A smartphone with a big screen at a small price is becoming the market norm these days. Zen Mobile’s Cinemax 2 attempts that for the entry-level segment. To know how it performs, read on.
What’s Good?
The Cinemax 2 has a huge 5.5” display, encased in a frame that reminded us of the early Lumia phones. The overall design is very minimal and the muted approach gives the phone a premium look. The back of the device has a matte-finish, adding to the appearance and grip
The device sports a 5-megapixel camera at the back and the front has a 2-megapixel shooter. The images we shot had natural colours, but beyond that the camera doesn’t have any extraordinary capabilities. Even shot in daylight, the photographs turned out to be quite grainy and had a pastel look.
The Cinemax 2 is a dual-SIM 3G phone that has a 2,900 mAh battery that lasted through the day with moderate usage. Though the internal storage is quite cramped at 8 GB, a microSD slot allows you to push it to 32 GB.
Key Specifications: Zen Cinemax 2
- Display: 5.5 inch, 960*540 Display
- Operating System:Android 5.1 Lollipop
- Processor: 1.3GHz processor
- RAM: 1 GB
- Storage: 8GB, Expandable to 32GB via memory card
- Rear Camera: 5 megapixel with LED flash
- Front Camera:2 megapixel
- Battery: 2.900 mAh
- Price: Rs 4,199
What’s Bad?
Being a budget smartphone, the Cinemax 2 cuts several corners when it comes to hardware. Our device had a disappointing lag at every swipe,and most of the times the touch wasn’t registered even after multiple attempts.
Additionally, the display is qHD, which means with a resolution of 960x540 you get to see a lot of jarred pixels and fewer sharper images. This is disappointing, but we believe it won’t be much of a concern for the audience the Zen is targeting.
The Cinemax 2 is slightly on the heavier side. In the hand, it almost feels like a metallic phone despite having a plastic construction.
The phone has a 1GB RAM and a 1.3GHz processor under the hood, which was really slow in our test usage. The apps took time to launch and switching between tasks was quite a task! Playing graphic-intensive games also took a toll on the phone.
Why Buy It?
Retailing at a price of Rs. 4,199, Zen Cinemax 2 is strictly for budget-conscious customers. A big display with a decent build quality works in its favour.
That said, it would be advised to invest a few more thousands and get a better bang for your buck with Xiaomi, Motorola or Yu devices, which start from Rs. 6,999.
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