In 2018, UMiDigi released a direct clone of the iPhone X on a very cheap set of Android phones called the A3 series (the A3, A3 Pro, and A3 Max).
Seeing the financial success the smartphones garnered (talk about phones offering 2GB and 3GB of RAM space and 32GB storage for prices below $100 in 2008), UMiDigi has returned with a more juicy Android 10 Variant: The UMiDigi A3S
The A3 series focuses on giving the best stylish phones with features that will make Tecno and Infinix jealous. Mind you, the UMiDigi devices do not use Android Go like most other low-end Transsion devices.
The UMiDigi A3S is the direct successor of the UMiDigi A3. We will discuss the changes and new features here.
Overview
OS | Android 10 Stock OS |
Connectivity | Dual 4G, WiFi 5G, Bluetooth 5 |
Display | 5.7 Inch HD+ Display |
Camera | 16 MP main + 5MP, 13 MP selfie |
RAM | 2 GB RAM |
Storage | 16 GB Expandable to 256 GB |
Processor | Quad Core, 2.0 GHz |
Battery | 3,950 mAh |
Security | Face ID and Fingerprint ID |
Design and Display
The UMiDigi A3S tried to retain the design of the A3 with a few tweaks. From behind, the phone still looks like an iPhone X clone, but the size was bumped from 5.5 inches to 5.7 inches. Also, the fingerprint shape was changed from a rectangular circle to a circle.
While Bezels are quickly becoming a thing of the past, the A3S retains top and bottom bezels. The top bezel houses the selfie camera, the earpiece speaker, and other sensors
Over to the sides, there are the power and volume buttons. The base of the phone houses the bottom speaker, old USB 2.0(fair enough for a budget device), a mic, and a 3.5mm jack.
The back of the phone houses a dual rear camera setup, a DUAL LED flash, and a fingerprint sensor. The UMiDigi brand logo is located at the bottom left.
Over to the display, there is a 5.7-inch HD+ panel with 1440 x 720-pixel resolution. This aspect ratio stands at 18:9. The phone has a system-wide dark mode thanks to its stock Android 10 OS.
The phone’s front and rear sides are protected by 2.5D glass, and fine metal finishing along the edges gives it a premium look. The Color options available are midnight green and space grey.
Camera Specifications
The A3S has a better camera upgrade than the A3, which is how an upgrade should look. The A3S has a 13MP selfie camera, bumped up from the 8MP lens used on the A3. The Camera is touted to have AI capabilities, but I wouldn’t dwell on that.
It records 720p videos at 30 frames per second (fps). The lack of a front LED flashlight, despite the large bezels, may be a drawback for some.
The rear camera consists of a 16MP main shooter with a 6-element lens and a 5MP depth sensor, unlike the 12 MP + 5 MP lens on the A3. It records 1080p videos at 30 fps.
Hardware and Memory
UMiDigi chose the Helio A22 Processor chipset to power this device. The Helio A22 has four Cortex A53 chips clocked at 2.0GHz, and it is usually a popular choice for devices in this region. It integrates a PowerVR GE6300 GPU clocked at up to 660 MHz.
For Memory options, you get 2GB of RAM to complement the processor alongside 16GB of storage space. There is also an external SD card slot that can take up to 256GB of expansion power.
Connectivity
The Helio A22 processor allows 4G connectivity, so the A3S has dual VoLTE support on its dual SIM and also supports 5G WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, and Bluetooth HID.
Software and Battery
UMiDigi decided to use Android 10 OS on the A3S, an upgrade over the Android 8.1 Oreo on the A3. Since custom skins can be a hit or miss, the smartphone makers decided to stick with the stock Android 10 skin, giving users a pure Android experience. There are no much-bloated craps here
The battery also witnessed an upgrade from 3,300 mAh on the A3 to 3950 mAh on the A3S. It uses 5W charging.
Overall Specifications
Network
Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE |
2G | GSM: Band 2 /Band 3 /Band 5 /Band 8 |
3G | Band 1 /Band 2 /Band 4 /Band 5 /Band 6 /Band 8 /Band 19 |
4G | LTE Band 1, Band 2, Band 3, Band 4, Band 5, Band 7, Band 8, Band 9, Band 12, Band 13, Band 17, Band 18, Band 20, Band 26, Band 28, TDD: Band 38, Band 40, Band 41 |
SIM Type | Dual nano-SIM slot |
Design and Display
Dimensions | 153 x72.9 x 8.45 mm |
Height | 153.7mm |
Width | 72.9 mm |
Thickness | 8.45 mm |
Weight | 197g |
Display Size | 5.7-inch |
Display Resolution | 720p HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels) |
Display Technology | IPS LCD |
Build | Glass and Metal |
Protection | 2.5D Curved Glass Front and Back |
Colors | Midnight Green and Space Grey. |
Platform and Hardware
OS | Android 10 Stock OS |
Processor Name/Technology | MediaTek MT6761 Helio A22, Cortex A53 |
Number of Processor Cores | 4 |
Processor Speed | 2.0 GHz |
Graphics Chipset | PowerVR GE8300 |
RAM | 2 GB |
Internal Storage | 16 GB |
External Storage | Yes, Up to 256GB |
Sensors | Rear-Mounted Fingerprint Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Electronic Compass, GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou |
Camera
Front | 13 MP Camera 720 Video @30 fps |
Rear | 16 MP Main Camera, 5 MP, Led Flash, 1080p Video@30fps |
Features | Autofocus, Portrait mode, Dual LED flash, Face recognition, Cute face filter, AI Beautify, Selfie Count Down. |
Multimedia
Video | MP4, M4V, MKV, XVID. Supports H.264 (Baseline / Main / High profile), MPEG4 (Simple profile / ASP) and other video formats |
Audio | WAV, AAC, MP3, AMR, APE. Supports audio formats such as PCM, AAC / AAC + / eAAC +, MP3, AMR – NB and WB. |
Image | Jpeg, Png, Gif, Bmp |
Speaker Chipset | Nil |
Audio Jack | Yes |
Connectivity
Bluetooth | Bluetooth® 5.0, AD2P LE |
Wifi | 802.11a/b/g/n 2.4G/5G |
USB | Yes, 2.0 |
NFC | No |
GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou |
Battery
Battery Capacity | 3,900 mAh |
Battery Technology | LiPo |
Fast Charging | No |
Removable | No |
Extra Features
Security Features | Face ID and Finger Print |