Coolpad has announced two new smartphones for the budget segment - one is the Coolpad Note 3S, priced at Rs. 9,999, and the Coolpad Mega 3 priced at Rs. 6,999. Both phones offer a large form factor, and promising hardware. We had the chance to check out the phones at the launch, and here is our first look.
Let’s start with the Coolpad Note 3s. This is the replacement for the Coolpad Note 3 Plus. Here are its key specifications:
Display: 5.5-inch, 720p
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 415
RAM: 3GB
Storage: 32GB, microSD card supported
Camera: 13MP, 5MP
Battery: 2500mAh
OS: Android 6.0
The design of the phone has changed completely from the previous Note series phones. It features a curved 2.5D glass up front, which is complemented by the curved metal back. Coolpad tells us that the phone is made out of Titanium-Aluminium alloy.
The display of the device seems bright enough, but also seems a little reflective under direct sunlight. The three navigation keys under the display are backlit.
The new Note 3S has a new, dotted design above and below the display, giving it a distinctive look. However, the large black bezels around the display ruins the look of the phone. Above the display, the Note 3S features a 5MP fixed focus camera.
The phone has a 13MP rear camera, aided by a single LED flash. Below it, there is a fingerprint scanner, which the company claims can unlock the device in 0.5 seconds.
The Coolpad Note 3S is running on Cool UI, based on Android 6.0. However, unlike its previous phones, the UI has been kept close to stock Android. Coolpad has also integrated features like App Lock within the software.
The other phone launched at the event was the Coolpad Mega 3. The is an update to the Coolpad Mega 2.5D. However, it doesn't look anything like its previous model. Here is a rundown of its specifications.
Display: 5.5-inch, 720p
SoC: MediaTek MT6737
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB, microSD card supported
Camera: 8MP, 8MP
Battery: 3050mAH
OS: Android 6.0
The Mega 3 also sports a 5.5-inch display with 720p HD resolution. The display is bright and has decent viewing angles. Above the display, the phone features an 8MP front facing camera with a fixed focus lens. You also get a flash on the front.
Like the Note 3s, the Coolpad Mega 3 also has thick bezels around its display, which doesn't look good. The three navigation keys lie below the display, and work well.
The design of the phone is reminiscent of the original Coolpad Note 3, which was launched last year. The phone is made completely out of plastic.
The rubberised back, however, does provide better grip and does not get smudgy. The phone has an 8MP camera at the back of the phone, which is also aided by a single LED flash. However, this one does have autofocus.
The main feature of this phone are its SIM-carrying capabilities. There are three SIM slots on this phone, and none of them is hybrid. Instead, the device has a dedicated microSD card slot, which supports memory cards of up to 64GB.
The Coolpad Mega 3 runs on Cool UI 8.0, layered on top of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. In the short time we spent with the phone, it did not stutter or feel slow in any way.