Coolpad Mega 3: Budget smartphone for selfie lovers

By Qadri Inzamam

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad has done well with smartphones that are targeted at those who look for devices in the sub-Rs 10,000 category. Continuing the legacy, the company has launched Coolpad Mega 3 that comes with the capability to hold three 4G-ready SIM cards.

At Rs 6,999, the device is a successor to the Coolpad Mega 2.5D.

Here is what works for the device.

Encased in a plastic exterior, the smartphone has a coarse back cover unlike its predecessor that came with a glossy back which made it difficult to hold in a single hand, given its large size. The phone comes in champagne white, moondust grey and gold white colour variants.

The Mega 3 sports a 5.5-inch IPS HD (1280 x 720 pixel) display which is quite common for devices in this range.

The device is driven by its custom user interface (UI) on top of Android 6.0 Marshmellow and is powered by quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor -- a good combination for a phone at this price range. The device has 2GB RAM and 16GB on-board memory which can be extended up to 32GB.

The phone runs smoothly unless you shuffle between multiple applications, especially during a game.

With a 3,050mAh battery, the Mega 3 can run up to 10-15 hours under moderate use which is fair considering the large screen size.

The 8MP front camera takes good selfies even in low light without using a flash. The 8MP primary camera works fine in outdoor conditions, but in low-light conditions, the quality of photos is not great.

What doesn't work?

The device disappoints while playing HD videos as the colours appear dull. Playing heavy games on the device slowed its performance.

Conclusion: Coolpad's Mega 3 is for consumers who want a decent performing, selfie-camera phone with a large screen at an affordable price.

(Qadri Inzamam can be reached at inzamam.a@ians.in)