Mlais MX Packs a Monstrous 4800mAh Battery

Posted on 04/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Not all of us are that interested in extreme performance, and some would definitely sacrifice a bit of that for some extra battery life. Mlais MX complements the mid-range 64-bit chipset with a Quick Charge-enabled 4,800mAh battery.

More and more Chinese smartphone makers are including in their portfolio devices with huge battery capacities, and it’s great to see that they acknowledge this demand. Mlais is among the latest to offer a phone whose battery will last for days, and even though MX’s capacity of 4800mAh is not the largest out there, it is still a lot more than what others have to offer.

At 9.9mm in thickness (the other dimensions being 145.8 x 71.5), Mlais MX won’t win any slimness contests, but that’s yet another aspect that gets sacrificed when including a high-capacity battery. That’s not to say that the phablet doesn’t look good. On the contrary, Mlais designed it to have round corners, a metallic frame and some lines that attract through their simplicity.

As mentioned before, Mlais MX isn’t exactly powered by the best-performing 64-bit chipset out there. However, Mediatek’s MT6735 (which puts together a quad-core CPU running at 1.3Ghz and the Mali T760GPU) is famous for featuring World Mode 4G, meaning that it will work without any problems in the US. For multitasking enthusiasts, Mlais included 2GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM (plus up to 64GB more via a microSD card, should you need more storage). The CPU’s lower frequency, compared to the one in the MT6752 translates into a longer battery life. The device runs Android 5.0 Lollipop, which really goes hand-in-hand with the 64-bit processor.

Another aspect that influences the battery life is the display, and the 5″ IPS display with HD resolution surely represents an energy-efficient solution. I’m glad that Mlais has decided to create smaller devices, as the M4, M52 and M7 all have 5.5″ HD displays. A smaller diagonal also means that the pixel density is higher.

For the cameras, Mlais chose the same sensors that can be seen in its 64-bit phablets: a 13MP Sony IMX214 for the rear and a 5MP Omnivision for the front. As long as the software for the sensor will be properly optimized, there’s nothing to criticize here.

In terms of connectivity, besides World Mode 4G, Mlais MX also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS/Glonass/A-GPS.

The price and launch date of the Mlais MX have yet to be made public by the manufacturer, but knowing how tight of a schedule this company has, we shouldn’t have to wait that long. For the sake of variety, Mlais will offer the MX in black, white, and marine green, and each and everyone of them looks great in the above promotional images.

UPDATE: Mlais announced on May 7 that the MX is available on pre-sale for $139.99 at the 11 resellers it has partnered up with. The pre-sale will end on May 31, and after that date, the device is supposed to have a MSRP of $149.99.

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Ulefone Be Touch Knows How to Rock Android Lollipop

Posted on 04/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Out of all the Chinese smartphone makers out there that tried to implement the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, only Ulefone got Android 5.0 running properly on its devices, and the Be Touch will prove that yet again.

There are many aspects that make the Ulefone Be Touch worth buying instead of other better known, but also far more expensive alternatives. When building this particular device, the manufacturer made an effort to include high-quality materials, some great design lines and a seamless experience as far as the software is concerned.

The name of the phablet hints at the fact that it comes with a Press Touch ID fingerprint sensor similar to the one found in the iPhone. It’s great to see that Ulefone has integrated the fingerprint scanner in the Home button, as placing it on the back, below the camera wouldn’t have been as convenient.

Be Touch is meant to feel and look stunning. Ulefone has opted for a magnesium alloy board, an aircraft-grade aluminum frame and 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 to protect the 5.5″ 1280×720 IPS display. Each and every one of these components will contribute to Be Touch’s overall sturdiness.

To ensure optimal performance, this Android 5.0 Lollipop device will be powered by a Mediatek MT6752 SoC that includes a 64-bit octa-core CPU clocked at 1.7Ghz and a Mali T760 GPU. Multitasking won’t represent a challenge, either, as the phablet will sport 3GB of RAM and 16GB of ROM that can be furthermore expanded with the help of a microSD card of up to 64GB.

As far as the camera sensors are concerned, Ulefone picked a 13MP Sony IMX214 sensor for the rear camera and a 5MP Omnivision 5648 for the front-facing one.

Connectivity wasn’t neglected either, as besides 4G FDD-LTE in the 800/1800/2100/2600MHz bands, Be Touch also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS sensors. At this price point, some would have expected seeing a NFC antenna, as well.

Be Touch’s battery will get from 1 to 35% in 15 minutes, due to a very impressive Quick Charge technology. That being said, it’s a bit disappointing that Ulefone has included a 2550mAh battery, as this capacity might make people look for power outlets before the end of the work day.

Most resellers offer the Be Touch for $219.99, but on GearBest you can get it for $197.89 if you use the coupon code BETOUCH during the checkout procedure.

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Kingzone Z1: Flagship Performance and an Exquisite Design

Posted on 03/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Kingzone doesn’t exactly have a spotless record in terms of specification accuracy, but the beautifully designed and featured-packed Z1 might represent their chance to redeem themselves.

1. Contents of the Box
2. Accessories
3. Design and Build Quality
4. Technical Specs
5. Connectivity
6. Software
7. Performance Assessment
7.1. Benchmarks
7.2. Image Quality
7.3. Battery Life
8. Price and Availability
9. Conclusions

Contents of the Box

Kingzone Z1 comes in a mainly white square cardboard box hinting that the manufacturer has included much more than just the phone. The front is dominated by the model name and the company’s logo, details that can also be found on the sides.

The back of the box includes the technical specs of the phablet, along with the standards it complies with.

Included in the box are the Z1 itself, a charger rated at 5V/1000mA, the battery, a pair of earphones, and a USB to microUSB cable for charging or data transfers. While the white charger, data cable, earphones and OTG cable look very elegant and are great for the white version of the smartphone, I wish Kingzone would have matched these to the color of the device.

There are more goodies included in the box, as the Z1 also comes with a soft TPU bumper, an OTG cable and a screen protector.

The product warranty cards and the Quick Start Guide are entirely written in English, suggesting that Kingzone intends to sell this phablet internationally, and not just in China.

Accessories

Flip cover cases with S-Cover functionality and cutouts for the camera, fingerprint scanner, flash, and external speaker are available in black and white for $14.90.

Tempered glass screen protectors should also become widely available in the near future. Should the battery’s performance drop below acceptable levels (this is something to be expected with all smartphone batteries out there), users will be able to get a replacement battery for less than $10.

Design and Build Quality

Kingzone didn’t cut any corners when designing the Z1. As I mentioned in the title, the design is nothing short of stunning, even though at first I feared that the golden accents would ruin the aesthetics of the device. There is quite the opposite effect, as the golden lines complement the overall black/deep blue design quite nicely.

The rounded corners and the golden frame are some of the first details to catch the eyes of the beholders. The deep blue front has four components colored in red: the grill of the earpiece and the three capacitative buttons, which also have red backlight.

However, there is one thing pertaining to the design that doesn’t quite match the advertised specs. Kingzone claimed that the Z1 would come with a full metal frame, when in fact only the sides are metallic, the top and bottom golden parts being made of plastic.

A 3.5mm audio jack is placed at the top, along with the microUSB port used for charging and data transfers.

Instead of a volume rocker, the Z1 includes two separate buttons for volume control, on the left side of the device.

On the right side, there is only the device button, which you won’t get to use that much if you enable screen gestures.

The bottom is home to yet another deception. Many believed that Kingzone would include stereo external speakers in the Z1, and that these would be the speaker grills. Instead, the external speaker is placed on the back of the device, these grills playing nothing more than an aesthetic role.

Technical Specs

Kingzone opted for Mediatek’s MT6752 SoC (currently the best chipset the Taiwanese semiconductor company has to offer) to power the Z1. Included in this chipset are a 64-bit Cortex A53 (ARMv8-A) octa-core CPU running at 1.7Ghz, along with a Mali T760 GPU. Considering that most users are multi-tasking nowadays, it’s great to see that the Z1 comes with 2GB of RAM. However, most recent Chinese flagships have 3GB of RAM on-board, so we’ll have to wait and see if Kingzone decides to launch an Advanced version of this phablet.

As far as the storage is concerned, Z1 comes with 16GB of internal memory that can be furthermore expanded by using a microSD card of up to 64GB. Performance-wise, the Z1 acts as a flagship, as it proves to be very snappy not only in menus, but also in apps and games.

One of the strong points of the Z1 is definitely the display, a 5.5″ IPS panel made by JDI. To tell you the truth, the above photo doesn’t do it enough justice (not to mention that the backlight of the capacitative buttons turned out orange instead of red). Everything looks crisp, the contrast is great and it’s really hard to distinguish it from a display with a higher resolution. The included display only has a resolution of 1280×720 resulting in a pixel density of 267ppi.

Connectivity

Z1 features all the connectivity options you would expect to find in a flagship smartphone. As seen in the following image, it includes antennas for GPS, Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE (in the 1800, 2100, 2600, 800 MHz bands). Since it is a dual-SIM device, it can take a standard SIM and a micro one.

The back cover has a NFC antenna attached to it, and this is yet another reason to pay attention when taking it off to replace the SIMs or the microSD card.

Besides these, the flagship also includes OTG connectivity, as implied by the OTG cable found in the box. This means not only that you could attach USB flash drives and even external hard drives (provided that they have a separate power source), but also external IR blasters that turn the phone into an universal remote control.

Software

The Z1 runs a vanilla version of Android 4.4.4. with Kingzone’s own launcher on top. Below are the lock screen and the home screen right after booting up the device for the very first time. There are a lot of current or future Kingzone Z1 users out there who wonder when and if this phablet will get an OTA update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. When asked about this matter, a spokesperson of the manufacturer claimed that such an upgrade is difficult to implement, and the company doesn’t guarantee that this device will get Android L. This is disappointing, as the Z1 would perform even better if it ran the 64-bit capable Android 5.0.

And here are the apps that came pre-installed on the device. It’s great to see that there’s no bloatware that could’ve had a major impact not only on the performance, but also on the overall experience.

The Settings menu includes two features that set Kingzone Z1 apart from many other smartphones. First of all, there are the screen gestures that make using this phablet a lot more convenient. Unlocking the device or launching apps (both predefined and custom ones) is much easier when drawing a symbol on the locked screen, rather than pressing the Power button and going through the menus.

The other feature is represented by biometric authentication in the form of a fingerprint scanner that’s placed on the back. In the Settings, you can save up to 3 different fingerprints, thus making sure that you are not the only one with access to the phone, in case of emergency. Training the fingerprint scanner to recognize your fingerprint requires sliding the finger over the sensor 8 times successfully. I wish Kingzone implemented a press Touch ID fingerprint scanner, but maybe we’ll see one in their future flagships.

I don’t completely agree with integrating fingerprint scanners in smartphones because of two reasons (even though this seems to become a trend). First of all, fingerprint scanning is not a 100% secure form of biometric authentication, as exemplified by the German hackers that broke iPhone 5S’ Touch ID in less than 48 hours after the smartphone’s launch. Secondly, fingerprints can wear out or get damaged, being altered by skin conditions or external factors. Fortunately, users are able to set an alternative password, in case the sensor fails multiple times to recognize their fingerprint.

Performance Assessment

Before getting to the numbers that show how the Z1 stacks against its competitors, I’d like to point out that in everyday activities, this phablet performs great, and could be chosen anytime over lesser devices costing several times more.

Benchmarks

In Antutu Benchmark, Z1 scored 43524 points, being surpassed only by Meizu MX4, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and OnePlus One. Sound of the noteable competitors with scores lower than that are: Xiaomi Mi4, Samsung Galaxy S5 and Huawei Mate 7. I’m sure that Z1′s Antutu score will be even higher when it gets Android 5.0. Click on any of the following images to enlarge them.

The GeekBench 3 benchmark is a mixed bag, as the Z1 scores 818 points for single-core performance, where it’s outranked by most of its competitors, and 4027 in multi-core performance, where it reigns supreme.

Vellamo is proof that every benchmarking software has its own ways of comparing devices. In this test, the Z1 scores 1522 points for multi-core performance (lower than HTC One M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and OnePlus One, which Z1 outranked in Geekbench 3), 1128 in Metal Benchmark and 2669 in the Browser Benchmark. Keep in mind that the default browser was used, so results may differ if you’re using Chrome, Dolphin or CM Browser.

Games are running smoothly on Kingzone Z1, but if you want a seamless experience, make sure you’re not running any other demanding apps in the background. I noticed that when the GPU is used intensively, the device gets quite hot, reaching even 50 degrees Celsius.

Image Quality

There’s a great deal of factors that can influence the quality of the photos taken with any camera, and the Sony IMX214 sensor the 13MP rear camera is based on makes no exception. While I found close-up photos taken with the Z1 to be particularly impressive, but images taken in poor light conditions tend to be noisy. Also, in daylight, depending on the camera’s position in relation to the sun, photos may lack sharpness or may look overexposed. Click on the collage to enlarge it.

Videos are recorded in 3gp instead of MP4, and I believe that the compression that characterizes this format affects the quality in a bad way.

Battery Life

In GeekBench 3′s battery benchmark, the Z1 scored 3433 points with 6h 17m 20s of screen-on time. To be frank, I would’ve expected more from a 3500mAh battery, and this result makes me wonder if the manufacturer has declared the real capacity of the battery.

In real-life scenarios, you might get a lot less than 6 hours of SoT, as it depends a lot on what you’re using the smartphone for. Playing games, having the data connection on at all times or using the GPS will drastically reduce those numbers. However, I also feel that there are a lot of useless background processes that drain the battery faster than it normally would (shutting down such processes or preventing them to autostart is possible with such apps as Battery Doctor), not to mention that the battery might not even be calibrated properly (it stays at 1% for days on end).

Price and Availability

Around the pre-sale period, many Chinese online stores had the Z1 priced at $210. Now, the price has settled around the $180 mark, and given some of the inaccuracies in specs, I’d say that is price is fairer. Currently, Chinese reseller GearBest has it the cheapest at $181.99, and if it’s raw performance you’re after, then look no further. You can get it even cheaper ($179.98) by using coupon code GBKZ1 at checkout.

Conclusions

Performance-wise, Kingzone Z1 is nearly at the top of the pyramid, at least as far as Chinese flagships go. I would say that if you’re willing to overlook some aspects that looked different in the manufacturer’s statements, the Z1 is worth it. Of course, there is still a lot of room left for improvements, and hopefully Kingzone will acknowledge that, and use the feedback to create even better phablets in the future.

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Mlais M7 Steps Into Flagship Territory

Posted on 29/04/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Whereas Mlais’ M52 was in direct competition with Xiaomi’s Redmi Note and Meizu’s M1 Note, their upcoming M7 plays in an entirely different league, as it comes with some top-of-the-range features.

Mlais have proved now and again that they know how to attract attention. First of all, they launched the M9, a competitively-priced low-end (by today’s standards) device sporting one of the best 32-bit chipsets made by Mediatek. Then, the company unveiled the M52, the most affordable Android smartphone powered by the MT6752 64-bit chipset, and the M4 Note, a fashionable mid-ranger. Now, Mlais have announced the M7, which brings to the table the same excellent 64-bit SoC, along with biometric authentication and a flagship-worthy design.

For starters, the MT6752 chip packs an octa-core 64-bit CPU running at 1.7Ghz, and a Mali T760 GPU. All this processing power is translated for the user into great performance, especially since the M7 comes with 3GB of RAM for extreme multi-tasking. As for the storage, Mlais included a 16GB ROM that can be furthermore extended by using a microUSB card of up to 64GB.

Mlais have decided to keep using the same diagonal and resolution as in their previous 64-bit devices, so the M7 sports a 5.5″ 1280×720 IPS display (crammed into a 149.5 x 76.8 x 8.9mm body) that’s not very demanding on the 2600mAh battery. For the optics, Mlais have opted for a 13MP AF camera with True LED Flash on the back and an 8MP 88-degree wide-angle camera in the front, for some great selfies.

In terms of connectivity, this dual SIM 4G Android phablet features GPS, USB OTG, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi, and FDD-LTE in the following bands: B1/3/7/20 (800/1800/2100/2600).

One of the most interesting aspects about the Mlais M7 is the fingerprint scanner it comes with. Privacy is playing a vital role in our lives, and being able to protect our personal data has become essential. Biometric authentification in the form of a fingerprint scanner ensures that no one is able to access our phone without our knowledge. The solution implemented by Mlais in the M7 resembles the press touch ID seen in iPhones and several other Android flagships. It combines a convenient location with great accuracy in order to make sure that the use of the fingerprint scanner doesn’t disrupt typical use.

Overall, the M7 is a flagship worth waiting for, and I’m fairly sure that it will perform great in real life scenarios, as well.

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UMi Hammer 64-bit Android Smartphone Exhibits Toughness

Posted on 23/04/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Chinese smartphone manufacturer UMi has concluded that releasing only a few devices and focusing on providing a good software experience is much better than launching an endless number of phones with minimal software support.

UMi likes to think things through and to build a community around its devices, with people that discuss ways of improving the software, and so on. To prove that it is not locked onto a single ROM, UMi worked on creating alternatives, and even developed RootJoy, a piece of software for Windows to enable people to flash new ROMs to their UMi phones with greater ease. Last year, it launched UMi Zero, a device that provided excellent value for the price, despite lacking 4G LTE. Now, the company looked to correct its mistakes by launching a sturdy 64-bit smartphone that can withstand pretty harsh use conditions.

The durable alloy chassis, combined with the Corning Gorilla Glass-protected screen, hint at why this smartphone is named Hammer. The dual glass and the aluminum frame make the device not only very durable, but also very good looking.

Under the hood, this dual-SIM Android 4.4 smartphone packs Mediatek’s MT6732A 64-bit chipset that includes a quad-core CPU running at 1.5Ghz and a Mali-450 GPU clocked at 700Mhz. The 2GB of RAM Hammer comes with are enough to ensure smooth multitasking. In terms of storage, the phone packs 16GB of internal memory that are furthermore expandable via a microSD card of up to 64GB.

While most of the other Chinese manufacturer are going for 5.5″ HD displays these days, UMi is convinced that a 5-inch screen is better, from several points of view. First of all, the pixel density is higher, and secondly, there’s a much smaller pressure on the 2250mAh battery. Sure, that capacity could’ve been larger, but with proper optimization, it could still provide juice for more than just a day.

As far as the cameras are concerned, the Hammer sports a 13MP camera on the back, along with dual LED flash, and a 3.2MP camera in the front. These might represent the main drawbacks of this otherwise good smartphone. The decent performance and the prospect of a future update to Android 5.0 Lollipop should determine most people to overlook this aspect, though.

UMi Hammer is currently available on 1949deal for $126.99, if you apply the coupon code 1949deal0808 at checkout.

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Mlais M52 Keeps Redmi Note and M1 Note in Check

Posted on 23/03/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Just when you thought that Chinese smartphones couldn’t possible be any more affordable, Mlais launched the M52 Red Note, a 64-bit 4G LTE Android smartphone that’s inspired by (and competes against) Xiaomi’s Redmi Note and Meizu’s M1 Note.

Mlais is a fairly new player on the Chinese smartphone market, having launched the sub-$100 octacore M9 not long ago. However, this company is very ambitious, as it wants to go against Xiaomi and Meizu, which are literal giants in the local industry. To do so, it launched the M52 Red Note, the most affordable 4G Android smartphone sporting Mediatek’s latest octacore 64-bit MT6752 SoC.

The 64-bit Cortex-A53 (ARMv8-A) CPU and the Mali-T760 GPU are paired with 2GB of RAM to deliver great performance on a 5.5-inch 1280×720 IPS display. Considering how high of a resolution modern smartphones have today, this might not sound like much, but the pixel density of 267 ppi is more than enough, especially considering that the human eye can’t discern anything higher than 300 ppi. Besides, HD displays are more forgiving on the battery, whereas their high-res counterparts often lead to shorter battery lives. Add to that the fact that the MT6752 is more power-efficient than Mediatek’s older chipsets, and you should get a lot of playtime out of the 3,200mAh battery the M52 Red Note comes with.

With an advertised Antutu score of 42,000, Mlais M52 is on par with the Meizu M1 Note and well above any version of Xiaomi Redmi Note, but we’ll have to wait until this phablet is available in order to see how it stacks against those two in real-life scenarios.

One aspect most people are concerned about is the software support. The Mlais M52 Note will get Android 5.0 Lollipop as an over-the-air update at first, and then it will come with this version out of the box, with the hope to get more OTA updates as they become available. Regardless if the phablet will come with vanilla Android or a custom ROM, it won’t be able to compete against Xiaomi’s MIUI or Meizu’s FlyMe OS, at least in the beginning, but assuming that Mlais will have a considering following that provides feedback constantly, the Android version might improve in time.

For the sake of diversity, the M52 Red Note will be available in four different colors: black, white, peach red and blue. While the overall build quality can only be assessed after the phablet is officially launch, one can’t help but notice how the design follows similar lines to the Xiaomi Redmi Note, while the color options could make one think of the Meizu M1 Note.

Mlais M52 Red Note can be pre-ordered on GearBest for $136 with the coupon code GBM52. The pre-sale will end on March 29 and orders will be shipped soon after. It should be noted that several other Chinese stores are running a pre-sale for this Android smartphone, but it’s nowhere as affordable as at this one.

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