Impressions of the Highscreen Ice 2 smartphone

Over the past few months, the alignment of forces in the consumer electronics market has changed beyond recognition. Due to the double depreciation of the ruble, almost all vendors were forced to significantly raise prices, and it’s good that for most models the increase was 30-50%. Accordingly, candidates for leadership in price segments have changed. Buy a decent machine from the manufacturer of the first echelon in less than 20 thousand rubles - almost unreal task. On the other hand, any crisis is an opportunity for growth, and with a proper approach to product quality, any decent vendor can declare itself. In general, it's time to take a fresh look at one of the iconic models of Highscreen - the Ice 2 Android smartphone.




“Vobis Computer” consistently improves the quality of the range, and the new items replace each other with an enviable frequency. It would be difficult to identify a specific model against the background of such a conveyor, so the manufacturer prudently supplied the device with the original packaging and a pair of unique “chips”.
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As a rule, the company's products are supplied in “eco-friendly” cardboard boxes, which schematically show the device structure. The Ice 2 box, which serves as a source of first impressions about the device, in turn, is made in relatively bright colors and is very compact.



Starting to explore the contents, first of all you notice the phone itself, carefully pasted over with films on both sides. At the bottom, neatly packed earplugs with a flat noodle cable, a USB-microUSB cable and a standard network adapter. Completing the set is a few mandatory pieces of paper and a small clip, painfully resembling a similar tool in the delivery set of phones of a completely different brand.

After removing the device from the films, you can notice two slots for SIM-cards of the format microSIM, located on the left side. Actually, a clip or any other suitable object is intended for them. A microSD memory card with a capacity of up to 32 GB can be hooked with a finger without using additional tools, but the power button had to be searched at the top, next to the headphone jack.



In principle, for a compact device with a screen diagonal of 4.7 ", this is not critical, but over the past year we have already managed to get used to the universal transfer of the power button under the thumb of the right hand. Finally, reconciling with the similar arrangement of elements, the ability to unlock the screen with two tapas, as in many modern flagships.



Concluding the review of the appearance, it is impossible not to note the interesting solution of the rear panel, iridescent shades of blue and purple, and the high quality of the assembly of the device itself. The glass “back” will surely remind the Nexus 4, a similar solution was used there. The phone is very hard shot down, it was not possible to detect the slightest creaking, but you also have to pay for it with a 2500 mAh non-removable battery. However, in the era of the widespread distribution of external batteries like this can hardly be considered a problem.

As the smartphone turned on, I looked at the boot-animation as if spellbound. For once, it made it really interesting - the huge letters that make up the brand name follow each other in a kaleidoscope of cheerful pictures. So, the device is ready to work, and in front of us (oh, happiness!) Is the purest Android 4.4.2 KitKat, not spoiled by any shells and superfluous pre-installed software.



However, without a couple of delicate interventions from the manufacturer still has not done. In the settings there are options to improve the smoothness of the video ClearMotion and display notifications on a locked screen. A separate item is devoted to the management of an additional display on the rear panel, and in the section “Special features” you can swap the touch buttons “Back” and “Menu”. Beg comment on the last moment. First, it is strange that the buttons are marked with minimal dots. Maybe it is trendy and stylish, but it definitely does not contribute to the comfort of the first minutes of operation. Then, of course, you get used to it. Secondly, what is the “Menu” button in Android 4? In its place should be “Last launched applications”, called here by long pressing the central button “Home”.



And now attention to the screen. The main HD-display technology is IPS and has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels (312 ppi). In principle, in this segment it is already possible to find devices with FullHD screens, but the graininess is not very noticeable on such a diagonal, but the increase in resolution will affect the performance and battery life fully.



From the consumer point of view, there are no complaints about the viewing angles and color reproduction, the image is quite distinguishable in the sun, and in general the automatic adjustment copes with its task correctly. But the chip Ice 2 is still not the main, but an additional screen. Where is he? Oh yeah, press the power button, and the running line comes to life. Bright OLED-display can be seen in any weather, but to display the necessary information will have to wait.



Adjusting the scrolling speed of the text is missing, and in general the need to use the second display looks far-fetched. To activate it, you need to press the power button, which automatically turns on the main display and negates all the savings in time and resources. It is also possible to turn on the schedule, but the minimum interval is ten minutes. In fairness, when turned on, it attracts attention and serves, albeit a miniature, but wow factor, contributing to the piggy bank of general impressions of the device.



If we want to quickly receive information about time, date and current air temperature, the phone must be kept on the table with the screen down. The latter, however, makes sense if you do not want to miss an incoming call. The speaker is located on the rear panel, and with close contact with the surface, the sound is pretty much muffled.



By the phone component, by the way, could not find fault. Soft is a “naked” Android, so no one forbids putting your favorite “dialer” or application for working with SMS. The interlocutor is heard well, the voice is transmitted without distortion, and communication breaks are not recorded even in conditions of not very confident reception.



In the section on working with SIM-cards, you can configure preferences for working with voice calls, messages and mobile traffic. 3G is supported in only one slot, and a single radio module provides alternate card operation.

As a hardware platform, the standard solution for this class from MediaTek is used. MT6592, operating at a frequency of up to 1.7 GHz, provides a smart interface that is not disfigured by unnecessary extras, and allows you to play most of the modern games, paired with the Mali-450 MP4.

In benchmarks, the device predictably shows average results, but this does not affect the comfort of everyday use. Interested persons cite separate figures on the number of recruited “parrots”.



Returning to the functions that are more in demand in real life, I cannot help but note the camera interface. Much work has been done here and it is much more pleasant to use it than with the native “Google” application. True, in some places long Russian words did not fit into one line (this is especially true of the options for choosing white balance), but you cannot refuse the solution to ergonomics and the number of settings.



It is very convenient that the HDR mode is activated in one click, allowing you to quickly get rich and clear images in difficult lighting conditions, both indoors and outdoors. Removes the camera quickly, without thinking, but when viewing pictures on a computer you can see the results of aggressive post-processing algorithms. Many details are covered with “noise”, and in HDR mode, the increased noise level in the image makes itself felt.

On the screen of the smartphone (not least due to its quality), the photos look very good, and the user-friendly interface calls for using non-standard modes, turning the exposure and experimenting in every possible way. The double-shot function that seems to have started on the Galaxy S4, including your portrait in the background of the image from the main camera, aroused some interest.



Sony IMX214 sensor with autofocus and flash is used, photo resolution is up to 13 megapixel, video is up to 1080p (3GP). The front camera is predictably simpler - only two megapixels and 720p video, but Ice 2 is not positioned as a selfie-background.



With the camera figured out, but how does the phone sound? A separate Wolfson 8918C audio chip is declared, after all. Here the impressions are twofold. I suppose that on more serious headphones and when listening to lossless recordings, the device should open up, but with the complete headset and Klipsch S4a headphones it was not possible to detect a significant difference with other devices. The sound can be described as medium, the low frequencies are not enough pronounced, the tops are also sometimes not enough. At least with the volume all right. I note that basically streaming audio from SoundCloud and Google Play Music services in electronic and alternative music genres was auditioned. In the settings there are options aimed at improving the sound quality, and it makes sense to activate them immediately. The speaker is also not amazing, but you will not miss a call or an alarm clock.

So, the most interesting thing in our difficult times is autonomy. Eight-core processor and 2500 mAh battery, balanced 720p-display, you can count on the day of confident work without recharging. In fact, it is, until late in the evening the device will suffice, if you do not play and not drive benchmarks. Special thanks to the engineers for getting rid of the eternal headache of the owners of the devices of one well-known vendor - background battery consumption. If Ice 2 does not touch, it does not sit down. At night, the cherished battery discharge charts were completely even.



The price for Highscreen Ice 2 is in the range from 15 to 17 thousand rubles, and in this price category, of particular interest are the Huawei P6S and Asus Zenfone 5 LTE. The Chinese smartphone boasts a more interesting package, but it clearly suffers from the lack of a memory card slot, and the battery capacity is even smaller - 2000 mAh. The product from Asus, in turn, is equipped with its own shell over the standard OS interface, and LTE support is far from being relevant in all regions.

I don’t presume that everyone can recommend the device, but in terms of the overall sensations, Ice 2 is a very pleasant machine. Still, impressions are formed not by the number of parrots, but by the build quality, appearance and speed of work, and with this the model is all right.

Advantages:

• Excellent build quality
• High speed
• “Clean” Android 4.4 KitKat
• 128 GB 4Sync Cloud Storage

Disadvantages:

• Aggressive shumodav in the camera
• Controversial sound quality