phone 11 – asus zenfone 5

image - gsmarena

as if buying 5 phones in 2013 is not enough, i bought one of the best, bang for the buck phones on 2014, released on the same year. asus zenfone 5 belongs to the 1st generation of the zenfone series, not to be confused to the zenfone 5 of the 5th generation. this was released along with zenfone 6 and zenfone 4, again, not to be confused to the 6th generation and the 4th generation, respectively. asus has been making android smartphones before the zenfones. but this one, especially the first generation, was marketed as “bang for the buck” and “for the masses” type of phone. there were so many good things about this phone (when the os was not updated yet, more on this later).

asus zenfone 5 has the biggest foot print and display than all my previous phones. it is more immersive at 5 inches but not as sharp as my htc windows phone 8x. an intel atom powers up the phone and i cannot see the difference with other phones equipped with snapdragon in 2014. and coupled with relatively clean version of android jellybean (on its release). speaking of snappy, this is also the first phone where i heard about fast touch response (in 2020, many phones boast about faster touch sampling which is synonymous to this one). really fluid. but i can put it to the test playing subway surfer.

however, i started to unlike the user experience when it was updated. there were a lot of bloatwares and worse, it cannot be uninstalled. it lags. it is incomparable to the snappy experience i had out of the box.

the phone has a dedicated microsd slot to handle up to 64gb of storage. save music files, documents, photos and videos there. and cram your apps on 8gb internal storage which is already decent in 2014. 8mp rear camera and 2mp front camera cannot fill that up so easily for ordinary users, anyway.

as for the quality and capability. the idea is actually ahead of its time, making the result half-baked. i am talking about the lowlight photography of the phone. it was marketed to “see what you cannot see” by overexposing the lowlight shots. the quality is acceptable back then. you just get a noisy photo and the software cannot just resolve some details. but, i never knew any other phone that can do that in 2014. if only asus improved their camera software from there, they might have the attention the pixel phones got.

music play is also decent, like most phones, prior to its release, the loudspeaker is on the back. no problem when placed on flat surface since it is quite curved on its back. play through speaker, through 3.5mm audio, or wireless audio. you also have fm tuner, which is already absent on most phones in 2021.

as for the battery, i was not able to test it since the device is not on my hands anymore. because of my disappointments on the updated software, it became an extra phone for the family. anyone can use it. until it was gone. untraceable.

phone 10 – htc windows phone 8x

last phone i bought on 2013, but was released on 2012. this is my first windows phone ever. among those windows phone 8 released on or before 2013, this phone had my attention on looks. the floating design looks good and i assumed that it feels good on hand.

fairly enough, the curved back feels good on hand. the plastic matte finish even made it feel better. the curved back does not get all the way to the back center, so it lays still on the table. no camera bump. so operation on hand or on table never gave an issue.

the display looks good. excellent. images are sharp and colors look good. it is an lcd display, so it has low contrast. but there is an option to make the interface have a bit contrast. the glass is also curved a bit on the sides where the bezel is, so it does not distort the display even when viewed at an angle.

htc windows phone 8x does not have sdcard slot. you have to fit all your music files, photos and videos on the, now small, 16gb storage. speaking of photos and videos, the phone has 8mp rear and 2mp front to capture those. the front camera was made for the purpose of group shots or having a selfie with a large background since it is a wide angle camera.

as for the sounds, the phone is equipped with beats audio which is aggressive compared to moderate adjustments on htc desire 200. the music with fade in and fade out effect does not sound so good on this phone. rhythm and blues sounds better though. so i do not set the beats audio on all the time. headphone jack is still a common feature at those times. but wireless audio is also good on this phone. beats audio just would not work on wireless audio.

the phone has 1800mah battery and is charged for more than 11 hours! this is, for sure, not normal. i used to charge this phone for only 2 to 3 hours. this might be a part of battery deterioration or on the charging brick’s. it looks like the latter is true since the phone managed to lasts for a little more than a day of usage. more than 5 hours of active use is not bad even on 2021. for continuous use, a top up around 50% is good. or i just drained it before going to sleep and charge it overnight (only to find out that it is not fully charged).

and since this is my first windows phone, which is already unsupported on 2021, there are few apps i can actually use. my bad, i reset it after the app store is down. making its use comparable to feature phones. but i still like the simple user interface. at times, tiles look better than widgets. it made me consider buying another windows phone to include on my collection.

phone 9 – htc desire 200

i bought most of my phones almost a year after it was released on the market. but i bought this phone on the year when it was released, 2013. and if you have been reading this series of phone reviews, then you know that this is the 4th phone i bought within the year. i described 2013 as “trying times”. ha ha. not because life is hard to deal with, but i was trying things and phone is one of them. that is aside from, i want to diversify my phone collection.

what made me consider htc desire 200 is the hearsay that beats audio is good, and that entry level phones of htc are snappy. sadly, i was not able to check the battery life this year, 2021. no battery score card for this phone.

the connection is good. size of the body and display are comparable to sony xperia miro. but the build quality is not that good. cheap plastic is obviously seen and felt. the patterned back case did not change such perception. likewise, the display is worse than the sony xperia miro in my opinion. images just look better on the miro.

one thing i liked though, is the snappy experience. it is expected since the user interface is a bare minimum. lags only happen when opening some game apps. browsing through the interface, phonebook, messaging apps are snappy.

the 5mp camera is worse than that of sony xperia miro, despite of having the same resolution.

music play is good. beats audio on the phone is not as aggressive as the pricier htc phones. bass is emphasized a bit, the parts of some songs where the volume is quite low is also better, in my opinion. aggressive beats audio, sometimes turn off the sound of those parts completely which feels like unnatural. the loudspeaker is just right. it has a small speaker on the rear. bluetooth speaker can also be used aside from wired 3.5mm audio port.

overall, the phone is good as a music player and a backup phone. but i prefer the sony xperia miro for such purpose.

phone 8 – nokia n8 (a)

bought on 2013, released on 2010, this phone qualifies as a collector’s item – or at least i bought it for such reason. but, i can say that it has more capability than some of my previous phones.

however, i was not able to test the battery since the display is unusable.

the design is unique and the build quality is obviously sturdy. good on hand, for most of its use cases.

the amoled display is quite sharp on paper, but the perceived sharpness is on par with my sony xperia miro. but being an amoled display of yesteryears, the display deteriorates faster than lcd displays. the problem will start as a blackhole until the entire panel will be covered in pitch black. this was one of the problems of amoled displays aside from the slight burns and pink lines. and that, exactly, is what happened to this phone. but the quality of the display when it was still usable is good. good contrasts and good readability outdoors.

the processor and software are nice pair since the user experience is snappy. looking for an app, starting them up and actually using them is not disappointing.

one of the reasons of buying this, is the camera experience. 12mp carl zeiss optics produces good quality photos and looks better when transferred on pc. xenon flash also made good shots on dim situations or when the backlight is quite strong. it gives proper illumination on the subject that i never saw on any smartphones up to this day (modern smartphones settle with hdr), even the pulse led cannot produced images on par with a photo shot with nokia n8 with its xenon flash. the dedicated shutter button is also helpful. some smartphones allow you to use volume rocker as a shutter button. but since the shutter button is two-staged (half-press to focus and do necessary exposure adjustments, then press all the way down to take the shot), it provides better experience and output, generally. the camera ui is also good as it allows you to adjust some settings based on what you wanted to shoot or how you want to shoot the subject – macro, portrait, landscape, etc.

music play is also good, though it only has a tiny grill embedded on the camera bump. insert an earphone or speaker, then you can appreciate the music more. bluetooth connectivity is also present.

you also get fm radio – tuner and transmitter. the first one is common those days, but the latter is only on few phones. and i did some countless pranks with this fm transmitter. i practice at home, playing my own tracks and some funny voice overs. then tried it on my friend’s car. funniest one, was when i used it on a public transit, skipping every song on my playlist. if only you were there when i skipped a tract, the moment some random people are already “into” that song. apart from that “childish” use, i also used such feature during family gatherings. speaking of that, since the phone has built-in hdmi port, i can immediately show everyone during those gatherings, the pictures i took with the phone.

phone 7 – nokia asha 202

another phone i bought on 2013, but was released on 2012. i really had no reason to buy it, but just to try it.

there is nothing special about this phone. call and sms are good. the size is just good on hand and the display is enough for what you can use it for. the resistive display is quite difficult to use as you really need to press it not just tap it. advertised as a “touch and type” phone, it still has t9 keypad and menu keys. everything else is on the resistive display – selecting icons, tracks, sms, some swipe gestures on home screen, too.

the phone accepts up to 32gb sdcard. it can be used to store music files as the phone has music player. it can also be used to save photos and videos taken with the 2mp camera of the phone.

a web browser is also present aside from music player and a radio tuner. it has its own app store, but i think it was already close, few years after i bought the phone.

it took more than 2 hours to charge the phone and lasted for almost 4 days, making this phone more ideal than my previous phones as backup. it might last more days if it will only be used for calls and sms. about 12 hours active use is already good.

battery score card

it serves its purpose – a backup phone that can last for a couple of days and also can fill the air with music (or just your ears as it has a 3.5mm audio port), web browsing if you really need to (since the experience is not that good), and allows you to snap and shoot photos and videos (which is, again, not of good quality).

phone 6 – sony xperia miro

this 6th phone is my first in many ways. this is my first xperia. my first phone having a touchscreen. my first android smartphone. bought it on 2013, but was released on 2012. i bought it for having a good impression on previous sony ericsson phones. my dad even had an ericsson phone before (without the “sony”). there was a time when i frequently visited sony ericsson concept store just to appreciate designs and capabilities of those phones.

i settled buying a lower midrange as i cannot afford the flagships that time. so i did not expect this phone to properly represent the brand, sony xperia. but i am still satisfied. though the physical design represents the nxt series of the sony xperia. it has a small led strip below the display (much smaller than the led strips on xperia u, s, p, sp), which is not obvious when it is lit off. by default, the led strip lights up at the beginning of each track on the walkman app, as long as the display is also opened. it can also light up when a notification from a social media app arrives. for missed calls, sms, battery status and other common notifications, the smaller led light above the display is used. to maximize the use of the led strip, an app should be installed first.

sony xperia miro, like other xperia during that period, were marketed as a social media phone. social media app is integrated into the user experience. a widget consolidates all social media feeds. you can browse, on a single feed, updates from facebook, twitter and others. facebook is also integrated well into phonebook as you can synchronize your friends list and consolidate it with local numbers. photo of each contact can also be based from facebook display photo. in a way, i can easily recognize who sent an sms, miscalled or calling as it shows the display photo from their facebook accounts.

despite of its size (lxh), i had no problem with handling it or putting it on my pocket. it even fits better on my pocket since it is slimmer than my previous phones. the adjustment is on using the onscreen qwerty keyboard. luckily, there is an option for t9 keyboard (or "phone keypad” keyboard). this allows me to use it one handedly and efficiently. though i need a wrist strap to prevent it from falling, especially when i was still adjusting to its larger, yet slimmer design, unlike my previous small and bulky phones.

display is good enough during those days. enough colors, quite pixelated images due to low pixel density.

the 800mhz processor and ice cream sandwich are responsible for powering up the device and making it usable. since xperia ui (it still follows timescape ui design) is almost bare or stock, the experience is quite fluid. but the ui cannot hide stuttering when some background apps start to kick in. sometimes, when the walkman app shift to the next song while i do typing, it stutters. even games show stuttering, as simple as subway surfer does (which is the game i used to test the battery). these hiccups are expected even before i bought it.

the phone can handle 32gb microsd card where i can store my music files and photos taken with its 5mp rear camera and vga front camera (which is useless without a bright ambient light).

for battery testing, sony xperia miro was the first one to be tested, despite being the 6th phone in queue. (the preceding phones on this series were tested after this phone) i tested music play using walkman app, web browsing using the stock web browser (which is different from chrome browser), subway surfer for gaming, stock apps for taking photos and videos, then the movies (videos) app for playing videos taken with it. the battery was fully charged for 3 hours and almost 30 minutes, but only lasted for almost a day – more than 4 hours for active use, the rest inactive.

battery score card

using it now as a music player and a backup phone. i prefer this over lenovo e156 as a backup phone. better sound than that lenovo, too. i can also use any wired audio device, like earphones and speakers; and wireless audio too.

overall, the experience on this phone is never disappointing. it makes me consider xperia or any android as my next phone. but i was still open to try other brands that time. this phone made some of my routines easier than on my previous phones. at the same time, it, somehow, made me dependent on it. i started having more time tinkering on my phone than on other things. some things i do on my laptop or on physical notepad previously can easily be done on this little device. of course, those "not so power hungry" tasks. satisfied.

phone 5 – lenovo e156

released on 2011, i bought it on 2012. my main reason for purchasing it, is just to try out the first generation of lenovo phones. i expected lenovo e156 as a decent phone just like their laptops despite of it being the cheapest one.

i had no significant issues with connectivity. but issues are somewhere else. during calls, i cannot be heard well. on texting, specifically typing, aside from relatively hardpress keys compared to all my previous phones, the feedback is delayed. i can literally finish typing, and the phone still needs to show the last three words i already typed. that kind of lag is worse than the lag on android phones i heard during those times.

the phone is good on hand and pocketable. it may not feel as sturdy as my previous nokia phones, as the back cover easily pops out whenever i dropped it. but at least it is still working as it is up to this day. that means, it is better than my nokia 1100 and nokia 1600 in terms of longevity.

lenovo e156 has sdcard slot, able to accept up to 8gb of storage. this is good for storing audio files and some photos. viewing photos on the phone is impractical due to its 128x128 pixels, 1.5 inches display and can only show photos with small data size as the memory of the phone is not capable of handling photos with big data size.

as for playing music, the loudspeaker is… loud. but, the quality is quite low. it is flat. the phone has no 3.5mm jack, but it uses the miniUSB port for both charging and audio connection. since it is difficult (if possible) to buy such earphones having a miniUSB connector, i need to take it with extra care. it does not have bluetooth connection, too. surprisingly, even after not putting extra care, the earphones that came with it still works. the earphones are useable, but as flat as the loudspeaker.

by the way, this has no camera. so most of my battery testing has to go for music playing.

the 650mah battery was charged for 2 hours and a little more than 30 minutes. it managed to lasts for almost 2 days which is normal as a phone with few features.

battery score card

currently using as a music player aside from a backup phone – sms and calls. the latter seldom happens since i have other backup phones. those are better as it can provide web access and android apps. but then, again, this will be useful during power outages and when i need to digitally detoxify – at least, it still put me into communication line and some music.