Cubot X18 Review

Overview

With Cubot X18 we continue our series of smartphone reviews that feature affordable models with huge displays following the trends set by Xiaomi with its Mi MIX and Mi MIX 2 and by Samsung with the Galaxy S8/S8+. Retailing at around USD 120, Cubot X18 offers an expansive display, 4G connectivity, stock Android 7.0 Nougat experience, and a reasonable amount of RAM with expandable built-in memory. Following is our in-depth review, which will explore every aspect of this model.

Specifications

Cubot X18 is built around a 5.7-inch display with an HD+ resolution (720 x 1440 pixels) and 18:9 aspect ratio. The IPS panel has a peak brightness of 450 cd/m², 1300:1 static contrast ratio and covers 90% of the NTSC colour space. The screen has a GFF full lamination and a 2.5D curved top glass layer. According to the manufacturer, the screen-to-body ratio is 83%. Under the plastic hood, a 64-bit MediaTek MT6737T chipset ticks. Built on the 28nm process, it packs a 1.5GHz quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU and a 600MHz Mali-T720 MP2 GPU. They go along with 3GB of single-channel LPDDR3 RAM clocked at 733MHz and 32GB of internal memory, expandable with up to 128GB. The camera department features a 13MP Sony IMX135 shooter (interpolated to 16MP) with a 5-element lens, an f/2.8 aperture, blue filter glass and 1A LED flash. The primary camera is adjoined by a fingerprint sensor offering 360-degree recognition and 0.1 seconds unlock time. The front-facing shooter packs an 8MP OmniVision OV8856 sensor (interpolated to 13MP), 5-element lens, f/2.2 aperture and an 0.5A LED flash. The model has a removable plastic back, which provides access to two separate Micro-SIM card slots and a third slot for a microSD card. The two cards work in a dual standby mode and support 2G GSM (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G W-CDMA (900 MHz, 2100 MHz), and 4G FDD-LTE (800, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz) networks. LTE speeds are Cat. 4 ones. The wireless connectivity options of the device include Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot. The smartphone works with GPS and GLONASS and is equipped with a Micro-USB 2.0 port and a 3.5 mm jack. A 3200 mAh Li-Ion battery keeps the lights on. It is housed in an aluminium shell and can be easily removed. The model runs pure Android 7.0 Nougat. Here's the full set of Cubot X18 specifications.

What's in the box

Cubot X18 arrives in a rectangular box with a photo of the phone on the lid and a seascape as its background. The model's name is placed in the top left corner. On the back of the box, there's information about the main features and certifications of the device. The smartphone arrives with the standard protective film for the screen and is placed in the left side of the box, which also contains:

• 5V/1A charger (EU plug)
• Micro-USB cable
• Pre-installed screen protector
• Transparent silicone protective case for the back placed on the smartphone
• Quick start guide
• Compliance regulation booklet