Kogan’s Agora low-cost smartphone
offers a mixed bag of features, but the rare ability to support two SIMs
Basic Android
Android 4.0 is barely skinned, making for a
light touch appearance and an easy to use device lacking the gaudy effects so
often seen on the more budget-minded devices
All the basics
Given its low cost, it is good to see all
the basic smartphone features are present and correct
The big screen
The screen is vast considering the cost of
this handset, with five diagonal inches of viewing space on offer. However the
resolution is somewhat lower than you’d expect at this size
Kogan
Agora - A Big Screen Android Mobile
Front facing camera
The front camera is a very basic 0.3
megapixel effort. It’s passable for video calling but you won’t want to use it
for anything else
Two SIMs
The Kogan Agora has support for two SM
cards, which is ideal if you have separate numbers ter work and persona: use
but only want one phone. it does limit the device to a SIM-free purchase only,
however
Decent build
The phone is plastic, as you'd expect at
this price point but the build quality Is pretty decent, especially with the
textured back panel
Two cameras
There are two cameras present. The main one
shoots at five megapixels, which is more than you'll get in the HTC One,
although the “ultrapixel” concept doesn't really apply her
“This amounts to a pixel density of
just 200ppi, a throwback to previous generations”
Kogan isn’t a name you'd normally associate
with smartphones, and its aggressively priced Agora is the first to become
available in the UK. Does it do enough to establish Kogan as a force to be
reckoned with?
Well, Kogan has managed to cram a five-inch
screen, dual-SIM support, dual-core processor and a pretty neat design into a
handset that it is selling for a mere $119. Really, with just those basic
specifications listed many people will be reaching straight for their wallets.
But, as ever, the devil is in the detail and it is worth looking closer to see
if, even at such a seemingly bargain price, you get good value for money here.
Dual-SIM support is rare enough in any
handset and to see it pop up in such a low-cost phone is a real treat. The
software support for a double SIM setup is good and you could easily combine
work and home SIMs, or save the second slot for the cheap local SIM you buy
when you are travelling and don’t want to get stung by roaming costs. It’s a
nice option to have.
When you are using two SIMs, it is easy to
decide which SIM to use for different services -SMS, voice calls, video calls
and so on, so you can make the most economic choices easily.
Of course there are compromises. There are
always going to be compromises when you are looking at a high specced handset
that is this affordable. The screen is a case in point - it gives with one hand
and takes away with the other. The fact that it measures five inches is likely
to be a real draw, putting it line with devices like the Galaxy S4 or Xperia Z,
but it is short on pixels with only 800 x 600 on offer. This amounts to a pixel
density of just 200ppi, a throwback to previous generations, and has a quite
serious effect on view ability, with text often lacking crispness. There’s
something odd about the colors too -they look faded rather than vibrant.
This
would have had the effect of giving the phone a more high-end look without any
real extra effort on the design
While neither of these is a disaster, we
wonder whether Kogan might have been better off dropping down to 4.5 or even
4.3 inches to make more of the pixel count by getting a higher dots per inch
rating. This would have had the effect of giving the phone a more high-end look
without any real extra effort on the design.
You do get two cameras though. A
front-facing 0.3-megapixel camera is complemented by a five megapixel one on
the rear. That’s about what we'd expect for a low-cost handset, but the results
aren't great. There’s a lot of compression, and the camera struggles with wide
variations of lighting. It's serviceable for quick snaps and photos look
respectable when viewed on the phone itself, but it is far from the best we've
seen and it's unlikely you'll be treasuring your shots from this device for
years to come.
The Android version is 4.0 which is
slightly below the top of the range, but fine for most people. It is barely
skinned. This means you have to download Google Chrome, but it also means
there’s no software bloat here. Kogan has added a couple of little extras
though, including a useful file manager and a keyboard replacement.
The dual-core processor is only supported
by 512MB of RAM and that really does make a difference. There are short waits
at times, and when you flick from the home screen to the apps drawer there can
be an odd little moment when you are looking at giant icons as the screen
resolves itself to the right size. Memory-hungry apps like Chrome also don't
perform optimally with these limitations. This is actually the most significant
irritation of the Kogan Agora. We're sure many users would have been prepared
to pay a little extra for 1GB of RAM and in the process get past the ever
present waits and slow downs. But compromises are essential with budget
devices, it just depends which you are willing to live with.
The
dual-core processor is only supported by 512MB of RAM and that really does make
a difference.
The usual suspects are all here in terms of
general specifications. Bluetooth. Wi-Fi. an FM ratio and GPS all get ticks.
The more fancy features such as HDMI. NFC and 4G support are absent though. And
it is worth making special note of the fact that one of those SIM slots only
supports 2G while the other is full 3G.
Kogan Agora
Information
·
Price $180
·
More information www .kogan.com
Technical specs
·
Operating system: Android 4.0
·
Processor: Dual-core LOG Hz
·
Memory: 466 storage
·
Dimensions: 142.8 x 80 x 9.8mm
·
Weight: 180g
·
Display size: Five-inch
·
Display resolution: 800 x 480 pixels
·
Expanse slot: SD
Performance: 3/5
·
Judders dog performance due in part to a
shortage of RAM
Design: 4/5
·
Neat design with well-located buttons and
connectors
Features: 3/5
·
The screen is large but the resolution does
not make full use of it
Value for money: 3/5
·
The dual-SIM feature is appealing, and the
phone is very cheap
Verdict: 3/5
·
A mixed bag-the phone is not as good as the
basic specs make it appear, but it is good value for money
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