It's amazing just how much smartphone not very much money buys you nowadays. This is especially true with Vodafone’s Smart N8 which offers specs and features you’d struggle to find on similarly priced smartphones.
It comes with an HD screen, a zippy CPU, 4G plus HD voice support and a fingerprint scanner along with 13MP with flash front facing camera and 5MP with flash selfie camera. Not too shabby considering its $199 sticker price.
At this price point you’re usually looking at low-res displays, a pokey CPU and little RAM/storage. Cynics might dismiss the N8 out of hand, but they’d be missing out as it boxes well above its weight.
This begs the question be asked;
How has Vodafone managed to deliver such a reasonably specc’d handset at below the $200 mark?
As the worlds largest mobile network operator, Vodafone have buying power that’s unmatched by other Telco’s. That and a lot of good design choices are how the N8 works its magic.
Big features, small price
So, what about the specs? For a start, there’s the fingerprint scanner. The fact that most sub $200 handsets don’t sport one may be a big deal, but what really impressed is just how well it worked. Not only did it detect my dabs and unlock the phone almost instantly, it was also 99.9% accurate.
The fingerprint scanner is just below the rear camera, right where my fingers tend to naturally sit when holding the N8. Picking it up and unlocking it becomes a single smooth action that’s very James Bond like. Equally nice, sliding my finger over the scanner pulls down the notification shade. This makes checking email, Facebook etc almost seamless.
Another nice to have spec not often seen at this price point is NFC. With it, Pairing Bluetooth goodies becomes as simple as tapping the N8 against an NFC capable Bluetooth widget.
The N8 also sports a 720p HD screen along with a forward-facing speaker. Its screen is LCD and unlike a lot of displays on cheaper handsets, is quite good. The display was bright, had accurate colours and offered decent viewing angles. 720p mightn’t sound like a lot given how common QHD displays are on flagship phones, but the reality is that most of us will struggle to tell the difference on a 5” screen. There’s also the none too inconsiderable issue of the extra pixels on a QHD display and impacts on battery life. For Netflix, emails, the web and Facebook etc and this N8’s display is more than ample.
Last but by no means least on the features front is the beating heart of the N8. Powered by a MediaTek MT6737 quad core CPU, 1.5GB RAM along with 16GB on board memory plus MicroSD expandable storage, the N8 is a surprisingly capable device.
Look and Feel
Hewn from a slab of metallic graphite or gold plastic, The N8 weighs in at 151g, and at 8.65mm thick, it is certainly usable in one hand too. Its rear also has a ridged finish that resists fingerprints and helps make it grippy. Around the front, its side bezels have been kept to a sensible minimum although they are prominent on its top and bottom.
All told the N8’s design impresses, especially considering its sub $200 sticker price. Vodafone must be doing something right on the design front - the N8 won an International Forum Design iF excellence award.
In Use
Looks aside, a smartphone is defined by its software. This is something so many manufacturers get wrong. Avoiding pointless apps that merely duplicate functionality from Android, Vodafone have kept the N8’s interface as uncluttered as possible. This is also helped along by the fact that the N8 runs the latest version of Android (Nougat). There are a few added apps. These don’t pointlessly duplicate existing functionality, nor do they get in the way. The overall user experience in isn’t bad.
Headphones are must with the N8. While its front facing speaker is a plus, like the drivers on nearly all phones regardless of spec/price, the N8 doesn’t deliver much bass. Vodafone have included of a 3.5mm headphone jack plus support for Bluetooth 4.2. A nice audio touch is an FM radio.
Gaming worked well. This is largely thanks to the MediaTek MT6737 quad core CPU which clocks in at 1.25GHz. This saw Temple Run and Asphalt 8 running smoothly. Regularly closing unused apps is however recommended owing the N8’s 1.5GB of RAM.
The N8’s 2,400mAh battery typically delivered a day’s use, although your mileage will vary depending on paired devices, background apps and so on.
A rear 13MP sensor and front 5MP sensor make up the N8’s cameras. Shooting under in decent lighting conditions saw the autofocus lock quickly while the camera produced pictures that were accurate. Low light shots saw some pixel noise. There’s a bunch of shooting modes including High Dynamic Range (HDR), a ‘Night Mode’ (which tweaks white balance levels and sets the shutter for a longer exposure) as well as a ‘Pro’ mode, which allows for manual focus.
Verdict
The Vodafone Smart N8 delivers a lot considering its reasonable $199 price tag. For kids looking for their first smartphone the N8’s low price point is ideal. This also makes it ideal as a backup phone, kept for emergencies.
