MyPhone Agua Rio Initial Review and Impressions, Sample Camera Shots, Antutu Benchmark Score, In the Flesh Photos
Been playing with the affordable quad core Android smartphone, MyPhone Agua Rio, for a few days now and I thought I'd share with you my initial impressions of the device.
"Mark, MyPhone Agua Rio will be our comeback smartphone in the entry-level to midrange category following the success of our best-selling MyPhone A919i," Mr. Jaime Alcantara, President of MyPhone, told me during the official media launch of the handset that was held in Teatrino Greenhills.
5-inch HD 1280 x 720 pixels IPS Display : Apart from the phone's youthful design, the first thing that you will notice about Rio is its large screen. Considering that it only costs Php 4,999, I think it's great that the handset has a high-definition IPS display that looks clear and crisp regardless of the viewing angle and - at full brightness - is visible even under direct sunlight.
Solid Construction and Fun Design : MyPhone Agua Rio exudes a reassuring air of durability when you hold it -- thanks to its removable unibody polycarbonate shell. The matte finish and snug fit of the case give the phone a rugged feel and give the user the impression that the device can actually take the knocks and bumps of daily use.
For a 5-inch smartphone, the Rio is quite slim and thin. With dimensions of 146 x 74 x 9.3 millimeters, the handset easily and seamlessly slips into my jeans' front pocket.
Decent Imaging Capabilities and Fast Shutter Speed : MyPhone Agua Rio flaunts an 8 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash at the back complemented by the 2 MegaPixel front cam for selfies. These shooters aren't really much compared to that of MyPhone's more expensive releases but they are good enough to give you clear shots for sharing on your social networking accounts.
What I particularly like about Rio's camera, though, is the fast focus and shutter speed. If you've ever missed out on capturing a moment because your phone's cam takes too long to change its focus or to snap a shot, then I'm sure you'd also appreciate this important imaging enhancement that MyPhone gave this device.
Check out these sample photos that I took using the smartphone's 8 MegaPixel main camera:
And here's that I snapped using Rio's 2 MegaPixel front cam:
Impressive Innards : As mentioned in my previous TP post about this handset, MyPhone Agua Rio runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS sans custom skin with its Quad Core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and 416 MHz Mali-400 MP2 GPU based MediaTek MT6582M SoC and has 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage that can be expanded using the microSD card slot. Given the phone's very affordable price tag, I think these internal specifications are already very good.
The combination of these innards gave the phone an Antutu Benchmark Score of 16,550 when I ran the test on my unit. This high mark well-reflects the smooth touch response and overall mobile experience that the phone delivers. As for gaming, so far, I've already installed and played Sonic Dash, Subway Surfers, and Raging Thunder 2 on my phone and it runs them very well -- that is, without lags and stutter-free. Needless to say, the smoothness is not at par with what I get from my more expensive smartphones running on MediaTek MT6592 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipsets but it's good enough not to drive you crazy with slow transitions and intermittent crashes. Will definitely install more games in the coming days and let you know how the phone performs when running them.
How to Transfer Apps to the MicroSD Card? Simply root the device using Framaroot application. You don't need a PC to do this; Just download the apk directly on your phone using your mobile browser and install it. It's so easy. Once you have rooted your MyPhone Agua Rio you can already change the default storage to your microSD card. I will post a step-by-step guide on how to do it - complete with photos - next week.
Initial Verdict : Like all of you, I love buying gadgets that give me great value for my hard-earned money -- and MyPhone Agua Rio is one such device. For only Php 4,999, Rio already lets you enjoy the benefits of a quad core processor, 1 GB of RAM, a large 5-inch HD IPS display, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability, and around 13 hours of uptime with mixed usage - thanks to its removable 2,000 mAh Li-Ion battery pack. Clearly, MyPhone Agua Rio gives you far more value than the actual amount that you pay for it. And in my book, that's all good.
"Mark, MyPhone Agua Rio will be our comeback smartphone in the entry-level to midrange category following the success of our best-selling MyPhone A919i," Mr. Jaime Alcantara, President of MyPhone, told me during the official media launch of the handset that was held in Teatrino Greenhills.
5-inch HD 1280 x 720 pixels IPS Display : Apart from the phone's youthful design, the first thing that you will notice about Rio is its large screen. Considering that it only costs Php 4,999, I think it's great that the handset has a high-definition IPS display that looks clear and crisp regardless of the viewing angle and - at full brightness - is visible even under direct sunlight.
Solid Construction and Fun Design : MyPhone Agua Rio exudes a reassuring air of durability when you hold it -- thanks to its removable unibody polycarbonate shell. The matte finish and snug fit of the case give the phone a rugged feel and give the user the impression that the device can actually take the knocks and bumps of daily use.
As I've shared previously, MyPhone Agua Rio - true to its "Live Life in Color" product slogan - is available in a number of fun hues that young users will surely love, namely, Sky Blue (my favorite), Green, Red, White, Orange, Black, and Yellow.
MyPhone Agua Rio has subtle design accents, which include the brushed metal rim of the camera module, the glossy plastic power button and volume rocker located on either sides of the device, and the thin black plastic band framing the glass touchscreen.
For a 5-inch smartphone, the Rio is quite slim and thin. With dimensions of 146 x 74 x 9.3 millimeters, the handset easily and seamlessly slips into my jeans' front pocket.
Decent Imaging Capabilities and Fast Shutter Speed : MyPhone Agua Rio flaunts an 8 MegaPixel autofocus camera with LED flash at the back complemented by the 2 MegaPixel front cam for selfies. These shooters aren't really much compared to that of MyPhone's more expensive releases but they are good enough to give you clear shots for sharing on your social networking accounts.
What I particularly like about Rio's camera, though, is the fast focus and shutter speed. If you've ever missed out on capturing a moment because your phone's cam takes too long to change its focus or to snap a shot, then I'm sure you'd also appreciate this important imaging enhancement that MyPhone gave this device.
Check out these sample photos that I took using the smartphone's 8 MegaPixel main camera:
And here's that I snapped using Rio's 2 MegaPixel front cam:
TP Friends, that's Mr. Dards Abawag. He is MyPhone's Social Media Specialist and Senior Graphic Artist. He is also the one who works directly with tech bloggers for MyPhone's Digital Marketing campaigns.
Impressive Innards : As mentioned in my previous TP post about this handset, MyPhone Agua Rio runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean OS sans custom skin with its Quad Core 1.3 GHz ARM Cortex A7 and 416 MHz Mali-400 MP2 GPU based MediaTek MT6582M SoC and has 1 GB of RAM and 4 GB of storage that can be expanded using the microSD card slot. Given the phone's very affordable price tag, I think these internal specifications are already very good.
The combination of these innards gave the phone an Antutu Benchmark Score of 16,550 when I ran the test on my unit. This high mark well-reflects the smooth touch response and overall mobile experience that the phone delivers. As for gaming, so far, I've already installed and played Sonic Dash, Subway Surfers, and Raging Thunder 2 on my phone and it runs them very well -- that is, without lags and stutter-free. Needless to say, the smoothness is not at par with what I get from my more expensive smartphones running on MediaTek MT6592 or Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipsets but it's good enough not to drive you crazy with slow transitions and intermittent crashes. Will definitely install more games in the coming days and let you know how the phone performs when running them.
How to Transfer Apps to the MicroSD Card? Simply root the device using Framaroot application. You don't need a PC to do this; Just download the apk directly on your phone using your mobile browser and install it. It's so easy. Once you have rooted your MyPhone Agua Rio you can already change the default storage to your microSD card. I will post a step-by-step guide on how to do it - complete with photos - next week.
Initial Verdict : Like all of you, I love buying gadgets that give me great value for my hard-earned money -- and MyPhone Agua Rio is one such device. For only Php 4,999, Rio already lets you enjoy the benefits of a quad core processor, 1 GB of RAM, a large 5-inch HD IPS display, Dual SIM Dual Standby capability, and around 13 hours of uptime with mixed usage - thanks to its removable 2,000 mAh Li-Ion battery pack. Clearly, MyPhone Agua Rio gives you far more value than the actual amount that you pay for it. And in my book, that's all good.
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