TP-Link stepped into the smartphone market last year with the launch of three devices under their new Neffos brand. I reviewed the Neffos C5 earlier in 2016. They’re continuing to push on with their effort with more smartphones, the latest being the X series comprising the X1 and the X1 Max. I have the Neffos X1 for this review.
The Neffos X1 is an Android smartphone that should be categorised as a mid-tier device, but it has a price tag on the low-end, while boasting some features that put it in the premium category. It’s an interesting combination.
I’ll mention the price at the end, but for now, let’s just say it’s not common to find a full metal unibody smartphone in this price range. The Neffos X1’s metal unibody build is impressive. It’s robust, but not heavy. Even with a 5-inch display, the Neffos X1 is can be considered petite in size, having dimensions of 142 x 71 x 7.95 mm.
Overall the Neffos X1 has a nice nondescript design. The curved and chamfered edges give it a nice industrial look.
The front of the Neffos X1 has a 5-inch IPS display with 1280×768 resolution, giving a pixel density of about 294 ppi. It’s covered by a 2.5D scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. There are the three capacitive Android navigation keys under the screen. These keys are not lighted, so it might be a tad difficult to find them in the dark.
On the right side, you’ll find the volume rocker, and below that the power button. The power button has a textured surface.
The SIM slot is on the left side. The tray holds two nano-SIM cards, and a microSD card can be inserted in place of the 2nd SIM for expanded storage.
Also on the left side, above the SIM slot, is a mute slider switch. Some people will definitely appreciate a hardware button to instantly mute their smartphones.
Good to know, there’s a regular 3.5 mm audio jack at the top.
At the bottom, there’s also a regular Micro-USB port for charging. To be honest, USB Type-C (USB-C) is not so unusual anymore that soon, some people might in fact prefer to see a USB-C port. For now, though, we don’t have a problem with Micro-USB.
Around the back, there’s a cool fingerprint sensor. It’s actually a tad smaller than what you’ll find on other smartphones, but it works just as well, just needing to place your fingertip a little more carefully. The fingerprint recognition is mostly reliable, I haven’t had any trouble with it. The response time is good, though not amongst the top-league smartphones like on the Google Pixel or iPhone 7.
The main camera on the back has 13 MP resolution, using a Sony sensor with backside illumination, paired with a f/2.0 aperture 5-piece lens system as well as very quick phase-detection auto-focus. There’a also a dual-tone LED flash. Video capture is supported at Full-HD (1920×1080).
The front-facing camera has 5 MP resolution, and video capture up to Full-HD (1920×1080).
Under the good, the Neffos X1 is powered by MediaTek Helio P10 processor with either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM, depending on version. The lower-end version with 2 GB of RAM comes with 16 GB of storage, while the other version with 3 GB of RAM has 32 GB of storage. In both cases, the MicroSD slot can be used to support storage up to 128 GB.
In terms of connectivity, the Neffos X1 has 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, and LTE cellular support on both SIMs. There’s also GPS, with GLONASS and GALILEO support. Notably there is no NFC, and the Wi-Fi doesn’t include 802.11 ac.
Battery capacity is 2250 mAh.
The Neffos X1 software is based on Android 6.0. There’s some light customisation to the OS, so the experience won’t deviate significantly from a stock Android smartphone.
In the box, the Neffos X1 ships with a Micro-USB cable, USB charger, earphones, a SIM-eject tool, and, very conveniently, a screen protector.
TP-Link has the Neffos X1 selling from S$249, and it is available from all authorised Neffos retailers and resellers.
Conclusion
TP-Link brings to the table another Android smartphone. The Neffos X1 is easy on budget, but has some good specs and build quality.
Pros:
- Premium build quality
- Nice design
- Fingerprint sensor works well
Cons:
- No NFC