CloudFone has a good line up of devices for the year and one of them is a Disney bundled handset that sports a premium build with the decent specification in its range. Can CloudFone win you over with its Special Edition smartphone? Here’s our quick review for your guidance.
Let’s start off the design. The Special Edition has a utilitarian aesthetic with all the usual Android hardware. Up front is the 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass protecting the display. The handset sports a 5-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, a norm for most 5-inchers in the market. Since it’s an IPS LCD, viewing angles are wide with satisfying color saturation and decent contrast. Although, the panel has a yellowish tint when compared to other displays in this range.
Above the display are a couple of sensors, earpiece, and the front-facing camera. There are three unlit capacitive buttons for return, home, and recent apps.
On its right are the volume rocker and power/lock button, while the left is virtually clean. On top, we have the 3.5mm jack leaving the bottom side of the phone to house the microUSB port and a single microphone.
Going to the back, we’ll see the primary camera along with its dual-LED flash, some CloudFone and Intel labels, and the loudspeaker grille. The back is a textured removable panel with a matte linear pattern. Popping it off will show the sealed battery together with the dual-SIM card slots and the microSD card slot for memory expansion.
While for the speakers, it’s okay. It’s enough for ringtones and quick playback, but for long video marathons, better plug in those bundled headsets which has surprisingly better quality than most included with purchase.
We have Android 5.1 Lollipop on-board and it’s close to being stock. Out of the box, there’s not much customization going on here aside from a couple of CloudFone support apps and pre-installed Line Launcher and Theme Shop.
Since this is a Disney-themed device, you’ll get a bundle of Disney themes from the Shop which you can apply. However, we find the themes and the Line Launcher as too much eye-candy to our liking and would rather stick to the stock launcher.
In terms of imaging, the Special Edition has the basics covered with its 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel for selfies. And truth be told, we’re not expecting exceptional output with the main camera, but as we tested it out, turns out that it can deliver for most scenarios. The stills from the 8-megapixel camera benefit from excessive sharpening which is passable for social media posting but definitely not for pros.
Here are a few samples:
As for the video, it’s average. It will do for quick documentation and some funny recordings. At least, we get a decent 1080p option here.
Inside the smartphone, we have an Intel Atom x3 quad-core chipset running at 1.0Ghz with a Mali-450 MP4 GPU. We also have an ample 2GB of RAM for multitasking and enough initial storage at 16GB. You can put in a microSD card for up to 32GB if you need more. General performance is pretty good, while playing around with casual games and some intense games set to low graphic settings are not a huge deal for the Special Edition.
Using Antutu Benchmark v6.0.1, the Special Edition managed to score 19,622 which is low but we’re not expecting much either. As for its battery life, it was able to last for 4 hours and 4 minutes with the PCMark Work battery test. Looks like the numbers game is not the Special Edition’s strength.
Connectivity-wise, CloudFone has the today’s basic radios for a smartphone like LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and GPS w/ A-GPS support. We haven’t encountered any issues from any, but GPS do take some time to get a lock on our location when under a bit of shade. The handset can handle calls pretty okay, but talking in a loud environment can be a bit of a problem due to the lack of noise-cancelling microphone or any related features.
For less than five thousand bucks, you’ll get a Disney bundle and a decent performing smartphone. Specs are average and there’s really nothing ‘special’ about the device itself apart from the included Disney accessories. If you’re rooting for that, then the CloudFone Special Edition is available for Php4,999USD 85INR 7,222EUR 81CNY 620.
CloudFone Special Edition specifications:
5-inch IPS LCD (1280 x 720 pixels), 294ppi
2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
1.0GHz Intel Atom x3 quad-core 64-bit processor
Mali-450 MP4 GPU
2GB RAM
16 internal storage
Expandable via microSD, up to 32GB
8-megapixel rear camera w/ LED flash
2-megapixel front camera
Dual SIM / Dual Standby
3G HSPA+
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
USB OTG capable
GPS w/ A-GPS
1900mAh battery
Android 5.1 Lollipop
What we liked about it:
What we didn’t:
YugaTech.com is the largest and longest-running technology site in the Philippines. Originally established in October 2002, the site was transformed into a full-fledged technology platform in 2005.
How to transfer, withdraw money from PayPal to GCash
Prices of Starlink satellite in the Philippines
Install Google GBox to Huawei smartphones
Pag-IBIG MP2 online application
How to check PhilHealth contributions online
How to find your SIM card serial number
Globe, PLDT, Converge, Sky: Unli fiber internet plans compared
10 biggest games in the Google Play Store
LTO periodic medical exam for 10-year licenses
Netflix codes to unlock hidden TV shows, movies
Apple, Asus, Cherry Mobile, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Oppo, Samsung, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Infinix Mobile, Pocophone, Honor, iPhone, OnePlus, Tecno, Realme, HTC, Gionee, Kata, IQ00, Redmi, Razer, CloudFone, Motorola, Panasonic, TCL, Wiko
Best Android smartphones between PHP 20,000 - 25,000
Smartphones under PHP 10,000 in the Philippines
Smartphones under PHP 12K Philippines
Best smartphones for kids under PHP 7,000
Smartphones under PHP 15,000 in the Philippines
Best Android smartphones between PHP 15,000 - 20,000
Smartphones under PHP 20,000 in the Philippines
Most affordable 5G phones in the Philippines under PHP 20K
5G smartphones in the Philippines under PHP 16K
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2024
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2023
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2022
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2021
Smartphone pricelist Philippines 2020
JAMES says:
Low res front & back cam, Non-LTE, so-so processor, so-so gpu… for it’s price range, local brand phone. I just can’t tell the sensors capabilities tho.
norbertopantig says:
Slow reboot…. When turned on very slow boot…. At 5mins.plus….
Vincent Sante says:
my new buy phone like this is so weak i only use it 3 weeks
its not functioning now where i can buy parts of it and the charging bar is been damage
Vincent Sante says:
fuck you cloudfone