Ulefone might not be as big a brand in terms of global recognition as the likes of Xiaomi or Meizu. However, that doesn't mean that the company doesn't have its own reputation and its own set of followers.
Now, with its latest release to market, the Ulefone Power 3, the firm has set its sights very high and is looking at appealing to those who seek a dual camera phone as well as a phone with sufficient RAM to work for several years through several Android updates. However, the phone isn't without its own set of limitations and it's with that in mind that today we take a look at the pros and cons of the Ulefone Power 3 to uncover its advantages and disadvantages. Check: Xiaomi Redmi 5A; A phone of tradeoffs
Ulefone Power 3, Pros and Cons, Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros & Cons of the Ulefone Power 3: Disadvantages of the Ulefone Power 3
Forget about the dual cameras, they're mostly a gimmick
In my job as a tech reviewer, I've had the opportunity to review quite a few dual camera phones, some high end and some mid range. My conclusion to this effect is pretty straightforward; the mid and low range phones with dual cameras don't really act as such.
Sure, the cameras are there and the function to take pictures with a bigger depth of field is present but its hardly any good until you start looking at far more expensive phones.
Sure, the cameras are there and the function to take pictures with a bigger depth of field is present but its hardly any good until you start looking at far more expensive phones.
In fact, the cheapest phone that I've found to really master the art of the dual camera and not give out a "forced" depth of field is the Asus Zenfone Zoom S or Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom which is still considerably more expensive than the Power 3.
Therefore, if you are buying this phone specifically for the dual camera I would seriously advise against it. That said, the normal camera shooting mode is pretty decent, all things considered.
The "all screen design" is nice but not all that practical
This might be a mostly subjective point then a straight out con of the Ulefone Power 3. We do appreciate the full screen from a visual standpoint. However, when it comes down to actually managing the device it can be a tad cumbersome.
Specifically, when watching a video or when taking a photo you might believe your phone is faulty when these tasks close but in fact its because you're unknowingly pressing against the screen. In our opinion, this is something that has yet to be polished. That said, you do get used to this feature and with a little time you learn to not get in the way of your display.
Still no NFC support
We've mentioned this con previously when talking about other Chinese handsets. Specifically, for some reason, there seems to be an issue with licensing as most Chinese phones don't include NFC technology but a technology known as HotKnot. Either way, this does have a very direct consequence on consumers which is that you can't use the phone to deliver mobile payments.
For many people, this will be a non-issue as they don't feel all that comfortable with paying through their phones but for those who've gotten used to this technology or were looking forward to it, they should probably look at more mainstream models.
No WiFi ac support
Again, this isn't all that strange but it is standard within most mainstream phones in this set of specs. Specifically, the WiFi standard available on this phone is WiFi a/b/g/n but there's no WiFi ac support.
Why does this matter? Well, it matters because the WiFi ac standard allows you to deliver download speeds up to three times faster than traditional b/g/n supported devices. It's not a huge difference in performance when it comes down to everyday use but it's worth pointing out as a con of the Ulefone Power 3
Pros of the Ulefone Power 3
The latest Android OS
We didn't mention this as a con of the Ulefone Power 3 but as it happens with most phones these days, chances of them getting an update in terms of OS are slim to none. With that in mind, once you opt to buy into a new phone it might as well have the latest and greatest version of Android. Such is the case with the Ulefone Power 3 which packs Android 7.1 Oreo instead of Android 7.0
An updated MediaTek Processor and more than enough RAM
While many know that Qualcomm processors are better, MediaTek processor's aren't bad and that's why they're used by roughly 90% of new Chinese phones. In that regard, Ulefone is proud to announce that their latest launch to market packs a MediaTek MT6763 processor that works with 8 cores at a base clock speed of 2.0 GHz. This processor is pretty good as a whole, being a great processor for intensive multitasking as well as handling heavy duty apps.
Another issue that's common amongst many budget phones is the lack of enough RAM, Ulefone sought to solve this problem and therefore has gone as far as including 6 GB of RAM. When most phones in its price range pack 4 GB of RAM and that's more than enough in itself, 6 GB is plenty of RAM for you to not worry about the phone crashing due to insufficient memory.
Gorilla Glass 4 Protection and stunning resolution
While most smartphones within this budget will get away with a standard Full HD display, Ulefone decided to push the envelope a bit more and opted to implement a very interesting 2160 by 1080 pixels.
What's more, the company has also added a coating of Gorilla Glass 4 to its signature handset, thereby allowing you to treat the phone "normally" without fear of scratching it by simply looking straight at it.
A massive battery pack
One of the biggest issues we currently have when dealing with new phones is battery life. We use our smartphones so much that there never seems to be enough battery life. However, in an effort to remedy this situation, Ulefone has opted for a pretty massive 6080 mAh battery. Considering its processor consumes 20% less energy, that comes down to about 4 days under normal use.
If you wanna be on the safe side, you can easily assume that this phone will only need to be charged twice a week. In an age where we're used to charging our phones by lunchtime to make sure they get to the end of the day, having this sort of freedom really provides us with an added value.
Expandable storage
While we're pretty contempt with having 64 GB of base storage, some of us need even more storage. With that in mind, another advantage of the Ulefone Power 3 is that it packs a slot that allows us to go beyond the 64 gigs of internal storage and install an additional 256 GB. That comes down to well over 300 GB of storage on your phone, more than most people have in their SSD laptops.
Price, price, price
Finally, we can't abandon this list of pros for the Ulefone Power 3 without mention of the price point, one of its most appealing features. To be specific, a huge advantage that this phone has going for it is that its priced around the 200 dollar mark.
For 200 bucks you're getting a massive display with great resolution, a state of the art MediaTek processor, 6 GB of RAM so you never have to worry about intensive multitasking and a battery that's so impressive you can charge this phone twice a week instead of twice a day without having to worry about running out of juice.
Face recognition as well as Touch ID
When Apple introduced face unlocking on the iPhone X many users were very happy about it. So far its a bit green in terms of technology but there's no doubt that that's the direction the technology is going in.
What that in mind, one of the major pros on the Ulefone Power 3 is the implementation of face recognition to unlock your phone. It's still too early to tell if they will implement it to the best of their abilities but it's surely nice to see the technology included.
Time to wrap up this review of the pros and cons of the Ulefone Power 3 and it's quite clear that the pros outweigh the cons in every sense. Sure enough, the double camera isn't a feature you should count on and the lack of NFC support means you can forget about doing mobile payments. But other than that you're getting an excellent value for your money.
You're getting a phone with a great display, the latest version of Android, superb battery life and the ability to have more storage then you'll ever need on a phone. All in all, it's a pretty clear win on all fronts.
Gorilla Glass 4 Protection and stunning resolution
While most smartphones within this budget will get away with a standard Full HD display, Ulefone decided to push the envelope a bit more and opted to implement a very interesting 2160 by 1080 pixels.
What's more, the company has also added a coating of Gorilla Glass 4 to its signature handset, thereby allowing you to treat the phone "normally" without fear of scratching it by simply looking straight at it.
A massive battery pack
One of the biggest issues we currently have when dealing with new phones is battery life. We use our smartphones so much that there never seems to be enough battery life. However, in an effort to remedy this situation, Ulefone has opted for a pretty massive 6080 mAh battery. Considering its processor consumes 20% less energy, that comes down to about 4 days under normal use.
If you wanna be on the safe side, you can easily assume that this phone will only need to be charged twice a week. In an age where we're used to charging our phones by lunchtime to make sure they get to the end of the day, having this sort of freedom really provides us with an added value.
Expandable storage
While we're pretty contempt with having 64 GB of base storage, some of us need even more storage. With that in mind, another advantage of the Ulefone Power 3 is that it packs a slot that allows us to go beyond the 64 gigs of internal storage and install an additional 256 GB. That comes down to well over 300 GB of storage on your phone, more than most people have in their SSD laptops.
Price, price, price
Finally, we can't abandon this list of pros for the Ulefone Power 3 without mention of the price point, one of its most appealing features. To be specific, a huge advantage that this phone has going for it is that its priced around the 200 dollar mark.
For 200 bucks you're getting a massive display with great resolution, a state of the art MediaTek processor, 6 GB of RAM so you never have to worry about intensive multitasking and a battery that's so impressive you can charge this phone twice a week instead of twice a day without having to worry about running out of juice.
Face recognition as well as Touch ID
When Apple introduced face unlocking on the iPhone X many users were very happy about it. So far its a bit green in terms of technology but there's no doubt that that's the direction the technology is going in.
What that in mind, one of the major pros on the Ulefone Power 3 is the implementation of face recognition to unlock your phone. It's still too early to tell if they will implement it to the best of their abilities but it's surely nice to see the technology included.
Verdict: Is it worth the purchase?
Time to wrap up this review of the pros and cons of the Ulefone Power 3 and it's quite clear that the pros outweigh the cons in every sense. Sure enough, the double camera isn't a feature you should count on and the lack of NFC support means you can forget about doing mobile payments. But other than that you're getting an excellent value for your money.
You're getting a phone with a great display, the latest version of Android, superb battery life and the ability to have more storage then you'll ever need on a phone. All in all, it's a pretty clear win on all fronts.