Newman K1S – Cheapest Octa Core Smartphone
The current price wars in China are forcing smartphone makers to drop prices lower than ever while raising the bar on quality and performance. The Newman K1S is one such phone, which boasts an octa-core processor at less than $150!
The sub 1000-Yuan price band is where most Chinese phone makers are making their living these days, so it is these entry-level smartphones, with mid-range specifications that could potentially make or break a brand in 2014!
With rising competition from Huawei’s Honor 3C, 3X, Xiaomi’s Hongmi, and Coolpad,ZTE, etc., Chinese phone giant NEWMAN have had to also enter the war! Their weapon of choice, the NEWMAN K1S!
Newman K1S Specifications
While it is not all that uncommon to see mid-range phones with great 720p displays, modern processors and 13 mega-pixel rear camera for around 1000 Yuan, the hardware on the Newman K1S really is impressive considering the phone boasts all of the above plus 2GB RAM and a 1.7Ghz octa-core chipset!
OS: Android 4.2
CPU: MTK6592 Octa core 1.7GHz (Antutu score : 24756 )
ROM: 16GB
RAM: 2GB
SIM Card: Dual SIM Card, Dual Standby
Screen: 5.0 inch HD , LG IPS screen , capacitive touch screen 1280 x 720 (HD)
Camera : Sony 13.0 MP Camera
Network Network type: GSM+WCDMA
Frequency: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz WCDMA 900/2100MHz
WIFI: 802.11b/g wireless internet
Bluetooth A2DP
Screen Information Screen type: Capacitive (multi-touch)
Screen size: 5.0 inch IPS
Screen resolution: 1280 x 720 (HD)
Camera Front camera: 2.0MP
Back camera: 13.0MP
Video recording: Yes
Connectivity 2 x SIM Card slot
1 x TF/SD Card slot
Micro USB
3.5mm audio out port
Microphone
Speaker
Newman K1S Octa-core Review
Newman decided to bring out the big guns when it unveiled the Newman K1S Octa-core phone. Rather than just settling for an octacore smartphone which can be bought for less than $200, Newman´s agent decided to drop the price further thus creating the world’s cheapest octa-core smartphone!
At $150 you might think that Newman had to cut some corners to lower the price to such ridiculous levels, but take a look at the specifications listed above and you will note a 5-inch 720p display, 13 mega-pixel rear camera, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal memory, and of course that 1.7Ghz Mediatek MT6592 processor!
The 13 megapixel rear camera and LED flash are situated at the top of the phone are designed to sit flush with the back of the phone, which I personally prefer when compared to a raised design. The square camera lens also gets a steel ring around it to stop the lens itself from resting on the surface of a table, desk etc and should help to reduce the chances of scratching.
Everything really is kept to a minimum on the rear of the Newman K1s with the only other notable features being the Newman logo and a single rectangle opening for the external speaker.
Things continue to look familiar as we find a 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, micro USB in the bottom, power button on the right and volume controls on the left. Personally this is my favourite layout and I like Newman’s no nonsense approach to the exterior for the K1S.
Newman K1S Review – Design
Before we get ahead of ourselves let’s take a step back and give the display another look. 5-inch 1280 x 720 displays are quite common on phones of this price and even cheaper these days, but what makes the panel on the octa core Newman better than those usually offered are the great viewing angles afforded by the IPS technology and the extra knock and scrape protection of the fully laminated finish!
Newman K1S review – Performance
A 1.7 Ghz octa-core processor and 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory, means this is a powerful smartphone regardless of its affordable price.
In Antutu the Newman K1S manages to score almost 25000 points, which is slightly less than the more expensive Huawei Honor 3X but significantly more than the similarly priced Huawei Honor 3C with 2GB RAM or the Xiaomi Redmi 1S. You can also see the K1S annihilates the ageing Xiaomi Hongmi which can only manage an Antutu of 16,094.
Newman K1S review – Conclusion
Xiaomi might have started the sub $200 price war, but after seeing what rivals such as Huawei and Newman, Coolpad, ZTE, Asus have managed to do in the market, we can't help but think that Xiaomi may have opened a can of worms they just can't keep a lid on!
!!! Learn more about the Newman K1S today !!!
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