Modern trends in the world of mobile technologies have led manufacturers to massively rivet smartphones with a frameless design. The notorious Xiaomi set the tone in its time, a couple of weeks ahead of the legendary Samsung. Now everyone is trying to support the fashion trend. However, not everyone succeeds. Not everyone has enough experience in " smartphone building " to create such an original gadget. However, very interesting devices sometimes appear. One of them is the Doogee Mix smartphone. Its characteristics are ambiguous. However, this only adds interest to the gadget. We will certainly consider it in detail, but first we will say a few words about the manufacturing company.
Manufacturer History
A Chinese company a few years ago did not exist at all. The first smartphone was released by her only in 2013. And then - only for the Chinese market. She could not keep up with such giants as Huawei and the gaining momentum of Xiaomi and Meizu. Therefore, the company began to entice potential buyers with unrealistically low prices. This trick worked, and the company's first smartphone became extremely popular. Encouraged by the success, the manufacturer set about launching a new line of devices . Doogie decided to capture the " ultra-budget " segment, since there are almost no rivals in this field. However, our today's hero does not belong to the category of budget devices. Doogee Mix, the full characteristics of which we will understand in subsequent chapters, is more likely to be a gadget in the middle price segment. Although it has a rather unusual appearance.
It is worth noting that a relatively young company from the Middle Kingdom was able to break into the European market, where there are plenty of its manufacturers. This means that the company's products for some reason are popular with consumers. An important role was played by the fact that the manufacturer of smartphones became the official sponsor of a Spanish football club. After that they started talking about the company. But of course , the main reason for the popularity is high - quality, productive, original and ultra-cheap smartphones of a modern level. If the manufacturer did not produce such high-quality products, then he would have nothing to do on the European market. Until recently, few people heard about this brand in Russia and the CIS countries. But now Doogee has opened a representative office in the Russian Federation. So the inexpensive and unusual smartphone Doogee Mix is already available to our compatriots. Its characteristics are very interesting. Let's start their analysis.
Smartphone appearance
Let's start with the look of the smartphone, because this is exactly what attracts it the most. What makes the look of Doogee Mix so unusual? Characteristics have absolutely nothing to do with it . It's all about the screen. It has an almost frameless design. In fact, the wide frame of the case is only at the very bottom of the device. And this was done in order to be able to mount a mechanical button with a built-in fingerprint scanner into the case. This design of the screen really makes the gadget unique and memorable. But the button has some complaints. Oh, it very much resembles that of the Samsung Galaxy seventh model. But we will not find fault. The main thing is that the smartphone has not lost its original appearance. The screen, by the way, is covered with a protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass with the effect of 2.5 D. This makes it even more like an unusual flagship. The front camera is located below, under the screen. Because there is no space above the screen at all. Although they managed to fit in the conversational speaker.
It is worth noting that the smartphone case is made of a single piece of aluminum that has passed sandblasting. As in the best models of flagships. But you can only see it at the ends and side faces, since the back panel is covered with glass. Again, in the best traditions of the flagships. Although there are almost no traits of a leader in the Doogee Mix Plus. His characteristics are by no means flagship. Anyway. Now it's about design. At the top of the rear panel is the main camera, which has also undergone new trends - it has two photomodules at once. To the side of the camera is a flash . Below is the company logo. That's basically it. Power buttons and other controls are comfortably located on the side faces. At the bottom there is a connector for charging and a speaker, and at the top - only a headphone jack . Now let's move on to the characteristics of the screen.
A bit about the unusual screen
Now let's talk about the chip of the Doogee Mix Plus smartphone. The characteristics of the screen, of course, are not so outstanding as to call it pride, but here the design itself plays a much more significant role. The display has a Super AMOLED-matrix (as in the latest Samsung), 5.5 inches in size and HD resolution (1280 by 720 pixels). The latter fact is most frustrating. Was it really impossible to equip the device with at least a screen with Full HD? Then he would be perceived in a completely different way. But no. The manufacturer decided otherwise. However, the position is saved by the Super AMOLED matrix. It is she who allows you to close your eyes to low resolution. Moreover, despite the resolution, the pixel density on the screen is satisfactory. Pixelization of the text is generally invisible to the naked eye. Thus, we can say that the smartphone has a mid-range display.
A distinctive feature of the screen is the increased brightness. Even with direct sunlight, it is not difficult to examine the text. This is the screen in Doogee Mix. Reviews and specifications tell us that the display is pretty good. Especially when you consider that the protective glass has a greaseproof and anti-reflective coating. This is also a hallmark of flagship smartphones. The viewing angles are just wonderful. And this is the merit of the matrix. Not for nothing does Samsung install it on its devices. A regular IPS display would look much worse. So, everything is clear with the screen. Now you can move on to the characteristics of the hardware platform. What kind of hardware is installed in this smartphone?
The "filling" of the gadget. Part 1
Now consider the hardware Doogee Mix. Reviews and specifications inspire some hope that not everything in this " Chinese " is bad. Indeed, the smartphone has a relatively fresh processor from MTK , which has 8 cores operating at a frequency of 2.5 gigahertz . The processor itself has a 64-bit architecture. There are two modifications of the device: with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 6. This amount of " RAM " could not but have a positive effect on the speed of the gadget. The graphics chip is Mali T880 with full support for OpenGL and DirectX. It is not surprising that with these characteristics, the device calmly launches all modern games. Even Modern Combat here very rarely sags up to 45-50 frames per second. An important role in this was played by the rather low screen resolution. Thanks to a powerful processor and a huge amount of RAM, glitches and interface slowdowns were not noticed. Everything works quickly, clearly and smoothly.
The filling of the gadget. Part 2
As for the internal drive, there are two versions of the device: with 64 gigabytes of memory and with 128. Of course, the latter is preferable, because there is not much free space. Those who do not have enough internal storage can expand it with a Micro SD memory card up to 256 gigabytes. True, a flash drive can be installed only instead of one of the SIM cards. Hybrid slots are a disease of modern manufacturers of mobile equipment. This disease did not bypass the authors of Doogee Mix. Reviews and specifications, however, suggest that with some skill in working with a file, you can manage to install two “ SIM cards ” and a memory card in the gadget. The device supports the latest generation LTE networks, has all the necessary transmitters (Bluetooth and Wi-Fi), boasts proximity sensors and lighting, as well as a perfectly sane GPS module. It is also worth noting that the fingerprint scanner works at lightning speed and rarely makes mistakes. However, the characteristics of the smartphone do not reach the flagship. This is a confident " average " .
Photomodules (main and front)
The main camera uses two photomodules at once. This is the main feature of Doogee Mix. Characteristics and photos indicate that this component of the smartphone is unfinished. Even despite the double structure. The first sensor has 16 megapixels, is equipped with a sophisticated lens system and aperture 2.0 (although 2.2 is specified in the specifications). It is used to record videos and take photos. The second module is monochrome. It has 8 megapixels and is used to calculate the depth of the scene. This is done so that you can get a beautiful bokeh effect (blur the background). However, something went wrong with the developers. The camera is often mistaken, and instead of professional shots, the user gets something ridiculous with blurring almost the entire frame. Either the camera application is unfinished, or else some kind of trouble. The main photo module also knows how to shoot 4K video . But there is no stabilization, which is very bad. But there is a chip that somewhat compensates for the shortcomings: a completely manual mode of operation and the ability to save photos in RAW format for the Doogee Mix smartphone. Features and review of the main camera are complete. We pass to the frontal.
The front module is represented by a sensor with a resolution of 5 megapixels. With special " bells and whistles " he does not shine. Not even a flash. The quality of the photos is very average. But on the other hand, this module also has a 2.0 aperture and a wide angle. However, something is missing. There are several face enhancements and a fully manual setup mode. Although the front camera is not needed. An interesting feature: for shooting with the front photo module, you have to turn the smartphone upside down. This will be announced in a separate notification when switching to the front camera. At least something unusual. Should the Doogee Mix stand out at all? The characteristics and overview of the camera did not interest users. Photo modules are standards and very average quality. The Chinese could make these components better by taking the Xiaomi experience as a basis. But they did not. For which they are minus karma.
OS and programs
Now consider the software component of Doogee Mix. Characteristics and a full review report that the smartphone is running the Android operating system version 7.0. But this system is not simple, but equipped with a proprietary shell called DoogeeUI. Surprisingly, the appearance of the OS is designed with high quality. But the translation is lame in places. It seems that I translated the Chinese version of " Google Translator " from the earlier version. These, of course, are trifles, but in the device for 20,000 rubles I would like not to see such obvious “ jambs ” . However, this is the only gripe with the software platform of the smartphone. Everything else is implemented with dignity. The system does not slow down or fail . Even despite the quite substantial intervention of Chinese developers. Of course, there is still something to work on, but the company is constantly releasing updates in which " holes " are closed and defects are corrected.
An interesting solution from the Chinese was introduced to provide a sound system. They called the music player somehow insane and even developed their own interface. But under this thin layer of modernization, the standard Android player persistently shines through. With all its shortcomings and meager settings. Such a decision does not add respectability to the gadget. I would like to believe that in future versions of the firmware this will be replaced by something more worthy. The most valuable thing in the corporate shell is that it supports full-fledged work with gestures. What the " naked " OS, unfortunately, does not know how. This is another plus of the Doogee Mix. The characteristics and description of the software platform are more positive than negative. But there is still room for further development.
Accumulator battery
The battery in the smartphone is fixed non-removable Li - Ion with a nominal capacity of 3380 mAh. With such a battery, the device can easily last in reading mode with a maximum screen brightness of 13 hours. A good result for such a powerful device. But what about video playback and games? Judging by the reviews, in the mode of viewing video in Full HD format at maximum screen brightness, the device lasted 10 hours. And a game with average technical requirements discharged the device’s battery in 5 hours. Pretty standard results for a gadget of this level. We can say that in normal use, the smartphone will easily live two days. Maybe a little less. Such autonomy will honor the modern flagships, which are barely enough for a day of active use. Be that as it may, but with autonomy, everything is fine with the Doogee Mix. Battery specifications play a relatively small role here. It's all about optimizing the hardware and device operating system.
Owner reviews
What do people say about Doogee Mix? Reviews and specifications always help to get the full picture. They allow you to evaluate the quality of the device and its behavior in real conditions. As for our hero, too few people have acquired it yet to judge the quality and value of the apparatus. But there are reviews about him . And the general mood of the respondents is condescending and supportive. All of them note a good quality of materials, unusual design and excellent performance. But at the same time, they say that the company has a lot of work to do on this smartphone. And they are absolutely right. They say that the first pancake always turns out lumpy. In the case of Doogee, this is what happened. But they had a good idea. It remains only to work out the details.
Conclusion
So, we examined an entry-level smartphone with a frameless screen Doogee Mix. Features, review and reviews have also been reviewed. It seems that in front of us is a pretty decent device for adequate money.