W Shillington Surprisingly, Magic Jack proved to be as good as advertised and has continued to maintain this low-cost service. I also keep an old cellphone around for emergency use. Generally, I check eBay every couple of years, replace my dated phone with one slightly more modern, and transfer my ‘pay as you go’ account to it. My last smartphone was an LG Phoenix. Sadly, it could not handle the application needed to run my Samsung robotic vacuum. And at the most inconvenient moments—I don’t know why—it failed to receive calls from other phones. That is never good. As I considered replacement options, my sister showed me a few photographs she’d snapped with her iPhone 6. They were noticeably better than those taken by my digital camera. I decided to increase my budget and purchase a new smartphone, concentrating my search on models equipped with a good camera. Eventually, I chose the Umidigi X.
Description
The Umidigi X weighs in at just under nine ounces. It is three inches wide, 6.25 inches high, and 0.32 inches thick. This smartphone comes with a plastic case, screen protector, and a USB charging plug. Its 6.35-inch AMOLED screen’s resolution is 720 x 1548 pixels with a pixel density of 269 per square inch. This phone’s case is composed of black and gray colored plastic. The top edge is fitted with a 3.5mm jack for use with a headset. Located on the right edge are the power button, volume control, and a nano sim slot. Microphone, speaker, and recharging jack are located at the bottom. A LED flashlight/flash is fitted to the back as well as a 48MP, 8MP, and 5MP camera. The Umidigi X is controlled by a MediaTek Helio P60 AI processor. It is equipped with 4GB of ram and 128GB of internal memory, and power is provided by a 4140mAh lithium battery. This device makes use of Android 9 Pie as its operating system.
Specifications
Manufacturer: Umidigi Model: Umidigi X Weight: 200 grams (9 ounces) Dimensions: 75.6 x 158.6 x 8.1 millimeters (3 x 6.25 x 0.32 inches) Display: 6.35-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 720 x 1548 pixels Pixel Density: 269 pixels per inch Chipset: MediaTek Helio P70, 64-bit Processor CPU: 4x 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A73, 4x 2.0 GHz ARM Cortex-A53, Cores: 8 GPU: ARM Mali-G72 MP3, 800 MHz, Cores: 3 RAM: 4 GB, 1800 MHz Internal storage: 128 GB Memory card slot: MicroSD, MicroSDHC, MicroSDXC Sensors: Proximity, light, accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, fingerprint Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie SIM slot: Nano Wi-Fi: a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, Dual-band, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display GPS: GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo Battery: 4150 mAh Lithium-Polymer, non-removable Cellular Technology: 4G Bands: LTE 700 MHz Class 13 LTE 700 MHz Class 17 LTE 800 MHz LTE 850 MHz LTE 900 MHz LTE 1700/2100 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 1900 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz LTE-TDD 1900 MHz (B39) LTE-TDD 2300 MHz (B40) LTE-TDD 2500 MHz (B41) LTE-TDD 2600 MHz (B38) LTE-TDD 2000 MHz (B34) LTE 700 MHz (B12) LTE 800 MHz (B18) LTE 800 MHz (B19) LTE 850 MHz (B26) LTE 700 MHz (B28) LTE 1700/2100 MHz (B66) Rear cameras: 48MP, 8MP (120-degree ultrawide), and 5MP depth sensor. Dual LED flash Maximum image size: 8000 x 6000 pixels Maximum video size: 1920 x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second Front camera: 16MP A1 Features: Fingerprint sensor, face unlock, multifunction NFC technology, capacitive multi-touch touchscreen Waterproof: No 18-Watt fast charge support: Yes Wireless charging: No
The Manufacturer
Umidigi was initially trademarked by UMI Network Technology Company and is now owned by Keysmart limited of Hong Kong.
Security
This phone can be unlocked using a four-digit code, fingerprint scanner, or face recognition. The fingerprint scanner proved inconsistent, but face recognition works great.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Using Wi-Fi, I can control my robotic vacuum and video camera equipped doorbell. This phone was able to transmit music, using Bluetooth, to my Polk Audio soundbar.
Communication
Notifications received by this phone were immediately relayed, using Wi-Fi, to my Wear 24 smartwatch. The Umidigi X can make and receive phone calls, and its loudspeaker’s quality is reasonably good. W Shillington W Shillington
Performance
I’ve recently reviewed three new robotic vacuums equipped with a navigational system that allows them to map their cleaning area. The Umidigi X, using the related applications, was able to monitor each vacuum’s progress and set up forbidden zones. The phone also reliably displays my front porch via a doorbell camera and allows me to communicate verbally with visitors.
Video and Sound
When watching Netflix and Prime, the picture quality is excellent and without lag. Sound quality is fair, considering the size of the phone’s speaker.
Camera
Pictures taken with the 48MP camera were excellent, but be aware that the resulting files are about 14GB in size. When using the Photo, Night, or Portrait modes, the picture quality is reduced to 12MP. In my opinion, the 12MP photos, which require far less storage space, are almost as good as the 48MP images. This camera takes noticeable better photographs than my Fujifilm digital camera, especially at lower light levels. The digital camera’s only advantage is its ability to take macro shots. The 8MP panoramic camera allows the operator to snap the shutter and slowly turn the camera, photographing a far wider view than usual. During this time, several shots are being taken and stitched together. For this to be successful, plenty of sunlight and a very steady hand is required. Even then, picture quality, due to the small size of the image, is sufficient only for viewing on a phone or a computer. The 5MP depth sensor is necessary for taking accurate bokeh shots. For those that don’t know—and I didn’t—bokeh photographs focus sharply on one part of the image while leaving the remainder of the picture pleasingly blurred. The 16MP front camera, which is paired with an A1 processor, takes amazingly clear and sharp selfies. It couldn’t entirely focus on the fur covering of my winter hat but did reproduce every crease and wrinkle in my tired old face.
Overall Assessment
I like this phone. It has a powerful processor, plenty of RAM, and enough internal storage to please anyone. If you are searching for a top-notch medium-priced smartphone, the Umidigi X should be on your shortlist. W Shillington W Shillington This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. © 2020 Walter Shillington
