Impressions of the Highscreen Alpha GT smartphone

In December they brought a “try” smartphone to the Highscreen Alpha GT smartphone - and it was just in time that I was leaving for three weeks on a business trip, and at that time the two-part smartphone was more than welcome. And now I report on impressions from use.


Smartphone Highscreen Alpha GT is officially considered a Russian design, produced, of course, in China. The developer is Vobis Computer , which for several years was the Russian division of the METRO Cash & Carry Group , and since 2004 it has become an independent company (Russian owners). Mainly engaged in the sale of smartphones, readers, tablets, DVRs from different manufacturers on the Russian market (distributor of HTC, Huawei products), but since 2009 it has launched its own line under the Highscreen brand. One of these devices and fell into my hands on the test.

The high-end brands of the Highscreen will certainly not be attributed;) But such Russian-Chinese “hybrids” cause much more curiosity and interest than fully Chinese devices - there’s still quite a successful example of a Pocketbook , a company with Ukrainian roots that managed to occupy a fair share of the Russian reader market. Suddenly, and the Russian manufacturer will be able to succeed? ;) So let's try to figure out what happened.
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Like last time, I do not set as my goal a thorough and “detailed” technical review - there are already such reviews on the web, finding them is not a problem. Characteristics of the smartphone are also not a secret. Focus on user experience: the pros, cons, problems encountered and find out what the result was more.

Traditionally, it is customary to start with the pros. This time we will change the traditions and start with a neutral impression. They became the design of the smartphone.

Users who attach great importance to design, most likely, will not “catch on” their gaze on the Alpha GT. The design is not so expressive and memorable as neutral and typical for most smartphones. Personally, he did not cause me any excitement or dislike: the appearance is restrained and functional. Almost the entire front occupies a four-inch screen. The plastic in front is smooth and glossy (of course, it is stained - just like any other touchscreen, by the way). Behind - a nice soft-touch plastic with a triangular metal insert. The smartphone is quite "catchy", it is convenient to hold in your hand. It is logical to go from design to build quality smartphone. But I definitely attribute this moment to the pluses of the model, so let's take them.



The advantages of Highscreen Alpha GT turned out to be quite a lot. The advantages look especially attractive against the background of the low price of the device: on the Yandex market, the price range for a smartphone is from about 7,800 to 9,000 rubles, now (January 2012) you can really buy a device for about 7,500 rubles.

Advantages:

1. So, the smartphone is well assembled: nothing bends, does not creak, it seems like a monolithic brick. In addition, it seemed that the Alpha GT is quite scratch-resistant: for three weeks of testing in fairly “field” conditions (without a case), neither front nor back any visible defects appeared.



2. Alpha GT can work with two SIM cards. For each SIM card, you can set the name, color. Two SIM cards are convenient not only if you have to travel often, but also if you want to use different tariff plans (or even different operators) for calls and the Internet. However, not all users need this. But for those to whom such an opportunity is important, the choice is generally not very large. From modern Android smartphones work with two SIM cards HTC Desire SV, Desire V, Samsung Galaxy S Duos, a pair of Philips and LG phones. This is if we talk about famous brands. Further, in any case, you will have to look closely at less famous manufacturers.



3. Smartphone liked nimble work. It clearly has enough power and RAM - with several applications running in parallel and a dozen tabs in the browser, it works as fast as with a minimum load. The processor is single-core, the frequency is 1.0 GHz, the RAM is 1 GB. Now the market is better, but in a completely different “weight category”. By the way, the older model (Highscreen Alpha GTR) has a dual-core processor, a larger screen - 4.5 ", but a higher price tag - 11 thousand. But now it's not about it.



4. Wireless communications: in this regard, the smartphone worked perfectly, without the slightest criticism. Fast connection, stable connection, including in public places.



5. The screen is also decent: quite bright, high-contrast, with good color rendition. The Alpha GT has an IPS matrix, 16.78 million colors, a 4.0-inch diagonal, 480x800 resolution. Touch level: the display reacts quickly and accurately (but the menu buttons sometimes worked with a slight delay, but more on that below). Multitouch worked adequately. The screen size of 4 inches makes the model quite universal: the touch screen is quite large and it is convenient to use it, but at the same time the smartphone did not turn into a “spade”. Well, a reasonable compromise;)



6. Initially installed the 4th Android. About him it makes no sense to write in detail - all of its pros and cons are widely known, and the smartphone model has nothing to do with it. In any case, this platform gives the user as much freedom as he is able to take, and there are ample opportunities for experiments. As a pre-installed “shell”, there is Go Launcher Ex (but whether it’s worth considering it depends on the preferences of a particular user).

7. Supports memory cards up to 32 GB (its memory is 4 GB, of which about 2.5 GB is available). However, the memory card is supported by the vast majority of smartphones, except for some specially selected manufacturers. Just note that there is such a useful opportunity.

8. Pleased with the battery. I have a long-term (and generally very positive) use of HTC devices in my background, which, with a lot of advantages, have a serious drawback: weak batteries. In the Alpha GT, the manufacturer has inserted a rather capacious battery: (Li-Ion, 1900 mAh). With medium brightness settings and active use (Wi-Fi on all the time, active Internet surfing, calls, Skype, different applications), the charge was still enough for about one and a half to two days. The “cord” of charging is also a USB cable in combination, the standard connector is microUSB. Universal connector instead of "corporate" - an absolute plus.

9. Reasonable equipment. Now manufacturers often prefer to limit themselves to a minimum (well, at least they put the devices themselves;)) Against this backdrop, the Highscreen Alpha GT equipment looks good: in addition to the mandatory papers and power adapter (also known as USB cable, see above), there is also a wired stereo headset (wire- "noodles"), a protective film and a memory card of 8 GB.

Usually, “rich equipment” makes me rather skeptical: if there are headphones in the kit, then they won't suit most buyers anyway. If there is a cover - it will be branded or uncomfortable, and so on. That is, you still have to pay for all this rubbish, and then again you have to pick up accessories for yourself, your taste and wallet. But in the case of an inexpensive model, additional accessories “by default” can be fully justified under two conditions: if the manufacturer manages to maintain an attractive final price, and if the accessories are not packed into the box to the detriment of the key characteristics of the model.

In the case of the Alpha GT, the manufacturer clearly decided to stick to the “golden mean”, limiting itself to the most versatile and “taste-independent” accessories. In this sense, an 8 GB memory card and a protective film are much more preferable than covers and headphones. For me personally, the feasibility of a wired headset is questionable. But this is already for whom.

And now to the minuses. They are also visible and, as they say, with the naked eye.

Disadvantages:

1. Menu buttons are not always highlighted during operation. And it is not always adequate: if the backlight turns on, it goes out too quickly. Suddenly it turned out that it is very annoying: the phone obediently and quickly changes the orientation of the screen, and therefore the menu buttons can be on either side. Therefore, without their backlighting it is very inconvenient - you have to look closely, look for where to click. The pleasure of sensory drops sharply.

2. The second minus is also associated with the menu buttons: if the display itself responds to touches almost in an exemplary manner, then the touch menu buttons sometimes worked with a slight delay. Most often this happened during internet surfing. As noted above, the phone itself works very fast, so it seems that this is exactly the problem of the buttons.

3. Did not like the power button. It is narrow, long and slippery, located on the upper end of the smartphone, on the left. Not very easily pressed to the touch. Perhaps this is a matter of habit. But for three weeks, for some reason, the habit was not formed: from the first time it was not always possible to push. Perhaps this is a subjective impression, and other users will have different impressions. But in general, the power button at least should not be slippery. And it should be pressed "on the machine", without requiring concentration on the process. However, this disadvantage is solved by the Go Locker application - then you can use the volume keys on the side of the smartphone to turn on the screen.

4. It is difficult to remove the back cover. However, I do not consider this a serious drawback - this skill has clearly progressed after three weeks of use;) Ie, it is quite possible to adapt to this feature. On the other hand, the phone is very well and tightly assembled (see above - dignity).

5. Above noted that the Alpha GT catches the Wi-Fi network without any problems, and connects to them just as seamlessly (and almost instantly). Problems with this did not arise even once. But for some reason, the 3G icon ceased to appear after a while - and in those places where 3G definitely exists and usually works without problems. The reason I found later on w3bsit3-dns.com is a confirmed firmware glitch, it is fixed in its new version.

6. For some reason, the volume dropped twice after the reboot: even when setting the volume to maximum, the sound was VERY quiet - obviously not enough for normal use. But everything returned to normal after the next reboot. This also turned out to be a glitch of the firmware, in the new version it seems to be fixed.

7. Camera. Many say that a smartphone is not obliged to have a good camera - so there are cameras on it. I agree that the camera in the smartphone does not have to be the same as in the camera. But once the manufacturer puts it - it means that it should be at least decent - be able to perform its basic functions on a solid four. Moreover, we use the smartphone camera more and more often, there are always occasions.

Highscreen Alpha GT has two cameras: front (2MP) - for video and rear (8MP). I did not manage to get acquainted with the first one, the second frankly did not like it.

As for the front camera: she herself did not want to turn on. It was also not possible to turn it on forcibly - the phone’s software categorically preferred to forget about the camera - “it died, it died that way”. Information search showed that the problem is not as unique as we would like to think: other users came across it. Witnesses of the death of the camera describe the process as follows: first, the front camera is working normally, then it starts to turn on more slowly and gives out a green picture, then finally dies, and with it the switch icon on the front camera also disappears from the software. Personally, I was not able to document the process, since the device that came for testing “I was not the first” and the front camera there played a purely decorative role. About the front-facing camera on the Internet, they also write that in the new version of the firmware this problem was still eliminated.

But there is still a back camera! And very attractive in terms of characteristics: 8 MP - like the top models of Samsung and Apple. Only a few Sony and Nokia phones boast more megapixels. My current apparatus, quite old and well-deserved, has only 5 MP, and I have always had complaints about its color rendition. But he shoots sharply, each time demonstratively slowly focusing on the desired point. From the test Highscreen Alpha GT was expected, at least, not the worst quality.

Unfortunately, the camera greatly disappointed. As it turned out, it's not the number of pixels. The point is in the process of shooting. Alpha GT shoots very quickly - almost instantly. The reverse side of this speed is not sharp enough shots (in my case - almost every second frame). Sometimes - even frankly blurred. Moreover, this defect manifests itself when shooting on the street, and when shooting indoors. As a result, the 8 MP camera gives a greater amount of defects than the old 5 MP camera.

Judging by the fact that when shooting from a hard stop it was possible to get pictures that were quite sharp, the thing is image stabilization. Either it is not at all, or it did not work. Considering that the conditions of using the camera phones by default imply different shaking and instability, such a problem makes the camera simply non-functional.

Perhaps summarizing the shortcomings.

The first. Most of the shortcomings turned out to be associated not so much with the “hardware”, as with the software of the smartphone. By and large, the Highscreen Alpha GT in the first place needs to be improved software.
Apparently, the company has released a new firmware, there the software problems have been solved - the front camera works fine, there are no problems with sound and 3G. I did not begin to reflash the device, the testing time was over, but in general, there is no reason not to believe.

So here you can say this: if you encounter such problems - install a fresh firmware, it should help.

The second. Any shortcomings cause annoyance and annoy (well, do not rejoice at them, really?) And the shortcomings of the Alpha GT are no exception. But how much to consider them critical in this case is highly dependent on the specific user. For example, someone camera (more precisely - the camera) and software "surprises" greatly spoil the impression of a smartphone. And someone will appreciate the speed, 2 SIM-cards, a good screen and trouble-free Wi-Fi - combined with the low price of the device, and will be enthusiastically messing around with the software, and consider the quality of the camera unprincipled.

And now is the time to sum up the general results of my short acquaintance with Alpha.

The price of the device, whatever you say, is an important marketing tool;) Therefore, we will try to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the device in conjunction with the price.

Everyone knows that if the price of a device is high, then its virtues are not that they are completely ceased to be perceived as virtues, but they often seem to be taken for granted. And disadvantages, on the contrary, are perceived much more acutely (“yes, for that kind of money! ...”). With inexpensive devices the picture is reversed. Each dignity becomes weightier (“and this is just for (the amount of) rubles !!!”), and almost every flaw — at least not very critical — easily finds an excuse for itself (“what do you want for such money?”).

And in the case of the tested smartphone, the “price factor” reveals itself to the full. For an inexpensive smartphone, it has a lot of merit (and they concern not the secondary, but the most important characteristics). The drawbacks that appeared during testing are unacceptable for the top-level model (all software must be carefully “licked out”), but the Highscreen Alpha GT is not a top-level model.

As a result, in my opinion, it turned out quite a decent model for its price - at least, the manufacturer managed to produce a smartphone with good potential. The further fate of the Highscreen brand largely depends on how further the manufacturer will develop the merits of the model and how successfully it will be able to work on the bugs. Alpha GT - the smartphone is not without zest. Moreover, there are quite a lot of “raisins” in it (see Advantages ). Comparison with the price makes this "raisins" especially "tasty."

Look closely at the Alpha GT will be interesting to those who have long been going to get a smartphone, but so far could not afford it. Or those who perceive the phone as a consumable, do not want to shake over it, and therefore do not see the point of paying 20 or 30 thousand. Some of the potential buyers include those who do not yet have any clearly expressed preferences of a particular manufacturer.

And another important point on which the success of Highscreen can seriously depend on its Russian-Chinese roots: this is quality control. If the manufacturer manages to achieve consistently high quality, the minimum percentage of marriage - he will earn a good reputation. It will be easier for him to “rebuild” the highscreen model range from the various “Chinese” in the customer’s perception, and his devices can become more in demand. One of which - Alpha GT - has already shown a good balance of advantages, disadvantages and prices.