Maximum Treat
The market is rife with sub RM1k smartphones, while you will get popular branded ones in that bracket, due to their focus on higher margined premiums most of these company’ tend to be less interested in low ends and even if they do price management is difficult when they load operational cost on the devices. A perennial contention consumer will weigh in this belt is the, price versus features comparison even the likes of Samsung and Apple are unable break into. This environment actually gives consumers an upper-hand, those shopping for mobile device in this segment have a wide range to select from catering to every nuances of a user’s needs in a smartphone. Be it performance, graphics, camera, speakers, display there is something for everyone. A rose will smell sweet be it from Korea or China!
And now to our point. Speaking of functions and features, PC.com was recently handed the Neffos C5 Max for review, this edition is a follow up from Neffos C5 which was launched not too long ago. Having encountered the model (very briefly) during the launch, we were impressed on the overall package against the price tag of just RM1 below 700. Now we have a chance to test if the Neffos C5 Max holds to that value.
Screen Test
We first put the unit to its marketing proposition, Display. At 5.5 inch with full high definition screen, pictures are vivid and have bright contrast of 1600:1, in-plane switching (IPS) gives better viewing angle of up to 178 degrees which means when tilting left to right, images still look clear and crisp. Maintaining the quality on the surface, TP Link has gone the way of premium flagships by incorporating Corning glass on the C5 Max which assures impeccable clarity and also gives a peace of mind on sturdiness. Watching a HD video, we experienced close to zero imperfection, no colour gamut loss, graphics were intense and playback sharp, the 5.5 inch did the trick in emphasising details, something you won’t get in smaller screens. Gaming will be a ball on this.
Compared to Honor 5X, C5 Max comes across of being more solid built and slightly premium. Having a matt surfaced plastic that’s not flimsy gives this impression and does not end there, the Corning glass 2 and 178 degree display angle adds to the check list weighing in heavily for the C5 Max.
Being The Underdog
As a new entrant in the market there is an advantage of being the underdog, nothing to prove and no reputation to upkeep. In this case of course TP Link is globally well recognised for their networking equipment’s and will need to ensure any product carrying the name will have to maintain and upkeep a certain standard…and they did.
Lighter UI means easy navigation that’s what we found on the C5 Max, however the 2 dimensional windows makes the phone seems dated, but this can easily be overcome with the customized OS.
Removable back means battery is replaceable, means less landfill, apart from the environment conscious fact, durability is commendable- 3045 mAH does not disfigure the overall design and also doesn’t feel that heavy. Ladies who need long life on their smartphone and not be burden with carrying a brick in the handbag, would be pleased with this bit of news.
Eye On Camera
A focal point (no pun intended) for any users of smartphones has to be the camera, once with just one the narcissistic in us has made manufacturers to engineer phones to support two. On the Neffos C5 Max, we have a 13Mp with F2.0 aperture for the back and 5Mp for the front, suffice to say they perform decently well. However, the autofocus for the rear camera has a slight delay of 1 to 2 seconds, that might have you missing that all important safari shot. But that should not be a deterrent, selfie lovers will be pleased with the wide angle feature for family-fies and group-fies.
Strong Pedigree
Riding on its excellent repertoire in networking solutions (we know another Chinese company that also has its roots in this field and is now competing to overthrow the number one brand) TP Link has come out with a remarkable device despite being a new entrant. Bear in mind this is just their first foray with C5, C5L and C5 Max, all released just this year and so far has been without glitches or recalls, is rather commendable. With the company’s own manufacturing factory for the phones, we can only expect to see the Neffos branded phones to get better and could one day stand neck-to-neck with the giants, after all they do have the historical pedigree to do so.
Model: TP-Link Neffos C5 Max
Price: RM699
AnTuTu score: 37655
Processor: MT 6753 1.3GHz
Storage: 16 GB ROM (32GB of expandable memory)
Memory: 2GB RAM
Battery: 3045 mAH
Operating System: Android 5.1
Camera: 13-megapixel, 5Mp front
Ports: Dual micro SIM Card
Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS, Bluetooth
Display: 5.5-inch
Verdict: A worthy contender amongst the big players.
Award: 
