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Ulefone Paris

Ulefone Paris Smartphone Review:


Attractive and inexpensive. The 5-inch Paris brings about a sense of luxury on an otherwise inexpensive device. Is there a catch to this $150 smartphone?
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Ulefone is a lesser-known Chinese brand and maker of affordable mainstream smartphones. The company is currently offering three separate models including the Be Touch 3, Paris, and Be Pro 2. Today, we'll be taking a close look at the 5-inch Paris smartphone starting for a price of just $150 USD.
Ulefone Paris
Processor
Mediatek MT6735 1.5 GHz
Graphics adapter
ARM Mali-T720 MP2
Memory
2048 MB  
Display
5.0 inch 16:9, 1280x720 pixel, 10-point capacitive, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
16 GB eMMC Flash, 16 GB  
Weight
125 g ( = 4.41 oz / 0.28 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)

Case

Visually, the rounded edges and corners are reminiscent to the iPhone with no sharp surfaces at all. The entire phone is very smooth and the metal frame exhibits a sense of quality that otherwise isn't expected from a smartphone in this price range.
From a quality point-of-view, we can notice no unintentional gaps or manufacturing defects. The phone is slightly susceptible to twisting and we can hear some light creaking as well, though nothing worrisome. Of particular note is the removable back panel, which can be very difficult to remove without fingernails or a sharp edge. Only the Gray and White color options are available with no other choices.
The size of the phone feels smaller than it actually is due to the curved back. In reality, the phone is longer in length than many of its competitors including the Samsung Galaxy J5 andLG G4c since it uses dedicated Android keys. A few other 5-inch smartphones like theHuawei P8 Lite or Dooge Y100X are tenths of a millimeter thinner. The front glass is slightly curved on the edges and corners while the screen itself is flat to further accentuate the smooth and rounded design of the Paris.

Connectivity

Available ports are the expected USB 2.0 and 3.5 mm audio jack on the top edge of the device. External mice, keyboards, and storage drives can be attached on the fly. More advanced features, like MHL, are not supported on the Paris.
Right: Power button, Volume rocker
Right: Power button, Volume rocker
Top: 3.5 mm audio, Micro-USB 2.0
Top: 3.5 mm audio, Micro-USB 2.0
Left: No connectivity
Left: No connectivity
Bottom: Speakerphone, microphone
Bottom: Speakerphone, microphone

Communication & GPS

WLAN is supported up to 802.11n with built-in Bluetooth. We had no connectivity issues up to 20 meters away where the smartphone will begin to lose connection at about -80 dbm or lower.
GPS Test reveals an accurate and reliable fix when outdoors. For driving or everyday navigating purposes, the Paris will be sufficient.
~1 m from source
~1 m from source
~10 m from source
~10 m from source
~20 m from source
~20 m from source
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test outdoors
GPS Test indoors
GPS Test indoors

Telephone & Voice Quality

SIM slots and MicroSD behind rear cover
SIM slots and MicroSD behind rear cover
Supported network includes GSM and WCDMA for 2G and 3G connectivity. 4G utilizes FDD-LTE bands (800/1800/2100/2600 MHz), all of which are not supported by the major U.S. carriers AT&T, Verizon, or T-Mobile. CDMA users are also out of luck as the Paris is not compatible with these networks. Note that while the phone supports dual Micro-SIM cards, only the first slot is capable of 4G speeds up to 150/50 Mbps download/upload. The second slot is limited to 2G connectivity.
Call quality is very good with no major issues under the T-Mobile network. Voices are sufficiently loud at maximum volume, though some slight static can be heard. The listener on the other side claimed that we were on the soft side as well. Nothing out of the ordinary for a smartphone, though nothing spectacular as well.

Cameras & Multimedia

The rear 13 MP camera produces good pictures considering the inexpensive price. Images are crisp in bright outdoor situations and the auto-focus works quickly and reliably. Colors are also good, though the overall image has a tendency to be on the warm side.
The crux of the Paris camera is its poor focusing while indoors and at medium distances. Images become blurry compared to outdoor scenery shots or macro shots. Additionally, brightness controls are below average as the phone has difficulty capturing details in darker areas of a picture. The windows and brick wall on the windmill, for example, are only visible after overexposing the rest of the image. Meanwhile, the camera Flash is weak and only sufficient for macro shots in the dark.
Video is supported up to 1080p30. Quality is again on the blurry side, especially when indoors. Panning quickly will accentuate the problem further.
Ulefone Paris
Ulefone Paris
Canon Rebel XSi
Canon Rebel XSi
LG G2
LG G2

Accessories & Warranty

Extras include a UK AC charger, earphones, Quick Start guide, additional screen protector, and a micro-USB cable. Ulefone warranty lasts for 24 months through official online resellers unless if a specific retailer says otherwise.

Input Devices

Touchscreen

The 10-point capacitive touchscreen responds swiftly to inputs and is as accurate around the edges and corners as it is towards the center. Fast typists will appreciate that the phone is able register letters without much latency. We recommend users tap with a bit more force than usual as the Paris tends to not register lighter inputs as reliably.
While we have no major issues with the touchscreen itself, the vibration is on the weak side and the three dedicated Android keys below the touchscreen barely light up. The usual Settings and Back buttons surrounding the center Home button are literal dots instead of their appropriate icons. The Paris takes the Samsung approach by having the Back button to the right of the Home button instead of to the left.

Display

LCD subpixel array
LCD subpixel array
The 5-inch display is the highlight of the Paris as it is crisp and very bright even for a budget smartphone. A big part of its great first impression is the very high contrast that surpasses most other smartphones of its class. Subjectively, videos and images on the Paris look fantastic despite the use of a sub-FHD panel.
Ulefone uses the same One Glass Solution (OGS) as earlier iPhones for a thinner screen. Content appears closer to the surface for a better "pop-up" effect as a result.
405.6
cd/m²		433.9
cd/m²		433.8
cd/m²
409
cd/m²		436.4
cd/m²		432.2
cd/m²
409.9
cd/m²		429.4
cd/m²		425.7
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
X-Rite i1Pro Basic 2
Maximum: 436.4 cd/m² Average: 424 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 436.4 cd/m²
Contrast: 1725:1 (Black: 0.253 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5.32 | 1.01-23.34 Ø6.8
ΔE Greyscale 5.8 | 0.79-16.8 Ø7
Gamma: 2.01
Ulefone ParisMotorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541Huawei P8 liteSamsung Galaxy J5LG G4cHTC One M9Doogee Nova Y100X
Screen
-10%
-17%
6%
-25%
-13%
-43%
Brightness424407 
-4%
353 
-17%
353 
-17%
464 
9%
458 
8%
390 
-8%
Brightness Distribution9395 
2%
93 
0%
93 
0%
92 
-1%
85 
-9%
91 
-2%
Black Level *0.2530.49 
-94%
0.42 
-66%
0.49 
-94%
0.4 
-58%
0.583 
-130%
Contrast1725853 
-51%
869 
-50%
980 
-43%
1185 
-31%
665 
-61%
Colorchecker DeltaE2000 *5.323.92 
26%
5.2 
2%
5.22 
2%
8.13 
-53%
6.32 
-19%
9.91 
-86%
Greyscale DeltaE2000 *5.83.81 
34%
5.85 
-1%
3.96 
32%
6.73 
-16%
6.36 
-10%
10.04 
-73%
Gamma *2.012.272.172.082.692.432.53
CCT63697361 
16%
7252 
14%
7308 
15%
7727 
21%
8218 
29%
10336 
62%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)70.8658.81
Color Space (Percent of sRGB)91.2570.038
* ... smaller is better
Color analyses with an X-Rite spectrophotometer reveal a generally inaccurate grayscale, but with balanced color reproduction across all tested saturation levels. The 2015 Motorola Moto G has more accurate colors and grayscale than the Ulefone, while the LG G4c and even the HTC One M9 have less accurate displays overall.
Grayscale
Grayscale
Saturation Sweeps
Saturation Sweeps
ColorChecker
ColorChecker
Outdoor usability is very good because of the bright backlight. The IPS panel allows for excellent viewing angles, which is important for reducing glare and switching between Landscape or Portrait modes.
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under shade
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Outdoors under direct sunlight
Wide IPS viewing angles
Wide IPS viewing angles

Performance

The MediaTek MT6735 SoC is a 1.5 GHz quad-core chip. On the Paris, however, this same SoC is a 1.3 GHz octa-core chip according to CPU-Z. If idling, all cores can be disabled except for one running as low as 300 MHz to save energy. All cores can run up to 1.3 GHz simultaneously, though this happens infrequently and only when under high loads like gaming.
Synthetic benchmarks show the MT6735 to be roughly equivalent to the Snapdragon 615SoC in the Motorola Moto X Play. Antutu and PassMark scores are also very good for its category and only beaten by more expensive devices like the Zenfone 2 or One M9.
AnTuTu Benchmark v5 | Geekbench 3 | 3DMark (2013) | Vellamo 3.x | PassMark PerformanceTest Mobile V1 |BaseMark OS II
AnTuTu Benchmark v5 - Total Score (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
31538 Points ∼39%
Doogee Nova Y100X
19426 Points ∼24%-38%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
20419 Points ∼25%-35%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
23242 Points ∼29%-26%
Motorola Moto X Play
29699 Points ∼37%-6%
ZTE Blade S6
30329 Points ∼38%-4%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
42247 Points ∼52%+34%
HTC One M9
55374 Points ∼69%+76%
Legend
 
Ulefone ParisMediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Doogee Nova Y100XMediatek MT6582, ARM Mali-400 MP, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 ProMediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB SSD
 
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto X PlayQualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
ZTE Blade S6Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551MLIntel Atom Z3560, PowerVR G6430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC One M9Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
Browser-based benchmarks like Sunspider put the Paris ahead of the Doogee Valencia models, but behind costlier models from major manufacturers. The ZTE Blade V6 is able to outperform the Paris on most accounts.
Octane V2 | Sunspider | Browsermark | WebXPRT 2013 | WebXPRT 2015 | Mozilla Kraken 1.1
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris (Chrome 46)
3217 Points ∼7%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
2168 Points ∼5%-33%
Doogee Nova Y100X (Chrome 45)
2452 Points ∼5%-24%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541 (Chrome 44)
3296 Points ∼7%+2%
ZTE Blade S6 (Chrome 42)
3655 Points ∼8%+14%
Motorola Moto X Play (Chrome 45)
3764 Points ∼8%+17%
HTC One M9 (Chrome 41)
6493 Points ∼14%+102%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
6507 Points ∼14%+102%
* ... smaller is better

Storage Devices

The integrated 16 GB eMMC performs very well in Androbench 3 with results comparable to mainstream smartphones from more well-known manufacturers. Flagship models like the One M9 will still outperform the Ulefone in transfer speeds.
MicroSD is supported up to 128 GB for even more storage if necessary.
AndroBench 3
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
144.9 MB/s ∼30%
Doogee Nova Y100X
38.05 MB/s ∼8%-74%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
139.22 MB/s ∼29%-4%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
131.42 MB/s ∼27%-9%
Motorola Moto X Play
139 MB/s ∼29%-4%
ZTE Blade S6
128 MB/s ∼26%-12%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
147.56 MB/s ∼30%+2%
HTC One M9
235.14 MB/s ∼48%+62%
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
49.72 MB/s ∼31%
Doogee Nova Y100X
21.09 MB/s ∼13%-58%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
51.71 MB/s ∼32%+4%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
22.33 MB/s ∼14%-55%
Motorola Moto X Play
75 MB/s ∼47%+51%
ZTE Blade S6
51 MB/s ∼32%+3%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
54.6 MB/s ∼34%+10%
HTC One M9
123.81 MB/s ∼78%+149%
Random Read 4KB (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
17.23 MB/s ∼17%
Doogee Nova Y100X
15.64 MB/s ∼15%-9%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
17.76 MB/s ∼18%+3%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
22.79 MB/s ∼23%+32%
Motorola Moto X Play
16 MB/s ∼16%-7%
ZTE Blade S6
7.85 MB/s ∼8%-54%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
22.69 MB/s ∼22%+32%
HTC One M9
20.66 MB/s ∼20%+20%
Random Write 4KB (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
5.04 MB/s ∼11%+77%
Doogee Nova Y100X
2.41 MB/s ∼5%-15%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
3.78 MB/s ∼8%+33%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
5.11 MB/s ∼11%+79%
Motorola Moto X Play
16 MB/s ∼34%+461%
ZTE Blade S6
2.85 MB/s ∼6%0%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
5.91 MB/s ∼12%+107%
HTC One M9
13.91 MB/s ∼29%+388%

Gaming Performance

The integrated Mali-T720 GPU is common on budget smartphones. The Paris, however, utilizes the dual-core Mali-T720 MP2 version. Performance is better than the Mali-400 in the Doogee Y100X and even the Doogee Y100 Pro despite it carrying the same SoC and GPU. The mainstream Adreno 405 still clocks in faster in BaseMark X, but Epic Citadel shows more comparable results. Outside of synthetic benchmarks, 3D titles like Asphalt 8 run smoothly on the native 720p display.
Stress testing with GFXBench shows no reduction in frametimes overtime. This means users can get full performance out of the MediaTek SoC without needing to worry about major throttling issues during high processing loads.
Basemark X 1.1 | Epic Citadel
Basemark X 1.1
Medium Quality (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
6359 Points ∼14%-77%
Doogee Nova Y100X
4813 Points ∼11%-83%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
3891 Points ∼9%-86%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
3855 Points ∼9%-86%
Motorola Moto X Play
10637 Points ∼24%-62%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
18918 Points ∼42%-32%
HTC One M9
27968 Points ∼62%0%
High Quality (sort by value)
Ulefone Paris
2852 Points ∼6%
Doogee Nova Y100X
1697 Points ∼4%-40%
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 Pro
1776 Points ∼4%-38%
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
1839 Points ∼4%-36%
Motorola Moto X Play
5084 Points ∼12%+78%
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
13059 Points ∼30%+358%
HTC One M9
19122 Points ∼43%+570%
Legend
 
Ulefone ParisMediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Doogee Nova Y100XMediatek MT6582, ARM Mali-400 MP, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Doogee Valencia2 Y100 ProMediatek MT6735, ARM Mali-T720 MP2, 16 GB SSD
 
Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 MSM8916, Qualcomm Adreno 306, 8 GB eMMC Flash
 
Motorola Moto X PlayQualcomm Snapdragon 615 MSM8939, Qualcomm Adreno 405, 16 GB eMMC Flash
 
Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551MLIntel Atom Z3560, PowerVR G6430, 32 GB eMMC Flash
 
HTC One M9Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 MSM8994, Qualcomm Adreno 430, 32 GB eMMC Flash

Emissions

Temperature

Surface temperatures are well above average during medium to heavy loads. While the Paris runs cool under very light loads, heavy browsing or gaming for extended periods will boost temperatures to an average of 40 C. We were able to record temperatures over 50 C near the rear camera. Users should never experience temperatures this warm on the Paris, but do expect the phone to become quite warm after a few minutes of heavy use.
Max. Load
 42.4 °C38.6 °C39.2 °C 
 42.2 °C38.6 °C43.6 °C 
 42.6 °C38.6 °C42.2 °C 
Maximum: 43.6 °C
Average: 40.9 °C
40.4 °C40.4 °C45.4 °C
40.2 °C40.6 °C51.4 °C
40.2 °C40.8 °C40.4 °C
Maximum: 51.4 °C
Average: 42.2 °C
Room Temperature 22.2 °C | Fluke 62 Mini IR Thermometer

Speakers

The monaural speaker is on the bottom edge of the phone adjacent to the microphone and similar in style to the speaker on the iPhone. Quality is below average as bass is virtually non-existent. Sounds are high-pitched with low range and have an unintentional echo at higher volume settings. On the bright side, maximum volume is loud and do not exhibit any crackling noises.

Battery Life

Runtimes are average at 6 hours of constant WiFi use. The Galaxy J5 and LG G4c can last for much longer under similar conditions, so there is definitely still room for improvement on the Paris. At worst, users can expect 3 hours of constant use on maximum brightness and extreme processing loads. The battery is removable for replacing like on many other budget smartphones.
Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
15h 53min
WiFi Surfing v1.3
6h 01min
Load (maximum brightness)
3h 00min
Ulefone Paris
2250 mAh		Motorola Moto G 3. Gen 2015 XT1541
2470 mAh		Huawei P8 lite
2200 mAh		Samsung Galaxy J5
2600 mAh		LG G4c
2540 mAh		HTC One M9
2840 mAh		Doogee Nova Y100X
2200 mAh
Battery Runtime
45%
-7%
56%
22%
4%
-28%
Reader / Idle9531364 
43%
715 
-25%
1292 
36%
955 
0%
805 
-16%
658 
-31%
Load180264 
47%
194 
8%
350 
94%
252 
40%
236 
31%
136 
-24%
WiFi v1.3361526 
46%
351 
-3%
495 
37%
457 
27%
348 
-4%
258 
-29%
WiFi573

Pro

+thin and sleek design for the price
+high contrast and bright backlight
+removable battery
+dual-SIM support
+respectable performance
+2 GB RAM
+clear voice quality
+no major throttling issues
+good camera quality outdoors

Cons

-weak haptic feedback
-high surface temperatures
-poorly lit Home button and keys
-back cover difficult to remove
-battery life could be better
-4G not guaranteed for U.S. users
-poor speaker; no bass
-no extra features (fingerprint, NFC, MHL, IR blaster, etc.)
-poor camera quality indoors and under low-medium lighting or distances

Verdict

In review: Ulefone Paris. Test model provided by Coolicool.com. Coupon Code for $5 savings: CICPA5
In review: Ulefone Paris. Test model provided by Coolicool.com. Coupon Code for $5 savings: CICPA5
In a sea of cheap oversea smartphones, there are always a few standout models that offer good hardware and performance for the price. The Ulefone Paris is one of them as its performance and display are both surprisingly solid. The display is bright enough for comfortable use outdoors and the software is responsive as one would expect from a mainstream device.  The 2 GB RAM is already double that of many cheap alternatives. There is no hardware throttling and its design is arguably sleeker than most other budget Chinese smartphones in the market.
There are the expected cut corners, of course, including the average camera and battery life. The touchscreen could have been more responsive to lighter taps and the vibration is on the weak side. Lastly, surface temperatures are much higher than on other smartphones when simply browsing the net or gaming for extended periods.
For $150 USD, the Ulefone Paris can be a good primary smartphone as long as users are aware of its drawbacks.
The Paris is slightly more expensive than some of its competitors, but the extra cost pays for the sleeker looks and better overall performance.
Ulefone Paris - 11/09/2015 v4(old)
Allen Ngo
Chassis
74%
Keyboard
74 / 75 → 99%
Pointing Device
74%
Connectivity
44 / 61 → 72%
Weight
94%
Battery
90%
Display
81%
Games Performance
54 / 57 → 95%
Application Performance
34 / 65 → 52%
Temperature
80%
Noise
100%
Audio
60 / 91 → 66%
Camera
70%
Average
71%
80%
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