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New Cubot S9 pics reveal dual camera, Snapdragon 823 and 6 GB RAM

Karel BalacMay 16, 2016

For a flasghip phone in 2016 you need to have at least 6 GB RAM, at least that seems to be the thinking lately among the chinese producers. Cubot is no exception to that rule and the freshly revealed model Cubot S9 is sporting just that and more.

Apparently Cubot is really trying to get out of their usual shell and shake off the budget maker stigma, because the S9 specs are nothing like the ones before. After all judge for yourself – Qualcomm Snapdragon 823 processor, 6 GB RAM, 128 GB of storage and dual 16 MPix rear camera setup.

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We have also first renders at our disposal, so you can see phone design with few interesting choices. Way to break the pattern for example with the half-circular fingerprint scanner located on the bottom “chin” of the phone. Minimal bezels around the display are also a big plus. If you look at the phone’s profile it’s clear that the thickness differs, at the top its way thinner than at the bottom. And the rest of the specs ? 5.5-inch SHARP display , 2800 mAh battery with fast charge support, 8 MPix front cam, USB Type-C port used also for an audio jack and Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

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Do you like the new Cubot S9? Do you think it could a real competition for the flagship models from the more “known” brands? Let us know in the comments.

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About the author
Karel Balac
Working in IT since 2003. Chinese phone enthusiast in the last few years.

Assefa Hanson
May 16, 2016
I have utmost faith in cubot im not going to be biased tho the battery is laughable but look at that MotherF***ing home button i HATE home buttons but this one looks real nice and it stands out ALOT i really like this just went straight to the top of my list
but i think the bezels are lies tho LOLOL im guessing this will be out in… DECEMBER maybe 🙁 or early January
Marco Lancaster
May 16, 2016
- Muhammad Yasir
  May 17, 2016
MattD
May 16, 2016
They could have also add ois and laser autofocus, stereo front speakers with dedicated chip, and a 5000mah battery still retaining 120gr of weight and 6mm of thickness… Why being so modest when you’re clearly talking about something that’ll never exist?!
- Assefa Hanson
  May 16, 2016
  nah if this is a dual camera like the p9 OIS might be too much of a stretch
  - Muhammad Yasir
    May 17, 2016
    - Assefa Hanson
      May 17, 2016
      LMAO nope, but i know how the duoscopic set up works not impossible for ois just very hard
- Muhammad Yasir
  May 17, 2016
- Marius Cirsta
  May 16, 2016

David W. M.
May 16, 2016
I’m a huge fan of everything Cubot since purchasing my Cubot X11 & S168 for my Mom. I’m looking forward to trying out the S9, but as others have said, a larger battery & forward facing stereo speakers are needed if this stands any chance of becoming a true “flagship” phone. I’ve enjoyed watching the development of Cubot over the years and I truly hope they keep their “feet on the ground” with their affordable truly excellent products. Some UK Sellers are already trying to falsly inflate the prices of Cubot phones, so I’m glad they have a deal with Amazon who put a “realistic mark-up” on the price to account for import duties & taxes. All I can add to this would be to say to Cubot “keep up the great development & maintain your relationship with Amazon UK”. Anyone looking for a reliable, honest and affordable Android phone should consider trying Cubot. I’ve stopped getting big brand phones on contract since discovering Cubot; I bought my Cubot X11 for £120 on Amazon and I now have a £7.50 per month tariff with Tesco. I don’t worry about dropping it like I would with Samsung or iPhone, if I break my Cubot I can just buy another from the money I save by not having a ridiculously priced contract agreement. Long live Cubot o/
- Assefa Hanson
  May 16, 2016
  another cubot fan XD i dropped my h1 in soap water i kicked it off from my couch and it went into a bucket immersed and i didnt realize for a couple minutes at first it went “dead” i thought it was done, the next morning it was on and the screen was messy but over a few days the screen cleared up and the damn thing is working fine, and the ram availability 1.7/2gb on boot 😀 and ram management is stellar
  Cubot really knows how to make well built products and because i live in jamaica its really nice that they sell on amazon so i dont get too much hassle of super taxes im DEFINITELY a fan boy for this brand they make “relatively boring phone” BUT! what ever specs they use THEY MAKE IT WORK, a truly excellent brand
  - David W. M.
    May 16, 2016
    Snap !! My Cubot X11 has been submerged in the bathroom sink twice and still going strong. Cubot truly are invincible o/ Never going back to Samsung !! Glad I took a chance on this 5.5″ Cubot X11 after my Galaxy S2 died in a muddy puddle. I’ve converted a few people from expensive contracts to outright purchase of a Cubot smartphone. I’ve been considering the Cubot Cheetahphone, or Cubot X17 S, but having seen the early specs for the Cubot S9 I’m gonna wait a while. Besides, my Cubot X11 is still going strong.
    - Rob
      May 17, 2016
      I have to say I agree with you, Cubot have been getting better and better over the last few years even though they rarely get mentioned or reviewed on here. As for the S9 I believe it will happen as this is not Elephone we’re talking about! As for the contract thing, I’m doing exactly the same only I’m paying £4.50 a month!
      - Muhammad Yasir
        May 17, 2016
        wow … i never knew some obscure brand could improve at such a massive scale in such a passive manner !
        how are you so sure Cubot will have a good supply of SD 823 chips when other big boys will try to get the first stocks like Great White Sharks ?!
        and can a small phone maker like Cubot even afford a SD flagship CPU ?!
  - Muhammad Yasir
    May 17, 2016
    - Assefa Hanson
      May 17, 2016
      lol theve been alive all year just been make well built- boring phones that dont get an buzz but they still are reliable products
      - Muhammad Yasir
        May 18, 2016
  - NextHype
    May 19, 2016
    1.7/2GB RAM available after immersion in soapy water ?
    It’s a brand new way to clean RAM I never read about.
    I’ll try tomorrow.
    - Assefa Hanson
      May 19, 2016
      lol no i meant when i first ever turned on the phone as in just bought it first use boot
Zealer
May 16, 2016
I am very concerned about its price, and when it can be released.

Roberto Tomás
May 16, 2016
Cubot is not the brand I would expect with those specs… this thing should cost *at least* twice as much as any previous cubot… maybe closer to 4 times as much.
- Muhammad Yasir
  May 17, 2016
Brooklyn701
May 17, 2016
Nice styling, nice features, but 2800mAh is just too little. No matter how efficient they tune it, 3800mAh is a minimum for me on a 5.5 incher….

Steven Fox
May 17, 2016
Going for the G5 vibe, Cubot so far have been pretty stable, but I really doubt they can pull a Snapdragon 823 out of their bag.
More like X20/25.
- Muhammad Yasir
  May 18, 2016
  it’ll be epic … but im on the same page …
  no one in their right mind will give them first refusal on early stock of 823 !
  @ysankulbay:disqus , see what i was saying ?!
Ionut Johnny
May 17, 2016

May 17, 2016
Hopefully not another bullshi* false advertising.
Remember Umi super ? All those high end good specs once release become low spec with high price,
- Assefa Hanson
  May 17, 2016
  not to say cubot cant lie but umi is a trash brand cubot doesnt have a big rep for lying
  - Muhammad Yasir
    May 17, 2016
    i’d like to believe that … but everyone is fallible
    can’t be too kind on cubot …. Acid Test is the ONLY way for these brands !
    - Assefa Hanson
      May 17, 2016
      - May 18, 2016
        laugh all you want 😀
        don’t complain when they set u up with a MTK 6753 and say “sorry , we mistook the first few digits and spelling of the CPU model and brand :p “
        
        Assefa Hanson
        May 18, 2016
        looking at cubot history they are not ones to break promises or lie about specs they even put the info on their official website, im more worried about WHEN it will release than it not having the chipset promised and although once they have used qualcomm before, this is a company that went out of there way to make a deal with amazon to help with the inflation problem with sellers and their phones
        Muhammad Yasir
        May 18, 2016
        thats good to hear…
        lets hope it releases SOON !

E8hffff
May 17, 2016
It looks like the first half of 2016 was for Chinese companies to offload their old stock. Now the good times are coming.
E8hffff
May 17, 2016
The only qualm, small battery.
Allanitomwesh
May 17, 2016
- NextHype
  May 19, 2016
Muhammad Yasir
May 17, 2016
AHAHAHA ! 2800 mAH ?! wtf cubot 😀
Muhammad Yasir
May 17, 2016
altho rest of the phone looks real nice !
but that poor fingerprint button … looks like someone physically abused it into a distorted shape

Öysan Kulbay
May 17, 2016
I’m buying this. Been meaning try out Cubots products for a while now.
- Muhammad Yasir
  May 17, 2016
  careful there … its a concept atm…
  who knows cubot may cheap out on the specs and give u a 6750 phone instead ;p !
  wait for the 823 to be a bit common first .. no way cubot is getting a new SD chip BEFORE the big boys !
  - Öysan Kulbay
    May 17, 2016
    That is insanely irrelevant Muhammad.
    Everything is based on money. Pay the right money and you get what you want. Except for love and happiness which can not be bought. Oh well some of it can be bought 🙂
    - Muhammad Yasir
      May 17, 2016
      really Oysan ?! my point’s irrelevant ?
      fine … just ask the editors … if they bother to reply , about what i just said. they’ll tell you the EXACT same thing. Brands with a HIGHER standing in the market and more ‘Oomph’ ALWAYS get first refusal on the initial stocks of flagship CPUs … its like an insider deal amongst the chip makers and the phone makers. this is not a breaking news … its a pretty common fact.
      infact ask ANYONE here … esp Realjjj , Balco , Maxpower.
      Edit : look man , no one wants cheap flagships more than i do (you can ask around , almost everyone will stand witness to that :p ) but im a realist. i simply do not think Cubot can pull this off sans something extraordinary occurs in the market !
      - Öysan Kulbay
        May 17, 2016
        That just means that the big brands spend the most money 😉
        So again, it’s not relevant. Only money is relevant. If Cubot gave half a billion dollars more than sammy and the rest, i’d then expect QC to stfu and give them the SD823.
        If QC goes to Sammy and the other bigger brands first means that the consistency of sales they have provide the most money. Therefor if this happens expect it to sell alot. Nobody produces an SD823 only for the Chinese market, that would be naive, selfish and idiotic. And I hope this comes out with these specs and with a price tag of up to 500$.
        To infinity and beyond!
        Muhammad Yasir
        May 17, 2016
Aeonia
May 17, 2016