For over 3 week now, I have been using the Cubot Note S as my primary smartphone. This is the latest smartphone from Cubot targeting the low end market segment and will compete directly with the Infinix Note 2 and the Wiko Slide 2. Both of these are great but in this review we will be looking at the Cubot Note 2.
The Cubot Note S is a budget smartphone that is available from as low as Ksh 8,888. This is a very reasonable price if you consider the specifications it comes with (we will look into its specs later in this post). This smartphone targets those who want a good and reliable Android experience without spending too much money.
As I have mentioned above, the Note S competes directly with the Infinix Note 2 and Infinix Hot Note. The Note S is actually more like the Infinix Hot Note and reminds me about this phone from some of its specs to its overall design. This is not strange given that the Hot Note was a very successful smartphone and Cubot wants to replicate this success with this phone. So will Cubot be as successful as Infinix? Let’s find out.
Read More: Where to Get the Cubot Note S in Kenya
Cubot Note S: What’s in the box
Cubot Note S
Inside the box you get the usual things except for a pair of earphones. I have noticed that some manufacturers (Read Cubot and Infinix) have a tendency not to include a pair of earphones in some of their smartphones and am still not sure why and to be honest this is annoying me a bit.
Below is a look at what you get in the box that comes with the Cubot Note S.
The Phone (with the screen protector already installed)
USB/ Charger cable, wall adapter
Warranty and safety information
Transparent Back Cover
You do not get earphone with this phone
Design
Size: 5.996 x 3.039 x 0.346 inches
The Cubot Note S has a simple yet appealing design. It has a plastic back cover with a metallic-like strip all around the phone. You can get the metallic strip in different finishes but the review unit I got was in gold with a white back cover which gives it an absolutely beautiful look. The slightly curved edges make it easier to hold the phone with one hand.
Cubot Note S Design
You get the usual buttons (power and volume keys) on the right hand side of the phone. The headphone jack and the microUSB port are at the top end of the phone. The bottom end has not ports and this is something different but very good. The speaker grill is at the back and this can block the sound in some situations but at least the speaker is loud enough to counter it. There is an 8MP camera at the back with LED flash and a 5MP one in front. We will talk more about these cameras later on in this post.
The phone is slightly heavy (163g) but all its weight is distributed equally making it comfortable to carry around.
Display
Display Size: 5.5 inches
Display Type: IPS Capacitive Display
Resolution: 1280 x 720 pixels
The Cubot Note S has a 5.5 inch IPS Capacitive display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, this translates to a pixel density of 267 ppi. This is not a full HD display but for the period I used the phone, I did not have any disappointments. Of course it could have been better if it was Full HD but it gets the job done the way it is.
Cubot Note S Display
Read More: The Cubot Note S Specs and price in Kenya
The screen is very bright and you can even view it clearly under direct sunlight as long as you adjust the brightness levels accordingly. There is also the adaptive brightness option to automatically adjust the brightness levels based on your surroundings. I found this feature to be very useful when outdoors but the display was not very visible in a dark room when the brightness level was initially set to the lowest possible option. Overall, brightness is good and viewing angles are great.
This display is also very responsive and doesn’t collect fingerprints that much and when it does, you can wipe them out easily. I have previously had issues with phone displays that collect fingerprints and it is nice to see this phone isn’t one of them.
On top of this curved display is a screen protector that was pre-installed. I will like to think that this is what every user gets since it is what I had with my review unit. This is a much needed add-on that will help protect your phone‘s screen protected.
Hardware and Performance
From my experience with this phone, I have to say that the Cubot Note S is one of the best performing smartphones within its price range. It is not the best performing smartphone out there but will not disappoint you if you do not demand so much from your smartphone.
RAM: 2GB
Storage space: 16GB (about 12GB available to you)
Chipset: MediaTek MTK6580
Processor: Quad-core 1.3 GHz
GPU: Mali-400 MP
Android Version: Android 5.0 Lollipop
As you can see from the combination above, the Cubot Note S is well equipped to handle whatever you throw at it. It can handle most tasks with much ease and multitasking is a breeze. The chipset used on this phone (MT K6580) is not as good as the MT6753 chipset on the Infinix Note 2 but at least it is not as hard on your battery.
Read More: Infinix Note 2 Vs the Cubot Note S Specifications Comparison
Just like any other smartphone, you should expect occasional slowdowns but these are not that major to cause any panic. Switching through different apps is smooth with no lags but I noticed that the phone slowed down a lot when installing apps. This is not that normal but luckily it only freezes for a few seconds except when you are installing bigger apps. Overall, I did not have any serious performance issues when using this phone and this is something commendable for a phone that costs less than Ksh 9000.
If you are into heavy games, the Cubot Note S can still do it for you without any performance problems. I tested this by playing Asphalt 8 (Airborne) and I did not experience any issues. The only thing you will experience is that the phone gets a bit hot at the top when running these heavy applications.
As for the OS, it comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop which is disappointing and there is still no news if it will be getting Marshmallow.
Camera
The Cubot Note S has an 8MP Samsung camera at the back with a 5MP one in front. The camera app is a bit slow and is bulky with a lot going on with it and this can be quite confusing for those who don’t know their way around. Of course you will get used to its once you use the phone for about two weeks.
Cubot Note S Camera
As for performance, the 8MP camera at the back takes some good shots but the front facing one is disappointing. The back camera presents the colors quite well and is able to shoot 1080p videos at 30 fps (frames per second). I did not take so many photos with these two cameras as the camera interface and performance disappointed me from the get go. You can still get decent photos with this phone as long as you use the back camera or if you are in a well-lit room as the front facing camera can take some very dark photos in low light environments.
Battery
One of the things that I like (read love) about the Cubot Note S is the massive 4150 mAh battery. Considering that the phone uses the MTK6580 chipset that doesn’t use so much power, you can bet that this phone will get you up to 2 days without having to charge it. I personally managed to get it to last for about a day and a few hours and this is fine with me given that am a heavy user with an always on screen as I use my phone for almost everything.
With such a huge battery, it takes a bit long to charge it given that it doesn’t support quick charging. This is not a big deal but if you have used the quick charging feature before, you will notice the delays and may be disappointed a little bit.
Conclusion
The Good
Reliable performance
Reasonable price
Huge battery
Beautiful design
The Cubot Note S is a very interesting smartphone. It comes with some very decent specifications and features but still has a very reasonable price. After 3 weeks with the phone, I like almost everything about it. Its performance is reliable and considering that it costs less than Ksh 9,000, you have to be impressed with what it can do. It runs through different applications without any lag and multitasks as you expect it to. The battery is also another positive thing about it. It is very huge and can get you through a day or two with much ease so there is no need of carrying a powerbank anymore. The phone has a beautiful design that you do not expect to see on a low end smartphone. The display is also one of its positive attributes that makes this phone stand out.
The Bad
The front facing camera
One main thing I dislike about the Cubot Note S is its front facing camera. I mean, taking some decent shots with this camera is not easy especially in low light conditions. I also didn’t like that it comes with Android 5 Lollipop and the interface on top of it. It gives it a boring look and I found myself installing Nova launcher after just two days of getting this phone.
Would I recommend this smartphone? Yes, absolutely yes. It is one of the few entry level smartphones that gives you value for your money.
Read More: Cubot P11 Review – How Good Can a Phone Less Than 10k be?
Nice review
Thanks
It is a very beautiful phone, I got mine last month
Yes, it is