Looking for a cheap replacement for your broken cell? Perhaps you just need a device that won’t break the bank for your tweens. Hot on the review I did just a few weeks ago on the S505 Spark, verykool has just released their first 4G LTE device called the verykool SL5000.
Before I get down into the details, there are two things I need to mention. The packaging for this device is very nice and I would almost say “elegant” for a device in this price range. It comes with a strong box that slides out like a drawer, which is something I found attractive for a lower priced device. On top of that, verykool in their own “kool” way provides you with a screen protector right out of the box. Once again, this is one of those little things that they do to let you know that they appreciate your business. My last flagship device didn’t come with a screen protector so for that, I am grateful.
The verykool SL5000 is a device that doesn’t have the most modern of a processor using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400, but with that being said, this quad-core 1.2 Ghz processor is plenty powerful enough to handle most tasks without missing a beat. My eleven year old has clocked in about 10 hours of Minecraft so far on the device and has not had any issues. It ran smooth with all the apps running in the background.
Since my Galaxy Note II decided to call it quits after two years, I actually had to use this device as my main driver for the past 10 days. For those who do not know me, I work in Mexico (but live in San Diego) and am very travel heavy. I was working in Ensenada and San Felipe, Baja California and a small stint in Yuma, Arizona. I was between American and Mexican service depending where I was working and the phone was able to handle it all. I was actually surprised. I have 7 Gmail accounts on my device, plus run Microsoft Office on it constantly and the Qualcomm 400 handled it all with ease. I was more than content.
Under the hood along with the Qualcomm 400 processor the device has 1GB RAM and a disappointing 2GB internal storage capability. Unfortunately not every app lets you full install apps on the microSD card, meaning that 2GB of internal space is really low in my opinion. This is the only knock I have on the device. I feel even budget devices should have a minimal of 4GB internal. They do make up for the lack of space by allowing up to a 64GB microSD card for external storage.
The device sports a 5.0″ FWVGA TFT LCD capacitive touch screen with full lamination (480 x 854 pixels – 198 ppi). It is a larger, beautiful screen, although I must admit it is not as sharp as the Spark S505 that I reviewed previously. For this price range and with LTE though, taking in account the screen size, I would say the screen is suffice. It isn’t wow status but it isn’t bad either. It does just fine.
Data speed was quick. One problem I did not like on the Spark was that 3G is slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. The SL5000 fixes that problem by adding blazing fast LTE. I’ve tried it with both AT&T and Telcel (Mexico) and got comparative results as my other devices. The same goes with the voice quality and general service. I’ve had no complaints and found my service to be at par of other devices I’ve tested.
Battery life on this device is really good. verykool claims it gets about 8 hours and I would say that it is fairly accurate. The standby time is 240 hours. Today is Monday evening and the phone still has 22% battery life yet. I haven’t used it nor charged it since Saturday. I found that to be a pretty good standby battery life and I was more than happy with the experience.
The camera is a 8.0 MP rear camera and a 2.0 MP front facing camera. The overall quality was decent and I found that I was taking better pictures that I did with my previous review with the Spark. The quality was also more consistent I found, meaning that I was getting more higher quality pictures than dull, out of focus pictures. I was satisfied and I would say that the camera definitely rivals that of my Galaxy Note II. Here is the test picture I took:
In addition to coming factory unlocked and bundled with the typical sensors and radios, the device does add FM Radio, which is a nice add on, Bluetooth 4.0, and Wi-Fi Hotspot. All in all this is a pretty solid device. The only real knock on the device to me is the lack of hard drive space but can be explained away having the lower price as part of the give and take.
You can grab the verykool SL5000 on Amazon.com for the almost free price of $229.80.
 |
The post The verykool SL5000 is a steal at $229 appeared first on AndroidGuys.