Vodafone Smart Ultra 6 Smartphone Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. Design4. Display5. Software6. Performance7. Camera8. Battery9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

Network operators have really begun to emphasise their own mobile handsets in recent years. Today we look at a smartphone from Vodafone, the Smart ultra 6. It costs just £125 but has a full 5.5-inch display and beefy processor. Could this be the budget phone to beat?

Perhaps the standout aspects of the Smart ultra 6 are the 1080p display and Snapdragon 615 CPU. These are certainly not what you would usually expect to get when you spend £125 on a phone, so the Smart ultra 6 could be a real game changer when it comes to the budget phone market.

Features

• 5.5-inch FHD display.
• Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor 1.5GHz.
• 2GB RAM.
• 16GB internal storage with microSD cards up to 128GB supported.
• Android Lollipop 5.0.
• 13MP primary camera, 5MP secondary unit.
• 3000 mAh battery capacity.
• 4G ready across all UK frequencies.

The packaging for the Smart ultra 6 is actually reminiscent of the boxes Xiaomi use. It is a fairly compact cardboard box, with Vodafone branding and a product photo on the front and right side.

The bottom features 8 key specifications of the Smart ultra 6, and a ‘what's in the box' list.

Everything is as you would expect inside the packaging itself. We find a standard AC adapter, microUSB cable, a headset and then the usual quick start and warranty booklets.
Coming to the design of the Smart ultra 6, we may as well state the obvious – the phone is rather large. The 5.5-inch display is fitted in a body which measures 154 x 77 x 8.35mm (LxWxD), giving a 70.3% screen-to-body ratio – which is fairly decent. What makes the phone's dimensions more impressive is that Vodafone have included the home buttons on the bezel itself, rather than on-screen. This means the full 5.5-inch display is usable.

Build quality of the Smart ultra 6 is probably what you would expect from a £125 phone, and I would say it is definitely the area in which Vodafone saved most money when manufacturing the device. This is because the phone is entirely plastic (grey plastic in this case), other than the glass layer on top of the LCD display. It is has a cheap-ish feel to it, and is certainly not premium. However, considering the impressive hardware specifications and that the Smart ultra 6 is just £125, sacrifices had to be made to achieve such a low price point. Unfortunately, the build quality happens to be one of them.

The actual design of the phone is fairly straightforward. The on/off button is conveniently located midway up the right-hand edge, meaning it is not a stretch to reach. The volume rocker is just above the power button. A headphone jack is on the top edge, left of centre.

It is also nice to see a microSD card tray on the left-hand edge, which slots back in to the phone when you have inserted the microSD card itself. This is a simple and tidy solution given the back cannot be removed from the Smart ultra 6.

So nothing about the design stands out and says ‘look at me!' Rather, it is a simple yet effective design which does the job and nothing more.
Now, on to the display of the Smart ultra 6. It is certainly a key feature of the handset, given most budget phones have a 720p panel at best. The Smart ultra 6 however, has a FHD 1080p panel, over 5.5-inches. This gives a big 401 PPI, which is lovely and sharp. Because of the display, images and videos look wonderfully crisp, and e-reading is very satisfying on the phone. Given a Kindle is only half an inch bigger than the Smart ultra 6, with a display this good you won't be needing one.

Vodafone are also keen to emphasise this is not just a ‘FHD display', it is also an ‘IPS Quantum' display. Simply put, this means colours are even more rich and vibrant than on a regular IPS panel, while viewing angles should be fantastic. The display on the Smart ultra 6 certainly did not disappoint. Colours are exceptional, with a high contrast ratio which mean blacks are extra dark while lighter colours really pop.

Viewing angles are fantastic too, but I could not say I noticed an improvement over a regular IPS panel. Still, images and text still look great at different angles, and I noticed no colour shift whatsoever. Sharing the screen between a group of friends, for instance, would pose no problems at all.

Finally, the brightness of the Smart ultra 6. The results here were good, but not as good as other aspects of the phone. Indoor usage posed no problems whatsoever, but outdoor usage is where we see how bright the display really is.

In bright sunlight, it was usable, but not quite ideal as I had to squint ever so slightly. Still, it is not bad at all and is considerably better than some other phones – such as the HTC Desire 820 I reviewed a couple of months ago.

On the whole then, the display is absolutely fantastic. If this display was on a £500 flagship I would be effusive with my praise, so considering Vodafone have fitted such a great display into a phone which costs just £125 I can only say ‘wow.' I have no idea how they have done it, but it is fabulous and a real strength of the Smart ultra 6.
The Smart ultra 6 ships with Android Lollipop 5.0.2 and it runs like a dream. Vodafone have wisely left Android alone so what is installed is essentially stock Lollipop. It is very responsive paired with Snapdragon 615 CPU and Lollipop is certainly a beautiful OS.

The home and lock screens are very much stock Lollipop, with the new emphasis on a ‘flat' UI very much evident. The home screen is mercifully uncluttered, with just a few apps and a small clock widget taking up some room.

Usually we recommend changing the launcher on an Android device as they tend to be clunky and overly busy – but that is not the case. Vodafone have left things as they should be and it certainly makes the Smart ultra 6 very usable and aesthetically pleasing.

The settings menu is also fairly standard, with the Lollipop ‘green and white colour' theme. However, it could be better in one main way. Namely, with the LG G4 settings menu, the different settings were divided into categories. Each category (‘connectivity,' ‘display,' ‘general' etc) had its own tab at the top of the settings menu.

This means the actual length of each menu is not very long, so you do not have to scroll far to reach your desired setting. The Smart ultra 6 does not do this, having everything in one big list. It is not the proverbial end of the world, it is just small little things like this which could be improved for a more user-friendly experience.

Our drop-down notification panel is very straightforward however, with one swipe downward bringing up any app notifications you have. A second swipe will mean the quick-settings appear, which are neatly arranged and turn white when each one is enabled.

Overall, there is nothing wrong with the OS, and it is great to see Vodafone leaving Android alone. We just wish more manufacturers would follow suit.
Now, I mentioned in the introductory video that I have seen two phones (the HTC Desire 820 and the OPPO R5) running the relatively recent Snapdragon 615 CPU, and both also had 2GB RAM. These are the same core specifications which make up the Smart ultra 6, so I had a certain expectation of how the phone should perform.

It is safe to say I was almost exactly right. In real-world terms, the Snapdragon 615 is a wonderful performer, opening apps swiftly and generally being very responsive. It is also helped in that it is extra efficient due to its octa-core design. This means it is essentially one quad-core 1.5GHz CPU alongside one quad-core 1GHz CPU. The Smart ultra 6 decides when more or less power is necessary and then disables or enables the necessary cores to get a job done.

Benchmark performance was very similar to the Desire 820 and OPPO R5 smartphones, as you would expect. In Geekbench 3 it scored 639 for single-core performance and 2393 for its multi-core performance. This is just behind the respective 692 and 2519 scored by the Desire 820.

In 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, the scores were also close. The Smart ultra 6 scored 7668 to the HTC's 9120. This is a slightly bigger difference than expected, but it is not enough to be concerning.

Clearly, the 615 CPU is a great performer and is a good foundation for a decent smartphone. However, what is so striking is that Vodafone use the 615 in their £125 phone, while the OPPO and HTC models cost over double the price of the Smart ultra 6. As such, it is simply phenomenal performance for the money.

You can also see that the 4G performance is certainly capable, though not as fast as some EE speeds I have seen. Still, the speeds are good.
On paper, the included camera units sound very tasty. There is a 13MP primary unit which takes images at a native resolution of 4160×3120 as well as a 5MP ‘selfie' camera.

For a budget phone, the camera on the Smart ultra 6 is certainly capable. Initially, I thought the photos did not look too great, as it seemed the auto-exposure levels were not very accurate. However, after taking a variety of images in different lighting scenarios, I am satisfied that the 13MP shooter does a good job – certainly for the price, anyway.

Colour reproduction is certainly strong, and there is a definite richness to the images. The exposure is the camera's biggest problem, particularly HDR mode which makes everything far too bright.

Close-ups and well-lit images though turn out very well, and thanks to the high pixel count they are nice and sharp. It is not the best camera I've seen on a phone, but it certainly does a decent job for a low price point.
The battery life is an area I was expecting to be particularly strong, as a 3000 mAh capacity should be more than enough for a FHD display – especially considering the Snapdragon 615 CPU is extra efficient.

It turned out to be good, but not quite the powerhouse I was hoping for. For real-world usage, it could last a day fairly comfortably, but I cannot see a regular user getting two full days like Vodafone claim on their website.

It could happen, but it would have to involve a lot of time on standby rather than in actual usage. Still, for one day it will last no problem, which is all you really need since most people can just charge the Smart ultra 6 overnight.

We are also adding in a new battery benchmark to our phone reviews. This is the battery test included within Geekbench 3, which loops its hardware benchmark until the device fails. The Smart ultra 6 lasted 5:04:40, which means it has a battery score of 2031.

Unfortunately, as this is the first phone we have tested using the benchmark, I have nothing to compare it to. However, in future all our tests will have at least one comparison so you can see how different devices stack up against each other.The Vodafone Smart ultra 6 is a relatively high-end phone, packed with great hardware, at a very affordable price of just £125 SIM-free. It certainly impressed me a huge amount, to the extent I am thinking about buying one to replace my iPhone 5S.

The design is very simple, with a no-frills approach. I like this, as it does the job well and that is all I want. The handset is obviously large – the 5.5-inch display is fitted with a body measuring 154 x 77 x 8.35 (LxWxD) and weighing 159g, but it is not unusable considering the screen size.

The display is absolutely fantastic, and is perhaps the strongest area of the phone (though there are a few contenders.) The IPS Quantum panel is bursting with vibrancy, and thanks to the 1080p resolution, everything is crystal clear. I cannot fathom how Vodafone can include this for £125, but it is brilliant.

Android Lollipop has been left alone which I always like to see, so if you are familiar with the OS you will find no surprises here. It is clean, sleek and flat – a mobile OS fit for 2015. It runs very well thanks to the Snapdragon 615 CPU and 2GB RAM, which handle everyday usage perfectly. You certainly won't be asking for more power, and considering the price, the performance is nothing short of phenomenal.

The camera was an area of slight contention, however the 13MP unit won me over with its highly detailed images and good colour reproduction. The auto-exposure levels are not always fabulous, but the results are very usable and very good for the price.

A 3000 mAh battery is also a good performer, easily powering the phone for a whole day on a single charge. I cannot see how it would last 2 full days (as Vodafone suggest) without very intermittent usage, but for a single day it is very solid.

Overall, it is a stunning phone. It packs in hardware users could easily pay £300 or more for if it were made by Samsung or HTC, all for just £125. At this price, you really cannot afford not to.

You can buy the Smart ultra 6 exclusively from Vodafone for £125 inc VAT here, or pick it up on a contract deal here.

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Pros

• Fabulous display
• Strong performance
• Solid camera
• Great all-day battery life
• Thin and light
• Simple yet effective design

Cons

• Camera auto-exposure is not perfect
• Plastic back feels fairly cheap

KitGuru says: The Smart ultra 6 is clearly a fantastic phone before we even consider the incredibly low £125 price. This phone is up there with handsets double and even triple its pricing, and is a simple ‘must have.'

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