Phablets such as Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Cubot S200 are very similar in terms of design. Reviews of the lucky owners of the latest device quite often indicate this feature. Its technical specifications and capabilities will be discussed in detail in this review material.
Contents of delivery
For an entry-level smartphone, the Cubot S200 has a pretty impressive list of accessories. A review of its boxed version indicates the presence of these:
Phablet with a decent even by today's standards screen size of 5 inches.
Battery with a capacity of 3000 mAh.
Interface cable standard USB / MicroUSB. It allows you to charge the battery and exchange information using this wired standard with a receiver, personal computer or other similar device equipped with a USB port and capable of transmitting and receiving data through it.
Charger with USB output port and an output current of 1 A.
Protective film for the front of the phone.
Bumper Case
This list lacks an acoustic system and an external flash drive. In the first case, there is nothing unusual. The same Samsung or LG do not equip their entry-level devices with a similar accessory. And, on the other hand, it is better to choose those headphones that suit you best in terms of sound quality than to be content with a modest entry-level stereo headset. A similar situation is with an external flash drive. Long gone are the days when all manufacturers equipped their smartphones with a 1 or 2 GB drive. So you will have to fork out for this accessory separately. There is also a bundled delivery and a minimum list of documentation on the Cubot S200. The instruction manual (partially even Russified) and the warranty card - this is what is on the list.
Design
As noted earlier, the Galaxy Note of the 3rd generation from Samsung and this Chinese phablet are very similar in terms of appearance. The difference is only in the diagonal of the display. If in the first case it is “fantastic” 5.7 inches, then reduced to more modest, but still impressive 5 inches in the Cubot S200. In size, what kind of phone? You can compare it with Lenovo 536 or LG G3s. These devices have a similar screen diagonal and practically do not differ in size from this phone. Three main touch control buttons are displayed under the screen (they do not have a backlight, and in the dark this circumstance will slightly complicate the control process). Above the display are a speaker, a light sensor and a front camera for making video calls. The device lock button and the usual volume control swing are displayed on the right side face. The right edge of the gadget is freed from any controls. Below is just a talking microphone. And on the upper edge of the smartphone all wired interfaces are displayed: a 3.5-mm audio port and MicroUSB. On top of the back cover of the gadget are a loud speaker, LED backlight and the main camera. At the bottom there is only a chromed logo of the manufacturer - the inscription "Cubot". The back cover is completely made of plastic, but in appearance it is very similar to the leather, stitched around the perimeter. This original design solution will not leave anyone indifferent.
Computational Foundation
A very good entry-level processor acts as the computing base in the Cubot S200. Reviews of satisfied smartphone owners indicate this feature without fail. We are talking about MT6582 from the second-largest manufacturer of chips on the architecture of the workstation - the company MediaTek. This CPU consists of 4 energy-efficient revision models A7. Each of them at maximum load operates at a frequency of 1.2 GHz. Although this chip belongs to entry-level solutions, its computing capabilities are quite enough to solve a wide range of problems. It, among other things, includes the most demanding gaming applications to date. For example, the same “Asphalt 8” will start on it, albeit not at the maximum settings, but still. Moreover, the playability of this application will be at an acceptable level. A similar situation with most of the most demanding toys at the moment. Let not in high quality, but everything will work. There are no need to talk about such simpler tasks as reading books, listening to music and radio, watching movies and surfing the Internet - everything will work without problems.
Device graphics
An acceptable level of graphics performance boasts a Cubot S200 phone. A review of its technical specifications indicates the presence of such a component as the Mali-400 MP graphic accelerator. Of course, this is a time-tested solution that has been present on the market for more than a year, but its computing resources are quite enough to perform a wide range of tasks: from web surfing and reading books to watching movies and quite demanding 3D toys. With all this, he currently has to cope with ease. The second important component of this graphics subsystem is the display. It is manufactured using IPS technology and is capable of processing up to five touches at a time. Viewing angles are wide enough and even when turning close to 180 degrees, the image is not distorted on the display. As expected, this component of the graphics subsystem can display up to 16 million different color shades.
Cameras
The main camera boasts impressive technical specifications. It is based on a seemingly modest sensitive element of 5 megapixels by today's standards. Using interpolation, its value is artificially increased to 8 megapixels. But the quality of the photo is still impeccable. This is primarily due to the autofocus system. For shooting in the dark, an LED flash is displayed on the back of the device. Of course, it will not be possible to completely solve the problem of lack of lighting with its help, but the pictures in this case are also obtained with acceptable quality. Smartphone Cubot S200 can also record video with the main camera as 1080 p. Moreover, as in the case with the photo, under normal lighting, the quality of the rollers is not satisfactory. There is also a front camera in this phone. She has a 5 megapixel sensor. For video calls, this is more than enough. Its technical parameters are enough even for a selfie.
Memory
A sufficient amount of RAM and internal memory is installed in the Cubot S200 smartphone. Reviews once again indicate a reasonable decision by Chinese developers. RAM capacity is 1 GB. Of these, about 300-350 MB will be occupied by system processes. The remaining megabytes (that is, about 650-700) the user can download with his applications and utilities. This is quite enough even to run the same Asphalt 8 or GTA 4. A similar situation is with the built-in drive. Its capacity in the Cubot S200 equal to 8 GB. Some of them (about 2 GB) are occupied by the operating system and preinstalled applications. The remaining 6 GB the user can fill in with his software or personal data. If desired, you can increase the specified volume by 32 GB. To do this, it is enough to install an external flash drive in the expansion slot. At the same time, here you can transfer part of the programs and all personal data (music, books, photos and videos).
Smartphone autonomy
The impressive capacity of the complete battery in the Cubot S200. Reviews highlight this feature of this unit. She is 3300 mAh. This is enough for 3-4 days with an average device load level. Even with stronger use of the smartphone, the previously indicated value will be reduced to 1.5-2 days. But if you optimize power consumption and use this gadget to a minimum, you can count on 5 days of battery life on a single charge. The output signal of the complete charging adapter is 1 A. If you divide the 3300 mAh battery capacity by this 1 A, it turns out that the battery charging process will last a little more than 3 hours, and this is an excellent indicator for an entry-level device.
Software stuffing
As the software basis in Cubot S200, the most widespread OS for phones and tablets - Android, acts today. The current firmware version is 4.4. You do not have to wait for updates, although the device is relatively new. Yes, and there is no particular need for them. All existing software today will run on this device without any problems. In general, in the coming year, you can safely install any software designed for the Android platform, and it will function without problems. The most demanding 3D toys will need to be excluded from this list, and everything else should be launched. The programmers did not forget to install the most popular international social networks Facebook, Google + and Twitter in the basic firmware of this gadget and mini-applications. Their domestic counterparts will have to be installed from the application store. There is also a set of pre-installed utilities: calculator, converter, calendar and more. The familiar set of software from Google is pre-installed (browser, email client, news, weather forecast, etc.).
Interface set
An impressive set of wired and wireless interfaces is implemented in the Cubot S200. A review of its technical specifications indicates support for these:
The main wireless way to transmit information is Wi-Fi. The speed can reach 150 Mbps, and this allows even movies with good quality to be downloaded to this unit in minutes. There is no need to talk about the rest. Everything will load almost instantly. The only caveat is that the range of such networks is relatively small and can reach 15 meters.
Another important way to transmit and receive data from the global web is the GSM and 3G modules. The device is equipped with two slots for SIM cards, and each of them can work both in networks of the 2nd generation and the 3rd. In the first case, the speed can reach several hundred kilobits per second. This is enough to download small sites and communicate on social networks. And in the second case, the speed will be at the level of several megabits, and this will even allow you to make video calls or download more serious Internet resources. But movies with such a connection is not recommended to download, because it will take a lot of time.
There is also a Bluetooth. It is indispensable in cases where you need to connect a wireless headset to your smartphone or exchange a small amount of information with a similar device.
Another feature of this device is HotKnot. This technology allows you to exchange any number of data with phones that are equipped with this interface. But to transmit information, smartphones need to be brought together by screens. This is inconvenient, but the speed of 65 Mbps allows you to transfer files of any size almost instantly.
For navigation, GPS and A-GPS transmitters are used. The quality of their work is not satisfactory.
MicroUSB - this is a wired port that allows you to charge the battery and exchange information with any device equipped with USB or MicroUSB.
The latest wired interface is a 3.5mm port. It allows you to connect a wired stereo headset to this gadget.
Price
Now about another advantage that Cubot S200 can boast against the background of competitors. This is the cost of the phone, which today is about $ 100. For comparison: having the same hardware characteristics and lower capacity of the complete battery, the Lenovo A536 costs $ 10 more. And LG G3s with a similar display diagonal and a more efficient processor, but a lower battery capacity will cost you 2 times more expensive ($ 200). So it turns out that when buying a branded phone you have to overpay. In the case of the Cubot S200, the manufacturer’s name is not so popular, so you don’t have to overpay for the brand. That is the difference. If Lenovo actively promotes its name and advertises products (and this does not affect the cost of the end device for the better), then the Chinese company cannot afford it yet. As a result, with a comparable level of quality, the Cubot S200 price will be lower.
Reviews
Reviews on the Cubot S200 phone indicate that it is one of the best smartphones in its price category. It has virtually no weaknesses. And if you add a democratic price tag of $ 100, then all the shortcomings actually fade. The performance of the processor and graphics system, according to the owners, is not satisfactory. In this case, on the device, you can run any program. Autonomy is also at an acceptable level. Declared 2-3 days, this phone operates on a single battery charge. Another strong point, according to users, is the equipment in the Cubot S200. Owner reviews indicate that, in addition to conventional accessories, the kit includes a protective film and a bumper cover. That is, the phone is immediately ready for use, and there is no need to buy something extra.
Summary
The ideal entry-level smartphone is the Cubot S200. Reviews of him confirm this. There are very few shortcomings, and the price is only $ 100. For a device with a 4-core CPU and a 5-inch display, this is a very low cost.