Vernee appeared on the market a little over a year ago. Her first smartphone was . At the time of its release, the model had such attractive characteristics and a favorable price that it quickly became popular. It is still selling successfully, which rarely happens with budget models.
As the name suggests, Thor E is positioned as an improved version of last year's hit. Many users expected that it would retain all the advantages of the Thor and add a larger battery. And it's only $120! However, in reality it turned out a little differently.
Specifications
| Display | 5 inches, HD (1 280 × 720), IPS |
| Platform | Processor MediaTek MTK6753 (8 cores 1.3 GHz); Mali-T720 MP3 graphics accelerator |
| RAM | 3 GB DDR3 |
| Built-in memory | 16 GB, expandable up to 128 GB |
| Cameras | Main - 8 MP; front - 2 MP |
| Connection | Two slots: nanoSIM and nanoSIM + microSD; 2G (GSM): 850 / 900 / 1,800 / 1,900 MHz; 3G (WCDMA): 900 / 2 100 MHz |
| Wireless interfaces | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 2.4G/5G, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS |
| Expansion slots | microSD (up to 128 GB, instead of a second SIM card), OTG |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, magnetic field sensor, fingerprint scanner |
| operating system | Android 7.0 Nougat |
| Battery | 5,020 mAh (non-removable) |
| Dimensions | 144 × 70.1 × 8.2 mm |
| Weight | 165 g |
The main characteristics of the smartphone are the same as its predecessor. But a year has passed, and the processor that looked good then doesn’t look so good now. Yes, 3 GB of memory is still enough for most tasks, but 16 GB of internal storage is quite small. The user will have to choose between a second SIM card and microSD to increase space.
Camera resolution has become smaller. 8 and 2 MP in 2017? But what if there is a very high-quality matrix that allows you to take excellent pictures? Let's see, maybe the joy isn't in the pixels.
Equipment and appearance
The first alarm bell rang when I saw the box. Yes, of course, this is a budget device, but somehow it’s too simple. Modest white cardboard, miniature size, poorly legible inscriptions. The delivery set matches the design - smartphone, cable, charger.
The device body is made of metal with plastic inserts at the top and bottom of the back cover. The assembly and materials do not cause any complaints. All body parts fit well, nothing bends or creaks.
The appearance of Vernee Thor E stands out from the general range of modern smartphones. Most of them use streamlined shapes, rounded screens and solid bodies with a minimum of parts.
Thor E is not like that. It is rectangular in shape with sharp edges. From the side, the case looks like a sandwich made of three layers - a screen, a metal frame and a back cover. But what is most surprising is the decorative cover of the camera unit, which imitates a solar battery.
The design of Thor E is clearly not for everybody. Perhaps some will like it for its distinct personality, but personally I prefer the streamlined lines of the first Thor.
Screen and sound
The technology for producing screens for even the cheapest smartphones has already been so developed that they all look like twin brothers. Most of them use inexpensive but high-quality matrices produced by Sharp, thanks to which a bright and rich picture is displayed. Thor E distinguished himself here too, but not in the best way.
I don't know how Vernee's engineers were able to achieve this, but the Thor E's screen looks like parchment paper. When viewing color pictures this is not too noticeable, but once you open any service page with a white background, it becomes clear that the white color here is not white at all. And no MiraVision settings can save the situation.
As for the sound, it fully corresponds to the budget status of the device. The volume and quality of the speaker is enough to ensure that you do not miss a phone call. But it is clearly not enough for listening to music. The situation is a little better with headphones.
Performance
In 2016, Thor on the MT6753 processor with 3 GB of RAM broke all competitors. A year has passed and Vernee has launched the next generation of this smartphone with the same processor and the same amount of memory.
Therefore, the performance of the Thor E is fully consistent with last year's budget smartphone. No progress. Decide for yourself whether this is good or not.
This is enough for surfing, communication, listening to music and videos, and social networks. However, PC gamers will have to avoid overly demanding 3D games as the frame rate may be too low.
Autonomy
Autonomy is the most important characteristic of the Thor E. It is because of it that other parameters were sacrificed.
The smartphone has a 5,020 mAh battery that supports fast charging. The developers assure that the battery can ensure full operation of the gadget for 3-4 days without the need to recharge.
During testing, Vernee's words about autonomy were confirmed. Thor E really can withstand several days of normal use (calls, Internet, instant messengers, simple games). And it charges quite quickly - in just two hours.
Separately, it is necessary to mention the special E-link screen saving mode. To activate it, there is a special button on the side of the device. After pressing it, the screen switches to black and white mode, the brightness is reduced, all communications are turned off except cellular communications, and the processor performance is forcibly reduced. The user can only work with a few pre-selected applications. In this mode, the smartphone consumes 20% of the charge during the day.
Camera
When reviewing the cameras of budget smartphones, everyone writes about the same thing: “Yes, the pictures don’t turn out very well, but you yourself understand that you can’t ask for anything more for this money.”
However, the photos of the Vernee Thor E look so bad that this excuse won't work in this case. Even under the most favorable conditions, pictures turn out dark, dull and expressionless. Color rendering, focusing, white balance, exposure are poor.
Vernee Apollo has been famous for its generous pricing in selling high-quality smartphones since its introduction in the Indian market. Apollo X can offer you many features and excellent performance at a relatively low price that everyone can afford.
Display and configurations
The Vernee Thor E smartphone is equipped with a 5-inch IPS LCD screen. The display has a resolution of 720 x 1280 and a pixel density of 401 per inch. The processor is equipped with a MediaTek MT6753 chipset with a frequency of 1.3 gigahertz. 3 gigabytes of RAM allow the processor to work at a good fast pace. The smartphone has the latest version of the Android 7 (Nougat) operating system installed.Camera
The device is equipped with an 8 megapixel main camera and a 2 megapixel front camera for your selfies. Below the main camera is an LED flash that allows you to take good shots in low light.Memory
The built-in memory of the device is 16 gigabytes, you can also increase it by installing a microSD memory card up to 128 gigabytes in size.Battery
The Vernee Thor E is powered by an incredibly massive 5,020 mAh battery. Despite such a huge energy capacity, the battery is able to charge quickly.Network functions
The device supports the use of 4G Internet, Bluetooth version 4.1, GPS, OTG, USB type C device. Also, on the back of the smartphone, there is a fingerprint recognition device, with which you can easily unlock the phone at the right time.At the beginning of this year, we got acquainted with the products of the young company Vernee using the example of a mid-budget smartphone, which left a generally good impression, although it has its own weaknesses. Thanks to our partner, the TOMTOP online store, we will try to figure out what the next new product from Chinese craftsmen is -.
What is interesting about the device? With an estimated price of $110, it combines a 5-inch HD IPS display, an 8-core MediaTek MT6753 processor paired with 3 GB of RAM, an 8 MP main camera with software interpolation up to 13 MP, and a number of other features. But its main feature can safely be considered a battery with a capacity of as much as 5020 mAh.
Specification
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Type, form factor |
Smartphone, monoblock |
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Communication standards |
2G (GSM) / 3G (UMTS) / 4G (LTE FDD) |
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High speed data transfer |
GPRS (32-48 Kbps), EDGE (236 Kbps), HSDPA (up to 42.2 Mbps), HSUPA (up to 5.76 Mbps), LTE Cat.4 (up to 150 Mbps ) |
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CPU |
MediaTek MT6753 (8 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz) |
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Graphics adapter |
ARM Mali-T720 (up to 450 MHz) |
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5", IPS, 1280 x 720 (293 PPI), touch, Multi-touch up to 5 touches, protective glass |
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RAM |
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Persistent memory |
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Card reader |
microSD (128 GB) |
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Interfaces |
1 x micro-USB (OTG) 1 x 3.5mm mini-jack audio jack |
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Multimedia |
Acoustics |
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Microphone |
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Main |
8 MP (f/2.4), software interpolation up to 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash, video recording in 1080p format |
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Frontal |
2 MP (f/2.4), software interpolation up to 5 MP, fixed focus, video recording in 1080p format |
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Networking capabilities |
802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS |
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Fingerprint scanner, gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, digital compass, Hall sensor, LED notification light |
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Battery |
Lithium-ion, non-replaceable, 5020 mAh |
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Charger |
Input: 100~240 VAC eg at 50/60 Hz Output: 5 / 7 / 9 / 12 VDC e.g. 2 / 1.5 A |
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144 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm |
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GREY-black |
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operating system |
Android 7.0 Nougat |
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Products webpage |
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Delivery and configuration
Vernee Thor E comes in a relatively small package of plain white, medium weight cardboard. There is no design design, but there is enough information to evaluate the main advantages of the gadget.
Inside we found a quite familiar set of accessories: a charger, a USB cable, a paper clip and user documentation.
Appearance, arrangement of elements
The design of the Vernee Thor E is in many ways reminiscent of the flagship models of recent years from Huawei: the same non-separable design with strict straight lines and a panel with a camera and flash on the back side. The latter is made of metal with a characteristic polishing, and at the top and bottom there are plastic inserts, under which the antennas of the wireless modules are hidden. The smartphone is available in two color options: gray and black. In both cases the front remains black. Overall it looks pretty nice.
In terms of dimensions (144 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm), the device turned out to be slightly larger than (141 x 70.6 x 7.7 mm) with a similar screen diagonal, but having almost two and a half times the battery capacity. And the weight hasn’t gone far - 149 grams versus 131. That is, the new product fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and can be easily operated with one hand.
The front panel of the Vernee Thor E is almost clean, without any inscriptions or logos. The frames around the display could be smaller: 4.5 mm on the side, 17.5 mm on the bottom, 16 mm on the top. Along the contour there is a matte plastic edging, which is slightly higher than the level of the glass with the film. In addition, there are a number of familiar elements: above the screen there is a speaker, a set of sensors, a camera and an event indicator, and below it there are system keys without backlight. The latter fact somewhat complicates control at first, but if you wish, you can activate their on-screen options in the settings.
The sides are presented in the form of a semi-gloss plastic frame. Mechanical buttons are concentrated on the right side. They are made of plastic and are tactilely defined quite well, but do not wobble and have a short, not particularly tight stroke with a noticeable response. On the opposite side there is a hybrid tray for installing two SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD memory card. Under the tray there is a ribbed button that activates the energy-saving “E-ink” mode, which we will talk about in more detail a little later. At the top end there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, and at the bottom there is a micro-USB port and the main microphone.
At the back of the Vernee Thor E there is a main camera module with a flash, a fingerprint sensor, a manufacturer's logo and a multimedia speaker. The fingerprint scanner is easy to find and works quite quickly.
The build quality of the tested model is excellent - all elements fit well, without gaps or chips. The body does not creak or twist even with noticeable force. The glass is not pressed through. The design feels monolithic, without any comments.
Display
Vernee Thor E uses a 5-inch IPS touchscreen display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a pixel density of 293 PPI. The matrix is covered with protective glass (the brand of which the manufacturer does not disclose) with a pre-glued factory film. The latter has a good oleophobic coating. There is no air gap between the display and glass.
For its price category, the screen is quite normal - sufficient detail, pleasant color rendition, excellent viewing angles (without characteristic distortions when deviating from the diagonal) and good contrast. The range of brightness adjustment is quite wide - it does not “blind” in complete darkness; in direct sunlight the picture fades, but the message can be read. The automation works quite adequately.
In the settings you can adjust brightness, saturation, contrast, sharpness and color temperature to your liking thanks to support for MiraVision technology.
The built-in touch pad processes up to 5 simultaneous touches. It functions properly. There are extensive gesture control options, including double-tap unlock/lock.
Audio subsystem
This model is equipped with one multimedia speaker. It's quite loud and offers decent sound quality, with minimal hint of lows, mids and highs with decent detail. But this is provided that in the settings you turn off the BesLoudness sound amplifier, which, in our opinion, only spoils the overall picture. And it’s better not to turn the sound up to the maximum (up to 75%), since high frequencies begin to dominate. To perform basic functions (games, video and speakerphone) it should be fine.
The package does not include a headset, so the sound in the headphones was checked using gaming (impedance 60 Ohms) and in-ear Vivanco HS 200 WT (impedance 16 Ohms). In both cases, the sound is quite standard, without any frills, and the volume reserve is minimal. Radio lovers will be pleased with the presence of a built-in radio module for recording and listening to FM stations.
Camera
Vernee Thor E is equipped with two cameras: the main one (8 MP with software interpolation up to 13 MP, f/2.4 aperture, autofocus and single-section flash) and the front (2 MP module with software interpolation up to 5 MP, f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus ). Both can shoot video in 1080p resolution.
Considering the price of the device, the quality of the resulting photos can be called tolerable. Under good conditions, it is quite possible to get good shots, although detail suffers as you move away from the subject, and sometimes there are mistakes with white balance and exposure. But the video quality is mediocre in any case. Video bitrate - up to 17 Mbit/s, audio - up to 128 Kbit/s.
The main camera settings menu is completely stock for Android OS. There is a standard set of settings and functions. Everything works quite normally.
Examples of photography
Video examples
An example of daytime shooting from a Vernee Thor E smartphone in 1080p resolution at 30 FPS
User interface
Out of the box, the smartphone runs on the Android 7.0 Nougat operating system, which is complemented by the proprietary VOS 1.0.0 shell. To begin with, I would like to note that immediately after switching on, several updates arrived with a number of fixes. It's nice that the manufacturer does not forget about supporting its device.
The result is an almost stock system with all Google services. Among the changes are a couple of additional applications, a third-party TouchPal keyboard, several other icons and additional functionality.
In particular, we are talking about the energy-saving “E-ink” mode, when activated, the screen is switched to monochrome mode, the brightness is reduced, communications are disabled and the processor performance is forcibly reduced. This leaves cellular communications and several applications for the user to choose from.
The second mode is “DuraSpeed”, which speeds up the priority application by limiting the performance of background tasks.
The smartphone settings menu is made in light colors. Access to almost all parameters is open: communication capabilities, appearance, screen settings, sound effects, gesture controls, etc. Surely many are interested in how things are going with localization - everything is quite normal, with the exception of a few untranslated points.
The OS itself runs smoothly and quickly, without any complaints or comments.
Productivity and communication capabilities
Vernee Thor E has at its disposal a time-tested 64-bit MediaTek MT6753 SoC processor with eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores operating at frequencies up to 1.3 GHz. The graphics are handled by the built-in ARM Mali-T720 core. The amount of RAM is 3 GB, and the permanent memory is 16 GB (10.13 GB available to the user). You can expand this space using microSD memory cards (up to 128 GB), but in this case you will have to sacrifice one SIM card, since the tray is hybrid. This platform supports OTG mode, which allows you to connect an external USB storage device or peripheral devices.
In synthetic tests, we have average results, slightly lower than solutions based on the popular Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chip. In practice, the device demonstrates good performance: surfing the Internet, messengers, working with multimedia content - all this is not particularly difficult for it. As for games, Asphalt Xtreme is quite comfortable at high graphics settings, but there are occasional stutters. WoT Blitz is fully playable only on low graphics settings, since on medium the frame rate often drops below 24 FPS. But Injustice 2 slows down and demonstrates poor responsiveness. The case heats up and is very high, both during prolonged active load and during charging. The case becomes quite hot over the entire area. Although the back side does not start to burn, holding the smartphone is very unpleasant.
Vernee Thor E supports the robot with modern mobile networks 2G GSM, 3G UMTS and 4G LTE Cat.4. Support for two SIM cards is implemented on the basis of one radio module. Everything is functioning properly. The speaker and microphones perform well. The vibration alert is average in strength.
Communication capabilities are represented by the most necessary modules: Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi. The latter has support for 802.11a/b/g/n protocols and is capable of operating in two bands (2.4 and 5 GHz).
The operation of the wireless network modules is quite standard: everything connects quickly and holds the connection well.
The navigation module is characterized by support for GPS (A-GPS) and GLONASS systems. It works flawlessly.
Autonomous operation
And now we come to the most interesting part. The tested model is equipped with a very capacious non-removable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of as much as 5020 mAh. Under moderate load with 50% display brightness (calls, SMS, music, a little Internet), it will easily last for two to three days of battery life. Using only basic functions, the charge can be stretched for four days. With a battery capacity of about 20%, activating the “E-ink” mode will help you last a whole day without charging, turning your smartphone into a regular “dialer”. We will not hide that we expected slightly higher figures. Perhaps the reason lies in not the best optimization of the software or in the discrepancy between the declared and actual battery capacity. After all, the same one with a 4100 mAh battery demonstrates similar results with a more “gluttonous” screen.
As a result of watching HD video (MPEG-4 / AVC, MKV container, 4 Mbit/s stream), the device was discharged in almost 15 hours. A gaming simulation using Asphalt: Xtreme drained the battery in a little over 6 hours.
The estimated battery life according to PCMark was 11 hours, while GFXBench gave a result of 423 minutes. In all cases (except for the gaming one), the display brightness was 50%, and the Wi-Fi and GPS modules were activated.
The battery charging time from the supplied power supply (5 / 7 / 9 and 12 V DC, 2 and 1.5 A) reaches almost 2.5 hours. There is support for fast charging Pump Express Plus.
Results
good budget smartphone. Of course, it doesn't have enough stars in the sky, but at a price of $110 it will certainly interest many budget-conscious users. Like almost any Chinese device, it does not shine with an original appearance, but it is definitely not a shame to show it to others. At the same time, the case is characterized by good ergonomics, and the materials and workmanship are at a decent level. The device offers a fast fingerprint scanner, a solid 5-inch HD IPS display, decent camera modules, an almost pure version of Android 7.0 Nougat OS and decent performance thanks to an 8-core MediaTek MT6753 processor and 3 GB of RAM. But, perhaps, the main “highlight” of the new product is the 5020 mAh battery, which allows you to forget about charging for 2-3 days with moderate use of the gadget.
Naturally, in this price range you can find a whole scattering of similar solutions from little-known brands from the Middle Kingdom, but, as we have seen more than once, there are often cases when what is promised does not coincide with what is real, so this is largely a lottery. And in the case of Vernee Thor E, you already know exactly what you will get in the end result. Yes, you can find something from trusted manufacturers, but you will probably have to pay extra. Therefore, here everyone chooses for himself.
Overall, if you are looking for an inexpensive and fast smartphone with good functionality and decent battery life, then the Vernee Thor E can be considered as a candidate for purchase.
Advantages:
- modern design;
- high-quality materials of construction;
- good ergonomics;
- fast fingerprint scanner;
- high-quality 5-inch HD IPS screen;
- sufficient level of performance to solve everyday tasks and run modern games at low or medium-high graphics settings; Subscribe to our channels
We're used to seeing new smartphone brands hit the market, packed with better specs while keeping prices relatively low. One such manufacturer that entered the market in February 2016 is Vernee. The brand has since made its way to such an extent that it can clearly be seen taking over the leading industry today. By reducing prices to a minimum, the young company has become worthy competition to already proven brands. The Vernee Thor E smartphone is one of these, which we will talk about in detail today.
Full specifications of Vernee Thor E
- Screen (Full HD display 5 inches with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels and protective 3D glass);
- Processor – (64-bit eight-core Cortex-A53 1.3 GHz with Mali T720MP video accelerator);
- Memory (RAM 3 GB, built-in 16 GB, expandable using memory cards);
- Camera (main 13 MP with autofocus and LED flash, front 5 MP with face enhancement technology);
- Battery (5020 mAh, non-removable);
- Stereo speakers;
- OS version – Android 7.0.
Version and scope of delivery
Inside the box, the manufacturer packs the smartphone on top, so this is the first thing you see in the smartphone review. It even has a soft plastic back cover. Under the Thor there is a package of documents, as well as a micro USB USB Type-A cable and a charging adapter. There is no SIM eject tool included as the back cover of the Vernee Thor opens up to allow access to the SIM card slots and Micro SD card slot. However, the battery is still non-removable.
Design
Performance
The cell phone is powered by MTK6753 Octa processor clocked at 1.3GHz, which allows you to enjoy the fast speed of the browser when searching the Internet. It comes with 16GB internal memory and 3GB RAM which can handle multi-tasking fluently. You can run many applications at the same time without closing. This smartphone can support expanding up to 128GB of internal memory by inserting a TF card.
Camera
This smartphone has a dual camera setup of 13MP and 5MP front camera. The 13MP rear camera can still satisfy our needs by capturing vibrant images, and the front camera also supports taking high-quality selfies.
System and shell
When it comes to software, the Vernee Thor runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. There are a few added features, but for the most part it's stock Android. Thor also includes proximity, light, accelerometer and fingerprint sensors. Along with GPS, there is also A-GPS for location tracking. For WiFi connection we have 802.11 b and g.
Battery
It is built on a large 5020mAh battery, up to 690Wh, which is 38% higher than a regular battery, and is only 8.2mm thick, although the battery has been improved, it is thinner than others. The device can handle a day's normal use without recharging every day, and also supports 9V2A fast charging for fast charging, and can use E-ink power saving mode. So this is truly a beast of a battery smartphone.
Additional functions
The manufacturer put a fingerprint reader on the back of this smartphone and they probably shouldn't have done that. The fingerprint scanner is really very bad. Most often, you need to put your finger on the scanner many times, and it does not recognize the finger 9 times out of 10. This is very different from other fingerprint scanners, for example, such as Meizu PRO 6, Leagoo Shark 1 and many others. Although Thor runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow and supports a fingerprint API, it's a lot more hassle than it's worth. This may now be fixed, or at least slightly improved, with a software update, but it's hard to figure out right now.
Bottom line
Vernee Thor E launched the latest VOS based on Android 7.0, supporting 4G LTE network, OTG, G-sensor, P-sensor, L-sensor, Hall sensor, multiple applications such as book, radio, messages, wallpapers, calendar, calculator, watches, etc. There are so many advantages in one smartphone review, right? And all this at a low price only with us
A smartphone with a 5020 mAh battery, stock Android 7.0 and costing only $120 sounds extremely tempting. In the review I’ll tell you whether everything is so good or if there’s a catch waiting for the buyer.
Equipment
The Vernee Thor E comes in a simple white box.
Inside - the device itself, paper documentation, power supply, USB cable and paper clip. There are two films glued to the screen at once: a transport film and a regular protective film underneath.
Appearance
Vernee Thor E looks strict, I’ll tell you frankly - it’s not a women’s smartphone.
Its dimensions are 144 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm and its weight is 149 grams.
The model is available in two colors: black and gray. In this case, only the back side changes color, while the front side is always black.
Unlike most modern smartphones, the Thor E screen is slightly recessed into the body, which should make it easier to glue the protective glass. At the top of the front panel there is an LED for missed events, proximity and light sensors, an earpiece and a front camera. Below the screen there are three touch keys; they are hardware, but are not backlit, which makes working with the smartphone difficult at first.
On the right side there are power and volume keys. They are located at a comfortable height; when gripping with the right hand, the thumb is located between them.
On the left is a combination tray that can accommodate either two nanoSIM SIM cards or one nanoSIM and a memory card.
Under the tray there is a button that turns on the E-ink mode.
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At the top end there is a 3.5 mm audio jack, and at the bottom there is a microUSB port and the main microphone.
The back part is covered with a plastic insert that imitates brushed aluminum. At the top there is a main camera lens and a single LED flash, and a little lower there is a fingerprint scanner. It works quickly and there are no complaints about its performance.
At the very bottom of the phone there is a multimedia speaker. The speaker is of average quality, it is loud, even at maximum volume it does not wheeze, but there are no low frequencies at all. It is enough to hear the call.
Ease of use
The body of the Vernee Thor E is rigid even though it is made of plastic. It does not creak or play, because there are no collapsible parts, except for the SIM card slot.
After two weeks of careful use, a lot of scratches appeared on the protective film, which greatly spoils the appearance of the smartphone. The back side collects fingerprints, but they are only visible from a certain angle. Otherwise, there are no comments on the case.
Among the settings, it is worth highlighting the software ability to replace the “recent applications” and “back” buttons, as well as replacing these keys with regular, on-screen ones.
Not without the use of gestures. If drawing letters on a switched off screen to quickly launch applications does not seem like the most convenient function, then activating the display with a double tap will not hurt.
Display
Vernee Thor E is equipped with a 5-inch IPS screen with HD resolution. There is automatic key adjustment and night mode. After removing the protective film, it became clear that there was no oleophobic coating on the screen.
In sunny weather under direct rays, the picture on the screen fades greatly and becomes almost unreadable.
The minimum brightness is too high for using the smartphone at night. Comparing the screen with my Moto X Style, the picture on the Thor E is colder and there is a clear lack of contrast and saturation. Of course, this comparison is not correct due to the fact that smartphones are from different price categories, but there are already inexpensive phones with good screens.
It is possible to customize the screen for yourself using MIraVision, but you still won’t be able to achieve a picture similar to Moto X (for example) even by tinkering with the settings sliders.
E-ink mode
In this mode, the colors on the screen are displayed in black and white and only 5 applications are available, including “Phone”, “Messages” and any three others.
The manufacturer promises that in E-ink mode the smartphone will work for a day using only 20% of the battery capacity. I have not tested this statement, since in such conditions there is no point in using a smartphone.
Hardware platform
The Vernee Thor E is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 processor. Inside there are eight ARM A53 cores that are capable of operating at 1.5 GHz. The Mali-T720 is responsible for the graphics. The amount of RAM is 3 GB.
There is no point in talking much about the performance of the MediaTek MT6753, since this is an extremely common chip.
The power is enough for everyday use if you are not a spoiled user. It's not suitable for demanding games, but it handles arcade games. For example, War Robots takes a long time to load, but there are no freezes in the game.
The device supports FDD LTE: 1/3/7/20. Unfortunately, there is no support for 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. Finding satellites without using mobile data is fast. There are no complaints about the quality of network reception. The speaker volume is high, and none of the interlocutors complained about the microphone.
Interface
The official website states that Vernee Thor E runs on stock Android 7.0. Yes, the interface is stock except that the TouchPal keyboard is preinstalled by default, which cannot be easily removed. Screenshots of the interface are under the spoiler.
Spoiler
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Otherwise, it's still the same Android 7.0, which many will like.
Autonomy
One of the features of the phone is its large battery capacity - 5020 mAh. Fast charging supported. The complete power supply can operate in several modes - 5/7/9 V at a current of 2 A and 12 V at a current of 1.5 A. Full charging time is about 2 hours 30 minutes.
With normal use of a smartphone with one SIM card on a 3G network, Wi-Fi almost constantly turned on, and a short time playing War Robots, the operating time was only 1 day 16 hours. The active screen time with automatic brightness was 5 hours 30 minutes.
Looking at the battery usage statistics, you can see that “Active mode” did not stop at all. This is not normal and indicates that even after turning off the phone screen, it does not “fall asleep”, but is actively doing something. As they say, here is stock Android 7.0. It is not clear what haunts the smartphone, but such work is not normal.
In the synthetic PCMark Work 2.0 battery life test at 50% brightness, the device worked for 10 hours 32 minutes. This is not the most outstanding result.
Cameras
Vernee Thor E is equipped with an 8 MP main camera (software increased to 13 MP) and a 2 MP front camera (software increased to 5 MP). The main camera is equipped with a single LED flash. The camera application interface is minimalistic, but there is an HDR mode.
The camera does not meet modern requirements. The pictures turn out to be noisy, often with incorrect white balance; in the dark it’s easier not to take pictures at all, as the result will be unsatisfactory. HDR mode does not work correctly. In it, the sky often turns out not blue, but somehow purple.
conclusions
Vernee Thor E is an interesting smartphone, both in terms of characteristics and price, but in reality everything is somewhat different. The main feature of the device - a capacious 5020 mAh battery - could not prove itself due to crooked software that prevents the phone from going into standby mode. In such conditions, a battery of any capacity will not be a panacea for low-quality software. There are complaints about the quality of the screen, because it is difficult to use a smartphone in bright sunlight. Smartphone cameras are more like an add-on. They are not good for anything and to take a good photo you will need to try hard.
Liked:
- build quality,
- price,
- stock Android 7.0,
- 3 GB RAM.
Did not like:
- battery life could be significantly longer,
- cameras,
- screen quality.
Related links
Where can I buy?
Thanks to the manufacturer for providing the smartphone for review. At the time of writing, the Vernee Thor E costs $115. If you wish, you can save an additional 5% (the rate depends on the site) by using any cashback service.
Thank you for your attention!
