Today, the smartphone market is not only crowded with products from leading manufacturers like Samsung and LG, but also with the results of lesser-known developers who take their share of sales.
In this article we will talk about one of these manufacturers. Meet THL, a high-tech company from China. It may well be that you have not heard about it, and this is not at all surprising: the brand was established relatively recently - in 2013. And since then, despite its novelty, the Chinese developer was able to literally conquer the world by selling its equipment on the Internet to dozens of countries. The quality of the company's smartphones was appreciated by thousands of customers, but the company began the modernization of its lineup, the release of new devices, and so on.
THL has a few phones worth your attention today. But we’ll talk about the THL W200 model , conduct a detailed analysis of its characteristics and find out what advantages and disadvantages it has.
Contents of delivery
I would like to start the review with what goes in the box with the device. It is no secret that Chinese manufacturers are generous enough in the matter of configuration - very often, along with a smartphone, you can also get a set of additional accessories when buying. As the saying goes, a trifle, but nice.
So, in the case of the THL W200, the user will receive two batteries, which is very convenient if you need to use the phone for a long time (for example, on the road). In addition, the manufacturer took care of the protection - a simple but effective case, as well as a film on the screen, are included. Naturally, the charger, the USB cable and the phone itself complement the kit.
The smartphone, according to customer reviews, is packed reliably enough - it is surrounded by hard cardboard boxes and a special film (“pimple”). Therefore, do not be afraid to order the device directly from Chinese auctions - if you choose the right seller, you will take a reliable model without the need to overpay for intermediaries.
Design
As you know, Chinese manufacturers are not too often worried about developing a unique image for their models. As a rule, when a new device is released, a device already on the market is simply copied, developed, for example, by another top manufacturer.
In the situation with the THL W200, the Chinese did not come up with anything new, and took the classic “brick” design as the basis. The device, therefore, turned out to be plastic, presented in the form familiar to most users, but with a small decor element in the form of a side steel plate running along the entire perimeter of the device. As users note in their reviews, the solution is very successful, since contact with metal creates a feeling of high cost of the device.
The build quality is quite good - we could not find information about any backlashes or creaks of information, almost all the recommendations of the buyers report that the back cover sits like a glove. This is a good indicator of a responsible approach. At the same time, problems with opening the back cover, which are often talked about (especially on new devices), are also not observed on the THL W200.
Controls
Along with a simple classic design, the device also has a familiar layout of navigation elements, which can be observed on many devices. On the side ends, in addition to the metal strip described above, there is a power button, as well as a “rocker” for changing the volume. The THL W200 has a camera peephole and flash on the back cover.
Another unusual solution (which could be observed on the previous version of the device) is the placement of the charging port. He, unlike many models, is not at the bottom, but at the top. This at first glance may not seem entirely practical. Nevertheless, this solution is quite justified, since it has now become much more convenient to work with the smartphone when charging - the cord does not interfere at all.
Screen
The phone we are describing is a smartphone, so there is nothing surprising in a large screen whose diagonal reaches 5 inches. Its resolution is quite large and is 1280 x 720 pixels. In this ratio, the density of the screen is quite high - 294 dots per inch - this parameter indicates a high definition image. And the fact that the display works on the basis of IPS technology indicates its exceptional brilliance.
It is pleasant that the manufacturer took care of a number of other points that are so important in the practical use of the device. In particular, the THL W200 screen is covered with a special tempered glass, which not only provides protection during the operation of the device, but also makes the model visually thinner.
The W200 display is capable of supporting up to 5 simultaneous touches, which is quite enough for most games.
Camera
According to the stated characteristics, the model has two cameras - the front (5 megapixel resolution) and the main (8 megapixel). The quality of shooting, as noted by buyers, is quite good, and on both cameras. In practice, pictures are obtained even better if you use special stabilization applications (everyone can find them without any difficulty on Google Play). However, even without them, the smartphone provides several modes of operation.
Functional filling
Important in the operation of any device is the processor. It is he who determines how quickly the smartphone interacts, how it responds to user commands, and in general, what impression develops about the model.
According to the technical descriptions presented on the network, the THL W200 smartphone is equipped with an MTK 6589T processor, which has a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz. The device also has a RAM of 1 GB, which allows us to talk about its smooth operation. Tests in Antutu showed that in terms of performance, the smartphone overtook the powerful Google Nexus 7 tablet .
The SGX544 VR graphics core allows you to play colorful games without much difficulty, and in high quality and without delay.
Communication
We did not have time to note that the model has support for two SIM cards. The solution is very user-friendly and, as practice shows, quite common among many development companies. Two SIM-cards allow you to combine profitable tariff plans for calls and Internet connections, which opens up completely new opportunities for customers.
In addition to GSM, the model supports Wi-Fi connection. If there is one from the smartphone, you get a real multimedia center. There is a Bluetooth module for transferring files, and a GPS system is responsible for navigating on the ground. Customer reviews indicate that her work can be noted with a decent rating.
Memory
Given the wide capabilities of the device that we mentioned, it is not surprising that the model requires a significant amount of memory, where you could upload enough material (movies, applications, photos and audio recordings). The developer took care of all this by connecting support for memory cards up to 32 GB. Reviews note that this will be quite enough even for the most active user. In addition to the card, the smartphone also has a “native” memory of 8 GB.
operating system
Since the smartphone was released back in 2013, it has somewhat outdated firmware. THL W200 runs on Android 4.2.1. This version of the OS copes with its tasks, although if desired, the user can upgrade to a more current modification (most likely, this is 4.2.2).
It should be noted that THL does not use pure Android for its gadgets, but its own version, which has somewhat converted graphics. In addition, in the software package you will find some additional software that will come in handy.
Reviews
In the process of writing the article, we managed to find a lot of recommendations on the W200. Users praise the advantages that we have already listed: attractive design, powerful processor, high-performance device, THL W200 functionality, touchscreen models and other elements. As a rule, such reviews are positive.
Although among them all one could also single out negative comments. In them, people describe the problems encountered during the operation of the device. Here you can list problems such as an idle charging port, a failed vibration mechanism, excessive heating (due to which part of the case may melt or even damage the display). All this indicates that the model is most likely not designed for the long term. Unfortunately, this confirms a large number of such reviews left at different sites where the discussion of the device is underway.
findings
What can be said about the phone as a result? You should start with how versatile the THL W200 is. Its price is only $ 165, while the capabilities of the device are amazing. The model, it would seem, has only strengths, while remaining powerful, fast and reliable. But there are a number of recommendations that can challenge the latter characteristic. Buyers note that after several months of use, problems may occur in the phone. According to them, we can conclude that the long-term operation of this smartphone is clearly not its strongest side.