Android smartphones are amazingly feature packed. HD displays, huge performance, amazing cameras! These are some of the things we are treated to with our new phones, but of all the features which is the first one you test out when you get a phone in your hands?
Whether it’s at the mall, or when unpacking your new purchase, everyone has a set routine when it comes to Android phones. Rip open the packaging, tear off the screen cover, insert the battery (if applicable) and SIM, power it up and then….. then what?
Well this is where many of us tend to differ. With phone your not common with in your hands what is it you do first?
What do we test first on our Android phones
To get the ball rolling I asked some of the GizChina team about their usual habits when getting a smartphone in their hands. As I’m writing this I’ll first:
Andi
For my personal everyday use I’m not that bothered by the sheer grunt of a phone, the most important aspect is the rear camera. When getting another phone in my hands for review, a friend’s phone or when in the store, the first thing I do is fire up the camera app and snap some photos.
Abbie
First impressions are important to me and it’s the scree which speaks volumes about any phone. It has to be bright, clear and have amazing viewing angles. Once I know the screen is up to scratch I test the front camera and take a few selfies.
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Yash
Here’s what I do: I usually check the screen for any dead pixels or creaking around the body, and then test the overall snappiness (UI transitions, app loading time) and lastly of course, the rear camera.
Mario (GizChina.it)
For me the first thing I test is the touchscreen. I hate it if a screen isn’t smooth, it ruins the whole user experience. After the screen the camera is tested.
Eduardo (GizChina.es)
The first thing I test in an Android phone is the launcher and the browser to see if the normal use of the phone is smooth or not.For the browser I open a website and zoom in and out to see how it works. Also the rear camera is important to me so I took a very close to an object photo to see the near focus.
Now it’s your turn, what do you try first?
So now it’s over to you guys, what is the most important aspect of a smartphone to you? what do you test first, and what is it that can really put you off using a device?
Our last ‘Open Thread’ article received over 200 amazing comments, let’s see if we can beat that!
CPU binning, flex test, screen for pixel defects, speakers, and lastly the camera. The camera is the most important for me. I learned all this from my having RMA’ed my Nexus 4, four times.
Ah, flex is one I do also 🙂
I’ve made it a point not to check CPU binning, I guess it really sucks to know you have ‘normal’ when others have ‘fast’!
how do you check CPU binning? i’ve looked up what it means, now i’m curious as to how you check it on (or in) a cell phone.
I’m not sure if it varies from phone to phone (or CPU manufacturer to CPU manufacturer?), but here’s how it is done on the Nexus 4: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2052496
You can maybe give it a try and let us know.
test gps – this is the most important usage for me. then compass.
Yup and a big one to test especially on MTK phones
The first things I test is 1º – the screen (touch, image quality, dead pixels, view angles, etc) 2º – is the speakers (volume and quality of all) 3º – the cameras (image quality, software etc) after these tests is random
Awesome thanks 🙂
1st: screen
2nd: music quality with my headphones
3rd: USB OTG
4th: GPS speed and accuracy
5th wifi signal
Then after a while, battery life and cellular performance.
bro what is your ideas about good china android phone (quad core) for a music lovers like me?
thank you!
First thing when I get any phone is close my eyes n try to feel the phone, it’s touch n feel. I don’t care about the brands. If this test is successful then I check touch screen, as it is the most important part in the phone which only work on touch. If touch is not good, then whether the phone is single core or 16 core, it doesn’t serve it’s primary duty well. Also I am firm believer that my phone should have all the reasons to replace my digital camera, it should have a very good zippy sharp camera which can take picture with real depth. Last but not the least, if I have android phone with GPS, good Camera, good bright screen then to support it, I need a very good battery, or else all other features are just waste. It is same like having a sexy car but no fuel to run it…..
Well, maybe is not the FIRST thing, but on my last phone, which I bougth mostly because of its monstrous battery, I really did try everything just looking forward its impact in battery life. And the Settings→Battery menu option was visited every now and then, taking some screenshots to keep track of it.
That’s all!
all the visible hardware,
1) screen – dead pixels, touch responsiveness
2) cameras
3) physical buttons – volumes and power
4) speaker
5) charger and battery
6) ports
7) bluetooth, gps, 3g and wifi signal
8) the pyhsic of the phone n screen, i dont want it to have any single tiny scratch! cause i’m paying for it! =)
Usually, first i check the build quality and Display
then comes toward its performance especially antutu scoring and then the rear camera and its camera app…..
screen, wifi, antutu
“Now it’s your turn, what do you try first?”
I try to call… that’s what I try first. Really.
Finally someone who uses a phone like a phone 😉
haha! +%9000
Why currently phones are phones, too? 😀
I expected to see reactions like “you silly guy, why would you try calling with it?”
WAIT,I CAN DO THAT?
i think i forgot to do this when i bought my latest phone. 😀
1.Lag test,I run around the UI real fast looking for choppiness.
2.Viewing angles and overall quality of the display,touch sensitivity, basically “is it a good screen?”
3.Browser speeds
4.Antutu to confirm specs,if I can,usually on a phone I’m smelling a fish with [1.2 ghz dual core snapdragon,yeah right…cheap ol’ msm8225]
5.Front facer,then rear cam.
I’ve gotten real good at it too i can do this all pretty fast.
andi, please always test if gps is functioning out of the box when you review any new china mtk phones. this will help us to make decision whether to buy the phone. we also want to know if gps with glonass apart from the camera function. thanks for a good source of info on china phones
Hi Tom, this is more to do with personal habits with a new phone not how we should be reviewing them, but thanks 😉
– workmanship
– UI responsiveness of the ROM
– Screen max brightness
– Front and Rear camera quality with room light with & without flash
– max volume of speaker and headphones
Which phone have you tried now with the best workmanship?
I’m currently still using my Galaxy S2, so I have no experience with phones from china.
I think in january I will order the zopo zp998.
I was also interested in the OrientPhone One MAX(H801+) but couldn’t find a hands-on video of it, so I’m not sure if the body is plastic or metal and if the front-speakers are real or just for the appearance
I think it’s plastic
I think so too, that wouldn’t bother me.
But if the holes on the front are just for the appearance, I wouldn’t buy it.
The real nice feature of the HTC One for me are these front speakers, without them the device isn’t attractive anymore to me.
1. General first impressions – build quality, speed and smoothness of screen scrolling etc.
2. Sunlight visibility of screen.
3. Speed of GPS lock.
4. Music quality using my own good quality earphones.
5. Camera quality and ease of use – I’m glad that some phones are now getting a dedicated camera button.
6. Battery life (this is last because it takes time to find out, but I would only buy a phone with a large, removable battery).
see the smoothness like go to see version number, some stupid phone when scroll down to end of list in settings will bounce
install google play, see can open
antutu
i definitely look for screen quality and touch smoothness!
Watch some porn.
Indeed you are testing all the aforementioned aspects at once
Classy 😉
The camera. I do not want to be in a position to have a uncomfortable friend who I have asked for help to take my family photo. Both of us will be embarrassed if the camera is crappy and unresponsive.
+1
The following is the first four things I do everytime without fail
1) I check the build quiality. I look for cracks, gaps, flaking, rigidity etc. in both phone and battery.
2) I then power up with SIM and do four call tests. Regular call, Speaker Phone call, call through supplied earphones and call through Bluetooth Headset and Bluetooth Conference speaker with built in mic.
3) Then I focus on the screen. sensitivity, viewing angles, video play back resolution – live TV through TV app both through WiFi & Data connection, games etc. all done in bright sunlight
4) Cameras. pics and videos both front and back both done in various lighting conditions
If in my opinion the phone passed my personal test i then install the rest of my apps and i proceed to personalize the phone to my needs. Home screen assignments, app clusters etc.
Wow! If you have any reviews written up maybe you can send them in to be posted here? 😉
Ok no problem when I upgrade i’ll make a sound contribution to the GizChina community
Hi…
1.camera if it is slow on finding the focus and the quality of pictures,videos and flash.
2.screen quality,resolution and response on touch,screen rotation, although I expect that to work out of the box.
3. wifi and browser speed
4. gps
5. search of pdf and opening large 500+ pages of pdf and scrolling them.
Basicaly the things I use the most on any mobile daily.
1. Responsiveness
2. Screen viewing angles etc
3. Camera quality
4. Sound
5. Fit and finish
6. Version of android
7. quality of customisation
8. crapware level.
In many ways my observations on phones are based on what I currently don’t like about my current phone.
I have an Acer CloudMobile, I don’t like the slowness of the autofocus on the camera, the terrible battery life and being stuck on 4.1.
I won’t buy a chinese phone till they come with 4.4 standard as most don’t seem to care about updates. Being 2 versions behind on day one won’t cut it.
I use my phone a lot whilst traveling so finding out from people in RL using phones on trains etc really matters to me.
GPS.. the only thing I ever had a problem with, with Chinese phones
camera picture quality in low light
display panel quality because you look at your display like 98,99% of the time depending how beautiful your device is 😉
First, it has to make the function to make and receive phone calls.
Then it must have excellent microphone and audio.
Then it must have an excellent battery and GPS.
The rest is cosmetics.
For me the software doesn’t really matter, most important is if the phone will have good support from the custom rom community, I just want CyanogenMod on my phone!
So I first of all I read a lot of reviews and try to make a guess whether it will get the support, no Mediatek for me it is thus. Doesnt need to be a high end SoC but it needs to be fast enough and efficient (Qualcomm is the way to go for me, supportwise and for now its just the best choice).
Then build quality, battery life and memory are most important. It needs good ‘handling’ which means, size and ergonomics.
Screen and camera are less important for me, as long as I can use it in the sun thats fine by me.
Camera, to me it still is a phone camera so… thats just fine most of the time, allthough Im exitied about the Sony Z1S because of its camera (and all other aspects which make it almost perfect).
I think thats about it. For now I own a Xiaomi M2S and a Sony Xperia SP. Both amazing phones, the Xiaomi would be the perfect phone if it had SD-card support!
let’s be honest.
if an thl mk2 cost 115 $ US to fabricate in retail mode than why cost as being on sale with 399 $ US.
here are the specs for less tha 200 € Euro phone
aa. CAMERA = HQ CAMERAS 14 MPX (not 5 bucks cameras anymore)
a. CPU = MT6592 Octa Core x8 at 2Ghz
b. GPU = MALI-T678 or MALI-T720 X8 Core EGL 3.0 / DX Direct3D 11
c. RAM = 2GB / DDR3
d. MEM = 32 GB internal memory
e. BATTERY = 2800mah minimum or 3500mah or more
f. INCH = 4.7 minimum or 5 inch maximum screen size
g. OS = Android KitKat 4.4 Bug Free (On Android Bug Free, Neeeeveeeer )
h. CASE SHELL = Aluminium or Steel Alloy
i. NETWORK = 4G-LTE / WCDMA / GSM (Of Course Unlocked World Wide with 2 Sim)
j. WiFi = 5 GHz dual channel
k. BLUETOOTH = 4.0
l. NFC = YES
m. OTG = YES
n. FAST CHARGE = YES
o. TV-OUT = OH YES via MhL or HDMi
p. SCREEN = GORILLA GLASS
r. SOUND = DEDICATED HQ CHIP
s. SPEAKER = STEREO HQ SPEAKERS
t. 2D = 2D HIGH PERFORMANCE (Takes The Lag In Android Forever)
u. MAGE = MEDIATEK High Advanced Lock Screen Personalization
v. BOOTLOADER = UNLOCKED
x. UPDATES = YES
y. CHARGER = HQ Charger with 1mha or more
z. SAR = Low Radiation Level
1st: build quality..
2: make sure all specs are correct with Antutu e.t.c(especially chinese brands)
3. General responsiveness
4. Camera
5. earphones quality
6. cellular coverage
7. then i try calling..lol
antutu