-
6 votes
-
Walking the dog: A get-out-of-jail card in lockdown Spain
5 votes -
2,500 museums you can now visit virtually
5 votes -
Cellphone review: Umidigi F2
I was recently in the market for a cheap used phone. I was looking for an Android device, preferably less than 3 years old, preferably with an unlockable bootloader and rootable, for $200 or less....
I was recently in the market for a cheap used phone. I was looking for an Android device, preferably less than 3 years old, preferably with an unlockable bootloader and rootable, for $200 or less. I was looking at used Pixel 2's when I came across this weird Chinese manufacturer I'd never heard of.
The Umidigi F2 is a bizarre device. I was blown away by the specs, and the seller was only asking $200CAD for it, so I took a chance. I've got to say, so far I'm pretty impressed.
Quick Specs:
- 6.5" IPS LCD, 2340x1080px, bezelless, w/ hole-punch camera, no notch
- 6GB Dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM, 128GB Storage
- Mediatek P70 - ARM Cortex A73/A53 Octo-core 2.0/2.1GHz CPU
- 5 cameras, 32MP front-facing, 48MP rear, 13MP wide-angle, 5MP depth, 5MP macro
- Dual SIM, MicroSD
- 5150mAh battery
- ~40 frequency bands
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Stock Android 10
At this price I was initially skeptical. There must be something wrong with it, some glaring flaw I wasn't seeing, and/or those specs must be fake. I'm happy to say though, they're real, and the device seems much more solid than I expected.
I've had the thing a little over a week so far, and have only charged it once. On the first charge it lasted 4 days before I charged it, and still had 30% battery remaining after I'd spent a couple hours surfing the web and two hours watching youtube (total screen-on time was ~4.5hrs). After charging it I haven't been using it as much, but it's currently been running 3 days and it has 70% battery remaining. I've used it to listen to the radio for 3 hours this morning. Oh yeah, did I mention? Bizarrely, it has a FM radio tuner for some reason.
So far everything has been smooth, the device performs really well, which is not something I expected from a Mediatek CPU. Rooting it went smoothly, and I've been able to tweak a bunch of settings via the EdXposed framework, as much as you can in Android 10 anyway. I did remove some background bloat, but otherwise the default ROM is very close to vanilla AOSP.
The build quality of the thing is honestly not bad. I've used mid-range Samsung devices that have felt cheaper and more plastic-y than this. I have read some reports of bad touchscreens, but so far I haven't had any problems. There's also a DIY solution to solve that. Unfortunately, if it dies, this is pretty much my only option, since the warranty and support is pretty much nonexistent. At a quarter the price of a brand-name phone with similar specs though, I'm willing to roll those dice.
So, other than warranty, what are the downsides? Well, so far the biggest gripe I have is there is no notification LED on it. So if I go to the washroom and come back I can't just tell at a glance if I've missed a call or text, I actually need to unlock it. Luckily the fingerprint reader and face unlock are both pretty reliable. There is no wireless charging, which I'm more or less okay with. The main reason I'd want that is if the USB port died, but again, this is the sort of phone that if anything is wrong with it you're pretty much meant to throw it out. The speaker is a bit tinny, and unfortunately it's mono. The cameras are bad. The 48MP camera does take 8000x6000 pictures, but they're grainy to the point where even if you resize them down they still look worse than something taken with a good 6MP camera. This seems to be a software problem though. The camera module is apparently made by Samsung, and people have said it's gotten better with every OTA update. As for that, there's been an update this month, but a lot of people are expecting it might be the last update they put out. Umidigi apparently has a bad track record of only providing updates for a few months.
In conclusion, this is objectively a decent phone, and for it's price, it's exceptional. You sacrifice warranty, updates, any kind of support really, but you get some very decent hardware for $200.
Official site: https://www.umidigi.com/page-umidigi_f2_specification.html
Purchasable on amazon for fast shipping, purchase on aliexpress to save $50.9 votes -
Denmark’s idea could help the world avoid a great depression
10 votes -
Furloughed sports commentator starts covering scenes from everyday life
6 votes -
Restaurant suppliers are stuck with tons of unsold food
6 votes -
A plea from doctors in Italy: To avoid Covid-19 disaster, treat more patients at home
6 votes -
US Fed ready for unlimited QE and aid for companies, municipalities
5 votes -
The Taisho era and how the Japanese army put an end to it
4 votes -
Telstra pauses job cuts for six months, will hire 1000 extra call centre staff
4 votes -
Iceland's large-scale testing strategy includes people who don’t have any symptoms
7 votes -
What file access do programs have if I install them? Can they see everything?
I am thinking on installing League of Legends, but I am not sure about the privacy implications of doing so. If I install it, would it be able to read all the other files in my computer? If it...
I am thinking on installing League of Legends, but I am not sure about the privacy implications of doing so. If I install it, would it be able to read all the other files in my computer? If it can, can I avoid the problem by using a guest account on my computer to play? Riot's privacy policy seems to be standard as far data mining goes, but I would like to know how much it can see if install it. I am playing on a Mac.
6 votes -
LA, other SoCal cities cracking down on crowds at parks, beaches to stem spread of COVID-19
5 votes -
Best Buy, GameStop limit stores to curbside pickup
5 votes -
With a drop in passengers, American Airlines starts cargo-only flights for first time since 1984
4 votes -
Amazon Prime delivery delays are now as long as a month
11 votes -
Heart of an assassin: How Daniel Craig changed James Bond forever
13 votes -
All of New Zealand to go into a minimum four week self-isolation & lockdown period, to begin in 48 hours. All non-essential work and travel suspended
19 votes -
Thirty-eight positive for coronavirus at Rikers, NYC jails
9 votes -
Spain warns the 'worst is yet to come' as coronavirus deaths surpass 1,300
10 votes -
Keeping the coronavirus from infecting health-care workers
6 votes -
McDonald's to close all UK restaurants
6 votes -
2020 elections: an expert on why you should be worried about your vote in 2020
4 votes -
"Missile Gap" by C. Stross (medium-length scifi novella)
7 votes -
Trump outlines National Guard activations for New York, California and Washington
9 votes -
How the 1957 flu pandemic was stopped early in its path
7 votes -
Hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin as a treatment of COVID-19: results of an open-label non-randomized clinical trial
10 votes -
Caesar's Funeral (44 B.C.E.)
4 votes -
Help NASA design a robot to dig on the Moon
4 votes -
Here's how you can help find a cure for COVID-19
3 votes -
An Australian company which holds the rights to reproduce the Aboriginal design on flags and banners is a step closer to suing the seller of a reworked flag for alleged copyright infringement
7 votes -
Lessons animation taught us | Movies with Mikey
4 votes -
Got time on your hands and big ideas? Apply for the Anita Borg Systers Pass It On Awards by March 26
3 votes -
Daily coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - March 22
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
7 votes -
Coronavirus could reshape global order
11 votes -
A third of coronavirus cases may be ‘silent carriers’, classified Chinese data suggests
8 votes -
Reflecting on Steve Jobs' "bicycle for the mind" comment
5 votes -
In the ’60s, America’s wearable art movement reflected true counterculture
4 votes -
Donald Glover Presents - 3.15.20 (2020)
9 votes -
Brazilians protest against Bolsonaro's muddled coronavirus response
7 votes -
Mexican president passes coronavirus buck to allies, rivals, business
8 votes -
The quest to beat Matt Turk's World Records in Punch-Out!! (NES)
9 votes -
When to donate masks?
3 votes -
What it’s like to isolate with your girlfriend and her other boyfriend
17 votes -
Food safety and coronavirus: A comprehensive guide
8 votes -
An astronaut's guide to self-isolation
4 votes -
Epic Vinyls From Brazil: ABOM-4 mixtape @ Le Mellotron - homage to Iemanjá - all vinyl set. 0202-2020
6 votes -
Daily coronavirus-related chat, questions, and minor updates - March 21
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the...
This thread is posted daily, and is intended as a place for more-casual discussion of the coronavirus and questions/updates that may not warrant their own dedicated topics. Tell us about what the situation is like where you live!
12 votes -
English NHS buys almost all private healthcare beds
10 votes