Off-road smartphone teXet X-driver: swimming with cucumbers, moving the seventh "Boomer" and much more
In the comments to this post, where it was a question of “off-road” phone Caterpillar CAT B25, I was offered to consider also a protected smartphone of the same brand - Caterpillar CAT B15. I started searching for this model and in the process I came to the conclusion that ... yes, too much money, the British-Chinese partners Caterpillar want for their devices! Let me remind you that Caterpillar CAT B25 and teXet TM-510R phones, assembled at the same factory and coinciding by 90%, cost 5,000 and 2,700 rubles, respectively. Meanwhile, for the Caterpillar CAT B15 smartphone in Russia, they are asking for more than 14 thousand rubles.
Slowly ordering this model for testing, made an elementary search in the teXet catalog and found the X-driver model in it for 10 thousand. That is, it is cheaper by almost a third.
teXet X-driver and Caterpillar CAT B15
As for the characteristics, here is a comparative label:
')
In short, I took the teXet X-driver to the test, because it is more interesting in terms of performance at a noticeably lower price. As for the quality level, I haven’t been feeding any illusions about CAT products for a long time - just take a look at the back of the Caterpillar CAT B25. And this is despite the fact that its immediate owner keeps the device on the shelf and does not subject it to severe tests - not the season!
The panel in the logo peels off and scratched, the alphanumeric buttons began to "squish" ...
So, teXet X-driver. The device is sold here in this box:
Included are two microUSB-USB cables (in principle, one is enough for the eyes, but the more the better), the charger unit, a simple stereo headset, a carabiner with an analog compass and a screwdriver to unscrew the bolts (see below), and two removable plugs for 3.5 mm and microUSB connectors.
The design of the device is brutal - neither give nor take. teXet X-driver looks great next to climbing equipment, scuba, mount bike and other extreme gizmos. Meanwhile, for everyday use, I can not recommend it. Tell me, would you take a girl to a restaurant on GAZ-66? Hardly.
- Honey, you cho, ohrenel?
Here and teXet X-driver is suitable for hunting, fishing, recreation at sea and in the mountains, but not for the defile on the main street of the city in a white shirt and tight jeans. Actually, it hardly fits into these narrowest jeans: the dimensions of a smartphone are 139 x 74 x 18 mm, weight is 265 g. But it fits perfectly into the pocket of a backpack:
The body is made of different types of plastics and rubber. There is also metal here: they have a reinforced removable back cover trimmed with rubber on top and screwed with a pair of bolts.
The sidewalls are entirely rubber, and with “overflows” above the front panel with a height of about 1 mm. Thanks to him, the screen is more likely to survive when falling on a hard surface.
As mentioned above, the 3.5-mm headphone jack and microUSB port are covered with plugs on the cogs. If during the course of tough operation, these same plugs are worn out, it will be possible to replace them with a “spare wheel” from the kit. Here I’ll add that the volume control button - by the way, is very hard - is on the right side of the case, while the power button of the device and its display is on the top.
There are plastic inserts that resemble soft-touch, they are provided in the upper and lower parts of the smartphone. For greater reliability, these inserts are also bolted together.
Orange “pieces” are like a smartphone frame made of durable, but not fragile plastic. On the back of the frame stands a loop for attaching the carabiner.
The final touch is the screen covering: teXet X-driver uses Japanese glass Asahi Glass. It can be called an analogue of Gorilla Glass, except that it is thicker and, most likely, more solid.
Unlike Caterpillar CAT B15, certified according to IP67 security standard, teXet X-driver complies with IP68 standard. That is, both vehicles are completely indifferent to dust, about CAT you can “wet” at a depth of up to a meter, and teXet X-driver - up to a meter and deeper. This should not affect the performance.
As for strikes, in the case of protected devices, information is usually given on compliance with the US military standard MIL-STD 810 (different versions). He, in contrast to IP, also involves tests for impact resistance. In the case of the X-driver there is no such information, so ...
... what could be nicer than to test your smartphone for "indestructibility" on your own?
So, the first test. We roll teXet X-driver into a jar of pickles for an hour and a half. Periodically call him and see just such a picture. The apparatus withstood this test with honor.
Test second. Without further ado, they shot about the X-driver the whole movie - “Boomer. The third film;)
As seen in the video, a very angry young man in the BMW 750 talks on this smartphone, and then in a fit of emotion throws him out the window. And then also moves on the grass. X-driver is not at all friendly, in principle, on the drum - the smartphone has not received any cracks or scratches.
Test three. Now the girl is already angry. Then presses the smartphone foot. And then they kick him like a ball.
Test four - dropped his "face" on the stones from a height of one and a half meters. And he is very much alive.
In the fifth test, we again return to the long version of the BMW 750i, which weighs as much as 2.6 tons. We put teXet X-driver on asphalt and we move it neatly ...
The characteristic crackling indicates that the screen glass did not hold. But! The device, as it turned out, remained in quite working condition. Despite the 2.6 tons of "Boomer". Yes, the glass cracked, but the display itself did not “drip”. The remaining functions also work flawlessly. What does it mean? Glass can be replaced at any certified teXet service center (yes, I recognized), in order to get a practically new smartphone.
In general, is it worth it to clarify once again that the device with honor passed the test for "impermeability" and shock resistance? In the intervals between the above tests, we trampled it in the mud, bathed in an icy river, played football on the leaves ... The corresponding photos are below.
Separately, I want to say about the camera installed in teXet X-driver (8 megapixels, autofocus, LED flash). I liked it - the quality of the pictures is noticeably higher than that of most budget smartphones. Some examples are below. And yes, the camera interface is standard, from Android 4.0 ICS.
Unfortunately, there is no separate button for photographing in teXet X-driver. This means that there will not be a photo shoot under water - capacitive touchscreens in a liquid medium do not work. You can, of course, get a root on the device and use some tricky third-party applications to assign a photo function, say, to the volume buttons, but not the fact that everything will work and work. I personally did not try.
But the video under water can be shot very much - if, however, you can activate the recording before the dive. The maximum resolution of the videos is HD720p, the quality is not great, but sane.
I’ll briefly say about the hardware platform: the teXet X-driver uses the simplest version of the Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play chipset with a gigahertz 2-core ARM Cortex-A5 central processor (this platform also exists in versions 1,2 and 1, 4 GHz) and Adreno 203 graphics. For smooth operation of the interface, there is enough of its capabilities, for fast saving 8-megapixel images too. Well, for games like Dead Trigger. I think that it’s not worth more from such a device. By the way, the difference in power consumption between a 2-core Qualcomm MSM8225 and a 4-core Qualcomm MSM8225Q is about 1.8 times in favor of a solution with fewer cores. So it turns out that for a smartphone for hiking, the choice in favor of relatively weak iron is justified. From a 2 500 mAh teXet X-driver battery, I lived for about two and a half days; the mode was like this: 40 minutes of calls per day (1 SIM-card is installed, 10-15 photos), a couple of hours of sitting in social networks.
Performance tests:
The screen in the device is 4-inch with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Matrix technology - TFT-IPS. The display is very good, the picture is nice looking. You can’t say more about him - you don’t expect anything extraordinary from the numbers above. Unless worth noting the wide viewing angles.
The software part is represented by the operating system Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with minor modifications. In particular, in the notification panel there is such a task manager. True, it displays not all running processors. I will also highlight a set of “near-sports” wallpapers, a file manager and another “dialer”.
Curiously, the desktop can be displayed in horizontal mode.
There are a number of applications from teXet - the catalog “teXet recommends”, software for downloading games, information about movies and so on. All these are nice little things, but I will not concentrate on them.
What is somewhat upset about the software is the inability to download updates over the air. That is, if teXet releases any update, you will have to install it from a computer with data and settings loss.
Summing up my impressions, I will say this: teXet X-driver definitely liked it. First of all, its indestructibility and good (in my unprofessional opinion) camera. And yet - quite worthy of battery life. In principle, most of the "off-road" smartphone, focused on rest and all sorts of adventures, and is not required. In fact - not all the devices in a row to measure the usual megahertz, gigabytes and megapixels. If we abstract from the numbers and evaluate the quality of the performance of the tasks assigned to him by this device, then it can be called more than successful. And inexpensive - think about CAT B15 with its creepy 14 thousand.
Slowly ordering this model for testing, made an elementary search in the teXet catalog and found the X-driver model in it for 10 thousand. That is, it is cheaper by almost a third.
teXet X-driver and Caterpillar CAT B15
As for the characteristics, here is a comparative label:
')
In short, I took the teXet X-driver to the test, because it is more interesting in terms of performance at a noticeably lower price. As for the quality level, I haven’t been feeding any illusions about CAT products for a long time - just take a look at the back of the Caterpillar CAT B25. And this is despite the fact that its immediate owner keeps the device on the shelf and does not subject it to severe tests - not the season!
The panel in the logo peels off and scratched, the alphanumeric buttons began to "squish" ...
So, teXet X-driver. The device is sold here in this box:
Included are two microUSB-USB cables (in principle, one is enough for the eyes, but the more the better), the charger unit, a simple stereo headset, a carabiner with an analog compass and a screwdriver to unscrew the bolts (see below), and two removable plugs for 3.5 mm and microUSB connectors.
The design of the device is brutal - neither give nor take. teXet X-driver looks great next to climbing equipment, scuba, mount bike and other extreme gizmos. Meanwhile, for everyday use, I can not recommend it. Tell me, would you take a girl to a restaurant on GAZ-66? Hardly.
- Honey, you cho, ohrenel?
Here and teXet X-driver is suitable for hunting, fishing, recreation at sea and in the mountains, but not for the defile on the main street of the city in a white shirt and tight jeans. Actually, it hardly fits into these narrowest jeans: the dimensions of a smartphone are 139 x 74 x 18 mm, weight is 265 g. But it fits perfectly into the pocket of a backpack:
The body is made of different types of plastics and rubber. There is also metal here: they have a reinforced removable back cover trimmed with rubber on top and screwed with a pair of bolts.
The sidewalls are entirely rubber, and with “overflows” above the front panel with a height of about 1 mm. Thanks to him, the screen is more likely to survive when falling on a hard surface.
As mentioned above, the 3.5-mm headphone jack and microUSB port are covered with plugs on the cogs. If during the course of tough operation, these same plugs are worn out, it will be possible to replace them with a “spare wheel” from the kit. Here I’ll add that the volume control button - by the way, is very hard - is on the right side of the case, while the power button of the device and its display is on the top.
There are plastic inserts that resemble soft-touch, they are provided in the upper and lower parts of the smartphone. For greater reliability, these inserts are also bolted together.
Orange “pieces” are like a smartphone frame made of durable, but not fragile plastic. On the back of the frame stands a loop for attaching the carabiner.
The final touch is the screen covering: teXet X-driver uses Japanese glass Asahi Glass. It can be called an analogue of Gorilla Glass, except that it is thicker and, most likely, more solid.
Unlike Caterpillar CAT B15, certified according to IP67 security standard, teXet X-driver complies with IP68 standard. That is, both vehicles are completely indifferent to dust, about CAT you can “wet” at a depth of up to a meter, and teXet X-driver - up to a meter and deeper. This should not affect the performance.
As for strikes, in the case of protected devices, information is usually given on compliance with the US military standard MIL-STD 810 (different versions). He, in contrast to IP, also involves tests for impact resistance. In the case of the X-driver there is no such information, so ...
... what could be nicer than to test your smartphone for "indestructibility" on your own?
So, the first test. We roll teXet X-driver into a jar of pickles for an hour and a half. Periodically call him and see just such a picture. The apparatus withstood this test with honor.
Test second. Without further ado, they shot about the X-driver the whole movie - “Boomer. The third film;)
As seen in the video, a very angry young man in the BMW 750 talks on this smartphone, and then in a fit of emotion throws him out the window. And then also moves on the grass. X-driver is not at all friendly, in principle, on the drum - the smartphone has not received any cracks or scratches.
Test three. Now the girl is already angry. Then presses the smartphone foot. And then they kick him like a ball.
Test four - dropped his "face" on the stones from a height of one and a half meters. And he is very much alive.
In the fifth test, we again return to the long version of the BMW 750i, which weighs as much as 2.6 tons. We put teXet X-driver on asphalt and we move it neatly ...
The characteristic crackling indicates that the screen glass did not hold. But! The device, as it turned out, remained in quite working condition. Despite the 2.6 tons of "Boomer". Yes, the glass cracked, but the display itself did not “drip”. The remaining functions also work flawlessly. What does it mean? Glass can be replaced at any certified teXet service center (yes, I recognized), in order to get a practically new smartphone.
In general, is it worth it to clarify once again that the device with honor passed the test for "impermeability" and shock resistance? In the intervals between the above tests, we trampled it in the mud, bathed in an icy river, played football on the leaves ... The corresponding photos are below.
Separately, I want to say about the camera installed in teXet X-driver (8 megapixels, autofocus, LED flash). I liked it - the quality of the pictures is noticeably higher than that of most budget smartphones. Some examples are below. And yes, the camera interface is standard, from Android 4.0 ICS.
Unfortunately, there is no separate button for photographing in teXet X-driver. This means that there will not be a photo shoot under water - capacitive touchscreens in a liquid medium do not work. You can, of course, get a root on the device and use some tricky third-party applications to assign a photo function, say, to the volume buttons, but not the fact that everything will work and work. I personally did not try.
But the video under water can be shot very much - if, however, you can activate the recording before the dive. The maximum resolution of the videos is HD720p, the quality is not great, but sane.
I’ll briefly say about the hardware platform: the teXet X-driver uses the simplest version of the Qualcomm MSM8225 Snapdragon S4 Play chipset with a gigahertz 2-core ARM Cortex-A5 central processor (this platform also exists in versions 1,2 and 1, 4 GHz) and Adreno 203 graphics. For smooth operation of the interface, there is enough of its capabilities, for fast saving 8-megapixel images too. Well, for games like Dead Trigger. I think that it’s not worth more from such a device. By the way, the difference in power consumption between a 2-core Qualcomm MSM8225 and a 4-core Qualcomm MSM8225Q is about 1.8 times in favor of a solution with fewer cores. So it turns out that for a smartphone for hiking, the choice in favor of relatively weak iron is justified. From a 2 500 mAh teXet X-driver battery, I lived for about two and a half days; the mode was like this: 40 minutes of calls per day (1 SIM-card is installed, 10-15 photos), a couple of hours of sitting in social networks.
Performance tests:
The screen in the device is 4-inch with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. Matrix technology - TFT-IPS. The display is very good, the picture is nice looking. You can’t say more about him - you don’t expect anything extraordinary from the numbers above. Unless worth noting the wide viewing angles.
The software part is represented by the operating system Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with minor modifications. In particular, in the notification panel there is such a task manager. True, it displays not all running processors. I will also highlight a set of “near-sports” wallpapers, a file manager and another “dialer”.
Curiously, the desktop can be displayed in horizontal mode.
There are a number of applications from teXet - the catalog “teXet recommends”, software for downloading games, information about movies and so on. All these are nice little things, but I will not concentrate on them.
What is somewhat upset about the software is the inability to download updates over the air. That is, if teXet releases any update, you will have to install it from a computer with data and settings loss.
Summing up my impressions, I will say this: teXet X-driver definitely liked it. First of all, its indestructibility and good (in my unprofessional opinion) camera. And yet - quite worthy of battery life. In principle, most of the "off-road" smartphone, focused on rest and all sorts of adventures, and is not required. In fact - not all the devices in a row to measure the usual megahertz, gigabytes and megapixels. If we abstract from the numbers and evaluate the quality of the performance of the tasks assigned to him by this device, then it can be called more than successful. And inexpensive - think about CAT B15 with its creepy 14 thousand.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/201424/
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