The Verykool SL5000 is an affordable alternative to other Android smartphones in the market right now. I snapped up this little guy to see how it compares to my Nexus 5 and other Android phones that I’ve used in the past. It packs quite a feature set for an unlocked phone at good price, so let’s take a look.Note: Images can be clicked on to view a larger size.
Included in the box is the SL5000, a simple set up manual, screen protector, microUSB cable, headphones, and USB charger.
Technical specifications:
BAND 4G LTE
3G Triple Band; HSPA+
2G Quad Band GSM/GPRS/EDGE
OS Android 4.4 KitKat
CPU 1.2GHz Quad-Core CPU – Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 Processor
BATTERY 2,000 mAh Li-Ion
Talk time: Up to 8 hours on 3G
Standby time: Up to 240 hours (10 days) on 3G
SCREEN 5.0″ IPS-LCD Capacitive Touch (480 x 854 Pixels, 198 ppi)
Tempered Glass
CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, USB Tethering
CAMERA 8MP rear camera and 2MP front camera
MEMORY 1GB RAM
4GB ROM, 2GB internal storage, external (T-Flash) up to 64GB
MULTIMEDIA MP3, FM Radio, Audio/Video (720p) recording and conferencing
GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, Ambient light, Gravity, and Proximity sensors, LED Torch, FM Radio
Upon taking the SL5000 out of the box, I liked the size of the phone in my hand. The edges aren’t as sleek as the Nexus 5 (pictured above on the left), but it’s a smooth plastic and very lightweight. What I don’t like that much however, is the silver “painted” look on the sides.
To my surprise, I needed a full SIM card adapter to make my micro SIM work with the phone. I haven’t needed to use a full SIM in a long time! I like that there is an SD card slot for extra storage.
The power button is on the right side, and volume rockers are on the left.
The headset jack on the top, microUSB port and microphone are on the bottom.
The SL5000 has an 8MP back camera with LED flash. Here are some photo samples:
I wasn’t super impressed with the quality, perhaps because I’m a bit spoiled with other cameras on higher end smartphones, but it does get the job done. All of these were shot in an average lit room. I’m waiting for the day that an Android phone has a decent camera!
Using the phone was an alright experience. Making and receiving calls were fine (I have AT&T), and I didn’t have a problem with text messages or data when out and about. One thing I did have a terrible experience with however, is the GPS. Boy, it couldn’t find me no matter how hard I tried! I had to use my backup work phone to get me around because the GPS was so unreliable.
The worst feature about this phone is the pre-installed “Verykool Device Care” software. It’s supposed to give you important stats about the phone, including an “App Manager”, battery level, storage and RAM usage graphs, but all it did was get in the way!
See that corner there? It’s an ad. Constant ads on the app, which got in the way when trying to “use” this app. I couldn’t uninstall it via the Android settings either. Very annoying.
If I wanted information about the phone, it’s a bit easier to just go into Android device settings, then About phone.
Overall, using the Verykool phone was just an average experience. I’m glad I was able to get LTE, and decent battery life, but I rely on things like GPS and a decent camera, and this phone didn’t deliver. If you just need a basic smartphone, it might be alright, as long as you don’t need a camera or travel with GPS. For the current price of under $230, give it a look.
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Verykool company. Please visit Verykool‘s website for more info.
Product Information
| Price: | $229.80 |
| Manufacturer: | Verykool |
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| Cons: |
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