Highscreen Boost 2 released last fall left mixed impressions on me. On the one hand - without reservation, a record battery of 6,000 mAh, on the other - not the most perfect in terms of power consumption of the Qualcomm 8225Q on the 45 nm process technology. Highscreen Boost 2 SE, which appeared in February of this year, became a full-fledged work on the bugs. In fact, only the former case was left, yes the batteries, otherwise the filling was almost completely changed. In my opinion, the most remarkable moment was the installation of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228 processor. Because it is a) no matter how cool, not MediaTek b) 28 nm technical process c) is not the most budget and quite fresh model. Yes, and paired with 2 GB of RAM, this processor looks great.

Perhaps, before the main narration, let me briefly remind you of the main changes compared to Highscreen Boost 2. Instead of a “solo” GPS, a hybrid GPS / GLONASS receiver arrived, an 8 megapixel camera was replaced by 13 megapixels, the ROM volume grew from 4 GB to 8 GB, Android “matured "To version 4.3, and the matrix of the screen was changed to that of Sharp. In conjunction with the above processor and the amount of RAM turned out, to put it mildly, an interesting device. True, the price has increased - if Highscreen Boost 2 costs 10,990 rubles (~ $ 314), then Highscreen Boost 2 SE will cost 12,490 rubles (~ $ 356).
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Equipment
If you read the review of at least one Highscreen smartphone, then imagine from which cardboard the Highscreen Boost 2 SE box is made and what is depicted on the front side. After almost a year of such a “tradition” I would like to see at least some variety. Although the minimalism of information and eco-friendly cardboard still look more interesting than the same type pasting of most of today's smartphones. As I understand it, at the time of the start of production, Highscreen was really going to give us the usual 20 GB in the 4Sync cloud, but eventually became generous with 64 GB. By the way, 100 GB on 4Sync cost $ 10 per month, the same amount for the same space requires Dropbox.

The box contains the warranty card, instruction manual, microUSB cable, network charging unit and headset. I recommend replacing the latter immediately, unless you harbor low frequencies. Of course, the covers in the kit - not one, but two, according to the number of batteries. I had Highscreen Boost 2 at hand, so I made sure that the panels of the smartphones were interchangeable. Moreover, the batteries can be changed in the same way, I did not observe any problems when installing a “non-native” battery in the bowels of Highscreen Boost 2 SE.


Appearance and controls
As I said, the model case remains the same. Only a few details were added - the panel under the display turned gray, and on the back cover an inscription appeared indicating the installed processor. I don’t know how other observers and users, but I liked the gray insertion, the smartphone looks much more interesting against the background of a completely black (and boring) Highscreen Boost 2, and the vast majority of current smartphones. Another question - you need to handle the model carefully, because the problem of erasing the edges has not gone away. I myself did not even know about such a moment, thanks to the comrade
monitorika for interesting information. By the way, the panel is made of metal, I found out at least on a slightly erased (or “polished”) left side.

Overall parameters in comparison with the "original" has not changed one iota. With a 3,000 mAh battery, we observe 68.6 x 140 x 9.8 mm and 151 grams of weight, with 6,000 mAh - 68.6 x 140 x 14.8 mm and 203 grams. If we talk about subjective impressions, I liked the ergonomics of the model. With a smaller battery, the smartphone is not too heavy and even looks thin. Although I immediately remembered about really thin smartphones, as soon as I received a fresh Highscreen Thor. As a positive point, I would like to note the moderate height of the case - with the grip convenient for me, the finger does not leave more than 15% of the screen area.
The opinion that I have left with regard to the design of Highscreen Boost 2 is also entirely relevant to his successor. The shape of the speech dynamics, the rounded top and bottom, together with the insert under the display, make the exterior of the device a bit more diverse in comparison with the more or less of the same type of second-line smartphones. Further depends on the installed battery. At 3,000 mAh, the smartphone looks pretty good - these are obviously those terrifying “bricks” that B-brands offered us a year ago.


With the installation of a 6,000 mAh battery, the smartphone becomes inconspicuous, the complete lack of rounding at the joints of the lid did not benefit the model both in terms of exterior and ease of holding in the palm of your hand. By the way, the “alignment” of the build quality also remained at the level of the predecessor - there are no questions to the “thin” version, but with a large lid, there are squeaks and backlashes.


Now take a closer look at the exterior of the device. On the front side - light and proximity sensors, a camera, a speech speaker - everything is standard.

The touchpad under the screen is still devoid of boring Android icons, instead of them - glowing dots on the sides and a circle in the center. The same circle successfully replaces the event indicator and starts flashing with a new SMS or letter. Low brightness came to my taste, because if there is no time / desire to get distracted by a smartphone, even with a model lying in front of my eyes, the blinking does not distract or irritate.

A set of volume and power keys is diluted by the multifunctional button “at the equator” on the left side. We'll talk more about it later.


The microUSB connector and audio output, where they are supposed to be, are at the top.

On the back panel we admire the inscription “Qualcomm snapdragon 400”, which I personally like much more than the signatures of the number of megapixels near the camera. Moreover, megapixels do not say practically nothing about the quality of shooting, and the processor model very eloquently testifies to the performance of the smartphone.

Under the cover are located for the microSIM slot and that for the microSD card.

Screen
Highscreen Boost 2 SE retained the basic parameters of its predecessor - 5 inches, the resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels and, accordingly, 294 PPI. I am not a fan of searching for pixelation in HD displays and am not inclined to consider them a priori to the least extent compromise for the sole reason for the existence of mobile Full HD screens. In general, I consider the resolution of Highscreen Boost 2 SE to be the “golden mean” between the really noticeable qHD grit and the not very noticeable differences with the more expensive Full HD options.
This time, the screen maker was the Japanese Sharp, which supplied the display with such relevant technologies as OGS and Full Lamination. In terms of maximum brightness, the novelty still loses to Highscreen Boost 2. But it is noticeably ahead in detail and accuracy of color rendition. Black color in Highscreen Boost 2 SE looks deeper, there are questions to white in both models. Highscreen Boost 2 SE has an orange tint, while Highscreen Boost 2 has a blue eye.
And yet Highscreen Boost 2 SE is in a more advantageous position, because in the settings it allows you to adjust the color of the screen. There are presets “standard” and “bright” plus four parameters for manual adjustment. The viewing angles of the models are approximately equal. However, Highscreen Boost 2 SE got rid of blue and orange “raid”, which were too noticeable when viewed diagonally in Highscreen Boost 2.


Performance
I already somehow got used to capacious batteries, therefore the hardware component became for me the most interesting part of the smartphone. Many B-brands in the characteristics indicate the presence of a 4-core processor and shamefully hide its manufacturer, MediaTek. Highscreen Boost 2 SE is remarkable by the fact that instead of MediaTek uses the "heart" from Qualcomm. It would seem that nothing unusual - the same Qualcomm MSM8225Q is installed in many models of the brand. However, Qualcomm MSM8225Q is essentially the most budget-friendly solution for the not-so-fresh Play line, and with the frankly outdated Adreno 203. The 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 resides in Highscreen Boost 2 SE. This processor was first introduced a year ago, the press The release of the full readiness of the chipset appeared in June. At the moment, according to Yandex.Market, Highscreen Boost 2 SE is the only smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228. Yes, the list is Huawei Ascend G6 4G, but it is still being prepared for release.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8228 has four ARM Cortex A7 cores with a frequency of 1.4 GHz. The graphics chip is quite good - Adreno 305 with support for OpenGL ES 3.0, DirectX, OpenCL, Renderscript Compute and FlexRender. Completes the picture of 2 GB of RAM. In general, the “hardware” of Highscreen Boost 2 SE turned out to be the envy of competitors, first of all - all sorts of options based on MediaTek MT6589. From words to deeds, we study the results in benchmarks. Basically, a wide audience likes to rate performance on AnTuTu Benchmark, in which the smartphone scored a decent almost 20,000 points. In graphics tests, everything also looks rosy, without a single frame of 60 FPS in Epic Citadel - a clear confirmation of this.






With video playback, there were no problems, the smartphone “smoothly” played videos of flesh up to Full HD 60 fps. Unfortunately, with 4k did not work out - none of the test files in the IXBT suite started. However, it seems to me a very strange thing to watch 4k videos on an HD screen. What I liked about Highscreen Boost 2 SE the most is the behavior in games. I was already tired of the compromises of MediaTek 6589, which, with a Full HD screen, even considers the confrontation between zombies and plants to be a resource-intensive task, and you can't call an omnivorous chipset with HD displays.




On the contrary, Highscreen Boost 2 SE with Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 worked perfectly. This also applies to the game "Iron Man 3", which loves to turn into a benchmark directly in the menu, and high-poly Real Racing 3. And other titles, including those with the ability to set maximum graphics settings - like in Riptide GP2 or Dead Trigger 2. I consider it a big plus the absence of microlags when effects such as explosions, smoke, dust, etc. appear in the frame. - Highscreen Boost 2 SE does not fall into reverie for a split second in order to have time to load new elements of the scene.
Camera
From the front, Highscreen Boost 2 SE has a 2 megapixel module, and 13 megapixels from the rear. It is clear that one should not pin special hopes on the face “eye”. Although he honestly fulfills his pair of megapixels, but for girls it will fit perfectly as an improvised mirror.

13 MP allows the camera to take pictures with a resolution of 4128 x 3096 pixels. However, the miracle did not happen - large numbers are again present more for beauty. This is a problem not only of Highscreen Boost 2 SE, but of all 13 megapixel B-brand smartphones with which I have come across, without exception. The quality of the photo does not exceed the 8 Mp model, and most often noticeably inferior to them. I don’t know what the matter is - interpolation or trite cheap optics. However, the Highscreen Boost 2 SE camera, although I cannot relate to the benefits, I will not write down cons either. If only because the smartphone does well with macro photography - if you like to photograph flowers in an open field and insects, Highscreen Boost 2 SE you will definitely like it. In the middle and long distances, the camera lacks detail, and the saturation has to be adjusted in the settings. But the speed of the camera does not cause complaints.





The shooting program is the moment when I still regret the absence of the MediaTek chipset. Because Taiwanese have a great shooting app in store, but Qualcomm doesn’t. In Highscreen Boost 2 SE there is only the stock development of Android 4.3, and for some reason fixed for the worse. What annoys me most is the list of options, which is hidden behind three absolutely identical icons. As an option, if you constantly use Highscreen Boost 2 SE, I would recommend to get a more comfortable shell from Google Play.


System
The shortest review point, because Highscreen again did not prepare any noticeable add-ons. But the Android version has pleased - 4.3, this release is not yet available on smartphones with MediaTek processors. I would like to describe the advantages of Android 4.3 before 4.2, but alas, I haven’t found any significant innovations, except that the information curtain has become more convenient. If that is missed - sorry, correct.




Finally, the multifunctional button in Highscreen Boost 2 SE has become truly “versatile”. Let me remind you that in the previous model this key was limited to the assignment of all four tasks. Here, the quick launch button allows you to select from the full list of installed programs in the system. Just in case - this functionality is introduced by the first “air” update of the smartphone, “out of the box” there are only a couple of points.


Autonomy
Highscreen Boost 2 SE truly unlocked the potential of a 6,000 mAh battery, thanks to a more advanced 28 nm process technology. One of the main competitors of Highscreen Boost 2 at one time was called the Lenovo P780, so I was not too lazy to compare the autonomy of the new product and the Chinese device.
At maximum brightness in CoolReader:
- Lenovo P780 - 14 hours and 20 minutes;
- Highscreen Boost 2 SE - 20 hours.
HD video at maximum brightness and medium volume:
- Lenovo P780 - 5 hours 50 minutes;
- Highscreen Boost 2 SE - 9 hours 10 minutes.
Epic Citadel at maximum brightness:
- Lenovo P780 - 6 hours 30 minutes;
- Highscreen Boost 2 SE - 6 hours 50 minutes.
It is worth believing that higher performance made itself felt when traveling around the Epic Citadel, so the difference between smartphones was insignificant. But what were the results in AnTuTu Tester. I think you can guess where the measurements were taken with which battery.
For additional energy savings, the Qualcomm BatteryGury utility is pre-installed. This program monitors user activity for several days, after which, at its discretion, automatically optimizes battery consumption. Attached is a set of four widgets.




Conclusion
Perhaps this is the first Highscreen smartphone, which I seriously consider as a candidate for purchase. Highscreen Boost 2 SE doesn’t have so many “sores” of its predecessor - a squeaky back cover for a 6000 mAh battery, potentially washable metal on the edges. Here, perhaps, that's all. Fundamentally, two things improved in the model. The first one is performance, I liked the new processor much more than 4-core MediaTek, not least due to better performance in games. The second point is the autonomy, which is again added due to the processor. Add here also a software add-on to optimize power consumption. The screen and the camera have not improved critically, I would not consider these two points as motivating for choosing Highscreen Boost 2 SE instead of the previous model. Finally, as a nice bonus, do not forget about the hybrid GPS / GLONASS receiver. In general, Highscreen Boost 2 SE has turned out to be at least an interesting smartphone among the new products already released this year.