Amoi N820 Big V Review and first impressions


Amoi N820 Dual Sim

Like many Chinese phones the Amoi N820 get’s dual SIM support which is a useful feature for those who have 2 phone numbers, perhaps one for business and another for pleasure.

However for those of us who like to mix the two and only have one SIM card in the phone the Amoi shows two large red X’s in the notification screen. This is a bug which makes the phone think no Sim is installed when in fact only one sim is in the phone. Call functions, text and 3G aren’t affected, but the red X icons can be a little annoying.

amoi n820 big v hands on and review

 

Amoi N820 in the hand and conclusions

amoi n820 and haier android phone comparisonAlthough quite a big phone, the Amoi N820 is very comfortable in the hand and gives a nice large, easy to read display and great performance for such a low price!

There were a few problems though such as the annoying red X and also the headphones sometimes performed very poorly, but overall for the price the Amoi N820 is a very competent phone and a bit of a bargain.

After seeing just how good low cost dual-core MTK MT6577 Android phones are from China, I’m really excited to try similar spec phones such as the JiaYu G3 and Newman N1 later this month!

Image source

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16 Comments

  1. Fel
    August 19, 2012

    hi does it run google play and gorilla glass? couldn t find the latest updates on it. U really wonder if the G3 ever surfaces and its already outdated and lost a good bit of its appeal

  2. Smileyguy
    August 19, 2012

    Is this phone available in China already? Where can I get this in China? Thanks in advance for your answers.

  3. partha pratim dutta
    August 19, 2012

    chinese have done wonders for even the poor people of the world. their business encompasses all sections of the socoety on the world. hats of to them.

  4. Dexter
    August 21, 2012

    Hey, I recently founf this site and all these cheap awesome phones. But, i have 1 question: if you buy a chinese phone like this, will you need an adapter to charge it some where else than china? I dont know how they look there or if they are just like the ones in Sweden? Thanks.

    • August 21, 2012

      They come with a 2 pin plug usually.

  5. chibuy
    August 23, 2012

    Hi Andy, i gvive up on jiayu g3 so im gonna get this n820 but i cant find any complete review, this phone has google market preinstalled or not?
    Thanx

  6. mike
    August 23, 2012

    Thanks for the review but what do you mean by the glass is too thick?

    • August 24, 2012

      It isn’t like touching the actually apps and controlling the screen. The glass just sort of feels like its in the way. Strange to explain, and it doesnt bother everyone.

  7. pandajaune
    August 24, 2012

    hi,
    thanks for the review.
    do you think amoi will update the phone to correct the red x bug?
    also it is weird not to find the n820 on the official website.

    • August 25, 2012

      I hope so as it really is annoying!

  8. Darren
    September 24, 2012

    Excellent website, really useful info on here.

    I’m from the UK and decided to take a punt on this phone. I’ve ordered the device through Etotalk and will update readers further when I receive the device

  9. Steve
    October 15, 2012

    hi Andi,
    Still have the N820? I am really trying to get it from some online shops but cant get a reliable one so far. any suggestions? where did you get your review unit? and you havent written any updates about stock or availability since the review, how come?

    • October 15, 2012

      Sorry I don’t have one. They should be in stores soon though I’ll keep you updated

  10. October 24, 2012

    Anyone who is interested in the N820, check out suppliers on aliexpress.com
    They retail for ~$200 USD.
    Of course, buy at your own risk – check the feedback of the suppliers.
    I bought mine from UGoodBuy Android Store on aliexpress.com , and they delivered appropriately – but once again, at your own risk.

    As with questions about Google Play, mine did NOT come with it. It came instead, with 360 Store (I hazard a guess, that’s the software company). It’s really similar to Google Play, but I ended up unhappy, and rooted the phone to Build 6.0 c.f. Build 5.8, and this allowed me to install Google Play.
    Anyone who is interested about N820, refer to the forums. There is a section there, and also more instructions on rooting and Google Play, etc.

  11. K V P
    October 27, 2012

    Is this Amoi N820/821 has notification led for missed call or when charging? Some site says, but some doesn’t. Can anybody using this phone confirm?

    Thanks

  12. Joost
    November 2, 2012

    Hi, I am thinking of buying the N820. I would also like to use this phone for navigation purposes in my car. Would you recommend this phone for navigation purposes as well? I read some posts on other forums that the N820 GPS is not working. Would you recommend another Chinese phone with a more accurate GPS?