We analyzed the best mobile in Wiko’s «U» range, the Ufeel. We tell you all the details of this powerful smartphone that costs less than 200 usd.
Design
Wiko Ufeel is the most sophisticated smartphone in the «U» series and, in addition to having an urban and bold design – we will see that it incorporates really innovative elements-, it also integrates the features and specifications necessary to offer power and performance in equal parts. It is available in three colours: chocolate, space grey and cream.
The screen of the Wiko Ufeel is 5 inches in diameter and has dimensions reaching 143 mm high, 70.7 mm wide and 8’55 mm thick. Although it stays a little far from other ultraslim terminals that we see in stores, the ergonomics are excellent. It is a very nice phone to hold and the weight, on the other hand, stays at 145 grams.
From Wiko they define the style of the rear case as «sandstone effect». Although the surface is completely smooth, it is true that a slight rough effect is noticed to the touch. In our opinion it is a different finish, very interesting, that improves handling and prevents it from draining in your hands.
The three-color sandstone effect is the ingredient that brings a youthful and casual touch to this smartphone. In return, it is a material that tends to get dirty. It is very easy to stain it with your fingers and cleaning it is not as simple as a metal cover. However, during the analysis of Wiko Ufeel has resisted quite well, but we do not know what will happen to the sandstone after a few months of use.
Moreover, the design of the Wiko Ufeel includes most sensors and functions that we are already accustomed to: at the front is the display, the front camera, a notification LED, a speaker, the proximity sensor, a secondary LED flash and a fingerprint sensor that, by the way, is a fundamental element when it comes to handling with this smartphone.
The left side is completely free, with no buttons or ports. Wiko has included the volume button on the right side, next to the lock key. At the base of the mobile, we find the microUSB port and the main microphone. In the upper frame, as usual, is the minijack port for headphones.
On the back, where the sandstone effect has its prominence, we also find the main camera – with a rather striking round lens that protrudes slightly-, an LED flash and the main speaker, which has a circular design and a slight prominence so that the sound does not a mitigate when resting the terminal on a flat surface. Details indicate that we are facing a premium device.
Finally, mention that we won’t find the classic SIM card tray because it’s not a unibody smartphone. The back cover can be removed and underneath, in addition to the battery, are located two microSIM card slots and another for the microSD. This means that, in addition to being dual SIM, it won’t force us to sacrifice one of them to expand the storage space. Another point in favor of the Upheel.
Screen
The screen of the Wiko Ufeel is 5 inches and features an IPS panel with HD resolution (1280x720px). Therefore, it has a density of 294 pixels per inch. While other manufacturers have opted for FullHD, Wiko has integrated various technologies, such as Full Lamination or CABC, to make this seemingly modest panel look unbeatable. The performance is very good: neither distortions nor visible pixels.
The playback capacity is 16 million colors and the display supports up to 10 simultaneous pressure points. Full Lamination enhances the multimedia experience by minimizing reflections, optimizing graphics and improving viewing angles. The CABC system, on the other hand, automatically adjusts the display parameters so that the user always enjoys the highest quality.
Wiko has also minimized the space between the glass and the touchpad, resulting in more vivid colors and more powerful lighting. According to our experience in this review of the Wiko Ufeel, the screen is one of the most eye-catching that we can find in this price range. The resolution can be misleading because its performance is excellent. In addition, it consumes less battery than a FullHD panel.
The color representation is very vivid. At first glance it is reminiscent of AMOLED screens but retaining the best of IPS technology: very wide viewing angles, good saturation and rich colour. The brightness (420 nits) is also powerful enough to display the smartphone outdoors and in high luminosity conditions.
The screen of the Wiko Ufeel is protected with 2.5D curved glass. We have seen this feature on many smartphones that have reached the market over the past year, but in each model it is implemented in very different ways. While in some Chinese terminals 2.5D really provides nothing, in the Ufeel respects the design of the product and even improves it.
Software
As for the operating system, we find Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The user will have all the advantages offered by this version of Google OS: new optimization options, security improvements, better battery management and new applications available.
Wiko Ufeel works with the company’s customization layer or graphical interface, Wiko UI. In general, it is a very clean version of Android, it hardly has a selection of its own applications and some other extra functionality. You’ll like users looking for lightweight mobiles without too many pre-installed apps. It depends on the taste of each buyer, because, as an inconvenience, we will also not find anything that we have not seen in other terminals.
What’s new? In addition to the bouquet of Google apps that are already part of the basic Android ecosystem (Gmail, YouTube, Maps…) also includes an FM radio, an interesting extra for a certain audience, and an interesting music player. Wiko Phone Assist is an app that allows you to manage all device settings easily. From the same interface we can optimize the phone, manage power or notifications and optimize startup.
Phone Assistant also has a widget (4×2) that can be located on the Android desktop as a shortcut to activate power modes (Optimized and Echo). To free up the RAM of the device, although Phone Assist has its own tool, we can also use the Clean Master widget if we prefer to avoid opening the Wiko app.
Like other mobiles, Ufeel software also incorporates the Smart Gesture feature. This allows the user to boot or initialize a particular application (camera, music or any other app as they please) by drawing a specific letter with their finger on the off screen. For example, to open the camera you just have to make the gesture of a «C».
But these aren’t the only new features regarding Wiko Ufeel software. At Computer Today we value security options and encryption, especially considering that users are increasingly using applications such as online banking and other apps with sensitive information. In this respect, Wiko has also been able to make a difference to its competition.
The File Manager is a manager that allows us to access our contents, such as images, music, videos, documents, files. ZIP and even Apks. It is very useful to find files, but it is not the best thing that hides the U-feel.
With the same icon, File Lock is a discreet application that you have to protect with an unlock pattern and that acts as a space where everything you save there will be encrypted. It is, in other words, like a digital safe to save photos, videos and all kinds of files. …