Although the UMi Rome is already fairly well known, UMi have decided to play off the launch of the Redmi Note 3 to announce the official launch of the phone and specifications.
While UMi are sending out press releases to websites stating that the new UMi Rome costs just $89, I’ve not been able to find the phone for anything less than $99. This is not a complaint, just an observation, anyone complaining about a difference in $10 when a phone has specs like the Rome really needs their head checking.
UMi Rome to disrupt smartphone market?
On paper the UMi Rome is ridiculously over spec’d for its modest price tag, in fact the cost is so low that some of us in the office are a little skeptical that the launch parameters are 100%.
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UMi specs say that the sub $100 UMi Rome boasts a 5.5-inch 1280 x 720 AMOLED display. This on its own is an uncommon feature for a low-cost phone, but UMi say that the Rome offers even more.
There is an octacore Mediatek MT6753 chipset, (quad-cores are normally found at this price), 3GB RAM, Sony IMX179 rear camera (its an 8 mega-pixel sensor, interpolated to 13 mega-pixel), LTE, and even a place for up to 128GB SD cards.
Android 5.1 comes out of the box, and there is no mention of an Android 6 update for the phone. Worrying since UMi eMax Mini owners still haven’t received any updates since the phone launched.
If the hardware is accurate then the UMi Rome really could be a disruptive device, but it still remains to be seen if the user experience lives up to all the hype.
Wow… At even $99, this spec is really super. How about battery size? And the phone does look Good too. No fingerprint scanner though but that’s not a problem considering the spec and prize. Who knows, does this have any kinda screen protection? I really like this phone.
On a side note, where is Mohammad? He needs to see this phone.
We will wait for Yassir to make the decision.
true … interpolation is close to a deal breaker for me…
hopefully they have done something to rectify that , maybe on the software side … to improve performance.
but lets see what the rest has to offer 🙂
Battery size has been announced as a 2500mah unit, which i really doubt it’s the truth but, you know, there is no proof… Yet…
Anyway, Mohammad is really interested in camera performance, and there is no chance in hell this interpolated thing could live up to his expectations 😀
haha … i kinda toned down my expectations after Balco made me realise that i was better off buying a DSLR if i wanted to do pro-photography (not that i want to) :p
even phones like vivo and gionee E8 (the 100 mp cam phone) can’t actually avoid all the drawbacks that occur when low-light challenges the sensor… eventually their low-light pics start exhibiting all the general defects like noise and shakiness as well as slow shutter speed.
so im gonna settle for something thats overly decent … but you’re right , interpolation does tend to sour the general result of any sensor … so we all better watch out for that :p
Not all interpolations are bad. In some, you really cant make out the difference with the actual MP. I have seen phones with interpolated MP that actually beats the real thing in performance. Though it remains to be seen how Umi implemented it on the Rome.
All in all, if you want to take nice pics, it’s reasonable to take a device meant for this, instead of something where camera are just a plus! 😀
Balco is totally right, of course: the only phones that comes closer to a dlsr are some phanasonic models with real sensors and optical zoom… Yet you would pay 1000$ for a phone that take pics like a low end camera! Totally not worth it!
but he also loves a decent price so Camera Vs Price we wait for his conclusion.
hi there 🙂
im truly pleased and humbled at all the anticipation im seeing here for me.
thanks a bunch guys !
camera
remains to be judged from the actual review … but the price in itself
is superb for the tentative hardware ( as per the editor’s words , they
are unsure of everything about the specs being true to the core).
they
did mention a blue light filter but real time tests
will determine how much work they put in sensor programming as well as
the optical setup. im waiting for the reivew like you guys 🙂
haha , hi Michael … i had my eyes peeled on this for two weeks now , since the first rumours started to circle …
umi are leaving no stone unturned in trying to disrupt and embroil the market in utter confusion (in a good way , ofc :p) with the outrageous price tag. but like i told george above , reviews will determine the true face of this phone.
lets hope its a above decent offering … as umi seem to have put some work into it. and ofcourse , marshmallow ota in the ranks will greatly boost overall appeal of this !
Yes you are right brother. As much as I love the look and price of this phone, I am not gonna rush into purchasing it till I see lots of reviews. That way, I can be relatively sure of what I am spending my hard earned cash on.
Haha, the first price that merchants did not sell, and secondly, you have seen 3GB RAM, while others did not pay attention, and why did not send video umi it? Just some advertising images.
Yea. With cameras that stop functioning after few months. Umi has quality issues. So am not surprised at the pricing.
hey bud 🙂
yeah … been looking at this for about a fortnight now…
its outrageous on paper … for the price-to-spec ratio
but like i have always said , candid and in depth review determines the actual value of any smartphone and same goes for this. i have my reservations on the old cam sensor (even though they claim a ‘blue light filter’ embedded in the flash for low-light performance) and from what i hear(and have read in some reviews) after sales support like OTA etc is disastrous from Umi …
so… time will tell 😀
but im honestly impressed with the amoled , the generous ram and ofcourse , the octacore (even if its a bit underwhelming compared to 6752) …
and lets see what the re-sellers do with the markup on the feisty $89 tag 😀 ( if i were a re-seller i’d see this as a tasty opportunity to make more than just a tidy profit)