iOcean X8 – Review
I’ve been wanting to try out an iOcean product for some time now, but they tend to favour the 900/2100 WCDMA frequencies. When I saw that the iOcean X8 was available in a 850/2100 Mhz WCDMA as well , I couldn’t resist. The X8 is a slick looking phone with Gorilla Glass on both the front and the back of the device. With it’s stylish appearance and nice specs, I was hoping for a good experience. Here is my full review.
Unboxing
I bought the IOcean X8 from 1949deal and had it shipped by EMS. After a few days for processing it shipped and took about a week and a half to arrive. When I opened the package, the device was so well protected with bubble wrap it took me quite some time to get into it (that is a compliment to the seller not a complaint).
The box was white with X8 written on the top and some specs listed on the bottom. Among the information listed there was the supported frequencies. Under WCDMA it says 850/2100 OR 900/2100, so make sure you get the correct version for your area. Inside was the X8, an English instruction manual, SIM ejection tool, micro USB cable and wall charger adapter. There was also a screen protector, and hard snap on case. I didn’t order either so they were provided as a bonus by iOcean or by 1949deal.
You can check out the unboxing video here.
Specs
- 5.7″ 1080p display with Gorilla Glass
- Mediatek MT6592 octa core clocked at 1.7 Ghz
- 2GB of RAM
- 32GB of storage
- 5MP front and 13 MP rear cameras
- 2650 mAh battery
You can watch the full video review here.
Physical Features
The iOcean X8 measures 79.1 x 159 x 7.7 mm and weights 172 grams. On the left side near the top is the SIM slot, that takes micro or nano SIM cards.
On the right side is the power button that is located just below the volume rocker.
The bottom of the device has the micro USB and the loud speaker.
At the top you’ll find the 3.5 mm jack.
As you look at the front of the device the 5 MP camera is located to your left side.
Looking at the back of the device the 13 MP camera and flash are also located to your left.
The iOcean X8 does feel a little heavy but it also feels very solid and well built.
Display
The iOcean x8 has a 5.7 ich 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD that produces 386 ppi. The screen is very bright and produces beautiful colours. Overall it is a very vivid screen that reminds me of the Zopo ZP998. There were several instances were I thought the screen was a little too sensitive but that could have just been me getting use to the device or software in need of tweaking.
Software
The X8 ships with Android 4.2.2 but there is a 4.4 KitKat update in beta that should be available soon. The theme of the ROM is almost identical to that of the Zopo ZP998. Icons look great, and the general Android pulldown menu and settings menu are standard but default to a white background giving it a fresh look. The stock launcher works fairly well with only occasional and very slight lag. If it bothers you, it can easily be swapped out for something from the app store. The only gltich I found in the ROM is the battery indicator likes to occasionally only show the device as 98% charged even though it is completely charged. It didn’t seem to effect the actual battery usage times so I really didn’t worry about it. The Google Play store comes already loaded on the phone.
Wi-Fi
The X8 is listed as having both 2,4 and 5 Ghz Wi-Fi. The results were very good and I didn’t have any problems with the Wi-Fi. I tested both Wi-Fi connections in thre locations. Beside the router, the furthest point of my upstairs level, and the furthest point in my basement.
2.4 Ghz
Router = 34.54 mbps
Upstairs = 25.34 mbps
Basement = 20.21 mbps
5 Ghz
Router= 33.20 mbps
Upstairs= 18.66 mbps
Basement = 8.94 mbps
The iOcean X8 has very strong Wi-Fi capabilities. As expected the 2.4 Ghz travels better but the 5 Ghz still worked very well everywhere in my home.
Call quality
The X8 sounds good on both ends and doesn’t display any of the “too quiet” behavior that some other Mediatek devices are known for. It’s really just preference and can be adjusted through engineering mode or with the MobileUncle app if you are rooted.
Speakers
The loud speaker is located on the bottom of the device, which I like. You can simply put the phone down and not have to worry about the speaker getting muffled. I tested it with a wide variety of music, video clips, and movies. The speaker is clear and sounds fairly good, but it’s just a tad too quiet. As long as you don’t have any requirements for the speaker being very loud, you’ll be fine.
Video Playback
I tested the phones video playback capabilities using VLC player and a variety of different file formats. I’ve used a variety of Mediatek MT6592 devices and got pretty much what I expected. Everything, including HD, played smoothly with no stuttering. The good playback results along with the devices gorgeous display makes watching HD movies a very nice experience.
Web Browsing
I tested the X8 out by browsing the web using Maxthon browser. As expected the experience was a good one. Load times were quick, and overall everything was fast and smooth.
Cameras
The iOcean X8 has a 5 MP front camera that is fairly unique, it offers auto focus. Looking to step up the quality of your selfies? This could do it. Auto focus on a camera, genius.
The 13 MP rear camera does a nice job outdoors or in very well lit areas. It doesn’t do so well once things get dimmer. This is likely due to the f/2.4 aperture. In a world were many of the phones cameras are sporting f/2.0 or even f/1.8, it’s too bad iOcean chose to go this route. The camera is better than those found in low end devices but I would only call it O.K. That is unless all of your photography is done outdoors or in well lit areas.
GPS
The first lock on the iOcean took less than 30 seconds and cold locks since then have been less than 10 seconds, even in airplane mode. The device is quick to lock on an app, but I l’ve started taking the device for a test drive to make sure it works in the real world. I performed the test with Navfree since it uses pre downloaded maps and doesn’t use data to gain assistance. The X8 locked on quickly and worked well on the trip. Voice prompts were in the right locations and I felt confident in the directions the GPS was giving me.
Benchmarks
The iOcean X8 did very well in the benchmarks. I was especially surprised with the Nenamark 2 results considering it has a 1080p screen.
Antutu
27,948
This puts the X8 ahead of the Note 2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, and Nexus 4.
Nenamark 2
58.3 fps
Many of the earlier 1080p Mediatek MT6592 devices were hard pressed to reach 50 fps, so this score is pretty good in my eyes.
CPU Prime
6221
Vellamo
HTML 5
2008
Metal
638
Battery
I was a little concerned about the 2650 mAh battery in the X8 due to the slightly larger 5.7″ 1080p display. Since the phone is a sealed unit, the battery is non-removable so you can’t battery swap if needed. Fortunately the phone did alright in the battery test. With moderate use the phone easily made it through a full day. When I put it on a video loop using VLC player and setting the brightness to auto the phone lasted 6 hours. For some reason my battery monitoring app had an issue and didn’t register the screen time, but as you can see the Wi-Fi and radio times are listed as 6 hours. Not bad.
Gaming
I tested the iOcean X8 with Go Go Ghost and Into the Dead on the easier side of things with no issues. For a bit more of a challenge I tested Front Line Commando 2, Dead Trigger 2, and Asphalt 8. As per normal the MT6592 drops the default graphics down a notch on more demanding titles to ensure the best experience. All these titles played well and looked great on the X8′s nice display.
Final thoughts
Pro’s
- Stylish design with Gorilla Glass on the front and back of the phone
- Beautiful display
- Good performance for the cost
- GPS works out of the box
- Auto focus on front camera
- Very strong Wi-Fi results
- Android KitKat update coming soon
Con’s
- 13 MP rear camera could have been better
- No expansion slot (although you do get 32GB built in)
- Even though the 2650 mAh battery did alright when tested, I would have gladly accepted an extra 1 mm in the devices thickness to have a 3000+ mAh battery
- No LTE
iOcean have done a good job with X8 by making it stylish yet capable. The ROM is pleasing to the eye and when combined with the vivid display, it really does draw you in. I feel the battery could have been bigger and I would have liked to see a 3000 mAh included, but that is just me nit picking.
The only big let down for me was the rear camera. iOcean took the time to design a unique device that functions well and then opted for an average camera at best. Perhaps with the Medaitek LTE capable chips starting to hit the market, iOcean can upgrade the camera add LTE and offer a refined version of what is other wise a well rounded phone.
