Earlier this year, TCL had launched two new budget smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022 — TCL 30 XE and TCL 30 V.

While the TCL 30 V smartphone has been available in the United States through Verizon, the company is bringing the TCL 30 XE 5G smartphone to the US for the price of $198.

The TCL 30 XE 5G will be available for purchase in the United States later this week, starting from Friday thorugh T-Mobile and and its prepaid subsidiary Metro by T-Mobile.

As for the specifications, the device features a 6.52-inch display with 1600 x 720 pixels screen resolution, 90Hz refresh rate, and 180Hz touch sampling rate. Under the hood, it is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor.

It packs 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot with support for expandable storage of up to 512GB.

In the camera department, the phone features a triple-camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. On the front side, there’s an 8-megapixel snapper for taking selfies and video calling.

The smartphone is running the Android 11 operating system out-of-the-box but the company has promised that it will get the Android 12 update. It is powered by a 4,500mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging technology.

RELATED: 

• TCL TAB MAX launched with Snapdragon 665 and no 3.5mm headphone jack
• TCL 30 SE launched with HD display, 50MP triple cameras, 5,000mAh battery
• TCL unveils NxtWear Air and Leiniao Air smart glasses at CES 2022
• TCL 30 V 5G smartphone launched in the United States for $299
• TCL first mega launch lineup of 2022 includes six new Android tablets 

The post TCL 30 XE 5G to be available for purchase in the US from this week for $198 appeared first on Gizmochina.

Several months ago Ulefone launched an entry-level budget rugged smartphone, Armor X3. Despite its many advantages in terms of durability, there was a drawback: it didn’t support 4G networks. For that reason, Ulefone launched today a new 4G upgraded version of Armor X3, with a higher configuration and new color variants, Ulefone Armor X5. Let’s take a look at it configuration.

Compared to Armor X3, the Armor X5 comes with an upgraded SoC. It sports the MT6763 8-core SoC instead of the old 4-core MT6580. The more powerful SoC offers fast and fluent handling speed, powers premium experiences and goes easy on battery consumption. Also, RAM is upgraded to 3GB offering better multitasking while the internal storage remains at 32GB. The cameras also got upgraded and the Armor X5 comes with a dual rear camera with 13MP/2MP configuration while the selfie shooter is the same 5MP one that also supports face unlock.

As for the rest of its specs, the X5 packs a 5.5″ all-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio, a big 5000mAh battery, NFC with Google Pay support, dual-4G/-dual-VoLTE, and runs Android 9.0 Pie. There are also some creative functions for you to explore while three color variants are chosen: Black, Red, Orange.

The Ulefone Armor X5 just went available for preorder on Bangood at just $99.99 that, considering the specs, is a very appealing price. So, if it got your attention, you can go ahead and pre-order it on Banggood.

The post Ulefone Armor X5: The super-budget 4G rugged phone now sells for only $99.99 appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Chinese phone maker Doogee seems to be producing more and more rugged phones. The S50 is a pretty good device that I recently reviewed but today I wanted to show you guys a bit cheaper slimmed down version of it – the S55. It offers great specs, rugged body and a huge battery for the price of just about $150.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff and some extras include a screen protector.

DESIGN

Once you pick the phone up, it’s obvious this is a rugged phone since it is larger, thicker and heavier than your usual smartphone.

That is because Doogee S55 has the IP-68 rating meaning that it is water and dust resistant. Also, the rugged body assures that the phone will survive a few accidental drops. Unlike some other budget rugged phones, there are flaps that cover the ports to avoid water damage.

Unlike on the Doogee S50, the headset jack flap is easier to open.

The overall build quality is solid as the phone is built to last. Despite a huge footprint, it’s quite comfortable to hold the phone in the hand. Also, the device is relatively thin considering a huge battery inside.

Battery lasts for a long time, just like on the Doogee S50. You can get up to 18 hours of screen on time under light usage but if you use the phone more intensively, you should expect to get about 11 hours of SOT. It takes over 3 hours to fully charge the phone with the supplied charger which is a pretty good result considering the size of the battery.

I found the 18:9 display to be quite nice and sharp despite the fact it’s only HD+. Also, the sunlight legibility is above average.

Other features include a dual-camera system on the back, nice and tactile buttons and a fingerprint scanner that is quite accurate but there display could light up faster. On the front, there is a single camera system as opposed to dual selfie cameras found on the Doogee S50.

Removing and inserting the side-mounted SIM card tray is quite easy. You just need to open up the flap and use a sim ejector pin to remove it.

I’m a bit disappointed that the capacitive buttons are not backlit and there is no LED notification light. Lastly, the loudspeaker quality is not really good. The sound is tinny and flat just like on the Doogee S50. 

HARDWARE

As far as hardware goes, the S55 ships with a pretty nice looking list of specs, considering the price. The gaming performance is good considering this is a budget rugged phone. You should be able to play most of the games without significant lag but obviously, there will be some skipped frames and stutter in some titles.

USER INTERFACE

As opposed to Doogee S50, the S55 ships with the Android 8 out of the box. The user interface preserves stock look but there are some design changes and added features like gesture and motion controls that actually work quite well. After using the phone for nearly 3 weeks, I can assure it is fast and smooth most of the time.

IMAGE QUALITY

The overall image quality is not really good. There could definitely be more detail and the colors are usually washed out. Low light pictures do not look great either. Same can be said about selfies and the portrait shots that have artificial background blur effect.

1080p video quality is mediocre as the footage comes out very shaky.

Selfie video can be recorded only in 480p, which is really frustrating. On the other hand, the quality of the footage is quite decent.  

CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, the Doogee S55 is pretty good. Call quality is decent, there were no issues with signal reception and GPS is accurate while using for navigation.

There is also a gyroscope sensor on board so you can watch 360 content or play VR games with this phone.

CONCLUSIONS

The Doogee S55 is quite a decent budget rugged phone but it definitely has a few flaws to consider.

The main shortcoming is poor image quality. You should also know that the capacitive buttons are not backlit, there is no LED notificaitpn light and the loudspekaer quality is not great.

On the other hand, you get a nice-looking water and dust resistant phone that is well-built and it can take a beating, the Doogee S55 is quite a fast device on the daily basis and you can even play some 3D games on it. Finally, the battery life has been great thanks to a huge 5500mAh power bank.

At the end of the day, if you are looking for a budget rugged phone, the Doogee S55 might be a good option to check out if you don’t mind a few shortcomings.

The post Doogee S55 Review – Quite A Good Rugged Phone With Some Flaws 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.

Last year a Lenovo-backed company released a ZUK Z2 – a phone that had a great design and killers specs. Right now you can get this phone for just about $180 and it seems to be one of the best phones for the price since it has a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and a lot more! Learn more in our ZUK Z2 review after 1 year.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0KVJ_ogfEs[/embedyt]

Check out Lenovo’s deal page

ZUK Z2 Review: UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff that includes the USB C cable, a fast charger, SIM ejector pin and some paperwork.

ZUK Z2 Review: SPECS

ZUK Z2 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

As far as design goes, it has changed quite a bit if we compare it to the ZUK Z1.

Now we have a rather compact phone, which uses a very high quality and sturdy metal frame around the device. I love the fact that all the buttons and a dual SIM card tray are on the right and all other stuff is on the bottom. Thus, other sides of the phone look clean.

The sound quality from the loudspeaker is pretty good but nothing we haven’t heard from similarly priced phones.

Also, we have Gorilla Glass 4 on the front and rear. A great thing is that the phone has some sort of anti-fingerprint coating and it does its job very well.

We have a 5” 1080p display, which is nice and sharp but it could be slightly brighter for a better sunlight legibility.

An 8MP shooter is here for selfies along with a notification LED light on the top.

On the bottom, we have just one physical home button but it has tons of features. First of all, you can physically press it and it takes you home. Also, you can tap it and it acts as a back button or swipe it from left to right if you e.g. want to access your recent apps. Also, the button is highly customizable and you can assign different tasks. I have to say that this is one of the best home button implementations I’ve ever seen.

Last but not least we have a fingerprint scanner, which is accurate and it reads a fingerprint straight from the standby mode.

On the back, we have a 13MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture and a single LED flash.

Overall, the phone is well-built, it feels nice in the hand and it sports some flagship-worthy materials in the construction.

ZUK Z2 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

ZUK Z2 still sports some flagship-grade specs. It has a Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage without the microSD card slot.

As you may have guessed, the phone can handle anything you throw at it without a sweat. All the games ran almost perfectly on the highest graphics. However, the phone does quite warm on the top portion of the device but there are no overheating warnings or anything that could impair the performance.

ZUK Z2 Review: USER INTERFACE

When it comes to the user interface, there are two different versions. The one I reviewed like 8 months ago shipped with the Chinese ROM that had quite a bit of bloatware and no Google services. The one I have ships with the fully de-bloated ZUI rom, that is built on top of Android 6.0.

First of all, I love that the UI looks clean and it is fast and fluid. Also, there are some extra features and customization options. Besides the ability to do a lot of stuff just by swiping on the home button, you can swipe from the bottom to open up quick settings toggles, which are highly customizable too.

It would be great to have the Android 7 on this ROM but honestly, I really love it and so far it looks a lot better than the Chinese ROM.

ZUK Z2 Review: CAMERA

When it comes to the camera, we have a few shooting modes but there is no manual mode to take a full control of the images you take. Also, there are some basic settings to play with. In addition, the phone can take pictures very fast, which is probably the most important aspect for most users. Finally, the device triggers HDR mode automatically.

ZUK Z2 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

ZUK Z2 can take some nice looking daylight images with a good amount of detail, accurate looking colors and sharpness.

The camera starts struggling in lower-lit situations as the images have quite a lot of noise and less detail. Still, you can get some usable images out of this phone.

The 4k video looks really good for a $180 phone. However, the footage could have less noise and compression, and the green color of the grass looks oversaturated. See a video review for a video sample.

An 8MP selfie snapper can take some decent looking selfies for social media needs.

Overall, ZUK Z2 does not have a perfect camera but it is definitely one of the better cameras in a $300 phone.

ZUK Z2 Review: CONNECTIVITY

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with the phone as the signal reception was good and the call quality was decent. Also, the Wifi worked fine and the GPS was accurate.

ZUK Z2 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The ZUK Z2 ships with 3500mAh built-in battery and it performs great.

I could constantly get over 5 hours of screen-on time on a mixed use, which involved using the camera, browsing the web, a bit of gaming and so on.

The phone ships with a fast charger and I was able to fully charge the phone in 1 hour and 30 mins.

ZUK Z2 Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, ZUK Z2 after the buzz. With the recent price drops, I honestly believe that this is one of the best phones you can buy. Sure, it has a few shortcomings to consider but given the fact that it has really powerful internals, great and compact design, the ZUK Z2 is a fantastic offering for about $180.

The post ZUK Z2 Review after 1 year – The Best Budget Smartphone for $180? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Oukitel has made quite a few phones last year and this year is probably going to be the same. Today we have the Oukitel C5 Pro model that costs just below $70. Is it any good? Stay tuned to find out.

VIDEO REVIEW

UNBOXING

In the box, you can find all the usual stuff and some extras include a soft TPU case.

DESIGN and DISPLAY

The C5 Pro is one of those better built super cheap phones out there. It uses a metal frame that goes around the device and tactile metal buttons.

Also, the backplate has a pretty cool-looking textured finish, which is nice to the touch.

In addition, the phone is compact due to its 5” 720p display, which is pretty good for the price but it may be slightly reflective outdoors. One of the key selling points is the toughness of the display. I did not have a chance to fully test it but it is said that to have 9H hardness.

A few drawbacks would be that there is no LED notification light and the capacitive keys are not backlit.

The loudspeaker is not really impressive but it is pretty good for the phone this cheap.

You can easily remove the backplate and underneath it, you will find two SIM card slots, the microSD card slot, and a replaceable 2000mAh battery.

HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The phone ships with a quad-core MTK6737 chip, 16GB of storage and 2GB of RAM.

These are not very impressive specs if you are a gamer. You should expect quite a few skipped frames and a bit of stutter when playing games like Asphalt 8 even on medium graphics.

BENCHMARKS

USER INTERFACE

The phone ships with Android 6.0 out of the box and we have some redesigned icons and added features by Oukitel. For example, there are some gesture and motion controls. As usual, I use only a couple of them and they work fine.

Most importantly, the phone runs fast and fluid most of the time. Well, I had a little bit of stutter a couple of times but nothing major.

CAMERAS

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 phone has a an 8MP main camera and 5MP shooter on the front.

You can be picky with each cheap phone once you talk about the image quality but you should never expect any stellar results from cheap phones. The C5 Pro is no exception.

The images look okay but they are usually overexposed, oversaturated, there could be more detail and so on.

The video quality is okay… for a cheap phone. However, the sound quality is just terrible.

Download full resolution camera samples

CONNECTIVITY

I didn’t have any connectivity issues. However, the GPS could be slightly more accurate.

BATTERY LIFE

The 2000mAh battery does not impress on paper but it could still get me through the day on a mixed use. With my usage, I could get around 4 hours of screen-on time.

CONCLUSIONS

The Oukitel C5 Pro is another cheap phone from China that costs about $70. For the price, it is a decent offering and this is what you have to expect from a cheap phone. Most importantly, it does not have any major shortcomings but as most of the cheap devices, it has a few drawbacks that you have to consider before buying it.

The post Oukitel C5 Pro Review – A Decent $70 Phone appeared first on Gizmochina.

Gigaset is not the first manufacturer name that comes to your mind when you think of buying a new  smartphone but I came across a beautiful and powerful Gigaset ME device. It was designed in Germany, it’s an official partner Munchen Bayern football club and the phone costs just $140. In fact, the Gigaset ME used to cost over $500 when it was just released, which was simply too much. Learn more in the full review.

Gigaset Me Review: VIDEO REVIEW

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a4f3ie9s90[/embedyt]

Gigaset Me Review: UNBOXING

The phone comes in a premium packaging and inside of it, you can find the all the usual stuff. Some extras include a pair of earphones that actually sound pretty good.

Gigaset Me Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

Honestly, the Gigaset Me looks and feels like a much more expensive phone. It uses a high-quality stainless steel chassis, tactile metal buttons and a sheet of Gorilla Glass 3 on the front and rear.

The phone is compact due to it’s 5” 1080p display, which is sharp and vibrant. Just above the display we have an 8MP camera and a notification LED light.

I don’t like the fact that there are only the on-screen navigation keys but at least you can change the position of the buttons.

The back looks really nice but obviously, it is a huge fingerprint magnet as most of the glass surfaces, and the phone is quite slippery.

Besides the beefy 16MP camera, dual tone dual-LED flash, you can find some other sensors since the phone has quite a few fitness-oriented features.

You can track your heart rate, check the UV level using a dedicated sensor if you need to, track your steps with the built-in pedometer and once you finish your workout, control devices like TVs with the help of the IR blaster.

The fingerprint scanner is very accurate and it unlocks the phone straight from the standby mode. However, sometimes the display lights up slower than expected.

The phone is being advertised for the good sound but I would rate the loudspeaker quality as above average. Also, you will usually end up covering it up if you hold the phone in the landscape mode. The sound via the headset jack is great and I have no complaints here.

Gigaset Me Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

Since the Gigaset ME was released quite while ago, it sports a little outdated but still pretty good specs that include an octa-core Snapdragon 810 chip, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

The Snapdragon 810 chip was used in the last year’s flagships for a reason. The phone can handle anything you throw at it without any issues. There is no stutter or skipped frames once you play the most demanding 3D games. Finally, the phone gets quite warm when gaming but it does not overheat.

Gigaset Me Review: BENCHMARKS

Gigaset Me Review: USER INTERFACE

The phone runs on the outdated Android 5.1 with the Gigaset’s skin on top it.

There are not too many features to talk about except for the fact that there are some redesigned icons and the app tray has been removed for some reason.

Most importantly, the UI runs fast and I didn’t have any stutter even after installing quite a few apps.

Gigaset Me 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.

When it comes to the image quality, the Gigaset Me is definitely one of the best $150 camera phones you can buy. The images come out sharp, detailed and the color reproduction is accurate even though I took all the daylight pictures during the cloudy and foggy day.

The night photos don’t look that great but you will still be to take some usable images. Obviously, the pictures looks quite grainy buy my biggest complaint is a visible purple tint in most of the shots.

The selfies look kind of mediocre. All the images I took have quite a soft focus.

The phone can shoot videos at the resolution of 2k or 1080p. Either way, the quality of footage is just mediocre. My biggest complaint is a very poor sound recording quality.

Download full resolution camera samples

Gigaset Me Review: CONNECTIVITY

The phone ships with the hybrid SIM card tray where you can either put 2 nano SIM cards or a combo of 1 SIM and the microSD card.

I didn’t have any connectivity issues with this phone except for the fact that the sound quality from the earpiece is kind of mediocre.

Gigaset Me Review: BATTERY LIFE

The 3000mAh battery performs great. It will easily get you through the day and that translates to about 5 hours of screen-on time on a mixed use.

Also, the phone supports the Quick Charge 2.0 and you can fully charge the phone in about 1h 30 mins.

Gigaset Me Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, the Gigaset ME, the phone you’ve probably never considered buying.

Obviously, it was simply too expensive at the time of the release but for the current price of just $150, I think that it is a pretty good deal.

The phone looks and feels expensive, the display is pretty sharp and vibrant and the Gigaset Me has the specs that can still handle even the most demanding tasks like 3D games.

The camera can take some really nice and sharp pictures in daylight but it struggles in lower-lit situations. Also, the sound quality in the video recording mode is just horrible.

If you decide to buy this phone, you will probably be stuck with the Android 5.1. On the other hand, the day-to-day performance of the UI is good.

Still, the Gigaset ME is definitely worth $140 as it is a solid and nice-looking phone if you don’t mind the previously mentioned shortcomings and the fact that it will attract all the fingerprints and smudges once you use it.

The post Gigaset Me Review – Designed in Germany and Premium for $140! appeared first on Gizmochina.

After reviewing some previous phones made by Vernee, I have the impression that the company can make some quality phones at affordable price. This time around we have the Vernee Mars, which has an outstanding build quality, good specs and more. Learn more in our full review.

Vernee Mars Review: VIDEO REVIEW

Vernee Mars Review: UNBOXING

In the box, you can find a fast charger, USB-C cable, SIM ejector pin and some paperwork.

Vernee was also kind enough to send me a very nicely-made wood smartphone cradle.

Vernee Mars Review: SPECS

Vernee Mars Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

The very first thing you are going to notice is an outstanding build quality of the device. It is made entirely of metal and I absolutely love the design of the antenna inlays.

We have a 5.5” 1080p display, which is sharp and vibrant but it could be just a tad brighter.

Just above the display, we have a 5MP shooter, which sits next to the notification LED light.

The phone just looks and feels premium in the hand. Also, the buttons do not rattle and they are tactile.

As for the camera, we have 13MP shooter coupled with a dual tone dual-LED flash and PDAF.

We have a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, which is convenient to use. It is pretty accurate and it unlocks the phone 8/10, and it can do it straight from the standby mode.

The loudspeaker is placed on the bottom but the sound is kind of tinny and a little flat.

Vernee Mars Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

When it comes to hardware, the phone ships with an octa-core Mediatek Helio P10 chip with the clock speeds of 2.0GHz, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Helio P10 chips when it comes to gaming and the Vernee Mars is no exception. You should expect quite a few skipped frames and stutter if you want to play games like Asphalt 8 on the highest graphics. On the other hand, playing this game on medium graphics is much better and you may have some enjoyable gaming experience.

Vernee Mars Review: BENCHMARKS

Vernee Mars Review: USER INTERFACE

The Vernee Mars ships with the pretty much stock-looking Android 6.0.

There are not too many features to talk about except for the fact that there are some customization options like the ability to switch the position of on-screen navigation buttons.

Most importantly, I didn’t have any issues with the phone’s daily performance even after installing quite a few apps and I would say that the Vernee Mars is a pretty fast performer.

Vernee Mars 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.

When it comes to the image quality, the Vernee Mars can take some decent-looking images in daylight. I took most of the pictures in the cloudy day and they look quite good but there could be a little more detail. Also, some of the shots look under-exposed and the colors look washed out. Finally, the camera does not really impress in low-light as there is quite a lot of noise and grain in the pictures.

As for selfie camera, the image quality could be better. The selfies could look a lot sharper and there could be more detail.

When it comes to the 1080p video, it is kind of mediocre as the footage could look sharper. Also, there is no continuous auto-focus on board. See the video review for a video sample.

Download full resolution camera samples

Vernee Mars Review: CONNECTIVITY

The phone comes with a hybrid dual-SIM card tray, which can take either 2 SIM cards or 1 SIM and the microSD card.

When it comes to connectivity, I didn’t have any issues with the signal reception. Also, the wifi and the call quality are pretty good. The GPS signal may not be the best, but it may get the job done most of the times.

Vernee Mars Review: BATTERY LIFE

The phone ships with a 3000mAh battery that performs quite well. I could get around 4 or even 5 hours of screen-on time, depending on the usage.

In case you need to re-charge it, the supplied fast charge will do that in around 2 hours.

Vernee Mars Review: CONCLUSIONS

The Vernee Mars is yet another sub-$200 phone from China that aims to bring a lot of value to the table.

I have to say that it succeeds in quite a few ways since the device has a premium all-metal design, excellent build quality, and nice and sharp display.

Also, the Vernee Mars is a pretty fast performer when it comes to the day-to-day use and the battery life is pretty good.

However, the camera department is where the phone struggles. Sure, you can take some decent daylight images but the camera falls short in lower-lit or more challenging situations like cloudy days.

In addition, you have to know that the Helio P10 chip allows you to play the latest 3D games only on medium graphics.

At the end of the day, Vernee Mars is still a pretty solid smartphone for the price but you have to consider if the previously mentioned shortcomings are important to you or not.

At the moment, Gearbest has the Vernee Mars on sale and Gizmochina readers can get it for $199 using the coupon code 4ALLVMS.

Also, Gearbest has 13% OFF Coupon for phones. Coupon code: GBMBP

The post Vernee Mars Review – A Thing of Beauty! appeared first on Gizmochina.

There are plenty of smartphones out there but usually they cost a lot. I came across Oukitel C3. It is a $50 phone that has and HD display, Android 6.0 and decent design. Learn more in our full review.

 Oukitel C3 VIDEO REVIEW:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-GPsbYPyLw[/embedyt]

Oukitel C3 Review: UNBOXING

The phone ships with all the usual stuff and you should not expect any extras to come with the device.

Oukitel C3 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

When it comes to the design, there is nothing spectacular going on here. We don’t have any premium materials like metal but the phone is well built and it is comfortable to hold it.

The 5” 720p display is not the best I’ve seen but it is really good for the phone this cheap. My advice would be to remove that cheap pre-installed screen protector, which distorts the view.

We have a just a 2MP selfie shooter and non-backlit capacitive keys. You have to know that there is no notification LED light and the buttons feel a bit cheap.

The backplate, which has a vinyl-like finish is  very nice to the touch and it does not attract fingerprints so easily. Also, it can be easily removed. Underneath it, you can find 2 SIM card slots and the microSD card slot.

As far as optics, we have an 8MP camera and a single LED flash.

The loudspeaker sits on the back. You can’t expect high-end sound quality out of it, but I would say this is best speaker on a $50 phone I’ve tested.

Overall, Oukitel C3 does not look or feel expensive or anything but it is well-made, looks decent and it does not seem to break anytime soon.

Oukitel C3 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

For $50, you are getting a quad-core MTK6580A CPU with the clock speeds of up 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage.

While this spec-sheet will definitely not blow your socks off, you can still enjoy some 3D games.

Asphalt 8 runs fine on medium graphics with just a few skipped frames but no lag.

Oukitel C3 Review: USER INTERFACE

The phone ships with Android 6.0 out of the box and we have some redesigned icons and added features by Oukitel.

For example, there are plenty of gesture and motion controls. As usual, I use only a couple of them and they work fine.

Most importantly, the phone runs fast and fluid most of the time. Well, I had a little bit of stutter a couple of times but nothing major.

Oukitel C3 Review: IMAGE QUALITY

You can’t expect any stellar results from the camera on the phone this cheap. In short, the image quality is not impressive but some of the shots may be usable for social media. Same can be said about a selfie shooter.

Oukitel C3 Review: CONNECTIVITY

As for connectivity, the GPS is not the most accurate I’ve tested but it is still usable. Also, the wifi works fine and the call quality is decent.

Oukitel C3 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The phone sports a 2000mAh battery and it performs on the average. 3 hours of screen-on time was the most I could get out of this phone on a moderate use.

Oukitel C3 Review: CONCLUSIONS

So, there you have it, a $50 phone, Oukitel C3. This phone is designed for those who live on a very tight budget or for those, who just want a super cheap phone.

Sure, you can’t expect anything spectacular out of this phone. Well, cheap is cheap but Oukitel C3 is one of best $50 phones on the market. It has a decent design and display, a pretty good overall performance and some extra features in the user interface.

Obviously, both cameras do not impress and the battery life could be better.

At the end of the day, Oukitel C3 is not going to be your next flagship killer but it is well-worth a $50 price tag, despite a few shortcomings.

The post Oukitel C3 Review – $50 Smartphones Never Looked So Good appeared first on Gizmochina.

Blackview has produced quite a few budget phones and the A8 model is probably the best we’ve tested so far. It costs just $50 and it is a good device for the price. Learn more in the full review.

Blackview A8 Review: VIDEO

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzVgb0o9lFg[/embedyt]

Blackview A8 Review: UNBOXING

It was a pleasant surprise when we saw that Blackview included some nice extras like a flip-style case and a pair of earphones with this $50 phone.

Blackview A8 Review: DESIGN and DISPLAY

It is pretty cool that this cheap phone has a metal frame that goes all around the device, the buttons are tactile and the overall build quality is great.

The loudspeaker is not going to impress you much but it is actually not bad at all for a cheap phone and it easily rival some $100 devices.

The backplate can be removed and underneath it you can find a replaceable 2000mAh battery, 2 SIM card slots and the microSD card slot. Keep in mind that the phone does not support 4G network but the 3G signal reception is good and I didn’t have call quality issues.

The phone feels nice in the hand too. The only shortcomings would be non-backlit capacitive buttons and the lack of the notification LED light. Instead, you are getting a front firing LED flash for night selfies.

The phone has a 5” 720p display and it is probably the best we’ve seen on the $50 phone. It is sharp and vivid and you can’t ask more from a phone this cheap.

Blackview A8 Review: HARDWARE and PERFORMANCE

The Blackview A8 is not going to be your next powerhouse device but the specs are pretty good for the price. It sports a quad-core 1.3GHz MTK6580 chip, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of expandable storage.

This phone is definitely not for gamers but it is still possible to play games like Asphalt 8 on the lowest graphics settings.

Blackview A8 Review: BENCHMARKS

Blackview A8 Review: USER INTERFACE

The phone runs on Android 5.1 with Blackview’s skin on top of it, which removes an app tray but adds some features and customization options.

There are some themes, skins and some nice looking widgets to play with. Also, you can find some gesture controls, which work very slowly.

The UI performance is good but not perfect. You can expect some minor hiccups or skipped frames in animations. On the other hand, I didn’t have any major lags.

Blackview A8 Review: CAMERA

The image quality is not really impressive but this is what you have to expect from a $50 phone. Still, you can get some okay looking daylight images that could be used for social media. However, don’t expect great results in low-light.

Blackview A8 Review: BATTERY LIFE

The 2000mAh battery will give you just around 3 hours of screen-on time on a mixed use, which is not very impressive.

Blackview A8 Review: CONCLUSIONS

Blackview A8 is a phone that has a great build quality and even metal frame in its construction and it costs just $50.

Also, it has decent HD display, the UI has some extra features and the phone is easily manageable in one hand.

However, you should expect some minor hiccups in the UI and the battery life could be better.

Still, the phone is a great offering for $50. In fact, it is one of the best we’ve tested in this price range of phones and it can be highly recommended for those who are on a very tight budget.

The post Blackview A8 Review – $50 Smartphone Never Looked So Good appeared first on Gizmochina.