Oukitel U10 hands on

After launching the U8 BlackMagic smartphone a few weeks ago, Oukitel are at it again with a better replacement 4G phablet model. The Oukitel U10 is an upgrade of U8 and incorporates the thinnest metal alloy according to the company. The phone matches with present standards in regard to memory, at 3GB of RAM. Other features include a FHD IPS+OGS Screen and Hotknot Fingerprint. The phone is also very competitive in pricing, considering that it goes for only about $160.

The body is all metallic aluminum alloy, with a premium feel on hands. It is only 7.9mm in thinness, which is quite competitive, although never the best in the market, considering that the likes of Samsung Galaxy A8 are at 5.9mm in thickness.

The phone is comfortable to operate using a single hand, and fits in comfortably. It has a dimension of 154 x 76.9 x 7.9 mm and weighs 170g, which is way off in comparison with competing phones such as iPhone 6, which weighs only 129 grams. There are even lighter models in the market today. It is also shipped with a power 5V 1.5A charger adapter that fills the battery within 2 hours.

On top of the 5.5? JDI FHD IPS Screen, is a 2.5D curved glass. The image resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution which is somewhere close to the highest resolution levels in the market considering that phones such as the LG G4 manage up to 2560 x 1440pixels and use better display technologies. U8, although using IPS technology, can only manage 720 x 1280pixels. U10 provides a better video and photo viewing experience, thanks to the use of OGS technology, which combines TP and LCD technologies. The technology helps render a clearer and brighter 5-points capacitive touch screen.

Oukitel U10 also incorporates advanced security via the touch ID tech, which allows users to lock and unlock applications they wish to keep private. The feature can also lock the entire phone. Still, better handling experience is provided by means of a Fingerprint touch ID that unlocks and lights up the screen from the sleep state when the phone is slightly pressed. The fingerprint sensor, in fact, rivals with the likes of Apple and the phone is a sweet selection for those who prefer biometric security.

Running on an Android Lollipop 5.1 platform, the phone has a 1.3GHz Octa-Core MT6753 CPU and a Mali-T760 GPU, which is better in comparison to U8 that has a 1.0 GHz Cortex-A53 processor and only 2GB of RAM. U10 has 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal memory. The new U10 also uses 4G, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, has a Micro USB Slot and a Gravity Sensor. It also manages fast data speed transfers via the 4G LTE technology, and you can overcome region restrictions through it. It supports dual SIM and has Bluetooth.

Users will manage to cover more features (such as people) in one shot within 88°, thanks to the wide angle lens in this device. The rear camera is 13MP (16MP interpolated), which is comparable to likes of LG G4 and G3, while the front-facing camera is 5MP (8MP interpolated). A dual-tone LED flash can see the phone through low-lighting conditions; although that is something many customers are used to. The camera is designed to take better selfies and a built-in face beautify mode allows enhancement of images – users can remove blemishes and wrinkles, for instance.

The phablet comes with a 2850mAh battery, which is unfortunately unremovable. The battery can pull through 13 hours of web browsing and 3 hours of video recording on an estimate. And if you are asking how this compares with latest sleek gadgets, LG G3 uses a better 3,000mAh battery and would manage a better life of battery usage. LG G3 manages up to 25 hours and 54 minutes of talk time while the U10 is expected to last about 14 h. But again, comparing the price, U10 is not a bad offer at all.

In addition to the 16 GB internal storage, which is quite up though not the best in the market, the memory can be extended to 128GB via a microSD slot.