The Spanish company BQ, which entered the Russian market relatively recently, in the second half of 2015, is actively introducing its devices on the territory of the Russian Federation. And earlier this year, the company introduced a new flagship Aquaris x5 Plus.
Who is it?
It cannot be classified as a budget device, the official cost of a gadget varies from 18.5 to 23 thousand rubles, depending on the modification. BQ will surprise us with at least good performance and features that are not inferior to the flagships of the end of 2013.
So let’s talk about comparing Aquaris x5 Plus with iPhone 5s.
Design and equipment
Let’s go over the kit quickly, there is nothing special in it:
There are no headphones. BQ takes care of us and does not put 150 ruble plugs in the kit just for show. Thank you! True, the adapter was also not delivered. Charge how you want.
Aquaris has no outstanding design. On the contrary, the designers clearly drew inspiration from the iPhone 6 Plus. The same stripes, the same arrangement of keys. Unless the fingerprint scanner is located differently – on the back of the device. There is also a dual LED flash. And here’s another difference from the “six” – it is located under the camera, and not like many smartphones – on the side.
On the side is the power/unlock button and the volume rocker. Tactile sensations are pleasant: pressing is clear and precise. Fingers really feel comfortable sliding on a matte finish. I don’t feel like I’m about to drop my phone. Below is a standard MicroUSB connector, but decided to raise the 3.5 mm audio output to the top. Unusually after the iPhone, it was again to start sticking the headphones from above.
The case is made of good plastic, it does not blur and does not collect dirt. The design is solid, but the phone is not tightly assembled everywhere: the volume switch key backlashes, for example.
In terms of usability, the phone fits well in the hand. Surprised the convenience of use I did not expect such a 5-inch smartphone. After 5s, it was hard to get used to the first couple of hours, but then everything went like clockwork. And he twisted it, and spun it, whatever he did.
Specifications
Hardware and performance
Four Cortex-A72 cores and four other Cortex-A53 cores are chugging along to perform various tasks. Thanks to this tandem, the smartphone got the opportunity shoot 4K video and transfer data at speeds up to 300 Mbps (LTE Cat 7). In addition, there is support for fast charging Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 and even 3.0. In 40 minutes, you can safely raise the charge level from 0% to 100%.
BQ keeps up with current trends and equips the Aquaris x5 Plus NFC chip. Previously, only flagship solutions from major manufacturers could boast of this. But a trend is a trend – the chip is shoved into all devices from 15 thousand rubles.
We should also talk about the fingerprint scanner. If we compare it with the similar one on the iPhone 5s, then the iPhone “quietly smokes on the sidelines.” The BQ fingerprint sensor works with lightning speed: you just have to put your finger on it – the smartphone is already unlocked. A cool feature: you can unlock the gadget without turning on its screen first.
The internal performance of the smartphone pleases. Yes, I’m from the camp of people who say “Android only knows what to lag.” But I was wrong. Aquaris x5 Plus feels great with Android 6.0.1 on board. For 2 weeks of “test drive” I noticed sagging only once, and then there was a technical bug in the application. Optimization of hardware and software at BQ at a high level.
Geekbench gave me the result in 73939 scores on a performance test. A good indicator for a smartphone with an average price tag. Games that require high performance can be played, but not desirable. The same FIFA 16 smartphone simply will not pull out as it should.
But you can also play easier toys: Limbo, Does not Commute, Duet and so on.
The developers of the Spanish company added software “killer feature”: You can use the application within the application. Let’s say you have Chrome open, and the chat icon from Facebook Messenger hangs in the corner of the screen – click on it and the messenger opens on top of the browser. Convenient, cool, bold!
The battery does not melt before our eyes, like the iPhone 5s. Capacity 3200 mAh is enough for a couple of days of uninterrupted work in active mode. If you activate the low power mode, then the smartphone will last another day for sure.
Display
The smartphone is equipped with a 5″ screen with a FullHD resolution of 1920×1080, Quantum Color Plus technology and an oleophobic coating. The display is covered with Dinorex protective glass and supports up to 10 simultaneous touches. The glass is strong enough – scratches are not so easy to leave, scuffs are also not so easy to catch.
Unless, of course, you decide to hit it with a key, a hammer or something else – that’s another story.
He has decent viewing angles, good color reproduction, brightness can be unscrewed to an incredible level. The eyes will already begin to hurt from such power, but in the sun everything will be clearly visible. By the way, the anti-reflective coating here is good when compared with the iPhone 5s. True, the black screen is still a little more glare than the light one.
But nothing special stands out from the competition. In general, impressions from the display are positive.
Camera
The 16-megapixel Sony IMX298 module is used as the main one here:
With a sufficient level of lighting, the camera does not upset. What can not be said about the low level of illumination – constant noise on the entire screen, nothing is visible. The smartphone is not intended for night shooting.
Here’s what happened in the end:
The Aquaris x5 Plus camera is inferior in quality to the iPhone, but keeps the level. For a smartphone for 20 thousand rubles, this is a very good indicator. Panoramic and macro shooting are already better, I personally liked the result.
The pictures were taken in automatic mode, because I’m used to taking pictures on an iPhone this way: I point it and that’s it. And he, in turn, promptly selects the necessary algorithms. The tech part of the BQ camera app does a good job of this, but it will require some manual tweaking to get the best results.
What’s in the dry matter
BQ Aquaris x5 Plus – both an interesting and controversial smartphone. It seems that everything works fine, even the camera is not bad, but there is a feeling of deprivation. A smartphone cannot be categorized as a mythical “youth”. No, this is crazy nonsense. This is a very balanced device, worth the money.
The smartphone attracts with its good and modern filling, beautiful design and good battery. You can take it as a second phone, or even replace the iPhone 5s with it, if you only have enough money for a budget model.
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Artyom Bausov
@Dralker
Head of news, clickbait and typos. I love electrical engineering and do fire magic. Telegram: @TemaBausov
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