THL W8: reviews, performance distinct, service manual

Surely you have not heard of such a mobile manufacturer as THL, until recently. This is another Chinese company, abruptly appeared on the market and promises to break the jackpot on sales. Such devices can be found from a dozen, if you do a good job of finding information in Chinese online stores.

Devices from THL (the motto of the brand sounds like Technology Happy Life) are typical devices on Android, to the development of which the company has its own approach and methods. About whether the given brand has a perspective, and what the phones produced under such an emblem are in general, read in our article.

About the device

The hero of today's article was the device THL W8. This is one of the first models that the company released. Therefore, to some extent, it will determine the path of further development of the entire brand, will show how much the developers of the device can count on its further success.

By itself, the smartphone is the representative of the group of Chinese devices that are endowed with powerful technical characteristics, have a design copied from another flagship, and cost only a couple of hundred dollars.

The device really functions on a powerful hardware, has promising parameters by all criteria and, it would seem, should be super-productive. Whether this really is and what is behind its characteristics, we describe further.

Equipment

Let's start with what the buyer receives immediately after opening the package with the phone. In this case, there is a generosity of the Chinese manufacturer, which packs, in addition to the most necessary, also various additions. For example, in the case of the THL W8, we are talking about a protective film for the screen, another battery, as well as a cover case. Besides them, of course, there is a charger, a cord for connecting to a PC, a basic battery and the device itself. Due to this configuration, as we see, there is no need to worry about additional protection for the phone to the buyer. That already pleases.

Design

Taking the phone THL W8 in hand, we can notice its strong similarity with one of the flagships of the model line of the Korean manufacturer Samsung - Galaxy S3. For Chinese developers, such an approach, as is known, is not something new: copying someone else's design is a normal practice for companies from China. Why, in fact, allocate resources for the development of something new, if you can borrow the old?

The device looks stylish - on the perimeter of the case lies a frame painted "under steel." The thickness of the shell of 10 millimeters allows us to say that the phone is also quite elegant.

The material from which the device is made is plastic. When we wrote about the THL W8 review, we considered a white model. Glossy texture gives the model an attractive look.

The general arrangement of the navigation and information elements of the device is typical. In particular, the speaker and proximity sensors are placed above the phone screen, here you can also find the color indicator, signaling about different events. Under the display you will find the physical buttons - "Options", "Back" and "Home". On the right edge there is a sound control button and a power button. The charging socket, like the audio connector, can be seen only on the top edge of the device. The back cover placed the camera's eye and flash.

Some complaints about the appearance of the model so you can not tell at once - everything is usually enough.

Screen

The THL W8 uses a 5-inch display, which, of course, will be somewhat unaccustomed to users accustomed to smaller sizes. However, if you review reviews about the model, it becomes clear that the discomfort in working with the phone from its large screen does not arise. Rather, even on the contrary, in working with multimedia this is an additional advantage.

As shown by the THL W8 characteristics, the screen resolution here is 720 by 1280 pixels, while the operating frequency reaches 32 GHz.

The display is reliably protected by durable glass, which, according to the developers, is able to withstand scratches and bumps. As far as this is true, it is difficult to judge. In some situations, even such a solution is not a guarantee of the safety of the device and its screen.

CPU

The model runs on a powerful and one of the most advanced at the time of the start of sales (and this is 2013) processors. It operates on 4 cores, each of which is characterized by energy efficiency. And indeed, according to the recommendations of buyers, we can conclude that the gadget heats up much less, consuming a charge more economically. This makes it possible to assert that THL W8 smartphones work longer than other devices on Android.

Regarding performance to the "heart" of W8 claims also can not arise - the model is quite confident pulling even the most colorful games without any difficulties. A corresponding conclusion can be drawn about how the menu of the phone behaves - no delays, hangs or braking is observed.

operating system

At the time of the release of the device, the current version of the Android OS was version 4.1 (Jelly Bean). It was she who became the basis of the shell for the device. True, it is not a "bare" android, but a specialized modification, adapted for THL and developed by their specialists. From the original OS, this version differs redrawn icons, menu views, settings and other graphical elements.

Camera

The THL W8 instruction tells us about a 13-megapixel matrix mounted on the device. Of course, this characteristic is achieved by interpolation - that is, in fact, most likely, the smartphone takes pictures at the level of 5-megapixel devices. However, they also get quite good quality - in their recommendations, users in every way praise the W8 camera, noting, in addition to colorful photos, also high-quality video.

In addition, the device has a lot of settings that can make shooting more suitable, depending on the place, time, degree of illumination and other factors.

The device has a flash that allows you to shoot even in dark conditions.

Memory

Given the widest multimedia capabilities of the gadget, the actual issue is the availability of available memory. Initially, the user is available approximately 800 MB for downloading applications and about 1.4 GB - to accommodate physical data (various files). In addition, of course, there is support for microSD-memory cards up to 32 GB. With them, the device can be made a real portable player by uploading favorite content to it.

RAM has a capacity of 1 GB.

Battery

Autonomy for any device running on Android, this is one of the top priorities. As we have already noted, the processor, on the basis of which the THL W8 functions, has energy-efficient cores that consume a minimum amount of energy. Due to this, the autonomy of the device is an order of magnitude higher. Given the battery capacity of 2000 mAh, you can say about 5-6 hours of phone work in intensive mode. Such an indicator is averaged for such devices.

Connectivity

In the technical parameters of the phone it is noted that it supports the work of two SIM cards. Do not explain how advantageous this option is, and what it can mean for the average user.

As for the communication formats supported by the THL W8, the reviews note the standard set, typical for all such devices - GSM, Bluetooth, the presence of a Wi-Fi module and so on. In this regard, the device can be called multifunctional; Thanks to the capabilities of the Android OS, the phone is also able to independently distribute the Internet signal, becoming an access point for other devices.

Reviews

Perhaps this is hard to believe, but the reviews we found about the W8, for the most part, are extremely positive. The drawbacks of the model include only a quiet sound in the headphones or an uncomfortable back cover of the device. These and other problems are solved by installing a program - a volume amplifier or by purchasing a new cover to protect the phone.

And in general, customers note a lot of the advantages of the phone - its low cost, high performance, autonomy. Many can not help but praise the device, noting that the THL product is capable of surpassing even the Samsung model. The difference is only in the brand logo and value, and in technical terms, as stated, the object of our review is no different from the original.

As an exception, we managed to find negative feedback. They described the problems that were discovered after the purchase of the phone. For example, it could be a faulty GPS module, a fuzzy camera or a battery that does not show the progress of charging. Obviously, such errors occurred during the assembly of the device. In some cases, as the buyers noted, they could be fixed for an additional fee in the service center, after which the phone began to function normally. Sometimes, on the contrary, the dismantling of THL W8 could not help - because of what a man, it turns out, wasting money for nothing. Therefore, when ordering such a device, take care of the return procedure in case of a marriage.

Conclusions about the model

What about the phone as a conclusion? The matter is that the device is initially positioned as inexpensive, budgetary device which on the functions does not concede to the flagman. Of course, this approach allows Chinese companies to expand into new markets, but it can be harmful to users. After all, there is a high probability that one of the functions will stop working properly.

In general, the phone is an excellent assistant, a real smartphone, whose capabilities are really huge. And with the quality of assembly THL, apparently, tried to glory. It has everything that is required for a real smartphone, so it's a pleasure to work with this device, except when a defective sample falls.

Therefore, when choosing, check, and your THL will serve you faithfully. Today, the company in the model range presents more advanced devices that have new functions.