Home Programs Review and testing of the UMi ROME smartphone. Secret codes for UMI Rome X (Gold) Umi rome camera operation review

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Review and testing of the UMi ROME smartphone. Secret codes for UMI Rome X (Gold) Umi rome camera operation review

UMI Rome X was announced at the end of 2015, and went on sale in early 2016. It is a simplified version of UMI Rome, which was positioned as the most beautiful and affordable smartphone with attractive hardware.

Externally, the smartphone resembles Samsung flagships released in 2015. But the filling is far from those. Depending on the store, the device sells for between 72 and 92 USD.

In terms of technical parameters, UMI Rome X is an entry-level smartphone.

Design, case materials, dimensions and weight

Thanks to the curves and beveled edges, the device at first glance seems more expensive than it really is. It comes in two colors: black (the glossy cover gets very dirty), and gold, where fingerprints are almost invisible. The body is slippery and doesn't feel particularly comfortable in the hand. The frames are made of metal, the back cover is plastic.

The only microphone is located under the touch navigation buttons. On the bottom edge you can find speaker holes and a MicroUSB connector.
On the top edge there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Device dimensions: 153.8 x 77 x 7.9 mm, weight – 183 g.

There are a lot of complaints about the assembly of the case. The camera bezel protrudes strongly above the rear panel, and even after installing the bumper the situation does not change. There is a gap between the 2.5D glass on the front panel and the frame into which a sheet of office paper can be placed. And the paint on the metal frame wears off over time: tested on the “golden” version. The metal power and lock buttons located on the right edge rattle like rattles.

But the worst is yet to come. The side ends respond to the touch of fingers and palms. As a result, phantom clicks occur on the screen, as well as on the touch navigation buttons. Some users note that if you avoid hand contact with the headbands, phantom clicks do not appear. You just need to put the bumper on the device body.

But there is another point. In the first revision, an ugly piece of black cloth glued on is used as a backing covering the cable. As a result, the battery and the cover press the cable, which also causes false positives of the touch buttons. In the second batch of smartphones, this defect was supposed to be corrected by installing a metal plate as a substrate. But the “glitch” still appears from time to time.

CPU

The device uses an outdated 4-core processor. This is MediaTek MT6580 (Cortex-A7, 1.3 GHz), with a Mali-400MP2 video core. The hardware is clearly not gaming hardware, but it copes with everyday tasks. Moreover, running a 3D game is quite possible. You just need to understand that you won’t be able to play tanks on maximum or medium graphics settings. The Antutu synthetic test estimates the device's performance at 24 thousand points.

Memory

Memory amounts are minimal, as expected for a budget model. The RAM here is 1 GB, after starting the system there is 670 MB free. The internal storage capacity of 8 GB is approximately half free. A memory card will help make up for any possible lack of memory. The smartphone has a MicroSD slot with a maximum capacity of 32 GB.

Autonomy

UMI Rome X has a removable battery. The capacity, according to the manufacturer, is 2500 mAh. Judging by the test results, the actual battery capacity does not exceed 2060 – 2150 mAh. With moderate use of the gadget, the battery charge will last for a day. With active use, a fully charged battery will “ask” for recharging at lunchtime.

Camera

Probably the only point where the manufacturer almost didn’t mess up. The main camera can use identical sensors – IMX 164 and IMX179. Shooting is done with a resolution of 13 megapixels. This is interpolation, the real resolution of the image is 8 megapixels. In theory, FullHD video should be recorded; in practice, maximum HD is supported.

Double flash, bright. Auto focus supported. The photos come out quite decent, for a device in its price range. You can count on relatively detailed and contrasting images with rich colors. Naturally in good daylight. The camera copes well with macro photography. At night and with a lack of lighting, the result is predictable: details merge into a mess of noise and artifacts. In such lighting conditions, it is not customary to expect high-quality images from entry-level devices. Here are a few different shots on UMI Rome X:

The 5 MP front camera (interpolated from 2 MP) is complemented by a flash. However, a smartphone is definitely not suitable for selfies. In order for a face to be visible in a photo taken in the dark, a dim flash should fire at a distance of several centimeters. There is nothing to say about the quality of the resulting images - noise, blurriness, low detail, etc.

Display

First, the good stuff. The smartphone uses a 5.5-inch LTPS display with HD (1280 x 720) resolution. The image on the display pleases with rich color rendering. The matrix has good viewing angles. The backlight brightness is normal; in the sun the contents of the screen fade, but remain visible. The touch supports 2 full touches, which do not merge into one.

And now about the unpleasant moments. The most harmless thing is the light at the bottom of the screen, which does not affect the performance of the equipment. It’s much more unpleasant to encounter a “tight” touch: you can often notice jerks when scrolling down. In many instances, the touch behaves completely inappropriately: you press in one place, it works in another. That is, it is almost impossible to type text. The glitches of the wheelbarrow appear especially noticeable after the smartphone has been in the cold.

Connection

UMI Rome X supports 2 MicroSIM and works in 2G and 3G networks. Fortunately, there are no problems with communication. Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi b/g/n wireless modules also work fine. GPS navigation (A-GPS) is supported, but this is of little use. Navigation does not work properly. And if one of the users’ GPS “started up,” it was only after “dancing with tambourines.” Navigation systems find few satellites, and the accuracy of geopositioning is low. There is no electronic compass, and without it, navigation is not much use.

Sound

The smartphone also has problems with the sound component. The sound from the external speaker is tolerable, but the volume does not shine with a high headroom. The earpiece is also quiet, but the volume level can be adjusted through the engineering menu. But the sensitivity of the microphone is fine, and the sound in the headphones is not satisfactory.

OS

UMI Rome X runs Android 5.1 OS. The system is clean, there are only minor visual changes from the manufacturer in the shell. The OS is relatively stable, but the annoying touchscreen spoils the entire experience. Sometimes new firmware versions appear that contain fixes for some bugs. But the firmware is not updated over the air. You have to download it yourself and install it manually.

Peculiarities

Unlike many other smartphones with MediaTek MT6580 processor, UMI Rome X supports OTG. The device recognizes external USB drives with FAT and FAT32 file systems.

It is known that there are four revisions of this smartphone. The first and second differ visually, by the substrate located under the battery. The third and fourth revisions have different screens. Accordingly, firmware from the first two revisions is not suitable for them. And finally, the 4th revision initially shoots without interpolation, with a resolution of 8 megapixels.

Pros and cons of UMI Rome X

Advantages:

good design, if you don’t look closely at the details;
The main camera, taking into account the cost of the gadget, takes good pictures;
OTG support.

Flaws:

sometimes the proximity sensor glitches;
lousy build quality;
incorrect operation of the touchscreen;
phantom touch button presses;
problems with sound volume;
GPS does not work properly;
confusion with revisions, and therefore with firmware.

Alternatives

There are plenty of devices with similar hardware and lower cost. Moreover, for the same money you can buy a smartphone with better characteristics and acceptable quality.

Bluboo Maya also has a good design, and is equipped with twice the amount of memory, a light indicator and Android 6. Homtom HT3 Pro is not so beautiful, but is equipped with an MT6735 chip, a 3000 mAh battery, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM. An honorable place in the list of alternatives is occupied by the Doogee X5 Max Pro, which, in addition to the advantages of the Homtom HT3 Pro, received a 4000 mAh battery and even a fingerprint scanner.

Our review of the UMI Rome X smartphone

They say that “beauty requires sacrifice.” But such sacrifices are hardly appropriate when choosing a device for constant use. In this case, nerves are more expensive, and beauty is meaningless. All the same, it will be hidden in a case or in a bumper so that the device does not slip out, the cover does not get scratched, and there are no false alarms. Judging by the review, this is a very problematic smartphone. A rare buyer is lucky enough to receive UMI Rome X with a minimum number of significant shortcomings.

Or they turn a blind eye to the problems, given the cost of the product. In other cases, users have to tinker with the engineering menu, tinker with firmware and patches. In attempts to correct the situation on your own, it comes down to disassembling the case. UMI Rome X is one of the worst options for those looking for a device that works fine out of the box.

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Competition is doing its job slowly but constantly, this is confirmed by the price and characteristics of the UMI ROME X phone. This is the younger brother of the popular UMI ROME with simpler characteristics. Of course, the smart has certain disadvantages, but there are many more advantages for your money, let me remind you that it is a little more than 60 dollars. After all, just a year ago it was absolutely impossible to get such a device for this money.

Let's look at the characteristics stated by the manufacturer:

Let's start reviewing and testing UMI ROME X, check the declared characteristics, learn about the advantages and disadvantages of this smartphone model.

UMI ROME X Equipment

UMI ROME X comes in a simple but reliable box; from the factory the kit includes a 1 Amp charger and a meter micro usb - usb cord. There is also a semblance of instructions, but who will read it? The phone's specifications can be found on the bottom of the box.

A pleasant bonus when purchasing may be the presence of a protective film and a silicone bumper. At the bottom of the article is a link to a verified official seller from the UMI company, which supplies smart with useful gifts.

UMI ROME X appearance

The phone is produced in two color options - black and gold; the review considers a black smartphone. UMI ROME X immediately captivates with its stylish, graceful appearance. The aluminum insert around the perimeter of the case stands out especially; it pleasantly cools the hand and pleases the eye with the shine of the metal. I would like to note that the phone is well assembled, nothing wobbles or creaks.

Let's look at the smartphone from all sides; there is nothing on the left side; on the right side there are aluminum on/off buttons and a volume rocker. When using, the metal rattles a little, but this does not spoil the overall impression, since the buttons are pressed very pleasantly and clearly. At the bottom there is a micro USB connector and two holes for the speaker (the left one is only for symmetry, since there is only one speaker). At the top there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

The lower part is covered with a plastic lid that snaps tightly into place. There is also a camera located here, which is extended a couple of millimeters, which in operation will undoubtedly result in abrasions on the lower edge of the outer lens. There is a dual flash located under the camera.

UMI ROME X is equipped with a 2.5D LTPS HD screen with good viewing angles. At the top of the front side there is a 2 MP front camera, a tiny selfie flash, sensors, and an earpiece. At the bottom there are control buttons and a microphone. Placing the microphone on the front improves its sensitivity, but contributes to rapid contamination of the hole, especially in the warm season. There is no second microphone for noise reduction. There is also no color event indicator.

Under the bottom cover there is a 2500 mA battery (declared by the manufacturer), two slots for mini SIM cards and a slot for a micro SD memory card. Below, see the results of weighing the smartphone and the battery separately.

As weighing showed, the seller indicated that the weight of the smartphone was underestimated by 10 grams.

To summarize, the design of the UMI ROME X case is quite worthy, one can only guess which phone model served as an example and inspiration for the Umi company. If you don’t take into account the weight of the smart phone, which is reduced by 10 grams, and the camera protruding above the body by a couple of millimeters, then everything is fine here. Let's move on and see what the performance tests show.

UMI ROME X hardware testing

AnTuTu Benchmark showed 24628 Antu parrots, which is quite decent for such a price.

This benchmark also shows other smart parameters

Data from CPU-Z:

Testing sensors, touchscreen and GPS receiver

UMI ROME X has a gravity, light, and proximity sensor. It is worth noting that during a conversation, when you briefly remove the smart phone from your ear, the proximity sensor does not work, and you can tap your ear, but this happened extremely rarely.

One of the weakest points in this smartphone is the touchscreen. And even failure to recognize just two touches at a time can upset the user the most; the touchscreen is not accurate; when pressed in one place, the tap is triggered with a movement of several millimeters. In addition, pressing in the upper and lower areas of the screen, which are approximately 1 cm wide, is especially problematic. When using the UMI ROME X touchscreen, it seems that in addition to accuracy, pressing force also matters. I also note that the touchscreen reacts to pressing by foreign objects, such as a wire from a headset, the inside of a pocket or bag. I advise you to disable double tap unlocking and always lock the screen before putting your phone down, otherwise random calls and launching several dozen applications at the same time cannot be avoided. If you need an inexpensive smartphone with a 5.5-inch screen and a high-quality touchscreen, I advise you to take a closer look at the model, it has a 5-touch touchscreen, is very responsive and accurate, and the price is not much more.

As you can see, the tests did not show anything unusual, everything was expected. On the positive side, it is worth noting the fast GPS. Among the shortcomings are incorrect operation of the touchscreen and periodic shutdown of the proximity sensor.

UMI continues to expand its range of smartphones; UMI Rome was introduced at the end of last year. A serious application in the segment up to 7000-8000 rubles ($100), which received a “shock” filling and an attractive design. Considering what is now offered in this budget on the Russian market, it may well become a “hit”. This level of performance and quality of performance until recently was the lot of only flagship devices, but now with modest investments it has become possible to save money without compromising comfortable use.

We are pleased to present the first detailed review of UMI Rome. Its sales started not long ago, and it is now available for $109 at CooliCool store with free delivery throughout Russia. By the time this review was published, a lightweight version of UMI ROME X had also been released. It is distinguished by a three times smaller amount of RAM, lack of LTE support, a reduced amount of internal memory and a junior version of the 8-core chip. They are asking $64 for it.

Video review of UMI Rome

Equipment

UMI Rome is supplied in a compact white cardboard package. On the reverse side are detailed technical specifications.

The package includes a protective film for the screen, a 1A charger, and a micro USB cable. Brief instructions are printed on the inside of the box. Additionally, we took care of purchasing a protective cover. Version with lid:

Classic translucent bumper:

Appearance

Even before receiving this smartphone, when studying promotional shots and photographs, a direct association arose with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge. These same thoughts were confirmed by a series of comments from participants in our competition, where UMI Rome was played.

This is especially noticeable for the golden color (champagne); it will also be available in black. It looks no less impressive.

The smartphone clearly looks more expensive than its price, head and shoulders above its classmates. I was pleased with the quality of materials and workmanship. All parts fit perfectly together. Nothing creaks, bends or plays.

The associations of external similarity in this model are associated with the bend on the back cover; the same bend is on the S6 Edge screen, and here it is on the back side. According to personal feelings, the UMI Rome has a more comfortable tactile feel and ease of placement in the hand. Doesn't cut into the palm and doesn't slip out.

Another discovery was the use of a real metal frame rather than a chrome-plated body paint. This had a good effect on structural rigidity and durability.

The edges of the side face are slightly beveled. On the front there is a protruding edge that slightly raises the screen above the surface of the body.

The front part of UMI Rome is covered with Gorilla Glass, which is scratch-resistant. The side frames around the screen are thin. There are three touch buttons at the bottom, a speaker grille, proximity and light sensors, and a front camera lens at the top. Selfie lovers will appreciate the additional front camera.

The arrangement of connectors and buttons on the UMI Rome is traditional: an audio jack on top, a paired speaker grille and micro USB on the bottom, a volume rocker and a power button on the right.

The back cover is removable; it fits tightly to the body; a little effort is required to remove it. At the top, the main camera lens protrudes slightly above the surface, paired with an LED flash.

Underneath there are two compartments for micro SIM and a slot for a memory card. There is also a removable battery.

The overall dimensions of the UMI Rome case are 153.8x77x7.9 mm and weighs 177 grams. There are no complaints about the appearance and materials.

Screen

A 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with HD resolution (1280 by 720 pixels) is installed. The pixel density for this diagonal is low. But this is quite enough for comfortable work with the interface, watching movies and reading text. Individual pixels are not noticeable.

This matrix is distinguished by high contrast and deep black color. The screen backlight is uniform, UMI Rome has no glare. The brightness can be adjusted automatically. There is no air gap between the screen and the protective glass. The sides of the screen are rounded.

Filling

The heart of UMI Rome is the MediaTek MTK6753 processor with a frequency of 1.3 GHz. This is an eight-core platform with Mali-T720 graphics. The chip has proven itself well; the performance level is sufficient for smooth operation of the interface and launching complex 3D games. The popular game World of Tanks Blitz runs at high graphics settings. Heating of the cover during prolonged maximum load is minimal.

On board there are 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. Commendable for your budget. The memory is expandable, we tested it on a 64 GB memory card.

Antutu

Vellamo

3D Antutu

Connection

The smartphone can operate in LTE networks and supports all frequencies used by Russian operators. The work has been tested in Yota networks, no manual configuration was required, the data exchange speed is high. A dual-band Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth 4.1 are installed. GPS works flawlessly; searching for satellites during a cold start takes about 15-20 seconds.

Battery

A 2500 mAh battery is responsible for autonomous operation. This is enough for 4.5 hours when launching games. About 7 hours of movie playback. In a normal scenario, you can last an entire working day without needing to charge. On long trips it would be a good idea to get a PowerBank. Charging with the included charger takes 2.5 hours.

Camera

An 8 megapixel camera is installed with a Sony IMX179 module with a maximum number of up to 13 megapixels. The camera is equipped with an autofocus system. For modern smartphones, camera quality is a very important criterion. The times when people used digital compact cameras are long gone; smartphones are now widely used. But there are a large number of people who believe that the quality of pictures directly depends on the number of megapixels. In reality, this is more influenced by the quality of the optics, aperture, physical dimensions of the sensor and pixels, and the software component.

The new module from Sony has 8.08 million effective pixels, which is one of the best sensors with this resolution. It is also used in Huawei Honor 6 Plus and LG Nexus 5. In terms of quality, it surpasses a number of 13 MP matrices with the same physical sensor dimensions. This is due to the fact that each pixel receives more color and, as a result, more accurately conveys the image. The F/2.0 aperture makes its contribution. The front camera here is 2.0 MP. The quality of the images can be assessed below; only automatic modes are used without post-processing.

Software

The Google Android 5.1 operating system is installed with support for over-the-air updates. There are no proprietary shells or additional settings. In fact, this is a reference system without third-party software; most of Google services have been removed.

You can install everything you need yourself from Google Play, there are no restrictions. In the future, the user will be able to choose between several firmware options using the RootJoy utility.

Results for UMI Rome

UMI Rome is that rare case when savings will not result in poor build quality and malfunctions. The strengths include a spectacular appearance, AMOLED HD screen, 8-core processor, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, aluminum frame, support for two SIM cards in LTE mode, dual-band Wi-Fi, high-quality camera, front flash, clean Android 5.1. Conditional disadvantages include the low battery capacity and the need to wait from the moment of purchase to receipt. At the moment, this is the best option in a budget up to 8,000 rubles.

UMI Rome receives the well-deserved award "Gold...

This is the official instruction for UMI Rome in Russian, which is suitable for Android 5.1. If you have updated your UMI smartphone to a more recent version or “rolled back” to an earlier one, then you should try other detailed operating instructions that will be presented below. We also suggest that you familiarize yourself with the quick user instructions in question-answer format.

Official website of UMI?

You have come to the right place, because all the information from the official website of the UMI company, as well as a lot of other useful content, is collected here.

Settings-> About phone:: Android version (a few clicks on the item will launch the "Easter egg") ["Out of the box" Android OS version - 5.1].

We continue to configure the smartphone

How to update drivers on UMI

You need to go to "Settings -> About phone -> Kernel version"

How to enable Russian keyboard layout

Go to the section "Settings->Language and input->Select language"

How to connect 4g or switch to 2G, 3G

"Settings-> More-> Mobile network-> Data transfer"

What to do if you turned on child mode and forgot your password

Go to "Settings-> Language and keyboard-> section (keyboard and input methods)-> check the box next to "Google voice input"

Settings->Display:: Auto-rotate screen (uncheck)

How to set a melody for an alarm clock?

Settings->Display->Brightness->right (increase); left (decrease); AUTO (automatic adjustment).

Settings->Battery->Energy Saving (check the box)

Enable display of battery charge status as a percentage

Settings->Battery->Battery Charge

How to transfer phone numbers from a SIM card to the phone memory? Importing numbers from a SIM card

Go to the Contacts app
Click on the "Options" button -> select "Import/Export"
Select where you want to import contacts from -> “Import from SIM card”

How to add a contact to the blacklist or block a phone number?

How to set up the Internet if the Internet does not work (for example, MTS, Beeline, Tele2, Life)

You can contact the operator
Or read the instructions for

How to set a ringtone for a subscriber so that each number has its own melody

Go to the Contacts application -> Select the desired contact -> click on it -> open the menu (3 vertical dots) -> Set ringtone

How to disable or enable key vibration feedback?

Go to Settings-> Language and input -> Android keyboard or Google keyboard -> Vibration response of keys (uncheck or uncheck)

How to set a ringtone for an SMS message or change alert sounds?

Read the instructions for

How to find out what processor is in Rome?

You need to look at the characteristics of Rome (link above). We know that in this modification of the device the chipset is MediaTek MT6753, 1300 MHz.

Settings->For Developers->USB Debugging

If there is no "For Developers" item?

Follow the instructions

Settings->Data transfer->Mobile traffic.
Settings->More->Mobile network->3G/4G services (if the operator does not support, select only 2G)

How to change or add input language on the keyboard?

Settings-> Language and input-> Android keyboard-> settings icon-> Input languages (check the box next to the ones you need)

The unstable political and economic situation in the country has led to a significant rise in price for everything. Now many users who want to buy a decent smartphone for an adequate amount are increasingly looking towards the Chinese market, where little-known manufacturers offer devices with excellent characteristics for really “ridiculous money”. Among them is the company UMi, which is actively promoting a smartphone. The manufacturer promises us an excellent design, a powerful hardware platform, high-quality camera modules, a large AMOLED display, and all this for less than $100. Tempting, isn't it? This approach turned out to be very successful and led to a wave of pre-orders.

Thanks to one of our readers, who kindly provided us with a smartphone that had just arrived from the Middle Kingdom for testing, we will try to figure out what a potential buyer should expect from this device. Let’s start the review of the new product traditionally with technical characteristics:

Manufacturer and model
Type, form factor	Smartphone, monoblock
Communication standards		850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz
		900 / 2100 MHz
		800 / 1800 / 2600
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 )
SIM card type
CPU	MediaTek MT6753 (8 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 1.3 GHz)
Graphics adapter	ARM Mali-T720 (up to 450 MHz)
	5.5", IPS, 1280 x 720 (267 ppi), touch, multi-touch up to 2 touches, protective glass
RAM
Persistent memory
Card reader	microSD (64 GB)
Interfaces	1 x micro-USB 2.0 1 x 3.5mm mini-jack audio jack
Multimedia	Acoustics
	Microphone

	Main	8 MP (f/2.4), software interpolation up to 13 MP, autofocus, LED flash, video recording in 1080p format
	Frontal	2 MP (f/2.8), LED flash, video recording in 720p format
Networking capabilities	Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, GLONASS
	Accelerometer, proximity sensor, light sensor
Battery	Li-ion, removable: 2500 mAh
Charger	Input: 100~240 VAC eg at 50/60 Hz Output: 5 VDC e.g. 1 A
	153.8 x 77 x 8 mm

	Black/Gold
operating system	Android 5.1 Lollipop
Official guarantee	12 months
Products webpage

Delivery and configuration

The UMi ROME smartphone comes in a white compact box made of thick cardboard, which is characterized by a discreet appearance and good information content.

The delivery set includes only the essentials: documentation, charger and USB cable.

Appearance, arrangement of elements

Many are trying to copy the design of market leaders - Apple and Samsung products. UMi ROME was no exception, which imitates in many ways: a similar metal frame (really metal), smooth curves of the side edges and general stylization of small details. True, if the front panel is tempered glass, like the Korean flagship, then the back side is made of matte, but rather easily soiled and even slippery plastic. Overall it looks very good and is not perceived as a budget device.

Despite the rather large diagonal (5.5"), the phablet can be operated with one hand thanks to the rounded edges and small side frames around the display (4 mm on the side, 16.5 mm on the top, 17.5 mm on the bottom). However, , for confidence it is better to use both hands, which reduces the risk of dropping a rather heavy device (177 g).The smartphone is available on the market in two colors: black and gold.

On the front panel, we separately highlight the flash for the front camera. The remaining elements are quite familiar: earpiece, proximity and light sensors, front camera, microphone and a standard set of touch buttons.

On the lower side there is a micro-USB port and a multimedia speaker (under the perforation on the right), and only a 3.5 mm audio jack is located at the top. The left side is empty, and on the right you can see the volume rocker and the power key. The control buttons are located quite conveniently, but their excessively sharp edges leave an unpleasant tactile sensation, although you won’t be able to cut yourself.

On the back of the device there is a main camera lens and a dual LED flash. Removing the cover provides access to a replaceable battery, slots for two Micro-SIM cards and a microSD memory card. It is worth noting that the lens is covered with plastic, which is easily scratched even by microfiber.

The build quality and rigidity of the UMi ROME case is at a good level: nothing creaks and the glass is not pressed through. There is only one extremely unnoticeable gap at the edge of the upper right corner (on the back side).

Display

According to official data, UMi ROME is equipped with a 5.5-inch screen based on an AMOLED matrix with a resolution of 1280 x 720 and a pixel density of 267 ppi. But in fact, an IPS matrix is used here (labeled “H55008BL-B”). It was not possible to find any information on it. It is covered with protective glass (the brand of which is not disclosed) with a good oleophobic layer. There is no air gap between them. For additional protection, a factory film is applied.

In general, the screen is characterized by good detail, pleasant colors (slightly shifted towards cooler shades) with a sufficient level of contrast and good viewing angles (a slight drop in saturation appears when viewed diagonally). The range of automatic brightness adjustment is sufficient for comfortable work on a sunny day or in complete darkness.

Multi-touch technology processes only two simultaneous touches. Sometimes errors may occur when tapping with two fingers or when moving slowly across the touch layer. It is possible to unlock by double tapping the screen.

Audio subsystem

Despite the two perforated grilles on the bottom edge, there is only one multimedia speaker in the UMi ROME. It provides good sound: the mids and highs are well detailed, but the lows are almost inaudible. The volume is average, but if you are in a noisy place, it is quite possible to miss an incoming call. However, the speaker's capabilities should be enough to perform basic functions (games, video and speakerphone).

The delivery package of the new product does not include a headset, so the sound in the headphones was checked using gaming headphones (impedance 60 Ohms) and in-ear Vivanco HS 200 WT (impedance 16 Ohms). In both cases, the sound is quite standard, without any frills. The volume level is sufficient.

Additionally, there is a radio module for recording and listening to FM radio stations with connected headphones.

Camera

The tested model is equipped with two digital cameras: the main one (8-megapixel Sony IMX164 module with f/2.4 aperture and autofocus) and the front (2-megapixel Galaxycore CG2355 module with f/2.8 aperture and fixed focus). The first can shoot video in 1080p resolution, and the second - 720p at 30 fps. As with the display, the stated characteristics do not correspond to reality: the manufacturer promised a Sony IMX179 module (a similar one is used in), but the output is an 8-megapixel Sony IMX164 with software interpolation up to 13 megapixels.

Considering the price of the smartphone, both cameras are quite suitable. Under favorable conditions, the main module provides good color reproduction and average detail, which suffers when the subject is moved away. This is due to simple signal processing algorithms, and the active operation of the noise reduction system even with a sufficient level of illumination makes its contribution. The front camera has a good viewing angle and allows you to take fairly high-quality self-portraits. It is noteworthy that when using a flash, the picture turns out to be a little more detailed.

The main camera settings menu is quite simple and familiar to Android OS users. There are a considerable number of settings and modes, among which we highlight “Picture-in-Picture” for simultaneous shooting from both cameras.

Examplesphoto- Andvideo shooting

An example of daytime shooting from a UMi ROME smartphone in Full HD resolution at 30 fps

Custominterface

The UMi ROME smartphone comes with a pre-installed Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, presented almost in its original form. The main differences lie in the modified Boot animation, a set of icons for standard applications and the main menu, a couple of additional settings items, and significantly accelerated animation of actions and transitions.

The settings menu is also quite ordinary. Access to almost all parameters is open: communication capabilities, appearance, screen settings, sound effects, etc. We’d also like to note the “Gesture sensing” and “Smart wake” items for setting up gesture controls and quickly launching basic applications bypassing the lock screen, unless additional security measures are enabled.

The OS runs very quickly and smoothly, even when there are many applications open in the background. For this we should thank the 3 GB of RAM, minimal changes to the shell and the absence of any additional pre-installed applications.

Productivity and communication capabilities

UMi ROME received a 64-bit MediaTek MT6753 SoC processor with eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores operating at 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 (11.53 GB available to the user). This space can be expanded using microSD memory cards (up to 64 GB). This platform supports OTG mode, which allows you to connect an external USB drive or peripheral devices (the corresponding adapter is included in the package).

The smartphone copes well not only with simple tasks (calls, viewing documents, surfing the Internet, listening to audio and watching videos), but also with modern demanding games. For example, the car simulator Asphalt 8: Airborne runs quite smoothly at high graphics settings (slight drops in FPS only occasionally appear). In WoT Blitz, stuttering also occurs at medium settings, but only when billowing smoke from the remains of tanks is displayed on the screen. In all other cases, the picture is displayed quite comfortably even at high settings. Lighter games run without problems. During prolonged maximum load, the body of the new product becomes noticeably hot in the camera area - holding the smartphone is extremely unpleasant, sometimes it seems that you can get burned.

The built-in video player has excellent support for audio and video formats, as evidenced by the results of the AnTuTu Video Tester benchmark, which rated it 692 points.

The UMi ROME smartphone supports modern mobile networks 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA and 4G LTE Cat.4. Support for two SIM cards is implemented on the basis of one radio module.

The quality of calls is at a high level and does not cause any comments. The speaker and microphone perform well. The vibration alert is average in strength and pleasant in timbre.

Communication modules are represented by dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.

The operation of the wireless network modules is quite standard: everything connects quickly and holds the connection well.

Also in UMi ROME there is a global geopositioning module with support for GPS and GLONASS satellite systems. Cold start takes just seconds.

Autonomous operation

The model under test is powered by a replaceable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 2500 mAh. With moderate load with 50% display brightness (calls, SMS, music, a little Internet), it will last for a day.

As a result of watching HD video (MPEG-4 / AVC, MKV container, 4 Mbit/s stream) at 50% display brightness with Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on, the device was discharged in 5.5 hours. A gaming simulation using Asphalt 8: Airborne with 100% display brightness and Wi-Fi and GPS modules turned on drained the battery in just over 2 hours.

The estimated battery life according to the PCMark benchmark showed 4 hours, according to the Geekbench 3 test results - 4 hours and 17 minutes, while the GFXBench benchmark showed a result of 159 minutes. In all cases (except for the gaming one), the display brightness was 50%, and the Wi-Fi and GPS modules were activated.

It is worth noting that the battery behaves quite “chaotically”: it charges slowly even from a 2-amp charger (seems to be a limitation on current intake), and when it reaches 90%, the charging speed drops significantly (it rarely charges up to 100%, usually stopping at 98- 99%). When discharged from 9% it immediately drops to 3-1%, although the remaining charge can last about 20 minutes.

The battery charging time from the supplied unit (5 V, 1 A) is about 3.5 hours.

Results

Let’s not hide the fact that even before testing began, we had many reasons for optimism, but reality made its own adjustments. Judge for yourself, the manufacturer promised us a high-quality AMOLED screen, an excellent main camera module represented by Sony IMX179, an 8-core MediaTek MT6753 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 16 GB of ROM at a cost of $89 at the time of the announcement. The combination of such characteristics is typical of more expensive devices.

In practice, we got a decent IPS screen, but only with support for two simultaneous touches. The place of the advanced module was taken by the 8-megapixel mid-range Sony IMX164 with software interpolation up to 13 megapixels. There are also complaints about the battery, which behaves strangely when discharged. And the starting price has increased to $109. The remaining parameters correspond to the stated ones, so the smartphone demonstrates simply excellent performance, including when running modern 3D games. The positive aspects of UMi ROME include a pleasant appearance with decent workmanship, almost stock Android 5.1 Lollipop and a set of all necessary communications.

The very fact that certain stated characteristics do not correspond to reality is upsetting and reduces the degree of trust in the brand, but in the end the smartphone turned out to be very interesting for its price category.

Advantages:

pleasant appearance;
good 5.5-inch HD IPS screen;
good digital camera modules (8 MP and 2 MP);
excellent performance of the hardware platform based on MediaTek MT6753 and 3 GB of RAM;
16 GB ROM with support for microSD memory cards (up to 64 GB);
USB OTG specification support;
support for two SIM cards and the necessary network capabilities;
full support for 4G LTE mobile networks;
almost stock Android 5.1 Lollipop;
relatively affordable price.

Flaws: