We thoroughly analyzed Umi’s new terminal, the Umi Super, a device with a really good screen, very powerful hardware and the best price.
Umi Super, an amazing mobile
We analyzed the Umi Super, the new smartphone of the Chinese manufacturer that has surprised us with its powerful specifications and a really competitive price. The first impression is very good, the mobile is presented a black metal box that includes, next to the device, a charger, headphones and related documentation.
In this review of the Umi Super we have had the opportunity to try the electric blue version, a youthful color that, in contrast to the metallic details of the terminal, achieves an eye-catching but elegant finish. We have already advanced that the design of this mobile is one of its strengths.
Design
In the contact of the Umi Super we were struck by the weight of the smartphone. It is a phone with a screen of 5’5 inches and generous dimensions: 150’8 mm high, 75 mm wide and 8’5 mm thick. It’s almost a phablet, but also very solid. It reaches 185 grams, an above average but very reasonable weight if you consider the 4000 mAh of the battery and its metal chassis.
On the front of the phone we find the display – an outstanding component that we will analyze in detail later – the camera for selfies, a proximity sensor and a notification LED that can also fulfill the function of physical button.
Umi has dubbed the notification LED «Harlequin» and is that, in addition to functioning as a physical button to replace Android commands and thus gain space on the screen, it also brings color on a pretty sober mobile. In other words: it’s more than just an LED. However, it needs to be configured properly or else it will be turned on most of the time.
The manufacturer has placed the unlock button next to the volume button on the right side. All these pieces are made of metal and offer a very robust feel to the touch. By pressing them we have not noticed gaps and, in general, you can see the quality of the materials and the attention that Umi has invested in its design.
On the left side we find the removable SIM card tray. As usual, it supports Dual SIM or dedicate one of the slots to expand storage memory with a MicroSD card. On this side there is also a customizable physical button, a detail that we liked because it allows the user to configure it with total freedom. In this analysis of the Umi Super we have tested it as direct access to the camera and we definitely believe that it brings a lot of value to the terminal.
Finally, at the top is the 3.5mm headphone jack port and at the bottom, at the bottom of the phone, is the USB Type-C input, the main microphone and also the speaker.
Screen
In this analysis of the Umi Super we have discovered one of the best screens of this price range. It integrates a state-of-the-art FullHS IPS panel manufactured by Sharp, the Japanese company. Achieves 95% gamut NTSC saturation, providing a viewing experience full of vivid, realistic colors
This screen really makes a difference from other mobiles when it comes to enjoying multimedia content. Beyond specifications and cold data, the Umi Super’s display has exceeded our expectations. The depth of the black color reminds us of the AMOLED panels, but also retaining the best of IPS: wide viewing angles, sharpness, etc.
MediTek’s MiraVision technology enhances the user experience when viewing the screen. This feature provides brighter colors and increases image saturation. In this way, Umi squeezes the full potential of the FullHD panel achieving an excellent result.
Another point in favor of the Umi Super is that it is a bezzeless terminal, that is, it does not include that more or less narrow black frame that we find lately on all kinds of smartphones, even in the high-end ones. It’s a matter of taste, but it’s fair to mention that the screen/bezel ratio is very balanced on this mobile.
On the other hand, the Umi Super screen is protected with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 curved glass. This feature has also become popular in recent years, although each manufacturer has implemented it with very different results. In this case, Umi has been able to integrate the curved screen into the design of this mobile and adapts correctly to the edge of the phone.
Software
The Umi Super runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow in a virtually pure version and, as you can read on the manufacturer’s website, an update to Android 7 will be released next December.
We do not encounter any of the traditional errors of Chinese mobiles, there are no applications of dubious provenance or (many) bad translations, but no novel functions that add value in this section.
As for the apps, it is limited to include the main tools of Google (Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, etc.), a flashlight, a music player, a web browser and also FM radio, a feature that we do not always find in Chinese mobiles.
Widgets follow this same line and we haven’t come across any interesting bets from Umi. However, the manufacturer has also included on the Android desktop a widget to search for files and applications that also works as Google search engine.
This search widget works very well and many users – especially those who are used to saying that «Ok Google» – will know how to take advantage of its utility, but we would have preferred freedom to scroll it through the interface, resize it or directly delete it.
As we said, the notification LED can replace classic Android commands (back, home and multitasking) to gain screen space. We believe that these types of options improve the user experience, while the immovable elements do not bring anything to the user.
Another aspect that has caught our attention regarding the software is the default Internet browser. Most pre-installed apps are from Google, but in this section Umi has opted for its own browser instead of Chrome. It works well, but offers less confidence. Luckily, fixing this is as easy as downloading another app from Google Play.
Hardware and performance
As for the Umi Super hardware, this smartphone integrates MediaTek’s Octa-core Helio P10 processor alongside the Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali T860 MP2 GPU. This chipset works at a clock speed of 2.0GHz, allowing all kinds of games and applications, even the most demanding, to run on this terminal.
The hardware is completed with 4GB of Samsung LPDDR3 RAM and an internal memory of 32GB expandable up to 256GB with a MicroSD card. The performance of the Umi Super is amazing and has reached a score of 46222 on AnTuTu, a power that guarantees excellent performance with multitasking.