Cubot Note S Review: Everything you need to know

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The Cubot Note S is the latest Cubot Smartphone to hit the Kenyan smartphone market. The Note S is yet to officially launch in Kenya but is currently available for pre-order from Kilimall.

I have spent just over a week with the Cubot Note S and was able to explore the virtues and vices of the smartphone.

I have already published an unboxing article of the Cubot Note S and you should definitely check that out if you are interested in getting an early preview of the smartphone.

That said, here is what the Cubot Note S has to offer.

Cubot Note S Specifications

Battery

Battery Capacity: Li-ion 4150 mAh

The Cubot Note S battery is definitely the highlighted feature of the smartphone. You get a massive Li-ion 4150 mAh battery which is almost identical to the battery found on the Infinix Note 2.

The battery performance of the Cubot Note S is super-impressive and you should definitely consider purchasing the smartphone if battery performance ranks high on your priority list.

I was able to achieve at minimum a day and a half while on moderate usage. The smartphone can guarantee you a standby time of about three days, something that I really liked.

The Cubot Note S battery is able to give you almost a full day of extreme usage, but you will most likely end your day with a less than a 10% battery level.

It is, however, quite disappointing that the smartphone comes with just the default Android 5.0 battery saving features. It would have been awesome if the Cubot Note S came with a dedicated Ultra-Power saving mode.

The downside to having the massive battery capacity is that the Cubot Note S is painfully slow to recharge. The smartphone lacks a quick charging feature and thus you can reckon how long it will take to recharge 4150 mAh from 0% to 100% using the 1.0A stock AC charger.

All in all, the impressive battery performance of the Cubot Note S and to some extent is worth the extended charging time.

Display

Display Size: 5.5-inch

Display Type: IPS LCD

Screen Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels

Screen Resolution Density: 273 ppi

Screen Protection: None

I really like the Cubot Note S display. The Cubot Note S boasts of a 2.5D display. A 2.5 D display is simply a hybrid of the classic flat smartphone display and the modern curved display. It being a hybrid of the two means you get to enjoy the best of the two designs.

Smartphone Displays are able to achieve a 2.5D effect by simply having rounded edges as opposed to flat ones. The 2.5 D effect gives the Cubot Note S display a sort of a premium appeal and generally gives the Cubot Note S an edge over its rivals.

That aside, you get a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a screen resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. This leads to a modest screen resolution density of 273 pixels per inch.

The Cubot Note S display is super-bright, especially while indoors, but kind of struggles to perform while under direct sunlight. Viewing angles are decent and text readability is great and is enhanced by the display’s 2.5D effect.

The Cubot Note S display does not come with a screen protection layer, but you can count on the complimentary screen protector to keep scratches at bay.

Design

Dimensions: 152.3 x 77.2 x 8.8 mm

Weight: 163 g

The Cubot Note S has a minimalist yet gorgeous design concept. Yeah, the Cubot Note S features a polycarbonate construction, but it is great that the smartphone doesn’t look cheap.

You get the power and audio port on the top, the power button and the volume rocker on the right hand side. The Camera and the LED flash lie on the top left part of the rubber-like Rear cover.

Speaking of the rear cover, it has this fine matte finish that really enhances the ergonomics of the smartphone in terms of making the Cubot Note S less slippery.

You get your Menu, Home screen and Back key (in that order) below the screen. It is a bummer that the three keys aren’t backlit.

Performance

Operating System: Android 5.1 Lollipop

CPU:

RAM: 2 GB

Internal Memory: 16 GB

Micro SD: Yes, up to 128 GB

The performance profile of the Cubot Note S is another highlight of the smartphone. This is taking into focus the 2 GB RAM.  It is awesome that the Note S comes with 2 gigs of RAM. The feature largely a mid-range feature and has just recently started trickling down to budget smartphones.

The effect of the 2GB RAM is evident and general smartphone operations as well as switching between open applications is flawless. The stellar performance of the Cubot Note S can also be partially attributed to the 1.3 GHz Quad-core CPU.

The Cubot Note S runs Android 5.1 Lollipop out the box. The OS features some rather limited customizations and is thus almost stock. Bloatware (Pre-installed Apps) is also non-existent.

You get 16 GB of internal storage (about 11 GB usable) plus a Micro SD card slot.

Camera

Rear Camera: 8 MP

Secondary Camera: 5 MP

LED Flash: Yes

The Cubot Note S features a simple camera user interface that looks closely similar to what was on older Android smartphones.

The Cubot Note S offers an 8 MP camera for general photography and a 5 MP secondary camera for your selfies and video calls.

Here are some of the best shots I was able to capture via the rear camera.

Extras

Dual SIM

Verdict

The Cubot Note S is the first Cubot Smartphone to launch in Kenya and with this comes the pressure for the smartphone to create an impact on the Kenyan smartphone market.

I generally like what Cubot did with the Note S. The Cubot Note S is a solid smartphone and with its Ksh. 8,888 price is likely be a hit in Kenya.

Why you should buy the Cubot Note S

Impressive Battery Life

Awesome Performance Profile

Great Display Specifications

Cons of the Cubot Note S

Lacks fast charging

Rivals

Rivals of the Cubot Note S include the Wiko Slide 2 and Infinix Note 2.

Price in Kenya

The Cubot Note S has a suggested retail price of Ksh. 8,888 in Kenya.

Will keep you updated on the pricing information.

Be awesome and rate the Cubot Note S.