Ulefone Be Pure: A Pocket-Friendly Mid-Ranger

Posted on 12/06/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Using an old generation chipset definitely seems like a step taken backwards, but Ulefone Be Pure has plenty of features that could lure you in.

1. Contents of the Box
2. Accessories
3. Accessories
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

The white box Ulefone Be Pure comes in couldn’t be described otherwise as basic. There’s not much on it, other than the manufacturer’s logo in the front and the specs of the device on the back.

Besides the phone itself, the box includes a user’s guide in English, a charger rated for 5V/1A, a USB to microUSB cable for charging and data transfers, and a 3.8V Li-Po battery rated with a capacity of 2,000mAh.

Accessories

Since this is a lower-end model, Ulefone did not create many accessories for it, and other OEMs did not show any interest, either. At the time of writing, the only available accessory was a windowed case made from PU leather that cost around $9.

Design and Build Quality

Design-wise, Be Pure doesn’t bring anything revolutionary to the table. It measures 144×71×8.89mm and weighs 130g, fact that makes it quite pleasant to hold in hand. The 5″ display also helps with the portability, not to mention that, considering the HD resolution, the 293ppi pixel density is quite OK.

Below the display there are the three capacitive buttons we came to expect in an Android smartphone. The white backlight of these buttons is quite pleasant, and doesn’t distract the users’ attention.

The smartphone’s perimeter is metallic, and all the buttons and connectors are located where you would expect them to be. At the top, Be Pure has a 3.5mm audio jack for earphones, shortcut keys (a la Pressy or Xiaomi Mi Key), or IR transmitters, along with a microUSB port for charging and data transfers.

At the bottom, there’s only a hole for the microphone. The volume buttons are found on the left side, while the power button is placed on the right side of the smartphone.

Under the back cover, you can notice the two SIM slots, a microSD slot and various antennas. Below the back camera there seems to be room for a dual LED flash, but in fact, only one LED is present.

Ulefone advertises the external speaker as having 3D Sound, and while the output doesn’t disappoint in clarity, you shouldn’t expect an authentic surround effect from such a small speaker.

Technical Specs

Powering Ulefone Be Pure is Mediatek’s MTK6592M chipset that includes an octa-core CPU clocked at 1.4Ghz, along with a Mali450 GPU running at 600Mhz. These specs may have been great last year, but some of the recent apps and games will definitely unveil this 32-bit chipset’s limitations.

Running multiple apps at the same time is not recommended on this device, since it only has 1GB of RAM. The internal memory of just 8GB won’t allow you to install many games, anyway, and you also need to take into account that some of that storage is occupied by the operating system.

Connectivity

As expected from the MT6592M chipset, there’s no 4G connectivity in the Be Pure. Apart from that, the smartphone has Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and A-GPS, as well as Hot Knot, which is Mediatek’s own version of NFC.

From my experience, most connectivity options worked just fine, with the exception of GPS, which is known to have issues in devices based on Mediatek’s chipsets. However, there are fixes that could be used for improving GPS accuracy.

Software

The manufacturer is promoting a “pure Android experience” with this device, hence the Be Pure name. Below are screenshots of the home screen and app drawer taken shortly after the first boot, and these images attest the lack of bloatware.

The device is running Android 4.4.2, even though Ulefone showed Android 5.0 Lollipop in some of the promotional images. The fact there’s no OTA update to Lollipop is a disappointment, and while Mediatek is to blame for not sharing the source and the drivers, I also think Ulefone’s move is misleading, and could be interpreted as false advertising.

Rooting the Be Pure is quite easy, and can be done in just a few easy steps using the Kingo Root software for Windows.

Performance Assessment

While it’s real-life performance that matters, there are still plenty of people out there who rely on synthetic tests and benchmarks to pick one smartphone over another. Granted, the Be Pure isn’t as blazing fast as its 64-bit counterparts, but I did not experience any hiccups, either.

Benchmarks

Considering the outdated chipset, the benchmark scores shouldn’t surprise anyone. Be Pure gets a bit over 28,000 points in Antutu, where it ranks above HTC One, but below LG G3.

GeekBench 3 results show more of the same, with some mediocre single-core performance. Multi-core performance doesn’t impress, either.

Vellamo Mobile Benchmark emphasizes Be Pure’s low performance, even when compared to devices that were launched two or three years ago.

I consider Quadrant to be a very outdated benchmark, considering the devices it compares the Be Pure to, but in case you are interested, here are the results, along with 3D Mark score.

GPU performance doesn’t seem to be very bad, as the device scored an average of 53.6 frames per second in Epic Citadel.

The result seems to be even better in Nenamark 2, where Be Pure managed to get 54.3 fps.

And finally, here are Be Pure’s GFX OpenGL scores.

Image Quality

Some praised Ulefone Be Pure’s camera as being one of the best available on sub-$130 smartphones. To be frank, I wasn’t as impressed with it as others, and found photos taken with the 13MP back camera to lack sharpness. On top of that, there were plenty of blown-out highlights in most of the pictures taken.

Click to view slideshow.

The manufacturer even admitted on the product’s Web page that the resolutions are interpolated, and the cameras have in fact 8 and 2MP, respectively.

Battery Life

I tested the battery using the GeekBench 3 battery benchmark, and the result baffled me.

Be Pure is getting 8 hours straight of screen-on time, which is quite impressive for a 2000mAh battery. MTK6752, the Mediatek chipset that powers most of the current Chinese flagships, is said to be more power-efficient than the 32-bit SoCs, but this particular smartphone seems to prove otherwise.

In real-life scenarios, you can expect around two days of stand-by time with Wi-Fi turned on at all times, and a bit over 6 hours of screen-on time. Obviously, using GPS software or gaming will lower battery life considerably.

Price and Availability

Ulefone Be Pure is available in dark blue and white on GearBest for $129.99, or for $112.98, if you apply the coupon code BEPURE at checkout.

Conclusions

While this phone may have some redeeming aspects, such as the metal frame, the pixel density and the battery life, from the price perspective, it doesn’t stand a chance against 64-bit smartphones with metal body designs that cost less than this one. Not everyone is looking to own a flagship, and not everyone can afford one, but when it comes to buying a mid-ranger, it’s probably better to look at models that aren’t based on old chipsets.

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Mlais M52 Red Note Makes Performance Affordable

Posted on 11/05/2015 by Alexandru Chiuariu

Many Android smartphone manufacturers claim to have created Xiaomi Redmi Note killers, but Mlais’ M52 Red Note really has the specs to prove it.

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

The M52 comes in a very compact turquoise cardboard box that protects the phone and the included accessories from any damage that might occur during transportation. The pastel color of the box makes it difficult for the camera to focus, and this also seems to be the case with some of the back covers.

One can only appreciate the simplicity of this box, with only the name and the logo of the company in the front, and the specs of the smartphone on the back. Take note (this seems to have also become Mlais’ slogan) that in some of the pictures the blur is caused by the depth of field, as they were taken in macro mode.

Click to view slideshow.

Besides the phone itself, there’s not much else in the box. Mlais provides a manual that is entirely in English (sign that the device is meant for the international market, and not just for China), an EU charger rated at 5V and 1000 mA, and a USB to microUSB cable that can be used both for charging the phone and for transferring data from or to a computer.

Accessories

Even though there are four back covers available for the M52 Red Note (black, white, baby blue and peach red), buyers can only choose one when purchasing the device, and the M52 will come equipped with it. The others will be sold separately.

Depicted below is the flip cover case (actually called a Fashion Cover by the manufacturer), which is available separately for $4.42.

This particular flip case has S-Cover functionality, meaning that it can display either a digital or analog clock, depending on what you choose. The setup is found under Settings > Display > S-Cover Settings. In addition, swiping from right to left when the flip is on unveils a simplistic interface for the default media player. If you decide to use another player, such as PowerAmp (my personal favorite) or PlayerPro Music Player, the playback controls will stop the music in the app, and the default player will be launched instead. The entire process is seamless, but I wish it was possible to select the player we wish to control in Window mode, as there may be differences in sound determined by different EQ settings.

Tempered glass screen protectors for Mlais M52 can be purchased for $4.02, while replacement batteries cost $4.42. As if there weren’t plenty of accessories already, PU leather flip cases were also made, in various shapes and colors.

Design and Build Quality

Overall, the M52 Red Note follows the general design of Android smartphones, with the volume rocker to the left of the screen, the power button on the right, a 3.5mm port for headphones at the top and a microphone on the bottom. The only exception from the rule seems to be the microUSB port that’s located at the top, instead of the bottom.

There’s no metal chassis, but the plastic chosen by Mlais for the M52 is of high quality, and the phablet feels very sturdy in hand. Even the shiny back cover looks very durable, and I’m pretty sure that users won’t fear breaking it while taking it off.

Technical Specs

At 78 x 152 x 8.2 mm and 158 grams, Mlais M52 is a sleek phablet. In the front, the smartphone has a 5.5-inch IPS display (that comes with a screen protector film pre-applied) that’s bright and sharp, yet somewhat inferior to IPS panels made by JDI, and to Samsung’s AMOLED screens. The 1280×720 resolution resulting in a 267ppi pixel density doesn’t as huge of an impact on the battery as a higher resolution would have had. Still, it’s nearly impossible to see individual pixels, so there’s no reason for complaints here.

Regarding the bits that make this device tick, the M52 is based on Mediatek’s MT6752 64-bit chipset that includes a Cortex-A53 octa-core CPU running at 1.7Ghz and a Mali T760 GPU. Multitasking capabilities are sustained by 2GB of RAM, while the internal storage is of 16GB. In case that’s not enough (we all know how large music libraries can get these days), you can expand that by using a microSD card of up to 64GB.

Connectivity

Considering the price, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the M52 doesn’t feature NFC (or Mediatek’s similar, but less popular Hot Knot). Other than that, M52 excels in connectivity options that range from 4G LTE (in the 800/1800/2100/2600Mhz bands) and dual-band Wi-Fi ac to Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. It should be noted that when one band is used in 4G, the other one works in 2G. Besides that, the SIMs are not active simultaneously, so you might want to use one exclusively for data and the other one for calls.

Mlais could’ve chosen a better GPS sensor, as this one has a 4 meters accuracy, at best. Other than that, the other connectivity options perform as advertised.

Software

The phone was launched with a vanilla AOSP Android 4.4.4 KitKat, but the manufacturer promised that it would update it to Lollipop on April 10. On the day before the scheduled update, a video was uploaded to Mlais’ YouTube channel, showcasing the M52 running Android 5.0. On April 10, Mlais posted a picture on their Facebook page, saying that the update had been pushed back 5 days in order to perfect it. Some server issues led to further delays, but on April 17 Mlais released the first build based on Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Since that first build had many bugs and lacked unified storage, the manufacturer asked users to provide feedback, and soon launched another build, which also had several problems. To prove their professionalism and just how much they strive to satisfy the customers, Mlais took all the bug reports into account and released a third Lollipop build that solved most app crashes and functionality issues. On top of that, the manufacturer enabled users to pick the size of the OS partition (2/4/5GB), depending on their needs.

Check the above images to see the KitKat home screen and the app drawer as they were at the moment of the first boot. For comparison, below are the Lollipop home screen and app drawer.

The only downside is that for the time being, the Lollipop update is not offered OTA, and users have to flash the newest build manually, after rooting KitKat. Fortunately, Kingo Root can take care of that problem in a few simple steps.

Mlais posted a video on their YouTube channel detailing the steps required for manually flashing the device.

One of the aspects that sets the M52 apart from some of its competitors is the presence of off-screen gestures. The following screenshots include the settings for such gestures, and it should be noted that they are the same for both Android 4.4 KitKat and 5.0 Lollipop.

There are a few predefined gestures, but users can also establish what actions should occur when a certain letter is drawn onto the display.

Performance Assessment

Over the four weeks I used the M52 as my daily driver, I noticed that it is very responsive in menus, apps and games. In fact, the M52 seemed faster than more expensive devices based on the same chipset. The following benchmarks confirm that the phablet can offer performance without forcing users to spend insane amounts of money.

Benchmarks

First, I ran Antutu Benchmark in KitKat, and the score of 44,610 points was already impressive, in comparison to Xiaomi Mi4, Samsung Galaxy S5, Huawei Mate 7 or HTC ONE X M8.

After updating to Android 5.0, the M52 really showed its muscles, obtaining 47,126 points in Antutu. Some users even reported getting scores as high as 49K, but even with my score, Mlais’ device outranks the OnePlus One.

I ran the other benchmarks under KitKat, but the results in Lollipop should be even better. In GeekBench 3, the chipset proved to have lower performance in single-core tests than its counterparts, whereas in the multi-core tests it ranked higher than all of them.

Image Quality

The cameras seem to be one of the weakest points of the M52, as the phablet features an 8MP Sony IMX219 on the back and a 5MP OmniVision 5648 in the front. The manufacturer claimed that the resolutions are 13 and 8MP, respectively, but these were obtained by using interpolation.

In daylight, M52’s rear camera produces decent photos, even though some details look burnt and over-exposed if shot in strong sunlight. Sharpness could’ve been better, too. On the other hand. in poor light conditions, the amount of noise is very noticeable.

I have no complaints regarding how fast the rear camera focuses, but I truly hope that Mlais will use better sensors in their future devices.

Battery Life

The GeekBench 3 battery test revealed that M52’s battery can provide 5h 57m of screen-on time, indicating that the capacity might actually be smaller than 3200mAh.

The fact that there are many unnecessary processes running in the background also has a major impact on the battery life, but this aspect can be changed by installing Battery Doctor or a similar app.

Price and Availability

The MSRP of the Mlais M52 Red Note is $159.99, but during the pre-sale some resellers offered it for as low as $129 with coupons applied during checkout. Now, most China stores sell it for $149.99, and considering that the price also includes free worldwide shipping in most cases, this is quite a bargain.

Conclusions

Touted as the world’s cheapest Android device running on Mediatek’s 64-bit MT6752 chipset, the M52 Red Note is quite possibly the best smartphone you could get for around $140. The build quality and the performance make this phablet a tough competitor. With some proper software, either in the form of a custom ROM or a very optimized vanilla Android, Mlais M52 could become a force to be reckoned with.

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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.

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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