Surely you have not heard of such a mobile manufacturer as THL, until recently. This is another Chinese company that has suddenly appeared on the market and promises to hit the jackpot on sales. There are about a dozen such devices, if you do a good job of searching for information in Chinese online stores.
THL devices (the brand's motto sounds like Technology Happy Life) are typical Android devices, the development of which the company has its own approach and methods. Read about whether this brand has a prospect, and what phones manufactured under such an emblem are in general, read in our article.
About the device
The hero of today's article was the THL W8 device . This is one of the first models that the company released. Therefore, to some extent, it will determine the path of further development of the entire brand, show how developers of the device can count on its further success.
The smartphone itself is a representative of that group of Chinese devices that are endowed with powerful technical characteristics, have a design copied from another flagship, and at the same time cost only a couple of hundred dollars.
The device really functions on a powerful hardware, has promising parameters by all criteria and, it would seem, should be super-productive. Is this really so and what is behind its characteristics, we describe further.
Equipment
To begin with, the buyer receives immediately after opening the package with the phone. In this case, there is the generosity of the Chinese manufacturer, which packs, in addition to the most necessary, also various additions. For example, in the case of the THL W8 we are talking about a protective film for the screen, another battery, as well as a cover book. In addition to them, of course, there are a charger, a cord for connecting to a PC, a base battery and the device itself. Due to this configuration, as we see, the buyer does not have to worry about additional protection for the phone. Which is already pleasing.
Design
Taking the THL W8 phone in our hands, we can notice its strong similarity with one of the flagships of the lineup of the Korean manufacturer Samsung - Galaxy S3. For Chinese developers, this approach, as you know, is not new: copying someone else’s design is normal practice for companies from the Middle Kingdom. Why, in fact, allocate resources for the development of something new, if you can borrow the old?
The device looks stylish - a frame painted “under the steel” runs along the perimeter of the case. The case thickness of 10 millimeters suggests that the phone is also quite elegant.
The material the device is made of is plastic. When we wrote about the THL W8 review, a white model was considered. Glossy texture gives the model an attractive look.
The general arrangement of the navigation and informing elements of the device is typical. In particular, the speaker and proximity sensors are located above the phone screen, here you can also find a color indicator that signals various events. Under the display you will find the physical buttons - “Options”, “Back” and “Home”. On the right edge there is a sound control key and a power button. The charging socket, like the audio jack, can only be seen on the top edge of the device. The back cover housed the camera peephole and flash.
You can’t express any complaints about the appearance of the model right away - everything is fairly common.
Screen
THL W8 uses a 5-inch display, which, of course, will be somewhat unusual for users who are accustomed to smaller sizes. However, if you look at the reviews about the model, it becomes clear that there is no discomfort in working with the phone from its large screen. Rather, on the contrary, in working with multimedia this is an additional advantage.
According to the characteristics related to THL W8, the screen resolution here is 720 by 1280 pixels, while the operating frequency reaches 32 GHz.
The display is reliably protected by durable glass, which, according to the developers, is able to withstand scratches and bumps. It is difficult to judge how true this is. In some situations, even such a solution is not a guarantee of the safety of the device and its screen.
CPU
The model works on a powerful and one of the most advanced processors at the time of the start of sales (and this is 2013). It operates on 4 cores, each of which is energy efficient. Indeed, according to the recommendations of customers, we can conclude that the gadget heats up much less, consuming a charge more economically. This makes it possible to claim that THL W8 smartphones work longer than other Android devices.
Regarding performance, no complaints can arise to the “heart” of W8 either - the model quite confidently pulls even the most colorful games without any difficulties. The corresponding conclusion can be made about how the phone menu behaves - no delays, freezes or braking is observed.
operating system
At the time of the release of the device, the latest version of Android OS was version 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It was she who became the basis of the shell for the device. True, this is not about a “bare” android, but about a specialized modification adapted for THL and developed by their specialists. This version differs from the original OS by redrawn icons, the appearance of menus, settings, and other graphic elements.
Camera
The THL W8 instruction tells us about the 13-megapixel sensor installed on the device. Of course, this characteristic is achieved by interpolation - that is, in fact, most likely, the smartphone takes pictures at the level of 5-megapixel devices. However, they turn out to be of quite good quality - in their recommendations, users praise the W8 camera in every possible way, noting, in addition to colorful photos, also high-quality videos.
In addition, the device has a lot of settings that can make shooting more suitable depending on the place, time, degree of illumination and other factors.
The device has a flash that allows you to shoot even in dark conditions.
Memory
Given the widest multimedia capabilities of the gadget, the urgent issue is the availability of available memory. Initially, approximately 800 MB are available to the user for downloading applications and about 1.4 GB for hosting physical data (various files). In addition, of course, there is support for microSD-memory cards up to 32 GB. With them, the device can be made a real portable player by uploading to it your favorite content.
RAM has a capacity of 1 GB.
Battery
Autonomy for any device that runs on Android is one of the priority problems. As we have already noted, the processor, on the basis of which the THL W8 operates, has energy-efficient cores that consume the least amount of energy. Due to this, the autonomy of the device is an order of magnitude higher. Considering a battery with a capacity of 2000 mAh, we can say about 5-6 hours of phone operation in intensive mode. This indicator is averaged for such devices.
Communication
In the technical parameters of the phone, it is noted that it supports the work of two SIM cards. It is not worth explaining how advantageous this option is, and what it can mean for the average user.
As for the communication formats supported by THL W8, reviews note the standard set that is typical for all such devices - GSM, Bluetooth, the presence of a Wi-Fi module and so on. In this regard, the device can be called multifunctional; thanks to the capabilities of the Android OS, the phone is also capable of independently distributing an Internet signal, becoming an access point for other devices.
Reviews
Perhaps this is hard to believe, but the reviews that we managed to find about the W8 are for the most part extremely positive. The only drawbacks of the model are the quiet sound in the headphones or the inconvenient back cover of the device. These and other problems are solved by installing a program - a volume amplifier or by buying a new case to protect the phone.
But in general, buyers note a lot of advantages of the phone - its low cost, high performance, autonomy. Many cannot help but praise the device, noting that the THL product is able to surpass even Samsung's model. The difference lies only in the brand logo and value, and in technical terms, as stated, the object of our review is no different from the original.
As an exception, we managed to find negative reviews. They described the problems identified after purchasing the phone. For example, it could be a faulty GPS module, a fuzzy camera or a battery that does not show the charging progress. Obviously, such errors occurred during the assembly of the device. In some cases, as noted by customers, they could be fixed for an additional fee in the service center, after which the phone began to function normally. Sometimes, on the contrary, disassembling the THL W8 could not help - because of which a person, it turns out, was wasting money in vain. Therefore, when ordering such a device, take care of the return procedure in case of marriage.
Conclusions about the model
What can be said about the phone as a conclusion? The fact is that the device is initially positioned as an inexpensive, budget device, which in its functions is not inferior to the flagship. Of course, this approach allows Chinese companies to expand their path to new markets, but it can be harmful to users. After all, there is a high probability that some of the functions will stop working properly.
In general, the phone is a great helper, a real smartphone, whose capabilities are really huge. And with the build quality THL, apparently, tried their best. He has everything that a real smartphone needs, so working with this device is a pleasure, except in cases where a defective sample gets.
Therefore, choosing, check, and your THL will serve you faithfully. Today, the company in the lineup presents more advanced devices with new features.