Today we have a phone that is super slim, compact and made of metal – Cubot X17. Find out more in our full review.

Thanks to Cubot Official for sending Cubot X17 for a review. 

Cubot X17 Review: Video

Cubot X17 Review: Specs

Display	5″ 1080p (Full-HD)
Processor	MTK6735, 64-bit, quad-core, 1.3GHz
RAM	3GB
Camera	8MP Front/16MP Back
Connectivity	Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-SIM, FDD-LTE B1/B3/B7
Battery	2.500 mAh (non-removable)
Dimensions	143.4 x 69.4mm x 6.1 mm / 163g
OS	Android 5.1
Storage	16GB (expandable via microSD card slot up to 64GB)

Cubot X17 Review: UNBOXING

The phone comes with a charging brick and USB cable, SIM ejector pin, instruction manuals, screen protector and a a nice soft plastic case, which is always a nice addition to have.

Cubot X17 Review: DESIGN

As far as design, we are looking at a very thin device as its thickness measures at just 6.1mm. The Cubot X17 has a nice metal frame and it is a compact phone due to its 5” display.

Besides the usual stuff you would expect, on the front there is LED light, 8MP shooter for selfies and 3 capacitive buttons, which are, however, not backlit.

The back is made of metal expect for the top and bottom parts, which sport plastic material. As far as optics, we have a 13MP snapper, which is interpolated to 16MP and it is supplemented with a dual LED flash.

On the bottom, there is a speaker grill.

On the right, there is a conveniently placed and tactile volume rocker and a power key, on the left there is  a SIM card tray, which can take either 2 SIM cards or a combo of 1 SIM card and the microSD card.

On the top we have a headset jack and on the bottom there is a micro USB port.

Overall, the phone feels solid, it is well build and it uses some quality materials in its construction.

Cubot X17 design gallery:

Cubot X17 Review: DISPLAY

When it comes to the display, a 5” 1080p panel is not bad at all as it bright enough, colours look natural and it has good viewing angles as it is an LCD panel after all.

Cubot X17 Review: UI

Cubot X17 comes with almost stock looking Android 5.1 out of the box. We don’t have any bloatware and the UI is running smoothly.

Some of the notable features would be gesture controls we’ve seen on a lot of phones. All of them working okay but could be a bit faster and more responsive at times.

Also, if you don’t like the pre-installed gestures, you can assign them to the tasks you want.

Overall, the UI performance is snappy and I didn’t have any hiccups during my review period.

Cubot X17 Review: BENCHMARKS

Cubot X17 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

Cubot X17 has an MTK6735 chip with the clock speeds of 1.3GHz, generous 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

The result of it is… meh.. 3D games do not work well as there is a lot of stutter and lag, and I simply cannot recommend this device for serious gamers out there.

Cubot X17 Review: MULTIMEDIA

When it comes to the multimedia, I wasn’t really impressed by the loudspeaker. Well, usually you do not get anything spectacular from a budget phone like this and Cubot X17 is no exception. The sound is tinny and it lacks depth. As far as sound via earphones, it’s okay and it is on par with many other budget phones.

Cubot X17 Review: CAMERA and IMAGE QUALITY

Cubot X17 has a 13MP camera sensor that is interpolated to 16MP.

The images that are produced by the camera are just mediocre and the results are inconsistent. Sometimes you can take some great looking images but more often than not, the pictures have softer focus on the corners or even on a huge part of the image. Also, there is a significant amount of noise even in the daylight shots. While the level of details is good, the colour reproduction is a hit or miss.

Cubot X17 Review: VIDEO QUALITY

When it comes to video recording, the footage is just average. See a video review or download a video sample from the link below.

Cubot X17 Review: CONNECTIVITY

As far as connectivity, I have no complaints. Call quality is okay, Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity are stable and GPS is accurate.

Cubot X17 Review: BATTERY LIFE

As far as battery life, 2500mAh unit is not really impressive but it’s not terrible either given the 5” 1080p display. I could get just over 3 hours of screen-on time on average use. You may get around 4 hours if you reduce the brightness significantly.

Cubot X17 Review: CONCLUSIONS

If you are looking for a phone that it is very slim, has a decent design and good build quality, Cubot X17 is a decent choice. Also, this phone is compact and the 5” display is pretty good, and the UI performance is great.

However, you have to keep in mind that the loudspeaker is not really impressive, image as well as video quality could see a some improvements, and the battery life is not that great due to a slim profile of the device.

All in all, Cubot X17 is a beautifully crafted and super slim phone with good day to day performance but you have to consider some shortcomings as on any other phone.