This is not a Pepsi commercial, this is a Pepsi smartphone. It doesn’t matter if you like drinking Pepsi or not, this device is really good… and it doesn’t even cost a hundred bucks. Learn more in our full review.
Thanks to Banggood for sending Pepsi P1s for a review.
Pepsi P1s Review: VIDEO REVIEW
Pepsi P1s Review: UNBOXING
It all starts with beautiful presentation and all the items are packed neatly. In the box, you can find all the usual stuff and some extras like a pair of earphones, a screen protector and a soft TPU case.
Pepsi P1s Review: SPECS
Display |
5.5″ 1080p (Full-HD) |
Processor |
Mediatek MT6592, octa-core, 1.7GHz (max) |
RAM |
2GB |
Camera |
5MP Front/13MP Back |
Connectivity |
Bluetooth, 3G, 4G, GPS, WIFI, GSM,EDGE, GPRS, UMTS, HSPA, HSPA+, dual-SIM. |
Battery |
3.000 mAh (removable) |
Dimensions |
152.2×76.2×7.7mm / 158g |
OS |
Android 5.1 |
Storage |
16GB (expandable via microSD card slot up to 64GB) |
Pepsi P1s Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY
No one will ever tell you that this phone does not even cost a $100. The device sports an all-metal shell and it is well-constructed. In fact, I dropped the phone on the rocks from about 2 meters and the only damage there was – a few dings on the metal frame and metal buttons. Speaking of the buttons, they are nice and tactile.
We have a 5.5” LCD 1080p display, which is sharp, bright and vibrant, and it is one of the best panels on such a cheap phone.
Just above the display, there is a 5MP selfie camera. Unfortunately, there is no LED notification light and the capacitive buttons are not backlit.
As far as the main camera goes, we have a 13MP shooter coupled with the LED flash. Just below the camera, there is a fingerprint scanner, which is not the fastest around but it is accurate enough and it works straight from the standby mode.
The loudspeaker sits on the bottom and I have to tell you that it is one of the best I’ve heard in a sub-$100 phone.
Pepsi P1s Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE
The Pepsi phone is no slouch when it comes to the internal hardware. It ships with an octa-core MTK6592 chip, clocked at 1.7Ghz, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.
These are not the flagship-grade specs but the phone handles 3D games pretty well. I enjoyed playing Asphalt 8 on medium graphics without any stutter but the phone gets quite warm quickly.
On the other hand, the device never got too hot that it became uncomfortable.
Pepsi P1s Review: BENCHMARKS
Pepsi P1s Review: USER INTERFACE
Speaking of the UI performance, it is good too. I didn’t have any hiccups or lags. The phone ships with the dido OS, which is a surprisingly good implementation of the already dated Android 5.1.
All the icons that sit on the home screens, have some Pepsi design elements. While it justifies the purpose of this phone, I’m not a huge fan of that cartoonish look. On the other hand, the user interface has quite a few customization options and some added features like a bunch of gesture and motion controls.
Pepsi P1s Review: IMAGE QUALITY
You can’t expect much from a cheap phone when it comes to the image quality but the Pepsi phone is capable of taking some decent looking images when there is enough lighting.
Some of the low-light images may be usable but don’t expect any stellar results.
A front-facing camera can take just mediocre-looking selfies but they may be enough for social media.
The 1080p video, on the other hand, is one of the best in class. See a video review for a video sample.
Pepsi P1s Review: CONNECTIVITY
When it comes to connectivity, the phone supports 4G and it can take either 2 SIM cards or a combo of 1 SIM and the microSD card.
I didn’t have any connectivity issues. Even the GPS lock speeds were fast and the GPS was accurate.
Pepsi P1s Review: BATTERY LIFE
The phone ships with 3000mAh battery that performs quite well. The device will get you through the day and I was able to get around 3.5h of screen-on time, which is not the best result but I can definitely live with that.
Unfortunately, the phone does not support fast charging feature.
Pepsi P1s Review: CONCLUSIONS
The Pepsi phone is a one pleasant surprise, to be honest. I didn’t even know it existed before I decided to review it. The device exceeded my expectations considering its low price tag.
It has a nice looking all-metal design and excellent build quality and brilliant display. Also, the phone performs well and its UI may look a bit cartoonish but it has some nice features.
Also, the camera can take some decent looking daylight images and the phone has a good loudspeaker.
On the other hand, you have to consider that the Pepsi smartphone lacks the notification LED light, its capacitive buttons are not backlit, the phone ships with the already dated Android 5.1 and last but not least, the phone ships with a few pre-installed bloatware apps.
All in all, the $93 Pepsi smartphone may not be the perfect device but it is definitely one of the best phones you can buy at this price point, despite a few shortcomings.
