A smartphone with useful equipment no longer has to be expensive. Not only devices from established brands have become significantly cheaper, more and more new manufacturers are trying to score points with affordable devices. But is it worth buying a bargain cell phone or is it saving money in the wrong place? inside-digital.de did the test and compared alleged cheap homes with models from established manufacturers.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Simvalley SP-100
2 LG Optimus L5 II
3 Comparison:
4th Wiko Cink Peax 2
5 LG Google Nexus 4
6th Comparison:
7th Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD
8th Huawei Ascend Mate
9 Comparison:
10 Conclusion
In comparison, the Simvalley SP-100 and the LG L5II, the Wiko Cink Peax 2 and the LG Google Nexus 4 as well as the Alcatel Scribe HD and the Huawei Ascend Mate meet.
Simvalley SP-100
In addition to all kinds of technical gadgets, the mail order business Pearl also offers Simvalley smartphones. These are mainly characterized by the fact that not a single model is offered at the alleged recommended retail price, but usually costs around half. A rogue who suspects a method here. In comparison, the Simvalley SP-100 , which is offered at Pearl for 129 euros , had to show whether it was a sham .
Furnishing:
3.5 inch display, 320 x 480 pixels
Single-core processor, 1GHz, 512 MB RAM
122 MB internal memory, of which 14 MB free
5 megapixel camera
Android 4.0.4
Simvalley SP-100 & LG L5II: Hands-On Photos
LG Optimus L5 II
Last year LG was able to win over some buyers with its inexpensive L series. This year the company tries the same strategy and offers affordable entry-level to mid-range smartphones with mostly useful technology. With a current price of around 150 euros, the L5 II is no exception.
Furnishing:
4-inch display, 480 x 800 pixels
Single core processor, 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM
4 GB internal memory, 1.5 GB of which is free
5 megapixel camera
Android 4.1.2
Comparison:
Just 20 euros separate the Simvalley SP-100 from the LG L5 II – 20 euros, which is very well invested. The LG not only offers a larger and much sharper display, it also impresses with its faster and generally pleasant working speed. The better performance is also confirmed in the AnTuTu benchmark, in which the LG 6122 points and the Simvalley just 3670 points.
In addition, the SP-100 has a display that is no longer up-to-date, on which individual pixels can be clearly seen and which can hardly be read even when it is cloudy outdoors. The biggest shortcoming of the Simvalley, however, is the internal memory. This is so tight that it is not even possible to take photos without an additional micro SD card . That wouldn’t be so bad, micro SD cards can now be bought at a relatively low price, but you also need the memory of the micro SD card to install apps.
And here is the big sticking point: Many apps cannot be installed on external micro SD cards and can therefore not be used with the SP-100 – annoyance and frustration are inevitable. And so the practically non-existent internal memory of the SP-100 becomes an exclusion criterion.
Wiko Cink Peax 2
In its home country France, the Wiko brand has already established itself on the smartphone market. As part of the IFA this year, the manufacturer also started selling the Darkside , Cink Peax 2 and Sublime models in Germany . In comparison, there is the Cink Peax 2, which is offered in stores for around 170 euros.
Furnishing:
4.5 inch display, 540 x 960 pixels
Quad-core processor, 1.2 GHz, 1GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, about 900 MB of which is free – expandable
8 megapixel camera
Android 4.1.2
Wiko Cink Peax 2 & LG Google Nexus 4: Hands-On Photos
LG Google Nexus 4
With the Nexus 4 produced by LG, Google sent a real price breaker into the race last year. The equipment was able to keep up with the then current upper class, but the prices of 350 euros for the 16 GB version and 300 euros for the 32 GB version were around 200 euros below the prices of comparable devices. In the meantime, Google has even lowered the price so that the Nexus 4 with 16 GB can be purchased for 250 euros in the Play Store.
Furnishing:
4.7-inch display, 720 x 1,280 pixels
Quad-core processor, 1.5 GHz, 2GB RAM
16 GB internal memory, not expandable
8 megapixel camera
Android 4.3
Comparison:
In terms of workmanship, the Cink Peax 2 cuts a decent figure, but does not come close to the high-quality feel of the Nexus 4. The same applies to the Wiko smartphone in a number of other points. In terms of display, the Wiko is inferior to the Nexus 4 in terms of resolution, brightness and readability outdoors. However, that doesn’t mean the display is particularly bad; those who do not have upper-class claims should be satisfied with this.
Navigating through the Android user interface, which has been slightly adapted by Wiko, seems less intuitive and a bit tricky in some places compared to pure Android.
In terms of performance, the Wiko doesn’t need to hide: Although the processor is not clocked at 1.5 GHz, as in the Nexus 4, but only at 1.2 GHz, the Nexus 4 still scores 13,370 to 16,793 points in the AnTuTu benchmark quite close on his heels. The operation runs smoothly and even 3D games run without major problems.
A major disadvantage of the Wiko model, however, is the internal memory, of which not even a whole gigabyte is available to the user. Although the internal memory can be expanded using a micro SD card, not all apps can be swapped out on this. In practice this means: two larger games that cannot be swapped out and the memory is full. The Nexus, on the other hand, does not offer the possibility of memory expansion, but the approximately 13 GB of internal memory available to the user is sufficient for a moderate number of games, apps, videos and music.
The Wiko Cink Peax 2 was able to surprise in the short test with its camera, which takes quite decent snapshots and also has an HDR mode. The images are in no way inferior to those of the Nexus 4, and when shooting indoors with artificial light, the Wiko clearly delivered the more natural white value.
Actually, hardly anything speaks against buying the Wiko smartphone. 170 euros is a very good price for the equipment and the disadvantages compared to the Nexus 4 are limited. However, one disadvantage is very serious, and that is the very limited internal memory, which could quickly become an uncomfortable limitation in terms of apps for many users.
Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD
This year Alcatel has launched a whole range of relatively inexpensive smartphone models with a wide variety of features. The Scribe HD, equipped with a 5-inch display, competes in the test. It is not yet one of the giants among smartphones, but it is the largest smartphone that Alcatel currently has on offer. It is available in stores from around 260 euros.
Furnishing:
5-inch display, 720 x1,280 pixels
Quad-core processor, 1.2 GHz, 1 GB RAM
4 GB internal memory, about 2 GB of which is free, memory expansion possible
8 megapixel camera
Android 4.2.1
Huawei Ascend Mate
Not so long ago, Huawei itself was still one of the outsiders in the smartphone market and was particularly noticeable with its particularly cheap smartphones. The latest with the P series, however, the Chinese were able to prove that they can also deliver quality at low prices. There is also the appealing user interface Emotion UI.
The Ascend Mate , with its 6.1-inch display is currently the largest model of Huawei and already scratched on the border with tablet . Despite the very good workmanship and powerful hardware, it is already available for 300 euros.
Furnishing:
6.1-inch display, 720 x 1,280 pixels
Quad-core processor, 1.5 GHz, 2GB RAM
8 GB internal memory, of which 4.5 GB is free, memory expansion possible
8 megapixel camera
Android 4.1.2
Comparison:
In this comparison, there are two quite different counterparties. Huawei’s Ascend Mate is characterized above all by its enormous size and thus also appeals to a very specific clientele. The Alcatel Scribe HD, on the other hand, with its 5 inches is more in line with the current trend of the smartphone flagships from Samsung , LG and HTC and is therefore hardly noticeable in terms of size. In terms of workmanship, the two devices don’t take a lot – which is definitely a positive thing. Both Alcatel and Huawei are on a very good level here. As far as the mix of materials is concerned, the plastic frame around the One Touch Scribe HD’s display is effectivenot quite as successful, but the soft-touch back feels all the more pleasant. A small flaw in terms of workmanship can be seen in the cover of the Micr-SD slot, which is almost impossible to open with bare fingers.
In terms of equipment and performance, the two devices are close to each other, apart from the size. In the AnTuTu benchmark, the Scribe HD falls behind somewhat with 13,144 points; the Ascend Mate achieved 16,320 points here. However, this is hardly noticeable during operation. Both devices run smoothly and can play 3D games without any problems.
A pleasant function that is rarely used with current smartphones is the possible horizontal display of the homescreens with the Scribe HD. As with the other cheaper models, the Scribe HD is also equipped with a rather tight internal memory. At least: Of the 4 GB, the user still has 2 GB available, whereas with the Wiko model it was not even 1 GB.
The stylus included with the Scribe HD is somewhat misleading. Unlike the Galaxy Note from Samsung, for example , this works with almost all capacitive displays, but does not offer the precision of the Samsung variant. The pen can be bought as an accessory for many smartphones for a few euros, so it is not a special feature. At least Alcatel has given the Scribe HD a few apps tailored to the pen, but their practical use suffers from the imprecise pen. On the other hand, the practical front cover, which is attached to the back with a magnet, is positive.
For 260 and 300 euros, respectively, you get devices with a very good price-performance ratio with both the Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD and the Huawei Ascend Mate. Whether you should use one or the other device depends primarily on how big you would like your smartphone to be and whether you are satisfied with the Scribe HD’s small internal memory.
Conclusion
Good does not have to be expensive – that much is clear after the comparison. However, the cheaper devices all lack one crucial criterion in this case, namely internal memory. This also applies to the cheaper devices from established manufacturers such as the LG L5II. Actually, it is incomprehensible that the producers do not fall back on memory of at least 8 GB and immensely expand the possibilities of use with regard to apps.
As far as the rest of the equipment and functions are concerned, the Wiko Cink Peax 2 and the Alcatel One Touch Scribe HD are completely convincing. Neither the workmanship nor the performance are inferior to the big manufacturers. Only the Simvalley SP-100 was disappointing. Not only is the display out of date, it also delivered the worst performance and the most cumbersome operation. It is definitely worth taking a few euros more into your hands and investing in the LG L5 II or the Huawei Ascend Y300, for example , which is now even significantly cheaper than the SP-100, but one that is unequal offers better features and a real smartphone feeling.
annotation
The fact that the models from the cheaper manufacturers are all equipped with a second SIM card slot was not taken into account in the comparison. These devices can therefore use two SIM cards, which means that the user can be reached on two numbers, for example, or can use different tariffs for data and voice. The LG L5 II is also available in a dual SIM version, but this is not yet sold in Germany.
