Smartphone VERTEX Impress Nero - advantages and disadvantages

Not so long ago, the phrase "budget smartphones" was asked to be rephrased into "obscene trash", the state of affairs fully corresponded to such a definition. Now everything is a little different, there are really good gadgets, high-quality ones, and their functionality is slightly inferior to expensive models, but at a price they are much cheaper. And most importantly, something appeared that 2-3 years ago seemed completely unrealistic - the reliability of such devices.

Of course, not all budget smartphones can be described in this way, the vast majority of them have remained the same rubbish, a headache and money thrown to the wind. The quality leaves much to be desired: low performance, weak battery and constant “glitches”, it is clear that in such a situation, there is no need to talk about any reliability. But there are really interesting and noteworthy specimens, such as the VERTEX Impress Nero, a 2018 model.

What is VERTEX Impress Nero

A review of an inexpensive but remarkable novelty from VERTEX should begin with the undoubted achievements of this local brand. According to the results of the past year, considering the rating of high-quality and inexpensive smartphones, its products took 6th place in Russia. But the most interesting thing is that the best manufacturers of the last decade are left behind: Sony, Lenovo, Huawei and others. This fact says a lot, in particular, about the trust shown to the company's products, it has proven itself well. For example, it is worth citing statistical data that speaks in favor of the choice of VERTEX smartphones and their unconditional quality. Comparing the named trademarks, it turns out the following:

If you look at these indicators through the eyes of a simple consumer, it becomes clear why the sales of a brand little known to a wide range of consumers managed to bypass more eminent manufacturers. It should be taken into account that the figures are indicated as of the end of 2017, now they can be completely different, and clearly not in favor of the “scammers”.

If Impress Luck was still damp, and Tor and Grip lived up to expectations, then Impress Nero exceeded all expectations. In the new model, the GPS module has improved, the screen format has changed, and the back panel has become metal, and these are just visual changes. In global terms, the budget smartphone category "B" surpasses many popular models related to A-brands, and in all respects. Which is definitely worth considering in more detail.

Appearance

The cover, of course, is not judged, and there is no worse option than to choose a phone solely on the external attractiveness. But if it concerns revolutionary changes in the new model, this cannot be passed over in silence. General characteristics look like this:

• length - 150 mm;
• in width - 71 mm;
• thickness - 9.2 mm;
• by weight - 188 gr.;
• housing materials - plastic / metal;
• body colors - black / gray.

If there is nothing to comment on the size, the dimensions are quite familiar to any brand. Otherwise, there are many interesting details, which are not always paid attention to, but they are important. The updated design has a number of advantages:

1. There isn't much that's revolutionary about the metal back panel, but the extra protection detail isn't insignificant. If it were a category “A” phone, they would not pay attention to this, although the cases of most of these remain completely plastic. But for low-end gadgets, this is undoubtedly a design breakthrough, in which Impress Nero is one of a kind.
2. Against the background of even budget models, it seems too thick, but on the other hand, such a thickness of the body eliminates the usual bulges, the same camera, for example, which is more convenient and pleasant. The weight of the new model is "balanced", too light and too heavy phones have more disadvantages than advantages. The first ones are easy to lose and not feel it, and the second ones are terribly uncomfortable.
3. Another detail that makes the Impress Nero special and unique among its kind is the rounded corners. Against the background of brothers in the shop, having only straight lines, it looks aesthetically attractive.It's not the most essential of its characteristics, but the beauty of the smartphone makes sense and it's a pleasure to hold in your hands. And it is immediately clear that its creators were clearly not going to save on their offspring.

Summing up, we can say with confidence that the manufacturer, little known in the world market, has found many successful solutions in the design of the new model, and it seems that he is not going to stop there. The device really turned out to be interesting and worthwhile: it is visually attractive, convenient, practical and deserves the close attention of even the most fastidious connoisseurs.

Components

The package bundle looks familiar to any brand and its model - nothing new and superfluous. The box contains:

• actually the smartphone itself;
• composite charger;
• a paperclip that removes the SIM card;
• user manual;
• warranty card.

What is remarkable about this, besides the gadget, of course? An excellent charger, consisting of a microUSB cable and a socket block, outwardly no different from any other. But looking closer, it becomes obvious that the manufacturer has not been stingy here either. The length of the cord exceeds similar ones by at least 0.5 m, sometimes this is an extremely important point. Although another thing is more important - a 2 A power supply, which is very rare for inexpensive devices, most of which use 1.5 A blocks, or absolutely useless 1 A. Thanks to this feature, time is saved - a full battery charge lasts 1.5-2 hours.

Display

It's hard to believe that this model belongs to the second tier of smartphones. The general characteristics of the display are as follows:

• technology - IPS / sensor;
• type - capacitive / multi-touch;
• diagonal - 5.5 inches;
• extension - 1280X640 ppi;
• density - 260 ppi;
• along the length - 125 mm;
• width - 62.5 mm;
• area - 73.5%;
• ratio - 2:1 / 2:1 / 18:9;
• depth - 2416777216 colors.

The modern VERTEX Impress Nero screen, considering its price, simply amazes with its capabilities, if not superior, then not inferior to premium segment devices. This is the only budget smartphone with such a widescreen display and features that are not available for the likes of it. But first things first:

1. IPS technology and a capacitive screen type present a lot of undeniable advantages, which should be paid special attention to. Thanks to these characteristics, excellent conditions are created for using Impress Nero in complete darkness or in the sun, when direct rays hit the screen. It is also important that such screens do not burn out, which is typical for inexpensive gadgets, and the eyes do not get tired of them.
2. The advantages of a large display diagonal, its length and width are also quite obvious. Thanks to this, much more information is placed on it, and there is no need to constantly scroll through sites or text files. It is much more convenient to watch videos in high resolution, and for avid gamers this is a real gift, a 5.5-inch diagonal is perfect for active games.
3. The screen extension of 1280x640 pixels and their density of 260 pixels is already HD quality, which creates a heavy load on the video accelerator. This is not Full HD, of course, but this format is not available for most budget smartphones, and for the latest model from VERTEX, it has become familiar. That creates a certain comfort for watching videos, and for games, and for working with photos.
4. As for the aspect ratio, then Impress Nero simply has no equal, both among budget smartphones and many belonging to the “A” category. The 16:9 format is hopelessly outdated, but still remains the main one and is applicable to models that are many times more expensive. But the 18:9 format allows you to reduce the case and make the phone more compact, because the display diagonal occupies almost the entire area of ​​the front panel.
5. The combination of a high-quality and rather expensive IPS-matrix, with a variety of color options, is another plus of the phone. Colors differ in saturation and depth, and what is considered a rarity for this category - black in it, it is. However, at default settings, all colors have warm tones, which negatively affects the clarity of the image. But all this is easily and quickly corrected in the settings.
6. The screen itself is protected by durable glass, it is difficult to damage it even if it cracks. Its surface is perfectly smooth and devoid of the slightest roughness, which creates an excellent glide for the user's fingers. The only drawback of the display is that it only supports two-point multitouch, which is obviously not enough against the background of other, in many respects, unique features of VERTEX Impress Nero.
7. But what really distinguishes this model from others is a double click on the screen to turn it on. With a light tap, the unlock is activated, many remember this function in the obsolete Nokia model, which was still running on Windows Phone. Now it is very rarely used, the vast majority of manufacturers have long abandoned it, and such a function is considered a "trick".

For people who are well versed in IT technologies, only the characteristics of the screen can give an exhaustive answer to the question - which model is better to buy.

Device cameras

The cameras of the latest model from VERTEX are another of its indisputable advantages, while in many of its brothers in the shop, the main one is weaker than its rear camera. This part is a cause for pride and adds even more weight to an amazing machine that never ceases to amaze. Photos and videos taken by Impress Nero are exceptionally clear and without the slightest blur. Moreover, the quality of the pictures does not differ at all, how he photographs in daylight, from how he photographs at night. There is no secret here, it's all about the characteristics of the cameras.

The main one is 13 MP (4160x3120 pixels). Such a high resolution allows you to shoot excellent photos and videos in Full HD quality, but that's where the advantages end, followed by continuous disadvantages. Video recording at night leaves much to be desired, and all due to the fact that the flash is represented by two LED lamps, which are rather weak for these purposes. As for the sensor, it is neither good nor bad - it's a regular CMOS installed on almost all smartphones.

The interface is also quite ordinary, at least for devices using the Media Tek chipset, it is interesting that the two previous versions of Tor and Grip use the more expensive and high-quality Qualcomm. Front camera - 5 MP (2560X1920). It takes quite good photos if you sharpen it correctly, but it will not be possible to highlight something unique or unusual in it, due to the lack of it.

Additional functions:

• normal focusing, using a sensor, autofocusing;
• burst, panorama and HDR shooting functions;
• white balance and ISO settings;
• the possibility of exposure compensation;
• the presence of geographic marks;
• face recognition function;
• zoom and digital zoom.

It should be noted here that if we evaluate the capabilities of cameras as premium class elements, we get a rather critical approach. But since VERTEX Impress Nero belongs to a completely different class of phones, the demand from it is less and the evaluation of functionality is higher. Considering this accessory and the cost of the device, few people will understand which camera on a smartphone of which company is better, this is already obvious. And for a clear example, an example of a photo is given, which best reflects the viability of the described cameras:

Controls

There is no need to describe this part of the device in too much detail, of course, control is important in any phone, but this does not have any effect on the popularity of models or on the selection criteria.

Actually, there are no noticeable differences from most others, in this regard, although there are still minor ones:

1. The power button and volume control are moved to the left side of the case, which is not very convenient and unusual at first. The main thing is that they protrude enough to be easily felt, there are no problems with this, unless, of course, you do not look for them out of habit from the back.
2. On the right side there are slots for SIM-cards, like all modern smartphones, there are 2 of them (dual sim). This location is convenient - you do not need to remove the back cover, or even pull out the battery to change SIM cards. But the inconvenience is that the slots are combined - you can simultaneously use either 2 SIM-cards, or one + flash drive.
3. The MicroUSB port is located at the bottom, in the center, between the speaker (the sound is quite powerful and high quality) and the microphone. Uninitiated users mistake the latter for a second speaker, just the symmetry is misleading. It is difficult to say how convenient this location of the port is, it seems that this does not make the weather.

It is worth noting the accuracy of the assembly of Impress Nero, which is inherent in premium gadgets, but not in the “B” category, which involuntarily evokes associations with the iPhone, or at least with LG. Thanks to such attention from the manufacturer, it is not in vain that it is called the first among its kind, which automatically puts this model on a par with the best gadgets of our time, at least in moral terms.

Hardware platform

In this regard, the new model has as many advantages as disadvantages, in principle, the latter are not very significant, except for the work on the Taiwanese Media Tek chipset, which spoils the overall picture. Nevertheless, the device is quite productive and nimble in operation, as for such a level. Applications launch almost instantly, without delays and braking.

The rest of the hardware looks, if not perfect, then quite acceptable, for the average:

• chipset - Media Tek MT6737M;
• processor - ARM Cortex-A53;
• architecture - ARMv8-A;
• limit frequency - 1250 MHz;
• number of cores - 4;
• bit depth - 64 bits;
• GPU - ARM Mali-T720 MP1;
• limit frequency - 550 MHz;
• RAM - 2 GB;
• built-in memory - 16 GB.

Yes, the stuffing of the phone did not surprise - a standard set of most budget smartphones, without any surprises from the manufacturer. But still, it is worth disassembling the hardware platform structure separately:

1. It's not worth criticizing the chipset too much, even if it's not the most productive, but in general, this does not affect performance too much. For example, the most sophisticated games run quite normally, one minus is that the graphics fail.
2. Not the most powerful processor, which accelerates to 1250 MHz, looks quite familiar for gadgets of this level, “in its place”, so to speak. Actually, from the hardware of budget options, nothing else can be expected.
3. The same can be said about the Impress Nero memory - it looks somehow casual and without intrigue. Although for his brothers in the shop 2 GB of RAM is not the limit, as well as built-in 16 GB, much worse gadgets, and by all characteristics, often support 4 and 32 GB, respectively.

If you try to characterize this side of the device in a nutshell, it turns out that in this he is not a leader, but not an outsider either. Only a dreamer can expect something more - inexpensive models up to 10,000 rubles, "all for one person."

Means of communication

In this regard, VERTEX Impress Nero has gone much further than its counterparts, it supports almost all existing connection standards:

• GSM is the standard and most common digital format for all mobile operators without exception, adopted by any country in the world;
• UMTS is a more modern and advanced standard, mostly focused on 3G, with great data transfer capabilities and high connection speed;
• LTE is a new generation format, high-speed and practical, often compared with 4G networks, which is not well developed in Russian realities;
• VoLTE is one of the most modern technologies, supported by a smartphone along with the rest, but it is another matter that it does not always find a response from Russian operators.

As for Wi-Fi, the device supports almost all standards, no problems with the Internet connection, as well as with Bluetooth 4 version. It is unlikely that anyone is interested in it now, it has an FM radio and other “antediluvian things”. But with navigation it didn’t work out very well, in fact, he copes with this quite well, but the trouble is that of the satellite systems, only GPS, which is common in Russia, GLONASS, is inaccessible to him.

Work Offline

Maybe this wonderful gadget doesn't have the best chipset and processor, but its battery is really good, 3300 microamps per hour (mAh) is the big leagues. Batteries of this kind can easily hold a charge up to 48 hours in Internet mode, if we talk about 3D games, then, of course, this figure will be reduced by 5-6 times. Of course, in practice, as a rule, everything turns out a little differently, but for this level, this is an excellent indicator.

For budget smartphones, the battery is, by definition, a sore subject, they are usually used at 2700 mAh, but they do not hold a charge well, and become completely unusable in some six months. In this case, everything is different, if she does not last two days, then 30-35 hours for sure. For any, even more expensive device, this is a fairly good autonomy.

Software

The device runs on the Android 7.0 Nougat platform, which is not very fresh, but you can’t call the software hopelessly outdated either, in any case, it remains relevant and widely applicable now.As for the interface, it is not too different from the usual basic version, and what is really good about it: the developers did not burden the user base with useless launchers and similar "chips".

Most users rarely use them, and all these branded "bells and whistles", remaining unclaimed, nevertheless, pretty drain the battery and significantly reduce performance. Of the pre-installed, it has only a few applications from Yandex, if not needed, they are easily removed from the RAM. This is another positive point - in most smartphones, factory presets do not allow demolition. In general, the software does a good job, and given how much this device costs, it's completely wonderful.

Price

Many consumers, when buying a new gadget, ignore its most important characteristics and features, but not the cost. This is the first thing that everyone, without exception, looks at, in the case of VERTEX Impress Nero, with a cursory glance at the price tag, you will want to buy it. The average price of a model is 6,500 rubles, and it must be admitted that for such a device, it’s like that for nothing, much worse in all respects, they cost more. There is an opinion that this is a clever marketing move of the manufacturing company, supposedly after it “gets hooked” on its products as many users as possible, prices will immediately rise.

The statement, of course, is more than controversial, but nothing can be completely ruled out, at least until there is an upward trend in value. It is difficult to say where it is profitable to buy such a device. In online markets, its cost is from 6,500 rubles, in electronics stores - from 6,900 rubles.But it’s not a fact that the first option is more profitable: selling Internet resources are silent about some hidden fees and charges, they become known only after delivery, which, by the way, also costs money. Ultimately, the total amount will increase by 10-15% and will be within 7200 rubles.

Summarizing

Like any other, not just a budget smartphone, VERTEX Impress Nero has its advantages, and there are incomparably more of them, and disadvantages. The latter are too minor to pay attention to, especially given the positive characteristics and cost. Taking this into account, the conclusion suggests itself - there is simply no better option to find, in terms of price and quality, it simply has no equal.

• a small percentage of defects in production;
• compact dimensions and ease of use;
• nice design that gives the impression of an expensive phone;
• high-quality body materials - side bezel, back panel, glass;
• good charger included with the device;
• great possibilities of widescreen display;
• features not available on many more expensive models;
• more than good smartphone cameras;
• accurate and high-quality assembly of the device;
• good performance;
• support for almost all existing digital network formats;
• powerful battery;
• low cost.

• not very convenient management;
• far from the best chipset;
• somewhat weak processor;
• low-quality graphics;
• small amount of memory;
• underdeveloped navigation system.

No wonder this model is considered the undisputed leader among similar products of category "B". It is productive, convenient, inexpensive, reliable, of high quality and neat assembly, customer reviews are categorical - this is a great choice.If you add to this a presentable and pleasant appearance, you get an overall picture that unfoundedly speaks in favor of such an acquisition.