Happy Mobile Oracle Review

Happy Mobile, a new player in the local smartphone market, unveiled last month the Oracle – a dual-SIM Android that features a 5-inch OGS IPS HD display, MediaTek octa-core CPU, Android KitKat, and a body that is 6.6mm thin. We already have a number of local brands to choose from when it comes to affordable Android offerings, but will Happy Mobile be able to standout with their Oracle? Let’s find out by reading our full review.

Design and Construction

One of the main features that the Oracle is banking on is its design and construction. It’s body is a combination of plastic and aluminum in white color. The metal part covers the back and the sides of the device and comes in silver or gold colors.

Found on the front is its 5-inch screen. Above it is the light sensor, notifications light, earpiece, and the 8 megapixel front camera, while down below are three capacitive buttons for Options, Home, and Back.

On the left side are the volume buttons and the power/lock button. On the right is the SIM tray that can accommodate two micro-SIMs. Found right on top is headphone jack, while down at the bottom is the microUSB port and pinhole for the microphone. Flip it on its back and you’ll see the 13 megapixel camera, LED flash, pinhole for mic, and the speaker down below.

The Oracle is boasting a thin body that measures at 6.6mm – slightly thinner than the 6.9mm iPhone 6. It is accented by a thin chrome lining around the device which adds grip but feels awkward and looks inconsistent with the Oracle’s overall design. Despite the slim frame, the Oracle feels nice on the hands and comfortable to hold.

Display and Multimedia

The Oracle sports a 5-inch HD display which equates to 294ppi and utilizes IPS and OGS technology. Pixels are evident but doesn’t ruin the viewing experience. Colors and viewing angles are good but there’s a huge color shift when viewed from the lower left.

As a multimedia device, the Oracle will suffice for watching movies. The wide viewing angles is a good feature to have especially if you’re showing a photo or video with a bunch of friends. The speaker is also loud and crisp but sounds tinny when you crank up the volume.

OS, UI and Apps

Running the software side is Android 4.4.2 KitKat with slight customization from Happy Mobile. The company used ugly, low-res themes by default but can be easily replaced with your favorite launcher. The Oracle doesn’t come with bloatware but has WPS Office pre-installed.

The worst part about this device is the 8GB non-expandable internal storage with about 6GB left for the user. It has support for USB OTG but still a bummer since you’ll be forced to buy a USB OTG flash drive to compensate for the small storage space.

Camera

The Oracle has a 13 megapixel rear camera with LED flash that is capable of producing decent photos. However, they’re not as vibrant and sharp as we want them to be. Auto-focus is slow as well and sometimes has a hard time locking on a subject when shooting indoors even when there’s ample lighting.

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The 8 megapixel front camera, on the other hand, is good enough for selfies and video calling though you’ll notice that the images appear washed out. As for videos, it is capable of recording at 1080p resolution at 30fps in 3GP format.

Performance and Benchmarks

Powering the Oracle is a 1.5GHz Mediatek MT6592 octa-core CPU, Mali-400 MP GPU, 1GB RAM, and Android 4.4.2 KitKat. Performance is okay, there were no lags or random crashes and was able to run our games without any issues. Take a look at the benchmark scores below:

• AnTuTu – 19,667
• Quadrant Standard – 7,016
• NenaMark 2 – 54.5fps
• Vellamo – 803 (Metal), 1,246 (Multicore), 1,923 (Browser)

Call quality is good as well as voices can be heard loud and clear.

Battery Life

The Oracle carries a 2,100mAh non-removable battery which is small for a 5-inch device. We ran our routine battery test by playing a 1080p video file on loop in Airplane mode at 50% brightness and volume with headset plugged in. The result is 6.67 hours worth of playback which is below average.

Conclusion

To conclude, the Happy Mobile Oracle is a very capable device with a nice looking design, thin but sturdy body, better than average display, decent performance and Android KitKat. However it is ruined by the very limited non-expandable storage, ugly default UI skin, and below average battery life. And for its asking price of Php9,999USD 170INR 14,445EUR 162CNY 1,241 that’s too steep given its shortcomings.

Happy Mobile Oracle specs:
5-inch OGS IPS HD display, 267ppi
1.5GHz Mediatek MT6592 octa-core CPU
Mali-400 MP GPU
1GB RAM
8GB internal storage
13 megapixel rear camera w/ LED flash
8 megapixel front camera
Dual-SIM, Dual-Standby (micro)
3G HSPA+
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0
GPS, A-GPS
FM Radio Tuner
USB OTG
Miracast
Android 4.4 KitKat
2,100mAh Li-Ion battery
6.6mm thin
Gold, Silver
Php9,999USD 170INR 14,445EUR 162CNY 1,241 SRP

What we like:
* Nice build
* Thin body
* Decent performance
* Android KitKat out of the box
* USB OTG support

What we didn’t like:
* Limited non-expandable internal storage
* Short battery life
* Expensive for its limited specs