Nomu has released a new series of tough smartphones, the S10, S20, and S30. The S10 is the most inexpensive model in the series, but don’t count it out– The Nomu S10 may be budget priced, but it carries several specs rarely seen on devices this cheap.
Nomu S10 review key specifications
- LG brand true 5000mAh battery
- 9V quick charging (Charges dead to full in 2.5 hours)
- IP68 tough certified
- Sony IMX219 camera sensor
- Sharp brand IGZO Gorilla Glass 3 protected display
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB storage
- MTK6737T SoC
- Android 6.0
NOTE: This is a review in progress. We’ll have a full review of the Nomu S10 coming within the next week, but we’ve already run several tests and spent enough time with the phone to call the Nomu S10 a winner.
Battery life
Battery life on the Nomu S10 is fantastic. The display being 5.0″ and 720P helps here, but the huge battery is where the longevity of the S10 lies. We are reaching 2.5-3h screen on SOT time over a period of 24 hours using a scant 15% battery and the battery still sitting at 4.13V.
Battery charging
The Nomu S10 battery is charging rapidly from dead to full, with the phone on, in 2.5h. This is an excellent result for a 5000mAh battery, and fantastic to see on a device priced so inexpensively.
We did notice the device throttles in the middle of charging, likely due to high temperatures from rapid charging, but it’s not unexpected or worrying, and thanks to the quick charging and excellent battery life, charging times will be far and few between.
Display
The display on the Nomu S10 is Sharp IGZO 5.0″@720P and protected by Gorilla Glass 3. The display remains true from extreme angles, without the yellow/blue tinting we see on some displays when viewing from diagonal angles.
The corners are free of pixel light bleed, and shimmer is very well controlled when viewing top down, which means that when viewing movies in landscape, you won’t be bothered by shimmer.
Nomu touts a brightness of 500lux, and we’ve found it actually surpasses this, scoring 535lux at the center with a white background. Brightness is even across the frame.
At it’s dimmest, Nomu S10 hits an excellent low of 20lux in standard mode, and 1lux when adaptive brightness is turned on.
Colors are very good, with solid pop and depth.
Nomu S10 camera review images
The camera sensor used on the Nomu S10 is Sony IMX219. While it’s not up to par with sensors such as IMX214, IMX258, S5K3P3 and OV13850, it’s a very solid choice for a budget phone and should be beyond adequate for social sharing.
We’ll have more coming, but here’s a sample of a quick HDR we took.
Nomu S10 review WiFi
WiFi strength on the Nomu S10 is fantastic, reaching 144ft / 44m while remaining stable and transmitting at top speeds.
Nomu S10 review GPS
GPS on the Nomu S10 is good, with at least several satellites always remaining in the high 20’s to mid 30’s.
Nomu S10 external speaker
Quite a few things about the S10 are impressive, but what really blew us away is the incredibly loud external speaker. It’s by far the loudest speaker we’ve ever heard in a smartphone, with maximum volume being way too loud for video viewing with the phone in hand.
Nomu S10 review OS
The OS on the Nomu S10 is vanilla Android 6.0. Thankfully they’ve not gone the route that some China brands have gone and tried to make Android behave other than it was intended.
The OS is very smooth and we experienced no force closes or issues otherwise. System animations and transmissions are all butter. Typing is rapid and without annoying hangups or pauses.
Google Play Store is working without issues. Skype, which often causes issues with lower powered SoCs, is surprisingly running smooth and without any problems on the Nomu S10.
Nomu S10 IP68
One of the highlights of the Nomu S10 is that it’s IP68 certified. This means it’s dustproof, and can remain at depths of 1M or more for extended periods of time. It’s up to the manufacturer to be more specific than this, and according to official Nomu, Nomu S10 can stay at 1.5M for 30 minutes without issue.
Nomu S10 review conclusion
The Nomu S10 has a lot going for it. We’re about a week away from making a final verdict on the Nomu S10, but based on the time so far with it, it’s a huge win, and frankly, in many areas it puts some long time China brands to shame. Namely, the incredibly loud external speaker, IP68 certification, 9V charging, and huge, real 5000mAh battery.
This is a phone we could easily use as our main mobile. Especially if you’re looking for a tough phone, the Nomu S10 should be at the top of your list, but even those just looking for a phone in general can put the Nomu S10 up towards the top as well.
