Operating System: Android 4.1.2 OS
Processor: MTK6589 Quad Core 1.2GHz
Screen Size: 5.8 inch IPS HD touchscreen
Display resolution: 1280*720 pixel
Color Support: 16 million colors
Screen Technology: Multi-touch screen
Camera Resolution: 8MP rear camera + 3.2MP front camera, digital zoom
Connectivity Technology: GSM + WCDMA (Dual Sim)
Network Band: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz + WCDMA 850/2100MHz
Data Technology: EDGE, GPRS
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
WLan: Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g
USB: USB 2.0
GPS: GPS/A-GPS (Built-in GPS chipset)
Built-in Memory: 1GB RAM, 4GB ROM
Battery: Li-on battery (3200mAh)
We see that the specs are indeed impressive and will set you back USD $400 easily if it carried one of the big brand names on it. On to the screen captures...
We see that it has got real quad core processors utilizing the MTK6589 / MT6589 quad core processors running at 1.2ghz max speed. Linux Kernel version of 3.4.5 is really Jelly Bean 4.1.2 with 1GB of RAM.
A. Rear Camera is really only 5mp
B. Software upscaling to 8mp or 6mp anamorphic size
C. 5mp Front camera with no upscaling ( which is a good thing )
D. 5mp max front camera resolution.
E. Both cameras support full HD 1080p video recording resolution
B. Internal storage partition for installing apps is 1GB
C. External storage partition for all other storage needs is 5.44GB
D. 8GB total storage space ( 7.26GB after formatting )
We can conclude that storage space is really 8GB. You might be wondering B+C= 6.44GB. What about the rest of the 1.56 GB. This partition is used by the Android Operating System giving us a total of 8GB.
If you are wondering about the new phones having 2GB of RAM, I would say that that totally not necessary and overkill. It only add bigger numbers for marketing purposes. The Android OS is very memory efficient there are no app with really require 2GB of RAM unless you have a bloated OS with a lot of bloatware.
The screen is 720p HD and operation should be very smooth as the MTK6589 has the SGX544 powerful GPU built in.
There is no mention of a compass so this phone may not have one. You have to look at the other similar phones if you really need that compass for navigation. I personally have only used the compass about 3 times in my entire experience with smart phones.
Last point to note, the specs shows the battery to be 3200mAh. In reality I would guess the battery to be about 2500mAh which is still pretty good.
Many of the MTK6589 phones carry similar specs and should all be about equivalent in performance and user experience. If you ask me, I would give this phone the OK, go ahead and buy recommendation. If you like a phone with a hardware home button, there are several phones similar to this with the Samsung styled home button built in.
Woah....
ReplyDeleteWhy do these Chinese manufacturers fib about their products? I would have bought it anyways, why the drama.... it only makes them look less credible.
BTW good review, are you using it right now? is it lasting over a day with moderate usage. I'm actually confused now, I was waiting on MT6589 to buy but it seems there are lot of players .. Umi X2, IOcean X7 etc etc.... What would be your pick?
My pick would be a phone from Zopo or ZTE.
DeleteHello Greg Tay. I decided to wait till more models come out and didn't buy THL W8. You say you would pick Zopo or ZTE. Which model from those brands would you recommend? Also, as sayeed rajeeb mentioned, what are your thoughts about coming in nearest future Umi X2, Iocean X7, and JiaYu G4? I also read about NEO N003 is going to have hdmi and USB OTG. Are there any other models that are going to have hdmi?
DeleteThank you for your help. It's possible that I'll ask more questions before I finally decide what phone to buy :) Sorry for bothering :)
@sayeed rajeeb: It seems lying is simply a part of Chinese culture. It also makes your product seem better compared to competition. Most users don't have enough knowledge, so bigger numbers == better for them. Kinda makes sense with such a wild economy :)
ReplyDeleteHi Greg, I recently adquired one of these phones... do you have a method to root it?
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance
Rear camera is real 12MP
ReplyDeleteA picture from his camera : http://chinamobiles.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=27308&d=1364057304
Resolution is 4096x3072
It is not real 12mp. It is 5mp resized to 12mp using software. You will need a high detail picture like a wide angle picture of houses to see the actual resolution. That pic is nice but there are no small details like tree leaves or roof tiles to show how sharp the camera really is. I could use a 5mp camera and take a similar picture to that.
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteYou made a mistake with the screen capture, the good one is : http://img.bestphonepic.com/images/201303/goods_img/8383_P_1363044406656.jpg
Screenshot show 12.6MP...
If you read my previous posts earlier, I already explained that you need to look at PICTURE SIZE: 4.9mp
DeleteThis is the actual sensor resolution. any other resolution larger than that uses software to rescale the pictures. Real camera sensor is only 4.9mp. It is the same thing as shooting with a 5mp camera and using photoshop to scale up to 12mp or even 18mp or 32mp if you want. But what is the point as the picture quality is still 4.9mp.
The screen cap was from fastcardtech site and shows 8mp max but it really doesnt matter since the cmos sensor id just 5mp.
Hello Greg.
ReplyDeleteCould you please give me another advice. I found this cellphone:
http://www.fastcardtech.com/goods.php?u=57053&id=8473
Is it the same phone as this:
http://www.chinasmartphonereview.com/star-b94m-quad-core/
I want to buy cellphone for my mother who lives in Russia. She likes Neo N002i, but I saw this Miz Z1 and I thought that it would be a better option. What do you think about quality of this phone? She is not going to use phone for games, mostly phone calls, texts, take photos, skype. Any advices?
I would really appreciate your help.
i Greg, can you tell us if this phone really carries 4.2.1 android ? http://www.fastcardtech.com/HDC-Galaxy-SIV-I9500 and generally your opinion about this phone
ReplyDeleteThat should be real 4.2.1. I just got the N9589 and it is Jelly Bean 4.2.1.
DeleteAre you still buying from fastcardtech? Is it still free shipping? Did you have any problems with customs tax before?
ReplyDeleteI got a phone from fastcardtech that just came in. It is the quad core 5.7 inch phablet HDC N9589. I waited over a month to get it because Fastcardtech as usual advertised as in stock before they receive it. Shipping is free for Singapore but countries with very strict customs like Brazil will not be. No problems with customs. I had the Tegra XLJ Little pepper that got lost so I lost $170 because I did not buy insurance. Fastcardtech always declare $45 or $50 e-book reader so even you pay tax, it will only be a few dollars.
DeleteWhen will you post a review of your new HDC N9589 ?
ReplyDeleteWill do a quick hands on blog post by end of this week and a youtube video next week.
DeleteI found this review to be really useful. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm about to buy this phone or the Star S7589.
If it's not too big of a hassle for you, could you please reply with your own recommendation?
(I'm also wondering if this phone is the same as Changjiang N7300...)
Thank you.
Cheers:)