Cubot Note S smartphone: reviews, technical specifications

Smartphone Cubot Note S - a budget gadget from a relatively young Chinese brand. Despite the fact that the company can not boast of any variety of rulers, nor any other advantages in terms of design and technology of devices, it manages to successfully develop the series after series. And this is already talking about the quality of the products and, let a small, but loyal army of fans.

The new Cubot Note S phone is positioned as a budgetary issue, not exceeding the price level of 7 thousand rubles. Fablet he was christened for the corresponding diagonal of the screen of 5.5 inches and the presence of the stylus in the kit. The price is well knocked down by the inexpensive hardware platform MTK based on the quad-core processor Cubot Note S MT6580. This chip has average characteristics and on benchmarks is kept approximately at the level of Snapdragon 400 and Exynos 4412, under which came the "Iksperiya S3" from "Sony", Zenfone 5 from "Asus" and Samsung Note 2. But even then the graphics core Mali 400MP series is noticeable Lagged behind the competition.

We will analyze in more detail and find out what kind of a new budget Cubot Note S (review, technical characteristics, capabilities of the device - further) and draw the appropriate conclusions - it is worth buying it or not. In the calculation will be taken the opinions of specialists along with reviews of ordinary gadget owners.

Equipment

The Fablet is packed in a very pretty and neat box, where we will see the Cubot Note S itself, a silicone case, a modest stylus, a 5V / 1A charger, a micro USB cable for charging the gadget and synchronizing with a personal computer, as well as a short manual , And in English.

The smartphone is carefully packed in a special shipping film and additionally protected by a silicone case. The presence of the latter greatly pleases, but disappoints the lack of headphones and OTG adapter for Cubot Note S. Reviews on this occasion vary greatly: someone quite enough of the completeness of the device, and someone puts as an example other brands, outraged by the lack of a smart headset, special adapters and Other accessories.

Design

The model turned out to be typical for the budget segment of the phabetes - a screen of 5.5 inches and a good battery at 4150 mAh. Dimensions turned out to be appropriate: 77.2 x 152.3 x 8 mm with a solid weight of 163 grams, where the lion's share, naturally, takes the battery.

Appearance Cubot Note S (Black / White) seems not to reject, but does not attract. The main controls are located on the standard: on the right above - the volume rocker and the power button, the touch keys - under the screen.

Assembly Features

At the top we see a micro USB connector and an audio output. The speaker is covered with a mesh of metal. In the lower part is a microphone, and partially under the protective glass of the screen. There is no duplicating microphone, which means that there is no noise reduction in the device. On the back at the top there is a little bulging camera eye, and a little to the right - a flashlight.

One of the most interesting details is a protective glass with slightly rounded edges, made using the technology 2.5D. This nuance makes the gadget more accurate and presentable unlike similar budget employees with straight corners on the faces. It even gives a touch of solidity and high cost to the Cubot Note S. It was very warmly received by the owners, even if it was a small, but quite literate design move.

The device though has a removable back cover, but surprisingly high-quality: without squeaks and any backlash - a full sense of solidity. A little bit upsetting the absence of an indicator of events, but otherwise nothing bad or good about the design of the model can not be said - it's a matter of everyone's taste. Naturally, I would like to be thinner and lighter, but if only not to the detriment of the offline Cubot Note S. The owners' reviews of the phablet are closely followed by a very obvious similarity with Redmi Note 2 from Xiaomi. They almost all the basic parameters coincide, only "Kubot" is 0.2 mm thicker, and the autonomous characteristics are more interesting for him.

Screen

At its 5.5 inches, the screen has a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. The design is not the best, but still the pixelation is barely noticeable, and even then, if you look closely at the Cubot Note S. Overview and color coverage at a very decent level, thanks to the IPS matrix, the picture is bright and juicy. The maximum brightness is enough to work with the device on a sunny day.

Viewing angles though have a good margin for turning, but flipping photos or watching movies in the company of friends is not very comfortable: the lateral areas are inverted, and the upper and lower ones fade, even with an average degree change (> 35 °) of the Cubot Note S. More than once noted this feature, but it is impossible to call it critical at this price.

Sensor

The sensor in the model is quite sensitive, there is no inconvenience or discomfort during the operation. Maybe the finger does not slip as fast as one would like, but it does not leave a lot of prints, thanks to an intelligent oleophobic coating. Nevertheless, the model does not have the protection of the GorillaGlass type or the like, so it is better to buy a protective glass and not remove the factory film.

It is also worth noting that the sensor has one very interesting functional component that is lacking in other budget models - SmartWake, that is, the awakening of a gadget on a double tap and the management of the desktop, along with calls using the drawing method on the screen. The technology of wireless image transmission (WirelessDisplay) is also present.

The only thing that a little upset some owners is the light sensor. It seems to be working, but it's too step-by-step, and speed, just like the spread of borders, does not shine.

Performance

The heart of the Cubot Note S is the MT6580. This is a four-core processor from "Mediatech" with a frequency spread of 420-1300 MHz on the ARMv7-A architecture. The core has a relatively good energy efficiency on those. Process in 28 nm.

The graphics is managed by the well-proven "Mali" chip of the 400MP2 series with high-resolution video hardware support and OpenGL ES 2.0. On board there is 16 GB of internal memory and 2 GB of operative, where the user needs about 12 GB, which is enough for many owners. If the amount of internal memory is sorely lacking, then you can easily expand it to 32 GB using micro SD.

Autonomous work

That's what really pleases, so it's the battery life of the device. If the batteries of similar gadgets of this segment do not exceed 3000 mAh, then Kubot has on its board a heavy but powerful autonomous argument at 4150 mAh.

At maximum brightness, without connecting energy-saving modes, the phablet played video in HD-format for slightly more than eight hours. The only drawback, which complains to owners in their reviews, is the duration of charging (almost 4 hours). And to do something with this, alas, it is impossible: neither the change of the charger nor any manipulations with the controller will help.

Under the standard operating scenario, Kubot holds about half a day longer than similar budgetary phallets. This largely allocates a gadget among the mass of inexpensive smartphones.

Summarizing

Before deciding for yourself, to buy a device or not, let's designate the main advantages of the gadget along with the shortcomings.

Pros:

• Good screen and detailed settings;
• "Naked" "Android" without wired applications;
• 2 GB of RAM on board;
• Excellent performance of autonomous work;
• price.

Minuses:

• Out-of-date video chip (low performance in games and friezes on Full HD video);
• The possibilities and characteristics of the camera leave much to be desired;
• There is no event indicator.

As a result, we see more advantages than disadvantages, and the advantages are more pronounced. Find an intelligent phablet for less than 7 thousand rubles with such characteristics is very difficult. The model is well-assembled, has a large screen and good performance. The gadget will not fall apart on the road, and additionally purchased protection (inexpensive and proprietary) will protect the screen from scratches and damages. The technical capabilities of the device will last for about two to three years, which is good even for the tablet category, not to mention smartphones.

In general, if you do not make serious claims to games and to watch video in high resolution, then the model will perfectly fit into your everyday life, and for a very democratic price. The verdict is unambiguous: recommended for purchase.