro SIM and Standard SIM
WiFi WiFi802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Support dual-band Wi-Fi(2.4GHz/5GHz)
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
Positioning GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Digital Compass
Hall Effect Sensor, Gravity Sensor,
Ambient Light Sensor,
Touch Sensor, Digital Compass
Regarding the connectivity, needless to say it fully covers all our needs. The WiFi connects and transfers very fast, probably the improvements from Lollipop help, because I haven’t had any troubles of losing signal (as it happened with other devices). I have tried the BT with headphones (Digicare DO) and also with a BT keyboard, working both very well, quick pairing.
The SIM (standard and micro sizes) are located just next to the microSD slot, so sincerely a little bit hard to introduce the card, but once done, the networks are fast detected and connected, so I could use 3G/4G and also make calls very successfully. The voice is very clear and with enough volume.
Display
This is one of the most attracting points of this device. Its 5,5” IPS OGS screen with Corning Gorilla Glass of 3rd generation offers a resolution of 1280x720ppp. I can say that up to the date it’s the best display I’ve seen on a not first brand phone. The quality of the colors and the bright is amazing.
It comes with the dynamic control (adaptive brightness), so it automatically adapts to the lighting conditions to increase or reduce the bright level, making perfectly viewable even under sunshine.
Following the last trends, it also have the “Off-Screen Gesture” function, each time more common and sincerely very useful, since we can program several applications or functions to start without having to unlock the phone: camera, radio, calendar,.. any of the installed apps can be started by drawing a pattern on the locked screen.
Camera
We arrive to one of the most critical points of each review, since normally the manufacturers include camera sensors with a high number of megapixels but not offering the expected quality. uleFone advised they wanted to make the difference and present a great device, so they equipped the Be Touch with a main camera of 13Mpx with a Sony IMX214 4th generation sensor. Apparently this should be a warranty, but we’ve seen many other phones with good lenses giving poor results.
Fortunately this is not (so much) the case with the Be Touch. Until now this is the best (Chinese) one on the quality of pictures and videos. There is still the point to improve when there are poor light conditions. But I repeat the quality even though is much better than with other smartphones.
Here below some examples:
Another surprise comes with the front camera, the chosen sensor is OV5648 from Omni Vision, a high-performance, low-cost 5-megapixel CameraChip sensor for smartphones and tablets, which uses the latest 1.4-µm OmniBSI+ pixel architecture. But what surprised me was to find a led flash next to this camera. No questions about the selfies fever we’re immersed on, so the flash is doubtless a way to increase the quality of our portraits.
Regarding the videos, you can see this FullHD sample recorded outdoors, and even using zoom the quality is really good.
Software
This model comes directly with Android 5.0 Lollipop, so very good news since we have the almost last version of Android since the beginning, with all the improvements already mentioned on different articles like the better battery consumption, more secure environment since first boot, RAM management, WiFi connectivity issues solved, OK Google,…
By the other hand, need to say, that no Chinese stuff (apps) were installed on the phone, very clear Android [Símbolo] Only an icon called “ulefone” which brings us to the manufacturer website.
Another of the key points on the Be Touch is the fingerprint scanner, integrated on the “Home” button. It works really fast (some people say it’s even faster than the TouchID on the iPhone 6), and the way it register new fingers is different from other sensors where we had to slide our fingers. On this case we just have to put the desired finger repeatedly on the sensor until we have the full print marked on red on the screen. Meaning it has been fully recorded.
My suggestion is to place the finger on different positions, so it catches it from different angles and completes the task faster. We can register up to 5 fingers, which is a significant improvement against other devices allowing only 3 prints.
Due to the size of its screen and its powerful hardware, the Be Touch is perfect for entertainment. I installed Kodi (formerly known as XBMC), so I can play FullHD movies and TV shows directly from my NAS over the LAN, without any lags, smoothly and with very high quality of image and sound.
Normally I just try some games like Asphalt or Fifa (no need to say they go like lightning), however, bearing in mind the fingerprint sensor I decided to install my company’s software and use it as mobile office.
Yes, the BYOD is a real trend all around us I installed MaaS360, and configured mail, agenda and other tools. Once again it’s not only the speed of everything I try, jumping quickly from one task to another, but also the size of the screen makes this device very comfortable to read emails, see (and edit) Office documents, use CRM tools… really comfortable, especially when I compared to y iPhone 5’s tiny screen.
Autonomy
As stated above on the specifications table, the Be Touch is equipped with a removable battery of 2.550mAh, more than enough for a full day with average use: calls, wifi browsing, emails, whatsapp, pictures, social networking, Office documents editing… and all that thinking that the use of corporate tools and apps consume more battery.
Conclusions
A couple of months ago I saw the announcement of the Xiaomi MiNote and I really liked it. I though it was a real alternative to first brands smartphones with quality enough and a restrained price. I sincerely didn’t know so much about uleFone yet, and others brand had showed important improvements but still not at a comparable level to first brands.
I’m not meaning that the Be Touch has the same quality of the last Samsung Galaxy S6, but honestly it’s getting close. uleFone should still improve the management of taking pictures with dark conditions and polish some other minor details.
When I opened the box, I presumed that phone was very powerful but maybe too big for a daily use and still had to test the camera results, I take pictures every day. After using it, I can say that it’s a very comfortable device, not heavy at all (just 160gr) and since it’s very thin, it fits very well on the pocket.
I completely recommend it if you are looking for a new smartphone with a lot of possibilities and for a moderated price, around 205€ with Etotalk.com
PS: If you like this post, I'll appreciate if you click on the "Thanks!" button

Just to complete the info from the review above, here some pictures putting the Be Touch (in black) together with an iPhone 6 (white)

Couple of questions.
1. How about the audio quality, through speaker, through headphone?
2. How much heat is generated by the phone when watching youtube or when playing games?
And Lastly, Can you upload some full size images? Thanks for a great review.:good:

Hi, answering your questions:
The sound is very good in both cases. For example, with the Elephone P3000S I clearly notice a lack of volume that I don't appreciate here, I mean watching movies, listening music,... more than enough. In addition the speaker is on the side, not in the bottom, so it always deliver at maximum
Regarding the temperature. After a couple of hours watching Gotham (I finished the 1st season recently hehe) chapters on the Be Touch, it was just a little hot, but for example the iPhone5 gets much much hotter when using 3G for long.
About the pictures... I have published the same review in here -> http://dabarsocialmarketing.blogspot.ie/2015/05/ulefone-be-touch-simply-amazing-with-64.html
I hope the pictures are bigger in size at least if you download them. I can tell you the quality is really good. Some friends viewed those pictures and asked me if they were the samples included on the phone or real pictures taken by me... that's why I take one of my dog (the same that appears on the video sample).
Until now it's from far, the best chinese phone I've used.
Cheers
PS: If you like this post, I'll appreciate if you click on the "Thanks!" button

mdabar said:
Hi, answering your questions:
The sound is very good in both cases. For example, with the Elephone P3000S I clearly notice a lack of volume that I don't appreciate here, I mean watching movies, listening music,... more than enough. In addition the speaker is on the side, not in the bottom, so it always deliver at maximum
Regarding the temperature. After a couple of hours watching Gotham (I finished the 1st season recently hehe) chapters on the Be Touch, it was just a little hot, but for example the iPhone5 gets much much hotter when using 3G for long.
About the pictures... I have published the same review in here -> http://dabarsocialmarketing.blogspot.ie/2015/05/ulefone-be-touch-simply-amazing-with-64.html
I hope the pictures are bigger in size at least if you download them. I can tell you the quality is really good. Some friends viewed those pictures and asked me if they were the samples included on the phone or real pictures taken by me... that's why I take one of my dog (the same that appears on the video sample).
Until now it's from far, the best chinese phone I've used.
Cheers
PS: If you like this post, I'll appreciate if you click on the "Thanks!" button
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again. But I think those captured pictures are softer in the edges, sharper in the center. May be a software prob.

What is the data rate of video files? (In different resolutions)
My question is actually what kind of sd card to buy for that phone?
Doesn't it make sense to go for the expensive ones with higher speeds or 10mb/s is enough?

drkbg said:
What is the data rate of video files? (In different resolutions)
My question is actually what kind of sd card to buy for that phone?
Doesn't it make sense to go for the expensive ones with higher speeds or 10mb/s is enough?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, bearing in mind that it records video on FullHD, I wouldn't take a slow card. Personally I always take class 10 at least. If you can take a UHS class it will be better. Think that it's not only the video recording, at least I use to put a lot of stuff on the SD, so accessing apps, taking pictures, games, videos,... everything falls on the SD card, so the fastest the better.
For me, the class 10 is working well.
PS: If you like this post, I'll appreciate if you click on the "Thanks!" button

Has anyone tried 128GB sdcard?

drkbg said:
Has anyone tried 128GB sdcard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hahahaha I'd really like, but they are soooo expensive
Tell us if you have the chance!
cheers

67EUR is not that much... ok compared to 23EUR for 64GB is a little bit more per GB but still this phone did cost me 180...

Hey dude. thanks for sharing that.

r_kalar_2 said:
Thanks again. But I think those captured pictures are softer in the edges, sharper in the center. May be a software prob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've checked but don't have the impresion about soft edges... I have published on my spanish blog -> http://t.co/w9CK2Y2w6H
and there you can view full size
Think also that for example the flower picture was very focused very close, I wanted the rest appear unfocused (I don't know the correct term in english). Anyway I hope these full size pictures help I'll try to post some ones else
Cheers!

Will this phone work with USA 4G/LTE? Specifically AT&T? I've heard the wifi range on it is pretty poor, can you confirm that?

Does anyone knows how to root this device? I tried with iRoot but didn't work.

alresave said:
Does anyone knows how to root this device? I tried with iRoot but didn't work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
kingroot?
let us know, which rooting method worked

Maor545 said:
kingroot?
let us know, which rooting method worked
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah please, I was also thinking, although I have not yet investigated. :good:

hello I bought the phone and I'm very happy, but I read in the specifications that the phone can 'do video in 2K or 4K, you did it ???
Sorry for may bad english

gagias said:
hello I bought the phone and I'm very happy, but I read in the specifications that the phone can 'do video in 2K or 4K, you did it ???
Sorry for may bad english
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4k will be supported after an ota update as far as I know

scottharris4 said:
Will this phone work with USA 4G/LTE? Specifically AT&T? I've heard the wifi range on it is pretty poor, can you confirm that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes this phone works with AT&T but no LTE does not work. as far as the wireless connection, this is true, it's not as strong as a g3 or an S five or an iPhone 6 but it isn't horrible. the build quality is very nice. it's worth what they're asking for it.
---------- Post added at 04:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:09 PM ----------
mdabar said:
Yeah please, I was also thinking, although I have not yet investigated. :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried Kingroot , I root, and framaroot.
All were unsuccessful.

Also just read this phone will get 5.1 within the next 30 days.

Database Info

welcome