Vodafone Smart X9 Review of Pros And Cons

- Analysis by KJ David

A 2018 middle-class contender from Vodafone, the Smart X9's cons include a not-so-competitive Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 eight-core processor that peaks at 1.8GHz only . In comparison, some high-ranking octa-core smartphones are powered by eight-core chips clocked at more than 2.2GHz. Having said that, its 3GB accompanying RAM sounds respectable, especially when the rest of its technical specs are taken into consideration.

The X9's inauspicious features also include an 8-megapixel selfie camera limited by a fixed-focus capacity only , ergo, no autofocus. Trying to make up for that setback, however, is an appreciable pro, in the form of its dual-lens primary camera , which is made up of a 16-megapixel primary lens and a 5-megapixel subsidy lens for depth-of-field analysis. Together, the forenamed lenses promise studio-level depth effects with its inbuilt Bokeh feature, with a standard LED flash and autofocus at the ready as well. By the way, don't forget to check out other multi-lens camera setups in this Phonerated list of the best photography phones available.

The X9's pros and cons also include a spacious 5.7-inch FHD+ (2160 x 1080) display sitting on a wide 18:9 aspect ratio that was the go-to screen solution for many of the best phablets around when it hit the market. Moreover, its display is shielded from everyday bumps and scratches by a 2.5D Dragontrail cover glass . As for storage, although tantamount mid-enders that came out around the time of this data-driven review offer twice as much memory (It comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage only), its support for up to 256GB's worth of top-up storage sounds more than passable, at least by 2018 mid-range smartphone standards. As we were writing this analysis, most of competing models within the Smart X9's price group supported only 128GB external memory cards -- this model was initially priced at 209 dollars.

Joining the mix is a circular fingerprint sensor sitting near its dual rear camera, which we have come to expect out of mid-level Android phones when the X9 was released. Sitting inside the engine room is a 3100mAh battery whose raw capacity hits just the right mark, relative to its overall specs profile.

The X9's pros and cons are housed inside a metal frame and Black Tungsten finish, while the Android 8.1 Oreo platform ties everything together. All said, this Vodafone Smart model targets mid-range Android shoppers eying a rather cheap entry into dual-lens imaging and a popular (as of 2018 Q4) 18:9 interface.

On-paper Review rating:

** This phone is also known as: Vodafone X9

*** These pros and cons are computer-generated based on our algorithm and the data we have on file for this item. If you see an error, please let us know.

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