Chinese phone makers keep surprising us with more phones that get cheaper by the day. However, there’s a fine line between usability and namesake. The UMi Rome X is a $62.99 phone that wants to be the flag bearer of budget phones.
Unlike the case of the UMi Rome, the Rome X can actually be bought for around the $65, so the price definitely isn’t just a marketing stunt.
We spent a few days with the phone to find out if its worth what you pay for.
UMi Rome X Review: Specifications
| Model: | UMi Rome X |
| Sim Card: | Dual SIM |
| Color: | Black | Gold |
| Capacity | RAM: 1GBROM: 8GB |
| Chipset | CPU: MediaTek MT6580
CPU frequency: 1.3GHz quad-core |
| System | Android 5.1 |
| Screen | Display Size: 5.5-inch
Resolution: 1280 x 720pixels Multitouch: Yes |
| Camera | Rear Camera: 8MPFront Camera: 2MP |
| Radio | 2G: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900MHz 3G: WCDMA 900 / 2100MHz |
| Battery | 2500mAh removable |
| Size | 15.3 * 7.7 * 0.8cm Net weight:177g |
UMi Rome X Review: Design & Build
It seems as though the Rome X’s design is a rip off of something between the Samsung Galaxy S6, the S6 edge and some newer Samsung phones. From a distance, the phone does look like a more expensive piece of kit, too. However, that’s only until you get the device in your hands.
In general, the Rome X feels like a very ‘crude’ device. It’s a little difficult to explain in words, but the phone lacks sheen and polish. The weight seems a bit unevenly distributed too, making the phone feel a tad heavy sometimes.
Both, the front and the rear of the phone are fingerprint and smudge magnets. This can really irritate the hell out of some people, and unfortunately I happen to be one of them. Not just that, getting the stains off of the rear panel is quite a task, too.
While the phone looks really good for a $65 device, it unfortunately feels like nothing more than a $65 device.
The front of the phone has a very generic look to it… somewhat like no-name Chinese phones from 2011-12. There’s (surprisingly) a front flash next to the earpiece, and the front camera on top of the screen. Below the screen are the three capacitive keys — Recent Apps, Home and Back, from left to right.
Another, rather conspicuous addition is a mic hole that goes right through the glass panel and takes one point away from the looks department of the device.
The chin of the phone has two sets of machine drilled holes on either side of the USB port. I’m pretty sure there’s just one speaker, perhaps somewhere between the two sets of holes — skewed towards the right.
To sum this section up, it feels as though the Rome X is made out of inexpensive but durable material, which however lacks polish — figuratively speaking. The weight of the phone is a little jumbled up also, both in magnitude and balance.
UMi Rome X Review: Hardware
While the digitiser on top of the screen isn’t something you’ll want to write home about, the display beneath is genuinely impressive for a phone worth as much as the Rome X. On the scale of natural to saturated, the balance is more towards the latter. Colors kind of pop out like they do on an AMOLED usually.
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I’ve always been a fan of MediaTek’s MiraVision ever since it started showing up on their 64-bit phones last year. MiraVision helps in the Rome X’s case too; not only does it allow you to make the display looks much nicer, you can even tone down the saturation, contrast and other things if you’re more into natural-looking picture.
Since it’s an LTPS display, the viewing angles take a bit of a beating. Anyway, I believe viewing angles are often overrated and I’m perfectly OK with what’s on offer here.
Moving on to audio. As I mentioned before, the phone seems to have a single speaker and a deceptive two speaker slots… anyway, it’s how it sounds that matters, and it doesn’t sound too good. The audio output is what you’d call ‘cheap quality’ with too much treble, virtually no bass, and a low volume.
I also had issues trying to make sense of what people said during calls — so the bad audio isn’t restricted to the loudspeaker, the earpiece is a victim also.
The digitiser that UMi are using on the phone seems to be of a low resolution, but that is expected when you’re talking sub-$65… at least at the time of writing this review.
Battery backup stands somewhere between poor and average. There’s no 4G LTE support on the phone that helps the issue a bit; however, I’ve found that there’s quite a bit of a difference in overall battery life (more than other phones) between 2G and 3G modes.
If you don’t connect your phone to a WiFi network on a work day, you can expect about 8-10 hours of battery on a charge. With WiFi, an hour or two extra is what the phone manages.
For the SOT folks, it’s around the 3-3.5 hour mark generally.
UMi Rome X Review: Performance and Benchmarks
I’ve been spoilt with some nice hardware of late, after which the Rome X and its MT6580 seemed like a few steps back. While it is true that the phone is extremely affordable and such, but I believe a better overall phone can be made out of the money.
For instance, the MT6582 was a chipset that was really inexpensive and did a good job. I believe I’d prefer the MT6582 over this.
Basic functionality expected out of any smartphone: ability to browse the web, IM/Mail, camera and of course phone calls. The Rome X doesn’t do too well with any of those, unfortunately.
With web sessions becoming more important by the day, cached web pages in browsers don’t help. The Rome X struggles with a couple of tabs open in Chrome.
Anyway, here are some benchmark scores.
UMi Rome X Review: Camera
I’m fairly impressed with what the Rome X can ultimately produce with it’s camera. Emphasis on ‘ultimately’; it takes quite a bit of time to get to the saved image file after hitting the shutter button. Again, not something that you wouldn’t expect from a $65 phone.
Overall, besides the slow camera speed (which, to be fair, should be attributed to the SoC), the Rome X takes some decent photos… No complaints here.
UMi Rome X Sample Shot in HDR
UMi Rome X Review: Gallery
UMi Rome X Review: Conclusion
UMi have been fairly adventurous, releasing phone one after another. While it’s phones like the Touch that make the most noise, UMi have been trying to crack the sub-$100 code for a while. The Rome X is what I’d call a fairly unsuccessful attempt, but I can see other Chinese manufacturers, if not UMi, get there very soon.
I’d reckon you get the Rome X only if you are on a very limited budget; there are plenty $100 phones out there that can do a much better job otherwise.
The UMi Rome X can be bought off of TomTop for $62.99, the folks who supplied this review unit. Use coupon code TOMTOPROMEX to get another $2 off.
So in short it’s a banger!
I bought my wife a redmi 2 for $85. It’s a very good device, she’s happy with it. I wouldn’t risk buying one of these cheaper phones.
Yep, looks like the right thing to do.
Yeah exactly, Xiaomi you can trust that the quality standards are high even if the price is not
I have owned two Xiaomi products and had problems with both. Worst is the miband. The software is really garbage.
What problems did you have
For miband:
It vibrates sometimes for no reason
I have to repair it every once in a while
App notifactions just do not work. After re-pairing the band they work for a day if Im lucky.
for redmi note 3:
faulty flex cable (the cable which contains the underlaying buttons for power, volume up and down.
The aluminium used is pot grade material. Its just a back cover thats made from very cheap and thin aluminium. it buckles super easily
its squeeky
Why repair it just refund it and get a new one. I own a Redmi note 3 but I dont have any trouble, just ask the reseller for replacement. Makes no sense to repair yourself.
One question tho: How do you repair a miband yourself??
When i said re-pair I meant repairing the device by unpairing it in the app then adding it again
There is literally nothing exciting about this phone. This is a budget phone from 2013, it doesn’t even have full 3G coverage. You are better off saving a little bit more, it will be worth it in the end.
Exactly …
Yea I would buy several used or older phones before this. I don’t remember which site it was but they had a Mi3 listed for $85. I would buy that before this.
If you are browsing for a phone in this price range, I recommend homtom ht3 pro. With some luck and looking around you get it for 69 usd. It has 4g, faster soc, bigger rom and 2gb ram. Also has 3000mah compared to umi 2500 ram but who knows if the mah is real or not.
I am not and if I was I wouldn’t buy HomTom, I don’t trust the brand anymore than Doogee, Elephone or Ulefone.
Where’s that ulefone employee that always posts a video about “Ulefone paris & Umi Rome X Artwork vs. crap”? Would be very fitting now wouldnt it
Exactly
theres already a comment lol
Saw it now perfect 😀
your name sounds weird – is it a direct google translation of xiaomi’s mi air purifier
Do you have something against air purifiers from the beloved brand?
So in short it’s a banger!
here for that price you usually buy an old clamshell, so I’d say that’s not too bad after all, camera seems better than some phones with double the price.
I bought my wife a redmi 2 for $85. It’s a very good device, she’s happy with it. I wouldn’t risk buying one of these cheaper phones.
Yep, looks like the right thing to do.
Yeah exactly, Xiaomi you can trust that the quality standards are high even if the price is not
I have owned two Xiaomi products and had problems with both. Worst is the miband. The software is really garbage.
What problems did you have
For miband:
It vibrates sometimes for no reason
I have to repair it every once in a while
App notifactions just do not work. After re-pairing the band they work for a day if Im lucky.
for redmi note 3:
faulty flex cable (the cable which contains the underlaying buttons for power, volume up and down.
The aluminium used is pot grade material. Its just a back cover thats made from very cheap and thin aluminium. it buckles super easily
its squeeky
Why repair it just refund it and get a new one. I own a Redmi note 3 but I dont have any trouble, just ask the reseller for replacement. Makes no sense to repair yourself.
One question tho: How do you repair a miband yourself??
When i said re-pair I meant repairing the device by unpairing it in the app then adding it again
There is literally nothing exciting about this phone. This is a budget phone from 2013, it doesn’t even have full 3G coverage. You are better off saving a little bit more, it will be worth it in the end.
Where I live people rather buy an used phone than something like this. This is left for those who only want a calling phone not really a SMARTPHONE, or old folks who don’t really care much about tech stuff
Yea I would buy several used or older phones before this. I don’t remember which site it was but they had a Mi3 listed for $85. I would buy that before this.
If you are browsing for a phone in this price range, I recommend homtom ht3 pro. With some luck and looking around you get it for 69 usd. It has 4g, faster soc, bigger rom and 2gb ram. Also has 3000mah compared to umi 2500 ram but who knows if the mah is real or not.
I am not and if I was I wouldn’t buy HomTom, I don’t trust the brand anymore than Doogee, Elephone or Ulefone.
Where’s that ulefone employee that always posts a video about “Ulefone paris & Umi Rome X Artwork vs. crap”? Would be very fitting now wouldnt it
Exactly
theres already a comment lol
Saw it now perfect 😀
your name sounds weird – is it a direct google translation of xiaomi’s mi air purifier
Do you have something against air purifiers from the beloved brand?
here for that price you usually buy an old clamshell, so I’d say that’s not too bad after all, camera seems better than some phones with double the price.
Ouch…
I’m expecting for a Bluboo Xfire 2 at the moment… for a review.
Same Setup, I guess I’ll be pissed too 😛
Ouch…
I’m expecting for a Bluboo Xfire 2 at the moment… for a review.
Same Setup, I guess I’ll be pissed too 😛
OMG! You are so lucky your got yourself one UMi device that is really working and has not hardware problems… LOL!
I’ve used a few that had no issues.
OMG! You are so lucky your got yourself one UMi device that is really working and has not hardware problems… LOL!
I’ve used a few that had no issues.
Thanks for that unbiased review, Yash. Glad to see you’re not afraid to criticise. I’m always so curious as to what these ever cheaper devices really deliver.
I can say with confidence that bias is something GizChina.com is free of. Thank you for noticing 🙂
Thanks for that unbiased review, Yash. Glad to see you’re not afraid to criticise. I’m always so curious as to what these ever cheaper devices really deliver.
I can say with confidence that bias is something GizChina.com is free of. Thank you for noticing 🙂
Never forget what UMI has done with UMI Rome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPpOO1S5yNM
its crap vs crap , ulefone is no better and bet your stupid employee ass knows this , if you attack me again with “u puur shit man sad cheildhood ” crap i will laugh at your shoddy company and its attempts to save it…
Not really… I think Ulefone is a good company and UMi is just really bad… I have phones from both companies and I have read many user reviews about many models.
You just know nothing, otherwise you would have known both companies have good and bad models… Now maybe you know something.
What model of the UMi was good? Right, no one! =)
Emax mini and touch are very good mobiles, but I guess you know better than everyone here, so we all should listen to you and your truth, the one and only.
You mad bro? I have the UMi eMax Mini in white color and it sucks! All people have many software problems (I see them at the UMi community site) and UMi won’t give any Updates! My phone has some hardware problems too!! It’s just rubbish and I don’t use it any more…
Also, the eMax Mini is just a rebranded TCL M3G, not really a UMi phone… Anyway, TCL is making all the phones of UMi. Finally, the UMi Rome has Fake battery and search some info about the UMi Zero problems, to see how “good” company is… =)
If I should judge a company by the users complaining, there wouldn’t be a single one surviving. I could find millions of complains for apple, Samsung, htc and so on, does that make those companies shit? Internet is the place of complaining, you also prove this 🙂
I liked my UMi Zero.
ule is a crap company too , just dont bring crap in here , i tried both phones too…
OMG I WAITED FOR THIS VIDEO THANK YOU SO MUCH UR THEEE GUY
Ahahah, was missing those guys also!
Never forget what UMI has done with UMI Rome
its crap vs crap , ulefone is no better and bet your stupid employee ass knows this , if you attack me again with “u puur shit man sad cheildhood ” crap i will laugh at your shoddy company and its attempts to save it…
OMG I WAITED FOR THIS VIDEO THANK YOU SO MUCH UR THEEE GUY
Not really… I think Ulefone is a good company and UMi is just really bad… I have phones from both companies and I have read many user reviews about many models.
You just know nothing, otherwise you would have known both companies have good and bad models… Now maybe you know something.
Ahahah, was missing those guys also!
What model of the UMi was good? Right, no one! =)
Emax mini and touch are very good mobiles, but I guess you know better than everyone here, so we all should listen to you and your truth, the one and only.
You mad bro? I have the UMi eMax Mini in white color and it sucks! All people have many software problems (I see them at the UMi community site) and UMi won’t give any Updates! My phone has some hardware problems too!! It’s just rubbish and I don’t use it any more…
Also, the eMax Mini is just a rebranded TCL M3G, not really a UMi phone… Anyway, TCL is making all the phones of UMi. Finally, the UMi Rome has Fake battery and search some info about the UMi Zero problems, to see how “good” company is… =)
If I should judge a company by the users complaining, there wouldn’t be a single one surviving. I could find millions of complains for apple, Samsung, htc and so on, does that make those companies shit? Internet is the place of complaining, you also prove this 🙂
ule is a crap company too , just dont bring crap in here , i tried both phones too…
I liked my UMi Zero.
Watch this comparison video to know more about Umi rome x: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOANYdVp5Tw
Watch this comparison video to know more about Umi rome x:
2016 – Android 5.1?!
And this class smartphone price is too high
And I do not like a smartphone. Late with the birth!
An older operating system Android 5.1 and Sony IMX164 sensor main video camera. For comparison: Uhans A101s. MT6580 processor, 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 8MP camera, Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It has a decent camera, enough RAM and ROM. Wonderful smartphone for entry-level users
LOL….
2016 – Android 5.1?!
And I do not like a smartphone. Late with the birth!
An older operating system Android 5.1 and Sony IMX164 sensor main video camera. For comparison: Uhans A101s. MT6580 processor, 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM, 8MP camera, Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It has a decent camera, enough RAM and ROM. Wonderful smartphone for entry-level users
LOL….
For the consumer it is necessary to struggle. How do you know Uhans. Now Uhans A101 is on sale for just $ 0.99. Details on the website link-http: //www.uhans.cc/promotion/a101/
well my choice is DOOGEE Y6 . it support 4g+ and comes with 4 gb ram and 64 gb rom … so why we should not try this ? it has 13 mp samsung camera and 8 mp front camera..it has ips display technology and 2.5 d curve screen !!! it come with beautiful colors 🙂 so give it a try