- Analysis by KJ David
When it comes to technical pros and cons, the Coolpad Illumina is, ironically, a pretty lackluster 2018 smartphone -- browse through some of its prepaid competitors here. Like a lot of other essentials-only Androids, its biggest weak points come from the hardware department, one of which is its basic 1.1GHz quad-core Qualcomm MSM8909 processor 
. Accompanying its modest engine is an archaic 1GB-only RAM and an Adreno A304 graphics engine that won't be carrying graphics-heavy games any time soon.
Its hardware cons also include a 2150mAh battery promising a sub-average 12-hour talk time . In comparison, a few other models within its price group (It was initially pegged at 80 dollars) pack at least 2500mAh's worth of raw power in the engine room. Its 8GB internal memory, which can be expanded only up to 32GB , sounds underwhelming as well.
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Those off-putting specs aside, this budget-class model does run on the Go Edition of Android 8.1 Oreo 
, which means that it features stripped-down versions of essential Google applications as a method of conserving storage and battery power as well as lessening the stress on its mediocre processor. Don't forget to check out other Android Go smartphones featured on Phonerated.
A couple more of its pros include VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling , both of which complement its basic telephony audio quality and connectivity. It also offers standard 4G LTE connectivity, while rocking a primitive 5-inch 854 x 480 (FWVGA) screen .
Joining the Illumina's pros and cons is a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel-only front-facing secondary cam , both of which were already heavily-outmoded as we were reviewing its feature set. It is topped off by an M4/T3 hearing aid rating and a simple black coating.
Wrapping up, the Coolpad Illumina is obviously a cheap Android Go smartphone tailored to non-techies or those who are only just learning the ropes of Android.
On-paper Review score: 
By today's standards, we demand more than just 2-megapixel of selfie cam resolution.
- Recommended alternative: The best selfie smartphones
We were unable to find SAR (radiation level) information for this phone.
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Not too long ago, this smartphone's processing specs would have appeared nice, but compared to recent smartphones, this 1.1GHz Qualcomm MSM8909 processor with only 1GB of RAM looks a little pale.
It's frustrating that we were not able to find information about its weight.
Not only does it clock at 1.1GHz, it is even quad-core.
- Related link: List of the fastest Android smartphones
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