We finally go hands on with the first production version of the iOcean X8 to be released. Hands on video, photos and first impressions of this next generation octacore phablet.
iOcean made a splash last year with the iOcean X7 and are attempting the same in 2014 with a mixture of all new design, better build and the latest, high-performance hardware.
Design and build are the largest changes for the iOcean X8, gone is the 5-inch display, the (slightly flexy) plastic body of last year’s flagship and in with an all new, classy design. The iOcean X8 is a huge departure from the X7 and looks and feels like something Oppo would have released (but with a higher price tag). In fact the iOcean X8 looks like a larger version of the Oppo R1.
An alloy chassis makes up the back bone of the iOcean X8 and is enhanced on either side with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. iOcean’s trademark bezel lip remains but has been scaled down on the x8 to keep the lines simple and stylish.
Despite all that glass and the alloy chassis the iOcean X8 is surprisingly light weighing just 171g (with the internal battery) according to our office scales. The weight is distributed very well across the phone and with a width of just 79mm I feel confident to use the phablet one-handed (even in todays wind).
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Overall the design is simple, elegant and functional. The body is as wide as it needs to be and the length (159mm) is spot on for a device with a 5.7-inch screen.
iOcean have chosen to make the X8 a unibody phone meaning that you cannot get at the internal 2650mAh battery, this also means that the SIM cards (yes there is space for 2) have to be inserted via a the single tray on the left hand side of the phone. The X8 comes with either 16 or 32GB memory, I suggest you go for the larger memory option as there is no SD card memory expansion.
iOcean X8 hands on video
I’ve only had the iOcean X8 for a few hours but have managed to put together a short hands on video showing some details of the phone, features of the ROM and also a comparison with the Oppo Find 7a (which is only slightly smaller).
iOcean X8 photo gallery
iOcean X8 first impressions
It is really to early to give a full review of the iOCean X8 as I have only been using it for a few hours, but so far so good. I have yet to come across anything that bothers me about the phone, and as far as I can tell everything works just how it should i.e fast and stable.
The build quality of the iOcean X8 is very nice, and really is on par with the equally good Oppo R1, but the iOcean has a larger, higher resolution display, 13 mega-pixel camera and NFC at a lower price!
Currently there is nothing not to like about the iOcean X8, but keep posted for the full review and final conclusion coming soon.
[ iOcean ]