Update: iOcean X7 Vs UMi X2 Youth


Eyeing up a Chinese quad-core phone with 1080 display, but fancy something a little different from the UMi X2? Take a look at the iOcean X7 as an alternative!

As you are all probably aware, UMi have started to ship stock of UMi X2 phones to various online resellers and distributors around the world. The first batch of these X2’s will feature a 1.2Ghz quad-core MT6589 chip with either 1GB or 2GB RAM options available and the 1.5Ghz Turbo version coming next month.

Many of you are fed up with the wait though and are looking to find a 1080 alternative with similar specs. We have already gone through the OrientPhone S4 here, but now it’s time for the iOcean X7.

iOcean X7 Youth

iocean x7 hands on

iOcean were the first Chinese phone maker to launch a Mediatek phone with FHD 1080 display. Currently the only model available is the ‘Youth’ model with 1GB RAM and 8 mega-pixel rear camera (although some lucky customers have since learnt that their X7’s have a 13 mega-pixel sensor!).

Looking at the hardware there really isn’t anything to choose between the iOcean X7 and UMi X2 Youth, the only real differences are the design and the availability. Personally I prefer the look of the iOcean X7, it has a more Oppo Find 5 feel to it rather than the typical Samsung look of the X2.

Gizchina News of the week


As for availability the iOcean X7 Youth has been on sale for a few months now, even International resellers are reporting stock of the phone.

Updated the iOcean X7 WCDMA and also a new lower price. The iOcean X7 Youth is on sale now through MTKMall for $218.98 which includes a screen protector and case.

UMi X2 Youth

umi x2 youth

The first batches of UMi X2 which will arrive on sale will be powered by the same 1.2Ghz MT6589 CPU as the iOcean with the base model having 1GB RAM and 16GB ROM. The X2 is one of the most talked about Chinese phones of the year, and once stock starts arriving with resellers it is likely to sell out pretty fast!

The UMi X2 does get a 13 mega-pixel rear camera as standard plus 16GB ROM as standard, but as both phones support external SD cards the only advantage for the X2 is the rear camera.

The X2 will be available from the end of May with prices for the UMi X2 1GB Youth starting at $248.98.

iOcean X7 Youth vs. UMi X2 Youth

[komper pid=13,89 compareform=no]

Which will you choose?

Between the 2 phones there isn’t really much in it. Both offer 5-inch 1080 displays, with quad-core CPU and attractive designs, and both are on sale at similar prices. So it really just comes down to which design you prefer and if you are willing to wait any longer?

Disclaimer: We may be compensated by some of the companies whose products we talk about, but our articles and reviews are always our honest opinions. For more details, you can check out our editorial guidelines and learn about how we use affiliate links.

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33 Comments

  1. May 22, 2013

    The WCDMA and GSM Info are updated? If yes… then Im going for the UMi X2

    • May 23, 2013

      I require 850MHz WCDMA so I am in the same position as you

      • May 23, 2013

        We’ve just been told it does support 850Mhz. Updated the post also a new link to a different store with lower price.

  2. Ionutz
    May 23, 2013

    The UMI X2 battery is larger. So this is an important difference.

  3. MrPsanter
    May 23, 2013

    Anyone from Gizchina can actually comment on the iOcean’s quality build?
    What about Micro SD: 64 GB supported?
    No screen protection such as Gorilla Glass?

    • MrPsanter
      May 23, 2013

      Abbie, Andi or someone else from Gizchina: Can we have a feedback regarding my above comment, thanks.

  4. Markoff
    May 23, 2013

    could you please always post chinese price in RMB for people travelling to or living in China?

  5. MrPsanter
    May 23, 2013

    Can someone share his buying experience with MTKmall?
    Are they reliable?

    • dhalan
      August 18, 2013

      i just bought neo n003 at mtkmall and their website is down, now linking to neomobileshop … now i have to dispute over paypal… 🙁

  6. May 23, 2013

    Hello guys,
    so does the UMI x2 also support WCDMA 900/2100Mhz, or only 850/2100Mhz. 900/2100Mhz is something we need in our country, so it makes a big difference..

  7. Great article to compare these two, thanks! But it’s a bit weird to say there’s not much difference, when a few important specs is different : Internal memory 4GB vs 16GB, battery capacity is very different (25%), Camera is very different 8M/2M vs 13M/3M 🙂

  8. ChinaWizKid
    May 23, 2013

    The biggest difference is that, there is nothing like Loyalty, honesty on UMI for their Cusotmers. See, how Indian Customers are crying to get even the answer. UMI India has turned off their telephone for last 10 days, and all are at their mercy, they think, but what if this gets accelerated at higher level. UMI corporate veil will be lifted.

  9. Sere83
    May 23, 2013

    After much deliberation I think i’m going to order a Vowney V5.

    In my opinion for international customers the UMI X2 is overpriced at over $250+. The iOcean X7 is not overpriced but having a 1080p display will hinder performance and actually give you a worse user experience and you will hardly notice the higher pixel density

    The Vowney V5 has a 720p display but it costs around $180 shipped. It also has an 8mp camera but the image quality is on par with the 13mp of both the UMI and X7, more megapixels doesn’t mean more quality. The Vowney also has a completely stock 4.2.1 build with no bloatware or pointless customization’s to the OS.

    At the end of the day MT6589 is basically a low to mid range chipset. Once you start going above $250 you are in MI2A terrirory and the S4 pro in that will obliterate MT6589 and MT6589 Turbo. The wise choice in my opinion is to go low price if you are going to get a MT6589 chipset device as the advantages of spending 70/80/90 dollars more are minimal.

    • Lola
      May 23, 2013

      Hey there, i was trying to get information about the V5 and i was watching some videos in chinese, so sad, can’t understand a thing, so please share where did you order yours from, i was about to wait maybe for UMI but like you i believe its overpriced, and after seeing those photos of the screen i don’t want to take that risk, off course neo n003 would be got but i don’t wanna wait
      plus next year i want the Nexus 5 so no point spending that much

      • Sere83
        May 23, 2013

        Yes this was exactly my thinking too. I will be buying nexus 5 or possibly Xiaomi Mi3 as well which will be around august. Here are some links to Chinese reviews of the v5 on their forum…

        http://bbs.v5zn.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=40&filter=typeid&typeid=39

        In some of the reviews there are picture samples, benchmarks etc, looks pretty good on the whole. The only thing I don’t like is the thick bezel.

        The only ‘reliable’ retailer I know selling is merrimobiles, I will order from there if I do order.

      • Sere83
        May 24, 2013

        Just ordered mine!

        • May 29, 2013

          Hey i just ordered mine too..it’s already – shipped
          but i think something went wrong

    • Albert
      May 23, 2013

      Umi X2 costs $229 with free shipping on antelife and pandawill.

      • Sere83
        May 23, 2013

        Yeah it is very tempting, but with Xiaomi Mi3 in august and Nexus 5 probably october, not really worth it in my opinion, although I much prefer the thin bezel on Umi X2. The free shipping is also extremely slow.

        • May 23, 2013

          so where did you order yours from? i can only find it at Fastcard but they don’t have a good reputation

          • Sere83
            May 23, 2013

            Sorry my reply to your comment is awaiting moderation. I havn’t bought yet but if i do buy will be merimobiles, seem like the only vaguely reliable place selling. Check vowney forums at v5zn dot com, there are some links to chinese site reviews. Looks pretty good, even camera seems ok, definitely similar image quality to 13mp camera in Umi and jiayu phones.

            • May 23, 2013

              i didn’t realized that, thank you i’ll definitely going to purchase it if the price is ok, otherwise since it doesn’t have gorilla glass i’ll wait for neo

          • sere83
            May 23, 2013

            Merimobiles price is $182.99 shipped you will need root service to get playstore so add $7 makes $190 but you can get discount code either ‘MOE’ or ‘VIP’ brings it back down to $183. The only down side is the bezels are quite thick not like UMI X2 or Jiayu G4 but it is still higher pixel density and slimmer form factor than Galaxy Note 2. 🙂

  10. Albert
    May 23, 2013

    I need a Dual Sim phone with WCDMA 900Mhz support and 13MP Camera, so looks like there is only Umi X2 for me 🙁

    • May 23, 2013

      As referring to my former question:
      “Hello guys,
      so does the UMI x2 also support WCDMA 900/2100Mhz, or only 850/2100Mhz. 900/2100Mhz is something we need in our country, so it makes a big difference..”

      So.. CAN you confirm that the UMI x2 supports WCDMA 900/2100Mhz? Cause most of the webshops I’ve visited DON’T show this particular information on their sites. Usually according to their sites only 850/2100Mhz / 2100Mhz is provided..

      Thanks!

      • Albert
        May 23, 2013

        All will be clear m8 when phone will finally release and someone (who can) will check this out 🙁

        • May 23, 2013

          Yap, thats what I thought aswell, just were wondering if u had some information i wasn’t aware of..

  11. nacian
    May 23, 2013

    These phones can work international,and where I can get one to buy.

  12. megamind
    May 24, 2013

    IOCEAN does not support 850mhz. it shows up in the bands in mobileuncle but its not actually active. there are a lot of complaints on lost signals and 3g, as well as a batch of bad screen hardware causing touch problems in the lower right corner. there are many YouTube clips of it –
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9jl_9wvnSg
    other than that, its a great phone, speakers, screen battery and cases are great.

  13. Magnetic1
    May 25, 2013

    Umi X2 seems to have more specs clearly written out.
    So I guess it’s better because of that.
    X2 got gorilla, more 16GB ROM, more battery 2500mAh, more camera resolution 13 megaPix.
    Only thing you can’t really tell on the internet is…
    how does it feel and sound and how good is everything meeting spec?

  14. kompo7a
    May 27, 2013

    Since I have read a lot of specification sheets for this phones, I have a question – do they both support 900/1800Mhz on 2G and 2100Mhz on 3G?