Coolpad Mega 2.5D First Impression – Brings Popular Design Labels To Mass Market

The budget price market is where Coolpad’s stronghold lies. To further strengthen its bastion, the renowned Chinese smartphone maker today brought in the Mega 2.5D priced at 6,999 INR. If you have been keeping tabs, you would realize that the price clashes with Coolpad’s own Note 3 Lite, but then again the two products are very different. Superficially speaking, with the Mega 2.5 you get a bigger display, better aesthetics, and a more pro-selfie approach at the expense of a fingerprint reader.

We got to experience the new Coolpad Mega 2.5D at the launch, and here is what we observed.

Coolpad Mega 2.5D Specifications And Features

Coolpad Has Got The Design Right

After bringing a useful fingerprint sensor down to the mass market, Coolpad now attempts to bring together what are largely considered as ‘Premium design elements’ at a humble price point.

Now, we have always preached that an interesting design is more than just bringing together popular marketing labels. But, at the same time, the combination does add up to something pretty in this case.

As the name suggests, the Mega 2.5D has a 2.5D glass layered on the display. Speaking of which, the quality of 5.5-inch HD panel too felt better than what we usually come across in this price range. Bezels surrounding the display are quite narrow, and the side frame is made of metal (the back cover is plastic).

At 140 grams, Coolpad Mega 2.5D feels incredibly light for a phablet. The rear cover on our hands-on unit had Gold splashed on it, which I have personally grown to detest of late. But hey! There are White and Black color options to choose from as well.

The speaker grill is positioned on the rear, which is also the worst possible placement option (these are the things a good design should rather focus on).

All said and done, For an under 7K price, Coolpad has done a commendable job here. You aren’t likely to be disappointed by the way Mega 2.5D looks and feels in hands.

Camera Quality Might Not Be Groundbreaking

Another talking point today was the selfie camera. The Mega 2.5D employs an 8MP rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and 83.6-degree wide-angle lens. On the back side, Coolpad uses an 8MP Sony sensor also with a wide f/2.2 aperture lens.

It won’t be wise to formulate any conclusion based on our brief experience, but based on the precious little that we experienced we are not betting on camera quality defying usual market standards. We will reserve our final verdict till we test the camera hardware in different lighting conditions.

Cool UI Borrows A Few More Cool Features

“Custom interface is something through which a consumer interacts with a brand,” Syed Tajuddin, CEO, Coolpad India rightly stated during the keynote.

Coolpad new Marshmallow based Cool UI evolves further and incorporates options like vertical screenshots, single handed unlock and a new control center which can be dragged up from the bottom of the screen.

These software enhancement aren’t unheard of but still qualify as welcome changes.
When we reviewed the Note 3 Lite, we were bothered by the buggy software and if Coolpad manages to deliver a more refined user interface in the new iteration, it will indeed mark a notable progress.

Performance Expectations

Performance defining parameters like SoC, RAM, and ROM capacity are similar to Note 3 Lite. That is to say, we are expecting Mega 2.5D to hold more or less same horsepower, and that’s not a bad thing at all.

The 2500mAh battery might be a limitation, and how much of backup Coolpad can extract out of it is something we will be watching out for.

Overview

Based on our first encounter with Coolpad Mega 2.5D, we are optimistic that it will hold its ground well and be an easy recommendation for anyone who is on a tight budget. We will try and confirm our findings soon in our full review.