Ulefone Be Pro hands on and first impressions


ulefone be pro review

Another hands on today, this time I get to grips with the Ulefone Be Pro and come away pleasantly surprised.

Take one look at the Ulefone Be Pro and you will more than likely think “OnePlus One Clone”, and I suppose Ulefone should expect that, but take a closer look and you soon realise this is less of a clone and actually a surprisingly good phone in its own right.

Ulefone Be Pro hands on and first impressions

ulefone be pro review

Opening the Ulefone branded packagingΒ you uncover the 5.5-inch Ulefone Be Pro, screen protector, well detailed instruction book, EU battery charger and USB data cable. The fact that Ulefone have taken the time to put together such a detailed instruction manual, and in English is a comforting detail. It’s not some cheap piece of paper either but a nice quality instruction manual!

You might find my obsession with the manual a little oddΒ but you generally don’t find something like this form a $169.99 smartphone. In fact I didn’t get a manual like this from Huawei, Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo or OnePlus. It’s a great example that Ulefone mean business.

ulefone be pro review

Picking up the Ulefone Be Pro is a pleasant experience also. The 5.5-inch phone has a nicely detailed alloy border which wraps around the edge of the phone and is (I believe) part of the internal chassis.

ulefone be pro review

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The alloy has a brushed finish and creates a nice recessed bezel around the screen and creates an elegantΒ border around the USB and 3.5mm headphone jack in the top of the phone. It’s these nice design touches which really impress me about the phone.

Physical controls consist of a power button on the right and volme rockers on the left. They are a little loose but no more so than on the Oppo N3, which costs 4 times as much!

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ulefone be pro review

The removable rear panel is high quality plastic requiring a good amount of force to remove it. It snaps back in to place with reassuring clicks too. I also like the fact that Ulefone have though about the rear camera on the phone and made it recessed in to the plastic so you don’t rest the phone on the glass lens.

Video: Ulefone Be Pro hands on and first impressions

Ulefone Be Pro gallery

Ulefone Be Pro specifications

[table id=194 /]

I’ve still got to spend some more time with the Ulefone Be Pro and I will be reporting all my findings in a full written and video review. So far though I could honestly say I am truly impressed by this $169.99 64bit phone! Not only is the specification impressive but so is the build quality and attention to detail.

If Ulefone keep this up then they are surely going to make some waves in the Chinese smartphone world over the coming months.

Learn more about Ulefone on the official Ulefone Facebook page.

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97 Comments

  1. January 27, 2015

    Nice to know they are paying much attention to details. One thing I dont like though is the positioning of the micro usb at the top. I find it more convenient at the bottom so that it doesnt get damaged for someone who is in the habit of using the phone during charge.

    • arsalan
      January 27, 2015

      I fully support the point you made about USB. It will be very difficult to use it while charging.

  2. Marco Lancaster
    January 27, 2015

    Congratulations for Ulefone on this high quality device, they keep attention on details and make the phone way good. The Stock Android running on it, giving a flawless perfomance. The dedication in ship Lollipop soon. I can see Ulefone going to the right direction and turning to be a serious company!

    • Muhammad Yasir
      January 27, 2015

      camera is shit tho AND interpolated!

      • Marco Lancaster
        January 27, 2015

        I’ve seen some reviews, and the camera looks ok, the major problem is on night shots, but we find it in the majority of the chinese phones, most because the flashlight is weak. But looks like a regular 13MP Shooter, but the Front of course can’t be real 8MP.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          January 27, 2015

          hmm, can u tell me any phones which are actually GOOD at night shots?
          also , its real sad to see fake adverts of 8mp front cams :/

          • Steve B
            January 28, 2015

            Iuni U2 with omnivision sensor is very good.

            • Muhammad Yasir
              January 28, 2015

              i’d like something below 180$

              but thanks anyways

            • Steve B
              January 28, 2015

              Iuni U2 16GB is $189 at Merimobiles and there’s always discount vouchers floating about to bring down further. Reliable company in my experience too. I’ve seen it cheaper elsewhere, but wouldn’t trust them.

        • Tyrone Ricardo Creary
          January 28, 2015

          What’s the reason why the front can’t be a real 8mp??

          • Marco Lancaster
            January 28, 2015

            Could be, but i don’t think is real, because is easy for they, and judging by the phone price, to put a 5MP sensor and interpolate it to produce 8MP photos. If I’m wrong i’ll be glad to see a good value phone with it.

      • Steve B
        January 28, 2015

        Thought it was supposed to be Sony IMX 214? Can’t be that bad.

        • Muhammad Yasir
          January 28, 2015

          nah.. imx was 13mp , that is a 8mp shooter interpolated to 13…

          • Tyrone Ricardo Creary
            January 28, 2015

            How do you know??
            It’s like saying the battery is 2600mah but not made by Sony? Lol
            The point is, post up some specs and sample photos before making statements.

            • Muhammad Yasir
              January 29, 2015

              first of all , in a related ulefone post , SOMEONE who purchased this , posted an official reply from Ulefone support , who ADMITTED that the camera is indeed interpolated.

              secondly , check THIS out : http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/new_pro/april_2014/imx214_e.html , it shows WHAT exactly should imx214 produce in quality.

              3rdly : read the review of Ulefone , you’ll know how shit the camera REALLY is.

              4th : also see this for further reference ; https://chipworks.secure.force.com/catalog/ProductDetails?sku=SOT-P13N05A&viewState=DetailView

              so , you know now , im NOT a blind naysayer , i argue ONLY with reason.

            • Gabe
              January 31, 2015

              The page you liked above does not have a mention of ” interpolate” anywhere on the page (find doesn’t locate it)

              The camera on the Ulephone be one is excellent, I would think this would be close?
              I have a Nikon I use for important pictures, expecting a cell phone to do the same is just stupid.
              BTW: Resolution (pixel size) has nothing to do with quality and it only helps if you want a really large print or to do some serious cropping.

            • Steve B
              February 3, 2015

              Muhammad is right, It has now been shown that the camera isn’t Sony IMX214 13mp, it’s an Omnivision 8mp and some samples have a pink cast. The screen also isn’t LG, apparently its a Goodix. Ulefone appear to be full of BS, perhaps why no full review has appeared here.

            • Lasse k
              February 3, 2015

              As I stated a couple of weeks ago ago the rear camera is OV8825 and front is Samsung S5K5E2, I have the config file from the proc folder somewhere. Because I don’t have the phone anymore

            • Muhammad Yasir
              February 4, 2015

              i think great guys like u should share those “CONFIG FILES” for ALL of the phones that are being released . since we really wanna know which sensors are ACTUALLY being used !

            • Muhammad Yasir
              February 4, 2015

              my friend , i never said anything about the needing a DSLR on a poor , slim bodied cellphone!
              All i say , is , that in general , China hasnt learned its lesson. Their night time photography is shit. Flash is diappointing in MOST of the phones AND as a final straw , if a company LIES about its camera specs , ESPCIALLY if its a flagship phone , then its really infuriating for the consumer as well as for general observing public (something i term as the ‘market jury’). It really discourages people from further dealing , purchasing or even trusting that company.

              I had expected something MUCH better from a ULEFONE flagship and never something so low :/

            • February 3, 2015

              Yup, we are hearing that the camera on the Ulefone is an 8 mega-pixel camera not 13. I don’t have mine at hand to test but I will as soon as I can. Also reached out to Ulefone about this.

            • Steve B
              February 3, 2015

              Jack Ma has stated on the Ulefone facebook community that it is ‘genuine’ 8mp interpolated to 13mp. Doesn’t seem apologetic in any way. Such bad PR.

  3. tweetycontrabajo
    January 27, 2015

    Jiayu S3 is about the same price.

    • Simon
      January 27, 2015

      We need showdown between this phone and Jiayu S3 πŸ™‚

    • Muhammad Yasir
      January 27, 2015

      jiayu s4 is gonna be badly overpriced for intl customers !

    • Tagel
      January 27, 2015

      No, Jiayu is more expensive…

    • tweetycontrabajo
      January 27, 2015

      Is listed in the international store as 169.90 dollars. It says special price. and
      Out of stock.

      • Gabe
        January 31, 2015

        It’s always out of stock yet some sellers say they have it now?
        It has higher specs than this phone

    • Airyl
      January 28, 2015

      The S3 is probably more expensive internationally.

  4. Muhammad Yasir
    January 27, 2015

    im gonna wait for LEAGOO ELITE series equipped with next gen SoCs AND LTE !

    • Simon
      January 28, 2015

      Do you have a link to that phone ?

      • Muhammad Yasir
        January 28, 2015

        why yes i do!
        http://www.leagoo.cc/c662695.html
        the next big thing?!

        • Roger
          January 30, 2015

          Yes, they look good and the pricing is good for presale on the Elite 2, but am wondering how good the camera will be?

          I’m looking for a sub $200 phone with 2GB with a decent camera with a bright flash that can good pictures at night too. Also I want decent battery life.

          I’m considering a refurbished LG G2, as they are under $200 on Aliexpress.

          • Muhammad Yasir
            January 30, 2015

            im also looking for a fantastic night shooter below $190 !
            i guess we’ll keep searchin

            • Steve B
              February 4, 2015

              Ecoo are being suspiciously quiet about the 16mp camera in their new Aurora, but if it is genuine 16mp and f2.2 (only details I’ve seen) then might (just must) be the same OV unit as Gionee E7 & Iuni U2 and that is a great night shooter. Trouble is you need to risk presale to get below $190.

            • Muhammad Yasir
              February 4, 2015

              oh boyee!

  5. Michael Ogbonnaya
    January 27, 2015

    Nice to know they are paying much attention to details. One thing I dont like though is the positioning of the micro usb at the top. I find it more convenient at the bottom so that it doesnt get damaged for someone who is in the habit of using the phone during charge.

    • arsalan
      January 27, 2015

      I fully support the point you made about USB. It will be very difficult to use it while charging.

  6. Marco Lancaster
    January 27, 2015

    Congratulations for Ulefone on this high quality device, they keep attention on details and make the phone way good. The Stock Android running on it, giving a flawless perfomance. The dedication in ship Lollipop soon. I can see Ulefone going to the right direction and turning to be a serious company!

    • Guest
      January 27, 2015

      camera is shit tho AND interpolated!

    • Marco Lancaster
      January 27, 2015

      I’ve seen some reviews, and the camera looks ok, the major problem is on night shots, but we find it in the majority of the chinese phones, most because the flashlight is weak. But looks like a regular 13MP Shooter, but the Front of course can’t be real 8MP.

    • Guest
      January 27, 2015

      hmm, can u tell me any phones which are actually GOOD at night shots?
      also , its real sad to see fake adverts of 8mp front cams :/

    • Steve B
      January 28, 2015

      Iuni U2 with omnivision sensor is very good.

    • Steve B
      January 28, 2015

      Thought it was supposed to be Sony IMX 214? Can’t be that bad.

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      nah.. imx was 13mp , that is a 8mp shooter interpolated to 13…

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      i’d like something below 180$

      but thanks anyways

    • Steve B
      January 28, 2015

      Iuni U2 16GB is $189 at Merimobiles and there’s always discount vouchers floating about to bring down further. Reliable company in my experience too. I’ve seen it cheaper elsewhere, but wouldn’t trust them.

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      What’s the reason why the front can’t be a real 8mp??

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      How do you know??
      It’s like saying the battery is 2600mah but not made by Sony? Lol
      The point is, post up some specs and sample photos before making statements.

    • Marco Lancaster
      January 29, 2015

      Could be, but i don’t think is real, because is easy for they, and judging by the phone price, to put a 5MP sensor and interpolate it to produce 8MP photos. If I’m wrong i’ll be glad to see a good value phone with it.

    • Guest
      January 29, 2015

      first of all , in a related ulefone post , SOMEONE who purchased this , posted an official reply from Ulefone support , who ADMITTED that the camera is indeed interpolated.

      secondly , check THIS out : http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/new_pro/april_2014/imx214_e.html , it shows WHAT exactly should imx214 produce in quality.

      3rdly : read the review of Ulefone , you’ll know how shit the camera REALLY is.

      4th : also see this for further reference ; https://chipworks.secure.force.com/catalog/ProductDetails?sku=SOT-P13N05A&viewState=DetailView

      so , you know now , im NOT a blind naysayer , i argue ONLY with reason.

    • Guest
      January 31, 2015

      The page you liked above does not have a mention of ” interpolate” anywhere on the page (find doesn’t locate it)

      The camera on the Ulephone be one is excellent, I would think this would be close?
      I have a Nikon I use for important pictures, expecting a cell phone to do the same is just stupid.
      BTW: Resolution (pixel size) has nothing to do with quality and it only helps if you want a really large print or to do some serious cropping.

    • Steve B
      February 3, 2015

      Muhammad is right, It has now been shown that the camera isn’t Sony IMX214 13mp, it’s an Omnivision 8mp and some samples have a pink cast. The screen also isn’t LG, apparently its a Goodix. Ulefone appear to be full of BS, perhaps why no full review has appeared here.

    • Andi Sykes
      February 3, 2015

      Yup, we are hearing that the camera on the Ulefone is an 8 mega-pixel camera not 13. I don’t have mine at hand to test but I will as soon as I can. Also reached out to Ulefone about this.

    • Steve B
      February 3, 2015

      Jack Ma has stated on the Ulefone facebook community that it is ‘genuine’ 8mp interpolated to 13mp. Doesn’t seem apologetic in any way. Such bad PR.

    • Guest
      February 3, 2015

      As I stated a couple of weeks ago ago the rear camera is OV8825 and front is Samsung S5K5E2, I have the config file from the proc folder somewhere. Because I don’t have the phone anymore

    • Guest
      February 4, 2015

      i think great guys like u should share those “CONFIG FILES” for ALL of the phones that are being released . since we really wanna know which sensors are ACTUALLY being used !

    • Guest
      February 4, 2015

      my friend , i never said anything about the needing a DSLR on a poor , slim bodied cellphone!
      All i say , is , that in general , China hasnt learned its lesson. Their night time photography is shit. Flash is diappointing in MOST of the phones AND as a final straw , if a company LIES about its camera specs , ESPCIALLY if its a flagship phone , then its really infuriating for the consumer as well as for general observing public (something i term as the ‘market jury’). It really discourages people from further dealing , purchasing or even trusting that company.

      I had expected something MUCH better from a ULEFONE flagship and never something so low :/

  7. Guest
    January 27, 2015

    Jiayu S3 is about the same price.

    • Guest
      January 27, 2015

      We need showdown between this phone and Jiayu S3 πŸ™‚

    • Guest
      January 27, 2015

      jiayu s4 is gonna be badly overpriced for intl customers !

    • Guest
      January 27, 2015

      No, Jiayu is more expensive…

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      Is listed in the international store as 169.90 dollars. It says special price. and
      Out of stock.

    • Airyl
      January 28, 2015

      The S3 is probably more expensive internationally.

    • Guest
      January 31, 2015

      It’s always out of stock yet some sellers say they have it now?
      It has higher specs than this phone

  8. Guest
    January 27, 2015

    im gonna wait for LEAGOO ELITE series equipped with next gen SoCs AND LTE !

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      Do you have a link to that phone ?

    • Guest
      January 28, 2015

      why yes i do!
      http://www.leagoo.cc/c662695.html
      the next big thing?!

    • Guest
      January 30, 2015

      im also looking for a fantastic night shooter below $190 !
      i guess we’ll keep searchin

    • Steve B
      February 4, 2015

      Ecoo are being suspiciously quiet about the 16mp camera in their new Aurora, but if it is genuine 16mp and f2.2 (only details I’ve seen) then might (just must) be the same OV unit as Gionee E7 & Iuni U2 and that is a great night shooter. Trouble is you need to risk presale to get below $190.

    • Guest
      February 4, 2015

      oh boyee!

  9. ksafan0
    January 28, 2015

    It would be nice to know how the GPS, wifi, sound, and call functions fare in this phone.

  10. ksafan0
    January 28, 2015

    It would be nice to know how the GPS, wifi, sound, and call functions fare in this phone.

  11. Mrinal
    January 28, 2015

    Sorry for this off-topic post, but any idea on when the full review for the elephone P6000 will be done?

  12. MP
    January 28, 2015

    Amazing phone for the price. It really seems like an awesome deal!

  13. Mrinal
    January 28, 2015

    Sorry for this off-topic post, but any idea on when the full review for the elephone P6000 will be done?

  14. MP
    January 28, 2015

    Amazing phone for the price. It really seems like an awesome deal!

  15. ksafan0
    January 29, 2015

    How about GPS performance?

  16. ksafan0
    January 29, 2015

    How about GPS performance?

  17. BW
    January 29, 2015

    I received mine yesterday. $157 shipped via DHL and I got the extra sandstone back cover. Look for coupon codes. Was really happy to get such fast shipping. I think it was five days from ship to receive. GPS locks in straight away as does this entire chip family. Absolutely whip-quick and it’s everything I wanted it to be. You can’t touch this value. 64 bit phone delivered via DHL for $157.

    • JJ
      February 4, 2015

      Does it work good LTE in the U.S.?

  18. John
    January 30, 2015

    Too bad the capacitive buttons aren’t LED-backlit

  19. BW
    January 30, 2015

    I received mine yesterday. $157 shipped via DHL and I got the extra sandstone back cover. Look for coupon codes. Was really happy to get such fast shipping. I think it was five days from ship to receive. GPS locks in straight away as does this entire chip family. Absolutely whip-quick and it’s everything I wanted it to be. You can’t touch this value. 64 bit phone delivered via DHL for $157.

    • Guest
      February 5, 2015

      Does it work good LTE in the U.S.?

  20. Guest
    January 30, 2015

    Too bad the capacitive buttons aren’t LED-backlit

  21. Steve B
    February 3, 2015

    Can we have a full review exposing the 8mp Omnivision camera and other omissions. people should know. I very nearly bought this purely for the advertised IMX214, so glad I waited past presale.

  22. Steve B
    February 3, 2015

    Can we have a full review exposing the 8mp Omnivision camera and other omissions. people should know. I very nearly bought this purely for the advertised IMX214, so glad I waited past presale.

  23. JC87
    February 4, 2015

    Does 3G & LTE work in the United States?

  24. Guest
    February 5, 2015

    Does 3G & LTE work in the United States?

  25. TrueNorth
    February 13, 2015

    This phone lacks a very basic feature. The soft keys have no light. Ulefone confirmed it. I wouldn’t have purchased a phone that does not have a very basic feature. πŸ™

  26. Guest
    February 13, 2015

    This phone lacks a very basic feature. The soft keys have no light. Ulefone confirmed it. I wouldn’t have purchased a phone that does not have a very basic feature. πŸ™

  27. Jose Rodriguez
    February 23, 2015

    I wonder how is the battery life on this phone 5.5 screen on a 2600 battery I think is a little small.

  28. The_JR_Man
    February 23, 2015

    I wonder how is the battery life on this phone 5.5 screen on a 2600 battery I think is a little small.

  29. Sergio Sergic
    March 5, 2015

    I have this phone for about 3 weeks now, got it on Pre-Sale from gearbest, and while it is not a bad phone at all, it reboots like 10 times a day. Gearbest and ulefone are being knobs about it, ignoring completely my emails for assistance. Combined with whole Sony camera thing, not saying before hand that capacitive keys are not lit, I can say it was a waste of money and time. Shame because it could have been a great phone otherwise. I guess you get what you pay for.

  30. Sergio Sergic
    March 5, 2015

    I have this phone for about 3 weeks now, got it on Pre-Sale from gearbest, and while it is not a bad phone at all, it reboots like 10 times a day. Gearbest and ulefone are being knobs about it, ignoring completely my emails for assistance. Combined with whole Sony camera thing, not saying before hand that capacitive keys are not lit, I can say it was a waste of money and time. Shame because it could have been a great phone otherwise. I guess you get what you pay for.