Overview of the Highscreen Zera F smartphone: "skit" from the flagships for 3,990 rubles
Two weeks ago, I took the Highscreen Zera F smartphone to the test - “the first budget device with the characteristics of 2014,” as the developers call it. Indeed, some unusual solutions for a smartphone for 3,990 rubles are present in this model. But even more important is the fact that in this case, Highscreen really made the developer of the device.
The point here is this. The Russian market has been filled with smartphones built from scratch in China and offered under Russian brands for a number of years in a row. The process of bringing such a device to the domestic market looks like this: choose a device with a standard design developed on it in the catalog of an Asian factory, order a batch of such devices, not forgetting to ask the Chinese to attach a brand logo to the model, bring it to Russia and sell it. FROFIT? Not really. The supplier company may indeed be able to earn. But the user, alas, can stay with the nose. The design of Chinese smartphones is a separate topic, with the taste of the comrades from the Middle Kingdom everything is not too great. Yes, they can try to clone the iPhone, they can crookedly rip off the exterior of the Samsung Galaxy S4. But in most cases, their products have a design that was relevant three years ago.
')
We go further. Most of the “Russian Chinese” are built on chipsets from Taiwanese company MediaTek. They are not bad in principle, economical and quite modern, but they need a certain kind of "fine-tuning" for the peculiarities of operation in Russian conditions. By this we should understand the stability of work in our 3G networks, as well as, for example, GPS operation. It's not a secret that devices on MediaTek hardware with navigation have certain problems (for example, communication with satellites is not established at all without A-GPS mediation).
Well, the characteristics are also worth mentioning. The Chinese once created a certain basic platform based on the MediaTek components - and that's all, they don’t hurry to change anything. Well, representatives of domestic brands who are in contact with the factories, in no way do Asian partners build on their part, for “nobody cares.” "And so they will buy!", Think the cunning Chinese manufacturers. “And so we will sell!”, Contented Russians are waving their arms.
All the above nuances (design, preparation for Russian realities and a set of components), according to Highscreen, were taken into account when creating the Zera F model. It was developed from scratch, and there are no analogues under other brands. In fact, in a sense, we are talking about the transition from ODM-production to OEM, when the developers transfer to the partners only the assembly of the device, created on their own. (It’s also worth adding that in a couple of months two more Highscreen Zera series smartphones with similar design and a number of technical solutions will appear in Russia: the middle-class device Zera S and the flagship Zera U with two batteries included and an 8-core processor.)
Indeed, it can be seen that Highscreen specialists have worked on the design : Zera F has nothing to do with typical Chinese devices carrying Russian logos on board. The model is a kind of "skit" of the elements found in the flagship smartphones in 2013. I consider it necessary to emphasize that these elements are “fitted” organically, thanks to which the smartphone looks more expensive than it costs.
What is it about? For example, about the camera, which is designed like a Nokia Lumia smartphone (for example, 1520).
The embossed logo on the back cover says hello to the LG Nexus 5.
The frontal part is clearly taken from the same "Lumii". Or from HTC 8X. And maybe from the Lenovo K900. The developers themselves prefer the second option, that is, HTC.
But the materials of the case - hard plastic with a coating - exactly borrowed from Lumia. It feels nice to the touch and is not dirty at all. Scratches, too, does not collect.
The speaker grill resembles that of the iPhone 5s.
Here is the official image of the Zera F creation process:
What can be said in the end? Copy? Yes, it is determined. But thoughtful. I remember that in our school, for the complete stripping of the composition from the collection hidden under the desk, they put "two". And if you saw that the student added something himself and visibly modified the text, bringing in his wash, then the student could count on a four. Changed, combined, so - thought. So in the case of Highscreen Zera F. And I would even put him for the design of "penny", especially considering the price.
Ergonomics personally suits me in general, although there are some nuances. A positive point is the rounded side edges, due to which the smartphone fits well in the hand.
The power button on the top edge of the case is OK, the benefit of the Highscreen Zera F is a small, 4-inch. But personally, I would like it to be on the right - where the dual volume button is located in this model.
Touch buttons under the screen have a white backlight, but it is activated only when pressed. So the situation is in many devices on MediaTek chipsets, however, in the settings, the backlight can be made to always be on. Alas, in Zera F this option is not provided.
I did not like the location of the microUSB port - it is located in the upper part of the left side. This means that it is not too comfortable to talk on the phone with the connected charging.
Otherwise, everything is normal and convenient. Moreover, a set of "minor" components - the backlight of the keys, the light sensor, the presence of the front camera (albeit only 0.3 MP) - pleases: the LG Optimus L1 II , sold for comparable money, does not have all that.
The main camera , on the contrary, does not please: 5 megapixels, there is no autofocus, there is a flash. Pictures below. However, in budget smartphones, normal cameras do not exist in principle, so there is nothing to complain about.
The screen of the Highscreen Zera F is good - it is precisely that very affiliation with “budget smartphones with the characteristics of 2014”. The fact is that the display is made by IPS technology and has a high level of brightness and wide viewing angles. Yes, the resolution is not the highest - 480 x 800 points with a diagonal of 4 inches - but for a device for 3,990 rubles this is quite a serious “gift”. I did not see anything similar in quality in smartphones with such price tags, which is not surprising: they use TFT-TN matrices in 99% of cases.
They saved only on "multitouch" - it is in the 2-point model. There is no problem with sensitivity, I didn’t feel the difference with some Galaxy S4. The display coating is glass; at the factory, a film of acceptable quality is glued to it.
The Highscreen Zera F is based on the MediaTek MT6572 chipset, the volume that includes two Cortex-A7 cores with a peak frequency of 1.3 GHz, as well as the Mali-400MP graphics. Everything would be fine, but in the model of 1 GB of RAM - against 512 MB for all state employees with the same hardware. (This is where the developers' ability to build Chinese people and force them to do what they need, and not how you want: the latter would be happy to leave 512 MB of RAM in a smartphone.)
I will give the results in benchmarks. Nothing mega-awesome, but quite worthy.
The game Asphalt 8, which I always try to run even on weak budget smartphones, allows you to set the maximum graphics settings and does not slow down on them.
With integrated memory, everything is not very cool. All of it - 4 GB of which is available for about 2 and a half - for some reason is marked as system, that is, it is suitable only for installing applications. But taking pictures and saving screenshots "out of the box" will not work: go ahead with a microSD card. Here Highscreen in my repertoire, the same thing I saw in the smartphone Alpha R.
With GPS and 3G networks - no problems, at least with MegaFon and Beeline SIM cards. Voice quality is not bad (but not the best of its kind), the Internet is stable and fast, and the satellites are without SIM-cards installed in the smartphone, that is, without an A-GPS assistant.
By the way, both SIM-cards have already forgotten "big" format.
In offline mode, "Giraffe" (from Zera F) works no more than a day. At least with me. I talk no more than an hour a day, I surf regularly on social networks, rarely take pictures (due to the low quality of the built-in camera), the screen brightness is set at about 70% ... Of course, I would like more. But on a 1 600 mAh battery, it’s short to expect more.
There is not much to say about the software : the usual “bare” Android 4.2.2 in the version from MediaTek, that is, with the “Studio” application, a file manager and support for “themes” that change the color scheme of individual interface elements (there are 4 options available) . Screenshots:
From non-standard applications - client 4sync, providing 32 GB of space in the "cloud".
During testing, one update came through the air - as usual, “increased stability”.
Finally - on the package . It is standard in terms of the number of causes (cable, charging unit, low-quality headset, manual, warranty), but there is a curious point: there are indicators on the cord and the unit; on the unit it is lit in blue, and on the cable in red or blue, depending on whether the device is charging or already charged.
I will sum up . From the device for 3,990 rubles you can (and should) expect less. It seems to me that the Highscreen Zera F could have cost you 4,990 or some 5,490 — and they would not have looked overvalued. Design, stability, screen, hardware platform - these are its main advantages. I didn’t like the camera, but this is not surprising. So look in the direction of "Giraffe" can be. It is exactly (and at times) better than the LG Optimus L1 II or Galaxy Star, which cost around 4,000 rubles in the area.
Specifications :
Operating system: Android 4.2
Display: 4 inches, 800 x 480, IPS
Processor: MT6572 (two ARM Cortex-A7 cores, up to 1.3 GHz)
RAM size: 1 GB
Size of permanent memory: 4 GB
Dimensions / weight: 129 x 63 x 9.9 mm / 136 g
Bluetooth: 4.0
WiFi: IEEE 802.11 b / g / n
FM radio: Yes
Complete set: Charging (block + cable), instruction, headset, warranty card
Expansion slot: microSD (compatible with SDHC)
Battery: 1,600 mAh
Networks: 2G / 2.5G - GSM / GPRS / EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G / 3.5G - UMTS / HSPA
GPS: Yes
Camera: 0.3 MP + 5 MP
The point here is this. The Russian market has been filled with smartphones built from scratch in China and offered under Russian brands for a number of years in a row. The process of bringing such a device to the domestic market looks like this: choose a device with a standard design developed on it in the catalog of an Asian factory, order a batch of such devices, not forgetting to ask the Chinese to attach a brand logo to the model, bring it to Russia and sell it. FROFIT? Not really. The supplier company may indeed be able to earn. But the user, alas, can stay with the nose. The design of Chinese smartphones is a separate topic, with the taste of the comrades from the Middle Kingdom everything is not too great. Yes, they can try to clone the iPhone, they can crookedly rip off the exterior of the Samsung Galaxy S4. But in most cases, their products have a design that was relevant three years ago.
')
We go further. Most of the “Russian Chinese” are built on chipsets from Taiwanese company MediaTek. They are not bad in principle, economical and quite modern, but they need a certain kind of "fine-tuning" for the peculiarities of operation in Russian conditions. By this we should understand the stability of work in our 3G networks, as well as, for example, GPS operation. It's not a secret that devices on MediaTek hardware with navigation have certain problems (for example, communication with satellites is not established at all without A-GPS mediation).
Well, the characteristics are also worth mentioning. The Chinese once created a certain basic platform based on the MediaTek components - and that's all, they don’t hurry to change anything. Well, representatives of domestic brands who are in contact with the factories, in no way do Asian partners build on their part, for “nobody cares.” "And so they will buy!", Think the cunning Chinese manufacturers. “And so we will sell!”, Contented Russians are waving their arms.
All the above nuances (design, preparation for Russian realities and a set of components), according to Highscreen, were taken into account when creating the Zera F model. It was developed from scratch, and there are no analogues under other brands. In fact, in a sense, we are talking about the transition from ODM-production to OEM, when the developers transfer to the partners only the assembly of the device, created on their own. (It’s also worth adding that in a couple of months two more Highscreen Zera series smartphones with similar design and a number of technical solutions will appear in Russia: the middle-class device Zera S and the flagship Zera U with two batteries included and an 8-core processor.)
Indeed, it can be seen that Highscreen specialists have worked on the design : Zera F has nothing to do with typical Chinese devices carrying Russian logos on board. The model is a kind of "skit" of the elements found in the flagship smartphones in 2013. I consider it necessary to emphasize that these elements are “fitted” organically, thanks to which the smartphone looks more expensive than it costs.
What is it about? For example, about the camera, which is designed like a Nokia Lumia smartphone (for example, 1520).
The embossed logo on the back cover says hello to the LG Nexus 5.
The frontal part is clearly taken from the same "Lumii". Or from HTC 8X. And maybe from the Lenovo K900. The developers themselves prefer the second option, that is, HTC.
But the materials of the case - hard plastic with a coating - exactly borrowed from Lumia. It feels nice to the touch and is not dirty at all. Scratches, too, does not collect.
The speaker grill resembles that of the iPhone 5s.
Here is the official image of the Zera F creation process:
What can be said in the end? Copy? Yes, it is determined. But thoughtful. I remember that in our school, for the complete stripping of the composition from the collection hidden under the desk, they put "two". And if you saw that the student added something himself and visibly modified the text, bringing in his wash, then the student could count on a four. Changed, combined, so - thought. So in the case of Highscreen Zera F. And I would even put him for the design of "penny", especially considering the price.
Ergonomics personally suits me in general, although there are some nuances. A positive point is the rounded side edges, due to which the smartphone fits well in the hand.
The power button on the top edge of the case is OK, the benefit of the Highscreen Zera F is a small, 4-inch. But personally, I would like it to be on the right - where the dual volume button is located in this model.
Touch buttons under the screen have a white backlight, but it is activated only when pressed. So the situation is in many devices on MediaTek chipsets, however, in the settings, the backlight can be made to always be on. Alas, in Zera F this option is not provided.
I did not like the location of the microUSB port - it is located in the upper part of the left side. This means that it is not too comfortable to talk on the phone with the connected charging.
Otherwise, everything is normal and convenient. Moreover, a set of "minor" components - the backlight of the keys, the light sensor, the presence of the front camera (albeit only 0.3 MP) - pleases: the LG Optimus L1 II , sold for comparable money, does not have all that.
The main camera , on the contrary, does not please: 5 megapixels, there is no autofocus, there is a flash. Pictures below. However, in budget smartphones, normal cameras do not exist in principle, so there is nothing to complain about.
The screen of the Highscreen Zera F is good - it is precisely that very affiliation with “budget smartphones with the characteristics of 2014”. The fact is that the display is made by IPS technology and has a high level of brightness and wide viewing angles. Yes, the resolution is not the highest - 480 x 800 points with a diagonal of 4 inches - but for a device for 3,990 rubles this is quite a serious “gift”. I did not see anything similar in quality in smartphones with such price tags, which is not surprising: they use TFT-TN matrices in 99% of cases.
They saved only on "multitouch" - it is in the 2-point model. There is no problem with sensitivity, I didn’t feel the difference with some Galaxy S4. The display coating is glass; at the factory, a film of acceptable quality is glued to it.
The Highscreen Zera F is based on the MediaTek MT6572 chipset, the volume that includes two Cortex-A7 cores with a peak frequency of 1.3 GHz, as well as the Mali-400MP graphics. Everything would be fine, but in the model of 1 GB of RAM - against 512 MB for all state employees with the same hardware. (This is where the developers' ability to build Chinese people and force them to do what they need, and not how you want: the latter would be happy to leave 512 MB of RAM in a smartphone.)
I will give the results in benchmarks. Nothing mega-awesome, but quite worthy.
The game Asphalt 8, which I always try to run even on weak budget smartphones, allows you to set the maximum graphics settings and does not slow down on them.
With integrated memory, everything is not very cool. All of it - 4 GB of which is available for about 2 and a half - for some reason is marked as system, that is, it is suitable only for installing applications. But taking pictures and saving screenshots "out of the box" will not work: go ahead with a microSD card. Here Highscreen in my repertoire, the same thing I saw in the smartphone Alpha R.
With GPS and 3G networks - no problems, at least with MegaFon and Beeline SIM cards. Voice quality is not bad (but not the best of its kind), the Internet is stable and fast, and the satellites are without SIM-cards installed in the smartphone, that is, without an A-GPS assistant.
By the way, both SIM-cards have already forgotten "big" format.
In offline mode, "Giraffe" (from Zera F) works no more than a day. At least with me. I talk no more than an hour a day, I surf regularly on social networks, rarely take pictures (due to the low quality of the built-in camera), the screen brightness is set at about 70% ... Of course, I would like more. But on a 1 600 mAh battery, it’s short to expect more.
There is not much to say about the software : the usual “bare” Android 4.2.2 in the version from MediaTek, that is, with the “Studio” application, a file manager and support for “themes” that change the color scheme of individual interface elements (there are 4 options available) . Screenshots:
From non-standard applications - client 4sync, providing 32 GB of space in the "cloud".
During testing, one update came through the air - as usual, “increased stability”.
Finally - on the package . It is standard in terms of the number of causes (cable, charging unit, low-quality headset, manual, warranty), but there is a curious point: there are indicators on the cord and the unit; on the unit it is lit in blue, and on the cable in red or blue, depending on whether the device is charging or already charged.
I will sum up . From the device for 3,990 rubles you can (and should) expect less. It seems to me that the Highscreen Zera F could have cost you 4,990 or some 5,490 — and they would not have looked overvalued. Design, stability, screen, hardware platform - these are its main advantages. I didn’t like the camera, but this is not surprising. So look in the direction of "Giraffe" can be. It is exactly (and at times) better than the LG Optimus L1 II or Galaxy Star, which cost around 4,000 rubles in the area.
Specifications :
Operating system: Android 4.2
Display: 4 inches, 800 x 480, IPS
Processor: MT6572 (two ARM Cortex-A7 cores, up to 1.3 GHz)
RAM size: 1 GB
Size of permanent memory: 4 GB
Dimensions / weight: 129 x 63 x 9.9 mm / 136 g
Bluetooth: 4.0
WiFi: IEEE 802.11 b / g / n
FM radio: Yes
Complete set: Charging (block + cable), instruction, headset, warranty card
Expansion slot: microSD (compatible with SDHC)
Battery: 1,600 mAh
Networks: 2G / 2.5G - GSM / GPRS / EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G / 3.5G - UMTS / HSPA
GPS: Yes
Camera: 0.3 MP + 5 MP
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/218105/
All Articles