Cubot KingKong 8 Review

OS, UI and software

Cubot KingKong 8 runs on stock Android 13 and if you're familiar with other devices running on near-stock Android, there won't be any surprises here. Here's a short overview of the UI and settings of the device followed by our usual text-and-screenshots description. The Lock Screen displays the traditional big Time widget with a small Date widget with a list of notifications. The latter can be forbidden, of course. A swipe up unlocks the device and you land on the Home Screen with a Google search bar on top, integrating the Voice search and Lens. It is followed by the Time and Date widget and the two rows with favorite and docked apps at the bottom. Google Discover is on by default and can be accessed after a swipe to the right from the Home Screen. A swipe to the left opens the second desktop with apps. The Wdigets menu lets you access the Home Screen settings from where you can toggle off Google Discover and switch to an app-drawer-style launcher. You can also edit the At a Glance info. The Task Manager lists the app previews horizontally and supports split-screen mode. There's a "Clear all" button at the bottom. Desktop shortcuts are supported as well. The Notifications and Quick Settings have a classic Android 13 layout and design with the usual options to add/remove quick settings toggles. Cubot KingKong 8 arrives with a bare minimum of pre-installed apps. The list includes Assistant, Calculator, Calendar, Camera, Chrome, Clock, Contacts, Drive, Files, Find Device, Gmail, Google, Keep Notes, Maps, Meet, Messages, Phone, Photos, Play Store, Safety, Sound Recorder, YouTube, and YT Music. The Settings app also has a straightforward layout. The list begins with the settings search bar and the first two groups of options are about connectivity - "Network & Internet" and "Connected Devices." "Apps" and "Notifications" are third and fourth, respectively. They manage the app behavior, screen time, app and device notifications, conversations, notifications behavior, etc. The "Battery" and "Storage" groups are fifth and sixth. "Sound & Vibration" is seventh comprising the usual volume sliders, DND settings, additional sound toggles, ringtones, alarms, and other sound settings. It is followed by the "Display" group of options which lets you adjust the brightness level, turn on the Adaptive Brightness toggle, manage the lock screen and screen timeout, switch between the light and dark UI theme, use Night Light, change the display size and text, etc. "wallpaper" is listed as a separate group of options with a choice of live wallpapers, standard ones, customization options (dark theme, themed icons, and app grid), and access to the Photos app from where you can select preferred wallpaper images. The "Accessibility" group is tenth and has not been changed offering various tools for easier interaction for people with hearing and visual impairment. The "Security" group is next with the usual Google Play Protect, Security Update, Find My Device, and Google Play system update features. From here you can set up the screen lock, and fingerprint ID, and access more security settings such as smart lock, device admin apps, app pinning, etc. The "Privacy" group of settings is twelve and comprises the dashboard, permission manager, notifications on the lock screen, activity controls, autofill service, and various toggles related to privacy. The "Location" group is next and is directly related to privacy with options for various apps and their permissions to access your location. The "Safety & Emergency" group of settings follows with the options to add personal medical information and emergency contacts, set up an emergency SOS signal, crisis alerts, receive emergency alerts, etc. "Passwords & Accounts" is next, followed by "Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls", "Google" settings, "DuraSpeed", "Memory Expansion", "System", and "About phone". These are standard Android settings options for quite some time and we won't delve into them. The memory expansion refers to the virtual RAM expansion option. On the KingKong 8, you have to restart the device each time you change this. From the System => Gestures => Smart Assistant menu you can switch between the virtual navigation bar and on-screen gestures. You can also set the Power button to activate Google Assistant instead of locking the device.