Vernier torus. Vernee Thor E - Specifications

Almost exactly a year ago I published the debut model from a then unknown manufacturer under the name Vernee. You can say a lot, criticize for its shortcomings, but in any case, the Thor model, which they released first, turned out to be not so bad and one of the “firstborns” has been under my supervision for more than a year.
In general, today I’ll talk about the continuation of the Thor line, and also show and compare with the previous model, in some places “face to face”. And of course there will be mandatory disassembly.

First, the stated technical characteristics of the device under review.
Color Black\Gray
Processor - MTK6753 8 cores
GPU ARM Mali-T720 MP3 450MHz
Operating system - Android 7.0
Memory - 3GB RAM, 16GB flash.
Display - 5 inches, resolution 1280x720, E-ink function
Network Type - GSM+WCDMA+FDD-LTE
2G: GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz
3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
4G: WCDMA 800/1800/2100/2600MHz
Wireless interfaces - WIFI: 802.11b/g/n (2.4 and 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0
GPS
Memory card slot - MicroSD, stated up to 128GB.
Audio output/microphone - 3.5 mm jack.
SIM card type - 2pcs nano SIM
Front Camera 2(5)MP
Main camera 8(13)MP
Battery 5020 mAh
Size 144x70.1x8.2 mm
Weight - 149 grams

As you can see, the characteristics almost completely repeat the previous model, in this case the company for some reason decided to use the same SoC MTK6753 and the same amount of RAM/flash, apparently there were reasons for this.
But at the same time, there are differences and they begin, oddly enough, with the packaging. In this case, the box is completely white, not black. By the way, brief specifications are indicated on the packaging, but my eye was drawn to the camera resolution, 13 megapixels, and below - actually 8 megapixels :)

The equipment is selected to the minimum:
1. Vernee Thor E smartphone
2. Charger
3. USB-microUSB cable
4. Ejector
5. Instructions.

The instructions have been partially translated into Russian, but since it is impossible to explain in a couple of lines how to use a modern telephone, its meaning is rather superficial.
They also gave me an incomprehensible piece of paper, supposedly to make it more convenient to receive software updates.

1. Ejector, or “clip.” Even when I saw this phone before ordering, and also watched a video on the manufacturer’s website, I tried to understand whether the SIM card slot was combined or whether the cards were placed inside the device. But in the advertising they somehow gallantly avoided this point, and everywhere they try to show the smartphone so that the left side is not visible. But when I saw the paperclip already at the unpacking stage, everything became clear, but more on that a little later.
2. MicroUSB-USB cable, cable like cable, length about 70cm, soft, neat.
3, 4. Charger. I remember they tried to implement the first version of the device with the accelerated charging function, but alas, “I couldn’t, I couldn’t.” This time everything is different and the manufacturer initially provides a charger with the Quick Charge function, although the maximum voltage is limited to 9 Volts, although the charger itself can handle up to 12.

Like last time, the phone is produced in two colors, black and gray. I received a black version, although probably the gray one will look more interesting, but this is more for everyone.
There are two films pasted on the screen, the main one and the transport one.

All sides of the smartphone are busy with something:
1. On the right are the volume and power buttons.
2. On the left is a slot for SIM cards and memory cards, as well as a button to turn on the power saving mode.
3. At the bottom there is a microphone hole and a charger connector. In my opinion, the manufacturer did the right thing by using microUSB, and not the newfangled USB type-C. Of course, one can argue with this, but for now microUSB is much more widespread.
4. On top there is only a jack for connecting a headset.

Front Panel:
1. There are three touch buttons at the bottom, again, a plus for the fact that they did not make on-screen buttons.
2. On top is an event indicator (it’s happened, it was so lacking in the previous version), a proximity sensor, an earpiece covered with a fairly solid mesh and a front camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels (interpolation up to 5mp).

And here is the stumbling block of many modern smartphones, a combined slot for SIM cards and memory cards. But here I would give the manufacturer a minus, perhaps he simply could not fit the cards inside, but why use a slot for NanoSIM and why couldn’t microSIM be used... In general, for the test I had to buy another starter pack and cut the card to this size, so at home only mini and micro SIM cards.

There is also a shipping film stuck on the back, which contains brief instructions and the purpose of the controls and connectors.

The back cover is partly plastic (top and bottom), partly brushed aluminum, it looks neat, but fingerprints will be visible.

At the bottom is the main speaker, covered with a fine protective mesh. In order for the sound to be heard when the device is lying on the table, the manufacturer made a pair of protrusions on the left and right, on which the smartphone rests.
There were no complaints about the sound, at least in the mid and high frequencies of the sound range; there are not enough low frequencies, but this is the problem with most devices.

The rear camera is designed somewhat unusually and at the same time even somewhat familiar, but I can’t remember what.
The part with the camera and flash is separated into a separate protruding block, while it looks like a panel with a solar battery. By the way, while I was watching, an idea came to mind: you can make part of the back panel in the form of solar panels and get even more battery life :)
A fingerprint sensor was placed a little lower. In the first Thor, I had complaints about it, but after that the manufacturer noticeably improved its performance.
The sensor not only began to work instantly without “dancing with a tambourine”, it also does this at any position of the applied finger. Those. you don’t have to place your finger in exactly the same position as you did during training, but at least rotate the phone 180 degrees. This means that you can take the device upside down, put your finger on the sensor, and the phone will unlock just as quickly as in the normal position.

Once they wrote to me that photos in “home” conditions do not turn out very well, but not in terms of beauty, but in terms of visibility of details, and I did a small “photo shoot” in natural light.
I don’t see any point in commenting separately, so just a photo.

Continuation of the photo shoot in natural light

And of course, a head-to-head comparison of the first and second versions.
But first, a few words about this phone. A year later, I can say that everything works exactly the same as it did at the time of writing the review. At one time there were some problems with connecting to my access point, but I find it difficult to answer what to blame in this case.
All this time, the smartphone has been running the same firmware as it was a year ago.
The only thing is that it has worn out a little over the year, but I wouldn’t say much, but you’ll see it in the photo.

The first thing that catches your eye is the shape of the case. Although it would be fairer to say that I noticed this even earlier, when I compared it with my Doogee X5 max.
The new Thor is a little narrower and at the same time the same amount longer, the difference is literally a couple of millimeters, but during use it is very noticeable.
I conducted a small express survey among those who held this smartphone in their hands, about half liked this version of the case (narrower but longer) more, the other half, on the contrary, liked the old design more. If you want my opinion, then I liked the new version of the case better.

Also, the new device has become a little fatter, most likely due to the increased battery capacity. And of course, they changed the shape of the frame of the case, in the first Torah it had noticeably rounded corners and in general it looked more like a piece of soap, in the new one they decided to give it “sharpness,” but as they say - East Design is a delicate matter.
I must note that the markings of the touch buttons are barely noticeable; in the new version they are barely noticeable, and this is not a feature of the photo, but this is how it really is. There is no backlight.

But when I held both of them in my hands at the same time, I immediately noticed the more pleasant material of the back cover of the first Thor; I like the soft-touch coating more, but again, it’s not for everyone.

Composite photo to understand the difference in design of smartphones.

In addition to changing the shape and size of the case, the phone has gained a little weight; the new model is about 20 grams heavier.
Although if you compare it with my Doogee X5 max, or rather with its 188 grams of “live weight”, then 165 of the new one does not look so scary.

Display.
There are no complaints about the colors and image quality at all, it’s colorful, excellent viewing angles, however, the first Thor was also good in this regard.

1. Even when viewed diagonally, the image looks quite good, the backlight is noticeable, but less than that of other devices.
2. Comparison of the first and second Thor.

I also compared the image with external illumination; the Thor E clearly has better blacks than my Doogee.

An explanation was found very quickly, the screen may have been slightly improved, but at the same time the brightness of the backlight was reduced, in comparison with the previous version and my smartphone, the new Thor (in the center) has a less bright image.

This is better seen in this photo; both devices have the brightness set to maximum.

This is probably all with the external inspection, and it turned out somehow very cumbersome, I’ll move on to examining the insides.
The smartphone is opened quite simply, a sharp plastic card is placed in a line between the back cover and the screen frame, after which there is a passage around the perimeter.
Naturally, do not forget to remove the SIM card slot.

Further disassembly is hidden under a spoiler so as not to shock the Greenpeace reader.

Disassembling and measuring battery capacity.

The back cover is composite, part plastic, part metal. Interestingly, I found only one antenna inside, at the bottom, although there are usually two. in this case, the back cover is connected to the phone chassis via spring-loaded contacts (yellow pins in the photo).

General view, you can see that the battery takes up all the free space.

But at the same time, there is still room inside for a fairly massive aluminum chassis, which is pretty good. In my opinion, the developers tried quite hard to get a large battery capacity and at the same time light weight, but they did this without compromising the strength of the structure. Although the metal of the back cover could have been made a little thicker.

The main board of the phone, connectors everywhere and soldered covers on individual nodes. Moreover, some connectors are also closed with additional metal clamps; among Chinese devices, I have only seen this once, in the Leagoo T1 Plus smartphone.

The housing cover was most likely intended for either a device with two cameras or an additional rear sensor, since there is a hole in the plastic on the left.
There is a white sticker on the board in this place, I even disassembled the smartphone again because of it, but it’s just a sticker, there’s nothing under it.

By the way, about the camera, it’s a big plus to the manufacturer for not adding a second camera to their product, as other manufacturers try to do. There is only one camera, but the downside is that there is only one LED backlight; now they often use a combination of two LEDs, warm and cold light.

At the bottom there is a plastic cover and another board on which the microphone, connector, and antenna contacts are located. The lid is screwed on with 6 screws, they obviously decided to play it safe.

But strictly speaking, the main reason for the opening was to measure the battery capacity, especially since due to the charger’s circuitry, an attempt to measure the capacity of this device with the help of “doctors” is doomed to failure in advance.
We connect the battery to the electronic load and start the test.

This smartphone uses some new type of battery, with a voltage of 3.85 Volts, and not 3.6/3.7/3.8 like those I saw before. Actually, for this reason, I slightly changed the test methodology, first charging the battery in the smartphone.
After that, I discharged it to 2.8 Volts with marks at 3.0 and 3.2 Volts.
As a result, I received 4643 mAh of total capacity. The discharge current was 2 Amperes.

Since I ended up disassembling the phone for the second time, I decided to check the capacity again, charging it first 100% using the built-in charger in the same way, and then discharging it, but with “stops” at 3.0 and 3.15 Volts. The fact is that most often phones turn off at 3.15 Volts (under load), in the end I got almost the same as last time, 4630 mAh.

Last time the capacity was almost identical to the declared one (about 2800 mAh), this time I “missed” almost 400 mAh, or about 8%, although I even took two measurements and got an identical result, so the error is practically excluded.

Everything is clear with the hardware, let's move on to the software.
When I turned it on for the first time, I went through the standard pre-configuration items, and then I got to the “desktop”. Outwardly, everything is neat and even nice, until I went to the program menu. The menu is very familiar to me from reviews of Cubot smartphones, well, it’s just one to one. Strange, very strange, despite the fact that the first version had a very neat program menu, I even liked it, it was modest and beautiful. But in this case, I didn’t understand the developers.
I think there is no need to describe the pre-installed programs separately, they are more than familiar to most users of modern Android devices, these are Google applications, browser, Gallery (not very convenient), and of course YouTube. By the way, YouTube works just fine here, 5 points!

As I said at the very beginning, both phones are built on the same SoC (processor), which means the test results will be almost identical, so I’ll be brief in terms of software, sorry.

Android version 7.0 is initially installed, although 7.1 has been installed for quite some time, at least in TV boxes.
At first the phone didn’t see any updates, but literally a couple of hours later it notified me that there was a new version, so all further tests were carried out with the already updated software.

The phone has 16 GB of flash memory, of which a little more than 10 GB is available to the user and about 200 MB is occupied by pre-installed programs. If the first Thor had enough of the same 16 GB, as they say, “for the eyes”, then in this case, in my opinion, it is not enough. Since the card slot is combined, you will either have to put up with 16GB of flash, or with one SIM card and 32 or 64GB would not be superfluous.
The smartphone menu has quite a lot of different settings that allow you to configure the device in a user-friendly way. It is clear that this is the merit of Android, not the developers, but it’s still really convenient.

It is also possible to control not only gestures, for example, I liked the function of turning on the flashlight by drawing the letter V, but also muting the sound of an incoming call by turning the phone over :)

Like last time, the eight-core MTK6753 processor was installed, it is clear that it is time to install something more powerful, but by and large, in real life its performance is more than enough. I already wrote that the first Tor has been under surveillance for more than a year and everything is still working smoothly and beautifully, although there are many applications installed. The situation is partly saved by 3GB of RAM and a 720p display.
Therefore, yes, the processor is a little old, and not everyone likes the products of this company, but in reality it is enough to solve the vast majority of problems.

Unfortunately, there is no Root access, I couldn’t even get into the engineering menu, where I wanted to see the list of open GSM bands.

Just a couple of selections of screenshots from Aida64.

As I wrote at the very beginning, although the camera is defined as 13 megapixels, even the manufacturer himself writes that it is actually 8. The second camera has similar capabilities, with the exception of flash and a resolution of 2 megapixels (5 with interpolation).

In search of differences and improvements, I got to the sensors. And there are changes here: a magnetic field sensor has been added.
The touchscreen has the same 5 touch points as the first Thor. I've come across at least one smartphone with ten touch points, but in my opinion, this is unnecessary.

And here are the tests.
AnTuTu version 5 gave 34695 points versus 33866 for the “old man”.
Version 6 also showed slightly better performance at 37750 versus 37050 for the previous one.
The SD card used in the test was different, so I won’t compare it, but I’ll just say that 40MB/sec for reading is quite good.
But the built-in flush is slower this time, 116/49 versus 165/83 for the first Thor.
RAM is also slower, 3217 versus 3829.

I did not conduct Geekbench tests on the previous version, and I don’t think it makes sense to do so, since the results are approximately predictable.

Cinebench and 3Dmark
4379/210 for Thor E and 4095/6679 for Thor. The result in 3Dmark is very different due to different versions of the benchmark.

Epic citadel in two versions, High quality and Ultra High Quality.
Here the results are as follows - 54.6/45.8 for the new one and 54.7/43.4 for the previous one. The difference is rather within the margin of error.

I have been conducting this test not long ago, so there will be no comparisons. Although most likely not so, there will be no comparisons with other smartphones, because I will still compare, but later;)

WiFi.
The phone keeps a connection very well, and in addition there is a 5GHz band, which the previous version did not have.
I won’t describe all the measurements, I’ll just say that at a maximum distance of 12m with several load-bearing walls, the speed was about 2Mbit in both ranges, in the room next to the router it was 35/60 (2.4/5GHz), the maximum was 47/103Mbit, respectively.

Since this device is positioned as “long-lasting”, i.e. with a large margin of autonomy, then naturally I devoted most of my time to running time tests.
But first, I was curious to see what the built-in voltage meter on the battery shows. Judging by the CPU-Z readings, the battery charges up to 4.388 Volts, with a real measurement I got about 4.35 Volts.
Now about autonomy. The Geekbench test showed 8 hours, almost a minute per minute. After the automatic shutdown, the program for some reason did not save the last value, so I had to run the test a second time to record the shutdown time.
The discharge graph is somewhat unusual: at first the level stands at 100% for half an hour and only then begins to fall, then it drops linearly until it turns off completely.

In general, in this regard, the tests really took a lot of time, each test took many hours, then again the charge and again the test...

At the same time, the operating time was checked when playing FullHD video, which was more than 9 hours. In the screenshot the time is a little shorter, since I had to leave and then the phone turned off on its own, as far as I know, closer to 12.00.

As well as playing videos on YouTube. In all tests the screen brightness was set to maximum.
Here it turned out to be almost 8 hours 30 minutes.

As was known from advertising brochures and videos, the phone has a function called E-ink, it is activated by pressing the small button on the left. The button is almost recessed into the body and is made in such a way that it is quite problematic to accidentally press it.

Externally, the result really looks like an e-reader screen, a black and white image, but not very bright.

However, the low brightness only appears under bright external illumination; in normal mode, everything is quite visible.
The image is reminiscent of the shutdown session in Windows XP, when after pressing the shutdown button the image became black and white.

In the process of preparing the review, I wanted to demonstrate all this in the form of screenshots, but it turned out that the screenshots were in color, although I always believed that the image was “intercepted” from the video card buffer and there it should already be black and white.
Although I have moved away from the topic. In E-ink mode, the phone's functions are quite severely reduced; initially, three pre-installed programs are provided, and some more can be added from the list of installed programs.
The settings only allow you to change the brightness, volume and remove an already added program from the menu list.

I was curious about how to increase battery life.
1. In this mode the image is black and white, perhaps this reduces consumption
2. The brightness of the backlight has been reduced, a little, but you can benefit.
3. For the sake of experimentation, I conducted a performance test and found out that performance was reduced along the way. Above, I carried out this test in normal mode and the result was 3264 points; in economy mode it turned out a little less - 2553.

In addition to the actual advertising of the smartphone, the manufacturer posted a video about the fast charging function. I was quite interested in this and decided to check if everything was so beautiful.
To begin with, the manufacturer claims that the device supports fast charging at a voltage of 9 Volts and a current of 2 Amps.

1, 2. In reality, the charge current is about 1.5 Amperes, but yes, at a voltage of 9 Volts. The photo shows the result of charging from scratch in 20 and 40 minutes.
3, 4. But we decided to check the advertising statement. If you watch the video carefully, you can see that the person came to eat and in 40 minutes fully charged the smartphone from 48% to 100%. I’ll omit the part that the guy ate for 40 minutes, during which time I most likely would have had time to eat, smoke and get hungry again :)
In general, the result, as they say, is obvious, 40 minutes, start at 48%, finish at 84%. However, I didn’t have a branded stand like in the video, maybe that’s the reason? :)
5. The smartphone is charged to 100% in another 40 minutes, a total of 2 hours 22 minutes.
6. But even after the inscription is displayed - the charge is complete, the process still slowly continues, albeit at a voltage of 5 Volts and is completely completed after 8 minutes.
In total, a full charge takes 2.20-2.30. On the one hand, given the battery capacity, it’s quite fast, but on the other hand, it’s somewhat slower than what the manufacturer or marketer claims. By the way, in the first and last photos you can see the event indicator.

In this case, the charge power is not 18 watts (9x2), but only 13.5 (9x1.5), which is slightly more than 10 (5x2). The only advantage is that the quality of the cable is less affected.

The phone supports both GPS and Glonass satellites, which should have a positive effect on the quality of navigation. The previous version only supported GPS.
When trying to connect, a cold start takes quite a lot of time, about two to three minutes at a glance, the next starts go much faster.

To be honest, the navigation performance of the previous model was at a fairly high level, this was manifested in the number of satellites found and in the evenness of the line when recording the motion log. Here the picture is almost identical, basically the accuracy of the mapping to the map was very high, although sometimes spontaneous “jumps” appeared.
Below is the track I recorded for the experiment. The phone was in my shirt pocket with the screen facing away from me, the only criticism was the place shown at the top of the last screenshot, otherwise there are no questions.

And finally, what I like about the previous Thor model is the camera. In all, or almost all, of my reviews of smartphones, I compared their cameras with Thor’s camera, and I don’t remember a case where Thor lost to them.
In this case, a rear camera with a resolution of 8 (13) megapixels and an f/2.4 aperture is installed, and a fast focusing function is also announced.
The previous model had, in principle, almost the same characteristics, with the exception of one significant point: the aperture there was f/2.0, not f/2.4.

To begin with, how the camera shoots “by itself”, without comparison with the previous model.

Along the way, I decided to conduct an extended test, especially since I had already conducted a similar test with video cameras.

Additional camera test.

Test conditions: artificial lighting, distance from camera to wall 2 meters. Here I will make a small remark, after the “photo shoot” I noticed that the viewing angle of the cameras is slightly different, for the new version it is 66.5 degrees, and for the old one 62.5, respectively, it would be more correct to remove the first Thor from the wall not by 2 meters, and at about 2m 18cm. But since the phone is already a year old, we’ll give it a little head start, I think it will be fair.

The result showed that everything is fine with clarity; I would even say that the new version has it a little higher, especially taking into account the different focal lengths of the lens. But with photosensitivity the result is worse, and noticeably so. Where the first Thor still films quite normally, the new one is already starting to become noisy. However, this is due to the fact that the first Thor has a camera aperture of 2.0, and the new one has 2.4. Unfortunately, this affects the result.
1. All settings are default. Shutter speed 1/33, ISO 213.
2. Forcibly changed the white balance to incandescent mode and ISO to 100. The shutter speed turned out to be 1/13.
3. Manual BB, automatic flash, shutter speed 1/30, ISO 154.
4. And this is the first Thor. Everything is automatic, I just had to forcefully turn off the flash. Shutter speed 1/17, ISO 177.

The first Thor tried to turn on the flash, although he took a good photo without it. At the same time, the new one did the opposite; it turned on the flash itself only when I manually selected ISO-100. I tried to turn on the maximum power, but in this mode it simply overexposed the photo, since the wallpaper reflects light well.

When checking the white balance, I took two photos, on the left on full automatic, on the right with a preliminary tap on the center of the screen. In this mode, the camera is forced to focus on the selected area, but the image simultaneously becomes darker. It appears in almost all situations, be it a white sheet of paper or just a photo on the street.

I didn’t notice any particular problems with the macro photo; I cropped a photo of a paper sheet from the example above. The minimum distance at which normal focusing occurs is 30mm.

I got through to the engineering menu, so now I can post a list of supported ranges.

Finally, just a photo “in the interior” :)

Now I’ll try to summarize the results of the tests and examination.
To begin with, what is positive about the new model:
1. Event indicator
2. High capacity battery
3. Fast charge function
4. E-ink mode
5. Android 7.0
6. WiFi band 5GHz.
7. Glonass support
8. Better build quality.
9. Magnetic field sensor.

What has changed in a negative way
1. Combined slot for SIM cards
2. Camera with f/2.4 aperture instead of 2.0

Inconsistencies.
1. Real capacity 4643 mAh instead of 5020
2. The charge is stated to be 9 Volts 2 Amperes, in reality it is 9 Volts 1.5 Amperes.
3. Weight is 165 grams, not 149.

The rest, including performance, remained at the same level. No, perhaps the fingerprint sensor has been “finished”; now it works radically better than the previous model.

After using the device for some time, I would say that I liked it more than not. Of course, in practice it turned out that the fast charging function is not so fast, and the large battery is not so large. But on the other hand, the operating time has become noticeably longer and you can really feel it. You can, of course, say that devices with a more capacious battery have now appeared on the market, but so far I have not seen any real capacity tests, and, as you have seen, you can write anything you want.
The device works nicely, there has never been a time when it “thinks” or freezes, everything is clear and beautiful. Therefore, there are no questions about the software at all. But if you have two SIM cards, you will have to limit yourself to the built-in 16 GB of flash memory; in my opinion, it would be worth expanding them to at least 32.
In general, the camera takes relatively good pictures, especially at close range, and in general there weren’t any particular complaints, but so far the first Thor’s camera is still the best I’ve seen among phones from Chinese manufacturers. But at the same time, I’m glad that the developers of the new product did not put a second camera in it, thereby trying to “improve” the characteristics.

Which would I choose between these two models? It's hard to say, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. I like the new one’s design (probably first of all), the improvements in the form of a capacious battery (secondarily), fast charging, Glonass support, while the old one has a better camera and lacks a combined slot. But in any case, I’m thinking about putting my Doogee X5 max on the shelf and using the new Thor.

That's all, I hope that the review was useful and will help you make the right choice.

The product was provided for writing a review by the store. The review was published in accordance with clause 18 of the Site Rules.

I'm planning to buy +10 Add to favorites I liked the review +53 +85

I never tire of being amazed at how Chinese companies manage to create fairly decent smartphones for three pennies. One of these devices is Vernee Thor E, which is now selling for 100 bucks apiece. Interesting? Then I'll tell you.

I suggest first refreshing your memory about what this Vernee Thor E is.

The most important feature of our hero is the battery. She's here at 5,020 milliamp-hours. Considering the MediaTek MT6753 processor, which is far from the most power-hungry in the world, the battery life of the new product should easily be 2-3 days with normal use of the smartphone. The manufacturer claims that in standby mode it will be as much as 30 days.

By the way, the display, which in this case has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, will also help save battery. You don’t have to be afraid of pixelation, because the diagonal here is 5 inches - quite compact, which means the pixel density is high - 295 ppi.

In fact, a large battery poses two dangers. Well, not exactly dangerous, but, as a rule, these two nuances significantly affect the use of the device.

The first is thickness. A large battery automatically means an insanely thick case. As a result, what you have in your hands is not a phone, not a modern and convenient mobile gadget, but a brick. Fortunately, Vernee is not overly thick. Its body is only 8.2 mm, which is quite normal for smartphones with 4,000 mAh. Let me remind you that here we even have 5 thousand mAh, so everything is normal.

The second critical point is charging time. You can still fill up such a large amount of charge. It seems that the smartphone will need to be charged overnight for it to reach 100 percent. But, fortunately, there is fast charging.

Vernee Thor E can charge in just 2 hours and all thanks to a high voltage current of 9 V and 2 A. The power is 18 W.

By the way, Thor E has one interesting function. The manufacturer calls it E Ink mode. The smartphone screen switches to black and white mode, thereby significantly saving battery power. There is even an official statement on this matter - the smartphone, even on the remaining 20 percent of the charge, should work in this mode for one full day. This monochrome madness also looks funny.

Otherwise, what we have in front of us is not much of a budget employee. The rear camera is 13 megapixels, and the front has a 5 megapixel sensor. Yes, this is interpolation from 8 and 2 megapixels, but still. There is 3 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of built-in storage is enough for most tasks.

Of course, the smartphone supports 4G networks. All our bands are present (1, 3, 7, 20), so you don’t have to worry about communication.

And now about the differences. The most important advantage of the Thor E over the Xiaomi Redmi 4X is its battery capacity. The Chinese competitor has 4,100 mAh, versus 5,020 for our hero. The second key difference is the shell, which is as close as possible to Android 7.0. To the system as it was conceived at Google. And the third advantage is cost.

The Vernee Thor E will retail for $99.99. You won't have to wait long, because the sale will start tomorrow. The only thing is that there will only be 1,000 pieces in stock. It would seem like a lot, but Aliexpress, where the smartphone will be sold, is known all over the world, so such a volume can easily be snapped up quickly.

Sale Vernee Thor E Other devices from Vernee The material was prepared with the support of the online store Gearbest.com

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	70.1 mm (millimeters) 7.01 cm (centimeters) 0.23 ft (feet) 2.76 in (inches)
Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use.	144 mm (millimeters) 14.4 cm (centimeters) 0.47 ft (feet) 5.67 in (inches)
Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement.	8.2 mm (millimeters) 0.82 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.32 in (inches)
Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement.	149 g (grams) 0.33 lbs 5.26 oz (ounces)
Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.	82.77 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.03in³ (cubic inches)
Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale.	Black Grey
Materials for making the case Materials used to make the device body.	Plastic Metal

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies.	GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz
W-CDMA W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) is an air interface used by 3G mobile networks, and is one of the three main air interfaces of UMTS, along with TD-SCDMA and TD-CDMA. It provides even higher data transfer speeds and the ability to connect more consumers at the same time.	W-CDMA 900 MHz W-CDMA 2100 MHz
LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced.	LTE 800 MHz LTE 1800 MHz LTE 2100 MHz LTE 2600 MHz

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation.	MediaTek MT6753
Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor.	28 nm (nanometers)
Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications.	ARM Cortex-A53
Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors.	64 bit
Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute.	ARMv8-A
Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2.	32 kB + 32 kB (kilobytes)
Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory.	512 kB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes)
Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel.	8
CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	1300 MHz (megahertz)
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc.	ARM Mali-T720 MP3
Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications.	3
GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).	450 MHz (megahertz)
Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted.	3 GB (gigabytes)
Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device.	LPDDR3
Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates.	Single channel
RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data.	666 MHz (megahertz)

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends.	IPS
Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches.	5 in (inches) 127 mm (millimeters) 12.7 cm (centimeters)
Width Approximate screen width	2.45 in (inches) 62.26 mm (millimeters) 6.23 cm (centimeters)
Height Approximate screen height	4.36 in (inches) 110.69 mm (millimeters) 11.07 cm (centimeters)
Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side	1.778:1 16:9
Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail.	720 x 1280 pixels
Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail.	294 ppi (pixels per inch) 115 ppcm (pixels per centimeter)
Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display.	24 bit 16777216 flowers
Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device.	68.5% (percent)
Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics.	Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance
	2.5D curved glass screen Full Lamination Technology 1500:1 contrast ratio Viewing angle - 178°

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Sensor model	Samsung S5K4H5YC
Sensor type	CMOS BSI (backside illumination)
Sensor size	3.6 x 2.7 mm (millimeters) 0.18 in (inches)
Pixel size	1.103 µm (micrometers) 0.001103 mm (millimeters)
Crop factor	9.61
Diaphragm	f/2.4
Focal length	3.5 mm (millimeters) 33.65 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame)
Flash type The most common types of flashes in mobile device cameras are LED and xenon flashes. LED flashes produce softer light and, unlike brighter xenon flashes, are also used for video shooting.	LED
Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of mobile device cameras is their resolution, which shows the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image.	3264 x 2448 pixels 7.99 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with the device.	1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels)
Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at the maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video shooting and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p.	30fps (frames per second)
Characteristics Information about other software and hardware features related to the main camera and improving its functionality.	Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer Scene Selection Mode Macro mode
	Interpolated resolution - 13 MP

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the photo sensor used in the device's camera.	SuperPix SP2509
Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device.	CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor)
Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer higher image quality despite the lower resolution.	2.8 x 2.1 mm (millimeters) 0.14 in (inches)
Pixel size The smaller pixel size of the photosensor allows more pixels per unit area, thereby increasing resolution. On the other hand, a smaller pixel size can have a negative impact on image quality at high ISO levels.	1.75 µm (micrometers) 0.00175 mm (millimeters)
Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor of a particular device.	12.36
Diaphragm Aperture (f-number) is the size of the aperture opening that controls the amount of light reaching the photosensor. A lower f-number means the aperture opening is larger.	f/2.4
Focal length Focal length is the distance in millimeters from the photosensor to the optical center of the lens. The equivalent focal length is also indicated, providing the same field of view with a full frame camera.	3.5 mm (millimeters) 43.27 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame)
Image Resolution Information about the maximum resolution of the additional camera when shooting. In most cases, the resolution of the secondary camera is lower than that of the main camera.	1600 x 1200 pixels 1.92 MP (megapixels)
Video resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution when shooting video with an additional camera.	640 x 480 pixels 0.31 MP (megapixels)
Video - frame rate/frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the secondary camera when shooting video at the maximum resolution.	30fps (frames per second)
	Interpolated resolution - 5 MP

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours.	5020 mAh (milliamp-hours)
Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices.	Li-polymer
2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network.	36 h (hours) 2160 min (minutes) 1.5 days
2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network.	720 h (hours) 43200 min (minutes) 30 days
3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network.	36 h (hours) 2160 min (minutes) 1.5 days
3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network.	720 h (hours) 43200 min (minutes) 30 days
Adapter output power Information about the electrical current (measured in amperes) and electrical voltage (measured in volts) that the charger supplies (power output). Higher power output ensures faster battery charging.	5 V (volts) / 2 A (amps) 7 V (volts) / 2 A (amps) 9 V (volts) / 2 A (amps) 12 V (volts) / 1.5 A (amps)
Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery.	Fast charging Fixed

• Class: smartphone
• Case materials: metal, plastic and glass
• Operating system: Google Android 6.0
• Network: 2G/3G/4G (bends 1/3/7/20), two SIM cards
• Processor: 8 cores, MediaTek MT6753
• RAM: 3 GB
• Data storage memory: 16 GB
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
• Screen: capacitive, IPS 5"" with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels
• Camera: 13 MP with autofocus + 5 MP, flash
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS
• Additionally: proximity and lighting sensors, fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, lithium polymer (Li-Pol) with a capacity of 5020 mAh
• Dimensions: 144 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm
• Weight: 149 g

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone
• Network adapter
• USB cable
• Warranty card
• Instructions

Introduction

Last year, one of the Chinese companies offered a smartphone called Thor for review. Frankly speaking, I was skeptical, since the brand is completely unknown, the technical characteristics are not bad, and the price is suspiciously low. As a result, after the review, the gadget passed all the tests and now “lives” with my relative for more than six months: Thor works, does not slow down, does not glitch, and receives updates.

Venree has announced another Thor, only with the E prefix. The new product has a different appearance and, most importantly, a more capacious 5000 mAh battery. Now the gadget is easy to find for about $100, that is, only 6,000 rubles. It seems to me that buying a smartphone with Android 7.0, 8 cores, 3 GB of RAM, LTE and 5000 mAh is very good.

Design, dimensions, control elements

In terms of appearance, the Thor E device does not give the impression of something new and original (in fact, like almost any Chinese device). On the other hand, it is inexpensive, so it is forgivable.

The shape of the case is rectangular, the edges are not sharp, the side edges are smooth with slight bevels along the edges. The reverse side has sloping edges. At the top and bottom there are traditional plastic inserts in the color of the case, and the central part is made of brushed metal, rough to the touch. At the top of the back there is another decorative elongated (rectangular) transparent plastic panel with horizontal stripes.

The matrix is ​​protected by tempered glass (the manufacturer does not specify which one), and an oleophobic layer is applied on top to prevent fingerprints. The finger glides easily. In the kit you will receive a film for the screen.

The gadget is quite compact and lightweight - 144 x 70.1 x 8.2 mm and 149 grams, fits well in the hand and does not slip out.

Vernee is sold in two colors: black and gray. Not very funny, but it seems to me that the gadget will definitely not be bought because of its appearance.

Despite the simple design, the Thor E smartphone is assembled with very high quality: no backlash, creaks, or crackles when squeezed - a tightly assembled gadget.

The following elements are located on the front panel at the top: an indicator of missed events (visible from all angles of the device), sensors, and a speaker. The speaker has an average volume, the interlocutor can be heard clearly and intelligibly, there were no problems. It’s a little quiet to hear you, but overall it’s okay. Light and proximity sensors function adequately.

Below the display there are touch buttons: in the center is a round “Home” button, on the left is a menu or previously launched applications, and on the right is “Back”. Unfortunately, there is no backlight. In the settings it is easy to enable on-screen buttons, as well as swap the positions of the touch ones.

At the bottom you can find a microphone and a microUSB connector. It’s strange that it’s not USB type C...

On the right are the power button and volume rocker. They are almost recessed into the body, but they are easy to work with: clear and soft pressing, small stroke. On the left is a metal slide for a combined slot (nanoSIM+nanoSIM or nano+microSD) without any special features and an additional button to switch the phone to power saving mode.

At the top end there is only a 3.5 mm jack for connecting headphones.

On the reverse side there is a square-shaped camera lens and flash, and just below there is a fingerprint scanner (360 degree recognition, speed 0.1 s, 5 fingers), and a speakerphone.

Vernee and Apple iPhone 5

Display

This device uses a screen with a diagonal of 5 inches. Physical size – 62x110 mm, frame on top – 11 mm, bottom – 12 mm, on the right and left – approximately 4.5 mm. There is an anti-reflective coating, which is quite effective.

Vernee's Thor display resolution is HD, that is, 720x1280 pixels, aspect ratio is 16:9, density is 293 pixels per inch. LTPS Oncell matrix without air gap.

The maximum brightness of white color is 340 cd/m2, the maximum brightness of black color is 0.23 cd/m2, the contrast is almost 1500:1.

The brightness graph is within normal limits, the gamma is excellent around 2.15, in terms of color levels - everything is super, the temperature does not fluctuate at all. Based on the sRGB triangle, colors should be somewhat washed out, especially in dark greens and dark blues. Interestingly, the gray colors are correct! This is extremely rare.

The Vernee Thor matrix has good performance, the only negative is that the blue and green colors will not be as saturated as we would like.

Viewing Angles

Light exposure

In the sun

Battery

This model uses a non-removable lithium polymer (Li-Pol) battery with a capacity of 5020 mAh.

The manufacturer provides the following figures:

• 18 hours of video playback
• 36 hours of calls
• 72 hours in normal use
• 720 hours standby time

In my operating mode, the gadget functioned for 1.5 days: an hour of calls, constant synchronization with Wi-Fi (every day from 9.00 to 01.00, Twitter, mail, Skype, WhatsApp), 4-6 hours of LTE. The screen glows in this mode for up to 5 hours.

With games the situation is a little worse: the battery runs out after 5 hours of continuous “battle”. The video device plays for about 11 hours (HD).

Most likely, the new firmware will increase the operating time.

Included you will find a “fast charger” that can charge a 5000 mAh battery to 100% in just 1 hour and 30 minutes!

There is a mode for displaying information in a b/w version (called E-Ink), but I don’t see any point in it, since this is an IPS matrix, not AMOLED.

Communication capabilities

The device works not only in 2G/3G networks, but also 4G CAT 6:

• 2G: GSM 900/1900/2100MHz
• 3G: WCDMA 900/2100MHz
• 4G: FDD-LTE 800/1800/2100/2600MHz

In the settings, you can select Turbo mode, which will use not only the 4G network, but also Wi-Fi for downloading “heavy” files.

There is Wi-Fi standard b/g/n 2.4/5 GHz, Bluetooth version 4.0, OTG. In addition, the device can charge other devices, acting as a portable Powerbank. The smartphone sees both GPS and GLONASS. Satellites are determined very quickly and accurately, but sensitivity varies from 6 to 18 satellites.

Memory and memory card

Surprisingly, for just 6,000 rubles you can still find a decent smartphone with three gigabytes of LPDDR3 RAM. Naturally, this amount of RAM is enough for all the tasks that such a device must cope with. The built-in memory is 16 GB, which means that you will have to take a memory card in any case. The maximum volume is 128 GB.

Cameras

Two cameras: main 13 MP (real resolution 8 MP, aperture F2.6), front 5 MP (real resolution 2 MP, F2.1). The flash has one color.

I liked the main camera: fast, accurate, low noise, and “draws” colors beautifully. In general, for its $100 it delivers 100% quality.

Video is recorded in FullHD resolution at 30 frames, regardless of lighting level. The quality of the videos is normal, the exposure changes abruptly, the sound is so-so (loud, but not very high quality). Night videos are too dark, but there is no noise or artifacts.

The front camera takes satisfactory pictures. The videos are released in a resolution of only 640x480 at 30 FPS.

Sample photos

Performance

The device is built on a 64-bit 8-core chipset from the Taiwanese company MediaTek – MT6753. ARM Cortex-A53 processor (28 nm), clock frequency of each core is 1.5 GHz. ARM Mali-T720 is used for graphics.

If there are no questions about the speed of animation and the general operation of the device, then not everything is so good with games: many of them run only on medium or even low settings, certain animations and textures are missing, and there are stutters.