Umi is one of the top names in China brands and many have been waiting for the Umi X3. Perhaps it’s a bit late in the game, or possibly it’s perfect timing. In countless fits and starts, the Umi X3 has officially gone on presale and will begin shipping on April 25th.
Umi X3 review design
According to Umi’s official website, the phone will be partially made of ceramic. This is a very interesting choice and sets it in a unique spot. Anything that puts a phone apart from the rest of the pack is bound to get noticed. As well, ceramic as opposed to plastic should give the Umi X3 a very nice heft. The downside to this is that ceramics will break far easier than plastic and any moderate drop may put this phone to pieces.
The looks of the phone are decidedly generic, but the capacitive control buttons are very cool. The back button and menu buttons are made up of minimalist dots. I really like what Umi did here. Though the look of the phone is otherwise unremarkable, this small and inexpensive change sets the phone apart. It proves that it doesn’t have to cost a mint to be apart from the pack. Just a slight, intelligent design such as seen here with the X3 or as seen with the aluminum sides of the iNew V3 can do wonders for sales.
In regards to size, the X3 is reported by Umi’s official site as being a super slim 7.6mm.
Umi X3 review SoC, OS & storage
As expected, the Umi X3 will carry the MT6592 SoC. When I said late in the game, I meant very late. The first MT6592 phones were shipping as early as January. Now we’re 4 months down the road with MTK6592 and MTK6595 is right around the corner.
Still, phones with MT6595 will reportedly begin being released sometime in Q3, which likely actually means units will begin shipping in Q4, so the Umi X3 does have enough time to rack up significant sales. With the Umi brand quality name, it may be enough to push those on the fence towards buying a China brand phone.
The other thing to consider here is that they’ve had longer to perfect their MT6595 kernel and drivers. This can be a good thing since most phones released with 1080p and MT6592 have had terrible battery life. Perhaps Umi has had time to make some adjustments and get it tweaked just right.
Regarding OS, there have been rumors flying regarding Umi X3 coming with Android 4.4 KitKat, but according to Umi’s official site, this is false. The Umi X3 will be coming with Android 4.2.2. No problem there, as Android 4.2.2 is fine. KitKat offers minimal and uninteresting improvements over Jelly Bean and has been plagued by bugs even with the Big Boy brands such as Samsung and Sony.
Umi X3 review LCD and camera
Another interesting feature to set it apart from the pack is it’s 8mp front camera. I’m not sure why people would need 8mp selfies, but the general public loves megapixels. The bigger the number here, the more the public wows. The rear camera will be 13.2mp f2.2.
The LCD will be LG OGS 1080p. Great they’ve gone with a name brand LCD. This gives the sales pitch significantly more clout. Interesting they’ve chosen 5.5″ as the size as opposed to what’s been the standard – 5.0″. I can’t imagine the size difference will stop anyone from buying the X3, but for someone who thinks 4.7″-5.0″ is the perfect size, seeing a 5.5″ flagship phone from one of the top China brands is somewhat disturbing and I hope it doesn’t mean 2015 will see the standard size as 5.5″.
Umi X3 frequency support and storage and extras
Umi’s official site says only WCDMA & GSM, without any other details. The shops actually selling the X3 have the frequency support all over the place. Some shops listing it is 2100WCDMA, some as 900/2100, some as 850/900/1900/2100. It’s unfortunate there’s not more info to be had here, but I’ll be digging deeper.
The Umi X3 will be available in 2GB/16GB and 2GB/32gb versions and come standard with NFC, OTG, gyroscope and the usual set of sensors including proximity sensor, GPS and light sensor.
Umi X3 review conclusion
It would be awesome to see the Umi X3 with quad or penta WCDMA support. Frequency support could be a big factor on the Western Umi X3’s success, as quite a few phones are now available with 900/2100 and people from the Americas will be uninterested in a phone if it doesn’t have 850 and/or 1900. THL T11 took the huge step of making a 850/1900/2100MHz phone with their THL T11 and hopefully Umi will show the same prowess with the X3, but China brands still have a long way to come in regards to getting smart with this simple implementation and we’ll be surprised if Umi X3 takes the clue.
Aside from 3g frequency concerns, the Umi X3 is otherwise shaping up to be possibly an excellent choice. Better late than never is a term we’ll have to wait and see if can be applied to the Umi X3. They have done several things to set it apart from the pack – ceramic, interesting capacitive button design and 5.5″ LG LCD. Combined with their excellent brand name, this phone should be a winner with at least some locales.
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