If you follow the trend of the budget Chinese phones, you know that manufacturers just love that full-screen design. Honestly, I don’t mind that because phones just look great. The Elephone S8 is one of the most powerful full-screen phones for less than $240. Learn more in the full Elephone S8 review.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

The 6” 2k resolution display is just gorgeous and probably the best I’ve seen on a budget all-screen design phone. It’s really sharp and it’s a great panel overall. Obviously, the tradeoff is that the phone is quite huge.

A nice glass back, a sturdy aluminum frame and precise buttons add quite a lot of a premium look and feel, and it’s just nice to hold the phone in the hand despite its huge footprint. One thing that bothers me is a hybrid SIM card tray that rattles just a bit.

There is a beefy 21MP camera and 8MP shooter for selfies that is implemented on the bottom right corner.

Now a few features as quickly as possible: there is no headset jack, which is a shame for a budget phone. The device uses USB C port, there is no LED notification light, the fingerprint scanner is fast and reliable but the display could light up a bit faster.

The loudspeaker quality is not the best but it’s significantly better than on other budget full-screen phones I’ve tested.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Elephone S8 stands out from the crowd of budget full-screen phones because it’s a more powerful phone. The device has a deca-core  Helio X25 chipset with the max. clock speeds of 2.5GHz, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is not expandable for some reason.

Even though all the specs sound impressive, I found that the phone stutters in some 3D games on the highest graphics settings. I can’t say that the phone lags but there are quite a few skipped frames. The phone gets quite warm but it does not overheat.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

Where the phone does not stutter or lag, is the user interface that is based on Android 7.1. Well, there are some weird translations like a whitelist. Also, the blue light filter is called a night light and you cannot adjust the intensity of it.

Other features like gesture controls work just fine if you plan to use them. My most favorite part is that Elephone preserved that stock Android look and feel and the phone is really fast, no matter what you do with it.

CAMERAS

The camera department is where the Elephone is also better than other full display budget phones I’ve reviewed. Obviously, the pictures are not perfect as some of them lack sharpness, the colors look washed out and so on but in general, the daylight image quality is decent considering the price of the phone.

The night images are not that good but again, the quality is a bit better than I expected.

Selfies could look sharper but I think that will look pretty good on social media.

What is frustrating with all these full-screen phones is that they can shoot videos only in 480p. Still, the videos come out quite usable for social media or video chats. Obviously, you need to hold the phone upside down both when shooting videos or taking selfies.

Another con is that the phone uses HEVC format for videos, meaning that you need to convert it before you can use it. I know that’s easy to do but it is an extra step for a budget phone owner.

The quality of the video is pretty good but the footage could look sharper and have more detail. The sound recording quality is actually pretty good for a budget phone.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

The call quality is not bad but it could be better. I didn’t have issues with other connectivity options like wifi, Bluetooth or GPS. The phone has 13 sensors including a gyroscope, so you are all set if you want to use the device with VR headsets.

BATTERY LIFE

The phone rocks a huge 4000mAh battery that allows you to use the phone for an entire day or more. I could get about 6 or even 7 hours of screen on time even with quite a few apps installed and social media accounts that usually sync in the background.

It takes just over 1.5 hours to fully charge the phone with the supplied charger.

CONCLUSIONS

The Elephone S8 is the best budget full-screen phone I’ve tested so far. I just love its sharp 6” display, the overall build quality, the speed and fluidity, a great battery life and surprisingly decent cameras.

Obviously, you should consider the fact that the phone lacks a headset jack, there is no LED notification light, no NFC, no microSD card slot and the front camera shoots video only at 480p resolution.

If you can live with these shortcomings, the Elephone S8 is definitely one of the best full-screen phones on a budget.

The post The Best Budget Bezel Less Smartphone 2017? Elephone S8 Review! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Xiaomi’s Redmi Note series has been one of the most successful among budget smartphones. I have the cheapest version of the Redmi Note 5a that costs just about $120 but it offers a lot of features for the price. Learn more in the full Xiaomi Redmi Note  5a review.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The phone ships in a rather unusual for Xiaomi red box. Inside of it, you can find all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

As far as design goes, the Redmi Note 5a is kind of plain looking and it is very similar to the Redmi 4a. The phone is made entirely of plastic and while it does not look or feel premium, the build quality is excellent.

The 5.5” display sports only 72op resolution but it is still quite sharp for everyday use.

We do have an IR blaster, a notification LED light and 5MP selfie shooter but the buttons are not backlit.

There is no fingerprint scanner on this phone whereas the Prime model has this feature.

As for the camera, we have a 13MP shooter with a single LED flash.

The sound quality via the headset jack is pretty good and the loudspeaker is not bad at all for the price of the phone.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The hardware configuration is not really impressive on the Redmi Note 5a but this is what you have to expect at this price point.

The phone has a Snapdragon 425 chip, just 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. What is awesome, is that there is a dedicated microSD card slot along with a dual-SIM card tray. I think this should become a standard feature on each phone.

The gaming performance is pretty good overall. However, you should expect some skipped frames in some of the 3D games if you play them on the highest graphics settings.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

My Redmi Note 5a shipped with the original Chinese ROM, meaning that I had to install Google Services myself but it takes just a minute to do that. MIUI 8.5 is based on Android 7.1 and if you used any Xiaomi phone before, you will feel right at home as nothing has really changed much. We have the same looks, features, customization options and little tweaks to make the phone look your own.

I’ve installed a lot of apps as usual and I found the phone to be snappy and responsive all the time and that’s the most important thing on any phone.

IMAGE QUALITY

The image quality is quite good considering the fact this is a $120 phone. However, even at this price point, I would love to see more detail and sharpness in the pictures.

The low-light camera performance is quite good but again, this is a budget phone camera after all.

The selfies look nice and clear, I don’t have many complaints here.

The 1080p video is above average as the footage could look sharper but that is the case with most of the phones in this price range.

The 1080p selfie video looks great. The sound recording quality could have been decent but there is a lot of background noise, which is caused by a poor implementation of noise reduction or other stuff.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

As far as connectivity goes, I have no complaints.  Everything, including Wifi, Bluetooth, and GPS works fine. Also, the call quality and signal reception are decent.

BATTERY LIFE

A 3080mAh battery performs very well, like on most of the Xiaomi phones. Depending on how you use the phone, you should expect to achieve 8 or 9 hours of screen-on time. Well, these were my results.

The phone supports Qualcomm® Quick Charge 2.0 technology but it ships just with a regular charger. It takes about 2 hours to fully charge the device.

CONCLUSIONS

The Redmi Note 5a is another budget phone made Xiaomi. Again, it offers quite a lot of value for the price but honestly, I don’t see any significant upgrades over the last generation models.

I would love to see a slightly better camera and a fingerprint scanner even at this price point but overall,  I still think that the Xiaomi Note Redmi 5a is a solid phone for the price but you can also check out the older Xiaomi phones, as they are very similar to this one.

What do you guys think about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5a?

The post Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A Review – Revolution or More of the Same? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Vernee is known for its budget phones and the Thor E is one of their latest models. It offers some cool features like a black and white display that saves power, a huge 5200mAh battery and a lot more for less than $120. In fact, you can sometimes get the phone for as low as $99, which makes it a bargain. Learn more in the full Vernee Thor E review.

Thanks to Gearbest for sending the Vernee Thor E for a review.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff that includes a fast charger.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

As far as design goes, the Vernee Thor E does not look exceptional by any means but it is well built, it uses a metal chassis, buttons and metal backplate, which is, however, prone to fingerprints like most of the glossy black surfaces.

What is surprising is that the phone is very light and thin considering its beefy 5200mAh battery. In fact, the Thor E measures at just 8.2mm of thickness.

Also, the phone is compact due to its 5” 720p display, which is definitely not the sharpest out there but it gets the job done for a cheap phone.

We have an interpolated 5MP selfie shooter and LED notification light but the capacitive keys are not backlit. However, you have an option to switch to on-screen keys and customize them.

One of the key selling points is a physical button that turns on the E-Ink power saving mode that switches a display to a monochrome mode and turns off some power hungry features. I think this is a really cool idea we haven’t seen on other cheap phones. More on this feature in the battery life section.

As for optics, we are looking at a 13MP interpolated camera that is coupled with a single LED flash. A fingerprint scanner is easily one of the best you can find on any cheap phone. It also unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

The loudspeaker quality is kind of poor and there are definitely some better cheap phones in this department.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

As for hardware, the Vernee Thor E has decent specs for the price that includes an octa-core MTK6753 CPU, 3GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

The phone handles 3D gaming very well. I was surprised that Asphalt 8 ran with no lag or stutter even on highest graphics, with just a few skipped frames.

BENCHMARKS

UI

I love that the phone ships with the stock Android 7 with just a few added features like gesture and motion controls that work quite well.

Also, I like that the phone is very fast on the daily basis even after installing quite a few apps.

IMAGE QUALITY

The 13MP camera can take some decent looking images in good light but since we are talking about $120 phone, they are not ideal. The main issue that I found is that the colors look a bit washed out in some of the shots and there could definitely be more detail.

When it comes to the low-light shots, they look quite terrible. Also, the selfie pictures simply look bad.

Also, the selfie pictures simply look bad.

As for the video, it is just mediocre. Same can be said about the selfie video.

CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, I didn’t have any issues with this phone. Wifi, GPS, and Bluetooth works fine and call quality is decent.

BATTERY LIFE

Battery life is just amazing. I kept switching from a regular to the E-ink mode and honestly, I could get like 5 days of regular use of this phone or over 10 hours of screen on time thanks to a large 5200mAh battery that can be recharged in about 1.5h thanks to the supplied fast charger.

CONCLUSIONS

Vernee Thor E is a surprisingly good cheap smartphone that has a few features that make it stand out from the crowd.

The E-ink display feature is just awesome and it saves a lot of power. If you combine it with a huge battery, you will be able to use the phone for quite a bit of time.

Also, I like the form factor, even though the Vernee Thor E is kind of plain looking. Moreover, the phone is fast and it can even handle some 3D games quite well.

However, the cameras remain the weakest point of this device but if you don’t use the phone for taking lots of images in poor lighting, the Vernee Thor E is a pretty solid phone the price.

The post Vernee Thor E Review – Unique Smartphone for just $99! appeared first on Gizmochina.

Moto G series has been widely successful over the years and the G5 is the new iteration of the Lenovo’s budget smartphones lineup. The Moto G5 sports pretty good specs, almost stock Android 7 and a lot more other features. Learn more in the full review.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The Moto G5 ships with all the usual stuff, no extras included.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

As far as design goes, I love that the phone is well-built, it sits comfortably in the hand and the buttons are tactile.

Also, I can manage the device in one hand due to its sharp and vibrant 5” 1080p LCD display. However, the direct sunlight legibility could be slightly better.

Even though the Moto G5 is well-built, the choice of materials does not really impress. Well, yes, we have a metal backplate, which is nice but the entire frame and buttons are made of plastic.

Also, that fake chrome plastic trim on the front looks kinds of cheap to me.

We have a 5MP camera for selfies along with the earpiece, which doubles as a front-facing loudspeaker. The sound quality is actually pretty good for a cheap phone. There is no LED notification light because the display lights on every time you pick it up to show you the essentials at a glance.

You can use either on-screen navigation keys or control the phone with just one button, which is one of my favorite features of this phone.

Firstly, you can unlock the device with the help of embedded fingerprint scanner, which is accurate and fast and you can use it straight from the standby mode. Secondly, you can lock the phone by tapping and holding the home key. If you hold the button longer, you will open up Google Assistant. If you swipe left, you will go back. Swiping to the right, opens up your recent apps and finally, tapping the button takes you home.

As for optics, we have a 13MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture lens and a single LED flash.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, the Moto G5 is kind of a low-end phone but Snapdragon 430 chip coupled with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage assures a great all-around performance.

There is also a 2GB RAM model but it costs just $20 less, so I recommend you getting a 3GB RAM option. However, you may want to buy a microSD card since the phone has just 10GB of user-accessible storage.

Once you start playing some 3D games, you realize that software is optimized to make the best out of the Snapdragon 430 processor. In fact, games like Asphalt 8 run smoothly even on the highest graphics setting, which is really impressive. Finally, the phone does not overheat.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

The software is what makes me love the Moto G5. The phone ships with almost stock-looking Android 7 out of the box, meaning that the device is really snappy and fluid all the time.

I love some added features like gesture and motion controls that work just great. My favorites include chopping the phone twice to turn on the flashlight and twisting the phone to turn on the camera. Even after installing quite a few apps, the Moto G5 has been running fast and this is the most important thing for any phone.

CAMERAS

The camera app allows you to take pictures quite fast and the app is easy to use. I love that there is an auto-HDR mode, which is kind of rare on budget devices.

When it comes to the image quality, the pictures are one of the best in any sub-$200 phone. Most of the images looks sharp, detailed and the dynamic range adjustment is pretty good. The only complaint would be that the colours may look a bit washed out in some of the shots.

Most of the budget phones’ cameras are terrible in low-light but the Moto G5 is one of the best I’ve seen in this price range as the camera does a decent job with noise reduction.

The selfies look pretty good too and there is plenty of image quality for social media needs.

The 1080p video quality is good. There is plenty of detail, the video stabilization is decent and the continuous auto-focus works fine. However, there are quite a few video artifacts and the sound recording quality is quite terrible. The selfie video quality is decent but again, the sound recording quality does not impress.

CONNECTIVITY

You can remove the backplate to access your two SIM slots and the microSD card slot.

When it comes to connectivity, I have no complaints at all. Wifi and Bluetooth work fine, GPS is very accurate and finally, the signal reception and call quality are great as on most of the Moto phones.

BATTERY LIFE

The replaceable 2800 mAh battery performs great. With my usage, I could constantly get over 5 hours of screen on time while using the phone for taking pictures, browsing the web, checking emails and a little bit of gaming.

The supplied Rapid Charger can fully charge the phone in just about 1:15 h, which is awesome.

What is not so awesome, is that the Moto G5 still uses the micro USB charging port. I believe all manufacturers should start using the USB-C port even on budget phones, to make the transition to the new standard faster.

CONCLUSIONS

The Moto G series has been one of the most popular in the budget phones category and the G5 is another solid budget smartphone.

While it is not perfect like most of the affordable phones, it is an easy buying recommendation for those who want to spend just about $200 for a new phone. Just remember to consider if the previously mentioned shortcomings are important to you or not.

The post Lenovo Moto G5 Review – The Budget Smartphone King is Back? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Leagoo may not be the first manufacturer name when you think of smartphones but the company has produced some solid super cheap devices. The M8 model has a 5.7” display, decent specs and a lot more for just below $70. Learn more in the full review.

Leagoo M8 Review: VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cwWLojeiuU[/embedyt]

Leagoo M8 Review: UNBOXING

In the box, you can find all the usual stuff and some extras include a pair of cheap earphones.

Leagoo M8 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

Honestly, it’s hard to believe that this phone does not even cost $70. It is really well-made and it uses a high-quality metal frame, and tactile metal buttons. The phone just feels very solid in the hand.

Even though a huge 5.7” display has only 720p resolution, it is plenty sharp and vibrant for such a cheap phone. Surprisingly, the display is covered with the Gorilla Glass 4 for scratch resistance. The only complaint is that the screen is slightly reflective outdoors. 

We have an 8MP selfie shooter on the top. However, there is no LED notification light and I’m not a huge fan of the on-screen navigation keys.

The backplate looks kind of nice but it attracts fingerprints quite easily. As for optics, we have a 13MP camera, which is coupled with dual LED flash. The fingerprint scanner may not be the fastest on the market but it is accurate and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode.

The loudspeaker is pretty good too. In fact, it is one of the best in this price range.

Leagoo M8 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Leagoo M8 does not have the best specs out there but it still has enough power to handle most of the stuff. We have a quad-core MTK6580 chip (1.3Ghz), 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage.

You can’t expect much from this phone when it comes to gaming but I have to say that you will be able to enjoy playing games like Asphalt 8 on the medium graphics without any issues.

Leagoo M8 Review: USER INTERFACE

When it comes to the user interface, the phone ships with a highly-customized FreemeOS, which is built on top of Android 6.0.

The user interface has a ton of features and customization options. Just to name a few, you can change themes, select different transition effects or choose from a variety of gesture or motion controls that work pretty well.

Most importantly, the phone runs quite smoothly and I didn’t have lag even after installing quite a few apps.

Leagoo M8 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

IT IS HIGHLY-RECOMMENDED TO DOWNLOAD FULL RESOLUTION CAMERA SAMPLES TO SEE THE ACTUAL IMAGE QUALITY. THE PICTURES UPLOADED ON THE WEBSITE ARE 50% SMALLER IN RESOLUTION.

The image quality is probably the best I’ve seen on any $70 phone. There is a good amount of detail, the colours look quite nice and in general, the pictures look pretty sharp.

There are some other shooting modes like bokeh. However, the results are not impressive at all.

Even the low-light photos look okay for the phone this cheap. Also, the selfies are quite sharp and will definitely do the trick for social media.

Also, the selfies are quite sharp and will definitely do the trick for social media.

The 1080p video is not really impressive but you can’t have it all for such a low price.

Leagoo M8 Review: CONNECTIVITY

When it comes to connectivity, I have no major complaints. The call quality is decent and the wifi works well. However, the GPS could be slightly more accurate.

Leagoo M8 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The phone has a replaceable 3500mAh battery that performs quite well. I was able to get about 4-5 hours of screen-on time, depending on the usage, which is a decent result.

Leagoo M8 Review: CONCLUSIONS

To be honest, I didn’t expect the Leagoo M8 to be this good for the device that does not even cost $70.

It is very well-made, it has a metal chassis and the phone feels nice in the hand. Also, you get a decent 5.7” display, decent specs and a pretty good overall performance.

Obviously, there are some tradeoffs e.g. there is no LED notification light, the display may be reflective outdoors and the video recording quality could be better.

However, if you consider that this phone produces really good photos and the battery life is pretty good, you can’t really go wrong by spending less than $70, even if there are a few minor shortcomings to consider.

The post Leagoo M8 Review – The Best Phablet for under $70? appeared first on Gizmochina.