Cloudfone Excite 400d Surfaces, Cheapest 4.1 Jelly Bean Device in PH

A couple of months ago Cloudfone made waves with their Cloudfone Thrill 430x Android: It had and still has the biggest battery capacity in the local market. Now they’re making waves again with their latest entry in the market, the most affordable Jelly Bean device locally, the Cloudfone Excite 400d.

The Cloudfone Excite 400d is nothing revolutionary in terms of hardware: It sports the nowadays ordinary 1GHz dual-core MTK 6577 processor, 512MB RAM, and a 4-inch IPS display. Surprisingly, it comes loaded with—you guessed it—Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The device also comes with a gimmick: Interchangeable back panels (which is of course always welcome since something is better than nothing).

The Cloudfone Excite 400d at first impressions feel solid and reliable. It could even remind you of a Samsung phone when looked at from behind. Definitely a worthy contender in the entry-level Android market.

Cloudfone Excite 400d Specs and Features

OS: Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
Processor: 1GHz dual-core MTK 6577 processor
Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, microSD expandable up to 32GB
Display: 4-inch IPS WVGA capacitive display, 5-point multi-touch
Camera: 5.0-megapixel rear AF camera with LED Flash, VGA front camera
Battery: 1200mAh
Dimensions: 122 x 63.6 x 10.4mm
Features: Interchangeable back panels, dual-SIM

Cloudfone Excite 400d Availability and Price in the Philippines

The Cloudfone Excite 400d is currently available in Metro Manila only, but will slowly roll out nationwide. Its SRP is pegged at P4,499.00. Truly the most affordable Jelly Bean device out there.

Watch out for our Cloudfone Excite 400d review soon.

Cloudfone Excite 400d Surfaces, Cheapest 4.1 Jelly Bean Device in PH

Cloudfone Thrill 430x Review

One of the biggest complaints of smartphone users is battery life. With mobile computing capacity increasing every quarter, smartphone juice hardly changes. Sure there are some breakers such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, but do you really need a device that expensive just to experience a longer usage time on a device?

Introduced last year, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x is the smartphone to beat in the battery department. It even has a reported mutiple-day life, outperforming even devices from major manufacturers.

So how did we find the device? Was it fast? Was it great? Did its “3X THE POWER” battery promise stand?  Read our Cloudfone Thrill 430x review and find out for yourself.

Design

The first thing you’ll notice when holding the Cloudfone Thrill 430x (rebranded Innos D9) is its gorgeous screen and thickness, not that I mind. The second thing would probably be its stealthy, black design. Both make for a great combination on an Android device.

The front of the device sports a 4.3-inch qHD IPS capacitive display, three soft-touch haptic buttons, a front VGA camera, a proximity sensor, and a aesthetically pleasing earpiece grill. Sadly the Cloudfone Thrill 430x doesn’t have any notification LED. It would’ve been more gorgeous if there was.

The rear shell of the smartphone—also aesthetically pleasing—bears a smooth scale-like pattern with the 8MP camera lined with a chrome coating. The dual-LED flash and the speaker grill sit right beside it. At the lower portion of the device is the Cloudfone logo.

At the top side of the device is where the 3.5mm audio jack is found. At the right side, the sleep/wake button and a dedicated camera button are located. The nondescript volume rocker is located at the top-left side of the Thrill 430x. And lastly, the USB/charger port is positioned at the bottom.

As mentioned above, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x is a little hefty, but it won’t be significantly noticeable unless you’re really picky about smartphone thickness. Handling is great as well since you have a lot of area to grip onto.

Display

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x sports an HD IPS capacitive display at 960×540 resolution and is 5-point multitouch. It’s the first ever local qHD device, followed closely by the Cherry Mobile Flame.

Cloudfone Thrill 430x vs Cherry Mobile Flame

The screen of the device is fine, lively, and has great color saturation. But as with all hi-res displays the device’s homescreen and drawer UI bears excruciatingly small text. Fortunately you can adjust text size at the Settings menu.

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x operates on a stock Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich UI. It runs snappy from home to drawer, page after page.

The display on the Cloudfone Thrill 430x at sleep mode is clear black and could be mistaken for an OLED.

Performance

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x runs on a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon MSM8625 processor and 768MB of RAM (553MB usable). There sometimes are some minor lags from home to drawer transition, but that’s basically it. And without further ado, here are the benchmarks of the device.

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x manages to score a fantastic 2924 on the Quadrant Standard benchmark. It’s the highest local scorer on this specific benchmark as of this writing.

The more updated AnTuTu benchmarking app meanwhile gives it a 6258, exactly within the expected range of local dual-core devices.

Lastly, Qualcomm’s Vellamo tests give the Cloudfone Thrill 430x a 1256 and a 364 respectively, also within the expected range of such devices.

Crunching all these numbers up, the numbers say the Cloudfone Thrill 430x would perform as expected like other similar devices. But benchmark results aside, experience is subjective. From a personal point of view this device is more refined, from the display to the UI to the performance. There are no bugs that needs patching and everything works straight out of the box. The Cloudfone Thrill 430x spells quality.

The native browser of the device renders frames poorly. Google Chrome is recommended instead.

Audio and Video

The 540×960 qHD display of the Cloudfone Thrill 430x definitely brings an edge in the video department. Playing off HD videos with quick scene transitions bring barely noticeable pixelation. You really have to look carefully to notice it.

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x‘s sound department is also great. The sound via the loudspeaker is loud and audible you can actually play quality music through it (not that you can’t with other devices, but the quality is noticeable).

The stock headphones of the device is neat. Although not as great sounding as other more expensive pairs, it’s definitely acceptable. Just cover them with good earphone foam jackets and you’re good to go.

The earpiece of the 430x delivers properly audible sound. Calls come through decently.

Gaming

Playing casual games via the Cloudfone Thrill 430x is as smooth as silk; Temple Run, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, just pick your poison. These games, paired with the fantastic display, makes you feel like playing on  a high-end Android. Plus, being the 5-point multitouch it is, you’ll get to slice as many fruits as you can.

More graphics-intensive games such as Dead Trigger and Shadowgun: Deadzone are compatible with the device. No ghosting, no crashing, no freezing. You can play them at low or even medium graphics settings with moderate stuttering. Just don’t expect to survive a life or death situation. Chances are you’ll always be the one dying.

Camera

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x sports an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and dual-LED flash. It has a dedicated camera shutter that will do an autofocus and a snap for you. Sample photos of the device below:

Photos taken lack warmth, color saturation, and overall liveliness. Nothing a few built-in and third party filters can’t fix. To its credit though, its flash is bright and has quick capture time.

Battery Life

The biggest feature of the Cloudfone Thrill 430x is its battery. With 4160mAh under its hood, this device probably has the world title for the biggest juice capacity ever. That’s half the reason why it’s that bulky.

 

Well, did its “3X THE POWER” guarantee stand as promised? Let’s just say by utilizing the device’s power-saving features to the fullest, you can get by 50 hours easy. But as for regular usage (i.e. WiFi/3G, max brightness, SMS, voice calls, casual gaming), the device last 25-plus hours clean. That’s really something, considering the majority of local Android devices nowadays require powerbanks or extra batteries for continuous usage.

No charger issues were observed while charging. Apparently older chargers were the ones with “exploding” issues. New batches are good and doesn’t have this problem.

Other Features

3G – Behaves as expected. No problems observed here. SIM1 only;

Dual-SIM dual standby – An initial prompt will come up when sending a message to a number. After that initial prompt, the device will make that SIM the default SIM for that specific number. I personally prefer being prompted at every message sent because its ideal for situations that may arise e.g. I ran out of prepaid credits on SIM1. I’ll be instantly able to use SIM2 instead because of the SIM prompt without going to Settings and changing my SIM preferences.

Verdict

The Cloudfone Thrill 430x brings to us what the majority of current local Android devices can’t afford: a stellar battery life and an awesome qHD display. But those come with a price: it’s thick and bulky. It’s definitely designed with endurance in mind, and probably isn’t for your casual smartphone user.

If you don’t mind a piece of brick in your jeans pockets and if you’re tired of charging your Android every 6 hours, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x is for you. You can say it’s a great device with a great price.

Cloudfone Thrill 430x Specifications

OS: Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwiich
Processor: 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8625 Snapdragon S4 processor
Memory: 768MB of RAM, 4GB internal storage, microSD expandable up to 32GB
Display: 4.3-inch qHD Sharp ASV capacitive display, 960 x 540 resolution, ~256ppi, 5-point multi-touch feature, AGC Sodaline Screen Protection
Camera: 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus and dual-LED flash, 0.3-megapixel VGA front camera, 720p HD video recording
Battery: 4160mAh Li-ion battery
Dimensions: 124.4 x 65.4 x 14.2mm, 180 g
Color: Black, White (New)
Features: Dual-SIM dual standby, quad-band
Price: P7,777

Cloudfone Thrill 430x Review

Cloudfone Excite 400d Review

Cloudfone, the local mobile brand that’s claim to fame is the Thrill 430x, recently released the Philippines’ most affordable dual-core Jelly Bean device. Called the Cloudfone Excite 400d, it sports a 4-inch display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, and a 5-megapixel main camera.

I had the chance to play with this device for a couple of weeks, and let me tell you that for its price point, it behaves way, way better than I was expecting. Interested? Let’s get this Cloudfone Excite 400d review going then.

Design

The Cloudfone Excite 400d sports a simple slate design. There are no extra switches, just pure straightforward working design. Nevertheless, it’s all plastic (except the camera bezel).

The front carries a gorgeous 4-inch display, three haptic buttons (optimized for Jelly Bean), the front VGA camera, a basic-looking earpiece, and a couple of sensors.

The rear meanwhile carries the interchangeable plastic shell, a 5-megapixel camera with flash, and an external speaker at the lower left. To Cloudfone’s credit, they kept the whole of the device free from unneccessary markings, especially that dreaded “5.0-MPXL CAMERA WITH FLASH” branding.

The sides contain a plastic volume rocker (top-left), a 3.5mm audio port (top), a sleep/wake button (top), and a microUSB/charging port (bottom). Aside from that, there’s nothing more.

The device, although 99.9% plastic on the outside, doesn’t feel cheap. It has enough weight, it’s well made (see: no excess plastics), it sits right in the hand perfectly, but unfortunately it’s very prone to fingerprints and smudges. It can be mistaken for an entry level Samsung Galaxy or Lumia from afar, depending on the interchangeable shell* you attach.

*The Cloudfone Excite 400d comes with a free colored interchangeable shell. Available colors are blue, pink, and yellow.

Display

The Cloudfone Excite 400d sports a 4-inch WVGA IPS display at 800×480 resolution. At this display size, WVGA is very precise and doesn’t look like a pixelfest.

The display is 5-point multi-touch, has zero signs of ghosting or blurring, and has one of the best viewing angles I’ve seen. The screen is also color rich and has lively colors. Unfortunately, the display—even at maximum brightness—still seems dim.

The Cloudfone Excite 400d runs on stock Jelly Bean UI (which is great, since a lot of people want stock). There are absolutely no lags on home to drawer transition and at drawer swipes. This smoothness hints at one thing: The device’s software is well-implemented.

The touch display is very responsive. There are no missed touches, no wrong presses, and the like. There’s also no shaking screen while charging.

The auto-brightness feature functions correctly. And as a bonus, the package includes a screen guard.

Performance

Being a budget dual-core device, I expected the Cloudfone Excite 400d to perform at par with devices running a similar configuration. What’s great is it fetched better numbers at benchmarks than its counterparts on some tests.

The Cloudfone Excite 400d operates on a 1GHz dual-core MTK 6577 processor and 512MB RAM. Benchmarks below.

The device fetched a neat 3044 points at Quadrant Standard (vs the Thrill 430x’s 2924 and the Flare’s 2882), by far the highest score fetched of all the local Androids I’ve reviewed, and to think that this is touted as the most affordable Jelly Bean device out there.

Meanwhile, on AnTuTu, it gets 6878 (vs the Flare’s 7075). It’s close enough to offset the lead it had at Quadrant.

Other benchmarks are as follows:

Regardless of the benchmarks, the Cloudfone Excite 400d is one great device. As mentioned above, this device is marketed as the most affordable Jelly Bean. You won’t expect over-the-top hardware, but everything is so refined to the tee (software included) that you would have a hard time believing it’s as cheap as it is.

The native browser renders quickly and correctly and plays Flash right out of the bat.

Audio and Video

The Cloudfone Excite 400d’s video department is okay at best, since its display just runs on 800×480 and lacks enough brightness. The display also reproduces colors clearly. Sadly, HD videos blur minimally in fast transitions.

With regards to sound, the Excite 400d  pretty much is more than okay. It reproduces highs and mids correctly while the lows are barely there. To this effect, it doesn’t sound canny and pitchy. It also sounds louder and more whole than your average local smartphone (vs the Cherry Mobile SkyFire).

The stock headphones of the device work properly and is just about okay. The highs and mids are there, although the bass could do better. You can either use earfoams for this or use a better pair of headphones.

The Cloudfone Excite 400d’s earpiece is loud and clear.

Gaming

Light gamer? The Cloudfone Excite 400d can handle the toughtest casual game the Play Store has to offer: Temple Run 2, Manuganu, Sporos, and whatnot. It can also handle heavier games such as Dead Trigger, Shadowgun: Deadzone, and CSR Racing at medium to high settings.

With regards to gameplay, the device surprisingly plays smoothly. I was unable to observe any lag or stutter during a session of Shadowgun: Deadzone (it reminded me of my Galaxy Note II). I was playing with a clean system though, totally no background apps.

Camera

The Cloudfone Excite 400d sports a 5-megapixel main camera with autofocus and flash. Sample shots below:

It’s safe to say that photos aren’t one of the strong points of this device. Photos taken on bright environments tend to have a defined bluish hue. This can be fixed through a quick edit at the device’s native photo editor.

The camera has near zero shutter lag.

Battery Life

The Cloudfone Excite 400d sports a 1400mAh Li-ion battery, probably the dual-core device with the lowest battery rating to date. To its credit, it actually lasts as long as some of its counterparts. Ordinary usage brings about 7-8 hours of battery life while heavy usage brings about 3-4 hours. Lastly, charging takes 2 1/2 hours.

The device does not suffer from any battery reading bugs.

Other Features

GPRS, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, dual-SIM dual standby, HDMI configurable, changeable themes, Media3D photo-video-weather landscape viewer.

Verdict

The Cloudfone Excite 400d stays true to its marketing while being of quality. It’s affordable, it’s strong, and it is up-to-date. Navigating the UI, using all the functions successfully, and not experiencing forced closes on heavy games are also are a joy, especially since you’d expect entry-levels like this to be half-baked.

If you don’t mind the seemingly mediocre battery life and the so-so camera, the Cloudfone Excite 400d is definitely a good buy. It’s already out on the market at selected stores with an SRP of P4,499.

Cloudfone Excite 400d Specs

OS: Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
Processor: 1GHz dual-core Mediatek MTK 6577 processor
Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, microSD expandable up to 32GB
Display: 4-inch WVGA IPS display, 800 x 480 resolution, 5-point multi-touch feature
Camera: 5-megapixel rear camera with AF and LED flash, VGA front camera
Battery: 1400mAh Li-ion battery
Dimensions: 122 x 63.6 x 10.4mm
Color: Black, Yellow, blue, pink
Features: Dual-SIM dual standby, interchangeable back panels
Price: P4,499

Cloudfone Excite 400d Review