Ice baby: Highscreen ICE 2 review - a glass Android-smartphone with two screens
For the new year, the Russian brand Highscreen presented a hot new product with the “cold” name ICE 2. The company often manages to stand out among competitors. Boost series models with capacious batteries, Omega Prime smartphones with a set of interchangeable panels ... Now the touch phone with two displays has appeared in the model range of the brand again.
Why again? Yes, because one was already - PP5420. And at the very beginning of the history of the brand - the first phone from Highscreen and in combination the first “google phone” in Russia, back in 2009. The second touch screen in it was located under the main one and served as an adaptive touch panel to control the device. Well, it's time to get acquainted with Highscreen ICE 2 closer.
Highscreen usually delivers its models in recycled cardboard packaging with a schematic image of the device's insides. Immediately in the design they decided to beat the “icy” theme, by the way, they did the same with the box of the very first Highscreen ICE. The successor originally did with the back of the package, it shows a picture of the rear of the smartphone in 1: 1 scale - you can estimate the dimensions of the model without unpacking.
')
Inside you will find the phone itself, a charger and a cable with a built-in LED (red - charging in progress, blue - done), brief instructions and a guarantee, a clip for removing the SIM card holder, as well as a decent-looking red headset. And do not forget about the bonus - free 128 GB in the “cloud” of 4Sync service.
Despite the fact that tastes differ, I think very few people will object to me: the phone is beautiful! The most important thing in ICE 2, apart from two screens, is the glass case. This could boast the previous model Alpha ICE, but it was only a clone of the iPhone 5, and the hero of our review is another matter!
To begin with, both the front and back panels are made of third-generation Gorilla Glass. This means that they are as scratch resistant as possible, and even after a week of carrying in your key pocket, your smartphone remains clean and glossy. The surface of the apparatus with a plastic back in such conditions becomes similar to a wheeled roller. I also note that the glass has a high-quality oleophobic coating - fingerprints are not striking, you can remove them with a single movement of the palm.
The model is available in three colors: black, white and dark blue. The latter shimmers beautifully (as if with rhinestones, the LG Nexus 4 had something similar) and changes shades depending on the lighting conditions. And once again about markoti - even in the white case on the back of the fingerprints almost does not remain.
Someone might call ICE 2 as a female phone, but I would not agree. It is quite “unisex” and very original, considering that the current smartphones are not much different from each other and are for the most part sad (especially the products of the “second echelon” brands).
The case is edged with a plastic frame, which at first can be mistaken for metal. During the several days of the test, no scratches appeared on it. By the way, buttons made in a similar gray tone are still metallic.
Below the display are touch keys. According to the new Highscreen tradition (which the brand obviously borrowed from Meizu and ZTE), the “menu” and “back” are made in the form of tiny dots, and the central key is a circle with a LED.
What is especially interesting: this diode can flash in different colors, and the phone software allows you to choose a color for notifications from various applications. For example, blue - for missed calls, red - for Twitter messages, etc. The color is different even in the process of charging, depending on whether you need to fill the battery or the process is over. Gives nostalgic memories of the smartphone with “light music» Highscreen Cosmo ...
The lock button is located on the upper end almost in the center. The solution is not the most convenient, but tolerable, taking into account the moderate dimensions of the device - fingers reach out without problems. The keys are thin, the move is clear, to find them "blindly" is not difficult.
The smartphone has two slots for micro-SIM, made on the principle of "iPhone", located on the left side of the phone. On the right side - a slot for microSD, covered with a cap.
one
At the end of the section, I will say that the device case is not collapsible, and all the elements fit together perfectly. ICE 2 does not beat records of subtlety and lightness, but it is not at all a “spade” and the device in its hand is very comfortable.
The matrix is IPS + OGS (without an air gap), which means excellent color reproduction, maximum viewing angles, perfect behavior in the sun and, in general, a very “live” picture. Advertising and hackneyed set of characteristics? However, the “harsh” truth is that the display in the model is really excellent. Interestingly, it is even better compared to many other smartphones with IPS and OGS. This is expressed in the fact that the viewing angles are not just wide - even with a strong deviation the brightness does not fall, the picture remains still bright and saturated. In everyday use, in most cases, 15-20% of the brightness slider is sufficient. Or you can use the services of a light sensor.
The resolution of the 4.7-inch screen by today's standards is not the highest - HD (1280x720 pixels), but this is enough to avoid pixelation. I don't think anyone would notice the difference between HD and Full HD on a 4.7-inch display.
Highscreen “borrowed” LG's “Knock ON” function, by double tapping off the screen it “comes to life”. The option can be activated in the settings. It is a pity that support for switching off by a similar action is not supported.
The role of the second screen performs 0.88-inch monochrome display on the back of the smartphone. If the sensational YotaPhone advanced as “the world's first smartphone with two displays,” Highscreen ICE 2 is already called the second in the press. However, in the period “before Android” there were a lot of smartphones in various form factors, including, for example, a folding bed with external screens. Well, in China, by tradition, there are many interesting things, for example, in November 2014, information appeared about a certain Gionee W900 with two Full HD displays. But the screens on the front and back panel are still really the prerogative of Yotaphone and Highscreen ICE 2.
OLED-screen on the back of the smartphone has a low resolution, it uses only black and white colors. Activated by the lock button and scrolls the following information - time, weather, date, battery charge, missed / current calls and messages. You can add any notifications from applications. In the settings there is a choice with which frequency the screen will turn on.
Highscreen ICE 2 works on the basis of the MediaTek MT6592 chipset with 8 cores at 1.7 GHz and the Mali-450MP4 video accelerator, 2 GB of RAM is available. There are no problems with speed, interface rendering is smooth, nothing “lags”. High-resolution video plays perfectly, modern 3D games “fly” - it was not expected otherwise.
The amount of internal memory - 16 GB, of which 3.41 GB of internal memory is available and 9.91 GB of "external", a total of 13.32 GB. Of course, files can also be stored on a microSD memory card (up to 32 GB).
The benchmarks Highscreen ICE 2 shows the following results.
The smartphone works on the current version of Android 4.4. Traditionally, for Highscreen, the shell itself is not - “naked android”. From the preinstalled software, I would only note that the client of the “cloud” service 4Sync. There are no Yandex services and clients of social networks who like to impose local brands in their devices.
The radio module in the smartphone is one, that is, in the standby mode, both SIM cards are active, but if you talk one by one, the second one will be unavailable. In the settings of the phone there is an item concerning the work with two SIMs, there you can select the default network for the Internet, etc.
The smartphone is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS modules. The search for satellites is fast, as a rule, it takes less than one minute for a cold start.
Music lovers will be definitely pleased, Wolfson's audio chipset is installed in the smartphone. In the presence of good headphones (those that come only for calls), the sound quality is excellent.
Highscreen ICE 2 has a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and BlueGlass optics. The quality of the photo is good, only in cloudy weather it is better to manually add exposure. I note a good macro, but there is one moment. By default, when you specify on the screen by touching the focusing point, immediately after the end of the “pickup” a picture is taken. So, from a distance of up to 15-20 cm, the time allotted in this mode for focusing is not enough - switch to a separate start of the focus, after which you should press the “shutter” button.
The front camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, it is enough for ordinary selfies and video conversations.
The shooting interface is non-standard. Unlike the usual camera program from MediaTek in Android 4.2, there is no confusion with the diversity of settings on different tabs. Fast access is organized for HDR shooting, effects (sepia, black and white, etc.). There is also a mini-tab on the panel for activating the timer and snapshot on smile detection.
The smartphone is equipped with a battery capacity of 2 500 mAh. Not so little, but a little for the device with an HD-screen and eight cores. I can say that Highscreen ICE 2 lasts until the evening even with fairly “hard” use (a lot of 3G, video, music, reading, 15-20 minutes of talking, periodic GPS launch and some toys). I tested the device with one active "sim card", but with two it should not sit much faster because the radio module is still one. If you do not use your smartphone so often, the model will live on one charge for a couple of days. When playing HD video, the charge lasts about 4.5 hours, for Wi-Fi - up to 7 hours, 3G - about 5.5 hours.
The main screen: 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, IPS, OGS, Gorilla Glass 3;
Additional screen: 0.88 inches, OLED, Gorilla Glass 3 (protection of the entire back side);
Processor: MediaTek MT6592, 8 cores, 1,700 MHz;
RAM: 2 GB
ROM: 16 GB
System: Android 4.4;
Cameras: main 13 MP (Sony IMX 214 sensor + Blue Glass), front 2 MP;
Dual SIM support: yes
Memory card support: microSDHC;
Networks: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); 3G / HSPA (900/2100 MHz);
Wireless standards: GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n;
Dimensions: 138x67.6x8.7 mm;
Weight: 135 g;
Battery: 2,500 mAh.
Glass (hence, by the way, the name - association with ice) Highscreen ICE 2 turned out to be a beautiful device, it's nice to take it in hand. At the same time, it boasts a powerful hardware platform, an excellent camera, and a good display. Full HD-resolution and LTE would also come here - an exemplary flagship smartphone would come out.
As for the second screen - this is a matter of taste. There will certainly be those who are pleased to see all the necessary notifications when you, for example, at a meeting, at a lecture, and you never know where else. Perhaps a useful feature for those who can not imagine their life without a smartphone and social networks. Yes, and just a way to stand out - everyone has smartphones, but there are few of these with a second screen. If not to say - almost there. Yotafon still remains a niche product, and it is in a completely different price category than Highscreen ICE 2. At the moment, the model price is 14,990 rubles.
Why again? Yes, because one was already - PP5420. And at the very beginning of the history of the brand - the first phone from Highscreen and in combination the first “google phone” in Russia, back in 2009. The second touch screen in it was located under the main one and served as an adaptive touch panel to control the device. Well, it's time to get acquainted with Highscreen ICE 2 closer.
Equipment
Highscreen usually delivers its models in recycled cardboard packaging with a schematic image of the device's insides. Immediately in the design they decided to beat the “icy” theme, by the way, they did the same with the box of the very first Highscreen ICE. The successor originally did with the back of the package, it shows a picture of the rear of the smartphone in 1: 1 scale - you can estimate the dimensions of the model without unpacking.
')
Inside you will find the phone itself, a charger and a cable with a built-in LED (red - charging in progress, blue - done), brief instructions and a guarantee, a clip for removing the SIM card holder, as well as a decent-looking red headset. And do not forget about the bonus - free 128 GB in the “cloud” of 4Sync service.
Appearance
Despite the fact that tastes differ, I think very few people will object to me: the phone is beautiful! The most important thing in ICE 2, apart from two screens, is the glass case. This could boast the previous model Alpha ICE, but it was only a clone of the iPhone 5, and the hero of our review is another matter!
To begin with, both the front and back panels are made of third-generation Gorilla Glass. This means that they are as scratch resistant as possible, and even after a week of carrying in your key pocket, your smartphone remains clean and glossy. The surface of the apparatus with a plastic back in such conditions becomes similar to a wheeled roller. I also note that the glass has a high-quality oleophobic coating - fingerprints are not striking, you can remove them with a single movement of the palm.
The model is available in three colors: black, white and dark blue. The latter shimmers beautifully (as if with rhinestones, the LG Nexus 4 had something similar) and changes shades depending on the lighting conditions. And once again about markoti - even in the white case on the back of the fingerprints almost does not remain.
Someone might call ICE 2 as a female phone, but I would not agree. It is quite “unisex” and very original, considering that the current smartphones are not much different from each other and are for the most part sad (especially the products of the “second echelon” brands).
The case is edged with a plastic frame, which at first can be mistaken for metal. During the several days of the test, no scratches appeared on it. By the way, buttons made in a similar gray tone are still metallic.
Below the display are touch keys. According to the new Highscreen tradition (which the brand obviously borrowed from Meizu and ZTE), the “menu” and “back” are made in the form of tiny dots, and the central key is a circle with a LED.
What is especially interesting: this diode can flash in different colors, and the phone software allows you to choose a color for notifications from various applications. For example, blue - for missed calls, red - for Twitter messages, etc. The color is different even in the process of charging, depending on whether you need to fill the battery or the process is over. Gives nostalgic memories of the smartphone with “light music» Highscreen Cosmo ...
The lock button is located on the upper end almost in the center. The solution is not the most convenient, but tolerable, taking into account the moderate dimensions of the device - fingers reach out without problems. The keys are thin, the move is clear, to find them "blindly" is not difficult.
The smartphone has two slots for micro-SIM, made on the principle of "iPhone", located on the left side of the phone. On the right side - a slot for microSD, covered with a cap.
oneAt the end of the section, I will say that the device case is not collapsible, and all the elements fit together perfectly. ICE 2 does not beat records of subtlety and lightness, but it is not at all a “spade” and the device in its hand is very comfortable.
Display
The matrix is IPS + OGS (without an air gap), which means excellent color reproduction, maximum viewing angles, perfect behavior in the sun and, in general, a very “live” picture. Advertising and hackneyed set of characteristics? However, the “harsh” truth is that the display in the model is really excellent. Interestingly, it is even better compared to many other smartphones with IPS and OGS. This is expressed in the fact that the viewing angles are not just wide - even with a strong deviation the brightness does not fall, the picture remains still bright and saturated. In everyday use, in most cases, 15-20% of the brightness slider is sufficient. Or you can use the services of a light sensor.
The resolution of the 4.7-inch screen by today's standards is not the highest - HD (1280x720 pixels), but this is enough to avoid pixelation. I don't think anyone would notice the difference between HD and Full HD on a 4.7-inch display.
Highscreen “borrowed” LG's “Knock ON” function, by double tapping off the screen it “comes to life”. The option can be activated in the settings. It is a pity that support for switching off by a similar action is not supported.
The role of the second screen performs 0.88-inch monochrome display on the back of the smartphone. If the sensational YotaPhone advanced as “the world's first smartphone with two displays,” Highscreen ICE 2 is already called the second in the press. However, in the period “before Android” there were a lot of smartphones in various form factors, including, for example, a folding bed with external screens. Well, in China, by tradition, there are many interesting things, for example, in November 2014, information appeared about a certain Gionee W900 with two Full HD displays. But the screens on the front and back panel are still really the prerogative of Yotaphone and Highscreen ICE 2.
OLED-screen on the back of the smartphone has a low resolution, it uses only black and white colors. Activated by the lock button and scrolls the following information - time, weather, date, battery charge, missed / current calls and messages. You can add any notifications from applications. In the settings there is a choice with which frequency the screen will turn on.
Performance
Highscreen ICE 2 works on the basis of the MediaTek MT6592 chipset with 8 cores at 1.7 GHz and the Mali-450MP4 video accelerator, 2 GB of RAM is available. There are no problems with speed, interface rendering is smooth, nothing “lags”. High-resolution video plays perfectly, modern 3D games “fly” - it was not expected otherwise.
The amount of internal memory - 16 GB, of which 3.41 GB of internal memory is available and 9.91 GB of "external", a total of 13.32 GB. Of course, files can also be stored on a microSD memory card (up to 32 GB).
The benchmarks Highscreen ICE 2 shows the following results.
Software and communication
The smartphone works on the current version of Android 4.4. Traditionally, for Highscreen, the shell itself is not - “naked android”. From the preinstalled software, I would only note that the client of the “cloud” service 4Sync. There are no Yandex services and clients of social networks who like to impose local brands in their devices.
The radio module in the smartphone is one, that is, in the standby mode, both SIM cards are active, but if you talk one by one, the second one will be unavailable. In the settings of the phone there is an item concerning the work with two SIMs, there you can select the default network for the Internet, etc.
The smartphone is equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS modules. The search for satellites is fast, as a rule, it takes less than one minute for a cold start.
Music lovers will be definitely pleased, Wolfson's audio chipset is installed in the smartphone. In the presence of good headphones (those that come only for calls), the sound quality is excellent.
Camera
Highscreen ICE 2 has a 13-megapixel camera with a Sony IMX214 sensor and BlueGlass optics. The quality of the photo is good, only in cloudy weather it is better to manually add exposure. I note a good macro, but there is one moment. By default, when you specify on the screen by touching the focusing point, immediately after the end of the “pickup” a picture is taken. So, from a distance of up to 15-20 cm, the time allotted in this mode for focusing is not enough - switch to a separate start of the focus, after which you should press the “shutter” button.
The front camera has a resolution of 2 megapixels, it is enough for ordinary selfies and video conversations.
The shooting interface is non-standard. Unlike the usual camera program from MediaTek in Android 4.2, there is no confusion with the diversity of settings on different tabs. Fast access is organized for HDR shooting, effects (sepia, black and white, etc.). There is also a mini-tab on the panel for activating the timer and snapshot on smile detection.
Battery
The smartphone is equipped with a battery capacity of 2 500 mAh. Not so little, but a little for the device with an HD-screen and eight cores. I can say that Highscreen ICE 2 lasts until the evening even with fairly “hard” use (a lot of 3G, video, music, reading, 15-20 minutes of talking, periodic GPS launch and some toys). I tested the device with one active "sim card", but with two it should not sit much faster because the radio module is still one. If you do not use your smartphone so often, the model will live on one charge for a couple of days. When playing HD video, the charge lasts about 4.5 hours, for Wi-Fi - up to 7 hours, 3G - about 5.5 hours.
Specifications
The main screen: 4.7 inches, 1280x720 pixels, IPS, OGS, Gorilla Glass 3;
Additional screen: 0.88 inches, OLED, Gorilla Glass 3 (protection of the entire back side);
Processor: MediaTek MT6592, 8 cores, 1,700 MHz;
RAM: 2 GB
ROM: 16 GB
System: Android 4.4;
Cameras: main 13 MP (Sony IMX 214 sensor + Blue Glass), front 2 MP;
Dual SIM support: yes
Memory card support: microSDHC;
Networks: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz); 3G / HSPA (900/2100 MHz);
Wireless standards: GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n;
Dimensions: 138x67.6x8.7 mm;
Weight: 135 g;
Battery: 2,500 mAh.
findings
Glass (hence, by the way, the name - association with ice) Highscreen ICE 2 turned out to be a beautiful device, it's nice to take it in hand. At the same time, it boasts a powerful hardware platform, an excellent camera, and a good display. Full HD-resolution and LTE would also come here - an exemplary flagship smartphone would come out.
As for the second screen - this is a matter of taste. There will certainly be those who are pleased to see all the necessary notifications when you, for example, at a meeting, at a lecture, and you never know where else. Perhaps a useful feature for those who can not imagine their life without a smartphone and social networks. Yes, and just a way to stand out - everyone has smartphones, but there are few of these with a second screen. If not to say - almost there. Yotafon still remains a niche product, and it is in a completely different price category than Highscreen ICE 2. At the moment, the model price is 14,990 rubles.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/364885/
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