Oukitel K7000 Review

Oukitel is a reliable brand for smartphones made in China and its K series is known for providing durable smartphones with large batteries. The latest model from the series is K7000. It looks like with it Oukitel breaks the K series rules as the device is thin, does not provide any special durability and its battery is 2000 mAh. But hey, there's an ace up their sleeve. The model actually has an optional charging case called Matrix. It includes a 5000 mAh battery, making the K7000 a perfect fit for the series in terms of huge battery capacity. This is actually the model's main selling point, which, coupled with a very competitive price makes it an interesting device to review.

Specifications

Oukitel K7000 is equipped with a 5-inch IPS display with an HD resolution and a 2.5D curved glass that graces a plastic body with a 4 mm thin aluminum alloy frame. The plastic back plate is removable to provide access to the 2000 mAh Li-Pol battery, the SIM and microSD card trays. The hardware of the model is based on a MediaTek MT6737 chipset - a 64-bit SoC, built after the 28 nm process. It integrates a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU and a 600MHz dual-core Mali-T720 MP2 GPU. Their work is supported by 2GB of single-channel, LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 550MHz. The internal memory measures 16GB and can be expanded with up to 32GB. The device has a limited number of sensors on board, including a light and proximity one, accelerometer, and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The camera department features a 5-megapixel primary shooter with a GalaxyCore GC5005 sensor, interpolated to 8 megapixels, as well as a 2-megapixel GalaxyCore GC2365 front-facing snapper, interpolated to 5 megapixels. The connectivity options of the model include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, HotKnot, Bluetooth 4.0. The device supports GPS and has a micro-USB 2.0 port. As long as it concerns network support, the smartphone works with the following bands: 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G WCDMA (900, 2100 MHz), and 4G LTE-FDD Cat. 4 (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz). A complete list of the specifications of Oukitel K7000 can be found here.

What's in the box

Oukitel K7000 arrives in a wide rectangular box in bright orange color. It has the company's logo on the lid and some basic information about the model at the bottom. Inside the box you'll see the smartphone itself and below it there's another box with the Matrix inside. To the left of the smartphone in a third compartment are placed a standard power adapter, a USB 2.0 charging cable, a simple user manual and a warranty card. The plastic back is removable, so you get direct access to three slots - two for micro SIM cards and a third one for a microSD card. The Matrix is a power bank created especially for the K7000, but able to charge any other smartphone via USB cable. It includes an integrated battery with a capacity of 5000 mAh and is equipped with a USB 2.0 port providing OTG support. The case has a button, which switches charging on, so you save power. This means that when you hook in your device, you have to press that button for the charging to start Besides being used as a power bank, the Matrix can serve as a protective case for your smartphone. The integrated bracket on the back turns the case into a stand for the smartphone, providing more comfortable viewing. Actually, the power case is an optional accessory due to the various customs requirements around the world. Oukitel sells the model either with the Matrix included, or available as an accessory.

Design and build

Oukitel K7000 has a plastic body with an aluminum alloy frame. The back plate is removable and the metal frame has a 4 mm thin profile. The whole body is 8.65 mm, which is an average thickness for a device with a 5-inch display and a 2000 mAh battery. Indeed, the smartphone feels thin and light. The back is curved along the vertical edges and the front is covered with a 2.5D curved glass. The model is designed to fit comfortably in the hand and is not heavy, too. With a weight of 158.5 grams, it is quite average for the size class. The width and height of the device measure 71.7 mm and 144.7 mm, respectively, and are typical for a handset with a 5-inch display. There are two colors available for the K7000 - white with a rose-gold frame and black with a dark grey frame. The rings of the camera and fingerprint sensor are the same color as the one of the frame. We are reviewing a white unit. The Matrix is in classic gold color. It weighs 140 grams, is 13 mm thick, 79 mm wide and 156 high. Oukitel K7000 has a classic controls layout. On the right frame are positioned the volume and power buttons. On the top one is the 3.5 mm jack, while on the bottom sit a micro USB 2.0 port, microphone and a speaker grille. The left frame is intact as the microSD and micro-SIM card slots are accessible by removing the back plate. On the rear of the device you'll see the primary camera module in the upper left corner with the LED flash below it and a circular fingerprint sensor, centrally positioned along the vertical. At the lower end the Oukitel logo is printed. On the front above the display are the selfie camera, earpiece, and light/proximity sensor. Below the display is the capacitive navigation bar. The home button is a small backlit circle, while the menu (left) and back (right) buttons are just touch-sensitive areas and are not marked in any way. The Matrix has holes for the rear camera and LED flash, the speaker and microphone, a micro-USB 2.0 port for charging the device and a classic USB 2.0 port for charging any other device via USB. There's a bracket that turns it into a stand for the device. Four blue lights indicate the level of its charge, each corresponds to 25% of the capacity. A dedicated button turns charging on and off.

Display

Oukitel K7000 has a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. It is covered with a 2.5D curved glass. There is no special protection for the display, so you have to be extra-careful not to drop the device as this will easily break it. Of course, getting a protective case is always an option. The bezels, both vertically and horizontally, are very thick. Our review unit showed a peak brightness of around 368 cd/sq.m., which is an OK result for a budget smartphone. Moreover, it even showed relatively good black luminance, resulting in a very high contrast ratio of around 2500:1. The latter is really consistent at all brightness levels the only exception being when the brightness is set at 0%. At this level the white and black luminance values are 46.572 cd/sq.m. and 0.030 cd/sq.m., respectively, hence, the contrast ratio is 1552:1. Another feature of the display that can be a deal breaker is its temperature of the white point. It is not disappointingly high and is actually consistent at all brightness levels, measuring an average of 9000 K. This means that the colors look colder. The software settings do not offer any options for correcting color temperature, saturation, contrast or any other feature for that matter.

Brightness	White luminance	Black luminance	Contrast	Color temperature
100 %	367.677 cd/m2	0.151 cd/m2	2435 : 1	9005 K
75 %	320.771 cd/m2	0.126 cd/m2	2546 : 1	8961 K
50 %	225.36 cd/m2	0.092 cd/m2	2450 : 1	8983 K
25 %	124.107 cd/m2	0.048 cd/m2	2586 : 1	9006 K
0 %	46.572 cd/m2	0.030 cd/m2	1552 : 1	9137 K

The CIE diagram shows a gamut coverage that is close to the sRGB one with deviations in the green area that are stronger than those in the blue and red ranges. The display matrix has a standard striped sub-pixel geometry. The viewing angles are OK in terms of preserving color, however, there is a significant loss in brightness when the display is looked from aside.

OS, UI and software

Oukitel K7000 arrives with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box. It is almost a stock variant of the OS with little to no bloatware. The lock screen has a classic layout with shortcuts to the Dialer and Camera. By default the notifications and quick settings appear on it and you cannot alter that. Once you land on the home screen, you'll see a row of docked apps - the Dialer, Contacts, Messenger, and Browser. Above it, there's another row of apps containing the Camera, Music, Play Store, and Settings apps. The rest of the apps are listed in successive screens in alphabetical order. A tap on the menu button opens the Widgets menu that also contains shortcuts to the Wallpapers and Themes menu and to the Settings. A single swipe down from the top of the display opens the list of notifications, while a second swipe opens the quick settings. From the gear icon on top of it you can activate the System UI Tuner. A tap and hold on the home button brings up the Task Manager, which does not include a Clear All function. The Volume and Power off menus are standard. The Settings menu holds no surprises. It contains four major groups of settings, the first one being the Wireless & networks. From there you can manage your Wi-Fi, HotKnot and Bluetooth connections, Data usage, SIM cards, etc. Device is the name of the second group of options. From there you can manage the Display, Sound & notifications, Apps, Storage & USB, Battery, Memory, and two types of gestures - motion and unlock ones. The Display settings offer nothing special. There's is a menu called Lamp, which actually manages the backlight of the home button. You can choose whether is should go on when the battery is charging, when you receive notifications, or when you use the button itself. Under Display you also get the classic Daydream function and you can also manage the wallpapers and themes. The Gesture Motion provides a group of gestures (all off by default) for when you talk on the phone or when you want to interact more intuitively with the system (screenshots, camera, volume and lock management via gestures). The Sound & notification menu contains the four standard sound profiles, Notifications and DND mode settings, along with the Sound enhancement ones. The Apps management settings are standard as well and include permissions, drawing over other apps, etc. An essential part is the Battery optimization one, which is also accessible from the Battery menu and the Power saver app, but more on this - in the Battery section of this review. The Gesture Unlock function is switched off by default. It contains several toggles for starting up specific apps simply by drawing a letter on the locked display as well as other gestures for interacting with the smartphone, when it is locked. The Security and Fingerprint are separate menus in the third major group of settings - Personal. Settings up a fingerprint ID is quick and easy. Once set up, you can rename or delete it, or assign to it an app. This means that you can open this up simply by using your fingerprint. You can store up to 5 IDs. The Security menu is standard and contains a SmartLock function, which however did not manage to load on our review unit. This might be a software glitch that can be easily fixed. The Personal group of options also includes the typical Location, Accounts, Language & input, Backup & reset, and Google menus. The fourth and last group is the System one. It includes the Date & time, Scheduled power on & off, and Accessibility menus, which offer nothing more than the standard settings. This group also contains a Smart somatosensory menu that provides additional option of interacting with the smartphone via simple gestures. There's a Cloud printing service pre-installed as well. The Developer options are quite extensive and you can take advantage of them if you're tech savvy. The System UI Tuner offers options for re-arranging the quick settings toggles, toggles for app icons in the status bar, an embedded battery percentage (does not work), and a Demo mode. All apps on the Oukitel K7000 are directly accessed from the home screen. These include the standard Dialer, Contacts, Messenger, default Browser, Camera, Gallery, Music, Clock, Email, Calendar, Sound Recorder, FM Radio, SIM Toolkit, Updater, Calculator, Downloads, and File Manager. Among the Google apps are Play Store, Maps, YouTube, Gmail, Voice Search, Google. The rest of the apps include App Lock, Power Saver, which will be discussed in the Battery section of this review, and Themes, which has the same function as the Wallpapers option from the Widgets menu and the Display settings.

Networks, calls and connectivity

Oukitel K7000 has two micro-SIM card slots, one supporting 2G and 3G networks, and the other 4G ones. The device supports quad-band 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), dual-band 3G WCDMA (900, 2100 MHz), and penta-band 4G LTE-FDD Cat. 4 (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz). Those are confirmed by the MTK Engineering Mode we ran on the device. Our review unit did not experience any issues with call quality and reception. It also performed well regarding its wireless connectivity options. The model supports Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, HotKnot, Bluetooth 4.0. The device has a micro-USB 2.0 port and works only with the GPS/A-GPS satellite navigation system.

Performance

Oukitel K7000 is based on a MediaTek MT6737 chipset. This is an entry-level, 64-bit system-on-chip that has been built after the 28 nm process and launched in the spring of 2016. It integrates a 1.3GHz quad-core CPU and a 600MHz dual-core Mali-T720 MP2 GPU along with an R9 Cat-4 CDMA2000 modem. While this is a cost-effective solution, you can still play some of the most popular games and enjoy power-effective performance. Of course, you should avoid apps and games with heavy graphics. The benchmark results are no surprise. Our review unit scored 29440 in AnTuTU, 4614 points in BaseMark X, and 2444 points in PCMark's Work 2.0 performance test. The model arrives with 2GB of single-channel, LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 550MHz and 16GB of storage, which can be expanded with up to 32GB. The microSD card slot is separate from the SIM card slots, so you won't sacrifice your second SIM in case you need more storage. The storage test scores are proportionally low just like all other benchmark scores. All in all, the smartphone works fine and only very heavy loading can cause hiccups and stuttering.

Cameras

The camera app is pretty standard. Its home screen contains the camera shutter button and video recording button, shortcuts to panorama, beauty and normal mode, the flash, HDR and gesture shot settings, as well as a shortcut to the camera settings. The latter contains the typical minimum of settings - exposure, scene mode, color effect, anti-shake, zero shutter delay, video quality, image resolution, etc. You also get basic editing features of photos already taken - applying filters, cropping, rotating, changing the contrast, saturation, etc.

Primary camera

The choice of sensor for the primary camera hints at the fact that this is not deemed to be a main selling point. The main shooter of Oukitel K7000 is equipped with a 5-megapixel GalaxyCore GC5005 sensor. This type of sensor can be found only in the most budget devices. It has a 1/5" size and its pixels are 1.12μm large. It should make images with a resolution of 2608 x 1960 pixels, but being interpolated to 8 megapixels, it makes images with a resolution of 3264 x 2448 pixels. Interpolation does no good to any kind of images. According to the specifications, the camera should make 720p videos at 30 fps, however, the videos are with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps.

Secondary camera

The front-facing camera sports a 2-megapixel GalaxyCore GC2365 sensor with a 1/5" size and 1.65μm pixels. It should make images with a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, but is interpolated to 5 megapixels, so the images are with a resolution of 2560 x 1920 pixels. The camera can shoot 640 x 480 videos at 24 fps.

Audio

The Music app is standard for Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It can sort the on-board audio files according to the artists, albums, and songs. There's a tab for playlists as well. The app has an integrated equalizer offering various effects. HotKnot sharing is also integrated in the Music app. Oukitel K7000 has a standard audio equipment and provides average audio quality. It scores Excellent in frequency response and Good in THD + Noise, with all other parameters being evaluated as Very good, which forms the same overall score. The speaker is typical for a budget smartphone and the sound coming out of it is often tinny.

Test	Value	RMAA rating
Frequency response (from 40 Hz to 15 kHz), dB	+0.02, -0.12	Excellent
Noise level, dB (A)	-92.7	Very Good
Dynamic range, dB (A)	92.7	Very Good
THD, %	0.0063	Very good
THD + Noise, dB (A)	-80.3	Good
IMD + Noise, %	0.010	Very good
Stereo crosstalk, dB	-78.7	Very good
IMD at 10 kHz, %	0.017	Very good
General performance		Very good

Battery

Oukitel K7000 packs a 2000 mAh Li-Pol battery with a standard 5V/1A charger. The software of the device includes a Power Saver app, which includes two power saving modes - Super power saving mode and Smart-saving mode, which is switched on by default. In addition, the battery monitor includes a Standby intelligent power saving mode, which is switched on by default as well. The software provides Battery optimization and Battery saver options as well. You can also select specific apps, which should be protected from all power saving modes. The most noteworthy feature of the model is its power bank, which arrives with a 5000 mAh battery integrated in it, a USB 2.0 port, and a bracket, which allows you to use it as a stand for the smartphone. You can also use it as a protective case. It has four blue dots serving as a light indicator for its own charge. Each dot corresponds to 25% of the charge. The power bank has a dedicated button, which should be pressed in order charging to start. If pressed and hold for 3 seconds it turns off. We have made two measurements for the battery charging and the battery temperature while charging. The first graph demonstrates those two parameters when the device is charged with its standard 5V/1A charger. It took a total of 4 hours to charge the 2000 mAh battery of the device from 0% to 100%. The charging rate has been steady throughout the whole process. After the first hour the battery reached 30%. After another hour it reached 53%. At the third hour of charging, the capacity reached 78%. The battery temperature did not fluctuate a lot. It started at 36°C, dropped to 32°C, and went up to 37°C when the battery reached 25% of its capacity. This level remained unchanged till 68% of the battery's capacity and started dropping down to 30°C, when the battery reached 100%. We also did another test to check how long would it take for the 5000 mAh power bank itself to be charged. It took 5 hours and 40 minutes to reach 100% from 0%. The second graph depicts the battery charging and the battery temperature while charging from the power bank without a cable. It is obvious that the battery charged much faster - for 3 hours and 10 minutes. The charging rate was steady and dropped only after the battery reached 90%. Charging stopped automatically, when the battery reached 98%. We tested this several times. When the battery is charged from 0% to 98%, the light indicator on the Matrix shows that it still has left 25% of its own charge. As long as it concerns the PCMark Work battery test it could be performed only without the power bank. We did try to test the device with the Matrix, but the software decided that the phone is plugged into a charger and could not run the test. The test has been performed with the display brightness calibrated at 200 nits as recommended by Futuremark. The result of the test is 4 hours and 35 minutes, which is a very good result for a 2000 mAh battery.

Final thoughts

Oukitel K7000 is a budget device that does not impress with build, performance or any other features. Its main competitive points are the affordable price (90-120$) and the Matrix, which is a 5000 mAh power bank. If spending as less as possible for a smartphone with a big battery is the most important thing for you, then you can consider this model.