Smartphone BQ 5514L Strike Power 4G - advantages and disadvantages

BQ is originally from Russia, although the smartphones are assembled in China, where labor is much cheaper. This affects the release of budget models of smartphones. But, the price tag is not the only advantage of the brand, they are also credited with stylish design and high-quality assembly.

Since 2014, BQ has been offering users completely different models that adhere to the “price = quality” formula. So on January 30, 2019, the new BQ 5514L Strike Power 4G was launched on the market. Its average price will please fans of unpromoted smartphones. We will talk about its advantages and disadvantages in this review.

Specifications

As with other budget options, the specifications match the price.It is not necessary to expect any extra features and solutions of non-standard tasks from this model. But, the average price did not affect the quality of work.

Analyzing the technical map, we can say that in many respects the phone meets the requirements for smartphones in 2019 and the expectations of users. This may include:

• the presence of a fingerprint scanner;
• two SIM cards;
• main and front camera;
• widescreen display.

Advantages

At the end of January, the Russian company that owns the BQ brand provided two similar models BQ-5514G Strike Power and BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G. The main difference is the support for the 4G network, which the model in question has, and it is also considered one of the advantages of the model. But the positives don't end there.

Battery

Among Chinese-made phones, a more powerful battery has become a real trend, ready to work without recharging for more than one day. The battery capacity of the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G is 5000 mAh. The manufacturer claims that the smartphone works offline for 3 days and in standby mode - 20 days. Every user of a mobile device craves this feature, since many models are able to work for less than a day, which makes the user hostage to the outlet, and even wireless charging cannot be a worthy alternative to a capacious battery.

Dual SIM support

This cannot be called an innovation, since for many years phone manufacturers have been practicing the possibility of using 2 SIM cards in smartphones at once. Of course, this function does not work at the proper level in all models, but the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G will be able to please any user who appreciates this feature. Nano-type SIM cards are suitable for it and they work alternately.

Screen

The BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G is equipped with a 5.45-inch bezel-less screen.Aspect ratio 18:9 and resolution: 1440x720 PPI. Screen type - color IPS contributes to a high-quality picture. Playing various toys and watching movies on such a screen is considered a real pleasure. In this regard, the manufacturer really tried to make it pleasant for his fans.

CPU

The manufacturer has chosen the best processor option for the budget model - MediaTek MT6739. The frequency of operation is 1300 MHz and 4 cores, and it is also possible to use two SIM cards in 4G. This processor is suitable for games and applications of the new generation and will probably work without freezing.

cameras

Like most modern smartphones, the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G has a main and front camera. The main one has 13 MP, and the front one has 8 MP. According to their characteristics, they are not considered the best, but at the same time they cannot be called a disadvantage. Of course, the quality of the photos leaves much to be desired, but at this price tag, this is to be expected.

External media

Despite the fact that the amount of internal memory is considered a drawback, the manufacturer pleased with the possibility of an external drive. The smartphone has a 128 GB memory card slot. This will be appreciated by users who like to listen to music from a smartphone, watch movies, or simply store a large number of files.

Case and color palette

The body of the 5514L Strike Power 4G is made of plastic and metal. Now, in many models, manufacturers use metal for the case. Firstly, this affects the weight, but at the same time, the metal contributes to an increase in shockproof properties.

The case design is similar to previous models and there are no unique innovations, but more on that later. There are several colors to choose from:

• the black;
• gold;
• grey;
• silver;
• red.

That is why it is suitable for lovers of both classic options and original color schemes.

Price

This aspect will especially please lovers of inexpensive models. At the beginning of 2019, the price for the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G averages from 6,500 to 7,000 rubles. Good numbers with such characteristics.

Operating system

Another advantage is the installed operating system Android Oreo (Go edition). It is considered quite easy and fast. It has another plus - the function of saving Internet traffic. Therefore, the “stuffing” of this smartphone does not cause any negative impressions, but vice versa.

The fingerprint scanner

Probably, not a single modern smartphone model can do without the function of protecting personal data with a fingerprint. It is also present in the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G. It works in seconds and has no complaints.

Additional "buns"

The BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G smartphone has an OTG function, that is, third-party connection or charging of another device is possible.

The new product from BQ provides for the use of two Nano-format SIM cards. Supports cellular networks such as 2G, 3G and 4G. The use of mobile communications is possible anywhere in the world and is adapted to many mobile operators.

The phone is equipped with proximity and light sensors, as well as an accelerometer. This set will allow not only to control the phone with great convenience, but also to make more exciting games.

This smartphone has such a nice addition as a radio. There are also no complaints about the quality of listening to FM channels, and if there are, they are not significant.

After analyzing all the advantages of this model, we can say that the main advantage is the battery capacity and this is not surprising, because the Strike Power line implies an enhancement of this particular feature.

Flaws

Like any thing, the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G has its drawbacks and shortcomings. But at the same time, it should be borne in mind that the requested price tag does not imply high performance in work.

Memory

Unfortunately, the amount of memory leaves much to be desired. Built-in memory is 8 GB, RAM - 1 GB. Perhaps 10 years ago, these indicators would have been desirable for users, but today this is extremely small for a smartphone.

Photo quality

Despite the fact that the cameras have a lot of megapixels, the quality of the photos is not high. Some users note some blurring and inaccurate color reproduction.

Graphic card

The tests carried out showed that the performance of the GE8100 PowerVR graphics card is rather low. For watching movies or playing games, it is better to find another phone, since this smartphone is not the strongest point.

Application storage location

Many users consider it a disadvantage that individual applications are stored only on internal memory. The volume of the latter, as mentioned earlier, is only 8 GB, and this is not enough for applications and games, especially with constant updates. Unfortunately, it is considered impossible to transfer them to external media.

Design

Users who care about looks may not choose the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G. The design repeats previous models, as noted earlier. The one-piece body with an imitation of a removable battery and a fingerprint scanner on the back looks pretty standard. In general, the appearance itself has both advantages and disadvantages, which is why this item is considered in the second part.

cellular

Cellular communication can be called another advantage and disadvantage at the same time. The positive characteristics were considered a little higher, now consider the disadvantage. Tests carried out on the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G phone showed that the call quality is poor and problems may occur during a call.

Availability in stores

The new BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G appeared on the market at the end of January 2019, because of this, today it can not be found in all stores. Although, after waiting a couple of weeks, this smartphone will be available in many electronics stores and you can try it out.

Considering that the price of a new smartphone reaches 7,000 rubles, its shortcomings can be said to be insignificant. Many of them can be solved in an alternative way. For example, an insufficient amount of built-in memory is replenished with an additional memory card.

Conclusion

The BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G smartphone is a great solution for people looking for an inexpensive option for a simple smartphone. Can it be called a flagship in its niche? Certainly yes. After all, the technical characteristics that the manufacturer has endowed with its new product correspond to new-generation smartphones at the appropriate price. For fans of more fancy features or a high level of performance, you will have to look for a more expensive option.

Of course, someone may argue that Chinese sites have “stronger” smartphones for the same money. But the terms of guarantees cannot be compared with domestic manufacturers

Who is this new product for? The work of the BQ-5514L Strike Power 4G will be appreciated by lovers of "long-lived" phones.All such 2-3 day work without recharging, and the manufacturer paid more attention to this, in our time - a rarity.