CUBOT S1 Smart Band
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Specs:
Android App from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zftx.wristband
Introduction
This is the CUBOT S1.
Hardware
As a whole new device compared to the predecessor CUBOT V2, this S1 features some really interesting features such as a built-in Ambient Temperature sensor, and much more. The IP65 certification is still here.
Of course this can't be compared anymore with the famous MiBand 2 being a new-gen Smart Band, so i guess this can be considered as a FitBit alternative.
Unboxing
As usual, the package is pretty small, with the minimum necessary to operate the device: 1x Magnetic Dock Cable, 1x User Manual, 1x Alert Message (must be charged before first usage) and the Smart Band (of course).
On the front there is the outstanding OLED screen, one of the best i have used on a Smart Band, and the panel has been kept touchscreen. Something really important to report is its resistance to scratches. Compared to the previous V2, this S1 looks almost like new, meaning that the quality of the front panel has been improved.
The bracelet is made of rigid (or hard, choose the word you prefer) TPU and feels comfortable enough, even though i would have preferred a more soft band with the ability to use all the space available on the wrist. (without air gaps, even though with hot temperatures this is much better)
On the back side there is the Heart-Rate sensor, the Magnetic Dock connector required to charge the device and nothing else. The design is pretty clean.
Just like on the V2, also on the S1 the whole body is made of Plastic, the only part made of Aluminum is the clip used to lock the wrist band position, but the quality has been improved a lot, it is possible to feel the high-quality plastic. This means higher protection from scratches and lower weight. But, there is also a negative point about it. It feels a bit bulky, especially for me with a small wrist.
Device
Screen
As already said before, this OLED screen is fantastic. It is monochromatic (white on blacks) and it is also bright enough for almost any usage. The surface is slighly too much reflective so under direct-sunlight you might need to cover the display with an hand.
Viewing-Angles are as great as you would expect from an OLED screen. Something they should have improved is the distance between the front panel and the screen itself, a gap is slightly noticeable reducing viewing angles a bit.
Heart-Rate Sensor
Unlike what happened with the CUBOT V2 where, due to my little wrist and issues with the bracelet, on this V1 i was able to measure the heart-rate in a much more reliable way, requiring less adjustments to get the heart-rate detected properly.
Pedometer and Health Management
This is another part that has been improved A LOT compared to the V2. Thanks to the new-gen of sensors, this one doesn't over-estimate (or over-measure) the number of steps, and it provides more data on the same screen without having to slide everytime.
Extra Features
Something unique, never seen before on a smart band, is the Ambient Temperature sensor. It is accurate, easy-to-use and nice to have.
There is also the possibility to start/stop the Music Player directly from the Smart Band.
Finally, the last useful feature, is the timer. I don't pratice any sport so i am not using it, but for those who do, it is essential.
Battery Life
Battery Life is something i never appreciate about CUBOT Smart Bands unfortunately. Just like the V2, also this one doesn't last more than 7 days without 24h heart-rate monitoring. I know, this matches what they declare on the website, but i still would have preferred at least 10 days.
I don't know if this can be implemented or not, but they should add an option to decrease the screen brightness during the night (or at the time you choose) in order to save battery. CUBOT, if you are reading this review, try to consider this idea.
Software
Thankfully unlike most chinese smart bands, this one has an Official App (available on Play Store for Android users) that works without major issues, and it has been also improved a lot compared to the V2 app.
The app still lacks Google Fit sync, but the amount of features has been increased, and most important, Whatsapp, Telegram, Facebook and other western-targeted apps are now supported.
The Sleep Monitor works fine, and can be programmed.
I can't find any serious issue with the app, it is pretty decent and stable, but i hope CUBOT doesn't keep ignoring Google Fit sync, something that some other brands are already supporting.
Conclusions
I am impressed by the new generation of Smart Bands, i would have never expected to see this amount of features in such a small device. Still, it doesn't mean that it is still a generation without issues, due to the battery life limits.
Apart from that, this CUBOT S1 is an huge step forward to the V2. Better App with native Whatsapp support, almost infinite features and an impressive build quality makes it, based on my tests, one of the best smart bands from a not-well-known brand (such as FitBit).
Hopefully they will be able to get some extra juice for the battery life and maybe add Google Fit sync, in order to make this device perfect. If it satisfies your requirements, i can recommend it with no doubts.
Rating: 8.4
Packaging and Accessories: 7
Design and Materials: 8.5
Screen: 9.5
Ease of use: 8.5
Heart-Rate Sensor: 8.5
Health Management: 8
Battery Life: 7
Software: 7.5
OEM Support: 9
Price: 10
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/WkzBU
Official Website: http://www.cubot.net/wearables/s1/
You can buy it on many online shops. Official, and authorized, Retailers are listed in the CUBOT website.
Related
CUBOT V1 Smart Band
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Specs:
Chipset: Dialog DA1458 Low Consumption Bluetooth 4.0 chip (same one as Xiaomi)
Sensor: Freescale MMA8652 tri-axis accelerometer
Display: 0.88 inch, OLED screen with 128x32 resolution
Battery Capacity: 80mAh, 30 days of standby time declared
Charging method: Standard Micro-USB
Protections: Waterproof & Dustproof (IP65)
Material: Bayer TPU (?)
Compatible OSs: Android 4.3 version and above, iOS 7.1 version and above
Official Website: http://www.cubot.net/wearables/v1/
Disclaimer: I do not own this device, do not ask me support question because i won't be able to reply you.
This is first of its kind for this company in this category. To me this band appears like Logical next step in comparison with the introduction of a LCD Screen. However the device is only useful if the Fitness measurements are accurate.
UNBOXING AND FIRST IMPRESSIONS -
the Packaging is compact and tidy. The Flat box has basic Specifications of the band on the back. The Band is Sold in 3 Colors of Black, Blue and Grey. I had asked for Blue color. The Box is Packed inside a Plastic wrap which is although good for water proof protection, can be little bit difficult to open. The box too is a tight fit and is slightly difficult to open. As seen, Inside the box we have the Band a MicroUSB Charging Cable and Instruction Manual. The Felt packing is an additional touch.
DEVICE SPECIFICATIONS -
The Key Technical Specifications are as follows, Rest of the specs can be found on Cubot's Website.
Battery -
Lithium Polymer 80mAh Input current：45 mA Max 65 mA (2 to 3 Hours to Charge. Lasts about a Week and Half.)
Weight - Net weight：9.5g
Waterproof - IP65
Screen -
0.88inch OLED screen Resolution 128 * 32. Communication -
Bluetooth chip DA14580
Dimensions - Total length：235 mm
Adjustable Length：120-210 mm
Material： Aluminium alloy
Compatibility - Bluetooth 4.0 Android 4.3 and above, IOS8.0 and above
INITIAL SET-UP AND APP -
The Device's screen has a thin transparent plastic Screen. This you will want to remove before using. There is a MicroUSB Port along the right edge of the device on the back for charging. The port also has a small tab to protect it from Sweat or water.
The LCD Screen has a small plastic film on it. This is not a Screen Protector and you will be removing it during daily use. On the back you have Band name and the Micro USB charging port along the right edge in the picture above. There is a small plastic tab which protects the port during normal use.
Out of the Box, the band's battery was completely drained.I had to plug in for about 3 hours to charge it fully. One thing I noticed is that the Battery Icon displayed on the Device Screen appears to be about 2/3 filled and 1/2 remaining to be charged. This is despite the battery being fully charged. This is a small inconvenience and bit getting used to. While it was charging, I explored the app. For the app, there is a QR code in the user manual (Which is in English and German). The QR Code leads to Cubot Band App.
The App is fairly similar to the Mi Band App. Translations are better and more importantly, unlike the Mi App, the app does not require any Registration of any Kind. It does not however integrate with Google Fit app, since this Band is not certified by Google I suppose.
In order to Pair the band with the App, you will need to get into the Device Management Screen. Also make sure the Device Bluetooth is turned on. If its not on, the app will prompt for the same. Please note, the device will not be able to pair with the Band on its own but the App will be able to do so. Within the app, there are 2 main Screens and 2 Settings Screens. There is a Steps screen which gives Number of Steps measured compared to Daily Goal set if any. The Sleep screen show Quality of Sleep Broken into Light (REM) Sleep and Deep (Non-REM ) Sleep. Please Note, the Sleep tracker is not enabled out of Box. You will need to get into the Reminders Screen in order to Turn on Sleep Management.
In addition to all this, the Device provides Sedentary Reminder, to be configured in the app along with Alarms. Sedentary Reminder is one where the device buzzes if you have been sitting for too long in one place and one Post ion. Also you can set optional Lost Device Alert which kicks in if the phone is too far from the band.
DEVICE OPERATION FITNESS TRACKING -
The Device Operation is pretty straight forward. You can Swipe from Right to left to turn on the Screen. By Default the band shows Time. Turning into a watch. 2nd Swipe will switch to Steps taken. 3rd Swipe switches to Calories Burnt. 4th Swipe takes you to Distance Traveled. Two Points to be Noted. The Display turns off Real Quick. Perhaps to conserve the battery. Also the screen is a Standard LCD Screen. The display looks bit faded but all right indoors. However it is highly difficult to read outdoors in sunlight. You can notice this in the 4th Picture above.
Compared to the Mi Band, it appears that the steps measurement is comparable. The Steps count is slightly higher than actual count. For 20 actual steps the band measured 32 steps. However it is not fooled when driving. The steps count remains the same. This is about same as the Mi Band.
Now as to the Sleep tracking, the device appears to come up Short. No matter how long you slept, the band only seems to measure about 4 Hours to 5 Hours of total Sleep. This does not change no matter what you do.
NOTE - The Cubot V1 is available on TomTop for $13
There is a way to let the band pick up notification other than calls, sms and wechat?
I need Whatsapp notification but the app won't let it.
guez87 said:
There is a way to let the band pick up notification other than calls, sms and wechat?
I need Whatsapp notification but the app won't let it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry for the late reply.
Unfortunately no, the app needs to be hacked/modded in order to add new apps.
I have a Xiaomi Mi band which is $17 on Amazon. It works well. It's just... I realize I wasn't in that much need for it.:crying:
Hello, I just got one of this. But it won't turn on, after i opened the package I plug it in charger, but nothing happened. Now was on charger more than 10hours and still nothing on display. Anyone have suggestion?
CUBOT V2 Smart Band
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Specs:
Android App from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zftx.hiband_v2
Reserved
Review
Introduction
This is the CUBOT V2.
Hardware
Being the successor to the CUBOT V1, the V2 is a nice step up (at least comparing all specs). This Smart Band features some nice hardware such as an OLED screen, an Heart-Rate, a Low-Power Bluetooth Chipset and an Accelerometer. Also, this is IP65 certified.
Compared to a MiBand 2, here you get the extra sized screen and an heart-rate, but there are also other things you won't get. Follow the review to know more.
Unboxing
The package is pretty small, with a basic accessories set: 1x Micro-USB Cable (no Dock is here), 1x User Manual (that explains everything) and the Smart Band (of course).
On the front there is the huge OLED screen (0.88 inches with 128x32 resolution), and the panel itself is touchscreen. As you might notice, there are some scratches here and there (that i have made), and i will talk about this soon.
The bracelet is made of TPU and feels pretty good, super-comfortable except the size. At least on my wrist, i was not able to get the right position, so i have to choose between the "too large" position (that creates some issues with the Heart-Rate sensor) or the "too small" position (the blows up my wrist xD).
As regards the back side, there is the Heart-Rate sensor (that works pretty good if you find the correct position), the Micro-USB port required to charge the device and some screws used to replace the wristband.
Before talking about the screen itself, i need to say that the whole body is made of Plastic, the only part made of Aluminum is the clip used to lock the wrist band position. Unfortunately this means that it can be scratched easily, and here you can see how many scratches i managed to get on the smart band in more or less 20 days of usage. I can't say pretty bad, but i can't say good neither. Standard Plastic has been used, so there isn't any special protection that would reduce this issue. It doesn't crack though, with a slight flexibility.
Device
Screen
The OLED screen on this Smart Band is great, it is super-bright (this made me crazy during the night though), pretty sharp and it is seems to have a Blue-Matrix, so everything looks blue with absolute blacks. (just like AMOLEDs)
Viewing-Angles are great too, the only small issue i notice is under direct-sunlight. The Plastic Cover is too much reflective.
Heart-Rate Sensor
The device has an heart-rate sensor that is 100% reliable only if you manage to find the right position where to position the Smart Band. Here, due to the Wrist Band position issue, i managed to get it working only a few times, but on the CUBOT YouTube Channel you will find a real-life test where they show its great reliability.
Pedometer and Health Management
This is what made me crazy, the Pedometer is just too much sensitive so even if i write something on the keyboard, or i do anything else that requires to move the wrist, it gets higher and higher without any sense at all.
I managed to reach ~4km just staying at home xD This is just unreal, neither i practice any sport at home. I hope they add the possibility to choose the Accelerometer Sensitivity in order to fix this issue.
Battery Life
Well...this is what disappointed me a lot (at least compared to the MiBand 2). I am not able to get more than 6 days of usage more or less. (Alarm On and Light Usage). I do not know if my unit is faulty, but considering that this is just a Smart Band i might have expected something more.
Luckily, it gets charged in less than 45 minutes, so this might compensate the issue.
Software
Compared to Xiaomi Smart Bands, here you get less than half of the functionalities. The CUBOT V2 app can be downloaded from the Play Store or from a Website Link, both available on CUBOT's website.
The app is a bit unpolished, with many missing features such as Google Fit sync, etc. but, expect the Sleep Monitor that wasn't working at all, every feature included seems to be working just fine, and the UI isn't extremely ugly too.
As you might notice, you can set three alarms and the type of notifications you want. You can get Phone Calls, SMS and WeChat Notifications, nothing else. No Whatsapp, Telegram, etc. apps are supported, at least not now.
What i liked most is the Heart-Rate Monitor, you can start to measure it directly using the smartphone while keeping track of each measurement.
What i disliked most is the Sleep Monitor, it doesn't work at all, at least on my device.
You can choose the Clock Type you want, and you can enable the Smart Wake-Up gesture (that isn't working everytime though).
Most important, the GPS feature is fake, the Smart Band doesn't have any GPS built-in. This "Jogging" feature uses the Smartphone's GPS to track your route, together with the Smart Band pedometer. I do not know why there are some signal bars together with an "Available" status. Weird.
Thankfully CUBOT added the Firmware Upgrade feature, something useful if they are working on new features and bug fixes.
Conclusions
Being my first Smart Band ever reviewed i might have skipped some of the tests so, if you want to know more, just leave here a post and i will reply you.
Compared to other Smart Band, considering its Price and the amount of features you get, i can't say that this is a bad device. It is ultra-cheap, the build quality is decent and the screen is great. Something sure is, you can't get more for this price.
If CUBOT manages to fix this Pedometer issue (that is really annoying), i can definitely recommend it. Excluding this bug though, if you do not manage to find anything better for the same price, i can still recommend this device.
Rating: 8.0
Packaging and Accessories: 7
Design and Materials: 8
Screen: 9
Ease of use: 8
Heart-Rate Sensor: 8
Health Management: 6
Battery Life: 7
Software: 7.5
OEM Support: 9
Price: 10
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: http://imgur.com/a/Ub1LL
Official Website: http://www.cubot.net/wearables/v2/
You can buy it on many online shops. Official, and authorized, Retailers are listed in the CUBOT website.
I bought this band too. Also my first one ever. And I think I would write the same review - the good BPM monitor, absurd pedometer, unfinished app... And I'd add weird language too.
Cubot v2
Very much like this review, I own one such bracelet, steps is not very precise, But it is acceptable
Call Reminder
Enyone have make to show number or name on call reminder?
OUKITEL S68 Pro Smart Band
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Specs (taken from another website, not available officially):
Android App from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.szkct.fundobracelet
Review
Introduction
This is the OUKITEL S68 Pro.
Hardware
After two smartwatches, OUKITEL enters the smartbands market with this S68 Pro, with a replaceable wristband and metal design. It is clear that this is not an high-end model, since it doesn't have many features compared to others, even though i don't understand the naming. Why "Pro" after S68 if there isn't a "S68" version available? xD
Unboxing
The package is pretty compact and doesn't include any accessory, with just 1x User Manual, 1x Charging Dock and the Smartband (of course). It is a pity that they not include a screen protector.
Unfortunately the Charging Dock is pretty badly designed, with the plastic sides touching on the screen that can scratch the surface, and, also, it is difficult to fit the smartband inside. I hope this is a isolated issue with my dock.
On the front there is a 0.96 inches OLED screen, not the biggest neither the smallest i have ever found on a Smartband, and the whole surface is touchscreen. Screen bezels are pretty compact, making the front less bulky.
This is the first smartband i have ever seen with a Metal Wristband that i must say it is pretty comfortable, doesn't make the wrist feel hot being friendly with heat dissipation, and the magnet is pretty strong meaning that it is possible keep it very tight. It is possible to replace it with another wristband but...
...i think OUKITEL's webpage is confusing, they advertise a TPU/Silicone wristband too and i thought it would have been included in the same package, but, instead, i can't find it online anywhere.
On the back side there is the Heart-Rate sensor with two LEDs for maximum precision with the sensor in the center, together with the golden connection points that are used with for the Charging Dock. I tried to clean each pin but it seems that some minor corrosion is there. Hopefully it won't get any worse.
The whole body is made of Metal with Plastic for the back cover. It feels super-solid and there are no imperfections in the assembling. Considering that this is declared "Waterproof", it couldn't have been any different, everything must be set in place properly for this usage.
Being made of Metal, it isn't light, reaching 54g with the wristband attached. After some days of usage, it is easy to get used to the extra weight.
Device
Screen
This OLED screen is pretty basic, it isn't high-res (pixels are pretty noticeable) but it is pretty bright and the gap between the touchscreen and the screen is small enough for good viewing angles.
It is also pretty resistant to scratches, probably one of the most resistant i have tried that even managed to survive some shocks. Here you can notice the amount of scratches left on the screen after almost 1 month of usage, barely visible. Still, i would recommend to use a screen protector for maximum protection.
Heart-Rate Sensor
With the dual-LEDs design for the heart-rate sensor, its precision is maxed out, and the sensor seems to be an high-refresh rate variant providing instant changes.
Pedometer and Health Management
As regards the health management, there are not many features available excluding the standard Pedometer, Calories and Distance. The pedometer is accurate and with proper accuracy (not over-counted).
I would have expected some extra features such as a Stopwatch or Timer, Exercise Counter and so on. It is a bit too much essential.
Battery Life
When it comes to battery life, this isn't a smartband that lasts a lot unfortunately, with a not balanced power consumption. Basically, i managed to reach almost 3 days of battery life with a good amount of notifications (vibrating many times), and up to 7 days with just a minor amount.
What does it mean? It means that the vibration motor is too much power hungry for such a small battery. I don't get why considering that it isn't even super-strong, but still it sucks lots of power. A bit disappointing.
Software
Unlike other Smartband i tested in the past, this one uses a generic app called "FundoBracelet". It is a good thing because it guarantees more frequent updates and also supports multiple devices, but it is also a bad thing because it means lack of optimization for this precise model. It is available on the Play Store.
The app's design isn't too bad, it looks like almost all generic chinese app for smartbands and smartwatches, but at least it doesn't lack any sync feature between the band and the app.
It is possible to sync the number of steps, heart-rate data measurements and the pretty standard sleep monitor. Basically, all features available on the watch will be availble through the app.
Unfortunately there is no Google Fit sync, hopefully it will be added in the future, and it is possible to set all types of notification the user wants to transmit to the watch.
Also non-standard apps notifications can be enabled, but, this is important, Whatsapp Notifications DO NOT WORK properly. As you can notice, only the title saying the contact's name will be visible, not the message itself (example, working just fine with Telegram).
Of course it is possible to set the Alarm Clock, but the vibration pattern can't be customized.
Overall this isn't a bad app, but an ad-hoc app created directly from OUKITEL would have been better and more polished.
Conclusions
Nowadays, in a market full of smartbands, it is obvlious that in order to get some attention a company have to choose something not available on any other smartband, and OUKITEL choose the Metal Design with a Metal Wristband, but except the design, they reduced the attention on the smartband's functionalities.
Rating: 8.4
Packaging and Accessories: 7
Design and Materials: 8.5
Screen: 9.5
Ease of use: 8.5
Heart-Rate Sensor: 8.5
Health Management: 8
Battery Life: 7
Software: 7.5
OEM Support: 9
Price: 10
You can find full-res images (I know, Quality isn't excellent) here: https://imgur.com/a/rkplo
Official Website: https://www.oukitel.com/products/a/s68-pro-74.html
You can buy it on many online shops. Official, and authorized, Retailers are listed in the OUKITEL website.
Hi there!
Below is adapted from my original review on gadgetvictims.com
The Doogee BL7000 is a bit more than just a BL5000 with a bigger battery.
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------------------
Highlights
Android 7.0
CPU MT6750T 8x [email protected]
4GB RAM and 64GB ROM
Triple camera: 13MP Dual rear cameras and front camera (Samsung ISOCELL sensor), with AF and flash on both sides. Rear camera has 2X optical zoom.
Screen: IPS Full HD 1080*1920px 480ppi with Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Battery: 7060mAh
Weight: (220gr announced), actual: 243gr naked (261gr with silicon cover)
Unpacking and first look:
The BL7000 comes with a plastic screen protection already applied and a spare one. In addition, we have a silicon cover, an OTG cable, a USB cable and a fast charger (well done Doogee!).
A SIM tray extractor and a leaflet are also provided.
In a world of bezel-less devices, this phone keeps a classic design, almost old-fashioned. The leather-style on the back adds a touch a elegance.
Despite plenty of space above and under the screen, Doogee did not squeeze any notification LED.
The SIM tray accepts either 2 nano-SIM's or 1 microSD+1 nano SIM.
With 64GB of internal storage, you might not need additional storage anytime soon, but a card of up to 128GB can be added.
7060mAh battery: Does a battery twice as big lasts twice as long?
I was expecting around 48 hours of autonomy with my usual mixed use of camera, GPS, games, videos and phone calls. I got just under 40 hours (of real life use, not screen-on time). Not exactly 2 days but quite comfortable.
With a real weight of 261 grams (with silicon cover), the BL7000 is and feels heavy and you'll have to decide if that's worth the extra autonomy.
The 12V-2A fast charging will fill up the battery in just over 1 hour. It's great to have it included in the box but not a luxury either, with any weaker charger, you are in for a loooonnng wait.
The OTG cable provided allows the phone to be used as a Power Bank for other devices.
The data/charging port is still a good old micro-USB connector and the audio port is the 3.5 mm jack connector, which is too often removed from USB type C equipped phone, so a micro-USB is fine by me!
Camera: the good surprise
All three cameras use a 13MP Samsung ISOCELL sensor.
Both sides also have LED flash and Phase Detection Auto Focus.
As we've seen so many times, a dual lens is not a guarantee to have a single good one, especially in that price range, but the Doogee BL7000 is a bit different.
The rear (one of them at least*) and front cameras do actually take very decent photos, even in a dark environment.
The 2X optical zoom works well, the focus is fast and keeps at it with no struggle, even in video recording it doesn't go hunting away.
The native camera software does the job with a good choice of options, and I didn't feel the urge to install another one.
(full size pictures are available from the original review)
Dual rear camera: the "We too have it!" syndrome...
Although the second rear camera is really there (if you block the lens, it will display a warning on screen), it is just a marketing gimmick. Sadly Doogee did not bother taking advantage of it, and it's the software that does all the job!
The picture below was taken in SLR mode (equivalent to the Blur mode on other models) and has been edited to make the focus circles more visible. Basically, everything outside the center is artificially blurred...
A Bokeh effect? that? Seriously guys!
Screen:
A Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen should not require an additional screen protection, and the touch feels smoother without it. I would have preferred that Doogee includes a tempered glass protection with oleo-phobic coating instead. (They're available on ebay for this model).
The IPS display is Full HD with vibrant colors and good contrast. I found the brightness adequate in full daylight.
Performance:
That little fatty is not exactly a sprinter and, during the Antutu screen tests, I could see that the Full HD screen was a heavy burden for the poor MT6750T.
In real life use, I found it to work very well and fast enough, no stutter while playing FHD videos, no slow down or crash with games. It just does not give that lighting-fast feeling when launching apps. This is normal for a phone which storage is encrypted by default and it does not affect the performance of execution.
A clean Android 7.0!
With 64GB of internal storage, one could expect a lot of bloat- and ad-ware pre-installed.
Instead, this ROM (build DOOGEE-BL7000-Android7.0-20170904) is an example of sobriety with nothing to spoil your craving for Nougat!
There's no Doogee customization. WPS Office and Xender are the only pre-installed apps (they can be uninstalled), leaving most of the formatted storage available (around 55GB).
Fingerprint scanner: reliable but not fast
Registering the fingerprints is straightforward but the scanner is slow enough to make me regret the absence of a Face Unlock option.
It needs a good firm press of one good second to recognize my finger and unlock the phone.
Both the Doogee Mix and Bluboo S1 are faster. Let's hope Doogee will look into this.
GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Mobile Data:
The BL7000 is needs 5 seconds on average for the first 10 satellites. Not the fastest, but not an issue either. Wi-Fi: all good, in 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz with a good range. Bluetooth 4.0 is flawless, as expected.
Most worldwide bands are covered for 4G (B20 800MHz, B8 900MHz, B7 2600MHz, B3 1800MHz, B1 2100MHz), something I don't take for granted anymore since a certain Xiaomi.
Just a little skinflint on the sensors...
This is a place of obvious sacrifices. The BL7000 embarks the strict necessary, no gyroscope, no compass.
At least, what's there (the LS/PS basically) works perfectly fine during phone calls and for adaptive brightness.
Speakers
The speakers are able to produce a good sound even at maximum volume (which could have been a bit louder). Maybe the weight of the phone helps in preventing the excessive vibrations. It's (maybe) worth mentioning that, as a phone, it provides also an excellent in-call quality.
Conclusion: Elegant and generous!
It may not have the sexiness of the Mix, but the BL7000 does look elegant and solid.
The clean Android 7.0 also feels solid and I could not fault this smartphone in any aspect.
It is definitely a very well balanced and reliable assistant of generous specifications:
4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a large 7060mAh battery.
Leaving the twin lens marketing trick aside (they all do that), the camera does a pretty good job overall with fast focusing and results that I'd like to see in more smartphones of this price range.
The star feature of this phone could however be also its Achilles's heel:
With its 243gr (261gr with the silicon cover), this phone is one of the heaviest on the market, and that's a factor to put in the balance with your need of autonomy.
The DOOGEE BL7000 is available for around €150/~180$
Good:
Elegant design, feels solid
Good rear and front cameras
Good sound quality
Clean AOSP Android 7.0
Comfortable battery autonomy
Not so good:
No gyroscope, no compass
No notification LED
Sluggish fingerprint scanner
Heavy (261gr!)
This phone has a main bug. The battery statistics in the firmware is wrong!
OraXdaDevelopers said:
This phone has a main bug. The battery statistics in the firmware is wrong!
View attachment 4297415View attachment 4297416View attachment 4297417
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your kidding? everything in this phone is wrong and nothing as people expected!! take my advise, don't waste your money or time on this phone, all this phone made of is bunch of lies and commercials, I tried unlocking bootloader which is the simplest thing and they got me stuck in "Orange State" on the logo and a bootloop, and now I can't use my "Doogee BL7000" at all, really wow. now every kid who learns to build a mobile device wants to start a company and build and sell phones. for the lucky ones who still not bought it, don't waste your thoughts about it...
After update the battery is great
And front cam is oke the back is not so great
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Alldocube released quite a number of Android tablets recently, but the iPlay 9 is the first to come with a price tag below the $100 mark. At $99, the slate offers a 9.6-inch IPS display, 32GB internal storage and phone functions. Does it have the potential of becoming a new hit for the Chinese brand, we will try to figure it out in this review.
Design
If I had to describe the Alldocube iPlay 9’s design in one word, it’d be “generic”. Nothing about the design of the slate stands out, there’s a display dominating the front, with big white bezels around.
But the one thing that surprises me is the sturdy and well-built metal-backed frame, which is not often found on budget slates.
There are only two physical buttons on the iPlay 9: a Power/Standby key and a volume rocker, both hosted on the right side of the slate.
Most ports are mounted on the top side, you will easily locate the Micro USB port there. And if you remove the plastic lid, you will also find two SIM card slots, and a Micro SD card slot. The 3.5mm audio jack, however, is sitting on the right side.
I didn’t instantly find the speaker apertures when I laid my eyes on the iPlay 9, and then I realized that they are between the front panel and the bottom side.
The iPlay 9 feels like a mid-range tablet, thanks to the unibody design and use of aluminum. The build quality is exceptionally good for a tablet priced under $100, the iPlay 9 felt quite sturdy in our hands, and we didn’t find awkward mold lines on the surface of the slate.
Display
The iPlay 9 sports a 9.6-inch IPS display at the resolution of 1280*800. It has been a long time since we saw such low resolution used on a tablet display.
With a pixel density of 158PPI, it is not difficult for us to notice individual pixels while looking close enough, especially when you are browsing text-loaded webpages or reading e-books. But the display is by no means terrible. The colors are vivid and true to life, and there aren’t any distortion viewing from different angles. The IPS panel is bright enough for indoor use under any circumstances, although it does suffer from reflections and glossiness outdoors.
Sound
The quality of the built-in speakers is a little bit disappointing. There’s basically no bass at all, nor can you hear any soundstage. The volume is acceptable for YouTube feeds, but you would want headphones or external speakers for music and movies.
OS, UI and Apps
The iPlay 9 ships with stock Android 4.4 Kitkat. You will probably be like: “wtf?” But no, this is not a typo. It is indeed weird for a 2017 tablet to run Android 4.4 Kitkat out of the box, while most of the smartphones and tablets released this year come with Android 7.0 Nougat, and Android 8.0 Oreo is on its way.
You won’t get those fancy new features brought by Lollipop, Marshmallow and Nougat, even though most apps still run without issues and compromises on the iPlay 9. Alldocube didn’t say whether the slate will get future upgrade, but from my experiences with Alldocube and other less global Chinese brands, it is highly unlikely for the device to go beyond Kitkat.
Preinstalled apps have been kept to the minimum, you will get a clean Android experience, even though it is an old one.
Performance
The slate is powered by a MediaTek MT6582V processor, which has a 32-bit quad-core CPU (4*Cortex-A7) clocked at 1.3GHz and a Mali-400MP4 GPU clocked at 533MHz. There’re also 2GB RAM and 32GB internal storage on board. With this internal setup, the iPlay 9 is definitely no powerhouse, and it is not built to be one.
In the Antutu Benchmark test, the iPlay 9 only scored 17,462, ranking behind most newly released budget phones.
In the Geekbench 3 test, the slated scored 331 in single-core and 1,029 in multi-core.
Although none of these numbers were impressive, the iPlay 9’s real world performance was pretty solid, at least by the budget tablet standards. The slate responded fast most of the time, scrolling through home pages and the settings, browsing picture albums, launching Google Play and other preinstalled apps are all quite quick and smooth. I also encountered no problem playing local HD videos and Full HD clips on YouTube and Tumblr. The iPlay 9 did struggle a little bit with bigger applications and more complex multi-tasking. Loading too many webpages in Chrome at the same time might freeze the tablet for a moment, there were also lags and stutters running graphic-intense games such as Asphalt 8 and Armored Aces.
Connectivity
The iPlay 9 has phone functions, but it does not support any of the 4G networks. There are two SIM card slots on board, meaning it naturally supports dual standby. Wi-Fi connection was solid and stable, so was Bluetooth, I had no problem connecting it with my Vifa Helsinki speaker and enjoying music on Spotify.
If the 32GB local storage is not enough, there is also a Micro SD card slot which supports cards up to 128GB.
The tablet also supports USB on the go, and with an adapter connected, it could even read the files on my mobile drive.
Battery Life
There is a 3.8V/4,800mAh Li-Po battery under the hood, and the iPlay 9 lasted 5 hours, 23 minutes in our battery rundown test (looping a 1080P video with screen brightness and volume set to 50%). In the real-life use, charging the tablet on a daily basis is almost inevitable.
Cameras
Both the front-facing VGA camera and the rear-facing 5MP cameras are quite terrible.
Photo taken by iPlay’s front-facing camera
Photo taken by iPlay’s main camera
Verdict
The Alldocube iPlay 9 is a product of the old, cheap Cube, not the promising quality-focused manufacturer responsible for top-notch devices like the Talk 9X and Thinker. As a media playback tablet it works well enough, but the overall performance is far below average, and the extremely dated Android 4.4 OS is also extremely disappointing.
Alldocube may be playing a dangerous game here by shipping a tablet with Android 4.4 Kitkat in mid-2017, while Android 8.0 Oreo is already on its way. Whoever wants to buy this slate need to consider the fact that it may not receive any firmware upgrade, not even to Lollipop. If that is something you can live with, the iPlay 9 could be a solid investment as it offers quite a lot of features for the money. But if you want a more future-proof tablet to handle more than just the basics, there are quite a number of slates which won’t cost you much more than the iPlay 9.