Hero are one of the more established Android phone makers here in China, and their reach has managed to find its way to customers in market across the world. For 2013 Hero have embraced 5-inch, quad-core MT6589 phones and we got to test the Hero H7500+. Keep reading for the full review.
Hero manufacture their phones in the same factory as Zopo and Ceaser, and it’s quite common for Zopo and Hero phones to launch with the same designs and specification. The Hero H7500+ for example is the same phone as the Zopo 810, but just how good is the Hero version?
Design, feel and quality
The Hero H7500+ is a 5-inch phone, but it doesn’t sport the narrow bezels found on other phones (5mm from screen to edge of phone), this together with the overall thickness of the phone would make it quite cumbersome for those with smaller hands to use. That’s not to say it works well in larger hands though.
When held in my right hand the power/lock screen button can be pressed with the center of my thumb. Perfect! You might think, but with the power button in this position the volume rocker sits further down meaning I am forced to readjust my grip when trying to adjust the volume.
Not a huge complaint on its own, but when you are holding a it one-handed the glossy plastic rear shell can make things a little hairy at times! Thankfully I didn’t manage to drop the Hero while testing, but I did have some near misses!
Speaking of that glossy rear, I’m not a fan. I don’t like it on my personal phone (the Xiaomi Mi2) and I don’t like it on the Hero. The glossy rear means zero friction between table tops, car dashboards and when in your pocket. This results in a phone that won’t stay still while used as an in car GPS, one which will happily fly out of your pocket (if you have tighter, more fitted clothing) and makes it easy to be dragged off the table while plugged in to its charger.
Zopo have sorted this with a rubberized finish on the ZP810, however Hero have resorted to providing a rubber case with the phone. This does work, but makes an already large phone simply huge!
And this brings me on to another point. The H7500+ is not a thin phone (142 x 74 x 10mm according to my measurements) I don’t see why the designers have insisted on making the 8 mega-pixel rear camera sit proud of the body!? It would probably have fitted flush and would have improved the looks. I rather like the protruding camera on the HTC One X, but on the Hero it just seems unnecessary.
With all this said though, the Hero does feel well made. The plastics don’t feel cheap, the steel band which encircles the phone fits well, there are no burrs or sharp edges. I’m happy with the overall quality (well except the screen but I’ll come on to that).
Screen: bright but thick and then there is something else….
The Hero H7500+ isn’t the lightest phone in the world (181g) due to the large battery, overall size, but mainly due to the thick glass screen. Most manufactures of quad-core MT6589 phones have updated the displays OGS panels which helps keeps the weight and girth down. Hero haven’t, and turning the phone on its side you can see just how thick the glass is.
As far as we can tell the display isn’t Gorilla Glass or AGS, so be careful with it! A good drop will likely spell the end of it.
In use the screen is good. The 1280 x 720 resolution means you will be getting a 5-inch 720p display rather than a full HD unit, but in use I found it to be nice, bright and more than adequate for gaming and watching movies. I even passed the phone around some iPhone and 1080HD Android phone users and many commented on how good the screen was for a 720 unit.
I can also confirm that the display on our test Hero H7500+ has been fully inspected and has passed a strict quality inspection! How? Well when using the phone in bright sunlight for this review I noticed a distinct ‘check’ appear on the screen in permanent marker!
It seems the screen had been marked fit for use and then not correctly cleaned as the check is now clearly visible even when the display is locked!
Performance: impressive turn of speed from the quad-core MT6589 processor
Performance is not an issue with the Hero H7500+. The 1.2Ghz quad-core MT6589 processor and 1GB RAM provide more than enough grunt and as they only have to drive a 720 display benchmarks are impressive too.
Running Antutu on the Hero H7500+ resulted in a score of 12,745 which is on par with phones such as the 1GB JiaYu G4.
Quadrant also resulted in an impressive score as the Hero managed 3643.
Benchmarks are one thing, but what about real world use? Well gaming is fantastic, I tested the graphically challenging Riptide GP on the Hero and it handled the fast frame rate and close racing action without a skip. The Hero also managed to keep from overheating while gaming, actually cooler than the Mi2 in some situations.
UPDATE: As requested I have also ran Epic Citadel benchmark on the Hero which achieved 44.3FPS.
Browsing the web is also fast, with even heavy webpages opening at an impressive speed.
Camera: Very good 8 mega-pixel camera
The rear camera on the Hero H7500+ is an 8 mega-pixel unit with a 2 mega-pixel unit performing self-portrait and video call duty on the front.
I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of the 8 mega-pixel rear camera. Images taken on bright sunny days, dull rainy conditions and even in dimly lit coffee shops came out really well! Better than expected! Don’t go expecting the same level of quality you get from a more expensive Xiaomi Mi2 or better equipped Newman N2, but for the price you won’t be disappointed!
The built-in camera featurea HDR and burst mode. Strangely I found HDR on the Hero made images darker and less impressive than they were when taken in the regular camera mode. The burst setting is fast, but needs some optimisation to be really workable, if this is something you want though you could always use the Fast Burst Camera app which I find performs a great job.
I don’t tend to use the video capture option on any smartphone all that often, but when I do I prefer the autofocus to behave itself and stop hunting for focus. The Hero was very naughty in this respect and seemed to be constantly distracted with everything going on around it.
You can download full size photo samples taken with the Hero H7500+ here.
Other details
I know that many of you have asked questions (and will likely ask further questions below) and I’ve tried to test most things which are possible for me to test here in China.
GPS
GPS works very well. It locks on quickly and is accurate. This is not like the old days of the MT6577, this GPS is usable. As for Glonass, I wasn’t able to connect to any Glonass satellites during our review, and that’s trying the phone on dull rainy and clear sunny days.
Battery
The battery on the Hero H7500+ is a 2800mAh unit, in fact it comes with 2 which was a very nice surprise. Using the phone with 3G, GPS and Wi-Fi on, as I always do resulted in a full day of use without the need for a top up. Gaming and video does reduce this though, so if you are more of a gamer than I am (I don’t have time 
) then you will want to either carry the spare battery or the cable with you.
Charging the battery for 0 – 100% took around 3 1/2 hours for a new battery.
Network support
According to Hero the H7500+ GSM 850/900/1800/1900 & WCDMA 850/2100 MHz. I was only able to test the phone using my China Unicom 3G SIM and low and behold it works fine!
Conclusion
So after a good long test of the Hero H7500+ would I recommend you buy it?
If you are looking for a quad-core MT6589 phone with good camera and want the phone right this moment then I would say it’s probably your only option (unless you want to spend a little more and get one of the Zopo phones) ! I would also say it’s probably going to be the cheapest alternative (for those of you not in China and buying through a reseller) and is going to be pretty easy to get hold of.
However, if I was in the market for a quad-core MT6589 phone right now, I would wait! There are more attractive, better spec’d and nicer designed phones on their way. Yes, they will cost more, and yes they will be a nightmare to get hold of but I would hold off getting the Hero unless I really wanted an MT6589 phone this very second.
This is all relative though there are going to be scores of people who will absolutely love the Hero H7500+ and it is without doubt better than a lot of the phones on sale now, but knowing what’s just around the corner I couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on a Hero H7500+ for myself.
If you are someone who thinks the Hero H7500+ is for you, or you think it would make a great gift for someone (it would) then you can pick one up here for $216.99.
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Kinda surprised with the battery life, is it really only last one full day with average usage?
I still want the Jiayu G4 Premium, but i fear that it will be delayed a lot (since they are still not sure about the configuratioms).
That’s why i searched Pandawill for a good alternative.
This is the same phone as the Caesar h7500+ right?
I found the black version for about $215, but the thing that puts me off isthe uggly glossy design and the lack of gorrilla glass :S
Yep same phone. The Zopo ZP810 version has a rubberized black finish which is much nicer
@Andi, can you make a photo of the rubberized black finish from your ZP810?
Hi Andi, only black version have a rubberized back
From zopomobileshop:
Does the ZP810 have a rubberized back or is it gloss / shiny? Thanks, Steve
ZOPO MOBILE RETAIL SHOP 2013-03-18 11:44:25
Hello Steve, the black back cover for zp810 is Frosted , the white back cover is gloss.
I bought a Hero phone (9300+) a few months ago, no major complain but i have had the same issue with the glossy back. I’ve used one of Zopos’s “flip covers” and.. problem solved. I’ll buy a new phone next month, this time i’m going Zopo directly. I think it’s worthy of the extra $ asked.
load up mobileuncle tools and go to device info please.
I’m curious to see what chip they use for GPS, if it is the MT6628 there is no glonass support.
nice review. Was really anxious for the results since this phone looks like a serious option if you don’t want to wait. How about the Amoi N828? It should be out close, but it seems to stay almost completely under the radar. It’s the quadcore version of the N821 and therefore doesn’t have that great specs, but does have Android 4.2 and should be a reliable phone. That’s also worth something.
I think it’s out soon if I find info I’ll post about it tomorrow
one of the aliexpress sellers answered me they would get the phone on friday, but whether that is trustworthy…
Nice, but not what I was waiting for I guess. Now waiting for the JXD S7300 and Zopo ZP950+ reviews, and thanks Andi!
On my to do list
Nice Review. But i think everybody knows about the design before he is buying this phone. i like the design, even if it is slightly thicker. Good camera and GPS, thats what most people want. I ordered a ZP810 and hope there is no “check” on the display
I have a ZP810 on my desk and there is no check on this one
hope yours is ok too 
You didn’t mention video quality, does it record full hd video?
Have anyone consider the S7589? ‘cos it comes with a flip and hard case and car charger. There is no case for the H7500+. It would be nice to see a review of the S7589 and the N9589
@Andi Can u run the epic citadel and tell me the fps?
downloading now
thanks!
Any results?
Updated with a screenshot
Hello Andi,
What do you know about the Newman NM890?
It seems to have nice specs, however it looks a bit ugly (in my opinion)
what’s with dual sim active functionality? can you see a call while speaking?
can you use edge and have second call incoming?
Nice review, keeping up good work. Did you test dual sim, dual stand by on 3g function as this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ro7k4itFT-U on your real mtk6589 production phones? I think many people wanna know. I have one ss galaxy grand duos, which really work good on dual active sim function, it can receive call while using other sim with 3g internet. I hope mtk6589 phones do job well too.
Thanks for the review. The thick camera in the back is probably because it uses a wider aperture lens (F2.4) to get better low-noise pictures in dim settings. I prefer this and a slightly protruding back, it’s just the camera that sticks out a bit anyway.
Andi, how about a review for the ZTE V987? It’s been out for a while and can be bought for around 317 USD. Would be great to see if it’s worth the extra money compared to cheaper quadcore phones.
You’ve never had ZTE, Huawei or Lenovo phone do you?
You know their advantage over more unknown company like this? A big slap of their logo on the phone. Congrats.
LOL. I have a 2 year old ZTE tablet that’s still working. No big logo on there. Reviews of the Huawei Honor 2 are mostly good BTW but that one is in a whole different price league.
Are you purposely obtuse or what?
So your anecdotal evidence says they’re good, great! so does other people who use cheaper phone with less “big logo”.
Are you purposely obnoxious or what? My 2 year old ZTE tablet is still working, so is my wife’s 2 months old Jiayu G3. I’m just asking whether buying a more expensive phone from a better known brand means you get a better quality phone or if it just means buying for the brand. Chill out.
You have Jiayu G3 on hand, judge for yourself.
Andi thanx for the review and the gps test is important
can you please do a side by side photo of one phone with good gps reception (as newman n2) and a 6589 to see the difference? or any phone that you believe that has good gps reception next to a 6589
hey guys, im new here and to buying stuff from china.. i want to get this phone. this exact phone no other similar products and i was wondering which site should i buy from?.. android-sale is apparently a scam like pandawill and dealsprime… so does anyone have a good site for me? is the link for the seller on aliexpress legit? i never believe the feedback they get… thanks all, my name is IceColdKilla, ill be creating an account in a minute!! cheers!
Oh and i forgot to add!- this is by far the best review on the internet. iv spent hours looking at reviews and this is the only place worth applauding, so well done!
Andi u call tell me if u know any mtk6589 with glonass? i search but i dont find anyone.
One question. Hero H7500+ or Thl W5. Almost the same price
You will have better firmware support with H7500+! Also H7500+ have Quadcore and better GPU with SGX5XT, and THL W5 only have Dual Core.
anyone know where i can buy one?
zopo 810 nd H7500+ are exactle same mobiles ..?
you can buy the caesar H7500+ that is exactly the same phone with two batteries a couple of gifts and a back cover and screen protector in this link:
http://www.antelife.com/h7500-mtk6589-quad-core-1g-ram-rom-4gb-android-4-1-3g-gps-5-0-inch-hd-ips-retina-ogs-screen-smart-phone.html
you can have a 5% discount also with the code groupdeal, the final price is 206 USD and they are serving the phone right now, price includes shipping worldwide chosing between hk post or singapore post
this info comes from a thread in a spanish forum:
http://www.htcmania.com/showthread.php?t=564804
you have to use the link provided and choose black or white color, then tick both presents too, if you use other links for this mobile in the same web page price is different and discount code will not work
I am waiting for mine from there actually
pandawill is selling them at about the same price, but they are not serving it, you have to wait one to two weeks
thanks for the review, I feel more confident now about my election
hey man thanks for replying!! ..there are a million links to buy from online, but i heard antelifelife.com isnt safe and reliable… is it?
@andi
Does it support Hebrew (עברית) language?
thank you for this wonderful review!
@Andi does this cellphone include Hebrew language?
Try geek buying i just got my zopo 950+ from them delivered to Australia and they seem pretty honest.
Cheers
John
Hello,
You say we should wait for better MT6589 based phones… but until when, and what for, as this one already looks very good, especially for the camera, screen & specs ? ^_^
Does zopo/hero has a good community support ? (I’m fond of custom roms)
Is there an android 4.2 update planned ?
I’m planning to buy this one, but I don’t know if it worth waiting for new MT6589 based phablets…
And thank you very much for this good review !
It depends on our budget. Other MT6589 phones are going to cost more than the Hero.
Zopo seems to have a really good community with plenty of ROM choices (these should work on the Hero too but I didn’t try)
hi andi and friends plezz help me
i want to buy hero h7500+ plezz tell website which safe to buy online..?
i m from india
thanks in advance
Hi Pawan,
you can order from etotalk, merimobiles or touch-us.com. they are trusted shops!
thanks again
is it safe to buy this phone from AliExpress?
someone is copying your blog
http://www.itemspecs.com/hero-h7500-review/
Hi Andy,
Great review but isn’t the 1GB rom is too little in today’s phones especially that the Android OS is getting bigger in every version?
Hello Andy,
I am in deep thoughts wether to buy this phone or the Newsmy NM890?
Can you please help me?
Here is the website it is sold( http://www.focalprice.com/MH0486B/Newsmy_NM890_50_Android_412_Quad_Core_MTK6589_12GHz_3G_Smartphone.html ) but i am sure you got your sources!
Please don’t forget me
Hello Andy,
Thank you for a very interesting review.
Is there a way to find out anything about the SAR values of this phone or fore that matter of any other Chinese phone?
Thank you,
Yaron
Thanks for the excellent review Andi and your no nonsense opinions. I’m guessing more and more people in Europe who are fed up with being ripped off by high prices will stumble upon your website, looking for information about brands that are unfamiliar to them (for now : )
Thanks for the Epic Citadel benchmark, I really like it because it allows you to ‘feel’ how smooth (or not) the game is in hand as well as providing emprical evidence. It’s worth Noting (pun intended) that my girlfriend’s Galaxy Note averages under 30fps, so it shows just how well MediaTek have got their new quad-core chip to perform at a very low price point. I’d really like to see results for 1080 screens to see if the same chip can handle the extra pixels – my guess is no, but I hope I’m wrong.
What would be really great is if you could let us know whether or not the latest crop of quad core MTK chips support MHL (version 1 or 2). If they do, running the Epic CItadel benchmark again while the device is connected to a tv would be very useful. I use MHL regularly, controlling my phone with a bluetooth keyboard and mouse – doing it right now – but the extra workload is sometimes too much for my devices. Ideally I’d like a phone that can handle MHL at a reasonable frame rate without getting too hot.
P.S I too hate shiny, slippery phones, especially since it lead to the demise of the screen on my Note 2 which is simply too expensive to replace. Soft touch paint coatings are much more forgiving of scratches too. HTC used to make some of their devices look quite classy and understated, not to mention easier to hold, and there are a wide variety of colour choices available (Google Alsacorp SoftTouch paint)
how much storage is avaliable?