by You have to hand it over to China – even a casual observer would recognize the nation’s enterprising faculties given the flood of Chinese products infiltrating global markets. And the latest evidence of that faculty is the Quattro 4G mid-level smartphone produced by Coolpad, a Chinese technology major. So what are the various facets of the device? Does it measure up to similar gadgets offered by the big name smartphone players? The following round-up seeks to answer these queries:
Main attributes:
- CDMA: 800, 1700/2100, 1900 MHz
- LTE: 1700, 2100 MHz (MetroPCS)
- Android version 2.3 operating system
- 1 GHz single core processor, 512MB RAM
- 4-inch capacitive touchscreen
- 133 MB inbuilt memory; increasable to 32 GB with external media
- 3.2-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- 1600 mAh battery
Look and feel
The Coolpad Quattro 4G design is basic with a largely plastic 4.96 by 2.6 by 0.51-inch chassis (height, width, depth) done up in black on the front and polished silver at the back. The front features the screen (containing a VGA web camera) along with four common menu options. The back panel houses the rear camera and the flash, while the rest of the body embodies the varied ports and controls like power switch, Micro USB, camera activator, external speaker, volume control, and 3.5-mm jack.
On the whole, the phone appears inordinately big but thankfully the construction is solid and the weight reasonable at 3.3 ounces.
Screen
The phone’s display comprises a 4-inch capacitive LCD touchscreen with proximity sensor exuding a resolution of 480 by 800 pixels. The result is fairly commendable with vivid content, bright hues, and well-etched menu controls as also decent viewing angles. However the multi-touch touchscreen is a tad disappointing due to some gestures and swipes going unregistered.
Internal specifications
- The smartphone sports a 1 GHz sole core processor and a RAM of 512 MB collectively producing average performance in the spheres of menu speed and multitasking. Hence, heavy usage could create interruptions and phone freezes.
- The smartphone offers a meager 133 MB of internal space. Mercifully this can be expanded to 32GB via micro SD cards thereby furnishing space for users’ data and content files.
- The Quattro 4G, however, makes amends in the network stakes. It utilizes its multifaceted quad-band and 4G LTE facets returning good, fairly resonant call quality as also adequately quick internet browsing and downloads.
- The Quattro 4G ships with Android’s dated Gingerbread version along with the usual accouterments of Google-based apps. This is a comedown considering that rivals are armed with the latest iterations of the operating system.
- The 1600 mAh battery has a 1.4W/kg SAR ranking thus poorly outputting only a day’s sustenance on a single charge.
Multimedia
- The Quattro 4G features a 3.2 megapixel rear camera and LED flash. Customization options comprise digital zoom of 1.6x, shutter controls, picture dimensions, white balance settings, and color choices. The imaging results are below par, however, with occasionally faded hues and insufficient contrasts.
- The smartphone also has a video player cum recorder that renders run-of-the-mill performance.
- The entrenched music player is passable and has functions such as playlist control and YouTube playback for added convenience.
Other features
Besides the above, the Quattro 4G also possesses Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.
Conclusion
The Coolpad Quattro 4G, costing around USD 150, lacks the features and finesse of most of its competition. It should, however, suit budget consumers who are solely interested in phone calling and not overly used to high-end applications.
