The octacore GooPhone N3 review is here! We have had our hands on the GooPhone N3 phablet for a few weeks now preparing this review. Find out what we think of this dual sim phone with the body of a Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
There are knock-offs and there are clones
When someone says knock-off to me I immediately picture a cheap, badly made copy of a big name product. Something like a plastic gold Rolex with the numbers printed on backwards and only works for as long as you are in the store. There was a time when some Chinese phones could have been described this way, but not anymore!
The new breed of clones are almost replicas of the phones they try to emulate. I actually wanted to call the GooPhone N3 a replica in the title, but I don’t want to make it look like a condone the practice of copying the design of another brand. Clone will have to do.
Octacore GooPhone N3 Unboxing
Octacore GooPhone N3 Specifications
[komper pid=152 compareform=no]Octacore GooPhone N3 Review – Design
The simplest way to get to know the design of the GooPhone N3, without actually buying one, is to follow these simple steps. 1) Find your nearest Samsung phone store, 2) Visit said store, 3) Pick up the Galaxy Note, 4) Finished!
Having to acutually pick up a real Note 3 speaks volumes for the design, feel, and quality of this 5.7-inch clone. We’re not talking a 1:1 exact copy though, the logo on the rear is a GooPhone one, there is no stylus and you can forget those expensive Samsung prices as the octacore GooPhone N3 costs just $239.99!
Like the Note 3, the GooPhone N3 is available in black or white. Bezels on the GooPhone aren’t the narrowest, but the overall width is slim enough for those with medium to large size hands to easily grip and use the device one-handed.
One handed operation is helped with a textured finish on the rear, which GooPhone have tired to make look like a leather panel complete with fake stitching all modeld in to the removable rear panel.
While we’re on the rear we can see the silver GooPhone logo is the only wording on the phone. Above the logo is the 13 mega-pixel camera and LED flash which extend slightly from the body of the phone and are surrounded by a black panel with silver border.
The front of the device is where we are greeted by that large 5.7-inch display (more on that later). A physical home button sits below with back-lit capacitive buttons on either side. Then at the very top is a 5 mega-pixel front facing camera to the right of the receiver.
GooPhone have crafted a silver plastic border around the phone with grooves which run around. These add a bit of flair to the design and also aid in the grip department. Physical controls for power can be found on the right while a volume rocker is on your left.
3.5mm headphone jack in the top and a micro USB in the base make up the exterior of the GooPhone N3.
The black rear panel can be easily removed simply by unclipping it and pulling it away from the rest of the phone. Underneath is where the 3200mAh replaceable battery can be found, dual sim tray (one on top of the other) and space for Micro SD card.
Some readers have already asked if the GooPhone N3 can be used with genuine Samsung batteries. The answer is I have never tried and would personally only use the battery designed for the phone in that phone. While I am answering questions the dual sim spaces are for a single Micro SIM and single regular SIM and the SD card slot can accept up to 32GB cards.
The GooPhone N3 also ships with an optional flip cover which connect directly to the rear of the phone in place of the standard rear panel. Again it gets a fake leather look, this time in a flexible material and has a notification window in the front so you can keep an eye on messages and the time without needing to open the cover.
The GooPhone N3 might be manufactured primarily of plastic, but the body is surprisingly well made and feels better than you would imagine in your hand. Also the fact that most of the device is plastic helps to keep the overall weight down.
Octacore GooPhone N3 Review – Display
Just 12 months ago it would not have been possible to buy a smartphone with a 5.7-inch 1920 x 1080 display for $239.99, let alone a phone with a octacore processor and 2GB RAM! Even now it is next to impossible to find a phone with this type of hardware without looking at what China has to offer.
As the display is something you are going to be staring at for hours a day while commuting, taking a break, catching up on the news, or getting a bit of early work done, it is important that you choose a phone with a good one.
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The panel on the N3 is superb! The 5.7-inch size is perfect and is a great size, even to me as a smaller phone user I can easily get along with the phablet size display. The 1920 x 1080 resolution means that even on this large expanse of glass images are crystal clear and text is crisp to read.
Viewing angles are spot on and colours are bright and vibrant. It would be hard not to be impressed by this display on any phone even if it were on a much costlier device. If we were to have one complaint though it would be that the screen could be a touch brighter for daytime use, but overall viewing is a joy.
Octacore GooPhone N3 Review – Performance
With a 1.7Ghz octacore MT6592 processor and 2GB RAM, you don’t need to see the Antutu scores to know that the GooPhone N3 has more than enough power to please all but the most power-hungry users!
From operating the Android 4.2 OS, to taking and saving photos, streaming video over WIFI, browsing the internet and even 3D gaming, the GooPhone N3 takes everything in it’s stride without breaking a sweat.
At its price the N3 is going to be attracting a lot of phone users who are more used to using much lower specification hardware, these customers are going to be blown away by the performance and the overall feel of the phone. Even those of us use to more advanced Snapdragon and Samsung Exynos set ups won’t be disappointed by the GooPhone N3’s performance.
As with all of our phone reviews we ran a number of popular benchmarks on the GooPhone N3, the results of these tests can be seen in the screenshots below.
GooPhone N3 benchmarks
Octacore GooPhone N3 3D Mark benchmarks;
- Ice Storm: 5125
- Ice Strom Extreme: 3623
- Ice Storm Unlimited: 6644
Octacore GooPhone N3 Antutu;
- Antutu: 27,185
Nenamark;
- 47.6fps
Quadrant;
- 12,731
Vellamo;
- HTML5: 1944
- Metal: 653
Octacore GooPhone N3 Benchmarks Video
Octacore GooPhone N3 review – Battery
The GooPhone has a lot to power with that large high-resolution display, 8-core processor and 2GB RAM, still the 3200mAh battery does an adequate job of keeping you up and running for most of the day.
Obviously your mileage is going to vary depending on how you use the phone, but in our extensive tests we were able to get through a normal work day of emailing, photos and web browsing over 3G on a single charge. Gaming and video takes it’s toll on the battery and does mean a mid day top up will be in order for users who commute to work and use your phone as your entertainment on the journey there and back.
Octacore GooPhone N3 review – Camera performance
There was a time when reviewing a Chinese smartphone for its camera performance was a very hit and miss affair. Some performed very well, where as others were pretty terrible. These days though manufacturers have gotten their act together and many are using the same hardware as each other and using the same optimizations.
The GooPhone N3 has a 13 mega-pixel camera with and aperture size of f2.4 this isn’t as good as some of the phones we have reviewed recently and means that low-light performance isn’t as good as we would have hoped, but for taking photos during the day and in good lighting conditions the images are more than acceptable.
A 5 mega-pixel front camera is also included which is also great in good light and can take some nice selfies, however low-light performance isn’t what it could be due to the f2.8 aperture.
Below are a few sample photos from the GooPhone N3, a link is provided after the gallery where you can download the full size images.
GooPhone N3 sample photos
Octacore GooPhone N3 Review – Connectivity
The N3 has dual SIM card slots which can be used for either 2G GSM or 3G WCDMA networks in countries with the following bands GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA: 850/2100MHz. This dual sim phone has no 4G LTE support, and as you can see will not work on 3G networks in North American countries.
Call quality, reception and browsing over 3G are perfect with no issues, and I am happy to report that GPS on the phone worked right out of the box. The first lock took a few minutes but since then the GPS has be quite fast and reliable. There is also WIFI, Bluetooth but no NFC, lack of which is probably to keep the overall cost of the phone down.
Octacore GooPhone N3 Review – Conclusion
The GooPhone N3 is a great package for anyone wanting a powerful octacore phone with a great display. The price is phenomenal and we would even rave about it if it cost slightly more.
The N3 is for customers who appreciate the look of the real Samsung Galaxy Note 3 but enjoy the prices of Chinese phones, and also the ability of having an unlocked device so they can switch and choose carriers as they please. A large display, and fast processor makes the N3 great for work and gaming and the replaceable battery means you should be able to keep power on at all times.
The GooPhone N3 isn’t for those who use their phones as a camera on a daily basis. While the octacore N3 can take some very nice photos in good light, the poor low light quality will eventually become annoying.
Overall the GooPhone N3 is a great buy for most uses. It is powerful, large but not to large, has a great feeling body and costs just $239.99! For more details of the GooPhone N3 visit the official store GooPhone.cc.
hi andi thanks for such a great review. what could you say about bending test and video capture quality?
It’s a sturdy body. Video is good with a steady focus, not much hunting around.
Sorry for the late post, but how would you compare the camera sensor in this phone to that of the Nexus 4? I’m interested in buying a Goophone, but the camera is a big part for me. Also, do you know if Goophone releases kernel source somewhere? Or do Mediatek chipsets have a unified kernel?
Finally, do you plan on doing a review of the Goophone S5 when it becomes available?
Thank you for your time,
Connor Baker
Hi,
I don’t have a Nexus 4 to compare the photos too. I will be posting photo samples in the full review. I have asked GooPhone to send the S5 as soon as they have them 🙂
Hi there. Andi, please: This SP has MHL or mini-HDMI? Can I connect it on a HDTV, and watch things… bigger? Thanks a lot in advance!
won’t support MHL and HDMI
Good review, the H9008/MX69T, another Note 3 clone also gets good reviews, compared to the N3 it has 3G US coverage and you can get 16gb and 32gb internal memory, downside is current ROM is not good on the battery.
Hey Andi clarify this for me;
In this article it is stated that the 3G Frequencies are 850/2100MHz
According to GSMArena the 3G Frequencies used in the U.S. are
UMTS 850, UMTS 1900, UMTS 1700, UMTS 2100
So wouldn’t this N3 support 3G in the U.S. off of at least the two bands that it does come with once your U.S. provider operates 3G on the aforementioned bands?
Once a provider uses those bands it will work but I dont think the chances are very high. I might be wrong but I do think a few carriers at least in Canada do support these 3G frequencies. As it is I have not heard of anyone in the US running a Chinese mediatek phone on 3G (please correct me if I am wrong as it would be huge news)
Hi there. Andi, please (this is extremelly important to me: Find a decent sp, with a decent price, that have dual sim abd mhl/hdmi, and quite frankly, after 3 yaers of search, i’m about to give up): This SP has MHL or mini-HDMI? Can I connect it on a HDTV, and watch things… bigger? Thanks a lot in advance!
Roger that, I am gonna look for it, I’ll let you know if I find something.
and if I don’t, I am preety sure Andi can find it.
I hope you’re sitting when you read this Andi.
My wife and I have been using the Zopo ZP 900 Leader as of October 2012.
We first had a pre paid $50 per mth with a provider called SimpleMobile that operates on the T-Mobile Network in the U.S. the service was fine but a bit spotty here and there based on how and where we move around and the areas we frequent.
When compared to co-workers that are actual T-Mobile subscribers and not MVNO subscribers as us, we found that they had the same issues in the same areas.
We then switched to another MVNO known as H2O Wireless and they operate off of the AT&T Network and we have had perfect service through out.
With either provider we have had 3G service and we are located in the state of Maryland!
We are originally for the caribbean, The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to be exact and we have our home based SIM’s which, Internationally Roam on AT&T and we have had zero issues except for the initial H2O setup where the phone I guess had to realize that though the two sims were from different providers they were both on the same network. This took 15mins flat and one reboot and all was and still is well with both the 2G & 3G connectivity and dual standby functionality of both Sim’s.
The only reason I didn’t upgrade us to a quad core is that I wanted to go straight to an LTE Octo Core unit and I just may go the route of Zopo again as their unit has been good to us thus far.
For those of you following who may not know A mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), or mobile other licensed operator (MOLO) is a wireless communications services provider that does not own the wireless network infrastructure over which the MVNO provides services to its customers.
For example Boost Mobile uses Sprint, Affinity Cellular uses Verizon, H2O Wireless uses AT&T and Simple Mobile uses TMobile while Straight Talk uses them all. They are all MVNO’s.
Wow that is awesome news! Thanks for sharing! Would be great if you could put together a short article introducing for other readers for us 😀
As we discussed in a previous post of yours at the begining of the year when I do upgrade to 4G Octa Core I’ll do a complete in depth post on the unit I acquire within two weeks of receiving and then a two month follow up review
I am from trinidad and I wanna get a phablet for tnt to use on Bmobile and digicel. I don’t want to buy the Note 3 etc bc i find that they are too expensive. I am a mac guy but i need the phablet bc I am in med school and i need something to study while I am on the go. I iphone is too small for me. I am reviewing many phablet but I would like you to recommend something for me thats unlocked.
Hey Gus,
Nice to meet another son of the soil. I am originally from Arima. Anyway the info you need is listed below
As per GSMArena the bands currently used in The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago
2G capabilities
GSM 850, GSM 900, GSM 1900
3G capabilities
UMTS 1900
4G capabilities
LTE 1900
My advice would be to choose any Dual Sim dual standby Phablet you love that compliments those bands.
Though I am in the U.S. the phones that I have owned covered both the U.S. and the T&T bands so that when I do visit home {was there in 2013} my phone works regardless.
Even while i’m up here I do have my BMobile Sim being fully operational in my unit at all times so I can keep in contact with both friends and family.
the official goophone store does not accept paypal, is there any store that you recommend? (with paypal obviously)
yes its not safe to buy from that site,that website can’t accept paypal and can only accept visa and on his payment page of VISa it isn’t https: so your card information will be stolen or correct by that site
This is probably too late but have you tried purchasing from Chinese sellers via aliexpress? I use them all the time.
I bought two already – battery runs out extremely fast and this is a known issue over the internet – also it is important to say that the size is not 1:1 as the Samsung N3 – it is bigger – so you will not be able to use Samsung’s case and accesdories…
Hi there, Alon! Please, can you help me? This is extremelly important to me: Find a decent sp, with a decent price, that have dual sim and mhl (or hdmi), and quite frankly, after 3 years of search, i’m about to give up: This SP has MHL or mini-HDMI? Can I connect it on a HDTV, and watch things… bigger? Thanks a lot in advance
that website can’t accept paypal and can only accept visa and on his payment page of VISa it isn’t https: so your card information will be stolen or correct by that site
it is not safe to buy from andi suggest website,that website can’t accept paypal and can only accept visa and on his payment page of VISa it isn’t https: so your card information will be stolen or correct by that site
Does any one know where to get a spare battery for the phone?
Hi there, does anyone know where you can get a wall charger or a USB dock that would charge a spare battery for the Goophone N3. I was looking at the Note 3 accessories and the Samung battery seems a lot physically smaller.
Note3 battery does not fit i tried , it smaller but thicker. I am still looking for a place to get a spare battery, goophone themselves wont sell me one.
I really need a spare as well. The phone it’s great but the battery life is terrible. Streaming tune in radio you can practically watch the battery percentage ticking down. You can swap the spare battery they give you but then you’re left needing to charge two batteries with one phone at night. A wall dock world be the ideal solution therefore. So if anyone knows of one even that is a third party manufacturer that would be great. It’s a shame really cos I can’t see them bothering to do one. How about they’re just honest about the battery in the first place? Is it really 3200 or is it the operating system that canes the battery?
It really does leave a bad taste.which I hadn’t bothered purely cos of something as simply solved as this
*Wish
Any joy finding one?
Does anyone know where to buy a replacement screen for these phones? How about batteries? I had this phone for about 6 month and I think it is really bad quality. Had 2 out of 3 faulty batteries (the 3rd is on the way out now), cannot upgrade the firmware to 4.4, build quality is very poor and i cannot find a replacement screen for it (as mine cracked). I will avoid Goophone next time.