Notebookcheck Logo

TP-Link Neffos C5 Smartphone Review

Bright entry. The Chinese manufacturer TP Link, which is known for network products, debuts on the smartphone market with three new smartphones from the Neffos series. The entry-level Neffos C5 offers a comparatively bright display and flexible usability.
ARM Android Smartphone

For the original German review, see here.

TP-Link, which is known for its Internet routers, expands its portfolio with another product: smartphones. Shortly before this year's MWC 2016 (Mobile World Congress), the manufacturer announced three models from the Neffos series, among them the Neffos C5.

The 5-inch entry-level device is equipped with an IPS-HD panel as well as 2 GB RAM and 16 GB storage. Inside the Neffos C5 is a MediaTek MT6735 clocked at 1.3 GHz. One highlight of the device: It supports dual-standby with an additional slot for a microSD-card. The replaceable battery with a capacity of 2200 mAh is not a matter of course anymore, either.

The entry-level device is available in the colors pearl white and anthracite. Priced at around 140 Euros (~$156), the LTE smartphone has numerous rivals like the UHANS S1, Coolpad Porto S, LG K10, ZTE Blade V7 Lite as well as the UMi Touch.

 

 

 

 

TP-Link Neffos C5 (Neffos Series)
Processor
Mediatek MT6735 4 x 1.3 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
ARM Mali-T720 MP2
Memory
2048 MB 
Display
5.00 inch 16:9, 1280 x 720 pixel 294 PPI, capacitive, multi-touch, LCD, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB 
, 9.9 GB free
Connections
1 USB 2.0, Audio Connections: 3.5 mm stereo jack, Card Reader: microSD (up to 32 GB), Brightness Sensor, Sensors: compass, accelerometer, proximity, Miracast
Networking
802.11 b/g/n (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0, 2G: 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 3G: 900 / 2100 Mhz, LTE Bands (MHz): 1(2100), 3(1800), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800), Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.8 x 144 x 72 ( = 0.35 x 5.67 x 2.83 in)
Battery
8.36 Wh, 2200 mAh Lithium-Ion, removeable
Operating System
Android 5.1 Lollipop
Camera
Primary Camera: 8 MPix AF
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix
Additional features
Speakers: Mono, Keyboard: onscreen, Keyboard Light: yes, modular power adapter, USB cable, headphones, quick-start guide, TP-Link UI, 24 Months Warranty, SAR value (EU body) 0.655 W/kg, fanless
Weight
141 g ( = 4.97 oz / 0.31 pounds), Power Supply: 56 g ( = 1.98 oz / 0.12 pounds)
Price
140 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Case

The glass at the front of the Neffos C5 is seamlessly integrated into the chassis, but the screen to body is just 66.5 percent. The polycarbonate back does not leave a very sophisticated impression and can be pushed in quite easily – it can be removed if necessary and grants access to the microSD-card reader, the Micro-SIM slot as well as the replaceable battery.

The quality of the slightly textured physical buttons for the volume control and the power button meets the price point – both the position as well as the pressure points are mostly convincing. The stability and the torsion resistance are good – you can only hear some creaking when you apply pressure.

Size Comparison

❌
154.5 mm / 6.08 in 76 mm / 2.99 in 8.8 mm / 0.3465 in 199 g0.4387 lbs146.6 mm / 5.77 in 74.8 mm / 2.94 in 8.8 mm / 0.3465 in 140 g0.3086 lbs144 mm / 5.67 in 72 mm / 2.83 in 8.8 mm / 0.3465 in 141 g0.3109 lbs143.8 mm / 5.66 in 70.2 mm / 2.76 in 8.3 mm / 0.3268 in 135 g0.2976 lbs143 mm / 5.63 in 72 mm / 2.83 in 7.6 mm / 0.2992 in 125 g0.2756 lbs140 mm / 5.51 in 69.1 mm / 2.72 in 7.3 mm / 0.2874 in 153 g0.3373 lbs148 mm / 5.83 in 105 mm / 4.13 in 1 mm / 0.03937 in 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity

The connectivity of the entry-level device is rather minimalistic – you will have to waive an NFC chip, fast charging, fingerprint scanner or a status LED. In return, the Neffos C5 is equipped with dual-SIM support as well as the possibility to use the device as an FM radio. You can charge the smartphone via Micro-USB 2.0 port at the bottom – but there is no USB-OTG support.

The internal storage is 16 GB, but the user can only use 9.9 GB for its own files. To avoid problems with the capacity, it is possible to transfer apps from the internal storage to an external memory card. Our 64 GB reference card from Toshiba (Exceria Pro M401) was recognized by the review unit, even though the supported maximum size is limited to just 32 GB according to TP-Link.

 

 

 

 

Software

The operating system is Android 5.1 (Lollipop) – there was no software update available on our test model and no announcement whether there will be an update to Android 6.0 at all. The user interface from the manufacturer is modern and minimalist. The design is slightly modified, but you can still recognize the Vanilla UI in many spots.

Compared to stock Android, there are not many software adjustments or additional settings. The app design can be adjusted with the preinstalled theme store. Applications are shown on the home screen and there is no app drawer, bit you can create folders.

Communication & GPS

The Neffos C5 supports all common GSM and 3G bands in Germany. The same applies for LTE Cat.4 with transfer rates of up to 150 Mbps (downstream). The entry-level device allows the use of up to two Micro-SIM cards simultaneously – both slots support all wireless frequencies.

The integrated WLAN module of the Neffos C5 only supports the IEEE 802.11 standards b/g/n in 2.4 GHz networks. Both the dampening in direct proximity to the router (Telekom Speedport, W921V) at almost -45 dBm and the transfer rate between the smartphone and our reference router Linksys EA 8500 are on par with other entry-level devices.

Bluetooth 4.0 is available for wireless transfers between devices.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Networking
iperf Server (receive) TCP 1 m
Xiaomi Mi 5
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996, 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
316 MBit/s +604%
TP-Link Neffos C5
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
44.9 MBit/s
UHANS S1
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 32 GB eMMC Flash
30.4 MBit/s -32%
iperf Client (transmit) TCP 1 m
Xiaomi Mi 5
Adreno 530, 820 MSM8996, 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash
265 MBit/s +438%
UHANS S1
Mali-T720 MP4, MT6753, 32 GB eMMC Flash
50.9 MBit/s +3%
TP-Link Neffos C5
Mali-T720 MP2, MT6735, 16 GB eMMC Flash
49.3 MBit/s
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test outdoors

The GPS module of the Neffos C5 finds the current position outdoors reliably and quickly and with an accuracy down to around 5 meters (~16 ft). Inside, however, the device cannot locate its position. We also use the smartphone on a bicycle ride and compare the results with the bicycle navigation system Garmin Edge 500. The TP Link smartphone shows a deviation of 480 meters (~0.3 miles) – the accuracy of the GPS module is average in general. That entry-level devices can manage a better performance on our test track is shown by the Coolpad Porto S (150 meters (~0.1 mile) difference), for example.

TP-Link Neffos C5
TP-Link Neffos C5
TP-Link Neffos C5
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500
Garmin Edge 500

Telephone & Voice Quality

The voice quality of the Neffos C5 cannot really convince us in the Vodafone network. Our voice partner did understand us very well during the review and the speaker on the TP-Link would even echo during calls.

The phone app is mainly the standard phone app from Google.

Phone app
Numbers pad

Cameras

Picture front camera
Macro shot main camera

The CMOS sensor of the rear-facing camera has a resolution of 8 megapixels (3264x2448 pixels). The quality of the pictures is average at best for a device in this price segment. Pictures appear blurry and the contrast is low (scene 1: forest), and the colors look pale as well as washed out. The 8 MP camera is not very convincing in scenes with brightness differences (scene 3: environment) either – the bad dynamic range in the pictures darkens large parts of the picture too much. We can see noise in low-light scenes and contours are blurry (scene 2: night).

The front camera has 2560x1920 pixels (5 MP). The quality is sufficient for some snapshots, and you get a Beauty Mode for selfies. Videos on the Neffos C5 can be recorded in 1080p at 30 fps.

 

 

 

 

Image Comparison

Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.

Scene 1Scene 2Scene 3
orginal image
click to load images


Accessories & Warranty

Inside the box is a modular power adapter with a nominal output of 5 watts (5 V, 1 A) as well as a USB cable. An accompanying headset was also provided with our test model.

TP-Link grants a 24-month warranty for its smartphone.

 

 

 

 

Input Devices & Handling

Inputs on the 5-inch touchscreen are executed precisely up into the peripheral areas. TP-Link installs the stock Android keyboard layout for text inputs, which supports swipe as well as voice inputs.

Keyboard, landscape mode
Keyboard, portrait mode
Keyboard, portrait mode

Display

Subpixel array

The 5-inch IPS LC-display has a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, which is sufficiently high, so contents are sharp enough with a pixel density of 294 PPI. The maximum luminance of the IPS panel is very good for a device in this price range at 513 cd/m². Our practical APL50 test shows 505 cd/m² in the center, so it hardly differs from the maximum luminance. The measurements of the maximum luminance with the activated brightness sensor revealed a similar value (508 cd/m²).

480
cd/m²		513
cd/m²		495
cd/m²
475
cd/m²		508
cd/m²		509
cd/m²
458
cd/m²		490
cd/m²		495
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LCD tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 513 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 491.4 cd/m² Minimum: 14.97 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 89 %
Center on Battery: 508 cd/m²
Contrast: 876:1 (Black: 0.58 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 6.1 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
Gamma: 2.15
TP-Link Neffos C5
IPS, 1280x720, 5"		Coolpad Porto S
IPS, 1280x720, 5"		ZTE Blade V7 Lite
IPS, 1280x720, 5"		UHANS S1
IPS, 1280x720, 5"		LG K10
IPS, 1280x720, 5.3"		UMI Touch
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.5"		Xiaomi Mi 5
IPS, 1920x1080, 5.2"
Screen
-15%
5%
-30%
-0%
-3%
29%
Brightness middle
508
407
-20%
312
-39%
525
3%
370
-27%
424
-17%
598
18%
Brightness
491
403
-18%
302
-38%
471
-4%
355
-28%
415
-15%
566
15%
Brightness Distribution
89
92
3%
79
-11%
82
-8%
92
3%
91
2%
90
1%
Black Level *
0.58
0.5
14%
0.15
74%
0.92
-59%
0.28
52%
0.54
7%
0.51
12%
Contrast
876
814
-7%
2080
137%
571
-35%
1321
51%
785
-10%
1173
34%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
7
7.9
-13%
8.2
-17%
8.6
-23%
6.7
4%
6.9
1%
3.5
50%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
14.1
18.2
-29%
16.5
-17%
19.4
-38%
17.8
-26%
10.9
23%
6.1
57%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
6.1
8.9
-46%
9.2
-51%
10.6
-74%
7.9
-30%
6.8
-11%
3.5
43%
Gamma
2.15 102%
2.46 89%
2.29 96%
2.34 94%
2.21 100%
1.99 111%
2.29 96%
CCT
8068 81%
8332 78%
9017 72%
9487 69%
9072 72%
8131 80%
6532 100%

* ... smaller is better

Both the contrast (1:876) and the black value (0.58 cd/m²) of the Neffos C5 are similar to our entry-level rivals, and the more realistic APL50 test does not show any big deviations either (0.59 cd/m², 1:869). The DeltaE deviations of 7.0 (ColorChecker) and 6.1 (Grayscale) are satisfying and not overly high for an inexpensive smartphone.

CalMAN ColorChecker (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Saturation Sweeps (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Colorspace (target color space sRGB)
CalMAN Grayscale (target color space sRGB)

Thanks to the high brightness and the good contrast ratio, you can use the Neffos C5 very comfortably outdoors. The viewing angles are stable as well. You can even see the screen content from very flat angles without contrast drops – only the luminance will be reduced a bit.

Outdoor use
Outdoor use
Viewing angles

Display Response Times

ℹ
Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast response times.
   ↔    Response Time Black to White
34 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 16 ms rise
↘ 18 ms fall
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers.
In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 90 % 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
77 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined↗ 31 ms rise
↘ 46 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. » 99 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms).

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

ℹ
To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
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.

Performance

Heart of the TP-Link Neffos C5 is a MediaTek SoC (System on a Chip) from 2014. The processor MT6735 is manufactured in a 28 nm process and consists of four CPU cores based on the Cortex-A53 architecture with 64-bit support.

The entry-level smartphone is actually quite powerful in practice for this price range and navigation on the user interface or in apps was mainly smooth. Multitasking caused more stutters and delays. Subjectively, the browser performance is sufficient for a device in this price range, even though web contents take some time before they are loaded and scrolling is not smooth. Overall, the subjective system performance is good, but it cannot stand out from other entry-level smartphones.

The synthetic benchmark results of the Neffos C5 are slightly higher compared to rivals with the same MediaTek SoC. The TP-Link smartphone is – somewhat unexpected – even on par with the UMi Touch and UHANS S1, which are equipped with the slightly more powerful processor MT6753 in the browser tests. The general performance on the other hand does not stand a chance against modern high-end devices like the Xiaomi Mi 5.

The performance of the flash storage is even below average for this price range, and the test model can only compete with the LG K10 in AndroBench 3. The integrated microSD-card slot on the other hand is on a good level for this class. We checked the performance with our reference card Toshiba Exceria Pro M401 (read up to 95 MB/s, write 80 MB/s) and 39.1 MB/s read and 18.9 MB/s write for the Neffos C5, respectively, are average in our comparison group.

 

 

 

 

AndroBench 3-5 | AnTuTu v6 | Geekbench 3 | 3DMark | GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 | GFXBench 3.0 | PCMark for Android | BaseMark OS II | Mozilla Kraken 1.1 | JetStream 1.1 | Octane V2
AndroBench 3-5
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
18.89 MB/s
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
12.62 MB/s -33%
UHANS S1
20.71 MB/s +10%
LG K10
45 MB/s +138%
UMI Touch
21.02 MB/s +11%
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
39.11 MB/s
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
22.77 MB/s -42%
UHANS S1
48.15 MB/s +23%
LG K10
75.5 MB/s +93%
UMI Touch
42.92 MB/s +10%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
6.85 MB/s
Coolpad Porto S
13.95 MB/s +104%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
8.26 MB/s +21%
UHANS S1
12.95 MB/s +89%
LG K10
7.5 MB/s +9%
UMI Touch
14.63 MB/s +114%
Xiaomi Mi 5
13.61 MB/s +99%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
17.16 MB/s
Coolpad Porto S
22.52 MB/s +31%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
18.24 MB/s +6%
UHANS S1
20.25 MB/s +18%
LG K10
9.2 MB/s -46%
UMI Touch
19.88 MB/s +16%
Xiaomi Mi 5
106.8 MB/s +522%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
52.4 MB/s
Coolpad Porto S
39.99 MB/s -24%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
70.3 MB/s +34%
UHANS S1
74.4 MB/s +42%
LG K10
78 MB/s +49%
UMI Touch
72.5 MB/s +38%
Xiaomi Mi 5
159.3 MB/s +204%
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
145.8 MB/s
Coolpad Porto S
168.2 MB/s +15%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
187.3 MB/s +28%
UHANS S1
240.8 MB/s +65%
LG K10
131 MB/s -10%
UMI Touch
219.3 MB/s +50%
Xiaomi Mi 5
459.6 MB/s +215%
AnTuTu v6 - Total Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
32681 Points
Coolpad Porto S
25415 Points -22%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
23822 Points -27%
UHANS S1
39029 Points +19%
LG K10
27383 Points -16%
UMI Touch
38617 Points +18%
Xiaomi Mi 5
116330 Points +256%
Geekbench 3
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
622 Points
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
404 Points -35%
UHANS S1
621 Points 0%
LG K10
476 Points -23%
UMI Touch
626 Points +1%
Xiaomi Mi 5
2303 Points +270%
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
1807 Points
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
1147 Points -37%
UHANS S1
2759 Points +53%
LG K10
1448 Points -20%
UMI Touch
2798 Points +55%
Xiaomi Mi 5
5447 Points +201%
3DMark
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
4906 Points
Coolpad Porto S
3028 Points -38%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
3070 Points -37%
UHANS S1
7259 Points +48%
LG K10
4339 Points -12%
UMI Touch
6795 Points +39%
Xiaomi Mi 5
29246 Points +496%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Graphics Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
4223 Points
Coolpad Porto S
2590 Points -39%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
2645 Points -37%
UHANS S1
6705 Points +59%
LG K10
3774 Points -11%
UMI Touch
6186 Points +46%
Xiaomi Mi 5
32613 Points +672%
1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
9291 Points
Coolpad Porto S
7413 Points -20%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
7026 Points -24%
UHANS S1
10211 Points +10%
LG K10
9106 Points -2%
UMI Touch
10368 Points +12%
Xiaomi Mi 5
21483 Points +131%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
203 Points
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
124 Points -39%
UHANS S1
298 Points +47%
LG K10
52 Points -74%
UMI Touch
291 Points +43%
Xiaomi Mi 5
3542 Points +1645%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Graphics (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
167 Points
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
101 Points -40%
UHANS S1
248 Points +49%
LG K10
41 Points -75%
UMI Touch
241 Points +44%
Xiaomi Mi 5
4558 Points +2629%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Physics (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
810 Points
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
618 Points -24%
UHANS S1
993 Points +23%
LG K10
730 Points -10%
UMI Touch
1045 Points +29%
Xiaomi Mi 5
1976 Points +144%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
8.3 fps
Coolpad Porto S
4.8 fps -42%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
8.2 fps -1%
LG K10
9.7 fps +17%
UMI Touch
12 fps +45%
Xiaomi Mi 5
60 fps +623%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
14 fps
Coolpad Porto S
8.6 fps -39%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
4.9 fps -65%
LG K10
5.2 fps -63%
UMI Touch
12 fps -14%
Xiaomi Mi 5
90 fps +543%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
2.8 fps
Coolpad Porto S
1.6 fps -43%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
1.8 fps -36%
LG K10
4.1 fps +46%
UMI Touch
4.5 fps +61%
Xiaomi Mi 5
42 fps +1400%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
6.1 fps
Coolpad Porto S
3.6 fps -41%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
3.4 fps -44%
LG K10
1.8 fps -70%
UMI Touch
4.5 fps -26%
Xiaomi Mi 5
42 fps +589%
PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
3443 Points
Coolpad Porto S
2893 Points -16%
UHANS S1
4191 Points +22%
LG K10
3999 Points +16%
UMI Touch
3787 Points +10%
Xiaomi Mi 5
6873 Points +100%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
683 Points
Coolpad Porto S
458 Points -33%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
448 Points -34%
UHANS S1
807 Points +18%
LG K10
536 Points -22%
UMI Touch
717 Points +5%
Xiaomi Mi 5
2392 Points +250%
System (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
1199 Points
Coolpad Porto S
905 Points -25%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
801 Points -33%
UHANS S1
1281 Points +7%
LG K10
1050 Points -12%
UMI Touch
1343 Points +12%
Xiaomi Mi 5
3638 Points +203%
Memory (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
991 Points
Coolpad Porto S
467 Points -53%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
487 Points -51%
UHANS S1
843 Points -15%
LG K10
453 Points -54%
UMI Touch
787 Points -21%
Xiaomi Mi 5
1801 Points +82%
Graphics (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
281 Points
Coolpad Porto S
173 Points -38%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
174 Points -38%
UHANS S1
431 Points +53%
LG K10
310 Points +10%
UMI Touch
429 Points +53%
Xiaomi Mi 5
4522 Points +1509%
Web (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
638 Points
Coolpad Porto S
599 Points -6%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
592 Points -7%
UHANS S1
640 Points 0%
LG K10
562 Points -12%
UMI Touch
576 Points -10%
Xiaomi Mi 5
1106 Points +73%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
12783 ms *
Coolpad Porto S
32901 ms * -157%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
19234 ms * -50%
UHANS S1
12510 ms * +2%
LG K10
16638 ms * -30%
UMI Touch
13953 ms * -9%
Xiaomi Mi 5
2973 ms * +77%
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
18.21 Points
Coolpad Porto S
14.17 Points -22%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
12.73 Points -30%
UHANS S1
18.42 Points +1%
LG K10
17.48 Points -4%
UMI Touch
17.61 Points -3%
Xiaomi Mi 5
54 Points +197%
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
TP-Link Neffos C5
2738 Points
Coolpad Porto S
2088 Points -24%
ZTE Blade V7 Lite
1910 Points -30%
UHANS S1
2972 Points +9%
LG K10
2838 Points +4%
UMI Touch
2562 Points -6%
Xiaomi Mi 5
8619 Points +215%

Legend

 
TP-Link Neffos C5 Mediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Coolpad Porto S Mediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
ZTE Blade V7 Lite Mediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
UHANS S1 Mediatek MT6753, ARM Mali-T720 MP4, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
LG K10 Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
UMI Touch Mediatek MT6753, ARM Mali-T720 MP4, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Xiaomi Mi 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996, Qualcomm Adreno 530, 64 GB UFS 2.0 Flash

* ... smaller is better

Games

The integrated graphics unit Mali-T720 MP2 consists of two clusters that can reach up to 650 MHz. Modern titles from the Android Play Store like Need for Speed No Limits are handled by the GPU without much problem – but we noticed distinct stutters in the graphics-demanding ego-shooter N.O.V.A. 3. The touchscreen was accurate during gaming.

Need for Speed No Limits
N.O.V.A 3

Emissions

Temperature

The surface temperatures are comparatively low at up to 41.5 °C (~107 °F) under load. The idle values do not exceed 36.3 °C (~97 °F). The temperatures tend to be a bit higher on the front compared to the rear.

Heat development front
Heat development rear
Max. Load
 38.6 °C
101 F		39.3 °C
103 F		41.2 °C
106 F		 
 37.8 °C
100 F		38.8 °C
102 F		41.5 °C
107 F		 
 37.1 °C
99 F		37.4 °C
99 F		40.4 °C
105 F		 
Maximum: 41.5 °C = 107 F
Average: 39.1 °C = 102 F
37.5 °C
100 F		38.9 °C
102 F		39.4 °C
103 F
38.2 °C
101 F		38.1 °C
101 F		36.9 °C
98 F
36.2 °C
97 F		37.9 °C
100 F		37.5 °C
100 F
Maximum: 39.4 °C = 103 F
Average: 37.8 °C = 100 F
Power Supply (max.)  35.4 °C = 96 F | Room Temperature 21.4 °C = 71 F | Voltcraft IR-260
(-) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 39.1 °C / 102 F, compared to the average of 32.8 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.5 °C / 107 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 39.4 °C / 103 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(±) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 32.9 °C / 91 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.

Speakers

Speaker measurements: Pink Noise

The mono speaker at the rear of the device is sufficiently powerful at up to 85 dB(A). The sound quality is sufficient for video playback and short music titles – but that is all. As expected, there is no bass, and the sound tends to be a bit tinny.

The sound quality at the 3.5 mm jack is okay.

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2034.232.434.22525.131.325.13125.631.725.64033.32633.35048.339.448.36329.336.229.38028.228.628.210026.925.426.912523.621.323.616020.523.320.52002522.52525035.522.435.531544.121.344.140051.118.451.150058.617.558.663066.117.566.180073.417.273.4100074.816.874.8125074.117.374.1160073.217.473.2200072.516.672.5250074.617.374.6315073.417.673.4400072.817.672.8500072.617.772.6630074.817.474.8800076.217.776.21000076.117.976.11250071.818.171.81600053.818.153.8SPL85.429.885.4N62.31.362.3median 72.5median 17.7median 72.5Delta13.11.713.135.945.932.435.935.635.831.335.629.329.131.729.328.926.52628.939.938.939.439.929.73536.229.728.126.928.628.123.82725.423.825.926.621.325.928.72423.328.731.923.522.531.940.821.522.440.849.428.921.349.454.13418.454.161.443.217.561.469.149.717.569.173.85417.273.876.958.516.876.974.157.417.374.171.352.317.471.370.95116.670.970.550.317.370.574.955.317.674.973.253.317.673.271.952.317.771.974.154.117.474.174.654.517.774.671.251.817.971.262.443.118.162.452.933.418.152.984.965.829.884.961.318.91.361.3median 70.5median 50.3median 17.7median 70.512.211.11.712.236.331.432.436.334.429.331.334.431.632.231.731.635.134.12635.138.134.939.438.13132.536.23126.427.228.626.427.527.725.427.527.531.121.327.526.827.523.326.830.627.122.530.638.429.922.438.446.432.921.346.45240.318.45260.847.817.560.865.85517.565.870.661.817.270.67463.816.87473.96317.373.968.957.917.468.968.857.416.668.868.857.717.368.868.65717.668.668.255.217.668.268.453.817.768.469.85517.469.874.359.417.774.375.160.417.975.169.954.818.169.966.35118.166.382.670.729.882.653.425.61.353.4median 68.4median 55median 17.7median 68.49.910.41.79.939.14132.439.137.237.631.337.232.437.331.732.436.633.72636.637.945.439.437.93031.636.23029.324.728.629.323.526.125.423.53026.221.33032.62423.332.629.923.222.529.930.423.722.430.440.630.721.340.649.637.118.449.657.444.717.557.463.752.117.563.771.257.217.271.277.264.916.877.274.461.717.374.472.159.917.472.174.362.216.674.375.963.817.375.980.768.817.680.776.764.617.676.774.462.217.774.473.26117.473.273.160.617.773.17562.217.97571.959.218.171.965.953.218.165.987.375.129.887.365.831.31.365.8median 71.9median 59.2median 17.7median 71.912.412.91.712.4hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseTP-Link Neffos C5Coolpad Porto SZTE Blade V7 LiteUMI Touch

Frequence diagrams in comparisons (boxes above can be checked/unchecked!)
Value 1: Pink Noise 100% Vol.; Value 2: audio off

Energy Management

Power Consumption

All in all, the consumption of the Neffos C5 is okay. The idle consumption is similar to the other comparison devices, but the TP-Link smartphone needs much more power than its rivals under load, 6 watts on average.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.04 / 0.67 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.72 / 1.87 / 2 Watt
Load midlight 5.99 / 6.45 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Gossen Metrahit Energy
TP-Link Neffos C5
2200 mAh		Coolpad Porto S
2000 mAh		ZTE Blade V7 Lite
2500 mAh		UHANS S1
2200 mAh		LG K10
2300 mAh		UMI Touch
4000 mAh
Power Consumption
-2%
31%
25%
2%
Idle Minimum *
0.72
1.16
-61%
0.63
12%
0.7
3%
0.89
-24%
Idle Average *
1.87
2.21
-18%
1.37
27%
1.13
40%
2
-7%
Idle Maximum *
2
2.24
-12%
1.71
14%
1.25
37%
2.1
-5%
Load Average *
5.99
3.34
44%
2.82
53%
4.39
27%
3.87
35%
Load Maximum *
6.45
3.95
39%
3.36
48%
5.43
16%
5.79
10%

* ... smaller is better

Battery Runtime

The capacity of the replaceable lithium ion battery is 2200 mAh. This is not very generous considering the large chassis of the Neffos C5. The battery runtime in our WiFi test at an adjusted luminance is comparable to other entry-level smartphones at 7 hours and 33 minutes.

It takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes before the empty battery is fully charged again.

 

 

 

 

Battery Runtime
WiFi Websurfing
7h 33min
TP-Link Neffos C5
2200 mAh		Coolpad Porto S
2000 mAh		ZTE Blade V7 Lite
2500 mAh		UHANS S1
2200 mAh		LG K10
2300 mAh		UMI Touch
4000 mAh
Battery Runtime
WiFi v1.3
453
504
11%
517
14%
309
-32%
453
0%
553
22%

Pros

+ bright IPS panel
+ dual-SIM + SD-card slot
+ replaceable battery

Cons

- tactile feeling plastic rear
- camera modules
- performance
- GPS
- Android 5.1

Verdict

In review: TP-Link Neffos C5. Test model courtesy of Notebooksbilliger.

The TP-Link Neffos C5 is an inexpensive smartphone with strengths in terms of usability – thanks to the replaceable battery and the dual-SIM feature without losing the ability to expand the storage via microSD-card at the same time. Another advantage for a smartphone in this price range is the good outdoor visibility even under sunlight.

"The entry of the Chinese manufacturer TP-Link into the smartphone market is not a bad start, but the Neffos C5 cannot fully convince us. Depending on your usage profile, it can still be an alternative to other entry-level smartphones, which offer a better overall package though."  

In return, the Neffos C5 can convince neither with the camera quality nor the chassis quality or an above-average system performance for this price range – the UHANS S1, for example, offers more for the money. Android 6.0 would have been desirable as well.

TP-Link Neffos C5 - 08/01/2016 v5.1 (old)
Marcus Herbrich

Chassis
72%
Keyboard
64 / 75 → 85%
Pointing Device
87%
Connectivity
38 / 60 → 63%
Weight
93%
Battery
90%
Display
81%
Games Performance
14 / 63 → 21%
Application Performance
33 / 70 → 47%
Temperature
87%
Noise
100%
Audio
50 / 91 → 55%
Camera
50%
Average
66%
79%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Price comparison

Read all 1 comments / answer
static version load dynamic
Loading Comments
Comment on this article
Please share our article, every link counts!
Mail Logo
Marcus Herbrich, 2016-08- 8 (Update: 2018-05-15)