Coolpad Max First Impression – A Tough Sell At 25K

Main Image
  • Like
  • Comment
  • Share

Coolpad today presented a very ambitious handset – The Max, in India. An online exclusive handset which costs 25k, coming from Coolpad camp, which usually launches affordable handsets under 10k, is sure to raise quite a few eyebrows. Coolpad, however, is optimistic and believes people will be drawn to its unique and innovative “Dual in One” feature. Let’s discuss.

Also read: Coolpad Tries To Keep Note 3 Relevant With The Note 3 Plus

Coolpad Max

Coolpad Max Specifications and Features: 

Model Coolpad Max
Display 5.5-Inch, 1080p Full HD resolution Display, curved 2.5D glass, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Processor 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617, Adreno 405 GPU
RAM 4GB
Internal Storage 64GB, microSD slot (Hybrid)
Software Android 5.1 Lollipop based Cool UI
Primary Camera 13MP, PDAF, Dual tone LED Flash, F2.0 aperture lens
Secondary Camera 5MP
Battery 2800 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
Others 4G Dual SIM LTE, Fingerprint sensor
Price 24,999 INR

What’s Coolpad Dual in One feature all about?

The “Dual in One” feature essentially refers to two phones in one. This is done by segregating storage in two parts  –  Home and Private. So, you can install Facebook app in both storage spaces and sign-in with different IDs. You are allowed to have 2 of each app. Or two phones in one, as Coolpad puts it.

Coolpad Max display
Notice the Home and Private key Icon on the bottom-right

A simple tap on home screen icon lets you switch between the two. This means two people can use same app without logging in and out again and again. Or you can have separate work and private accounts logged in simultaneously on your phone. Sounds good. BUT….

You can get most of that just by making separate users account on your stock Android Lollipop+ phone (just pull the notification shade and find the option in the top right corner) or by using guest mode in many custom skins. You may also use apps like parallel spaces to achieve similar goal. Also rooted users can always use titanium backup to create multiple app profiles. Point being, there are always other ways to do that. That’s the beauty of Android.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Coolpad’s implementation, where the dual in one feature is integrated as system level, definitely has some perks. You can share files between two spaces or can hide one partition completely to keep things private, opt out of notifications from one partition, and it works for all apps.

Design and Display

The Coolpad Max will be available in Rose gold and Royal gold colors. The Rose Gold variant has white fascia and white antenna bands. The Royal gold model is golden on both front and back, with black antenna bands. The latter looked better in our opinion.

Coolpad Max
Coolpad Max

As far as design goes, Coolpad Max is a slim metal unibody phone that plays by the book. There are no design surprises, and everything looks pretty familiar. There is a rear mounted fingerprint sensor that felt very fast and accurate, an appealing 2.5D Gorilla Glass 4 layered on the display, and curved metal side edges which make room for all slots, and dual speaker grills at the bottom on either side of regular Type A USB port (which is more convenient than USB type C at this point of time).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Navigation keys are on-screen, and you can also customize their order from settings. The display, again, isn’t particularly stunning and that could be a problem at 25K. Whites are tinged with blue as is usually customary in budget handsets. Color saturation and contrast seemed good. Since it is a full HD panel, sharpness isn’t an issue.

Camera Expectations

Coolpad Max
Coolpad Max

The primary rear camera module includes a 13MP ICOSELL CMOS sensor, dual tone LED flash, F2.0 aperture lens and PDAF. Whether or not that translates to anything meaningful can only be determined after a full review. We took some shots in low-lighting at the event venue, and most of them turned out pretty decent. Take a look at some camera samples below.

Also Read: Moto G4 Plus First Impression – Plus Features, Minus Charm

Coolpad Max Camera Samples

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Performance Expectations

The Coolpad Max employs Snapdragon 617 octa-core chipset, the same one as in recently launched Moto G4 Plus. The chipset works well on Moto G (except for heating with extensive gaming) and here it is aided with more RAM (4GB) and Storage (64GB eMMc 5.0), and thus if UI plays by the rules, performance shouldn’t disappoint basic or moderate users. At the same time, more powerful chips like Snapdragon 652 and Snapdragon 820 are already selling for about the same price and that could be a potential deal-breaker for many.

Coolpad Max
Coolpad Max

The chipset will sip power from a modest 2800 mAh battery, but there is Quick Charge 3.0 support to quickly replenish lost battery juice.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J5 (2016) First Impression – Iterative Refinement

Conclusion

The only ace up Coolpad Max’s sleeve is its unique Dual in One feature. Which, as discussed, has workable alternatives. That places Max in a tough spot. It’s not a bad phone, but for now, it seems Coolpad might find it difficult to convince Indian buyers to shell out 25k, but our opinion might very well change once we have examined it closely in our own space.

Deepak SinghDeepak Singh
Deepak has more than 8 years of experience in covering technology for several eminent publications in India. He currently leads an enthusiastic team of young writers at Smartprix and tries to uphold the highest quality standards.

Related Articles

ImageSamsung Galaxy Watch Sleep Tracking Not Working? Try These 9 Fixes

Sleep tracking is one of the most vital health monitoring data that you get from your smartwatch. Your sleep data tells a lot about your overall mental and physical well-being. If you have a Galaxy Watch that’s not recording your sleep, then you are not alone. Many users have reported issues with sleep tracking on …

ImageCoolpad Cool 3 with Waterdrop Notch Launched in India at Rs. 5,999

Coolpad is back in India with its entry-level Cool 3. The phone has a trendy water-drop notch and is priced at Rs. 5,999. The company had launched three Mega smartphones in December 2018, but apart from these, Coolpad was pretty much absent from the smartphone sphere. ALSO READ: Xiaomi Redmi Go (Android Go) is Official in Europe …

ImageCoolpad Note 8 launched as Paytm Mall Exclusive in India

Coolpad launches its successor to the Coolpad Note 6 launched earlier this year. This new device will be referred to as Coolpad Note 8 and will be sold in India online as a Paytm Mall exclusive. Coolpad Note 8 Features Coolpad Note 8 boasts a 5.99-inch 18:9 aspect ratio Full HD Display. It has MediaTek MT6750 …

ImageThis Qualcomm SoC Will Power Samsung & Google’s Vision Pro Competition

In 2023, Apple leaped in terms of innovation when the brand announced its first Mixed Reality Headset, Apple Vision Pro. The headset will reportedly start selling in February this year and is loaded with never-seen-before features. Now, to give a tough fight to Apple Vision Pro, leading chipmaker Qualcomm has launched its VR Chipset- Snapdragon …

ImageXiaomi SU7 and SU7 Max EVs – Range, Top Speed, Colors, and More Unveiled

Xiaomi, a renowned player in the smartphone and consumer electronics industry, has officially stepped into the electronic vehicle market with the pre-launch of its Xiaomi SU7 and SU7 Max electric vehicles. These cutting-edge EVs come packed with remarkable features, boasting an impressive maximum range of 800 km and achieving rapid acceleration from 0 to 100 …

Discuss

1 Comment
User
Waseem
Anonymous
7 years ago

Now it’s reduced to 14k I find battery is bit low according to the fully loaded other features.. 26-09-2016

Reply