By Qadri Inzamam
One of the positives about Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad is that it targets customers looking for a decent phone in the sub-Rs 10,000 ($148) category.
From Note 3 to Mega 3 -- and other launches in between -- Coolpad smartphones have done well in the Indian market despite the competition from other Chinese phone-makers.
Coolpad Note 3s, priced at Rs 9,999, is a successor of the Coolpad Note 3. Here is what works for the device.
Encased in a visually appealing body, the device looks decent in the hand with its 5.5-inch IPD HD 2.5D curved display that exudes sharp colours and does not compromise on quality.
The device is powered by a 1.4Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 MSM8929 processor and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It packs a 3GB RAM and 32GB on-board storage, which can be expanded using a MicroSD card in the hybrid SIM card tray.
With these specifications, the device ran fine and showed no signs of sluggishness even when shuffling between multiple apps or when large-size games were played for a longer time. The phone did not heat up either.
With a 2,500mAh non-removable battery, Note 3S can run up to 10-15 hours with moderate use, but considering the screen-size, the battery may ditch users after continuous use for long hours. The device does not take much time to charge and goes from 0 to 100 in just 44 minutes.
The Coolpad Note 3S sports a 13MP rear camera that takes fine pictures in daylight. Its 5MP selfie-shooter also gave quality pictures in the daytime.
The fingerprint sensor at the back unlocks the device in a jiffy.
What does not work?
The 13MP rear camera fails when it shoots pictures in low-light, which reduces the details. Similarly, the front shooter failed our quality test in low-light conditions.
Coolpad did a great work in its Mega 3 device which had three SIM card slots. With only one hybrid tray, a user cannot simultaneously use two SIM cards and a MicroSD card.
Conclusion: For a customer looking for sub-Rs 10,000 category phone with good features and good performance, Coolpad Note 3S is worth the price. Also, it is a tough competitor for other phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (2GB, 16GB variant) in this price band.