Smartphone BQ Aquaris V 32GB - advantages and disadvantages

A simple person, looking at the prices of modern smartphones, might think that the electronics market has gone crazy. Many people believe that the more expensive the phone, the higher its quality. However, this is not quite true. Manufacturers of flagship smartphones spend a lot of money on advertising, and the technical characteristics of the device are also very important. Hence the high cost. But there must be gadgets of acceptable quality and at affordable prices somewhere. This article will focus on an inexpensive smartphone from the Spanish brand BQ, which has long been in demand among residents of Western Europe.

This manufacturer is not a leader in the global smartphone market. However, not so long ago, the company introduced a new gadget, which, judging by its appearance, is more suitable for a younger audience - Aquaris V.

Smartphone package

In a small box, along with a mobile device, there are: micro-USB cable, instructions, charging with an adapter. With it, the phone charges faster than with the standard charging method.

Appearance of the device

The design of the phone is very simple, looks just like other budget smartphones. The brand name is printed on the rear panel, the colors of the display are in soft colors, they do not hurt the eyes. There is a notification LED. The touch button at the bottom of the screen is designed in the form of the manufacturer's logo.

The phone has a rounded design. The frame is made of plastic with a small amount of metal. The smartphone is too easily soiled, quickly gets dirty, it leaves traces.

The touch keys are not illuminated, the fingerprint indicator is located behind the rear camera sensor. On the sides of the smartphone, in addition to micro-USB, there are two microphones that effectively suppress noise.

The case, made of plastic with the addition of metal, is extremely durable, all parts fit snugly together, the back cover does not sag, nothing wobbles.

The manufacturer claims that this smartphone model is certified according to the IP52 standard and has sufficient protection against water drops and dust particles. Of course, the device cannot be immersed in water, but it is not afraid of a small amount of moisture and foreign particles. That is why the phone was called “Akvaris”, which means “Aquarium” in Spanish.

The main characteristics of the smartphone

Screen

The display is far from ideal, especially when viewed from an angle. It may seem that the matrix fades a lot, some shades are lost, the colors become fuzzy. If you look at the display from other sides, then the colors and brightness remain unchanged. The screen looks contrasty, and this is not surprising, since the maximum brightness of the backlight is 520 nits.

The 5.2-inch screen doesn't feel pixelated.

The smartphone has the function of recognizing all the fingers of both hands at the same time. Unlocking is done by double tapping. The screen is covered with a protective oleophobic film that protects the phone from various contaminants. Simply wipe the display with a slightly damp cloth to remove finger stains and grease.

Like any modern smartphone, the Aquaris gadget has a night mode that can be configured both manually and automatically.

The protective glass of the display is made by one of the leading Japanese telecommunications companies. It makes the smartphone more ergonomic, but scratches easily remain on such a coating, so the device must be handled with care.

Iron

Medium performance processor. The machine is not suitable for power-hungry applications and heats up under excessive load. In addition, the graphics accelerator, which handles well a two-dimensional picture with HD resolution 1280 x 720, unfortunately, does not handle the processing of three-dimensional graphics, the chip starts to work unstably.

Fingerprint scanning is not as fast as on leading flagships, but for a phone in this price category, it's quite good. The device compares the received fingerprint with the one already stored in the phone, it will take a few seconds to process the information. The sensor area is large and occupies a convenient location.

The smartphone runs on an improved version of Android 7, it is almost no different from the Google version. Since the device is not powerful enough, the standard Android platform is ideal for it. The company has confirmed that the operating system will be upgraded to Android 8.

There are very few special features in the device, but they are all necessary. In the settings, you can activate LED notifications separately for each program, set the camera to quickly turn on by double-clicking the power key and set the automatic display of information on the locked display the moment the gadget is in your hands, change the vibration level.

Communications

The phone uses Dual SIM technology, which allows you to use two SIM cards at the same time. During a call, noise reduction is activated. The signal is stable, there are no extraneous sounds and rattling. Wireless network and Bluetooth 4.2. also work stably. It is worth noting that the wireless network, in addition to the 2.4 GHz frequency, supports 5 GHz, and Bluetooth makes the sound better.aptX digital technology will make any audio recording as clean as a CD.

sound

The sound is the same as other Qualcomm-powered smartphones, but the volume of the main speaker and the sound is quite good.

Navigation

High accuracy GPS. The error is within three meters.

The smartphone also features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. It allows you to make purchases online. There is a USB on-the-go adapter, it is convenient to connect flash drives, a mouse and even a keyboard, FM radio through it. Among other features, it should be noted the automatic number detection function from Google, with its help you can determine the contacts of organizations registered in the Google My Business application.

Battery

The phone can be charged using the Quick Charge 3.0 turbo adapter. Power adapter 5V 3A / 9V 2A / 12V 1.5A. The non-removable 3100 mAh battery charges in 120 minutes.

The smartphone has power management settings. This will help increase the autonomy of the device. In addition, you can customize the display of the charge as a percentage. The device passed the autonomy test. At 50% display brightness, the phone lasted more than seven hours.

Camera

Despite the simplicity and cheapness of the smartphone, it takes good pictures. The manufacturer used the SONY IMX386 module, which was used in the leading models of Chinese brands, as a sensor for the main camera.

The resolution of the rear camera is 12 megapixels. In terms of photo quality, Aquaris is significantly superior to other gadgets from this price category. The only drawback of the camera: insufficiently accurate focusing.

The video quality is very decent. Video recording resolution: 1080 pixels at 30 frames.

The front camera is rather weak, but in good light you can get good pictures. In the dark, the flash turns on automatically. In the settings, you can find filters for editing pictures, such as HDR, landscape, twilight, night portrait, as well as make portrait photos more attractive using the Face Beauty function.

At night, photos are bright and juicy, thanks to the front flash.

Pros and cons of this model

• Accurate navigation;
• NFC function;
• HD screen;
• high-quality pictures;
• there is a headphone jack;
• smart fingerprint indicator;
• good screen;
• holds a charge for a long time (with moderate use up to three days);
• excellent performance;
• stable and fast internet;
• high-quality assembly and display coating;
• affordable price;
• the phone is comfortable to hold with one hand;
• the gadget is pleasant to the touch;
• good sound in headphones;
• high accuracy of Glonass, satellite navigation system and GPS;
• the possibility of fast charging in which the smartphone is charged in just half an hour

• With careless use, scratches may remain on the glass;
• the case gets dirty easily;
• may seem heavy;
• hard to find cover;
• not the most attractive design;
• weak processor, not suitable for games;
• keys are not backlit;
• if you look at the device from the side, it may seem that some of the shades are lost

Results

Despite the weak hardware and simple design, many people liked this model. The phone is simple and convenient in everyday use. The price of this smartphone is much lower than the flagship models, while the quality of photos and videos is no worse.The device supports dual-band wireless network Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX digital codec, and a very important function of near contactless communication, with which it is possible to pay for various services. All this allows the smartphone from the Spanish manufacturer to stand out from other budget models.