Introduction
This is the
CUBOT X18.
Hardware
In the last few weeks many 18:9 devices started to appear, some of them copying the Galaxy S8 design, others just using a "taller than usual" screen in a pretty standard body. The CUBOT X18 covers the last case, with a 18:9 design but an already known design, similar to most CUBOTs. It runs on a Mediatek MT6737T with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of Storage, with a 1440x720 HD+ 5.7" screen with the aspect ratio i mentioned before.
Unboxing
Following previous CUBOTs, also this one comes with almost no accessories: 1x Micro-USB Cable, 1x 5V/1A USB Charger, 1x Quick Start Guide, 2x Certification Papers, 1x TPU Cover, and the Smartphone (of course). A screen protector is already applied.
Keeping the good and old removable back cover, most of the times, forces the company to use a plastic body instead of metal, and with the last few models from CUBOT this is something always present. Even though there is no metal for the body, the device feels solid, build quality is OK (the back cover should be more polished) and there is no flex at all.
It is 16.00x7.39x0.92cm, tall and narrow as you would expect from this type of screen, but due to the generous bezels, it is even taller than usual, with a weight of 175g.
On the front side there is the nowadays standard 2.5D Curved Display and the upper front side of the device features a Front-Facing Camera supported by a small Flashlight, an Earpiece, and the Sensors hole that includes Light, Proximity and Gesture Sensors. A Notification LED is here, but it only supports one color: blue.
On the lower front side there isn't anything at all because on-screen software keys are used instead, even though there is so much wasted space here...
On the back side there is the removable back cover, the most glossy plastic cover i have ever seen.
The upper rear side of the device features the camera sensor (pretty similar to a Galaxy S1) supported by Single-LED (no Dual-Tone) Flashlight.
On the lower rear side there are just some Certification Logos with the CUBOT brand because the Speaker is placed near the Micro-USB port.
Device
Screen
Compared to another device i reviewed with a similar screen, the one used by CUBOT on this device is great, with excellent color reproduction, decent white balance and no visible gap between the screen and the glass. Definitely an high-quality one.
Light Sensor supports smooth light changes, this is its maximum brightness. Sufficient for outdoor usage.
Viewing Angles are as good as you would expect from an IPS screen.
Camera
First of all, it is important to report that on CUBOT's website it is reported a Samsung sensor for the front camera but, as you will notice, i am not able to confirm that.
This is where it is easily noticeable that we are dealing with a cost-friendly device. Even though the back camera sensor is a decent Sony IMX135, photos quality isn't great. Sometimes there is lots of noise while shooting photos outdoors. Let's say an usable camera for some random shots, not a camera phone.
Some photos look over-exposed even with HDR, while photos indoors look almost impressive, especially macros.
The little single-LED flashlight is just enough to help the sensor in low-light conditions, i would have preferred something more powerful.
As regards Video Recording, the camera is able to record 1080p Videos at ~25FPS, and the quality is decent.
With an OmniVision 8MP camera sensor for the front, i would have expected some great photos, but, again, the noise level is high. Hopefully a software update will reduce it. The front-facing flashlight is working fine, nothing to complain about. Also, as you can notice, it seems to be a wide-angle variant.
Audio
Speaker's quality is average, with the usual lack of low-frequencies and a medium volume. The same can't be said for the Earpiere though, that is just perfect, one of the best i have ever tested.
As regards the Microphone, it seems to be a bit "quiet", but it is perfectly usable. It may get better with an OTA update.
GPS
GPS Quality is pretty good, with GLONASS support and high accuracy even indoors.
Indoors on the left, outdoors on the right.
Telephony, Mobile Network & WiFi
Testing all smartphones in the same position, i am able to get a precise measurement of the signal level thus the maximum speed reached in 4G. Its signal reception is average, not the best neither the worst.
4G Network Speed is decent, i might have expected an higher result but it isn't that bad.
This device doesn't support WiFi Dual Band (5GHz). Connected to my 2.4GHz network, it manages to obtain a pretty standard result, almost the maximum possible on this network.
Battery Life
Battery Capacity matches the declared value (measured 3295mAh, declared 3200mAh), with a little extra juice i find on almost all CUBOT devices. Always appreciated.
Considering the battery capacity and the screen size, this PCMark Battery Test result is as good as i would have expected, getting just a bit higher than 9 hours.
With a small 5V/1A charger it is impossible to expect any type of fast charging, neither it is possible to improve the situation by using a more powerful charger since it is limited via software. Expect more than 3 hours to charge the device completely.
Software
Something i always appreciate about CUBOT is the lack of software customization in all devices they release, and this one is no exception. Running on Android 7.0 Nougat with no bloatware pre-installed, there are no lags noticeable at all, buttery-smooth everywhere.
MiraVision is here, but other Mediatek's features such as double tap-to-wake or gestures are missing.
Unfortunately there is no Compass/Magnetometer and Gyroscope here.
No malwares detected using Malware-Bytes Anti-Malware app.
The fingerprint scanner is accurate but not super-fast to unlock the device, as you can notice. It can be configured as easily as on all modern Android devices.
