Chinese OEMs are currently the pioneers of the budget phone market, and as the competition gets stiffer, the quality of phones get a little bit better.
One of such device that has entered the Nigerian market is the Umidigi A3. Despite releasing an entry level device, it is bold enough to challenge the infinix and tecno dominated market with the 4G enabled A3.
Design and Display
One look at the Umidigi A3 and you wouldn’t feel like you are looking at a budget device as the device was made to look like an iPhone X clone giving it a beautiful design. The front and back 2.5D curved glass finishing protects it from scratch.
The device is not bezel-less, but the bezels are kept minimal as the top to accommodate the camera and sensors. There is also a camera cut out at the back and a fingerprint sensor. The speaker is located at the bottom alongside the USB type C port.
The A3 has 5.5 inch IPS LCD with 18:9 aspect ratio and a 720 x 1440 pixel resolution
Camera
Umidigi definitely took the camera aspects of the device seriously as they added a 12 MP + 5 MP dual camera sensor to it for clear shots. It is capable of delivering 1080p videos at 30fps. There is also an LED flash. For selfie, you get an 8 MP shooter.
Hardware Components (Processor and Storage)
For processing power, you get the MediaTek MT6739 quad-core chipset with 1.5 GHz clock speed. Fair enough for a budget device but also strong enough to allow dual 4G VoLTE connectivity. The PowerVR GE8100 clocked at 570 MHz handles graphics.
The A3 also comes with 2 GB RAM space and 16 GB storage space that can be expanded to 256 GB using a memory card. That should be enough to handle multi-tasking and minor file storage.
Battery and OS
The A3 comes with a 3300 mAh battery and runs stock Android 8.1 OS out of the box. Umidigi also releases periodic OS updates.
Overall Specifications
Summary
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo (Updates Available) |
| Display | 5.5 inch IPS LCD HD+ Display |
| Camera | 12 MP+ 5 MP, 8 MP selfie |
| RAM | 2 GB RAM |
| Storage | 16 GB Expandable to 256 GB |
| Processor | Quad Core, 1.5 GHz |
| Battery | 3300 mAh |
| Security | Face ID and Fingerprint ID |
Network
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA |
| 2G | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 – SIM 1 & SIM 2 |
| 3G | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G | VoLTE band FDD: B1/ B B2/ B3/ B4/ B5/ B7/ B8/ B12/ B13/ B17/ B19/ B20 TDD: B38/ B40/ B41 LTE Frequencies |
| SIM Type | Dual nano-SIM slot |
Design and Display
| Dimensions | 147.2 x 70.2 x 8.5 mm |
| Height | 147.2 mm |
| Width | 70.2 mm |
| Thickness | 8.5 mm |
| Weight | 186g |
| Display Size | 5.5-inch |
| Display Resolution | 720p HD+ (1440 x 720 pixels) |
| Display Technology | IPS LCD |
| Build | Glass |
| Protection | 2.5D Curved Glass () |
| Colours | Space Gray and Gold |
Hardware
| OS | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Processor Name/Technology | MediaTek MT6739 |
| Number of Processor Cores | 4 |
| Processor Speed | 4 Cortex A53 clocked at 1.5 GHz |
| Graphics Chipset | PowerVR GE8100 clocked at 570 MHz |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Internal Storage | 16 GB |
| External Storage | Yes, Up to 256GB |
| Sensors | G-sensor, P-Sensor, Gyro, Touch Sensor, Electronic Compass |
Camera
| Front8 MP Camera,Rear12 MP + 5 MP, 6-element lens, f/2.0 aperture, 1.25m large pixels,Sony/OV sensor, 1/2.8” optical sensor size, Dual Led Flash, 1080p Video@30fpsFeaturesAutofocus, Dual LED Flash, Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus, Face Detection, Panorama, Portrait |
Multimedia
| Video | FLV, MP4, MKV, AVI, 3GP |
| Audio | WAV, MP3, MP2, ACC, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, Vorbis, APE, AAC-Plus V1, AAC-Plus V2, FLAC, WMA, ADPCM |
| Image | Jpeg, Png, Gif, Bmp |
| Speaker Chipset | Nil |
| Audio Jack | Yes, 3.5mm |
Connectivity
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| Wifi | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot |
| USB | Yes, 2.0 |
| NFC | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS |
Battery
| Battery Capacity | 3,300 mAh |
| Battery Technology | Li Po |
| Fast Charging | No |
| Removable | No |
Extra Features
| Security Features | Face ID and Finger Print |
Price
Around ? 28,000
