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MagyarUlefone Paris Smartphone Review
Ulefone is a lesser-known Chinese brand and maker of affordable mainstream smartphones. The company is currently offering three separate models including the Be Touch 3, Paris, and Be Pro 2. Today, we'll be taking a close look at the 5-inch Paris smartphone starting for a price of just $150 USD.
Case
Visually, the rounded edges and corners are reminiscent to the iPhone with no sharp surfaces at all. The entire phone is very smooth and the metal frame exhibits a sense of quality that otherwise isn't expected from a smartphone in this price range.
From a quality point-of-view, we can notice no unintentional gaps or manufacturing defects. The phone is slightly susceptible to twisting and we can hear some light creaking as well, though nothing worrisome. Of particular note is the removable back panel, which can be very difficult to remove without fingernails or a sharp edge. Only the Gray and White color options are available with no other choices.
The size of the phone feels smaller than it actually is due to the curved back. In reality, the phone is longer in length than many of its competitors including the Samsung Galaxy J5 and LG G4c since it uses dedicated Android keys. A few other 5-inch smartphones like the Huawei P8 Lite or Dooge Y100X are tenths of a millimeter thinner. The front glass is slightly curved on the edges and corners while the screen itself is flat to further accentuate the smooth and rounded design of the Paris.
Connectivity
Available ports are the expected USB 2.0 and 3.5 mm audio jack on the top edge of the device. External mice, keyboards, and storage drives can be attached on the fly. More advanced features, like MHL, are not supported on the Paris.
Communication & GPS
WLAN is supported up to 802.11n with built-in Bluetooth. We had no connectivity issues up to 20 meters away where the smartphone will begin to lose connection at about -80 dbm or lower.
GPS Test reveals an accurate and reliable fix when outdoors. For driving or everyday navigating purposes, the Paris will be sufficient.
Telephone & Voice Quality
Supported network includes GSM and WCDMA for 2G and 3G connectivity. 4G utilizes FDD-LTE bands (800/1800/2100/2600 MHz), all of which are not supported by the major U.S. carriers AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. CDMA users are also out of luck as the Paris is not compatible with these networks. Note that while the phone supports dual Micro-SIM cards, only the first slot is capable of 4G speeds up to 150/50 Mbps download/upload. The second slot is limited to 2G connectivity.
Call quality is very good with no major issues under the T-Mobile network. Voices are sufficiently loud at maximum volume, though some slight static can be heard. The listener on the other side claimed that we were on the soft side as well. Nothing out of the ordinary for a smartphone, though nothing spectacular as well.
Cameras & Multimedia
The rear 13 MP camera produces good pictures considering the inexpensive price. Images are crisp in bright outdoor situations and the auto-focus works quickly and reliably. Colors are also good, though the overall image has a tendency to be on the warm side.
The crux of the Paris camera is its poor focusing while indoors and at medium distances. Images become blurry compared to outdoor scenery shots or macro shots. Additionally, brightness controls are below average as the phone has difficulty capturing details in darker areas of a picture. The windows and brick wall on the windmill, for example, are only visible after overexposing the rest of the image. Meanwhile, the camera Flash is weak and only sufficient for macro shots in the dark.
Video is supported up to 1080p30. Quality is again on the blurry side, especially when indoors. Panning quickly will accentuate the problem further.
Accessories & Warranty
Extras include a UK AC charger, earphones, Quick Start guide, additional screen protector, and a micro-USB cable. Ulefone warranty lasts for 24 months through official online resellers unless if a specific retailer says otherwise.
Input Devices
Touchscreen
The 10-point capacitive touchscreen responds swiftly to inputs and is as accurate around the edges and corners as it is towards the center. Fast typists will appreciate that the phone is able register letters without much latency. We recommend users tap with a bit more force than usual as the Paris tends to not register lighter inputs as reliably.
While we have no major issues with the touchscreen itself, the vibration is on the weak side and the three dedicated Android keys below the touchscreen barely light up. The usual Settings and Back buttons surrounding the center Home button are literal dots instead of their appropriate icons. The Paris takes the Samsung approach by having the Back button to the right of the Home button instead of to the left.
Display
The 5-inch display is the highlight of the Paris as it is crisp and very bright even for a budget smartphone. A big part of its great first impression is the very high contrast that surpasses most other smartphones of its class. Subjectively, videos and images on the Paris look fantastic despite the use of a sub-FHD panel.
Ulefone uses the same One Glass Solution (OGS) as earlier iPhones for a thinner screen. Content appears closer to the surface for a better "pop-up" effect as a result.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 436.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1725:1 (Black: 0.253 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.32 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 5.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.01
| Ulefone Paris | Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | Huawei P8 lite | Samsung Galaxy J5 | LG G4c | HTC One M9 | Doogee Nova Y100X | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -13% | -21% | -1% | -27% | -16% | -53% | |
| Brightness middle | 436.4 | 418 -4% | 365 -16% | 349 -20% | 480 10% | 474 9% | 387.9 -11% |
| Brightness | 424 | 407 -4% | 353 -17% | 353 -17% | 464 9% | 458 8% | 390 -8% |
| Brightness Distribution | 93 | 95 2% | 93 0% | 93 0% | 92 -1% | 85 -9% | 91 -2% |
| Black Level * | 0.253 | 0.49 -94% | 0.42 -66% | 0.49 -94% | 0.4 -58% | 0.583 -130% | |
| Contrast | 1725 | 853 -51% | 869 -50% | 980 -43% | 1185 -31% | 665 -61% | |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5.32 | 3.92 26% | 5.2 2% | 5.22 2% | 8.13 -53% | 6.32 -19% | 9.91 -86% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 5.8 | 3.81 34% | 5.85 -1% | 3.96 32% | 6.73 -16% | 6.36 -10% | 10.04 -73% |
| Gamma | 2.01 109% | 2.27 97% | 2.17 101% | 2.08 106% | 2.69 82% | 2.43 91% | 2.53 87% |
| CCT | 6369 102% | 7361 88% | 7252 90% | 7308 89% | 7727 84% | 8218 79% | 10336 63% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 70.86 | 58.81 | |||||
| Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 91.25 | 70.038 |
* ... smaller is better
Color analyses with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal a generally inaccurate grayscale, but with balanced color reproduction across all tested saturation levels. The 2015 Motorola Moto G has more accurate colors and grayscale than the Ulefone, while the LG G4c and even the HTC One M9 have less accurate displays overall.
Outdoor usability is very good because of the bright backlight. The IPS panel allows for excellent viewing angles, which is important for reducing glare and switching between Landscape or Portrait modes.
Performance
The MediaTek MT6735 SoC is a 1.5 GHz quad-core chip. On the Paris, however, this same SoC is a 1.3 GHz octa-core chip according to CPU-Z. If idling, all cores can be disabled except for one running as low as 300 MHz to save energy. All cores can run up to 1.3 GHz simultaneously, though this happens infrequently and only when under high loads like gaming.
Synthetic benchmarks show the MT6735 to be roughly equivalent to the Snapdragon 615 SoC in the Motorola Moto X Play. Antutu and PassMark scores are also very good for its category and only beaten by more expensive devices like the Zenfone 2 or One M9.
| AnTuTu v5 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Ulefone Paris | |
| Doogee Nova Y100X | |
| Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro | |
| Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
| Motorola Moto X Play | |
| ZTE Blade S6 | |
| Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML | |
| HTC One M9 | |
Browser-based benchmarks like Sunspider put the Paris ahead of the Doogee Valencia models, but behind costlier models from major manufacturers. The ZTE Blade V6 is able to outperform the Paris on most accounts.
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Ulefone Paris | |
| Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro | |
| Doogee Nova Y100X | |
| Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
| ZTE Blade S6 | |
| Motorola Moto X Play | |
| HTC One M9 | |
| Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML | |
| Browsermark - 2.1 (sort by value) | |
| Ulefone Paris | |
| Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro | |
| Doogee Nova Y100X | |
| Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
| Motorola Moto X Play | |
| HTC One M9 | |
| WebXPRT 2015 - Overall (sort by value) | |
| Ulefone Paris | |
| Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro | |
| Doogee Nova Y100X | |
| Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
| Motorola Moto X Play | |
| HTC One M9 | |
| Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| Ulefone Paris | |
| Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro | |
| Doogee Nova Y100X | |
| Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 | |
| ZTE Blade S6 | |
| Motorola Moto X Play | |
| HTC One M9 | |
| Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML | |
* ... smaller is better
Storage Devices
The integrated 16 GB eMMC performs very well in Androbench 3 with results comparable to mainstream smartphones from more well-known manufacturers. Flagship models like the One M9 will still outperform the Ulefone in transfer speeds.
MicroSD is supported up to 128 GB for even more storage if necessary.
Gaming Performance
The integrated Mali-T720 GPU is common on budget smartphones. The Paris, however, utilizes the dual-core Mali-T720 MP2 version. Performance is better than the Mali-400 in the Doogee Y100X and even the Doogee Y100 Pro despite it carrying the same SoC and GPU. The mainstream Adreno 405 still clocks in faster in BaseMark X, but Epic Citadel shows more comparable results. Outside of synthetic benchmarks, 3D titles like Asphalt 8 run smoothly on the native 720p display.
Stress testing with GFXBench shows no reduction in frametimes overtime. This means users can get full performance out of the MediaTek SoC without needing to worry about major throttling issues during high processing loads.
Emissions
Temperature
Surface temperatures are well above average during medium to heavy loads. While the Paris runs cool under very light loads, heavy browsing or gaming for extended periods will boost temperatures to an average of 40 C. We were able to record temperatures over 50 C near the rear camera. Users should never experience temperatures this warm on the Paris, but do expect the phone to become quite warm after a few minutes of heavy use.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 43.6 °C / 110 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 51.4 °C / 125 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The monaural speaker is on the bottom edge of the phone adjacent to the microphone and similar in style to the speaker on the iPhone. Quality is below average as bass is virtually non-existent. Sounds are high-pitched with low range and have an unintentional echo at higher volume settings. On the bright side, maximum volume is loud and do not exhibit any crackling noises.
Battery Life
Runtimes are average at 6 hours of constant WiFi use. The Galaxy J5 and LG G4c can last for much longer under similar conditions, so there is definitely still room for improvement on the Paris. At worst, users can expect 3 hours of constant use on maximum brightness and extreme processing loads. The battery is removable for replacing like on many other budget smartphones.
| Ulefone Paris 2250 mAh | Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 2470 mAh | Huawei P8 lite 2200 mAh | Samsung Galaxy J5 2600 mAh | LG G4c 2540 mAh | HTC One M9 2840 mAh | Doogee Nova Y100X 2200 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 45% | -7% | 56% | 22% | 4% | -28% | |
| Reader / Idle | 953 | 1364 43% | 715 -25% | 1292 36% | 955 0% | 805 -16% | 658 -31% |
| WiFi v1.3 | 361 | 526 46% | 351 -3% | 495 37% | 457 27% | 348 -4% | 258 -29% |
| Load | 180 | 264 47% | 194 8% | 350 94% | 252 40% | 236 31% | 136 -24% |
| WiFi | 573 |
Pros
Cons
Verdict
In a sea of cheap oversea smartphones, there are always a few standout models that offer good hardware and performance for the price. The Ulefone Paris is one of them as its performance and display are both surprisingly solid. The display is bright enough for comfortable use outdoors and the software is responsive as one would expect from a mainstream device. The 2 GB RAM is already double that of many cheap alternatives. There is no hardware throttling and its design is arguably sleeker than most other budget Chinese smartphones in the market.
There are the expected cut corners, of course, including the average camera and battery life. The touchscreen could have been more responsive to lighter taps and the vibration is on the weak side. Lastly, surface temperatures are much higher than on other smartphones when simply browsing the net or gaming for extended periods.
For $150 USD, the Ulefone Paris can be a good primary smartphone as long as users are aware of its drawbacks.
The Paris is slightly more expensive than some of its competitors, but the extra cost pays for the sleeker looks and better overall performance.
Ulefone Paris
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11/09/2015 v4(old)
Allen Ngo
Pricecompare
