Local mobile maker Ninetology is beginning
to make its big push into the market. Never heard of them? Fret not because
neither have we. Of course, this is a good time to be able to test a phone
without being influenced by silly things like branding. The box is suitably
impressive and it’s supposed to be an entry level device. So with that in mind,
let’s go give it a go.
Build
Freeing the i7400 from its holding, I was
quite impressed with how it looks. The rounded edges are common to a lot of
modern smartphones and the all black front looks like you’ve bought a phone
that won’t burst into flames. The matte battery cover feels good to hold,
providing that extra bit of friction for a proper grip. It also feels thin
without being too flimsy. Sadly, the weight balance is up near the top of the
phone. Meaning the phone constantly threatens to fall out of your hand.
Viewing
angles
The display is a pleasant surprise. It has
fantastic viewing angles - almost any direction still offers a bright,
colourful image. Even the stock Android 2.3 looks amazing on the screen. In
terms of actually having a good screen, this phone can easily be mistaken for
something a lot more expensive than it really is. In a way, the display is a
method of covering up the weaker internals and eats up quite a bit of the processors
capabilities. This is the first half of the paradox that is the i7400.
Performance
test
While the display is all flash and pomp,
the user experience is somewhat different. There's considerable lag when we
scrolled through the applications and it only gets worse when more apps are
installed. Quadrant Standard benchmarked the phone at 631, which is
ridiculously low for anything with electronics in it. Some apps don't even run
properly and crash before even starting up. Oddly enough, the apps that run encountered
no such problems; minus any latency issues. It might be because the i7400 uses
a lower end chipset, which is being the obvious hindrance to a smooth user
experience.
Take
a picture
While the smartphone performance is a
little off, the i7400 does make up for it with a decent camera function. In
fact, this strange mixture of extremes is what makes it so fascinating. I can't
quite call it a failure of a phone because the display is just downright
amazing and the camera is an excellent piece of work for this price point. On
the other hand, recommending this phone is a little difficult simply due to the
less than stellar performance. It all falls down on what one expects from their
phones. People who want a device for Facebook and a camera would find this as a
great entry level phone, while those who want more will be a little
disappointed. I would definitely love to find out why the i7400 had been
designed this way.
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Info
·
Price: $229
·
Dimensions: 124 x 63.5 x 11 mm
·
Weight: 110g
·
Processor: 1 GHz BCM21552G
·
Memory: 512MB
·
Storage: 170 expandable up to 32GB with Micro
SD
·
Display: 4-inch 480 x 800 WVGA
·
Connectivity: SIM 1: GSM/WCDMA; SIM 2: GSM
·
Ports: USB 2.0, Headphone jack
·
Quadrant standard: 631
Verdict
·
Great in some places, not so good in others.
·
Value: 8/10
·
Features: 8/10
·
Performance: 7/10
·
Design: 8/10
·
Usability: 6/10
·
Score: 7.4/10
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HTC One S - Good being the middle child
Even though HTC One S did not debut the
same time as the One X and One V, it is still welcomed here. Being the middle
child, it sports a dual-core processor and a smaller display than its bigger
brother. Standing in the middle, let's see if HTC One S is enough to receive
lots of love from first time users and keep existing users loyal to the brand.
Premium
all over
Just take a look at the One S. The design
alone is already tempting from the first look. Holding it in my hands, I am
struck with how premium the phone feels. Sculpted from a single block of
anodised aluminium, it is sturdy, thin, and nice to hold. Those who do not
favour the HTC One X's size may want to look at this because the size is enough
to use with one hand. The One S definitely sits comfortably in my pocket and I
can barely feel the weight.
Great
display
A 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display occupies
One S' front. All the pictures I loaded in there look vibrant and in high
contrast. This means getting a great viewing experience. Although it may not
have the highest of resolutions, icons and small texts still look sharp. What's
more, the black is deep enough that it is very easy to identify the different
shades the device can produce. However, I do notice that the images look warmer
on the One S than on other displays. Not to worry because it is still nice to
ogle at.
HTC
Sense and ICS
Having ICS right out of the box is already
enough to make me happy. To top that off, there is the updated HTC Sense 4.0 in
it. The clock widget is beautiful as ever and it seems that HTC toned down its
skin by eliminating the spinning carousel and more. The ICS in it is smooth and
nothing really lags in the One S. However, I am not a fan of the way its
multitask function. Instead of flicking left or right to close an app, I have
only one option to do it: swiping it upwards. It cuts of ICS' seamless flow.
Play
all movies
Despite having 540 x 960 resolutions,
watching 720p movies on the One S is great. It doesn't have the ability to
support 1080p but everything is clear and sharp enough. Even a 480p movie looks
nice on the phone. What more can I ask for? From action to visualising tantalising
scenes, everything runs smoothly with no loss of quality. To put it in a few
words: I can't stop watching shows on the One S.
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Info
·
Dimensions: 130.9 x 65 x 7.8 mm
·
Weight: 119.5 g
·
Display: 4.3-inch Super AMOLED capacitive
touchscreen
·
Camera: 8 MP with LED flash
·
Battery: 1650 mAh, li-ion
·
Test results: 3,573 (Quadrant standard)
Verdict
·
A winner among dual-core smartphones
·
Value: 8/10
·
Features: 9/10
·
Performance: 8/10
·
Design: 9/10
·
Usability: 9/10
·
Score: 8.6/10
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