Tech Review: Coolpad Note 3S

One of the positives about Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad is that it targets customers looking for a decent phone in the sub-Rs 10,000 ($148) category.

From Note 3 to Mega 3 — and other launches in between — Coolpad smartphones have done well in the Indian market despite the competition from other Chinese phone-makers.

Coolpad Note 3s, priced at Rs 9,999, is a successor of the Coolpad Note 3.

What works for the device?

Encased in a visually appealing body, the device looks decent in the hand with its 5.5-inch IPD HD 2.5D curved display that exudes sharp colours and does not compromise on quality.

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The device is powered by a 1.4Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 MSM8929 processor and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It packs a 3GB RAM and 32GB on-board storage, which can be expanded using a MicroSD card in the hybrid SIM card tray.

With these specifications, the device ran fine and showed no signs of sluggishness even when shuffling between multiple apps or when large-size games were played for a longer time. The phone did not heat up either.

With a 2,500mAh non-removable battery, Note 3S can run up to 10-15 hours with moderate use, but considering the screen size, the battery may ditch users after continuous use for long hours. The device does not take much time to charge and goes from 0 to 100 in just 44 minutes.

The Coolpad Note 3S sports a 13MP rear camera that takes fine pictures in daylight. Its 5MP selfie-shooter also gave quality pictures in the daytime.

The fingerprint sensor at the back unlocks the device in a jiffy.

What does not work?

The 13MP rear camera fails when it shoots pictures in low-light, which reduces the details. Similarly, the front shooter failed our quality test in low-light conditions.

Coolpad did a great work in its Mega 3 device which had three SIM card slots. With only one hybrid tray, a user cannot simultaneously use two SIM cards and a MicroSD card.

Verdict

For a customer looking for sub-Rs 10,000 category phone with good features and good performance, Coolpad Note 3S is worth the price. Also, it is a tough competitor for other phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (2GB, 16GB variant) in this price band.