CloudFone Thrill 530qx Hands On Review

CloudFone gained attention when it introduced Android powered smartphones with huge batteries. Last year’s model, the CloudFone Thrill 430x got positive reviews on its battery life and was also upgraded to Android 4.1 Jellybean earlier this year. They did a good job with the battery however they sacrificed form factor and design. The phone was so chunky and heavy. You will really feel the heft  and it bulges especially if it is inside your pocket.  CloudFone fixed the problem with the Thrill 530qx. Now, this one is a phablet with a 5.3-inch screen and a 4,500 mAh battery which is bigger than 4,160 mAh battery from the 430x.

CloudFone Thrill 530qx specs:

• 1.2 GHz Quad Core MediaTek 6589M processor
• PowerVR SGX 544MP graphics
• 1GB RAM
• 4GB internal memory expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB
• 5.3 inch IPS qHD LCD display (960 x 540 pixels)
• 12 megapixel rear facing camera with autofocus and LED flash
• 5 megapixel front facing camera
• Dual Sim, Dual Standby, Dual 3G
• HSPA+, 3G, WiFi, WiFi hotspot, DLNA, USB On-The-Go
• GPS, A-GPS
• Non-removable 4,500 mAh battery
• Android 4.2 Jellybean
• SRP: P9,999

My likes and dislikes will more detailed since I had this phone for more than a week.

LIKES:

• Battery – Its pretty obvious that the battery is the phone’s main selling point. Based on my battery testing, I had 100% juice as of 7:20am and WiFi was turned on. I took some photos, make some calls and texts, check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and played Angry Birds: Star Wars II and as of 1:02pm, it was only down to 93%. To test the battery further, I watched You Tube videos for 2 hours straight, continued playing Angry Birds and did calls and texts. As of 6:51pm it was down to 78%. I downloaded a graphic intense game, Dead Trigger, played for another 2 hours while 3G was turned on. I was surprised that as of 10:14pm I still have 65% battery. Unbelievable! Good job CloudFone! Here’s a proof the battery together with the time. Check the photos below:

 

• Design – The 530qx is definitely a big improvement from its predecessor especially in the design department. The phone is far slimmer with its 11.2 mm thickness compared to 430x which is 14.2 mm. It may be thick for some but for my standards its just right and the thickness gives a reassuring grip on the phone. I like the soft matte back finish. Its not a fingerprint magnet. Lastly, it build like a tank! It feels very solid and as if it can take a beating.
• Android 4.2 Jellybean – Yes. It may not the latest OS since Android 4.3 is already out but there are quite few phones who runs on this version. Many are still stuck at Android 4.1.
• Performance – The phone has a 1.2 GHz quad core MediaTek 6589M processor backed with 1GB RAM. There were no lags and stutters encountered during my time with this device. I admit, I’m quite a heavy user and I use my phone a lot on many tasks. This phone ran smoothly despite my heavy usage. Dead Trigger is one game that many tech bloggers use to test a phone’s performance. It hogs a lot of RAM and graphics. This game ran surprisingly well. I think there is no need to download the popular Nova launcher here. The stock UI works just fine.
• Display – Some may not agree with me. Yes it only has a qHD display on a huge 5.3 inch screen. Of course there are other better phones with better display but this one is acceptable. Believe it not the display looks nice. It has a vibrant and bright display. Sunlight legibility is good thanks to its IPS LCD panel.

Odd-looking capacitive buttons. But they are very responsive.

DISLIKE:

• Camera – CloudFone should include BSI (back side illumination), a camera technology found on many smartphones including Nokia Lumia line and the iPhone. They take good pictures in low light situations. The 12 megapixel rear facing camera takes good pictures in good lighting conditions. With the lack of BSI, pictures in low light areas look dull and dark, even if the flash is on.

SAMPLE PHOTOS:

VERDICT:

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! Let’s all admit, we all have battery issues with our smartphones whether you are using Android or the iPhone. It even pushes us to buy power banks to replenish drained batteries. Using this phone made me forget my charger. On my first few days with it I had my power bank and charger with me. With this phone’s superb battery life I got the confidence of leaving both my charger and power bank at home. What even made me fell in love is its smooth performance and big display.

I wil be posting a full review of the CloudFone Thrill 530qx on Unbox.