Ufone Smart U5, A Pocket friendly Android Smartphone [Review]

 

Ufone recently launched a 3G enabled Android smartphone with fairly decent specifications in the market ─ and that too at a ridiculously low price of Rs. 5,999. As a result it got a tremendous response from customers and with in a week or so, this phone was sold-out at almost all locations in the country.

While Ufone has promised to refill the stock in the coming week, we’ve prepared a short review of this device for your consideration. Let’s begin with the un-boxing and hands-on tour of this device:

Design:

Ufone smart U5 phone is a modified version of b.social 4 phone from the UAE based company, Emitac Mobile Solution. At first glance it looks like a Y-series phone from Huawei, and the back pattern also resembles with Y300.

notifications

This phone is almost 118.5mm tall, 63mm wide and 10.7mm thick. The body is made of plastic, and currently it is sold only in black color.

Due to its size, Ufone U5 feels good in hands. Its easy to hold, control and operate.

 

The build quality of this phone is reasonable and the materials look sturdy. I haven’t tried but if you happen to drop this phone from 4-5 feet height, I suspect that it can survive unless you drop it face down.

usb-port

The front side features 4 inch IPS display with WVGA resolution (480×800). Though its an IPS panel but the viewing angles aren’t so great, however the color saturation and brightness levels are good. You won’t notice the low resolution of this device unless you are watching some high definition videos or playing 3D games.

The default Ufone wallpapers have a low resolution and makes the screen look bad, so don’t forget to use a custom wallpaper.

power-key

One thing you must keep in mind is that this screen doesn’t feature any kind of protective layer and will attract scratches quickly, so the use of screen protector is recommend (one protector is provided in the box).

Above the screen there’s the regular array of earspeaker, proximity & light sensors and 0.3-megapixel camera.

headphones

Three touch sensitive keys are placed just below the screen, unfortunately these are not lit and you will find it hard to use them in low lighting conditions.

volume

Power/unlock key is placed on the right and volume rocker is on the left, both of these can be reached using one hand only. Headphones jack is on top and microUSB port along with microphone are placed on the bottom.

The back hosts a primary 5-megapixel snapper along with a single LED flash light. The black plate has curved edges and a texture, which makes it quite comfortable to hold.

back

Removing the back plate reveals a loudspeaker just above the camera, surprisingly there is no grille on the back plate. As a result you will get muffled sound and a lot of vibration while listening to songs at high volume.

internal

You’ll also find microSD, mini SIM and battery slots under the cover. You can easily use a microSIM card in this slot, however you have to adjust the nanoSIM carefully so it touches the connectors.

One more thing I’ve noticed that the SIM card slot is up side down, so if you are getting no SIM card errors, don’t freak out.

sim-mem

This phone is network locked to Ufone only, so you won’t be able to use other network SIM cards unless you unlock the phone first.

Operating System & UI:

Smart U5 phone runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean operating system with no customizations, so you will get pure Android experience.

home-1

Most of our readers would be familiar with Vanilla Android ─ there are couple of homescreens, where you can put some shortcuts and widgets, an app drawers which lists all of installed applications on the phone in chronological order and swiping from top brings notifications drawer with quick toggles.

Google Apps and some other apps like; Facebook, BB Messenger and Snapdragon Battery Guru comes pre-installed with this phone. There is also a Ufone 3GVAS application, which as per description allows you to make and receive 3G videos calls, however every time I’ve tried to make a call, it gives “not supported” error message.

ufone-3g-app

Ufone website mentions that this phone could be upgraded to the latest flavor of Android (KitKat 4.4). However it doesn’t feature OTA (Over the air) updates and I assume that users have to visit the CSC or download a patch from the Ufone website to upgrade their devices.

home-2

Hardware & Performance:

Smart U5 features Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz and 400MHz Adreno 305 GPU. It packs 512MB of RAM and 4GB ROM. It can also take microSD cards up to 32GB.

The hardware specs aren’t so phenomenal and the RAM seems quite low for an Android phone, however at this price this the best you can get. Nevertheless the performance of this device is remarkably reasonable.

bench-1

bench-2

You won’t find any lag in the normal operation of this phone, as there is no bloatware and fancy UI customizations, so everything feels smooth and buttery.

It can run multiple apps, like Facebook, Chrome, Twitter etc without breaking a sweat and you can also play some of the demanding games on it. However there may be some lag and you’ll find that the graphics are not up to mark.

Some regular games, including Temple run, Minion rush, Angry Birds, Battle Monkeys etc work just fine on this device. The default browser performance is also very good (you can see the quick and smooth scrolling of pages in the video).

You’ll get nearly 1GB space for apps and games, so if you are trying to install some resource hungry applications like Asphalt 8, don’t forget to put a microSD card in the phone.

This is a 3G enabled handset and you can use Ufone 3G services with this phone. At a good coverage area, you can get 3-4 Mbps speed with Ufone Ultra 3G package.

You can also watch 1080p videos on this device, however you may have to use third-party software like MX player as the default video player playback could be choppy and jittery.

As mentioned earlier, there is no speaker grille in the back cover, as a result the sound is muffled. However it is still quite loud and you can adjust the volume levels and audio effects with Snapdragon Audio+ utility. This phone also has a built in FM radio, but you’ll need to plug in the headphones to use it.

Camera & Video:

Smart U5 packs a primary 5-megapixel snapper on the back, coupled with a single LED flash. On the front there is 0.3 megapixel camera, capable of taking VGA photos.

Camera is not one of the main selling point of this phone, however the performance is much better as compared to other low-end Android phones.

camera

In decent lighting conditions, it capture images with great detail and vibrant colors. Although it struggles a bit with high contrast scenes and doesn’t perform well in low light either.

The LED flash helps taking photos in dark, however due to significant shutter lag the photos are often over/under exposed. It takes almost 2-3 seconds to lock the focus and if the subject is moving, you’ll get blurred photos.

The Camera application uses the stock UI, which isn’t very user friendly and you have to go deep down in the settings even for some basic functions like turning on/off the flash light.

camera-adsf

Image controls are placed on the right, with the Blue button you can start shooting photos, the icon below shutter allows you to quickly switch between camera and camcorder, however the panorama mode is missing. For settings and use of secondary camera you have to use the settings button above shutter.

The camera allows you to take up to 5 megapixel images with 4:3 aspect ratio, however the live view is shown in 16:9 ratio, which creates a little confusion for users. The secondary camera can take VGA photos, but the quality is not up to mark and there’s a lot of noise in the images.

Smart U5 is capable of recording 720p videos with the primary camera with a maximum duration of 30 minutes. You can use the LED flash light while recording videos but auto focus / touch to focus feature is not available in video recording.

The secondary camera is capable of recording VGA quality videos, which on the phone doesn’t look so good, however while using the camera for video calling, the result is impressive.

Sample Images Shot by Ufone U5

IMG_20140909_162253

IMG_20140911_175243

IMG_20140911_175353

6x Zoom:

Battery:

This phone comes with 1450mAh battery, which seems to be quite short for a 3G enabled Android phone. The battery would not even last for a single day for most of the users.

In our tests it ran out of juice in just couple of hours while using 3G network and keeping the screen continuously on. It performs a little better with a WiFi connection, still it drains pretty fast.

battery

Games and video playback drains the battery in less than 5 hours, so power users have to charge this device multiple times a day.

Usual and average usage may give you 10-12 hours with the battery on this phone.

It takes an hour and half to charge the battery with the wall charger provided in the box. You can also use any USB connection to charge this device.

Pre-installed Battery Guru application from Qualcomm claims to extend the battery life by analyzing the usage pattern, however it doesn’t change anything at all.

Pricing and Availability:

Ufone Smart U5 is available in all the cities where Ufone has 3G coverage. You can get this phone from your nearest Ufone Customer Service Center at a price of Rs. 5,999.

This phone comes with 6 months warranty and it is currently available only in Black color. Prepaid users will also get 500MBs of data volume each month for three months.

final

Verdict:

Smart U5 is one of the best low-end Android devices I’ve used so far. At this price it beats the competition with a clear margin. Not only it packs decent hardware, the real performance of this device is also very pleasing.

You won’t find any phone with these specifications in the market for a price this low, even the cheapest QMobile phones comes with a high price tag and low specs. I am not sure if Ufone is making any profit out of this deal, but surely they have shaken up the market.

This phone lacks a bit in Camera department and battery isn’t so impressive, but you shouldn’t expect otherwise, as it is a low end device targeted at a price conscious segment.

If you are getting your first phone or want to switch to a smartphone, U5 is the best option available in the market right now. People who are using high end devices should also consider it as their secondary phone. It offers you nearly all of the features you current smartphone has, and you can easily take it anywhere without any worries.

If you have any question or want to add anything in this review, use the comments section below.


    • I really think Ufone will be coming up with a 1GB model, too. Considering the success of this one, they wouldn’t — and for that matter – SHOULDN’T hesitate. And, I’m damn sure it’s going to be within the 6-7k price range. Let’s just wait and hope for the best! :)

    • Price should be as Rs. 7,000 – 8,000 and RAM 1GB plus they should make display at least 4.3 inches with better viewing angles of the LCD and some more internal storage (798 MB internal storage is quite insufficient).

    • HAHA but clever people can do this, ram can be shared through memory card i have done and now my ram is 1 GB !!!!!!! (917 mb )usable which is enough to run heaviest games too…. when combined with a blazzzing fast Quad-core processor and Adreno 305 GPU

      • well i know about that app but it doesn’t work well. DDR3 memory can’t be compared with eMMC

  • salam, meun ny use tu nhi kya pr agr 1Gb ram aur 5inch lcd aur battery power kuch zyda hoti tu ak perfect phone hota, lekn abi b low price smartphone pakistan mein mary khyal sa yeh he hai

  • Nothing can beat qmobile. This mobile has got 512 MB ram ..so be very very careful before buying this lowest-end possible mobile. Don’t expect lag-free mobile like Qmobile or games running like they run in Qmobile.
    Finally be it 5K or 10K don’t go around purchasing this mobile and throwing your money in the bin!

      • well, i can rephrase you statement as:

        “Andriod is lag-free ? nice joke”

        lol… bolti bund?

        Mera jawab kuch youn ha..sun lo bachyyyy:

        ab kal ka lo*da humain Qmobile ka batey ga? Ab saathon ho hukum karonga to zindagi bhar qmobile ky dewany ban jao gy

    • abay to processor quadcore hai aur gpu adreno 305 hai mery pas qmobile noir a11 jo 7000 ka hai and its offering dual core 1 GHZ mtk processor or ram 512 hi hai aur screen size 3.5 inches hai agar ap in do sets ko compare karo to u5 is 10 times better and still it is cheaper (rs 6666) than qmobile so ufone wins whereas for qmobile m!ddl3 F!ng3R ;) :P

  • My cousin just bought this set, the volume and power keys are very delicate 3rd class material, just like 10rs chinese toy, also the body.
    But price k hisab se yehi chez milegi bhai

  • why shy of speaking…… please show the available RAM ! some games like dead triger ! appreciate your effort though….

  • Its wifi and signal reception are excellent. Something iphone and samsung etc lack miserably at. Can anyone check it in a basement to confirm my theory?

  • Although the best deal for Affordable Smart Phone in Pakistan by a Carrier, we should still try get even better deals. Just today, Android One became available in India, which is around Rs. 10,000 but is probably 3 times better then this Model. Hopefully the Carriers will try to bring those into our Market as well.

    • hahaha good point, still appreciate @kofmzc:disqus’s efforts as what he did was more than enough for readers like me :)

  • Battery with just 1450 mAH is pretty bad nowadays.. must be atleast 2100 mAH to stand a chance to get through the day. World of Smartphones!

    • Battery should be over 3,000 mAh if you ask me! and the cam should be at least 13MP, front cam 5MP, 2GB Ram, 64GB memory, 5” FHD Display, and the price should be under Rs. 2,000/=!!! That would be even better. :P

  • With Android One coming to Pakistan by the end of the year, it would be interesting to see how these phones compare to those.

  • Only 1 GB for apps after taking out system reserved space and other things out of 4 GB. Meagre RAM.

  • This article is very informative.make use of this photo studio in your special functions.

  • This article is terrific.Try This Numerology.It can help free you from perceived limitations you may have and push you to be the best you can be.

  • Bought Gfive G6 in 8300 I think which is far better then this phone with better camera and ram and better look :)

  • The picture of sim card slot shows WCDMA written. Does it mean that it supports wireless phone connection as well?

  • Very nice phone in this price range I must say… I am using it and I found it as below:
    Performance is smooth for normal use. If you use many (heavy) apps simultaneously then it can be a little bit laggy.
    Camera is not so good but okay with this price. I will rate it as “Average”.
    RAM is okay as this is cheapest phone. I use facebook, whatsapp, Sms, Messenger etc simultaneously (using multi tasking) the phone does not lag (noticeably) and works 90% smoothly.
    Display is just normal (okay level) basically I am not happy with its viewing angles while it is IPS LCD but not so good IPS.
    Overall the phone is good with this price tag Rs. 5,999/-
    4 Star out of 5 (Y) :)

  • This article is good to read…Life will be thrilling, if you do not know what is going to happen next.

  • As one of the fastest and popular growing methodologies of marketing, it relies on effectively harnessing the power of search engines.

  • I went to the service center yesterday, for the second time, and the stock wasn’t available.. Does anyone
    know when it will be available again?
    -From Islamabad

  • First of all, it supports standard Sim not mini, however like recent Huawei sets, Sim slots is designed in a way that it can accommodate both standard and micro Sim.
    Second, I agree about its performance for normal use and browsing through menu, but i don’t think running more than 3 social apps mentioned in review are smooth. Bottleneck of 512mb ram start showing up. Lags and shuttering, but better processor do help to avoid any app crash.
    Third, Secondary Camera is really bad, even in video call, colour generation is so week, sometimes it looks like black & white camera.
    Fourth, I disagree with review, in my case built-in battery guru software did enhance battery timing, but it start working after 3days learning period.
    Fifth, it’s new price on ufone site is 6666/-
    Lastly, it has good built quality but mine giving problem to detect headphone inserted even they are not (after one and half month usage) planning to claim it in warranty.
    Plz note that I am not a critic, I admit it’s great value in this price. I just mentioned few things which might help someone in making his buying decision.

  • is any possiblity to use it with other networks sim? because i am using it from last one month and its good to use for social apps. but uphone has a creepy 3g an high cost pakages

  • can we unlock this phone from market? or still unlocking not available?
    and what about size? is it like htc wildfire s?

  • Guys Ram can be upgraded to 1 GB !!!!! and it will show a huge difference in performance previously i was unable to play heavy games like Asphalt 8,GTA San Andreas,Dead Trigger 1 and 2 etc. only some games were working like temple run parts even subway surf was lagging heavily and the other heavy games crashed(closing automatically)at startup i was worried enough becoz i bot this fune for gaming then i started search i also did googling tried installing many cleaning apps,boosters etc.but still i got no reponse then i realize that it is so becoz ram is only 404 mb (usable) and of which 70-75 % is used by the system and background apps so very less ram is left for playing games below 100 mb which is not enough at all.So i increased it to 1 GB by doing some certain work. NOW I AM FULLY UTILIZING THE POWER OF A “QUAD-CORE PROCESSOR” AND A POWER GPU.


  • Get Alerts

    Follow ProPakistani to get latest news and updates.


    ProPakistani Community

    Join the groups below to get latest news and updates.



    >