Star S5 Butterfly is a quad-core HTC Butterfly clone rocking Android 4.2

Chinese Android phone maker Star have released the quad-core MT6589 StarS5 Butterfly phone, but rather than producing an all new an unique design have chosen to clone the HTC Butterfly.

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As the name suggests the StarS5 Butterfly is a 5-inch HTC Butterfly clone which boasts similar black and red styling but at the more wallet friendly price of $222.99. Like most of the 2013 Star line-up, the S5 packs Mediatek’s MT6589 quad-core processor, 5-inch display and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean as standard.

The 5-inch panel is a 720p HD unit to help keep costs low, and there is 1GB RAM, but the phone still supports dual-sim support, SD card memory expansion plus a 3 mega-pixel front and 8 mega-pixel rear camera.

If you fancy getting your hands on the quad-core, StarS5 Butterfly then head over to Uredeal where they are currently listing the phone in stock.

[ Source ]

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About the author

Ying Hua
I'm an avid gamer and a bit of a Ninja when it comes to gadgets and technology. When I'm not busy with the latest Android and iOS games and I can be found writing at Gizchina.com.

Josef Ovethsky
March 25, 2013
What I want to know is why all chinese phones use the MT6589 proccessor on 1.2ghz?
Why dont they use qualcom 1.5ghz like xiaomi mi2?
March 25, 2013
Well…I had a bad experience with this brand and decided NEVER buy a Star phone again. I had one Star A2000 with lcd bug…I simply lost it after 2 months of use.
- March 26, 2013
  Totally agree. I bought a Star A1000 (hd7 clone) and the screen was a torture to use. Since then I see first youtube reviews. Anyway, although 200 bucks to another cell phone is cheap for a Star phone is a very risky and expensive bet IMHO.
- Roger
  March 26, 2013
  There at least three different companies making Star branded phones. They all started out as the one company, but in time they split in different companies. For example, one of these companies is Ulefone/Shenzhen Star Technology Co/Gotron who make phone know as Star or iStar brand.
  - April 22, 2013
    You’re right Roger about Ulefone though I thought Gotron don’t make smartphones? They appear to make TV related devices/accessories?
    Ulefone don’t seem to have any kind of web presence whatsoever which is strange these days.
Eli
March 26, 2013
I saw a review of this phone on youtube and the camera is 6MP not 8MP or 12 MP as advertised
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rfef5VblDL8#t=679s
- BigFoot007
  March 26, 2013
  The camera was 6 megapixel – because it is set to take a pictures in 16:9, normally, it should be 8 mpix:)
  - pete
    March 26, 2013
    This is probably correct as the similar Star/HDC X920 and UMI S1 can be found listed with 8MP rear and 5MP front but cropped to 16:9 they may be correctly listed as 6MP and 4 MP as the full sensor image is being cropped from 4:3 to 16:9.
    The decal on the back for 12:0 will be interpolated/extrapolated 16:9 image i.e. not a lie just marketing fluff.

pete
March 26, 2013
6MP rear and 4MP front. Also the Google search bar appears to stay as Chinese characters in the ROM on the videos.

Spinning cat
March 26, 2013
I was going to order this, but man, I’m starting to doubt. The specs are off on the box on the video (for instance is says 4,3 inch!!), the phone says 12 Mp camera on the back and it’s really a 6 Mp. How can they be so careless with details?
How do we even know the 2500 mAh battery is real?
Camaman
March 26, 2013
Don’t the protruding back cameras get scratched?
Guest
March 26, 2013
What I want to know is why all chinese phones use the MT6589 proccessor on 1.2ghz?
Why dont they use qualcom 1.5ghz like xiaomi mi2?
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
Guest
March 26, 2013
Well…I had a bad experience with this brand and decided NEVER buy a Star phone again. I had one Star A2000 with lcd bug…I simply lost it after 2 months of use.
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  Totally agree. I bought a Star A1000 (hd7 clone) and the screen was a torture to use. Since then I see first youtube reviews. Anyway, although 200 bucks to another cell phone is cheap for a Star phone is a very risky and expensive bet IMHO.
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  There at least three different companies making Star branded phones. They all started out as the one company, but in time they split in different companies. For example, one of these companies is Ulefone/Shenzhen Star Technology Co/Gotron who make phone know as Star or iStar brand.
- Guest
  April 22, 2013
  You’re right Roger about Ulefone though I thought Gotron don’t make smartphones? They appear to make TV related devices/accessories?
  Ulefone don’t seem to have any kind of web presence whatsoever which is strange these days.

cpaun
March 26, 2013
I think that Star/HDC X920 is nicer. It looks more polished and with a better screen. Anyway I like the design of both phones ant they look pretty slim 🙂 I never had a Star phone so I don’t know how good they actually are.
- fred
  March 26, 2013
  could not agree more, the back plastic look better, i actually bought one x920 on fastcardtech, express delivery, i will make comment here about it if you guys are interested
  - amit
    July 17, 2013

Spinning cat
March 26, 2013
The whole deal with the camera sort of makes sense now. Just took the plunge and ordered it on aliexpress with the shopping festtival 20 usd discount of today. Total of 194,- usd including shipping to the Netherlands. About 150 euro.
When it arrives I’ll put up a review somewhere. I really hope the quality doesn’t let me down.
- Lola
  March 28, 2013
  - Spinning Cat
    March 29, 2013
    @Lola: seller has 99,7% positive reviews and 3 days after ordering phone now has status ‘despatched to overseas’ so I guess it’s allright. Have bought phone cases before on AliExpress and that went well. First time 1 week delivery and 2nd time a 2 week delivery with China Post to the Netherlands. Not too bad. I am very careful with ordering and always look at reviews and I always ask questions before ordering to check how the seller communicates. I will report when I recieve the phone. I bought it here:
    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013-New-MTK6589-Android-4-2-Cheap-phone-S5-Dual-sim-1G-ram-8G-ROM-dual/800196218.html
    If I want to i can even use the russian language 🙂
    - Lola
      March 29, 2013
      that’s very nice thanks for the answer i guess if you find a reliable supplier then everything will workout fine, i have to say if you google them you’ll find scary reviews but it all depends if the supplier are professional or scammers
    - May 12, 2013
      How’s the battery life of this phone? I order mine through retailheaven.nl. Premium price, but I avoid customs and get support in the Netherlands (even repairs !). Is there a case which fits?
      - Spinning Cat
        May 14, 2013
        I’m happy with the phone. Didn’t have to pay taxes luckily so cost me 155,- euros. You can read my remarks in dutch at tweakers.net http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1520485?data%5Bfilter_keywords%5D=star%20S5&data%5Bboolean%5D=AND
        I’m listed there as Wodka the Cat.
        You can find some pictures and a video I shot with it at https://plus.google.com/photos/108862374815396385790/albums/5865271548464893169
        I also made a comparison picture of the Star S5 alongside a Jiayu G3 to compare sizes.
        It’s a good phone. GPS is slow with a fix in 2 minutes. I haven’t rooted it so some tricks that require root might improve that.
        Battery is good. You can survive a day with regular/heavy use and 2 days with modest use.
        You could buy a case at http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pcs-lot-Original-protective-case-cover-for-5-0-inch-Star-S5-x920-MTK6589-Quad-Cord/844479655.html
        I got one with the seller from aliexpress I got the phone from so I have no experience with this reseller that sells the cases.
        The case is not that great. I’m guessing it won’t survive for a year. The edges are coming off. I don’t think it’s real leather either.
        Retailheaven is a bit pricey (259,- euro) but for the warrancy it might be handy. If mine breaks I’ll have to throw it in the thrash or resend it to China.
        
        XrainX
        May 15, 2013
        Try to root with MT6589_rooter: sendspace.com/file/um2bxt
        About photos and video: never shoot a video in vertical position. You will destroy the power of HD. Also vertical photos are almost stupid but not all the time.
        July 3, 2013
        Hi, I see you have also Jiayu G3 phone. Which one do you like better ?
        Battery life, Display, Overall ?

XrainX
March 26, 2013
I like Star compared to other chinese manufacturers regarding this: silent but working.
So they work, not talk. They are releasing the real thing not “photoshop or spy photos”. They are not spamming internet for months, day by day with some promises and prices.
Because GizChina is more international than chinese I hope they will write an article with the smartphones which are in stores NOW, in stock. And weekly to update the list with a new article. For most people only the list is enough, who is interested can search on Aliexpress for example.
Speaking of Aliexpress you will find the promised $166 JiaYu even at $470. And I am sure that is a preorder. So for who are the benefits of the JiaYu or other manufacturers spam? For the buyers not, for sure.
- Kaskuser
  March 26, 2013
  Nice..
  Agree..
  Because star always have more stock. Price of this phone never markup up to twice than real price like other dreaming phone. Hehehe

Spinning cat
March 26, 2013
Pandawill just posted a video showing that indeed the 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios make the difference and when you select 4:3 you can take pictures of 8 Mp and 12 Mp. That last one is probably interpolated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0djLeEKNYh0&list=UUIe-yCYD8RfoZmh3I5j-byg&index=1
- pete
  March 26, 2013
  Nice phone you have gone for – may well be 12MP judging by that. Here’s what I want to know. Does 4.2.2 vanilla ROM + MTK6589 = Miracast??????
  - pete
    March 27, 2013
    Pandawill advise that the ROM has wireless display as an option! Hoping someone can test this out….
    - XrainX
      March 27, 2013
      You are saying about Miracast?
      Miracast is standard in Android 4.2.
      This is the reason I want only a smartphone which already have 4.2 installed. I don’t want future promises which maybe will never come.
      4.2 or nothing.
      - pete
        March 27, 2013
        OK but for e.g. my Jiayu G3 shipped with 4.0 and Wi-Fi direct in the ROM build. The beta 4.1 update does not have Wi-Fi direct so it is worth checking that the 4.2 built has wireless display enabled IMO.

Guest
March 26, 2013
I saw a review of this phone on youtube and the camera is 6MP not 8MP or 12 MP as advertised
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rfef5VblDL8#t=679s
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  The camera was 6 megapixel – because it is set to take a pictures in 16:9, normally, it should be 8 mpix:)
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  This is probably correct as the similar Star/HDC X920 and UMI S1 can be found listed with 8MP rear and 5MP front but cropped to 16:9 they may be correctly listed as 6MP and 4 MP as the full sensor image is being cropped from 4:3 to 16:9.
  The decal on the back for 12:0 will be interpolated/extrapolated 16:9 image i.e. not a lie just marketing fluff.

Guest
March 26, 2013
6MP rear and 4MP front. Also the Google search bar appears to stay as Chinese characters in the ROM on the videos.

Guest
March 26, 2013
I was going to order this, but man, I’m starting to doubt. The specs are off on the box on the video (for instance is says 4,3 inch!!), the phone says 12 Mp camera on the back and it’s really a 6 Mp. How can they be so careless with details?
How do we even know the 2500 mAh battery is real?
Guest
March 26, 2013
Don’t the protruding back cameras get scratched?
Guest
March 26, 2013
I think that Star/HDC X920 is nicer. It looks more polished and with a better screen. Anyway I like the design of both phones ant they look pretty slim 🙂 I never had a Star phone so I don’t know how good they actually are.
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  could not agree more, the back plastic look better, i actually bought one x920 on fastcardtech, express delivery, i will make comment here about it if you guys are interested
- Guest
  July 17, 2013
  please write adetail review on performance

Guest
March 26, 2013
The whole deal with the camera sort of makes sense now. Just took the plunge and ordered it on aliexpress with the shopping festtival 20 usd discount of today. Total of 194,- usd including shipping to the Netherlands. About 150 euro.
When it arrives I’ll put up a review somewhere. I really hope the quality doesn’t let me down.
- Guest
  March 29, 2013
  you bought on aliexpress dude good luck really
- Guest
  March 29, 2013
  @Lola: seller has 99,7% positive reviews and 3 days after ordering phone now has status ‘despatched to overseas’ so I guess it’s allright. Have bought phone cases before on AliExpress and that went well. First time 1 week delivery and 2nd time a 2 week delivery with China Post to the Netherlands. Not too bad. I am very careful with ordering and always look at reviews and I always ask questions before ordering to check how the seller communicates. I will report when I recieve the phone. I bought it here:
  http://www.aliexpress.com/item/2013-New-MTK6589-Android-4-2-Cheap-phone-S5-Dual-sim-1G-ram-8G-ROM-dual/800196218.html
  If I want to i can even use the russian language 🙂
- Guest
  March 30, 2013
  that’s very nice thanks for the answer i guess if you find a reliable supplier then everything will workout fine, i have to say if you google them you’ll find scary reviews but it all depends if the supplier are professional or scammers
- Guest
  May 13, 2013
  Hey, Hoe is het afgelopen met je deal ? Hhoe is de batterij van de telefoon?
- Guest
  May 13, 2013
  How’s the battery life of this phone? I order mine through retailheaven.nl. Premium price, but I avoid customs and get support in the Netherlands (even repairs !). Is there a case which fits?
- Guest
  May 14, 2013
  I’m happy with the phone. Didn’t have to pay taxes luckily so cost me 155,- euros. You can read my remarks in dutch at tweakers.net http://gathering.tweakers.net/forum/list_messages/1520485?data%5Bfilter_keywords%5D=star%20S5&data%5Bboolean%5D=AND
  I’m listed there as Wodka the Cat.
  You can find some pictures and a video I shot with it at https://plus.google.com/photos/108862374815396385790/albums/5865271548464893169
  I also made a comparison picture of the Star S5 alongside a Jiayu G3 to compare sizes.
  It’s a good phone. GPS is slow with a fix in 2 minutes. I haven’t rooted it so some tricks that require root might improve that.
  Battery is good. You can survive a day with regular/heavy use and 2 days with modest use.
  You could buy a case at http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pcs-lot-Original-protective-case-cover-for-5-0-inch-Star-S5-x920-MTK6589-Quad-Cord/844479655.html
  I got one with the seller from aliexpress I got the phone from so I have no experience with this reseller that sells the cases.
  The case is not that great. I’m guessing it won’t survive for a year. The edges are coming off. I don’t think it’s real leather either.
  Retailheaven is a bit pricey (259,- euro) but for the warrancy it might be handy. If mine breaks I’ll have to throw it in the thrash or resend it to China.
- Guest
  May 16, 2013
  Try to root with MT6589_rooter: sendspace.com/file/um2bxt
  About photos and video: never shoot a video in vertical position. You will destroy the power of HD. Also vertical photos are almost stupid but not all the time.
- Guest
  July 3, 2013
  Hi, I see you have also Jiayu G3 phone. Which one do you like better ?
  Battery life, Display, Overall ?

Guest
March 26, 2013
I like Star compared to other chinese manufacturers regarding this: silent but working.
So they work, not talk. They are releasing the real thing not “photoshop or spy photos”. They are not spamming internet for months, day by day with some promises and prices.
Because GizChina is more international than chinese I hope they will write an article with the smartphones which are in stores NOW, in stock. And weekly to update the list with a new article. For most people only the list is enough, who is interested can search on Aliexpress for example.
Speaking of Aliexpress you will find the promised $166 JiaYu even at $470. And I am sure that is a preorder. So for who are the benefits of the JiaYu or other manufacturers spam? For the buyers not, for sure.
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  Nice..
  Agree..
  Because star always have more stock. Price of this phone never markup up to twice than real price like other dreaming phone. Hehehe

Guest
March 26, 2013
Pandawill just posted a video showing that indeed the 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios make the difference and when you select 4:3 you can take pictures of 8 Mp and 12 Mp. That last one is probably interpolated.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0djLeEKNYh0&list=UUIe-yCYD8RfoZmh3I5j-byg&index=1
- Guest
  March 26, 2013
  Nice phone you have gone for – may well be 12MP judging by that. Here’s what I want to know. Does 4.2.2 vanilla ROM + MTK6589 = Miracast??????
- Guest
  March 27, 2013
  Pandawill advise that the ROM has wireless display as an option! Hoping someone can test this out….
- Guest
  March 28, 2013
  You are saying about Miracast?
  Miracast is standard in Android 4.2.
  This is the reason I want only a smartphone which already have 4.2 installed. I don’t want future promises which maybe will never come.
  4.2 or nothing.
- Guest
  March 28, 2013
  OK but for e.g. my Jiayu G3 shipped with 4.0 and Wi-Fi direct in the ROM build. The beta 4.1 update does not have Wi-Fi direct so it is worth checking that the 4.2 built has wireless display enabled IMO.
Spinning Cat
March 27, 2013
My phone is shipping out today. I’ll post a review and link to it once it arrives. Hopefully it won’t get stuck in customs.

bowserm
March 27, 2013
I also ordered an S5 from aliexpress on Saturday. I am still waiting for it to ship. I did pay for the DHL shipping, so I am hoping to have it Friday of next week.
Guest
March 27, 2013
My phone is shipping out today. I’ll post a review and link to it once it arrives. Hopefully it won’t get stuck in customs.

Guest
March 27, 2013
I also ordered an S5 from aliexpress on Saturday. I am still waiting for it to ship. I did pay for the DHL shipping, so I am hoping to have it Friday of next week.
bowserm
April 2, 2013
I received my S5 today. I am in Canada, and it will not pickup my SIM signal. It knows it is there, but will not pickup anything. such a shame, because the phone is nice.
- peter
  June 21, 2013
  Yeah i had star s5 3 months ago and it’s not pickup any sim signal in toronto canada. I tried rogers, fido, chatr and also bell sim not working at all. I bought it from aliexpress with E.T team store, i think they ship shit phones to us in canada. I tested lots of roms but it didn’t work. You guys can download roms from http://www.needrom.com to test out. I posted on facebook to remind those people who plan to buy star s5 and use in canada do not buy it’s not work in
  our country. If i found any news or roms and it’s work . Let you guys know
- peter
  June 21, 2013
  Everything else are working perfect, except sim signal not working. The phone look awesome.
  - matt
    June 26, 2013
    Roger, this is because canda’s Mhz bands are different than the rest of us.
    It won’t work in your country, like most china phones
    - Chad
      July 19, 2013
      This is simply not true. I have a star n8000, a cubot 8809, a cubot a6589 and a lenovo k900 and they all work fine in canada on rogers and only the cubot a6589 doesn’t work on bell. My star s5 on the other hand, will not connect to bell or rogers.
- matthew Riffel
  August 19, 2013
  I did find a sim card that works in canada it took me a week to find one that works I got it at 7-ELEVEN and it’s called “SpeakOut 7-Eleven” it will pick it up as Rogers (which is not Rogers it’s 7-Eleven) and if you go to 7-Eleven it’s only $10 for the sim
  I got it working yesterday and i’m texting my friends now on it hope this helps 🙂

Guest
April 2, 2013
I received my S5 today. I am in Canada, and it will not pickup my SIM signal. It knows it is there, but will not pickup anything. such a shame, because the phone is nice.
- Guest
  June 21, 2013
  Yeah i had star s5 3 months ago and it’s not pickup any sim signal in toronto canada. I tried rogers, fido, chatr and also bell sim not working at all. I bought it from aliexpress with E.T team store, i think they ship shit phones to us in canada. I tested lots of roms but it didn’t work. You guys can download roms from http://www.needrom.com to test out. I posted on facebook to remind those people who plan to buy star s5 and use in canada do not buy it’s not work in
  our country. If i found any news or roms and it’s work . Let you guys know
- Guest
  June 21, 2013
  Everything else are working perfect, except sim signal not working. The phone look awesome.
- Guest
  June 26, 2013
  Roger, this is because canda’s Mhz bands are different than the rest of us.
  It won’t work in your country, like most china phones
- Guest
  July 20, 2013
  This is simply not true. I have a star n8000, a cubot 8809, a cubot a6589 and a lenovo k900 and they all work fine in canada on rogers and only the cubot a6589 doesn’t work on bell. My star s5 on the other hand, will not connect to bell or rogers.
- Guest
  August 19, 2013
  I did find a sim card that works in canada it took me a week to find one that works I got it at 7-ELEVEN and it’s called “SpeakOut 7-Eleven” it will pick it up as Rogers (which is not Rogers it’s 7-Eleven) and if you go to 7-Eleven it’s only $10 for the sim
  I got it working yesterday and i’m texting my friends now on it hope this helps 🙂

Spinning cat
April 3, 2013
That’s not so good. Hopefully just a setting or did you try both sim slots? How’s the rest of the phone? GPS, camera, sound, screen?
Guest
April 3, 2013
That’s not so good. Hopefully just a setting or did you try both sim slots? How’s the rest of the phone? GPS, camera, sound, screen?

m2iceman
April 5, 2013
May I please ask you to give me information on how the video recording on Star S5 Butterfly performs?
Is it 1080p video recording or less?
I am about to buy a new phone for myself and I am deciding between Star S5 , Star x920, HDC x920e and Newman N2.Also what is the difference between the HTC Butterfly clones? The big question is this – is Newman N2 better than the Butterfly copies? I mean the Newman CPU seems better based on Antutu scores and it seems to record 1080p.
I would be really happy if you reply because I want to order this week. Thank you!

Guest
April 5, 2013
May I please ask you to give me information on how the video recording on Star S5 Butterfly performs?
Is it 1080p video recording or less?
I am about to buy a new phone for myself and I am deciding between Star S5 , Star x920, HDC x920e and Newman N2.Also what is the difference between the HTC Butterfly clones? The big question is this – is Newman N2 better than the Butterfly copies? I mean the Newman CPU seems better based on Antutu scores and it seems to record 1080p.
I would be really happy if you reply because I want to order this week. Thank you!

bowserm
April 7, 2013
@Spinning Cat. I tried to setup the GPS, and it also will not work. I have tried 3 different network SIM cards (TELUS, BELL and Rogers) and it will not pickup anything.. The device itself is good, the sound seems fine, and the screen is very nice. the size of it is also way smaller than my Galaxy Note i717. It seems basically like I am going to be using it for a video player/audio player. Maybe even give it to my kids to use.
@m2iceman I have not tested the video function, as I have been trying to get the phone working as an actual phone.. which has not worked at all.

Guest
April 8, 2013
@Spinning Cat. I tried to setup the GPS, and it also will not work. I have tried 3 different network SIM cards (TELUS, BELL and Rogers) and it will not pickup anything.. The device itself is good, the sound seems fine, and the screen is very nice. the size of it is also way smaller than my Galaxy Note i717. It seems basically like I am going to be using it for a video player/audio player. Maybe even give it to my kids to use.
@m2iceman I have not tested the video function, as I have been trying to get the phone working as an actual phone.. which has not worked at all.

Spinning cat
April 8, 2013
Recieved mine also.. SIM is working. I have a regular SIM that can be converted into a micro SIM, but I tried slot 2 first. That works well, even with 3G.
It can record video in full HD. Quality of video and pictures look pretty good at the camera itself at least. I can’t get the GPS to work also. I will try to get a signal tody again. I read somewhere that sometimes the first fix takes a long time so I’m hoping that’s it.
Phone looks better IRL than on the pictures. The back is a fingerprint magnet though.
The screen looks great. Maybe even a little better that our G3 in house.
The flipcase is buttugly brown. Wish it was black…:-(
It has a lot of chinese apps. Not all can be removed without root but ofcourse van be disabled. I disabled Baidu search and installed Google Now so now no more chinese searchbar at my home screen but the regular Google Now one.
- pete
  April 8, 2013
  Great that Google Now solves Chinese character search bar.
  Is the weather widget a stock 4.2 jelly bean thing? I’m on 4.1 beta on G3 and don’t have that.
  - Spinning cat
    April 8, 2013
    I’m not sure. It was preinstalled so I guess so.
    @Pete: the wireless display option is available. I just can’t test if it actually works because I don’t have another Miracast device.
    - pete
      April 10, 2013

Spinning cat
April 8, 2013
GPS signal worked after driving around on my bike for 5 minutes. Hopefully that improves from now. GPS keeps being the weak spot with these chinese phones, I guess.

Guest
April 8, 2013
Recieved mine also.. SIM is working. I have a regular SIM that can be converted into a micro SIM, but I tried slot 2 first. That works well, even with 3G.
It can record video in full HD. Quality of video and pictures look pretty good at the camera itself at least. I can’t get the GPS to work also. I will try to get a signal tody again. I read somewhere that sometimes the first fix takes a long time so I’m hoping that’s it.
Phone looks better IRL than on the pictures. The back is a fingerprint magnet though.
The screen looks great. Maybe even a little better that our G3 in house.
The flipcase is buttugly brown. Wish it was black…:-(
It has a lot of chinese apps. Not all can be removed without root but ofcourse van be disabled. I disabled Baidu search and installed Google Now so now no more chinese searchbar at my home screen but the regular Google Now one.
- Guest
  April 8, 2013
  Great that Google Now solves Chinese character search bar.
  Is the weather widget a stock 4.2 jelly bean thing? I’m on 4.1 beta on G3 and don’t have that.
- Guest
  April 8, 2013
  I’m not sure. It was preinstalled so I guess so.
  @Pete: the wireless display option is available. I just can’t test if it actually works because I don’t have another Miracast device.
- Guest
  April 10, 2013
  Would you be able to share the .apk of the weather app/widget please?

Guest
April 8, 2013
GPS signal worked after driving around on my bike for 5 minutes. Hopefully that improves from now. GPS keeps being the weak spot with these chinese phones, I guess.
Mihail Brinza
April 8, 2013
Spinning Cat, is the camera really 12.6Megapixels? I’ll buy a phone like that too. I never had bouht clone phones before xD it will be the first time, I hope not having problems with that chinese brand

bowserm
April 8, 2013
I have tried everything to get GPS working, and it just will not work 🙁 Hopefully they will accept a return.
Spinning cat, how is the battery life?
Thanks
Guest
April 9, 2013
Spinning Cat, is the camera really 12.6Megapixels? I’ll buy a phone like that too. I never had bouht clone phones before xD it will be the first time, I hope not having problems with that chinese brand

Guest
April 9, 2013
I have tried everything to get GPS working, and it just will not work 🙁 Hopefully they will accept a return.
Guest
April 9, 2013
Spinning cat, how is the battery life?
Thanks

Spinning cat
April 9, 2013
@Bowserm. That’s bad luck with your phone.
@Mihail: the camera is a real 8 MP for 4:3 pictures and 6MP for 16:9 pictures.The camera intrapolates to 13 MP for 4:3 pictures, not for 16:9 pictures.
The battery life is OK as long as you don’t leave stuff like GPS and wireless on all the time. I haven’t tested yet how long a full load lasts, but my best guess is that you can survive a day easily as long as you don’t play games and watch movies all day.
I must say I’m glad this phone has a 2500 mAh battery. I was thinking about the ThL W8, but that one only has a 2000 mAh battery. I think for a 5″ screen you really do need at least 2.500 mAh. Anything under that would make me worry too much whether my phone would last a full day.
As a tip: in Android 4.2 you can set auto shutdown and start option times for specified days. I use it to shutdown my phone at 23:00 and start at 7:00. Saves some energy and I don’t want to be disturbed by my phone at night anyway.
- pete
  April 9, 2013

Spinning cat
April 9, 2013
The front camera It’s 5 MP for 4:3 size and 4 MP for fullscreen. I can’t tell if it’s intrapolated or not.
Spinning cat
April 9, 2013
@Bowserm: just s stupid remark, but did you enable roaming? That was my wife’s problem with a non connecting phone 2 months back. Enabling roaming fixed that…

Guest
April 9, 2013
@Bowserm. That’s bad luck with your phone.
@Mihail: the camera is a real 8 MP for 4:3 pictures and 6MP for 16:9 pictures.The camera intrapolates to 13 MP for 4:3 pictures, not for 16:9 pictures.
The battery life is OK as long as you don’t leave stuff like GPS and wireless on all the time. I haven’t tested yet how long a full load lasts, but my best guess is that you can survive a day easily as long as you don’t play games and watch movies all day.
I must say I’m glad this phone has a 2500 mAh battery. I was thinking about the ThL W8, but that one only has a 2000 mAh battery. I think for a 5″ screen you really do need at least 2.500 mAh. Anything under that would make me worry too much whether my phone would last a full day.
As a tip: in Android 4.2 you can set auto shutdown and start option times for specified days. I use it to shutdown my phone at 23:00 and start at 7:00. Saves some energy and I don’t want to be disturbed by my phone at night anyway.
- Guest
  April 9, 2013
  Is the front camera 5mp?
- Guest
  April 9, 2013
  “The camera intrapolates to 13 MP for 4:3 pictures” what are you meaning with that?
- Guest
  April 11, 2013
  The camera is 8 MP. With built in software it boosts the resolution to 12 MP but only for pictures that you take in 4:3 ratio. Pictures you take in 16:9 ratio will not intrapolate and are max 6 MP in size.
- Guest
  April 11, 2013
  so the hardware is a 8mp cam right?

Guest
April 9, 2013
The front camera It’s 5 MP for 4:3 size and 4 MP for fullscreen. I can’t tell if it’s intrapolated or not.
Guest
April 9, 2013
@Bowserm: just s stupid remark, but did you enable roaming? That was my wife’s problem with a non connecting phone 2 months back. Enabling roaming fixed that…
luk
April 11, 2013
@spinning cat: as it is with gps? fully works?
- Spinning cat
  April 12, 2013
  Yeah. My GPS works. Without e-gps and a-gps it takes about 2 minutes to find a signal outside while driving. Inside doesn’t work. I haven’t tried with a-gps and e-gps on yet.
  @ Mihail: yes, the camera is 8 MP. The boost to 12 MP is purely software.

Guest
April 11, 2013
- Guest
  April 12, 2013
  Yeah. My GPS works. Without e-gps and a-gps it takes about 2 minutes to find a signal outside while driving. Inside doesn’t work. I haven’t tried with a-gps and e-gps on yet.
  @ Mihail: yes, the camera is 8 MP. The boost to 12 MP is purely software.
bowserm
April 12, 2013
@Spinning Cat, no I have not been able to get it working. I am currently trying to get a refund, but the seller from aliexpress keeps asking me question after question for me to try to get it working. I have a feeling I will not be getting back my money on this one.

Guest
April 13, 2013
@Spinning Cat, no I have not been able to get it working. I am currently trying to get a refund, but the seller from aliexpress keeps asking me question after question for me to try to get it working. I have a feeling I will not be getting back my money on this one.

XrainX
April 13, 2013
@Spinning Cat, it is dual sim ACTIVE, or dual sim STAND-BY?
Thanks!
- Spinning Cat
  April 13, 2013
  Th at sticks, Bowser. Your phone company is no help either? Maybe your frequency is just not supported or the phone really is faulty. XrainX: I only use one sim so I wouldn’t know. Can I find out without having to use 2 sims?
  - XrainX
    April 13, 2013
    For testing you must use 2 SIM cards. But russians are saying all MT6589 until now are all just dual sim Stand-by and until now seems that Mediatek was lying about the Active feature.

Guest
April 13, 2013
- Guest
  April 13, 2013
  Th at sticks, Bowser. Your phone company is no help either? Maybe your frequency is just not supported or the phone really is faulty. XrainX: I only use one sim so I wouldn’t know. Can I find out without having to use 2 sims?
- Guest
  April 14, 2013
  For testing you must use 2 SIM cards. But russians are saying all MT6589 until now are all just dual sim Stand-by and until now seems that Mediatek was lying about the Active feature.

spinning cat
April 17, 2013
@Bowserm: did you try both SIM slots? I got into engineer mode with *#*#3646633#*#*and values for both SIM slots are different.
SIM 2 (the regular one) only has EGSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 and GSM850 listed. So only GSM mode.
SIM 1 (the microSIM) also has UMTS mode listed…
No I’m wondering myself. I am using SIM 2 and the data connection shows the letters R3G across the icon in the top bar. That does mean working over 3G, right? I might just convert my regular SIM into a microSIM (premade in my SIM so no cutting along selfmade lines) to put it in slot 1 and see what happens.
- EndraPraz
  April 20, 2013
  does it have magnetic sensor (e-compass working ?) Just want to order this phone if it has magnetic sensor.
  - Spinning cat
    April 23, 2013

Guest
April 17, 2013
@Bowserm: did you try both SIM slots? I got into engineer mode with *#*#3646633#*#*and values for both SIM slots are different.
SIM 2 (the regular one) only has EGSM900, DCS1800, PCS1900 and GSM850 listed. So only GSM mode.
SIM 1 (the microSIM) also has UMTS mode listed…
No I’m wondering myself. I am using SIM 2 and the data connection shows the letters R3G across the icon in the top bar. That does mean working over 3G, right? I might just convert my regular SIM into a microSIM (premade in my SIM so no cutting along selfmade lines) to put it in slot 1 and see what happens.
- Guest
  April 20, 2013
  does it have magnetic sensor (e-compass working ?) Just want to order this phone if it has magnetic sensor.
- Guest
  April 23, 2013

jonn
April 19, 2013
Does a 32gb micro sd card work with this phone, or is 16gb as high as it can go? I’m confused reading the specs on different sites, some say 32gb and some say 16gb.
Guest
April 19, 2013
Does a 32gb micro sd card work with this phone, or is 16gb as high as it can go? I’m confused reading the specs on different sites, some say 32gb and some say 16gb.

Roger
April 27, 2013
When I purchased the phone direct from Ulefone, I had to make the payment to Gotron Electronic Co.
Ulefone do have a website in Chinese – ule-star.com
Guest
April 27, 2013
When I purchased the phone direct from Ulefone, I had to make the payment to Gotron Electronic Co.
Ulefone do have a website in Chinese – ule-star.com

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