OUKITEL K7 Smartphone Review
We have reviewed a few Oukitel smartphones in the last two years, ranging from the K10, with its large battery, to the rugged WP5000 and the more delicate K6000.
This time we are reviewing the OUKITEL K7, a device with a huge battery, a big display and a larger footprint. The K7 is equipped with mid-range hardware including a MediaTek MT6750 SoC, an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage.
We have chosen to compare the K7 against the OUKITEL K10, the UleFone Power 5, the Blackview P10000 Pro and the Doogee BL9000. Our comparison devices all have large batteries like the K7.
Case
The K7 is made from a very sturdy black plastic with a gold rim adorning the edges of the device. The power button and volume rocker are on the left-hand side of the device but rattle somewhat in their housings. By contrast, the SIM and microSD card slot sits firmly in place. The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor is placed below the dual rear-facing cameras and is easy to find when attempting to unlock the device.
The K7 measures 158 mm x 78 mm x 14.5 mm (~6.2 x 3.1 x 0.57 inches), which is thinner than most of our comparison devices, but still comparatively thick for a smartphone. The K7 weighs 302 g (~10.7 oz), which feels heavy in the hand and is second to the UleFone Power 5 of our comparison devices.
Connectivity
The K7 is equipped with a MediaTek MT6750 SoC, an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage. The K7 has a 6-inch display and a whopping 10,000-mAh battery. The K7 is a Dual-SIM device that supports up to 128 GB microSD cards. However, there is only space for two cards, so you will have to compromise between using two nano-SIMs or one nano-SIM and a microSD card.
OUKITEL has equipped the K7 with a Micro USB 2.0 port, which supports USB On-The-Go (OTG). There is also a 3.5 mm for wired audio playback.
Software
The K7 ships with Android Oreo 8.1, while our test device came with Android security patch level 5 April 2018. The K7 runs stock Android with no bloatware or additional manufacturer customization. The Google app suite that is pre-installed can be disabled but not uninstalled.
The K7 can format microSD cards as either external or internal storage, the latter of which allows you to store apps and data on the microSD card. The K7 supports multiple user accounts too.
Communication & GPS
The K7 can connect to either GSM, 3G or LTE mobile networks. The K7 even supports LTE band 20, which is often needed in rural areas of Germany, but not typically in China. The K7 also supports Bluetooth 4.0 and IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi networks.
Our test device achieves around 100 MBit/s in iperf3 Client Wi-Fi tests, which is on par with the better of our comparison devices. The K7 can connect to both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks, but transmissions speeds are relatively slow on the latter because of the lack of 802.11 ac Wi-Fi support.
| Networking | |
| iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| iperf3 receive AX12 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
According to the GPS Test, our test device uses GPS and GLONASS for location services. This allows our test device to maintain a location accuracy of two meters (~6.6 feet) when using the device outdoors, which drops to six meters (~20.7 feet) when using the device indoors.
Our test device performed relatively well on our obligatory bike ride. We conduct this test to compare the location accuracy of our test devices against professional navigation devices like the Garmin Edge 500. Our test device deviated by 30 m (~100 feet/33 yards) over a 9.25 km (~5.75 miles) bike ride compared to the Garmin Edge 500, which is impressive given the K7’s price. However, our test device cannot maintain its two-meter (~6.6 feet) location accuracy while moving, particularly when cornering. Likewise, the K7 frequently struggled to accurately place us on the path on which we were cycling.
Phone Features & Call Quality
The Google Contacts and Phone handle telephony and offer the same user experience as on other Android smartphones. Call quality is good, and the microphone does a good job of suppressing background noise. The earpiece is loud enough for most situations, but the device is not loud enough to hear our call partner when calling in a loud environment.
Our test device does not support either VoLTE or VoWiFI.
Cameras
The K7 is equipped with dual 13 MP and 2 MP rear-facing cameras and a 5 MP front-facing sensor. Photos taken with the latter are unimpressive with fine details lacking focus and most images covered in a swathe of image noise. The camera app includes a set of filters that can smooth features, enlarge eyes and adjust image brightness among others.
The rear-facing camera can take panoramic photos, but colors look washed out and fine details are blurry. This blur notably worsens towards the edges of the panorama to the extent that only the center of the image looks sharp.
Colors in macro photos also look pale and much darker than the original colors. Again, objects in the center of the image are sharp, but objects look increasingly blurry towards the edges of the image. Low-light performance is worse, with objects looking underexposed and captured without fine details.
The default camera app has no manual mode and only has adjustable filters to alter the image before taking a shot.
Video recordings are also too pale and dark for our liking. The K7 lacks any image stabilization too, so objects blur easily. There are no customizable camera settings for video recordings either.
Testing the rear-facing camera with ColorChecker passport confirms that color reproduction is too dark and pale. Black and gray tones are much darker than the reference color too.
Our test device captures our test chart well under controlled lighting conditions, but fine details and structures are only sharp at the center of the image. The image becomes increasingly blurry towards the edge of the image as with all our other test photos.
Accessories & Warranty
The K7 comes with a USB charger, a USB Type-A to Micro USB cable, a SIM tool, a protective cover and a USB OTG adapter. OUKITEL does not offer any accessories specific to the K7 on its website.
The K7 comes with a twelve-month manufacturer’s warranty. Please see our Guarantees, Return policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices & Operation
Google Gboard comes pre-installed with the K7 and works just as well as on any other Android smartphone. The device is set to vibrate on touch by default, but this could be turned off in Settings. The touchscreen responded accurately and quickly throughout testing, but the display surface has too much resistance for drag and drop movements. The positional sensor worked well throughout testing too.
The rear-mounted fingerprint sensor unlocks our test device quickly. You may struggle though, if you misplace your finger or it is dirty.
Display
The K7 has a 6-inch IPS panel with a 2,160 x 1,080 native resolution and an 18:9 aspect ratio. X-Rite i1Pro 2 measures average maximum brightness at 456.1 cd/m², which is slightly lower than many of our comparison devices. Our test device has an 83% uniformly lit display, which again is lower than some of our comparison devices like the OUKITEL K10 and the Blackview P10000 Pro. This is still passable for daily use, but you may notice some difference in brightness across the display when looking at large blocks of color.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 83 %
Center on Battery: 475 cd/m²
Contrast: 1979:1 (Black: 0.24 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 7.7 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
99.5% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.26
| Oukitel K7 IPS, 2160x1080, 6" | Ulefone Power 5 IPS, 2160x1080, 6" | Oukitel K10 IPS, 2160x1080, 6" | Doogee BL9000 IPS, 2160x1080, 6" | Blackview P10000 Pro IPS, 2160x1080, 6" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | 4% | -30% | -25% | -15% | |
| Brightness middle | 475 | 454 -4% | 561 18% | 529 11% | 513 8% |
| Brightness | 456 | 428 -6% | 541 19% | 513 13% | 507 11% |
| Brightness Distribution | 83 | 72 -13% | 92 11% | 82 -1% | 89 7% |
| Black Level * | 0.24 | 0.24 -0% | 0.58 -142% | 0.49 -104% | 0.37 -54% |
| Contrast | 1979 | 1892 -4% | 967 -51% | 1080 -45% | 1386 -30% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 7.5 | 6 20% | 10 -33% | 8.6 -15% | 8.5 -13% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 14.2 | 12.4 13% | 16.7 -18% | 16.8 -18% | 15.2 -7% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.7 | 5.9 23% | 11.1 -44% | 10.9 -42% | 10.6 -38% |
| Gamma | 2.26 97% | 2.22 99% | 1.8 122% | 2.37 93% | 2.29 96% |
| CCT | 8731 74% | 7829 83% | 9689 67% | 9622 68% | 10204 64% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM not detected |  | ||
In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8439 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Our test device achieved a 0.24 cd/m² black value, which is on par with the best of our comparison devices. This relatively low black value helps our test device achieve a 1,979:1 contrast ratio; this is higher than all our comparison devices. This means that colors look sharp and black tones are deep, albeit with a slight gray tint to them. Unfortunately, the display has a noticeable blue tint.
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 26.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 10 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 16.4 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows relatively slow response rates in our tests and may be too slow for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 63 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 53.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 28.4 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 25.2 ms fall | ||
| The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 90 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
The K7 is usable outdoors thanks to its relatively bright display and high contrast ratio but using our test device in sunny areas proved difficult. The display has a highly reflective finish, which catches the light in sunny weather and causes reflections that obscure content on the display. The display is still readable in moderate ambient light when looking directly at our test device.
The K7 has strong viewing angles thanks to its IPS display with no brightness or image distortion even at acute viewing angles.
Performance
The K7 is equipped with a MediaTek MT6750 SoC, which is powerful enough to keep the OS running smoothly. The MT6750 integrates an ARM Mali-T860 MP2 GPU, which is already two years old, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of eMMC flash storage.
Our test device performs below average in CPU benchmarks and it scores around 25% lower than our comparison devices. The K7 only manages to finish ahead of the average of MT6750 powered devices that we have currently tested.
| AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (38547 - 44842, n=17) | |
| AnTuTu v7 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (52278 - 56639, n=10) | |
| Geekbench 4.4 | |
| 64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (590 - 682, n=18) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (844 - 9592, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| 64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (1790 - 2765, n=18) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (4134 - 34246, n=78, last 2 years) | |
| Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (1393 - 1935, n=16) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (5364 - 28121, n=56, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.0 | |
| on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (5.6 - 13, n=17) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15 - 166, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (5.3 - 7.1, n=17) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (12 - 502, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| GFXBench 3.1 | |
| on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (3.8 - 10, n=17) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.9 - 166, n=167, last 2 years) | |
| 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value) | |
| Oukitel K7 | |
| Ulefone Power 5 | |
| Oukitel K10 | |
| Doogee BL9000 | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (3.5 - 4.7, n=17) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (8.4 - 365, n=167, last 2 years) | |
The K7 finishes near the bottom of browser benchmarks too, but web browsing feels smooth in daily use. Media content will take slightly longer to load than the rest of the page though.
| JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
| Ulefone Power 5 (Chrome 65) | |
| Doogee BL9000 (Chrome 67) | |
| Oukitel K10 (Standard Browser 7.1.1) | |
| Oukitel K7 (Chrome 67) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (12 - 20.8, n=19) | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro (Chrome 66) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| Ulefone Power 5 (Chrome 65) | |
| Doogee BL9000 (Chrome 67) | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro (Chrome 66) | |
| Oukitel K7 (Chrome 67) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (1994 - 3506, n=19) | |
| Oukitel K10 (Standard Browser 7.1.1) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Oukitel K10 (Standard Browser 7.1.1) | |
| Average Mediatek MT6750 (11708 - 22627, n=19) | |
| Oukitel K7 (Chrome 67) | |
| Ulefone Power 5 (Chrome 65) | |
| Doogee BL9000 (Chrome 67) | |
| Blackview P10000 Pro (Chrome 66) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=166, last 2 years) | |
* ... smaller is better
Our test devices performed comparatively poorly in storage benchmarks too. Internal storage speeds are slightly above average, but they are still somewhat worse than our comparison devices.
This is the same for microSD card performance, which we tested using our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference microSD card. Our test device had around 30% slower sequential write speeds than our comparison devices and 11% slower sequential read speeds.
| Oukitel K7 | Ulefone Power 5 | Oukitel K10 | Doogee BL9000 | Blackview P10000 Pro | Average 64 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | 42% | 51% | 36% | 11% | 56% | 1346% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 280.3 | 281.2 0% | 291.5 4% | 289 3% | 284.3 1% | 274 ? -2% | 2054 ? 633% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 110.3 | 195.7 77% | 213.3 93% | 210.7 91% | 112.3 2% | 177.3 ? 61% | 1667 ? 1411% |
| Random Read 4KB | 27.78 | 63.2 128% | 52.2 88% | 49.78 79% | 29.98 8% | 59.9 ? 116% | 286 ? 930% |
| Random Write 4KB | 13.03 | 13.78 6% | 22.88 76% | 13.19 1% | 14.6 12% | 32.7 ? 151% | 327 ? 2410% |
| Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 72.6 ? | 80.3 ? 11% | 82.2 ? 13% | 80.3 ? 11% | 80.9 ? 11% | 77.4 ? 7% | |
| Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 56.4 ? | 73.6 ? 30% | 74.7 ? 32% | 73 ? 29% | 73.3 ? 30% | 58.3 ? 3% |
Games
The ARM Mali-T860 MP2 is suitable for casual games with low system requirements. Games like Dead Trigger 2 and Arena of Valor run smoothly, but the K7 will struggle with games that are more complex unless you play them at low graphics settings. Even then, expect long load times.
The position sensor worked well throughout testing, but the highly resistive display finish makes playing games uncomfortable and a chore.
Emissions
Temperature
Surface temperatures always remain at just above 30 °C (86 °F) but they can reach 38 °C (100.4 °F) under load. Our test device remains relatively cool under load and does not feel hot. However, the K7 will not feel cool to the touch in daily use when the device is just idling. On the plus side, the K7 should not thermal throttle either.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.4 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.8 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.7 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The K7 has a surprisingly good mono-speaker. The sound quality is clear and rich with good mid tones and even passable low-end tones. The speaker in our test device reaches a maximum of 84.7 dB(A), which should be loud enough in most situations. Overall, the speaker is good enough for music playback, which is a rarity for a €190 (~$216) device.
The K7 has a 3.5 mm jack, but unfortunately, external speaker and headphone jacks do not firmly click into place. This means that headphones can easily become unplugged, which may quickly become frustrating in daily use.
Oukitel K7 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (84.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (10.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.9% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 9.6% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (8.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 71% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 24% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Doogee BL9000 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (82.5 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 31.3% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.5% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.3% away from median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.1% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (9% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (28.4% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 72% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 23% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 84% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 13% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life
Power Consumption
The K7 has higher power consumption than all our comparison devices but is 10% more efficient than the average of MT6750 powered devices that we have currently tested. Our test device consumes a minimum of 1.01 W at idle, which is considerably more than both the Doogee BL9000 and the Blackview P10000 Pro. This increases to an average of 4.1 W and a maximum of 7.2 W under load, both of which are significantly higher than all our comparison devices.
The included charger is rated at 18 W, so it will be able to charge the K7 even when it is running at full load.
| Off / Standby |   0.02 / 0.18 Watt |
| Idle |  1.01 / 1.99 / 2.09 Watt |
| Load |
4.1 / 7.2 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Oukitel K7 10000 mAh | Ulefone Power 5 13000 mAh | Oukitel K10 11000 mAh | Doogee BL9000 9000 mAh | Blackview P10000 Pro 11000 mAh | Average Mediatek MT6750 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | 10% | 5% | 29% | 10% | -10% | -10% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 1.01 | 1.07 -6% | 0.89 12% | 0.68 33% | 0.63 38% | 1.13 ? -12% | 0.872 ? 14% |
| Idle Average * | 1.99 | 2.06 -4% | 2.48 -25% | 1.65 17% | 2.2 -11% | 2.02 ? -2% | 1.415 ? 29% |
| Idle Maximum * | 2.09 | 2.09 -0% | 2.52 -21% | 1.71 18% | 2.3 -10% | 2.42 ? -16% | 1.556 ? 26% |
| Load Average * | 4.1 | 2.9 29% | 3.13 24% | 2.78 32% | 3.57 13% | 5.21 ? -27% | 7.04 ? -72% |
| Load Maximum * | 7.2 | 4.88 32% | 4.5 37% | 3.99 45% | 5.82 19% | 6.56 ? 9% | 10.6 ? -47% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
We tested battery runtimes with our Wi-Fi battery life test, during which we run a script that simulates the load required to render websites. The K7’s 10,000 mAh battery lasts twenty-one hours and thirty-four minutes in this test, which is substantially longer than many other smartphones. However, the K7’s comparatively high power consumption is its downfall in terms of battery life, with all our comparison devices lasting considerably longer in our Wi-Fi battery life test. By contrast, the Blackview P10000 Pro has a 1,000 mAh larger battery than the K7 but lasts an additional fourteen hours.
The included 18 W charger takes about five hours to fully recharge the K7.
| Oukitel K7 10000 mAh | Ulefone Power 5 13000 mAh | Oukitel K10 11000 mAh | Doogee BL9000 9000 mAh | Blackview P10000 Pro 11000 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | |||||
| WiFi v1.3 | 1294 | 2636 104% | 1632 26% | 2283 76% | 2149 66% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
The OUKITEL K7 is powerful enough to run Android 8.1 and most apps smoothly. The device also has a good display and extremely long battery life. The K7 has some downsides though including its comparatively high power consumption, which impacts battery life, and its relatively poor system performance.
The OUKITEL K7 has a monster battery, but the device comes with some downsides.
The K7 is a heavy device with low-quality cameras and high power consumption. However, for €190 (~$216) buyers will receive a device that has long battery life and one which can run most apps without issue.
Oukitel K7
- 08/12/2018 v6 (old)
Mike Wobker
Price comparison
