PC World
22/03/13
2
I am so obsessed with this smart phone.Battery is as powerful as galaxy phones, touch screen responds as fast as iphone / galaxy. Expectations were totally fulfilled...
3
Seriously what do you want for $149??
4
While Ruslan Kogan bills this as "the best value smartphone in the world," this is definately not the case. There are many Android phones available for less than this, with some even costing around a third of the price. Sadly such misleading statements are said by Mr Kogan all too often.
It is suprising to see Kogan selling this phone as it copies the design of Samsung's original Note - I thought there would be legal issues.
As for the phone itself, bear in mind that as with all Kogan products it is just a no name Chinese product with the Kogan logo added. The phone is powered by a MTK6577 dual core processor, which is very fast. However, it only comes with 512mb RAM, which is really not enough and can cause slowdowns. Another letdown is the screen resolution which is very low for such a large screen.
The phone appears to be a Daxian I9220 as seen here: hxxp://www.aliexpress.com/item/Daxian-I9220-5inch-MTK6577-Android-4-1-Dual-Core-4GB-ROM-3G-WCDMA-GPS-smart-phone/715628617.html However, there is one significant difference with the Kogan phone in that it has quad band 3G - supporting all Australian mobile networks.
The quality of the phone is probably quite good - I've owned two cheap Chinese Android phones, and the quality has been good for both phones - my V1277 even has an 8MP Sony camera, and takes excellent quality pictures and videos.
Pros:
Australian warranty
Low price
Some will find the 5 inch screen too big
Cons:
Low resolution screen
Limited RAM
There are better Android phones available for around the same price
Conclusion:
Before buying one of these, you may want to go to a website like Aliexpress and take a look at the numerous other MTK6577 powered phones. You will buying direct from China, but with the Kogan being shipped from Hong Kong it won't take any longer to buy one of these phones. The only serious drawback will be the lack of an Australian warranty. However, I've had no problems with my two cheap Chinese Android phones.
One more point to consider if you are going to buy a phone from China make sure it supports you carrier's 3G frequency. As it is a rarity for them to support all Australian 3G networks like the Kogan phone does.
Min. total cost $768.40
Contract length 12
Min. total cost $1890.00
Contract length 24
Min. total cost $1759.75
Contract length 24
Min. total cost $648.40
Contract length 12
Min. total cost $528.40
Contract length 12
Min. total cost $639.83
Contract length 6
Min. total cost $68.00
Contract length 0
Min. total cost $2130.00
Contract length 24
Mobile Phones Product Finder
Min. total cost $90.00
Contract length 0
Min. total cost $369.35
Contract length 12
Min. total cost $258.95
Contract length 0
Min. total cost $2130.00
Contract length 24
Min. total cost $68.00
Contract length 0
Min. total cost $1759.75
Contract length 24
Min. total cost $639.83
Contract length 6
Min. total cost $768.40
Contract length 12
Min. total cost $2400.00
Contract length 24
Min. total cost $268.95
Contract length 0
Advertise with us Editorial Contacts
With over 25 years of brand awareness and credibility, PCWorld Australia consistently delivers editorial excellence through award-winning content and trusted product reviews.
Hill Billy
1
Not bad a phone, to heavy and low screen light and not a very good text message program, eg no Inbox etc... takes a little time to get used to but apart from that it is a good buy for what you get.