After over a week, I finally results to one of the below P2,000 smartphones from Torque, the Torque Droidz Easy.
DISPLAY:
The device has a 3.5 inch HVGA display (320 x 480) which is lower than WVGA as the default wallpaper of the local mobile phone brand looks cartoonist but stll readable for text messages and mobile surfing.
PHONE AND MESSAGING:
It has a dual sim 2G only capability. Good thing for it’s price that I got clear calls using and calling a Globe sim on both regular sim slots. The messaging app is stock Android 4.2 Jellybean as I got no problems on the keyboard and sending text messages.
APP AND PHONE STORAGE:
This is what I smiled about this device. In other phones with a bit expensive but not more than P2,000 you can get around 256 to 512 MB ROM. It is already got 2 GB ROM. Over 1 GB of it allocates to the phone storage. App storage has a total of 196 MB there’s only 152 MB remaining. Don’t worry as this device doesn’t have bloatwares and apps can be installed or moved to micro SD. The actual ROM inside is 230 MB as you can see in our screenshots.
BENCHMARKS:
With it’s 1 Ghz Mediatek MT6572 dual core chipset (yes, there’s also a 1 Ghz ver. aside from the 1.3 Ghz) , I already expected that it will go in less than 10,000 in Antutu. Check out the screenshots below for the other standard benchmarks. In Android Sensor Box, the light sensor is not working on real usage.
MUSIC AND VIDEO
The music app is also stock as well to it’s video player. Thanks that it is CTIA-complaiant, I can pause and play my music using the provided stock earphones. The default volume for music is loud enough for me at 55% of the volume. Using MX Player, it can only play a max. of HD video. It already stuttered when I played a Full HD video using all of it’s available decoders.
CONNECTIVITY:
The WiFi is a-ok as I tried it in mall, an office and via a WiFi-tethered Android device. The Bluetooth is not that fast, not that slow in pairing. It is already a given that that it has an older BT version but it worked wonders when I paired it with my BT 4.0 wireless speaker. No stuttering when I changed tracks unlike when I tested it’s fellow Torque Droidz Avatar TV
BATTERY TEST:
I looped some HD mp4 videos using MX Player with stock earphones, 25% phone brightness, 10 on MX Player’s brightness, 13 on volume, 1 sim on without bluetooth, 2G internet and WiFi and I got a nice 6 hours and 10 minutes from 100% to 2% battery. In my real life usage by texting, calling, photo editing, blogging, surfing thru WiFi, listening to music and some videos, I got a max. of 18 hours. Looks like the quality of 1,250 maH battery and the lower resolution screen worked wonders.
CAMERA:
You can really tell the difference of a 3 MP rear camera as you can only get good shots with a close subject and a good lighting environment. The VGA front camera is not that good even on good lighting as well as to the flash. You can check my rear camera samples.
EXTRAS:
The FM Radio is working fine. The glossy back cover is not that finger print magnet but be a little careful when removing it as it is not as thick as those from a normal midrange phone. Charging took me around 2 hours. The bottom bezel is kinda big to the point that it only has 1 cm difference in length versus a 4 inch phone that I’m also reviewing at that time. The free screen protector is also ok. In a way, there’s also an advantage to it specially if you came from another 4 inch smartphone.
VERDICT:
Yes, there’s the lower resolution, small screen size, entry-level camera, small RAM and no 3G will be the main complaints for the Droidz Easy but compared to it’s competitors, the added value for this device are the 2 GB ROM, CTIA-complaiant device plus it’s earphones, stock Android, nice call and text weapon, number of colors to choose from and the quality battery inside, it is already a steal for it’s price of P1,799. My verdict is 3.5 out of 5.
