The Philips W632 smartphone was released back in 2011, by the standards of mobile technologies, and the manufacturer itself was initially positioned as an entry-level solution with an acceptable cost and one of the best autonomy at that time.
Device niche
A typical MediaTech budget microprocessor with one computing module was at the heart of the Philips W632. The same can be said about the display, the memory subsystem and the graphics accelerator. The only thing the hero of this review clearly stood out from the analogues is the battery capacity. It was due to her that this mobile device stood out against the background of analogues. The second important plus is the very democratic cost of the gadget. It was for those to whom the two factors played the largest role in 2011 when choosing a new “smart phone” that this device was released.
Design
In a typical case, even by today's standards, under the name of a monoblock, the Philips Xenium W632 was made . Its length was 123 mm, width - 63 mm and thickness - 14 mm. The weight of the device with such dimensions was 164 grams. On the front panel of the device, a screen was displayed with a modest diagonal length of 3.8 inches by today's standards. A spoken speaker, a group of sensors and a peephole of the front camera were grouped above it. Below the screen is the control panel. She, in addition to the three familiar buttons, also included another additional, which was called "Search". On the left edge of the smartphone were the volume control buttons, and on the upper end - the power button of the device. On the opposite side of the smartphone, all wired interfaces (micro-USB and a 3.5-mm audio jack) and a conversational microphone were grouped. A loud speaker, a peephole of the main camera and its single backlight based on the LED were placed on the back cover of the smartphone . Also, the manufacturer did not forget to place his logo here.
Computational Foundation
Philips W632 was based on the MT6573 microprocessor. This chip could operate at a frequency of 800 MHz and it was based on an architecture codenamed ARM11. Hardware and software it included only one computing module. The CPU itself was manufactured according to the standards of a morally and physically obsolete today, but relevant for 2011 technological process with tolerances of 65 nm. At the time of the release of the device, this chip made it possible to solve problems of the initial and intermediate levels. Now, as mentioned, it is outdated both morally and physically. The maximum that he is capable of now is the execution of the simplest and least demanding hardware applications.
Display and graphics subsystem
One of the best entry-level accelerators for mobile devices of that time - Power VR531, which was designed by Imagination Technologies, was responsible for processing the image displayed on the display . This graphic solution operated at a frequency of 281 MHz and made it possible to quickly process a picture in a resolution of 800x480 pixels. This is the resolution the screen had in this smartphone. The length of its diagonal in inches was 3.8. The pixel density for this device was declared at 246 ppi and it was very problematic to distinguish a single point on its surface with the ordinary eye. The screen matrix itself was produced using the most common technology at that time - TFT.
Memory
With 512 MB of random access memory, the Philips W632 could boast . The capacity of the internal drive was equal to only 180 MB. Certainly, such an amount of memory for comfortable work on such a gadget, even at that time, was not enough. So it was necessary to additionally purchase an external memory card. Its maximum amount could be equal to 32 GB. And that would certainly solve the problem of lack of memory on such a "smart" phone.
Cameras
Like all current devices , the hero of this article was also equipped with two similar elements. The main camera was based on a 5 megapixel sensor. Now you will not surprise anyone with such a parameter, but in 2011 it allowed counting on a very, very acceptable quality of photos and videos. The maximum image resolution in this case was 2592x1944 px. It should also be noted that such an important technology as autofocus was implemented in the main camera. This allowed to significantly improve the quality of the photo. There was also a single backlight from one LED element. The front camera was based on a 0.3 megapixel sensor and could take photos and videos in VGA format . This is enough for video calls, but for the now popular "selfie" this value will not be enough.
Smartphone battery. Device autonomy
The key quality that the Philips W632 smartphone could boast of against its peers and competitors was its autonomy. The capacity of the complete removable battery in this case was 2100 mAh. Now you can find large values of capacity for batteries, but in 2011 this parameter was really a record. In maximum load mode, such a smartphone could last 11-12 hours and it really was a record at that time. If the level of use of the device was reduced to average, then we could fully expect 3-4 days of battery life on a single charge of such a capacious battery.
List of interfaces
By the number of supported wired and wireless interfaces, it is practically inferior in nothing to modern Philips Xenium W632 mobile devices. The characteristics of this unit indicate support for the following:
The device successfully functioned in the cellular networks of the GSM standards (their second name is 2 G) and 3G ( there was only support for the UMTS standard, which in 2011 was the most advanced, and now it is morally and physically obsolete). In the first case, if there was adequate coverage and signal quality, you could count on a speed of up to 500 kb / s. Well, in the second - under the same conditions - it was theoretically possible to get 7.2 Mbps.
The list of wireless standards for this gadget included Wi-Fi support in b & g versions with maximum data exchange speeds of 11 Mbps and 54 Mbps, respectively . Apparently in this list there is not enough version n with a speed of 150 Mbps . But since these standards are compatible with each other, there should not be any special problems when connecting to such wireless networks.
There is Bluetooth support in this gadget . Its version is 2.0. This interface is great for outputting audio to a wireless stereo headset or for sharing files with similar devices.
The navigation capabilities are represented in this unit by the GPS system and the transmitter of the same name.
You can also connect a wired stereo headset to this smart phone. For this, the gadget was equipped with a 3.5 mm audio port.
Also, the device was equipped with micro-USB. This port allowed you to connect the gadget to a computer. Another purpose is to charge the battery.
Software component
Under the control of such system software, this device, like Android, functioned. Philips W632 was based on the version of this OS with serial number 2.3. To date, such system software is outdated. And both morally and physically. This OS is not so often seen now on mobile devices.
Owners opinion
Most often you can find on the Internet only positive reviews about the Philips W632. His characteristics were really excellent. Among the main advantages of this model are the following:
Autonomy, which with an average load could reach 4 days. Now, not even every smartphone with a similar battery can boast of such autonomy.
A camera with advanced technologies at that time that even continue to be relevant.
The central processor is quite productive by the standards of 2011. It included only 1 computing module, which operated at a frequency of 800 MHz. Now, of course, you won’t surprise anyone with that, but at that time it was a great entry-level processor.
Another plus of the gadget is the current software shell, which at that time allowed you to run any existing software for this computing platform.
It is precisely on such positive aspects that are associated with this mobile device that its owners drew attention to reviews throughout the Global Web on forums and portals of this subject.
Summary
A very, very balanced device at a budget level was the Philips W632 in 2011. He had no significant shortcomings at that time. But the presence of a capacious battery, increased autonomy and acceptable performance favorably distinguished him from competitors. Another important advantage of it was that it had a very, very modest cost. Well, the whole list was supplemented by support for high-capacity memory cards plus the main camera with technologies that even now not every entry-level gadget can be found.