I’m pretty sure everyone here has heard of the Newman N2, famous for being a well-built smartphone with a Samsung CPU, great camera and a beautiful display, while being infamous for having problems such as battery leakage and an overall buggy OS. The Newman N2 is still a good phone, despite all the problems and sold well.
Most people predicted that their next phone was going to have a Samsung CPU as well, but Newman went off course and released a new entry-level phone named the Newman K1 with a quad-core MTK6589 processor instead . So, how does the Newman K1 stack up against the Newman N2? Read on to find out!
My version of Newman K1 is the youth version, so it only has 1GB RAM and 4GB ROM while the premium version will have 2GB RAM and 32GB ROM.
Packaging – Fairly standard
The packaging looks fairly simple and doesn’t have any gimmicks like Konka’s BoomBox or special looks like UMi’s book styled box. Inside the box there is the Newman K1 itself, a stick on flip cover, a warranty card, an instruction manual, a Micro USB cable and a wall plug charger. There are no earphones in the box, but it’s fine anyway since bundled earphones are usually cheap and have poor sound quality.
Look and feel – Good!
The Newman K1 looks a lot like the Newman N2. The main differences are that the Newman N2 has a thick chrome band around it which holds the buttons while the K1 has an extremely thin chrome strip that the buttons sit behind, the K1 is also larger due to the 5-inch 1280 x 720 display, but only has three capacitive chin buttons instead of the four on the N2.
On the right side of the phone there is the power and screen unlock button. On the left there is the volume rocker. On the top there is the Micro USB port and the 3.5mm headphone jack. The bottom is void of anything. My K1 is the black model, and it has the same rubbery finish on it’s back cover like the Newman N2. The Newman K1 however feels a bit better built than the Newman N2, and feels a lot more solid in your hand.
Inside you will find the 2 sim card slots, the battery which is already inserted and the microSD card slot. Overall, it looks and feels slightly better than the Newman N2, which is pretty good. There are some gripes though. The power lock/unlock button and volume rockers are way too mushy and according to my friend, feel pretty similar to the JiaYu G4’s buttons.
Display – Amazing!
As soon as you turn the phone on, you can see that Newman have done an amazing job with the HD display. They improved on what was already a good display and made it pure gold. The display is way more brighter than the N2’s and colours are just as vibrant yet natural as on the N2. Black levels are really deep and the viewing angles are really good. Overall, I would say this is one of the best displays I have seen so far, and I’ve seen many, including the Xiaomi M2A’s.
Interface and ROM – Smooth and customisable!
Gizchina News of the week
The Newman K1 comes pre-installed with a Lewa ROM, this is something that I really like. Lewa ROM is a ROM inspired by MIUI, and as such is really smooth and polished. It offers all the MIUI levels of functionality and customisation yet feels closer to Android than MIUI, and that itself is an achievement. If you want to get an idea of how the OS looks like, just take a look at MIUI, paint it light blue and white and give it a smooth app drawer, voilà. The OS is also nowhere near as buggy as the N2’s OS was, and is way more polished, with no crashes or problems at all in a whole month.
Performance – Fast.
Scrolling through the UI is nice and smooth thanks to the MTK6589 processor, and gaming (Riptide GP, NOVA 3, Dead Trigger, Angry Birds Space, Punch Hero) is just as smooth due to the PowerVR SGX544 GPU inside. Multitasking is also handled pretty well with its 1GB RAM. 1080p files are handled easily and smoothly. In fact, the only time I’ve seen any stuttering was during the time I transitioned from my web brower which had about 10 tabs open from my NOVA 3 game. Performance has been really good for me.
As for benchmarks the Newman K1 scores a very impressive 13,527 on Antutu and manages 44.8 FPS on Nenamark 2.
Audio – The K1’s Achilles heel!
The speakers are the main let down of the K1. They don’t sound bad, they’re actually pretty good for an MTK phone, it’s just that they’re NOT LOUD ENOUGH. Even my old JiaYu G3 had louder speakers, so if you’re reading this Newman, please fix it. Audio through Audio Technica earphones however, is pleasant and very enjoyable. The call quality through the ear speaker is standard fare.
Camera – A great performer!
The Camera on the K1 is a pleasant surprise, and is of similar quality to the Newman N2’s 13MP camera and is capable of recording 1080p videos.
Newman K1 Video Sample
Battery – Better than the Newman N2
My Battery Test starts at 6.00 a.m. with a full charge and is made up of – 30 minutes gaming, 5 hours of web browsing, one day of phone calls and messaging, Wifi always on, 3G on when needed (around 2 hours), GPS always on, and some photo shooting. The phone managed to last for 33 hours, 24 minutes and 13 seconds, which is about 1 day and a half. This is better than the Newman N2 and is pretty good-by smartphone standards. It can certainly get you through the day without too much effort.
Conclusion – A solid phone and a great overall package
The Newman K1 is a step above its predecessor in terms build quality and stability. Newman have certainly learnt a thing or two from the Newman N2, and I really hope they can keep this up once they release the Newman N3. At $209 for the youth version, it’s a great bargain (especially since all the other phones seem to have their prices jacked up). The speakers and mushy buttons are really my only complaints about this phone, and I’m really quite impressed by it. Also hope that they keep the Lewa OS going for the Newman N3, it’s really a nice selling point to me.
[templatic_contentbox type=”author” title=”About the author”] I’m a guy from Malaysia who constantly searches for alternative brands to the top mobile phone brands. Currently still in school. Has an online business selling phones renamed under the name NovaTech. [/templatic_contentbox]
Awesome review, good job 🙂
I liked K1 since it was reported by Gizchina, but back then i only wanted Jiayu, i thought it would be available in March.. anyway i didn’t purchase neither of them, but my gut was on the money if i had decided for K1
What about GPS? does it work or only if it’s rooted?
GPS works out of the box, but you have to download Google maps yourself. The GPS locks on pretty quickly (approximately 12-22 seconds), and the connection is good.
Have you tried “GPS Test” app?
Newman claims it has Glonass support, can you see any satellites numbered from 65 to 88?
Will try it now. Stay tuned!
Yes, I did see satellites numbered 65 and 88. Glonass is supported! Myth Confirmed!
We must have different phones, mine (as all the K1 on the Russian forum) have no Glonass support.
Hmm, I just double checked mine, I’m pretty sure it’s there. I’ll go search for some other users and ask them.
does anyone know if there will be a MTK6589T edition?
Very comprehensive review, I hope to see more exciting phones from Newman in the future. I’m seem to recall they were also going to introduce a tablet too.
Thanks! I think this is the tablet you were thinking of.
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Newsmy-Newpad-T3-8GB-Wi-Fi-7in-Black-/113299659
It’s not actually a Newman Tablet, it’s ma Newsmy Tablet. (Same difference?) 🙂
Thats right Newsmy. Aren’t they the same ?
I don”t think so. Newsmy has a fake Galaxy S4, so yep, they’re different brands.
Pretty surprised to see this unit of newman k1 up here. I’m the guy from lowyat.net that airyl bought this unit from. Btw, i think newman is the same as newsmy. Same brand.
Hey bro! Thanks for the phone! Lovin it.
On some websites I have seen newsmy newman, so I assumed they were the same.
Newsmy is usually used as their tablet brand and Newman for phones and MP3 players etc
That would explain a lot. Thanks Andi!
Awesome review 😀
I noticed you’re from Malaysia hahaha. The BN campaign flags gave it away :3 where did you order yours from?
Thanks! Yes, I am a Malaysian (It’s in the biography). I got mine from a friend on Lowyat.net for exactly $209. 🙂
Very nice, good deal given the price.
I see you’re in the business of bringing in devices and rebranding them. You should bring in more great devices running the MTK6589, with 1 or 2GB of ram.
I see a big vacancy in the current Malaysian market for good devices below RM 1500. You could easily tap into it if you knew how to :3
We do have two MTK6589 phones called the Nova Butterfly (Star X920) and Nova Ultimate (Star S7895). You can see them in the link. 🙂
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=2801021&hl=
They look too much like S3/4 clones though 🙁 I think that’s the main problem with Chinese manufactured phones in Malaysia. They all look like clones, and as such, get treated as such :\
It would be nice to bring in some ioceans and jiayu’s :3
We were planning to bring in the Neken N6. What do you think? Also, Nova Butterfly is HTC Buterfly clone. (cheeK :P)
Ran out of reply space. Lol. Still, 1GB of RAM is not really enough for me 😛
I do like the Nekken N6 though 😀 2GB of RAM and White body? Sexy beast.
Airyl what is your association with lowyat.net ?
I’m just a forumer there.
Nice review.
If the (in)famous dont came out in a near 2-3 weeks i’ll buy this one for sure.
too bad it doesnt come out with screen protection and is quite bigger than g4, so thats why i’ll considered to …still… wait for G4
Consider your choice carefully, cause etotalk is currently offering the K1 at a discounted price of $179 only!
The one thing that puts me off about Etotalk, is they offer the Etotalk Rom with all their phones. I don’t really know what that Rom is ?
I’m pretty sure it can disabled, right? No idea what etotalk’s Rom looks or functions like though.
When you order a phone from them you have the option of choosing Etotalk Rom or not. (I don’t know if it there ways of saying root & install Google Play or a completely different Rom) ?
Great Review..very informative and well structured…thanks very much
Thanks!
How about the glonass? Because some shops report, that this model supports Glonass system.
Yes, it does support Glonass.
THX for your review!
Your video-clip gave me a nice impression of a good camera!
Just waiting for your GPS-Test.
I wonder were the difference is to a phone with 2GB of RAM.
GPS works fine. It locks on in a maximum of 35 seconds and supports GLONASS. The connection is also very strong.
It should be titled as Newman K1 “vs N2” Reader Review,
Still nice post….
Keep it up buddy…
Hi Airyl,
Nice review and very usefull! I was thinking that for your “speaker issue” you could try something like Viper V4A, Beats Audio or Dolby sound mods. They should be available on XDA-developers mainly… I wasn’t happy with the speaker quality on my Haier W910 also, and these apps helped a lot!
Thanks for the tip! My Newman sounds a lot more better now! 😀
Hey I was wondering whether or not you managaged to sort out the low volumem My only concern is that I won’t be able to hear it when it’s ringing ! That was my problem with the Huawei G300, cheers !
Keep up the good work Andy!
You opened the tech chinese market to many people who were not familiar with chinese products.
I hope you turn into money all this impact you have created…
vasos, a gizchina fan from greece.
Nice review there.
Rootable? And is there any custom ROM for this phone?
Oh ya, you missed out on the Android version.
Yes, it is rootable and there are a few custom ROMs forit on needrom.com. The Android version is 4.2.1. 🙂
is there any one that can give us a clear review for Goophone X7 i would like to purchase its black version but im stack due to lack of information and build quality about it.
Ronnie here is a review of Goophone X7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW1T2JFvvWc
A gaming review of Goophone X7 as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZmbxvfvH2s
Great Review and Comparison !! This helps a lots of readers like us.
Reviews are exactly what i am looking for apart form the new phone announcements
Can you pls post screenshot from gps test?
I’ll see that it happens.
I was gona rush and buy it cause i’m in China but the only problem I see now it’s that the China’s version does not have 13MP but with 8MP instead and also no Glonass …. … so can’t guarantee the same GPS performance, DAMNED ~
The international version also has a 8mp only.
Great review 🙂
The other day I saw a video review of a UMI S1 and under Settings/Storage, there was an option to choose where to install apps by default. There was an option to install to SD card. Does such an option exist on the K1?
Yes, there is. I can email you a screenshot of it if you want.
Awesome, thanks 🙂
Perhaps I don’t need to wait for Jiayu G4 Advanced after all! There’s no need to email a screenshot, I just need to make up my mind which device to buy.
OK. If you are planning on the K1, you had better be quick because Etotalk are currently offering it for $179!
without free Shipping…
+ shipping.
Awesome review, good job 🙂
I liked K1 since it was reported by Gizchina, but back then i only wanted Jiayu, i thought it would be available in March.. anyway i didn’t purchase neither of them, but my gut was on the money if i had decided for K1
What about GPS? does it work or only if it’s rooted?
GPS works out of the box, but you have to download Google maps yourself. The GPS locks on pretty quickly (approximately 12-22 seconds), and the connection is good.
Have you tried “GPS Test” app?
Newman claims it has Glonass support, can you see any satellites numbered from 65 to 88?
Will try it now. Stay tuned!
Yes, I did see satellites numbered 65 and 88. Glonass is supported! Myth Confirmed!
We must have different phones, mine (as all the K1 on the Russian forum) have no Glonass support.
Hmm, I just double checked mine, I’m pretty sure it’s there. I’ll go search for some other users and ask them.
does anyone know if there will be a MTK6589T edition?
Very comprehensive review, I hope to see more exciting phones from Newman in the future. I’m seem to recall they were also going to introduce a tablet too.
Thanks! I think this is the tablet you were thinking of.
http://www.ebay.com/ctg/Newsmy-Newpad-T3-8GB-Wi-Fi-7in-Black-/113299659
It’s not actually a Newman Tablet, it’s ma Newsmy Tablet. (Same difference?) 🙂
Thats right Newsmy. Aren’t they the same ?
I don”t think so. Newsmy has a fake Galaxy S4, so yep, they’re different brands.
Pretty surprised to see this unit of newman k1 up here. I’m the guy from lowyat.net that airyl bought this unit from. Btw, i think newman is the same as newsmy. Same brand.
Hey bro! Thanks for the phone! Lovin it.
On some websites I have seen newsmy newman, so I assumed they were the same.
Newsmy is usually used as their tablet brand and Newman for phones and MP3 players etc
That would explain a lot. Thanks Andi!
Awesome review 😀
I noticed you’re from Malaysia hahaha. The BN campaign flags gave it away :3 where did you order yours from?
Thanks! Yes, I am a Malaysian (It’s in the biography). I got mine from a friend on Lowyat.net for exactly $209. 🙂
Very nice, good deal given the price.
I see you’re in the business of bringing in devices and rebranding them. You should bring in more great devices running the MTK6589, with 1 or 2GB of ram.
I see a big vacancy in the current Malaysian market for good devices below RM 1500. You could easily tap into it if you knew how to :3
We do have two MTK6589 phones called the Nova Butterfly (Star X920) and Nova Ultimate (Star S7895). You can see them in the link. 🙂
https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopic=2801021&hl=
They look too much like S3/4 clones though 🙁 I think that’s the main problem with Chinese manufactured phones in Malaysia. They all look like clones, and as such, get treated as such :
It would be nice to bring in some ioceans and jiayu’s :3
We were planning to bring in the Neken N6. What do you think? Also, Nova Butterfly is HTC Buterfly clone. (cheeK :P)
Ran out of reply space. Lol. Still, 1GB of RAM is not really enough for me 😛
I do like the Nekken N6 though 😀 2GB of RAM and White body? Sexy beast.
Airyl what is your association with lowyat.net ?
I’m just a forumer there.
Nice review.
If the (in)famous dont came out in a near 2-3 weeks i’ll buy this one for sure.
too bad it doesnt come out with screen protection and is quite bigger than g4, so thats why i’ll considered to …still… wait for G4
Consider your choice carefully, cause etotalk is currently offering the K1 at a discounted price of $179 only!
The one thing that puts me off about Etotalk, is they offer the Etotalk Rom with all their phones. I don’t really know what that Rom is ?
I’m pretty sure it can disabled, right? No idea what etotalk’s Rom looks or functions like though.
When you order a phone from them you have the option of choosing Etotalk Rom or not. (I don’t know if it there ways of saying root & install Google Play or a completely different Rom) ?
Great Review..very informative and well structured…thanks very much
Thanks!
How about the glonass? Because some shops report, that this model supports Glonass system.
Yes, it does support Glonass.
THX for your review!
Your video-clip gave me a nice impression of a good camera!
Just waiting for your GPS-Test.
I wonder were the difference is to a phone with 2GB of RAM.
GPS works fine. It locks on in a maximum of 35 seconds and supports GLONASS. The connection is also very strong.
If it is possible, inform us about the wifi perfomance.
How is the reception while you move away from the router and the file transfering speeds.
The reception is pretty strong, and the the data transferring speeds are fine as well. It’s nothing like the Xiaomi mi2a and it’s 5Ghz WiFi though, now THAT was fast.
It’s not 802.11n?
at 2.4GHz you can still achieve 300mbps (but most “n” devices have a 150mbps bandwidth)
It is 802.11n, but it’s not as fast as Xiaomi’s M2A’s wifi. It still is fast to some extent.
It should be titled as Newman K1 “vs N2” Reader Review,
Still nice post….
Keep it up buddy…
A couple comments to your very nice review.
Screen is great, but the digitizer mesh is visible with strong direct light at a certain angle. Not a problem in use though.
Buttons are great on mine.
Speaker sound is ok, but in call audio from the earspeaker is mediocre, worse than many other phones.
Reception is ok but sometimes in tough spots 3G signal is lost without notice (I get a text message saying someone tried to call and could not reach me).
Hey, would you say it easily loses signal in those areas where reception is weak ? Cheers !
It does sometime lose signal in tough spots, but no more than my old Xperia Arc did in the same places. The Jiayu G3 in this sense was an absolute beast, with excellent reception and call audio quality, a pity its GPS and camera were awful.
That’s great cheers ! Would you recommend this phone for a £150 budget ? I’ve looked at the Lenovo A830 and the Verne V5 but having a tough time deciding. Any help would be grand !
Yes, I would definitely recommend it, it’s a great phone at this price. You won’t be disappointed.
Wonderful, thanks once again for the swift replies !
One more question (sorry!), is it really 14.5cm in length ?!
14.5 cm sounds about right
Hi Airyl,
Nice review and very usefull! I was thinking that for your “speaker issue” you could try something like Viper V4A, Beats Audio or Dolby sound mods. They should be available on XDA-developers mainly… I wasn’t happy with the speaker quality on my Haier W910 also, and these apps helped a lot!
Thanks for the tip! My Newman sounds a lot more better now! 😀
Hey I was wondering whether or not you managaged to sort out the low volumem My only concern is that I won’t be able to hear it when it’s ringing ! That was my problem with the Huawei G300, cheers !
Keep up the good work Andy!
You opened the tech chinese market to many people who were not familiar with chinese products.
I hope you turn into money all this impact you have created…
vasos, a gizchina fan from greece.
Nice review there.
Rootable? And is there any custom ROM for this phone?
Oh ya, you missed out on the Android version.
Yes, it is rootable and there are a few custom ROMs forit on needrom.com. The Android version is 4.2.1. 🙂
is there any one that can give us a clear review for Goophone X7 i would like to purchase its black version but im stack due to lack of information and build quality about it.
Ronnie here is a review of Goophone X7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW1T2JFvvWc
A gaming review of Goophone X7 as well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZmbxvfvH2s
Nice review, do any of you guys know if this is the same phone as Vowney v5? they look very similar
it’s not the same phone although it looks really similar
What phone would you say is better with regards to build quality and features, the V5 or Newman K1 ? Thanks
Can’t tell, since I’ve never used a V5 before. V5 seems to have USB OTG, which is intereting.
Great Review and Comparison !! This helps a lots of readers like us.
Reviews are exactly what i am looking for apart form the new phone announcements
Can you pls post screenshot from gps test?
I’ll see that it happens.
I was gona rush and buy it cause i’m in China but the only problem I see now it’s that the China’s version does not have 13MP but with 8MP instead and also no Glonass …. … so can’t guarantee the same GPS performance, DAMNED ~
The international version also has a 8mp only.
Great review 🙂
The other day I saw a video review of a UMI S1 and under Settings/Storage, there was an option to choose where to install apps by default. There was an option to install to SD card. Does such an option exist on the K1?
Yes, there is. I can email you a screenshot of it if you want.
Awesome, thanks 🙂
Perhaps I don’t need to wait for Jiayu G4 Advanced after all! There’s no need to email a screenshot, I just need to make up my mind which device to buy.
OK. If you are planning on the K1, you had better be quick because Etotalk are currently offering it for $179!
without free Shipping…
+ shipping.
If it is possible, inform us about the wifi perfomance.
How is the reception while you move away from the router and the file transfering speeds.
The reception is pretty strong, and the the data transferring speeds are fine as well. It’s nothing like the Xiaomi mi2a and it’s 5Ghz WiFi though, now THAT was fast.
It’s not 802.11n?
at 2.4GHz you can still achieve 300mbps (but most “n” devices have a 150mbps bandwidth)
It is 802.11n, but it’s not as fast as Xiaomi’s M2A’s wifi. It still is fast to some extent.
A couple comments to your very nice review.
Screen is great, but the digitizer mesh is visible with strong direct light at a certain angle. Not a problem in use though.
Buttons are great on mine.
Speaker sound is ok, but in call audio from the earspeaker is mediocre, worse than many other phones.
Reception is ok but sometimes in tough spots 3G signal is lost without notice (I get a text message saying someone tried to call and could not reach me).
Hey, would you say it easily loses signal in those areas where reception is weak ? Cheers !
It does sometime lose signal in tough spots, but no more than my old Xperia Arc did in the same places. The Jiayu G3 in this sense was an absolute beast, with excellent reception and call audio quality, a pity its GPS and camera were awful.
That’s great cheers ! Would you recommend this phone for a £150 budget ? I’ve looked at the Lenovo A830 and the Verne V5 but having a tough time deciding. Any help would be grand !
Yes, I would definitely recommend it, it’s a great phone at this price. You won’t be disappointed.
Wonderful, thanks once again for the swift replies !
One more question (sorry!), is it really 14.5cm in length ?!
14.5 cm sounds about right
Nice review, do any of you guys know if this is the same phone as Vowney v5? they look very similar
it’s not the same phone although it looks really similar
What phone would you say is better with regards to build quality and features, the V5 or Newman K1 ? Thanks
Can’t tell, since I’ve never used a V5 before. V5 seems to have USB OTG, which is intereting.
Awesome review :D. Can anyone tell which WCDMA bands support?
Thanks
Awesome review :D. Can anyone tell which WCDMA bands support?
Thanks
Hi there, how did this phone perform when picking up general 2G signal ?
Hi there, how did this phone perform when picking up general 2G signal ?
Hello,
What phone is a better buy ? Newman K1 or JiaYu G3S ?
Which one has better/brighter display? I would prefer the best possible visibility during daylight.
JiaYu G3S is an updated version of G3, did it also got better screen with the update. Is G3S screen more like on G4 or like G3 ?
One more question. Can anybody confirm if Newman K1 or JiaYu G3S have gorilla glass display protection ?
Freelander I30, which should be the same phone as Newman K1 is supposed to have gorilla glass – but this info is also not verified.
Hello,
What phone is a better buy ? Newman K1 or JiaYu G3S ?
Which one has better/brighter display? I would prefer the best possible visibility during daylight.
JiaYu G3S is an updated version of G3, did it also got better screen with the update. Is G3S screen more like on G4 or like G3 ?
One more question. Can anybody confirm if Newman K1 or JiaYu G3S have gorilla glass display protection ?
Freelander I30, which should be the same phone as Newman K1 is supposed to have gorilla glass – but this info is also not verified.
I bought the phone at the just recently ended Canton Fair. Great device which i plan to mainly use on the go as an alternative to my iPad/iPhone combo. Used it on WiFi and it was great. Trouble is the manual is in Chinese. Can anyone help with an English one?
PS the Newman website was in Chinese too!
I bought the phone at the just recently ended Canton Fair. Great device which i plan to mainly use on the go as an alternative to my iPad/iPhone combo. Used it on WiFi and it was great. Trouble is the manual is in Chinese. Can anyone help with an English one?
PS the Newman website was in Chinese too!