Jan ArrezaInitially entering the Australian market back in May with its entry-level smartphone the A5 Pro, Chinese mobile phone company, Umidigi, is back with its latest budget device, the Umidigi Power.
Available from the Umidigi website for $298, the Power is a great choice for any heavy users wanting to have a device equipped with premium battery power and features, but without having to pay a premium price.
Boasting a powerful 5,150mAh battery – one of the largest capacities found in any of the premium smartphones available today – and 18W fast charging capabilities, the Umidigi Power definitely is worth checking out for those reasons alone.
In terms of overall performance, I found the Power operated quite smoothly without any major issues, and the Helio P35 AI processor found inside promises to deliver low power consumption and less heat emission.
The Power’s 6.3-inch FHD+ waterdrop display with 2,340 x 1,080 resolution looks great and I found the colours and sharpness to be on point while streaming videos and playing games. The phone’s wide view design looks good too, with the phone’s design allowing for a 92.7% screen-to-body-ratio.
The unfortunate thing I find with smartphones with powerful batteries is that they are often quite bulky and heavy, so I was pleasantly surprised to find how light the device was. The thin unibody design also made it easy for me to work the device on one hand.
As for the camera, I found it to be quite hit and miss. It is good enough, but by no means is it great, especially compared to the camera tech found in other top-line smartphones currently saturating the market.
The Power’s 16MP front-camera works great, and I found that you definitely get good bang for your buck on this front. It’s with the rear camera – which is what I use more often (not really a selfie kind of guy) – where I had my issues, especially in low light.
Under standard lighting, the camera worked well enough. Nothing too flash or anywhere near the same quality as the premium smartphones out there, but good enough for the price you’re paying. In low light though, I found it terrible, with my images losing all of its sharpness and quality.
CONCLUSION
So, a bit of a mixed bag. A lot of other phones with some of the same features in the Power – especially the strong battery life – usually comes with a heftier price tag, so for that alone I say it’s worth checking out.
But it’s a case of you’re getting what you are paying for with a lot of the other features. If you can get around those issues, this is one to get on.
While unlikely to bring users over who are already used to paying the price for the premium devices from Samsung and Apple etc., it definitely holds its own in a lot of the features that matter.
DESIGN: 7/10
PERFORMANCE: 6/10
VALUE: 8/10
