Coolpad entered Indian market couple of weeks ago with Dazen 1 and X7 smartphones. Dazen 1 smartphone is competing with the recently launched yuphoria while the X7 is competing with some pretty big names like OnePlus One, Mi4, Zenfone 2. We have already brought you the Hands-On initial impressions for the Dazen 1 smartphone that is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 system on chip(Soc). So the Dazen 1 smartphone is a perfect yuphoria killer? Can it survive the competition? Let's find out the answers to these questions.
Dazen 1 Smartphone Specifications:
- 5-inches HD 720p Display
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 64bit Processor
- Adreno 306 GPU
- 2GB Ram, 8GB internal Storage(SD card slot)
- 8-megapixel autofocus primary camera
- 5-megapixel fixed front focus camera
- 64-bit enabled
- 2,500mAh battery
- 4G LTE, Dual SIM, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS
Starting of the Review with the Design of the Device, On the first look the device resembles Redmi 2 smartphone but slightly bigger in size nothing like we are complaining but it should be mentioned. On top of the device, it has 3.5mm audio jack and nothing to accompany it, on the bottom it has USB port for charging and data transfers. On the left side, it has volume rockers and the buttons are tactile and offer a good amount of feedback when pressed, on the right side we are left with power on/off button. The back feature primary camera module with LED Flash, a secondary mic for noise cancelation, coolpad branding. On ripping the back panel we get access to the 2,500mAh user removable battery unit, Dual micro SIM slots, and SD card slot that supports up to 32GB. The back panel is Matt finish, so a constant cleaning is necessary as it attracts smudges very quickly. On the front, there is 5-megapixel selfie shooter(more on that later), usual set of sensors, 5-inch display, and three touch type capacitive buttons that do light up when pressed and also offer haptic feedback. The build quality of the smartphone is decent nothing major to complain. It feels comfortable for one-handed usage, the rounded edges wouldn't hurt the hands while using the device. On the whole, the device has nothing unique to offer but it might appeal tot he people who prefer comfort over uniqueness.
Design Rating: 3/5.
Next up is the Display of the Device, the smartphone features 5-inches HD 720p display that has no protection, but it should survive sudden drops up to some extent. It is good to see a 720 panel over the 5-inch display as no sort of pixelation is seen and is sharp most of the times. But we are concerned about the yellowish tint that is visible while viewing the device at certain angles and another cons of the display is that it is reflective making it even hard to see in bring daylight. As said the display has no screen protection, so it is recommendable to use a screen protection if you are planning on purchasing the device.
Display Rating: 3/5.
Coming to the Performance of the Device, the device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 clocked at 1.2GHz Quad-Core 64bit processor, Unlike some Chinese branded smartphones that come with MediaTek processors. The device has Adreno 306GPU coupled with 2GB of Ram meaning it can run pretty anything in PlayStore except for high end graphic intense games. The day-to-day performance of the device is smooth as butter and it does justice for light users but once you plan to play massive graphic intense games you might end-up little disappointed as the games do not run as expected. We installed games like Aspahlt-8, Real Racing 3 and Nova 3 these games were not playable in highest graphic settings but once you shift to the medium level visual quality they are playable, and no frame drops noticed. A positive point about the device is that it doesn't warm quickly. During our testing, we have played various games and ran applications that test the real performance of the device but not once the device heated up.
Note: There is GSensor Calibration issue with the device, and we couldn't find a way to fix.
Performance: 3.25/5.
The device runs on Android 4.4.4 KitKat Operating System with customized interface knows as Cool U.I. Just like any other Chinese smartphones interface there is no app drawer, the applications get installed on the home screen. Though there is nothing new to discuss the interface as said it is just like any other Chinese branded smartphones there is no lag or glitter in the U.I as we saw it in the Redmi 2. Thanks to the 2GB of Ram the apps open up real quick, and the multitasking is also decent. Overall the only con will be the older Android version and company has not disclosed any time frame regarding the Android 5.0 update.
U.I Rating: 3/5.
The device features 8-megapixel autofocus Primary Camera with LED flash with secondary mic for noise cancellation, the front packs 5-megapixel fixed focus selfie shooter. There are various modes like Beauty, Gif animation, HDR, Pro Mode, Night shot, Filters are also available by default. However, the rear camera performance is disappointing. The primary camera was not able to focus on things nearby which should make it difficult to capture decent images but if you a bit far from the object you want to focus the camera works fine then. Due to the focusing issue the images turn out to be blurry, and colors look washed out. The daylight shots are decent if you aren't focusing on any particular object, it can capture the good amount of details, but the colors are over saturated. There is a pro mode that allows you to adjust the iSO levels, White Balance manually, the night mode works well in capturing low light shots. Images below show the camera performance.
Camera: 2.75/5.
The device packs 2,500mAh user removable Battery. Battery department is the area where the Coolpad Dazen 1 smartphone races ahead of the competition. The battery performance is excellent a typical user gets a day and half back up/ stand by time before they device runs out of juice. On continues moderate to heavy use, the device gives 6-8 hours of standby time. It lasted for about 12 hours in our continuous video playback that is quite impressive and gladly recommend the Dazen 1 smartphone.
Battery: 4/5.
Connectivity features include 4G LTE on SIM 1 while the SIM 2 is only 3G/2G, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB port for data transfers. However, the device doesn't support OTG. The LED notification light upon receiving any push notifications. There are Proximity, light, accelerometer sensors built-in. 8GB of internal storage can be further expanded with an SD card that holds up to 32GB.
Verdict: The Coolpad Dazen 1 may not be a perfect competitor for Yuphoria but it a good alternative. The dazen 1 smartphone impress with Battery, performance, build quality but fails to impress in camera and display departments. The device is priced at 6,999 and is available via Snapdeal via flash sales. Below listed are Pro's and Con's
Pro's
- Battery life
- Performance
- 4G enabled
Con's
- Display
- Camera
- No OTG
- Android version
Competition:
- Yu Yuphoria
- Redmi 2
- Lenovo A6000+
Our Rating: 75/100
